Year: 2008

After Ike, no television

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Ike cut the cable line; Well, it made it possible for a passing truck to cut it. Needless to say, our home has been without cable for almost three weeks and it has been an interesting unintentional experiment in time management.

The old routine was an evening with at least one news program, a sitcom, and possibly an episode of Law & Order. A waste of time is the best way to describe it and without television I have more time than I know what to do with. Reading is our favorite pastime and now we are doing that even more, we are taking walks at night, and we are just enjoying the quiet.

Comcast is coming on Friday to fix the issue but I may just tell them we do not need their services…

Hurricane Ike update

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After 15 days in the dark, the power in our area has been restored!

Life is slowly starting to return to normal though there are little things that make it obvious a hurricane was recently in the area. The enormous piles of debris that sit on the streets and in yards, the downed trees that block roads and dry out while sitting on top of a house, and the challenge of finding milk, cheese or certain fresh vegetables all remind us of the storm that we’ve endured…

I just wanted to reiterate our thanks to everyone for all of the support during these last few weeks! We are glad to be blessed with such caring friends and family.

Dinosaurs and Nukes – What they didn’t teach you in Civics

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After watching Matt Damon bash Alaska Governor and candidate for Vice President, Sarah Palin, my brain had to take a break or it would have short circuited. Watch the video, you will understand.

Before we dive into the non sequitur that are Matt Damon’s comments, let’s get personal politics out of the way. My vote is still undecided, but Ron Paul will probably be my write-in choice. I want a small federal government with a balanced budget, so that knocks the current Republicans and Democrats out of the running for me. How do I come to this conclusion? Simple, look at the history of our country, our government, and the reasons we were founded in the first place. “No taxation without representation” sums it up well.

Now, for the real issue. Matt Damon, an actor, critiques Palin on a few things, but the one that stood out was the issue of dinosaurs and nuclear weapons. Damon stated, “I need to know if she really thinks dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. That’s important… I wanna know that, I really do. Because she’s gonna have the nuclear codes.” What? How is there any kind of correlation between her personal beliefs on evolution and nuclear weapons politics? Is he implying that he believes Palin thinks dinosaurs are still around and she is going to nuke them? At the very least, Damon’s comment is a logical fallacy and completely unnecessary. The truth is, it does not matter what her beliefs are regarding when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, what matters is her understanding of foreign politics and the issues at hand in this country. If personal beliefs are so important to the left, then Obama’s association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers should be just as important. If there is a correlation between dinosaurs and nuclear weapons as Damon suggests, then there has to be a correlation between the black liberation movement and nuclear weapons or at least the Weathermen and nuclear weapons. The latter actually blew things up.

To be honest, I do not know why I am getting so worked up over this, it does not matter, people are so engrained in their idea of what is normal and acceptable that Damon’s words are simply more fuel for a fire that has been burning for a while. The idea that there are correct and incorrect ideas is fine, but the notion that someone’s beliefs make them crazy and unacceptable are outside the bounds of what we tell ourselves we stand for. The side that touts equality and rights for all bashes others for what they believe, and imposes their own “correct” beliefs. If similar accusations were made toward a Muslim running for President, something like “I need to know if he really thinks 72 virgins is the reward in heaven. That’s important… I wanna know that, I really do. Because he’s gonna have the nuclear codes.” there would be an absolute uproar in this country. Neither the Palin attack by Damon, nor the statement about virgins is appropriate or even relevant to the issue of who is going to lead America, if they were then the whole ideal of our nation being a melting pot would vanish, leaving behind a dusty, dirty mess.

The best we can do is ignore people like Damon when it comes to politics and focus on what he does well, movies. Now step away from YouTube and watch the Bourne Identity one more time. I’ll try to tackle the market issues in my next post.

We escaped to Austin to do laundry

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Thursday morning Jessica and I decided to pack up our dirty clothes, which smell of charcoal, sweat, and trees, and drive to Austin to her parent’s house. We have enjoyed the power, the internet, and television and ended up celebrating our 2 month “anniversary” at Primizie during lunch yesterday.

Our house is still without power but we are heading back today so that Jess can prepare for work on Monday and I can plan the next few days as far as repairs go.

We appreciate everyone’s kind words, thoughts, and prayers. The days and nights have been stressful but knowing that people care makes it bearable.

Hurricane Ike – Day four without power

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We are on our fourth day without power and though the lack of light does not bother us, the everyday things that we take for granted, like a blowdryer or coffee grinder, are sorely missed. It is a longing for “normal” that fills our day.

Our neighbors are in good spirits and keep us company when the days drag on. What an odd set of circumstances to set in motion the meeting of neighbors.

I think the nerves of some area residents have worn thin. We hear reports of people pulling knives at gas stations and threatening people while waiting for ice, though we have not witnessed such an occurrence. Our frustration with Centerpoint Energy has grown but we understand that their task is daunting.

The roof is in the first stages of getting fixed. If the recent beautiful weather, which has been a blessing, stays the roof may be finished in time for Jess to return to work.

That is all for tonight from a candlelit porch in the hurricane weathered town of Houston.

Hurricane Ike update

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We do not have power so I am making this update from my phone. Jessica and I are fine but had a tree fall on our garage and make it unusable, thankfully neither car was in it.

I think we will head out today to try and find some more ice but I am guessing it will be a futile search.

The unmistakable cone of ignorance

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Every year the Gulf Coast prepares itself for hurricanes, the people here having weathered them for centuries. But every year the forecasters and news teams seem to become even more over the top than the the year before. This year is not any different.

Hurricane Ike has created havoc in Haiti and Cuba and has set its sights on Texas. The newscasters could not be more thrilled. The city news has not actually shown happenings in the area in the last week, instead opting to show nothing but forecasts of Ike. Maps like the one below have flooded (no pun intended) our television screens.

Hurricane Ike Forecast

Even before that image was taken, the forecast “cone”, or “cone of ignorance” as I like to call it, was massive, stretching from Florida to northern Mexico. The meteorologists on T.V. call it the “cone of uncertainty” which I think is their way of conceding that they I have no idea where the hurricane is going.

So, Houstonians will do what they have always done, purchase some canned goods and hunker down for a wet weekend.

Continental cuts London-Gatwick and adds flight to Heathrow

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Continental, my most common travel provider, has announced today that they will stop serving LGW from both Houston and Newark and instead add a flight to Heathrow from Newark.

The news is a little bittersweet for frequent travelers to London. Gatwick is a much better alternative to Heathrow in terms of room and passenger loads, losing it means arriving at a much more congested airport and clearing immigrations with a larger number of people.

Mango Inflation 2008

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We live down the street from a very large farmers’ market and there is a fruit stand nearby that sells mangoes. Outside of this mango stand is a large, white sign that gives the current price for half-a-dozen mangoes. Last month the price was $4 for six mangoes, over the past few weeks the price has risen to $5, and as of yesterday, the price is now $6 for six mangoes. Jessica and I have this a mass media name of, “Mango Inflation 2008”, but we could have gone with something more along the lines of “The Great Mango Inflation of 2008”, which is a little more classic and a throwback to the 1960’s and 70’s.

We’re back and we’re married!

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A little over two weeks ago Jessica and I were married in the company of our friends and family. The ceremony in downtown Austin was perfect, with a fantastic reception following. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who was able to make it and share in our day.

We are also back from our honeymoon in San Pedro, Belize. The water, beaches, and resort were wonderful and Jessica and I had an amazing time. I will be posting pictures from both the wedding and the honeymoon as fast as I am able to edit them.

There will also be some changes on this site and the http://stephanandjessica.com site, hopefully for the better.