I'm not a loser!

Greg Heltzer (of all people) sent me this New York Times article about how people who live with their parents in their mid/late 20s aren't such losers after all. Sweet.

Worst store ever

Shopping yesterday at Potomac Mills, I came across the worst store ever. Seriously, are bibles so expensive that they require factory outlet stores? At this store (which I did not enter), do they sell remaindered bibles, or misprinted bibles? Perhaps bibles missing books. Or a bible where Jesus is actually named Moe. Or Shemp. Really, any of the three (four) stooges. Now that would be a good bible.

long before the blog...

Happy third day of Hanukkah. For your gift, an old piece of technology. Long before the internet, even before AOL and Prodigy and Compuserve, this is the first modem I ever used. You put the phone into the handset. It proved marginally more efficient than simply yelling "one zero zero zero one zero zero one!" into the phone. Marginally. It operated at 300 bps, or 186 times slower than a new modem today. It was probably pretty spendy too, but since I was about five years old at the time, I don't remember.

fascist fascists

The American Family Association is a right-wing organization dedicated to promoting "traditional family values." Obviously this is code for "we are fascists." These fascists have developed an online poll to asscertain the values of Americans when it comes to gay marriages. Show them your values.

All the sinners are making their site a little slow right now, so be patient.

too much technology

I finally committed to a new cell phone. The Sony Ericsson T 616 complete with service from AT&T Wirelesss. The phone has an absurd number of features, including a picture phone and the ability to send and receive e-mail. It also has bluetooth, the fun of which I hope to write about in the future.

While I was off in cell phone buying land, the caught Saddam Hussein. I was with Kassie and thought he was living with Osama in Detroit. Oh well. All subsequent news coverage has focused on how badly Hussein's capture hurts Howard Dean. To my mind, it doesn't; and I think Dean's recent comments are the right strategy for a Democrat to pursue now that Hussein is captured:

The capture of Saddam is a good thing which I hope very much will keep our soldiers in Iraq and around the world safer. But the capture of Saddam has not made America safer."

This administration loses on Homeland Security, and the more the Democrats make it an issue, the more success they will have wooing Bush supporters.

Finally, my new phone number is:

202.297.4496

Spread the word.

Out with the old

I finally completed my weeks of agonizing and price comparing and settled on a new cell phone. My phone has been growing increasingly fickle and it has none of the cool features the kids are raving about. I bought a Sony Ericsson T616 from Amazon for -$75. Pretty sweet that my first three months of service will be covered by the "cost" of the phone. The phone is bluetooth enabled, which leaves the potential for all kinds of nerdy mischief. Goodie.

I also filled out my DC voter registration card today, so I can vote in our "primary" on Jan. 13. Because the Democratic party has a deal with New Hampshire and Iowa, they have managed to subvert the electoral process in DC (nothing new), and coerce most of the candidates off the ballot. See for yourself. I'll probably vote for Sharpton, though this could be Lyndon Larouche's year.

Amusing to me is the fact that nowhere on the DC Board of Election and Ethics website is the address to return my completed voter registration form. And of course, it isn't on the form either. There are even two conflicting addresses on several webpages. Hopefully this one will work. Of course, if it doesn't, who cares, it's not like I'm represented (which is only fair, since I'm not paying taxes).

toro: crack of the sea

I spent my weekend cleaning my room and doing all my laundry. But my walls are all painted and my furniture is in place, so soon my room will be all done (pictures forthcoming. I had dinner tonight at Sushi-Ko. Always a tremendous meal there, if not the most filling. Beef tenderloin with seven-spice powder and daikon was rare and juicy, an unusual starter, but very well balanced.

The duck breast with wasabi mustard opened my eyes to food pairings. I wouldn't have thought duck could withstand a wasabi mustard sauce, but it was perfect. The breast, both juicy and fatty, quite well prepared.

The highlight of my meal (and best thing I've eaten in months) was Toro. Impeccably fresh fatty tuna. It melted on my tongue, dissolving the flavors of tuna and sea water throughout my mouth. At $8 for two pieces, it may become a very expensive addiction, but I need more.

I'm going to wash it all down with yet another mixed berry milkshake (my fourth in three days). Yum.

Finally, from Josh: type "miserable failure" (with quotes) into google and hit "I'm feeling lucky."

boogie woogie woogie

I may still suck at flash, but making crappy animations is the only way to get better, right? Or I could read one of the four books I own on flash. That would require unpacking, though. Plus, how many people can say they've explored the unique relationship between pickles and lightning? In animation form.

The return of the electric pickle.

And stay tuned for the finale of the electric pickle. With the infamous Law & Order twist! Wait, that's Law & Order. Nevermind, there will be no twist, just more hilarity.

Update: The link comes from Anne: Where is the rake? Something to aspire to for the electric pickle.

more hilarity

Seriously, I'm not on crack. Anne just keeps inspiring these random wastes of technology.

Look! I made a flash animation.

a new era in comic hilarity dawns

I was inspired earlier tonight to make a comic. Lacking artistic skills, I rifled through the myriad saved images on my computer and have developed the following:

mr. drop and catch it man!

Some old and some new...but no class

I've been cleaning out some old digital photos.Scot and I were playing a board game called IDO. The games uses a bunch of 1x1 and 1x2 block pieces. Naturally, after playing the game several times, Scot and I devolved into making things with our blocks and then shaking the table to destroy the other person's work. Finally, we collaborated in an effort to make it appear as though one block figure was having sex with another. Classy.

In a completely unrelated note, Salon published this article about the growing influence of moveon.org. Particularly with George Soros' promise of wheelbarrows full of money to defeat the President, the GOP might have something about which to be concerned. The article describes how Moveon has helped Gov. Dean develop his internet campaign strategy. Clearly this strategy has been integral to Dean's success, but the use of technology by both organizations has also made them seem more liberal.

Moveon deliberately doesn't tackle divisive issues like abortion or guns, choosing instead to focus on solidifying the mainstream base of democrats (and moderate republicans angry with Bush extremism). The Dean campaign, in part because of its image as the campaign for young activists, has developed liberal credibility without a truly liberal candidate (like Kucinich or Sharpton).

Prices so low you won't keep your feet

With the bevy of deals available, and America's obsession with shopping and consumption, it was inevitable something like this would happen: Woman trampled at Wal-Mart. The best part is Wal-Mart's response:

"Wal-Mart officials called later Friday to ask about her sister, and the store apologized and offered to put a DVD player on hold for her."

Now that's corporate compassion.

Hungry, hungry hippos

This brief from The Onion is comedy gold:

Hasbro Pledges Additional 30 Marbles For Hippo-Hunger Relief

PAWTUCKET, RI—With global famine worsening, Hasbro pledged an additional 30 white marbles Monday to hippo-hunger relief efforts. "To see those starving, starving hippos just lying there, not knowing if they will ever get another chance to click and clack for life-giving marbles—it's too much for anyone to bear," Hasbro spokeswoman Lisa Reiderer said. "We cannot stand idly by while these sweet plastic creatures slowly die. It is up to all of us to get the most marbles for our hippos."

Belly full

(links are pictures)

Hooray for turkey. Truly, however, hooray for bourbon whipped cream. On pumpkin spice cheesecake. Hooray indeed. And I managed to stow several slices of leftover cheesecake. I just hope they have been effectively hidden. All in all, a quite satiating meal.

In addition to turkey (which I carved, and not with total incompetence) and dessert, there were mashed potatoes (which I thought were a bit too runny, the result of excessive cream), stuffing, sauerkraut (from which I abstained), roasted green beans, gravy, balsamic grapes (which while tasty, had a disturbing consistency) and cranberry sauce.

Oh, all of it was proceeded by a spinach salad with roasted beets and goat cheese. Yum.

Somehow, the kitchen is not very messy. Perhaps it's a result of the unique cleanup techniques I employed.

Since I have played pingis (thanks Chandra) to the point of complete mastery, I have been forced to switch my time-wasting flash game. Enter the BBC.

This game is a nice way to waste from minutes to hours. (though probably not in one sitting) My high score is a paltry 13 17 31 34. The all-time high score is 3502, which would take about four hours. Some people have NOTHING to do.

Pot: Kettle, you are black.

Kettle: I know.

Finally, I came across a simple body fat calculator, given the gorging nature of this day. By one of their estimates, I have -18.8% body fat (or -23.5 pounds of fat). I'd better finish that cheesecake.

Gobble gobble

My pumpkin spice cheesecake is cooling safely in the refrigerator, and the turkey is enjoy its evening in the brine on the balcony. I'm a bit annoyed about the cheesecake, since the woman at Williams Sonoma assured me the springform pan would not leak, and it did, in fact, leak. But the leaking was pretty minor, basically turning the crust a bit soggy. The cheesecake itself smells divine, and coupled with the bourbon whipped cream, should be pretty tasty. Of course, anything with as much fat as this cheesecake (3 packages of cream cheese, 3/4 of a stick of butter, 5 eggs, and a cup of cream) better be tasty. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Back again

My jetsetting complete, I have returned from my jaunt up north. I'd forgotten (as I think happens every summer) how oppressive the weather is. I enjoy snow, and can even stand the cold. As Anne drove me to the airport, I looked at the snow on the ground, and realized that it might remain there for months. Though the weather wasn't a factor in my decision to move south, I'm certainly pleased that I won't be putting up with another Minnesota winter.

And on Wednesday I was formally offered (and formally accepted) an internship with the Senate Finance Committee. Details about my specific duties (excluding the menial copying and mail sorting) are forthcoming. The goal, in accepting this unpaid position, is that I'll end up with a full-time offer, either from this committee, or somewhere else in the government. Or I'll realize I don't want to work on the hill after all, and can flee to the nonprofit world with a better resume, and in a better economy.

Packing list (number three)

Two pair jeans
Two pair jeansTwo pair khaki pants
Four t-shirts
One long sleeve t-shirt
One fleece
One coat
One tie
Four long sleeve shirts
Five pair white socks
One pair black socks
One sweater
One pair pajama pants
One pair Airwalk shoes
Five pair boxer shorts
One digital camera
One Santoku knife
One mp3 player
Andy Wilson's suitcase
One cell phone charger
Two Ben Folds EPs
A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bordain

It stands alone

I should try and figure out a way to spend a few years of my life eating cheese. The diversity of cheeses would make it a worthwhile endeavor. There would also be ample opportunities to travel around the world. But mostly, it'd be about the cheese. Hard cheese. Soft cheese. Smelly cheese. Melty cheese. Dessert cheese. Breakfast cheese. Cow's cheese. Goat's cheese. Camel's cheese. I could definately spend some serious time getting into cheese.

Do you think they give out MacArthur grants for cheese study?

I'd probably have to learn a few things about wine too...

The hardest part

Weeks turned to days, and now, days almost to hours.

At least I have Aqua Teens to keep my mind occupied. That and The Wire. Good stuff.

Sleep...or the United States Senate?

Seriously, this filibuster is like crack. Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) just finished delivering a slightly rambling (understandable at 2:00 a.m.) talk about what a waste of time the entire 38-hour "debate" is. I'm sure he realized the irony. As tempting as it is to watch the final six hours, I think I need to go to sleep. Otherwise I might start throwing things if Sen. Santorum (R-PA) comes back on. On the plus side, Jon Stewart made fun of him.

Oh, and I forgot this from a wire story earlier this week:

The lawmakers said the Pentagon's Defense Energy Support Center imports military fuel from Kuwait to Iraq for $1.08 to $1.19 per gallon, compared with the $2.65 per gallon that Halliburton charges the U.S. government under a no-bid Army contract.

Here is the full story. Thanks Josh for calling this to my attention.

Parliamentary procedure rules

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is owning the Republicans right now. While speaking, he used procedure to make a Republican object to passing an increase in the minimum wage, and subsequently an extension of unemployment benefits. He (Kennedy) also looks and sounds really pissed off. Not quite Sen. Byrd (D-WV) pissed off, but pissed off. And rightly so.

On a completely different note, while I love Thanksgiving, the Food Network becomes almost completely unwatchable unless you need another recipe for cranberry sauce, which I do not.

And finally, I'm backblogging old entries, so the archives are slowly taking shape. Hooray for August.

Congress rules

I've been watching the 30 hour Republican spectacle to call attention to the Democratic filibusters of four judicial nominees. I think this move will backfire on the Republicans, but we'll see. The Democrats have been doing a nice job calling attention to all the issues the Republicans are ignoring at the moment.

Flipping between C-SPAN2 and The West Wing has been a bit surreal, since this most recent episode had a storyline focusing on judicial nominations. It's too bad The West Wing has slipped.

In somewhat related news, I think I'm about to be offered a position interning with the Senate Finance Committee. It's just a shame it doesn't pay a dime.

And finally, The Nation addresses dissention among Green Party members about a potential candidacy from Ralph Nader. Here.

Good reads

Paul Krugman provides a nice counter to all the charges of racism initially facing Howard Dean after his remarks. He's right, but the bigger problem is that this remains a story.

Dowd kicked a lot of ass yesterday too. (thanks Scot)

And finally, Howard Dean is considering refusing federal matching funds for his primary run. I'm conflicted on the issue, because I want a Democrat to win, but to compete against the President's $175 million war chest, limited federal matching funds offer no help. The real answer is serious campaign finance reform, but most curious about Dean's decision is that he's offering his supporters an opportunity to vote on the issue.

Clearly Howard Dean has used the internet in a way we haven't yet seen in a campaign, and his efforts will be studied and modeled in the future. But this poll he's conducting will be a barometer as to whether his internet support actually understands the issues his campaign faces, or is a group of people who signed up for an e-mail list. To put perhaps the most significant decision his campaign faces in the next six months in the hands of his mailing list seems an incredible gamble. The poll will certainly provide an idea of future financial contributions to his campaign, but I still wonder about the wisdom of the strategy. Are Gov. Dean's supporters familiar enough with the nuances of campaign strategy to be the best people to make this decision?

We are going to lose

Once again, the Democratic party shoots itself in the foot.

On a night when it lost two governorships, the party held another debate. The major story out of the debate? Perhaps a frontrunner has emerged. Or a candidate presented a plan to energize the electorate. Instead, the prohibitive favorite, Gov. Howard Dean, put his foot into his mouth and dominated the news cycle with questionable (though probably not actually offensive) remarks.

With millions of Americans out of work, casualties in Iraq mounting, reproductive rights being eroded, and myriad other problems exploding in this country, all the news coming out of last night's debate is about the confederate flag.

Also, from every debate, I see a picture of Gov. Dean like this. I like Gov. Dean, and I may vote for him. But he will not beat the President, because he looks like a schmuck in pictures like this. It's a shame the electorate is so shallow, but I really believe that the White House will make him look like an idiot in a campaign, and that the public will buy it. Unfortunately, at this point, there are few alternatives.

Finally, happy birthday, father.

Unintelligible

In the park in front of my house, for about 45 minutes, a man was shouting and mumbling something in a language resembling Spanish. It only resembled Spanish, because I'm sure "fucka you moth-[guttural sounds] drink my bitch pendejo!" isn't grammatically correct. Taken properly, this becomes an endearing quality of my neighborhood.

Seeking respite from the ramblings of a drunk, I noticed our neighbor on his roof, with a guitar on his lap pointed upright, chanting something that didn't resemble any language with which I am familiar. He wasn't wearing a shirt, though this is nothing new, as last night I had the misfortune of seeing him playing at his computer while naked. Fortunately his back was to the window.

Quoth The Raven

There's this bar right by my dad's house called the Raven. It's the best bar in the whole world. Any night (or day) I can sit at the bar, drink a beer, and have a conversation with the person next to me.

And last night, this woman was waving her hands in front of her face and saying "cock, cock, cock, cock, cock..." It was pretty funny.

Random notes

Halloween. Sweet. Scot sent me the site for the NRA Blacklist. Everyone should sign up. As Scot put it, all the cool kids are doing it. I don't know how much this will stop those facists, but it sure feels good to stand up and say they are facist.

Also, Anne (not my sister) has this sweet picture. Seems appropriate enough.

Life, continued

And I came back to Washington, and everything was the same, except that it wasn't. Who knew uncertainty could be so captivating?

Back in DC

"If your confusion leads you in the right direction, the results can be uncommonly rewarding."

Kristof and Krugman

Kristof writes a nice ops piece today in the Times by Kristof. Reminds me of my mispent years in Latin class. I particularly enjoy the comparison of Rumsfeld to Ajax (the Greek hero).

I've started reading Paul Krugman's 1999 book "The Return of Depression Economics". I agree with just about everything in every column I've read by him, but strongly disagree with the following statement on page 5:

For a century and a half the idea of socialism — from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs — served as an intellectual focal point for those who disliked the hand the market dealt them.

I think this misses the point entirely. Socialism is a focal point who believe that the game is corrupt, regardless of the quality of an individual hand. Any system where there can be as dramatic a disparity between the quality of life for anyone, particularly children is fundamentally unjust. I think Krugman approaches the argument from a capitalist perspective, founded in the theory that individuals act in a completely self-interested manner. It would then stand to reason that those with poor lives would prefer socialism, but he presents the argument as though that is the only reason individuals would prefer it. I'll have to ask him about it next month when I see him at a local bookstore.

Newness

I'm trying out blogger for a while. We'll see how it goes at the start of next month, when the archiving could choke. And the design will invariably change, but for now, this is much easier and better than coding html.
One drawback is that blogger doesn't allow for comments, so you'll have to keep your snideness to yourself. Perhaps that's not actually a drawback...
I'll also work on getting all the old mt archives into this, slowly.

There's nothing quite as dispiriting as finding two perfectly good car windows smashed. If my stereo had been missing, if my car had been slept in, perhaps faith in humanity could be restored. Not everyone is as fortunate as I, some need a place to stay, or money. Then perhaps I could comprehend why I'm spending a month's savings to restore my car to the state I had left it the night before.

But instead somebody threw two rocks through my windows. They didn't even unlock the doors. I have given up expecting civility, and even decency is more often a struggle than it should be. But I wonder, why should I sacrifice for others when this is the face of humanity most often exposed?

I suppose because it's what we do.

High speed internet is crack. My dad's new computer came today and we got the cable internet hooked up. Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to get rid of this crappy blog and get movable type or blogger running. Having spent the past six years with highspeed, I have come to a point where I am more or less unable to function without it.

The proliferation of high speed internet is much like cable tv. While many people still do not have cable, most people who have it, keep it. Obviously there are exceptions, but when you consider the dramatic improvement in television in the ten years since cable became really widespread, the implications for vast advances in the internet are scary.

There is a pronounced difference in the sky here. But because I'm up higher, I can see the horizon more clearly, though it seems nearer. Anyhow, I shot this out of my bedroom window tonight. Just beyond the tree is the National Cathedral, which you can make out during the winter.

I sent off a resume today to someone who might know of a job in Sen. Baucus' (D-MT) office. I would love to work on the hill. No harm in optimism, right?

So I moved.

I sent off Robynne and Laura today. So I'm finally starting to process my departure and changed scenery; and I can settle in a bit too.

Running around the city the past few days has been great, I love this city, and know a few people who've migrated here. Nonetheless, I've left a bunch of cool people and a pretty cool town, which is kind of a bummer.

My last few weeks in MSP were awesome, though bittersweet.
I'm coming back for Tim and Amanda's wedding in a couple of weeks, so my elongated departure and goodbyes are still not final. Of course I fucked up a few of them and maybe burned some bridges I wish I hadn't.

Obviously this isn't movable type, which stopped working, hence the lack of updates. I'm might reinstall it when I get more settled, or switch to blogger, but with limited internet, I'm going to use this crude substitute for a while until then. I'm going to try and update regularly like this for a while. I have a bunch of scattered notes from the last few weeks. Eventually I'll even finish the evil off, but this will have to do for a while.

After spending the night in an Econo Lodge that wasn't very "econo," I set off again down the road, starting in Western Ohio.

Within 10 minutes in the interstate, I was greeted by a car carrier holding 10 Jeep Libertys. I contemplated taking the carrier out (and myself in the process), but plodded on, determined to find a carrier full of Hummers against which to sacrifice myself. If I had it to do over again...hmmm....

Driving through Wisconsin always sucks, but if you're going to do it, do it in early or mid-October. It's still flat, and landmarks are ugly and cheese-related. But the foliage makes it moderately bearable. Throw in some Bob Dylan and some Fatboy Slim and you'll be almost close to Chicago in no time at all.

What a magnificent last day in Minneapolis. The leaves have turned, nary a cloud in the sky, and the air was warm and calm. It made running obnoxious errands around town a pleasure.
I still have so much packing to do.

Leaving

Though I extended my stay for another month, the reality of my departure is starting to sink in. In two days, for the first time in my memory, I will not be starting school in September. I just wish I knew about the two jobs I've applied for, since establishing some certainty about my whereabouts in 40 days sure would be nice.

There was no September

Because my server, and subsequently moveable type completely ate it during September, there were no real updates to the site. This acts as the placeholder in the archives, so it doesn't appear I was eaten by a gnome and then regurgitated at the end of the month.