Shoe Search - need help!

Ok, I had this shoe up for grabs on a site I buy from but they didnt have my size (size 9.5-10 US, 42-43 EU). Ive searched high and low on the internet and have come up with bubkiss. Im hoping someone else out there (most likely a chick who is an internet shopping guru) can find me this goddamn shoe. Here is what I know:

Its from Cole Haan Collection
Its handcrafted in Italy
It has a lizard skin top and calfskin body
I believe it is the Venetian Loafer or Venetian Driving Moccasin
Original price was $498

...and here is a pic to help. If you can find me this shoe, you will be rewarded. BM always takes care of those who take care of him...

Why are you voting?

After seeing more witty videos that point out the faults of McCain today rather than hearing about why people are voting for Obama, I thought Id give people the opportunity to sound off on why they are voting for Obama or McCain. The only rule is that you cant say anything negative about the opposing candidate and you cant say, "because candidate X doesnt do Y". No reasons related to the current President either. I want to know why a candidate has your support and I want details.

Hopefully Rick at SFDB will put this in the morning Sift to generate some answers. Perhaps he could get things rolling?

Media Mind Control

Ive been seeing a lot of commercials and videos for the Presidential race lately and, while most are pretty funny and entertaining, its getting to be too much. In fact, there is a Obama commercial on right now - the one where they talk about McCain the whole time and how he voted w/ Bush 90% of the time.

I just hope people dont rely on videos, late night humorous talk shows, and commercials like this to help them make their decision before they hit the polls. The media is the worse part of this election. All the sound clips are edited together to provide a one-sided view of a candidate's faults and this can be done by both sides. All it does is tap into emotions and emotions lead to uneducated and miscalculated decisions. In the case of the commercial that was just on, its the "I HATE BUSH and McCain is just like him!" emotion.

Instead of spewing this crap day in and day out, Id rather hear about a candidate's position on the issues over and over and over again. This is campaigning positively. This is empowering people. These are the things that should be engraved into people's minds, not who a candidate associates or associated with, what church they go to, what allowance they have for clothing, or how many houses they have. The media is the most powerful distributor of information in this country, yet it is more likely for the average person to hear what color suit Obama wore to a rally than what his position on immigration is.

Dont fall for it. Go out and do your own research on the issues that matter to you. Confucius said, "Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may not remember, involve me and I will understand." Get an understanding of what position each candidate takes. Realize you are not going to like either candidate 100% and use all of this information to help you make an educated and informed decision. You only get one vote every 4 years and its your responsibility to make sure it counts.

In related news, I tried to get my vote on today in Coconut Grove but I got there around 330p and they closed at 3p. D'oh...

READ A BOOK!

This should get those kids reading in no time! Warning: Explicit lyrics

Lots of art goin down

On the 2nd Saturday of the month, the Miami Design and Wynwood districts hold an event called Art + Design. Basically all of the galleries stay open late and offer snacks and bevvies while flocks of people peruse their wares. I got my art fix in a few different flavors.

The first came in the form of a delicious smattering of cured meats and veggies at Fratelli Lyon. I eat at Michael's on a regular and have always wanted to break out and give this place a shot so I was glad to get the chance, even if it was just for a snack. They have a nice selection of wines by the glass and bottle. I opted for a pinot nero. She went with a viognier. Both were good. We ordered the salumi misti, a 3-way combo of prosciutto di parma, bresaola, and speck that we selected from their selection of about 10 or so meats. When it arrived on a nice wooden board with a little cup of olives, a few other people at the bar got excited. Salty cured meat rules like that. The prosciutto was my favorite but all were good. We switched back and forth from the meats to a plate of asparagus and white beans that was refreshingly tasty.

Next we visited the various galleries up and down 39th and 40th street, admiring paintings, furniture, glass, and other mixed media. Lots of cool stuff to be seen and purchased if the price is right. My favorite part of the night, however, was taking in a few short films at Enea Garden Lounge. Nothing wrong with free short flicks and cocktails while lounging in a zen garden. I got a nice laugh out of one short about a guy whose keyboard could "undo" past actions every time he hit "ctrl-z".

The art isnt confined to the galleries though. Beautiful women were everywhere, company included of course. It was buffet of nationalities, personalities, and style. Very sexy. Our group headed over to the Vagabond to wrap up the night with some music and cocktails. I hadnt been before but Id read about it. Very cool place. The DJ(s) kicked ass and they even had a few of my favorite bourbons on hand. Great end to a great night.

This was the first time I really got to experience Art + Design. Its something different and a nice break from the norm. Kinda serves as a little reminder of why I like living down here, if only for the walk outside on a beautiful night with fun friends and the rest of the beautiful people.

Random

- Ive always wondered if pro sports players are superstitious to the point where they think that the actions of the crowd can jinx the team. For example, a crowd chanting the "Nah-nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye!" song before the game is over only to have their team choke and lose in the end. I wonder if teammates say to eachother, "Oh, the crowd totally jinxed the game!", after the loss. Im a firm believer in the crowd jinx. It can totally bury a team. Maybe its cuz Im a Red Sox fan and we've been bred not to be overly confident in ANY situation. I also believe in the announcer jinx and that one is one of the worst. Whenever a pivotal point in the game comes up and the announcers find obscure stats to use as talking points, those talking points usually get blown out of the water. For example, "Gomez is 0-33 against Beckett at home when the temperature is warmer than 84 degrees", and then Gomez hits a homer on the next pitch. The announcer jinx is the kiss of death.

- I think Bon Jovi and John COUGAR Mellencamp (damn right Im not dropping the "Cougar"!!!) are in a "Who Can Come Up With The Most Patriotic Songs To Be Played During Montages For Championship Sports Programs" contest...

- Landed in MIA today and taxied right by Air Force One. That thing is effin HUGE. MIA was CHAOS this afternoon. It was funny because with Air Force One in town along with Dubya, security at MIA was lazier than ever. While I waited for the Fast Park Shuttle, there was a car that was parked at Terminal D with no one in it for at least 15 minutes. No concern from any MIA security cops. This thing couldve been loaded with explosives and easily taken out 500 people or more. Just another day at MIA.

- Speaking of Fast Park... This is THE BEST place to park if you are flying out of MIA. Its right off LeJeune, adjacent to the airport. $8/day ($7 if you have AAA) and they have a "frequent parker" program that gives you a freebie for every 10 parking stays. The shuttle is constantly moving so there is no waiting time when you need to get to the airport or when you return and you can score covered parking too. In addition to the aforementioned awesomeness, they also give you a free ice cold bottle of water when you exit the lot! So many times Ive come home parched and needing some H-twenty and then remembered I had and ice cold one waiting for me in the parking lot. Oh Fast Park, how I love thee.

- The new Terminal D at MIA is semi-operable but my past 3 flights on American (who pwns Terminal D) have been in/out of Terminal E. Terminal E is the International Terminal and it blows. No food/drink options at all. But, shitty Terminal aside, there has been one MEGA IMPROVEMENT at MIA and thats at the baggage claim. I used to have to wait about 40-45 minutes on average for my bags at MIA and the past 3 trips theyve come out in less than 15 minutes! Thats heaven in Samsonite form right there!

- Michaels Genuine Food & Drink fuckin rules. If you love food and havent been there, you dont love food. Nuff said.

- Rays just got SO EFFIN LUCKY that Youk's liner bounced out of play for a Ground Rule Double. If not, Pedroia scores and its 1-0 Sox...

- The Election is Almost Over!!!

Airline woes continue...

I do most of my travel out of MIA because its 10 minutes from my house. They also have the best satellite parking lot (Fast Park just off of LeJeune) in the country, period. I could write a whole post on Fast Park, its that damn good. My biggest complaint about MIA is that waiting for baggage takes an INSANE amount of time but my last 2 flights in have had abnormally quick baggage service so Im hoping thats a new trend.

Praises and complaints aside, as our petro prices continue to rise or remain overpriced, our travel options begin to dwindle one by one. I read an article today about the reduction of flights at nationwide airports. THe article contained this link that listed all of the reductions for each airport by percentage.

I was amazed by how many airports around the country are reducing flights. Its pretty much all of them. One stood out though... Guess who the only one in the top 50 is that has grown in the past year? Yup, its MIA. Up 4% since one year ago while all others are down except for New Orleans who is even. In the top 100, there are only 9 who are up or even and Miami is the only one that I would consider a mainstream airport. The others are all off the beaten path like Portland (ME), Burlington (VT), and Guam.

The past few times Ive been to Vegas, Ive been surprised by how dead it is at the airport. In the past Id waited up to 45 minutes in a cab line in 100 degree weather. The past 2 trips I was in a cab in less than 10 minutes. So, its no surprise that they have had reductions in flights there. I have to go out there in November and January and both tickets were $400 roundtrip which is a definite rise over the last year.

Its funny how we see the price of a barrel of oil shoot up and take our gas prices up with it but then when it comes back down our gas prices stay the same. Something aint right here...