We were awoken (again) at 3 a.m. last night by our college-aged downstairs neighbors' loud talking and door slamming. I had to get the guard at the apt. to go tell them to can it...again! What the hell is it with Jenny and me? In Oakland we had the squealing über-bitch and her slovenly, loud-laughing, D&D boyfriend, and now we've got the stoner fraternity....
All we want is a peaceful night's sleep! Realtor.com, take me away!
10/15/2004
10/13/2004
U-S-A! U-S-A!
I'm so psyched! I'm going to RFK Stadium tonight to watch the U.S. Men's national soccer team take on Panama in a World Cup qualifier. If the U.S. wins, we will go on to the final round of the qualifiers, where the top three teams go to the World Cup in Germany in 2006.
I've never seen the national team live, so I'm really looking forward to it. Go USA!
I've never seen the national team live, so I'm really looking forward to it. Go USA!
The propaganda just keeps on comin'
Good news, bretheren! In case you haven't heard about it, there's an alternative to that lying, naysaying Michael Moore film for all of you evangelicals out there. Faith in the White House tells how our wonderful president prays constantly on his direct, exclusive line to God. Hallelujah!
Man, people are messed up in this country. Here's some of the drivel on their Web site promoting this hogwash (emphasis mine): "According to BBC correspondent Justin Webb: 'Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W. Bush. The Bush administration hums to the sound of prayer. Prayer meetings take place day and night. It's not uncommon to see White House functionaries hurrying down corridors carrying Bibles.'"
Does that scare you as much as it scares me?
Man, people are messed up in this country. Here's some of the drivel on their Web site promoting this hogwash (emphasis mine): "According to BBC correspondent Justin Webb: 'Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W. Bush. The Bush administration hums to the sound of prayer. Prayer meetings take place day and night. It's not uncommon to see White House functionaries hurrying down corridors carrying Bibles.'"
Does that scare you as much as it scares me?
Sad Movie + Green Leaves
After going out to a bar/restaurant w. Jason to watch the Red Sox (we won't talk about the game -- too depressing), I came back to the hotel and watched The Notebook. Predictable, but still very sad. The main character had dementia and had no memory of her life, her children, her husband. It is so painful to watch what heartache these types of diseases cause to loved ones. It also shows you how lucky you are if you find that person who just "gets you" and accepts you with all your flaws.
On a lighter note, no major leaf turning here yet. I am guessing that peak leafing will hit the Boston area in about 10 days.
On a lighter note, no major leaf turning here yet. I am guessing that peak leafing will hit the Boston area in about 10 days.
10/12/2004
Where do you fall on the political spectrum?
I recently discovered a cool web test, The Political Compass, that asks your opinion on lots of different topics to determine where you fall on the political spectrum.
I've always thought of myself as moderate (with my conservative views on crime and punishment and welfare reform "moderating" my liberal views on pretty much everything else), but it turns out I'm more left and more libertarian than the Dahli Lama and Nelson Mandela. At least I'm in good company down in the SW quadrant.
Where do you fit in?
I've always thought of myself as moderate (with my conservative views on crime and punishment and welfare reform "moderating" my liberal views on pretty much everything else), but it turns out I'm more left and more libertarian than the Dahli Lama and Nelson Mandela. At least I'm in good company down in the SW quadrant.
Where do you fit in?
Mantra
After work tonight (I am here in Boston for work) found a neat restaurant called Mantra and Jason and Sara met me there for dinner. It is an old bank converted to a bar and restaurant. The bathrooms are bizarre. The doors of the stalls have one-way mirrors. So you look out at the sinks but those at the sinks cannot see you. SO weird. I now know what it would be like to be a vampire (sans the urge to drink blood -- phew), where you have no image in the mirror. I kept waving and waving and it's so odd to not have the mirror on the opposite wall reflect your image.
10/11/2004
Jenny gone. Joe sad.
Jenny is on another Boston business trip, leaving me to my own devices here in D.C. Of course, my devices include not much more than playing guitar in the living room; driving around random neighborhoods, map in hand, jotting down notes as to which would be acceptable for us to buy in and which are not; and watching unending episodes of Seinfeld reruns.
None of it blunts my horrific trauma of missing Jenny. :-(
Come home soon, honey!
None of it blunts my horrific trauma of missing Jenny. :-(
Come home soon, honey!
10/08/2004
"You can run but you can't hide." Unless your name is Osama bin Laden.
How can this be a contest at this point? Bush is so outclassed by Kerry it's almost funny. Well, it would be funny if 51% of the jackasses in this country didn't buy it.
Listen up people. Just because Bush says he'll make you safe DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE!!!!! If you want a cowboy, rent a John Wayne movie and quit ruining the 49% of the rest of the country's lives!
Do you want to talk about being unsafe? Your odds of losing your health insurance are hundreds of times greater than your odds of getting attacked by a terrorist. If you vote for Bush, the terrorists win.
Listen up people. Just because Bush says he'll make you safe DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE!!!!! If you want a cowboy, rent a John Wayne movie and quit ruining the 49% of the rest of the country's lives!
Do you want to talk about being unsafe? Your odds of losing your health insurance are hundreds of times greater than your odds of getting attacked by a terrorist. If you vote for Bush, the terrorists win.
Mr. Bush, you are a cheat and a liar
George W. Bush is a liar. I think we all knew that. Well, it also seems that he's a cheater.
Several blogs around the Net and a great article by Salon.com are speculating on a mysterious bulge between the president's shoulder blades during the last debate. The bulge, combined with Bush's long lapses between question and answer, his weirdly blurting out "Let me finish!" when no one was interrupting him (at least no one we could hear), and the fact that he's known to be unable to think under pressure are leading some to believe that the commander-in-chief of the nation was cheating in the debate.
Heaven's no. That couldn't be...gasp...could it?
Let's just hope that the moderator tonight pats the sumbitch down and takes an otoscope to both of his doofy ears before they begin.
Several blogs around the Net and a great article by Salon.com are speculating on a mysterious bulge between the president's shoulder blades during the last debate. The bulge, combined with Bush's long lapses between question and answer, his weirdly blurting out "Let me finish!" when no one was interrupting him (at least no one we could hear), and the fact that he's known to be unable to think under pressure are leading some to believe that the commander-in-chief of the nation was cheating in the debate.
Heaven's no. That couldn't be...gasp...could it?
Let's just hope that the moderator tonight pats the sumbitch down and takes an otoscope to both of his doofy ears before they begin.
10/07/2004
Passing it on
When I was 14 and first learning how to play music, guitar magazines were my #1 lesson books. I would get Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Guitar Player every month and spend hours upon hours up in my room learning the tips and tricks (and whole transcribed songs) in those pages.
I'd devour the articles where my favorite guitarists would talk about their playing, their influences, and how they made the guitar do mind-blowing things I couldn't even hum, much less play along to! (My main men were guys like Jake E. Lee, coincidentally, another West Virginian; Randy Rhoads; Tony Iommi; Warren DiMartini; and, of course, the man who started it all for me, Ace Frehley, "lead guitar!")
For an obsessed kid like me in small town USA, those magazines were my connection to the best teachers rock guitar could offer, and it's no stretch to say that I learned how to play guitar well by studying those magazines every night (to my grades' detriment). Getting encouragement from my favorite players and hearing them in interviews tell me to keep practicing and learn more gave me the confidence to keep going and say "I can do this!"
Now it's my turn to help the next generation of guitarists by writing those very articles. Turns out that Guitar Player is owned by my former company, CMP, and before I left California, I pitched them on an article about home amplifier building, a new hobby of mine. Long story short, they took the bait, and my first article was published in the October edition of Guitar Player (see photo). Click here to read the article (you'll need to scroll down once you get to the Web page).
Since this first article, I've written two interviews for the upcoming premiere issue of FRETS magazine, the new acoustic counterpart to Guitar Player, and I just interviewed the Reverend Horton Heat yesterday for an upcoming issue of GP. The fact that I get paid to do this is icing on the cake.
I just hope that somewhere there's a kid in West Virginia who has just picked up his first guitar who reads my article and says to himself (or herself), "I can do this!"
I'd devour the articles where my favorite guitarists would talk about their playing, their influences, and how they made the guitar do mind-blowing things I couldn't even hum, much less play along to! (My main men were guys like Jake E. Lee, coincidentally, another West Virginian; Randy Rhoads; Tony Iommi; Warren DiMartini; and, of course, the man who started it all for me, Ace Frehley, "lead guitar!")
For an obsessed kid like me in small town USA, those magazines were my connection to the best teachers rock guitar could offer, and it's no stretch to say that I learned how to play guitar well by studying those magazines every night (to my grades' detriment). Getting encouragement from my favorite players and hearing them in interviews tell me to keep practicing and learn more gave me the confidence to keep going and say "I can do this!"
Now it's my turn to help the next generation of guitarists by writing those very articles. Turns out that Guitar Player is owned by my former company, CMP, and before I left California, I pitched them on an article about home amplifier building, a new hobby of mine. Long story short, they took the bait, and my first article was published in the October edition of Guitar Player (see photo). Click here to read the article (you'll need to scroll down once you get to the Web page).
Since this first article, I've written two interviews for the upcoming premiere issue of FRETS magazine, the new acoustic counterpart to Guitar Player, and I just interviewed the Reverend Horton Heat yesterday for an upcoming issue of GP. The fact that I get paid to do this is icing on the cake.
I just hope that somewhere there's a kid in West Virginia who has just picked up his first guitar who reads my article and says to himself (or herself), "I can do this!"
10/06/2004
Journalism at its most disturbing
According to this article on ABCNews.com, Cheney dominated the debate by a 43% to 35% margin of victory.
Wow. I thought it looked closer than that....but wait! Let's check out the fine print:
Methodology: This survey was conducted by telephone Tuesday night among a random-sample panel of 509 registered voters who watched the vice presidential debate. The results have a 4.5-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation were done by TNS of Horsham, Pa.
509 registered voters? Criminy! I ask more than 509 people for advice on what to wear to work in the morning! Seriously, I'm sorry, 509 people IS NOT a true representation of the entire 291 million people in the U.S.
This shows you what crap these polls are. They are really just headline tools, but unfortunately, a lot of the time they turn into self-fulfilling prophecy....let's hope this one is viewed as the shit is truly is.
Wow. I thought it looked closer than that....but wait! Let's check out the fine print:
Methodology: This survey was conducted by telephone Tuesday night among a random-sample panel of 509 registered voters who watched the vice presidential debate. The results have a 4.5-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation were done by TNS of Horsham, Pa.
509 registered voters? Criminy! I ask more than 509 people for advice on what to wear to work in the morning! Seriously, I'm sorry, 509 people IS NOT a true representation of the entire 291 million people in the U.S.
This shows you what crap these polls are. They are really just headline tools, but unfortunately, a lot of the time they turn into self-fulfilling prophecy....let's hope this one is viewed as the shit is truly is.
Dick Cheney lives up to his first name
First, let me qualify my post by saying up front that I hate Dick Cheney. He is a ruthless, immoral, devious, cheating, lying, stealing, skulking lump of pure, 100% unadulterated evil, as far as I'm concerned. To me, he is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with our government today. He stands for giant corporate interests above the health and welfare of the common folk, he got into "public service" by boot-licking and using underhanded tactics and ethically bankrupt business connections, and on top of that, he's a classless prick.
Some of his lowlights as VP: Telling a U.S. Senator to "go fuck yourself" on the Senate floor? Really classy, Dick. Taking money from your former employer while making sure its billion-dollar no-bid contract goes through? Conflict of interest much? Having a gay daughter, yet "supporting the President" in an attempt to amend the Constitution to forbid gay marraige? Hypocracy of the highest order.
Of course, he's a fricking liar, too. (Thanks for the heads-up on the link, Gabe.) But you knew that, right?
We learned some new goodies about him last night: Voting against plastic guns and head start? Good call...not.
That said, I think he carried himself well during the debate and came off looking a little better than Edwards, which I found very disappointing. He successfully put Edwards on the defensive about his senatorial career, and stated blatent lies convincingly (to the masses at least) as indisputable fact.
Edwards didn't totally blow it, though. He brought up the Halliburton record, and plainly stated again and again that Hussein had NO connection to 9-11, which can never be said enough.
Overall, though, I thought the debate was a tossup at best, and that's scary, since I'm a rabid Democrat. One can only imagine what the "undecideds" made of things.
Some of his lowlights as VP: Telling a U.S. Senator to "go fuck yourself" on the Senate floor? Really classy, Dick. Taking money from your former employer while making sure its billion-dollar no-bid contract goes through? Conflict of interest much? Having a gay daughter, yet "supporting the President" in an attempt to amend the Constitution to forbid gay marraige? Hypocracy of the highest order.
Of course, he's a fricking liar, too. (Thanks for the heads-up on the link, Gabe.) But you knew that, right?
We learned some new goodies about him last night: Voting against plastic guns and head start? Good call...not.
That said, I think he carried himself well during the debate and came off looking a little better than Edwards, which I found very disappointing. He successfully put Edwards on the defensive about his senatorial career, and stated blatent lies convincingly (to the masses at least) as indisputable fact.
Edwards didn't totally blow it, though. He brought up the Halliburton record, and plainly stated again and again that Hussein had NO connection to 9-11, which can never be said enough.
Overall, though, I thought the debate was a tossup at best, and that's scary, since I'm a rabid Democrat. One can only imagine what the "undecideds" made of things.
10/05/2004
Fear the Reaper
You may be reminded of Joe's rugged good looks by the hard-core, scythe wielding tough guy in this photo. That's due to family resemblance.
You see, dear reader, this Old Country badass is none other than my great-great-grandfather, José G.
He emigrated from Castrillón, Asturies (in northern Spain) to work as a foreman in a zinc smelter in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He dragged his wife, daughter (my great-grandmother Tomasa G A de V), and other kids along for the ride, and that's where my great-grandparents met. The rest, as they say, is history.
After getting his fill of the U.S.A., he and Dionesia, my great-great grandmother, returned to Spain, bought a farm in Lluanco, Asturies, and lived out the rest of their days. Obviously, my great-grandmother Tomasa stayed in the U.S.
The moral of this story: whenever you think your work sucks, remember that your lazy ass could be melting in a giant metallurgy works instead of surfing this blog. Thank your stars that your ancestors did the dirty work so you don't have to....
You see, dear reader, this Old Country badass is none other than my great-great-grandfather, José G.
He emigrated from Castrillón, Asturies (in northern Spain) to work as a foreman in a zinc smelter in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He dragged his wife, daughter (my great-grandmother Tomasa G A de V), and other kids along for the ride, and that's where my great-grandparents met. The rest, as they say, is history.
After getting his fill of the U.S.A., he and Dionesia, my great-great grandmother, returned to Spain, bought a farm in Lluanco, Asturies, and lived out the rest of their days. Obviously, my great-grandmother Tomasa stayed in the U.S.
The moral of this story: whenever you think your work sucks, remember that your lazy ass could be melting in a giant metallurgy works instead of surfing this blog. Thank your stars that your ancestors did the dirty work so you don't have to....
10/04/2004
It's official: God is a Democrat
My Uncle Bob sent me this great graphical representation that proves beyond any resonable doubt that God is, indeed, a Democrat. You'd better think twice before November, Florida!
[Booming God voice] And West Virginia voters reading Jenny and Joe's blog, take heed! You wouldn't want several billion locusts to come to Thanksgiving dinner....would you? [/Booming God voice]
[Booming God voice] And West Virginia voters reading Jenny and Joe's blog, take heed! You wouldn't want several billion locusts to come to Thanksgiving dinner....would you? [/Booming God voice]
10/03/2004
Finally! Photos!
I think I've finally found a way to upload photos to the blog, which has been requested by many folks so far. Here's a photo from our Labor Day trip to the lake in MD. The program I'm using is called Flickr, and it seems to work like a charm, so far.
Viking Fun with Millionaire Finns
One of the officers at Jenny's company hosted a party at his schweet four-storey townhouse just south of Dupont Circle on Friday. He's Finnish, so every year he puts on the "Viking Party," and invites the entire D.C. office, complete with s.o.'s. The couples are seated a different tables from each other to encourage mingling, and never-ending glasses of ice cold Finlandia vodka keep the conversation flowing. The food was also plentiful (I gorged on what turned out to be the opening course of a four-course meal, yet still managed to throw down on some meat and smoked fish in subsequent courses), and seriously, they must have spent five grand on liquor alone.
Our friends Jordan and Kristin spent the night on our Aerobed in the living room since they live way out in Frederick, MD. We all went to breakfast on Saturday morning and had good eggs and good conversation.
I went to play soccer later that morning, and while I still haven't scored a goal in D.C., I did notch another assist and had two other passes that led to goals. I'll take it.
Saturday night and Sunday we didn't do jack or shit, and it was very nice to just have a day or so to relax. Actually, Jenny did a little organizing, but nothing too crazy.
Our friends Jordan and Kristin spent the night on our Aerobed in the living room since they live way out in Frederick, MD. We all went to breakfast on Saturday morning and had good eggs and good conversation.
I went to play soccer later that morning, and while I still haven't scored a goal in D.C., I did notch another assist and had two other passes that led to goals. I'll take it.
Saturday night and Sunday we didn't do jack or shit, and it was very nice to just have a day or so to relax. Actually, Jenny did a little organizing, but nothing too crazy.
10/01/2004
Pres. Eisenhower's Son will vote Kerry in Nov.
Add Ike's son to the list of former Republican presidents' children who have come out against the current Republican nominee (Reagan's son did the same thing, although to be fair, he's always been a Democrat). Eisenhower's switch is more telling, as he has always been a staunch Republican, and now feels that his party has abandoned him...and the middle class.
In his own words: "The Republicans used to be deeply concerned for the middle class and small business. Today’s Republican leadership, while not solely accountable for the loss of American jobs, encourages it with its tax code and heads us in the direction of a society of very rich and very poor."
Of course, he's right.
Read the whole article here.
In his own words: "The Republicans used to be deeply concerned for the middle class and small business. Today’s Republican leadership, while not solely accountable for the loss of American jobs, encourages it with its tax code and heads us in the direction of a society of very rich and very poor."
Of course, he's right.
Read the whole article here.
Debate #1: Kerry's problem, Bush's idiocy on display
The bar where I watched the debate, Millie and Als in Adams Morgan, erupted in laughter and applause last night when Bush yet again mixed up Sadaam Hussein with Osama bin Laden. Granted, the crowd was pretty much 99% pro-Kerry (with the obligitory lone Bush wack-o screaming "you voted for it!!!" at the screen whenever Kerry brought up Iraq), but all bias aside, the consensus was that Kerry won this round easily.
Bush often had that "we just got attacked but I'm reading to school kids" look of dumbfounded uncertainty whenever he was forced to make an unscripted response to one of Kerry's assertions. The answer he came up with, time and time again, was the one Karl "Evil Personified" Rove scribbled down for him to say whenever he didn't know what to say: "Mixed signals. Wrong war, wrong time." Bush obviously cannot think on his feet (some would say or anywhere else, for that matter), and when he tries to, it makes you wonder what the hell anyone who votes for this moron is thinking.
But then he gets onto one of his prepared speeches, and you find out how he gets all the yokels to vote for him. He turns on the "good ol' boy" factor. Leaning over the podium and delivering his lines with a smart-ass tone that basically implies "Jesus, this is so obvious, how can my opponent, THAT ELITE LIBERAL, not understand us?" The "us," of course, being the under-educated, over-religioned masses that buy into his bullshit hook, line, and sinker. He succeeds in portraying himself as a down-home, regular guy, which is no small feat considering that he was born a millionaire, never had to work a day in his life, went to Yale, is a member of an elite fraternity, and didn't have the guts to show up to his military service.
And that's Kerry's problem, in a nutshell. He's obviously head-and-shoulders above Bush in intelligence, intellect, and honor, but while Bush can cover up his priviliged past with a bullshit "country" persona, Kerry just comes across as richer, smarter, and more inside the Beltway than you or me. Not good when you're trying to get the Joe Schmoe vote. (Actually, Schmoe is a Jewish name, so Kerry's probably got his vote....er, maybe the Billie-Bob Adkins vote? Whatever, you get the picture.)
That said, I hope Billie-Bob and all his buddies come to the correct conclusion that the reason they lost their good job at the call center and have no income or health insurance is due in large part to Bush's economic policies before November. Hope against hope, I know.
Best Kerry line of the night: "We could've caught bin Laden at Tora Bora if we'd have used U.S. troops, but Bush outsourced that job too."
Bush often had that "we just got attacked but I'm reading to school kids" look of dumbfounded uncertainty whenever he was forced to make an unscripted response to one of Kerry's assertions. The answer he came up with, time and time again, was the one Karl "Evil Personified" Rove scribbled down for him to say whenever he didn't know what to say: "Mixed signals. Wrong war, wrong time." Bush obviously cannot think on his feet (some would say or anywhere else, for that matter), and when he tries to, it makes you wonder what the hell anyone who votes for this moron is thinking.
But then he gets onto one of his prepared speeches, and you find out how he gets all the yokels to vote for him. He turns on the "good ol' boy" factor. Leaning over the podium and delivering his lines with a smart-ass tone that basically implies "Jesus, this is so obvious, how can my opponent, THAT ELITE LIBERAL, not understand us?" The "us," of course, being the under-educated, over-religioned masses that buy into his bullshit hook, line, and sinker. He succeeds in portraying himself as a down-home, regular guy, which is no small feat considering that he was born a millionaire, never had to work a day in his life, went to Yale, is a member of an elite fraternity, and didn't have the guts to show up to his military service.
And that's Kerry's problem, in a nutshell. He's obviously head-and-shoulders above Bush in intelligence, intellect, and honor, but while Bush can cover up his priviliged past with a bullshit "country" persona, Kerry just comes across as richer, smarter, and more inside the Beltway than you or me. Not good when you're trying to get the Joe Schmoe vote. (Actually, Schmoe is a Jewish name, so Kerry's probably got his vote....er, maybe the Billie-Bob Adkins vote? Whatever, you get the picture.)
That said, I hope Billie-Bob and all his buddies come to the correct conclusion that the reason they lost their good job at the call center and have no income or health insurance is due in large part to Bush's economic policies before November. Hope against hope, I know.
Best Kerry line of the night: "We could've caught bin Laden at Tora Bora if we'd have used U.S. troops, but Bush outsourced that job too."
9/28/2004
Trikinasana
I think that is Sanskrit for Triangle Pose. I found yoga in Bethesda. I like it. No chanting. It's the Iyengar style which is very different from the style I learned in SF. This style is much less obviously athletic. They like to teach you the poses and are VERY precise about things so you can then practice at home. Like the gnome in Amelie...I now do either tree pose or mountain pose in every city that Joe and I visit. I can't wait to do my new pose when I am at work.
I call it Worksucsasana.
I call it Worksucsasana.
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