Welcome to the pond

Observations while watching TV this afternoon...

I saw a political commercial for Oregon Republican Senator Gordon Smith. The twist was that it started with the mother of Matthew Shepard talking about how Gordon Smith supports laws against hate crimes and such. Now, I'm all for politicians supporting hate crime legislation, and getting involved with tragedies like Matthews. I'm all for the parents of hate crime victims seeking support from politicians. But what I do NOT think is OK is Matthew Shepard's death being used in a television commercial for the purpose of promoting Gordon Smith's political campaign. It just seems wrong to me.

Also, I came across a WONDERFUL show called "The Other Half." I don't know what network or cable channel it's on, but it looks great. It's hosted by Danny Bonaduce and a couple other guys, and they discuss topics in dating and relationships with guests and a studio audience. This is TV that makes you THINK. Instead of watching people go to battle, like on Jerry Springer, this show asks the tough questions. You CANNOT help but think about them and react to the audience and host's responses. This may be a show for me to watch a little bit more in the future. Too bad it's on at 5, which is right around dinnertime.

Thought of the day: Packing takes much more time and energy than you think it will.