I haven't mentioned the iPhones to Dad yet. He's had a rough time after losing his job and there is something immodest about showing off a new toy to someone who is suffering. It just makes it worse when the suffering person is your father. I know that deep down Dad would never be bothered about it and insists that we occasionally reward ourselves for our hard work. I know that he loves toys and would think it's incredibly cool. However, I still can't bring myself to tell him.

I think that generally this is emblematic of the times we're living in.

Ok,

I'm throwing this out there because I distinctly remember (e:matt) being a little defensive when I really laid into smartphones and smartphone users on this journal.

Don't get me wrong - I still feel justified in lampooning people who are WAY too attached to the technology on their person and will continue to do so in this space, but recently some circumstances have lead me to... ok forced me to reconsider this hardline position I've been taking a bit.

My phone recently broke. I've been plotting purchasing a new iPod for a while. The two needs/desires converged and so both (e:jason) and I decided to get iPhones. This summer I negotiated a significant salary increase, which is sort of a magic trick these days, and I've worked my ass off. I haven't taken time off in three years. I needed a reward really badly, and after looking into the new iPhone I totally fell in love with the unit.

I wish I had one of these when I was traveling full time and I CAN'T WAIT until I can get a chance to travel for the company again, at least for part of the time (I have to accept that my role will keep me anchored to the office). You're going to get pictures/video of me, wherever the hell they send me. You're going to get Joshy singing an autotuned break on a T-Pain track posted on Facebook.

I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but I'm way behind on what's possible with phones these days. You have to realize - I've never owned a phone that could take a picture. A lot of this is new to me and finding ways to use my new phone is going to be a learning experience. I am probably going to have a lot of dumb questions but I look forward to it - I can't wait to master this thing. More than anything I just want to get the most I can out of it.

I report and comment on so much Buffalo-related negativity that I thought I should provide some balance and show you this -

Awesome. We need more of this. Little by little, brick by brick, this is how you rebuild a dying microeconomy. This is how you employ people. This is how you lure businesses. Operating in Buffalo isn't a privilege - without incentives people would be crazy to (re)locate here. That is, unless you have the wherewithal and resources to locate anywhere you like, flying the altruistic flag high and all. Renovating existing space makes this deal even sweeter.

Interesting, given the times -

I have a few books I've thought about buying lately and decided to put together an order on Amazon. I hate it when their free super saver shipping conspires against me. I want to buy two books and the order comes to about $23. Granted, both books are discounted around 40%. I feel like asking them to just charge me $2 more for the books so I don't have to spend $10 on shipping.

End of an era indeed. I can't think of many people that lived a fuller life than Sen. Ted Kennedy. Yes, there were some controversies, but on the other hand I can't think of many people that have lived through more tragedy than Sen. Ted Kennedy either. God Bless him - he is the only Kennedy brother to have died a natural death. He was the best looking Kennedy brother as well.

No pictures this time. If you want to see my pictures, go to Carmen Kitchen's Facebook page. I just found out that they "borrowed" two of my pictures from my previous blog entry here and used them for wall photos on FB.

I really don't mind, and in fact I think they should ask people to submit pictures of their food... or even of themselves with the food. But jeez, can't you guys at Carmen's at least say "thanks for promoting us on your blog, we'd love to use your pictures on FB to promote our restaurant?" C'mon y'all! Que tal unos pastelitos? Ustedes necessitan hook a gringo up! :) (solomente una chiste, see you soon).

You know the world is upside down when Obama makes me feel nostalgia for the Clintons. Yes, both of them - the Presidential philanderer and his better half. Actually, I have a lot more esteem for Hillary these days than I used to have. Maybe it is a result of her not being a politician anymore?

I've never really thought much of Bill, although over the years I've always enjoyed his shenanigans and the public's seemingly endless ability to forgive him. Really, let's think of this - Bill Clinton, Rhodes Scholar and brilliant man, arguing about what the meaning of "is" is? Surely we can agree that arguing about the meaning of "is" is preposterous regardless of context.

Which brings us to the present day. Man you've got to love Bill Clinton, riding in like a knight in shining armor, carrying the damsels in distress on his white horse Hollywood producer/donor funded airliner.

The public is being bamboozled into believing the imagery, that Bill Clinton was the driving force behind the release of the two extraordinarily foolhardy journalists who broke the law in the most despotic country on earth. The real truth? The Administration was much more involved than they want to let on - to suggest that this was a "private humanitarian mission" was a flat out lie. Washington Post, and pretty much every other outlet, made it clear that negotiations went along on the side, involving senior WH and State Dept. personnel, and others.

So again, I'm really, really loving how Bill Clinton is getting all of the credit and soaking up the love on the backs of other people. I miss Slick Willy in action. He's not even paying for the jet! One would think that Al "$100 million fraudulent dollars in mah con man pockets" Gore might have fronted that cost, as he is the founder of Current TV.

My real question is this - what's up with this wholly dishonest and easily debunked assertion that Bill Clinton was on a "private humanitarian mission" and what did we give up? The press has reported that our government, including WH level personnel, were directly involved with negotiations (the piece refers to this as "conversations" but you know better).

There isn't a rational person on earth that believes the North Korean government released these two ladies out of the goodness of their hearts, or for a mere photo op with The Artist Formerly Known As The First Black President. So, what did the North Koreans get in return? We may not know for years, although the underlying irony was not lost on me during Clinton's visit.

Remember?



I wonder how many North Koreans starved to death that week!

You be the judge. Vlad Putin barechesting it on horseback -

I've got nobody I can really talk to about the stress in my life. My father lost his job and is preoccupied in a cloud, my grandmother is 80 and I can't lay my worries at her feet, and my brother has his own problems. My grandpa is gone and for those of you who didn't know, we were raised by our father and grandparents after our mother gave up custody when we were 9 months old. In other words, I can't draw on my mom for advice either.

I'm trying to figure out how to cope with this - I'm usually the listener, the source of optimism and enthusiasm for the people around me. What happens if I don't have it in me anymore? Lately I've been feeling a little worn down and I've been at a loss... I've been begging God to provide me with some clarity and to remove this spectre over me.