Dan In Real Life

Contrary to those people who think I never like any movies, I just saw one that I really enjoyed. Dan In Real Life is a very good movie about a single dad who meets a woman and the impact that relationship has on his family. A majority of the scenes take place with his extended family at their cottage in Rhode Island. It was very touching, romantic, beautifully filmed and laugh out loud funny. Steve Carell does a terrific job acting, as does the rest of the cast.

One scene in particular stuck with me. The teenage daughter's boyfriend tells the father that love is not a feeling but an ability. I realize it is just a line in a movie but it was thought provoking. I have never thought of love in those terms but it makes sense and gives me great pause. I wonder some days if I have somehow lost that ability because it has been so long since I have been in love.

Anyways, the movie is well worth seeing in the theater. And if you know me at all, you will understand what a powerful endorsement that is.

The Big House

This past weekend my friend Keri and I had the opportunity to tour University of Michigan's football field. It was a very fun experience. We started out in the media room where they bring in new recruits. They showed a presentation on the history of Michigan football and the history of the stadium. Here is some quick trivia: Michigan did not lose a game from 1901-1905 until the very last game of the 1905 season. They lost that game 2-0 to the University of Chicago. The irony is that those 2 points were the first points they gave up all year.

After the presentation we ran down the tunnel onto the field and threw the football around. Keri has a good arm but she needs work holding for kicks as she flinched at the last minute. Of course my field goal kicking needs work itself. Standing on the field brings a new perspective into what the players see each week. It's also neat to think that I was walking on the same field that Anthony Carter, Charles Woodson and Tom Brady all played on.

The tour ended in the Michigan locker room where we tried on some of the players uniforms. It's amazing how tight fitted those jersey's are. Definitely not like my 30 dollar TJ Maxx look alike jersey. Michael Taylor, a former QB for U of M in the late 1980's, gave a moving speech inside the locker room and broke down crying when he spoke of how much Michigan football meant to him.

This season has been a bit rough for us Michigan fans but Sunday reminded me of why I still love Michigan football.

Bobby Jindal: Remember this name

This weekend Louisiana held their gubernatorial primary. They do things differently down there as they vote on a Saturday and have multiple candidates running against each other in the primary and then winnow the field down to the top two if nobody wins over 50 percent. Well this time Bobby Jindal, a Republican congressmen, won with 54 percent avoiding a run off election and becoming the next governor.

Jindal is a 36 year old Indian American who is incredibly bright and articulate. His election makes him the youngest governor in the country and the first minority to be governor of Louisiana since reconstruction. He has extensive expertise in health care as he ran Louisiana's Department of Community Health and later served as Assistant Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington DC. Additionally, he has a strong understanding of higher education as a result of his tenure as President of the University of Louisiana System.

Just as impressive as his resume is his ability to win statewide where there are twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans. Granted the Democrat party has taken a beaten in recent years due to how poorly the current Governor responded to the Katrina crisis. Notably, Jindal was able to capitalize on this discontent and create a broad theme of good government to campaign on. This is the exact message that all Republicans should be using instead of the same tired conservative cliches. Instead of ideology, the voters this year want demonstrated competence. Jindal's campaign and background filled that desire.

The following is a great clip from an article in the AP that illustrates this point:

The governor-elect said he is not worried that in a state known for its brash and flashy politicians, he's seen as methodical and wonkish. "If I go down as one of the more boring but effective governors, I'll take that as a great compliment," he said at a news conference earlier Sunday. "Our people don't want to be amused by our politics anymore. We don't want to be entertained."

I guess you could say he is the antithesis of Barack Obama.

Here is my prediction: Jindal will perform very well as Governor. He will be a model for other Republicans across the country. I also suspect that he will be considered a top tier presidential candidate in 2016

Sanibel Island Photos

The wedding

At the rehearsal dinner

View from our condo

Enjoying the sunset

Dinner with my parents

My grandpa and I match

View from our balcony

Our pool

Back home

I have been in a funk since I returned from vacation. That's why I haven't felt much like writing recently. I have come to realize the problem with vacationing; no matter how relaxing you always have to return to reality. Finally, this weekend I started to get back to normal.

Friday night I had several friends over to play poker. I really enjoy Texas Hold'em but more importantly I enjoy spending times with my friends. It's a good group of people. We stayed up late and laughed at a lot of stupid things like the number of cheeses and how to play octopus. I guess you had to be there. The fact that I won some money made it all the more enjoyable.

Then yesterday I met my nephew David in Grand Rapids for lunch. It was great to see him again after a two month absence. When had a good time eating wings, watching football and playing video games. Afterwards we visited my Dad at the cemetery which was overdue because it had been a while since I had stopped by. David has a strong sense of family which I appreciate. I wish I lived closer so I could see him and his family more often. I offered to let him move to Lansing but he wasn't interested.

Last night I went to my friend Aaron's going away party at Aladdin's restaurant. The food was good and he had a huge crowd. I don't think he realized how many friends he has. It's surprises me, that he and I friends as we are so completely different. He dresses in all black, is a vegetarian and has a socialist view of the world. I have no such view, enjoy meat and like wearing colors but I realized that he and I do have more in common than meets the eye. Both of us have been in dating draught, both want to find deeper purpose in life, both enjoy music (we play together in the church worship band) and we both are restless souls. His restlessness is leading him to Hawaii which is great for him but lousy for those he leaves behind. I am truly going to miss him.

Tonight I get to watch the Steelers on national TV which is the first time I get to see them play without having to go to the bar. Hopefully they cap off a good weekend with a big victory over the Broncos.

Vacation

I am currently sitting in our screened in porch overlooking the gulf of mexico and enjoying the warm weather. I arrived in Sanibel Island Florida, along with most of my extended family to attend my cousin Brie's wedding. The wedding itself was fabulous and Brie looked terrific. They got married right on the beach with steel drums and a guitar playing. They each wrote their own vows and you could tell they were in love. The reception was very fun. It was outside and the weather was perfect.

Contrasting the wedding is the crazy streak that runs through my family. Wow. I had forgotten what it was like to have them all gathered in one place. It's sad that some could not behave themselves even for a weekend or more importantly out of respect for Brie but selfishness reigns supreme. Since I have often been accused of sharing too much information, I'll save my most scathing stories and comments for personal conversations.

Now that the wedding is over, I have been playing golf, kayaking and generally just soaking up the sun before it disappears into the long winter. I find it soothing to simply float in the gulf and watch the seagulls fly overhead and the dolphins swim by. It's a regular tropical paradise and I can see why my cousin decided to get married on the island.

Well that's all from here as I am off to get my free margaritas by the pool. My guess is they hope to entice me into signing up for the timeshare. It's a great place but I don't see it happening. Just wait til they see my bank account; they will probably ask me to repay them for the drinks.

Dream for Darfur

As some of you know I am a part of the Whisper Campaign which is a Lansing based group with the goal of raising awareness of the atrocities occurring in Darfur. This Saturday evening we are joining members of the Save Darfur movement from Jackson and Detroit in a 5K relay converging on the steps of the state capitol. There will be live music, food and keynote speakers. All of this, in an effort to shame China into taking a stance that supports the end of the Government of Sudan's genocidal tactics against the people of Darfur. I encourage those who live nearby to attend this historic event.

Michigan Budget Update

Michigan finally resolved it's budget crisis Monday morning at 4 am. Thus we avoided a government shutdown and took one step toward rebuilding confidence in Michigan's government and economy. After many hours of negotiations and several legislative gaffes, things came to an end by passing two tax increases, cutting spending by more than 400 million and several reforms including changes to the health care and retirement benefits for teachers and public employees.

In the end my boss did vote to raise the income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent. It was not an easy vote. In fact, without his vote the bill would have failed and the entire budget agreement could have fallen apart. People before and after the vote have asked my boss what he got out of the deal. They are stunned when he tells them that he didn't trade his vote but simply voted for the tax hike because he thought it was the right thing to do. And it certainly wasn't politically expedient because we are now facing a potential recall effort. The reality is that the state has been cutting its budget since 2000 and yet every year the hole gets bigger and bigger. In the past we have cobbled together one time solutions by selling off future money to pay the current bills and this gimmick finally caught up with us. At some point we couldn't continue to do the same thing year after year and expect different results.

A 6 percent sales tax on services also passed but without my boss voting for it. Left off the list is golf, marinas, cable TV, sporting events and movies theaters. Here are all the new services that will be taxed:

(a) Carpet and upholstery cleaning services
(b) Business service center services
(c) Consulting services
(d) Investigation, guard and armored car services
(e) Investment advice services
(f) Janitorial services
(g) Landscaping services
(h) Office administration services
(i) All of the following personal services:
(i) Astrology services.
(ii) Baby shoe bronzing services.
(iii) Bail bonding services.
(iv) Balloon-o-gram services.
(v) Coin-operated blood pressure testing machine services.
(vi) Bondsperson services.
(vii) Check room services.
(viii) Coin-operated personal service machine services.
(ix) Comfort station operation services.
(x) Concierge services.
(xi) Consumer buying services.
(xii) Credit card notification services.
(xiii) Dating services.
(xiv) Discount buying services.
(xv) Social escort services.
(xvi) Fortune-telling services.
(xvii) Genealogical investigation services.
(xviii) House sitting services.
(xix) Social introduction services.
(xx) Coin-operated rental locker services.
(xxi) Numerology services.
(xxii) Palm reading services.
(xxiii) Party planning services.
(xxiv) Pay telephone services.
(xxv) Personal fitness trainer services.
(xxvi) Personal shopping services.
(xxvii) Coin-operated photographic machine services.
(xxviii) Phrenology services.
(xxix) Porter services.
(xxx) Psychic services.
(xxxi) Rest room operation services.
(xxxii) Shoeshine services.
(xxxiii) Singing telegram services.
(xxxiv) Wedding chapel services, but not churches.
(xxxv) Wedding planning services.
(j) Other travel and reservation services
(k) Scenic transportation services
(l) Skiing services
(m) Tour operator services
(n) Warehousing and storage services
(o) Packaging and labeling services
(p) Specialized design services
(q) Transit and ground passenger transport services
(r) Courier and messenger services
(s) Personal care services
(t) Service contract services
(u) Security system services
(v) Document preparation services
(w) Miniwarehouse services and self-storage unit services

It's a really long list and I am not sure why some things are in it and some are not. It doesn't seem particularly well thought out and I doubt that anyone truly understands what the fiscal impact will be on both taxpayers and the state budget.

The reforms that passed are often overlooked but the reality is that they may have the most long term impact of anything that happened this weekend. Reforming teacher benefits will save the state hundreds of millions each year which means more money going to the classroom. It also weakens the teacher unions politically. Under the current system they make gobs of money by administrating their own health care benefits. The new law provides school districts greater ability to purchase their health care benefits elsewhere. Without the monopoly on health care, the teacher unions will not have as much money to spread around during campaign years. And since they usually spend this money against my boss, the less money they have for politics the better.

That is the update from Lansing. I am thankful we avoided a government shutdown and relieved to return to normal working hours instead of being at the capitol until 5 a.m. every night.

Mackinac and the Budget

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I was up in Mackinac last weekend for the Republican Leadership Conference. Every Two years the Republicans take over the Island and turn it into a two day party. I love Mackinac Island and the weather was beautiful. I was able to connect with several people who I haven't seen in a long time. In fact, I couldn't walk more than 20 feet without stopping and talking to somebody on the street. It was nice to feel so popular. Although, I do notice a little disconnect between myself and the rank and file Republicans as I become less and less black and white in my political views.

I did get to meet Sen. McCain Friday night and then again on Saturday. He was very gracious but he looks really old in person. Ron Paul was also there and had a boisterous crowd of followers that chanted his name up and down the streets. It was so obnoxious. Effective but obnoxious. I didn't listen to Fred Thompson's speech or meet him but I heard he bombed big time. His awe shucks country lawyer persona is already wearing thin and he hasn't even been on the trail two months. I was disappointed that my candidate Mike Huckabee didn't make it. Apparently he missed his commercial flight and doesn't have enough money to charter a flight. The perils of running a low budget campaign I guess. In the end Mitt Romney won the straw poll which was expected but I didn't sense a lot of enthusiasm for him. The conventional wisdom says that he wins the Michigan primary but don't count out Giuliani yet especially if independents think the Democrat primary is already decided and come over and vote in the Republican primary.

Now I am back in Lansing and to be honest it is not pretty. In fact, it is the worst I have seen in my 9 years here. Last night the Senate was in until 1 a.m. with the anticipation of passing a budget which prevents the government from shutting down on Monday. Negotiations are still going on but so far no compromise has been reached. One side wants to cut the full 1.7 billion dollars out of the budget and the other side wants to raise the income tax to fill the hole. I suspect the solution is somewhere in between but the anti-tax people are extremely vocal and have several lawmakers scared of a recall effort.

Personally, if the state shuts down I won't get paid which sucks but I have a vacation planned starting next Friday anyways so I'll just start my vacation early. But there are a lot of other state employees who are depending on their paychecks and many state residents who are depending on government services that simply will not be available. Just wait until people realize the casinos are closed and they can't buy liquor or lottery tickets next week. Then the average citizen will feel the pain.

That's all for now. If I am laid off next week, I'll have plenty of time to post more. Until then.

The Last Thing We Need

I just read that Alan Keyes is throwing his hat in the ring for President again. What a terrible idea. Wasn't his Senate campaign against Obama embarrassing enough? I voted for Keyes in the 96 primary but haven't been real impressed with him sense then.

He told a radio station during his announcement that "We're putting together an effort that's not going to be like anything before, because it's going to be entirely based on citizen action. We're going to be challenging people to take a pledge for America's revival." These are code words for "we have no money and no organization and very few supporters but we are going to run anyway".

Yes, he gives the best political speeches and is very inspiring. But he has no chance to win. He has a track record of losing campaigns in both Illinois and Maryland and in previous primaries. And even if he did somehow win the presidency, I have no confidence that he would be effective.

His announcement is frustrating. We should be narrowing down the field of candidates at this time but instead we keep getting more and more lackluster people that we don't need (Fred Thompson). Gingrich will probably be next. And then who? Gary Bauer again?

If you can't beat em, join em

My friend Chad is fed up with Michigan football and seriously who can blame him. He has recently taken his frustration to a new level by auctioning off his football allegiance on E-bay. All the money raised goes to a local charity. As a long time Michigan fan this is painful to see but I admire his creativity. So for all you fans of lesser football programs this is your time to gloat and put your money where you mouth is and make a bid for Chad's allegiance to your team.

Anyone home?

Yesterday the Nationals-Marlins game drew a crowd of only 400 people. That's less than the members of the Kevin Federline fan club. And I thought the Pirates fans were bad.

Why We Don't Need Fred Thompson

There was an interesting column on Fred Thompson's candidacy today. I would encourage people to read it. I like Fred Thompson personally but I am still not sure why he is in the race. What does he bring to the table that the other Republican candidates don't have. He is not a down the line conservative that some want him to be and for all his communication skills, I haven't heard him say one thing yet as to why his being President would make our country any better.

For all you out there that are still undecided, you should check out Gov. Mike Huckabee. He has the experience, the personality and the ideas to be an effective president. He is not acting the part. Instead he is the real deal.

my boys

I have a new favorite TV show. It's called My Boys and it airs Monday nights on TBS. The story is about a 20 something gal named PJ who works as a sports reporter covering the Cubs and hangs out with a group of guy friends playing poker and drinking beer at the local bar. Her only problem is that she has a hard time finding "Mr. Right" and even when she does find him, her guy friends tend to get in the way. It's a great premise and I found myself getting hooked over the summer.

They had the season finale last night which was very funny. PJ is leaving for Italy with her friend Stephanie and they were both supposed to bring boyfriends along with them. However, PJ cannot find a date and finally gives up and decides to go alone. Only days before the trip PJ bumps into ex boyfriends and other guys in her life that are now suddenly available and she must choose which guy to go with. At the end of the episode she explains that she invited one of them to come but waited for him to show and he never came. Then all the sudden the flight attendant invites her into first class to sit with who she decided to take. But they never show who the guy is and viewers are left with a cliffhanger. I hate that. Now I have to spend the rest of the year not knowing what happened.

Was it the botanist that lives in the suburbs who didn't get along with her guy friends and who she thought was blowing off but really simply busy working? Or how about the baseball player whom she had feelings for and was recently traded from the Cubs thus freeing her up of any ethical dating questions? Maybe it's the dashing reporter that's her old flame and who just left his fiance? Or even more shocking, will it be one of her guy friends that she spends so much time with?

I remember when I was younger there was a show called It's Your Move staring Jason Bateman that ended the season on a cliffhanger only to get canceled the next season. Thankfully, I just read that My Boys got picked up for a new season so at least we don't have to wait forever to find out who is on the plane.

Those lovable Cleveland Browns

For those that missed the Pittsburgh - Cleveland game yesterday there was a play that demonstrates just how pathetic the Browns truly are. It was fourth and long down deep in their own territory and they bring in the punter. First the punter muffs the snap and barely gets off the kick which is a wobbler that just gets passed the line of scrimmage. But that's not the worst part. They were called for four separate penalties on that play. Two holdings, one illegal formation and one ineligible player downfield before the ball was kicked. One play, 10 seconds and 5 mistakes. That sounds about right for the Clowns, I mean the Browns.

Deja vu

I just watched Deja vu last night. It stars Denzel Washington as a federal agent attempting to solve a terrorist attack on a ferry. During his investigation, he falls in love with a murdered victim and then goes back in time to try and save her so they can fall in love. It was a ridiculous plot but I was willing to suspend belief for the sake of entertainment. But at the end, when he has only 2 hours to save the ferry and he doesn't call the police because he wants to do it himself so he both catch the bomber and disable the bomb, I began to lose interest. Why do Hollywood movies treat their audiences like idiots? At least pretend to respect our intelligence.

As I was complaining about the ending, my roommate told me to not be so critical and enjoy the movie. I realize I am critical, especially when it comes to movies, but I simply cannot enjoy a movie that has no connection to reality. Being subjected to impossible and stupid story lines does not entertain me. Instead they just frustrate me and I think "Is this really the best that Hollywood can come up?". I mean they spend millions of dollars making these movies and they can't even write a coherent script.

Deja Vu did contain some elements of two much better movies. The concept of going back in time and retelling certain scenes comes from a really cool movie called Memento. And the idea of a cop falling in love with a dead victim came from a 1940's movie called Laura which is actually one of my favorites. Instead of renting Deja Vu I would encourage people to rent either of those movies. They treat the audience to well thought and well written stories instead of the drivel that's usually for rent at the video store.

Stupid Predictions

Once again I feel compelled to share my NFL predictions for the upcoming year. But since I picked the Bengals over the Panthers last year, I no longer have confidence in my own football knowledge. So instead I am simply drawing names out of a hat. Without further ado here are my predictions for this year's NFL season:

New England
Buffalo
Miami
New York

Oakland
Kansas City
Denver
San Diego

Indianapolis
Tennessee
Houston
Jacksonville

Baltimore
Cincinatti
Pittsburgh
Cleveland

Baltimore over Indy

Carolina
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
New Orleans

Green B ay
Chicago
Minnesota
Detroit

Washington
Philadelphia
Dallas
New York

San Franscisco
St Louis
Seattle
Arizona

Carolina over Washington

Superbowl winner:
Baltimore over Carolina

By popular demand

I have been asked to give my thoughts on the Republican debate from a few nights ago. This will be tough because I actually didn't watch it. In fact, I was putting in a new garbage disposal instead. Well actually my good friend Aaron did most of the work while I assisted him.

My only thoughts on the debate are what I read about it and the clips I've seen. From what I can tell, Huckabee continues to outshine the others in this format. There was a great article in the observer about his performance. He is the one candidate who has the authentic conservative credentials without scaring off average Joe Americans. His mix of populism and good government results along with his ability to clearly communicate make him the best choice in the race.

I know that some of my friends are jumping on the Fred Thompson bandwagon. I like Fred. In fact I have a picture of he and I proudly displayed in my office. My question however, is what's his message? What does he bring to the table that the other candidates don't? He looked and sounded tired on the Leno show and he hasn't even hit the ground running yet. My guess is that he was nervous and he will improve but he is hardly the savior of the party that some want him to be.

My analysis of the current race is that there are three conservatives; Romney, Thompson and Huckabee that will battle it out on the right. Romney will win the NE and Midwest while Thompson and Huckabee will split the south. Whoever wins the conservative base will then face off head to head against Giuliani. And frankly, I am not sure if any of the conservatives can beat him. My heart wants Huckabee, my professional judgement says Romney but my gut tells me nobody.

Stunning

Well the University of Michigan's football team didn't take long to disappoint this year. Yesterday they lost to division 1aa Appalachian State in what some are calling the greatest upsets of all time. I missed the game because I was at the MSU game but the crowd there sure did enjoy getting the scoring updates.

While Michigan should never lose to a school like Appalachian State, I can't say I am terribly surprised. I knew they were overranked and was just telling my Stepdad last week that I didn't have a good feeling about the team this year.

The most frustrating part of yesterday's result is that this season is already lost. Even if they run the table and win the big ten and a BCS bowl game it won't matter. They lost to Appalachian State. That's the story of this season period. Despite a fourth year starting QB, an NFL left tackle, a star wide receiver and a potential Heisman candidate in Mike Hart, they still couldn't beat a division 1aa school. What does that say about our coaching?

By all accounts they were out coached and unprepared. Hmmm? That sounds familiar because they say that after every loss. And the reason they that is because it's true. By all accounts Lloyd Carr is a good man but he is simply not a good enough coach for Michigan if they really want to compete for a national title. We should have gone after Urban Meyer two years ago. It worked well for Florida. Instead, we will have to ride out this year with Carr. If yesterday is any indication it could be a long year.

Are you Ready for some Football

Last night I attended the Lions-Bills preseason game. While the action on the field was pretty dull, the event still heightened my anticipation for football season. Earlier this week I had two of my fantasy football drafts and both turned out decent. As always Running Back depth will be a problem but it is for everybody. I have two more drafts this weekend, so maybe I will end up with at least one team that I really love going into the season.

I just read ESPN's football preview and nobody is picking the Steelers to win the Superbowl. What a bunch of morons. How quickly they forget that this team won the Superbowl only two years ago with many of the same players. I guarantee that the Steelers rise above the pundits expectations.

Late last year my friend Charlie "mad dog" Thornhill passed away. For those who never meant him, he was a great guy and former spartan football legend in the 60's. In fact, he told me he once had 50 tackles in a game against Wisconsin. To honor his memory some guys in my building started a scholarship fund in his name and they are selling T-shirts to raise money for the fund. Tomorrow, I am going to the Michigan State-UAB game and wearing the t-shirt in his honor. I am looking forward to that.

As summer winds down, I do get leery of the coming weather and shorter days. But at least football provides something to look forward to this fall.