Rex White’s Blog

AP Article: House panel to tackle meltdown reason, remedy

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers have called key players from the past and present to congressional hearings in an effort to find out what caused the biggest financial crisis since the 1930s and determine how the government plans to get the nation out of the mess.

What caused the biggest financial crisis since the 1930’s? News flash, Congress (and the AP)… You did!!!

Pushing companies to give loans to people who can’t afford them in the sake of equality and fairness and giving “everyone” the American dream - YOU DID IT!

And you think YOU’RE going to fix it? Gees… I’m sick of this crap. Take responsibility!

Four words: Hell in a handbasket

That’s where we’re heading.

As some of you know, I’m leaving PWG to go back to work for myself after 4 years (9 if you count the 5 years before that in which they were a client of mine). Today is my last day in the office. It’s an odd feeling to say the least. A mix of excitement and nervousness, joy and sadness. Yep, I’m going out on my own, returning to my roots as a freelance web designer and consultant. It’s not the best timenecessarily to  leave a job and start your own business as far as the economy goes, but for me it was just now or never. However still, it’s tough. Almost a decade of friendships and history is tough to put in the rear view mirror. But it’s time. So, I put together a “Last Day” Playlist which I’ve been playing all day. I thought I’d share:

• Free Fallin - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• Beautiful Day - U2
• Over Your Shoulder - 7 Mary 3
• It’s My Life - Bon Jovi
• Given to Fly - Pearl Jam
• Blaze of Glory - The Alarm
• If It All Falls Down - Jimmy Buffett
• A Change Would Do You Good - Sheryl Crow
• Free - Train
• How’s It Going to Be - Third Eye Blind
• The Rising - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
• Roll Me Away - Bob Segar & The Silver Bullet Band
• My Life - Billy Joel
• This Moment - Matthew Sweet
• Live Through This - Mighty Joe Plum
• Lucky Man - The Verve

My poor Dylan… got his first shiner. Not really a black eye, but still a decent shiner. Did he get into a fight? No. He smacked his eye on the corner of a wooden bench.

Do fireworks pollute the environment? - Yahoo! Answers

I say, “Who cares? They go BOOM. We likey!” Bring on the fireworks (and a little pollution!)

For 8 years now I’ve had a Microsoft Trackball. Actually, my wife used it mostly when we first got it - I had a Logitech roller ball mouse. But it went kaput and I’ve been using the Trackball for some time.

Why the Microsoft Trackball?

Because I hate the touchpad mouse that most laptops have. It makes my finger feel weird… I always envision having tumors growing inside of my digits, running up my arm, through my neck, and into my brain (I have issues, I know.) The Trackball is cool… I just roll my pointer around and never move my hand! Sweet, sweet technological nirvana!

Yes, I’ve gotten joked about it on multiple occasions. In 2008, it’s a bit of an oddity, the ole Trackball! It’s big, bulky, and has a 4 buttons - 2 on each side. The 2 on the left side of the mouse (I’m right handed) are my left and right click buttons. There’s a wheel that my thumb can use to scroll up and down. The 2 buttons on the right side, don’t ask me what they do. I’ve never taken the time to figure out nor to edit the settings. The only thing I know that occasionally if my pinky finger hits one of them while I’m in the web browser, it’s takes me to the previous page, which is reeaaallly annoying. So I guess it serves as a back button (and forward, maybe.)

But in spite of it all, I love the Trackball!

Did I mention the cool, bright, marble-like, red and black ball? And the red light that shines all around the hypnotic orb that is the actual roller ball?

I take it everywhere I go - if I’m out of town, the Trackball goes with me. The Trackball is my friend. The Trackball is my co-worker. The Trackball is my… well, suffice it to say, I love-livity-love it.

It was just time for the Trackball to move on

Now my Trackball is dead. My sweet, gray, smooth-from-years-of-use-and-love Trackball bit the bullet. It… just. stopped. working. No lights. No nothing.

Time of death: 6:49 PM, EST.

Not sure if I can move to the newer, smaller models on the market. Not sure how I can ever really go on. Not sure how long the pain will…

Farewell, Microsoft Trackball Explorer USB mouse. I hope you’re happy on that big mouse pad in the sky! Oh wait, you’re a TRACKBALL… you don’t need no stinking mouse pad.