PA Race for US Senate

Santorum U.S. Senate

'nuff said.

Push Poll 101

I just received a phone call that is the epitome of a push-poll.

Phone rings-
Danny (D): Hello?
Poller (P): My name is __ and I have two quick questions about the special election on Tuesday, Jan. 31st.
D: Okay.
P: First, if the election were held today, would you vote for Dick Black's son-in-law Mick Staton, or for Supervisor Mark Herring?
D: (lol) That's a funny question. Mick Staton.
P: Mick Staton. And second, what issue was most influential in determining who you would vote for: 1- (I can't remember, but it may have been about development); 2- marital equality; or 3- taxes.
[I was caught off guard, b/c I was expecting "transportation needs" to be an option]
D: Uhhh, taxes.
P: Okay, and for purposes of disclosure, this poll was paid for by Equality Virginia. Thank you.

[For those who don't know, Equality Virginia is a pro-homosexual, gay marriage, etc. lobbying group.]

Now- two things of note:
1- Mick Staton isn't running as Dick Black's son-in-law. He's running as a sitting Supervisor on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors who has a great history of helping reduce the tax rate, find attainable transportation solutions, and understanding the issues very well.
2- Mark Herring is not a Supervisor. He was one in the past, but he no longer is.

Almost from the moment I picked up I had an inkling it was a Herring-favored poll. I'm glad I had the opportunity to give them an answer from the "other" side....

Cat's timing

Our precious little kitty, Dido, seems to have the uncanny knack for sitting down in one's lap just as soon as one is ready to move. Inevitably, out of pity, that person ends up sitting almost motionless in the same spot, not wanting to disturb sweet Dido, and is therefore rendered useless.

As I type, Dido is covering my forearms up to my fingers, and I can barely type without disturbing her. I can't even change the channel, grab my coffee, or shuffle my position.

Why, you ask, doesn't one simply toss her off one's lap and get on with one's own way? Because it's a great feeling to have this little animal that you rescued come and sit and perch on your lap- she's trusts you enough that she wants to always be in your world. I guess I just hate to disturb her peace.

Then again, it's lunch time, and I'm super-hungry.... off you go, cat!

Ode to Loudoun

Well, not really an ode, but more like - KUDOS!

President Bush came to Loudoun County last week and spoke for about an hour and a half. The White House chose Loudoun because of its super low unemployment rate (less than 2%, which is typically considered a "worker shortage"), great economy, and fiscal strength. During the Q&A session, my boss asked a question about broadband and telework.

Check out the Press Release here (note it's the entire transcript, so it's really long).

Faithful Reader

At least I have one faithful reader- my wonderful little sister A. (name withheld to protect the young)

Here's to you, sis! ("Aunt AED")

Busy weekend

It's been a good, full weekend. Now, I just need another weekend to recover...

Friday:
I ended up working until 5:30pm (ugh!)
PM- Angela cooked homemade Tomato Basil Soup- YUM! Then we took a trip to Bed, Beth, & Beyond for a shower gift and Nordstrom Rack for good deals (found a couple). Then, just took it easy.

Saturday:
AM- We had a PHC Alumni Association Board meeting. Angela was voted Secretary, I'm now chair of the Tech Committee (mainly to work out issues with getting a newsletter sent out and the website a bit more user friendly).
Noon- Went to friends' for a brunch, a precursor to a birthday party later that evening for PHC friends in town from North Carolina.
PM- Said birthday party. Until Angela started feeling bad (no solid food all day, which doesn't bode well with a second person inside you), so we went home around 7:30.
PPM (?)- Ate dinner at home and watched Erin Brokovich on TBS. Not really a great movie, but it's a feel-good, woman-power movie.

Sunday:
AM- Angela woke up not feeling well (chest cough, etc), so she stayed home while I went to teach Sunday School and church. SS went well, and church was very good (message: Jesus is "the door"- the only way to heaven)
Noon- Came home with "Chicken Out Rotisserie" for lunch. Watched football while Ang sewed (?).
PM- So Ang could get out of the house, we went to the mall. It's too cold outside for a walk, since she has a cold/cough. The mall was nice. BIG FIND OF THE DAY- Maternity clothes at Old Navy- 1/2 price on clearance items- two pair of maternity jeans for $20- all RIGHT!
PPM (?)- Watched Kate and Leopold- then watched end of the Seattle/Carolina game.

Now, off to bed, for an exciting week of the people's work. Land Use Committee, Economic Development Committee, and numerous meetings. It's going to be a busy one....

Sudoku

The latest craze in the Davis household is Sudoku. I didn't understand the interest in this "puzzle" until Ang bought me a book for Christmas. Every puzzle is a challenge, and it suits my math/logic-minded mind quite well. To see an online puzzle, check out here.

Apparently the original name of this exercise in logic was "Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru" which means "it is best for the number to be single." Obviously, this doesn't make for a good name to just toss around during lunch break, so it was shortened to Sudoku, su meaning "number" and doku meaning "single."*

Try it out- you may like it.


*Info taken from The Original Sudoku

Hand-me-downs

Thank goodness for hand-me-downs. Especially when it comes to maternity clothes (have you ever seen the prices for a shirt with an extra bump in the tummy???).

Granted, it's a bit odd that my wife is wearing my boss' hand-me-downs (she just had a baby 4 months ago), but if it saves me money, you'll hear no complaints.

Now, let's see about those baby clothes....

Scam?

So I (actually Angela) received a special offer in the mail the other day. For only ten dollars, we can try out Gevalia coffe via mail, and oh by the way they'll throw in a coffee maker. A ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR coffee maker!!!

After reading the fine print multiple times, I decided it was worth 10 bucks for a bit of coffee and the free coffee maker. I just have to remember to cancel my "account" within a month, or they'll send me more coffee (and a bill). Regardless, I get to keep the coffee maker.

If it turns into a scam, you'll be the last to know. (but at least you'll know) =)

DcD

Snore

Okay, so I'm tired of American Idol already. It was fun while it lasted (about 60 minutes). Maybe the last few weeks will be worthwhile.

One funny note- a timely dog from next door started howling when one of the horrible singers was in their audition- couldn't have been planned better.

Staton for Senate

State Senate, that is, not U.S. Senate.

Mick Staton, member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, won the Republican "firehouse" primary today quite handily, beating his closest opponent by almost double the votes. He will now face Democrat attorney and former Supervisor from Leesburg- Mark Herring- for the State Senate seat in the 33rd District of Virginia.

Staton may not be the most formidable opponent for the Republicans, considering that his father-in-law, Dick Black, was easily defeated mere months ago in his reelection bid for state House. Democrats are almost giddy as they prepare to attack Staton with the same vigor that they applied to Mr. Black.

Nonetheless, there are two very interesting aspects to this election:
1) Mr. Staton has been on the Board of Supervisors for only 2 years and has quickly mastered how things get done, especially when it comes to transportation issues. This will serve him very well in the election and will allow him to propose positive reforms for VDOT.
2) A win for Mr. Staton will show that the Republican party in Loudoun County is not disillusioned and fading. With the beating that Republicans took in November, nothing would be more important than a solid victory by Mr. Staton- underscoring the fact that many other factors played into the losses a few months ago. The Republican party needs a boost and an assurance that it can still reach the voters in Loudoun. Mr. Staton must make sure he addresses the issues most important to the people and doesn't get sidetracked on the peripheral topics.

We'll see what happens in the next 3+ weeks, but for now, Mr. Staton's got a lot of work ahead of him.

24

I'm hooked. "24" is an intense and totally captivating show. I see why people loved the first 4 seasons, and I'm going to have to start watching reruns of Days 1-4....

FOX had it right to start the 2 hour season premiere of "24" right after NFL Playoffs, otherwise I may have never turned the TV on....somebody deserves a bonus.

Ironically-

I received a "Statement of Claim" in the mail today for stock I used to own. I started thinking it may be worth it for me to try to join this class-action suit and receive my dues.

Then I realized, I had only owned 2 shares, and I would only receive 13.22 cents per share that I had owned. Not even worth the stamp it would take to send it in. Bummer.

PINK

It's a girl!! Woohoo!!! Angela is sooooo excited, and I can already feel that I'm becoming a softy...

Half the time we were doing the ultrasound, she had her arm over her face, just like Angela does when she sleeps. Like mother, like daughter. She was a very good girl during the entire ultrasound and cooperated really well. We got more pictures than we were supposed to ;) .

Here's one, and to see more, e-mail me and I'll "invite" you to view the album on the KodakGallery website.

DcD

Still alive

So, it's been a healthy six months since I actually "blogged".

We are still alive, and in fact have contributed to the living population in this world. Angela is 20 weeks pregnant, and we will have our first ultrasound/sonogram on Wednesday (I get the two confused)!!

More later-
DcD