Save WGTS

I have lived in the suburbs of Washington, DC my entire life. There are a few things (surprisingly) of value in these parts, and one of them is a Christian radio station located at 91.9 on the radio dial, WGTS.

I used to listen to them back when they were a classical radio station during the week, and played lame Christian music on Saturdays.

Some years ago, they had a change in format to contemporary Christian music, and while initially I remember it was a rough switch, both musically and in church politics, they have definitely found their stride and have easily become one of the best stations in the DC metro area.

Unfortunately, the radio station is governed by a college, and those that run the college which is in poor financial health, are planning on selling the station. Mind you, the station is self-sustaining. I remember back in the day, twice a year, they held seemingly never ending telethons to raise money. These fund raisers lasted for several weeks a pop. Now, however, they raise all their money in a matter of days for the course of the entire year. So, currently the college is ridding all their assets to infuse their coffers with cash.

If they were going to sell the station to a Christian station so they can keep the same format and the same hosts, it would definitely be less of a blow. But as of right now, NPR is the highest bidder at $30 million, so it appears that they could walk away with the station.

There are two other Christian stations in the DC area that provide quality talk shows with some music thrown in, but neither offer the product that WGTS provides.

While I do listen to WGTS (though I honestly prefer Baltimore's WRBS) and complain about the antics of DJ Angela Stevens, and the playlist of WGTS that seems to include the same exact song at the same times on certain days, its me just being petty. Probably most people will actually consider my complaints assets to the station. To each his own, I guess.

I cannot imagine the nation's capital without a station that plays Christian music.

Check out WGTS' website. People who live all around the world actually do listen to the station because they do an online stream. Locals who leave the area and want to stay connected listen. Troops stationed in Iraq listen. Non-Christians who work in hospitals listen.

Now that you know that DC is on the verge of losing its Christian music station, I ask you to do something about it. You don't have to live in the area (clearly). Visit this website to find out more information about what is going on, and what you can do to help.

Christians from all across the country (and around the world, for that matter) can really step in and give us a hand. The significance of this loss (selling the only Christian music station to the highest bidder in the nation's capital) is astounding.

Packing it up

I am a horrible blogger. I have one of those "sometimes it gets updated, sometimes it doesn't" blogs which are marginally better (barely) than those blogs that don't get updated, or were killed after about 2 posts but still linger online.

Anyway, after (once again) teetering on the edge of blog deletion, I have concluded that I will do the following: post a column type post once a week. I will shoot for Thursdays, but we'll see. The article topic will probably be fairly random, but all things considered, it will probably be best I go this route.

I do want a place to do some verbal expression, but I tend to stress over the fact that since I don't blog daily (like anyone with a blog really ought to), I just kind of put no effort into anything at all.

Blah blah blah.

Ok, so, see you back here next Thursday. That's the guarantee. I might post randomly at other times. Probably not. But Thursday. We'll see...

Back from Africa

Spent the past couple weeks in Ethiopia. Renewed blogging intensity forthcoming. Be prepared.

To Melinda Dolittle

Dear Melinda,

I was a huge fan of yours this season. From week one, I picked you as my favorite, and told people that you were amazing. I enjoyed all of your performances this season and even have some old episodes of American Idol saved on my DVR for random rewatching. Due to the reality of the show, I figured that despite your superior vocal ability, you would not be in the finals (the best singer never wins). Even so, I was disappointed to see you voted off last night.

I do have a plan for you, Melinda. Because I am well versed in all things music industry related (by which I simply mean I own many CDs, and 1 iTunes download) I feel that my advice would be extremely valuable to you. Here it is:

Release a gospel CD.

That's it. You already are a gospel fan, and we both like the same artists. I can't remember your list that you mentioned on an episode a while back, but I am certain it included Fred Hammond, my all time favorite. If you expressed interest, I'm sure you could get all the heavyweights in the gospel music industry to work with you on your debut album.

Do not release a "mainstream" album.

What I do suggest is that you work with your label on creating an upbeat, crossover song to launch your gospel career. Deliberately make it a song that can be played on any station - the equivalent of a "Shackles" by Mary Mary.

A failed secular release with a subsequent gospel turn can be disastrous (see, Studdard, Reuben). Keep it simple. You strike me as somebody who wouldn't quite fit in with the modern (i.e. gross) R&B scene anyway - your style is way too classic. The audience and the styles in gospel would be a perfect match for you and your voice.

Here's to an excellent debut album! I'll be waiting for it!

A fan,
Ryan

I'm back

I realize it has been nearly a month since my last post! Things had been going so well. However now I am (apparently) back to blogging.

Where was I?

Well, I was away for a week and a day. Went to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, and drove up the California coast in a convertible mustang.

I spent April 17 cursing at TurboTax for messing with me. I began a 1 man mission to bring the company down, but they went the extra mile (or seventeen) to remedy their disastrous tax day.

I finished up with my spring semester of seminary. I will be taking the summer off so I can go to Ethiopia and move out of my apartment.

Anyway, the reason for today's post is that the slowest hour of the day is 3:00. I have made the discovery earlier this week, and today, once again I am realizing it is true.

Jason Whitlock

I was watching the Today Show this morning and they spent about the first 20 minutes of the show on the Don Imus hysteria. Many different groups were used to provide differing viewpoints, from the guy who "mediated" the meeting between the Rutger's women's team and Imus, to a panel of maybe 20 average people who spent time in a room all yelling their opinions at the same time.

As they moved from group to group, there was one guy, who when they first showed him on camera, I sighed to myself because I figured I knew what his opinion would be (seeing as how everybody else they picked for the show provided the opinions they predictably would). But boy was I wrong. I had never heard of Jason Whitlock before today, but I was impressed at what he had to say.

Whitlock is a black guy and he called Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson domestic terrorists. Whoa.

Here's a snippet from an article by him I found today ("Imus isn’t the real bad guy")...

Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.

You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.

You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.

Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.

The bigots win again.

And one more ("Time for Jackson, Sharpton to Step Down")

Here's the opening of this one...

I’m calling for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the president and vice president of Black America, to step down.

Their leadership is stale. Their ideas are outdated. And they don’t give a damn about us.

Go and read those articles in their entirety - they are great.

My take on the whole situation is that it's the biggest media hyped joke EVER... well, since the last one anyway. The Rutger's team was robbed of the fact they made it to the national championship game? PLEASE. Like Whitlock said this morning, people are foolishly giving Don Imus this incredible amount of power that he actually doesn't have.

I really hope that there are more newsworthy items next week that we had this week. Really hope.



In case you can't see it too well, the "Breaking News" alert is that the Rutgers team has accepted Imus' apology. This is huge! HUGE I tell you!

It's all relative

When I was walking to Burger King to get my regular order (BK veggie combo with hot onions and onion rings, with raspberry iced tea to drink), I realized how chilly 50 degrees seemed to be. A couple weeks ago, I would have been thrilled at the thought of a 50 degree day and its warmth. However, today, I actually got a chill or two. I miss the warmth of days in the upper 70s already!

My most popular post

I can review stats for my blog, and I have learned my post from almost two years ago "Barbara Harrison Made a Funny" has been getting some business lately. A lot of business.

I was curious as to why that was the case, and after doing some investigation, I learned that recently Harrison uttered a bad word on the air without realizing she was on and the producers not catching it.

My post had nothing to do with that incident (obviously) but it was interesting to see the pickup. I guess people searched Google for her name and my site may have somehow came up.

Maybe this post will add to the hype. The more the merrier.

Greatest Contestant Ever

Get your own shirt today from www.bustedtees.com

As horribly as he sings (though I did see a YouTube clip of him recently where he isn't too bad), he clearly is the show this season. Can the vast majority of America even name any of the other contestants?

I've been a Melinda fan from when the top 12 females and top 12 guys were picked and have been following her ever since. But even then, this season has totally been a disappointment. If it wasn't for Sanjaya, there really wouldn't be anything to talk about - especially with Antonella being gone.

So I'd say this season has been saved by Sanjaya. I'm not hoping he wins or anything, but if it wasn't for him, it sure would be lamer. I actually look forward to what his next big thing is going to be.

Tea leaves

I love Thai iced tea. Back when we had horrible winter weather, on those occasionally warm days, I would take the couple block walk to this Thai restaurant in DC. Now, my trips are becoming more frequent as blistering cold winds are no longer an obstacle.

However, this addiction can become expensive, so I am trying to find where I can find some Thai tea leaves to make some Thai iced tea at home.

So yes, if you know where I can get some leaves to support my addiction, please email me.

Finally did it

Took the plunge today. For years now, I've been planning on getting an MP3 player for use in my car. I have a plan on buying an adapter so I can directly hook it up to my car (since I don't have a pre-existing audio input jack), but was waiting to implement it only after my CD changer performed its last spin. My CD player isn't officially broken, but its quirkier than ever in selecting which of my albums it wants to play.

I made one attempt in the MP3 world, purchasing a Creative Nomad player. However, due to my severe lack of patience, I quit the complicated process of converting all my CDs onto the player. I ultimately gave the Nomad away.

Then today, on a total spur of the moment purchase, I ended up picking up the black, 30gig iPod. I figure now with my Mac, the transfer process will be simpler and my patience bank will have enough in it to carry me through.

We'll see.

Final occupancy

Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?

Yesterday after my post about finally being settled in at the new apartment, I received notice that my apartment community will be demolished. Someone has purchased the land upon which the current buildings sit and feel the need to destroy them.

I have no idea what is going up in their place, but most likely some high priced apartments in the newly bustling, redeveloped downtown Silver Spring area. My stint in a hip part of town appears to be coming to an end - in 120 days.

I will be the final occupant in the life of my apartment.

This is quite funny simply because several months ago, our company moved to temporary office space while our building gets renovated. A part of the renovation included the demolition of the annex building - the exact location where I worked.

So at work, in the 60 years or so of the annex's life, I became the last person to work in my pseudo-office before it was destroyed. Now, I will be the last person to live in my current apartment in a building that I'd estimate to be about 40 to 50 years old, before it too becomes transformed into a pile of bricks.

I'm still trying to figure out what exactly this means.

Thank you, Sarah

A couple of months ago, I moved to a new place. Been settled in for a while now but one thing that reminds me that I am still relatively new to the place is the fact that the previous occupant of the apartment still has her mail sent there. I've lived many places in my life, and receiving the occasional piece of somebody else's mail to my address isn't uncommon. However, with Sarah's mail, its entirely different.

Normally, when you move somewhere new, you complete a change of address form and the post office delivers your mail to your new address. It's not a fool proof process as sometimes mail slips through the post office's filter, but its fairly accurate nonetheless.

But clearly, Sarah never filled out such a card.

On a daily basis, mail comes in for her. I got her W-2, mail from the MVA for her car registration, correspondence from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, personal letters hand addressed from people I imagine are her friends. I've received bills for bottled water, which I guess she had special delivered to the place.

I've also learned many things about Sarah.

She is an alumni of the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University. She works in the medical field in project management. She shops at Sam's Club and does care for her health.

Returning mail has been quite the process. I typically let it collect, and then go though it, returning to sender stuff that would be important to her. Hopefully these organizations will know that she hasn't been getting what they have been sending.

Anyway, the point of this story is this.

In the process of junking the junk mail, I have come across these apparently free magazines about project management. This week I have been reading them, and have come to recognize that professionally, this is actually the career path I should take. Based on life experience, project management is actually where I thrive and have a natural knack for.

Yes, I am in school working on getting my masters of divinity, and that is absolutely my life plan. However, aside from being a pastor, based on my seminary training thus far, and the pitfalls of ministry, I've learned that as an individual, I need to have a "backup career." I don't know where my first paying job in ministry will be. And who knows how stable a career path it will offer me.

However, with a focus on project management, and acquiring advanced certification, I will make myself marketable both in the "real world" of work, but it will serve as an awesome compliment to ministry. I'm pretty excited about the thought of it.

This is an option I didn't realize existed. I didn't know that the job of a "project manager" actually was an industry in and of itself. I wouldn't have realized this if the prior occupant of my apartment had filled out the card from the post office to have her mail forwarded to her.

For this I say: Thank you, Sarah.

My 43 Things

I happened to stumble upon the website 43things.com last week. I had never really checked out the site before, but after taking a few minutes to explore, I have decided it might be the greatest site ever.*

For those of you who don't know (although I might be in the vast minority of not knowing here as the site apparently peaked in popularity in 2005), it is a site where people list their list of individual life goals - some huge, some small - and by doing so, are able to find others who are in pursuit of the same thing.

I love lists. I love dreaming. I love goals. This one site takes care of all three.

So here's my list for your amusement.

*I'm looking for a category. Currently Google (and its whole network) rocks my world, and Wikipedia is my favorite information source.

Remember him?

Today the Washington Post has an article on Byron Mouton, a member of the 2002 national championship winning Maryland team.

During the summer of 2002, I was working at the University of Maryland as a community assistant at the summer housing service desk. Byron was staying on campus then, I guess as he was running out of NBA prospects. He always rode around campus on a shiny silver scooter - you know those kind that you stand on, and accelerate by kicking your foot on the pavement? Oh, the memories.

Anyway, the article talks about his nomadic life which began that summer and doesn't include the NBA. Poor guy. He was great.

The National Enquirer?

Today, during my daily news briefing, I came across this article in the Washington Times: It's pages over pundits for political news.

It basically says that for people who follow politics closely, their news medium of choice is the standard newspaper. (Come to think of it, how convenient for a newspaper to publish this story).

Anyway, I agreed with most of what the article had to say - the future of the newspaper may need to recognize the fact that many of the readers are politics junkies like myself.

However, near the end, the article describes what the most trusted news sources in America are:

The number of Americans with positive views of the overall press dropped last year, falling from 59 percent in February to 48 percent by July. Among 20 major news organizations, few escaped a decline in credibility ratings: Only Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the "NewsHour" on PBS, People magazine, the National Enquirer and smaller local papers maintained the steady trust of readers and viewers.

Umm... the National Enquirer as a trusted source? If you ask me, if I were at Fox News or the Wall Street Journal, I'd be kind of embarrassed to know who else shares the same category of news trustworthy that I do.

A Sweeping Victory!

Last night's sweep of Duke this season was amazing. Go Terps!

Let's Go MARYLAND!!

What an awesome game yesterday! NCAA tournament, here we come! Final Four, baby!

Easy-Going Does It

A funny thing happend on the way home last night....

The past week has been quite traumatic in my computer life. A week ago today, I was sitting at my desk, checked some email, and got up to get a glass of ice water as I was about to begin watching my DVD lectures for the evening.

I didn't realize it, but the power cord was wrapped around my shoe, and with one simple move, my Apple 17" G4 PowerBook crashed to the hardwood floor, breaking 75% of the viewable screen.

After spending quite some time writhing in agony, and getting some assistance from my main main, a replacement screen was eventually ordered, and all would hopefully soon be well.

So last night, we began the computer repair process taking apart my constant life companion only to discover that the screen that we purchased, while made specifically for my make and model, didn't meet the "product number" requirement, so no replacement was made (that complete adventure will be blogged about in the future... I'll end it at that for today's purposes).

So last night, about 1:30 AM, I am driving home through the boonies of Montgomery County at a rapid, open road rate. Some time into the journey, I realize that I have a car on my tail, and upon closer inspection, I realized that it was in fact a state trooper behind me. At this point, I'm doing 60 in a 30, and feeling that it was already too late to avoid the inevitable stop, I didn't brake, but eased off on the gas slowly slowing down.

The moment I hit 40 miles per hour, the flashers come on and I pull off to the side of the road.

Dreading what was forthcoming, visions of my last ticket (a $523 doozy two years ago) came to me. The officer hopped out of his car relatively quickly and come to my side. He asked me for my license and registration, to which I complied.

He had his flashlight pointed at me, and using the illumination from it, I fingered through 4 different registration cards (I replaced my original boring plates with cool Maryland tags, and had one renewal since I got the car...and I just saved the useless, invalid ones just to complicate situations like this). As it took me a minute to find the right one, the officer asks me, "Does your car have interior lighting?" Me first analyzing his question as if "interior lighting" was some sort of criminal activity I was partaking in. After I affirmatively answered his question, he replied, "So use it."

Well said.

So I turn on my interior lights, and while locating the correct card, he looks at my gas gauge and remarks, "I know why you were going fast! You were running out of gas!"

I wisely agreed with his assessment of the situation. He then asked me where I planned on filling up my tank. I had no idea where the next station was, being out in the boonies and all, and he told me where I could find one. He then took my license and registration and told me he would follow me to the gas station and would let me know there "what he decided to do with me."

While filling my tank, the officer and I had a pleasant conversation. He asked me where I was headed, questioned the out of date address I had on my license, and asked my why I hadn't filled up at the outset of my journey.

After successfully replying to all his queries, we had a conversation about my computer breakage incident, the fact that a unsuccessful repair attempt had been made, and his personal doubts about the chances of returnability of items on EBay.

We even talked about religion.

He also reminded me about the 2 points I had on my drivers license which are set to expire in June.

At the end of our chat, he reminded me to be safe when I was driving, so as to not kill myself or another driver. He told me he didn't want to give me more points, and to make sure I filled up my gas tank appropriately. He told me he tries to keep his tank at a quarter tank at minimum, and that he usually tries to keep it above a half a tank in case he is called on a chase.

He let me go without a warning, without a ticket.

I am one lucky guy.

This Morning on the Metro....

After a busy long weekend, I waited on the platform of the Silver Spring metro station for the next available train to take me to work. As a train approached, I was pleased to discover it was starting its journey from our station, so we boarded an empty train. Seat selection was a joy.

However, with our arrival to the Takoma station, the real excitement was about to begin.

As people boarded our formerly empty train, a gentleman was seated two rows ahead and to the right of me, and apparently was waiting for his friend to sit with him. A lady had approached this seat, and seeing that his friend was still approaching the seat, and there were others available, asked the woman if she could find a seat elsewhere.

She took a seat behind him in the very next row, and when the man's friend sat down, she began the morning's hysteria.

She loudly exclaimed how rude the man was, and that he had no right to push her away. (For the record, the lady sat down next to a Metro contractor who said he hadn't witnessed the alleged push because he was reading a newspaper. I didn't see a push, nor did anyone else claim to have witnessed it. This does not mean it didn't happen.) The man denied pushing her.

The conversation escalated, with the man and the woman going back and forth: she declaring his rudeness, and he denying her claims.

A Metro driver happened to walk by, as we were in the front car of the train, and came to intervene. He attempted to mediate, but eventually decided backup was necessary and called it in.

He leaves, which prompts the involvement of other passengers. A woman two rows ahead of me, and to the left of the men in question loudly states that the man who was holding the seat needed to be kicked off the train.

Another woman, a hippie type, then began her mediation attempt. She talked about how we humans are all "interconnected" and that each of us have an "energy" and when people argue like those two were doing, all of our "energy levels" were being depleted. She told them they needed to think about these things before they chose to fight.

He then apologizes for what he had done. The lady, not being satisfied since he wasn't looking at her when he said sorry, asked for another one. He complied.

By this time, we had arrived at other station, and an additional Metro employee boarded our train in an attempt to resolve the escalating conflict. He tried to get both sides of the story, and concluded with informing them that he was going to put in a call to the transit police.

The employee leaves, and the man and the woman do another back and forth. The man, who seemed to get extremely irritated with the situation at this point, informed her when she once again asked why he allowed the other man seated next to him the seat and not her, that he and the man "were together" and had been in a relationship for the past five years, and due to their schedules, riding the Metro was sometimes the only time they had to spend with one another.

The lady then spoke of the "relationship" she had with the Metro contractor seated next to her (who she had clearly never met previously), and when the man gave her a puzzled look to her response, she slowly understood what he had meant by being "together."

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the saga. Metro employees still needed to finish their involvement.

The Metro driver who initially witnessed the event came back to see what the status was. Both parties indicated that they had resolved their differences, but the driver wasn't convinced. He called for another employee to the situation. The other employee came and talked to both, and once again, he was informed that the two had solved their problem. After an impromptu meeting between the now four Metro employees now riding the train, the woman was offered a personal escort for the duration of her Metro ride. She declined it.

The couple departed at the Gallery Place station, 7 stations after the incident began. After the man and the woman exchanged a final apology, he and his boyfriend disembarked the train.

At the next station, the woman was greeted by a transit police officer who asked all the individuals in the front of the packed rush-hour train to leave so he could approach the woman. He asked her if she wanted to press charges against the man, which she declined. He confirmed this with her twice more, and after being satisfied, he left.

As we arrived at the next station and as I stepped off the train so I could head on into work, the lady I was seated next to, who I had shared the experience (sighing in unison on several occasions and offering our commentary to one another) were never so relieved to finally arrive at work.

What an exciting morning in the capital of our great land.

Maryland finally coming into postseason form

Click here.

I realize I have neglected my blog recently. I am sorry.

Not to worry, regularity will return. I have been chewing my fiber gum.

Snot Drips....

So I'm sitting on the Metro this morning on a crowded train. It seems that everybody is sick around me - the person who I am seated next two keeps breathing in the mucus in their nose because they lacked a Kleenex and their nose was about to leak, apparently. Standing above me was also a similarly sick individual.

I am quite the germophobe. If people cough or sneeze around me, I tend to hold my breath for an acceptable amount of time before the germs floating around in the air pass. It's a very scientific method I employ. Yes, and it works I tell you. It works.

So anyway, as I am sitting there, surrounded by coughs, sneezes, and runny noses, I feel something on my lip. A liquid of some sort from the man standing above me dripped onto me.

Yes, I got snot dripped.

After it happened, I was in shock, and didn't know what to do. I then, using my sweater sleeve, dabbed it up, and sat in misery for a train ride that seemed it would never end.

You know how sometimes you have the urge to lick your lips? I was having this urge, but the thought was so repulsive. I sat for the rest of the journey with dry lips.

The moment I finally walked into work, using my faithful bottle of hand sanitizer, I disinfected my lip. I had a cold, I guess a psychological one, for the next 5 hours of the day. But luckily, my trusty immune system dealt with the germs that sought to wreak havoc on my body.

SO gross.

Word of the Day: documentational

doc·u·men·ta·tion·al (dŏk'yə-mən-tā'shən-əl), adjective.

1. Of or relating to documents.

Example: You have met the documentational requirements.

Oooooh Maryland...

That is all that I can say. Looks like this will be the third consecutive year without a tournament appearance.

In Defense of Joe Biden

In case the rock you live under completely blocked you from the news in the past week, there was some hoopla over some comments made by Joe Biden, Senator from Delaware about the other democrats who are running for President in 2008. The main hysteria was caused because of what he said about Barack Obama - that he was "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Biden did not say that as a racist, nor did Obama take the words as such. They were simply blown out of proportion by the media. He, unfortunately, despite being a politician, doesn't talk in politician-speak which to me is very appealing.

I realized that I was clearly in the minority as I listened to the talking heads across the political spectrum. But then, once again, I felt affirmed by reading the comments by Pat Buchanan - my favorite commentator. He wrote a piece on the issue published today. Go ahead and check it out here.

I am not endorsing Biden as my favorite in the 2008 sweepstakes by any means. I still have yet to find a candidate from either party that I really like at this point. But sometimes the frenzy over petty things gets to be over the top, and this was just one of those times. (For example, during Biden's mandatory apology tour, Al Sharpton tells him "I take a bath every day.") What a joke.

Snow Musings

Today, Washington DC survived its first "winter storm." Less than one inch of snow fell. But we survived nonetheless. There was more snow in outlying areas. I believe it was up to three inches in some parts.

Anyway, back when I was in elementary and high school, whenever there was snow on the ground, the first thing you did in the morning was to watch the morning news to see if schools were closed. You usually knew pretty quickly - they cycled the names of the public school systems, and city governments, and you could either celebrate with a closing, be a bit lazier with a delay, or live with utter disgust in your heart with an on-time opening.

Now, however, it seems that every organization sends their status to the news stations, and the cycle of names takes about twenty minutes. In the time it takes for one to wait through a cycle, one can easily look online and easily find the necessary information.

I propose that news stations no longer announce the status of schools and businesses that affect less than 1,000 people. We are in the internet age. The name cycling started before people had any other method of receiving information. Our society must adapt.

Excellent Album Alert

Here's an album I know you should check out. I don't even have my copy yet (its on its way), but you can actually preview almost the entire album - that's right, you aren't limited it to 30 second clips that barely give you enough of a song for you to make sure its the one you are looking for or to hide the fact that the rest of the song sucks.

I'm a huge Shaun Groves fan, and today on his blog, which I read faithfully during my daily morning whirlwind internet news and blog reading session, he asked to help get the word out about his new independent CD. So I, being the lemming that I am, complied.

I actually have every CD he has released, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one. This one is no different.

Quote of the Day

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who pouts out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of good deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy case; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never bee with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt, 1910, Paris Sorbonne

Word of the Day: Romo

ro·mo (ROW-mow), verb.
1. to bring about a positive, dramatic turnaround to an organization, only to see the changes progressively diminish and brought to a sudden, self-caused halt.
2. to slip through ones fingers, as if they were coated with butter.
3. to be the sole cause of one's defeat.

Example: Under Tom's leadership, deficits were replaced by surpluses and the stock valued rose, however, he romoed the company when, in the process of reducing paperwork to increase efficiency, he had all the company's financial records shredded. All of them.

HOT and cold

I love my new bathroom. The shower has a large, frosted window in it so if you get in at the right time, you can take a morning shower in the rays of the rising sun. I love sunshine.

There is a problem, however. The building is on the older side of things. Not historical preservation by any means, but several decades old. Because of this, or simply poor pipes, it is virtually impossible to take a shower of constant temperature if you try during normal awake hours. It seems somebody in the building is always brushing their teeth, washing dishes, flushing a toilet, or doing laundry. It's perpetual "Flush!" land.

This morning, for example, I probably spent more time along side a stream of scalding hot water than I did under it. Well, I am slightly exaggerating. But it was pretty close, maybe a third of my shower time.

You can try anything. You think you've finally found the perfect water temperature after a marathon of knob turning only to find yourself yelping in pain as your skin feels like its about to peel. Or you get a blast of ice cold water even though the cold water knob is not open. The temperature will not stay constant for more than about 40 seconds.

Its either hot. Or its cold. It's never in between.

After thinking about it this morning, as the shower billowed with clouds of steam and I positioned my feet in such a way I could avoid getting burned by the falling water, I finally discovered what happened. The shower head borrowed my Bible and read Revelation 3:15 and 16.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

So my shower has taken this to heart, and will only be hot or cold.

When you read those verses in their context, God rebukes people who say that they have everything that the world offers and don't need anything else. He offers those lukewarm people an upgrade on everything they think they have, free of charge for something better. Much better.

It is so easy to get caught up in the rat race that we forget about the life that God calls us to. A life that is completely opposite of what the world recommends. Or what makes sense.

God calls us to give ourselves completely to Him. Not halfway. Not straddled on a fence. Not lukewarm.

Its funny what a shower can teach you about life.

I Quit

Yesterday was my last day.

It was the final day that I drove home from work.

Today, and every day in the foreseeable future, I will be taking the subway to work. I used to ride the Metro every day, when I first got my job in downtown Washington, DC. However, after working at the job for about a year, my name had moved up on the parking spot waiting list all the way to the top. And for a per-paycheck deduction of first $30 every two weeks, and more recently $46.15, I got my very own place to park my car.

When I lived in College Park, my drive time was about an hour. Total mileage was roughly 11 to 12. I moved to Silver Spring, and my commute time shrunk to about 45 to 50 minutes for a 9 mile drive. And currently, from my new place in downtown Silver Spring, its about a 30 to 35 minute drive for about a 7 mile drive. For those of you who live in the DC area, I imagine the travel times are understandable. However, for those who don't live near such congestion, I bet it could be cause for some indigestion.

I will no longer have drive my beloved car at speeds slower than the growth rate of my facial hair. Nor will I be the victim of signal-less turners. Or entitlement drivers. I will not burn gasoline at rates barely into the double digits on a gallon. However, I will no longer get to eat breakfast in my car or enjoy some quality radio morning shows.

The best part of this new arrangement is that my job-related transportation expenses are now zero. My workplace provides an excellent benefit of $100 free in Metro fare and my estimated monthly cost would be around $95 since I no longer need to park at the station. So now I don't need to pay just to get to work.

Also, now I will be able to do some reading again. Although it will be school related, I now get nearly an hour of time (25 minutes each way) I can devote to it that I couldn't before. This should hopefully help me stay on top of things.

As I now will be taking a different line than I did when I did my first Metro-rider stint, I will get to learn about the best platform positions, and which side of the train the doors will open on at each station. It really is quite an art which I had mastered. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I don't need to change trains at any point in my journey now, so the process will not be nearly as involved as it used to be.

Here's to the Metro riders...I'm back.

Mission to Ethiopia

Among the projects I have coming up this year is to help plan a mission trip for my church to Ethiopia. While our most recent trip (Ireland) was geared toward the youth, this one is more open to all members, and many individuals across the age spectrum have expressed interest.

What is the goal of the trip, you ask? My church, Reaching Hearts International, has an orphans ministry. Hundreds of children across the world are sponsored by members and friends by contributing $30 per month. You can read more about the ministry here. We have come to work with many orphanages directly. As such, we will actually be working on construction of a new one in June. The organization we will be working with has developed a system where two parents are given a house and ten children are cared for. They live as a large family. Additionally, the villages that contain many of these orphanages are designed to be self-sustaining - all the individuals needs are cared for by the people themselves. The kids are taught skills so that when they are ready to begin their adult lives, they can move on, well prepared to live life on their own.

Most of these kids are orphans because their parents have died because of AIDS.

If you are interested in participating in this trip, either by going on it yourself, or sponsoring someone who is (MSRP is $2,500), please contact me.

I will keep you posted as the trip develops, and will provide a post-trip analysis. Although it is extremely unlikely that blogging will occur during the trip, if there is somehow internet access somewhere, I will attempt to provide an update or two. We'll see. The trip is still young.

Excellent Album Alert

I picked up Jonny Lang's Turn Around today when I was at Best Buy. It is excellent. Listening to it for the second time at the moment. It is rock/jazz/soul/gospel/pop/funk/r&b. Yeah, somehow. Check it out. Maybe a review will be forthcoming. We'll see. Too busy enjoying the tunes at the moment.....

Going Clock-free

For the past few days, I have gone clock-free. I haven't looked at the clock to determine if I was staying up "too late." Nor have I been awakened by the gradually increasing intensity of my alarm. I have barely looked at the thing.

Simple reason: No school work. No work work. It's really nice.

I really need to do this more often. I had honestly forgotten how great days like these are.

Too bad the stars don't align themselves like this more often.

If you ever get the chance to go clock-free, go for it. Or if you can somehow arrange it, do it. I don't know the next time that this may happen for me, but I sure am glad I had it.

Word of the Day: Connery

Welcome to a new feature I am introducing to my blog: Word of the Day. Unlike the other Word of the Days out there that give you words that expand your vocabulary, this one utilizes words that already are a part of it. The catch here is that in order for a word to become my Word of the Day, it cannot appear in the dictionary.

con·er·y (KON-uh-ree), noun.
1. swindling
2. persuasion by deception
3. to con

Example: She fell victim to my connery.

And at the end of round 1...

As of 3:00 this morning, I have completed my very first semester of my Masters of Divinity. So now, I have a week and a half before it all starts up again. The next few days will be filled with some nice relaxation. Well, the evenings will be, anyway.

Four classes are done: Introduction to the New Testament I and II, Strategic Planning, and Greek Language Tools.

I wish I could tell you that it has been easy thus far, but it really hasn't. No matter how much time I am able to put into school, it feels like I am always behind - readings, lectures, assignments.

Plus, the whole "I'm sorry, I can't go out with you guys because I've got a paper to write/a book to read/a lecture to watch" really gets tiring after a while.

However, markable progress has now been made. The first sign on the road seen. If I move forward with full steam ahead, I have 7 semesters left. Just over two years from completing the degree.

If past years have been any indication, two years from now, I'll be asking "Where has all the time gone?" Although I will say that the past 16 weeks have certainly felt like 16 weeks. I know in the long term, the sacrifices that I make on a daily basis will eventually pay off. It sometimes is just hard to believe it living in the moment. Last week, I really did feel like quitting when it seemed the work that was yet to be completed was insurmountable. But luckily I rebounded quickly.

I have certainly learned a lot. The classes have been interesting thus far. I know they will continue to be in the future. I do wish I could take them in a formal classroom setting, with direct interaction with the professor and fellow students, however, I am happy to settle for what works with my life at this point.

Despite all the stress and sacrifice, all is well. Having the confidence of knowing that you are exactly where you are meant to be in life is truly satisfying. Sometimes when I step back and look at my life, its amazing to see how what I once perceived to be some random event somehow turns out to be the perfect thing.

I am ready for my second semester. But not until I can sleep in on a Sunday, watch more than one football game a week, and 6 hours of sleep will not be classified as a good night. Well, I only have 10 days to live that life. But I sure am going to live it.

I love Amazon.com (And John D.)

I just got off the phone with John D. Quite possibly the greatest customer service representative I have ever spoken to.

I recently placed an order on Amazon.com for a Christmas present for my main man. It was delivered, but upon opening the shipping container, I noticed that the product that I purchased was damaged. Or appeared to be damaged. Today is Tuesday. I would need delivery by Friday if I wanted to make it an actual Christmas present.

I sent an email using their site, but was given a canned, standard reply by some individual named Inder B. who clearly hadn't read my message. He just noted that he forwarded my message to their shipping department and that they would work on "making future improvements. My email was a "what should I do if I want to make this a Christmas present" message." However dear old Inder B. didn't make any mention of it. After clicking on a "This did NOT answer my email" link, I got to talk to John D.

I explained to John D. that the clamshell, impossible to open plastic container that held the gift had some dings on it which actually hit the product itself. So while there was contact with the product, I couldn't tell if the marks could just be wiped off, or if they were permanent features. John D. understood my dilemma. I could give my friend the possibly damaged product as a gift. I could open it to find out if it was actually damaged, but thereby voiding any return options if it was damaged and giving my buddy an opened gift if it wasn't. Or I could just not give him the gift altogether and hold out for a replacement post-Christmas.

After a bit of working his system, he was able to arrange for 2-day delivery of a replacement for me. This was outside the standard operating procedure for their replacements. So, it seems, I will be getting a replacement delivered to me in time for Christmas.

Really, what are the odds of that kind of customer service in this day and age. John D. was friendly, empathetic, and extremely cheerful.

I had never had a problem with Amazon.com ever before. Everything I've ever ordered has come to me before their estimated delivery dates. So this was going to be the first blemish on their otherwise spotless record. However, instead of a blemish, it has just added to their shine.

I love Amazon.com. (And John D.)

I hate Comcast, continued

Comcast told me they were going to visit me yesterday. They were going to stop by sometime between 11 and 2 to install my new digital cable service with a new DVR. The plan for yesterday was a) get cable installed b) go shopping for stuff around the apartment and c) watch Monday Night Football.

When calling to confirm the appointment on Sunday, I was told that I should be ready to pay for the first month of service, as well as the installation fee. This installation fee was not present when I was setting up the service online, so I asked about it. I was transferred to a customer service agent who told me that "Comcast wouldn't install for free." After some persistence, he said he'd see what he could do, and brought my installation fee down from $24.99 to $9.99.

So yesterday, a couple minutes after 2, after not having my visit, I decided to give them a call. I was informed that the service technician was running late and that he should be at my place in 45 minutes.

At 3:00, after no call and no technician, I called back. I spoke to a gentleman who told me that he was going to try and find out where the cable guy was. In the meantime, he puts me on hold, and I receive another call from a lady from Comcast who tells me the technician was still at the prior job, and would be installing my cable in another 45 minutes. My original guy hangs up on me, and then calls me back with the same news. I tell him that this was unacceptable, and ask him if there was anything they could do to make me "a happy Comcast customer instead of a bitter one." He then offered me $20 off my next bill as a part of their "On time guarantee" program.

I called them again at 4, when I still hadn't heard from them. This time I am told that the technician was nearby, and that he would "be there soon." I was given a time estimate of 30 minutes.

A couple minutes before 5, I called again. I was once again given the 30 minute estimate because we were "next on the list." I asked for some additional compensation for the "pain and suffering." The request was denied, however, since apparently the $20 was the max.

Around 5:45, I called again and the lady who answered told me she was going to call me "right back" with the technicians whereabouts. After waiting about 30 minutes, I called back again, and after the customer service guy tells me that he spoke to the dispatcher, and the technician was "3 lights away" from being at my apartment.

So finally, what seemed to be a "20 lights away" drive, the technician shows up. He starts getting ready for the install, and after showing him where the cable was to go, he realized he had to go out and get more wiring. So he comes back, and finally is able to set up.

A couple minutes before 8:00, digital cable was installed.

Yeah, I still hate Comcast.

(The technician was actually decent. I was working on my 15 page paper, and he saw me spread out with a bunch of books open, and me working busily. He asked me if I was studying the Bible and I told him about my masters program. He asked me what I was planning on doing with the degree, to which he responded. "Man, that's awesome. There really should be more guys like you out there." So that kind of melted all the anger I had built up earlier in the day. But yeah... that Comcast is still a joke...)

A Quarter - Today

King of the Internet

It finally happened...

MySpace Takes Throne from Yahoo

Dec. 14, 2006 — An interesting online milestone occurred in November: MySpace overtook Yahoo as the No. 1 most-viewed site on the Internet, according to comScore Media Metrix.

The numbers are staggering: There were 38.7 billion — yes, billion — page views for MySpace versus 38.1 billion for Yahoo, and again, that was just for November.

Here's the rest...

ETA: The original cause for the post was a fight that happened at a local school, triggered by some students fighting over comments each made on their MySpace page. Pepper spray. Knives. Paramedics. Um, yeah. Read about it here.

I hate Comcast

I recently moved to a new place. It has been exactly one week, today.

Among the things which have yet to be set up is television service. Before the move, I had a plan. I had done research and figured out the best deal would be to go with a dish. Costs less than cable for all the channels I wanted. Almost half.

However, last week while signing the lease, I discovered that dishes could not be installed at our new apartment community. We could only get cable. And that service could only be provided by Comcast.

Comcast is a rip-off.

There I said it. They monopolize an entire area, with a willing local government. And then we the consumers are stuck with insanely high cable rates. And all those taxes. Win-Win for The Man.

The last time I paid for cable was a little more than a year ago. My how things have changed. Before, the total bill for cable and internet was around $120. Now, cable alone is pushing $100.

They used to offer incentives at Comcast. I remember when I signed up for the first time, we got six months of a really decent price. Now, the actually do have the $33/$33/$33 offer. However, unfortunately for me, this offer is not available in my new neighborhood.

Verizon now has just (thankfully) been permitted to offer digital tv to allow for some competition and another alternative to cable television. However, the Montgomery County roll-out doesn't include downtown Silver Spring.

With no good options available to me, I must either go with Comcast or rabbit ears.

I wish the whole a la carte cable options happens some day - you know, where you can pick and choose which channels you would like to watch. Unfortunately, the cable industry runs the world, so there is no real hope of that. I would use only a few channels - NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, ESPN2, and Comcast Sports Net. Oh yes, and the NFL Network. (Which just adds another dimension to my dilemma - should I shell out an extra $15/month to upgrade basic cable to digital, for the sake of the NFL Network? I am still working on that.) I don't need the hundreds of channels, or those useless digital music channels.

So. Nearly 90 bucks a month for 11 channels. To an evil monopoly. I don't want to do it. But I'll have to. The rabbit ears don't pick up a thing.

I hate Comcast.

A Blog Import

I'm about to beef up my blog archives. I had been posting occasionally on my MySpace blog during the dark ages of this blog. Next week, I'll transfer those posts over, for your reading enjoyment. Just to keep you in the loop.

Please No...

The timing seems right for a Pat Roberton/Jerry Falwell declaration that the stroke was caused by God so the Democrats are unable to control the Senate. Please somebody prove me wrong.

Senator Johnson's Stroke

Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota may have had a stroke earlier today. He is a Democrat, and currently there is a 51-49 split in the Senate. South Dakota has a Republican governor. If Johnson is unable to serve in office, his replacement will be appointed by the governor. This would cause a 50-50 split with Vice President Cheney given the opportunity to break the tie. That's right, the Senate would return to Republican control. This may be huge.

More to come....

So Whats New?

So in between the time I revived this blog this morning until now, things have changed. I thought I'd so a simple overhaul of format and then start blogging anew. However, after updating a few links on here I remembered the labor I put forth in creating version 2.0 of this blog with the dark blue background and a homemade (obviously.. using MS paint back when I had Windows) trying to perfectly match the HTML color code. So in honor of those previous efforts, this blog will continue as version 2.1 instead of 3.0. I will slooooowly make changes. Also, because I really don't have time for this (major overhaul) for reasons I'll explain below.

In the year that has passed, I still work full-time for the American Pharmacists Association in Washington, DC. However, now I also am in school full-time. Somehow surviving thus far. My first semester ends this week. And I'll be off for two weeks. I can't wait. My schooling takes place via distance learning through Liberty University. I am working on my Masters of Divinity.

(When rereading old posts, I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized my animosity towards leaders of the religious right were directed at Pat Robertson, and not president of my school, Jerry Falwell.)

So, a preview of version 2.1 of Ears to My Music? I'll probably yap about sports at my alma mater, the University of Maryland where I majored in government and politics. Accordingly, political issues will also be discussed, and threats to vote for my electoral picks made. I live in Maryland, so I'm sure state issues will come up. I love the Washington Redskins, so they'll get some air time. Plenty of assorted rants. Mostly though, I'll probably talk about this two and a half year journey I'm on, through school trying to get some good God stuff in me.

The Links -

The first update I've made to the site is to include links to two blogs that I find to be particularly excellent. One is by a good friend from high school. Another, by this guy who I don't even know, who I sing with all the time. Although, luckily he isn't there when it happens.

The Journey - My friend is launching into a new direction in her life where she wants to become a full time fine artist whose work points people to the Word of God. Her drawings are amazing. She has new stuff regularly, which is nice for a blog... ahem. You can watch her progress right before your eyes.

SHLOG - Shaun Groves is great. He is a musician, teaches a young adult group at his church, and writes really well. I check out his blog every day when I'm at work. So many different topics. He recently redid his website and moved his blog site. And today he "begged" for links to the new blog because I guess people are still linked up to his old one. The timing worked out well. Check him out. Oh, and he loves me, too, by the way. Check this out.

So yeah, I have this 15 page paper due on Sunday that I need to get started on. Oh yeah, and two exams. And too many lectures and readings to do. And they say school isn't fun...

I'll probably do a "best of" ETMM 1.0/2.0 at some point soon. Or better yet, check out my old posts for yourself. There's plenty of good stuff back there.

Resurrection

I remembered I had a blog. I knew it was here. However, I reverted to the cycle I posted about in my debut post here, but somehow I will still be breaking it. I will not be deleting prior posts. I can't believe it has actually been almost a year since I last posted.

Its ironic that my latest post came about as a Redskins season wrap up last year. This season (un)officially ended this week. Silly me - thinking that this season would finally not be a rebuilding season. It has morphed into the ultimate rebuilding season.

When I logged into Blogger for the first time in ages, I realized that now it has been integrated into Google, the greatest company ever. So I am sure there are new features that need to be explored.

So I will be rebuilding this blog. Hopefully reformat it. Change some colors. Add some pictures.

Stay tuned.

Final Thoughts on the 2005 Season

So, the Redskins season has finally ended. It has ended long after most would have thought. Had you asked me last August if I would be disappointed if the Skins would have a 10-6 season, and make it to round two of the playoffs, I would have said "No, of course not!" However, now that that those circumstances actually do exist, I feel disappointed anyway.

This disappointment is not the normal sort of stomach churning, anger inducing disappointment which I had felt in some prior seasons. But this disappointment is more along the lines of the fact that shimmers of greatness were seen this season, and it is just a little upsetting that more weren't seen during the playoffs.

In addition to this redefined disappointment I feel, now there is a new sensation. And that sensation is the feeling of hope. Yes fellow Redskins fans, we have hope going into this off-season. Can you imagine if we had another deep threat, aside from Santana Moss? Maybe rehabilitated in-house David Patten can do it? Or maybe someone can be imported. Regardless of who it might be, the possibility is great. Our defense is obviously insane. We've got a not too shabby Clinton Portis on our side, and an amazing Chris Cooley. The question is not whether or not we can be a competitive team--it is how competitive are we going to be.

This is the first time in recent memory this isn't a "rebuilding year." A decent team has been built. A few modifications need to be made but we don't have an entire board that needs to be scrapped. We do need a long term quarterback, but the situation is obviously not dire.

Am I disappointed that next weekend I won't be able to don my Redskins regalia and glue myself to the TV? I sure am. But this year, going into the dark ages of months without football, I will survive not only because I know football will return on September 7, but because one of the best teams in the NFL will be rearing to go here in Washington.

Pat Robertson is insane, continued

Here's why he apologized. Genius fellow this guy is. Check out this article from Time .com: What Was Roberson Thinking.

Here's a clip:

There are plenty of possible reasons for what Robertson's spokeswoman referred to as his "apology". Belated civility, humility and public-relations savvy come to mind. Robertson may also have been heeding criticism back in the States, some of the most scathing from fellow evangelical leaders who suggested that he is now a marginal figure—despite a television audience reported to be 825,000 strong. Richard Land, a key figure in the powerful and conservative Southern Baptist Convention, pronounced himself "appalled."

But equally crucial in jump-starting the preacher's path to apology may have been a sharp response by the Israeli government and the attendant threat to his leadership in a project he has worked hard to realize. Robertson, a leader in the evangelical branch that supports Israel's existence as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies anticipating Christ's return—hence his dismay at its "division"—has many interests there. Most notably, he is collaborating with the Israeli government and a group of evangelicals to build a $50 million Evangelical "heritage center" on the Sea of Galilee. Israel was to provide the land and infrastructure for the project, leaving the funding and the center's details to the evangelicals, of whom Robertson is the best-known. The arrangement is unusual, says Zev Chafets, who is now writing a book about the relationship between Jews, evangelicals and Israel and is a former spokesman for the late premier Menachem Begin. "In the past," he notes, "Israel has been extremely reluctant to turn prime land over to Christian organizations."

Pat Robertson is insane

So according to Pat Robertson, Ariel Sharon's stroke was caused by God. Isn't wonderful for God to have a spokesman as wise as Robertson? Sometimes you wonder if he realizes what he is saying when he says it. Or if he ever realizes it.

Anyways, I read a very good blog posting today about this matter. Check it out here.

Here's a clip:

If I were God—which I’m not, but if I were—I would be pretty annoyed that Falwell and Robertson keep blaming me for everything. I would probably start unleashing all sorts of crazy stuff on the world just for spite. I’m talking never-before-seen catastrophes here. Things that would make what I did to Egypt with those ten plagues look like another fun episode of Romper Room. I would bring back Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show and give her a lifetime contract, and let her live till 402. I would turn black people into white people and white people into black people, just to shake things up. I would pee on whole cities and not wash my hands, so that whenever the Hand of God worked through your life, it would be the hand that I used to pee and didn’t wash afterwards. And I would turn cherries into little blood capsules, so that Coca Cola had to reprint its Cherry Coke labels and change the name to Coke Blood.

Marriage the Equalizer?

Here's an interesting article from USA Today.

Here's the opening:

As a happily married man, I have been troubled by the oft-stated myth that the institution of wedlock has never been central to the African-American heritage.

Unfortunately, this view has permeated the African-American community and society at large. Now, it may be single-handedly holding back blacks in their pursuit of social, economic and educational progress.

According to testimony given last fall to a Senate subcommittee by Ron Haskins of The Brookings Institution, from 1970 to 2001, the overall marriage rate declined 17% but 34% for blacks. The overall rate for out-of-wedlock births is 33% compared with 70% for blacks.

Round 2

Some offensive offense. All I can say is this: Thank you defense! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you sooo much! You guys are amazing! Hopefully Brunell, Moss, Cooley, and Portis can be just as magical in Seattle.

Ban the Ban

On Wednesday, the DC Council approved a smoking ban prohibiting smoking in restaurants and bars across the city. You can read about it here. It was an 11 to 1 vote, with Carol Schwartz the sole dissenter. The ban would immediately affect restaurants, with bars and clubs to follow next year. Thankfully, Mayor Williams has expressed some hesitation about a ban. This is despite the fact that if he goes ahead with a veto, he can be overruled. But it sure is nice to hear a sane voice every now and then. Schwartz was actually 100% correct.

Schwartz said the issue was personal choice and freedom. "Don't make me out that I like smoking, because I don't," said Schwartz, an ex-smoker. "Bar and restaurant workers have a choice of where to work, and patrons have a choice of where to patronize."

The whole exemption thing is a joke as well.

The longest debate was over whether to exempt the city's eight hookah bars, where people smoke tobacco out of a shared pipe. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) argued that hookah bars should be exempt because tobacco use is the central focus of their business.

Schwartz then jumped on Graham. "If it's all in the guise of protecting worker health, why would you want to kill off the hookah bar workers?" she said to laughs in the packed council chambers. "The hypocrisy is just astounding."

Smoking is a legal activity. I am not suggesting that all of us non-smokers should be forced to sit in clouds of smoke as we try to eat dinner. But what I am saying is that each of us has a choice. Some restaurants have chosen to go smoke free, others haven't. For those of us who have a problem with smoke, we can choose to eat at smoke-free places. For those of us who don't mind sitting in the non-smoking section , can eat at both "types" of restaurants. And if you want to smoke, you can just pick a restaurant that allows it. It is quite simple, actually.

If a restaurant that allows smoke realizes that my crossing over they can make more money, don't you think they'd do it? You bet they would. If each and every restaurant was a smoke-free environment, I wouldn't be too bothered if it was achieved naturally. We just don't need the government coming into areas that, quite honestly, they are completely unneeded.

There are three groups of people whose freedom of choice has been eliminated by the passage of this single bill: the people who eat at restaurants, those who own them, and those who work at them. I think all of us can fit into at least one of these categories. So I guess the government has just made one more choice on all of our behalves. How nice of them. I mean, what else can they spend their time and energy on? I guess everything else in DC is just great.

I truly hope that anybody who believes in personal freedom supports this ban. I mean, if you don't believe in personal freedom, that's completely cool. We are all free (thankfully) to opinion. At a time when Americans are worried about violated liberties with secret monitored telephone calls (which unless you connected with Al-Qaeda so much so that your personal phone number is in their address book and you receive calls from the middle east, you don't really need to worry), here we have the choice of restaurants publicly removed. I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free*.

*except in certain areas including restaurant type

Playoff Bound Redskins

What a great (well, outcome anyway) game for the Skins yesterday! I'm ready Saturday's game against the Bucs. Hopefully the team that showed up to beat the Cowboys and the Giants will show up!

Quite the turnaround from last season's 6-10 to this year's 10-6. Joe Gibbs has most definately (once again) done some good in Washington.

Here's an article that talks about yesterday's game. The paragraph that caused me to post it:

The hiring of Gibbs was almost analogous to the traveling salesman coming home to a filthy house and the kids spoon-feeding the family mutt peanut butter. Order needed to be restored. Gibbs returned the way he left -- a stately, bespectacled grandfather, preaching unity, resolve and just plain good sense. He weathered the first prolonged criticism of his career last season, finishing a disappointing 6-10 and raising real doubt over whether a coach in his mid-60s had completely grasped the nuances of the modern game.

Click here to read the rest.

Happy Holidays!

I don't know why people have stopped saying "Happy Holidays" after Christmas passed. They now simply use the "Happy New Year" greeting. Don't they know some of us are still celebrating? I mean, hello! Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are still going on as I type! Isn't that the whole reason they had to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" in the first place? The majority of the holidays that take place during this time are only happening now, and nobody is wishing "Happy Holidays" to anyone anymore. I, for one, am offended. After December 25, people asked, "So how was your holiday?" but shouldn't they have asked, "How was your Christmas?" Because really, that was the only holiday that has been completed so far. I find it insulting that it is assumed by strangers that I might have possibly celebrated Christmas! I mean, the nerve of those people! Christmas is only one of only how many holidays people?! Bottom line: Never ask a stranger how their holiday "was" in the days after Christmas. In an America where we celebrate diversity, it is quite disrespectful of everyone to assume that it was Christmas they celebrated. The proper time to ask strangers about the "holidays" would be sometime in the first week of January. By then, all holidays (December holidays, anyway) would have passed, and one can respectfully ask this question. So, please fellow Americans, do not ask me or anyone else about "the holidays" until then. However if you only want to ask about Christmas, just go ahead and do that.

Teach, Don't Preach, the Bible

Interesting op-ed by Bruce Feiler in the New York times today.

Here's the closing paragraph:

The extremists talk about religion - and spew messages of hate. Religious moderates must denounce this bigotry and reclaim Scripture as the shared document of all. When flamethrowers hold up Scripture and say, "It says this," moderates must hold up the same text say, "Yes, but it also says this." The Bible is simply too important to the history of Western civilization - and to vital to its future - to be ceded to one side in the debate over values.

Click here to read the whole thing.

Commander in Chief?

Ok, so the Golden Globe award nominations were announced today. Why in the world is Commander in Chief nominated for Best Drama? Did the voters actually watch an episode before voting for it? I know that The West Wing is not in the middle of its own creative peak, but this season has most certainly been its best one in the past 3 years (where it was previously nominated) and is far superior to "the other White House show." I don't know if the voters were making a political statement with the nomination, but it certainly wasn't because it is a quality show.

Religious Coalitions in American Politics

Here's an interesting article I came across today.

Here's a clip:

American politics is the politics of coalitions, and religious groups are not exempt from the need to build alliances. Indeed, religious coalitions have often been the subject of hot debate by observers and activists alike. Ever since the presidential election a year ago, the media has been full of reports about "new religious coalitions," at the very same time that battles over abortion, same-sex marriage, and judicial nominees have revived some old ones. The controversy over the current state of religious alliances slides almost imperceptibly from empirical—how do religious groups cooperate in contemporary politics?—to prescriptive: how should religious groups coalesce so that appropriate values shape public policy?

Click here for the rest.

What a Weekend in Sports

This was a great weekend for my sports teams! It's nice to watch a game to see your team win at the end.

The Redskins beat the Cardinals! In order for us to have a post season, we HAD to win yesterday. There are only divisional matchups for the reason of our season so every win is currently a must win for us to have any hopes of getting that wild card slot. Or who knows, maybe the Giants will collapse and we will win the division. (It is possible. I mean, many things are possible.)

The Maryland soccer team won the national championship! I saw the second half on TV yesterday as we cruised to our first championship since 1968. Crazy! Great day for Maryland sports fans!

The 17/21 ranked Terps beat No. 6 Boston College in our ACC opener! A nice win after the loss to GW last week. Welcome to the ACC Boston College!

O'Malley's Running Mate is Brown

The gubernatorial race here in Maryland has had a new development--a running mate has been chosen. As you know, Governor Ehrlich will battle the victor of the Martin O'Malley/Doug Duncan battle which sure looks like it will be fierce (although O'Malley is currently trouncing Duncan, and is ahead of Ehrlich if they were to face off).

Well, Martin O'Malley announced today that Delegate Anthony Brown of Prince George's County will be his running mate. This can't really be seen as surprising because we all know that now, thanks to Governor Ehrlich's leadership, the lieutenant governor position is now the minority slot. It was a forgone conclusion that O'Malley would run with an African American, as will Duncan whenever he fills his number two slot (rumor is state Senator Gwendolyn T. Britt is a top choice).

Here's my question: When Governor Ehrlich chose Michael Steele as his running mate in 2002, there was mass hysteria that the only reason he was chosen was because of the color he added to the ticket. Shouldn't those who support affirmative action actually have be pleased with this selection? And is there any question that the white male Democratic candidates for governor were going to select black lieutenant governors?

You hear it time and time again. When Republicans select African Americans for positions, it is always because they are used as window dressing. Plus, they really aren't black anyway, right? But when Democrats do the same exact thing, there is absolutely no problem with it.

Hypocrisy is quite common in politics. Your opposition does something shameful and you call him out on it. But if somebody on your own side does the same exact thing, you don't really point finger unless you have to. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of this. I think its just embarssing that the party of the minorities shows this trait when it comes to race.

I have not officially decided who I will be voting for in the governor's race next fall. I am quite satisfied with Governor Ehrlich's handling of the job despite not having voted for him. However, I am waiting to see what his plans for the next four years are, and to find out if what the Democratic nominee has to offer is better. This race will certainly be one to watch.

Customer Service Numbers--My Christmas Gift to You

Don't you hate it when you call up a customer service number only to discover you get to talk to a computer that talks back to you and asks you questions? And when you answer, it doesn't understand you? And you keep getting sent back to the same menus over and over? And then you call the computer voice mean, vicious things, only to provoke a non-response, or the far better, "I did not understand that"? Maybe that last one is just me...

Anyway, if you haven't heard about it already, some guy who apparently had too much time on his hands (oh, I'm not complaining!) has compiled a large list of companies' customer service numbers and has the "codes" you can punch to get directly to the human customer service agent bypassing the most likely Windows-based computer.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, instead of giving you a fruitcake, an ugly sweater, or pants that look like they were in style in the mid 80s which I was otherwise planning on sending you, I thought I would give you this--something you could actually use year round saving you time and stress. And really, can you place a value on this? I didn't think so.

Without much further ado--Merry Christmas! That's right...Christmas!
http://paulenglish.com/ivr/

So just bookmark the page in your browser, and whenever you need to call the dreaded customer service department, use it. And think of me. All throughout the year. It's just a token of how much I care.

Oh, and feel free to regift this one. I won't be offended.

Having the Usual

Today was a special day in my life. When I made my occasional morning stop at Sizzling Express on 23rd Street for a muffin and a smoothie, I was asked my the lady behind the counter, "Hawaiian smoothie?" to which I nodded in affirmation. So now, I have one more place I can include on my "places who already know what I'm getting" list.

At my old job, whenever I went out to lunch with my boss, we always ate at the same place. And no matter who the server was, they didn't need to bother with menus because they already knew what request to send to the kitchen.

People used to know their neighbors. Store owners knew their customers. Strangers were strangers because those were those few people in a community that were unfamiliar. Now, the few are the people you actually do know. And sometimes even these people can be thought of as strangers.

Many advances have been made in the past couple decades. Socially, politically, medically, and technologically, we have seen many gains. However, there have been costs as well. The greatest of these, I believe, is the diminished value of human relationships. This is obviously not a deliberate action, but simply a by-product of our current society. We grab some fast food for dinner, stop by the big box store for personal items, have our cars serviced at centers where we are merely a number, buy groceries with self checkout, and buy things online to avoid crowds at the mall just to rush home and watch Must See TV. Have things become more convenient? Definitely. But at what cost?

Generally speaking, who gets the best service anywhere you go? The answer is simple. It's those who know with whom they are dealing. You get better service if you know your mechanic's name. If you know your pharmacist name. If you know the server at your restaurant. If you know your kid's teacher. If you know the guy hiring.

Nowadays, you need to make an active effort to get to know people outside your tight knit circle. The benefit of this is one of those things whose value cannot be given a dollar amount. And maybe, just maybe, places where you can have the usual, whatever that "usual" might be, will not be a rarity but the norm.

Off The Mark

Here's a comic that made me laugh out loud today. Check out more at www.offthemark.com

My Weeks in Brief (or not)

So it has been more than two weeks since my last post! I know your life has almost ceased to exist these past few days. For that, I'm sorry. I won't ever do it to you again. Well, I'll try not to, anyway.

Here are some of the things I might have talked about in the last couple weeks:

- I missed my traffic court date!
I got stuck in traffic two weeks ago and missed my hearing on my speeding ticket from back in June. I was apparently doing 100 on I-270 and missed my chance to explain to a judge why. There was a huge traffic jam on the Beltway, but luckily, I was granted a postponement. Four months until round two.

- I testified before the Prince George's County Council
My church is currently trying to build on our land, but before we can go forward with some plans, we need to have a category change for water/sewer. We'll see what happens. My testimony was basically, "I support our County Executive's position on this issue, and it is an honor to speak before you today in a county I've lived in my entire life."

- I saw the Redskins lose against San Diego
Going into the game, my record was 1-0. So, honestly speaking, every game I had seen the Skins play in person, we had won. And since this was a critical game in the season, I felt compelled to be there just so we could pull off a win. But, alas, this wasn't to be. Another disappointing "lose it in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter" game that we have had for the past three weeks. How nice.

- Mark Warner is on fire!
How many news commentators in the past two weeks, when talking about the 2008 presidential nomination, have said it looks like it will come down to a Clinton/Warner battle? Too many to count. I know, I know...there are a couple years until any such comment acutally matters, but it sure is nice to hear that kind of stuff about your guy!

- My pastor had an article in section A of the 'Washington Times' last week
Click here to read it.

- I have a clothing schedule for work
After it was both admitted to after questioned, and then later stumbled upon by somebody using my computer, I feel it is necessary to have a public disclosure of this issue of critical importance. I have a two week clothing rotation for work, and in order for me to stay organized and not wear the same clothes the same week (apparently, some aren't fans of that), I just have a list of my "work outfits" and I simply cycle through them whenever I go to work. I don't see a problem with that for a guy who can't remember what he wore to work yesterday. Plus, it shows how much I care about the rest of the world. That's right. I do care.

- My 'Apprentice' people are doing great
Early on in the tv season, I picked my favorite candidates on each of the Apprentice shows. Yes, I do watch the Martha Stewart edition as I have announced previously. Both are still in it to win it. Rebecca on The Donald's version has made it to the final two, and Ryan on Martha's version has made it to the final five. Still fans of each.

- 'Lost' is excellent this season
I started watching Lost season one, but got slightly distracted midseason with some slow storylines as well as the conflict with the results of my West Wing addiction. However, I did eventually catch back up and have been faithfully watching every episode this season. It is most definately one great show. Unfortunately, there are six weeks until the next new episode! Why, oh why, oh why!

Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for my next post regarding this holiday season. I started talking about it in this post, but when I had two paragraphs, I figured it could be its own. Plus, I'm starving right now and lunch sounds a lot nicer than typing. Sorry to cut this one short. It's not right, but it's okay... you're gonna make it anyway!