I'm not certain...

whether I'm advertising my comments or her writing, but being an egocentric ass...hey, make up your own mind. Lili's writing again and writing with a purpose. Please take some time and let her know what you like and don't like. I try to be nice, but see the above...I didn't like what her latest was about...oh well, you can read it there.

Apologize for the delay...

but I've mainly been moving and thinking and drinking cider, which I've affirmed I'm quite good at. I haven't moved the big stuff yet partially because I haven't quite decided exactly how things will be arranged. I brought 4 ciders tonight instead of three and apparently that was what was necessary as I think I got it right while waiting to see if either the washing machine leaked or the dryer burned up. Dammit, I just realized that I forgot to close the window I stick the dryer exhaust out when it's running. Scott had a mouse run amok due to a similar problem but hopefully I'll be alright for 12 hours. We'll see in the morning.

So far I've met Victoria, a neighbor, who also knows Boris, who will likely move my satellite dishes, an annoying dog with a cute young owner...didn't score any points there because the dog was a wimp and wouldn't agree to peacefully get to know me, and still haven't seen the guy who is supposed to fix the cabinet...or the phone company, but the phone company is normal and the young lady I've been dealing with is pretty hot so I don't mind going back to politely complain.

Anyone who reads this and gets Seahawks ' tickets from me needs to get reservations in early because I've already got two pairs set aside and possibly four depending on my travel plans. Send me an email or post a comment sometime.

Unintended consequences...

John has a nice story up on his UW football site. I haven't been to the site to which he refers, but I've heard good things about it elsewhere so if you're into minor league baseball and the Mariners, you'll have another link to click.

That kind of reminds me of when I first started surfing the web. I didn't understand at first how the term "surfing" applied to what I was doing but it eventually clicked(no pun intended). Catch a link to a page and follow it as far as you can take it. You'll find some interesting sites if you try it.

I was invited...

but living where I do, was unable to attend. I'd recommend following their link to Chelsie's site for more revealing footage. I hope to meet up with them and quaff a few during my next visit home.

Idiots...

I realize they were doing their jobs, and that it's no big deal, but...I got a phone call from the phone company. They were trying to find my house to see if the lines were ok. They should be because Scott moved out just a few days ago. The guy thought it was the one with two bicycles in front but was one off so told him that I'd meet him there in 5 minutes. It took longer. I know there is construction going on and the roads are pretty much one lane now, but when get the the detour point, there's a garbage truck blocking one entrance and another truck blocking the other. After a few minutes the other truck moved, I met the phone guy, and then waited for the garbage truck to leave. They almost looked like they enjoyed blocking traffic because they took their time leaving, talking at length about some aspect of trash collecting.

Good news and bad news

Good news is Jeff Goldstein is back blogging regularly at proteinwisdom.com. The bad news is he thinks his wife gave him the stomach flu. He wanted an ipod. He recently bought a house and has been concentrating on that, and likely, a lawsuit against a moonbat professor. It's in his archives somewhere. His humor take a bit of getting used to and his politics are his to choose, but it's both an entertaining and serious place. If you stick around long enough, he'll probably post another pic of his incredibly cute kid.

I guess...

I should put Michelle Malkin's site over to the right since I seem to be finding good thoughts there lately. If you read this piece by Charles Krauthammer and take note of the "plan b" in the second half, I've been in favor of something similar for awhile now. His reasons are much better than mine though.

Sad, but life sometimes is...

and it goes on. Lebanon is an interesting illustration of the conflict between western and muslim ideals. It obviously hasn't been a successful melting pot, but what Michael Totten writes, and illustrates with his photos, suggests to me that if they'd just quit fighting(DOH!), peace isn't that far away. I could be wrong, but when I smell shit, I try to pull my head out of my ass. Then again, maybe they like the smell.

Pretty amazing stuff...

I may or may not have met this U-2 pilot, but this article, this one and this, read them in order, illustrates just how much luck and skill it takes to do some of the things that are done in service of our country.

Got the keys...

Picked them up and paid rent and the deposit this morning and am waiting for the painter to finish to start moving thing. I should probably go charge my camera now that I'm thinking about it. My next big concern is finding a place for my 2-meter satellite dish. Might not be easy, but that's mainly what I'll be doing today, imagining where everything will go.

Iraq: A different perspective

Michelle Malkin has returned from her stint as an embedded journalist in Iraq and her first report offers a different(honest?) perspective than most other reports you're likely to read. Well, unless you get your news from the net like I do it will. Plus, I think she's cute. Anyway, her site is worth a bookmark on most days.

Here's another perspective, this time from an Iraqi policeman from Fallujah.

Hmmm...

While I agree that Ahmadinejad out of office would be a good thing, I also wonder if it's merely a ploy to gain more time to develop Iranian nukes.

Gators and snakes and spiders...oh my!

Sounds like Serenity is adjusting to life in Florida just fine! I wouldn't mind doing something like she did someday. You can find the first part of the adventure in her archives.

Some old photos...

I posted these on an audio site awhile ago. I think they're fun to look at. It's kind of amazing how simple and orderly true high fidelity audio gear is compared to the useless feature-laden gear marketed these days.

Not much else going on here, just cleaning and packing...

fun to read

No, not me...follow the link I'll give later.

Most of you know I don't have children...never a goal, but not a responsibility I've consciously avoided either. As John Hiatt sings, "It just worked out that wayeeeeeeeeee!". I get along with them pretty good and there's something that some young ones find amusing about my appearance because a lot of them smile at me. I smile back and wave and then usually grin sheepishly and shrug my shoulders at the kid's parents.

I've mentioned this before about this site I read almost daily, but as a reminder, James Lileks has a way of describing his interaction with his daughter that actually makes me regret not having one to embarrass. He's into collecting a lot of eclectic things and while he's a good writer...he should be, he's a columnist...some of those don't interest me but I always like reading about Gnat and Jasper the dog. In my opinion, he's at his best when being sentimental. For those of you who like old matchbooks, photos, movies and other oddities of our nations popular history, try his main page and keep clicking...especially his bleat archives...enjoy. I have. It's been fun watching someone grow up this way.

moving...

This will likely be the subject of most posts for awhile, either bitching or crowing, so get used to it. Right now, I'm just filling trash bags with things small enough to be transported that way. It's mostly cooking stuff and spices and general kitchen junk. I think the audio/video system will start coming apart tomorrow, but I have to find a place to store it until I actually move. So yeah, I'm having loads of fun. ;)

Moving and baseball...

Spoke with the landlord(future) today and thing are coming together.

Also, here's some commentary on a book by one of the authors at USS Mariner, one of my featured websites. I've already pre-ordered a copy of "The Cheaters Guide to Baseball" and if it sounds like something you might like, recommend that you do as well.

Moving soon

I went up and talked to Scott today about moving in when he leaves and am meeting his landlord tomorrow. It's fifty pounds less and a little bigger and at least I can get rid of some of the furniture that's there to make more room. One problem may be finding a spot for my satellite dishes, especially the 2m one, but I'll figure something out. Now the fun part...actually moving...ugh.

Improbable evening/mornings...

do happen. I went to a going away party for Scott last night. We were all pretty buzzed, but he was buzzed enough to actually sing karaoke...poorly, but funnily. Had I tried it would have just been poorly. I'm definitely at my best in the shower where the noise masks the mistakes. We had a good time and I'm probably going to move into Scott's place fairly shortly. It's right across the street from the place I wanted, but that place was already rented.

Anyway, I came home and was debating whether to try to stay up and watch the Seahawks or take a quick nap and hope I woke up in time. I ended up doing a little of both, talking with a friend for awhile and eventually falling asleep after the battery in my phone gave up. I eventually woke back up and caught the end of the game, which is where the improbably comes in...you'll understand if you saw the finish. My phone was recharged and a friend was wondering what was eliciting all the curses, groans and triumphal exclamations so I told her to turn the game on. What was odd about it was that she's in Arkansas and I'm in Cyprus and I was seeing things before she did. I tried to tone down my reactions so she could not know what was coming but I didn't succeed completely. It was fun watching the game with her that way and I think I taught her a few new words, none that she need use, but new nonetheless. Compound words...generally consisting of 4 letters combined interchangeably.

At least the Seahawks won, but an odder ending I've yet to see.

Yes, it makes me a bad person...

but I can't help laughing when people do stupidly funny things. Hey, it's not my seat! You'll understand when you read it.

More from Wretchard

You'll likely draw your own conclusions, but there's another thoughtful piece at his site. It's not right, but I've often thought that withdrawing to Kurdistan would be a good option. They seem to be the part of Iraq that has seized their opportunity most enthusiastically. What's not right about it is that doing so would condemn the rest of Iraq to the machinations of their Sunni/Shia religious leaders. Then again, it's their religion...perhaps it's time to practice it, or are they?

It's not often...

I praise member of the mainstream media. I find far to many of them to have personal political agenda and feel they try to make news rather than report it. A few months ago, the Seattle Times, see above, hired a new sports writer, Jerry Brewer. That particular metro are has a few pretty good sports writers and a few that flat out suck. I remember once sending an email to Art Theil thanking him for reminding me of J.P. Patches and getting a reply.

Anyway, Jerry's been slowly acclimating himself to the NW sports scene while also offering some interesting views on things of wider import. Here's an example. I like the guy.

Good news...

you know, the stuff American media ignores...from Rantburg.

A bit of description...

about the sites to the right.

Deadspin is a sports site. A very funny sports site. Nothing is sacred and things, especially in the comments, can get quite ribald. I enjoy that type of humor but it's not for everyone. It's generally run by one guy, but on the weekends a guy called the mighty mjd covers for him. Others cover holidays so it's always being updated and is always funny.

John's UW football site is exactly what it says it is. He also continues it through basketball and covers football recruiting as well. It's a different perspective than most others and I enjoy reading it. Feel free to ask questions in the comments because you'll get the best answer he can give.

Kissing Suzy Kolber is very similar to Deadspin except I think it focuses more on football. I'll have to wait and see on that because I haven't been enjoying it that long. It's run by a group of writers so you'll see quite a few different views on things.

Mariners blog is known as USS Mariner. The contributors to this site are among the best posters to the usenet newsgroup devoted to the Mariners. They left to create the site and the newsgroup went downhill. I'm glad I found them again. They are a bit statistically oriented sometimes but always provide thoughtful analysis of the team. Their comment section during games is a fun way to enjoy the game from a distance and there are a lot of thoughtful posters there as well, game or not.

Michael Totten lives in Oregon, but has lived in the Middle East and has traveled all over it. He focuses a lot on the situation in Lebanon, with which he's most familiar, but has also done some excellent pieces on Iraq, especially Kurdistan. I'd like to visit the place after reading some of his work.

Publius Pundit is a collection of writers brought to together by Robert Mayer. They're a geographically diverse bunch, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it. There's excellent reporting on Latin America and Eastern Europe as well as a lot of other places.

Rantburg...most of the sites I read lean to the right, but are generally fair and even-handed in their reporting. Rantburg's not. I love it. They collect news articles and allow others to add to them, debunk them, make smart ass remarks about them and have a lot of fun doing so. There are some very knowledgeable people on there and even the occasional respectable lefty. Those are few and far between.

San Antonio Rugby is just what it says it is. I enjoyed my time there and recently helped them buy a bus to travel to matches in. I mainly visit their bulletin board.

I found the Wines family website via John's UW site. They're rabid Duck fans, are there any other kind, but I still enjoyed. They play a game called "what is it?" where an odd looking photo is shown between UO reporting and that hooked me. Good people!

Wretchard's real name is Richard and I wish I had thought of that first. All I can say is excellent analysis and commentary on world events.

I may add more sites and will try to let you know what they're about as I do.

Let me direct you...

to the right, specifically John's UW football site for an excellent recap/preview of some excellent college football games from yesterday. I'm pretty sure he played for UW back in the 70's and offers some great insight into the sport, specifically the Huskies, but also in general.

What I liked most about yesterday, and I know it will never be like that again, was that it reminded me of January 1sts of yore. We, Bob and I, would sometimes spend that holiday with grandma and grandpa and every New Year's day, they'd go to the Raschke's and join some friends to bet on the games and celebrate. It was a lot of fun...non-stop football.

Some of my favorites...

are now listed to the right. Some are frivolous, others fairly thoughtful and you probably won't like everything you'll read on them, i.e., parental guidance, but they're all pretty good at their intended purposes and will provide food for thought. As a special example, click on Wretchard at the bottom and read E Pluribus Unum from his site and tell me that doesn't change a perspective or two at least a little bit.

MMA(Multiple Martial Arts)

I've seen the ultimate fights before and they were interesting and I've also watched a lot of pro wrestling...hey, there are some really nice fake boobs with really nice natural asses on there. Pro boxing is pretty dull although over here, everything's not pay per view so you get to see some of the contenders without having to pay through the nose. Good fights too, most of the time.

I enjoyed watching it today(MMA). I could be wrong, but it's real and you don't have all the glitz, overhype and soap opera style drama. I could deal with pro wrestling if it were just guys bitching at one another mainly because they take a lot of chances with some of the stuff they do. If they would leave the storylines out of it, I'd enjoy it a lot more. I realize that while I get MMA over here for free and when I'm back in the states I'll probably have to pay, and won't, I'll still enjoy it for now.

Happy New Year!

And so begins another year...so far so good except that for some reason the natives decided to shoot off their fireworks at 1 am instead of midnight. I went up on the balcony at midnight to watch but nothing. Of course, once I'm warmly wrapped in my blankets listening to the Husky basketball game I hear them going nuts. I'm not completely certain which holidays are associated with fireworks, but they shoot them off pretty frequently. If I went all the way up to the roof I could probably look across town and see 5 or 6 displays at once.

It was a bad day as far as sports viewing went. Seahawks weren't on, and since a AFN was so enamored with meaningless...to me...NFL games, the UW vs. UCLA basketball game wasn't on either. That 's probably a good thing as the young Huskies got spanked by the Bruins. It's hard to tell listening, but it sounded to me like they played alright except for a couple of stretches where nothing went right. The Seahawks won, but not as impressively, in my opinion, as they could have. They had to settle for quite a few field goals, but again, it's hard to tell watching via a periodically updated computer. Have fun at the game next weekend dad!