Well, we're back and it seems in many ways like we never left. Same neighbors, same running routes, same annoying traffic though I have noticed that there's a lot more of it. We once seemed to live in a pretty quiet and calm traffic area. Since they pushed through the main road in front of our house to connect with another main road, traffic and traffic accidents seem to be way up.
Not much turnover in the retail establishments, which is surprising considering the incredible shakeout caused by the economy. My theory that people will shop closer to home must be accurate. Even the bad restaurants are still around. Or maybe it's that my tastes have changed since returning from 2.5 years living abroad.
We've had to remove the big trees (flowering pears) in front of our house because they have a disease and are pushing up the sidewalks. They had a good 20-year run and probably shouldn't have been picked by the city in the first place. They're being replaced by much smaller and slower growing trees that hopefully have fewer and more easily managed leaves. We'll see.
Progress on the unpacking moves apace, but we're now down to the hard part -- things you haven't seen or needed for years, but you still have around. That means you have to go through all the boxes and sort out what to keep and what to get rid of. We are getting rid of lots. That's our default position on everything. Pare, pare, pare. Less is more. Simplify your life. Unclutter. Purge. We still have a few big pieces of furniture and a small storage unit to deal with as well. But, it's the boxes that are still all consuming. What could be in them?
Yesterday MFW opened a wrapped package and found a suitcase that contained my long missing cuff link collection. Good until all the double cuff shirts I bought in England wear out. The charger for the camera that I'd given up on finding and bought a replacement for turned up as well. Now I have a spare.
Now that we can actually move around in most of the rooms, time for the finer details, like picking out the art we want to hang so we can make decisions about what we don't want and what doesn't fit. We have too much, but parceling that out will be easy. One can never have too much art. It just lets you pick what you really like the best and rotate more often.
Our weekends have been crazy since we moved back in. Though we're not doing anything this weekend, it's not time to rest. We have a long list of projects. If we get to 80% of them, we'll be doing well. And one of the most important is to take some time to go see a movie (free AC and it's supposed to be hot, hot this weekend). Hmmm, what to see. I want to see Bruno, but have heard mixed reviews on it. Saw that the Royal Family in England is getting a private viewing. Must not be that bad if the Queen is planning to see it.
24 July 2009
30 June 2009
Now, this is going to be weird
We are about to move back into our house after living elsewhere for three years. Wow, that's a long time and it will involve three moves total for the round trip since we left in August 2006.
Some observations:
Some observations:
- The neighborhood hasn't change much except that the curb trees have gotten a lot bigger and now need to be cut down and replaced because the city in all it's wisdom specified the wrong ones in the first place. (Then they want to charge you $75 for a permit to correct their mistake.) All of our close by neighbors are the same, just older.
- Lawns don't take care of themselves. Ours is now on life support after three years of renters. The landscape guy said to give it six months to see if it comes back with some TLC (like water!).
- Little things mount up. A loose screw here, lack of cleaning and dusting there. Pretty soon things fall off or turn to very stubborn grime. I've always believe that half of life is showing up and the other half is paying attention. When something doesn't look right or sound right, check it out and have it fixed -- now. Or it'll just get worse and cost you more down the road. Deferred maintenance is a prudent idea only for so long.
- The house seems so big compared to where we've lived the past three years and especially while it's empty. The temptation will be to overfill it -- again. We got rid of a ton of stuff when we moved, so hopefully we have a new religion on stuff. It will fill up fast and despite all the stuff we purged when we moved out, we are going to need to purge even more.
- We've made enough changes that it will feel like a new old house to us. Familiar, but different. We're moving the rooms around to get more value from our investment (are houses still an investment?). No more living room. That was the room that collected dust and little used furniture. People felt forced to go in there when we had too many house guests. The too-small family room will become the just right dining room. And, the living room/dining room will become the very big and comfortable family room.
- We're getting more energy efficient with a new 95% efficient furnace (the old one died a year ago) and considering replacing more windows. Already went for the cordless electric mower to pamper the ailing lawn.
- We always hated the white cook top, so it's been replaced with a very sleek black model. Ditto on the refrigerator. Black to replace the disappointing stainless steel version. Stainless steel anything seems like a great idea in the appliance store, but our experience is that it's a disaster in the kitchen. Proceed with caution.
- We've already made some new rules about "stuff." The pantry can only be half full of food. The other half is for non-food items and cooking utensils and appliances. No duplicates. If we've got two of anything, one of them gets given away or goes to Good Will.
- Unclutter. This will be a great test to see if we can cut the clutter for real. If there's no place for something then it goes. We're no longer saving/storing things for "someday." The attic is all cleaned out of packing boxes and carpet remnants and non are going back up there.
21 June 2009
Change is in the air
Even Republican misrepresentations and scare tactics won't be enough to flaunt the will of the American people and stop the inevitable changes coming in how Americans purchase and receive health care. This is hardly a surprise given how out of touch the GOP has been with the wishes of Americans over the past several years. Those who have had their heads stuck in the sand for years will finally be bowled over by the huge momentum gathering among Americans for health care reform.
A new poll out today and published on the front page of The New York Times shows that Americans overwhelmingly (72%) support a government-run health care option as a prime means of driving down the cost of health care. It's particularly telling that opponents in Congress don't even have a majority of their party behind them as 50% of Republicans favor the option.
We will continue to see the Fear Card played as the primary reason for not reforming health care, but the truth is that the opponents have no solutions or proposals. They just want to stand for the "haves" in an era where they are increasingly endangered species. The "no" option is ringing hallow with most Americans who understand that change is not only needed, but required. We cannot continue to prop up a bloated and out of touch health care system that does not act in the interest of the vast majority of its constituents.
Despite all the arguments about how awful health care is in other countries, there's no denying the data which show that life expectancy in countries with government health care (France, Italy and Canada) is higher than in the US. We are paying more for less and the American people are saying enough. Now it's up to our politicians to put our wishes into action. This is another ticking time bomb for Republicans in particular. Their argument has no clothes since they can hardly say it's not broke. In the end, they're left with their default argument -- be afraid, be very afraid.
A new poll out today and published on the front page of The New York Times shows that Americans overwhelmingly (72%) support a government-run health care option as a prime means of driving down the cost of health care. It's particularly telling that opponents in Congress don't even have a majority of their party behind them as 50% of Republicans favor the option.
We will continue to see the Fear Card played as the primary reason for not reforming health care, but the truth is that the opponents have no solutions or proposals. They just want to stand for the "haves" in an era where they are increasingly endangered species. The "no" option is ringing hallow with most Americans who understand that change is not only needed, but required. We cannot continue to prop up a bloated and out of touch health care system that does not act in the interest of the vast majority of its constituents.
Despite all the arguments about how awful health care is in other countries, there's no denying the data which show that life expectancy in countries with government health care (France, Italy and Canada) is higher than in the US. We are paying more for less and the American people are saying enough. Now it's up to our politicians to put our wishes into action. This is another ticking time bomb for Republicans in particular. Their argument has no clothes since they can hardly say it's not broke. In the end, they're left with their default argument -- be afraid, be very afraid.
17 June 2009
Costco to sell only 90+ wines under $15?
Costco is denying a rumor published in Examiner.com that it plans to sell only wine which receives a rating of 90 points or higher and sells for $15 or less. Speculation was based on a recent study of Italian wine drinkers that showed that they maintained the same quality of wine they were drinking in better economic times, just drank less of it. Americans are drinking the same amount, but drop down a step in price.
From discussions I've had with my friends, I would say this is accurate of many American wine drinkers. This does point out one of the dilemmas facing the wine industry since it's also believed that once people trade down, they tend to become comfortable there and don't move back up.
Also interesting speculation on the wine drinking habits of millennials. They don't care about scores, but are focused on value and prefer regional labels.
From discussions I've had with my friends, I would say this is accurate of many American wine drinkers. This does point out one of the dilemmas facing the wine industry since it's also believed that once people trade down, they tend to become comfortable there and don't move back up.
Also interesting speculation on the wine drinking habits of millennials. They don't care about scores, but are focused on value and prefer regional labels.
Shaving the old fasioned way
With Father's Day coming right up, it's a good time to offer my best gift suggestion for Dad. This is something I discovered while living in London and absolutely fell in love with. Shaving the old fashioned way with hard soap and a badger brush.
I'd always shaved with foam or gel -- something that comes out of a can. I'm not even sure what compelled me to give old fashioned shaving a try. I think I was in a store, like Evelyn & Crabtree, one day and started asking questions. One thing led to another and I gave it a try. Shortly after that I bought a kit for my son-in-law and he, too, loved it.
You basically need two things -- shaving soap and a good shaving brush. Not only do I get a much closer, smoother and enjoyable shave using the soap and brush method, but the soap lasts forever. I'm still on the original soap and mug I bought in September 2007 and I use it every day except when traveling! I expect it'll last several more months. So, from a pure cost standpoint, it's a great deal.
I use the hard soap that often comes in a mug, but you can buy the soap and mug separately. Soap refills are relatively inexpensive and can be ordered online. I've not used Amazing Shaving, but plan to give it a try. I recommend the hard soap because it'll last much longer. But, you can also get a soft soap that is more like a lotion. I like creating the lather from really hot water. I just use a normal Gillette razor.
Here's what Amazing Shaving says about shaving soap:
So, before you get Dad one of those electric shavers, consider stepping back in time when men where men and they used real soap and straight razors. I can almost guarantee you he'll be delighted with his gift.
I'd always shaved with foam or gel -- something that comes out of a can. I'm not even sure what compelled me to give old fashioned shaving a try. I think I was in a store, like Evelyn & Crabtree, one day and started asking questions. One thing led to another and I gave it a try. Shortly after that I bought a kit for my son-in-law and he, too, loved it.
You basically need two things -- shaving soap and a good shaving brush. Not only do I get a much closer, smoother and enjoyable shave using the soap and brush method, but the soap lasts forever. I'm still on the original soap and mug I bought in September 2007 and I use it every day except when traveling! I expect it'll last several more months. So, from a pure cost standpoint, it's a great deal.
I use the hard soap that often comes in a mug, but you can buy the soap and mug separately. Soap refills are relatively inexpensive and can be ordered online. I've not used Amazing Shaving, but plan to give it a try. I recommend the hard soap because it'll last much longer. But, you can also get a soft soap that is more like a lotion. I like creating the lather from really hot water. I just use a normal Gillette razor.
Here's what Amazing Shaving says about shaving soap:
Shaving soaps provide a longer lasting lather, warm the face and are hygienic; they improve skin circulation; they’re 100 percent biodegradable; and most important, they just smell so darn good.The brush is the key piece and the most expensive. You can pay hundreds of dollars for a really good or fancy one. The best ones are made from badger hair. I paid about $50 for mine and bought it at Portland Cutlery on SW Broadway near Pioneer Place. It seems to work well, but there are probably better ones. You'll also need a stand for the brush since it should hang to dry properly. They come in all sizes, shapes and materials.
Shaving soap cakes are generally easier to use and provide consistently good results. They also typically cost less than shaving creams.
A good quality shaving soap will have the ingredients necessary to produce a rich moist lather to soften the beard, moisturize the skin and lubricate the face to make it easier to slide the razor across your skin.
So, before you get Dad one of those electric shavers, consider stepping back in time when men where men and they used real soap and straight razors. I can almost guarantee you he'll be delighted with his gift.
Chardonnay search
Still in search of the great American chardonnay. The Wall Street Journal last week did its annualish survey of affordable US chards and they liked Newton Red Label, Chalone, Clos du Bois (get it cheap at Costco), Heller Estate and Simi. Overall, they felt that while chards have improved some from their last tasting, the 2007s still leave a lot to be desired.
I'm going to try Costco's Kirkland Chardonnay and will report back. It's currently in stock at our Costco for $8.99. May pick up the Clos du Bois as a comparison as well.
I'm going to try Costco's Kirkland Chardonnay and will report back. It's currently in stock at our Costco for $8.99. May pick up the Clos du Bois as a comparison as well.
16 June 2009
New Costco discoveries
After being missing from the shelves for a month or more, Costco finally has Purell hand sanitizer back in stock. This is the waterless hand wash that is so wonderful when you can’t get to a bathroom or the one you can get to is so disgusting you refuse to use it. For $10.99 you get three pump containers and three small personal sizes to fit in a purse or briefcase.
My guess is that there was a huge run on Purell during the Swine Flu panic. Now, Purell seem to have caught up with demand. This stuff works great and is a must for traveling.
With Fathers Day, anniversaries and graduations cramming the calendar this month, don’t forget about Costco’s restaurant gift cards. They’ve got a bunch, but I picked up two $50 certificates for McCormick & Schmick’s for $80.
Costco also has a nice selection of designer ties and ballistic pinpoint button-down dress shirts for $16.99. This is another Kirkland brand item that simply can’t be beat for quality and value at a great price. Everybody should have a blue one and a white one. They are classic in any wardrobe.
Also, look for Kirkland Napa Chardonnay. I’ve tried this before and it was what I call interesting and worth every penny at $8.99. I’ll report back after trying again.
Finally, the shelves were nearly bare of notebook computers, very unusual for Costco. So, I asked the salesman why and he said they will be fully stocked on June 26 when new computers arrive with Windows 7 upgrade coupons. They will come with Windows Vista installed, but you’ll get a free copy of Windows 7, Microsoft’s new operating system, when it’s available in October. This may finally be the “buy” sign new computer purchasers have been waiting for. I’ve been using Win7 for about a month now and can vouch for what a solid product it is. If you’ve been holding back on a new computer, now is the time to buy.
11 June 2009
Latest gadget, but it may be the best
Since I decided to take the plunge and sign up for Sirius satellite radio, I've truly fallen down the Internet radio rabbit hole. And, I'm loving every minute of it. About a month ago, I took the next big step and bought a Sonos player primarily so I could get my Sirius service off the Internet and not have to worry about the quirkiness of the temperamental antenna.
So, I should first explain exactly what Sonos is and how it works. It's been around for a few years and I had always thought of it as a solid though expensive way to share music around your house and certainly cheaper than wiring the whole place. Believe me, I've been there, done that and it's a giant pain in the rump and the wallet. But, what I didn't realize is that Sonos is so much more than just a way to distribute music. It's also a gateway to Internet music and if you've not experience it, you are in for a real treat.
The Sonos device (I have a ZonePlayer 90) connects to the Internet via your wireless router. Just plug and play, no passwords, user names, etc. It then sends its output through my AV receiver. But that's just the half of it. You can buy additional ZonePlayers, with and without amps, that you can put in other rooms and connect to speakers. The music is transmitted wirelessly and it's great quality. But, there's more. You can play different music in every room and indpendently control the volume in each room. You can put together a system like this for around $1k.
The Sonos comes with its own hand-held controller or you can download a desktop controller that runs on your computer or you can download the controller app to an iPhone or iPod Touch free. The controllers are all excellent and give you vast control over a massive music library.
So, enough with the equipment. It's all about the music. Not only can I access Sirius and my iTunes library, but Internet radio and Internet music services such as Pandora (free), Napster, last.fm and Rhapsody. I sometimes wonder why I even bother with the iTunes anymore. I can literally find anything I want and play it instantly online. Or, you can build your own stations with the artists and songs you love most. Just put them together, tailor them and play them. You can even pass your playlists along to others on Pandora. Sonos also lets you build custom playlists drawing from all your music sources. Amazing.
My guess is that a music snob with amazing equipment would find fault with the quality of the music over the Internet. Most services are at 128kbps. Rhapsody is at 192kbps. But for relaxing background music while you're entertaining or just hanging out, it's more than just fine. If you're a music lover and if you like all kinds of music as I do, this really can't be beat.
So, I should first explain exactly what Sonos is and how it works. It's been around for a few years and I had always thought of it as a solid though expensive way to share music around your house and certainly cheaper than wiring the whole place. Believe me, I've been there, done that and it's a giant pain in the rump and the wallet. But, what I didn't realize is that Sonos is so much more than just a way to distribute music. It's also a gateway to Internet music and if you've not experience it, you are in for a real treat.
The Sonos device (I have a ZonePlayer 90) connects to the Internet via your wireless router. Just plug and play, no passwords, user names, etc. It then sends its output through my AV receiver. But that's just the half of it. You can buy additional ZonePlayers, with and without amps, that you can put in other rooms and connect to speakers. The music is transmitted wirelessly and it's great quality. But, there's more. You can play different music in every room and indpendently control the volume in each room. You can put together a system like this for around $1k.
The Sonos comes with its own hand-held controller or you can download a desktop controller that runs on your computer or you can download the controller app to an iPhone or iPod Touch free. The controllers are all excellent and give you vast control over a massive music library.
So, enough with the equipment. It's all about the music. Not only can I access Sirius and my iTunes library, but Internet radio and Internet music services such as Pandora (free), Napster, last.fm and Rhapsody. I sometimes wonder why I even bother with the iTunes anymore. I can literally find anything I want and play it instantly online. Or, you can build your own stations with the artists and songs you love most. Just put them together, tailor them and play them. You can even pass your playlists along to others on Pandora. Sonos also lets you build custom playlists drawing from all your music sources. Amazing.
My guess is that a music snob with amazing equipment would find fault with the quality of the music over the Internet. Most services are at 128kbps. Rhapsody is at 192kbps. But for relaxing background music while you're entertaining or just hanging out, it's more than just fine. If you're a music lover and if you like all kinds of music as I do, this really can't be beat.
29 May 2009
Geek Warning! Why I'm liking Windows 7
I was lucky enough to have our tech services department put Windows 7 on my work notebook a couple of weeks back. It has been a pleasant surprise, and outside of a couple of issues, I'm liking it quite a lot and believe it will do wonders to help erase some of the bad blood generated by Vista.
For starters, this is a much lighter weight OS than Vista. It takes megabytes less space on my hard drive. I mean, this is a dramatic difference in terms of the space it freed up. Recently, I had to do a house cleaning because I was reaching the limits to a rather smallish hard drive. But, now, I've got acres of free disk space.
But, the real benefits are how much better it works. Start with start-up and shutdown. Both have gone from agonizingly painful minutes long experiences to something you can actually watch happen while you get situated. I used to go get coffee and even then, it wouldn't always be booted up. Shutdown is equally fast. It also hybernates properly, giving it a much greener footprint. This will be very noticeable to Vista users.
Then there is the new task bar across the bottom of the display. (Hmmmm, wonder where they got that idea.) It's not as dynamic as OSX, but it's super functional and in many ways better. Not only are all your most used apps there, but when you hover over the icon, up pops a list of open and recently used documents. In the case of your browser, you will see all the open tabs.
I also found that saving, finding and organizing documents and files is much easier and faster than in Vista. Not sure what's actually going on here and I think the tweaks are more on the minor side, but they are all good.
My overall impression is that this is a very solid OS that users will like a lot and that will be very competitive. It is simple and solid and "just works." It doesn't seem as fancy as Vista, but much more utilitarian. It took me no time to get used to it and start working faster.
So, if you're in the market for a new computer you've got two choices -- either buy a Vista machine now and upgrade it or wait a few months and get a Windows 7 machine. There is no release date announced yet, but since the release candidate is out, it shouldn't be that long and it would make good sense to get these computers out for the back-to-school guying season. And, paired with some of the super duper pricing out there now on new computers, you will have yourself quite a bargain.
Windows 7 is going to be big and is going to help Microsoft a lot.
For starters, this is a much lighter weight OS than Vista. It takes megabytes less space on my hard drive. I mean, this is a dramatic difference in terms of the space it freed up. Recently, I had to do a house cleaning because I was reaching the limits to a rather smallish hard drive. But, now, I've got acres of free disk space.
But, the real benefits are how much better it works. Start with start-up and shutdown. Both have gone from agonizingly painful minutes long experiences to something you can actually watch happen while you get situated. I used to go get coffee and even then, it wouldn't always be booted up. Shutdown is equally fast. It also hybernates properly, giving it a much greener footprint. This will be very noticeable to Vista users.
Then there is the new task bar across the bottom of the display. (Hmmmm, wonder where they got that idea.) It's not as dynamic as OSX, but it's super functional and in many ways better. Not only are all your most used apps there, but when you hover over the icon, up pops a list of open and recently used documents. In the case of your browser, you will see all the open tabs.
I also found that saving, finding and organizing documents and files is much easier and faster than in Vista. Not sure what's actually going on here and I think the tweaks are more on the minor side, but they are all good.
My overall impression is that this is a very solid OS that users will like a lot and that will be very competitive. It is simple and solid and "just works." It doesn't seem as fancy as Vista, but much more utilitarian. It took me no time to get used to it and start working faster.
So, if you're in the market for a new computer you've got two choices -- either buy a Vista machine now and upgrade it or wait a few months and get a Windows 7 machine. There is no release date announced yet, but since the release candidate is out, it shouldn't be that long and it would make good sense to get these computers out for the back-to-school guying season. And, paired with some of the super duper pricing out there now on new computers, you will have yourself quite a bargain.
Windows 7 is going to be big and is going to help Microsoft a lot.
11 May 2009
Why we can't all just get along
I walked by an empty cubicle the other day and noticed a copy of The Economist lying on the desk. Though it was a couple of weeks old, I couldn't resist picking it up and thumbing through it. It's a magazine I've subscribed to on and off for years, most recently during my years in London. If you've never heard of it (gasp) or never read it, you need to get a copy -- for your own well being if for no other reason. You can get a discounted copy at Costco.
With so much crap going on around us in the world, it's just nice to sit down and absorb a reasoned and well written point of view. It's more than food for thought. It's consoling. The coverage is global. I know this is somewhat of a foreign concept to most navel gazing Americans. But it gives a world perspective despite the fact that it's a British publication. The section on the United States is concise and, well, just excellent. You will read stories that you won't find elsewhere, like the battle to make uranium mining legal in Virginia. Even the writeups of stories you're already familiar with take on a new life with new facts and amazing perspective. It is so well written that it's a joy to read them over again anyhow.
The Economist is not about journalistic egos or heroes, either. The stories are not by-lined or signed even though the magazine is comprised of an excellent staff of writers and editors. And, unlike most other news publications these days, it is not getting hammered by the economy. In fact, both Time and Newsweek have announced their intentions to remake themselves in the image of The Economist.
A great example of why I like The Economist is the Lexington column, a weekly one-pager on the U.S. The one I just read was headlined: Obama derangement syndrome. It examines the fairly dramatic polarization that is already happening in this country over our new president and how much less likely Americans are to give the new guy a chance than only a couple decades ago. It concludes that this "tit for tat demonisation" is not only poisoning American political life, it is making it ever harder to solve problems that require cross-party collaboration. It now takes an outside perspective to shine the line on how petty and unproductive our political system has become even in the deepest of crises.
How can any educated person not become fatigued if not downright disgusted with today's political scene? I just signed up for a subscription. I know I'll feel better after I start reading it again.
With so much crap going on around us in the world, it's just nice to sit down and absorb a reasoned and well written point of view. It's more than food for thought. It's consoling. The coverage is global. I know this is somewhat of a foreign concept to most navel gazing Americans. But it gives a world perspective despite the fact that it's a British publication. The section on the United States is concise and, well, just excellent. You will read stories that you won't find elsewhere, like the battle to make uranium mining legal in Virginia. Even the writeups of stories you're already familiar with take on a new life with new facts and amazing perspective. It is so well written that it's a joy to read them over again anyhow.
The Economist is not about journalistic egos or heroes, either. The stories are not by-lined or signed even though the magazine is comprised of an excellent staff of writers and editors. And, unlike most other news publications these days, it is not getting hammered by the economy. In fact, both Time and Newsweek have announced their intentions to remake themselves in the image of The Economist.
A great example of why I like The Economist is the Lexington column, a weekly one-pager on the U.S. The one I just read was headlined: Obama derangement syndrome. It examines the fairly dramatic polarization that is already happening in this country over our new president and how much less likely Americans are to give the new guy a chance than only a couple decades ago. It concludes that this "tit for tat demonisation" is not only poisoning American political life, it is making it ever harder to solve problems that require cross-party collaboration. It now takes an outside perspective to shine the line on how petty and unproductive our political system has become even in the deepest of crises.
How can any educated person not become fatigued if not downright disgusted with today's political scene? I just signed up for a subscription. I know I'll feel better after I start reading it again.
29 April 2009
More problems for the Republicans
The more dogmatic you become, the more exclusionary you also become. This fact is just now beginning to dawn on the Republican Party. This is the same party that drove Arlen Specter into the Democratic camp yesterday and is threatening to run off other moderate party leaders.
Republicans are adamantly opposed to gay marriage. Like abortion, it is one of their litmus tests. Many still cling to the belief that being gay is an illness that can be cured. Forty nine percent of Republicans say they oppose any kind of recognition of gay unions, let along gay marriage. But the same New York Times/CBS News poll shows that 57 percent of those under age 40 support gay marriage. Only 19 percent of this age group oppose it.
Ooops. Can you say "dangerously out of touch?" Furthermore, more states are making gay marriage legal and it's going fairly unnoticed. The reason? No one really much cares anymore.
According to Steve Schmidt, who was the senior strategist for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, "The Republican Party is shrinking. One of the reasons it is shrinking is because there are large demographics in this country that view the party as intolerant or not relevant to them."
Republicans are adamantly opposed to gay marriage. Like abortion, it is one of their litmus tests. Many still cling to the belief that being gay is an illness that can be cured. Forty nine percent of Republicans say they oppose any kind of recognition of gay unions, let along gay marriage. But the same New York Times/CBS News poll shows that 57 percent of those under age 40 support gay marriage. Only 19 percent of this age group oppose it.
Ooops. Can you say "dangerously out of touch?" Furthermore, more states are making gay marriage legal and it's going fairly unnoticed. The reason? No one really much cares anymore.
According to Steve Schmidt, who was the senior strategist for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign, "The Republican Party is shrinking. One of the reasons it is shrinking is because there are large demographics in this country that view the party as intolerant or not relevant to them."
28 April 2009
Republican blunders just keep on giving
Today was a very big day for President Barack Obama. Not only is he on the eve of an incredibly productive and successful first 100 days in office with soaring poll numbers to prove it, but Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter added the frosting on the cake by announcing that he's joining the Democratic party. Here's what Sen. Specter said of the decision that rocked the capitol today:
Specter was faced with a difficult re-election battle within his own party. Now, according to experts, he should cruise to re-election as a Democrat in a state where the voter sentiment has shifted sharply to the left in recent years. In this case, the simple truth is that the Republicans drove Specter out of their party and now they will get to pay the price -- just as they are paying the price for so many other short sighted, dogmatic decisions of late. In many ways, these kinds of Republican blunders have become the gift that just keeps on giving . . . to the Democrats
“I’m not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate, not prepared to have that record decided by that jury,” Mr. Specter declared in a rather defiant tone at a news conference.With the inevitable seating of Al Franken, the Democrats will have a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority, making it much easier for the president to get his legislative initiatives through the Senate without being tripped up by the minority party. This has to be a horrible day for the Republicans as they lose their last moderate senator. But, certainly it's a bad day they had coming and richly deserve.
Specter was faced with a difficult re-election battle within his own party. Now, according to experts, he should cruise to re-election as a Democrat in a state where the voter sentiment has shifted sharply to the left in recent years. In this case, the simple truth is that the Republicans drove Specter out of their party and now they will get to pay the price -- just as they are paying the price for so many other short sighted, dogmatic decisions of late. In many ways, these kinds of Republican blunders have become the gift that just keeps on giving . . . to the Democrats
24 April 2009
Chateau Montelena tasting
Lynne and I attended a tasting of Chateau Montelena wines the other night at Liner & Elsen in Portland. For those unfamiliar with California wine lore, Chateau Montelena is the winery that produced the chardonnay that rocked the French wine industry in 1976. The story is the focus of the movie Bottle Shock, which is not available on DVD. You can read the whole account on the CM website.
The tasting was hosted by managing director Greg Ralston, a Portland State University graduate who has been with the winery 21 years. We went to the tasting because we had seen the movie on the recommendation of our friends John and Lea. I have to admit the movie was OK and if it hadn't been for the historical significance and my interest in wine, I probably wouldn't have liked it at all. In chit chatting with Greg afterwards, he acknowledged that few things outside of the basic plot of the movie were actually true. There was lots of embellishment for Hollywood's sake. Greg noted that when Montelena was started in 1972 there were 12 wineries in the Napa Valley. By 1978, that had shot up to 112. He said that after the movie was released in August 2008, visits to the winery shot way up and they got more single-bottle orders of chardonnay online, but overall sales did not increase.
But back to the wine. We tasted a beautiful and not overdone zinfandel, six cabernets from 1999 to 2005 and a chardonnay. If there's one thing I took away from the tasting it was that over the years, Montelena has remained true to its heritage and discipline of making table wines that complement food. They have avoided the trends that so characterise California style wines -- from big butter bomb chards to over fruited and hot zins. Greg said that his wines are probably more popular in Europe and other parts of the world than in America for these reasons. The style is definitely more subtle and less fruit forward -- much more in the French style.
I have a lot of respect for this approach and believe that its a viewpoint that many Oregon winemakers also aspire to. I'm particularly impressed with the desire to stick with a French white burgundy style of chardonnay that stays the same year in and year out. This style of chardonnay is an essential part of any well kept wine cellar. It's so classic, crisp and refreshing. A few Oregon wineries are serious about creating a chardonnay in this style, especially Stoller, Chehalem and Domaine Serene.
These are definitely not trendy wines. They are not meals unto themselves and they are not delicious cocktail wines. But, they are great wines, with a great story that will stand the test of the ages even though the winery is less than 40 years old.
The tasting was hosted by managing director Greg Ralston, a Portland State University graduate who has been with the winery 21 years. We went to the tasting because we had seen the movie on the recommendation of our friends John and Lea. I have to admit the movie was OK and if it hadn't been for the historical significance and my interest in wine, I probably wouldn't have liked it at all. In chit chatting with Greg afterwards, he acknowledged that few things outside of the basic plot of the movie were actually true. There was lots of embellishment for Hollywood's sake. Greg noted that when Montelena was started in 1972 there were 12 wineries in the Napa Valley. By 1978, that had shot up to 112. He said that after the movie was released in August 2008, visits to the winery shot way up and they got more single-bottle orders of chardonnay online, but overall sales did not increase.
But back to the wine. We tasted a beautiful and not overdone zinfandel, six cabernets from 1999 to 2005 and a chardonnay. If there's one thing I took away from the tasting it was that over the years, Montelena has remained true to its heritage and discipline of making table wines that complement food. They have avoided the trends that so characterise California style wines -- from big butter bomb chards to over fruited and hot zins. Greg said that his wines are probably more popular in Europe and other parts of the world than in America for these reasons. The style is definitely more subtle and less fruit forward -- much more in the French style.
I have a lot of respect for this approach and believe that its a viewpoint that many Oregon winemakers also aspire to. I'm particularly impressed with the desire to stick with a French white burgundy style of chardonnay that stays the same year in and year out. This style of chardonnay is an essential part of any well kept wine cellar. It's so classic, crisp and refreshing. A few Oregon wineries are serious about creating a chardonnay in this style, especially Stoller, Chehalem and Domaine Serene.
These are definitely not trendy wines. They are not meals unto themselves and they are not delicious cocktail wines. But, they are great wines, with a great story that will stand the test of the ages even though the winery is less than 40 years old.
Reclaiming America's soul
Paul Krugman of The New York Times in his column today weighs the dos and don'ts of investigating the torture issue and ultimately holding those responsible accountable. This has become a very hot topic after seeming to disappear earlier, mostly because President Obama said he wasn't much interested in dwelling on the past and wanted to move ahead. He now seems to have had a change of heart in large part because of a fierce political debate over whether to investigate or not.
The conservatives, of course, want to move on and sweep it all under the rug. I'm sympathetic to that argument, that you really dont' accomplish much by investigating past misdeeds. And, because there were so many in the Bush administration that could be pretty much a full-time preoccupation of the Obama administration. Unfortunately, they have other problems to solve, the largest of them created by the same Bush administration.
But, there is the statement President Bush made while in office, that "this government does not torture people." That was obviously driven out of a mindset that because your attorneys tell you something isn't torture means it's so. I don't think anyone now believes this to be the case.
Dick Cheney is on a personal crusade to defend the government torture doctrine he helped write. Maybe I'm way off base and these are difficult times, but shouldn't America be better than that? Isn't it really our morale fiber that has made us the strongest nation (not the richest) in the world. Isn't that what real leadership is about -- the ability to acknowledge, examine and admit your mistakes -- and then change your ways?
Is the debate over torture merely politics as some would tell you? Or is it about something bigger, something more fundamental to our values as Americans? I found Krugman's column helpful in sorting this out.
The conservatives, of course, want to move on and sweep it all under the rug. I'm sympathetic to that argument, that you really dont' accomplish much by investigating past misdeeds. And, because there were so many in the Bush administration that could be pretty much a full-time preoccupation of the Obama administration. Unfortunately, they have other problems to solve, the largest of them created by the same Bush administration.
But, there is the statement President Bush made while in office, that "this government does not torture people." That was obviously driven out of a mindset that because your attorneys tell you something isn't torture means it's so. I don't think anyone now believes this to be the case.
Dick Cheney is on a personal crusade to defend the government torture doctrine he helped write. Maybe I'm way off base and these are difficult times, but shouldn't America be better than that? Isn't it really our morale fiber that has made us the strongest nation (not the richest) in the world. Isn't that what real leadership is about -- the ability to acknowledge, examine and admit your mistakes -- and then change your ways?
Is the debate over torture merely politics as some would tell you? Or is it about something bigger, something more fundamental to our values as Americans? I found Krugman's column helpful in sorting this out.
Too good to be true
The Democrats could have only made this up in their wildest dreams. What if the two most despised people in American politics -- Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney -- were to emerge as the leading spokespeople for their cause. Well, son of a gun, that's exactly what's happened. Can you say "playing right into our hands" or "stepping on their own tails?"
That's the scenario that's playing itself out and mostly because these two guys are so stuck on their own egos that they can't stand to take a back seat when their party is hurting and needs anything but their universal unpopularity and polarization to fan the flames of its demise. Gosh the guys in the White House strategy office must be rubbing their hands together and rolling on the floor. Can you imagine the kinds of ideas rolling around in the heads of Paul Begala and James Carville about now?
The Limbaugh thing was kind of predictable. Everyone knows what a blowviator and egomaniac he is. But the Cheney thing comes straight out of left field. This is not the pose of ex-presidents and vice presidents. When they leave office, they're supposed to be statesmanlike. Huh, Cheney a statesman?
I mean what were his approval ratings when he left office? Below 20%? By comparison, he makes Bush look like an American hero. He's got his teeth around the torture issue and he's not going to let go, even if it means the Democrats now have doubled the number of attractive targets they now use to paint the Republican party as extreme and out of touch.
That's the scenario that's playing itself out and mostly because these two guys are so stuck on their own egos that they can't stand to take a back seat when their party is hurting and needs anything but their universal unpopularity and polarization to fan the flames of its demise. Gosh the guys in the White House strategy office must be rubbing their hands together and rolling on the floor. Can you imagine the kinds of ideas rolling around in the heads of Paul Begala and James Carville about now?
The Limbaugh thing was kind of predictable. Everyone knows what a blowviator and egomaniac he is. But the Cheney thing comes straight out of left field. This is not the pose of ex-presidents and vice presidents. When they leave office, they're supposed to be statesmanlike. Huh, Cheney a statesman?
I mean what were his approval ratings when he left office? Below 20%? By comparison, he makes Bush look like an American hero. He's got his teeth around the torture issue and he's not going to let go, even if it means the Democrats now have doubled the number of attractive targets they now use to paint the Republican party as extreme and out of touch.
17 April 2009
In the gadget room: Hooked on Sonos
As Lynne can attest, I buy and fiddle with too many gadgets, some of which can be incredibly disruptive. She, like most consumers, likes things to work and doesn't like change. Adding the Logitech universal remote was a good move, but very disruptive, mostly because it's really not as easy to use as one might like. But, you can only make controlling four separate devices so easy. Lynne not withstanding.
My latest disruptive technology is Sonos. I've had my eye on Sonos for a long time, but was always put off by the cost and I viewed it strictly as a device to move music around the house wirelessly. I'd heard very good things about Sonos, but never taken the leap. Then we got Sirius satellite radio a few months ago. We are using an indoor/outdoor antenna with mixed results. I'm really kind of a radio nut of often prefer it to TV or sometimes with the TV sound turned off.
With Sonos, I could stream the internet feed of Sirius directly into my sound equipment, but not have to worry about signal interruption. I figure, hey, I'm paying all this money for broadband, I might as well get maximum benefit from it. But, what I didn't realize was that Sonos would also give me access to hundreds of internet radio stations and services likek Pandora and last.fm which are free. Literally, there's nothing I can't find now with a few clicks of the Sonos controller. I now have this huge jukebox in my house. This has opened up a whole new world of entertainment. And, because I only bought one Sonos unit, I'm not even streaming music to any other locations. I expect to do that soon. Oh, and least I forget, you can also play your iTunes library directly from the PC you have it stored on.
Lynne has taken to Sonos pretty well because it's a lot easier to use (she can control it from her PC), and because the benefits are so great. She can find the kind of music she wants anytime. This has turned out to be one of the best gadget purchases I've ever made. I highly recommend it for those who like to listen to music and other radio content such as NPR. I bought mine at Echo Audio in Portland. I can's say enough good things about these guys and how helpful they are in solving your audio problems. They are truly understanding consultants who help you solve problems, not just peddle equipment.
My latest disruptive technology is Sonos. I've had my eye on Sonos for a long time, but was always put off by the cost and I viewed it strictly as a device to move music around the house wirelessly. I'd heard very good things about Sonos, but never taken the leap. Then we got Sirius satellite radio a few months ago. We are using an indoor/outdoor antenna with mixed results. I'm really kind of a radio nut of often prefer it to TV or sometimes with the TV sound turned off.
With Sonos, I could stream the internet feed of Sirius directly into my sound equipment, but not have to worry about signal interruption. I figure, hey, I'm paying all this money for broadband, I might as well get maximum benefit from it. But, what I didn't realize was that Sonos would also give me access to hundreds of internet radio stations and services likek Pandora and last.fm which are free. Literally, there's nothing I can't find now with a few clicks of the Sonos controller. I now have this huge jukebox in my house. This has opened up a whole new world of entertainment. And, because I only bought one Sonos unit, I'm not even streaming music to any other locations. I expect to do that soon. Oh, and least I forget, you can also play your iTunes library directly from the PC you have it stored on.
Lynne has taken to Sonos pretty well because it's a lot easier to use (she can control it from her PC), and because the benefits are so great. She can find the kind of music she wants anytime. This has turned out to be one of the best gadget purchases I've ever made. I highly recommend it for those who like to listen to music and other radio content such as NPR. I bought mine at Echo Audio in Portland. I can's say enough good things about these guys and how helpful they are in solving your audio problems. They are truly understanding consultants who help you solve problems, not just peddle equipment.
Ugly Americans
We saw our fair share of bozo American antics while living in the UK for more than two years. Traveling abroad soon? Then please read this.
16 April 2009
New blog
For those who can't get enough of my infrequent entries updates to this blog, I've started a new venture, errr, blog. It taps into one of my deepest and oldest passions. No, I've not dedicated a blog to Lynne! But I am capturing some of my musings and observations about that great American retail institution, Costco. You can check it out here.
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah
Updater today in New York Times on the goings on of Sarah Palin. Not much new or surprising, but it does chronicle a somewhat bumply return to her day job as governor of Alaska. Not clear that she's really moving the ball on running for higher office. She's set up a PAC, always a good thing for political aspirants.
Politics can be strange as Sarah has already demonstrated. How could anyone have made all this up? But, I don't see her having much staying power, especially from her base in Juneau. I'm sure Barack Obama would love to run against her. But, I'm doubtful she'll still be around when we get to that point.
Politics can be strange as Sarah has already demonstrated. How could anyone have made all this up? But, I don't see her having much staying power, especially from her base in Juneau. I'm sure Barack Obama would love to run against her. But, I'm doubtful she'll still be around when we get to that point.
30 March 2009
Professional soccer in Portland
We are planning to buy season tickets to the Portland Timbers as a hedge against getting tickets when the MLS team comes to Portland in 2011. Just read tonight that there still may be some shaky moments before this is a done deal. Turns out there are still a number of financial hurdles that need to be dealt with by Sept. 1. Hopefully, Merritt Paulson not only has the deep pockets, but the deep connections on Wall Street to pull off the deal.
Was in PGE Park last weekend for the OSU-UO baseball game Saturday night. Was fortunate to be in a suite. Once they get the stadium remodeled for soccer, it actually should be a very nice venue. I've not seen detailed plans of the remodel, only a pretty fuzzy sketch that's been published in the local newspaper. It will make a much better soccer stadium than a baseball park. For those who don't know, it was originally built primarily for dog racing way back when.
It has a certain amount of charm and the trains running back and forth on SW 18th Avenue give it a certain European charm. Done right, this could be one of the best venues in the MLS -- assuming they can get their act together financially.
Was in PGE Park last weekend for the OSU-UO baseball game Saturday night. Was fortunate to be in a suite. Once they get the stadium remodeled for soccer, it actually should be a very nice venue. I've not seen detailed plans of the remodel, only a pretty fuzzy sketch that's been published in the local newspaper. It will make a much better soccer stadium than a baseball park. For those who don't know, it was originally built primarily for dog racing way back when.
It has a certain amount of charm and the trains running back and forth on SW 18th Avenue give it a certain European charm. Done right, this could be one of the best venues in the MLS -- assuming they can get their act together financially.
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