Go Redskins!

My father and I got a hold of field passes for the Redskins game against the Giants. It was pouring ran pretty much the whole time. We were only on the sidelines for a few minutes before the game started. Quite a few players seem to make it a habit to get pumped before the game by slapping hands with the folks on the side though. It is exciting to see them that close up, in their moment. It beats HDTV.

2008 Piedmont Thanksgiving Hunt

Every Thanksgiving morning the Piedmont Hunt group organizes a fox hunt. They typically hunt every Thursday and Saturday, so of course Thanksgiving always overlaps that schedule. However, I think more folks come out for the turkey day chase. Today was a particularly good day. The weather was clear and brisk, my California butt was cold. It was a good hunt for spectating though, since the fox decided to run right by the spot I staked out.

This morning's event began at Oak Spring, the Mellon Estate which is apart of Rokeby Stables in Upperville, VA. The venue was conveniently just around the bend from my folk's farm. My father usually rides in the hunt too, but he's been sidelined with a shoulder injury like myself. He decided to fall off a horse and break his clavicle at the same time I opted for surgery. He claims he will be back at it next week...

I finally made use of a Flickr account and setup a set of pictures:
Piedmont Thanksgiving Day Hunt

IDRC Drag Racing

Red Bull Drifting World Championship

This was just a teaser. I will post up more photos when I get through the editing process. It was a busy weekend. I must sleep!

UPDATE:
I made a Flickr set:
Red Bull Drifting World Championship

Nissan 370Z Uncovered, Inside Line Puts Me on the Spot

Last night Edmunds.com, Inside Line more specifically, and Nissan North America invited a few enthusiasts to check out the new 2009 Nissan 370Z ahead of its scheduled release at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Somewhere around two minutes after I arrived the crew from Inside Line walked over with their camera and requested a few thoughts on the sports coupe. I had hardly seen the car in person, no more than photos online, but I rolled with what I could. The result can be seen on the Inside Line 370Z Party Page.

Runts. Where are the limes?!

6 Weeks Out, I Can Streamline

I am just over 6 weeks out from shoulder surgery now. I can finally get my arms in a decent streamline position again. I still have 6 more weeks to go before full swimming again, however. Until then I keep it up with kicking and breaststroke. Right now is when it is really paying off to be a breaststroker. The ability to throw a bit of breaststroke in with the never ending kick sets is keeping my sanity in check.

Week of Change

I am glad this election is over. I am extremely tired of the pessimistic attitude that this country has had for the past few years. No matter who your elected leader is, childish name calling is low. I can understand arguments backed up by substantial factual evidence, but the personal attacks have been infantile and demeaning. I was no fan of the Clinton regime, but I respected the man for his position. I have a lot of respect for Barack Obama as well, and I know that his powerful ability with words, along with his physical appearance, gave people a sense of new direction. However, no matter what the nature of the aura surrounding him, I never warmed up to any of the words coming out of his mouth. Working as an engineer at companies of very different sizes I have really come to understand that economics are at the center of EVERYTHING. For that reason I have failed to see how Obama's promises could lead to any sort of economic stabilization, much less growth. I currently don't see support for competitive world markets in his agenda. I am curious as to what a revised plan will look like from him and his chosen team, but with most of the names currently being thrown around, I think I might just be sitting back and holding on for a bumpy ride.

With the events of the past two years of campaigning I have at least been inspired. I am now driven to become even more active in my own community, especially since now I am a home owning and property tax paying individual. I also want to advance my education to enhance my engineering degree. I have been considering a masters in economics, but I think my current position in life is more conducive to getting an MBA. I feel that I have responsibilities later in life where I will need that education. I owe it to my parents to show that respect for their life's hard work.

Unfortunately all the uncertainty of this week is not yet over for me. Tomorrow morning the CEO of my employer is addressing the workforce with what will most likely be historically horrendous losses along with "important changes." There are all sorts of rumors flying around. I guess I will find out in the morning and hopefully GM can pull through... although there will most likely be enormous casualties.