Elephant In Exile

So Very Cold!

Ok, maybe not Minnesota or Michigan cold, but certainly an end to the warm spell here in DC. It is 18 degrees outside. Brr!
My crocuses, which were in bloom, are now freeze dried. And my heating bills are likely to return to their 'normal' stratospheric levels...bummer.

I have however, done my part for the environment this year. I don't own a car and commute to my job on the subway (although I think the fact I fly a lot makes up for that). Second, I had a programmable thermostat installed. This has been a godsend. At night and while I am at work it drops the temps a couple degrees...raising it up to a comfortable level in the mornings and when I get home from work. The net savings on my gas usage has been around 30%, even factoring in the unusually warm weather (my peak heating costs are just above $500/mo so this is a welcome savings). Additionally, I replaced all my outdoor lighting with compact fluorescents and some of my indoor lighting as well. Go me!

Perhaps this explains the sudden cold snap?

Labels: Earth, Green, Weather

Thanks Chuck



This is how odd politics have become in DC under President Bush. A Democratic Senator defending his "plan" and a republican one rightly attacking it. People like Hagel, Warner and Collins are the ones who give me hope that after 6 years of following Bush's lead without question, someone might just stand up. We shall see.

Labels: Good Republicans, Iraq, Joementum

I didn't get it?!

Much is being made about this Little Miss Sunshine movie. It arrived at casa elephant last night from Netflix. Not since Forest Gump have I been left scratching my head about a movie. It was abrasive, the characters were unsympathetic, the plot and devices were contrived. On the plus side the acting was decent (Steve Carrell, Toni Collet, the littler girl) and the whole Little Miss Sunshine pagent was most excellent (especially Olives dancing...) but in general I didn't think it was that spectacular.

If you think I'm a movie snob, please keep in mind that this this is one of my favorite movies.

Labels: Hollyweird, Hype, Movies

Longing for Grey V-Neck Sweaters

One of the great things about my new job is that it is 100% casual. So, unless I have to cab up to the Capitol, I can dress down. Yes, this is common in most cities, but here in Nerdsville people dress up and some men even wear bow ties. Anyway as my wardrobe consists mainly of suits and or jeans and kitschy t-shirts, I needed to stock up on business casual clothes. So I popped into the GAP. What I found was a bunch of crappy looking faux-rockin' t-shirts for $48 (the kind you could get at Target for $9.99) and a bunch of stripey button down shirts that were so-2004.
I even told Donkey that it was shocking...people go to GAP for plainish, solid, traditional clothes...stuff I haven't seen on their selves in sometime.

Funny this article is in the headlines today. I disagree that the GAP needs to cater to the teeney-boppers...stick with what you know a do it well.

Labels: Gap, One World Government

Zionist Conspiracies? WTF?

Ok, I got a good taste of Austin on my trip. It is a great, hip, fun little city. But one thing kind of stood out as particularly wierd in a town known for weirdness.
There was a radio station, 101.1 or something that seemed to be totally dedicated to putting forth anti-semitic, Zionist conspiracies. It was some pretty crazy stuff. Democrat or Republican, it didn't matter, everyone in leadership is party of the Jewish Banker cabal that controls the world. John McCaine? Homosexual, communist who betrayed his country as a POW. Jerry Farwell? False profit whose role is to discredit and thereby disempower true Christains...

Anyone out there from Austin care to explain all this?

Labels: Austin, One World Government, Texas

I'm weeping. It just dawned on me that I'll be on a flight tonigh and will be unable to watch the SOTU Address.
I'm guessing the "Decider" will try to get some of his "Swagger" back. I doubt it will work...is anyone listening anymore?

Given a choice between the President's address or reruns of "Hello Larry" which do you think most people would choose?

That stupid?


What surprises me about numbers like these is that 30% of people think everything is just fine. Is it brand loyalty? Fealty? Distaste for the left? It is hard to see on any level how a principled conservative could find this presidency anything less than a total failure.

If you build it, they will run

Interesting...seems The racist, sexist, homophobic good ole boys from the Virginia GOP are upset that today's voter might not flock to a party that focuses on racist, sexist and homophobic legislation rather than say..building roads or governing.

Snowflakes on my Daffodils

Reports from DC are that they got about two inches of snow last night. Dusting all the flowers that were blooming due to the unusually warm weather. In fact, was told my neighbor was out picking her daffodils before the snow hit. Daffodils, blooming, in January...

Wake me up in 2009

Is it escapism? The accelerated primary process? or just plain ole stupid big media? I don't quite understand the breathless excitement of the emerging candidates for the 2008 presidential race. I too long for the days when the "Decider" goes back to his ranch, but a focus on the substantial problems of today might help curb further damage...We can focus on the problems of tomorrow, tommorrow.

That being said, I have a few thoughts on Ms. Clinton's candidacy.

Unlike most former Republicans, Hillary Clinton doesn't really get under my skin. In fact from my vantage point here in DC she's been a fairly solid Senator. Today she announced that she's running for President, good for her. She probably won't get my vote.

Has it really come to this at the federal level?

Bush the Father, Clinton the Husband, Bush the Son, to Hillary the Wife.

I'd like to think that perhaps we could have perhaps another family get into the mix (The Hagels, Obamas, Vilsaks, etc). If I wanted the political leadership of my country to bounce between ruling clans, I'd move to Egypt or Syria or perhaps even North Korea.

Hill Country

Morning Ya-all. In Austin for a business trip that I extended into the weekend to have some fun. Here's a shot of downtown from my hotel.

There's that silly analogy about putting a frog in hot water and he jumps out...but if you bring it to a slow boil he's all happy and content until BAM! Poached frog.

I think it's the same thing with the slow dismantling of the Constitution by the Bush-Cheney Cabal. First it was, "The President can hold an American citizen indefinitely, without charges...” Then is was, "Warrantless wiretapping is perfectly legal" and now it's "Having the Pentagon look at American's financial records, without a warrant is also perfectly legal."

Flash forward to the fall and Wolf Blitzer will be breathlessly announcing how Jr. Emperor Cheney has declared that "Burning witches is perfe0tly legal and has a proud tradition in American History."

I mean seriously. If we are going to impeach a President for perjury in a civil trial...then surely, something like abrogating the Constitution should at least call for a hearing? No?

It's getting warm in here...

Roast Chicken and Root Vegetables

Ingredients

1 Chicken (5 to 7 lbs)
4 Modest sized potatoes
Bag of carrots (1 lbs)
Bag of Parsnips (1 lbs)
1 Large Onion
Sprig of Rosemary
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
10 - 20 cloves of garlic

Preheat oven to 350.

Prep chicken and place in roasting pan. Peel garlic cloves and place inside the chicken. Drizzle Olive oil over chicken and season with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.

Clean and peel root vegetables and cut into chunks. Arrange around chicken. Add a cup of water to the pan. Cover with foil and place in oven. Roast for about 15 minutes per pound (if in doubt call your mother!) Remove foil with about 40 left to let chicken brown.

Enjoy!

Why am I doing this?

I'm off to the media room to watch you know who talk about you know what for the upteenth time. How many days until 2009?

I'm surprised

The first time I visited Santa Monica California I was sitting in a cafe (on 3rd street) chatting it up with a friend. A homeless man wandered by wearing only a large grey parka. My dining companion said "I wonder if he's wearing any....(eyes suddenly growing as wide as saucers)..underpants." (The answer was no).

Seems like Parka Guy may be a bit lonely.

Listening to the news I would have thought this. number would be higer. You know, with all the illegals taking jobs from Americans or shipping jobs off to India and such.

It is remarkable I think, that the homeless population is 0.2% of the total U.S. population. (Unless I'm doing the math wrong?)

Chavez's Permanent Revolution

Knock me over with a feather. Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez has decided to ban free press, seize public companies and change the law so he can serve as President for life,. How nice. He will succeed and will likely make great achievements in promoting equality in his country. Like Cuba, everyone in Venezuela will be equally deprived of income, freedom and opportunity.

It won't work, and it shouldn't be done.

What we are doing isn't working, so we will do it on a bigger scale.

Enough of this sacrifice h00-ha. We've heard from the President before ad nauseum. Mr. Bush, just because you believe in something hard enough, doesn't make it come true.

It is time for us to plan for the strategic implications of this failed war.

Meanwhile the media finally gives proper attention to the widening war.

My precious.

What Wouldn't Jesus Do?!

Looks like that old adage, "First they came for the Jews.." is playing out in Virginia. Drunk with power from their successful efforts to deny gay couples legal protections, the theocrats in Virginia are out to curb divorce Can birth control, interracial marriage, co-habitation and perhaps witchcraft be far behind? Some where (probably Hell) Thomas Jefferson is crying.

This is the current face and theory of the current leadership of the Republican Party at the state and federal level...So far to the right that their mandates, arrogance and commandments match if not exceed the excesses of liberalism and the far, far left. How long before my exile becomes banishment?

Winds of a Wider-War

Apparently, President Bush will be announcing yet another re-vamp, re-alignment, re-imagining of the war in Iraq. There seems to be near universal skepticism of his plan, which rumor has it can range anywhere from an laughable 9,000 troops to a more substantial 50,000. Either option would be a mistake.

I've long agreed with the President that the war in Iraq is a critical fight in the war on terror. While it was a war of choice, defeat could be like "Black Hawk Down" times a million, empowering our enemies - Al Qaida, Iran and opening us up to future terrorist attacks here and abroad. It is unfortunate then that the President, Vice-President and then DOD Secretary Rumsfeld decided not to fight this war as if it were the first battle of the long slog against the Islamicists. In fact, how we are fighting this war has brought to mind a whole host of questions, like:

If we needed 400,000 troops to liberate Kuwait, why did we only send 140,000 to liberate Iraq?

Why did we disband the Iraqi Army and the government rather than keep it in place with new leadership?

Why do we continue to support (with money and lives) an new Iraqi government that shows no leadership in building a representative federal government?

We spend 1/2 a TRILLION on our military a year and we cannot sustain a small war against a country the size of Texas?

The list goes on and on. I think it is critical at this point to plan and prepare for the strategic implications of a realignment of our forces in the region rather than continue on with this charade. I haven't yet seen a proposal that I think would accomplish this but I think redeploying out troops to Kurdistan or other regions may be a good idea. But to allow this to continue on the same downward trajectory would border on criminal negligence. Accept that the battle for Iraq is over, that we lost it due to bad planning and execution and that we can best focus our energies on preparing for the inevitable fall out of all this - mark my words.

Not Going Down w/o a Fight

Good news it seems from the Detroit International Auto Show. GM introduces the Volt. A plug-in hybrid that gets 100 MPG in the city?! It's a concept for now, but at least shows that GM may be on to something. And it certainly shows that all the criticism from the enviro-left on GM killing off the EV-1 was, perhaps, a bit premature.

Tomorrow's forcast for DC?

Partly cloudy,high of 70.

(Meanwhile Denver gets another blizzard)

Works?!

After 6 years and an additional $4 trillion in federal debt, the "Decider" talks about balancing the federal budget. Of course King GEOrge also granted himself the power to open and read our mail....unbelievable.

Wouldn't (S)You?

You gotta love the Dutch. Leglaized mary-ju-wanna, a porn shop on every corner and now a Segway ban!

What is it about Segways that make me so angry?

P.S. - I love Gooooooold!

Just how powerful is the hype around global climate change?

It's so strong that this morning my crocuses were in bloom and my tulips are starting to poke up through the mulch. (You bulb flowers are so susceptible to the liberal media hype!).

These climate change rumors also seemed to scare off a White Christmas in N. Michigan for only the 2nd or 3rd time in my life.

Of course the plus side is that last December's $500 heating bill was only $175 this year.

2007 marks the 30th Anniversary of the theatrical release of Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

Enjoy your day.

I can't take not blogging anymore!... I miss it.

My new job is located just outside of DC (The Horror!), but is reachable by train. So, I'll be attempting to blog via my Palm treo. If you liked my typos before, things should only get better as I try to peck out my thoughts on a tiny keyboard with my sausage-like fingers.

New Beginnings....

The Christmas/ New Year's Holiday has always been my favorite time of year. The focus is on all the great things that are to come- be it a Savior, longer days, warmer weather, gifts!, or even just the fresh start of a new year. e.g

Person #1:"This is going to be a crappy year"

Elephant: "Yes, but it will be different and exciting!"

Person #1: "How so?"

Elephant: "This year ends in a "7"."

Person #1: "Wazza Wazza?!"

For me 2006 has been a year of new beginnings and I'm excited to take on the challenges that await in 2007. Some of my more interesting accomplishments in '06?

I quit smoking!

A pack a day smoker for nearly 18 years, I decided it was time. (Thanks to a book recommendation from Midgie.) The whole process of quitting (more of a moment than process) was positive and fairly easy. If you thinking about quitting, please pick up a copy of 3he Easy Way to Quit Smoking by Allen Carr.

I got a new job!

Ok this one comes with a bit more emotional baggage than quitting smoking, but still feels pretty good. While I enjoyed my position working as a lobbyist for private clubs, and the associated issues of freedom of association, my old boss was running the place into the ground.

The breaking point came in August, when a questionable new hire's insubordination went without recourse by my CEO. At the time I was pretty clear with the CEO on my bottom line. The alleged employee should be suspended and required to apologize in line with our policy manual. (Pretty generous on my part if you ask me). She did nothing, and left me with a sort of take it or leave it attitude. So I sent out a few resumes, said a little prayer and viola! An interesting and challenging new job in less than a month (more on that later). The coup de grace? My reports all got new jobs too!

I started my own "Business"

Ok, while this statement is true, I have to admit that this wasn't on purpose. When I left my old job, a couple of clubs contacted me it do some legal work for them. Thus, my new sideline of legal work. This year I plan on growing this authoring some niche legal monographs, penning articles for trade press and working with a partner to develop a specialty legal website. Of course this is all made easier by the death of television (but that's a whole other topic)....

Now that the season of expectation is over, it's down to the brass tacks of implementation. While setting off on this new journey will be fun, switching from the "what ifs" to the "How's and when's" can be a bit challenging...especially after the slow Holiday week.

But move forward we must. So here is to success in 2007. My it be a fruitful year for you and those close to you.