On Tuesday morning, on her way to work, Melissa was shot and killed by her husband.

 

While Melissa and I were friends, we weren't buddies.  I hired her into her role at MS.  We shared Battlestar Galactica commentary, and we were friends on Facebook and Xbox LIVE.  That's really about it. 

Still...I find this a really weird feeling.  It's different than when someone just dies.

 

Anyway...Melissa was a Harvard law grad turned Game Tester.  No kidding.  She got tired of the prosecutors office and she loved games, so she took a roll with Microsoft's Game Test Org.  She was part of the team that tested Gears of War, and she was currently working with the Rare team on Banjo. 

 

She loved casual games, Battlestar Galactica and LOL Cats.  She had a great smile and a great personality. 

 

I didn't know her well...but, I know that she will be missed.  I also know that she didn't deserve to slaughtered in the parking lot of her apartment complex. 

 

 

UPDATE - The Times has an article with more info.  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008085333_murdersuicide01m.html

So...I've mentioned previously that I live in this new (rebuilt, actually) community in West Seattle called High Point.  It's a study in income diversity. Home-owners live in cahoots with low income people living in city subsidized homes.  The experiment is ongoing.

 

I've also mentioned previously that my neighborhood is HIGHLY liberal.  I was the ONLY person from my precinct in attendance at the Republican Convention earlier in the year. 

 

Anyway...all over the neighborhood are Barak Obama for President signs.  I mean everywhere.  I can see three right away from my front porch.  Turn the corner, and there are 2 more.  I have yet to see a single John McCain sign, not only in High Point, but anywhere in Seattle.

 

This weekend...I put up my John McCain sign.

 

In our CC$Rs (I forget what that stands for...but, it's basically the rules), it stipulates that political signs are not allowed to be posted until a month before the election and they must be taken down immediately after.  So far, everyone has been content with the political signs in the neighborhood. 

 

I am very curious, however.  Now that there is a McCain sign up...will someone complain?  Will I get a note from the Association?  Or...will they be content that we disagree, but can still get along. 

 

I give it 1 month until I get the note.  Let's see. 

Hey all.

 

I am thinking about making Jason's Page of Love and Hate a private blog. 

 

Why do this, you ask?  Well, if you Google my name, I am coming up more and more in a professional setting.  This is great, and I'm excited about it.  But, I really really want to keep my opinions, both political and personal, off the professional record.  I think I've done a fair job at keeping my full name or the full names of people I am associated with off.  But, still...you never know.  I enjoy keeping this blog, but it's really more for me than for anything else.  So, I'm not going to cry if the readership goes down. 

 

So...if you are a regular follower of Jason's Page of Love and Hate and you want to continue following, you may do so.  However, you will need to do one of 2 things. 

 

1) Be my "friend" on Spaces.  This is pretty easy to do.  Just request to be my friend.  I will most likely befriend you.  :-)  Unless you appear crazy.

 

2)  If we know each other personally, ping me on Windows Live Messenger.  

 

Starting next week, I will be changing permissions to only those people.  Spaces Friends and Instant Messenger Contacts.  I figure, any regular readers will see this in that amount time.  If you are already one or both of the above options, no action is needed on your part.  You're good to go.  

     

So...I'll see you on the other side!

Mariners cut Sexson.

 

There is a lot more we can do with $14mil. 

 

 

Okay...a refresher for those new to my space.

 

Never been an Iraq War supporter.  Thought it was bogus that we went in at all.  Think GWBush found any possible truth he could find out of sketchy evidence (don't think he lied, mind you...just don't think he thought as much about it as he should have).  However...since we're there and the country has been a big ol' cluster eff...I don't think we should just up and leave, either.  I support a troop presence until the government gets their stuff together and the Iraqi military can carry their own weight. 

 

Here's the butt...if Iraq wants us out...we get out.  If they want to set timetables for withdrawal...we set timetables.  Now...I think it's retarded to advertise these time tables.  Bush is right on one thing and that's the fact that as soon as we tell everyone when we're going to leave, our insurgent buddies will hang tight until we do.  Then, they'll be back in full force and the country will be under a new dictatorship.  Then, we'll probably do it all over again. 

 

The article linked above states, "The Iraqi proposal stipulates that, once Iraqi forces have resumed security responsibility in all 18 of Iraq's provinces, U.S.-led forces would then withdraw from all cities in the country."

 

Of course, as usual, nobody asked me.  If they did, I would tell them I have a better idea.  If we wait for all 18 provinces to become security responsible, we will be waiting forever.  Likewise, an instantaneous removal of all of our troops is stupid.

 

How about this.  As each province learns to take care of itself, we re-station a majority of those troops to the provinces that are slacking.  We keep a few in place for housekeeping.  If the bad guys pop up, we can easily deploy the troops back, as they are not too far away.  At the same time, should the "safe" province maintain it's safe standards, we have more troops working with the problem provinces to get things under control.  Same thing happens in every province.  If we end up with all of our troops in one place, hopefully, it will help that province pick it up a little. 

 

At the end of the day, we have an Iraq where, even if it's not perfect, at least have their fate securely in their own hands.  It will clearly be up to them to determine what comes next and they can no longer rely on the ever present breast of the United States of America to suckle on (how's that for a metaphor?). 

 

This message goes to both candidates...even my man, McCain.  Johnny Boy...the American people want out, and you need to recognize that.  Yes...we have a responsibility to Iraq.  We can't just leave them hanging.  But, it's time to make them step up.  And, it appears they are now setting themselves up to be held to a higher standard.  They are sounding like they want us to leave.  Let's get cracking on obliging them.

 

BaRocky...love that you are now shifting the entire position you ran on (seriously...I have NEVER heard anything from you other than "a swift withdrawal...I don't care what you try to say about always having the same message), but if you decide to pack up and leave, we will have a bigger problem in the Middle East than we started with.  I consent that you had no role in getting us in there.  But, if you're President, whatever happens next is on your shoulders.  If that means we have West Iran...that's your fault, not Bush's. 

 

Listen to my plan, you will.

 

In 3 words...Very Cute Movie.

 

But, one quick complaint...you should not make a movie, particularly a musical, that co-stars Tony Award Winner Idina Menzel without letting her sing, at some point.

 

 

But, once I get over this...Enchanted was a really really cute movie.  Amy Adams is, I think, my absolute favorite up and coming actress.  She was nominated for an Academy Award a few years back.  I went out and rented Junebug just to see her performance.  The movie was pretty ho-hum.  I mean, I don't want to say it didn't make sense, because it kind of did.  But, the sense it made didn't really seem worthy of making into a movie.  However, Amy Adams was the highlight.  Anytime she was on screen, I was smiling. 

 

Combine her with Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon and you've got some good stuff going on.

 

I used to be very into Disney movies.  As recently as High School.  Beauty and the Beast remains, to this day, on my Top 10 list.  Enchantment is a great tounge in cheeck stab at this movies, while being independant in it's own right.  Imagine if Belle, or Jasmine, or Ariel, or Snow White, or Cinderalla, or Aurora or any other Disney princess got plucked out of her fantasy world and thrust in to "real life" in New York City.  That's what enchantement is, in a nutshell.  Complete with singing animals, songs on cue, and "happily ever after."

 

Disney makes fun of itself a bit, and it's great.  At the same time, they maintain the standard "boy meets girl" formula that they have been selling for decades.  And it works. 

 

My favorite part is when Giselle sings for the animals to help her clean up Patrick Dempsey's place in NYC.  Where, in fantasy land she would have deer and doves and squirrels running to her assistance...in NYC pigeons, rats, and roaches come running.  And, they all sing, and they're all happy, and they're all friends (until the one legged pigeon eats a roach) and it's hillarious. 

 

Kudos to Julie Andrews for doing the narration, and shame on the director for not finding a singing part for Idina Menzel. 

 

 

Foe the record...Wicked is my 2nd favorite musical of all time...that I have seen.  Les Mis is #1.  If you haven't seen Les Mis...is it so freakin' fantastic, it's beyond words.  But, Wicked is up there.  Defying Gravity gets me all wheepy almost every time I hear it.  And, Nobody...is ever gonna bring me down. 

 

(PS...sorry for spelling errors.  Still no spell check on spaces and I am too tired to paste into Word for spelling checks.)