"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

How I Spent My Winter Vacation

I'm at the bar at Rose City at PDX, loving the free wifi (every airport should do that; they'd see a bump in food/drink sales as a result) and I was just enjoying the scenery across the bar. Portland is a hipster capital, and I have to admit I do love that style on the women.

My "vacation," which has been roughly the past week and will run through the 1st, has been nice. I had big dreams of hitting the Y a lot, getting my body prepped for a higher level in 2007, but I'm more like my mom than I admit -- genetics is a real thing -- and so we spent most days perched across from one another at her high-tables working on our laptops, eating pizza and drinking beer into the night. I wish I had a picture. It was nice, but also sort of the antithesis of getting to the gym and hitting the stationary cycle.

On the upside, I did some good work on Chapter Three's first non-client project -- alpha launch coming in early Jan -- and I also started my open-source community service effort for 2007, the Drupal Dojo:

Drupal Dojo

It's basically a place for up-and-coming developers to rub elbows with more experienced types in a less intimidating setting, to help be a middle-ground in the burgeoning Drupal economy. I launched it about 24 hours ago and already we have more than 100 members. Oh boy.

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It's Over, Hipsters

A joke with two punchlines via Frank, who heard it from a 17-year-old on Saint Louis:

How many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Well... it's an obscure number. You probably wouldn't know it...

Or

Well, it used to be 8 but now it's 7; it was much better before.

The backlash is on. I enjoy my Levis 527s and my screen-printed hoodie, but all y'all took it too far. I just hope this doesn't mean we're in for a resurgence of Jock Jams.

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Clifhanging Cocksuckers

GD it, these bastards sure know how to leave an unresolved ending. I just caught up on the last few episodes, and the next isn't for a month with a pretty solid "to be continued" close.

Overall I dig the mystical developments more than the romantic. Not that there's anything wrong with romance, but they way they're playing this just sheds negative light on all parties. It's not very much fun, and it makes me not like some of my favorite characters as much.

Also, I finished up season four of The Wire, which is really just an incredible piece of artwork. If you have not checked it out, do yourself a favor and Netflix, on-demand, bittorrent or blockbuster that shit. They ended that one without much conclusion too, and apparently will wrap it all up in one last season next year. Sigh.

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Holy Infant (Shallots) Sauteed with Irish Butter

Great Success! Me and Brie went in together on a travel voucher to sent mom back to France sometime -- because if we get her the ticket she has to go -- and I cooked up a pretty fine meal (bacon-wrapped steaks, shallot/shitake sautee, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus and spinach ceasar salad) and dined it up with the Grams and everything. It was a lovely adult night.

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The 'Mas

I'm off on the road to Oregon. Gonna see my mom and grandma and maybe some more extensive family for the Xmas time. Strange how my perception of this season has evolved. I still dig the spirit, but the importance of that one day has pretty much evaporated, probably will stay that way until I have my own kids to bedazzle.

I'll be riding with Mark and Zya, who are going to Eugene, then Portland, then Texas for the holiday. Texas being an escape from all family and a chance to get a little lone-star adventure.

Me, I'm trying to make it back to NYC for New Years. We'll see how that goes.

Probably light posting for the next week or two, although maybe a redesign will happen.

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Thanks From Mark and Sixto

healing power

Mark and Sixto have posted a thank you message on their Chipin site.

Also, the wonder-working power of this process has been an inspiration of sorts, and my friend Kristi from NYU has set up a similar page for her cat, who sadly doesn't seem to be doing as well.

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Politics Is Broken

67% oppose the war in Iraq and 70% disapprove of Bush's handling, but nobody is talking about taking a hard stance against the Bush/McCain/Lieberman tactic of escalation.

Likewise, everyone knows the health care system doesn't work and understands that the only entity which has a shot at fixing it is the federal government, but we've yet to hear anyone step up and catch that 70% of public opinion in their sails.

Finally, clear majorities want to invest in efficiency and alternative energy sources, and yet our leaders are stuck dicking around with ANWAR and a few underfunded pilot/mostly-for-show projects.

My point is, the Public is actually not that fucking stupid. Our leadership is just timid and out of touch -- if not outrightly corrupt -- and our organs for articulating Public Opinion have fallen so far from the Jefferson/Franklin ideals that they're closer to the state propaganda machines in the USSR than a legitimate Free Press.

People in this country are a little out of shape and kind of materialistic, but "big dumb America" actually has much a better grasp of what the fuck is going on than the elite leadership.

We're going to see some serious realignment over the next decade, with either a major shift in "national prorities" from the power-elite, or the rise of localism as cities, counties, states and regions begin to abandon the ossified and ineffective federal system in favor of their own problem-solving.

Hopefully we get both. ;)

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You Fear This

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Why I Like Atros: Guilt Free Sex

I think my favorite individual blogger right now is Atrios. His politics -- the stuff he recommends via links and the stuff he writes -- are very good, especially on his subject specialties of the war and economics. I also like his writing voice, and the fact that he's not afraid to be cultural. He posts videos and stuff about music all the time, and he's not afraid to come out and write a post about Sci-Fi and say that Liberals believe in guilt-free sex.

This is what the right fears more than anything else.

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You Can Check Out Any Time You Want...

Back in the Golden State.

Well, it really does start to feel after my last visit that I might get sucked back into the NYC life. I don't know when or how, but it seems rather undeniable that the value of the peer community there is something I can't pass on in life.

For now, I'm happy to try and work out a bicoastal lifestyle. I don't want to move again; I just want to get back more often. I still want to continue putting down roots in the HC. It's got to be something beyond rambling this time.

That's a pretty lofty goal, but it's more real than owning land in the near to mid term. My ambitions are too impossibly large to be met in rural America. I can see a few ways this could all shake out, and I'm cautiously optimistic for now.

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