The Pryhills

Surely this headline was intentional

Unfit for Bottom? Then Try the Top
The article has nothing to do with the subject that may first pop into your head when reading the title. Had I known Michael Moore would be part of this story, I would have never clicked on the link. That's an awful visual.

DNC on PPV? Is it cool with the FCC & FEC?

This is a question for the experts out there. Terra and I watched a pay-per-view movie last night off iNDEMAND. While we were flipping through the selections, we noticed a whole category that caught our attention - "Election 2004." You could actually order, for free, the Democratic National Convention speeches of Kerry, Edwards, Obama, Richardson, the Kerry children, and a few others. (I thought if they were providing this as entertainment, the should have offered Sharpton's speech, but I did not see it listed) I wondered since the DNC was a month before the Republican National Convention, how the "equal time provision" and the "Electioneering Communications" regulations related to these offerings.

Continue reading "DNC on PPV? Is it cool with the FCC & FEC?"

Suzie B

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. -Susan B Anthony, reformer and suffragist (1820-1906)

My Mountain Home

I spent the weekend up in the NC mountains to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday. It's a treat that so much of the land that my father grew up on is still in the family. I can see his pride as we stand out on the porch overlooking this beautiful, almost unspoiled land.

I've now learned the names of all the mountains around the valley and this weekend had the pleasure of meeting some of Dad's childhood friends. Every time we go up there, I learn more and more about this great family I come from. We have such a rich history, through good times and bad times. This trip, my Dad told me the story of how in 1967 he stopped in to visit with his grandfather before returning to college for the year. They sat on the porch of the "old house" and Dad commented on how good Grandpa's tobacco crop looked. My great Grandfather replied, "Well, It's going to be my last one. They say that tobacco kills people and I don't want to have any part of that." Almost 40 years ago, a man decided to give up one of his most profitable crops because his conscience told him better.

I put my "Roots" gallery online to share. I hope you'll take a few moments to click through the photographs of this gorgeous area that means so much to me. Giving credit where it's due, most of the photos were taken my my sis since I didn't have my camera this weekend. Movie buffs may recognize some of the scenery as that from The Last of the Mohicans. I wouldn't have wanted to be on the trail when the railing was removed for filming!

Terrorists scoping out Charlotte?

Pakistani Held in U.S. Filmed Banks, Trolleys and Dam

Kamran Akhtar, 35, a resident of Elmhurst, New York, was detained after being stopped by a police officer on July 20 while videotaping in downtown Charlotte, a major financial center, the U.S. Attorney's office for the western district of North Carolina said.

The video included images of a Bank of America tower and a building that used to be leased by Wachovia bank. Akhtar, who has been charged with immigration violations, also had other videotapes showing buildings in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Dallas and New Orleans, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

This disturbs me, but does not surprise me. With Bank of America, Wachovia and a handfull of smaller regional banks headquartered here, Charlotte is the #2 banking center in the nation behind New York City. Although we do not have the government operations and historical landmarks that most potential terrorist targets do, we have the financial landmarks of the 60-story Bank of America tower, and the 42-story Wachovia Center, among others. I think most Charlotteans have subscribed to the belief that our obscure "little big" city wouldn't show up on the terrorist's radar, but this arrest reminds us that we may be a potential target. I expect to see increased security in and around the uptown buildings, as well as at the upcoming Bobcats and Panthers games. I for one am happy to wait in longer lines before entering Bank of America Stadium, and with a sister that works one block from the city center, hope that all that homeland security money that Hizzoner Mayor Pat McCrory lobbied for will be put to good use to keep our community safe.

SMALL WORLD UPDATE: I read an article on this from the AP and realized I recognized the name of the arresting officer, Anthony Maglione (there are few Magliones in Charlotte). Danny Maglione was assigned to Charlie 1, the University Area, while I was a student and Blockbuster Video manager. The cops used to hang out at our store, and many of them worked off-duty security at the shopping center. Danny was one of my favorites and a good cop. I'm guessing Tony is either his son, or the press may have just published Danny's first name, which I believe was Anthony. *Sigh*...I miss those guys.

Presidential namecalling along I-85

On my way back from the mountains this weekend, I noticed this unintentional juxtaposition off I-85 just north of Gaffney, SC. In the election mudslinging, Bush has been stereotyped as the oilman and Kerry as the waffler on the issues. Side by side, on the edge of a rural highway, Mr. Petro and Mr. Waffle are left to duke it out. The photo is genuine, I just inset an enlargement of the sign in the distance to make it easier to read, but you can see the real sign just below the inset. Click on the photo for a larger version.

John Kerry - bad for gays?

I still remain undecided for whom I will cast my vote in the Presidential election. Bush has effectively said he doesn't give a damn about my vote, but I can't say Kerry has impressed me in any way. And John at BEAVERHAUSEN BLOG poses an interesting question:

Query: If he does win in November, will gay marriage become JFK2's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" - i.e., a bitter, losing battle that saps the electoral clout of a new president during his honeymoon period, forcing him into a compromise that disappoints his gay supporters and that may even be worse for homos than the status quo ante? Something to ponder.

Clinton entered office promising equality for gays, and we ended up with Don't Ask, Don't Tell and DOMA. And pundits, as well as the Washington Superior Court Judge theorize (quoting Beaverhausen again):

...that civil unions - by creating "marriage-lite" - are actually more detrimental to the institution than letting gays have the real thing.

I agree. I'm also skeptical of Kerry's claim that he supports civil unions, and I don't even know if he would have the power to make them law, but even if he does, do we want really them?

UPDATE: All the commenters make good points considering their points of view and political inclinations (Democrat or left leaning); however, I lean to the right on the majority of issues, so SSM is one of the few reasons I would ever even consider Kerry. His stance so far is not strong enough to make me make the switch. And when I return from my weekend to find this: Kerry Edwards 'No Objection' To Missouri Gay Marriage Ban, I don't feel any better about casting a reluctant vote for them based on their "slightly less offensive" stance on SSM. Kerry also supports the proposed amendment in his home state of Massachusetts that would UNDO the marriages performed there since May 17th and turn them into "civil unions," which I have been convinced for some time now will do more harm than good and only continue to force gays into a second class citizenship. A similar debate over at Boi From Troy explores this further and I encourage you to read his post and the following comments from both sides.

Happy Birthday

Today, we celebrate the 18th birthday of my oldest friend, Uno. An 18 year old cat that thinks she's a 2 year old dog...priceless. Here's to many more years!

While uploading this image to pbase, I came across this cat-centric gallery. I have seen this behavior in dogs, but never in cats. The photographer has a great sense of humor.

We want the funk

My company has a nice writeup in today's USA Today. I've never mentioned the company by name, although a few of you know it or have probably figured it out. I'm still not going to mention the name because of the google-factor, but it's in Friday's Money section if you want to check it out. From the company's long history, to our unique building and relaxed environment, it's a fun place to work...definitely a working experience unlike any other. And that thing about no songs with the word "funk" in them, that's not exactly the case...we do "give up the funk" on a regular basis.

LEZ = 12 points

Drama at the National Scrabble Championship!!!

In the final round, eventual champion Trey Wright played the word "lez," which was on a list of offensive words not allowed during the tournament.

Normally, no word is off-limits, but because the games were being taped for broadcast on ESPN, certain terms had been deemed inappropriate, including the three-letter slang for lesbian.

Give the guy a break. As a lez, I'm not offended. Using that 10-point "Z" can be a game clencher. And if it came down to winning a game, I'm willing to use an off-color word, and it's certainly not to be offensive to anyone. I just want to win! And so did Trey...in his own words: "Meaning has no consideration when I play."

I must say I'm surprised that the National Scrabble Championships are going to be shown on ESPN. I imagine it must be for ESPN 4 or some less popular channel. I enjoy playing Scrabble, but watching it on TV? Sounds like it would be better suited for CSPAN or the Fishing Network.

Welcome to the new digs

Remember in the movie Annie when she first gets to Mr. Warbucks' mansion and she's running around with all the maids & butlers at her call singing, "I think I'm gonna like it here..." That's about how I feel with my fancy new domain and MT. I have to give a special thank you to Dean who set everything up for me, he even imported my old blogspot posts to this so there's no loss. Anyway, bear with me while I get everything looking pretty. If you haven't already, don't forget to update your blogroll & bookmarks.

"I DO" in 30 seconds

They could rename it "Instant tears in 30 seconds." There are some good laughs, too. If you haven't seen these advocacy spots, take a moment to view the top 10 submissions for GLAAD's "I DO" in 30 seconds project. I particularly liked "The Sanctity of Marriage" and "Reflection."

Missouri bans same sex marriage...again

Oh no...a law passed in 2001 prohibiting it wasn't enough. They had to put it in their constitution. And they did. Yesterday, 70% of the voters said YES to amend their state constitution with this: "...to be valid and recognized in this state, a marriage shall exist only between a man and a woman." They are a red state, though, so nobody's surprised. And they are not the first state to approve an amendment, 4 states already have similar amendments. At least ten, and possibly 12 states will be voting on amendments this fall. Many, if not all of them are expected to pass. Bummer.

But at the same time, that vote means 30% of the people voted NO to the constitutional amendment. Well gays certainly aren't 30% of the population, maybe 5%. Since it was a sensitive and personal issue, they may have come out to vote in higher numbers, so let's just estimate maybe 10% of the voters were gay. That means 20% of the people who didn't have dogs in the fight thought that the amendment was unnecesary. While it's no victory, I don't consider it a total loss. 10 years ago, the score would never have been 70/30. A state constitutional amendment is pretty heavy, but they can be undone by a majority vote, just like they are enacted (I think, but haven't fact checked). In ten to 20 years, will 21% or more Missouri voters change their minds on the issue? I don't know, but I don't think it's far-fetched to think it could be done.

Guess Who Just Moved To Movable Type?

Success!

Friends

I heard this "audio essay" by Walter Mosely on the subject of friends this morning on NPR. Take 3 minutes and listen. His words really resonated with me.

I'm not one to air my dirty laundry (with the exception of the whole gay/parental acceptance saga), but I need to write this out for myself. I recently lost a friend...literally, on Sunday. I lost her because of physical distance, because of different ideas of the way the world should be, and different ideas of the way a friendship should be. I lost her because her partner didn't like me, and regrettably, I lost her in part because of my own laziness. I've thought a lot about this, as she and I have both seen it coming for some time, it was only a matter of when the ties would finally be broken.

It's like knowing your relative is going to die and you have time to prepare yourself for the day they are no longer around. While you're doing everything you can to make each one of the last days last longer, you're able to start the grieving process before they are even gone. It's a strange dynamic in a friendship, but we experience it even at young ages. I remember the immense feelings of sadness towards the end of summer camp. I'd make great friends over a couple of weeks, knowing very well the last few days of camp would be the last time I ever saw them.

Now that she's gone, I am left to reflect. Am I wrong for not doing more to stop it or were we already hopelessly running in circles? I'm not sure. Is it my solely my fault, or do we share the blame? I honestly don't know. Could I have even stopped it and changed the course of events? I'd like to think so, and we even gave it a shot, but I could only run in circles for so long before I was out of breath. I had to let her go.

Friends come and go, but true friends are few and far between. True friends can pick up where they left off, even after years estranged from one another. She was a true friend, and something tells me this isn't the end. It just feels like it.

"Out" with the girls

Make that one more closet door opened for the Acester. I received a notice to update my personal information with my collegiate sorority to be published in the national directory. I had a sneaky feeling that there would be a field for you to fill in your spouse's name, like most alumni-type directories do. (I mean, isn't it expected that all "Suzie Sigma" sorority girls are supposed to get married? C'mon, there's no homos in the Greek system! HAHAHA!) My suspicions were confirmed when I followed the link from the email. "Family" Profile it said...NOW you're speaking my language! "Spouse's First Name" - that's gender neutral enough for me. In California & Massachusetts, Terra could be my spouse, T-E-R-R-A. "Spouse's Last Name (if different from your own)" - ah, yeah, her last name is different from mine. So I typed in her last name and hit send. When they are proofing the data, will someone look at that and think "typo" or will they look at it and say "lesbo?"

I don't know, and frankly, I don't give a damn! Let them all know! I'm now "out" with the girls.

Beer snob

You know you're a beer snob when you catch yourself shaking your head in agreement with this line from the Observer:

"I think there's a misconception that if a beer has more alcohol, people will get more drunk," said John Watts, head brewer at the Hilton Head Brewing Co. "But you don't sit around and pound a barley wine after you mow the lawn."

Barley wine, which is about 8 percent to 10 percent alcohol, is a "beer to be savored," Watts said. "It's very thick and malty."

"Pound a barley wine after you mow the lawn"...oh, he's funny! It's hard to be a beer snob in the Carolinas where the max ABV is 6%.

Georgia recently changed its law, raising the 6 percent alcohol cap on beer to 14 percent. That left the Carolinas as two of only five states that strictly limit the beverage's alcohol content, said Julie Bradford, editor of Durham-based All About Beer magazine and member of Pop the Cap, an N.C. group organizing to remove that state's 6 percent alcohol limit from its beer laws.

Yesterday, Terra and I made a shopping excursion to the famed Concord Mills Mall (sadly ranked the #1 tourist destination in NC) to buy her some nice new suits for her NEW job. We passed thru the University area - my old stomping grounds - and since we are so rarely in that part of town, we stopped in for a beer at the Flying Saucer. Being the beer nerds we are, we counted the taps & bottle offerings - around 200. Just imagine how many they could have if they weren't limited to 6%! I commented to Terra that NC really does have some good local breweries, but being such a beer-unfriendly state likely deters many brewers that might want to start up in the area. North Carolina - First in Flight, and last in everything else!

Let's hope so!

Today's Word of the Day email:

forfend (for-FEND) verb tr. 1. Defend; protect. 2. Forbid; prohibit. 3. Prevent; secure. [From Middle English forfenden, from for- + fenden (to ward off).]

It's purely coincidental, but very appropriate considering the recent, very specific terror threat.

5, 4, 24,000, 1040, 43, 3, 3120

Friends of the Pryhills have heard me lament over Terra's commute. Besides the financial (gas & shrinking warranty) and environmental (increased emissions) drawbacks to this, the toll that this daily drive takes on Terra is something I constantly think about. Think about those rough days at work, or those beautiful Friday afternoons where you're just looking forward to getting out of work and relaxing at home, then imagine having to drive for two hours before you can relax and start your "quality time." I worry about her getting into an accident or getting another speeding ticket. It's no wonder she's too tired to walk the dogs, mow the lawn or cook dinner when she gets home. It could be worse...she could still be in the Air Force and away from home, or she could not have a job at all, but fortunately she's blessed with working for a secure company and working a job she genuinely enjoys, and that is why she has continued to drive this distance for over two years now.

Three years ago when Terra signed on with her company, she was offered her choice of 5 assignments. Three were in Charlotte and 2 were in Columbia, SC. Now this was shortly before we met, so Terra, unaware that her future and the love of her life were in Charlotte, and having relatives in Columbia, chose the later. Oh, how many times she has kicked herself for this decision as she commuted to Asheville and then to Laurinburg!

So what do those numbers at the top of the post mean?

5 is the number of counties that Terra drives through just to get to work.
4 is the number of hours she spends driving to and from work each day.
24,000 is the number of miles she has put on her (not-so-new-anymore) car in 5 months since it's purchase (at that rate, the 10 year/100K warranty would be up in under 2 years).
1040 is the number of hours per year that she spends driving.
43 is the equivalent number of days that Terra spends in her car in one year.
3 is the number of times Terra has to fill up every week.
3120 is the amount of money that 2 extra tanks per week of gas cost over one year.

This is why I am overjoyed to share that Terra has been offered a position with her company here in Charlotte at a top-notch facility. This is the answer to so many of our prayers. Her new commute will be much like mine, 10-15 minutes; however, she will be in the heart of the city, something I sorely miss being in the 'burbs across the state line. This move will allow her the opportunity to develop professionally and to advance through what could easily become a lifelong career path for her. This facility is a pillar of the community and will allow her opportunities to network with important folks and become more involved in the community. She will have more time for personal aspirations since she won't be spending it in the car. Even my mom, resistant to all things "Terra," commented that this was good news. Quite simply, this rocks and I am so happy for my baby!

Imagine one day waking up and finding you just got 4 more hours in your day.

Saturday night at the races

It's a busy week at work and there's little time for blogging, but I wanted to share the photo album from our Saturday night outting to the Lancaster Motor Speedway. It was quite a night and the whole crew had a great time. We have plans to go back in a couple weeks for the "Lawn Mower Races" where participants are required to pit at least once during the race and must eat a banana during their stop. It should be a blast. So check out my Dirt Track album, and be sure to view the pics one by one so you can read the commentary. ENJOY!