The Writer's Poke

I don't smoke, and I don't actually like to be in smoky places. But the idea that a government can ban smoking in public places bothers me. This happened in Minnesota. All bars are now smoke free, with one loophole. If you're in a play, you can smoke indoors. So, now bars in Minnesota are having "theater nights." And, all customers are designated as "improv actors." I think that's just awesome. Will the government crack down on this? Sure. Heaven forbid they spend time on something more important, like making sure major bridges don't collapse... (Yes, I know cancer sucks, and workers should be protected from second-hand smoke... but I still tend to side with smoker's rights. As long as cigs are legal, you should be able to smoke them in bars. Period.) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_fe_st/smoking_ban_loophole_7

Hillary won Super Tuesday II last night, in part I would argue, because she has been able to convince people that she is "the devil you already know." As one CNN pundit said last night, "She's 60 and claims 35 years' experience. That means, she's claiming all of her adult life after college." In the 1970s, she was a lawyer. In the 1980s, she was the first lady of Arkansas. In the 1990s, she was first lady of the United States. If you review her biography, you see that she was concerned about losing her identity to her husband, and rightly or wrongly, that's exactly what happened. The problem with being a first lady: it's not an elected position. It carries no accountability to the voters, and the position holds no specific responsibilities. And like Barack said in the last debate, it becomes far too easy for her to lay claim to her husband's administration's successes while also not accepting responsibility for any of the administration...

This is the Spyder (click on the pic for a larger image). Would you ride something like this? It's not a motorcycle (notice the two front wheels), but it's not your traditional three-wheeler, either. Apparently the extra wheel makes the Spyder more stable than a motorcycle, and also, a motorcycle license is not required to ride one. What does it cost? About the same as a Harley -- $17,000. Will my wife let me have one? Time will tell.

I just finished reading Ed Horrell's The Kindness Revolution . http://www.amazon.com/Kindness-Revolution-Company-wide-Inspires-Phenomenal/dp/0814473075/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204317901&sr=8-1 A quote that got my attention: "One interesting aspect of human behavior involves observing people who do not display traits of kindness. They tend to be abrasive, impatient, and even rude. They don't listen -- they don't show interest in others, and they show indifference in their communication. In short, they are simply not very nice! What you will find, however, is that these same people still prefer to be around people who are kind. They want to be listened to, they want respect, and they want to be shown regard" (italics added, 109-110). Kindness matters. It's good for you, it's good for those around you, and it's free. One of my favorite bumper stickers is: Practice Random Acts of Kindness. I challenge you to practice a random act o...

I'm sad to hear that William F. Buckley died. When I was growing up, I always appreciated his big vocabulary, his wit, and his unintentionally goofy facial expressions. A true conservative blue-blood, he tends to represent the stereotypical image of a Connecticut Republican fat cat. Nevertheless, the man could think and the man could write. I read National Review religiously in high school, and his Blackford Oakes spy novels got me through many Friday nights when most of my high school friends were out drinking and getting girls in the family way. RIP, Bill. Hope God has a cigar and a sailboat waiting for you. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/william-f-buckley-jr-dies-at-82/n20080227123709990105

I like Tina Fey, but I hated her "Weekend Update" guest spot last night. She basically endorsed Hillary. Hillary supporters seem angry, as though people don't vote for Hillary because she's a woman. That's my best guess as to their anger. Suggest that Barack is the better candidate, and they will look at you like you're sexist. Let's face it; people don't like Hillary, and it has little to do with the fact that she's a woman. It has a lot more to do with that fact that she's a Clinton. It has little to do with the fact that she's a "strong woman"; it has a lot to do with the fact that Barack is a better candidate. Tina Fey even went so far as to admit that Hillary is a "bitch," but it's the "bitches that get things done." What a bunch of b.s. You don't have to be mean to get things done. She also suggested that another "co-presidency" would be a good thing; first, I honestly don't believ...

It's been a while since I've posted a Tavi pic. :)

At last night's Obama /Clinton debate, Clinton closed strong on a positive note. Not surprisingly, that's what the pundits focused on. "Clinton showed her true side at the end." "Clinton displayed her humanness." "That was the real Hillary." Interesting. Does that mean that for the other 95% of the debate, Hillary was "false," "inhuman," and "fake"? Meanwhile, Barack spent most of the debate purposefully staying on the high road. He remained positive for at least 95% of the debate. So why give Hillary credit for 5% when Barack was doing exactly the same thing for 95%?

Question: How do you attack a good campaigner and a good speaker? Answer: If you're Hillary Clinton and John McCain, and you want to attack Barack Obama, try this: 1. Barack is a good campaigner, but all he has is a message. 2. Barack is a good speaker, but all he has is his speeches. Frankly, I continue to be amazed, even though I know I shouldn't be. What is a political campaign about? It's about selling your message to voters, and traditionally, that's done through speaking. Barack has a powerful message, and he's clearly the best speaker in the campaign. He's careful to say that he cannot do it alone, that he needs everyone to continue to pitch in after the campaign is over. Do you ever hear Clinton say that? No, Clinton claims to be the "solution" to every problem. Don't trust people that claim to have all of the answers. And McCain? If Barack is the "can do candidate of hope," then McCain is setting himself up as the "can't...

I eat alone, and for the past few months, I've done so with Keith Ferrazzi's book Never Eat Alone. Why shouldn't you eat alone? Because if you're not networking 24/7, then you're just falling behind. For Keith, networking is a lifestyle, and he admits that it's not for everyone. He tries to put the best spin on "networking as lifestyle" that he can, but in the end, he simply reminds me of the character from the Bob & Tom radio show, Ken Tarmac. Yes, the book is worth reading, and I'm sure I'll be able to apply some of his advice. Networking will never be my lifestyle, though... http://nevereatalone.typepad.com/blog

In 1992, Bill Clinton was virtually unstoppable. Everywhere he went, masses of people came to hear him speak. Sometimes he'd be hours behind schedule, but people didn't seem to mind. Although I was actually a George Bush supporter at the time, I went to hear Clinton speak in Vandalia, Illinois. The town is about 5000 people, but I would estimate that 10,000 (and maybe more) came out to the Courthouse to hear him speak. After all, presidential candidates don't often travel to Vandalia! Love him or hate him, the man had sizzle. But what does Hillary have? Last week, she loaned her campaign $5 million. Saturday, Obama swept in Washington, Nebraska, and Louisana, and this morning I read that Hillary is shaking up her campaign staff. Her campaign is starting to fizzle. Meanwhile, Obama's movement reminds me a lot of the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign, at least in terms of the excitment he's generating. But Obama isn't all sizzle; the man is filet mignon steak, too. He...

Your moment of zen for today: An Obama victory unifies the Democratic party (and I would argue, the nation). A Hillary victory unifies the Republican party. Enough said.

Hillary's rhetoric is smooth. And, I fear if she says things often enough, most people will start to believe her. She says that she's qualified to be president "day one" and Obama isn't. Look at the facts: Hillary has been elected just twice in her life. She's only been in office 8 years. Obama has been elected to public office four times, with 10 years of total public office experience. Yes, 6 of the 10 years were in the Illinois State Senate, but Illinois is no small state. So, Hillary, where are the other 27 years of experience you claim? I understand that being first lady counts for something, but it's not an elected office. I'm 34 years old, and I've been in school since I was 2, if I include pre-school. Does that mean I can claim 32 years experience in education? And what if Chelsea decided to run for office? Could she likewise claim 28 years experience (she was born in 1980)? By the way, Obama is 46 years old, and he's not exactly wet be...

In chess, white has the advantage. Going into last night, Hillary had the advantage with big leads in New York and California. And when I went to bed last night, Hillary was kicking butt in California -- up 20 points over Obama. But I was happy to see that this lead dropped to 10 points by morning (52 to 42). And while Hillary won the two big states, Obama won just about everything in middle of the country, other than Tennessee. So in the end, last night was a draw. Obama should be able to win the next few primaries. All I'm worried about is Texas. Why he cannot connect well with Latino voters is a mystery to me. Getting a draw from a superior player is in itself a victory. There's no doubt that Hillary is a grandmaster politician, and I would therefore call last night's showing for Obama a victory.

This could be a long night. I'm worried. Obama is my guy, but I have a feeling that Hillary is going to do better tonight. And, I'm not usually wrong about these kind of predictions. The good news is, when I drove to work this morning, there were only two Hillary supporters on the overpass trying to get people to honk for Hillary. Just two. That's rather pathetic. Heck, even when Ron Paul had supporters on that same overpass earlier in the year, there were always at least a dozen of them. Perhaps that means Hillary's support isn't that strong, at least in Minnesota. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't understand why in a country of 300 million people, the only people that we can elect to the office of President are named either Bush or Clinton. We need some new blood!

Talk about six degrees of separation... I'm not sure how much Ted Kennedy and Hulk Hogan agree on, but I do know this: both chaps support Barack Obama for president: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/hulk-hogan (you can see the video here) http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/01/ted_kennedy_end.html And, of course, Oprah supports Barack as well: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/oprah-endorses-obama-2/

The new year has me a bit down. Later this year, I'm turning 35, and I think I'm going to feel it. Granted, I realize how blessed I am. But I feel as though I've somehow "arrived," and while I like it, I feel locked in. That's never a feeling I've necessarily been good at accepting. Is it too late to ride off into the sunset, to find the next adventure? Some day, will I look back and laugh at the idea that 35 is "old"?

Here's Octavia stuffed into a Christmas stocking. This is the photo we used for our Christmas cards this year. I know we didn't get it sent to everyone, so if we happened to miss you, sorry! Consider this Christmas greetings from O, Linda, and Bret.

Fun bathtime with Octavia :)

This would make a good x-mas present, don'tcha think? :)