Lane Montgomery

Every time I go to a restaurant and have to wait seemingly longer and longer to get seated, I can't help but think that the economy can't be in that bad of shape in Jackson. Although, to be fair, people in Jackson probably put a higher priority on eating out than in many other places.

I'm still excited about the "Jacktown Connect" meeting we had last night. BTW, that is the official name now. Even if it turns out there aren't that many young professionals in Jackson, it will be nice to know however many we DO have.

I am taking a more positive outlook on our community's lack of "coolness". Maybe cool things aren't happening in Jackson because the people that can make it happen aren't connecting with those who have the ideas and energy to make a change, and I think the Jacktown Connect can go a long way to remedy that.

If anybody reading this wants to find out more information, or wants to help out, let me know!

Order:
Yes
Take a break
Nevermind
Great idea

We're on a spending freeze. I know they say that lack of consumer spending is the reason for the recession, but if we keep spending and one of us loses a job, the government isn't going to bail us out.

I wonder what difference it would have made if instead of giving $700 billion to the banks, they gave that to workers? I heard on NPR that the U.S. workforce is around 150 million. That would mean that each one of those people would get over $4,500. Talk about a stimulus!

Paul Krugman has been saying that the new stimulus should have more of a focus on long-term solutions for unemployment instead of tax breaks for businesses and tax rebates for people.

From what I've been hearing, a lot of people (including Krugman) have been saying the stimulus isn't enough, and probably should be something closer to $1.5 or $2 trillion. I think we should implement the package as it is now and going forward implement more jobs programs, green energy, and energy efficiency (all of which will create jobs here while the economy recovers). This would probably bring us much closer to the filling the gap in how much this recession is costing the economy.

But like I said, I don't have a lobbyist in Washington.

I've got pink eye today and for some reason the doctor won't just call in meds so I have to go see her.

Every appointment I make seems to take 30min to 1hr after my appointment time before I am even seen by the doctor.

It's a good thing my boss is understanding, otherwise I probably would have been written up twice on her account already.

I'm excited for Tuesday. It will be the first (unofficial) meeting of what will become the Jackson Connection (name hasn't been chosen yet, but that's the one I like). It's just a way for young professionals to network and socialize with other young professionals in the area.

Check back here Tuesday night for my impressions from the meeting.

I'm finally starting to find my sweet spot between:

Facebook
Friendfeed
Fire Eagle
Fire Pin
Picasa
Twitter
Last.fm
Blogger
My Maps from Google
And my new G1 (thanks Kristen)

I am finally getting things integrated the way I want them. Now to just get my myspace friends to see the light and switch to facebook. :'(

I heard this morning that the Lions are going to play the TItans on
Thanksgiving. WTF? I thought part of the big appeal was that they wore the
throw back jerseys. How long have the F-ing Titans been around? What, are
their throw back jerseys going to be from 1997?

Last night McKennon got a hold of some baby powder. He emptied nearly the
whole thing over himself and the dining room floor (luckily a hard-wood
floor). I wasn't even mad, I was impressed.

This is apparently day 3 that I haven't taken out the trash. I NEED to
remember to do it tonight.

Today is Thanksgiving at work, so I'm rocking my Lions hat especially hard
today. I brought a chocolate key lime pie....mmm. Also antacids.

A message greeted me on the phone today, have to work right away, no warm
ups, no throw back jerseys either. :(

No decision in life is ever only black and white. People who think so, are
not fully exercising their intellectual ability. They are relying on
written law without an understanding as to the intent of the written law. I
feel that we, as Jews, are charged to be both keepers of the written law,
and advancers of its understanding. That is why I chose Judaism, and Reform
Judaism, above all other philosophies or religions.

I think that Modern Reform (as opposed to Classic Reform) has taken back up
the mantle of the oral law. While necessary, it was a great compromise to
write down the oral law, placing it at a level just below the Torah. I
believe the oral law is meant to adapt to changing times, and as such
should not be codified in the same way Torah law is. Oral law should allow
evolving interpretations of what it means to be Jewish depending on the
contemporary environment. Keeping the oral law constructed from the
established philophies of Judaism will ensure it continues to reflect the
intention of the Torah and the culture it has lended definition to:
Judaism.

But there needs to be a counter-balancing effect that will keep Jews from
being completely assimilated into their surrounding communities.

In order for us to maintain our identity while being increasingly
integrated, Judaism needs to provide a benefit to its members. I'm not
talking about money, I'm talking about community.

The emphasis of community and tradition over other religious aspects of
Judaism will help transition us to a modern concept of G-d, rather than one
formed long ago with less scientific knowledge and understanding. By no
means should we abandon our foundational beliefs in order to achieve a
modern understanding of G-d, but we should build upon them using the
time-tested philosophies they have created.

Having children is such a great mitzvah in part because it implies the
continuation of the Jewish culture. The challenge we are facing is that
this is no longer the case in too many homes. By encouraging Jewish
education we can help provide a sense of community values to future
generations and take some of the burden of education from over-worked
parents.

I think it will be interesting to see how I think about all this once I
have grandchildren.