History tends to repeat itself, even if we are sometimes slow to recognize those repetitions. The indictment of Tom DeLay in many ways echoes the scandal that surrounded Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski over a decade ago. Soon after Rostenkowski’s fall, the Republicans took control of Congress. I don’t think the current ethics impairments of assorted Republicans are enough to tip the scales of power in favor of the Democrats, but it’s a start. I think people want reform. I think people want a government that is efficient, transparent, and that rewards merit instead of cronyism. But Democrats need to make reform part of a larger message that concretely addresses the everyday concerns of people. Recently, I watched a friend struggle to navigate the bureaucracy of a large HMO as he attempted to get health insurance for his kids. It’s these frustrations that Democrats not only need to speak to, but to which they can offer concrete solutions. And Democrats need to convince people that they are up to the task of leading this country.

My ten-year college reunion is next month. I’m pretty sure I won’t be going. The thought of the five-hour drive from the Twin Cities to Green Bay (and repeating it two days later) doesn’t sound too appealing to me right now. Er, not to mention that most of the events are in inaccessible locations, at least as I remember them. But perhaps I’ll leave a message on the alumni bulletin board to brag say hello. I’m thinking back to my college years and, ugh, I was such a dork. A lot of it was typical twenty-something angst and insecurity, but I was still at a phase where I was really self-conscious about my disability and I was struggling to appear as “normal” as possible. I wanted to drink and get high and get laid, but because of various external circumstances (a lack of open-minded nurses, for one) none of that happened and I remember plenty of nights sitting at home and watching television and feeling sorry for myself. Actually, I probably could have gotten laid if I had tried a little harder and shown a little more bravado instead of constantly worrying that other people saw me as a freak.
I’m not saying I have it all figured out now. But a part of me wishes I could travel back in time ten or twelve years and tell that dork to relax and have a little faith in himself.

I spent part of today trying to reconnect with the book. After an extended break from writing, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about neglecting my writing. The plan is to make substantial progress towards completion of a first draft by the end of the year. I also did some fiddling with computer stuff. I’ve been wondering why I always got crappy download speeds on torrent files. Today, I finally realized that I needed to open a few ports on my router. Holy crap, what a difference. My downloads are now, to borrow another regional dialect, wicked fast. Not sure why it took me so long to figure out something that should have been relatively simple.
And can I just say that having my TiVo hooked up to my wireless network is, like, really cool? I used Galleon to do a slide show of my Europe photos on the television and to play some of my iTunes playlists on the stereo. I love it when technology works the way it’s supposed to.

Leaving shortly for tonight’s U2 concert at the Target Center. The last time I saw the band was eight years ago at the Metrodome. The acoustics weren’t great, but it was still a good show. Plus, I kind of got felt up by a drunken concertgoer. But that’s another story. I’ll post some thoughts on the show later tonight or tomorrow.

This is a view of former East Berlin from the top of the Reichstag. Ten years ago, the horizon would have been filled with hundreds of cranes as part of the massive rebuilding that took place after reunification. Today, some construction continues, but on a smaller scale.