March 2004 Archives

Looks like we all need to go into Starbucks more often. You never know what you'll find.

Found at Starbucks: The Pentagon's Papers
March 31, 2004

As most of America slept early last Sunday morning, the Bush administration hustled and bustled to prepare for the Sunday morning talk shows – among others Colin Powell was appearing on "Face the Nation" and Donald Rumsfeld was booked on "Fox News Sunday." Condoleezza Rice was not scheduled to appear until prime time, when she would make a star appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes" – the last in a long line of media appearances that caused 9/11 Commissioner Richard Ben Veniste to quip that "Condi Rice has appeared everywhere but at my local Starbucks."

Well, others in the Bush administration did, apparently, make an appearance at the local Starbucks. And as the Washington Post reports today, one of them – obviously readying himself to prep Defense Secretary Rumsfeld – left his notes on the table. Talking points, hand-written notes on spin tactics that reveal the White House was worried about former Bush adviser Richard Clarke's charges, and a hand-drawn map to the Secretary's house were found by a resident of DuPont Circle, who made them available to the Center for American Progress. The name of said resident is being withheld at his request, as he fears that he may be accused on national television of being "disgruntled."

Finally, Al Franken has his own radio show. So I've switched over from NPR to Air America to check it out. So far so good. Not sure if I'll permanently switch, but I really like what I hear. Unfortunately, the show is not on the radio in every market yet, but you can listen via the internet. So thinking folks should check it out at least once -- yes, especially the folks on the right. Heck, I use to listen to Rush Limbaugh. I was frustrated by his position on almost every topic, but it was good research into the other side’s point of view.

The O'Franken Factor from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST

New York - WLIB 1190 AM
Los Angeles - KBLA 1580 AM
Chicago - WNTD 950 AM
Portland, OR- KPOJ 620 AM
Inland Empire, CA- KCAA 1050 AM
Minneapolis MN - WMNN 1330AM

I never owned a radio flyer as a child -- but I always wanted one. So sad to hear that product will now be manufactured in China.

Radio Flyer to move production of wagons to China By The Associated Press March 30, 2004 — Radio Flyer Inc., maker of the little red wagon loved by generations of children, plans to move its manufacturing operation to China.

The 87-year-old company said it would keep its headquarters and distribution business in Chicago but decided the Chicago plant where the metal wagons are built is too expensive to maintain. With the plant closing, Radio Flyer will lay off nearly half its 90 employees.

Chief executive Robert Pasin, whose grandfather started the company, said he did not believe the move would hurt customer loyalty.

"We're still a Chicago company. We're still a Chicago brand," he said.

Radio Flyer's tricycles, scooters and most of its other products are already made in China. A Wisconsin company makes its plastic wagons.

Pasin said the move out of manufacturing later this year will allow the company to concentrate on marketing and extending its brand to other areas.

Shortly after my mom died (yes, I'm talking about that again!), I would sleep walk in the middle of night straight to the kitchen for food. In the morning, I would be disgusted with myself as I'd see remnants of the food I'd eaten in the bed. Not only was I ruining my sheets but I was also gaining weight. I was not happy with things. Thankfully, that problem was short term as things calmed down in my life. But it looks like there are quite a few people out there who suffer from some sort of night eating disorder.

It's hard to stick to a diet when you eat out as much as I do. On Friday night I couldn't resist eating BBQ ribs at Freddy's. Then on Saturday night, I went to dinner at Sabri Nihari with my sister and her husband. If you know anything about Pakistani cuisine, you'll know that it's not exactly low carb or low fat. Much of what was on the menu was deep fried or cooked in rich sauces. So I just sort of gave in. I wanted the full experience. Then, my sister and her family came over tonight and we cooked a full meal again. It was all very good, but my body is somewhat in shock. It's been months since I’ve eaten such rich foods. If the gym was still open, I'd actually go right now. Hopefully, I'll still feel motivated tomorrow. I talk a good game, but I haven't really stuck to my work out plan and so can't afford to get too off track with my diet. I’ve got 15lbs to go before I reach the weight loss goal I set for myself last August -- and I'm determined to reach there before my birthday in August.

My furniture is here! My furniture is here! It's almost too good to be true. After making the purchase several months ago on Ebay, the 9-piece dining set has made the long journey from Connecticut to Illinois. Now it sitting in my living room and I'm just loving it. Thankfully, it's not overwhelming the space as much as I thought it would be. Now I just have to get the rest of my home office sorted out and I'll be ready to throw dinner parties. Oh yeah!!

Update 3/28: Here is a picture of the dining table and chairs with china cabinet in background. The only piece not pictured in the buffet. This is in the same style as the other pieces. The dishes were on the table as I'm playing host tonight to my sister and her family. Now I just need to go add the silverware and watch my sister cook the food. Unlike her big sister, she has turned out to be quite the cook. I suppose that has something to do with the fact that she now has a family and I hardly ever cook for myself anymore.

I was wondering how long it would be before someone commented on the new picture of myself posted at the right. It was taken last weekend by Mike at the party we went to after the Bulls game. Oh what fun! In any event, thanks to Titilayo for being the first to comment and more importantly for saving nice things about the picture. It one of the few taken of me that I really like.

Sometimes, you wish certain celebrities would just fade to the background. Everything that was good about them is no more. Thus, it’s sad to continually hear about their decline.

If you're not yet using Ebay to shop, it may be time. According to article in April 2004 issue of Business 2.0, "big companies are lining up at Ebay's front door to offload everything from home theatres to the kitchen sink." That ultimately means better deals for us all. In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I own Ebay stock so it's good to hear about this new market. But I've also been an avid buyer/seller since October 1998. In fact, this weekend, the 9-piece dining room set I purchased on Ebay some months ago will finally be delivered. If I had purchased at an antique shop here in Chicago, I know it would have cost me 4X what I paid for it. So while somewhat risky to buy furniture sight unseen, it was a deal well worth the risk. Thanks Ebay!

I heard ... and I think ... ?

1. Wife:: Beater
2. Criminal:: Intent
3. Campaign:: Finance
4. Infection:: Virus
5. Portland:: Oregon
6. NASCAR:: Dad
7. IMAX:: Movie
8. Martian:: Alien
9. Nike:: Sneakers
10. Trial:: Court

Unconscious Mutterings game was first seen over at Seriously Random Blog.

When actors (i.e. Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, etc) do commercials for Asian & European markets, but don't do them here in the US, I think they are trying to hide something. However, some would think they are merely trying to protect their movie star image with US audiences. Either way, it looks like more and more actors are starting to do commercials here in the US. Thus it will be interesting to see what impact if any it has on these actors’ careers and legacies.

I finished my taxes last night and for the second year in a row, I’ll be getting a refund. It's about 1/3 of what I got back last year, but I'm please to be getting a return period. For so many years, I would have to pay the Federal government money on April 15th. Thankfully, Turbo Tax has set me straight and I'm now taking every deduction owed to me. I’m all for paying my share in Federal & State taxes but based on current tax laws, a single person like me with no dependents pays her share and then some. That is so not fair!

Alcohol is seeping from my pores. It can't happen fast enough because I'm feeling so hung over right now it's not even funny. When you go three weeks without drinking and then starting drinking again, the alcohol just hits you a lot faster. I probably should have stopped with the first vodka tonic, but I went on to drink another. I was having too good a time hanging out with Carlos, Ms. Shasta, Mike along with a few other non blogger friends. We stared the evening by taking in a Chicago Bulls game. Despite their less than stellar season, it was actually a good game and the Bulls pulled out a victory over the New York Knicks. After that, we headed north to check out a party that Mike knew about. For a $10 entrance fee, we got to see a couple bands play live and had access to an open bar. So definitely got my $10 back in drinks alone. We saw one band named America's #1 Sweethearts, that had a band member named "Fag Balls". We tried to find out how he got the name, and more importantly why he would allow it to stick, but never really got a clear explanation. Maybe Mike can find out and report back on that later. The evening ended with a trip to Golden Apple for breakfast and I was snug in my bed around 3:15am this morning. Now trying to remember some of the conversation from last night, as after we all had a few drinks, it got quite racy. Maybe Ms. Shasta or Carlos will write about that on their blogs.

If you have my phone number and were thinking of using it, please do not call me early on a Saturday morning (anytime before 9), to tell me trivial things. If you do, I may just have to go off on you.

After seeing all the wannabe gangsters on MTV Cribs point to their Scarface posters and/or DVD, I decided to finally watch the movie. Now halfway through and finally understand their fascination. Here is this guy Tony Montana a Cuban immigrant who comes from nothing, and makes a name for himself. However, considering that he made his fortune through the drug trade which comes with a great deal of violence, I find it difficult to root for Tony because you know the story won't end well. But hey, it's beautiful film making, so off I got to watch the last hour.

When a leopard walks closer and shows you that his spots are really black, accept that as a fact. Wanting them to be brown as you saw them from a distance will only lead to further frustration. Yes, yes -- I'm talking about a boy. And no, I won't explain!

A couple of years ago, I took a sabbatical from the United Methodist Church and never went back. Back then my parish was trying to decide whether or not to become a reconciling congregation (basically whether or not to openly accept gays in the church), and the negative tone of the conversations between parties on both sides became a major turnoff. The debates where quite heated and got extremely personal. I didn't really want to walk away but it was hard to see many in the congregation in the same light as their conduct was very unchristian like. Back then I thought the Church would split in two. Now news of the lesbian Minister who is on trial further confirms my suspicions that at some point in the near future the United Methodist Church will split. There are those like myself who believe that the Church should be welcoming and tolerant of all. But there are other hardliners, who are not interested in change. I suspect that it is this segment of the United Methodist Church that is pushing this ridiculous trial forward.

Last August, I posted a Washington Post article about men on the down low. The comments left have made for interesting reading. It also makes me realize that there are more people out there dealing with this issue than I initially imagined. Sort of sad, but I suppose that is the new reality. May it never be mine. It's one thing to date someone who is openly bisexual but when the other person is being deceptive, that's unforgiveable.

Mega congrats to Senator Kerry and State Senator Barack Obama who were victorious in Illinois last night. Here's hoping both go on to victory in November.

If you were born a man and then had a sex change operation to become a woman, should you be allowed to compete at the professional level in women's sports? I'd like to say yes, but thinking this person would have an unfair advantage.

I'm pondering this issues as Outside Magazine has an interesting article in April 2004 issue (unfortunately not yet available online) about Michelle Dumaresq a Canadian transsexual athlete who was initially embraced but is now being shunned by other female competitors once she started winning some of the premier biking races.

I should also note that in the article, Michelle claims "to correspond with some 115 transgender athletes from all over the world, including a top NCAA women's basketball player and two women competing on a world-class level in Olympic events." She goes on to assert that there are "hundreds of athletes out there who have a trans history." Not sure I really believe that, but I'm assuming this issue won't come to head until as the article points out we have a transgendered person on the podium at the Olympic Games.

Update [3/17/04 @ 6pm]: For anyone who was curious as to the official policy of the Olympics re transgendered athletes, see below.

Olympics to allow transsexuals to participate Panel lifts ban on post-surgery trans athletes

By LOU CHIBBARO Friday, December 05, 2003

The International Olympic Committee agreed to allow transsexuals who have undergone sex change surgery to compete in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, and in all future Olympics competitions.

According to the Associated Press, the decision came after the Olympic committee convened an October meeting in Sweden of medical specialists in the field of gender reassignment surgery. The committee was expected to issue an official announcement about the change in the next few weeks, the AP reported.

We are a nation of immigrants -- yet some amongst us would like to see even legal immigration banned. The latest battle ground is the Sierra Club board. As a long standing member of the organization, I'm concerned that the current economic climate will help propel some of these "extremist" onto the board which might result in a board vote to advocate reducing or even banning legal immigration. Population growth does need to be managed, but blaming current environmental problems on immigrants is too extreme a policy for me to support. This policy is also borderline racist if you take in to fact that many immigrants today come from non-Anglo countries. So hoping that the hostile take-over is unsuccessful. If it is, I may have to turn my support elsewhere.

Newsweek March 22 issue - Forget the race for the White House. The most bitter campaign this year may well be for control of the Sierra Club, where a war is raging over an unlikely issue: immigration. Immigration-control activists are fighting to take over America's largest environmental group during the election period that runs through late April. They believe that explosive population growth—and the overtaxing of natural resources and urban sprawl that comes with it—is the nation's greatest environmental threat. (Immigration—legal and illegal—adds as many as 2 million residents annually, according to estimates.) In the past few months anti- immigration hardliners, including white-supremacist groups, have entered the fray, urging supporters to mail in the $25 Sierra Club membership fee to get a vote and help stack the board of directors.

The war in Iraq is still front and center. I only wish that Army Brigadier General Vincent Brooks was too.

What a difference a week makes. On March 6th I went to Slick's Lounge to meet people from a dating group on yahoo that I belong to. Didn't really have a good time as the ratio of women to men was 5 to 1 and the crowd was a little older than myself. Plus the club was empty for the most part. However, last night I went there with friends and had a much better time. The place was relatively full and the DJ played music that allowed me to get my groove on. So that made for interesting times hanging out with fellow bloggers: Carlos, Ms. Shasta, Khandi as well other non-blogger friends. Having said that, not sure I'll be going back to Slick's anytime soon. Two groups of my friends totaling 7 people showed up and weren't allowed in as one or more members were wearing jeans. Granted the club has a right to set a dress code, however what made me upset is that there were already people in the club wearing jeans. In fact if you look at the pictures that Ms. Shasta has posted, you'll see many in the background wearing jeans. Luckily my friends who didn't get in quickly regrouped and went to a party and from all reports had a good time. But it would seem to me that if an establishment like Slick's was serious about serious money and becoming more of an exclusive club they would enforce there age/dress code policy across the board. Heck, maybe they should start by having their own staff adhere to their own dress code policy -- even they were wearing jeans.

Quite a few of my friends were out last night whooping it up, as it's the weekend before St. Patrick's Day. I myself decided to stay low key as I'm on the Fat Flush Diet. Since I start like a week and a half ago, and the diet dictates that you not have alcohol in the first two weeks, I’m trying to stay away from places where the drinking of alcohol is prevalent. I'm not a big drinker myself, but starting to realize that the two drinks I have on average when I go out are sometimes the difference between me being uptight and moody vs. being relaxed and engaging. Sort of sad, but this is what I'm realizing about myself. Thankfully, I don't need many to get a buzz so I'm not in danger of becoming an alcoholic anytime soon.

In any event, I decided to go to the movies and ended up seeing the docudrama: My Architect. It was good, but not the sort of movie that I would recommend be seen on a Friday night. It follows Nathaniel Kahn, the illegitimate son of the great architect Louis I. Kahn as he searches to find out who his father really was. We soon learn that despite facial disfigurement due to a fire, his father was a ladies man. He had three different families who lived within 10 miles of each other. Beyond his scandalous personal life which many didn't know anything about until he death in 1974, he was also a complex architect who despite being a workaholic, only designed and built about 13 buildings. He had many failures and based on the interviews with some who were around him, it appears than many were due to his stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise and think clearly about the practicality of his artistic design. In that the movie is such a downer, not sure I would recommend that anyone go see it. But would recommend, checking out pictures of the various buildings he designed. While I’m not a bid fan of his work, I do like the building that many consider to be his masterpiece. This is the: National Assembly Building of Bangladesh in Dacca. Of his other buildings, I also l like the Exeter Library in New Hampshire.

There are a few blogs on my blogroll that haven't updated in a few months. Wondering, what do others consider a reasonable amount of time before removing them? Ideally, I'd like to let them stay, but in that my blogroll serves as a recommendation list to others, would prefer not to send people to outdated blogs. I know I could do whatever I please as it's my blog, but I'm curious to learn what others are doing when blogs on their list have not been updated.

I do not understand why terrorist fail to comprehend that whatever their cause, killing innocent civilians is not the way to go. Their actions were wrong re 9/11 and they were wrong re 3/11 in Madrid Spain. Here's hoping that these cowards are soon found and brought to justice.

One of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner links to an article in The New York Observer which talks about the fact that many authors are addicted to checking the sales statistics for their books via amazon.com. According to the article's author, some "writers will start spending minutes, hours—nay, days, weeks, months and years—tracking its {their books} progress on Amazon.com." I can totally sympathize. I check my sitemeter blog statistics anywhere from 3-5 times a day. That's borderline addiction if you ask me and it's sort of pathetic as my blog stats really don't change much on a daily basis. But, I justify it all by saying that I'm not just looking at the numbers, but more so looking to see how people found me. This is somewhat true as I have found some interesting blogs by checking my referral page. So I'm wondering, is anyone else out there in blogland addicted to checking their daily statistics? And if so, is it time to form our own 12 step group as Jennifer suggests the authors do? Just wondering.

Well it appears that most of the Democratic candidates for the open Senate seat here in Illinois has experimented with one or more illegal drugs. Somewhat surprised, but then I guess I really shouldn't be. Most are chalking it up to youthful indisgressions, and for the most part, thinking we should see it as that. Of course, the one candidate who is being accused of being a wife beater wouldn't get a pass from me. I'll forgive the drug usage, but not the alleged spousal abuse. Having said that, I know that most wouldn't even give them a pass on prior drug usage. I myself have never used any illegal substances, but wondering who are we to judge. More importantly, if someone experimented 20-30 years ago but has lived an upstanding life since then, who are we to deny them the opportunity to serve? Heck, considering how difficult the election process is, I'm really surprised that so many people put themselves out there to begin with.

I am never really sure what to do on the anniversary of my mother's death. I suppose the traditional thing to do is to go to the burial site and take new flowers, but that is not easily done in that my mother on the Caribbean island of her birth, Monsterrat. Thus, it makes it kind of hard to visit. As such, in the early years, I just mourned in silence. I didn't really tell too many people around me that March 11th was the anniversary day. Mostly because people don't really know how to respond and the conversation usually got awkward because when I did tell, they'd want to know all the details....and really, that's not what I was interested in doing. Now, I kind of just talk to my siblings. It's been 10 years, but we all feel like it was only yesterday. The memories of what happened are clearer than ever.

Beyond talking to my siblings, I usually sit home and sulk. However, last night, I decided to go out. One of my gal pals had invited me out to a dinner with some people from her work and I thought why not. So I went and had a lovely time dining at Harry Caray's Restaurant. After dinner we headed over to The House of Blues for Keb Mo Concert. Unlike last year where he only had one guy accompanying him, this year he had a full band. They were awesome. His bluesy sound was exactly what I needed and the lyrics to a few of his songs reminded me of my mother. It was food for my soul and so I’m glad that I went out. Thinking my mother would have approved.

Congratulations go out to Mimi from Mimi Smartypants and Wendy from Poundy Blog who both got book deals based on their blog writings. Congratulations also go out to SourBob who is negotiating a contract for his own book deal. So that's three bloggers here in Chicago who will have book deals. That's awesome. Now wondering why no one has called me to offer a book deal. I am available and ready for my extended 15 minutes of fame.

Note: News about book deals found via links at Gapers Block.

It's been 10 years. 10 years since I held her hand. 10 years since I read from the bible as I heard the death rattle and said my final goodbye. 10 long years. May her soul rest in peace. But may she also know that she is sorely missed.

In a given week, I get anywhere from 5 to 10 different credit card offers in the mail. I suppose I should be flattered since so many companies think me credit worthy, but I'm really just annoyed. Annoyed that I have to spent time getting them out of the mail slot and more importantly waste time shredding. Granted it's not that much time each week, but it totally adds up. What's even more annoying is that they sometimes come from one of the two credit card companies I already carry. They aren't happy that I have one of their cards; they want me to take out a second and a third. What nonsense is that? More importantly, who falls for this? I have long since learnt that credit cards can leave you down the devil's path, and so if I can't afford to pay off my bill at the end of the month, I'm not buying it. Of sure if I have a true emergency, I'll put it on the card regardless of whether I can pay it off at the end of the month, but those situation are far and few in between. Thank goodness. I hate borrowing against my future earnings, even if they throw in 0% interest for a limited time. But Obviously that is not the motto of most our there which is why I assume these darn things keep flooding my mailboxes. Just thinking about the number of trees they chopped down to print this crap, makes me want to scream.

According to blurb in Newsweek, Comic Strip Cathy is getting married. I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. I suppose this should give us single gals a bit of hope.

Ok, this spoof of Outkast’s Hey Ya song is sort of in poor taste...but it's pretty funny so couldn't resist sharing. It was sent to me by my boss. In any event, go forth and enjoy!

Hail to the Victors! I was at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena yesterday to see win Michigan's Men's Basketball Teamtheir last game of the 2003-04. The score was close for much of the game which made things exciting. They ended the season having won 17 and lost 10 games. Against other Big Ten schools, they are 8 and 8. Not the best record, but I'm still optimistic about post season play. So here's wishing the team best of luck next weekend as they enter the Big Ten Tournament. March Madness always has a few surprises and I'm hoping that they can pull it out. If not, there is always next year.

A special shout out to Ms. Shasta McNasty for leaving the 2000th comment on my blog. And for the rest of you who have left comments these past 16 months, mega thanks. I really appreciate the feedback -- both good and bad. So keep them coming. Unless of course you are a spammer, then just get the hell away from my site.

Shortly after I started blogging, I noticed that I was talking less and less to my best guy friend. Granted he began dating someone, but it was not like him to not check in with me on a weekly basis. He later explained that he was keeping up with my life by reading my blog. I felt sort of cheated as while he had a blog, he wasn't keeping it updated. So I didn't really know what was going on with him. Heck, I read about his girlfriend moving into his place on her blog. So I felt like he was neglecting our friendship. We have since patched things up, and once again talk on a regular basis which is a really good thing. I bring all of this up as I just read Blogging Off, an essay by Whitney Pastorek. Basic premise is that blogging can be dangerous to old friendships as well as new friendships that are formed through blogging. Thinking I agree with her point. Below is an excerpt.

The Essay
by Whitney Pastorek
Blogging Off
Your blog's great—nice dirt on Graydon Carter!—but can it buy me a beer?
March 1st, 2004 5:00 PM

2. No one tells me anything anymore.

There was a time when my friends and I got together to chat about our lives, a time when any problem could be resolved in the warm light of our camaraderie and beer. And then my friends became bloggers. These days, I do not even hear about the stupid stuff that's going on—"I got a haircut" or "My apartment burned down"—because the bloggers assume that I have read about it on their blog. Which I have not. And then I wonder why they are not answering their home phone, and immediately assume we are in a fight.

2a. No one has fights anymore.

If there actually has been a falling-out, an incident, I rarely find out what I did or get a chance to fix things. I just wake up in the morning to find that they are no longer linking to, say, my barely solvent literary magazine. And then my world allegedly crumbles.

3. No one invites me to anything anymore.

So say now that I am sitting at the literary event, wondering where everyone is and why everyone always has better things to do. In that other time, the innocent one, I might have thought myself paranoid, but now, in fact, everyone is doing something better. This is because the bloggers are starting to have parties to which they only invite other bloggers.

Secretly, and for research purposes only, I have been to one of these parties. The party I attended was quite progressive, as there were four or five of the blog-free in attendance (all of whom admitted to being on Friendster, however, which is basically just a gateway drug). Yet despite this initial multiculturalism, the room immediately broke down according to Blogospheric lines, conversation centered around issues of blogs and blogging, and about a half-hour in, the bloggers stood up en masse and left. Those who remained—non-bloggers with the exception of the party's gracious host—were left to quietly wonder what they'd done wrong, and worry.

The original goal of these parties was to meet each other face to face (in order to convince any skeptical friends that they know everyone they've linked to in person and it isn't as freaky as it all seems), but as the blogging has become epidemic, there are fewer people to convince and more people to meet and, consequently, link to. Bloggers collect links the way I used to collect scratch 'n' sniff stickers: Whoever gets the most/best wins.

Boy have I experienced all of the above. In addition to the situation with my best guy friend, I had a falling out with a blogger last year. He started reading my blog, left numerous comments which lead to us talking offline. Then he stopped talking to me. We hadn't had a fight or an argument. I only realized we were on the outs when I noticed that he delinked me. That was his way of ending the friendship. He never explained himself and my email asking "what's up" went unanswered. I’m still curious about why the budding "friendship" ended, but I’m not loosing any sleep over it. I have also noticed that blogging has become sort of clickish. I am so trying to avoid all of that. I want to be my own person, so not going to do or say anything that makes me uncomfortable just because I want to get more readers. So it warms my heart every time I see that someone new has linked to me. Or better yet, meeting a fellow blogger in person who says nice things about me.

Link for this article uncovered while reading Instapundit.

Earlier tonight, I locked myself out of the apartment. I went downstairs to put in a couple loads of laundry and forget my keys. In that Choo-Choo couldn't let me back in, I went looking for the building engineer. Thankfully he was around. I had to listen to him blab on for 30minutes about the goings on in the apartment building and neighborhood, but a small price to pay for locking myself out.

In more important news, I went to see The Passion of Christ last Saturday. I didn't write about it then, as I was unsure of my feeling for the movie. No question about it, it's cinematically well done. However, I was uncomfortable with the violent nature of the film. So upset was I by the constant scenes of brutality that at one point, I contemplated walking out. But I stuck around, not because I didn't know how the story would end, but because I wanted to see just how far Mel Gibson would go. Let me say that he went very far. Thus I'm surprised that this move got an R rating and not an NC 17 rating. The Passion of Christ is by far the most violent movie I've ever seen -- hands down. Nothing I’ve seen before on film comes close to the brutality depicted in this movie. As such, if I had children of a minor age, I wouldn't want them to see it. I think back to certain scenes and just cringe. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was depicted with such savagery, that it almost took away from Mel's point -- whatever that was suppose to be. Maybe Mel felt like he had to make such as a violent film as he wanted us to fully understand the kind of torture that Christ experienced, but I think he went too far. Thinking he could have balanced it out a bit by focusing a little more of Jesus’ life; explaining why he was willing to die for our sins. Granted most of us already know the story, but portraying that part in the film would have make it easier for me to comprehend why the brutality was so over the top.

Amazon.com now allows folks to make donations to political candidates. Here are how the two main candidates stack up:

Since 1/23/2004 John Kerry Contributions raised at Amazon.com: $52,671.00 Number of contributions received at Amazon.com: 1240 Average contribution: $42.48

Since 2/3/2004 George Bush Contributions raised at Amazon.com: $15,123.44 Number of contributions received at Amazon.com: 395 Average contribution: $38.29

kerry is leading the race here, but it doesn't really mean much since President Bush already has $100 millions in his war chest. I think the latest numbers put Kerry's war chest at $3million. So here's hoping that his new status as the eventual Democratic nominee will boost his ability to raise more money. It's going to be a dirty campaign and without lots of money, it's going to be really difficult for Kerry to beat the incumbent. So if you're a Democrat or someone who is simply fed up with the policies of the current administration, consider making a contribution to the Kerry campaign --even if it's $10. Every bit helps.

I had dinner earlier tonight at Club Lucky. We were there to celebrate one of my best girlfriend's birthday. I had a lovely time. The food was good and more importantly, the conversation lively. There was much laughter. Oh the joys of good friendships.

Below is a sure sign that football is big business at my college alma mater. More importantly that if throw around enough money, you'll get preferential treatment. Part of me wants to be against the policy, but in that the money will be used to for scholarship and facility improvement, I'm sure I'll eventually get behind the change.

March 1, 2004 U-M Athletics Announces Preferred Seating Program

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department will implement a Preferred Seating Program in Michigan Stadium, with seat location linked to donation levels, beginning in 2005. The plan is expected to raise $9.5 million annually for scholarships and capital projects once it is completely in place.

Requiring an annual seat donation for select season ticket locations is common among our peer institutions," said U-M director of athletics William C. Martin. "Michigan is the only school of the top 20 attendance leaders in college football that has not implemented a preferred seating program."

The Athletic Department, a self-supporting unit of the University, provides financial assistance to more than 700 U-M student-athletes who represent Michigan in intercollegiate competition. In addition to scholarship costs, the department must upgrade many of its aging facilities, which have not kept pace with the needs of student-athletes, Martin said.

"The department's reliance on private support increases each year as the cost of education and the resources necessary to maintain a quality athletics program escalate," said Martin. The U-M Athletic Department's private giving in 2002-03 was $3.7 million, far behind Big Ten peers Ohio State ($18.7 million), Penn State ($14.5 million) and Michigan State ($10 million).

The Preferred Seating Program will phase in donation requirements over a two-year period. The minimum annual donation will range from $125-$500 per ticket, depending on where the seats are located. According to current tax rules, donations will be 80 percent tax-deductible and will qualify for the tax credit for donations to public universities in the state of Michigan. Donations made to the department as part of the Preferred Seating Program also will give participants membership in the Victors Club.

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