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

Powered by    * Please note, the sender's email address has not been verified.       Reason #1 not to take White's Ferry....             Click the following to access the sent link:       Passengers Stranded as Ferry Gets Stuck in Potomac River | NBC Washington*                 Get your EMAIL THIS Browser Button and use it to email content from any Web site. Click here for more information.   *This article can also be accessed if you copy and paste the entire address below into your web browser. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Passengers-Stranded-as-Ferry-Gets-Stuck-in-Potomac-River.html

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).