Category: Etc

I firmly believe that it’s every American’s civic duty to vote on election day, especially for the President.  I also believe that is every American’s duty to educate themselves on the candidates so that they can make an educated decision about the vote.  So, for the past six months or so, I’ve been following a number of blogs and the general press regarding the campaigns, especially the two recent conventions.

After all that time, I have to say, I’m not encouraged by my options.  Remember back in grade school when time came around to pick teams for dodgeball or whatever random schoolyard sport being played that day?  It feels like I’m the guy choosing and I have to choose between the last two people available.  All the good players have already been taken, the middle players have been chosen based on friendship ties, and now we have these two left.  They’re both pretty akward, they don’t play particularly well, and you don’t really want either.  You’re really trying to choose the one who won’t lose you the game, not the one that will win it.

That’s how I feel about this election.  They’re both crap and I have to choose the one that won’t screw us.  Bush has a proven track record of making really abyssmal decisions and Kerry’s record isn’t all that encouraging.

The thing is, as I’ve watched both sides of the debate, I’ve come to realize that there really are no strong differences between the two parties.  Neither side really knows how they’re going to deliver on any of the vague promises they’ve made.  Both sides criticize the other for not having plans.  Both sides criticize the other of flip-flopping.  Both sides criticize the other for running 527 ads and the deplorable content of said ads.  Both sides make statements that are flat-out false.  Neither side will talk about any real issues or take any stands on said issues.  Yes, they have differing views on some of the polar issues, but those generally fall on party lines and I’m pretty split on those issues.

So, as of today, I don’t really know which of these two kids I’m going to pick.  I wouldn’t want either of these losers running the country.

One more thing to dig in the new office:

Here’s a shot of my new office in the new building that $Company just moved into.  So far, I like it.  I have a quicker commute with less annoying traffic, a nicer view, and more people that I often work with in close proximity.  All in all, it’s really quite nice.

Found this little beauty next to the driveway of my apartment building today just around 6pm.  The flower sits nestled between two parts of the building, so the light was bounced in off the walls of my building, keeping out the harsh shadows you usually get at that time of the day.  I really like the background blur and the sharpness of the flower, even though this was shot full open on my new-to-me 70-200mm f/4L.  Canon 10D ~ 200mm ~ f/4.0 ~ 1/160s (handheld) ~ ISO 400.

Yes, even more black and white!  This photo was made in the Sleepy Hollow cemetary, up the hill from the Old Dutch Burying Ground and Washinton Irving’s grave.  I really find the husband / wife pairings in the burying grounds interesting, and this shot turned out better than most of the others.