Look Closely

Ocean Grove, NJ. Cute Town with a Great little Boutique

2011-09-14T14:43:00.003-04:00

If you ever at the Jersey Shore and wonder near Asbury Park or Ocean Grove NJ you should make a point to visit Cindy's shop, Ocean Grove Pet Boutique. When you do be sure to bring along your furry friends. They will enjoy the homemade pet treats.

GOP Rep. Don Young says oil spill is 'not an environmental disaster.'

2010-06-09T20:28:00.001-04:00

GOP Rep. Don Young says oil spill is 'not an environmental disaster.': "GOP Rep. Don Young says oil spill is 'not an environmental disaster.' Set him straight"

Thanks to the greed of the republican party

2010-05-17T20:07:00.001-04:00

D.C. Douglas, Former Geico Voice Actor, Fires Back At FreedomWorks

2010-05-17T19:40:00.001-04:00

Domain Registry of America Scam

2010-05-11T08:06:00.002-04:00

A customer of mine recently received a deceptive notice from Domain Registry of America. The "notice," which looks more like a bill than a notice, gives the impression that the domains he owns are about to expire and must be renewed. Domain Registry of America's notice informed him that, "Failure to renew your domain names by the expiration date may result in a loss of your online identity making it difficult for your customers and friends to locate you on the Web." Unfortunately, my customer like many others believed this to be a legitimate invoice and paid it. I only found out when the registrar sent a notice of an attempted transfer.

The scam is nothing new. In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission slapped the Canada-based Domain Registry of America (DROA) on its wrists for deceptive practices and

"Under the terms of the stipulated final order announced today, Domain Registry of America (DROA), based in Ontario, Canada, may be required to provide redress to up to 50,000 consumers, is prohibited from engaging in similar conduct in the future, and is subject to stringent monitoring by the Commission to ensure its compliance with the court order."

On top of Domain Registry of America's deceptive practices, its domain prices are outrageous (sometimes 2 to 3 times higher than the industry norm). If you receive a notice from Domain Registry of America, DO NOT SEND MONEY. It is a scam.

Here are some other references:

Why Bush, Murdoch, O'Reilly andbrthe rest of the scum of the earthbr hate J.K. Rowling

2010-03-20T15:28:00.001-04:00

Why Bush, Murdoch, O'Reilly and the rest of the scum of the earth hate J.K. Rowling

2009-10-13T09:39:00.001-04:00

Chicken Satay with Balinese Peanut Sauce

2009-08-28T08:56:00.001-04:00

Recipe from Weber’s Charcoal Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance

Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Marinating time: 1 to 4 hours
Grilling time: 8 to 12 minutes

Marinade
1/4 cup peanut oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons garlic-chile sauce, such as Sriracha
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (without tenders), 8 to 10
ounces each

Salad
1 eight-inch section English cucumber
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup stirred coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons garlic-chile sauce, such as Sriracha
2 teaspoons fish sauce

16 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

1. In a medium bowl mix the marinade ingredients.

2. Cut each chicken breast crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place the chicken slices in the bowl with the marinade and mix to coat all the slices thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as 4 hours.

3. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, and then cut the quarters crosswise as thinly as possible. In a medium bowl mix the cucumber slices with the remaining salad ingredients. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan combine the sauce ingredients. Set the saucepan over very low heat and cook until the sauce is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, but do not let the sauce simmer. If the sauce seems too thick, whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

5. Remove the chicken from the bowl and discard the marinade. Thread the chicken slices lengthwise on the skewers, 2 or 3 slices per skewer, keeping the skewers inside the meat as much as possible.

6. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat. Brush the cooking grates clean. Working in 2 batches, grill the chicken skewers over direct high heat(450° to 550°F), with the bare wooden section of the skewers lying over indirect heat to keep them from burning. Close the lid and cook until the meat is firm to the touch and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the second side, turning once and swapping their positions as needed for even cooking. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce over very low heat. Serve the chicken warm with the salad and sauce.

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Spacelocker, A Social Network You’ll Want To Avoid Like The Plague

2009-08-07T11:15:00.003-04:00

Here is a good article on a social networking site that you will definitely want to avoid.

Talk about poor customer service; this group wrote the book!

Portabello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Dried Tomatoes

2009-06-05T08:31:00.002-04:00

Recipe from Weber’s Real Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance

Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes

Way to grill: direct medium heat (350° to 450°F)
Grilling time: 10 to 15 minutes

Filling
10 ounces baby spinach leaves, rinsed
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 cup finely diced ripe tomato
1/4 cup oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped kalamata olives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

4 large portabello mushrooms, 5 to 6 inches in diameter
1/4 cup fine, soft bread crumbs

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, cook the spinach just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer the spinach to a sieve and drain until cooled. Squeeze out the remaining liquid with your hands, and then roughly chop the spinach. You should have about 1 cup.

2. Wipe out the saucepan and warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until all the moisture has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Remove and discard the mushroom stems. With a teaspoon, carefully scrape out the black gills from the mushroom caps and discard. Generously brush or spray the mushroom caps with oil and season them with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the mushrooms, smooth sides up, over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until well marked, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, smooth sides down. Close the grill’s lid to maintain the heat inside. Spoon a thin layer of the filling onto the mushrooms, spreading it evenly to the edges.

4. In a small bowl toss the bread crumbs with 1 tablespoon of oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each stuffed mushroom evenly with a thin layer of crumbs. Grill the mushrooms, smooth sides down, over direct medium heat, with the lid closed, until the crumbs are browned and the mushrooms are tender, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Serve warm.

Networthy Rockfish

2009-05-24T11:16:00.003-04:00

Caught yesterday on a Proud Mary charter, this was just one of many nice size late season striped bass we pulled in.

Back to Life

2009-05-16T13:11:00.002-04:00

Several weeks ago I started having "chest pains". These came at odd times at first. Like when I was driving into the office or during times of stress rather than exertion. This made me think it was some kind of anxiety not any type of heart condition. But as time passed and the pains got more intense and more frequent, I started to become concerned it was something more than anxiety. The kicker was when it started to interfere with my daily lunchtime walks. I decided I needed to see a doctor, even if it was just to ease my mind and prove it was actually anxiety after all. So I make an appointment with a GP my wife recommended. I go to see her and she finds I have really high blood pressure so she takes an EKG. Actually her very attractive assistant hooked me up to the machine the whole while making small talk. Asking me where I work, yadda yadda and then, while leaning over me to hook up a lead, she tells me she used to work at Hooters! So now I am thinking my EKG is going to be all over the place after this little stress test. But what do you know, it turned out to be rather normal. However, the doctor still referred me to a cardiologist for a stress test. So I set up an appointment for my stress test the next week.

At the cardiologists office they take my BP and then hook me up to their EKG. The cardiologist comes in and starts the test after hearing the whole story. The treadmill is supposed to start off level and then incline 15 degrees every 3 minutes. Well he starts the machine and tells me to get on and right away it goes up 15 degrees. I'm OK at this point but he insists on talking to me while I am walking which starts to wind me a little. Then the speed increases and the angle goes up again. By this time I am thinking, he is trying to get me to quit early. I figured I had two options, quit or push it. Well I started to feel a little chest pain so I told him my chest was starting to hurt so he stops the machine right away.

After I cool down a little he pulls the graph off of the machine and starts to go over it with me. He points out certain peaks and valleys trying to explain to me what it all means but he might as well have been speaking Greek. Actually I might of understood that better. Anyway, when he finishes with his explanation he tells me he wants me to go to the hospital. I ask when, and he says now. What?!? He wants me checked in where I can be monitored. Then he wants to catheterize my groin and run a tube up to my heart where he can check for blockages. However, the hospital he wants to send me to right then doesn't have the facilities to do a procedure if he finds something while exploring. I would have to be taken my ambulance about 25 miles away to another hospital where the procedure can be done. Now I am convinced this guy is nuts. I am not going to the hospital right now and if he can only do the whole thing at the one hospital then that's where I will go; but only when I can schedule it. He didn't like me telling him no but we scheduled the procedure for 2 days from then. He told me I could not do anything until that day. I had to sit home and veg until that time. OK, so now I am liking him a little better but I am still in shock, as you can imagine. I go home and let my wife know what is going on and then call my boss to let her know what is going on as well. My boss was really cool about the whole thing.

Two days go by and it is procedure day! I am scheduled for 3 and get to the hospital at 1 to get prepped and what not. We get there and sit in the waiting room until 2, then I am taken back to the pre-op area where I have to put on one of those no back gowns and then sit on a really uncomfortable table for another hour. Towards the end of the hour a nurse comes in and hooks me up to an IV of saline. Big ass needles are not fun at all. While I am sitting there getting jabbed, a nurse comes into the nurses station, which was right in front of me, and starts telling the others about this patient, who, while having the same procedure as me, gets a ruptured coronary artery because of the angioplasty. Great, just what I wanted to hear!

Another 20 minutes go by while my butt gets more sore sitting on that torture table. Then that same nurse with the horror story comes in and starts to tell me that they are almost ready for me and asks if I have any questions. Damn straight I have some questions! What happened to the last guy?? "Oh, sorry, did you hear that?" she says. Well she goes on to explain it and make everything all better for me. She was actually very nice and professional. One of the assisting doctors came in and tells me they are all ready to go- they just need my cardiologist to come down and sign something. Now it is about 3:40 and I am getting really tired of this whole thing and then finally the cardiologist shows up. After puttering around the nurses station for about 10 minutes or so he comes in and explains everything about the procedure. He gives me a choice of stents in case he has to put one in. Finally I am wheeled into the operatory and the procedure begins at 4.

I won't go into all of the gruesome post op details but suffice it to say that I had an angioplasty and stent put in due to a fairly blocked coronary artery. I am all better now. I have gone from no medication to 5 different pills a day now. Hopefully, with some work and dedication I will be able to go back to no medication in a year.

Maison Damaré Sauteed Shrimp and Pasta

2009-04-13T19:29:00.002-04:00

Here is a nice and tasty shrimp dish. Start a pot of boiling pot of water for the pasta of your choice, I typically use Dreamfields penné. When the water is boiling I add about a tablespoon of sea salt and 1/8th teaspoon or so of Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce and add it to the water just before dropping the pasta in. This will add some heat to the pasta itself. On another burner I heat up a big skillet then add enough extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to coat the pan. Add some sliced yellow and/or red bell pepper, sliced garlic, (4 to 6 cloves to taste) and then the shrimp. I use about two pounds of frozen cooked tail-on shrimp from Costco; 30 count (medium size). It should about fill up the skillet. Add some fresh milled black pepper, cayenne if you would like the extra heat and let it cook. Start a steamer full of broccoli florets, snap peas, carrots. When the shrimp look almost done, drain any excess liquid and add some soy sauce, about 4 tablespoon. Toss shrimp to coat and continue to cook till done; (totally thawed since they are pre-cooked). When the pasta is done, drain and return the pot to the stove with the burner off. Add some EVOO and a little butter, (I use Smart Balance made from vegetable oils w/out trans fats, which tastes great) then dump the pasta back in. Now here comes the unhealthy part, dump some (about 3/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta with one raw egg and some half and half (enough to make it creamy, maybe 1/4 cup), then stir vigorously. Drain the veggies and add these to the pasta and stir till all is coated evenly.

Serve pasta on the side with the shrimp and enjoy! Bon Appétit

Cabbage Fusion

2009-03-31T19:32:00.004-04:00

A few of weeks ago I was in Charlottesville, VA for the State swimming finals in which my youngest son was a participant. The event went for two days which meant we needed to spend the weekend and discover the town. We met someone in the old market area of the historic district and he took us to this Himalayan, Indian fusion restaurant. There is where I first had this amazing cabbage dish. It was made with green cabbage, mushrooms and some other assorted items. It was delicious. I was determined to recreate this in my own kitchen. My first attempt was spectacular; at least according to my wife. So I told everyone how great this was and they all wanted the recipe. Well, time passed and I kind of forgot exactly what went into this dish. So tonight I tried to recreate it. I'm not 100% sure it is the same but it was good. So here is what I did tonight:

heat a large skillet
when hot add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the following
1/2 head of green cabbage sliced about 1/4 inch slices or smaller.
enough red cabbage sliced the same just to add some color
2 small yellow onions, halved and sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup of thinly sliced green and red bell pepper
2 green onions thinly sliced
1 pint, more or less, of mushrooms quartered
salt, pepper and cayenne to taste (take it a little easy on the salt)
Soy sauce to taste (this adds a salty earthy smokiness)
at least 1 teaspoon of garam masala (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (to taste)
now here is the real kicker, I have this old bottle of austi spumanti in my fridge, it has aged to the point where it is almost a brandy, I add about 1/2 cup of this to help steam everything. You can use a nice white wine or a cheap brandy to do the same.

Turn this frequently, cooking till mostly softened but still partially crunchy. Enjoy! Low fat, high fiber and full of vitamins! Not to mention YUMMY!

Best Pork Tenderloin Ever!

2009-03-27T17:49:00.003-04:00

Ok, here it is. Get your standard vacu-pak of pork tenderloin; two strips of meat. Get a nice BIG cast iron skillet heated then lightly coated with olive oil. Drop your tenderloins in nice and easy. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste; for me that is like one teaspoon per strip. While the meat is getting browned on one side cut up a couple of apples. I used Gala apples which are a little sweeter than red delicious and not as tart as Granny Smiths. Core them and cut them into about quarter inch slices. Then halve and slice up one medium to large onion and about six cloves of garlic. Take one yellow and one green squash and slice these into quarter inch slices too. DON'T FORGET THE MEAT! Be sure to turn the meat so it browns evenly on all sides. Once the meat is browned on all sides remove it from the pan and add your onions and garlic; these should cover the bottom of the pan. On a nice big cutting board slice your tenderloins about two thirds to three quarters of the way through every half inch or so. Return the meat to the pan and push the apple wedges into the meat slits.(Sounds almost erotic doesn't it.) Once you have filled all of the slits evenly distribute around the pan any remaining apple wedges. Sprinkle about one teaspoon of rosemary over top of everything. Then top all of this off with the squash slices, salt and pepper to taste and put it into a three hundred and seventy five degree oven. Let it bake until the squash has softened; the meat will be cooked through at the same time, believe me (but don't sue me if it doesn't). Remove from oven, place tenderloins and all contents of pan on a platter, except for the liquid. Return pan to the stove and on medium high heat reduce the liquid in the pan, adding about one quarter cup of apple juice. Once the liquid is reduced by at least half, pour over tenderloins and serve with saffron rice. ENJOY!

Business Intelligence, Inc. Gets a New Site

2009-03-12T10:31:00.003-04:00

Check out the new redesigned site at www.bii-va.com. This is the fruit of a combined effort on the part of a few key employees of Business Intelligence and lil'old me. After a few minor design changes to the original conceptual design I feel the finished product is a very professional public face for BII.

So please take a couple of minutes to judge for yourself and visit www.bii-va.com.

Too Funny Not To Share

2009-03-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

AmyOops: Welcome Obama

2009-01-23T21:19:00.001-05:00

AmyOops: Welcome Obama

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It's Finally Here!

2008-12-23T13:17:00.003-05:00

The site I have been working on for some time now has finally launched - Luxury Homes.

Ironically, luxury homes are not feeling the current economic crunch as much as most other sectors of the housing market. This is largely because the availability of luxury homes is limited, meaning that only a small amount of extraordinary properties are up for sale at any one time. Another contributing factor is that these homes are often well maintained and frequently updated, which allows them to hold their value better and remain competitive in a slow market. Finally, international buyers have begun to take an interest in American real estate, particularly on the West Coast; the value of the dollar in today's economy essentially allows overseas consumers get more (real estate) for their money. So the competition remains fierce at this level, regardless of the ups and - more recently - downs of the housing market in general.

Flash 10 / sIFR for Safari & Mozilla Compatibility Release

2008-10-28T10:12:00.001-04:00

If you are having issues with sIFR no longer rendering in Safari and Mozilla browsers, this is the fix. Simply replace the old JS file with the one available on Novemberborn's site here:
Novemberborn: sIFR 2.0.7: Flash 10 / Safari Compatibility Release

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Have "The Talk" with your parents

2008-10-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Evermay Estate in Georgetown

2008-10-09T16:39:00.002-04:00

Long & Foster Real Estate is representing the sellers of this magnificent historic landmark located in Georgetown; which is in Northwest Washington, D.C. The Evermay Estate has a rich history which dates back to the 1790's. The new website I created for them has loads of great vintage photos. Like the one shown here:

Election 2008

2008-10-08T08:46:00.000-04:00

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

2008-10-03T14:23:00.001-04:00

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

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Vote No!

2008-09-24T12:52:00.000-04:00

Deepak Chopra on Sarah Palin

2008-09-14T09:21:00.003-04:00

Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche, even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her appeal goes deeper.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms, the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities that we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other."

Obama is calling for us to reach our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reaction is of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful to understand Palin's message.

In her acceptance speech, Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision. Look at what she stands for: Small town values -- A denial of American's global role (a return to petty, small-minded parochialism) -- Ignorance of world affairs -- A repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad -- Family values (a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be heeded.) -- Rigid stands on guns and abortion (a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree) -- Patriotism (the usual fall back in a failed war) -- Reform (an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology.)

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat.

The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow -- we all do. So, what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict.

The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in.

We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise...

What is McCain Thinking? One Alaskan’s Perspective. « Mudflats

2008-08-30T09:23:00.002-04:00

Lovely Downtown Wasilla, Alaska

“Is this a joke?” That seemed to be the question du jour when my phone started ringing off the hook at 6:45am here in Alaska. I mean, we’re sort of excited that our humble state has gotten some kind of national ‘nod’….but seriously? Sarah Palin for Vice President? Yes, she’s a popular governor. Her all time high approval rating hovered around 90% at one point. But bear in mind that the 90% approval rating came from one of the most conservative, and reddest-of-the-red states out there. And that approval rating came before a series of events that have lead many Alaskans to question the governor’s once pristine image.

Read the whole story « Mudflats

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Let the Truth be Told

2008-08-29T08:48:00.001-04:00

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The Sheriff that "Made My Day"

2008-08-22T19:57:00.003-04:00

On my way home from work this evening I was pulled over by a Loudoun County Sheriff. Normally this would be something of concern but not in this case. You see he was pulling me over because I wasn't wearing a helmet at the time.

I drive from Fairfax County in through Loudoun County to get home each day. When I get to the border I pull my helmet off and hang it on a hook under my seat. I wasn't more than three blocks into Loudoun when I hear a siren and see lights pulling up behind me. I of course pull over, mainly because I thought I was getting nailed for running a stop sign. Much to my relief the first thing out of his mouth was "did you know it's a state law that you are supposed to be wearing a helmet while riding that thing?" (That thing being my electric scooter) Having researched all of the laws pertaining to this type of vehicle prior to purchase I simply stated the facts. "No sir, there is no state law regulating the use of helmets in Virginia. There are however laws per county which regulate their use but Loudoun does not have any law which states such a requirement." He asked if I had a Virginia drivers license; he did not ask to see it though because I think he was a little befuddled by my previous response. After a little more back and forth he said "we'll let's just look this up and I'll show you the law". "Yes, please do" I said. He pulled over to the curb just past where I had parked and got out his book. I walked over to his passenger window and just started politely telling him about the bike and all the research I did prior to it's purchase.

After a few minutes had passed he asked me how fast the bike went. Of course I knew the new law says if the vehicle can travel at speeds greater than 35 mph it will be classified as a motorcycle; so I of course told him 35 tops. I told him it was all electric and sometimes, by the end of a long ride, it didn't have enough juice to even do more than 15 mph. He was a little surprised to hear that the scooter was all electric. And in fact when he was unable to find any regulation in either of his books regarding the use of helmets he says "good thing it's electric, if it had been gas powered you would have had to wear a helmet." Of course I knew this was just being said to save face so I didn't correct him. I simply said thank you sir and have a nice day! I don't know why this incident made me so happy but I laughed most of the rest of the way home.

Rip-off

2008-08-17T19:40:00.004-04:00

Beware of efax.com! They claim to offer a free trial but they do not. I signed up for the "free trial" because I had to fax a lease agreement for my daughter. The leasing company would not accept an email attachment?!? Whatever.

Not owning a facsimile machine since the 20th century I went online. So I find this company which offers a "free trial" for sending and receiving faxes. They require a credit card number but say that you won't be charged for the service if you cancel within 30 days. I figure I would use it then cancel and bingo bango would be done with it. I sign up, send my faxes back into the 20th century and think great, I'm done nice and neat. Well today I go into cancel my account and am surprised by a $10- charge to my Amex. It has only been 1 day since I signed up so what was the deal? I sent an email to their "customer support" and got back a form letter which they apparently send out all too frequently. Basically it says F U and we are keeping your ten bucks! This is why I am sending out this warning to anyone who may see this post. Watch out for this sleazy, deceptive web site!

Sole Black Reporter Booted from McCain Event

2008-08-03T18:37:00.002-04:00

by thinkbridge

Sat Aug 02, 2008 at 12:36:07 PM PDT

Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price was singled out and asked to leave the area reserved for media at a rally for John McCain in Panama City, Florida, on Friday. He had showed his media credentials and employee i.d. in order to enter the area when a member of McCain's security detail asked him to leave.

Read the whole story>>

Finally, a really practical invention.

2008-08-02T08:38:00.001-04:00

I can't tell you how many times one of these Nikon Fish-Cam 2000's would have come in handy for me. No one ever believes a fisherman's tale of the one that got away. McPheson should patent this idea quick!

Arts & Living: Comics (washingtonpost.com)

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20050608.jpg (JPEG Image, 625x790 pixels)

2008-07-30T17:38:00.001-04:00

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Going Green

2008-06-25T09:40:00.005-04:00

Well I have been riding the electric scooter back and forth to work at Long & Foster Real Estate for over a week now. My commute is roughly 15 miles and it takes me about 45 minutes. It is a real pleasure to ride especially when you consider the amount of money I am saving on a daily basis not driving a gas guzzler. Every day I see more and more of these scooters on the road. Hopefully this trend will continue and automobiles will become the odd vehicle on the road.

Beside just being a fun way to commute, I really feel good knowing that I too am helping in nearly every possible way to reduce pollution. Admittedly, I do smile each time I pass a gas station showing prices for unleaded gas at over $4.00 a gallon.

JimmyD - Plurk.com

2008-06-20T09:24:00.002-04:00

JimmyD - Plurk.com

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Damn Straight!

2008-06-19T23:14:00.000-04:00

Earl Scruggs & The Chieftains

2008-06-19T22:55:00.001-04:00

Best Irish joke of 2006 (allegedly)

2008-06-19T22:46:00.001-04:00

John O’Reilly hoisted his beer and said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!”

That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night.

He went home and told his wife, Mary, “I won the prize for the Best toast of the night”.

She said, “Aye, did ye now. And what was your toast?”

John said, “Here’s to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife.”

“Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!” Mary said.

The next day, Mary ran into one of John’s drinking buddies on the street corner. The man chuckled leeringly and said, “John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast about you, Mary.”

She said, “Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised myself. You know, he’s only been there twice in the last four years. Once he fell asleep and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come.”

Why Vote Republican?

2008-06-14T19:51:00.001-04:00

Embedded Video

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What will Microsoft do now?

2008-06-12T13:53:00.001-04:00

Yahoo and Google will make a joint announcement at 1:30 this afternoon, we’ve heard from a reliable source close to one of the companies. What is the announcement? The very likely answer is, a search partnership between the two companies that outsources all or part of Yahoo search marketing, and possibly search itself, to Google.

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Kucinich to push for Judiciary to take up impeachment res.

2008-06-12T11:30:00.000-04:00

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who last night presented articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress, will tonight move that his impeachment resolution be referred to the Judiciary Committee, per a press release from his office...

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They Call Me Scooter

2008-06-10T08:04:00.003-04:00

Got my new electric moped Sunday and have been having tons of fun breaking it in. I will eventually start using it for my daily commute. With gas prices over $4- a gallon, I will be smiling all the way to work and back!

Drove it a few miles this morning to go and vote in our local elections. Had a little problem when my right foot got caught on a piece of trim and I ended up taking a spill. No big damage, just a few scratches and popped off the end of the right break handle. I have to take in back in a couple of weeks to get a part replace anyway so I figure I will just have that replaced then as well.

I strongly recommend to anyone with a short commute to look into buying one of these. It is not only good for the environment but it would also be good for your pocket!

Plurk - The new social network aint so social

2008-06-06T09:53:00.002-04:00

I have been using Plurk for only a couple of days now. I was cajoled into it by a friend at the office. It is an instant messaging type service with an historical timeline which allows you to go back and comment on posts made by people in your network as well as post your own messages. The one issue I have been seeing as more people join is that, much like Twitter, it is having trouble handling the load. I just got this a few minutes ago "Oops... The page you are looking for is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few moments."

It is a fun way to connect with multiple people but if it continues to have issues like this, or if the issue actually get worse, I see Plurk going the way of the dinosaur.

Long & Foster in the news

2008-05-19T09:21:00.003-04:00

Check out the new headquarters we are moving into in June. This will cut down my commute by a few miles so I have decided to go electric. I am buying an electric moped for my new commute. I am hoping to save a couple of thousand dollars a year with this. It should pay for itself within about ten months of riding.

Catch Up

2008-05-15T12:41:00.003-04:00

That's what the father tomato said to the little tomato that kept falling behind.

Here is some of my "catch up". April 4, 2008 my father passed away due to complications from lung cancer and heart disease. Since then my mother has not been doing too well. I am hoping she comes out of her depression soon.

I had to postpone my Chesapeake Bay charter fishing trip for May 17th with Capt. Mike because of work. The Long & Foster headquarters is moving and I am providing support for all of our applications as our servers are moved. Basically I just need to be available if something doesn't come back up so I can design an "Oops it's down" page.

We have canceled our European vacation this year because of the falling dollar. So we will be flying Joanna here for a visit and to attend the 80th surprise party in Florida in August. We are waiting to find out if she will be leaving from Greece or from Germany.

I found a guy here the sells electric scooters. If I am allowed to plug one in at work I will begin commuting for free. That reminds me, I need to find someone and ask him if this would be ok or not.

Same ol', same ol'

2007-11-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

I finished my 2008 calendars last night; woohoo! What a crazy weekend. I had a last minute request to make some changes to the corporate website that wasn't tested thoroughly before pushing live. I got stuck making some quick fixes remotely Friday night and Saturday morning which took some time. Then we had to do some shopping and prep for Thanksgiving as we are hosting again this year. Jackie came in around 5 from Tech and wanted me to make her favorite dinner, pork chops, baked mac and cheese and steamed veggies. I also found some time to download and play with miro. It's pretty cool. Sunday between working on Chesapeake Boats, working on the new calendar, making baklava for the department holiday party, making dinner, etc.., Maria calls from the store telling me that Jackie fainted. She wanted to know if she should call and ambulance and go to the hospital. After some discussion I found out that Jackie was okay and recommended she just bring her home. When they got home I checked for the usual symptoms of a concussion and found none. She was probably just mildy dehydrated so we pushed fluids. She was fine; thanks goodness.

This is obscene!

2007-11-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

I came across this article on Digg just a few minutes ago and wanted to share it with anyone who may read this. Soldier wounded in Iraq is told to leave his Army home within 30 days.

Normally I would say "I can't believe this" but in our current situation with an administration breaking the law on a daily basis I am afraid I CAN believe this. This is no way to treat a veteran and someone who was willing to give his life for his country. It's absolutely reprehensible.

Flock 1.0 Has Arrived

2007-11-02T09:06:00.000-04:00

I just updated my Flock browser with the latest version and am a little unhappy with the "My World" home page design. I liked the previous version better because it was cleaner and tighter. I do however like the addition of the "People" sidebar. It's really cool.

Back to work!

2007-10-22T09:30:00.000-04:00

I just downloaded "Flock", a new "social" browser. It is pretty damn cool. For anyone not familiar with this check it out at www.flock.com. It uses tabbed browsing like Firefox, IE7 and Safari but what is really cool is that it works well on a Mac or a PC. So far it looks like it works better than Firefox on the Mac. Uh oh, this could be bad news for Firefox.

Mr. Marble breaks out

2005-11-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

2005-03-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

Cardinal

I'm moving to Germany!

2005-02-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

Story By Alexandra Hudson
REUTERS
7:05 a.m. February 23, 2005

MAINZ, Germany – Some 7,000 protesters, some carrying banners saying "Bush go home," "War Monger" and "No. 1 Terrorist," marched through the German town of Mainz on Wednesday but were kept away from the visiting U.S. president.

The largely peaceful rally never got within a kilometre (half mile) of U.S. President George W. Bush, who is on his first German visit since the 2003 Iraq war, which was deeply unpopular in Germany. "I'm disgusted by the war in Iraq Bush started that has cost thousands of civilian lives," said Thomas Odenweller, 49, a computer technician. "Now he's trying to normalise relations with Europe. It must be stopped."

Ignoring snow and freezing temperatures, the demonstrators held banners chastising Bush in English with slogans such as: "You can bomb the world to pieces but not into peace." Many had pre-printed posters reading: "Bush, No. 1 Terrorist."

Before the march, one speaker told the crowd: "Mr. Bush, please leave our country. You started an illegal war against Iraq."

German police confiscated one poster that read: "We had our Hitler, now you have yours."

Some protesters praised Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for his opposition to the Iraq war and refusal to send troops.

"Schroeder's opposition to the Iraq war made me so proud to be German," said Helmut Bach, 50, a pilot who marched with his 20-year-old daughter. "That's why I voted for him."
Several protesters wearing fake U.S. army uniforms pulled a trailer with dummies of blood-covered Iraq prisoners impaled on iron bars under a banner: "We don't want your type of freedom."

A force of 10,000 police officers staged one of the biggest postwar security operations. Frogmen searched the Rhine for explosives, 1,300 manhole covers were welded shut and thousands of residents were displaced.

For Bush's 8-hour stay there was also a strict ban on air traffic within a 60-km (40-mile) radius of Mainz, barges on the river were halted and motorways in the region closed. Factories, businesses and schools were shut.

Alex Berg, 31, a dancer, and his friends were dressed as cows and carried a poster reading: "We don't need no cowboys."

Bush's visit contrasted with that of his father to Mainz in 1989 when large crowds cheered Bush senior for his calls for the Berlin Wall to be torn down.

Other U.S. presidents have also been given a hero's welcome in Germany.
"When John F. Kennedy came to Germany he drove through cheering crowds," said Mark Reichelt, 20, a student. "Now Bush is here and will drive through empty streets."

2005-02-22T09:28:00.000-05:00

Reynolds Blocks

Captains of the Chesapeake

2005-02-21T12:29:00.000-05:00

Providing internet opportunities for Chesapeake Bay Charter Boat Captains since before the turn of the century.

Captains of the Chesapeake (COTC) offers a competitive array of services intended to provide Chesapeake Bay Charter Boat Captains with an effective online presence.

In recent years customers of COTC have seen substantial results from our cooperative internet marketing strategy. Some Chesapeake Bay Charter Boat Captains have been able to move from direct marketing to a strictly online process with terrific results.

Our internet website services are an all inclusive solution for the Chesapeake Bay Charter Boat Captain's internet marketing needs. Learn more...

Think'n bout fish'n

2005-02-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

The sunny days and warmer weather these past couple of days has got me thinking about fishing. I have already booked a charter aboard the Proud Mary for late May. I highly recommend this boat and her captain, Mike Shaffner, to anyone thinking about fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. If he is booked on your date of choice, try the Miss Meagan. She was recommended to me by Capt. Mike.

2005-02-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

Sushi

2005-02-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

Center_Focus

Fun for all

2005-02-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Just got back from a walk outside where it feels like Spring. But before I left I got a couple a links to some time stealers. Here, check'em out: http://www.deviantart.com/view/8666529/ and http://web.okaygo.co.uk/apps/letters/flashcom/index3.htm

2005-02-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

Afghanistan Yacht Club

A Little Brighter

2005-02-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

Weather has improved somewhat today and I received some new pics from my son in Afghanistan. So far it is shaping up to be a good day.

2005-02-15T12:13:00.000-05:00

April_17_2004

What's new in Northern VA

2005-02-14T12:43:00.000-05:00

Raining, gloomy, Winters day. I know it's Valentines Day. Big whoop, a made up holiday like so many others. Just more evidence of the corporate greed at work in America.

2005-02-14T10:11:00.000-05:00

LeaveMeAlone