Bob’s interweb party house

I’d like to officially announce a new addition to our family. “Shorty,” a 20-week-old female tuxedo kitten, arrived on Saturday afternoon. Initially she had her own room, but she is already showing signs of comfort exploring the upper floor of the house. She’s quite the cuddler, with a purrbox that never stops and a tendency to sit disturbingly close to your face. It is the first pet for the girls, and they are ecstatic. Sophie couldn’t wait to go to school this morning and “brag” about her new kitty. She said she’s tired of talking about the experiences she has with other people’s pets. BTW the girls have decided to call her Macie instead of Shorty.

2008 was about change. Some years fly by with so little change that the year is barely discernible from the last, or from the next. This was not one of those years.

I got a new job this year. I had been at the same small-to-medium web hosting company since 1999, and circumstances conspired to introduce me to the next “best job I’ve ever had.” I’m working in Reston, in the computer security field, with the best set of bosses and co-workers I could imagine putting together. The work is challenging and rewarding, the work environment is fantastic, and the catered lunches, nerf battles and trips to the local shooting range are enough to bring it completely over the top.

As a result of this job change, we had to pick up another car — I had been taking the commuter train into Arlington for the previous job — so because the commute is so long, I picked up a Prius. The loaded model. The nav system, bluetooth connection, 9-speaker stereo system that plays MP3s, all that great stuff. Plus XM radio. We also got rid of our ‘95 Tahoe and replaced it with a 2000 Suburban, from the same secondhand source. XM radio in that vehicle as well.

I’ve been spending my commute listening to audiobooks. I’ll try to list them all, but I’ll probably forget some. Charlie Wilson’s War, Cryptonomicon, Digital Fortress, Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and I’m now in the middle of the third book of Twilight. Don’t laugh, I’m sure it’s more rewarding than the movie. And no, it doesn’t mean I’m at Hot Topic buying stuff that identifies me as vampire-friendly.

I also burned through a set of Spanish lessons. Perhaps I’ll get through another set this year, although next on my list is Bob Woodward’s “The War Within,” followed by maybe some Douglas Adams.

No serious illnesses in 2008, although Sophie was diagnosed with an eye injury, “fourth nerve palsy,” which was corrected in surgery earlier this week. Eve has had the same cold/cough since Thanksgiving, hopefully she’ll be over that soon.

I spent a lot of energy focusing on fitness this year, running five miles around Burke Lake on the way to work when the weather was friendly for it, and picking up a Wii Fit set for the family for Christmas. Hopefully this year I’ll have something to show for it. No luck so far, although I do FEEL more healthy and energetic.

I renewed my concealed carry permit this year, since I’m running with such a gun-friendly crowd and finally have people to go shooting with. It just makes it easier to carry.

I hope your year was as interesting and productive as mine was, and I hope the coming year brings all of us more success, luck, love and prosperity than we’re expecting. Happy New Year!

He was playing games in a very dangerous arena. I’m not saying he deserved to be killed for it, but I am absolutely unsurprised. I am also absolutely convinced that his death was not an “unfortunate accident.”

Bush Insider Who Planned to Tell All Killed In Plane Crash

Velvet Revolution: Prosecute Rove

Connell was linked to, among other things:

• The rigging of 2000 and 2004 elections
• Destruction of White House emails
• Setting up of an off-grid White House email system (to circumvent scrutiny and the law)

Sometimes I wish I could only see people from a distance.  From a distance, everything is slow, peaceful, harmless.  Up close, people will astound you with their stupidity, their carelessness, their wrongness, their ability to inflict pain and harm upon others.

It looks like they found Caylee Anthony’s remains.  We all knew she was gone, but finding it brings it all home, removes all doubt.  ABC says there was duct tape on her mouth.  I can’t imagine inflicting this upon any living thing.  Killing a 2-year-old girl and dumping her remains in a garbage bag.

After JonBenet, I spent countless hours following the websites of several close followers of the case, wanting to understand, wanting to know who could do such a thing and why.  In the words of Okkervil River,

Now, with all these cameras focused on my face, you’d think they could see it through my skin.
Looking for evil, thinking they can trace it, but evil don’t look like anything.

They never found the piece of evil responsible for the death of JonBenet, or at least nobody was ever held accountable.  But how could you hold anyone accountable for something so horrid and wrong?

Misty Mundae in “Bite Me”:

misty-mundae-bite-me-3of3