CELBLOG3

A Good Start - How Much Do YOU Pay for Government Services?

2011-04-16T10:56:00.001-05:00

Marshall Ramsey, The Clarion Ledger

Your Tax Dollars Broken Down By Category

Saw this site yesterday in the news and thought it was a great (first) step toward, what will ultimately be, the single most talked about story right up through the 2012 elections. What I like most about this link is that it is not speculation about what America will pay going forward (the next budget debate) but rather a depiction of where our money has already gone. Past budget agreements and what we will pay if nothing changes.

Pure and simple, this is how the country's bills were paid in 2010. Think of this like your yearly family expenditures. You pay x% of your income for various things like mortgage/rent, food, utilities, etc. This site will show you exactly how the government spent our money (tax revenue) in 2010. Even better, if you enter the amount you paid for social security, medicare, and income tax (from your taxes or last pay stub of the year) you will see precisely how much you personally "donated" toward the running of this country broken down by category. It is in, in my opinion, somewhat of an eye-opener.

The topic of taxation will be covered (incessantly, I'm certain) by the media, and of course will be accompanied by an incredible amount of posturing on both sides of the political agenda, some of which began this week. Don't let them kid you, both sides, democrat and republican, have agendas despite both sides also saying (ad nauseum) that they have the support, wishes and well being of the American people uppermost in their thoughts. They don't. They have the support, wishes and well being of their respective supporters at the forefront of their efforts. The best the rest of us can do is find out what's true and what ain't. And vote. Please Vote. Every election. Please. Ferret out the truth and make a difference with your vote.

In my job (technology manager) I absolutely depend upon accurate information to make decisions every day. The more accurate the information, the better decisions myself and my team can make in the course of our daily activities. Bad information leads to bad decisions and, perhaps worse, also takes far more time and resources to get the job accomplished. Bad information is very inefficient (and yes I know that is a geek-like thing to say).

And that's the point of this blog. Everyone seems to agree that the financial health of this country is a job that needs to be successfully accomplished for the good of every American and the Republic at large, and not the least, future generations of Americans.

On the other hand, if you follow the political discussion in this country, irrespective of how you follow it (newspaper, TV, Internet, right-leaning, left-leaning whatever) you likely have at least some % of incorrect information that you categorically believe to be fact. In other words, if you believe what you read, are told, or see on the 'Net, without investigating further on your own, you are part of the problem.

We absolutely need accurate information to fix this fiscal crisis. Finding that information is hard. Problems involving millions or Americans and trillions of dollars is hard. That's a lot of detail Ladies and Gentlemen, a lot of complexity.

Tough. You're an American, use your brain and your (extensive) resources to get to the bottom of the facts, not opinion. Don't just believe the first thing you read or hear. Look into it more. Ask questions. If someone told you you could get something for nothing in your personal life, what would you say? Exactly. Same thing with the conversation about the Nation's economy. Nothing is free, it's just of matter of what we want to earn and where we want to spend.

Asking questions is one the strengths or our democracy. Asking too many questions in some other countries can be a death sentence. That is what our forefathers created for us. The ability to ask questions and determine for ourselves what the truth is. Honor them, and all the people who have fought to preserve our freedoms by doing exactly that. Still sound too hard? I didn't think so.

It is too important to do anything else. As a start I'd like to recommend the following site as at least your second source for anything you're curious about that you've read or heard about the challenges facing this country. I've read this site for a long time and they certainly take issue with both sides, right and left, with respect to some of their public statements. That's a good start, but don't stop there. Hold our leaders accountable with your intelligence and persistence America. We're not sheep so don't act like it.

Fact Check

Murder at 315 Warwick

2011-03-14T11:13:00.004-05:00

Moose, Near the Scene of the Crime

Rex, Horrified Onlooker

I knew there was something wrong with the story about a rabbit being slain in our backyard this morning the minute I heard it. For one thing, if it were Rex, the rabbit would win 2 out of 3 falls. For another, Moose couldn't catch a rabbit under glass for crissakes. So, absent running over one with the lawnmower (even that doesn't happen as much as other backyards), our backyard is a relatively decent neighborhood if you're a rabbit. A fact that has clearly been passed down from one generation to the next if recent history is any measure.

No, it was a squirrel. I just put his fuzzy little ass in a hefty bag (I learned that from Dexter but I did not float him down the DuPage River). My guess is this is the same squirrel that lives (lived I mean) in the tree just outside our fence. The one who has been talking shit to Moose from the relative safety of about 20 feet up ever since Moose was a puppy.

Chief Inspector Moose-eau is on the scene now examining her handiwork and pretending to know nothing of the event. Pretty much no doubt it was premeditated. Bringing along a bandanna as a disguise does reveal a certain degree of malice aforethought. The brutality of the crime scene also reveals this to have been a particularly violent encounter. Early reports indicate both Rex and his owner threw up when they came upon the scene. This was personal.

Just thought I'd let everyone know the REAL story. The squirrel did get in a shot on Moose's nose but nothing major, just looks like she cut herself shaving. The lesson being make sure you have a better punch before you mouth off.

Net Neutrality Part 1 - What's the Big Deal?

2011-01-29T10:58:00.002-06:00

Thanks to TFTS for the graphic

Net Neutrality. The best definition I've read (so far) is the following:

"A level playing field for Internet transport. It refers to the absence of restrictions or priorities placed on the type of content carried over the Internet by the carriers and ISPs that run the major backbones. It states that all traffic be treated equally; that packets are delivered on a first-come, first-served basis regardless from where they originated or to where they are destined." (http://computer.your dictionary.com/net-neutrality).

OK, I can hear it now ... so what? This only concerns geeks like you, Charlie. What do we care how Internet Service Providers (ISP) prioritize and route data traffic? It's their property, their service and they can pretty much handle their business however they'd like, right?

Suppose however that you are paying that ISP far less for service than all of their other subscribers, including small businesses, large conglomerates, and even governments? Also suppose that as a private citizen you're not even allowed to buy top-flight services like those offered to the Big Boys. Your puny monthly subscription affects not only how quickly (or not) you can access the Internet, but also the content you are "permitted" to view?

Different story now, right?

So while you may be permitted to view YouTube you would be charged extra for Netflix (over and above the amount you already pay Netflix). IF your subscription level allowed such an option that is. Your level of service might not even permit video access as you simply aren't profitable enough to justify extending that much bandwidth. Think of bandwidth like pipes .. the bigger the pipe the more water (data) you get.

Or maybe you are able to view video but it is so pitifully slow that you can't use it. Remember though you are a peon subscriber with no rights beyond those declared in your ISP's Service Level Agreement (SLA). Do you know anyone, other than me, who has actually read an SLA? No, didn't think so; Some of you may have but I'd bet 99% of the population hasn't. On the other hand, that same 99% has agreed to one (cell phones, cable TV, computer warranties, you name it).

And this could well come about if Net Neutrality doesn't become the law of the land. Not much we can do about other countries (witness Egypt's decision to turn off the Internet and cell service this week in response to the ongoing uprising).

To use another analogy, let's look at books. Suppose that, for whatever reason, a book you really wanted to read cost $1000 precisely because of the views espoused in that text? Views that ran counter to accepted wisdom, common sense, family values [insert favorite dogmatic bullshit here]. But, you could get a "different" book, once much more "compatible" with the views of whichever governing authority you happened to live under, for $5? Or free?

Or maybe you pay less for the electricity supplying your new Samsung refrigerator than the miserable mope who, utilizing his "freedom" of consumer choice, stupidly purchased one from LG instead? These types of deals (known as cooperative monopolies) are playing out everyday in the marketplace and while the electricity example seems far-fetched, it is a very real possibility especially as more and more devices, households, and services interconnect via the Internet.

Worse, the potential for information censorship, market-driven or politically-driven, becomes a very real threat to personal freedom. It is for this reason that Net Neutrality is often called the First Amendment Issue of the Technological Age. It really IS that important.

And not to scare you any further but here are a few videos of a prominent U.S. Senator, and former Presidential candidate, who has made Net Neutrality an important issue for himself, his constituents, his lobbyists, and by extension given his national role, the American public at large. Oh, and he has self-admittedly never used a computer. :-(

Daily Show - Net Neutrality
Really, Senator McCain? The Internet Freedom Act?

McCain Again
No restraint of competition? My friends at Qualcomm?

NEXT: Part 2 - Why is this even a debate?

MLB Sucks & Information Snaring

2011-01-03T22:06:00.005-06:00

Oh for crissakes. Some months ago I posted a link to a YouTube video showing a batter getting hit in the stones by a pitch. It was funny as hell, even his teammates were dying laughing in the dugout.

Check this out (same link, different result):

I'll Say It Hit Him

Right. Copyright. Because I'm sure we'll see that video on MLB sometime soon and of course we wouldn't want to infringe on any (minuscule) profits they might make off the showing of that 30 second clip. Right.

No, in an odd twist for the new technological realities of our times, what we have here is the 21st century equivalent of censorship. They can't stop people from information sharing so they use legal means (you and I call them threats) to effect information snaring, a new term I just coined for strictly controlling information, through threat of law suit, that otherwise simply could not be contained.

And if you don't think this little example isn't important, stay tuned for my next blog entry on Net Neutrality.

Reference: Thanks to the Bud Selig Should Be Fired As MLB Commissioner group on Facebook for the graphic.

Chihuahua attacked - locals applaud.

2010-12-17T05:31:00.001-06:00

Mr. Rex made the mistake of trying to take Moose's food last night. Not just any food, but succulent vegetables cooked in olive oil, apparently highly prized among the resident canines. He was summarily attacked and beaten, suffering a cut and bloody nose (pictures as they become available).

Cheers went up from those of us who live with him. Moose to be the recipient of a distinguished public service award in a ceremony and gala this weekend.

In Happier Times

The Town Cryer *

2010-11-06T00:06:00.004-05:00

PLEASE knock off the crying, Sir John

What is it with this guy? He cries more than Cub fans for crissakes and at least they have reasons spanning over 100 years. If he were a woman it would be said of him that he is overly emotional, unstable, or just way too irrational to be one of this country's leaders.

All of which is true if you ask me but that's not the point since I don't like his politics nor his nearly daily proclamations that he is speaking for "the will of the American people". The American people consist of people who agree AND disagree with you John, not just your base.

But he's not alone with those specific sentiments. For the past month there have been SO many political ads on both sides of the aisle claiming certainty about the will of the people. It's ridiculous ... it's a big country with many, many different viewpoints. Nobody can claim his (or her) political views are representative of the whole country.

That said, what's with all the waterworks? Save it for important things like death and other sorrowful events, like opening day in Cleveland. Here are a few examples (a simple Google or YouTube search turns up more):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSF4O8BYq4s&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jx_zpyJY7Y

http://www.indecisionforever.com/2010/11/04/why-is-everyone-making-a-big-deal-about-john-boehner-crying/

Enough already Mr. Squeaker. Do your job and stop acting like a 1st grader. By all means advocate for those who agree with and voted for you. But stop saying you represent the will of the American people. And for God's sake ... knock off all the damned crying will you? You sound like Hillary.

* misspelling intentional: cryer -"The female of the hawk" - seems appropriate.
http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/cryer

Over $8,000 for Leukemia & Lymphoma Research!

2010-10-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

Great thanks to Richie Avena and the many, many donors who contributed to his effort in the Chicago Marathon today to fight leukemia and lymphoma. I find it absolutely amazing that such a sum of money was raised with such a grassroots effort. You are all to be commended.

We are very grateful that Richie also chose to honor our daughter, Samantha, in the process. As most of you know, Sam defeated leukemia last year and has herself continued to raise money to defeat pediatric cancer through the St.Baldrick's organization.

Sam's sisters, Heather, Shawna, and Veronica volunteered to cheer for Team in Training Illinois as well. It was a lot of fun and we all got quite a thrill when Richie passed by at the 23 mile marker on the IIT Campus around 33rd and State Street.

It was a great day, a great effort and, most importantly for a great cause.

History is Made ... Doc Halladay!

2010-10-06T20:07:00.001-05:00

Phillies Ace Roy "Doc" Halladay tosses a no-hitter in the opening round of the National League Divisional Series (NLDS) versus the Cincinnati Reds, the Phils winning 4-0. Only the 2nd no-hitter in MLB playoff history, the first having occurred 54 years ago in the World Series, a perfect game by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees over the Brooklyn (yes, Brooklyn, not LA) Dodgers.

Way to go Doc!

The Healing Hat

2010-10-03T10:01:00.016-05:00

Sam and Jenna

The Healing Hat and its first two owners.

In the words of my brother when I showed him the e-mail thread from whence this picture was copied ...

"THAT is the coolest. Thing. Ever." Couldn't agree more, Gary.

The healing hat was created by Sharon Parker one of our dear friends. She made it for Sam last year when Sam was struggling with leukemia and the (horrible) effects of chemotherapy. As I'm sure everyone knows, chemo leaves people hairless. What you may not know is that most of the body's warmth is lost through the head and chemo patients spend a considerable amount of time, not only in pain from all the poisonous damage to their body, but also freezing as well.

Enter the healing hat, a term coined by Gretchen once the hat began its journey from one owner to the next on the 6th floor of Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago.

You had to be there to see the sheer relief on Sam's face when she put it on during periods where she was so cold she could barely stand it. It was a look of utter contentment and, in my opinion, gave Sam some semblance of control at a time when she had very little. You know how, when you haven't got much going for you, even the smallest things take on enormous significance? Yeah, just like that.

She wore it often ... while watching cooking shows on the Food Network, skyping with family and friends, getting her "ass kicked by Rosetta Stone Arabic" (her words), listening to her iPod, doing homework, you name it. The hat was, in a very real sense, a major contributor to her comfort and well being.

As Sam neared the end of her treatment at UC she met another young person, Jenna, with the same type of leukemia, AML, which stands for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. They became very good friends and the hat was passed to Jenna. Today they are both in college having successfully weathered the storm. They remain close and in fact consider themselves sisters.

The picture at the beginning of the blog is Healing Hat owner number three, a little ten year old girl named Molly who underwent a bone marrow transplant earlier this month for treatment of ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Jenna passed the hat to Molly before leaving Comer and we all wish little Molly the same fantastic success as her new big sisters, Sam and Jenna.

It will be very hard for Molly but she is a very tough little girl, even insisting on skyping into class from the hospital so she doesn't fall behind and, as you can tell from her smile, she has the same indomitable spirit Sam and Jenna possess. She also has the healing hat on her side and that is no small comfort.

Oh, and finally, I should also mention how YOU can help stamp out these miserable afflictions. A friend of ours, Rich Avena, is running the Chicago marathon next week to raise money for the Illinois Chapter of the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. In addition to other terrific organizations like St. Baldricks, Bear Necessities, and UC - Comer Children's Hospital, the Society is making major strides in the treatment of pediatric cancer, especially with regard to blood cancers. Some contribute money, others research, and still others treatment. It's going to take everyone's assistance to eliminate these scourges.

As with the little healing hat, nothing is too small to make a difference. Even $5 or $10 helps. Really. Please consider donating: A Little Healing Goes A Long Way

THANK YOU.

Richie

"I'll say it hit him"

2010-10-02T10:04:00.000-05:00

Strike one ... and two. Best part is the reaction in both dugouts. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXJ9gyTVjnE

Droid - The Future of Enterprise and Personal Computing

2010-09-26T11:32:00.001-05:00

My sister requested advice from some us on Facebook about what type of smartphone she should purchase (her first). The response from all quarters was any Droid-based smartphone. Droid, short for Android, is Google's invention. So I thought I'd write a bit about my impressions of Droid thus far.

I know this won't please most of the people who read my blog (as if anything I write does now that I think about it), as this post is about technology ... so feel free to pass ... you know who you are.

I've been horsing around daily (and occasionally even working) with technology for almost 30 years and if there is one thing I've learned it's that technology is continually evolving at break neck speeds and today's killer app (or service) will, one day, wind up on the scrap heap absent careful attention to competition and emerging tech in their respective space. Thus far it's been as inevitable as death, taxes, and public stupidity. Betamax, Novell Netware, Blockbuster and many other examples as well. All leaders in their field at one time. All road kill now (well I guess Blockbuster is still on life support to be fair about it).

As most people who know me will agree, I'm somewhat of a hard sell when it comes to technology. For one thing, and this is heresy to most, I am not a sycophant for Apple and its technology. Apple makes good stuff, but not nearly as good as their many fans would claim. It breaks just like any other technology but you wouldn't know it to hear some of the discussion. My favorite is that the Mac OS is virus and hack proof. That's absolutely hysterical to anyone who knows how code really works. But that is a common misconception of Apple software for a great many people.

Another is that they are engineered better from a hardware perspective. Maybe, but I doubt it. Apple buys parts from the same suppliers as Dell, HP & IBM. Hard drives from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and such. Not that its necessarily bad as a result of their overseas lineage, just that it breaks with the same frequency (known as MTBF, mean time before failure). Several years ago we probably bought an iPod a year to replace previous units on which the drives had failed, warranty already expired ... and like that.

No, Apple's success, and they are one of the most successful tech firms out there right now, comes because they do (at least) two things extremely well ... they greatly simplify the technology such that it is easy to understand and use (even when errors occur ... hello Microsoft did you get that?), and they strictly control their brand and public message. The latter of which may be the more difficult of the two actually. The Mac versus PC ads being a classic example. The ads aren't even directly targeted at Microsoft (they don't make PCs yet though rumors of an iPad or tablet-like PC continue), but the simple message is very clear to casual users and investors alike. We're better than they are. Period. This also allows them to sell product at much higher prices than competitors which is a very nice thing in a market as close to commodity as there is. But what happens when the competition trumps you on functionality AND price? Not good, Mr. Jobs, not good.

Apple's Achilles heel, and the reason their iPhone will soon be looking up at Droid-based models, is that they continue to insist on proprietary products. That has been, heretofore, the model by which companies have made money in technology, not just Apple. The problem with that is that the world is moving very quickly toward an open source model, one in which everyone can share code and cash must be generated in different ways (such as advertising and sheer size of client-base ... think Facebook).

Enter Droid. The OS is a modified version of Linux, itself a stripped down and modified form of Unix. So it's free basically. And so are the tools by which applications and widgets can be developed. As well, Unix and its many derivatives, are designed from the ground up to be multi-user operating systems. Put simply they can function as both workstation and server simultaneously.

Droid also keeps things simple for the user in much the same fashion as other Google apps like GMail and Google Apps. Even their smartphone security is a clever "draw a pattern" technology, rather than requiring yet another password. People are sick of passwords and deal much better with pictures anyway. So essentially you draw your own security access (connecting at least 4 buttons in whatever order):

What Droid does in addition, and this is where Google has been so brilliant at changing the way the game will be played, is allow for simple cross platform applications and network integration, something Microsoft has struggled with since their introduction of the Windows mobile OS. Every version a disaster for one reason or another. Apple's products are primarily targeted at individual users which limits their usefulness in enterprise environments. As an example, in order to sync the iPhone with corporate e-mail systems, iTunes and Bonjour (device discovery software) are required on the desktop. Few technical security people would even consider such a deployment.

Bottom line, Droid is as simple if not more so than Apple's related products. As Droid moves into other vertical markets such as music, books and other economic pursuits, it will become the dominant force in both enterprise and personal technology arenas.

Check back in 30 years ... :-)

Versailles

2010-09-06T10:56:00.003-05:00

L-R, The Owner, Sam, and Jose

So we made it off the highway into the city of Versailles. Most people go there for a specific reason; to visit the ornate palace and gardens of Louis XIV constructed during the 17th century . We were searching for something a bit more pedestrian ... EuropCar. As you'll recall from the previous post, we needed a different rental car and EuropCar said the office in Versailles was open. In fact, they were shocked we would wonder whether if it was even open or not. Not being the correct answer.

So we wandered through Versailles and found a Midas. As I said, in classic goat rope fashion, most people visit the Palace of Versailles, we instead visited the Midas of Versailles. Oddly enough the rest of the day was actually kind of fun or at least as much fun as you can have while stranded in a strange city with no hope that your rental car company has any ability or worse, inclination, to assist.

We pulled into the shop with a very un-busy group of workers who were more than willing to help. One in particular, Jose (Jo-zay, not Ho-say like in Spanish) offered to look at the vehicle for us after a brief conversation with Sam. He and I went for a quick ride up the street from Midas (literally on an incline fortunately) and the problem became immediately apparent to him as well as us since he was flooring the gas pedal, the engine was revving as expected but we were still going about 20kph uphill. To this point we were still sort of thinking we were not understanding how the gearing worked. Yes it was an automatic but still you never know when everything, including the dashboard and vehicle manual, are in a different language. Jose assured me that was not the case.

For his part Jose only spoke French, Spanish, and Portuguese ... which put him two languages ahead of me if not necessarily in sync. One English phrase he did know though was "where are you from". When I responded we were from Chicago he said, and I quote "I love the Chicago Bulls!". Thank you Michael Jordan. :-)

We limped back to the shop and Jose began a conversation with the EuropCar people who were just as useless in their native language as they were for Gretchen in English. Even Jose appeared irritated with them ... and this guy was about as calm and unassuming as you could expect. So it wasn't communication, EuropCar just flat sucks no matter what language you speak.

While Sam and Jose hammered away at the impenetrable edifice that was EuropCar customer "support", we found an "American" restaurant literally a stone's throw from Midas called the Buffalo Grill. The restaurant was decorated in wild west fashion with dime store Indians, headdress, Buffalo paintings, you name it. It also had one of the best burgers I've ever had which is quite remarkable when you consider that, by and large, while French cuisine is very, very good, they don't too well with bouef (beef). Seriously the menu was loaded with cheeseburgers, buffalo wings, french fries, you name it. An odd little restaurant in an odd little place.

The bottom line was that Sam and Jose were able to get EuropCar to tow their crummy van and send a cab to get us back into Paris. Actually getting us another car being completely out of the question and besides it was now closing in on 5PM local time so we weren't convinced, at this point, that EuropCar was capable of doing anything correctly.I'd have given 5 to 1 odds against the van being towed, another 3-1 on the cab, and 25-1 on BOTH occurring. The cab seemed like the safe play.

Jose would not accept payment despite his having put more than two hours effort into resolving our dilemma. He was however silly enough to give us his business card and address. The Chicago Bulls shirt hasn't been mailed yet but it will be, you can bet on that.

The trip to Normandy was officially over. Not a total disaster despite EuropCar's best non-efforts but a disappointment nonetheless.

Next: Dinner with Norville in the Latin Quarter

Normandy (uh huh)

2010-08-28T13:56:00.012-05:00

With Apologies to Daniel Blore, who's book cover was used for this graphic

So the plan all along had been to go to Normandy for a day. Make-A-Wish was kind enough to build that into our trip for us but, in classic Lent fashion, we were just too clever for them and ourselves as it turned out.

Never made it. And all we had to do was stick to the script. One of our ancestors, Abraham Lent, once owned (no longer) most of Queens (this is back about the same time that Peter Minuit was busy ripping off the Indians for Manhattan) so you can see that mistakes of this magnitude go way back and I guess this could be considered to have been preordained given our ancestry. :-(

The biggest single disappointment of the trip for me ... among very, very, few incidentally. As I've stated before, the trip was AMAZING. Still, Normandy was a must see for me and it didn't happen. I even promised my brother Gary I'd knock back a Calvados (Normandian apple brandy) in memory of all the valiant men and women who died there.

Instead we'd collectively decided we wanted to spend some additional time (overnight) in an area not far from Normandy called Brittany. Evidently (I say evidently because I still possess zero direct knowledge of the subject) they speak a different language than the rest of France and the culture is much closer to the original Celtic. Since we're (at least) half Irish (and half nitwit apparently), that sounded like something of great interest. Combine that appeal and Sam's manic obsession with languages (I believe she will invent one some day), pretty much another must see of course.

Since the Make-A-Wish folks had already booked us for hotels in Paris all week, we couldn't very well expect them to change the trip last minute with all the extra cost and hassle that would entail so we would plan and pay for it ourselves. No big deal right?

Surely you can see where this is going? Particularly if you know any Lents and have been involved (read as subjected to) anything one of them has ever "planned".

The manner in which we managed to bungle our version of the invasion of Normandy was pure tragicomedy. Had we been in charge of the first invasion back in '44, Hitler and his minions would have ruled France longer than Louis the 14th for crissakes. Maybe Spain too.

Anyway, we decided to rent a car from EuropCar on Saturday morning, the day after our originally scheduled, travel to and return from Normandy one day trip. A very nice, big, Mercedes van. We would travel in style for our big trip to the west coast of France. Sort of. As you will see presently, a lot of style but very little substance.

EuropCar was way beyond busy, at least the one near the Arc de Triomphe was. We expected that since the final stage of the Tour De France was upcoming the next day but, in classic French fashion, most of EuropCar's other Paris locations were closed and this single, lonely, little underground station was besieged. If service Monday through Friday in France is slow (and it is), then Saturday is turtle-esque and Sunday might as well not even be on the calendar.

The only thing missing were ramparts, catapults, and enormous cauldrons of boiling oil. The employees were unhappy, the customers even more so, and it took over an hour to get the vehicle despite being about 6th in line. Sadly, that was the quickest and most efficient event of the day.

Anyway, we finally get the car and are suitably impressed, right up to the point where we exit the garage up a steep incline. I didn't think we were going to make it honestly. We quite literally crawled up that hill. Now I know there were 6 of us and that we'd ingested far more than a few sandwich au jambon et au fromage (ham and cheese sandwiches and one of the few things we could pronounce in the native tongue) during our week in Paris thus far, but this was ridiculous! The first sign that there was something seriously wrong with this vehicle.

Since there is so much traffic in Paris around the circle near the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concord we had no problem subsequently keeping pace with city traffic on a flat road. The vehicle's inherent instability was forgotten for the time being.

The highway was another matter entirely. First, finding the correct route ON to the expressway took easily 30 minutes during which we circled the French Department of Defense complex repeatedly as though we were tethered to the building. Suspect behavior at best, terrorist tendencies at worst.

Eventually, due to Gretchen's unfathomable directional abilities, we managed to wander on to highway A-13. Which is good because this, however minimally, is in the general direction of Normandy. West it turns out. More about that in a minute.

It wasn't long in that high-speed environment that the true nature of our dilemma became clear to us. First, we might not make it back into Paris let alone Normandy since everyone around us was doing 110kph (about 65mph) and we were "going" (maybe) 50kph. A dangerous combination that. Second, that was our downhill rate. I would swear I saw a dog pissing on our rear wheel as we lumbered by. Not good. So we needed to get off this highway and fast (well fast being a relative term and downhill being the preferred method).

During this I discovered the GPS system. Looking back I really wish I had completely ignored the damned thing and just assumed it was some sort of fancy audio system. But no I had to investigate. Two problems presented almost immediately.

One the audio was in French. That didn't seem such a big hurdle since we had Sam with us and she would've been able to relay the audio directions. Worse though was that every time I engaged the audio an arabic voice would begin speaking to us. Allah? Muhammad? Is that you? I thought at first that I was in the wrong operational mode for the GPS. But it was plainly evident on screen so that couldn't be it. As well, we could hear the female French voice interspersed with our Middle Eastern guest.

And no matter how many times I restarted the system the damned Arab narrator would start in again! I kept picturing Achmadinkyjihad speaking, laughing and telling me that no matter what I did he would continue speaking, I would be forced to listen, and we would all die in a fiery death because I would never figure out the GPS in time.

I'm also having thoughts that the French Gendarmes will take a dim view of this material especially given our recent and thorough recon of their defense agency, should they pull us over. I doubt our lineage to a bad Dutch businessman is going to be of much use frankly.

It took me about 10 minutes to figure how to shut him up (a previous driver had left arabic language media in the DVD player) and still be able to hear the GPS audio instructions. The Iranian leader was now gone and during that 10 minutes we managed to crest only a single hill, all the while flashers on, the girls are going through the vehicle manual to see if there is something we're missing about this damned vehicle's drive system, and Gretchen is doing her best to keep us all alive. She is also talking to EuropCar on her cell phone. Fortunately and in a stroke of unbridled lucidity, we'd lived up her Blackberry for use in France the day before.

SO, while I'm happy to be able to call up destinations and search for things in GPS French and everyone is engaged in some form or fashion with ongoing disaster rescue operations, I'm also telling Gretchen we're headed Northeast, but her unerring sense of direction says NFW, we're at least heading west and maybe a bit south. At some point during my GPS map ministrations I'd also managed to flip the map such that west was east and north was south. I really don't think that should be a choice in GPS menu systems irrespective of the language honestly.

Eventually, another 10 minutes, another crested hill, I figure out how to switch the damned thing to English mode. Whew. EuropCar tells Gretch they have a facility in Versailles. They seem a bit miffed that she would inquire as to whether it's even open.

Let's go there shall we?

Next: Versailles, EuropCar, Midas, The Buffalo Grill and our hero, Jose (pronounced Jo-Zay).

sources:
http://www.amazon.com/Goat-Rope-Pilots-Daniel-Blore/dp/0595159613
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/rikerhouse/lentriker.html
http://www.brittanytourism.com/

The French

2010-08-11T19:38:00.001-05:00

So almost everyone I talked to prior to our trip seemed to imply that we were bound to experience what has often been called "typical French rudeness". To me, having actually visited the place now, I can honestly say I didn't see any of that ... anywhere. So I'm not sure if this is a story that has been passed down and popularized over the years or if, just maybe, there may be some grain of truth to it and we were just lucky enough to avoid (or dumb enough not to notice).

In any case, I believe there were three main reasons we didn't run into that behavior and those are culture, language, and Sam.

From the culture perspective we got some excellent advice about key differences between Americans and the French when meeting strangers. For one thing, in America, most people when they encounter strangers will briefly smile or nod. In France, strangers simply don't acknowledge each other, smile or otherwise. It simply isn't done.

For another thing, it is considered rude in France to just walk up and start talking to someone out of the blue ... which happens between strangers all the time here in the States. The French expect that a basic tenet of communications between strangers begins with a request to communicate ... such as pardon me (excusez moi) or may I ask you a question (puis je vous poser une question). In other words, the target needs to be given the opportunity to participate ... or not. Failing to follow this simple procedure is considered very rude by the French. So I suspect that many American tourists bring on some of the rudeness themselves ... whether they know it or not.

Another method of keeping things cordial with the French is to at least attempt to speak their language, however minimally you are actually capable (in my case not very). Most of my conversations went pretty well by opening with excusez moi and following that up, assuming a suitable response, with parlez vous Anglaise (do you speak English?). That typically resulted in one of two things ... either someone would say yes, no problem, or they would say "a little bit". Incidentally the answer to do you speak French (parlais vous Francais) in my case is un petite peu (a little bit). :-)

At that point you can honestly say that you've tried to meet the person half way and, after all, it is their national language, so why not? Most were more than accommodating under such conditions. I do admit however that not every conversation went so well when each conversant spoke very little of the other's language. My effort to order a pizza one night with half cheese-half pepperoni, which carried on for at least 10 minutes of horribly fractured French (mine) & English (his) resulted in a pizza containing pepperoni on the whole thing but only half as much as they'd ordinarily use. Oh well. :-)

And finally, having someone who really speaks the language is invaluable. While I think Sam was a little nervous (at first) to engage in conversations with the locals, she got over that pretty quickly and received many compliments from various Parisians as to the quality of her accent and vocabulary. She is really a very, very good French language speaker. In fact, she bailed us out of a bad situation largely on the strength of her ability to speak French. More about that later.

The Awful Tower

2010-08-04T21:01:00.004-05:00

Inspires confidence, no?

The Eiffel tower was, I believe, our second stop off the tour bus (Notre Dame was first). I can honestly say this was the one place in all of Paris that I felt uncomfortable. Not from any sense of personal fear necessarily but rather the constant reminder and half belief that I could be penniless at any moment.

From the moment we stepped off the bus and onto the square upon which the Eiffel Tower rests, we were bombarded by any number of "itinerant salesman", as well a seemingly unending flood of gypsies, tramps and other assorted thieves including, oddly enough, men dressed in full gorilla suits. One of them hit me in the back, by way of greeting I presume, but fortunately I had already come to the conclusion literally seconds before that I should walk around with both hands shoved firmly into my front pockets, where I'd minutes before transferred my wallet, hotel card, and all of our Euros.

Having watched these characters operate amongst other people for a while we all came to the conclusion that there sole purpose in life is to distract the mark so that he can be robbed. Seriously, the Eiffel Tower is a huge tourist trap in more ways than one.

In addition to them there seems to be no end to the number of Somali garbage hawkers who walk through the crowd with their wares all nice and tidy in small blankets ... the better to gather everything up in one fell swoop when the gendarmes arrive, which is, like clockwork about every 30 minutes.

And thus begins a half-hearted chase whereby all the "vendors" scatter like mice into the surrounding park and street so as not to be arrested. The cops, for their part, show a complete disinterest in actually chasing and arresting these guys, content instead to make a good show on their bikes and just barely miss them. That part was actually kind of entertaining, sort of like Roadrunner and Coyote. You know he's going to get away it's just matter of how much hilarity ensues during the erstwhile chase.

There was also an armed French military presence complete with automatic weapons. Those guys were all the rage with the females in the crowd. :-) The Somali pirates totally ignored them as, apparently, they have no jurisdiction and are there to keep the tower safe from destruction at the hands of ... hell I don't know what. That tower is freaking huge, the same height as Hancock in Chicago. Not much going to bring that down, Osama Been Rotten not withstanding.

There were also quite a few downtrodden women with children in Bosnia and other far flung places who only sought help from those of us who speak English. Odd that. I finally told one of them that, yes, I was sorry for her plight but I also had 4 children and they were right behind me spending money at a record pace ... so good luck, Sweetie, no sympathy here.

Bottom line, the Eiffel Tower is something to see and the view of Paris from the top is breathtaking. Just make sure you have both hands firmly on your wallet when you take that breath.

Wow.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

Day 2 & 3 - Paris L'Open Tour

2010-08-02T06:42:00.002-05:00

The next couple of days were designed to maximize our exploration of Paris in the shortest time possible using L'Open Tour buses. These tours divide Paris into four main sections allowing customers "hop on- hop off" capability at any point. For people who have never been there before (like us) this is the best way to get started. Once you've been there a while the benefits of the Metro system (bus and subway) become immediately obvious but for beginners this is the way to go and there are several companies offering this service.

We were on: Paris L'Open Tour. The individual sections themselves, as you can see if you read the previous link, can take as much as two hours a piece. They give you little ear buds so you can plug into the audio system and listen to history (delivered in 8 different languages) about whichever area you happen to be riding through. When the history guide is not speaking they also play music but I wish they hadn't because it was some of the worst Euro-Pop I've ever heard.

Of course the biggest benefit for us was not only being able to pick out those areas we'd visit in the future such as Notre Dame, The Louvre and some of the other attractions near our hotel, but also to hop off at more distant sites like the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel gets it's very own post tomorrow. It was the one place in Paris I really didn't like.

For now suffice to say that we had a great couple of days wandering through all of Paris on the tour bus and getting a feel for the many different areas of the city. It really is something to see, especially the architecture. As I said prior, I'm no expert (or even a novice) but the buildings in Paris are unlike anything I've ever seen. I was very impressed with the city.

Gretchen was the first to point out the curious, but effective, way in which the Parisians trim some the city's trees, especially along major thoroughfares. Check this out: Square Trees?

Tomorrow: The Eiffel Tower, Gorillas, Pickpockets, and Other Thieves

Day One - Dublin, then Paris ... right?

2010-07-31T08:30:00.002-05:00

Grafton Street - Dublin Ireland

Day one of the trip and the plan was to a to be picked up here at the house for a limo ride to O'Hare (sweet), fly Aer Lingus to Dublin, layover 3 or 4 hours in Dublin, then a connecting flight to Paris, also on Aer Lingus. The Chicago part of that plan went beautifully. The driver was right on time and we had no problems at O'Hare which is a minor miracle in itself as those of you who fly through here know.

The pilot informed us we had a 60 mph tail wind and that our flight time would thus be reduced from 8 hours to 6.5 (sweet again). Things were going fabulously on our first international travel together despite everything I'd read in advance. The Internet is full of horror stories about travel pretty much anywhere overseas.

But the flight went well and we landed in Dublin with plenty of time to make our connecting flight. The fact that we exited onto the tarmac and had to walk from the aircraft to the terminal took us a bit by surprise (was all of Europe like this?), as did the sheer amount of walking we had to do just within the Dublin airport.

It's not that big but they pretty much take you on a tour of the whole facility in order to get through customs. All the way to the terminal across the air field (in a misting rain), the length of that terminal, upstairs, another stretch of terminal, downstairs, another stretch, and finally back downstairs to wait in the non-EU passport line. It doesn't seem very efficient. But hell we were there in record time so big deal, right?

The gradual transition to debacle status of the trip eluded us at that point.

We were disabused of that notion pretty quickly however when, once through customs, we were unable to find any trace confirming the existence of our connecting flight to Paris. No flight number, no plane, no gate, no departure time. WTF?

Evidently, at some point, the French air traffic controllers decided to go on strike. Not sure if it was before we left or during the flight but the basic fact was air operations in all of France were severely curtailed. We later learned that not all of the French unions were involved and that carriers were cutting every other flight into Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport. Guess who drew the lucky strike?

The funniest part about it was that the Irish with whom we spoke didn't seem a bit perturbed by it, saying instead (quoting now), "yeah they do that every year at the height of the tourist season", and, "whenever the mood strikes them". Evidently the French going on strike is right up there with sunrise on the surprise scale for the rest of Europe.

OK, not too bad so far ... we're hot, tired, and muggy, in the same clothes as the day before, and stuck in Dublin for another 8 hours (at least) having ascertained that we are on the next flight at 6PM (we hope). Unfortunately, while our baggage is at the same airport we are unable to access it since it is in the bowels of Dublin's airport ... we didn't need to claim it for the connecting flight. We would have liked to have done that if only just for a change of clothes. At this point we're getting tired as well since we've now been up for more than 24 hours.

But we decide to make the most of it by taking a cab into Dublin to see the famous Grafton Street. That of course meant we had to go back through security and customs all over again upon our return but it was worth it ultimately.

We had lunch at a small tavern called Bruxelles and I had a really terrific beer by the name of Kilkenny. I've seen it on shelves here in the states but had never tried it. On tap this Irish Creme Ale was superlative.

I wish we hadn't been so tired for Dublin because I really liked what I saw and would love to go back someday. The Irish, including the cabbies, were extremely friendly, even the guys in customs ... which is interesting based on some of the humorless characters that troll those depths in various airports.

We managed to find an Internet cafe so we could hook up with the Make A Wish people and let them know what had happened (we had no functioning cell phones). They had arranged for a ride from CDG to our hotel in Paris about a block from the Louvre and figured they, or the taxi company, would need to adjust for our actual arrival.

We finally made it to Paris around 9:30PM local time only to find no ride waiting. Gretchen used a pay phone to call them and was told no ride was available. Stuck at another damned European airport with no cell phone, wireless 'net, or contacts. :-(

Of course there were any number of shady bastards hanging around offering to take us to our hotel (take us for a ride so to speak). Ultimately we struck a deal for WAY too many Euros with one of the more reputable-looking characters and finally wound up at Citadines du Louvre, our hotel, around 9:30 or 10:00PM local time. Ultimately, what should have taken 7.5 hours of flying and maybe 11 hours total travel, turned into more like 18 with another 12 or so of awake time thrown in. We arrived in Paris a beaten, bedraggled, and foul smelling bunch.

Paris - Introduction

2010-07-29T13:42:00.011-05:00

Well we're back from Paris and I thought I'd write about some of our journey here in the blog. First though a huge shout out to the Make A Wish Foundation What an incredible gift! Not only did they make Sam's wish come true but they allowed our whole family to share in it. Paris is a lot like Manhattan in terms of cost and I don't even want to begin thinking about the cost of the past week. I know we couldn't have done it ourselves and their generosity is truly overwhelming. Thank You.

So ... Paris. An unbelievably beautiful city and very unlike any U.S. city I've ever seen. Part of the reason is the age of course with a great many stone buildings (which restricts their height as a physical limitation). In addition, Paris has a building height rule and has only within the past few years begun discussing the possibility of allowing building construction in excess of 37 meters (about 121 feet) and even then only on the outskirts of the city. Very few exceptions are granted. So the city is built out, not up.

As an example, Philadelphia's City Hall (the one with the William Penn statue) is the 2nd tallest masonry building in the world at 548 feet. More modern steel buildings have much better support and tensile strength and, as such, buildings like the Hancock Building and Eiffel Tower (both in excess of 300 meters or about 1000 feet) are possible.

That said, and I'm no student of architecture by any means, but the design and detail is amazing. As a small example, at one point I was gazing at(what I thought was) a simple apartment building in excess of 200 years old. Then I noticed the decorative faces (yes chiseled stone human faces) as part of the brick work right below the balustrade. It was only when I looked closely that I realized each face was different! Somebody put a lot of thought and effort into that building.

The city streets are laid out in a hub and spoke pattern as opposed to the square grids in use here in the USA predominantly. This does a couple of things from what I could see. One, traffic seems to be greatly reduced on the side streets since there are so many alternative routes, many of which connect to each other without requiring access to the main road. This is greatly beneficial to foot and bicycle traffic of which there is quite a bit.

One of the coolest things I saw there were the bicycle rentals. Pop a Euro into a machine and you've got a bike to use for 24 hours. When you're done with it leave it in a rental area anywhere else in the city and you're done. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of bikes available throughout the city. Incredible value and another good way of limiting motor traffic in a city with a population larger than Chicago's, despite being 1/4 Chicago's size in square miles.

Secondly, the spokes tend to turn the circles (hubs) into huge pumps through which traffic is jettisoned in every direction. That can be good and bad but the Parisians seem pretty good at navigating it all. It really is every man for himself in the middle of those things with a mix of trucks, vans, smart cars, and motorcycles (a lot of cycles and smart cars) all vying for position. Something to see ... I thought the traffic circles in New Jersey were madness, they've got nothing on Paris.

One last thing I do need to mention and that is the "typical" rudeness of the French. Didn't happen. With very few exceptions the French people we met were very engaging and quite pleasant. One in particular, whom I will mention specifically in a future blog, went so far above and beyond that I can say unequivocally I would hire that guy in a minute. So don't believe everything you hear about people and especially not whole populations.

Stay tuned ... next up, day one of the trip ... Dublin Ireland.

sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_City_Hall
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_square_miles_is_Paris
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_square_miles_does_Chicago_cover

Another American Icon Up In ... what exactly?

2010-07-18T10:31:00.003-05:00

Shoe Tree Fire

A couple of things about this story. One, I (and likely millions of other Americans) had no idea we even possessed such a national treasure. Two, what kind of heinous bastard(s) would set fire to such a thing? OK, it's not the Mona Lisa but, in an odd sort of way, it was a pretty cool idea. A collection of similar, but very different, components. A lot like America and her people, with a storied and unique history.

I mean really ... wtf, shithead(s)? Whoever you are, and completely irrespective of what you thought you were doing (assuming this was planned?), do you have any idea of what a pitiful sack of shoe rubber you are? This isn't what is meant by melting pot you dumb ass.

I will say this, I'm surprised I had to read this online. Given one of my daughter's penchant for collecting shoes, I can't believe she didn't have such a visceral reaction to the simultaneous death of so many shoes that we didn't hear the screaming when it happened. ;-)

Happy Birthday, Lou Boudreau

2010-07-17T09:49:00.008-05:00

Born July 17, 1917 in Harvey, IL. U of I grad.

While I never saw him play, Lou having finished his career 4 years before I was born, I have always believed he would have been my favorite player (yes Shawna, even over The Mick). He wasn't fast and didn't have much power even by infield standards. So far that describes me as a ballplayer, but of course the similarity ends there with respect to baseball skills.

It took Lou over 7,000 at bats to hit his lifetime 68 home runs. Barry Bonds hit more in one season using less than 10% that number of ABs. But, of course, Barroid had daddy's little helper and, while certainly a great ballplayer prior to his steroid use, so much of his behavior was so anti-everybody else, even his great talent was overshadowed (ask Hank Aaron) . If I were starting a team tomorrow I'd take Lou over Bonds every time ... but not over Mickey. That would be ignoring common sense. But he'd be my 2nd rounder. :-)

According to accounts I've read what Lou did have in abundance, and what more than a few modern ballplayers lack to one degree or another, is a phenomenal knowledge of the game, rigid adherence to fundamentals (productive outs for example) a willingness to work hard everyday, and was the proud possessor of some of the best fielding ability this side of Brooks Robinson. He was the real Mr. Glove, leading AL shortstops in fielding 8 times. Those shortstops included players like Appling, Cronin, & Rizzuto . Hall-of-Famers all and pretty good company.

Before anyone gets the idea that Lou was a no-hit wonder, consider that his lifetime average was .295 with on base percentage (OBP) of .380, the latter of which ranks him 166th in MLB history and ahead of such terrific ballplayers as Chase Utley, Cal Ripken, Mike Schmidt, and Ichiro Suzuki. Lou could flat hit and was an offensive force in his day, it's just that not very many made the seats.

Lou died in 2001 at the age of 84 after a long career as player, player-manager of Bill Veeck's 1948 Indians (Cleveland's last WS win incidentally), and a long-time Cubs broadcaster (OK, everyone is entitled to one mistake).

So Happy Birthday to Hall-Of-Famer Lou Boudreau, my favorite ballplayer and one reason, on a very tiny list of reasons, I wish I were just a little bit older.

Sources:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/boudrlo01.shtml
http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Lou_Boudreau_1917

Lunacy - Congressman Paul Broun

2010-07-12T20:08:00.006-05:00

So someone named Paul Broun (a congressman of all things) is taking the position that the Obama administration is purposely responding poorly to the BP oil spill as a means of advancing their energy policies.

Watch here: (thanks to Grant Lawrence's blog for this post)

Does anybody REALLY believe this sort of tripe? Really? The President of the United States purposely wants to avoid solving the worst man-made catastrophe in history so that he can advance a political agenda? Good Jesus have partisan politics gone to such lame-brained extremes that a President is seriously thought to be damaging an enormously important region through inaction so he can win a political argument? Really?

The fact that no one on the damned planet had the vaguest idea how to staunch such a massive flow of oil at depths that would crush any manned submarine ... well that's just not the simplest and best answer to the question of why this debacle continues right? A political conspiracy is much more likely.

The politics now rampant in Washington, D.C. (BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE) are the biggest threat to this democracy's survival, not Bin Rotten, Achmadinkyjihad , or nuclear war. When people can actually take the position espoused by Broun with a straight face and absolute sincerity, one must seriously question their sanity. In case anyone believes I'm picking on Republicans again consider some of the bald-faced lies that've come from the left in recent years ... Harry, Nancy, & Joe Lieberman. Oh yeah I forgot Joe is an Indemican, sorry.

Worse, one must also accept the very real possibility that the two parties working together, as demanded by a thriving democracy, is at best, a very remote chance.

Two Years? Really?

2010-07-10T20:03:00.006-05:00

After a better than 2 year hiatus I've decided to begin blogging again. By now I'm sure whatever limited readership I may have realized at one time has utterly & completely evaporated. It's OK, I hope you enjoyed your vacation from my ramblings.

That said, the past two years have not been without incident. During that time my daughter successfully fought off leukemia (AML), and three members of the family graduated from college, including me almost exactly 36 years since high school. I've been pretty busy, hence the silence.

Soon we embark upon a family trip to France courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their generosity continues to astound me and I am searching for a way to donate time or services to their cause. I don't know how to do very much except write and work on computers so the match may be more difficult than I imagine. If you can find even a small amount to donate to their cause it would be greatly appreciated. Amazingly, as their website points out, they fulfill a sick child's wish every 40 minutes. Incroyable!

It's been SO long since I posted here that I honestly can't remember what I've written prior. So excuse me if, in the coming days, I reiterate things you already know ... I'm not senile (yet).

Wow, this school stuff sure takes a lot of time ... and other random stuff

2008-06-22T18:11:00.003-05:00

I'm on my 4th class in 16 weeks and while I'm doing good (3 A's so far) the work itself is really taking a lot of time. And of course no two teachers can do anything the same way so there is constant changing to the scheduled deliverables and the days on which I have to do homework, etc.

On the home front the Moose continues her assault on the food bag. My Lord that animal can eat. She's going through 10 lbs. of food per week. We recently had her spayed and even with that dorky cone they put on them she still eats a ton. The vet said that she probably wouldn't want to eat the day after the surgery (after having NOT eaten the day of).

RIGHT. We're lucky we still have walls for crissakes. I gave a her a piece of ham and it went down her gullet like Jonah down the whale ... no chewing nothing, just gone. I'm not sure it even touched anything until it hit her stomach. Inhaled.

She's also figured out to use the cone to her advantage ... she uses it for everything from digging and picking things up to wielding it like a prod to get our attention. The Little B.

We've gotten her a fence now and she seems very happy about it. Goes out a lot and just rolls or digs in the dirt and other piggish undertakings. She's in her glory.

On another note, a friend of mine from high school was back in town this past week from Texas (C.Donley) and we were able to pull together a mini-high school reunion at a place called Peanuts in Naperville last Friday night.

It was a blast ... many of the old Shades were in attendance and I got to see people I quite literally had not seen since high school.

As many of you know I'm not a fan of high school reunions since I didn't like most of the assholes I met there anyway. This was different though ... if I could have a high school reunion with JUST the people I wanted to see again, it would have been with this group. Quite a lot of fun. Daughter #1 was kind enough to come along and meet everyone, as well as make sure my drunken ass got home in one piece.

Anyway the end result was that we have decided to have a Shades 30 Year Reunion next year for the team and it's many fans. We've even found out where Walsh lives though he'll probably move now that we know. :-)

Moose

2008-05-19T19:20:00.002-05:00

So Moose is the winner and the dog has been being called that for at least 4 days now. She even acts like a moose ... kind of plodding and clumsy. But she's pretty cool. She already sits ... for something called cranberry liver treats. Who knew cranberries had livers? Huh.

One last thing ... be it hereby known that even though Gumbo was not chosen, the curse of the Gumbo label has been lifted from Mom. During a ceremony at Outback Steak house and conducted with, what else, a butter knife.

To his everlasting credit, young Master Quilty, upon viewing the lifting of the curse, suggested ANOTHER curse. I don't think Mom heard him or he may well have been run through with the ceremonial prop.

The New Dog

2008-05-11T07:22:00.009-05:00

G & I both love the name Gumbo. The animal is a mix of God only knows what breeds and is 10 weeks old, weighing 20 pounds. Besides nothing says mutt like Gumbo, a large mix of meat and thickener (and this dog is nothing if not thick). Below is a pic of the puppy next to Rex. It's a pretty funny contrast since Rex is now about a year and a half old.

Sadly, passing anything through committee around here can be likened to the daily Washingtonian comedy Americans refer to as Congress. So we still have to get it past The Girls. Since two of them don't really live here anymore, Bird not at all and Minnie Moo just in the summer, we really only have to swing two votes, Samwise & Squintz.

Further, since those two still depend on us for their daily bread I'm thinking that will be pretty easy to achieve. I suppose a hunger strike isn't out of the question. They are Lents however and I really can't recall any tales of hunger strikes being passed down through the ages. Maybe a hunger surge ... where they threaten to eat until they explode?

And finally, I REALLY don't understand MY Mother's opposition to this name. After all, if we call the dog Gumbo, we're certainly not going to continue to call HER Gumbo. That would be silly. So, Happy Mother's Day Mom, we're probably going to name our new dog after the nickname you claim to hate so much. AND, as an added Mother's Day bonus, we're transferring the rights from you to the dog. I'll just waive my magic butter knife and POOF! you're no longer Gumbo.

In any case you'll see a poll in this page. You can see some of the names that have "only" been vetoed once. Your vote may even count, as long as it turns out to match mine. :-)