Fancy Restaurant - politico photo op.

My family wanted to kinda "celebrate" last night (don't ask why, okay?). So my folks ["Never Pay Retail"] got online and found a coupon to a pricey local restaurant that serves "mediterranean cuisine" and off we went.

Now I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer" and I don't have much experience with overpriced restaurants so making a reservation for only five people really never occurred to me. When we got there, the little guy at the door said "Do you have a reservation?" (more like a statement than a question) and when we said "No" he frankly looked like he didn't know what to do. Fortunately for him (seriously, had nobody ever said "no" to that question before?) the Maitre'De walked up and the little guy said "They don't have a reservation?" with a sort of desperate appeal in his voice. The Maitre'De (obviously a sharp guy and a credit to his profession) looked at us and stated "You don't have a reservation?".

Honestly I think my pop lives for moments like these - let me explain. Pop doesn't like to make people feel bad so he didn't say "Good grief man! Your little guy just told you that we don't have a reservation". What did do was to say "I don't have a reservation" and (before the Maitre'De could react) he very quickly and smoothly pointed at me and asked "Do you have a reservation?" and then (before I could say anything) he pointed at mom and asked her "Do you have a reservation?" (mom might have seen this bit before) and then pointed at my daughter and said "Do you have a reservation?" then turned to the Maitre'De and stated "No, we do not have a reservation.". Then the Maitre'De replied (as only a Maitre'De can - that's how I know he wasn't just the "head waiter"),

"Oh."

"I see."

then, dimly, "Well, we don't have any open tables..." and just as smoothly the man seemed to brighten at a realization "...however there is some space on the patio. Would you care to eat in the patio?" The man said that last line with more than a hint of you really would prefer to be at Chick-Fil-A in his voice but we chose to ignore the hint. (come to think of it, that Maitre'De might just live for moments like these, too) We did one of those quick "what do you think?" counsels and decided to eat in the patio. Just then a third waiter was walking from one passageway to another and the Maitre'De said "Follow him! He'll take you to the patio."
Then it got sort of surreal.

Here, take a look - the whole world can see it - why shouldn't you see it?

While we were waiting on the roomy patio (at least 10 tables and only one other table was occupied) for our server to bring us our soft drinks (the guy seemed kinda surprised at the beverage order) people started crowding into the patio. They were all wearing matching t-shirts and carrying placards "____ for US Senate". So many people came in at once that it was hard to tell where they were coming from. Despite the fact that the patio was almost empty when we got there, waiter #3 chose to put us at a table right near the stage.

I can prove it. I have pictures. Nobody in my family took the pictures. Two idiotic "videographers" shot video and posted it to YouTube. Some politico is standing on the stage, "___ for senate" is taking up the right half of the picture and the back of my wife's head can be seen in the bottom left. This video was shot by "Idiot videographer #1". Just above my wife's head you can see "Idiot videographer #2".

Here is a screenshot from the video posted to YouTube by "Idiot videographer #2". This is a couple minutes later - "____ for senate" is on stage, and Idiot videographer #1 can be seen in the right half of the picture. He/she is in the shadows near the table where there is one man paying rapt attention to "____ for senate". In front of Idiot videographer #1 you can see my widow's peak. In this shot the food has not yet arrived and I'm busy eating sweet butter and crusty bread.

Immediately after the throng of people showed up, some guy went around giving everybody "_____ for senate" stickers and I promptly stuck mine under the bill of my USS Ronald Reagan CVN-76 cap. If I had known ahead of time that I was going to be on YouTube, I would have worn my NRA cap. After all, this is Texas and we were outside. When we saw the cameras we joked about YouTube - I didn't expect my wife to find these videos on the internet less than 24 hours later.

And you have to understand that I'm not trying to be mean to the idiots -that is- "videographers", but apparently in this age of papparazi the concept of a "release" (getting permission to take a person's picture) is a by-gone idea.

On a somewhat humorous note I wasn't very impressed by "____ for senate". My fettucini alfredo cost 34 dollars (not including tax and tip) and "____ for senate" did a stump speech about "The Plight of the Middle Class". The whole thing was a photo (video) op. If "____ for senate" wanted to actually "meet the people" in our town, HE should have gone to Chick-Fil-A.

The World is a Strange Place

Today Fred Thompson ended his campaign for the Republican nomination.

Apparently Heath Ledger was so shocked and dismayed that he promptly fell over dead.

It's going to be an interesting year...

Okay, so far this year:

1) I've made a new friend through a *really odd* "chance" meeting (there is no such thing as circumstance) late at night in Edinburg (long story);

2) I've gotten myself enrolled as an online college student (class officially starts tomorrow and I haven't been in class in.....um, years);

3) I've been located by a friend that put an ad about me on craigslist. This friend and I hadn't talked since high school - which would have been years and years (sorry 'bout Carm);

4) and I just completed my first year as a supervisor (and I have no visible wounds);

We're not even half way into January yet! I'm thinking that 2008 is shaping up to be an unusual year for me.


btw - this is just the stuff that you would believe. If I told you the whole story you wouldn't believe it. :-)

Some things never change

Fireworks.
Lots and lots of fireworks.
Then the occassional rounds of gunfire.
Then the car horns.
It's New Year's Eve in south Texas.
(This will probably go on until about 2 or 3 am. Glad i'm not going to work tomorrow.)

BTW, i (finally) saw Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather for the Very First Time. Now all those lines from You've Got Mail make sense - "Go to the mattresses", "Leave the gun, take the cannolis", "Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday". (You're thinking "Why does this guy know lines from You've Got Mail ?" Answer:My wife loves that movie.) And even though I had never seen The Godfather before, I always seemed to understand "he made him an offer he couldn't refuse". :-)

Happy 2008 !!!

Deportation By Attrition

While surfing for "odd news" I ran across this article. It is about illegal immigrants returning to Mexico because of stricter laws going into effect in Arizona.

Just a couple exerts from the article: (emphasis mine)

Dozens of immigrants are leaving the U.S. daily, and even more are expected to leave once the sanctions law takes effect in January, provided the law survives a last-minute legal challenge, said Rosendo Hernandez, president of the advocacy group Immigrants Without Borders.
"If people can't find work, they won't be able to pay their bills, so they will leave," Hernandez said. [Thats the idea]
In what are considered bellwethers of permanent moves back to Mexico, the Mexican consulate in Phoenix has seen a dramatic increase in applications for Mexican birth certificates, passports and other documents that immigrants living in Arizona will need to return home.

The situation of the specific family featured in the article is described:(again, emphasis mine)

They and their two children had originally entered the United States legally with tourist visas and then stayed beyond the expiration dates. The couple had no legal status to work in the U.S., but both were able to get jobs using fake documents, Jorge at a small landscaping company, Liliana at a Burger King. Two years ago, their third child, Michael, was born in Arizona, making him a U.S. citizen.

Just a heads up - some of the comments on the article are just flat racist. Two communication problems can be seen when the issue of immigration is discussed:
1) Some people have a problem expressing their political views without stating their prejudice; this gives rise to the other problem
2) Some people seem to feel that any comments concerning the illegal immigration problem are inherently racist.

Look folks, any country that cannot (or will not) defend its borders ceases to be a sovereign nation. Illegal immigration in this country is a problem and it's not racist to say so. To ignore the problem of illegal immigration is tantamount to putting your head in the sand.

Merry Christmas.

Eye are a kowledge stewdant (again)

Okay, just under the wire (with a little less than 22 hrs left before the end of early registration) I am registered for the Spring 2008 semester at the University Texas - Brownsville (UTB) in their brand new online Bachelor's degree program in cancer registry. And it's only 2:15 am.

I would have been registered for the beginning of the program (Fall 2007) but I ran into a snag. Let's just say that I was sorely tempted to deny that I took one lousy class at another university in Texas because it was SUCH a hassle getting my transcript from them.

But all the paperwork is in, I'm registered, I'll contact my advisor tomorrow (during business hours) to let her know. Then, Jan 14 I can officially add another thing to my busy schedule. It occurs to me that I should have my head examined but, since I'll have to take a psych course anyway, maybe I can get college credit for it.

Then, I promise to get all the "catch up" entries posted.

Maybe.

Happy Anniversary VoG

December 12 is a big deal in Mexico. According to news shows on all the local Spanish channels this morning, the Virgen de Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe - i know, you never would have guessed, right?) appeared to Juan Diego on this day 476 years ago.

The easiest way to tell that this is a big deal in Latin American culture was NOT the costumes, NOT the parades, NOT even the cheering crowds. No, the easiest way to tell that this is a big deal in Latin American culture is the fact that all three psuedo news shows used this as their Lead Story at the Top of the Hour superseding the morning Bush-bashing.

It really is humorous how predictable the Spanish-speaking "drive by media" (to use a Rushism) is in their "reporting". And as far as fact-finding goes, they make CBS look good. Sightings of chupacabras are reported just as seriously as if they were a train wreck or chemical spill with hundreds injured. More than once I have heard the statement "No one has ever seen chupacabras, This is what it looks like." (When i see that "artist rendition" the first thing i think of is a "gray")

I can hear it now - "You're White, you can't say stuff like that!" Whatever. Obama wasn't weak on foreign policy because he's black, he was just weak on foreign policy. Hillary isn't wrong on healthcare because she's a woman, she is just wrong on healthcare. McCain is overreacting to all the waterboarding nonsense - the fact that he's a former POW doesn't add any actual weight to his opinion on the matter.

The truth hurts.

Jeff Foxworthy is talking about me

Redneck Fashion Tips (this is part 2) The part where my friends will recognize me starts at about 3 minutes 38 seconds and runs up to 4 minutes 23 seconds (give or take). The only difference is that my windbreaker advertises my kid's school (I don't smoke).

And honestly, for most self-respecting Rednecks you could include "ballcaps" on that list as well.

Hectic Day - But I asked for it

[Sunday] This day has been hectic (starting entry at 1:00pm - i'll finish it later tonight - maybe) but it beats having to get up WAY BEFORE the chickens to catch an airplane that leaves at 5:30am tomorrow morning. I complained enough ( you know - in a "nice" and "professional" way :-) last time I traveled that this time they gave me the option of flying out the night before.


One problem - our local international airport only has 3 flights a day to Houston. These would be: 5:30am, 11am & 6:40pm.


[Monday] Wow! It was so nice to be able to take my time coming in to the hotel last night. No panicky, rushed feeling "I'mgonnabelate, I'mgonnabelate".


Last night I took a leisurely, unintentional scenic turn on the way in, then I stopped at a little out-of-the-way eatery for dinner. (that would be a euphemistic way to say "i got lost". poetic, doncha think?)


Anyway, today [Monday] I had a good day of meetings, I have felt rested all day and I think that I'll retain more than I would have if I'd caught a 5:30 am flight this morning. Right now it's 10:30pm and I'm about to turn in - just have to get to my room. (We're staying in a big name hotel but there is no wireless access outside of the lobby so here I am, but that's a rant for another day)

Huckabee Endorsed by Republican Sportshooters Association

I'm a few days late seeing this one but according to Mike Huckabee's website, he recently received the endorsement of the Republican Sportshooters Association. (heck, I didn't even know there was such an association but I like it)

You may ask yourself "Why is he checking out Huckabee's news releases?" Well I'm still trying to make up my mind.

What I've figured out so far:

Guiliani - lots of name/face recognition ("America's mayor" for one) but a LOUSY record on abortion, immigration and gun control. I'm really hoping that a true conservative gets the GOP nomination.

Thompson - lots of name/face recognition (Law & Order, several movies, a stint in Congress) and from what I can tell, Fred is solid Pro-Life, solid anti-amnesty and a solid supporter of the 2nd Amendment.
[ Here is my more thorough analysis of "Rudy vs Fred" ]


Huckabee - some name/face recognition (as former Governor of Arkansas he claims that he has "beaten the 'Clinton machine' twice"). Mike states that he has "been in the pro-life camp since [he] was a teenager" and his record as Governor supports a strong Pro-Life position. Some have debated this but his quotes need to be taken in context.
From what I can tell, Huckabee is anti-amnesty when it comes to people who broke the law to get and/or stay here BUT NOT their children. Some have taken his remarks and actions to be a "soft" position on immigration but not when you see the whole picture. (The "drive-by media" is so good at twisting soundbites)
And, according to the Republican Sportshooters Association and ontheissues.org, Huckabee's position on the 2nd Amendment is right on target. (i'm allowed the occasional pun, yes?)

Romney - some name/face recognition (former governor of Massachusetts - how did a Republican get elected governor of "Kennedyland"?) One of my friends is quite vocal about the fact that he won't vote for the man simply because he's a Mormon. I have to agree that if a person can be duped by Joseph Smith I'm not real comfortable with that person being the one on the business end of "the red phone". That being said, I think it is frankly contrary to the principles that our country was founded on to vote for or against someone simply on the basis of their religion. Not to worry - I believe there are several (non-religious) reasons that Romney is not the right candidate for the GOP.
Mitt claimed that he said he was "personally against abortion" but his record as Governor was decidely wishy-washy (at best). His ads make him out to be a firm, "black and white" Pro-Life candidate but his change to a Pro-Life stance has been a recent one. Romney was not as tough on immigration as he would like for us to believe. And all the quotes that I find for him on the subject of gun control are just vague. I could argue any one of these for either side (so he's NOT clearly a defender of the 2nd Amendment). And don't even get me started on his use of the useless phrase "assault weapon".

McCain - quite a bit of name/face recognition (he's been a senator for as long as I can remember and chaired a few important committees). What can you say about John McCain on the issues? The ONLY thing that is consistent about John McCain is that, given any issue (abortion, immigration, gun control, etc), he will consistently make every effort to straddle the fence and take no solid stand on anything. Yes, McCain has made some good statements but his statements kowtow to his audience - not the kind of guy that we need in the White House.

If you are a booklover, you NEED to read this

I was going thru the "Book Buying Addicts" group on goodreads.com and ran across this thread posted by Seth.

Seth has been helped by medication. (that's not a joke but his post is hilarious)

If you like reading books or collecting books or talking about books (i like all three) then goodreads is a good place to hang out - and it's free (i like free, too).

Creative "Solutions" to Immigration

Its not a joke - somebody is actually trying to get a game show produced called "Who Wants to Marry a U.S. citizen?" Reuters has an article about it.

This is like a bad SNL skit.

Por que no te callas?

This is just the short version of the video (and it's in Spanish) so let me set it up for you. You can easily find longer clips on YouTube.

Saturday (November 10), at an Ibero-American summit in Chile, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez repeatedly referred to Spain's former Prime Minister as a "fascist". Normally this would just be a standard "Hugo-ism" and wouldn't get much press outside of Venezuela. But the summit was attended by Portugal, Spain and representatives of most of the countries of Central and South America so this was a little different.

When it came his time to speak, the current Prime Minister of Spain urged Hugo to be more diplomatic. A reasonable request, right? Not for Hugo Chavez! He just keeps talking back and interrupting the Spanish PM (Hugo's mic was turned off because, remember it's not his turn) and finally Spain's King Juan Carlos leaned forward and said to Hugo "Por que no te callas?!" (loosely translated: "Why don't you shut up?!"




I heard about this because the King's "Por que no te callas?!" is being sold in Spain as a cell phone ring tone and has, according to this story, already (by Monday November 19) generated over $2.2 million in ring tone sales alone.

Figures for t-shirt sales were not included but some sources mention that t-shirts with the phrase have been seen in Spain and in Venezuela worn by Chavez opponents. (sweet)

In his illustrious career and rise to power, Hugo somehow missed basic common courtesy (maybe he slept through that class?) and is now demanding that King Juan Carlos apologize to him! Can you say "clueless"? I knew you could.

As John Gibson put it in his FOXNews.com piece:

Also a winner is Spain's king Juan Carlos. He told Hugo Chavez to shut up. Hugo never hears that anymore because if it's not a king who says it, he thinks about having that person shot, or run over, and most often they just get locked up.

I have nothing against Hugo Chavez. Except the fact that he's a jerk. (and that's the nicest thing i can say about the guy - my mom sometimes reads this blog)

Even if you don't speak Spanish you shouldn't have too much trouble understanding this:



As long as we have politicians, comedians will never be out of work. :-)

How much do you tip the Animal Control guy?

First off I don't want anybody to freak out - Caspian is still warm and dry and a cherished member of our family.

The reason the local Animal Control guy was called was because two large white pit bull terriers (that do NOT belong to us) were camped out in our back yard.

This is how our little drama unfolded:

6-ish in the evening: I heard a loud noise coming from near the front door (but it also sounded like it was coming from under the house), I poked my head out the door, I saw the bull terriers, I yelled "YgitoNNouttahyeea!!!" [not sure of the exact spelling] and they (apparently) ran off.

7-ish in the evening: Diana opened the back door to take Caspian for a walk and (thankfully) she saw the bull terriers before they could make an hors d'oeuvre out of Caspian. Not ever having had to call anybody for something like this before, I just called the first number that came to mind - 9 1 1 . (They very pleasantly gave me the number for the local police department)

7-ish in the evening [plus a couple minutes]: I called the Police Department and they (after making sure that everybody was safe) told me that they would call the Animal Control guy.

10 to 12 minutes later: The Animal Control guy called and told me "I'm involved in a case right now. I'll be there in 20 - 30 minutes." This seemed believable - we live in a small town.

Just shy of 2 hours after my first call to 9 1 1 : The Animal Control guy (i think he said his name was "Steve") showed up. I told everybody to get in their rooms and I brought Steve through the house. It just seemed "poor form" to ask Steve to go around the shed and potentially get maimed but a wild bull terrier. (They had growled at me earlier.)

I told Steve "One of 'em is sitting next to my shed but there was two of them earlier." As soon as Steve stepped out the back door (I was holding Caspian) he said "The other one is under the step - I can feel her moving the steps."

So just as I'm thinking "Wow, those dogs looked solid to me - i was right!" and "Man alive I'm glad a professional is taking care of this instead of me" Steve hollers "um...I'm going to need your help on this."



oh.



Crud.



Long story short (too late, right?) Steve tells me what he needs and, after I retrieved the other pole from his truck, he took the (larger) male dog to the truck and I followed with the female. I can now check Leading an animal on the end of a dog-catcher's pole off of my list of "Stuff to do before I die". (Just kidding - I had never imagined that this kind of "opportunity" would arise. It's not the sort of thing that I would go looking for.)

After we got both dogs into cages in the truck, Steve told me that he was "pretty sure" that the terriers lived at a house down the street.

Steve and I shook hands and parted ways and only after he had driven away and I was in the house did it occur to me "Was I supposed to tip the Animal Control guy??".

Will the real Conservative please stand up?

Rev Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, has endorsed GOP candidate Mike Huckabee.

Former Arkansas governor Huckabee has, from what I can tell, consistently maintained conservative points of view. That's not to say that I am endorsing him. As yet, I have not picked a horse in this race. (Give me a break - it's not even January 2008 yet)

And while Guliani has been endorsed by Pat Robertson, some have stated that Robertson's action is "beyond the pale" and he has "abandoned the beliefs he supposedly defends". Robertson has been losing support (and he's not even running for anything) for quite some time. One commentator has stated that Robertson's decision is just business - follow the money.

Brownback, who was looking good to social conservatives, dropped out of the race and announced his support of McCain. In an unrelated but interesting note, supposedly McCain has referred to Robertson as "an agent of intolerance" and has said that Robertson's support of Guiliani has left him "speechless".

And (I'm always the last to find out things like this) Fred Thompson is "bleeding staffers". There has to be a better way to put that.