Some kind of something

I'm down with something since yesterday. Am going to try to go to work again today. First symptom was a very, very, very bad headache. Take your vitamins.

I Love Me Some Hee Haw. And ER... uh, wait....

The Final Countdown

These will be interesting days, my friends.

Hang on to your hats. And your asses. Potentially your wallets...we'll see though :)

Source: Gallup traditional

Barack Obama's 10-point Lead: That Was Quick....

You really can't average the polls together, it's a sexy number especially if you're into that kind of thing, but it's not accurate.

If you're going to compare polls, you have to compare against the same polls. Reuters to Reuters, Zogby to Zogby. Speaking of, this is just a matter of one day... after a long track record of the big O being ahead. It will be interesting to see how the next few days are reflected in Zogby.

Joe Biden. Class Act - UPDATED

Check out this video of Joe Biden facing some tough questions. She starts out pretty gentle, it gets good at about 2:15....

So check this out too, the BHO campaign cut off WFTV after this interview!

WFTV-Channel 9's Barbara West conducted a satellite interview with Sen. Joe Biden on Thursday. A friend says it's some of the best entertainment he's seen recently. What do you think?

West wondered about Sen. Barack Obama's comment, to Joe the Plumber, about spreading the wealth. She quoted Karl Marx and asked how Obama isn't being a Marxist with the "spreading the wealth" comment.

"Are you joking?" said Biden, who is Obama's running mate. "No," West said.

West later asked Biden about his comments that Obama could be tested early on as president. She wondered if the Delaware senator was saying America's days as the world's leading power were over.

"I don't know who's writing your questions," Biden shot back.

Biden so disliked West's line of questioning that the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.

"This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election," wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.

McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was "a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West."

Here's a link to the interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/17790025/index.html.

WFTV news director Bob Jordan said, "When you get a shot to ask these candidates, you want to make the most of it. They usually give you five minutes."

Jordan said political campaigns in general pick and choose the stations they like. And stations often pose softball questions during the satellite interviews.

"Mr. Biden didn't like the questions," Jordan said. "We choose not to ask softball questions."

Jordan added, "I'm crying foul on this one."

Good times, my friends

What's better than walking into a room and seeing a bunch of people who are really happy to see you? I'm not sure.

So much has changed in what I'm rounding up to 20 years. Many people I talked to had either been married since high school or are now remarried. But some things aren't so different between all of us. We are all city kids, and yes, there is a difference. City kids relate very well to each other. It's a stretch to get beyond that and it's a stretch that should be made. But boy, when you get together, there is a big bunch of no pretense. You can just be you.

Something else that is not so different I found, is that most everyone was at a transitional point in their lives. Just like me. Some are newly remarried, recently divorced, major job changes, or embarking on something new.

My old friend who I mentioned previously picked me up and we went to dinner beforehand. We were both a little nervous, and it turns out, most everyone was. What would everyone think of us now? Had we gotten far enough along in life for this major check-in?

I recognize that the novelty will wear off. And not everyone gets along (most of those combinations were not present at this get-together). But in the meantime, it's perfect.

Friday Flashback!

Talk about some 80's imagery.

I'm totally psyched to be seeing a bunch of old friends this evening from Washington. I could do a little dance :)

It's Friday!

And James T is still my hero.

I'm amazed by James. He is one of those people who has had everything thrown at them, and still they rise. And like he says, I can't claim to know him or his motivations, but there is only one place that type of grace comes from. And his enemies don't believe in the source of that grace.

All the more for James.

14.6%

Hooray, it's a recession!

Let's jack these babies up!

Yup, that's how it works. And MPS is paving the way

Good Luck With That Going Green Thing

In these times when riding the bus is more likely because of the economy and gas prices, I'm sure the city was planning on a big boom in bus ridership.

And I know there are a lot of people who believe in their heart that mass transportation is in line with their values. I respect that.

Yet for others, it's a necessity. They have no other options.

With all we are seeing on the buses now, getting on that bus is probably met with fear. And, for some, those plans to ride the bus might change. And that's not only a shame, it's criminal.

More thoughts on reconnecting after 20 years

When a grad walks across the stage in cap and gown, the last thing on their mind is "which of my classmates will be dead 20 years from now?" At 18, you'd never look at your friends and realize it might be the last opportunity to say goodbye, and how much you appreciated them.

To date, many people from my high school graduating class have been incarcerated. But too many have died or been killed.

• One of them was killed in a motorcycle accident
• One was shot because the gangbangers on his block didn't like him.
• One of my old boyfriends, I learned today, drank himself to death
• Another died from complications of a condition he had

I know there are others that I will yet find out about. But for every story like the above, I am learning multiple stories of success and heroism.

Case in point. Last night I chatted with someone who I dated briefly my sophomore year, and had the biggest crush on. He is now a firefighter/paramedic and told me some stories about his job. You know, I keep thinking I've made strides professionally, but they pale in comparison to performing a tracheotomy on a blue child who has inhaled a marble. My success has nothing on his, and I am enormously proud of him. He is my hero.

This was the longest day, ever.

Ever!

Lawyers

The soldiers of the left

Heinous

I'm uploading pictures to my Washington High networking page. This is so, so, so bad.







In the above, I was saying "take. the. picture!" Of course, I was late for another class where we just screwed around and threw stuff. What great times.

Anybody know...

...how I can write my html code to accommodate the above picture, AND my blogger header? Just switched to the new blogger and I'm not exactly sure how to cheat it.

Why the change? Well, I wanted to get the ladies in, of course!

UPDATE: Patrick rocks!!! PD - see the comments!

Get the Bear Already

Really, Zero isn't going to get out of this himself. And each day that he lives understimulated is probably doing a number on his bear cognition.

So for the love of all that's global warming, go get the damn bear.

Halloween by Day and by Night

So, many of us are dressing up for Halloween at work. Now, your friend Ms. Jones cannot go tiptoeing into work dressed like the pinup that she is. Last year if you'll recall, I made an incredible replica of a 40s' playsuit. It's stunning. But not for work.

Now to get the full pinup look, you have to put your hair into pincurls and brush them out the next day. This is not a 20 minute do (and, is probably also why the ladies of the times had sisters and good excuses for bowing out of a date). What's a pinup to do? I want to go out on Friday night in my natural pinup state, but the hair can only be one way, my way.
Alas, the answer came to me today.

In the morning, put my hair in pincurls. Go to work dressed as.....












And after work, brush those babies out, put on the eyelashes and the playsuit and....

Be the pinup I was born to be.

I'd say old chap, it works!

What's your Halloween plan?

So It Should Now Be Clear to Obama Supporters....

That "Community Organizers" are frauds.

Yet, they are still unable to make the connection. Which surprises me very little. People who don't think for themselves, ask no questions.

Washington High School - Hooray For Social Networking!

A classmate of mine from WHS is probably one of the most socially connected people I will ever know. He thrives off of connecting people. And in the past month, he constructed a social networking site specifically for my high school.

Something amazing is happening. There are people that are connecting with each other who probably were not friends back in the day. High School has it's own social rules about who is cool, who can talk to whom...etc. You don't see it at the time, but it's there. The years I went to WHS were special...the times were special too. I think there is an unmistakable camaraderie among people who went to Washington. We were winners. We swept in basketball, our track team rocked, and in football, the only team feared more than us, was Custer. And, we were fun.

I went there for two years. I learned nothing academically. Literally nothing. But that doesn't mean that Washington didn't teach me anything. My motivation in going to WHS was to have a diverse experience and get way outside of my comfort zone. That, coupled with the lessons I learned from my classmates, has made me more flexible and able to roll with it than I ever could have alone.

It's good to see these folks.

And on my page, I have many videos that played on BET from 1985-1989. Of course, #1 is "All the way to heaven" by Doug E. Fresh (1985). My all-time favorite rap song and video:

Blessed are they who put themselves out there

I leave for Vegas, get back here, and find out that James T. Harris has rocked the nation!

Good job, sir. I'm keeping you in my prayers, and I admire your courage.

Vegas Baby, VEGAS!

Sooooo..... I'm going to be off the blog and all things internet for a few days. Will I miss you all? Well, maybe, in those quiet boring moments on the plane, when I realize that I'm stuck between screaming kids and groups of housewives whose husbands sent them on their merry way to get them out of their hair. Yes, beautiful babies, I'll miss you!!!

Read This For An Indication on How An Obama Presidency Would Be Run, As Oppposed to a McCain Presidency

Emphasis mine....

Reporter's Notebook: Seeing How The Other Half Lives
Posted by Dean Reynolds


(NASHVILLE, TENN.) - After most of the previous 12 months covering Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency, it was interesting, instructive and, well, relaxing to follow John McCain for the last few days. The differences between the two are striking.

Obama is the big time orator, McCain is the guy who struggles with a teleprompter or even note cards strategically placed nearby. Obama's crowds are larger, more enthusiastic. McCain's events are smaller, but to my eye, better choreographed. And now with the addition of Sarah Palin to some of his events, McCain can boast of crowds that match Obama's in energy.

There is an urgency to the McCain campaign now that I don't think was there before. Due to the fact that he is running second, no doubt, but it may also be because McCain has a finishing kick. Whatever the case, he is sharper on the stump than he was before. (Though I would suspect a candidate running behind would want to schedule two or three appearances per day, instead of the one McCain usually does.)

It is true that McCain enjoys taking questions from the audience in town hall-style settings. That doesn't mean he is the master of that kind of forum, it just means he's good at it. He likes to converse with voters. Obama does it well too, but seldom achieves that intangible bond with the people that all politicians crave -- or fake.

Behind the scenes, where the public is not allowed, there are other differences.

Obama's campaign schedule is fuller, more hectic and seemingly improvisational. The Obama aides who deal with the national reporters on the campaign plane are often overwhelmed, overworked and un-informed about where, when, why or how the candidate is moving about. Baggage calls are preposterously early with the explanation that it's all for security reasons.

If so, I would love to have someone from Obama's campaign explain why the entire press corps, the Secret Service, and the local police idled for two hours in a Miami hotel parking lot recently because there was nothing to do and nowhere to go. It was not an isolated case.

The national headquarters in Chicago airily dismisses complaints from journalists wondering why a schedule cannot be printed up or at least e-mailed in time to make coverage plans. Nor is there much sympathy for those of us who report for a newscast that airs in the early evening hours. Our shows place a premium on live reporting from the scene of campaign events. But this campaign can often be found in the air and flying around at the time the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" is broadcast. I suspect there is a feeling within the Obama campaign that the broadcast networks are less influential in the age of the internet and thus needn't be accomodated as in the days of yore. Even if it's true, they are only hurting themselves by dissing audiences that run in the tens of millions every night.

The McCain folks are more helpful and generally friendly. The schedules are printed on actual books you can hold in your hand, read, and then plan accordingly. The press aides are more knowledgeable and useful to us in the news media. The events are designed with a better eye, and for the simple needs of the press corps. When he is available, John McCain is friendly and loquacious. Obama holds news conferences, but seldom banters with the reporters who've been following him for thousands of miles around the country. Go figure.

The McCain campaign plane is better than Obama's, which is cramped, uncomfortable and smells terrible most of the time. Somehow the McCain folks manage to keep their charter clean, even where the press is seated.

The other day in Albuquerque, N.M., the reporters were given almost no time to file their reports after McCain spoke. It was an important, aggressive speech, lambasting Obama's past associations. When we asked for more time to write up his remarks and prepare our reports, the campaign readily agreed to it. They understood.

Similar requests are often denied or ignored by the Obama campaign aides, apparently terrified that the candidate may have to wait 20 minutes to allow reporters to chronicle what he's just said. It's made all the more maddening when we are rushed to our buses only to sit and wait for 30 minutes or more because nobody seems to know when Obama is actually on the move.

Maybe none of this means much. Maybe a front-running campaign like Obama's that is focused solely on victory doesn't have the time to do the mundane things like print up schedules or attend to the needs of reporters.

But in politics, everything that goes around comes around.

This is highly instructive. McCain has a plan, and can be relied upon. Obama and team cannot. Is this hope and change? Would you trust these people with your life? The lives of your family and loved ones?

And perhaps McCain - like most Republicans with Judaeo-Christian, true good of all values - unwittingly make it easier to put themselves into the position to be attacked. Obama keeps everyone in the dark about what's happening therefore impossible to track. Or, they're just that terribly disorganized. Inexperienced, if you will

More of the Dems, Covering Up Fannie, Freddie, and Their Own Asses, in Their Own Words

How Re-Education Works

From a former KGB. This should make you sick, because it will look very familiar. Fast forward to 11:00 for a scary reality check.

Yuri Bezmenov
Uploaded by onmyway02

Monday Morning Train: UP 3985

The Union Pacific 3985 is on one of it's yearly excursions right now through IA and WY, so youtube is rife with excellent footage and runbys. This one is really cute just because of the little kid :)

UP 3985 is the largest steam locomotive still in operation - it's the last of the giants. Just to give you some idea of how big they are, I've stood on the front platform by the steam box (round part). I'm only half the height, if that. Enjoy.

And Now I Present: Diamonds and Rust

I heard the song "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez for the first time recently. It's brilliant. Know how with some songs, you sort of hear it, and then later you actually listen to it? When I heard this song, I went right down the road with it and never missed a word.

Something that strikes me about this...the imagery in here is so different than today. There are generations now that can't picture any of it or probably get the full effect of this song because of their flimsy cultural literacy. Something that bothers me about the 60's generation radicals, is that they were probably the last generation to get a good education.

When I listen to this song, I think of what it's like in your early 20's and the world is very new... risk is so much more fun, and there is something of a rush achieved out of heartbreak and mystery. It scrawls "I was here" somewhere inside you. And throughout your life, the sunlight gets on it from time to time. Yeah...that good :)



Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

As I remember your eyes
Were bluer than robin's eggs
My poetry was lousy you said
Where are you calling from?
A booth in the midwest
Ten years ago
I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust

Well you burst on the scene
Already a legend
The unwashed phenomenon
The original vagabond
You strayed into my arms
And there you stayed
Temporarily lost at sea
The Madonna was yours for free
Yes the girl on the half-shell
Would keep you unharmed

Now I see you standing
With brown leaves falling around
And snow in your hair
Now you're smiling out the window
Of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there

Now you're telling me
You're not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
Because I need some of that vagueness now
It's all come back too clearly
Yes I loved you dearly
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid

Those Are High Ratings For Someone Who's A Nothing

Last night's debate was the highest rated since 1992.

That's a lot of eyes and ears on someone who is so widely dismissed.

Bill O'Reilly Exposes Barney Frank

For the fraud that he is and that he's complicit in this whole mess. We need more people to call them on this stuff.

Barney Frank. Always busy making sure his stiff upper lip is covering his teeth.

Dick Morris Administers A Slapdown

Nothing is worse than the "talking points" mentality. That's how we go from freedom to fascism. Dick Morris gets the gold star for calling it like it is - stopping Alan Colmes in his tracks from hijacking the post-debate debate.

via allapundit:

Proof positive that not everything he says is wrong. Just almost everything.

Exit question in which I’m fairer to Colmes than he’d be to me: Is AC really the worst offender here among the dynamic duo in terms of spewing talking points? “Sarah Palin’s shock and awe”? C’mon.

More Examples of Liberal Elitism

Although this one I can't confirm first hand....it was Overheard in New York:

Let's Review: Rude, Okay; Racist, Not Okay

Black guy who just walked in: Excuse me, sir, have you been waiting for the train long?
White guy reading newspaper (with an Obama sticker on his bag): Sorry, I don't have any spare change.
Black guy: What?

--1 Train

Palin - Local Girl Makes Good

Sarah did fine. Nobody expected her to really knock it out of the park and if she did, it would mean that she's an actor just like Obama and Biden. She kept her cool, talked right to the people, and wasn't worried about what Biden and Ifill would think of her. She knew who she had to talk to and persuade, and it wasn't the Insiders in her midst.

Joe Biden did well for a guy who was trying to hold himself together and not flip it up. You know that beast inside of him - the Condescensionsauraus with an IQ of 2 -was itching to get out. I give him incredible credit for putting on a good face. He was inaccurate from time to time for the sake of trying to scold her or put her in her place. There were some times when he slipped with his condescension and leaned on the podium with his horrible botox smirk and "waiting" expression, akin to "mean girl" politics. You're such a big boy, Joey.

All the polls are too early here this morning, declaring Biden the winner. Know what that's about? Influencing the reputable pollers like Zogby and Qunnipiac. Muddying the waters. The slow advent of propaganda.

The Morning After - Stats Edition

My stats blew up again overnight with the term "NBC Truth Squad". This also happened after the McCain/Obama debate when NBC had a segment called the "NBC Truth Squad", and even had the words up on banners. And if you've been following any of the news in the last month, you've read about Obama's Truth Squad, which is a silencing mechanism of his campaign. I find NBC's choice of words not only out of touch, but potentially troubling.

Waking up at 1:45, not so good

Yes, I have been up since 1:45 a.m.

someone tivo the debate for me?

thanksZzzzzzzzzz............1

I Get a Funny Feeling Just Before An Obama Ad Airs.

It's kind of like when you suspect you're going to pass gas.

Then, in true liberal fashion, they do it for you!

You know what would have made McCain's Campaign?

A Michael-Moore style expose on Community Organizers. Something like Evan Coyne Maloney did with Indoctrinate U

Wednesday Music: Elliot Smith

My very very very favorite Elliot Smith tune.... best heard on headphones!!!!1