I hate public restrooms - work restrooms are one step below a public restroom in a lot of ways...
What’s the protocol for a workplace restroom?
When you find yourself in the restroom and a co-worker is also there at the same moment is it appropriate to conduct a conversation? I myself find it really difficult to suppress a guffaw when someone is ensconced in a stall trying mightily to conduct business. Also, it somehow takes prestige away from a manager or company president when you catch them in the stall with their pants down.
Years ago when I was at Grey there was a co-worker who was as regular as clockwork and made no secret of it by proudly announcing his foray to the lavatory and emphasizing the point by taking along reading material.
I don’t know why this comes up outside of the fact I’m really bored at work today and I just came back from a visit to the bathroom where someone was at the throne - I always feel this impetus to clear out as quickly as possible before things get really ugly and then I almost broke out laughing as the occupant was trying to stifle the sounds of the process.
Sep 29, 2004
Sep 21, 2004
I had a bill come today.
I think the bill illustrates just what is wrong with the country. Sometimes, I hear people justify income taxes as opposed to a national sales tax saying that a national sales tax is just unfair.
The truth is, if we only had to pay income tax it wouldn’t be so bad but, there are so many other taxes we wind up paying each and every day and often we have just become so numb to everything we don’t even begin to realize just how much money goes out of one’s pocket in taxes.
Anyway, so I got a bill from my long-distance carrier on my home phone. I haven’t used the home phone as much for long distance since nights and weekends long distance on the cell is free.
Here’s what the bill was:
One call - for one minute (it was probably less than a minute as I remember who I was calling and if I remember correctly they didn’t pick up but somehow I got charged for it anyway.
The total for the bill is $3.70!
...but wait there’s more. The charge for the phone call was .40¢
0.40 phone call
______________
0.99 carrier cost recovery
1.76 in-state access recovery
________________________________
0.10 state gross receipts surcharge
0.10 county sales tax
0.13 state sales tax
0.13 carrier universal service charge
0.09 federal excise tax
__________________________
So, a 40¢ call wound up costing me an additional $3.30 in other charges. F**k fuzzy math! Imagine going to the store, paying $2.20 for a quart of milk and paying $18.50 in additional charges (I did the math, proportionally that’s what it works out to).
Something is very wrong.
ΓΌ
I think the bill illustrates just what is wrong with the country. Sometimes, I hear people justify income taxes as opposed to a national sales tax saying that a national sales tax is just unfair.
The truth is, if we only had to pay income tax it wouldn’t be so bad but, there are so many other taxes we wind up paying each and every day and often we have just become so numb to everything we don’t even begin to realize just how much money goes out of one’s pocket in taxes.
Anyway, so I got a bill from my long-distance carrier on my home phone. I haven’t used the home phone as much for long distance since nights and weekends long distance on the cell is free.
Here’s what the bill was:
One call - for one minute (it was probably less than a minute as I remember who I was calling and if I remember correctly they didn’t pick up but somehow I got charged for it anyway.
The total for the bill is $3.70!
...but wait there’s more. The charge for the phone call was .40¢
0.40 phone call
______________
0.99 carrier cost recovery
1.76 in-state access recovery
________________________________
0.10 state gross receipts surcharge
0.10 county sales tax
0.13 state sales tax
0.13 carrier universal service charge
0.09 federal excise tax
__________________________
So, a 40¢ call wound up costing me an additional $3.30 in other charges. F**k fuzzy math! Imagine going to the store, paying $2.20 for a quart of milk and paying $18.50 in additional charges (I did the math, proportionally that’s what it works out to).
Something is very wrong.
ΓΌ
Sep 19, 2004
The job I quit
So, I quit this job recently...
It was a really crappy job and I had had the job for a very long time (something like 12 years).
The hours were long, there was no pay to speak of, no job satisfaction and because of this job I sacrificed many of the things that were important in my life. The job took precedence over everything other aspect of my life and I felt I was obligated to stay. No matter how much I grew to despise the job, it was a responsibility I felt I couldn’t shirk. I have to admit, it was a burden and it made me feel trapped. It held me back from growing as a person and ultimately was bad for me both mentally and physically.
Recently, a day came where I realized I could quit. It had never occurred to me before or if it had I had dismissed it out of hand. That was my fault. There is no question about it, and I’m still trying to understand why it took so long for me to realize that simple fact. Something about it seemed wrong, I don’t know if it was the quitting itself or the walking away but, you can only bang your head against a wall for so long until you beat yourself senseless or finally wake up and come to the simple fact that beating your head against a wall does one little good.
Everyone deserves some kind of happiness and I guess I had bought into the company line for so long I thought somehow I was undeserving but, there was that epiphany.
So, over the last two weeks or so I have set about working at a new job. The job is taking better care of myself and treating myself right. This will be a very hard job for me to be successful at. I am sure there will be times when I will not do as well at this job as I should be doing but, I think it is worth the effort. The good thing of course is that if I am successful there will be a great many changes in my life and all of them will be for the better.
So, I quit this job recently...
It was a really crappy job and I had had the job for a very long time (something like 12 years).
The hours were long, there was no pay to speak of, no job satisfaction and because of this job I sacrificed many of the things that were important in my life. The job took precedence over everything other aspect of my life and I felt I was obligated to stay. No matter how much I grew to despise the job, it was a responsibility I felt I couldn’t shirk. I have to admit, it was a burden and it made me feel trapped. It held me back from growing as a person and ultimately was bad for me both mentally and physically.
Recently, a day came where I realized I could quit. It had never occurred to me before or if it had I had dismissed it out of hand. That was my fault. There is no question about it, and I’m still trying to understand why it took so long for me to realize that simple fact. Something about it seemed wrong, I don’t know if it was the quitting itself or the walking away but, you can only bang your head against a wall for so long until you beat yourself senseless or finally wake up and come to the simple fact that beating your head against a wall does one little good.
Everyone deserves some kind of happiness and I guess I had bought into the company line for so long I thought somehow I was undeserving but, there was that epiphany.
So, over the last two weeks or so I have set about working at a new job. The job is taking better care of myself and treating myself right. This will be a very hard job for me to be successful at. I am sure there will be times when I will not do as well at this job as I should be doing but, I think it is worth the effort. The good thing of course is that if I am successful there will be a great many changes in my life and all of them will be for the better.
Sep 17, 2004
Tampa middle school teacher Debra Beasley Lafave turned herself in to Marion County authorities Monday, as investigators there released details of her alleged sexual relations with a 14-year-old student.
The 14-year-old told detectives he and Lafave, 23, engaged in oral sex or sexual intercourse at three locations: in her portable classroom at Greco Middle School in Tampa, at her Riverview apartment and in her sport-utility vehicle while his cousin drove around Ocala earlier this month.
Here’s the difference between the genders - for a majority of 14 year old boys this is a dream come true, the only rub is mom finding out and teach getting busted, it probably ruined the summer of his dreams. I can’t speak to the age difference (I’ve dated people more than nine years older than me and more than nine years younger than me too) but, that’s one good looking woman! I guess there really is some limited equality between the sexes when women are as capable of being driven by their libido as men are. Of course, what would the slant be if it were a 23 year old male teacher and a 14 year old female student.
Kind of reminds me of Jenny McCarthy though (the face that is).
Sep 16, 2004
I was strolling through "the archives" just getting a sense of how long I’ve been doing this without doing any real writing when I came across this:
Back End of the Batmobile: The state of your Brass Eye soon after a really hot curry. “I had a Ring Stinger in the Benghazi restaurant last night, and now I’ve got a dose of Gandhi’s Revenge. My arse feels like the back end of the Batmobile.”
Lots of wonderful British slang I never knew.
Back End of the Batmobile: The state of your Brass Eye soon after a really hot curry. “I had a Ring Stinger in the Benghazi restaurant last night, and now I’ve got a dose of Gandhi’s Revenge. My arse feels like the back end of the Batmobile.”
Lots of wonderful British slang I never knew.
Sep 15, 2004
Elmer Bernstein is a name in music synonymous with creativity, versatility and longevity. The year 2001 marked his 50th anniversary as a feature film composer who has written the music for over 200 major film and television scores, the only composer working today to have achieved such longevity. He has practiced his craft for the past half century, gracing virtually all creative media with his work.
You may have heard much of Elmer Bernstein’s music:
The lighthearted, mysterious piano from Ghostbusters, that was him.
The exciting horns trumpeting adventure in the National Geographic theme, that was him too.
Although he passed almost a month ago, it would be a crime not to note his passing, a man who left behind an incredible body of work (check out the website linked above) you may find you’ve enjoyed his compositions more than once without knowing who he was.
I can’t help it, watching The Weather Channel and the news the last several days, all I can keep thinking about is this song.
Sep 14, 2004
I just couldn’t let another day pass without mentioning Bienville Books:
Russ Adams opened Bienville Books about 14 months ago and made his first sale: a used Dictionary of Mathematical Terms.
A math professor had died and part of the estate acquired by Adams included the dictionary, other professional texts and a bunch of NASA manuals from the 1970s.
It’s the type of eclectic inventory that Adams hopes will keep the only bookshop downtown thriving in a struggling retail market. What he doesn’t sell over the counter is offered to buyers shopping on the Internet, he said.
“People don’t come here for best sellers,” Adams said of comparisons to the big-chain book dealers in the malls. “I get a lot of requests for cookbooks, out-of-print Mobile and Alabama books. It’s kind of fun.”
Russ is someone I’ve known now for over 20 years. He was my entry into a world of friends I would‘ve never made if not for him. He blazed a bunch of trails, being the first person I knew to support himself by freelancing with his Mac (a IIFx) and then trying his hand at writing out in Hollywood.
Some of my best times have been spent in his company and in our mutual inebriation. Recently, he popped up to NYC for a visit and it was good seeing him. He had returned to his roots and seemed in the best spirits I had seen him in in some time. I wish him and the bookstore much success.
A week from this coming Saturday is my birthday. It also happens to be Yom Kippur the Jewish Day of Atonement:
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.
The last few years, I have tried ignoring my birthday. I can’t explain why I feel the way I do but, I often find the occasion a bit of a disappointment.
I was thinking the other day how somewhere in my early 30’s birthdays became less about celebrating and more about looking at all the things in life I have unfinished or unfulfilled. The last few years haven’t been easy when it comes to b-days, I can’t think of one since we entered the new millennium which has come at a good time.
Four years ago (in 2000), my birthday fell at the end of one of the most arduous six months I have ever lived through - between getting hit by a bicyclist, watching one client fold and another move rapidly in the same direction, injuring my hand, being told I had cancer, watching my uncle pass and then having surgery myself to remove a “mass.”
Three years ago (2001), we had the whole September 11th thing and I can’t really say it was much the time for celebrating (although I do remember having a very nice dinner at Lupa - taking a cab down Houston Street and seeing all the heavy equipment lined up for the salvage of Ground Zero.
Two years ago (2002), there was another personal crisis that had ended before the b-day.
...and last year (2003), my partner of seven years decided it was time for us to split.
As I write it though, I have to admit, I find myself laughing. I’m still here so in the inimitable and indomitable spirit I find myself saying fuck it.
This year, regardless of the irony of the bday falling on the “Day of Atonement,” I think I’ll go back to my original plans of those bdays of my early 30’s and just try to ignore it and have a good day.
Besides, if I can do the things I want to with this year, maybe next year I’ll have a lot more worth celebrating..
The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.
The last few years, I have tried ignoring my birthday. I can’t explain why I feel the way I do but, I often find the occasion a bit of a disappointment.
I was thinking the other day how somewhere in my early 30’s birthdays became less about celebrating and more about looking at all the things in life I have unfinished or unfulfilled. The last few years haven’t been easy when it comes to b-days, I can’t think of one since we entered the new millennium which has come at a good time.
Four years ago (in 2000), my birthday fell at the end of one of the most arduous six months I have ever lived through - between getting hit by a bicyclist, watching one client fold and another move rapidly in the same direction, injuring my hand, being told I had cancer, watching my uncle pass and then having surgery myself to remove a “mass.”
Three years ago (2001), we had the whole September 11th thing and I can’t really say it was much the time for celebrating (although I do remember having a very nice dinner at Lupa - taking a cab down Houston Street and seeing all the heavy equipment lined up for the salvage of Ground Zero.
Two years ago (2002), there was another personal crisis that had ended before the b-day.
...and last year (2003), my partner of seven years decided it was time for us to split.
As I write it though, I have to admit, I find myself laughing. I’m still here so in the inimitable and indomitable spirit I find myself saying fuck it.
This year, regardless of the irony of the bday falling on the “Day of Atonement,” I think I’ll go back to my original plans of those bdays of my early 30’s and just try to ignore it and have a good day.
Besides, if I can do the things I want to with this year, maybe next year I’ll have a lot more worth celebrating..
Sep 13, 2004
I heard this on the Howard Stern show the other day and it is funny!
“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”
Now hop up into the stirrups ladies and be afraid... be very afraid!
(you can see the video of it through the link as well)
“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”
Now hop up into the stirrups ladies and be afraid... be very afraid!
(you can see the video of it through the link as well)
And while we’re on the subject of dicks...
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Art Howe is rumored to be fired after the last day of the season. Howe is rumored to be a nice man (and I have no reason to think otherwise) but, after suffering fthrough the last two seasons of watching him manage the Mets it can’t happen soon enough. Admittedly, the team he was handed was hampered by injuries throughout the course of this season but, it’s been painful to watch the Mets and some of his moves have left quite a number of Mets fans scratching their heads trying to figure out what he was hoping to accomplish (winning games certainly wasn’t the goal).
Now, if the Wilpons could just swallow their pride and get Bobby V back, he never should have been fired in the first place!
I post this for my cousin Jill and her cousin Tina who traumatized me when I was at the tender age of 11 by seizing my Big Jim action figure and trying to find out if it was anatomically correct (it wasn’t). I’m sure since that time she’s satisfied her curiousity but nonetheless if she hasn’t this should do the trick.
Courtesy of Warren Ellis’ Die Puny Humans blog.
Sep 11, 2004
Three years since that fateful day, that beautiful morning when the sky was crystal clear, the temperature just so, a total contrast to what would later unfold.
As it recedes, it has less impact which is a sign of healing - which is good. Something that should never be forgotten but, simultaneously something which shouldn't prevent us from moving forward.
While much of the focus is on Ground Zero and the Pentagon and the destruction in both places, the one thing that stands out in my mind is the sacrifice made by a group of ordinary Americans.
(9:47 a.m.): On Flight 93, Jeremy Glick is still on the phone with his wife Lyz. He tells her that the passengers are taking a vote if they should try to take over the plane or not. [About the same time as a different phone call, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/28/01 , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/28/01 (B) ] He later says that all the men on the plane have voted to attack the hijackers. [No time marker, Toronto Sun, 9/16/01 ] When asked about weapons, he says they don't have guns, just knives. His wife Lyz got the impression from him that the hijacker standing nearby claiming to hold the bomb would be easy to overwhelm. [Among the Heroes,
by Jere Longman, 8/02, p. 153-154]
When faced with the realization that they were confronting a situation which would cost them their lives, this disparate group found the one thing which united them. Different creeds, faiths, ethnicity but bound together by the fact that they were Americans, they voted about what course of action they would take and they chose to sacrifice themselves so their fellow citizens would be spared. Ordinary men and women who made a choice to stand and fight.
9:54 a.m.: Tom Burnett calls his wife Deena for the fourth and last time. In early reports of this call, he says, “I know we're all going to die. There's three of us who are going to do something about it.” [No time marker, Toronto Sun, 9/16/01 , no time marker, Boston Globe, 11/23/01 ] However, in a later and much more complete account, he sounds much more upbeat. “It's up to us. I think we can do it.” “Don't worry, we're going to do something.” He specifically mentions they plan to regain control of the airplane over a rural area. [9:54, “again Deena noted the time,” Among the Heroes, by Jere Longman, 8/02, p. 118]
Maybe I’m a cornball but, I’d like to think that this is what it means for us to be Americans. When faced with plane crashes, blackouts or horrible catastrophes we rise to the occasion and help the people around us putting aside whatever divides us and treating each other the way we should treat each other every day.
If there is one lesson we can take with us from that horrible day three years ago let it be that.
Sep 7, 2004
Sep 6, 2004
I haven't written much about baseball lately. It's just been a lost season as I've been watching the Mets put the uck in suck this year.
It's a hollow victory having the vindication that Bobby Valentine should have never been fired and Art Howe wasn't the right choice for this team.
Art will be gone before next year, as the end of the season winds down and the losses mount up it just brings the inevitable firing closer and closer.
On the bright side, David Wright looks really good and Jose Reyes will be back at short so the left side of the infield is young and possibly could be great for the next five or six years. John Franco and Al Leiter should be gone by next season and that will help too. I imagine Mike Stanton will be gone as well and honestly, since I never really liked him I couldn't be happier.
Yet, under the radar, the Mets signed a Cuban pitcher this week and have an inside track on a 21 year old Cuban first baseman so it looks like the infield will be set for years to come.
So, it's the old Dodgers lament again this season, wait until next year. I'll just have to be content in watching the Yankees set new records for the worst loss in baseball history in the last century (almost), or watch as the store bought team of all-stars that the Georgie-boy assembled turns out to be a wash.
You know, for all their vaunted success the Yankees haven't won a world series since they faced the Mets in 2000. They've been twice and lost (Diamondbacks and Marlins) and got knocked out in playoffs in-between (Angels).
As that 2000 subway series gets further back in the rear view mirror of Yankee history, I have a greater appreciation of that team of the late 90's. They weren't an assemblage of stars as much as a unique combination of personalities and abilities that complemented each other.
The Yankees of 2004 don't come close to the late 90's teams even on their best day..
It's a hollow victory having the vindication that Bobby Valentine should have never been fired and Art Howe wasn't the right choice for this team.
Art will be gone before next year, as the end of the season winds down and the losses mount up it just brings the inevitable firing closer and closer.
On the bright side, David Wright looks really good and Jose Reyes will be back at short so the left side of the infield is young and possibly could be great for the next five or six years. John Franco and Al Leiter should be gone by next season and that will help too. I imagine Mike Stanton will be gone as well and honestly, since I never really liked him I couldn't be happier.
Yet, under the radar, the Mets signed a Cuban pitcher this week and have an inside track on a 21 year old Cuban first baseman so it looks like the infield will be set for years to come.
So, it's the old Dodgers lament again this season, wait until next year. I'll just have to be content in watching the Yankees set new records for the worst loss in baseball history in the last century (almost), or watch as the store bought team of all-stars that the Georgie-boy assembled turns out to be a wash.
You know, for all their vaunted success the Yankees haven't won a world series since they faced the Mets in 2000. They've been twice and lost (Diamondbacks and Marlins) and got knocked out in playoffs in-between (Angels).
As that 2000 subway series gets further back in the rear view mirror of Yankee history, I have a greater appreciation of that team of the late 90's. They weren't an assemblage of stars as much as a unique combination of personalities and abilities that complemented each other.
The Yankees of 2004 don't come close to the late 90's teams even on their best day..
The battle of the Bees - part two
So, for the last six weeks or so, there's been an internecine war going on.
A few years back it was the battle of me against the ants. We had ants somehow (which I'm sure we still do) but, after much work and a herculean effort I managed to turn the tide of the battle in my favor.
Seems the ants had taken up residence in the hollow recesses of an Ikea veneer table (a word to the wise for all of you Ikea owners out there). The dark cavernous space in the center of the table was determined to be the prime real estate by the ants.
Leaving the table top out by the curb removed the problem and allowed me to be the ultimate victor - someone made off with the table before the garbagemen but, you take your chances when you go furniture shopping among the refuse.
Back to the bees...
So, in relatively the same place the ant battle began, another species found the ants handiwork and tried claiming it for their own (whether this meant there was a huge but unseen battle between the two colonies of insects or not, I have no clue).
Several weeks ago, while sitting up in what I would refer to as "the dining area," I became aware of a squadron of bees having invaded. Needless to say I was both surprised and alarmed - thinking at first they had somehow found their way into the attic, I made my way up there to see if I could find their base of operations but was unsuccessful.
Short work was made of the squadron with weapons of mass destruction in the form of insect spray but, ever since that day a scout or two would appear several times each day.
A survey of the outside of the building disclosed an egress point from which numerous little critters could be seen making their way out into the world doing the business of the hive.
This resulted in more weapons of mass destruction being used on the exterior of the house. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.
Fearing the intervention of the insect world's equivalent of a major super power invading my home and deposing me, I had to find a stopgap measure until the winter effectively stymied my foes.
The answer came in the form of something I saw on "This Old House." Insulation in a can - an expanding foam which is injected from a can much the way the compressed air is delivered to clear office equipment. The foam is injected into the crevice, expands, cures and hardens. Future generations will be able to find the handiwork of my bee genocide as my victims will be frozen in the foam. A grisly fate to be sure but, decisions had to be made, steps had to be taken.
Personally, there's a lot to do around here to fix things up but my hands are tied by the EYOC who is terrified of relinquishing any kind of control so, the house crumbles around us in the meantime..
So, for the last six weeks or so, there's been an internecine war going on.
A few years back it was the battle of me against the ants. We had ants somehow (which I'm sure we still do) but, after much work and a herculean effort I managed to turn the tide of the battle in my favor.
Seems the ants had taken up residence in the hollow recesses of an Ikea veneer table (a word to the wise for all of you Ikea owners out there). The dark cavernous space in the center of the table was determined to be the prime real estate by the ants.
Leaving the table top out by the curb removed the problem and allowed me to be the ultimate victor - someone made off with the table before the garbagemen but, you take your chances when you go furniture shopping among the refuse.
Back to the bees...
So, in relatively the same place the ant battle began, another species found the ants handiwork and tried claiming it for their own (whether this meant there was a huge but unseen battle between the two colonies of insects or not, I have no clue).
Several weeks ago, while sitting up in what I would refer to as "the dining area," I became aware of a squadron of bees having invaded. Needless to say I was both surprised and alarmed - thinking at first they had somehow found their way into the attic, I made my way up there to see if I could find their base of operations but was unsuccessful.
Short work was made of the squadron with weapons of mass destruction in the form of insect spray but, ever since that day a scout or two would appear several times each day.
A survey of the outside of the building disclosed an egress point from which numerous little critters could be seen making their way out into the world doing the business of the hive.
This resulted in more weapons of mass destruction being used on the exterior of the house. Unfortunately, it was to no avail.
Fearing the intervention of the insect world's equivalent of a major super power invading my home and deposing me, I had to find a stopgap measure until the winter effectively stymied my foes.
The answer came in the form of something I saw on "This Old House." Insulation in a can - an expanding foam which is injected from a can much the way the compressed air is delivered to clear office equipment. The foam is injected into the crevice, expands, cures and hardens. Future generations will be able to find the handiwork of my bee genocide as my victims will be frozen in the foam. A grisly fate to be sure but, decisions had to be made, steps had to be taken.
Personally, there's a lot to do around here to fix things up but my hands are tied by the EYOC who is terrified of relinquishing any kind of control so, the house crumbles around us in the meantime..
Sep 3, 2004
I watched a few of the speeches over the last few days. Guliani, Schwarzenegger, McCain - caught bits of Senator Miller, Junior and his wife.
The pundits observed that the first three speakers noted were from the more moderate wing of the party, the one which is more liberal on social issues (which is probably where I would place myself).
I also caught Kerry's speeches at the American Legion convention and also the one after the RNC wrapped up.
Kerry gave a good speech at the convention but the one after the RNC just had my eyes glazing over after a few minutes.
I was speaking to someone the other day, an ardent Democratic supporter and was doing my best just to get him agitated. Our roles have been reversed in the past and I'm petty, what can I say.
There's this whole "chicken little" quality to the argument of who gets to be the next chief executive. No matter who it is, there still will be a country four years from now (contrary to what people would have you believe). That's one of our great strengths, every four years we get a chance to "throw the bums out" as it were - seems people have a tendency to forget that.
I don't know how Kerry's war record become such an issue. I don't know if he brought it on himself by playing it up or not. If that's the case, it was a big mistake. I had caught Kerry's appearance on an old Dick Cavett show on C-Span a few weeks back and afterward I was very dismayed by his performance. Clinton didn't serve and Junior and the Dick both were from rich families and were able to get deferments (no big surprise there) so, that's a non starter.
It was more the things Kerry spoke about after returning that bothered me. There probably was a bit of exaggeration but, when he spoke of witnessing atrocities and war crimes the thing that came to my mind was of him bearing silent witness to these things and allowing them to go on, not speaking out about them while there. It made me think of him as a "go-along" guy. He played the game and when it was to his advantage he changed his tune.
Now, there are people who will read that and get very upset I'm sure but, that's how it appeared to me, if you're upset try to remember you're entitled to your view as much as I am entitled to mine.
So, playing up the war record was a no-no.
Kerry also has been a Senator in abstentia as he has run for the presidency. One has to wonder how many important votes he has missed over the last few months as he's been on the stump. I was reminded that Bob Dole resigned his position as Majority leader when he decided to run back in '96. I think Kerry would have been making a very positive statement by following that example.
Anyhow, I liked those early speeches but admittedly as the convention went on and the speeches became more braying and conservative I wasn't pleased.
Fortunately, I still have time to make up my mind (which I probably won't do until I close the curtain behind me on election day).
I think there are a few things the Democrats would be wise to concede - they probably won't but, it might help them garner more support.
First off - the 2000 election is over, get past it.
Second - stop trying to put the blame for the events of 9-11 at the feet of our government (or the current administration).
Third - we're in Iraq, arguing about whether or not it was the right thing to do is a moot point. We're there and it's up to us to do the best we can by the people in that country. Just leaving isn't necessarily the best (or smartest) thing to do.
Fourth - there are some of us (yes, myself included) that don't think going into Iraq was a bad thing in the overall scheme of things. Arguing it is or was a mistake isn't helping your argument.
Fifth - don't talk about lowering the price of gasoline, it's the last thing this country needs. Talk about finding or developing ways to wean this country off of its fossil fuel jones (while you're at it, do me a favor and put a tax on everyone owning a passenger vehicle over a certain weight - sic, SUVs).
Sixth - talking about allies and them determining foreign policy is a gigantic mistake. It ties in to free trade and the out-sourcing of jobs in a sense. Allies determining foreign policy has much the same impact as membership in the WTO. Ultimately, these things may not be what's best for our nation (got to remember Pierot's comment about the gigantic sucking sound if the US signed NAFTA).
Seventh - it's the deficit, stupid. Talk about the current administration's tendency to spend, spend, spend. Creating a larger deficit isn't a good thing.
Eighth - dovetailing into that, adding federal programs at this point doesn't sound like the greatest idea. Seems like the federal government needs to tighten the belt.
Ninth - '92 was your shot at fixing health care, every time it comes up as an issue, it reminds people of the abysmal failure there was - doesn't necessarily engender confidence.
Tenth - take the frigging high-road. Stop whining about being attacked - there has been nothing but attacks on this guy since day one and he's withstood it. Suck it up and tough it out.
At the very least we all know the next few months will prove interesting..
The pundits observed that the first three speakers noted were from the more moderate wing of the party, the one which is more liberal on social issues (which is probably where I would place myself).
I also caught Kerry's speeches at the American Legion convention and also the one after the RNC wrapped up.
Kerry gave a good speech at the convention but the one after the RNC just had my eyes glazing over after a few minutes.
I was speaking to someone the other day, an ardent Democratic supporter and was doing my best just to get him agitated. Our roles have been reversed in the past and I'm petty, what can I say.
There's this whole "chicken little" quality to the argument of who gets to be the next chief executive. No matter who it is, there still will be a country four years from now (contrary to what people would have you believe). That's one of our great strengths, every four years we get a chance to "throw the bums out" as it were - seems people have a tendency to forget that.
I don't know how Kerry's war record become such an issue. I don't know if he brought it on himself by playing it up or not. If that's the case, it was a big mistake. I had caught Kerry's appearance on an old Dick Cavett show on C-Span a few weeks back and afterward I was very dismayed by his performance. Clinton didn't serve and Junior and the Dick both were from rich families and were able to get deferments (no big surprise there) so, that's a non starter.
It was more the things Kerry spoke about after returning that bothered me. There probably was a bit of exaggeration but, when he spoke of witnessing atrocities and war crimes the thing that came to my mind was of him bearing silent witness to these things and allowing them to go on, not speaking out about them while there. It made me think of him as a "go-along" guy. He played the game and when it was to his advantage he changed his tune.
Now, there are people who will read that and get very upset I'm sure but, that's how it appeared to me, if you're upset try to remember you're entitled to your view as much as I am entitled to mine.
So, playing up the war record was a no-no.
Kerry also has been a Senator in abstentia as he has run for the presidency. One has to wonder how many important votes he has missed over the last few months as he's been on the stump. I was reminded that Bob Dole resigned his position as Majority leader when he decided to run back in '96. I think Kerry would have been making a very positive statement by following that example.
Anyhow, I liked those early speeches but admittedly as the convention went on and the speeches became more braying and conservative I wasn't pleased.
Fortunately, I still have time to make up my mind (which I probably won't do until I close the curtain behind me on election day).
I think there are a few things the Democrats would be wise to concede - they probably won't but, it might help them garner more support.
First off - the 2000 election is over, get past it.
Second - stop trying to put the blame for the events of 9-11 at the feet of our government (or the current administration).
Third - we're in Iraq, arguing about whether or not it was the right thing to do is a moot point. We're there and it's up to us to do the best we can by the people in that country. Just leaving isn't necessarily the best (or smartest) thing to do.
Fourth - there are some of us (yes, myself included) that don't think going into Iraq was a bad thing in the overall scheme of things. Arguing it is or was a mistake isn't helping your argument.
Fifth - don't talk about lowering the price of gasoline, it's the last thing this country needs. Talk about finding or developing ways to wean this country off of its fossil fuel jones (while you're at it, do me a favor and put a tax on everyone owning a passenger vehicle over a certain weight - sic, SUVs).
Sixth - talking about allies and them determining foreign policy is a gigantic mistake. It ties in to free trade and the out-sourcing of jobs in a sense. Allies determining foreign policy has much the same impact as membership in the WTO. Ultimately, these things may not be what's best for our nation (got to remember Pierot's comment about the gigantic sucking sound if the US signed NAFTA).
Seventh - it's the deficit, stupid. Talk about the current administration's tendency to spend, spend, spend. Creating a larger deficit isn't a good thing.
Eighth - dovetailing into that, adding federal programs at this point doesn't sound like the greatest idea. Seems like the federal government needs to tighten the belt.
Ninth - '92 was your shot at fixing health care, every time it comes up as an issue, it reminds people of the abysmal failure there was - doesn't necessarily engender confidence.
Tenth - take the frigging high-road. Stop whining about being attacked - there has been nothing but attacks on this guy since day one and he's withstood it. Suck it up and tough it out.
At the very least we all know the next few months will prove interesting..
Sep 2, 2004
Today, I was awoken by the sound of Jackhammers digging up the street in front of our house.It started around 8am and went on for about fifteen minutes.
So, I threw on pants and went outside to get the paper just as one of the village workers was making like Picasso on the street in front of the house.
I asked him what was happening and if they would be digging up the street in front of our driveway. Apparently they would. So, I wondered aloud if the village had anticipated digging up the street, why they didn't take the time to let the people living on the street have a bit of advance warning.
It's one of those situations where you wind up being sorry you asked.
So, after getting the short shrift and being told to complain to the village, I went inside to do dishes as the guys basically sat around for the next hour plus (which I could see from the kitchen window). This made me come to the conclusion I'm in the wrong business.
So, I threw on pants and went outside to get the paper just as one of the village workers was making like Picasso on the street in front of the house.
I asked him what was happening and if they would be digging up the street in front of our driveway. Apparently they would. So, I wondered aloud if the village had anticipated digging up the street, why they didn't take the time to let the people living on the street have a bit of advance warning.
It's one of those situations where you wind up being sorry you asked.
So, after getting the short shrift and being told to complain to the village, I went inside to do dishes as the guys basically sat around for the next hour plus (which I could see from the kitchen window). This made me come to the conclusion I'm in the wrong business.
Sep 1, 2004
I've been watching the convention in New York this week. A couple of comments I've heard have stuck with me and made a lot of sense.
One person, on commenting about the appearance and speech by the First Lady and her daughters, observed it was out of place at the convention.
I heartily agreed.
As the commentator noted, we (the U.S.) are not a monarchy. The people in the White House aren't royalty. When we as a nation elect a chief executive, we are not electing a first family, it's just not an issue and somehow over the last decade or so, candidates families have been trotted out in front of the media.
I don't know anyone who brings their wife or kids on a job interview and running this country is indeed a job, the campaign is just our citizenry's interview process.
The other comment was by John McCain. He observed sitting with either Tim Russert, Sean Hannity or Larry King there will be a time after the election when members of both parties will have to work together to conduct the business of government. It will be all the harder to do that when rhetoric descends and becomes downright insulting. This is something both parties have been guilty of this year and I for one wish it would stop.
Then thinking about it, I imagine it just shows how the whole election process in this country has been transformed over the last three decades.
One person, on commenting about the appearance and speech by the First Lady and her daughters, observed it was out of place at the convention.
I heartily agreed.
As the commentator noted, we (the U.S.) are not a monarchy. The people in the White House aren't royalty. When we as a nation elect a chief executive, we are not electing a first family, it's just not an issue and somehow over the last decade or so, candidates families have been trotted out in front of the media.
I don't know anyone who brings their wife or kids on a job interview and running this country is indeed a job, the campaign is just our citizenry's interview process.
The other comment was by John McCain. He observed sitting with either Tim Russert, Sean Hannity or Larry King there will be a time after the election when members of both parties will have to work together to conduct the business of government. It will be all the harder to do that when rhetoric descends and becomes downright insulting. This is something both parties have been guilty of this year and I for one wish it would stop.
Then thinking about it, I imagine it just shows how the whole election process in this country has been transformed over the last three decades.
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