amazed

Posted on November 17, 2008
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I’m surprised that the weather has dropped down to close to my “record” low temp for winter biking and I’m still going strong.  I attribute it to my conversion to a lightweight wool baselayer.  I’m actually wearing less than I did at the same temp last year.  What’s great is that I’m not just plenty comfortable but actually a bit too warm.  Wonder how things will feel as it gets colder. . .

finally replaced the digicam

Posted on November 13, 2008
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almost a year after noticing the old one was broken, we’ve replaced the digicam with a well timed purchase from woot.  What that means is aside from seeing my grinning mug here - well, sort of grinning, it means that if you’re a flickr friend, you’ll soon see more pics of the small ones.  Cheers.

me

the beard is strictly a winter thing

was it something I said?

Posted on November 9, 2008
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Dear Barack,

If it was something I said, I’m sorry.  I don’t know what it was though - I don’t think I did anything.  But ever since Tuesday night, I haven’t received a single text message or email from you, and I’m starting to get kind of lonely.

OK, I admit it, even though in my heart I knew that I was just one number amongst millions on your list, I felt a little spark of “OMG!  Barack is texting ME” every time a new message came in.  Sure, it was a bit excessive in the last few weeks, but now that it’s over, I kind of miss it.

Really, even a message from David Plouffe (and I’ve received so many from him that I didn’t even have to check that spelling!) would be okay.

I just hope that now that you’re all President-elected and stuff, you haven’t forgotten about the rest of us.

Signed,

Lonesomely Hopeful in St. Paul

Bookmarks for October 9th through November 6th

Posted on November 6, 2008
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Things I thought you might like reading October 9th through November 6th:

yep, I cried too.

Posted on November 5, 2008
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I’m not going to write about Obama’s win today.  Probably not tomorrow either.  Everything that I have to say is both more personal than I want to share here right now, and has also already been said far better by others.  Suffice to say that I’m very very happy not so much about Obama, though I have come around on him, but more because of the paradigm this casts for my daughters and their generation.

I’m a Reagan baby - he shaped the political paradigm that I’ve grown up in.  My kids are will be growing up in a world that we will hopefully, in retrospect describe as an era defined by and starting with Obama’s win yesterday.

The work hasn’t even begun, but I think this will be very very good.

And yes, as the results were coming in, as the concession and acceptance speeches were made, and yes, even as I was voting, I cried.

remember that part in Forrest Gump

Posted on October 21, 2008
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the “shit happens” part?  I’m trying to muster that level of equanimity right now, but having a hard time cause shit has happened.

OMG! This is the best political/tech idea EVER!

Posted on October 20, 2008
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I am such a NERD for thinking of this, but I heard that because MN is a swing state, we were likely to get robocalls from Barack or Michelle Obama - which is actually kind of cool since I’ve never received a robocall from anyone interesting before.

Anyway, my job involves knowing about tech related to political campaigns and so I know that generally, robocalls aren’t so effective because they’re seen as impersonal, and then, traveling down Selby Ave this evening, it hit me: mail-merge robocalls!

Think about it - it would totally be possible to get a list of the most common names by demographic/region/etc - heck, you could even get the names right from the voter file and do a quick frequency graph.  Then, you’d have the candidate record say the top 50 or 75% of the names - you don’t need to do all of them, just a lot of them.

Then, the robo call system just drops the right name in, or subs in the generic greeting where the first name isn’t recorded.  HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?

Just imagine getting that voicemail: “Hi YOUR NAME, this is Barack Obama and I was just calling to tell you that we appreciate your support and hope to see you at the canvass this weekend, and don’t forget to get to the polls…..”

And the best part is that the names are evergreen - you could start recording them whenver, and unless your voice changes, you’ve got the name bank there to use anytime you need it.  Over time, you could record just about every name that’s out there.

Like I said, I’m a really big NERD.

facebook rules the world, sort of

Posted on October 20, 2008
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so, I’ve resisted facebooking in any major way, but today had an experience that has forever changed my perception of facebook.

Facebook is the future of everything.  Look for me there.

no child left behind

Posted on October 20, 2008
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With Bernanke saying he’s in support of more stimulus, I can’t help but wonder where this is all headed.  I know that the Bush adminstration likes to say that deficits don’t matter, and that’s certainly in line with Regan-era spending philosophy, but the thing is that the bill always comes due - it’s just shifted on to future generations.

The only way that can even remotely work is if you assume a continually growing economy - a world of more more more.  Recent events should have made it clear that the more more more economy is an economy of bubble and bust and is one that we can’t afford and that won’t sustain us.

It is likely that what we’re seeing right now is the opening round of the decline of the US empire - the decline of the “last superpower.”  If that’s the case, and given that all empires decline there is no reason to think otherwise, then pushing our current spending onto future generations means that my great-grandchildren will be paying for the foolhardy excesses of the generation in power right now.

It gives new meaning to the phrase “no child left behind.”

sleep deprivation changes the second time around

Posted on October 20, 2008
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The last two weeks, I’ve been on a nightly sleep rotation.  I start in my bed, but get kicked out because the little one comes into bed with us and somehow, even as small as she is, takes up more than half the bed.  I think it’s because she either kicks or grabs at my beard or hair.  If it isn’t her, it’s the older daughter who’s cold and/or wants to snuggle/has had a bad dream, etc.  So, I either get kicked out of my bed to the floor, or get called in to join my older daughter.  However, while you might think I could settle into peaceful slumber with older daughter, you would be wrong.  Of late, the boy cat - a large ball of fluffy grey fur - has taken to sleeping with her, and when he jumps up into bed, I’m kicked out with claims of there not being enough room and I’m too warm, etc.

So, most nights, I end up on the floor, staying on the floor because I want to be close at hand if the little one needs me, which she sometimes does.  At 5am.  To chat and smile and coo and gurgle, all when I really just want a little more sleep because I know that when 6 rolls around the older one is going to be launched out of her bed, straight at me, wanting breakfast and to play and to get ready for school, etc.

All of which is to say that I am learning that the second time around, sleep deprivation works a bit differently.  You don’t really notice it as much, for one thing.  For another, at least with me, I’m finding that I’ve lost almost all ability to be coherent after about 7pm.  I get home from work, and if I try to do anything - blog, return emails, anything, it’s pretty much gibberish.  I also spell things backwards.

So, I’m going to try something - in bed by 10pm for the next few weeks.  If I can’t sleep in my bed, at least I can maybe get a bit more of it.

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