Parish Cafe

27 down, 48 to go.

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Clear

Still not sure exactly what I'm doing here or why...

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More Shoveling

Strangers just told me to come back in the morning. I could have sworn my condo association pays someone to do this at the first sign of snow.

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3am Shovel

I love Boston.

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Snowed In

The shitshow in Boston:

Its been coming down for a while now and is seemingly getting worse. Final predictions from the weathermen range from 6" to 10". As is almost always the case here in Boston, the snow was dirty/slushy from the moment it hit the ground. My money is on 5" of actual accumulation.

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Plagiarism

I think this whole thing has been stupid. Obama is not plagiarizing anyone. I know some have argued that it's more a question of authenticity, but the press continues to play it like a real campaign issue for him. I think this pretty much sums up why it's a dumb meme and why it will go away:

I mentioned at the end of my debate blog that the pivot of Hillary's powerful concluding remarks came from Bill Clinton's 92 campaign. Clinton had various permutations to it back then. But TPM Reader CG found one example in this November 1992 article by Anna Quindlen ...

Clinton, 92: "The hits that I took in this election are nothing compared to the hits the people of this state and this country have been taking for a long time."

Hillary Clinton, tonight: "You know, the hits I’ve taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country."

Just to be 100% clear, there's nothing in the least wrong with this. And it's a great line. But I think it shows the silliness of the 'plagiarism' charges based on a few borrowed lines. Politicians borrow good lines and catch-phrases. Happens all the time. There's nothing wrong with it.

Morning Commute: Snow Storms

That's the word for Boston today. I woke up to "flurries" with "showers" kicking in this afternoon. I don't really understand the term "snow showers."  If someone were to take a snow shower, wouldn't it take him/her forever to get his/her hair wet?  Also, I generally like hot showers and I've never been in hot snow before.

Anyway, "showers" are due to "pick up" and turn into "storms" with possible "white out" conditions this evening. And there is always potential for a "Nor'easter."  I used to really wonder about that term, but I just read "1776" by David McCullogh and apparently "Northeaster" was a term used by colonials to describe certain storms. In modern times, we're just too lazy for the "th."

I guess this is better than saying its snowing "a little," "medium," "heavy," or "really heavy."  But I do sometimes think the weatherman thinks he is/wants to be the anchorman.

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Haircut

The Heat Miser is dead:

Long live the awkward Jewish teenager:

Precipitous Withdrawal

The calls for HRC to "gracefully" exit the Democratic primary started shortly after Obama's stunningly large wins in the Potomac region. They have become even more pronounced since his decisive win in Wisconsin, particularly as he has gained ground in Ohio and Texas.  While I think it would be peachy if Clinton exited the race at this point, I don't think she has any obligation to do it. In fact, while the mo' favors Obama, if Clinton were able to sweep the final three large contests, she'd have as much a claim to the nomination as Obama. So why quit now?

In truth, I do think it would be better for HRC to quit now.  Not because it's already lost or for the good of the party (which, again, I think are true). I think HRC should drop out for the good of HRC. The long campaign has taken its toll on HRC's credibility as a practical, experienced manager. Her campaign is in serious financial trouble. She's had trouble controlling surrogates from the get-go (Bob Johnson, Bob Kerrey, Billy Shaheen to name three). She was on the brink of firing her chief strategist before New Hampshire. She just fired her campaign manager and replaced her with someone even closer to her inner circle. A number of members of her team have been out there essentially saying certain states don't count (caucus states, states with large black populations, states D's can't win in the fall to name three). Now, she's got wealthy donors putting together a 527 in Ohio to launch a campaign subtly going after Obama. Certainly nothing here helps her image with Americans who view her as willing to do anything (even dirty) to win the nomination.

She started this campaign as an immensely popular Senator from New York. At a certain point, nearly every ad she airs, every attack she makes on Obama, etx will be perceived as a negative (even if she is trying to accentuate her own skillset).  With no intention of exiting public life, I think she needs to manage her image carefully.  She could/should still be a star in the party going forward, including a potential Senatorial leadership post. The last thing she needs is a hit to popularity or being labeled as someone who put the party in peril for the sake of her own personal ambition. 

We're not nearly at this point yet.  Should she not sweep TX and OH, then I think she would step aside. But I'm not betting on it.

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Morning Commute: Sleepwalking

I feel like I've slept 35 total hours in the last week. Between travel, sleeping on floors, early morning breakfasts and meetings, late night drinks (and Cantor's!) I just feel a little bit like I'm sleep walking. I never used to be this way. I used to function on four or five hours of sleep a night month problem. Somewhere along the way, I think when I was in NYC, my system established an 8 hour minimum.

On the train back to Boston, the guy across the table (I took Amtrak B-Class) from more looked at me as I was dozing in and out of consciousness and said one word: "age.". This seems counterintuitive to me. I always figured you need less sleep between the ages of say 18 and 50. Little people need the sleep because they are growing. Older people need the sleep because their systems run slower. To use a car analogy: kids are the Tesla's, 18-50 year olds are regular cars (some Fords/GMs and some BMWs/Jaguars) and older people are Mercedes Benz's with Diesel engines (not sure if that last part of the analogy works...at all).

I don't know. I just thought that at my current age, health, regimen I would be able to function well with ~5 hours a night. Not the case. Man, I need coffee.

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Temporary Work Station

My regular computer hard drive fried itself right before I was heading out for a one day conference and I needed something on which to type up notes.

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Letter to the Economist

Sir,

In your leader this week on Barack Obama's ability to produce detailed strategies and policies and deliver, you espouse the same meme circulating in the media (and from the opposing candidate's camps) that Obama is all fluff and little experience and substance. to quote you, Obama's Iraq plan consists of "little more than pulling out quickly, convening a peace conference, inviting the Iranians and the Syrians along and hoping for the best." I'm sorry, where has Obama said anything remotely that simplistic?  I must have missed the part where he said he was crossing his fingers as I was busy reading detailed policies readily available on his website.

After reading your glowing excitement ("Half -way There," February 19th) over McCain's resurgence and "reputation for straight talk (mostly, if not entirely deserved," I should have come to expect this type of lazy, conventional wisdom type of reporting. After all, McCain's "huge experience of international affairs" was the source of his detailed solution for Iraq: "I'd sit the Sunnis, Shia and Kurds down and say, guys, cut the bullshit already."

Wow, McCain's huge cache of experience has really led to a much more detailed plan than Obama's.

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Big Deal or No Deal?

I have to say that I was largely unimpressed with the Obama plagiarism contretemps. It seemed like pretty small potatoes and another example of Clinton low-blowing. It’s not negative campaigning if you’re telling facts, but the approach is still distasteful. I continue to rationalize these nicks and jabs on the theory that whatever the Republicans will throw at Obama will be far worse, so it is better for him to become battle toughened now. And if he shows he has a thin skin or isn’t a strong enough fighter, maybe Hillary will wind up with the nomination. Then, I saw this analysis: Huff Po and I understood that Obama did not just share ideas with Deval Patrick, he took virtually his exact speech. Watch Patrick:

and Obama:


That lyrical retort you have seen all weekend about words counting was hardly original. Apparently, neither is the “Yes We Can” theme. Of course, this is not a Joe Biden situation. It’s not “plagiarism” if (as is apparently the case here) you use someone else’s words with their permission. But without attributing the language to the source, you do cast some shadow on your authenticity.

Morning Commute: Bathroom Heat

Let me congratulate the inventor of bathroom heat, it really was a stroke of genius. The bathroom light and bathroom vent (or bathroom light/vent combo) seem obvious to me, but I guess should also be recognized. After all, everyone hates foggy mirrors, peeling paint and brushing their teeth in the dark.

I guess, for me, shower heat just takes everything to another level of comfort, a feeling you definitely want in the lav. When I first bought my place, the master bath had a heat/vent/light combo that was original to the unit (probably 18 years old) and the heat and ventilation barely worked. I took showers in the morning only to be greeted by something out of Stephen King's "The Mist" when finished. With that much steam floating around, my towel was wet before I even used it. Additionally, I would freeze my ass off. As a result, I would go to work tired, cranky and jew fro'd (from the excess humidity of the steam).

After a four (should have been hour) day project, the new system was in. The fan and light did their jobs, but the heat was revolutionary. The system has the kind of heat that runs current through a coil and uses a fan to push the hot air into the bathroom. Unlike a heat lamp, where you have to get directly underneath, this thing heats the whole bathroom. Now, after a shower, I go to work tired, cranky and "Heat Misered.".

The bathroom heat is so good, I even use it while brushing my teeth and washing my hands. Now, if I could only figure out how to lower my electricity bill. Maybe I don't need to run heat in the rest of the apartment.

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Shutters Sunset

Enjoying an Irish coffee.

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American Pie Explained

For anyone who didn't already know what the song/lyrics were all about:

h/t John Cole

Malibu

What was a great day for a hike turned foggy. Views were still pretty awesome.

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