The AVP Beach Volleyball Tour was in town last weekend, camping out at Atlantic Station for the second or third year. I remember missing the '97 tournament due to work, and this year, I finally went to see some games in person. It had been years since I've watched beach volleyball; I vaguely remember the '04 Olympics (a long and separate story), and a few bits and pieces of beach volleyball on TV since then. Last Friday night and Sunday afternoon, I wandered across the Connector to go see some volleyball. Until that time, I'd only seen live sand volleyball at bars (Good Ol' Days, anyone?) and the occasional beach and park. It was worth the trip just to see live volleyball from bleachers. I know this sounds silly, but looking down on the sand was mind-opening. If the tour's in town next year, I'll pick up tickets again. After Sunday's Finals, I walked back over to the Park, and watched a game of...kickball? That's right: adults are playing kickball, as a prelude to beer. As it turns out, the kickball is difficult to catch, and sometimes, the kickball catches you. The latter case occurred to one unfortunate person, who was knocked silly by an overthrow while warming up for their game. All in all, it was a great weekend, for the cost of a few dollars and a blistered scalp (courtesy a nascent bald spot). |
| posted at: 01:52 | permanent link to this entry |
[full disclosure: I donated $25 to both Senators' campaigns back around Super Tuesday, and they both made it. :-] The Democratic Party Primary is over: Senator Obama will carry the nomination into the election, and will likely control the Party for at least the near future. Senator McCain and his people are back in control of the Republican party. Even after watching all of this unfold, I find it difficult to explain exactly what has transpired here. The short answer is: the downward spiral--led by two entrenched, unamerican factions--has been broken. First, our taliban: who have advanced a self-validating foreign and domestic policy of representative theocracy; who have used our treasury as a tithing in support of said theocracy; and who have advanced Third World status as a modern-day Manifest Destiny; have been put on notice. Their control officially ends on January 20, 2009, and effectively ends some time after that. Their cancer still infests their chosen host, but not for long. The Republican Party is now the "Party of Lincoln" once again. And now, our Socialists of the "American School": whose every move, proposal, rider, and statement serves a longer-range goal of reducing us to simple drones; who have allowed two consecutive taliban Presidencies to occur as a method of punishment for not kneeling before The Will of the Proletariat; whose ultimate vision for the United States is a role as Europe's oxen; and who would force the United States into indenturement to achieve these goals; have been ousted from their host Party. Make no mistakes: all is not bright and rosy. The malignant factions are now free-roaming, looking for new hosts to infect. The Libertarian Party has already been infected, courtesy the bastard Bob Barr. The Socialists, being freshly evicted, haven't had time to infect an existing party, or form their own party, but I expect them to find a new home before November. Also, this election is not over. As a matter of fact, it has just begun. There has been, up until this point, a decided lack of legitimate discussion about any of the real issues (and yes, there do exist multiple issues in this country and world) at hand, largely due to the metastasi of each ousted faction. Know this: The factions are on the sidelines. They will make as much noise as they can, and cause as much trouble as they can. They will vote for the opposite candidate, in the hopes of setting up future successes in future elections. They will spam forums of any kind, in the hopes of negating legitimate discussions. It's happening right now. Be aware of this fact, and be prepared to navigate past their efforts. Between the opposing efforts of our two factions, our nation has been greatly weakened. In their wake, there is ample reason to believe the next president will inheirit the lowest point--economically and militarily--in our country's history, including the Great Depression. Also expect the ousted factions to attempt to make political hay out of these hard times. However, also know this: The Great Darkness that has enshrouded this country since 2000 is over. There will be no third Bush term. The Bush Presidency will not be replaced with a Socialist lapdog. There will be a legitimately American President. Before that occurs, however, this country will see the shining light of legitimate discussion and debate. Outside the control of our national media and their controlling, conflicting interests, there will be legitimate discussion. And there will be reason. The next five months is exactly why Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have received so much support, from places both likely and unlikely. The cancerous factions and their harpies will be peripherals to this election. As such, regardless of the winning candidate, the United States has finally won an election. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and push. |
| posted at: 01:17 | permanent link to this entry |
Today's topic for discussion is:
| Your vs. You're: |
| posted at: 01:11 | permanent link to this entry |
