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