i'm back

Minneapolis was fantastic. My friends rock. Beer is good. I have a picture I'll post later.

While I was staying with her, Kassie showed me AudioScrobbler. It's awesome. If you listen to a lot of music on your computer, get it. Hooray for technology.

vacation

Now two full days into my vacation, I must say, Minneapolis rocks. It has culture, sweet parks, and, of course, Quang, the best, cheapest Vietnamese restaurant in the world. Or at least the best to which I've ever been.

I love not working. I hope Kassie won the Powerball tonight.

packing list

• 5 t-shirts
  
• 3 button down shirts
  
• fleece
  
• 3 pair pants
  
• 5 pair socks
  
• 6 pair boxers
  
• iPod
  
• adidas
  
• phone charger
  
• The Dark Tower
  
• sunglasses
  
• digital camera
  
• toothbrush
  
• razor

ass kicking

Sen. Norm Coleman is a stooge for pushing this oil-for-food investigation so hard, and today, he got bit back by British MP George Galloway. For months Coleman has been accusing Galloway of profiting from the corruption of oil-for-food. Today, Galloway accepted Coleman's invitation, flew across the pond, and testified before Coleman's subcommittee:

Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 people paid with their lives; 1600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies; 15,000 of them wounded, many of them disabled forever on a pack of lies.

Ouch. See all of his responses here.

class mobility

The NY Times has begun a fascinating series on the role of social class in America. The first article has some observations about what appears to be a decline in class mobility.

Definitely worth looking at is the graphic package on where you fit in. The interaction of education and income is beautifully articulated.

the streak is over!

For the first time in my life, I was punched in the face today. Frankly, I'm really surprised it took so long. I learned that a good punch in the face beats the hell out of (no pun intended) coffee.

So I was walking to work, when I flipped off a car that had run a light and almost hit me in the crosswalk. The driver stopped, thought better of getting out of his car in the middle of the street. I continued across the street, while he pulled into a driveway in front of me. He got out, ran up to me, and hit me in the face. Then he got back in his car and drove off, all with his child in the backseat. There were also lots of obscenities. Nice.

da plane! da plane!

I've gotten two emails today asking about the evacuation. Here’s the deal:

I was sitting at my desk, watching the Senate floor, suddenly everyone abandoned the chamber. I changed the channel to the House, which evacuated a minute later. It was very bizarre to watch, and I'm still looking for a video of the Senate floor evacuation.

I figured we'd be next, so I grabbed my iPod, when the alarm to evacuate sounded. Then it was pretty much, "walk for your lives!" An hour later, we were let back in, and I went back to work, as though I never feared for my life at all.

Good times.

vacation day

My first vacation day of 2005 rocked all around:
-Jaleo rocked (in a tasty sort of way)
-The Decemberists rocked (in a rockin' sort of way)
-And of course, Kassie rocks (in all sorts of cool ways)

My next vacation day? In Minneapolis at the end of the month. Rock.

they do it better

I've been enthralled by the BBC's election coverage, which is being simulcast on CSPAN-2 (the deuce). The election is far more interesting than ours, both because of the parliamentary system and the fact that the UK has three viable political parties (what a concept!). And the BBC is doing a fantastic job covering this, complete with all these supercool (for political nerds) visuals. Check it out if you can.

fitzgerald for senate

I am remiss for not having done this sooner, but I’ve finally linked to the website of Robert Fitzgerald, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota as an independent candidate. I went to Morris with Robert, and think he brings a lot of interesting things to what will be an important race. Check him out. Feeling charitable?

Contribute $5 (or $50) to his campaign.

long time coming

Livan Hernandez took a one-hitter into the ninth, Vinny Castilla was a single shy of the cycle, and the home team won, 5-3. More important, there is, finally, a home team.

I also give the DC fans a lot of credit, as there were far more boos for DC Council Chair Linda Cropp than for President Bush.

4 days away

These speak for themselves....

huzzah for pictures!

I promised pictures from Cambridge, so here you go:

Also, walking by the Supreme Court today at lunch, I saw this:

Save Phil is the Alliance for Justice's response to Senate Republican efforts to end Democratic filibusters of judicial nominees. And this was a rally in protest of these efforts, dubbed the "nuclear option" because it would leave the Senate a "legislative wasteland."

Andrew Thomas I for pope

Now that the Pope is dead, the world's attention will shift to the papal election (except here in the U.S., where we can finally devote all of our attention to the Michael Jackson trial). The Catholic Church needs a uniting force to move the church forward. There is just one man (to use the term loosely) who fills this bill: Andy Wilson.

Though he doesn't hold many of the credentials of traditional candidates, I believe the platform of melting down the church's gold to build a water park/abortion clinic should resonate with the cardinals.

live from cambridge...

...but since I forgot the card reader, my stunning photo of the Boston/Cambridge skyline will have to wait until I get home. In other news, Terri Schiavo had a blog. Thanks for the heads up, Mike.

And finally, happy birthday Rocker. You still smell like a yeti.

packing list

• digital camera
  
• iPod
  
• toothbrush
  
• 2 long sleeve shirts
  
• 3 pair pants
  
• 3 pair black socks
  
• 1 sweater
  
• 1 t-shirt
  
• 1 pair shoes
  
• swimsuit
  
• Turning the Tables

mmm....offensive...

What's it going to take for this Schiavo story to die? I'm so hungry for a new story. Thirsty too....

A couple of other thoughts:

• When this is all over, can I sue Terry Schiavo's idiot parents for all the court costs we're being forced to pay?
  
• Aren't republicans against "frivolous lawsuits?" Or does that only apply to people who have been screwed by corporations?

I need more tvs

The opening day of the NCAA tournament, steroid hearings in the House and a vote-a-rama in the Senate. It's a good thing my t.v. has a remote.

highlight of my day

Washington has a fairly sizeable homeless population, some of whom spend their days panhandling in front of Union Station. Some of these panhandlers are performers, many with instruments. Today, returning from lunch, I spotted one such performer: obviously drunk, banging on an empty Heineken bottle with a stick to no discernable rhythm. He was also bellowing incoherently.

Upon seeing this man, my first thought was, 'you're definitely going to have to try harder than that if you want people's money.'

question of the day:

Why doesn't anyone ever eat soup for breakfast?

then there were gates

Ultimately, I felt that if you're in New York, you should go see The Gates, but they probably aren't worth ten hours on 800º, urine-scented buses.

this makes me happy

Proof that all is not lost:

General Motors Corp. is recalling nearly 200,000 vehicles because of various safety defects, federal regulators said Thursday.
The largest recall is of 155,465 pickups, vans and SUVs-- including the Hummer H2 -- because of possible brake malfunctions, the automaker and federal safety regulators said.
All of the affected vehicles are from the 2004 and 2005 model years and have Bosch hydro-boost brake assemblies. They are the Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Silverado and Suburban; the GMC Savana, Sierra and Yukon XL; the GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak commercial trucks; and the Hummer H2, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

i'm so "aware"

This Slate article on "awareness" bracelets sent me to a site that provides some useful information when trying to be more aware. It has a handy list of all the things about which we need to be more aware, and corresponding bracelet color. Of course, with some much about which to be aware, there is a good deal of overlap. For instance, blue represents education, child abuse and interstitial cystitis (among other things).

What else would you expect from a website called AwarenessDepot.com?

rapid "response"

More than anything in the President's speech, I was stricken by the ineffectiveness of the Democrats' response. I thought we missed an opportunity to focus on why Social Security privatization is evil and wrong for America, and that Sen. Reid (D-NV) tried to sound like a grandfather and not a leader.

And of the President's speech, mostly I'm glad we don't have the troops to invade Iran, because it sure sounded like he wants to...

shuffle fun

From CJ, a game to sum up my music collection. The rules:

1. Open your music player
   
2. Queue up your entire music collection
   
3. Hit "shuffle"
   
4. Blog a list the titles of the next ten songs that show up. No omissions. And credit the person from whom you heard about this (CJ)
   
5. If you get the same artist twice, you can omit it.
   

My list:

1. Morphine - I Know You Pt. 3
   
2. Air - Dark Messages
   
3. James Brown - I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing
   
4. Daft Punk - Revolution 909
   
5. Beck - Forcefield
   
6. Eminem - Still Don't Give A
   
7. The Cure - The Walk
   
8. Operation Ivy - I Got No
   
9. Modest Mouse - The Fruit That ATe Itself
   
10. Rage Against the Machine - Street Fighting Man

Pretty reflective of my collection, though not my current tastes.

Condi's in

As the Senate confirmed Condi Rice, take note of three Dems' votes on this to se how they're positioning themselves in '08:

Bayh (D-IN) - No

Clinton (D-NY) - Yea

Feingold (D-WI) - Yea

While I think Rice is both unqualified and has disqualified herself through her deception leading up to the war, the President should get to choose his own people. This vote was a smart move by Russ.

Severe Weather Alert

... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM SATURDAY TO 7 AM EST SUNDAY...
... 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN AREAS...

I'm excited.

packing list

• 3 pair pants


• 3 long sleeve shirts


• iPod (see sidebar)


• 3 pair black socks


• 3 t-shirts


• toothbrush


• digital camera


• Fried Butter: A Memoir


• The Republican Noise Machine


• Impending Crisis


• 1 necktie

I feel safe

There have been a number of commentators expressing displeasure about the planning for the President's inauguration in the wake of the catastrophic tsunami. I think most of these people are simply upset about the inauguree. While I don't really have a problem with spending more than $30 million to celebrate our democracy, the front page of today's Post did piss me off:

U.S. Tells D.C. to Pay Inaugural Expenses
D.C. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration is refusing to reimburse the District for most of the costs associated with next week's inauguration, breaking with precedent and forcing the city to divert $11.9 million from homeland security projects.

continued...

So let me see, keeping our homeland secure is our number one priority, except for having a kick-ass party. At least Washington, DC isn't a likely target

in the Christmas spirit...

"Mom, you always give away things I like to poor people. I'm poor too, you know."

-Anne Chabel, moments before opening a bounty of Christmas gifts.

packing list

• 5 pair boxers
  
• 4 pair white socks
  
• 2 pair black socks
  
• Black shoes
  
• 3 long sleeve shirts
  
• Sweater
  
• 4 t-shirts
  
• khakis
  
• 2 pair jeans
  
• 1 pair black pants
  
• Digital camera
  
• iPod
  
• Free Culture
  

merry dickmas

As ridiculous Christian groups decry “christmas hating” as a sign of the decline of moral values in our country, it occurs to me that we should let them argue all they want about whether Macy's is run by sodomites because its signs read Happy Holidays.

There is an opportunity for the religious and secular left to coalesce around a set of moral values that places our families above what we can buy for them. Values not offended by the consideration of other cultures at this or any other time of year, but by the constant conditioning to shop ourselves happy.

i'm so going to hell

Always one to jump in on a cultural phenomenon, I came up with this clever card to celebrate our newest holiday, Chrismukkah.

bliss

Laboratorio Del Galileo - Thursday, December 9, 2004

Stone Crab with Caviar Sauce and Parsnip Puree

—{ O }—

Roasted Duck Liver with Fried Semolina, Cotognata, Duck Jus

—{ O }—

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Bagna Cauda Timbale Cotechino and Chives

—{ O }—

Tortelloni of Skate Wing with Rapini

—{ O }—

Papparedelle with Wild Game Ragu

—{ O }—

Risotto with White Truffle

—{ O }—

Sauteed Sea Scallops with Lentis, Baby Fennel and Fennel Sauce

—{ O }—

Roasted Squab Leg stuffed with Chanterelle and Porchini, served with Polenta and Stuffed Dried Tomato

—{ O }—

Cheese

—{ O }—

Pannetone with Caramelize Banana and Zabaglione Sauce

—{ O }—

Baby Pineapple Souffle

—{ O }—

Bomboloni

Farewell to a good man...

Tom Daschle gave the best speech I've ever heard on the Senate floor. His final words...

Mr. DASCHLE. It is with heartfelt gratitude to the people of South Dakota, with great respect and admiration for my colleagues, and with love for this institution and the power it has to make this Nation even greater that I say farewell and look to the future with great optimism, with hope and anticipation.

I yield the floor.

Read the whole thing.

the eagle soars no more

Proof that good things still happen to Democrats:
Attorney General John Ashcroft resigns.

where do we go from here?

The author of get your war on:

CHIN UP.
We're smarter than those motherfuckers.
We can learn more quickly than those motherfuckers.
We can be more ruthless than those motherfuckers.
We can be some six-million-dollar motherfuckers ourselves.

Chin up.
We're more American than those motherfuckers.
We're more responsible than those motherfuckers.
We're more compassionate than those motherfuckers.
Hell, our atheists are more Christian than their Bible-thumpin' motherfuckers.

There's an election in two years.
There's nothing we can't do.

Chin up.
Because it's on, motherfuckers.
It is on.

-David Reese

packing list

• two dress shirts
  
• six pair pants
  
• four long sleeve shirts
  
• six t-shirts
  
• two sweaters
  
• nine pair socks
  
• ten pair boxers
  
• black shoes
  
• ipod
  
• digital camera
  
• laptop
  
• razor
  
• toothbrush
  
• The Wire
  
• Cosmopolis
  
• Master of the Senate

three things

Get your war on once again gets it just right on Social Security Privatization:

Woman:The coolest thing about another four years of Bush would be the unveiling of the "Ownership society!" Doesn't that sound bad ass? You get to be in charge of your own Social Security.
Man:Are you kidding me? What the fuck would I want to be in charge of my Social Security for? That's not my job. I don't know how to do that shit! And in case Bush is wondering, I don't want to have to deliver my own mail, either.

Also, the Jon Stewart/Tucker "Dick" Carlson feud continued last night on both shows. Good for you to not back down against these worthless sycophants, Jon. Keep it up.

Finally, I belive, do you?

Who wears bow ties? Seriously.

For those who missed it, and those who want to see it again, here's a link to Jon Stewart on Friday's Crossfire.