About time that the Senate race between Al Franken and Norm Coleman comes to an end. I really did expect Coleman to keep this going until 2010 at least! I don't believe that having Franken in the Senate is going to make an immediate change for the better, but I hope it keeps the GOP off balance for a while. Sadly, there are a few too many 'conservative/moderate' Dems for my taste still active and preventing real change.

We got confirmation yesterday that Carnival cruiseline is moving us off the 'waitlist' and booking us for a three-night cruise this coming weekend. This is exactly the same one we took last year at the same time. We know the ship is going to be filled with kids, but it is still nice to get away for a few days. Also, this brings us into VIP status with Carnival so we get preferred boarding, debarkation and other nice stuff. Can you believe that we have taken ten cruises since our first together in 1999? Averages to one cruise per year and we have another booked for our anniversary on Thanksgiving!

It will be a week tomorrow that Michael Jackson has passed away and they have just gotten around to planning his funeral. Considering how long poor Anna Nicole and James Brown had to wait, I guess it's not all that bad.

Ok, so Ol' Bernie is going to do 150yrs hardtime. Damn! I feel safer knowing this bastard is off the streets.

Seriously, I have no sympathy for this creep, but this is not going to do anything for the many people deceived by this man and his family. Why aren't his wife and children doing time or being brought up on charges? Is it possible they knew nothing about what was done? I highly doubt it! Plus, I'm not at all buying those photos of the Mrs. riding the subway. You know that the family has millions stashed in dozens of off-shore accounts where they can get their hands on it after the spotlight fades.

Hmmm...there have been American forces killed and injured the past weekend in Iraq & Afghanistan. There has been a coup in Honduras. Michael Jackson remains the top story in both national and local news. Anybody surprised?

Not a good deal I can add to everything that has already been said about Michael Jackson. For all the jokes about his appearance, his dangling babies and the court case, I believe that eventually it will be his music that will be his legacy.

I think that in twenty years kids will view Jackson much as today's youth view Elvis. He is the guy their parents always talk about, they will hear his music and perhaps see his videos on whatever passes for 'golden oldie' stations (on radio, television and the Interwebs). Maybe they will even see one of those MJ impersonators you'll find in Vegas (with a choice of the Jackson Five Micheal, the 'Billie Jean' Michael and the weird one with the glove and military uniforms).

I initially found myself at a loss when I saw how emotional his fans were, but I can remember similar crowds for Elvis and John Lennon. For me, of course, it was Lennon's death that effected me. I sympathize with his fans and my condolences go out to his family and his children.

Bill Maher: Democrats Are the New Republicans

There is not much I can add to this. I do think Maher can be a smug SOB at times, but he f**king nails it!

TYT!!

We're not completely happy with either the Democratic congress or the Obama administration. I don't think I'll get any arguement from those regular readers out there. I still don't regret my November votes, but do wonder how I'll feel this time next year.

Why do we still have "Don't ask, don't tell"? Why is the White House blocking the release of the abuse photos? Where is the progressive/liberal agenda this administration and this congress was supposedly going to bring? I'm not seeing it!

It's hard to believe that Donna and I have been together for about 10 years now. We'll be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in November, taking a cruise naturally. So much has happened to us in that time, it seems like we have known each other for far longer. Not sure how she feels, but for me she is the best thing that ever happened in my life.

As much as I love living in California, the whole "June Gloom" phenomenon we go through each year can be a real drag. Grey clouds and chilly days are not what I signed up for when I moved here. I'm more the sunshine and sitting in the swimming pool kind of guy. Plus the mild humidity is making an old wound in my left-hand hurt like hell. One of the problems of getting old, I guess. :-)

Donna and I finally decided to check out another of the local casinos yesterday. We took a bus (provided free by the casino) down towards San Diego to the Valley View Casino. Not up to what you see in Vegas or Atlantic City, but still nice enough. It actually reminds me of the Mohegan Sun Casino, back in Connecticut, before that place grew so big. VV is actually expanding, adding a hotel and some other venues around the property. Guess not everybody is hurting in the current economy, huh?

Unlike some of the other casinos, there aren't a lot of table games at VV. There is a separate room for Poker and the usual other games, but only one or two tables each and you can actually miss them among all the slot machines.

Speaking of which, I can't remember every seeing so many Penny slots! Generally, you will have a couple dozen and you'll find folks standing around hoping to find a spot, but VV has hundreds. They also have a nice non-smoking casino, separate from the main floor. The free lattes and self-serve soft drink areas also make the place very friendly. Since it was our first trip and we got Player's Cards, we had a free buffet and I highly recommend it, even if you have to pay. Everything was tasty and they have a really good dessert section!

Considering how much we 'donated' I do think that we'll be sticking to Bingo for a while. Since I got chosen as "Bingo Player of the Month" for June, I also don't have to pay for my buy-in, so that makes the usual Saturday night games even more fun.

Hope that you are all enjoying things as much as we are! Take care!!

Donna and I spent the weekend playing Bingo, almost literally doing little else. We played at our usual site in Irvine on Saturday night, then hit the 'marathon' at the Elks Lodge in Mission Viejo for 8+ hours. Neither one of us one, but that's not the point, is it? :-)

My sister, Pam, finds the fact that I'm "one of those guys" pretty funny. This coming from a gal who deals craps & high-stake poker at a casino for a living! That's the thing that I'll never get over.

Not much else going on here, except that the fire season seems to be getting off to a start, thanks to several lightning strikes last week. One was about ten miles from our place, but nothing closer or very large yet. This is the third year of drought and things could easily become very nasty, very quick. Fingers crossed as they are each year!

Oh, and a heads up to all of you. As my 59th birthday approaches (12/13) I have found myself thinking of my own mortality quite a bit. Be ready for fits of depression and lots of nostaligic journeys this year.

Have a good week!

Vote "Prop C" - to make things Clear

I think we should all get behind this!

Bunny Skates

If you have to ask you don't know me very well!

I don't know how long this is going to last, but the block seems to be off Blogger at work. Hopefully, I can drop by on breaks or lunch and try to post a bit more often.

I have nothing of note to add to my earlier comments, but did want to take advantage of this while I could.

Oh! What the Hell are Donna and I supposed to do with our Saturns now? They have closed three dealerships in the area and it is going to be a bitch to bring them in for scheduled maintenance. *sigh*

Quick recommendation of John Dean's CONSERVATIVES WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. I'm listening to it on audio and find the history of the Conservative philosophy fascinating. Also, Dean had some great insight into how the current crop of Republicans differ from 'real' Conservatives of an earlier generation. If the subject interests you you should check it out, even though it is dated by a few years.