In the Shadow of Air Force One

   My reflections on the GOP debate held Wednesday night at the Reagan Library are as follows:

   Mike Huckabee - still funny, still comes across as sincere, honest, and concerned with all types of people..except homosexuals and those that want control over their own bodies.

   Mitt Romney - still slick, still acts as if he will do anything, spend anything, and say anything to get elected. I will say that his immigration approach is solid, though. Still, not nearly enough for me to want to elect him.

   John McCain - his behavior in this debate dismayed me tremendously. Relentlessly mincing Romney's quotes and then failing to see that he had gotten it wrong (though everyone in the crowd saw it), in conjunction with yet more merciless emphasis on his pledge to not change policy in Iraq has made me finally realize that, barring a serious change of heart, I can't vote for him.

   Ron Paul - though he was TOTALLY marginalized in this debate (see my next paragraph about the moderators), the few minutes of air time he got he used wisely and came across, once again, as the only sane one on the stage. I am VERY curious to see how he does on Super Tuesday because I think he would make the most needed changes to our federal government of any of the candidates, in either party.

   Anderson Cooper and the two stiffs from the debate sponsors (Politico and the LA Times), were terrible. They completely ignored Huckabee and Paul, showering McCain and Romney with question after question, letting them bicker back-and-forth endlessly, and then cutting off Huckabee and Paul when they finally did get a chance to speak. Additionally, Cooper just came across as an amateur, stumbling on things, making empty promises about what was coming up, and just generally appearing not up to the task he was charged with. It was pretty painful..

Please Tell Me He Has Developed a Sense of Humor

   ..and this is just a joke!

   The word on the street is that now that John Edwards has dropped out of the presidential running, that old fossil Ralph Nader is feeling the urge to jump in to the fray.

   Please tell me this is not going to happen. The guy is a freaking crank.

Putting Your Eggs in One Basket...

   taint too smart. Just ask Rudy. It sounds like he may well drop out of the presidential race and endorse John McCain.

   By the way, congratulations to McCain for his win in the Florida GOP primary. And congratulations, as well, to Hillary Clinton for winning a primary that counts for zero delegates. I believe that makes two of those now, right?! Why do I suspect she might try to get the Florida and Michigan delegates to count come convention time?!

A Terrific Quote!

   By all accounts, Joel is a trustworthy fellow, so I suspect this is a legit quote. But even if it is not, it is pretty damn funny!

"As Judge Judy says, “Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.”"

The State of the Union

   The best part of W's speech tonight was that it was his last of these Cheney/Condi/W lovefests.

   Honestly I do not know what irked me more - the scowling of Dr. Evil in his Senate President's chair the entire time, W's smirks, eyewinks, and shit-eating grins whenever he'd deliver a real zinger, or the Secretary of State's automatic ejection chair action each time her husband..errr..the President showed his toughness with a dig at the Democrats.

   There were a few things he said that were obviously intended to get everyone in the chamber on their feet and applauding but mostly he made one last pathetic attempt to tint the glasses through which historians will view his legacy. Unfortunately for all of us that have lived through his administrations blunderings, history, if accurate, will not be kind.

A Bad Day

   Alexander had a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" and mine was similar.

   Shit did not go my way today. Plus today is Sunday which means tomorrow I have to go to work. Damnit.

   But at least it is nearly over now.

Congrats to Mr. Obama

   Nice win for Barack Obama today in the South Carolina primary. And best of all, it evens out the race again between he and Hillary Clinton. I am feeling stronger every day that he would make the best president of those with a real chance at being elected.

   I say this based on both his performance in the last debate and his comments on the trail. He is not taking shit and is retaliating but he is also coming across as doing so merely defensively while trying to stay on his stated path of touting his accomplishments and potential rather than bagging on his opponents.

   To me, the Clintons joint attack on Obama smells of fear and somewhat of desperation. I am drawn to people with confidence, not those that appear to feel entitled or are somehow arrogant or demeaning. The former is Obama and (all) the latter seems to be Clinton presently. Maybe she'll change as the days go by but I don't like what I'm seeing from her right now.

TGIF?

   Usually there would be no question mark after that particular acronym but my excitement about the arrival of the weekend is tempered by the fact that neither my wife nor I have slept more than an hour consecutively and 4 1/2 hours total for the last two nights as both kids have a horrible cold marked by coughing, sneezing, fever, and sore throats.

   It will be over some day, right?!

The FUMP

   That would be, if the presidential candidates are truly representative of their constituents, what the GOP should rename itself.

   Fear because that is their main issue. The Democrats want to tax you to death and pull out of Iraq waving the white flag of surrender.

   Uncertainty. Without our blind commitment to "winning" in Iraq, we face vast uncertainty with respect to safety here and abroad.

   Marriage Protection. Somehow these jokers have forgotten that their's is the party of states' rights.

   I watched the Florida Republican debate tonight and have a few observations.

   Romney - painful to listen to. As slick as his hair appears to be.

   McCain - still an admirable patriot and proven bipartisan. I can do without the over-the-top commitment to "winning" (whatever that means) in Iraq.

   Giuliani - very lightweight. Running because he apparently thinks he's funny and thinks New Yorkers revere him. And has yet to place anywhere near the top in a primary or caucus.

   Paul - sounded a lot more coherent and convincing but got VERY little airtime in the debate. The main stream media continues to attempt to marginalize him and his fellow candidates don't appear to take him seriously even though he strictly adheres to what the Republican party is supposed to stand for.

   Huckabee - I like his support of the "Fair Tax" (consumerism tax) but he epitomizes the MP part of "FUMP". Actually he is more of "THUMP" - as in, thumps the Bible. A shame, because he actually seems to give a crap about people (a la the Democrats) without excessive entitlements.

The Democrats in South Carolina

   I finally got a chance to watch the Democratic debate (from South Carolina). Wow! Talk about getting personal. I have to laugh with (while indeed feeling a bit sorry for) John Edwards for reminding everyone that there was a third candidate present at the debate as Clinton and Obama traded barbs and rebuttals.

   Though Obama is not entirely blame-free I am really starting to get pissed at Clinton's tactics. What is almost worse for me, though, is what her husband, my favorite former president, is up to. Though he certainly has a right to campaign for his wife, he has said some pretty fucking stupid things about Obama. I think it is important to bear in mind that everyone is supposed to rally behind the eventual party nominee come convention time so you have to maintain at least a little civility toward others.

   Anyway, my take away from this debate - all three of the Democratic candidates would make good presidents, though some might spend more money than I'd like, taking care of everyone. And with the possible exception of Ron Paul or John McCain, I think I'd be hard-pressed to vote against whoever the Democrats ultimately field.

Ole 'Ttack Dawg Bowing Out

   Fred Thompson called it quits today. The former Tennessee senator is dropping out of the presidential race citing a lack of anything interesting or relevant to say.

   This move paves the way for him to find another role as someone important as it has been definitively proved that, in politics, he is certainly not. I'm really torn up, can you tell?!

The Road to the Super Bowl...

   has officially ended for my Chargers.

   We'll never know how things might have turned out with a healthy LT, Rivers, and Gates. Or even if Norv had gone for it at least once on fourth down in the red zone. A respectable performance given the circumstances and hopefully an end to the season that will allow them to come back fired up for next season.

Racism is Alive and Well in the South

   Another great article in the paper this morning.

   It seems that not only are there white people in America's South that won't vote for a black candidate solely based on race - surprise, surprise, but some of them are willing to be quoted and have their picture taken too!

   I won't provide their names, because they don't deserve to be given any exposure, but suffice it to say that one of these guys, who suggested that with a middle name like "Hussein", Barack Obama might as well have "Hitler" as his middle name, was pictured square dancing with his wife Peggy Sue.

   Is there any hope that the gene pool that spawns these kinds of people will someday die off?

   Talk about a national embarrassment!

Being a Bully is Not Patriotic

   I read something in the Rocky Mountain News this morning that made me sick. It seems that our dear Vice President was gladhanding in public up in Beaver Creek in June of 2006.

   A man from down the road from here (Golden), saw him, approached him, and told him that his policies in Iraq were reprehensible. He was arrested 10 minutes later by a Secret Service agent who claimed he'd assaulted Cheney when he lightly touched him on the shoulder, just as others in the crowd were doing.

   Now the man is suing the Secret Service agent that arrested him claiming that his "...First Amendment right to free speech and his Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure" were violated.

   Though there is obviously no proof that the VP ordered the arrest, it just seems to be consistent with the kind and gentle man he always comes across as!

What the Huck??

   OK, Mike Huckabee has officially sealed his fate with me. In my humble opinion, the worst kind of Republican is one that not only recommends ignoring states rights but does so specifically to impose policies that are religiously motivated.

   Good ole Huck wants to not only pass a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage but while he's editing the Constitution he also thinks we should explicitly add a ban of abortion.

   Dude, before you get out the old parchment and start scrawling, you might want to read it first. Uhhh..ever heard of the separation of church and state?!

   Remember, just because Jesus guides everything you do doesn't mean you can foist that on the rest of us!

Sleep Patterns

   As part of my resolutions for this new year I have decided to try to get more sleep at night.

   I presently get between 5 and 7 hours typically. For a number of reasons, this past week I have fluctuated wildly, getting 4.5 one night and 9 another.

   What I've found is that if I get LESS than 5 hours of sleep I wake up on my own right before my alarm is set to go off where as if I get MORE than 7 hours I am roused from (sometimes deep) sleep by my alarm. And I don't know about you but the way I feel when I first get up in the morning often translates into how I am going to feel all day - alert or out of it..

   I am going to keep analyzing this as my productivity, in turn, seems to correlate to my mood as well.

There Is Just Not Enough Time

   Does it ever strike you that there is just not enough time in the day to get done what you'd REALLY like to?

   It seems to me like when I am overwhelmed with things to do I have plenty of time to put a dent in my list of things to accomplish but have a hell of a time getting motivated.

   But when I have no time to do a similarly large list of tasks, I always have plenty of energy and motivation but always have a serious roadblock, usually logistic in nature. It is either WAY to late at night/early in the morning to continue on or family duties require me to spend my time elsewhere or, worst of all, I am at work, forced to do something meaningless for pay!

   This is a new year, right? I WILL get shit done! I WILL get shit done! Repeat after me!

"I Have the Most Experience but Represent Change"

   I watched tonight's Democratic debate held in Las Vegas and was a bit confused. Where was Dennis Kucinich? I thought he had a judge's word that the debate would not be allowed to proceed without him??

   Anyway, I admire all three of the candidates that were allowed to participate in the debate and at one time thought I'd probably support each of them. If you reference my previous post on the Republican candidates you'll probably come to the conclusion, as I have, that unless something significant changes between now and November, there is a good chance I will vote for the Democratic candidate in the general election regardless of who it ends up being.

   But tonight, when it is still early, I am leaning hard toward Barack Obama.

   Hillary Clinton is losing my support little-by-little. Amazingly, to me she is starting to sound like Bush. She is beholden to special interests, is the Washington establishment candidate and is trying hard to be all things to all people (see this post's subject). And worst of all, she answers nearly every question posed to her like a true, slick, politician, bending it so that her response becomes the policy statement of her choosing, never actually answering a tough question.

   John Edwards, whose personal history I admire quite a bit, despite my general distaste for trial attorneys, is a tireless campaigner. I think he is sincere in his quest to eradicate poverty and was a balancing Southern complement to John Kerry's New Englander on the 2004 Democratic ticket. Additionally, I think his wife, Elizabeth, is a terrific person. But somehow I think he has drifted to the fringe a bit. He is fanatically for all things Democratic Party, which bothers me.

   And then there's Barack Obama. He speaks candidly about poor choices in his past, including taking drugs as a teenager (something MANY people have done but apparently is not allowed in our politicians' past). He is confident but not arrogant. He is civil and plainspoken. And most importantly, in my book, he has a proven track record of bringing together people from different perspectives (similar to the way Arnold Schwarzenegger has done in California) to find common ground and move forward. This, to me, indicates intelligence, and our best hope for the future of America, as let's face it - nothing gets done in Washington without compromise and there is a lot be done to repair the damage done both here and abroad by the present administration.

"Please End the Writers' Strike!"

is what Fred Thompson has to be thinking.

   I am a bit behind, I know, but I just watched a recording of the Republican debate that was held in South Carolina on the 10th.

   Though it pains me to say so, because I had high hopes for him, Ron Paul came across as a bit loony. I think he made some extremely important statements but his message is probably largely ignored as a result of his mannerisms and voice, which make him seem like a crackpot.

   Mitt Romney, while obviously very successful as a businessman, is a slick weasel who thinks spending enough of his sizable fortune will make people forget he is a Mormon and by far more of a flip-flopper than John Kerry ever was. I find it curious that they're both from Massachusetts - something in the water perhaps?

   Rudy Giuliani is running because he happened to be the mayor of NYC on 9/11/2001. And he wants you to know he is as tough as the tough guys in his inner circle (think Bernard Kerik and associates).

   Mike Huckabee is probably the most likable GOP candidate and seems very sincere and honest. But he is a serious Bible thumper, does not believe in evolution, and believes that it is the federal government's responsibility to define marriage via a Constitutional amendment.

   John McCain speaks the truth as he sees it, is a tough old hawk, an undisputed patriot, and has an admirable track record of bipartisanship in the Senate. But he is hellbent on not changing direction with respect to the war in Iraq.

   And then there is the good ole boy himself, Mr. Thompson. He came across as a pathetic attack dog with notes. He didn't do anything but regurgitate a bunch of disjointed, miscellaneous recollections of things he did during his brief, indistinguished career in the Senate. Oh wait, he did do something else..talk about how Reagan-esque he is. And mercilessly attack Huckabee at every opportunity.

   Honestly, Thompson's performance was laughable and anyone that chooses to support him should be ashamed of themselves. If he becomes the Republican candidate, all registered Republicans should hang their heads in shame. And if by some bizarre set of circumstances he becomes our next President, God help us.

   The bottom line - I am really not sure I could vote for any of these guys.

Show Me Your Lightning Bolt!!!

   I am so damn stoked that my Bolts upset the Colts IN Indy today, earning themselves a trip to New England next weekend for the AFC Championship. Talk about a marvelous run they've been on of late. I have a feeling the Gaslamp District is awash in celebration this evening.

   Of course I knew it was possible, if not probable (if considering Vegas' sentiment on their likelihood [what with Indy a 9 1/2 point favorite]) that the Chargers would win. But to actually see that final score really is a great feeling. Of course, going into New England, in the midst of their incredible, undefeated dismantling of (most of) their opponents, is definitely daunting. But there is something to be said for being the underdog. And when the Chargers got whacked by the Pats early in the season San Diego was a different team. They have regained the strengths and attitude that propelled them to the number one AFC seed last season. And along the way they have learned to keep their heads cool - the absence of which is what killed them against the Patriots last year.

   As long as it is a game I will be satisfied but I would be a bald-faced liar if I told you that I was indifferent about the outcome!

I Consider Myself Patriotic But..

those damn New England Patriots continue to annoy me to no end! Please, someone stop them from winning.

   I truly thought Jacksonville had a solid shot at it and they did keep it close for most of this evening's matchup. But damnit all..I can only hope now that either my beloved San Diego Chargers or their adversary tomorrow, the Indianapolis Colts, will whack the Pats in the AFC Championship next weekend.

   I won't even bother asking the eventual NFC champ to handle the Pats in the Super Bowl if they make it there. Though I do like Brett Favre and am hoping he makes it to one last Super Bowl before he calls it quits on a remarkable career, I can't ask even him to stop the homeless-looking guy that walks New England's sidelines (yes, that would be the Head Cheater himself, Bill Belichick) from coaching his team on to yet another championship.

   Oh well..At least the two games today were competitive and entertaining. I'm hoping the same can be said for tomorrow's.

The Sorry Sorry State of Voting Systems In Our Country

   I've made mention of this in the past, but due to the impending presidential election, there has been a lot of press lately about certification (and more troubling, de-certification) of various voting machines, manufacturers, etc.

   This is embarrassing, in my humble opinion. We are a country that sends election observers to emerging nations to aid them in ensuring their elections go off smoothly and are above-board, yet we have (sometimes blatantly) partisan politicians as our states' Secretaries of State, presiding over both the certification of voting technology and the actual vote counting process. This needs to change. While I am by no means a proponent of increased federal government, something needs to be done to homogenize the voting process in this country. It is pitiful that a nation as great as ours cannot advance technology in such a way as to instill enough confidence in an automated balloting system of some sort. Instead, American voters have made it clear to their elected officials that, on the whole, they trust hand-punched ballots more than any other method of vote collection. This is pathetic.

   I may be finally at the point where I get off my lazy ass and finally try to push some of my ideas about how to change this forward. I'll keep you posted.

What Do Blue-Haired Old Ladies with Oxygen Tanks,

Spinal Tap body doubles, and the very underbelly of the print "media" have in common? They're all found at my grocery store.

   I should have known something was a bit different when I first pulled into the parking lot and saw an entire row of spaces dedicated to handicap parking. But paying no mind at the time, I soon realized what this was all about. No fewer than 5 separate Rascal sightings, 3 oxygen tanks, and about 70 gallons of blue hair dye later, I questioned whether I was in King Seniors rather than King Soopers. Though old people, for the most part, are kind folks, they are very sloooooooow, so I have since shifted my shopping time to 4:30PM when most of this particular brand of patron are lining up for the Early Bird Special at Denny's.

   The second interesting thing I've noticed about this particular store is that at least two of the former members of Spinal Tap are employed here and what's more, they frequently work the same shift. Derek Smalls is an assistant manager and a post-transgender-op David St. Hubbins bags groceries! I have not yet witnessed any spontaneous combustion of checkers or baggers, however, so I am wondering if these folks are the genuine article or perhaps members of a local fan club.

   And finally, something I notice every week on my trip to the grocery store but finally felt I needed to comment on, the despicable tabloid rags that harass your sensibilities each time you approach the checkout stand. This week, a tell-all expose of "what really went down" the night Britney Spears got hauled away to the hospital and had her kids taken away from her. Give me a break. The poor woman has made plenty of mistakes but profiting from them with VERY questionable allegations is pretty much the lowest form of "reporting." These people should be ashamed of themselves and obviously anyone that would piss away a cent of their own money in supporting these rags is pathethic. Get a fucking life.

Addicted to a Book

   Is it OK to feel addicted to a book? Because I do. "The Wolf of Wall Street", Jordan Belfort's semi-fictional recounting of his rise and fall in the wealth creation business, is rich.

   Laden with lots of money, plenty of drugs, and multiple helpings of sex (often with hookers), this is one cautionary tale I am having great difficulty putting down. Maybe if I had more self-control I'd walk away..Ah screw it - I must read more!

Turmoil Is Good

   Good evening, my fellow Americans. Tonight it is with great pride that I proclaim that turmoil is good - congratulations to Hillary Clinton and John McCain for their wins in New Hampshire!

   This makes the presidential campaign interesting for at least another two weeks.

   Let's see who wins the next round - Romney and Edwards...pleeeeeease. How wonderful would it be for (at least one of) the conventions to be something more than the ridiculous infomercials they've been in recent history?

   We can always dream, right?

Do You Have Flashback Songs?

   I was working my way through the stack of mail on the corner of my desk that seems to magically grow with each passing day - isn't it wonderful to be a grown up?!

   I have my earbuds in and am listening to a compilation of punk and hardcore tracks that my brother assembled for me for Christmas and on came Crimpshine's "In My Mind."

   And off went my mind! Back to junior high and the first time I heard "the Lookout bands" - bands like Crimpshine, Op Ivy, and Green Day. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it my introduction to that whole East Bay scene was when I heard the Isocracy 7" played by my best friend's older sister, home from college for a weekend. She had stumbled across one of their live shows in Berkeley and bought the record. This was probably 1986.

   It would be roughly 4 years later that I found myself playing bass in a band with three of my schoolmates, opening for none other than Green Day in front of count 'em 30 people in a barn..yes, a barn in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. We got shut down by the cops so Green Day had to play acoustically!

   Anyway, I love these flashback songs - I think for me they are too numerous to accurately tally. But that is part of what makes them fun. You never know when or where you'll hear one or where you'll be taken when you do!

Things That Make You Say "Hmm..We're Fucked!"

   Just watched "Sicko" (for the one person out there off the grid it is Michael Moore's film on the state of the American healthcare system) and it has me pretty bummed out.

   Regardless of what your politics are, do yourself a favor before you cast a presidential vote (either primary or general election), and watch this movie. It will elicit an emotional response from you, which in turn will make you think; and that is a good thing - for you, for me, and for our country.

Oh I Sure Do Love Me Some Playoffs!

   Good evening, citizens of Earth!

   In my humble opinion there is nothing quite like (good) football on Saturday. Because I did not go to a big football school, and therefore do not have the alma mater pride clouding my perception of things, I have to compare college football straight up to the NFL, which renders the former largely amateur hour. That being said, it is not until January, typically, that there is at least one good football game being played on Saturday. And today, there were two! The freaking Redskins basically pissed away a victory to what I consider a mediocre Seahawks team. The AFC is without a doubt the more competitive conference, as it has been for many years now, and the Jags-Steelers game did not disappoint! Down to the wire it went - good stuff, for sure! At least the Washington-Seattle game was competitive the whole way through.

   Tomorrow is what I've truly been waiting for. Yes, I'll clench my teeth and watch two teams, (the Giants and the Bucs) that I really have no interest in, go at it, but the best will be saved for last when my beloved Bolts host the Titans in the nightcap.

   And oh, yeah, for all of you keeping score at home, here's one for California (versus Colorado) - GO CHARGERS!!

Get In the Van!

   When I was in hardcore bands in high school the dream was always to put out a 7" and tour the country in a van. One of my few, true regrets in life was never having accomplished either of these goals.

   Well I just finished reading "Get In the Van", Henry Rollins' journal (and additional commentary) on life as the frontman for Black Flag in the early/mid '80s and the shiny appeal of what my bands came up short of has lost just a touch of the luster!

   Black Flag spent an INCREDIBLE amount of time on the road, living well below the poverty line and literally fighting off fans and haters alike seemingly at every gig. What an amazing existence! I have to say it was refreshing to read the two afterwords (this was the second edition I read) where it is confirmed that life seems to be treating Rollins well at this point.

   A very interesting read, particularly if you are a fan of Rollins, his music, or were into the scene back then.

Iowa Democrats Like Obama..and So Do I

   Good evening, friends.

   Congratulations are in order for both Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee for winning the Iowa caucuses today. Huckabee, as a former fat man turned normal-sized man, is a likable fellow but is way too down with Jesus for my tastes (I suppose that is not surprising given that he is an ordained Baptist minister!) A fellow Republican, he of two first names (yes, Ron Paul!) is my current candidate of choice but I could be happy with Obama.

   I read "The Audacity of Hope" a few months back and was quite impressed. I think he has a lot going for him.

   Namely, he has been against the invasion of and subsequent occupation of Iraq from the beginning (granted he was not in the Senate at the time of the vote to invade which gives him a break that fellow Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and John Edwards did not get).

   He happens to be black which may make the rest of the world think of us less as redneck cowboys (something our current president tries hard to reinforce each time he opens his mouth).

   And most importantly, from my perspective, he has an attitude refreshingly bereft of blatant partisanship. This combination, I believe makes him more electable in the general election than either Edwards (overtly anti-Republican) or Clinton (painfully polarizing, deservedly or not).

   Though I think Paul would make the most significant turn away from the current Washington establishment (epitomized by the Bush administration but represented nearly as blatantly by the business-as-usual Democrat-controlled houses of Congress) I do think Obama would represent a pleasant breath of fresh air attempting to make politics more civil and trying to repair our severely damaged reputation internationally.

   Anyway, this is just the beginning of what I suspect will be an interesting few months (if not longer!) For now, if you are eligible to do so, by all means exercise your right to vote!

White Christmas vs. Ash Tuesday

   A very good evening to you!

   As I walked out to get dinner tonight in a brisk, but not unpleasant, January evening I thought to myself "Ahh..what a nice night and what a beautiful place we live in!" And then I slipped on some black ice and nearly fell on my ass, jerking me back to reality.
   North facing sidewalks stay snowy, icy, and slippery long after the rest of the world has melted following a Colorado snowstorm. In this particular case, this was a leftover from the snowfall that started with a legit White Christmas.

   Yes, I know there are places in the state of California that do get snow and even do get snow on Christmas, but the places I lived (and where most Californians live) do not. In fact, our family back in southern California did have something falling from (or more accurately, blowing through) the sky on Christmas Day - the leftover ash from the horrendous wildfires that scorched the landscape several months back.

   So while we enjoyed the look of joy on our kids' faces as they inspected what Santa had left them we had as a backdrop the glorious sight of falling snowflakes.

   70 degrees and black lung or 25 degrees and pure snow..you make the call!

Welcome to 2008!

   A very Happy New Year to you all!

   You know you live in an apartment when after a big party night (Halloween, New Year's Eve, etc.) you find puke in the parking lot the next morning. Really classy..Why do you never (OK, rarely) see this same phenomenon in a neighborhood of single family homes? Is it because people have more respect for a homeowner than the poor schmuck that gets paid minimum wage to clean up the parking lot at the apartment complex? Just a little food for thought to get the new year started!

   Welcome to 2008 - this should be a wild year!