Patriots win, 41-27. This was the worst loss for me- ever. Cowher is now 1-4 in AFC Championship games.
That really says it all.
Archives for 2005
Choke
The Steelers are losing 24-3. I wanna throw myself from a building.
Steelers-Patriots
Sleep Apnea
I got my CPAP machine yesterday (Respironics Remstar Plus) and I wore it last night for the first night. I had no problems whatsoever, and I can not believe the results.
I went to bed at 11:30 last night, and I slept until 3:50. Went to the bathroom, slept from 3:50 until 8:00ish. That may sound uneventful for those of you wihtout sleep disorders, but let me tell you, the difference for me is remarkable.
First, as I was having 54 episodes an hour, waking up only once a night as opposed to 400 is highly preferable.
Second- my sheets are still on my bed. My pillows are still on my bed. I woke up in the same position that I went to sleep. Before, I would thrash around while choking, and rip the sheets off my bed. Often times I would wake up sitting in a chair sleeping (computer chair, living room chair, sitting up on the couch, sitting on the side of the bed), because in my sleep I had figured out that as a way to keep my airway open.
Third- my cat wasn’t watching me this morning when I woke up. He was sound asleep next to me.
Fourth- I actually feel rested. My head doesn’t hurt, my chest doesn’t hurt, and I feel like a 9 year old who has been chugging Starbucks and snorting pure sugar.
Fifth- I smiled before noon. I smiled before coffee. Hell- I smiled.
They say the results become more pronounced the longer you use it- but I feel better already, and I had no problem adjusting to the machine. The only side effects I have found are that for the first twenty minutes I was awake, I felt like someone had spent the last 12 hours blowdrying my tonsils and eardrums. Also, I am stiff- I am not used to sleeping in the same position for 8 hours. A hot shower and some stretching cured that.
Finally, this is going to soound stupid, but about a half hour ago, I almost became overwhelmed with emotion and started crying. I simpy can not describe how much better I feel.
Inauguration
One of the other things that really pisses me off about the Democrats and their specious charges regarding the pricetsg of the inauguration is that the ceremonies and celebrations are designed to bring unity to Washington. Instead, the Democrats try to fracture the divide farther.
Probably so in 4 months they can wryly note that Bush wanted to be a uniter, not divider, but golly jee, all the Democrats hate him.
Cheney Quote
Jesse doesn’t know what to make of this:
Asked to name his mistakes in planning the war in Iraq, Cheney said he had not anticipated how long it would take the Iraqis to begin running their own country. Not until after Saddam was ousted did the United States realize the extent of the Iraqi leader’s brutality in putting down revolt in 1991, Cheney said.
“I think the hundreds of thousands of people who were slaughtered at the time, including anybody who had the gumption to stand up and challenge him, made the situation tougher than I would have thought,” he said on “The Don Imus Show” on the radio.
“I would chalk that one up as a miscalculation, where I thought things would have recovered more quickly,” Cheney said.
I’m wondering if there’s more to it than this…but then I read the transcript and realize that there isn’t. I’m sure there’s someone out there who understands Puddinhead’s logical process better than me, but it seems to me that the major issue wasn’t so much the vestiges of Saddam’s rule, but rather the startlingly poor response to the insurgency that began growing hours after invasion.
One of the interesting things about human communication is that when affect between individuals is high, the chance of a successful communication event increases. Cockburn, in particular, references something he calls amicability. What does this have to do with anything?
Because it simply amazes me that whatever Bush, Cheney, or anyone in the adminstration says, the Democrat bloggers either completely misunderstand , or completely distort what they have said, or in Kevin Drum’s case, they don’t even bother to understand it. They just look for the most negative angle possible and call whatever they have said a lie.
I say this, because I do not understand how this Cheney statement could not be understood. When Cheney stated he did not understand how brutal Hussein had been, he meant:
1.) We did not understand the extent to which the citizenry had been terrorized. This makes it easier for Ba’athist leftovers to terrorize the population, because people who have information are less willing to come forward. This is why it was so important to show the bodies of Uday and Qusay Hussein when they were killed- people had to see it to believe it.
2.) We had no idea the extent to which Hussein had destroyed his infrastructure. You can’t go a week without seeing a report in a newspaper about engineers and contracters who are shocked at the electrical, sewage, water, and oil systems in Iraq.
3.) We underestimated the extent to which Hussein had planned to run a terrorist guerilla campaign were he to be deposed.
It was crystal clear what he meant- to me. TO my ears, it bordered on excuse making rather than an admission of mistake. But back to this willingness to give others the benfit of the doubt and the impact on communication. I think this is a huge admission, while Jesse doesn’t understand it at all, and his commenters are even claiming that this was a dodge- admitting a mistake that isn’t really a mistake.
A Question to Democrats
Because the inauguration of President George W. Bush is the most costly in history, the price tag has led some people to boycott consumer spending in response.
Inauguration funds from private donations have added up to $40 million, not including the $17.3 million for the unprecedented security.
The boycott, called Not One Damn Dime Day, was first started as an anonymous e-mail and then made into an official Web site. Monica Boyce, of www.notonedamndime.com, said the idea is to make a statement against President Bush without having to go to Washington, D.C.
Since the Democrats seem to have a problem with people donating their own money to fund the inauguration (remember all the money you have is what theDemocrats decided you should be able to keep- they know how to spend it better), I have a quick question.
Dear Monica Boyle and fellow wingnut Democrats,
What with spring around the corner, I was planning to buy some new clothes and a new car. I know you don’t like it when people do what they want with their own money, and what, with the tsunami and all, I don’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities.
I respectfully request your permission and approval to spend my income as I see fit.
Thanks in advance,
John Cole
PS- In a rash move this afternoon, I sprung for extra cheese on my lunch sandwich. I know, I know, it is extravagant and I forgot to ask in advance. if this turns out to be a problem, please let me know and I will mail a quarter to the DNC. My apologies.
*** Clinton’s inaugural in 1993 cost 33 million. Eleven years later, Bush’s inaugural is expected to cost 40 million.