Greetings from Dayton!

Today, my dad, our friend Ron, and I traveled to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH.

We had a great time as we looked at aircraft that ranged from the days of Orville & Wilbur Wright to World War II to present day aircraft such as the new stealth bombers.

Of course, I was using a digital camera for the first time ever so the pictures didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I am sure I will get better with time.

Interestingly enough we got the opportunity to look at the plane that served as Air Force One from the Kennedy Administration to the Clinton Administration.

Here are some of my pictures from the trip. Be sure to move your cursor over the picture to read the caption.

Just Another Day in the Neighborhood

Well, I just got home and it has been a few days since I last posted. It has been a busy past couple of days to say the least.

First of all, I'd like to send a special message to Ali who will be in Mexico for while.

I know it may seem scary to travel so far away from home but I think you are fully capable of doing so. Tú eres en mis oraciónes. (You are in my prayers) Have fun!

I have also been going to the movies a lot recently. If you get the chance to see either Click or Superman Returns, please go see them immediately. They are worth the money.

School has begun for the second summer semester as well. I am taking a Psychology class as part of my education courses. I think I am going to enjoy it more than what I originally thought.

I also think it helps that I am pretty familiar with just about every professor at the university. What a difference a year makes huh?!

Tonight was mostly spent doing nothing and discussing the great issues of the day including war, gas prices, and how we celebrate the Fourth of July all summer in Indiana.

Well, I think that I am going to get some sleep because I have a little trip to go on tomorrow. I'll keep you posted! And now for an interesting quote from today:

"I might not be looking but my eyes are always open."

Campaigning is very much like Golf

It is Saturdays like these where a nap sounds like a good idea. Honestly, I am not suprised after my early morning of campaigning which leads me to another Donnelly Campaign Update. (Gotta love that segway)

This morning, throughout the Second District of Indiana, volunteers and young people from the campaign canvassed their neighboroods and towns. In my hometown, our camp went door to door handing out campaign literature and even talking with some voters.

Of course, campaigning is not easy. Walking up and down streets in Indiana heat and humidity is a very tiring task to do. However, it is the best kind of tired that anyone can ever experience because of the positive feelings you are left with at the end of the day.

In many ways it is like golf. Not in the way Robin Williams would describe it but moreover how a single shot can turn an entire round of bad golf into a good one.

When campaigning, there will be doors shut in your face, there will be disgruntled voters, and you may be called a name or two (which make for some great stories). But, when you finally come upon that one door which expresses great support and graditude for your efforts, all of those bad things are well worth it.

That, in a sense, is what keeps me going when it seems as if times are at their toughest. Much like the mindset of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton, the idea of giving back and service toward others is of uttermost importance to me. Hopefully, it will stay that way and I don't become jaded as so many people have become with politics in our country.

That is it for me today. I think I will take that nap now. Have a good one!

Ironic Campaign Commercials

I have posted four new campaign commercials from The Living Room Candidate website that I found to be quite ironic. However, out of the four listed, two stand out the most for me.

The first one is Nixon on Corruption from 1952. At the time, Nixon was running for the office of Vice President on the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket. In this commercial, Nixon said corruption ranged "from petty political larceny to grand government theft."

Hmmmmmmm I say as I think to myself. To get the full effect the commercial must be viewed in it's entirety but one quote from Nixon sticks out in my mind. Nixon stated:

"I am proud of the millions of fine, good, honest, decent, loyal people who work for the federal government.

And the best thing that can be done for them is to kick out the crooks and the others that have besmirched their reputation in Washington D.C. and that is what we are going to do."

As interesting and ironic as this sounds, there is another that sticks out in my mind. In 2000, Texas Governor George W. Bush sought the Presidency as a compassionate conservative with a record of cutting taxes and limited goverment spending.

In a commercial from the GOP National Committee, they attacked his opponent Al Gore by trying to label him as a reckless big-government spender. The quote from the commercial is as follows:

"Gore's proposing three times the new spending President Clinton proposed, wiping out the entire surplus, and creating a deficit again.

Al Gore's big-government spending threatens America's prosperity."

To be fair, I believe that many of these statements are left only to chance and should serve only as a mere window into the political climate of the day.

However, I have always found it interesting to take a look back and see just how ironic certain things can turn out to be.

Competent Enough to Move Out

Sometimes in life, we are confronted with situations which make us realize that the best thing to do is to get out and move on. Unfortunately, one of those things happened today for me.

I am now totally convinced that I am competent enough to move out and have my own place. Granted, this will not happen for quite some time but at least now I know that I will be ready when the time comes.

I really do not know why I feel this way because to me I have always thought of the home as a safehouse where you can just shut your door and leave the rest of the world outside. However, things have changed after something old has come back into the house.

I just wish I didn't feel this way because, in reality, I enjoy living at home while going to school but ever since this old thing as come back into the house it has not been fun.

I guess my main concern is that anymore it seems as if the people who play by the rules and do the right thing are always ignored.

And those who do the things that aren't right and break the rules seem to get all of the time in the spotlight.

So for now, I finish this post because political correctness is clashing with my true feelings. I'm confident the day will get better.

Off the Clock on the Hill

I received my copy of National Journal today. The feature article for this week was what Capitol Hill staffers do while off the clock. It is very safe to say that I did not need to read this article.

To be quite honest, we never really did discuss politics very much in the Congressman’s office. Sure, we would discuss it in our weekly staff meetings but most of our work involved serving the constituents of our district.

However, I will say that having a mudslide in a Congressional office on a Friday is an experience that I believe everyone should have. However, never ask if there is MILD salsa in a Texas Congressional office. The staff will make fun of you.

By being home this summer, there are some days that I don’t miss DC and some days that I do. I miss being able to see the Washington Monument from my Virginia apartment window every morning. I also miss being able to go just about anywhere in the Capitol Building including the floor of the House of Representatives.

Probably what I miss the most are my friends and the things we would do around the district. I miss going to such places as the Crystal City Sports Pub or the Rock Bottom Brewery to unwind at the end of the day. I also miss going to baseball games with them especially when someone’s office had a couple of free ones.

Much like my friends in Indiana, these guys were the type of friends that one not soon forgets. They were the kind of friends who made me think of things I never thought possible and would always be willing to buy me a beer if that certain girl never returned my call.

Despite these great memories, I don’t miss some things about DC. I don’t miss the hustle and bustle of the big city when most people in Indiana are never in a hurry to get anywhere.

I also don’t miss being afraid of riding the DC metro system. Last summer, the possibility of a terrorist boarding my metro-car and blowing me up became very real to me.

In addition, just to stand up on my soapbox for a moment: I am sorry but placing two rent-a-cops at every train station is not my idea of fighting the War on Terror seriously. Just my opinion.

In the end, I have good memories and great pictures of my times in DC. I have placed a few below. Move the mouse over the picture to read the caption that provides some background information.

Three Reasons to Teach

I took my final exam in my Education class today. After I finished my test, I was in the best mood because nothing is better than a class ending no matter how much you like the subject or professor.

I am definitely looking forward to not having any class for the next couple of days. I will miss my class though.

The teacher really stimulated my thinking and I feel helped prepare me for my future profession better than any of my other professors have.

I think that is what separates me from other college students as I know what I want to do with my life. Often times, college students graduate from college but are still unsure as to what avenues they should travel.

I think a lot of times they get caught up in the money aspect of work without even considering if they will enjoy it or not. I remember back to the time when I spoke at a press conference in favor of more money for education and I met someone like that.

I remember him saying that he changed his major because teaching did not guarantee the amount of money that other majors did. I found this interesting because very few people if any go into education for the money.

Most of us go into education because we love working with kids but there are others who have three reasons for going into teaching. Those three reasons are June, July, & August.

Probably not the best joke to make around an administrator but funny nonetheless. Have a good one everybody!

KyleEtherington.com Launches

I am pleased to announce that I have reopened KyleEtherington.com as my new personal blog site.

The site http://iuprez.blogspot.com will no longer be updated however this new site will continue to update you on what is going on in my life.

Please update your bookmarks and feeds accordingly. Thank you for your time!

-Mgmt.

Back to a Normal Sleeping Schedule

Greetings! I love it when it is nice and warm outside. Plus, the Indiana warmth is a lot nicer than the DC warmth because it isn't as humid or sticky.

I haven't posted in a while because I have been working on getting myself back on a normal sleeping schedule. The other night was crazy because I woke up at 4 AM and could not get back to sleep.

This necessarily wasn't a bad thing because I was finally able to finish reading Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays. It is a quick read about a person's journey through life and the people who helped make him into the man he is today - his family.

As you may have noticed, I have moved on to James L. Swanson's Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. It has to be one of the most accurate, minute by minute accounts of the assassination and final hours of Abraham Lincoln's life. As it says in the title, it also tells the story of the investigation and hunt for John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices.

Recently, I have begun to enjoy my future teaching subject - History - much more than I used to because a lot of it reads like a story. Swanson's book is no exception to this as it seems much more like a murder story than it does a historical account.

Moving away from that, I watched an interesting documentary last night with a friend called The First Year about a group of first year teachers in South Central Los Angeles. Pretty good I thought.

Good times! Well, I have got to go. Take care and enjoy the great Indiana weather because it is guaranteed to change every five minutes.

So many updates, So little time

I went to my high school friend Amanda's house this evening to visit and see her 2 month old baby. It was a great time catching up and reliving old memories.

Even now, just a few short years after high school, it is both extraordinary and remarkable that the same people who I shared the same math class with are now getting married and starting families.

What is more remarkable is that I am able to remember such things as the conflict that arose at a dance my senior year because my girlfriend (at the time) was wearing the same dress as Amanda.

After that trip down amnesia lane, I headed out to the Kokomo RibFest this evening. Even though I didn't partake of any ribs, I still have a good time talking with many of my close friends.

This year's RibFest was much different than the last one I attended because of the number of people I knew compared with just two years ago. Looking back, it really should not suprise me.

Back in 2004, I had just started working on the Governor's campaign and was quite wet behind the ears in terms of who anyone was. Now, it is the complete opposite as I find myself drifting from one group to the next.

There is one last thing before I go. Many people have been asking me about how the Joe Donnelly for Congress campaign is going and I'd like to keep many of you updated through something I like to call Kyle's Campaign Update.

The campaign is going very well although I'd like to add that it is only June and a lot can happen between now and November 7th. Our opponents have already released attack ads against Joe.

This is solid proof that our opponents have no record to run on other than cutting our candidate down. The people of Indiana and America deserve a Congressman who is going to get things done in Washington and not make excuses.

This is just a short update but I promise that I will continue to update you throughout the campaign. Thanks and as always remember to vote for Joe Donnelly on November 7.

What will your verse be?

I was driving home from a friend's apartment this evening and I swear that there was no one on the streets of my town. During a night like this, my mind tends to drift and think about certain subjects that I have neglected for one reason or another.

While I was thinking about random things, Gilbert O'Sullivan's ballad Alone Again (Naturally) came on the XM radio station that I was listening to.

It's such a sad song because it basically talks about a person who has been stood up at his wedding and wants to die. I guess one of the major themes of the song would also be that no matter what everyone will hurt you in some way.

This encompasses many aspects of life included wronging you or even through death in which you are as O'Sullivan puts it, "alone again, naturally."

Maybe there is something about the nighttime when there is nothing to do and we are all alone that some of us tend to think about these things. For me, they are never happy subjects but however they do allow me some time to think about such things.

Because whether or not I like to admit it, these things will all happen one day unfortunately. That's the greatest and worst thing about life is that we don't have much time on this earth.

For now, I will leave with a quote from the movie Dead Poets Society in which Robin Williams' character gives his students some advice about that very topic.

To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life! . . . of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Anwer."

"That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse."

That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

Times Change as Quickly as most Gas Prices

I love Indiana in the summer when it is nice enough to have the windows and the sunroof open in the car. Although, the amount of cruising that I do now is much smaller than what I used to in high school.

It is amazing that no more than 5 years ago, I could drive around the city or country for no reason without feeling guilty or it affecting my wallet. I miss those days of complaining about gas being $1.50 a gallon.

Oh well, times change about as quickly as most gas prices anymore so I guess I will just have to make due.

I have felt a little weird the past few days because I haven't hung out with any of my friends. It is a different feeling after hanging out with each other for a consecutive amount of days and going to barely any contact.

Well, that is it for me for the day. I try to keep this updated but anymore I am at a loss for things to say. I guess that's the price I pay for it being summer and spending most of my time away from the higher learning institution of college.

How Old Are We Again?

Despite the rainy and dreary weather, it was an exceptional day full of fun shenanigans at night. I picked John up in the Red Demon early this evening.

Then, we began the short drive down to Noblesville while listening to the Comedy stations on the XM radio. Apparently, Canada has their own comedy channel. Go figure eh?!

We made it down safely to Noblesville where we met up with Mike and Erin. Of course, I lost my self in a history book that was on Erin's coffee table. As always, Mike expressed his worries to me while also reminding me that there is no shame in therapy.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, we headed to the movie theatre to meet up with Ali. I have never had a friend who worked at a movie theatre before but after the free tickets, popcorn, and soda, I am so glad that I now do.

The movie of the evening was "Cars." If you have not seen this movie please do me a favor and go see it. It has to be the best movie I have seen in quite sometime.

I am seriously convinced that Pixar can do no wrong because they have made some classics. What is so amazing is how fast they have grown into an empire in the movie industry.

It was a great evening but I think I most enjoyed hanging out with these close friends and chatting about our normal subjects that rival most junior high conversations. I know it may be immature but that's just how we are.

As each day passes, we are all growing much older but every time we hang out I am forced to ask myself, "How old are we again?"

A Long Awaited Update

In the words of Michael Jordan: I'm Back! I have not updated in quite sometime but it has been for good reason. To be perfectly honest, I didn't feel like blogging.

Here is a cliffnotes version of life these past few weeks. I am right in the middle of summer classes which are pretty easy and much more enjoyable than the classes I took last summer in DC.

A couple of people asked me if I wished I was heading back there recently. If I could move all of my friends and family to that area, then I would be there in a minute but I don't think they would like the warm, sticky summers.

I came to a realization recently that I was finally able to do something that I always wanted to do in high school but was never able to do so. I was able to do that last Friday night. It was great too.

The next night was great when I hung out with Mike, Erin, and Ally down in Noblesville. I felt like a VIP because we traveled to downtown Noblesville where I was given a tour by Erin.

It was as if I was a foreign diplomat in for some important business. In all actuality, I was just there for some ice cream from a local shop. It wasn't that bad either.

Well, I think that is enough for me. I'll be working on the side panels soon to get them updated as well. Take care!