Wilderness, Sort Of...

Okay, here goes...

Me and the old lady loaded up the Yaris Saturday with the dog and enough camping gear, fishing gear and food-stuffs to sustain us for a week. She was able to ditch work early and I cut my Habitat day short to get a jump on the drive. We were out by 1pm and at the Walnut Hill Campground, outside Waynesboro, VA by 4:30pm. The tent was pitched, the fire sparked and the whiskey sipped all before the sun dropped below the trees. We were camping.


The soreness of my ground-slept back had crept away as I slipped into the South River for my first day of fly fishing. After hooking a couple baby brookies, one so small I didn't know it was on until it became park of my backcast, I noticed I was tripping over something with every step towards the bank for lunch. Upon further investigation, I realized the felt sole of my Orvis boot had come unglued. Since this was only the third time these boots had seen the river, I was about to come unglued myself.

After lunch, we tracked down a craft fair so Aubry could get her kicks too. It never fails to amaze me what people can come up with and that they believe someone will buy it. Anyway, Ollie was a big hit with the kids. Lots of kisses and hugs then back to the campsite for hobos, fires and lots more whiskey.



The next day I strapped a Band-Aid on both boots, since the other sole was acting like the first, by way of electrical tape. I tried a section of the river I had never fished and came out on top. One nice brookie, two rainbows of similar size and a handful of baby bookies; all on the same flying black ant.


I packed it in at lunch and we started back towards home. On the way, we stopped by the Orvis store in Richmond and they switched out my ailing boots for a fresh pair, no questions asked. Good guys over there at Orvis in Richmond. Good weekend all around.

Disney's New Movie

Okay, here goes...

So, I was thumbing through Sarah Palin interviews on YouTube the other day searching tirelessly for an intelligent, well spoken opinion (I mean who hasn't) when I came across this video of Matt Damon (and some bonus stuff after the interview).



I can agree with this viewpoint. So I thought, how would this movie play out? In response to myself, I came up with this. A trailer for the movie idea by Matt Damon.

New Disney Movie Trailer (Voice-over by that deep voiced movie announcer guy that died recently.)

“All-Star teams from across the country are arriving in Arlington, VA for the Junior League National Hockey Championships.”



“After a week of tough but fair competition the winner is crowned.”



“The team from Wasilla, Alaska is awarded the Championship Cup by the President and Vice-President of the United States.”





“Then tragedy strikes…”



<Panicked newswoman from FoxNews, “While driving back to the Capitol after attending the Jr. League National Hockey Championships, the President and Vice President were involved in a horrific crash. Both are in critical condition”>

“The Country is scrambling, trying to decide who will pick up the flag and lead during this time of great turmoil.”



“Then it becomes clear…”



“The mom of the MVP on the Champion Junior League Hockey team… who served as the Mayor of her town and was recently elected Governor of Alaska. She’s just scrappy, pit-bullish and easy-on-the-eyes enough to take the reins and save our Country.”



The End


Would you pay to see this movie? Me either.

Inspired by Matt Damon. Written by Wyn Hall.

Oh, and Mr. Damon, if you decided to use this script for the trailer, please let me know so I can tell my Mom I made it.

Boo hoo, woo hoo!

Okay, here goes,

Well, bad news. The Dawgs managed to hold true to tradition and royally fuck up at least one game per season. These next two weeks will be drapped in black and full of tears. Only "Gandalf Falls" will be played.

On a brighter note, I have been kicking my own ass, and have lost 9 pounds in a week. My ultimate goal is to lose 30 in 8 weeks.

Laying on His What-cha-ma-call-it!

Okay, here goes...

Georgia continues to roll. Hopefully the snowball will get bigger and carry us through January. Big test this weekend. Richt and the boys have called for a blackout.

One important face, or voice, won't be there though. Larry Munson put rumors aside and retired today. So many fans will take off their headphones and listen to the TV commentator for the first time in their lives Saturday night. Here's the best tribute I could find.



We'll miss you Larry.

Hockey!

Okay, here goes...

That's right folks... hockey season is right around the corner. Now, just as with most sports, I don't really care too much about pro hockey. But minor league hockey gets my blood flowing. The only thing that could make it better would be if our local minor league teams (all of them) didn't suck.

On the bright side, the Scope Arena did land a kickass new scoreboard.

Yeah...

Okay, here goes...

Not much to say. Working. Trying not to spend money. Just moved a bunch of money (relative) around at the advice of my financial planner. Responsibility. Had to look up the spelling on that one.

Still learning sign language.

Being at work blows.

Okay, here goes...

After Sarah Palin's speech last night at the Repugnican National Convention (which was apparently written by Bush's speech writer before she was even chosen), I wanted to respond. However, as is often the case, I found someone who was better able to put it all into words. So, below is a letter from Sam Graham-Felsen, Obama's Campaign Manager. I took out the references to donating to Obama's campaign because, although I am an Obama supporter and I plan to vote for him, I don't want to pressure or even ask someone else to support him.

But before we get to the letter, here's a fun game I just finished playing. CNN.com has a slideshow of photos from the RNC up on their website (the link below). The name of the game is 'Find the Minority'; sort of a political Where's Waldo. Just try to find the black guy or the Asian woman amongst the rich, white people. Maybe their not all rich and white, and I'm sure the minorities that are scattered throughout the crowd are all rich too (why else would they vote Repugnican), but they are holding up signs reading "Prosperity". Which in and of itself ought to tell you what is important to that portion of the populace.

Anyway, here's the link. And be sure not to miss the picture of Palin giving the ole Nazi hi-five towards the end and the close up of one of the few black guys there, just for proof one was there.

Now back to the letter-

Message from David Plouffe: 'What you just saw'
By Sam Graham-Felsen - Sep 4th, 2008 at 2:33 am EDT

Dear Friend --

I wasn't planning on sending you something tonight. But if you saw what I saw from the Republican convention, you know that it demands a response.

I saw John McCain's attack squad of negative, cynical politicians. They lied about Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and they attacked you for being a part of this campaign.

But worst of all -- and this deserves to be noted -- they insulted the very idea that ordinary people have a role to play in our political process.

You know that despite what John McCain and his attack squad say, everyday people have the power to build something extraordinary when we come together. Will you make a donation right now to remind them?

Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.

Let's clarify something for them right now.

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.

And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.

Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.

Meanwhile, we still haven't gotten a single idea during the entire Republican convention about the economy and how to lift a middle class so harmed by the Bush-McCain policies.

It's now clear that John McCain's campaign has decided that desperate lies and personal attacks -- on Barack Obama and on you -- are the only way they can earn a third term for the Bush policies that McCain has supported more than 90 percent of the time.

But you can send a crystal clear message.

Enough is enough. Make your voice heard loud and clear by making a donation right now:

Thank you for joining more than 2 million ordinary Americans who refuse to be silenced.

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America