Chula Vista!

I Prefer Margaritas...

"I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

Those are the words of the most interesting man in the world. You may ask yourself, if he doesn't always drink beer, why drink beer at all? I figured out why last night.

I went out to dinner with my family to a little Mexican Restaurant in Santa Barbara - Palapa Restaurant. They have, hands down, the worst Margaritas in the world.

I've had Margaritas on 6 of the 7 continents. I've tasted the watered down disasters of Tijuana, Mexico. I drank a warm, ice-less concoction in Pusan, South Korea. I make a serious effort to drink a Margarita everywhere I go.

I wish I had a Dos Equis at Palapa.

When I ordered the margarita, the waiter warned me that it would be weak; The tequila they use is only 40 proof. It tasted like dirty water with a twist of sweaty feet. I couldn't taste the tequila at all. The waiter brought me a shot just before we left. 40 proof tequila tastes just like 80 proof - so that's not the reason it tastes so bad. It's just a horrible mix. I almost didn't finish it.

On a side note: if you ever find yourself in an Asian country trying to teach a bartender how to make a margarita, be sure to list ice as one of the ingredients.

Brandon Sanderson

November 3rd, 2009 is the day the book 12 of the Wheel of Time series is scheduled to be released. This will be the first book of the series featuring Brandon Sanderson as a co-author.

As you know the original author, Robert Jordan, passed away on September 16th, 2007. Before he died, he had completed the ending and other parts of the final book. Since then, Brandon Sanderson has been selected to finish the series - AND - Tor Books has decided to split the last book into 3 separate books.

A lot of Wheel of Time fans were so excited that the series was going to be complete that they didn't care who was going to be the new author. I wasn't one of them. I wanted to know who this mysterious author that Tor Books chose.

So who is Brandon Sanderson? Is he a good author? We he be able to live up to the massive expectations that come with finishing this series? I wanted to know so I went out about and bought three of his books:

1. Elantris - Brandon's first book.
2. Warbreaker - Brandon's most recent novel.
3. Mistborn - Book 1 of Brandon's first series.

I read Elantris first. For a first novel, this book was great. I have some issues with the dialog; It seemed a little unrealistic, almost like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Despite the dialog, it was a great story with a simple but interesting magic system. Some people may think it's a little slow in certain areas. I think the pace is just fine. The ending is one of the best endings I've read in awhile.

Elantris is a stand-alone novel but it could easily be the first book of a series. Brandon has talked about someday writing a sequel. There are a couple of subtle story arcs that could easily be exploited to continue the story.

I read Warbreaker 2nd for two reasons. First, I didn't want to start a series (Mistborn) and follow it with a stand-alone. Second, I wanted to see how much Brandon had progressed between his first novel and his most recent.

I could see the difference right away. The diaglog was so much better - Smart, witty, real. The magic system, however, was a little cheesy; It uses breath and colors. The story more than made up for the magic system. The ending wasn't as good as Elantris but it still had the same tension and suspence.

One thing I really liked about this book was one of his main characters, Lightsong. He's a God who doesn't believe in his own religion. His bad attitude towards his extremely pampered life is a source for endless comedy.

Warbreaker and Elantris compliment each other well. Elantris is about an abandoned city that used to be home of the Gods. Warbreaker is about a city that is still home of the Gods.

Mistborn is the best book I've read in a long time. After finishing a chapter, I wanted to start another. The pace is perfect. Every single point of view was interesting. The magic system is the most creative I've ever seen. The story is great and the ending is spectacular.

Mistborn is book 1 of 3 of the Mistborn series but this book could easily be a stand alone. I haven't read book two or three but I plan to in the next couple of weeks. If book two and three are anywhere close to as good as the first one, this could end up being my favorite series of all time.

One thing I noticed about all three books... When I started geting close to the end, I had no idea if the "good guy" or the "bad guy" was going to win - and I'm not going to tell you who does. Just know that Sanderson ain't no Jordan. He has no problem killing off a character or two.

After reading these three books, I know Sanderson is up to the task regarding the Wheel of Time series. He's got a great voice and a knack for suspence and tension. My only hope is that he gets this Wheel of Time gig overwith quickly so he can get back to writing his own novels.

For -or- Against?

If you can't see the video above, it's likely that Obama's brown shirts have removed it, and every other copy, from the Internet in an attempt to silence any dissenting opinion (even if it's by the President himself).

Obama must think the general population is stupid. Maybe we are. I consider myself to be average in intelligence and education - High school graduate with some college with a 1400 on my SATs back in 12th grade. His argument for Government-run Health Insurance can be summed up this way:

When it comes to sending mail,
the Government-run Post Office is A.F.U.
Private enterprise (FedEx and UPS) are doing great and have great service.

If this is Obama's argument for Government-run Health Insurance, he does think America is stupid. As history has continually shown, Government-run anything is never a good idea.

The only way our founding fathers were able to convince 13 Colonies to band together into a union was to promise them to keep the Federal Government limited. The Colonies back then didn't want to give up their governance to an all powerful central entity. The Constitution was written to allow the States sovereignty - the ability to govern themselves. The Federal Government, however, was limited to specific areas.

The Constitutional requirement of smaller government is one of my arguments against Government-run and mandated Health Insurance. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the Federal Government is supposed to put their grubby mittens on health insurance, deposit insurance, retirement insurance, education, etc.

When you look at the things that Government is involved in, on the Federal, State, and local level, you won't find much success. Obama is talking trash about the Post Office in the video above. Think about it for a second and ask yourself these questions.

1. Would you rather send a gift with the Post Office or with FedEx, DHL, or UPS?
2. Would you rather send your kid to Public School or Private School?
3. Can you count on Social Security to be there when you retire?

When you honestly answer these questions, how can you not be against Government-run anything? In my opinion, the Government is too large. It's time to roll back all of these inflated government programs and start putting things where they belong... in the private sector.

It's time to do your country a favor; Write your Congressman or Senator and tell them to say NO to Socialism.