Kevin is gone for almost a month and my friends think I should use this extra alone time to explore new hobbies. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Now that Brian is becoming more independent during playtime and is in school I actually have time for a new hobby or two. Except, I don’t have a clue what hobbies I want to explore. Anyone have ideas for me?
Jen took a bunch of pictures of the boys on Thursday playing in the snow. Enjoy!
Frank Gruber interviewed me about Adapting to Web Standards the other day, and has posted it to his blog. Go check it out. I almost sound like I know what I’m talking about!\
And if you don’t want to go all the way over there, you can watch it right here!
I finally got around to upgrading everything to Movable Type 4.0 (a, the security edition).\
It’s late, and I don’t feel well, so if things are broken, I’ll get to them later. Really.
Kevin is torturing me by watching Jackass 2, though he did actually ask if I minded. Why did I say no?? OMG, the movie is sooo stupid. The worst part? I can’t stop laughing.
I know you all use the internet at least a little (because you’re here). I’m working on something new and threw together this little survey to see what folks use most often on the web. It won’t take you too long (only six questions), and would help me out a lot. So, if you’ve got five minutes to spare, please go take my survey.\
There’s no agenda here, I just want to validate (or disprove, either way) some of my assumptions about what people use most often. There are no wrong answers.\
The survey closes Friday night, and really, it only takes a couple minutes.
I need my mom to come mother my youngest because he’s doing things that are annoying (like asking for a specific food to eat and then changing his mind after he gets it) and things that are sad (like crying about going to school). Eeep.
After I posted my New Year’s Resolutions, I started thinking about taking control of my time, and what I was really trying to do, and it’s come down to a single goal: reducing my guilt. I have goals and ambitions, things I want to accomplish, help with, and see get done. These things keep getting put in a bucket, and it’s now full to overflowing. It’s a massive burden of guilt (self-inflicted, of course) that’s not helping me get my time under control, or more importantly, my health.\
So I’m doing something about it… Instead of fooling myself into thinking that I’ll have some great meadow of free time open up, I’m admitting defeat and removing goals. It’s not easy. Here’s what I’m doing about it:
The last two presidential races, I paid more attention to them than was probably healthy, and made up my mind before it made sense to (ie: before I could cast a vote). This time, I’m trying to be more patient and wait for the race to develop before deciding who I’m supporting.\
Well, my primary’s a little over a month away, and it’s about time to start paying attention. In 2004, I was enamored with Howard Dean, but he was in full collapse by the time the Virginia primary came around. This time, it looks like it’ll be at least still a three candidate race by the time it’s our turn to vote.\
I think it’s time for a clean break from the Clinton/Bush carousel. That means Hillary is out. I don’t think I’d be too upset if she ends up winning, but she’s too calculating and has changed her position one too many times in the past in order to get votes. She’s a bit of a chameleon and that doesn’t inspire me. It’s certainly a practical skill for a politician, but it’s not something I want to vote for.\
I really liked John Edwards last time, and love what he did in fighting poverty after he and John Kerry lost in ’04. I think he’s a really good man, and one who passionately believes in what he’s talking about. I’d happily vote for him.\
And then there’s Obama. I hope he’s the real deal, and I have about a month to find out. He’s almost too good to be true, but there’s magic there, and it feels real. I’ll be paying very close attention for the next month to look for dark corners and skeletons that set off alarm bells.\
It’s a two-candidate race for me now between Edwards and Obama, and Obama has a slight lead at the moment. But, that could change. I have a chance to have a presidential nominee, and probably a president, I can really believe in for the first time in my lifetime. I don’t want to screw this up. I don’t want America to screw this up. We’ve been stuck with a complete disaster for eight years. It’s time for a change, and not just a change in name, but a whole new direction.\
Oh, and the Republicans? I’ll never vote Republican again. John McCain was my last GOP hope in 2000 and he’s been a disappointment since then. He’s given up his beliefs and courted the religious zealots that did their level best to ruin this country and have destroyed any chance of me ever voting for the Republicans again.
1) Holy cow, look at this cake! I can’t tell who is crazier, the bride or the groom.\
2) Dexter, the acclaimed Showtime drama about a Miami forensic specialist who also happens to be a serial killer, is set to premiere on CBS on February 17, in an edited format. Check it out! Then let’s discuss, okay? This is totally one of those shows that you should watch from the beginning, as it has a season-long storyline.\
3) OMG OMG, Look: the can organizer of my dreams. Last year I got it into my head that I NEEDED to buy my MIL something like this for Christmas. For months and months I looked and Googled, but was unsuccessful. Somewhere on the internet sold building plans for a can dispenser, so I asked Steve if he could/would build it for me if I bought the plans and supplies. He said he could build it without the plans, so yay! Anne and Monica are now the lucky owners of the homemade version of this (but those aren’t adjustable. Look, this one even holds tuna cans!) When I saw this today, I immediately bought it even though I was looking for something else entirely. Woot, the internet is awesome! Is it wrong to be this excited?\
And for the Mormons in your life (or survivalists): large organizer.\
4) I’m not going to mention Britney, but read this about mental illness.\
5) This woman is strictly following the advice of Oprah for one year as a social experiment. Kind of neat. Let’s check back with her in about a month or two, yes?\
and, last, but not least,\
6) Just for fun: my favorite Brians.