continued ... like a Mt.St.Helens

continued ... like a Mt.St.Helens eruption ... ugh. this sucks.

We returned to Phoenix late

We returned to Phoenix late last night ... this afternoon I got sick ... 103 degree temp and the contents of my stomach leaving my body like a Mt

pre-inaugural images: seeing 2 women

pre-inaugural images: seeing 2 women freak out with joy after a congressional staffer surprised them with tix

pre-inaugural images: seeing people going

pre-inaugural images: seeing people going from one congressman's office to the next on Monday begging for tickets

Inaugural images: crowd didn't really

Inaugural images: crowd didn't really boo Prez Bush, but it seethed with anger and got very quiet whenever he appeared or was mentioned ...

Inaugural images: loudest boos and

Inaugural images: loudest boos and jeers of the day were for Joe Leiberman ... putz!

Inaugural images: several hundred exhausted

Inaugural images: several hundred exhausted and cold people sitting on the floors of the Smithsonian trying to recupperate before heading to face

Inaugural images: a million people

Inaugural images: a million people cheering as Bush entered the helicopter ... everyone wildly waving goodbye as he flew away ... good riddance

Inaugural images: the happy happy

Inaugural images: the happy happy faces and joy about ... President Barack Obama

Inaugural images: the high flying

Inaugural images: the high flying security reconaisance planes flying cirles above DC

Inaugural images: everyone adores Sasha

Inaugural images: everyone adores Sasha and Malia Obama

Inaugural images: numerous people passing

Inaugural images: numerous people passing out (exhaustion, poor circulation, dehydration?) and needing med help

Inaugural images: people singing "Na

Inaugural images: people singing "Na na na na hey hey hey goodbye" to Bush when he arrived

Inaugural images: people trying to

Inaugural images: people trying to have line cutters arrested ... boo line cutters!

I just walked by Mariah

I just walked by Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon ... Tuskeegee Airmen are here ... heroes of WWII ...

have never seen anything like

have never seen anything like this inauguration crowd ... massive ... gates yet to open

In DC walking thru empty

In DC walking thru empty halls under Capitol & amazingly bump into our Congressman Harry Mitchell ... after sitting next to his son Mark on plane

watching the snow falling in

watching the snow falling in Philadelphia ... like all those Eagle fan tears freezing and floating thru the city

woke up to a nice

woke up to a nice dusting of snow in Philly ... pretty ... hope it's a bad omen for Eagles ... ha

Looking back at number 43

Keith Olbermann did a great commentary on last night's show looking at:
The Bush Legacy: Eight Years in Eight Minutes.


Worst President Ever!
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Froomkin rising ...

Atrios posts it, the rest of us follow:

Reverse Midas

Froomkin sums up the Bush legacy pretty well.

He took the nation to a war of choice under false pretenses -- and left troops in harm's way on two fields of battle. He embraced torture as an interrogation tactic and turned the world's champion of human dignity into an outlaw nation and international pariah. He watched with detachment as a major American city went under water. He was ostensibly at the helm as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression took hold. He went from being the most popular to the most disappointing president, having squandered a unique opportunity to unite the country and even the world behind a shared agenda after Sept. 11. He set a new precedent for avoiding the general public in favor of screened audiences and seemed to occupy an alternate reality. He took his own political party from seeming permanent majority status to where it is today. And he deliberately politicized the federal government, circumvented the traditional policymaking process, ignored expert advice and suppressed dissent, leaving behind a broken government.

How many Cardinals would it take to kill an Eagle?

The Arizona Cardinals football team is playing on Sunday for a place in the Superbowl.
I cannot freakin' believe that I just wrote that sentence. I saw the first regular season game the Cardinals played in Sun Devil Stadium and many other games in that broiler oven. And I've been two two games in the new stadium. It is a fantastic facility, and it is a fact that the Cardinals would not be in this position if the taxpayers didn't build that stadium for the team.
They were at a constant disadvantage in the old stadium. They have sellout, boisterous crowds in the new one. And the place will be rocking on Sunday when the Eagles come to town.
And I won't be here! My wife and I will be visiting my stepson in Philadelphia this weekend. And he doesn't own a TV. Sooooo, we have to find a place where we can watch the game, cheer for the Cardinals against the hometown Iggles, and not get killed.
I don't want to die, but I am going to enjoy this game. Who knows when this opportunity will come again?
I predict that the Cardinals will ... win, in a close game that may come down to the final possession. And then I will be stunned to write ... Cardinals in the Superbowl!

Onward to Washington D.C.

We're going to the inauguration!
It is a historic event that we didn't want to miss, and thankfully, we have one key connection ... and he came through for us with tickets to the swearing in ceremony.
So, we've been buying clothes to help us survive the freezing cold weather, and we are reading about the difficulties we will have with metro transportation, numerous security checkpoints and standing room tickets. We expect to be standing and waiting for six or eight hours. Ouch!
But, if all goes according to plan, when Barack Obama raises his hand and says the oath of office and becomes the 44th President of the United States, we will be there screaming our approval ... with a couple million other people.
Good times!

It couldn't be this bad this year, right?

Presidential Inaugural Weather

Coldest January Date (and overall):

1985 - President Ronald Reagan's second swearing-in ceremony on January 21 had to be held indoors and the parade was canceled. The outside temperature at noon was only 7°F. The morning low was 4° below zero and the daytime high was only 17°. Wind chill temperatures during the afternoon were in the -10 to -20°F range.

And I was there. I was a member of the Collegiate All-American Marching Band and we were supposed to march in the Parade. But, if my memory is correct, the next day they had a special event in the arena where the Washington Bullets played basketball and we did get to perform for the President and Vice President.
It was a fun time. They put us up in the barracks of a nearby military base, and it was damn cold.
I still remember my lips freezing to my trombone mouthpiece and my slide locking up in the cold.

Cardinals hosting Eagles for the

Cardinals hosting Eagles for the conference championship? Unbelievable! And we will get to watch the game in Philly.

I was typing important doc...

I was typing important doc... suddenly... power gone... doc lost... power back! ... typing typing typing again... power gone... doc lost... argh!

More Joss please!

Dollhouse is coming!

February 13 on FOX.

Welcome to the Dollverse.

Mmmmm ... Eliza Dushku.

An early review here.
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A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do

Time for a non-movie, blog or vlog review:

The other night I watched the DVD of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, created by Buffy the Vampire Slayer auteur Joss Whedon and starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion.

I had been reading comments here and there on the Web about this online drama/musical and never got around to checking it out. But when I saw that a DVD would be released before Christmas, I had to have it.

Few pieces of entertainment have given me as much joy, excitement and heartache as Buffy, and the Once More, With Feeling musical episode was pure genius.

Dr. Horrible was a treat. It has some great music and lyrics, plenty of laughs, and as he likes to do to his fans, Joss knows how to rip your heart when you least expect it.

The Dr. Horrible site has links to a lot of the reviews.

And the production even got the attention of the American Film Institute and the People's Choice Awards (Winner of Favorite Online Sensation).

Here is Joyce Eng in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer writing for TV Guide:

Ready for another end-of-the-year retrospective catalog?

Courtesy of the list-happy folks at the American Film Institute, AFI has unveiled its Top Eight Moments of Significance in film, television and web to honor performances, trends and pretty much anything that can't be shortlisted on, say, AFI's Top 10 Films list.

Among those earning kudos are everyone from Tina Fey and Dr. Horrible to Slumdog Millionaire and the Olympics.

...

Noting the Internet as a force to be reckoned with (Hulu.com gets a shout-out), Joss Whedon's Web musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris, was singled out for its cult status and putting the Internet on the map as a potentially lucrative distribution outlet.

As for film, the Mumbai-set Slumdog Millionaire — which missed the Top 10 Film list because it's not an American production — was cited as 'a monument to the possibilities of cross-cultural storytelling.' ..."

So, check it out, especially if you are a fan of the Whedonverse!

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We have a new toy ... our GPS device

We've started a new hobby called Geocaching that combines hiking with Treasure Hunting using GPS devices. We hiked up into South Mountain on New Year's Day and found our first cache near a wash under a big rock slab. It was a good hike on a beautiful day and I got a kick out of spotting the cache first. We found another one today and looked for a second one, but the hike (in the rain) became too challenging for all of us and the dogs.

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Year in Review Pt. IV

Here is my Top 10 list of movies I saw (or remember seeing), either in theaters or on DVD, in 2008.

1. Slumdog Millionaire
   This gritty film by Trainspotting director Danny Boyle takes place in the gritty reality of a Mumbai slum and in the flashy studio of a popular television show. The story centers on two brothers who take very divergent paths. It is a love story, but comes from some dark places. I loved everything about this movie. But it is only above The Dark Knight by a hair, and I could easily flip their spots.
   
2. The Dark Knight
   Heath Ledger deserves the Oscar for Best Actor or Supporting Actor and not as a sympathy vote. He was unbelievable in this role -- chilling, funny, quirky, evil.
   
3. Iron Man
   A smart, but accessible "comic book" movie, with a great performance by Robert Downey, Jr. Even my wife loved it, which says a lot.
   
4. WALL-E
   The first have of this animated gem is far superior to the second half, but it is still a very special film. Heck, it even makes a cockroach lovable.
   
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
   A wonderful fable, with great makeup/special effects and beautiful scenery from New Orleans.
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
   The first pic was average, but Hellboy II rises far above because director Guillermo del Toro takes more chances and uses more and better special effects to create an amazing series of trolls, monsters and gods.
   
7. Bolt
   I got a kick out of this movie. It had me laughing more than any other movie I saw this year. The script was great and filled with inside-Hollywood bits.
   
8. Redbelt
   This David Mamet film should be seen for one reason -- Chiwetel Ejiofor.
   
9. Religulous
   Bill Maher takes on organized religions in this very funny, thought provoking film.
   
10. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
    Some New York teens have a wild night on the town.
    

Honorable mention: August Rush, Baby Mama, Charlie Wilson's War, Cloverfield, The Happening, The Invasion, Talk To Me.

And the worst ... Wanted, The Incredible Hulk.

Of course, there were many others that I wanted to see, including Tropic Thunder, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Body of Lies, Gran Torino, Milk, Quantum of Solace, Frost/Nixon, Australia, and more.

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2009 will be a great year, despite the turmoil and challenges

OK, here goes ...

In 2009, I resolve to:

1. Start a Geocaching hobby with Sharyn on a regular basis.
2. Get the mountain bikes fixed and get back on those trails!
3. Blog more about my everyday life and less about politics (this will be a tough one).
4. Have a more positive attitude about ... my life ... family ... America ... society ... people ... etc.
   
5. Scan at least 500 of my photos from my albums and post them online for friends and family to view.
6. Not let anyone else in this house get a new pet, no matter how cute and cuddly, that I will have to take care of for years and years.
7. Teach Hannah how to drive (your prayers are appreciated).
8. Spend more time helping my mother.
9. Reconnect with more friends and family through Facebook and good old fashioned letters, phone calls and visits.
10. Read one book a month.
11. and the usual ... lose weight and get in shape.
12. more to come ...

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What about us remains the same?

Crossposted by Only4Now at Facebook:


"For a couple of months now I have participated in the social networking of Facebook. Well,' participating' is a relative word and mine has consisted primarily of up-dating my "what are you doing?" status, posting a few photo's and looking at other people's profiles. It is fascinating to watch my own reactions to seeing the names of people from high school, and I wonder if others react in a similar fashion?

First I try to stimulate the memory to place a name with a face (tough to do when women don't use their maiden name!). If I can bring up an image of that person (30 years old, by the way), then the limbic memory kicks into gear to determine if there is any emotional connection to that person. Did I like that person? Were we friends? Did they like me? Were we nice to each other, mean, or indifferent? And finally, what might we have or have had in common that might warrant a connection in this stage of our lives. I guess, like most things, I take the whole thing too seriously.

What is really intriguing about this process, is that most of what I see on the profiles of my former friends, neighbors, and accidental cohorts, regards how they have changed since last we met. The marriages, the kids, the careers...all the stuff that I myself focused on in creating my profile. Certainly we highlight what defines us as we are now, and not how we were at 17. But that leaves much to the imagination about what in each one of us remains the same. Those things that made us nice to some and not so nice to others, do those things change as we get older?

It is an interesting experiment in which we are participating. It means different things to different people. I think for those of us who left our home towns shortly after graduating high school, it's a different kind of significance to hear from and reconnect to those you've neither seen nor heard from for 30 years. It definitely makes me a little homesick (yes, after 28 years living in three different states, and looking to move on once again, I still consider New York home, and I still get homesick). It also makes me sorry I didn't stay in better touch and get to know the people I shared so much time with, as they got to know and figure out themselves. It's nice to have that opportunity to do that now, and to perhaps discover, what in them remains the same."

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