It is so tough to keep my son, Benjamin, focused and motivated to practice his saxophone. He recently took up the tenor sax and it's very daunting for him. Mostly because he's such a perfectionist! He feels like he should already be able to play every note without any errors. He feels like he should get the sax to play "Greensleeves" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" just like it's supposed to. He also feels behind the other kids, since we moved into the school district in October and ...

I got a link in my spam email today for trying out Yahoo! Avatar : And I came up with this: "YIKES! I tried to make my little avatar buddy as asexual as possible. Did it work? AND WHAT EXACTLY ARE THESE AVATAR THINGS FOR, ANYWAY?

The tragedy of September 11th caused America to do some self-examination: How did it happen? Why didn't we prevent it? How can we prevent future attacks? The 9/11 Commission issued this report on how well Congress and the Bush administration have done in protecting American lives after 9/11... From the Washington Post : In its final act before formally disbanding as a private group, the former Sept. 11 commission gave the federal government failing or mediocre grades today for...

Oh my goodness, that wily Bush is at it again. I can't believe he isn't doing his civic duty. Crawford needs him! WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush had to explain that he was a little busy running the United States when he got called for jury duty. Bush never received the summons to appear at a court in Crawford, Texas, for jury duty on Monday and the White House learned about it through media reports, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday. "We h...

Recently dharmagrl posted a great email conversation with Vincent Gallo. She offered him some advice on "The Brown Bunny", his latest film, and he offered her a proposition for her to show him her boobies. Classy guy. Real piece of work. "Would you show this man your ta-ta's?" So anyway, I happened upon this site this morning and thought y'all would get a kick out of what else Vincent Gallo is offering on the public. In addition to books he's read and motorcycles he's driven, t...

Saddam Hussein was president and ruler of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. So let's take a look back at his contributions to his native land... He worked hard to beautify his country! Look at all the lovely palaces that dot the bleak Iraqi landscape. He tried to eliminate poverty and unemployment in his country! ...by killing all the poor people. He listened to the minorities! The Sunnis frequently had his ear. Let's try to find al...

Saddam Hussein was president and ruler of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. So let's take a look back at his contributions to his native land... He worked hard to beautify his country! Look at all the lovely palaces that dot the bleak Iraqi landscape. He tried to eliminate poverty and unemployment in his country! ...by killing all the poor people. He listened to the minorities! The Sunnis frequently had his ear. Let's try to find al...

So I'm reading the Washington Post this morning, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but this: Didn't recognize the face in the picture, for obvious reasons, but I knew the name. Brian Doyne. Hmmm, Brian Doyne. I went to PLDC in 2004 with an EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal) guy named Brian Doyne. Same squad, same classroom. He'd just gotten off the plane from Afghanistan, sent straight to PLDC without time to decompress. Very funny, very sardonic, very depressed guy. ...

Cute advent calendar on Family Fun Magazine's website. Link Countdown to Christmas Collage, very cute indeed. Add a felt reindeer, fireplace, tree, etc., every day in December until the 25th! My wife is making this and it's very cute indeed. She's having me print out the patterns and templates, so I thought I'd multi-task.

Cute advent calendar on Family Fun Magazine's website. Link Countdown to Christmas Collage, very cute indeed. Add a felt reindeer, fireplace, tree, etc., every day in December until the 25th! My wife is making this and it's very cute indeed. She's having me print out the patterns and templates, so I thought I'd multi-task.

As many here on JU will attest, I owned the ugliest, worst car ever. Nice car when it was made, but time and neglect wore it down to the hulking mass of steel and bondo that they saw pull into the parking lot every day. I drove a '74 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. Now one would think, "sweet ride" or "how could that car be horrible", but let me attest to you that it was true. We called it the Beast, the Boat, or best yet, the Albatross. Before I ever got it, it had been given t...

Michael Brown, disgraced former head of FEMA, is starting a new disaster-preparedness for-profit consulting firm. I guess he figures that he's already made every concievable mistake, therefore he is the most experienced man in the room. From the AP and Rocky Mountain News : Former FEMA director Michael D. Brown, criticized over his agency's slow response to Hurricane Katrina, is starting a disaster-preparedness consulting firm to help clients avoid the sort of errors that cost him...

Watching the Aggies duke it out with the Longhorns yesterday made me a little homesick. For TEXAS. For Texas, of all places. I can't get through three months away from the place without getting all misty whenever I think about TEXAS. I like Austin very much. Hills, cool people, cultural scene, outdoors, lakes, rivers, bike paths... yeah. I like San Antonio very much too. Amusement parks, culture, Hispanic theme (as if it were its own section of Disney America!), stuff to do. Grea...

So I found this online this morning. It just shows me that celebrities can never win elections. "Celebrities with Opinions" -------------------------------------------- Director Rob Reiner and actor Warren Beatty are well known to California voters if either decides to run for governor next year, but a poll shows they aren't particularly well liked. A Field Poll released Tuesday rates the name recognition and images of announced and possible candidates for seven statewide offices ...