Where am I?

Some random thoughts regarding just about everything............

1) Has anyone else noticed how Senator Barack Obama, now that he's the President-Elect, is now delivering comments and speeches in font of a podium which reads "Office of the President Elect"? How %^@!! presumptuous and full of oneself can this guy be? Nobody has ever done anything like this before him. That is just the height of hubris.

2) Robert Malley was supposedly pushed out of the Obama foreign policy team, but that may not be true after all. It seems as though Mr. Malley took a trip to Cairo and Damascus shortly after the election to inform the dictators running those countries that they could expect some changes in U.S. foreign policy once Barack Obama is sworn in as the President: http://reformsyria.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=84:us-european&id=2211:obamas-road-to-damascus&Itemid=201 (translation: He will be more pro-Arab). Well, gee, I am shocked. It's only what I have been saying for months. Now, the groundwork is being laid for it to actually happen. Assuming that it does, every supporter of Israel who voted for him will have a lot of explaining to do.

3) I'm still stuck in a post-Disneyworld rut. No one ever wants a vacation to end, and this one was no exception. It's hard for me to believe that just a week ago today, I was trekking around Disney Hollywood (formerly Disney MGM) Studios. Mrs. BHG and I are already talking about the NEXT Disney vacation, which unfortunately won't be for a while. We'd like to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for that one. The oldest of the little BHGs already asked if we can go back next year. I had to break it to him that these vacations aren't exactly cheap.

4) I see that oil prices have dropped nearly 62% from their July high of $147/barrel. They are currently hovering around $56.50/barrel, with some analysts forecasting that they will continue to drop, possibly as low as $40/barrel. I don't know if it will go that low--OPEC will continue to cut production in order to prevent the price from dropping too far. However, while we are all happy about the over 50% decrease in gasoline prices over the last four months, we should also be mindful of the fact that the biggest reason for this decline is decreased demand caused not by the high prices but by the global economic slowdown (and in particular, the one here in the U.S.). If and when the economy picks up, so will the price of oil (and gas). The mantra I was chanting during the price run-up remains just as true now as it did then--We need to get ourselves off the oil addiction, and soon. All we are doing by continuing it is to fund countries who by and large hate us.

5) Amazingly, I got to see something the last week of October that this area of the country hadn't seen in a quarter century, which was a local professional sports franchise get crowned as a champion. The Philadelphia Phillies were deserving winners of the World Series, going 11-3 in the playoffs and losing no more than one game in any series. In the World Series, they throttled the American League Champion, the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. something that the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox had utterly failed to do in the post-season. Here's what I found most impressive about the Phillies' win: They didn't lose a game at home during the playoffs, going 7-0. In Baseball, home field advantage means less than it does in other sports, so that kind of a run is hard to achieve. I may be wrong about this, but I think that the last team not to lose a game at home in the playoffs was the 1998 New York Yankees, a juggernaut that won 114 regular season games (22 more than the 2008 Phillies). That's pretty impressive company. Better yet, on October 31 there was a season-ending celebration at Citizen's Bank Ballpark, where the team plays, and I was able to take the eldest of the little BHGs, who is a sports nut, to it. As I told him, sports champions from this area are all too rare, so he should enjoy this to the fullest.

Disneyworld, Part Two

So, now we've gone through Animal Kingdom (loved it), one day at the Magic Kingdom (watching the one-year old BHG scream with delight when she hugged Piglet was worth the entire cost of the trip), and yesterday at EPCOT (word of advice to all: Come to EPCOT during the food and wine festival. Then you too can eat and drink your way around the world!). Today it's back to the Magic Kingdom, and Disney Hollywood Studios tomorrow. The best ride so far: Soarin', at EPCOT. I absolutely loved it. The little BHG's loved the bad jokes made during the Jungle Cruise, and Splash Mountain was a huge hit...........

Disneyworld

My self-imposed break from blogging is over, at least temporarily. I am with the BHG family, as well as mother- and father-in-law BHG, at Disneyworld. Mrs. BHG and I haven't been here in 11 years, and it's the first time we've been here with the little heathens--I mean, the little BHGs. We're staying at the Polynesian, where I last stayed almost 29 years, when I was 14 years old. I love this place. It may be campy, it may be dated, but it never loses its appeal for me. The kids are thrilled so far, if a little hyperactive from sitting on the plane for 2 1/2 hours.

I'll post updates as I find the time. On tomorrow's agenda: Animal Kingdom.

To answer an inevitable, non-Disney question, I will post an entry on the Presidential/General election at some point while we are here. I just don't know when.

A few days off

Blogging will be very light through the Labour Day Weekend, as I take off a few days to go to the beach and generally recharge the batteries. I'll still try to get the occasional post up, though.........

The "No Vacation Nation"

Fascinating article, in .Pdf format, on how Americans take little or no vacation, despite the overwhelming evidence that it is healthy from a psychological perspective: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/working_time_2007_05.pdf.

One statistic that I found particularly striking was how few people take off two consecutive weeks. The last time I did it wasn nine years ago, when Mrs. BHG and I went to Hawaii. Other than that, it's never been more than a week, including after my father passed away. The thing is, one week of vacation really isn't enough to recharge the mental batteries (or mine, anyway). That vacation in Hawaii was the last time I actually felt refreshed when I got back to work.

More on this same subject here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2007-06-10-short-vacations-usat_N.htm?csp=34.

Las Vegas Trip Post-Mortem

Mrs. BHG and I are now back home, having left Las Vegas (and much cash) behind. Las Vegas styles itself as the entertainment capital of the world, and it is honestly quite hard to disagree with that self-designation. If you are bored in that city, then you are probably the type of person who would be bored no matter where you are.

One other thing: I have never held a high opinion of USAir, and that opinion just went down even further after this trip. I blogged earlier about our travails going to Sin City. Well, the airline wasn't done with us yet. This morning, we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, only to be told by ticket agents that they would not give us seats because the flight was "oversold". I explained that we had booked and paid for our seats months ago, but that was not apparently enough. As a result, Mrs. BHG and I had to sweat it out until about 10 minutes before departure time before we got on the flight. Not a good way to end our vacation........

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Seven

Actual conversation that took place earlier this evening between Mrs. BHG and the concierge here at The Bellagio:

Mrs. BHG: We're looking for restaurant suggestions for tonight. Nothing too fancy, and we don't want either fish or Asian.

Concierge: Well, how about some Sushi!?

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Six

Last night, I spent a wonderful time with an old friend. We discussed old times, anticipated good times, and generally had a great night. He kicked my ass in a couple of games of Pool, and we ate at an absolutely fabulous Mexican restaurant by the name of Agave. It is located in Sumerlin, just outside Las Vegas, and if you are in the area, I highly recommend it. Mrs. BHG, meanwhile, was receiving a professional massage here at the Bellagio, and came back quite relaxed.

Today, we went to the Hoover Dam. It's a cliche, I know, but it really is one of the most amazing man-made wonders of the world. You really can't develop an appreciation for just how huge it is unless you see it in person. We took the tour, and this pleased Mrs. BHG greatly, given her obsession with it since she saw the otherwise forgettable "Vegas Vacation", which featured the tour. All I can say is, "Damned Dam Tour". If you've seen the movie, you will know exactly what I mean. Then, we did some damage at the M&M and Coke stores (what can I say? We ARE tourists!) before retiring to the pool here.

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Five

Languages I have heard so far on this trip to Las Vegas:

1) English, spoken with English, Australian, Canadian and a hellacious Southern accent.
2) French (both Parisian and with a Quebecois accent)
3) German
4) Dutch
5) Spanish
6) Hebrew
7) Arabic
8) Japanese
9) Italian
10) Greek
11) Chinese

UPDATE (May 26, 5:45 p.m., p.d.s.t.): 12) Russian

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Four

Mrs. BHG and I are walking around Sin City. Apparently, there are those who find this activity too demanding: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/FunMoney/wireStory?id=3209629. The laziness of people never fails to amaze me.

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Three

USAir is telling us that we SHOULD have our luggage this morning.

Staring out at the sunrise over the mountains outside Las Vegas. Brown or not, they are absolutely beautiful. On the agenda today, assuming that we do have some clothes to wear: A visit to the Hoover Dam, and maybe a trip to Fremont Street. Mrs. BHG is threatening some major shopping expenditures. I am thinking that we will need another suitcase just to bring back all of the crap that we buy.............

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part Two

The fun continues! US Scair, after not allowing us on our flight, has lost our baggage. Sigh.........

At least we finally reached our destination, which is The Bellagio. Supposedly, our baggage will be on a later flight. Las Vegas is truly an amazing place. The amount of wealth here is simply staggering. The Bellagio itself is opulent, for lack of a better word.

One of my buddies told me that Las Vegas adds 100,000 new residents everywhere, and just judging by the amount of construction I saw on the short drive from McCarran International Airport to the hotel, I can believe it.

More on the trip later...........

Las Vegas Trip Blogging, Part One

Okay, we are NOT off to a good start. Mrs. BHG and I missed our 7:40 flight this morning. Well, let be more precise. We were 45 minutes early, but USAir said that we were late. So, we were not able to get onto our flight. Now we get the joy of hanging around Philadelphia International Airport for the better part of today. What fun.

All of a sudden, images of Tom Hanks and the movie "The Terminal" are going through my head.............