In 17 minutes...time

Here is a list of things I'm thankful for:
-Turkey & Stuffing combo
-hot showers
-gravy
-big pillows
-hammocks
-advil liquigels
-Tetley tea
-vans shoes

Things I'm not thankful for:
-Capri pants
-Old Navy commercials
-Every new Green Day video
-cell phone static


I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving.

This place would be busier than O'hare

It is officially the holiday season. I don't care if Christmas things were out on display before Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are truly the holiday season. Since 'tis the season I've decided to make a list of things that are cool and ok for everone this year and things that are not cool. And this is not going to leave anyone out. It applies to everyone everywhere.

Christmas music is good this year. It's always good. It's amazing to listen to Handel's "Messiah" and old fashion carols. It's even cool to sing "Rudolph" and "Frosty." It's not cool to listen to any Christmas album released by the following people or groups:
-N'Sync
-Kenny G
-Jewel
-Ricky Martin
-Veggie Tales

** Please note that "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is always acceptable and it's always cool to sing along to each song while watching "Home Alone"

Food items that are cool include home-made turkey, ham, duck, chicken and veggies. Honey Baked Hams is also really cool...just expensive.
What's not cool is the take-home holiday platters from Boston Market or Kenny Roger's Roaster

Dirty Santa is always cool and a fun game that involves everyone. Dirty Santa pornography emails in my hotmail account are not cool.

Eggnog is cool. With or without alcohol it's cool. Fruitcake and Jello molds are not cool. They never were and never will be.

Online shopping is coo. You can get presents delivered right to your door. You rarely pay sales tax and you do it from the comfort of you desk chair. Mall shopping is not cool at all. Especially the "Midnight Madness" on the night of Thanksgiving. Very uncool. Unless you're looking for a mighty deal at Topkapi and Spencer's gifts. Besides...No one wants anything that you would buy them at a mall anyway. Just give them cash instead and tell them you're sorry but you didnt want to buy them some un-appreciated mall gift.


Holiday cards are cool. A nice card-stock greeting from Hallmark is always nice. Picture cards are cool too. Not cool items include picture cards with your poodle (or any dog for that matter) with a red nose and antlers. Thanks, but I didn't want to look at your depressed dog for my holiday. Now get that crap off it before it gets pissed and attacks. Also not cool are online e-christmas cards. Lame, cheap and lazy is all I have to say about that. Now I don't send any Christmas cards (judge me if you will), but I would rather not send or receive one than have an e-card taking up 20 mb in my 'New Mail' folder.

Also very cool items are cider, Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and Christmas tree candles from Yankee Candle (don't judge....they smell amazing)

P.S. you have to share the hide-a-bed with Fuller....

Apparently 100 construction workers who were working under a sub-contractor on the site of a new wal-mart building were arrested under suspision of illegal immigration. This is outrageous! 100 illegal hispanics all working on the same site, probably getting paid under the table and with no social security numbers attatched to them for them to be able to have federal taxes taken out of their pay.

The Social Security Administration is upset (Rightly so) and the Dept. of Homeland Security has some stuff to be upset about as well.

If this is the case in the small town of Pottsville, PA then there's no telling how many other illegals are working throughout the US.

It's just frustrating to me to see that there is always talk of raising taxes, needing more money, national debt, etc...and to know that there are probably tens of thousands (probably more) people working in this country without paying one cent to the government.

But then again the blame can also fall back on the government becaue they are not doing the right things to make sure that illegals stay out...or leave once in.

lovers need lawyers

A little over a month ago I did a photo shoot with The Class of '98. They're a pop rock act from Nashville and here are a few of the photos I was able to do with them.

I saw God that night...

The amazing Albert Pujols received the title of National League MVP yesterday. He deserved it. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Cardinals fan.


I am excited about seeing Walk The Line soon. Also, I'm ready for Harry Potter and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe .

I'm also, excited about gas prices droping. They are still a bit steep, but anytime these days that I can fill up my 15 gallon tank for 31 bucks is great.

with your tanks and your bombs

So today I feel random. I feel like I want to try to list most of the music I was listening to in 1996 (the year I got my driver's license). These were the tunes that were always played in my wonderful black 1989 VW Jetta. It's pretty random and covers many genres, but here goes. And if anyone else would like to share what they listened to when they were first driving their cars (or ford broncos) then feel free.

-The Cranberries "No Need to Argue"
-Dave Matthews Band "Crash"
-Pearl Jam "Vitalogy"
-Good Riddance "For God and Country"
-REM "Automatic for the People"
-Green Day "Dookie"
-Silverchair "Frogstomp"
-Rage Against the Machine "Evil Empire"
-Metallica "The Black Album"
-Sepultura "Roots" (**This was during my angry phase in life)
-The Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie..."
-No Doubt "Tragic Kingdom"
-The Prodigy "Music for the Jilted Generation"
-Alanis Morissette "Jagged Little Pill"
-Phish "Billy Breathes"
-Buddy Rich Band --Various jazz and big band recordings
-Chopin "Piano Favourites"

**Note that Everclear, Soundgarden, Vertical Horizon, Blind Mellon, Butthole Surfers, Nada Surf and Superdrag were all in rotation from time to time.

My how the times have changed. And yet I still find myself going back and listening to a good number of these records.

Shut my mouth and strike the demons

I'm pretty frustrated with environmentalists in Oregon (and across the US) right now. There is a pretty major feud going on between Oregon farmers who rely on water for irrigation from the Klamath River and environmentalists who say the river's supply to farmers should be cut off in order to protect a few of the endangered species of Salmon.

This is a tough situation for me to deal with, because I do understand that it's extremely important to make efforts to save protected species, but when protecting these fish has a major impact on humans I struggle with choosing sides.

To cut off the water supply to the farmers will cause loss of crops, major loss of income, possibly loss of job and home and potentially have many other damaging outcomes. But to allow the farmers to continue using the River's supply will possibly be the source of extinction for this species of Salmon. The fish won't be able to make their annual runs to mate and the water will be too low for most of them to even survive.

But where do we as humans draw the line? Do we continue to make efforts to help keep a certain type of fish from dying out or do we favor the needs of other humans? I believe personally that people hold so much more weight in this issue than do fish. I believe that we have a right to uphold our own even at the risk of losing fish. I just don't know when environmentalist came to the conclusion that any animal of earth or of the sea is worth more than the people that inhabit this earth.

ESPN has an article on the subject here

I don't know if anyone is interested but I would really like some feedback on thoughts and feelings concerning this situation.

Don't put it out with your boots Ted!

Lot's of crazy stuff is going on in the nation and in the world as of late. One of the saddest events happened in Waco, TX when a pastor was electrocuted after grabbing a microphone while standing waist-deep in a baptistry about to perform a baptism. This was all in front of a crowd of nearly 800 people. The pastor was taken to a hospital but never revived.

I can't imagine what the people are feeling who were there and especially for the girl who was to be baptised by this pastor. Crazy stuff.

President Bush is now asking for an immediate $7 billion to help respond to the imposing threat of this rediculous bird flu mess. I really hope people take this seriously. Reports are saying that people who don't take it seriously can spread the strain across boarders and that this can easily become an international epidemic. Now, I'm not trying to hype it at all, because I don't feel threatened, but I just hope people who are faced with the situation deal with it correctly as to not make this a ridiculous situation.

Now some good things:
The Verve's "Urban Hymns" is an amazing and beautiful record. There's definately nothing wrong with that. Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks is a mighty tasty treat as well and they start serving them today. And winter beards. I'm certain that almost nothing beats a good winter beard...(if only I could grow a nice one...)