As we say goodbye to one of the worst presidents in our country's history, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on where I was at during his worst moments. I'll try to see if I can just pick a handful of those moments, since there was so much to choose from.

Let's start with the doozie, Sept 11th, 2001. I'm sure most of us can remember this moment in our lives. Where everything we thought and felt about our safety was shattered. I was at home in Yardley, PA finishing a network design project when I was bombarded with mIRC request. I got to experience 9/11 in the newest of way possible, through my online network. Friends from NYC were mass emailing everyone telling me they were safe, and I had to call home many times to reassure my parents that I was not in NYC at the time. My closest friend, Andrea, was fully on my mind. It was a long and sombering day for me.

A few years later, the US goes to war. A war that I honestly did not look at further then. All I know was that my brother was back in Iraq. I did watch his Mission Accomplish speech on May 1st, 2003. I was in the Bristol house by now, and I do remember watching his speech in my room on the top floor. Wondering how he could proclaim mission accomplished when my brother was to leave for his now 2nd tour of Iraq soon. I didn't think of the many friends that would come through the Britsol house who later would join the war. I look now in hindsight with the rest of the nation, at what an irrisponsible declaration that was.

Hurricane Katrina was so far removed from me at the time, I didn't take much at the storm coming. Everything changed when I spent the entire Monday of August 29th, 2005 watching the news coverage. Seeing homes destroyed, cites level, and mother nature hurl her fury at New Orleans. I had much to think about my life in 2005; moving across the country, buying a house, thinking about my current job, and possibly thinking about a new one. By now, I wanted to know much more about the world around me and to see what our president planned to do to help such an amazing tradgedy in our nation. To see the inept processes to get the simpliest of help to New Orleans anger me. Made me write letters to Senators and Congressmen/women. I feel I'll have to write a more indepth post on these.

Friday was Bush's last attempt to make amends at the last 8 years. It was a 13 min process of peeeling back the scars and slowing rubbing salt into them. I came into the speech with much anger and hatered for a leader that failed us in every way. I left with disgust and a mission to not let others try to rewrite the last 8 years, +4200 lives lost, trillions dollars lost. We need to remember each one of Bush's worst moments, remember where we were, and remember that it cannot happen again.

~Philly

Are you someone who faces issues with determination? If so, then you tend to think of many things that you can do to make the situation right. You don't sit to much to see what other opportunities surface.

Are you someone that listens to others and appreciate a second opinion? You might have plans of action but you need to see that someone else has succeed in their endeavor. Some spend to much time thinking of possible failure or rejection to accomplish their goals.

Or are you someone that self deprecates about themselves and forgets what to do? Those are the ones I worry about. They get lucky and skate by life. They work hard to work less later.

I do admit that this list is far from complete. These were the ones that we were discussing today, but our goal was to see that with some motivation and determination people CAN get through difficulties. Sloth will only carry that burden along.

Make something of yourself.

~Philly

Oh man, someone just sent me Eric B & Rakim's Gold and Easy E's Eternal E.

That brings back some days. My gangsta days growing up in ghetto Spokane, WA. It was so gangsta that some of the kids rode 10 speeds and would try to steal logos from the local Best store.

I do remember the Eric B & Rakim album having some rad beats and lyrics. Those were the only times I think I actually could remember rap lyrics. The fact that most of the songs actually talked about something other than bitches and hos, makes the value of 80s rap millienum better

Here's a good place to start:

Let's trace the hints and check the file 
Let see who bit to detect the style 
I flip the script so they can't get foul. 
At least not now, it'll take a while 
I change the pace to complete the beat 
I drop the bass,'till mc's get weak.

Come on! Eric B was walking you up to the mic to make sure you were going to get served.

Easy E was insane. I loved how smooth he was when it came to rhyming. Maybe it was that he knew he was a bad ass, or that true gangster life desensitized his emotions and feelings for others. The one thing you can always take from his raps and lyrics was that he meant some serious sh*t.

Boys in the hood was pure Easy E.

I do have to leave with probably my most favorite rapper from the 80s, Kool Moe Dee. He was the first to rap with speed and a little more mature authority. This was my all time favorite track:



I go to f*cking work.

~Philly

Two things for today.



First, I watch Slumdog Millionaire yesterday, since there was so much hype about it. I rarely agree with critics, since their ideas of a good movie are usually the opposite of mine. This time though, they were completely right.

Slumdog is a great movie. I have to pinpoint to the reason why for me, the storyline. It is very compelling, intricate, and moving. From the very first scenes, where you get two polar opposite settings, it caught my attention. The shorts throughout the movie and Jamal's various relationships, all never seemed unreal or fake movie like. Maybe it was the portrayal of India back then and now.

The characters were amazing and never over the top. Jamal sometimes felt painfully shy and determine, but I can see how love might move you to such motives. Latika was great at the beginning, then, like a swan, gorgeous and strong. Salim was a good character to compare Jamal against, and showed what family and love really do mean.

All in all, a great movie. When it comes out in theatres, I hope others have the chance to see it.

Fly Eagles, Fly.
On the road to victory!



~Philly

Well, it's another year and this one has to go down as one of the more interesting years I've had. Even compared to '95 when I lived in Hawaii with Julia, and that's saying a lot. I'm plucking memory out of my head, so hopefully I'll get the key thing down.

Starting with last years NYE party, it was fun and had moments of contempt from my friend, let call that person Snark. Still it was great to be around everyone, being silly and ringing in the New Year.

For most of Jan and Feb I was close to moving home as I was still unemployed and running out of my nest egg. It look closed there for Philly. This blog could have been called, Phil in PDX. :) Luckily, I was found by a great company, with a great product, and a perfect environment. I know I've lived a very blessed life and this opportunity was just another amazing event that somehow happened.

Work is great. The people and mission of our company really does make you change your ideas about what's of value in life. Is it money, fame, status? Or is it safety, support, and a feeling of accomplishment? Those are questions I have recently asked myself and my responses are different now then they would have been a year ago.



This year was a year of one of the most engaging election ever. Barack Obama was everything I could see and want from a president. He was the antithesis of GWB. It was satisfying to be able to work for the campaign for the 7 months that I was involved. The election recharged my batteries that stores my hope in others. Everyone involved just wanted to see others succeed. It was never about having the opponent lose, it was about having hope and safety for others. I cried pretty hard when he won. It was tears of utter joy (damn, I'm tearing up now). It was redemption for our country, it was light when it's been so dark, it was hope for a better future for others. That really was the message most of us took away from campaigning.

Summer was fun. Nothing to crazy or wild. Sea Isle was a fun and short trip. I did get back on my bike a lot. It was invigorating and freeing of myself. Headphones and a water bottle took me for miles and back. It was a great way to escape life, bills, relationship, and distractions. I'll have to get a new bike this year.


Fall came with the World Series. Now, I'm not the biggest baseball fan, let's just make sure that's out there. But I am a huge sports fan, and you can't be emotionally engaged when your city is involved and about to do something it hasn't done in 25 years. It was a great series, but I think it was even more memorable because I had the opportunity to experience it in Philly with friends from Philly. I could see how much this meant to them with each pitch and swing. When we won, my emotions could not even be close to those around me. Grown men crying, couples kissing and remembering where they were at that moment, and complete strangers excited for such history. It was a sight to see and I do hope I have a chance to experience it again. I plan to be much more intune with Philly by then.

We had a great championship parade a few days later that had over 2 million people show up on Broad St and the Sports Complex. That was amazing.

I have to thank Sherri and her family for giving me a great place to share my holiday at and a great family to share it with. It was nice to have some semblance of family during the holidays. Even if there was a great sister on sister brawl post Thanksgiving.

We end the year with lots of reflection for the new year. The economy has to rebound. People's lives need to be put back together. Anytime I complain about a bill or distraction in my life, I think of those without homes, jobs, or family and friends. It's scary right now, but I have faith and hope that we as a people will rebound and overcome. My other concern for 2009 is friends. As I grow older, my tolerance for irrationality and selfish acts thin. I have always been as honest as possible with others, and I think this new year will be me being as brutally honest as possible. I just don't see how I am helping those be better people, if I wussy foot with what I have to say. It will suck, and it might bruise some egos, but I don't have the time and tolerance anymore to let me friends stay a course that is destructive. That will be my biggest challenge.

I wish everyone a happy and safe new year. Things look bleak right now, but remember that we do live in a country built on hope and dreams, and I strongly believe we will recapture some of that splendor. Don't give up on others, and don't forget who you are. Those things alone will be needed to make things better.

God Bless.

~Philly

So, I have stayed away from politics on my blog for awhile (actually, it would look like I've stayed away period) but this was too funny and good to pass up. If you think Barack and his team are not having a good time doing this, then you might have missed the irony of the text message last night.

Everyone got their text at 3AM. Haha, as in the Hillary Clinton commercial during the primaries which tried to scare us that something would happen at 3 AM and we needed a leader to answer the call.

At first, I was complete baffled when I got this message in the middle of the night. But the next day, reading a couple blogs and drinking my juice I understood the irony and humor the Obama campaign has. It shows that they see opportunity and innovation, while still loving the job that they do. That's the kind of people we all want to work with, someone who loves what they do.

Biden is a great running mate. He holds the same values as Obama and has incredible message discipline (as shown in the last few days). Joe has much foreign and military experience. But for me, the best attribute for Joe B is that he a blunt. He doesn't ride the middle and will call things like he sees it. I'm once again charged up for Nov 4th!

~Philly

The New York Times has a great article that talked about Jon Stewart and how he's made his show into something that people choose to go to for real news. As a comedy satire news show, it says a lot about what our main stream media has taken our focus.

This clip was a great example of Jon's moral fortitude. His attempt to get these two party pundits to use their time to actually inform America and not spew party lines. It was a moment that I appreciate, a lot.

I hope everyone understands that what they see on the TV is not always real. Even when it's called the news, it's not the truth sometimes. As my dad always said, there's 3 sides to a story, his side, her side, and the truth. If you see something on the news that seems interesting or grabs your attention, please, please, please take a moment to look up the story and make sure what you heard is what it real.

~Philly