GO ARMY!!! BEAT AIR FORCE!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

I'll be out tomorrow watching my kid narrate a school play they're putting on but thought I'd through out the obigatory "AWWWWW..." photos of the Alva family costumes (Mrs. Alva will be donning a French maids outfit just for me, so I can't show you that, sorry).

The dog/cat...

Com'on, what else was she going to be.

The kid...



Me, I'm going as the old man that I am. Looking at the last picture only confirms that I'm going to be wearing the costume for the rest of my life.

Mathdude and Tony Alva Halloween 1972...

Beth has sponsored a costume contest and the only halloween picture I could find of me and my brother was this one:


That's Mathdude on the right. Those were good times...

It's better than nothing...

After weeks of ominous news and forlorn depression over the economic meltdown and the coming disaster of an Obama presidency, it looks like I’ll finally finish a day here at work with a couple of tidbits of good news to hang my hat on even if it’s short term in nature. This was one positive indicator from CNNMoney.com:

“U.S. light crude oil for December delivery fell 60 cents to $62.62 a barrel after ending the previous session at a 17-month low.”

I passed a Quik Trip on the way in this morning and regular grade was selling for $2.38 and high test at less than $2.50. That’s less than what we were paying this time last year. All indications are that crude will continue to fall in price. I’ve got a long commute and our family was one of those millions the MSM was reporting who were significantly affected by high fuel prices. I’ll refrain from going back to driving the Boxster in every day, but it’ll be nice to take it in every now and again.

My company reported strong third quarter earnings today. We’ve been tightening our belts for more than a year anyway and were well positioned for this down turn. Cash is king! Unfortunately, my boss and VP were victims of a management layoff that had been in the works for awhile and it’s been hard to get my head around it. She was the best manager I’ve worked for since reluctantly graduating from college and joining the working world (it's also why posts have been light, I’ve been a little down you see), but it’s time to brace up and move forward. My new boss is a cool guy, if not a bit young, but he knows his stuff and seems to run a clean shop.

My new boss called a meeting today to announce that he's instituting a telecommuting plan for our department. Our old VP was staunchly opposed to the idea even while many other departments were embracing it (we're a damn ISP for cripes sake!), but the new guy is all about it. While I’m second from the bottom in batting order as far as picking my days, I’m still jazzed about not having to drive into the office one day a week.

Now, if only Georgia Tech could beat Florida State this weekend… Better yet, if ARMY could beat Air Force this weekend…! Okay, now I’m getting ahead of myself.

A simple question...

How many voters, legitimate or otherwise, that ACORN has signed up will be casting their vote for John McCain? That right, we're supposed to feel sorry for the guy who committed voter fraud because "he needed the money...". F. U. C. K. O. F. F.

"ACORN has recently released a video on the Internet called "Fight Back: The Truth About ACORN." It uses a mix of interviews and video to fight what the group calls Republican efforts to suppress voter turnout."

Really? Do people really believe shit like this?! Why isn't john Stewart all over this statement?! A Republican conspiracy. Are you actually serious?

Take note folks, this little article here marks the official death of fair and unbiased journalism.

I heard Brian Williams this morning as he and NBC, who the McCain campaign have largely shut out on account of them being the WORST JOURNALISTS EVER, bring up sort of in passing that the McCain campaign spent $150K on Palin's wardrobe. Let see, what can be said about that? Oh yeah, WHO GIVES A FUCK!!!

I've come to terms with the fact that Barack Obama will be our next president. I hope he turns out to be the great uniter that he's touted himself to be. I believe him to be a smart man. Hell, say what you will, but after getting beneath the bubba accent, Bill Clinton turns out to be a pretty smart guy. Like Clinton though, I'm certain Obama will run straight into a wall in his first month in office as he finds out what Washington is REALLY like.

Make no mistake, any pipe dreaming liberal who thinks Democrats are immune to ALL the things that they demonize their adversaries on the other side of the isle for and are some how that much different from all they hate about Republicans is an indication of how delusional they are. Politicians are all liars and thieves with few exceptions. You work backwards from there.

This will be my question on November 5th: The United States of America has just elected our first black president, now what?

Oh yeah, the Kansas City Chiefs suck.

If you've got any sense at all on November 4th...

...vote for this guy. You'll be glad you did.

The sun will come out tomorrow...

The economy is in the crapper and we're about to elect the most unqualified candidate in the history of our nation as president, but who cares about that when the Dallas Cowboys AND the New England Patriots lose on the same weekend!!! It just proves that better days are ahead for us. Jeez, if the democrats can get me stimulus check Mach II before Christmas I’d be down right optimistic about the future. BTW, Q: What’s more biased than the MSM media fawning over the Obama campaign? A: Troy Aikmen calling a Cowboy game. Jeez, I thought the guy was going to leave the booth and fellate Tony Romo right there on the sidelines in between sacks with Jessica watching. Mathdude’s annoyance indicator will no doubt peg off the charts of course. That’s okay, after all those years and heaps of mockage even he deserves a little time in the sun.

It’s more than the Cowboys and Pat’s getting kicked in the junk this weekend, HOW ‘BOUT THEM FALCONS!!! What a win. I guess that’s what lifted my spirits: the comebacks. The Falcons blew a lead when kicker Jason Elam failed to convert a 30+ change yard field goal with under two minutes which would have given the Falcons a two possession lead over Da Bears. Chicago rallied to score quickly leaving the Falcons eleven seconds at kickoff to make something happen. Matt super stud Ryan throws to deep pass to Jenkins to set up a monster 48 yarder as time ran down. Amazing. The Birds are 4-2 and things feel good here in Atlanta. The catch phrase of the week: Vick who?

The cupcake match up between Georgia Tech and Gardner-Webb Community College turned out to be far more excitement than any of us had bargained for as well. The div IAA Bulldogs seemed to have convinced themselves that they could actually beat the Yellow Jackets. They found a way to simply shut down Tech’s offense. The ¾ nerd filled stadium had to sweat out a last second Gardner-Webb field goal attempt to tie that was tipped by a Tech defender and sailed wide left. What a game. Gotta hand it to the GW Bulldogs. They ought to be proud of their performance. For GT, they get the win, and are flying under the poll radar at 5-1 as they travel to a falling Clempson next weekend for a season definer against the Tigers. A win there going into homecoming would be huge. I wish we were going to that one.

Yes, the Oakland Raiders suck, and the Terps were off, but I saved the best for last, and that would be ARMY”S WINNING STREAK EXTENSION!!! That’s right folks, Army grinded out a win against Eastern Michigan (that’s two wins in a row which constitutes a ‘Streak’ folks). The Black Knights played tough defense and have been giving their offense better field position to work the triple option with. Being able to watch Paul Johnson’s option juxtaposed against Stan Brocks week after week makes Army’s deficiencies that much more glaring, but I see improvement with Army and that is the key to hope. If idiot Stan Brock can get some expertise on his staff and find a way to beat Navy, he just might keep his job. It’s good to see The Corps win. Nobody deserves it more. They’ve got another chance to steal a win next week against an equally hapless Buffalo.

The Jets won again in those horrible new uniforms which I cannot seem to get my head around. The colors are too close to the old LA Rams scheme. Go back to green guys, but keep winning. Look forward to Jets vs Pats rematch with great anticipation.

Perhaps the Eurowennies can take a timely tip from us Yanks over here suffering through their own economic downturn and simply get behind the real and far superior game of football. You’ll be glad you did.

Oh yeah, I filled up for $3.19 a gallon this morning too. If gas prices continue to fall like this I just might be able to drive the Boxster to work one day a week. I’d almost have to call it an Era of Good Feeling…

Ain't that the truth...

Included in a local sports writer for the Atlanta Journal's handicapping for this weekend's NFL games:

"Raiders of the lost mind: If everybody bought Al Davis shots on Bourbon Street this weekend and then ditched him in a transvestite strip club in the Quarter, do you think he'd make more sense the next day? Saints to cover 7 1/2..."

Every picture tells a story don't it?

In celebration of my brother's blog sinking to an all time low reading level of "High School"...

...and inspired by his mug shot like ID card photo he posted today I give you this:

Tony Alva Sr. Formal Yearbook Photo 1982

While my stylish hair shouts "march in the streets", my attire acknowledges my reverence to the values in which I was raised and a commitment to respect and incorporate all points of view in my thinking.

Okay, so my parents made me wear it and since I was in trouble that particular week, I was hoping to win a good behavior release from my restriction sentence by NOT fighting them on this unlike Mathdude.

Let the bullshit rain fall...

I feel like the pumpkins pictured above. I think my friend The Misanthrope feels the same after trading messages during last nights debate.

Yet more proof that the MSM is nothing but a bunch of pot stirring, know nothing, liars...

This alleged trip by "executives" was actually an earned incentive reward to independent insurance sales people who sold AIG policies and beat quotas. Independent agents who chose to sell their clients AIG policies over other companies offerings. Further (it's mentioned only briefly in the second paragraph), the folks who EARNED this trip actually worked for a PROFITABLE AIG subsidiary, NOT connected to the parent who took the bailout plan. All this is fact, yet here are news agencies and politicians whipping up that rich foamy lather we all seem to know and love. I am sure there are legitimate excesses associated with Wall Street fat catting, go find them lazy ass son of a bitchin' journalists instead of fabricating them.

Eat it up everybody, let's not at all address what REALLY caused this crisis. It's very simple: Pressure brought to bare on lenders to make mortgages available to those who wouldn't qualify otherwise, and greedy bastards who took advantage of these borrowers. The article can't make it any clearer. It's just not that hard to grasp. I don't care about the blame portion of any of this now (I've said before that back 1999 I probably would have supported Clinton's idea here), but we DO need to recognize the truth.

Enough of the bullshit...

(Thanks for the photo sis)

These are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known...

A black hole sun is burning the world economy up as Wall Street shitheads take millions in get out of dodge money, while our country stands ready to vote a president into office who's hardly done more than study hard, get good grades in college, and pass the bar exam.

BUT even as my natural optimism drains from my tear ducts, I strain to see a small ray of hope leaking in, just a single blade of green grass poking up from the hard frozen tundra, a sliver of positive news that stands out against a tidal wave of gloom, and there it is!

A miracle.

"Someday this war is going to end..."

- Col. Kilgore -

And not the good kind...

Yesterday began the start of the holiday season. Not THAT one, the better one, the one that coincides with the greatest season of sports that is college football. We are of course talking about Halloween. Mrs. Alva dragged out the decorations and her and Mini Alva set about making the Alva Palace ready for the high holiday.

This is what the 42,325,623 kids who live in our neighborhood are most impressed with...

This is my favorite...

She is the greatest.