It was Super Hero day!

Saturday I ran in my first official 10K, finishing under an hour (57:50 officially). Afterwards I just felt so good, just wandering around the house flexing my arms etc, just feeling healthy and fit and good. All of which is a really novel experience for me. TO be honest I was pretty much the prototypical Geek/Nerd growing up. I played and enjoyed some sports, especially basketball, but had I gone to a more traditional school I would never have made the team. My preferences for entertainment were always fare more cerebral: books, TV, role playing games. And as I got older I definitely settled into that mode even more. So this new found enjoyment of physical activity and exercise is really new to me. So doing this, the running, makes me feel like a super hero.

To top that feeling Kim let me take James to see Captain America! Which was really cool. It was a good movie, I really enjoyed it. And I especially enjoyed being able to share it with James. Because I have a confession: I was never a big comic book guy. I am aware of them, and a lot of the back stories, but I am not an avid follower. So watching all of these movies with James is especially cool because I get to enjoy the stories with him for the first time rather than an after the fact sort of thing.

Then to top the day off we watched the Green Hornet when we got home. Which was a really fun rendition of the story. And a lot of fun to share with the kids as well.

So I had a full day of 'heroism', both personal, and with family. It was a great day.

It's getting close, I can sense it, I am Ready!

Smell that?

That subtle waft of chill in the air? (Well not this week maybe, but metaphorically speaking)

It's the scent of Football!

With all public signs pointing to the NFL lockout ending in a matter of days, and Fall practice on the nea horizon for Colleges it is beginning to look like the long hot terrible days of summer are coming to an end.

I tried to satisfy my time watching soccer, plus spent a lot of time with family etc. but in the end there is nothing like football for me. And I can sense that it is coming, the chance to watch modern gladiators risk life, future health and vast sums of money to entertain me & so many others.

I just want to watch some games again, I don't care if 'my teams' are playing, or even doing well, I just want to watch me some football again. And it is ever so close!

Sharing a priceless moment

The other night Emily was putting on a new nightgown she inherited from her cousins. The gown was big, reaching her toes. So she started complaining how it was too big.

Kim & I tried to reassure her it fit fine, and pointed out the Disney Princesses on the front. She wasn't buying it.

But when Dan said she looked like a Princess and got down and asked to spin around, her face just lit up, and she got the biggest smile. And everything was fine with that nightgown. Sometimes it takes the word of big bubba instead of the parents.

A weeks worth of tinkering done today #Google+ @Primadesk

Had some fun discovering some new stuff today.

1. First found this cool new web site: Primadesk

This is already a useful tool, especially on my iPhone (free App), for seeing my pictures that I have uploaded in multiple locations. It is a little limited right now, but has promise once it gets out of Beta. I will use the phone app especially right now, but once the kinks are worked out it will be even more useful because it has the promise to allow me to access all of my online files in 1 place! That's a big deal, when you have multiple e-mail addresses, multiple places for storing photo's and multiple documents (although I don't do the docs right now). So this promises to be a really great tool, and I hope it meets it's potential.

2. Got added to Google+ My Profile

I know what you're thinking, why on earth would Mike want yet another social network? Well there is the practical reason: I already have a Google profile, with 2 blogs, Buzz, Picasa etc. and it makes sense for me to get here as soon as I can to get familiar and like I always do try to integrate my platforms as quickly as possible. And the impractical part of me that just wants to tinker with the shiny new toy on the block. So here I am, add me to your circles and I will add you to mine.

Where can the liberals/progressives go when our President betrays us?

I have had this sinking feeling since last fall, that Obama just isn't the man I voted for. With every piece of news of his administration extending the Patriot Act, keeping Gitmo open, refusing to prosecute torturers I began to get a sinking feeling. But I figured that this was not a priority, and why rile the public with what in some ways are just P.R. things?

Then I read Griftopia, particularly the section on Health Care. I strongly recommend everyone read the book, but that chapter made me sick. When I was forced to accept that fact that Health Care Reform was essentially a give away to the big insurance companies I was not happy. But I could still argue that while we didn't get what we should, we did get what was possible, and ti would still be far better than the current system.

Then came the tax cut fight, with a lame duck Congress that still had a Democrat majority. Here is where a truly Liberal President would have steadfastly refused to sign any extension, knowing that doing so was purely a concession to the GOP and the rich. But again Obama let things go. And again, I could concede that maybe the economy didn't need what was in effect a raise in taxes at that time, so I still defended Obama's actions, but in my heart of hearts I was starting to feel doubt.

And now we have the debt limit fight. And the way the GOP is playing it's hand makes it a P.R. slam dunk for a fighting Progressive President. It should be easy to make every chance in public be a chance to hammer at the GOP for refusing to bring any tax increase to the table in attempts to reduce the deficit, particularly at a time when every poll shows that a majority of Americans believe that a tax increase on the rich is necessary. Instead we have the gradual, slow giving in to the GOP demands. At this time it looks more and more like Obama is putting everything that he swears he believes in about caring for the poor, the sick and the elderly on the table. And if that ends up being the deal, I will have to give up, betrayed by a Democrat President who doesn't care about the actual voters. Who in the end only cares about and listens to wealthy financiers who can pay for his next election.

I don't want that to happen, and I have some idea that maybe this is all part of some elaborate long term con where he insures his re-election, and hopes for enough anger at the GOP to give him back full control of Congress so that he can really implement a Progressive agenda. But I don't believe that's the case. I think he, and pretty much every national politician, is so in thrall to big money, that there is no real chance for real change. The level of betrayal I feel at this point is the same I felt during the Bush-Clinton campaign, when I saw some truly horrendous ads on the part of the Bush campaign, that was the tipping point that pushed me out of the Republican party. And if this all goes like it looks it will it will be the tipping point that pushes me out of the Democratic party, and back to voting straight third party ticket whenever I have the chance.