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November 30, 2004
Reprieve
Looks like my first trip down to Houston scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled, due to the crappy cubes not being assembled in the properly crappy manner. What a shame.
Posted by stan at 12:05 PM
Frustrating Meeting
One of the worst parts of this whole transfer business is that a couple of people I work with are losing their jobs. I just got out of a horrible meeting with HR about what those people are suppose to be doing over the last two months with the company now that they have transferred over almost all of their work responsibilities. Needless to say, the company's professed concern in helping these people transition to new jobs as left a little to be desired. Basically, they are going to make them keep coming into the office even though they have absolutely nothing to do.
HR suggested that they could be helpful doing some cleaning around the office. My suggestions that we could get them to do our laundry as well was met with frowns.
Posted by stan at 11:22 AM
November 29, 2004
Shocked
What a surprise that this confidential Internation Red Cross report got released to the NY Times. I'm shocked, SHOCKED!
Posted by stan at 10:17 PM
Those Packing Day Blues
A sad time has come, I officially started packing up most everything in my big, private office with a nice view so it can be sent down to the small, ugly cube in houston with an undetermined view out of the window I had to fight tooth and nail to be located near. The movers are coming to get everything tomorrow morning at 8:15.
Even though I won't be working full-time down there until after Christmas (though everyone else who's transferring is officially gone on Wednesday), this is yet another one of those "it's really going to happen" moments. I still have to travel down there this week, in an apparent attempt to sap yet another day from the calendar that is already overloaded with more things than can possibly be done by the end of the year. And that's just work, it doesn't include Sara and I packing away the rest of our junk and fitting it into storage, 3 papers/exams due at school or the small matter of helping plan this whole wedding (though Sara does most of this, as should be the case). Hard to believe with all that going on I found 5 hours to sit around in my underpants watching TV yesterday.
Posted by stan at 01:31 PM | Comments (1)
November 24, 2004
Blur
Posted by stan at 09:35 AM
November 23, 2004
Grad School Dinner
Posted by stan at 09:33 AM
November 22, 2004
What's Doing At Fenway
A sneak peek at the Fenway field reconstruction.
Posted by stan at 10:29 PM
November 21, 2004
She Doesn't Have a Blackbelt...
...and she's not keepin' it real.
Posted by stan at 07:21 PM
November 20, 2004
World Champion Grafitti
Posted by stan at 02:22 PM
November 19, 2004
Turkey
Posted by stan at 07:09 PM
Christmas Present for Stan?
I'd make room in the living room for this.
Posted by stan at 02:52 PM
Quote of the Day
"We cannot come out and say that (former U.S.) President John F. Kennedy was a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and so Warner cannot come out and say Alexander was gay"
---Yannis Varnakos, upset about Alexander's portrayal in the upcoming Oliver Stone movie, missing the obvious point that Kennedy would have played for the Celtics
Posted by stan at 02:19 PM
Speaking of HW
It turns out that our new congressional district, the mighty Seventh of Texas, was once represented by the former President Bush. The current Rep. is John Culberson-R, whose congressional record I am now reviewing. His web site is very clear that he thinks "Texans Should Always Run Texas," which I imagine many might respond to by suggesting that no one deserves that. Some highlights of bills he's sponsored:
H.R.1305 : To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to reduce the tax on beer to its pre-1991 level.
All good Americans supported this bill.
H.R.1740 : To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1502 East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, as the "Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, Sr. Post Office Building".
H.R.1715 : To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 8624 Ferguson Road in Dallas, Texas, as the "Cesar E. Chavez Post Office Building".
H.R.3775 : To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1502 East Kiest Boulevard in Dallas, Texas, as the "Dr. Caesar A.W. Clark, Sr. Post Office Building".
H.R.4717 : To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1199 Pasadena Boulevard in Pasadena, Texas, as the "Jim Fonteno Post Office Building".
H.R.4829 : To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 103 East Kleberg in Kingsville, Texas, as the "Irma Rangel Post Office Building".
H.R.3633 : To provide for dime coins to bear the likeness of President Ronald Reagan, the Freedom President, in honor of his work in restoring American greatness and bringing freedom to captive nations around the world.
The Freedom President? That's a new one, I didn't know you could legislate nicknames. I'll be proposing a bill to designate myself the Freedom Accountant next session, hopefully.
H.R.4528 : To require the Secretary of the Treasury to redesign the face of $10 Federal reserve notes so as to include a likeness of President Ronald Wilson Reagan, and for other purposes.
I guess the Freedom President trumps the Freedom Sec. of the Treasury.
H.RES.280 : Congratulating Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees for pitching 300 major league wins.
Somebody just lost my vote.
When the Representative from the fighting Texas Seventh wasn't renaming post offices, he co-sponsored a striking number of bills that contain the words "tax code" or "IRS" and "repeal" or "abolish". Also, from what I can tell Rep. Culberson would prefer gun laws to be somewhat more leinent. Like wear them on your hip leinent. But to be fair, there is one I liked:
H.J.RES.55 : Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to require that Federal district court judges be reconfirmed every ten years by the executive and legislative authorities of the State in which they serve.
Hey! That's reasonable!
Posted by stan at 11:30 AM
Ex-Presidents
What a nice speech. Gives hope that all the politicians that act like jerks when seeking office might be pretty good people deep down. Except for Al Gore, of course.
Transcript: Former President George H.W. Bush Comments at Clinton Library Dedication
FDCH E-media
Thursday, November 18, 2004; 2:18 PM
SPEAKER: GEORGE H.W. BUSH,
FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
BUSH: President Carter, thank you for those very kind words.
President Bush, President Clinton, Vice President Gore -- I'm just delighted to be here.
Senator Clinton, pleasure to be with you and the wonderful Chelsea.
Barbara and I are thrilled to be with all of you here as we celebrate this dedication of this art structure, this magnificent structure where starting today, future generations will come to study the 42nd president of the United States.
Barbara and I have been here a very short period of time. But the truth is even before we arrived, there were already a few things we knew visitors would find here.
First, we already knew that visitors would find a uniquely American story of how a young man seized hold of perhaps the most improbable dream that any boy or girl could conceive and through sheer tenacity and gifted intellect saw it realized.
Bill Clinton was born into trying circumstances, but today it can be said he forever remained the man from Hope.
Through his indefatigable determination, not only did he lift himself and his family up, he also went on to touch the lives of millions around the world as president of the United States, giving them hope.
BUSH: Of course, it always has to be said that Bill Clinton was one of the most gifted American political figures in modern times. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.
(LAUGHTER)
Here in Arkansas you might say he grew to become the Sam Walton of national retail politics.
(LAUGHTER)
And seeing him out on the campaign trail, it was plain to see how he fed off the energy and the hopes and the aspirations of the American people. Simply put, he was a natural, and he made it look too easy.
And, oh, how I hated him for that.
(LAUGHTER)
Another gripe, Bill Clinton enjoyed debates too much for my taste.
(LAUGHTER)
You know, to be very frank with you now, I hated debates.
And when I checked my watch at the Richmond debate, it's true, I was wondering when the heck Ross Perot would be finished and how I could get out of there.
(LAUGHTER)
But it was also clear that soon to be President Clinton was in his element that night.
And upon further reflection, maybe it's because with Bill Clinton ideas mattered greatly -- ideas matter to all of us who enter public life, particularly at the national level. But whoever said that the American presidency is merely a weigh station en route to the blessed condition of being an ex-president did not count on William Jefferson Clinton.
Once in office, he was very much an activist president, in the best sense of the word. He devoured ideas with an insatiable curiosity and then pursued them with unbounded energy and infectious enthusiasm.
He was and we saw recently remains a tremendously effective advocate for his beliefs.
He was a little hard on the president during the recent campaign. But in the spirit of being kinder and gentler, I have long since forgiven him for that.
(LAUGHTER)
And here in this place you will find an inspired story and a record of accomplishment on behalf of our great people.
But in conclusion, let me simply say that after you leave the White House, a number of things happen to you.
BUSH: First of all, the crowds of protesters get smaller. It's disappointing, really.
(LAUGHTER)
And when you play golf, no one gives you short putts anymore.
But one of the great blessings is the way one-time political adversaries have the tendency to become friends, and I feel such is certainly the case between President Clinton and me.
There's an inescapable bond that binds together all who have lived in the White House. Though we hail from different backgrounds and ideologies, we are singularly unique, even eternally bound, by our common devotion and service to this wonderful country.
And that certainly goes for the 42nd president of the United States.
And if I might inject a somewhat proud personal opinion here too, that certainly goes for president number 43, too.
When President Clinton experienced his heart trouble recently, there was a tremendous outpouring of affection and support. But in hindsight, perhaps we need not have been too worried. After all, few presidents in recent memory have shown greater resilience and bigger heart.
Every time he got knocked down, which can happen in politics, he got right back up. In fact, he made the comeback his trademark.
And therein lies the greatest lesson ever offered to future generations: Never give up, never give in, keep on fighting.
So, Mr. President, congratulations to you and Hillary and Chelsea on this very special day.
(APPLAUSE)
END
Posted by stan at 11:05 AM
November 17, 2004
FedEx
Hmmm...this seems to have been going around for a long time, but can you spot the arrow in the FedEx logo below? I couldn't, but once I had it pointed out that's all I see.
Posted by stan at 11:22 AM
Cathy Young
One of the decreasing number of reasonable columnists left out there.
Posted by stan at 11:02 AM
November 16, 2004
PETA
If PETA really respected the rights of animals, they'd be a little more selective in choosing sponsors.
Posted by stan at 10:35 PM
Office Present
I just walked back into my office from a meeting and sitting on my chair were two envelopes, with tickets for Sara and I to fly down to good old George Bush International in Houston.
One way tickets.
Posted by stan at 10:26 AM
November 15, 2004
Blurry New MBTA Policy?
Posted by stan at 10:45 PM
November 14, 2004
Black & Tans
Sara & I headed up to NH this weekend to visit my parents and enjoy a couple frothy beverages.
Posted by stan at 11:18 PM
November 13, 2004
Oslo With Sara's Old Lomo
Random shots from my trip to Oslo last March.
Posted by stan at 07:15 PM
First Photo With New Camera
Posted by stan at 05:40 PM
November 12, 2004
Reprieve
Just got a call from the mechanic, it seems the old girl is going to live to see another day after all. How about that?
Posted by stan at 04:06 PM
Illness in the Family
It is with great reluctance that I announce that my beloved '89 Saab has reached a critical stage and is currently undergoing an exploratory procedure by trained professionals, the outlook is bleak.
The old girl has been in my life since the fall of 1998 and the memories are many. I remember that crisp, sunny day like it was yesterday, driving down Rt. 20 with the sun roof down and the radio on (and subsequently leaving the interior light on and running down the battery on the very first day). RJ and I inexplicably took her on a road trip to DC after a night of crying in our beer, pulling over somewhere in Delaware to call in sick to work. She took me across country (and was a comfy bed on many nights of that trip) and back after I quit my job and did a bit of a freak out in 2000. She broke down in the rotary in front of the Sagamore Bridge to the Cape a summer later, which I (or the 7 miles of backed up traffic) didn't look kindly upon at the time. The old girl took the new girl and I on many a trips during the dating years, a few to Provincetown, a couple to Burlington and other Vermont points, Portland, Long Island to meet my family, Melrose to meet her's, uh, Hartord - Insurance Capital of The World. The old girl was there when I proposed, she was struggling and showing her age, but she gutted her way all the way to Lake Champlain with the ring and champagne in the trunk. What a trooper.
I was, still am, hoping that she holds together until we finally have a place with a garage and enough space that I can fix her up like she deserves. But I can't really justify another big repair bill, especially since I'll have to put her in storage while we're in Houston. I fear our time together is fleeting as I sit here in my cold, austere office, waiting for my cell to ring with the diagnosis.
Say a prayer.
Posted by stan at 11:18 AM
Celebration!
And now, your 2004 World Series Champions, the Boston Red....oh wait, that's not a duck boat.
Photo by Oleg Popov/Reuters
Posted by stan at 10:24 AM
November 10, 2004
Movin' On Up
Finally got approval on our corporate housing in Houston, lets just say we're going to have to be careful not to get use to living this high on the hog. Here are some of the amenities:
Distinguished Post Oak Boulevard Address
This doesn't mean much to me besides that it's walking distance to work
Three Outdoor Fireplace Terraces
Just what you need in Houston, where it is 86 degrees today on NOVEMBER 10.
Six Outdoor Grill Areas
Getting better, but wondering why they need to specify "outdoor", maybe indoor barbecue is a big thing in Houston?
Pedestrian-Friendly Lifestyle Unique in Houston
So it's like Boston kind of?
Billiard Room & HD TV Center
Nice.
Internet Cafe & Coffee Bar with High-Speed DSL, Gourmet Kitchen with Cooking Classes WiFi, Plasma TV's and Digital Scrolling News Ticker
Just like Time Square!
24-Hour Executive Fitness Center
The one thing I've heard most about Houston was that, well, it's a big city in more than one way if you catch my drift. Guess we won't have to worry about that with our 24-Hour Executive Fitness Center. This is perfect since I only like to work my delts after 3AM.
Theater with Stadium Seating & Surround-Sound
Guessing they won't be showing Farhenheit 911 there.
Spinning Room
This is why everyone I've met from the Houston Office seems dizzy.
Six Resort-Style Pools
Seriously, if we don't like Houston I think we can just stay inside for 6 months and be perfectly happy.
Posted by stan at 03:38 PM
Ugh...
...I feel terrible. What a waste to use a sick day when I am actually sick.
Posted by stan at 07:55 AM
November 09, 2004
Don't You Have Enough Money Yet?
Here's your chance to get advice on where to buy your next purse and where do get your next dose of steroids, all under one roof!
Posted by stan at 01:45 PM
November 08, 2004
Hmmmm....
...it seems I lost a couple of posts and all my comments during those technical difficulties. If you'd just go ahead and imagine that they were all really clever or funny or well thought out, I'd appreciate it.
Sara and I are planning a preparatory trip to The Village Smokehouse on Wednesday. My mouth is already watering for an order of the texas sausage. The best barbecue in...Brookline.
Posted by stan at 01:29 PM
Hilary
A good take on Hilary '08 the of questionable sanity but exceedingly literate Josh Marshall.
I'd build on that and say the same goes for Obama. Leaving the whole experience bit aside, what would the well-spoken Senator that I don't really know anything about gain the Democratic Party? Not the 10% of blacks that voted Bush? A fresh shot blue-collar workers maybe?
Now, Bill Richardson is a whole different story. There are a lot of Hispanic votes to pick up in Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado etc. I'd be interested to see The Big Guy and Richardson square off in an all-southwest showdown. Think of all the old west-gun fightin'-bar brawlin'-high noonin' imagery the press could use.
Posted by stan at 11:49 AM
Beware Intense Cumulus Cloud Formations
Looks like there's going to be a priority placed on rubber-soled shoes once we get down to Houston. Every time I hear about this pollution I think less and less about it.
Posted by stan at 10:46 AM
November 07, 2004
Mandate
Someone else backing me up, and he's got pundit in his URL, so that adds authority.
Posted by stan at 01:30 PM
November 06, 2004
Technical Difficulties...
...I'm having them. This is what you get when you out source IT to the other side of the apartment...
Posted by stan at 06:58 PM
November 04, 2004
Voting
I've only ever voted in one school or another.
Iowa
Lazy Doe Bar - Monarch, Montana Krystal Kinnunen/Great Fall Tribune via Associated Press
Family Pride Laundramat - Chicago Illinois John Gress/Reuters
King's Barber Shop - Philadelphia, PA Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Posted by stan at 06:22 PM
November 03, 2004
2008
Uh-oh, Sara, who has not yet been put on suicide watch but did refuse to go within a block of Copley Square this morning, is already ordering her wish list for 2008.
Posted by stan at 06:24 PM
The Popular Vote
I've already heard more than enough times that it is somehow important in a historical sense that Bush recieved more votes in 2004 than any candidate ever (Gasp, even Reagan!). This overlooks the small fact that there were only about 300 people in this country up until about 1920.
Gross numbers don't mean anything, unless there was a ballot initiative to repeal the laws of mathmatics that I missed somehow.
Posted by stan at 06:21 PM
Quote of The Big Day III
"John Kerry is likely watching the returns as well."
---The irrepressible Wolf Blitzer, after showing video of Bush and family watching the returns in the White House, allowing us to benefit from his years of political experience.
Posted by stan at 06:20 PM
Quote of The Big Day II
"Lets get you up to date on the returns starting with the monitors on the right side of the studio and moving left. At CNN, we call that going wall to wall with our coverage."
----The irrepressible Wolf Blitzer adding value to the telecast
Posted by stan at 06:19 PM
Quote of The Big Day I
"The red states are for Bush, the blue states are for Kerry."
---The irrepressible Wolf Blitzer, getting the people who live in caves up to speed
Posted by stan at 06:18 PM
Quote of a Quote of The Big Day I
"11:29 - F**k you and your tennis analogies, Wolf. 'Neither candidate has broken serve yet. An analogy we can all understand.' Go shove a crumpet up your ass!"
---Paul, quoting the irrepressible Wolf Blitzer, man of the people
Posted by stan at 06:17 PM
Big Day
Well, looks like it's over and perhaps my calculations were a bit off, even though the NY Times et al are still hopefully listing Ohio as too close to call. I still can't believe Bush won Florida, apparently, according to Joe Scarbourgh who mentioned it about 10,000 times, those hurricanes had something to do with it.
Posted by stan at 06:13 PM
November 02, 2004
What Is This, Afganistan?
Went down to cast my ballot at good old Massachusetts Ward 5, Precinct 2 today and was shocked to find a line longer than the ones for the bathrooms at Fenway. Let it be known that I was voting back before it was cool, back when turnout was threatening to drop below 50%.
There were a lot of 73-year-old grandmas, not too many poll watchers for poor old Massachusetts though. Two suggestions for election officials:
1. Switch some voters from Ward 5 to Ward 21. Polling for both groups was held at the same place this morning, but the line for Ward 5 was 300 people and the line for Ward 21 was, well there was no line.
2. Speaking of that, how in the world are Wards 5 & 21 anywhere near each other? Shouldn't Ward 5 be located in the same general area as 4 & 6? Does this make any sense?
Posted by stan at 06:23 PM
Kerry in Boston
I was just out getting lunch and it looks like Kerry is going to make a stop at The Union Oyster House, because, you know, that's were all the locals hang out (though I guess he could be going to the Bell in Hand, which wouldn't be as bad). Rumor in the crowd was that he was going to have lunch with his favorite Red Sox player, Manny Ortiz.
On a side note, I'd like to give kudos to all those in the gathering crowd that decided to gawk from or cut through the Holocaust Memorial to see what was going on. Don't let those 7 million deaths get in the way of your photo ops, fellas.
Posted by stan at 06:14 PM
November 01, 2004
Voter Fraud
On another note, I'm all for everyone being able to vote without undo pressure and intimidation and all that, but read this from Wonkette this morning:
"8:46 FNC. Fox & Friends:
John Fund, author of "Stealing Elections": Absentee ballots are ridiculously easy to falsify. Election monitors will intimidate local volunteers: "73-year-old grandmothers going up against 40-year-old New York trial lawyers." Our election system sucks so bad that 8 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were registered to vote. The F&F crew takes the high road and doesn't claim the hijackers would've been heavily for Kerry."
First, I don't think we should underestimate 73-year-old grandmothers, that's just getting to the age were logic is no longer a principal concern of there arguements, which seems to perfect antidote to trial lawyers. Second, how exactly did asking for someone's drivers license become undo intimidation? It is absolutely astonishing to me that you can vote without showing identification when, as someone I forget was saying yesterday, you can't take a book out of the library without ID. Third, I'm betting those 8 hijackers would have gone third party.
Posted by stan at 06:21 PM
Not Baseball
In non-baseball matters, there is the small matter of a Presidental Election approaching. After reviewing the relevant facts, I feel confident in projecting John Forbes Kerry as the 44th President of the United States based on the following:
1. Millions and millions of new voters this year. You've got to figure they break towards Kerry, at least 60/40. Even if half of them don't vote, or 75% for that matter, this should be enough to give Kerry 2 of 3 in PA, OH & FL.
2. Cubans. They went big time for Bush in 2000, but they're not going to this time because of Bush's decision to limit travel back to Cuba. People can only go see family members once every three years. Kerry takes FL because of this.
3. Cell Phones. As everyone knows, the polls are pretty even but they don't ever call cell phones when conducting them. I don't have a land line. Sara doesn't have a land line. Of all the other people that are cell phone only, they are almost uniformly our age or younger, people that lean Kerry. That leads me to believe the polls are under estimating Kerry's support.
4. Undecideds. Even if they only represent 5%, it's enough to swing things. They historically break 70/30 for the challenger, especially when the incumbent has an approval rating below 50% like Bush (48 last I saw).
Kerry wins, with about 310ish EVs, though it might not be called on Tuesday night. The biggest upside of this that I can see is that we won't have to put Sara on suicide watch.
Posted by stan at 06:15 PM