Bryson Likes Big Shoes

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

Bryson loves to walk around in our shoes.

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Finally Joined the Club

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

Amber and I both took a day off of work to go to the “State Fair of Texas“. This is a tradition of sorts for us, and we both love going each year. We have been pressured year after year by a buddy of mine that we “need” a Vita-Mix. We already have 4 blenders (I’m not kidding), so neither of us really thought we needed another one, although we always enjoy sitting down in the air conditioned exhibit hall and watching the Vita-Mix demonstrations. (free yummy snacks and stand-up comedy routine, of sorts) We were very temped to buy one a few years ago after tasting the fresh peanut butter the guy made in a few seconds.

After negotiating the spectacle that is the state fair, the obligatory Fletcher’s corney dog and tornado fries, strolling through all the waterless cookware booths, the embroidered hat booths, the teeth whitening booth, candy booths, miracle car wax, etc, we again found ourselves at the Vita-Mix booth, eagerly waiting to see what that crazy guy was making this year. We plopped down our credit card and made ourselves the proud owner of the blender to replace all other blenders, the Vita-Mix 5200.
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You want change, right?

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

I’ll jump on the shit-throwing bandwagon with both feet, what the hell. The info below was received via an email forward. -BG
***
George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.

A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon.
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high–14,000 +
5) American’s were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large!.

But American’s wanted ‘CHANGE’! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes, we got ‘CHANGE’ all right. In the PAST YEAR:

1) Consumer confidence has plummeted ;
2) Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon & climbing!;
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices
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How Did Mortgage Mess Get Started?

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

When I was driving between doctor’s appointments last Friday, I was able to listen to Mark Davis (blog RSS) for about 30 minutes. He brought up some very good points.
1- Why do we want a “quick fix” for the mortgage mess- why are we in such a hurry to pass this huge $70000000000.00 bailout bill? Maybe because taking our time would allow good analysis of the situation. Investigations would likely reveal truth, and lots of people WOULD GO TO JAIL.
2- He explained where the practice of extending credit to people that normally wouldn’t qualify for home loans came from. (it was called a “social experiment” at the time) Take a look at this New York Times article from 1999:

source

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By STEVEN A. HOLMES
Published: September 30, 1999
In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets — including the New York metropolitan region — will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.
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What $700,000,000,000.00 Can Do

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

Pay every house 6200 dollars

The going rate for a Lamborgini is 279,000 which mean you could buy 2,508961. You would probably need a bigger driveway.

The US population is about 301,000,000 which mean that you could pay everybody in the united states around 2325 dollars. But seriously whats someone going to do with a measly 2 grand.

With 700 billion dollars you can start looking at what countries to buy. Some countries within your price range include Denmark, Peru, Nepal, and Iceland. Just be careful buying a country would take a big chunk out of you money so shop smart.

Gasoline for a year for every adult in America. (175 billion gallons of gas)

2 cups of Starbucks every day for a year for every person in Brazil

You could literally buy the world a Coke. One 2-liter bottle per week for a year.
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The most Anti-Gun President in History?

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

link

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White Privilege – Tim Wise

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

The letter below was received via email yesterday. When I read it, I became very angry. The fact that the person who sent it to me was not “white” made me view it as racist and full of hate. I gave myself some time and re-read it again tonight. I also learned a little bit about who Tim Wise is. The letter is obviously designed to incite strong emotional reaction. I wish this letter wasn’t so politically biased, because it detracts from its validity in my opinion… but the point he is making is still valid, and one that I had not considered before. Please temporarily be tolerant of extremist thought, open up your mind and read on!
—
This is Your Nation on White Privilege

By Tim Wise

9/13/08

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
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Campaign Propaganda

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

After the McCain-Obama debate last Friday, I was left feeling like I just sat down at a nice restaurant and ordered a nice meal, and was served a tuna sandwich. My expectations were obviously off. It was somewhat entertaining to watch the banter, but I’d already heard much of the speeches before, and I didn’t get much out of it all personally.

Below is an excerpt of an email from a co-worker, which includes some useful websites. Please seriously consider what he says here.
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The purpose of this email is to open up perspective and, more importantly, motivate people to do their homework before voting. Most people filter what they see and hear because it’s easy and reconciles how we want to perceive the world with our preconceived notions. Campaign managers & strategists (in both parties) know this and attack us with sound bites and gimmicks to use our misconceptions against us. They also know that most Americans won’t go back and fact check so white lies can become concrete fact. I’m just trying to fight the propaganda machines and do my part to help my fellow Americans.
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Corn Catapult – Perfect Aim

Posted on September 30, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

Bryson figured out how to use his spoon as a catapult tonight. He had me load it with corn, then he placed the spoon in his mouth, bit down, applied outward pressure, and released his jaws. He peppered my face with corn from point blank range. Instant furry. Bryson laughs.

This is part of the hex my mother put on me. I obviously have more pain to endure, this can only be the beginning.

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Bryson Pictures from our visit to the park

Posted on September 27, 2008 by Brian Gallimore

Watching Bryson crawl up these steps was like watching one of those mechanized robots.

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