On Dec. 30, Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, certified that Attorney General Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, was the governor-elect of the state of Washington. It's now time for Republican candidate Dino Rossi to shut up and move on.
I am sick of his attitude throughout the post-voting phase of this election. When he was ahead in the count by just a few hundred votes then just a handful, he was indignant that Gregoire had not conceded. Now, after the hand recount allowed by law and which showed Gregoire the winner by 129 votes (more than the 42 Rossi had after the first machine recount), Rossi is desperate to find any other vote -- even a nonvote. Now, he wants a re-vote. Of all things. The law allows it in certain cases, but it does not seem warranted here.
No election is perfect. Voters learned that the hard way in 2000 in Florida and elsewhere. A second helping of electoral crisis was served to Washington voters this year. Dino Rossi should do two things after conceding: First, he should call for widespread election reform that would establish statewide consistent standards for vote counting, would encourage participation and would eliminate the factors that caused the confusion in 2004. Second, he should get out of the spotlight, take a vacation and plan his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2006 against Sen. Maria Cantwell -- it's a race he could win, though I think Cantwell has been positioning herself well for re-election.
For now, though, Dino, please: Just shut up.
-- Wenatchee, Washington
Friday, December 31, 2004
Airplane travel is out for me in 2005
That's it, I'm done. I guess I have reached the point where I have traveled enough by airplane to have had some good experiences and some bad. Most recent good experience: A delayed flight from Wenatchee Dec. 20 allowed more time to chat with some folks I know while waiting in the terminal and resulted in a better seat on the flight from Seattle to Phoenix (bulkhead row with no one in the middle seat -- like first class, almost). Most recent poor experience: The 40-minute delay coming back from Phoenix Dec. 30, the middle seat I was assigned, the niosy and unpleasant environment in flight.
Air travel has become, as I read somewhere, mass transit -- poorly run mass transit at that. The days of flying being a pleasant experience are gone. Even with a delay from weather or equipment, you could always count on a friendly smile and a nice snack, even the full can of Coke. Now, it's get in line and shut up and we-don't-owe-you-a-thing attitude. Example: As a result of the Phoenix delay, I was just minutes away from missing my connection to Wenatchee. It would have been nice to have had an attendant help me out in some way, at least to tell me the Wenatchee flight had also been delayed -- a fact I did not learn until practically shoving past passengers to get oout of Row 29 and sprinting to the gate. Arriving out of breath, I asked if the flight was boarding, and the snotty representative looked at the sign and sarcastically said he guessed it was. I bit my tounge from replying that the departure time listed was still the original and that the "delayed" tag was at least somewhat confusing. Regardless, I got on the plane, the ride to Wenatchee was uneventful (the flight attendant could barely speak and no one could understand her instructions), and my luggage also arrived intact.
So, I will minimize my air travel this year. I just need a break because I don't like it anymore. Maybe a few days in a car on the highways will convince me that air travel is not so bad after all.
-- Wenatchee, Washington
Air travel has become, as I read somewhere, mass transit -- poorly run mass transit at that. The days of flying being a pleasant experience are gone. Even with a delay from weather or equipment, you could always count on a friendly smile and a nice snack, even the full can of Coke. Now, it's get in line and shut up and we-don't-owe-you-a-thing attitude. Example: As a result of the Phoenix delay, I was just minutes away from missing my connection to Wenatchee. It would have been nice to have had an attendant help me out in some way, at least to tell me the Wenatchee flight had also been delayed -- a fact I did not learn until practically shoving past passengers to get oout of Row 29 and sprinting to the gate. Arriving out of breath, I asked if the flight was boarding, and the snotty representative looked at the sign and sarcastically said he guessed it was. I bit my tounge from replying that the departure time listed was still the original and that the "delayed" tag was at least somewhat confusing. Regardless, I got on the plane, the ride to Wenatchee was uneventful (the flight attendant could barely speak and no one could understand her instructions), and my luggage also arrived intact.
So, I will minimize my air travel this year. I just need a break because I don't like it anymore. Maybe a few days in a car on the highways will convince me that air travel is not so bad after all.
-- Wenatchee, Washington
What's In/What's Out List
I caught the broadcast of The Washington Post's annual list created by Hank Stuever this morning on "The Today Show." Even better that it came from the too-witty-for-Today Stuever, who included Napoleon Dynamite among what's in. I have been a Napoleon fan since I saw the movie in July, and I will take credit for at leqast a few additional fans. (Confidential to K&T: Thanks for the DVD!)
We all should have such a list -- for our own lives, at least. I'll work on mine in subsequent posts.
-- Wenatchee, Washington
We all should have such a list -- for our own lives, at least. I'll work on mine in subsequent posts.
-- Wenatchee, Washington
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Mission, the name
I have established this Web log as an online outlet for expression by me, and, by the nature of its form, by those who view it. My blog will include these items:
1 Stuff that happens to me and my comments about it -- I'll try to keep people's names private
2 Stuff that happens to other people and my comments about it
3 Stuff I think other people will find interesting or that I think people should find interesting
4 Stuff I care about, including stuff that gets me revved up
The name for this blog comes from a nickname my middle school math teacher called me. You see, my name is Logan, and he would call me "Loganite." It bugged me. So did a lot of things when I was 13. I'm over it now, and I embrace the name. In fact, the suffix "-ite" means "product of," so the name is appropriate for this blog.
-- Peoria, Ariz.
1 Stuff that happens to me and my comments about it -- I'll try to keep people's names private
2 Stuff that happens to other people and my comments about it
3 Stuff I think other people will find interesting or that I think people should find interesting
4 Stuff I care about, including stuff that gets me revved up
The name for this blog comes from a nickname my middle school math teacher called me. You see, my name is Logan, and he would call me "Loganite." It bugged me. So did a lot of things when I was 13. I'm over it now, and I embrace the name. In fact, the suffix "-ite" means "product of," so the name is appropriate for this blog.
-- Peoria, Ariz.
Arizona Cinema
The movies I saw while visiting my folks in Arizona for Christmas are below, listed in the order I saw them.
"Ray" One-word review: Engaging. I really enjoyed this film, especially Jamie Foxx. It deserved some additional editing; it dragged in a couple places. My experience would have been improved if the theater had contained fewer people with phlegmy hacking coughs. The hackiing of one woman seated near me prompted three elderly people to switch seats two-thirds of the way through the show. Admittedly, she could not help it, and the fact that she was in a wheelchair should have clued in the three old people that the hacking woman could not easily excuse herself from the room. I just endured it. I almost scolded the old trio when I passed them outside. It was Christmas night, and I thought their comments when moving were shameful.
"Kinsey" One-word review: Revealing. The closed-minded and prudish should stay away from this film, even though they need to see it most. Liam Neeson was excellent. So was Laura Linney. But, man, Peter Sarsgaard rocked. Nice follow-up to last year's "Shattered Glass," in which he was also excellent.
"Sideways" One-word review: Nice. As I sat in the theater, I must have heard at least three different conversation bits about this film as the one that had so much critical praise. I think that's why everyone was in the packed theater. We all though we were supposed to see this film. I was actually a bit disappointed. It was nice, but I don't have anything noteworthy to type.
"Finding Neverland" One-word review: Warm. This is a pleasant movie, and if pushed just a bit more, I think I could have been emotionally moved. Something kept me from getting there. Johnny Depp's range continues to expand.
On the post-Arizona list: "Spanglish," "The Aviator," "Meet the Fockers" and a bunch of stuff in my Netflix queue.
-- Peoria, Arizona
"Ray" One-word review: Engaging. I really enjoyed this film, especially Jamie Foxx. It deserved some additional editing; it dragged in a couple places. My experience would have been improved if the theater had contained fewer people with phlegmy hacking coughs. The hackiing of one woman seated near me prompted three elderly people to switch seats two-thirds of the way through the show. Admittedly, she could not help it, and the fact that she was in a wheelchair should have clued in the three old people that the hacking woman could not easily excuse herself from the room. I just endured it. I almost scolded the old trio when I passed them outside. It was Christmas night, and I thought their comments when moving were shameful.
"Kinsey" One-word review: Revealing. The closed-minded and prudish should stay away from this film, even though they need to see it most. Liam Neeson was excellent. So was Laura Linney. But, man, Peter Sarsgaard rocked. Nice follow-up to last year's "Shattered Glass," in which he was also excellent.
"Sideways" One-word review: Nice. As I sat in the theater, I must have heard at least three different conversation bits about this film as the one that had so much critical praise. I think that's why everyone was in the packed theater. We all though we were supposed to see this film. I was actually a bit disappointed. It was nice, but I don't have anything noteworthy to type.
"Finding Neverland" One-word review: Warm. This is a pleasant movie, and if pushed just a bit more, I think I could have been emotionally moved. Something kept me from getting there. Johnny Depp's range continues to expand.
On the post-Arizona list: "Spanglish," "The Aviator," "Meet the Fockers" and a bunch of stuff in my Netflix queue.
-- Peoria, Arizona
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
