935, thats a pretty big number. It's too big to be a credit score, they only go to 850. Not long enough to be a phone number (just press 2 for a while) or a social security number. Besides, who'd be dumb enough to post either of them on the web these days. So what could it be? Oh, it could be an SAT score. If that was my SAT score I certainly wouldn't be telling it to anyone.
Oh yea, now I remember! 935 is the number of false statements the Bush Administration made about Iraq and the threat it posed to our national security in the 2 years leading up to the war. Remember all that talk about how Iraq is linked to Osama and al-Qaida and Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Finally, someone went back and reviewed the video tape and transcripts of all that rhetoric and that is the number they came up with - 935. (Search for "Misinformation Study" on Yahoo News.)
935 times someone in the administration lied or provided us with inaccurate information to build a case for war. If that doesn't piss you off I don't know what ever will. No wait, I know something else that might piss you off more. Congress is STILL investigating steroid use in baseball. That's right, Congress isn't investigating the sub-prime mortgage crisis or the lack of accurate prewar intelligence. They are still dealing with whether Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were juiced up during their inflated careers. Give me a friggin break!
Random Movie Quote:
"Stalking is such an ugly word. I prefer to think of it as compulsive following." - Accepted
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
January Thaw
One of the things I love most about living in NoVa is the weather. I spent 21 long winters in the frozen tundra of the Pine Tree State. Winters here are much more pleasant than they are so far North. I can deal with the cold to a certain degree but there is no doubt that my blood has thinned out over the past 12 years south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
The best thing about winter in the mid-Atlantic region is that every now and then there is a day of total respite. A day that feels like you have magically drifted back in time to a day of Indian summer from the fall or somehow leaped ahead to the spring season still to come. Today was one of those magical days. Sunny and warm with a gentle southern breeze and a high of 71 degrees.
We are lucky enough in NoVa to have a couple of these magical days sprinkled into our winter season each year. They seem to come out of nowhere and they seem to disappear in a flash. They make up for the miserable days of winter. The windy, snowy, cold days that make you want to move to Arizona.
All good things in moderation of course. If you string together too many of these wonderful days in a row or in a month it is just a sucker punch for the days of actual winter weather that await you down the line. Remember last January? I do. I also remember how cold and miserable last February was. Here's to hoping that today was indeed a day of magic not a sucker punch for what the rest of winter 2008 holds.
The best thing about winter in the mid-Atlantic region is that every now and then there is a day of total respite. A day that feels like you have magically drifted back in time to a day of Indian summer from the fall or somehow leaped ahead to the spring season still to come. Today was one of those magical days. Sunny and warm with a gentle southern breeze and a high of 71 degrees.
We are lucky enough in NoVa to have a couple of these magical days sprinkled into our winter season each year. They seem to come out of nowhere and they seem to disappear in a flash. They make up for the miserable days of winter. The windy, snowy, cold days that make you want to move to Arizona.
All good things in moderation of course. If you string together too many of these wonderful days in a row or in a month it is just a sucker punch for the days of actual winter weather that await you down the line. Remember last January? I do. I also remember how cold and miserable last February was. Here's to hoping that today was indeed a day of magic not a sucker punch for what the rest of winter 2008 holds.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Downtown Countdown 2008
Another year is upon us and people all over the planet celebrated the dawning of a new year on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Maybe you were one of the million plus crammed into Times Square in New York City or perhaps you watched it from the comfort of your warm and cozy living room. Maybe you decided to fly to another part of the world and see how foreigners ring in the new year. I've heard that Sydney, Australia throws quite a party. They have the pleasure of being the first major city in the world to turn the page each year.
Yes, even my hometown of Bangor, Maine has it's own celebration these days. It's called The Downtown Countdown. It has all the traditional New Year's Eve fanfare - music, funny hats, food - and an event that is uniquely Maine. It is quintessential Maine in fact. The highlight of the Countdown is when, precisely at midnight, a green beach ball covered in holiday lights is flung off the roof of 26 Main Street to the sidewalk below. The instant the ball hits the pavement all the holiday lights are smashed into tiny fragments to mark the new year. Check out the video at www.bangordailynews.com You really have to see the video - it is quite a sight!
Doesn't sound too exciting does it? I didn't think so either but 1,200 Bangorians turned out for the celebration this year in 14 degree weather. This proves two things: 1) There is nothing to do in Bangor, Maine and 2) Give people a reason to get out of the house and they will show.
I left Maine for two primary reasons 1) Their wasn't much work or entertainment there for young people and 2) I despise Winter. Downtown Countdown confirms reason # 1 is still valid twelve years later and the Winter of 2007-08 is confirming reason # 2. As of this morning my hometown had received 62 inches of snow in the past 30 days. That is 5 feet of snow people! I don't miss those days.
Still, part of me wants to see that green ball covered in lights smack the pavement. I am not ruling out a trip to the frozen tundra to take part in the Downtown Countdown sometime in the future. You can take the boy out of Maine, but you can't take Maine out of the boy!
Random Movie Quote:
"What? Friends listen to Endless Love in the dark." - Happy Gilmore
Yes, even my hometown of Bangor, Maine has it's own celebration these days. It's called The Downtown Countdown. It has all the traditional New Year's Eve fanfare - music, funny hats, food - and an event that is uniquely Maine. It is quintessential Maine in fact. The highlight of the Countdown is when, precisely at midnight, a green beach ball covered in holiday lights is flung off the roof of 26 Main Street to the sidewalk below. The instant the ball hits the pavement all the holiday lights are smashed into tiny fragments to mark the new year. Check out the video at www.bangordailynews.com You really have to see the video - it is quite a sight!
Doesn't sound too exciting does it? I didn't think so either but 1,200 Bangorians turned out for the celebration this year in 14 degree weather. This proves two things: 1) There is nothing to do in Bangor, Maine and 2) Give people a reason to get out of the house and they will show.
I left Maine for two primary reasons 1) Their wasn't much work or entertainment there for young people and 2) I despise Winter. Downtown Countdown confirms reason # 1 is still valid twelve years later and the Winter of 2007-08 is confirming reason # 2. As of this morning my hometown had received 62 inches of snow in the past 30 days. That is 5 feet of snow people! I don't miss those days.
Still, part of me wants to see that green ball covered in lights smack the pavement. I am not ruling out a trip to the frozen tundra to take part in the Downtown Countdown sometime in the future. You can take the boy out of Maine, but you can't take Maine out of the boy!
Random Movie Quote:
"What? Friends listen to Endless Love in the dark." - Happy Gilmore
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