Comings and Goings

Whew! Spring Break officially started this morning and our son gave my wife and I the opportunity to sleep in until 7:00!!! What a miracle! It's extremely cold this morning (close to freezing) and we're packing for a two-day getaway to Ashland, Oregon. I'm looking forward to visiting the Shakespeare Festival as well as traveling outside Bay Area for the first time in a while. I'll miss my boy but will appreciate the time with my wife.
Russ Feingold is pressing the Senate to censure President Bush. 2008 ambitions or not, this call is coming nearly two years too late. As the nation marks the third anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq and debacle of the "Accomplished Mission", the executive branch's chickens are coming home to roost. Abu Ghraib, Katrina, the budget, Iraq, Afghanistan. Legalities aside, all of the President's major news-worthy and historic events will receive the same label: ineptitude.
This leads to some of the current issues in the news, the Dubai ports deal and 2006 midterms. It's a crying shame that people's fears of terrorism and the connection with an Arab nation crushed this deal (I do love the irony of this NOT working in Bush's favor for the first time!!!). The president's out-of-the-gate threat of a veto against any blocking of the deal, followed by a "I wasn't aware of" and "we'll look into it" statements showed two things: first, that Bush failed to consider just how much of an issue this was going to be, especially with plummeting ratings, and secondly, that Bush was thrown under the bus on this one. The fact that the President was kept out of the loop on the details of this deal (or the public cluelessness to the details) shows an insurgency in the ranks of the Republican Party. This is becoming ever-wider known that the duck in the Bush White House is growing lamer. Now, we've all known just how "lame" Bush is, but politically speaking, this man's presidency is finished. Members of the GOP who don't have to worry about the wrath of Jerry Falwell in their state for re-election are bucking the president on everything from the budget to foreign policy. "Conservatives" are beginning to emerge on all fronts; political and fiscal (a la Goldwaters) are hitting Bush on his lack of discipline on spending), isolationists (or anti-neocons) are hitting Bush on his handling of India (recognizing India's right to possess nukes which it will possibly use on Pakistan), and everyone knows the religious right will begin bringing out the bogeyman issues closer to the November election (gays are trying to hijack marriage, kids like screwing and should be sterilized and abortion kills four out of two Americans) in order to demonstrate to the rest of the world that hopes of ignorant theocracies don't just exist overseas. All of this, however, must be kept in light of what Lefty Brown posted just a couple of days ago about the fact that the Democratic Party stands for nothing and had better re-define itself in order to not be placed in a museum with other extinct creatures if it can't capitalize off the incompetency of the forty-third president.

Other important things for me to note:

The Allmans are rocking the Beacon again and pulling out some interesting song and guest choices.

Bruce's new album and tour look to be fascinating to say the least. I'm hoping for his Basement Tapes to be discovered relatively soon.

The Little Willies have put out a great record. Worth picking up, as Norah Jones's singing and playing are again, sensual (her photo on the album back doesn't hurt, neither) and the entire record is a fun listen-to.

Jack Johnson's latest (not the monkey record but the one with the tree) is a fun, mellow and guilty pleasure. I'll enjoy this one in the pool this summer.

I'm curious to check out Sacramento-based Jackie Greene's new release, "American Myth" tomorrow. SF Chron raved, Amazon's samples are killer and anyone receiving kudos for including hints of the Byrds, Dylan and early Eagles should be listened to.

Speaking of the Eagles (not those soulless sell-outs touring the nation that happen to resemble the guys I used to love), I picked up a newly and wonderfully remastered Hotel California. Say what you will about the Eagles, those 1972-1976 records possessed some wonderful music. For me, the band and its music hold strong connection with some pivotal points in my life and I will always hold those close. This album contains many of those memories and to finally hear them as they have needed to be heard makes me thankful for the art of the remaster.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo. Just starting and it's rocking already.

The 40 Year Old Virgin - the funniest damn movie I've seen since living in Brentwood.

Yoshi's - another upcoming show for next week (Christian McBride and his amazing quartet).

The Derek Trucks Band - buy new album, b&p the SF show and pray that the jerk(s) who stole the band's trailer last week will return all of that gear to the guys.

My family. My wife is on a much-needed vacation and we get to spend some great time with our boy. He's talking more and more and really becoming a toddler.

St. Patrick's Day. I'm a quarter Irish and I really love this part of my heritage. My nana's parent emigrated sometime, I believe, in the 1890s to San Francisco, and so, if nothing else, I can celebrate my Irish heritage by eating corned beef and cabbage and drinking a ton of Irish beer.