fun at work

my burrito and me

Since last Memorial Day when Scot, Trish and I went to Bozeman, I've been craving a blackened salmon burrito from La Parrilla. Spinach, rice, salmon, and a ricotta/sun dried tomato spread made even tastier when eaten in paradise. I've dreamt about it, thought about replicating it (but decided it just wouldn't be the same), and generally obsessed over this burrito. Finally, after over a year, while nursing a hangover, I got my burrito.

And it was good. I think I'll have another today.

Oh, the views are pretty good up here too.

In a completely unrelated note, as I was settling in to my hotel room in Bozeman on Friday, I flipped on the television. With the Olympic opening ceremonies about to run on NBC, Fox thought it would capitalize on Olympic fever as well. So, as I was putting away some of my clothing, I watched an orangutan beat a sumo wrestler in a tug-of-war and then a sprinter beat a giraffe in a 100-meter dash. Who needs water polo?

Julia Child 1912-2004

Julia Child is responsible for bringing food into popular culture and expanding the culinary horizons of Americans. She is also responsible for introducing me to he power and possibilities of food, and of the notion of food as passion. It's hard to be too sad at the death of a 91-year-old, especially one who lived as fully as she. But her passion is responsible as much as anyone for my love of food, and my unwavering belief that you can never add too much butter.

just trying to get back to [airquotes]

I'm in Montana and you're not. 6,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by trees and on the lookout for mountain lions. Tomorrow: Butte.

packing list 4

• Navy blazer
  
• 1 pair dress pants
  
• 3 pair jeans
  
• 3 pair khakis
  
• 5 short sleeve shirts
  
• 2 white dress shirts
  
• 4 long sleeve shirts
  
• 6 t-shirts
  
• fleece vest
  
• windbreaker
  
• 7 pair white socks
  
• 4 pair dark socks
  
• black shoes
  
• adidas
  
• climbing shoes
  
• chalk bag
  
• belay device
  
• 2 carabineers
  
• 2 pair shorts
  
• 8 pair boxers
  
• toothbrush
  
• razor
  
• toothpaste
  
• digital camera
  
• mp3 player
  
• two cellular telephones
  
• SLR camera
  
• film
  
• laptop
  
• keyboard
  
• mouse
  
• The Partly Cloudy Patriot
  
• Take the Cannoli
  
• Choke

more convention thoughts

I'm still working on a recap of the rest of the convention, but as time passes, here are a few basic points:

• I've been saying for months that Barack Obama is a star. He certainly demonstrated that with what I thought was the best speech of the convention.
  
• Teresa Heinz Kerry looked smug and arrogant as she belted out the Portuguese. Demonstrating a fluency in Spanish is an asset, but Brazillian immigrants just don't represent a very large voting block.
  
• I was dissapointed by Edwards. His rhetorical gifts were not on their finest display, perhaps in part because of time constraints. But the media continues their romance with him, and the speech played well.
  
• Kerry gave a terrific speech. Bounce or no bounce (a Washington Post poll indicates there was one), the convention overall, and Kerry's performance on Thursday should continue to build his support.
  

Though I am uneasy with his new role as Democratic spokesman, Ron Reagan has a pretty good piece in Esquire this month, The Case Against George W. Bush. He was very dry at the convention, but hits the President hard:

But George W. Bush and his administration have taken "normal" mendacity to a startling new level far beyond lies of convenience. On top of the usual massaging of public perception, they traffic in big lies, indulge in any number of symptomatic small lies, and, ultimately, have come to embody dishonesty itself. They are a lie.

Pretty strong stuff.