Traveling

So today, my blog got hit in the Middle East.

I'm thinking maybe Israel, how cool is that?

And how cool is having a counter that tells you where people view your blog? So hello to my readers in TX, PA, and Europe. Thank you.

The last PC post?

No, not politically correct. I'm sure I will have to do that again.

PC as in personal computer. My new macbook shipped out on Saturday, and in spite of the fact that I'm already feeling a little buyer's remorse for not waiting until a tax free holiday--I could have saved $160--I'm excited.

As for the rest of life, it goes on. I've got a busy week at work this week, so updates may not come as frequently. For the two of you who are reading this, thanks! You should leave a comment.

If anything big happens, I'll be sure to let you know. That includes receiving a new computer, ipod, or breaking down and buying the golf clubs I'm coveting. It includes making any major life-changing decisions, some of which I may not let you know about. Or moving. But still a few weeks in the future.

Big spending

It's official, I am soon to be the proud owner of a new mac laptop. And an ipod. And it only cost me $1950.

I'll let you know when it comes in.

Up next on the purchase list is a new set of golf clubs. I went and demoed some today, but didn't find the right set at the right price yet. I did however find the right set at the wrong price. Then I tried a bunch of clubs, big name ones like Callaway, Nike, and Cleveland on the cool swing analyzer, and didn't like any of them. Here is what I learned:

I need a regular shaft for my club speed, which is slower than I would like to reveal.
I like to block my irons right.
I need to learn to close the club face and hit the ball away from the heel.
I need to clear my lower half faster to get the face square at impact.

That's a lot to learn in one day. The salesman assured me that when it all clicks, I will have more power and a better overall swing, but it will take time. I'd rather just buy new golf clubs and let them fix the problem.

Fox News

Forget the fair and balanced line. The only liberal on the channel is Alan Colmes. It's "we love conservatives" news. That's fine, just admit it. But that's not my biggest problem. A couple nights ago, I was up late talking to my beautiful girlfriend and channel surfing. I found this nice little opinion show on Fox News called "Red Eye." Basically, a bunch of late 20/early 30-somethings talking about how stupid the democrats are, how hypocritical the democrats are, how much everyone should hate the democrats.

Let me interject here that I am not a democrat. I don't even try to defend them much. I think they can be as bad as republicans. Here's my problem: While we will blast the hypocrisy of Al Gore's "Live Earth," we will ignore the hypocrisy in a man like David Vitter. Don't republicans stand for morals. Don't they represent family values. Yet they hire escorts, and I only call her that because I have no idea what she really did. But no talk of him.

First problem, you are on tv at 1:00 at night. Nobody is watching you. You aren't good enough for a real show. Quit being so negative. Second problem, be consistent. If you want to gripe about the hypocrisy of environmentalists, then gripe about the hypocrisy of people who "stand" for the issues that really matter to you. Better yet, shut up about the hypocrites when I'm sure you are just as bad, as am I.

In closing, thanks to David Vitter for being the first politician I can ever remember who actually took responsibility for his mistake. I'm sure he's not the first congressman to hire an escort, but he may be the first to not try to hide it. While his behavior is disappointing, to say the least, his reaction is not, and at least that's something.

Midseason Awards (NL)

I have to admit that I don't follow the National League like I should. Here goes:

NL MVP (FH) - Matt Holliday, OF, Colorado Rockies. I really don't like anyone for the MVP here. Holliday probably has the best numbers, though. Second in BA by one point, third in RBIs by four, and quite a show last night in the Derby, even though that doesn't count.

NL MVP (S) - Chase Utley, 2B, Philadephia Phillies - For some reason, Albert Pujols doesn't win these awards as often as he probably should. Utley's numbers compare very favorably to Holliday's, and he's a second baseman. If they stay close, look for Utley to win, but don't count out a big second half from Holliday.

NL CY (FH) - Jake Peavy, SP, San Diego Padres. Everyone is saying it's a tossup between Peavy and Chris Young. Peavy has not allowed more than 4 earned runs in a start this year, and has never pitched less than 5 innings in a game. That impresses me more than the slight difference between the two ERAs. He also leads the league in strikeouts.

NL CY (S) - Jake Peavy. He'll be more likely to keep up this pace than Young, and does anyone expect Brad Penny to stay healthy all year?

NL ROY (FH) - Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers. In less games, he has better numbers than Hunter Pence. He's hitting .350. The Brewers are in first place.

NL ROY (S) - Ryan Braun. I don't see him falling off any more than any other rookie typically does in the second half.

NL MOY (FH) - Ned Yost, Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are in first place. The Brewers. That's enough.

NL MOY (S) - Bud Black, San Diego Padres. If the padres win the division, which I think they will behind their starting pitching, Black wins the award. I think the Cardinals will catch the Brewers, hurting Yost's chances.

Actual Predictions:
MVP - Jose Reyes, NY Mets
CY - Brad Penny, LA Dodgers
ROY - Ryan Braun
MOY - Ned Yost

There you have it. Check back in November to see how I did.

Midseason Awards (AL)

What is more fun in baseball than giving away awards, especially at the All Star break when we still have almost half a season to play. Here are my first-half award winners, and my predictions for the end of the season.

AL MVP (First Half) - Magglio Ordonez, OF, Detroit Tigers. No apologies to Alex Rodriguez, his wife, his girlfriend, or his 30 homeruns. MVPs don't play for losers, and that's what the team from the Bronx is this year. (I love it.) Mags leads the league in batting average, by a lot, over Ichiro Suzuki, and made the last out in Justin Verlander's no-hitter. Good enough for me.

AL MVP (Season) - Victor Martinez, C, Cleveland Indians. I still don't think Rodriguez wins it. I expect someone to put up a huge second half and make a push. Possibly Justin Morneau of the Twins, whose 24 homers are second in the league already. But Martinez will help the Indians make the playoffs, plus he catches, which is even more impressive.


AL Cy Young (FH) - Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers. His numbers aren't the best. Even Mark Beuhrle threw a no-hitter. Dan Haren has a better ERA. Josh Beckett has more wins, even with a stint on the DL. But no one else has made batters look as foolish as Verlander did against the Brewers. No one else has thrown 102 !! mph after their 100th !!! pitch of the game. Most impressive moment for me all year.

AL Cy Young (S) - Johan Santana, SP, Minnesota Twins. How about the Central Division. Does anyone really expect Santana to not win this award? He's had his best first half in recent memory, and we all know how dominant he has been in the second half lately. If he keeps the twins anywhere close to in contention, give him another one.

AL ROY (FH) - Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox. You knew there had to be some Red Sox love somewhere. One Japanese pitcher has exceeded expectations, but he's not getting paid like the one who hasn't. Unfortunately, he's a middle reliever, and they don't win awards. Pedroia gets it with the best batting average among rookies and for filling the two spot for the Red Sox when no one else has been able to. After that horrible April slump, Pedroia is hitting .358.

AL ROY (S) - Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Sox. I'm gonna stick with my guy. I don't think Dice-K has enough to get to 20 wins, and I still don't like Okajima's chances. I think this category belongs to a Sox player this year, because they really don't have an MVP candidate, and I don't like Beckett's chances for the Cy.

AL MOY (FH) - Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians, and Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox. Here is the reason I have a tie. No one expected the Indians to be in first place until the day before the break. We knew they were good, but not this good. As for Francona, ignore the payroll. His three best hitters--Ramirez, Drew, and Ortiz (slightly)--have underperformed. Three starting pitchers have underperformed--Schilling, Daisuke, and Wakefield. His three biggest free agent signings--Drew, Lugo, and Dice-K--have underperformed. Yet the Red Sox have the best record in baseball.

AL MOY (S) - Eric Wedge. I think the Indians make the playoffs. For a team this young and inconsistent, including their manager, that deserves the award.

Those are my votes if I could vote, based on what I think players will do after the break. As for real predictions of the players I think will win:

AL MVP - A-Rod (boooooooo!)
AL Cy - Johan Santana
AL ROY - Pedroia
AL MOY - Mike Scioscia.

On to the National League later.

Something Different

Sorry, slight change of plans. We'll do new music reviews later.

I really want to be a songwriter. The problem is threefold. My guitar skills are lacking, my voice is weak, and I'm just not that good at expressing myself with words. You really need one of those to ever be successful as a musician. So I thought this summer would be a good time to work on writing. It hasn't been.

For the rest of summer, amid the planning for law school, working, and time-wasting that has become my life, along with the as-frequent-as-possible talks with the missing girlfriend, I'm going to write. I should read too, but I'll have plenty of time to do that in law school. I might work on the fretboard a little bit as well.

Maybe one day, I'll post a new song or something. That could be fun.

Live Earth

I don't really want to talk about global warming and saving the environment. I know that kind of defeats the purpose of an event like this, but really, let's talk about the music right now. But first, one quick political note: Props to Al Gore for putting together a lineup like this. The only thing missing are a few lesser-known American bands who really could have used an event like this for some positive pub, but I won't complain about the acts. I'm still waiting for John Mayer to play, too!

I have to admit that I tried to watch every second of Live Aid when it happened two years ago. I love the collaborations. I just watched Keith Urban and Alicia Keys, who never would perform together at anything but this, and yet it was fun. Not the best music I've ever heard, but neat to see a country rock guitar genius and a r&b soul genius voice come together.

My most memorable collab was watching Chris Martin and the Verve, or the lead singer of the Verve and Coldplay, I don't remember that well, doing Bittersweet Symphony. Apparently, they are all legends in the UK. I just think they are cool, and I like the song. I also enjoyed John Legend and Corrinne Bailey Rae today, but I don't think their voices blended as well as I would have thought. Oh well, still cool.

Maybe tomorrow I will begin a new installment for the foreseeable future called "Sunday Music Review." I'll review a new cd and tell you whether or not you should buy it. Until then, watch the concert (even if it's on Bravo(!)) and let's save the earth.

Sorry, I said I wouldn't do that.

Law School Stuff

Today has been a big day for getting things done.

First, I worked on finding an apartment. While making calls about those, I got a call from the credit card application people. I don't know what you call them. Anyway, I am getting a new credit card, so I will be purchasing a new macbook within the coming weeks for law school.

Meanwhile, my dad was picking up a fax from one apartment complex, where hopefully I will be staying this fall. I'll send in my application first thing tomorrow.

Now all I need to do is apply for loans so I can actually afford everything.

What is more American than Politics?

Happy 4th of July.

In honor of the upcoming election season, which seems to have already begun, I will take this time to express the planks in my platform, were I able to run for president along with half the country. So begins my quest for the White House, 2028.

Iraq: I think we should have gone. I know that's not a popular opinion right now, but based on the evidence we had, which I now know was faulty, but didn't know then, I think the right decision was made. But I think it's time to get out. We have been there too long, spent too many lives and too much money, and apparently have no clear plan. I promise that as your president, I will give you a timeline for removal or our troops, who, by the way, are doing a great job in the midst of adversity every day.

Taxes/Budget: Our economy has grown too quickly. Unfortunately, I think it may be time for some higher taxes. Sure, tax the richest people, because they can afford it, and that saves me and my family money. But the tax increases could slow the economy to a more manageable rate of growth, and help balance the budget. I promise I would cut frivolous and not-so frivolous spending, starting with Iraq (not-so-frivolous) and ending with government waste (you guessed it). I also promise that I won't lie to you now and promise lower taxes, only to raise them when entering office. Therefore, it can only get better.

Social/Moral Issues: I promise to do absolutely nothing about abortion, capital punishment, affirmative action, and same-sex marriages. I have opinions on all the issues, but they don't matter. With a divided Congress, none of these issues will ever come across my desk to be approved or vetoed, so why bother talking about them now.

Health Care: I promise that we are not a European nation, and therefore our government is not ready to provide universal health care worth having. Instead, I promise to let you buy your drugs from other countries, because they are too expensive here. While we're at it, I promise to let you continue buying gas from Middle Eastern countries, because it is too expensive here as well. I'll think about legalizing marijuana, but only for prescription medicines. And no, your psychiatrist can not prescribe it. Neither can your chiropractor.

Education: I promise to reform schools. I don't know exactly how to do that, but neither has any other president recently, and they got elected. I guess that since I'm raising taxes, I can increase the education budget a little bit. And I can offer more grants for higher education, because I know I've enjoyed those. I promise to offer school vouchers. I'm not sure they'll work, but we haven't tried them, so they deserve a chance.

Social Security: We have enough money in it to pay the old people right now. As for you young people who don't bother to vote, you have enough time to make enough money to save enough for retirement. I promise you won't get enough to live on when you are 65. I promise you won't live to be 65 if we don't work on improving good health habits in children. So Social Security shouldn't really matter, should it.

Immigration: Yo hablo español. Me gusta los latinos, los italianos, y personas de todas las paises en lo que vivia. Pero, tenemos un problema en los estados unidos. Necesitamos aprender otras linguas, porque esta es un mundo muy interdependiente. Immigrants offer a valuable service to United Statesians, taking jobs we won't take, and teaching us about other cultures. However, they should come legally. They should pay taxes. We should be more accommodating to their cultures, and not try to force them to learn our language if we are unwilling to learn theirs when we visit. I promise to allow legal immigrants to come and work and live and chase the American dream. I promise to let Congress figure out what to do with illegals, and by the time they do that, term limits will have sent me into retirement in some other country.

Gun Control: I don't like guns, in my hand or someone else's. I haven't seen Ben-Hur, so I don't know if I like Charlton Heston. I promise to try to keep guns out of the criminals' hands, while still trying to protect the 2nd amendment.

There's my platform. I'm sure I left something out, but that's ok. Some overzealous pundit will challenge me about it. I'm just not sure if I'm running as a republican or democrat. I'll welcome suggestions for a party.