Things you do not want to hear about your baseball team: " The last six runs of the game came at the expense of shortstop Paul Janish."

Hooray for falling below .500 in stunning spectacular fashion.

The Republican Party has lost two stars over the past few weeks- at least one to self-inflicted wounds. I can think of no defense for adultery (particularly when there are kids involved), so I condemn the personal behavior of Mark Sanford. Personally I am inclined to say he should have stepped down from his position of governor of South Carolina.

For me, and many other Republicans, Sarah Palin's decision to quit her job was disapointing at best. For some, this action was enough to label her as "unfit for high office, and certainly unfit to be the vice president or the president of the United States." Others speculate that it is a shrewd gamble.

If Palin stepped down for personal reasons, particularly to provide a better life for her family, I can only support her decision. Even considering the poor treatment the Clintons (and in particular Hilary) were given by some, I cannot think of any other politican (and family) that has been treated so shabbily. The left lead the charge against Sarah Palin and her family, and most of the mainstream media followed almost directly behind those attacks.

If Plain stepped down for political reasons, her departure is much more questionable. First of all, it is difficult to find a defense for quitters. (Other than that just stated). Some on the Right have said that other folks have quit their jobs (or virtually abdicated them), to say, run for a higher office. Despite its truth, simply arguing others have done the same is a hollow defense. And, in my book, if you are using Barack or Hilary as your standard-bearers, you are not starting from a position of strength.

Ultimately I am disapointed to see Palin step off the stage of national politics- hers was a breath of fresh air in the stale atmosphere of Washington. Despite the promises of the last two Presidents to bring change to the capital, politics as usual has reigned supreme. I thought (perhaps naively) that she presented a true opportunity to bring change, and reality, to DC.

Tags: politics

Is there a keyboard combination that does the same thing as a left mouse click?

The Director's Cup is an annual NCAA trophy awarded to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics (by division).

This year, NC State finished 74th in the Director's Cup standings- behind all other ACC schools, including North Carolina (2), Duke (17), and Wake Forest (37), as well as finishing behind Ivy League schools Princeton, Cornell, Yale, and Harvard. Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.

Tags: sports

Obama, on the potential "Can do but don't" attitude of government-run health care:

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama suggested at a town hall event Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care.

In a nationally televised event at the White House, Obama said families need better information so they don't unthinkingly approve "additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care."

He added: "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller."

Thanks, Dr. Obama! We really did need to just let Granddad die. I appreciate the government run health care plan's Never give up! "well, give up when it is too expensive" attitude.

Who is the last person I want making that decision? I will go with the federal government. (No competitor, can't be sued... winning combination!)

Tags: politics

I think we were watching the Triple D a little while ago and I noticed an italian restaurantuer making Chicken Piccata- and it looked pretty simple. Up until now my chicken cooking has been pretty limited to simple grilling, or at most an overnight marinade. A variety of Piccata recipes looked pretty manageable, so I gave one simple Chicken Piccata recipe a shot (thank you, Simply Recipes).

Ultimately one of the nicer things about this recipe was that I already had a far amount of the ingredients, so I didn't have to buy everything on the list. I did end up buying more expensive chicken though, since I wanted to make it easier on myself the first time around. (The more expensive chicken cost about $6 for some thinly sliced chicken breast. Next time I will do the cutting myself.) Everything pretty much went to plan with the recipe, and I really enjoyed the dish; I think Katie was content as well.

I have been doing a good amount of the cooking this month. I guess it might be more accurate to say "cooking" since I have relied heavily on three meals: frozen lasagna, frozen stir fry meals, and pasta with sauce. The piccata was a nice change. Any suggestions for easy meals not involving pasta?

Tags: endorsements, food

"I'm married, I know when to run."

StateFansNation outlines the outrageous behavior of NC State's administration- particularly officials which apparently leave their positions but not their pay.

To me this is much worse than executive compensation issues- after all, those our private companies. These clowns, on the other hand, are mooching off of the public.

This morning I woke up and (acapella) was covered in a blanket of white...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.videosift.com%2Fvideo%2FAfrica-Acapella-cover&feature=player_embedded

But really the opening storm is kinda cool.

Tags: linky

Watching Man vs. Food, I discovered two Raleigh restaurants previously unknown (to me): The Pit & The Roast Grill.

The Pit looks like it serves up some great barbecue. To that end, I was happy to figure out the Pit has only been open for a year- otherwise I would have felt bad for missing out on some good chow during my undergrad. As for the Roast Grill, my only excuse is that I wasn't that into hot dogs. I'll have to try both soon though.

Tags: linky

I love the Honda Odyssey "Recept the Van" commercial- particularly for its disclaimer at the beginning of the video, which states "80s stunt driver on closed course. Do not attempt."

As for the next anecdote, I would not be telling it were it not for their 4% interest rate on their "Granite Green" checking accounts. That being said, I was really surprised when the Bank of Granite bank teller asked me how our child was doing this afternoon when I was cashing a check. Actually I guess she first asked if I had any pictures of the baby, to which I sheepishly replied no. So it was nice to be recognized, and makes me feel a bit happier using them as our bank. Or at least one of our banks.

Tags: endorsements

It appears Mr. Obama has backtracked on some of his inflamatory campaign rhetoric regarding free-trade- in this case, with Columbia. IBD reports that after spending time with Columbian President Alvaro Uribe at the Summit of Americas, Obama seemed to realize that the long-stalled Colombia free trade agreement should have been passed yesterday. The president announced that his team must find a way to pass the agreement.

Hooray for free trade and Mr. Obama, in this case. Hopefully the administration follows through, and ignores the Unions and the other anti-free trade forces that can pop up in both parties.

Tags: politics

Katie, Noah, and I went to the TEA party in Greensboro yesterday. I thought there would be better turnout than Winston. It looks like the hyphen held their own yesterday too!



Finally, remember when journalism was about... reporting?

Tags: politics

In watching , I ran across :

Gracchus: "Will you please leave me?
Batiatus: Come with us. See to it that I don't misuse the money.
Gracchus: Don't be ridiculous. I'm a senator."

Tags: linky

We got home yesterday. We have been using the recliner to rock Noah to sleep (and for feeding). In addition, Noah has been able to sleep relatively well in the pack-n-play, so its become something of the defacto bassinet.