2,730 reasons to vote for Obama.

Ten months ago, I stood on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., and began an unlikely journey to change America. I did not run for the presidency to fulfill some long-held ambition or because I believed it was somehow owed to me. I chose to run in this election — at this moment — because of what Dr. King called “the fierce urgency of now.” Because we are at a defining moment in our history. Our nation is at war. Our planet is in peril. Our health care system is broken, our economy is out of balance, our education system fails too many of our children, and our retirement system is in tatters. At this defining moment, we cannot wait any longer for universal health care. We cannot wait to fix our schools. We cannot wait for good jobs, and living wages, and pensions we can count on. We cannot wait to halt global warming, and we cannot wait to end this war in Iraq. I chose to run because I believed that the size of these challenges had outgrown the capacity of our broken and divided politics to solve them; because I believed that Americans of every political stripe were hungry for a new kind of politics, a politics that focused not just on how to win but why we should, a politics that focused on those values and ideals that we held in common as Americans; a politics that favored common sense over ideology, straight talk over spin. Most of all, I believed in the power of the American people to be the real agents of change in this country — because we are not as divided as our politics suggests; because we are a decent, generous people willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations; and I was certain that if we could just mobilize our voices to challenge the special interests that dominate Washington and challenge ourselves to reach for something better, there was no problem we couldn’t solve — no destiny we couldn’t fulfill. Ten months later, Iowa, you have vindicated that faith. You’ve come out in the blistering heat and the bitter cold not just to cheer, but to challenge — to ask the tough questions; to lift the hood and kick the tires; to serve as one place in America where someone who hasn’t spent their life in the Washington spotlight can get a fair hearing. You’ve earned the role you play in our democracy because no one takes it more seriously. And I believe that’s true this year more than ever because, like me, you feel that same sense of urgency. All across this state, you’ve shared with me your stories. And all too often they’ve been stories of struggle and hardship. I’ve heard from seniors who were betrayed by CEOs who dumped their pensions while pocketing bonuses, and from those who still can’t afford their prescriptions because Congress refused to negotiate with the drug companies for the cheapest available price. I’ve met Maytag workers who labored all their lives only to see their jobs shipped overseas; who now compete with their teenagers for $7-an-hour jobs at Wal-Mart. I’ve spoken with teachers who are working at doughnut shops after school just to make ends meet, who are still digging into their own pockets to pay for school supplies. Just two weeks ago, I heard a young woman in Cedar Rapids who told me she only gets three hours of sleep because she works the night shift after a full day of college and still can’t afford health care for a sister with cerebral palsy. She spoke not with self-pity but with determination, and wonders why the government isn’t doing more to help her afford the education that will allow her to live out her dreams. I’ve spoken to veterans who talk with pride about what they’ve accomplished in Afghanistan and Iraq, but who nevertheless think of those they’ve left behind and question the wisdom of our mission in Iraq; the mothers weeping in my arms over the memories of their sons; the disabled or homeless vets who wonder why their service has been forgotten. And I’ve spoken to Americans in every corner of the state, patriots all, who wonder why we have allowed our standing in the world to decline so badly, so quickly. They know this has not made us safer. They know that we must never negotiate out of fear, but that we must never fear to negotiate with our enemies as well as our friends. They are ashamed of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and warrantless wiretaps and ambiguity on torture. They love their country and want its cherished values and ideals restored. It is precisely because you’ve experienced these frustrations, and seen the cost of inaction in your own lives, that you understand why we can’t afford to settle for the same old politics. You know that we can’t afford to allow the insurance lobbyists to kill health care reform one more time, and the oil lobbyists to keep us addicted to fossil fuels because no one stood up and took their power away when they had the chance. You know that we can’t afford four more years of the same divisive food fight in Washington that’s about scoring political points instead of solving problems; that’s about tearing your opponents down instead of lifting this country up. We can’t afford the same politics of fear that tells Democrats that the only way to look tough on national security is to talk, act and vote like George Bush Republicans; that invokes 9/11 as a way to scare up votes instead of a challenge that should unite all Americans to defeat our real enemies. We can’t afford to be so worried about losing the next election that we lose the battles we owe to the next generation. The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result. And that’s a risk we can’t take. Not this year. Not when the stakes are this high. In this election, it is time to turn the page. In seven days, it is time to stand for change. This has been our message since the beginning of this campaign. It was our message when we were down, and our message when we were up. And it must be catching on, because in these last few weeks, everyone is talking about change. But you can’t at once argue that you’re the master of a broken system in Washington and offer yourself as the person to change it. You can’t fall in line behind the conventional thinking on issues as profound as war and offer yourself as the leader who is best prepared to chart a new and better course for America. The truth is, you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience. Mine is rooted in the real lives of real people and it will bring real results if we have the courage to change. I believe deeply in those words. But they are not mine. They were Bill Clinton’s in 1992, when Washington insiders questioned his readiness to lead. My experience is rooted in the lives of the men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I fought for as an organizer when the local steel plant closed. It’s rooted in the lives of the people I stood up for as a civil rights lawyer when they were denied opportunity on the job or justice at the voting booth because of what they looked like or where they came from. It’s rooted in an understanding of how the world sees America that I gained from living, traveling and having family beyond our shores — an understanding that led me to oppose this war in Iraq from the start. It’s experience rooted in the real lives of real people, and it’s the kind of experience Washington needs right now. There are others in this race who say that this kind of change sounds good, but that I’m not angry or confrontational enough to get it done. Well, let me tell you something, Iowa. I don’t need any lectures on how to bring about change, because I haven’t just talked about it on the campaign trail. I’ve fought for change all my life. I walked away from a job on Wall Street to bring job training to the jobless and after-school programs to kids on the streets of Chicago. I turned down the big-money law firms to win justice for the powerless as a civil rights lawyer. I took on the lobbyists in Illinois and brought Democrats and Republicans together to expand health care to 150,000 people and pass the first major campaign finance reform in 25 years; and I did the same thing in Washington when we passed the toughest lobbying reform since Watergate. I’m the only candidate in this race who hasn’t just talked about taking power away from lobbyists, I’ve actually done it. So if you want to know what kind of choices we’ll make as president, you should take a look at the choices we made when we had the chance to bring about change that wasn’t easy or convenient. That’s the kind of change that’s more than just rhetoric — that’s change you can believe in. It’s change that won’t just come from more anger at Washington or turning up the heat on Republicans. There’s no shortage of anger and bluster and bitter partisanship out there. We don’t need more heat. We need more light. I’ve learned in my life that you can stand firm in your principles while still reaching out to those who might not always agree with you. And although the Republican operatives in Washington might not be interested in hearing what we have to say, I think Republican and independent voters outside of Washington are. That’s the once-in-a-generation opportunity we have in this election. For the first time in a long time, we have the chance to build a new majority of not just Democrats, but independents and Republicans who’ve lost faith in their Washington leaders but want to believe again — who desperately want something new. We can change the electoral math that’s been all about division and make it about addition — about building a coalition for change and progress that stretches through blue states and red states. That’s how I won some of the reddest, most Republican counties in Illinois. That’s why the polls show that I do best against the Republicans running for president — because we’re attracting more support from independents and Republicans than any other candidate. That’s how we’ll win in November and that’s how we’ll change this country over the next four years. In the end, the argument we are having between the candidates in the last seven days is not just about the meaning of change. It’s about the meaning of hope. Some of my opponents appear scornful of the word; they think it speaks of naiveté, passivity and wishful thinking. But that’s not what hope is. Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the task before us or the roadblocks that stand in our path. Yes, the lobbyists will fight us. Yes, the Republican attack dogs will go after us in the general election. Yes, the problems of poverty and climate change and failing schools will resist easy repair. I know — I’ve been on the streets; I’ve been in the courts. I’ve watched legislation die because the powerful held sway and good intentions weren’t fortified by political will, and I’ve watched a nation get misled into war because no one had the judgment or the courage to ask the hard questions before we sent our troops to fight. But I also know this. I know that hope has been the guiding force behind the most improbable changes this country has ever made. In the face of tyranny, it’s what led a band of colonists to rise up against an Empire. In the face of slavery, it’s what fueled the resistance of the slave and the abolitionist, and what allowed a president to chart a treacherous course to ensure that the nation would not continue half slave and half free. In the face of war and Depression, it’s what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation. In the face of oppression, it’s what led young men and women to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through the streets of Selma and Montgomery for freedom’s cause. That’s the power of hope — to imagine, and then work for, what had seemed impossible before. That’s the change we seek. And that’s the change you can stand for in seven days. We’ve already beaten odds that the cynics said couldn’t be beaten. When we started 10 months ago, they said we couldn’t run a different kind of campaign. They said we couldn’t compete without taking money from Washington lobbyists. But you proved them wrong when we raised more small donations from more Americans than any other campaign in history. They said we couldn’t be successful if we didn’t have the full support of the establishment in Washington. But you proved them wrong when we built a grass-roots movement that could forever change the face of American politics. They said we wouldn’t have a chance in this campaign unless we resorted to the same old negative attacks. But we resisted, even when we were written off, and ran a positive campaign that pointed out real differences and rejected the politics of slash and burn. And now, in seven days, you have a chance once again to prove the cynics wrong. In seven days, what was improbable has the chance to beat what Washington said was inevitable. And that’s why in these last weeks, Washington is fighting back with everything it has — with attack ads and insults; with distractions and dishonesty; with millions of dollars from outside groups and undisclosed donors to try and block our path. We’ve seen this script many times before. But I know that this time can be different. Because I know that when the American people believe in something, it happens. If you believe, then we can tell the lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. If you believe, then we can stop making promises to America’s workers and start delivering — jobs that pay, health care that’s affordable, pensions you can count on, and a tax cut for working Americans instead of the companies who send their jobs overseas. If you believe, we can offer a world-class education to every child, and pay our teachers more, and make college dreams a reality for every American. If you believe, we can save this planet and end our dependence on foreign oil. If you believe, we can end this war, close Guantanamo, restore our standing, renew our diplomacy and once again respect the Constitution of the United States of America. That’s the future within our reach. That’s what hope is — that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting for us around the corner. But only if we’re willing to work for it and fight for it. To shed our fears and our doubts and our cynicism. To glory in the task before us of remaking this country block by block, precinct by precinct, county by county, state by state. There is a moment in the life of every generation when, if we are to make our mark on history, this spirit must break through. This is the moment. This is our time. And if you will stand with me in seven days — if you will stand for change so that our children have the same chance that somebody gave us; if you’ll stand to keep the American dream alive for those who still hunger for opportunity and thirst for justice; if you’re ready to stop settling for what the cynics tell you you must accept, and finally reach for what you know is possible, then we will win this caucus, we will win this election, we will change the course of history, and the real journey — to heal a nation and repair the world — will have truly begun. Thank you.

Christmas in Kansas City.

Grandma representing with the new Wheel of Fortune hat.

London's chew toy, post-chew

Luke and Rebecca on Christmas day. Ahhhhhh.

Londers on the deck thinking, "Why are my toes so cold?"

Rocky chillin' under the tree.

London sporting her new winter vest at Grandma's.

London snooping other stocking stuffers.

London playing with her stocking stuffers.

London un-stuffing her stocking stuffers.

London with her fishing hat on.

London on Skype talking to England.

London playing.....

How I feel about that.

Music Music Music

Man. What can I tell you about the last few days? Well, it has been cold and I've stumbled into some great music.

Artist: Simian Mobile Disco

This epic album, yet to be in my collection (hint.) features 'I Believe' - by far one of my favourites of 2007. Then I just heard a remix of 'Hustler' and I'm convinced. SMD is money.

Artist: T2 feat. Jodie Aysha

(This picture has no relevance to t2, I just wanted to put a picture of Pyramids to represent Lauren's 75/90 for her poster.)

'Heartbroken' - This song is just massive. A classic.

The London Dance

So this is a time lapse video, that took about 30 minutes to shoot, in a 3-part mini-series, soon to be made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.

Enjoy. I know London did.

Part 1 - Courting the rawhide.

Part Deux.

El fin.

So you see that part of the bone was still remaining. London usually hides it for a later date and then plays hide and seek to find it later.

Random post

World's Most Comfortable Dog with Red Ball.

Plaza.

Samuel L. Jackson's next cinematic thriller : SQUIRRELS ON A POLE!

This is how all poses for pictures should be.

First class mail

So its a normal Friday lunch hour and all is well. I leave the office to go let my puppy out and get home about 12:05. The weather has improved and it is a fabulous fall day. I check the mail before I go upstairs. I place the small key in the key hole and open the cover of the mailbox. Magazine City. 4 magazines of various sizes take up the whole box. I set my to-be-washed coffee cup down and grab the magazines.

I am hoping I maybe received something from Wheel of Fortune but don't see anything. On top of the magazines is a card addressed to London Schnoebelen....as I am processing this I peek back down into the mailbox because maybe just maybe there will be another piece of mail. The. Piece. Of. Mail. So I peer back into the box and what is that? Wait. There is a piece of mail wedged in the back. Could it be? Sure enough. Bright as day. I grab it and what does it say on the front....Wheel of Fortune.

I grab the envelope with both hands and check for contents. It is a standard envelope containing two or three pages. I'm guessing a "You were great at the Auditions but....." letter and some other jive about keep watching and sign up for the club.

I open the envelope in anticipation........and what does the first line read??????

Congratulations! You have been selected as a contestant for

WHEEL OF FORTUNE.

Sure enough. I made it. After all of this fun I'm going to be on Wheel of Fortune. Exciting stuff.

So the rest of the letter goes on like this....

You have 18 months to make an appearance on our program. As soon as we have a tape date for you, we will contact you with the details. Please do not call the Wheel of Fortune productions office regarding a tape date. However, if you move or change phone number, please contact us.

Please be aware that your selection does not guarantee an appearance on the show.

Enclosed is a tip sheet which you should keep until your appearance on the show.

We look forward to seeing you in the future.

Best Regards,

WHEEL OF FORTUNE CONTESTANT DEPARTMENT

So I'll keep everyone posted on all the specifics but this is just great. The show tapes in LA!

Cheers,

Luke

London footie

Last night we played London football/soccer. I made a goal on the door and she was the goalie. She will probably start for America in the next women's World Cup. She is good.

Wheel of Fortune final audition

So yesterday I had my final audition for Wheel of Fortunnnnnnneee...........it was great. It was at 10 a.m at the Hilton President in downtown Kansas City. So I take the elevator to the 12th floor and exit to a lobby full of potential contestants. I arrive at about 9:35 thinking I would be a little early and could find a seat and read the paper. 2 things were wrong with this scenario, 1) There were no seats. 2)There were no papers. So instead I just stood around with 50 or 60 of the most nervous awkward people in town. Everyone with the idea that they are going to be on the show and that they are truly the best at Wheel of Fortune. Needless to say the conversation is lacking and the mini-introductions are sparse so I make my way back down to the lobby. Voila. Seats and paper. At 10 I make my way back up to the awkward lobby to find twice as many people about to enter the ballroom.

We sit down in rows of chairs in the front of the room, there is a screen set-up showing a video of highlights from the show since its inception. So myself and 107 of my closest friends fill out an audition application whilst watching this hilariously out-dated video.


Then the fun begins......

We get introduced to a few casting agents for the show and are told we will be playing a series of simulated games and will be able to guess at a puzzle when our name is called. The idea being that they'd like to see if you are a quick thinker, have an understanding of the game, and know what the hell is going on. So the puzzle is projected onto the screen at the front and the guessing begins. Each persons name is called and you have the opportunity to guess a letter. My name is called and I guess, W.....correct....one W. The now know the last word is wheel and I buy an E. Correct. Tons of E's. Then I spin again.....I call C. Woo hoo. Enough to solve. "Bicycle and Cheese Wheel" After solving my puzzle I receive a WOF hat and take me seat. Happy that I've just shown that I know what is going on.


After a few people guess at more puzzles....the over-excited woman in the audition gets her name called. She guesses a letter and has all of the puzzle filled in....it reads....Beautiful Orchids in Full Bloom....all she has to do is read it and she wins the puzzle. She is so happy and peeing her pants at this points. She yells out, "Beautiful Orchards in Full Bloom". Oops. Sorry.


After about 30 minutes everyone has guessed and we move on to a written test. I haven't taken a written test since college so I'm a little weary at this point. The written test consists of 20 or so Hangman-like puzzles where you need to fill in the rest of the blanks. For instance M_L G_ _ _ _ N would be MEL GIBSON. We have 5 stinking minutes to finish this epic task and we start when they say Go. I manage to get about half of the answers filled in and guess at the rest. After the test we take a break and I learn that they will 'cutting' people from the audition. Oh my. We take a 30-minute break and I learn that people really struggled through the written test.


We return from the break and are told they will cut the group from 108 to about 20. So everyone is really nervous and it is awkward again. They say my name 3rd so I'm in the clear now I just wait to see who the competition will be.


We then go on to play a series of games while the 3 judges stare at us and write down mini notes about how we play the game and how much fun we are having.

Overall the experience was pretty fun. I walked away with this beauty.


So now I am told to wait two weeks and I'll find out whether I made it. I will be receiving something in the mail should I be chosen to be a contestant.

I will keep everyone posted.

Saturday on the Bike

Mid Mo Brr ride on Saturday, 34 miles of bike riding fun in jeans and a t-shirt with slicked back hair and sweet shades.

Pictures coming soon.

Wheel of Fortuuuuuuuuuune!

A few weeks ago on a dreary Wednesday morning I received an e-mail from the folks over at Wheel of Fortune that the "Wheel Mobile" was coming to town. Long email short, the "Wheel Mobile" (which was more of a bus with a trailer) was in Olathe one day and Kansas City the next.

So.......I decide that on that Sunday I would venture out to meet the "Wheel Mobile." Leaving my lovely wife and fabulous puppy at home I make my way to, none other than, Nebraska Furniture Mart. For those of you not familiar with Nebraska Furniture Mart note that this certain store is not in Nebraska. It is an American-sized store with a plethora of "good deals." Anyways, I make my way into the parking lot the size of a small acreage walk towards what I thought was a politcal uprising only to find 2,000 Wheel of Fortune fanatics. I think to myself, "Wow."

I make my way to the waiting line, something that resembles the line for a the Timberwolf at 2:00 pm on a Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1994. I receive a Yellow piece of paper to fill out my vitals and everything interest me whilst in this long line of die-hard WOF fans. After figuring out how to write while walking I am at the front of the line and I place my completed yellow piece in the box with all the other papers thinking that mine may be drawn at some point. I make way to the mini WOF staging area and join the other people waiting for whatever may happen next. I end up conversing with a lady in a cat sweatshirt and a long ponytail about her previous day of WOF tryouts. In about 15 minutes she has divulged that she is the biggest WOF fan of them and all and she can't wait for the "show" to begin. She tells me that in the next few hours the host will draw five names at a time and those five people will hurredly make their way to the stage and then play a speed round whilst guessing letters and trying to solve the puzzle in a timely manner. Whoa.

This is going to be fun. I realize that my chances are good, 1 in 2000. And since they call 5 at a time I realize that they will probably call about 60 names throughout the course of the show. As the host and mock-Vanna come out, the crowds energy level intensifies. Clapping and hilarity ensues. The host is an incredibly energetic man and gets everyone ready for the big show. As names are drawn and the puzzles are solved people win prizes ranging from a keychain to a duffle bag.

So let me remind you that the names are being drawn out a large metal spinning barrel of fun with names picked at random. So sure enough the next round begins and the 5th name is Luke Schnoebelen. I leap and bound up to the side of the stage to have my Polaroid taken and take a seat next to 4 women with whom I'll be sharing the stage. As we make our way on stage we take our place on green X's marked on the floor. We are located on the right side of the stage with the wheel in between us and the puzzle board.

The wheel is an upright carnival wheel that instead of money has prizes listed on each space. The host spins the wheel and wherever it lands that is the prize that your group wins. In my case it was a hat, a keychain, and a blinky pin. Not too shabby. So the puzzle game begins and the ladies fail miserably at guessing realistic letters that might appear in the puzzle. The puzzle at this point looks something like this

A_th_r _r_ _st _ _ming_ ay

I guess, "H" because I know the first word is Author....then sure enough......it comes to me and the book Death in the Afternoon appears in my head and I solve the puzzle, Author Ernest Hemingway. I celebrate in a mini-Luke Schnoebelen controlled manner with a variation of fist pumps (Kirk Gibson style), high and low fives, and some whooping and hollering. I go off stage shake hands with the paparazzi and get my hat, keychain, and blinky pin.

I make my way back to my car enjoying what I've just experienced. I forgot to mention that at many points during the show the host says that more than a million people tryout for WOF in a given year and only 600 actually make it on the taped show. And they also tell us that if you happen to get up on stage during the mini-audition you have good chance of being called back to a final audition a few weeks later.

So about 4 days later on another dreary Wednesday I arrive at my desk about 8 a.m, lucky Cubs coffee mug in hand and open my e-mail. To my surprise I've received an email from the WOF team that I have made the final auditions and I'll have a chance to audition on November 7th. So now instead of a 1 in 2000 chance I have about a 1 in 100 chance. So one week from today I will know whether I'll have the opportunity to appear on the show or not. But first I've found I have to pass a rigorous audition process. Solving mini-puzzles, various interviews, a 1-hour written exam and if I pass all of those I still have to win some puzzles. Phew.

Sounds like fun. I will be providing live updates throughout the interview process and shortly thereafter. Wish me luck.

Myself with Pat and Vanna.

Jenny Don't Be Hasty.....

Ladies and Gentleman of the Beaumont Club......Paolo Nutini.

Throw your hands in the air... and wave 'em like you just don't care.

Got some new shoes on my feet.

Paolo gettin' down and dirty.

Beverly Hills....that's where I want to be.

There has been a whirlwind of activity since the wedding. One trip to LA, Paolo Nutini concert, Wheel of Fortune craziness, and another radio contest win. We'll start with LA.

Recently on a trip to Los Angeles while shopping with my lovely wife in Beverly Hills. I happen to run into one of the largest sports figures of all-time. None other than Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod to all you cool kids. (A-Rod is on the left)

Shopping on Rodeo Drive.

Probably the most amazing museum in America. The Getty Center.

Tram stop at the top of the mountain.


View from the tram.


Entrance to the museum. (Lady stretching her arm.)

Garden.

Patio.

World's largest fly swatter.

View of downtown L.A.

Pier at Hermosa Beach.

Rollin' in our six fo'. And by six fo' I mean bright red Grand Prix.

Finish line for a triathlon. They made them run through sand after swimming, biking, and running.

Surfer dudes.

Open sea.......

Cool mural.

Hermosa Beach.

I couldn't get down to Redondo Beach because parking was next to impossible. I'm sure it is nice.

More wedding and Iowa party pictures!

Touch football in Iowa.

The McGillins with Luke and Rebecca.


The Bride and Groom

Brian Boarini is the man.

Dancing to the beat.

My Uncle Mike rocking it out.

My Mother's infamous traveling troupe of women. The Runaway Girls.

Luke and Mom dancing. Ahhhhhh.

My family looking ridiculous.

Rebecca with my Grandma

A clip of our first dance at the wedding.

Matt Hicks is good looking.

Mom and Luke.

Hippest cousin in the family, Shamis.