We're Moving!

Dear Friends,

As some of you may have already heard, we are getting ready to move (again). Ever since the Romney campaign ended, Jeremy has been meeting with lots of different people in Washington, DC, learning about different political careers and trying to decide what his next step is.

After spending some time there and looking at different options, we decided that DC was our next step, and started putting things in motion. We set a date to move (May 1st), and Jeremy went back to line up housing and to do some more interviews. Although for a little while it didn't look like things were going to work out, at the end of his trip he was able to find some housing and also received a job offer.

So, on Tuesday we'll be putting our stuff into a moving truck and making the trek down the Atlantic Seaboard to Washington, DC. We've really loved it here in Boston and will be sad to leave our friends, but will carry away lots of great memories of our time here. We'll be living outside the city on the Virginia side; email or call us for our new address.

And for you bloggers, here are our blogs that you can subscribe to (you're already looking at one of them...):

http://erbreport.blogspot.com
http://jillerbreport.blogspot.com

Jeremy was able to make a lot of great contacts, which will be great for his new job, and will provide leads for future opportunities. A big thanks to everyone who helped him set up meetings. Jeremy hopes to accept an offer with a big risk, but also a big reward -- more to come.

Jill has been looking at some HR/admin jobs in the area, and is especially interestedin some law firms that are hiring. There are about 5 places that want to meet with her once she's in town, which is exciting. We'll take this week to get settled, and then Jeremy starts next week and Jill will start interviewing.

It's been great seeing old friends and making new ones out here in the East -- we hope that some of your travels might take you to Washington; we'll have an extra room and bathroom, and will be close to the Dulles airport. Let us know if you're ever in the area!

Best wishes to all of you! We hope you're well and think of you often.

Off to our next adventure!

Best,

Jeremy and Jill

Food Storage reminder

Many members of the Church are aware of the frequent reminders of the leaders to the membership of the counsel to set aside food and other supplies so that there may be resources available in times of need. (For a biblical example, think of Joseph's interpretation of the Pharaoh's dream of the 7 fat kine and the 7 sickly kine).

Check out THIS ARTICLE from the Wall Street Journal. Does it take a "business figure" to tell you this to start doing it? Are you glad for the foresight offered by leaders of the Church?

Food Storage... what's in your basement?

I'm home!

Flew back to Boston Thursday morning. Helped with some things around the house, then took Claudia downtown on the "T" to see Jill's work, wander around, and visit Harvard Square. Had sushi for lunch.

Watched Ghost, ate pizza, and went to bed. =)

DC Day 8

My final day in the city. Got up early, had my first "cashier's check experience." Re-read (a few more times) the lease, and prepared to go sign with our new landlord.

Big thanks to grandpa for helping me with the lease language and pointing out some items for negotiation.

Signed the lease, did our walk-through, and walked away with the keys to the new "Kingdom of Erb."

Went downtown again for another appointment and made two great contacts.

by my appointment

trees in bloom, townhouses in NE Washington, DC

Can you read the bumper sticker? Saw this on the drive to Reston.

liberalism:
reality deficit disorder

Returned to base and read some more Descartes, falling asleep outside in a lawn chair. Watched some National Geographic specials about the CIA and mind control experiments, a New Mexico cult (and its mind control), and started one on the Unabomber, but decided it was time to go to bed, since I had to get up early to fly back to Boston tomorrow.

ta ta for now. maybe I'll do some mobile blogging while I'm waiting at the airport.

Safari, anyone?

DC Day 7, complete with Dinosaurs

Stayed up late last night, watching the Jazz game and then a Burn Notice re-run, so I slept in a little today.

Headed downtown and had about 2 hours before my meeting on the Hill, so I decided to walk around the National Mall and visit the Smithsonian. I wanted to see the American History museum, but it was closed for rennovation. "Next door" is the Museum of Natural History, and it was full of tour groups--mostly elementary school students. I decided to brave the crowds anyway, and wandered the halls in my suit and try to learn a few things while I was at it.

Here are some pictures from my time in the musuem.


I really liked the exhibit of animal photographs. Weird, I know. Could see all the stuffed mammals and dinosaur fossils and such, but the photos were amazing. I wonder how they printed them -- the colors were brilliant, and the pictures stunning. I snapped a few of my own (above).

After that, I went to my appointment on the Hill, and met with a California Congressman. He was great; asked questions about me and my job search, shared his "story," and gave advice. Big thanks to Grandpa for the help getting this appointment!

After that, I took a walk around the House Office Buildings, then sat down by a fountain and enjoyed some sunshine. There was a slight drizzle when I left, and the weather report was for scattered "drizzle," so I had my umbrella with me. However, it was safely in the 70's with scattered clouds. Got some sunshine, and feeling the warmth of a slight sunburn on my forehead and hands.

Commuted back to "base," had a delicious steak dinner, and watched the commentary on the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania. Checked the returns: the PA Department of State site, Politico, and Drudge. Senator Clinton is favored to win; the question is the margin. Karl Rove was on Fox discussing the awkward weighting of the congressional districts that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party came up with. Hmmm...

Reviewed the draft lease I received tonight from our future landlord; will review it with Grandpa.

One more day of fun, then back to Boston to get ready for the move!

Big thanks to Jill and Wadda for getting a ton of work done at the apartment.

Stay tuned for more of the Erb Report!

Special Visitor on Deal or No Deal

DC Day 6 (cont'd) -- Almost forgot!

Here are some pics from today. I spent about 20 minutes in the National Gallery of Art since I was early for my lunch meeting. I drove in (and back) right past the Washington Monument.



It was a good day. Although I realized this evening that I thought I sent an email to our potential landlord about my job offer, but realized that I replied to myself, and not to his email address. So I quickly resent the email once I caught that mistake; not sure how often he checks... but he should get it tomorrow, if not this evening. Silly me.

DC Day 6

Although a little dreary in the morning, the day certainly "brightened" up for me after going out to lunch with some friends. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Slept in a little this morning (meaning, I hit snooze a few times and got out of bed at 7:00am), got ready for the day, and packed up my things. Changed "host homes" this afternoon because my Reston hosts were getting ready to head out of town for a graduation.

Repetively checked my email, hoping for something regarding our condo. Got invited to lunch with come campaign buddies, and met them in DC at the Capital Grille. One works at Treasury, the other has been working for DOE (although some GOP leadership are dragging his "services" off to another job very soon). Met one of their friends who works at the White House / Presidential Personnel. Enjoyed the afternoon reminiscing about past campaign events, current events in the lives of our friends, and eating "the best calamari in DC" (according to our server; I'd have to agree. It was very good, and the only calamari I've had in DC, and therefore the bets in my book) and the lobster bisque for starters. I had The Grille's Signature Cheeseburger, which was also excellent.

Had my soft offer "firmed up" some today, which took a big weight off my shoulder. I couldn't wait to get back to our potential landlord and let him know the good news, that in addition to the wonderful credit and rental history that our application shows, he can add soon-to-be-gainfully-employed to it, as well. I'll fill you in once I get this nailed down.

[[Always trying to be prepared, I still have a second soft offer to work with (although this one won't firm up for a little bit b/c of funding issues), and am pursuing 3rd and 4th options.]]

Decided to post some blogs and explore cyberspace. Had been waxing a little nostalgic since my post about the Ranch in Paso Robles, so I put my Google skills to the test and tried to track down old friends. We'll see if any of them decide they remember me...

Also found the press release and the full-text from the dinner I attended Saturday evening.

Ta ta for now

DC Day 5

Sabbath Day. Went to Church, personal study time, enjoy the rainy day, dinner, spoke to family, and bed.

Talked about the Allegory of the Olive Tree today. I don't know why it hasn't "clicked" before, but the discussion made me think about the time spent working in my grandfather's vineyard (see image below). For several summers, I pruned the vines, collected the branches that were cut off, checked for signs of pests (rabbits, gophers, squirrels), kept watch for "bad fruit" (places where the vine yielded the original "green" grapes instead of the small, deep purple Merlot variety that had been grafted into the root stock, and helped with the harvest. I'll have to share some thoughts about the process of being a "husbandman" in the R&E Ranch vineyards.

But the ranch offered other things for me during my teenage years. Our family had recently returned to California (after a 5-year or so stint in Eagle, ID) and was located close to the Ranch. One year, I received paintball guns for my birthday, so I would play with friends in the riverbeds and cattle pastures. One time, we wanted to have some "urban assault" practice, so we used the upper lawn as our playing field. The doll house, tree house, and open ground provided a challenge for taking and holding a building. We also played a "stealth" game as the afternoon got darker, where a team would take up certain vantage points, and then a "lone wolf" operative would try to infiltrate the camp -- creeping silently without a weapon, in a sort of reconnaisance mission. Unfortunately, some shots went stray and a few ended up making their mark on the white walls of the Spanish (or mission-)- style home. I went back early the next afternoon to clean up our traces, but the foreman had already seen them as he went up to water the horses, and told grandpa. I got a phone call for that...


View Larger Map

Besides the work and the paintballing, the Ranch offered a place to expend pent up energy and to find some quiet time (and place) to myself. On several occasions, I lugged my saxophone up a hill on the property and serenaded the cows, birds, and other wildlife. Other times I brought a rifle and practised some marksmanship.

[[Aside: I'm not a "lifelong hunter" by any stretch of the imagination. I went deer hunting in Idaho with my father and some friends once; none of us got anything. I've taken out some varmints--jack rabbits and ground squirrels--around the Ranch to keep them away from the vines. But most of my targets have been paper, wood, aluminum, or clay. In fact, some of my favorite targets as a young boy were wooden pencils stuck in the lawn that I would "snap" from a distance with my Red Ryder bb-gun, or aluminum cans that would turn to shreds (then placed in our recycling bin). I also really enjoy shooting trap, which I haven't done in quite some time. It is typically a part of our family Thanksgiving activities when we're at the Ranch.]]

But, often, I'd just go for a hike around the property and enjoy the quiet outdoors and be alone in my thoughts. I have lots of great memories of time spent at the Ranch.



Here are a few pictures from the backyard where I'm staying. Unfortunately, my Blackberry's built-in camera can't quite do the colors justice from a distance.

The sound of the rain was relaxing as I sat by the fire and read for the better part of the day.

DC Day 4 and Dinner

UPDATED

- Ate breakfast with a zone-full of Elders and Sisters.
- Visited two more condos.
- Went to a softball game and got a little sunshine on my skin.

Went to the BYU Management Society (DC Chapter) dinner at the Georgetown Marriott.

BYU Management Society Dinner

Elder M. Russell Ballard, member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, received the Distinguished Public Service Award, and was accompanied by other General and Area Authorities: Elder Quentin L. Cook (Quorum of the 12), Elder Earl C. Tingey (Presidency of the 70), Elder Clayton M. Christensen, and Elder Matthew Eyring.

Notable US government leaders included Senator Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader, D-NV), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT), and Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR). Also in attendance were members of foreign delegations (I caught name tags of "Director of Mission" for the Phillipines, among others) and the Ambassador from China.

Other names (sponsors from the program, mentioned during the announcements, or seen in the crowd) were names that I recognized from my time at RFP. I won't take the time to list them now, but they are well-established LDS business leaders and others at the "pinnacle of their professions;" many were senior fundraisers.

Elder Ballard spoke about how much press the Church has received over the last several years--much more so than in any other time in our history. While reaffirming the Church's stance of political neutrality in his remarks (this he did amidst the chuckles that came as he named off prominent LDS politicians and adminstative officials--from both parties--who were in attendance, seated right in from of him), he mentioned the interest in the Church that came about becuase of Mitt's candidacy. He cited major newspapers, other groups, and bloggers as he discussed the potential impact of Mitt's "Mormon" faith on his candidacy. I'd like to search out some of the quotes he used; one prominent news site wrote to the effect that the religious bigotry exhibited in this presidential race didn't hurt Governor Romney, it really hurt all of America; going even further to assert the evils of both religion- and race-baiting.

Elder Ballard cited the large amount of false, misleading, and otherwise ill-intentioned information about the Church that is available, especially on the Internet. Then he asked this group, leaders of business, government, and Church, chapter members and special guests: "What are you going to do about it?"

He encouraged members of the Church--explicity emphasizing even Church leaders--to join in the public discussion and defense of the faith. He spoke of his travels with Elder Cook, meeting with heads of major newspapers and other media companies, urging them to be accurate and fair in their reporting. He spoke of a 6-page letter that a missionary friend of his had written to a news provider, refuting many points of a recent broadcast with facts and strongly urging them to step up into "real" journalism by taking the time to examine the facts, and then report those.

Referencing the writings of Paul and the Articles of Faith, he spoke of "seeking after" things that are virtuous, lovely, and of good report. Elder Ballard stated that "seeking after" implies active participation, not passive acceptance. Returning to a theme (which I believe he spoke on at a BYU-Hawaii devotional or graduation), he encouraged those in the room to use the Internet--whether through your own blog or by contributing to others'--to not only correct error, but to share experiences. By this, he mentioned that there are certain times and places for testimony (Church, teaching, private conversations), and we are to share it, especially when in a setting where the other people involved are receptive to that witness. He then spoke about what we should say and write in public settings--not forcing our religion upon anyone--to help contribute to the growing wealth of good, correct, and positive information about the Church. He mentioned speaking/writing about (1) how Church service has blessed you, (2) how Family Home Evening has strengthened your family relationships, (3) the impact of family councils, prayer, and/or scripture study, (4) where you learned to respect the beliefs of others, and many other things (I wish I could remember all his examples!) of that nature.

Although the previously mentioned things might not be the typical "Fast Sunday" testimony topics, I think these are great examples of personal witnesses of what the Church has done for me and my life. Often, as a missionary, I would meet people who would say, "Oh, I knew a Mormon once. S/He was such a wonderful person; I really respect and admire him/her." I think what Elder Ballard was trying to tell us is that we need to "close the gap" for these people -- they see our examples and in many ways admire the things we do. But do we positively assert that we are that way or that we do those things because of our Savior, His Church, and his teachings?

Elder Ballard also spoke of those who faithfully fulfill Church service, while serving their constituents in the public office to which they have been elected. Of those people, he said that they deserve our deep respect.

It was a great evening.

DC Day 3 and Descartes

Proud of myself...actually got up early (meaning, only hit snooze once when my alarm went off at 6:30am), got ready, drove to Vienna, and got on the 8:18am train. Received a phone call before I got on the train from a California congressman -- cool, huh? He was in a plane on his way to California, but said we could meet up next week.

De-trained at the Capitol South metro station and walked over to the Capitol lawn. Made some phone calls (to the condo guy, Jill, and set up another meeting) and enjoyed the sunshine for about 45 minutes. Walked over to my appointment at the Rayburn office building; met with 3 different people there.



Came back, filled out a rental application, got some cash from the bank, and then met the condo guy to deliver the application. He was great -- hopefully I was charming and convincing in my plea that we'll both actually be working, despite the fact that we don't have jobs yet. It's quite the catch 22, our potential employers want us to be in the city; we need a place to live; our potential landlords are hesitant that we don't have employment; but we can't stay in the city without a place to live ... ugh.

After that, I kicked back in a lounge chair outside, enjoyed the sunset, listened to the birds chirping, and read the next section of Descartes. I'll have to fill in more later about what I thought, but here are a few quotes and brief commentary:

When talking about examining his own opinions and trying to learn from others, Descartes writes,

"It seemed to me that to learn people's true opinions, I should pay attention to their conduct rather than to their words, not only because in our corrupt times there are few who are ready to say all that they believe, but also because many are not aware of their own beliefs, since the mental process of knowing a thing is good or bad is distinct from, and can occur without, the mental process of knowing that we know it."

Later, he says that his second maxim is "to be as firm and determined in my actions as I could be." His words relating to this maxim made me think of our move to Washington, DC.

"In this matter [of firm and determined actions] I patterned my behavior on that of travelers, who, finding themselves lost in a forest, must not wander about, now turning this way, now that, and still less should remain in one place, but should go as straight as they can in the direction they first select and not change the direction except for the strongest reasons. By this method, even if the direction was chosen at random, they will presumably arrive at some destination, not perhaps where they would like to be, but at least where they will be better off than in the middle fo the forest. Similarly, situations in life often permit no delay; and when we cannot determine the course which is certainly best, we must follow the one which is probably the best; and when we cannot determine even that, we must nevertheless select one and follow it therafter as though it were certainly best. If the course selected is not indeed a good one, at least the reasons for selecting it are excellent. This frame of mind freed me also from the repentance and remorse commonly felt by those vacillating individuals who are always seeking as worth while things which they later judge to be bad."

Then, he returns to some thoughts about truth (I've discussed some of his previous insights earlier in my blog), and about the need to examine things for one's self.

"For as God has given each one of us some ability to distinguish the true from the false, I should not haev been content for one instant to rely on the opinions of others if I had not planned to use my own judgment at the proper time; nor could I have followed those opinions with a clear conscience if I had not hoped to take advantage of every opportuniy to find better ones, if better ones there were. ... "

Then, later about the relation between judgment [distinguishing true from false] and behavior [application of knowledge].

"[G]ood judgment is sufficient to guarantee good behavior. Judging as best one can therefore implies that one acts as well as one can, ...."

Were I a little more verbose and lucid, I'd write some more about it. For now, why don't you just mull those quotes over in your own mind and see what you think about -- then let me know by commenting below!

Later, helped make some casseroles for a big breakfast tomorrow -- each quarter all the missionaries in the stake get invited to a member of the stake presidency's home for breakfast and to discuss the efforts in the stake. Tomorrow is "missionary day" here; they'll be showing up at 8am en masse for breakfast.

Wrapped up about 10:45pm, wrote this quick post, called Jill, and went to bed.

Congrats to Jill

for her last day of work .... for now

Day 2

Got up, pretended to exercise (few hundred jumping jacks and some pushups), had breakfast, looked up phone numbers for some apt complexes and set some appointments.

Visited an apartment community near Lake Fairfax, then went to another community in Reston. Took a bunch of pictures, wandered around, then drove around the park at Fairfax Lake and took some more pictures. Ate lunch, then saw two more condos -- one in Oakton, the other back in Reston. Really liked the last one.

Came back, checked email, got caught up on some news, played the piano and talked to Jill, then decided to send in some job applications ... but Blogger delayed me. :-D

Mr. Condo-for-let, Won't you please let me be a neighbor.

A busy day back in DC

Took the JetBlue BOS-->IAD shuttle this morning and got settled in out in Reston, VA where I'll be staying with some family friends for the next few days. For those of you who read my blog ;-), you know that this is my second trip to DC in as many months. Last trip, I spent a lot of time meeting with people in various careers and trying to figure out where I want my career (ooh, scary) to go (at least until I change it another 7 times, or whatever the statistic is).

After hanging up my suit and nice shirts, I made a lot of phone calls, mostly to people with housing available, but to a few potential employment leads. Last trip gave me a good idea of the path I want to be on; this trip, I need to get a place to live so that we can actually get to work once we're here. The trick will be to convince rentors to look at our credit record and listen to our potential job offers here, and--ignoring the fact that neither of us currently have a job in DC--trust that we'll both have jobs and will be able to pay our rent.

I looked at a few places today--all in the Reston area. One on Lake Shore Crest Drive, another on Moorings Drive, and the third on Castle Rock Square. The first one was nice, in a quiet place, reasonably priced ($1,300 including all utilities except electricity and internet), but nothing too special. At the second, I couldn't quite get over the fact that the linoleum floor was sticky and the place smelled like dog and aquariums (two fish tanks). It had a lot of neat features--close to a lake, with a place to keep a canoe, bbq area, and access to nearby pools and tennis courts--but the older kitchen, third floor, and general appearance left a lot to be desired. The last one was incredible. Tucked away in the back of its newer complex, marble trimmed gas fireplace, large windows, adequate lighting (apparently lots of the older condos had something against ceiling fixtures), some splashes of color, large closets and a big bathroom -- talking with the guy almost made me want to buy it on the spot.

Sent pictures, descriptions, and rough floor plans that MS Paint and I created to Jill for her to look over. Still have a dozen more places to see ... and a job* to get ...

[[* Along these lines, something interesting may be in the works...stay tuned]]

This should prove to be an interesting trip.

[shh!] CNN Catches on...

In a response (finally!) to what has been going on for weeks now, CNN investigates the "Rick Roll" phenomenon and gives us their two-cents HERE.

If you haven't been Rick Roll'ed, your friends must be behind the times, too.

Other "Roll" versions have popped up... here's a few samples

Live Roll?


UPDATED -- Liverpool Remix?


Fresh Roll?


Tay Roll?


Sonic Roll?


Brian Roll?


Link Roll?


Yoda Roll?


EVERYTHING?

divinity in the Administration?

In a feat of divine proportions, a New York Times article today boldly proclaims:

Cheney Resurrects Wright

Wow. Pretty impressive for a not-so-popular VP... Now if the act of resurrection isn't enough to raise your eyebrows, check out the un-original admirers of Wright and unabashed Cheney critics in the comments below the article. Tell me -- Where do these people come from?

Jott feedback

attempted my first Jott-to-phone-to-email-to-blog post... so the punctuation is a little off, but otherwise it took down the words.

i'll have to learn how to talk to Jott. I didn't have a script beforehand, and in my attempt to speak clearly I think I sound a little slow...

anywhoo...enjoy

(Jott from Jeremy Erb) I'm combining my technolo...

Sent with my voice via Jott:

I'm combining my technological things that I use today to attempt a vocal or audio blog post on my blog. I have called my Jott account, left the message for my blog and when this is all through. I expect that I shall see a new blog post on my blog isn't that cool. I could give updates from the road. Simply by making a phone call technology is amazing. Thank you Jott.

Listen to Jeremy's Message

Jeremy Erb

What is Jott?

Jott (www.jott.com) turns your voice into emails & text messages. Simply call Jott and speak your message. Jott converts your voice to text and sends your message. Jott can also create reminders, lists & appointments. Sign up for your FREE Jott account today.

Brought to you by Jott.com - 1-866-JOTT-123
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Click here to stop receiving all emails from Jott.

Blog Tweaks

I discovered (after removing various "gadgets" from my page) that it wasn't what I thought slowing down my page -- it was the "Be Cool -- Subscribe" gadget that had embedded drop-down list for you to add my blog's RSS feed to the reader of your choice. Take that away and -- voila! -- it loads fast again. Just because it's gone doesn't mean that you shouldn't subscribe, though... put that free Reader to use and get automatically updated when I add a post.

So, I've been exploring the draft.blogger.com website and expirementing with different gadgets that are available in this beta version of Google's Blogger. I found some really cool things, but I decided that they made my page load too slowly. I may add them back if I can figure out how to streamline the loading a little bit. Here's an interesting one, though:

CQ Politics: Political Toolkit
It pulls from their website links to information like: an election map for 2008 for every district and state; poll tracker; CQ primary guide; "Races to Watch" -- House, Senate, Governor.

Not sure why I didn't know about this website before... but the tool was cool, but (seemed) slow (to me). Check it out, you political junkies...

My Life As a Soundtrack...

Poor writing/rhetoric aside, I'm starting this post with an apology: I have not played the game of tag in a long time. Also, I usually ignore/despise the silly games friends play on friends' blogs. But, since Jill tagged me -- and, apparently, I have nothing better to do right now? ;-) -- I will go ahead and give this a shot.

The premise is to use songs/song titles to provide music for your life, as if it were a movie. For those of you who know me well, my typical music listening comprises various classical works, "smart" podcasts, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and then an eclectic range of "other stuff." This should be interesting...
***and took me long enough.... it's not perfect, but it's interesting***

Opening Credits: "Stray Cat Strut," Stray Cats

Waking Up: "Here Comes the Sun," The Beatles -AND- "It's the Nine," Charley Jenkins

First Day At School: "I'm No Fool," Disney

Falling In Love: "What a Wonderful World," Louis Armstrong -AND- "She's Got a Way," Billy Joel ("live") -AND- "Just What I Need," Rufus King

Fight Song: "Etudes, Op. 10, No. 4, Ut Diese Mineur," Chopin (it's not the name, it's the music, that made me pick this one)

Breaking Up: "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," Billy Joel

Prom: "All She Wants To Do Is Dance," Don Henley -OR- "Que Bueno Baila Usted," Ibrahim Ferrer

Life's OK: "Banana Pancakes," Jack Johnson

Mental Breakdown: "Enter Sandman," Metallica

Driving: "Piano Man," Billy Joel (you know what I'm talking about...)

Flashback: "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," Celine Dion

Getting Back Together: "Kissin' on the Beach," Earl Klugh

Wedding: "From This Moment On," Shania Twain & Bryan White -AND- "Underneath Your Clothes," Shakira

Birth of Child: [can't decide yet]

Final Battle: "1812 Overture," Tchaikovsky -OR- "Into the Fire," The Scarlet Pimpernel

Death Scene: "Another One Bites the Dust," Queen

Funeral Song: "Ol' Man River," Ray Charles

End Credits: "Bye, Bye, Bye," N'Sync (be sure to stay for the blooper reel!)

What's wrong with this picture?

This is from a recent Absolut vodka ad that came out around March of this year (2008).

If you go HERE, you can read what some other people have had to say about the ad.

But, what do you think?

How to Start Your Own country

Courtesy of Joshua Keating at Foreign Policy, check out here how to become your own country. Rock on!

Look at someone who has tried, by occupying an artificial island off the coast of the UK since the 1960s.

Gmail: Custom time!

Forgot to send your homework into your teacher on time? That project for your boss that you promised would be in "by 5pm on Friday?" Forgot to send a note for a birthday or anniversary?

Never fear -- Google Custom Time is here!

Here's a snapshot of what Google has to say about it:

How do I use it?
Just click "Set custom time" from the Compose view. Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox. You can opt for it to show up read or unread by selecting the appropriate option.

Is there a limit to how far back I can send email?
Yes. You'll only be able to send email back until April 1, 2004, the day we launched Gmail. If we were to let you send an email from Gmail before Gmail existed, well, that would be like hanging out with your parents before you were born -- crazy talk.

How does it work?
Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality (see Grandfather Paradox).

With judicious use of your ten (10) custom time emails per year, never be late with an email again!