My girl (with my grandmas rolling pin)

It’s that time of the year again… the time where Fred decides to:

1. Talk about himself in the third person
2. Change the website design
3. Look forward to Thanksgiving
4. Digress

Well, we all know that #3 and #4 happen all year long. Man I love some Thanksgiving. (uh oh, looks like I’m talking in the first person again)

So what’s been happening?

We recently purchased a Kitchen-Aid mixer; sadly, something Yeni and I always wanted. Well, maybe not so sad I guess. I mean we both love to cook and she’s been cooking up a storm. We’re talking homemade cannoli, homemade cakes with fondant, and did I mention everything is 100% homemade from scratch? I’ve only used the mixer a couple of times to make bread, but it really does keep with our theme: Dreams come true. Even the small dream of owning a Kitchen Aid mixer can come true. (pictures)

Of course, all of these homemade amazing yummies isn’t helping me lose weight, but did I mention homemade cannoli? I mean Yeni is my dream girl already, but who knew she could make homemade cannoli?? November 1st also marked our 6 month anniversary. It really seems like we’ve been married longer.

Thanksgiving

I’ve said it a thousand times: Thanksgiving is Fred’s favorite holiday.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve loved Thanksgiving. Growing up in New York, autumn was amazing — the trees changing color, the air gets cooler, people seem happier, and the food flows. Coming from a large family, our Thanksgiving’s were huge events filled with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandmothers, and more. Family everywhere you looked. And after the meal, the race to get a good piece of couch was only topped by the race back to the table for dessert.

This year, the Thanksgiving table will be a little smaller. With my sister’s wedding, my wedding, and other family events, it’s made it a little difficult to bring everyone down to Florida… again. Apparently some of my family do not share my belief that Florida is just a fantastic State where one should go and go often. That being said, Yeni and I (and her mom) will be driving down to Florida with stops in Kentucky (my second favorite State), Tennessee, Gainesville, and Fort Lauderdale. Knowing Yeni, we’ll also be stopping at many cracker barrels along the way.

Website Design

Sometimes you just want a change. I’ve been in a minimalist mood lately (also in a country music mood for some reason), and just wanted a clean, simple design for the site. I also changed the Team Forrest site a little bit ago for the same reason. If you like the site, great! If you don’t, well… too bad. But don’t worry, I’m sure it will change again soon enough.

In the late 1800’s, after an explosion of immigration to the United States, a new metaphor started circulating — The Meting Pot. Referring to the fusion of different cultures, nationalities, backgrounds, and ethnicities, “The Melting Pot” became part of American culture in the early 1900’s. Although the metaphor intends to help create a national identity, many today see the phrase as antiquated and insulting. People want to keep their heritage, culture, traditions, and not be formed into a new being.

Personally, I like to look at the metaphor differently. I like to believe that the Melting Pot allows you to retain your uniqueness, but at the same time, not segregate you from the plate. Yes, the plate in this “Fred” metaphor is America.

With this extremely long winded introduction, even more so than usual, I want to talk about exclusion, labeling, classification, and Fox News. Wait, Fox News?

First, before all my friends and family start yelling… I do not watch Fox News. Also, I am not a Republican. I’m also not a Democrat (should you want to know). I am a registered voter classified (notice I must be classified) as NPA, or No Party Affiliation. You see, I like to vote for the candidate I like. Sometimes its a Republican. Sometimes a Democrat. And sometimes, it’s none of the above.

“But wait Fred,” you say, “didn’t you mention something about Fox News?”

Recently, the White House has been going to the mattresses† with Fox News. After describing Fox as “not a news network,” the White House through both spokespersons and the President, compared the channel to “talk radio” and well, just basically said they were not a news organization.

I don’t have a problem with this. Although I’d like to see the White House take a “higher stand,” I truly believe that Fox News is harsh on the President and if the President wants to criticize the channel, I honestly could care less. Again, I’d like to think that the White House would be above name-calling, but eso si que es (it is what it is).

But here’s the problem…

Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation (aka the “Pay Czar”), provided a round of interviews recently and Fox News was excluded. If not for the actions of ABC, NBC, CBS (and others), Fox News would have effectively been blocked from the interview. The other networks, wisely, told the White House that this action was unacceptable and as CBS Correspondent Chip Reid stated, “All the networks said, that’s it, you’ve crossed the line.”

The White House initially denied blocking access, but in an even more unacceptable response stated through White House spokesman Josh Earnest, “This White House has demonstrated our willingness to exclude Fox News from newsmaking interviews, but yesterday we did not.”

Truly, this is a moment that makes me just want to say… What the Fuck?

I’m extremely glad that we’ve solved the war in Iraq, our economic issues, and have secured the health and wealth of our nation for the next generation. Oh wait, we haven’t? Then why the hell is our government wasting time with a stupid, name-calling, elementary-level war with Fox News?

The first amendment… The FIRST amendment of the constitution is very simple:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I don’t care if Fox News is biased. I truly think they are. But that’s not the point (I also think other networks can be biased, and I also don’t care). The point, simply, remains that Fox News retains the Freedom to say what they wish. They can speak to their heart’s content, as loudly as they wish, in any manner that they wish. If you don’t like what they say, change the channel. If you disagree, then you can either speak what you feel, argue with them directly, or ignore them.

But do not, do not, do not, DO NOT EVER EVER EVER attempt to stifle their speech. And not providing equal access, in my opinion, clearly attempts to stifle them. Plus, if the White House truly wishes to “exclude” certain members of the press from future “newsmaking” activity, then they should not be in control of our country. Any person that believes its acceptable to exclude members of the press from press activities (for reasons that they don’t like their message) should not be in charge of defending our constitution.

Let’s face it… The media today is a joke. When Michael Jackson died they went ape shit. Anderson Cooper had a feature on what happened to Bubbles the Monkey. And they did this for more than a week. If Fox News wants to criticize the President and the White House, I don’t care. If Anderson Cooper wants find out where Bubbles is living, I don’t care.

Sometimes I even find it entertaining. Heck, I like a good Oberlmann monologue, but I know that he’s biased. Everyone knows he’s biased. He even says he’s biased. And you know what? Olbermann doesn’t get excluded from the White House.

Fred, didn’t you make some comment about the Melting Pot?

I think when we label, we exclude. Saying the Fox News is the mouthpiece of the Republican Party labels them as non-Democratic. Red states. Blue states. Liberals. Democrats. Pro-gun. Pro-Bush. It never stops.

When we make statements like this, we are separating ourselves. Oh, he’s Pro-Bush and we’re not. If I say something critical of Obama, I’m labeled a Republican. Some people reading this right now will assume that I must be “Pro-Bush” because I would criticize the White House.

Those of us LUCKY enough to be living in the United States have the freedom to say and think what we want. We can criticize our government at will. Some of the greatest Americans practiced this freedom regularly.

Getting into this idea that we must classify people by politics, religion, race, region, or any other factor infuriates me. We are who we are. Take us or leave us.

Some of my greatest friends and I disagree on politics regularly. But I love them. They love me. We disagree, we love each other, and we, despite our differences, actively include ourselves in each others lives. That is how I chose to see the Melting Pot metaphor. Despite our differences, we remain a united group. And our differences only help make the group better.

I am a registered No Party Affiliation American, and I vote. I’m neither Democrat nor Republican. I was born in New York City and consider myself Floridian. I am who I am. You can label me however you want. You can hate me, dislike me, or feel anyway you want about me.

But if you try to take away my freedom or my rights, I will fight. And when I fight, I fight to win. I don’t like to fight. I’d rather you just change the channel.

† Going to the Mattresses. Godfather reference. If you don’t get it, please go watch the Godfather. I implore you. Please, please, please watch the Godfather over and over. Nothing bad can happen from this.

Suggested Readings

• Huffington Post: White House’s Fox News Boycott Attempt Prompts Network Revolt
• TPMDC: WH: We’re Happy To Exclude Fox, But Didn’t Yesterday With Feinberg Interview
• NYT: Behind the War Between White House and Fox

On the 16th, Yeni and I headed to the Glendale Harley-Davidson with David Duffett, and rented a couple of bikes. We headed north through some amazing country that well, I’d only seen in pictures. We saw cactus, we drove by mountains that looked like Big Thunder, and had a great meal at a dive off the beaten path. More importantly, we got to ride with David, who although it was the first time I had ridden with him, felt like we’d been riding together for years.

Here’s a few movies…

Read the mailing...

Ever watch Penn & Teller’s Bullshit? Man I love that show. If you haven’t watched Bullshit on Showtime, check it out… it’s great… but I digress, and in the tradition of Penn & Teller…

And then there’s this Asshole…

Meet Jim Risch, United States Senator

I don’t know how I get on these lists, but I get on them. Out of nowhere, Jim Risch sent me a manilla envelope explaining to me how “Big Labor” exploits its members, placing “handpicked candidates” in political power, etc.

I’m no fan of unions (not anti-union, not pro-union, just not union), but this kind of crap is just ridiculous. Anti-Presidential rhetoric doesn’t impress me; no matter who the President or Subject happens to be.

So what I like to do with these propaganda mailings is send it back to them in the postage paid envelope.

Document attached.

Enjoy

Fred Posner @ Astricon 2009

It’s October and that means I’m going to Phoenix!

Astricon, the meet-up of Asterisk users / developers / fans / etc, starts October 13th, and this year I received the honor of presenting. My talk, Asterisk Applications: Unexpected Hurdles, showcases the Ann Arbor Parking “Smackdown” earlier this year.

As an added benefit… my Wife will be joining me

I miss my friend.

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends And in no random order…

qxork.com

So, you ever give out an email address and the person questions the spelling, asks you to repeat the work, or just in someway makes it a non-pleasurable experience? Of course you have… Well, after explaining that it was “m like mary” and “2 r’s in Forrest” for the last time, I decided to get a really small domain with letters that don’t sound like other letters (ie no m, n, c, d, e, t, etc.).

Since there weren’t many 3 or 4 letter domains to be found, the new domain is… q x o r k. “Hi, I’m Fred. Send it to Fred at q x o r k dot com.” Yes, it doesn’t pronounce. Yes it doesn’t mean anything… but also… Yes, it’s easy to say clearly on the first time. There’s not much to the site… think of it as a Fred Posner gateway if you will… with links to my sites and contact information. Check it out at www.qxork.com.

INS

Ah, nothing brings a sense of wonder to me than the effectiveness of our Federal Government. Yeni and I arrived at the immigration center for our Interview, and promptly made our way to the waiting room. After an hour and half wait for our “scheduled” interview (I couldn’t help think how great it won’t be if health care is run by the Feds), we were met by the officer, sworn, and interviewed.

I have to say, it started out pretty aggressively with us being question on why Yeni didn’t move to Florida (which I kind of found sexist, but anyway…) and questioning me with topics such as Yeni’s parent’s names, etc. Again, I would describe the tone as pretty aggressive. Then the questioning started centering around my business activities and I said something about the person working as a 10-99 vs a W2. The officer asked me what a 10-99 was and I kind of started to lose it. I was stating (in my Fred way) that a 10-99 was a basic tax form that anyone should now, let alone a government employee questioning me about business, when I received a “little” kick. Yes, Yeni gave me a subtle little kick and I calmed down a little.

Well, I think the fact that Yeni kicked me and I calmed down kind of proved that we were really husband and wife… or at least I have to say the interview went completely different. All the aggression was gone and long story short… everything is very good.

Cedar Point

My next tattoo

Yeni’s parents came in last Friday and on Sunday (before Labor Day), we joined a great friend from college and headed to Cedar Point. I had never been there and truly looked forward to riding some roller coasters with the wife and in-laws. The crowds were a little large (being labor day weekend and all), but the park was nice. Clearly it’s no Disney, but there’s lots of roller coasters including some very tall and very fast rides.

As we waited in line for the Millennium Force, I became excited. This roller coaster dwarfs others. Besides speeds of 93 mph, 80 degree angles, and a 310 foot climb, the coaster just simple looks amazing. An hour later, we got to the coaster, I sat down, and low and behold… not going to happen. The seat belt simply wouldn’t close. The staff came by during the check, asked me to leave, and I did the walk of shame out.

In hind sight, reading the “exceptional size” notice of Cedar Point may have made the day better. Since I’m a 42″ waist, over 225 pounds, and have a decent sized chest (> 52″), looks like I won’t be going back there for some time. The weight will come down, but not sure how to handle the chest… anyway…

Traveling Man

The Fred Posner America Gives Back Tour is coming your way… with stops in Orlando, New Jersey, Phoenix, and many areas in-between. Come one, come all… details and photos of upcoming travel to follow.

Baby Forrest and Thin Fred

Ah… getting older. I’ve noticed that as I have aged, the hair line recedes and the gut expands. Not truly the look I dreamed about as I pictured myself approaching forty, but the look I’ve achieved nonetheless. Speaking of forty…

Jimmy Buffett’s “A Pirate Looks at Forty” remains one of my all time favorite songs. I don’t know why, but for more than 20 years I just have simply loved that song. The thought of now being closer to 40 than 30 brings a different appreciation of the song… and well… just is simply an odd feeling. Anyway, as usual I digress…

So, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve well… I’ve become more rotund. I’ve posted and written about it many times. Hell, I even have a website called Fat Freddy Says. But the reality remains, that I’m bigger than I want to be and it’s not my coat that makes me look fat. The other month, Yeni and I bought a membership to the gym down the road. We had been going to the Y, but driving downtown, parking in the winter, loud kids, and crowded conditions just made us not as motivated to work out as we had hoped. So, we checked out a new gym, liked it (it was even cheaper), and joined.

To make a long story longer… I’m on the treadmill the other night and happened to pick one that faced a mirror. The whole time I’m walking I’m staring at my reflection. It could have been that I had eaten too much for dinner, or maybe it was just watching myself for 30 minutes, but right then and there I became very motivated to drop some weight.

I’d love to get back to the ol’ glory days about 2 or 3 years after high school when I was running a few miles everyday, had such low body fat that I sank, and was hitting the weights 4 times a week. But, I’m also very realistic and know that in my current state, if I push to hard, I’ll only end up hurting myself and delaying my ability to work out. Ah, the realities of getting older… So, instead… it will be slow and steady for Fat Freddy.

And in other news…

• Bought a Mac Mini (man I love that thing)
• Posted an article on VoIP Tech Chat in the style of Billy Mays
• Will be taking a road trip down to Orlando and back (3 days, 2k miles, 1 wife )
• Dusted off my old IBM laptop and brought new life into it with linux (ubuntu)

And that’s pretty much all I have to say about that.

The trip to Albany was amazing and covered parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Cities included Toledo, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Albany. Normally, when traveling on the Interstate, you really don’t get to see much, and with this trip, we set that as our expectation. Gladly, we were wrong. I had never been West of Albany (yes, I’m one of those type of New Yorker’s) and the scenery simply amazed us. From the rolling hills and mountains to the lakes and rivers, the trip east absolutely provided some great views of the country.

While in Albany, Yeni and I enjoyed great food, great company, and a great time. The weather was slightly more wet than we had hoped, but being surrounded by family is like having a sunny day regardless of weather.

The trip home allowed Yeni to experience riding the Harley through some heavy rain. When we hit the Cleveland area, the sun came out and we enjoyed great weather until we reached the Ohio turnpike — where a very strong wind decided to throw us around until we made it home. Despite the rain and heavy wind, the ride was great and we’re looking forward to the next one.

Total miles: 1302

More pics...

Yeni and I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago… visiting her brother as well as celebrating our first month of married life.

It was a short drive (few hours) from Michigan to Chicago, and figuring the parking in Chicago would be interesting, we chose to take the Versa instead of the Expedition. Although, if we hadn’t have needed the trunk space, taking the Harley would have been much more fun. The more highway driving I do, the less I love Michigan roads. It’s funny too, as the second we hit Indiana, the road just smoothed out and we just smiled. Then, when you hit Chicago, well… welcome back “holes in the floor.”

Coming up this week… some Twitter coding, more Asterisk work, and if all goes well, a motorcycle ride up the east coast of Michigan with the wife (We have a new bluetooth headset to test as well as a trip to Albany to prepare for)

• Got married (blogged @ yenifred.com)
• Reviewed the Gandy Dancer at Fat Freddy Says.com
• Had an AMAZING cake from Cake Nouveau (review coming)

And those are the biggies I guess.

1. Our trip to Cabella’s (45 pictures)
2. January 2009 (34 pictures)
3. February 2009 (33 pictures)
4. Disney March 2009 (46 pictures)
5. March 2009 (15 pictures)

Still to come? Pictures from my sister’s wedding and more!  There’s decent pictures in each section…

Now, you know you can see the entire album, right? Either click here or on the Fred’s Photos link on the right.

Can you believe in today’s world that a government agency would conspire and discuss the control of public information? What if that information was a top secret as… parking space availability?

I’ve posted an article on VoIP Tech Chat detailing the Ann Arbor DDA doing just that. My response to them is at the end… Please enjoy.

Read the article on VoIP Tech Chat

More info is posted on our website, www.yenifred.com.

Pin Courtesy of Disney World

• Ann Arbor Chronicle
• HD Teeter Talk
• Ann Arbor News
• Arbor Update

Anyway, we’re back online and I’d love to share a new geeky blog post I wrote: Diff’rent VoIP for Diff’rent Folks. Oh, and I was interviewed by the Ann Arbor Chronicle about the parking lot application. The preliminary video is on YouTube… But I also have a version below

Update — apparently the site was down due to a denial of service attack.

(You should also take a look at Homeless Dave’s site for more interviews)

Conga Time!

Welcome friends to 2009. Last night Yeni’s family and I went to Michael’s and were surrounded by family to enjoy the New Year’s Celebration. Last year, I was in New York City’s Times Square watching the ball drop after eating an amazing feast at Peter Luger Steakhouse in Brooklyn. Wow, that was an amazing meal…

This year was more of a somber tone and I was very fortunate to be surrounded by family. I drank (a little too much) bourbon, ate 12 grapes, participated in an impromptu New Year’s conga, and ate a really good Cookie Cake.

Traditionally, people make New Year’s Resolutions and this year, I’ve decided not to. Did you know that roughly only 12% of New Year’s Resolutions are achieved? Most popular resolutions?

• Lose Weight
• Save Money
• Get a Better Job
• Get in Shape
• Quit Smoking
• Drink Less
• Reduce Stress

So instead of making a half-assed New Year’s goal, I’m just going to be happy. Think of it as an extended Thanksgiving mood… and I’m just going to be thankful for the friends and family in my life, cherish the good times from the last year, learn from the bad ones, and remember those who left us in 2008.

Happy New Year, Happy Birthday Orlando and Ryan, and Go Gators.

See this and more at the Picasa Site

It’s a start.

Over 1,000 pictures were taken in December, 2008 — perhaps due to the re-purchase of my favorite lens that died or maybe the addition of a new (fancy schmancy) flash. Regardless, many pictures were taken and as always, I like to share.

I’ve selected a few and put them on the Picasa site. I think I may go to Flickr one day, but for now, I have to say I’m pretty happy with Picasa for my needs.

Anyway, please let me know what you think of the photos so far…

Fred with Bear in Montgomery, MI

I learned that Colombian tradition places a lot of emphasis on Christmas Eve.

Last night, after eating tamales and playing Wii at Michael’s, Yeni’s family and I returned to the house, ate more tamales with friends, and then opened presents. I received some excellent presents this year, including Spider-man trinkets and a new Harley outfit for the bear.

We crashed very late and woke up to find much of Ann Arbor closed. The snow had let up and the roads, although icy, were mostly clear — so Yeni and I loaded up the family in the truck and headed outside the house.

Earlier in the year, Yeni and I stumbled upon a great little area called Chelsea (during one of the Harley rides we could take before riding the Harley would result in severe frost pain). We thought it would be great to show everyone this quaint little town and took the very long way through some Michigan side roads. After detouring through Saline and Montgomery, we arrived in Chelsea. We played in the snow for a while, looked at the Jiffy Mix factory, and headed back to Ann Arbor.

Yeni playing Wii

Back in town, I introduced Yeni’s family to my family’s Christmas traditions — and headed to Great Lakes Chinese Restaurant. We sat at the last available table and it was standing room only for those unlucky soles who arrived just minutes after us. The place was packed, and after finishing our delicious meal, we headed back to Michael’s for some more Wii action.

A lovely day.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not like flying. I hate almost everything about it… From taking off your shoes to the airline reps behind the counter (has anyone ever had a positive experience with a gate agent??), from flight attendants to busy crowds, flying today for me is a last option. I’d much rather drive than fly on any given day, and, if time isn’t a factor (like Thanksgiving), it’s exactly what I do. I remember once being excited about flying and loving going to Airports, flying in airplanes, and just traveling by air. Loved it. Much like my hair, those days are gone.

But, I digress. So, if I have to fly, I like American Airlines. Let’s put it this way. When I’ve missed connecting flights from other airlines, getting a new flight was a hassle. Hassle and drama, drama, drama. With American, by the time I got off the plane, they had already reserved me a seat on one flight and put me on standby for another. (I ended up getting the standby ).

Anyway, I made it to San Francisco and had a great dinner with my sister, Scott, my parents, Tovah, David, and Scott’s mother and father. We were celebrating Scott’s graduation from college and was a great reason to see so many people that I love.

On plan for today? Dim Sum with the family and then throwing a duck into the ocean in remembrance of Forrest (today’s the 2nd anniversary). Also, it’s the first anniversary of Shadow’s passing.

See also:

• Lyrics to Come Monday by Jimmy Buffett (hence the title of this post)