Dad At Work

Feingold, Ryan promote line item veto plan - JSOnline

2009-03-23T12:18:00.001-07:00

"The Congressional Accountability and Line-item Veto Act would allow the president to propose removing earmarks from legislation that lands on his desk and send them back to Congress in one package for quick votes. The House and Senate would have 12 days to bring the package of line item vetoes for a vote with a simple majority voting in favor of keeping them in or deleting them from the budget."

http://is.gd/oABL

Feingold's plan sounds great to me. Except that it says: "Congress can't do it's job, so maybe the President can do it for them".

It's Congress' job to legislate, but they can't control the destructive behavior of earmarks. There was a lot of talk about it in the last year, but nothing's been done. It's understandable why not. It's the MoC's bread-and-butter. They get and maintain their support at home by slipping in payouts to pet constituent's projects. They get other MoC's to accept it because they'll trade votes for their bills and amendments.

"It's the way things get done," they say. One of my own state's reps, Obey, has said that nothing can be done about it. At least Feingold and Ryan are trying (even if it's just symbolic, 'cause, let's face it, how many MoC's really want to give legislative power away to the President?).

Until people get pissed enough to vote out their own representatives and Senators for this crap, we're stuck with it. Thanks to Feingold and Ryan for pointing out that our lawmakers aren't doing their job.

Suck it up, conservatives!

2009-03-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

A lot of conservatives and business-minded folks are loudly claiming that Obama and the Democrats are trying to kill American capitalism. Quite frankly, I'm worried about the debt and the dependence on the government that the stimulus and other initiatives could create. And at the same time, I'm a little happy that the folks who have been trying to game the system for the past 20 years and been the driving force behind the outrageous consumption and the creation of non-productive industries (like the mortgage market and futures market) are the ones being hardest hit. Cry all you want bankers and brokers, but you generated the wealth of the past 20 years on a foundation of myth and lies. If you want to play by laissez-faire rules, adopt one rule better: "Don't be a dick". Stop trying to screw the other guy out of a dollar or game the system. If you can't be honest, then screw you and bring on the regulation.

And I'd like my 401K money back, please. Hope you had a fun time with it.

Twitter / SenJohnMcCain and earmarks

2009-03-11T06:42:00.001-07:00

Senator John McCain twittered last night: "did you know in 1991 there were 546 earmarks in appropriations bills - today, nearly 9,000"

The last couple of years saw the height of anti-earmark rhetoric in the public and the press, and it seemed with both sides arguing for reform in the 2008 elections that we might see some changes.

While I support many of the programs that would be funded by federal earmarks, I'm quite sure there would be a better way to fund them than this process.

It seems like bills should be voted on according to a defined set of initiatives and principles, rather than a hodgepodge of tacked-on amendments to specific pet projects of MoCs and their constituents. Then a MoC could be held accountable for their vote on a bill that allowed, say, tens of thousands to a gang-prevention program in South Carolina, rather than being able to have the excuse that it was part of a larger bill and that's what they felt they were voting on.

Also, it would seem more efficient if the State or Local authority could tax and spend on some projects that are primarily local in scope, rather than funneling money to the federal government and then back out to local needs.

There's a lot more to be said on this, and I hope Obama and others who pledged a reformation of the federal processes holds true to their promises and works with MoCs like McCain to make the system work better.

Reed makes another miscalculation

2009-01-06T08:24:00.001-08:00

Reed and the Senate Democrats have made a mistake in inserting themselves in a problem that has too be worked out at the state level. Instead of publicly announcing they were going to do this, they should have worked behind the scenes to streamline the appointment. The Feds have succeeded not only in taking down Blagojevich (though it's an awfully slow take-down, it will happen eventually), but also in damaging the Senate Dems and, to a smaller extent, the Obama administration.

CNN says "Burris denied entry to Senate":

Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the Senate, rejected Burris\' appointment on Monday because Burris\' certificate of appointment was missing the signature of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, an aide to the secretary said.

Rule 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate states that the secretary of state must sign the certificate of election along with the governor.

White has declined to sign the certificate, siding with some Senate Democrats who say Burris should not be seated because of the cloud over Blagojevich.

Buy! Sell! Stay the course!

2008-10-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Wall Street soars as government pledges bank aid: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

What the hell am I supposed to do? My retirement account is down thousands, but we're supposed to stay the course because they are long term investments that will surely rise back up by the time I retire in 30 or 40 years. Early last week, I was looking at stock prices thinking that if I had a couple of thousand dollars, I should really grab some Google or Apple or something else while the price is down this low. But then they went lower.

Now today, the dow has risen about 400 points. So I could have already made money... but then I'm worried about not just this week but what about this next year? They say it could be a couple of years before we're back to pre-crash levels of production and a solid economy.

I regret not finding money to invest in the 90s. Now that I have a little money, I'm letting the brokers handle everything according to what they know as experts. But aren't they the guys who got us into this mess?

I don't want to be regretting doing nothing 5 or 10 years from now. But my resources are still limited, so $1000 or $2000 really means a lot to my here-and-now. I guess that's my answer. It's not like I'm sitting on a stockpile to invest. Let the market settle and maybe save a little and in the next few months reassess.

I just want my get-rich-quick scheme like everyone else got in 1995 (and then half of them lost in 2000/2001).

Growing up? Or just older?

2008-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Back from wedding weekend and seeing old friends. Though instead of staying up until 2 am watching movies or gaming, we went to a park and watched our kids play.

I Don't communicate as often as I should with people I care about, especially friends. And I have too few friends close by to share new experiences with. I love that we built these bonds in high school (or earlier) and college that have lasted this long, but sometimes it's almost a curse.

Oh well. Had fun. And will have again. And it was great to see the kids playing together.

McCain's health plan

2008-10-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

An analysis of McCain's health plan from an actuary:

Father Sam Explains It All - Swampland - TIME

It's a secret

2008-10-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

"I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him." - John McCain, October 7, 2008

If he knows, maybe he could share with Bush, Rice, Gates, or Gen. McKiernan so that someone could capture this criminal. I thought it was all about "Country First". Senator, this would be a great time to remember that.

Dreamblogging - Aimee Mann

2008-10-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Listening to "Freeway" by Aimee Mann reminded me that I had a dream last night where I won a contest to meet Aimee Mann, have dinner with her and 14 of my friends.

First of all, I'm not sure I could name 14 friends, much less 14 that listen to Aimee Mann or live close enough to make it to dinner with us. Beyond that, Aimee was graciously cool in the dream, and I just barely stopped myself from saying "I wish you would have brought your husband (Michael Penn), because my wife likes his music even more." When it came time for dinner, the contest administrators presented us with choices, the most palatable, for some reason, being a hot dog stand. WTF? Hot Dogs? I don't even eat meat.

Does someone have an interpretation of that dream for me?

Election fraud watch

2008-10-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin's got a lawsuit brewing about our Election Board's compliance with voting regulations. I heard Ohio basically said that it's too late to change anything for this election, and that the voting problems there in the last two elections (!) will probably happen again for 2008. And now a judge in NJ has suppressed a review of that state's voting systems and I'm sure it's too late to do anything with that anyway before Nov 4th.

If you're in a state with touch-screen voting, or other system without paper-identification, PLEASE go now and get an absentee ballot and follow the rules and send it in before the deadline.

And, elected officials, get off your butts and get this stuff straightened out in the first couple of months next year. The legitimacy of our democracy (and your positions) is at stake. We already have great cause to doubt your sincerity and competency. Don't increase our dissatisfaction. We'd actually like to believe that we have a system that kind of works sometimes. It's getting harder and harder to believe that.

Debate - Wow

2008-10-02T19:19:00.001-07:00

Biden just said "Cheney has been the most dangerous Vice President in history." Wow! He doesn't hold back. Didn't expect that comment, no matter how true it is.

Blame

2008-09-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

The fact is that Democrats and Republicans are to blame. It's possible that lending policy crafted by Democrats in the 90s, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helmed by Democratic supporters, helped create the market of over priced homes and over extended mortgage holders. At the same time, the free-marketeer and Republican mantra of "less regulation" created the market of sub-prime mortgage securities sold and resold for the past 10 to 15 years, shift debt, creating profits from nothing, and lining the pockets of lender CEOs and investment bankers.

If the Republicans knew that the housing market was bad, they should have fixed it when they held the reigns from 2000 to 2006. If the Democrats saw the "Bush fiscal policy" as evil, they should have spend the last two years fixing it rather than biding time until their President got elected.

Representatives of both sides have failed us as much as the CEOs of these companies that sought profit on the unstable foundation of the mortgage and housing industry.

Come November, do us all a favor and throw the bums out. Start with Boehner, Pelosi, Frank, and Bachus.

Cool stats on Presidential Elections, and concerns about lawyers

2008-09-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

These stats on Presidential Elections is pretty cool. They look at what is the smallest number of votes in what states to change the outcome of the election. 2000 was 269 votes in Florida to change to Gore victory. And all they would have had to do was ask for a recount of the entire state and the may have won. Instead, the Supreme Court declared voter fraud by their attempt to just recount the votes in a few disputed counties.

Anyway... I hope that this election is not that close and that it doesn't come down to lawyers and how well the conservatives have stocked the Supreme Court. But in my own state of Wisconsin, the Republican Attorney General, who is also co-chair of the state McCain campaign, is suing the state elections commission for supposedly not being rigorous enough in it's verification of voter registrations. He brings this suit less than two months before the election.

The only motivation I can see here is to throw this Obama leaning state into a clusterf*ck situation where our results are disputed. It's a shame really because most of the state uses optical scan voting machines (with a paper-trail!) that have been (finally!) recognized as one of the best methods of electronic voting. We've been using them for at least 10 to 15 years, at least ever since I started voting.

And there have been disputes in voter fraud, especially in Milwaukee, they've had 4 years since the last presidential election and 2 years since the last national election to get it straightened out. To bring this suit now instead of 6 months ago is so obviously a political ploy.

I was tolerant of Van Hollen (even after yelling "that's why you suck!" at his Rep opponent during an interview in his primary, and even though he wasn't my pick) because he had some good opinions on some matters and had some good experience taht made him well qualified. But this latest schtick is ridiculous and I can't wait to vote against him.

Sounds like this kind of thing is going on all over - teams of lawyers being sent around to challenge results in November. And it's both sides doing it.

Shame on all of you in both parties. You have had years to fix polling problems. Don't muck it up now just because you see an advantage to your side. Think of the process and the people and the country for once, not just your party.

Class, regulation, blame

2008-09-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Get Your Class War On is an interesting article on campaign strategy in relation to the current financial crisis. Thomas Franks' suggests that the Democrats should highlight the crisis in terms of rich vs. poor (us vs. them) to combat "the public vs. the liberal elite" schtick of the Republican campaign.

Frank says:

On Monday, John McCain blamed the disaster on "greed by some based in Wall Street." It's a personal failing of some evil few, in other words, and presumably capitalism will start working again once we squeeze the self-interest out of it. In the weeks to come, maybe Sen. McCain will also take a bold stand against covetousness and sloth.

But the structural changes of the past 28 years that have made all this possible -- the waves of deregulation, the takeover of government itself by business interests -- these haven't made too much of an impression on him. In March Mr. McCain actually called for more deregulation in response to the crisis

I'm not an economist, nor do I really understand the workings of corporate America. Part of me hates the billionaire leaders of corporations who only seem to increase their haul while we get stiffed. As in the rising profits of oil corporations as our gas prices rise, and the multi-billion dollar salary of the CEO of my health insurance company while they raise our rates to "meet costs".

But in these publicly traded companies, are there not also Board of Directors who are elected by the shareholders? And don't these same BoDs hire the CEOs, create their pay packages and golden parachutes? Where is the ire of these stockholders? Why isn't there sweeping change in the make-up of these boards, as well as in the make-up of the CEOs pay packages.

Seems like part of the same old-boys network at work here - they are all too close to each other. If they take a swipe at someone, it might come around and hit them in their job, too.

Yep. Looks like a class war risin'.

The decreased diversity of the economy - to blame?

2008-09-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

The feds just bailed out AIG, the largest insurer of financial services businesses, after their stock plummeted this month. Part of the reason their stock plummeted, according to the Wikipedia article is because investors evaluated their holdings in light of Lehman brothers' (another recently-failed financial services corporation) holdings, and found them similarly over-valued.

It seems that these huge financial services corporations bet on the high-risk, high-gain low interest mortgage market from the last 10 years, not thinking about what would happen when people couldn't pay once the rates on their adjustable rate mortgages rose after the initial 3, 5, or 7 year term.

The fact that so many of the huge corporate banks and financial services (insurance, savings and loans, brokerage firms, etc) are all tied into these companies is chilling. They are all interconnected and involved in the same shady dealings with the same apparent lack of foresight.

In the past 10 years (maybe longer, but that's as long as I"ve been noticing it), the US Banks, Citibanks, and Chases have been gobbling up their smaller competitors. No one's got a monopoly, but the market is certainly less diverse than it was 10 years ago. The government has antitrust and anti-monopoly laws to protect the public from their evils, but what about the now apparent evils of a simply less-diverse market.

Or would all of these problems still have come crashing down even if the top 5 banking institutions were a more diverse 10 or 15 different ones?

A second point is I wonder if there's an analysis of the salaries of the CEOs of these failing companies, including any severance or retirement packages dealt out in the last 5 to 10 years. It seems these fools who ultimately are responsible for the current instability of their companies (and the economy as a result) deserve a pay cut, if not a forfeiture of their nest eggs in order to pay for the burden the taxpayers are now shouldering.

Dave Barry: The DNC's on, let the drama begin - 08/24/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

2008-08-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Dave Barry: The DNC's on, let the drama begin - 08/24/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

Sen. Clinton is scheduled to address the convention Tuesday night, when she will either call on her supporters to unite behind Obama, or attempt to snatch the nomination and escape with it by helicopter to a secret mountain fortress.

His goal, in his acceptance speech, will be to win over the undecided voters -- the people who are unsure of what he really stands for, or who have received emailed rumors that he is a Muslim, or a socialist, or a vampire, or a lesbian. His goal will be to show, with no disrespect to the Muslim socialist vampire lesbian community, that he is a regular person just like you, except he has Vision and Leadership.

Dave Barry for the win! It's been a long time since I read him.

VP

2008-08-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

I think Obama could get away with Clinton as VP now. There's been enough distance from the "end" of the primaries till now. It will seem like a thoroughly investigated decision.

I even feel OK with this, which is I guess why I'm offering this opinion. I don't relish the Clintons in the WH again, and I have other reasons for disliking Hillary for pres, but as Veep, I think it might go over OK.

But it's probably someone else that will be thoroughly boring, and we'll over analyze the "Real" reasons he/she was chosen.

This is a joke right?

2008-08-21T12:04:00.001-07:00

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/08/21/mccain_spokesmans_retort_obama.html

How absurd. Both sides. Just absurd.

Dire predictions

2008-08-21T07:16:00.001-07:00

I was deeply saddened on March 20, 2003, when the Iraq invasion began. That evening, I was at a local American Legion at which our community theater group was preparing a somewhat patriotic themed show. There had been some earlier tension in the group when a high school girl volunteering for our group was called to task by a group member for wearing a "No War" button. She was called naive and told that things weren't always so simple as her button suggested.

The night of the invasion, as the news came on the TV at the bar of the Legion hall, some cast members cheered. Two others were visibly upset. One, a mother of a military son, was crying. I myself, felt sick to my stomach - more at the callousness of those cheering, but also at what I perceived as a loss of hope.

I was in junior high school when the Berlin wall came down and in high school when the soviet union collapsed. At the time, things were unclear, but eventually it seemed the dawn of a new era. Sure there would be wars and international conflicts, but there seemed to be no more big us vs them. No great struggle of will backed by the fear of mutual annihilation. It was peace in our time, and hope for its perpetuity.

Then, when the US aggressively invaded Iraq, those hopes were dashed. Sure, they had been battered by the WTC and Pentagon attacks, and by our invasion of Afghanistan. And prior to that, by our bombing of civilians in Serbia to counter their government's atrocities. But this was an exaggerated show of aggression, which to me appeared nakedly as an assertion of power, rather than purer, just, and democratic morals.

And now, the fear continues to build in the background, even as Iraq seems to fade from the news (withdrawal in 2009 has been proposed by Bush, but McCain has said decades of occupation may remain). Russia has invaded it's democratic and west-leaning neighbor of Georgia. And the US is stirring the embers of the past by forging ahead with missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic. And in teh background, China looms as a vestige of the Communist era, even if it's a differnt breed of Marxism than the USSR had been.

I would have loved for my sons to be born in a time like the 90s, and known a decade of relative peace and hope. Instead, I fear they are coming into the world when we are at the brink of further war.

Prognostication - Packers fans

2008-07-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

As a Wisconsinite, news junkie, and football watcher (though, admittedly, a reluctant one), allow me this ugly prediction: The Favre controversy will end in physical violence among the fans.

We can't go an hour, much less a whole day, not hearing about Favre and the next miniscule step that was taken or not taken, or what some yahoo said about it. I'm a little surprised no one got into a fight at the shareholders' meeting last week. We take our football seriously here in WI. Too seriously. Favre became a legend in his own time because he brought Green Bay back into championships and winning seasons.

Of course, it's not just him - it was the teams and the coaches and the whole machinery of the organization those seasons. But he was the figurehead. And he went out on a high note to cap that legend.

Or so we thought. Now it's pretty mucky around here. Seems like I'm in the minority - thinking the Pack should get on with life, trade Favre for some high picks and trades, and give Rogers the chance he already showed he could handle. Most fans want Favre, the legend, back. Enough that I'm a little scared to say what I think in public because I fear the reprisals.

But I'll write it here. Favre wasted his legacy with this stunt, and the Packers botched their hand as well. It's a big mess, and what little regard I had for the sport and the team is withering away. Greedy whiners. That's all any of them ever were. Favre included.

Prognostication, doubt, and hope

2008-07-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Thinking about American preeminence (or, rather, our dwindling preeminence), and what global changes are going to mean to us in the 20 years. Mostly, I worry about the changes my sons will have to live through, and how they'll have to deal with the consequences of the actions of the preceding two generations.

Several things brought the US into the position it's held for the last 60 years. Our vast resources, capitalistic economy, and imperialist attitudes of the 20th century collided with world events and brought us into the global dominance of the cold war and post cold war era. But now other cultures, prominently China, Russia, and the EU, are rising up to embrace those same capitalistic and imperialist qualities, though with a 21st century bent, at the same time that we've begun to reject them.

Many of my generation are isolationists and pacifists, or at least one or the other. We embrace the ideal notions of the 60s generations and hoped that we could make them come about, now that we're generation coming of age and they are the ones in power or trying to make a legacy before they leave power. But these ideals are the opposite of those that made America what it is and gave us the privileges we enjoy.

How much are we willing to pay (or make our sons and daughters pay) in order to make our nation what we think it should be. It is becoming apparent to me that our ideals will me a decrease in our power, at least in the short run, and consequences will come of that.

I once embraced pragmatism, as it was described to me by government teachers in Jr High and High School, because it seemed logical to meet problems with logical tools of the moment, rather than difficult and unwieldy ideals that did not produce immediate results. But In the last decade, I changed to uphold idealism - I believe that we must look to our ideals to guide us, or else we never get out of the rust out pragmatic solutions continue to dig for us.

Maybe there's a middle ground. Or maybe I just need to bite the bullet and realize the consequences. Or maybe I need another dose of hope that our ideals, while they may cause some immediate setbacks, will leave our nation and our children's world a better place.

A legacy of failure

2008-06-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

So Wonkette leads me to
this Friedman column: "Mr. Bush, Lead or Leave" which is all about the absurd "energy policy" of the Bush administration. Which lead me to this Wikipedia entry on Stephen Johnson, the current head of the EPA which states:

Johnson is currently attempting to block the efforts of 17 states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. He has defended his position by arguing that “The Bush administration is moving forward with a clear national solution, not a confusing patchwork of state rules. I believe this is a better approach than if individual states were to act alone.”

What makes this even more absurd is that the current Republican party line on many things is to "let the states decide", whether it's for gay marriage, gun rights, or abortion. But when it comes to energy policy, "states rights" is the bogey man.

This forehead-smacking excuse for a policy is so lame, even "miserable failure" doesn't quite sum it up.

Just One Club Card - Combine All Of Your Club Cards

2008-04-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

Just One Club Card - Combine All Of Your Club Cards

too cool

Note to self - Playlists

2008-04-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

ideas for two playlists:

Cowboy Junkies: hits and accessible music
Sweet Jane
Blue Moon
Murder Tonight in the Trailer Park
Common Disaster
Anniversary Song
Stars of Our Stars
End of Paths Taken
Come Calling (His Song? the fast one)
more

New love songs PL:
Never Gonna Give You Up
Anniversary Song
and I can't remember any of the others now

How un-PC!

2007-05-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

This why I love Wonkette:

"DNA tests would actually show most Mexicans have Spanish blood, which is why they are always dancing the flamenco and fighting the Basques."

-- in response to some blather on NY Times blog comments

Pithy throw-away comments like that help make reading about the latest crisis or government screw-up a little more tolerable.

US News College Rankings - boycott?

2007-04-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

As a parent, I find this news interesting:

A revolt is brewing among college presidents against the influential college rankings put out each year by U.S. News & World Report.

Dozens of schools have recently refused to fill out surveys used to calculate ranks, and efforts are now afoot for a collective boycott.

When I was applying for schools, I perused the college rankings, but they didn't really sway me. I found the information on each school useful: all the data was in one concise spot and allowed me to compare different schools based on the data I was interested in, not just the rankings. If you're not angling to apply for the top 5 or 10 schools overall, does it really make that much difference if the school is ranked 20 or 30? It would be a shame to lose the resource of all the other data in the report, but I wouldn't miss the ranking themselves.

Stay at home dad study - we're happy

2007-04-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

A study done by the University of Texas says that stay at home dads are slightly happier than other dads, says an article at babble (a newish online mag for "urban parents").

Surprised? I'm not. I'm thrilled that I get to stay at home with my son on Fridays. And while I'm only a part-time stay-at-home dad, I'm a full-time work-at-home dad, so I get the benefit of getting to spend mornings and evenings with him, and to be here on the day that the wife is staying home with the boy. It's a great situation for the stability of our family unit.

There's some other stuff in there about stay-at-home dads' attitudes about gender roles that seem obvious and also unsuprising. Do the rest of male Americans who are not stay-at-home dads really have those outdated views of "the home is the woman's place" that would make these results remarkable? I know there are some Neanderthals out there, but really? This is the 21st century!

The US Attorney "Scandal"

2007-03-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of quick comments:

1) As I understand it, the position of US Attorney is a political appointment, and one that serves at the grace of the powers-that-be.

2) A tradition has grown up around the position that these federal prosecutors should not be fired (or "asked to resign") as the powers-that-be shift between parties. That tradition serves to insulate the prosecutors from the whims of administrations, and provides some stability to these offices and the cases they are working.

3) The scandal has allowed to flourish due in no small part to the mixed messages the administration has been ending regarding these forced resignations.

What can we learn from this?

One thing to take away from this is that tradition is an important consideration during deliberation of political action. Regardless of the right of the administration to appoint new attorneys, they should have considered that doing so without a non-political reason would bring the ire of their opponents, those who were fired, and the media looking for a scandal.

Another lesson to be learned is that we live in an era of cynicism and accountability. The press and the public feel they deserve a certain amount of openness and honesty from their government, even if they don't expect to really get it. Perhaps if the administration had openly given the reason for these personnel changes from the start, they wouldn't have provided more fuel for the scandal fire.

In the end, from a legal standpoint as far as I can see (though I'm no expert), no "wrong" was done. But we Americans hate to see dirty politics flaunted (it needs to stay hidden), and regardless of it's legality, it still seems wrong.

David Iglaeias, one of the eight US Attorneys that were fired, has a NYT Op-Ed today titled "Why I Was Fired", which really shines the light on the dirt in this scandal.

"I will never forget John Ashcroft, then the attorney general, telling me during the summer of 2001 that politics should play no role during my tenure. I took that message to heart. Little did I know that I could be fired for not being political."

Realistic Photoshopping of News Magazine Covers

2007-03-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

This week's TIME comes with the cover story titled, "How the Right Went Wrong", and features a profile photo of Reagan, along with a single tear dripping down his cheek.

I immediately thought two things: (1) "That's cheesy!" and (2) "That's got to be fake!" Looking for the credits inside, we find out, sure enough, that the cover has two credits - one for the photo and one for the tear.

Now, I'm no right winger and I hold no great respect for Reagan - his legacy, like most presidents, is a mixture of greatness and crap. But this just didn't seem right. Obviously the cover was meant to evoke great feelings - mostly to portray the current Republican leadership as marring the GOP that Reagan built. But to me it just seemed like... schlock. Cheap. Lame.

I though that my reaction had to do with an expectation that the photo be real and not edited. But upon further reflection, that's not a justifiable expectation. The covers are often artful and often non-photographic. It's not like it's LIFE, or Photographer's Monthly. The cover will of course be designed to reflect the character of the magazine as well as to attract newsstand customers.

I think my reaction simply had to do with the lameness of the image itself. I knew it was photoshopped and I knew what the reaction was that it supposed to provoke. My reaction, though, was to be repulsed by it. To me, it speaks unfavorably to the character of the magazine - does TIME really think that I am simple enough to be swayed to pathos or sympathy by this cheap image?

This same issue, TIME reveals a new look inside. They've changed the typefaces and layout. The look reminds me somewhat of the last issue of the Economist I read (it's been years, though), and possibly a little of US News and World Report. Yet the content seems more popularized than those magazines. So the new look combined with the schlocky cover - I'm not so sure I value TIME very highly anymore.

Well, any publicity is good publicity, right? And TIME just rung out a few paragraphs of emotional publicity from me with that cover. Maybe any reaction was what they were after, not just the pathos. I'm a little disappointed that I'd contribute to that, but more disappointed in the magazine. Is any publicity really worth a devaluation of your business' character?

Spicy Spam Kabobs?

2007-03-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

You know what's great about gmail? Not only do you get ads relevant to some of the subjects in your inbox, but you get ads for Spam recipes in your Spam folder! "Spicy Spam Kabobs - Serve with hot cooked rice" reads the one line ad at the top of my junk mail box. Way to cover your bases, Google!

The cost of a key

2007-03-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

We have a minivan and a Saturn sedan. My wife drives the Saturn to work - it gets great gas milage, and we've got Blizzak all weather tires on it for the snow. It's a great little car.

When we take our son places, we use the minivan. I usually drive. But on Tuesdays, the wife has her day off and takes the little one to the library and sometimes on other errands and trips, driving the van, of course.

We only received one set of keys with the van. This wasn't a problem until a couple of months ago, when she left the keys in her coat pocket, and the next day, she left for work. I was packing our son up, getting ready to take him to day care, and couldn't find the keys. A phone call later confirmed my fear - the keys were still in her pocket, and there was no way she could get back home before the afternoon.

The next day, I took the keys to a hardware store to get a copy. The reference book they had said it was a transponder key (a small microchip in the key has to be present for the ignition to start), but it didn't look like one to me or the key guy. The chips were clearly visible on other transponder keys I had seen before. So I got a copy made. It fit in the door and operated the locks, but it wouldn't start the ignition.

So I called the dealership. A year ago, I ordered a new remote for the locks as my other one was falling apart. That was nearly $50. The transponder key? $85. I told my wife we'd just have to remember to make sure she left the keys.

Well, we forgot again today. So it looks like I'm forking out the money for a key.

Ugh! Not again!

2007-03-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

Remember Bob? The talking baby first from some internet company (Wikipedia says it was "Freeinternet")? And then, because TV execs are so desperate to catch onto any fad, his own TV show? (If you don't remember, then be happy you don't have the same penchant for remembering all this useless crap like I do.)

Well, that worked so well that now there's going to be a caveman sitcom based on the Geico commercials.

Does anyone really want to watch this theme played out over 30 minutes... repeatedly... every week? I hope not.

Some have said we're in a new golden age of TV. Shows like 24, Lost, and Heroes are telling compelling stories with excellent acting. Channels like HBO are putting out more critically acclaimed programming like the Soprano's and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But then again, shows like Dancing with the Stars and Deal or No Deal are popular, too. So maybe you do want to watch cavemen deal with discrimination in a modern world.

Just can't imagine this show living beyond a few episodes, or, at the longest, an entire first season. I almost feel sorry for the people who will be venturing their livelihood on this.

But Baby Bob made out, OK I guess, since he starred in Quizno's commercials in 2005 and 2006 (and maybe still?). I suppose the cavemen will still have Geico to fall back on. And imagine their return to commercials - a Super Bowl spot where the caveman laments how he couldn't make it in Hollywood due to discrimination! That'll sure sell some car insurance!

Isn't it a bit early for all of this?

2007-02-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

I used to consider myself a political junkie. Then I started reading all these political blogs and watching alot of 24 hour news channels. I discovered I'm nothing compared to many, even those that just do the blogging thing "for fun".

Since this realization about a year or two ago, I've weaned myself of some of my political intake. So I missed the Obama-Clinton kerfluffle until the summaries appeared yesterday and today. I still don't get exactly what went down, or, rather, why it's such a big deal. I mean, aren't we just under two years out from the election? That's the same feeling echoed here in this article from CNN:

"If Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama were engaged in a day-in, day-out bashing of each other, I think it probably would help somebody like John Edwards, who could stand above the fray and act presidential," [political analyst Stu] Rothenberg said. "But we're a long way from that."

We ARE a long way from that. We've got, what?, 18 months more of this?

That was also my reaction yesterday when I heard that Vilsack dropped out yesterday. And I remember thinking the same thing in 1999 when Elizabeth Dole dropped out way before any primaries. I was kind of excited to see Mrs. Dole in the race, especially since I hadn't heard anything all that compelling about the guy everyone was calling the front-runner. Maybe this has been happening for a while in our country, but these long drawn out primary and pre-primary races seem both silly and a killer to interesting candidates.

I'm one of those cynical disillusioned Americans, but I like politics. And I especially like interesting and unique candidates. Obama's kind of interesting, but I'm going to grow weary of him. McCain was interesting in '00 because he seemed to come out of nowhere to challenge the designated heir apparent. Now if guys like Vilsack (who at least has the coolest logo so far!) can't stick with it or don't enter at all, what's there left for me? Nader?

Please don't excommunicate me...

2007-02-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

but a part of me finds this a little funny:

"SANTA FE, New Mexico (AP) -- Three CD players hidden under a cathedral's pews blared sexually explicit language in the middle of an Ash Wednesday Mass, leading a bomb squad to detonate two of the devices."

Now, had I actually made it to Ash Wednesday service yesterday (consider that my confession) and this had happened there, I probably would have been rather disgusted. But since I'm already in full disobedience to the Church and I feel I've already missed starting Lent on a good foot, I think I'm going to chuckle. Just a little.

Ok. Now that I have that out of my system, proper Lenten penitential observations starts.... now.

Sure it's cold...

2007-02-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

...but why exactly did the daycare close?

I can see closing schools. You don't want the kids walking to school or standing at the bus stop in -10 degree weather. Too many kids don't have the right winter equipment for that.

But no one is sending their 2 year old to walk alone to day care.

I think they just took advantage. Everyone else closed, so they might as well, too. Of course, I had to work. So the little one got to watch TV pretty much all day while I worked and felt like a horrible parent. To compound the problem, he was sick last week and stayed home two days, so I had already used up some sick time to tend to him then.

Today, now that we're above zero, everything's open again. And I'm playing a bit of catch up at work.

Oh - and cleaning up the exploded pop can from the garage. Oops! I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to do that, but I at least swept the icy pop explosion debris from the floor around the door.

Winter in Wisconsin is fun!

Cool geek gift

2007-02-02T05:19:00.000-08:00

A laser-guided USB Missile Launcher? How cool is that?

Way cool, I say!

I saw the USB missile launchers two years ago, but could only find them in the UK. This past Christmas, I looked a bit, thinking I might get one for my brother, and they had made it to the US. Now it looks like they have an improved version with a laser (it just shows you where you're aiming) and a better interface.

I'd love to play with one of these, though I'm sure I'd have more fun in an office with other people. My cats might get tired of being targets.

Thanks to Brain at BBSpot for reviewing the product.

Failures for $200, Alex

2007-01-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

I took the Jeopardy! Online Contestant Search Test tonight... and I'm pretty sure I failed it. I think I got 31 out of 50 and I think you need at least 35. That sounds about like what I got the last time I took the test about 5 years ago when then didn't have an online version.

That year, I drove to Chicago from Wausau, WI. The test was at The Drake, so I reserved a room there for the night before so I could be well rested. I should have gone earlier and done something in Chicago. But it was bad enough that I had to rent a car for my wife since we only had one and she needed to get to work the day I was going down to Chicago. I didn't really have more money to spend on do whatever else I'd do in Chicago by myself.

The morning of the test, I was nervous. You have to come prepared for an interview (screen test) and a mock game if you pass the 50 question test. So I'm dressed up slightly in a shirt a tie and sweating in the waiting area outside the ballroom that Jeopardy had reserved.

We had the test - 50 questions of hand written answers. I could feel that I was missing too many. Mostly because I couldn't think of the answer quick enough, or I was wavering between two answers and was most likely picking the wrong one. The only question I remember now was a picture of a body of water that we were supposed to name. I couldn't remember if it was the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea, though it was obvious to me that it was the Black Sea as soon as the test was done.

The qualified scorers were read off, and the rest of us were told that we had missed the qualification by one point (that's the default story... they never give you your score). Somewhat dejected, I retrieved my car from the valet and left, driving around downtown Chicago a bit, and then heading back home with a short stop at the new Apple Store in the Woodfield Mall.

Even though I lost, it was an interesting trip and I felt I could probably get it next time. Then, two years ago, I was registered for the tryout again. This time, it was going to be in Madison, closer to where I was living now. But circumstances prevented me from going that day. Last year was the first year for the online test, but the time didn't work for me.

So this year I get myself pretty psyched, but forget to do any pre-test prepping. And the result is what I should expect. I was close, but definitely not Jeopardy! quality. Maybe next year. Good luck to everyone else trying!

Working at home, the Aussie way

2007-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a brief report on working at home from Australia's "The Age":

"Westpac's head of diversity, Niki Kesoglou, says workers are assessed for ability to work on their own, provided with the equipment they need and helped to ensure their work environment is safe. Guidelines are given for communication with managers and progress is monitored according to meeting objectives, rather than when workers clock on and off.

Westpac benefits through greater productivity, worker retention and morale."

...

"But Barbara Pocock, the director of the Centre for Work + Life, at the University of South Australia, says there is a downside to telecommuting.

While it gives parents, particularly working mothers, the flexibility to work from home and deal with emergencies, it can encroach on family life.

Professor Pocock says there is an increasingly "porous boundary" between work and home life that is being breached."

That does seem to be true, though I'm sure it depends on the demands of the job. For me, there have been times when I just kept working. Now, the situation is that I trade two evenings - working from after dinner to 10 or 11 - for a Friday off to take care of our son. So that's less about work encroaching on home life, than exchanging some home life time for other time. If I was working a normal 8 to 5, I wouldn't get to spend an entire day with our son, and instead only seen him for a few hours each night.

(Aside: I read the professor's name above as "Professor Peacock" my first time through. Reminded me of Clue, which I played once again recently around the holidays. Wonder if she gets that often?)

It lives!

2007-01-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

The Powerbook is up and running again. I think I just didn't have the processor card seated correctly. Some reading on the Apple discussion boards led me to figuring that solution.

Unortunately, the AC port is still not right. I've got the cord taped up to apply pressure in the appropriate direction. I'll have to get a new card soon to fix it.

One more shout out to ifixit.com for their great repair manuals.

Powerbook woes

2007-01-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

My trusty Powerbook G3 Firewire (aka Pismo aka PBG3FW), that has served me well for 5 years may be on it's last legs.

Two years ago I had a scare with it when suddenly, I smelled something burning and heard an odd sizzle. Then I saw a little smoke coming from the computer. I ripped out the AC cord and pulled the battery out. Turning the laptop over, there was a small hole melted through the plastic case.

This was before the burning-battery scare of '05, and was nowhere near the battery anyway. I opened the laptop (which is very easy to do thanks to Apple's superior engineering, and found that the hard drive cable was the culprit. Somehow, it had shorted out.

I found a replacement online and attempted the repair, but it wouldn't start up. I gave it up for dead and split apart the contents, and sold the parts and the "dead" laptop online.

This would normally be the end of the story, except that the person who bought the laptop was a repair hobbyist. He put in the necessary components, let the PRAM battery charge up again, and, voila!, it worked. He emailed me, sold me back the components I needed (including a larger hard drive) for less than I sold my parts for, and I got my PBG3FW back!

Cut two nearly exactly two years later (now). I've tripped over the powercord too many times and the AC port has come loose. If I wrap the cord up around the LCD screen in just the right way (putting stress on the AC cord so that I'm sure I'll have to replace it in a few months), it still powers the laptop. I look online and find that the AC port is on a separate card that can be replaced, but it costs around $80 or more.

At one point, I thought I read somewhere about someone soldering the port back in place. So I thought, "What heck? Let's try it!" I found a great disassembly/repair guide at ifixit.com, and it seemed pretty easy. Well... the components are pretty tight on that card, and I may have fried one of the chips on the card while I was trying to add the solder. I got everything back together, but it won't start up.

My next steps are as follows: (1) Go through the repair guide again and disassemble and reassemble the computer again to make sure all the cables and cards I disconnected are reconnected correctly. (2) Charge the batteries again and try powering-up computer again. (3) If it's still not working, I've found some components on eBay, so I could maybe get the card for $40 instead of $80. (4) Open the computer again to replace the card with the "new" one, reassembling it carefully. (5) Charge and try to power-up the computer again.

I would really like to get this machine back to work. I can't really afford a new laptop right now, and I've grown accustomed to being able to do some work and recreational computing from anywhere in the house. Plus - I grow attached to these things. This one's named Shadow after the character from Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

If anyone has PBG3FW repair tips, please email me at mitch42(AT)ghostowl.net or leave a comment here.

University of Wisconsin student and brother are heroes

2007-01-15T07:39:00.000-08:00

I'm always on the look out for news about Wisconsin, and while this didn't happen here, one of the heroes is a student at UW.

"The Kottkes crossed the river to find Carolyn Dorn, 52, who had been alone in the Gila National Forest for five weeks after becoming trapped on the wrong side of the rain- and snow-swollen river. The search for her had been called off two weeks ago...

"...Dorn was about six miles from the nearest road in an area where the brothers, who have hiked in the region several times over the past two years, had never seen another human being, said Peter Kottke, whose 20th birthday was Sunday.

"When they left, she was "very alert, talkative," said Peter Kottke, a junior geological engineering major at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "She seemed very relieved that somebody had finally found her."

Way to go Albert and Peter Kottke! And way to go Carolyn Dorn who survived on her own for 5 weeks in the wilderness!

Makes me wonder: Would I have what it takes to survive like that? (he asks as he sips more coffee, takes another bite of bagel, and settles in for 8 more hours of work in front of his computer.) I guess I don't really have to worry, huh?

Multiculturalism, or assimilation?

2007-01-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

Althouse led me to a political test today (though her post is from Friday), that in itself wasn't that sepctacular, but it had at least one question that prompted extra thought:

"8. Do you see the ideal America as an ethnic "melting pot" in which religious, cultural and ethnic distinctions are blurred, or as a nation in which ethnically diverse groups ought to coexist while retaining their cultural identity?"

I find that I've bought into the "melting pot" ideal. But I see it this way: There is an American culture that is made up of the blending of our inherited transplanted cultures and is continually influenced by the influx of immigrants and our relations in the world at large. I was at a great example of this this weekend: Romine's High Pockets in Milwaukee - a pool hall, sports bar, and arcade with a restaurant attached. The name of the restaurant: Senor Loco's. And while the menu offered many delicious looking mexican specialities, we ordered Pizza. And it was really good.

Where else in the world can you get all that in one place?

Milwaukee itself boasts a great respect for the cultures of it's people, as long as they like to party. On the Summerfest grounds or nearby, the spring, summer and fall are all filled with cultural events from Irish Fest, to Italian fest, to Bastille Days, to Oktoberfest. There's Asian and Latino festivals, too. So we can all share in the great food, drink, and entertainment of the people that make up our communities.

Yet, I'd hope that all these people would celebrate our American heritage and culture, too. Our nation may be young in the grand scheme of things, but 200 plus years isn't too shabby. Nor is our standing in the world today. And it says something that every year hundreds of thousands or more try to come here to live and want to become citizens.

I'm interested in my own heritage (Scandinavian, Lithuanian, German, and others), but it doesn't define me as much as my nationality and regional identity. It means more to me to be a Wisconsinite than of Lithuanian or Swedish descent. And, in dealing with those of other nationalities, I'm still happy to be known as an American (hey - we all have skeleton's in our national closets...). So the assimilation process has worked for me - 3 generations is all it took, though I doubt my parents felt much different than I about their identity.

This article about the diversyfication of Australia's surfing life-saving clubs is interesting, too. From what I understand, Australia has a history of anti-immigration tendancies in the white majority. And last year, there were instances of racial clashes between ethnically Middle Easterners and whites on the beaches. Now, the traditionally conservative surfing clubs are reaching out to recruit other ethnicities to foster "breaking down social barriers".

To deal with the Muslim women's attire requirements, they've developed what has been termed a "burquini". I understand the argument that religions that enforce strict cultural attire (especially the fundamentalist Islamic kind) is actually just a patriarchal oppression of women. But if these suits allow oppressed women to venture out into the world and do things like surf and save lives and become aculturated, then I think they are a good thing.

Good luck to the new Austrailian life guards! And kudos to the surfing clubs reaching out to mend cultural schisms. Long live the melting pots, and long live our heritage - separate and united.

A writer's life

2007-01-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

And this is my, um, ideal life.

John Scalzi (author of Old Man's War and other books and things, writes above about his life of a writer. He says some great things about the struggles of a "successful" freelance writer and author, and other comments about working at home. This part resonates with me:

"I see two objections here. The first [is] the practical one: at least you work from home. Well, this is true. On the other hand, people who don't work at home idealize the working from home scenario. "

This is true for me to. Everyone says: "It must be great to work from home." There are many benefits, but there are drawbacks, too. I'm constantly distracted by everything else to do around the house. Even though I'm essentially an introvert, I do miss people - you can only get so much from emails and IMs. And my employer sees working at home as a benefit in itself, so I don't get many others.

People even say, "Oh you work from home, you can take care of your son, then." Have we already lost the perspective of a generation or less ago when the majority of mom's stayed at home with the kids? That was it's own job. Do they really expect that I can get actual productive work done AND give my two year old a decent about of attention?

But John's post also alludes to the hard work of writing - the constant work, the struggle to create, and to manage your own business. I'd like to be a full time writer. I just have to buck up and accept that it's not easy. I can do that.

Provocation and Confrontation

2007-01-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

I've had difficulties dealing with confrontation in my life. In a way, the 'net has helped, though it's perhaps allowed me to trun it into a bit of passive agressiveness. It's pretty easy to confront people behind the mask of internet anonyminity. That's much easier than actually dealing with it face to face.

That's why posts/sagas like this one at Althouse, wherein Ann Althouse continues to defend her criticism of a libertarian conference, are amusing and shocking to me. One the one hand, the debate is entertaining. Personalities clash, some ideas are brought to light and examined, and I get a bit of thrill out of reading the players' attempts at one-up-manship.

On the other hand, it's slightly disturbing. In the end, it seems like a lot of missed shots - they're all debating different things and not really engaged in a discussion. That's the way I often feel when I'm debating with someone - like I can't breach that disconnection in our thinking. I usually feel that I can see where they are coming from, but I can't figure out how to term my argument in a way they can understand me. Not that they have to agree with me... just understand me.

After a lengthy period of engaging in debates and discussions on a message board, I came to the conclusion that I was as much of a windbag as the rest of them. I wasn't really engaged. Just throwing out my shots out there without much chance of changing opinions or building consensus.

In a sense, blogging does that as well. It's easy to find the opinions out there that you want to agree with or counter with your own data and philosophies. The blog can give you a sense of ownership and a leeway to write how you would. Even if you are citing others in order to "engage" them, you really only have yourself to engage. Comments can bring in some outside players, much like the message board. But you don't really have to prove anything.

But Althouse has mentioned recently that this is the way the "game" is played. Provoking another blogger or bloggers should lead to their retaliation and the coveted links. Draw them in to draw their readers to you.

Can I play that game? Do I need to? I suppose it gets down to the reasons for this blog. Already those reasons are in flux, but underneath it all is a desire to write and be read. But I think I'll need to pick my fights well.

Eddy boddy hab a keenex?

2006-12-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

Daycare drawback #12: colds. Nasty, never-in-your-life have you felt this crappy colds.

Well... to tell the truth, I'm not sure my son gave me this one. It could have been the several family members and friends we visited over the past holiday week, or the multitude of people out and about with last minute holiday shopping. Son has been bringing colds home, but he really was mostly over this one over a week ago. And this one just hit me Tuesday night.

At least I made it through the holiday.

I'll take one more day of this, then I'll start to get paranoid about flu or something else. Wife got strep throat this summer - again NOT from day care, but most likely from the public arena of her job. My throat's not bad. Yet.

I'm usually a pretty healthy guy. Or I was until daycare. Even if my son didn't bring this one home directly, I think my immune system's been compromised fighting off everything else these past two years. Wife would get sick every fall/winter, right around Christmas. I would usually avoid it. But not the recent years.

So I'm refamiliarizing myself with herbal tea (lemon ginger's all I got - not sure it's working) and cough drops. I recommend Hall's menthol, though I kinda liked Ricola Original today. But now my tongue is numb and I can't taste anything.

Maybe I'll loose some weight. I had intended to start working out again this week... but maybe lack of intake will have some effect instead.

Wishing you a cold-free New Year!

Now entering the "No Work Zone"

2006-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here we are, smack dab between Christmas and New Year's. Monday was a holiday, and the bosses and I took Tuesday off as well. I don't work Fridays, so I have two days to get work done, and then comes another three day weekend. How can I get anything done?

There are Christmas presents still lying around to be picked up and played with. There's a mound of laundry from the past week and the new sheets and clothes we received as presents. There are dishes from the big meals waiting to be put away. And the Christmas tree, which started to loose it's needles on day 2 this year, is more fire hazard than decoration right now.

Everything around me begs for my attention. Everything except my work - which is also at a slow pace for the past two weeks. I have about 20 minutes of things that need to get done, and then the rest of my day to fill with work if possible. If it's not possible, I don't get paid.

In many ways, though, this "week" is not unlike the rest of the weeks of the year. It's always a struggle to focus and produce the hours I need rather than look around me and do the thousands of other things I could and would rather be doing.

So I pop in my new David Bowie "Best of" CD set (actually, rip it and play it from iTunes) and then put my head down, stair straight ahead and plow into work. Right after this blog post, anyway.

Best wishes to all of you working through the No Work Zone on this between the Holidays week. If it helps, just think of the bills you have to cover to pay for the Christmas you just had.

Ah.... Tidings of comfort and joy. Comfort and Joy.

Anonymity?

2006-12-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of myself here, and I don't think I want to hide my name, but I decided I shouldn't subject my son to being published without his consent. Seeing that he's only 2, he can't really give consent, so I'm no longer going to use his name. I'll probably come up with a pseudonym at some point (since saying "our son" all the time gets tedious), even though it'll be really easy to find out if someone wanted to.

There's lot of conversation out there about privacy, and even some good arguments about transparency in everyday life. If you want to start that conversation, that's what the comments are for.

Day Care Dad - Guilty as charged

2006-12-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Every morning, it pains me to leave my son at day care. I give him a kiss, tell him I love him and to "have a good day" (to which responds: "Bye!"), and trudge out the door back to the car focusing in front of me and not looking back.

I don't want to leave him with those people who can't love him as much as we do. I don't want to subject him to the inevitable hurts of the unknowing cruelty of other kids. I don't want to leave him vulnerable to those colds and coughs and runny noses.

But it's not as if we didn't think about this, my wife and I. We thought about our wants and desires. About our needs. About the potentialities of our child's life.

Ideally, one of us would be at home. No - Ideally we both would. We would all be spending every day getting up and breakfasting together. Learning and exploring the world together. Enjoying him growing up. We'd be pretty content to just do that. He's a pretty fascinating little guy.

At some point, however, we decided we wanted somethings like a house and career and food on the table. And my wife found a job she liked in the career she dreamed of since childhood. And to leave near it, and to pay the bills that made it possible, we have a mortgage that also has to be paid. And car payments that enable her to get there. And we have expenses for the house and things. And so my job helps pay for that.

And in order for us to work and provide for us all, our son gets relegated to the care of stranger in a school-like setting much too early for school.

We don't want to do it. But we took precautions. We made our studies. We follow-up on his care. And we feel he's doing well there. He likes it. They seem to care for him a great deal, too. And it's neat to go and see him interact with those people and those other kids.

So understand that we feel and will always feel some guilt for not being able to give him the life we had - staying home with our mothers to teach us and play with us and love us. And we really don't need you telling us how terrible it is that he's got to go "to that place".

It's not ideal. But it's working. He's happy and he's a growing up to be a great person. And we're doing our best.

"Burn your TV in your yard"

2006-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

How much TV is too much for your kids? Or for yourself for that matter?

That's a great conundrum of the pundits and the culture warriors. Any concerned parent thinks about the issue. Before becoming a parent, I remember hearing many caveats about the dangers of letting the TV be your babysitter... and many self-righteous comments about never falling into that trap.

But what if you are a TV watcher yourself? What if you, or you and your spouse or partner, do that for fun? What if an evening of TV watching is entertainment for you - relaxation, together-time, recreation? Do you need to shun this activity to be a good example for your child(ren)?

Since having our son, it's certainly been a topic of discussion and thought in our house. We first started turning the TV on for our son on his own when we realized we really needed to get some housework done. He was still very young, so Baby Einstein was the DVD of choice, and for 30 minutes or so, he was occupied watching the toys and shapes and colors and we got done what was needed.

I immediately felt ashamed at having the TV "babysit" our son.

I myself battle what I've come to define as my "TV addiction". I grew up with a father very much interested in watching anything and everything on TV. It was always on. At his house, we watched TV while we ate dinner. When I married, we often did that ourselves. The living room was comfortable and the atmosphere more relaxed than our kitchen table and creaking antique dining chairs. I often stay up late trying to work but in front of the TV for "company" watching whatever reruns or old movies are on, even if I've seen them before. Cable is a great friend, offering countless classic movies, history lessons, and reruns for my consumption. And the Sci-Fi channel? My God. I was in heaven when I first found that on my lineup.

I even extended my TV watching into my other past-time, Trivia. For the success of our Trivia team, I took notes on TV shows and commercials, taped season premieres, and cataloged the tapes. Every spring, my TV watching time increased as I prepped for the World's Largest Trivia Contest. TV was a significant part of my life.

Even as I ramped up my TV watching for fun and team pride, I hated it. I felt I was wasting my time. I was a media junkie applying myself more to my entertainment than to my enrichment or personal improvement. There's a strong vein of hermetic thought in my personal philosophy, and I wondered if TV was damaging me spiritually. I nodded along with those who said TV was an evil that needed to be kept from our kids.

Today, I've tempered my views a bit. While I internally battle the competing tormentors of excess and abstinence, I seek the angel of moderation. I've removed extended cable. Our son occupies us until his bedtime. We tape two or three shows (House, The Office, Lost) during the week and watch them after he goes to bed, and one more show (ER) while it airs. I still watch the local news nearly every weekday morning, though I also use that time reading online. We're succeding without having to "Throw it all away".

Of course another media has moved in to corrupt us. My wife and I both enjoy our wireless internet on our laptops and spend many more hours online each week than we spend watching TV.

And our son? He gets to watch his "movies" several times a week, though not necessarily everyday. He rarely watches more than an hour of TV a day, and usually 30 minutes or less. We try to chose things that are somewhat education, interactive, or enriching. I value art in many forms, and feel that music should be a big part of his experiences, so I'm glad that he enjoys musical shows we've gotten for him.

Sometimes I worry that we're to cavalier about the use of the TV, but overall I think it's just another experience he's absorbing into that sponge-like brain of his. Just more nutrients for his growing self. As long as we choose (for now) and help him choose (as he gets older) the things he watches, and monitor the time he's spending in front of that box, I think it'll end up alright.

Undoubtedly, there are parents who are shaking their head at me and experts wagging their fingers in reproach. But hey - it could be worse (I've seen it), and so far, he's a pretty bright and personable kid as judged by many an outside source. I think we're going to be OK.

As for myself - I'm working on scheduling myself some evening projects to complete instead of vegging, and will try to just go to bed (and probably read) when I'm tired. But I don't think I need to cut back my prime time viewing more than I already have. I hear I'm a pretty bright and personable guy, too. Though that's from my wife (and my mom), so I guess I should seek outside opinions.

Don't look back. You can never look back!

2006-12-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today marked the final broadcast of Bob Reitman, Milwaukee DJ and morning show personality. For the last several decades, he's helmed the morning show (with partner/contributors Gene Mueller, Amy Taylor, and Gino Salomone) on WKTI. Today he starts his retirement.

That's the only capacity in which I've known him, since I only moved to the area in 2002. But I soon caught on to the entertainment of the morning show and the wit and style of Reitman. I'm not a constant listener, but when I do turn on the radio in the morning, more often than not, it's to listen to KTI and "Reitman and Mueller (and Amy Taylor, too)".

Today, during his final broadcast, we listened in to several personal calls from well wishers and some clips of a send-off party that was held last night. One friend called it "the funeral", but it really sounded like a good time. Reitman's farewell speech was heartfelt and raw and inspiring.

At the end of the broadcast (just concluded), Reitman played two songs (a rarity for the morning show). The first was Don Henley's "Boys of Summer". I'm sure he's told the tale of his affection for this song (one of the few regularly heard when the show does play a music break), but listeners hear Reitman speak the lines "Don't look back, you can never look back" along with Henley each time. Today, those words seem even more poignant.

The final song was Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". A true rarity for the Top 40 station. Reitman spoke briefly before the song about it being a song about a journey, one that reflected his coming journey and wishes for his friends and family as he moves onto his next chapter.

It was a very moving send-off. Rare in the industry, as Reitman was rare himself - a Rock DJ, of the first generation of teenagers (as he said this morning), and one who had said he fought for radio for the way it ought to be. Most DJs disappear in format changes, takeovers, or staffing changes (or even sensational guffaws). It was refreshing to have this closure.

Best wishes to Bob Reitman in his retirement. Thanks for the entertainment!

Expanding the scope

2006-12-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

I'm going to expand the scope of Dad at Work. I find myself interested in too many topics to isolate the ones related to fatherhood, working at home, etc. I really want to write about politics and news sometimes. And I thought I'd use my other spaces to do that, but I don't think that'll work the way I want (since one is virtually dead, and the other is even more focused).

So I'll take a page from Althouse, and just write about what I want. I'll still try to get post on the topics I started this blog for, but I'll also use this as an outlet for everything else trapped in my head.

Thanks, Althouse, for freeing me from my own prison.

Making the Best of Day Care

2006-11-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've found that sometime I feel pretty helpless about our situation. My wife and I have to work to maintain our lifestyle, such as it is. And even though I work at home, we have to send our son to day care in order for me to get work done. It amazes me how many people think that me working at home means I can work AND take care of a 2 year old at the same time. I could get some work done, if I stuck him in front of a TV hours at a time, but I'd rather not do that.

So our son goes to day care and for 8 hours a day he's being raised by one or two other people that aren't my wife and I... aren't even our family. And he's only one of about eight other kids in the classroom. And he doesn't have his toys or books or everything else he likes at home.

Sometimes, if I think about it too long, I start thinking about what we could do to not have to go to day care. The options would be moving (either to where my retired mother lives or to an area with a lower cost of living and a smaller house) or me getting a different job where I'm miraculously paid enough that my wife can stay home. These are always the conclusions I come to, but I still think about them.

In order to make the best of our situation, therefore, I try to take an active role in his daily care. Step one was adjusting my schedule so that he only has to go to day care part time. I have a flexible job, so I can often get enough time in working three days and two nights a week, leaving Fridays open for me to take care of our son. My wife also has a day off during the week, so our son gets to stay home with one of us twice each week.

Our day care is pretty good about trying to encourage parent involvement. In their handbook, they write about dropping in whenever you want (to the class directly, or even just to office to view the class on the video monitors without the teacher knowing. They also list typical special events (Halloween, Christmas, field trips) where parents are welcome to attend.

The facility also has a policy of nightly reports - you get a sheet describing what your child did that day, as well as feeding and changing reports. That way, we can talk to him about what went on, and try to have a conversation so he can share his experiences with us. He's only two, of course, so he doesn't always understand what we're asking about, but he's getting better.

It's also important to talk as much as possible with the day care teacher. Developing a relationship with the teacher really helped me feel like they knew our son well and cared about him. I try to slow myself down each day when I'm whipping through dropping off our son or picking him up, so that I can get at least a few minutes to discuss how he is doing and what, if anything, significant happened that day. The teachers know me well enough now that they don't worry about calling me at work for anything they think I might want to know about him during the day. And they are good about asking what he might need for his unique situations.

That's the biggest advice I have - just communicate with teachers as much as possible. Don't be afraid to ask questions or make suggestions or explain the needs of your child. You have to feel as comfortable with the situation as possible,or you'll be constantly second-guessing yourself and doing more worrying at work than working. The point of day care is not to have someone else care for you child. It's to give you the time to maximize your workday so you can better provide for you child.

Daycare - Finding the right one

2006-11-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Of the many things in the modern American family life that are not ideal, the daycare situation is the toughest for me. For our household, my wife and I must both work full time jobs in order to afford our home, amenities, and lifestyle. And it's not an extravagant lifestyle, but it is a comfortably middle class one.

This puts us in the regrettable position of leaving the care of our son to others for 8 hours a day. If we made more money, we'd think about hiring an in home nanny. But we fall into the category of the majority of the American working class, and send our son to daycare.

Being conscientious first-time parents, we did research on available daycares prior to our son's birth. We called around asking these typical questions:

What are your rates?
Do you provide discounts for half-day care?
Do you offer flexible scheduling?
What is your teacher to child ratio? (This is mandated by state law in Wisconsin, but it's nice to see if (1) they are following the law and (2) if they are possibly exceeding the expectations.)
What is a typical day like? (for infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers)
What are your teachers' qualifications?

And the all-important: Do you have an enrollment slot available for us on X date?

Because we knew our son would require some special care (he has spina bifida), we needed to explore those options as well and gauge how comfortable, knowledgeable, and prepared they would be for a special needs child.

The we narrowed the field from those phone interviews, and visited our top three possibilities. We omitted a few sites based on information from another couple we knew who were doing their own research. In the end, a lot of our decision was based on a gut feeling. At the day care we chose, the facility was clean and bright with lots of options for learning and play. And we felt good about the teachers and staff we met.

Our process took some time. I hate phone calls, but the day care providers are used to the process as well, and they're running a business, of course. So, for the most part, the calls were painless and informative. The visits, though, are essential as well. I was really put off by a few sites where the nurseries were too sterile and corral-like. Cleanliness is important. But it was also important to me that the infants not be treated like jobs or hassles. At Ben's day care, they really seemed to want to provide for each one's individual needs - even when four were crying at the same time.

Another point to remember - the choice you make now shouldn't have to be the one you live with forever. You're always free to move on if you think a change would be better for your child. Especially consider that in larger daycares your child will move into different "rooms" as they get older. Those transition times are great milestones at which you should take advantage and re-evaulate your child's new surrounds and determine if teh center is still the best fit for your child.

So far, it's been a success for our son. He loves his daycare, and it seems like he's a favorite among the staff. That's made it a little easier for us. We'd still love for him to not have to go, but while he does, we know everything is OK.

I have more thoughts on how to make daycare really work for your family, which I'll try to tackle next time. In the meantime, if you have any comments or suggestions on finding a daycare, please post them in the comments section.

Kids and Money

2006-11-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Via BBspot's daily links, I came across this post at "Get Rich Slowly":

How and when to communicate money values to children is one of the toughest challenges that parents face. You want to support your children, to shield them from the hardships of life. But without facing the hardships, they won’t appreciate the value of money. And what if your own money skills are poor in the first place?

It's a good look at several sources and strategies for helping your child(ren) learn what the money thing is all about.

Now if only someone could teach ME what it's all about!

Playdates - when did this start?

2006-08-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

I wonder if this is a change in our cultures over time. When I was little, I was always playing outside with whatever kids seemed to be around. Obviously I may not have recollection of if my parents were involved in meeting other parents first, etc, but it seems like my brother and I were pretty much just given free reign of the neighborhood. We didn't have "playdates", we just "went outside/to Michelle's/etc. to play".

I remember that in grade school, I often called up a friend who lived a block down and others who lived farther away to see if we could get together to play, after asking my parents if I could.

Now, my wife and I live a pretty secluded life. Our friends all live in other towns. We know no one in our current community beyond the "hello, how's it going?" conversations with neighbors. We're both introverted and I work from home, so we just don't meet other people.

I'm wondering if your neighbor is just on another wavelength, more like our parents (though maybe I'm projecting and no one else had the same situation as I when I was younger). Maybe she just sees it as normal to send the kids next door to play.

I can see my introversion is going to be a problem for my son, and I better work on changing it soon. A couple with a 1 year old just moved in next door, and it would be nice to have our son (who is now 2) be able to play with her in another year. The neighbor has invited us over "anytime". We haven't taken her up on it for the same reasons others have stated - we'd rather have someone call before just showing up. I see other families in our neighborhood with kids around his age, too, but we aren't out much in the front of the house to just meet them as they pass by.

Also, my wife and I feel we're just so busy that recreation time really doesn't exist during the week and is mingled with general house duties on the weekend. We don't like the way our house becomes during the week, but we'd rather save cleaning and chores to days when we haven't been overstressed at work.

So we've got to make changes here - to be more open with ourselves, keeping our affairs in order, finding new friends, and encouraging him to make friends. I guess that's why today kids have "playdates" - that's the only way to get them together in the world of hyper-scheduled familes and suburban seclusion.

Some brainstorming for future topics

2006-08-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

I want to use this blog to explore some of the highs and lows of the work-at-home dad lifestyle, but I've run into the issues of wanting to write about other topics (politics, religion, pop culture, etc.) and not having material to write on here. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it's that I don't have any single thing to write about well.

So let's brainstorm about some work-at-home dad topics to give me fodder for future posts, and some in depth features.

Health insurance for self-employed
Staying focused
Exercise
Defining your workspace for yourself and your family
Time management - doing the laundry when you should be working
A life outside the home
How to know when you're taking advantage of your flexibility
How to squeeze extra time out of your day, and how you should use that time
Personal hygeine - Yes, you can work in your boxers, but should you?
Dad as care provider
What to look for at a quality day care
How to talk to your child's day care teachers
How to say "no" to extra home expectations
Resources for the stay at home dad
Resources for the work at home dad

That's a good start. If anyone stumbles on this and wants to add more to the list, please contact me at mitch42{AT}ghostowl.net .

I'll do my best to tackle one of these topics by Friday.

Weekends

2006-08-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

The weekend is good thing for me. When Saturday rolls around I can feel justified in not following up on work emails, or trying to sneak in an extra hour or so of logged time.

On the weekends, I'm only a Dad (and husband). No conflicts of interest during the day. I have chores to do around the house. I have our son to watch (and have fun with). I have my wife to have meals with and some alone time when our son is napping or sleeping for the night.

There's never enough weekend time. There's a growing chore list for this house - of both recurring and one-off items. There's under-cabinet lighting that's been sitting around to be installed since Christmas. There's the weeds over running the landscaping. There's the lawn. There's the bathrooms. There's the playroom we're trying to get ready in the basement.

And then there's all the self-improvement things that are pushed off until we have "free time". Perusing Craigslist and the want ads for possible work. Writing the novels I've started. Entering writing contests. Writing in blogs. Exercise programs to start. Reading to catch up on.

All this and the normal Dad job of taking care if my son, which I feel includes taking time to play with him. I could just sit him in front of the electronic babysitter. We do have to do that when it's necessary for us to get something done in the next 30 to 60 minutes. But I'd like to think we don't do it very often. Today, the TV didn't get turned on at all until Jenni and went to watch a movie after our son's bedtime. We played hard today, and he really tried some walking on his own - just a step or two here and there, but it was great to see.

And now I sit here in bed trying to squeeze in some more enrichment time before I surrender to the next day and going back to balancing work and my home, while sitting amid the latter.

Busy day at the office

2006-08-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a typical day... or what a typical used to be for me before I moved out of the office into my home office.

Of course, my company's office is a lot like my current office. The Angel Anthony Group is a four-person company run out of the home of the President and Vice President, Angel and Tony. When I lived in Wausau and started working for them, I made an effort to treat the office as a serious work space. And while there, I was involved in a lot of the grunt work of the business - answering phones, catching little fixes as requests came in, answering client emails, etc - all while I was trying to make progress on major projects.

Since I moved out, I've had a more focused role on development and maintenance work. I get a task. I work on the task. I finish and move on to the next. The little stuff gets caught by the other three still working at headquarters.

But this week, the bosses are on vacation (though still checking in every now and then). So our administrator is catching all the calls and funnelling all the little work my way.

This is great, actually. I'm not complaining. Something I'll get into later is how I work better with a full-load of tasks. Overload me with stuff and give me a firm deadline, and I'll crunch through it. Give me a few, broadly-defined projects, and I'll procrastinate until the due date and then realize I needed more time to get it done. So I've been more productive this week than I've been in a while.

Of course, I'm also a little more harried. While I stay productive when pressured, I'm seeing the deadlines of the larger items looming ahead and wondering if I'll ever get them done. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I have to make it productive, or else two or three big projects will be languishing way past deadlines.

I'm tired from today and the worry that's building over a few issues. I took a break mid-afternoon to bake a Quick-Quiche for dinner, and then when I picked our son up from day care, we went grocery shopping. Thankfully, our son was a happy kid at the store (those carts that are made to look like cars are brilliant!), or else I'd be even more exhausted now.

So early to bed tonight, I guess. And then early to tackle the long list of items on my task-list for tomorrow so that when Tony and Angel get back they don't think they can never go on vacation again.

Welcome

2006-08-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Starting a new blog. My other one is a little out there, and not up to date with my latest internal ramblings.

I decided to do something more focused here: concentrate on my role as a working-from-home dad.

I work for a web design firm developing and maintaining sites. I work from my home about 36 hours a week. Monday through Thursday, I cram in as much work as I can, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I work 10 to 12 hours. On Fridays, I stay at home with my son. This allows us to save a little on day care and give Ben the benefit of having more time with his parents. My wife is a veterinarian, and also stays home one day a week.

So I'd like to use this space to tell you about my experiences working at home, share with you my life as a Dad, and discuss topics on these themes.

If you have any comments you'd like to share, I'll be implimenting the commenting system, or you can email me at mitch42@ghostowl.net.