Got My Philosophy

Blazers Tickets

2008-11-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Here is the low down on the Blazer tickets we have left to sell. Email me if you are interested.

- Two tickets to each game
- 300 level about the top of the key, halfway up
- Section 334
- Row L
- Seats 1 & 2
- Seating Map: http://www.rosequarter.com/Home/SeatingMaps/tabid/57/Default.aspx

- $25 PER TICKET (face value)

Saturday, November 8 - Minnesota

Tuesday, December 16 - Sacramento

Saturday, January 24 - Washington

Wednesday, January 28 - Charlotte

Wednesday, Febraury 18 - Memphis

Friday, March 13 - New Jersey

Monday, April 13 - Oklahoma City

Posts @ Command Consulting Site

2008-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Couple new posts over on the company site: www.CommandOregon.com

Come To The River

2008-10-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

A week ago, our family celebrated the baptism of Ashton and Carsyn Oxenreider, the children of my cousin Jodi. As is generally the tradition for these types of events, my father officiated. With a preacher in the family, we have a go to person for the "marryin' and buryin'" as well as the other important religious events.

They set the baptism for October 12 and decided to do it the more traditional - or perhaps historic - way: in an actual river. So we all met on the banks of the South Santiam river just east of Lebanon, Oregon.

My Ethics Investigation

2008-08-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Time to come clean: In 2001, I was under investigation by the State Ethics Commission. I was also under investigation by the Secretary of State. Why? Because someone filed a complaint against me. So, by law, both groups had to investigate the claim. Thus, I was under an ethics investigation.

Frankly, such investigations are a dime a dozen and are common tactics by political hacks ON BOTH SIDES. The reason is because it is simple to file one, the government agency has to investigate, and while they are doing so the opposition can scream and yell "Hey, he/she is under investigation!!"

Here are the particulars of my investigation: During the 2001 Oregon Legislative Session, I was the communication director for House Majority Leader Karen Minnis. As part of my job, I wrote speeches, talking points and press releases about the redistricting plans working their way through the legislature. I was probably one of the top 5 Republicans who understood the plans because I had to be able to condense their complexity into the various written formats. A copy of my talking points about one of the plans made its way to a Republican activist who emailed it out to her (very) large list. She sent it because the legislature was doing public hearings across the state.

Some guy in Salem filed an ethics complaint and a Secretary of State election complaint against me (saying I was using my position for partisan purposes...now, remember, I was working for the PARTISAN leader in the House...). The main Capitol correspondent for the Salem Statesman-Journal even did a story on the complaint.

The Ethics commission threw it out faster than curdled milk. The Secretary of State (a Democrat btw) also exonerated me. And when I asked the Statesman-Journal reporter when he was going to run the story about my exoneration? Yeah, that would be never.

Are there real violations that need to be uncovered? Absolutely. And the government should investigate reports. But people also need to understand that this is a common political tactic.

Why do I bring this up now? Because that is one of the arguments you'll hear against Gov. Sarah Palin. That she is under an ethics investigation. So, in addition to being a fisherman like Gov. Palin, we share an ethics investigation.

Palin has pissed a lot of people off in Alaska. A lot of them are political insiders, especially within her own Republican Party. She defeated the incumbent Republican governor in the Primary on her way to defeating a former Democrat governor in the General. At every level she's served she hasn't been afraid to clean house and call out corruption. She's made enemies.

Some day, maybe I'll blog about how a former writer for a lefty newspaper in Portland (who later worked for the governor) was digging around for "dirt" on me at the same time.

Geez, wonder why my wife wants me out of politics.

Diary as Blog/Blog as Diary

2008-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Recently began following a unique blog called The Orwell Prize. The Orwell Trust, Political Quarterly, and Media Standards Trust are posting entries from George Orwell's diary matching the current day in the calendar 50 years ago.

What has been most interesting? The mundane things that one of the 20th Century's great writers wrote about in his diary. Take today's entry for example:

Overcast & chilly. Heavy rain last night. Dahlias now in full bloom.

[NEWSPAPER CUTTING]

FRUIT BOTTLING
Commenting on the old-time country method of “Fruit Bottling without sugar,” B. A. Crang, Instructress in Fruit and Vegetable Preservation at the University of Bristol, says:
“This is bound to give unsatisfactory results in many cases, as cold water cannot destroy the impurities on the fruit and water itself also contains many impurities. During storage mould will probably grow and the fruit will be spoilt.
“A simple method of bottling fruit is to place the fruit in clean bottles, heat them in a warm oven (about 240 deg F) until the fruit has changed colour and looks cooked. The jars should then be filled quickly with boiling water or syrup, the rubber rings put in position and the lids fixed on securely. If the bottles have sealed correctly, the following day they can be lifted by their lids without the lids coming off.
“Fruit bottled in this way will keep indefinitely.”

You Get What You Pay For

2008-08-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Seth Godin knocks this one out of the park. I am always telling people "If you don't like X, don't shop there/buy that" etc. And, yes, the same absolutely goes for politics.

For example, my good friend and fishing buddy, Jason, is a huge WalMart opponent. He's also a diehard Republican and supporter of the free market. When ever he bitches about WalMart I just say "Then don't shop there." Of course, he gets it. He's not running off to the city government to try and ban them via zoning or planning laws. That kind of stuff hacks me off.

Frankly, it's fun to poke fun at his opposition. Just did the other day when he said he was looking for someplace to buy freeze dried food for our Yellowstone backpacking/fly fishing trip. "WalMart probably carries it" was my suggestion.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

2008-07-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

Let's play "Break That Stereotype":

- Family A is a white family. One parent is a Republican, the other is a Non-Affiliated voter.

- Family B is a black family. Both parents are Democrats.

Which family sends their kids to public schools? Which to private schools?

Family A is my family. Both parents are active in our children's public schools. My wife volunteers weekly in our daughter's classes. Each year, I teach Junior Achievement in my daughter's classes, I've been chair of the budget committee twice, and served on 2-3 other district committees. I am part of the team seeking to renew our local option bond measure on the fall ballot. We believe in public education, always have, and have no interest in putting our children in private school.

Family B is Barack and Michelle Obama.

"We need to focus on fixing and improving our public schools; not throwing our hands up and walking away from them." Barack Obama, Remarks to the 80th Convention of the American Federation of Teachers

"Obama’s daughters attend the University of Chicago Laboratory School, a private school. Malia is 10, and presumably just finished the fourth grade. Sasha is 7 and presumably just finished the first grade.

Standard full 2007-2008 tuition for grades one through four: $18,492.

For a fifth grader, it moves up to $20,286. If last year's rates apply to this fall, full tuition for both students for the coming year will be $38,778." Campaign Spot

The article also notes that the AVERAGE private elementary school tuition in America is $5,049.

It's always bugged me when so-called "supporters of public education" don't send their own children to public schools. We have a left-leaning friend that always complains about the lack of funding from the state and support for schools, so her solution is to home school. In Oregon, she deprives her school district of $6,000+ per year per kid by not sending the to public schools. District funding is based on enrollment.

Sending your kids to public schools is the #1 way to support public education. Send your kids, then get involved in your school and district.

For those that claim to be public education supporters but don't send their kids to public schools it's all about "Do as I say, not as I do."

California Earthquake

2008-07-29T16:12:00.001-07:00

Sounds like So. Cal is OK after the earthquake today. We have very small ones here in Oregon, but it seems like I never feel them.

I did live through the San Fernando earthquake in 1971. But, alas, I don't remember it since I was 9 months old. We lived in a stone house (no kidding) at the time and the wall against which my crib sat fell. Fortunately, it fell outward or I might not be here today.

My parents tell stories of the days without electricity and running water, etc. My father helped with emergency communications as well.

Glad today's didn't cause as much damage as 1971.

A Child Appeared in the Wilderness

2008-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

He ventured forth to bring light to the world

The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers.

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness...

Read the entire piece. Too funny.

The Tipping Point Endorsement

2008-07-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

This just might seal the deal for Obama. He's garnered the ever-valuable Pamela Anderson endorsement:

"I love him," she told the AP. "I think he's going to win. I like that he's opening up conversations all over the world. I think he's smart and charismatic. I think it's important to have a president that people actually like. I know my kids want to be like him. I think he has a great message. It'll be nice when people like America again."

One of These Things...

2008-07-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Is not like the other. Let's see...cute, cute, cute and, well, me.

Westerberg Does It Different

2008-07-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

I Twittered about this when I bought it today. Paul Westerberg, top 3 musician on my list, released a single, 44+ minute long MP3 this week on Amazon.com that contains multiple songs. The cost: 49 cents.

This approach is unique to say the least. The "track" is like listening to a complete album front to back mixed with snippets that make it sound like you're surfing the radio dial. The last part is a medley of cover songs.

Westerberg's manager said:

"He finished it on Monday, sent it to me on Tuesday and it was out this weekend," (Darren) Hill explained. "It's just wonderful that you can actually do this. The freedom an artist can enjoy these days is fantastic. Can you imagine me pitching this idea to a label?"

Amazon.com was the only one to play ball on the price. It got me to download their little application and purchase my first track from them. I'll go back for sure.

Digital music continues to change the industry.

Just In Case

2008-07-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

...you were thinking "Damn, I am thirsty."

Marketing Genius

2008-07-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

If you are Nike you can do stuff like this. Their "display" at last month's Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene consisted of three retrofitted old school VW buses. Sweet idea.

Foo Fighters Pix

2008-07-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

From my crappy cell phone camera. Yeah, we were right up front.

Legislator to President

2008-03-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

Oregonian political beat writer Jeff Mapes addresses an interesting question: Anyone you can think of in the Oregon Legislature (or your own state legislature) that you can envision being President of the United States in five years?

The point being that Barack Obama is 5 years removed from his legislative service.

In my humble opinion, no one comes to mind for Oregon. On either side of the aisle.

Bill Clinton, Oregon, and the White House Intern

2008-03-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Former president Bill Clinton is coming to Oregon to campaign for his wife, Hillary. Interestingly, he's going to Medford and Bend, both 3+ hours away from Portland.

Could it be that Hillary wants to keep him as far away from Portland as possible because her arch nemesis - former White House intern Monica Lewinsky - is back living here?

About 10 days ago, I was talking to someone who happened to mention that they live in the same building as Monica Lewinsky here in Portland. I said that I didn't know she was back in town. She is an alum of Portland's Lewis and Clark College, so it doesn't surprise me that she'd move back. He said he'd heard she was working at famed Portland ad agency Weiden & Kennedy (WK).

I then emailed a friend of mine from high school who works at WK to try to confirm. She said that Monica didn't work there, but she had interviewed at WK. In fact, the interview took place in a windowed conference room and the walkway by that conference room received quite a bit of traffic during the interview!

And, no, since I know you are wondering, she wasn't wearing a blue dress.

Portland Mercury, a weekly here, confirmed her residency (somewhat) last May. Monica seems to enjoy the Urban Grind coffee shop in Portland's hip Pearl District.

Chelsea Clinton was asked recently at a campaign stop about Ms. Lewinsky. So, perhaps the Clinton campaign is more sensitive to visits to Oregon!

I wonder if Monica is registered to vote, is a Democrat, and if so whom she is supporting in the May primary election?

Another Obama/Kenya Article

2008-03-19T21:47:00.001-07:00

After a spirited debate with my Obama-supporting cousin (yeah, I know, not sure where she got off track...probably that Univ. of Oregon degrea....) she shared this additional story confirming the one I posted before. She wanted to be sure to note that in fact Obama did try to contact the Kenyan President. Point noted.

But it doesn't change the fact that, in my opinion, Obama contacting a militant Muslim rebel leader demonstrates bad political judgment. I clarified that this was my reason for posting the original story in a reply to my cousin's comment.

He's in the middle of a tight primary election and the Clinton Machine is doing their best to tie him to being Muslim (which he isn't). Why call a militant Muslim rebel leader in Kenya? Especially one that claims to be your cousin and whom your half brother (whether you've ever even met the guy or not) affiliates with?

Bottom line: Bad Political Judgment

Obama's Ties To Muslim Rebels

2008-03-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

Why hasn't the information in this article regarding Obama's brother and ties to the Muslim rebel group in Kenya gotten more coverage? Has it and I just didn't notice?

From the January 15 issue of Investor's Business Daily (linked through Yahoo! Finance):

"The candidate already has heeded his church's "nonnegotiable commitment to Africa," spending an inordinate amount of his campaign time on the Kenyan crisis, for one. Obama has close family ties to Kenya, and even founded a school in his ancestral village -- the Senator Obama School.

In the bloody conflict there, which already has claimed some 700 lives, Obama appears to have sided with opposition leader Raila Odinga, head of the same Luo tribe to which Obama's late Muslim father belonged.

Obama's older brother still lives there. Abongo "Roy" Obama is a Luo activist and a militant Muslim who argues that the black man must "liberate himself from the poisoning influences of European culture." He urges his younger brother to embrace his African heritage.

Beyond family politics, these ties have potential foreign policy, even national security, implications.

Odinga is a Marxist who reportedly has made a pact with a hard-line Islamic group in Kenya to establish Shariah courts throughout the country. He has also vowed to ban booze and pork and impose Muslim dress codes on women -- moves favored by Obama's brother.

With al-Qaida strengthening its beachheads in Africa -- from Algeria to Sudan to Somalia -- the last thing the West needs is for pro-Western Kenya to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.

Yet Obama interrupted his New Hampshire campaigning to speak by phone with Odinga, who claims to be his cousin. He did not speak with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki."

Write & Speak Plainly

2008-03-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

New blog entry on writing over at my Command Consulting website.

Command Consulting Blog

2008-03-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

We've added a blog to our Command Consulting company site where we'll be writing about communication, marketing and public relations. Check out the first entry about using your expertise to gain earned media:

www.CommandOregon.com

FIghting Lefties

2008-03-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

The only thing more entertaining that watching Obama and Hillary duke it out, and/or a Democrat governor busted for hiring a high priced hooker, is probably this awesome story from "Speed Racer" Sank about his highway battle with a Prius.

Gloria Steinam Wouldn't Last A Day

2008-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

...in the Hanoi Hilton. Yet she pooh poohs John McCain's 5 1/2 years as a POW during which he was tortured:

"McCain was, in fact, a prisoner of war for around five-and-a-half years, during which time he was tortured repeatedly. Referring to his time in captivity, Steinem said with bewilderment, “I mean, hello? This is supposed to be a qualification to be president? I don’t think so.”"

I don't like some of McCain's positions and his age concerns me, but anyone that can survive that long in a hell hole like that deserves respect. Does it make him more qualified to be president? Absolutely. Because as command-in-chief when he decides to send our men and women into combat - or to keep them there in the case of Iraq - he speaks as someone who knows the risks better than anyone else.

By the way, on the torture part, ever wonder why McCain doesn't raise his hands above his shoulders? Because he can't thanks to his N. Vietnamese captors.

Love Rail and Bikes? Obama's Your Man

2008-02-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to the light rail post from yesterday, Obama is drinking the choo choo, high density, bike riding for all kool-aid.

After a Long Hard Day

2008-02-27T22:48:00.000-08:00

Some people turn to liquor. I prefer ice cream in a bowl shaped like Shamu.

R.I.P. William F. Buckley

2008-02-27T21:37:00.000-08:00

Conservative icon William F. Buckley died today. He was the godfather of the conservative movement in America.

I had the chance to hear him speak when I was in college and it was a great experience. An answer to a question about why he wasn't a Libertarian has stuck with me to this day and is probably what keeps me from leaping fully into that universe. He said, essentially, that taken to its logical conclusion, libertarianism is anarchy.

America lost a great thinker and writer today.

Magic of Wii

2008-02-27T21:35:00.000-08:00

How cool is it that people are figuring out alternative ways to use the Wii remote? This guy created a virtual reality system that is pretty stinkin' cool. Watch the whole video.

Light Rail Boondoggle

2008-02-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

My frozen, liberal friend, Sank, got me up on the soapbox in response to his post on light rail. The best part? We pretty much agree that it is a big boondoggle. Below is the "Comment" I put on his blog. Yeah, I know, probably the longest "Comment" every written!
_________

Amen. Biggest waste of money in transportation. I've never understood why a FIXED rail system is better that dedicate bus and HOV lanes. Take the same right of way that the choo choo runs in and pave it for buses. First, it's cheaper, second it is more flexible because the buses could leave that right of way to enter other routes.

Double check your "ridership" numbers, too. They usually count "trips" which is different. You ride downtown and back and you are counted twice.

The whole light rail obsession is based on another fallacy: the "central city model". It assumes people live in the 'burbs and work downtown. Well at least in Portland, Oregon, as many people (or more) commute suburb to suburb for work, not downtown. The key to the whole mass transit system, light rail, is based on false assumptions.

Ironically, one of the first casualties of light rail is the bus system. They cut routes to force riders onto trains, or only route the buses to train stops.

Finally, in the Portland area light rail is really being used not for transportation planning but for land use planning. Areas around light rail stops are rezoned high density in an attempt to increase density. It's called "Transit Oriented Development" and planners (oh, don't get me started on planners) love the IDEA of transit oriented development. The reality is that it doesn't really work. It attracts only certain kinds of buyers and is often not supported by the market.

Portland is light rail freakin' mecca, we even have different types of light rail, for example the "Portland Street Car" downtown. PUHLEEZE.

I ride the train solely to save money on parking when going to Portland Beavers baseball games and Portland Trailblazers games. That's it. Yet, as you've indicated, I get to subsidize it.

As you can see, you struck a nerve. And I didn't even get to how light rail in Portland serves as the crime superhighway, transporting thugs from area to area.

Stepping down from soapbox now.

Patriots Consolation Prize

2008-02-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

They are champions to the Nicaraguans!

Jacoby Ellsbury

2008-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Nice piece on "The Pride of Madras", Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury.

Great Line

2008-02-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

Eric Has Issues posted this great line about the Navy shooting down the spy satellite yesterday. Love it!

Off the boat, over the ocean, through the atmosphere, nothin but satellite

Jack Bauer Watch

2008-02-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

Many people may be wondering, "With the the writer's strike and no new episodes of '24', what is Jack Bauer up to? How is he passing the time?" Well, I had a certified Jack Bauer sighting tonight at the Blazers/Knicks game. And he's not holding up well. The only explanation I can figure is that he's in hiding from the US government or terrorists, because how else can you explain the presence of Fat Bearded Jack Bauer at tonight's game?

Ralph Nader: Hillary's a Monster

2008-02-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Oregonian political reporter Jeff Mapes has word that Ralph Nader has fired up the exploratory committee and will run if Hillary is the nominee. Mapes called up longtime Nader confidante and Portlander Greg Kafoury, who had this to say:

"If it's Hillary, there is no doubt Nader will be a candidate," said Kafoury. "He views her as a monster, somebody willing to do anything to advance her personal ambitions...He thinks she has to be stopped."

I feel a storm a brewin' on the left...

Senator to President

2008-02-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

This year's race is shaping up to make history in several ways, from the first woman and/or African American nominee to the oldest nominee (see previous post). One way that is interesting to me is the potential to elect a US Senator as President for the first time since John F. Kennedy. 48 years since a US Senator has ascended to the Presidency from the US Senate:

1960 - Kennedy (US Senate)
1964 - Johnson (Elected after being VP and becoming Prez when Kennedy was shot)
1968/1972 - Nixon (Former Congressman, Senator and VP, but not straight from Senate)
1976 - Carter (Gov. of Georgia)
1980/1984 - Reagan (Gov. of California)
1988 - George HW Bush (VP)
1992/1996 - Clinton (Gov. of Arkansas)
2000/2004 - George W Bush (Gov. of Texas)

A Romney (or Huckabee, which won't happen) nomination is the only thing that can give the streak a chance to survive.

John McCain Is A Geezer

2008-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

Seriously, this isn't meant as disrespect but John McCain is OLD. If elected, he'll be 72 years old, the oldest person ever elected president.

I believe it was Dennis Miller back on the 80's who had a line about Reagan being old. It was something like "You know, Reagan is 70+ years old and he has access to the big red button. Really? My grandfather is that old and we don't even let him use the remote control."

McCain's age makes his selection of a Vice President even more important. Because whomever it is has pretty good odds of becoming President via attrition.

Is Arlen Specter Bored?

2008-02-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Senator Arlen Spector have something more important to worry about than what happened to the "Spygate" tapes from the Patriots/Jets game? Arlen, we're at war, the economy is slipping and you're worried about Belichick?

And, can someone PLEASE enforce a ban on the addition of "-gate" to the end of anything meant to sound conspiratorial or nefarious?

Starbucks Shrinks

2008-01-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

The massive carbon footprint that is Starbucks is actually going to close some stores. I can't believe I might have to actually walk across the street now to go to a different Starbucks. Well, actually, I do my best to avoid them and patronize my local mom and pop coffee store, Primo Espresso, corner of Hall and Durham, excellent brew and great staff.

Social Networking Study

2008-01-26T17:06:00.001-08:00

Survey on social networking. Worth 10 mins to be entered to win an iPhone!

McCain Clinton Lovefest

2008-01-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

According to Bill Clinton, Hillary and McCain are close friends. He predicts a civilized election if Hill and John are the nominees.*

Actually, it would be fun to see the Clinton Machine try to be civil in a political fight. Ask Barrack how civil the D primary has been so far. (Or John Edwards after he got trashed in last minute robo-calls from the Clinton Machine.)

The Worst Clinton Precedent

2008-01-25T20:33:00.000-08:00

A pretty good argument for why Hillary as the first female president would set a bad precedent.

Who's Leading the Republican Primary?

2008-01-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a question for you. Who is leading the Republican Primary so far? Get an answer in your head and then look down below.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

OK, here is the actual delegate count (which includes estimates for a couple smaller states) as it sits today, according to this article from National Review Online's David Freddoso:

"As of today, the delegate count runs as follows, including the CNN estimate for Iowa and the Wyoming results:

Romney 30
Huckabee 21
McCain 10
Thompson 6
Paul 2
Hunter 1
Giuliani 1

Note that this count includes five ex-officio delegates from states that have not voted yet."

So, did your perception match your reality? With all the spin from campaigns and the media, one would think McCain or Huckabee due to their wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now, certainly, they might have perceived momentum (or actual in McCain's case), but as Freddoso points out "most of the early states award delegates proportionally or by congressional district." Thus, even though Romney's second place finishes in Iowa and NH weren't considered impressive, he still scored delegates. And he also did in the less publicized Wyoming caucus.

Freddoso's article is a good read and explains how the Republican race is still wide open.

Gives me hope that my vote in Oregon's May primary might actually matter.

OK, maybe not.

For my Democrat friends, you can check out the D delegate count at CNN.com. And, like the Republican race, it's wide open. Even Edwards looks respectable with this list!

Twin Cities Rock Atlas

2008-01-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is, in particular, for the Frozen One, Mr. Sank. A map to rock and roll sites across the Twin Cities.

Why Hillary Won and Obama Lost

2008-01-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

Very good analysis from Karl Rove. Regardless of what you think of him, he's got a sharp political mind. This paragraph is a good summary:

"But more interesting than dissecting the pollsters is dissecting the election returns, precinct by precinct. Sen. Hillary Clinton won working-class neighborhoods and less-affluent rural areas. Sen. Barack Obama won the college towns and the gentrified neighborhoods of more affluent communities. Put another way, Mrs. Clinton won the beer drinkers, Mr. Obama the white wine crowd. And there are more beer drinkers than wine swillers in the Democratic Party."

Women Love Hillary Clinton? Don't Tell...

2008-01-09T14:01:00.000-08:00

...my wife or my female cousin. They'll either choke on their own vomit or punch you. Hard.

Yet that is the spin from Clinton's surrogates like Sen. Diane Feinstien:

"For the first time women could conceivably elect the next president of the United States," said Feinstein, adding that there "is a great emotion connection between women and Hillary."

Must be the faux crying.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yawn, stretch...break is over. Here are some items of interest I've been reading/thinking/noodling on:

Portland Trail Blazers: Such an amazing turn around this year. Early December, about mid way into their 13-game winning streak, I pulled the trigger and bought a 20 game ticket package with my brother-in-law. Deal was too good to pass up, $5 a seat per game. Yeah, we're in the 300 level but that is where the REAL fans are! This column by Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano really sums up the reason for the resurgence: The Fans. It's also a great look at how the MARKET can work. In this case, the fan market in Portland which sent a loud and clear message to the Blazers to clean up their act or we aren't coming to games. And it worked. I am proof, I've never purchased any kind of ticket package before but support what they've done and who this team has become.

A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink: I just finished reading this today. I'd actually started it months ago, gotten about half way through, and then got distracted by other books and things to do. Glad I finished it, though. Easy read, but insightful look at right brain v. left brain and how the right brain will be essential to future success (in business primarily) since many left brain functions can be done by computers or more easily outsourced. In addition to examining several areas related to the right brain, he gives exercises/ideas for ways to stretch and strengthen your right brain. Interesting read.

Politics: Presidential campaigns, and campaign generally, are like sport to me, which I realize is kinda sick. My wife dreads even numbered years. So, of course, I am closely following the primaries but not just rooting for a preferred candidate. I watch the spin, strategy, media coverage etc. New media has made this even more interesting. I am following online political guru Patrick Ruffini (Bush/Cheney online mastermind for '00 and '04) both at his blog, via his 2008 Presidential Wire (which aggregates blog posts and ranks them by views) and via his Twitter updates. Another fun way to watch is via Politweets, which aggregates all Twitter posts that contain the name of a presidential candidate, organizes them by party and even ranks the candidates by volume of Twitter posts. Crazy addicting. I am also following Time Magazine's The Page political site written by Mark Halperin and the Campaign Spot at NationalReview.com, written by Jim Geraghty. He did a fabulous job in 2004 on the presidential election.

Race and Election Polls: Along the same lines, this article quoting Gary Langer earlier this year is a must read on how race impacts polling results. Following the results from yesterday in NH, where the polls missed the outcome by a ton, questions about polling methods and even voting fraud (we are talking about the Clinton machine afterall) abound. Langer is the pollster for ABC News. He addresses the NH disparities in a post today at the ABCNews site. Some have suggested that one of the reasons the turnout in Iowa and NH was so dramatically different is that the Iowa caucus is a PUBLIC ballot, you pick a candidate and stand in a group for them, while the NH primary is a SECRET ballot. Could the pressure to no appear racist have influenced some Iowa Democrats to stand up for Obama while the secret ballot in NH gave Dems there the chance to vote Clinton without some perceived racist implication?

Sports Guy Does Boxing Right

2007-12-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

Even if you are not a boxing fan, the Sports Guy's column (from the latest issue of ESPN-The Mag) is well worth the read.

Why Huckabee is a Bad Choice

2007-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

George Will's column from Friday clearly explains why I personally have a problem with Huckabee as the Republican nominee (and he doesn't even touch foreign policy, which Huckabee is horrible on as well):

George Will: "Huckabee's campaign actually is what Rudy Giuliani's candidacy is misdescribed as being - a comprehensive apostasy against core Republican beliefs. Giuliani departs from recent Republican stances regarding two issues: abortion and the recognition by the law of same-sex couples. Huckabee's radical candidacy broadly repudiates core Republican policies such as free trade, low taxes, the essential legitimacy of America's corporate entities and the market system allocating wealth and opportunity. And consider New Hampshire's chapter of the National Education Association, the teachers union that is a crucial component of the Democratic Party's base.

In 2004, New Hampshire's chapter endorsed Howard Dean in the Democratic primary and no one in the Republican primary. Last week it endorsed Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary - and Huckabee in the Republican primary. It likes, as public employees generally do, his record of tax increases, and it applauds his opposition to school choice."

"Now I Have A Machine Gun, Too. Ho Ho Ho."

2007-12-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Watched my favorite "Christmas" movie last night...

I have an original "teaser" poster from this movie (I worked at a movie theater at the time) that features the star prominently, but the studio subsequently reissued a new teaser poster that made the building the prominent feature. Marketing apparently thought the star wasn't big enough to carry a feature film yet.

Jott

2007-12-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

Just signed up for Jott.
Really cool. Check it out.

My Job

2007-12-19T21:18:00.001-08:00

I spent today auditioning dancers for a hip-hop video.

What did you do?

Van Halen 2007

2007-12-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

Went to the Van Halen show in Portland on Saturday night. My friend and primary fishing buddy Jason came down and went with me, his wife got him a ticket for his birthday.

I think I blogged a few months ago about my mixed feelings about the reunion and tour. In the end, I got a couple tickets. When Jason's wife called about the birthday idea I took it as a sign that I should go. Here are my observations, the HIGH and LOW points of the evening (I Twittered the set list during the show, see the sidebar for the list:

HIGH

1. It was certainly cool to hear the old VH songs played live and sung by David Lee Roth. When they played songs like Mean Streets, Little Guitars etc. it was pretty sweet;

2. Eddie Van Halen, despite being certifiably crazy (most band issues, I am convinced, come from his meglomania/narcissism) is still one bad ass guitarist. Solid play mixed with some fun tangents, he nailed everything all night long (which can't be said for all band members, see below);

3. Alex Van Halen can still pound the skins with the best. Dude is simply a stud;

4. The joy of Eddie playing with his son, Wolfgang, was quite obvious. Not that I am happy about Wolfgang playing, but my negative attitude about it was tempered slightly by Eddie's excitement playing with his kid;

5. People watching. Some fans have aged better than others and unfortunately it is usually the ones that have NOT that choose to dress as though it is still 1982.

LOW

1. Where's Michael Anthony!? I am still miffed that Eddie didn't invite Michael Anthony on the tour so we didn't see the full original line up. And Wolfgang, yeah he's still a teenager, but he's gotta learn to take it up a notch. Another reviewer described Wolgang at an earlier show by saying he looked like some dude that won a radio station contest and got to play with Van Halen. That nails it. Kid is completely competent musically and his backing vocals were even solid, but a cardboard cut out would have been more exciting in terms of stage presence. His big opportunity came on "Everybody Wants Some" when he had the chance to say the line "Aw, come on Dave, gimme a break..." to DLR and he did it with the excitement and style of a wet sack;

2. David Lee Roth: Hate to say it, but he's not that great. About 1/4 to 1/3 of the time he actually sang the correct tune, on key, with the correct lyrics and with the right tempo. The first half of the show was better than the last half. Seriously, dude, just sing the song, don't try some vocal gymnastics. And as the night wore on the more it was obvious that he was a beat behind the music. He couldn't even nail the signature "spoken" parts of the best songs. So, while it was cool hearing him and seeing him with the original band, his performance wasn't that great.

In this regard, I'll now commit what is, to many fans, Van Halen blasphemy: Sammy Hagar is a better performer, both musically and in stage presence. At least TODAY this is true, I can't speak for pre-1984 DLR because I never saw them play.

Which takes me to another point: I think your opinion of the Dave v. Sammy debate depends in large part on your age and when you joined Van Halen nation. Jason and I determined at the show that we are really at the lower end of the VH nation age scale. I think those that grew up with DLR as the lead singer were more tied to him. I became a fan with 1984, so spent much of my VH time with Sammy as the lead man (plus, I was a big Hagar fan before he joined VH). Yes, the recorded DLR-fronted VH albums are as good as anything made during that time and as good (and in some cases better) than some of the Hagar fronted stuff. It's just different, reflecting a different point in the band's (and rock's) history.

Secondly, I think many fans (and not just with VH but with ALL rock bands) refuse to let their bands mature. They want 1978 Van Halen for the LIFETIME of the band, so when you add some synths on 1984 they complain, or you do a power ballad with Sammy on 5150 they say the band sold out. Well, here's an idea, maybe the band grew up and isn't 22 years old anymore!

The Replacements are a great example of this. A few weeks ago I bought and devoured in a couple days the new oral history of the band All Over But The Shouting by Jim Walsh. One of the big lessons I took away from that book is that the FANS often wouldn't let the band grow, change etc. musically. They wanted "Sorry Ma..."-style thrash for the life of the band.

I think the same is true for VH and it's fans. The band, after 1984, was at a musical turning point as was DLR, and the two didn't match. So they parted ways and the band found someone who was willing to change with them. Then Eddie went crazy and the rest is history.

What should the future, then, hold for VH? I hope they record a new album with DLR because I am curious what a studio album would sound like. Long term, since Sammy left the band the first time, I've always thought that they should do a record with several famous lead singers. Have a couple DLR tracks, a couple Hagar tracks, and then approach some other hard rock singers and have them record with you. That approach isn't conducive to touring, of course, but musically it would be pretty fun and interesting.

In the end, I am glad I went. But of the five total times I've seen VH now (three Hagar, one DLR, and even one Cherone) I'd rank the show around #3 on the list. VH on OU812 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tours was better than last Saturday night.

The 4 Hour Work Week

2007-12-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

In response to a couple comments posted below on the entry about "doing what you love", I want to recommend The 4 Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris. (That's a link to the companion website for the book, Ferris has a good blog, too.)

I bought this three weeks ago and blew through it in two days. Really good book, with a ton of good ideas. Not everything will necessarily work for everyone, because I think you have to be more willing to accept risk in the first place to implement all of Ferris's suggestions. But even if you are not, there are great ideas in the book about career (whatever that means), time management etc. I've already begun implementing several of the ideas into my work day and planning ways to implement others.

The book is pretty inspiring and definitely gets the mental juices flowing. Whether you work for yourself, work for "the man" or even currently don't work fulltime but want to implement the ideas in your personal life or find a new perspective on how to "make money", get this book and read it.

Uranium

2007-11-30T16:09:00.000-08:00

As Sank recently wrote in a blog post, Amazon.com is truly the superstore of online shopping, as illustrated by this.

The twin cities, fortunately, are safe from Sank The Evil Scientist, since he's sworn off shopping at Amazon.

Be sure to read the "Customer Reviews", too. Very funny. As are the "Customers Who Bought this Also Bought..." section. Seriously, why are two "Rectal Douches" listed there?

And I love the fact that somebody is selling this product "Used".

The Amazon listing that keeps on giving...

Mental Health Survey

2007-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

"Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats. This relationship between party identification and reports of excellent mental health persists even within categories of income, age, gender, church attendance, and education." – The Gallup Poll, on a study of self-reported mental health among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

And there is still time to text message a Thanksgiving message to America's men and women serving in the military.

Doing What You Love

2007-11-21T09:56:00.000-08:00

Long, but good, piece on "doing what you love" for a living, by Paul Graham. Be sure you have several minutes to really read and concentrate on it.

Here's a nugget that stood out:

"The test of whether people love what they do is whether they'd do it even if they weren't paid for it—even if they had to work at another job to make a living."

24 in 1994

2007-11-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

Jack Bauer has gotta disarm this bomb...challenge is it's 1994:

ASL Website

2007-11-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

The website for the feature film I worked on earlier this year is now up! It includes a ton of info and two trailers that were cut for initial promotion. Watch the first one closely for my wife's cameo, she walks around a corner with a teenage girl to console another crying woman.

The film is now in the hands of the feature editor, we hope to see a rough cut of it around mid-December. Excited to see how it is coming together!

Rudy's First Ad

2007-11-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

Rudy Giuliani released his first TV spot today. Nice looking spot where he talks about his work as NY Mayor. He's running it just in New Hampshire at this point.

Clever Web Video

2007-11-13T13:37:00.001-08:00

About the writer's strike:

Portland Light Rail: Crime Map

2007-11-09T21:09:00.001-08:00

Yeah, this map of crime at Max Light Rail stops ain't gonna increase ridership.

Happy Birthday US Marines

2007-11-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

And a particular shout out to my nephew, Aaron Duren, of the USMC.

Happy 232nd
Birthday to the United States Marine Corps!

Cultivating Selective Ignorance: Timothy Ferriss Interview

2007-11-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

I just finished a teleconference (free, too, found it online) about business blogging with author Debbie Weil, who wrote the Corporate Blogging Book (cheap at Amazon right now, just bought it). Visiting her blog, I found this entry about Timothy Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Work Week (also just bought, cheap, at Amazon).

In Debbie's blog entry she talks a little about Tim's approach, but the best part is the video segment where he talks about "cultivating selective ignorance". Basically, we're too wired and too connected and we let it consume us. He says, let it go, you'll survive!

I didn't a little of this myself and it scared the crap out of me for about a day. Let me explain: catching up on Chief Running Miles' blog I saw that he had cleaned out his email inbox based on an approach he'd read someplace (read his blog to learn more). It challenged me to do the same. I am the biggest email packrat, always have been. Since I am an "out of sight out of mind" kind of person I leave emails in the inbox "just in case" I'll need them. In gmail it is so easy to Archive them that really there is no excuse not to. In my personal box I had over 500 emails, in my work box over 700.

So I got to work and archived everything. Yesterday, I was down to one unopened item in my work box, and four in my personal box. It was seriously liberating. Now, I make it a challenge to deal with what ever is in there quickly, respond, archive or delete. Presently, I am at 11 in the personal box and eleven in the work one. Need to get cracking on getting that number back down.

Which brings me to my next goal: Can I set 2-3 times a day which are the ONLY times I check my email? Say 10A, 3p and once at night? This is one of the things Ferriss mentions. I don't have an email notifier turned on, so that helps. But being in front of my computer a lot during the day makes it often just too easy to quickly check and respond (and thus be a slave to email).

I'll see if I can pull it off.

Big Duck Win!

2007-11-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Incredible, amazing, and BIG win for the Ducks today! And I had the opportunity to see it in person. Ducks were in control all game long. Offense was solid, quickly jumping out to a 21-3 lead. But the defense was awesome. Held a good ASU offense to 13 pts in the first half and 10 pts in the second. And the ASU offense is very good, they can score quickly. But we shut them down, and sacked Devil QB Rudy Carpenter an incredible 9 times! It was a blast. At the left, fans storm the field at the end of the game...camera phone to blame for the lack of photo quality. (You can get some blow by blow reactions from the game on my Twitter page and Twitter log on the right).

Torre a Dodger?

2007-10-30T22:22:00.001-07:00

Man, I am having trouble with this rumor: Joe Torre might be the Dodgers next manager.

I've been a Dodger fan my whole life. It's where I learned to hate the Yankees, a belief I am dutifully passing on to my daughters. (And a belief that has led me to be a Red Sox fan.) Now, the rumor is that Torre might be coming to LA to manage the Dodgers. The cognitive dissonance is killing me.

Sure, the Yankees in the end kind of treated Joe like crap, though you could argue that Joe turned down a pretty fair offer. But let's say we can demonize Steinbrenner for Torre leaving the Yankees, and let's further say that Torre could exact some revenge (though not as direct as staying in the American League) by becoming a Dodger. But, man, I am still really struggling here.

Red Sox

2007-10-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Before my 9-year-old went to bed last night, I asked her if she wanted me to wake her up if the Red Sox won. She said "No", but wanted me to tell her first thing in the morning if they won. So I said, "How about if I put your Red Sox hat on the doorknob inside your door so you'll know if they won as soon as you wake up?" She liked that idea. And this morning she said, "Daddy, I actually woke up at 2 o'clock and saw the hat on my door." She was very excited.

Mama Bear Bellotti

2007-10-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Man, stories like these make me glad I am not the PR person for high profile university football programs like the University of Oregon. According to Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano, during today's Oregon v. USC football game in Eugene, head coach Mike Bellotti's wife confronted him in the press box, dropped expletives on him, and then the Bellotti's NANNY even got in on the f-bomb attack!

Quick backstory: A week ago, Canzano wrote this column about Coach Bellott's son, and back-up kicker, Luke Bellotti. Luke was arrested earlier this year for his second DUI and was suspended for the first few games of the season. However, it was a double secret suspension (Animal House reference, a movie which was filmed at the U of O ;-)) and the public wasn't even told he was suspended. It wasn't until Bellotti's sentencing a couple weeks ago that the issue went public. So, Canzano took Coach, son, and university to task for coddling the coaches son.

And mama bear was none to pleased.

Here's the kicker (pun intended): According to Canzano's blog entry linked above, Mama Bear Bellotti had a little booze on her breath when she was berating him in the press box.

University security called in a guard and stationed him near Canzano for the rest of the game.

How stupid is it to publicly go after a sport columnist and drop expletives on him IN FRONT OF OTHER PRESS! And, to do it over the issue of alcohol abuse after you've been drinking!

Can't imagine coach is going to be very excited about this. Nor the university PR staff.

Oprah...Obama

2007-10-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

This will surprise my wife:

Poll Watch: Oprah's Endorsement of Obama Repels More Than It Helps

I wouldn't believe the headline if I hadn't seen it for myself: Gallup asked, "As you may know, Oprah Winfrey has endorsed Barack Obama for president. Would you say that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement makes you more likely to vote for Obama, does it make no difference, or does it make you more likely to vote against Obama?"

The results were pretty much the same between adults and registered voters: 8 percent said it made them more likely to vote for Obama, 81 percent of adults and 82 percent of registered voters said it made no difference, and 10 percent of each sample said it made them more likely to vote against.

(Source: Campaign Watch blog at NationalReview.com)

Great Line

2007-10-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

...from John McCain in tonight's R presidential debate:

"Hillary tried to get a million dollars for the Woodstock museum. I understand it was a major cultural and pharmaceutical event. I couldn't attend. I was tied up at the time."

After the price he paid being a POW, glad he can cash in with great lines like that!

USC v. Notre Dame

2007-10-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

USC had a harrowing flight into S. Bend for their game this weekend...insert your own God/Catholic jokes in the Comments section.

Customer Service

2007-10-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Now THIS is customer service...

Zappos.com, online shoe store went above and beyond. And, guess what? It's likely paying off by people like me forwarding the story along and sharing it. Plus, it was just a nice thing to do.

Traffic Congestion

2007-10-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Drew Carey takes on LA's traffic congestion problem:

Bueller? Bueller?

2007-10-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

Investment (and other life advice) from Ben Stein...

Frye? Frye?

Something, something d-o-o economics...

Failure

2007-10-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Nice piece on failure and how growth comes from failure if you handle it correctly, by screenwriter John August.

Friday Night Lights

2007-10-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

If you aren't watching THE BEST SHOW ON TV, why not? Seriously, great show with the best, most honest representation of a marriage/family on TV (Coach Taylor's family). Despite the title, the show is really about small town life, relationships etc. In fact, over the first two episodes they've yet to play an actual game. (Probably an effort by the producers/writers to appeal to a broader audience).

Here is a good review of the upcoming season and in particular how they are handling one of the character's recent religious conversion. Should be interesting to see if they (the show's makers) can address the issue with respect or use it for cheap shots. This review suggest they might just pull it off.

The show is on life support and barely made it to its second season. But it is good and deserves to survive. If you aren't watching, start now! You can catch up on episodes online at NBC.com. And go buy last season on DVD to catch up.

Don't Believe the Hype

2007-10-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

First off a disclaimer: I don't live in Portland. I live in a city (Tigard) right next to Portland. I have never, and would never, actually live in the city for a variety of reasons. Now back to our regularly scheduled post:

Next time you hear or read something about how "green" or "enviro friendly" Portland, Oregon is, remember the rankings from this list.

And this doesn't even mention the City of Portland's "combined sewer overflow" system that every winter and spring dumps millions of gallons of CRAP (literally) into the Willamette River.

Next time you need an example of irony, here it is. Perception: Portland is enviro friendly, reality, um, not so much.

This reminds me of another example of this from Portland, an example that is also an excellent example of irony. A month or so ago, Oregon Trout along with some other greenie groups sponsored the first Portland triathlon that included the swim portion being in the Willamette River. The idea was to demonstrate that the Willamette was cleaner and thus swimable. Two days before the event, a City of Portland worker flipped the wrong switch at one of the in-city reservoirs and the result was millions of gallons of CRAP being flushed into the Willamette! The organizers took reading levels ("crap reading levels"? er, bacteria) the morning of the event and determined that it has dissipated enough to hold the swim portion.

Living Biblically

2007-10-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Interesting story about an author who spent a year "living Biblically", following all the rules set in the Bible. His book about the experience is coming out (would have also made a great documentary).

I frequently send links like this to my church pastor for a couple reasons:

1. He'd be interested in something like this;

2. Secretly, I am angling to hear him use something I've fed him used in a sermon. I haven't yet, but am feeling pretty good about this one!

When Clients Don't Pay

2007-10-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

I like to call this one "How I feel when clients don't pay" (in reality, a f/x test):

Twitter Updates

2007-10-10T21:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't really been using my Twitter account, but now that I've figured out how to have the updates cross posted to my blog (see the right side) I may update more. Those of you tracking on Bloglines or something like that, I don't know if the Twitter updates on the sidebar will also be sent to Bloglines. We'll see.

Canadian Soldier Mayflies

2007-10-05T17:23:00.001-07:00

In Cleveland tonight there is this MASSIVE hatch of something called
"canadian soliders", a mayfly that hatches off Lake Erie once a year
for a couple days, and it is reeking havoc with the Indians v. Yankees
game, in particular Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain. They were CAKED
on his neck!

Here's more on them:

http://www.northcountrytrail.org/news/mayfly1.htm

And, yes, one of the announcers made a fly fishing reference.

Floyd Landis Got Screwed

2007-10-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Now that I've finished his book I believe even more strongly that Landis got completely screwed. Yes, the book is written by him so of course it is from his perspective. But the list of mistakes, errors and downright lies that the French lab, WADA and USADA made is so freakin' long that there is no doubt he is innocent.

As I read it I thought I'd share some of the more persuasive arguments, but frankly the list was so long I'd never do them justice. Instead, read about the four most egregious and easy to understand mistakes/errors by downloading the PDF file linked below and written by Dr. Arnie Baker. A written version of this appears as an appendix in Landis's book. The PDF version in many ways is even more persuasive because it shows the actual documents.

Read it here

And go read the book. It's an good read and a cool behind the scenes look at the Tour, racing tactics, the cycling world etc.

9-28-03

2007-10-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

“One of the great things about my psychosis is that I'm able to attribute excellent performances to my own abilities, while poor performances are always the result of unfair circumstances or situations beyond my control.” Kevin Wing

A.E.K.D.B.
RIP
Kevin C. Wing
9-28-03

Free Landis

2007-09-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was pretty disappointed last week when the news came down that cyclist Floyd Landis lost his appeal on the charge that he doped at last year's Tour de France. The anti-doping system is
screwed up and Landis's case more than proved that.

Jim Caple has a great piece over at ESPN.com (thanks to Chief Running Miles for sharing) that sums it up:

"Finally, four agonizing months after your trial, the judge announces his decision.

The fingerprint evidence against you, he says, was unreliable. And the lab analyzing the DNA evidence, he acknowledges, did shoddy work.

And then he delivers the verdict. You're still guilty."

I just did my, very small, part for Floyd and bought his book about the Tour and the controversy. The couple bucks he nets from it will help, I am sure!

Party All the Time

2007-09-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

My Girl Wants to Party All The Time, the 80's Eddie Murphy song, just came on the radio. It's even more funny now that Murphy has sung some songs as Donkey from Shrek on the Shrek soundtracks...

American Pie Explained

2007-09-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Cool video that helps explain the meaning behind the song American Pie. There is also a website that walks through the song with a little more detail on possible meaning. Don Maclean has never really explained the song.

I'm Here

2007-09-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

I've finally come up for air, 10 days after completing one of the most challenging, fun and rewarding experiences of my life. For 22 days, I was hip deep in helping shoot a feature-length independent film called A.S.L. (Age, Sex, Location). My business partner (Devon) and I acted as producers, Devon directed, and I was the assistant director. I'm also getting a writing credit for story suggestions/edits I made to the completed story.

The movie is called A.S.L. (Age, Sex, Location) and is a cautionary tale about the potential dangers of the internet. It follows three story lines and none of them end terribly happily. Here is the production blog we set up which has daily pictures from the shoot (and captions from your's truly):

http://lyonfilms.blogspot.com/

There are links on there to the IMDB page for the film. Via that page, I now have an IMDB page as well. (My producer and asst. director credits haven't been added yet to the IMDB page).

We co-produced it with a company called Dirt Poor Films and their owner Don Jensen, who is the executive producer. Don and the team at Dirt Poor were incredible to work with. They handled all the financing, HR, legal paperwork, Screen Actors Guild maze (trust me, it's a maze) etc. Plus they assisted daily on set with tasks like set decoration, wardrobe, locations, script supervising etc.

So what is it like to make a feature film? Incredibly busy, quite a bit of stress, but really a lot of fun. Since it is a low budget indie (shot under SAG's Ultra Low Budget agreement, so it won't go over $200k in total budget) it ends up being all hands on deck, so you do whatever it takes to get the job done. There were times when Devon and I would be cleaning up garbage or moving stuff around and we'd look at each other and say "We're livin' the dream!"

Of the 22 days, we shot on 19 of them. We went seven days on, one day off, six days on, two days off, then six more days. Each day was easily 12 hours after you factored in arriving early (because we were producers/director/asst. director) and packing up gear at the end of the night. Slot in my 35-45 min drive to the sets (we shot it all in Salem and Keizer, Oregon) and the days were long. I was pretty exhausted both physically (you stand nearly the entire day) and mentally (more on that later).

As producers, we set-up the professional crew that helped us make this a reality. We hired the director of photography, asst. camera, gaffers, grips, sound and boom guys etc. We also participated in casting, location selections etc. And one of the biggest things we did was ORGANIZE the actual shoot. Devon and I joke that if we ever sit on a panel about film making and someone asks us what it takes we're going to say "Become an expert in Excel". We had more Excel spreadsheets plotting out more aspects of the film that you can imagine. But it paid off when it came time to actually shoot.

That is the "mentally exhausting" portion. As Asst. Director in was my job to keep things on track, particularly timewise. The Asst. Director is the whip cracker on set, keeping every one on task so we get all the shots we need. This is particularly important on an indie film. We could only afford to shoot 19 days, we had to get it all within that timeframe. So I had to keep the creatives (like the dir. of photography and lighting crew), actors, wardrobe, make-up etc. all on schedule. I had to be firm with the Director on how much time he really had to get the next shot etc.

So, you can imagine that the best compliments Devon and I received during the shoot came from experienced crew members and actors who complimented us on being one of the most organized shoots they have ever participated in. We're talking about actors and crew that have worked on big budget Hollywood films shot here in Oregon. It made us both proud of all the pre-production work we put into planning and the way we handled things on set.

And I am happy to say that, in all honesty, there wasn't one moment when I wanted to beat the crap out of the Director, my business partner Devon! We got along very well under very stressful situations, which I hope bodes well for our future success.

Now, all of you have to promise me that you'll ALWAYS sit through the credits after a film. Everyone listed is integral to making that movie. Especially look for the name of the Asst. Director, because in all likelihood he was the LEAST popular person on the set!

Cool Story

2007-08-27T21:50:00.001-07:00

Cool story from Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert:

http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/08/true-story.html

Custom Ringtone

2007-08-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to figure out how to either record directly to my phone via the mic or upload an audio file so I can have a custom ringtone. And I just mastered it! My ringtone is now a guitar riff with percussion that I recorded to GarageBand on the MacBook Pro. How sweet is it to have yourself playing as your ringtone?

Here's what I did:

- Exported the riff from GarageBand to iTunes
- Opened the file in Audacity, a free audio editing program
- Exported it from their as a WAV file
- Beamed it via Bluetooth from my computer to my phone

Pretty stoked to record some other riffs and make them ringtones.

It's the small things in life...

(Notice the use of "stoked" and "riffs" in the same sentence above? Who am I, Spicoli?)

Fountains of Wayne

2007-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Went to two concerts this week, fairly unheard of for me these days. Monday, my wife and I went to Toad the Wet Sprocket, which was an excellent show. Big Toad fan.

Last night, I went with my sister and her husband to see Fountains of Wayne, another excellent band and show. Here's a pic from that show taken with my camera. Despite the low resolution and fuzzy focus, I think it's kind of a cool pic.

Enough is Enough

2007-08-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today on the way home from work, I saw a pick-up truck (full size Toyota I believe) with Oregon plates and a bumper sticker that read:

Enough is Enough
Vote Democrat

I chuckled a little because of the following facts about Oregon politics:

- All statewide offices are held by Democrats (Gov, Sec. State, Treasurer, Atty General, State Sup. of Schools)
- Four of five congressional seats are held by Democrats
- One of two US Senate seats are held by Democrats (in fact, the only Republican US Senator on the west coast is from Oregon)
- Both the Oregon House and Oregon Senate are held by Democrats

So, perhaps he is thinking nationally. Certainly this could be a call against Pres. Bush, but at present no one can vote Democrat against Pres. Bush, in fact as a lame duck no one will ever be able to vote Democrat against him again.

And nationally, Democrats control both houses of Congress.

What's this guy complaining "Enough is Enough" about?

Oh, and the sticker wasn't some old faded thing. Still shiny and relatively new. If it was leftover from a year ago and related to Congress then maybe the guy should think about removing his out-of-date sticker.

Boys of Winter

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

Picked up Boys of Winter, by Wayne Coffey, last Friday evening on an impulse buy at the local Borders. (Bookstores are like crack dealers to me...) It's about the 1980 US Hockey team and is an excellent look at the lives - pre and post Olympics - of the players. Coffey weaves their stories throughout a nearly blow-by-blow description of the game against the Soviets. He even tells the stories of several of the key Soviet players and coaches. I blew through the book in just a couple days. Highly recommended.

Wizzer With The Queen

2007-08-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

My post about worldwide bathrooms, and reference to Muenchrath, reminded me of a semi-bathroom related story from our 2004 trip to Italy and Spain. Matt and I, along with a couple other friends from college (one from mine, one from his) spent a month in Europe, two weeks each in Italy and Spain.

In Italy, on the train ride from Rome to Florence, Matt met a couple Australian chaps, Simon and Patrick. We hit it off and ended up staying in the same pension as them, all six of us in one room! (Special note: our group was split two males and two females, so the room ended up with four males and two females).

At one point during the trip, I believe while drinking pints at the Fiddler's Elbow one night, we got to comparing accents. We asked them to do an American accent and they promptly imitated John Wayne. They then asked us to do an Aussie one. Someone decided to use the phrase "wizzer" (bathroom reference) in their imitation, probably because the Aussie guys had been saying that. After we tried they responded, mocking our attempt as being too British and not Aussie at all:

"What are you doing? Taking a wizzer with the queen?"

It was that point, 13.5 years ago, that the phrase "take a wizzer with the queen" or "going to visit the queen" became a personal euphemism for going to the bathroom. If you're with someone else in on the joke you can make it a two person dialog as well:

Me: I'm going to take a wizzer.

You: With the queen? (in faux British/Aussie/Scot/Irish accent, what ever it comes out as)

Finally, everything came together for me on this phrase a little over a year ago when I was at someone's apartment and they actually had a framed photo of the Queen in their bathroom. I finally got the chance to take a wizzer with the queen.

New Lyon Films Website

2007-08-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

We re-did the website for our film/video company, Lyon Films. Check out the new version here: www.lyonfilms.com. Lots of photos from the sets of our projects as well as video clips from some of our work. More to come as well!

Paul Bryant at Design Point Inc. did the site for us. He also does a ton of print design work for us and is a great designer.

Crazy Skateboard Crash

2007-08-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Amazing crash last night on the X-Games on ESPN. Words don't do it justice, so here is the videoclip. Know in advance that the guy, Jake Brown, ended up OK despite falling about 50 feet. He landed so hard that his shoes flew off!

Bathroom Diaries

2007-08-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Great idea that I've often thought about doing, most likely as a book. My foreign travels and travels across the US have caused me to encounter many a water closet. Ask Matt Muenchrath sometime about the crappy - literally - bathroom at the train station in Italy in the Cique Terra. Hole in the ground with a spot for your feet...

Twitter Update

2007-07-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Inadvertently blocked public access to all you folks clamoring to read my Twitter page...it's wide spankin' open now.

Twitter

2007-07-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

After reading off and on about Twitter, I decided to give it a shot. Since I haven't found time to post here as often, I thought that might be another way to stay in touch. With Twitter, I can do quick posts from my cell phone via text message.

We'll see what all the hype is about.

So, check me out: http://twitter.com/KevinCurry

Besides, how cool is it that I got on early enough to get my own name?

Ode to Joy

2007-07-15T12:42:00.001-07:00

My daughter, Hannah, and her cousin, Alisha, played Ode to Joy at church in June. Their teacher, and grandmother (my mom) was beaming with pride.

Small Stream. High Desert.

2007-07-15T12:40:00.001-07:00

Finally got around to finishing this video from a May fishing trip...

Burying the N-Word

2007-07-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

KC Star sports columnist Jason Whitlock was the substitute host on Jim Rome's syndicated radio show last week and his comments made me want to read more of what he has to say. So I subscribed to his column online. This one, in particular, addresses one of the issues he talked about on Rome's show, which is the use of the "N" word within the African American community. It'll be interesting to see if there is, in fact, a change in attitude about the use of the word by ALL people.

He writes, in part: "I know teachers and coaches — both black and white — have struggled with this dilemma for years. The N-word is tossed around nonchalantly by black athletes (and some white athletes) in mix-raced locker rooms. Visit just about any college or high school weight room and you’re likely to hear rap music blaring that uses the N-word, “bitch” and “ho” liberally...Thank you, Don Imus. Thank you for being the idiot who made us confront our own foolishness."