tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5726184330904940042011-07-30T19:00:39.340-04:00How to look on the bright side of complete and total disasters.Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-36626461883748905492009-01-27T07:17:00.007-05:002009-01-27T12:54:41.377-05:00

I live in a Georgetown townhouse with a few roommates, one of whom is my youngest brother, the Genius. He likes to do Sudoku puzzles in pen, is a math major studying cryptography, and is amazingly good at Wheel of Fortune.Last night, he opened our back door to get the trash and put it out for collection. A moment later, he opened the nearby door to the basement, where my room is. From where I was

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-29979412198367220162009-01-24T04:00:00.002-05:002009-01-24T04:06:07.947-05:00

Hi kids. Check this out:Here's the original, which makes the spoof that much better:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-74483978249298557802009-01-23T11:48:00.005-05:002009-01-23T13:11:50.365-05:00

My old boss Stumpy loved mandatory fun. Most of you have had mandatory fun in your careers - required work-related social events held in the name of teambuilding or some such managerial piffle. Most people I know hate mandatory fun because we already have co-worker friends and hang out with them. We don't like being compelled to socialize with co-workers we're not friends with - they're not our

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-79284325911733183132009-01-08T14:54:00.002-05:002009-01-08T15:27:51.586-05:00

Standing in line at the post office today, I noticed a college student getting her passport photo taken. It's a small lobby, and I was able to overhear her conversation: she was spending the summer studying in Italy, and needed her passport by the end of May. That reminded me that I needed to renew my passport. It expired a year ago, and besides, the picture was from my freshman year of college.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-89911893027661682232009-01-06T12:33:00.009-05:002009-01-06T22:11:17.856-05:00

There's a company out there called "Flat Daddies." This company specializes in converting photos of servicemen (and women) into life-size cardboard cutouts. Military families use these flat daddies and mommies as stand-ins for the real, albeit deployed, mommies and daddies. They'll sit Flat Daddy at the dinner table, encourage children to talk to the him, kiss him goodnight, etc.This is all very

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-64675016577068021572009-01-05T14:05:00.004-05:002009-01-05T15:32:21.123-05:00

Dear Loyal Reader/s,Sorry for the hiatus. I temporarily of ran out of ideas, and was distracted by Ms. Demosthenes' move to California. Nevertheless, I'm back, and having ingested nearly four-dozen Christmas cookies, I am too bigger to fail than ever before. I hope your holiday season was splendid. Mine sure was - besides having a white Christmas for the first time in ages, and getting some

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-57870769852556468402008-12-07T10:49:00.008-05:002008-12-07T12:08:12.816-05:00

It is the best of times (Obama won!) and it is the worst of times (pretty much everything else). It is the age of wisdom (again, go Obama), it is the age of foolishness (sub-prime mortgages, Iraq, the Big 3 automakers, Sarah Palin, etc.). So now, as we enter our winter of despair - month 12 of the recession and counting! - can we look forward to a spring of hope? Yes, yes we can. We just need

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-17177955094947558392008-12-02T08:05:00.003-05:002008-12-02T08:18:53.564-05:00

I love a tasty bit of dark humor. Said Ali A. Jalali, former Afghan interior minister, when asked about Obama's plan for Afghanistan: "Afghanistan is not Iraq. It is the theme park of problems." Delightful! The mental image alone was worth the price of the morning paper in which the quote appeared.Mr. Jalali's quip replaced my previous favorite quote of the past news cycle, which had come from

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-91241037570445832792008-11-30T10:51:00.005-05:002009-01-05T15:53:59.977-05:00

This list of 99 Things to Do has been making the rounds. Thought I'd join in and see just how interesting I am. Those items I've completed are in bold.1. Started your own blog2. Slept under the stars3. Played in a band4. Visited Hawaii5. Watched a meteor shower6. Given more than you can afford to charity7. Been to Disneyland/world8. Climbed a mountain9. Held a praying mantis10. Sang a solo 11.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-86024956642925558002008-11-28T22:10:00.003-05:002008-12-03T19:55:44.768-05:00

Well, it's once again that time of year. Here's a little something I wrote a few years ago in law school. For it to make sense, here's a quick primer: freshmen live in dorms on the Boston College law school campus, Joe Liu was my Property professor, and the Asahi case spelled out the rules for obtaining jurisdiction over someone. Don't worry about the law jokes, though, it's mostly about Santa's

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-92039966231486525562008-11-25T11:21:00.009-05:002008-11-25T13:54:32.239-05:00

A few years back, the DC townhouse in which I reside was burgled over Thanksgiving weekend. My brother and his college roommates lived in the house at the time, and the burglars made a thorough job of their work. They waited until everyone had gone home for the long weekend, and then just popped the back door and walked in. They would have made the Grinch proud with their thoroughness:They took

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-78784686915188152722008-11-21T22:49:00.002-05:002008-11-21T22:51:57.649-05:00

I passed the California bar exam. Bring me all the finest meats and cheeses of the land.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-84796075170713273372008-11-21T11:45:00.004-05:002008-12-05T21:56:24.161-05:00

There was recently a good piece in the Times about Egypt. In it, Michael Slackman dissects what he perceives to be an Egyptian tendency toward patience in the face of adversity. "The [Egyptian] education system is in crisis, and unemployment, traffic and pollution area all major problems," Slackman writes, also noting that 40% of the Egyptian population lives on $2 a day. Slackman quotes Mr.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-64720432943344462008-11-20T21:49:00.004-05:002008-11-20T23:09:19.090-05:00

Ms. Demosthenes and I went to see "Carmen" at the Kennedy Center a few nights ago. It was my first live opera experience. Although the plot was insipid, the performances were uniformly impressive - much like the ones in the video below. Enjoy.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-34088895853638669342008-11-15T16:10:00.009-05:002008-11-16T09:55:20.091-05:00

President-elect Obama told us there are no Red States, and there are no Blue States. There are only the United States. He was 100% right, but it had nothing to do with politics. As a nation we are still divided on any number of political issues: abortion, bailouts, tax policy, the Clintons, immigration, war, gay rights, women's rights, etc, etc, etc. We do have common ground, however. It's

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-87263388611278365272008-11-12T13:11:00.005-05:002008-11-12T14:07:16.310-05:00

I recently posted my thoughts on bailing out the auto industry. In brief summary, I said that a well-tailored government solution would best serve all parties. However, I feared that no such government solution was possible, and it might therefore be better just to let the market take its course.In today's NY Times, the author of "The World is Flat" and "Hot, Flat and Crowded", Thomas L. Friedman

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-44927443021048793922008-11-11T12:38:00.002-05:002008-11-11T12:49:31.667-05:00

Happy Veteran's Day

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-2103846908427007552008-11-10T18:38:00.006-05:002008-11-11T12:18:17.753-05:00

Hi again. Since all I do everyday is apply to jobs, watch news, and read the NY Times, I have a lot of time on my hands. I also spend a lot of time thinking about the news. Recent news has focused on the Democrats' plan to bailout the auto industry. No doubt this comes at the urging of the auto workers' unions, who are probably looking for payback for their support of Obama.I am of two minds

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-79019046203566996282008-11-10T15:28:00.006-05:002008-11-11T11:32:07.527-05:00

Um, if you're not interested in tax policy, you just may want to move on to a different post. Go ahead, I won't mind. If you are interested in hearing my questions about Obama's tax plan, click "read more."Ok, so for those of you still with me, here's the basic issue. Obama wants to increase taxes on the upper levels of the tax bracket. Fine. However, I suspect that when Obama's tax plan goes

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-20183055352864776722008-11-09T20:47:00.006-05:002008-11-10T17:36:22.640-05:00

As you probably know, Paul Newman died recently. I mentioned in my last post that America's super soldiers give off a certain air, one that makes men want to be them and women want to be with them. But the coolest cucumber in the special forces doesn't hold a candle to Mr. Newman. Classy, clever, and adept in any role in any genre. Action, sports, drama, animation - he did it all. "Cool Hand Luke

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-88838021970783841282008-11-09T11:47:00.003-05:002008-11-10T17:42:53.074-05:00

Obama's election has apparently rendered the Bush administration the lamest of ducks. "Lame" might even connote too much activity - Bush is more like the duck enjoyed by Ralphie and family in "A Christmas Story." He's been roasted and served on a platter, patiently awaiting carving at the hands of historians, and yet he's still got that goofy, incongruous grin on his face.Suffice it to say that

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-29722236581613999102008-11-05T16:57:00.002-05:002008-11-11T12:03:37.374-05:00

Nowadays, yard sales evoke an image of desperate suburbanites selling off their kids' hand-me-downs in a last-ditch effort to avoid foreclosure. In fact, I recently read an article about California communities that were compelled to enforce little-known ordinances limiting homeowners to 2 yard sales a year. Apparently, there were so many yard sales going on that traffic was backing up and causing

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-7471304323384725602008-11-04T17:31:00.001-05:002008-11-11T13:13:31.969-05:00

I just finished a conversation with my housemate, RB. In the parlance of our times, she's totally in the tank for Obama. Yesterday, she spent 12 hours en route to and from Obama's final campaign stop in Manassas, VA. Tonight she has a slate of 3 election parties to attend. Our conversation covered a lot of electiony topics, one of which was whether the Republicans would attempt to rig the outcome

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-71869975482152243812008-10-30T16:46:00.001-04:002008-11-10T17:41:24.773-05:00

The front page of the New York Times recently reported that U.S. commandos killed civilians during a raid into Syria. The thrust of the story was not the civilian dead (lamentably, civilian casualties stopped being news in 2001 when airstrikes commenced in Afghanistan). Rather, the story focused on the cross-border nature of the raid, likening it to increased “commando” operations in Pakistan.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-160139191197827932008-10-23T22:14:00.000-04:002008-11-06T14:11:23.271-05:00

This story isn’t actually mine. My very good friend Pipes told it to me, and it details the closing hours of his brother Andy’s 21st Birthday. Here is pretty much how he told it, although the details have grown fuzzy with the passing of time:“Ok, so I managed to get home to Minnesota for Andy’s 21st. He was never really much of a drinker, so we figured we’d just head out with some of his high

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-65288204509828095992008-10-22T22:29:00.000-04:002008-11-06T14:12:04.154-05:00

Yesterday I was helping my brother go through some of his old papers - college notebooks, newspaper clippings, class handouts, that sort of thing. He held up an old USA Today, which featured a full-page picture of a bearded and bedraggled Saddam Hussein under the headline "Captured!"It reminded me of where I was when news of Saddam's capture first came out. I was a few hundred miles away, on a

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-82353043580444040852008-10-20T20:31:00.000-04:002008-11-06T14:12:43.932-05:00

I cannot wait for my bailout check to arrive in the mail. I expect it to be here any day. Any moment, in fact, because it is probably being couriered directly from the Treasury to my DC residence. I have a serious problem, and taxpayers need to fix it now, or the whole house of cards is coming down with me.I need this bailout, you see, because I am just like the financial system. Three years ago,

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-572618433090494004.post-89788767839903325742008-10-20T20:21:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:30:54.959-04:00

Hello and welcome.The blog you have on your screen is a collection of stories. At least, it will be a collection of stories, once I've written and posted them. I hope you find them entertaining.

Demostheneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16316344880264938730noreply@blogger.com0