From Blog to Book

Some pretty exciting news to report today:

My previous blog, "An American Teacher in Taiwan" is now a book, exclusive to Amazon Kindle.  If you happen to visit that blog and notice that it's a mere shell of its former self...well...that's because  the rights of that blog are now exclusive to Amazon, and they don't really want me to compete with myself.  Can't blame them.

The blog is still up, but from this point it will be mostly to publish any letters I might get from readers, videos, and (of course) promotion for the book.

I have to give Christy most of the credit for this happening.  She was watching a news program on Sunday morning that ran a story on "Self Publishing" and she suggested that I try it.  I began writing that story as a book anyway, but changed it to a blog since I didn't think I had enough material (turned out I had more than enough...since I'm still working on the second part.)

I also want to give a plug to the guy who created the cover.  I tried for hours and hours to create my own cover, but it looked like total, unprofessional shit.  So I found this guy on a website called "Fiverr" who designs Kindle covers for $5.00 (everything is five dollars on Fiverr, thus the name).  His screen name is "idrewdesign" and he did an awesome job for me.  Hopefully I can make that $5.00 back in sales of the book.  :)

So here it is...my first book....for the low, low price of $2.99.  You can click the link to go straight to the Amazon page here.

Driving Off the Fiscal Cliff!

All I hear on the news lately is "THE FISCAL CLIFF" and how we're about to go off it.  On Good Morning America, they have a countdown......
"Just 30 more days till we go over the Fiscal Cliff!"
"25 more days until EVERYONE'S TAXES GO UP!"

If their goal is to scare people, it's probably working.  Hell, the thought of a two thousand dollar tax bill next month scares even me, and I don't get scared easily.  It won't destroy us, but it will do enough damage to our pocketbook that we'd have to make some cuts on non-essential things (going out to dinner, going out to the movies, buying crap etc.), which would...in turn...hurt the economy.  I have a colleague here at work who barely makes enough to make her mortgage payment every month.  She's always looking around for a second job.  A $2000 tax bill could easily cause her to lose her house.  So...yeah...it's kinda scary.  For some people, it could really be a matter of life and death.

A lot of blame will be passed around if this happens.  Some of it will go to Obama, but I think more of it will fall on the feet of the GOP.  The GOP is refusing to let tax rates go up on people who make more than 250k.  They're still grasping onto it with all their strength, not willing to let go.  They don't seem to understand that Obama won re-election based on the platform that taxes would go up on the wealthy.

None of this makes much sense to me.  Just what are the Republicans trying to accomplish by going against the will of the people?  If we do go over the "Fiscal Cliff" because of their stubbornness, they will see massive defeats in the 2014 elections.  It seems more logical to give Obama what he wants, and let the chips fall where they may.  If it's a failure, then it's Obama's failure, and the Republicans will have an excellent chance to take back the White House in 2016.  But continuing to obstruct everything the President does is just political suicide.

Ramblings #20 : Sara, Secession, and R.I.P. Romney

Sara amazes me just about every day with how smart she is.  She just won "Student of the Week" again, the second time in about 3 months.  Almost every paper she brings home has "100" on it.  I went to the parent-teacher conferences a couple of weeks ago, and her teacher told me Sara was the best student in the class.  She also said that she expects Sara to do very well as an adult, and that she has the intelligence and personality to go very far.  This really is the best kind of news a parent can hear about their child.

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So..here we go again.  Texas is leading the way once again to secede from the United States.  So far, they've gathered about 100,000 signatures from people (who I would consider traitors.)  It seems 20 states, including some Democratic ones (like New York!?) have filed petitions to secede from the US.

Come on people, get over it!  Take your loss and move on.  I didn't see all the Democratic states requesting to secede when George W. Bush won the White House, and we had better reason to!  The 2000 election was a sham, and Dubya was elected by a court decision, not the people.  Yes, the Democrats were angry.  But secession?  This kind of divisive talk really needs to stop.

I sent an email to President Obama (as I often do), and I told him that I am embarrassed at the behavior of my fellow Texas residents.  I also pointed out that every major city in Texas voted Democrat (which I'm sure he already knew).  Here was the final count:

AUSTIN:  Obama: 60.2%   Romney: 41.4%
DALLAS:  Obama 57.1%   Romney: 41.7%
EL PASO:  Obama 65.6%   Romney: 33.0%
SAN ANTONIO:   Obama 51.6%   Romney: 47.0%
HOUSTON:  Obama 49.4%  Romney:  49.3%

With the exception of Houston (which still went for Obama), most of these were very wide margins.  So...enough with this secession talk.  Romney may have won the state, but there are still millions of us living here who disagree with you.
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Not too long ago, I said that I thought the "real" Mitt Romney was the guy in the infamous "47% video."  Turns out, I was right.  Romney is now blaming his loss on the voters, saying that he lost because Obama promised "gifts" to the minorities, women, and young voters.  If that's the case, how can he explain losing Maine, New Hampshire, and Iowa?  These are predominantly white states, and probably won't be getting any "gifts" from Obama.  I'm certainly not getting any gifts.

Is it beyond his comprehension that maybe he lost because people just didn't like him or his policies?  Or that maybe his image was damaged from the other GOP candidates talking about rape and abortion?  Or maybe we just thought Paul Ryan's ideas were too extreme?  Or all of the above?  It has nothing to do with "gifts" at all.

Some say Romney was done in by all of Obama's negative TV ads.  Well...during the primaries, there was a 30 minute ad called "When Mitt Romney Came to Town" which was funded by his own party!  Sheldon Adelson paid for that attack ad when he was supporting Newt Gingrich.  Thanks to the Republicans, we learned very early on what a snake Romney was.

I'm getting really tired of all this talk about who the "makers and the takers" are.  If anyone is a taker, it's Romney.  Here's a guy who's made tons of money for himself and stored it away overseas.  Never investing in America.  He's always bet against America, and now he wanted us to bet on him?  Sorry.  And Mitt, you should keep in mind that you too offered gifts to those who voted for you.  The only difference is, only a very small percent of the country would benefit from those gifts.

So...goodbye and farewell Mr. Romney.  This will be the last time I bring up his name in my blog.  If it gives him any solace, he can always go back to his millions in the Cayman Islands, his car elevators, and his dancing horses.  He won't be missed.

Ramblings #19: Diapers, Teeth...and Go Vote!

Well...this is it.  Election Day.  I hope everyone out there gets a chance to vote (yes, even if it's for Romney.)  The more who vote, the better.  Christy and I already voted early.  I hope this is the last day I have to wake up to television ads and constant emails from the Obama campaign asking me to donate money.  For the record, I haven't donated anything to his campaign.  I've had too many unexpected bills over the last six months (including one that I'll mention a little later in this post.)

The big question this election year seems to be:  Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?  For some, possibly many people, that answer would be no.  But for me, the answer is...absolutely.

You know where I was 4 years ago?  All you have to do is go back and read my blog in 2008.  I was living in an Extended Stay Motel!  I was looking for work, not sure if we would have to pack up and move back to Taiwan or not.  We moved back here in May of 2008, when things were pretty much at their worst, economy wise.

In the last 4 years, both of us found jobs.  We bought a brand new car and a brand new house.  We both have 401k plans that have seen substantial gains.  We've done pretty well.  I see things improving, slowly but surely.  So...obviously I think we should stay on the path we're on.  We'll see what happens tonight.
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My kids are now finally diaper free as of this week.  Surprisingly, Kyle was the first one to stop wearing diapers about six months ago.  Now finally Sara has stopped...after 7 1/2 years!  She wasn't wearing diapers all day, but she did need to wear them overnight.

I tried to get her prepared for it.  When I opened the last bag of diapers, I would tell her, "Okay, this is it.  When this bag is gone, you're on your own.  If you need to go to the bathroom during the evening, just get up and go!"  Christy likes to remind her that when she was a kid in Taiwan, she actually had to leave her house and go outside in the cold if she wanted to use the bathroom.  Sara only has to walk a few feet.

So this is great news, since diapers are getting more and more expensive.  Even if she just used one diaper a day, we were still spending at least $20 a month on a bag of diapers.
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So I'm here at home all today on Election Day, and I'm heavily medicated on Vicodin.  Why?  Because for the past year, I have had no dental insurance.  When I switched to part time work at the hospital, I lost my benefits.  I bought my own health insurance policy through Aetna (which they recently raised by $20 a month....but...look on the bright side...I just saved $20 a month by not buying diapers anymore!)

I considered going on my wife's dental plan, but it was obscenely expensive.  We're talking over a hundred dollars a month here...just for freakin' dental!  I figured I could just go one year without dental coverage, and then buy my own policy later.  I take good care of my teeth, and never had any major problems before, so I thought I'd be okay for a year.  I was wrong.

In the course of that year, I had a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth (for you dental experts, that's tooth #17, the one at the very back left.)  Since I didn't realize I had a cavity due to the lack of my regular dental exam, the cavity turned into an infection of the tooth (an abscess).  One day I wake up and have intense pain coming from my tooth.  I waited about a week or so, thinking it might go away, but it didn't.  It got worse and worse.  So I made an appointment with my regular dentist for a "limited exam" ($62) just for her to tell me what I was already fairly sure of.  Luckily, it was a wisdom tooth, so it didn't require a root canal.  Even with insurance, root canals are expensive.  Imagine having to get one without insurance.

My dentist refers me to an oral surgeon, because apparently she doesn't like to do extractions (not sure why).  So now I have to wait an additional week to see the oral surgeon, all the while still suffering from this crazy pain.  It was so bad that even drinking a glass of water was torture.

I finally got the tooth pulled yesterday (at the bargain price of $365!).  So now I have gone from one type of pain to another.  The infection pain is gone, but now I have the pain of a tooth being ripped out from the root, thus the need for Vicodin (which is doing pretty well so far.)

So kiddies, here's your lesson for today:  go to your dental checkups twice a year!

Halloween 2012

More Halloween fun.  This year Sara dressed up as Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and Kyle dressed up as "Thomas the Tank Engine."

 

Video - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge - ACL 2012

Okay, here's my final video from ACL 2012.  One of the best songs by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and one of the last songs of the festival.  Thankfully, it was a slow song, so I didn't get body-slammed in the middle of it.

Video - Neil Young - Powderfinger - ACL 2012

Another classic from the "Rust Never Sleeps" album.

Video - Neil Young - The Needle & The Damage Done - ACL 2012

A Neil Young classic.  The video, however, kinda sucks.  I had just downloaded a new app called "Video Zoom 2" for my iPhone.  It can zoom pretty well (a feature that isn't included with the video camera that's already installed), but it doesn't auto focus, or even focus at all, for that matter.

Video - Florence & The Machine - Shake It Out - ACL 2012

This is pretty much the only song I know by Florence and the Machine.  Both Weezer and Florence and the Machine were playing at the same time, so I caught about 30 minutes of each.  I came into the Florence set mid-way though, and the crowds were already huge, so that's why I was stuck to the far left of the stage.

Video - The Roots - Sweet Child O' Mine - ACL 2012

This was a bit unexpected.  The Roots, a hip-hop soul band, playing an 80's heavy metal song.

Video - Iggy Pop & The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog - ACL 2012

Watch for the stoned-out crowd-surfer pass by my camera about 35 seconds into the video.

Video - Weezer - Buddy Holly - ACL Festival 2012

Here's a video I took of Weezer doing their one big hit song, "Buddy Holly."

Video - The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling - ACL 2012

I'll have a few more videos from the headliners, as well as a couple others, in the days ahead. This is one of my favorites from the Black Keys last album.

Video - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California - ACL 2012

Moshers break out next to me during the end of this recording.  It got a bit crazy.

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 3

If the word for the second day of ACL was "wet", than the third day can best be described as "hot."  The clouds were gone, the sun was out, and it felt like summer again in Austin.

Unlike the previous two days, where I arrived late in the day to catch the headliners, I decided to go early on Sunday to hear some new bands I hadn't heard before.  That's the whole point of a huge festival like this, with over a hundred bands playing.  You're hoping to see some new band that catches your eye (and ears).

Because of the heat, I didn't pick bands based on whether I thought they would be good or not.  I went to see bands based on how much shade there was around the stage.  I caught a little bit of a band called "POLICA", but they sounded like some sort of European, techno-dance band.  Not my type at all.

                                              (POLICA)

Next, I moved over to a stage that was actually indoors, out of the sun.  The band was called "Thundercat", but they sucked.  I could only sit through two songs before leaving.  Their playing was just sloppy, and their lead guitarist seemed like he didn't even know how to play.

                                         (THUNDERCAT)

Then I caught about 30 minutes of a band called "The Dunwells."  These guys were okay.  They were at least proficient with their instruments.  Their sound was a bit generic, though.  But, since their stage was completely covered in shade from the nearby trees, I stuck it out.

                                     (THE DUNWELLS)  
                       
After "The Dunwells", I headed over the main stage where I remained the rest of the evening.  I caught the 70's punk rock band "Iggy and the Stooges", and they were followed by the headliners, "The Red Hot Chili Peppers"

Iggy Pop is 65 years old, but you wouldn't guess it with the way he looked, sounded, and acted on stage.  The other members of his band all looked like the senior citizens they are, but Iggy defies his age by prancing around like he's in his 20's.  Well...you know what they say.  You're only as old as you feel.

                            (IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES)

After The Stooges, the crowd packed in like sardines, waiting for The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I was near the front of the stage, and I literally could not move a foot in any direction, it was so cramped.  It really does take a lot of endurance if you want a good spot.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers put on a good, energetic show, playing mostly a "greatest hits" set with only a couple of new songs thrown in.  I had the unfortunate experience of standing next to a group of guys who wanted to start a mosh pit right next to me, so I got thrown around a few times.  Wait till you see my video of "Dani California" and you'll see what I mean.  The moshing began during that song as I was filming, and you'll see my video end abruptly.  I don't want to seem like some old geezer who doesn't want people to have fun during a concert, but "moshing" is pretty lame.  "Moshing" is basically people pushing each other back and forth.  How and why did this become popular?

                          (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS)

So...it was a good experience overall.  For me, Neil Young wins the festival.  He was great, and I didn't get injured watching him.

Video - Neil Young - Hey Hey My My - ACL Festival 2012

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 2

Day 2 of the ACL Festival can best be described as...wet. Shortly after I arrived, there was a huge downpour of rain. I had brought an umbrella and poncho, but I was really hoping the rain would stop. I know some of these younger kids revel in the rain by dancing and sliding in the mud, but I'm too old for that crap.

So...I lucked out. The rain stopped at around 6pm and it didn't rain again for the rest of the night.

 The only band I really wanted to see Saturday night was Neil Young & Crazy Horse. His performance started at 8pm. There was another performer, "Gotye", who was performing at 7pm that I considered watching. He's got a current hit single called "Somebody that I Used to Know" that I think is pretty good. But..that's the only song that I know. If I had watched his performance, I would have been stuck at the very back of the crowd for Neil Young. One thing I learned from these ACL festivals is that if you want to get close to the stage, you have to get over there at least one hour before the band is scheduled to come on. The longer you wait, the farther back you will be. Neil Young had the priority that night.

                                 (NEIL YOUNG)

 Neil didn't disappoint either. When he plays with Crazy Horse, he is in an entirely different stratosphere. His performance rocked harder than just about any other rock band half his age that was playing at ACL. There were several songs running nearly 15 to 20 minutes where half of that time was just FEEDBACK. I think only Neil can turn 10 minutes of feedback into an artform.

                              (KISHI BASHI)

Over these past couple of days, I have also learned the limitations of my iPhone camera and came to the conclusion that it sucks. I'll occasionally get a good picture out of it, but it's capabilities are too limited and the video recorder is awful (there is no zooming capability unless you download an additional app, and even then it's still not good). I was hoping the iPhone camera would be better than my current, 8 year old Nikon, but it's not. They both suck. So, I guess it's time to spring for a new camera.

                                (PUNCH BROTHERS)

Video - The Black Keys - Howlin' For You - ACL Festival 2012

Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012, Day 1

Here's a few pictures from the first day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival (10/12/12)  I didn't get there until late in the afternoon, so I caught about 30 minutes from both Weezer and Florence and the Machine, followed by the full set from The Black Keys.  I'll have a few videos to follow in the days ahead.

Sara Talks Openly About Obama Vs. Romney 2012

I asked Sara to tell me her opinion about the upcoming election.  I didn't coach her or tell her what to say.  This is what she said.  I thought it was kinda funny.

Video: The Australian Pink Floyd at ACL Live

Here is some video I shot on my new iPhone of the Australian Pink Floyd doing the Floyd classic, "Comfortably Numb." You can decide for yourself if you think they captured the Floyd sound or not.

ACL Live: The Australian Pink Floyd

October is a pretty big month for music fans in Austin, as the Austin City Limits Music Festival takes place next weekend (October 12-14).  I'll be attending once again, as the lineup this year is quite a bit better than last year.  This years headliners feature The Black Keys, Neil Young, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Before the ACL Festival, however, there was Austin City Limits Live.  This is a show that has been broadcast on PBS stations since 1976, and is pretty famous here in Austin.  If you get to see a live taping, you can see some pretty famous bands (sometimes) performing in a very small venue.

Last night Christy and I saw our first ACL Live show, featuring the most famous of all the Pink Floyd cover bands out there: The Australian Pink Floyd.

The Australian Pink Floyd has been around for a very long time, gaining a pretty solid reputation as the best re-creation of a Pink Floyd concert (circa the '87 and '94 tours).

The show started off well.  "In the Flesh?" opened the evening, but since the Roger Waters production of "The Wall" was still fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but compare the two, and obviously it's better to see the real thing.  Then they segued into songs from the David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd, with "Take It Back," "Sorrow", and "What Do You Want From Me?"  They did a very good job with these later songs.  The highlights for me, however, were the two songs that the actual band didn't even sing on.  "One of These Days" sounded almost identical to the PF version from "Pulse."  "The Great Gig in the Sky," performed by their three backup singers, was also quite excellent.

It would have been a pretty good evening, if it weren't for the smoke alarm that went off during the group's first set.  After about 5 songs in, the house lights came up and the music was abruptly halted.  The band quickly left the stage, and we were never told what happened.  Only later did I find out that the smoke alarm was accidentally triggered.  Any momentum the band was gaining was quickly lost due to this "What the hell just happened?" moment.  I should point out that, even though the smoke alarm went off, the audience was never told about it, or asked to leave the venue.

Christy enjoyed the show and said it made her appreciate the original band more.  But she still insisted that "a clone is still a clone."  I think The Australian Pink Floyd serves a niche.  Pink Floyd hasn't toured since 1994, and there's an entire new generation of Floyd fans who wish they could have seen them.  Barring an unlikely reunion, this is probably the best they're going to get.

Ramblings #18 : Birthdays, iPhones, and Romney (again)

"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.  All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.  My job is not to worry about those people.  I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
  -Mitt Romney, 2012

I have to wonder sometimes, if Mitt is purposely trying to sabotage his chances as president.  Does this guy really think that nearly HALF of the country sees themselves as a victim?  That doesn't take personal responsibility and care for their lives?  Sorry to inform you Mitt, but I'm one of those 47% who supports Obama, and I'm not dependent on government for anything, nor have I ever received any handouts.  I buy my own food, pay my own mortgage, pay for my own healthcare, and I take responsibility for everything I do.  This is really insulting.  Basically he's calling half the country a bunch of lazy freeloaders with their hands out.  Yes, those people do exist, but 47%???

My support for Obama has nothing to do with wanting free stuff.  It's very simple, actually.  I prefer the policies of the Democratic platform more than I do the Republican one.  I agree with the Republicans on some issues, but I agree with the Democrats on more issues.  That's all there is to it.

As it gets closer to November, people are getting more and more heated about the election.  I try to talk as little about it as possible.  I have Facebook friends who are staunch supporters of Romney, and when I read their anti-Obama rants, all I can really do is cringe a little, and ignore it.  I can't debate or argue with them because it leads nowhere, and it will most likely end our friendship (not that I'm close friends with most of those Facebook people anyway).  I don't really know anyone who is on the fence about this election.  Everyone seems to be very pro-Romney or very pro-Obama.  People talk like it's going to be the end of the world if Romney or Obama win.  It's not.  Life will go in.  I've already told my wife that the only difference we're likely to see if Romney wins is owing more taxes.  So...we'll just have to prepare for that.
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 I celebrated my 42nd birthday earlier this month.  My birthday fell on Labor Day this year, so I had to work.  It was probably the most un-fun birthday I've had in quite a while.  For those who are new to this blog, I work at a hospital, and on this particular shift, I had the unique experience of trying to talk to someone who was already dead.  I've never actually experienced a death at work before.  Odd, considering I work at a hospital.  I had heard stories about deaths constantly, but this was the first time for me...and on my birthday!

Later, after the melancholy of the days events had passed, Christy and I went to Wal Mart to buy the iPhone 4s, which they currently had on sale for $148 (with a 2 year contract, of course).

I've never actually owned a smartphone before.  I hung on to my crappy little flipper cell-phone for years while the smart phone dominated the market.  I always seem to be last in line for the latest technology, and by then something better has come out (in this case, it's the iPhone 5, which was just released.)

But...I really love this iPhone, particularly the talking assistant, "Siri."  The first day I had the phone, I spent hours asking Siri all kinds of random questions, and she had some pretty good answers.  But I got over that pretty quick.

I gotta give credit to Apple for making some really cool and easy to use products.  I can imagine sometime in the future we're going to see houses (iHouse?) created by Apple, where all you have to do is speak to Siri (or HAL?) to do things for you.
Siri....start the oven.
Siri....turn on the shower.
Siri...flush the toilet.
Siri...open the living room window.

Etc. etc.  Imagine an entire house jacked in to Apple.  Hell, this kind of house probably already exists somewhere.

So will I be waiting in line for hours (or days) to buy the iPhone 5?  Hell no!  Get a life, people.

Video - US Citizenship Ceremony

This is the video I took this afternoon of Christy's citizenship oath in San Antonio.  The video runs about 3 minutes long.  It wouldn't be that interesting if it wasn't for the wacko shouting after the country "Sudan" was read.  Listen carefully and you can hear Taiwan right after.

First Day of School

Today was the first day back to school for the kids.  Just as I thought, Sara was excited to be going back.  She loves school, and I can easily see her becoming a school nerd in the future.  Kyle, on the other hand, was a bit scared.  This was his first day ever at school, having skipped Pre-K and spending most of his time at home with me.  I have to say, I think I was more excited for him than he was.  Now I'll finally have some peace in the mornings.

Why Mitt Romney Will (and Should) Lose in November

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."  - Franklin D. Roosevelt

I saw this quote on the FDR memorial in Washington D.C. last month, and those words really resonated with me.  I took a picture of it, which you can see on my blog from last month.

It seems like never have those words meant so much as they do now, as we have a man running for president who wants to raise taxes on about 95% of Americans to fund a tax cut for the remaining 5%.  For me personally, using the Romney "tax calculator" found online, I'll be paying approximately $641 more under Romney.  Now, using the same calculator, once my annual income hits $200,000, suddenly I'm saving $4,016.  Under Romney, it literally pays to be rich.

I don't particularly mind paying more in taxes, if those taxes were going to something like...say...universal health care for all, or building high speed trains, or making college more affordable for everyone.  But...it seems my tax increase is going to fund their tax decrease.  It's like Robin Hood in reverse.  It's not fair.

The right will respond: But 47% of Americans pay no taxes at all!  They pay nothing, and they even get a big refund!

Well...yeah, but those 47% are POOR.  Is it so wrong for the poor to not have a tax burden?  I guess I must be poor too, because I don't pay any taxes either (mainly because I have two kids, and their tax credit eats away most of the taxes we owe), but I don't get any big refund.  I haven't received a big refund since we got the "New Homebuyers Credit" a few years ago.  I don't get the "Earned Income Credit" like the very poor get, but I do get the "Child Tax Deduction" and the "Mortgage Interest Deduction", which would both be on the chopping block under Romney.

So...whether I think Obama is doing a good job or not, I have to vote for what's in my best interest, and the candidate that is most likely to hurt me in the pocketbook will be Romney, hands down.

Okay...so you're probably saying "Well, you were going to vote for Obama anyway!"  Well..true...but here's a little story.  About ten years ago in California, Gray Davis (a democrat) was running against Arnold Schwarzenegger (republican) for Governor.  The economy was in terrible shape at the time (and still is).  Gray Davis was planning to raise the "Vehicle Registration Fee" at the DMV to an outrageous fee, something like $600 for my car alone.  Arnold promised he wouldn't do that, and he would revert the fee back to it's original rate (which was less than $100).  On that one issue alone, I voted for Arnold.  I didn't want to pay freakin' six hundred dollars!  Maybe he screwed the state up in the long run, I don't know.  I left California shortly after that and never went back.  So..the point is, I'll occasionally vote against my own party if I feel it's in my best interest.

My initial feelings about Romney weren't as bad as they are now.  As I've gotten to know more and more about him, the more I dislike and distrust him.  He's the epitome of the snake oil salesman.  The issue with his taxes isn't helping that image either.  The right hounded Obama like crazy for his birth certificate, which he eventually released.  Now Romney is getting hounded for his tax returns for the past ten years, which the guy refuses to release.  Not that he he's required to, but he should do it just to shut up the democrats.  But, I doubt he will.  John McCain saw 23 years of Romney's tax returns when he was vetting him for the VP position in 2008.  He didn't like what he saw, and went with Sarah Palin instead.  That should tell you something.  Either it's true that he paid no taxes during those ten years, or there's something else that is equally bad.

I've predicted (more than once), that Obama will likely win in November.  Even the media is saying it will be a landslide victory for Obama.  I hope it turns out to be true.  My bank account just can't afford a Romney victory.

A Few Final Pictures from the Trip

Here are a few extra pictures from our road trip to Washington D.C.  Not sure I can handle this sort of road trip every year.  I think next year we'll probably fly somewhere.  When I was a kid, my parents used to take us on quite a few road trips, but then later on we only went to Las Vegas, which was a pretty short drive from Los Angeles.  Now I understand why.