Stu News and Photos

Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards. It takes both passion and perspective. Certainly all historical experience confirms the truth - that man would not have attained the possible unless time and again he had reached out for the impossible. But to do that a man must be a leader, and not only a leader but a hero as well, in a very sober sense of the word. And even those who are neither leaders nor heroes must arm themselves with that steadfastness of heart which can brave even the crumbling of all hopes. This is necessary right now, or else men will not be able to attain even that which is possible today."

— Max Weber

My latest essay for GNMParents, this one is about Father's Day. Here's the first 'graph:

If I drank, Father’s Day is definitely a day I would spend in a bar, drowning my every emotion. You see, I’m a stepfather. And being the stepdad on Father’s Day is like being the Vice President on Inauguration Day - They say nice things about you, but really, everyone’s there to see the other guy.

A friend received the following spam - I thought it just surreal enough to warrant a post. Please, enjoy:

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Hello,

My name is Jeff Foster, I am the PR Manager for www.SmellyWasher.com. Our product removes mildew smell from washing machines. I would like to send your company a FREE Bottle of Smelly Washer so you can test it out & write a review about it on your website.

See How The Product Works:

http://www.youtube.com/user/smwasher

Please give me a call at 952-935-4192 or send me an e-mail.

P.S. Our company also can offer Free Bottles of Smelly Washer to your readers if you wanted to run a contest or sweepstakes! Instead of spending money advertising our products we give away products to websites like yours to increase our brand awareness. Please email or call if your feel your readers would also enjoy receiving a free bottle of Smelly Washer!



Jeff Foster
PR Manager
952-935-4192
http://www.SmellyWasher.com

A long time ago, before any of you were born, there was a period of history called "The Eighties." It was a fine time, especially during the second half of that mad glorious bastard of a decade. I was in college, enjoying every moment of experiencing life outside of myself, especially with regards to culture. Music, art, dance, food. And it is that last bit of culture that I will recall here for you now, in hopes that you can learn the valuable lesson of: Don't let people fool you, there *is* such a thing as the perfect burger.

It was 1987, summertime, and I was spending time as the guest of my ever-patient brother and his wife. Such wonderful memories of that summer, including the many evenings where he would expose me to local delicacies. French food, Thai food, and the ever-popular American hamburger.

It was during one of these burger runs that my brother suggested Five Guys. I was not familiar with the place, but at that time I wasn't familiar with much, so I gave my assent and off we drove. 15 minutes later, i was knee-deep in the warm waters of a gastronomical mind-melter. Yes, it was *only* a hamburger, but it was, without a doubt, the best hamburger I'd ever eaten, without exception.

Many years later, I found myself living in Los Angeles. No Five Guys, but a fine place to live. Still, whenever we'd have burgers, I had to stash away my blissful memories of Five Guys, as no other place could produce a patty that even came close.

Recently, a friend mentioned that he had recently eaten at Five Guys and the memories rushed into my mind. Sadly, no Five Guys near me. But then my friend wondered aloud if Chicago had a Five Guys, which was his next vacation stop. I thought, hey, does Five Guys have a website with a store locater? I checked, they did, and I was able to get my friend the address of a Chicago Five Guys. ---gears slowly turning in my head--- hey, um, if I was able to find out if there was a Five Guys in Chicago, then, um... ummm... That means... um... That means that maybe I can find out if they have a Five Guys near me!

And guess what? ... There's a Five Guys Near Me!!!

So, tonight, off I drove to Carson, California, a mere seven miles from my house. Seven miles to the heavenly sight of:



I stepped inside, i ordered, I got my drink, I read for a bit, until my number was called (number 11 for those keeping track). A minute later, this is what spread before me:



Ah, yes, and was it good... Boy, howdy, I'll tell you what, it was as good as ever, a taste like no other, simply heaven.

And now I am light of heart, knowing that no matter how bad the day may get, no matter how grey the clouds, no matter how gritty the smog, I've got magnificent children, a blessing of a wife, a roof over my head, clean water, a safe neighborhood, and now the best burgers in the world just a short drive away. Shall I ask for more? No, I shan't.

Another week, another essay of mine appearing at GNMParents - This one is about Pokemon and time and concerns. I do this every week - some of my essays pop in the pan, some don't. I post the link when I remember, but it doesn't mean I think the essay is any good. In fact, I think most of them are pretty mediocre. But I feel a certain loyalty and if I can point some eyes towards the site, maybe you'll find other, better writers and you'll subscribe to the feed.

1993 was the year I first started using the internet professionally. It was truly amazing to witness the speed at which files could be transferred across great distances. Very magical and very exciting. (For complete disclosure, allow me to confess that I used the internet for something other than file sharing back in 1993 - When the workday ended, I spent quite a few hours playing Bolo with folks thousands of miles away - geeky fun indeed.)

My daughter received a certificate at her school a few nights ago. When she showed it to us, my wife and I commented how cool it was that it was signed by the President. We looked at each other and immediately voiced the same opinion, that it was especially cool to have been signed by *this* President, that he was someone who excited us, who made us feel comfortable with our representation on the world stage, someone who seemed to be sturdy at the helm. A nice feeling indeed.

Every once in a while, there's a news event that is so pure that I am compelled to see how Fox News spins it. Today, the President Of The United States spoke at Cairo University. Headlines from various news sources include "Obama: 'Cycle of Suspicion and Discord Must End'" (Washington Post), "Obama Reaches Out To Muslims" (CNN), "Obama calls for new beginning with Muslims" (Seattle Times), and "Obama to talk about peace, extremism" (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram). - And Fox News? "Obama's Terrorist Invite"

Awesome!