Undressing on the bus

So, I just don't get it. It's cold outside, you're wearing a jacket. You get on the bus. You take off your jacket and the fleece you were wearing under it. Now you're in a short-sleeve t-shirt. You fold your clothes and place them under the seat.

I mean, sure, the bus is warm, but it's no sauna. I just don't get it...

Long Time

No see!

Looks like i haven't posted in over a month! Sorry about that for all of you waiting with baited breath.

What have I been up to? Let's see:

• We went to Ireland at the end of November to visit family and see everyone in Killarney.
• While we were there we left the kid with the family and went to Rome with Jeff and Mindi!
• Got snowed in by Snowpocalypse 2008! Sorry, no photos...
• Managed to drive to Idaho and spent Christmas with My dad, his wife and my grandmom.

Ireland was very nice, I've been there a many times now. Mostly spent time with the family hanging out. Not too much partying, though there were a couple good nights. It was way freaking cold, must be the dampness, but it's way colder than Seattle. We got to see everyone and see the neices and nephew.

Rome was great, we'd never been there and we saw a lot of great things. It's amazing to see all these things you see in movies and read about in books up close. It was also great to see and hang out with Jeff & Mindi, they are great travel companions for us (we hope they feel the same!). The thing that amazed me about Rome was the food was so great. Even when what I ordered wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was still very good. I kept saying that there was no where else I could have 10 meals and not have a single disappointment. If you know me, you know what I mean!

We went and saw the Vatican, which was amazing for many reasons. We also saw the Colloseum and Palantine hill which were very cool. Our last full day we took it slow; slept in, got breakfast in bed. Hit the Pantheon during the day (we'd been there a couple times at night when it was closed). We went to the spanish steps and hung out for a bit. Which reminds me of the only annoying part of rome...

The street vendors and rose jerks. These are people who come up to you and pressure you into buying some piece of junk they're selling. The rove jerks are even worse... They come up to your wife (in my case) and hand her three roses and say they are gifts because she is so beautiful. Of course their next step is to come to you and ask for money. Luckily my wife doesn't really go for that kind of thing (especially not two day old wilted flowers) so she would try to avoid them, one guy I did give 2 Euro to, he then kept badgering me for more and I said no. Then he took the roses away from my wife! We both thought it was classic! We then left and placed the wilted flower somewhere to die a peaceful death. Of course all through the trip we were accosted by these jerks. We were much more forceful after the first time. Poor Jeff actually gave the first guy 10 Euro! (SUCKER!)

After Rome, it was back to Ireland for a few days before heading back to Seattle. We had a great time in Rome and definitely want to go back to see the things we missed this trip (catacombs for sure!)

Snowpocalypse 2008 was fun! It's funny how when Seattle gets a few inches of snow the whole place shuts down. Being from Denver I always have to laugh. Of course, out here the snow almost instantly turns to ice and Seattle is fairly hilly, so it really is difficult to get around.

The first night a guy came down our hill and slid into my car, YAY! Amazingly, he only hit the tire, no body damage at all. Of course he bent the tie rods which needed to be replaced. But he came back and gave me his information after sliding the rest of the way down the hill to where he lives. Took a few days to get it fixed which was a pain, but it's all good now. We worked from home a few of those days, but did manage to get in to work once... After a 3 hour journey.

Then we were off to Idaho where my dad and his wife had come to spend Christmas with my grandmom. I had been looking to spend Christmas in Seattle with friends, but this kind of trumped that. The drive over was fairly hair raising, but we made it without crashing. Took 8 hours though which sucked. The drive back was much better, took 6 hours which is closer to normal. We had a good time seeing my family for a day or so. It had been a while.

So, that's what I've been up to the past month. Now I'm back at work, trying to get all the stuff finished up that I missed while I was gone.

I'm hoping I'll post more frequently in the new year as I'm getting myself a new netbook which should allow me to use my time more efficiently.

I'm going to try and get a year-end post up soon, so keep watching!

And so it begins

Well, just heard from CNN that president-elect Obama's pledge to not allow lobbyists into his white house may be already fading away. It's just another case of what I'll call the Nowick syndrome where politicians say anything to get elected, then when they actually are elected those things tend to change. Of course, this was to be expected, and I think that McCain would have ended up being worse, but it still annoys me.

Here's the clip from CNN:

Election Roundup!

Well, it's been a week and I've had a chance to ingest all the information from the election. It looks like a pretty good score to me... The Democrats picked up several seats (now up to at least 57) in the Senate and a bunch in the House. I'm very excited that Colorado went Blue. They got a new Democratic Senator and showed Colorado Springs who's boss.

In Washington, the Governor's race wasn't as close as it was last time, which is a good thing. Even though she seems to be somewhat ineffective, I'd prefer an ineffective Democrat over an ineffective Republican. Hopefully she realizes that a lot of people are really looking for her to do something.... We also approved a "Death with Dignity" initiative. I think this is a good thing. I think there are a lot of people against it who still don't really understand it. A lot of the Anti press seemed to make it sound like anyone could just go to a doctor and get some pills and kill themselves. The reality is that they would have to be terminally ill with less than 6 months to live and be approved by 2 physicians. It's not like doctors are in the business of offing people, but when there is no other choice, people should have the option of making that choice for themselves. I hate to bring up the little fact that people kill themselves every day without a doctors help, so it's not like we're providing the only way to kill themselves....

California did the unthinkable (at least to me) and took away people's rights with an election. Voting on Proposition 8 undid the law allowing gay marriage. This makes me sad. Why do people think they have to tell others what they can and can't do. My favorite argument against allowing gay marriage was because it redefines marriage, then one woman said : "What if I wanted to marry my dog because I love him? Should that be legal?" My god, you must be the dumbest person on earth. Other than the stupid statement comparing your dog to a sentient human, it just doesn't make any sense. Dogs cant sign contracts, can't give consent and their breath smells like balls. Hopefully something will be done to fix this, but I wouldn't count on it.

Here's a little bit of Keith to give some perspective:



Anyway, I think it's a great thing we all did and I think this will help get the US back on the right track. With Bush's approval ratings in the shitter and the opinion of the US as one of the "bad guys"

Wisdom

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.”

-- Abraham Lincoln

Tomorrow is the day

Tax Proposals - What will you get (or lose)?

I saw this in the Washington post. It's a comparison of how your taxes will change under each candidates tax proposals. I find it truly amazing that McCain thinks that people making over 2.87 MILLION dollars should get a larger tax cut than those of us well under that amount who actually WORK for a living (OK, I suppose most of the rich people work too, but I do it for much less).

My Comment on a friends blog

Today I was wandering around the Internet and ran into a blog posting from a friend of mine, Jay. He was angry with all the crap the politicians were saying to and about each other (and everything in general). Read his blog to get the background, here was my comment to him:

Hey Jay,Great post (and great comments). I know how you feel, the whole thing about continuing to say something, even though you know it isn't true, has been in the Republican playbook for years now. I found it funny that at one point John McCain was scolding Barack for saying something that was true over and over again...

The idea that Obama's tax plan is equivalent to Socialism is just another scare tactic. We (you, me, and everyone else who pays taxes) have just actually approved a Socialist takeover of the banking system. This actually is socialism; the goverment now owns an equity stake in several banks.

Of course, most people don't really understand Socialism as it exists today in Europe. There is still a free economy, but yes, there are higher taxes. Those higher taxes assure that every citizen is able to get healthcare, top-notch education, and infrastructure improvements.

Taxes are one of my biggest complaints about the Republicans. They call the Democrats "Tax and Spend", but the Republicans are "borrow and spend". Howdo they think the three wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, terrorism) we're carrying out will get paid for? When Sarah Palin said it wasn't patriotic to pay taxes, I was wondering how she expected her son's body armor to get paid for? I'll tell you how, we borrow money from the Chinese to pay for the tax cuts for the rich, that never seem to trickle down to you or me (at least I know not to me!)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know my feelings, I may post this comment on my blog. One of my favorite clips is from Jon Stewart and I have it on my blog, check it out: http://tevsplace.blogspot.com/2008/09/jon-stewart-best-ever.html
It shows how Republicans (and yeah, I suppose Democrats too) will say completely
opposite things depending on the situation.

Talk to you later,
Tev

I know any of you who read this somewhat regularly won't be surprised with my comment, but I thought it was a good point that I wanted to share.

Newspapers and Politics

I was reading some articles on politics today, and through the rat hole, I came across a list of newspapers and who they are endorsing in the presidential election. Some highlights:

Obama:
The Denver Post
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Times

McCain:
The Pueblo Chieftain
(Spokane) Spokesman-Review

Of course these were picked to highlight my point, that the big cities lean democrat when the smaller more rural cities lean republican.

Let's hope that a lot of people from the big cities get out and vote!

Smart Guys Vote Obama

This guy actually did invent the Internet (sorry Al). Well, I'm voting for Obama too, so I guess non-smart guys are voting for him too.

Olbermann Takes on Palin

Kinda long, but makes some interesting comparisons about what Palin is saying aboout Barack.

Sarah Palin on the Economy

This totally reminds me of that dumb pageant woman... But better.

The Waldo Ultimatum

I'm Voting Republican

A Year in the Life

So, as you may or may not remember, the kid is a year old now (actually he's 14 months, but it's taken me 2 months to get around to this). I figured I'd do a review of the things I've learned about being a dad and having a kid.

Things you miss:

• Happy Hour - Doesn't occur without lot's of planning.
• Dinner and drinks with the wife - Again, must have a babysitter and enough energy to stay up for it.
• Being able to go places without at least one bag of supplies.
• Sleep - Our guy wasn't too bad overall, but some nights were rough
• Free Time - Only get times to watch movies or play games after his bedtime.
  

Things you didn't know you'd miss:

• The child - Leaving him in the morning is always a bummer.
• The smile - When you walk into a room and he sees you and just BEAMS at you because now you're there.

Things you definitely wish you could miss:

• Poop - Not fatal, but definitely not fun, even in it's safest forms. I've been really good and don't think I've talked to any of my friends about his poop. I think I get a medal for that.
• Spit-up - Also not fatal, but more dangerous because there's nothing containing it. It can happen at any time and can be even grosser than poop.
• Waking in the night - Thanks to modern technology you can now hear every time your child breathes in his room 50 feet away. Due to now being a "parent" even the slighest changes in breathing, coughing etc. will awaken you with worry. This will happen 4-400 times per night.
  

Things to remember:

• Your wife is just as tired and grumpy as you are, try not to kill each other.
• All of the bad stuff is instantly forgotten as soon as some of the good stuff happens. For example, this makes you completely forget about this.
• Take lots of photo's - It's amazing how quickly and how much they change. Looking at photo's from the last year there are some I don't even recognize as being him.
• If you've got family or friends take advantage of them! It's great to be able to get out once in a while with your wife, remember the love that got you in this trouble in the first place!

All in all, this whole kid thing is a wonderful experience. It's always changing and always gets better. There can be some trying times, but like anything else, being able to persevere is just the icing on the cake.

This post will probably be edited because I'm sure I've forgotten to mention a lot of the great stuff I tried to remember. If you want, the three of you can add your experiences.

[Edit] I remembered 2 other things:

• People who design kids clothes with buttons instead of snaps obviouslt DON'T have children.
• Kids books MUST RHYME! I'm not talking some kind of strange dactylic rhyme, just a nice easy rhyme that makes sense.

Ok, back to ranting about the economy or politics!

McCain gets Barack Roll'd

Jon Stewart. Best. Ever.

Damn Those Pesky Mics

Be sure your mic is turned off before you start ridicuing your party's choice for VP....

The Great Economic Inequality

So, I ran across this article in the New York Times, which talks about how different people (rich, poor, and otherwise) have been affected by the different parties since WWII.

It talks about how the Rich (over $180,000/year) have been better off when Republicans are in office, but how the Not Rich (less than $180,000/year) have benefitted from the Democrats in office.

The stark contrast between the whiz-bang Clinton years and the dreary Bush years is familiar because it is so recent. But while it is extreme, it is not atypical. Data for the whole period from 1948 to 2007, during which Republicans occupied the White House for 34 years and Democrats for 26, show average annual growth of real gross national product of 1.64 percent per capita under Republican presidents versus 2.78 percent under Democrats.

That 1.14-point difference, if maintained for eight years, would yield 9.33 percent more income per person, which is a lot more than almost anyone can expect from a tax cut.

Some of my family seem to think that they will be better off financially when the Repulicans are in office, but I am fairly sure that none of them make over $180k. so, if they really want to get richer, they should be supporting the Democrats and Barack.

Dingle, County Kerry Ireland

Democratfix

So - tonight I watched a little bit of the Democratic convention. I watched Hillary's speech. It was really good. I was impressed with how it sounded like she meant everything she said and I think it had a good chance of changing some people's mind.

I've been wanting to do a political blog for a while and I think I've pondered enough to let it all go! In Chris fashion I'm going to make it a list entry.

3 in 10 Hillary Supporters are now "uncommitted" or voting for McCain
Look, I understand that you're miffed about Hillary not winning the nomination, and not really being considered for VP either, but truthfully, it was her own doing. Her campaign got so many things wrong that there was no way she could win. So now you want to take your toys and go home? That's the Democratic spirit! When the going gets tough CAVE.

Let's look at some of the overwhelming similarities on her two big issues that make it easier to choose McCain over Barack:

Abortion:
Hillary - Pro-choice, not pro-abortion I suppose that this clarificaiton needs to be made to avoid the republicans calling her a baby killer any more than they already do.
McCain - "I have stated time after time after time that Roe v Wade was a bad decision..."
Conclusion - Well, pretty much a no-brainer (which may be just enough for this 30 percent). I would say in general Democrats are pro-choice and that would pretty much put them on the exact opposite side of the spectrum as John McCain.

Healthcare:
Hillary - Require all americans to have health insurance.
McCain - "I've made it very clear that what I want is for families to make decisions about their health care, not government..." ( TEV - it's worked well for the 47 million without healthcare so far)
Conclusion - Again, while you may be pouting about Hills not being the woman, Barack's healthcare plan is MUCH more like hers that McCains ever could hope to be.

Anyway, it seems completly ludicrous that ANYONE who was supporting Hillary Clinton 2 months ago would now switch sides just because she lost the race. If you're truly contemplating voting for McCain over Barack then fuck you. You're dumber than the republicans and you deserve them.

Attack Ads 5 Minutes After VP Announced (and feigned outrage of said attacks)
Moments after Biden was announced as the VP, there were ads on the Internet bashing Obama using Biden's words. I'm sure the republicans had 3 different versions of this ad ready depending on who was actually selected as VP.

One thing I can't stand are these attack ads.They don't actually acomplish anything but try to create fear or doubt. Then of course the atackee gets in a big huff about it, complains about how the other guy is not talking about the issues and is muckraking. Then 20 minutes later they launch their barrage of misleading attack ads and the process continues until november. Wow, what a great way to campaign.

Are conservatives racist, greedy, or just naive?
Racist: So the republicans seem very into keeping those illegal immigrants out. Of course one of our borders seems to be much more 'protected' than the other. I don't see any freaking walls going up between here and Canada. They continue to talk about these immigrants taking our jobs, but these days you can barely get 16 year olds to work at McDonalds, let alone clean toilets, pick fruit in the scorching hot sun, or wash a thousand dishes a day. You know who has no problem doing that? Illegal immigrants. Don't give me crap about taking american jobs, I don't know a single person (remember I grew up in Denver and there were a lot of "those" people) who lost their job or couldn't get a job because some illegal got it. C'mon, really?

Greedy: This is the one I hear a lot when I'm talking to my family, a few of who vote republican. "the Democrats are just going to raise my taxes but the republicans will help me become rich". As if we somehow forgot that "trickle down" economics (aka Voodoo Economics) didn't work in the '80s so we should try it again in the 2000s. See, the problem with trickle down economics is that not enough money ever trickles down to help the people who so desperately want it. They give tax breaks and funds to bussiness owners in the hopes that the money will work it's way down to all the little people. You know what? It never trickles that far. When my brother, who had been unemployed for way too long says that Bush is going to help the economy I can't even bring myself to try and educate him because he is so ignorant of the actual workings of the world that it pains me (I do love my brother, I just hate that he thinks republicans want to help him.)

Naive: My favorite people are the Libertarians. You know the people who say that big governement is bad. They say that the democrats create big government (wrong)and spend way too much money (wrong.) They also like to say that the government shouldn't over-regulate our lives. of course when asked about things like abortion, stem cells, or gay marriage, their views seem to change. "Well, of course we need the government to regulate those things, I mean those things are important!" You can't have your cake and eat it to libby libby libby! Either you want smaller government or you want George Bush. Either you want to curb governmental spending or you want George Bush. Either you want the government out of your private lives or you want George Bush. Of course McCain isn't as bad as Bush, but neither is my cat and I don't want her being the president. (FYI - I don't really have a cat)

In conclusion I'd just like to say:

Stop being whiny little bitches and vote for Barack! Don't act like a fucking three-year old who doesn't get to play red light, green light. Instead, play the next best thing; Simon Says!

Tev wins the Olympic Gold!

Well, my wonderful company is holding an office olympics this week and last week. I've participated in most of the events, but today's event was easily the most fun (and less painful than chair soccer).

Today we performed our ball floor routine, which is where you use a yoga ball and choreograph something wonderful... You can check out our performance below. We did win the competition, but it was a bit of a downer as all the other teams were unable to field teams to go along with it... I guess the three of us were the only ones who didn't mind looking like fools (or actually being fools?) So, we would have won no matter what.

That win gives us the gold medal/trophy/certificate for this years olympics! There were some events we did well at (Segway obstacle course, Chair Soccer and the Ball Routine) and others we didn't do so well at (water balloon tossing) but overall it was a good time and of course the taste of victory is very sweet!

Water Amazement

Will Obama be a Slave? A Slave to Bush's Terrible Fiscal Policies

Check this article out, it's very well written. There's some information provided by Ross Perot (remember him?)
The article basically tells how the next president will be forced to clean up the mess that Bush has put in place. Of course no one will mention the "T" word because taxes aren't the way to get elected, but unfortunately that's about the only way we'll get out of the crap we're in now.

Some Economic Information for You

This is a rather long article that examines the history of our national debt. It examines the increases in spending since WWII and shows who is mainly responsible for. Some highlights:

• As President, Reagan entered office in 1981 he repeatedly called for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, yet never submitted a balanced budget himself.
• It appears that the frequently referenced Reagan’s Conservative mythology is contrary to the truth, he was an award winning, record setting liberal spender.
• The fact is that Reagan was able to push his tax cuts through both Houses of Congress, but he never pushed through any reduced spending programs. His weak leadership in this area makes him directly responsible for the unprecedented rise in borrowing during his time in office, an average of 13.8% per year. The increase in total debt during Reagan’s two terms was larger than all the debt accumulated by all the presidents before him combined.
• In 1993 President Clinton inherited the deficit spending problem and did more than just talk about it; he fixed it. In his first two years and with a cooperative Democratic Congress he set the course for the best economy this country has ever experienced. Then he worked with what could be characterized as the most hostile Congress in history, led by Republicans for the last six years of his administration. Yet, under constant personal attacks from the right, he still managed to get the growth of the debt down to 0.32% (one third of one percent) his last year in office. Had his policies been followed for one more year the debt would have been reduced for the first time since the Kennedy administration.
• When President Bush II came into office in 2001 he quickly turned all that progress around. With the help of a Republican controlled Congress he immediately gave a massive tax cut based on a failed economic policy; perhaps an economic fantasy describes it better. The last year Mr. Clinton was in office the nation borrowed 18 billion dollars. The first year Mr. Bush II was in office he had to borrow 133 billion.
• As a result of all his [Bush II] tax cutting with no cutting in spending, in 2003 President Bush set a record for the biggest single yearly dollar increase in debt in the nation’s history. He did it again in 2004, increasing the debt more than half a trillion dollars. Since 2003 total borrowing has exceeded $500,000,000,000 per year. Even Mr. Reagan never increased the debt that much in a single year; Mr. Reagan’s biggest increase was only 282 billion, half of GWB’s outrageous spending. As a result of the fact that the debt was already pretty high when Bush II entered office, his annual rate of increase is only averaging 7% per year so far. In 2006 he was holding press conferences bragging that the debt was increasing at the rate of only 300 billion dollars a year, yet in reality it was twice that. Again the facts do not match Neo-Con rhetoric.

So, again, people wonder how the economy got in such bad shape, well, here's a bit of the answer. Of course some people (my family) think that trickle down economics works, history has shown that it really doesn't. Somehow they think that voting another Republican into office is just what the country needs. Unfortunately, there too history shows us that another Republican increasing spending and decreasing taxes is not what we need. We need someone responsible enough to cust spending, stop tax cuts for the rich and reign in spending. I can't say for sure that person will be Barack Obama, but I'm pretty darn sure it's nopt going to be John McCain.

My favorite paragraph in the article:

While it is a great jabbing sound bite, the facts show that the “tax and spend” rhetoric Republicans often spew about Democrats is not as bad as it sounds. Taxing before spending actually reflects good government. The facts also show that it most often takes a Democratic President to control and reduce spending. The truth is that the Republicans are the party of “borrow and spend”. They hate taxes, but love to spend; their solution is to put off paying till later for our security today. They prefer to see our children pay for their debt. Neo-Conservative thinking has run up over an 8.5 trillion dollar debt that will not be paid off for a generation or more, and is still increasing at an astounding rate with no end to deficit spending in sight.

The Two Faces of Bush

Well, I don't have time for a long rant, but check this crap out.

From 2004:

"If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is," Bush
told reporters at an impromptu news conference during a fund-raising stop in
Chicago, Illinois. "If the person has violated law, that person will be taken
care of."

From 2008:

"President Bush has asserted executive privilege to prevent Attorney General
Michael Mukasey from having to comply with a House panel subpoena for material
on the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. "

I guess we can see how much he really wants to know who it is... I suppose the point is that he already knows who it is, he just doesn't want the Democrats knowing who it was....

That's How I Roll...

My friend Rick sent this to me and it was too good not to post!

FISA It's Everywhere You Want to Be

Well, the Democrats rolled over again yesterday and bowed to the wishes of president Bush. The Senate pased a 'compromise' FISA bill. The FISA bill basically set up how the administration can spy on it's own citizens. Another convenient benefit is that it gives immunity to the telecoms who have already allowed the White House to spy on Americans without a warrant.

The new bill basically allows for the ability to spy on Americans without a warrant for 6-12 months. It's all a part of playing the game. Start spying, then work on getting a warrant, if you can't then just appeal it, by continuing to play the game they can get more than 6 months withough ANY judicial oversight. I'm not sure what the compromise is, because I don't see anything that the White House gave up, or that the Democrats didn't. Now there are more protections for Americans living in other countries, but it's not them I'm worried about.

Almost more upsetting is the fact that Barack Obama changed his view and voted to pass the bill. Back in January, when he was trying to win the nomination he was totally against the bill, and now that he has it he's decided the time is right to kowtow to the republicans in order to try and turn some of them.

I spoke with a friend about this and his point was that the bill was going to pass anyway and that he just did it to try and appease the more conservative voters on the fence, like this would show that he's not soft on terrorism. I can understand that rational for a politician, try to get as many votes as you can, give the other side less to go after. But you know what Barack Obama is supposed to be a NEW kind of politician, is supposed to bring change to politics. All this is just more of the same and it bothers me that I fell for it.

I'm sure I'll vote for Obama, after all, what other choice is there? But I'm certainly not going to fall for anymore of his "change" rhetoric. I'll just hope for a slightly higher-caliber politician than we currently have. We'll see how that works out.

For more information on the FISA bill check out:
Ars Technica- They explain how this isn't just about immunity.
Salon- Joan Walsh feels betrayed by Obama too.
Here's a good video too:

The End of Trance as I Know It

So, I got into trance music while working in Holland in 2000. When I returned and got my current job (about 5 years ago) there were a couple people who were also into trance and got me deeper into it. I have since become very much into the great trance music: Above & Beyond, Tiesto, BT, Solarstone, and just about anything on Anjunbeats and Anjunadeep. I should mention that I've always been into electronic music, but I've always disliked the typical BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT without any melody (I also generally prefer songs with words!). Don't get me started on drum & bass, ooof.

Anyway, I've seen A&B twice in the past, the first time was amazing (December 6, 2006) the second time I was not so into it (June 6, 2007) I wasn't sure why; it seemed like they weren't playing any of the stuff I recognized from their albums, label or radio show.

So, I recently saw BT and Tiesto at USC 11 in Seattle I was totally excited because I had aways wanted to see both of them. This was going to be a night to remember. Now, BT did what is known as his "Laptop Symphony" I had never really been able to tell what exactly that was. I figured maybe it meant he didn't have a band (duh) but that he still played a lot of his stuff (kinda like Howard Jones in the '80's). Well, anyone wondering what the laptop symphony is: it's him DJing using a laptop instead of turntables. Woo Hoo. No, wait that sucks. So - he he ended up playing none of his own stuff and it was all just loud, beat beat beat. He did play a couple A&B songs (which ended up being the highlight of the night) but overall I was completely unimpressed.

Tiesto was up next, I knew he was promoting his In Search of Sunrise album, which hadn't even been released yet, but I figured that he would play some of the stuff that I recognized from his other albums. Well, I was wrong, I didn't recognize any of the songs he played and actually ended up leaving early.

I was beginning to wonder what was going on. I know several people who really like going to the shows and have a great time, but I just wasn't getting it anymore.

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Above and Beyond for the third time (June 20, 2008). I was very excited because they had Jaytech opening and I really like the stuff of his that I had heard. He started playing and I realized, "Oh crap, here we go again". He didn't play any of the stuff that I knew and it was all pretty much (sing along with me Chris) beat, beat, beat, beat.
At this point I was starting to really get down and I began trying to figure out why these shows weren't turning out the way I was hoping.

There was still one more hope, A&B had a new album coming out (as Oceanlab) so I figured we'd get to hear some of the new stuff. As you may be guessing, I wouldn't be writing this if they had, in fact, saved the day. They played the same unintelligible stuff with the constant 4/4 beat. There was a bit of melody with it, but generally nothing else.

As I sat there, drowning my sorrows in Red Stripe, I seriously considered where my problem was. I think I figured it out, I think it goes back to my older concert experiences, seeing people like Depeche Mode (numerous times), Curve, Joe Jackson and Peter Murphy. These artists generally were touring in support of an album and often played just about everything off the new album (no matter how crappy it was) and threw in a few of their well know tracks for good measure.

As I sat in the Showbox, pondering, I realized that DJs don't come out to play stuff off their albums or even the same stuff they play on the radio shows. They come out to get people dancing and get some killer energy.

The people who come to the shows know this and are there for the same reason. For them the beat beat beat beat works and gets them moving, a change in tempo/volume/melody is all they need to have a great time. I've realize that I need more than that to enjoy a concert.

I need some great songs (preferably discernible from each other), at least a few songs that I recognize, and I need to be able to hear the melody, and/or vocals over the constant beat. Knowing what I now know, I seriously doubt that I will go to another trance show, which makes me really sad. I'll just have to crank up some Trance Around the World in my ipod, hang out with a strobe light in the basement, and bring my own Red Stripe to kick things into gear. This time, in the basement, I won't be wallowing, I'll be enjoying the exact show I was expecting.

Dear Religious Zealots...

Well, apparently today is chainmail day....

Dear Religious Nuts,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. How should I deal with this?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as it suggests in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may buy slaves from the nations that are around us. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 10:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 20:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear prescription glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Goodbye Red States!

Dear Red States:We're ticked off at the way you've treated California and we've decided we're leaving.

We intend to form our own country and we're taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren't aware that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast.

We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly:

You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.

We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.

We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red statespay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro choice and anti war and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home.

We wish you success in Iraq and hope that the WMDs turn up but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and SevenSister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, RushLimbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

We're taking the good pot too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Sincerely,Author Unknown in New California

West Memphis 3

Here's an interesting video I came across this week. I remember hearing about the case back when it first started in the 90's. Three kids were convicted of murdering three children without any proof, basically because they wore black clothes and liked heavy metal music. There was no evidence that any of them were at the crime scene, or had ever even known the victims. The police got a confession from one of the three who had an IQ of 72 after questioning him without a lawyer present for 12 hours. The confession was inaccurate, but somehow the other kids were arrested and eventually, without ANY evidence, found guilty of these horrible crimes. Since that time there has been new evidence and DNA tests that show none of these kids was at the scene, but do point to someone else...... No spoiler here, watch the clip. Note, it is about 20 minutes long, but is really interesting and shows a frightening view of how justice is never guaranteed. Learn more at: http://www.wm3.org/.

West Memphis Three: Time for Truth

What a Moron.

Here is a video of the dumbest man on the face of the planet.
Number two right here.

I'm not sure who scares me more, neither seem to realize there are repercussions for their actions. At least the dude with the wall did the work himself.

Would I survive??

John McCain is out of Touch with Reality

So I had seen this on TV last night and actually rewound it to laugh a second time. It's a video of John McCain's speech in New Orleans (pronounced naorlens). In the video John says that Barack is going say that John McCain is running for George Bush's third Bush.

What I found so interesting comes at about 55 seconds into that video. He says:

"Why does he repeat this idea over and over again? Because he know it's very
difficult to get Americans to believe something they know is false. So he tries
to drum it into your minds by constantly repeating it..."

So I may be remembering thing incorrectly, but I believe it was the Bush administration which constantly lied to Americans to get them to believe a lie:

• Iraq trying to get uranium
• No one in the administration was involved with the Valieie Plame leak
• Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11

What's worse is that many Americans believe this stuff. Americans believe even the silliest things (that he's a Muslim) and worse yet, Americans don't remember when these stupid things are debunked.

So I realize that when you are trying to court the exact people who would believe lies because the more they are spoken the truer they seem you can't exactly say "Barack Obama keeps repeating these things because he's seen how well it worked for the Republicans over the last eight years."

One thing that the last eight years of Republicans has taught us is that the American people do very easily believe incorrect things after they are repeated over and over. Maybe the Democrats have realized that even dishonest strategies work sometimes...

Of course while McCain is disparaging this behavior in Barack, I'm sure it's just a matter of time until his campaign does the exact same thing, after all, what's good for the first two terms will surely work for the third.

Daddy Crack

Hi Dad!

So, the kid is now just about 11 months old. While there have been some difficult times (mostly sleep-related or now getting things out of his mouth) there are so many amazing things about having a kid. I used to think that the parents who said that were full of it. "Sure, sure that DOES sound great, I'll be at happy hour if you need me......"

Well, you know what, there are some really amazing things, especially when he began to recognize us and knew who we were. Then just walking in the room was like returning from six months away. The smiles and kicking of the legs. Now he follows me where ever I go and constantly watches to see what I'm doing. It's so amazing to think that he is so in love with me (and my wife) and that he is so happy just to see me and be around me.

Seeing that smile is something I never tire of and I now make faces and sounds just like any other idiotic father out there. I guess it's good that I now understand what all those parents were feeling when I thought they were insane.

Anyway, the point is, having a kid really is amazing and is a lot of fun too. While those without kids will probably still just nod and smile, I must confess that I'm a convert. Check out the smile I'm taking about.

Read This

This could be the most important thing you read today. (But look at the picture below anyway!)

Cian and the Sam Maguire

Cian and the Sam Maguire
Originally uploaded by tev2k3

Well, Cian and Riona are in Ireland this week vising the family. While they were out there they were able to get a hold of the Sam Maguire cup which is the Gaelic Football championship trophy. It's very cool and makes me wish I had gone. Imagine raising the Stanley Cup, the Lombardi trophy, or whatever piece of crap they give to basketball players.

I've been spending my time doing chores that I never had time to do when I had a child! I hope that if I get everything done this week that I'll be able to play some on the weekend. I just got some music software that I'm excited to get working on.

McCain the Visionary

I read today on CNN.com that:

Sen. John McCain envisions that by 2013, the Iraq War will be won but the threat from the Taliban in Afghanistan won't yet be eliminated, even though Osama bin Laden will have been captured or killed.

Now, just because he's as old as Nostradamus, Doesn't mean he can see the future.

The article goes on to give some of his goals:

• Significantly increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps, which will be "better equipped and trained to defend us."
• Several years of robust economic growth.
• Taxpayers filing under a flat tax.
• The world food crisis ending, low inflation, and a "much improved" quality of life "not only in our country, but in some of the most impoverished countries around the world."
• Still being alive in 2013...

The Universe Is Not Ours

Chris mentioned Universal Healthcare in a comment to my last post and it reminded me of a PBS Frontline show I recently watched. It was called Sick Around the World and compared 5 other countries (UK, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland) healthcare systems to the United State's system.

I recommend watching the program if you have an hour to spare, but if not, check out the Graphs which show basically, that in the US we spend more than any of these countries (15.3% of GDP vs. 11.6 for the Swiss at #2), our life expectancy is 2 years lower than the next lowest, and the one stat that I just CAN'T believe; we have a higher infant mortality rate than any of these countries. When I think of infant mortality (which I try not to think about often) I think of the poorest of the poor and not "my country"!

Hopefully the Dems will be elected to the White House in November and hopefully they will grow a pair and try to get something done (which they haven't done since winning congress). Granted, there is a lot to clean up, but fixing our broken healthcare system should be a priority.

A Vacation from Taxes Yay!

So, in the second grade I ran for class vice president. A very important post I assumed. I lost. David and Phillip Nowick won President and Vice President that year. How did that happen you ask? Well, they obviously knew a lot about politics; that it really didn't matter what you said while campaigning. As long as you get the power, that's what is important. The Nowick twins promised the class that they would get soda and candy machines in the room. The election was a LANDSLIDE! I wasn't too upset though, 'cause I was hoping they really would get candy machines in the classroom.

They never did get those machines in the classroom. I can't remember what they actually did as the class leaders. They probably got us to fight all the kids in Mrs. Zayaz's class and probably borrowed money from the fifth graders (at terrible interest rates) to buy slingshots for the fight. [I sure hope those metaphors come across]

Anyway; what brings me back to second grade today? Well, I was thinking about the stimulus check that we're all supposed to be getting and I just wanted to thank the Chinese government for bankrolling that and the Iraq war. I also wanted to thank John McCain and Hillary Clinton for offering to buy my vote by suspending the gas tax for the summer. It reminds me of when some republican thought that in 2004 we needed another rebate, just in time for the elections, almost as coincidental as all those Orange Alerts in 2004.

Ok, I'm getting a little off track, but what amazes me is that no one seems to realize that this is not "free money" from the government. In the first place, we pay taxes to the government so they have money to spend, so in essence they're loaning us our own money. In the second place, we are already spending more money that we have. This is bad. Assume the average American is about $8,000 in debt, well the US government is currently over $9,343,105,630,594 in debt. When you're a regular Joe, you get a credit card so you can rack up your $8k in debt. Well, even American Express doesn't trust the government, so they have to go to other governments to borrow money. China (you know, the commies) finance about 70% of our national debt . What no one seems to be talking about is what happens when they call in their debts? This could theoretically put us in a very bad position (even worse than now) .

Everyone seems to be talking about the economy, but no one seems to be talking about what to do. Sure, getting eighteen cents off a gallon of gas would be nice, but that just means we have to borrow more money to take the place of the taxes we didn't get from gas. What we need to do is STOP SPENDING! It's like I'm looking at someone who is a shopaholic with an unending line of credit. What do we tell these people? "Stop spending and pay down your debt. Sure it will suck for a while, but once it's over you'll feel better." We need to be telling our government that.

On the plus side, at least now the Democrats are seen as the fiscally responsible party (hopefully they won't screw that up) because they finally see that you can't just spend and spend without repercussions. The Republicans used to call the Democrats "Tax and Spend" of course this is just another few words used to marginalize a sane idea: we have to raise money to spend money. Heck I have to work so I can buy my video games, pay my mortgage and go on the occasional vacation. The other side of the coin turns out to be exactly what the Republicans (at least the current administration) believe: "Spend and Spend". As I've mentioned this doesn't really work well because we're always borrowing money that we can't pay back.

I really don't understand how so many people can not understand these simple concepts, but it seems that the Nowicks were right in their thinking. Say whatever you need to in order to get into office, because once you've got the power you can do whatever you want.

Al Gore Says: "Told You So!"

This is a really interesting 5 minute video about the amount of CO2 emissions for the US. If you ever doubted how much they occur watch this and be scared. You can read more info on this right here.

New Seattle Soccer Team!

Well, it's now official, the new Seattle MLS team is going to be named the Seattle Sounders FC. It's a big win for the fans who wanted to keep the name Sounders but it's also got that "new flavor.

Hopefully I'll be able to get out to some of the games. Less than a year away!

Read more here.

This Morning in My Head

This is totally due to 120 Minutes. Watched it last nght and this was the first song I saw. What ever happened to these guys? They were huge for a year... Kinda like the Lemonheads I guess. I wonder if Winonna dated this guy too?

In My Mind This Morning

Well, this is what showed up in my head this morning. Blur... hmmmm. I have a confession to make; I Tivo 120 Minutes on VH1 Classic, and this one was on one that I watched with the kid last night. I used to love 120 Minutes when I was younger, and it's great to see all the excellent music I grew up with, and even some that I only now have an appreciation for.

I like Tivo'ing it because I can get through 120 minutes worth of music and commercials in like 20 minutes. I skip all the ones that I've heard WAY too much of (The Fixx), the ones I've never really liked (The Smiths (don't tell!)) and stuff that was just annoying (Tom Tom Club!). Of course there are some real gems in there that I can't get enough of: They Might Be Giants, The The (who I only recently got into), Blur, and a few other I can't think of. right now.

So, I guess that's why these guys were in my head this morning, and if you're into '80's music, I really reccommend Tivo'ing 120 minutes at least a couple times just to check it out.

What was in my mind this morning

How do songs like this get stuck in my head while I'm dreaming? I like the song and all, but where the heck did it come from? What song did you wake up to this morning?

BC Tours

Really? Jesus designed and created everything? Man, I can't believe that these are the same people who say that gays are trying to indoctrinate our kids to be gay. Well these people are trying to indoctrinate our kids to be STUPID! Unfortunately, from what I see it's beginning to work.

Wait, What Happened in Vegas?

Penn and Tev hanging out
Originally uploaded by tev2k3

So, last weekend I spent some time in Vegas with a few people. It was a great time. We went and saw Penn & Teller at the Rio. We wandered around some. We played a few games. We drank a lot. Spent too much time at the Napoleon's piano bar smoking cigars and drinking Stella. I also won a poker tournament at the Excalibur (nothing major, but I'm still happy about it!) on St. Patricks Day. Overall, probably my favorite trip to Vegas.

Dungeons and Dragons

Well, I played a little as a kid, and this news actually did make me a little sad.

It's about the fear stupid!

So, a friend just emailed me a couple of interesting articles, one shows the correlation of the Bush administrations raising of the terror alerts along with why and what the real story was. As many would guess, most of the raises were for no good reason. I didn't even remember some of these, but then again, after the first 3 times it all kinda blended together.

Can't wait til we get closer to the election, I wonder how many changes in terror alert we'll have then?

Check out this and this.

My Favorite quote: "FBI Deputy Director John Pistole terms plot “more aspirational than operational.” Suspects armed to the teeth — with paintball guns — attempted to secure Al Qaeda funds at local 7-11. "

Wow, Slurpee's AND Al Qaeda fund all in one location? I love 7-11!

On another note, Hillary managed to do what she needed to. I guess this one really will be settled by the super delegates (which is a super dumb idea). At least they'll get to spend all their money before the ever-important general election.

I like Cake

Decaffeinated

So, I live in Seattle, land of coffee; Starbucks, Tully's, SBC, Starbucks, and starbucks. I've never been able to stomach coffee. I've tried a few times but it just doesn't do it for me. What I do is Dew. Mountain Dew, baby. Hardcore. I used to drink liters at a time but in my old age (and possible wisdom) I've tried to cut down to only a 22 ounce bottle a day. That was until 2 weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, after a few reports of the evils of diet drinks (here, and here) I decided that I'd try cutting out my diet dew to see what it would do for me. I was hoping maybe I'd lose a little weight and maybe feel "healthier".

So - two weeks in and I've got to admit I do feel better. I actually feel more awake in the mornings than I ever did before. I think I sleep better at night too. The better news is that I'm losing weight, not tons, but it's been steady over the last few weeks.
A few caveats: I still have a dew on the weekends, but during the week, the lack of Dew has increased my water intake a lot. I'm around probably 100 oz per day now. I also started drinking 2 cups of green tea a day to give me a a more healthy and much lower dose of caffeine (35 mg vs. 54 for dew).

So, I don't know, but it seems like swiching off the dew has been beneficial for me, we'll see how far it goes.

Here is the little one at 6 months wearing his Bronco's foam head. It doesn't quite fit yet, but maybe it will by the time football season starts!

Sweet Hell Hole Alabama

So, a friend of mine at work keeps me informed of these amazingly un-American actions going on in Alabama. Apparently Karl Rove has decided that Alabama is just the place where political corruption can flourish. Check out this article from Harpers it seems that the Alabama republicans are going after all the Dems they can. They already got the former governor; 7 years on a bs bribery charge, for appointing a contributor. If that's what is considered "bribery" these days, let's look at the actions of the White House. I mean really, this is something that has been going on in all Washington DC circles forever. I don't know how Seigelman was convicted, but I'll be sure to watch 60 minutes this Sunday to learn more about the whole debacle.

For more on the Yellowhammer State's problems with deomcracy check out:
Another Election Season, Another Political Prosecution in Alabama
Corruption in a U.S. Attorney’s Office

Caucused!

So - this weekend I went out to the Washington State Democratic Caucus. This is how Washington decides who gets the delegates in the presidential primary. I've usually just voted in the primary in previous elections, so I decided to give the caucus a try.
Well, the caucus was lame. Here's how mine went: I got there a few minutes early, I needed to sign in for my precinct... Bad Tev forgot to look up his precinct number before going so I had to go to the wall and try to decipher the precinct map located there (while 20 other people were doing the same thing). Once I got my precinct I then found that our signup line was the longest in the place (at least my neighbors are active!). After about 10 minutes in line I finally got to sign up and realized that I was supposed to declare a candidate. What!?! I thought that was why I was here so I could hear more about the candidates. Well, I decided to put down Obama, even though my worthless primary ballot said Clinton. Whatever.
So, then we are told that we need to go to a room in the school, all 113 of us. Ok. When we get there I feel like a GIANT because of all the small chairs and tables, at least that was fun. Then we get 10 minutes of "the rules" after which whoever wanted to could talk about their candidate for 1 minute. Well, 1 minute is not much, but there were a few people who had good things to say. Truthfully it was basically just an Obama lovefest in there (except for the 3 women talking for Hillary). After several of these 1 minute talks, we were given the opportunity to change our vote if anyone had swayed it. Well, a few of the undecideds became decided (all Obama) and then it was pretty much done. No, WAIT! Now all the people who voted the same way had to get together and decide on who would actually be the delegate for the State caucus. Well, while being a delegate sounds like it might be cool, I really couldn't be arsed enough to bother, so I left at that point.
So - what did I think of the whole process? I think it's lame. I'd much rather do my own research and vote for who I want to in the comfort of my own home or the ballot box. I wonder how many people's votes were actually swayed by the 1 minute speeches? I'm going to write to the Washington State Dems and tell them to switch back to the Primary system, it just makes more sense.