We Can Hitch a Ride to Rockaway Beach

Spent the weekend out at Rockaway Beach recently and snapped this great photo of Twin Rocks just off the Oregon Coast. Loved staying at Spring Lake Beach Retreat while there. Full disclosure, I'm part owner of this place. If you're interested, let me know.

so begins the fall of Paul

Now that he's leading in the pre-election polls in Iowa, GOP "frontrunner" Ron Paul (R-Texas) will be taken down by the media-machine determined to oppose him and pave the way for Romney's nomination.  The USA Today leads the new charge.

Screen-grab of Google News on 12/21/2011 @ 4:53 PM
"Paul's Story Changes on Racial Comments"

This is in no way an endorsement of Ron Paul or any other candidate, GOP or otherwise. They're all crazy enough in their own ways. 

Okay. 

No more politics. 

I'm looking at you, Internets.

This is really scary and cool. Thankfully, this thing won't be lurking beneath the surface when you dip your toes into the ocean this Winter.

I really enjoy it when something goes wrong, you're caught red-handed doing something... well, illegal, and then you have the gall to ask for your ball back so no one will discover its secrets.

At least this is actually happening. It is happening, right? I certainly hope so. For real.

I understand everyone thinks Amazon is the shizzle in the hizzle or some pizzle like that. They are hitting the news like so much shit right now, being held up as the exemplar par excellence, but to me it seems like a sad truth of our hollow economy that this company is the new "It" crew. Here's a recent Forbes article extolling the virtues of this sell-it-all middlething:

Unlike the other big companies that symbolize our times — Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft — Amazon did not rise to power by inventing a new product or service. It came to power by systematically taking down an entire existing industry. It is a story that called for strategic depth, not technical wizardry, design brilliance or sheer energy.  In the technology world, nobody holds up Amazon engineers as extraordinary geniuses or its designers as Da Vincis. They are good, but not great. Yet, time and again, Amazon wins.

Amazon, it's been real, but I'm through with you. No, for real. Seriously, stop playing with my hair. It's over. I'm not kidding. At least there's some hope for us die-hards out there: we still love books.

I'm looking forward to 2012 - travel, graduation, travel, wedding, travel, possibly new career, travel... the future appears bright ahead and that feels good. Thanks for reading, Internets. I'm still going to talk to you next year, despite my empty threats to break up with you for good. I just can't quit you, baby.

Make it a... Cheeeeezeburger.

This is the sad, sad, sad depressing truth.

Here I Am by Lyle Lovett, console us.