First I want to say thank you to Norm and Laurie Coleman for their wonderful Holiday card. I know Laurie just turned 50 this year, and it's amazing that she still looks pretty good (sorry for the poor image quality of the card - I took the photo with my Treo). I'm disappointed that Norm is on the front line in the war against Christmas. His card merely says "May the Lord's blessing shine on you and yours this holiday season." What's the matter Norm, too good to celebrate Christmas? Don't let your good friends at Fox News hear about this, they're liable to raise hell over it.
I'm excited for 2007, not only because of the promises to come from a Democratic legislative branch, but more importantly that I shall once again live on the yellow line!
I'll try to do some lists for 2006, as I have in years' past. I guess I can start off with the most interesting book I read: Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, perhaps the greatest Stephen/Steven combo since Colbert and Carell were on the Daily Show a few years ago.
Now I'm off to Blockbuster to return some movies that are well overdue.
A few changes since I last posted some nine months ago. I moved, I left the lobbying world, I helped get two women elected to the U.S. Senate, I've become a deadbeat Wiki-dad, have a few new shows to follow, I have a new gaming system, started reading a reactionary rag, and have new toy.
Well, I'm in Minneapolis now, and let's just say that the timing for this trip was bad for several reasons. Most of all. the weather here is terrible and the weather in DC was fantastic this weekend. It's supposed to be 80 degrees there tomorrow! I think we're going to get six inches of snow here tonight.
Spent almost the entire day watching episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, some of which I had only seen once three years ago in England. Spent the rest of my time eating Davanni's and listening to Air with the iTunes visualizer on. Also spent a few minutes trying to code HTML over the phone - and you know what: I still got it!
Will hopefully be traveling down to Decorah on Tuesday to see G. Edwin, weather permitting.
I was really glad to read this morning that Russ is the only person in the Senate worth his salt. The Bush apologists use the 9/11 defense for the President breaking the law and the other Democrats won't say anything substantial. Feingold is completely right, Bush should be censured at the least for intentionally breaking the FISA laws; they impeached Clinton for far less. Is there a double standard on the right when it comes to holding presidents accountable for following the law? To take a line from Liar, Liar (a terrible movie): "Stop breaking the law, asshole!" That's what Congress should be telling President Bush, and that's basically what a censure is.
If there is fresh snow tomorrow and the weather is good I think I'll go take some photos of this beautiful city.
I have purchased my ticket for Spring Break 2006, and I'm going to the only place worth going: Minneapolis. I leave DC on 09 March and return on 17 March, so I'll have a full week there.
Been pretty busy the past few days/weeks/months, but now I'm back. Here are some updates:
Phil and I have become obsessed with The Larry Sanders Show, even though we can only find the first season of it. "Hey Now!" Hank Kingsley is of course the best character, but Larry and Artie are always a close second. Is somebody on the speakerphone? ... Goddamnit
A new addition to my music favorites is Feist who is an amazing singer, and a Vixen™ to boot.
The Office continues to be the strongest show on TV, followed by the Boondocks. The thing that blows my mind about the Boondocks is the amount of effort put into the art in the show as well as the direction of action and biting satire.
The Ricky Gervais podcast is the funniest audio found on the internet. Period. I don't care for people that don't like his shows.
Really, really enjoyed
Thinking about moving back to Minneapolis for the summer and fall for the election, but it'd have to be for the right campaign.
The bastard who lives below us is currently pounding on the wall because I don't think he's learned that doing that doesn't solve the noise problems from the neighbors at all.
More to come tomorrow.
I just started this week at a great company that is right down the street from the Capitol. I'm starting what is the fourth - and I'm now deciding final - internship in politics. If I can't get a real job after this, I may have to turn to a life of crime.
I got over my cold from last week in record time, thanks Drixoral! Believe me when I say that it is rare that I get a cold and don't have a nagging cough for 2-3 months [or seasons] after.
The Peter Sarsgaard episode of SNL last night was so-so, but I did enjoy the Jesse Jackson dessert cart bit, as well as the Chuck Lane/Shattered Glass/Cat Fancy spoof. I guess I laughed a little at the pirate convention and the Peter Sarsgaard "SARS Gaurd" bits as well, but two sketches surrounding the host's name?? The man is an amazing actor with many fantastic roles to lampoon. The most recent show hosted by Alec Baldwin had a fantastic Glengarry Glenn Ross/Santa's workshop send-up; they should do more stuff like that.
I usually wait until after the Academy Awards to express my un-ending disappointment with their choices for Oscars, but for the first time in many years, I've shifted my tutting to the Golden Globes. Usually I can count on the Globes to pick the actual best picture of the year, and not Brokeback Mountain or Walk the Line. I did agree with the choices of awards for Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Carrell in their respective categories, since they were actually the best. But Walk the Line?? I love Johnny Cash and Ray Charles, but Ray and Walk the Line were two of the biggest disappointments I've had in my moviegoing experiences. Leave it to the Hollywood Foreign Press to pick the cliche musical over quality musicals (Hustle and Flow) or fantastic [dark] comedies (like The Matador or the Ice Harvest). They also are dead to me for picking Geena Davis for her role in the lamest show in a long time, Commander in Chief. I love Geena Davis (usually), but I hate they she has anything to do with this show. We certainly have learned what the White House would be like with a female president: boring and pretentious. Desperate Housewives is a lame, watered down "comedy" and should not have won because there were so many fantastic and hilarious shows from last year. Off the top of my head, there's Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Extras, The Office, Starved and Family Guy. They were all much better, but ignored by the HFP. I think I might just start boycotting these stupid awards shows.
OK, the blog has a new name now: A Mineshaft Gap.
I've also upgraded the MovableType software to version 3.2 and slapped on this nice new skin.
I hope to make quite a few improvements over the next few days and weeks. I've started doing a lot of digital photography, so I'll get something set up for that too.
Comments now work too, feel free to leave them. I hope it screens out the spam too.
Since I couldn't find it anywhere else on the web, here is Diane Rehm's theme song and her trademark "Thanks for joining us, I'm Diane Rehm."
Download the MP3 here (great for a ringtone!)
Enjoy.
Apologies for not posting lately, been a little busy.
Should be a fun weekend, I've started playing WarCraft II again, something I haven't done since high school. I think I like Age of Empires II a little better though, they have a lot of improvements.
Today, I plan on going to Potomac Mills to see Shopgirl. Hopefully it will break the horrible movie streak that Steve Martin has been on. I think the last good movie he was in was Novocaine. We all know the Pink Panther is going to suck, they moved back its opening to February, 2006, you know, the biggest movie time of the year after Thanksgiving and Labor Day. I think that's when they released Electra last year. Quality. (I haven't actually seen Electra, so I don't know how fair it is for me to say that about it).
I must say that I am proud that Norm Coleman ACTUALLY KEPT HIS WORD FOR ONCE. Well, it was convenient for him to do so, the ANWR drilling bill had 52 yes votes, so he was safe to vote against it without pissing off the Bush admin. I bet he was worried there, or he would not have been softening the ground for the eventuality that he might have to vote for it. Now, in 2008, when Bush's approval rating is hovering in the low 20s in the Minnesota, Normy will be waving this bill all over the place, saying, "Look, I actually disagreed with the President once! Look!" He pretty much made it clear that he would vote yes if it looked like the bill was in jeopardy, but what does that say about Normy, that he does the right thing only when convenient? Well, we knew that already.
I cannot wait for this Sunday's Times and the live West Wing Debate, and of course, the highlight of my week, Curb Your Enthusiasm!
