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LiveJournal for Liberty Scribe.
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| Thursday, July 10th, 2008 |
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| Monday, February 4th, 2008 |
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| Sunday, November 4th, 2007 |
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Happy Back to Standard Time Day. Apparently folks have stuff planned for tomorrow. We'll see how that all goes. I still think it's funny how so many folks in America will be celebrating a British event. Not that plenty of Americans through the years didn't think leveling Parliament was a good idea. Oh, and they are "Guy Fawkes" masks, not "V" masks. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about go rent or read V for Vendetta.) Noticed that we passed another weather milestone - the leaves are now falling off the trees rather than being all those wonderful reds and yellows. And it's been getting very chilly at night. I had to stop into Walmart for something the other day. One of the displays had a toy or something playing christmas carols. It wasn't so loud, I couldn't hear it once I was two aisles away. Still can't understand why the freakin' early push for it. Oh, and I've seem more commercials for Fred Claus. Looks entirely missable, though I do think Paul Giamati as Santa is a very interesting casting choice. I did go to the Ron Paul event in Veterans Park. He had at least five times as many people as McCain did, and folks actually cheered and stuff. He's beating Thompson in the polls now and nearly outraised McCain for the last quarter, so looks like he's catching on for real. Thought I was gonna post sooner, but life is still stupid and getting moreso. I'm definitely seeing what some of my Lefty friends see when they look at corporations. Yeah, corporate america has been doing incredibly stupid things the last five years, so I'm not saying I thought they were all peaches and cream, but I definitely understand why some folks just grab all they can as fast as they can and expect nothing else. I wish I had taken some vacation time this summer. Far too many cool things happened that I missed. And I'm convinced now that girls are all a little crazy. If someone has the number of the guy running this corner of the universe, could you please pass it along, I got a few things I want to talk to him about. I'll probably get to the comments from my last post sometime tomorrow. |
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| Thursday, September 27th, 2007 |
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Wow, almost a year. Really wanted to post this past weekend but that whole time getting eaten by roving bands of aliens thing got in the way. Past the Equinox now, so days really will be getting shorter. Saw some fallen leaves already. Weather has been really warm, but autumn is on the way. I had some really deep thing to say about balance but it seems to have escaped me. Just saw my first christmas commerical. For what appears to be an insipid movie called Fred Claus. Well, perhaps just insipid because I saw the commercial before freakin' Halloween. Pet peeve of mine. Gonna go see Ron Paul in Veterans Park Saturday. Partly to see how it compares against John McCain's snoozefest appearance earlier this year at the same place, and partly to see if all the talk of his grassroots support is real. OK. Now my friends can stop bugging me about not posting in my LJ. |
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| Sunday, November 26th, 2006 |
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I started hearing christmas music on the radio about a week before Thanksgiving. Even saw a christmas themed commercial on TV. Really don't understand that, but whatever, it was like one a day. Then it got more common. On my loooong drive on Thanksgiving I had to put in a CD because I couldn't go five minutes without hearing a christmas song on the radio. Same thing yesterday. This is one of the worst years I can remember. I listen to the radio less than I did a year ago and I've already avoided more christmas songs than I did last year. I have a strange feeling that there's some plot out there to overpromote christmas this year. The one saving grace is that they seem to be playing a better variety than in years past, I actually heard "The Rebel Jesus" and that Goo Goo Dolls song that came out last year. A bit of history: The First Thanksgiving Proclamation |
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| Monday, November 6th, 2006 |
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The winter chill is finally in the air and another election season is almost over. I keep getting asked what I think will happen and my best answer is "it depends". The big media is treating it like a national election, which it is not. It's 50 state elections which happen to occur at the same time. And beyond that it's 435 congressional elections which also happen to occur at the same time. Toss in a few thousand state legislative seats and you start to get the idea. It's interesting that Republican candidates are distancing themselves from the president. I started seeing this in 2004 with many long-time Republican activists not helping in the re-election campaign and wanting someone else to vote for. The only thing stopping Kerry from winning was Kerry who did not inspire anyone to do anything. Right now I think we're seeing the start of the revolt of the Goldwater- and Reagan-Republicans away from the NeoCons. Someone asked me what's the best thing that could happen to the GOP this election. My answer is "lose". I'm fairly certain that's the only thing that will cut down the NeoCon movement. The Left got organized in 2004 and never stopped. And they are motivated. Unfortuneately it is a negative motivation, which is untimately unhealthy for any movement. Personally I'd like to see them embrace a strong civil-liberties platform along with a restrained fiscal policy, but I'm not holding my breath. Final results will probably be determined by turnout. Vote count overall in a midterm election is low. Republicans have an advantage here as they are more reliable voters. Independents will matter a lot and they usually break Republican, though 6th years tend to be bad for the president's party. Iraq is becoming more unpopular and the Dems are making it an issue and bludgeoning Republicans with it. It's a real shame the Dems can't blast away at the GOP for their out of control spending habits, aside from the tepid demand to repeal some tax cuts, and can't seem to form a coherent pro-civil liberties message. The dismal performance of the GOP at the national level is going to hurt them. Immigration was a big issue helping Republicans, but it perhaps peaked too early. Scandal and corruption are perpetual second-tier concerns and neither big party can hold their head high on that one, though the press is ignoring the big scandals involving the Dems (Harry Reid and that guy from Lousiana). Though I think we have sadly come to expect corruption from our national politicians so it probably won't be a make-or-break issue in many races. Here in NH, it's a study in mediocrity. No one, including the candidates, seems to care much about this election. Coburn volunteered to fall on his sword (though he has improved greatly in the past year) and Lynch is doing his usual nice guy don't rock the boat act to cruise to re-election. Though I doubt it will be the predicted 30-point blowout. For congress, Bradley plays up his nice guy creds and his strength on veterans issues against a real grass-roots campaign of Carol Shea-Porter. Her lack of money is hurting her. Bass is pretending to be a conservative while Hodes pretends to be a candidate. I'm amazed that race is as close as it is, but Hodes has managed to make Iraq an issue and a lot of real conservatives what to see Charlie gone. If Libertarian Ken Blevins can pull enough of those disaffected true conservatives, Hodes may pull off an upset. On the ground, the Dems are motivated to come out and the GOP isn't. I've yet to meet anyone outside the campaigns who gives a damn about the big races. The real action is at the state rep and state senate level. I think it's a long-shot for the Dems to take the House, but they'll probably pick up seats. Same for the senate, though that one could be a surprise finish. Question 1 should bring out more conservatives but the eminent domain issue is cutting across all lines as a winning issue. Question 2 may help turnout in small towns which will benefit, but it's a largely partisan wash. It's a small/local government issue at heart which helps conservatives, but it will mostly benefit northern towns which have been trending left. They say all politics is local, and that's doubly so for NH. The primaries saw incumbents come back even when they did zero campaigning. One race I was helping with, the only candidates to lose were the ones that campaigned. Folks were sticking with names and people they knew well. And very few people came out overall. We'll see if that holds for the geneal election. So, it's going to be an interesting day on Tuesday. And with expected recounts it won't be over for a while in some areas. Go read the various report cards, call up the candidates or talk to them at the polls on Tuesday and make an informed vote. And if no one is up to snuff, write in your preferred choice (or None of the Above). Because we ultimately get the government we choose and decisions get made by people who show up. Some lists for folks to check out: http://cnht.org/advantagesigners.php http://www.nhliberty.org http://gonh.org/uploads/228/GONHvoterguide.pdf http://rlcnh.org/ http://www.lpnh.org http://www.ntu.org/main/components/ratescongress/index2.php3 |
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| Sunday, October 29th, 2006 |
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A pretty successful LPNH convention yesterday. Lots of good info from the speakers. Both the Union Leader and Concord Monitor were there. Saw plenty of new faces. A brand new executive board, which we all hope brings a sense of renewed energy and enthusiasm to the the Party. This morning I was woken up by the wind around 11 o'clock. (Hmm, sounds like the start of a story...) Looking outside I see that it's blowing so strong all the dead leaves are off the trees outside my window so they look green again. Still completely exhausted. I definitely need to make time for more sleep this week. |
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| Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 |
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We're definitely headed toward winter, chilly temps and even frosted windows in the morning. Interesting transition times. Feeling a bit scattered and more organized at the same time. Hard to explain. Doing more to get my house in order (literally) but also experiencing little things like forgetting to get gas, leaky faucets, forgetting about homework. Busy month so far and continuing. Got the LPNH convention this weekend, plus halloween celebrations. Just read that October is national book month. Feel bad that I haven't picked up a book to read. Doubt I'll have time to do so. Latest battle in the war on drugs - drugs win! http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/10/12/canada.troops.marijuana.reut/index.html |
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| Saturday, October 7th, 2006 |
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Though now it seems to really be here. Having those quintessential fall mornings where the air is cool and crisp but the sun is shining brightly. Wearing a jacket for the first time. Work has been interesting, a lot of design stuff, in a way I haven't had to do in a long while. A good brain stretch. Though I'll be glad when we get to coding. Did get a freelancing job this past week, still need the full specs, but it sounds like a fun project. Working on the entertainment side of politics and perhaps branching into sports and other fields. I think I may be doing some life re-organizing soon. Taking something of a break this summer doesn't seem to be doing it. Still feel too busy and too unfocused and there are things that simply are not getting done. Haven't quite figured out the best path to take, but something has to change. Wow, the new autosave feature in LJ rocks. My browser just crashed but I didn't have to retype all this when I came back. On a lighter note, read the most surprising health-news headline all year: "Viagra May Fight Schizophrenia" Yup, the turn on for millions of men with sex problems, may also be able to turn off the hallucinations of schizophrenia. Viagra works by turning off a particular phosphodiesterases enzyme. Scientists believe that similar enzymes in the brain are linked to mental illnesses including schizophrenia and OCD. Turning off the enzymes could quiet the hallucinations associated with schizophrenia. Scientists believe it may be caused by an inability to filter out background noises. The overload of stimuli causes the brain to create a story which leads to paranoia and hallucinations. Turning off the enzymes that control the transmission of signals between brain cells may decrease the stimulation that causes sensory overload. |
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| Wednesday, September 27th, 2006 |
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The autumn seems to be here and coming on strong. I've been noticing more trees with yellow leaves, up to about 8 outside my window. Really noticing the earlier sunsets. Also been seeing a lot of road kill, like every day. Had my first condo association meeting last night. Reminded me a bit of a town meeting, but with a much shorter agenda. Thankfully avoided being asked to run for the board. Turns out there's yet another Brady Sullivan property with problems of fast-and-loose management. |
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| Friday, September 8th, 2006 |
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Wow, quite a long time since I posted here. I had thought it was over a year, but turns out it was just since the 3PNC. I was running close to overload at the end of the year and just gave up a lot of online activity for my own sanity. Someone asked me about my LJ this summer and I kept meaning to get to it but it wasn't until today that I thought about it when I was at the computer and had time to write an entry. Plus everyone and their dog keeps asking me if I have a myspace (no, I don't) and I even got a few offers get one set up. Which reminded me again that I needed to update my LJ. So, what's happened, you may ask (or maybe not, but it's my blog so I get to pretend you did ask)? I've moved, to lovely Manchester, which was a pain in the neck thanks to the hell that is getting a mortgage (PS, don't call bank of america). But it's closer to work and most of my friends, so a good change on balance. Been doing very well at work, two good reviews with two raises. Thought I met a girl I could have a meaningful relationship with but turns out no, we couldn't. Was super-busy with lots of political action from trying to keep NH out of the Real ID scheme to showing folks how the system works. Nearly ran for office myself but my work schedule was incompatible with being a good state rep. Maybe next time. I'm also in the process of starting to write a book. Which may finally happen since friends of mine have started a writing group and I may join them. I've decided to take a break this summer. I was running full-blast from January into July. Since PorcFest and the Liberty Dinner I have done my best to concentrate on other things and just take some time off. Not doing a million things at once is harder than it looks. I feel like there's more I should write but it's not coming to me. With any luck I'll get back to posting regularly so I'm sure I'll fill in anything I forgot in the coming weeks. TTFN |
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| Wednesday, October 19th, 2005 |
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| Monday, October 17th, 2005 |
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So it's really wet in NH. We got rain, more rain, a little more rain, and a lot more rain. No flooding in the center-south but still, a lot of feakin rain. This weekend was the Third Party National Conference (3PNC), which did not go off exactly as planned, but did, I think, grow into something greater and better than anyone thought possible. The cold I'd been fighting off all week finally beat my immune system into submission on Friday, so I basically picked the worst weekend to have a bad sore throat. Somehow I survived, consuming 2 bags of cough drops and lots of tea and vitamins. I managed to limit my speaking as much as I could. The LP nominated a good slate of candidates. The Secretary of State's office came to hear Bev Harris talk about all the crazy stuff that happens with electronic voting machines and the companies that make them. Candidates and organizations from all over the country got exposure, learned a lot and shared ideas. And it got 2 full-page articles in the papers. I'm still tired, partly from the cold, partly from staying up to late in the smoke-filled room. Article of the day: Arrested on the tube |
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| Wednesday, September 7th, 2005 |
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AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG I really hate small-minded people who get any power in politics and then lord it over others and get their way and screw over other people. |
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| Sunday, May 29th, 2005 |
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Hey, wow, a sunny weekend. In NH. In May. Who would have ever guessed? And just as well, perpetual computer problems really have made getting any work done problematic. So a couple days away from the pile of sand and rust is a good thing. Had to reboot the machine like 3 times on Thursday and Friday and still wouldn't work right, even when it rebooted itself (that was a trip). It was great to get outside for a couple days. Just looking up at the blue sky and feeling the sun after what has felt like a perpetual rainstorm. Definitely felt like a new day, like all the rain washed away the accumulated junk of the past months. And there's one more day left in this weekend! How cool is that? |
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| Friday, May 13th, 2005 |
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Of course, I ask for a nice weekend and we're going to get rain again. Otherwise things are looking up this week. Making good progress at work. Finally stopped crashing the webserver. :) Course, my boss wants to redesign the database schema... I finally heard back from a friend, B, I've been calling and emailing for 5 months. I was beginning to think I was being ignored on purpose. Perhaps I was, but at least not anymore. There's an LP cookout up north this weekend. With the rain I'm hoping they made plans for an indoor gathering. Otherwise it's a long drive for a soggy burger. :P May go to the FSP meetup in Peabody instead. Article of the day: Flu shots soon to be reco'd for all Remember folks, first they recommend, then they require. |
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| Wednesday, May 11th, 2005 |
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Looks like we're in for a soggy May. As long as we can get nice weekends for the rest of the month it won't be so bad. My email service is behaving weirdly lately. I'll be downloading messages and it will take almost a minute to download one then the next will be 30 seconds then it will speed up to a message a second then slow down again. No problem when accessing it via the web though. Article of the day: A National ID Card Won't Make Us Safer |
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| Tuesday, May 10th, 2005 |
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Another rainy weekend. So much for May flowers I guess. Was able to take it easy once again, which was good. I realized I am much more productive during the week if I don't work through the weekend. Also, it's encouraging me to drop more projects and do something more useful like spending time with friends or walking in the park or sitting in a hot tub or meditating. Been getting inundated with emails about the Real ID Act, which will essentially nationalize drivers' licenses and make it harder to get one and require a lot more information from you to get one, including things you are not even required to have by law, like a Social Security Number. "So congressman Sensenbrenner, please explain to me why I have to sign up for welfare in order to drive?" Though I suppose we should never be surprised at legislators using one bogeyman or another to impose tyranny or stupidity. I heard Montana has said no to this infringement and other states may as well. At least work is going well. Article of the day: When Police Don't Take No For An Answer |
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| Thursday, May 5th, 2005 |
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From a rainy weekend to now, just nonstop long days. Except for the 3 hour oil change turned into transmission and cooling system fix yesterday morning, which wasn't non-stop, just longer than expected. Though I did get to read an issue of National Geographic, which had cool articles about discovering new planets and the hunt for Osama binLaden in Afganistan. Today's stupid European idea: A real email tax I love the part about never being able to remove an item from taxation. |
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| Tuesday, April 26th, 2005 |
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A good morning up in Concord. Not as many people came to the hearing as we were expecting, but a good turnout. A friend of mine who works in Concord stopped by, so I gave her a tour of the statehouse after. We tried to meet the governor, but his scheduler was in a meeting. Gonna be got again today. Going back to my car I got that blast-o-heat like you do in the summer. Link of the day: How to Defend Yourself Against Alien Abductions |
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LiveJournal for Liberty Scribe.
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angry.
blah.
exhausted.
calm.