Cultural Cuisinart

Today was my last full day in Hawaii. So sad. And yet, I'm sort of glad to be going home. I miss sleeping in my own bed. I miss sleeping with my boyfriend. And before you start snickering, I mean the actual act of sleeping. It's this weird thing that happens after you co-habitate for a period of time. You get used to having that particular presence in bed with you, and when you have to sleep alone, it feels weird.

Anyway, enough schmoopy thoughts. Soon I'll be back, which means daily postings shall return shortly.

On to other news: according the the L.A. Times Stop-Loss orders are up again. Welcome to the secret draft. Over 58,000 soldiers have been stop-lossed between 2002 and 2007. Take a good look at that number. I'm just shocked that this isn't a bigger issue. To me, this policy is a slap in the face to Americans who have faithfully served out the term of their service. They honored the terms of their contracts, often faced imminent danger, and served their country faithfully. No phrase pisses me off more than "supporting the troops", because to me that's just empty rhetoric. If we really wanted to support the troops, we'd be screaming about this policy and demanding that our government show them the same respect they did, and honor the terms of the contract. I'm not going to get into a long debate about the merits of Stop-Loss overall - there are legitimate times to invoke it, etc. But I think it's obvious to all rational Americans that this policy has been grossly abused, to the expense of our soldiers.

Meanwhile, your tax dollars are still hard at work. "Government contracting giant KBR rehired a man its own officials had fired after catching him with what they believed could be child pornography." The fact that we continue to spend billions on morally disgusting companies like KBR and Blackwater baffles me.

I have been golfing up a ton while I've been in Hawaii, so last night's Office segment featuring Jim, Kevin and Andy at the golf course really made me laugh.

In sports news, look for Joe Flacco, Chad Henne and Matt Ryan to start this year at some point. I think Ryan may be the Day 1 starter (and maybe Henne, unless John Beck got a lot better in the off-season). Flacco may start by mid-season, depending on how Boller is playing. Also, yes, I know Danica Patrick ran over a pit crew guy at Indy trials, but I swear to God, if any of you make a "women can't drive" joke, I will fucking kill someone.

Okay, that's all. I leave tomorrow, but won't land in DC until Sunday (gotta love crossing multiple time zones). I look forward to seeing all my DC-area peeps soon. Stay golden, pony bitches.