tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13295807902139914252024-03-13T00:33:45.428-04:00That Dating BlogHow hard is it to meet that special someone?<br>How many misses does a man have to go out with before he finds a mrs.?<br>Anybody who has endured the wonderful world of online dating <br>will appreciate these observations.PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-87319267927081866822010-07-14T11:39:00.002-04:002010-07-14T11:39:53.712-04:00Don’t let this happen to you.Friends don’t let girlfriends post pictures of themselves with a mustache in their profile.<br />
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If you see something, say something.PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-21398733085815797652009-01-28T08:13:00.002-05:002009-03-12T09:54:31.659-04:00What to call "IT" or the naming of the genitals.So, every time the news is on around here (a fairly regular occurrence), there is a constant spiel about the current state of the economy...<br /><br />As a result, I keep hearing this one phrase over and over and over again.<br /><br />It got me to thinking about something...<br /><br />People will sometimes name parts of their bodies. I’m not passing judgment on it, it’s just one of those things that happens. Men may have names for their penis; women may have names for their breasts or vagina.<br /><br />So, keeping this phrase in mind and the current economic climate, I think I’ve hit upon what should soon be the most popular phrase when referring to one’s genitals:<br /><br />Stimulus Package.<br /><br />What do you think? :) (677 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-18947881619289687272009-01-11T17:39:00.001-05:002009-03-12T09:56:27.530-04:00Miss me?Well, where does the time go? Do you ever ask yourself that?<br /><br />Here it is a few weeks roll by and there you go it’s a New Year and the holidays are over!<br /><br />I’m a bit glad the holidays have run their course. I’m not a big one for the holidays unless I’m someplace warm with a nice adult beverage in my hand. Then it’s a good holiday indeed.<br /><br />In the meantime, my membership reverted to standard as the first of the year. If you’re a guy, it’s something of a death knell. You can’t email people easily and the whole insane winking thing comes with restrictions.<br /><br />It’s okay though.<br /><br />See, I’ve managed to date someone regularly lately and while I wouldn’t consider myself ‘off the market,’ I don’t find myself acting with any kind of urgency either.<br /><br />I guess if I were looking for the perfect person I’d keep really pushing it.<br /><br />Thing is, I’m not perfect, far from it and I don’t have the expectation the person I meet should achieve some ideal I’ll never come close to. So, the current situation suits me fine, unless of course I should somehow be bowled over which I highly doubt.<br /><br />I can’t complain either because as long as a person is nice to me... well, that works just fine.<br /><br />This year, Christmas and the holidays in general was a low-key event. It came and it went and truthfully I was more distracted by other things leading up to and coming out of the holiday anyway. I had a project I wanted to finish and then there was whatever shopping I decided to do too.<br /><br />I have a cousin who is a widow.<br /><br />Over the last few years whenever we get together she would quiz me on what online dating was like: How did I like it? Was I meeting anyone nice? That kind of thing.<br /><br />She was asking for a reason of course. The reason being she was getting tired of being alone at night.<br /><br />This is a woman who is approaching 60 and she doesn’t look it. As a matter of fact, even she forgets the whole age aspect of life sometimes herself (as she was describing a conversation that took place with her accountant and write-offs via IRA donations where the penalty is incurred prior to the age of 59 and a half).<br /><br />She has grown kids, I think her youngest is around 26 now but that doesn’t mean she wants to stop living although I believe some of her kids want her up on a shelf like a porcelain doll.<br /><br />So, her Christmas present this year was membership to a dating site (not this one). I am of course hoping dearly that she will meet someone to spend time with.<br /><br />We were talking about it shortly after the holidays when I saw her and asked if she had initiated her account.<br /><br />As she said, she wasn’t looking to complicate life and it was a statement I thoroughly understood because I am at that point where complications are the last thing I would want.<br /><br />Companionship - yes.<br /><br />Complications - no.<br /><br />In any event, at the moment things seem to be going well in my corner of the world and I though I should at the very least update those who so wonderfully showed interest in my words.<br /><br />Also, I wanted to extend a New Year’s wish to you all... may you find companionship in 2009! :) (1040 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-2519883004154080302008-12-19T18:58:00.002-05:002009-03-12T09:55:24.896-04:00My Bah Humbug moment!Christmastime is here...<br /><br />Well, at least that’s how the song goes.<br /><br />A few days back I was flipping channels and landed on A Charlie Brown Christmas.<br /><br />I hadn’t watched it in a long time. It’s so familiar, it’s one of those touchstones of youth. However, as clearly as I remembered it, the actual broadcast of it didn’t match up to what I remembered.<br /><br />Maybe, I should clarify that.<br /><br />The story is actually very good in a lot of ways. Simplistic, but the core message of it is wonderful and more than likely is a big reason it’s still in holiday rotation 40 plus years after its first broadcast.<br /><br />The animation though, wonderful to me as a child, pales in comparison to animation of today.<br /><br />The prism of memory though made the show golden and it was a reminder yet again of how memory can play tricks on one.<br /><br />Right now, where I live it’s snowing. Well, I know it will bring a smile to many the prospect of a White Christmas but I hate the snow. I’m not fond of cold weather but snow is even higher on my dislike list because it comes with the promise of some backbreaking labor shoveling out after the storm departs.<br /><br />So, I shake my fist at the sky and curse the flecks of white as they fall. Truly it is my bah humbug moment and all the while I am thinking about wonderful New Years past spent in the calmer climes of Florida. Memory’s rosy glow is unnecessary to make that look golden to me.<br /><br />Nonetheless in the waning days of the year (and I believe my time on the site) I wish all a Happy Holiday. (1493 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-72903766127422679392008-12-09T18:58:00.000-05:002009-03-12T09:41:53.315-04:00Married, Crazy or Gay.I got to talking with a friend of mine the other day...<br /><br />This is a woman I’ve known for almost 20 years now; we met and became friends while working at an ad agency. At the time, I was in my early thirties and she was in her late thirties. I was single and she had come out of a failed marriage. There wasn’t and never has been any kind of romantic entanglement between us, we’re just friends. It’s an odd pairing but, I’ve always enjoyed her slightly sarcastic sense of humor and have truly marveled at her creative ability.<br /><br />Advertising or any branches of the creative fields have changed just as the world around us has changed. What I mean by that is the focus of our society seems to have progressed where we place more and more emphasis on youth.<br /><br />I’m not bitter or anything either about that... I’m kind of in a happy place and wouldn’t want to revisit the emotional state of my 20s. Certainly having the physique of my 20s wouldn’t be anything to complain about but, if it came at the expense of the emotional makeup I have today it wouldn’t be worth the trade off.<br /><br />My friend, she was a real powerhouse. She did TV campaigns, print campaigns... hell; she could even turn out some good lines of copy when called upon. She got to certain level in the field and she lived a comfortable life for a while.<br /><br />Then something happened...<br /><br />The world, the industry she was in changed around her. Jobs changed, responsibilities changed, the whole dynamic of the creative field metamorphosed around her.<br /><br />I’ve seen it happen a few times now.<br /><br />Just how business gets done has changed so radically from the way it was conducted in the early 90s it’s amazing and what is more amazing still is how little people are willing to acknowledge how much things have changed in such a short span of time.<br /><br />So, what happened was my friend began to find it harder and harder to get work.<br /><br />She was getting older and since this is a ‘young’ business, getting older only diminished her appeal somehow. I’m making an observation here, not a determination about the justness of the situation.<br /><br />What came next was a series of moves...<br /><br />Over the course of five or so years, she moved to smaller and smaller apartments. She started out in the West Village and the moved to Williamsburg. The next move was into a smaller place in Williamsburg and from there she moved further out into Park Slope. Her funds dwindled; she was out of work for a long time and had trouble getting hired for even the most mundane of jobs. Family helped out but eventually that had to stop too. She moved down to North Carolina finally getting her own place with some help and then she got a job in a Wal-Mart.<br /><br />She got fired from Wal-Mart a few days ago, she doesn’t know what’s next but there is a certain relief along with the dread of not having a job.<br /><br />The relief for her comes from not being subject to the insane whims of Wally-World anymore. The stories she regaled me with over the two plus years she spent there were amazing, it sounded like the Wally-World employee manual must have been written by Kafka - everyone on their backs with their legs twitching in the air like bugs. The nightmare you find yourself in not knowing how you arrived there.<br /><br />She had met someone recently and when we talked previously was anticipating her first date. It didn’t come off; he wound up being missing in action. She didn’t know what happened but it was one more slight in a series of frustrating slights that have weighed down on her these past years.<br /><br />And while she was lamenting, she relayed to me what a friend said to her about people who make it to this point in life. Her friend said, ‘Anyone out there now (being at or around this age) is either married, crazy or gay.’<br /><br />I thought about that for a second and realized she may well be right.<br /><br />Call me crazy. (2335 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-86468788322862059252008-11-18T08:47:00.003-05:002009-03-12T09:57:40.976-04:00FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!So, I like comments. I’m as much of an egotist as anyone else.<br /><br />Still, there is an option where you can approve comments or not on every blog if you so choose. I turned it off (meaning comments go through unmoderated). However, I still reserve the right to delete something I don’t like or feel is inappropriate.<br /><br />Some people might get all up in arms about that but, the thing is, <span style="font-style:italic;">it’s my playground. </span>What it means is I get to choose the course of discussion here.<br /><br />It may not seem like the fairest thing but you know what? <span style="font-weight:bold;">LIFE’S NOT FAIR!</span><br /><br />Further, if you want to get your views out in the world, you have the option of starting up your own blog. It’s a simple as that. This isn’t anyone else’s forum, it’s my forum and in this forum I make the rules.<br /><br />Someone recently wrote a comment and I deleted it. I won’t go into detail of the whys and wherefores but, I did send off a short note to the person if only to explain my action. I’m not saying I was right in doing what I did. Again, I’m making the rules and if you want to play in this sandbox, those are the breaks.<br /><br />The Internet is a strange place in that great disputes can be built up between total strangers. People who have never met, who remotely won’t ever possibly meet in real life, can build up a lot of strum and drang in a war of words taking place in the ethereal corridors of the Web.<br /><br />I don’t have time for it.<br /><br />I have precious little time as it is and even a scarcer amount of motivation at times to make sure I get what needs to get done, done. Spending it on an Internet fight is just an absolute waste.<br /><br />The phrase for this is ‘flame war.’ I won’t indulge it and I won’t tolerate it either.<br /><br />As it is, I am here for a single purpose; to meet someone nice, to meet a person I can spend time with, someone I can have a positive effect on, someone who adds to my life.<br /><br />I do not want to spend one more second than I have to here and really neither should you. It’s not about building a community, if I meet people who I become friends with – that’s great but, it’s not what I’m here for.<br /><br />The less time I spend on the computer, on a dating site, means I am spending more time doing other things and truthfully on the list of what I enjoy, spending time on an Internet dating site trying to line up dates is down at the bottom. It’s a necessary evil and while I try to have fun doing it, I don’t think I want to spend a second more doing it than is absolutely necessary.<br /><br />Think of it this way, when you find something, it’s always in the last place you look and why wouldn’t it be? Once you’ve found it why on earth would you keep looking?<br /><br />Isn’t everyone here looking to meet a special person?<br /><br />Anyway, in the course of the email exchange with the angry commenter, the point was bought up, ‘why have a blog if you don’t want to hear the opinions of others?’ Blogs have always struck me as solitary in nature, you can leave comments but blogs exist without them. Also, blogs are not newspapers – they’re op-ed pages on the internet. It has less to do with being factual and more to do with perceptions of a singular viewpoint. Someone can agree or disagree but, it’s not their job to ‘put me in my place.’<br /><br />After a couple of emails (I think there were three back and forth), we finally got to the point where the ‘f’ word was used and it wasn’t me that used it. Consequently, it verified to me I made the right decision in deleting the comment.<br /><br />Got an ax to grind? Got unresolved issues towards men or women? Fine. It won’t fly here though. Oh and if you’re a really serious person and really angry by all means please… stay away! Call it what you will, just like on the radio or the television you have the option of changing the channel or not joining the discussion it’s as simple as that. I’ve long gotten past the point where I find it necessary to apologize for having an opinion. Even further past where I find it necessary to justify everything I say or to have a contest about who is right.<br /><br />As it was put to me: “Oh for f*** sake, let it go.”<br /><br />PS – And I swear to God I hope I to never rack up thousands of posts or thousands of comments on this site (apparently people have been here for years). Nothing would be sadder. (2482 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-67262185887944398912008-11-16T21:25:00.000-05:002009-03-12T09:51:28.882-04:00How to win every argument with a man.If you’re easily offended I’ll save you the trouble and tell you not to bother reading any further. This also is the case if you are uncomfortable with sexual topics or if you believe frank discussion of sexual acts somehow is demeaning towards one gender or another.<br /><br />Okay.<br /><br />I’m giving you your chance...<br /><br />Just go to another page.<br /><br />Really, just close the window...<br /><br />...or click on some other link.<br /><br />I’m waiting.<br /><br />Alright, if you’re still around, don’t say you weren’t forewarned and certainly don’t get all indignant on me.<br /><br />Okay.<br /><br />So, in the past I’ve spoken about how hard it is for people to remain together. Particularly in our society today. Somehow, there is this image that marriage or long-term relationships are nothing but flowers when the truth is they’re anything but.<br /><br />I know people who have been married for over twenty, even thirty years and then I have people I know who have called it quits even after they’ve been together for a decade.<br /><br />One day not too long ago, I was talking to a friend of mine. She’s been married a long time now. I first met her when she was still a newlywed, I think she had only been married for a few months, and today she is passing the twenty-year mark!<br /><br />Her husband is a good guy too. He used to get on my nerves but through the years I’ve grown to appreciate the kind of person he is. He can be difficult at times but then again all of us have our moments.<br /><br />My friend and her husband took the plunge and they had kids. As with a lot of couples today, they waited a long time before they actually set about starting a family and when the time felt right they had a bit of trouble getting pregnant.<br /><br />So, my friend had her first child at 40 and then lo and behold she had twins at 42! The kids are her life. She loves them to death and she‘s a good mom.<br /><br />The husband? Well, he probably would’ve been okay stopping at the one.<br /><br />Like a lot of couples who are together a long time, especially those with kids and jobs (since they both work), there are big demands on their time. It’s just part and parcel of living in a society where both parents work and parents as a rule are much, much more involved in their children’s’ lives than they were decades in the past.<br /><br />A lot of couples face this but the side effect of this is that the couple rarely has quality time for one and other. It just becomes hard to catch those moments of romance or intimacy.<br /><br />During one period there was a rise in fighting. I don’t mean slap down, drag out brawling or anything of the sort. Just the kind of incendiary words flying back and forth between people over the course of the day. In and of itself it shouldn’t be a big thing but when it becomes the bulk of interaction between two people long-term problems begin to take root.<br /><br />Of course, a lot of what is at issue is trivial in nature but underlying all of this is a long-simmering animosity that can grow into something more.<br /><br />So, we got to talking about this my friend and I and knowing her as well as I do (and her husband too) I gave her the secret to win every argument.<br /><br />It’s as simple as a blowjob.<br /><br />Women will no doubt groan but most men you ask, if pressed and absolutely honest about it, will tell you it’s a simple truth.<br /><br />Am I saying that men are smart? No.<br /><br />We are simple creatures driven by the basest of urges and quite frankly even if we are all caught up in the anger and emotion of the moment we are hard pressed to ever refuse sex when it is offered up to us.<br /><br />As I told my friend, you want to win an argument?<br /><br />Go over to him, unbutton his pants, unzip him, take his dick out and give him a blowjob.<br /><br />I defy any guy to stay angry at that moment.<br /><br />Now, my friend of course, doesn’t want to win a fight that way. Thing is though, if you’re with someone, I mean if you love them and everything else and you want them to stay interested in the relationship, what is the problem with a little gratuitous sex every now and again?<br /><br />Besides, she married the guy!<br /><br />Anyway, the husband? He was all for it. See, it‘s true as reprehensible as that may sound to a lot of women. Yes, men think about sex that much. You can win every argument with your man if you can just swallow... well, not just your pride.<br /><br />Anyway, now that I’ve positioned myself as the penultimate sexist pig and pariah let the flame wars begin!<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />* on an interesting note: I run this through the spell checker in Word if only to avoid looking any less intelligent and was surprised to find blow job actually got caught by the spell checker as corrected to the one word blowjob. Who knew!</span> (2690 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-2545322413729330372008-11-15T13:53:00.002-05:002009-03-12T09:43:42.957-04:00The Honey Don’ts?I found an email in the inbox on one of my email accounts today and I found it very interesting and thought I would share. At the same time of course while reading it, I compared myself to the email to see if I had exhibited any of the behaviors:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Top 10 email turnoffs for women.<br /></span><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t ask her how much she weighs or what her measurements are.<br /></span><br />My first thought is, why not? If I’m going to get a woman that can pull the plow through the field why wouldn’t I want to know whether or not she is ‘STRONG LIKE BULL!’ ( LOL )<br /><br />Seriously though, unless I was a tailor or a clothes designer I don’t see where that would be any of my business.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t email her seven times asking her why she hasn’t responded to your first email.<br /></span><br />I rarely email blind. Usually, I just wait until i get an email, or someone hot lists me, or winks or something. Sending an email is an individual thing based upon the person (see more further on) and writing an absolute stranger... I don’t know it’s something of a non-starter.<br /><br />There have been instances where I have been especially taken with someone’s photo or video enough to write then and pass along a compliment. Generally though I’m not a big believer in the whole ‘pest’ school.<br /><br />If I do write someone and don’t hear anything after awhile I will generally send off a quick email if only to ascertain whether or not I’ve offended someone (if just for the opportunity to apologize).<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t ask her how many other dates she’s been on.<br /></span><br />I’ve had people ask me this question and if they do I answer and expect an answer in return but, generally the trail of bodies in someone’s past is their business to withhold or disclose at their leisure.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t send her a nasty email if she hasn’t responded to you after several emails.<br /></span><br />I’m sure this works with masochists but I don’t date masochists.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t ask her if she wants to have sex with you on the second email exchange, and don’t send her dirty pictures of you.<br /></span><br />I’ve already talked about the whole ‘nude pic’ phenomenon. It escapes me although I had an ongoing exchange with someone and asked if I would be seeing anything more revealing from her. Of course by then the exchange itself had taken on a more explicit tone otherwise I can’t think of it being appropriate.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• If she gives you her phone number, don’t wait a week to call her.<br /></span><br />I’m really guilty of this!<br /><br />I just find I like talking on the telephone less and less as more time passes. Also, I don’t know what people’s schedules are like and find myself concerned about calling at the right time.<br /><br />Lastly, I’m really not the kind of guy who is going to do a hard sell on a woman anyway. I just never thought it really garnered results. Consequently I tend to operate at a snail’s pace when it comes to these things, which I think several people have found more than a little frustrating.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• When asking for more pictures, do so without any references to “Can you please send me a picture so I can see your body?”<br /></span><br />I thought they had already covered this?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t get offended if she doesn’t want to talk to you on the phone right away and/or wants to talk to you via email first to get to know you.<br /></span><br />It’s an either or for me. Email just happens to be a lot slower in terms of building something and as I had said I am not know for moving at a mercurial pace so this might be akin to watching paint dry.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Do not email-stalk her.<br /></span><br />See above comment on ‘hard selling.’<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">• Don’t send cut-and-paste emails.<br /></span><br />This is funny actually. Due to a glitch in the server side software recently I was able to see someone else’s account and get a sense for how other people operate on the site..<br /><br />In this instance the person in question did just that! He sent out a standard one or two line email that generally said the same thing with a little modification and he had been successful with it!<br /><br />This was surprising to me but, I have to wonder if the author of the article wasn’t wrong on this point.<br /><br />Still when I write I write to the individual so this doesn’t work for me at all. (2455 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-72830349328138458752008-11-14T20:09:00.000-05:002008-12-29T17:59:32.111-05:00Sexual Politics.I’m baaaaaccccckkkkkk.<br /><br />You know there are times you just have to walk away from the Internet. Being online comes at the expense of the real world and I spend far too much time online as it is.<br /><br />But... enough about being online, let’s talk about sexual politics or is it the politics of sex?<br /><br />So, last week I lost a date over the election.<br /><br />True story!<br /><br />I had emailed back and forth with someone and we were approaching the juncture where we were to meet for the first time. After exchanging phone numbers, having the initial conversation and the stars were aligned for our eventful first face to face.<br /><br />Then things went awry...<br /><br />On the night of the election I called up to firm up plans for the following day and suddenly everything went off the rails.<br /><br />What could have happened?<br /><br />Very simple actually, we disagreed.<br /><br />I don’t even know if we disagreed per se, I get every sense we voted for the same person. As a matter of fact I’d be willing to bet on that but, there were assumptions being made and I didn’t feel compelled to correct those assumptions.<br /><br />The lady in question had canvassed for our President elect, something I find admirable indeed. Thing is, I sincerely feel (and felt) whoever won the election was going to have a bunch of tough slogging ahead of them. There just isn’t any way to deny tough times are ahead.<br /><br />I volunteered as much as well. So, even though I voted for the same guy, I hadn’t ‘drunk the Kool-Aid.’ I have a jaundiced view of the American body politic and I take campaign promises with a grain of salt.<br /><br />Also, I had caught a George Carlin special on DVD over the weekend and while reminding me of how much I loved Carlin when he was alive, it certainly tapped into my more cynical tendencies.<br /><br />So, not being all excited and celebratory, I had the feeling there was an assumption I was on the (evil) OTHER SIDE!<br /><br />I just don’t have the patience for this. I have grown so very tired of the divisive attitude of many people I find it far too easy to tweak them. Plus, I don’t expect someone to agree with me on everything. If anything, I think things are better, more interesting, when couples don’t agree on things. It keeps people honest. I’m not talking about being challenged by the person you’re with at every turn, more about being able to have a passionate discussion where you respect and listen to the opposing side.<br /><br />Something in the nature of dialog, especially where politics are concerned, has become a thing with a ‘Take No Prisoners’ attitude.<br /><br />The older I get the more I realize the world isn’t black and white. I find it extremely funny when a person who passionately espouses a liberal point of view is simultaneously closed off from any kind of further discussion.<br /><br />The person I was talking to lives in Manhattan. I was relaying to her how Manhattan cannot be taken as representative of the entire country. The country is such a big place; there are so many people across the nation who live different kinds of lives. Not wrong or right, just not the way we may live our lives. Does this mean their opinion is somehow less valid because they don’t agree with us?<br /><br />I think not.<br /><br />Anyway, I played a bit of the Devil‘s Advocate throughout the conversation. Not to be malicious but because the deeper into the conversation I got the more I realized there wasn’t any room for any other opinions.<br /><br />So, why bother?<br /><br />It’s like I was following the siren call of some vague principle but principles don’t get you laid on a Saturday night.PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-4103307824858864662008-11-04T10:46:00.000-05:002008-11-24T18:48:56.730-05:00BRAND OBAMA.<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Obama Brand.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Or where John McCain missed it.<br /></span><br />I started this a few days back and since I am out the door in a little bit to vote I might as well finish it up:<br /><br />Thankfully we are only a few days out from the election. I say thankfully because I tire of the quadrennial frenzy out nation descends into every time a Presidential election rolls around. If only people would get as excited and as passionate for local elections – where are all you f*@#ers then?<br /><br />Anyway, watching John McCain flounder through this campaign has been a real wonder to behold. I mean that in the most snarky and sarcastic sense because if ever there was a political candidate who so embodied the character from Animal House it would be Red State John.<br /><br />Watching the ’08 edition of the Republican Party flail away has been simply amazing as they have tried time and time again to make something stick against Teflon Barack.<br /><br />The thing is, Barack Obama has positioned his brand so well coming into this election cycle, he made himself almost impossible to beat.<br /><br />Obama’s campaign from the very start was based around a single premise, a premise his whole brand identity was built upon. <br /><br />Change.<br /><br />It’s as simple as that, you can sum up Obama’s campaign in a single word and the candidate has hammered away continually reinforcing it in the electorate’s mind. A single word, which serves a multiple purpose.<br /><br />First, it plays well to all the people who have been carrying pent up anger and venom ever since the 2000 election. These are the people who have so loudly and repeatedly called for some kind of change in the makeup of our government.<br /><br />Funny thing is, we had a taste of that change during the ’06 midterm election when the Democrats. The end result... not much.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_general_elections,_2006#Democratic_agenda" target="_BLANK"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Six-point plan</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Prior to the election in July 2006 Democrats unveiled a six-point plan they promised to enact if elected with congressional majorities. The plan was billed the “Six for 06 agenda” and officially called "A New Direction For America" and compared to the 1994 Republican “Contract with America.” The six-points of the plan include: “honest leadership and open government, real security, energy independence, economic prosperity and educational excellence, a healthcare system that works for everyone, and retirement security.”</span></a><br /><br /><br />People in this country have short memories, plainly put with a Democratic majority in both houses for the last two years and Congress has very little to show for it. This rally cry against one party or another doesn’t address the underlying dysfunction in our government. The government of our nation has been at best a reactionary force in American society and at worst a sterling example of how bureaucracy fails when compromised at the alter of Capitalism.<br /><br />The dialog in our country especially in regard to the current election has been a fascinating glimpse into the fractured psyche of the American public. Is our government supposed to be a paternalistic entity? If so, how far are we willing to let our government become involved in our affairs? People at once want government to do something about health-care, about education, about business and a host of other issues but how restrictive do we want government to be? When government starts becoming involved in social issues, is it a good thing or a bad thing? We walk a tightrope here, some recognize it but many do not.<br /><br />Getting back to the current election though, Obama has built the perfect brand... his brand is change.<br /><br />Are you unhappy? Change.<br /><br />Not making enough money? <span style="font-style:italic;">Change.</span><br /><br />Don’t like our foreign policy? <span style="font-weight:bold;">Change.</span><br /><br />Worried about government spending? <span style="font-weight:bold;">CHANGE!</span><br /><br />It’s so broad and generic a term it defies the inherent hazards of specificity.<br /><br />This is where John McCain has failed because he has been unable to distance himself from the current administration. John McCain’s campaign has tried repeatedly to figure out how to position their candidate - first it was as the ‘experienced guy’ but that didn’t work. Then, it was as the ‘heroic guy’ but that didn’t work either. Finally it was the ‘progressive guy’ (as evidenced by his VP choice) but ultimately that didn’t work either.<br /><br />In the meantime, Obama has positioned himself as an agent of change. What that change will be, the American people have a vague idea of but it will be change.<br /><br />I’ve gotten emails about our descent into Socialism, as if somehow this is supposed to raise some specter of fear in me.<br /><br />Yet, I’m not afraid.<br /><br />McCain has not been the only candidate frustrated by the Obama campaign’s deft positioning... speak to any HRC supporter and you’ll find a lingering bitterness, a disbelief in how her coronation somehow could not come to pass. How was it possible for the ultimate strategists to be outsmarted so?<br /><br />Strategy? You must of course realize Barack Obama has not just foiled the plans of the RNC. No, he has also managed to foil the very carefully mapped out plans of the Clinton camp. Plans that included HRC sticking it out through Bill’s many dalliances, HRC taking a senate seat in a state to echo the path of RFK and all the built-up goodwill of stumping for so many Democratic candidates over the last 8 years building chits to be called in during her abortive presidential bid.<br /><br />In any case, this year’s election has to be one of the best examples of the marketing of a candidate to come along since we started having elections. This has been the perfect example of an election for a media-obsessed society. To the detriment of everything else put on hold as we progress to this one-day.<br /><br />I’m back and I’ve already taken care of voting. It promises to be one of those elections where there is a big turnout. I was 31 out of 400 registered voters for my polling location and it wasn’t even 7:30! I’m not going to watch all the polling news, I’m not going to stay riveted to the TV over this. Tomorrow, one way or the other it will be settled, we will have voted and a decision will have been made. It’s not a football game, or the World Series where you root for one side or another. As long as people come out and vote... we all win. (1123 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-47558346907389362222008-10-31T00:13:00.000-04:002008-11-24T18:38:29.951-05:00NOVEMBER 5!So, November 5th will be a very eventful day.<br /><br />November 5th I will be getting my long, long hair cut finally.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Off with my hair!</span><br /><br />A ponytail will go out to Locks of Love. No longer will I have the need for those bandy things anymore, showers should take considerably less time as well.<br /><br />A great weight will have been lifted from my shoulders!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Oh, I think we’ll also know who is going to be our next President by then too.<br /></span><br />The important thing for me though is getting my first haircut in little over two years.<br /><br />Amazing!<br /><br />Between now and next Wednesday I have to at least take some pictures of myself with the unruly mop of hair exploding out like it can. If only to remember it.<br /><br />I’m not sure if I’ll be growing my hair long again. Never say never but, I’m not entirely sure if the long hair thing works so well for guys my age.<br /><br />I don’t even fathom what<span style="font-weight:bold;"> does</span> work for guys my age but certainly the long hair isn’t it. If anything I probably should be going in the opposite direction because the one thing you don’t have to worry about, as you get older is hair.<br /><br />Hair grows just about everywhere the older you get.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Not in places you want it to,</span> but boy does it sure grow!<br /><br />I’m not a hirsute kind of guy; still I’m always aware of all the weird bad things that happen to guys, as we get older. It’s like our bodies are old driveways and weeds keep springing up. If we’re not careful, we get overrun by the damn things.<br /><br />Women don’t mention it to men but it doesn’t mean they don’t notice either.<br /><br />I’m talking about things like the slight bush growing out of your ears, or the dandelion of nose hair or even the one wild thick strand going awry from your eyebrow. You’ve got to stay on top of that stuff.<br /><br />I was out with someone recently and she was relaying how she had been out with a man whose eyebrow looked like a caterpillar doing a dance across his forehead. Needless to say there wasn’t a second date, it just doesn’t work unless a gal is an entomologist.<br /><br />Well, all I know is I’m cleaning up my act. I’m sure any potential companions will greatly appreciate the effort. :) (1274 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-47243126541986780012008-10-29T15:15:00.000-04:002008-11-24T18:30:48.161-05:00Don’t believe in change.Election day is almost upon us and of course in the next few days the drumbeat will increase to a fever pitch as the very real prospect of one candidate winning and the other losing will become a reality.<br /><br />I’ve made up my mind who I’m voting for, I still can’t fathom people who say they are as yet undecided. Do these same people need help having someone picking out their clothes for them in the morning or having another person feed them?<br /><br />Thing is, whoever gets in, people need to be a lot more realistic about what our prospects are.<br /><br />We are on the cusp of a prolonged recession. The volatility of the market aside, over the coming months there will be decreased consumer spending, higher unemployment and growing deficits.<br /><br />If you doubt me on this, ask yourself how freely you spend money given the current economy and how secure you feel about money going forward.<br /><br />The point is whoever wins this election will have a tough row to hoe. There will be very little leeway for any chief executive after dealing with the problems of the economy. Consequently, expect the next year to two years to be a very difficult time.<br /><br />I don’t want to sound pessimistic but, as caught up as people can get in the frenzy of campaign season, it is imperative to realize January 21st, 2009 if your guy wins, the sun will not immediately come out, birds will not start singing and all will not suddenly become happiness and light. The people who believe that are going to be in for something of a rude awakening.<br /><br />Likewise, if your guy loses... well, it’s not all the new President’s fault if things suddenly don’t go swimmingly. I would venture between now and round about June of 2010 were going to be having some sobering times. The booms in the last century were in the 20’s, the 50’s and the 90’s it may be a bit of time before another boom comes along. (1334 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-64199254008511662502008-10-25T22:39:00.001-04:002008-11-21T10:23:57.236-05:00I’M CUTTING IT OFF!So after much thought and an equal amount of frustration I have come to a decision. Something must be done. There is no escaping it and drastic measures are called for.<br /><br />How I set upon this path though, requires some explanation.<br /><br />A few years back, I was saddled with the burden of caring for an aging parent. This is a truly onerous task to put it mildly. Taking on this burden meant everything in my own life had to be put on hold, on hold for a period of several years.<br /><br />If you try to explain the scope of how all-consuming a task this is to someone who hasn’t gone through it themselves, they can’t fully grasp its scope.<br /><br />When you care for an aging parent, your life is a constant battle, as you are being challenged by a person of diminishing capacity who does not want to let go of the reins of control. Think of a fading power unwilling to change the status quo.<br /><br />To be a caregiver is a challenging job in and of itself but, to add the element of battling with someone who knows you almost as well as you know yourself, makes the job take on Sisyphean proportions.<br /><br />You sacrifice.<br /><br />Things fall by the wayside in your life. Works, relationships, friends, all are a fading backdrop as your time is increasingly occupied by the management of your charge’s deteriorating condition.<br /><br />Age is the one disease from which no one recovers.<br /><br />If you can comport yourself with grace and retain your sanity, you are one of the special few, but no doubt there will be moments when literally you will think about banging your head against the wall in frustration.<br /><br />So, why cut it off?<br /><br />After watching the woman in my life have her fill of this and realizing I had no time to even think of dating, I began to wonder what use I had for even toying with the concept of a social life. Also, I thought given the circumstances and the competition I face in my age group, it wouldn’t matter much anyway.<br /><br />I’m talking about my hair, of course.<br /><br />You might have read something else into the title but, I had let my hair grow incredibly long.<br /><br />On the one hand, I thought it was to my advantage. Many of my peers can no longer boast about having a full field of hair never mind having long flowing locks. And... I have hair; it has a life of its own! Although the rub is, I keep it up most of the time, so I can’t say anyone enjoys it.<br /><br />There was an earlier period when I first met my previous companion and having such a mop of hair was a plus. She loved being loomed over by a beast of a man and being buried beneath wild tresses.<br /><br />There was something very raw in those moments, raw and fun.<br /><br />I lopped off all the hair as a concession though. Wanting to impress those members of family I came to meet who were conservative, I wanted to make that ‘good impression.’ So, as the song goes, ‘that long beautiful hair’ it was gone.<br /><br />I stayed with short hair for quite some time, and then I took on this burden and she left.<br /><br />And my hair grew...<br /><br />...and it grew and grew.<br /><br />Until we reached where we are today.<br /><br />It’s more of a bother than anything now though. Lacking a single focus of my attentions, wanting to make that good ‘first impression’ my mane has become more of a liability. Instead of it being appreciated, it takes on the aspect of me being ill-kept and ungroomed.<br /><br />So, off it must go!<br /><br />Still, there is a chance to take anything and turn it to good ends if you are of a mind and even though I am taking the dramatic step of going back to ‘short hair’ some good will come out of this.<br /><br />I found an organization that will take my long locks and turn it into a wig for children stricken with cancer. At the very least someone will get a chance to appreciate it and in the end that’s all that matters. (1278 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-23734747103004437022008-10-16T08:41:00.000-04:002008-11-18T23:55:21.246-05:00My funniest debate moment.Not sure if people picked up on the irony of it or not.<br /><br />Funniest moment: Listening to the candidate who complains the loudest about wasteful government spending and wanting to cut government costs whining about how his opponent didn’t take money from the government for his campaign. (1627 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-56213178915512809592008-10-13T22:34:00.001-04:002008-11-21T10:23:42.205-05:00NUDE PICTURES!Okay, this one is for all the guys out there.<br /><br />Apparently, this is happening a lot more than I realized. So, if you didn’t get the memo... guys, nude pictures of yourself to strangers are unwelcome.<br /><br />Aside from embarrassing yourself (even if you’re hung like a horse and have great definition), <span style="font-style:italic;">you’re impressing no one.</span><br /><br />Look at it this way, if it’s not okay to hand a nude picture of yourself to a woman on a first date, <span style="font-weight:bold;">how in your right mind can you possibly believe it’s a good idea to send her a nude picture of yourself before you even get a chance to meet her?<br /></span><br />Let’s make a bit of a joke about it... it’s bad form.<br /><br />I’m kind of surprised to tell you the truth but it seems like every woman I meet who does the online dating thing has the story about some clown who sent her a nude picture... or who wanted her to be in a threesome... or who wanted to be a top to her bottom.<br /><br />Listen, save yourself the trouble and the embarrassment and go over to Adult Friend Finder and see what you can scrape up. Adult Friend Finder is set up for that kind of thing, even if a women is interested in the activities described above... at least, AT THE VERY LEAST! Give her some credit for being discriminating.<br /><br />C’MON!<br /><br />It seems that responses to the whole man sends a nude pic of himself thing can be broken down to a few select reactions as follows:<br /><br />• Eeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.<br /><br />• Rolling of the eyes, immediately dismissing the person mailing the aforementioned nudie as a loser.<br /><br />• Uncontrollable giggling.<br /><br />• and (in very rare instances), yum.<br /><br />Believe me, from polling I’ve done, survey says, 9.5 times out of 10, IT AIN’T YUM!<br /><br />So, in closing... keep it to yourself guys.<br /><br />At least until you’ve gotten a woman fooled enough into buying your bs. You’ll save yourself a lot of embarrassment and keep a really ugly stereotype about our gender from being perpetuated.<br /><br />And ladies, now’s the time to chime in to confirm how you feel about these things because if I‘ve got it totally wrong, well... we men would like to know. And if I’m on the money, believe me when I say nothing aside from being blunt will ever put a stop to it.<br /><br />Just sayin.’ (1887 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-57124858962439622392008-10-12T08:00:00.000-04:002008-11-18T23:40:36.899-05:00CALLING ALL GENIUSES!So, given the events of the last few weeks does anyone still think it’s a good idea to privatize Social Security or allow people to invest their own money for retirement?<br /><br />I’m thinking this should end that discussion for once and for all. (2165 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-8296694464530674212008-10-11T00:57:00.000-04:002008-11-18T22:59:00.621-05:00History repeats!I came across this tonight and was stricken by how familiar sounding it seemed:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">These revolutions arose from such a wide variety of causes that it is difficult to view them as resulting from a coherent movement or social phenomenon. Numerous changes had been taking place in society throughout the first half of the century. Both liberal reformers and radical politicians were reshaping national governments. Technological change was revolutionizing the life of the working classes. A popular press extended political awareness, and new values and ideas such as popular liberalism, nationalism and socialism began to spring up. A series of economic downturns and crop failures, produced starvation among peasants and the working urban poor.<br /></span><br />Well, the peasants aren’t quite starving yet but a lot of the other things mentioned resonate somewhat with recent events, no?<br /><br />If you think so, go to Wikipedia and look for the Revolutions of 1848.PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-21999473634108636562008-10-11T00:54:00.000-04:002008-11-18T22:57:13.822-05:00A gentleman never tells.I tend to be discreet about my activities.<br /><br />What has come to my attention though, is there is a breed of man out there in the world to whom no reasonable boundaries exist. When I say boundaries, I’m not even talking about following some arcane rules of etiquette as much as I am about observing normal social niceties. I cannot help but be amazed by the temerity, rudeness and stupidity of some of the guys out there!<br /><br />Case in point, without going elaborate detail, I’ve corresponded with several women and heard amazing tales of their experiences in the world of online dating. These have included strangers (or near enough) sending along videos of themselves, or pictures or just notes with what would best considered inappropriate suggestions. What I can’t for the life of me fathom is how a guy could think it would be okay to do something on the Internet he wouldn’t do if he were meeting a date for the first time!<br /><br />Think about it...<br /><br />I can’t say I’ve ever handed over a nude picture of myself to a woman on a first date, nor have I unbidden suggested we immediately engage in either an open relationship or a continued study of the intricacies of the Kama Sutra.<br /><br />Well, today topped all.<br /><br />I got to emailing back and forth with someone and she was describing her experiences (which were pretty funny to say the least). As proof of the veracity of her stories she forward along a picture of Spider Man to me.<br /><br />Well, maybe I should qualify that.<br /><br />She forwarded along a picture of a guy (from the back thankfully) who was body painted as Spider Man and pretending to wall-crawl. <br /><br />Nothing is as funny as seeing naked Spider Man for the first time! (2113 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-60637876135657641892008-10-10T14:47:00.002-04:002008-11-18T22:45:33.655-05:00I’m going in to delete all my emails today <span style="font-weight:bold;">AND YOU PROBABLY SHOULD TOO!</span><br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Well, twice in the past two days I have lived other lives. That is two times too many.<br /><br />What do I mean?<br /><br />Well, something happened here that has never, ever happened to me before in all the years I’ve surfed the web (and that’s a lot of years people because I started surfing with Mosaic).<br /><br />I logged into the site and yesterday I was a 40 something year old woman from Texas.<br /><br />Today I was a 30 year old guy living in Manhattan.<br /><br />I didn’t do anything special. I just logged in the way I normally do... as a matter of fact, I got a notice there was an email waiting for me today and when I followed the link I wound up logging in through someone else’s account!<br /><br />Stuff like this?<br /><br />It shouldn’t happen... ever.<br /><br />I would send a message off to the mods but aside from them digging about in people’s emails and blocking people from communicating with me, I’ve found them to be almost entirely unhelpful.<br /><br />I got a bit of a vicarious thrill, actually I got a chance to see how someone else approaches the whole online dating thing but none of this stuff is private - and people should know that. You should be aware that if you send your phone number or direct email address to someone via FC email, there is the very strong likelihood that someone you hadn’t intended to get your private information will gain access to it. Unless you delete the email you sent containing that information and the person receiving your email does the same.<br /><br />A word of caution <span style="font-weight:bold;">TO EVERYONE! YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS AND ACT ACCORDINGLY!</span><br /><br />If it had been a one-off thing, I wouldn’t be as concerned but it has happened now twice in two days so, I know for myself as a precaution I’m deleting all those emails from people who have written me containing their personal info and if you have any respect or concern for the people you’ve come in contact with through the site you probably should too. (2707 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-59465948342714221332008-10-09T19:41:00.001-04:002008-11-18T22:50:28.077-05:00A question about John McCain.Does anyone else get this image of him as the cantankerous old guy who lives on the block and who is always screaming at the neighborhood kids to get off his lawn and turning the hose on them?<br /><br />Just checking. (2006 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-11897075163866986062008-10-09T15:35:00.001-04:002008-11-18T22:26:17.768-05:00Fearless.I just watched an old movie yesterday. I’m a movie guy; I like movies quite a bit (or maybe I should say film because it makes me sound so much smarter) .<br /><br />I just watched a good flick today - Margot at the Wedding but the one I was thinking about when I started to write is from way back in the sixties.<br /><br />The movie I was talking about is this old Roman Polanski movie, Fearless Vampire Killers. I don’t think a lot of people have seen it, or at least not a lot of people under the age of 40 for sure.<br /><br />It’s a good flick, racy for its time and a bit forward-looking in its sensibilities. I guess you could put it on a double (or triple) feature with something like What’s New Pussycat or Casino Royale pretty easily.<br /><br />Sharon Tate is in it too. I’m not sure if she and Roman Polanski were already an item when it was filmed or if their romance grew out of making this movie together but in either case it’s a little piece of history too.<br /><br />I hadn’t seen it in a long time; I mean a really long time. I think I caught it on broadcast TV as a teenager and hadn’t seen it since so I was a bit curious to see if it held up to the memory I had. It did, something that is the exception for a lot of films.<br /><br />Halloween is coming and I got to thinking a lot of folks usually go and rent Friday the 13th or some other scary flick but this is a bit more fun.<br /><br />Check it out and you’ll see what I mean. (1573 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-1269132512632298352008-10-06T23:10:00.000-04:002008-11-18T22:23:08.761-05:00LOW!I was listening to this earlier (actually I was watching the video on YouTube) and I just remembered how much I like the song. Also, it’s got a great video with Sandra Bernhard - but I like the marriage of lyrics to the video:<br /><br />Sometimes I wanna take you down. <br />Sometime I wanna get you low. <br />I brush your hair back from your eyes. <br />I take you down let the river flow. <br /><br />Sometimes I go and walk the street <br />Behind the green sheet of glass. <br />A million miles below their feet <br />A million miles, a million miles <br /><br />I'll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned<br />I'll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned. <br /><br />A million poppies gonna make me sleep. <br />But just one rose it knows your name <br />The fruit is rusting on the vine <br />The fruit is calling from the trees <br /><br />Hey don’t you wanna go down <br />Like some junkie cosmonaut <br />A million miles below their feet <br />A million miles a million miles <br /><br />I'll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned<br />I'll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned. <br /><br />Blue blue is the sun. <br />Brown brown is the sky. <br />Green green are her eyes. <br />A million miles a million miles <br /><br />Hey don’t you wanna go down <br />Like some disgraced cosmonaut <br />A million miles below their feet <br />A million miles a million miles <br /><br />I’ll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned<br />I’ll be with you girl <br />Like being low <br />hey hey hey like being stoned.PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-26124126419613338592008-10-04T17:33:00.000-04:002008-11-18T22:20:23.365-05:00120 miles.I took a ride the other day. I went up to visit a friend at their house. It turned out to be a sixty-mile trip each way.<br /><br />120 mile roundtrip for a visit isn’t usually the kind of thing I would do but I had promised I would do it and it had been put off for a bit of time. The reasons it had been put off had to do with weather, health and obligations but I finally managed to do it this past Thursday.<br /><br />Thursday we were supposed to have the kind of sunny days that are dwindling down to a precious few now that we enter October. The temperature was supposed to get up into the 70’s and it was supposed to be sunny. What it would up being was a mostly overcast day and about ten degrees colder. We even had a pretty good rain at one point in the afternoon.<br /><br />It may seem a little odd to spend so much time dwelling on the weather but there’s a good reason for that.<br /><br />I rode the scooter the entire way.<br /><br />The trip up took a bit longer than I had planned; it wound up being around two and a half hours. I had printed out a triptik from the triple A website and there was just a little less detail in the thing than I would have liked. So, at one point I managed to take a wrong turn that added a bunch of time to the trip. I compounded that by taking a second wrong turn adding even more time.<br /><br />Being a guy though, I wasn’t lost. See, guys are never lost. ( LOL )<br /><br />Actually, I stopped for gas after the second wrong turn asked a girl in the gas station (to no avail) and a lady school bus driver (again no help) before finding a strip mall I had been in once a long time ago. The strip mall has a supermarket and a Rite-Aid but neither of them had a county map! Fortunately, I found another way to determine my location and got to where I was going.<br /><br />It rained during my visit. This had me dreading the trip back especially since rain hadn’t been forecast but, the weather cleared and even though I took a bit more care because of the wet roads the trip back was shorter and less eventful than the trip up.<br /><br />However, I have to say in retrospect... it was an amazing day!<br /><br />Sometimes, I forget just how beautiful the countryside around me is. Literally a short drive away is some of the most picturesque landscape a person could imagine. It really is awe-inspiring. I had forgotten that. I don’t know why but I had and it was wonderful just to be out exploring.<br /><br />I road from where I live over the Bear Mountain Bridge. To get to the Bear Mountain Bridge from here requires you to drive along a winding, heavily traveled two-lane road that clings to the shear face of a mountainside. I’ve driven this road on the scooter a few times now and I love it. The mountains are lush and the river cuts through them making everything look postcard perfect.<br /><br />After I got over to the other side of the bridge, I shot up 9W past West Point. Here, the road climbs and climbs and climbs as it makes its way over the mountains that border the river. You go further and further up until you have a view of the land on the opposite bank spread out beneath you. After you crest the ridge you have a long downhill run that winds up in some rolling fields of farmland.<br /><br />Then it was a matter of cutting through gently rolling landscape populated by damp groves of trees and meandering small rivers occasionally bursting out into swatches of open fields.<br /><br />Four hours plus of riding.<br /><br />Aside from the strong winds on the way up and a little bit of a chill it was a spectacular ride. Next time, I’m making sure I dress a little warmer but I’m also going to take my time and stop along the way to take some pictures. (1685 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-2403961220582615622008-10-03T09:44:00.000-04:002008-11-18T22:16:09.856-05:00Debate this.I started to watch the debates last night and I just had to turn it off.<br /><br />Really.<br /><br />Listening to the news today, one question came to mind immediately... when did not screwing up become a measure of success?<br /><br />To hear all the analysis of the debate, someone (I’m not going to say who) didn’t screw up, didn’t make an obvious gaffe and didn’t do anything that would prove detrimental to the campaign over the long haul but, how is this a victory?<br /><br />Is this emblematic of the watering down of the standards we have for our leaders?<br /><br />The debates are fine and everything but, they are so tightly choreographed as to be almost useless to a lot of the American electorate. Besides, who are the debates really for?<br /><br />If you’ve already made up your mind about who you are going to vote for, is anything that happens during the debate really going to sway you away from the candidate you’ve chosen?<br /><br />Debates I imagine are for that vast pool of undecided voters. They’re for them and for the rest of us they are akin to some kind of sporting event (this is proved by the existence of the Palin Bingo card). (1448 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1329580790213991425.post-25589621730970229632008-09-29T22:28:00.002-04:002008-11-21T10:25:35.840-05:00A call to the liberal left.So, I had the most interesting discussion tonight. Maybe I’m being a little facetious but not so much.<br /><br />Tonight, I called someone who had given me her number through the website. I think we talked for about three minutes and in those three minutes she was able to determine I was not for her.<br /><br />It’s more than a little off-putting.<br /><br />Actually I find it offensive but more on that in a moment.<br /><br />They say that politics makes for strange bedfellows, nowhere is this concept illustrated better than in the union of James Carville and Mary Matalin.<br /><br />If opposites attract then certainly Carville and Matalin have proven that old saw as well because there is obviously a great chasm in their political views. Somehow though they manage to make things work.<br /><br />So, getting back to matters at hand. Tonight I called a woman who had given me her number. Within the first few minute or two of the conversation she said the deal breaker would be if I was a Republican (which I am registered) and pretty much that was it.<br /><br />I got off the phone and was done.<br /><br />See, I think that the biggest problem in our country today is the very strong partisan lines that seem to be drawn in the sand by both political parties. These lines are polarizing in that they try to cast every issue in our country into a simple black or white.<br /><br />That’s a problem and a big one.<br /><br />By failing to recognize that there are subtleties to everything we encounter during our voyage on the planet, we remove the ability to compromise. There are no absolutes in our political landscape; there are no true ‘good guys’ or ‘bad guys.’<br /><br />Somehow though, I think I may be an exception.<br /><br />See, I don’t believe in voting entirely along party lines and I can’t say that I ever have. It simply doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. <br /><br />Consequently, there have been several occasions where I have voted for a candidate that was on the Democratic line. As a matter of fact in the upcoming election I am swayed to cross party lines - strongly (and if you don’t believe it, I do have another blog where I’ve written at great length about that very topic).<br /><br />I can’t say I’ve ever voted for Junior either (although you would be surprised at the number of people who assume that is the case because of my party affiliation). I just didn’t like the guy and after 8 years I’m glad I didn’t vote for him. The Mother Jones article I read way back in ’99 pretty much nailed it spot on.<br /><br />So, when I’m talking to someone who supposedly embraces the tenets of the Democratic Party and the liberalism that is purported to be part and parcel of the parties’ worldview, I find it amazingly ironic someone would be so entirely dismissive of me.<br /><br />Of course the thing is, I’ve also gotten to a point in life where I can’t find it within myself to argue with stupid people. If you are that intellectually stunted where your world can be broken down into two camps, chances are no matter how much I try I’m not going to convince you that life isn’t a zero sum game.<br /><br />And that goes for the Republicans out there as well as the Democrats. When we talk about what is broken in this country, I think we need to begin with the dysfunctional political rhetoric that we engage in. If we truly want our country to be a better place we had better start trying to listen to the arguments that each side would offer up and then work towards an acceptable solution to both parties.<br /><br />But then, maybe I’m too much of an optimist and living in a fantasy world. (1337 Views pre transfer)PJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02836974899495803366noreply@blogger.com9