Right now, as I write this entry, the President gives his 7th and final State of the Union. 7 more than he ever should have made.
Let's see how long it takes for him to mention September 11th.
9:16: Entrust Americans with homeownership?! Isn't that how this whole mess started in the first place?!
9:21: Junk medical lawsuits. Like the ones against Vioxx, for example?
9:22: Yes, no one can deny the results of No Child Left Behind. The result was it didn't work.
OK, I lasted until 9:25. I'm sorry folks, but I cannot take any more. Good night!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Friday, January 04, 2008
The West Wing Redux
For Christmas, I received a copy of The West Wing Season 3. I remember recalling thinking of season 3 as one of the weakest seasons of this fine show, a season where it lost much of its momentum, only to grab that momentum back in season 4--with a vengeance.
I don't know what I could have been thinking.
Perhaps my recollection was blurred over the years. Perhaps I was disheartened by the somewhat disturbing exit of Season 2. Perhaps.
The 3 readers of this blog may or may not recall that I posted an entry near the season finale of the show listing my favorite moments of the show in no particular order. I don't have the energy to include a link to this post right now. Maybe later.
But season 3 has 2 episodes that are going to gain permanent entries on that list. Ironically, they are back to back.
They come in episodes 18 and 19.
Near the end of 18, the President calls Donna into the Oval Office and participates in a personal call to a favorite teacher of hers who was retiring after 40+ years. He does this while bringing up facts about her that impressed him greatly.
And near the end of 19, the President greets a black man, accompanied by his doctor son, who wrote a letter to FDR when he was 9, a fact that is discovered by his personal aide. The man, the son, and the aide, then enjoy a photo op and an extended conversation about FDR.
I'm not ashamed to say both of these moments reduced me to tears.
I now have a complete collection of the entire West Wing. One of these days, I'm gonna sit down and watch every episode, from beginning to end. Maybe when I retire.
And the reason I'll do it is because of moments like I detailed above.
I don't know what I could have been thinking.
Perhaps my recollection was blurred over the years. Perhaps I was disheartened by the somewhat disturbing exit of Season 2. Perhaps.
The 3 readers of this blog may or may not recall that I posted an entry near the season finale of the show listing my favorite moments of the show in no particular order. I don't have the energy to include a link to this post right now. Maybe later.
But season 3 has 2 episodes that are going to gain permanent entries on that list. Ironically, they are back to back.
They come in episodes 18 and 19.
Near the end of 18, the President calls Donna into the Oval Office and participates in a personal call to a favorite teacher of hers who was retiring after 40+ years. He does this while bringing up facts about her that impressed him greatly.
And near the end of 19, the President greets a black man, accompanied by his doctor son, who wrote a letter to FDR when he was 9, a fact that is discovered by his personal aide. The man, the son, and the aide, then enjoy a photo op and an extended conversation about FDR.
I'm not ashamed to say both of these moments reduced me to tears.
I now have a complete collection of the entire West Wing. One of these days, I'm gonna sit down and watch every episode, from beginning to end. Maybe when I retire.
And the reason I'll do it is because of moments like I detailed above.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Toe Warmers
This evening, after I returned home from work and dressed up to go outside and shovel the snow that fell yesterday, I was armed with a new tool.
Y'see, for Christmas, my sister gave me a package ofGrabber brand toe warmers .
And they were the nicest. Things. Ever.
These things, when removed from their packaging, undergo a chemical reaction that causes them to produce approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit of heat for about 5-6 hours. You use the adhesive on each one to apply it to the outside of your sock, on top and on the bottom of your foot. These things ensure that your feet feel warm for over 5 hours.
As a former Boy Scout, who has completed over 250 nights of camping, approximately a fifth of which happened during Ohio Winters, in tents (or sometimes with NO tents), I can safely tell you this: You can be wearing 5 layers of Thinsulate filled wool clothing on the rest of your body, but if your feet are cold, you will feel cold, no matter what temperature the rest of your body is at. There is NOTHING that feels worse than having cold feet. I speak this to you from bitter experience.
So I have to say that a product that can warm your feet up with no more effort than removing it from its packaging and applying it to your socks before putting them into your shoes HAS to rank among the top 100 of the Greatest Inventions of the World.
Seriously.
Y'see, for Christmas, my sister gave me a package of
And they were the nicest. Things. Ever.
These things, when removed from their packaging, undergo a chemical reaction that causes them to produce approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit of heat for about 5-6 hours. You use the adhesive on each one to apply it to the outside of your sock, on top and on the bottom of your foot. These things ensure that your feet feel warm for over 5 hours.
As a former Boy Scout, who has completed over 250 nights of camping, approximately a fifth of which happened during Ohio Winters, in tents (or sometimes with NO tents), I can safely tell you this: You can be wearing 5 layers of Thinsulate filled wool clothing on the rest of your body, but if your feet are cold, you will feel cold, no matter what temperature the rest of your body is at. There is NOTHING that feels worse than having cold feet. I speak this to you from bitter experience.
So I have to say that a product that can warm your feet up with no more effort than removing it from its packaging and applying it to your socks before putting them into your shoes HAS to rank among the top 100 of the Greatest Inventions of the World.
Seriously.
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