Did I mention? (redux)

Sunset.

Did I mention?

How much I enjoy vacation at my parents' house???

Playoffs??

Ed Hochuli is the happiest man in the NFL. The San Diego Chargers just
c-rushed the Broncos to make the playoffs.

Bottom story of the day: bengals beat the chiefs.

Sent from my iPhone

Driving Tips with Impending Winter Weather

From: Loudoun Sheriff

---------------------------------------

Loudoun County, Virginia- Loudoun Sheriff Steve Simpson is advising motorists to make sure their vehicles are equipped with a well-stocked winter driving kit. "By ensuring their vehicle is properly maintained drivers can keep safe this winter by driving defensively and always buckling up," said Simpson.

A winter driving kit should include the following items:

• Properly fitting tire chains
• Bag of sand or salt (or kitty litter)
• Traction mats
• Snow shovel
• Snow brush
• Ice scraper
• Booster cables
• Warning devices such as flares or emergency lights
• Fuel line de-icer (methanol, also called methyl alcohol or methyl hydrate)
• Extra windshield wiper fluid appropriate for sub-freezing temperatures
• Roll of paper towels
• Flashlight and a portable flashing light (and extra batteries)
• Blanket
• Extra clothing, including hat and wind-proof pants, and warm footwear
• First aid kit
• Snack bars or other "emergency" food and water
• Matches and emergency candles - only use with a window opened to prevent
 build-up of carbon monoxide.
• Road maps.
• "Call Police" or other help signs or brightly colored banners.

The Sheriff's Office recommends not forgetting to pack your wife and kids, too. Should the winter driving kit impair your ability to safely fit all members of your family in your vehicle, leave one or more family members at home. Start with the oldest and most capable, as the Sheriff's Office never recommends leaving young children alone at home.

Finally, the Sheriff's Office reminds citizens that sleeping in one's car is a violation of Ordinance 480.02 (Parking Restrictions). Although your winter driving kit may afford you all the necessities for multiple days of "camping out," such action is inadvisable and illegal. "The purpose of the winter driving kit is not to encourage the enjoyment of driving or family activities," Sheriff Simpson declared.


[Okay, so the last two paragraphs were editorial in nature; although I submit that one could easily infer such sentiments from the actual press release. We're driving to GA on Tuesday night; rest assured we will NOT have kitty litter in the car with us.]

Morning Joe

During the campaign, a co-worker of mine got me hooked on watching "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. I hesitated at first, due to the network's leaning toward the left. But this is different. Unlike the yelling of Chris Matthews, the antics of Keith Olbermann, and the sarcasm of Rachel Maddow, "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough is actually a very level, informative, and enjoyable morning show.

I was never a fan of "Fox & Friends" - to me, it was shallow and silly. But I'm really impressed by the lineup of guests on Joe - both left and right. Pat Buchanan is a regular, Harold Ford shows up, Dillon from CNBC, etc etc. Joe is a former Congressman (R) from FL, lives in DC, and seems awfully level-headed.

You should check it out. Oh, and Mika was staying at the Ritz in Georgetown (supposedly) when the following occurred. The Ritz is where Ang and I took a little 5-year anniversary weekend before Addy was born. It's hard to imagine something like this happening at a hotel like that, in a decent part of the District.

The answer...

Previously I asked "The Critical Question" about what happens to UAW workers when a plant is "idled." The answer??

"The more than 30,000 Chrysler workers in the United States represented by the UAW receive nearly full benefits and wages during plant shutdowns, but labor costs represent only about 10 percent of the total cost of the average vehicle."

Oh, so since it represents only about 10 percent of the total cost of the average vehicle, it's okay TO CONTINUE TO PAY THEM WHILE THEY'RE NOT WORKING??!!?? Wow. Some kind of contract. Tell that to the PG County staff who are mandated to take 2 weeks of furlough (ie, unpaid leave) because of the economy.

Congrats - You now have Auto-Tithe

Tithing. I grew up Southern Baptist, so it was a given. My parents were faithful in giving; they made sure my brother and I tithed out of everything. (And I appreciate them for that, and for the example).

Our church up here in NoVA doesn't take an offering, which I think many might say is more Biblical (don't let your left hand know what your right hand does), doesn't pressure someone to give, and lets you give out of your cheerful heart.

Except it's easy to forget. Especially when you're juggling two kids, a car seat, bible, coffee mugs, and coats into the service. And chatting (fellowshipping) with friends. So I seem to get to the end of the year and need to catch up for the past 8-10 months. What to do?

The auto-tithe. Set up an online, recurring payment using the church's easy website. Put a certain amount to be debited from your account weekly, monthly, however you like. You don't have to forget, because it remembers for you.

Except I seem to think you lose the "cheerful giver" part of the whole process when it's simply an online transaction. Where is the recognition of sacrifice (besides looking at your bank statement after the fact)? Where is the decision that this gift takes precedence over a new tv, that piece of software, that nice dinner in Georgetown (that trip to Italy!). I just haven't been convinced.

So for now, Ang is my auto-tithe. Not that I don't want to do it, but I'll likely continue to forget. If nothing else, she'll remind me, or I'll remember to remind her. And I think, sitting in the service during worship, it will tweak my attitude just a little bit to remember whose I am, and who it all belongs to.

Shout out to Atlanta

This post, for no particular reason, is about two Atlanta companies. The topics have nothing to do with each other, and the thoughts came entirely at different times. But I'm online, the kiddos are asleep, and I just had two pieces of pizza (relevance?).

1) Coke - have you ever noticed how the price of one size Coke vs. another at the grocery store can be vastly different? You have to check each size/type/style to find the best deal. Case in point - the 12-pack of 12-ounce cans was on sale for $4.99. Not bad. But the 6-pack of 1/2 liter bottles was buy-one-get-one-free - for $4.19. So 12 bottles, with over 12% more Coke per bottle, was in fact almost 20% cheaper. Sweet (but be careful, the won't be on sale next week, and it'll be 33% more expensive than the cans!).

2) Delta - just read about them putting WiFi on their airplanes. Nice move. Filtering out VoIP, bad sites, etc. Nice move. Network utilizes cell-towers?? What? I thought we had to turn our cell phones off because it could *cough* "interfere" with the navigational equipment of the airplane (and surely lead us straight into some mountain in Florida). But now, we can use those exact.same.cell.towers to send a mysteriously innocuous signal to the airplane to then - WHAT? - distribute out via WiFi to all our comfy friends. I dunno - seems like it's gotta be double-standard. But when you have the threat of a "federal offense" to back you up (for not listening to a flight attendant), then I guess there's no chance for the people to revolt.

Something's not right

DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys) has 19 sacks on the season. The entire Redskins defense? 21.

Sigh.....

The critical question

So according to this story, GM will cut production significantly in 1Q 2009. Great. But where does it mention anything about: furloughs, staff cuts, cost containment measures, or the such. What does the "idling" of plants mean? Will the UAW employees still get paid, just not to do anything? Please, if you want my money (yes, it's my money being doled out), do your part. Don't stick with the status quo.

Thank you.

Boo-yah!!

What did I say (or "report"): "Emanuel caught on tape"

Passengers Stranded as Ferry Gets Stuck in Potomac River | NBC Washington

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Meatloaf

I realize that meatloaf strikes fear in the hearts of many people. I like the dish; and Amelia used to devour it. Yes, used to. But, some background....

Yesterday was crazy. I ended up having to work late (last minute). Ang came into Leesburg to pick up meals to take to a family (and one to keep for ourselves!). Then, she had to teach piano at 7. I got home at 6:40. You see where this is going.

Oh yeah, and I had to run to Sterling to pick something up before 9pm in order to open the doors for our 8:30am meeting today. So I got home, Ang ran out the door, Addy had just finished a bottle, and Mia was not wanting to finish her meatloaf. Fine, I thought, we'll save the last two bites in case she's hungry later.

It wasn't until I was putting her in the car that I realized she still had meatloaf in her mouth. We made our "quick" errand (it's amazing that it can take 20 minutes to get to the Cascades Library - although it is 9 miles away), got back home, and she needed to go to bed (she didn't sleep during nap time).

I gave her some milk, and when it was almost time for bed I said, "Amelia, you have 1 minute to swallow your meatloaf. If you do not, we will not brush your teeth (a favorite thing to do), I will not tuck you in and say your prayers with you, and you will go straight to bed." Wanna guess what happened?

Yeah - still meatloaf. Amazingly she didn't fuss when I left her in bed (she was soooo tired). We were a bit concerned about leaving her in bed with food in her mouth, but it was very much chewed up (I knew that for a fact), and couldn't choke her. So this morning when she woke up, I thought surely she'd have just swallowed it during the night. Nope. Still meatloaf. In the mouth. A few pieces had fallen out and were in her bed, but most of it was still in her mouth. Probably a tablespoon full.

We finally just let her spit it out in the sink (didn't want her swallowing 12-hour old meatloaf!!). I almost took a picture, but that would have been gross.

It's a Bonus!

If you had asked me yesterday who Blagojevich is, I'd have guessed he's one of the new breed of Hungarian/Serbian basketball players making an impact in the NBA. Ummmm, guess not.

Just so happens he's the governor of Illinois. Just so happens he got the benefit of choosing the person to fill Obama's Senate seat. Just so happens he...WHAT??...tried to "sell" this slot. $500,000 here, $150,000 there, and BOOM - you're a Senator. Suh-weet!

I've already heard one political pundit state that Illinois politics is incredibly intertwined and corrupt, and that Rahm Emanuel can't be too far separated from this incident. In fact, said person stated that Mr. Emanuel should have to resign as Chief of Staff before even taking the position.

Remember, people. This is change we can believe in.

Christmas first

We decided to buy a real tree this year. And yeah- it's cold out. 24
right now with a stiff breeze.

Sundays

The picture says it all!

A post only a grandparent* will appreciate

*and Aunt Abby (!)

My iPhone has been *ahem* enabled to turn the camera into a video camera. Nothing spectacular, but pretty decent video. And it's actually the perfect size for posting on the web.

So I took a bunch of videos over Thanksgiving. Some in the airplane (it's short). And one today. So here goes - now Google Video has compressed them, and actually tries to make them bigger than they are - so be sure to choose "original size" if it looks too pixelated.

Addy on the play mat:


Laughing in the Bouncy Seat:


Happy Thanksgiving!


Mia falling asleep in the car seat:


Monkey Mia:


Mia on the Bouncy Castle ("Castle Playground" as she calls it:


Bouncy Castle 2 (wait for the end on this one - it's great!):


Singin' with Granddad:


Sunset from 12,000ish feet:


Addy's first..."conversation":

Our new fav way to sleep

She usually wakes up with it completely over her head!!

Almost 5 months

Time is flying. Our little baby is sitting up very well (with help
from the bumbo, obviously).

We got a great video of her talking. If anyone can translate "squeak"
please let us know.

In celebration...

...of my sister turning 14, here's a pic from 10 years ago.

"Regret" is all you get

"In 1970, I co-founded the Weather Underground, an organization that was created after an accidental explosion that claimed the lives of three of our comrades in Greenwich Village. The Weather Underground went on to take responsibility for placing several small bombs in empty offices — the ones at the Pentagon and the United States Capitol were the most notorious — as an illegal and unpopular war consumed the nation.

"The Weather Underground crossed lines of legality, of propriety and perhaps even of common sense. Our effectiveness can be — and still is being — debated. We did carry out symbolic acts of extreme vandalism directed at monuments to war and racism, and the attacks on property, never on people, were meant to respect human life and convey outrage and determination to end the Vietnam war.

"Peaceful protests had failed to stop the war. So we issued a screaming response. But it was not terrorism; we were not engaged in a campaign to kill and injure people indiscriminately, spreading fear and suffering for political ends."

These, obviously, aren't my words. They're the latest from William Ayers. I don't see how he can say this with a straight face. Seriously.

Perhaps bombing the Capitol and Pentagon went against common sense? Yes, perhaps, indeed.

Because the attacks were against "empty" offices, consisted of "small" bombs, and were merely "extreme vandalism," they don't constitute treason? Sure, putting explosives within the buildings that define the fabric of a nation, that's not a big deal.

Now, I actually do commend the guy for not jumping in the fray during the election, because (regardless of what he did/didn't do) trying to clarify comments or take any position would have just devolved into greater confusion and hype. But seriously.

(Op-ed is here: Link

Speaking for God

There's an interesting dialogue going on at washingtonpost.com - basically, a humanist group has placed an ad on a bus saying "just be good for goodness's sake" - not because you believe in God. Another group is wanting to place a counter-ad - believe in me because I created you and love you - signed, God. The blog post is here. (NOTE: I haven't read all the comments to know if there's any language, etc.)

What's struck me is that in the first 5-10 comments on the posting, at least 3 or 4 people have argued that signing the statement from "God" is actually blasphemous. Who can speak for God, they say?

I don't think they get it. It's not that someone is trying to put words in God's mouth. Actually, it's much simpler than that. God has already told us exactly what that back-of-the-bus advertisement would say. It's in the Bible. But I guess people forget that that book is still around, not to mention that it is the Word of God.

Civic Duty??

I was summoned for jury duty late in October. The dates I was called to serve were the week of Thanksgiving and the week after (this week). Oh, did I mention it was US District Court....which is in Alexandria....and that it was THANKSGIVING WEEK!!??

Yeah - my reaction, too. First off, I got Wed the 26th deferred because I was traveling for the holiday. But I had to sweat it each night until I called in to see if I was needed.

Not that I minded serving on jury duty. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. US District Court, trial jury, in Alexandria. Some of the cases are high profile (although I've heard the court referenced as the "Rocket Docket" for how quickly cases get through it). It would have been a great experience, not to mention my civic duty.

But the catch - there could not have been a worse two weeks for this to come up. I had to take Ang and the gals to BWI on Monday. I had three major projects for work to complete on Tuesday. The following week (after Thanksgiving) - I had two meetings, two more work projects, and the girls came back home on Tuesday. Oh, and all the normal work stuff that comes up during a day.

So I wasn't too upset when I kept getting "You have not been selected for jury duty at this time." And then "The time commitment for this jury pool has been completed. Thank you for your service." Whew!

Maybe next time I'll get summoned during the summer - when work slows down at least a little.

Sorting mail

After not checking the mailbox for a week. The pile on the right is
trash; the left is catalogues for Christmas (with Arby's coupons on
top).

Road trip

The highway sign just told me I'm 1700 miles from Denver. I'm not sure
what good that does me. I'm in Baltimore.

Sent from my iPhone

Questions to Ponder

I know you get a rainbow when it rains. Do you get a snowbow when it
snows?

This waste of your time brought to you by my freezing walk to the bank
during lunch.

Sent from my iPhone

Sleeping in the car 2

I think we wore her out

We are usually very careful about getting home in time for Mia's nap,
not later than 1:30 or so (normal nap time is about 1). But this day
my flag football ran late, we had a great lunch, and then drove the 15
minutes home.

She literally fell asleep with the sippy cup in her mouth. Once we got
home, she had a little milk, put on pjs and a pullup, and she was out
for another 2 hours. Whew!!

Dichotomy

Something seems ironic about reading the Wall Street Journal in
McDonalds. But I had to get my 99 cent filet-o-fish.

Sent from my iPhone

Addy learns to read

This is how Addy spent her time in church - reading the 20 ways to
pray for missionaries.

Comfy 2

Comfy

Here's Mia in her "comfy pjs" watching mickey mouse clubhouse on a
relaxing morning.

Cohen and Cohen

"Steve, Steve and I have something to tell you."

BenJarvus Green-Ellis (seriously, that's his name) is the latest running back for the New England Patriots. He's pretty good. And since his name's so long and takes forever to say, apparently his teammates just call him "Law Firm."

I need a good nickname. Unfortunately, my name is too easy to say, so there's no real motivation. I did get called Boy Wonder one time, but I think that was more of a "Boy, wonder what we were thinking when we hired him??!!"

Why Republicans are getting trounced

Dr. (Senator) Coburn lays it straight again...

"Therefore, what led the Republican Party to this day was not the application of conservative principles but the abandonment of those principles while hypocritically appealing to those tenets. The past few years have shown a strong correlation between electoral success and fidelity to limited government conservatism. The more Republicans abandoned conservatism, the more voters abandoned Republicans."

Link here

How to make it through the day

The magic formula....

Take advantage of every opportunity...

Matt Cassel, highly acclaimed out of high school, sat on the bench for four years at USC, behind Carson Palmer and then Matt Leinart. But who is the only one actually playing in the NFL right now? Yup - Cassel. Palmer is hurt, Leinart is benched (too many off-season parties), and Cassel is leading the Brady-less Pats to a 5-2 record (fighting with the struggling Colts right now).

Let that be a lesson to all you little boys and girls out there - never give up, even if you always seem to be playing second fiddle.

The Politics of Crowds

"The political genius of the man [Barack Obama] is that he is a blank slate. The devotees can project onto him what they wish."

"Ambiguity has been a powerful weapon of this gifted candidate: He has been different things to different people, and he was under no obligation to tell this coalition of a thousand discontents, and a thousand visions, the details of his political programs: redistribution for the poor, postracial absolution and "modernity" for the upper end of the scale."

It gets even scarier:

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the late Democratic senator from New York, once set the difference between American capitalism and the older European version by observing that America was the party of liberty, whereas Europe was the party of equality. Just in the nick of time for the Obama candidacy, the American faith in liberty began to crack. The preachers of America's decline in the global pecking order had added to the panic. Our best days were behind us, the declinists prophesied. The sun was setting on our imperium, and rising in other lands.

The rest is here: Link.

Nice story

Here.

For those who haven't seen...

...this is great. Yes, I think the grace of God is much more generous than the admissions standards of PHC. Pretty funny stuff.

Farm trip fun

Two weekends ago we took a trip to a farm for pumpkin picking, animal petting, and all out harvest fun. We had quite a blast.

The pictures at the end are from the property across the street, which is up on a hill (about 1000 feet above sea level, not sure how much higher than the farm). The view is spectacular.

Symphony

Our local symphony orchestra is performing Dvorak's cello concerto and
Brahms' symphony no. 4.

Hot dog, I'm excited!!

Sent from my iPhone

Attention

So A-Rod can buy an $80 million penthouse and no one says a thing, but
Palin spends some money on her image and wardrobe and all of a sudden
the world collapses. Where is the real excess here???

Sent from my iPhone

Question of the Day

Which is harder to get out of on a cold morning: the warm covers with
two pillows, or the hot shower with water streaming over your head??

I vote for the bed. Although as Angela so wisely said at 6:55 (while
nursing the baby in a half-stupor) - it's not going to be any easier
to get out of bed at 7:15 than it is at 7:00. So practical at such an
early hour.

Oh, and we finally turned the heat on - we made it til Oct 19, but it
was getting down to 28 degrees last night.

Sent from my iPhone

Family Pics

Amazing pictures of our beautiful little family. Credit to our next door neighbor for his photography skills (shout out - if you need a good photographer in the NoVA area, let me know and I'll give you his info).

And now.....

Miss Independent

Amelia decided to talk for 2 hours in bed before finally taking her nap. As of 5pm, she was still asleep. Well, a lot happened between the time I left work and the time I got home.

Apparently, in those first 2 hours, Amelia took ALL of the clothes out of her top two drawers, decided to take off her pants and pull-ups, and put on a pair of big-girl panties (she only wears pull-ups for nap/bed, for reasons which you'll understand in a moment).

When I walked in the door, I realized there was quite a commotion upstairs. The wash was running, Mia was a little upset, and Ang was trying to reassure her. I saw the huge mess on the floor, thinking that was the extent of the problem. But then I noticed the sheets stripped off the bed, and Ang revealed what our little non-napper had decided to do. Well, it came back to haunt her when she ended up wetting the bed.

Thinking I had an opportunity to teach Mia that she can learn not to wet the bed, I said, "Do you want to be able to wear big girl panties in bed?" Once the question left my mouth, I realized there was no way it would be answered favorably. Having just been traumatized, she gave a shaky, "Noooo." I tried to smooth it over by saying that will come as she gets older. Nice timing, Dad.

Anyway, if nothing else, this experience may at least curtail the latest trend of playing/taking out clothes when she's supposed to be napping.

How the mighty have fallen

Bad news: The 'Skins lose a dumb game to the weak and incompetent Rams. Ugh.

Good news: The Cowboys (the pundit-ordained Super Bowl victors) lost to Cleveland Arizona. Lost Tony Romo for 4 weeks. Lost Felix Jones for 2-4 weeks. And, oh yeah, lost Pacman for an "indefinite" 4 weeks+.

There is still hope for a playoff spot.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

In the spirit of FoxNews, where everything is an "Alert" or "Breaking News" ....

COLUMBUS FOUND AMERICA!!

(Enjoy the day off, fellow gov't workers)

For my left-brained sister

Looks like you'll have to stand on your head....

Proof

See posting below.

Dirt

It's funny that Amelia will fuss over the tiniest piece of dirt being
on the slide, and then once she slides down she proceeds to grab
handfuls of dirt and throw them on the slide.

Sent from my iPhone

I missed September

I just realized my desk calendar has been on August for the last two
months. I somehow missed September. Where did it go??

Sent from my iPhone

To be fair...

...despite my previous post (which I'm quite proud of), I'm none too impressed with Apple's web service. Their servers just seem slower than molasses, and the Webmail program still needs help.

And I just tried to watch their TV commercials on Apple's website - wouldn't load for me. Hmmmm....

I'm a PC...

...and I:

1) Crash all the time;
2) Have the hardest time waking up from sleep;
3) Take 8 minutes to start up and open two apps;
4) Won't let my user open an Access database from his own company's Intranet;
5) Require a Spyware/Adware program, and have to check for viruses every week;
6) Make my users feel like idiots; and

[*drum roll*]

7) Am NOT a Mac.

Thoughtful

The liberal left has tried to bash Palin for not knowing what the "Bush Doctrine" is. Do you know? Check it out. I doubt you do.

Two other notes: It's funny how the "news" on Thursday is that Obama was "planning" to bring more attack ads against McCain. Kinda like he's "planning" to save the world, part the seas, and reduce taxes while spending $150 BILLION on health care. Yeah, like that's happening. Just so turns out that his "planning" of big attack ads are more ad hom attacks - dealing with McCain's age instead of his policies. Poor, poor. And desperate.

Second - you've heard a lot about McCain and Palin campaigning together. I have this hunch that if they campaigned separately, Palin would pull tens of thousands to her rallies, and McCain might be lucky to get a few thousand. That wouldn't look so great, now, would it? Wonder how long they can keep this up??

BLOATED

Dude, I ate too many baked beans for lunch....Oh, wait, wrong topic.

I've been stymied over the last week by my Access database growing
from 1.7MB in size to over 34MB. Miraculously, I actually saw it
happen today in the blink of an eye. Since I knew what I had just
changed, I realized the issue was with a picture embedded in the
database.

You would think that a 560kb picture would only take up - yes - 560kb.
No, apparently it takes microsoft 32,000kb to fit that 560 into. Once
I linked the image instead of embedding it and then compacted the
database, it shrunk down to its pre-bloated state.

Maybe this is the same thinking that led Microsoft to spend $300
million on a pointless, dumb ad with Seinfeld and Bill Gates. And to
think, all they needed was a pizza box. [Links to come when I'm not on
my iPhone.]

Sent from my iPhone

85

Chad Johnson is no more. He is now Chad Ocho Cinco. Seriously.

Link to the story

Potty Paranoia

Even at the age of 2, it is quite easy to see where Amelia gets her tendencies. Most of her negative ones come from me. (And everyone thought I was such a good little boy.)

The latest is an aversion to potties in public places. Not potties in general, which is what my aversion was. (I absolutely would NOT go in public places, much to the detriment of my intestinal integrity. In fact, to digress, one of my worst - and most recurring - nightmares was having to go to the bathroom in a place where there were no doors on the stalls - with literally 30 or 40 johns lined up in a row.)

No, little Mia's problem comes from another of my childhood worries - fear of loud noises. The trend in most public places is for automatic toilets. A grand idea, in most cases. Not when it comes to little children. We've been able to assuage her fears by quickly moving her away from the toilet (in the 1/2 second before it flushes on its own). The response from the little one (mimicking what she's heard us say numerous times) is often: "That's not so bad."

But I think I may have traumatized her for good on Monday night. Dulles Town Center, to its credit, has a nice little family restroom, with a side-by-side big toilet and mini-kid toilet (flashback to my nightmare!). I sat Mia on the little one, she took care of necessities, and, as she is wont to do, she took her time to make sure she was finished (good little kid). Unfortunately, the kiddie toilet didn't appreciate the delay (or misinterpreted her "shifting" on the seat to a disembarkment) - and flushed AS SHE WAS STILL SITTING ON IT!!!  Ohhhh, you'd have thought the world had come to an end. Forget worries of bare feet on bathroom floors, forget fears of floating diseases. She was off that thing in a heartbeat.

I just have to ask: what engineer/interior designer thinks that having an automatic toilet for kids is a good idea?? Apparently, someone who has never had a child, or had to take a child to the bathroom.

Just an observation

It really looked like Joe Biden's wife may have been drunk last night.
When they came out on stage after Obama's speech, Biden had a really
tight hold on her (in an awkward fashion). It also seemed as though
she wasn't walking straight. Last observation - a pic on the front of
the washingtonpost.com showed them all standing on stage, and Michelle
Obama had a death grip on Mrs. Biden's arm.

Just curious, if nothing else.

Sent from my iPhone

Some recent Addy Pics

More pics, more pics!! (just 11)

Is it that important?

"Redeem Team" - the headline on ESPN.com is "Redemption"

Is our country's future and reputation built so strongly on one sport? Or is it that we were just so totally unprepared and got cocky the last few years? Not sure, but it's nice to be back on top.

ESPN report here.

In Atlanta

Early morning in Atlanta. Dad enjoys having Grandpa and Grandma take care of Mia!

Why I love my sister...

...watch the vid.

The Chinese government did everything but put up a fake blue sky

The "Life of Reilly: The Chinese government did everything but put up a fake blue sky" story is located at http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3542649

Words

It's amazing how two so very similar words - sportsmanship and
gamesmanship - can mean two so very different things. Is a sport not a
game, and vice versa?

Sent from my iPhone

At the Outlets

We love J. Crew!!

Our Future Generation

Uh-oh.

Across the room, Jeanne Jeong sits with her back to a large poster of Obama's face. Like many in the office, she is young, at 18, and local, having recently graduated from Broad Run High School.

"I've read a couple items about [Obama] on Wikipedia," she says with a giggle. "I think he is really intelligent and brings a lot to the table. I'm also a fan of his health care plan."

Technological Advances

..."without a doubt, the most sophisticated piece of technology you will ever..." - well - you'll just have to watch.

DID YOU SEE IT????

Did you catch the Men's 4x100 freestyle relay Monday night (about 11:20pm)?? It was...incredible...inspiring...unbelievable. Pat Forde over at ESPN.com sums it up: "What transpired during the final 50 meters was the stuff of Disney movies."

Edit: Check out the video here.

Take note, George Washington

Not my quote, but it's good enough for the blog:

"The Pocketing of the iPhone is an essential component to the 21st Century Gentleman's morning routine."

[This as a result of my conversation with another iPhone owner after confessing that I forgot mine at home today.]

Sunday morning Pic

Image removed at behest of Subject. In her words: "I don't care what you can do with your iPhone. I'm NOT impressed."

Watching USA vs. China

Just a little tap

My car just wouldn't start the other day. Seemed to have plenty of battery power, but I'd just get a "click" when I turned the key. I popped the hood, obviously didn't have any clue what I was looking for, and went inside. I came back out 10 minutes later and just gave it a whirl. It cranked right up! I'm wondering if something was a little loose and just needed to slam of the hood back down to get it in place.

Kind of reminds me of when one of the urinals at work kept running. It had been happening for a while. An experienced man was also in the restroom and said, "Just tap it on the top." A little fist to the top and it stopped. Something about the seal being a little off and just needing to be jiggled back in place.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

Self-portrait

Ok- maybe not. But this is what happens when hot grits splatter on
your skin.

Ad-Hocracy

Definition: When those supposed to be governed by a certain structure
have done all possible to rid themselves of said structure.

A corollary is "hypocracy" - Governing in one way until it suits you
to govern in the completely opposite way.

What kind of Republican are you?

Just after that debacle, Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens, the father of the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," encountered Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, the antipork crusader who had held up many of the projects so many members believe are the key to their re-election. Mr. Stevens said, "Well, Tom, I hope you're satisfied for helping us lose the election." Mr. Coburn replied, "No, Ted, you lost us this election."

Mr. Coburn's main point on earmarks is that senators must choose between a culture of parochialism and a culture that puts the national interest first. He stipulates that few members are corrupt, and that most go with the flow. He has even offered to release his holds on earmarks -- if their sponsors will propose reducing federal spending elsewhere, so "we aren't just dumping more debt on our kids."

They may not like it, but Mr. Coburn is showing Republicans how the GOP can return to its small government roots. Consider Ronald Reagan, who in 1987 vetoed a highway bill because it had a mere 121 earmarks in it.

Read it all: Link Here.

My Cup Holder won't Open

Here's the latest email from our Tech Dept:

"Attention All (Personnel)

"During the last few days some email that is clearly SPAM has been delivered and opened by staff. Further, embedded links contained within these emails have been opened resulting in the installation of an adware program called "VISTA ANTIVIRUS 2008". This is a reminder. Please do not open SPAM email. This particular brand of SPAM arrives with ridiculous subject lines such as "Man Shoots Lawn Mower", and in some cases more inappropriate subject lines. This is clearly SPAM.

"(Our) email gateway contains a SPAM filter that identifies and blocks the vast majority of SPAM delivered to (our organization). However, some SPAM can "leak through", as spammers utilize clever techniques to evade SPAM detection. When SPAM does evade our SPAM filter (we) must rely on educated staff to ignore such email. Please do so."

"It's like a Rossini"

Those were the words of the cheese man - yes, you heard (read) me correctly - the "cheese man" at Wegmans. My Dad and sister could go to Wegmans every day to look for new and exciting things. This particular day, they decided to get some fancy cheese. This gentleman, John, said that his most favorite cheese is called Trugole.

He said, "It's like a symphony in your mouth. It's like a Rossini!!"

To the everyday person, that wouldn't mean much. But Rossini - my gosh - is composer of the "William Tell Overture." If you have 6 minutes, watch the video below. The music will be very familiar. And think about a bite of cheese - starts mellow and smooth, and then BURSTS into incredible flavor. [Now, if only it didn't cost $10.99/lb!]



Edit: I think the funniest part of this entire video is when the music gets really ambitious and the spectators' umbrellas are bobbing up-and-down to the music. Almost like they can't contain themselves. Hilarious!!

The Space Between

I finally upgraded my system software to Mac OS 10.5. It has "300" upgrades - most of those are just minor tweaks to already great software, like Mail, iCal, System Preferences, etc. But one HUGE addition to the system software is a little utility called "Spaces."

Spaces allows you to organize your application screens into separate windows. For instance, I have Firefox set to run in Space 1. iTunes and iPhoto will run in Space 2. And Mail will run in Space 3. Switching between the "Spaces" is as simple as F8 and choosing the window I want, Cmd-Tab to the application I want (automatically switching to its "Space"), or using the menu at the top of the screen.

Clutter - you're history! Now if only my desk were so easy to organize....

My iPhone Story [or, "Why it doesn't compare to shoes"]

I waited in line a total of 9 1/2 hours for the iPhone. Crazy. Three different days. It seemed like it shouldn't have taken 6 1/2 hours (the third day) for being the ~40th person in line. Regardless, I got it. It's sweet.

It's an iPod, video player, facebook reader, handheld game machine, calendar, and contact organizer. Oh, and did I say it's a phone??

And then I heard this on the radio. Ron Hunter, head coach for IUPUI's men's basketball team, was attempting to get 40,000 pairs of shoes donated to Samaritan's Feet to give to needy people who don't have shoes. He ended up raising over 250,000 pairs. Then he took some of his players to Peru to hand out the shoes to these needy people.

And these needy kids waited in line ALL DAY for a pair of shoes. And there weren't nearly enough. And the kids who didn't get shoes were crying, banging on the bus, just pleading for shoes. There just weren't nearly enough (obviously they couldn't take too many on that one trip). Quite a compelling story.

So I wait a 9 hours for an electronic device. They waited 9 hours for shoes. Puts things into perspective.

Brain Dump

So I can't always blog what I want when I want. So I have a bunch of things at once. I'll try to bunch them together. First- news articles.

1) Washington's 'Dr. No' - I think if my dad were a Congressman, this is the kind of stuff he'd do. Go Dr. Coburn.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

2) Extreme Makeover gone bust - more commentary than article.

3) Obama's Victory Lap - being a bit presumptuous. Great article.

Hmmmm

Brett Favre faxes his reinstatement letter to the NFL, and there's an earthquake in LA. Coincidence??

I think not.

I've seen it all

While waiting in line for the iPhone at Tysons Corner, we saw a man srtopped in the middle of the walkway (at an intersection of halls, no less) with his little girl. Upon further review, he had pulled out a portable potty, she had done a little business, and he was wiping her with wipes. All in public, in the middle of the floor.

I understand emergencies, but the restroom is 30 seconds away. Wow.

Waiting, Take 2

Waiting in line at the Tyson's Corner Apple store. Got here about
7:25am. About #40 in line. Here's hoping!!

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

More Addy pics

Check 'em out!

The Audacity of Vanity: Charles Krauthammer on Obama

"(Has) there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?"

More here.

What ifs....

It is so easy to live life thinking of the "What ifs?" For instance:

* What if I had made a different decision on buying/selling stocks, which would have meant at least $15,000 more in the bank than I have now (a very recent example)?
* What if I had bought a house when I moved up to college, before the housing boom hit, resulting in less debt and more equity?

Conversely, thinking about Addysen's birth last week:

* What if I had been at softball when Angela began bleeding and I was out of touch for 2 hours?
* What if we had been at the wedding we were scheduled to attend the following night and had the same medical emergency?


Life ends up being both depressing (see first two points) and fearful (see last two points) if we try to live it looking backwards. But thankfully my peace, joy, and future don't depend on a) the stock market; b) my IRA (or lack thereof); or c) the price of oil. And we aren't dragged along aimlessly through life without a Shepherd to lead us (us being the foolish and dumb sheep!).

Reminds me (please indulge me here) of my final exam paper for Latin IV. We were instructed to take a piece of Latin poetry and compare the worldview in it to the Christian worldview. I used the prevailing sentiment in Roman literature that the gods and fates of the Roman world were simply toying with humans, and specifically, that Love (Cupid) was a torturer and dragging his conquest through the streets like a champion of war dragging the defeated enemy. Contrast this to the God of the Bible, who, quite remarkable in its comparison, was drug through the streets of Jerusalem on His way to being sacrificed for all mankind. This is Love as seen in the Bible - man being forgiven and spared the things he deserves and given the most unreachable thing he doesn't deserve (the righteousness of Christ).

I know this is a bit off topic, but I am always reminded of God's faithfulness to care for His children. Not that trials/pains/sadness won't come, but His way is perfect.

No "what ifs" here.

Dreaded Words for a Father to Hear

"Honey, will you pick out some clothes for [insert daughter's name] and get her dressed?"

When I still have a hard time matching a red tie and a white shirt for work, how in eternity will I match a pair of clothes from the droves of shirts and shorts that Mia has???

Oh, and a close second:

"Will you please brush her hair?" YIKES!!

Addy in the Nursery

Okay - so this is really primitive, but it works. Right-click on the "Link" below, and choose "Save Link As..." - that will allow you to save the movie file and then open it using QuickTime on your computer.

I can't get the browser to interpret the movie at this time. And when Blogger imported the movie, the sound was horrible (although it's not good in the first place).

Link

Home Run Crusher

First round of the Home Run Derby. Josh Hamilton: 28 Homers, over 12,000 feet in distance hit.

It was an incredible performance (and we still have two more rounds to go!).

This is Josh's story. Amazing.

UPDATE: Hamilton faltered in the end, losing out to Justin Morneau. Still quite a ride.

Surprise Appearance by Baby Davis!

God's timing is perfect! Just hours after Angela's mom and grandparents arrived Friday afternoon from Memphis for a visit, Angela began bleeding heavily. "Nurse Nana" jumped into action, Amelia was down asleep (or close to it), and Dad ran two red lights to the hospital. Mommy Angela was trying to stay calm.

After checking-in at the hospital and some positive vital signs, the doctor prepared for a C-section, which had been scheduled for three weeks later. And at 9:41pm on Friday, July 11, 2008, our beautiful and wonderfully healthy Addysen Leigh Davis was delivered into the "world outside the womb." She weighed a whopping 6lbs 2oz and measured at 19 1/4 inches long. Her apgar was a 9/9, which I consider great for a baby only at 36 weeks. Mom is feeling well, although the epidural is just beginning to wear off, and all signs are for a very healthy recovery.

Attached are two pictures from the day after. My only pictures from Friday are via camera phone, and I've yet to find a way to email them.

Finally, as my little sister told me on the phone, I thought I was anticipating July 11th because of the new iPhone. Now I know that God had infinitely greater things in store for me on that day. And it gives new meaning to a possible nickname for her - iGirl.

Praise to the Lord, the One who guides and directs our paths. And love to all.

Danny (for Ang, Mia, and Addy)

Failed Attempt

Over 2 1/2 hours and only about 15 people left with iPhones. The store
manager just said they're having technical difficulties with the
activation process. I was probably #30-35 in line - but I couldn't
wait any longer.

Thanks to my pals Trevor and George for keeping up the conversation.
I'll try again another day.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Waiting

Been in line for 2 hours - still about number 45. Not sure how long I
can wait (it is a work day, don't forget).

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Crazy?

What I may (or may not) be getting tomorrow. Except all put together.

**Photo courtesy of ifixit.com

Why American's Can't Find the US on a Map

"I believe that our education, such as in South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere, like, such as...I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the US should help the US- or should help South Africa; it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so that we will be able to build up our future."

Helping the Airlines Out

I almost spewed my chicken enchilada with homemade lime/tomatillo salsa (props to Ang!) when I read this. The entire letter is great. Here's a snipped:

C'mon. My BlackBerry is not going to bring the plane down. I don't know of a single documented case of a consumer electronic device interfering with a plane's avionics. If they did, al Qaeda would just fly around with iPods.

Read it all here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121538963757631173.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

Don't Read if You're Planning to Watch the Wimbledon Final

That being said - WOW WOW WOW WOW. All the tennis folks are calling it the best Wimbledon match ever. Way to go Rafa - after dropping two championship points in the 4th set tiebreak, I was afraid he'd not recover. But Rafa wasn't broken the ENTIRE match. The only sets he lots were in tiebreaks. He managed to break Federer three times. And when it counted the most - in the 5th set at 7-all.

If you watched til the end, did you see John McEnroe give Federer a hug?? Had to be one of Federer's most awkward moments. Johnny Mac is such a goof.

Good times.

Exhausted

I have to drink Gatorade simply to watch the Wimbledon finale (live, now). These guys are crazy good. Nadal was up 6-4, 6-4. Federer wins 3rd set 7-6. Fourth set goes to another tie-break: Nadal has two championship points - Federer wins tie-break 10-8.

So we're going to the fifth. No tie-break in this set. I'm exhausted.

Oh, btw - Federer is going for 6 straight Wimbledon championships (last two against Nadal). Nadal has won the last three French Opens - all against Federer.

UPDATE - Ah yes, my mystery commenter is correct. Nadal has won the last 4 French Open titles - the last three of which were against Federer.

Irony at its Best

After a nasty divorce, the Seattle Supersonics (typically referred to as the "Sonics") are moving to Oklahoma City. The team name has yet to be decided, though the best suggestion I've heard to date is the Oklahoma City Outlaws - it plays not only on the Old West Cowboy theme, but it's probably a good description for those who tore the team away from Seattle.

But if the name doesn't change, it would create just that more earned media for the coney/cherry limeade/tater tots drive-in restaurant: Sonic. Which just so happens to be headquartered in Oklahoma City. Nice.

Need Halls in the Hall

Yes, coughing has become so pervasive at Kennedy Center performances that one wonders why people should even go out to listen to live music or theater.

We've only been to one concert in the last 2 1/2 years, but we noticed the same thing as this (former) patron of the National Symphony Orchestra. And we went in the middle of April, not when you'd expect people to be fraught with colds.

I do remember in Atlanta, for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, they provided free Halls cough drops prior to entering symphony hall. It was a great help for a lot of people.

Full letter found here.

Consequences

Can you imagine if your "project" at work had these kind of consequences??

The physicist Martin Rees has estimated the chance of an accelerator producing a global catastrophe at one in 50 million -- long odds, to be sure, but about the same as winning some lotteries.

HELLO!! "GLOBAL CATASTROPHE" (!!) More at: Link

Government

"How can anyone be expected to rule a country that produces 265 varieties of cheese?"

-- Charles de Gaulle on his governance of France 

Another WHOA!

This is even crazier than the first one I posted.

Painting Pics - And More

Atlanta-like Weather

Clear		99°F Feels Like: 113°F
Wind Chill:	99°	Ceiling:	Unlimited
Heat Index:	112°	Visibility:	10mi
Dew Point:	75°	Wind:	5mph
Humidity:	47%	Direction:	160° (SSE)
Pressure:	29.88in	Gusts:	0mph
Raw Report Data: KJYO 101900Z AUTO 16004KT 10SM CLR 37/24 A2988 RMK AO2

What makes us so different?

Our neighborhood market is hosting a community event today to celebrate locally grown food and goods. In essence, "Eat Local" "Local Is Better" "Sustainable Environment" etc...

And then I had a thought (it was either the sun - from stupidly hitting a bucket of golf balls in 98 degree heat - or the Starbucks double-shot on a dehydrated mind; regardless...). There are families that teach their children that protecting/saving the environment is the highest good. In fact, those families seem to always be involved in environmental protection/conservation events and efforts. It's really an integral part of their lives.

As another example, Hillary Clinton talked about a family in which the daughter (8 yrs old, maybe?) had saved for TWO years to go to Disney World. And then she decided to use that money instead to go with her mom to Pennsylvania to work for Clinton's campaign.

Where am I going with this? Simply put: Why are Christians, and specifically Bible-teaching/believing Christian parents, singled out as the "crazy Christians" or "intolerant" or "brainwashing their kids" to think only one way. Why are Christians condemned for teaching their kids to live a certain way or to have certain fundamental beliefs?

What about the environmentalists? They teach their kids that we have to protect Mother Nature and polluters/greenhouse emissions makers are evil and are to be hated. They teach them to eat organic, spurn the big-bad commercial farmers, and believe that the planet will be saved by driving on electric. As for the politcos, surely the 8 year old didn't just wake up one morning and decide that Clinton was the superior candidate - she had help from her parents' own disposition. Her parents' fervor was translated into this child's mind, changing her priorities and desires.

Not only do these parents impart their beliefs to their kids, but they teach them to recruit followers to their beliefs. They think less-highly of those that disagree with them. They hold parties, events, and gatherings, even singing songs to celebrate their ideologies.

But they are celebrated. They are said to be teaching their kids to be forward-thinking, independent, pioneers. While in fact, they are just imposing their own worldview on their kids.

So I ask again - what makes us different? Bring your own answer (I know mine) - it's just food for thought.

[ps - 1. I make a lot of generalizations; I admit. Just making a point. And 2. I'm not against eating organic, or sustainable, or anything like that. =) ]

WHOA

"Historic" - "Epic Traffic" - Busted Hope?

These are directly pasted from WashingtonPost.com .

On Thursday:

Not even Republicans could have planned a worse combination of time and place for a rally in support of Sen. Barack Obama than today's planned 6 p.m. event at Nissan Pavilion....Pete Frisbie, chairman of the Prince William Democratic Committee, said the Obama camp chose Nissan Pavilion in western Prince William because it is the largest venue in Northern Virginia. But the crowds could wind up being twice as large as the pavilion can hold. "It could be up to 50,000," Frisbie said. "It's the first event of the national campaign and a historic moment."

On Friday:

The presumptive Democratic nominee drew more than 10,000 people to a late afternoon rally at Nissan Pavilion.... Die-hard Obama supporters and undecided voters converged on the amphitheater in Prince William County three hours before the candidate was scheduled to take the stage at 6 p.m. State and local transportation officials had braced for a major backup on Interstate 66, but traffic was like that of a normal evening rush.

Wow - anyone else think that Virginia may not be as "Obama-ready" as the campaign had expected? The first event after winning the nomination, and you can only manage 10,000 people?? It's going to be a long 5 months for everybody.

Square One

Old school, yo!


"One Million is Big, One Billion is Bigger"


"The Mathematics of Love"

"Holy, Holy, Basketball Song"

Angela tries to introduce new songs to Mia before bedtime. Currently, the favorite spot for singing songs is in our recliners in the family room. Angela recently introduced "Holy, Holy, Holy" and Mia caught on very quickly. She also loves "For the Beauty of the Earth."

Now, after Ang sings the first verse of "Holy, Holy, Holy" Mia will say: "Holy, Holy, Basketball Song." HUH? She wants to hear the second verse. Her favorite part is "cherubim and seraphim, falling down before thee..." We haven't figured out how any of the words translate to basketball (except maybe I had the tv on one time during singing time). Regardless, it's incredibly cute.

Oh, and "Holy, Holy, Holy" comes out as "Ho-ye, Ho-ye, Ho-ye!" =)

Idol Finale

I was on the road during the Idol finale and got in my hotel room as soon as the winner (DC, baby!) was announced. And yes, my two votes for DC pushed him over the edge (except for the other 11,999,998 votes).

I think the finale this year (even though I didn't see it live) was a great show - made the rest of the season (and waiting) worth it. Performances included:

DC with ZZ Top
Archie with OneRepublic (that'd be a great style for Archie to stick with, so he doesn't end up in Disney singing to 8 year olds)
DC and Archie singing Hero - yeah, the song is meant for DC, but Archie made it work
Syesha and Seal (woo!)

Cray times happenin' in the Idol world. YouTube is also a good friend (I just wish they'd filter the comments - I can't justify linking to videos when the comments are laced with expletives). So - if you go watching, just keep your eyes on the video.

This is DD, out!

(sorry, that was lame)

Tornadoes from another perspective

Nice video: Link

Another (check out how the tornado just whips the cars around)

Ladybugs

Here's a sweet video of Mia reading a book (reciting by memory is the more correct description, but who cares). Click the link for a QuickTime video.

Link

Diapers

We have created an understood rule in our household. Only one child
will be in diapers at a time. As such, with "Daniella2" on the way
shortly, we had to begin getting "Daniella1" (aka - Mia) out of
diapers.

We began the process of potty-training over a year ago. Very slowly,
we got Mia comfortable sitting on the potty and, as possible, going
pee-pee (sorry for all our friends w/out kids - these are the topics,
and language, of import once you create a child).

Finally we decided we had to take the plunge. This past weekend was
potty-training weekend, and all indications are that Mia is a pro. She
has actually resisted her pull-ups, which we only use for nap and
bedtime. We wouldn't mind leaving her in training pants during
naptime, but we aren't yet prepared for wetting the bed. That's in the
works.

I should be clear - whenever I used "we" in the account above - I
really meant "Ang." She has been reading, planning, and talking up the
wonderful aspects of this venture. I was more the follower and
faithful supporter ("whatever you think is best, dear"). Ang has
devoted herself to this, and it has paid off. We will temporarily gain
about $100 a month in savings, until we begin buying diapers again in
August.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

The Best Sandwich $5 Can Buy

Grilled Chicken in a balsamic vinegar marinade, chipotle mayo, pepper jack cheese, AVOCADO, and lettuce. Mmmmmmm....

If you're in Leesburg, check out Courthouse Deli (www.courthousedeli.net) - one of the best in town!

(If I hadn't spent $3 on my drink, I'd be looking at an economical meal!)

Why smokers die young...

[subtitle: "Or at least some rambling thoughts from a non-smoker."]

...ignore the toxic chemicals entering their systems, clogging their lungs, and cutting off blood-supply. I've discovered something truly revolutionary in the habits of smokers: They stand outside, anywhere from 3-10 times a day, in the FREEZING COLD - shivering, shaking, and altogether icing over - and are sucking in INCREDIBLY HOT air. How could this be good for you??

You know how during Spring and Fall you often get sick because of the crazy change in weather (temps going from 80 one day to 45 the next). Isn't this the same thing? They basically are creating a thunderstorm inside their lungs - hot air from the cig, cold air from breathing (a necessary function), and - BAM! - it roils up inside.

Batta-bing! Call me a scientist (well, at least I have the "observation" part down).

On another note - what is the effect of smoking on said smoker's productivity at work? Let's say they take 4 smoke breaks a day (not including over lunch). That's probably 10 minutes a smoke. Then, there's the 5 minutes before the smoke, thinking about how much they need a smoke. And then there's the 5 minutes after a smoke, washing hands or grabbing water. And quite possible another 10 minutes if you are waiting on your friend to smoke with you, or if you get caught up in a great conversation. None of this considers the break in momentum of critical thinking/workflow that may occur.

So potentially 30 minutes a smoke in lost productivity. 4x a day = 2 hours. I'm not saying there's a way to address it, but should an employee's habits interfere with their time dedicated to work? Hmmmm....

Murphy's Law re: Shopping in a Hurry

"When in a hurry, the person with the fewest items will take the longest time to check out."

A corollary would be:

"When in a hurry, the shortest line is always the longest line."

Eye on the ball

Seen at the bottom of a box score from a baseball game:

" *struck out looking for D Marte in the 9th "

Maybe if he hadn't been looking for "D Marte" he wouldn't have struck out. Silly baseball players.

My social ineptitude

I like to think that I handle myself pretty well at social events. This past Thursday night, our Economic Development Dept. held a "VIP Reception" for the important business leaders in the County. As my duties include significant interaction with this constituency, I naturally attended.

I don't think I said anything too stupid. I didn't stand around awkwardly without anyone to talk to (about 220+ people there - I probably knew 70% or so?). I tried not to talk with my mouth full. I even got to introduce some folks who needed to meet.

Finally, after about 2 1/2 hours, it was time for me to get home. I was walking to my car, reached in my pocket, and realized I had 3 or 4 crumpled napkins in my left pocket. And then it hit me. I'm a napkin-hogger.

Plain and simple, I will take a napkin every time the hors d'oeuvre tray comes around. I never want to have any remote chance of being without a napkin. And, I'll wipe my mouth 15 times to make sure I didn't leave any chocolate on my lips (chocolate fondue fountain - YUM!). I guess there could be worse habits.

On a funny note - about 10 minutes into the event, someone caught a napkin on fire. Almost could have been a scene out of a movie: tried to dump it in a glass, but they could stuff it far enough down. Tried to shake it out. Tried to blow it out (but just blew ashes all over the table). Finally, someone (with a PhD in science - I'm serious) grabbed two plates, put the burning napkin on one, and put the other on top. Close off the oxygen source = fire goes out.

And finally (this post ended up longer than expected) - someone had sponsored for a duo from NE Tennessee to come and preform "background" music. Absolutely phenomenal. One website compared them as a blend of Allison Krauss, Nickel Creek, and a little pop of Chris Rice. Anyway - worth a listen (although I haven't downloaded the CD yet from iTunes). Check out Alathea.

How Government Gets in the Way

Link

Burma

Interesting thoughts: http://www.slate.com/id/2191196/

But in one very narrow sense, the cruel, power-hungry, violent, and xenophobic generals who run Burma are not irrational at all: Given their own most urgent goal—to maintain power at all costs—their reluctance to accept international aid in the wake of a devastating cyclone makes perfect sense. It's straightforward, as the Washington Post's Fred Hiatt put it Monday: "The junta cares about its own survival, not the survival of its people."

Live Blog NOW!!

Stay tuned for live updates from the Broadlands Annual HOA meeting.

Talking.
Talking.
Talking.

Well, that's it. Thanks for tuning in!!

Long Lunch

Driving home from work a couple weeks ago, I called in on a radio station giveaway and won 4 free burritos from Chipotle. Sweet.

Then, the bad news: You had to pick them up from the station. On a weekday. Between 10-6. Oh, and about 40 miles from where I work.

I was going to plead with them to just mail it to me, when I happened to call in the same station two days later and won an Alexander Ovechkin "action figure." [Technically you're not supposed to win more than once in a 30 day period, but the guy interpreted that as the same prize, not "winning" in general.]

That prize was not going to fit in an envelope, so I definitely would have to go pick it up. I decided to take a long lunch. Amazingly, I was there in about 40 minutes (out the Toll Road, up the Beltway, up 270, Montrose Road, Rockville Pike, BINGO!). With no parking to be found, I put on my hazards and left it in a "No Parking" zone. I spent 15 minutes waiting on the prizes, just hoping I wasn't going to get a ticket (or worse, towed).

All in all, the trip took about 2 1/2 hours (stopped for lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and at 2pm on a weekday afternoon, the drive-thru took almost 15 minutes). The Chipotle coupons turned out to be two free pizzas from Papa Johns (they gave me the wrong prize). The Ovechkin figure sells for $10.99 at Toys 'R Us.

With tolls, gas, and mileage, I probably came out on the losing side. But, I have a story to tell, I can now say I've been to Rockville, and the pizzas were pretty good.