Both Please

Both Please, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Some folks just can't make up their minds. If you're going to be indecisive, you might as well toss in a chunky little frog and some daffodils. I've been wanting to doctor up and post this picture for a few days now. Don't get me wrong, I actually am one of those people who isn't exactly sure a joint ticket would be a good idea. Still, the sentiment of a yard, a home, a family or a group that supports both made me smile. The fun composition of their yard takes that charming sentiment and raises it up to something else.

I think I might be rambling. Oh well!

More from DC

Central Safe, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

I've got a ton, a TON of pictures still to edit from my DC wanderings but I'm making progress. 40some are up on Flickr already in a slideshow, and this is one of my favorites to date. There's something about the combination of sign falling apart and "safe" that makes me smile. I snapped 5 or so shots to get soem different angles on the e-n peeling out off the sign.

Anyway, it's a beautiful day in Connecticut. I've had an avalanche week of work where tasks, to-dos, requests, phone calls and all sorts of other bizarre stuff just keep tumbling in, but I've got dinner plans with friends and I'll see my brother and his wife on Friday! YEAH! Also, there's a new 3am add from Hillary that I think is kinda Hillarious... perhaps I'll toss it up here later.

All in all, life is good!

Hope folks out there are feeling the goodness wherever you are and whatever you're up to!

What a Weekend

Bike Glare, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Wow... so, this weekend I decided to get a little more active than I've been in... let's say months. I joined in a Critical Mass bike ride through downtown New Haven Friday evening, and I played softball for over 3 hours Sunday afternoon. Between one activity and the other I did some hiking in the woods, and now... I am sore.

But happy!

It was nice to get lots of fresh air, and after all of that I sat down Sunday evening to continue editing photos from my recent trip to Washington DC. Above is a photo I took in Columbia Heights. I like the combination of the sun glare on the lens and the happy flowers on the bottom.

I think this week is gonna be a pretty great one, and I hope yours is off to a great start!

And Now for Something Completely Different: Monks in Your Printer

What is the essence of social entrepreneurship? How about a group of monks who sell toner via a very successful web-based business, with a CEO who makes an annual salary of $0.00?

Want to learn more? Check out their wonderful story on the San Francisco Chronicle website.

Yet Another Ode to the Random

Adams Morgan Chair, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Here is a random chair I discovered sitting beside a trash can outside an apartment building. It's not even like it was outside a restaurant where it might belong to a lazy bouncer or have been dragged from the outdoor seating space... how odd.

Powerful

So it's yet another interesting and, I'm sure, to many disheartening week in what Steven Colbert has dubbed Democralypse Now! How is it all striking you?

Have you seen the strange Barillary/Hillarack character The New Republic put on their cover (strange)?

Did you tune out long ago?

Here's a quote that struck me as coming from a balanced place that lies for the most part wonderfully outside the fray:


"The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth," - Dean J. Snyder, Foundry United Methodist Church, March 19, 2008. Snyder is Hillary Clinton's pastor, although I'm not sure how often she attends his church.

Many thanks to Andrew Sullivan's blog which collects many such wonderful tidbits.

A Remarkable and Troubling Point

From the Jed Report:

"What if Osama bin Laden publicly endorsed one of the central tenets of Barack Obama's candidacy?

What if this statement was made while Barack Obama was overseas?

What Barack Obama embraced that endorsement, and offered it as proof that his foreign policy views were right for the country?

What would the media say? Would they ignore it? Quote it approvingly? Or would they spend the next week endlessly looping video footage of bin Laden and Obama, joined at the hip?

What if John McCain did the same thing?

Well, as rawstory reports, it happened..."

Read the rest of the post, a fascinating piece of this past week's political terrain.

Peacable Zone

Entering a D.C.P.S. Peacable School Zone, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Visiting DC this weekend has been a wonderful and refreshing experience, a reintroduction to all the reasons I love it down there. It was a chance to see old friends, wander in familiar and yet changed environments.

The changes are drastic in some spots, hardly noticable in others. For tonight, however, it is late and I am sleepy, so I'll leave it at that, as I head off to a peacable zone for some dreams.

Sweet dreams world.

Happy Easter.

Water Ice Follow-up

Again, for folks who don't know water ice, there's a definition as a sub-section of the larger "italian ice" entry in Wikipedia.

Also, to find a Rita's near you, check out their store locater.

ice.custard.HAPPINESS

ice custard HAPPINESS, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Joy!

Pure, unadulterated, that's what Joseph and I felt as we pulled off the road at the Rita's Water Ice we had just discovered exists not too far from where I live in New Haven. Just up the road in Branford they serve the Philly classic, a staple of our lives all through growing up, and I found it just as the water ice season (spring through fall) is starting!!!

My buddy Joseph was in CT for a weekend visit, and Rita's was perhaps the gleaming pinnacle of our weekend wanderings. That said, it was an all around great couple of days.

For anyone who hasn't sampled water ice or wonders what that is, you should find a Rita's near you.

Senate Majority Leader Clinton?

I came across a post on MyDD.com today that struck me as very very interesting, and a new entry into the larger debate about where the Democratic party goes from here. I would love to hear what other folks think about this and I am hopeful that this represents a new phase in developing the larger conversation where people start rolling out various creative possibilities that stand some chance of offering the two contenders for the nomination a win-win resolution.

Where have all the photos gone?

Cones, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

This has been an interesting week for me. I've been working from home all week and developing clearer and clearer ideas of how that can work well every passing day. I've got a love-hate relationship with the working from home thing, and I think it's actually one of the most profound experiences I've had in my life with that term (love-hate).

On one hand, I love setting the tone for my work space, being able to relax, and if I'm feeling crappy just do what I need to do in bathrobe mode for half the day. That said, it's quiet in ways that aren't always good, and I certainly miss the bustle of an office. Funny thing is, the little company I work for keeps growing (we just hired our 6th staff member this week!) and hence the bustle of our virtual office keeps growing and growing, which is kinda great.

All in all, it's been a good week, aside from the fact that my body has decided to keep me lingering on the edge of illness yet again for days on end. That said, I'm aiming for a fun weekend with one of my best buddies who's driving up from Philly this afternoon. The sun is out, my curtains are open, and all is right with the world.