Snow!

The past two-weeks in the snow has been fantastic. The coverage is excellent, the temperatures have been below freezing, and the snow level has not passed 3000 feet.
Last week I hit Alpental three times, Ski Acres once, and then I finally hit Stevens on Wednesday.
At Alpental I enjoyed a day in the backcountry for the first time in about three years. On Monday I went to Ski Acres with my sister and I now remember that I actually love that mountain, specifcally the rollers to the skiers right of the high speed quad. I am pleased I purchased a mid-week pass.
At Stevens the runs to the right of Southern Cross were great, the power line run off of Jupiter was untracked (we even popped into the out of bounds for the last 500 feet or so), and Big Chief Bowl was fantastic.
I'll be hitting snoqualmie Monday and Tuesday (weather permitting) should anyone want to meet up.

Pictures Taken At Just The Right Angle. Very funny!

This Scares The Hell Out Of Me

A Well Written Tribute to Future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

I always loved the fact that he loves to play basketball so much. It really can become an addiction...in a good way.

Holiday Party Pics

Some photos I meant to put up a couple weeks ago. Click pics for larger view.

Cool Little Feature

I installed a site monitor to see who reads the blog and therse are the locations where the blog was viewed from since 4:00 PM. Who do I know in San Fran? Jeremy's old boyfriend? Was that Kelly in Cali? How about Mercer Island, is that Barbara?

1		United States	Seattle, Washington
2		United States
3		United States	Mercer Island, Washington
4		United States	San Francisco, California
5		United States	Renton, Washington
6		United States	Mercer Island, Washington
7		United States	Seattle, Washington
8		Canada	Abbotsford, British Columbia
9		United States	Seattle, Washington

Cabin Tree Damage Pics

As some of you already know the deck at the cabin was smashed by a large tree during the wind storm. This was the tree directly to the west of the old rope swing tree.
The tree also dismantled our gutters, took part of the roof off, and also broke two large internal support beams inside the cabin.
This is a very unfortunate event, but you might be able to ascertain that we are very lucky as well. About a foot to the east and we could have lost much, much more and I dare to think what could have happened had someone been staying there at the time.
We have quite a bit of work to do and we are hoping insurance will cover quite a bit of the cost. We'll see about that. There is some major renovation work that needs to be done and we may need to fall some trees, replant smaller ones, and basically just have another cabin work day. We appreciate in advance anyone that can help. I wish we could do it ourselves of course but Rachelle is preggers and depending on the day of the week I have a bad back, hip, or shoulder (or all three at the same time). So goes life in the NW.

Click the pics for a larger view.

I saw these two on Letterman last week. Musica de el partido en me pantalones!

A great young band from the Eastside

My good friend Cheryl from high school sent me a link to her nephew's band. When I clicked on the link I immediately hear "So, uh, this song's called Evenflow and , uh, we really like it alot." So obviously I was hooked. Not bad for a bunch of 15 year-olds!
Click the link to check em out.

Top 5 Songs

Marty has requested it and here it is: The Top 5 Songs of the year without any commentary.
Just list your top 5. That's it.

Mine:

1. Goin' Against Your Mind-Built To Spill
2. Ohh La La-Goldfrapp
3. Here It Goes Again-OK Go
4. The Funeral-Band of Horses
5. Manipulation-The Black Angels

List your five in the comments section.

Update: Here is a link to the EW top ten songs site where hundereds of readers wrote in and listed their Top Ten of 2006.
I would like to add the Scissor Sisters "I Don't Feel Like Dancin", Madonna's "Hung Up", Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Cheated Hearts", Artic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on The Dance Floor", and the Long Winters "Pushover" to my Top Five to give me a TOP TEN.

Miss Nevada is a party animal!!!

Click pic for full story.



http://splashnewsonline.blogspot.com/2003/12/photos-that-stripped-ms-nevada-of-her.html

Huskies!!!

The Dawgs finally looked like a Top 20 team tonight against LSU. If Hawes and Brockman give the same effort during the Pac 10 regular season then the Huskies will be legitimate contenders for the title. What a fun game to watch.

Top Five Albums of the Year

When I try to list my favorite albums at the end of each year I usually look at my ITunes, hit arrange by year, and start scrolling down. Some albums jump right out at me and others hit me with an "Oh yeah, I remember that. Was that this year?" response. Then I need to decide on my criteria for the list. Should they be the best critical received albums or the ones I listened to the most? For example, in 1991 I would have listed AC/DC's The Razor's Edge as one of the best albums. That might inspire a chuckle since AC/DC essentially remade all of their own songs after Back in Black was released. But damn if the intro to Thunderstruck doesn't just make me want to scream "Snyder!" (long story). Anyway, the point is that everyone has their own taste in music, guilty pleasures or not.

My list this year is made up of the albums I listened to the most on my IPOD and in my car. The list includes a combination of old and new bands with one common theme: the albums want to make me rock out, dance, or sing. In other words these albums really make me want to move.

My Top 5

1. Sonic Youth:Rather Ripped

Sonic Youth has finally aged a bit. Those looking for massive feedback and endless jamming might be a bit disappointed. Those looking for a groove heavy pop album with hooks will be pleasantly surprised that it is Sonic Youth delivering your request. I listened to this album non-stop for about three months and as I listen to it now it's hard for me to believe these fresh sounding riffs and short jams were created by some forty-something year-old musicians.
Stand out tracks: Incinerate, Sleeping Around, and Pink Steam

2. The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers

My hetero-man-worship of Jack White is not a secret. I am jealous of everything he plays the same way I used to marvel at Jimmy Page.
This isn't the White Stripes of course and that is just fine. Jack White playing with a bass player and another competent guitar player/singer in Brenden Benson just raises the rock bar another level. It's a fuller and poppier sound compared to the Stripes and this album does not sound like it's just a side project at all. The harmonies are priceless as are the dueling lead guitars. If anything, I hope Jack continues to bounce between the two bands in the future because the Raconteurs are that good.
Standout tracks: Hands, Intimate Secretary, and Level.

3. Beck: The Information

I'll keep this brief. If you like Beck you'll love this album. It sounds like Guerro, Sea Change, Mellow Gold, and Odelay all in one. The Information demands headphones due to all the layers of sound effects in each song.
Standout Tracks:Elevator, I Think I'm in Love, and Nausea.

4. Artic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Like The Clash, the Artic Monkeys mix classic rock, punk, pop, and reggae all together and still create their own sound. I honestly think the most apt comparison is Sublime minus the rap influnce. Most songs are two-three minutes long and switch tempos and genres multiple times. It's hard to believe these guys are only in their early 20's.
Standout tracks: I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor, A Certain Romance, and Fake Tales of San Fransisco.

5. Built To Spill: You In Reverse

'Goin' Against Your Mind' doesn't even have any vocals until the 2:04 mark and it still demolishes everything on the last Built To Spill record and pretty much trashes any other rock song released this year. This song has melody, a hook, and some amazing fuzzed out jamming courtesy of Doug and company. It is essentially two chords and yet they can still make it sound exciting for 8:41. Fantastic.
The rest of the album cruises along nicely with pop songs like 'Saturday', riff powered songs like 'Conventional Wisdom', and the reggae vibe of 'The Wait'. Most jam bands turn me off because their songs turn into masturbatory guitar excercises in excess or the excess of too many instruments receiving equal billing ("Ok boys, let's give the violin guy his turn. Now the Obo. Great. Keyboards? Sweet."). Built To Spill gets in and out at perfect times on You In Reverse and it's their first album that really showcases what a great live band they can be on most nights.
Standout tracks: See Above

Alright, there were so many good records I get to list the five records I loved that didn't make the top five.


6. Pearl Jam: Pearl Jam
Their best since Yield, maybe since ten.
7. Wolfmother: Wolfmother
Combine Zep and Sabbath with large hair.
8. Neko Case:Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
I am in love with her and her voice.
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones
Punk, pop, and Avant Garde Rock.
10. The Rapture:Pieces of the People We Love
Their rock disco starts where Franz Ferdinand stops. Catchy and moveable.

There were many good bands and singers that made wonderful albums that did not make my list including Cat Power, Flaming Lips, Band of Horses, Black Angels, Dirty Pretty Things, Gnarls Barkley, and the Decemberists. Thank for the tunes.

What are your favorite albums? Please list your Top Five in the comment section. Please include any sub-categories you feel necessary.

If you like Sarah M, Jewel, or Lucinda Williams you should check this girl out. We saw her play last night and she can sing!

Office Space Re-Cut as Thriller

Avant Garde Student Film

New Arcade Fire Single and Album Info

Almost as good as Lazy Sunday

This is where you can report roid rage and vent your frustrations on other idiot drivers.

I have a feeling this site will grow like crazy. There is nothing more annoying that late mergers or people that drive in the far left lane going exactly 60. The law states the far left lane is for passing! This is also a great place to report tailgaters and drivers who are driving erratically.

An Oceans 11 Style Movie From School

Meet the Press

I've been watching or DVRing Meet The Press for a few years now and I have to say it is by far the most reliable place on TV to watch non-partisan reporting and interviewing. Tim Russert asks tough but un-biased questions and quite frequently has politicians re-visit past statements or political stances to find out what has changed and/or if they would do anything differently now. Also, he frequently has a panel of esteemed columnists from around the country on participating in panel discussions about all of the current local, national, and world issues.

I truly feel that if everyone spent the hour a week watching this show they would really expand their points of view about our current policies, both successes and failures.

Set your DVR for KONG or KING on Sunday mornings. It's also offered in HD.

Survivor Predictions...

Yul wins against Sundra and Becky only.
Ozzy wins against anyone, deservedly so.
Adam beats Sundra, Becky, and Yul because he made it as far as he did and because everyone resents Yul for being the mastermind.

If Ozzy does not win immunity he will be voted out first tonight at tribal.
If Adam wins immunity Ozzy will be voted out.
If Ozzy wins immunity first Adam will be voted out.

Predictions:
Yul beats Becky in the final two to win the game. However, I am rooting for Ozzy.
I think Adam is a spoiled brat like Pavarti cheese and I hope he loses.

Rock-ee!

Can't wait til the 20th.

Golden Globes Announced

Scrubs Christmas

Top 5 Albums of 2006

Good morning!
It's time to compile the top 5 albums of the year as decided by Kickeditinthesun.blogspot.com.
Actually I am once again asking you to post your top five (favorite) albums of the year on the blog site.

Rules: Greatest Hits, Re-Issues, and Live-albums are not eligible. If you want to add a sub category yourself, feel free.
Any type of musical genre is eligible for this list.

Here is the link to last year's selections so you can see the format.

I will give you all a week to comple your list and then next week I will post the official TOP FIVE of 2006 form on the site.

Thanks for playing and (to quote the now retired Ron Fairly) "See You Later."

Student Directed Videos

http://www.audiovisible.tv/

This site showcases the music videos directed by the students this semester. These bands are local and currently touring nationally.
The Blakes in particular are really fun to watch.

This Simpson Remake Was Created by Students in my Video 2 class

This is in Cleveland!

Click on the link above for an interesting article about the Cleveland die hards!

Horny Manatee!!!

You have to check this site out. They have something for all your manatee fetish needs.

Read how it started here.

Take the tour and also don't forget to check out the Pale Force cartoons courtesy of Jim Gaffigan.

New Blog Templates etc.

I am in the process of making some major changes to my blog site. This is a test post and also re-affirms my man-love for DJ Henderson.

Do you like the new look? Any suggestions? Should I add some more links on the right?
Drop me a line and let me know.

New Rock Covers Album

This record has some very different takes on some mostly recent pop songs.
Modest Mouse, Spoon, Phantom Planet, The Killers, Super Furry Animals, The Pixies, and Mazzy Star are all covered.
You can stream it live at the link above.

Dick Cheney's Lesbian Daughter Pregnant and plans to raise the child with her partner

The fact that this is news is really a shame. The fact that Mary Cheney has a conservative anti-gay rights father is an even bigger one.

Flatulence forces plane to land

Biggest Shocker of all Time!!!

Scott just sent me this...Really gross. The pop-ups are great.

Check out a great video from PandaSmash.com... it's called "Voices That Care - Where Are They Now?"... click here to check it out.

In addition to their big show in Hawaii on Sat, PJ played a secret show on Thursday

Mel Gibson is nuts but I'll be there for his movie on opening night. I hear it's an amazing chase film

The Zags are tough this year!

O love this song, I love white shirts, I love sign language, and I love the video

Britney is looking worse now than she did with K-Fed

I know you have all scene the photos and I am not going to post them here because this is a family site. However, I will say that if Paris Hilton is trying to help keep your legs closed you have major issues. Did Britney forget she has two kids? Oh yeah, I forgot. She's not...that..inno-cent!

Survivor

Candace, Adam, and Pavarti Cheese are three of the most annoying players to ever appear on Survivor. Why would anyone think being lazy and bitchy would earn them anything in the game? Also, the game is called "Survivor" not "Let's be friends". Jonathan is surviving. Good for him.
I won't reveal who was voted out because some of you may not have seen it yet. However, Probst had a great send off line!

Another Classic!

This is old but it kills me every time!

Top 100 TV Catch Phrases

T'is the Holiday Season and I thought I would share with you my favorite Christmas song. I believe it was one of my dad and mom's favorites too.

Salma Hayak Shows Off her New Ear Rings

Aren't they nice? Unfortunately we can only see the one in the right ear, but I am assuming the other one looks just as decadent. I think it's really nice of Salma to model her jewelry as I am becoming a big fan her accessories.

Not a Civil War Yet?

Iraq mobs slaughter men in front of their families

Sunni gunmen stormed two Shiite homes and killed 21 men from two families north of the Iraqi capital in Diyala province overnight, authorities said. Vehicles are banned from Baghdad's streets and the airport is closed, forcing President Jalal Talabani to postpone a visit to Iran for security talks.

Arrested Development is available online...everyday...for free!

MSN will be streaming episodes broken down into three easy to watch segments.

Tobias walks into costume shop
Tobias: I 'm back again!
Cashier (dressed in gay garb): Are you buying this time or just curious?
Tobias: You might say I'm bi-curious.

This is how bad Willie Bloomquist has played the last few years.

The ignitor? I don't think so.
The graph is self explanatory, however if you aren't familiar OPS it is essentially on base plus slugging percentage.

David Cross covering the Bank of America duo covering U2 (see below). I can't believe this!

The Grossest Video of All Time. Yes, it's real.

Baby Panda Sneeze!

Michael Richardshttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

I am not going to post anything on the Michael Richards incident because it is too disgusting to even talk about. Much like the Mel Gibson incident, words cannot even come close to justifying backwards thinking.

Update: I watched his apology last night night on Letterman and it seemed sincere, albeit extremely bizarre and random.

More info: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/index.html#a0014223763

My new work out program!

Brian Story goes Crazy! This was actually a project for SCNN and then the student put it on YOUTUBE where it's been viewed 700 times!

Tina Fey goes off on Paris Hilton

This interview is pretty funny.
Even funnier? 30 Rock on NBC which has gotten better each week. Thursday's episode had more laugh out loud moments than any show this year with the exception the season premiere of The Office. Alec Baldwin steals the show as usual. The two minute montage of him trying to nail the corporate placement add was inspired with its lunacy.
Set your DVR or Tivos.

Gross Seahawk Video I used to know all the words to

The Blue Wave is on a roll

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Your political views? You can take this silly test to find out. Mine was actually pretty accurate.

You Are 52% Democrat

You aren't a full fledged Democrat yet, but it's likely the party that fits you best. You probably consider yourself an independent Democrat. You usually support the party, but you also think for yourself!

How Democrat Are You?

Time Magazine's Top 100 Albums of All Time

What do you think? I think the list is really a compilation of the "most popular best albums of all time" as opposed to a definitive "best of" list. However, you can't deny that there are some amazing albums listed.

My thoughts:

R.E.M.'s Automatic For the People is much better than Out of Time.

Coolest part of the list...it includes the two best rap albums of all time: The Beastie Boys sampling orgy Paul's Boutique and Public Enemy's in your face It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

Radiohead makes the list twice. Very cool.

Should best of and compilation albums be considered ahead of single albums? I don't think so. They could create another list of "best singles of all time".

Physical Graffitti is better than Led Zeppelin Four.

More thoughts to follow...

Eddie with the Kings of Leon

Eddie Vedder joins Kings of Leon Nov 14 2006

Add to My Profile | More Videos

OJ has a new book out called "If I did it."

It's a hypothetical on how he could have killed his wife and her friend in 1994.
Click the link for the full scoop.

This is just great, great, great!

No matter how messed up our country is...

at least there aren't laws like this:

"International and local calls for change intensified after the 2002 gang-rape of a woman, Mukhtar Mai, who was assaulted after a tribal council in her eastern Punjab village ordered the rape as punishment for her 13-year-old brother's alleged affair with a woman of a higher caste."

Click the link above for more Pakistani law insanity.

Martha and Borat

K-Fed wants to sell Britney sex tape for millions

Test to See if My MySpace URL Works

Find me on MySpace and be my friend!

Salma Hayak has Small Boobs

This is a pic from Ugly Betty. The show already is receiving a large audience each week, but Salma really wanted to up the ante. I would watch much more network television if this type of elevator activity was a regular occurence.

Borat Beat Up!

The answer is...Dane Cook not Funny...

but the article is a worthwhile read if you are a fan of comics.

Democrats take control of Senate!

Even though the policy in Iraq has not changed (only the faces carrying out thy President's bidding), today feels like a day to celebrate because the system of checks and balances is back in place.
Plus, we don't have to see or listen to those insane political adds anymore!

My Morning Jacket Back in Seattle January 8th at the Moore

Tickets go on pre-sale this Friday. You do not want to miss this band live. They are awesome as I have mentioned before and you will get your money's worth.

The previous review:

Imagine for a moment you are taken back to 1974 and you are in line to see a sold out club show featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, or even Ted Nugent (sans politics). Then imagine, high expectations intact, that the band absolutely blows you out of the water and rocks like nothing you have seen before.

Now imagine it is 2005 and you have been waiting since the demise of Soundgarden, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Screaming Trees for a band to make you want to grab your a beer and scream as loud as possible for more rock. My Morning Jacket is that band.

Simply put, My Morning Jacket is the best live band I have seen in quite some time. It's rare that a band playing live can sound so much better than they do on their albums, especially when their albums are fantastic already. My Morning Jacket did that at the Showbox last night.

My Morning Jacket opened with Wordless Chorus and It Beats For You from their new album "Z". Both songs showcased Jim James's reverbed falsetto and at the same time showcased the band's willingness to expand past their alt-country roots. In fact, I would say My Morning Jacket is as close to Wilco and Radiohead live as they are to Lynryd Skynyrd. Keyboards flowed throughout the night along with a occassional processed drum beats that reminded me of both Wilco and Radiohead. Processed drum beats? Yes, but nothing that took away from the sounds of the dueling guitar jams.

Their new album is a more straight-forward and song oriented than their previous two releases which focused more on alt-country and southern style jam-rock. However, these new songs live sound just as rocking as the earlier material. Particulary impressive were What a Wonderful Man ,Off the Record, and Gideon. All three sounded as if they had been part of the setlist for years.

One Big Holiday and Golden from "It Still Moves" were also big crown favorites. However, nothing prepared me for the onslaught that was Run-Thru. Run-Thru was extended about three or four extra minutes and the mid song bass line had the crowd boogying down in unison (and I mean literally boogying as in the "Shake Your Tailfeather/Ray Charles/Blues Brothers kind of way). When the song ended everyone thrust their $4 beers into the air and screamed in appreciation. Even the three sorority chicks behind us who thought that "rock concert" really meant "time to chat about useless shit" were highly impressed. Jim told the crowd that My Morning Jacket were going to "tenderize us" and indeed they did. (I know that sounds really cheesy, but what the hell? How often do I get a chance to glorify such a fantastic show)

Obviously I had a great time at the show, but the coolest thing was seeing Rachelle's jaw drop after Jim James did a two or three minute guitar solo literally in the crowd. She just kind of looked at me like "are you kidding me, is this for real?". Yes, they were that good.

Rumsfeld is Done!

Britney files for DIVORCE from idiot

The is the best thing Britney has done for her career since she decided to wear a school girl's uniform as a minor in order to appear sexy to twenty and thirty-something male perverts.
You know who you are!

New Modest Mouse Songs

Built To Spill Videos about Knights

Kirstie Alley Wears Bikini On Oprah

I'm not sure what to say here. Yes, she's skinnier. Yes, it takes lots of guts to wear a bikini on national TV.
On the flip side, why would anyone ever let themselves get 100 pounds over weight? Also, is life really that bad that the only way you get motivated to lose weight is an appearance on Oprah? Is Oprah that cool? How about exercise and a reasonable diet? How about a warm glass of shut the hell up?
Ich spielen sechlact. Ich glaube er mogelt.

Naked Man Charged With Concealed Weapon!

I think it's pretty obvious there was only one place he could hide it, right?

My Ex-Girlfriend is in the news again

Forget what I said below.
If all candidates look like THIS I think the voter turnout, among other things, would be huge.

If all the candidates looked like this voter turnout would be huge!

Click the link for more info.

Borat is best reviewed movie of the year!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/borat/

Borat number one also movie country...is good!
Click here.

Beck on SNL

The second song they did with the spoons, plates, stomping, clapping, and harmonica was awesome. I'll look for a copy and post it. Anyone else see it?

A Fun Weekend on the lake

Bill Mahr is great.

O'Reilly on Letterman

Chris, Trent, Jeremy, and Ducks!!!

I love Letterman!

October 27, 2006 -- ANY lingering doubts that David Letterman detests Bill O'Reilly will be laid to rest tonight, when the gap-toothed funnyman has the conservative Fox News powerhouse on his CBS "Late Show" and machine-guns him with insults.

In a tape previewed by Page Six, things go downhill fast as O'Reilly sits down and jokingly presents the liberal-leaning host with a plastic sword to do battle and holds up a plastic shield to defend himself.

An irritated Letterman cracks, "Oh, that's nice, that's cute, you come out with toys . . . Am I right about one thing: You guys over there at Fox and guys like Rush Limbaugh, you guys know it's all just a goof, right? You're just horsing around. You're doing it 'cause you know it'll be entertaining?" Letterman adds he's never seen O'Reilly's show because, "I dial up Fox and it's always 'The Simpsons.' "

O'Reilly tries to lighten the mood by telling the audience he and Letterman are "on the same bowling league" and asks whether he'd appear on "Dancing With the Stars."

"Bonehead!" snaps Letterman, who then starts shaking his fist and waving his arms at O'Reilly as the subject turns to the war in Iraq. "Let me ask you a question - was there more heinous, more dangerous violence taking place [before America invaded] Iraq, or is there more heinous, dangerous violence taking place now in Iraq?"

"Oh, stop it," O'Reilly scolds the host. "Saddam Hussein slaughtered 300,000 to 400,000 people, all right, so knock it off . . . It isn't so black and white, Dave - it isn't, 'We're a bad country. Bush is an evil liar.' That's not true."

"I didn't say he was an evil liar," Letterman shoots back. "You're putting words in my mouth, just the way you put artificial facts in your head!"

Letterman admits he hasn't read O'Reilly's new book, "Culture War," because "I looked at it. I said, 'What is it, a book on sailing?' "

Checking his watch to signal an end to the insult-a-thon, Letterman sarcastically quips, "Oh, gosh, where has the time gone?" He adds: "I have no idea what I'm talking about - but I don't think you do, either."

Scrubs and 30 Rock on Thursdays

NBC?s new Thursday line-up, effective Nov. 30:

8:00 p.m. My Name Is Earl
8:30 p.m. The Office
9:00 p.m. Scrubs
9:30 p.m. 30 Rock

We will still TIVO Grey's Anatomy, but lately the show has turned into "Unprofessional Hospital" or "Melrose Anatomy" or maybe "Unrealistic Melodrama Anatomy". But the guy who lit his face on fire was pretty cool. Season 2 was way better not including the "Izzy just killed a guy lets have a Prom finale."

US Generals Who Served In Iraq Say They Are Voting For Democrats...

Two retired senior Army generals, who served in Iraq and previously voted Republican, are now openly endorsing a Democratic takeover of Congress. The generals, and an active-duty senior military official, told Salon in separate interviews that they believe a Democratic victory will help reverse course from what they consider to be a disastrous Bush administration policy in Iraq. The two retired generals, Maj. Gen. John Batiste and Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, first openly criticized the handling of the war last spring, when they called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"The best thing that can happen right now is for one or both of our houses to go Democratic so we can have some oversight," Batiste, who led the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, told Salon. Batiste describes himself as a "lifelong Republican." But now, he said, "It is time for a change."

It's unfortunate it's taken this long for people to realize it's time for change. Oh well.

Go Gays!!!

New Jersey's Supreme Court opened the door to gay marriage Wednesday, ruling that homosexuals are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but leaving it to lawmakers to legalize same-sex unions.

How sad is it we have to use the courts to decide whether or not humans receive equal rights?

Click pic for the full story.

Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot

How low do you have to go to pick on someone with Parkinson's disease?

Why is the government so concerned about strip clubs?

Saying yes to this Ref. is absurd. If you don't go to strip clubs, why do you care? Why is it your business?
How will a four-foot rule make neighborhoods safer? How will a four-foot rule cut down on prostitution? How will a four-foot rule cut down on the drinking in strip club parking lots (since in Seattle you can't drink a beer and watch boobs bounce simultaneously)?

The answer to all of the above is "it won't" and this is just another example of the government trying to regulate something that isn't broken.

The four-foot rule will make lap dances illegal and therefore put hundreds of women out of work. Why would we want to do that?

KT Tunstall has a cool Playlist with some of my favorite artists

Senuti

This program is AWESOME for transferring songs from IPODs to computers. Any computer. Yep. Sweet.

First Four Minutes of Borat...you like?

Colbert

To appear on not to appear?
Either way he's got you.

Facts for Sunday

New York City

The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple. There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

And knowing is half the battle.

Marijuana...Good for you?

I love the second sentence here from the article above...

"Other evidence from population studies suggests that people who regularly smoked marijuana in the 1960s and 1970s are less prone to develop Alzheimer's than people of the same age who did not. Yet many other studies show that long-term regular marijuana use -- 10 years or more -- has a negative effect on a person's ability to pay attention to more than one thing at a time and to learn and remember new information. "

Geez, I don't know anyone like that. Like what? Hey, did I leave the iron on? Dude, South Park is friggin hilarious. Man, I can't believe I used to not like tomotoes in my grilled cheese.

Prohibition II

This is a well written article from Newsweek's Pulitzer Prize winning columnist George Will about the idiocy of banning Internet gambling. Oh and I should probably mention George is another conservative who has been up in arms about all of George Bush's BIG government policies and new laws (i.e. the war, torture, illegal spying etc.)

George calls the banning of Internet gambling prohibition II, but I would argue criminalizing marijuana was II and this is really III. But that is really semantics. The bottom line is the government is once again telling me what I can do with my money.

Check out the article here.

On a side note: whatever happened to Republicans who wanted smaller governement? I miss you.

Borat on Conan...You like! High Five!!!

Kylee

Please say hello to Kylee Makena Mitchell (see below).
Rachelle is 20 weeks along in her pregnancy and she is due the first week of March.

Oh by the way, if you couldn't tell from the pictures and name, we are excited to be welcoming a girl into our life!

A few of you have asked how we decided on the name. Kyle is my middle name and Lea is Rachelle's middle name. Combine them and you get Kylee.
Makena is the beach we were married on in Maui and one of our favorite places on the planet.

Kylee Makena Mitchell

Chris on the water

This kills me everytime

Only two more weeks til Borat!!!

Wanna See PJ In Hawaii on Dec 2nd?

This trip from NW is only $327. You leave Thursday night and get back Monday morning. Pretty cool eh? Check sidestep.com for more details.

Northwest Airlines
Flight 97

5:30 pm

Depart from Seattle, WA (SEA)

9:29 pm

Arrives at Honolulu, HI (HNL)

5 hours 59 minutes - 2677 miles - Food for Purchase - Boeing 757-300 (Jet)

Return Flight Non-stop flight in Economy Class on Dec 4, 2006 (Monday)

Northwest Airlines
Flight 96

10:05 pm

Depart from Honolulu, HI (HNL)

5:40 am

Arrives at Seattle, WA (SEA)

5 hours 35 minutes - 2677 miles - Food for Purchase - Boeing 757-300 (Jet)

Sweet!

Wow. A roller coaster game with a walk-off Field Goal from 54 yards. It doesn't get much better than that. Who was that team in the first half? They looked simliar to the team that was destroyed by the Bears two weeks ago. I like the team that played in the second half better. They reminded me of last years team.

Things to remember: we played this game without our star running back (and 2006 MVP), our starting tight end, and our starting slot receiver and best third down receiver. The offensive line is still recovering from injuries. Deion Branch is still learning routes.

Memo to Trufant and Hamlin: I don't care how hard you hit. Just cover people please.

Article on Hasselbeck here.

A little Politcal Humor

Paxilback

Google wants You Tube

Funny

Click link to read funny headline and story

Disturbing but entertaining video

Thanks to Kelly Conway for this one...

They are just now figuring this out?

Once again, this is truly the only solution that wouldn't alienate north east Oregon (i.e. Eastern Washington) as well as the huge metropolitan areas like Kelso and Aberdeen.

Imagine throwing your quarters to a fine looking and happy old man like the one pictured on the left. Just tugs your heart doesn't it?

New Scissor Sister's record out tomorrow