After all of the hype, the day has finally arrived. Don’t forget to by your historical copy of the gray lady tomorrow. If you don’t make it to the news stand in time, chances are the NY Times will print additional copies for you. Hahahaha.

I was so curious when I read about the shoe attack, this morning. I almost died when I saw this video. Honestly, what is the world coming too? Above all, I was impressed with Dubya’s ninja like reflexes, while dodging the flying footwear.

My aunt made an interesting comment in an article she wrote recently. She stated that, being a child of the 60′s she hadn’t really had the same appreciation and respect for our soldiers, as previous generations had. Obviously the Vietnam war had tainted her point of view on the issue. She went on to say that she had developed an appreciation, after having read some experiences of soldiers in combat. Upon reading her article, I started to wonder if I and members of my generation, or more current generations also lacked respect and appreciation for the soldiers who go to battle representing our country.

I recently had some family visiting, here in New York when this subject came up again. Why was the WWII generation, the greatest generation ever? Why weren’t there ticker tape parades when the troops returned from the Korean War? It really is hard to say. For me personally, I have deep respect for those members of our armed forces who bravely execute the orders given by our leaders. This isn’t to say that I always agree with the decisions made by our leaders, because I rarely do these days. I would never fault the soldier though, for carrying out orders that I don’t understand. In fact, I respect them all the more, for maintaining the integrity of the system, instead of backbiting in insubordination. It seems like in the days of WWII, it was pretty clear that our soldiers really were fighting to defend liberty, freedom, etc.. If that is still the case, it certainly isn’t so clear cut anymore.

I will say that I agree with the moniker “the greatest generation,” which the WWII generation is now known by. I have had the privilege of a personal relationship with my grandfather, D.V. Breinholt (pictured in the lower-left, above), since I was born. As cheesy as modern media may attempt to portray it, there was a different level of respect, moral character and sense of duty, that seemed to be inherently part of being a member of that generation. My grandfather has been, and is still, a core example of these attributes. Thank the powers above, that the greatest generation was the one to answer the call when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I truly believe that God was on the side of the allies, during that war. Not only because they were fighting against such harmful and oppressive forces, but because of the integrity and ideals that they represented and believed. I know that I’m dragging on a little bit, but as much of a cynic as I tend to be, I really cannot express my gratitude enough, for those who at any time have risked their lives in the name of the country I live in.

I haven’t really laughed at South Park for a while. I feel like it took a turn toward over the top offensive about 2 seasons ago, so I have only really watched is sporadically since. I have to admit though, the election episode was so on money, I almost spit out my DC from laughing so hard. Here are clips of my two favorite parts. The first clip is the Obama victory speech and the reaction of the Obama supporters:

Next, is the McCain Concession speech and the reaction of the McCain supporters:

The rest of the episode is a bit cheesy. They do a Ocean’s 11 spoof, which McCain and Obama are part of the team, and the whole election was planned out to put the country in shock for 8 hours, so they could steal the Hope Diamond. It is worth checking out, if you have the free time. To me though, the funniest parts are in these 2 clips.

Yes, that’s right. I came home from work, and pretty much didn’t move from the couch, except to get another coke or use the bathroom, for about the next 5 hours (PS, this picture wasn’t really taken last night, it is only for the purpose of example). Reagan was a little bummed out that she had to wait until this morning to watch 90210, but I ultimately, I think that she felt like the wait was justified. Reagan passed out around 11:00. But I woke her up for the victory speech. It was such an intense night. I have a few observations.

– CNN, you need to chill the [curse word] out with all of those lame effects. A hologram interview with Will.I.Am? I have never seen anything more ridiculous. Are you a news channel or the Scifi channel?

–Jesse Jackson looks like even more of a freak when he is forcing out tears for the camera. Why in the world would they show him anyway? I’m pretty sure that the Obama campaign distanced themselves from the Jackson and Sharpton types for a reason.

–McCain, nice work with the concession speech.

–Obama, I feel like the last time I actually felt inspired by a political address, was when Bush Sr. gave his speech after the Berlin Wall came down. I couldn’t really fully buy into the Obama campaign speeches, because, well, until the ballots are cast, all of that stuff is still categorized as propaganda, in my book. I did however appreciate the victory speech last night. I would even say that I felt a bit inspired. I truly hope that the idealism contained therein, doesn’t melt away into the mutual backscratching and deal making that has corrupted Washington politics for so long.

I sent this pic into NY Magazine and they published it in their blog this morning. Woo hoo. I wish that I could have taken a better shot. I really wasn’t expecting to see that line this morning or else I would have brought a better camera, so I didn’t have to use the crappy little camera on my blackberry. Anyway, here is the article, if you want to check it out.

As a side note, I waited in this line for an hour, only to discover that my name wasn’t on the list this year. I haven’t changed my address on my voter registration since I moved from Cabrini Blvd. But I have had some traffic tickets, etc., since I moved to where we live now, so I thought that maybe it was automatically updated from the public record. I went down to the Holy Rood church on 179, which is the polling location for my current address, only to find that my name wasn’t on the list there either. After all of this, I finally ended up doing a paper ballot with an affidavit of new address. Such a hassle, but I feel like it was worth the trouble. I have to admit, since I was doing the paper ballot anyway, I came so close to just writing in the person who I wish would have run. Ultimately I decided that it would be pointless, (plus, we need him here as mayor).

5 more days until you know what. That’s right, election day. I personally can’t wait. Not because I believe that we are about to embark on a new era, or because I will be able to collect on all the bets I have made. It isn’t because I am excited to exercise the right that our forefathers died for (although, I do respect the sanctity of this aspect). The reason that I am counting down the hours until election day, is so that I don’t have to read, or hear another word of campaign propaganda, mud-slinging, or one more person’s purview on California’s proposition 8 (no offense to my homies who are passionate about this issue). Gag me! Talk about media oversaturation. I am all about increasing voter awareness, etc., but there comes a point where you just don’t want to hear anymore. For me, media exposure of these issues has reached the point of diminishing return.

I saw this on Animalnewyork today. Apparently someone thinks that having Sarah Palin in the White House is a frightening prospect. So much so, that they started a street art campaign. You can download your own printable copy, like the one below, from frightentingprospect. Poor Palin. First portrayed as a Moose murderer, now as a Smurf eater. It is clear from the depiction in these posters that the artist would like the public to believe she has just bitten off Papa Smurf’s head.

Tomorrow night will be the third presidential candidate debate. For a lot of people, it will be super important because the candidates will supposedly be forced to address their proposed “solutions” for the economy. For me it will be important because of the venue. The debate is going to be held on the campus of my alma mater (for law school), Hofstra University. Go Hofstra.

I woke up in fine spirits this morning. How could I not, after watching my team win such an exciting game last night? Utah came back from behind in under 2 minutes to tie the game with a 2 point conversion, after a touchdown drive that lasted all of 40 seconds. They were then able to force Oregon to punt, and ended up winning the game with a field goal as the clock expires. You really can’t script them better than that. For those who are keeping track. Oregon State knocked out the #1 ranked USC last week. Utah is now 6-0 and leads the MWC.

Other exciting nuggets from last night include watching HR Kucenich’s speech on C-span, and of course the VP debate. The house debates are giving me a lot more faith in government, than the Senate has been lately. It has been very interesting to me, to see the unlikely amalgamation of reps that have come together in the skeptics caucus, on the issue of the economy.

The VP debate, was tough to stomach. I have to admit, I was expecting Palin to do worse than she did. It was comforting to see that Palin could cram for the test. Even though she was still very evasive on several issues, when she reverted to her talking points, it was clear that she had put in some time trying to get a grasp on things. I was seriously questioning her intelligence, before last night. So the fact that she didn’t totally fold gave me a little bit of comfort. What I could not get past though, is her demeanor. I really just can’t take her seriously. When I listen to her try to make her points, I feel like I’m watching a PTA meeting.

Finally, I did end up getting some shots of the Intrepid coming back to Manhattan. I haven’t uploaded them to the photo blog yet, but Gothamist used one of them last night. I took a lot of them. When I get them posted, I’ll put up a link.