Christmas Eve 2005

Off to my hometown of Syracuse, New York for Christmas with my beautiful wife.
Merry, Merry Christmas everyone!

23 December 2005

See. It's complete and utter IDIOCY like this that makes covering Washington politics fun. What tools.

23 December 2005

Okay. I've tried to resist it. I've totally slipped into full SWOON mode over our baby panda. He went outside for the first time yesterday and the Washington Post has the cutest damn picture gallery of his outing.

22 December 2005

Just came back to the office after grabbing a sandwich for lunch. I intended to go to Union Station, but there was a "suspicious package" in the area. Police were everywhere. Several streets right by my building were blocked off, and pedestrians were directed to take "alternate routes." It was quite a scene. But everyone, including myself, was totally unfazed and just went about their business. Scenes like this happen all the time in DC (and I assume other major cities) more often than you think, but I'm still amazed at how sanguine we are about it. I decided to go to a deli about a block and a half away and barely gave it a second thought.

21 December 2005

Saw this great picture on the New Orleans-Picayune website (which is a must read for anyone who loves New Orleans and wants to keep up on post-Katrina recovery efforts.) My partner went to school in Tulane, we have very good friends who've been displaced due to Katrina, (and I instantly fell in love with the place the first time I visited), so New Orleans holds a special place in our hearts -- especially this Christmas.

21 December 2005

My partner and I made Christmas cookies last night. Two things I've learned about the whole process.

1. It's a LOT more expensive than you think. Not only the ingredients, but
all the accessories (cutouts, cooling racks, rolling pins, etc.) and
deocrating stuff (sprinkles, icings, gels, etc.)

2. It's a MAJOR pain in the ass.

20 December 2005

Noticed a story about the "touchy feely-ness" of New Mexico Governor (and potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidate) Bill Richardson in the Albuquerque Journal. This quote jumped out at me: "Governor Bill Richardson likes to touch people. He hugs, pokes, jabs and tickles. If he sees a man with a bald pate, he rubs it. Looking to start a conversation, he might lean forward and head-butt someone— male or female."

That quote stuck out for me because I've been the target of one of Richardson's head-butts. I was at another cable news show at the time. During this particular show I asked the host (through his earpiece) to ask the Governor if he was running for president. The host then posed the question and said -- on the air -- that "his producer" (me) was the one who wanted to know. (Richardson -- like most smart politicians -- coyly and demurely avoided answering: ("Oh, I'm not focused on that right now. I LOVE being the governor of New Mexico, blah, blah, blah.") After the show I went out on the set and after finding out that I was the producer in question, the Governor proceeded to give me a head-butt. I rememeber it being quite disarming -- and endearing.