Smarty-crats?

Growing up in the buckle of the Bible belt, I've heard the term "Dummycrats" more than my fair share. I was intrigued by this article in the online edition of Slate magazine.

The premise is rather fun. Before the general election, Obama and Clinton decide to split the term in some way. Whoever is the candidate for President will at some point cede power to the Veep. Then in '12, the Veep runs for President and flip-flops again. Repeat in '16 and '20. Those two would be able to run the country for 16 consecutive years, barring an injunction by the Supreme Court, which the author fails to mention. Could you imagine that? No matter the party, that would defeat the purpose of the 22nd Amendment. But I really like it. It's very clever, so it makes me a fan.

I don't see the Republicans being able to pull this one off since neither are vastly popular and especially since McCain is Bob Dole-ish in age during his run. I think also that the GOP needs a fresh new face, or at least a non-Bush pol, to have any shot in '12.

Personally, even though I tend to lean toward Republicans when voting, I'd like to see how the Dems do at 1600 Pennsylvania for a term or two, just to see how the press would handle them. Foxnews would most likely be the only large news agency willing to give them bad pub. After all the hemming and hawing during the George W. Bush Administration, it would be interesting to see if the Blue Base will get as annoyed and frustrated with the broken promises and bait-and-switches that will happen with their party prez.

God Bless America!

Done

The UT mens basketball season is over. We were thrashed by a very talented and motivated Memphis teams. When they were up 50-20 over a very good defensive Michigan State team on Friday, I knew that spelled doom for our Tourney run. But hey, Elite 8 with a cast comprised mostly of sophomores and juniors. I'll take it. Fifth- to eighth-best team in the country? I'll more than take it.

Now our boys no what they need to do next year to advance further. Thanks for the memories 'Horns. See you next year.

P.S. All four #1 seeds advanced for the first time in history. That wind from Illinois is the collective sigh and rejoicing of the Selection Committee for being the first to "get it right". Congrats.

March Madness

I know it's been a while since I've last posted, but I didn't quite expect March 2. Things have been very busy at work and home since our 6th Anniversary.

Work hasn't really had any letup for these past three weeks, except maybe one day a week where I can come up for air. Things don't look like they're going to let up any time soon. I have to start a method validation on a certain raw material and it needs to be wrapped up before the end of April. Oh yeah, I have to do it on top of everything else that comes in. Caution: Rant Alert!! I am having the hardest time getting GCMS#2 to work right now. It won't pass a tune and I'm not sure what to do to get it to pass. I'm thinking about pulling on Office Space on it next week if it doesn't shape up. That or call our service contractor.

If you haven't heard, S got her cast off a week ago and the last few days she has been motoring. Everything clicked on Sunday night and she just started toddling around. It's so much fun to watch her amble around the house and hear the pitter-patter of those cute little feet.

M turns 3 on Good Friday. It doesn't seem like that long ago we brought her home from the hospital with her little conehead. While she's grown a lot, she's also gotten a little too big for her britches lately. She has developed an attitude that doesn't sit well with us. But she is still doing so well with a lot of things. I have to keep reminding myself that she is not an adult, even though she acts like one a lot of times.

C has been very busy lately. The girls' nap schedules have not overlapped much, so she hasn't been able to get much done around the house. And there's the new venture, a mission trip in June to Spain and Turkey to encourage some of Grace's missionaries, that we hope to raise support for. Since we both have full-time jobs, it's been hard to get everything done. She's done a fantastic job as much of the onus has fallen on her since she does have a little more downtime than I do.

So, there is this basketball tournament that starts tomorrow. Well, it technically started Tuesday night with a play-in game, but the real madness begins tomorrow. I think my bracket is already busted. I filled out 4 brackets on ESPN, including one I've dubbed my Formula Bracket. I am walking a very fine line between nerd and geek here lately with my spreadsheets to determine rankings. I want to see how it does compared to my gut instincts. I'll post the results later. I'll give you a couple of picks to get you started. The formula picks #15UMBC over #2Georgetown and #10Davidson over #7Gonzaga, which is the "sexy" upset pick. If everyone thinks it'll happen, is it really an upset? Whatever happens, I'm just happy they went back to the old East, West, South, Southwest for the region names. None of this pod business. At least the NCAA came to their senses.

My Little Songbird

M's been singing up a storm lately and she added a new wrinkle this week.

Maybe it's the little bit of American Idol she's seen these past couple of weeks.

Part of Something Special

Dude, this is my church!

We drove past it last night after a wedding and it looked incredible. But this overhead shot gives a better picture of what our new building is going to look like.

If I were a snowboarder, I'd say "I'm stoked!"

But I'll just say "sweeeeeeeet".

Happy Anniversary!

Okay husbands of the world. I dare you to find a better anniversary gift than this...


A two-and-a-half hour nap!



Thanks Hon for the best gift you could give me today.

I love you.