July 28, 2004
The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
— Barack Obama
July 24, 2004
I’m still on Tybee Island, as I have managed to procure two job interviews in Savannah this week. That’s more job interviews than I’ve been on all year. The first one went well and I really liked the business and the person I’d be working with. The second, on Monday, is at the school system and is going to be probably a much more uptight atmosphere but for much more money.
I’m having a great time on Tybee visiting old friends and making some new ones. I don’t have much time to add to the site while I’m here, but I’ve posted a small set of photos of Tybee at dusk, including a really fantastic one of the sunset on the back river, taken at A.J.’s. Check ‘em out.
July 21, 2004
I love iPods. They are wholesome fun for the whole family. And now there’s a new one. So I bought it. I can’t help myself. They are like crack.
As for the 4G (newest) iPod, I’ve gotta say that it’s my favorite. It pulls the Clickwheel® from the iPod mini, which is great because now I won’t skip tracks because of my blindly reaching for the iPod while driving. The touch-sensitive buttons were cool and all, but I don’t know how many times I accidentally pushed the wrong button.
It’s a little thinner than my 3G iPod, and probably a little lighter. And overall I think it’s just better looking because it’s been made more simple. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the grey wheel, but I do. In a lot of ways it’s more like the original iPod, which was always my favorite.
And it’s got new software and can do all sorts of technologically fascinating things, but you can read about that somewhere else. Now, I gotta go listen to it somewhere.
July 20, 2004
Welcome to the world of the living to Joseph Robert Blanchette. Eight pounds, 12 ounces, born July 14, 2004. And after over 30 hours of labor and being two weeks overdue, no one was surprised to learn that Joseph could already read on a second grade level and do some simple math. Apparently Joe didn’t want to come out of Liz’s womb. But who can blame him. Congratulations Liz and Brian.
July 15, 2004
Today I’m making the trek I love so much: the 500-mile drive from Bay Minette to Tybee Island. I probably won’t post much while I’m gone, so have fun and I’ll see you when I’m back. Unless you’re there, in which case I’ll see you when I’m there.
July 12, 2004
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, my updated portfolio is online. I’ve converted the old, slice-and-dice table based layout to pure CSS. The side-effect of that, other than the warm-and-fuzzy feeling of standards-compliance, is that the site probably doesn’t look quite right yet. So, if you’d like to take a look, please feel free to email me or leave a comment on this post with your thoughts or concerns. Ensuring correct appearance in every browser on every platform is a bit of a pipe dream, but I’m hoping to make it look as good as possible for the majority of folks who stop by. Enjoy!
July 11, 2004
Don’t you love those Enzyte commercials? The somewhat-clever, extremely upbeat commercials about everyone’s favorite medical problem—erectile dysfunction? The company that markets Enzyte calls it a “nutraceutical;” which is a really beautiful way of saying “the crap you buy at GNC but with better marketing.” Hey, I’ll admit that even I thought that Enzyte was an actual drug the first few times I saw the ad.
But lately, we’re getting blitzed by ads from this company. The graphic designer in me noticed the common graphic at the bottom of every ad, a colored band with the name of the “nutraceutical” and a phone number to call. Then I saw more, and more, and more, and finally I looked up the company’s web site.
Berkeley Nutraceuticals markets an impressive line of “nutraceuticals.” There’s Altovis, which fights fatigue. Avlimil (with its logo that recalls a textbook illustration of the women’s reproductive system) which enhances the female sexual experience. Enzyte (which we all know and love) for natural male enhancement; Ogöplex—don’t forget the ümläüt!—which increases the number of “ropes” in your orgasm (I have no idea, don’t ask me); Rovicid, which promises better heart health. Dromias, which puts you to sleep; Pinadol, which fights stress; and—are you sitting down?—Rogisen, which gives you night vision.
Part of me wants to believe that these people are some of the most innovative and successful minds in the pharmaceutical industry. And then I remember that they’re in the “nutraceutical” industry, a magical place where FDA guidelines don’t apply and you don’t have to list your litany of side-effects along with your cute music and (admittedly quite good) graphic design. Frankly, I have no idea whether any of the stuff works at all. But since a quick Google search reveals that there may be some hard legal times ahead, so it might be a good idea to go get that 30-day free trial of night-vision-giving orgasm-enhancing penis-enlarging stress-relieving heart-strengthening sleep-inducing miracle pills before it’s too late.
July 7, 2004
My 16-year-old brother John is somewhere on top of a thatched roof in Akil, Mexico today. He’s on a church trip, the same one that Camp went on years ago. Normally that sort of think would creep the bejeezeus out of me, but I don’t feel as bad about it because it’s not like they’re trying to proselytize or “bring religion to the savages.” They’re just fixing up some roofs, repairing some houses, and hanging out with the local kids for a couple of days. I think it will be good for him, as growing up in Alabama doesn’t exactly give you a well-rounded outlook on the world. It’s funny, though, that as the first person in our family to leave the country, the trip wasn’t for business or pleasure, but to go work like a dog in a town so poor that the only telephone is in the local church. I gotta say that I’m proud of his generosity.
So good luck, John, and get home safe.
