[UPDATE, 8/22/06: For the latest, up-to-date commentary on Spike Lee’s film — which I was in — please visit my homepage or my Katrina category.]
 
 

Well, that went well… I think. I guess I’ll find out for sure when the movie comes out. :)

Here’s what I was looking at throughout the interview:

I’m on the bus back to Connecticut now (blogging via cell-phone modem). I’ll probably post some more thoughts on my meeting with Spike later.

UPDATE: Much more on the interview here.

For some reason, the cell-phone posts below appeared several hours later than they should have. The first one was actually uploaded around 10:30 AM, and the second one was actually uploaded around 1:00 PM. Oh, well.

At Park Central. Met Spike. (Got a picture; will post later.) Now waiting for the interview to start.

New York, New York…

On the bus to NYC. Will be meeting up with my old friend (and Becky`s former roommate) Vicki from NJ for brunch when I get in. Woohoo! I love having friends all over the country. :)

My favorite senator, Joe Lieberman (D-CT), announced Thursday that he will vote no on Alito.

I wonder if Senator Joe is feeling the heat from the Left… and, apropos of that, I wonder if he’ll join in Senator Kerry’s filibuster effort. (I doubt it.)

I’m safe and sound in Connecticut. All set to meet with Spike Lee at 1pm in NYC.

…I found a place for us to live after I graduate! :)

I’m at the airport. South Bend Airport supposedly has free Wi-Fi, but I can never get it to work (maybe they hate Macs?), so I’m connected via cell phone. Anyway, I should be boarding in a few minutes. Once again, I have to fly west to go east: I depart South Bend at 8:21 PM and arrive in Chicago at 8:15 PM, according to the schedule. Heh. Stupid time zones. Then I fly from Chicago to Harford, 8:50 PM to 11:55 PM.

Anyway… 40 Acres & A Mule, here I come!

John Kerry is taking the New York Times’s advice and will attempt a filibuster of Judge Alito.

Having been on my honeymoon during the confirmation hearings, and thus having paid only very limited attention, I don’t feel sufficiently well-informed to express an opinion on this — though I’ll admit I’m skeptical. At any rate, it does seem rather futile, right or wrong. I’m not sure if this is an occasion where “going down in flames” is worth it. Opinion Journal compares it to Animal House: “I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.” Heh.

Anyway, I hereby open the floor for debate, by which of course I mean “a massive flame war.” Partisans, start your engines! :)

Iran hails Hamas victory.

Ugh.

 
[UPDATE, 8/22/06: For the latest, up-to-date commentary on Spike Lee’s film — which I was in — please visit my homepage or my Katrina category.]
 
 

I mentioned back in November that Spike Lee wants to interview me for his documentary about Hurricane Katrina. Well, tomorrow’s the day. He’s flying me from South Bend to Hartford tonight, I’m taking the bus down to New York tomorrow morning, and then I’m meeting with Spike at the Park Central around midday. Should be interesting.

I have no clue what Spike wants to ask me; I’m just the weather nerd with the blog, so I’m not sure what I can add to his film, exactly. I’ll find out tomorrow, I guess. I’ve made clear to Spike’s producer that I don’t agree with Katrina race-baiting, let alone any “Bush blew up the levees” absurdity. She said she’d passed along my e-mails to Spike, and assured me that Spike wants to include a “wide range of viewpoints” and so forth. All I can hope, really, is that if I end up being in the film, my views won’t be twisted beyond recognition. We shall see. I figure it’s worth the risk just for the free trip home. :)

My main debate now is over what to wear. When I was on MSNBC, I wore a shirt and tie, figuring I should try to look professional. But if I show up tomorrow as the nerdy white guy in a shirt and tie, I figure the temptation to cast me as “The Man” would become irresistible. :) So I’m leaning toward wearing a USC sweatshirt. Gotta give props to my alma mater!

Anyway, after meeting with Spike & co., I’ll then head back to Connecticut and stay at my parents’ house Friday and Saturday nights, before flying back to South Bend on Sunday. Unfortunately, I probably won’t have time to hang out with friends while I’m in the 8-6-0, as it’s a very quick visit and, in addition to visiting with my parents, I have lots of odds & ends to take care of (e.g., looking for some old photos & videos that I’ve been wanting; re-ripping my CD collection in the wake of losing my laptop; etc.). So, if you’re a Newingtonian and you don’t hear from me while I’m in town, don’t be offended. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it back for a slightly longer visit later this semester or over the summer.

So that’s my story. Blogging by yours truly will be primarily cell-phone-based from tonight through Sunday… though perhaps not entirely, and guestbloggers are, of course, free to continue doing their thing. Anyway, wish me luck!

Here’s a video of what I believe everyone who was at Tuesday’s ND-Georgetown game will agree was the most amazing athletic feat of the evening: not Colin Falls’s 4-point play, not Rob Kurz’s game-saving block, not Rick Cornett’s three missed free throws and two missed dunks in the second overtime (heh), but rather, the halftime-show lady’s incredible I-can-catch-five-plates-on-my-head-simultaneously routine:

source file

The Washington Times named that the play of the game, and rightly so. Heh.

Here’s a picture of the plate lady setting up for her stunt.

UPDATE: Her name is Nancy Huey and she holds two Guinness world records. (Hat tip: BackerJoe.)

Contrary to previous, initial reports, it now appears that Hamas has won the Palestinian elections, a disastrous result if true:

In a stunning development ahead of official election results, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorie said he and the rest of the Palestinian Authority government will resign in the wake of militant group Hamas’ apparent victory in historic elections.

The announcement was an acknowledgment that election results showed Hamas had won a majority of seats in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council, supplanting the ruling Fatah party. …

Initial election results are scheduled to be released Thursday at 7 p.m. (noon ET). …

Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel could not accept a situation in which Hamas in its current configuration — committed to the destruction of Israel — was a part of the Palestinian Authority.

“I will not negotiate with a government that does not meet its most basic obligations — to fight terrorism. We are prepared to assist the Palestinians and Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) very much but they must meet their commitments,” Olmert said, according to a statement released by his office.

The European Union, meanwhile, said it was prepared to work with any government — to a point.

“We are prepared to work with any Palestinian government, if this government seeks peace, using peaceful means,” said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU external relations commissioner.

A terrorist party, in charge of the government. Cripes.

P.S. Or maybe it’s not disastrous?

P.P.S. Only Nixon could go to China. And, in arguing that a Lieberman presidency — or later, secretaryship of state — would be good for the peace process, I once said that “only Lieberman can go to Palestine.” Does it follow, then, that “only Hamas can go to Tel Aviv”?

I don’t think so, but I just thought I’d throw it out there, in keeping with the theme of the bloggingheads.tv link above.

UPDATE: Hamas wins “a large majority of seats,” the AP reports.

What was it I said the other day about how “multiple overlapping congressional investigations are hardly indicative of a growing uproar; they’re indicative that you’re in Washington, D.C., it’s a weekday, and the Earth still spinning on its axis”? Well, check out Drudge’s latest top headline: “Congressman calls for hearings over GOOGLE’s China decision…” Heh.