Hey James. I went to Comic Con

Living in San Diego definitely has it perks. One of them comes once a year in the form of Comic Con. I don't have much to add to what you can see in the photos, except that it was crazy and fun, I got lots of free stuff, and I've already pre-registered for 2009.

Nixon Goes to China

It's been over a year, so why not?

I recorded today's Countdown with Keith Olbermann because I wanted to see his interview with special guest, Scott McClellan. For the entire hour, with the exception of the last segment where he summarized the hour with John Dean, he exchanged insightful back and forth with the former Bush Press Secretary, who demonstrated a great deal of candor discussing the events of the last seven years including the "rush to war", the "complacency" of the response to Hurricane Katrina, the WMD "propaganda", Fox News as a media-outlet and the culpability of senior White House staffers who indeed leaked the identify of a CIA agent.

It's fitting, no, it's necessary for me to comment on today's interview because Mr. McClellan is indeed one of the reasons I now live and work in California. Rather, it's because of Scott McFuckington (as a friend and I would come to refer to the press secretary during the Plame debacle) that I could no longer abide the lies and mistruths that seemed to be issued continually from our nation's capitol. For two years, I thought I was going mad because I thought only a few took notice of the unrelenting and inconsistent realities. In his interview tonight, Mr. McClellan commented on the permanent campaign mentality the persisted throughout his tenure at the White House and its intent of dividing and trivializing the opposition.

Others will analyze this better, but for me it is cathartic. It's coming full circle. I wasn't going crazy, they were deceiving me. They should have (and could have) reacted faster to the hurricane, but instead chose not to. And today, I got a little bit of closure to some of this -- which I've learned that is a rare and precious gift.

New for me? I live and work in San Diego. I work in a little R&D group for a little startup implementing Linux device drivers -- I have the perfect job for me. I even get paid. And since I get paid I decided to become a new home owner. A new, first-time home owner. As weird as that is, as I was smoking a cigarette (most of my best stories involve me smoking a cigarette) outside work, I walked across our parking lot and noticed a door with a familiar logo. You see, that's why I had to comment today. Look at my first blog posts and you may see why. It has all come full-circle.

For everything else...

1 Culture, Blood $226
Chest, 2 Views $352
1 emergency room treatment for pneumonia -- priceless.

However, in this case priceless comes in at just under $2200. In other words, they found me...

Last week, we decided to take a workday diversion and go to La Jolla to eat lunch, at the beach. The quality of these photos isn't great because I didn't have the SLR, but this is what my phone could do. For your viewing pleasure I've also included a photo of my car parked in front of my friend's house, my current domicile.

It's a Beautiful Place

So, I live in San Diego now. I see the Pacific Ocean every day on my way to work and I love my job. Oh, and now I have Internet at home. Life is treating me well.

Some things don't change: I've worked every day since the first day I first arrived. At this rate, I'll burn out, freak out, quit my job and then take a year off working for a non-profit in about seven years.

I know that's not true. I have too many friends now that keep me entertained and since I now live in such a wonderful locale, I'll be anxious to get out and explore my new surroundings.

My New Home

I arrived in San Diego on Saturday and I feel much better -- thank you for asking. I appreciate the comments and emails about my health -- and yes, I do realize that smoking does not seem to lessen the effects of pneumonia. I also realize that it may have been a contributor to my poor health.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one has ever considered me the wisest person they've ever met.

Regardless, I made it unscathed. well, except for the pneumonia thing. But that's so last week.

So, I'm nearing the end of my second day of work -- and I'm really enjoying it. Once I have a better grasp of things here, I'll let you know what I'm doing at my new job.

'anyway' was to be a blog about one person's efforts to help in the gulf region and possibly the story of a life that went from engineering to a life of service. It was intended to have a definite perspective. Well, while I digest the effects of the last year on my psyche -- I'd be interested to know your opinion on this blog, and what I should do with it. The only reason I attempted blogging is that I thought I had a unique POV. I don't know if I have that anymore. Your comments or emails are welcome.

Phase II

So, it appears some time has passed since my last post. In that time, I've turned down two jobs with Habitat for Humanity and I said goodbye to my former employer, ArgonST. At this moment, I am heading west to San Diego where I'll be working with a friend I've made in the last year. Although I've visited the West Coast several times, I've never lived there -- so this is an exciting time for me.

What's makes it more exciting is that yesterday when I stopped at an Emergency Room in Deming, New Mexico, the doctor informed me the reason I'm having chills, fever and coughing is because I have pneumonia. Based on yesterday's temperature, and the degree of the chills I was having -- I extrapolate that the fever I was running on Tuesday was at least 159 degrees.

Now, several shots and a few antibiotics later, I don't cough every 30 seconds and I generally feel much better.

Because I am currently unemployed, I have no health coverage. Let's just say in the 21 months leading up to the presidential election, I will support those candidates that promise to provide some type of universal health coverage.

New Orleans Musicians Village

Because I have wonderful friends, I was invited to attend and witness a spectacular event. Former President James Earl Carter, Jr. went to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village to take part in a wall-raising ceremony for Jeremy Haydel, a New Orleans musician. The former President hammered nails, raised walls, and offered hope and advice to the volunteers in attendance.



At an informal press conference, the President compared the efforts in the gulf region with the efforts to restore the areas devastated by the 2004 tsunami. In the tsunami-affected regions, Habitat for Humanity will develop 24,000 homes. While grateful for what has been accomplished, the President called the current levels of effort "embarrassing". When asked what could an administration do to revitalize these efforts, President Carter called for revitalizing FEMA, and harshly criticized its place within Homeland Security, saying that the director should report directly to the President. The President also pointed out that of the more than $7 billion dollars allocated to rebuild the area, only 22 of the 79,000 loans applied for have been granted, which provides another cause for concern.

President Carter arrived and met with a Musicians village homeowner, and was given a tour of the house. He then got straight to work on two neighboring houses. After an hour or so, the Habitat affiliate provided a Cajun-style lunch and authentic New Orleans music before the President went on to Biloxi, MS to observe more gulf rebuilding operations.