Drum Corps <3

I went to a DCI regional in Buffalo this weekend and it was AWESOME :) We saw some wonderful shows. I really do miss drum corps.

This is a photo of the Glassmen taking the field - the picture doesn't do them justice because I took it with my phone's camera.

Each of the corps trooped the stands, which is fun. I think it was due to necessity, but I enjoyed it anyway. These corps are such high caliber -- I even enjoyed when they parked and barked.

Honesty

This place in Byward Market was named for me :)

Canadians are surprisingly cool

We went to Ottawa this weekend and I liked it there. I think Canadians are cooler than Americans give them credit for. We went to Parliament Hill, the Museum of Civilization, the national art museum, the Canadian Supreme Court and Byward Market. It was a really good long weekend.

One humorous moment was when I first laid eyes on the robes worn by the Canadian Supreme Court Justices. :) From a distance, they looked like a gospel choir. But up close . . . well, they literally look like Santa Claus! This is funny stuff :) They have the black belt, red velvet, white fur trim . . . even the black boots!

I found a blog on the Wall Street Journal website that comments on the robes as follows:

Brooks took our Santa Claus query in stride, saying that the court gets the question all the time. The ceremonial duds date back to the year the court was founded. In 1875, Governor General Lord Dufferin wrote: “I have put the judges into red robes and ermine, which has hitherto been a dress unknown in Canada.” Today, it turns out the justices don the red-and-white only for special ceremonial occasions; on the bench, they’re in plain black robes — no miniver trim! — similar to the ones worn by the U.S. Supreme Court justices.

That's info they couldn't give us on the tour, but it makes sense. I figured it was red for royal and regal, and fur because Canada is cold and it founded in substantial part on fur trade. But the final result is hilarious.

Celebration

Happy birthday, Maggie Princess Peanut!!

(she's so svelte now, we've deleted the "Porky" from her name - its a fair exchange for all the broccoli she endures now)!

My girl is 11 today. We're celebrating tomorrow with a swim in a mucky pond, a trip through the Burger Kind drive-thru, some cheeseburger scarfing, and some belly rubbing.

Buffalo

I went to Lori's wedding this weekend. I hadn't seen her or Julie in a year or so and it was really great to see them. I miss seeing my friends every day - I know its been many years, but still.

Eek, a squirrel!

This is an article from the local paper that struck my funny bone. Thank goodness this guy didn't have a tazer handy!

June 2, 2008

Squirrel evades pepper spray, 5 people treated in city

Paramedics treated five people for exposure to pepper spray after a man tried to force a squirrel out of his Durnan Street house Sunday by spraying it with the substance.Emergency crews were called to the house about 4:45 p.m. and washed out the victims’ eyes, said Deputy Fire Chief Scott Williams of the Rochester Fire Department.Firefighters put fans throughout the house to flush out the pepper-spray-filled air.“When the fire department went in and opened up all of the windows, the squirrel decided to leave,” Williams said. “I guess he figured his work there was done.”

Because he didn't post them :)

He gets the keys...

And then he gets into his new car...

And drives away!

Visual summary of my week to-date

That's me, on the left.

Knowledge was power, but now it kills time

I went to a class yesterday and learned all about RSS feeds and blogs for the legal profession and how to soup up my Google usage, etc. The stated goal of the class was to boost productivity by upgrading the use of online tools. I was a really good session. However, now I have so many things I want to do on my computer that it's actually decreased my productivity. Incidentally, my new iGoogle page is gorgeous.

I love lilacs

Highland Park
May, 2008

Keeping in touch

A friend of mine that I was close to for a while in my life just had a baby and I've very happy for her. She's going to be a wonderful mother - that's one lucky baby.

But the baby brings some really sad feelings for me. I haven't kept in touch with my friend like I should have. In fact, I've always been terrible at keeping in touch with people. That's not an excuse, but more objective fact.

The last time I spoke with my friend, it was two days before she found out she was pregnant. She was 8 1/2 months along the next time I spoke to her, and now she's given birth since our last conversation. I'm kicking myself for being so absent in a friend's life.

She has a million friends -- she's one of those people who makes people feel good about themselves, and she's very outgoing -- so she doesn't need me to be in her life for support or anything like that. I should just be there for a friend because that's what friends do.

I've moved around a lot in the past and my friends are scattered around the world. It can be difficult to keep in touch. I hope this lesson stays in my heart and mind so I can be a better friend in the future.

More like a nickel and a quarter

I was just reading a NYT article about Sens. Clinton and McCain's idea ot suspend the federal gas tax for 3 months. Did you know that the plan will save the average driver 30 cents per day? THIRTY cents - one nickel and one quarter. I could return the bottles in my recycle box and do 3X better than that.

This is a distraction from the real problem -- we're dependent on oil and the technology to replace it has not been developed yet. WHY DON'T WE WORK ON THAT!!!

Sen. Clinton is quoted as citing this proposal and then saying she's the only Democrat who is working to solve the gas expense problem. Is that seriously your position?? I don't think giving back a small fraction of the gas tax we pay will "solve" the problems of the financially burdened middle class. The middle class in America is on the verge of moving out with the dodo bird, and she's "saving" us by giving back an estimated $28 TOTAL. It's disingenuous and pretty much evil to hang your hat on a distraction and call yourself a hero for it when you know damn well that your token plan keeps people from talking about real solutions to very real problems that will very soon be changing the landscape of our economy and culture.

Two Wrights make a wrong

I really don't want to hear one more comment about Rev. Wright. Just stop it. I don't want to watch another clip of his terrible impersonation of Pres. Kennedy, or his description of how white marching bands are different from black marching bands. The man is a racist and I'm tired of listening to his ignorance.

I do not believe that he represents the entire black community - nor do I believe that Barack Obama is a bad man because he attends Trinity Baptist Church. Heck, I'm a Roman Catholic and and I don't think anyone attributes all of the tenets of the Catholic Church or the actions of any particular Catholic priest to me personally.

Sen. Obama showed a lot of integrity when he supported his friend after the entire country told him to denounce him -- his original soundbytes were taken out of context and Sen. Obama wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt I honestly don't understand how his friend, one month later, turns around and seems to purposefully and effectively embark on a crusade to destroy everything Sen. Obama has been working towards for the past year.

Why wouldn't Rev. Wright support a member of his church who refused to denounce him despite all of that pressure? It doesn't make any sense - I think Wright is probably mentally unbalanced - the conspiracy theories and the betrayal defy logic and common sense.

In the end, Sen. Obama did what he had to do -- he was forced to denounce his friend. I can imagine that kind of betrayal must take the wind out of Sen. Obama, and his family.

Nickles and dimes

Just like everyone else (except for "the frugals" - i.e. people who have bought hybrid cars or started riding their bikes), the gas prices are adding up for me. Thankfully, I am able to deal with the increases, but I'm certainly not immune from the shock of a $57 tank of gas.

I was talking to a friend last week -- she lives around the corner from me -- and she told me that someone had gone down her street one night and siphoned the gas out of her neighbors' gas tanks. So I found myself at the auto parts store buying a locking gas cap for my Jeep so I don't lose any liquid gold while I sleep.

This morning, I was listening to Good Morning America as I got ready for work. They were talking about how Sens. Clinton and McCain have both proposed suspending the gas tax for this summer so that Americans can go on their road trips without going bankrupt.

This is such a silly idea! The Senators are only talking about the Federal gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon. New York State adds 31.9 cents per gallon, so that's only really a vacation from ~1/3 of the gas tax.

I usually buy about 15 gallons, give or take, when I fill my gas tank. The Federal gas tax is 18.4 cents, so that adds up to a savings for me of $2.76 per fill-up.

$2.76 doesn't make a dent in a $57 tank of gas! Its all smoke and mirrors to make us feel warm and fuzzy so we'll want to vote for McCain or Clinton. Don't fall for it! They're insulting your intelligence. At this point, it would be a lot more helpful if they gave me a Federal grant to pay for a a tune up of the bicycle I haven't touched in 5 years.

She's got a job to do

I just spent the morning furious and arguing with my own team members on a project. My job requires that sometimes. Every job has pros and cons and when I have a "con" day, sometimes I wonder what else I could've or should've done with my life. That's probably natural.

I think I should have been a panda bear keeper. Those guys have a great job. They watch the pandas in person and on video, cut bamboo, and clean up the habitat. That sounds good to me. Sign me up!

When I go home at night, being a Maggie keeper always cheers me up no matter what my day was like -- I walk her, feed her, and clean up her poop. It's always good and I always enjoy it. If I could get paid for doing the same for panda bears, it would be awesome!

Check out the panda cam: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm

Give me the Dayquil and no one gets hurt

I have a bit of a cold and it came with a major sinus headache. So, that's no problemo, right? Just take a few cold pills, sinuses come back into line, and then headache goes away. Its a plan. So I went to the drug store and walked over to the cold pill aisle . . . and then remembered THE STUPID COLD PILL RESTRICTION. I hate that.

Honestly, I do not believe that tracking my cold pill usage is going to prevent anyone from becoming a meth addict. It certainly doesn't treat people who are already meth addicts. It's just more government bureaucracy -- one more way for the government to keep tabs on my business. If Americans can get Viagara in Canada, why couldn't or wouldn't they get cold pills there? And when was the last time passing a law curbed street drug use?

I should be able to walk over to the aisle, pick up what I need, pay for it, and leave. But nooooooo. I have to go to the pharmacy, wait in line, convince some grumpy old pharmacy tech that I want what I want and not what she wants for me, hand over my driver's license, then pay and leave. What a pain in the ass.

BNL is for Everyone

One of my favorite bands of all time, the Barenaked Ladies, is releasing a childrens' album next month. I can see how that wouldn't be too difficult for these guys - they have a fun view of the world and they don't take themselves too seriously. I'm going to buy the album (as I have all the others!) and check it out. I think BNL should be required listening in all schools . . . but parents would never allow us to use the work "barenaked" in a school!

Welcome to Spring

Happy Good Friday everyone! I know I have many, many loyal readers of my blog :P (if you can define "many" as . . . um, one). I wish I was sitting outside on my porch on a 65 degree day with a good book and my favorite little angel (Maggie). Instead, I'm alone at the office and trying to get my brain to focus on the task at hand while I wait for my car to be returned to me by the auto shop. New brakes are expensive.

I saw on cnn.com today that someone at the State Dept. has accessed the passport records of all three remaining candidates for President. I wonder if any of our information is safe. I wonder why any sane person would run for President knowing the scrutiny each candidate must face. I suspect there is more to the passport case than meets the eye. Perhaps the current administration wanted the information, or maybe the Clintons wanted the information and accessed all three to throw off the scent. I hope we find out.

Refreshing royals

CNN.com is reporting that Prince Harry has been actively serving in Afghanistan on the front lines with his army unit for the past 10 weeks. I don't think we should ask our young men and women to be on those lines, but respect very much the loyalty and sacrifice that these soldiers show every minute they're over there. They've done everything asked of them and more and they're doing it for us.

Its about time one of the leaders responsible for the decisions to invade Afghanistan and Iraq allowed their son or daughter to serve in those conflicts - just as the sons and daughters of the middle and lower economic classes have done for years now. I know the Queen and her family are mostly figureheads these days, but they're still seen as the elite ruling class in the UK.

Also, I am pleasantly surprised that the media has known about Prince Harry's service and have managed to keep it secret for 10 weeks in the interest of his safety and the safety of those who are standing side-by-side with him on the front lines. This kind of news makes me able to believe almost anything - I'd almost believe it if you told me that Ann Coulter had something constructive to say or, (albeit, less likely) that President Bush has read the Constitution.

This is a good story - the royal family just got a lot more likable in my book.

No problem

No problem

Retiro feliz, Castro

It looks like the biggest, baddest revolutionary on the planet is retiring with his gold watch and pension plan intact. Happy retirement, Castro - you fascist dictator, you.

Now is the time to bust that embargo wide open. What better way to finally tank the Cuban communist economy than by flooding it with commercial goods hawked and pushed by a capitalist machine that has pervaded all other corners of the globe? Roll in there and buy all of those pristine classic cars and sell them some Hyundai’s, which means they'll need 50 Hyundai dealerships to service the cars (send them that “Huuuuge” guy - good riddance). Give them enough Starbucks coffee to get them addicted and then set up 500 Starbucks locations. Give Paris Hilton and her friends all visas and let them strut around Havana making young Cuban girls feel too smart and too fat - they'll all buy pink bedazzeled phones and diet pills (bonus: PH won’t be here).

The plan is genius. Pretty soon, Raul Castro and his regime will be crushed under a wave of materialism. If 50 years of CIA ingenuity can't kill communism in Cuba, maybe Pepsi and McDonalds can give it a shot.

Ms. Clinton

I agree whole-heartedly that the children of politicians should be left alone by the press. It isn't fair for young children to be splashed across the 24-hour news channels just because of what their parents do for a living.

But, please. Chelsea Clinton is 27 or 28 years old now. She has a masters degree in international relations from Oxford, and she is an active, senior member of her monther's national campaign for the presidency. She's taking superdelegates out to breakfast and giving speaches at colleges. Now she's heading off to Hawaii to lead the campaign in that state. She has actively campaigned in Arkansas, California, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Wisconsin, and others.

Chelsea Clinton is far from the innocent 12 year old girl who moved into the White House in 1993 and should be fair game, just as every other member of a national political campaign is.

Happy Valentine's Day

For a long time, I've had the same valentine every year . . . Maggie the labrador! This is her:

Maggie is an excellent valentine and always remembers to let me rub her belly in honor of the occassion.

This year, I have two valentines. Its awfully nice to have the second valentine because he is sweet and handsome and intelligent ;)

As a bonus, valentine no. 2 can rub valentine no. 1's belly and maybe I get the day off . . . heh heh.

The real deal . . . ?

I'm kind of cynical about politicians these days, like most people. I used to really believe in our leaders . . . but they disappointed me.

But I think this guy might be the real deal. I can feel my cynicism starting to peel away around the edges.

Super duper, it's Tuesday

Don't forget to vote today! Every eligible voter needs to go to the polls today and make a choice - I don't care what you choose, just make a choice.

Well . . . I do care what you choose, but I'd rather have a majority outcome than watch 5% of the population pick my candidates for President.

And, if you live in Western NY, please note that the polls don't open until Noon today (I wish someone had told me that this morning :)

A pictoral representation of my week so far

Happy MLK, Jr. Day

I was looking at some old photos from the Civil Rights Movement online and I thought the reminder of where we came from was very interesting.

Dr. King gave a eulogy at the funeral of 4 young girls who were killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth St. Baptist Church in which he said the girls were "the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity" (see photo). He had a wonderful way of expressing himself. People don't seem to talk like that anymore.

While viewing the photos and reading about their work, I'm struck by his dignity and by the impeccably high standards that Dr. King and his peers had for themselves. I wonder what Dr. King would have said if he lived to see today's world, where gangsters are the role models for every suburban teenager and the crusade for freedom and human dignity seems to have faded into a memory. I think Dr. King would be dismayed by the incarceration rate of African American men in America and the issues that African American leaders like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson choose to speak about.

Regardless, there is no question that we're all better-off for the changes Dr. King advocated. We can all travel freely and stay in hotels and eat at restaurants. Our kids sit next to each other in school. The number of African American CEO's is growing and includes companies like American Express, KMart, Time Warner, and Merrill Lynch. And the first serious African-American candidate for President of the United States is working hard in South Carolina today.

Ouch

Every time President Bush says or does something stupid, I think "after this, nothing this man says or does will surprise me." Unfortunately, I stand corrected - again.

Today in a press conference, President Bush called for the end of the "occupation" of Arab lands by Israel. Huh??? That may be the biggest crock of hypocrisy I've ever seen. When the President of the United States of America looks in the mirror and thinks about ending occupations of Arab land, he thinks of . . . Israel?

I'm not commenting on the merits of the war here, but does he not see how that might be an odd statement for the U.S. Commander-in-Chief to make while standing at a podium in the West Bank?

We're 88% through his tenure as President.

Civic irresponsibility

Almost a half million victims of Katrina have filed lawsuits against the US government for damage arising from the flooding of New Orleans. Their claims equal $3,014,170,389,176,410.00.

How do you even say that number? One claim alone was for 3 quadrillion dollars. Thee QUADRILLION? What could that one guy have lost or suffered that is worth that much money? The entire gross domestic product for the US was only $13.2 trillion in 2007 - FAR short of just the one claim.

What New Orleans went through was horrific and shameful, but is bankrupting the United States government the answer? Does one hapless victim's claim outweigh the security and commerce of an entire nation?

Just playing the game

http://www.explodingdog.com/title/justplayingthegame.html

Woo hoo!

Jon Stewart is back on the air tonight!

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=291292&GT1=7703

The word of the year is . . .

Subprime?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22514839/?GT1=10755

The American Dialect Society voted "subprime" the Word of the Year for 2007. The finalists were: Facebook, green, Googleganger and waterboarding.

Never fear, my Earth-loving friends - "green" won the subcategory of "Most Useful Word of 2007." I've been thinking that "green" is just another instance of how the 24-hour news media monster has taken a decent, upstanding word and corrupted it by assigning another (ahem, incorrect) definition to it and then using the word incessantly until my head explodes. Clearly I'm not as hip as the American Dialect Society.

And the article was compelled to define "Googleganger" for us, since no one other than the 80 members of the American Dialect Society have probably ever heard of it. Its a noun that refers to the guy (other than you) who appears in the search results when you Google your own name.

I question the judgment of people who voted "plutoed" as the Word of the Year for 2006. Apparently, it means "to be demoted or devalued."

I'm no politico

Early in the very early campaign for President, I was thinking I'd probably vote for Hillary Clinton. I think she has all of the tools a great President needs -- she's smart, she knows how the system works, she's been burned and learned from it, and she appears to think about the issues before she takes a position. Plus, and added bonus is that she's a woman. I think it's about damn time we had a woman in the Oval Office.

And . . . I'm embarrassed to admit, but I think it would be a lot of fun to see Bill Clinton appointed to the Supreme Court. He has the credentials and the intellect for it and there is a precedent for a former president on the Court (Taft).

The more I watch the spectacle, though, the less appealing Hillary is. I said before the beginning that she's divisive -- I sent her an email (more likely, I sent an email to her 4th Undersecretary of Checking Email) asking her to please not run if she thinks she can't unite the country. We've have 7 long years of division and are visibly hurting from it. We have to face facts -- there is a group of people in the U.S. who just hate Hillary for some reason not tied to a specific event or trait -- I guess it's a vibe that she gives off. They seeth with hatred when you say her name and it would take an act of God for her to win them over in the general election. We'd be basically asking anti-Hillary Democrats to vote for a candidate who doesn't believe in evolution (take your pick which one) -- but don't get me started on that.

And her "Let the Conversation Begin" handlers are oppressive. I think we have to assume that the strategy is approved by Hillary, but it's clear that Hillary is suffering from the same syndrome that hurt Al Gore's campaign -- she's handled and you can hear it and see it in everything she does and says. If Al Gore had stood on a campaign podium and spoke the way he does today, he would have won in a landslide. He never did, presumably because he took the advice of his handlers to never pick a side or commit to anything.

But the biggest issue I have with Hillary today (still early in the process) is that she, like all the candidates, appears to lack civility or, for that matter, any respect for the process and her own integrity. Whatever it takes to win, right? Say anything, do anything, so long as we win. Integrity, compassion, and civility be damned . . . unless they can get you 2 more points in the polls.

And then the strangest thing happened -- dare I say it. Barack Obama was civil to his opponents. Seriously - the man was civil to his opponants two days before the Iowa caucus when common political wisedom said he should be using every weapon in his arsenal. He could have lambasted Hillary's dirty tactics (she said something nasty about him), but he said lets talk about why you should vote for me. He didn't make a grand statement about his integrity and why he doesn't play dirty - he just did it. He's well-read, smart, knows how Washington works . . . and civil? Maybe it doesn't mean anything and you can be sure that I'll keep watching, but it's about time we elected someone who has integrity.

How do you measure integrity? That's a tough question when all you have to go on are sound bites and scripts. Recent history tells me that the majority is also having a hard time finding this trait in a candidate. I think all we can do it look at the little things and how a candidate responds to crisis and criticism -- do they deny and dodge, or do they react genuinely. Maybe it's instinct . . . but I think Senator Obama might have it. And lets face it -- its about damn time we had a black man in the Oval Office.

Happy 2008

Well, it's 2008. Happy new year!

I was talking to a co-worker today and he asked me what my resolutions are for this year. I always wondered how many people actually make new year resolutions (and now I know it's at least one). I don't. I tell myself that I would do something if it is worth doing, regardless of the date . . . I wonder if that's true. There are so many things worth doing that I just don't do. There are examples -- losing weight, volunteering on the weekends, saving the planet from impending doom . . . the usual things people talk about when they talk about resolutions.

The truth is that I want to do all those things -- I've done them before at different times (not the doom one) and not stuck to them. I wonder if I can order some "stick-to-it" online.