The Political Mind of a 7 Year Old

I must confess that I have become practically obsessed with the Presidential election this year, most evenings slipping upstairs at 8pm to watch Keith Olbermann on MSNBC before putting the kids to bed or staring endlessly at Real Clear Politics polling data.

Max has taken to watching Countdown with me and he too has gotten very interested in understanding what all is going on, especially after our recent trip to DC. The other day, he came in from playing outside and told me that he and his friend Jake saw the McCain-Palin signs in the yard across the street and that he told his playmate that "McCain has been telling lies".

It's been really exciting around here with North Carolina actually being in play this election, for the first time since Carter won the state in 1976. The down side is that we are completely deluged with telephone calls all evening long and political advertisements on our local television stations around the clock at the moment.

While we were sitting around watching TV today, the McCain "Surgeon" TV ad came on. The basic premise of this ad is to attack Obama's "inexperience" and it's tag line is "OBAMA: Never been in charge of anything".

I hate ads like this because while they may bring up the point that Obama has never held an executive position in government, they completely gloss over the fact that neither has John McCain. I guess he might claim that his brief stint as a commanding officer of a small training squadron for less than a year over 30 years ago might qualify as "being in charge of something", but that is certainly not what the ad is trying to imply.

Irritated by the complete lack of full disclosure in not only this, but just about every other political ad I've seen in the last month (e.g., Elizabeth Dole's despicable Godless Americans ad), I shouted at the TV --> "SO WHAT EXACTLY HAS JOHN McCAIN EVER BEEN IN CHARGE OF?!?!?!"

Max, without missing a beat, responded: "Having the most houses!"

:)

Happy Halloween

The video clip above was shot on Halloween as Max the Weatherman was reporting on Hurricane Jarrett. During the broadcast, he was interrupted by a surprise guest who apparently got lost on her way to grandma's and ended up in the middle of Category 4 storm.

Here are some more photos of the kids from Halloween 2008.

DC Vacation Photos & Video

We took the kids to DC this week while Max is tracked out from year-round school. The main event was Max and I going to Max's first ever US National Team soccer game, a World Cup qualifier betwen the US and Cuba, which the US won handily 6-1.

While in town, we also checked out the National Zoo, the new Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum out at Dulles airport, the Natural History Museum, and the National Mall. We also saw a neat performance by Hakim, a star from the Dutch version of Sesame Street, as part of the Kids Euro Festival that was going on this week in DC.

On the way out of town, we stopped at IKEA at Potomac Mills and loaded up the van. Now I'm going to be putting together modular Swedish furniture for at least a week!

I posted a number of pictures from the trip and a few videos from the soccer match in this set over at Flickr.

My favorite photo from the trip is this one...of Molly praying for our government. It could use all the help it can get right now, don't you think?

Obama rally in Greensboro

After picking up my new Mini Clubman S this morning in Winston-Salem, I stopped off in Greensboro to see Joe Biden and Barack Obama speak.

I was running late, as evidenced by the fact that I was held up by Obama's motorcade, as I was trying to find a parking spot and since there were over 20,000 in attendance according to local police there was no way I was getting anywhere close to stage. But the sound was good and with my 300mm telephoto lens, I managed to get a few glimpses of our next presidential duo.

Here are few a photos from the event.

She's Here...My new Mini Clubman S

When I ordered my new Mini Clubman S, I really wanted to get a sunroof but decided it wasn't worth the $1000 adder to the price of the car. Well, as luck would have it, the dealer screwed up and actually ordered the car with the sunroof. So now they are stuck basically giving it to me for free, or ordering me another car and waiting another month to get my money.

Dumb luck, or a sign that it was meant to be??? :)

Here's a couple of more pics the car being detailed at the dealership down in Winston-Salem. I'm off to pick it up first thing in the morning and then I'm going to stop off on my way home to see Joe Biden and Barack Obama speak at the Amtrak depot in downtown Greensboro.

Should be a great day.

Start! Heart Walk

Back in October 2007, my employer conducted a free health screening where I learned that based on my weight, gender, and blood counts, I was at significant risk for heart disease, heart attack, or a stroke.

Over the last 8 months, I've been working really hard through diet and exercise to reduce those risk factors. After losing 50 pounds and leading a more healthy all-around lifestyle, my most recent health assessment shows that I have corrected those problem areas and am now considered low risk!

To celebrate my success, I am helping the American Heart Association fight the nation's leading causes of death by participating in the Start! Heart Walk. Step out against heart disease and stroke by supporting my efforts. Please make a donation so I can reach my walker dollar goal. Thank you for your support!

Click here to donate.

Quotable

In April 2006, my boss asked me to take over responsibility for my company's business in the packaging machinery business. At the time, I split my time between working in the semiconductor industry and trying to learn a new business. After about 8 years working in the semiconductor industry, I have now transitioned to 100% of my time focused on packaging machinery automation, leaving my semiconductor roots behind.

I used to get interviewed and quoted all the time about Advanced Process Control in the semiconductor business. That was something I really knew well and was confident to play the role of industry expert. Now I'm finally starting to feel like I understand my new business well enough to not sound ignorant when talking to magazine editors and industry trade types about packaging.

Last week at a Schneider Electric trade event in Las Vegas, I was interviewed by Linda Casey, and editor for Packaging Digest. Here's her writeup on our interview from her magazine's website.

Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? Do you think she could tell I'm still sort of wingin' it? :)

50 pounds later

As of this morning (August 1st), I have now officially lost 50 pounds since the start of the new year!



Can you tell the difference? :)

January 2008:

August 2008:

My new toy...

Last week, the shutter broke on my Canon Digital Rebel. I was distraught, as I loved that camera and it had served me well for a little over 5 years. On the other hand, I finally found the perfect excuse I'd been looking for to upgrade to a Canon EOS 40D which shoots at a blistering 6.5 frames per second! I can't wait to shoot a soccer match with this little gem.

In the meantime, here's some images of Molly that I shot straight out of the box to make sure the camera worked. I'd say it does so...quite nicely.

To get a real sense of the quality, you need to see the full-resolution, original size images: still-life || twirly-girl.

Son, You'll Be a Star (or at least an Extra)

Max recently made his "off, off Broadway" theatrical debut in Morrisville Elementary's Track 4 First Graders' production of Little Red Riding Hood, The Musical.

Max played the role of "Tree 3". While you might say his performance was a little "stiff", he was very convincing. Of course, his main role was to serve as backdrop for the major players, but you should never underestimate the importance of the theatrical tradition of the Greek Chorus.

Click on the video below to watch excerpts from the play.

Out with the old...

I've lost 42 pounds since the first of the year (thanks SparkPeople!). My clothing situation has gotten pretty sad considering I've dropped 4 inches in my waist and 2 shirt sizes. So this weekend, I cleaned out the closet and the chest of drawers of all the clothes that no longer fit properly. It's pretty depressing to get rid of so many nice clothes (13 "Target" bags worth of clothes headed to Goodwill), but I'm really looking forward to re-populating the closet with some smaller sizes!

Playin' the Ponies

I was in Louisville for a couple of customer meetings today. My afternoon meeting got canceled at the last minute and I couldn't get an earlier flight home so I killed the afternoon at Churchill Downs, which happens to be only about a 5 minutes drive from the Louisville airport.

Track conditions were sloppy, but that made for some interesting photography. I've posted an album of photos from the day over on Flickr.

Our new dog

I came home from work today to find out that Liz had adopted Daisy from the Saving Grace Rescue in Wake Forest...



Apparently, they called her Reba at the shelter (because she was "red") but all I could think of was the country music star and companion sitcom. Luckily, the whole family agreed to change her name to "Daisy." We'll see how that goes over with the dog, but so far, she hasn't seemed to mind.

Carowinds

We took the kids to Carowinds over the holiday weekend. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Liz's New Car

Liz got a new minivan today...


2008 Chrysler Town & Country Touring...with all the bells & whistles, including Sirius Backseat TV!

Life imitating art

Liz and I were talking the other day about how Season 7 of the West Wing was eerily similar to this year's presidential election. I guess we're not the only ones that noticed (see video below):

Obamamatopoeia

Slate has a funny article today about all the different mashups that folks have made from Barack Obama's name.



I guess that's how they pay their "Obamrage" to him.

The Goo-gle wagon is a-comin' down the street...

It looks like the Georgetowne at Preston subdivision has been visited by the Google Vans.

You can now see what our street looks like in Google StreetView.




Kind of scary, isn't it? I'm just glad that the precise time the photo capture vehicle drove by didn't coincide with one of Molly's streakin' forays into the front yard. Otherwise, we'd probably be featured over on StreetViewFun.com

Yes We Can, The Speech & The Song

Until I saw Barack Obama give this speech in New Hampshire, I really wasn't sure who I was going to vote for. Now I have no doubt.

Never can I recall being truly inspired by a politician's speech like this before. And a concession speech at that!

As I went to bed that night thinking about what he had just said, I realized that what we need for this country is not necessarily the most experienced politician, but a real leader. Someone that you can respect, someone that you can look up to. Someone that inspires the people around him to work hard and accomplish things that they never thought they could do. One man (or woman) cannot do it all alone. What I love about Obama's campaign is that it is less about what he will do as president than it is about what he will challenge us all to help him accomplish if he is elected.

A couple of years ago, I was languishing in my job, wondering if I was in the right position -- or even right company for me. Then I got a new boss. My new boss wasn't necessarily any smarter or more experienced than my old boss, but my new boss challenged me in ways my old boss never did. He made me want to get things done that I would have simply let pass by. My new boss inspired me -- he lead me. Now I'm happier than I've ever been in a job in my career and I really believe it is due to the influence of my new boss. Because of him, I have hope that there is a bright future for me in my company.

Obviously, I'm not the only one that saw Obama's speech and was inspired. Many people have written many things about that great speech. However, my favorite result of that speech so far is the excellent Yes We Can video created by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the politics of the candidate, I expect you will agree with me that this video is an extremely well-done mashup between Obama's speech and an original artistic piece produced by Will.i.am.



If Barack can inspire me and Will.i.am, I wonder what he could do for our country if we just give him the chance.

V O T E

Liz's Birthday Dance

Today (Jan 27th) is Liz's birthday. So the kids decided to do a little dance for their mother on the occassion of her big day...