Central Unintelligence Agency

Oh Good grief. Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

Porter Goss, director of the CIA, is launching an investigation into recent leaks of classified and other secret information from within the CIA.

How do we know this?

His email regarding the investigation has been leaked.

How much more evidence do we need that the CIA is rife with partisan bureaucrats more interested in playing power games and forwarding their own political agendas that actually, you know, spying on America's enemies and defending National Security?

They Asked For It

Thanks for... nothing to the LlamaButchers.

Every time I hear that song, I think of an episode of MST 3K where the 'Bots sing it as Hercules rides around on ah orse, replacing the "Valderi Valdera" with "Hercules, Hercula..."

But as I said, borrowing from Heretic in the comments at Mr. Priapus:

I shall not shrink from this challenge. Meet them in battle I shall.

Rupert, get my Veggie Tales CD's. We are at war.

I Love Living In Oregon

Reason # 365:

Sunrise
This picture was taken with my camera phone from the parking lot outside my work. We have the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets here -- and the Oregon coast's sunsets are even more spectacular. The colors are so vivid and varied, it almost hurts (your eyes and your heart).

Final Thoughts Before I Stop Blogging for the Weekend

GO SEAHAWKS!!!!!

Whither Poland?

A while back I was a regular reader and commenter at a blog run by a politically conservative resident of Portland who was originally from Poland. He liked to blog on photography and wineries as wellas politics. If he's still out there, and he or someone who knows him is reading this, can you leave me a note reminding me of his name and blog URL?

Thanks.

Friday Fun

Thanks for the Memory to Dave in Texas over at Ace of Spades Headquarters.

As a guest blogger filling on for Ace while he's moving, Dave posted a tongue-in-cheek "Fun Facts about Texas". So I decided to do the same here about Oregon.

But I'm going to do it a little differently. First, I'm going to reprint a few REAL facts about Oregon, gleaned from different sources. Then I'll share a few "Fake but Accurate" fun facts that Oregonians like to use to tease themselves.

Real Fun Facts About Oregon:

* Sea Lion Cave, north of Florence, Oregon, is the largest sea cave in the world.
* Oregon was the destination of the largest land migration in history, the Oregon Trail.
* Oregon has no sales, Restaurant, or liquor tax.
* Crater Lake, Oregon is the deepest lake in America, it is 1949 feet deep at its deepest point.
* Oregon is reported to have more ghost towns than any other state in the Union.
* It is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon.
* The Oregon Dunes are the largest coastal sand dunes in North America.
* Hells Canyon, along the Oregon/Idaho border, is the deepest canyon in America at 8,000 feet.
* Astoria, Oregon is the oldest permanent White settlement west of the Rockies.
* The World's tallest barber shop pole is in Forest Grove, Oregon.
* Heceta Head Lighthouse, north of Florence, is the nation's most photographed lighthouse.
* The D River in Lincoln City, Oregon, is the shortest river in the world (42 feet).
* The Oregon state flag is the only state flag to carry two designs -- the state seal on one side, and an image of the state animal (the Beaver) on the other.

Fake-But-Accurate Fun Facts About Oregon:

* Oregonians don't tan -- they rust.
* *The State flower is mold.
*Everything is green in Oregon -- even the rocks (actually, this one I don't make up. Moss grows EVERYWHERE here).
* Oregon actually does have a summer. It is a beautiful time of year, sunny and warm. Last year it was on a Thursday.
* In 2005, 23 people fell off their bicycles in Oregon. and drowned.
* Oregonians of all political stripes hold to the following beliefs:

* Anything with less that 5% alcohol by volume is not beer.
*Oregonians do not recognize the "North/South" distinction. Anywhere that you can watch the sun SET while facing the Rocky Mountains is BACK EAST.
*Oregonians support the construction of a fence and the posting of armed troops at the border. The OREGON/CALIFORNIA border, that is.
*It's not rain, it's liquid sunshine.
*If it doesn't have snow on top in July, it's not a mountain.
* If you don't have to lean back to see its top, it's not a tree.
* If it doesn't produce enough standing water to float a canoe, It's not rain.

The Blush is Off the Rose

Jason Atkinson, the candidate I am supporting for Governor of Oregon, was interviewed on the Lars Larson Show today. During the interview, it appears he came out in support of President Bush's Guest Worker Program, a program that would grant amnesty to thousands of illegal immigrants. The interview is causing huge ripples in the Conservative community here in Oregon, to the point where many of his supporters, especially in the blogosphere, are considering withdrawing their support.

I'm disappointed in Jason's stand on this, and disagree with him. But while this is a very important issue, I don't think it's time for me to jump ship yet.

First of all, from what I'm hearing, it's possible that Jason's position is misunderstood. The interview was live, and apparently Jason got a little flustered when his initial comments were jumped on. That's regrettable, but it isn't the lasdt word on the subject. I have it on good authority that he does not support amnesty for illegals already here, but rather supports programs that would make it easier for worthy applicants to gain LEGAL entry into the country. If that's the case, I'm 100% in agreement with him. So I believe it's important for Oregon conservatives to hold their fire until Jason clarifies his stand on the issue.

Secondly, even if he wasn't misunderstood, and does support amnesty, it's possible that we can convice Jason to rethink his position on this issue. And we need to remember, that while the opinion of a governor is important, the power to grant amnesty from deportation to illegals lies with the federal government, not with the State of Oregon. Even if we can't convince Jason to rethink his position, if we can sway the President and Congress, we'll still have won. And given Jason's stand regarding repsecting the rule of law, as demonstrated in his commitment to uphold by try to repeal Oregon's Right to Die law, I suspect that he'll abide by the law, even if he disagrees with it. That's an important point.

Finally, while this is an important issue, perhaps the most important issue facing Oregon, it's not the ONLY important issue, and in the overall scheme of things, I agree with Jason and disagree with his opponents on so many other points, that as much as this disappoints me, it doesn't outweigh the other issues.

So I have to conclude that while this TEMPERS my support, it does not cause Jason to lose it. I would encourage Jason to reconsider his position, or if we misunderstood it, to restate it.

C'mon, Jason, let's see how good you are with tarnish remover.

UPDATE:

Last night I, as well as several other bloggers, including Coyote at NW Republican, received an email response from Matt Evans, Jason's campaign manager. Here's what he said:

I think it’s important that the truth lead any discussion of this or any issue. Here’s the truth: Despite what some have said, the President’s plan does not provide amnesty for illegals currently in the country. In fact, it is Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) (who is not carrying the President’s plan), who wants to allow illegals currently in the country to apply as a guestworker. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) has a plan that would force illegals to return to their home countries before applying as a guestworker. The President is trying to broker a compromise between these competing plans but has said that he will not support a final plan that includes any kind of amnesty for individuals currently in this country illegally.

Let’s be clear on another point, if somehow the final federal plan does include the ability for a person currently in this nation illegally to stay here for any reason, as a guestworker or otherwise, Jason Atkinson will oppose that plan, and do so vocally. There should be no rewards for breaking the law.

If a federal plan similar to Sen. Chambliss’ can be implemented, and Jason Atkinson is elected Governor of Oregon, the results would be:

1) The borders would be closed and the flow of illegal aliens would slow dramatically and maybe entirely.

2) Federal and state agents would check employers to ensure that all their employees are legally in the country. They would either have to have proof of citizenship or proof of guestworker status or have other legal immigration status.

3) Illegal workers currently in Oregon would lose their jobs as their employers would face heavy penalties and stepped-up federal and state enforcement.

4) Illegal aliens would lose their ability to gain state-funded benefits (unemployment, health care, welfare, etc).

5) Illegal aliens would lose their ability to obtain an Oregon Driver’s license.

6) Illegal aliens would lose their ability to vote.

7) Illegal aliens would have little choice but to return to their home country as they would be unemployable and could not receive any government assistance.

I trust this clears the decks on this issue. We would appreciate everyone clarifying this for their audience, in particular noting the truth that neither the President nor Jason Atkinson supports amnesty for those currently in this country illegally.

Matt Evans

Campaign Manager

That clarifies things nicely for me, thanks, Matt.

Let me make one thing clear: I am not against immigration. I am against ILLEGAL immigration. I believe that there should be a method for people who are willing to abide by the laws of this country to seek to come here LEGALLY. As long as any "Guest Worker" program does not extend amnesty to people currently here illegally, but requires that they apply from within their own country, and as long as it requires that they pay taxes just like any American would, I have no problem with it. And if Jason stays true to what Matt just said, he still has my support.

TICK TOCK

Time passes too quickly.

about an hour ago I received a phone call from my sister letting me know that my maternal grandmother has been hospitalized. The doctors aren't sure if she's had a stroke, or if the symptoms is the result of her Alzheimer's, so they're running some tests. My mother and aunts had been concerned about her behavior for several days. They were trying to avoid hospitalization, I'm told because Alzheimer's patients dont respond well to the disorientation of being in a strange place, but she hasn't had any fluids in days, and dehydration was an issue. Either way, It doesn't look like she'll be with us much longer.

In a way, it may be a blessing if God takes her home now. She's suffering -- she can;t take care of her own hygeine, she's often confused and angry and frightened. My mother lives with her and cares for her, but her and my grandfather's estate is dwindling, and once it runs out, she'll have to be put in a home, and one that government assistance will pay for.

But I don't want her to go, and will miss her. She's quite a lady. She came to California as a young woman, a dustbowl Okie a la Grapes of Wrath. She ran off to Arizona to elope with my grandfather the weekend before the Navy shipped him to the pacific to fight the Japanese. She raised five beautiful daughters. She was a devoted and doting grandmother -- when I was a child, she'd play with my Tootsietoy cars with me, or follow me on forced marches around the block, shaking, at my insistence, a tin can full of gravel that was our drum line. She and my grandfather fought like cats and dogs, loved each other seeply, and to his dying day, they still couldn't agree on whether Doak Walker or Ambrose Schindler was a better football player.

And I am sad that The Lad will never meet her. She was the only great grandparent alive when he was born, and her husband inspired The Lad's middle name. We were hoping to go on vacation later this year to San Diego to introduce them, even if only to get one picture of the two of them together, but noe I fear, that may never happen.

Time passes too quickly.

TICK TOCK

UPDATE:

Just got another call from my sister. It was a stroke, and the prognosis isn't good. It could be hours, it could be days.

Tom Toles: This Year's Winner of the Ted Rall Award for Excellence in Satirical Cartooning

Thanks for the Memory to Harry Callahan at Ace of Spades HQ.

Apparently, on Sunday, cartoonist Ted Toles published a cartoon using a caricature of a wounded American soldier to represent the state of the US Army.

I was a little offended when Trudeau had a Doonesbury character lose a limb, then used him to spout anti-war rhetoric, as if he was actually speaking for the war wounded. But this one is beyond the pale. This cartoon lowers itself to treating the military with the same level of contempt as Ted Rall. It's disgusting.

And the Joint Chiefs of Staff agree. They've written a letter to the editor regarding this cartoon.

Now, the US military is required to keep its nose out of domestic political affairs. But this more than a political issue. This cartoon was mean-spirited and hurtful towards the troops. And the Joint Chiefs, the highest ranking military officers in command of the US Armed Forces, were right for standing up for their enlisted ranks. that's good leadership, that's what an officer does -- look out for his men.

Furthermore, I applaude the civil, respectful tone the JCOS took in the letter, but I was equally impressed with how clearly they communicated their displeasure.

Shame on Tom Toles. And Kudos to the Joint Chiefs.

UPDATE:

Apparently the WaPo is considering a response.

If it doesn't include the phrase "Tom Toles is fired", it's too little too late.

UPDATE II:
Thanks for the Memory to Mark in Mexico.

Don't hold your breath for an apology. In fact, the WaPo is defending the cartoon. Slime.

Here's the part that really chafes my hiney:

Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt, responded. Hiatt said, "While I certainly can understand the strong feelings, I took it to be a cartoon about the state of the Army and not one intended to demean wounded soldiers.

and Toles says:

Talking to Kurtz, Toles cited recent remarks by Rumsfeld about "battle-hardened" troops and "what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation. I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers."

STOP AND THINK, YOU MORONS!

You may not have been making a derogatory comment about the troops themselves, but by depicting their suffering in such a glib manner, you did demena their sacrifice.

Thankfully, we live in America and have First Amendment rights, so you have the right to print that garbage. And, by the same token, I have the right to tell you what pieces of filth you are, and we ALL have the right to refuse to line our birdcages with your rag, let alone READ it.

I Was Told There'd Be No Math

Apparently, Senator Kerry was under the same impression.

Finally!

Thanks for the Memory to Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy.

Samuel Alito has been confirmed.

That's despite an attempt to filibuster his confirmation, led by Senators Kerry (D-France) and Kennedy (D-Glenlivet). That has to sting.

And as one Ace reader points out, the fact that he was confirmed by fewer than 60 votes may actually be even worse news for the Democrats -- the fact that that is fewer than the votes that would have been needed for cloture means that the far left will be out for the heads of Democrats they consider to have wimped out.

What Can Brown (and Black and Blue) Do For You?

Thanks for the Memory to a tip from Vulture Six.

Animals!

UPS Driver Attacked By Middle School Students

CBS) BELLWOOD, Ill. A UPS driver was savagely beaten by middle school students while delivering packages in the western suburbs.

The attack happened in Bellwood along the 3200 block of St. Charles.

In a CBS 2 excusive, Joanie Lum talked to the man who was savagely beaten just trying to do his job.

UPS driver Thomas Murphy says he was beaten by a group of school kids on busy St. Charles Road in Bellwood, the route he has driven for 12 years.

He says a teenager walked out in front of his delivery truck Friday at about 3 p.m. When he stopped the truck, 15 to 20 youths surrounded him.

"Somebody clocked me with a pipe. I took kicks from my right. My eyes caked over. I tried to get up and defend myself as best I could," Murphy said.

He was beaten from his head to his ankles.

"I remember being down on one knee, falling to the ground with kids on top of me," Murphy said.

He thinks a passing motorist called for help.

The Bellwood police believe the attackers came from Roosevelt Middle School, located a couple of blocks away. They have stepped up patrols in the area.

“If other delivery drivers are going to face this, we want our patrols in the area," said Bellwood Police Chief Robert Collins.

“Somebody should be held accountable for these kids. They run wild like a pack of wolves, where's the parents?" Murphy said.

In spite of his trauma, Murphy says he wants to get back to work.

"I have every intention of getting back on my route. I'd like to do it with some sense of security," he said.

Police say an anonymous witness has come forward with the names of several people involved in the attack. Murphy identified a couple of people in a photo lineup Monday afternoon, but no one's been arrested yet.

Again, animals, pack hunters. This was a cold-blooded, calculating, premeditated hunt of their prey. What's particularly frightening is the young age of these predators -- not just because it means some well-meaning, soft-hearted (but alas, also soft-headed) individuals will use that as a reason to call for leniency on their behalf, but because it's an indication of just how early an age the depravity of our society is starting.

I'd like to think that children this young can still be redeemed. But until they can, they need to be off the streets. The public needs and deserves protection from this kind of evil.

And the case for Homeshooling grows deeper and stronger by the minute.

That's Wild!

I had another change to experiment with my pork medallion recipe this weekend, using the drippings to make a reduction, but while the pork was even better than last time, the reduction didn't turn out quite right, so it's back to kitchen lab. Poor TFR, having to be my Guinea Pig.

But as luck would have it, I created a new side dish that TFR said was perfect, so it looks like for the first time in quite a while, I have a new recipe to share with you.

I was looking for a new starch-based dish, since I'm getting a little tired of potatoes, bread, and pasta, when I noticed that the store had something TFR loves and I like -- wild rice. I decided I'd try it, and figured it couldn't hurt to doctor it up a bit. Here's my recipe:

Brian's Savory Wild Rice

1 cup wild rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper

in a small pot, combine the chicken broth, white wine, and water. Over medium high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Add the wild rice, reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot and let simmer for 60-70 minutes, or until the rice kernels have burst open.

When the rice is almost done simmering, heat the butter in a small skillet. Sautee the onions and garlic in the butter until they are clear. Drain the excess liquid out of the rice. Add the parsley, stir the butter, garlic, and onions into the rice, serve.

Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 70 Minutes
Serves 4-6

Twenty Years Yet a Lifetime

I am usually not around the computer on Saturdays, so I'm posting this on Friday and post-dating it.

Twenty Years.

I remember walking into History class my junior year to find my teacher standing next to a TV. He waited until we'd all taken our seats and the bell had rung, then told us that there had been an accident involving the shuttle, and turned on the TV. We watched the new coverage all period. they kept playing the footage over and over again. Obviously, it was all we talked about for some time.

I obviously don't have the memories of some people of watching it happen live. But I do remember thinking to myself, "This is it. This is my generation's Pearl Harbor -- a defining event that we'll always remember, the defining event of my lifetime."

And for almost 15 years, I was right. Until September 11, 2001. That day, I saw the second plane hit the tower live. I saw the towers collapse. And suddenly the Challenger Disaster was merely a blip on the radar of my life -- still an important evernt, still tragic, but the world didn't change overnight the way it did when the towers fell.

I knew this was true when the second shuttle disaster occurred and, while it was mourned, it did not take up all our thoughts and attention the way Challenger did.

I'll still always remember what happened on January 28th, 1986. But I no longer remember the time before it any differently than the time after it. All of those days, and that day itself, belong to the same past, the same previous lifetime, the same world long gone, gone since 9/11.

You Can't Take the Meme From Me

Thanks for the Memory to The Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy.


You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.

Serenity (Firefly)		94%
Deep Space Nine (Star Trek)		81%
Enterprise D (Star Trek)		75%
Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix)		69%
SG-1 (Stargate)		63%
Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica)		63%
Bebop (Cowboy Bebop)		56%
Babylon 5 (Babylon 5)		50%
Millennium Falcon (Star Wars)		50%
FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files)		50%
Moya (Farscape)		50%
Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda)		31%

Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics)
created with QuizFarm.com

Shiny. I was hoping that's what they'd say.

Birthday Boy

Today is The Lad's first birthday -- my first chance to mark the anniversary of one of the most wonderful events in my life. I know that the memories and sentiments i'm experiencing are pretty common to all parents, but they're special to me, so I thought I'd share.

I remember the fear I felt when, almost a week before his birth, The Feared Redhead's water broke, 6 weeks prior to her due date. I remember trying to keep myself calm while I drove the couple of miles to the hospital. I remember how lonely and exhausted I was by the time that weekend was over and I was going to bed alone on a Sunday night, knowing I'd have to go to work the next day and every day until she went into labor.

I remember the call at 5 AM on a work day to ask me how to deal solitaire. "Don't panic". "I already am".

I remember getting another call on Thursday morning letting me know that she was in labor. I remember the long hours waiting for things to pick up steam, while she was given Pitosin and an epidural. I remember the decision being made that since she had only been at 4 cm or so the last time they checked, I should go home, feed the dog and let her out to reileve hersef, then come back. I remember being two blocks from the parking lot, still next to the hospital, when my cell phone rang: Get back here, she's at 9 1/2!.

I remember doing everything I could to support her, to help her, to root for her. She's been very gracious in letting me know I did a good job. I remember how slow the progress was, and the increased fear I felt when the OB/GYN explained the possibility of having to use suction and the possible repercussions. I remember the moment when the doctor said "Episiotomy", and how it scared TFR so much she got the dry heaves, and how those heaves gave The Lad just enough of a push to get him out, and hhow the doc had to drop her scalpel in order to get turned back around in time to catch him. I remember the suspense as we waited to find out the baby's gender. I remember being elated that he was a boy, and guilty for being so happy, because TFR wanted a girl.

I remember that when they put him in my arms, he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and how I fell instantly, irrevokably in love with him. I remember turning to my wife to tell her how beautiful our baby boy was, and being unable to speak because of how beautiful she looked to me, how deeply in love I fell with her all over again in that instant.

And then I remember her throwing me a curveball, and how I swung and missed. She asked me, "Who does he look like"? I didn't know. He was gorgeous, but he was too new for me to pick out family traits. So in my panic, I accidentally let my Inner Smartass out, and despite my own sentimental emotional state, when she pressed me again, "Who does he look like", did I reply with "You" or "An angel" or "I don't know but he's beautiful"? No, I blurted out, "WINSTON CHURCHILL!" (oh come on, you know it's true -- all babies look a bit like him) A little part of me is still in the doghouse over that gaffe.

I remember holding him, singing "Whisky in the Jar" to him (he still loves it when I sing Irish drinking and folk songs to him, especially that one. I remember seeing him in that crib in the NICU, I remember hating that we had to leave him there. I remember how precious my NICU Parent ID badge was to me. I remember leaving for work early, and stopping at the hospital to hold him for a few minutes, and the way it calmed me when I started to fret about the future, about finances, about being a good parent.

I remember the joy when we finally took him home, and how it was tempered by having to keep him strapped to a cardiovascular monitor for the first moth to warn us of any "Bradies" or apneas. I remember flying to him the minute that monitor so much as chirped. And I remember how wonderful it felt when that thing finally came off, and I could once again hold him unobstructed, and how wonderful that felt.

There's a whjole year's worth of memories, but those are the ones that his birthday reminds me of. Happy birthday, Chay Baron. Your daddy loves you very much.

The Mask Comes Off

I'd post the usual Thanks for the Memories here, but there are so many blogs covering the topic, it would take all day. A few of the ones I've followed:

Ace of Spades Headquarters
Naked Villainy
Captain's Quarters
UPDATE: Jeff at Protein Wisdom has a good list of entries on this, including Yours Truly.
Y2Dray

So the Palestinians have given Hamas an overwhelming majority in their latest elections. Like Maximum Leader and Ace, I am unsuprised. If anyhting, I'm surprised it wasn't a complete sweep. This is in a large part a result of the rampant corruption of Fatah, but I am convinced it is also, perhaps equally, because a majority of the Palestinians agree with Hamas' position on Israel. And what is that position? The stated goal of Hamas is the Destruction of Israel, and that hasn't changed:

Another Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, warned that Hamas would not hold peace talks with Israel. "Negotiations with Israel is not on our agenda," he said. "Recognising Israel is not on the agenda either now."

And these are the people the Palestinians want governing them. As I said in August, Hamas and its allies "will not rest until there remains not a single Jew in all of what is now the State of Israel."

But apparently, Jimmy Carter thinks that a genocidal regime is ok, as long as it's a duly elected, efficient government:

Potentially, it can be a good thing. We have observed very carefully the success that Hamas candidates have had in local elections. They've done quite well. And although they are officially characterized, and accurately, as a terrorist organization, I think that so far there's been no allegation of corruption among their elected officials.

And in Germany, at least the trains ran on time, right, Jimmy Chamberlain (thanks for that moniker to Vulture Six)?

The only thing remotely close to being positive about this is that the Palestinians have made their intentions clear to the World, if only the World will pay attention. There is no longer a distinction (however illusory it was before) between the Palestinian government and the Palestinian terrorists -- the Palestinians have made the terrorists their government.

And it's already been said, but I echo the same sentiments -- they now have no one but themselves to blame if the actions of their government bring down the wrath of the Israelis, and the scorn of the World. They have taken off the mask, and revealed to the world their true faces. Hamas does speak, it is now apparent, for the Palestinians. Hamas is Palestine, Palestine is Hamas.

Sounds frighteningly familiar.

Quote of the Day

Is it just me or is the entire sinestrosphere just goofy? They're in a perpetual contest to out-lefty each other, and, as far as I can tell, it's a forty-thousand-way tie.

- Ace, Ace of Spades HQ.

That pretty much sums it up.

Anyone Have a Defibrilator I Can Borrow?

Just got off the phone with TFR. As soon as I answered it, I could tell something was very wrong. She was fighting tears, and I could hear it. And just as instinctively, I knew that the something wrong was concerning The Lad.

The conversation began:

Me: Hello?
TFR: Hi Honey...
Me: What's wrong?
TFR: Chay fell off the changing table!

At this point my voice was mirroring hers, right down to the barely suppressed tears.

Me: Is he OK?
TFR: He has a big lump on his forehead...
Me: Does he need to go to the doctor?
TFR: No, but he's going to have a black eye and he won't let me keep ice on it.

The rest of the conversation was mne reassuring TFR that it was just an accident and didn't make her a bad mother. I'm obviously very sorry for my little boy, but equally relieved that he's going to be ok. This was the first real brush with danger he's had since coming off of the monitors at 1 month.

Now if I can just remember how to breathe.

Scotch Tasting: Oban

In all the chaos of this weekend's family crisis, I almost forgot to mention that Friday night, I had the opportunity to sit back, relax, and try the first of the single malt Scotches in the tasting sampler I received for Christmas. I thought I'd share with you my impressions.

Bear in mind, these aren't the impressions of someone who's received any training in the proper teminology of Scotch tasting. So if the language seems a little unsophisticated, bear that in mind.

I started with the Oban 14 Year. Here is what the official tasting notes that come with the set have to say about it:

Dating back to 1794, Oban is one of Scotland's earliest distilleries. The clatter and steam of the coal fired engine that once drove the malt mill and steering for the mash tun have long departed. Yet the smells of barley, malt, and whisky maturing in sherry casks remain.

Oban is the West Highland malt, matured for 14 years. A singular, rich and complex malt with the merest suggestion of peat in the aroma, slightly smoky and with a long smooth finish. These pleasing characteristics position Oban somewhere between an Islay and a Highland malt.

Here are my impressions, written down as I sipped the dram. I'll expand each one into a whole sentence, but leave them in the order they came to me:

The first thing that came to mind was how warm this Scotch tastes. I was also reminded of the first impression I got the first time I ever drank Oban, which is that its taste and aroma remind me of the aroma of new, high quality leather. This also came through in the way it evoked the scent of parchment or old books. It was spicy, and I thought I caught a hint of chocolate in its aroma. There was a lingering astringency to it, and I also picked up the smell of pipe tobacco smoke. I tasted banana at the back of my mouth. I was a little put off by how hard it hit my nose after it was in my mouth. The flavor hits the reeof of the mouth as much as it hits the tongue, and fills the whole mouth. There was no sweetness at all that I could taste in this Scotch, but there was a richness to it.

Next up: Dalwhinnie 15 Year Cragganmore 12 Year.

Update:
Perfect Timing.