Roadtrip

2005-01-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

I said I wanted lots of snow, or at least one big storm before moving to Florida. I guess I got my wish.

2005-01-22T17:55:00.000-05:00

More snow pictures

2005-01-22T14:17:00.000-05:00

It's snowing like crazy. The say it's the biggest snow storm in two years.

They are expecting 6-8 inches, which for DC is like two to three feet for other places. I went up on my roof and took some pics, but it was snowing too hard for me to get some real good ones. Once (if?) it stops, I'll go out and get some more shots.

So this is what if feels like to be married

2005-01-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

There is a new woman in my life, and she has completely taken control.

From the moment I met her, she has told me everything that is wrong with how I live, and how it must be changed.

First, she told me that I had far too much stuff in my condo, and at least 40% of it had to go.

So, because this woman told me to, I rented a storage place. Into the boxes and off to storage went my CDs (a few hundred), my DVDs, (even more so), most of my books, my extra electronics, some clothes, and various other stuff.

Then, my kitchen appliances were too old. I must get new ones, and get them right away. So from sears came a new dishwasher, fridge, and stove.

Then, the paint in my condo was all wrong. So per her orders I hired a painter to paint the whole place new colors (which of course, were chosen by her). Oh, and ordered new blinds.

On Thursday, she came over, when I wasn’t even there, and rearranged all of my furniture. And in the corner, she put even MORE stuff that I have to get rid off, including my coffee table.

Now she is telling me I need to hire a housekeeper to come on a regular basis, that I shouldn't use my brand new appliances that much, as to not ruin them (but she also told me that I should cook as much of my food as possible to get rid of it).

Next, I think we are going to change my sheets, my towels, my shower curtain, and who knows what else is in store?

Who is this new woman that has taken over my life? My new girlfriend? Nope. A wife? Nope.

She is my realtor.

First Amendment 1, Having some Class 0

2005-01-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

So I'm watching the inauguration on TV, and surfing the web. I saw somewhere that the DC traffic cams were all still on, and were showing various parts of the inaugural parade live. Anyway, the protesters apparently are stationed at 14th and Pennsylvania, b/c when I went to that camera, I saw this pic:

Now, I'm glad we live in a country where there is a first amendment, and that we don't live in a country where this person would be hauled off, beaten to death, and the rest of his family shot.

But...

Come on. Show some class. Show some civility. Show some respect.

There is a reason I no longer am a Democrat.

Edit: Here's another one

My love hate relationship with American Idol

2005-01-18T21:03:00.000-05:00

First of all, I do love the show.

Second, this show shows one of the most important things that is wrong with American society.

In American society, when kids suck at something, you can't tell them they suck.

Yes, Janey, you are an excellent singer.

Yes, Johnny, you have a great voice.

NO YOU DON'T!!!! YOU SUCK!

But you can't tell kids that they suck. You have to encourage them, even if there is no hope whatsoever.

No one ever said to me, "Yes, David, if you want to, and you just worked hard enough, you could become the starting center of the New York Knicks."

Of course I couldn't, and it's ridiculous to think that I can.

I realize that parents and teachers don't want to hurt these kids feelings, or to discourage them, but if it's not there, it's not there.

The result of this anyone can do anything they put their mind to mindset is having dellusional people making fools of themselves on national television, insisting that they are excellent singers, when they are clearly not.

If their parents, or their teachers would have told them at an early age, "Janey, you aren't a great singer, but how about piano lesssons?" or even better, "Janey, you aren't a great singer, but you are great with numbers, how about studying math more," these kids would be a lot better off.

But, singers, and actors, and rap stars, and athletes are famous and everyone wants to be famous.

But sometimes, we have to face realities. It's ok to dream, but for some of these singers, I have a better chance of blocking a Shaq dunk than they do if hitting a right note, their parents and their teachers have paid them a great disservice.

Another Test

2005-01-17T09:29:00.000-05:00

This is just another test post. I downloaded Ecto a blogging software for the mac, and I'm curious to see how it works.

I am still looking for a program like Hello from google for the mac. I tried out Flickr, but it's outrageously slow, and doesn't work as well either.

Should I break the news to my Realtor?

2005-01-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I am selling my condo in DC and am moving to Florida. My realtor is just awesome, and has been helping me get my stuff ready for sale.

Next week, starting Tuesday, a painter will come to paint my place. It will probably take him two days to do so, and I arranged to have him be able to park in the building. I wrote my realtor an email telling her this, and also letting her know that on Wednesday, the city will start shutting down because of the inauguration.

Here is the following email correspondence:

From: Me
To: Realtor

[snip]

Also, Wednesday, it looks like they will start shutting down the city
rather early, so I'm not sure what the painter wants to do about that.
-----------------------------------------------

From: Realtor
To: Me

Thanks for arranging the parking. I will let him know. yes, it does sound like the republicans have seized the city. I rode by Hecht's at Chevy Chase tonight and was appalled to see huge pictures of George bush in the window. As much as I want to pretend that we are not in for 4 more years, I guess we are. I will let Pedro know that he might want to head out earlier on Weds.
[snip]

I wonder if I should break the news to her. I voted for Bush, I support Bush, I'm a Republican. No real shocker there.

It's not like I am going to fire her, or break the listing agreement. I hired her to do a job, and she's doing an excellent one so far. I don't care about her politics. And I'm not offended by the email either. I'm not offended that she assumed that I was a liberal, and I wouldn't have been offended if she assumed if I were a Republican.

As long as she sells my condo, I'll be happy.

Who's not getting the Sofa

2005-01-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

Well, after freecycle being a bust, I got a ton of responses from Craig's List. I think I will be giving my sofa to a nice Yuppie couple. I feel a little guilty. He wasn't the first to reply, and probably doesn't need it the most.

The following person though, will NOT be getting the sofa.

Verystupidemailadderss@aol.com

i realllllly want that sofabed!! plspls? i lived in miami and its a reallly great city.. u ll love it there, just as long as u got a job already ! haha...

anyways i do live in the dc area and i can get a truck and acouple of guys helpin me out :-D

so can u like give me the exact address and let me know when s the best time to pick it up??

pleaseee
oh btw is the sofa bed black? not sure if its green or faded black from the picture.. and will it fit thru the door?!? hahaha
last time i had to like practically break the door down for the other sofabed that we dont want anymore.. but still have it because no replacement and now with that one, it d be reallllly nice.. a better one! and matches the room... ahh im blabbing here aint i?

let me know!!!
thanks
Amelia

Ethics to Freecycle/ Craig's List Giveaways?

2005-01-10T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, not FIFO, but first come first served.

When you are offering something for free through freecyle or Craig's List, is there an ethical obligation to accept the offer of the first person who responds to your soliciation, or can you, based on other criteria, choose a person who didn't respond first.

I am giving away a couch

I've been meaning to do it for a while, but now that I'm moving I have to.

I tried offering it on freecycle firstbut I only had one person who was interested, and then they flaked out.

I offered it on Craig's List today, and I've had a few replies. I did offer it to the first person who responded, but they flaked out too.

I have two more respones. Am I ethcially obligated to offer it to the next in line, or can I skip them?

What if I said that the reason I may want to skip #2 and go to #3 is that #3 wrote an email in full sentences in English, and can pick it up in the evening, and the #2 is someone who obviously does not have English as a first language, and can only pick it up at 5 AM or late at night?

South Florida as a balm for weary souls

2005-01-01T20:34:00.000-05:00

I was reading an article on slate.com, at , and I saw a quote thaqt spoke to me.

Southern Florida, way down at the bottom of the country, jutting off into the ocean, is a place where people come when things don't work out elsewhere. A lot of times, people do start anew. The miles of identical strip malls, the seasonless years, the ocean and the palm trees, and the swampland seem to serve as a balm for souls that can't find quietude elsewhere. But just as often, instead of starting over, people simply fill their lives with bluster. Actors who had a cameo in a Julia Roberts movie talk about how they'll take over Hollywood. Chefs who blew their seed money for a Manhattan restaurant on a crack binge swear they were about to get tapped as the executive chef of a new Trump hotel.

Now, my low isn't as low as his. I was never a heroin addict. I've certainly had my addictions, (food, gambling, the internet) and still do. In the past, I almost lost everything I had because of poor decisions I've made, and I've been lucky that I wasn't caught, at the time, by my employer, and I am lucky that my family continues to stand behind me.

But that paragraph (at least the first part), seems to speak to me. I, a soul that hasn't found quietude elsewhere am looking forward to my new start. Maybe getting out of the cold (if DC can be described as cold) and back into the Florida sun, will help me on my start.

The Great Tivo Community Weight Loss Project

2005-01-01T18:20:00.000-05:00

Well, it's a near year, and I guess it's time for new year resolutions.

I have a big one ahead of me this year -- quitting my job, moving across the country (well, from North to the very South), going back to school, etc....

But I am fat.

I am the fattest I've ever been, and I've been pretty fat for a while. The weight just keeps creeping up.

So, I've decided (let's see how long this lasts) to join in with my fellow TCers in losing weight. It's a group project.

For starters, I don't know if I'll change my eating habits that much. What I need to do is exercise more. I hope to accomplish this by walking to and from work, and by taking the stairs.

A mile to and from work, and living on the 9th floor and working on the 5th, that should be a start.

But I'm only here for 3-4 more months. After that, who knows what will happen?

Will I take my trip? I still hope so. Will that involve lots of sitting on my ass? Probably.

But I'll make the commitment for 20, and see what happens.

Found Money

2004-12-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

I left over $700 in an online casino for over 3 years

So I get a call tonight. My caller ID says "our of area" but there is a 1-800 # listed.

I pick it up, and it's some guy in a foreign accent (Not British, but possibly Australian, or South African), telling me that he is calling from an online casino, and that I have left $700+ in my account there since 2001.

Starting next January, the casino is going to start levying $30 a month to inactive accounts, and of course, they'd rather have me as a paying customer.

My first thought, is the same as all of yours.

SCAM!!!

I had no memory of this particular online casino, and I certainly didn't think I would leave $700 in it. But I figured, until he said, "well, in order to get this money back to you, we need your social security #, bank account #, and mother's maiden name," I would listen.

He never did ask for any personal information. In fact, he had all of my personal info. Also, the phone number on the caller ID, matched the phone number for customer service on their website. And after logging in, I think this casino looks familiar after all.

And hey, after logging in, my account says $705!! Awesome.

I quickly made a withdrawl of $200 to my netteller account (just to test to see if it works). Of course, there is a 24 hour delay before they process it, and who knows how long before netteller gets it. Once it does, I will transfer most of the remaining balance.

Why not all?

Well, hey, they have a poker room now, which is probably full of fish, so I may go transfer some money there.

And with such great customer service, maybe I should reward them with some play.

It's "found" money, no?

Only 3 months left...

2004-12-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

Only 3 months left at my job (give or take a couple weeks). Then, it's thousands of dollars of moving expenses, $30,000+ in tuition, and no income for over a year!!

I'm so excited! (Really, I am.)

Firefox doesn't like me

2004-12-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

For some reason, this page is (was?) acting a bit wonky with Firefox, with the pictures bleeding into the text links and icons on the right.

I don't feel like fixing it right now, maybe a new post will fix things.

Real Estate Update

2004-12-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Update:

I ended up signing with this agent, and she's great.

Storage place is rented, and I've started moving stuff into it.

Painters come next month.

Here are my new kitchen appliances.

Real Estate Blues

2004-11-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

So I met with my real estate agent (or my potential real estate agent) for the first time last night.

She seemed nice, and competent, but she suggested I put some money and time into my place before selling it. I guess this is normal.

Her suggestions:

1) That I get rid of a whole bunch of my crap: clutter, I understand, but -- bookshelves, books, cd and dvd towers? Well, I guess I won’t be “getting rid” of them, but storing them somewhere else – not a big deal.

2) That I replace my kitchen appliances – fridge, oven/stove, and dishwasher – I guess they are kind of old and dirty looking, Total that probably will cost me $2000+ though. I wonder if it’s worth it.

3) Paint – and paint colors of her choosing.

4) General rearranging of my furniture, taking certain things off the wall and hanging others, etc.

5) Cleaning, and “detailing” of the place

Now, she told me that (if I signed the contact with her, of course) that she would price shop for the appliances (at places like Sears, Best Buy etc), arrange the painters, etc.

Before I met with her, I thought she was getting a kickback from all these people (the painters, etc), but now I think she is just one of those “Trading Spaces” type addicts who love doing this stuff (and besides, doing all this will get a higher sale price, which is what she wants).

I guess I’m just not sure if it is worth it. What she wants me to do will probably cost around $5,000 (probably a little more). Am I going to recoup that sale price? Would I have gotten it anyway?

Beats me.

Also, she showed me the comps for my place which were about $50,000 less than I thought they would be. Now, I’m still making a substantial profit, but that money makes me rethink a lot of future decisions.

I’m not listing till March, so maybe the market will heat up some by then.

Floating down the Little Colorado

2004-11-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

Another Canyon pic... this time actually featuring me, floating in the Little Colorado. Eventually, the blog will feature my upcoming trip, but for now, I'm just biding my time

Grand Canyon Rafting Pic of the Day

2004-11-11T19:47:00.000-05:00

The French

2004-11-11T10:41:00.000-05:00

Home from work on Veterans Day, I'm watching the procession that the French are giving Arafat. It's just amazing how much the French love him.

Disgusting.

Heh

2004-11-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I hope they at least wait until I leave.

Update: That looks nothing like the IRS building, which is only 7 stories high, and is a lot longer.

Grand Canyon Rafting Pic of the Day

2004-11-08T19:07:00.000-05:00

Grand Canyon Rafting Picture of the Day -- Eventually I'm going to run out of these. But it's not like anyone is reading this blog to get bored of them anyway.

Konfabulator! for Windows Out

2004-11-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

One of the coolest Mac programs ever, Konfabulator, is out for Windows today.

I've met the creator, Arlo, and he's a cool guy.

Go download, and get yourself some Widgets.

How Not to Win Hearts and Minds

2004-11-07T11:53:00.000-05:00

Kesher talk has an excellent post on How not to Win Hearts and Minds.

They, like me, are people who in another time would not be supporting the Republican candidate, but are proud to do so.
Kesher Talk

In response to their post above, I posted this in the comments section.:

|I'm pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-stem cell research, Brandeis grad, who twice voted for Clinton, and didn't vote for Bush the first time around.

Although I am a secular Jew, I am very culturally Jewish, and a strong supporter of Israel.

For the first time in my life, I cast a vote for a Republican President, and I was proud to do it. I want the grown-ups to be in charge of the War on Terror. I want a President who isn't going to sell out Israel to appease the European elite, and the anti-semites at Democratic Underground. I no longer want hard working, educated Jewish children to be discriminated against when they apply to college.

The Dems have already lost the evangicals. They are long gone.

Me, I can still be won over, but it's time for these petulant crybabies to grow up, and realize that there is a true Clash of Civilizations going on, and to get on the right side of it.

The New Surpreme Court and Roe

2004-11-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

With Bush newly elected, and expected vaccanies on the Supreme Court coming soon, I've been wondering:

Is it possible for a Politician (not a jurist) to be Pro-Choice but anti-Roe? Can a politician tell the public that he is both committed to keeping a woman's right to choose legal, but also thinks that Roe v. Wade is wrong?

I believe that the right for a woman to have an abortion should be legal. However, I do not believe that that right is inherent in the Constitution, under any hidden right to privacy.

If the Supreme Court oveturned Roe (which it probably won't, even with new conservative appointees b/c of stare decisis), abortion would not become illegal, like some people think, and like Democratic politicians want you to believe. What would happen is that the issue would go back to where it belongs -- Congress, and to a greater extent, the States.

The people of the various states, through the legislative and democratic process, would be able to decide for themselves whether they want abortion to be legal or illegal, and to what extent. Now, this could result in abortion being legal in NY but illegal in Mississippi. True, and that wouldn't be good for the people of Mississippi. But it doesn't matter. Constitutional issues should not be decided based upon what's good for the people, but based upon what the constitution says.

The way these issues should be decided is through the legislative process, and not the judicial process.

Now, my initial question was this: could a politician come out and say, "I, as a legislator, believe that abortion should remain legal, and will vote for it to remain legal every chance I get. However, I do not believe that there is a constitutional right to have an abortion."?

I don't think so.

In today's modern political discourse, if you think abortion should remain legal, you support Roe. If you think abortion should be illegal, you oppose Roe.

The legal nuance of believing that abortion should be legal, but seeing the case as wrongly decided, would be lost on a vast majority of the American voters, on boths sides of the aisle.

Tom Friedman on Arafat

2004-11-06T22:15:00.000-05:00

"After every defeat, Arafat stood on the ruins and flashed a victory sign. While his wife lived in Paris and his cronies lined their pockets, two generations of Palestinians remained in their poverty and displacement, because he never had the courage to tell them the truth: 'Palestine will have to be divided with the Jews forever. We must make the best final deal we can over the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - without double talk about getting the rest later - and then build the finest society that we can.' Had he ever given that speech - in Arabic - had he ever adopted the nonviolence of Gandhi, Arafat would have had three Palestinian states by now - Israel's reckless settlements notwithstanding."

Or he would have been killed for acknowledging Israel's right to exist.

It's starting to get cold

2004-11-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

It's starting to get cold. I thought I'd remind myself of the coming Spring in Washington (which I may not be here for).

Arafat wants to be buried on the Temple Mount

2004-11-06T19:53:00.000-05:00

All these stories in the Mainstream Media about Arafat's forthcoming funeral are missing the point.

The stories I've seen is that Arafat wants to be buried in Jerusalem, and those horrible Jews want to deny this poor man his final request.

Arafat doesn't want to be buried in Jerusalem. He wants (or wanted, would be more accurate since he's barely alive) to be buried on the Temple Mount itself.

I think that's asking just a little too much from the Jews. As a religious friend pointed out to me, only a Cohen can go up to the Temple Mount to begin cleansing it when the time comes, and a Cohen can't go near a dead body (I hope I got that right).

Imagine going to the Kotel, facing the mount, touching the wall, and knowing that one of the biggest anti-semities and murderer of Jews' rotting remains are just on the other side.

This isn't about establishing a Palestinian Capitol there. He could be buried elsewhere in East Jerusalem and it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

But on the Mount?

Hell, no.

2004-11-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Another Canyon pic. These always brighten up my mood.

Suspicions grow that Arafat is dying of AIDS

2004-11-06T14:13:00.000-05:00

Interesting.

Suspicions grow that Arafat is dying of AIDS

Arafat is still almost dead

2004-11-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

CNN.com - Palestinians ponder possible end to Arafat era - Nov 6, 2004: "Palestinians ponder possible end to Arafat era"

Well, the world's oldest terrorist is still hanging on, supposedly.

Only Arafat, in a country full of Jews, would go to France to find a doctor.

Kerry didn't lose because of the Religious Right

2004-11-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

I see the Dems are blaming this on "values," and on losing the Religious Right.

I have news for you guys, you weren't going to get those votes anyway. People who believe that abortion is murder, or the homosexuality is a sin, are never going to vote for Kerry.

What you lost is the people in the middle. You lost me.

I am pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-legalization of pot, pro-stem cell research, libertarian, secular Jew.

I come from a long line of Democrats. My 92 year old grandfther has only voted for a Republican for president once in his entire life (he voted for Ike's second term).

I grew up in a liberal family. I went to a liberal college (Brandeis University). When I turned 18, I of course registered as a Democrat, and proudly cast my vote for Bill Clinton.

Clinton was a great choice for me, and I stand by it. Especially since I felt that George H.W. Bush's administration was overrun with anti-semites -- or at least people, like James "fuck the Jews" Baker who were hostile to Israel, and the things that I stood for.

In 1996, I voted for Clinton again. Maybe not as proudly, but I was disappointed that the best the Republicans could do that year was Bob Dole -- a good man, but someone who I thought was past his prime.

In 2000, living in Washington, DC where my vote didn't matter, I voted for Harry Browne, the libertarian candidate. If I had been in a state that did matter, I'm not sure who I would voted for -- probably Bush. I don't know what it is about Gore, but he brought out something in me that was just negative -- but I was already leaning Republican.

Pre 9/11 what were the issues that matered to me? Lower taxes, opposition to race preferences, which clearly harms hard working, education-stressing Jews, allowing me to invest some of my own social security money, strong foreign defense, support of Israel.

Post 9/11, the same issues still mattered to me, but there was a new one. America's involvement in the war on terror. Now, I had always known that the failure of the Arab state was something that we would have to confront eventually, and I was glad we had a President who saw that something that needed to be done about it (well, at least his advisers saw it).

Coming up later: What the Democrats did to lose me.

A question for the Bush haters

2004-11-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

Can you accept the fact that intelligent, knowledgeable, educated, reasonable people, who have the best interests of the country and its people at heart disagree with you and support Bush?

I can certainly accept the opposite.

I am not going to engage in an insulting match anymore, but what made me so angry in the past is being told by liberals that I am either stupid (which I certainly am not), that I am ignorant (which I certainly am not), or that I don't have the country's best interest at heart (also untrue).

Reasonable, educated, intelligent people can disagree, no?

It's amazing how many on the Left disagree with this simple proposition.

This is why they lose elections.

Things I'm thankful for

2004-11-04T18:56:00.000-05:00

I'm very thankful for people like Michael Moore.

They cause Democrats to lose elections.

I'm glad that the Republicans have kicked the David Dukes out of their party

I'm also glad that the Democrats gave Al Sharpton a prime time speech.

I'm glad that the Republicans want nothing to do with Pat Buchanan.

I'm also glad that Michael Moore sat in the President's box, next to Jimmy Carter, during the Democratic Convention.

The more they talk, the more they insult, the more they impugn the motives of people who disagree with them, the less votes they will get.

Bush increased his numbers among Hispanics, among Jews, and even among blacks. The Dems are losing or have lost the Middle Class.

Soon, there will be nothing left, but a few tin-foil hate wearing crazies, who will insist that they are smarter than everyone else, and that the rest of the country are a bunch of ignorant hicks.

That makes me glad.

There are some things that I will miss about D.C.

2004-11-03T18:08:00.000-05:00

As excited as I am to move to Miami, election time reminds me that there something that I will miss about living in D.C. I am a political junkie, and I enjoy the excitement of being around it all, even if I'm not a participant.

My office is accross the street from the Ronald Reagan Building, where President Bush gave his victory speech. During lunch, I took a stroll over, while I still could get in, and with my cell phone camera took pictures of them setting up.

I also took pictures of the reporters outside (not too many, most were inside), in the morning, and in the afternoon

I love Democratic Underground (well, for the schadenfraude)

2004-11-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

As long as Bush is winning, I'm greatly enjoying reading the Democratic Underground Forums .

Of course, these are the people who think that Bush is the reincarnation of Hitler, so watching them meltdown is quite funny.

However, if the tide turns, I guess I'll have to go elsewhere. ;)

Another test photo

2004-11-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

GC Cavern
Originally uploaded by David.

This is just another test. I am trying to find a program on my Mac like http://www.hello.com for the XP that will let me host and post photos/blog entries, rather easily.

Let's see if this works....

The Bush 2004 Victory Party is Across the Street from my Office

2004-11-02T17:43:00.000-05:00

Walking home from work today, I passed the entrance to the Bush 2004 Victory Party, which is being held at the Ronald Reagan Building.

I hope they aren't being ovelry optimistic.

I voted today

2004-11-02T15:49:00.000-05:00

So I voted today.

I arrived at the polling place, an African Methodist Church, at 7:10 in the AM, and already the line stretched out the door and down the street. Wanting to capture the moment for posterity, I take out my trusty cell phone camera, and snap a picture.





A couple seconds after doing so, a woman in line (not in the picture) says something to me. She is white (this is DC), mid 50s, impeccably dressed, and carries herself with an air of haughtiness. As she speaks, her accent isn't British, but it is upper class American -- patrician. In other words, obnoxious. The kind of person who would ask me if I had some Grey Puopon.



Anways, she says to me, "You know, you aren't allowed to take pictures of people in line as they are waiting to vote."



Me, "Well, where does it say that?"



Her, "I don't have the document with me, but that is the rule."



Me, "Yeah, you caught me.  Me taking pictures is part of my secret effort to supress the vote." (Yes, I said this).



Her, "    Well, have a nice day then." 



Me, "Yeah, you too."  And I walked to the end of the line.



Now what she said was "Have a nice day," but she said it in such a tone and inflection that what she meant was "Go eff yourself."



What kind of BS was that?  What have all those newscameras been doing for weeks?  What are they doing today?



What a load of crap.

I love this Pic

2004-11-01T19:27:00.000-05:00

I love this pic.

2004-11-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

Mmmm.... Orange Beef

Why I hate my union

2004-11-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

So I get this email today:

"Dear NTEU Member:

As you know, tomorrow is Election Day. I hope that you will take the
time to go to the polls and to vote for John Kerry for President. No
election has ever been more important for federal employees. There are
stark differences between President Bush and Senator John Kerry and
based on NTEU's review of Senator Kerry's positions on key issues like
contracting out federal jobs and making our health insurance more
affordable, NTEU has endorsed John Kerry for President.

Please remember to vote tomorrow, November 2, and please vote for John
Kerry for President.

Colleen M. Kelley
National President"

I think it's really inappropriate (but not illegal) for a government union to endorse a Presidential candidate. Basically, you are coming out and saying, publically, who you want your next boss to be. Last time the Union endorsed Gore about a year before the election.

And when Gore lost, after the Union said so many bad things about Bush, they have the chutzpah to complain about how bad Bush is.

If I weren't leaving in 6 months, I'd stop paying dues.

It's down to this

2004-11-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

Although I am a political person, it's not my intention (for now) to make this a political blog.

Living in DC, my vote (for Bush) won't matter tomorrow, as 70% will go to Kerry. I am curious to how this will all turn out.

After weeks of reading blogs (on both sides), and other news sites, aruging it endlessly in the temporary political area on TC, I can honestly say, I have no clue what will happen.

I support Bush, but am not a die-hard. I know the world won't end if either person is elected.

Mainly, I support Bush b/c the Kerry supporters piss me off so much.

But as will be seen, a lot of people piss me off.

Test

2004-11-01T13:34:00.000-05:00

Another test post.

Don't Forget to Vote

2004-10-31T19:13:00.000-05:00

Look at the two pics below.

I took both of them.

Remember, don't forget to vote.

2004-10-31T19:12:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to vote.

2004-10-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

2004-10-31T09:58:00.000-05:00

2004-10-31T09:56:00.000-05:00

I'm not in the boat in any of these, but behind the camera.

2004-10-31T09:50:00.000-05:00

Here I am, at the Little Colorado River. Surprisingly, compared to the real River, this water is quite warm

Things to do in the next 6 months

2004-10-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Find Realtor
Fix Condo
Sell Condo
Donate/Sell lots of my stuff
Pack up rest of stuff
Find mover (side note: when my sister moved from Boston to Ft. Lauderdale, her moving company picked up her belongings in Boston, and then disappeared off the face of the earth)
Decide whether to rent or buy in Florida, where to live, find a place, buy (or rent it), etc.
Temporarily move stuff into storage if there is an overlap (find storage place, etc).
Move into new place.

Begini planning road trip.

Apple - iPod U2 Special Edition

2004-10-31T09:32:00.000-05:00

Apple - iPod U2 Special Edition

I love my Ipod, but what's the point of the U2 special edition?

It's black! It has their "signatures" on the back!

So what?

2004-10-31T09:28:00.000-05:00

Another Canyon picture. The purpose of this blog will eventually be my travels through the country, but I think I'll start with some of my earlier travels. I have a lot of Canyon pics that I'll publish.

This blog's title

2004-10-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, this blog is named after my favorite drink, Johnnie Walker Black Label.

I went through a phase of single-malt snobbery, but I kept coming back to the JWB.

I'm not sure why. I just like it.

CNN.com - Two years later, rapper's killer still at large - Oct 30, 2004

2004-10-30T12:33:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Two years later, rapper's killer still at large - Oct 30, 2004

Let's see if this works on my Mac -- Firefox.

Oh,

His name was Jay, and he made you say, God Damn that DJ made my Day! :(

CNN.com - Conflicting reports on Arafat's health - Oct 30, 2004

2004-10-30T11:14:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Conflicting reports on Arafat's health - Oct 30, 2004

I'm still playing with the various tools. Now I'm trying to use Firefox's "Blogit" extension from a different page.

Let's see how this works.

Oh yeah, boo freaking hoo the the world's oldest terrorist is almost dead.

Technology is cool

2004-10-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

So right now I am playing with all the new features on Blogger. (Or at least, new to me).

Below, the pic is posted using Hello, a new program from Google and used with Picasa. It makes uploading (and hosting) photos on your blog very simple.

Only problem is that there doesn't seem to be a Mac version. When I go on my trip, which I will be photoblogging, I will be taking my powerbook with me.

Hmm... Maybe I'll have to be UMFed into buying a Windows laptop for the road too.

Decisions, decisions.

2004-10-30T10:19:00.000-04:00

So here I am, not this year but last year, on my Grand Canyon trip.

I'm not sure if I should be complimented or annoyed

2004-10-30T08:43:00.000-04:00

For the past two years, I have gone rafting down the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon.

It is the most awesome, beautiful, incredible experience. I reccomend it for everyone. If you can do it, go, go, go.

It is a two week trip, and I understand that most people don't have the time or the money.

My first year, last year, I did not do the entire trip, just the lower half. In order to meet a trip already in progress, I had to hike down the Bright Angel Trail to meet the trip. The Bright Angel Trail is a 7 mile hike to the River, with a one mile change in elevation, down a dirt path. It was a tough, but exhilerating trek.

Anyway, when I went again this year, the guides kept talking to us about the government's upcoming Colorado River Management Plan, in which they would allocate user days, i.e. who is allowed to use the river, between commerical outfitters, and private boaters. It is a HUGE deal, b/c the number of people who can use the River (and what type of Boats they can use) is quite limited.

Anyway, the Commercial guides set up, (or to be more accurate, the passengers of Commercial guides set up wink wink), a nonprofit advocacy group for their passengers. The fear is, is that the gov would take user days away from the Commerical companies, and thus passengers would have less opportunity to see the canyon.

Ok, with me?

So yesterday, I get a a letter in the mail about this advocay group, and a link to their webpage.

The Grand Canyon River Runners Association. Seems pretty cool.

Looking around the site, I find Links to personal websites created by other professionally-outfitted Grand Canyon river runners.

The first item in the list is

Lower Canyon rafting trip in May, by David Shullman (sic)

The problem? They didn't ask me.

I know, I know. In the days of the internet, anyone can link to anything else, and no permission is needed. And if they asked, I would have certainly said yes.

But I'm still a bit annoyed that I didn't know about it, and they didn't ask me.

My first post

2004-10-30T08:15:00.000-04:00

This isn't the first time I've tried a blog, but hopefully it will be the last.

The real purpose of this blog will be for what I hope will be my roadtrip next Spring.

After leaving work in April, I will be moving to Florida to go back to school in September. I will be getting my Masters of Law (LLM) in Estate Planning at the University of Miami, and hope to stay down there permanantly.

But from May to August, I plan to take a huge road trip.

Things are still up in the air, but I will start in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and make my way across the South, heading West. I will take some time on Florida's Gulf Coast, pass through New Orleans, Houston, up to Dallas, the Grand Canyon, and hope to arrive in Vegas on (or right before) June 13.

That week there will be a convention of some of my online friends (from http://www.tivocommunity.com ). After Vegas, I will continue to L.A., and head North, winding my way through California, up to the Bay Area. After that, further North, to Seattle, and then diagnally back to Miami, where I need to be by mid-August.

I know a lot of people on the way, so part of the time I will be staying at peoples' houses, and the other times I will find cheap motels.

It should take about 3 months or so. And my plan is to photoblog it.

But....

It's still a long ways in the future.

I still need to deal with all the logistics of moving. Selling my place here, finding a new place (do I rent or buy?? ugh, I can't decide), and actually moving, which should be hell.

Oh yeah, and I think there may be an election in a couple days, but I'm not sure.