Master Thief

first, glad to be back in the fold. I only blog from work when it gets boring, and i havent been working. My computer at home is for playing games.

Last Saturday I went out for karaoke with the gang and had one of the most impressive nights of thiefwork ever. I was going to blog about it until i started thinking: I hate watching the news about those kids who beat the other kid up, or steal shit, or just do bad stuff, and film it, then put it on the internet. Stupid dumbass kids. It reminds me of why the guys in mob get clipped in the first place. someone named names.
Ever watch any mob movie? the guy who writes stuff down is the failing point in the whole system. not the dumb muscle guy, or the trigger man. Its the bookkeeper(Untouchables). Its the guy complaining about not getting his cut to start keeping records(Casino), or the guy who has these delusions of granduer of what big mafioso he may or may not be and writes a damn movie script(the Sopranos).
I used to read abook about this Spec Ops character. On more than one occasion, he remarks how terrorists and other criminals tend to keep very accurate records. Imagine if watergate had been pulled off with no record keeping? if the unabomber had not had some manifesto he wanted everyone to know about. kevin Spacey's character in Se7en... a whole boatload of journals...
even movies like the incredibles, and Austin powers mention how villains tend to monologue, not to mention Last Action Hero, which is a great American film btw...
So where is this going? Its a slow news day, Castro is out, which means his brother is in, which means Castro is still in...... And theyve been talkign about it
all
day
looooong.
Slow news day.
Saturday was fun karaoke, and overall uneventful.
Superfudge,
MasterThief

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The Adventures of Realfield

Why was this so amusing to me? I dont have a good answer....

Click the pic to make it readable

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Important Infant Handling Instructions

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Small town girl in a big city....or big city girl in a small town...?

All right, here it is, after much anticipation...Harriet the Spy's first official post! All right, for those of you who know me better, you've already thrown the red flag and are calling bull...yeah, you're probably right, but hey, we all know I can be quite lame (one of my best qualities, I must admit!) so why shouldn't my blogs represent their maker?

I have just celebrated my first New Year's holiday in the DC area since moving here in May. I had been looking forward to welcoming 2008 in a glamorous big city setting. What actually happened? I sat in my house armed with chocolate, mamosas (which were excellent, by the way), an assortment of chic flicks, and two gal pals. After the first movie ended around 1:00 am--and don't worry, we paused Hitch at midnight to toast the New Year, but then continued on--the three of us decided to call her a night. So much for big city glam, eh? It was then that I started pondering that whole notion of a fish out of water. Am I that fish?

I definitely still have some small town tendancies that are a huge part of my character. They've definitely played a major role in my adjusting to big city life. I love the fact that I can consider myself small town, heck, I'm not even from a town. The closest town was 11 miles from my farm. I realized this past week when I went back to Iowa, however, that I'm definitely becoming more and more used to big city life...and...do I dare say it...maybe even prefer it?

First of all, there were the Wisconsin airports (yes, airports is plural) and my real-life experience comparative to Steve Martin's in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I won't type all that out now...that may be my next blog. But being stranded in Madison, WI and then Milwaukee, definitely reminds you that you are no longer in the city. Advantage: Big City

Then, there were the bars. Ah, small town bars I will always love, despite the fact that there are mullets as far as the eye can see. But who knew that you could buy a top shelf Long Island Ice Tea for under $5? And of course, you can't go wrong with $.75 beer bottles. Yes, it was good to be back. Advantage: Small Town

Small town restaurants, however, are different than the small town bars. My family and I went out Saturday evening to enjoy a nice dinner on my last night before I headed back to the Big City. We went to a nice restaurant (yes, the waitress sported a mullet) and I requested to see the wine list since they only had the word "wine" printed on the menu. Laughter broke out throughout the entire restaurant and all eyes turned towards me. It was one of those moments when you fear that your fly has been down during a major presentation, or that you've been walking around with a train of toilet paper stuck to you shoe all day. I couldn't think of what I had done wrong when the waitress said (and this is quite classicly put, I must say!), "Honey, wine list? I can tell you the wine list. It all comes in a box--what'd ya want: red, white, or pink?" Another round of laughter ensued. Advantage: Big City

Finally, superficial as this sounds, there's the shopping. Call it lack of availability, selection, different cultures, whatever. You simply cannot find the same things in a mall in Omaha, NE and the Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, VA. Advantage: Big City

Now don't get me wrong. I loved being home every minute. I may be biased, but I think there are very few things more beautiful than the landscape of our family farm. And nothing beats enjoying the serene stillness that exists in the country early in the morning (and/or late at night) from our hot tub. (Huge Advantage: Farm) And my family is the most important thing in the world to me--closely followed, of course, by friends--I truly treasure every second I get to spend with them, especially more so now that I live so far away. But, every time I come back to DC, I'm happier to be back and I love this city even more.

So there you have it. I know I'm small town--and I love that so very much--but maybe there's a city girl part of me that's stepping up to the plate with each month that passes.

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The Christmas Presents

Ah yes, Christmas, the day of giving :) Nah, this isn't going to be anything about being jaded and all. I just thought the picture on the left is funny. Well a Merry Christmas to all and hope everyone got the presents they want.

Oh by the way to the contributors for this blog, please feel free posting photos. It can liven up any blog entries. All the photos you upload are actually placed on your http://picasaweb.google.com/home account. Also it can be a great way to share photos and all. I'll be adding a slideshow to this blog too. I don't know what to put up yet. Maybe photos of us doing our group thing like the pumpkin patch and stuff. Let me know, posts some comments.

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Major League Bargain or Major League Trouble?

The Washington Nationals have been busy so far this off season making already two trades that will bring some new players into DC and the new ballpark. Thats all a great idea considering the rather poor state of play from the Nats for the first few years and the need to add excitement to the opening of the new ballpark. There is only one potential landmine here, these guys they are bringing in all have lengthy and detailed problems of off the field indiscretions. In the past few years lets look at some of the acqusitions by Jim Bowden and what kind of baggage they bring to the Nats:

Dmitri Young, who was picked up by Bowden and the Nationals in 2006, has well documented off the field problems when he was with the Tigers. In 2006, Young went through a divorce, was treated for alcohol and substance abuse, and depression. He pleaded guilty to assaulting a young woman after an argument in Birmingham, MI. He also admitted to being an alcoholic and drug addict.

The good thing however is that appears that Dmitri has overcome his problems and put together a solid season both on and off the field for the Nationals in 2007. He has quickly become a fan favorite and is a great story.

Lastings Milledge, whome Bowden picked up in a trade for Ryan Church and Brain Schnedier, has also experienced some off the field issues:

"Prior to the 2003 amateur draft, he was expected to be among the top three selections, but as draft day approached, press reports from 2002 resurfaced regarding Milledge's expulsion from Northside Christian High School after his junior year for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.He subsequently transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School where he finished his education and amateur baseball career.

As a result of the incident, Milledge was passed over in the 2003 amateur draft until the Mets selected him as the twelfth overall pick in the first round. The Mets began contract negotiations with Milledge, but the talks were interrupted in early August 2003, when the Mets learned of allegations of additional sexual misconduct against Milledge during his time at Northside. The Mets completed a private investigation of the matter and, satisified with the results, signed Milledge to a contract with a $1.9 million bonus."

Some other issues of clubhouse chemistry certainly had a big role in the Mets letting him go for peanuts considering Milledge is a highly thought of prospect, but again off the field issues and immaturity seems to dog him.

The most recent acquistion for the Nats is Elijah Dukes from Tampa Bay. Dukes as well has had a number of off the field issues:

"Since 1998, he has been arrested 6 times on charges including possession of marijuana, assault, and resisting an officer. On May 23, 2007 it was reported that his wife filed a restraining order after he threatened to kill her. On June 12, 2007, a 17 year-old foster child, who was living in the care of a relative of Dukes, accused him of impregnating her. Police say the sex was apparently consensual, and no crime was committed, but they are investigating. When the girl confronted Dukes, he allegedly got angry and threw a bottle of Gatorade at her"

Again, this is another promising player who has had a number of off the field issues. It would seem that Nationals management is hoping that these guys turn out like Dmitri Young and can overcome some of their problems and produce on the field as well as becoming good citizens.

There is no doubt that if these guys go the Dmitri Young route that these are major bargains for the young Nationals team who will become cornerstones of a franchise that already has some good young talent. However if they do not show the ability to mature and get over their off the field issues, this could turn into a major disaster for the Nats as having all these guys in the same clubhouse could make us the Bengals of the MLB.

I suppose only time will tell.

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