My 2005 New Year's Resolution

Thanks to likert for this one.

In the year 2005 I resolve to: Stop checking my e-mail at 3:00 in the morning. Get your resolution here

My 2005 New Year's Resolution

I hate the world.

This country makes me want to cry at times.

Me No Rikey MircoS0ft

Windows Demonstrated in Public - And Still sucks!

I Like Ice Cream!

I Like Ice Cream!

I love my Co Workers

I love my coworkers.


Waggoner98: im asking shizzles(ed. - coworkers) if they "got blog?"
Jason L: hehehe for the blogring
Waggoner98: yeah
Waggoner98: non blogging slackass
Jason L: hahaha
Jason L: ask poluga
Jason L: bwahahaha
Waggoner98: dude
Waggoner98: poluga cant even use a computer
Jason L: omg
Jason L: can i copy > paste that to her
Waggoner98: sure
Waggoner98: she knows i <3
Jason L: hahaha
Waggoner98: tell her ill buy her graeters
Jason L: graeters?
Waggoner98: yeah
Waggoner98: shell know what i mean

Then....comes from jason...
Poluga: wait, y did wags say i cant use a computer
Poluga: not that i'm dispurting it
Jason L:: i told him to ask you if you had a blog
Poluga: hahahhahahhaha
Jason L: heh
Poluga: i dont believe in written evidence
Jason L: that's probably very good for you
Poluga: wags can marry me if he buys my graeters

Then...it gets even better...
Waggoner98: what flava
Poluga:
*** Auto-response from Poluga: i <3 work
Poluga: hahahha, blog this
Waggoner98: im blogging the quote saying i can marry you if i get you graeters
Poluga: hahaha
Poluga: if i can get a large...i might even agree to a child
Waggoner98: we could arrange that
Waggoner98: have your people call my people
Waggoner98: well get ice cream


I love these people.

Catrina's Take On The Weather

It is 33 Degrees and monsooning out....Catrina has this to say about the weather.


BW: This weather sucks.
CP: This weather sucks more than sucks.


Sucks more than sucks. Couldnt have said it better.

REJOICE

Deep Impact Live Remake Is No More - Please Come Out Of your Bomb Shelters

Back to work....

Strange weather lately, we hit mid sixties yesterday. The 90 feet of snow we had melted, now it just rains all the time. I think the next stage is locusts.

Back to work....i miss vacation. /cry.

Christmas Hangover?

Well, christmas passed, and was all in all a good time. It was nice to have the family together and spend some time with everyone. Finding time where all of us can get together is becoming harder and harder as we all get older, it sure is nice to spend time with my family, even as goofy as they can be.

Santa delivered some nice things this year, Sirius Sattelite radio for my car, a new laser printer, a mad pile of dvds(including the 3rd season of 24) and some nice clothes to wear at work and play. The gifts i gave were all a big success, so that is definately a good thing.

Football regular season is just about over. Another one in the book for Chitown, and who would have thought that injuries would have decimated this team again. I say that the bears pick a new physical training staff with their picks in the draft, but i dont think it works that way.

I hope all of you are doing well and the holidays are treating you well. Leave a comment on the right if youd like!

Under Construction

Bear with me as i rework some things on here...something goofy happened and i lost alot of my custom html code i wrote, so in a few days ill be readding some links and info.

Merry Christmas!

Merry christmas everyone!

I hope all of you have a lovely day, spend some good time with your families or loved ones, and remember what is important to you.


I know i sure know whats important to me.

Maybe ill get home...

Here i sit, in the columbus airport, waiting out a level 3 snow emergency. Its currently not safe enoug for planes to land here, and im told i may not make it out of here today...and after the 8 inches of snow and ice we got yesterday, we are supposed to get 3-5 more inches later today and tomorrow...meaning, it could get ugly.

Work has been pretty nutty lately, i did some more internal penetration work this week. Ethical hacking is pretty cool stuff, but it gets a bit dry to me. I like to interact more with clients than with their network devices.

Well, im off to check flight times. DITBABABI, morin. DITBABAI indeed.

"Let me explain...no, too much to expain...let me sum up..."

Hello all -

Its been a busy few weeks. Thank goodness the election is over quickly, and yes, im fairly pleased that GWB won with the amount he did. Id say there wont be whining from democrats that he "stole the election" like they said in 00...but i dont put much past the democratic party anymore. I about wet myself when Minority Leader Pelosi said that the Democratic party would work with The President. Part of me said "duh", the other part said "yeah right"

Work has been busy, spending time in louisville, alabama and some other places. Its been somewhat nice seeing some different locales, and working with some different people.

In good news, im going to be an uncle :) My sister informed me of this recently, and im very excited. It will be a welcome addition to the family.

In bad news, im no longer engaged. Im not going to get into it on here, i debated even posting about it, but if anyone wants to talk about it, you know where to find me.

Heading home to chicago next weekend for a bit, should be nice. Its nice to have a decent airport with 49$ fares from columbus to chicago. Thats almost cheaper than driving, and saves on time. Plus its nice to spend time with the family.

The holdiays are coming soon, and damn the weather is getting cold. Callie isnt a fan, she wants the windows open :( I like this time of year, people tend to be nicer to one another, however i havent seen that at all lately.

Well, im going to leave this entry at that. Feel free to email me or call me. bjwaggoner@mac.com

Its Finally Over

We had a long night -- and we had a great night. The voters turned out in record numbers and delivered an historic victory.

I want to thank our supporters across this country. At every stop I asked you to make the calls, put up the signs, talk to your neighbors, and get out the vote. And because you did your part, we are celebrating today. Thanks to you, we received more votes than any presidential ticket in history.

America has spoken. And I am humbled by the trust and confidence of my fellow citizens. With that trust comes a duty: I will serve all Americans, so help me God. I am proud to lead such an amazing country -- and I am proud to lead it forward.

Reaching our goals will require the broad support of Americans. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us all. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.

A campaign has ended, and our cause is renewed. The United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith. I can see a new day coming, and I am eager for the work ahead. God bless you all, and God bless America.


- GWB


Thank goodness its over, and thank goodness The President was re-elected.

The College Tour Of 2004

While most high school seniors around this time are starting to do thier college visits to see where they potentially would like to go to college, my travels with work has taken me close to some large universities of late. Here is the list ive passed through or very close to within the past week.

Arizona State University
THE Ohio State University
Capitol University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Bowling Green State University
University of Toledo
University of Notre Dame
Indiana University - South Bend
College of St Marys
Holy Cross College
Valparasio
Purdue University

Speaking of which, here I am, in West Lafayette, IN, on a job that puts me very close to purdue. Luckily, im with a purdue alumni who will be my guide while in this lovely town ;-) Had an exciting monday, doing training for Sarbanes-Oxley work that i will be doing in the upcoming future, for those of you not familiar, Sarbanes was the legislation put through in response to the Enron and Worldcom scandals, making companies liable for their financial reporting. Really exciting stuff. Hopefully, i get to head home on wed night, letting me spend some much needed time at home for thursday - sunday. Next week, back on the road, heading to maryland, which should be nice, if it werent for the flight. After my previous post, im sure you can tell why ;-)

Fall has started, and its hit pretty hard. Its been dog cold lately, and even had a pretty decent frost in South Bend on monday morning. Idiot here didnt take anything warmer than a short sleeve polo to wear to the client, and didnt even bring a coat. I do have the nice scarf that Katie made for me last winter. However, i think id look somewhat strange wearing a polo shirt and a scarf. Im pretty sure Columbus is like the moon when it comes to weather, lately, its been around high thirtes or low forties in the morning when i get up, then balances out around high 60s low 70s in the afternoon. Then again, since coming back to work, ive been in Columbus for a grand total of 2 nights.

The apartment is working out pretty nicely, Mom and Dad came by this weekend and we got the living room finally set up alot better than it was originally by myself, after moving some things around, getting rid of some boxes and other things. Its a really nice place, i love the vaulted ceilings and the fact that i dont have to listen to people thump above me. Living on the 2nd floor is definately nice, especially when i dont have to move anything up the stairs when moving. Callie also is alot happier here, there are alot more windows she can look out, plus i dont mind leaving the shades open all the time here so she can look out the window like i did in South Bend, since i didnt really like the fact that people could walk past my windows, see all my electronics and could break in and take it when i was gone travelling. No longer.

Anyone else following the pro football season? Its odd to see that the Falcons and Lions are 2 of the most successful teams this year. Not only that the Falcons are doing well, but that Vick isnt doing that great. Im not a big fan of them trying to force feed him the west coast offense. Im sorry, but when a player of the caliber gets 0 fantasy points, its not a good thing. For him, it just seems like hes being constrained. I know Jim Mora has done a ton of good things down there, but i dont like seeing vick held back. Any idiot who has watched Atlanta for 2 seconds knows that the strength of that team is the fact that hes one of the most mobile, if not THE most mobile quarterbacks in the history of the game. FOcusing on using that threat of a scramble to make the defense guess is what would work there. Making him be a pocket passer is like trying to make a fish breathe out of water. Let him move around, let him scramble 150 yards a game. He is a smart and mature enough player to know whats best to get the game won, but for the love of god, dont try to make him a immobile pocket passer. Hes better than that, and they know it. Speaking of quarterbacks...i think its time for Favre to hang up his hat. The guy has heart, but just doesnt seem to have it anymore. While i like to see the packers at 1-4, i hate to see a legend go out like he is now. I hope he can turn them around, have a good comeback story, and retire after this year.

Well, im off to finish watching some TV and head to bed. Lookin forward to heading home tomorrow :)

Take care all!

Man, didnt i get out of this place?

So, its sunday night...and im sitting in South bend, In. Didnt i just get out of this town? Oh well, im here in the bend for training tomorrow. I thought i was going to be at a local client, but things changed last minute. Heading out to another client here in indiana tomorrow night, but i hope i can be home later this week. Things are looking good.

Phoenix wrapped up pretty well, long plane rides suck, but it makes you realize alot about the general public. Some of them are as follows....

• Despite what you may think...i really dont care where you are going and why. Im a big guy. Im uncomfortable in a plane. I dont want to hear that you are going to check on your wife to see if shes cheating on you.
• For the love of all things holy....GO TO THE BATHROOM BEFORE GETTING ON THE PLANE!!!! The bathrooms on the plane are not there as public restrooms, but are there as EMERGENCY restrooms if for some reason your ass is going to explode and you cant deal with it untill you land. Its not there to create a line remeniscent of a port-o-potty line at a dave matthews band concert.
  
• America West - If you are going to advertise in flight meals, even if they have to be purchasable, then MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE PLANE. It makes people slightly irratable to be on a 4 hour flight that feels like 7 because of the time change if all there is to eat are peanuts...peanuts....and more peanuts.
• I dont know whos idea it is to sell alcohol on a plane, but the TSA should have them executed. Nuff Said.
• Why does every pilot sound like the same guy. Either they are using that voice changing box thing you see at sharper image, or all airline pilots are clones of each other. If i hear the phrase "Its gonna be alittle choppy" one more time....ill sit in my seat and not cause any problems, like a good airline passenger.
• Mother & Daughter fights are obnoxious to begin with. Put them in a confined space, and it makes it even more obnoxious. Listen, ladies. You got on the plane. Were on time. I dont care who made who late.
• Didnt we learn first on last off when in school on the school bus? Why is it everyone gets up immediately as the fasten seat belt sign is turned off? You know if you are in the last row, you are going to have to wait. Dont cut in front of people in rows in front of you. Just because you are more nimble than old lady blue hair in the seat in front of you doesnt mean you should push past her to get off the aircraft
• Blackberrys are personal electronic devices. Dont use it in flight. I dont want to be the biggest lawn dart there is.
• If your kids are obnoxious, flight attendants should bring handcuffs and duct tape with them. Noone likes kids slapping seats, bouncing on people or throwing their gameboys to their brother on the other side of the plane.
  

Im sure i could go on, but thats all i can write about without wanting to be like john madden and take a bus everywhere i go.

Football season is proving to be pretty interesting. Way to go pats, 19 game win streak is something to be proud of, as well as 5-0 as of this week. Also, can someone tell me what the deal with Detroit is?

Well, im off to watch the rest of sunday night football before i go to bed. Have a good evening, and leave some comments in the box!

Time flies when you move, work, travel...etc....

Hey everyone -

Alot has happened since my last post. The long term job i was on finally ended, im back on a normal work schedule, as if there is such a thing where i work. Back on the weekly travel schedule. But i finally did move to columbus! Last week i took my first week of vacation(yeah, i know, 10 months without a significant vacation) and moved from South Bend to Columbus. I live in a real nice suburb north of the city, and got a really nice fairly new apartment. Katie is down there as well now starting at OSU, its nice to not be 2.5 hours away, but only 10 minutes.

Im in Phoenix this week, what a beautiful area. Its the first week of october, and its 90some here. Rarely a cloud in the sky and mountains that i can see from the client site. Not bad. Travelling this week was interesting, i had my first in flight movie, and ate my first meal on an airplane. Youd think i would have done of those already with the amount of travelling i do, but this was definately a first for me. However, the movie was "White Chicks" with the wayans brothers and the food was a roast beef sandwich, it was like neil frigging armstrong for me ;-)

This year is wrapping up soon, i cant believe there are only 3 more months untill 2005. Election is coming up soon, and the race is getting close. The debates have been something of a let down. I dont understand how people can decide who WINS a debate. The partisanism comes out with that. I dont trust any polls anymore. They all seem slanted. They only way to know is on election day.

Its been a rotten few days for alot of people i know. I just want to let all of them know that my thoughts and wishes are with all of them, and i wish them all the best. If there is anything i can to do help, please let me know. I know times are rough, but any of you that need my help, let me know. Im here for you.

Well, its 5ish here, but my body thinks its 8....jetlag is fun. Franklin, let me know where you are at in columbus, and well get together.

Take care all, leave some love in the c-box!

Zell Miller - Democrat

Here are some notable snippets from the text of the speech from Zell Miller, the Democratic Sentator from Georgia last night at the RNC.

I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family?

The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party.
There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush

.
Now, while young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrat's manic obsession to bring down our Commander in Chief.
What has happened to the party I've spent my life working in?

Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today's Democratic leaders see America as an occupier, not a liberator.
And nothing makes this Marine madder than someone calling American troops occupiers rather than liberators.

No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home.
But don't waste your breath telling that to the leaders of my party today. In their warped way of thinking America is the problem, not the solution.
They don't believe there is any real danger in the world except that which America brings upon itself through our clumsy and misguided foreign policy.
It is not their patriotism — it is their judgment that has been so sorely lacking. T

No pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.

Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts.
The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40 percent of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq.
The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra. The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.
The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War. The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11.
I could go on and on and on: against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel; against the Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile; against, against, against.
This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces?
U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?

Twenty years of votes can tell you much more about a man than twenty weeks of campaign rhetoric.

John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security.

John Kerry wants to re-fight yesterday's war. George Bush believes we have to fight today's war and be ready for tomorrow's challenges. George Bush is committed to providing the kind of forces it takes to root out terrorists.
No matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under.
George Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip.
From John Kerry, they get a "yes-no-maybe" bowl of mush that can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends.

The man I trust to protect my most precious possession: my family.
This election will change forever the course of history, and that's not any history. It's our family's history.
The only question is how. The answer lies with each of us. And, like many generations before us, we've got some hard choosing to do.
Right now the world just cannot afford an indecisive America. Fainthearted self-indulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world.
In this hour of danger our President has had the courage to stand up. And this Democrat is proud to stand up with him.

Show me a republican that spoke with such fervor at the DNC. There isnt one....because the democratic party are have the wrong idea and agenda for this country.

Political Talk

As the election comes closer, im going to start to post some talking points to clear up alot of the disinformation coming from liberals/left wingers/kerry supporters about initiatives coming FROM our president, and done BY our president.

Today, No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind sets a clear objective for American education. Every child in every school must be performing at grade level in the basic subjects that are key to all learning – reading and math.

The legislation requires regular testing in these basic subjects for every child in every school, starting in the third grade. And when schools do not show progress toward high standards, better options are made available to parents, including tutoring for their children, or a transfer to a better public school.

No Child Left Behind is based on 4 key principles:

• Accountability for results
• Local control and flexibility
• New options for parents; and
• Scientifically proven teaching methods and programs.

The historic legislation insists on high standards and accountability because the President believes that every school should teach and every child can learn.

Unprecedented Commitment to Education

President Bush’s overall Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget represents a 48% increase for elementary and secondary education since FY 2001. It includes an additional:

• $1 billion in Title I funding for disadvantaged students, for a total that represents a 52% increase since FY 2001.
• $138 million for reading programs, for a total that is over four times the amount spent in FY 2001.
• $1 billion for special education programs, in total, an increase of 75% since FY 2001.

Through the No Child Left Behind Act, these historic levels of support are combined with an unprecedented commitment to achieving high standards and accountability to ensure every school across the nation is producing real results for every child in America.

Important Progress for America’s Schoolchildren

In the 24 months since President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, the Bush administration has worked closely with state and local education leaders to put the new reforms into action.

The new law is beginning to show results.

• All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have drawn up plans to hold every public school accountable for student achievement.
• Test results show America's children are making progress. In 2003, math scores for fourth graders nationwide were nine points higher than in 2000. Math scores for eighth graders improved by five points. And a higher percentage of fourth graders tested at or above their grade level in reading.
• 234 schools across the country have been recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools, which is the highest award a school can receive from the federal government. These schools have made outstanding yearly progress and have achieved historic results by using regular monitoring and assessment practices aligned with the policies in No Child Left Behind.

As a result of No Child Left Behind, the federal government is now spending more money for elementary and secondary education that at any other time in American history.

• In 2003, the Bush administration provided $234 million to assist the lowest performing schools that needed the most improvement. In 2004, the administration plans to more than double that amount. Federal funding for elementary and high school education has increased from about $25 billion in 2001, to more than $33 billion in 2003, an increase of about 36 percent, and the highest level ever.
• Since the enactment of No Child Left Behind, there has been a 43 percent increase in K-12 funding overall, a 41 percent increase in Title I funding, and reading funds have nearly quadrupled. The administration has proposed a 39 percent increase in resources for teachers and principles, and a 59 percent increase in special education.
• The administration has committed $1.8 billion in grants to help train tens of thousands of teachers to use effective reading instruction methods and materials. No Child Left Behind expects schools to do their job, and it provides the resources to help them to do their job.
• The administration has committed significant increases in funding to implementing these important reforms, but some states and school districts have not been able to take full advantage of these resources. According to the Department of Education, there is nearly $6 billion of unspent money remaining in the Treasury that states are entitled to that have not been drawn down yet.

Inherent in the No Child Left Behind legislation is not only the desire to assess and measure the progress of every child, but the belief that local people to make the right decisions for their children.

• No Child Left Behind is providing local communities and school districts with unprecedented flexibility in using federal funds. Increased flexibility allows states to address the unique challenges of rural areas.
• Using funding for tutoring provided in the legislation, parents can select from the more than 1600 supplemental service providers approved by the states. With this option, parents for the first time can find a program that is focused and directed and the specific needs of their child.

Thanks to the President’s leadership, closing the achievement gap is now a national priority.

A little bit of an antidote

Spinsanity - Fahrenheit 9/11

For those of you that are very quick to believe Michael Moore's word as the gospel, read this article for a bit of fact checking.