Ally's Album: Month 6-7

My cat's constipation is creating problems I can't begin to talk about. I need to change his food, I think.

On Sunday I was driving through downtown on the way home. As I approached the corner of Baltimore & Gay, where my car nearly broke down on the 4th, there was a shirtless man walking down the street in my lane. He was punching and kicking the air. He was clearly someplace else. I think he waived me into the other lane. I unrolled my window as I went by to see if I could hear some of his rantings. I couldn't. That disappointed me more than the fact a drugged-up crazed man was roaming the streets of Baltimore on a Sunday afternoon less than a stone's throw from the police headquarters.

The panhandling at the closest intersection near my house is operated by a crazy homeless man with a limp and a one-legged lady. Occasionally kids with church groups or football teams operate the corner. Sometimes a younger homeless guy. Erica and I imagine that they clock in and out at the gas station like Sam and Ralph from Looney Tunes.

Sidney Ponson will never ever play baseball for my fantasy team again.

I have now golfed twice in two years. I lose interest after about nine holes. If wasn't for the beer, I'm not sure how anyone would play this game. Without beer, there would be no such thing as golf or fishing.

My new favorite website is http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Ally rolled from back to stomach to back. Very cool.

We close on our house on Friday. Move in a month. I hope not to move again for at least 10 years.

I need more life insurance.

My will is complete. You're probably not in it.

We met with a financial advisor. She advised that we need to save an ungodly amount of money. We have a better shot of winning the lottery than meeting her goals.

It's extremely hot and humid.

I cannot get my work e-mails below 50.

Roy Is A Bust

If you're going to cry, the least you can do is run a clean program.

Shocking!!! I Mean, What Else Did You Expect

Q: Does the president stand by his pledge to fire anyone involved in a leak of the name of a CIA operative?

MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your question. I think your question is being asked related to some reports that are in reference to an ongoing criminal investigation. The criminal investigation that you reference is something that continues at this point.

And as I’ve previously stated, while that investigation is ongoing, the White House is not going to comment on it.

The president directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation. And as part of cooperating fully with the investigation, we made a decision that we weren’t going to comment on it while it is ongoing.

Q: I actually wasn’t talking about any investigation. But in June of 2004, the president said that he would fire anybody who was involved in this leak to the press about information. I just wanted to know: Is that still his position?

MCCLELLAN: Yes, but this question is coming up in the context of this ongoing investigation, and that’s why I said that our policy continues to be that we’re not going to get into commenting on an ongoing criminal investigation from this podium.

The prosecutors overseeing the investigation had expressed a preference to us that one way to help the investigation is not to be commenting on it from this podium....

Q: Scott, if I could point out: Contradictory to that statement, on September 29th of 2003, while the investigation was ongoing, you clearly commented on it. You were the first one to have said that if anybody from the White House was involved, they would be fired. And then, on June 10th of 2004, at Sea Island Plantation, in the midst of this investigation, when the president made his comments that, yes, he would fire anybody from the White House who was involved. So why have you commented on this during the process of the investigation in the past, but now you’ve suddenly drawn a curtain around it under the statement of, 'We’re not going to comment on an ongoing investigation'?

MCCLELLAN: Again, John, I appreciate the question. I know you want to get to the bottom of this. No one wants to get to the bottom of it more than the president of the United States. And I think the way to be most helpful is to not get into commenting on it while it is an ongoing investigation. And that’s something that the people overseeing the investigation have expressed a preference that we follow.

And that’s why we’re continuing to follow that approach and that policy. Now, I remember very well what was previously said. And, at some point, I will be glad to talk about it, but not until after the investigation is complete.

Q: So could I just ask: When did you change your mind to say that it was OK to comment during the course of an investigation before, but now it’s not?

MCCLELLAN: Well, I think maybe you missed what I was saying in reference to Terry’s question at the beginning. There came a point, when the investigation got under way, when those overseeing the investigation asked that it would be — or said that it would be their preference that we not get into discussing it while it is ongoing.
I think that’s the way to be most helpful to help them advance the investigation and get to the bottom of it.

Q: Scott, can I ask you this: Did Karl Rove commit a crime?

MCCLELLAN: Again, David, this is a question relating to a ongoing investigation, and you have my response related to the investigation. And I don't think you should read anything into it other than: We're going to continue not to comment on it while it's ongoing.

Q: Do you stand by your statement from the fall of 2003, when you were asked specifically about Karl and Elliot Abrams and Scooter Libby, and you said, "I've gone to each of those gentlemen, and they have told me they are not involved in this"?

MCCLELLAN: And if you will recall, I said that, as part of helping the investigators move forward on the investigation, we're not going to get into commenting on it. That was something I stated back near that time as well.

Q: Scott, this is ridiculous. The notion that you're going to stand before us, after having commented with that level of detail, and tell people watching this that somehow you've decided not to talk. You've got a public record out there. Do you stand by your remarks from that podium or not?

MCCLELLAN: I'm well aware, like you, of what was previously said. And I will be glad to talk about it at the appropriate time. The appropriate time is when the investigation...

Q: (inaudible) when it's appropriate and when it's inappropriate?

MCCLELLAN: If you'll let me finish.

Q: No, you're not finishing. You're not saying anything. You stood at that podium and said that Karl Rove was not involved. And now we find out that he spoke about Joseph Wilson's wife. So don't you owe the American public a fuller explanation. Was he involved or was he not? Because contrary to what you told the American people, he did indeed talk about his wife, didn't he?

MCCLELLAN: There will be a time to talk about this, but now is not the time to talk about it.

Q: Do you think people will accept that, what you're saying today?

MCCLELLAN: Again, I've responded to the question.

QUESTION: You're in a bad spot here, Scott... because after the investigation began -- after the criminal investigation was under way -- you said, October 10th, 2003, "I spoke with those individuals, Rove, Abrams and Libby. As I pointed out, those individuals assured me they were not involved in this," from that podium. That's after the criminal investigation began.

Now that Rove has essentially been caught red-handed peddling this information, all of a sudden you have respect for the sanctity of the criminal investigation?

MCCLELLAN: No, that's not a correct characterization. And I think you are well aware of that.....

And we want to be helpful so that they can get to the bottom of this. Because no one wants to get to the bottom of it more than the president of the United States.

I am well aware of what was said previously. I remember well what was said previously. And at some point I look forward to talking about it. But until the investigation is complete, I'm just not going to do that.

Q: So you're now saying that after you cleared Rove and the others from that podium, then the prosecutors asked you not to speak anymore and since then you haven't.

MCCLELLAN: Again, you're continuing to ask questions relating to an ongoing criminal investigation and I'm just not going to respond to them.

Q: When did they ask you to stop commenting on it, Scott? Can you pin down a date?

MCCLELLAN: Back in that time period.

Q: Well, then the president commented on it nine months later. So was he not following the White House plan?

MCCLELLAN: I appreciate your questions. You can keep asking them, but you have my response.

Q: Well, we are going to keep asking them. When did the president learn that Karl Rove had had a conversation with a news reporter about the involvement of Joseph Wilson's wife in the decision to send him to Africa?

MCCLELLAN: I've responded to the questions.

Q: When did the president learn that Karl Rove had been...

MCCLELLAN: I've responded to your questions.

Q: After the investigation is completed, will you then be consistent with your word and the president's word that anybody who was involved will be let go?

MCCLELLAN: Again, after the investigation is complete, I will be glad to talk about it at that point.

Q: Can you walk us through why, given the fact that Rove's lawyer has spoken publicly about this, it is inconsistent with the investigation, that it compromises the investigation to talk about the involvement of Karl Rove, the deputy chief of staff, here?

MCCLELLAN: Well, those overseeing the investigation expressed a preference to us that we not get into commenting on the investigation while it's ongoing. And that was what they requested of the White House. And so I think in order to be helpful to that investigation, we are following their direction.

Q: Does the president continue to have confidence in Mr. Rove?

MCCLELLAN: Again, these are all questions coming up in the context of an ongoing criminal investigation. And you've heard my response on this.

Q: So you're not going to respond as to whether or not the president has confidence in his deputy chief of staff?

MCCLELLAN: You're asking this question in the context of an ongoing investigation, and I would not read anything into it other then I'm simply going to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Q: Has there been any change, or is there a plan for Mr. Rove's portfolio to be altered in any way?

MCCLELLAN: Again, you have my response to these questions....

***

Q: There’s a difference between commenting publicly on an action and taking action in response to it. Newsweek put out a story, an e-mail saying that Karl Rove passed national security information on to a reporter that outed a CIA officer. Now, are you saying that the president is not taking any action in response to that? Because I presume that the prosecutor did not ask you not to take action and that if he did you still would not necessarily abide by that; that the president is free to respond to news reports, regardless of whether there’s an investigation or not.

So are you saying that he’s not going to do anything about this until the investigation is fully over and done with?

MCCLELLAN: Well, I think the president has previously spoken to this.

This continues to be an ongoing criminal investigation. No one wants to get to the bottom of it more than the president of the United States. And we’re just not going to have more to say on it until that investigation is complete.

***
Q: When the leak investigation is completed, does the president believe it might be important for his credibility, the credibility of the White House, to release all the information voluntarily that was submitted as part of the investigation, so the American public could see what transpired inside the White House at the time?

MCCLELLAN: This is an investigation being overseen by a special prosecutor. And I think those are questions best directed to the special prosecutor.

Q: Have you or the White House considered whether that would be optimal to release as much information and make it as open…

MCCLELLAN: It’s the same type of question. You’re asking me to comment on an ongoing investigation and I’m not going to do that.

Q: I’d like you to talk about the communications strategies just a little bit there.

MCCLELLAN: Understood. The president directed the White House to cooperate fully with the investigation, and that’s what he expects people in the White House to do.

Q: And he would like to do that when it is concluded, cooperate fully with…

MCCLELLAN: Again, I’ve already responded.

Q: Scott, who in the investigation made this request of the White House not to comment further about the investigation? Was it Mr. Fitzgerald? Did he make a request of you specifically?

MCCLELLAN: You can direct those questions to the special prosecutors. I think probably more than one individual who’s involved in overseeing the investigation had expressed a preference that we not get into commenting on the investigation while it’s ongoing.

A Reason To Trade-In The X-Box?

From NYTimes:
"Action video games are renowned for serving up simulated gore and violence, but an intriguing mystery surfaced last week in which politics, business and simulated sex feature prominently as well. With some code written by Patrick Wildenborg, a 36-year-old Dutch techie, and a few friends, some scenes in the best-selling video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas become sexually explicit. His free code, which can be downloaded over the Internet, acts as a software key, Mr. Wildenborg explained. He said it merely unlocked the sexually graphic images that are hidden inside the game and written by programmers who work for the game's developer, Rockstar Games, which is owned by Take-Two Interactive, a leading game publisher.
Mr. Wildenborg's program has become quite popular since it was posted on a Web site last month. By last week, the effects of his software handiwork came to the attention of Leland Yee, a California assemblyman, who has long called for legislation to curb the sales of video games to children....
The game rating board said on Friday that it would investigate Grand Theft Auto to see if the publisher had violated the industry rule requiring "full disclosure of pertinent content."
"At the end of the day," Mr. Wildenborg wrote in an e-mail message yesterday, "Grand Theft Auto is not a game for young children, and is rated accordingly." The hidden graphic images, he added, are "not something it is possible to accidentally stumble across" in the course of playing the game."

Set Your TiVo

Guns, Germs, and Steel premieres on PBS tonight. While technically, I'm reading this book, it has lay dormant for quite sometime. Television is up my power-alley anyway, so this is quite fortuitous.

Mr. 3000

No, this isn't a post about Raffy, although I did see him get hit number 2,998 as the O's beat down the Red Sox yet again this season. Too bad we don't play them everyday. I digress. I'm obsessed with the Site Meter Counter on my blog. There I said it. It interests me possibly more than your comments. Sure your comments are great, I mean who could forget "This is a new low. Neither funny nor interesting." or "More words" or the recent "...which saves your otherwise disappointing story" or "This is total B.S. Where are the posts? It's been 5 days." Yeah, that was a classic.

Yes, the site meter definitely interests me more than your comments. The 3000 hits mark is coming up, but lets look at the story behind the story (you know, the investigative journalism you've come to expect at WB). Hits and page views are headed for their 4th straight month of declining numbers. Sure, I could try to churn out some more poop-stories to pump up the numbers, but I'm saving that for sweeps weak next fall. I've got some thoughts on why the stairwell in the parking garage smells like a urinal, which I could tell you about. Which reminds me, when we were coming home from the fourth of July in DC, my car's engine misfired. This was not a good thing. Symptoms: Immediate lack of power, jerkiness, incorrect idle speed and stalling. Here's two things you should know about Baltimore: 1. If you are driving up from DC to Northern Baltimore, you have to get off 95 or 295 and go through downtown to pick up 83. 2. The freaks come out at night. So before you get on 83, between City Hall and Police Headquarters lies the Block. Trust me, it's much more frightening today. Approaching the block, I am suffering serious mechanical difficulties. Erica suggested stopping the car and call Tim. Not on your life, I'm not sure what's wrong with my car, but I'm not stopping of my own volition. I move into the left lane so that I can move easily on to the highway ramp approaching in about two blocks. The car in front of me stops and a menacing man from the street approaches the stopped car. They appear to be conducting some sort of business. Traffic is swift in the other lane, and I'm in no condition to make a quick lane change. I see at least one police officer among the 20+ criminals roaming the street. Check that, one traffic cop. Let the horn do the talking. I tap the horn. Nothing. Stress level in car rises rapidly. Erica's panic is understandable, but, quite simply, not helping. Business transaction progressing slowly. Really let the horn do the talking. Oops. That got his attention. Very angry, looking at me, gesturing and he's got some words for me too, which I can't hear. That's probably for the best. Time to change lanes. Bad time for the car to stall. Like a panicked teenage girl in horror movie, I clumsily restart the car. Move around the other vehicle, wait patiently at the light and limp home at 40 mph. Everyday since the fourth has been a blessing. Not two days later, in broad daylight, I saw a man with no shirt, jacked up scary big, stumble diagonally across the same intersection, not drunk stumble, but what I imagine a crack or heroin stumble to be. Unstable, yet extremely menacing.

So anyway, there's a little substance for you. Comments are always encouraged, but I really need you checking the site five times a day. Like back in March when you needed the password for the NCAA pool. Oh, those were the days.

Their Wives Are Idiots Too

Johnny Damon's outspoken comments about teammate Curt Schilling could have stemmed from an incident between their wives during last year's ALCS.Accoring to the Boston Herald, Shonda Schilling passed out scarfs to all the wives during last year's ALCS against the Yankees. Michelle Damon, Johnny's wife now and fiance at the time, was the only one that refused to wear the scarf. Michelle even griped after the Sox fell in Game 3, ''A lot of good those (bleeping) scarves have done.'' To which Shonda Schilling replied ''Well, if you were wearing one maybe your fiance wouldn't be 0-for-16.'' Red Sox family day is going to be a blast this year. Jul. 8 - 1:17 pm et

Here's a Vitek-like Qualification

***I finally watched this and updated the link***
I haven't watched This yet, but I'm told it's outstanding. But if it's not, blame Pepe or Vitek.

My Vietnam

About a month or so ago I bought a video camera. The goal was simple. Buy camera, record Ally, upload to computer, burn to DVDs, distribute to Grandparents. Sounds simple enough, eh? It's not. First, it took a couple of weeks to fill up a tape with footage of Ally. She doesn't do too much yet, relatively. I mean for a baby she's doing lots of stuff, but in terms of quality video material, she's taking it slow. But I finally I acquired 40 minutes of tape. Ok, next step, upload to computer. I'm gonna need a firewire cable. Ok, back to Circuit City. Check. Uh, my computer doesn't take firewires. Back to Circuit City. Firewire card. Check. Know your limitations. I don't like taking things apart, let alone computers. Remember my haircut. I'm outside my comfort zone here. Take the case of the computer and install the card. Suprisingly easy. Upload the video. Check. Ok, edit the video. This takes a long time. Adobe Premier is not made for idiots, which is unfortunate because I happen to be an idiot. Ok, I finish around 2 am last night. Burn to DVD. No DVD burner detected. Come to think of it, when I bought the Dell I didn't get the DVD burner. I remember thinking why would I possibly want to burn DVDs, I'm only interested in stealing music, not movies. Ok, to Office Depot, put DVD burner to replace DVD player in the computer. Once again, have to open the computer up. Ok, new hardware detected, I should be in business. Try to burn DVD again. 2 hours later, transcoding error. WTF. Try again, 2 hours later, transcoding error. Shit, fuck. The hatred is a brewing. A burning in my blood for Adobe. There's gonna be killing. I'm picking out a grave for them. Ok, remove my John Coltrane, A Love Supreme Soundtrack. Maybe I'm violating some copyright laws or something. Try again. 2 hours later, transcoding error. Why, Lord, why? A little research on the internet. Set drives to allow DMA acess. Ok, whatever the hell that is is now done. Disk Defragment. Ok, in process. Well, that's where I am now. Ok, it's finally done. Holy shit it actually worked. Well, a 2 minute test video worked. Burned to DVD. Ok, I'm going to try the big boy. Coltrane and all. This will take about 6 hours, hopefully. If this doesn't work, I'm going to Conmy on someone. And just ask J. Conmy how that went for him. But that's a story for another time. Stay tuned.

Down With Karl Rove

Quality humor from Larry David, who wrote this before Lawrence O'Donnell dropped his Karl Rove bombshell. BTW, when is Curb Your Enthusiasm coming back? Entourage is a poor substitute.

Wilco

Erica and I saw Wilco last Sunday, here's the setlist:

2005-06-26	Wilco	Merriweather Post Pavillion	Columbia, MD
1. Handshake Drugs 2. Company In My Back 3. Airline To Heaven 4. A Shot In The Arm 5. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 6. War On War 7. Hell Is Chrome 8. Hummingbird 9. At Least That's What You Said 10. Sunken Treasure 11. Muzzle Of Bees 12. Kamera 13. Heavy Metal Drummer 14. I'm Always In Love 15. I'm The Man Who Loves You 16. Reservations 17. Spiders (Kidsmoke) Encore 1: 18. Misunderstood 19. Jesus, Etc. 20. Kingpin 21. The Late Greats Encore 2: 22. Monday 23. Outtasite (Outta Mind) 24. I'm A Wheel 25. Something In The Air 26. I Shall Be Released

Tim, thanks for babysitting. Dogsitting going well so far.

I Think The Roy Williams Era Is Officially Over

KU, Giddens part ways

Let the winning begin.