Hello e-friends.

The flight into Portland was 4.5 hours from Chicago - Thats the same amount of time it takes to fly from L.A. to Washington, if your pilot is hauling major ass. It wasn't that bad of a flight... if you don't count Just Like Heaven. The best thing about that movie is Reese Witherspoon, of course. It is a terrible movie, however.

The weather here is in the mid to upper 40's, with more rain than I even could have imagined in a joke about how rainy this part of the country is. Its a gorgeous place though... the drive was very scenic.

Washington state is famous for its apples, and we are in the apple capital of the planet; Yakima, WA. Practically every single grocer in America sources its apples from here, and its interesting to learn how it is that they bring them to market from the tree to your grocer. There is far more involved than I originally thought. The worst part about seeing all of these perfect apples is that I'm bound by company policy and cannot try one. Go to the store and buy some of the Pink Lady variety, friends... they are one of the best apples for straight up eating.

As usual I'm learning more Spanish and am trying to dig up all of the Spanish I forgot. I think the best way to do this, besides watching Telemundo, is to listen to Spanish language songs, get the lyrics, and try to translate. I love the Spanish language... love songs in Spanish are absolutely beautiful. Somehow the Spanish language is able to say more than would be possible in English. My two favorites so far are an Argentinean band called Los Enanitos Verdes, and a Mexican group called Mana. Highly recommended. Here are the lyrics from a song called Luz de Dia, by Los Enanitos Verdes -

Destapa el champagne, apaga las luces
dejemos las velas encendidas
y afuera las heridas
ya no pienses más en nuestro pasado
hagamos que choquen nuestras copas
por habernos encontrado
y porque:
Puedo mirar el cielo, besar tus manos
sentir tu cuerpo, decir tu nombre
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
puedo ser luz de noche, ser luz de día
frenar el mundo por un segundo
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
El tiempo dejó su huella imborrable
y aunque nuestras vidas son distintas
esta noche todo vale
tu piel y mi piel, ves que se reconocen
es la memoria que hay en nuestros
corazones, y porque...
Puedo mirar el cielo, besar tus manos
sentir tu cuerpo, decir tu nombre
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
puedo ser luz de noche, ser luz de día
frenar el mundo por un segundo
y que me digas cuanto querías
que esto pasara
una ves más, y otra ves más, y porque
Puedo mirar....
sin tu amor no se vivir
porque sin tu amor
yo me voy a morir de pena....

I can look at the sky, kiss your hands, feel your body, say your name, and the caresses will be the breeze that fans the flame of our love?!?!

I love those lyrics. And the song is killer too.

So I went to Sahara Grill today for lunch! Why the hell did I not make the time for this sooner.... I was very happy. I needed some humor so I brought the New York Times with me. I had the shrimp and falafel wrap, with a salad, some Pepsi and a pot of the Turkish coffee. DELICIOUS! The coffee impressed me the most - what a cool little serving pot they have. I'm making it back there first thing when I come back from Seattle.

I ran into (e:leetee) and (e:uncut) on my way - they were banking and so was I. Hmm... what else... no, thats about it. I enjoyed the day off. I don't remember the last unjustified midweek day off I had, so this was a nice diversion.

NYC Council elected its first openly gay speaker, and to be honest I'm a little surprised that it hasn't happened sooner. This lady has pledged to work with the Mayor on issues facing the city, but lets be honest... she's an uberliberal and he's not. Trust me, it ain't going to work out for NYC politics anytime soon. Thats like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi saying they'd work with the President after the past election. Its only lip service.

I want to eat healthier on the road. Any suggestions?

Today I took a day trip with the Prez of my company to Toronto for an audit - let me tell you, (e:peeplz), its amazing how fast two white guys in a Lexus can get through the border! It went like this on the way home -

Border Guard: "What are your nationalities?"

Me and Tha Bossman: - "United States."

Border Guard: "Bring anything back with you?"

Me and Tha Bossman: "Nope."

Border Guard: "Buh-Bye."

I do not kid about the buh-bye thing. That was the cleanest border crossing I've had in my life, and the conversation couldn't have lasted more than three seconds.

It was interesting today though - they were a snack food manufacturer ran by Christian Iraqis. The employees were immigrants from a variety of different countries in Asia, and a lot of them had engineering degrees! The guys running the machines had the knowledge to reprogram the machines... you know I travel a lot and that was a first. Everybody was VERY friendly to me and were eager to show me how the operation works; I don't remember seeing that much enthusiasm at a factory. For a couple people I had to speak through a translator (I don't speak Punjabi) which is common for my line of work, but it was no problem at all. The ladies were sweet to me - from their reaction I don't think they've spoken directly to many Americans, and I was just as eager to chat with them as they were with me. This older Iraqi lady gave me a blessing and wished me a lot of success. Then she said that if/when we go back that she wanted me to try some Iraqi food. Can one person possibly ask for more than that from a sweet old lady?

My trip to Portland and Seattle will be going on as scheduled, although the schedule is still kind of loose. For example, I know that I'll be there for around two weeks, but I still don't know when it is precisely that I'll be home. I'm bringing the digicam with me to get some cool shots of the mountains.

Not to end with a downer, but my heart is heavy for a couple of my co-workers tonight. My co-workers and friends Julio and Rosario are in Miami tonight taking care of their mother, who had a series of very bad health issues pile on top of each other yesterday. She has emphasema (sic?) and she began to have respiratory problems around 4AM - shortly thereafter she got hit with a heart attack/cardiac arrest. Now she is in a hospital and the only thing keeping her alive is a machine. Did I mention that despite her illness she kept smoking for years? What a silly, disgusting way to go out. When I check out of the Life Hotel, you better believe that its going to be because of an accident or natural causes unrelated to smoking cigarettes.

She knew she was sick, and she had a wicked sense of humor about it. She said, "Don't pull the plug right away - give me a couple weeks to try to snap out of it first, then you can pull the plug!" I had the chance on a few occasions during my visits to Miami to stop by her house - when I walked in she'd be yelling "SIENTATE!" Then she would offer me that cuban coffee I love so much, and she'd cut me slices of papaya and say, "Mas, mas?" I'm saying a prayer for her and for my friends tonight, because I've had to watch my dad sign the Do Not Resuscitate form with tears streaming down his face when my grandfather was dying. That is one of the worst decisions a person has to make their entire lives.

At work yesterday I got a big bomb dropped on me - I'm going to be travelling to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA! Outstanding, I've been waiting to go to the Pac-NW. The problem is that I'm going to be gone for 2.5 weeks straight - yes thats right, 2 weekend stayovers. At least I'll be in Seattle and will have some crap to see and do.

I hope everybodys Christmahannukwanzikah was bright and full of good cheer, and what not. Ours was fairly good - I got a bunch of cash and a full set of brand new kitchenware. I usually just want cash, but my grandma always insists on having at least one "present" to open. Such a sweet lady!

Now, on to some news -

UPS worker goes postal! Article ->

And also back to my personal pet peeve - the media elite. You've read the article in a previous journal of mine about the media and their incapability to deal with realities the rest of us face, if you are in fact a discerning lurker at estrip - now this one truly is over the top. Article ->

This is going to set off a rant. This guy is arguing that pricing the creative class out of living in Manhattan is somehow going to doom journalism. I don't think I've read anything so lathered in bullshit all year long. Poor, poor journalists. They can't get by on only $250k a year in New York. There are graduates coming out of college now that could do their job equally well for HALF of what these journalists are making currently, and would jump at the chance. Hey (e:hodown), think its possible to live in Manhattan on $250k a year? They face "excruciating" - their word, not mine - choices like public or private school. Are they even reading what they are writing? Yeah, you can definitely live on $250k a year in Manhattan - but not how they want to live. They think they should be earning what i-bankers and lawyers earn, because these are who they consider to be their "peers." BAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Nothing personal, journalists, but a journalism degree isn't really considered a professional degree like an MBA, JD or MD. You aren't on par with the real professionals, and no amount of telling yourself over and over that you belong in a certain class in society is going to change fact!

The print business is a bad business to be in - readership is dropping like a rock. Unfortunately for these purveyors of self-delusion, they use the same argument to make their argument that other people use to criticize pay for professional athletes. Our society doesn't pay people based on their status or benefit to society(actual or self-perceived). People make what they make based on market conditions and their benefit to the company that they work for. PERIOD.

Essentially, the thrust of this article is that these journalists feel that they have a certain "status" in society, and that because of that status they are entitled and should demand pay and a lifestyle that befits their "status." The sense of entitlement and arrogance from these people literally makes me want to vomit.

My favorite quote from the article is this -

"We New York-area journalists shouldn't ask for pity, and we don't deserve it. As a class, we're bourgeois and ambitious. We like comfort and access, but we don't want to work all that hard."

If you didn't want pity, WHY DID YOU WRITE THE ARTICLE? They, in this journalists own words, don't want to work that hard? Thank you, dear journalists, for proving what a lot of us already knew was true - you don't understand how regular people live, and you can't relate to them whatsoever... and as a result the regular folks should be paying attention to your views on things such as domestic issues and politics. These are the people that are supposed to guide us on how we should be viewing the world? BULLSHIT.

Couldn't help but laugh after seeing this -



Harry Reid the day that the Patriot Act was signed. I also read this morning that Eminem's music was used as a "torture device" during interrogations - no lie. The indignity of it all!

In todays news -

1. Atlanta theater promoting pedophile musical - sorry if I offend anyone, but if you consider that "art" you are a piece of shit human being. These people are refering to this abomination as "delicate" and "heart wrenching" - I want to vomit. Article here ->

2. My personal second favorite crazy asshole, the leader of Iran (close second behind Hugo Chavez) bans Western music from Iranian radio. Article here ->

3. Drunken Santas on rampages worldwide! Article here ->

I had intended on going to the Snow Party but I hit a snag and couldn't make it. I hate owing shit to people.

Firstly, HAPPY B-DAY (e:hodown)!! I was interested to see that (e:jessbob) was there, as well as the usual suspects. I'm glad that some people posted some pictures from the party - looks like it was a blast!

You should be the last guy questioning sources, considering that you constantly use things like the Guardian here, which is unabashedly anti-American. You want me to give you credit for using a government document for once? Lol. Firstly, the 9/11 Commission is not a government entity, so it wasn't a document produced by the government of the United States of America. Secondly, this same document and the people who wrote it contradicts itself on several occasions.

Lets talk a while about who is wasting who's time here. Thomas Kean, you know... the guy who lead the 9/11 Commission? This is what he said on July 22, 2004 - 10 days after the usual suspects like the NYT blared on their front pages that the Commission found no link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda -

"THERE WAS NO QUESTION (my emphasis) in our minds that there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda."

Go ahead and look through the 9/11 Report (something that I don't think you've read, either). Stop stealing from liberal talking points for once and read it for yourself. You'll find several references to "friendly contacts" between Al-Qaeda and the Iraqi government.

By the way, what you aren't telling our good readers here is that the Report also doesn't mention that the guy who made the chemicals for the 1993 WTC attack was an Iraqi, which the Commission conveniently brushed aside.

You also aren't telling our readers that the Report mentions thinks like meetings between bin Laden and Iraqi officials as early as 1998, when several Iraqi officials went to Afghanistan.

You also aren't mentioning that these meetings were arranged by, according to the report, Zawahiri.

The report also mentions, although once again in a passing glance, that an Iraqi named Ahmed Hikmat Shakir was part of the 9/11 planning sessions - apparently for some Commissioners this was not important and received a footnote... a footnote!

The report mentions an email from Richard Clarke to Sandy Berger, the same guy who provided evidence against the connection, who speculated that the heavy Iraqi presence at Sudanese chemical factories was "probably the direct result of the Iraqi/Al-Qaeda agreement." What was Richard Clarke talking about?

The report also mentions that the Clinton Justice Department noted the Iraq-Al Qaeda connection in its sealed indictment of Osama bin Laden. Gee, Billybob, there sure weren't any connections there between terrorists and Al-Qaeda, hyuk hyuk!

Clinton's former SoD William Cohen testified to the Commission, suggesting that Iraq and bin Laden collaborated on the construction of a VX factory in Sudan. Chairman Kean was asked why this testimony wasn't given weight. His answer was that the information was given weight, but the lefties on the Commission didn't believe William Cohen!

Pay attention to the document and the testimony, and you'll find the argument that there was no connection between Iraq and Al-Qaeda laughable - if the commission ignored its own information and would not connect the dots (although the LEADER of the damn organization said that there was no doubt of a connection) thats another story.

Actually, I have to admit that I set a trap for you. There was a speciic reason why I chose The Weekly Standard -

a) The article was based on REAL government documents, not some whitewashed report produced by people who helped cause the communication problem between intelligence agencies and law enforcement, a major problem during 9/11 (coughjamiegorelickcough). You may not like the Weekly Standard, although you've never read it, but the facts of the matter are unclassified and part of the public record now. You need to do your own homework. Even organizations such as the World Socialists agree with me, which is scary.

b) I wanted people to see that you would ignore the facts of the matter and jump on a conservative magazine that you'd never read. You've still not countered the cross-referenced GOVERNMENT documents that show that Zawahiri met with Saddam in 1992, and that Saddam paid the guy $300,000. I can't blame you; if the Democrat politicians can't figure out a way to counter it, you probably couldn't either.

c) I wanted people to see that you weren't actually interested in debate, and that despite your own admission you ARE trying to bait people.

I'm not playing your game. If you are interested in debate, then stick to the topics instead of shifting away from things you are struggling with. And, for the love of God, do your own damn homework and come prepared before addressing me - otherwise, I'm going to insist on ignoring you. I'm not going to have my time wasted by some liberal who is falsely declaring that he is interested in legitimate discussion on serious matters. I was hoping for a lot more. Get the Kool-Aid out of your diet.

p.s. Why is it mindblowing to you that the President said something that all of us already knew? By the way, what Bush said is not a condemnation of every single bit of information the CIA and the REST OF THE FREAKING WORLD came up with regarding Iraq. To draw a conclusion like that is completely silly.

Just joking.

This is just an anonymous former e-stripper letting everyone know that I refuse to shave or cut my hair until the end of Dart League. It's like the NHL playoffs, yo!

Ok... you can be a geek or a non-geek, but anybody with any bit of imagination at all would get a kick out of this -

Richard Branson is building a $225 million spaceport in New Mexico. At the moment, commercial spaceflight will begin in 2008 and will cost the traveler $200,000. I would give just about anything to be able to do this.

Cut and pasted from the site -

COUNTDOWN BEGINS. SIX DAYS TO LAUNCH
You may well fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class into the nearest major city. Possibly we will pick you up in the Virgin Galactic executive jet and shuttle you to the Virgin Galactic space resort, where you will be guided to your luxury accommodation. This will be home during your stay.

Every morning you could be ferried by helicopter to the training base and spaceport where you might undergo six days of medical preparation, G-Tolerance training, talking to space experts about how to get the most from your experience, fly the simulator and in the evenings dine with astronauts and guest speakers.

You could possibly have the opportunity to ride in fast jets, to experience negative gravity in our executive jet and then watch as one of the other launches leaves earth for the near reaches of space; possibly you may even ride in the mother ship. That in itself will be phenomenal, as you watch the ship rise vertically to Mach 1 (around 600 mph) in less than 10 seconds and eventually disappear into space at over 3 times the speed of sound.

LIFT OFF

Your journey out of this world begins not on the launch pad like a conventional space rocket but on a runway. Virgin Galactic craft are carried under a mother ship to almost 10 miles above sea level. Then the countdown begins.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....the VSS Enterprise, your spaceship, is released from the mother ship. Almost immediately, as your astronaut pilot ignites the engine, you will hear the roar of the rocket behind you as the enormous power accelerates you at 4G to a speed faster than a bullet.

All the time, the ergonomic design of the seats will keep you comfortable.

As you hurtle through the edges of the atmosphere, through the panoramic individual windows you will be able to see the cobalt blue sky turn to mauve and indigo and finally black. Out will come the stars, clear and bright... even though it is daytime!

Soon the rocket motor cuts out. Now, from the rush of adrenalin and the rocket motor, everything is quiet.

You are weightless...

You are in space!

The ship will manoeuvre, so you can look for the first time back at the planet you have just come from. The view will be over a thousand miles in any direction. That's like seeing North Africa if you were in a spaceship above London or Miami from overhead Washington DC. You will see the clarity of the solar system and the harshness of the sun.

It will be humbling. It will be spiritual.

TOUCHDOWN

After these precious minutes soaking up the thrill of space, you will start your return to earth. Your seats will recline to make the journey through the atmosphere as comfortable as possible. At around 50,000 feet the spaceship will return to a glider-like configuration for the landing back at the spaceport.

Possibly, later that evening, at a magnificent gala dinner, you will be awarded your astronaut wings and maybe even a part of the rocket motor used on your trip for you to keep as a memento.

Video and photographic images of your moment of making space history will be yours to show your kids and grandkids. Remember, of course, in their lifetime Virgin Galactic might have made it possible so that space travel is as common and as fun as flying with Virgin Atlantic.

You can tell them you helped make it happen.

I guarantee you won't be disappointed -

This is probably the silliest thing I've ever read in the "A" section of a major paper. Gee, who would think... an elite reporter dedicating a 2-page article proving their weeniedom and pettiness.

My answer to them would be this - shut up, sit down, put the food down your neck and move on, or fly coach like the rest of us. If somebody like that has a pathological and disturbing incapability to deal with whats served on Air Force 2, why should I pay attention to this person when they write something other than a fluff piece?