Taxes 2008

Katie and I just finished doing our taxes for 2008 and once again, I was quite impressed with Kansas' online FREE electronic filing.  After the muted pain of our Federal returns ("muted" by the use of TurboTax) the Kansas electronic filing was five minutes.  Copy a few values from the federal return, enter bank information for electronic deposit and we were done.  

One of these days very soon the Federal government will have free electronic filing for all simply because it will save a large pile of money/work by not having to deal with enter information on paper returns into a database.  Every year they inch closer and closer to this by allowing more and more "low-income" earners to file for free. (I think if your total income was less than $55,000 this year you could file for free.)  Right now, probably over half of the tax-payers could file for free.  My prediction: in less than 5 years over 90% filings will be electronic.  You heard it hear first.

(Oh, as a bonus side-note, TurboTax thinks the likelihood of an audit is "low" this year.  We haven't been audited yet for our 2007 return so we may have slipped of their radar for now.  I do have a friend, though, who is being audited for his 2007 return and due to my past experiences he has come to me for a bit a preparation guidance.  Once the word gets out that I'm fought the IRS behemoth twice and have been victorious, their going to be beating down my door for help.  I might have to start charging.)

In Wichita, at 3am...

I woke up at 3am this morning with a very runny nose.  After 20 minutes of attempting to blow my nose quietly so as not to wake up Katie, I finally gave up and went out into the living room.  (I have no idea what precipitated all of this but I went through about a dozen tissues in half an hour. Katie thinks I may be allergic to something.  Something that only shows up at 3am.)

My nose cleared up but now wide awake, I had the opportunity to explore the wonders of early morning television in Wichita.  Here are the results:

Several newscasts

Jay Leno

Infomercials

Leave it to Beaver

Now you know.

Life and Transportation

Yes, this is the first post in quite a while.  I mostly have no excuse.  I've started my second semester of graduate school, trying to get life organized after the Christmas holiday, took a a class offered through our church, working on taxes, and trying to take a respectable inventory of our house.  None of these really seemed worth writing about (at least by the time I ended up having time to actually do the writing.)So what is the cause of break the silence?  Not something important  or monumental but, rather, something fun.

I got a motorcycle.

Just got back from looking at it with Katie and though the owner needs a few days to do title paperwork, I am effectively the new owner of a 2001 Honda Rebel.  Compared to the scooter I've been riding, this things seems to be a dream.  It has all kinds of great features like gears, high-beams, readily available parts, etc.  It even sounds so much better than the scooter.  The bike is definitely on the smaller side for somebody my height. but I on the quick ride up and down the street it seemed to work for me.

Speaking of which, shifting on a motorcycle is going to take a little getting used to.  My scooter has not discrete gears so I never had to worry about shifting; just "twist and go" as they say.  Now I'm having to work a clutch and a shift pedal; there's not indicator of what gear you're in except for a light that comes on when you're in neutral.  I might have to toodle around the neighborhood of the seller to get the hang of things before I make the journey home.  As the seller commented to Katie while I was making a fool of myself on my test ride: "He's a bit out of practice, isn't he?" 

Yes, yes I am.

So what of the scooter?  My plans are to get it back in running shape and sell it.  I don't know how long that will take as the repair will involve removing the engine block.  In fact, the length of time it might take to repair it was a major factor in deciding to purchase a motorcycle.  Without my scooter life was considerably more complicated in getting both Katie and I where we needed to be.  Though purchasing a new bike may seem like overkill, the price was right and if/when Katie revokes my motorcycle privileges, I should be able to sell it for close to my purchase price.  

Was it a mistake to purchase the scooter?  I've thought about this over these past three years of ownership and am divided on it.  It wasn't a mistake in that the purchase price and operating cost of the scooter has still been much less than that of owning a second car.  (At 70 mpg, insurance at ~$150 a year and not more than $200 for parts total; the scooter has been very affordable to own and operate.)  Could I have made a better purchase with that money?  Yes, undoubtedly.  For a first bike, though, everything worked out fine.  I've learned about motorcycle riding and ownership and financially it has worked out in our favor.  Whatever I can make in selling the scooter is going to be gravy.

Not much more to say right now.  I'll post pictures when the deal is done.

Another Reason I Love Portland (In Which My Nerdity is Confirmed)

Take a lot at this hasty picture taken in the parking garage at Portland International Airport.

The item of interest that you should note is the beam with read beacons stretching down the length of parked cars.  By the time my brother had parked the car beneath one of these I already knew just fantastic they were.  These were the heart and soul of the coolest thing yet to hit parking areas since yellow paint.

These are simple sensors that somehow tell if a parking spot is occupied or not.  If the spot if filled they turn red, if it is available they turn green.  If this is all they did their usefulness would be immense.  As you drive by rows and rows of parked cars a glance at the lights would tell you if any spot was open.  No more surprises when the spot between two SUVs which looked open is found to house a 1985 Civic.

It gets better though.  At nearly every junction in the parking garage is an LED display indicating how many open spots are available down a given path.  It even breaks it down by handicapped and non-handicapped spots.  To park your car you find a floor on the parking garage that says it has spots available, find a row with an open spot, and look for a green light.  It worked brilliantly for us by pointing the way to the closest open spot on level.

And, actually, I lied about this being the best thing since yellow paint.  The very same garage implemented something else not near as cool but also very useful a few years ago. Instead of taking your parking ticket at paying at a "toll booth" on your way out of the airport, they installed ATM-style payment kiosks throughout the parking garage that allow you to pay for parking before you even get in your car.  This effectively adds dozens of additional payment points and greatly speeds up the payment process.  Brilliant!

Biggest Home Extreme Loser Makeover

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine and he made a very interesting point regarding the similarities and differences between two reality TV shows: Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  Both shows are aimed at helping people who are in a situation that is difficult/not healthy.  The course of action each show takes, though, is fundamentally different.  

Extreme Makeover is all about the "wow" factor.  The show tries to find a down-on-their-luck family who has a problem that can be fixed by extreme home improvement.  Well, maybe not all of their problems but at least some of their problems.  And actually, the show likes to focus on the big changes their making (to their home) and all the good it will do them.  It often seems the families in need are doing things like running a shelter for blind, paraplegic dogs or a foster home for run-away Chinese orphans, etc.  The point is, based on a handful of viewings, often a new living situation will go a long way towards helping the family.  The crew shows up, sends the family on a vacation, changes everything, and brings them back for a heart-pounding reveal. Very dramatic, makes for good TV, fits well in a one hour time slot.

This mode of assistance is very different than Biggest Loser.  Biggest Loser is all about long-term changes.  The obese individuals shows up and sign themselves into the ranch for as long as they can stay, possibly as long as three months or so.  They are on-board all day, all night, week after week.  Every day they are making choices about what they eat, how hard they work out, what they are going to do to try to lose the most weight and continue to stay in the competition.  The only way they get on the show is by having developed a fitness pattern that is horribly bankrupt and by coming to a realization that they need to change something soon and change it in a drastic way.

One of these shows is focussed on a change in circumstances, the other on a change in process or, because these are people after all, character.  Extreme Makeover does a one-week blitzkrieg on your life, Biggest Loser is in for the long haul, hoping to make you a fundamentally different (and better) person. 

Extreme Makeover isn't a bad show, doesn't have evil motivations, and is not despicable.  The kind of aid they provide can be very effective helpful.  There are families out there that have one significant problem in their lives that a new house could go a long ways to fixing. Sometimes money is the only barrier.  Sometimes.

There are some down-sides, though, to building them a new house.  Invariably, the house is bigger than before which almost guarantees larger utility bills going forward.  (Granted, they do try to use energy efficient techniques/appliances but no amount of efficiency will change the fact that there is twice as much square footage to heat/cool.)  Sure the kids get totally decked-out rooms with INCREDIBLE interior design but, especially for younger children, their interests will change in time.  When the love of airplanes wanes, what do you do with the 747 cockpit that has been built into your room?

What Extreme Makeover does is very generous and I truly hope that every family that is helped has thrived since receiving their new home.  I doubt this is the situation, though.  It may be like winning the lottery; after the emotional thrill wears off, the blessing may end up being more of a curse.  Once the crew drives away and leaves you with your new house, its all up to you.  Any problems you had before that the new house doesn't fix are still going to be with you.  You're not a new person, just the same old person in a new house.  Maybe with higher heating bills, to boot.

Biggest Loser has a much less ambitious goals in some ways; they just want to help you learn to eat right and take care of your body. Sure, the winner at the end of the show gets some money but its not even enough to make you independently wealthy for life.  Maybe just enough to pay off the mortgage and/or buy a new car but that's it.  The real prize is the change in who you are. Your attitude towards food is new. You see the value in exercise.  You've learned to accept the pain of working out or denying yourself ice cream.  You've put in a lot of hours in the gym.  Every pound lost has been the difference between calories in at the dinner table and calories out on the treadmill.  There's no way around it and they have spent as long as three months living with that reality in their face.

And there aren't any excuses, either.  There is no 2 lb. handicap because you grew up on Twinkies and never stopped eating them.  No week off because your parents just divorced and you have been over-eating to avoid the emotional pain.  The cause of the problem is irrelevant. If you want to stay on the show, you're going to have to work at it, just like everybody else.  No excuses, just work.

I don't I know if either show does any long-term follow-up (I'm guessing not simply because it may not make good TV), but I bet the Biggest Loser people have a much better chance of experiencing lasting change. In a non-trivial and mundane way, they've been transformed.

Generalizing this to society as a whole, I think most of our problems need change that is more like The Biggest Loser than like Extreme Makeover.  Most people's problems can't be solved by throwing money at the problem, even if they think it can.  The big, difficult problems in our world require change in people at a fundamental level and it is VERY difficult, if not impossible, for that to happen in any other way than long-term personal commitment on the part of both those giving and those receiving help.  Everybody has to work at it and there are no excuses; if you want change, if you want to be transformed, you've got to put in the hard time.

I hope that whatever the future brings, that we as a society can learn to not accept quick fixes and instead be willing to commit to long-term, hard work to fix our problems.   We need to be willing to roll up our sleeves and make an effort in each other's lives, doing our best to help others and stick with it over the long-haul.  Real change is hard work and we need to have the patience and strength to not give up.  Transformation is hard-fought but long-lasting.

Snow and Driving

Speaking of snow, on the way home this afternoon, driving slowly and carefully on the highway, I saw a bright red car off in the ditch at the right-hand side.  At first I thought it was a fancy sports car and was chuckling to myself at the misery of the hot-rod driver who clearly thought the laws of physics didn't apply to him, even when it snowed.  (Turns out it was a Dodge Stratus and I revised my evil laugh to more sympathetic thoughts.  Only good, honest, non-rich people own a Dodge Stratus.  Clearly.)

Then an idea occurred to me.  What if the highway patrol intentionally placed a few bright colored cars in the ditches as snows begin to fall to remind other drivers of the danger?  A cautionary tale with a sad ending on display for all drivers to see.  All we'd need would be a few brightly colored cars at strategic points to do the trick.  Of course, usually weather like this produces its own non-contrived roadway mishaps and they don't seem to care all drivers straight.  

Maybe its because the cars aren't red.  That must be it.

First Snow in Wichita

Well, at least the first snow that has accumulated.  (We were gone over Thanksgiving and we heard it snowed then.)

Basil and Anise are having a lot of fun with the snow, the first time they have experienced it.  Both seem to enjoy eating and frolicking in it.  Here's the proof:

Man Purse

After months of constantly mis-placing my wallet, keys, phone, and work ID, I've finally purchased a bag to keep track of everything.  The straw that broke the camels back was when I couldn't find my wallet for about 24 hours and decided that as soon as I found it, I would get a bag.  Thankfully, I did find it (I was afraid that it might have been stolen/left in public) and a bit of web-shopping found a bag for me.  I've had the bag a few days now and love it.  I can put everything I need in it and when I walk out the door and I can have confidence that I have everything.

Politics, Journalists and Nerds

Recently, (OK, a few weeks ago), the NY Times published a little opinion piece showing how the stock market has faired under Republican vs Democratic Presidents.  Their conclusion was that the market does better under Democrats.

Enough buzz was generated around the "internets" (my wife hates it when I say that) that pundits on both sides of the aisle started attacking and defending the conclusions.  Some of these statements seems legitimate, some seem fallacious, but it seemed hard to pin down any sort of definitive answer.  Party loyalty seemed a bigger factor in these discussions than any attempt to find out the truth of the matter.

Enter the nerds.

Theodore Gray, the co-founder of Wolfram Research and professional math/computer nerd, grabbed a pile of data and started to analyze it.  Not any sissy journalist kind of analyzing in an Excel spreadsheet.  No, he went gang-busters and started to try to account for things like inflation, lag between a president taking office and when his policies were implemented and companies paying dividends.  The results showed that the choice of assumptions regarding these factors he included dramatically influence the results.   Change the lag between inauguration and impact on the market and the best party overall could change.

The most interesting result, though, was what stock returns looked like spanning both Democratic and Republican presidents.  In other words, choosing to invest in the markets regardless of the party of the sitting president.  (Which, to the best of my knowledge, is what most people do anyway.  I'll let you know if I here of anybody pulling money out of the market based on the result of this up-coming election.  Don't hold your breath.)  Check out the article to see the results.

The article demonstrates an opinion I've held for a long time: life would be better if we had more nerds.

Wall•E

Katie and I saw Wall•E this past weekend and we both loved it.  (We almost always see our movies at the cheap theater, thus the five month wait from its release date.)  The film is unique is so many regards but probably the most striking is the fact that very little dialog takes place the entire film.  Some reviews of the movie said this would make it less accessible to children, ostensibly the target audience.  Another blogger pointed out that the Road-Runner cartoons are 100% dialog-free yet seem very effective in entertaining the little-ones.  I concur.

From a photography nerd stand-point, the film also has a unique new visual style thanks to the use of a new virtual camera used when rendering the film.  This new camera brings a very strong traditional film-look to the film with things like zooms and shallow depth of focus strongly displayed through-out the film.  (I've got to get going to work or I'd write more, maybe in some other post).  

All told, a great film, undoubtedly the most worthwhile movie I've seen in past few weeks.  It is films like these that show just how mediocre most movies are today and how wonderful, enjoyable, and effective a well-executed story can be. 

Go see it for yourself.

Without two dogs, you can't have pictures like this:

Our new floor...

... is done.  Almost done.  Lots of details that threaten to take weeks to get around to doing (like putting moulding back in and cleaning the last bit of mortar off the wall) but done enough that we've moved all the furniture and appliances back in.  With that, I present this visual history.

First up, the "before" shots.  These were taken when we purchased the house (a little over a year ago).  A lot has changed in the house since then but do your best to focus on the floors.  The kitchen had very old and short carpeting while and the dining room was a lighter and fluffier.  The entryway (not pictured) had a marble-ish tile of sorts.

Underneath the kitchen and dining room was a fantastic stone-patterned brown/green linoleum straight from the 50's.  We didn't even wait to take it out.  As we began to pull the linoleum we came across our first home-improvement hitch: the subfloor in these two rooms was particle board.  After some reading it became obvious that if we wanted a stable floor to lay tile on we had to pull it out as well and replace it with something more rigid.  So we did.

(For those of you interested in the engineering side of laying tile, all the trouble with tile come from one simple fact: it doesn't bend, it just breaks.  If the subfloor isn't stiff enough, the floor will bend when people walk on it but the tile won't.  Once enough force is put on the tile, it will simply crack.  This has a big impact on how you build the structure of the house.  The joist of the floor have to be close enough together to support the weight of the tile.  If the subfloor is the wrong material or isn't thick enough it will bow between supports or deform as it absorbs and releases moisture in the air (the latter is the problem with particle board). The tile above it can't deform and instead cracks.  The strength of tile, its hardness, is also its greatest weakness; it doesn't really bend even when you wish it would.)

The entryway was an entirely different surprise.  Back when this house was built in the late 50's, laying tile was done differently. Rather than doing something like we did, a thick (~2 inch) bed a mortar was poured and the tiles were set directly in it.  I discovered this when I started trying to chisel the tiles out.  I was very dismayed at first but found that the job of tearing out that much mortar is not as hard as it may seem.  The big saving grace is that mortar is not near as hard as concrete and it tends to break apart in chunks.  In the pictures below you can see a metal mesh that was embedded in the mortar, kind of like poor-man's rebar.

Here's what the old subfloor looked like after we had torn everything out and cleaned up.

The next step was to lay down new plywood to replace the particle board we had torn out.  The extra thickness gave us more rigidity for the tile so as to prevent cracking and breaking.  When adding another layer like this, the only really important "secret" is to not align seams on one layer with seams on the next.  This helps make the subfloor more rigid.  In our case, our second layer was half-inch plywood, and lots of it.

We found out the entryway was uneven and so after filling in most of the 2 inch gap with plywood where the mortar previously was, I had to pour some self-leveling concrete to level it out.  Pretty neat stuff, actually and it worked rather well.  The first two pictures were taken just after I poured it (you can see reflections in the pool) and the last is after it had dried.

With the plywood in, we next install what is called an "underlayment" for the tile.  Most people today use a cement board of some kind, the popular brands being Hardibacker or Durock.  The biggest problems with these boards is that they can be hard to cut and attach to the subfloor and they are relatively thick (at least 0.25").  Our biggest concern with a think underlayment was our under-counter dishwasher.  Our friends found out the hard way that by adding height to the floor, it is very possible to "tile-in" your dishwasher.  They actually had to disassemble the dishwasher in-place under the counter to get it out when it came time to replace it.

So, to save height and time, we used a relatively new underlayment by Schluter Systems called Ditra.  The material is basically a plastic waffle-like grid with a cotton backer.  The plastic grid acts as a moisture barrier as well as a "decoupling membrane".  The decoupling part is important because it allows our house to move (slightly) without forcing the tile to as well.  If there was no decoupling, then the flexing of the house could crack and chip tiles as they were pushed against each other and the walls of the house.

(Historical note: centuries ago this was accomplished by laying a bed of sand between two beds of mortar.  The sand was "strong" enough to support the weight of the tile but any lateral movement resulted in one mortar bed sliding past another.  This isn't done much any more as the height of the two beds and the sand (not to mention weight) make it tough to work into modern buildings.) 

Ditra is significantly thinner than cement board and rolls out like a thin carpet.  Rather than nailing or screwing it to the sub-floor, you simply use a very thin layer of mortar and press it in.  The material can be cut with a utility knife and installs very quickly.  The only downside: it is a bit more expensive than cement board.  I'm glad we used it, though, if for no other reason than the day-or-two times savings.

Now for the tile.   The tile we had chosen was meant to resemble a wood plank and was rectangular in shape rather than square. No special instructions needed here.  Slop on the mortar, spread it around, comb it with a trowel, and press in the tile.  We decided to do a parque-ish pattern in the dining room (suggested by my father) and a linear pattern in the kitchen and entryway.  Many days of mixing mortar, cutting and placing tiles, and generally making a mess.  (The last picture shows where the parque patterns meets the linear one.)

The last big step was grouting.  The color we choose was supposed to be right around the color of the tile but,  for reasons I don't understand, it turned out much redder.  Not the end of the world but a bit disappointing.  We're looking into staining it a darker color but I'm guessing that won't happen for quite a while.  Word to the wise: grout is cheap; test it in a small area before you commit to a color.

So that's that.  We like the floor and are glad its done.  The whole project took about 6 weeks or so; we obviously weren't working on it the whole time but on many days it was our life.  My wife is glad to have all her kitchen appliances back (there are only so many meals you can cook on an electric skillet) and we're both glad that the house is finally back in order.  

Our big thanks to our friend Michael for his guidance, expertise and assistance and also to Desha's parent's for loaning us a tile saw.  

Number Two

We've been looking for a sibling for Basil for several months now and today we found her.  She's an English Springer Spaniel (just like Basil) and is about three months old.  She is very much a puppy; high energy and very cute.  We don't have a name yet but if you have any suggestions let me know.  We are leaning towards a spice name but are open to other ideas. 

WSU Chemistry Building

I was telling a friend of mine who teaches chemistry at WSU about my experience with the intimidating hazard diamond this past Sunday and he got a big smile on his face and asked, "Did you see the blast wall?"

Blast wall?  

From what Kevin says, they keep all the really dangerous stuff in a separate closet on the exterior of the building.  They've built the outside wall so that it is structurally weaker than the others and then, about a foot or so away from that wall, poured a huge concrete wall.  The thinking is that if something goes wrong and those chemicals explode, the weak wall will blow out and direct all the force into the concrete blast wall.

I have a class in the chemistry building so on my way there I snapped this picture:

Right next to the white rain gutter you can see the "crumple zone" as it were for the building.  

So I'm a bit worried....

... I haven't seen any signs for the incumbent (the USA) running for Kansas.  Come to think of it, I think this might be an uncontested race.  I REALLY hope that changes before Nov. because I think it will be a big pain to have to get a Kenyan passport while still living in Wichita.

Olympic Sponsorships

Why is McDonalds an Olympic sponsor?  I mean, I know the pragmatic such a relationship exists: McDonalds has a lot of money that every national Olympic team could use and I'm sure the company enjoys all the prime advertising they get in exchange.  For all I know, there aren't very many other corporations that are willing to donate at that level.

But seriously, McDonalds?  McDonalds is the symbol of cheap, non-nutritious food to me (thanks to the film Supersize Me) and it seems highly incongruous to have the best athletes in the world using their achievements to sell products that would have a detrimental effect on their performance.  Athletes selling for Nike, Addidas, Spaulding, Speedo, all of these make sense to me.  Athletes selling deep-fried, high-calorie food?  

What's REALLY funny is that McDonalds has been a major Olympic sponsor for years and just now I'm catching on to this oxymoronical fact.

Back at School

This past Thursday was my first day in class for my Master's degree.  I am now officially a graduate student at the famed Wichita State University.  I'm taking three courses this semester: Linear Systems, Control Systems Concepts, and Power Systems Analysis.  One of them is kind of a review course to get me back into the swing of things.  I've attended two of these classes so far and right now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.  It has been seven years since I did any of the math and engineering that is being expected of me now and I'm feeling it. The first homework set I got had three problems on it and though I've worked through some of it, I don't feel confident in any of the answers.

Put simply, I think this first semester of grad school is going to be rough.  I'm working half-time right now but fear that I may have underestimated my ability to get back into academic rhythm.  It doesn't help that I will be attending weddings nearly every weekend in semester leaving less time for studying.  Like I said, right now I feel a bit overwhelmed.

On a lighter note, I spend part of Thursday wandering around campus and discovered a few things.

• Most of the buildings are clearly marked ON ONE SIDE.  Why?  I spent a lot of time walking around buildings trying to determine if this was the one I needed to be in.
• Of the ~ 100 students in my Linear Systems class the ethnic breakdown is:
  

Central Asian (Indian, Nepali, etc): 90

East Asian (Chinese, Japanese, etc): 7

White (for lack of a better term): 3

This is the first time in my life I've been that much of a minority

• As I was trying to find my second class of the day I stumbled across a building with a particularly aggressive hazard diamond on it.  All three hazard types were at their maximum level (4) and the special instruction in the white section indicated to not use water to put out any fire. After thinking about it for a few minutes I decided that this must be the chemistry building.  I was right.

Dreamlifter

On my way home from work today I saw this landing at one of Wichita's airports:

This is the airplane the flies the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner from where it is assembled here in Wichita to the Seattle area where the aircraft goes through final assembly.  There are some perks to living in the air capital of the world.

Barak Obama

I don't follow politics super-closely.  This is probably going to be one of the few politically-oriented posts I do.

I heard an interview with somebody on the political career of Barak Obama and, above all else, the timeline of this career caught my attention.  You can double-check my information in many places including the Wikipedia article on the man.

After doing several noteworthy things including being the editor of the Harvard Law Review, Barak Obama ran for office.  And then he kept running for office.  Check out this out:

1996:  Elected to the Illinois State Senate

1998: Re-elected to the Illinois State Senate

2000: Lost Democratic primary for US House of Representatives

2002: Re-elected to Illinois State Senate

2004: Elected to US Senate

2007: Running for President of the United States

I don't know whether this is good or bad but if Barak Obama wins the election for President, he will have held three distinct political offices in ten years (and he tried to hold a fourth).  He has the most experience as a state senator (8 years, assuming he held office through his primary loss in 2000) and just two years as a US Senator.  I'm hardly one to speak as I've only held a single job for a little over 3 years but his rise through the political ranks seems relatively fast.  

I want to like Barak Obama.  I have done far too little research to have an informed opinion about his political views but he seems something like my generations JFK.  He seems to be capturing the imaginations of many people.  

As one political commentator pointed out, though, a political campaign is designed to try to overcome weaknesses in a given candidate.  How do you overcome the weakness of inexperience?  Put differently, even if his views strongly align with mine (which I'm sure they don't), do I believe that he will be able to effectively execute those ideas given his quick ascent through political offices?

As a point of contrast, John McCain has been a senator for Arizona for the last twenty years.  

I'll let you decide whether experience is an asset or a liability in this case.  In the very least, it is easier to follow the track record of the candidate who has been around a while. 

Basil

Basil woke up on Monday morning with the sniffles.  I don't know why it didn't occur to me that dogs can catch something like a cold but the truth of the matter is obvious.  In honor of his first illness, here are a few pictures to remind us all of the good old days.

One of his first days at home, laying claim to his spot on the couch.

First bath, back when he was much smaller.  Today, he can rest his chin on the edge of the tub rather than having to stand on his hind legs to see over it.

The blue tongue was a good indication that Basil was into something he shouldn't have been. It ended up being blue tissue paper.

According to our instructor, that certificate of completion was the first she had ever given to a spaniel of any type on his/her first attempt at basic obedience. Trust me, we earned it.