Tuesday, December 30, 2003

No more, no more

Hey there! Sorry I haven't done much active blogging lately, but with the holidays, it's been a bit of a bear to even post a meme result. Ehh, go figure.

I've been formulating my New Year's resolutions, and among the more mundane ones (get some exercise, lose weight, try not to be such a bastard) I've come up with one that I truly hope I don't fall back on.

As of January 1, I will no longer listen to any politically oriented radio talk show. It seems like an exercise in masochism, and I refuse to degrade myself in this manner any more.

I have listened to talk radio for going on two decades now. When I started, Larry King was the top dog (even if his show was broadcast at midnight) and Rush Limbaugh was just an executive with the Kansas City Royals.

Rush Limbaugh is fond of beseeching his listeners to give him six weeks of listening to truly understand where he is coming from. I've given him far more than that, and far more than he deserves. I know a lot of people listen to talk radio in order to "Know the enemy" (and I suppose many conservatives tap into more liberal sources for the same reason). I just can't do it anymore. I have seen the "soul" of talk radio, and it is a dark, twisted place.

I am tired of being run down. I am tired of being told that, because of my opinions and political philosophy, I am somehow un-Christian, un-American, and unworthy of kindness. I am tired of being told that because I am a liberal, I am somehow in league with terrorists and despots, or "the enemy within", or simply put, a "traitor".

I am a 37-year old, college-educated, born-again Southern baptist who is happily married and expecting his first child. I toil under the apparently insane notion that all people are basically good inside, and that we can leave this world a better place than that in which we arrived. I believe in the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Eightfold Path, and the Bill of Rights. I love the land of my birth. I don't want to see it destroyed by terrorism, or from fear of the threat of terrorism.

I don't hate conservatives. I've known many in my time; I'm even friends with some. Simply because we see issues differently is no reason for me to think little of them, and vice versa. To hear people on talk radio describe it, however, you must either be completely 100% conservative or considered "the enemy".

I see a lot of political reactionism on both sides of the ideological spectrum, and I hear many liberals talking about how we should start our own network of programs and stations to counteract those on the right. With all due respect, I disagree. These programs thrive on opinions based on blurting out whatever comes to your mind. You aren't encouraged to think things through, to research, analyze, consider the opposing viewpoint. It's all "my opinion is right, and if you don't agree, you're an idiot."

I'd rather read, listen to and watch the news and come to my own conclusions on the issues of the day rather than be spoon-fed a daily dose of the "Two-Minute Hate" anymore. I'd rather base my positions upon analysis and research than "Ooh, Rush is for that? Well, I'm against that then!" or "What? Bill Clinton likes that idea? Well, obviously it's some kind of Commie plan. I hate it!"

In time, I may eventually tune back in to see what's going on. I hope I don't give in, though. Something tells me I'd be better off not listening to these radio bullies.

So long, Rush, O'Reilly, Hannity, Savage, Mike Reagan, Boortz. Pick on someone your own size.

Monday, December 29, 2003

Nobody tosses a dwarf!

Gimli

Gimli Gloin's son

If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Gimli, Dwarf, handy with an axe when orcs are about.

In the movie, I am played by John Rhys-Davies.

Who would you be?
Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test  with Perseus Web Survey Software

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Which Christmas Carol am I?

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
You are 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'. You take
Christmas very seriously. For you, it is a
religious festival, celebrating the birth of
the Saviour, and its current secularisation
really irritates you. You enjoy the period of
Advent leading up to Christmas, and attend any
local carol services you can find, as well as
the more contemplative Advent church services
each Sunday. You may be involved in Christmas
food collections or similar charity work. The
midnight service at your church, with candles
and carols, is one you look forward to all
year, and you also look forward to the family
get together on Christmas Day.


What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

I'm in a Pixies kind of mood

So, here's some lyrics for you:

There was a guy
An under water guy who controlled the sea
Got killed by ten million pounds of sludge
From New York and New Jersey
This monkey’s gone to heaven

The creature in the sky
Got sucked in a hole
Now there’s a hole in the sky
And the ground’s not cold
And if the ground’s not cold
Everything is gonna burn
We’ll all take turns
I’ll get mine, too
This monkey’s gone to heaven

If man is 5
If man is 5
If man is 5
Then the devil is 6
Then the devil is 6
Then the devil is 6
Then the devil is 6

And if the devil is 6
Then God is 7
Then God is 7
Then God is 7
This monkey’s gone to heaven

Monday, December 1, 2003

Mondays at Clintster's

Hey all!


In case you forgot, today is World AIDS Day. Take a few moments to remember those who have passed on, and find out how you can keep from catching/spreading the HIV virus.


Thanksgiving was okay at our house, if a little quiet. S'okay, we figure it'll be our last T'giving alone together for quite a while. I cooked the turkey, and Kathy made green bean casserole. I think we make a pretty good team in the kitchen. :)

Unfortunately, yesterday was not so good. I woke up about 4am Saturday night/Sunday morning and puked my brains out. I think I had food poisoning. On top of it, I had a real stinger of a headache, so I was pretty much miserable all day Sunday. To top it off, I had to stay in my soon-to-be-converted office all day long, because Kathy was afraid that she'd catch something from me and endanger the baby. If we had a den or something it could've been a lot easier, but being stuck in an 8x8 room with no means of diversion except for a computer and a few books didn't make the time go by any easier. I'm only now getting over the headache (I think).

Anyways, hope your Thanksgiving was cool. 24 days 'til Christmas, y'all!

Friday, November 21, 2003

the friday five

the friday five:

1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.
1) Get my photography business REALLY rolling.
2) Start painting the office/nursery.
3) Lose about 10 more pounds.
4) Get involved with a presidential campaign.
5) Get my office at work organized better.

2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.
1) Audrey Pickett
2) Lee McNeely
3) Tami Conner
4) Syd Padgett
5) Bill Storey

3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.
1) Play guitar (and more than the halting chords I already know)
2) Surf
3) Do my own color film processing
4) Build furniture
5) Cast a patronis spell. :P

4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).
1) Go on vacation in Ireland
2) Buy a house
3) Give some money to my families (blood and in-laws)
4) Set up a scholarship for non-traditional theatre majors at USCA
5) Make sure my honey and baby never want for anything

5. List five things you do that help you relax.
1) Watch TV
2) Surf the 'Net
3) Go for a walk
4) Do photography
5) Take a hot bath

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Hump-day!

What's been going on in my life? Glad you asked...

* I've been taking photos of quite a bit of stuff lately. Basically, if you see a dead animal in the News-Gazette, it's mine. Hunting season has begun, and so it seems every hunter with a n eight-point buck has come by here looking for a photo op. I've also taken some photos of big-ass fish. Yay.

* I've also seen an increase in the number of people requesting my photographic services. A couple of people have inquired on my availability for weddings, I've been asked to do someone's portrait, and someone else wants me to teach them phtographic techniques. Just today I had a law firm call me about taking photos for their web site. Cool, eh?

* I got an interesting letter in the mail yesterday. It was an invitation to join the AARP. Yes, THAT one! Wanna feel like you're about 15 years older than you really are? Wait for that first letter to come in the mail. Yikers!

So, how are y'all?

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Just another manic Tuesday...

I'm gonna get SOOOOOO much grief for this...

My inner child is six years old today

My inner child is six years old!


Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Mommy and my
three best friends with me, of course.


How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

Friday, November 7, 2003

We're talking to Phil Collins' people!

But then again, aren't we all?

I had my last shift at Ruby Tuesday last night. It wasn't bad, though it was a little slow. Still and all, I made a little bit of cash. Plus, I made a contact with someone who's interested in me as a wedding photog. :)

It looks like I got out of there just in time, too. RT is introducing a new menu next week that will tie into the Atkins diet (y'know, high fat, low carbs). As a result of the changes, there will be new side item choices added to the menu including creamed spinach and cauliflower, and (my "personal favorite") PORK RINDS!!! Yikers! I can't imagine walking into a restaurant and ordering a steak with a side order of pork rinds. What the HELL are they thinking??!?

Anyway, y'all have a good weekend!

Thursday, November 6, 2003

It's Here! It's Here!!

The BIG Ten is here!!!!!

Go check it out and tell your friends!!!

My answers:

1) What is your snack food of choice?
It varies, but I gotta go with Lance Stormy Salt & Vinegar chips.
2) Describe your daily routine, in ten words or less.
Awake, eat, drive, work, eat, work, drive, eat, chill, sleep.
3) If you could be a character in any television show or movie, which one would it be?
I'd probably be Batman (the Adam West version). :)
4) When someone you know is feeling bad, what's your favorite way to cheer them up?
I try to make them laugh any way I know how. Bad jokes, puns, tickling...
5) Fill in the blank: Dudley _________.
Boyz!
6) Is there anyone in the world you would die for? If so, who?
I would die for my wife. Or any member of my family, to be honest.
7) What's your musical "guilty pleasure"?
:whispering: I really liked "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys. Shh!
8) Boxers, briefs, thong, or "commando"?
I'm a boxer man. :)
9) Which is cuter: Hello Kitty or Raggedy Ann?
Although I know my Kathy is a HK fan, I gotta give props to Raggedy Ann.
10)What's your favorite color?
Blue.

Wednesday, November 5, 2003

I'm Still Alive (yeayeayeayeayeayea!)

Made it through Election Day at the News-Gazette, and I should be back up to 100% brain capacity by the end of the week. Not much else is happening at the moment, except Kathy and I are taking the Prius to Roanoke for servicing this evening.

The BIG Ten is coming!

Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Daahhhhrrrrr... deeerrrrurrr... dwaaaahhhh...

Sorry, my brain's a bit on overload right now. I'm at the newspaper office waiting for the final Election Day returns to come in. I think I may call in with dysentery next year. LOL

So, what's been going on in my world the past few days? Glad you asked!

I took about 850 photos of kids dressed in Halloween costumes last week. Trick or Treating downtown. Trick or Treating at their schools. Trick or Treating down by the Retired Sadistic Clown Home and Rusty Razor Blade factory. You get the picture.

Although I saw some clever costumes out there, I did notice a lot of kids wearing "scream" masks. Big deal, you might say. So did I, until I saw one that had blood dripping down the front. A kid holds a plastic bladder full of stage blood in his hand and pumps it to create the effect. It was cool the first couple of times I saw it, but as I kept seeing it over and over again, I just kinda lost interest.

Kathy is holding her own as the baby continues to grow. She got a couple of pregnancy workout videos by UPS yesterday, and she and I spent about 20 minutes doing yoga to one of them. The instructor was a bit chatty; not the sort of thing you want when you're in the middle of a deep squat and Kegeling. 'Course, I didn't have to Kegel.

Quick film reviews:

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Sure, you've seen it before, but not on DVD. The sound and the picture are first-rate, although I was disappointed there was no director's (or cast) commentary.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Another brought to DVD re-release. This is the "director's cut", which reveals (spoiler ahead) the witch is the Sheriff of Nottingham's mother. Haven't listened to Costner's commentary yet. I'm almost afraid to, truth be told.

Old School: Unrated Version: I kinda wanted to see this in the theatre, but Kathy talked me out of it. I'm kinda glad she did. A few funny moments, but Animal House it ain't.

Whale Rider: A summer sleeper. Not the kid's film you might think, seeing as there's a 13-year old girl in the lead. Makes me want to go to New Zealand more than ever! A very Eno-esque soundtrack. PICK OF THE LITTER!

Now, get back to work.

Coming soon: THE BIG TEN!

The 80's!

Look here...

Monday, October 27, 2003

Manic Monday (a la Larry King)

I gave my notice at Ruby Tuesday last night. The next two weeks should be fun, but mot as much fun as living on my solo income (please God, send me some wedding work SOON!).

Still hasn't snowed here YET, unlike in Massachusetts, but something tells me that it's a-comin' soon.

The Marlins won the World Series. Yay. Now, move out of the way so's I can watch some football. :P

Well, it appears next time Bill O'Really whines about the "liberal smear merchants" in our company, he'll have to include someone on the Fox payroll. Seriously, someone might get confused between Faux News and The Simpsons? Do they really think Americans are that stupid?

:watches Fox News for a second:

Never mind.

The wrap of the week: Chicken (or Worcestershire-seasoned tempeh), tomatoes and spinach, with hummus and pub cheese. Yummy!

Doctor's visit was fine. I need to lose a few lbs. and cut down on taking Sudafed (blood pressure); I also got samples of Allegra and medicine to calm my acid reflux, but otherwise I'm tip-top.

That's all for now.

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

General Hospital

An hour from now, I'll be headed to the doctor for a physical. First one I've had in a while. I'm a little nervous, but I should be okay. Right?

In other news, It's only 9 days until Halloween, and I have NO idea what I should dress up as. Anyone out there have some thoughts? Leave 'em in the comments section.

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

How to make a good muffuletta

So much happening, so little blogging time:

The weekend was okay, except for the fruitless trip to Boone. Kathy didn't get to have her voice lesson with her prof, for whatever reason. However, we did get to have lunch with my parents, who will hopefully be visiting us soon.

I am still getting over the depression of no Cubs-Red Sox World Series. I haven't seen a WS game yet, and don't plan to. If there were a way BOTH teams could lose it, I'd be satisfied with that.

Just a question: why didn't they offer courses like this when I was in college?

I'm still amazed at the lack of reaction by the public to the first Chinese taikonaut in space. Then again, I'm not at all surprised. When the US and USSR launched their first men into space, it was an entirely new experience. However, the Chinese are about 40 years late to the dance. There's talk that the Chinese are planning on sending men to the moon in the near future, but I don't think even that is going to excite the public re: space exploration.

Quick reviews of some recent DVD rentals/purchases:

Head of State: Funny movie. I just wish a presidential candidate would speak that directly. Hell, I wish any politician would do that.

White Oleander: Pretty good story, although it reminded me of a few women I've known in my life, and the tragedies they've suffered.

Minority Report: A good futuristic film noir. The plot twists were fairly standard, but nicely executed, I thought.

That is all; please return to your routine.

Friday, October 17, 2003

Regarding...

The Chicago Cubs losing their series to the Florida Marlins:

Fuck.

The Boston Red Sox losing to the New York Yankees:

Fuck! Fuck-fuck-fuckity-FUCK!!!

My dream of the perfect 100th anniversary World Series turning into the ultimate snoozefest:

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sidenote: If the Marlins end up winning the Series, I'm gonna be REALLY PO'd!

EEP!

I just looked to see how my Friday Five came out (see below), and at the bottom of the page, the sitemeter read '666'! Yikers!!!!

the friday five

the friday five:
1. Name five things in your refrigerator.
Hmm:
1) butter
2) a pitcher of iced tea
3) Kathy's Caffeine-Free Diet Coke
4) leftover tuna casserole
5) a bottle of wasabi sauce

2. Name five things in your freezer.
1) a Stouffer's stuffed pepper
2) frozen corn
3) catnip
4) 2(?) bags of flour
5) a pound of hamburger

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.
1) wasp killer spray
2) Murphy's Oil Soap
3) Brillo pads
4) bottles of liquid fertilizer
5) Sevin dust

4. Name five things around your computer.
I assume this is the home computer; now I just have to pick one of the computers. I'll do the one in Kath's office.
1) a guitar/voice amplifier
2) a filing cabinet
3) a sewing machine table
4) a gi-normous rubber ball
5) enough cat dander to choke a mule :)

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.
1) a bottle of dental pre-rinse
2) a jar of homemade salve
3) a bottle of Tylenol (extra strength caplets, store brand)
4) a box of slippery elm lozenges
5) toenail clippers

More on my feelings on the upcoming World Series later. :P

Thursday, October 16, 2003

A few links to while away the day...

Some of the links I have on my IE favorites at work. Enjoy them, be scared, whatever. :)

Icy Hot Stuntaz! This is a rap group that was brought to my attention on one of my favorite sites, fark.com. You have to listen to the mp3s on this site. They're... breathtaking. LOL

The Finger- a Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off: It's basically a history of the most famous hand gesture in history.

GoogleFight: Take two phrases, names or words, put them in the boxes provided, and voila!

Signmaker 2.3.1: Now you can make your own interstate signs!

The Bart Simpson chalkboard: If you don't want to make an interstate sign, howzabout making Bart write things on the chalkboard?

Best Error Message Ever! Click it and be amazed! :)

A Mapquested Middle Earth: for the Tolkien geek in you. Okay, for the Tolkien geek in ME!

Grudge Match! An oldie but goodie. Check the archives section for some of the greatest Grudge Matches ever.

Will Ferrell's greatest moments: This guy counts down Ferrell's best moments on Saturday Night Live. What's number one? Find out, and bring a cowbell!

The ORIGINAL Illustrated Catalog of ACME Products Supplying coyotes with defective skyrockets for over 50 years!

Click. Enjoy. React.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

A real update, for once

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything aside from links and memes, so I thought I'd put up a little bit about what's going on in my life.

Work is fine, although I'm still second-jobbing it at Ruby Tuesday, and haven't gotten any calls regarding weddings for the past month or so. Still there IS a potential gig in November. More info as it develops.

Kathy and I are still in the baby hunt. If things don't start developing soon... I mean, if she doesn't get preggers soon, we may seek the help of a fertility doc. In the meantime I am converting my office into a potential nursery.

Don't have much to say about the latest political happenings, except:
I think Ca-lee-fwoh-nyah is gonna get what it deserves in electing Gov. Ahnold.
I can't make up my mind whether I'm happy or sad about the Rush Limbaugh situation (could this be Schadenfreude?)
The war/peace in Iraq is getting ridiculous.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is getting to the point that I will refuse to care about either side.

We finally identified the mysterious pet that hs been pooping in our basement. It's Lovecat. We're debating what to do about it.

Finally, a link for y'all. The NRA has apparently started a blacklist of people, businesses and organizations it considers anti-gun. Well if they want a blacklist, by God, I'm gonna make sure they get a blacklist.

click here

Friday, October 10, 2003

El cinco de jueves

Or, in English:
the friday five

1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones?
I watch every now and again (when I have time). I'll usually watch baseball or football, or soccer on occasion.

2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes?
My favorite teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers (football), the Atlanta Braves (Baseball), any sport the University of South Carolina plays, and the US women's soccer team.

3. Are there any sports you hate?
I don't know if there's a sport I hate, but I don't like watching professional bowling or tennis. It's just the way I am.

4. Have you ever been to a sports event?
I've seen several sporting events live, on the high school and college levels. Professionally, I went to see a Braves game on my 21st birthday, and they promptly lost by something like 12-3. This was back in their "sucky" period.

5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play?
I never played any kind of intermural sport when I was in school. I did play soccer fairly well in middle school PE, but never got to strut my stuff against another school.

Anyway, more later on in the day.

Thursday, October 9, 2003

Gyaaahhh!!

I had an eloquent and literate post I was going to write about Bill O'Reilly's appearance on "Fresh Air" last night, but my browser crashed and took it all bye-bye. >:(

So, I'm gonna make it short and sweet: O'Reilly is a whiny little girl (no disrespect to the whiny little girls out there).

For proof, go to the link below, click on the October 8 show, and listen to the idiocy unfold. If you are pressed for time, try to listen from the 40-45 minute mark.

Whatta maroon!

Monday, October 6, 2003

Monday, September 22, 2003

I Want Your Soul

An intersting meme...

Your soul is worth £59539. For your peace of mind, 10% of people have a purer soul than you.

That's nice. :P

click here

Friday, September 19, 2003

Yepper, here it is once again...

the friday five:

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?
If made to choose one favorite, I'd have to say it's Eddie Vedder. If I could choose two, I'd add Ani DiFranco. They both write lyrics from the heart, and they have a power to move me that is simply amazing.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?
Enya! The syrupy voice; the NyQuil-like backing music; the monolithic sameness of her recordings. That, plus the fact that I had to listen to her every frickin' day for six frickin' months kinda soured me on her. Not even having one of her songs in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring could redeem her of that.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?
I think I would. I cold see him as someone I could hang out with at the bar after work and bitch about current events.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?
I've been to many, many concerts (although I haven't been to one in over three years now). The best show would have to go to the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza '92. They truly blew the roof off the place. Oh wait, it was outside in an amphitheatre. Never mind. :P

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?
a) I've done it, I've purchased some albums because of it, but I'm of two minds on it. I don't like the way the record companies have basically rooked consumers over the coals with CD prices over the past decade-and-a-half. However, I think that artists have a right to be paid for their work.
b) I don't know. As a past downloader, I have to say that I found some obscure oldies that I might never have found otherwise. On the other hand, I think the RIAA is being a little heavy-handed in their prosecution of some of the "worst offenders".

Another day, another meme...

[i'm dean thomas]

...and which lesser Harry Potter character are you?

Friday, September 12, 2003

Damn. Just "Damn."

Kathy and I gave up cable a few months ago, so we could pay for the wedding. The TV reception here is horrible unless you live on top of a hill (which we don't), so our TV options the past few months have been limited to videos and DVDs. As you can imagine, we (or I) have felt pretty isolated on occasion when something newsworthy happens. Like I've felt this morning.

When I got to work this morning, I opened up my e-mail and the first thing I saw was that Johnny Cash had died last night. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was still a downer. I can remember growing up listening to Johnny Cash constantly on my parents' stereo. There was one Cash record they had which I wore the grooves off of. I eventually learned all the lyrics of every song on that record. He was a man of many dichotomies, and was one of the people I wish I could have met while he was alive.

A couple of minutes later, as I was talking to someone at work about this, someone else came in and said that John Ritter had passed away. He was working on the set of his new series and collapsed of a burst aorta. Unexpected and pretty sad.

Then as I was talking to my assistant editor about all this, she informs me that US troops accidently opened fire on a group of Iraqi policemen chasing some bandits and killed 8 of the officers. I'm just wondering how soon the bar on the corner opens up. Anyone want to do some vodka shots with me? :(

God, I need cheering up.

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Thursday, August 28, 2003

40 years hence

Reprinted for your convenience, the greatest speech of the 20th Century:

"I Have A Dream"
by Martin Luther King, Jr,


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Hump Day (I wish!)

OK, so here's the low-down on mine and Kathy's recent movie-watching:

*We went to Roanoke last week and picked up Bowling for Columbine for my (belated) birthday present. I'm here to tell you that if you haven't seen it yet, go and get it. It's not the anti-gun screed that some conservative talk-show hosts would have you believe. It actually brings up some salient points on the American culture of fear. I almost cried during the segment that featured footage from Columbine High School the day of the incident. Definitely deserving of the accolades, and a must-rent-or-buy!

*Saturday night, we went out to see Seabiscuit at the local theater. Another good film, and Toby Maguire does a great job as the 'Biscuit's jockey. Of course the most memorable part of the film was Kathy and I sneaking candy into the movie. Kathy sneaked three Kit Kat bars in, in her purse for me. In return I snuck a large box of Dots for Kathy... well, let's just say they were quite warm when I pulled them out. :)

*I took a couple of gift cards to Wal-Mart the other night and redeemed them on, yes, you guessed it, MORE DVDs! So now we have added to our colection:

-Edward Scissorhands (a Kathy approved film)
-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the best ST film, IMHO)
-A Few Good Men (I want to play Jessup onstage!)
-Braveheart (for my Celtic roots)
-The Patriot ('cause I'm a sucker for the Revolutionary War)

We've sat through three of them so far. Still some moviie watching to go. See, kids, this is what happens when... wait, what was I saying? Never mind. :P

Anyway, that's all from this neck of the woods. Keep yer ears on, good buddy, and don't let the smokies get all up in your mud flaps. 10-4, over and out.

Friday, August 22, 2003

Friday

Yep, here it is...

1. When was the last time you laughed?
This morning. Something to do with Kathy and our cats.

2. Who was the last person you had an argument with?
Kathy, a few days ago.

3. Who was the last person you emailed?
Kathy, yet again, unless you count reporting spammers to my Yahoo account.

4. When was the last time you bathed?
Last night, when I gave myself and our dog a bath.

5. What was the last thing you ate?
Hmmm, it was some cheese-flavored hull-less popcorn here at the office.

More exciting posts coming later today, including thoughts on my new DVD.

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Don't mind me

I'm just making some changes here and there.

Way-oh way-oh ooh-way-oh-way-ohhhhh

After taking the Which Country Are you quiz, I'm... well, see for yourself:



You're Egypt!

Curator of ancient mystical secrets, your life on the surface is fairly
typical these days.  Though you are in denial about more things than most people.
 Nevertheless, you're trying to convince people that you're safe despite your more
volatile and unstable times that seem to be behind you.  You like cats a whole lot.
 You'd probably really appreciate The Blue
Pyramid.

Take
the Country Quiz at the href="http://bluepyramid.org">Blue Pyramid

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Gonna give ya barley, spinach 'n tomaters

Kathy and I went down to Roanoke last night to drop her Prius off for its regular maintenance. Not a bad trip overall, especially since I was riding with her. Not too good for her, though, as it appears that we are writing off our formerly favorite Mexican restaurant in Roanoke permanently. It just wasn't very good.

OK, about tomatoes. This is the time of year when people's gardens are reaching full fruition, and as a result, they find that they have a surplus of produce. Thus begins the annual "pawning off of the veggies". Last Saturday, one of our neighbors brought over a passel of tomatoes and cucumbers for us; we ended up using them at the party. Then yesterday, my co-worker Marsha brought me a box full of tomatoes of various sizes and degrees of freshness, saying "take what you want". I ended up taking most of them; I figure I can use them in sauce or something soon. :)

I've heard rumblings from others here at work that they may bring more produce of their own soon. If I'm not careful, the Kath and I will be up to our necks in home-grown from now until November. Not saying it's a bad thing, but there may be some payback next year if I can get a garden patch tilled. That's all I'm sayin'.

Monday, August 18, 2003

Harold! That was your last date!!

What a weekend! We had our local "celebrate-our-wedding-please-dear-God-somebody-show-up" party this past Saturday, and we had about 10 people show up. Not all at the same time, mind you, but they were there. The beef barbecue I cooked turned out reasonably well, but it could have been better, if I had had a double-burner grill to work with. This won't be the last party we have, either. We got a scatload of entertaining implements for our wedding, and by Gar, we're a-gonna use 'em!

After the guests left, it was movie night at the McGuires'. First we tried to get through Y Tu Mama Tambien (see previous post), but didn't quite make it. Not because it was boring; let's just say we had to take a break.

After our break, we switched over to another film: Harold and Maude. Fantastic movie, in case you haven't seen it. Thing is, I can't imagine a movie like this being made today. Either a studio executive would dismiss the whole May-late December romance aspect entirely, or he would make sure it was American Pie-ized to the point where it would turn out to be a joke of the lady playing the character of Maude. Thankfully the story is given space to develop, so that you can actually believe a 20-year old man could really fall in love with an 80-year old woman.

We rounded up our movie viewing this weekend with Phenomenon. Not a bad movie, but a bit coying in parts. I will admit, however, to crying WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! when John Travolta's character dies in the arms of the woman he loves. That's the way I want to go.

Next time: tomatoes, squash pie, and Ah-nold.

Friday, August 15, 2003

Hey, Balance THIS fairly!

In case you haven't noticed, I've changed the subtitle of my blog to "My life, fair and balanced". The reason is that Fox News has decided to sue Al Franken over the title of his new book, which utilizes the words "Fair and balanced"

Fox News claims it trademarked the phrase back in 1995, and that Franken's use of it would create confusion and sully the phrase that FN has worked so hard to claim as its own.

While I believe they'd have a point if Al were starting a news network with that phrase as some sort of trademark, the book in itself is a satire of these ridiculous screeds by the likes of Ann Coulter and Michael Savage which lambaste the left in this country, as well as Fox News itself.

Al himself has dismissed the suit as frivelous, and the publicity has sent advanced orders of his book to #1 on the Amazon charts. In the meantime I am joining many of my fellow bloggers in changing myself to a "Fair and balanced" blog. If Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes want to come after me, I'm right here. They can get my outdated computer AND my busted-up stereo if they win the lawsuit.

In the immortal words of the Only President We Got: "Bring them on." Doinks!

Friday Five, Clint One

Yep, it's that time of the week again:

1. How much time do you spend online each day?
About 1 1/2 hours a day. (stop laughing, Kathy! :P)

2. What is your browser homepage set to?
My Yahoo at home, the News-Gazette home page at work.

3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?
I use Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger. I've also used AIM and ICQ, but not recently.

4. Where was your first webpage located?
At http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/3096.

5. How long have you had your current website?
See above site. As far as I'm concerned it is my current website, and I've had it for five years (as of next month). I haven't updated it in a while, though. Maybe I should. Maybe I should!

***************************

As I noted earlier, I rented The Hours earlier this week, and Kathy and I finally got around to watching it the other night. Nicole Kidman did a very nice job as Virginia Woolf in the movie, but I think if anyone should have won an Oscar for her performance in the film, it should have been Julieanne Moore.

On the whole, the movie was kind of a downer, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It was poignant and deep, but I sure didn't feel like singing for joy when the end credits rolled.

Last night, we watched Y Tu Mama Tambien, or at least the first part of it. We were too tired to make it all the way through. One thing about it, though. If you rent or buy the unrated version, be prepared for a bit of a jolt at the beginning.

Having heard virtually nothing about the movie, I popped our copy in the DVD and prepared to watch. The opening credits rolled, and the title of the movie has barely faded from the screen when the first shot of the movie showed a young couple doing the nasty in flagrante. I don't mean in the Hollywoodized "sheet-barely-covering-the-NC17-spots-with-slow-thrusting" sex style. I'm talking bare asses in the air, banging the s&!t out of each other, almost porno kind of sex. It may have been after midnight when I started watching this, but needless to say that first shot grabbed my attention. Yikes!

I may write more later. Have fun, kiddies!

Thursday, August 14, 2003

Thursdays... I never could get the hang of Thursdays

First of all, to all the Xanga bloggers out there, welcome back!

Saw on the news that there are now 135 confirmed candidates for governor in California. Add Father Guido Sarducci (aka Don Novello) and professional self-promoter Angelyne to the mix for Gov. Also on the ballot will be Michael Jackson and Richard Simmons, but not the ones you think. In the meantime Ahnold is getting hit on all sides; the liberals don't like him because he's a Republican, and the conservatives don't like him because he's too socially liberal. I'm just glad I live in Virginia, where the state GOP chairman recently had to resign because he wiretapped the state Democratic Party offices.

Oh, and for fans of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (and you know who you are!), there's a tribute CD coming out in October. Should be pretty damn cool!

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Change is gonna come...

I've redone the links to the right. I updated most of those whose blogs led to dead links, and added a few new ones to the party. Hope you like.

Oops! A couple of the links weren't working. Fixed 'em!

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Blogs, memes and stuff

I have set up a blog for myself and Kathy to share couple news with everyone. It's right here! a better design will come; oh, it WILL come! :)
***************
Since This-or-That is on hiatus, I am putting the Friday Five up here today, since I missed it last Friday. Hope you don't mind:

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
That would be Boone, NC this past weekend. Before that it was Helen GA (my sister's wedding), and New Orleans for our honeymoon!

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
Hmmm, trying to think of something bizarre that happened. I guess it would be when I passed out drunk and nekkid in a hotel room in Gainesville, GA.

3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go?
Well, here's my five-within-The Five:
1) Ireland
2) Tahiti
3) Japan
4) Italy
5) Cuba

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car?
Having recently traveled by train, I have to say that that is my favorite way to travel. However, since I've never flown before, that opinion is a bit skewed.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
San Antonio, TX, home of my wifey's dad and stepmom. Thanksgiving. Yee-haw!
*****************
I've rented The Hours. Hopefully I can give a report on it next time.

Friday, August 8, 2003

California Über Alles

The birthday was okay, being a prime number and all. I got my first "Husband" birthday card, which caused me to cry. If you're married, hopefully you understand.

It looks like the race to become governor of California should the voters recall Gray Davis (a strong possibility) is going to be a wild one. Over 300 people have nominating papers, and if only 10 percent of them actually file, the ballot'll be more confusing than stereo instructions. Among the currently viable candidates are:

*Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, and the candiidate running as "The smut-peddler who cares." He also recently organized a "Day of Prayer" to ask God for the death of Bill O'Reilly. Apparently it worked about as well as Pat Robertson's Operation Kill-the-liberal-justices-oops-I-mean-Operation-Supreme-Court-Freedom-yeah-that's-the-ticket!

*Gary Coleman, the former child star and occasional guest on "Where are they Now?" specials. You know this candidacy can only work if he brings in Danny Bonaduce as a running mate.

*Gallagher, the infamous murderer of thousands of innocent watermelons, and prop comic who paved the way for Carrot Top. This alone should be reason enough to not vote for him.

Other candidates with far less visibility, but no less entertainment value, can be found listed in this report. Gubernatorial thongs; why didn't I think of that?
--------------------------------
Finally, this one's for O especially. They're baaack!

Thursday, July 31, 2003

Leavin' Louisiana in the broad daylight

The week since the return from our honeymoon hasd been hectic, to say the least. Busy at work, busy (and a mess) at home, plus we are traveling to Helen GA this weekend to attend my sister's wedding (which I only found out about two weeks ago; GRRRRR!). And, This-or-That is on hiatus.

In its stead, I present:

The Top Ten Things I Learned on My Honeymoon

1. A train is a cool as hell way to travel, but if you get a sleeper car, make sure your travel buddy doesn't eat any foods that even remotely cause gas at least 48 hours before the trip.

2. If you're planning on staying in the French Quarter on a trip to Nawlins, pack some earplugs. That is, unless you don't plan on sleeping or are one of the 3 people on Earth who can sleep with rented Harleys roaring by your hotel room every 7 minutes and 38 seconds (trust me, I timed it).

3. The muffuletta is THE greatest sandwich on Earth. and the best place in the world to get a muffuletta is at Central Grocery.

4. If your goal is to get as drunk as possible on Bourbon Street, then a Hand Grenade from any of a number of to-go vendors is the way to go.

5. Pat O'Brien's is not as jockish as its name might imply. However, their world-famous Hurricanes are definitely made for two people to consume.

6. Don't wander into St. Louis Cemetary #1 unescorted, day OR night. And for God's sake, don't mention the fact that the Superdome is built on top of an old cemetary.

7. There is nothing like being serenaded by a gay waiter at a burger joint at midnight in the French Quarter while you're on your honeymoon.

8. Rasta Superman rules the night.

9. A Branson t-shirt will not get you beaten up if you wear it in New Orleans. Bring an overshort with you, though, just in case.

10. Sex shops in the Big Easy? Surprisingly underwhelming.

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

Oooh, pretty!

The link of the day:

You can make flowers grow with the help of your mouse and some clouds!

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement

That dweam within a dweam (I love the Impressive Clergyman!)

As you can tell from this post, Kathy and I tied the knot this past Saturday. It was an incredibly beautiful ceremony. Throughout the years, I have dreamed of what my wedding would be like: the bride, the guests, the location, the cake. Many times throughout the day Saturday, I found myself looking at the assembled ceremony and thinking: "This is it, this is the wedding I've always wanted." And to tell the truth, there is very little that I would have changed about the wedding, save for having a few key people there. :)

The trip to New Orleans was great as well. This was the first time (not counting Tweetsie) that I ever traveled by rail, and for those that have never done it, I highly recommend it if you have the time. We traveled first class, got free meals and bedding, and for less than it would have taken to fly. Of course, we also found time to cuddle and coo as honeymooners are wont to do.

So far, New Orleans has been all I thought it would be. So many sights sounds and tastes to absorb, and I've a feeling when we leave Saturday, we won't have scratched the surface.

At one point, I looked at Kathy and told her that I had never thought I could possibly love her more than I did before the wedding, but I was wrong. Since then, my love for this woman has only grown exponentially. I just look forward to the next 50-60 years with her. I'll write in more detail later, when I'm not buying Internet time by the minute. See ya!

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

Three days was the morning

Okay, unless I find an internet connection ready and willing for me in Boone or New Orleans, this'll be my last post until the 28th, so I'd better make it a good one.

We are set to go to Boone this evening after we both get off work. No one else has dropped out yet; emphasis on YET! Mom and Dad had a present all set for us to pick up from Best Buy (a TV, we think), but after they gave them a bunch of grief about picking it up, they changed their minds and got us something else.

The last day before my 12 day vacation has been SLOOOOOOWWW! I feel like the clock is just crawling towards the 5:00 mark. Of course it'll be here before I know it, but still I feel just a bit drowsy.

I'm getting married!!! WOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

This That and da udder Ting!

Yeppers it's Tuesday, and you know what that means...

1. Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck?
The wabbit, though I felt sorry for Daffy sometimes (especially when he was pitted against Speedy Gonzales)
2. Tom or Jerry?
Tom all the way!
3. Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck?
Donald. I used to dream of satrting the "Donald Duck Club" when I was a kid.
4. Rocky & Bullwinkle or Boris & Natasha?
Rocky and Bullwinkle
5. Road Runner or Wile E. Coyote?
Wile E. Coyote... Superrrrrrrrrrrr-Geeeenius!
6. Sylvester or Tweety?
Sylvester. Hmmm, I'm sensing a trend here.
7. Popeye or Bluto?
Popeye!
8. South Park or The Simpsons?
Ack! Why must I make these choices? Why couldn't it be South Park vs. Spongebob? Ummm... both!
9. Jetsons or Flintstones?
The Jetsons. I want a flying car.
10. And finally, the eternal question asked by all good Scooby-Doo fans: Velma or Daphne?
Yikers! Ummm, Velma. Brainy chicks get me.

Four days left

It's coming and I couldn't be happier. :)

Last night was interesting. First, Kathy and I got into an argument over what songs should go on a CD of love songs we were doing for the wedding. We started listening to each of our selections, and when it came to the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris", we both burst out crying. Needless to say, that one's going on the CD.

Then, when I was out getting a copy of a photo made at Walmart, my mom called Kathy and told her that they had bought us a "big present" at Best Buy and that it was waiting for us in Roanoke. The problem is, though, that Roanoke is 45 minutes away, and we are busting our butts in the time we have to get everything ready for our departure tomorrow. Hopefully they'll hold it until we get back from New Orleans.

Then my friend Ian called me. Unfortunately both of us were using cell phones while there was a thunderstorm in his area, and we kept getting disconnected. He called us back about 8-10 times trying to get info on hotel space in Boone and details on who from USCA was coming to the wedding. *sigh* Craziness.

Otherwise, things are going well. Our photographer may even show up for the wedding. How about that? LOL

Monday, July 14, 2003

dang it!

Accio, logo!

5 more days

Yep, the numbers are getting smaller, and the excitement, anticipation, and flop-sweat is growing! The wedding is almost upon us, and it's, well, if you've been married before, I hope you can empathize.

Wedding presents have been coming to the house via UPS for the past few days. It's like coming home and finding our Santa Claus has been to visit. So far we've received several dishes in our pattern, a couple of cool frames, and a book on... well, I'm not sure, but it's very technical and I fell asleep and drooled on one of the pages while trying to read it. That last little gem was from one of Kathy's ex-boyfriends; he has a DRY sense of humor.

Kath went to Boone this past weekend to take care of some last-minute details and to do a test-run of her wedding day hairdo. She called me Saturday evening to tell me that she was going to wait until early Sunday AM to come home. This is significant since her birthday was yesterday. I sighed and went to bed Saturday night, disappointed that I wouldn't be able to spend all her birthday with her.

Imagine my surprise then, when at 6 AM I heard the screen door closing. I thought either the cats were getting out or the house was being broken into, but it was Kathy coming home from NC. Turns out she decided to leave at 2 that morning because she missed me so. We had a good birthday together, even if I had to work at Ruby's that evening.

Oh yes, and before I forget, I am now a member of the North State Blogs ring. Thanks, guys!

edit: Hopefully the logo will show up to the right here. Let's see, hmmm?

Tuesday, July 8, 2003

This or That Tuesday 7-8-03

Not a bad one, I must say:

1. Strawberries or blueberries?
Blueberries... mmmm, blueberry cheeeesecake!
2. "Legally Blonde 2" or "Terminator 3"?
Ehhh, Terminator 3, but I'd much rather see The Matrix Reloaded.
3. Hamburgers or hot dogs?
Don't make me choose, please! Gimme both, and a lotta potato chips!!!
4. Boating or hiking?
Let's go for a hike!
5. Suntan lotion or sunblock?
Sunblock. As I've told Kathy numerous times (as stolen from a comedian), "I'm Irish. You put me in the sun, it's like putting tinfoil in a microwave."
6. "Big Brother" or "The Amazing Race"?
Ew, neither, but I'd watch The Amazing Race first.
7. Beach Boys or Jimmy Buffett?
Shoot me now.
8. Grow your own produce or buy from supermarket/greengrocer/farm stand?
I'd love to grow my own. Maybe I can someday.
9. Drive with car windows/top down, or with air-conditioning on?
Put the top down, crank the tunes, and ride, baby, ride!
10. Go away for vacation, or stay at home?
See the above answer!
********************
More wedding stuff later.

Sunday, July 6, 2003

13 days (and it figures!)

Another person has dropped out of the wedding party, and it was my best man.

Steve Palmer was supposed to be my best man, and when I asked him to do it, he agreed, saying "There's nothing that can keep me from it." Unfortunately something has.

A couple of weeks ago, he and Matt Garland got jobs at a time-share resale place. They both asked for time off to come to the wedding. Their boss told them that only one of them could go, and Matt told Steve to ask for the time off and let him worry about making money.

Then Matt got fired a few days ago for not meeting quotas. Steve is "on the bubble" as he put it, and so he has chosen trying to keep the only job he has now over my wedding. And although I understand having to make that choice, I am still a little steamed that it had to happen so soon before the wedding, especially in light of my brother and sister-in-law not coming (see below).

Anyway, I called Cliff Dyches to take Steve's place, and he agreed to do it, with the warning that he's done this twice before and both couples later divorced. But hey, third time's the charm, right?

Er, right?

*sigh* I need a beer.

Thursday, July 3, 2003

Bunny came home with a vengeance

Well, Kathy finally made it home last night from maine, and boy was I glad to see her! 'Course, she managed to bring an unwelcome guest with her, in the form of, err, "digestive problems". I won't go into it any further; just work with me, people.

It looks like we're dropping the part in the ceremony where my sister-in-law and my uncle were going to sing. He said he'd prefer not to sing by himself in the wedding, but would if we really wanted him to. We're going to look at the program and decide what to do today.

Thankfully, I don't have to work at Ruby's on Friday night. I was so afraid that I would, and have to choose between it and the paper. Frankly, the paper would have won out, if that had been the case.

I may do This-or-That later on today. Keep tuning in. :)

Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Not feelin' too good myself

Ugh.

I called my parents to find out if any of our non-responding relatives were coming to the shindig on the 19th. As I was talking to him, Dad asked if I had heard from Stacie, my sister-in-law. I hadn't talked to her in a couple of months, so I said "no".

Dad then proceeded to tell me that she should have called me because my brother Steve had been denied permission by his employer to come to my wedding. Apparently he had asked for the time off, and the foreman or whoever told him that "we hired you to work this shift, and you're gonna work it no matter what." Steve was seriously thinking of quitting this job, which he's had all of 6 months, but Dad talked him out of it. If it comes down to feeding his kids or attending my wedding, I'd rather Steve missed it. Doesn't mean I won't miss him, though. :(

As a side note (and a VERY significant one at that), Stacie told my folks that she wouldn't feel comfortable going to the wedding without my brother, and it looks like she (and the kids) won't be coming to the wedding either. It's all the more important because Stacie was supposed to sing at the wedding. Now we have to figure out what to do about that. Crap.

Monday, June 30, 2003

My Maine gal

So, Kathy's in Maine right now for a HEDS conference. She left Friday morning and won't be back until Wednesday evening. And she's called me at least 3 times a day since she left. Good thing too; I think I'd've gone nuts if I didn't hear from her at least once a day.

Last night she called me as I came home from Ruby's, and she was crying, saying she wanted to come home. She misses me that much. Wow. I never thought anyone would ever become that attached to me. Never. It's just an amazing feeling, after all the years I've pined for various women and cried their names in anguish at night as I lay awake in bed at 3am.

19 days and counting...

Friday, June 27, 2003

T-22 Days

Yes, I am counting down the days until the wedding. Kathy's still looking for a dress to wear during the rehearsal, but otherwise it looks like we've got everything planned. :)

Days like today are why I hate the fact that we've temporarily given up cable. I only found out this morning that Strom Thurmond passed away last night. I will not speak ill of the dead here, especially given that I went to the same church he did for a while. I may speak about this in more depth later. In the meantime, lemme talk about...

*whispering* sodomy.

Yesterday morning, the US Supreme Court struck down a Texas law forbidding the act of sodomy between gay and lesbian couples. I was pleased with the decision, since I believe what you do in the bedroom is your own damn bidness, so long as it's consensual. Beyond that, I really have no stake in the decision.

However, to hear the radio talk show Gang of Idiots tell it yesterday, this decision was the worst thing to ever happen on US soil. Sheesh, you'd think that the Supremes had decided that Al Gore really WAS the president after all.

Limbaugh rattled on for 45 minutes at the start of his show about the decision, saying that the Court was legislating its own personal feelings instead of strictly interpreting laws. He compared them to a "City Council" and the old Soviet Politburo. He decried them for usurping the power of the states. When callers finally got through, they chastised him for being against personal freedom, which he denied. It was hilarious to hear Rush lambaste the same Court he couldn't whip up enough praise for back in Dec. 2000.

Later on last night, Michael Reagan had on the president of Concerned Women for America, who denied she had anything against gays, then spent 30 minutes railing against the "homosexual agenda" that led to the decision. She saw this as a gateway for the legalization of polygamy, incest, bestiality, and pedophilia. Then came the topper.

She claimed that Ancient Greece and Rome fell because of their acceptance of homosexuality. REALLY? Funny, but I always thought that Greece fell because they couldn't compete with the military firepower and tactics of the Roman armies. I thought that the regionalism of Roman rule in the 5th Century, and a bad case of lead poisoning in the capital, led to the Empire breaking up in 476. And let's not forget that the Roman Empire became Christianized in the 4th Century, thanks to Constantine, and we all "know" that Christianity and homosexuality can't mix, right? *slaps forehead*

It amazes me that in this day and age, so many people can find little better to do with their time than to worry about whether everyone is following the Victorian script for copulation (man/woman, tab "a" in slot "b", missionary style, no accoutrements). Then again, I guess it's the bedroom busybodies that keep life intersting, give it some color, keep us feeling good about ourselves, keep America strong.

On second thought, no they don't; screw 'em.

Thursday, June 26, 2003

And in case you were wondering...

Yes, I am workin' like a big dog to get this perfected. Don't mind me. :P

Ch-ch-ch-ch-chaaanges!

Okay, as you can see, I've altered the template for my blog. You like? I hope so.

Well, here we are, 23 days until the wedding. I'm bummed, however. Not because of the wedding, but because Kathy is headed out of town for the next few days. She has to go to a conference in Maine tomorrow, and won't be back until Wednesday. However, we have endeavored to have ourselves a butt-kickin' Fourth, so we got that going for us. :)

Not much else to report on at the moment. The head count for the wedding is 108, I think. It was less until Kathy's mom decided to invite a bunch of people she knew. Oh well, at least she can't invite people to go on the honeymoon with us. Or can she? AAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!

In any event, leave me some comments and tell me how you like the changes, mmmkay?

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

This or That Wednesday (I was busy Tuesday. :P)

1. Surf sites at random, or have a set list of regular reads?
I tend to stick to regular reads.
2. Do you visit mostly blogs, or news or other sites?
I visit a variety of sites; blogs, news, politics, entertainment...
3. Do you go online every day, or just a couple of days a week?
Every day, baby!
4. Do you allow comments on your blog, or not?
I allow comments, and I welcome them. Whether I get them, though, is another story. :P
5. Do you shop online at all, or at regular stores?
I've done some online shopping, but I mostly stick to the brick-and-mortars.
6. Have you ever done online bill-paying/banking, or not?
I have done online bill-paying, but it was kinda disastrous for me.
7. Which news site do you prefer... MSNBC.com or CNN.com? Or do you prefer some other one?
I prefer Yahoo! News and Google to the above, but if I had to make a one-or-the-other choice, I'd go with cnn.com.
8. Live chat rooms, or message boards?
Message boards. I can get my point across easier.
9. Instant messaging or e-mail?
I started off e-mail, then I got into IMing, now I kinda balance the two. It's much easier to reach me via e-mail, though.
10. Yes or no: have you ever met, or at least talked on the phone with, another blogger? If not, would you want to? Why or why not?
Ummmm, most of the bloggers I've talked to have been people I knew otherwise, so's I can't really answer the question.

That's all. More later.

Saturday, June 21, 2003

Harrymania's running wild, brother...

Err...

Ohhh, I'm just wild about Harry, and Harry's wild about...

So, I joined in the madness, after documenting it for all time. Eh.

What a day! I woke up at 7 this (Friday) morning and after dressing, I got in the car and headed to Boone to a) get my tux measured, b) track down invitees (mainly at Horn) to see if/how many were coming, and c) take a break from my jobs. This was the first day off I had in a month, and I spent it going 500 miles round trip. Coulda been worse; I might have been rained on the whole time.

Anyway, I got back home about 8:30 tonight, and after Kathy and I ordered some pizza, we talked for a while and then I went downtown to photojournalize the Harrymania. When I got to the paper at 11pm, there were 3 people standing outside the bookstore across the street. I called Kathy and told her, and she snorted, "Figures. This is just a small town."

About a half-hour later, those illusions were shattered when I went over to the other bookstore selling HPatOotP (that just looks weird!), and they had a good 100 people cramming the aisles. I looked over at Books & Co., and they had well over 200 standing outside the store. I took plenty of shots, and I hope a couple of them make the paper.

Well, I got a double shift at Rubys in the morning, and I'm losing precious sleep. Night, all.

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

OK, then, we are now counting down to the wedding. The last 31 days of my bachelorhood or so. We've gotten some 60 guests confirmed so far, but we're still waiting on respond cards. Hopefully people will send them in before we have to break out the bats and start crackin' skulls! :P

On the news and info front, Kathy's been sick the past week, with some kind of virus (not SARS, not monkeypox!). Anyway, it's killing me, 'cause I haven't been able to kiss, hug, or even touch her for fear (hers, not mine) that I might get sick. Truth be told, I have been sniffling the past couple of dsay, but I think it's more from allergies acting up than anything.

The jobs are going all right. Obviously I like the paper more than waiting tables, but waiting tables at Ruby Tuesday isn't SO bad, except when they have the restaurant badly understaffed on FREAKIN' FATHER'S DAY!!!! But I'm over that now, so there.

Been talking to several people over the phone recently, mostly friends of mine who are planning to come to the wedding. I talked to Shane for the first time in over a year; he's coming in from LA with his soon-to-be-roommate Ian. He seems to be doing well in California; hopefully Kath and I can go see him out there one of these days.

Also talked to Diona last night, for a while. I've also heard recently from Chris Booth, Brian, Steve Palmer, and Joy. I think the thing I'm looking forward to the most, aside from marrying my HBB, is seeing all these disparate factions from our lives come together. My family and her family. My friends and her friends. Our fellow "Horn" alumni rubbing shoulders with other theatre folk. It should be a groovin' time for all. :)

Monday, June 2, 2003

The Geek Test I scored a 42.20907% (major geek). Why am I not surprised? :P

So, lemme tell you about Saturday.

I am working at Ruby Tuesday at the moment, so's I can get extra moolah for the wedding. Anyway, I was supposed to go in at 11:45 on Saturday. At 11:30, as I was about to walk out the door, I get a call from Ruby's asking where I was. The manager said "You were supposed to be here at 10:45." I told her I'd be right there, jumped in my car, and headed out the door.

As I was traveling down my street, a couple of birds flew directly in my path. I hit one of them, sending its... err, fecal matter spraying all over my hood and windshield. That's right; I knocked the shit out it, literally.

I kept going, and when I reached Ruby's I realized that I had left my key card at home. I went in and apologized profusely. The manager said it was okay, and I relaxed a little. Then another guy came in, complaining that he had been called at 11:30, when he thought he was supposed to be in at 11:45. We both checked the schedule, and lo and behold, we were supposed to be there at 11:45. Someone had made a mistake in filling out the daily schedule.

I got on the floor, and it was slow. I mean sloooooowwwww! As in I only had one friggin' table the entire afternoon slow! And I don't even want to go into the trouble I had with that table. The only good thing that came out of it was I got a $5 tip on a $22 check. Trust me, it cold have been much worse.

So, how was your weekend?

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

So THIS is Purgatory!

Well, after the nine... TEN circles of meme quiz (see below), it seems only natural to take one based on the REAL 9 circles of Hell. Guess what?

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)High
Level 2 (Lustful)High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Very Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Lovely.

Monday, May 26, 2003

Smeg!

Finally, I found my niche quiz. :)
Lister
Lister - You are deeply misunderstood. You have
dreams and ambitions - it's just that people
can't see them past your slovenly, lazy, crass,
unwashed, beer-guzzling exterior.


The Ultimate Red Dwarf Quest towards Self-Discovery
brought to you by Quizilla

Friday, May 23, 2003

Aren't we all just workin' hard for the Friday Five?

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
I'm a Crest man, myself. Actually, I'm pretty content with Aquafresh, as well.

2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Charmin. C'mon, it's squeezably soft!

3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
I don't really go by brands. If I had a choice, though, I'd wear Converse Chuck Taylors 24/7/365.

4. What brand of soda do you drink?
Coke. Specifically, Vanilla Coke.

5. What brand of gum do you chew?
Again, I don't have a strict loyalty, but I do like Wrigley's a lot, particularly Spearmint and Juicy Fruit.

Thursday, May 22, 2003

Whine Line Time!

For those of you who are former Augustan/Aikenites, allow me to fill you in on what you're missing in this week's MetSpirit Whine Line:

(in order, and summarized for your pleasure)

*The GA legislature sucks
*The Chronicle and Austin Rhodes both suck at predictiing elections.
*Lowell Grenbaum (and local Democrats) suck.
*Teenagers suck
*Organic food sucks
*Gov. Perdue sucks for "betraying" conservative Repugs
*The dating scene sucks
*Trash pickup sucks
*Greenbaum sucks (again)
*Leadership Augusta sucks
*Segregated proms suck
*Sen. Joey Brush sucks
*Columbia County Repugs suck
*Dubya sucks
*Nightclubs for teens suck
*Frank Spears sucks
*This Modern World sucks
*The water department sucks
*Texas Dems and the Augusta commisioners suck
*Paving the canal path sucks
*Dubya, corporate nepotism, and ignorance about Iraq and 9/11 sucks
*The right-wing media suck
*Columbia Co. Sheriff's Dept. sucks
*Whiners about "lawn men" suck
*Not being able to see into publicly financed facilities sucks
*Not buying from local farmers sucks
*Not stopping liberals and Negroes sucks
*Privatized (and public, even) probation sucks
*Young teenagers throwing stuff sucks
*Dubya still sucks

There, I saved you about 10 minutes. You can thank me later.

Nine Levels Of Meme

All in all it's just another meme to do...

The way this one is structured reminds me of the line in Shrek about ogres having layers. Do they? Let's find out!

LAYER ONE
-- Name: Clint
-- Birth date: 08-07-66
-- Birthplace: Louisville (pronounced lew-is-vil), GA
-- Current Location: Virginia
-- Eye Color: blue
-- Hair Color: brunette with some gray streaking through to say "howdy!"
-- Height: 6'1"
-- Righty or Lefty: Righty, handily. Lefty, politically.
-- Zodiac Sign: Leo

LAYER TWO:
-- Your heritage: Lots of Irish, some English and French, a dash of German. Your standard Euromutt.
-- The shoes you wore today: Sandals
-- Your weakness: chocolate
-- Your fears: Death.
-- Your perfect pizza: Mmmm... pesto sauce, grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, and lots of mozz, feta and asiago cheese.
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: Learning to play a musical instrument.

LAYER THREE:
-- Your most overused phrase on AIM: I don't use AIM as often as I used to, but when I IM, I sometimes use LOL a bit more often than I should.
-- Your thoughts first waking up: Usually, it's "Hit the snooze button, Kathy!"
-- Your best physical feature: Well, I'd say it's my eyes. My fiancee has a different opinion.
-- Your most missed memory: Wait, does that mean one I've forgotten, or one that happened in the past and which I wish I could relive. I'll go with the latter and say it's memories of grade school. I could do with more coloring time. :)

LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: BK. My first job, and I LOVE their chicken sandwich.
-- Single or group dates: Single date.
-- Adidas or Nike: Converse. Chuck Taylors, baybee!
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton. You gotta brew that stuff, bee-yotch!
-- Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate!
-- Cappuccino or coffee: Actualy, I'm more of a Mochaccino kinda guy, thanks.

LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: Once, once in a while. Now, no.
-- Cuss: Not too often, but still more than I like.
-- Sing: Sundays, Thursdays, and when I'm in the car.
-- Take a shower everyday: Try to. More often than not, I'm in the bath, though.
-- Do you think you've been in love: I am right now! (cribbed from Ombra)
-- Want to go to college: Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
-- Like(d) high school: Wasn't a fan, really. (4 schools in 4 years'll do that to you)
--Want to get married: Boy, do I! Fortunately, I found someone else who wants to, too. To ME! :D
--Believe in yourself: I try to. It's difficult, sometimes.
-- Get motion sickness: When I was a kid, yes.
-- Think you're attractive: Pleh!
-- Think you're a health freak: Nope. I just keep from dying.
-- Get along with your parent(s): Definitely!
-- Like thunderstorms: I like 'em except when I'm outside and the lightning is closing in.
-- Play an instrument: guitar (barely)

LAYER SIX:
In the past month...
--Drank alcohol: One beer last night.
-- Smoked: Noper.
-- Done a drug: Just Aleve and Sudafed.
--Made Out: Yeah, baby! Yeah!
-- Gone on a date: Yeah, kinda.
-- Gone to the mall?: Once, in Roanoke.
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: Sadly, no.
-- Eaten sushi: Nuh-uh!
-- Been on stage: Lest you count the church choir, no.
-- Been dumped: No, thank God(dess).
--Gone skating: No, but that's a good idea. Thanks, Meme!
-- Made homemade cookies: No. *pout*
-- Gone skinny dipping: No! Dammit, Meme, stop putting these ideers in my head!
-- Dyed your hair: No.
-- Stolen anything: On advice of counsel, I invoke my Fiftn Amendment rights. Hey, it worked for Ollie North!
-- You sound boring: :pesci mode: Boring? How about I bore a drill right through the middle of your freakin' skull? Does that sound "boring" to you?:/pesci mode:

LAYER SEVEN
Ever...
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing: I practically made a career out of it!
-- If so, was it mixed company: Yepper!
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: About a dozen times too often.
-- Been caught "doing something": :raises eyebrow: Define "doing something", please.
-- Been called a tease: Never.
-- Gotten beaten up: A couple of times, when I was a kid.
-- Shoplifted: When I was really, really young.
-- Changed who you were to fit in: unfortunately, yes.

LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: 36 years, 11 months, 12 days, and about 14 hours.
-- Numbers and Names of Children: I'd like to have two, maybe. Names? Dunno.
-- Describe your Dream Wedding: Planning it right now. There's no better dream than marrying someone who truly loves me.
-- How do you want to die: surrounded by family and friends.
-- Where you want to go to college: Finished, at least for now.
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: Slightly older.
-- What country would you most like to visit: Ireland

LAYER TEN:
-- Number of drugs taken illegally: 1 (maybe with another unknowingly mixed in)
-- Number of people I could trust with my life: At least 6
-- Number of CDs that I own: When I moved in with my fiancee, I had over 300.
-- Number of piercings: 0
-- Number of tattoos: 1
-- Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: Before I got my present job, about 2 dozen times. Now, it's every week!
-- Number of scars on my body: 5 or 6
-- Number of things in my past that I regret: Several, but I don't want to get into that.

BTW, I know there's no ninth layer. I'd take it as a tribute to Dante, frankly.

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

If I show you This, will you show me That?

1. Large or small family?
I grew up in a large family, but I'd prefer to have a smaller one.

2. Potato chips or pretzels?
Potato chips. Or are we talking about soft pretzels, in which case SOFT pretzels, definitely. With mustard. Brown, if you have it.

3. House or apartment?
House, by far! I don't think we could get squeezed into an apartment.

4. Zebras or giraffes?
I like giraffes better.

5. Candles or potpourri?
Candles! Romance, warmth, illumination. What more can I say?

6. Flowers or trees?
Trees are better for climbing, but I can always take a flower home. :)

7. Right or left-handed?
I like being right-handed, but I always wanted to be ambidexterous when I was a child.

8. Model trains or dolls/stuffed animals?
I love me some plushies, now.

9. Comedy or drama?
Hmmm, I don't want to have to choose. Comedy for watching, drama for performing, howzzat?

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: The city of Boston has recently banned smoking in all restaurants and bars. Would you want to see such a law passed in your city/town/country, or not?
Wait, wasn't that NYC? In any case, despite the obvious health benefits for non-smoking areas, I'm kinda against the spread of this kind of measure. I think there should be non-smoking areas in all public houses, and if a restaurant or bar wants to go smoke-free, I will patronize it all the more. However, I think a bar isn't a bar (sometimes) if there isn't a wafting of burnt tobacco products in the air. Just my opinion.

Friday, May 16, 2003

Friday Five later this evening, but first:

Can man live by bread... I mean, Guinness (and milk) alone?

Go. Read. Come back. Comment.

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

You know it's Tuesday, so you'll know this...

1. Packrat or minimalist?
I confess I am a packrat! Much to my HBB's chagrin.

2. Computer: desktop or laptop?
Desktop all the way.

3. Seashore or mountains?
I'll take the mountains. Less chance of a sunburn.

4. Carpeting or bare floors?
Carpeting, if nothing else than for the reduced chance of cold feet.

5. Drinking water: bottled or tap?
Tap, if it tastes all right.

6. Shopping websites: eBay or Amazon?
eBay. You're not gonna find left-handed moss-covered family gradunzas on Amazon, baby!

7. Cute little kitties or big scary tigers?
Cute little kitties.

8. Front door or back door?
I'm a front door kinda guy.

9. Lots of jewelry, or little/none?
Little/none.

10. Thought-provoking question of the week: At the last minute, you obtain tickets to an event you're dying to attend. However, you have to work that day! Do you ask the boss for the time off, or just call in sick?
I'd ask for the boss.

Friday, May 9, 2003

Shooting Sharpton

OK, so clintster.com is on hiatus. For how long, I don't know, but it'll be a while. In any case, I should be putting up pics on my old Clintster's site soon.

In other news, I shot Al Sharpton yesterday. Lemme 'splain.

Every election year, Washington & Lee University hosts a Mock Convention whereby they attempt to predict the Presidential nominee for the non-incumbent party for that year. They've held it since 1908, and since '48 they've only missed the nominee once.

Well, this week was the warm-up to the MockCon, and two of the guests present were Dick Morris and The Rev. Dr. Al Sharpton. I asked to be put on the assignment to photograph the event and my editor agreed.

Yesterday I went out to W&L to check it out. Sharpton was late getting there, but we finally started it up about 4:30. Morris spoke first. He was a little off-putting at first, but I see why Pres. clinton hired him for his 1996 campaign. He knows his politics, and could probably give the Democratic candidates a few pointers.

Then came Sharpton. Astonishing. I kinda caught myself when he got up to speak. He is quite the dynamic speaker, and made some very salient points about the Democratic party and about the presidency in his speech. I got some pretty good shots off, so I was pleased all around.

I called my parents to tell them about it last night. When I talked to Dad, I told him, "Guess which Democratic candidate I took photos of today?"

Dad: "It wasn't Sharpton..."

Me: "It was!"

Dad: "no, no, no, let me guess..."

It took me telling him a couple of times to convince him that I wasn't joking. Heh! That's something for the family scrapbook. I almost wish I'd gotten a pic of me shaking his hand for posterity's sake.