Time to gloat

I hate to be a sore winner but...oh what the hell....

EAT IT YOU REPUBLICAN LOSERS!!!! We control the Congress as of RIGHT NOW!!!

Feels damn good, I must admit. :-)

Photo from www.washingtonpost.com

Happy New Year!`

Wow. 2007? WTH? Where did 2006 go?

Anyway, here's hoping all of you had a great Xmas and New Year's Day! Ours was spent at home in MD with my folks (well, Xmas at least). The baby had a blast, and we were even presented with the first of I'm sure what will be many insane temper tantrums... :-)

Sylvia for Quesident 2008

Please vote for her.

It's time for a change.

Chicago pix -- FINALLY!

Long overdue posting this photo, but I just got around to downloading photos from my fabulous trip to Chicago in October.

Here I am with my good friend Mari and her ex-roommate, Chris. We went to a jazz club to see some KILLER live music. Mari's old neighborhood was a touch gritty (in a very cool way) and it really set the atmosphere for live jazz in Chicago.

It was great to see her again and catch up. Jenny and I are very lucky to have such good friends all over the country, and the world, for that matter. We hope all of you have a fantastic holiday season!

Dear Metro driver: SHUT IT!

Metro here in DC is well-known for its low-hassle, clean transit experience (at least it's well-know to me for those things). But occasionally I'll get on a train with a frustrated DJ as driver. This is the kind of driver that WILL NOT STOP TALKING OVER THE INTERCOM THE ENTIRE WAY IN TO WORK AND HAS TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE STOPS, THE ELEVATORS, THE TIME OF DAY, THE...oh, were the all caps getting on your nerves? Well that's what the unrelenting chatter does to me.

Life's damn good, otherwise, though. And that's saying something! Have a great Tuesday!

She is no longer a baby

Though, I still call her my baby.
Here's some random facts about Syl:

No more baby food...
Her latest fave food is Trader Joe's "Pizza Rustico" which has kalamata olives and goat cheese on it. She also loves whole wheat waffles, with Fage yogurt on top.
Luxe life. She eats better than I do.

She is amazing at spotting "aiwr-pwane" and "woof woofs" and asks to watch "Hi-Fibe!?" while holding up 4 fingers.

She LOVES to wear hats. I have about five that my mom knitted her available at all times to let her put on and take off a million times in a row. She also likes to wear her pink pilot hat.

She greets Dada at the door each night when he comes home from work with a very loud, "hi-EYE-iii!!!"

She loves when we video tape her or take her picture. She also does a fake laugh, so she's known as "Hollywood" when she hams it up.

She finds squirrels and birds the MOST fascinating creatures EVER and greets them with her Pterodactyl yell. Also, Christmas lights on houses are VERY exciting and she screams and points at every one!

I will end this post with this thought:
I think she is a very cool kid because she is especially nice to older people and people in wheelchairs. She always says hi to them and I have been told by many a stranger that Sylvia saying "HI!" to them, made their day.

Have we overmilitarized our police forces?

There seems to be a trend in this country whereby the police are becoming less and less civilian protectors of the people and more and more of a military-type shock force, willing to use unjustified force to subdue suspects or borderline illegal coersion to trick people into giving up their civil rights.

More often than ever you see police officers in military-style clothing, with military-style weapons and tactics (for example, my home town of Oak Hill, with a population of a scant 7,000 people, has a K-9 unit—why?). It's only natural, then, for the officers to begin to think of themselves as a military unit, not a part of the population in general.

You see an example of the first problem cited above in this video of a recent tasering incident at UCLA. The police there taser a student multiple times instead of simply handcuffing and arresting him. More troubling is that his charge was not being in possession of his student ID. Hardly a major offense.

The second problem, that of coersion of suspects by trickery or intimidation, can be seen simply by watching the show "Cops." Time and again, suspects stopped for a minor infraction are told that the cops will go easy on them if they consent to a search of their vehicle. This is not true. The cops cannot "go harder" on you if you do not cooperate, and you are under NO OBLIGATION to grant a search of your vehicle, which is why the police ask for permission. Check out this great instructional video by the ACLU advising Americans of their rights when confronted by the police. It should be required viewing in civics classes (as if they still taught civics nowadays).

Also troubling is the habit of police officers to refer to the general populace as "civilians," as if they somehow have a lower status. In fact, the police officers are civilians as well.

I fully understand that being a police officer is a demanding, dangerous, and many times, thankless job. That's why I'm very grateful to the citizens of this country who choose the calling to protect and serve us. But having a dangerous, important job does not give a police organization or individual officers free reign to trample over the rights of the populace.

First A_nimal Board meeting!

Okay, I'm back to the underline code for this post, so break out your Enigma machines. Had my first meeting as an official, County-Executive-affirmed A_nimal Ma_tters Hea_ring B_oard member last night. The case involved whether or not to affirm the decision to declare a dog dangerous. The debate was not contentious, and my side won. This should be interesting. The next meeting is Wednesday night, and involves a barking complaint. We'll have to suss out whether or not this is a real complaint or just some neighbors looking for leverage against one another.

Arghh! Plumbing debacle in the works

I usually try to do most household repairs on my own, as a way to save dough and also just because I really enjoy fixing things around the house. My dad and I installed a new (used) dishwasher last week, for example.

But for some jobs, you simply have to call in the big guns. Take, if you will, a corroded, leaking bathtub trap. Now that's a replacement job in need of specialized tools and specialized skills. Unfortunately for us, those things cost a lot of specialized money.

We've been using the downstairs bathroom for showering for the last couple of weeks, and it looks like this will continue until we get the second estimate for replacing the upstairs bathtub trap. I'm not looking forward to the hole in my downstairs ceiling or the hole in my bank account. Ugh.

Grandparent madness!

Sylvie is currently in hog heaven, with grandma and grandpa in town for the weekend. She's also starting to do "babble talking" more and more. It's really funny because she uses correct intonation, but the words are all jibberish. Kind of like her daddy before coffee in the morning.

Moth-eaten cardigan sweaters are on aisle 7

So I was in Lowe's in Bowie Md yesterday buying a new showerhead for our downstairs bathroom. I had on standard November weekend attire, which for me is a boggin, flannel shirt, blue jeans (modern stylish ones that Jenny bought me), Vans, and my Carhardtt black jacket. Also I was unshaven and suitibly scruffy.

Apparently my wardrobe brought a flashback upon the girl who checked me out (in both senses of the phrase). As she finished scanning my items she blurted out, apropos of nothing, "I really like grunge. I wish I wouldn't have thrown out all those albums I had in college. I was looking for them the other day." I replied in the most delicate manner I could muster that MY WIFE and I also had regrets about some long lost CDs. She grinned sheepishly and I left, flattered yet somehow troubled.

Grunge is not the look I usually shoot for these days. I guess it's better than being confused for a gay man, which is what usually happens.

Kicking Ass!

What can I say? Other than SWEET!!!!!!

Now if we can solidify the wins in VA and MT all will be seriously good. I'm very happy this morning!

Great job Mr. Dean!

More, and different, board member madness

Well, guess who is the newest member of the M_ontgomery C_ounty A_nimal M_atters H_earing B_oard? That's right, M_e. (If I keep doing stuff I don't want Googled, this site is going to need an Enigma machine.)

The deal is this: I'm trying to become more active in the community and also strenghen my resume without resorting to grad school. I figured being on a board or two couldn't hurt, so I started applying to several county board openings that I thought would be interesting and fulfilling. I had a couple interviews, and ended up getting nominated to be on the A_nimal M_atters H_earing B_oard. Pretty cool!

What does the board do? Well think of the show Animal Cops. The board members are the ones who get to work after the cops do their thing to rule on disputes involving animals. So let's say your neighbor's mutt won't shut up. You file a complaint with the county. The board decides who's right and who's wrong. Or...let's say you keep your horse tied up with no food or water. We decide whether or not you get a hefty fine. Same for dangerous animals in the neighborhood, enforcing leash laws, etc.

The cool thing about this gig is that I'll (one hopes) be in the postion to be able to actually do some real good in the community. I hope that I'll be able to play a part in keeping people and animals in the county safe and happy. I'm looking forward to getting started with it. Wish me luck!

Travel mania

Went to Chicago for a conference last week and this week I'm in NYC for another one! Whew! Jenny's mom came in to stay with her and the baby while I'm away, so that's good.

Last night I went down to the Lower East Side to get some dinner and see some bands, both of which were very good. Silo, in particular, was fantastic. I went with a good buddy of mine from D.C., Keith. Neither of us knew the other was coming to the show, so it's a good thing we ran into each other on the exhibit hall floor. Strange how those types of things work out.

I really love NYC. I'm not sure living here would be all it was cracked up to be if you didn't pull in at least $500K/year, though. It would be torture to have to scrape by on PB&J with all these good restaurants just sitting there taunting you every night.

Long time, no blog. Sorry.

Sorry all for the long time between blogs. We've been really busy lately, for several reasons--not the least of which is that I've accepted a new job: A_ctuarial S_tandards B_oard P_rogram M_anager (underlines inserted to prevent Googling eyes).

It's still the same company, but I'll be doing new, different, and exciting things. Plus I get a bigger office with a bank of windows overlooking scenic L Street. Schweet.

There are certain aspects of the job that I have definite reservations about (taking minutes at board meetings, doing on-the-fly editing on a big screen projected in front of the board), but I feel that I'll be up to the challenge!

I'll be editing A_ctuarial S_tandards of P_ractice and a newsletter, as well as doing the print buying for said publications, so I've got that going for me. Gunga Ga-...Gunga Galunga.

Movin' on up, just like the Jeffersons.

Book published!

My mom's cousins' book is going to be available at the end of October.
This is SO exciting!
Please check it out as my Grandma Ida's recipes should be in there.
I am so proud.

Follow-up on my eye surgery

Well, that certainly sucked. The procedure only lasted about 10 minutes, but I've got to tell you, that crap that they inject into your face to numb it freaking kills. It must have the viscosity of maple syrup, because it seemed like he was slowly squeezing a pound of acid into my eye socket. It really hurt.

They then clamped my eye open with a device straight out of "A Clockwork Orange" and removed a small amber pellet out of my eyelid. Sorry if this is TMI, by the way. Turns out a sty had gone evil and decided to crystalize and stay a while. Not fun.

Pretty much back to normal now, though, thank goodness.

Dread

I have to go into the opthamologist today to have minor eyelid surgery. I'm really dreading it, as it involves several sharp objects being inserted into my face. I'm not good with needles in the best of circumstances, and having someone poke one into my eyelid is not the most fun thing I can think of to do this afternoon. Wish me luck.

Election Day Fiasco

Well, here in MD, it's primary election day. I usually never miss the chance to vote, so I made my way first thing this morning to the neighborhood elementary school that doubles as my polling place. Unfortunately, I was unable to cast my vote.

Here in decently upscale Montgomery County, we apparently have trouble getting voter authorization cards to the electronic voting machines on time. So, I was informed upon my arrival that I would not be able to vote electronically, but I could wait 30 minutes and cast a provisional ballot. I didn't have 30 minutes. Like most folks, I had to go to work. So I left.

The volunteer told me that the polls will remain open until 8pm, and possibly later, and I will trek back after work. But I wonder how many folks won't bother to make the second effort. Probably most of them.

Why, oh why, is it so freaking difficult to vote (and have your vote actually counted) in this country? It's high time that America gets its collective sh!t together on this issue.

Coal keeps WV poor

This weekend, West Virginia University played Marshall in the first annual "Friends of Coal" Bowl in Morgantown. WVU predictibly whooped Marshall, but for me, the game was marred by the near-constant pro-coal industry sales pitch by the announcers, commercials, and "special guests" in the booth. Former Marshall coach Bob Pruett and former WVU coach Don Nehlen, both on the pro-industry lobby group's payroll as spokespeople, told about all the glories of the coal industry and the massive force of good it is for our humble state.

Let me say that my family have been heavily involved in coal mining going back several generations. Coal miners are not the problem. In fact, my grandfathers on both sides and my great-grandfather on my dad's side were all miners. My dad was a federal mine inspector for 35+ years. My dad and mom do not share my views on mining, and point out, rightly, that money from mining and, in my case, inspecting mines, put me through college and gave us a nice place to live. This is true.

Several thousand people in WV make a damn good living by being coal miners, with salaries averaging around $65,000, well above the norm in the state. The "Friends of Coal" group makes much hay about how many jobs in WV mining produces. They act as if the whole state would collapse should mining go away, or god forbid, be regulated and properly taxed. But just how many miners are actually working in WV?

16,455 miners. That's it. That means that coal mining employs 0.9% of the state's population. (My numbers come from the 2002 Census, if you're wondering.)

Do you know what Don Blankenship, CEO of WV's biggest coal company, Massey Energy, made in 2003? $6,105,714 (according to salary.com). That's per year.

McDowell county, which has produced more coal than any other county in the state, has a per capita income of $17,622 (as of 2005). That means it would take the average citizen of McDowell county 347 years to make what Dandy Don makes in a single year. In fact, Don makes in a single day about what our average Joe in Welch takes a whole year to earn. If he has a job, that is. The unemployment rate in McDowell county is 8.6%. Ouch. Seen in that light, coal doesn't look so good for McDowell county, after all.

Coal (and more recently, timber) have made up the lion's share of West Virginia's industrial base since the state broke away from VA during the Civil War. Through all those years, coal has been the engine that drove West Virginia's economy. It's given thousands upon thousands of workers jobs throughout those years (and it gave a lot of them black lung, too, but we'll ignore that for now). I won't dispute that. So what has been the end result of all those great years of mining? Surely, such a fantastic industry would have turned West Virginia into one of the richest, most progressive places in the nation, right? Wrong.

After 150 years of coal mining, WV is

50th in Median Income: $24,880
Number 8 in amount of persons below poverty level: 16.7%
3rd in unemployment: 7.5%
50th in persons 25 or older with a bachelor's degree: 15.3%
40th in teacher's salaries: $38,461
5th in infant mortality: 9.1/1000 births

No matter how you slice it, that sucks. My point is that for all the snowjobs put forth by ex-football coaches and bass pros, the hard facts are that WV has never done all that well under the coal regime, even in the best of times--the '50s--when coal companies still actually employed people to mine coal instead of giant mechanical draglines.

And speaking of giant, mechanical draglines, those monstrosities gouge out huge chunks of the Appalachian skyline day after day, enriching guys like Blankenship and other out-of-state corporations (Massey, for example, is located in Richmond, VA--well away from the horrors it inflicts on our mountainsides.)

On Saturday, FOC spokesman Nehlen said to the announcer "Some people don't like us because we sometimes make a little bit of a mess." Count me as some people Don. WV is a great place. I just hope that the people living there wake up to the fact that "coal = jobs" is a myth before it's too late and they are living on a landscape that looks more like the moon than the lush paradise they grew up with.