Ron Paul

Ron Paul in Kentucky

I saw Ron Paul today, listened to him speak, and I shook his hand with a throng of autograph-seekers and well-wishers.

I had to hope that Ron Paul would be more ahead in the delegate count to matter to the media, but since the media doesn't really work for the people anymore, of course we don't hear that Ron Paul is actually still running. It's just him and John McCain now, and they couldn't be more different. And Dr. Paul is not, to my knowledge, invited to the GOP Convention in Minnesota this September.

Yesterday on Hardball, Chris Matthews wanted to know what, if anything, could be done to fix the GOP. Tucker Carlson was uncharacteristically stoic in his assessment that in time, history will prove that congress spent too much money and President Bush allowed it...and the party should run, not walk, away from his legacy. I was waiting for Tucker to pile on, saying that the Ron Paul Revolution was a step in the right direction, and perhaps one of the best ways for the GOP to redefine itself.

But no. No such talk from Tucker, surprisingly. I had so expected him to say something like that, some kind of "tough love" talk about the GOP needing to have a bigger tent.

From my view, the GOP needs to jettison the NeoCons and the Religious Right, and that would be a good start. But they won't. The war profiteers are having too good of a decade to allow a Republican house-cleaning.

*sigh*

Hey dude, where's my party?

Oh yeah. One more thing. Ron Paul's book will be NUMBER ONE on the NY Times Bestseller list next week. AND his followers will be in Minnesota with or without an invitation, party-crashing the Grand Old Party.

It was great to hear Ron Paul, great to see him, and great to shake his hand standing next to a little kid that had FIVE of his books, waiting for him to sign them.

It is exciting to be in a state where, politically on a national level, things are still up in the air! In Utah, there never was any struggle, it was always Red-publican so nobody ever came to Utah or bought TV commercials. It is FUN to be in the thick of a hotly-contested primary state! I mingled with a crowd that came to see Obama on Monday; they were all energized, happy, and calm as they exited the convention center. John McCain was here yesterday at the NRA convention, and Bill Clinton was lurking on Thursday, stopping the motorcade to donate $20 to the Bullitt County Firefighters Fund as volunteers stood dumbfounded at the intersection where they were working.

But seeing Ron Paul was the best.

New Work.

So I have a new job. I haven't told too many people about how it's going, because I've only been there a month. So I've decided to make a "pros" and "cons" list to better describe my new position by contrasting certain things about the respective offices:

Old job: Cubicle in a skyscraper with no view, florescent light.
New job: Large desk with a second story view of downtown from large windows that let in lots of sunlight. The room was probably a bedroom when the house was built, which was in the 1830s.

Old job: Prototypical office, replete with drama, gossip, and that one bitch that would give me dirty looks when I wished her a good morning in the halls.
New Job: Old town house rehabilitated for use as an office with really interesting architectural details, and five other co-workers, all of whom are friendly and professional.

Old job's boss: "Well, we can't do this because (attorney X) might not like it so we have to do this instead, and it's a drag, but that's the way we have to do it because people might complain--well at least this group of people will complain, but most of them will be fine--but we DO need to take the complainers into account because they're sort of important, so we can't say no (I know they're unreasonable, but they are the BOSS, for gosh's sake!), and you want to do what instead? Oh that makes too much sense. So just forget about it."
New job's boss: There's a deadline in a couple of weeks, so just make it happen...oh yeah, well, we'll talk next week. Great."

I have to say that the environment and the expectations of work are almost 180 degrees opposite from my first corporate comeback job, which was much shorter-lived than I had expected or planned for...but looking at a list of the work which my new firm has been involved in makes me so, so proud of the new job. I wish I could give more details but I cannot really, except to say that they've helped save America's most precious places, the institutions--no, icons--of our built environment for a long, long time, working hand-in-hand with the federal, city and state governments, and institutions of higher learning. The breadth of the portfolio is staggering and literally makes my heart swell with pride every time I look through it.

I pray to do well learning my new trade, and I pray for continuing in the work with the coming harder economy.

Lost soul needs help.

"lost soul needs help"

I saw these words this morning on the prayer list that sits in the back hallway at church. These were the only words on the page.

No name. No other requests.

I stared at the words for a long, long time. The service was about to start, and after I lingered a bit longer over the lone request, lost in my own thoughts, I went into the nave.

I prayed for that person, the lost soul that needs help. God knows that I have had lost moments in my life and I would hope that somebody was sending good thoughts my way.

After the service I went out to the little fountain courtyard and thought about things. I had to take stock and check out my own progress as a human to make sure I wasn't too lost myself.

So far so good.

I'm doing the best I can where I am at the moment. That's all anyone can do, really. The world will be alright if you try to do your best no matter where you are, or how low you are.

Aw nuts.

Florida moves to ban fake testicles on vehicles | U.S. | Reuters

The first time I saw a pair of "Truck Nutz" I was totally offended. I hated them. I wanted them GONE from my line of vision.

What kind of sick motherf*ker hangs a pair of plastic, Made-in-China testicles from their vehicle? I don't run in those circles, so I wouldn't know the motivation behind such an offensive decoration.

I'm perplexed, though, that lawmakers have to step in and speak to this. Aren't they busy enough? What the hell? Personally, I don't care what people do with their property. Far be it from me to tell anyone how they should decorate their vehicle.

From the Confederate Flag to the bad-kid-pissing-on-whatever, there has been and will always be some way for drivers to make a statement about themselves that they can communicate to other drivers with whom they share the highways and byways of America.

Maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Now when I see a truck with nuts hanging from the hitch I just get away from it as fast as I can. So you see, as offensive as that bit of decor is, it is an excellent clue into the mind of the driver.

Nut lovers, please keep your nuts hanging from the hitch so I know exactly who I should pass as quickly as possible when I'm out and about.

And Florida lawmakers...for the love of god...get some real work done! You can start by proposing a ban on mud flaps with the reclining chrome chick.

Food isn't cheap anymore.

Food | The silent tsunami | Economist.com

Oh my GOD. Read this article. Most of the rest of the world is getting ready to have a very, very bad year. Many people will most likely starve, perhaps to death.

Start stock-piling bulk foods in the basement. At the least you could save a lot of money on food costs over the next year. At the worst, it could keep you alive.

You might be thinking that a food crisis could never happen here in the USA. Think about this, though...we're one huge natural disaster away from total economic disruption, which would include transportation of goods to store shelves.

Are you ready for that?