Kelly Smith Weblog Aficionado: Just a guy vs. Life

Bling? Man, I am really tired of not being able to have ALL the things that I need, and SOME of the things that I want. Don't get me wrong, I am far from the superficial person who guages success by possessions, but I need more. I need more money, because I have more needs. It is really as easy as 1...2...3. I have one house and wife, two cars, and three kids. There you go. I have been looking for more income to buy some of the things that I really don't need, but kind of want. I don't like the budget just barely making it, I don't like choosing low grade gas because I know I need to buy baby formula. I just never imagined that after a college degree, and a quasi-lucrative career choice that things would be this tough. I suppose I needn't complain too much, just like my mother always told me, there is always someone in the Sudan that is worse off, but I am worried about the here and now....namely me. It doesn't make me feel good when my kids ask fo...

AC Milan wins!!!!!!!! Well, Juventus was favored to win, but AC Milan edged them in penalty kicks. Dida, the goalkeeper for AC Milan deserves a lot of credit. Although AC Milan scored a goal in the 17th minute, it was called back because of a questionable offsides whistle. So, we went through two sudden deaths, and finally to PK's where AC Milan edged them 3 to 2. Did stopped THREE shots. It was really incredible. It seems nobody thinks of the goalkeeper unless he misses a save. Here is the article about Juve's defeat . I would have to say that I like love Italian Soccer almost as much as I love Brazilian soccer. AC MILAN...AC MILAN!

Racism as a cause for plagiarism? Questions have been raised in the media about whether Blair had been able to keep working at the Times, despite a record of mistakes, because of his race or connections with top editors. The newspaper, whose managing editor, Gerald Boyd, is black, is trying to diversify its staff. Also, Blair is friendly with a staffer from Poland, home country of editor Howell Raines' wife, raising the specter that he received special treatment. It seems that the scandal at the New York Times is taking another turn, ostensibly for the worst. Jayson Blair has apologized for his misdeeds to some degree, but blamed substance abuse, race, and personal problems as the cause. What is indeed strange to me is the way that he is attempting to mass market his improprieties in movie and book deals. He is somewhat put off by the assertions that he was allowed to stay at the NYT because of his race. He tries to liken himself to Stephen Glass, and even made a stateme...

Pentagon calls BBC's Lynch allegations 'ridiculous' The BBC report quoted witnesses and hospital officials as stating the United States knew that there were no Iraqi forces at the hospital when it conducted the commando raid, and that the United States special operations forces had used Hollywood theatrics, including blank ammunition, to make a show of rescuing private Lynch. When will all of this nonsense end? It seems that the BBC would have us believe that the entire Jessica Lynch rescue operation was a farce. While when people hear words and phrases like Commando Raid, Ranger, SEAL, Special Forces, Delta Force, Covert, and Marine they tend to think of the melodramatic Chuck Norris or Sly Stallone type action. In all actuality this was indeed a commando raid. Meaning that specially trained infantry were used to get in and get out quickly. Additionally, this was a rescue, regardless of whether there was nobody there or not, we reaquired our personnel from for...

Reloaded..... Despite what the well-paid film critics say, I thought the movie was awesome. I don't recall who it was, but it stated that not enough time was spent in character background and development. Well, that may be true, but I was not planning to go watch Citizen Kane, I wanted to see some ass-whipping. And boy did I see it. The Wachowski brothers raised the bar this time. I won't go into specifics on the movie but it is well worth the money. When the movie ended with the words [TO BE CONCLUDED]. There were audible signs of dismay, I was ready to sit there another two hours to see how everything panned out. Trust me, go see it.

Things that make you go....."awwwwwwww!" My goodness I have cute children. I thought about this tonight when I received some pictures of my daughter in an email from my father. Of course cuteness is all relative. I can't think of many people that would say, "Damn my kid is ugly." But, being as objective as possible I would have to say that my kids are cute. Here is an example. That was a picture from Easter. Check this one out from last weekend...

Breaking News: The United States Army is on the verge of defeat.... [Donald Rumsfeld is planning a force restructuring of the Army and wants to phase out the heavier aspects of the standing divisions. He has accepted the resignation of the former Army Secretary, and appointed a retired Navy Captain who was formerly the Secretary of the Air Force. Notwithstanding traditional inter-branch rivalries, this is the equivalent of a slap-in-the-face, and a kick in the groin.] For the most part the United States Army had enjoyed a heralded position as "The most powerful fighing force that the world has ever known." I can't remember who said that, but they weren't wrong in their estimation. During the history of the Army aside from a few tense and dangerous times, the Army has only speculated about "when" its particular objectives would be secured, and not "if" they could be secured. But it seems that the Army has come up against its most formid...

Gov. Bush orders guardian for rape victim's fetus... ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- In a move that angered abortion rights advocates, Gov. Jeb Bush ordered state lawyers Tuesday to appoint a guardian for the 6-month-old fetus of a mentally disabled woman who was raped. This article confuses me. I am not sure of what the legal ramifications of appointing a guardian for an unborn fetus are, but what comes to mind is that perhaps nobody will be able to force the woman to have an abortion. Obviously whoever impregnanted this woman is sexually depraved and needs to be locked up for this heinous act. However, the amount of energy that abortion rights groups are exerting in this matter really surprises me. "He ought to be ashamed of himself," said Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida. "That he would personally step in and take responsibility to coerce a developmentally disabled rape victim to carry a pregnancy to term." I have never been a ...

The itsy bitsy spiiiiiiiider....AAAAAUUUUUGGGHHH! Last night I was upstairs in the TV room watching a movie. Suddenly a movement on the ceiling caught my eye. I looked up and saw a little black spider walking across the ceiling. I stood up on the couch and grabbed a shoe and made ready to hit it. Apparently the spider caught sight of me moving and paused. As he was walking away from me on the ceiling he pivoted 180 degrees and stopped. Once I raised the shoe to hit it, he launched himself off of the ceiling......right toward my face. I squawked and fell back on the couch. After flailing my arms, and shaking my shirt out as if I was on fire I checked the floor and the couch to see where he had gone. No spider to be found. Thinking that I must have scared him off I sat down on the couch and started watching the movie again. Suddenly I caught something out of the corner of my eye and looked at the corner of the room. Nothing. I started watching TV again, and detected mo...

What the hell was he thinking? It seems that another government servant has performed traitorous actions against his county, all in the name of Lust! It seems that a career FBI special agent was the unwitting pawn of a Chinese Double Agent. They had a 20 year affair in which she wooed him with sexual favors and managed to pass on classified information to her own government. Seems like something out of a Bond film doesn't it? Unfortunately for us, this wasn't the typical Bond film. The good guys don't always win, the bad guys don't wear black hats, and the femme fatale sure isn't a Bond Girl. Aside from putting national security in jeopardy, ruining his retirement, and setting himself up for a lengthy prison sentence, this fool cheated on his wife with this: Don't get me wrong, I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the importance of trust and monogamy. I don't feel that if the girl had been attractive his culpability would be any less d...

The things we take for granted... I stayed home with my daughter today because she was a little under the weather. I played with her most of the day and only took time to watch TV while she was napping. I was watching The Learning Channel and saw a personal story about a 9 year old little girl that was born with a cleft face. She had been subjected to surgery upon surgery and was still disfigured. On top of all of that, the poor little girl had been born addicted to cocaine and her mother abandoned her at the hospital. It showed one of her operations from start to finish, and it profiled her amazing courage. Because of her condition much of the interview was subtitled as it was difficult to understand her. I realized at that moment how beautiful the little girl's spirit was, and how blessed I was to have a baby who will not have to undergo that ordeal. I looked at Alex and marveled at her perfect little nose, flawlessly smooth skin, and chubby cheeks. I remember that ...

If ever there was a case for the death penalty... Malvo described originally setting his aim on Franklin's husband, but he said the husband moved, prosecutors said. Malvo described shooting at a child skipping across a parking lot, described "leading" the child with his gun, but missing him -- barely. He said the child swatted about his head, mistaking the whiz of the bullet for a bee. "I might have parted his hair," Malvo is alleged to have said. Apparently a judge has ruled that John Lee Malvo's confession may be used almost in its entirety. It seems the prevailing question has been whether or not Malvo was still under the protection of his Maryland attorneys. It also seems that Malvo began to get quite talkative with a homecide detective and an FBI agent who flattered his ego somewhat. I am sure that there will be a lot of questions regarding the legality of this, but the boy has admitted to two killings. Additionally the aforementioned quote...

Celebrity quotes about the war..... "I don't believe war is a way to solve problems. I think it's wrong. I don't have respect for the people that made the decisions to go on with war. I don't have that much respect for Bush. He's about war, I'm not about war - a lot of people aren't about war." -- Avril Lavigne [Let me see, she is 17, so that means she was five when the first Gulf War occurred. She hasn't finished high school, yet the words of a 17 year old on U.S. foreign policy are supposed to be taken as profound? Anyway, isn't she from Canada?] I found a funny page here that rebuts quotes from some of our Hollywood celebrities it was a laugh riot! Check them out yourself.

Revisiting the Axis of Evil..... George Bush infuriated many by branding N. Korea, Iran, and Iraq an "Axis of Evil". There is no doubt in my mind that this was used to correlate our war on terror with the threat that the Axis Powers of WWII. The axis of evil has now entered the lexicon of politics and is quoted by the most staunch advocates and opponents of military action in the Middle East. While the reaction to the horror of September 11th bolstered a sense of nationalism for many in the United States, it also fueled the "I told you so", argument of people who feel that the U.S. foreign policy is too intrusive. While many of the war naysayers have taken particular glee at the fact that no WMD's have been discovered, we cannot discount the words of the "father" of their WMD program who claims that the weapons were destroyed right before Gulf War II commenced. (See, I am using names as propoganda too!) It has been proven that all three s...

When you play with fire...... This is one of my favorite sequences of priceless pictures on the internet. I won't bore you with that worn out satire of the Mastercard commercial, but this shows you what Anti-Americanism can get you. This picture is highly symbolic. "Burn you Imperialist Infidels!" This is fanatacism. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" This is fanatacism on fire...... Any questions?