Red State Update: Fred Thompson Drops Out

I will probably feel like doing something drastic too if Mitt doesn't beat McCain-

Some quick toughts...

Extremely tired..again-

Had my yearly job review at The Corp today. I'll get into that more later.

Watched a Tremors marathon with Eric Sunday. Perhaps a future review of these awesomely cheesy flicks is in order.

Got a unique license plate picture coming up that I saw on the road.

Saving the best for last-

Vacation on Wed, Thurs, and Fri of this week. Good times. I'm burnt out. Hopefully the basement will come together. Also it's time to get back in the studio for You Tubing. Let's see how creative I can get.

This helped me get thru the week-

Red State Update's Musical Farewell To Biden And Dodd

Public Speaking

Tuesday I got a reminder call for a conference I had to speak at on Wednesday. Lucky for me, I got a reminder or this whole event would have slipped my mind. If only I could get into the habit of checking my Outlook calendar daily. Things like this wouldn't happen then.

The meeting was supposed to be informal with no presentation required. Just a meet and greet to familiarize the plebeians with the functions of my department. My better judgement told me to treat it seriously and to have a a well planned outline or some key discussion points prepared. Just like Batman, I try to be prepared for all situations.

The outline turned into a full blown Power Point presentation. It took the majority of Wednesday morning to finish which meant my day's complete agenda was interrupted. On the other hand, the time invested left me with a decent shell for the manager's meeting I have to attend in early February.

Speaking in front of a group isn't my forte. To say my stomach was tied in knots is an understatement. I have real fear of public speaking, especially when I dwell on it for to long in the event lead up time.

Didn't I mention it was to be informal?? Well all of the other speakers wore their suits. Me?? I just wore my daily shirt and tie. Under dressed maybe from the other speakers' wardrobes. However it was a step above most in the audience.

The group consisted of 25-30 people who routinely bitch about their jobs daily. Having to attend a mandatory day long conference that pulled them from an already overwhelming workload didn't do much for anyone's disposition either. The presentation went off without any major incident. I stayed on point and was knowledgeable about the topics covered. Questions from the group were answered intelligibly and with accurate answers. The only item of concern that needs work is my monotoned voice. Inflection is key and and always a challenge.

Hopefully continued public speaking in front of people at meetings and on conference calls will get easier with practice. The substance and form of my presentations will improve too if I can successfully incorporate some of the ideas taught at the Parsippany, NJ training.

Dream vacation- Israel

It's one of the most exciting yet dangerous places in the world. Rich in history and dear to many faiths and denominations of religions. To walk in the Holy Lands and to see where all of the Bible's history occurred and where it's prophesies will unfold would be a dream come true. Such a trip is within my financial and physical means. However to embark on such a journey I must first come to terms with the spiritual civil war inside of my soul.

ISRAEL: "Did You Know....?"


Cool Facts About Israel

Exhausted-

Traveled over four hours today and visited 7 locations for consultan visits. Crashed out on the couch as soon as I got home this evening-

To tired to even care that Fred Thompson dropped out of the GOP race.

My inspiration for today-

The Never ending saga of the basement-

Today was a very productive day. Lori and I got the basement cleaned out and more work on the drywall done. Hopefully we will have the family room finished by the end of February.

The house had a finished basement when we moved in about eight years ago. The extra space in the basement was one of the reasons we bought the home. The discloseure sheet listed nothing about leaks or water problems. The prior owners weren't the sweet old couple they appeared to be. They lied and lied big.

Shortly after we moved in we found that the basement leaked severely. We went to a lawyer to consider our legal options. He quoted thousands of dollars just to take the case to court. With no guarantee of a payout if we won we opted not to sue.

Two years ago we had a third of the basement torn out and a fancy version of a french drain put in. That stopped the water problem. However the issues with pushy contractors and ones that did crappy work slowed the progress and wasted both our time and money.

Now we are doing the work ourselves and hoping it comes out ok. Neither Lori or I are very skilled with tools so it's a learning experience.

Top Secret Audio: Democrats Meet Republicans at NH Debate

Priya Rai Fitness Exercise

Calendars-

During my visit to the Wyoming Valley Mall on Thursday, this calender stand caught my attention. Of all my travels across Central PA this mall has been the most interesting in terms of clientele.

While it may be that these were the best selling calendars or the last in stock, the message sent is clear and intentional. Change is one the way and it's only a matter of time. Why people hate Bush so much is a mystery to me. Perhaps the collective hatred from the Left, the media, and the uninformed is the only thing Reaganesque about Bush.

Chances are those calendars will still be there when I return next week. Few will have been sold in this heavily conservative part of PA.

Rush's commentary on the Dems uncivil Civil War

El Rushbo is on fire hear. I may have to add this to the Pick's column. It's a splendid mix of satire and cold hard facts that hits the libs right between the eyes with the truth.



Part 2.

Apology to Fred Thompson

This is the one of the funniest Red State Update's in a while. Jackie, the avid Fred-Head and reluctant presidential candidate, takes troublemaker supreme, Dunlap, to the woodshed. All over comments on Fred's poor performance.

With Fred on the rebound after his successful debate showing. nevertheless it may be to little to late.

Watch with empty mouth as always for RSU-

NJ out takes...

Left for NJ at 0600 on Wednesday. For only a 2.5 hour drive, I left plenty of time for construction, traffic, or getting lost. The trip down was uneventful with only a sleep break.

Surprisingly, I was recognized for achievement not once but twice on the first day. The most amazing was a peer recognition from MY MANAGER. I've busted my ASS over the last few months but didn't realize anyone was watching.

Seasoned chicken and rice was served for dinner which was shockingly delicious. Wednesday ended with some much needed Yuenling Lager, five to be exact, and some social networking. My dry sense of humor was lost on many.

Thursday seemed like one long twelve hour conference with meals included. All of the meals were served with way to many tempting sweets. The last meeting of the day brought on final award for my tireless efforts.

The hotel was 5-star and to posh for my tastes. The requested wake-up call never came, saved by the cell phone alarm, and the clothes iron left much to be desired.

Note- Don't use a drinking glass in a hotel room unless it's pre-wrapped. Have you ever seen a maid's cart with clean glasses on it?? I haven't either. It makes you wonder how the maid cleans them in the room.

Home again..

Made it home from NJ. We had a twelve hour day plus a 2.5 hour commute home. I'm exhausted. Will update you tomorrow with the details.

Parsippany NJ

Off to Parsippany NJ tomorrow for fun, frolic, and work. Looking ahead to a two day conference with a wind down on Thursday night. It will be good to see co-workers again. Being on the road and independent gets lonely at times.

On the docket is training on writing for business. Maybe my prose here will improve as well.

Then of to Wilkes Barre on Friday be for bad weather sets in.

When to stop??

When did working to much become a bad thing?

At what point do you stop working for the day??

The Corp gave me a laptop, complete with air card and remote access. The job never ends and there's always tasks to be completed. It's so tempting to take the laptop out when I get home and continue chugging along.

Wifey is very understanding. Being a workaholic herself, she gives me a lot of rope. Well, today I hung myself with it. She took a personal day from her 50hr+ weekly job and wanted me to do the same to spend time together. I had a completely different mindset and plan for the day. Especially with being charged up and ready to go for the new year.

The day ended with her being pissed off and me feeling guilty.

Top Secret Audio: Democrats Meet Republicans at NH Debate

2008

BadStreet USA is a year old this month. Who would have thought I would still be blogging. Thank you to all those that have stopped by for a visit.

In the next year you'll see a return to personalized vblogs, more commentary, and continued site enhancements.

With the new job settling down, I have more time now to devote to improving my prose and articulations. As well as work with some of the new tech I picked up in 2007 but never had time to master.

Thank you and Happy New Year

The best commentary on Iowa bar none...

Kimbo vs Adryan