8.31.2006
go stillers
since hailey's been born, she's known a 15-1 season, a 12-4 season, two AFC championship games and one super bowl victory.
i hope she'll remember it all. odds are she won't, though, and they'll suck by the time she's old enough to pay attention.
my first steeler memory is of the 1980 season, when they went 8-8 and missed the playoffs. then i had a decade of mark malone and bubby brister, and a decade of neil o'donnell and kordell stewart.
took me 25 years to get a super bowl victory.
lucky little punk-ass niece of mine .... :)
8.30.2006
early fall chill
it's a frosty 57 F out on the deck this morning; i'm bundled up in a fuzzy pullover, shorts and birks. i've got a cup of coffee, a very warm macbook in my lap, and my puppy at my side, sitting on his crashpad pillow.
when he breathes, i can see his breath, which reminds me to try it myself. sure enough, i can see mine too.
i love late august in minnesota.
i don't know if it's supposed to be like this before the calendar turns to september, but i like it nonetheless. the only bad thing is the reminder that our all-too-short summer is coming to a quick end.
***
we had new carpet put in the house, which is why diggler and i are on the back deck. he hurt his foot a few days ago -- something cut one of his nails to the quick, so any sort of fast walking makes him bleed -- and i've not been able to take him to the vet until this afternoon, so he's had to live out in the garage. he's not quite sure what he did wrong to be punished like this, so i took some pity on him and brought out all the accoutrements of puppy life inside the house: big, comfy pillow; rawhide bone; and, of course, his dad.
the carpet looks awesome, and once i get my camera back from the cleaners (damn dirt on the sensor!) i'll put up some shots on flickr.
***
a few days ago i broke my self-imposed "please don't talk about politics" rule and threw up all over the keyboard ... one reader -- "PJ" -- wrote a very thoughtful comment, and instead of responding there, I thought I'd pull it out to the main page, so that all 10 readers of this humble blog could see it.
The aircraft carrier thing was silly, yes, but it was also designed for CNN and NBC and Fox News -- a thought-to-be-perfect backdrop to prove that major fighting in Iraq was over. I've never understood the people who take that event and turn it into "But ... but ... Bush said Iraq was done! And yet we're still there!"
Look at Bush's opening paragraph:
Regardless of what you think about the veracity of, and effort put toward, that last sentence, it's a bit of a stretch to claim that Bush was celebrating something that his words clearly show he wasn't celebrating.
Thought experiment: Take the U.S. out of the Middle East totally, completely -- pretend both Iraq wars never happened, etc. Can you honestly say that the events we've seen over the past, say, five years wouldn't have happened in some way?
Gee. Arabs hate Jews. Arabs shoot at Jews. Yup -- sure sounds like we played a "big role" in that!
Sorry to be flip about it ... I think several good things happened from our actions in the region lately. The Lebanese getting Syria out of their country, and the first real democratic elections in Egypt, to name a few. Not every action can be considered totally a "good" thing or a "bad" thing, as nothing happens in a vacuum, of course.
Clinton did the same thing -- which is not to fall back on the tired "But a Democrat does it!" defense, but merely to point out that that's what politics has become. It's a show, for cable TV news programs. Everything that every politician does is scripted, sculpted, tested, polled and choreographed. I agree that it leads to cynicism from voters, but I don't agree that this White House does it any worse than others have, or will do in the future.
Social Security: tied up in partisan gridlock
Healthcare: I think Bush gave a bunch of money to seniors a few years back
Education: No Child Left Behind
I'm not a fan of the solutions given for those last two, but I don't think we "haven't seen any progress" on those issues.
They aren't in tune with mainstream America, and yet they won elections in 2000, 2002, 2004 and very well might win in 2006.
I don't know -- my internet tubes are working just fine. :)
when he breathes, i can see his breath, which reminds me to try it myself. sure enough, i can see mine too.
i love late august in minnesota.
i don't know if it's supposed to be like this before the calendar turns to september, but i like it nonetheless. the only bad thing is the reminder that our all-too-short summer is coming to a quick end.
***
we had new carpet put in the house, which is why diggler and i are on the back deck. he hurt his foot a few days ago -- something cut one of his nails to the quick, so any sort of fast walking makes him bleed -- and i've not been able to take him to the vet until this afternoon, so he's had to live out in the garage. he's not quite sure what he did wrong to be punished like this, so i took some pity on him and brought out all the accoutrements of puppy life inside the house: big, comfy pillow; rawhide bone; and, of course, his dad.
the carpet looks awesome, and once i get my camera back from the cleaners (damn dirt on the sensor!) i'll put up some shots on flickr.
***
a few days ago i broke my self-imposed "please don't talk about politics" rule and threw up all over the keyboard ... one reader -- "PJ" -- wrote a very thoughtful comment, and instead of responding there, I thought I'd pull it out to the main page, so that all 10 readers of this humble blog could see it.
With that said, I think the underlying reason individuals in the "liberal" media like to lash out at this administration boils down to the incompetence they've shown in handling this war and the issues plaguing our country over the last 6 years. This is not a knee jerk response with little thought. History clearly shows that the U.S. has continually underestimated the insurgency in Irag (among other things). In 2003 our President stood on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in front of a massive banner that read "Mission Accomplished" to boast about our glorious victory in Iraq. The events of that whole day seem completely surreal considering we continue to have large numbers of troops on the ground even three years later with no end in sight. This one event blatantly shows the incompetence of not only the President, but also the people that surround him.
The aircraft carrier thing was silly, yes, but it was also designed for CNN and NBC and Fox News -- a thought-to-be-perfect backdrop to prove that major fighting in Iraq was over. I've never understood the people who take that event and turn it into "But ... but ... Bush said Iraq was done! And yet we're still there!"
Look at Bush's opening paragraph:
Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
Regardless of what you think about the veracity of, and effort put toward, that last sentence, it's a bit of a stretch to claim that Bush was celebrating something that his words clearly show he wasn't celebrating.
And to put icing on the cake, the Middle East is now becoming increasingly unstable. Granted some of that isn't the fault of the U.S, but we've played a big role.
Thought experiment: Take the U.S. out of the Middle East totally, completely -- pretend both Iraq wars never happened, etc. Can you honestly say that the events we've seen over the past, say, five years wouldn't have happened in some way?
Gee. Arabs hate Jews. Arabs shoot at Jews. Yup -- sure sounds like we played a "big role" in that!
Sorry to be flip about it ... I think several good things happened from our actions in the region lately. The Lebanese getting Syria out of their country, and the first real democratic elections in Egypt, to name a few. Not every action can be considered totally a "good" thing or a "bad" thing, as nothing happens in a vacuum, of course.
I think American's have gotten tired of the constant "spin" that comes out of the White House and they want to see a president who is willing to converse and listen to people who aren't ultra conservative republicans. An example of this would be when he holds those town hall meetings and the guest list is virtually locked down so only supporters of the Republican Party can really ask questions to the President.
Clinton did the same thing -- which is not to fall back on the tired "But a Democrat does it!" defense, but merely to point out that that's what politics has become. It's a show, for cable TV news programs. Everything that every politician does is scripted, sculpted, tested, polled and choreographed. I agree that it leads to cynicism from voters, but I don't agree that this White House does it any worse than others have, or will do in the future.
There are also many large domestic issues that this administration hasn't done anything about, even though there has been a Republican majority in Congress for the last six years. We haven't seen any progress on Social Security, Healthcare, or Education. Instead they go round and round debating stem cell research, flag burning, and gay marriage in an effort to scare ignorant midwestern conservatives to vote for the Republican Party. The blame can be partly put on Democrats as well for not pushing and working with the Republicans on their initiatives so they can make some positive changes happen for our country.
Social Security: tied up in partisan gridlock
Healthcare: I think Bush gave a bunch of money to seniors a few years back
Education: No Child Left Behind
I'm not a fan of the solutions given for those last two, but I don't think we "haven't seen any progress" on those issues.
This is why I believe people are so willing to give knee jerk responses in the media today. We are all in a complete and utter state of disillusion about the way our government has acted over the last six years. Like it or not, the buck stops with the Republicans because they have been in the majority. Please don't take this response as me bashing the Republican Party either. I'm not saying all republicans are lunatics*, but it just seems like they aren't in tune with mainstream America right now. Instead, it seems like they are definitely leaning hard towards the right just to appeal to the safety of their base. While doing this, they are also making a conscious decision to turn a deaf ear on any good ideas or debates that come from the left.
They aren't in tune with mainstream America, and yet they won elections in 2000, 2002, 2004 and very well might win in 2006.
* Although, I’m pretty sure if you looked up lunatic in the dictionary there would be a picture of Ted Stevens.
I don't know -- my internet tubes are working just fine. :)
8.29.2006
well, be fair -- you can't prove it isn't true
i mean, maybe in 2083 Dubya's "hommies" might be taking up a large part of the federal budget, what with entitlement spending so out of control.
8.28.2006
el confirmatino
a harried colleague just IM'd me to say that she's "just sending a confirmatino" about an upcoming conference call.
sounds like a mexican superhero ...
"mira… en el cielo… ¿es él un pájaro? ¿es un plano? ¡no! ¡es el confirmatino!"
sounds like a mexican superhero ...
"mira… en el cielo… ¿es él un pájaro? ¿es un plano? ¡no! ¡es el confirmatino!"
8.27.2006
to grind (and brew), or not to grind (and brew)
long ago, i got married.
well, it's not that long ago -- three years on tuesday, to be precise.
the best part about the marriage? being allowed to register for gifts.
:)
i mean, come on. where else but in marriage (or possibly in first-baby-hood) do you get to pick out expensive presents, and then people you invite to the wedding are obliged to buy it for you? i mean, come on! it's like the totally greatest scam ever.
and the crowning jewel from our registry -- the thing that set my heart aflutter -- was our kitchen aid mixer. it's been used and abused for three years, and it's still going strong. in fact, i'm going to use in here in a few minutes to make a peanut butter pie and maybe even some pudding.
the second greatest registry item, at least for me, was the cuisinart 10-cup grind and brew coffeemaker that my sister got me. all shiny and brushed metal-y, with the grinder that sounds like a jet engine, and the coffee that stays warm all damn day ... it was the first thing i tried, and i used it every morning.
i say "used" because about a year into its life, it decided that i only really needed three cups worth of water brewed, even though i had poured in far more water than that. so i'd turn it on again, and it'd do something like two more cups, and then decide that, really, all i needed was five cups worth ... rinse and repeat a few more times, and i'd have a full pot of coffee.
we took it back to the registry place and got a replacement -- which, about a year later, did the exact same thing.
had i done any research whatsoever, i'd have seen that the cuisinart grind and brew blows goats. looks like i'm not the only one who hates this piece of crap ...
note: I may have embellished this a bit
this time, though, i'd had it with the grind and brew, so we just got a store credit and went to costco to get this coffeemaker and this burr grinder. If eOpinions.com can be trusted, my new coffeemaker will kick total ass in the mornings, without any messy sexual relations with farm animals -- but the grinder, alas, will keep the sheep milling around outside my garage door.
as kent brockman would say, "only time ... will tell."
well, it's not that long ago -- three years on tuesday, to be precise.
the best part about the marriage? being allowed to register for gifts.
:)
i mean, come on. where else but in marriage (or possibly in first-baby-hood) do you get to pick out expensive presents, and then people you invite to the wedding are obliged to buy it for you? i mean, come on! it's like the totally greatest scam ever.
and the crowning jewel from our registry -- the thing that set my heart aflutter -- was our kitchen aid mixer. it's been used and abused for three years, and it's still going strong. in fact, i'm going to use in here in a few minutes to make a peanut butter pie and maybe even some pudding.
the second greatest registry item, at least for me, was the cuisinart 10-cup grind and brew coffeemaker that my sister got me. all shiny and brushed metal-y, with the grinder that sounds like a jet engine, and the coffee that stays warm all damn day ... it was the first thing i tried, and i used it every morning.
i say "used" because about a year into its life, it decided that i only really needed three cups worth of water brewed, even though i had poured in far more water than that. so i'd turn it on again, and it'd do something like two more cups, and then decide that, really, all i needed was five cups worth ... rinse and repeat a few more times, and i'd have a full pot of coffee.
we took it back to the registry place and got a replacement -- which, about a year later, did the exact same thing.
had i done any research whatsoever, i'd have seen that the cuisinart grind and brew blows goats. looks like i'm not the only one who hates this piece of crap ...
I've had my brewer for less than a year, and it just completely quit working this morning. That's what prompted me to finally write a reveiw of this monster! That, and the fact that it performed oral sex on a goat that was wandering through my kitchen this morning.
note: I may have embellished this a bit
this time, though, i'd had it with the grind and brew, so we just got a store credit and went to costco to get this coffeemaker and this burr grinder. If eOpinions.com can be trusted, my new coffeemaker will kick total ass in the mornings, without any messy sexual relations with farm animals -- but the grinder, alas, will keep the sheep milling around outside my garage door.
as kent brockman would say, "only time ... will tell."
8.26.2006
best team preview ever
having lived in minnesota for two football seasons now, i feel as though this preview-cum-history of the vikings is one of the best articles i've read about the team.
well, any article that ends with "My team has games to win and hookers to nail" pretty much sums up all NFL teams, doesn't it?
well, any article that ends with "My team has games to win and hookers to nail" pretty much sums up all NFL teams, doesn't it?
8.25.2006
all quotes guaranteed true
9:26
me -- this is so sick it's funny
john -- holy cow.
9:27
me -- yes. hitler's cross
me -- i hear their appetizers are good
john -- "The owner insisted then _ and still does _ that the name and theme of his new eatery is only meant to attract attention, "
john -- No kidding.
me -- what they can do with matzo balls is just ... amazing
9:30
me -- BREAKING NEWS
9:33
john -- He decided to change it to Eichmann's Final Cafe.
me -- lol
me -- stalin's sweets
me -- pol pot-sticker heaven
john -- Mussolini's Pizza
me -- lol
me -- delivered on time, of course
john -- Your life depends on it.
me -- this is so sick it's funny
john -- holy cow.
9:27
me -- yes. hitler's cross
me -- i hear their appetizers are good
john -- "The owner insisted then _ and still does _ that the name and theme of his new eatery is only meant to attract attention, "
john -- No kidding.
me -- what they can do with matzo balls is just ... amazing
9:30
me -- BREAKING NEWS
9:33
john -- He decided to change it to Eichmann's Final Cafe.
me -- lol
me -- stalin's sweets
me -- pol pot-sticker heaven
john -- Mussolini's Pizza
me -- lol
me -- delivered on time, of course
john -- Your life depends on it.
8.22.2006
the phrase i'm hearing a lot this morning
people who will "throw you under the bus" ...
i know what that means, but i wonder: why a bus? why not a car? or a truck? or off a bridge? what about a bus makes it the ideal thing to throw someone under?
i know what that means, but i wonder: why a bus? why not a car? or a truck? or off a bridge? what about a bus makes it the ideal thing to throw someone under?
what do i do with this?
i'm still interested in what goes on in chicago; i lived there for almost seven years, and the city is still infinitely fascinating. the political machinations, the social interactions, the crappy sports teams -- all of chicago makes for some interesting reading. the city's main news organs reach for rice-cake blandness in their writing, so i've found another source for the skinny on chicago: the beachwood reporter.
it's funny, insightful and generally anti-mayor daley, which i have to admit, reluctantly, is a good thing. the city is clean, it's run efficiently -- at least on the surface -- and it's about as nice a living experience as you're likely to find in a large city. but the man's ego and thirst for control knows no bounds ...
but i write this piece mainly because i came across this yesterday:
i couple this with something that a former coworker put on her blog, and that's been making its way across the "reality based internet" for a few days: what we conservative "wingnuts" see when we read the new york times.
***
it's getting harder and harder to read the internets lately ... i guess admitting the fact that several countries had what was thought to be rock-solid evidence about saddam and WMDs -- too hard to remember, or admit, or to write (even in pencil) into their little book of facts.
or allowing that the leading newspaper in america might have a small blind spot when it comes to owning up to its institutional biases -- they're insane, they're "wingnuts," they're obviously living in a fantasy world, etc.
it's pissing me off. people go too quickly to the knee-jerk response when a little thought would lead them, maybe, to realize how shallow and self-serving their cherished beliefs about the other side actually are.
no wonder the internet is polarizing -- you don't have to force yourself to listen to views that you think are wrong -- not even silly, or misinformed, but plain wrong. you can have your bookmarks set so that you never once venture into the land of the other side, so your little digital echo chamber is perfectly complete.
i am sorry for the rant, but this is really pissing me off this morning.
it's funny, insightful and generally anti-mayor daley, which i have to admit, reluctantly, is a good thing. the city is clean, it's run efficiently -- at least on the surface -- and it's about as nice a living experience as you're likely to find in a large city. but the man's ego and thirst for control knows no bounds ...
but i write this piece mainly because i came across this yesterday:
The problem with the conspiracy theorists is that they find a need to look past what's staring all of us in the face: Reams of reporting clearly shows that the Bush Administration fabricated an argument to take us to war in Iraq. If you don't believe this by now - no matter what your political affiliation - you simply aren't paying attention. (emphasis added)
i couple this with something that a former coworker put on her blog, and that's been making its way across the "reality based internet" for a few days: what we conservative "wingnuts" see when we read the new york times.
***
it's getting harder and harder to read the internets lately ... i guess admitting the fact that several countries had what was thought to be rock-solid evidence about saddam and WMDs -- too hard to remember, or admit, or to write (even in pencil) into their little book of facts.
or allowing that the leading newspaper in america might have a small blind spot when it comes to owning up to its institutional biases -- they're insane, they're "wingnuts," they're obviously living in a fantasy world, etc.
it's pissing me off. people go too quickly to the knee-jerk response when a little thought would lead them, maybe, to realize how shallow and self-serving their cherished beliefs about the other side actually are.
no wonder the internet is polarizing -- you don't have to force yourself to listen to views that you think are wrong -- not even silly, or misinformed, but plain wrong. you can have your bookmarks set so that you never once venture into the land of the other side, so your little digital echo chamber is perfectly complete.
i am sorry for the rant, but this is really pissing me off this morning.
8.21.2006
8.19.2006
inside jokes
so i was on planes for about five hours yesterday, and i had this shit-eating grin on my face the whole time.
why?
i kept fighting the urge to ask the flight attendant if there were any motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane.
***
take this wikipedia entry on the movie with a grain of colbert-esque truthiness, but the story is pretty simple: movie gets announced, blogger picks it up, internet makes it huge, studio makes it campy in response, and now "get these motherfucking (whatever) off this motherfucking (whatever)" is set to be the new "i'm rick james, bitch" ...
it's fun to be in on the private joke. i won't say that "snakes on a plane" is exactly private, but i will say that most people have only a vague idea that the movie even exists. and yet it's been something i've been looking forward to for months, especially after watching fark.com spread "SoAP" parties like kudzu. and you know that samuel l. jackson was in on this camp thing very, very early -- witness this customizable jackson message website, or especially this clip from "the daily show" ...
nobody is taking this seriously, and ... uh ... hasn't been (?) ... for a long time. and that's why a seven-hour travel day, involving two crappy flights on two crappy airlines, had me smiling all the way.
why?
i kept fighting the urge to ask the flight attendant if there were any motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane.
***
take this wikipedia entry on the movie with a grain of colbert-esque truthiness, but the story is pretty simple: movie gets announced, blogger picks it up, internet makes it huge, studio makes it campy in response, and now "get these motherfucking (whatever) off this motherfucking (whatever)" is set to be the new "i'm rick james, bitch" ...
it's fun to be in on the private joke. i won't say that "snakes on a plane" is exactly private, but i will say that most people have only a vague idea that the movie even exists. and yet it's been something i've been looking forward to for months, especially after watching fark.com spread "SoAP" parties like kudzu. and you know that samuel l. jackson was in on this camp thing very, very early -- witness this customizable jackson message website, or especially this clip from "the daily show" ...
nobody is taking this seriously, and ... uh ... hasn't been (?) ... for a long time. and that's why a seven-hour travel day, involving two crappy flights on two crappy airlines, had me smiling all the way.
8.16.2006
prepare the cabin for, like, landing
the flight crew on my early-as-hell flight out of mpls this morning helpfully informed me that the flight deck was manned by pilots derek and josh.
this was not reassuring.
i flew from MSP to charlotte, north carolina, where i felt like doing this after two hours of layover between flights ... charlotte's a nice airport, and the people are friendly -- one woman handed me a pack of cigarettes when i stepped off the plane, even.
lots of smoking down here, i noticed, especially after i took the little puddle-jumper to greenville, where my new job is headquartered. people were smoking in their cars. people were smoking on the sidewalk. expecting mothers were doing smokeless tobacco -- health reasons, you understand.
and after a day that started at 4:30 a.m. and had me starting a server upgrade at 7:30 p.m., it's now just turning 9 and i'm about to turn in. i am praying that the server patch i just applied actually stuck, and that the jet-engine whine of the Xserve G5 behind me is just an illusion.
pray for mojo.
this was not reassuring.
i flew from MSP to charlotte, north carolina, where i felt like doing this after two hours of layover between flights ... charlotte's a nice airport, and the people are friendly -- one woman handed me a pack of cigarettes when i stepped off the plane, even.
lots of smoking down here, i noticed, especially after i took the little puddle-jumper to greenville, where my new job is headquartered. people were smoking in their cars. people were smoking on the sidewalk. expecting mothers were doing smokeless tobacco -- health reasons, you understand.
and after a day that started at 4:30 a.m. and had me starting a server upgrade at 7:30 p.m., it's now just turning 9 and i'm about to turn in. i am praying that the server patch i just applied actually stuck, and that the jet-engine whine of the Xserve G5 behind me is just an illusion.
pray for mojo.
8.15.2006
in space, no one can hear you scream
but if you're stuck inside the genesis test moon ... apparently, it echoes throughout the universe.
(inspired by this)
8.13.2006
dear mr. fantasy
well, here it is -- my fantasy football roster after tonite's draft. you'll notice only two instances of homerism there ... i think willie parker will be a great addition for his screen-running abilities, and heath miller was the best of the TE's left over by the time i got around to picking one.
can't go wrong with brady, and i like plummer and javon walker. my RBs are a bit weak, and i'm not thrilled with my WRs as well.
8.03.2006
the terrace
the missus and i traveled to madison, wisconsin, earlier this week. and even though it was more than 100F outside -- before noon, nonetheless -- i braved the heat and humidity and got a shot of what is the iconic ... uh ... er ... icon ... of the mighty fighting badgers of the university of wisconsin.
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