But then again she is more like a spoon than a knife. When I say "she" I am referring to Sarah Palin, my favorite political train wreck. Her poor spoon just won't be able to cut the mustard come time to think of a political office in 2012. My advice would have been to blast out a great win for Governor of Alaska in 2010 and send out the message that you are still a winner to the rest of America. 

So every year I do watch American Idol. I like to watch the auditions which are over the top for the most part and latch onto a few of the crazies. This year had many notable characters including a new judge who so delightfully ripped Bikini girl (which by the way was the best part of the final episode) Donald Trump should be after her now to be in his pageant to replace Carrie Prejean. 

This year I watched up to the point of the BEST exit of American Idol ever and that was Tatiana Del Toro. She also gets the number one vote for best train wreck. In the year 1200 she would have revised the science at the time that the earth revolved around her. 

After her exit, which was ever so entertaining to watch her destruction, and all that was left was the barely mediocracy a new program was needed to watch. So as not to give the advertisers any credit for all the money they spent to sell their high fructose corn syrup products, I watched my finale moments on you tube commercial free. 

And here is the second part to this blog. The Christians can steal an election and have proven that they can do it again. I watched the after interview with Ryan Seacrest hosting Larry King with the new winner and runner up. The question was posed about faith and voting which by the way both said did not and should not have had an impact because its about the music. (That sounds so Mark Wahlberg) I cry bull shit. American Idol is one that allows those that are passionate about their cause to vote over and over. With Danny Gokey's block up for grabs, enter Kris Allen as your winner snatching up the faith vote. So to make sure that you have the better "Idol", which kinda goes against the grain of religion I thought, they push their candidate regardless if there is talent or money making ability in music. I think its more about money making cause the talent aspect of it is mute which for the most part I think my TV would have been on mute too throughout the voting season had it been on. 

Will this winner be a memorable one? Probably not, history has shown that winners typically don't go far. It's hit or miss, but there has been more success out of people that have lost. At any rate my prediction anything coming from him a year later is destined for the $1.99 bin at K-Mart and Walmart.

I have a new love for the TV show Cash Cab. A great show where you can get a free cab ride and make money all by knowing some general knowledge.

On a particular episode that I was watching in Maui while shooting some hotel rooms the question asked was "Thirty-five percent of people still believe in this form of of beginning of human kind..." The answer was creationism which the group of people in the cab got right. The shows host Ben Bailey then said, "We would have also accepted Intelligent Design."

I wanted to cry a tear of happiness. It is becoming widely accepted even in game shows that they are indeed the same thing just rebranded. Take that Discovery Institute of Seattle... Teach the controversy my ass.

It was 6:07 pm CST 7:07 on the east coast. Several of the polls had closed and were working on the reporting for the evening. I was sitting in the New Braunfels Pubic Library with my girlfriend and her two children. She obsessed with her children I obsessed with politics I was on my iPhone looking at returns.

I know that at the start of returns it can go back and forth and be very misleading at the start but I was obsessed anyway. McCain had a 10,000 vote lead in the state of Florida which was still a toss up "Game Over" state. I grimaced a little and hoped that numbers would rebound and not carry that lead. By the end of our library visit they had done just that.

By 6:30 a few more states had closed (7:30 est) and new numbers were coming in. I was still attached to my phone and the numbers. Florida had rebounded nicely and Obama was leading by 100,000 votes which was a lot more comforting. I knew they would not announce Florida and focus more on Ohio which was the Republican party's achileas heal if they were to loose.

By 7:30 I was back at the house and working on dinner while I watched live coverage from several channels. MSNBC and Chris Matthews was one of my favorites because of his demeanor. He knew the scoreboard, at the same time the networks were being extremely cautious in remembering the 2000 Florida debacle. Pennslvania was called in Obama's court which in a hand of poker the McCain camp went "all in" in that state to try and convert a blue to red. I had a little reservation about that move but with Biden from Delaware a neighbor of the state I thought it would be ill fated.

The Ohio declaration came later which was big news. In a nutshell that was the election. I leaned over to Kat and said, "That's it... No Republican has won without winning Ohio." Florida was not declared but no matter, the map was panning out for a 10 p.m. announcement that Barack Obama has won it. Chris Matthews you could see was gleaming and wanted to call it right there. He was as giddy as a school boy. I was too for that matter.

Fast forward to 9:45 pm (10:45 EST) the networks were anxious. They couldn't wait and were just itching to jump out of their seats to make the announcements. The electoral rich west coast was a sure fire bet on Obama with exit polls heavily in favor of him. Barack still had one sure fire state left in his childhood state of Hawaii as well. Alaska would be last and had open polls even after the declaration. You could see the excitement in the "Liberal Galactic Media" (Rush Limbough quote from Family Guy's Blue Harvest episode) that they had won this one. You could see the smiles, the body language, they beaming eyes, the laughs and even the general comments that a 10pm (11 est) was coming.

10pm (11 est) The announcement was made that Barack Obama was elected the first African American president. MSNBC had their site updated first, CNN, Fox News and ABC were very quick to follow. Without a broadcast television I took in this election solely on the internet with my laptop and iPhone so I was able to dodge commercials and advertising.

In the end both sides stressed unity which couldn't be stressed enough in this divided nation. Sadly McCain's concession speech was not met with much favor. Party politics has destroyed progressive politics. The energy spent on issues that perform for the heart and not the country have taken away from true progress. McCain may have been the maverick but his choice in a number two erased that. If he really wanted to win Pennsylvania and appease the base of Republicans he should have picked Tom Ridge. If he wanted to pick someone to charge up new voters and a new young base he should have picked Bobby Jindal to counter the Obama youth movement.

Sarah Palin had voting booth issues. It was collapsed by both parties that the pregnancy of her daughter Bristol as a personal issue and more off limits than anything else but the damage was done. It was something that does stick in the mind of the voter all the way to the booth. I personally felt that she not only had a couple of mistakes she had mistake after mistake after mistake reassuring that she was not ready. Her famous Katie Couric interview, followed by an even worse Charles Gibson interview where you could tell she had been better prepped however still fell flat. His age and her being painted as having her own agenda and her miscues on experience also had an impact on the voters minds straight to the booth. I think she will draw a strong opponent in her 2010 re-election bid for Alaska governor.

Now its Thursday morning and we have had a full day to ourselves to understand we are going to have the first African American President of the UNited States. All the news organizations are looking at what failed with McCain and how Obama pulled it off. We should be also looking to our future. I look forward to progressive politics, chopping off the hard left and the hard right and focusing energy on true policy for progress. That also said I think some battles should be put to rest. Abortion measures failed miserably, that said the gay marriage amendment in liberal California also failed however on a narrow margin. These two hot and controversial issues are the hotbed of money and campaigning, money that could be better used in education which is a better future for that energy.

All said, this is a breath of new and fresh air. We have made history, there is a new era that Yes, anyone can. We have a huge division behind us however several ahead. All in the name of progress those battles will be fun too.

I love the "Where Are They Now" segments. The human instinct of getting pleasure out of plight I guess is overwhelming my need to be entertained.

Some of them though can not come soon enough so I have made a list of some of the future ones I would love to laugh and cry at.

10. Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears (yes, I lumped them all together cause I think they are all the same woman...)
9. Fox News
8. The word "Nook U Lar" and "New Clear"
7. AIG's flashy inspirational commercials
6. The Christian Right
5. The Airline Industry
4. Edible Corn
3. The American Auto Industry especially GM
2. Sarah Palin

1. THE EARTH

I hope to see documentaries on all these in the next four years with a "Where Are They Now" format. If not I may have to make a career change into being a film maker.

Let me know if there are any you would like to see.

Most times most elections are pretty normal, scandal here brush with shady dealings there but pretty boring for the most part . I love following elections, I was a senior in government class in highschool during Bush Sr's run. Yes that's how old I am and I have a place on Myspace.

I have NEVER seen a more politically crazy season. Even the years Perot ran were not this exciting. First African American President or the first Woman VP... That's cool, thats progress but thats not why I am writing. I am writing cause I think I have to be dreaming... I have to be... Pinch me. PLEASE... no wait let me cherish just a little.

Ok... I love pregnancy scandals. Its always fun that someone ( and more than one cause it takes to tango) is gettin' busy down and dirty that they be makin' a baby... love child so to speak.

Now this is why I am happy cause of two points, I put it like this.

"I am wanting to lead this nation, I am 72, surviving cancer patient, and my number two is 44 with a 17 year old pregnant daughter, if I pass she's in charge. "

Dude, Jesse Jackson could run against that and win.

The second, and this is just a slight tangent from the first, How can you run a commercial touting Obama as similar to Britney and Paris and then pick Lynn Spears as your running mate?

What the hell is going on? This is like a little pure political chaos (The news orgs gotta be lovin' it). What's next the Joker as Secretary of State?

All I can say is WOW!

So I know most of you all by now have seen Dark Knight. If you haven't I highly recommend it. If you do go see it, see it in IMAX. Its all shot in IMAX cameras and that is the best way to see it for that effect.

So I love the new kids trailer to the movie and I just got back from Chicago last week and since it was filmed in Chicago I thought I would share my Batman experience.

Here is where my camera was for that one

I also got to shoot from the church across the street from the hotel and go up in the belfry to shoot. I don't have a shot of my up there sadly but I did shoot the church which was nice.

It finally rained today so I figured I would blog today. Thanks for looking.

Today I was made aware of a site that pokes fun at an administrator of a photo submit site that I was kicked off of, god back in 2006. Oh my how we can stretch out drama! While I find it largely entertaining, sadly I am NOT the mastermind behind it. Whoever is lifted the photo of this person from my blog for the site.

Normally I am the cause of trouble but I can not take credit this time. My protest of this person has been a silent one. I don't mention the site by name cause any publicity good or bad is still publicity. Its a GREAT site with some really sour apples ruining it for may talented people. I am happy with just that but someone else has apparently taken it to the next level.

I am honored.... but it's not me.

You are no longer a patriotic beer, therefore I can no longer drink you. Ever.

I welcome new local beers, locally owned micro breweries, and the beer less travelled.

Anyone that has any suggestions on beers or breweries that I should try I would love to hear from you.

Esther Havens and I shared some camera time (and cameras) shooting a wedding for a good friend. Luis and Zoe were joined together before witnesses and god on June 29 a little after 7pm and before the rain came pouring down.

Here are the shots of the two of them. I will put up another blog with the single portraits of each in a bit. These are black and white jpgs straight from the camera on BW mode.