Son of a Buckley

I'm just making a quick post on something I read today. For those new to the political scene, there was this guy named William F. Buckley, who was the very definition of conservative. I am sure there are statues of this guy somewhere, even if they probably deserve to the be spray-painted over. But he was in favor of legalizing all drugs (how about that from a conservative?) because he thought the War on Drugs was a complete joke (ummm, no kidding).

Anyway, he also founded the National Review, a super-conservative magazine, in 1955. His son, Christopher, is a columnist for them and a new figurehead for the conservative movement.

Well, he's updating his resume.

You see, he decided that McCain is running a moron's campaign and that Palin is the biggest joke of a VP nom in history. Not modern history, mind you. But history in its entirety. So making a well-informed and logical judgment, he decided to write a column for The Daily Beast explaining that he's voting for Obama.

You can imagine what happened next.

After receiving the full brunt of hellfire and brimstone from the right, he resigned his column from the magazine his frickin dad founded. Luckily for us curious folk, he wrote a follow-up explaining the whole thing, which is really quite sad that he had to abandon a job all because of an opinion that didn't meet the status quo of his party. I even checked out the comments section of the original posts, and there is some scary stuff out there, and some beyond-stupid people who i am ashamed to see can functionally use a computer and type out this stuff.

I can easily imagine liberals doing the same to their own, which is sad, and just another reminder to me how fractured this country has become, and how impossible it seems for progress to ever move in this city and this nation. When a mainstay of the conservative movement can't even share an open opinion without being threatened with his own life, what do you do?

Simple Shoes

OK, so I have found a new shoe store that I like. Normally I clad myself in adidas shoes, because I find them really, really comfortable ever since my outdoor and indoor soccer days from my teen years. Adidas even did me a huge favor by releasing a line of eco green shoes, which I have happily made a purchase since I am trying to convert my life into a more eco-preferred existence.

This post is about Simple Shoes, which makes great shoes out of recycled materials, from car tires to organic hemp. I bought a pair about three weeks ago and they are remarkably comfortable, as I have sometimes found that eco-preferred/recycled shoes can be rough on the feet depending on construction. 

Anyway, I'm posting these two movies to show what they are about. Plus, by doing so, I get entered in a contest for some free kicks. You get some knowledge, I get a chance at new shoes. Win, win for everyone.

Phallic Friday Continues

Thank god Friday is almost over. Not long after the run-in with Naked Co-Worker, I had yet another moment that was just a bit too much for one day.

One of the new areas I have explored at work is taping instructional videos to help staffers learn how to do certain tasks in our office. Using the printers, teaching some specific techniques in PowerPoint, Word, etc., and filling out various forms in our office like timesheets and whatever else HR has trouble properly explaining. Sure, my main reason for all of this is to reduce inane questions rolling my way on a daily basis. But the bonus goal is getting to learn some new software and try something new to keep the workday interesting.

As part of this, my IT guy got me the software I needed and a fancy microphone from Plantronics. It works great and also looks oddly like the Bird of Prey. When I first got the package, everything was fine. But it was upon opening it and removing the mic that the package backing was just a tad too much. I mean, really? Was this necessary in the product's packaging design in order to sell it? Was there a meeting to discuss this? ("Jimbo, I think I'd like to see the penis-inspired background at least twice as large. I want it really coming at the customer"). It's not like this was something you could miss.

I just had to hold onto it because some co-workers would have gotten a huge laugh out of it, and they did. But this day just needs to end. I'm done with it.

Uh, Thanks for the Show, Bro?

I work in a great office. Not long after starting at CFED, we moved from shite office space over at Union Station to more professional digs at Metro Center. Hell, I even got an office (with a door) out of the deal.

While we have our own floor, we sublet it out to two other nonprofits, which is great since they share a similar mission. But today things went a tad kooky when I made a pitstop to use the bathroom. Upon opening the door, here was one of the guys from another organization standing there kickin it in his light blue BVDs.

Well, hello there Naked McNakedson.

Holy crap. I didn't need that at 2:30 in the afternoon. Shit, I didn't need that at anytime of day, let alone in an office setting. The fellas on our floor have it better than normal, because it's a woman-dominated office space so we have unaccustomed privacy that is in stark contrast to sports stadium atmosphere we're normally used to on a daily basis. As I quickly blew past him, I noticed he was changing clothes. Not from jeans to a tux for some event or vice versa which I could understand, but he was just changing from one normal everyday outfit to another. So I was already stumped.

Frankly, we have a rather large men's bathroom. Toward the back, if the guy had any sense, is enough space to damn near field a 3-on-3 basketball game. It's larger than my damn apartment. OK, not really. But instead McNakenson decides to park his bulbous, banana-hammock body in front of the door where anyone (including those entering and exiting the women's restroom RIGHT NEXT DOOR) can see. If this was his plan all along, he's more desperate for attention than a Lohan at a cocaine plant.

I was now clearly in a rush to not be anywhere near this scene in the event someone cranked open the door and some co-worker saw me in the bathroom with a nearly ass-out dufus. So I made my way to the sink, which he instantly blocked. He then made a move to block the paper towels to dry my hands, but luckily the clothed were swifter than the naked, and I got there first. As I left, he then began an intricate dance with tucking his shirt which I can only describe as something closely resembling this. Dude, just tuck and go, man. Just a word, fellas: I don't need this shit at the office. Or anywhere. Thanks.

Quiet in the Cathedral

Thought it was time to share another set of photos that I have taken as part of my exploration into HDR photography. This slideshow is actually the first time I have ever attempted HDR, so it's cool to revisit these photos and see how my technique began and where I have come from then.

The things I notice most is my initial fear of shooting anything with people in it. I have gotten better and more comfortable with it, but it's something I definitely am constantly working at. Of course, it's not like these photos are the first photos I have ever taken. Luckily, I had been at the photography thing for a year or two before that. Yet I feel like these photos are the first time two things collided at once.

First was my desire to try a new technique with the HDR thing. The second was just feeling more comfortable behind the camera and taking my time to get the shots I wanted. Most of the time I still rush myself thinking something else is out there, but at least I notice it more often and can slow down to make sure I'm doing all the right steps to get the shot right and sharp. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy my first ever foray into HDR at the National Cathedral down the street from my home.

This Exhausted Body

For most of the summer my running/exercise schedule was completely shot to hell. My organization put on a national conference here in DC last month, so I spent the entire summer busting my ass getting posters, signs, flyers, brochures, post cards, programs, powerpoints, banners and all manner of shite put together in time. At last count, our conference director said I designed somewhere around 650 pages of original content in just over seven weeks.

So I was a wee tired by the time the conference ended.

Now that I have recovered, I have decided to resume my running schedule, but with a new twist. Trying to find time to run after work each night was a real pain. Not a lot of time at night. Sometimes I'm running errands after leaving the office. I'm not in the mood to get mugged by the homeless dude who knows my daily schedule since he lives on the bridge outside my apartment. Plus, sometimes I just want to come home a veg.

The new twist has been waking up at 6:30 in the morning and running in the morning before I shower and go to work. For those who know me and my disdain for being conscious in the morning, it was a daunting task. This morning was the first go at it, and I was like a zombie all day at the office (that's not me in the photo, but it's emblematic of my physical state). No fewer than seven people noticed my lethargic nature. It's clearly going to take some for my body to get used to running that early in the morning.

I can (thankfully) report that my morning running/exercise routine is at least clothed, unlike these wackos.

Pleasing the Crowd

Have to quickly give props to my new band, who rose the occasion last night. After chowing down on some homemade vittles, I was stunned by everyone's giddy desire to fire up Rock Band 2 and thrash the night away. Reviewing video games is fun, and some of my late-night Gears of War sessions with my friends back in Cincy and Lexington are always a pleasure (and when is halving locusts with a chainsaw not?). But this was different, because now we had the ladies eagerly joining in.

We all took turns at various instruments. Dr. Dan struggled throughout with the guitar but found some comfort in vocals (at least when he was wailing out Man in the Box). K-Martin was solid all around, having no trouble either at drums or lead guitar. The main ladies behind the mic were Ashley and Sheri, who certainly enjoyed the evening even if they failed to hit a single note unless it was a spoken-word song. I always fare well in the guitar department, and for the first time I pick up the drumsticks and learned that with some more practice I won't be half-bad at it. But the big ups for the evening had to go to my goddess divine, who has always jokingly shunned my reviewing of video games. Normally she moans about the space they take up, the joy I get from shooting aliens or defeating U of L in football. Yet there she was, banging away like my own little Keith Moon. And she loved it. So now I've got her right where I want her.

By the end of the evening, after several encore performances, everyone agreed a national tour was in order. First we take IHOP, then we take the world!

Can't Make Heads or Tails of Her Either?

Well maybe this will help. While Buchanan and the lot of fools were gushing over Palin's debate performance, I was sitting there in a local hotel bar with some co-workers trying to make heads or tails over some of her bizarro comments. Seriously, the lassie barely answered the questions asked. Just the simple fact she had no idea of the impact of Crazy Dick Cheney on the VP's office. I don't know how we can make it as a country with this woman as VP. She's a disgrace to everything Hillary had accomplished.

In the meantime, here is a flow chart (courtesy of our friends at the Huff Post, who got it from another source) in case you were searching, like me, for a map to Palin's speaking manner.

5 Minutes Makes a Big Difference

Check this out. Pretty people telling important things. I don't care which side you like, but this is no joke. Watch for 5 minutes, then make an impact with 5 others. Along with this blog, I've contacted 5 others. I feel better already.

Register to vote!

A Few Days In Cali

As I said in my initial post, part of the reason I set this blog up is to share my photography with the masses (all 8 of you who read it ... but believe me, I love your support). I don't claim to be some kind of photo savant, but I do really enjoy it. I've always loved photography, and while he may not like it, a good deal of my new motivation and desire to be good at it was working with my buddy Bill. He's a damn good photographer, and has always been willing to share his advice on my techniques and suggestion new ways to look at things. He's the silent type, so the first time he started a conversation with me was a shocker. I think it had to do with the GBH album I was listening to, but now I've digressed.

So click here or the main image above for the slideshow of photos I took during a recent trip to Napa. The weather was amazing, the wine flowed and tasted as great as I could expect, and even the food was outstanding. I don't entirely know where on the cow the wagyu beef comes from, but I hope it's relatively decent spot where I won't feel weird loving it so much.

I will probably explain in a later post how I go about creating my images. But I really like the way HDR comes out. I see the world in a different way than the next person, and while I love black and white photography, for the time being I have really attached myself to the way HDR presents itself. I dig the competition each photo has between the real-life image that I captured and the digital, almost-painted look my final images show. Hope you enjoy.