Confessions Of An Exhausted Mind

And So It Begins. Again.

2006-10-27T01:36:00.000-04:00

This was supposed to be the last post for Confessions. I hoped to post some nostalgic piece with some feel good wisdom. I hoped to show that blogging was so easy even a dog could do it. See, the dog found a laptop and is about to blog. Confessions represented a phase of my life, but my life had finally moved on. I had a job that would be interesting once I was integrated in. I wouldn't be desperate for money or health insurance. I could starting thinking of dating again. I liked dating this spring, but it proved that women have gotten more expensive, and the poverty level wages of a substitute teacher wouldn't sustain such an extravagance. As I've aged I've discovered women have an inflationary index. Yet I digress. I could finally fix the leaking bathroom pipe after 4 years. I could repair to rotten shed and fence. I could redo the entire patio with cobblestone pavers. The VISA statement could be lowered. Perhaps next Spring I could take a vacation for the first time since 2001. At the very least I could take weekend trips and not worry about the gas money. My life was finally moving on and in a good direction. I was looking forward to the new journey with sweet anticipation. It was an appropriate time to shut this blog down.

Then last Friday happened.

I WAS LET GO. The problem with non-profit groups is their cash flow tends to be very bad. How does a business pay the bills when income doesn't exist? It appears the cash flow for non-profit, public interest group went from bad to horrendous. Like any business in bad financial straits, they cut costs. They cut me. In 3 weeks I didn't have time to really do anything special. I helped with some Board members on some projects they needed performed. I spent a good deal of time helping clean up the small details for our fundraising conference and dinner. That final Thursday I spoke with my boss on various projects that looked like they needed to be done. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I updated the webpage. An intern was scheduling speaking engagements for me. They won't be done now.

I'm very angry at the entire situation. The good news is the boss agreed to be a reference. ~~I have a box of new business cards~~. They paid for my bar license renewal. I did get chocolate cake that Friday to celebrate the new attorney getting sworn in. (The new attorney has a grant for nine more months.) The bad news: 500 newly sworn in attorneys with who knows how many of them looking for a job. Great, I have to compete with the numerous leftover 2005 grads and all these new 2006 grads. Now I'm back to where I was last month: NOWHERE!

And Now For Some Commentary

One small sliver of good luck is I have this one month project for a night job. It goes to early November and could be extended. A small sliver of income for a short time. Next to me is a 2006 grad of the law school and on my other side is a student of the law school who is taking a year off to get in-state designation. They agree with my take on things so now I'll share with you.

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS SCREWED UP! Law schools are only concerned about one thing: money. Money comes from letting in as many students as possible. Obviously the profession can't handle the number of graduates exiting the schools. I don't hear about doctors unable to find employment. Med schools actually limit the number of students to what they feel the profession will need in a few years. Thank you law schools for flooding the market.

Some students are a problem. While in school I heard numerous fellow students state they came to law school to find themselves. This was ALWAYS from a 20-something who realized they were going to graduate from college and didn't know what to do next. The real world is icky. Med school meant dealing with icky blood. Business college meant dealing with icky math. Law school didn't seem icky. Thank you early 20-somethings with no real world experience for flooding the market.

The State of Indiana is a problem. This state simply doesn't care about smart people. For my entire life I've heard of this brain drain. It is so difficult to keep the people with degrees in this state. Not enough jobs exist for them. College graduates leave the state in droves. I wonder now if post-college grads should leave the state in droves. The culture of Indiana doesn't even care about educating people. 3 out of 10 freshmen will NEVER GRADUATE from high school. With that kind of attitude is it obvious why so many educated compatriots flee? Indiana keeps claiming it will diversify the manufacturing economy to a more skilled one. They've claimed that my entire adult life. Yet the recession is still here for us. The first to lose jobs and the last to recovery because we're so dependent on the almighty factory. When I began this process in 2000, I seriously thought about where I wanted to go to school. I did apply to several out of state law schools. I chose Indiana as a statement to fight the brain drain. I would help change this state to what it needed to be. When I wondered what bar exam to take I thought about my plan: should I continue to fight the brain drain? I said yes, I will be the change this state needs. Here we are 17 months later and I very much regret that decision. Now I'm overqualified for part-time jobs I want to take just get some cash. Now I keep fighting for a job that makes use of this degree. Thank you Indiana for reducing the degreed labor market to the size of a postage stamp.

The Catch 22 is a problem: we want people with experience, but you don't get experience until you're hired! I'm a nuts and bolts type of guy. That's why I enjoyed my computer classes. We mixed theory and reality. Law school is far too theoretical. Even my internships didn't provide much real world practicality. Once again, the medical profession has it right in my opinion. You get your degree and then you're matched with your apprenticeship aka residency. I truly believe it would be far better for students, graduates, and the entire profession if someone could figure out a way to have law graduates apprentice for 2 years or so. At the end of the apprenticeship the lawyer knows the day to day nuts and bolts of the profession. Doctors to brick layers and plumbers have more real world how-to experience in their respective professions than lawyers do. Thank you legal profession for being backwards from every other professional school I know.

These are the thoughts and feelings I've tried to hide from you for about a year now. Frustration, anger, exasperation, confusion. Those feeling are so unlike me. This is why I didn't really blog much the past year. I didn't want that negativism to seep into the writings. In the end I feel betrayed. Betrayed by my own ideals. Betrayed by a system that is run amok. Betrayed by all the conventional wisdom that failed me. You need to make your resume stand out. Be involved in student government. I did that! You need to get some pseudo-real world experience though a few internships. Been there, done that! You need to get onto law review and get published. I wrote the note on that and cite checked it! I did everything I was told to do and it hasn't worked at all. The American ideal is that you didn't have to be the best and the brightest (I never claimed I was), but if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do you will have success. I always believed that until now. I didn't expect acquiring the first job to be easy, yet has it become impossible?

Winston Churchill said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Great words, but easier said than done. Courage is in short supply at the moment.

Which brings me back to Confessions. I've said before this blog is no longer a good vehicle for the journey I'm on. As a public blog I wondered if it was a boat anchor on my job hunt. As a public blog I felt it constrained my writing too much. As a public blog I can't show the gritty reality that needs to be shown sometimes. Humans like the rose colored glasses too much. In the end I'm more the darkness than the light, or perhaps the gray in between. Is that just a fancy way of saying I'm extremely cranky at the moment? I want to say controversial things. I want to analyze taboo subjects. You can't do that in the politically correct environment we live in now. At least you can't do it when you're a powerless person dependent on forces greater than you to reach your goals. A instructor at the CLE class I took a few weeks ago told a tale of a new attorney being fired for his blog. Their presence makes employers nervous. To a potential employer why take the risk in the first place is what my paranoid mind thinks.

Regardless after 968 days (2 years, 7 months, 24 days) and 1,643 posts this blog stops. Where I'm going now, you can't follow. For the most part I don't want you to come with me, not right now. I found instructions on how to archive Confessions. It will be like the pictures of an ex-girlfriend. That chapter passed long ago, but you can't throw her out completely as she changed who you are. In order to prevent cybersquatting by some porn site (a process I find abhorrent) I will not entirely delete this blog. I'll leave up a few good posts as a reminder of what once was. The rest will be dismantled starting soon.

Concerning the new virtual Batcave I don't know when and if it will be built, or if I've already laid the foundation. When I'm ready and willing I'll let those who expressed interest earlier know where to go for a good drink. You can be on the next phase when I'm ready.

As this is Friday I need another quote to maintain the tradition. This one sums up so much. This one might be perfect for this final day.

"If there's no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters...then all that matters is what we do."

For Buffy Fans Only.

2006-10-20T07:25:00.000-04:00

If you don't understand or like Buffy please move along.

For the rest of us, are you aware Joss Whedon is producing a Season 8 of Buffy as a comic book mini-series? It appears the first issue is already drawn and will be in stores March 2007 to coincide with the TV series launch anniversary.

Cool.

Friday Quotes: Useful Advice Of Legal & Nonlegal Nature.

2006-10-20T07:11:00.000-04:00

Dr Ray Stantz: Gozer the Gozerian... good evening. As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension.
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Sarcastically] That oughta do it. Thanks very much, Ray.
Gozer: [Evil voice] Are you a God?
Dr Ray Stantz: [Peter nods] No.
Gozer: Then... DIE!
[Electrocutes the Ghostbusters; pushing them to the edge of the apartment building; people screaming]
Winston Zeddemore: Ray, when someone asks if you're a God, you say "Yes"!

Winston Zeddemore: Hey, wait a minute. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hold it. Now, are we actually gonna go before a federal judge, and tell him that some moldy Babylonian God is going to drop in on Central Park West, and start tearing up the city?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Sumerian, not Babylonian.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yeah. Big difference.
Winston Zeddemore: No offense, guys, but I've gotta get my own lawyer.

Dr Ray Stantz: Where do these stairs go?
Dr. Peter Venkman: They go up.
- Ghostbusters

The Next Big Thing.

2006-10-20T07:10:00.000-04:00

Good morning. Between non-profit job and a short term temp assignment at night (a.k.a. VISA relief fund) I've been BUSY!!! When I arrive home I wind down a bit and collapse onto my bed. No blogging for you in other words. However, I can take writings from other places and post them here as fresh posts. I'll explain the story. A certain wannabe environmental lawyer (who will rename nameless) was feeling a bit frustrated by the tack his/her career went. Environmental Lawyer asked for various opinions. Below is my response.

______________________________________________________

The next big thing is already occurring, but you can help add to the critical mass of it: the growing acceptance and development of "green" energy sources, construction, and lifestyle choices.

Help promote development and acceptance of solar,wind, geothermal, and water power on both large and small scales. Yes the big wind farms off of Padre Island and the Columbia River valley are a good start, but how about promoting and writing local building codes to have hi-tech windmills attached to every new home in suburbia? Promote the use of solar roofing shingles that are flexible like asphalt ones, but generate electricity instead of sucking up solar heat. Promote underground parking garages to prevent heat sink conditions in an urban environment instead of paving it all. Promote new commercial buildings to collect rain water in cisterns for use as toilet water and watering the surrounding landscaping instead of using treated city water from a public utility.

Promote a 10% increase in the CAFE standards in 5 years. Encourage tax credits for new diesel engines using low sulfur fuel and manual trannys in cars to increase fuel economy. Promote the use of lightweight materials in automotive construction in place of steel.

Encourage recycling programs for paper, metals, plastics, electronic waste (e.scrap), batteries, etc. Encourage rails to trails development for better health and alternative transportation needs. Establish high speed rail. Fund nature conservatories to purchase land to make parks, wetlands, leave or turn back into a natural state.

Is this really ONE BIG THING or lots of little things that add up? I guess it depends on how closely you look at the paint stroke instead of the entire picture. I feel the shifting of societal attitudes towards a more green friendly outlook is the next big thing.

Randomness

2006-10-19T07:46:00.000-04:00

I was born in the 31st Century before Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked me back into the 20th.

I am the Seventh Beatle. The lads were deciding on who should lay the bass line down for the songs. Paul has the bass guitar and I had the tuba. Paul got the gig because he could play and sing at the same time so he was more useful.

The gust of wind that blow the side off a downtown skyscraper during the Final Four was my burp after consuming a Mt. Dew Baja Blast too quickly.

I really need to find some free time soon. 15 hour days are not fun.

Wipeout!

2006-10-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

I leave house at 7:30 am for the conference. I get back just before midnight. Do I feel bad for sleeping 10 hours today? NO!

Chef Makes Edible Wedding Gown For His Bride.

2006-10-13T07:38:00.000-04:00

This one was so weird I had to share. This Ukrainian chef has some skills. He made a 20 lb, 1,500 cream puff dress for his bride. She liked wearing it, but how did it taste?

Friday Quotes: What Goes Through Your Mind.

2006-10-13T07:35:00.000-04:00

I admit this sounds like a conversation I would have.

Al Giordino: Hey, you know how it is when you see someone that you haven't seen since high school, and they got some dead-end job, and they're married to some woman that hates them, they got, like, three kids who think he's a joke? Wasn't there some point where he stood back and said, "Bob, don't take that job! Bob, don't marry that harpy!" You know?
Dirk Pitt: Your point?
Al Giordino: Well, we're in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we're gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?
Dirk Pitt: [coming up on the fortress seen in the cave painting] I don't know - it seems to be working so far.
- Sahara

The Perfect Day.

2006-10-11T22:55:00.000-04:00

1. Get that first paystub.
2. Call bank just to make sure something is getting deposited today.
3. Official business cards arrive.
4. 2007 appointment book the paralegal ordered for me arrives. It even has the quarter hour system I love.
5. Correctly balance my checkbook on the first try today.
6. Create a rough budget and see it is possible to get out of credit card debt in less than a year.
7. Finish several big and small projects today.
8. Get a preemptive jump on a future project. At least I know what is broke and what I'll be fixing in a few weeks.
9. Listen to the falling rain hit my vent.

I think I'll start feeling like a professional soon.

Friday Quotes: For Love Or Money Edition

2006-10-06T07:48:00.000-04:00

Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski: You're a lucky guy, Oz.
Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky: Why would you say that?
Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski: You're about to find out if the woman you love loves you. You know, if it were me, in her position, I'd just take the money and run.
Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky: So what are you betting on?
Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski: I'm betting on love. Love for you means money for me. And like I said before, I'd really hate to have to kill you.
- The Whole Nine Yards

Just Another Day In The Office.

2006-10-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

Though absent from the blog I've not been swamped with work. I simply haven't felt like blogging. I told you earlier this ship is going down soon.

In case you're curious work has been exciting so far. Public Interest Inc! is slowly getting me into the mix of things. As a few projects come in and my phone number and email address get out there I'm sure things will pick up quickly. Right now I'm picking up a few pieces from the previous occupant of my position.

I've never worked for a small office before in any job. I'm more hands on in ways I never realized before. I had to set up my own email accounts and learn my phone system. Luckily the phone's user manual is on my desk. The office staff is curious if I can be the on-site tech guru. I'll eventually perform website maintenance, create email lists, and I already solved a Excel spreadsheet issue. If I can find a battery backup somewhere I'll hook it up to our main lawyer's PC. The power died for a split second and we learned the hard way he didn't have a battery backup on his PC. Strangely enough I do. The lack of standardization in IT equipment is a first for me. This is a small shop so they ordered stuff when they needed it. I have Windows 98, another has Windows 2000, some have Windows XP. Perhaps I can write a grant to upgrade some of our equipment. LCD monitors would be more energy efficient, lighter to move around, and simply more cool.

I get a few perks and I'm debating to paint my office sage green, burnt copper, or tuscan red. Run with the perks I say or paint with them in this case. I might even get a paint refund from the petty cash fund. I'll check into that.

I still don't believe I have a job now. With luck it will be more real once I cash the first paycheck.

Mission Accomplished: 502 Days Later

2006-09-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

After being a near straight A student in undergrad it still took me 6 months to find a job that had nothing to do with my psychology degree. After being a mediocre student (grade wise) in law school it took 16 months to find a job that makes use of my law degree.

I'm not going into detail, but I'll be an assistant director of a small non-profit public interest organization. In the professional development offices this would be referred to as a non-traditional job. A.K.A. a non-practicing attorney for those readers who are not legal beagles. I'll be a lawyer that doesn't write briefs and doesn't argue cases in front of judges.

The job appeals to my jack-of-all-trades/Swiss army knife nature. I get to travel a bit to discuss issues in front of community panels (what do you know that substitute teaching experience paid off). I can recruit potential members to join the organization. I help with fundraising. I'll keep tabs on legislators to get a heads up on potential bills that affect the organization (a.k.a. lobbying). A juris doctorate isn't required for such an administrative position, but many J.D.s end up working in them. We have the right skillset.

I assume there are health benefits, 401K plan, vacation/sick time with this job. I'll ask tomorrow. Today's second interview was a 30 minute session with my boss and a board member. They compared notes at the end and said I stood out. Great! Now I want to know about such details as the insurance, 401K, and vacation/sick time. A whirlwind of a day for sure.

I've heard many '05 graduates out there are still looking. I wish you the best of luck. I wouldn't blame you if you simply gave up. I was about ready to. Tomorrow the bar results for this summer come out and I wasn't looking forward to the additional competition.

The best thing is now I no longer have to lie. I was exhausted by putting up the stiff upper lip and saying I would prevail whenever asked how the job hunt was going. If one more person asked how the job hunt was going I was going to rip out a random major organ of their's. The truth was the job hunt tasted like ash in my mouth. I reached the point where I had no idea what I was going to do. I went through so many backup plans that I no longer had any ideas. I felt like the biggest failure. I was the biggest failure. Perhaps I finally won by simply enduring. I don't know.

Yet a win is a win, no matter how ugly the process. Here's to finally winning.

Round 2: T Plus 502 Days

2006-09-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

I found a time calculator online. Including today it is 502 days past graduation or 1 year 4 months and 14 days. Believe me I feel that passage of time in ways I couldn't articulate and you wouldn't want me to in the first place. Yet today is a special day, it is the first time I've gotten to a second interview. I'm now 1 of 4 candidates.

I'm not going to tell you where and what the position is. It is a potentially interesting, if non-traditional, position. A J.D. isn't required for the position, but it would be valuable. The lawyers there are top notch. I'm sure I would learn much while there.

When I put on the suit I feel like I'm gearing up for one last battle, one last objective. I'm tired of this fight. It needs to be over soon.

Skydiving Is A Calculated Risk.

2006-09-28T07:37:00.000-04:00

You Are Bold And Brave

But daring? Not usually?
You tend to like to make calculated risks.
So while you may not be base jumping any time soon...
You are up for whatever's new and (a little) exciting!

How Daring Are You?

I'm Okay With The Fly Ride.

2006-09-28T07:26:00.000-04:00

You Should Drive a BMW

Refined and classy, you want a car that looks rich... and goes fast!

What Sports Car Should You Drive?

I Hate Waiting

2006-09-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

I'm juggling a few things right now. I've reached a point where I'm done with what I can do and now I need to wait for other people to get back to me. It took me a few minutes but I figured out this odd feeling: anxiousness. I believe I'll get a phone call this afternoon and I'm anxiously waiting for it.

How annoying!

I'm certainly not a control freak, but when I'm waiting for the next step I get cranky. I dislike the uncertainty of some situations.

I think I'll distract myself with a workout and cleaning of my living room. I'm sure the cardio will be good for me.

I Need Longer Trips

2006-09-26T23:32:00.000-04:00

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Very Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (75%)
You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Southern United States (31%)
You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Western United States (21%)
You Are Mostly Untraveled in Western Europe (14%)
You Are Mostly Untraveled in the United Kingdom (13%)
You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Australia (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Canada (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Latin America (0%)
You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Scandinavia (0%)
You Are Untraveled in Southern Europe (0%)
You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%)
You Are Untraveled in the Northeastern United States (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

Evil Will Always Triumph Because Good Is Dumb.

2006-09-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

Excellent. Evil is far more fun anyway.

You Are 42% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

When The Saints Come Marching In.

2006-09-26T08:13:00.000-04:00

The New Orleans Saints demolished an overwhelmed Atlanta Falcons team 23-3 in a newly refurbished Superdome last night. The return of professional football to the hurricane ravaged city is hardly the end of the rebuilding process. Yet the symbol of last year's tragedy is now a symbol of normalcy at least for a few hours last night.

Having a football game reminds the world New Orleans is still there and fighting back. Life will return to normal eventually. Though 3-0 the Saints didn't need a scoreboard last night. They were winners by simply taking the field once again.

An Open Letter To Bill Ford Jr.

2006-09-26T07:06:00.000-04:00

CC: Incoming Ford CEO Alan Mulally
CC: Tom Wood: owner of Tom Wood Ford

Dear Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford,

I write this to you in the hopes that your company will learn from this problem and be better for it. With the enactment of Way Forward 2.0 Ford is cutting 14,000 salaried positions, closing 9 North America plants, and shedding a to be determined number of hourly positions. It is obvious Ford can use a few car sales now. Two major things are required for that: 1) a more compelling product line and 2) a sales staff that is willing to do what it takes to please potential customers. Issue #1 is a letter for another time. Issue #2 I will discuss now.

The story begins with the Pillar Of Hoosier Centrism being in a family way. With 2 children POHC and his wife, The Boss, decided it was time to acquire a minivan. A list of the usual suspects was created: Chrysler Town & Country, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, the Kia/Hyundai twins, and for something a little different the Ford Freestyle crossover/station wagon. I was to tag along and be a second opinion/evaluator. I'm very good at finding buttons, knobs, latches, and other assorted mechanicals to push, prod, or pull.

After a day and a half of observing and test driving minivans the Pillar Of Hoosier Centrism and I arrived at the local Tom Wood Ford dealership. A large man ambled or slithered his way towards us. This man never introduced himself or found out our names. He simply asked if there was someone he could get for us or something we would like to see. We said we wanted to see some Freestyles. I realize Tom Wood Ford is a large dealership. After a few steps I spotted about 20 Freestyles parked together. The salesman slithered his way past the first few and Pillar had to state, "Here they are!"

The salesman never asked what our plans were for that day. You could feel the game of try to sell them something today. I'm sorry but the plan was test drive all options and weed out the lesser vehicles from the list. Upon the weeding The Boss will be participating in the vehicle decision. Purchasing a vehicle that day was impossible as half of the decision making authority was at home. A gold Freestyle was selected for the test drive.

The Freestyle has been impressive at auto shows. It is a substantial vehicle was great people and cargo carrying abilities. The interior finish is a step up from previous generations of Ford products. However a test drive is necessary to see if it'll perform to an acceptable standard.

After waiting 10 minutes in the brisk gale force winds our nameless salesman lumbered out and proclaimed he couldn't find the keys to that vehicle. In shock we suggested driving the vehicle next to our stranded keyless gold Freestyle. Nameless wonder dutifully wrote down the VIN to acquire the keys. I was in lockstep behind him to see if I could keep an eye on things.

Inside the warm dealership yet another salesman talked with us. That was fine as salesman #2 was a knowledgeable spokesperson and fun to be around. The fact we were ogling a Ford GT worth a quarter-million dollars helped. Nameless Salesman #1 slithered back out and apologized about his inability to find the keys to Freestyle #2. O.M.G. what are those salesmen doing with those keys? Mr. Ford are your plants producing cars, but not the keys?

This incident is a microcosm of the American auto industry at this time.

Mr. Ford, your company can use any sale it can get. Salesmen that are slick, unfriendly, and incompetent are of no use to you. It is my regret to inform you that POHC and I crossed the Freestyle off the list without even a test drive to compare it's worthiness to the competition.

Sincerely,
Former Ford Fans

PS: Tom Wood, your Nissan dealership is almost as incompetent as your Ford dealership. It required two trips to even get into a Quest minivan. Your staff had the attitude of not wanting to sale the fugly vehicles. POHC and I were handed off between two different salesmen on our second visit and spent over 20 minutes inside waiting for a minivan to appear by the side door. I have no idea how your company stays in business when your sales staff exhibits such poor customer service. The concierge appeared to be the only person who knew what he was doing.

Shredded Beef BBQ

2006-09-25T09:35:00.000-04:00

This was extremely well received at Saturday's tailgate. I decided to share with you.

1 very large pot roast.
3 - 4 tablespoons of brown sugar.
1 package of dry onion soup mix.
1 cup ketchup.
1 bottle of beer. The original recipe called for 1 cup, but I wasn't in the mood to drink the rest of the beer at 10 pm so I used the entire bottle of Miller Lite.

Put in a slow cooker all day. Shred the cooked beef with a fork.

Upon reheating at the tailgate and putting on buns it was fantastic!

One disclosure: though called BBQ I didn't taste what I would consider a BBQ flavor. It was still fantastic!

If You Want A Home Tour This Weekend.

2006-09-22T17:28:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the rush, but some of you might be interested in the Architects Home Tour. Most of the homes are in Herron-Morton, Old Northside, Chatham Arch, and Lockerbie I believe. This sounds like fun, but I'm busy this weekend. If you go let me know if you enjoyed it.

Quote Of The Day.

2006-09-22T17:24:00.000-04:00

Numerous good quotes were spoken today. For those who don't remember this game I often posted the best quote I spoke, or heard, that day. I usually don't give a context because it is far more fun that way.

"You're celibate, he's gay, and I'm married. None of us are having sex with women!"

Concerning today's adventures I have some great stories for you. With luck I'll blog them this weekend.

Friday Quotes: I Can Relate To Jack Burton

2006-09-22T07:12:00.000-04:00

Jack Burton: Hey, I'm a reasonable guy. But I've just experienced some very unreasonable things.
- Big Trouble In Little China

The Coffee Hasn't Kicked In Yet.

2006-09-20T07:10:00.000-04:00

"The unaddress, what's the unaddress?"

The graphic on the news confused me. It was in all capitols and UN was directly above ADDRESS. Wait a second please. The United Nations address given by the President yesterday. Could the graphics department please not use all capitols this early in the morning? I knew I better fix another cup. Is anyone else this non-functional this early in the monring?

I AM A MAN!!!

2006-09-20T07:04:00.000-04:00

From the Vast Archieve Of Drafts I present a little bit of fall cleaning. This virtual cellar will be cleaned out soon. One reason I like this silly quizzes so much is because I like to figure out how the tests are built. It is the mental exercise of "If I answer X I'll likely get result A. If I answer B I'll likely get result B."

As long as I didn't turn up metrosexual I'm okay with this result.

Link: The Manliness (for everybody) Test written by mulletmandan on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

The smart-jock
You are 58 Manly and 43 Nerdy!

With your moderate computer knowlege, super manly body, and overall good stamina, you have been branded with the horrible moniker "smart-jock". You are, of course, an awesome person, there's just no other way to describe you. Go have a huge breakfast, chop down a forest, then go home and check your e-mail.

It's Talk Like A Pirate Day!!! Arrrr!!!

2006-09-19T10:37:00.000-04:00

I like the fact they have a "How to" section on the webpage. Useful tidbits to know IMHO.

$2.05 A Gallon!!!

2006-09-19T08:37:00.000-04:00

I doubt such low prices will last long. Most stations seem to have gas around a nickel or dime higher, but what a cheap relief! If you're on the east or west coasts, I'm sorry but you get to keep suffering.

Separation Saturday Was EXXXXCELLENT!

2006-09-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad I didn't go to the Ball State game yesterday. My beloved Boilers won, but I had too many other things to do. With the AM radio on I didn't miss much though. At least they're playing somewhat better now, but the sputtering of the 1st and 4th quarters is still a concern.

The most important news is that I was 9 for 12 in the pool this weekend. Had Oklahoma survived those interesting non-calls against the Oregon Ducks I would be sitting pretty in the polls now. (That was a great game regardless. I wish I watched it.)

Neither Michigan nor Notre Dame are in my pool but that was the best game to watch. It was never close, but watching the Irish humiliated on their own field is always special to me. The drubbing they took should shut up the fanbase concerning national championships. ND is overrated and everyone who thought about it knew it. ND didn't even beat anyone with a winning record last year. The win should calm down Lloyd Carr critics for a bit unless he loses to Ohio State yet again.

I caught the last 3 minutes of the Bowden Bowl. Tommy beat his daddy at daddy's house. Florida State trashed Clemson's kicking game that night so it was weird to see a 4th and goal without a kicker. If you're on Clemson's special teams you ought to be embaressed that the coach has so little faith in you that he goes for it on 4th and goal to win the game.

I thought Tennessee had Florida wrapped up, but I guess I was wrong. The Vols fall in the last 2 minutes.

I wish I had seen more of the Auburn/LSU slugfest for the SEC West. Auburn scores only a touchdown and they still win the game.

Last and least fellow Big 10 university Indiana LOSES to Division I-AA Southern Illinois 35-28. Guys, what time is it?

I Hate Transcribing New Magic Words.

2006-09-17T17:40:00.000-04:00

Problem:

You see some job leads that are not lawyer-type jobs, but where someone with the legal training could easily fit in. Many jobs don't require legal knowledge, but can use the research, analysis, public speaking, managerial skills that law school develops. How do you translate your skill set into the key phrases and magic words a non-traditional job employer would look for?

My previous cover letters were almost a cut and paste job. I didn't need to tweak them very much between employers. I was getting interviews so I believe it was a decent cover letter. Now, with non-traditional jobs, I'm creating a more verbose cover letter and that isn't a good thing I believe. I need get my point across and sell how my skills are relevant to their job and ignore my degree within one page.

I think I'll save this editing project until after dinner. Right now I'm firing mental blanks. If legal employers won't show me any love, perhaps non-lawyers will.

PC vs. Mac

2006-09-15T08:36:00.000-04:00

Best line I heard yesterday from DrunkenIrishMan.

"Either you get a PC which can be crap or an Apple which is pretentious crap."

Never before has the war been put so succinctly.

Friday Quotes:

2006-09-15T07:41:00.000-04:00

Jake Blues: Book us for tomorrow night.
Maury Sline: Hold it, hold it. Tomorrow night? What are you talking about? A gig like that, you gotta prepare the proper exploitation.
Elwood Blues: I know all about that stuff. I have been exploited all my life.
- The Blues Brothers

Eris Was Always Full Of Chaos.

2006-09-14T07:21:00.000-04:00

The body that led to Pluto being demoted from planet status has finally recieved an official name: Eris. Eris was the Greek goddess of chaos and strife. The discovery of the little ball of rock with a diameter 70 miles larger than Pluto forced astronomers to come up with a definition for planets. Pluto lost. So does Eris. We have dwarf planets now that Pluto, Eris, and the asteroid Ceres fit into now.

No date has been set to christen the wannabe planets Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful, et. al.

Can You Pass Third Grade Geography?

2006-09-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

With some of the small states you need to be so precise on the mouse. You'll see when you get there. I didn't get them all correct the first time but at least I knew it was a GEOGRAPHY test and not a GEOMETRY test unlike certain BIGLAW lawyer that I will not name.

One Day I'll Test Drive The New Scobby Rex.

2006-09-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

I reserve judgment on the styling until I see one without camouflage. Yet it looks promising so far. It's turbocharged, with manual tranny, in a small hatchback/wagon style, with all-wheel drive. Sounds tasty doesn't it?

OTOH I do get to start testing minivans this Friday. I'm the second opinion, not the actual buyer. Until I'm in a family way I wouldn't test drive one on purpose. Oh well, new shiny sheet metal is always fun to crawl through.

Maybe She Can Outrun A Police Radio.

2006-09-13T10:24:00.000-04:00

Danica Patrick drove her new race car on Chicago's Michigan Avenue this morning. IFom the pic you can see she had rain tires on. Someone was smart because racing slicks would spin her out.

"Car 54 can you give a description of the car?"
"A batwing?"

House Better Be Recorded Somewhere Or I'm On The Warpath.

2006-09-12T22:45:00.000-04:00

I can't help it. I love the misanthropic doctor. One day I hope to say whatever I want and still be right. Does anyone else find it funny a British actor is playing an American doctor who makes fun of British people?

Dr. Gregory House: J'ever notice, how all the self-sacrificing women in history, Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa... can't think of any others, they all die alone? The men, on the other hand, get so much fuzz it's crazy.
Dr. Wilson: It's an unfair world.

At Least It Isn't Just Me.

2006-09-12T22:17:00.000-04:00

I've been attending real estate association meetings for several months now. I've had interest in real estate for years now. 8 or 9 years ago I was giving serious thought to purchasing a Broad Ripple duplex to live in and rent out the other side. Over the summer I've learned there is far more to real estate investing than being a landlord. Tonight's topic concerned tax sales. Talk about perfect timing. A friend has been bugging me for knowledge on tax sales as he wants to get into that aspect of real estate investing.

I recognized the speaker. He owns a law firm I applied to earlier this summer. One of his partners is also a club officer. After the class some people hang around to chit-chat, work up deals, or ask the speakers some questions. I'm listening to some of the follow-up questions and suddenly the partner and I are by ourselves. He said something. I replied that it's amazing that I've learned so much more about real estate by attending these meetings than I've ever learned in law school. (TRUE!) He replied that school is a bad place to learn about anything practical, otherwise we wouldn't spend so much time on the Rules Against Perpetuities. (Also quite true!) He confirmed something I've known about for over a year now: the job market around here is horrible.

"We had an ad out and were completely overwhelmed by the responses. We got ten times the responses we were expecting. Good for us I guess as it really allowed us to pick who we want."

I wonder what would have occurred had I taken Washington or Oregon instead.

PS: in case you're curious I'm on Plan M by now. Plans A through K are history. Survival is the only goal now.

For A Clipboard Of Data

2006-09-12T07:03:00.000-04:00

The 3 ring binders had some useful information for data analysis, but they weren't really needed.
The calculator would be handy, but wasn't a required item.
I put everything in the bookbag for easy transport.
I drove across town to have my dad help me with some calculations.
As soon as I started unpacking my bookbag I realized the one thing I left behind. The clipboard full of paper, notes, and all the data I wanted to analyze. It was the one item I truly needed and I didn't have it.

*face palm*

I left the clipboard next to the bookbag. My dad wasn't thrilled.

*deep sigh*

I Have 9/11 Fatigue.

2006-09-11T10:15:00.000-04:00

Tributes are everywhere. Of course this is a day we should remember as Americans. Yet I would prefer not to remember today. I'm simply tired. Maybe I'm being a wimp about it. Maybe it churns up emotions I would prefer not to deal with at the moment. Today will be a good day to submerge myself in the infinite To-Do List.

I can't wait for Sept. 12th tomorrow.

Yes Tell Me Something I Don't Know.

2006-09-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

File this one under "duh!"

Your Personality Cluster is Introverted Intuition

You are:

Multilayered and complex
Inspired and driven to achieve your goals
A visionary with a complete life plan
Intuitive enough to understand difficult problems, ideas, and people

What's Your Personality Cluster?

Dog Alert!

2006-09-11T01:25:00.000-04:00

I needed a cute dog pic to warm up your Monday mornings.

What Do You Mean They're Cancelling Stargate?

2006-09-11T01:18:00.000-04:00

Only three people who read this blog will care, but it appears Mark Stern is at the top of our enemies list. He is the Sci-Fi Channel executive who decided not to renew Stargate for an 11th season. I've never seen Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage on Conan O'Brien before (YouTube is sweet), but he states the words I'm thinking.

The holy trinity of fantasy females must be saved.

Indy Cultural Tidbit: The Greeks Are In The Houses!

2006-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Things to do this weekend if you're staying in town.

Greek Fest
OMPHA baby!!! Today and Friday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Who doesn't love some good Greek food?

Herron-Morton Home Tour
Hey I prepaid at the Talbot Street Art Fair but I can't find my receipt. This will be an exercise on whether or not they keep better records than I do. Plenty of Victorian style and newly built historical blend style homes on tour. One home is even down to the studs. Oh yeah the guts are shown baby! Sunday only, but the weather should be nice. Come on down and walk around urban revitilization.

The Failure Of My Generation

2006-09-08T08:19:00.000-04:00

Ed Part I: From the Vast Archive Of Drafts this post was started December 1, 2005. Time I finished it I guess. I'm so glad I'm not going back to substitute teaching this year. It wasn't as flexible as they said, and it doesn't pay enough for the crap you have to deal with.

Ed Part II: Blogger misplaced this post but I managed to retrieve it. I can be crafty sometimes.

This thought occurred to me a nearly two months ago in the middle of class: I could be teaching the children of people I went to high school with. 8th graders are a jaded, rebellious group. I had been switched to a different middle school and was learning that something was horribly wrong at Satan Spawn Middle School. At Regular Middle School once the 8th graders knew you they would work with you to an extent. At SSMS these children were outright evil. Later I would talk to other subs and regular teachers at other schools and told that it something was simply different at SSMS. This was the problem school of the district. For whatever reason these children has no respect for authority, didn't care about learning, didn't care about consequences, and they ruled the classrooms, not the teachers.

What caused these children to simply disrespect adults? What caused these children to be so self-indulgent in their own world that the outside world didn't matter to them? Did their parent(s) not care about their education by providing any reinforcement? Did any adult provide any positive attention to them? Did these hellions not have an example of someone working hard to accomplish great things? I didn't have any answers for those questions, but I knew one thing. It proved impossible to teach at SSMS.

In some respects a child is a reflection upon the parent. I wondered where did we as parents go wrong with the current generation. Some independence is good, but independence requires wisdom as a guide. At age 13 these kids weren't as wise as they acted or believed. Did we give them too much independence and no boundaries because our hippie parents decided boundaries were bad for us? Down with the man, rebel against the machine, fight the establishment man, and let's smoke a joint! That was our parent's motto and did they pass it along to us? Did we in turn pass that to our children?

I don't know, but I feel we failed somewhere. It seems we've reaped what we've sown. Our's was the first generation where limits truly fell into disuse. Now I can't get this generation to understand they can't do anything they want. Even with multiple teachers in the room too many students were too interested in their own mouth.

I fear we as parents and as a society have finally created a generation of children that know no bounds. They truly don't understand that we're interdependant as a society. In order to have a functional society we have to realize some limits exist on our abilities. In other words: it isn't all about me, me, me! Perhaps it is our fault as parents. In our coming of age it was the Me Generation 80s.

Is it too late for society to fix what we broke?

Friday Quotes: Keep Your Friends Close...

2006-09-08T07:02:00.000-04:00

Matthew Gideon: I thought you said you never hold a grudge.
Galen: Well, I don't. I have no surviving enemies... at all.
-Crusade

Robert McCall: Don't do something you won't live to regret.
-The Equalizer

Bonus points if you can figure out the trivia connection between the two quotes.

If I'm So Young Why Do I Feel So Old Sometimes?

2006-09-07T23:54:00.000-04:00

Old is the wrong word. Experienced and worn down are more correct.

You've Experienced 48% of Life

You have a good deal of life experience, about as much as someone in their late 20s.
You've seen and done enough to be quite wise, but you still have a lot of life to look forward to.

How Much Life Experience Do You Have?

When The Cubans Parachute Down The Rally Point Is At My House!

2006-09-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

Bonus points if you get the concept I'm borrowing for the title.

You Are a "Don't Tread On Me" Libertarian

You distrust the government, are fiercely independent, and don't belong in either party.
Religion and politics should never mix, in your opinion... and you feel opressed by both.
You don't want the government to cramp your self made style. Or anyone else's for that matter.
You're proud to say that you're pro-choice on absolutely everything!

What's Your Political Persuasion?

Are You Lookin' At Me?

2006-09-07T23:43:00.000-04:00

Things must be wrong when I'M swiping a quiz from Frequent Citations. Universal trends are in flux, cats and dogs living together, it hit the fan or some such concept. This will take the place of a nice long post of interesting observations I wrote and Blogger ate!

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker.
And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

The Chuck Norris Option.

2006-09-07T07:34:00.000-04:00

Spammers sent me another email from myself to myself. This time I was selling Viagra. I forgot one option on the poll: Option F is deploy Chuck Norris.

Don't Try To Solve Your Relationship Problems In A Public Place.

2006-09-07T07:33:00.000-04:00

So many people are stupid. Do they truly believe because they're in their car that no on can see them? Is glass not usually transparent? Glass in your SUV and this window next to our restaurant booth allows light to go through. I'm only 10 feet away and I can see you. So can the entire restaurant.

She put forth a good effort for 30 minutes at least. She didn't want to listen to his story. Crossed arms and looking away from him. She should have kept walking out of the SUV and be rid of him. At the gas station she should have just kept on walking. He had his smile, his charm, his laugh. Eventually a waitress went out there to remind them we could see their antics. Did they have a shocked look on their face? No they simply carried on. One long night of being out and the relationship was rocky.

She still took him back after 30 minutes of his Swiss cheese lovetalk. It was Swiss cheese due to all the holes. Any bets on when they get into another argument and she finally dumps the chump?

*I wouldn't normally be so hard on them, but from what I could hear it was every cliched make up line in every bad romantic movie you can remember.

I Just Walked Into That Trap.

2006-09-06T23:16:00.000-04:00

Crazy Tim: I think we need something different for the tailgate.
Me (pondering on different foods that can be appropriate for a tailgate): Ummm...how about kabobs? (Who can resist meat on a stick?)
Crazy Tim: That's a great idea Brian. Why don't you bring them on Saturday?

Here is the Quote Of The Night and I want an answer to this question.

"Who knew olive oil was flammable?"

Next Time I'm Bringing Sunscreen.

2006-09-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

Last week was very cloudy. I went to Saturdays (will a grammarian please tell me if I need a ' before the 's' please) game and didn't bring sunscreen. Saturday was a very sunny day. I'm fried due to my own stupidity. It is bad enough to require lip balm every 30 minutes, but now I'm molting. Watching your own skin peel off is a disgusting feeling.

Note for this Saturday: bring SPF 30.

Confessions Poll: Should Spammers Be Considered Terrorists?

2006-09-05T08:27:00.000-04:00

I check the spam folder to make sure a real email didn't get sent there by accident. I find it interesting when I get an email from myself. This one was rather innocuous. It was some financial scheme. Viagra and MILFs are far more common subject lines. Did you know over half of all email sent across the planet is spam?

I'm tired of it. I'm tired of receive unwanted email. I'm sure network admins are tired of that much unwanted traffic on their servers. I'm tired of someone hijacking my email address to peddle their filth. I consider a deluge of spam to be denial of my internet services.

Time for a poll: should spammers be considered terrorists?

A: Yes, send the FBI after them.
B: Yes, send in the SEALs.
C: Yes, let the IRS follow the money.
D: Yes, the spammer masterminds are hiding in a cave near the Pakistan border.
E: Yes, one laser guided 500lb bomb will solve the problem.

Help Me Jesus! Help Me Tom Cruise! Use Your Witchcraft To Make the Scoreboard Better!

2006-09-03T23:18:00.000-04:00

Week One: 8 out of 12

By the time I got home I could catch the second half of the Cal-Tennessee game. I figured this would be the best game on Saturday. Cal is one of my teams so I was especially interested. I have them going 11-1 this year. Then I discovered Cal was losing bad. My heart seized up and I had a stroke.

I found my notes today and discovered I had Cal losing to Tennessee! I felt so much better. Now I recalled my thought processes last week. Tennessee had something to prove after last season and Cal was in the way for a ripe upset. Never have I been so happy about a loss.

At least I made the right call, but 9 out of 12 would have been a sweet start to the season.

Georgia Tech On My Mind:

Why oh why couldn't Georgia Tech pulled off the upset of Notre Dame? The call against Calvin Johnson on third down was bogus. He had control of the ball while he was airborne. He was horizontal in the air with both hands on the sides of the football. How could the Big 10 refs view the video and say Johnson lacked control? Talk about a drive killer! Does anyone else believe Notre Dame is overhyped? ND is one Brady Quinn injury away from being mediocre.

Why does television insist on starting games at 8:30pm? It shouldn't be nearly midnight when a game finishes.

George Lucas Disease Is Spreading.

2006-09-01T11:18:00.000-04:00

First Ted Turner tried to colorize numerous black & white films.

Then George Lucas redid the original Star Wars trilogy with modern computer graphics. I can accept he wanted to clean up the special effects (FX). I can accept he wanted add in more elements to a scene that he simply couldn't do at the time. Yet George didn't trust his instincts and had Han Solo react to someone shooting him in the cantina. HAN SHOT FIRST and for a good reason. Han Solo was an amoralistic space pirate! The audience needs to be queasy at first and wonder if this guy will sell out our heroes at his earliest convenience.

Now Star Trek, the original series, is being released for syndication with updated computer graphics for special effects.

The team (headed by 18-year Trek design vet Michael Okuda, no mere hired gun)
says it took a WWGRD approach, imagining how Gene Roddenberry would've
approached the show's design and effects if he'd had access to contemporary
technologies. Apparently, we'll see starbases teeming with people, shimmeringly
"realistic" alien landscapes with moving clouds and glittering water surfaces.

Is anyone else tired of old works being "updated" to suit modern tastes? Can't a piece of cultural art be left alone? How far do we take this trend? Most of the women in Peter Paul Ruebens' paintings are rather fat for modern tastes. Should someone hire a new painter to skinny them up? (Perhaps the phrase should be 'skinny them down' in this case.) How about we just paint Paris Hilton or a skeletor Nicole Ritchie onto Ruebens' canvas? I feel some of Mozart's pieces are rather dull. Can I add a electric guitar and booming drumset to his work?

I'm willing to accept things in their context. I'm tired of revisionist histories and updating for "modern" tastes. The fun of some things is accepting them for what they are. In this case part of the charm of Star Trek was the cheap and cheesy special effects. It was a product of the 1960s and as an audience we shouldn't force modern production values and styles onto something 40 years old. It is what it is. Let it be.

Friday Quotes

2006-09-01T07:27:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot this show existed. I enjoyed watching it as a kid. I think I'll get the DVD set one day.

"If we understand others, in time, I believe, we come to understand ourselves."
- Commander John Koenig: Space 1999

Off To A Fine Start As Usual.

2006-08-31T22:32:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank Central Michigan for making enough mistakes to lose to Boston College. I only have you in my pool. I'm already 0-1 in what was a very winnable game.

Stupd Non-Directional Michigan team!

9/1/2006 EDIT: good commentary from DrunkenIrishMan concerning last night.

"what was with that cutsey swinging gate thing? You are down 7, in the 4th, at home, driving, good field position,and then you pull something like that. No need to be conservative, but don't go off the deep end the other way."

Things To Do Today.

2006-08-31T17:18:00.000-04:00

1. Start an automotive blog.
2. Email Bentley and request short term test driver for evaluation.

Autoblog has a feature called In The Autoblog Garage. They get cars from manufacturers for 4 or 5 days. They write their impressions of the loaner vehicles on the blog. I love the feature as it gives in-depth reports on the car.

"So imagine our shock when Bentley not only responded to our email, but told us it would be granting our request to review the 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Man, we're still trying to get a Yaris from Toyota to review and Bentley just gave us the green light?"

I'm in the wrong business obviously.

I should elaborate for some of you. The Flying Spur is Bentley's entry level vehicle. It merely costs $180,000. I can't imagine a car costing as much as a house, but it would be nice to have for a few days.

Canal Point Grill

2006-08-31T08:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a goofy day. By dinnertime I didn't want to mess with fixing a meal and cleaning up afterwards. Besides, yesterday was a cloudy, cool, windy night. The threat of rain had a primal elemental feel to the air. It felt great and I needed to be outside.

If you want al fresco dining in the elements only two areas offer that in abundance: downtown and Broad Ripple. You'll notice my problem. I wanted to be outside, but I haven't selected any type of food. Luckily for the undecided and hungry Broad Ripple is quite walkable. Quite a few restaurant patios were packed for a Wednesday night, but a few seats were open at Canal Point Grill. I've never been there, but it looked good. Canal Point is the new name of the former Broad Ripple Seafood Shack. Why the name change? I have no idea. I think CPG sounds more professional then Seafood Shack.

I was right next to the canal. It was filled with geese and ducks quacking and honking. Can someone explain to me how Canadian Geese are a protected species? Are their visas good? This is where I need to invite braingirl sometime. She could provide a different point of view on a restaurant. Are you up for a joint review sometime braingirl? Back on point, the staff was friendly, but dangerous to each other. The hostess grabbed a menu and other items and whacked a waitress when turning around. Whoops.

The menu is naturally seafood oriented, but the other items have a island life flair to them. One of the specials was almond chicken with pineapple sauce. That sounded good. The complementary biscuits and a sugary apple butter type spread were provided. Yummy is the best word to describe them. Though a long wait, my almond chicken was worth it. The plate was large and filled with chicken, a rice bed, and green beans. The almonds and pineapple sauce make the chicken. The chicken was moist and tasty. I must learn how to cook with pineapple sauces and see if I can make my own almond chicken.

If you're looking for a place with atmosphere, good food, good service, then Canal Point Grill is a good choice. I give it a two forks up. I'm hungry again.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.

2006-08-30T07:39:00.000-04:00

Do you smell that? It is the scent of hamburgers and hot dogs roasting on an open flame. Beautiful isn’t it? College football will be upon us soon. Cheerleaders, marching bands, drunken students and alumni, stadium traditions, and two teams battling on the gridiron. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling just thinking about it.

This leads to yet another round of college football pool, a game that vexed me terribly last year. To my defense I only had 20 minutes to research teams as I didn’t expect to play. Pick one team from every conference and a wildcard. Count up the number of wins during the season, conference championships, and bowl games. If you have the most number of wins, you win. Victory is life! I performed research this year. I wrote out a spreadsheet of every team with my predicted records. I had the number one pick baby!

My #1 was Ohio State, a legitimate threat to go 12-0 this year. Normally I would despise the Buckeyes, but I’ll root for them this year. Besides, my beloved Boilermakers will not play Ohio State this year so I can be generous with my affections. I had the last pick of Round #2 and the first pick of Round #3. I believe I picked up California (I have them at 11-1, and professionals believe a 10-2 team.) and Oklahoma (I have them at 11-1 with Athlon Sports picking them as the #1 undefeated team and SI saying 9-3.). It was either the end of Round #4 or maybe in my back-to-back Round 2-3 pick that I snared a potential 10-2 Navy team as my wildcard. Perhaps Round #4 was the Oklahoma pick as most of my companions were using Sports Illustrated predictions and a few 9 win teams are still in Round #4. A run was started on the SEC and ACC so Big 12 was ignored for a bit allowing the Sooners to drop a little if I recall correctly. With luck I have four 10-win minimum teams in my pool and a potential 9 win University of Central Florida team from Conference-USA. C-USA has one or two pretty good teams that can hang with the big boys!

Of course they’ll need to make up for a likely bomb in Idaho (WAC), Central Michigan (MAC and at least I didn’t pick Buffalo this year!), and depending on who you listen to a Wake Forest team that’ll tank on me (SI has them at 4-8, but AthlonSports were thumbs up on Wake Forest so I predicted 8-4.).

Unless a few teams melt I will not embarrass myself this year. Yet competence isn’t good enough for this year. I want to win! This is FOOTBALL! In the spirit of this most glorious game I only want total victory!

I love the smell of victory and hamburgers in the morning.

PS: Can someone out there explain to me why Midget Lover picked Vanderbilt IN THE FIRST ROUND!?!? I’m sorry if you’re a ‘Mores fan, but Vandy is a 3-4 win team max. If you’re picking a SEC team in the first round Auburn (my almost #1 pick), LSU, Florida, or Georgia are the teams to pick.

Also very interesting was a move that may prove to be merely the second stupidest move of the day by Father Of The Year: he picked LA-Lafayette out of the Sun Belt in the first round as well. They were 6-5 last year and the only Sun Belt team to finish above .500! I too predict LA-Lafayette to be the pick of the Sun Belt as well this year I believe 7-5 to be reasonable. Yet a First Round pick was wasted on a Sun Belt team and I believe the beer was still running around FOTY’s bald and waterlogged head. I’m not going to share FOTY’s stupidest move of the day since you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I’m serious you would think I made it up.

Ummmm….football is almost back baby!

Keep On Churning Is The Motto Of The Day

2006-08-30T07:30:00.000-04:00

I'm just sweeping out the Vast Archieve Of Drafts. Need to clean out the virtual basement so to speak.

Your Power Level is: 62%

You're a very powerful person, and you know that all of your power comes from within.
Keep on doing what you're doing, and you'll reach your goals.

How Powerful Are You?

Random Thought Of The Day.

2006-08-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

I believe "Atlantia Death Squadron" would be a great name for a garage band.

That is all.

All This Technology And None Of It Freakin' Works!

2006-08-28T13:05:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago roommate Whumpa helped me configure the laptop to access our wireless network. I was a happy camper. However, suddenly my desktop was unable to access our wireless network. That is annoying, especially since the printer is hooked up to the desktop. Despite our best magic wand waving we can't get my desktop to log onto our network. It detects the network. It is configured properly, but it will not log on so the desktop has not internet access. I've been wanting to reformat the hard disk and reinstall all the software for a few months. This incident may finally prove the straw that broke my back.

Yet with a functioning laptop I wasn't too aggravated. Until the wireless card stopped working on Friday that is. Where are my green lights? Why is this card not powering on? Why is Device Manager telling me the device is not functioning properly? I can take the card out and slide it back in. Windows gives me a happy beep that it detects the hardware change. I can uninstall and reinstall the software. Actually I can't reinstall the software completely as Windows states the device is not functioning properly.

I bought the cheapest wireless adapter I could find two years ago. It was nice not having to plug in a cable in class. It was nice to bring my laptop to my parents' house and get some work done. I suppose I can look at this problem from the point of view that $30 or so provided two years of functionality.

Yet now I have NO INTERNET ACCESS!!!

I feel withdrawal symptoms now. The only thing worse is when I haven't had Starbucks, Pepsi, coffee, or any other source of caffeine for a few days. No caffeine and no internet make Brian something something.

In some ways I view this as a positive. Without the temptation of the internet I may get more things accomplished. The biggest downside is sometimes I need my email as the information I require is online. *cough directions to the college draft party cough* Don't expect much blogging from me until I get more regular access or speedy replies to your emails. Thankfully our wonderful public library system has free internet access. I can plug (yes plug in a wire as some people still do that) into their networks and send out the emails I need and catch up on a few important things.

If anyone needs me please call.

Dibs On Saturn.

2006-08-28T12:56:00.000-04:00

Mine, all mine. Precious, so precious.

You Should Rule Saturn

Saturn is a mysterious planet that can rarely be seen with the naked eye.

You are perfect to rule Saturn because like its rings, you don't always follow the rules of nature.
And like Saturn, to really be able to understand you, someone delve beyond your appearance.

You are not an easy person to befriend. However, once you enter a friendship, you'll be a friend for life.
You think slowly but deeply. You only gain great understanding after a situation has past.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Balance Is Good.

2006-08-28T12:11:00.000-04:00

Swiped from Athena's Mom.

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around
Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want
You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.

When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back
Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love!
You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Could A Lawyer Be Totally Honest?

2006-08-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

I think not. Masters of spin. No wonder politicians are often lawyers.

You Are Somewhat Honest

You do tend to tell the truth a lot
But you also stretch the truth on occasion
You figure a little lie isn't a big deal
As long as it doesn't hurt anyone too much!

How Honest Are You?

"You Certainly Have Unique Background Experience For A Lawyer."

2006-08-24T23:55:00.000-04:00

Yes I do. Which is why I would be perfect for this job.

If only you could be THAT bold with answers in an interview. Perhaps if that wasn't the first sentence to come from the interviewer maybe I could have gotten away with saying that. A 40 minute first interview. That was the longest first interview I ever had.

On the plus side I emailed my resume in Wednesday, received a call today, and will interview tomorrow. Suddenly my schedule is busy.

When Animals Attack.

2006-08-24T08:31:00.000-04:00

It wasn't Jaws, but a 4 foot long sturgeon slapped a jetski rider off his personal watercraft. That's a scary thought. You're cruising along minding your own business and a 200 lb fish leaps out of the water to hit you. Maybe the fish wanted to go for a ride.

On second thought humans have a poor environmental record. The animals may finally be getting organized. Watch out for the critters. They're coming for us.

So I Crashed The Governor's Ball.

2006-08-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

I came close at least. The story on the radio told me about the governor's mansion being open to the public to show off the new renovations. You know how much I love a good home tour. The Meridian-Kessler neighborhood is one of the ritziest in town. Big houses, real slate tile roofs, lots of yard, and lots of money! This would be my one chance to see the gov's house. Very unlikely I'll ever be a big wig political donor or elected to the office so I say see it now while the paint is still drying.

I thought something wrong as I walked by all the parked cars. Some were typical mainstream Fords, Buicks, Subaru, and other ordinary cars. The rest were Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and other assorted luxury cars. Joe Ordinary doesn't drive those types of cars. Then I saw the nice lady in the little black dress. It was a nice dress and nice woman. I was dressed up in Dockers and my brown shoes, but I don't think I was where I was supposed to be.

The state police troopers were very nice and courteous. One explained tonight was a private party (fundraiser I'm betting), but he offered to double check on when the public tours were. I felt bad for causing him to inquire about my petty mistake. He was a party of the security force and had better things to do than deal with me.

PS: according to this article $10 donations are asked for future renovations.

If you're in town and want to see the new renovations the Gov's place is open 11-5 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I might do that Friday or Sunday. I think a sign said no cameras though. I bet security doesn't want exact pics showing the layout of the place. Tis a dangerous world out there.

Leave No Trace

2006-08-22T01:34:00.000-04:00

Conundrums, conundrums. For nearly 2 years now I've pondered the public nature of this blog. An online search for me, personally, will result in Confessions being found. You hear stories about employees being fired (dooced) for having a blog fairly often. Can a blog prevent you from being hired in the first place? An anonymous commenter recently noted perhaps yes. Having already heard stories like that I like to think I'm smarter than the 20-somethings who documented their lewd, drunken, drug taking, illegal, legal but in bad taste behavior.

However I am not a politically correct blogger nor am I someone of weak opinions. I will use bad language and extreme satire to call it like I see it. I don't fear the taboo subjects because the only way to explore them was to talk about them. I'll also blog about topics that interest at best a small group of friends, at worst no one but myself.

Or at least I used to.

Confessions, like most blogs, is the public face of the writer. Yet it only shows a very limited aspect of me. Sometimes you get the shallow layers; sometimes you get the deeper ones. No matter how good my writing is, it will ultimately be flawed. I take that back. The writing will ultimately be limited by the constraints of a text based medium. In other words it is too easy to take the wrong idea from my posts. I can't control what other people think, and I don't get a chance to follow up.

For the past year I've taken so few risks here. I worry what others would think of my posts. Not the others I know. I don't care what you think. You already know me. The unknown people who find me on a casual internet search. That I do care about. My offbeat sense of humor doesn't always translate well. If I have deep thoughts that scares people. Not my thoughts personally, but I've noticed audiences tend to shy was from deep ponderings, taboo subjects, and substantive (non-political) topics. (Get politics into the mix and people won't shut up about it.) Can we be honest: human beings tend to be shallow creatures.

I digress.

First I attempted to make Confessions ungoogleable (new word I just invented). I did that and it removed this blog from a few other search engines. However plenty of other search engines work fine. Conclusion: moderate success.

Second get the blog delinked from a very public blog. That occurred and traffic died down a little bit. I noticed I got more traffic from other blogs. Conclusion: hey I was delinked so mission accomplished.

Yet in the end you can't take a public blog and make it anonymous. Instead of the stealth of run silent, run deep the best I could hope for is under the radar. These past few weeks I've been flying under the radar. I find it unsatisfactory. I'm craving the shield of anonyminity.

Others use that shield to mercilessly attack, be rude, and to be honest major online assholes. Look at the law school blog comments for confirmation of that. Anything over 25 comments is littered with vapid personal attacks of an intellectual wasteland. I often wondered, "These are my future co-workers???" Since I'm not seduced by the dark side I view the shield as creative freedom!

Over these past three years I've received feedback that I was a phenomenal blogger, a strong blogger, an insightful blogger, a powerful blogger, and "the best damn writer I've ever fuckin' seen man." I long for those days where I can be me again. I long for the days where I can call it like I see it. I long for the days where I could write 6 paragraphs on the simplest of pleasures because I saw a deeper meaning to it.

I don't believe I can have that freedom being public. Right now I'm vulnerable to EVERYTHING! I wish I could say that was an exaggeration, but it isn't. No job, no money, no health insurance, no way to solve even the simplest of problems. Am I vulnerable to a paranoid employer who is afraid a blogging employee would spill the beans on an assignment? Am I vulnerable to a misinformed employer about who and what bloggers are? Am I vulnerable to other people's misconceptions? Am I vulnerable to a supervisor thinking, "Oh geez we don't want this person to be our public persona and ruin our reputation!"

The answer is YES I AM VULNERABLE!!!

Which leads me back to my original point: I'm not writing about the things I want to write about in the manner I wish to write them. I DO NOT want this post to come out as some sort of plea. I'm simply sharing my thoughts. Some of my readers have been with me a long time. I know many of you do care about me so I'm willing to share. However, the reality is Confessions is dying. For the past 4 or 5 months I've wondered if I should let it die.

I'm not saying I'm quitting blogging. Perhaps I've already created an anonymous blog and I'm enjoying myself there. Perhaps I merely have plans for another blog. Perhaps I want to take a blogging sabbatical and let the deeper well replenish itself. Perhaps I want to blog only once or twice a week with quality posts instead of generating meaningless daily posts just to keep the readership up with an active blog. I've concluded that it isn't a matter of if Confessions will die, but only when.

If you wish to know where I set up shop again, let me know in the comments. I’ll email you when I’m willing to share. Does anyone know how to transfer these posts to an offline storage medium like a CD? I would like to keep the posts around.

This ship hasn’t sailed for the final time yet. Regardless you might want to buy the last tickets soon.

Why Parents Need To Ensure Their Kids Learn In School.

2006-08-16T10:05:00.000-04:00

I am not telling these stories to make fun of people. I am telling these stories because I fear the consequences our society will bear unless this nonsense of our own stupidity gets fixed soon.

The modern cash register at a Taco Bell is not hard to operate. With few exceptions you press the button for the item being ordered. The register figures out the total price and it will figure out the correct change. Teenagers with minimal training operate the things. How hard can it be?
One person (I give a 60% chance of being female, but it was really hard to tell.), a family of four, and myself were in the line. The first person and the cashier took forever to order. At first I though she(?) was simply talking to the cashier. I think the first person came back twice to fix something. Yet the cashier never appeared flustered. I simply couldn't tell what they were doing or saying. Finally the family of four started to order. The mom was at the end of their line and I knew something was horribly wrong. The mother was saying things about the order. Five people in line ahead of me and eight minutes later I still hadn't ordered. At that point I left. I went to the McDonald's across the street. From inside MickeyD's I could still see the mother and cashier doing...whatever it was they were doing.

It was early morning in the McDonald's. Only 5 customers were inside. Aside from the drive-thru it wasn't busy at all. "Hey your buttons are different than ours," the cashier yelled to the manager. Oh this can't be good. We were the only people in line and it still took 5 minutes to get breakfast. I had to go back for the hash browns and the utensil pack.

Is anyone else concerned when the minimal skilled jobs lack minimally qualified people to perform them?

Back Home Again In Indiana.

2006-08-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

No I'm not going to break out into a Jim Nabor's voice to sing the song.

Is there a better feeling than finally sleeping in your own bed?

I Can't Blame The Hotel For These Problems.

2006-08-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

A pretty large family reunion went on here Saturday and part of Sunday. They had the ballroom next to our seminar. We were continuously treated to either: a D.J., the family singing a song, or grandma singing a hymnal. O.M.G! Frequently our speaker had to stop her lesson to let them finish. We, the audience, kept laughing at the situation, but I'm pretty sure all were getting cranky at the situation. The problem was the foldable wall between our ballrooms. It wasn't real solid and tight so sound easily traveled. Do you have singing at your family reunions?

On the other hand can I blame the parents for letting the children run amok with the elevators? Based on their behavior I wonder if some of them have ever seen an elevator before. Taking the elevator one floor is a pet peeve of mine. Our room is on the seventh floor and sometimes it took over 5 minutes to reach it. Watching all 3 elevators crawl one or two floors at a time wasn't fun. (If we had breaks longer than 10 minutes I wouldn't care, but only one set of restrooms is on the first floor and all 3 ballrooms were booked. It made sense sometimes to hit your room for the bathroom. This was a huge flaw when my room rejected my entry card.)

The free wireless connection is a bit spotty in our room. It takes until 7pm for the cleaning service to clean our rooms. Can I just say I'm not very impressed with this hotel?

Sitting in a seminar all day for 3 days reminds me of bar review. Various speakers discussing various subjects, the room is way too hot or way too cold, with hard and uncomfortable chairs. Yep, just like bar review.

With luck I'll discuss the Adventures Of The Hafbrauhaus next time.

I Can't Tell Which Is The Right Building.

2006-08-12T22:06:00.000-04:00

Baby, if you've ever wondered,
Wondered what ever became of me.
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati WKRP.

Got kind of tired of packing and unpacking
Town to town - Up and down the dial.
Maybe you and me were never meant to be,
But, baby, think of me once in a while.
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati

I realize it was only a TV show, but they showed a few key buildings in the credits and outdoor shoots. Then again the skyline has really changed since the late 70's. Perhaps the building has been demolished, or something new is blocking the view. Oh well it was only to amuse myself that I wanted to spot some Hollywood trivia. I'm easily amused.

If I spot a rerun I still love that show. It was pretty funny.

A Room With A View...

2006-08-12T13:26:00.000-04:00

...of an interstate and a big neon "Liquor" sign. Personally I was hoping for a nice view of the river and skyline. Perhaps a nice view of the rolling Kentucky hills would be a nice second choice. No. The Old Man and I have a view of the interstate. The hotel our seminar is in has interesting archietectural designs. It looks like a large corncob in faded pastel pink and concrete.

Still, it has an indoor pool and the lower lobby is supposedly nice. I believe the gym is down there as well. The 18th floor has a revolving restaurant alledgedly as well. The immediate area is mostly gas stations, fast-food, and liquor stores, but the Mom & Pop pizza joint we grabbed dinner from was FAB-U-LOUS! The decor was trash, but the pizza was umm-umm good.

By my WAG we're only 1.5 to 2 miles from the fabled Hafbrauhaus we went to in early March. (I can't believe I didn't type a post about the trip itself. Just getting the drunks home was worth several quotes. ) Good German beerhalls are treasures. Hopefully Old Man and myself can grab dinner there tonight. I'll try to convince it it's fine until the trendy college crowd hits it.

I didn't realize the Bangels and Reds' stadiums were so close to each other. Pehaps next year I'll swing down to Cincy to catch a ball game. Are the Reds any good or do they stink?

Time for a quick nap before our afternoon session.

Friday Quotes:

2006-08-11T01:04:00.000-04:00

No growth without assistance. No action without reaction. No desire without restraint.
- Li Mu Bai (played by Chow Yun-Fat) - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Linkage

2006-08-10T23:18:00.000-04:00

Braingirl from Hoosiers Ate My Brain has a very good post on unsafe crowds at city events. I agree with her post 100%. Pay a visit and please share your thoughts. I'm very interested in what people have to say.

This Is Why Dogs And I Get Along.

2006-08-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't say I'm a dog whisperer, but my friends have notice I seem to have magical powers concerning dogs. They find me. They often like me. It always breaks my heart when I see a dog wondering around. Cats we should run over if possible.

You Are: 70% Dog, 30% Cat

You and dogs definitely have a lot in common.
You're both goofy, happy, and content with the small things in life.
However, you're definitely not as needy as the average dog. You need your down time occasionally.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Lassie Goes To The State Fair.

2006-08-10T22:44:00.000-04:00

Lassie is going to be in town at the State Fair on Saturday. Sweet. Who wouldn't want to meet Lassie? Where will Lassie be? The Humane Society booth from 9am to 1pm. That's logical.

I think the fuzzball MacGyver knew what I was talking about. I was reading the article to Mom and MacGyver headbutted my knee. Silly dog.

May No One Die Tonight.

2006-08-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

For those not in the area, Indy has been hit with several waves of violent murders this year. Within the past week 13 people were murdered with more seriously injured. One in an alley behind a nightclub. One or two were in their stopped car at a stoplight when someone walked up from a few cars back and stuck a gun in through the window. Saturday night seemed to be a roving firefight throughout downtown between individuals in a story of revenge. A few months ago a family of 7 was murdered by someone looking for drug money.

I don't have the energy now to put down my thoughts. Hopefully I can work little bits and pieces over the next few days until this fever passes. Right now I was happy when the 5 o'clock news did not start with a shooting, but with a penguin car accident. [EDIT 8-9-2006: Don't get me wrong. I'm not happy the penguins died. I was merely happy that no one was murdered during the day. It gets very exhausting to see news report after news report about people killing each other. People don't value human life and all these recent stories are a cumulation of 30 years of bad policies.] Yet the past few mornings I turn on the TV and wonder how many died overnight. People shouldn't have to think such thoughts.

As for now, if you're a teenage to 30 year old black male, you might want to stay home for awhile. Too many guns are aimed at you.

Truer Words Have Never Been Spoken.

2006-08-08T09:29:00.000-04:00

Normally people climb on top of mountains and seek wisemen to get this stuff. I'll give to you for free.

*Roommate Whumpa upon seeing my return from the store.*
You got toilet paper?
We were down to one spare roll and I'm a firm believer in you can never have too much backup toilet paper.

*Roommate Whumpa after grabbing some lunch supplies from the fridge.*
Some of these strawberries aren't looking good.
Don't worry I'll separate the bad ones from the good ones.
*I take the strawberries out of the fridge.*
WHOA! Aren't Iran and Syria paying for weaponized versions of this?

Stupid Death Germ.

2006-08-07T22:25:00.000-04:00

Over the past few days I've been fighting something, but today is the worst day so far. I feel fine for a time. I worked out this morning and had lunch with a friend. As soon as lunch was finished I felt as if the battery was yanked out of my back. Advil helps a bit, but I feel like I ran the mini-marathon again. I've had no go-go juice since lunch. Good night folks. Stay away from me in case I'm contagious.

8/8/2006 - The Morning After.
I know it is early August, but I put an extra blanket on the bed last night. The past few years I've adopted a burn the germs out of my body philosophy. It seems to help when I'm very sick. Last winter I had a cold and turned up the electric blanket overnight. The next morning I was soaked in sweat, but felt fine. I'm hoping the extra heat helped with whatever bug I've had the past few days.

Here's the funny thing: I have no real symptoms other than exhaustion and a major breakout of the sweats last night. I'm not coughing, sneezing, drooling, sniffling, or anything else associated with a cold or flu. I have energy until I work out. NOTE TO SELF: skip the workout today.

I hate days where nothing gets done. Yet I've been awake for 2 hours, had 2 cups of coffee, and I'm still tired. Tired, but not exhausted. I'll take the improvement. I'll take a nap and see if I feel better this afternoon.

I Am An Average American.

2006-08-06T23:52:00.000-04:00

Oh how quaint. Because I have no time to come up with something original you get yet another lame online quiz!!!

You Are 40% "Average American"

You are average because you rate your appearance 5 or higher.

You are not average since you do make New Year's resolutions.

How "Average American" Are You?

That Kentucky Heritage Slips In Sometimes

2006-08-06T23:03:00.000-04:00

Because I have no time to come up with something original you get yet another lame online quiz!!!

Your Linguistic Profile::

55% General American English

20% Dixie

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

William The Explorer & Legal Eagle.

2006-08-04T20:45:00.000-04:00

I don't know much about my family history. My paternal grandmother was into genealogy a bit and my father had a family tree posted on the office wall when I was growing up. I thought we arrived in the United States sometime in the 1880s. It appears I was extremely incorrect.

My dad is in possession of a pocket watch. I never saw this watch before. According to family lore he got it from his grandfather who got it from his grandfather. (I believe that would be my great-great-great grandfather.) Supposedly the ancestor, William, either had the watch when he went to the California gold rush or upon his return from California he brought the watch with him.

I guess my father got on the internet and managed to confirm the story. He showed me a printout. William with the watch was born in 1828, and went to California in 1852 via oxen teams. William returned to Indiana in 1859 via Panama steamer and railroad. Politically he was a Whig, a Douglas Democrat, and then a staunch Republican when elected Justice of the Peace (no evidence he had any formal legal training).

The same article described William's father, also named William. I had to read the article three times before I figured out it was describing two different Williams. Elder William, my great-great-great-great grandfather, was born in 1780 in Pennsylvania. In 1808 he started on foot to Ohio. Elder William served the United States during the War of 1812. He secured a land warrant in Iowa and eventually moved to Indiana in 1832. He died in 1862.

I have a relative who served in the War of 1812??? The historian in me is curious about his father. Was he a German immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War? Was he one of those Hussein mercenaries the British employed. Was he already established in Pennsylvania and a Tory. Perhaps he fought for independence or didn't care either way. It amazes me my family is as old as the country.

Everyone comes from somewhere. Everyone has a collective familial past. It seems my family did some interesting things. Even my mom's family invented the vending machine. I wonder what else we've done.

Friday Quotes: The MacGyver Edition*

2006-08-04T11:48:00.000-04:00

A paperclip can be a wondrous thing. More times than I can remember, one of these has gotten me out of a tight spot.

*MacGyver as in the television show who was played by Richard Dean Anderson. Not MacGyver the dog.

This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion.

2006-08-03T21:23:00.000-04:00

Oh Fabulous Kelly P, Keith needs THIS!

"Try to imagine the motorcycle that Bill Murray's classic "Caddyshack" character Carl Spackler would ride." Oh that would be sweet. Even better Orange County Choppers (OCC) of the hit TV show American Chopper built it.

The article isn't clear if episode 1 was this Monday or this upcoming Monday. Episode 2 is the following week as always.

"The result includes a pitchfork over the rear tire, grass clippers where wheel spinners might be and a painting of a gopher that's square in a rifle's sights." Sounds outrageous eh?

"The bike was auctioned at the sixth annual Murray Bros. Caddyshack Charity Golf Tournament in St. Augustine, Fla., in May. The tournament has raised more than $1 million for [charity]." The highest builder was Bill Murray himself. Dude inspires the bike and it should be his."

I love that show. It is so addicting to watch.

"License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

This Feels Like A Bad West Wing Episode.

2006-08-03T20:20:00.000-04:00

This story is so confusing. Let me see if I have it right.

Embattled Republican Representative Tom DeLay resigned from the House on June 9th. He won his primary battle a few months before he resigned. The Texan is currently living in Virginia waiting for his trial in Texas on money laundering and conspiracy charges. Because DeLay had moved, the Texas GOP tried to remove DeLay as the party nominee.

"Republicans want to pick another nominee to face Democrat Nick Lampson in November. Democrats sued to keep DeLay on the ballot. Keeping him on the ballot presumably gives them an easier race and bolsters their attempts to make the indicted former House majority leader their symbol for claims of Republican corruption."

The 5th Circuit of Appeals affirmed a trial court ruling that DeLay's name must stay on the ballot. Here's the reasoning: "While the U.S. Constitution requires a candidate to live in-state, the question is where he is residing on Election Day, not now, said the three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "DeLay could be a current resident of Virginia ... and nonetheless move back to Texas before November," the opinion said. . . . If DeLay withdraws from the race Â rather than being declared ineligible Â by law Republicans could not replace him with another candidate." His wife still lives near Houston.

I'm very imaginative, but I'm also very pragmatic. The pragmatist in me is saying the underlying and penultimate issue is unresolved: where does somebody live? By the Court's reasoning DeLay could reside in Virginia from now until Election Day and never reside in Texas yet remain on the ballot. If that occurs you've just cheated the Texas voters out of having a choice on Election Day.

Perhaps the ruling is a sound application of election law, yet if that is true then the law is bad in my opinion. As a voter I like having choices. From a political perspective anyone jumping in to replace DeLay has an uphill battle due to time constraints. Fundraising and campaigning on such short notice wouldn't be easy, but that is a practical penalty for replacing a candidate. However a voter would have two choices for his vote. We're a democracy, not Cuba. Our political process idependentnt upon having the right to choose who represents us.

The Texas GOP will attempt an appeal the the Supreme Court. When do they get back in session?

Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager

2006-08-02T22:18:00.000-04:00

DrunkenIrishMan found the first episode. I discovered Episode 2 exists. Safe for work except for the fact you're using work resources to goof off. Therefore just waste your home internet resources when you get home.

George Lucas forgot to tell us the stories of the Man In Black's little brother.

I Want The Chair.

2006-08-02T22:05:00.000-04:00

I consider this poetic given that GenCon is coming to town next week. (No I'm not going. I've never been to GenCon.) Christie's auction house currently has a display of 40 years worth of Star Trek memoriabilia. Starship models, props, uniforms, and a replica of the original series Captain's chair. Next Tuesday the collection will do a four city tour and be auctioned in New York on October 5th.

Oh Elaine are you going?

The French Are Back In The Cafeteria!

2006-08-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

Do you remember this story? The French government wouldn't back the United States in a preemptive war against Iraq. In protest someone had the idea of renaming French Fries and French Toast into Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast at the Capital Hill cafeterias.

Oh yes that showed the French how much we despised them. Anyway the French Fries are finally back on the Hill. Roommate Whumpa wondered how much taxpayer money was spent on reprinting the menus then and now. Personally I'm hoping it was only the lettering on a board where the letters are clipped on. That would be a much cheaper waste of taxpayer money.

If Congress truly wanted to let the French government know how we felt they did it the wrong way. Renaming French Fries into Freedom Fries. Puh-lease! How lame is that. Next time we're sending Chuck Norris to Paris.

When It's Hot! Hot! Hot!

2006-08-01T07:51:00.000-04:00

6:57 am and it was already 77 degrees.

Yesterday they were saying it is 92 degrees with a heat index of 105. How much solar energy and humidity does it take to feel like 105 freakin' degrees!?!?

How did humanity live without air conditioning?

I Love This Song.

2006-08-01T07:43:00.000-04:00

Your 2006 Summer Anthem Is

Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

"She's a lover, baby, and a fighter
Shoulda seen it comin' when it got a little brighter
With a name like "Dani California"
Day was gonna come when I was gonna mourn ya
A little loaded she was stealin' another breath
I love my baby to death"

What's Your 2006 Summer Anthem?

In Spite Of Everything...

2006-07-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Go to website #1. See an interesting job posted. Job ad says to go to website #2 for more information. Go to website #2 and get more information about the job. The job still seems interesting. Website #2 states if you wish to apply go to website #3 and apply online. Go to website #3 and that job isn't listed. I've been to website #3 fairly often and that job has never been listed.

I'm going to make a phone call tomorrow. With luck I'll get a contact person and send a cover letter and resume in via snail mail.

People wonder why I get cranky when I discuss the job search. After stories like this do you really need an explanation?

The Myth Of Me.

2006-07-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

You Are a Chimera

You are very outgoing and well connected to many people.
Incredibly devoted to your family and friends, you find purpose in nurturing others.
You are rarely alone, and you do best in the company of others.
You are incredibly expressive, and people are sometimes overwhelmed by your strong emotions.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

File This Under Blatantly Obvious

2006-07-30T11:37:00.000-04:00

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny.
Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue - and you aren't afraid to use it.
And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitude, then too bad. So sad.

How Sarcastic Are You?

Pirates....ARRGGH!

2006-07-30T01:08:00.000-04:00

The Good: The Five Buck Club allows me to see any movie that's been out for 2 weeks for only $5. What are movie ticket prices up to now? I have no idea since I paid $5 for a 9:40 showing.

The Bad: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest isn't a good movie. It isn't a bad movie, but at best it is an okay film. The main problem is it is too long. The 150 minute running time isn't the problem per se. The film simply dragged in too many spots. It had a scatter-shot approach to the story. A judicious 30-40 minute edit would help focus the film. "Let's just give the audience EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink" isn't a good way to make a film.

If Only I Had Known Spike Was Dancing

2006-07-28T08:37:00.000-04:00

This will only matter to 3 people who read this blog.

FX shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer episodes in the morning. I only caugh the last 5 minutes, but it was the musical 'Once More With Feeling' and I'm miffed I didn't see the entire thing. Watching Spike sing and dance in his graveyard (Rest In Peace Okay he's only in the graveyard the last half 0f the video. Okay this is only funny if you're a BTVS fan. Although I'm pretty sure one Spike fan librarian is liking the video ;-) .) is the funniest 2.5 minutes of TV I've ever seen.*

*That didn't involve people getting hit in their crotch, the use of bad words, or a mouse running loose in a hotel.

Friday Quotes: Cigar & Scotch Edition

2006-07-28T07:07:00.000-04:00

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill