That's what she said.

Suja and I just finished watching Disc 4 of Season 3 of The Office

I had a habit (or I guess non-habit) of not getting caught up in any TV shows recently (not since I dug The Simpsons in my early college days)... but I caught a few episodes of The Office - season 2 I think - and really just laughed enough to watch as much as I could... this included catching some on Netflix' 'watch instantly' and then Suja and I got the season discs Netflix'd in... So after hours of laughter, we're all caught up... a definite recommend.

And of course it's so funny because we can relate... we've all got people, or an accumulation of traits of people we know that become Michael, Dwight, et al...

So now that we're all caught up... what's next? Not sure I want to get into Lost, Heroes, or 24 yet...

Empowered...?

So the Texas primary was yesterday, and the wife and I went to the primary and the caucus (dumb "Texas Two-Step"). I placed my vote, felt bad that I didn't know Any of the local candidates or their positions on issues, and then we went out to eat to celebrate our demonstration of civic responsibility.

As far as who I voted for, it really was a tougher decision than I thought it was going to be; once I got back from Denmark I started researching Clinton, Obama, McCain, Huckabee, Paul and Nader... after going through their stances on the different issues, I decided to vote for Obama, but it took more contemplation than I thought it would've... before I thought about it more, I was really energized by Obama's campaign and was relieved to see someone like him move the young electorate so well.

But the more I thought about it, the more I kept feeling that Obama's campaign was more emotive than anything else. He pulls a lot by using the 'outsider/non-Washington' label... and yet I can't help but think he's able to do that purely from a lack of experience in that environment.

So in reviewing candidates, I ran across Russ Feingold, the junior senator from Wisconsin... and I really wish he ran so I'd be really sure where my vote would go. He seems to be the uncompromising idealist that everyone's pining for, including myself, but he's been around since 1992.
When Feingold was running against the Republican incumbent for the in '92, he wrote the following 5 promises on his garage door:

1. I will rely on Wisconsin citizens for most of my contributions.
2. I will live in Middleton, Wisconsin. My children will go to school here and I will spend most of my time here in Wisconsin.
3. I will accept no pay raise during my six-year term in office.
4. I will hold a "Listening Session" in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties each year of my six-year term in office.
5. I will hire the majority of my Senate staff from individuals who are from Wisconsin or have Wisconsin backgrounds

Feingold has continued to have "Listening Sessions" in each county every year since then... there was a story about it on NPR last year I think... what other senator 'gets' it like that?

Feingold's also been working hard for campaign finance reform and a national health care system; especially notable is that he was the ONLY senator to vote against the Patriot Act and also led the fillibuster against the renewal of the act, and voted against the 'compromised' version of it (unlike Obama). Feingold voted against the resolution to go to war with Iraq. He started the movement to censure President Bush. (info from wikipedia)

According to the Washington Post, Hillary Clinton has missed 141 votes (29.2%) during the current Congress. Obama has missed 196 votes (40.6%). Feingold? 0... he's missed 10 votes total since he became a senator - 16 years ago
more vote-missers at http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/

EDIT: I should've thought more about this, but I'm sure that the reason these senators missed the number of votes that they did was because they were on the campaign trail... my mistake.

I like both of the Dems candidates, and would be overall happy if either won the general election (I guess I'd be happier with Obama), but I think my heart lies with Feingold. As my coworker Mark put it "seems like he's got an abundance of common sense".

I'm back

Back into the land of Fahrenheit, smog, and 75° winters.

Got back over the weekend and now I’m sitting here at work again, as if nothing ever changed. We were successful running the Level 5 RAM System, including the Dual Seal Module that I fully designed, at the rig. Although it took a 2nd try, this is a worldwide first installation, and I’m pretty happy with the overall results.

More to come...

All-"Dream" Post

If you grew up in Houston during the 1990s, you knew Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon... the Nigerian Nightmare brought us two NBA championships in '94 & '95... Now he gets his shot at the Hall of Fame

Also, the Rockets are planning on making a monument honoring Hakeem out in front of the Toyota Center in April. Interesting that "in keeping with the tenets of his Muslim faith, it won't include a picture or likeness of him."

Long time coming... HOF enshrinement ceremony will be September 4-6 in Springfield, Mass.

Road trip, anyone?

"If" - Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Why would you not make this trade?

using the espn.com trade machine, came up with this:

Sweetness of Site Feed & Gmail

Great, now I've got it set up so I can get updates from my favorite blogs on my Gmail -

this might be old news to everyone else, but its still pretty cool to me :o)

Farrow, Spielberg Assail China on Darfur

Hear, hear:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5illYvdksqi8MYvonLsaCtJcvylOgD8UP4E7O0

ENSCO 71

Finally made it to the rig in the North Sea... ENSCO 71.

Luckily, I'm located close enough to one of the office rooms in the Accomodation Section that I'll be able to get online whenever I can. I'll try to throw some pics from the rig floor whenever I'm able.

Life here is different... because operations are going on 24-7, the living quarters are almost like being on a sub - no windows, etc so you never know exactly what time it is from the conditions outside. Once you dress up in the coveralls and PPE, you can step outside where the winds are blowing hard and cold from the west. Honestly, I can't spend too much time out there before I start feeling numb. But, being out there with the BOT-Danmark boys helps.

Another thing to add about the Romney 'suspension'... and probably the bigger thing: Romney used the same scare tactics that the Republicans used in 2006 to paint his reasoning behind stepping out of the race.

"And Barack and Hillary have made their intentions clear regarding Iraq and the war on terror. They would retreat and declare defeat. And the consequence of that would be devastating. It would mean attacks on America, launched from safe havens that make Afghanistan under the Taliban look like child’s play. About this, I have no doubt."

Best strategic move by Romney I think in this whole campaign... he was able to stay in his safe graces with the 'conservatives' and yet be able to somehow lend his supporters some form of reason to back the person he had been attacking in the primaries since day 1.

"The Problems of..." Addendum

Father Schmemann actually wrote 'The Problems of Orthodoxy in America' as a 3 part series of sorts:

- The Canonical Problem
- The Liturgical Problem
- The Spiritual Problem

If able, I'll try and read through these and post my thoughts on here when the time comes...