D.C. in transition

Being a California native, I’m one of those annoying people who, after a couple of beers, will talk nonstop about the wonders and benefits of living in the Golden State. You did know we have a desert and mountains, that city San Francisco, the Pacific Ocean and some really chill people? What else do you need, right? Well, living in D.C. through the primaries and general election have showed me that things … good things … do exist outside the San Andreas Fault. Go figure.

To say it mildly, the past two years have been a trip. One that was full of the emotional highs and lows of the primaries, constant debates with Clinton and then McCain supporters, the ultimate Obama victory, and a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that brought a heavily segregated city together, truly as one people. Granted, many like-minded people in other parts of our country were probably on the same trip as me, but there was a special energy here that I didn’t find elsewhere. Who knows, perhaps there are just more political dorks in D.C. that I can high five after a good debate. Whatever it is, I’m glad to have been apart of it.

But now, after the election, there’s a strange but pleasant calm (with the occasional economic tsunami). We’re all waiting to see who Obama will nominate into his cabinet; waiting for the millions to descend upon the city to see the swearing in of our 44th president; and waiting for the change we were promised for two years. The City is in transition. Our country is in transition. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s about time.

Palin’s Vetting Documents from ’06

I grabbed this from the blog Mudflats. This is the document the Dems in Alaska produced after vetting her before she took the Gov’s office. Although not groundbreaking, it is pretty interesting.

Check it out.

Palin vetted.

Putin Tranquilizes Tiger — Good PR or Russia’s Heman?

According to NPR, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was out with with some wildlife specialists and a camera crew (to document, umm, them walking in the forest?) to check out a tiger that was trapped by the specialists. The tiger escaped and Putin, being the man he is, grabbed a tranquilizer gun and shot and sedated the tiger before it attacked the crew.

Haha, I find it really hard to believe that this wasn’t planned .. very hard to believe.

Barack Obama at Invesco Stadium (+ video)

Obama’s speech at Invesco really tied up the DNC very well. It was an incredible crowd and great speech from Obama.

Ann Curry -- What a woman 😉

The Man's podium

Blitzman

Look, it's Toby Ziegler

My little video

Barack’s speech

DNC Week!

What a week! Although I’m glad to be back in D.C. (minus the humidity), I’m really thankful that I was able to participate in and experience such an historic event. My liver probably wishes I didn’t go, but man was it worth it. Here are some of the highlights of the week as promised:

The Tent: Blogger HQ

Global Poverty Forum:

Global Poverty Forum

Back of Ben Affleck's head

Protests:

Antiabortion Protest

Re-create ’68

Re-create '68 crowd

Global AIDS Alliance luncheon:

Danny Glover

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Sen. Barbara Boxer

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Cali.)

DNC — Day 2

The Democratic National Convention has been great so far! Been meeting and running into random Reps. and Sens. (and Danny Glover). I’m taking the day off from the Convention and going up (or down, I’m not sure) to Fort Collins. Fat Tire Brewery, I can’t wait! I’ll throw up some pics soon.

The Folly of RCN

To: RCN

From: A disgruntled customer

I’ve been a RCN customer for a total of one week and am already dissatisfied! I’m not sure how it is in other places, but in DC (where I live) the customer service just, well, sucks. The technician who came over to connect me to the Internet decided it would be best to set up the modem in the living room — I was ok with that. The problem is the ethernet chord the guy had wasn’t long enough to reach my desktop in my bedroom, so we had to connect through my wireless router. After a week, I decided going through the routher wasn’t the best of ideas. It turns out I don’t like waiting forever to read e-mails, who knew?

Ok Ok, so the technician didn’t do the best job, but I’m ok with that — the dude was probably really busy, it was humid outside, and I probably wasn’t in the best of moods that day. The problem is their call center/help line. I can’t believe their reluctance to help people, I was shocked! I called them last night to get a technician back to my place to either set up the modem in my room or provide me with a long enough ethernet chord to reach my desktop. The woman I talked to (who had to speak to her supervisor 2-3 times for clarity) said they could not send out a technician until I went and purchased a long enough ethernet chord myself, then they would send a person out!

I don’t understand why RCN wouldn’t send somebody to fix a real problem, but are totally ok with sending them out to connect a frickin’ chord!! haha, I can’t belive it! Anyways, after about 10 minutes of telling the woman that I didn’t think it was my responsibility to buy a chord to connect my computer to the modem — something that I think is foundational and expected of an ISP — she hung up on me!

Am I wrong to hope and think that if I sign up and pay for a service (in this case, a certain transfer rate) that the company would at the very least provide it? Am I asking for the world when I ask my ISP to connect my computer to the Internet? Maybe I am. Maybe I’m just a selfish fool trying to bring down the poor corporate conglomerate.

Web 2.0 – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tweeting at the G8 summit

This lil’ blurb in the Washington Post is all about Gordon Brown and his staff using Web 2.0 technology at the G8 summit.  The power of Web 2.0 tech. is pretty obvious, but this article shows how these new tools are letting regular people experience and be apart of something that they would never had had the opportunity otherwise.

Here’s his Blog/Twitter/Flixr

The Real John McCain

No words necessary, really.