Tailgating in a Forest

With the exception of very good TV's (I love my 27" Sony Wega) and pretty good stereo equipment, Sony doesn't seem to do anything very well anymore. Their largest flaw is that they are bound and determined to make things that don't work and play well with others. Examples: Betamax - enough said MiniDisk - a great format and media but not available on any hardware other than Sony and as a result adoption was limited at best. Viao Computers - Some great equipment, but a royal pain to work on or to get it to work with non-Sony peripherals Clie - A Palm Pilot with a proprietary memory card format and a higher price. Wonder why they didn't do well. Playstation 3 - the world is waiting and XBox360 is kicking your ass PSP (Playstation Portable) - A very slick piece of hardware, but Target and Wal-mart have already stopped carrying movies for this platforms proprietary format BlueRay - or as I like to call it "Betamax: The Sequal" And now they're ki...

Today was Kelsey's first day of Pre-K. She was very excited and the morning went off without a hitch. Detailed reporting of her first day at her new school will follow. She is currently attending The Sunshine House school in Loganville, but we are hopeful that a spot will open for her at Loganville Primary (where Michelle teaches) very soon. Kelsey is currently 4th on the Pre-K waiting list at LPS. Keep you fingers crossed for us. As you can see in the photo she is will be at home in the classroom or on the playground in her striped top and demin skirt (a big girl skirt, not a skort) from Old Navy . She completes the ensemble with the Team Strawberry Shortcake backpack and z-strap sneakers from Target .

If we haven't forced you to watch it yet, here are the important parts of the Lawrenceville School of Ballet 2006 Recital, Cast E.

No Joke - catsthatlooklikehitler.com

What country is the largest supplier of oil to the USA?

I can't decide if this is cool or stupid.

Like most folks out there, the wife and I have our "circle of friends". That core group that you do things with by default. This also means 11-12 default birthday celebrations a year. We typically go out to dinner and several years ago gave up on exchanging gifts, in favor putting that money towards a nicer restaurant for the celebration dinner. Birthday Cards are still exchanged. Here lies my issue. Birthday Cards (as well as other Greeting Cards) are for sending to people in the mail, not for handing directly to them at the function. Aunt Caroline who lives in Portland, your fraternity brother who took the job in Silicon Valley, or your nephew who is away at college --- these are all fine targets for a greeting card. When you are actually going to be in the same room as the person, I contend that a Greeting Card is inappropriate and a waste money. Some of these cards cost upwards of $5. Do people spend this money because they are incapable of saying the things that...

When will the excuses stop. I could blog further, but I don't want to spark an attack of IED in myself. To be diagnosed with IED, an individual must have had three episodes of impulsive aggressiveness "grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stressor," at any time in their life, according to the standard psychiatric diagnostic manual. The person must have "all of a sudden lost control and broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars…hit or tried to hurt someone…or threatened to hit or hurt someone." It also crossed my mind that this might be a left wing plot to confuse the American public about the IED (improvised explosive device) acronym that has come into vogue relative to roadside bombs in Iraq.

I was very excited yesterday about the FairTax Rally being held at the Gwinnett Convention Center. Apparently I wasn't the only one. While headed to the rally a little after 6pm (it was scheduled to start at 7:30), it was announced on the WSB Radio that they had already reached capacity and were unable to allow any more persons into the the venue. I was dissappointed that I wasn't able to attend the function myself, but it was very exciting to know there was such a great response. Hopefully this will be the first of many successful events around the country. Fair Tax Rally Jams Civic Center Rally for national sales tax draws overflow crowd

From Biased BBC : "BBC Views Online have just revealed that the man they mistakenly interviewed live on BBC News 24 in place of Guy Kewney is, in fact, Guy Goma, an applicant for a "data support cleanser" job." The second one is just plain funny.

Operation 19th Hole is underway. Several bases in have Iraq have now installed driving ranges and putting areas for our deployed men and women. All that is lacking is the equipment to put these new facilities to good use. I am answering the call here in the ATL to solicit donations from some major local retail shops, golf courses and individuals. Whether it is that old driver you never hit well anyway, the bag that got replaced at Christmas or just a few dozen balls from your shag bag, every little bit helps. If you have something to contribute or would like to assist in the gathering effort please contact me at Op19thHole@earthlink.net

You Passed the US Citizenship Test Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct! Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

Appearing for one night only (June 7, 2006), Kelsey Watkins will dazzle fans as a cast member in the Lawrenceville School of Ballet's annual recital. Tickets are already very had to come by. More photos and possibly video will be available here as they become available. (Click the image for a larger picture)

"In every revolution there's one man with a vision." Capt J.T. Kirk, Mirror, Mirror , Season 2 - Episode 4 If geography permits, and you are a FairTax supporter, I encourage you to attend the FairTax Rally at the Gwinnett Convention Center on Wednesday, May 24th. This will also be a great chance to learn more about the FairTax plan if you are not yet a supporter. Speakers will include: Neal Boortz Sean Hannity Congressman John Linder

I'd like to comment, but I'm at a loss for words.

I know Major League Baseball has its issues -- performance enhancement, player salaries, Bud Selig.....the list goes on. Even so, I contend that for a family friendly experience from a professional sport, MLB is pretty hard to beat. And the value - tickets for $5 and they let you bring in your own food. Yesterday, the family and I went to see the Atlanta Braves battle the "hated" New York Mets. It was a Murphy-Candler Little League Day at Turner Field, which meant that several families we know, had boys and girls participating in a pre-game parade around the field. Some of the younger ones even got to participate in little mini-games staged in the outfield. The day was a little chilly, but we had plenty of peanuts and other snacks to help keep us warm. The game was great. The Braves never trailed and closed things out with a dramatic diving catch by 2nd year local boy Jeff Franceour. The best part is that after the game the day only got better. After Sunday day gam...

It seems that looney politicians from Georgia exist once a generation. Our parents had to deal with Jimmy Carter, who presently is only getting crazier, but hopefully it is being balanced by an ever deminishing level of infuence. We continue to be embarassed on a national level by Cynthia McKinney. I only hope that the American people will never let her become President.

Many of you have met Kelsey, but may have never realized she has a horrible disablility. Kelsey was born without the ability to smile normally in front of a professional photographer. Her mother and I have lived with this shame for years, but today we hang our heads no more.

This is why it will take 100 years for New Orleans to recover. And by recover, I mean get back to where they were, not get where they need to be.

Since I had to set up an account to comment on my neighbors blog, the world will here my voice for at least a few weeks.