tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85174632011-04-21T17:33:36.233-04:00My shot in the dark on all things humorous, political, controversial, and thought-provoking. I don't claim to say it like it is, just the way I see it.<BR> <P> "We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true." -Robert WilenskyBenvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.comBlogger971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1113371563182080282005-04-13T01:51:00.000-04:002007-02-16T16:29:20.016-05:00

Dear 100 Hour Board Readers and Staff,My freshman year at BYU I discovered two wildly funny sources of entertainment and procrastination: Divine Comedy and the 100 Hour Board. As I left on the customary two-year hiatus from normal life, I made a pact with a friend that we would do one of two things when we got back: try out for Divine Comedy or write for the 100 Hour Board. As all who know me in

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1113327236676735452005-04-11T13:32:00.000-04:002005-04-12T13:38:22.216-04:00

For the last few weeks I’ve been having trouble getting emails. A couple people told me they sent me an email and I never got it, but I chalked it up to the inevitable unreliability of email in general. But recently at work I’ve sent out some urgent emails to people several times, and they never responded. This morning I was grumbling about how unreliable people are, and I checked all my email

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1113114688019557522005-04-10T01:21:00.000-04:002005-04-10T02:31:28.023-04:00

Ambrosia, the lovely and kind person she is, invited all the writers to the Divine Comedy rehearsal in the JSB auditorium on Thursday, the night before their year-end best of show. My initial reaction was to decline the invitation, because I have two major papers staring me in the face. But both the deadlines got pushed back a few days, and I asked myself, “When will you ever again have a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1112981592161125312005-04-07T13:32:00.000-04:002007-01-16T04:35:45.343-05:00

I was an idiot yesterday. I know, I know—those of you who actually know me in real life are thinking, “You’re an idiot every day.” But I was really stupid on Wednesday. I was sitting in class and it was absolutely pointless, so I left half an hour into the class and took off. I walked over to the bus stop and got on the bus and sat there pleased with myself for getting out of the class.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1113007484179134132005-04-04T20:44:00.000-04:002005-04-08T20:45:17.356-04:00

Man, I miss this place sometimes.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1112377270178021732005-04-01T12:39:00.000-05:002005-04-10T13:35:54.740-04:00

The other night The Redhead and I were watching Law & Order: SVU. I prefer the original series, but SVU is a pretty decent drama. In the first few minutes of the episode they had surrounded an apartment building and some fugitives were holed up inside. After a minute or two they stormed the building and found a bunch of dead children and biblical quotations written on the walls of the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1113154416261363372005-03-31T13:33:00.000-05:002005-04-10T13:35:13.356-04:00

This is a funny graph. According to this chart, I'm already 100% wrong.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1111428916572429902005-03-21T13:14:00.000-05:002006-12-25T07:28:09.780-05:00

The weather has been getting warmer, and people are emerging from their enforced hibernation. Everyone is out on the lawn, playing Frisbee or participating in what could only be described as co-ed lawn wrestling. (I may blog more on PDA later; it merits a lot of griping.) Also out for spring is the Soap Box, the venerable institution that is BYUSA’s surrogate for free speech. Last week as I

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1111432264892226132005-03-19T14:06:00.000-05:002005-03-21T14:11:04.893-05:00

Iraqi blogger Husayn Uthman on whether the war was worth it: So you ask me, Husayn, was it worth it. What have you gotten? What has Iraq acheived? These are questions I get a lot. To may outsiders, like those who protested last year, who will protest today. This was a fools errand, it brought nothing but death and destruction. I am sheltered in Iraq, but I know how the world feels, how people

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1110837564252175922005-03-14T16:58:00.000-05:002005-03-14T16:59:24.256-05:00

I was sick most of last week. It started out with a slightly sore throat, but in a day or two it had blossomed into a full-blown, head-pounding, snotty and stuffy, I-can’t-breathe, body-aching-all-over flu. I don’t get sick very often, so I’m a total wuss when I do get hit with the bug. At first I was afraid I was going to die, and then I was afraid I wouldn’t die. Actually, it wasn’t

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1110391624678718232005-03-09T12:59:00.000-05:002005-03-09T13:07:04.680-05:00

I love free money. Yesterday I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and found ten bucks that I had forgotten about. I rarely forget about money (I’m kind of a penny-pincher) so it’s a special treat when I randomly discover cash. It’s not the first time this month that I’ve had “free money” land in my lap. We did our taxes pretty early, so we already got our tax refund. I think this is

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108606993216912972005-03-03T21:03:00.000-05:002005-03-09T17:20:55.330-05:00

These are my top laugh-out-loud movie moments. They don't really serve any purpose other than to feed my ego in my rash assumption that other people care what I think.Tommy BoyWhen Chris Farley and David Spade pretend like they're getting attacked by a swarm of bees to get out of a speeding ticket, I just can't even stop laughing. I know it's stupid humor, and I know it's terribly unrealistic,

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1109825213758086812005-03-02T23:46:00.000-05:002005-03-02T23:46:53.760-05:00

Have any of you ever Googled yourself? My real name doesn’t show up on the Internet much, and none of the references are me. I guess I haven’t done anything noteworthy yet with my life. But my Board name shows up, especially on Yahoo! search, which includes blogs. There are a few other Benvolios out there blogging, but none of them are as regular as I have been, and they mostly write silly

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1109441346231364972005-02-26T13:08:00.000-05:002005-02-26T13:09:06.236-05:00

Yale Law Professor Peter Schuck, author of Agent Orange on Trial, recently weighed in on the issue of universities (such as Yale) refusing to let military recruiters on campus because of the "don't ask don't tell" policy with gays in the military. Through his arguments, Schuck says that Law School opponents of the Defense Department's recruitment policy have been acting in a contradictory manner

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1109439541588434262005-02-26T12:36:00.000-05:002005-02-26T12:39:01.590-05:00

Earlier this week CNN.com reported about Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, and American arrested in Saudi Arabia who allegedly attempted to assassinate President Bush. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in this country who wouldn’t mind doing the job, but the point is that he actually tried to make it happen. He also apparently has ties to Al Qaeda, which isn’t good news for his defense attorney. Anyway, this

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1109440278145879312005-02-22T12:48:00.000-05:002005-02-26T12:53:35.906-05:00

This one is scary. CNN.com reported on a vacationing couple that took pictures of the tsunami just before it smashed onto the beach and killed them. The pictures are pretty impressive, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking, "Why are you fools still standing on the beach at this point?"Thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit for the link.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108844065019899352005-02-19T12:09:00.000-05:002005-02-19T15:14:25.023-05:00

Hey everyone, remember high school? You know, that dismal experience that was only tolerable because you just got out of middle school, and things couldn't get any worse? Well, I'm probably joking there—I enjoyed my high school experience for the most part—but it certainly wasn’t the paragon of social parity. In my high school, as I suspect is true in most of your high schools, there were a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108752480336513322005-02-18T13:46:00.000-05:002005-02-18T13:54:45.953-05:00

The other day The Redhead remarked how fun it was to have me as a boyfriend. But before I could get too flattered, she said, “It was just nice to have a boyfriend.” Well wait a minute, I thought, did you like me or did you just like having a boyfriend? “What about having a husband?” I asked in a blatant plea for validation. “Oh, yeah,” she said offhandedly, “but having a boyfriend is fun.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108504324379012992005-02-15T16:32:00.000-05:002005-02-17T10:34:08.623-05:00

I’ve been thinking about leaving the 100 Hour Board lately. Not that my zeal for writing or my loyalty to the Board has waned; on the contrary, I think I spend more of my time doing Board related things than ever before. I’ve just been thinking about the road ahead, and it inevitably will involve my withdrawal from that most splendid of online institutions. You can’t stay at BYU forever,

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108251460018124752005-02-14T18:34:00.000-05:002005-02-14T13:08:48.630-05:00

Leibniz's blog reminded me of an answer I gave on the 100 Hour Board last June. I had a bad (yet humorous) experience at the Capitol Theater, and since I didn't have a blog then, had someone ask me a question so I could answer it on the Board. Now that I have my own private venue to spew my opinions, I don't need to do that, and I thought it would be fun to see what I wrote back then.:It's time

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108352829079224942005-02-13T22:23:00.000-05:002005-02-13T22:50:01.276-05:00

The 100 Hour Board chat site, what I sometimes call the "Off Board," has had some really great discussions lately. Truly worthy of thought. The string I started was the most interesting to me because I got to see how other people deal with a dilemma I'm facing. It's my dilemma with downloading music, books, programs, etc. Even though I still kinda think it's wrong, I haven't entirely stopped

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1108250577128660242005-02-12T18:08:00.000-05:002005-02-12T18:22:57.133-05:00

The Redhead and I got back from Salt Lake City this afternoon after spending the morning up there with some friends. We sat down to have lunch, and The Redhead turned on the TV. TBS was having a Valentine’s Day marathon, with chick flicks until Tuesday of next week, so we flipped to TNT. There’s always a movie or Law & Order on TNT, and I like both of those things. There was an action flick

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107888144737844662005-02-08T13:42:00.000-05:002005-02-08T16:50:33.576-05:00

I am an incredibly vain person. I know most people think Skippy has a monopoly on the Board when it comes to this fine art, but I really am a very vain person. I spent part of Sunday afternoon organizing my shoes according to how often I use them. The hiking boots and the flip-flops went in the back, but this will necessitate a rearrangement come Spring. A coworker of mine was extolling the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107886546002457522005-02-08T13:15:00.000-05:002005-02-08T13:42:35.020-05:00

Irony is a truly delicious treat in life, but it is enjoyed by very few people. When one of my pompous bosses in a previous job would tell be what I was doing wrong, he of course completely ignored the fact that he was essentially articulating every flaw he himself possessed. The irony of his projection those undesirable traits on me was almost too much for me to keep a strait face. Apart

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097671180665681552005-02-07T20:35:00.000-05:002005-02-07T22:18:45.723-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while, and I'm really busy with some projects, so it'll be a while longer. Here's a list of fun fandom facts, as reported in The Washington Post Express. The U.S. had a 49-year lease for its ambassador's residence in Moscow. Due to the devaluation of the ruble, by the time the U.S. and Russia renegotiated a new lease in late 2004 the yearly rent was just three dollars.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107366580757473102005-02-02T13:47:00.000-05:002005-02-08T13:45:20.883-05:00

I think this is hilarious. It's funny becaue it's true.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107364328631256102005-02-02T11:53:00.001-05:002005-02-02T12:12:08.633-05:00

Just so you can get the full effect of the humor in this situation, go to the following links in order. First, go here. Then go to this article. Then, as a final funny touch, go here. Is that not the most laughable and feeble attempt at publicity you have ever seen in your life? I mean, besides Paris Hilton. The split in Islam between the mainstream/moderate followers and the radical

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107294380449533632005-02-01T16:44:00.000-05:002005-02-01T19:48:16.453-05:00

Every once in a while I see something on the news or I have something happen to me and I know it’s going to end up in my blog. Sometimes life’s delicious little ironies are simply too choice to not mention. Yesterday was one of those days as I logged onto CNN and saw the report of Senator Hillary Clinton passing out at luncheon speech. There are very few people in this world that I enjoy

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107191325799943162005-01-31T13:00:00.000-05:002005-01-31T14:23:47.250-05:00

Sing praises! Make merry! Lift your voices high to the heavens! The 100 Hour Board is back in business. In honor of this momentous occasions, I made up a little song about it this morning while I was running. It's to the tune of Jingle Bells: Joy to the Y! The Board is back. Let questions now flow in! We'll answer in a few days And satisfy your craze For quirky answers and wit, We'll answer

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1107104373488279552005-01-30T11:38:00.000-05:002005-01-30T12:46:17.963-05:00

We went to the Men's Volleyball game last night. It was a big matchup, with BYU (No. 3) playing UCLA (No. 1). We beat them the night before, but they apparently learned from the experience because they swept us rather handily in three games. Actually, rather than give the Bruins the credit for our loss, it would be more accurate to say that we gave it to them with numerous penalty calls and a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1106767721926246532005-01-26T14:26:00.000-05:002005-01-26T14:33:24.553-05:00

Since I’ve been diligently running three or four times a week, I’ve felt a lot better about myself. It’s not that I think I’m fat and that nobody likes me, although that may be the case. I just feel like a lazy bum when I don’t do some physical activity in my schedule. So Monday morning I ran around town, including through part of Kiwanis Park. I like to run on the grass because it’s a lot

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1106595852615871922005-01-24T14:22:00.000-05:002005-01-24T14:45:31.923-05:00

First Tinky-Winky, now Spongebob Squarepants. Every once in a while one of America’s conservative loose cannons decides that the Left hasn’t had enough easy ammunition to throw and lobs ‘em a nice slow pitch. Back in the late 90’s when Jerry Falwell proclaimed the Teletubby Tinky Winky to be a flamer, it provided lesbians across America with a new symbol and late-night talk show hosts with

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1106381018652986042005-01-21T20:23:00.000-05:002005-01-23T12:20:23.790-05:00

There is very little in this world that I love more than running. I love The Redhead more, which is a good thing, since I doubt she’d enjoy sitting at home all day while I went running for hours on end, and I know she wouldn’t enjoy running with me that much. But I do love running very much. I really enjoyed those mornings when the sun was coming up across the lake as I ran around the reservoir

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1106077514419058992005-01-18T14:44:00.000-05:002005-01-18T14:45:14.420-05:00

When I declared my major about 2 ½ years ago, my advisor told me that I could use some of my AP credit from high school towards elective credit for the major. I was rather pleased, since it would allow me to graduate sooner. It also fit well with my semester in Washington, D.C. I was pleased that I was able to graduate in 4 years even though I didn’t declare my major until I was almost a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105989880839337572005-01-17T13:56:00.000-05:002005-01-18T23:41:51.953-05:00

Among the frequent themes on the writers’ (and occasionally readers’) blogs is anonymity. And with good reason: writing a blog is essentially an exercise in maintaining a public anonymous side while maintaining a private personal side. Perhaps one of the more interesting things to do is to see how different writers and readers approach their respective blogs. Thanks to the glorious tab-browsing

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105733980422289932005-01-14T11:52:00.000-05:002005-01-17T14:34:01.066-05:00

Today I finally got around to changing my location on my blog bio. Sadly, I no longer reside in Washington, D.C. I admit, saying you live in Provo isn’t nearly as cool as saying you live in the District. That, in fact, is one of the things I miss about D.C. So I’ll start my list. I miss the sights. I miss walking to work and seeing the Capitol every day. I miss seeing the Washington

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105721291199965922005-01-13T11:43:00.000-05:002005-01-17T14:29:02.076-05:00

A brief and somber moment of silence on my blog for BYU professor Rich Long, who died earlier this week after a massive stroke. The Daily Universe article talks about how beloved he was by students, a fact to which I personally attest. He was highcouncilman in my ward a long long time ago, and he was my favorite friendly, caring, asleep-on-the-stand highcouncilman. A moment of silence please.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105637306605415182005-01-12T19:23:00.000-05:002005-01-13T12:28:26.606-05:00

I can’t help but laugh at my clever little title for this ever-so-brief entry. It cracks me up. It stems from an incident in which Mynamyn and Duchess were taking HEPE together, way back in the day, and they ran across a picture in their textbook of a man who had elephantitis of the testicles. Myn’s response was, “Ohhhhhh. . . that’s unfortunate.” Haha, it still makes me laugh. The guy apparently

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105469548249685002005-01-11T13:08:00.000-05:002005-01-11T13:53:35.176-05:00

As I sink further into Board withdrawals, I start seeing things all over that can be applied to the Board. The most interesting (and by far most intellectual) piece I have come across is in today’s online version of The New York Times. It discusses the ability of human beings to carry on multiple lives or deep secrets. Towards the end the author delves into topics such as people leading

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1105384451241335842005-01-10T13:46:00.000-05:002005-01-10T14:14:11.240-05:00

We went to our new ward for the first time yesterday. For those of you who have never experienced the joy of a married student ward, let me first explain a few key issues. First, a married student ward is blessedly free from most mentions of eternal marriage or dating or any of the other topics that seem to monopolize the pulpit time of single student wards. Don’t get me wrong, marriage is

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1104875048924130552005-01-04T16:43:00.000-05:002005-01-04T20:37:56.196-05:00

The first day of class is always an adventure. I’m always looking at my palm or my notebook to see where the heck I’m going in ten minutes. And somehow I always see more people that I know during the first week of class than the rest of the semester combined. I saw Latro, Saurus, Novel Concept, and Ambrosia today, all within about an hour of each other. I spent some of the day doing some

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1104873822439851632005-01-03T16:21:00.000-05:002005-01-04T16:23:42.440-05:00

We live in a big country. Seriously, it's a huge place. I keep forgetting how big it is until I have to drive across half of it, which is just what The Redhead and I did last weekend. We made great time and we lucked out and had good weather, but it was still a long and grueling trip. I think you learn something about yourself and about your nation when you drive for several days. You find

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1104555874708960622005-01-01T01:04:00.000-05:002005-01-01T00:04:34.706-05:00

The car is packed, the cooler full, and we’re ready to go. See you next year.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1104281276482286142004-12-28T19:41:00.000-05:002004-12-28T19:47:56.483-05:00

Yesterday was our anniversary. I managed to remember, somehow. Maybe it was because The Redhead kept telling me “It’s our anniversary in three days!” and “It’s our anniversary in two days!” At least there was no danger of me not getting her something and thereby incurring her considerable wrath. And what did we do for our anniversary? We spent the evening unlocking things on Mario Kart

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1104076743824473792004-12-26T10:36:00.000-05:002004-12-26T10:59:03.823-05:00

The Redhead and I have the most splendid dilemma. Most problems are unfortunate, or at the very least annoying. But this one is quite possibly the most marvelous problem I have ever encountered. We simply do not know how we’re going to get all of our Christmas gifts back to Utah in our car. Is that a great problem or what? Since my internship ended after the first full week in December,

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1103646018943249122004-12-21T11:19:00.000-05:002004-12-21T11:20:18.943-05:00

We’ve done a lot of driving around the country lately, and we’ll do a lot more before we finally end up in Provo again. On Sunday The Redhead and I skipped out of church after sacrament meeting to travel to her grandparent’s house about 8 hours away. We really didn’t miss too much in church anyway, although the sacrament service warranted some commentary. It was one of the weirder meetings I

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1103158377958908132004-12-15T19:51:00.000-05:002004-12-20T23:06:00.223-05:00

Shopping is quite possibly the most tiring thing in the entire world. I would really rather run 10 miles than shop for the equivalent period of time, and my legs wouldn’t be so tired and my back wouldn’t hurt at all. What is it about standing next to racks of clothes and shelves of kitchenware that saps my strength? Perhaps this type of activity is my version of kryptonite. If so, where are my

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102740211144411892004-12-10T22:56:00.000-05:002004-12-10T23:55:11.620-05:00

You never know how much junk you own until you have to pack it up and schlep it across town or across country. And I, my friends, have a lot of junk. I may like to mock America’s über-consumerism, but I enjoy having stuff just as much as the next bloke. So I’ve just spent a long day packing and cleaning, and I’m bushed. I wish I could say that I won’t have to do that again for a long time,

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102612373837454962004-12-09T10:57:00.000-05:002004-12-09T12:12:53.836-05:00

Today as I got on the Red Line from Metro Center there was a grumpy mother with her bouncy little daughter that got on the train with me. The train was pretty full, so mom sat in a seat in front of the little girl instead of next to her. The little girl looked so cute, with her hair in lots of little braids and her big poofy coat that was almost bigger than she was. She sat in the seat with

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102542345655121612004-12-08T16:35:00.000-05:002004-12-08T16:45:45.656-05:00

As is tradition, I have successfully procrastinated the day of my repentance once again, so I have been working furiously on several projects this week. I have had a month and a half to do a couple of them and all semester to do the other two, so it just serves me right. I am, after all, very good at procrastinating. So it’s been crunch week here in the Capital City, and I’m suddenly realizing

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097601492392461252004-12-06T12:16:00.000-05:002004-12-06T12:08:19.413-05:00

One of my first posts talked about my “fair Verona,” the city of Washington, D.C. I visited here when I was 18 and fell in love with the city, the sites, and the opportunities. For the next several years it was somewhat of an unconscious goal of mine to live here. When the opportunity presented itself I took it. So here I am, living my small dream. But DC ain’t all glitz and glamour. Behind all

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102200528264459822004-12-04T17:27:00.000-05:002004-12-04T17:48:48.263-05:00

This morning The Redhead and I got up and were eating breakfast when our neighbor called and asked if we had hot water. I went to the sink and turned the hot water on full blast and it came freezing cold. Our neighbor could hear my anguished howl through the walls, so she didn’t need to hear my answer when I actually got back on the phone. Our hot water tank is tricksy; the pilot light likes

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102081544307325682004-12-03T08:44:00.000-05:002004-12-03T08:45:44.306-05:00

Just a quick advertisement, now that the pictures are working properly. If you haven't seen The Redhead's blog on the Zoo, go check it out. It's my favorite blog entry ever.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102080681673515942004-12-03T08:19:00.000-05:002004-12-03T08:31:21.673-05:00

Here's a funny little tidbit, courtesy of The Onion. The Iraqi Terror Alert System This is kind of funny, but at the same time, I know that my friends and family members over there have to deal with that stuff every day. Let's just hope they can pull out at some point and leave the Iraqi people relatively self-sufficient. The real losers here aren't even the troops; at least they can go

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1102000890179508572004-12-02T10:18:00.000-05:002004-12-02T10:28:02.236-05:00

A year ago this month I got married. It was simultaneously hectic and wonderful. Like any important life event, it had its share of crises. For example, my family’s van broke down on Christmas day as we were driving to The Redhead’s neck of the woods. Life never lets things happen too easily. But after all was said and done, most things didn’t really change. We were still two poor young college

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101925607243263072004-12-01T13:56:00.000-05:002004-12-01T15:57:06.723-05:00

I get distracted easily when I sit down to write an entry. Frequently I’ll launch into an intro for the topic I’m thinking about and seven paragraphs later I realize that I’m not going to get to the original topic. I sat down several times to write about smoking but I got delightedly sidetracked on some other tangent that turned out to be more entertaining at the time than a diatribe on tobacco.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101845272163033572004-11-30T13:59:00.000-05:002004-11-30T16:27:32.920-05:00

In connection with a few recent conversations with Trueblat and other Board writers, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the Board answers questions. This isn’t too surprising; my habitual checking of the Board while I am within access of the Internet borders on obsessive-compulsive behavior. (I actually just checked the inbox after writing that last sentence.) But I’ve been thinking about the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101763461306389472004-11-29T13:49:00.000-05:002004-11-30T11:05:24.676-05:00

This year I was introduced to a peculiar phenomenon I had previously avoided like the plague. It started with me being dragged out of bed and climbing into a car with my mother-in-law at 6:15 AM the day after Thanksgiving. Before I knew it we were scanning the parking lot at Wal-Mart with blood-shot eyes, looking for a place to park. Why in the world was the parking lot full so early in the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101742568443780702004-11-29T10:35:00.000-05:002004-11-29T10:36:08.443-05:00

Thanksgiving should be the biggest and most important holiday of the year. We got it all wrong when we put Christmas at the head of the holiday food chain. And I won’t hear anything about it being the celebration of Christ’s birth; it ceased to be any religious celebration long ago, and it’s questionable if it every really was. Jesus Christ was born in springtime; that much is clear from the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101740642565114332004-11-29T09:31:00.000-05:002004-11-29T10:04:02.566-05:00

I have more or less disappeared the last few days due to a splendid Thanksgiving break. It’s probably the longest period of time I have gone without posting on my blog since I started it, which says volumes about my social life (or lack thereof). But my weeklong break was welcomed and extremely enjoyable, so now that I am back with the rest of the world I will try to write about it because it

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101215807196929772004-11-23T08:05:00.000-05:002004-11-23T08:16:47.196-05:00

I have a bad habit of posting things under previous times, so it looks like I am far more regular in my posting than I actually am. I usually think of these splendid little monologues while I’m doing something. One of these days I’ll launch into my diatribe on smoking, which I think about every time I pass through the cloud when I enter a building here in D.C. A couple Saturdays ago The

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1101155151494868782004-11-22T15:24:00.000-05:002004-11-22T15:25:51.493-05:00

It’s been a terribly busy week, and my in-laws are in town. Unlike the general stereotype, I happen to love my in-laws dearly. I know, I know, I’m supposed to hate my mother-in-law. But she persists on being the most pleasant and funny person, and it’s terribly hard to hate people like that. The nerve of that woman, really. So she’s just plain hilarious, and I swear she isn’t old enough to

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100742780689862332004-11-17T20:47:00.000-05:002004-11-17T20:53:00.690-05:00

Here's a funny little thing I've been thinking about. One of the fun things about having a blog (or little domain to call your own) is that you can always be right. For instance, an anonymous reader left an ignorant comment on my post about annoying nicknames and I had the luxury of blasting him/her and being backed up by Uffish Thought. It’s like people who have their own radio shows:

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100631590744728192004-11-16T13:57:00.000-05:002004-11-16T14:01:17.773-05:00

There exists a peculiar institution in modern culture known as the interview. It is such a vague and variable word, kinda like the word “talk.” “Talk” can mean anything as comfortable and casual as “talking with an old friend” or as formal as “giving a talk in Stake Conference” or as frightening as the old relationship classic: “We need to talk.” (Yikes!) So the phenomenon known as “the interview

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100548155320499342004-11-15T14:38:00.000-05:002004-11-15T14:49:15.320-05:00

There have been a few changes in town since the elections. I’m not talking about Colin Powell and John Ashcroft leaving, either. For the first time since last summer the Homeland Security Advisory System was downgraded from Orange (High Risk of Terrorist Attack) to Yellow (Significant Risk of Terrorist Attack). They guards outside my work building were no longer checking ID in order to

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100476729752916592004-11-14T18:57:00.000-05:002004-11-14T18:58:49.753-05:00

Today was our branch’s primary program. Or as they say in my branch, el programa de la primaria. (For those of you who don’t habla español, el programa de la primaria mean, in Spanish, the program of the primary.) Yes, as you may have astutely discerned, I go to church in a little inner-city Spanish branch. And oh, is it fun. It’s like being in Latin America again. The Redhead actually

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100391029338845282004-11-13T19:07:00.000-05:002004-11-13T19:10:29.336-05:00

Yesterday The Redhead and I made a very sloppy excursion to the Freer Art Gallery to meet two people whom we did not know. In fact, we really didn’t even use our real names. We stood at a predetermined spot facing the Mall at 1:00 PM and waited for our two “informants” to show up. They arrived and identified themselves by the secret handshake and the passwords (“plethora” and “scatological”

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1100115948674282122004-11-10T14:45:00.000-05:002004-11-10T14:45:48.673-05:00

I have the most terrible temper sometimes. Oh, most of the time I’m fine. But every once in a while something just sets me off. This morning had me all riled up. I was hurrying out the door and I forgot my ID and my Metro card. To get into my work I have to pass 3 security stations, and I need my government issue ID for two of them. Not having my ID means I have to go through the annoying

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099930391372268722004-11-08T11:12:00.000-05:002004-11-08T11:13:11.373-05:00

I’m really glad John Kerry didn’t win. The reasoning for this statement actually has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the stupid American media. Already towards the end of the election they were starting to refer to John F. Kerry as JFK II. Kerry obviously welcomed the comparison: he was a Catholic elitist Democratic candidate from Massachusetts, just like John F. Kennedy. In

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099941532730844482004-11-07T11:30:00.000-05:002004-11-08T14:22:23.686-05:00

Saturday The Redhead and I had planned to spend the day with my family. They were going to come into town to spend a weekend seeing some of the sights in DC and visit with us. They ended up not being able to come due to the health of my grandfather, so The Redhead and I found ourselves facing an open Saturday with nothing in particular planned. We got off to a good start by watching a couple

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099587982384630552004-11-04T11:47:00.000-05:002004-11-04T12:06:22.386-05:00

At risk of beating a dead horse, we’re going to look at some entertaining trends that were exposed in the election. I really think these are kind of funny. I got started on the topic when I was talking with The Redhead about how everyone was quiet yesterday after they heard the results of the election. They all seemed depressed, even more so than when the Redskins lose. People shuffled around

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099508570790519682004-11-03T13:59:00.000-05:002004-11-03T14:02:50.790-05:00

So it’s essentially over. Good, it’s about time. John Kerry proved himself much more the gentleman than Al Gore by politely phoning President Bush this morning and congratulating him. It’s got to be heartbreaking to spend several years of your life (some would say your whole life) to come that close. Say what you want about the man, but I still respect John Kerry as an astute politician and a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099460704728645572004-11-03T00:33:00.000-05:002004-11-03T00:45:04.730-05:00

It's 12:30 AM and WAY past my bedtime, but I'm still up hitting "refresh" on my browser every 30 seconds watching the results come in. I'll be in to work late tomorrow, but so will everyone else. At the last minute I decided to throw out bipartisanship and all semblance of impartiality and just route for Bush and hope he whupped Kerry in Florida and Ohio. What's a game without routing for a

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099410258629303402004-11-02T09:14:00.000-05:002004-11-02T10:44:18.630-05:00

Just about the time I was turning off my alarm and stumbling bleary-eyed into the bathroom this morning, polls up and down the East Coast were opening to lines of voters anxious to cast their ballots before work. In fact, several states like Virginia opened at 6:00 AM to early-bird voters, and the Washington Post shows long lines already forming outside many polling stations around the DC Metro

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099321820777825112004-11-01T09:11:00.000-05:002004-11-01T10:10:20.776-05:00

I hate people. Okay, not really, but have you ever had a morning where everyone around you just drives you mad? I confess that my own disposition has a lot to do with this, since I am Type-A to a fault. I walk faster than everyone else, I walk on the escalators (so does everyone else here), and I don’t like to wait. So this morning was basically a Type-A nightmare. It started out alright.

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099421384173802052004-10-30T22:47:00.000-04:002004-11-02T13:56:15.823-05:00

Today was my birthday. (This means I am much older and wiser than you, Mynamyn.) Let me tell you why it was a nice day: First, there were no disasters. This is unusual for my birthday. On past birthdays I have gotten grounded, been publicly humiliated, almost gotten arrested, been mugged, been hit on by gay men, missed exams, and other unpleasant experiences. Most of these events make great

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1099223621110027912004-10-29T22:49:00.000-04:002004-10-31T06:53:41.110-05:00

One of the enjoyable things about working in an office are the fun emails people send around. In my office they don't forward them unless they are actually funny, so I am spared the lame or sappy ones. This one made me chuckle: Rules of the Road in the Washington D.C. Metro Area First, you must learn to call it by its rightful name. It is D.C., or the "District." Only tourists call it

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098990524904819612004-10-28T15:07:00.000-04:002004-10-28T15:08:44.906-04:00

After a flurry of last minute editing and revision, I finally finished my personal statement and got my early acceptance application off last night. I’m applying to Vanderbilt with the hopes that I’ll get accepted early and I won’t even have to apply to other law schools. It really isn’t that hard to apply, it’s just annoying and time consuming. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, every time

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098806230976667062004-10-26T09:27:00.000-04:002004-10-26T11:57:10.976-04:00

Per my casual comment and Trueblat’s encouragement, I’ve decided to catalog my experiences with members of Congress and other high-ranking officials, contrasting those to my run-ins with the local homeless crowd around where I live and work. Now that I think about it, there are some interesting similarities. Ted Kennedy, for example, drinks about as much as the guy down at the corner. I saw him

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098719532189706342004-10-25T11:50:00.000-04:002004-10-25T11:52:12.190-04:00

This weekend I decided to change the template of my blog. It’s not that I didn’t like the old one; in fact, I think I like it a little more than this one. I liked the dark blue and beige, and although teal isn’t really my style, I thought it was a decent color scheme. But I felt like a copycat or someone who follows the crowd when I found out that everyone and their mother was using the same

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098623686669686962004-10-24T08:43:00.000-04:002004-10-24T17:38:06.683-04:00

The day after the Boston Red Sox won the American League Championship, I walked into work expecting to see my coworkers in whistling, cheerful moods. They had anxiously watched their team come back from a three-game deficit to win the American League over their nemeses, the New York Yankees. What wasn’t there to celebrate? I was surprised to see all the die-hard fans with serious faces,

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098303540724031702004-10-20T16:17:00.000-04:002004-10-20T16:19:00.726-04:00

Ever have one of those days where nothing interests you? Yeah, that’s me today. I wonder what in the world has gotten into me; I don’t want to do anything. I have been possessed by an evil spirit, except it’s not really evil, it’s just extremely lazy and lethargic. It could be a product of the weather—the sun hasn’t shone for days here in the district—but I doubt it. If I was that sensitive

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098211582826838252004-10-19T14:44:00.000-04:002004-10-19T14:46:22.826-04:00

It was the Redhead’s birthday last week. Not only did I remember, I took her out to dinner and we went shopping for her birthday and got some clothes on sale. This wise and careful action on my part ensured that I would not be sleeping on the couch for the rest of the week. And I assure you, sleeping on our couch is not something I want to be doing: it’s a love seat with room for 1.5 people

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1098115958921095592004-10-18T11:09:00.000-04:002004-10-18T12:12:38.920-04:00

Usually when I sit down to write a blog entry I have some entertaining or whimsical idea in my head that I bat around on the screen and tease out a few paragraphs that I find interesting. In that respect, my blog is entirely selfish: I write what I like and what I find interesting, not what other people want to read. (I do, however, make some concessions. I changed the URL so I could have

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097683423303308102004-10-13T08:49:00.000-04:002004-10-13T12:10:24.560-04:00

The weather is turning colder and my morning walk to the Metro is quite brisk. I like this time of year very much, actually, and I had spent so many autumns in Utah or elsewhere that I forgot how nice the trees look in the fall. After a stifling summer, the cooler weather has really been a welcome break. On the campaign front, however, things are still heating up, and you can’t walk a block in

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097599602508831752004-10-12T10:20:00.000-04:002004-10-12T13:24:50.336-04:00

My apartment is what is known as a “convenience apartment.” In this convenience is a drastic euphemism for “really really really ridiculously small.” Another common name for such apartments is a “studio apartment,” which is also a misnomer, since no studio is this small. The small size has its advantages, of course. I can sit at my little table and get something from my tiny fridge without

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096648664666687872004-10-08T11:52:00.000-04:002006-11-14T05:52:19.763-05:00

I really liked the set of political links I put up last week, but I think it a waste to only focus on the political stuff out on the Web. I consider the primary purpose of the Internet to be a tool of information and communication. This is closely followed by the secondary purpose of providing entertainment. A few of my links last time around were cartoons, so I'll put up a few more of those. But

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097163435609499292004-10-07T11:14:00.000-04:002004-10-07T11:37:15.610-04:00

So I am applying to law school right now. To those of you unfamiliar with the process, I encourage you to thank your lucky stars that you never have to endure such humiliation and abject suffering. Applying to law school is just about the most miserable academic undertaking, with the notable exception of applying to medical school. I fully confess that medical school trumps anything difficulty

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097094348438908352004-10-06T16:24:00.000-04:002004-10-06T16:25:48.440-04:00

I’ve had a few jobs before this one. I was a lifeguard during high school. I worked in an office. I worked in a warehouse twice, once on conveyor belts and once driving forklifts. I’ve done event planning and project editing. But it wasn’t until this job that I got completely enveloped in working culture. I guess working for the government will do that to you. Suddenly Dilbert is a lot

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1097003278738797082004-10-05T15:05:00.000-04:002004-10-05T15:07:58.736-04:00

Yesterday I had the great privilege of hearing oral arguments before the Supreme Court. The case was a boring one to most people, but it is actually a landmark case in an area in which I currently work. The Supreme Court heard two separate cases together to decide the legality of the federal sentencing guidelines. Sounds kinda boring, right? Well, it’s actually important. If you want to hear

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096860398899974152004-10-03T23:05:00.000-04:002004-10-03T23:26:38.900-04:00

It’s funny how we live in a world with about 6 billion inhabitants, and yet we still run into people we know. Last Tuesday I ran into a girl from my freshman ward at Institute. I didn’t even know she had graduated, and now she’s here in Alexandria going to some Institute for International Politics up by DuPont Circle. A very pleasant surprise, though. Friday we ran into a classmate at the

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096738316417595982004-10-02T13:31:00.000-04:002004-10-02T13:31:56.416-04:00

Last night the Redhead and I decided to actually get out and about and have a “night on the town”. We ate in an interesting little French restaurant called “La Madeleine” (which, for those of you who do not parlez français, means in French, “The Madeleine”). It was kind of cafeteria style, and no one there spoke English as a first language. (In the case of when we went there, the three

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096645875864735642004-10-01T11:19:00.000-04:002004-10-01T11:51:15.863-04:00

I saw about 20 minutes of the Presidential Debates last night, but most of that time was spent furiously trying to finish my report that I handed in this morning. I actually kept fairly good tabs on the debate by keeping The Shape of Days, Instapundit, and the NY Times open in other tabs on my browser (to Firebird, Firefox, and all other tab-enabled browsers, I salute you). But the bulk of my

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096590309209618042004-09-30T20:03:00.000-04:002007-02-17T09:59:24.793-05:00

In honor of the Presidential Debate to be held in less than an hour from now, I have decided to post some links to some of my favorite political Web sites and blogs. Some are from the right, some are from the left, some are just funny. So while the heat is on in Miami tonight, check out these fun spots. Instapundit.com Glenn Reynolds, law professor at the University of Tennessee, is a well

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096557459881812652004-09-30T10:12:00.000-04:002007-01-08T03:06:48.710-05:00

I was recently reminded by a glance at §åû®µ$'s blog of the rampant addiction problem sweeping the young adult population of the United States. It is particularly problematic among the male population, although it affects some women as well. The first instances of use (and abuse) usually occur in high school, although many start earlier. But experts agree that this condition reaches its most

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096485823994690452004-09-29T13:40:00.000-04:002004-09-30T11:21:49.713-04:00

The recent news scandal at CBS has made me reconsider the way blogs affect society. During the initial 60 Minutes broadcast right-wing blog sites began posting conspiracy theories that called into question the validity of the documents used by the CBS news team to call into question the President’s service record. Later that evening a blogger known as Buckhead proposed the theory that a 1970’s

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8517463.post-1096489446104394232004-09-28T21:26:00.000-04:002004-10-01T12:38:20.390-04:00

I think everyone should spend some time in Washington, particularly in the fall. I’ve been here in the spring (it rains a lot) and in the summer (it rains a lot), but I really think I like the city in the fall the best (it rains a lot). The rain may be a bit of an exaggeration, but we’ve had the remains of four different hurricanes come through town over the last month and a half so it’s very

Benvoliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02568613651673683094noreply@blogger.com0