personal

I don’t think I qualify as an early adopter when it comes to technology advances, but I’m by no means slow to get the latest and greatest.  I have a 1-terabyte MacBook Pro, an iPad 2, an iPhone 4, and a Blackberry Curve.

And I just upgraded my iPhone 4 to an iPhone 4S.

One word… Wow!

This Siri girl is amazing!  She transcribes emails and texts, places phone calls on voice demand and comes up with some amazing answers when asked questions.

It’s one way to blow through a Saturday.

Remember this line from my blog back on January 19^th?

Seriously, how ironic is it that the guy everyone is trying to show as the alternative to the “weird Mormon guy” is the one who has actually tried to practice plural marriage?

Now we read that Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor hits the same theme last weekend at the Alfalfa Club Dinner as reported in the Washington Post.

But according to two accounts, O’Connor waded into the Republican presidential campaign with a joke about Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich that drew a lot of laughter.

According to ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, who was at the Capital Hilton for the dinner, O’Connor said that of the two leading Republican candidates, “one is a practicing polygamist, and he’s not even the Mormon.”

Romney is a Mormon, and often points out that he and his wife, Ann, have been married for 42 years. Gingrich’s three marriages have been much discussed in the campaign. The Reliable Source column in The Washington Post had a similar account.

I guess imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so Justice O’Connor can continue to read my blog and steal my stuff anytime!

Heading into the Florida Presidential Primary, the soap opera that is the GOP nominating process is becoming a full-on hurricane.

Newt Gingrich’s polling line looks like a heart monitor, Ron Paul is wandering in the sugar cane fields looking for relevance, Rick Santorum can’t think of a place he will actually win and Mitt Romney is starting to get that terrified look in his eye as he realizes this isn’t his just for the taking.

That is one of the more interesting aspects of the last week.  We actually get to see Romney express some emotion, because nothing makes you more emotional than fear.

And guess what?  Newt Gingrich getting the nomination scares the crap out of me.

That’s kind of the story for the last day or two: conservatives realizing “Oh my gosh, Newt might win this!”  And that isn’t a happy exclamation point.

Thursday’s debate didn’t really change the make up of the race, so let’s get Tuesday over with and move on.

With the nomination of Mitt Romney becoming more likely, there will be increased chatter about Mormonism, and more specifically, the “Mormon Moment.”

In preparation of the forthcoming stories, I strongly recommend you read this piece by Thomas Grier, a smart third-year law student, and a great thinker.

Here’s an excerpt:

The media and pundits have suggested America is in the middle of a “Mormon moment,” highlighting the fact that there are two Mormon candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, a critically acclaimed Broadway musical poking fun at Mormonism and a general discussion about Mormon theology and culture. There is a projected narrative that wherever you look, whether in business, government or talk radio, you are sure to find a Mormon staring back at you.

If, as expected, Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination expect Mormonism to be in your face until the elections and beyond.

It’s well worth your time to read.

Tony Blankley, a long-time communications guru, passed away the morning of January 8^th at the age of 63.  He was battling stomach cancer.

I knew Tony – he didn’t really know me – and I always admired him and marveled at his skill.  When I first met him in 1994 he was serving as a special advisor to Newt Gingrich, and stayed with Newt through 1997.

From 2002-2007 he was the editorial page editor for The Washington Times.

He was smart, witty, and a great writer.  He was born in London, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen after his parents moved from England to California.  He still had a bit of an English accent and for a young, impressionable kid fascinated by communications, to me he seemed an even more commanding presence.

He was one of the happy warriors in the conservative cause, and he will be missed.

UPDATE

C-SPAN has a great page up for Tony with all his appearances – you can find it here.

I got LASIK surgery yesterday.  It was very simple (easy for me to say) and I am amazed at how little discomfort there has been.

Even more amazing is that in my follow-up appoint today, I tested at 20/15 vision.  It is a miracle.

Big thanks to Dr. Andrew Holzman and his staff.  They do amazing work.

It is an unfailing truth that kids will focus in on one toy from Christmas and that it will generally be one of the cheapest of the bunch.  It makes me wonder why I don’t just do the dollar store for everything.

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I did not tell my kids what I wanted for Christmas this year, so they were left to truly think on their own.  I got a variety of Dodger paraphernalia, four ties and two shirts.  They know me well: fun and practical.

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I understand the appeal of a white Christmas, but you just can’t beat sunny and 70 degrees.

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Speaking of sunny December weather, President Obama played his 90^th round of golf as President this week.  Not only is that nearly double what Bush played in eight years, it is more rounds than I’ve played in my lifetime. (Which is more a commentary on me than Obama.)

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Apparently the NBA season is now underway.

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I always enjoy the year-end specials about the top stories of the year, the year in pictures, best sports moments of the year and the like.  There were some interesting things that happened, but I’m guessing most people will be glad to see 2011 end.

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I really feel for people who have a birthday on or near Christmas.  Speaking of which, Happy Birthday Nicole!

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What does it say about me that I think of PF Changs as comfort food?

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

I haven’t done much for Christmas.  In fact, other than a couple gifts ordered online, the only thing I’ve done so far to celebrate the Christmas season is show up more than two hours late to a couple Christmas parties.  I’m not a Scrooge or a Grinch, but I haven’t been exactly jolly.  There’s still time, right?

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Speaking of Grinch… er… Gingrich, (couldn’t resist) this has been one of the most interesting and frustrating nominating process I’ve ever witnessed.

Frustrating because I am completely unenthusiastic about any of those running, and longing for those who didn’t (Chris, Mitch, Paul, Jeb, anybody?).

Interesting because no one, and I mean NO ONE, expected Newt to come back to life after the stories about his campaign debt for private jet travel, his Tiffany’s debt and mass resignation of nearly his entire staff.

Here is what I’ll say about Gingrich’s leadership ability, as Senator Tom Coburn said: it’s lacking.

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I have a lot of respect for flight attendants.  I am blown away at how rude people can be when they travel.  And some of the worst examples of rudeness come from folks flying in First Class.

I admit that I’ve become a bit of a travel snob (I have been known to whine if I don’t get upgraded), but there is no excuse to treat flight attendants with anything other than respect.

Think about it, if you are in the service industry and there is a rude customer, there is usually an escape route – go the kitchen, the back office, the stock room – but flight attendants are stuck in a sealed metal tube hurtling 500 miles an hour 5 miles above the ground.

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Speaking of being stuck in a metal tube high up in the air is probably not something I should think about too often.  It just sounds unnatural.

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I few months ago I read the book The Help.  Powerful.  I recently saw the movie and it was equally as powerful.  If it doesn’t sweep the Oscars it will be a travesty.

First a caveat: I haven’t watched a single NFL game this season, and I don’t know that I’ve ever actually seen Tim Tebow play.

But when is it too much?

I have close friends who love Tim Tebow, and I have close friends who hate Tim Tebow, and I don’t know anyone who is in between.

So what is it about a sports figure that causes people to react in such opposite ways?

I suppose anytime someone invokes the blessings of heaven on themselves it’s bound to rub people the wrong way.  It is a bit audacious for anyone (especially a sports figure) to assert that his success comes from the hand of God.  I’m not talking about the humility that comes from recognizing that God blesses us with talents and skills that we have an opportunity to expand upon, I’m talking about the arrogance that appears when someone believes that they are more blessed by God than others.

I don’t know whether Tebow actually believes he has a special dispensation, but many people believe that he believes it.  And that gets them fired up.

Personally, I could not care less.  What caught my attention was this  article about the 13-10 overtime win by the Broncos over the Bears.  Here is the lede:

The Chicago Bears fell victim to more Tim Tebow magic Sunday, and the result was a crushing 13-10 overtime loss,  a third straight defeat that dropped their record to 7-6 and further jeopardized their playoff hopes.

I didn’t watch the game, but when you read how the game played out, I don’t see much Tebow magic.  There were turnovers by the Bears (credit the Broncos defense), there was a mental mistake by the Bears running back that stopped the clock (credit – or discredit – to the Bears running back [unless Tebow got in his head?]), the game went into overtime on a 59-yard field goal (credit the kicker with a heck of a leg) and the same kicker hit a 51-yard field goal to win the game.

Tebow magic?  Doesn’t sound like it to me.