TNR Online | Hit the Ground by the Editors

The case for ground troops.

Gauging Bush’s credibility index

Someone finally writes what I've been thinking for awhile.

Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arizona finds 9th-inning magic

Yankees rally in 10th to win Game 4

Crap.

Economists are cool to stimulus plan

Amazing. Republicans managed to turn a national tragedy into corporate tax cuts.

It's too good to be true: after six months of having to park a mile away in a garage that constantly oversold its spaces, the Business Journal finally got parking across the street. Suddenly I'll have more free time, happier feet and the ability to leave stuff in my car. It's like a dream.

Speaking of simple pleasures:

I got this cool super-backpack, which I believe will make me the ultimate road warrior. I mean, this thing has pockets for everything. The only thing missing was a shoulder-strap holster for my cell phone (the one that came with the backpack was too small), but lo, I saw the perfect holster at an event I was covering called SyncFest and bought it on the spot. So now, I have the perfect traveling setup. NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

TNR Online | The Big One by Gregg Easterbrook

If Anthrax doesn't scare you, this will.

Sometimes I get pleasure from the simplest things. This weekend I bought a much-needed nightstand -- a last-minute purchase I almost didn't see at "Bed, Bath...and Beyond!" Anyway, it's a surprisingly elegant little prefab unit that looks like a carefully handcrafted wooden shelf, stained with a rich brown finish. It's funny what a little piece of furniture can do to a room. In addtion to finally giving me a place to put my cell phone, wallet and keys, it makes everything look a little neater. I love going into my room.

Well, I feel better, so I guess I didn't have Anthrax. That's a relief.

Tonight I had a bowl of Cap'n Crunch for the first time in years. I'd forgotten how delicious Crunch Berries are, and completely unaware that they now come in three different colors. That's progress for you. Unfortunately, they're still physically hard on the mouth. They really ought to work on a softter shape.

If you haven't seen this yet, it's a cool collection of 3D models of U.S. jets.

Wow, it's been a few days since I've updated this. I'm finally getting over a fierce cold/flu. I'm not sure how I got it, but I think a week of getting no sleep in New York finally got to me. I spent all day today inside, alternating between playing video games and sleeping. I think I'll do the same tomorrow, but will try to get out for church and a little grocery shopping.

I set up a wireless network at work, which should make life just a little easier at the office. It'll be nice to be able to use the laptop anywhere in the building and have one less thing to plug in every morning.

Waging war by remote control

Finally, the killer robots we've all been waiting for.

It looks as if I'll be in Phoenix a little longer than anticipated, so I have a few minute to update the Web site. Had I known I'd be in Phoenix all day, I'd have made plans with friends.

Our last day in NY was a extremely fun. We did the Empire State Building, Rockerfeller Center, and Macy's, among others. And let's not forget the highlight of the trip, a Conan O'Brien taping. If you looked closely enough, you could see me on national TV last night (I'm the guy in blue sitting behind "Preparation H Man." I wish I had gotten to stay in NY longer, but I'm also glad to be getting home.

Today was a blast. We went to Times Square, saw the Statue of Liberty (from the Staten Island ferry), the Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich Village, and "Rent." We also got as close as we could to the World Trade Center, a couple of blocks away. It looks pretty much like it appears on the news, only with a strong, almost burning stench of smoldering plastic. It was hard to believe that the fenced-off area only a few weeks ago held the city's two largest edifices. One of the old men in the crowd could only shake his head and click his tongue. What a shame indeed.

As expected, security was especially tight over the city as a whole. But I never thought I'd see so many police and National Guard units camped out in the middle of a city.

Statue of Liberty: closed.

New York Stock Exchange: closed, with a buffer of police cars and barriers around the building.

Well, it looks like we're finally hitting back. I wonder how this will affect my time here in New York or my trip back.

Today, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a fake medieval
monastary with real medieval religious atrifacts you'd expect to find there, the Hudson River, Little Italy, Chinatown (not as good as San Francisco's Chinatown), Soho, and the Deli made famous by Seinfield.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, when we'll see a Broadway show, visit the Statue of Liberty (assuming it doesn't get a bomb threat) and something else.

Today we went to the Hamptons, a group of fancy beach towns on Long Island frequented by celebrities and best remembered -- by me, anyway -- as the focal point of certain Seinfield episode. Some of the landmarks dated back to the 1600s, which is interesting from an America historical perspective. We shopped at a few antique shops (as a guy, not my first choice of activity), participated in a wine tasting and visited a cool mansion whose name escapes me. MBV wanted to show us that there's more to New York than "the City." Maybe so, but judging from today, not much more.

In the "This Always Happens to Me" Dept.: Last night we wanted to see some live music, so we saw a listing for a ska concert. MBV noticed that the band was from Arizona and asked me if I'd ever heard of them. She misstated the name, so it didn't ring a bell. We went to the venue and while listening to the opening band noticed a poster for "Warsaw Poland Bros." I realized this was the new name for Warsaw, the band whose lead singer SB "dated," (for lack of a better term) and whose guitar player made fun of me for drinking a Zima. Suddenly, I realized that that was the band MBV was talking about, and that I was about to sit through an excruciating concert of bad memories...MBV even recreated one of them by requesting "Slow Down Sister," also known as the P-word song. Oh boy...

Tomorrow: Manhatten.

Now I'm in Central Park. I'm struck by the enormity of this city and the foresight of whoever envisioned establishing public space as the municipal core. NY is awesome, in the original sense of the term.