Clean-shaven

Clean-shaven
Originally uploaded by danimal0416.

The Official Mom says I look about 5-years younger without the beard. But I think my eyes show my age.

I Moblog

I just got set up to post from my phone. I don't know why; I can't take pics with it. (Sent from phone.)

--

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

Focus on Ohio - Again

It's a crucial midterm election, and the focus seems to shifting to Ohio - again:

I heard on the radio (yes I still listen to it on occasion) that lawyers are arriving at the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport because of the election. Some apparently believe that Ohio voters may be disenfranchised. I don't like that. I know there are many who blame Ohio for the last presidential election, and it comes across as though these people think we're stupid.

Nevertheless, it's a big ballot this year, with lots of offices up for grabs on the local, state, and federal level in both the legislative and judicial branches. Ohio also chooses a new governor today. In addition, there are several state and local issues that we'll be deciding.

Our precinct is really close to our home; in fact, it's our apartment complex's rental office. I plan on bringing my iRiver with me to get a few sound bites. We'll see how that goes.

Related tags:

ohio election election+2006 cincinnati

Wrote a song about it

A preview of something I'm working on for the Journey Inside My Mind podcast, a true story:

Rainy Day Blues - written by Dan Johnson, Jr.

Well I woke up this morning, and the sky was looking gray (repeat)
Cuz the clouds they done opened, and it was a rainy day

Chorus:
Got the rainy day blues going on inside my head (repeat)
When you've got the rainy day blues, sometimes you wish that you were dead

Tried to take the dog, but it wanted to stay in bed (repeat)
Tried to give her a treat, but she up and bit me instead

Repeat Chorus

I put on the dog on the leash to take her out so that I could pray (repeat)
She wriggled out of her collar, up and ran away

Repeat Chorus

It actually happened last Wednesday, and I wrote the song on two paper napkins in 15 minutes before I got up in front of a restaurant to sing it with the Burnin' Dr. Feelgood and the Feelgood Posse.

Related tags:

journey+inside+my+mind journeyinsidemymind jimm dan+johnson rainy+day+blues

Vote Anyway

Jim Borgman, Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, has drawn a set of cartoons to inspire us to get out and vote anyway tomorrow, especially if no clear candidate or issue sparks our attention. Go check out what he has to say.

Related tags:

jim+borgman election2006 election cincinnati+enquirer

Blog Carnival - Networking After Sudden Job Loss

Jason of the JibberJobber Blog, the current "host" of a blog carnival, asks:

Yikes! You just lost your job! You’ve been so busy at *work* that you don’t feel your network is as strong as you would like it to be! What are you going to do with (and to) your network in the next 6 weeks as you begin an aggresive job search campaign? And, outside of your network, what job search tactics will you employ? Or your best networking tips related to job searches.

I was placed in this situation at the end of August this year. I immediately went to my LinkedIn profile, updated it, and started sending emails to my contacts. Unfortunately, I have not been proactive in being my own career manager, and I haven't kept in touch that well with the contacts in my network. So I mostly sent out "touching base" types of emails, mentioning the recent change in my circumstances where I could, and depending on the relationship with the contact.

I've began looking for other people to add to my network, based on the new relationships I'd formed since I'd last updated my network. I think I'm having to continue to explore different ways to find jobs. I hate having to post a resume blindly online and apply for specific job postings blindly. I much rather enjoy the interactivity from social networking. At the same time, I'm finding that I shouldn't limit myself by not going about the traditional methods of networking.

The other thing I've found from recently finding myself back in the job market is that my skills are not as current as I'd like them to be. So I'm looking at ways to hone them.

I guess that's all I have to say right now.

crossposted to Get That Job!

Related tags:

getthatjob get+that+job job+hunt job+search career+advice networking professional+development dan+johnson blog+carnival jibberjobber

My Comment on the Latest Grey's Anatomy Episode

some people like to feel important. for me, now is one of those moments. sort of

A Message in the Mail from the Ohio Republican Party

Among the mail yesterday was this message, paid for by the Ohio Republican Party:

(On front of card, a picture of Osama)
He thinks one more attack might break our will.

He thinks we aren't tough enough to stick it out..

(On inside top of card, a picture of the Iwo Jima soldiers raising the flag)
STAND and FIGHT.

(On inside bottom of card)
Liberal Democrats want to cut and run...
to withdraw from the battlefield in the war on terror.

Liberals want to retreat... to cave in... to walk away...
And they are willing to lose if the fight is just too tough.

Many left-wing Democrats blame America.
And they try to limit our ability to track terrorists and stop their attacks.

It is time to stand up for America and protect our country from radical Islam and the fanatic terrorists that seek to kill Americans.

This election will determine our future... and we can't walk away from a fight that will change the world as we know it.

If you don't vote, liberal Democrats will take control of Congress and end programs that stop terrorists.

The time is now. Complete the Mission.

Vote November 7th - Vote Republican

(on the back of the card, along with the mail info)
Paid for By
Ohio Republican Party
211 South Fifth Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Not Authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
www.ohiogop.org

Vote to support our troops -
Vote Republican

Election Day is November 7th.
Exercise your right and cast your vote in support of
Republican efforts to win the war on terror.

If you don't vote Republican, the terrorists win, apparently.

Related tags:

osama iwo+jima war+on+terror liberal+democrats radical+islam congress complete+the+mission vote+republican ohio+republican+party election election2006

Poll: Ohioans confused on ballot issues, races

The Cincinnati Business Courier reports on results from a recent poll about the elections in Ohio:

A recent poll of Ohio voters shows that while Ohioans are concerned with the state's overall economic condition, they don't have much confidence in their options in the race for governor and senator.

Count me in that category. Each vote that an elected official makes becomes part of his or her record. He or she might decide to vote one way or another because he or she agrees or disagrees with a particular part of the bill. That vote becomes an indication of his or her character. So much misdirection.

Related tags:

cincinnati+business+courier ohio election election2006 election+2006

Blatant Media Bias

CNN shares an Associated Press story Ann Coulter that blatantly shows bias. Read on, after the jump:

The article mentions that Coulter is being investigated for possibly voting in the wrong precinct during a February 7 Palm Beach town council election. Knowingly voting in the wrong precinct is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

But that's not why I'm bringing this up. I've chosen over the past few years to not be involved in any political discussions, having become disillusioned by the whole mess.

I do, however, object to the last statement in the article, which seems to serve no other purpose than to further attack Coulter's character:

The right-wing commentator also authored a book that said some September 11 widows were "enjoying their husbands' deaths."

That statement has nothing to do with the rest of the report, and I feel that enough background was already given about Ann Coulter. Completely unnecessary and shows blatant bias.

Related tags:

ann+coulter associated+press media+bias cnn