August 31, 2004
"Maybe this explains John Edwards need for Two Americas. One where John Kerry can vote for something, and one where he can vote against exactly the same thing."
Let's just say I know when to hold 'em and I know when to fold 'em.
About a month ago, I started going to a regular poker game (Texas Hold'em) on Sunday nights. The first time I was pretty much crap, but had a good time. The second week, I came in third (out of eight), and had an even better time. I also smoked my first cigar. It was over halfway gone before I tasted anything but smoke, but then it was pretty good. It also provided a good cover once when my hand was better than my poker face. I just took a little too big of a draw, let out a big cough, and distracted everyone from the silly grin that was developing on my face. Pretty smooth, huh? Maybe not, but it worked. It was also that night that I got a nickname -- kind of a rite of passage. At first it was "OJ" meaning "Other John" but it quickly became "The Juice." Not too crazy about it, but maybe I'm just not used to having a nickname at all. Either that, or I know that someone already took one of the best nicknames ever.
Well, this Sunday night, The Juice was loose (the puns were flying all night), and I won the game. I'd like to take all the credit, but I really had amazing luck with the cards. I had a blast, and as an added bonus, I got to bring home the $35 jackpot! Bailey's closet is a little fuller thanks to a great night of poker.
August 28, 2004
As November approaches, I've been hanging on every word reported by U2 fansites like @U2 and U2 Log about their upcoming album.
Within the last couple of weeks, several different reports have confirmed the release date of the album -- November 23rd! Can you think of anything else I might be excited about on that date? (Think cake and 1 candle!) Genia and I can take Bailey to Best Buy to get her first U2 cd on her first birthday! Woohoo!
Today U2 Log posted this article from the new edition of Q Magazine which lists six song titles confirmed for the new album. Here they are, with a of my few thoughts on each:
"Vertigo"
This is the lead single, and should hit radio by September 24th, though I have a feeling certain stations might be playing it early, if they get it early. A clip hit the internet earlier this month, and like the "All Because of You" clip that surfaced a few weeks prior, the sound quality was poor, and it was hard to really get a sense of what the finished song would sound like. I'm hoping it will take the airwaves by storm just like "Beautiful Day" did back in September 2000.
"Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"
This is a song Bono reportedly wrote just after his father died, right around the time of the Slane Castle concerts in fall 2001. This is sure to be loaded with emotion -- a powerful ballad. I can't wait to hear this song -- U2 fans in the know have been hearing this title for two years now!
"City of Burning Lights"
What a great song title. Very, very U2. Will it be an energetic rock song reminiscent of their early days ("I Will Follow", "Out of Control") or a big "wide-screen" song in the vein of "Streets"? The title brings Achtung Baby to my mind... It's a mystery!
"Man & A Woman"
No idea where this one could go, musically speaking, just from the title...
"Yahweh"
This is one song I'm dying to hear. I first heard (and blogged about) this song title back in January. The source who gave the title to U2 Log said it was "one of the greatest songs U2 have ever recorded."
"Crumbs From Your Table"
As soon as I read this, I thought of Mark 7:25-30 (I did have to look up the reference, of course). This could go in a number of different directions. It could have nothing at all to do with that NT story. It could be a "relationship with God" type of song, or, and this might be a stretch, it could even have something to do with Bono's work with DATA on the AIDS crisis in Africa.
August 27, 2004
Following a theme that has developed in the comments of the Ralph Nader post, I offer up this quote describing the our country's big government:
The Federal Government is like a fruit tree that has grown wildly out of control. It was planted for a specific purpose, (to provide a particular kind of fruit in a particular season), but it has grown bigger and bigger till it crowds every other plant out of the garden, sucks up all the water, blocks all the sunlight, and has become a haven for every sort of foul beast. It has tentacles extending into virtually every realm of life and commerce - places it was never meant to be, doing things it was never meant to do.It comes from a discussion on the Boar's Head Tavern about a Christian perspective on government and the role of the government. There are some great comments discussing how failures of the church (universal) have led to the ever-expanding role of the government and how many look to the government as an idol:
...Americans of all stripes have come to believe that if a problem exists, the government should solve it.There are some big issues where this mindset comes into play and can have a major effect on politics - healthcare, the "war on drugs," public education, and many more, I'm sure. What role should the church be playing in these issues, and how could it do a better job than the government?And that is wrong, wrong, wrong.
You cannot successfully merge onto I-75 doing 38 mph.
Now if I can just get the people I was driving behind this morning to read this weblog post... For all the rest of you, what are your traffic pet peeves?
August 25, 2004
You know me. You (hopefully) love me, or like me at least a little bit. Don't you want me to have a free iPod? You know you do, so help a brother out.
You see, there's this great website called Free iPods and they're really, honest to goodness, going to give me an iPod or iPod Mini if I complete the program requirements. They're pretty simple - I have to get 5 people go to the website through this link, sign up for an account (for free) and then complete an offer through one of their advertising partners. (Tip: When you sign up, you might want to use a new email address or one you don't use all that much just in case of spam. I haven't had any problems with that, though.)
Many of the offers are free and just take a few minutes to complete. The offer I chose was signing up for an account with Infone, the new directory assistance/personal concierge service you might have heard advertised. It won't cost me anything unless I actually call up and use the service. In addition, Infone is sending me a $10 Amazon.com gift card. Once you've signed up by going through my link, you've not only helped me out, but you've taken the first step towards getting your own free iPod.
You're probably pretty skeptical, but my momma didn't raise no dummy. This is legit -- it's even been covered in Wired magazine and on CNN Headline News. There are a growing collection of bloggers online who have reported getting their iPods already. Andy over at External Monologue is well on his way to getting his (I signed up through his link and I think three other people have as well).
So come on, friends, won't you please help me get a free iPod?
As a special bonus, when I see confirmation that you've signed up through me and completed one of the offers, I'll make and send you a personalized mix cd!
August 24, 2004
While doing some research for my FNR Decision 2004 post, I came across a link to an interview Pat Buchanan conducted with Ralph Nader. It was actually very interesting. Nader is an intelligent guy, and as the lead-in says, "a conviction politician." He's making a play for conservative voters who are disappointed with George W. Bush, and he has some interesting points about why conservatives are (or should be) disappointed with Bush:
Here are the issues. One, conservatives are furious with the Bush regime because of the fantastic deficits as far as the eye can see. That was a betrayal of Bush’s positions, and it was a reversal of what Bush found when he came to Washington.Conservatives are very upset about their tax dollars going to corporate welfare kings because that undermines market competition and is a wasted use of their taxes.
Conservatives are upset about the sovereignty-shredding WTO and NAFTA. I wish they had helped us more when we tried to stop them in Congress because, with a modest conservative push, we would have defeated NAFTA because it was narrowly passed. If there was no NAFTA, there wouldn’t have been a WTO.
Conservatives are also very upset with a self-styled conservative president who is encouraging the shipment of whole industries and jobs to a despotic Communist regime in China. That is what I mean by the distinction between corporate Republicans and conservative Republicans.
Next, conservatives, contrary to popular belief, believe in law and order against corporate crime, fraud, and abuse, and they are not satisfied that the Bush administration has done enough.
Conservatives are also upset about the Patriot Act, which they view as big government, privacy-invading, snooping, and excessive surveillance. They are not inaccurate in that respect.
And finally, two other things. They don’t like “Leave No Child Behind” because it is a stupidly conceived federal regulation of local school systems through misguided and very fraudulent multiple-choice testing impositions.
And conservatives are aghast that a born-again Christian president has done nothing about rampant corporate pornography and violence directed to children and separating children from their parents and undermining parental authority.
If you add all of those up, you should have a conservative rebellion against the giant corporation in the White House masquerading as a human being named George W. Bush. Just as progressives have been abandoned by the corporate Democrats and told,”You got nowhere to go other than to stay home or vote for the Democrats,” this is the fate of the authentic conservatives in the Republican Party.
Some of those issues were addressed in terms of Nader's positions earlier in the interview, and he had some interesting things to say, but he certainly didn't address them all. What he also failed to do was take that statement and really make his case for why disenchanted conservatives would like his take on those issues.
My friend and sometimes informal debate opponent Margaret Folsom recently asked me to explain in 500 words or less which candidate is best in the upcoming presidential election and why. Here's the first word: Bono.
Seriously, though, I have been giving it some thought and hope to have a real post on that subject later this week...
August 07, 2004
The end of an era. Well, if you can call 18 months an era. Last weekend we moved from our apartment in St. Elmo to a home in the East Brainerd area, seen below:
I was hesitant to mention this on the blog as there is a contingent of prominent Chattabloggers that are quite enamoured with St. Elmo, and my self-concious side didn't want to be thought of as a sell-out moving to the burbs. So, indulge me for a little explanation... Anyone familiar with St. Elmo knows it's in a transitional state. Some people still consider the whole area a "bad" part of town, but there are some really nice parts. It seems a frequent occurence for homes to be bought and renovated. It's a matter of time before St. Elmo is some version of North Chattanooga -- mostly nicer renovated (and subsequently a bit overpriced) homes. We like St. Elmo, in general, and would have stayed in that area, if the right (rental) house had been available.
Our particular apartment wasn't in the best shape, though, and we had serious neighbor issues. You wouldn't think it's too much to ask to have peace and quiet (as opposed to having your windows constantly rattled by bass) when you're in your own home with the doors and windows closed. Especially after, oh, 11pm. You might also think that people know about doorbells and don't just honk the horn when they pull up in front of your house to announce their arrival. Our former neighbors would have disagreed and it was obvious they didn't care. Even worse was the unprovoked verbal harassment my wife received on a couple of different occasions. It wasn't a place we felt comfortable with anymore. Genia didn't like being home by herself and it wasn't a place we wanted to raise Bailey as she gets older and wants to be able to play outside, etc.
We're very happy with and excited about our new place, but of course there were a couple of sad moments as we packed up, remembering the special things we experienced there. When we brought Bailey home from the hospital, we brought her there. It was the first home she ever knew, and I know she won't miss it, but we had a lot of good times there with her that we'll always remember. I remember painting her bedroom when Genia was pregnant, and all the excitement as we furnished and arranged it in anticipation of her arrival. We also had a big birthday party for Genia when she turned 25. Friends from all over drove up to celebrate with us, and we had a blast. There were a lot of games of Foosball played -- most of them won by my brother Joel, but that's not the point.
I could go on and on with happy memories, but it's time to start making new ones at our new home. I think we're going to have a Luau!