Recreation and Attractions

There are plenty of places to visit around Denver. No family would ever get bored living in this area. Some of the most interesting attractions include Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Art Museum, Denver Aquarium, Denver Children's Museum, Denver Zoo, Elitch Gardens, and many more. Apart from these, there are also lots of outdoor recreational activities to engage in. Hiking, biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, bird watching, and camping are just few of these. Any family would enjoy exploring nature, which is something that other cities wouldn't be able to offer. That's because not all cities in this country are able to achieve a good balance between urban progression and nature preservation. If you do decide to buy a home in Denver, see to it that you study the home-buying process carefully. For one, you need to determine which particular location in Denver you'd like to live in. Choices include Golden, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Westminster, Thornton, Northglenn, Broomfield, Brighton, and Commerce City. More information, visit : Denver Real Estate Investment

Trapline Cabins should be called Safety Cabins

Instead of being called a Line Cabin it should rightfully be called a Safety Cabin. Our main trapping trail is a 90 km circle which heads off the lake here goes way up onto a highland heads south into the headwaters of the Sutlahine then comes back through the valley to the Inklin river and then back up to the lake. Even though the Inklin is only 7 miles as the eagle flies and a 1000 meter climb in elevation it is wild and rugged terrain requiring a 1400 meter climb up and down to bypass a deep ravine. On the Inklin there is no were to even land a helicopter within 1 km of the trail. The river is deep and fast and no jet boat can land safely anywhere near the area. We have been given BC Government approval for a Line Cabin down near the Inklin and are now in the second stage of consultation with the Taku River Tlingit First Nations. We have had one meeting so far and were told it would probably require a few safety suggestions.... example storing fuel etc. We are good friends with the Tlingit and have great respect for them. We also are their early warning system for too much snow accumulation of their lodge roof. This safety cabin will be about 9 x 12' and contain a small wood stove, an axe, lighter, dry wood, a SBX short wave radio and a sleeping bag. We do not store fuel or food at safety cabins because it draws bears. We can get a foot of snow in an hour here. Sometimes a normal trip of 45 minutes to cover 10 km can turn into a 6 1/2 hour ordeal.

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Family Camping Adventures

As you probably know, kids are always ready for adventure. These days much of the adventure happens on a TV or computer screen, so they may not be as enthusiastic as you would want them to be when you invite them on a family camping trip. Once they go, however, they will totally change their minds.

Showing excitement yourself about the trip will go a long way in getting the kids excited. Show them pictures of the campground so that they can start forming an idea in their mind of the place they will be visiting. Let them help with the planning and be sure to allow younger kids to bring a favorite toy so they will not feel alone.

Remember that your need for a shelter will be very different from when you were still single and hiking solo. That was when you could get away with just taking a portable hammock or one man tent. Younger kids will feel more comfortable when they can sleep with their parents in the same tent, so make sure that the tent is big enough for everyone to be comfortable. A family of four may find the space that a four man tent offers, a little tight and may prefer to use a six person tent or an even bigger tent to be able to store clothes and other essentials inside the tent.

Having a camping checklist is essential. A great list can be found at Love the Outdoors, http://www.lovetheoutdoors.com/camping/checklists.htm. You can use it as an example and customize it to fit your family's needs.

Arriving at your campsite while it is still light, will help your kids to become familiar with their surroundings and will be less scary for them than a nighttime arrival. Every kid should have their own bag so that they will know where to find their stuff and they will learn to be responsible to return their belongings to their bag.

Every campsite has rules and it is important that you familiarize your kids with these rules as soon as possible after arrival. You do not want your kid to start breaking branches off trees thinking they are helping to gather firewood, just to find out that they are doing something that is forbidden. Kids need to learn never to feed wild animals and why that is important. Also check ahead of time if the park you will be camping at allows campfires. It can be very disappointing, even for adults, to find out that they will not be able to make their beloved s'mores.

You do not have to pack a lot of toys since there will be plenty of distractions to keep the kids busy. Younger kids can be entertained watching squirrels or chipmunks, gathering leaves or forming words by arranging small sticks. Mom and Dad can also point out bugs or other wildlife and your kids will be learning without even knowing it. At night you can teach them about the stars and if you don't know much about the stars, bring a book and you can learn together.

Older kids may want to have their own tent and you can use a one man tent for them or they may even want to try sleeping in a bivy sack or portable hammock. Older kids may like camping more if they can bring a friend and you can get them a 2 person backpacking tent to see if they would like that.

Older kids can also help with pitching tents. Even bigger tents these days are made in a way that makes setting up camp easy.

Now all you need to do is make sure you relax and have a wonderful time with you family in the outdoors!

Tips on How to Buy Tents and Camper Trailers

There are many people around the world who enjoy camping and if you are one of them, have you thought of investing in some good camping equipment to make the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable. Camping equipment comprises of plenty of tools and components and among all, having a good tent is of utmost importance. You can buy some good quality tent from reputed online stores that are currently offering exclusive campers for sale. Apart from tents you can buy a whole lot of other paraphernalia that will be quite useful when you go camping next time.

What Roof Top Tent Features You Should Select?

Camping involves living in extreme conditions that are most of the time unpredictable. However, you can to a great extent create a safe environment by choosing to buy some good quality tents. While buying a tent, make sure that the tent material is waterproof, breathable and mould resistant. There are some good brand products that are made of rip stop cotton canvas and double stitched for added strength. The material is wax coated with mildew treatment. Choose parts that are made of either aluminium or stainless steel. It should have windows with internal and external zip opening and closing covers, so that you can open and close without having to step out of your tent. Make sure it has ample storage in the form of internal pockets, ventilation panels, accessory flap, guy ropes and pegs, window awning, ladders, etc.

Types of Camping Trailers

Camping trailers are available in variety of configurations. You can either invest in a brand new one or buy a used trailer. The different category of camper trailers include popup trailer, travel trailer, trailer coaches, telescoping trailers, fold-down trailers, pickup camper, travel van, motor home and mini motor home. These vans can be customized according to your camping needs. There are some very important factors you should consider while buying a trailer. Consider the size and design as there are plenty of options. Consider your usage because full time traveller needs are different from weekend traveller needs. Online stores offer basic trailers as well as fully equipped ready to move campers. The ready to move trailers are perfect if you do not have enough time to customize a van.

How to Buy a Trailer?

Trailers range from the small tent trailers to larger ones with full kitchens and bathrooms and the prices can go up based on the design, size, accessories, etc. However, if you choose to buy trailers from a campers sale you can save quite a bit of money. Before investing in a trailer, determine if your existing vehicle can tow it. Check if your vehicle has the right hitch if not, would you want to install a suitable one. Determine the living space you need and for how many people. Consider what accessories you want to include. If you want a stand up shower, oven and air conditioning, then you have to select a trailer that can accommodate all these accessories. For wilderness camping, make sure to choose one with large storage space, a large water tank and other important equipments.

How Purchasing A Used Caravan Could Still Be In Your Budget

Have you always dreamed of travelling the country in your very own caravan, taking your family to see the sights that Australia is known for, including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and the Great Australian Bight? Have you been putting this dream on hold and pushing it into the back of your mind because you think that you simply cannot afford to achieve it? Even if you're currently on a tight budget, you might find that you are able to afford a used caravan, putting your dream will within reach.

Often, when you are forced to work within a tight budget, it can be tempting to purchase a used caravan and other larger investments (like a new car) through financing. This is not, however, your only option when it comes to securing a caravan for use by your family; you may be able to afford one of these vehicles outright by shopping right. When organizing inspections with sellers, make sure that you take along someone who is experienced with used caravans (if you aren't) to give it a thorough look over and ensure that there are no problems. If you decide to purchase used through a dealer, you might even find that the van is under some sort of warranty, which can be highly reassuring.

If you have been scouring the classifieds and eBay listings and still haven't been able to find a used caravan that meets your needs or your strict budget, then financing might be the most appropriate solution. Whilst it may be difficult to secure financing for caravans that you purchase through private sellers (such as those found in the classifieds section of the newspaper and even eBay), you should be able to do so when purchasing through a dealer. This will involve you making monthly or even weekly installments; over a few months or years, you will have paid the van off completely.

Whilst you may have long ago written off travelling around the country in a caravan as being an unattainable dream, we hope that this article has awoken the drive to make this dream a reality. It is possible to purchase a used caravan on almost any budget, providing that you know where and when to look. Once you take your first trip in the van and begin living the dream, you can rest assured that you will not regret this decision in the slightest.

Whatever happened to the other guy in Wham?

Yeah, random I know. But I suggested this song to Retired Sorority Girl as our first song (she didn't laugh) and it dawned on me ... what happened to the other guy in Wham? Didn't he marry the check from ABBA?



And then you can't play Wham and not include some George Michael ...

Early voting is the best!

In order to beat the rush (and I sure hope there is a rush because everyone should get out there and vote) for the 2012 election, Retired Sorority Girl and I voted early this AM. Pretty sure she wrote in Mondale / Ferraro, but that's a whole other post for another time ... anywhoo ... We still had about a 30 minute wait in line, but was pretty seamless and easy.  I usually do write in ballots to avoid the drama of stupidity on election day and didn't realize that early voting was an option.  After experiencing it today, I will early vote for everything moving forward.

Since many of you haven't voted (and you better vote), I thought I'd provide you my voting tips and comments:

• When in line, don't talk about Georgia Tech and UF Football. You lost, get over it ... has nothing to do with politics. 
• No, Hurricane Sandy will not be the reason that Romney gets elected.  Comments like this should be kept to yourself because it just proves there should be an IQ test to vote. 
• Get there early, wear lots of cologne and be sure to alienate as many people as possible with your hat selection. I went with a Soviet era hat with a giant hammer and sickle in the middle ... ensured that no one spoke to me or shared their political opinion. 
• If you have a political opinion, text it to your significant other (SO) instead of awkwardly trying to mix it into convo with a stranger. If you don't have an SO, post it on your dog's (and or cat) Facebook page b/c we know you have one. 
• In regards to the actual voting, if you think the ballot is confusion then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. And at least read what you are voting for ... don't just vote YES for everything! This isn't Russia, Danny, and politicians should win by 100%.  
• If you don't like a candidate, I recommend writing in previous ex's for non-presidential positions. Since I've dated a few lawyers, you can guarantee they will get some votes for county and tax commissioner.  The way I see it, they deserve a civil service position and the opportunity to work with "the people." 

Of all the tips, the most important thing anyone can do ... is vote! If you don't vote, then you don't have permission to complain and it is your right as a citizen to vote. At most, it takes 30 minutes out of your day and offers you the opportunity to annoy the shit out of everyone on FB and Instagram with updates about your voting.  So go vote, then go complain ... it's the American way!

Puddles ... the reason I love Oregon

That and their head football coach has a cool first name and their offense is highly entertaining to watch.

This is just sad ...

I'm still trying to figure out how we were not prepared for our embassy / consulate to get attacked in a country that collapsed in a civil war six months earlier.  We also know that a lot of insurgents in Iraq came from this area and were even cautious to putting our troops on the ground during the hunt for Momar.

I also love how no other media is covering this story and how Obama is skirting it. Yes, it's a State / CIA issue and Hilary won't have much of a political career after this, but the buck stops with the President.  Yeah, he made some comment about that during a debate recently, but those were words ... what's being done? Where are the heads of the terrorists to who did this? Where is the explanation from Patreaus and Panetta on why nothing was done?

From the reports, we had a SEAL team on stand by 2 hours away and gun ships near by ... unbelievable. And we had drones in the air filming all of it? And the two SEALs that were KIA survived for 6 hours before being killed by a mortar round?  Wow ... talk about SNAFU. Imagine what was going through those two heroes minds when they were saving everyone. I hate to think that our country abandoned them and didn't even send in a drone with some hell-fire missiles. This story just makes me furious ... why did we leave them to die after all they did to save everyone else? Why hasn't the government allowed the people they saved to speak? Reminds me a lot of Black Hawk Down but at least those troops had lil birds and help from Delta / Rangers.

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Finally, the last debate

So I'm watching the final debate and sharing a few comments in real time. So here goes:

• So far, so boring. Yawn ... I hope it picks up soon. 
• ok ... now it's going and here comes my only rant. The comment about the "1980's called and want their foreign policy back" shows how short sighted and uninformed this presided acts.  His callousness towards the Russians is amazing and they are run by an ex-KGB leader who wants nothing more than to further dominate natural resources and build a modern empire, as well as modernized military. Course, this is the same man that told Vlady to just wait til after November for further conversations.  Read any European newspapers -- Putin has no respect for Obama and walks all over him. Its embarrassing ... and I'm not saying Romney would do better, but the comment was stupid and now I'm irritated b/c act presidential for once.  Just once ... presidents don't  make sarcastic comments. Imagine if we had a real leader that didn't resort to pandering and ridiculous comments to win votes. 
• This debate is garbage so far ... it's a contest of one liners and argumentative comments. Might as well be hosted on MTV with Jesse Camp sitting in the background doing heroin. 
• Bob Schaffer just brought up Mubarak ... relevant how? And no, the Egyptians didn't run over their people with tanks.They ran around on camels with knives and beat up Anderson Cooper. I watched it live ... see 1989 and Tienanmen Square for people getting run over by tanks.
• "America is stronger now than when I came into office,"  -- I feel stronger ... don't you? I've been in the gym and I'm pretty sure so has the rest of the country. 
• Opa! We are on the road to Greece everyone. Woo Hoo. If that's the case, I'm wearing armor everyday and moving to Sparta. THIS IS SPARTA! 
• At the 30 minute mark they talked a lot about teachers and argued over numbers from Mass in the mid 90's.  In a meeting today at work  I told my team that I enjoyed Jack and Coke slushies. Yeah, neither are really relevant.   
• Space ... OMG ... space? Did he just say SPACE?  I immediately send you to this link to watch Dave Chappelle and Black Bush.  United States of Space ... M . A . R . S .... MARS, BITCHES! 
• "Fewer horses and bayonets?" Umm ... yeah. 
• I think the common sense light just clicked on and both are talking calmly about Iran and Israel instead of making negative remarks about each other. 
• So now we are talking about travel and the apology tour ... POTUS is getting angry.  He's getting defensive and of course, Romney is just staring forward into Bob Schaffer's eyes like its Prom night. Just like on Saturday Night Live, maybe he will turn into Barak "The Rock" Obama and start throwing things.
• For some reason, I really want to hear the Beatles ... You say "yes", I say "No"; You say "Stop" and I say "go, go, go"
• Yawn ............................... I just got some new arm sleeves for running ... these things are pretty cool. 
• Speaking about Pakistan now -- I'm trailing off because they are both rambling and I no longer care. Did you know, that if you shorten the word Pakistan into the first 4 letter and call someone from Pakistan that ... that is very bad. I did that on accident when I lived in London b/c i heard one of my co-workers call someone that ... note to self ... never say that again. It's bad ... 
• Wait ... I think I heard Bob Schaffer slur the words Obama Bin Laden.  Awesome ... any chance we can get a moderator under 60 years old? I'm sure Carson Daley is available. 
• Tweet of the night about the debate: "I just tried to fact check this debate and my laptop blew up." 
• I nodded off ... something was said, POTUS got angry and Romney said that POTUS was wrong. 
• Oh, one more thing ... the Navy SEALs killed Bin Laden, not politicians.

Both sides will claim that each won.  I think CNN will say Obama because he looked snarky and Fox / Drudge will say Romney because he wasn't snarky.  My dad will say Romney and my sister will say Obama. Honestly, they both were pretty bad and I'm still stuck on installing a monarchy. The fact that either one of these clowns will run the country (for the first time or again) is just frightening.  

I'll say it again, but wouldn't it be great if we can find some leaders who have leadership potential and act presidential? I know pandering is part of politics but sarcasm is embarrassing on both side. Since the debates are going to be run in this manner, then we should have them hosted on MTV and any other teen network around. These aren't debates, they are sarcastic grandstanding that I'm happy to see come to an end.  

And I'm back ...

Sorry for the hiatus, but I was out on vacation last week and did everything I could to stay away from technology, email and most importantly, work.

Retired Sorority Girl and I took some time away and went on another cruise. This time, we choose to go on Carnival instead of RCCL ... mainly because we have a wedding coming up and since weddings are the most expensive day ever invented, we decided to do more of a budget / than luxury cruise.  Some key takeaways and experiences:

• The crew on board was amazing ... by far the highlight of the trip.  The other passengers were some of the best people watching I've seen in years. Let's just say that I felt like a young, wealthy model on board that ship compared to the other passengers. I'm also convinced the crew was nice to us because we were the only two spending money. 
• Clubs on cruise ships are always a good time ... especially if there is no one else in it but you.  That happened to us on the third night b/c we had the entire club to ourselves. If you are afraid to dance in public, then this is the way to go. Of course, at one point during my special dances, the DJ did come over the intercomm and make fun of me ... a real highlight of the trip. 
• The food was surprisingly amazing. I had heard a rumor it wasn't very good but I couldn't say anything was bad or even not good. In fact, I think they had more options than RCCL from a casual experience and the dining room was really good. Most importantly  they offer you warm / molten chocolate cake each night which is one of the greatest things on Earth. Had I not caught the Norwalk Virus, I'm sure I would have gained weight! 
• By the pool deck, they have a Wok station which was fantastic.  Personally, I thought having Wok food by the pool was odd, but then I experienced the phenomena and it was incredible.  Everyone should have noodles, chicken and veggies while sipping on a pina coloda and listening to dance music.
• Speaking of which, if I hear anyone say, CRISS CROSS anytime soon they are going to get punched. 
• Always get a private cabana ... no matter what cruise, if a private cabana is offered, get it no matter the cost. I've done it on two cruise lines and both panned out great. 
• Three card poker is bull shit. Just sayin ...
• Freeport, Bahamas is a miss ... stay on board a ship unless you feel the need to go look at straw products and clothing made in China.  
• No matter what you think, water proof sun tan lotion is not water proof, comes off and you get sunburned pretty badly.
• Everyone should Karaoke on a cruise.
• No one should watch a presidential debate on a cruise with strangers.  While an interesting experience, not one I'd like to repeat again. 
• Pictures, pictures, pictures -- since my father is a photographer, I've never been a huge picture person.  On cruises, they are worse that a bad sorority party with pictures.  The difference is that on RCCL, they take the pictures seriously. On Carnival, they are awesome and let you do whatever you want.  For instance, one night, we went from bad glamour shots to dressing up like Mexicans. It was amazing! One of the highlights of the trip and I'll be sure to scan some of the images. 
• Another highlight was the second annual Jed / RSG Olympics - each cruise, we compete against each other in events such as ping pong, gambling, shuffle board, air hockey, etc. Unfortunately for RSG, the results this year were a land slide victory for Jed. In fact, he even tried to let her win a few and she lost.  Looks like someone needs to get training before the next trip. 
• And finally ... the best part (and careful, this gets graphic) ... the night before the last full day at sea, I caught the dreaded Norwalk Virus. Yes, that's right sports fans, Jed got sick on vacation. And I'm not talking a runny nose, I'm talking that shit (literally) was coming out of all areas and it was horrible.  Imagine clinging onto a tiny toilet vomiting in a tiny cruise ship bathroom only to realize you now have explosive Montezuma's revenge. Now flip that, you are taking care of the revenge and then you vomit all over yourself. Yeah, pretty amazing experience! Looking back, I really laugh about the disgustingness and movie worthy experience that was the cruise ship bathroom of horror. 
• What's neat about having the Norwalk Virus on board a cruise ship is that you are quarantined to your room.  Sounds horrible, but then you realize that you are tremendously contagious so you can't blame them.  In fact, they go to extremes. I was give bio-hazard bags (giant red) to put my 'waste' and food into so no one else was contaminated. I felt like I was a victim in the movie Contagion, but I survived!
• And a quick lesson ... always, always, always wipe down your cabin with Clorox wipes. We do and that's not why I got sick, but can you imagine the family that had our cabin the cruise after us? I feel bad for anything they dropped on that bathroom floor. I'm not sure napalm would have cleaned it.  

All in all, the cruise was a great time.  I've learned that with any vacation, its what you make of it. So if your looking to take a Carnival cruise, go with friends because it will be a lot more fun. Carnival's biggest problem is their pricing. The product they offer isn't bad, but when you make it affordable to everyone, you don't always get the best results.  I'd go on a Carnival ship again, but I'd make sure it was one of their newer ships, took friends with me and most importantly, ensure they have bathrooms with plastic floors.  

Camping Essentials List - Lighters

Are you eagerly planning a camping trip? Is this your first camping excursion or are you a veteran camper? Regardless of your level of experience, whether you would rate yourself as a camping novice or expert, there are helpful tips and essential items that will assist in ensuring your camping experience is a fun-filled experience. Of course, many of the items that would qualify as necessary is contingent upon the manner in which you will embrace nature. Fueling up the family RV or pitching a tint are two of the most common manners of camping, and will greatly impact the list of provisions and supplies that will be required. However, there are many things that will undoubtedly be necessary for both methods of camping, and in this article we will discuss several of these, for each method.

If you are in fact planning to pitch a tent, then of course a sturdy, spacious and weather resistant tent is absolutely paramount. With this, you will undoubtedly want to also bring along warm and waterproof sleeping bags, in addition to an inflatable air mat for added comfort. A good rule of thumb when selecting your tent is to double the number of people who will be using the tent for sleeping and select a tent that accommodates this number, which will ensure ample space. If instead you are planning to use an RV, or camper, then most likely you have already furnished it with the necessary blankets, pillows and other items commonly used in a camper of any sort.

Whether you are roughing it with a tent or embracing nature from a safer distance, there are still numerous essentials to add to your checklist prior to your departure date. Lanterns, lighters, and first aid kits are among the most frequently forgotten items that every camper should have on hand. First Aid kits should include a ready supply of band-aids, antiseptic, aspirin and burn ointment. Other helpful items include mosquito repellent, moist wipes, and emergency candles & waterproof matches. If you have opted to bring a refillable lighter, having lighter fluid reserves is a good idea too, along with replacement wicks & flints.

Enjoying your camping trip to the fullest will be much easier to accomplish with a well-developed checklist on hand. While preparing for your out-of-doors adventure and prior to departure, check (and double-check) your inventory; as you pack and again as you load up. This will ensure you are less likely to forget items.

Vice Presidential Debate review

Well, I have a number of thoughts about this debate and will bullet them out below. First off, Martha is not as bad as Leherer as a moderator, but she's still piss poor.  I think they need to have a non media moderate or perhaps a talking dog? You know, that German Sheppard that barks I love you? Pretty sure that would be better than what we are forced to watch.  Anywhoo, some of my key learnings: 

• Mularky -- pretty sure someone in the audience "shat" themselves when that was said. Literally, you could hear some one try and laugh and then it sounded like a minor explosion. 
• Biden's laughter is interesting ... I'm pretty sure its a nervous move but it kinda makes him look like a smug lil bitch. I love me some smiling Joe, but I don't care for the bitchy laugh. If I used a smug laugh in some of my meetings, it would not go over well and I'd lose my job.  
• Another complaint on Mr. Biden -- he's really argumentative tonight. Where the fun loving, drunk, rambling Joe that I've come to love? I even started directly into his teeth looking for some mesmerizing wisdom and drunken revelry, but I got nothing. 
• Ryan must have hit up the P90X early this AM or he was hammering some vodka in that glass. 
• Conflating? Biden said it twice and I have no idea what it means but I"m certainly going to figure out a way to work it into at least four conference call next week. 
• "Hey Taliban -- we are getting the f*ck out in 2014. Put down your guns and wait til Jan 2015 until we leave." -- Amazing military strategy -- tell the enemy when we are leaving! It's a phenomenal approach that will ensure they stop fighting, go back to their mud huts and help re-establish the Afghan Narnia.  
• "Afghans to do the job! Afghans to do the job!" - not the quote of the night but Biden's attempt to argue Afghan policy.  
• "All our allies are on the same page," said Biden on Syria -- except Russia. See, they are arming Assad and they don't agree with us. Yeah, umm, hmm ... ok, moving on. 
• At least Biden didn't laugh during the abortion comments ... that would have been a tad tacky.
• "Hey Martha -- I hope I get equal time ... and I mean at the bar damn it. Where's my beer." Joe said the first part and I added in the latter. I quit listening because his laughter made me sick. 
• And the final speeches:  
• Biden:  he thanks Marta and then talked about inheriting a bad situation. YES-- blame Bush, baby, blame him! At least Biden had a closing speech - much much better than Obama.
• Ryan: At least he thanks Joe and looked into the camera.  His closing statement was a speech and not a rambling. What's up with the rambles from the democrats? Did they never watch Kennedy? Seriously, he's on YouTube, look it up.  Anywhoo, Ryan looked more presidential and I'm sure both sides are going to claim victory. 

So ... when is Obama gonna bring out Bill to bail him out? Biden was condescending, kinda rude and certainly not presidential but at least was combative -- enough to get the Democrats excited. I'll bet you a Buffallo nickle that Willie will be on the scene shortly.  

Honestly, I think we need to look to the East and create a monarchy.  Yeah, a monarchy.  After the first two debates and the fact that our Congress is on "break", I think we need to take a new approach and try out the monarchy. But I'll leave you on my last take away form the debate ... Smiling Joe makes me think of Ricky Bobby! Yeah, that's right ... Ricky Bobby! 

 

Thanks for the memories, Chipper!

Friday night marked the end of Chipper Jones career. I'm not going to lie, after I watched his final press conference, I teared up and felt a piece of me die a little because his career was finally over.  Granted, the a few hours earlier I was all fired up and plotting ways to severely maim and injure Joe Torre, MLB and the Umpires after their horse shit "infield / outfield" fly rule. I don't care if the Braves weren't going to win, that call was absolutely horse shit.  Worst call ever.

Anywhoo ... Thanks, Chipper. I've enjoyed all the heroics and your leadership the last (almost) 20 years.  The late inning magic / home runs and the fight with Jamie Moyer are some of my favorite baseball memories. Hopefully, we will see you in the front office in a few years ... or join Glavine in the box making fun of Simmons. Regardless, you've left your mark, had an amazing career and the Braves will never be the same. Godspeed and enjoy the Hall of Fame.

Happy Birthday Dr. Noisewater!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Noisewater. Have a great day, play some golf and be careful of friends who try to shoot you with BB's when you miss a note during Guitar Hero.

Careful, Canada's getting nationalistic

Great FRONT PAGE story on MSNBC today about how Canada is celebrating the 200 anniversary of the War of 1812 and discussing how the Canadians fought off the Americans.  Nevermind that they one won battle and not the war, but that's really not the point with Canada.  Their goal is to create something out of nothing because when your a country ruled by polar bears, that's what you do.  

And a couple of quick things:  Canada became a nation in 1867 ... so this would have been a conflict against Britain and not Canada ... hmm. Anywhoo, I'm not going to to into my Canada rant because I'm in a good mood today, but really MSNBC? Please stop with all the hard hitting journalism. I'm not sure I can take much more award winning stories like this one:  Canada Higlights War of 1812 with US as Villain

And as a Monday Funday ... some South Park for ya ... 

I can't wait for Thursday

The last minute is great ... all about my boy Smiling Joe!

This movie will win awards for being wrong

Definitely NSFW ...

Debate #1 ... some comments

For the record, I have pneumonia so I could be delirious due to medicine and a constant cold sweat.  So here are a couple of my takeaways.

• I spent a good portion of the debate fairly confused ... not because I don't understand the issues but more because there was a lot of wandering through topics, poor pauses and inaccurate information. 
• Obama is not a good speaker off teleprompter -- if I stuttered that much I'd get fired. Also, he's also not good at staying on message. As a professional who has media trained many people, he's doing a lot of things wrong. His bridge messaging, which is what connects one idea to another, is not going so well. In fact, if it were a real bridge, it would be on fire.
• Both candidates need to work on  the drama effect of the pause. If you pause too long, you should take a shot -- the candidates, not the viewers.  
• This just in ... Romney's plan is not a $5 trillion dollar tax cut.  I wish that was repeated a few more times.  I counted 17.
• How old is Jim Leher?  He looked like an old puppet - basically one of the angry guys in the balcony from the Muppets.
• Pretty sure I heard Obama say insurance companies are going to jerk me off. I think he meant jerk me around, but that's not what he said (and this occurred around 10 or so).
• Are there applications for the board that determine's people's fate?  I vision a bunch of dudes in black capes sitting next to a hang man's noose. I bet it pays well ... if anyone knows how to get on that panel, gimme a hollar. 
• For the record, I watched the healthcare debate. There was nothing bi-partisan about it.  
• Neither candidate can pronounce "alternatively" and I think Wolf Blitzer just call Candy Crowley "snacks" 
• Trickle down government -- everyone should try and work trickle down into some sort of conversation this weekend. 
• What's the deal with community colleges? What if we pushed people to go to 4 year schools? How about we challenge kids to be the best?  
• I just created a survey of pretend things in my house and they feel that there were too many surveys polled for this debate.
• Only one Bin Laden mention ... I was disappointed. 
• They need a scoreboard in the middle so people can watch the time. Neither candidate is good at watching time. I mean, there's a coin toss at the beginning so why can't there be a "speech" clock. 
• 12 million jobs ... that seems like a lot.  Are we installing the draft? 
• The vice presidential debate will be amazing! I can't wait ...

So the debate was interesting. Curious to see the next couple and of course, the Vice Presidential debate will be the greatest thing EVER!  

Stay Safe While Camping - 7 Essential Safety Tips

There is so much to enjoy when you take the family camping. The number one concern should always be family safety. There are many things to consider when it comes to safety issues. Let's discuss a few here.

Careful Planning For Your Trip: You should always research the area to be certain this campground is a safe one. Get online and look up things like weather forecasts, fire hazards, local infestations of bugs, viruses or water contamination. You may also want to check to see if there have been animal attacks in the local area

Try to arrive early on the first day so you can inspect the site where you'll be putting up your tent. It should be daylight so you can see well enough to spot danger. Always check for sharp objects (glass & rocks), low hanging branches or large tree roots sticking up (trust me they are NOT comfortable), ant hills, bees, dangerous terrain & poison ivy. Any of these things can & will make your stay unpleasant.

Build your tent on a safe spot. Your tent should be flame resistant & a safe distance away from any campfire. If you checked on the weather & there was a possibility of rain, try to pitch the tent on high ground so it won't flood if it does rain. When going into or out of the tent, make sure the entryway is always closed. That will assist with keeping the bugs out of the tent.

Do not forget the emergency kit. Be prepared for bee stings, allergic reactions & cuts. Have bandages & gauze & tape to secure the gauze in place. Take insect repellent & bug spray, some kind of pain relief/fever reducer. Don't forget the sunscreen & a snake-bite kit if you have one. You should also carry a flashlight with extra batteries, a pocket knife, magnifying glass, sterilized water & peroxide for cleaning wounds, tweezers (for pulling out stingers or slivers). Take a mirror as well as this can be used to signal for help in an emergency

Stay alert of wild animals. If this is not a place your are very familiar with, be very cautious of wild animals. Inform everyone in the family about safety concerning wild animals. Wild animals have an amazing sense of smell so be sure not to leave any food out anywhere. It should be secured tightly in sealed containers &/or coolers inside of your vehicle so as not to attract animals. Bears can also be attracted to soaps, lotions, shampoos & toothpaste so keep them in sealed containers in the vehicle too. Set up your eating area approximately 100 yards away from your tent & don't sleep in the clothing you wore when you cooked a meal. The can smell the cooking odors as well & so do other wild animals.

Discuss Safety Issues With The Entire Family. Each family member should be made aware of any plants that are poisonous in the area. Although the water/lake at the campground may appear clean & clear, be sure to tell the children not to drink it as bacteria is usually too small to see with the naked eye. Every person in the family should have a whistle to use in case of emergency.

Fire Safety Issues. Ask upon arrival if there are any fire restrictions in the area or strong wind advisories. When building a fire be sure to keep it within a circle with a ring of sand or dirt around the outside of it. Don't have any flammable items close to the fire pit either Never leave the fire unattended & keep leaves & twigs away from the fire pit. When you go to bed for the night, ALWAYS put the fire out properly with water until there are no embers left lit. Also, never use candles or heating devices inside your tent. When you fall asleep suddenly (which camping seems to help you do) you may kick them over & catch the tent on fire.

Follow these main safety rules & your camping trip should be a blast.

End of an era

Well, here's to hoping the season lasts at least another month, but so long Chipper.  Sad I'm missing the retirement ceremony but thanks for the memories.  I bought a few playoff tickets so let's home the Braves make a nice run so I can see Chipper "swing for the downs" a few more times.

And today ... I'm in Wichita!

Normally, not much to say about Wichita, but today, I have lots to say.  And I'm actually not going to say too much because I don't have time but ... as we were setting up for a work event tomorrow, the US Air Force Thunderbirds flew over.  I was gutted that I didn't snap any photos but my disappointment didn't last as I was shocked to see that they came back ... and then continued to fly overhead for the next two hours.

Nothing beats working while an F-16 flies about 50 feet off the deck at around 300 MPH. At one point, one hit Mach 1 as we heard the sound barrier boom.  Really cool and can't believe I"m going to say it ... excited that I'm working on a weekend in Wichita.

The good news, I'll get to see a lot more of it tomorrow. The Wichita Air Show at McConnell Air Force Base is tomorrow so all day I'll get to see all types of military air craft scream by over head. Almost worth missing Chipper Jones retirement night and the UGA / UT game ... ok, actually not even close to missing that. Still crushed I'm missing Chipper's last home stand.  Yickety! 

Grover's Thursday Video

This is fantastic!

Best bumper sticker of the year!

Yeah, that was Balky

So, after further investigation (see earlier post), the President of Iran is in the Waldorf Astoria. How do I know, b/c I saw the sneaky, brown jacket wearing, Axis of Evil representing President getting into a black limo in the motor pool area.  Talk about a lot of secret service ...

So here's what I learned: 

• Evil leaders stay at the Waldorf Astoria 
• I once stayed at the Waldorf Astoria but didn't encounter anyone evil. In fact, I stayed there the day before I moved to England and pretty sure there's a blog post about it ... ahh, the memories. Now I miss England ... Damn you Balky! This is all your fault.  

No matter where I go ...

... POTUS follows me. For instance, I was in Milwaukee this weekend for work and of course, he was there messing up traffic and putting on some rally.  Speaking of which, there were literally 100K people in line to see him.  It was crazy ...

I fly to New York for a meeting and guess who's here, POTUS filming a spot for the View (yeah, I'm judging) and then speaking at the UN tomorrow (which is right down the street for me).  Oh and even better, Balky (president of Iran) is here as well. He's right across the street from my hotel at the Waldorf Astoria filming a reunion of Perfect Strangers ... or getting ready for another fiery speech at the UN tomorrow.  I thought the bell guy was lying but then I noticed a number of snipers on the roof tops and was pretty sure Balky had to be there.

Finally, yay, flying back to Atlanta tonight.  While it hasn't been a long trip, its been very busy and hectic. Here's to hoping for three quiet nights at home with out the POTUS, secret service, leaders of the Axis of evil or ridiculous traffic. I'm off to Wichita this weekend (I know for a fact that POTUS won't be there) and then Chicago. Yeah, I bet I seem him there again ... UGH.

You know, I'm starting to think he's following me on purpose.  Some of my readers want me to get into politics so maybe this is the chance? Then again, I'm not sure I want to be part of his cabinet. I'd have to sit in meetings with Reggie Love and I can't do that.  Just Google Reggie Love, Duke Basketball, Sharpie, Penis and UNC Fraternity Party.  And on that note, I'm off to another day of planes, trains and automobiles.

Air Force One in Milwaukee and a few C-17 and AC-130s

Wanna a Banksy in your living room?

You can now get Banksy drawings as vinyl prints in your living room.  Awesome ... I'm sure retired sorority girl will love the Panda print right above the wall of TVs. 

Can we put this to bed now?

Call Me Maybe has a few parodies and now that there is an orchestral version, can we call it a day with the Call Me Maybe covers? Course, I guess we should all be happy that YouTube wasn't around for the Nelson Twins or Hanson.  Wouldn't it be great if people did this to other songs like, Thunderstruck by AC/DC? Now that would be amazeballs.

Call Me Maybe and some UGA Game intro since I'm going to miss this weekend's game for work. Ugh ... worst part about work in the Fall -- you miss all the UGA games. Fry -- I'm taking the WAY over against your sad sailors.

And because of that ramble, I'm adding some AC/DC / UGA as well.

Travel and Leisure just called Atlanta a Dump ... seriously

Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play err, where the players are dirty and have not culture?  Read this article (AJC) and now look at the numbers (all out of 35). Atlanta ranked:

• 30 out of 35 for dirtiest (we beat New Orleans, Baltimore, LA and New York) ... ouch
• 29 out of 35 in nightlife - ouch ... I bet the hip hop community is pissed
• 30 out of 35 for cultural getaway -- shocked we didn't get 35 but then again, the High Museum had a Monet not to long ago so that's gotta get us in the top 30.
• 31 out of 35 for dining -- I'll actually argue this one b/c we do have some fantastic restaurants.  I travel a lot and would certainly put us above some of the other cities mentioned. Then again, there is an Applebee's and Ruby Tuesdays every mile or so which could have contributed to the poor ranking.
• 32 out of 35 for shopping -- Ever since they turned Lenox into a club, I can't argue. Perimeter and Mall of Ga are good but who goes to malls when you have Amazon, Eastbay and North Face.com? 

Back to the article - I feel bad for the spokesperson for the Mayor's office. She's great and I can only imagine the difficulty to come up with some of those responses.

The sad part, Travel and Leisure has a point. Kinda curious about the nightlife but if you aren't to sitting on a porch or going to a "hip hop" type club, then maybe they have a point.

I work Downtown and the street are either under construction or gross / covered in lots of disgusting garbage. I regularly walk to another building across Downtown and frequently pass by homeless sleeping in the streets, people doing meth next to abandoned building across the street from the court house (ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE COURTHOUSE), lots of abandoned buildings, dead rats, restaurants with health ratings in the 70s ... none of these things really dispute what T and L said and don't really inspire me to spend anytime in Downtown Atlanta unless I'm at work -- and most of us are lobbying that we move to midtown.

Atlanta does have some great restaurants, shopping and what not, but none of it is in Downtown Atlanta.  I've said it before and will say it again, Downtown Atlanta would be greatly improved by gutting everything, bulldozing what's left and starting over.

So ... who's coming to visit?

It's a Terrible Tuesday!

I will clearly play Tuesday's Gone in the car on the way home tonight. Not a horrible day, but I'm pretty sure that you couldn't cram any more admin or logistic work into the day. Conference call, expense report, book travel, finance review ... repeat over and over again. Good times! Lucky for me, I'm at a work event all day tomorrow.  

Some other fun things from the day:

• Bought me some Wild Card and Divisional Series tickets for the Braves.  The good news, I'm not charged for them until the game is played. The bad news, this year's Braves team is either really good, or absolutely horrible. When they are bad, they are Shiloh High School bad.  In really more miserable news, just realized as I type this I bought tickets for a game where I'm flying back from Chicago. Sure hope its a night game. 
• In some political news that most don't care about, Romney was recorded saying something stupid in a video that was release by Jimmy Carter's grandson. Personally, I thought the end for Romney was before the race event started but this pretty much seals the deal. And if any of you (and this means you Dad) thought Romney was going to win, you were delusional. And for you Obamaites (my sister and Captain Fry), don't get too happy - the lowest common denominator is going to win. Woo Hoo for voting for the best of the worst!!! Good thing I don't look to politicians for inspiration. 
• Back to Jimmy Carter's grandson -- this kid clearly hit his head often as a kid / or adult. I've included the video below and this guy is all over the place. Based on my knowledge of FBI interrogation tactics, looking up to the left and to the right tends to mean you are lying. Watch this guy -- not sure he was telling the truth when he said his name.

Picture of the Day -- From the Daily What

Sacre bleu!

So some French magazine (MSNBC story here but its all over the major media) just posted images of the profit Muhammad in a satire about the film and recent riots. Congrats, France and random magazine! You win the Darwin Award for the year.

I completely understand that the actions of one magazine doesn't represent the whole country ... kinda like the actions of one wise ass film maker in California doesn't represent the voice of 300 million other Americans.  But guess what, the fanatical world doesn't see it that way so I hope France is sending troops to protect their embassies and all the Au Bon Pan stores across the Muslim world.  I see riots, cars burning and lots of rocks being thrown in your future.

I figured since common sense has left the planet and all going to hell, why not enjoy some Rolling Stones from Apocalypse Now.

It's not Axel, but ...

It's not bad either ... makes me long for the first time I watched the Paradise City video on MTV. Yeah, that was like in 1993 when MTV showed videos. Pretty sure none a couple of my interns were infants in 1993. Scary thought ...

What do San Francisco and Huntsville have in common?

Amazing week last week and some quick updates / things that I saw: 

• Ever been to Menlo Park in Cali?  yeah, it's a pretty cool place if you like sitting in traffic for two hours to go 20 miles. 
• I had the pleasure of going to the Facebook HQ on Friday - quite possibly the coolest place / office I've seen. Unfortunately, I signed an NDA and can't discuss anything that I saw but it was absolutely amazing and I wish I worked in a compound / complex.
• Ate dinner at In &  Out Burger -- why is there not an one on the East Coast? I'll trade them a Chick Fila franchise.
• Took a red eye flight back to Atlanta so I could catch a wedding and all I can say is I hate the red eye.  Awful ... and the woman sitting next to me stole my blanket off my lap when I was sleeping. 
• Went to a wedding in Huntsville, Alabama -- great wedding, good food, good people, good times.  Now let's talk about Huntsville ... it's kinda in the middle of no where and every non-highway road to get there is kinda awful.  Highly recommend flying to Huntsville if you need to go.  Better yet, fly your friends / family from Huntsville to come see you.

This weekend, my travels take me to Milwaukee and then Wichita the following week.  Looking forward to the skymiles and some more good eats. Thinking about changing this blog to fun eats when traveling.  

Coleman Sleeping Bags

Coleman manufactures high quality Camping products such as tents, coolers, heaters and sleeping bags. Of all these products Sleeping Bags are the most popular among campers of all ages.

There has been a vast improvement in their design and manufacture of products. The modern models are much easier to pack and lighter to carry yet they keep you warm.

It is advisable that you spend some time in choosing a sleeping bag that is most suitable for you.

The main features of Coleman bags are durability, comfort, convenience, versatility and affordability. This makes the Coleman bags stand out from the rest of the competition.

Coleman bags are durable as they are made from materials such as polyester, ripstop polyester, nylon, ripstop nylon, cotton and heavy duty cotton canvas for the outer shell. These can withstand continuous movement.

The bags have Hollofill fibre filling which makes for cosy and comfortable sleep. The Thermlock fitting prevents heat loss and ensures warmth throughout the night.

Coleman bags are designed for easy use. It has a Roll Control that locks the bag into place, a Zipper Glide for smooth zipping and a Wrap N Roll carrier for easy packing.

The bags come in a variety of colours and sizes and are designed for a wide range of temperatures. Mild Temperature varieties are specifically designed for 30 degree and above. Moderate Temperature ones will keep you warm in temperatures between 20-30 degrees. The Extreme Temperature ones are designed for 15 degrees and below.

Coleman makes sleeping bags of different shapes. The "mummy" bag fits tightly around the body. You can zip this bag up and not feel a thing when inside. The bags meant for cold weather are marked with temperature ranges. The numbers will indicate up to what temperatures you will stay warm.

A semi-rectangular bag suits people who are immune to cold. Some people prefer wearing a t-shirt outdoors even though it may be freezing. Some are claustrophobic and are more comfortable with the semi-rectangular shape since this type has more room and the possibility to easily unzip it if one feels too hot or too enclosed.

The rectangular bag is a good choice when you travel with your partner. During cold nights the two bags can be attached together but you still have the option to separate them when you want to sleep separately.

These high quality and feature sleeping bags are available at surprisingly reasonable prices. The typical price for Coleman Bags is between $17.95 to $126.95 depending on its features and they come with a 5 year warranty.

It's Wednesday!

Lots of haps going on in the World today.  From the looks of the news this morning, its going to get ugly in a hurry so I thought I'd throw in some other random updates:  

• FACEBOOK! - yeah, so pending any insurgencies at the airport, I'm heading to Facebook on Friday for a meeting. Aside from the sky miles that you get for a day trip across the country, I'm excited to actually get to go to a really cool office space -- or so I have it built up in my head.  I'm expecting a really amazing atmosphere and hopefully won't be disappointed. Our office flooded with water the other day so you could show me an empty room with the Facebook logo, a fax machine and some chairs and I'd find it entertaining.  
• Looks like our Allies are up to their old tricks in the mid-east again.  Very tragic that 4 people, including our ambassador, were killed last night in Libya during a protest over a movie.  Don't forget, another "spontaneous" riot occurred at our embassy in Cairo, Egypt.  If I were a politician, I'd ask myself, where were the local security forces and why weren't they protecting our embassy? Actually, I'd ask myself why the hell are we in this debacle? Course, no one knows that answer so my next question is when are the Marines going in and how do we put drones on a 24/7 rotation across that part of the world (pretty sure that's already happening). To say this situation is going to get worse is an understatement.  
• Break in -- we either did or didn't have someone try and break into our place the other night but what I can tell you is that the alarm going off at 430 AM is not a good feeling.  
• Presidential Election -- I quit watching it. In fact, I watched the movie Election last night with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Yeah, way more entertaining than listening to old people ramble about irrelevant policy and blame everyone else. 
• Snow White and the Huntsman -- anyone seen this? I watched it and was waiting for Edward to appear and kill the witch. He didn't and so I was disappointed and curious why I wasted the $5 U-Verse On Demand fee.  If I have to put up with some horrible acting (Kristen Stewart), then I need vampires. 
• Swimming with Dolphins -- no, I'm not going to hang out with Luca Brazi and sleep with the fishes, instead  I'm going to the Bahamas in a month and going to swim with some Dolphins. Rumor has it, I've worked for a while without a vacation so I'm headed off to an area where my blackberry won't work for a week.  Pretty sure it will be paradise. 

Yeah, so that's all I got. Not much to share ... let's hope the trip ends up meeting all of my expectations. 

Another year, another birthday ... oh I'm getting old

This past weekend, I celebrated another birthday but in a very relaxed, yet amazing time.  Retired Sorority Girl took me to quite possibly the best meal Jed's ever had at Bones.  Not only was the food amazing, but the service was amazing ... outstanding.

Aside from my quick shout out to Bones, here are some other takeaways / experiences from the birthday:

• Friday is the best day for a birthday -- we had a great happy hour(s) enjoying some entertaining conversation, football, Braves and English pints 
• Maker's Mark 46 is liquid gold 
• The Zaxby's birthday cake shake is a phenomenal meal for your birthday lunch - everyone should have one.
• Go to Bones -- not only is the food amazing but they put confetti all over your table. LOVED IT! 
• I"m lucky that my birthday falls right when College Football starts. I'm also lucky to have three flat screens to set up in the living room to watch endless hours of football entertainment.  

While this year didn't have the extravaganza / flair of last year's trip to Boston, the day / weekend still was one of my favorites because I was able to spend it with friends and family ... and football.  Now if we could only figure out a way to get those Brits over here, then it would have been a perfect day.  

We Shall Never Forget! We Will Never Surrender!

I write this 11 years and almost to the minute of one of the most impactful days of my, and millions of people's lives.  September 11, 2001 is one of the few days of my life where I can sit down and tell you every detail that occurred in a 24 - 48 hour space.  I still feel the same grief, agony and anger on that day as I do this morning.

September 11, 2001 brought us all together and somehow through the years, we have found a way to divide. You can blame it on a myriad of things but in the end, we have found a way to forget how we all came together. We've forgotten the sports events where everyone cried, the fly overs, and the pride that burst across the country -- flags hung from every car, every window and flag pole from Savannah to Seattle.

Now I'm not saying that patriotism is the solution to the fanaticism on the far left and fart right, the financial issues and unemployment, but in memory of those that died that tragic day (and every day since) we should make an effort to come together, to become a strong country again. There will always be societal issues that will cause division and I'm certainly not stating that we all share some socialist hug it out session, but rather that our leaders realize that the country can come together and take the opportunity to lead ... become leaders instead of individuals pushing personal agendas or taking praise for actions they did not physically accomplish.  

Once upon a time, this country was run by leaders who removed personal self for the greater glory of the United States of America.  We should find similar people and lift them up because its time that we all come back together.

A reflection on the DNC

Last night, and mainly because the Braves got murdered, On Demand was crap and there's nothing on TV, I watched the speeches at the DNC.  I have to admit, their speech writers did a much better job of coordinating their speeches so each speaker sounded like they were speaking the same thing -- and less about their own personal agenda (saving that speech for Thursday).

I also think its cute that the NFL moved its game up to Wednesday so everyone can watch the president speak on Thursday in a Hollywood like Fan Fare that would make Michael Bay proud.  Unfortunately, there is a college football game on so there is a very good chance I will see none of the speech.

But hats off to the Dems for throwing together a well synced day. I will certainly be glued to the TV tomorrow night to see my favorite politician, Smiling Joe Biden, speak away. To say they are going to have that guy on a short leash would be the understatement of the year. Course, Bill is speaking tonight and I have to admit, I love listening to Bill and watching all the women swoon over him. It's actually pretty amazing and that thing he does with this hand when he speaks, captivates everyone and pretty much ensures me that he's a wizard or warlock.  I think Rasputin was the last person to have that much control over others.  

But what I really love about the political season, all the comments people make on Facebook about "their" political views. There's no need to watch any political pundits, just go read your Facebook feed where you can learn political theory from your friend whom most recently you watched do an inverted keg stand while doing a bong hit.

There are only a few people who I pay attention to on Facebook because they are either 1. well education, 2. have a degree in political science, law, history, 3. are a politician, lawyer, campaign manager, etc.  I do not pay attention to all the morons (yes, many of you are my close friends but in this case you are acting like a moron) who state things like: "If Romney wins, there will be a civil war" ... or ... "We survived Bush, You'll survive Obama" ... or ... "Romney should release his taxes  - he's a fascist!" ... or ... "Michelle Obama for president!" - yeah, these are all very minor examples of the posts that people should refrain from posting.  Unless you are qualified to talk policy, then you should stick to posting pictures of your kid and wedding.  Honestly, I'd rather read that someone just banged a hooker against a garbage can than their own political beliefs.

And lastly ... believe it or not, I'm over all this political crap. Yes, I studied it so I will pay attention to it but as I shared with my father over the weekend, all of this must come to an end soon. And I'm not going on some horrible "let's all be friends" / "hug it out" approach, just end the far right / far left crap. It's awful.  Learn to compromise. And most importantly, as soon as we realize all of these "leaders" are awful, selfish and don't really care about our well being, then things will be better. The way I see it, none of the candidates are true team leaders and most politicians lack inspiration.

So there it is ... what's the take away? College Football is here ... and my birthday is coming up. Plus, the new Red Dawn will be out in a couple of months! Woo Hoo!

The RNC

Normally, I"d go all political, and I still might, but over the last couple of days, I've had to watch the Republican National Convention from Tampa. I'm not allowed to disclose why, but for work, I've been glued to the TV to watch all of the craziness and fun that took place at the RNC.  Here are few things I took away:

• Need to serve more alcohol -- just didn't look like these kids were drunk enough 
• If your going to have 3 Doors Down perform, then Nickleback is an absolute must 
• And what's up with entertainment at the conventions? Both parties usually roll out a series of bands that might have been (big might there) relevant 20 years ago. Otherwise, you get a Nickelback cover band playing the Four Seasons.  
• The speeches ... were speeches. I know my dad loved them (pretty sure my sister hated them) which means they hit home to the Republican target audience.  You can go ahead and say the opposite is true next week. 
• And staying totally out of politics, but the media coverage was abhorrent.  I watched NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, CNBC and Comedy Central and aside from the later, the nicest thing I can say about the former is that they are all a steaming pile of dog shit. Aside from a couple of clever pundits (Carville, Stewart and Gergen), the remarks by most were so far to the left (or the right) that it was hard to watch. I found it difficult to get anything out of the post coverage because it was more like watching some drunk teenagers fight over a cell phone -- nagging, arguing, trying to determine what the word "we" meant creating a number of racial and gender remarks. Sad to say but David Gergen and James Carville made the most sense out of everyone that  I watched.   
• They should really consider sports figures to do some of the speeches. Nothing that I saw last night motivated me to get all fired up and I know none of the speeches next week will do the same. All are hot air and empty ramblings about how each other sucks.  I long for the day when we have some real leaders, who will give real speeches and offer solutions to issues rather than point fingers or act holier than though.  And ... I long for the day when we the media removes its heads from its ass and realizes that their ratings are plummeting b/c they commentary is complete crap.  

So ... enough of that soapbox and be on the lookout from the Democratic convention.  I promise to keep it less political and more focused on the terrible news reporting.  

Thought / Picture of the Day

so that happened ...

Awkward would be an understatement. Pretty sure I'd shoot my friend Dirk for delaying the images.  That's why you never propose unless you have an immediate out / exit strategy. 

For instance, when I proposed, I was wearing a jetpack in case she said no. Had she said no, I would have pulled a Rocketman, lifted off through the ceiling and away to a happy place. Course, she said yes and now I  am stuck with a $10K jetpack in the garage.   

Camping Lights - Choosing the Right Type of Light for You

There are many options available to the buyer on the market today when it comes to choosing the right camping light. Modern electronic technology is certainly there along with the old traditional types that have been around for generations. People choose different lights based on different reasons. We hope in this article to inform you of some of the things to think about when choosing a camping light right for you.

Things to think about includes questions such as; will there be children around that may touch the light? Does the light need to be left on throughout the night? What exactly are you using the light for and how much light do you really need? Will you be frequently moving the light or leaving it in one position?

Answering some of these types of questions can help you to make a decision of the right light for your situation. There are two basic types of lights available. That is those that run on liquid type fuels (such as kerosene, paraffin, LPG etc) and electronic lights that run on batteries. You might even come across lights that can operate on more than one fuel source. Bu a rule of thumb, the lights that run on liquid type fuels tend to burn brighter, but running costs are often higher. Another consideration with liquid fuel type lights in the danger involved should a lamp be bumped over or played with by children. Liquid fuel lamps can also let off an unpleasant odor which some people have even suggested could be toxic (especially to children).

Modern advances in technology has seen a range of very long life, safe, inexpensive and reasonably bright options. Of the electronic lights, there are those which have a traditional incandescent (filament) bulb and of course modern LED lights. Lights that run an incandescent bulb are usually much more draining on the battery power than LED lighting options. There are even LED options available which can be charged by simply winding or cranking a lever and some which you can just shake the entire light to generate some power.

When choosing a light type, think about how readily you can get more fuel to power it if you run out. This applies for electronic lights too, as if you run out of batteries where you can not easily get to a shop, you will be literally left in the dark. It always pays to pack some emergency extras.

The actual size and weight of the light should be thought about. Are you planning on taking the light walking with you? If so, then a liquid fuel type will probably be too heavy and potentially dangerous. If you are walking in the dark, perhaps something like a headlamp would be best suited for that situation, allowing your hands to be free.

Most people agree that when camping where children are involved, it is always safest to opt for electronic type lights which minimize the risks down to almost zero. None of us want to see children being burned by lights.

Aim small, miss small

Not making light of the shooting in New York today, but the article from MSNBC provides an interesting commentary (story):  

"A disgruntled ex-employee of a women’s accessories business gunned down a former co-worker and then died in a hail of police bullets Friday morning outside the Empire State Building, officials said. Eight bystanders were grazed or shot -- all of them, apparently, by police bullets, sources said."

Here's an account from CNN:  "The officers fired 14 rounds during the incident after Johnson turned his gun on them, according to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.  Some of the wounded people may have been hit in the crossfire or by ricocheting bullets, he said."

So, they shot the bad guy = good. They also shot 8 bystanders, all who will be ok = bad.  I'd like to take a shooting course with the NYPD.  I'm sure that MSNBC is taking liberties with the "hail of gunfire" but 14 rounds within 15 feet and 8 innocent people allegedly shot by police is a lot.  

When I was learning to shoot, a trainer at a gun range told me, "aim small, miss small."  Aside from a mention in the movie the Patriot, I wasn't sure what that meant until he said, "aim for a smaller portion on the area, and you will still hit the area." When you do that, you pretty much solidify the point that you will hit your target - especially when shooting within 20 -30 feet.  I'm not one for criticizing police, well, good police, but just thinking that maybe we should spend a few more hours in the range hitting targets.  

What's in the water in Lubbock?

Gem of a story coming out of CNN today. It talks about a judge in Texas and the potential for Civil War ... fun conversations topics. Here's how the story begins, "An elected county judge in Texas is warning that the nation could descend into civil war if President Barack Obama is re-elected, and is calling for a trained, well-equipped force to battle the United Nations troops he says Obama would bring in."  

Another Gem, "Obama, Head said, will "try to give the sovereignty of the United States away to the United Nations. What do you think the public's going to do when that happens? We are talking civil unrest, civil disobedience, possibly, possibly civil war ... I'm not talking just talking riots here and there. I'm talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms, get rid of the dictator. OK, what do you think he is going to do when that happens? He is going to call in the U.N. troops, personnel carriers, tanks and whatever."  

I'm not doubting some of the points he poorly makes, but I'm not sure if this guy knows anything about the White-vehicled, blue helmeted UN forces, but they generally don't really go on the offensive. And since the majority of UN forces are US military, how could some of these things happen?  And the forces that aren't NATO or US military, aren't the best. Google Somalia, Chad and Sudan to start. All are sparkling examples of non-US lead UN forces and their giant successes! 

Anywhoo, I'd be more worried about countries like Russia (story), that parked an Boomer Nuclear Submarine in the Gulf of Mexico for 6-weeks and we never saw it. Russia, who has been flying bomber runs over Northern California, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state with out much of a response.  

All reasons why this movie should come out sooner! Yeah, that's right, Red Dawn reduex! We are the Wolverines, we create chaos!