Peter Collada's Washington!

Why You Shouldn't Masturbate in Libraries

2006-06-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

2006-05-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day! I am fortunate enough to have a great mother, one who made many sacrifices to make sure her youngest son turned out to be the misanthropic loser he is today. Well, hey mom, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?
content returning here soon, to the soon to be renamed 'Peter Collada's Pittsburgh!'

Comments

2006-01-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Must be broke again.

I've always said Motown was the Best City for Singles

2006-01-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Forbes new list of America's 'Best Cities for Singles' is out, and once again the Balto-Wash area ranks a strong fifth. I do have to question the methodology of any study that calls Balto-Wash a city . Besides, seeing as baltimore has the highest rate of STDs in the country, it wouldn't seem to be the greatest locale for singles.This survey also has a factor called 'coolness', in which Balto-Wash ranks number 5, ahead of Portland, Chicago, New York, and Denver. If your idea of coolness is 100,000 earnest former high school class vice presidents on the make, then yes, I guess DC is pretty cool (and it would also explain why Boston is ranked higher).
Then again, it might be a bad idea to get your idea of what is 'cool' from Forbes magazine. Just ask this guy

Peter Collada's News and Views-Slammin' Sammy Edition

2006-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

You gotta love Marion Barry, the guy just doesn’t quit, whether it's running for office or narcotics, the former Mayor for life could teach James Frey a trick or two. I guess Rep. John Dingell will have to find a new VP candidate…There has been quite a bit of controversy about Samuel Alito’s membership in a group called the Concerned Alumni of Princeton (CAP) that apparently wanted to keep women and minorities out of Princeton. Frankly, I don’t see the big deal if Judge Alito was a member of such a group, after all, it is PRINCETON not PRINCESSTON or FRESH PRINCETON or FREDDIEPRINZETON (sorry hispanics, that was the best I could do)….Seriously, it seems odd that when he put CAP on his resume in 1985, and now has no recollection of it…I remember being part of a similar group at Maryland called the Concerned Undergraduates of Maryland (CUM) , but I think would have remembered if I put CUM on my resume

New study says America increasingly full of shit… This is perhaps the most bizarre shit ever …They’ll just let any old asshole into the hall of fame these days, won’t they? Was David Kingman not available?...Strange world, for the first time, a Bush defers college in order to go to the draft...It would seem to me that the engine or the frame would be the most expensive part, but they are the experts...

Who's Parking in My Space?

2006-01-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I am easily amused, but I was clicking on the old links that are on the side here, and I stumbled accross the address for Kbryna's old webpage that used to be titled 'A Lobby with Nine Hundred Windows'. Words fail to describe just how weird this page now is, it seems to be a mixture of ranting about anti-bush Nazis and links to lesbian porn sites.

Liberals Keep Undermining the President's War on Liberalism

2006-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Guess who's back? Indeed, it's yours truly, Peter Collada. It's been a rough month or so, keeping up with the party circuit, attending holiday festivity's with the larger Collada family, reporting on the Nick and Jessica divorce, but I am happy to tell everyone that I am back and better than ever, not that it takes much. So what has transpired in the time that I have been gone.
Well, my beloved Penn State Nittany Lions stuck it to the Florida State Criminoles in the Orange Bowl, Ariel Sharon had 15 strokes, and some crazy mofo was nominated to the supreme court.
Narcisstic as I am, I could care less about any of these developments (save the Orange Bowl victory) as the march to Law school is on. At the present, I am planning on applying to Pitt, Case Western, Lewis and Clark, Temple, Hofstra, St. Johns, Baylor, Loyola, and Villanova. Since I am applying to a number of these solely because they are free, I will briefly describe the positives/negatives of each choice.
Pitt-
Positive-
Live in Pittsburgh, not to far from the Homeland, and in state tuition.
Negative-
Near the homeland, full of Yinzers, and apparently 'Iron Law' is not the lucrative profession it was 60 years ago.
Case Western-
Positives-
Tier 1 school, good salaries after graduation, highly respected in Cleveland area, have friend who is 1l there and likes it.
Negatives-
Named 'Case Western', highly respected in Cleveland, friend is from Utah so Rwanda would probably seem appealing to her.
Lewis and Clark-
Positives-
In an awesome city (portland) where one of my best friends lives, very good in environmental law, most strip clubs per capita in the US, beautiful area
Negatives-
Environmental Law is for girly men, Oregon Trail no longer fun after you get a better computer than commodore 64 (any day now!), salaries for law grads worringly low for the greedy Mr. Collada.
Temple-
Positives
Cheap in state, high quality of students, Bill Cosby went there, Philly is supposedly cool.
Negatives-
Campus food plan consists entirely of jello pudding pops, 'Temple' sounds like a place they make you go on Saturdays, lifelong pledge never to go to Philly.
Hofstra-
Positives
Good chance at scholarship, near NYC, best school for prospective mob lawyers
Negatives-
Lose a case as a mob lawyer, end up 'sleeping with da fishes', not sure 'sleeping with da fishes' is gramatically correct, on long island, full of people who could beat me up.

Hiatus

2006-01-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the sporadic posting, all 3 of you who read this. The blog will be on hiatus until monday, when I will finally attempt to return to regular posting, probably mostly about the process of applying to law schools and my dread of the people I will be going to school with (note to self, must go to school with a nearby undergrad/grad institution). Then, maybe if I am lucky enough, I will get some 80 hour per week job with some soulless corporate firm. Oh, how I praise God for every day on this wonderful planet!

DC

2006-01-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Are the people in DC that bad, or is it just my attitude? Or Both. Please explain in essay form. I am leaning towards the former.

Holy Crap

2005-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

Fred Durst: The Next Martin Scorsese?
My New Years Resolution is to gain about 30 pounds of muscle, so that in case I someday run into Fred Durst on the street, I can be sure to kick the shit out of him.

Law schools

2005-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

I think Law schools would do much better if they showed more 90th percentile girls and more guys that had my looks (20th percentile). It's a gold mine.

Law School is for Tools

2005-12-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest concerns about going to law school is just how much the people at most law schools probably suck. I am not sure of the proximate cause of this, I would imagine that it is the natural result of a toxic mixture of upper middle class overachievers and the subject matter. I asked my friend Krista about her law school (Case Western) which is probably my number 1 choice and she said this- "Make sure you visit the schools you get into. I visited a couple and said "hell no!" because the people were truly terrible. Case people are probably median-horrible, however, law students in general are bad people."
Sounds about right.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T20:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!! I usually focus too much on the negative, but this Christmas was pretty good. The ride from DC to Cumberland was fun, Willie was nice enough to drop me off on his way to drop off Michelle on his way to Kentucky. We listened to Rush Limbaugh and told tasteless jokes most of the way, and my father wasn't even upset that we were 40 minutes late in arriving. Got to spend a good bit of time with my beautiful nieces (Mia, Savannah, and Emma) and the rest of my family. Managed to get a few good gifts as well. Taking first place in the gift giving category was my mother. She gave me an MP3 player and a gift certificate for Itunes, which I used to download every Neil Diamond song ever written. This almost makes up for her giving me a Malibu Barbie when I was 14. My father's gift was already known, tickets to 10 Penn State home basketball games. My brother decided to be a bit of a wuss this year, making me pick out my own gift because he didn't think I would like any book that he would pick out. I demurred at first, but when I realized that his first choice was to get me the complete works of Carrie Bradshaw, I felt much better in picking out Team of Rivals, the new (and presumably unplaigarized) book about Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln was an ugly, depressive lawyer who became the greatest man in American history, so there is hope for me yet!
Otherwise, my good friend "Daddy" called me and offered to put me up with him and his family at some $700 a night hotel in Vegas for New Years, but I had to turn him down because I don't have the $200 for the flight there. So readers, if you haven't gotten me a Christmas gift yet.....

LSAT DAY!!

2005-12-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

162.
Poop.

UGH!

2005-12-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

Could I just get my freaking LSAT score already?!@@!$!

Gee

2005-12-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

Gee, it would be great if I knew somewhere I could find out about plastic surgery......

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2005-12-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Actually, the week or two of studying was the hardest part, but waiting for my LSAT score to be returned is a close second. It's been almost two weeks since the test, so I only have one more week to go before I find out how I did. In the meantime, I have unwisely decided to quit smoking (haven't had a cigarette since saturday), making me even more anxious that I would normally be. I am not crazy/nervous/anxious like alot of the type a dorks that populate law school discussion message boards, but I would like to know my score as soon as possible. It's not written in stone that I go to law school, so I am basically using this test to decide whether I should.
Here is my own LSAT scale for those who are interested.
Score It's like
120-150= Sonny Bono
150-155= a threesome with sonny and cher
155-160= Just Cher (circa 1990)
160-165= Cher (circa 1970)
165-170= Rachel Weisz
170-175= Maria Sharapova
175-180= The entire Russian women's national tennis team.

We Write Letters

2005-12-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Letter to my father

Mr. B----a (my father),
Please update your Christmas card list to reflect that my name is spelled 'Nicholas' B--a and not 'Nickolas' B--a. Though it may not be as phonetic, it is the name we were given and we understand that you may have had some involvement in that.
Yours in Holiday Cheer,
NicHolas B--a

The Family Guy

2005-12-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

So Pat Riley forces out Stan Van Gundy as coach of the Heat and people can write articles like this with a straight face? Look at the pictures from the Press Conference, does this look like a man who has given up his job voluntarily and is happy to spend time with his family?

Yes, I realize nobody cares, I just hate articles like this.

I can imagine MSNBC circa 1940's- Solzhenitsyn Gives up Writing Career to Spend More Time Doing Manual Labor.

Read

2005-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

An innocent man?

This is what I have to look forward to...

2005-12-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

This was on a law school discussion message board-

"I saw someone bubble in some answers to a previous section, but the proctors didn't say anything. What should I have done?"

No seriously, someone asked this, and people gave serious answers that didn't include 'WTF is wrong with you'?

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

2005-12-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not money, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not money, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not money, it profiteth me nothing. Money suffereth long, and it is kind; money envieth not; money vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. . . . And now abideth faith, hope, money, these three; but the greatest of these is money.
From Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Frontispiece, p. vii." George Orwell's adaptation1 Corinthians 13
I was just thinking today how underrated I think that Keep The Aspidistra Flying is, perhaps my favorite George Orwell book along with Down and Out in Paris and London. At the time I read it, I really identified with Gordon Comstock at the time. It's scary to think that I still do, even more so, except the part about trying to be the poet. Maybe it's just the attitude. Anyhow, it's not Ulysses, but it is a good read. And apparently it is free

The War on the Holiday Season that Shall Remain Unnamed

2005-12-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

Truth be told, I am a bit of a coward. Or what the Germans call dasbigpussy. Even when I was 18, I failed to fill out my selective service card because I was worried that I might be shipped off to Panama or something, so I have evaded the draft when there wasn’t even a draft to evade.

Like many in my generation I always told myself, “If there was a real worthy cause, like World War II or the installation of Pinochet as President of Chile, I’d be on the front lines doing my part.” Or, if not on the front lines, at a desk somewhere in a semi-official military capacity wearing a yellow ribbon. On the other hand Vietnam, though I wasn’t born yet, didn’t strike me as such a noble cause from what I’ve seen in movies like Rambo.

Then finally, the man met his moment of truth after September 11th. There was an unparallel attack on the homeland, a state (if you can call it that) harboring and giving refuge to the group that committed the attacks (the IRA, I believe it was) and a nation in crisis. Perhaps this was my time to shine.
Then, I got to thinking. Really, this is not the kind of operation that requires mass numbers of troops on the ground, in fact, that might be quite counterproductive. After all, look what happened to the Russians. What America needed was extremely talented, skilled, and specialized people to go after the terrorists while avoiding a total occupation of the country. So, you know, I’d just get in the way. Then it turned out we were staying longer than expected, but the public and media got kind of bored with it, and apparently, so did the President. We started pulling our special forces out of the country. America needed to fight a country with the attributes we expect from an enemy-the possession of a state, an army, a territory, and of course, a leader with a sinister looking mustache. Since Tom Selleck had recently been deposed as President of Gabon, we settled for Iraq. But that wasn’t really what I considered the just cause I thought of in my John Wayne fantasies. Plus, as Dick Cheney once famously said ‘I had other priorities.’

But finally, a war has been created that even a wuss like me can appreciate and serve in-The War on C----tmas (I am not going to say the name, I have several atheistic readers). According to some people, and John Gibson, liberals have been waging a covert war on this holiday for some time, so covert in fact, that they hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell me (apparently some liberals are still smarting over my vote for Santorum in the 2000 PA senate electionsWhat this war involves is not exactly clear to me yet, but I have a vague idea that it involves saying ‘Happy Holidays’ to people instead of ‘Merry Christmas’. Also, it might also involve Congressman Jerrold Naddler Peeing on a manger display. Nevertheless, it involves just enough passive-aggressive behavior and lacks enough confrontation that I feel that I can sign up. Today it’s ‘Happy Holidays’, tomorrow it’s ‘Melancholy Winter Solstice!’
I can see the future already. Everyone is asleep, a kid peeks out and see mommy kissing Santa Claus, but that’s not Santa Claus, that’s Michael Moore!! And they’re not just kissing! And wait, that’s not mom that’s dad!! And they’re talking about getting married!!
And when this day finally comes, I’ll be sitting at a bar somewhere, and some young secular humanist will come up and thank me for what I did in the War on Ch---tmas. As he lets the cold air in, I will sneeze, and some far off person will shout ‘God Bless You’.That’s when I will know that I have one battle left to fight.

LSAT Postgame

2005-12-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Frankly, I think I did reasonably well. How well depends on which one of the two logic games sections was the experimental one, and which one was the one that actually counts. The first one I destroyed, the second one destroyed me. Other than that, I think everything went about as well as could be expected-I finished most sections with 10 minutes to spare, and didn't get flustered or nervous when I couldn't figure out the answer. Unfortunately, I have to wait 3 weeks to find out just what my score is, and only then can I really decide where I want to apply. Mostly, I will probably try for state law schools in PA (Pitt, Temple), MD (UMD) and perhaps one or two others if I score high enough. I might still put in an application for history programs at some other schools, but I'll have to write that essay soon, should start this week.
Oh, and I have a date this week. Surprising, I know.
UPDATE-According to Powerscore and BG, the second set of logic games was the experimental one. Tiz-ight.

The Death of Air America

2005-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's Official. Morning Sedition is gone in two weeks. What a crock of shit. I guess it will be back to drinking in the mornings to make work bearable. Sigh.

Johnathan Larsen, former producer of the show, says it best-

Maron is pretty damn close to a national treasure. His level of emotional intelligence is off the charts and he applies it to issues of politics and society in ways that make his work the comedic equivalent of "Freakonomics" or "Tipping Point," his synthesis of insights (his own and others) into how people work individually and societally is just about that revolutionary.

I guess Danny Goldberg will probably succeed in turning AAR into a more liberal, and less quality, version of NPR. I sure won't be listening.

David Cross Gits R Dun: or, alternately, this Cross Doesn't Get Burned

2005-12-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

One of America's funniest people puts the smack down on that faux redneck Larry the Cable Guy. This is one Cross I could hang with.

You Want a Piece of This?!!!

2005-11-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

It's only 4 days before the LSAT, and the trash talking has reached new lows, or highs, depending on your perspective. BG of Bengann.blogspot.com, has now posted as the tagline on his site '3-0 against the spread versus petercollada on standardized tests'. We must ask our good friend bg, what tests do you speak of? The tests for supporting classy sports teams? BG, a fan of the formerly neo-nazi run cinncinati reds and formerly DUI king run Cincinatti Bearcats surely couldn't win that battle. I'll admit, BG can run a faster marathon than me, having run a 3:08 in the Vermont Marathon, but really, what is the point of running that far?
As we speak, BG has taken the week off, after his 6000 dollar prep course to study for the LSAT's, while Peter Collada is drinking some fine Chilean wine and looking at the PSU score from tonight (96-88 clemson, not as close as the score indicates).
That said, I wish nothing but the best of luck to BG, but I hope his fancy NC private school ass doesn't show up good old appalachian public high school keeping it real on the streets petco.

Sadly, Yes!

2005-11-29T07:36:00.000-08:00

Via Sadly, No!, we learn that Limp Biscuit has recorded a cover of the Verve's Bittersweet Symphony for their Greatest Hits album. The Horror. The Horror
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/002074.html
I'm not well so posting has been sporadic. Go to the doctor today so we'll see if he clears me to post. Oddly enough, I had a different doctor, but I called the office and they said she no longer works there, and that they had no forwarding information. How odd?!

News and Views-Returning to Altoona for Thanksgiving Edition

2005-11-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Bic Sharpie signed me up for these 'Republican Hispanic Outreach' email newsletters during the election, and they now email me almost daily. I guess when you have so few minority supporters you can afford to spend quite a bit of time cultivating the ones you do have. I'm not sure but I think I can be the congressional nominee in this district if I play my cards right. In any case, the email began-"This is Mercy Schlapp, host of "In The Know," GOP.com's interactive web show. Today we are excited to release our third broadcast, which is now showing on GOP.com. "
How am I supposed to take anyone seriously with the name 'Mercy Shlapp'?.....For all of you single people out there depressed about not having someone for the holidays, just appreciate this simple fact-You don't have to hang out with some family you don't like for 5 days! Except your own, of course, but I rather like my family....I love Poland, but they don't have to try so hard to emulate America, we still love you guys no matter what...
The fact that Dave Collier was once again snubbed for People's sexiest man alive award is more proof that the media establishment in this country has a hopeless liberal bias....If there is a hotter woman on earth than Ally Sheedy in Short Circuit, I haven't seen her....Rent was a musical, now it's a film, you heard it here first, I always said that it was due.

PETerCOllada

Books

2005-11-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

Time released a list of the Top 100 English Language Novels from 1923 to the present, and these things are generally a cheap way for magazines to generate controversy and discussion, and one that I invariably abet. I am not quite sure of the reason for picking 1923, perhaps something about the death of William Harding caused a tetonic shift in the quality of writing in the English world?

Check out the list for yourself, I have read about 15 of these, but I primarily read history/sociology/politics anyhow. A few comments-

Inexplicable omissions-Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, Babbit or Main Street by Sinclair Lewis?

Inexplicable inclusion-The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski.

Justly Deserved but suprising inclusion- Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis. They should have included the rest of his books as well, but I'll settle for the one, Amis' best.

PS-Time Readers Respond

Why isn't the Harry Potter series on there!!?? It definitely should be on there!!
—Robin; Seattle, Wash.

Where is Ayn Rand and John Irving? I checked your list twice, I can't believe you did not list either author.

" "The bible is timeless in English or any other language, it should have been included
—Roy M; Tuscalusa Alabama

Nothing by L Ron Hubbard? So typical of the media to miss the signifigance of his work.

Tom; Los Angeles, CA.

The Ones That Never Knock

2005-11-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

My cousin came to my room a few minutes ago and asked me to see the US News Grad School ratings that we have lying around the house. I thought this a strange request, considering he already is in grad school (law school at CUA), and asked him why he needed it. Apparently, he isn’t really enamored with law school so far, and is considering dropping out and pursuing a different graduate degree. It’s hard to tell just how serious he is about it (exams coming up,etc. might be one cause), but it certainly made me think about what exactly I am doing considering going to law school (naturally, someone else’s crisis leads to thoughts about that which is really important in the universe…me).
The fact is, I have no interest in law, and no real desire to learn about or practice it. That may seem to be a hinderance at first, but I would imagine 80% or more of prospective lawyers think the same thing. My motives are more base than mere interest in study or practicing law. Obviously, the potential money made and the social status that goes with it are major motivating factors, as they are for most of my career decisions. Yes, I realize that as a good liberal my goals in life should involve working for some noble cause, but let’s be realistic about it-that shit is for the children of the rich and upper middle class. It’s too expensive for the rest of us. Or as JFK once said, to those whom much is given, much is asked. Therefore, it follows-not much given=not much asked! So I am in the clear, gotta do some, but not too much. Thanks JFK!!!
Anyhow, I guess this is rambling, but it leads to the basic issue of the Choice. I can’t imagine I’ll have the things I want to be happy (and not material things) if I do what I really want to do (history or public policy) , and I probably wouldn’t be happy doing something I don’t particularly want to do (law school), but then again, who really likes their jobs anyway? Better to do something you don’t like and get decently compensated than do something you hate and be broke

Comments

2005-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Something must be wrong with the comments. We are getting a little above average amount of hits, but not getting any comments. It must be broken. I'll have to check it out..

I Apologize, Mrs. Hussein, Didn't Mean to Bring Your Husband Into This

2005-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

From David Corn's Blog. You have to love the kind of Washington values that say-it's far worse to bring up a family member covering up the massacre than the massace itself was.

But at the end of the discussion, John Podhoretz surmised that if there were bloggers at the time of the Tet Offensive, the war in Vietnam would have gone differently. Conservatives have long argued that the media reported Tet as a win for the Viet Cong when in strict military terms it was a defeat, and, they gripe, this reporting had a negative effect on public opinion within the United Sates. Other historians have debated this. Still, Podhoretz suggested that if military experts had been able to blog about Tet they could have challenged the MSM accounts. With the panel about to end, I decided I had to reply quickly with a different what-if to show that the MSM ain't always pushing a liberal agenda (which did seem to be the prevailing assumption among many in the room). I blurted out: "And if bloggers in El Salvador in the early 1980s were able to blog about the massacre at El Mozote"--in which 800 or so peasants were murdered by a US-trained and US-equipped elite battalion of the El Salvador army--"then Elliott Abrams might not have been able to get away with saying no massacre had happened and the White House cover-up would not have lasted." (That's my recollection of what I said. I don't talk and take notes at the same time.) As soon as I finished, I realized that Abrams is Podhoretz's brother-in-law. Before Podhoretz could reply, the panel ended. I looked at him and said, "Sorry to bring family into it." He glowered at me: "You didn't have to get personal."

What a little girly-man. You don't see me crying every time somebody rips into Uncle Slobodan....

It's All Fun and Games Until the Guillotine Comes Out

2005-11-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Iraqi interior minister downplayed allegations of a torture facility seized by US troops saying, "''No one was beheaded, no one was killed."
Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations...

Speaking of LBJ

2005-11-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the LBJ library and Museum home page, featuring the "Robotic LBJ Humor Display: Only at the LBJ Library and Museum"

Hey Hey LBJ

2005-11-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

Been thinking and reading about Lyndon Baines Johnson lately, and while I am too tired to share any profound thoughts that come from reading Means of Ascent and LBJ auto bio The Vantage Point, I will mention something that keeps sticking in my mind when I think of LBJ. Surely, you have seen the famous Daisy ad, right? The one with a cute little girl picking flowers and counting to ten, and then the countdown to a nuclear explosion and a view of the mushroom cloud. After the mushroom cloud, old LBJ's voice is heard-"These are the stakes—to make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the dark...." An announcer breaks in, "Vote for President Johnson on November 3. The stakes are too high for you to stay home." Now that's an attack ad. Check out a few of the ads from LBJ's incredibly succesful 1964 election effort here.

The other thing that stick's in my head is how LBJ would make his subordinates come with him to take dictation when he dropped somewhat less destructive bombs in the white house bathroom. With that picture in mind, I wish you good night.

Be a somebody

2005-11-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

DCist Claims that Ward 3 DC City Council Candidate Johnathan Rees is sending this out Too funny, if true.

EVERYBODY LOVES WARD 3 CANDIDATE REES!

On Thursday, November 17, 2005, Ward 3 candidate Rees and not his rival Brooks will be attending the prestigious 2005 DC Hospital Association Annual Banquet at the Hilton Hotel where he will be rated as one of the top candidates by the health care industry.

Candidate Brooks was rated with a BIG FAT ZERO!

On Friday, November 18, 2005, Ward 3 candidate Rees will have dinner in Sayerville, NJ, with the famed rockers from Georgia known as Collective Soul.

Candidate Sam Brooks got a no invite!

When people who are somebody chose you then you are a somebody, but when they don't then that says you are a nobody.

Let the public record speak for itself!

Depends on the Meaning of 'Conversation'

2005-11-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

I find it very curious that the Washington press corps excoriated President Clinton for his behavior in the Lewinsky affair, especially with his lawyers insistence that he didn't have 'sex' under the definition given in the Jones deposition. For those who don't recall that important part of American history, Clinton's lawyers insisted that under that definition, 'that woman' could technically be having sex with Clinton, but by not performing actions covered by the definition ( i.e. touching her with an intent to arouse) Clinton wasn't having sex with her (a definition I subscribe to, eg, if you are the person paying for sex, only the person getting paid counts). Of course, that was in all likelihood BS, but the physical evidence couldn't prove otherwise. Yet, DC press kingpin and Meet the Press kingpin seems to have adopted a similar stance with regard to his testimony in the Plame leak case. " According to the statement, lawyers for Mr. Russert and Mr. Fitzgerald reached an agreement under which Mr. Fitzgerald questioned Mr. Russert only about Mr. Russert's end of a conversation in early July 2003 with Mr. Libby. That would be an unusual way to go about pursuing a leak inquiry, but it is consistent with an attempt to try to establish that Mr. Russert provided information to Mr. Libby." That would be an interesting definition of a 'confidential' conversation, as people can obviously often tell the contents of a conversation from listening to what the person on the other end is saying. Sure, Russert got a release (as did Clinton), but it's doubtful that Libby volunteered it, and if Judith Miller is some kind of first amendment hero for protecting Libby as long as she did, what does this make Russert for apparently weaseling out on such a technicality?

What He Said

2005-11-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

James Wolcott is absolutely right. I don't know what the idiots that run Air America Radio are thinking, but Morning Sedition is the only great show in their lineup. It's about the only reason I can get up in the morning and not put a gun to my head when I realize the world that awaits me. That and the lack of a gun and/or any desire to commit suicide.

Situational Room Ethics

2005-11-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

Got this from my cousin/roommate (it was on his blog, but it's on livejournal so I am not sure if he'd want me to link to it)-

My email got on The Cafferty File on CNN! Just a minute or two ago. He read my email in its entirety, based on the question "What should be done about the French riots?" This was my email:

"The rioting in France is a result of the economic disenfranchisement
of large swaths of people. The French government's dramatically
cut social spending, coupled with tacitly keeping immigrants and
minorities isolated in their communities for the past decade is a
recipe for unrest. The blood and destruction caused by rioting lies
solely on the government's hands.

Patrick
Takoma Park, MD"

Congrats to Patrick for getting his email on the air. However, I have one question for anyone who has watched 'The Situation Room'...Why does Wolf Blitzer always say "Jack Cafferty has been going through your email, looking for the best responses..."? I find it quite alarming to think that the old curmudgenon Jack Cafferty has been going through my email looking for something to put on the air. Shouldn't Wolf say something like "Jack Cafferty has been going through your responses" or "Jack Cafferty is looking at some of the email we've received."

Well, if Jack is really looking through my email, he should air this one I received last night...

Hi,
I am seeing you at Adams Morgan sometimes. We have same shoes. Wear did you buy shoes?
I am youre friend today? We must shoe together. I will be schooling on friday and will we be wearing shoes together. I like to go to danceing clubs in Adams Morgan. Do you dance? I am friend to dance. I will be to dance on friday and will we be danceing on the floor with us? What do you lunch? I have jelly and peanut butter for the morning and for the night. My family says to eat it. I am very hungry. Can we eat together tonight? I have pain in my middle from peanut butter. Please. If we have same shoes we must have same middle. Wear do we eat tonight? I like eating CHipotle. You can feed it to me? I have girlfriend but we are not the same middle. Do you tv? I am not tv. Can we be friend to tv?
Thank you,

The Politics of Marriage

2005-11-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream" George W. Bush

Looking for something else on technorati, I found this little rant on the politics/economics of marriage that I enjoyed. I agree 110%.

Peter Collada's News and Views: Elections I don't care about Eve Edition

2005-11-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

When you hear the phrase 'intelligence community', it sounds like a nice place to be, full of nuclear families, mom and pop stores, and ice cream trucks….. This story reminds me of a scene from Naked Gun---Busty Woman-Is this Some kind of Bust? Lt. Drebin-Yes, it's very impressive, but we have a job to do…Election Predictions for tomorrow Corzine wins by 10 percent in NJ, last minute appearances by President Bush help Kilgore narrowly prevail in VA, Referendums go down big in California, take it to the bank, folks……

Also, Bloomberg wins by 20+ in heavily democratic New York, it didn't seem possible a year ago, but money is magic, there aren't too many things it can't do if applied in sufficient quantities, if you don't believe me, here is a picture of Donald Trump with his wife.….The thing about Donald Trump is that it is all about the money, or at least the appearance of it, he's not handsome, he's not particularly interesting, and I wouldn't even call him all that successful, yet, the Donald is ubiquitous....The Whitehurst freeway running over Georgetown should be destroyed, it's pleasant to drive on, but you are only there for about 20 seconds, and it ruins any view you'd have in GTown of the riverfront. Then again, I think Wisconsin Avenue should be turned into a pedestrian only zone, so I am not exactly sensitve to the needs of car owners.

Sunday Evening Towel Boy

2005-11-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

The analysis of the weekend's action and lack thereof.

Offensive Player of the Week-Bryon G, a Wisconsin alum and friend who I went to watch the PSU-Wisconsin game with at a downtown bar. He told me to meet him at a bar called 'The exchange' that I had never heard of before. He told me it was a bar that showed Big Ten football games, but when I got there I discovered that the entire place had been rented out by the local Wisconsin alumni association. So I was forced to watch the game with 100 or so Badger fans, and had to conceal my glee as Penn State destroyed UW 35-14.

Defensive Players of the Week-Tamba Hali, the Penn State Defensive end introduced Badgers QB Tim Stucco to the fine grass that is grown in central pa 4 times, and ended up with 7 tackles for losses, a new PSU record

Codefensive player of the week-The girlfriends of nearly every girl I talked to last night.

Quote of the Week-"I imagine this is what Baath Party headquarters felt like in April of 2003", said as PSU pulled ahead 35-14 on a 47 yard TD pass.Peter Collada.

Corrupt Republican of the late week-Former CPB head Kenneth Tomlinson, under investigation for misusing government funds.

Down and Dirty

2005-11-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

We hear the usual Democratic whine about those dirty Republican tactics going on in Virginia. It seems Republican Jerry Kilgore has sent out a flyer claiming to be the "Official Democratic Voter and Progressive Guide." It basically contrasts independent Republican Russ Potts' views on social issues with those of Democratic Gubenatorial candidate Tim Kaine, and claims that Potts is the true progressive candidate. Now, sure, this kind of thing is dishonest, but I am so bored and tired with Democrats whining every election cycle about some Republican trick, as if they expect a refree to come in and flag the republicans and penalize them 15,000 votes. As if they did that in 2004, or 2002, or 2000, or during the impeachment saga. At this point, the only problem I have with this flyer is that we didn't think of it first.
This gets to a larger issue of what I think is one of the bigger differences between the Democratic and Republican parties. It seems the Republicans seem to recruit people to run and staff their campaigns people of a different sort than the Democrats get. People that didn't necessarily go to Ivy League Schools, or have degrees in Political Science,etc. Basically, people who are hungry, smart but not credentialed, and will do whatever is necessary to win. The kind of people the Democrats used to have a surplus of back in the days of the Daley-type machines, and who are no longer hold the sway they used to in the party after the reforms of 1972. Now basically we have the kids of upper middle class liberals who work hard and want to win, but also have daddy's law firm or something as a backup plan, and therefore aren't as willing to subordinate their ethics to the cause of winning elections.
At least that is my opinion. Compare the two main stragesists in the last election. Karl Rove cut his political teeth doing things like this

In 1970, Rove
used a false identity to enter the campaign office of Illinois Democrat Alan
Dixon and stole some letterhead, which he used to print fake campaign rally
fliers promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing," and
distributed them at rock concerts and homeless shelters. Rove admitted the
incident later, saying "It was a youthful prank at the age of 19 and I regret
it." (The
Washington Post, 7/23/99).

While Bob Shrum first gained national notoriety through this episode-

In 1976, he signed up to work for Jimmy Carter — but after only 10 days he quit and publicly blasted Carter in a letter that hit the front pages, telling Carter “I don’t believe you stand for anything other than yourself."

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

2005-11-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

I perhaps was a bit too gloom and doom in my post the other night. Everything will be fine, I won't sell my soul, at least not at what it fetches on the market at the moment. It's a good time of year for many reasons. First of all, we have Politics. Delay and Libby indicted, Frist under investigation, Bush's approval numbers lower than my approval numbers with DC women. All in all, good things are happening. Then we have sports. PSU football is 8-1 and playing Wisconsin tomorrow afternoon. Should be a classic. Wizards basketball has begun, and psu hoops will start in two weeks (and I have tickets this year). Personally, this will be the time where big decisions will be made impacting my future. Gotta make the right ones, so I think I'll probably just do whatever the first commenter on this post says.

Website of the Day

2005-11-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Ilovealtoona.com. And no, it is not named that ironically.

I Ain't Saying I'm A Gold Digger....

2005-11-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, the quality and frequency of posting has been down here lately. Not that it matters much since I think only Benn, pops, and Kbryna ever read it, but I feel gulty nonetheless. It definitely hasn't been funny, and I can only blame other people for that. I've been occupied with quite a number of projects lately, at work and outside, and going through some changes that while, not bad, are not necessarily good either. One thing, at work, they actually started giving me work to do! What kind of crazy world do we live in where I have to exchange more than an hour of day for wages that barely keep me in the lower middle class strata?

The solution to that is to do something that makes more money, but guess what you have to do to get that? You got it, more work. It's a vicious cycle. So I have decided that rather pursue my actual dreams in life and become a history professor (and as a result, a life long bachelor with a diseased liver) that I will try to study that less noble but more lucrative profession of the law. I'd like to say that my motives would somewhat purer. That I planned go into public interest law, or environmental law, or any number of other things that I could somehow reconcile with those greatly diminished ideas I used to be ambitious enough to call principles. Alas, it is not to be. The likely debts occurred going to law school would make it prohibitively expensive for doing any of these things. I suppose I could find a nice middle ground of something somewhat redeeming that I could do for a while, but this is no time for half measures. Does satan really accept half a soul that you can rebuy with good behavior later? No, I'll go into something healthily evil like defending tobacco companies or those guys who came up with the Nigerian email scam. Not that I'll even care much for the actual money itself, other than nices clothes and travel, how useful would it be for someone who doesn't like cars, stereos, jewelry or quality alcoholic beverages?

In any case, fate pushes one on it's paths and we have no choice to accept it. It would have been nice to have different choices, but you play the hand you are dealt or whatever other cliche you wish to insert. Perhaps I am just feeling a bit of angst because studying for this test is draining, and I am not all that sure it is what I want to do anyhow. No matter, you do what you do best, not what's best to do (martin amis said that, I believe).

So what does all this mean? Is there some point to this lengthy screed?

Don't ask me, I just work here.

HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY!!!!!

2005-11-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

Nick's Haiku

I am pro-life but

just for vegetables (schiavo)

and/or fetuses

Via Sadly No...

Washington -- A new vaccine that protects against cervical cancer has set up a clash between health advocates who want to use the shots aggressively to prevent thousands of malignancies and social conservatives who say immunizing teen-agers could encourage sexual activity....

Because the vaccine protects against a sexually transmitted virus, many conservatives oppose making it mandatory, citing fears that it could send a subtle message condoning sexual activity before marriage. Several leading groups that promote abstinence are meeting this week to formulate official policies on the vaccine....

The vaccine protects women against strains of a ubiquitous germ called the human papilloma virus. Although many strains of the virus are innocuous, some can cause cancerous lesions on the cervix (the outer end of the uterus), making them the primary cause of this cancer in the United States. Cervical cancer strikes more than 10,000 U.S. women each year, killing more than 3,700.

The vaccine appears to be virtually 100 percent effective against two of the most common cancer-causing HPV strains. Merck, whose vaccine is further along, plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year for approval to sell the shots.

Conservative groups say they welcome the vaccine as an important public health tool but oppose making it mandatory.

"Some people have raised the issue of whether this vaccine may be sending an overall message to teen-agers that, 'We expect you to be sexually active,' " said Reginald Finger, a doctor trained in public health who served as a medical analyst for Focus on the Family before being appointed to the ACIP in 2003.

"There are people who sense that it could cause people to feel like sexual behaviors are safer if they are vaccinated and may lead to more sexual behavior because they feel safe," said Finger, emphasizing he does not endorse that position and is withholding judgment until the issue comes before the vaccine policy panel for a formal recommendation.

"I've talked to some who have said, 'This is going to sabotage our abstinence message,' " said Gene Rudd, associate executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. But Rudd said most people change their minds once they learn more, adding he would probably want his children immunized. Rudd, however, draws the line at making the vaccine mandatory.

"Parents should have the choice. There are those who would say, 'We can provide a better, healthier alternative than the vaccine, and that is to teach abstinence,' " Rudd said.

Jesus Tuesday

2005-11-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

No, it's not a hump day...

HUGO being not so boss

2005-10-31T20:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween!

Nevermind

2005-10-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

A mosquite, judge alito...YEAH!!!!

Get your abortions/birth control/use of the interstate commerce clause in the constitution while it's hot!

Letterwriting

2005-10-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Maureen,

Please stick to politics. There are so many idiotic assertions in this article it's hard to know where to begin. So I won't. If I only get to read your writing for free once every three months, at least make it worth the wait!

Love

Peter A. Collada,

PS-Willie still has a crush on you.

Washington

2005-10-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Harry Truman was right, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. Well, I don't mean that completely, but several people have managed to work their way on to Senor Collada's shit list (probably noone who reads this) and I am writing this to avoid writing them an email to tell them off.

Ok. Deep breath. Count to 20.

Planning for Children is Hard Work

2005-10-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Itinerary for Saturday

11AM-Bead Museum
*BEAD MUSEUM* 400 7th St. NW. Wednesdays—Saturdays, 11 a.m.—4 p.m.; Sundays, 1—4 p.m. (202) 624-4500. "The Eternal Bead," exhibit traces the bead's role in human cultural activities such as accounting, belief, celebration and identity; to Dec. 30. Ongoing exhibits include a 1,400-volume bead reference library and "A Bead Timeline Through History," which includes beads dating from 10,000 B.C.
12PM
*FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS FIREHOUSE MUSEUM* 107 S. Alfred St., Alexandria. Fridays & Saturdays, 10 a.m.—4 p.m.; Sundays, 1—4 p.m. (703) 838-3891. Permanent exhibit features historic fire-fighting equipment including hand-drawn engines, leather water buckets, and early rubber hoses.
1pm*OLD STONE HOUSE* 3051 M St. NW. Wednesdays—Sundays, 10 a.m.—4 p.m. (202) 426-6851. Colonial house, built in 1765, is thought to be the oldest structure in the District of Columbia and features period furnishings and artifacts.
2Pm
*LILLIAN & ALBERT SMALL JEWISH MUSEUM* 701 3rd St. NW. Mondays—Thursdays, (by appointment only). (202) 789-0900. Permanent collection features the first synagogue built in Washington in 1876.
3Pm
*WOMEN IN MILITARY SERVICE FOR AMERICA MEMORIAL* Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Drive, Arlington. Daily, 8 a.m .—5 p.m. (703) 533-1155. Permanent collection of artifacts explores the experiences of American women in the military. "Remembering Vietnam," exhibit commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Memorial through photos, uniforms, and artifacts; ongoing.

The Freaking Weekend

2005-10-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Awesome. My brother is coming down for the weekend, the kid and wife are coming down Saturday. Where should I take them? Somewhere kid friendly....Thinking the zoo, I've never been and I'd like to see the Pandas.

Showdown

2005-10-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took off of work in preparation for an upcoming competition. It's LSAT time. Just me and a test, versus Benn, a test and some adult diapers in the intellectual showdown of 2006. Benn brings a few advantages to the table, such as being two years older and functionally literate. I have some of my own tricks up my sleave, though. I'd tell ya, but Benn reads the blog too. The over under on our test scores is 310, and Benn is currently a .5 point favorite. Get your bets in. The winner gets bragging rights and the privilege of going to a mid tier law school, the loser gets.....well, pretty much the same thing minus the bragging rights.

Jesus Tuesday

2005-10-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Republican Jesus!
Also, Ben's Jesus Tuesday Contribution

Leadership Through Toadyism-A US News Guide

2005-10-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

I was going to the US News and World Report Website to check out which lower tier grad schools accept convicted sex offenders, when I came accross their newest special issue " America's Best Leaders: A Nation Aches to Find One True Leader-Are there Any? See our Top 25 Leaders"

The first objection I had was obviously the headline-A Nationa Aches to Find One True Leader-Is it just me or does this sound like something Julius Streicher would have wrote during Weimar era Germany.

Anyhow, the list is even worse. If we are going to have a cult of leadership, could we at least have it dedicated to people who show, ummm, actual leadership qualities? I'll spare you going through the list from the truly deserving (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Anthony Villiagarosa) to the people I have never heard of (Bill Shore, Meg Whitman) and those who aren't even american (Roger Ailes, Geoffrey Canada). Instead, let me tell you three people who made the list-Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and Thomas Friedman.

Colin Powell- The guy, to put it kindly, is a joke. He was one of the worst and most impotent secretaries of state in memory, especially pathetic for one who entered the office with almost universal public admiration. Outmaneuvered at every turn by adversaries in the administration, his legacy is that of being a loyal soldier, whose concern for the reputations of the administration and himself overrode his concern for his country. Like him if you want, the word leader does not apply?

Condi Rice-

BEN-VENISTE. Isn't it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the Aug. 6 P.D.B. warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that P.D.B.

RICE. I believe the title was Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States.

Thomas Friedman-The guy is awful! He throws in 10 metaphors and invented saying into every column, hoping they catch on and consolidate his position as the ultimate explainer and apologist for the status quo.

Wheaton Calling

2005-10-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be just my luck. I took the Metro all the way out to Wheaton (home of North America's largest escalator!!!) today to pick up a new pair of shoes. Of course, having the insatiable appetite for clothes shopping that I do, I had to try on a couple of shirts that I had noticed. At some point in the course of my trying on these shirts, I put my walkman down on the ground and apparently forgot about it. While trying on shoes, I realized that I had forgotten it, but by that point it was far too late. The Wheaton Mall is crawling with brat teenagers who undoubtedly would die to have my MP3 player with its collection of great David Lee Roth Era Van Halen tunes. Don't think for a second that these kids would turn it in to lost and found or just leave it in the dressing room. Today's youth are too savvy for something like that, they'll take it, sell it, and use the money for Oxycontin or a new version of Grand Theft Auto.. And then they'll have oral sex with some girl who claims she is preserving her chastity.

Young girls, today, I'll tell ya. In my day, girls in high school were so repressed that they wouldn't even kiss you, let alone respond to your inquiries about a possible prom date with anything other than poorly suppressed giggling. So take it from me, this is a very new phenomenon, and its undermining the very fabric of our great nation.

Editor's Note-I realize the TEEN ORAL SEX rant was a bit of a digression, but PetCo has to get more hits to this website, and if talking about hot teen sex will do so, who I am to refrain giving the people what they want?. Sorry, I can just be a bit anal about the number of people that come here.

Wheaton Calling

2005-10-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Wouldn’t it be just my luck. I took the Metro all the way out to Wheaton (home of North America’s largest escalator!!!) today to pick up a new pair of shoes. Of course, having the insatiable appetite for clothes shopping that I do, I had to try on a couple of shirts that I had noticed. At some point in the course of my trying on these shirts, I put my walkman down on the ground and apparently forgot about it. While trying on shoes, I realized that I had forgotten it, but by that point it was far too late. The Wheaton Mall is crawling with brat teenagers who undoubtedly would die to have my MP3 player with its collection of softly sung folk music. Don’t think for a second that these kids would turn it in to lost and found. Today’s youth are too savvy and immoral for something quaint like that, they’ll take it, sell it, and use the money oxycontin or something. And then they’ll have oral sex with some girl who claims she is preserving her chastity in the process.
Young girls, today, I’ll tell ya. In my day, girls in high school were so repressed that they wouldn’t even kiss you, let alone respond to your inquiries about a possible prom date with anything other than poorly suppressed giggles. So take it from me, this is a very new phenomenon, and its undermining the very fabric of our great nation by resulting in the theft of my walkman. Next on the Collada Factor...
.Editor’s Note-I realize the TEEN ORAL SEX rant was a bit of a digression, but PetCo has to get more hits to this website. Sorry, I can just be a bit anal about the number of people that come here.

Next, on the Collada Factor

2005-10-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wouldn’t it be just my luck. I took the Metro all the way out to Wheaton (home of North America’s largest escalator!!!) today to pick up a new pair of shoes. Of course, having the insatiable appetite for clothes shopping that I do, I had to try on a couple of shirts that I had noticed. At some point in the course of my trying on these shirts, I put my walkman down on the ground and apparently forgot about it. While trying on shoes, I realized that I had forgotten it, but by that point it was far too late. The Wheaton Mall is crawling with brat teenagers who undoubtedly would die to have my MP3 player with its collection of softly sung whiny folk music. Don’t think for a second that these kids would turn it in to the lost and found department.
Today’s youth are too crafty for something like that, they’ll take it, sell it, and use the money for oxycontin or something. And then they’ll have oral sex with some girl who claims she is preserving her chastity. Young girls, today, I’ll tell ya. In my day, girls in high school were so repressed that they wouldn’t even kiss you, let alone respond to your inquiries about a possible prom date with anything other than poorly suppressed giggling. And then if they did by some miracle decide to sleep with you, they would spread vicious rumors around school about your 'shortcomings' as a lover.
So to summmarize, this is a very new phenomenon, and its undermining the very fabric of our great nation by resulting in the theft of my walkman.
Editor’s Note-I realize the TEEN ORAL SEX rant was a bit of a digression, but PetCo has to get more hits to this website. Sorry, I can just be a bit anal about the number of people that come here.

News and Views-Alcohol Free Edition

2005-10-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Whiskey is harder to keep than a woman and it's half as sweet but
Women without whiskey, Women without whiskey
Whiskey is hard to beat
Whiskey is hard to beat

Drive by Truckers-Women Without Whiskey

Actually, whiskey is awful, beer, vodka, or red wine on the other hand....

Democrats shouldn't be too gleeful about the potential resignations of Cheney, Rove, and Libby, after all, without them, who runs the country? Andrew Card? Condi Rice? Is it too late to bring Wolfowitz back?...if you don't like Chilli, you don't like America. Go move to france or something.....Speaking of chilli, if you want to go to a good, fancy tex-mex place in dc, go to the red sage...if there is a better popular 80's band than the cars, then I haven't heard them....what is such a beautiful, talented woman like gweneth paltrow doing with a hack like coldplay's Chris Martin?... If more was needed, further proof that life is completely unfair.

The Dude or the Pres

2005-10-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Brother of Collada....

"There's some background noise here, a lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining." But, "The American people expect me to do my job, and I'm going to."

Compare to:

"This is a complicated case, Maude. Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous. That's why I've been keeping to a strict drug regimen to keep my mind limber

A Heckuva Job

2005-10-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

From the Huffington Post-As my brother says, " Ouch. That might be how you can roll with the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) but as head of FEMA you might have to bag your lunch during a catastrophe."

Wednesday, August 31, much of New Orleans is under water. A FEMA official inside the Superdome sends an urgent Blackberry message to his boss, director Michael Brown. Marty Bahamonde, said to be Brown's eyes and ears within the city, writes, "The situation is past critical. Hotels are kicking people out. Thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Estimates are many will die within hours."

Bahamonde tells Senate investigators he doesn't remember getting a response to that e-mail but later was forwarded this one. Brown's press secretary fretting about Brown's dining plans for that evening. "It is very important that time is allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner," she writes. "Given that Baton Rouge is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He needs much more than 20 or 30 minutes."

Senator SUSAN COLLINS (Republican, Maine): That's just appalling.

MYERS: Senator Susan Collins says Brown's inner circle seemingly failed to grasp the urgency of Bahamonde's warnings.

Sen. COLLINS: There's this extraordinary disconnect between what he's reporting and the reaction back in Washington.

MYERS: Bahamonde expressed his frustration about the dinner e-mail, writing, "Oh, my God! Just tell her that I just ate an MRE and went to the bathroom in the hallway of the Superdome, along with 30,000 other close friends, so I understand her concern about busy restaurants."

Dating Tips 2

2005-10-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

When you check your hotmail, (as opposed to hot mail, which I never receive, or hot males, which I don't admit to) you occasionally see links on the side that lead you to stuff that seems enticing at first, but then turns out to be just plain stupid. Take this article, " 12 Relationship Red Flags to Watch For". I object to several, but particularly the advice " Money stirs up many issues, conscious and unconscious, far more than any article can cover. For now, let's just list two red flags you can spot early on. One: If a man suggests splitting the tab on a first date, the woman should pay -- then bolt. I don't say this is fair, especially if, for instance, the woman is a CEO and the man is a freelance writer. But it's the way it is, and any man who tries to worm out for the sake of saving a few bucks is a creep to be ditched."

This has to be simultaneously some of the worst and most insulting advice I've ever heard. For one, it is bad advice for men because a guy who goes out of his way to pay for everything is perceived one of two ways-sucker or atm machine. Now, if you have a lot of money, it's probably doesn't matter if you are perceived that way, since you have the cash to back it up. If you don't have that kind of money, then, you are just a sucker. There are a million girls out there that will consent to sit and have a conversation with you, there is no need to pay someone to, unless they are a professional psychologist. As advice for women, it is equally moronic. A guy that doesn't offer to pay for you is not a 'creep' or 'cheap', perhaps he just respects you enough as an equal not to try to buy your time, or patronize you by acting according to patriarchical forms of ettitique. Did you ever consider that, MSN?

I don't think there is anything wrong with buying meals, drinks, gifts for someone you are in a relationship with, I just don't much see the point of doing so for someone who is somewhat of a stranger.

Basically, if I want to pay someone to talk to me, I'll call a 900 number or go to my psychologist.

http://love.ivillage.com/snd/snddodonts/0,,hvdk,00.html

Dick May Pull Out

2005-10-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Cheney!

Elections

2005-10-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

BAGHDAD, Iraq Oct 18, 2005 — A sandstorm that muddied Baghdad's skies cleared, allowing officials to resume flying ballot boxes to the capital Tuesday so "unusually high" vote totals in 12 Shiite and Kurdish provinces can be checked by election officials.

The investigation by Iraq's election commission has raised the possibility that the results of the referendum could be called into question. As many as 99 percent of the voters reportedly approved Iraq's draft constitution in some of the provinces being investigated.

BAGHDAD 1995-October 15, 1995 - Saddam wins a presidential referendum and is elected unopposed with more than 99 per cent of the vote.

It's Jesus Tuesday

2005-10-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I think Benn is going to win this week with the Jesus Bobblehead. Nevertheless, I'll give it the old post-college try with My Sweet Jesus, a plush toy that you should get because-

Reminds you to pray before bed.
Helps you develop a friendship with Jesus
Shows that you are Christian (and proud of it!)
Makes you smile
Encourages you to get out of bed and go to Church on

Sunday, and Provides comfort in troubled times
Spreads

Jesus’ message of love wherever he goes.

Miners I haven't slept with....

2005-10-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

My friend has an interview with Barbara Kopple, director of the Academy Award Winning Films Harlan County USA and also 9 and 1/2 Weeks.
Check it.
CORRECTION (1:10 PM)-Apparently Barbara Kopple didn't direct 9 and a 1/2 weeks, but rather 9 months with Barbara Kopple.
CORRECTION 2 (1:30 PM) My bad, 9 Months was directed by Chris Columbus who is not the same as the Christopher Columbus that discovered America.
FINAL CORRECTION (2:01 PM) A Reader tells me that apparently Christopher Columbus didn't discover America.
I give up.

The Agony of Defeat

2005-10-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

6-1. Respectable. But 7-0 would have been much sweeter. In a side note, my neighbors must think I am crazy for screaming so much.

Exercises in Newspeak

2005-10-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most insidious phrase that has entered the public lexicon recently is 'the broader war on terrorism'. Scott Mclellan used it against Helen Thomas, saying she was opposed to the 'broader war on terrorism' and I have seen countless other commentators speak in similar terms in recent weeks. The question is, what the hell does being opposed to the 'broader war on terrorism' actually mean? One thing it doesn't mean is being opposed to the war on Al Qaeda that we once were interested in waging in Afghanistan. Indeed, nearly every relevant political actor in the US supports this to some degree. Nor is it opposing intelligence sharing and law enforcement efforts in other countries aimed at destroying terrorist cells and breaking up plots before they come to fruition. No, any sensible person favors this. Rather, the phrase 'the broader war on terrorism' is just the shiniest and newest way of conflating the terrorist threat, 9/11, and Bush's decision to invade and occupy Iraq, and to absolve the administration from the failures that have resulted from their misguided policies. Therefore, when you hear anyone use this phrase, you can instantly determine that they are a completely vacuous and brainwashed person undeserving of participating in an adult conversation.

PS

2005-10-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

Only 12.5 hours until PSU-Michigan tomorrow!!! WE ARE.....

For Those About to Rocco

2005-10-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Had a very adult (not in the xxx way) evening with jess, the proprieter of the blog 'Ummm.. Yeah Jess' the link of which I am too lazy to locate right now. I got to see her dog, Rocco, who is just about the most adorable puppy ever. We walked him some, and went to dinner at the Dupont Italian Kitchen, which I have eaten at twice in the past week. The dinner was good and cheap as you can expect from that place, and we went back to get the puppy to go hit a few local bars with us. Unfortunately, the first place we went to insisted that we had to eat dinner to sit outside, and the next place we went to had a dog that nearly ate poor little Rocco. We eventually found an empty gayish bar on 17th street where we could sit and have a drink with the dog. The obviously gay bartender comped me a drink for no apparent reason, but I didn't want to give the wrong impression, so I told him I had to go see a man about a dog.

The important part of this story is the power of Rocco and how I can harness it. The fact is, Rocco is a chick magnet. I can't count how many women came up a complimented us on how cute our dog was (not that it is my dog). Also, quite a few gay men too. Which means, that other than as a cute companion, Rocco has no obvious value for Jess, who in any case doesn't need a dog to attract the opposite sex. In the hands of a more sinister mind, I am thinking of mine in this case, Rocco could do some serious damage. So I am thinking of volunteering to dog-sit for Jess whenever she needs it, or renting the dog if that is what it takes. It may require me quitting my job, but great things don't happen without sacrifice.

The only difficulty I can think of is this particular hole in the conversation-

Girl A-Your dog is so cute

Peter-Umm, thanks

Girl A- What is his name-

Peter-Nelson Rockefeller

(time passes)

Peter-So would you like to go out some time?

The problem-What fills that conversational space between?

Irony Watch

2005-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

"My goodness, we keep being told to just believe the President. I was on a conference call - everybody was - with [GOP national chairman] Ken Mehlman, and the whole message was 'Trust us, trust us, trust us.' But we've never had to just rely on trust before. There was always credible information to look at before. But, with this nominee, I can't determine what she really believes in, and I can't find anything in her record even remotely related to constitutional law."

I don't know what the White House was thinking. These are fundamentalist Christians, do you think they would believe something without seeing some empirical evidence to back it up?

The Great Pumpkin

2005-10-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Altoona Pumpkin sets World Record!!!!

No Women in Soft Sneakers Here-PSU Women's Coach Criticized for Anti-Gay Harrasment

2005-10-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

This has long been rumored, actually, rumored isn't even the right word since her public statements in the 80's made clear her dislike of homosexuals.

The Greatest Pumpkin

2005-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Altoona Contest Produces World's Largest Pumpkin!

Peter Collada's News and Views-Peanut Butter Edition

2005-10-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

There is nothing that would be more fufilling in life than to sit home, read history, drink red wine, smoking parliament lights and eat peanut butter ice cream all day. For now, I'll just settle for the PB icecream and he history book......Peanut Butter Ice cream is an underrated player in the freezer isle of your local store, if it even gets in the game...Is there nothing peanut butter can't do? As barry goldwater once said to a group of peanut farmers, "If you don't mind smelling like peanut butter for two or three days, peanut butter is darn good shaving cream." True dat Barry Au to the H20....Went with Julia to see Everything is Illuminated in Dupont Circle tonight, I would say that it gets two thumbs up....That was the first time I had been to a feature film in the US since the first of the new Star Wars came out.....There was an interesting article on Salon.com today about people who buy silcone dolls that are made to look and feel like women, and treat them as if they are their actual girlfriends....while I am probably about as attractive to women as these guys are, I'd never do something that fucked up, I adopt the dude's philosophy from the big lebowski, if you have seen it, you remember this scene....
TREEHORN People forget that the brain is the biggest erogenous zone--
DUDE On you, maybe. He hands him the drink.
TREEHORN Of course, you do get the good with the bad. The new technology permits us to do exciting things with interactive erotic software. Wave of the future, Dude. 100% electronic. DUDE Uh-huh. Well, I still jerk off manually.
TREEHORN Of course you do.

Jesus Tuesdays

2005-10-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dorky Political bloggers have a tradition of showing a picture of their cats every Friday, calling it 'catblogging Friday'. While I could take pictures of my roommate’s cats and put them on the blog, I would feel guilty at exploiting their cuteness for profit. Luckily, our good friend Benn of BG’s Big Blog of Stuff has started a much cooler tradition known as ‘Jesus Tuesdays’. Therefore, today we bring you ‘Jesus Inspirational Statues’! According to the Website, “These statues portray Jesus actively participating with boys and girls in a variety of sports. A wonderful way to reinforce Jesus "as friend" in everyday activities. Sizes vary from 4 3/4 to 6 1/2 inches.”
Though sorry blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc…”Many customers have requested these Jesus Sport Statues depicting children other than Caucasian and playing other sports; we have expressed these requests to manufacturers and importers. When and if other statues are available, CatholicShopper.com will carry them.” After seeing some of the white players in the NBA (I'm looking at you Darko Milic), perhaps they need the help of the messiah a little more than, say, Tim Duncan.

I've Got My Back Against the Wrecking Machine

2005-10-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Diamond Dave is Back!!!

Ain't No Party Like an AU Party

2005-10-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

Liza Schubert says her parties â€œare always out of control,â€ often featuring plenty of debauchery. So for her birthday partyâ€™s dare contest, she wanted a prize that would make her party guests reconsider their bounds of personal decency. The 23-year-old Glover Park resident originally thought about purchasing a bottle of pricey vodka. But, she says, â€œAlcohol this year wasnâ€™t enough.â€

Party host Will Gordon, 22, suggested something more coveted. The get-together fell just after the release of Appleâ€™s hot new iPod Nano, and Gordon knew the tiny gizmo would excite his guests.

â€œI liked the hype, so I decided on the Nano,â€ Schubert says. The day before the shindig, she purchased a brand-new MP3 player at Best Buy in Crystal City, for $211, including tax.

On Sept. 17, 16 contestants, many of whom are fellow students at American University, met at Gordonâ€™s Cathedral Heights apartment. The company was exclusiveâ€"each guest had been sent an invitation that included two condoms, a stick of gum, and an admonition that no other guests were allowed.

Schubert welcomed the group at around 8:30 p.m., and everyone proceeded to sing â€œHappy Birthday.â€

Shortly after the singing, the game began. Contestants could advance to the next round of competition by completing dared challenges. If a player was unwilling to execute a dare, he or she was required to leave the room.

The game got off to a slow start, reports Ahmed Nzibo, 23. â€œFor the first half-hour of the game, it wasnâ€™t about the contest,â€ he says. â€œThere was a lot of mingling.â€ Contestants started with preliminary, safe dares, such as kissing and squawking like a chicken.

But then Nzibo got the ball rolling, when he dared a heterosexual male contender to give one of his gay peers a lap dance. The man refused. He was out, banished to the losersâ€™ lounge.

The dares escalated. Straight men made out with each other. Feet were licked. Toes were sucked. Someone got a penis in the nose. One gay contestant stuck his face in a womanâ€™s vulva.

â€œPeople werenâ€™t really drunk, either,â€ recalls Nzibo, who was banished after only one round, when he refused to lick a testicle. â€œThe fact that it was a Nano was so key. Even if you knew you had no chance [of winning], you kind of wanted one anyway,â€ he says.

The losersâ€™ lounge became a party of its own, where the majority of the contestants speculated as to what was going on in the adjacent room.

Four hours later, the 16 contestants had been whittled to the final four. The remaining competitors all stripped naked and streaked across Wisconsin Avenue NW at around 1 a.m. Gordon says one â€œmight have even streaked onto [National] Cathedral property.â€

The victor, 21-year-old Glover Park resident Jeff Schneidman, shaved his head and endured one most-humiliating act: a golden shower.

Things have sure changed since I was at AU. We tried to have a similar party when I was there, but the prize was an autographey picture of Dom Deloise. The worst that happened was a little bit of teabagging.

White Out

2005-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't check the sports scores, my Nittany Lions were victorious yet again, defeating Ohio State 17-10 in front of nearly 110,000 fans at Beaver Stadium. I'll spare you the details of the game, but the trip back to PA was fun, though brief. My sister and brother came over to my dad's house with kids, and they seemed to have a nice time as well. My niece Mia kept putting a large fake spider on my legs and running, yelling 'look what's on your leg!'. Then I would throw it back at her, and she would do it again. This process repeated itself something like 100 times. Then last night, I had a horrible nightmare about a huge green spider attacking me.

Going to Pennsylvania

2005-10-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, I am going back to my beloved homeland to watch the undefeated nittany lions of Penn State take on the 4-1 and highly paid 'amateurs' of ohio state. To those of you who aren't from central pa, you might not realize what psu football and joepa mean to us. Ever since I was born, and even before that, our area has lost everything. Jobs, an economic base, hope, you name it, we had it, we lost it, it's gone. But we have always taken pride in the fact that not far from our formerly pristine mountains, we have one of the best universities in america, and one of the proudest football traditions in the world. Lately, we have been a bit, as joepa would say 'outtawack'. But this year, with the help of some extraordinary freshman talent, and some gutsy senior leaders, we are back on the map. This saturday, espn is coming to our home, happy valley, to broadcast their saturday football gameday. After so many years of suffering, mostly off the field, perhaps it is a sign that our proud and beautiful home is on the rebound. One can hope, right?

If it weren't for bad luck...

2005-10-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

So, I had a date tonight. Surprising, I know. I show up a little early, looking all smooth with my armani jacket, expensive glasses, and shaved head, and who do they sit me beside but Julia? Don't get me wrong, I like Julia, but having a date beside a girl you were once heavily infatuated with would be quite an awckward experience, so jerk that I am, I asked the waitress to seat me elsewhere.

Gotta get on this

2005-10-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Who wants to be the first reader to nominate me for inclusion on this website?

Why the Republicans Win

2005-10-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Bush Administration strategy on Iraq is pretty woeful, if such a strategy exists. But when you see what the senior democrats offer as an alternative, you can see why they didn't win the last election. Exhibit A, Congresswoman Jane Harman, senior dem on the intell committee's thoughts from her most recent trip to Iraq at Josh Marshall's uber Ivy League dork website TPM Cafe. Congresswoman Harman-

So much pivots on the outcome of the elections over the next 90 days, as
evidenced by the impressive high-level effort underway to accommodate moderate
Sunni demands before the October 15 referendum. If the Constitution
passes, the hope is that Sunnis will turn their attention from supporting an
insurgency to campaigning for office in December's legislative races. And
even if the referendum fails, one senior military officer told me the Sunnis
could be even further motivated to participate in the political system to
influence the redrafting of a constitution more acceptable to them

It's so good that she can get senior officers to repeat Bush administration spin off the record, though there is nothing to indicate that anything she states will come to pass. And her statement has the virtue of being a win-win situation-if the constitution fails, we turn the corner, if it passes, we turn the corner. I am so sick of every little event being the one that will supposedly be the light at the end of the tunnel leading to a new democratic Iraq, free of terrorism, friendly with the US, and hugging every Israeli they see. If, as we are so often told, the insurgents are simply a small minority of the minority sunnis, then why should they decide to suddenly quit because the constitution passes over their protests. And if it fails, why should they not feel emboldened by it?

In other words, after 2-1/2 tough years using military force to stabilize the
country, the political process is viewed as the best tool to suck the energy out
of the insurgency. How ironic!

Yes. It's like...rain, on your wedding day...

My message to senior officials was that the US is running out of time to
get it right in Iraq and risks losing the hearts and minds of the American
public.
I calculate 3 months - culminating with the December 15 election -
to persuade the American public that real progress is being made and there is a
success strategy in sight.
Well, perhaps if real progress were being made....
What's needed is a straightforward message from the Administration about
tangible progress in Iraq. Hollow slogans like "we will stand down when
they stand up" are simplistic and don't cut it.

Again, perhaps if there were tangible process to speak of, coming up with a message to convince people of it would be easier. But it's interesting to see that the gentlelady seems to thing the real problem is a failure of propaganda, not planning.
Of course a message needs substance - evidence of progress - to back it up, which is why I believe we need to do four concrete things right now.
Maybe your concern about the progress should come before concern about the message.

Get the power on. 97 percent of Iraqis are highly
dissatisfied with the lack of reliable electricity - wouldn't you be? The
failure to secure the infrastructure against insurgent violence has sharply
decreased confidence in the competence of the Iraqi government. One senior
intelligence official's bottom line: the people no longer regard the
government as effective. Maximum effort must be made now to secure the
power grid and keep it running.
Get the oil out. Oil
exports are lower today than when Saddam was in charge - an enormous missed
opportunity to develop resources to pay for Iraq's reconstruction. Oil is
more than a source of revenue; it can also be a source of national pride -
tangible evidence that the New Iraq can sustain itself.
Get
the government ministries going. The ministries of defense and interior have
lagged far behind expectations in their ability to recruit, train and deploy
Iraqi security forces, One senior US official confided that the numbers of
trained forces heralded in Washington "are a lie." It depends on your
definition of "trained," he explained. Many have received some training,
but many security units are hobbled by incompetence, lack of discipline,
corruption and human rights abuses. If a new Iraqi government is to
function after December 15, it will have to know how to deliver services and
security.
Get Zarqawi. If there's one area where I was
impressed, it is how many resources are devoted to catching Abu Musab al
Zarqawi. He's beginning to make tactical mistakes like the savage murders
of Shia school teachers, which played very badly inside the country.
Getting Zarqawi would be a major blow to the insurgency. Although
capturing Abu Azzam (a key Zarqawi deputy) was a major feat, one Western intel
official confided, "there are dozens of number twos, but only one Zarqawi.

If these things haven't been accomplished with a gazillion dollars and two and a half years, what sane person would believe that it would happen in three months. Either they-aren't really trying, in which case this whole endeavor is hopeless, or they are and have failed, in which case there is little reason to expect things to change in three months. And dropping Zarqawi's number 2 is a major feat? They always claim to drop his number two's. I haven't seen that many number 2's dropped since chilli cook off day at Lakemont Park.

Bottom line: Iraq is the only country in the Mideast that has it all -
oil, water, agriculture, and a highly educated public. We can help Iraqis
develop a multi-ethnic, pro-democratic government there but these next three
months may be our last shot.

Right, and I might sleep with Gweneth Paltrow sometime, but at least I'm not betting billions of dollars on it.

Sparky Desparko's Sports Report

2005-10-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, which means it's another week of Penn State Football. I'll spare you the details of the game, suffice it to say Penn State put quite a beating on 18th Ranked Minnesota. Their vaunted running attack and big offensive line were no match for the ferocious front four of Penn State, as Minnesota's star running back and heisman trophy contender -----Maroney was held to a paltry 48 yards rushing. Senior Sensation Michael Robinson brought his A game, rushing for over 100 and passing for 175 and the fab four freshman kicked it into gears that the Minnesota defense didn't even realize existed. Final score, PSU 44-Minnesota 14. This should move PSU into the top 25 and sets them up for a showdown with highly touted Ohio state at the Beav next Saturday.
On a side note, I noticed that Pennsylvania Republican Gubenetorial candidate and former Pittsburgh Steeler star Lynn Swann was the sideline reporter for ABC on the game. Doesn't this appear to be a conflict of interest. Perhaps not obvious at first, but how can the guy be actually objective about PSU as a statewide republican candidate in PA? If he finds too much fault with the Nittany Lions (granted, little could be found today), he may anger the (primarily republican) central PA PSU fans, which would be electoral suicide. If normally anti-Psu Espn announcer Lee Corso ran as a right wing republican in conservative central PA again barney frank, I'd give the gay massachusets representative a fighting chance.

Fun Day!

2005-09-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Whaddya Know, 'Fun Day' was actually pretty fun. My work had a retreat today to the Marriott Ranch in Facquier county( sp) and I rather enjoyed it. Well, despite the fact that I had to wake up at 6, after flying back from LA and getting to sleep around 2:30. I spent a good deal of time talking to the folks I work with, and was surprised to learn I actually like all of them. It didn't hurt that two of the girls at my office said my haircut looked 'awesome' (why that word?), and that I managed to stay awake the whole day. We did something called 'orienteering' which actually has nothing to do with asia and everything to do with being dropped in the woods and having to find different landmarks. My coworker who I work with the most (A) andI were paired with one other girl, and we managed to completely get lost about 5 times. Nevertheless it was good exercise and good 'teambuilding', even if we argued about where we should go most of the time. Then we had some murder mystery lunch, and went skeetshooting for a couple of hours before going to a wine tasting. All in all a great day, and a great opportunity to get to know many of the people I work with. And always good to he home again. I like to be here, when I can.

Bizarro World

2005-09-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

This place is so full of weird experiences. I went to the store to by some vitamin water, and as I was at the counter I noticed this prettyish blonde (30 or so) was staring at me from about two feet away. I looked over a couple times and she just kept staring. Finally, when I was aboutt to leave, she said, 'excuse me, are you a record producer?', shocked, all I could reply was, no I don't do records.

Last Night in LA

2005-09-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

My last night in LA, which I don't imagine will be my last night here this year, was pretty good. Went to the excellent Polish restaurant Warszawa in Santa Monica with my former Prague classmate Tyson. Tyson is quite a bright guy, and we talked alot about history (he is a prospective PHD in history) and current events. He is the kind of person who is so bright that I have to do a lot of BS-ing just to keep my ground, especially on subjects like intellectual history where he specializes. Talked a little about Theodore Adorno, who I find interesting but almost unreadable, and coincidentally lived in Santa Monica and LA during the war (he was an assimilated German Jew) and found it completely unbearable. If you read his work from that era, you find it seething with contempt for most people and it was clear he was quite unhappy living there. Not like people like him are ever happy anywhere.

Anyhow, I had some Bigos, which was excellent, and I advise anyone who makes it out to LA to have some Bigos at Warszawa, and take Tyson with you!

Tyson didn't have Bigos, being a vegetarian and all, which reminded me of a story. When we (tyson, ben, willie, et al) were travelling with our classmates from prague, they would serve normal meals for us and then vegetarian ones for the freaks. We had an old Czech professor who would go to the vegetarian line and taunt them, saying 'vegetarianska, just like hitler and beria'.

I said it was a story, I didn't promise it was a good one.

Celebrity Sighting!

2005-09-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Coming back from a shop on Melrose last night, I caught a glimpse of Tonight Show host Jay Leno doing man on the street interviews for his 'Jaywalking' segment. That man has quite a large head.

Meanwhile, Back in Central Pennsylvania

2005-09-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Nude man apprehended at gas station

By Erin L. Nissley

enissley@centredaily.com

CENTRE HALL -- A Boalsburg man was arrested early Monday after troopers said they found him naked and sucking on a nozzle of a kerosene pump at the Centre Hall Snappy's.

Brian M. Schreck, 18, of 229 W. Pine St., faces a myriad of charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, attempted criminal trespass and indecent exposure.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed in the case, police were notified about 12:45 a.m., when a Snappy's employee called to report a partially clothed man -- later identified as Schreck -- inside the store. Employees said he was only wearing a pair of red-and-yellow boxer shorts and a black T-shirt. They asked him to leave because he was not wearing socks or shoes.

According to court documents, a witness said Schreck was then observed walking across the street to Frosty Stop, where he tried to break into a van parked there. He removed his shirt and underwear and then pulled down some aluminum spouting, the witness told police. He then tried to break into a nearby home before walking back over to Snappy's, the witness said.

State police said Schreck was found with the kerosene nozzle into his mouth, and officers asked him to remove it. Schreck allegedly fought with troopers who tried to arrest him, managing at one point to get into the driver's seat of the still-running patrol car, court records show.

Using pepper spray and a police baton, the two troopers managed to handcuff him, according to court records.

Schreck is currently being held in Centre County Correctional Facility in lieu of a $25,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5.

Moron of the Month

2005-09-26T22:53:00.000-07:00

Mellissa Evans thought she had found a new way to rein in her expenses as gasoline prices escalated. The Tooele High School senior began hoofing it to school this week on her 11-year-old gelding, Nighthawk. Joined by junior Chapa Stevenson and her horse, Wink, the pair made the 30-mile trek between their homes in Rush Valley and school twice a day on horseback. But school officials told them Thursday that horses on school grounds are against the rules. "I guess we have to go back to carpooling," said Evans, who kept her horse in a stall inside the high school's animal laboratory while she was in class. "When you have a car that gets 10 miles per gallon, you have to do something."
Hmm.. Jeez if you have to have your kid ride an f---ing horse to school, perhaps you shouldn't be driving a massive car that you can't afford to pay the gas for. Trade in for a honda civic, or admit you are a bad parent and shut the hell up.

Peter Collada on Jeopardy!

2005-09-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

I'll take 'Stuff I don't give a shit about for 100, Alex'.
I'll take 'Stuff I don't give a shit about for 200, Alex'.
I'll take 'Stuff I don't give a shit about for 300, Alex'.

t shirt idea

2005-09-25T22:21:00.000-07:00

How about a Tshirt that shows a bunch of dorky mechanics with pocket protectors and glasses getting made fun of by tough dudes that says 'Unpopular Mechanics' in a take off of the magazine 'Popular Mechanics'

The Days of Wine and Boobs

2005-09-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

I feel surrounded by boobs lately, and not in a good way. Well, sort of a good way, but not in the way we might wish for. I went to the 'pimps and hos party' last night in Hermosa, and contrary to what I said yesterday, I did dress up for it. Not as a pimp really, more of a seventy's porn star thing, with a big curly haired wig, obnoxious gold sunglass, a fake mustache and sideburns, and much exposed chest hair. I'll post party pics later.
The costume went over well, one girl actually saying I was hot, but I wasn't looking her in the eye so perhaps she was talking to someone else. The girls there, were, well, I suppose what you'd expect la girls at such a part to look like. Much blondness and perhaps more exposed chest than at a breast feeding sit in. Mostly, they were so far out of my league I am not sure we even play the same sport. I was fortunate enough to see my old friend Tyson who was a friend when I studied in Prague, and we spent most of the night catching up, staring at girls, and generally seeming out of place. Tyson is a really good guy that I haven't seen in 5 years, which was especially dismaying when i found out he lived in Chicago at the same time as me. Must resolve to keep in better touch with people.
Today I went and bought the coat I was so enthralled with, and later went and sunbathed by the pool. To my shock, one of the women there was sunbathing at the pool without a top on! I have never seen that in my life, and was especially surprised considering it is a hotel pool as opposed to the beach. She was European, so she probably didn't realize that people don't really do that here, or at least I don't think they do, but what do I know?

Such a Perfect Day

2005-09-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty decent day so far. First off, I managed to get up at a reasonable hour (7) to get coffee and prepare myself for the Penn State-Northwestern game that was going to be on at 9am here in LA (the beauty of timezones, PSU football for breakfast). As I watched the game, my disappointment only grew. After a 3-0 start, and with several talented new Freshman in the lineup, Penn State is almost looking like the team it used to be before Joe Paterno decided to stop winning at the beginning of the new century. But as the game progressed, they were looking more like the PSU of the 2000's rather than the powerhouse of the 60's-90's. NW drives 80 yards for a TD on its first drive. Robinson (psu's qb) throws an interception. NW field goal. Then NW kicks off and nobody picks up the ball. Well, somebody did, only it was a NW player. Another NW field goal. My father and I converse and plan the hanging of Joe Paterno. Then some hope, a PSU TD. Then more reality, another robinson pick and 10 more NW points. They managed to cut the lead before halftime, but they are still down nine.I'll spare you the rest of the game, but PSU chips into the lead, and finally takes the lead 27-26 with 6 minutes left. NW is trapped deep in their own territory on third and fifteen, the QB has nowhere to run and goes out of bounds. But wait! A BS late hit call on Penn State, fifteen yards, NW first down! NW drives the field and eats the clock before settling for a field goal, giving the cats a 2 point lead with 2 minutes left. Given Robinson's inept play thus far, there is little to give hope for a PSU comeback. Penn State gets the ball at the 20 and proceed to prove me right. Two awful passes. Robinson is sacked. Then PSU uses the rest of its timeouts. 4th and 15 with 1:30 left. Robinson drops back, guns it twenty yards down the middle to tight end smolko, a guy who can't catch an STD in baltimore, but for once, he pulls it in. More ineptness. Finally, PSU moves up field a bit, and Robinson underthrow a pass to freshman sensation Derrick Williams, who gallops to the endzone. Penn State wins!!! 4-0, Bitches!
To make up for this very masculine behavior, I went shopping. Went to the Buffalo Exchange on La Brea and picked out a wig and some rings for tonights party, and also found a couple nice jackets. Went home and decided to get a haircut, and cut all of my hair off. Ate dinner at Topz burgers, a local fast food chain that boasts the healthiest burgers on earth. Only ten grams of fat per burger. Also, incredibly tasty, and the clippings on the wall say that this particular store is the favorite eatery of none other than Paris Hilton. More incredibly, Jerry O Connor likes it too.
Then I went to this place by the hotel that claims to be LA's best resale place. I have to admit, it is fairly awesome. Tons of very designer stuff that they get sold to them by all the big movie studios when they finish with their wardrobes. Armani, all that crap. I spotted a winter coat that I just have to get. $129, but looking into it, it's the kind of jacket that generally goes for $1200 or so. Should I buy it? I don't know. I gotta make my mind up tonight.

In this hopeless fucking hole we call LA

2005-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call L.A.
What’s crappening my good readers? It’s yours truly, Mr. Peter A Collada, from the entertainment capital of the Universe, Hollywood, California. So far the trip and the city have been pretty good to old Peter.
After waking up at 4AM on Wednesday morning to take a Cab to Dulles International Airport, the cab driver managed to almost make me miss my plane. I was literally the last person to get on the plane shorty before they were going to close the doors. The flight was fine enough (jet blue always is), and I was fortunate enough not to have anyone sitting next to me the entire flight here. Got to LA, went to work, etc, nothing too exciting there, except there have been some personnel changes and I now have an incredibly hot girl beside me. Oddly, she is actually reasonably nice to me, as is everyone at our office out here.
Not much else of note has happened while I have been out here. Apparently the 8500 block of Santa Monica Blvd where I am staying is approximately the gayest place on earth. There are rainbow flags everywhere, and even the American Apparel store had playgirls plastered all over the wall. That’s all fine with me, it just means there aren’t really any bars to stop by after work. Last night I went and met an old friend of mine from when I studied in Prague at a dive bar in Santa Monica. Tomorrow night I am going to his party in Hermosa Beach, the theme apparently being ‘pimps and hos’. Since I don’t have the costume for such an occasion, I am considering going to home depot and purchasing a hoe (and of course returning it the next day) and then buying some peeps candy and saying that I misunderstood the message. That or I will go dressed as Ho Chi Minh.

Home

2005-09-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Just thing tonight how much I miss the good folks back from home. Meggers, Dame, Mom and Dad, Matty, etc. I wish I could see my nieces grow up more than I do. Here is savannah, my sister's older daughter.

Farewell DC

2005-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am excited about going to LA. I am not looking forward to waking up at 4AM tomorrow to fly out to take a cab to dulles, then fly to long beach, then drive to LA, then work all day, but looking forward to the trip in general. I found out one of the original crew from our semester in Prague, BK, is out in LA, and got his phone number. I talked to him tonight, and apparently they are having a huge party on Saturday, and going out Thursday as well. Should be fun, I think. Just for the record though. Should God forbid some horrible terrorist attack occur and I shouldn't make it back (remember, Al Qaeda's last video claimed LA as their number 1 target), just remember that I have been a very good Catholic, and the only way to truly honor my legacy is for everyone go and pee off the Key Bridge during rush hour.