Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

My vacation starts this evening... I'm flying to Scotland for two weeks.

First time since 1984 that I've:
-- Been on a "real vacation" (in other words, you leave home for longer than an extended weekend);
-- Been outside of North America;
-- Been on a plane.

Don't worry, I'll take pictures (maybe even one of the Loch Ness Monster, if I'm lucky).

;-]

So, I'm Running For Vice-President...

This is the e-mail I sent to John McCain this past Tuesday:

---

Dear Senator McCain:

I know that you currently have people trying to help you decide who should be your running mate. While I'm sure that all the choices are honorable individuals, I think a better idea would be to discard them all, and choose a virtual unknown: me.

I'm 47 years old, close to Obama's age, so counters the "too old" line; a lifelong conservative (Reaganite). Like yourself, I'm a Navy veteran (I was a payroll clerk, so I'm good with figures). Currently, I'm a computer programmer; have a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems, so tend to be tech-savvy, to an extent. I come from a blue-collar household, and I've done a number of different jobs, so I can easily relate to "the little guy (or gal)". I'm very intelligent, I have a good sense of humor, learn well on the fly, do not stress out under pressure, and I am quite comfortable carrying out orders to a "T" (also have held leadership positions, so either way works for me). Finally, I really care about people, and I absolutely LOVE this country.

It would be my great honor to be your VP. Outside the box? Sure, without question. But maybe that's what could put you over the top. (I shudder to think of what's in store for the U.S. if Obama wins.) Just think, it could be "Mac Attack Times 2"!

Anyway, I know you have staffers who intercept these messages; I hope one of them will be open-minded enough to pass this along to you. Either way, I am voting for you in November.

Best wishes and God bless,
Jim McKee

---

So, it's official now: I'm running for vice-president (at least, until the Senator give me the "yea" or "nay"). I think it's a job for which I am IMMENSELY qualified.

"Vote for me, and I'll set ya free..."

WINGS WIN !!!

Hey, hey, Hockeytown!

It was NOT easy, but they finally got there. The Detroit Red Wings have won the National Hockey League's 2008 Stanley Cup Championship, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two.

In a tip of the hat to Jami, I have to give congratulations to the Penguins. They fought so hard, even when they were down, and nearly tied the final game in the last couple of seconds. For a young team, they showed a lot of character, and I can only imagine that they'll be contenders for some time to come.

But really, this is our day. For a brief, fleeting moment in time, the world is exactly as it should be.

Once again, Detroit is Hockeytown !!!!

http://redwings.nhl.com/

---

Oh, I almost forgot... Special thanks to Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's ass, for scoring the winning goal. That was, without a doubt, the best ass-goal I've ever seen.

;-]

Politic-lish?

Then click here...

What is it? It's my new web site, Anatomically Correct, wherein I pontificate on the subject of politics. I've always wanted to keep this site fun, and not get it bogged down in politics, which I am very interested in personally, but which I also realize leaves some people extremely bored. Also, it's a little bit of my computer geek peeking out, as it gives me a chance to play in the WordPress sandbox.

So, a new site, for politics. Don't worry, JimMcKee.com is NOT going away. I still have way too many people left to torment!

http://anatomicallycorrect.wordpress.com/

The Dean's List... Almost

It just dawned on me that school has been out for four weeks, so I no longer have a good excuse for not posting. To be honest, it started out as burn-out from calculus class; somewhere along the way, it morphed into plain ol' laziness.

I'm still trying to buy a house. Not the original one I tried to buy, but a different one. And frankly, if this one doesn't work out, I'll probably just stay in my apartment for another year. (NOTE: That doesn't mean that I'm some kind of hermit, and never leave my apartment. Just in case you were starting to go there...)

Now, you're probably wondering about the meaning of the title of this post. You may remember back in January, when I embarked on the Winter semester taking three classes. Well, a few weeks in, I realized that I had bitten off a little more than I could chew. Partly because of a long commute between work and school, partly because of the often-hazardous Michigan winter weather, and partly (probably mainly) because I had class Monday through Thursday evenings. So, I ended up dropping one of my classes, my Special Ed class (which I will eventually have to take again, it's a required class). I'm guessing that this was a good move, because I got A's in my other two classes. Yes, that includes calculus!!

Unfortunately, because I wound up taking only seven credit hours, my 4.0 grade point average (GPA) is ineligible for the Dean's List. This is the second consecutive semester in which my GPA was high enough to be on the Dean's List, but I took less than the minimum ten credit hours. (My GPA in the Fall was 3.5, with nine credit hours.)

I'm not angry or bitter at the University (I save that for the abominable parking situation). I realize that they have to draw a line somewhere. That's OK, I'm on the Jim McKee Virtual Dean's List.

;-]

So, What Did You Do Last Week? Me, I Aced A Calculus Exam and Bought A House

OK, the second part of that is wishful thinking.

I put an offer on a house... won't know if it's accepted until at least next week.

But I did ace the calculus exam, that part is real (2nd straight exam I got a 92 on).

And, believe it or not, I did both of those things on the same day!

There -- I hope all is cleared up.

Carry on.

Once Upon A Time, There Was A Month Called March, And Somehow, I Missed It...

Actually, I didn't REALLY miss it... The name's McKee, not VanWinkle, y'know... I've just been busy rasslin' the beast known as Calculus (amongst other things).

But hey, I don't like to make excuses. So, let's you and I make a pact to meet, right here, on a semi-regular, quasi-consistent basis, 'k?

Good. Talk to ya soon.

In Concert: B.B. King

This man is a legend. That is NOT hype... it's just the truth, plain and simple.


This past Saturday night, I had the good fortune to be given tickets to see B.B. King in concert at the Fox Theater in Detroit (which, by the way, is the most beautifully ornate theater I have ever seen). I talked my son into canceling his previous plans for the evening, and off we went.

I thought I would enjoy myself. That's an understatement -- it was FANTASTIC.

There was no opening act. The band (formally, "the B.B. King Blues Band") came out first, and played for a few minutes. Then, the master himself came out on stage. As he took his place in a wooden chair at center stage, his band members attended to him as if he were royalty (and is that analogy really so far-fetched?), making sure that he had towels and microphone stand within easy reach.

And then, he made her howl and sing.

Of course, I'm referring to "Lucille", which is what B.B. King calls his guitar. And let me tell ya, for an 82-year-old, he can still rock that thing like nobody's business. His knees might be bad (hence the chair), but his hands are still in fine form. There are twenty-somethings who would gladly give up vital body parts for a fraction of that man's talent.

While the music was intense on a gut level, there were also his stories. Almost like the old uncle everyone has (or wished they did), who could tell you stories about the world and his travels through it for hours on end, and you never got bored. Even though some of them weren't based on pleasant subjects (like the one about the "white and colored" drinking fountains in the old, segregated South), he was able to find something humorous and entertaining about them to share.

The audience (myself included) revered him; that much is obvious. What might not be as obvious is that the reverse was also true. B.B. King is fully aware of the fact that he was given a gift, and he takes great joy -- even at 82 -- in sharing that gift. You can see it in his face, you can hear it in his voice, and you can definitely feel it when Lucille wails the blues. Why else would he keep touring at his age? It's not the money, he's got plenty. It's that he truly loves what he does, and he's still one of the best at it.

I'd like to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to my friend Lisa, who couldn't go to the concert and gave me the tickets. I consider B.B. King to be one of our national treasures, and I'm glad I got to see him.

The thrill is gone? I think not.

---------------------

The official B.B. King web site

Fans of Dr. Phil...

... Don't miss this, his most important work!

;-]

Weekend Quote 01/26/08

All of us are suffering from electile dysfunction... You can't get aroused by any of the candidates.

-- Wayne Rogers

I Am MADLY in Love...

... with Google Reader!

I'd heard of it before, but I'd never checked it out until recently.

You "subscribe" to your favorite blogs, and then you don't have to check them on their own web sites... you just check Google Reader, and it will show you all the new posts, all in one place. What a time-saver!!!

I know there are newsreaders you can download, but this is nothing you have to download, you just go there in your browser. (If you use G-mail, it has a similar appearance.)

Too cool!

It Has Begun Again...

Winter classes have started for me at EMU. These are the classes I have this semester:

Calculus
Special Education
U.S. Government

I'm taking 10 credits; I have classes on Monday through Thursday evenings.

Just thought y'all might like to know.

Cross your fingers for me. It's a long ways from here to the end of April!!

Reboot

Every year, when New Year's Day rolls around, there's a natural tendency to want to start over with a clean slate. Wipe away everything that we screwed up in the now-defunct previous year. Being a professional in the IT industry, I can totally relate to such a sentiment. When your computer starts having problems, what's the first thing you do? You reboot it. Any program or process that was hung up is ended. You restart your operating system, and in most cases, you're good to go.

I am going to do my best to do everything better in 2008. Live healthier, eat healthier, exercise, study harder, be happy. I want to make my clean slate a really good one this time. Though let's be honest, it never works out as well as we imagine it will... still, that should not stop us from shooting for the stars. (As opposed to shooting at the stars -- your aim is not THAT good.)

Having said all that, I am not making any actual New Year's Resolutions this year. Gimme a break, I just rebooted.

2007: The Year In Review

Wow. 20-ought-7 is down the tubes. Let me take a moment to look back on this momentous year...

I was dating someone at the beginning of the year. That ended in mid-February. Since then, I've been on... hmmm, lemme think... one date. ONE DATE??!!? Holy crap, I suck.

My son moved back in with me mid-year, after living with a not-so-nice relative (from his mother's side, of course... LOL) for eight months or so. Of course, at the tender age of 20, he's hardly ever around... That's OK, I still have the cat...

School days, school days, oh dem golden rule days: Three years after my wonderful experience of five minutes in law school, I finally return to the collegiate scene -- this time, in order to get my teaching certificate. (Glutton for punishment? Maybe.) So far, so good... one semester in the books, 9 credit hours, a 3.5 current GPA... but I'm looking to pull that up to at least a 3.67 in the coming semester. I am SOOO not a B student!

Winter in Michigan started several weeks before the actual first day of winter. Damn, has Mother Nature never heard of a freaking CALENDAR ??!?? I need to move someplace warmer!!

That's all I got, peeps. Have a great 2008!

Feliz Navidad!

I just wanted to wish everybody who stops by the Merriest Christmas, and the Happiest New Year (and if you celebrate something other than Christmas, please consider this to be that alternate greeting, instead).

As a little gift, I give you one of my favorite Christmas songs -- "Feliz Navidad" (the REAL version, by Jose Feliciano).

(And... I sang this at karaoke the other night... and I **NAILED** it!!)