What's Been Goin' On

Hey folks (assuming any of you are still out there).

Things have been typically hectic with the holidays and all. Plus, with Senator Feingold out of the presidential race, the raison d'etre of Pacific Northwest For Feingold seems to be called into question.

The Senator was nice enough to send a thank you note to the folks at Run Russ Run. It was a kind gesture to folks who spent a lot of time working to make President Feingold a reality.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a little of what's been happening 'round these parts for the last month and a half.

JUNIOR

He turns 5 months old today. I've been spending a lot of time with the little one. It never feels like enough, but I'm pretty happy to have as much time with him as I do. Above is a quick snapshot of the little fella at Christmas time. No, those presents weren't all for him. His pile was so big we had to put it at his grandma's house. Seriously, we're still going through bags and running across unopened toys for the tyke.

In more recent news, he took his first bite of "solid" food yesterday. He's growing up, which is wonderful to watch, but it does really feel like it's happening all too quickly.

POLITICS

What can I say about the world of politics? It seems that so much has happened, yet so little. The President wants to escalate the Iraq War with 20,000 more troops for a purpose that is not entirely clear, and with an outcome that is completely uncertain. While the mood of the country is decidedly opposed to this effort, it hasn't translated into widespread street action like we saw during the Vietnam War, or even in the build-up to this war.

The Democrats have retaken Congress and are pushing forward with their agenda. Nothing terribly remarkable or exciting has shaken loose yet, and it's unclear if the work the House does in its first 100 hours will be taken up by the Senate, but at least stuff's getting done that doesn't involve meddling in people's end of life decisions.

2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

We all know the '08 campaign is in full-swing, and we all know that this will indeed be one of the most interesting presidential races in a long time. This is a function of the issues that are dominating our lives (Iraq, the environment, econominics), and the fact that the primaries are (theoretically) wide open with no president or vice-president in the race or even talking of getting into the race.

We also all know the bitter disappointment of losing our favorite candidate. At the moment I don't feel I have a political home for 2008. I am favorably disposed towards Edwards, moreso now than in 2004, because he speaks to the issues that motivate me the most, and he has forthrightly admitted his Iraq War vote was a mistake. I also like what Obama says when I listen to him, but his brief tenure in the Senate has been marked by a few disappointing votes. I sense there's a struggle within Obama between the principled and the practical, and rather than resolve that struggle one way or the other, he tries to split the difference. Now, he does it with an eloquence and vision that is incredibly compelling. But I'm skeptical of candidates who sound good, but don't do good.

Everyone else in the race bores me to greater or lesser degrees. I would love nothing better than to see the glass ceiling of presidential politics shattered, but Clinton is substantively far from what I would want in my standard-bearer. Biden and Dodd reek of the DC status quo, even though they come to it from different political vantage points. Richardson is mostly unknown to me, and while I am thrilled at the prospect of another artificial barrier being broken, but I'd have to learn a lot more about him to become enthusiastic.

It goes without saying that the Republican candidates offer nothing redeeming.

For now I am adrift in the sea of the 2008 race, and I hope to take a long and hard look at whichever candidate I decide to suport. I may just sit out the whole primary altogether, but given the issues I mentioned before, I don't feel right doing that.

BLOGGING

Similar to my 2008 ambivalence, I am still uncertain what I want to do blogging-wise. I like the idea of blogging, and I generally enjoy myself when I do it. If I continue (beyond periodic posts here), I'd want to do so with a less focused blog. I'd like to spend time writing about politics beyond the presidential race, and I'd also like to write about things beyond politics (movies, books etc.). But one of the things that I continually ask myself is: What Would You Say? At the moment, I'm not convinced that I have much intelligent to contribute to the dialogue. And when the likes of billmon call it quits, it's difficult to see how my voice will enhance anything. I haven't made a decision, and probably won't for a while longer yet. But that is my thinking so far.

SEAHAWKS

Some of you may remember my mea culpa when the Hawks lost the Super Bowl last year. Well, this year I did everything I could think of to avoid the same fate, and they still loss. A rational person would deduce that that means his menial rituals on game day are irrelevant. HA! What do you know!? Trust me, I'll be back next year with even MORE ridiculous rites and rituals, and what's worse, I'll be instilling them in my son!

This season was painful to watch in many respects, and now it is mercifully over. But the guys did a lot that made me proud of them, and definitely showed that they were a team to be reckoned with, despite what the national sports media thought. I also discovered Field Gulls, and have enjoyed reading the folks over there. They're the kind of fans I can relate to because they take a critical eye to everything, both pro and con for the Hawks.

Like they say, there's always next year, and I'm looking forward to it already.

BLAZERS AND MARINERS

I just want to go on record as asserting that I am, and have been, a long-time Trailblazers and Mariners fan, and though my intensity for both teams has waned, I do keep tabs on them and watch how they're doing. For the Blazers, I am thrilled that we traded for Brandon Roy, and I look forward to watching him rebuild this team.

MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS

Best movie I've seen in awhile: The Departed.
Second best movie I've seen in awhile: Brick.
Best television series I'm watching on DVD: The Wire (season 2 at the moment)
Best television series I'm watching on TV: The Office

That's all for now. Sorry for the long post.