So, after a long month's holiday hiatus, and an even longer week back in Mass and travelling about, C and I are celebrating New Years by staying home and probably going to bed early. So I figure to get myself back into the whole blogging idea, I'll try to recap the past year. Just for shits and giggles. So, without further ado,

2008 In Review: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The Etcetera.

The Good:
- The Presidential Election: Not just the fact that Obama got elected, but how damn entertaining was this past election cycle? The rise of a more progressive Democratic Party (fingers crossed), the utter collapse of the Republican Party as a national party, the complete selling of John McCain's soul, and how can we forget, Sarah Palin and the ensuing high comedy. It was awesome. Full of many great moments. Can't wait till Inauguration Day.

- Ted Kennedy: Yes, I see the jokes coming for miles, and even if you don't like him, he came back from a brain tumor to deliver an amazing speech at the DNC in Denver, and pass the torch to a new generation of democrats. It made me proud to be from Massachusetts, and to have him as my senator.

- The Bruins, Celtics, Pats and Red Sox: Though only one team won a championship, two played above and beyond, and the Bruins look poised for a great extended run to end the season and the playoffs. I can't even fathom that I'll be watching them play into the spring. Hockey in shorts? Not so far in m life time. Amazing. Not to mention that the Phillies won the World Series. Sick.

- Oil prices: Just filled up for $1.45 a gallon in Mass. Lowest price in 5 years.

- Rode the MS 150 City to Shore, from Cherry Hill to Ocean City, New Jersey. Though Team Waterworks only completed the first day, we raised over $2500 to find a cure for MS. It was awesome, and though C and I won't be able to ride next year (we'll be in Massachusetts for the wedding), it was a great experience and I hope to do it again.

- The Olympics were pretty cool, though I grew quite tired of only seeing swimming and beach volleyball, especially considering the last fifty meters of the men's cycling road race was the most exciting ending to a bike race I've ever seen. Also, huzzah Michael Phelps. You're a god amongst men.

The Bad:
- Has anyone actually seen our President do anything remotely presidential since September, besides ride around on Air Force One? Didn't think so. He seemingly missed that his Global War on Terror is raging on two active fronts, there was a rather nasty border war between Russia and Georgia, and the epic collapse of the US economy. Where is he? Attempting to reshape his legacy so that history won't view him as such a douche bag. Here's a tip for you W: Too late. Maybe you should have thought about this when you were acting like an idiot over the past eight years. Oh, and look out for all the new abuses of endangered species, previously protected wilderness and the limits on abortions he's trying to push on through. God Bless America.

- Oil prices: Paid over $4.25 a gallon for gas at some points earlier this summer. Ridiculous.

- Speaking of the economy, I have a real big problem with these bailouts. Not that they occurred, mind you, I think they were necessary. My issue lies in the fact that white collar bankers and Wall Street investors come to Washington and leave with $700 billion essentially unregulated dollars, but when they Big Three car companies come looking for $35 billion, they are slapped around by politicians. Now, they most definitely should have been, they caused their own problems, but at the same time, where was the public castigation of the bankers and their ilk? And why, pray tell, do the union workers need to make concessions for the Big Three to secure financial help? I'm glad that the Republicans can get their faces rubbed in the mud in an election and decide to rebrand themselves as union busters. Awesome.

- Our Angry Planet: Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, a cyclone in Myanmar and an earthquake in China... Looks like we woke up Mother Earth from her nap, and boy is she pissed (And this doesn't even address the massive clusterfuck of a relief effort in each case, by multiple governments).

- Stupid American Politicians: New York governor Elliot Spitzer gets busted visiting a high-end prostitute and resigns, Alaska senator Ted Stevens is convicted on seven counts of various corruption and graft, loses his reelection bid to a Democrat, and still doesn't think he did anything wrong, and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will undoubtedly be receiving some time in "federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison" for trying to sell Barack Obama's vacated senate seat, among other instances of corruption. Oh, and of course, he won't resign, because, of course, he's done nothing wrong in his own eyes. You gotta love that absolutely none of these men think they did a single thing wrong and continue to embarrass their constituents and our country in the process.

Personal Accomplishments:
- Got engaged to C. Awesome, obviously.

- Finished grad school, now full time into job hunting.

- Didn't go broke. Yet.

- Healthy fiancee, healthy dog, healthy guinea pig. The state of the family is strong.

EDIT

- Saw the Who in concert. Best concert I've ever been to, or will likely ever go to.

EDIT

Personal Disasters:
- No new job yet, even though I've been looking for a year and planned on having a new one six months ago, at worst.

- About to go broke.

- No idea how to pay for the wedding, but working on it, one way or the other.

Best Event of the Year: Hands down, Election Night. No elaboration needed.

Worst Event of the Year: Ignoring the now 6 plus year tail chase in Iraq, the current Israeli-Hamas conflict over Gaza, followed very closely by the Mumbai terrorist attacks. If you are under informed about these events, especially the conflict in Gaza, please find some time to educate yourself. As mush as I support our backing of Israel, at what point does a massive bombing campaign against what are essentially refugee camps become more than a proportional response? I know that I can never fully understand the situation, but I can see this current conflict spiraling out of control very, very quickly.

Quote(s) of the Year: "America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for this country that we love... Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs for the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment -- this was the time -- when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals."- Barack Obama, Democratic Primary Victory Speech in Minneapolis, June 3, 2008
and
"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."- Barack Obama, Victory Speech in Chicago, November 4, 2008

Book of the Year: Rick Atkinson's Day of Battle was an amazingly well researched and written work, and my favorite of the year. Even though they aren't new books, I also read and thoroughly enjoyed Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope and Mikhail Bulgakov's Master and Margarita, among other things.

Music of the Year: Limiting choices to those in my collection, which excludes almost all country, pop, rap and hip-hop, we come to Metallica's Death Magnetic for album of the year and the Kings of Leon with Sex on Fire as song of the year. The Metallica album was their best in years, maybe decades. It was heavy and raw, and I loved every track. Even though it is a simple song about sex, I though Sex on Fire was really great. I'm sure the musically inclined among you, especially Handy, will heartily disagree.

Movie of the Year: Dead tie between Tropic Thunder and the Dark Knight. I can't really decide, both were equally great. Obviously everyone drools over Heath Ledger's performance, but I found Aaron Eckhardt's Harvey Dent was equally good as well. Just one man's opinion. I also think both Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise's performances in Tropic Thunder were great. I guess I'll leave this one up to you.

So, that's it I guess. Hope you all had a great 2008, here's to a smashing 2009.

Sorry for ignoring the blog for so long... I've found myself wrapped up in the Olympics in a bad way lo these many days... And I've also become somewhat disenchanted by much of what I've seen, even though there have been so many awesome things. Let's see:

Awesomeness:

- Michael Phelps. Eight races, eight golds. Enough said.

- Dara Torres. 41 years old, two silver medals in swimming, including an incredible last lap in the 4x100 relay. Like nothing I've ever seen, out-swimming girls literally half her age. Champion.

- My personal favorite Olympic moment thus far, on the first day of the Games, the finish of the Men's Cycling Road Race. Ridiculous. A chase group of three riders, including Fabian Cancellara, catches the three race leaders, including Andy Schleck, in the last hundred meters, with two of the chasers (Cancellara and Spaniard Sam Sanchez) taking bronze and gold, respectively. Unbelievable finish. It could make a cycling fan out of anyone.

Did I really just see that?:

- Natalie Coughlin. US backstroke specialist. Won something like 10 medals over the last two Olympics, but is interviewed by NBC and explains how swimming isn't the most important thing in her life, and that she'd much rather do other things... Wait a minute... You mean to tell me that for some unspeakable reason God has decided to reach down and bless you with other-worldly talent, but you'd prefer to spend your time doing other things, rather than honing your skills? Maybe if you took practice more seriously you wouldn't have continuously bumped the lane markers in your two biggest races, jerk.

- Armenian-born Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian throws his bronze medal down on the podium in protest of a judges decision relegating him to the bronze medal match. Not only does the IOC take back his medal, but they kick his sorry ass out of the Games. Turn about is fair play as far as I'm concerned. The Olympics is all about fair play and sportsmanship, and this clown forgot that last part. Speaking of sportsmanship...

- Usain Bolt of Jamaica hamming it up before his 100 m sprint made me sick to my stomach. He might have noticed that no one else was acting like a pompous ass, but it didn't matter. Then, as he is blowing the field away, he slows down and starts celebrating with 15 m left in the race. He then proceeds to react to the win like he'd never won a race before. I can understand the celebration afterwards, I mean, it is the Olympics, but the posing and chest-thumping before hand was way too much. What a dick.

Remember folks, I love the Olympics. I just kind of wish that things could be a little bit more than an ego-fest.

Ok, sorry, long time no talk. Let's catch up:

- Team Waterworks is now up to five riders, with at least two more to come, possibly four.

- I met and exceeded my fundraising goal thanks to some amazing people, kicking around the idea of raising the goal to $1000, I'll keep you all posted.

- I haven't gotten on a decent ride in almost a week due to weather or illness (more on that later), so I've got to get back into the swing of things.

- NHL free agency opened on July 1st, and the Bruins signed... Michael Ryder? I'm hoping this is the Michael Ryder of two or three years ago, not last year... Glad they could blow their shot at Marian Hossa, Miro Satan, Mark Streit, Wade Redden, or even Brian Rolston. But alas, let's aim low guys, because the playoffs is ok, not the Cup.

- Got wicked sick today. Killer migraine. Tunnel vision, nausea and vomiting, the whole works. My boss even gave me shit about leaving sick from work, even though it was work that caused the problem. They're replacing the windows at the office, while simultaneously repainting the inside. In replacing the windows, they have the frames sealed up with Plexiglas... while painting. Negative ventilation. Awesome fucking idea guys. City planning at its best. I was in the building for 20 minutes before I got set off by the smell... Awesome fucking day today...

Anyhow, happy 4th to all, have a fun and safe holiday.

I can't believe that Handy beat me to this, but he just copped out with a link... I've taken a couple days to stew on this, and I've decided just how mad I am about this... After over a year of campaigning, Barack Obama finally sealed up the Democratic nomination for President. I can't begin to express how excited and proud I was to support him and I find great validation in his success.

Having said that there seemed to be but one person in America who didn't realize that he had won, someone who, perhaps, it should have been most obvious to: ol' Hilldawg Clinton herself.

Weeks ago Obama established a majority in the race for committed delegates. Graceful point of exit for Hillary's somewhat misguided and self-serving campaign, no? Apparently not.

On Tuesday, Obama crossed the delegate threshold for earning the Democratic nomination for president, but still, Hill couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd lost. It is beyond dispute, she cannot win under any legitimate circumstances, yet could not find the grace and intelligence to call it quits, not even for her party and her nation. In fact, she had the nerve to intimate that staying in the race was somehow better for party unity. Instead of conceding for the good of the Democratic Party, she said, and I quote, "Now the question is, where do we go from here, and given how far we've come and where we need to go as a party, it's a question I don't take lightly. This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight." There's no deciding, the Democrats of America decided for you; you lost, it just wasn't in the cards, even though you treated yourself as inevitable from the very beginning, and to be fair and honest, most people treated you the same way, so maybe not your fault, just maybe.

She even felt the need to throw in a 9/11 reference just to keep up with the en vogue politics of fear that the Republicans practice so well. Her speech, much like a majority of her candidacy, was duplicitous and utterly self-serving. It made me sick.

Obama's victory speech, while clearly intended to be a response to a consession speech, gave me the goosebumps. I thought he started soft, but was quite gracious to Hillary Clinton, giving her the credit she richly deserves (While I may seem inherently partisan in this conversation, a stance I won't deny, you have to give credit where it is due, you don't get to run for President by accident, you have to be a good politician if nothing else).

While his praise for Clinton was effusive, he then turned his sights on John McCain. With 20,000 inside the XCel Energy Center, and a further 15,000 outside, Obama stood on the same stage that will feature McCain's nomination and announced with a loud shot across the bow, that he was coming for him. By far the highlight was this quip, showing McCain that he's not afraid to play rough: "John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy—cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota—he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for."

Two words: Oh. Snap.

Now, since I first started this post, Clinton has announced that she would suspend her campaign on Saturday. Two problems with this. One: Why wait so long? You lost on Tuesday, it ended then, you just don't get it. Two: Why suspend and not end? Do you need the vindication of people voting for you at the nominating convention, and thereby dragging out the process? Childish at best, dreadfully irresponsible at worst.

To weigh in on the Obama/Clinton "Dream Ticket," I'm not sure I care for Clinton to be the VP anymore. I think she guarantees Obama the presidency, but I think she blew it on Tuesday. While I would welcome whatever will help the Democrats retake the White House, I think Obama should look long and hard at people like Virginia's Jim Webb, and even Big Ed Rendell. If he plays his cards right, Obama can have this thing sewed up by my birthday.

Looks like things are going to be getting exciting... I'll try to keep up with all the fun right here, it's going to be a fun ride.

UPDATE: Text of the Obama speech, with one of the massively spine tingling moments:
"Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth."

UPDATE #2: Since I'm still all hot and bothered about this, here's the kind of speech we could/should have heard from Hillary on Tuesday, courtesy of none other than Ted Kennedy himself, circa 1980. Say what you will about him as a person, he is a consummate politician and this speech is one of my favorites of all time. I mean, the man was a raging alcoholic at the time and still manages to get through a Tennyson quote at the end. Simply amazing.

"For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

So I actually got to sit outside today and smoke a cigar for the first time since the early fall, which was great... I also was unable to watch any baseball this afternoon. Why, you might ask? Well the mlb schedule makers in all their shrewd business savvy decided that the second day of the season would be a bad time for afternoon games. Awesome, no?

Anyhow... An interesting opportunity has been afforded to me. I may be able to work for a Philly law firm helping immigrants apply for permanent resident status, and make $40k a year to start, plus overtime. Sounds awesome, right? Except of course that my masters in history will basically be for nothing. I mean, I'd not like to make a career out of this type of job, but it would pay the bills, especially since I will have loans to pay back and a wedding to finance. I'm thinking of it as more of a place-holder kind of job; something to pay the bills till I find a more permanent job in history... Please, if you have an opinion, let me know what you think...

To somewhat complete my previous post, and to appease those of you with voyeuristic tendencies (ahem, Handy, ahem), C and I got engaged at a Valley Forge National Historic Park at sunset on Thursday March 13th, near the Muhlenberg Brigade Encampment site. It was great, there were deer and foxes and it was wonderful. C and I then went out to a lovely dinner, where she proceeded to sully her new possession with globs of rib sauce. Happy everyone?

Ok, so I know I've been gone a while before this morning, and I've been meaning to post about it sooner, but I haven't had the time.  And yes, I know some people were angered that I diaried the Red Sox game before writing about this, but that was a spur of the moment thing, I'm sorry if I bothered you.

Anyway, to get right down to it, I haven't been writing because C and I got engaged on Thursday the 13th.  I've been really busy with school, trying to set up my comps and still working full time, and now wedding stuff is taking up some more of my non-existent free time.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, at all.  I'm so excited and I've never been happier in my life. Really.  I mean, yes, it did suck having to talk to the mother of the bride-to-be about this, but then again, who likes getting sniped at and picked apart for the better part of six hours? I know I don't...

So I hope this is an adequate explanation for all you angry types out there... I'll get back on the ball, promise.