Is it really Tuesday?

It feels like it is still Monday!!
I had Physical Therapy this morning, a full day at work, and it was rounded off by the second part of a seminar on home buying. Just educating myself.... While interest rates are super low... I'm still not really confident in the gamble right now.

Sebelius pays $7,000 in back taxes after errors
Kansas governor is the latest Obama nominee with tax troubles

So I'm beginning to feel that tax evasion is actually a requirement for the administration?

Honestly.... I just don't get it. The Obama administration's vetting process is pretty damn incompetent. It is like Bush choosing Miers for the supreme court, with the exception that Miers was just under qualified, and these folks seem to be both under qualified and crooked.

Obama should be nominating people who volunteer to pay extra taxes (you know that box on your tax form that you probably would have a tough time checking off and filling in if there was a gun pointed at you). He'll need every bit he can get for the 4 trillion dollar federal spending budget this year.

Well it is Wednesday tomorrow... and things will probably be kicked into overdrive. I'm going to have a busy few days at work, and busy evenings preparing for the weekend.

Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life - Unknown

I woke up got out of bed... dragged a comb across my head ....

Yeah well, if my Monday morning was anything like a Beatles song... it would have been an improvement. Even if it was like Revolution #9.

I went out into the damp, bitter spring weather and trudged across the street to wait for the bus. The commute wasn't too bad, the first train I boarded became instantly disabled, and all of the passengers had to disembark and cross the platform to a newly arrived train. To try and make up for it the T ran express from Malden Center to Community College. I'm not certain it saved much time. I still ended up getting to Central Square ten minutes late.

When I arrived at work I reached for my side and muttered under my breath when I grabbed the nothingness where my work badge should have been. I went around the building to the front entrance and found the receptionist. I proclaimed in shame "It's Monday, and I forgot my badge". "It happens" she responded. Yes, I thought "it" does happen "it happens more often than I'd like".

The rest of my day was filled with the wonders of work.. the post work errands.. gym... and beginning to piece together what I'll need for my trip to London this weekend. It is work related, and despite only having one free day to myself there, after jet lag, I am pretty excited.

Anyway, now I think I'll watch an episode of 30-rock or two before going to bed.

Last Weekend of March 09

And like that 1/4 of 2009 is gone.

I didn't have any big plans this weekend, and with the increased trips to the gym, until I can figure out how to work out in the morning before work, my schedule will remain pretty booked. Friday night Kate and I were to meet at Borders at Downtown Crossing in Boston, and then head to Regina's Pizza at Wellington Station.

I made it to Borders a bit early and bought myself a book. I just finished Richard Russo's "Bridge of Sighs" which was nothing short of excellent. I found that Matthew Pearl has a new book out called "The Last Dickens". It is brand new and only available in hard cover, but much to my surprise I found "The Poe Shadow" in paperback which I also have not read. This book is a mystery around Edgar Allan Poe's death and takes place in Baltimore in 1849. The book by Pearl which I have read is "The Dante Club" which took place in Boston, also set in the 1800s and based around a set of serial killings that were based on Dante's Inferno. I look forward to starting The Poe Shadow, and eventually getting around to "The Last Dickens" as well.

After completing my purchase I headed outside, sat down on the bench in the lovely 50°F weather and watched people while listening to my mp3 player. And suddenly I see my friend Mike Caprio walk by. He was just heading to Borders himself, and we chat for a while. While we exchanged some banter, suddenly a noisy group of probably 50 cyclists (do I exaggerate?) heads down Washington St towards government center. The bikers are shouting and suddenly when the head from the pedestrian zone into the traffic you can hear the disgruntled honking of horns that ensues. I made some sarcastic comment about what the economy has driven people to, and we watch the strange spectacle in awe. It must have been some sort of biking club, it definitely did not appear to be a sanctioned race or event.

Suddenly I notice Kate through the window, she must have slipped by while I was distracted by the noise. Mike and I head in and we say goodbye.

Kate and I were disappointed when we arrived at Regina's. There was a 40 minute wait, and in the past we had not encountered this sort of problem there. We decide that we don't want Regina's that bad, mainly because I wanted to go to the gym, and Kate had a TV show that she wanted to catch. So we to Melrose and pick up some take out from Andrea's which I must say has finally climbed its way to the top of the take out pizza joints (aside from the center house in Wakefield which makes a damn good Sicilian pizza). After 2 slices and bread sticks I head off to the gym and tell Kate I'll see her in a couple of hours. On the way back from the gym, I pick up a cake (chocolate cream cake) for a late night snack. Kate and I have some small pieces, and head off to bed not long after.

On Saturday Kate heads off to do her errands, and I as well have a full day of laundry, the gym, some errands, and some general apartment cleaning etc. Kate comes over for supper, and I've made chicken cordon bleu from a recipe I found on the Internet. I made plenty, and will probably be eating left overs for much of the week. I think that it came out pretty good.

Sunday, we head over to Watertown and go to Deluxe Town Diner, which I must say was a keeper. Kate had an omelet, and I had a burger. The burger was absolutely heavenly. I haven't had a hamburger in what seems like a month, and it was just so good.... I think I almost cried.

Afterwards Kate and I played a game off candlepin bowling at Lanes & games in Cambridge. If you add both of our scores together we broke 100. As I drove Kate home there was a down pour and I ended up taking a wrong turn in Watertown making our trip a little longer than I had anticipated.

All in all, it was a busy, yet fun weekend.

The Socialist Revolution

Or when the American Dream transforms into a nightmare.

I've been a little lax at putting up the posts as of late, but I was a little inspired by an interview with Daniel Hannan (UK) on "Hannity" tonight. Hannan is a member of the European Parliament, and this one time Obama supporter has jumped ship and was on the show primarily to warn American viewers against socialized health care.

This is an unrelated clip (sort of) of Hannan lecturing Prime Minister Brown of over spending to get out of a recession. This guy is sharp, eloquent, and I wish there were more common sense people out there like this.



Back on topic, I wanted to throw up a few more links about the wonders of Nationalized Health care.

There is so much to complain about right now, but I'm going to stick to this because this issue remains the most dangerous socialist movement in this country that will further erode jobs, decrease the quality of life, and take more of our individual rights away..... And the public continues to fail to understand this.

This is a good find and I'm probably going to put a permanent link to it in my side bar. John Goodman's Health Policy Blog.

I found a link to this article on Goodman's Blog: The Grass Is Not Always Greener: A Look at National Health Care Systems Around the World

You have to click an additional link to get the full html or adobe file once you open this, however it is worth it. The article makes a decent attempt to balance itself out, although it pans Michael Moore's Sicko as a very subjective and misleading documentary. (Big surprise)

The article actually details how the World Health Organization ignores certain factors when calculating which country has the best health care. I suspect that this lapse in attention to detail is a move of purpose to specifically slant support to socialized medicine.

from article:
Life expectancies are affected by exogenous factors such as violent crime, poverty, obesity, tobacco and drug use, and other issues unrelated to health care. As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development explains, “It is difficult to estimate the relative contribution of the numerous non medical and medical factors that might affect variations in life expectancy across countries and over time.”21 Consider the nearly three year disparity in life Expectancy between Utah (78.7 years) and Nevada (75.9 years), despite the fact that the two states have essentially the same health care systems.22 In fact, a study by Robert Ohsfeldt and John Schneider for the American Enterprise Institute found that those exogenous factors are so distorting that if you correct for homicides and accidents, the United States rises to the top of the list for life expectancy.

Homicides and accidents are included. Granted auto accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. and have nothing to do with health care, and granted that comparatively less people drive in other countries.... the fact it is included is really quite ridiculous.

One more:
Why the United States Should Reject Socialized Medicine (a.k.a. “Single Payer”) and Restore Private Medicine This is put out by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

Ignorance is Bliss...

Or ignorance perpetuates misery, as is usually the case.

An article with an irritating "entitlement" based title caught my eye this evening on yahoo's home page.

Top Five Ways to Get Your Cut of the Stimulus

I'm not going to spend a ton of time going down through these "five ways" detailing how it is based on ignorant speculation and Obama worship and administration propaganda, because it probably isn't worth my effort and I don't have the time.

What I am going to do is point out the most obviously INCORRECT of the five ways which immediately calls into question the entire piece.

From article:
"Stimulus Career #3: Health Care
Partially subsidizing COBRA, the program that allows workers to keep their health care even after they've lost their jobs, means that more people will be insured and going to the doctor, which in turn means more health care jobs across the board. "

What's wrong with this? Well the claim is that there will be MORE health care jobs. She (the author) is using an expansion of COBRA to support this. As is said... even in her explanation, COBRA helps people keep health care after they've lost their job. I guess what I'm having a tough time grasping is how extending insurance upon people who have lost their jobs results in a net increase of health care jobs. It seems to me, (but perhaps I am the ignorant one) that at best, COBRA only slows the inevitable decline of jobs even in health care that will occur, not create new jobs. If COBRA extends the insurance of people who already have insurance... where is the job creation? Can some one help me out with this one?

Now while I am not against extending COBRA... don't get me wrong... that is something they can and should spend a little stimulus money on... I do have a problem with the blatant spreading of mis-information.

Going into health care is probably a decent industry to bet on.... not because of so called improvements by the great Obama, but because people will always need it. Health care, like everything will ultimately face a net loss of jobs, but perhaps not as much as some other fields.... and because you need to have an expertise, if you have it... you'll probably face less competition than you will in other fields.

Commentary on the News

Health care overhaul may cost about $1.5 trillion
"Guaranteeing health insurance for all Americans may cost about $1.5 trillion over the next decade, health experts say. That's more than double the $634 billion 'down payment' President Barack Obama set aside for health reform in his budget, raising the prospect of sticker shock at a time of record federal spending."

Makes Spendulus look like a bargain eh? And remember, I don't think there has been a government subsidized health plan yet in this country that hasn't been severely under budgeted.

Also from article: "Nobody disputes the fact that there's going to be some startup costs," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "But to have credibility in terms of going to the public, you've got to show you are making some savings in the existing system."

Savings eh? I'm certain those won't come at the expense of quality or availability... in a government run plan, something like that would be unheard of!

FDIC Criticizes Massachusetts Bank With No Bad Loans for Being Too Cautious
OK call me crazy, but isn't it the government forcing banks to lend to people they shouldn't have the root of this whole mess to begin with? Sheesh.....

From Article: "There are no apparent financial or legal impediments that would limit the bank’s ability to help meet the credit needs of its assessment area," the FDIC wrote in the CRA evaluation.

Ohhhh... CRA evaluation. The good old Community Reinvestment Act. Such a wonderful piece of legislation.

So this bank is actually being responsible, and we are going to punish it because they aren't lending cash to people who can't afford the loans. Hmmm... makes sense to me.

Veterans Groups Blast Obama Plan for Private Insurance to Pay for Service-Related Health Care

This actually may be a low point for this administration thus far.

From Article: "President Obama's plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service has infuriated veterans groups who say the government is morally obligated to pay for service-related medical care.
Calling it a "desperate search for money at any cost," Craig Roberts, media relations manager for the American Legion, told FOXNews.com on Tuesday that the president will "wish away so much political capital on this issue" if he continues to insist on private coverage for service-related injuries.
Cmdr. David K. Rehbein of the American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, called the president's plan to raise $540 million from private insurers unreasonable, unworkable and immoral."
Viewing ex-soldiers as a money making scheme. Wow. It doesn't get much more Machiavellian then that.

White House Information Officer Committed Petty Theft 12 Years Ago
Nice vetting process Obama is doing. I'm beginning to think that McCain didn't do such a poor job with Palin after all..... by comparison.

Support for stimulus plan slips, poll finds
Since I mentioned spendulus earlier...

Msnbc.com’s Web guide to the stimulus plan
And a bit more for you.

The thing about this list is many of the causes may be noble ones. And if we were balancing our books in a time of prosperity, I think spending extra cash on this list, which is primarily social programs NOT JOB CREATING INFRASTRUCTURE like the administration would have you believe.... might not be out of line. But now, with the economy crumbling, China threatening to cut off the money supply, and a bleeding of jobs occurring, these are not the priorities that we should be investing in. About 2/3 or this list, at least has no business being on an economic stimulus bill. Many of these items do nothing more than fund pre-existing programs which will only serve to line the pockets of bureaucrats. A few items that I find ridiculous, and I left out many additional ones that I have questions with:

AmeriCorps• (ooohhh... I can already feel the economy booming) Community Health Center Grant Program (Isn't this part of the normal budget??)• Corporation for National and Community Service (Ahhh yes... after the garbage is picked up and a couple of new playgrounds are built.... Bull Market here we come!)• Education Department (Isn't this part of the normal budget?)• Food and Nutrition Service (No better time to tell people what to eat then when they can't afford to eat)• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (really??)• Health and Human Services Department(??not part of normal budget??, how about the health care plan.... oh that's on top of this.)• Health Resources and Services Administration(Umm...)• Homelessness Prevention Fund(being a city dweller I really question the effectiveness of these programs... how about giving the cash to fight drugs and addiction instead?)• Individuals With Disabilities Education Program (Not to sound harsh but... I'm sure this will really help get us back on the right track)• Interagency Council on Homelessness(OK... two organizations for the homeless... I didn't realize the homeless played such a key role in our economy...again... trying not to sound harsh)• Internal Revenue Service (The IRS is getting Stimulus money... Really? You might say it has come "full circle")• Medicaid(Didn't W already throw $500 billion more at this? apparently it wasn't enough)• National Aeronautics and Space Administration(again... priorities)• National Cancer Institute(priorities... and this is coming from someone who works for an Oncology pharmaceutical company)• National Center for Research Resources(Faux interview: So what exactly does your organization do? response: we are the center... you know, for research resources)• National Endowment for the Arts (because in times like these, it is when we need to pay someone to piss on a crucifix. Typically I'm not opposed to the NEA, but in times like these, it should be cut not expanded.)• National Eye Institute(eye health is going to have new and increased importance in the future... I "see" a real chance for major job expansion here)• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (priorities)• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (priorities... said by someone who is allergic to pretty much everything)• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases(priorities)• National Institute on Drug Abuse (I clicked on this one... 200 million, it goes to a behavioral research study at the NIH, I'm sure some PhD and a handful of postdocs will be really happy- think of the economic ripple effect that cash will have on the Washington D.C. economy!!)• National Institutes of Health (speak of the devil....)• National Resources Conservation Service(obviously this organization must not be involved in the conservation of money)• National School Lunch Program(bigger portions of Sloppy Joes FOR EVERYONE!!!)• National Science Foundation(an organization for science... on a National level)• Neighborhood Stabilization Program (for all of those out of whack neighborhoods)• Office for Victims of Crime(probably not a bad thing... but why is it in the stimulus?)• Office on Violence Against Women (great cause... but should it be in the economic stimulus?)• Railroad Retirement Board($250 to former railroad employees...sounds silly right? If you don't believe me click on the link)• Smithsonian Institution(25 million for renovations... last time I checked these museums were amongst the best in the world... but I suppose they need new paint more than some rusted bridge needs repair, or some new highway needs construction)• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (not necessity... already in budget)• U.S. Forest Service(again, great organization, but this really shouldn't be priority)• U.S. Maritime Administration (Umm?)• Women, Infants and Children Program (Shouldn't it be part of the normal budget... isn't it?)

I urge you to click on these and other links at the MSNBC site to see how well the money is being spent... then come back and let me know if you think this money was spent on things that will have a long term benefit to our economy.

Overall... of the items that aren't temporary, they seem like large expansions of government, that would have never been passed through Congress under other circumstances, which will weigh us down for years to come, rather than help us prosper. What little infrastructure is in here does not promote economic expansion, but rather the majority supports social expansion (new clinics, schools, etc... light on the road & rail and energy infrastructure)

The Ides of March

Kate and I spent one of the lingering afternoons of the 2009 winter frolicking about the Fells reserve in Melrose and Malden. It is essentially at my doorstep and is one of the many perks of living in Melrose. We headed over to a fairly impressive series of small waterfalls located off of Washington St. where I our hike began.

The second shot shows "The cascade" from the base, however it really does not do justice to the series of falls. In the photo there is actually a person standing on top of the falls to give a better idea of the actual size of the hill they descend.

Kate is perched on a rock near the top of the cascade with water circling her.

The next picture is a side view of some of the cascades. Snow is still clinging to the rocks where it is sheltered from the sun.

Here I am, there is water rushing behind me, however it isn't readily apparent from this photo.

Here is Kate heading out on the next leg of our hike, the "Rock Circuit Trail" This brings us to the top of some steep ledge and cliffs which look out over Melrose. My apartment building is down there somewhere, obscured by the bare trees. In the last shot that faces Malden, you can just make out the Boston skyline.

Who am I kidding...

I really would like to go to the gym tomorrow morning before work. I made it tonight, and I felt great after I got out. The funny thing was that it was one of those evenings where I really didn't want to go, but once I was there I was thankful.

Still don't have a ton to report.
The market has been up lately, hopefully it isn't just a blip, we'll see.
Work has been busy....
Been a little warmer out....
Yup.

Anyway I saw this great article which is essentially an obituary, and no, I'm not at the stage in my life where I start browsing obituaries... but then again I don't get a paper, just the Internet.

Steve Bernard, 61; free spirit founded Cape Cod Potato Chips
A short life, but it sounds like it was a very full one. It is a nice read, the type of story that really leaves you impressed. Those potato chips are decadent, a couple times a year I'll have a bag. I have fond memories of having some with an Italian Sandwich at the beach as a child.

The state of happiness....

Utah, Hawaii, Wyoming top ‘happiness’ poll

I enjoyed my time in Wyoming, however it perhaps was not a good representation since I was in school. I can see where it would be a pleasant lifestyle as long as you are OK with an easy pace, and a friend of the outdoors. I think a good word to describe my perception of the state would be "refreshing". If not for the wide open spaces and sunny skies, than for the friendly people that call the state home.

OJ and left over crock pot chicken

Those are the items I'm hoping will nourish me back to health.

I stayed home with a cold today. I slept most of the day, and hopefully now I can also manage to sleep most of the night.

I don't have much to write about, and it seems I've been busy with one thing or another lately and the blog has suffered.

I suspect I will soon resume writing per usual.

Anyway, here's to hoping for a mild spring!

Sigh.....

Some observations:

Monday, market drops 300 points, nearly all day no headline articleabout this until the markets close.

Tuesday the market started as a rally, cnn puts up a headline article that boasts about a market rebound- market ends the day out modestlydown.

Yesterday Market rally was headline article> article says it was probably related to Obama's housing plan and his comments about buying stock.

Thursday: Market is down 280 points, no headline article, headline on CNN is Jacko's return to the concert circuit. At the end of the day they put up something in the Business section.

But there's no media bias....

After digging a bit I found this, strangely enough on MSNBC.

Stock markets seem to not be sold on Obama

49% Say Obama Should Delay Health Care Reform Until Economy Is Better
And that is saying something considering how effectively the left has brainwashed people into wanting "Universal/ Nationalized Health care".

How long until the public perception catches up to Wall Street? Who knows, this is after all the first rock star we've had for president.

The Food in Spain

The Galicia region of Spain to be exact.

I haven't elaborated much about my trip to Spain, largely because it was a business trip, and initially I was unsure of what if anything I could get away with blogging about. My fears were largely over blown, so now I think I will start with arguably one of the most important things in life... food.

Ah yes sustenance.

Now I ended up working like mad much of the time I was in Spain, and was admittedly a bit intimidated when it came to going into a restaurant by myself. So as you can see, a meal at Burger King is much the same as it is anywhere. Actually I think Burger King is better in Europe than it is in the United States, I feel it has really gone down hill here... and one might argue it was never really that good to begin with. But this Whopper and fries definitely hit the spot.

This trip came upon me rather suddenly, and so I was really unprepared in the communications department, and I found myself in a region where English was not broadly spoken.

The cafeteria at the place I was working did provide some excellent meals which were practically home cooked. Included amongst these was an excellent Spanish rice dish called paella, several fish entrees and roasted chicken. I also had a lentil soup, which was surprisingly delicious, as well as a local vegetable soup (which I think was made with chicken stock... not a lot of vegetarians in Spain). The meal at work was very filling, and I definitely filled up because much of the time I did not get home early enough, or have the energy or brain capacity to go out to eat. Spain does not have very many "take-out" or fast food options either, further limiting my selection.

This advertisement is seen out front of a chain restaurant located in the train station in Santiago de Compestela, an old historic city that I took a day trip to on my one day off. The food pictured is what amounts to a bacon sandwich. It was hands down the saltiest sandwich I have ever eaten. The bread was great, but the bacon was smoked rather than pan fried, giving it a very rubber like texture. I made the mistake of eating in doors here which may have taken a year or two off of my life. Smoking is not outlawed yet in Spanish establishments, and in this joint, pretty much everyone was smoking, I think even the staff was lighting up. It was gorgeous outside and I was kicking my self afterward for not bagging up the goods and finding myself a nice park bench in the sun.
The next photo was room service at the hotel. I intended to order a peperoni pizza, however I pointed to a "gourmet" option by mistake. What I got was a pizza that had a layer of tuna, cheese, anchovies, pineapple, and Spain's version of peperoni which was essentially "Canadian Bacon" with peppercorns in it. In another moment for NaCl, this was the saltiest pizza I have ever had. It wasn't what I wanted at the time, but I was eating this around 10:00 pm and I was starved so 3 quarters of the pie made acquaintance with my digestive system.

Next, On another night after returning home late, I managed to find a small grocery store/ deli. My late night snack here was to be a few cookies and a coke. Not the most nutritious meal, but overall most of my Spanish meals were probably fairly healthy, and appropriately sized portions. This cookie meal, and perhaps my other room service meal were the two exceptions. I didn't eat the whole box in one sitting by the way, just in case you were wondering.

CHICKEN FINGERS!!! (with a vintage "Coke Light") Ah yes, it doesn't get much more unadventurous than that. I could have had a nice Galician Ox Tail soup... but no, I went for the chicken fingers, and damn they were good. The fries were a total surprise, and a pleasant one at that. It came with a great mustard dip, which probably would have passed as a gourmet mayonnaise in the United States, but it was a nice dipping sauce regardless. No ketchup provided, I used the mustard dip and found it to be just as good.

One other night I had purchased some more snacks at a bigger grocery store I had found. I got myself some orange juice, which tasted like liquid centrum vitamins (it was infused with vitamins) and some soda and popcorn. I got home as late as 11:30 a couple nights and was in no mood to eat anything heavy.

On my final night in Spain, some associates took me out for a couple glasses of the local wine. It was very nice, and I wish I had more time to sample some of the finer tastes of Spain. They were headed out to supper after the wine, (Spanish restaurants open around 8-9:00 pm for dinner... different eh?) but I had to be up for 4:30 am for an early return flight. Oh well.