Carmichael's Position

Nike Needs Their Star Power Back!

I was reading a news article online this evening when I looked in the side bar and saw this advertisement for Nike’s new “Lunarelite” men’s running shoe. 

Simple… not sure what they’re driving at here with this campaign… Getting away from the “Just Do It” campaign I guess…

But doncha think it would be more… um… impactful with a little more Star Power?  Something more like this?

Just say’n…

I have to say I agree with the Democrats on this one

From a litany of Democrats from 2005… (Including Reid, Feinstein, Hillary, Schumer, Dodd and Obama himself) telling the American Public how positively heinous changing the Senate Rules to simply accommodate the majority party, eliminating the filibuster and debate on a serious topic is.  Oh the criminality of it all!!!  

Can anyone tell me if the word “integrity” has been redacted from the congressional dictionary?  

Ain’t the historical record a hoot!?  ;-)

A Thoughtful Voice of Conservatism

In the cacophony of Left –vs- Right insult riddled yelling matches it is nice to listen to a reasonable voice present a thoughtful, intelligent, humorous speech on what it is to focus on Conservative Capitalism once again.

I have always appreciated George Will’s perspective on our political theater. 

He recently spoke at CPAC, and amid the media fervor around fellow speakers like Glen Beck and Anne Coulter and their “Outlandish Claims”… an unarguably rational voice could be heard among the din, and what he had to say is something that should be shouted from the Mountain Tops!  I hasten to say, you will probably not hear of George’s thoughtful commentary nor snippets from his oration on the usual suspect media outlets… nope, not enough lightning rod sound bites to satisfy our rabid pop culture appetite.  This all but assures that if you want to hear a reasoned, calmly delivered State of the Union and thoughts for our future you will have to watch his delivery on blogs and other similar sites… So I’ll contribute…

Here you go, one of the best speeches I’ve heard in years, it provides a good understanding as to why I am a conservative. (HT Ken…) It is provided in 3 parts due to limited time durations on YouTube, but well worth watching all 3! You will not be sorry.

As for the rest of you, I’m sure “The View” or Keith Olbermann will provide you with a much more thoughtful and intellectual prospectus on conservative thought.  Oh… and please do not even attempt to read or listen to Milton Friedman and his “Oh so Out There” corruptive ideas!

Delectatio Morosa

Interesting study today in to just what extremes one will take to prove a point.  Much in the same way one will burry himself alive just to prove he can use a shovel, Joseph Stack decided to prove a point that in his case only one of the two certainties in life (Death and Taxes) apply to him, his point was punctuated when he used his aircraft to plow into the IRS center in Austin Texas.

Oddly enough, even though culturally we view this action as “not the proper way to air a grievance” there are many out there who upon hearing the news today and learning the full story, simply said, “figures”.

I wonder how many of you, in quiet frustrated solitude of vengeful mirth between your ears have not contemplated a similar excursion, only to have your thoughts dashed by reality, practicality and pragmatism.  Have many of us not wished hateful things about the IRS or equally imposing organizations to whom we feel utterly helpless against?  Probably… and then we simply let these thoughts disappear in the depths of the dark side of our mind.  Only this guy…  for as delusional as he must have been, was an “actions” guy.  Yep he was a “doer”!

I am in no way sanctifying what Joe perpetrated today, but I have to go on record as saying in a morose, morbid way, I can understand when people reach their limits of futility, feeling that their voice is nothing but a whisper in the rock concert, they are prompted to dramatic action, martyrdom if you will. 

People are growing more and more frustrated with our government’s actions and impositions on our liberties.  For those who actually earn a living, the IRS seems an understandable target, a figurative poster child for all that is wrong with our government and the wonks who represent us…

Some will point a finger not at a man who cracked, but rather use this incident as a banner to march behind, clearly stating that if our government had not continued to exercise its’ repressive powers of undue taxation, this man would still be alive, his plane intact, and an office building in North Austin would not have a smoky odor and severe draft today.

Me?  There may be some truth to the view… but at the end of the day I just think the man cracked, reached his limit, and filed his return.

Artistically Entertaining

In what is described as serendipitous surfing, I Stumbled across this today…

I like the artistic approach to this.  “Captivating” is how I would describe it.

Sun on the Wing

Back in the the New York area this week… waiting on the snow…

Super busy schedule, but managed to snap a couple of images so far.  A couple I call… sun on the wing…

First on the flight out, I was “wheels in the wells” at 06:00 on Monday.  Then, while at 33,000 feet over central Nebraska, the sun rose casting a glow on the wing of my A320.

 

The second was from today’s visits, out in Newburg NY, on the shores of the Hudson River near Mount Saint Mary College, as a seagull passed overhead.  casting the sun on his wings.

I’ll try to snap a few more between meetings and the snowflakes.

Propofol is Amazing

Ok, back from the colonoscopy and EGD… I’m not going to go into too much detail because honestly it was really quite uneventful, thank goodness.  Standard medical procedure for the most part, but unlike any of my prior visits to the doc, I was knocked out for this one.

My fist time ever to receive a general anesthetic.  Unlike other’s who have gone before me in the receipt of what Cartman would describe as an “Anal Probe” where one is sedated using a combination of Fentanyl and Versed which is kind of a conscious sedation my doc used Propofol… which is well… NOT conscious. 

Wow! and how!

I’m laying there on the gurney in all of my unflattering-ness, when the anesthesiologist comes in and briefly chats with me about how this is going to be “smooth as butter”… Not good imagery when in for this particular procedure…

Anyway, she asks me if I have a particular dream selected… I’m like… “Huh? was that on the pre-op sheet?  I missed that somewhere.”

She said, no worries, just pick a pleasant thought… so I thought of flying with the Blue Angels… Hey! its pleasant for me, and Ginger won’t let me dream of the Playboy Bikini team tryouts!

I look over at the anesthesiologist as she screws a syringe filled with what looks like milk, onto my IV tube.  I make a crack about “Milk doing a body good” to which she responded “You have no idea how good!”

She wasn’t kidding!  As she depressed the plunger I lay on my pillow wondering how long it will take before I pa…

  … “adding power…A little more puuuullllll… stand by smoke… smoke On! … READY BREAK!… I rolled my F/A-18 one hundred and eighty degrees continuing to keep my nose down toward the runway centerline pulling back on the stick to smoothly execute the Blue Angel Loop Break… 

“… John… John… Hi John,”  it was not my flight lead or my crew chief, rather it was the nurse for my Endoscopy Doc coaching me out of my slumber. 

Whoa!  Its over?

And amazingly enough it was.  I didn’t remember a thing!  Also of benefit was that the anesthetic hang over lasted for all of about 5 minutes or less.  Seriously!  the bats were all out of the cave and I was free to go… well, so long as Ginger drove.

Propofol is amazing…

What not to do when prepping for your Colonoscopy

After taking the first 4x dose of Dulcolax, I highly recommend there is something you SHOULD NOT DO…  Well, outside the obvious things like…

• Bronco busting
• Playing on the Trampoline
• Break dancing
• Riding just about any carnival ride
• or Scuba dive!

I highly recommend you NOT read the recommended dosage of MiraLAX prior to taking it.  Because it will absolutely peg your anxiety meter in anticipation of the coming storm! 

My Doc has instructed me to mix half of this 238 gram bottle into 32 ounces of Gatorade (any color you want, so long as it is yellow) and drink it within an hour…

Seriously??? 

I read the “Dosage Directions” (conveniently hidden behind the peel back label) that recommend, “if your plumbing is clogged thoust should mix 17 grams of this wonder powder with 8 ounces of Gatorade and drink it…”

Um… er… uh… here’s the kicker… “ONCE PER DAY!”

Yeah so… if 17 grams is supposed to, ya know, gently help things on their merry way… I can’t wait to see what taking 119 grams is going to do!  That’s right… A WEEK’s WORTH in an HOUR!!!!

“Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?”

Oh and that’s just the half of it… I’m supposed to take the other 119 grams tomorrow morning at 6:00am.  What? As if 6:00am wasn’t unpleasant enough?

If It Would Save Just One LEGO Life!

Off the deep end…

Two-inch LEGO gun gets 4th-grader in trouble

Parents left fuming after principal threatens the boy with suspension

…a 9-year-old student [Patrick Timoney] at PS 52 in Staten Island, N.Y., was in the school cafeteria Tuesday playing with LEGOs when he was taken to the principal’s office and threatened with suspension. One of his toys was a LEGO policeman that holds a 2-inch plastic gun. The school has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to toy guns.

Really?  A two inch LEGO gun?

…The toy was confiscated by principal Evelyn Mastroianni, a conference was held with the boy and his parents, and ultimately, no further disciplinary action was taken.

Words fail me… but I’ll try anyway to sum it up in proper rhetorical prose.

The caliginosity of our collective stupidity is pierced only by the refulgence of a liberal mind… or maybe not. ~ John Carmichael

On Bread and Water… Wait, No Bread Either!

Well, the day I’ve looked forward to, much in that same way Britons look forward to their dentist visit, has arrived.

Today is “Prep” day, for my colonoscopy and EGD tomorrow.  That means no solid food from now until after the procedure.  But alas, they are not content to eliminate solids from my diet… nope I also have to eliminate solids from me! 

That means Ducolax at 3:00pm then at 6:00pm I have to ingest the Nitrous of system cleansing… MiraLAX!  Half a Bottle of the stuff!  Mixed with Gatorade, then again tomorrow morning at 6:00am… the other half!

Yep, won’t be at Pool League tonight… I’ll be busy at “Poo League!” (sorry, couldn’t resist the lay-up").

So if you call me or ping my IM today and I do not respond immediately… well I might just be indisposed.