Right now, I feel as if our country and its citizens have been sucked into a modern day Civil War. Instead of a difference of opinion on slavery, we're battling each other about who is best qualified to run (and hopefully save) our country. Its really sad when you think about it. This is why I hate American politics. While it is the greatest freedom that a US citizen could ever have, at the same time, it pits neighbor versus neighbor, boss versus employee, man versus woman, adult versus child, and the list goes on.
Well, Ive been trying to be as open-minded as possible while searching for a reason to vote for either McCain or Obama for a few months now. Ive traveled all over the country and listened to opinions from people in states that largely support each candidate. Ive listened to the opinions of the rich, the poor, business owners, and average joes. Ive watched the RNC and DNC pep rallys, Ive read news reports, and Ive tried to buy into each party's plan.
The simple fact of the matter is that as much as Ive tried to buy into the Republican plan and John McCain, I simply cant. My decision has been made and Im voting for Obama.
I just dont like hardly anything McCain or his party stands for after the past 8 years of driving this country straight into the ground. The scare tactics have gotten quite old too. Im not afraid of what might happen to the economy if Obama gets elected because, quite frankly, it really doesnt get much worse than it is right now. I dont like the parading of Sarah Palin as some sort of great candidate for VP, period. She lacks experience, has admitted she doesnt know what a VP does, and uses the same speech over and over again. She's a robot, a pawn, and an attempt at wooing the votes of certain segments of the population. The sad part is that there are plenty of people in this country who are feeble-minded enough to fall for this crap. Same thing with Johnny Mac. While I commend him for fighting for my freedom and thank him for enduring what he went through, I really dont see that as a reason to vote him into office. I admired that he shied away from the typical Republican bashing of an opponents non-political-related shortcomings during his RNC speech. But again, that is no reason to vote him into office. Im not afraid that Obama "lacks experience" because so does McCain. He's never been President either. I feel like the Republicans have finally showed their true colors and are trying to find ways to influence voters that have absolutely no relevance to the task at hand which is restoring this country to its former glory.
The man for the job is Obama. The guy cares about people and the overall state of this country on multiple levels. He has ran the gauntlet of the political process like a running back determined to reach the endzone, stiff-arming would-be tacklers who hurl themselves at his legs trying to cut him down with personal attacks. With each hit he presses on, determined to reach the endzone and understanding that without the help of everyone else on his team that he will end up a yard short of the goal line or possibly more. We as a country need a guy like this and Im saying this as someone who at first didnt find him appealing at all as a candidate. After doing more research, I can say that Im on board with Team Obama and I look forward to him ending this Civil War.
Im going to end this again with a quote I used previously from the late Shannon Hoon:
"AS THE FUTURE BEHOLDS, OUR LIVES WILL UNFOLD. WE WILL ALL GROW TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT... A TEAM. AS TIME PASSES I WILL FEEL I HAVE BROTHERS TO LOOK OVER ME. AS I WILL WATCH OVER THEM. FOR WITHOUT EACH OTHER THE FUTURE WILL HOLD NOTHING. BUT WITH A TEAM LIKE US THE FUTURE IS OURS."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Gettin political... First Blood, Part Deux
Ok, its RNC time and Palin is about to come on to give her speech. So far, we've seen nothing but talk about her being "attacked" and some Obama bashing by other Reps. I addressed this in my summary of the DNC and I think its a fuckin waste of time and an insult to the intelligence of the average American citizen. I DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE FAULTS OF A PARTICULAR CANDIDATE!!! Tell me about your plan to address the serious issues that are plaguing our country for cryin out loud! This petty back and forth about the personal issues associated with each candidate is really old and pathetic.
T. Boone Pickens in tha house! I like this guy's plan for energy independence. The only thing Im skeptical about is that he is all about "drill, drill, drill". He admits that is not the solution though. I love the idea of wind farming and focusing on American-owned energy sources. I also love the idea of using natural gas to replace foreign oil. Pickens is no dummy and I respect a guy who made his millions in the oil business promoting other fuel resources.
Whoa, the panelists (I have no idea who they are) are going nuts. Two guys are battling back and forth about the media and Obama vs the media and McCain. If you ask me, the media blows. Since this is Fox News, most of these guys are saying Palin is gonna give a killer speech. From the looks at the crowd, these people are here to party. Theyre dancing like idiots in the crowd and acting like theyre at a rock concert. Its pretty funny.
(BTW, little side note here. They opened the RNC with a prayer and all that religious/god related stuff. I absolutely condemn this as a part of politics. Its brainwashing if you ask me. It tells people that they arent really Christian if they dont believe what so-and-so candidate believes and its a bunch of bullshit. Church and state are and should remain separate!)
Whats that!?!?! Its Rudy Guiliani's entrance music! God I hate this douchebag. Good news is that he's 3 sentences into his speech and he hasnt uttered "9/11" yet. He has announced that if he couldnt win that he would support McCain and he still does. Thats great Rudy. A couple cheesy smiles and "America!" followed by "USA!" chants make this RNC seem worse than a Giants or Jets game. Wow, Im surprised at this next segment. RG says that both candidates have great job applications and are very patriotic. He does this without bashing Obama. I respect that. He talks about Obama saying that McCain is a hero for his sacrifice. Wow, I never knew McCain was a POW... Break out the violins, folks.
First Obama diss... He was a community organizer in Chicago "machine politics", followed by a bunch of "boooo!"'s and him harping on Obama not being able to make decisions. Valid point, I guess. I cant comment on this guy's speech anymore because I hate this guy so much that Im biased. But, I have to say this. So far, RG hasnt said anything about McCain except that he was a POW. The rest of the speech is all about Obama and his potential shortcomings. Makes no sense to me. I dont want to hear about why I shouldnt vote for someone. Tell me why I should vote for someone else.
Wow, now a "drill baby, drill" chant is going on. I cant believe they can pack so many simple minded individuals into one building and Guiliani is there to cheer them on like the giant douche that he is. DOUBLE WOW! Now RG is saying that Dems are afraid to say "Islamic Terrorist" and he has a problem with that. Who are they offending? The Islamic Terrorists! Wait a minute! There it is! The first 9/11 babble! Now he's on a role, tossing out names like Al Queda and Bin Laden. Go Rudy, go! Fast forward a little bit and now RG is insulting Obama by saying Palin is not "Cosmopolitan enough" because she was a mayor of a small town. Oh, and he's acted like a total ham to the camera about being a mayor too. THis is why I hate this guy. He is an actor and actors cant be trusted. He continues with his hype of Palin saying that she even attacked corruption in the Republican party...in Alaska! Then he uses his first "Maverick" talking point. Now RG points to the Dems asking about if she will have time to attend to her family and be VP. I dont recall this ever coming up, but RG uses this to point out that a MAN would never have this questioned. Nice ploy for the woman vote, RG. Man, I think I need to erase having heard this speech from my brain because it was horrible in my opinion. 95% of that has to do with me hating Rudy Giuliani. The other 5% is because he is an actor and plays to a crowd.
Ok, its Palin time! No one had heard of this woman a month ago but now having her on the ticket is like getting to draft Ladanian Tomlinson in a fantasy football league. I have to say that I see a Tina Fey/SNL skit in the future haha. Ok, she is finally gonna say something besides, "Thank you, thank you so much." The crowd finally shut up.
Palin accepts the challenge of being VP and acknowledges that McCain has fought thru much harder challenges and then shows that she knows his middle initial! She plays the "he never gave up, even when people said he was done for" card and I think she does it well. This woman is a pretty good speaker and I like the passion she exhibits in talking about the candidate she is supporting. Then she casually throws out that she is a mother of a boy who is headed off to Iraq, along with her nephew. Great play there. I have to admire her tact and her family members who are fighting for our freedom. Ok, here is the daughter reference followed by the daughters standing and waving, and then a reference to her husband and baby. She's hammering the "family" point here and talking about "special needs" kids. Its a great tactic but then she goes overboard I think... She says that if they are elected that people with special needs kids will have an advocate in the White House. That is just silly to me and reminds me of being in 6th grade when the kid running for class president would make promises for things like a jukebox in the cafeteria. Now some husband hype, making sure to note that he is associated with the oil rigs, then talking about the 5 kids without getting divorced. Congrats to that, blah. Some pandering to the women voters is up next followed by a cameo for her parents and some of her parents background. Another great tactic by Palin - hyping up the families of "middle America, who grow our food and fight in our wars." This chick is a great speaker and knows how to work a room. I like that. (and for all the people who get offended by me referring to women as "chicks", get over it. Women are chicks and men are dudes in my vocab. Lighten up.) Now some "hockey mom" banter with a joke thrown in. All of this is painting a great picture of her as an "everyday woman, everyday American, just like the rest of us".
Ahhhh... The first Obama bash. "A small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer except you have actual responsibilities." She follows it up by basically calling Obama two-faced and saying McCain is the same man everywhere. I see a tad bit of validity here but all she is doing is pointing out politickin'. Finally, we here the token line that the Fox News douchebags were fawning over in the pregame speech that responds to all the negative media attention - "Im not going to Washington to gain the media's approval, Im going for the American people!"
I like that she points out that she ousted the governor's private jet and chef and gave oil earnings back to the people of her state. Corruption in government is something that really hits home with me after living in Miami and watching this city be raped by government greed day after day. I also like the point about spending $40M on a CNG pipeline to lead the country towards energy independence. This is another big point for me. Oops, now she is harping on laying pipeline and drilling for oil while boosting wind, coal, and solar power. Im not a fan of drilling. We need to tell oil to go fuck itself and move on. Its like that shitty girlfriend that treats you like shit and leaches off you but you put up with it cuz she is a wild banshee in the sack.
Ouch, she just nailed Obama... She pointed to him authoring 2 memoirs but not a single law in the Senate. Then another bash about victory on the campaign front instead of in a war. I didnt get that really and the crowd didnt either. Now she's kinda gone off the deep end with speculation about Obama's plan that doesnt really make sense. Its typical politics though and I find it to be silly. She's harping on taxes now and its more speculation and pandering to people who havent researched the facts, making it sound like we're all screwed which isnt true. The tax question could be debated all day long and Im no true expert on it so I wont pretend I am. However, I have done a little research and dont think Obama's tax policies are the end of the world, at least not for the average American. Maybe for the rich though.
Im gonna end this here after hearing more POW references and "organizer" disses. Its pretty much over. I guess my running diary of the RNC is a little unfair because not only did I not really care when I did the DNC diary but I also only covered the opening acts. Had I done this for Biden's speech it mightve been more fair. I also couldve done some better coverage at the DNC, but again, I covered the C-team.
Overall, I hated Giuliani's speech and I have to tip my cap to Palin. She did a great job fighting for the candidate she supports. I didnt agree with everything she said and I didnt care for some of the personal attacks and/or defenses but I thought she put together a good speech and showed that she can play the politics game pretty well.
T. Boone Pickens in tha house! I like this guy's plan for energy independence. The only thing Im skeptical about is that he is all about "drill, drill, drill". He admits that is not the solution though. I love the idea of wind farming and focusing on American-owned energy sources. I also love the idea of using natural gas to replace foreign oil. Pickens is no dummy and I respect a guy who made his millions in the oil business promoting other fuel resources.
Whoa, the panelists (I have no idea who they are) are going nuts. Two guys are battling back and forth about the media and Obama vs the media and McCain. If you ask me, the media blows. Since this is Fox News, most of these guys are saying Palin is gonna give a killer speech. From the looks at the crowd, these people are here to party. Theyre dancing like idiots in the crowd and acting like theyre at a rock concert. Its pretty funny.
(BTW, little side note here. They opened the RNC with a prayer and all that religious/god related stuff. I absolutely condemn this as a part of politics. Its brainwashing if you ask me. It tells people that they arent really Christian if they dont believe what so-and-so candidate believes and its a bunch of bullshit. Church and state are and should remain separate!)
Whats that!?!?! Its Rudy Guiliani's entrance music! God I hate this douchebag. Good news is that he's 3 sentences into his speech and he hasnt uttered "9/11" yet. He has announced that if he couldnt win that he would support McCain and he still does. Thats great Rudy. A couple cheesy smiles and "America!" followed by "USA!" chants make this RNC seem worse than a Giants or Jets game. Wow, Im surprised at this next segment. RG says that both candidates have great job applications and are very patriotic. He does this without bashing Obama. I respect that. He talks about Obama saying that McCain is a hero for his sacrifice. Wow, I never knew McCain was a POW... Break out the violins, folks.
First Obama diss... He was a community organizer in Chicago "machine politics", followed by a bunch of "boooo!"'s and him harping on Obama not being able to make decisions. Valid point, I guess. I cant comment on this guy's speech anymore because I hate this guy so much that Im biased. But, I have to say this. So far, RG hasnt said anything about McCain except that he was a POW. The rest of the speech is all about Obama and his potential shortcomings. Makes no sense to me. I dont want to hear about why I shouldnt vote for someone. Tell me why I should vote for someone else.
Wow, now a "drill baby, drill" chant is going on. I cant believe they can pack so many simple minded individuals into one building and Guiliani is there to cheer them on like the giant douche that he is. DOUBLE WOW! Now RG is saying that Dems are afraid to say "Islamic Terrorist" and he has a problem with that. Who are they offending? The Islamic Terrorists! Wait a minute! There it is! The first 9/11 babble! Now he's on a role, tossing out names like Al Queda and Bin Laden. Go Rudy, go! Fast forward a little bit and now RG is insulting Obama by saying Palin is not "Cosmopolitan enough" because she was a mayor of a small town. Oh, and he's acted like a total ham to the camera about being a mayor too. THis is why I hate this guy. He is an actor and actors cant be trusted. He continues with his hype of Palin saying that she even attacked corruption in the Republican party...in Alaska! Then he uses his first "Maverick" talking point. Now RG points to the Dems asking about if she will have time to attend to her family and be VP. I dont recall this ever coming up, but RG uses this to point out that a MAN would never have this questioned. Nice ploy for the woman vote, RG. Man, I think I need to erase having heard this speech from my brain because it was horrible in my opinion. 95% of that has to do with me hating Rudy Giuliani. The other 5% is because he is an actor and plays to a crowd.
Ok, its Palin time! No one had heard of this woman a month ago but now having her on the ticket is like getting to draft Ladanian Tomlinson in a fantasy football league. I have to say that I see a Tina Fey/SNL skit in the future haha. Ok, she is finally gonna say something besides, "Thank you, thank you so much." The crowd finally shut up.
Palin accepts the challenge of being VP and acknowledges that McCain has fought thru much harder challenges and then shows that she knows his middle initial! She plays the "he never gave up, even when people said he was done for" card and I think she does it well. This woman is a pretty good speaker and I like the passion she exhibits in talking about the candidate she is supporting. Then she casually throws out that she is a mother of a boy who is headed off to Iraq, along with her nephew. Great play there. I have to admire her tact and her family members who are fighting for our freedom. Ok, here is the daughter reference followed by the daughters standing and waving, and then a reference to her husband and baby. She's hammering the "family" point here and talking about "special needs" kids. Its a great tactic but then she goes overboard I think... She says that if they are elected that people with special needs kids will have an advocate in the White House. That is just silly to me and reminds me of being in 6th grade when the kid running for class president would make promises for things like a jukebox in the cafeteria. Now some husband hype, making sure to note that he is associated with the oil rigs, then talking about the 5 kids without getting divorced. Congrats to that, blah. Some pandering to the women voters is up next followed by a cameo for her parents and some of her parents background. Another great tactic by Palin - hyping up the families of "middle America, who grow our food and fight in our wars." This chick is a great speaker and knows how to work a room. I like that. (and for all the people who get offended by me referring to women as "chicks", get over it. Women are chicks and men are dudes in my vocab. Lighten up.) Now some "hockey mom" banter with a joke thrown in. All of this is painting a great picture of her as an "everyday woman, everyday American, just like the rest of us".
Ahhhh... The first Obama bash. "A small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer except you have actual responsibilities." She follows it up by basically calling Obama two-faced and saying McCain is the same man everywhere. I see a tad bit of validity here but all she is doing is pointing out politickin'. Finally, we here the token line that the Fox News douchebags were fawning over in the pregame speech that responds to all the negative media attention - "Im not going to Washington to gain the media's approval, Im going for the American people!"
I like that she points out that she ousted the governor's private jet and chef and gave oil earnings back to the people of her state. Corruption in government is something that really hits home with me after living in Miami and watching this city be raped by government greed day after day. I also like the point about spending $40M on a CNG pipeline to lead the country towards energy independence. This is another big point for me. Oops, now she is harping on laying pipeline and drilling for oil while boosting wind, coal, and solar power. Im not a fan of drilling. We need to tell oil to go fuck itself and move on. Its like that shitty girlfriend that treats you like shit and leaches off you but you put up with it cuz she is a wild banshee in the sack.
Ouch, she just nailed Obama... She pointed to him authoring 2 memoirs but not a single law in the Senate. Then another bash about victory on the campaign front instead of in a war. I didnt get that really and the crowd didnt either. Now she's kinda gone off the deep end with speculation about Obama's plan that doesnt really make sense. Its typical politics though and I find it to be silly. She's harping on taxes now and its more speculation and pandering to people who havent researched the facts, making it sound like we're all screwed which isnt true. The tax question could be debated all day long and Im no true expert on it so I wont pretend I am. However, I have done a little research and dont think Obama's tax policies are the end of the world, at least not for the average American. Maybe for the rich though.
Im gonna end this here after hearing more POW references and "organizer" disses. Its pretty much over. I guess my running diary of the RNC is a little unfair because not only did I not really care when I did the DNC diary but I also only covered the opening acts. Had I done this for Biden's speech it mightve been more fair. I also couldve done some better coverage at the DNC, but again, I covered the C-team.
Overall, I hated Giuliani's speech and I have to tip my cap to Palin. She did a great job fighting for the candidate she supports. I didnt agree with everything she said and I didnt care for some of the personal attacks and/or defenses but I thought she put together a good speech and showed that she can play the politics game pretty well.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Gettin political...
Sometimes, I dont even know who I am anymore. Im actually watching politics on TV!! Right now! Seriously!
I figured that the DNC would be a good way to get a better understanding of where Obama stands since I hadnt really gave a crap before. I dont know who Im gonna vote for, but dammit, Im gonna vote. Why? Because its an American freedom and Im all about stuff like that. Here are my thoughts on the DNC based on who Ive seen so far. Please keep in mind that I still hate politics and thus dont know who was saying what so I will just describe them as best I can.
Leggy blonde lady - This is the first speaker I saw and what a welcome mat. She sucked. To me her whole speech, spoken in a very Hilary-like voice, went like this:
"John McCain doenst know how many houses he has!"
"John McCain isnt a 'sidekick', he's a groupie!" (referring to relationship w/ Bush)
"John McCain (insert belittling comment here)!"
It just really sucked. She really didnt say much about Obama at all. F-minus for this chick.
Next up was a dude that is or was the Mayor of Denver or something like that. This guy's speech was great I thought. He really pounded the point of focusing on America and whats going on here and coming together as a team. He talked about how they had shitty pollution and how everyone from the top down made a change and turned everything around in Denver with less pollution, more public transportation, etc. It showed that we can turn around our current situation too. This guy ruled.
The next lady was an old lady who thought it would be funny to start off by acknowledging that she was old. It wasnt. Her speech, however, was pretty good. She got shafted at a job and was getting less pay than men of equal status. She sued and won but then lost an appeal in the US Supreme Court. That sucks. This didnt really do anything for me on a political vote level though because outside of the sob story, I really dont remember what her whole point was. She also bashed McCain too and I hate that crap. I do remember that she touched upon the solidarity and focusing on America points though so I give her an average grade.
We next were treated to some time with Michelle Obama talking about her speech the other night. She seemed pretty cool and collected about the whole thing. Her and Barack just seem like regular people to me. Like the type of people who you would meet at a function and have a couple cocktails and a little conversation with.
Then a mayor or governor of Montana came out. This guy was funny when he started trying to get the crowd fired up and they responded. It was like when Hulk Hogan used to start twirling his wrist and putting it to his ear on each side of the ring to get the crowd fired up. I kept waiting for this Montana guy to leg drop someone. It did harp on the "lets work together" mantra, but there wasnt much else that was too memorable. Because of his antics, I give him an above average score.
Now Chelsea Clinton is up on the stage. I gotta be honest, for a chick that used to look like she was severly beaten with the ugly stick, she aint bad lookin now. I suspect science gets a thank you there. She intros her mom (and hero). Awww...
Hilary comes out and starts talking like a robot. Im so thankful that she isnt going to be President, just for this reason alone not because of anything to do with political views. She does give a pretty killer speech though. She even made fun of herself by referring to her "pant suits" and that was actually funny. It showed humility too and I liked that. Then she went off on a robotic tirade, endorsing Bar-ack O-ba-ma and getting really fired up about America. She was feeding off the crowd and they kept cutting to shots of a proud Chelsea, an applauding Michelle Obama, and even big Billy clapping and loving it. I really liked the part where she basically said to her supporters, "Were you just voting for me or are you voting for the country? If youre for the country, vote for Obama." It was a great speech and focused, again, on working together to build America back up again and stop relying on foreign sources.
I think (hope) this is the end because I really dont wanna watch anymore. I now owe it to myself to watch the Republicans do their thing so if anyone knows when that is, please let me know. Im too lazy and dont give a crap about politics enough to actually find it myself. The only reason I watched the DNC is because there was nothing else on after Family Guy ended.
All in all, I liked what I saw and heard from the DNC. It reminded me of the words the late Shannon Hoon, formerly of the band Blind Melon:
"AS THE FUTURE BEHOLDS, OUR LIVES WILL UNFOLD. WE WILL ALL GROW TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT... A TEAM. AS TIME PASSES I WILL FEEL I HAVE BROTHERS TO LOOK OVER ME. AS I WILL WATCH OVER THEM. FOR WITHOUT EACH OTHER THE FUTURE WILL HOLD NOTHING. BUT WITH A TEAM LIKE US THE FUTURE IS OURS."
I figured that the DNC would be a good way to get a better understanding of where Obama stands since I hadnt really gave a crap before. I dont know who Im gonna vote for, but dammit, Im gonna vote. Why? Because its an American freedom and Im all about stuff like that. Here are my thoughts on the DNC based on who Ive seen so far. Please keep in mind that I still hate politics and thus dont know who was saying what so I will just describe them as best I can.
Leggy blonde lady - This is the first speaker I saw and what a welcome mat. She sucked. To me her whole speech, spoken in a very Hilary-like voice, went like this:
"John McCain doenst know how many houses he has!"
"John McCain isnt a 'sidekick', he's a groupie!" (referring to relationship w/ Bush)
"John McCain (insert belittling comment here)!"
It just really sucked. She really didnt say much about Obama at all. F-minus for this chick.
Next up was a dude that is or was the Mayor of Denver or something like that. This guy's speech was great I thought. He really pounded the point of focusing on America and whats going on here and coming together as a team. He talked about how they had shitty pollution and how everyone from the top down made a change and turned everything around in Denver with less pollution, more public transportation, etc. It showed that we can turn around our current situation too. This guy ruled.
The next lady was an old lady who thought it would be funny to start off by acknowledging that she was old. It wasnt. Her speech, however, was pretty good. She got shafted at a job and was getting less pay than men of equal status. She sued and won but then lost an appeal in the US Supreme Court. That sucks. This didnt really do anything for me on a political vote level though because outside of the sob story, I really dont remember what her whole point was. She also bashed McCain too and I hate that crap. I do remember that she touched upon the solidarity and focusing on America points though so I give her an average grade.
We next were treated to some time with Michelle Obama talking about her speech the other night. She seemed pretty cool and collected about the whole thing. Her and Barack just seem like regular people to me. Like the type of people who you would meet at a function and have a couple cocktails and a little conversation with.
Then a mayor or governor of Montana came out. This guy was funny when he started trying to get the crowd fired up and they responded. It was like when Hulk Hogan used to start twirling his wrist and putting it to his ear on each side of the ring to get the crowd fired up. I kept waiting for this Montana guy to leg drop someone. It did harp on the "lets work together" mantra, but there wasnt much else that was too memorable. Because of his antics, I give him an above average score.
Now Chelsea Clinton is up on the stage. I gotta be honest, for a chick that used to look like she was severly beaten with the ugly stick, she aint bad lookin now. I suspect science gets a thank you there. She intros her mom (and hero). Awww...
Hilary comes out and starts talking like a robot. Im so thankful that she isnt going to be President, just for this reason alone not because of anything to do with political views. She does give a pretty killer speech though. She even made fun of herself by referring to her "pant suits" and that was actually funny. It showed humility too and I liked that. Then she went off on a robotic tirade, endorsing Bar-ack O-ba-ma and getting really fired up about America. She was feeding off the crowd and they kept cutting to shots of a proud Chelsea, an applauding Michelle Obama, and even big Billy clapping and loving it. I really liked the part where she basically said to her supporters, "Were you just voting for me or are you voting for the country? If youre for the country, vote for Obama." It was a great speech and focused, again, on working together to build America back up again and stop relying on foreign sources.
I think (hope) this is the end because I really dont wanna watch anymore. I now owe it to myself to watch the Republicans do their thing so if anyone knows when that is, please let me know. Im too lazy and dont give a crap about politics enough to actually find it myself. The only reason I watched the DNC is because there was nothing else on after Family Guy ended.
All in all, I liked what I saw and heard from the DNC. It reminded me of the words the late Shannon Hoon, formerly of the band Blind Melon:
"AS THE FUTURE BEHOLDS, OUR LIVES WILL UNFOLD. WE WILL ALL GROW TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT... A TEAM. AS TIME PASSES I WILL FEEL I HAVE BROTHERS TO LOOK OVER ME. AS I WILL WATCH OVER THEM. FOR WITHOUT EACH OTHER THE FUTURE WILL HOLD NOTHING. BUT WITH A TEAM LIKE US THE FUTURE IS OURS."
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Body Damage - a week in review
The Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics are winding down, a great ending to a somewhat crazy week.
Monday and Tuesday were "storm days", our first sight of a potential hurricane. As usual, the media acted like the end of the world was coming in order to get people to flood their local Publix, Wal-Mart, and Home Depots.
Wednesday, I met up with a buddy at Tatu sushi at the Hard Rock where we downed some of what I like to call "base food" before heading into the Stone Temple Pilots concert where I proceeded to put on a beer drinking clinic. The show kicked major ass. Scott Weiland sounded unbelievably good and didnt seem strung out on drugs at all. Maybe there is a direct relationship here? They played a lot of classics and managed to play at least one song from each album. Then they came out with an encore of Dead & Bloated with the entire crowd singing along. I was 10 beers deep at that point, double-fisted Heineken's throughout the entire show. Yeah. The show ended and we headed to a few bars where I proceeded to drink another 3 bourbons and pick up a few new friends to drunkenly makeout with. My buddy bailed and I ended up eating at some obscure diner with the ladies in Ihavenoclue, FL at 3am. Around 3:30am I started to head home and that was a really dumb idea. I got home ok and drove fine but I was really lucky. I put myself on "timeout" on Thursday.
Thursday I was hurtin but I hid it well. I had to drive to meet with a few customers and it was a long day. McDonald's at 2pm saved my life that day I think. It was still a very rough day. Meetings went well but I wouldnt have minded if I was at my house in my bed. Im getting too old for this shit. That night, I met up with a friend and his girlfriend at MGFD. We dined outside in the middle of a monsoon but we managed to stay dry and the food was great. They have a nice bourbon selection there so its a little hard to resist. I managed to limit myself to 2 though, until I got home and threw a few more back, finding myself kinda drunk again for no reason whatsoever. I start to think I have a drinking problem at this point.
Speaking of drinking problems... Friday I headed up to West Palm to hang out with my cousin and his fiance since it had been awhile. We went to a party at their neighbor's house that got way out of hand. We had picked up a bottle of Basil Hayden, my favorite, and then proceeded to drink the entire bottle. Then the Bacardi 151 made an appearance along with a bonfire. Uh oh... We had one of the girls blowing fire and dousing the fire pit with glasses of it as well. This was hilarious and naturally we had to go and get a huge bag full of fireworks to throw into this inferno. We lit up some cubans and enjoyed a nice smoke while tossing fireworks into the fire pit, about 150 at a time. There are few things in life that beat bourbon, cigars, and drunken pyrotechnics.
Saturday I woke up and didnt know where I was for a second. Kinda common because I travel a ton but weird nonetheless. Much to my surprise, I had zero hangover. I figured my body was probably used to being 50% bourbon at this point. Around 1130am, we headed out to go pick up some ammo to go trap shooting. After buying some ammo and grabbing a much needed bite, we headed to the range. I had never shot before. I will admit Im not a fan of guns and I did experience some anxiety once we got there and got ready to shoot. After getting a walkthru, we started shooting some clay pigeons. I nailed one on my first shot and was hooked. It was awesome. I got better and better as we went along too. The gun didnt have the recoil I thought it would and we shot both 12 and 20 gauge. The only part about the whole day that sucked was that it POURED rain all day. The rain pounded down, only letting up long enough to lure us out away from shelter where Mother Nature would have a chance to soak us to the bone. I ended up buying a shirt and hat because I was drenched and figured I should grab a souvenir anyways. When I got home, I headed into the Grove to Jaguarto grab a bite and enjoy a few bourbons. Met some cool people and had a good amount of "base food" and then met up with some neighbors at Sandbar for a few beers. Around midnight I realized I was kinda wasted and needed to get up really early for the SFDB Classic so I headed home.
I woke up Sunday ready to hit the links. I got to Melreese/International Links around 745am and headed over to the range. Id hit my driver terribly the previous weekend and was hoping to work out the kinks since the driver is usually the best club in my bag. Well, I didnt figure it out. The driver killed me all day. I did manage to battle back on each hole though and ended up shooting a 93 which wasnt so bad considering I didnt make it past the ladies tee on at least 6 shots. Meeting up with Rick (from SFDB), Steve (formerly of Owenized), and Nonee Moose (commenter at SFDB) was fun. Rick was the only one who really played well but the rest of us had our few bright moments and there were a lot of laughs. I got home, showered quickly, and headed on over to the Rusty Pelican for brunch and managed to avoid drinking any alcohol.
The week ends with the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics, the best Olympics ever. I look back on a week where I did some not-so-bright things, a ton of damage to my body with alcohol, gunpowder, and golf, but it was a fun ride. I also met a lot of new people and thats always good. Next week is Labor Day weekend which means an extra day off. I can only imagine what is in store there...
Monday and Tuesday were "storm days", our first sight of a potential hurricane. As usual, the media acted like the end of the world was coming in order to get people to flood their local Publix, Wal-Mart, and Home Depots.
Wednesday, I met up with a buddy at Tatu sushi at the Hard Rock where we downed some of what I like to call "base food" before heading into the Stone Temple Pilots concert where I proceeded to put on a beer drinking clinic. The show kicked major ass. Scott Weiland sounded unbelievably good and didnt seem strung out on drugs at all. Maybe there is a direct relationship here? They played a lot of classics and managed to play at least one song from each album. Then they came out with an encore of Dead & Bloated with the entire crowd singing along. I was 10 beers deep at that point, double-fisted Heineken's throughout the entire show. Yeah. The show ended and we headed to a few bars where I proceeded to drink another 3 bourbons and pick up a few new friends to drunkenly makeout with. My buddy bailed and I ended up eating at some obscure diner with the ladies in Ihavenoclue, FL at 3am. Around 3:30am I started to head home and that was a really dumb idea. I got home ok and drove fine but I was really lucky. I put myself on "timeout" on Thursday.
Thursday I was hurtin but I hid it well. I had to drive to meet with a few customers and it was a long day. McDonald's at 2pm saved my life that day I think. It was still a very rough day. Meetings went well but I wouldnt have minded if I was at my house in my bed. Im getting too old for this shit. That night, I met up with a friend and his girlfriend at MGFD. We dined outside in the middle of a monsoon but we managed to stay dry and the food was great. They have a nice bourbon selection there so its a little hard to resist. I managed to limit myself to 2 though, until I got home and threw a few more back, finding myself kinda drunk again for no reason whatsoever. I start to think I have a drinking problem at this point.
Speaking of drinking problems... Friday I headed up to West Palm to hang out with my cousin and his fiance since it had been awhile. We went to a party at their neighbor's house that got way out of hand. We had picked up a bottle of Basil Hayden, my favorite, and then proceeded to drink the entire bottle. Then the Bacardi 151 made an appearance along with a bonfire. Uh oh... We had one of the girls blowing fire and dousing the fire pit with glasses of it as well. This was hilarious and naturally we had to go and get a huge bag full of fireworks to throw into this inferno. We lit up some cubans and enjoyed a nice smoke while tossing fireworks into the fire pit, about 150 at a time. There are few things in life that beat bourbon, cigars, and drunken pyrotechnics.
Saturday I woke up and didnt know where I was for a second. Kinda common because I travel a ton but weird nonetheless. Much to my surprise, I had zero hangover. I figured my body was probably used to being 50% bourbon at this point. Around 1130am, we headed out to go pick up some ammo to go trap shooting. After buying some ammo and grabbing a much needed bite, we headed to the range. I had never shot before. I will admit Im not a fan of guns and I did experience some anxiety once we got there and got ready to shoot. After getting a walkthru, we started shooting some clay pigeons. I nailed one on my first shot and was hooked. It was awesome. I got better and better as we went along too. The gun didnt have the recoil I thought it would and we shot both 12 and 20 gauge. The only part about the whole day that sucked was that it POURED rain all day. The rain pounded down, only letting up long enough to lure us out away from shelter where Mother Nature would have a chance to soak us to the bone. I ended up buying a shirt and hat because I was drenched and figured I should grab a souvenir anyways. When I got home, I headed into the Grove to Jaguarto grab a bite and enjoy a few bourbons. Met some cool people and had a good amount of "base food" and then met up with some neighbors at Sandbar for a few beers. Around midnight I realized I was kinda wasted and needed to get up really early for the SFDB Classic so I headed home.
I woke up Sunday ready to hit the links. I got to Melreese/International Links around 745am and headed over to the range. Id hit my driver terribly the previous weekend and was hoping to work out the kinks since the driver is usually the best club in my bag. Well, I didnt figure it out. The driver killed me all day. I did manage to battle back on each hole though and ended up shooting a 93 which wasnt so bad considering I didnt make it past the ladies tee on at least 6 shots. Meeting up with Rick (from SFDB), Steve (formerly of Owenized), and Nonee Moose (commenter at SFDB) was fun. Rick was the only one who really played well but the rest of us had our few bright moments and there were a lot of laughs. I got home, showered quickly, and headed on over to the Rusty Pelican for brunch and managed to avoid drinking any alcohol.
The week ends with the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics, the best Olympics ever. I look back on a week where I did some not-so-bright things, a ton of damage to my body with alcohol, gunpowder, and golf, but it was a fun ride. I also met a lot of new people and thats always good. Next week is Labor Day weekend which means an extra day off. I can only imagine what is in store there...
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tired of Texting
The era of texting is upon us and I am already sick of it. I first learned of the popularity of texting while over in Europe back in 2001. It hadnt really caught on in the US yet and wouldnt for some time so I remembered thinking it was weird and probably for people who couldnt afford the minutes to talk. Today it seems like everyone texts, probably because they do. At first, I liked it and thought it was convenient. But that was in situations like looking for someone at a bar or letting someone know your flight had landed. That is what texting is good for - a short notice or exchange of info.
Nowadays though I find myself getting into what I call "text conversations" with people and it really annoys me. I hate punching the damn buttons for multiple texts. Its just inconvenient. If we really need to have more than a 2-text exchange, why cant we just talk like normal humans? You know, just hit "send" and hash out whatever we are texting about in less than 2 minutes. Its so impersonal and cerebral. Then there are the people whose phone makes noise with every button pressed and every text sent and received. God, I loathe those people. They continue on with this for what seems like an eternity. "Beep beep-beep, beeeeeeeeep!"
I'm no exception either, well, except for the noise making part. However, Im weening myself off of the text message. I'm concentrating on keeping myself from falling into text conversations and when I see one forming I hit the send button and make a phone call instead. I like being a human, after all.
Nowadays though I find myself getting into what I call "text conversations" with people and it really annoys me. I hate punching the damn buttons for multiple texts. Its just inconvenient. If we really need to have more than a 2-text exchange, why cant we just talk like normal humans? You know, just hit "send" and hash out whatever we are texting about in less than 2 minutes. Its so impersonal and cerebral. Then there are the people whose phone makes noise with every button pressed and every text sent and received. God, I loathe those people. They continue on with this for what seems like an eternity. "Beep beep-beep, beeeeeeeeep!"
I'm no exception either, well, except for the noise making part. However, Im weening myself off of the text message. I'm concentrating on keeping myself from falling into text conversations and when I see one forming I hit the send button and make a phone call instead. I like being a human, after all.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Blind Mind to be featured on Fox News Dallas tonite at 6pm
Yup, thats right folks. Im scheduled to be on Fox News tonite in a piece about airline travel, airport traffic, and airport shopping. I basically talked about how Ive noticed a slight decline in airport traffic due to the higher ticket prices and Im loving it. Means less lines in security and less idiots in the airport. I also have noticed airlines cutting back on the number of flights which means flights are more full. The reporter also asked if I spend more/less money at the airport. I never buy crap at the airport outside of food/alcohol and most of the time Im in the 1st class lounges anyways. But, I did comment that I read up on how Best Buy is installing kiosks where travelers can buy MP3 players, etc, so clearly someone thinks people are still spending. For the record, I think this is a dumb idea. I just dont see it being profitable.
So, check out Fox 4 News Dallas tonite and you can see me live. A little gift for all of my fans who read this blog and live in Dallas. All zero of you haha.
So, check out Fox 4 News Dallas tonite and you can see me live. A little gift for all of my fans who read this blog and live in Dallas. All zero of you haha.
Wow, talk about your all-time worst ad campaign backfire
This is extremely disturbing but kinda hilarious at the same time...
TORONTO - Greyhound has scrapped an ad campaign that extolled the relaxing upside of bus travel after one of its passengers was accused of beheading and cannibalizing another traveler.
The ad's tag line was "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage.'"
More sick details here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080806/ap_on_re_ca/canada_bus_beheading
TORONTO - Greyhound has scrapped an ad campaign that extolled the relaxing upside of bus travel after one of its passengers was accused of beheading and cannibalizing another traveler.
The ad's tag line was "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage.'"
More sick details here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080806/ap_on_re_ca/canada_bus_beheading
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