Eye’s Are A-Openin’

Early on, I was a big supporter of George W. Bush.  I voted for him for a second term because I thought that although I didn’t agree with everything he had done in his first term, he would still be a better President than John Kerry.  Now that his presidency is almost over, I still think Kerry would have been worse, but I definitely don’t count myself as a huge fan of President Bush’s.  But it has disgusted me over the years how Bill Clinton has gotten a free pass……to wish that “the first black President” was back in office.  I never cease to be amazed that Republicans are constantly accused of “caring only about money” but pretty much the only reason I hear people give when they wish Bill was back in office is……..”the economy”.  Here’s a question…….anyone know where Monica Lewinsky is and what she is up to these days?  No?  Oh, sure, she was of age and everything was consensual and blah, blah, blah.  But do you think she consented to have her life shattered and to have to live the rest of her life in exile?  Say what you will, but Bill took advantage of a naive young girl and ruined her life completely and pretty much all of America has given him a free pass.  Men out there……..you know if the fifty-year-old married guy your daughter works with did that to her, you’d probably go down there and kick his ass, am I right?

That is why I get so much satisfaction to see old Bill making such an ass of himself these days and to see that many in his own party are embarrassed by his antics.  It does my heart good to see quotes like this:

Columnist/Editor Jonathan Chait: “Am I starting to sound like a Clinton hater? It’s a scary thought. Of course, to conservatives, it’s a delicious thought. The Wall Street Journal published a gloating editorial noting that liberals had suddenly learned “what everyone else already knows about the Clintons.” (By “everyone,” it means Republicans.) It made me wonder: Were the conservatives right about Bill Clinton all along?” (The Los Angeles Times).

Read the story and more quotes like this from several top Liberals here.

I can’t believe it’s taken so many people almost ten years to realize what a scumbag this guy really is, but a lot of people are starting to wake up…..helped along by old Billy Boy digging himself into a deeper hole by running his mouth. I get cracked up every time I see him wagging his finger all red-faced like he can’t believe someone would actually have the balls to call him out on something. Only time will tell if he will cost Hillary the nomination, but either way, I’m sure once the primaries are over, everyone will go back to loving good old Bill.

Sad and Rather Bizarre News Story

I read this horrible story in the news today:

A father was stabbed and beaten to death in front of his 7-year-old son by a gang he was trying to protect the child from in almost exactly the same way his own father was killed 23 years ago, according to the Daily Mail.

David Martin, 40, a window cleaner, was trying to protect his son from a band of bullies who were picking on the boy during a football game outside his house in South London.

The youths stabbed Martin with a Samurai sword and beat him to death with golf clubs and cricket bats while the child looked on, the Mail reported.

Martin’s own father was also beaten to death 23 years ago by a group of youths with a metal bar who were teasing Martin and turned on his dad when he intervened.

“I can’t believe this tragedy has happened twice to the same family,” an elderly witness to the crime, who asked not to be identified, told the Mail.

There is more information about this tragic story here on the UK news site the Daily Mail.  According to the story there, it was not youths but adult neighbors who killed David Martin in front of his son, which is even worse.  Hopefully the UK’s justice system is more harsh to these murderers than they were to the murderers of David’s father.

My MP3 Player Has a Mind of Its Own

So a few days ago, Leblanc tagged me for a meme where you set your MP3 player to shuffle and listen to the first 10 songs it spits out. I was a little reluctant at first for a couple of reasons. First, I use my MP3 player with my Rhapsody account and mostly just pick out a few albums I want to listen to and download them on there. I try to vary the genres to match my varying moods through the course of the week or however long it takes for me to get tired of listening to these albums. So, I figured there was a chance that at least one artist would have more than one song on the list for this meme, which would make it less interesting. The second reason was that I was unsure if I remembered how to set my cheap little Sansa MP3 player to shuffle. I did remember, however, and here are my results:

1. Please Don’t Tell Her – Jason Mraz
2. Bleed the Freak – Alice in Chains
3. Josephine – Brandi Carlile
4. Just for the Record – Jordin Sparks
5. Sunshine – Alice in Chains
6. Shadow on the Wall – Brandi Carlile
7. Hold You in My Arms – Ray Lamontagne
8. Downpour – Brandi Carlile
9. Mr. Curiosity – Jason Mraz
10. Until I Die – Brandi Carlile

I thought that an artist would probably have more than one song on the list, but I never thought that multiple artists would have multiple songs or that an artist would have several songs in the list. Looking at the list, you would think that I only have like four albums on my MP3 player, but this is not the case. In addition to the artists above (all of which have only one album each on my MP3 player), I also have albums by Amos Lee, Third Eye Blind, and Emerson Hart…..not to mention a two-disc Anthology by George Thorogood and the Destroyers AND the “Singles” Soundtrack! Very interesting, no? This leads me to believe that my MP3 player has a mind (and musical tastes) of its own and is a very big Brandi Carlile fan.

Dental Woes Continued

I went back to the dentist last Tuesday for part two in the three-part process that is a root canal.  Part two is where they tear down most of the old tooth and put in a temporary crown.  Part three is where they replace the temp with a permanent crown.  Anyway, I got the temp crown put on last Tuesday and was given instructions not to eat anything hard or overly chewy.  I resolved that I would be vigilant in following their instructions. So, fast forward to today where I am eating lunch at a new place on Broadway called Five Guys.  The burgers there are extremely good, but near the end mine was ruined by a large crunchy object that turned out to be my temporary crown.  I managed to salvage it and luckily it didn’t cause me any pain.  So now I have to call my dentist……only to be told that he isn’t in today and the first opening he has for me tomorrow is at 10 am.  Now I wish I would have enjoyed that burger a little more there before the end.  Knowing my luck, if I try to eat anything solid I will be in for a world of pain……I’ll guess I’ll be having soup tonight.

Awesome Song

Crafty Momma and I were on our way to Atlanta just before New Years when we heard this song on the radio that just blew us away. I have mentioned my affinity for hair metal in previous posts and this song reminds me of an old school hair metal ballad….it is just missing the trademark guitar solo. We didn’t find out who it was until a couple of weeks later. It’s a group called Buckcherry and the song is called “Sorry”. I listened to the album and the entire thing kicks ass. Check it out if you get a chance. Here is the video for “Sorry”:

Vigilante Justice

I read this story early this afternoon and had to comment.

A father sodomized his 18-year-old stepson to avenge the teenager’s alleged rape of the man’s 8-year-old daughter, police said.

The father, 32, turned himself into to authorities on Friday and was released from jail Saturday after posting a $17,500 bond. He faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault.

The stepson was arrested Jan. 2 and charged with suspicion of aggravated sexual assault. Police say the father caught him assaulting his daughter, and a subsequent examination at a hospital revealed the girl had been sodomized.

When the stepson was arrested, the man warned his wife not to get the teenager out of jail. She posted bond for the teen’s release. When he called home Jan. 3 after getting released, the father took the call and picked him up, police said.

Instead of taking the teenager home, the Arlington man drove to an abandoned house in Fort Worth, beat his stepson with a baseball bat and sodomized him with a metal tool, police said.

After the man left, the stepson found a pay phone and called police, who searched the abandoned home.

You can read the entire story here.

Reading that the father actually caught the stepson assaulting his daughter, I was surprised that he didn’t beat the living hell out of him then and there. This is a pretty messed up story, but I say that it’s caused by a lot of peoples’ lack of faith in the justice system. I know I personally get disgusted when I see rapists and child molesters getting 2- and 3-year sentences while their victims are scarred for life. The same probably would have happened in this case. Now the kid will probably get the joke of a sentence, but I bet he won’t feel like sodomizing anybody for quite some time…..hopefully for the rest of his life. The father on the other hand will probably be made an example of and given a much longer sentence than the stepson. Sad.

Also, what was the mother thinking bailing this kid out?  What was her plan, to just welcome him back into the home?  I know this is her son, but her husband caught him sexually assaulting their daughter for crying out loud!!!  Geez!!!

Sharing on Shaving

Since I first got those sparse, wiry hairs on my chin and had to start shaving, I’ve hated it. Once my beard came in more and I started having to shave my neck, I hated it even more. As soon as I started shaving my neck, on came the razor bumps and I have not been without them since. I get them if I shave too closely and I get them if I let my beard grow out. On top of that, when I try to let my beard grow out, my skin gets all flaky and it itches so badly that I eventually go running for the shaving cream and razor.

I’ve tried all kinds of different things for the razor bumps, with minimal success. Not too long ago I had read that multi-blade razors were not good for people who get razor bumps and that I should try a single-blade razor. I hadn’t shave with one of those since I used disposable razors back in college. I was like the typical guy now….shaving with the Mach3 or 4 or 5 with whichever shaving cream happened to be on sale when I was at the store. One day at lunch I was looking for something to read on the net when I did a search for single-blade razors and came across this story. After reading it, I was pretty pumped and ready to go out and get some of my own products. I read Corey’s “ShaveBlog” and that added even further to my enthusiasm. I found a cheap old Gillette safety razor on eBay, a cheap badger hair brush and Prorasso Italian shaving cream elsewhere on the net, and an antique shaving mug that was used by my Great-Great Grandfather way back in the day. I was all set.

Switching from the new multi-blade razors that are made so you can just quickly and carelessly run them all over your face to a single-blade safety razor took a bit of getting used to. The first few times I shaved I nicked myself up pretty good but after some practice I have gotten pretty good at it. The razor bumps have not completely gone away but I am definitely getting the closest shave of my life and am actually enjoying shaving now. I have tried some other nice shaving creams such as Taylor of Old Bond Street’s Rose, which is an awesome English shaving cream. I asked for and received a Merkur HD safety razor for Christmas and I must say that it is amazing! I didn’t think I could get a closer shave than I was getting with my Gillette, but I was wrong!

Guys, you owe it to yourself to give this a try….especially if you use the Mach X razors and you hate to shave. I have a treasure trove of information on the subject, so if you are interested and want more info, let me know.

Reading Resolution

Toward the end of last year, I got into reading fantasy novels.  Most of the guys I work with are like me……really cool as adults, but total dorks during their formative years.  These guys all played Dungeons and Dragons and pretty much read nothing but fantasy.  I read C. S. Lewis and the Hobbit as a kid, but somehow did not delve much deeper into the realm of fantasy.  I asked these guys for some suggestions on some really good fantasy stories and they were not shy with their opinions.  I took them up on some of their suggestions and, as I said before, spent the better part of last year reading nothing but that one genre of fiction.  I have yet to read any that has really blown me away, however, and I still wonder if I am just not made to enjoy it.

I suppose Neil Gaiman is considered fantasy, but his work just has an element that mainstream fantasy seems to lack.  For one, I just think he is a much better writer than most of them.  Also, his stories always have a subtle humor to them as well as an element of horror.  He is much more intelligent.  Anyway, I decided to make a Gaiman selection my first read of the new year since I can always count on him to never let me down.  When Stardust came out in the theater, I immediately wanted to go see it and I also wanted to read the book.  Experience has told me that if I read a book that a movie is based on before I see the movie, inevitably the movie will be ruined for me.  So I postponed reading the book and the family and I were lucky enough to catch the movie at the drive-in in Watertown.  I was extremely happy with the movie and looked forward to reading the book to enhance the experience.  I found a used copy at McKay’s and started reading it just before New Years’ Eve.  At only 250 pages, it was a quick read and, though it was very different from the movie, it was still just as good in my opinion.  I think even if I were to have read the book before seeing the movie, I would have been happy.  Check out both if you get the chance.

Now, on to the resolution that the title of this post refers to.  Lately, when it comes to reading, I have chosen quantity over quality.  I have gotten stuck in a rut of reading only for entertainment and not to aquire new knowledge as I did when I was younger.  So I pretty much have read nothing but fiction in the last few years.  I also have an entire shelf of Classic Literature that I always say I will read “someday” and am constantly putting that “someday” off.  This year, I resolve to put the situation right.  I will continue to enjoy my escapist fiction and enhance my knowledge.  I am going to start a rotation…..first a fiction book of my choosing, then a non-fiction book, and then a classic.  So far, I chose Stardust for my general fiction enjoyment and have now started on the Words We Live By…Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution by Linda R. Monk.  Thirty pages in, it is very interesting and informative.  I will keep you posted on how my plan goes and if you have any suggestions for good reads, I am always open.

Rough Start to the New Year

As you may have read earlier, I had to have a root canal last week.  My dentist said that there was already a little infection in the tooth and gave me a prescription for some antibiotics telling me to be sure to take all of them.  I got the prescription filled the same day and noticed the directions said to take it four times a day…..I thought that was an awful lot…..especially when I remembered that the dentist also said to be sure to take them with food.  I did my best, however, but still did not get the four down a day very often.  So, come New Years’ Eve, I had a few left and took them throughout the day.  We were spending the New Years’ weekend at the in-laws’ house in Atlanta.  I had also picked up a little cold, so I took some over the counter cold medicine and used some Echinacea spray that Crafty Momma had just bought to soothe my sore throat. 

Evening arrived on New Years’ Eve and I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to sample some of the alcohol in the Renaissance Man’s vastly stocked bar.  I won’t go into all the drinks I had that night, but I will say that I had quite a few…..and I really overindulged on Envy.  Close to midnight, we broke out the champagne and I had a couple of glasses of that and then later helped to polish off a bottle when it appeared that it would go to waste if I didn’t.  Needless to say, I overdid it a bit.  I trudged upstairs, fell into bed, and was instantly asleep.  I awoke in the middle of the night feeling absolutely terrible and preceded downstairs to the bathroom to be violently ill.  Afterwards, I headed back to bed already dreading the looks and snide remarks I would be receiving the next morning for once again being that guy.

I got up three more times for some massive dry-heave sessions and I soon began to suspect that something other than alcohol may have been the cause of my miseries.  After finally getting out of bed, I took a look in the mirror and was horrified.  My face was covered in red splotches.  I called for Crafty Momma to come take a look and she said that my face and neck were swollen as well.  Tiny Dancer gave me an antihistamine pill and we soon packed up our stuff and headed home.  I felt on the verge of vomiting the entire day, but managed to keep what little I ate from coming back up.

The next day, I noticed that my throat was really, really sore…..it actually felt like I had a huge cut in the back of my throat.  I got out a flashlight, opened my mouth wide, and shined the light into the back of my throat.  What I saw made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end……from the softer part of the roof of my mouth on back to the opening of the esophagus was covered in white spots.  I knew it was time to head to the old walk-in clinic.

The doc looked me over and agreed with what I had begun to suspect……I had had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic the dentist gave me.  He said the spots in my throat were ulcers (also known as canker sores….if you’ve ever had one on the inside of your lip, you can imagine how painful having ten or so in the back of your throat would be).  I got a shot of Benedryl in one butt cheek and a shot of steroids in the other and was sent home with a prescription for some kind of lollipop that would help numb my throat.

 So because of this wonderfully fun occurrence, I have not been to work yet this year.  Hell, I can barely stand to eat anything.  Let’s just hope that this is not an omen to how the rest of the year will go for me.

Here are some pics of the New Years’ Eve festivities:

And here is the pic that Crafty Momma took to show the “After-party Effect” on me. Somehow she didn’t notice the hives and the swelling around my cranial area.