Egypt

I realize I live in the greatest country in the world!!!

I also realize we have many many problems that need solving...we are certainly not perfect, far from it in fact.

All that being said, why do we feel we need to stick our nose in every other country's business? This is not Iraq or Afghanistan, who pose a direct threat to the National Security of this country...

My point is all about Egypt. Why do we feel we need to go and send people? Why do we need to comment on the situation from every office of the Govt? Why does it have to be the lead story of every morning, noon, and night edition of the news?

It is not like Egypt is a critical partner to the success and failures of the United States. We got our people out, and should keep them out until this thing is resolved. How about we let Egypt figure this out on their own?

Maybe we could focus some of our efforts on things like the economy, national defense, health care, job creation, crime, etc. etc. etc. (i.e. NOT EGYPT)

Post Super Bowl Feedback (both football and non-football related)

Here are my thoughts on the Super Bowl, in no particular order:

• Outstanding game with ups and downs throughout. I think the better team won. It is unbelievable how singular plays (or non-plays) can affect the outcome of an NFL game. This is obviously more-so in the SuperBowl than a regular season game. As an example, at least 3 dropped passes for 1st downs by the Pack, which caused punts and game-changing penalties.
• 1 and only 1 memorable commerical. It was the Doritos commerical where the guy licks his colleagues finger. Nothing else stuck out. I also did not see the silent Anheuser commercial thanking the troops
• Outstanding half time show. Loved having Slash and Usher on as well. The singing wasnt good, but I think that was a result of the TV, the arena, etc. Great song selection, entertaining dancing. Memorable for all the right reason. Also like Will I Am calling out Obama in the middle of the song.
• The National Anthem....ummmm, need I say more? I am fairly certain we are not going to be hearing from her anytime soon. Also, I think she looked a lot like a blond Snookie.
• Loved that they shows the Medal of Honor recipient. Very cool!

Great evening all around! Jealous of the Packers fans, and a clear indication that the Redskins are so so so far away in terms of how these organizations operate and WIN!

Dont Have Much To Say...

Its Thursday before the Super Bowl, and I dont have much to offer. The ramp up to the game this year seems slow. I am rooting for the Packers...dont ask why...I just am.

In a "I cant believe Dan Snyder hasnt learned yet moment" Dan Snyder is suing a crappy little newspaper that no one reads, because they wrote some "not so nice things" about him. Will he ever learn?

I am ready for warm weather!

Guess "Hu" is in Town?

Well...President Obama is hosting the Chinese delegation, including President Hu.

A headline I saw stated "Obama hosts Hu..."

All I could think of was the Dr. Seuss story "Horton Hears a Who," which when I looked up the story line was described as this...

"The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, in the afternoon of May 15 while splashing in a pool located in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called Who-ville, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos and led by a character known as the Mayor."

The similarities are eery. I would change it to Obama the Donkey...Who-ville is China, filled with little people...

The Slow Season...

February sucks...

Football is over, no one cares about basketball (professional, that is), baseball isn't around yet (for those people that care about that), and while I am a huge Washington Caps fan, hockey is still not popular...

On another note...

This week seems to be moving at a snail's pace, unlike last week that flew by. I am not sure what causes that!

On another note...

I have been interviewing candidate a lot recently, and I find that I can almost make an immediate assumption if I think this candidate will fit. Only every so often, do I change that assuption, based on what he or she says.

On another note...

Good to have the PGA Tour back...I havent really settled in yet to watch many rounds, but there might be nothing more relaxing that watching a round on a cold Sunday afternoon.

I am gettting to the point in the Winter, that it is time to warm up!

A Few Random Musings

• Today is 1/11/11. This sort of thing will not happen for another 4060 days (2/22/22). You might think I read that somewhere, but in fact, I used MS Excel to figure that out.
• I was looking for a shootout in last night's BCS National Championship game, and from that standpoint, I was disappointed. However, the game was tight throughout, and a solid finish nonetheless. The one thing I do feel confident is that in the next few years, one or both of these teams will end up in some kind of trouble with the NCAA
• Supposedly, Big Red (Verizon) is going to announce the iPhone today. That would be very very exciting I believe. I am also a Big Red stock holder, and can only imagine this will have a positive effect.
• I am getting rather bored with my Blackberry, and to have the option of a fun new toy like an iPhone would be something to look forward to.
• I am ready for our "big snowfall." We are expected 1-3 inches today, which I deem bothersome. I would rather get 1 big snowstorm every year, and have that be it.
• My desk at the office is getting overloaded...I need to clean it up sooner, rather than later.
• I do not know what to make of the pending Seattle vs. Chicago playoff game. It might end in a score of 3-2 (winner TBD).

Theater...

I had the opportunity to go and see "South Pacific" at the Kennedy Center this past Friday night.

It was a very enjoyable experience, and one of the highlights of the evening was simply an opportunity to do something different on a "night out."

Overall the show was incredibly well done. The music, although new to me, provided a mix of excitement and story telling. The accents from across the regions came through, and the stage provided an incredible array of backgrounds that are unmatched.

Seeing a production of that size can only be done at a place like the Kennedy Center, and was something I will remember for quite some time.

Horses

I was just scanning ESPN.com and saw that there was a link to an article that was entitled, "Finalist for Horse of the Year Award Announced." That got me thinking:

1. Who cares?
2. Who watches Horse Racing other than the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness? No one watches the Belmont unless the same horse won the 1st 2!
3. Who votes on this award? The guys cleaning up their crap in the stables?

Also...who goes to espn.com to look at Horse Racing?

PS...its my birthday

Time To Lose Some L-Bs

I just sneezed and blew off the top-button of my shirt...

Wow!

College Football Uniforms

It never ceases to amaze me how much we hear about shrinking budgets from the Government, to the school systems, to the corporate board rooms.

However, with Title IX playing such a prevalant role over the past 2 decades, and sports such as wrestling being eliminated, I dont understand the uniforms being used in college football.

Maybe they dont pay for them, and companies like Nike just provide them to the schools as part of their licensing agreement, but I cannot imagine what a full uniform and helmet costs, for 3 hours on TV.

I think of Oregon, VA Tech, even West Point, who have worn at least 4 uniforms this year...

Where does the money come from?

New York Jets Strength Coach

So, he was caught in the act of purposely tripping a player from the Dolphins, during a play. He made a major mistake.

However, what was lost in all of the hub-bub was that he apologized. He apologized to the player directly. The coach of the other team. His head coach. His owner. He also did it publicly. Finally, he stated that he would accept, without reservation, whatever punishment he would be dealt.

We are all entitled to make mistakes, however it is how you deal with them, that is the true measure. He has done and said everything right.

In the end, he has been suspended for the remainder of the year, without pay, and fined $25K. Good for this guy for being a stand-up individual.

UPDATE: Clearly this post was made long before they found out he planned this, and that he lied...I completely retract my post. Good for the NFL for fining the team another $100K for this rediculous act.

I Flew...

yesterday, and no one at TSA touched me, grabbed me, or did anything inappropriate.

My bag was checked, but that was because my shaving cream set off an alarm...

Very easy to deal with...

ING Accounts

Right now I am earning about 1.1% interest on my ING Account...

When I signed up a few years back, I was earning over 5%.

That was REAL money then...

Today, it is the cost of doing business!

Smartest Move of The Year...

Goes to Washington Redskins Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree.

He decided in advance to get off the sinking ship that is the Washington Redskins, and accepted the Head Coaching job at the University of Colorado...

Congrats to Jon...you are a SMART MAN!

I Won...

This morning, as it is almost every morning, I was listening to the Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan. Today is Game Show Wednesday, and they were playing Junkies Shootout, where they ask you random trivia questions, and if you answer 3 right, you win a prize.

My 3 questions were as follows:

1. What is the #1 disease that is tied to dementia?
2. Within 1 point, how many points is John Wall averaging?
3. What college basketball team does Ashley Judd follow as a die-hard fan?

In case you were wondering, my answers were as follows:

1. Alzeheimers
2. I had no idea, as I hate the NBA, and guessed 18, and nailed it.
3. Easy...Univerity of Kentucky

I won a $50 Gift Card to Famous Dave's BBQ.

Here is Ashley at a UK Game looking good

Things I Hate...

in no particular order:

• Monday Night Football
• Beltway Traffic headed to Monday Night Football...is there a worse place to hold MNF then DC?
• Taking 90 minutes to get to my tailgate
• Getting to my tailgate, and realizing I dropped my socks at home on the way to the car
• Being excited all day for my favorite sandwich (Italian Store Muffaletta), only to open the bag at the tailgate and realized they screwed up the order, and I got a completely different sandwich
• Getting to my seats, and seeing the Redskin punt, and think we went 3 and out on the opening possession, when in all reality, we were actually already down 7-0
• Being completely surrounded by Eagles fans...I mean completely!
• Getting rained on!
• Getting our asses handed to us on national television to the tune of record setting points
• Realizing my feet are cold and wet, because I dont have socks on
• Betting with my friend before the game, and taking the under at 44...when Philly took care of that by themselves before halftime.
• Driving home after the game, and being excited about stopping at McDonalds, only to pull into the drive-thru and it be "Closed for Cleaning." How often does this happen? Annually?
• Going to Wendys and having awful "spicy nuggets"
• Did I mention we lost? Awesome!

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day to all of our Soldiers, Saliors, Airmen, and Marines.

Many thanks for all that you have done, and all that you do.

We appreciate you in more ways than words can describe!

P.S. I am very patriotic person, and I love the flag...but US Flag Ties are super cheesey

Hummer Vehicles

I saw a guy in the airport wearing a T-Shirt that said Hummer, and in little letters "Like Nothing Else"

Given where Hummer is today in the auto business, I thought the tag line was very poignant.

So much so that they are out of business all together.

Election Day

Well it is now Wednesday after Election Day, and there are a few attitudes I can take regarding the outcome:

• I can be pissed that we did not do better in the Senate...
• I can be elated about the landslide in the House...
• Overall, I can be happy with the outcome....

I take option 3.

Here are a few other notes:

• I love that the 1 Congressman who got "in-person" support from the President, lost (the Charlottesville, VA representitive)
• Overall VA looks to be going back to its roots, after a few years on the Dark Side
• Interesting battle still looms in the VA 11th, as Fimian and Connolly are headed for a recount
• There is something I like about the WV Democrat who won the Senate seat. He seems down to Earth, and might vote with the Republicans, when appropriate. He is only there for 2 years, and must understand that if he wants to go back to Washington, he needs to stay middle of the road
• I would have liked to see Barbara Boxer lose, but Carly Fiorina, and all her cash, was just not meant to be.
• I am not sure what the lesser of 2 evils is...Harry Reid being elected, or him losing and Chuck Schumer taking the Majority Leadership position. I think I would rather have Harry Reid to be honest...
• I think John Boehner is going to run the House with a vice like grip. Eric Cantor will be there to ensure that as well.
• Sayonara Russ Feingold

I am not sure what this will mean for 2 years from now, (as I do not have a Crystal Ball), but it sure looks like Obama might be in trouble. Keep an eye out for Marco Rubio to make a run for President (it is not unheard of for a 2 year Senator to make a run)....

P.S. Regarding Krystal Ball (VA-D 1st)....she lost bad...oh well, I can only imagine the fun Bill O'Reilly would have had with that one!

It Is Now Officially a Redskins Season...

Courtesy of my Brother...

"Nothing stamps a Redskins season "Official" until you have a humiliating loss to the Lions or Rams (or both) and management undermines the Starting QB. -- Well now its Official."

I think it is fair to bring this image back to the forefront: