Cinematic Sequences

Here's a pretty bad image of the puzzle I sold to Games Magazine. Anybody care to take a crack?

CDP Convention

I was in San Diego this weekend at the CA Dem convention. It was awesome. John Edwards really impressed me. Barack was incredible but sort of forgettable abn hour later. Edwards is the real thing. I wrote at length at Courage Campaign and Calitics if you want to check out my coverage.

Drunk Olive

Check out these horrible but hilarious pictures of Olive (she's 11 mos old now!) She was with my parents this weekend and my mom took these. Now, when someone's taking a picture of her, in anticipation of the flash, she closes her eyes so she looks like, well, in my mom's words in the subject header of the email she sent these around with:

Kyle at the end of a frat party?

Games Magazine Published Another Puzzle Of Mine

Check it out. Pretty coool.

Help! I'm stuck in computer training!

I've got to stay in computer class all day. Crap!

2 out of 4 protein grannies agree...

Hott Fuzz = awesome

Please, sir, won't you sign my petition

I spent days launching our friggin petition drive. It's been stressful but sort of cool. I think my original text of the petition was better but this is the final. We're trying to pressure Arnie, Boxer and Feinstein to block Blackwater's proposed mercenary training camp in SD county.

http://couragecampaign.org/page/petition/Blackwater

Thanks.

Democrats Are Debating

Can view the debate live online HERE.

Notable observations so far: Mike Gravel ROCKED on Iraq. Bill Richardson is impressive. Obama seemed nervous at first but is hitting his stride. Hillary called Barack "Barack." I don't think you'll see any of the men calling her "Hillary."

UPDATE: Dennis Kucinich: "This isn't American Idol." What!? It's not!?

UPDATE: I think Hillary is coming off very well. She keeps referring to them by their first names. Perhaps an intentional device to bring them down a notch? Oh, interesting, Barack just called Hillary "Hillary." I think it's smart that she keeps making a point of smiling.

The mistakes question is very interesting. Biden's: "Overestimating the competence and underestimating the arrogance of this administration."

Edwards is definitely the most substantive...perhaps he shouldn't remind us all of that fact though. "We ought to ask Americans to be patriotic about something other than war." Nice.

My views at work

Wikipedia Brown

L to the O to the L.

What's next, From The Mixed Up mp3 Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?

The view from my couch

Blake on Idol. (I was tired of looking at the Snapple.)

A new beverage option for me

It's yummy. But more importantly, I couldn't look at that sandwich any more.

I just ate the most disgusting sandwich

So, here I am in Pittsburgh for a conference and I asked the person at the desk for a recommendation for dinner. I was looking for a place to walk to and she suggested Primanti Brothers, which is supposed to be some Pittsburgh institution. All I can say is that this is what the sandwiches look like:







At least last night we (my boss and I) went to the Church Brew Works which is really cool and has great beer -- we used to go there when I was workin' on the old Ohio River. At this point I'm wondering if I will ever have the urge to eat again.

MY view at work.

No cartoon faerie in sight.

Multimedia message

My idol scoreboard.

My view at work

I was just testing my mobile blogging capabilities. (thanks, Todd!)

Another 'Lauren's twin' sighting

This woman going to the Emmys looks just like me!

Oh wait, that is me. I sure clean up nice!

(photograph courtesy of TWB Studios)

Lauren's twin

This girl was crossing the street and I literally was like "Lauren is that you?" By the time it occured to me to get my camera phone out, she was pretty far away. She's the one on the left in these pics.

New MoveOn.org Ad

This one goes after McCain for his HILARIOUS "Bomb Iran" musical number...



UPDATE: The more I think about it the more I think the ad is actually not as effective as it could be. McCain isn't demonstrating recklessness with his little song, he's demonstrating a lack of seriousness that one expects of a commander in chief in matters of war. His war-hero status and his knowledge and credibility on matters of war were the only things that recommended him for the job. In one fell swoop he did away with that rationale. I'm starting to think the poor guy doesn't actually want the job, he's making so damn many mistakes. I get that the "reckless" angle was to align McCain with Bush but I think they could have been more effective if they'd focused on the "making light of war" thing. Just a few thoughts on a Friday night.

Why spoil my favorite new comedy, Alec?

I haven't decided whether or not this will ruin my enjoyment of 30 Rock.

UPDATE: I've linked the pic to the audio now. That is disturbing. - Todd

Porgy, Bess.

LA-based readers of 3PG should make plans to come to LAO's incredible (if I do say so meself) production of PORGY AND BESS, May 4 - 20 at downtown's historic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

WTF?!

Not to state the obvious, but...

I have a crush...

...on a reporter. Check out Slate's chief political correspondent, John Dickerson. Great writer, but he really shines on the weekly Political Gabfest podcast.

http://johndickerson.com/
http://www.slate.com/?id=2077581&qp=26187

File Photo

The Fischer kids (and wife).

Todd Recommends

It's not exactly new, but I've been really getting into Keane's newest cd, Under The Iron Sea.

If you guys haven't seen Children of Men, RENT IT NOW. It's one of the few movies from last year that I can't shake.

Is anyone else watching Planet Earth? I LOVE it. It's a BBC epic docu series on the Discovery Channel. Each episode focuses on one aspect of the planet: deserts, plains, oceans, etc. and shows stunning shots of animals in the wild. Sometimes it's difficult to watch -- like when a poor elephant gets taken down by lions. Your instinct is to despise the predator and side with the prey (and root for them to get away!) but then when the fox takes the goose chick back to its pups, you're like "predators have mouths to feed as well!" Circle of life, baby.

The New York Times has another one of their circuit puzzles where you have to solve 6, then use the solutions to solve a 7th. I love that shit. This puzzle's theme: taxes.Fun!

In-home mail box

is empty! I paid my bills!

So I married I research scientist

And I highly recommend it. I just came back from following her to San Juan for another of her conferences. It was the perfect weekend to run away from the crappy weather out here (and another deluge of water in our closets). She's going to NYC next month and Chicago in June. Its difficult to keep up with her.

2006 Producers Game Champion

When the departed won best pic i won 300 bucks and this trophy. For a year at least.

And look...it's even engraved. Pretty funny.

The game works like this. In March, you get a tentative release schedule and a description of all films set to be released for the remainder of that calendar year. You then predict what the box office and Oscar winners will be (among several categories you have to pick 5 + 1 aternate in case a film isn't released.) Last March, I picked The Departed to win, baby! This year I have Charlie Wilson's War. Come on 2 in a row!

Pibgorn - my new fave comic

In her human form. With her friend succubus Drusilla and boyfriend Geoff.

15 years ago today.

Chris & Todd Top 25 - Fall Semester 1990

25. Mr. Alphabet Says by The Glove
24. It's Too Late by Bob Mould
23. Lately by INXS
22. Brave new World by Michael Penn
21. World In My Eyes by Depeche Mode
20. That's A Lie by Too Much Joy
19. Room Off The Street by Suzanne Vega
18. The Crying Scene by Aztec Camera
17. Velouria by The Pixies
16. It Happens Every Time by Ultra Vivid Scene
15. Shy by Peter Murphy
14. Falling by Julee Cruise
13. The Obvious Child by Paul Simon
12. I'm Free by The Soup Dragons
11. Night And Day by U2
10. Been Caught Stealin' by Jane's Addiction
9. Step On by The Happy Mondays
8. Tom's Diner by DNA feat. Suzanne Vega
7. Never Enough by The Cure
6. Hammer & A Nail by The Indigo Girls
5. Hippie Chick by Soho
4. Candy by Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson
3. Here's Where The Story Ends by The Sundays
2. Bloodletting by Concrete Blond
1. Ice Blink Luck by The Cocteau Twins

If loving serial killers is wrong...

Anyone seen Dexter? Love it.

Brush with celebrity

I was in Washington this morning for a meeting with staffers from Senator Cardin and Mikulksi's offices. While walking to the meeting in Cardin's office, we ran into Senator Mikulski, and as good constituents, we introduced ourselves. It was a quick brush with greatness, but I was taken with two things. First, she is incredibly small, which I never would have guessed from seeing her on tv. Second, although she was rushing off to a hearing on National Guard issues, she was very polite.

Happy End of Passover!

Mmmmmm, leavened treats. Them are goooooood.

The Power of the Pen

A friend I used to work with in Cincinnati, Eben Hobbins, sent me an email last week asking for my help in writing a letter to the editor in response to a story about a fireman who was arrested last week for drunk driving. The guy was caught after walking through a park in drag. Eben was upset because they kept publishing his picture in drag, rather than just his mugshot. I eagerly accepted the challenge and our letter was published today ("PHOTO OF MAN IN DRAG SERVES NO GOOD"):
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/EDIT0202/704100322/1022/EDIT

The original news story is found here:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070405/NEWS01/704050403/-1/all

I don't think I miss Cincinnati all that much.

A Few Bday Karaoke Pictures

Sarah Baum took these:





















"cuz ya gotta have faith-a-faith-a-faith-huh!"





















hey, winky
















Lauren and my bro
















Here are my friend Doug and I singing some Oasis (I think)

My Super Cute Niece Olive

wearing her first Easter bonnet.

Why are some jalapenos hotter than others?

More from the Colgate Fascistas

Ok, who signed me up for these missives?

--------------------------------

The non-elected, non-accountable group that controls Colgate University is attacking Students and Alumni for Colgate, Inc., the 1,000+ member-strong non-profit, non-partisan organization pushing for reform at Colgate University.

They say they want “to engage in dialogue” – but they don’t want anyone to disagree with their policies.

We’ve heard from hundreds of alumni who say they’ll never contribute to Colgate again. This isn’t good. The Board of Trustees’ “just trust us” attitude is not a strategy that’s working.

We offer a constructive solution! www.votecolgatetrustees.org

The Accountability to Alumni Initiative allows the Board of Trustees to recruit members who have made major gifts to the school and should be appropriately recognized or others who have specific skill sets or expertise desired by the Board. And, it provides a means for all alumni to once again be a part of the’ Gate and to help shepherd her future.

The basic concept is to change the By-laws to allow alumni to vote for 18 of the 35 Trustees in a free, fair and transparent election.

An estimated 49.5% of alumni contribute to Colgate University. Why shouldn’t the Trustees be accountable to alumni – and students and parents?

The only real power alumni have to influence Colgate’s future is in their willingness to donate. The Trustees are now asking Colgate alumni for $400 million.

Colgate University runs on an annual budget of approximately $124M. The cost of tuition, room and board, fees and books has increased steadily from 1999 to 2007 by an incredible 47.4% placing Colgate University in the top one percent of most expensive colleges in the nation.

Yet, incredibly, Colgate University fails to be included in the Top 50 Feeder Schools for graduate programs in business, law and medicine.

With the Accountability to Alumni Initiative, we’ve established a donor-advised fund such that contributions go to Colgate University when the By-laws change is made within five years. If the Board of Trustees insists they have no accountability to alumni for future generations of America’s scholars, contributions go instead to a secondary beneficiary named by the donor.

Colgate’s Board of Trustees is the most secret society at the University. By charter, it self-perpetuates with a three-member quorum Nominating Committee whose meetings are private – even from the other trustees. New York State law allows the charter to be changed with approval of the Legislature. This isn’t rocket science. The Board of Trustees can be more transparent – if they accept the fact that they owe some accountability to alumni, students and parents.

Our agenda is to offer balance! We believe students benefit from exposure to diversity – intellectual as well as Colgate’s focus on racial, ethnic and varying gender-preferences. Our mission is simple: we want to improve the educational experience of students at the ‘Gate.

We believe that includes protecting private property rights, freedom of assembly, encouraging intellectual diversity and offering a solid core curriculum that grounds students in a robust liberal arts education that includes science, math, economics, Western history, literature, writing and foreign language.

A scientific poll conducted by the non-partisan Public Opinion Strategies, revealed that a significant majority of members from the classes of 2004-2008 say that Colgate’s core curriculum in economics (66%), math (62%), foreign language (55%), and science (47%) are inadequate, and significant pluralities (between 45%-69%) recognize the political bias of their professors. (http://www.votecolgatetrustees.com/documents/POLL-04-08-survey.pdf (N.B. slides 10-11, 13, 15, 18, 20-23.)

More than 3,300 students and alumni from the Classes of 2004-2008 – those with recent experience with the curriculum and thus have a credible opinion - were invited in four e-mails to participate in the survey. Participants could only respond once and were blinded to the polling company, meaning particular responses cannot be linked to a specific person. The number of respondents and the margin of error show the survey to be quite robust. If the poll were repeated, the results would be the same by plus or minus 4.45%. People knowledgeable about statistics affirm that a 15% response rate is considered very good.

The fact that such a large number of participants self-identify as being liberal (50%) or moderate (31%) makes the results even more telling - even this group of left to middle-leaning thinkers believe the liberal arts curriculum is lacking in math, science and economics and even they see political bias in the classroom. Male respondents were under-represented by 8% and Greek-letter respondents were underrepresented by 33%, making the statistics even more interesting.

(Public Opinion Strategies is part of the polling team for NBC/Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio.)

We believe there are many good people working hard to make Colgate University one of the best liberal arts colleges in America. Although the administration casts our efforts as a partisan conspiracy, we don’t impugn their motivations or their reputations.

We want Colgate University to be everything she can be! We owe that to our children and to America’s future. There is a crisis in American higher education. The Accountability to Colgate Alumni Initiative is a step in the right direction.

Read more at www.votecolgatetrustees.com, sign the petition asking the Trustees to amend the By-laws to allow for transparency and accountability, and make a pledge to the Accountability to Colgate Alumni Fund.

The Accountability to Alumni Initiative is a program of Students & Alumni for Colgate, Inc. http://www.sa4c.com. Let’s “engage in dialogue.”

Evolution Schmevolution

Gamble Much?

Look Where I Went Last Night...

My friend Doug got me into the 4th season premiere of...

Which was at the...

The party afterward, which surreally mirrored the culture portrayed in the 2 episodes they showed us, featured dancing girls...

and viking girls (duh!)...

and yummy desserts!...

thanks, Doug!!

The Phantom Puppeteer, and his lil' buddy also send out some delcious birthday wishes to Mr. TWB!

Happy Birthday, Todd!

Blake and Lauren wish you the happiest of birthdays!