Change

"A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change." -Katharine Butler Hathaway

Pardon the fact that this is a bit late and short. Here is more DNC dicussion.


Tuesday night Jon Stewart discussed the media’s bizarre obsession with questioning Michelle Obama’s patriotism in the context of her amazing convention speech. My favorite part was:

“She’s got to [prove her patriotism]! She’s a Democrat. She must prove she loves America, as opposed to Republicans who everyone knooows love America. They just hate half the people living in it.”


Sen. Casey Blasts McCain, Calls Him Bush’s “Sidekick” SEN. ROBERT CASEY JR. of PENNSYLVANIA:“John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush 95% of the time. That’s not a maverick. That’s a sidekick.”


Here were things I would of talked about, but didn't write down my thoughts when they happened:

Warner's speech.
Hillary Clinton's speech.
Bill Clinton's speech.
Biden's speech.
Obama's speech - Wow!

Barack Obama Democratic Convention Speech (VIDEO) (TEXT) - A must watch for those of you that missed it.

"The Daily Show's" Obama Bio: The Lion King, The Messiah, The Son Of A Goat Herder (VIDEO) - my second favorite video.

I won't even get started on Sarah Palin, the Harriet Myers of Vice President selections. Next time.

I'm excited

First Day

"Just because everything is different doesn't mean that everything has changed." - Irene Peter

This weekend I got the text message: Joe Biden Is Barack Obama's Vice Presidential Running Mate. I was pretty excited since he was my VP pick of choice. He will not let these unfair attacks go unanswered. More on this topic in a bit.

This was a good weekend. A good friend came into town and we made the most of it. I went to see Ester's Follies, a place that Rick had introduced me to long ago. It had been over 10 years since I had been and it was cool how some of the same parts of the show were still there. It was a very current and updated comedy skit show that had me laughing so much. We sat in the front row which added to the fun.

Monday was the first day of school for everyone. My mom, who is teaching pre-K, all my nieces and nephews and even my friends and family in college. Sarah and JoMichael are now in Jr. High. That should be fun. Bekkah is going to be a Junior and Tori is starting 4th grade.

The drive to work has slowed down with the three school zones I have to pass and all the parents dropping off their kids. Summer time has ended. The college students are back in town as well.

Monday night was the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. This is must see in my opinion. The first night had an amazing tribute to Ted Kennedy and the speech by Michelle Obama really touched me. Michelle was electrifying, inspiring, and absolutely magnificent. I don't know how you don't fall in love with her when you hear her story and the way she talks. You have two people who have dedicated their lives to helping working people and people in need and yet they are painted with lies that people actually believe. I just wish people would take the time to learn the truth instead of being lazy parrots. Coming from a working class family and following all the rules, working hard, going to one of the best colleges in the Nation (Princeton) and then law school at Harvard. That is what everyone is told to do and they did it. I'm so excited about having well educated intelligent leaders who earned their way to the top instead of just being born into it. (ie our genius President we have now.) 3 more days of the Convention. Tonight Hillary speaks.

Below is the video of Michelle Obama's Amazing Speech. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Update: Jess Agrees that Michelle Obama's speech was moving

Bill Maher (Religulous) at DNC 2008 - Monday - Here is an interview Bill Maher did with MSNBC. It didn't start too well, nor end too well, but he made some points in the middle that I thought were good such as: "Things do seem to be getting worse because people get stupider and stupider every election cycle." ... "They think offshore drilling is going to lower the price of gas and they think Obama, the black guy from the single mother, somehow is the elitist." ... "Mitt Romney will have to educated the people on..."

I got this from a friend after reading my last post: What happens to your body when you drink a coke. Interestingly, I drank a coke afterwards. I enjoy this part:

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

But not this part:

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

some people are not willing to take the chance it won't work out

Agendas

“Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.” - Sara Paddison

Wednesday night I had an agenda of events I wanted to attend and Oscar and Abram helped me achieve it. We started the night off early with some live 80s music. I met up with a meetup group and we met some new cool and interesting people. From there we went to check out a bar we had yet to go to where they had salsa lessons and salsa. I took the free lessons and actually learned a lot. I also got some practice in. Hopefully it will help with my private lessons. Finally we headed over to Speakeasys for a more familiar atmosphere. It was a lot for a weeknight and probably more hours than I would spend out on a normal weekend. I had a good time.

While we were at the first bar, I overheard a new made friend of mine talking to her friend about a problem. It happened that she had just dropped her cell phone in the toilet. I tried to comfort her by telling her that it happens more often than people think. (Don't know why I think trivia makes people feel better.) I told her to ask anyone, they all have a cell phone in the toilet story, either it happened to them or someone they know. (It has never happened to me, knock on wood, maybe it is a woman thing.) Her friend then looked at me and said, "But did any of them actually flush their cell phone down the toilet?" I wanted to laugh so hard as the other woman said in a very sad voice, "I miss my cell phone." That really sucks and I did feel bad, but am I bad person for thinking that flushing your cell phone down the toilet is funny?

Below is a clip from Larry King where Bill Maher discusses his movie Religulous. I really hope my mom watches this clip and that documentary. I can't wait to see it. Points I thought were good were, "Why can't God just defeat the devil?" and "How can a guy from Long Beach know what happens when you die?" -- There isn't a documentary or book that will make me not believe in God, but it doesn't take much to make me not believe in the charlatans who peddle religion, including church in general. Or maybe it is the legions of obedient followers that just follow blindly that drive me crazy?



Wise Answers To Old Wives' Tales: Here are my favorites from the article.

It's safe to follow "the 5-second rule" for food dropped on the floor.
Verdict: FICTION. It's probably not even safe to follow a 1-second rule: The transfer of bacteria from a contaminated surface to food is almost instantaneous--or, at the very least, quicker than your reflexes. In a recent study, Clemson University food scientist Paul Dawson, PhD, and students contaminated several surfaces (ceramic tile, wood flooring, and carpet) with Salmonella. They then dropped pieces of bologna and slices of bread on the surfaces for as little as 5 seconds and as long as 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both food types had already picked up as many as 1,800 bacteria (more bad bugs adhered to the moisture-rich bologna than the bread); after a full minute, it was up to 10 times that amount.
Bottom Line: There are 76 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the United States, according to the CDC--so unless you're the only family on the block that sterilizes their floors on an hourly basis, you should refrain from eating dropped food. "Let's not forget what comes into contact with floors--people bring animal feces on their shoes into their homes," Dawson says. And don't assume that countertops are clean. Dawson's team also found that the Salmonella actually survived as long as 4 weeks on the test surfaces. As the recent tomato-related illnesses nationwide showed, "raw fruits and vegetables are as frequently the perpetrators of Salmonella transfer as poultry," Dawson says.

This is going to call for a lot of habit changes. I wonder what foodborne illnesses are in my kitchen. I found a fry in my truck that was only a few hours old. Terrible terrible idea. Luckily Abram cleaned the counters.

Cola-type soft drinks can damage your kidneys.
Verdict: FACT. Despite their global popularity, there's nothing remotely healthy about cola beverages: Drinking 16 ounces or more daily (whether diet or regular) doubles your risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a recent NIH study of more than 900 people. The researchers already knew that consuming any type of soft drink--the average American adult guzzles 59 gallons' worth per year--is associated with several risk factors for kidney disease (hypertension, diabetes, and kidney stones), but the spike in the cola category was remarkable. Experts suspect that the ingredient phosphoric acid may be the culprit; it's been repeatedly linked to "urinary changes that promote kidney stones," say the study authors. Cola has an additional knock against it: Consumption is associated with significantly lower bone density in women, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, says a separate study.
Bottom Line: If you're going to indulge in an occasional soda, go for Sprite, 7-Up, ginger ale, and the like--the NIH study found that non-cola drinks didn't have the same impact on the kidneys. But you'll be better off if you skip soda altogether, even the sugar-free varieties: Recent research showed an association between drinking diet soda and weight gain.

I'm trying I promise. I give up coke for a week or two and then it slowly works it way back into my life. It is so good. I even have a cat named Koki. My dad had kidney stones back in the day and I was told it was because of coke. I'm not sure if it was to scare me or not, but it sounds like a strong possibility. The key point I keep seeing is that link between diet coke and weight gain. I knew there was a reason I never liked diet coke anyway. I've mentioned that I want to like coke zero, but it gives me headaches as so coke with spenda. I drink soda water with slpenda and that is ok, but I haven't read about the slpenda cancer links.

"Double-dipping" spreads germs from one chip to another.
Verdict: FACT. In a classic episode of Seinfeld, a partygoer accused George Costanza of spreading germs by "double-dipping"--swiping a chip into a bowl of dip, taking a bite, and then dipping the same chip again. Having settled the 5-second rule debate, Clemson University's Dawson decided to do the same recently with this alleged party faux pas. It turns out that George really was contaminating the other guests: Using Wheat Thins and various dips, Dawson found that a double-dip deposited thousands of saliva bacteria into the dip--and of those, 50 to 100 were later transferred through the dip to a clean cracker, presumably destined for another guest's mouth. Still unknown, however, is how long such bacteria can survive in the dip or if they can actually infect another dipper upon ingestion. Bottom Line: You'd better be pretty comfy with your party guests. "Eating from a dip after someone has dipped twice is basically the same as kissing that person," Dawson says.

This I don't think about as much, but it is good to know. I'll keep it in mind at the next party.

tomtom may have let me down, but there is still hope

Penpal

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Unknown

We are getting a lot of rain. Cliche, huh? Talking about the weather. Either way, it is raining a lot and it is well needed. It does make the day seem gloomy and that kind of stay in bed type of feel. I feel bad for the dogs though, they are getting pretty soaked as of late. I'm sure we will be back to heat waves before we know it.

I am ridiculously happy. I just found out the news about: Rachel Maddow Replacing Dan Abrams On MSNBC Effective Immediately. She is so intelligent and can translate that to making logical arguments and observations. Go read where Keith Olbermann took to DailyKos to break the news. I had mentioned this a while back when I heard about rumors. Now, I would rather her have taken over the 6pm CST David Georgory time slot instead of the 8pm CST Dan Abrams spot, but who am I kidding, I'm just glad to be able to watch her at anytime. Too bad I can't get Air America here because I've heard really good things about her radio show.

My truck is starting to slowly have problems. First the passenger window stopped working. No biggie right, I use air conditioning. Then I find out the back window won't properly close. Not good during rain. Today I can't figure out why the brake light is on. I keep checking the parking break and it is fine. I can get it to turn off, but then back on again. I would take it in, but I have no clue how much it would cost to fix these problems.

Did you know that More Women Are Having Fewer Children, If At All.

I had a good conversation with a friend the other day. I got the usual lecture of how can you complain about anything when you have so many things that others hope for. You do feel better, but it doesn't change the fact that people are always wanting more, wanting to make things better and trying to fix things. I guess the approach would be to do all those things without complaining or focusing on the half empty party. I talk for way too long on the phone though.

Barack Obama's Vice President: Announcement Expected This Week: I very much looking forward to this. I want an attack dog because I'm tired of taking the higher ground and letting Republicans lie and smear with Democrats standing by saying that the American people have better judgment than to believe that. I'm rooting for Biden, but he is the front runner I've heard so it isn't too much of a stretch. I was a Hillary supporter, but her campaigns actions post-losing the nomination have made me understand why they can't put her on the dream ticket. Then again, the reason I supported her was that I thought she had more fight, which is what I'm faulting her for now.

August is usually a slow month. A good month to take vacation in. I'm looking forward to a good vacation, but I'm going to have to wait until late September.

Seriously, this is what it looks like:

If you do laundry and then leave it in a big pile for half a week, most of the clothes is useless to wear. This is a lesson I should of learned long ago. I could iron, or rewash...hummm.

what would you do if you were me?

I'll bring the TV, you bring the Radio

“She missed him the days when some pretext served to take him away from her, just as one misses the sun on a cloudy day without having thought much about the sun when it was shining.” - Unknown

Friday after work I met up with Oscar at his new Condo. There was a new homeowners social that I attended with him. Nothing like free beer and food to start off the weekend. I have to say, it really made me want to be a homeowner. We met some pretty cool people. I have to tell you how impressed I was to meet people who all had pretty impressive careers. It was like, you're my age, you have an impressive degree, a sweet job and a nice condo. I guess I have something to strive toward. Oscar's place was pretty neat and I think he will really end up liking it there. He is still moving in. That guy has done pretty damn well for himself. I had too much to drink though and didn't have a ride downtown for Friday night, so I just called it a night when I got home.

I was shopping at Target during lunch to buy some random things, including the exciting cat food and shampoo. While I was there I noticed the darnedest thing....college kids and their parents shopping for their first year of college. There was even an entire college section, which I thought was a good idea, and kids picking out things they feel they will need, but will soon find out they don't. There was a boy, I mean he seemed like a young kid and his mom is helping him buy bathroom stuff while lecturing him to wait until he and his roommate can talk and divide up the things they are going to buy so that they don't have two of something. You could tell she was losing the control she was so used to as he was leaving the nest, he seemed very concentrated on finding that shower caddie. I should be helping my nephew prepare for his freshman year of college, having to live in a dorm, being on his own with a bunch of new strangers, only to bond with a few that will become life long friends....but I didn't play an important enough role to make that happen. I guess everyone has a different path and it isn't my place to dictate the paths of others.

It makes me think about how lucky I was to attend the JBA summer program as a kid. I was in 8th going to 9th grade and I flew up to Missouri all on my own to live in a dorm with other kids I didn't know. (I did have a few classmates attend as well, which was super helpful.) I wasn't very homesick and knew that there was a world out there and I was destined to explore. I headed back the following year, this time a veteran of the camp ready for another summer of pretending to be older than I was. I now had friends all over the country and the world just got a lot smaller. I would stay friends with many until the present day. Then in late high school I attended 3 other camps, 2 in Texas and one at Dartmouth. I now knew what to expect when it came to living in a dorm, but was still in no way prepared for the real thing. When I left for college, I wasn't as much prepared as excited to be off on my own making my own path ready for a new adventure. It is like training wheels for life almost. After that, I never thought twice about moving anywhere, to DC, Miami or even visiting Europe. I knew I could always find a way and most importantly that home would always be there for me to return to. Kind of like touching base and then taking off again. I thought right after that that was the best time, but it does get even better.

This weekend was one of those lazy feeling down, staying in bed watching tv weekends. I haven't had a weekend like that in a very long time, but sometimes I forget that only I can let myself feel that way and it is wrong to think that someone made me feel that way. That lesson is a hard one to learn. I watched a lot of Olympics. I even watched stuff online that hadn't been played on TV yet. The highlight was the moment: Phelps Wins 8th Gold: Breaks Spitz's Record. I never much cared for swimming, but I got caught up in the hype. The fastest guy alive is pretty damn fast.

In celebrity news: I learned last week that John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston broke up. I guess I follow celebrity gossip more than I thought I did. Here is an article: John Mayer On Aniston Breakup: "I Ended A Relationship To Be Alone". Some of the reasons he gives, I know I have used in ending a relationship. They seemed like they would make a good match, then again, how would I even know. There was also an article last week that discussed how: Women are only seven percent less likely to cheat than men, according to a study released this week from the University of New Hampshire. Yet men seem to get most of the blame. I wonder how they conduct these studies.

it worked, I'm back on my feet, too bad the person that got me to believe in myself regrets it

Outlets

"The key to life is excess in moderation, not moderation in excess." - Doug Stanhope

My parents came into town this weekend. They had a good time. We took them out to eat and to the Outlets in San Marcos. I had not yet been to the Outlets since I moved here, so I ended up making some purchases of my own. I got some slick looking brown dress shoes. Now I can actually wear that brown belt sitting my closet. It was very hot that day or maybe I don't go outdoors enough. On their trip, my dad helped us fix up the lawn, which was great because we were getting letters telling us we would be fined if we didn't start taking care of that. Overall it was a good trip. It makes me think, I haven't been down to the Valley in quite some time, but I see it being much longer until I get to go down.

The Pill Makes Women Choose Bad Boyfriends: Study: I hope this info doesn't get out. It has been my secret this entire time. It is actually a pretty complicated article, but the headline is cool. I'm sure if you cross checked it against, "Women make Women Choose Bad Boyfriends" you would find that maybe the pill doesn't play that big of a role. You could also write an article called, "Sex drives make Men choose bad Girlfriends."

I found this article today about a local mugging: Man left for dead in Downtown Austin It happened on 7th street. I guess that just isn't the place of town to be alone at night. This guy was beat pretty bad it seems, but I'm glad to hear he made it. There is a world out there that isn't as safe as one would want, but you can't be too careful either.

Lots of Olympic games watching for me. Hope you are watching them too. I feel like I never know what is going to be on, so I just watch whatever is on when I'm in front of the TV. My tivo records stuff for me, but I don't like going through 4 hours of coverage to find something I think is cool. I wonder if a goal medal in archery is worth as much as one in track and field? I hope Mexico get a gold in something this time. I was going back over the history of medal counts in prior Olympics. It makes for an interesting story line. (seriously, the website is awesome, check it out.)

I like my quote today, so I'll talk about it. I definitely do stuff in surges. Excess and then quit, instead of moderation. Somethings stick, somethings don't. I get excited about something and that is all I think about, all I work towards. Then after a while, I feel burned out cause damn this is taking up a lot of my resources. Well dude, may be if you approached it in a moderate way, you would stay with it longer and get more out it. On the other hand, maybe you wouldn't enjoy it as much. It seems like I either do something full boar or don't do it at all. I'm still trying to figure out a way around this. I don't mind jumping into things, but it's the not doing nothing at all if I can't do it right approach that I need to get rid of. I'm getting a lot better though and a lot my To-dos over the past few years are getting done.

This comic gives me so much insight into why my cats act the way they do.

http://www.gocomics.com/features/124/feature_items/376482

Dobson’s Focus on the Family humiliated by ‘Pray for Rain’ video: Last week, however, Focus unveiled a new video, asking politically-conservative Christians to pray for rain on Aug. 28, in order to disrupt Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Politically-conservative Christians should apologize to real Christians for the harm they have done to Christians and America over the past 30 years. Asking the Lord to smite people with rain is exactly what Jesus would want. Oh, by the way, Poll: Obama Leads Among Christians.

For whatever reason, it reminds me of a time when I little and my mom, who drives much slower than the average person, happened to be speeding on this rare occasion when the limit quickly dropped to 30. There was a cop car in waiting. She said a quick pray out loud, something about Lord please blind him with your glory or something in the vein. I was sitting there thinking, did my mom just ask the Lord to blind the cop so she won't get a speeding ticket? It was funny, but no ticket. Then again one of my cousins has a special speeding prayer that has gotten him out of countless tickets. Maybe a prayer to obey the law would be good too. There might be a better use of God's resources, maybe...there is an invasion of Georgia going on. Or maybe I'm jealous. I'll still probably pray about that next raise instead.

the 12th

Another Night at Speaks

"Dancing is wonderful training for girls, it's the first way you learn to guess what a man is going to do before he does it." ~Christopher Morley, Kitty Foyle

Wednesday night was really fun. I know it is part of the weekly routine now, but it has yet to get old. I had been planning for a while to go out with my cousin, but at the last minute I was ditched. I was kind of bothered, since it was clear a while back that wouldn't be able to make it. It was a fun outing that I had been looking forward to and I thought it would be more fun if he was there. Nevertheless, I ventured out on my own and met up with Heather at Speaks. She was my designated dance partner for the night. She actually ended up being a lot cooler and more fun than I gave her credit for. I got to practice everything I have been learning and in the process also had a pretty good time. Oscar and Jamie, along with her friend Daniel joined us later. They were cool added bonus. Here is a highlight, so there was this one girl there that was just striking, strictly appearance wise. According to a friend of hers, she was even dressed down that night. I used the occasion to share my thoughts on the difference between hot and lovely with Heather. This girl was hot, another I pointed out was actually very lovely. The night was about getting more practice so I didn't approach either girl, but one in particular is definitely on my to do list. I really don't think I've ever danced salsa this much in my life. I even made it home early enough to get some sleep and not have to worry about a hangover the next day.

Here is a story that happened here in Austin. Cheerleaders Cram Into Elevator, Break It, Have To Be Rescued :How many cheerleaders can cram into an elevator? Apparently not 26. A group of teenage girls attending a cheerleading camp on the University of Texas got stuck and had to be rescued after trying to squeeze into an elevator at a residence hall Tuesday night.

My parents should be coming to town this weekend to visit. It will be the first time my mom sees our new place. I'm pretty happy at this house, I think I'm going to stay here for at least another year before moving closer to the city. I'm sure they are looking forward to checking up on Abram and seeing for themselves that he is ok.

The Olympics start today. 8/8/08 at 8pm. I want to watch, but I'm sure I'll only pay attention to the big events. I don't even remember the 2004 ones. Man I can't wait for fall tv to come back. I wonder how this whole China thing is going to work out.

John Edwards Affair With Rielle Hunter: Will Admit Infidelity On ABC Tonight : It may just be me, but I don't really care about this all that much. People have affairs, I don't know why everyone is so shocked. I feel terrible for Elizabeth Edwards since she is really damn awesome, but I don't think a person's personal life says as much about who they are as a person than people make it out to be. Let's see how this all turns out. Elizabeth Edwards responds here. It is well worth a read.

This article puts it best: David Gregory: Broader implications for the party: David Gregory just said young people were inspired by him and are let down…and questioned whether it will have “broader implications for the party.” during the election. This week, Ron Suskind’s book revealed the Bush team knew Iraq didn’t have WMD, forged letters, paid hush money, and lied us into war. (Chirp, chirp…) Any broader implications for the Republican party there?—the absurdity of a media culture where THIS is what passes for holding politicians accountable.
Broader implication for the party. OK, let’s talk party.
-McClellan said that FOX News got talking points from the White House
-Bush authorized rendition.
-Bush authorized torture. Yes, that means waterboarding.
-Bush authorized a war based on lies resulting in millions of innocent Iraqi and Afghani civilian deaths as well as an ethnic cleansing.
-Thousands of our troops have been killed or seriously injured.
-The US dollar is in the tank.
-The housing/mortgage crisis has almost caused a depression.
-How about the trampling of our Constitution with warrantless wiretapping?
-Laptops are being confiscated at airports and the border.
-Under Bush, oil companies are raking in record profits while Americans suffer.
-The US attorney scandal.
-A health care epidemic.
-Monica Goodling
-A standing ovation in Congress for David Vitter’s return.
-Military TV Analysts/Generals scandal.
-Larry Craig’s bathroom adventure.
--------And many, many more.
Would any of this have “broader implications” to the Republican party during the election if the media did its job?
Newt Gingrich STILL gets on TV every other day and everyone KNOWS he had affairs, even dumping his wife right after cancer surgery. And yet all these MSM types are wringing their hands about what this means to the Democratic Party. Ridiculous. Throw a stone in DC and try not to hit some one with a little something on the side, and that includes those in the press corps.

100K Signatures for Impeachment Delivered to Pelosi: Last week, Congressman Dennis Kucinich delivered a petition bearing more than 100,000 names to the Speaker of the House urging that impeachment proceedings begin into the conduct of President Bush. …With new disclosures that the Administration tried to “cook the books at the CIA” by creating a phony, forged link between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, “We cannot step back and let this President escape accountability.”

Indecision 2008 - To Drill or Not to Drill - No impact on gas prices until 2030 (but Republicans have lowered the rhetoric to "a matter of months."), yet here is a great piece on the topic. Here is my favorite line about the Harleys, "no, it's the sound of money being funneled to Saudi Arabia."



I just sold my Centro to Rino. He has Sprint and has been needing a new phone. I hope he enjoys it. I had loaded up with a lot of ringtones, applications and games. Too bad Apple made that deal with ATT. It was hard to give up, but I feel I made the right choice.

back at the starting gate

Just A Dartboard

"The purpose of a jury is to guard against the exercise of arbitrary power -- to make available the commonsense judgment of the community as a hedge against the over- zealous or mistaken prosecutor and in preference to the professional or perhaps overconditioned or biased response of a judge." - Justice Byron White, Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 US 522

I heard a guy say that life is dart board and sometimes you are the one hit with the dart. It is just a matter of probability. Tuesday night my brother was coming home from an outing with work friends when he was mugged in downtown Austin. There was nothing he could do. He was blindsided with a punch and then attacked until he passed out. He didn't even get to see the guy(s). His wallet was taken, but other than the physical stuff, he is ok. All I could think was how relieved I was to hear that he as not stabbed, shot or hurt in that type of way. The money can be replaced, I am happy to give him the money he lost back just to know that he came out of it in one piece. But the truth is that when something happens like this, you get pissed, I mean it really does suck and it is the epitome of insult to injury. You feel violated and you have no one to retaliate against. Still, I'm glad its going to be ok.

Obama Calls McCain Out After Day Of Distortions: "It's Like These Guys Take Pride In Being Ignorant : Obama told the crowd. "One, they know they're lying about what my energy plan is, but the other thing is they're making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three to four percent. It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."

So not playing into McCain's jokes about the advice, I took it. Tuesday I took my truck in, got an oil change, my tires rotated and inflated. I do think they didn't inflate the front one properly, so I'm going to have to get that checked today. Look at me doing my part to decrease our dependency on foreign oil. I wish I could get an electric car already, or at least a hybrid plug in.

Paris Hilton Responds To Wrinkly White-Haired Dude

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

I've been doing a good job running about 5 times a week and getting in a workout. Man it is so much harder to get in shape than it was to get out of shape. A while back I was benching and Abram was spotting me. I was only able to do 3 reps of a certain weight, when I needed to be doing 6. Monday I was working out and I tried it again with Rino spotting me. I was hoping for 4, but had my goal at 6. I did 7. It felt great to see how I was improving. It feels good to be getting a chest back. I still have a lot to go and don't want to talk about it much since I'm prone to paralysis by analysis, but I wanted to share the good news.

Tenet forgot that Iraq’s Intelligence Chief Told Them Iraq Had No WMD: SUSKIND: What we now know from this investigation is that a secret mission was conducted in which a British manager, intelligence agent, met with the head of Iraqi intelligence in a secret location in Amman, Jordan. And what the Iraqi intelligence chief told the British-and essentially the Americans, because we’re all in this together-is that there were no WMD in Iraq. And what that meant is that we knew everything that became so obvious by the summer after the invasion. And the president made a decision essentially to ignore that intelligence…

safety is so much more important than money

Second Place

Bagger Vance: Ain't a soul on this entire earth ain't got a burden to carry he don't understand, you ain't alone in that... But you been carryin' this one long enough... Time to go on... lay it down...
Rannulph Junuh: I don't know how...
Bagger Vance: You got a choice... You can stop... Or you can start...
Rannulph Junuh: Start?
Bagger Vance: Walkin...
Rannulph Junuh: Where?
Bagger Vance: Right back to where you always been... and then stand there... Still... real still... And remember...
Rannulph Junuh: It's too long ago...
Bagger Vance: Oh no sir it was just a moment ago...
- The Legend of Bagger Vance

Jorge is having his bachelor party this weekend in Vegas. I will be missing it because I decided to save my money for the actual wedding. The hotel alone is going to be an expense. A financially responsible decision I think, but not an easy one. I'm sure they are going to have a great time. I've never been to one, so it would of been great. Maybe I'll have my own personal bachelor party here in Austin for him even though he can't attend. I have RSVPed and finally did reserve my hotel for the wedding now, so I'm all set, except for a matter of a grey suit and wedding gift.

Saturday night I went with Rino to play poker with his friends in Round Rock. Last time we played I got 2nd place to a guy named Ryan. This time I knew that my only improvement could be first, but that odds were that I could only go downward. We had a lot more players this time, 12 instead of 8. I played ok, but I was running a bit card dead. There was a point where I was really touching felt and was ready to make a graceful exit. But I was able to pull myself together and slowly get back into the game. I ended up heads up again Ryan again. This time I had the 2-1 chip advantage. Blinds were pretty high and I went in for the kill. I ran into a pair on my push and he doubled through me. Then a few hands later I pushed again to try to get even and I ran into aces. That seals the game and I took 2nd place again. I was happy with the 80 bucks, but I of course would of rather gotten 1st. To pull out 2nd without having Jacks or higher all night isn't too bad, but there were improvements I could of made. I'm looking forward to next time.

I'm not fully informed on this subject, but I want to say that I once heard that Republicans use the term "Democrat" (noun.) instead of "Democratic" (adj.) as a way of being disrespectful. So instead of the Democratic Congress or Democratic Party, they say the Democrat Congress or Democrat Party. Just keep an ear out when Republicans speak and see how often they go out of their way to use the term "Democrat" instead of "Democratic." I have seen Republicans get smarter and use the term Democrat (noun) led Congress, which seems more correct. Wouldn't Democrats sound stupid if they started saying "Republics"? I don't know, it just annoys the heck out of me when it seems like they are going out of their way to be jerks. I did find this statement: The incorrect usage was also recommended by Newt Gingrich (later supported by the focus group research of Frank Luntz) in his wonderfully-titled, 1990 memo, “Language as Key Mechanism of Control.” You know the joke around here about “getting the memo”? In this case, the memo actually exists.”



FreeCreditReport.com Commercials Lying To You: Credit Reports Are Not Free: AnnualCreditReport.com is the actual free credit report website. I think the commercials are misleading.



The mind is a tricky thing. Here is a good example. Beer. You can get so drunk one night that in the morning even the though of beer makes you sick. You tell yourself that you will never drink again, that it is bad for you and that you don't even like it. Then a few days later, there you are, thinking about drinking. You go through the whole ordeal again, learning the same lesson and wondering why you didn't learn from the first experience. This happens a lot to me, but in difference circumstances. I understand that there are benefits, and usually those benefits are short term, so you quickly act on them and then when used up, all you can see is the long term and what a big mistake you made. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way advocating not drinking, just trying to find examples where I use selective memory to justify decisions.

wonders if he will be disturbed

It's Just a Front

One more tear
Falling down your face
Doesn't mean that much
To the world

One more loss
In a losing life
Doesn't hurt so bad
Anymore.

Let it go
The damage in your heart
Let it go
The damage in your heart

I can't tell you how the words have made me feel
I can't tell you how the words have made me feel

-Weezer, The Damage in Your Heart

So Tuesday I took my first private lessons. It was a long time coming. I learned a lot and got all kinds of positive feedback. It was actually a bit of fun too. So Wednesday night I decided to go out and try out my newly learned skills, but some how, in real life, it was not close to as easy. You have to walk before you can run and as long as I keep up the lessons and make it a point to practice, I'm sure I'll become competent and then soon after pretty awesome.

The night was fun, we met up with Corrie and her friend who is engaged to be married soon. A night is always great when you get in for free. I didn't plan on staying out too late, but that always seems like the plan and we end up closing the place down. Oscar asked me a funny question, "Why don't you just go out on Fridays?" It would sure make Thursdays a lot better for me. I feel like this sticker explains a lot.

Here is some useful information for a friend of mine that has had many a bout with bug bites.
Bengay Stops Bug Bites From Itching I will keep this in mind. I'm probably not outdoors enough to really worry about this.

My running has been going well over this past month plus, but for whatever reason, my legs still feel heavy and sore during the day. I would of thought that I would be passed this by now. I'm thinking it is from playing basketball and the sprints I did after. At least I'm still able to run and I'm sure I'm doing something right if I'm feeling it during the day.

If you follow the campaign news like I do, you have seen McCain's Celebrity Ad. (Andrea Mitchell Confronts McCain's Campaign Manager On 'Celebrity' Ad) Despite being a terrible ad, I found this pretty funny. So the ad does not put Paris Hilton in a nice light, but Paris Hilton's Parents Donated To McCain. Ironically, his policies help people like Paris rather than the working class. No wonder her parents are donating the max amount to his campaign.

Cheney Wanted To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians And Shoot At Them To Get His War With Iran : How the hell is this guy still VP? How did they get elected 1 and a half times? Remember one of the revelations from the Downing Street Memo was that Bush had suggested to Blair that they paint one of our air force planes to UN colors to try to entrap Saddam’s army into shooting it down? It’s like our foreign policy is being decided on by a protege of Wile E. Coyote.

The X games started. I recommend you check them out. Thursday night's action was amazing.

The 15 Most Inspiring Teachers in Movies : For all the teachers I know. One of my favorites is 7) Dewey Finn (Jack Black) in School of Rock

Illegally Blonde
If ex-Justice aide Monica Goodling doesn't know whether she made a particular mistake more or less than 50 times, that's not really a mistake. A Must Watch.

seems like I'm no longer part of the routine