Well, we had a nice fairly quiet weekend. It has been hot out here and poor Kristina's A/C isn't working, so she stayed with us a couple of nights. That didn't keep Donna and me from hitting Bingo on Saturday, where I won $250. Putting part of that towards my ComicCon funds. :-)

Speaking of San Diego, Dan is flying in on Wednesday and we almost had some problems, due to miscommunication. Despite the wonders of e-mail, and social networking sites you can't beat actually talking to somebody on the phone! Fortunately, the hotel was able to give us an extra night so we have our convention headquarters ready to go.

Hard to believe it's been forty years since the moon landing. While millions of people around the world were riveted to their television sets that day, this guy had no clue what was going on. When you are on board a Navy ship in the mid-Atlantic (at least when I was serving) you are pretty much out of touch with the 'real world'. I didn't know history had been made until the next day. It was probably a month or so later, back in the U.S., when I actually saw the footage for the first time. I'm sure things are much different nowadays.

Sarah Palin Quits! Auto-Tune the News #6

Just because! LOL~!

Donna and I are enjoying the cruise. She's up at the casino (winning, I hope) and I decided to take a few minutes to check in.

It's kind of cool, since Donna is now a "Concierge Class" passenger. We get extra perks and even some freebies in the cabin at night. Mmmm..chocolates!

Hope your 4th has been fun and you haven't blown anything up! Catch you tomorrow, back at the Library.

RIP: Harve Presnell (They Call the Wind Maria)

Even though the man appeared in dozens of films and television shows, this was what immediately came to mind.

My condolences to his family and friends. Also to those of Karl Malden. It's been a bad couple of weeks.

Darwin's Theory Of Evolution - A Brief History

Still alive!!

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.

The past month things have been hectic around here, with visiting family & friends from back east. It was nice serving as hosts to first Fran and then Donna's sister, Marilyn, and her husband Doug, along with the 3yr old twins, Megan & Daniel. Visits to Disneyland and Sea World (neither of which I have seen for more then 15 yrs) and countless local restaurants. For the most part the weather has been good, with the only disappointment being that it rained yesterday, so a final trip to a local water park had to be cancelled. The next month or so might be quiet, with my trip to the San Diego Comicon coming up the end of July.

Things here at the Library are in flux, with more possible budget cuts coming down from the state & city. We'll have to see what the money being taken by Da Arnold will do to an already tight fiscal plan. Days of service may be cut, our book budget has already been slashed over 50% and the hiring freeze continues, with several positions unfilled for over six months. Due to negotiations with the city, the bargaining units have been able to hold off layoffs.

We're on a waiting list for a possible three-day cruise in July also, but won't know about that for a few weeks at least.

Biden warns Swine Flu not over yet

I"m going to try some of this. What could go wrong?

I wish we had basements here in the OC!

Things remain quiet here, especially since our New York visitor has departed.
Only kidding, Fran!

It really was nice to have Fran out here for a week and I know Donna was especially happy to have her BFF out here. We're hoping to head back east for the Thanksgiving holidays, so we'll be seeing her and other Brooklynites before the year ends. It will also be good to drop by and visit with my sisters, cousins and my best friend, Gerry & his family at the same time.

Fran and I caught X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE yesterday in Mission Viejo, since Donna was working and has no interest in super-hero movies anyway. I was planning to go myself and Fran said that she probably had nobody in Brooklyn who she could go with, so we caught the matinee. Plus I still had a couple of free passes, that I had so it made things even better.

As you can see from the posting I'm working today, which means that I'm missing FREE COMIC BOOK DAY once again. Either the industry is making things difficult or somebody in Library admin is not a comics fan!! I'll have to go to Nuclear Comics tomorrow, see if they have any remaining free stuff and check out their annual back-issue sale.

Nothing else of note to report, except that the Red Sox lost again last night and the Damned Yankees pulled out another win. Way too early in the season to start hyperventilating, I think.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and write when you can!

Waterboard Sean Hannity for Charity

I"m willing to pledge a dollar per second. Not much, but if others join in some charity might reap a benefit from Hannity's bravado.

Equal Rights: Weathering The Storm - A Response To NOM's Gathering Storm

(The photo here was taken when I was probably six or seven years old. That's me without a shirt for some reason on the left. The kids with me are my paternal cousins (starting on my immediate right) George, Ernie(kneeling), Frances, David (warning you off with his rifle), Donna and David (more interested in something he's holding than the camera). The photo was taken at Bolduc Lane, where I spent the first 18 yrs. of my life in the house partly built by my father's father, Isreal.

Earlier this week I was contacted by my cousin George. He wrote to tell me that his father, my paternal uncle George, had passed away earlier in the day. Sadly, I don't have a lot of contact, except for occasional e-mails and holiday cards with my father's side of the family. Growing up I spent a good part of my time with those relatives on my mother's side of the family, although I always had a good time when visiting with my paternal cousins, aunts & uncles.

After my father passed away, it always sent a bit of a chill down my spine when I saw Uncle George, since he looked so much like his younger brother. I remember the first time I ran into him unexpectedly at a local mall a year or two after my Dad died. I literally stopped in my tracks and I think my mouth fell open. For a brief moment I actually thought it was my father approaching me.

I can't begin to express my sympathy for the loss to his wife, children and grandchildren. My Uncle George was one of the nicest guys I ever met, and I'm not just saying that because he was my uncle. Although I rarely saw him in the past decade, he has a place in my heart and memories that will never fade.

HULU TUBE - PHASING YOU OUT OF YOUTUBE

Something to think about if you use or view YouTube.

NOM: Gathering Storm Chasers

There are some scary people out there and one of the best weapons is humor.

Have We Reached the Tipping Point on Gun Violence?

I used to own a rifle, and carried a weapon very often while in the service. I don't have a problem with folks who own a few rifles or handguns, for hunting or target practice. Some folks might have a legitimate reason to have a weapon, store owners in some cases. Still something has to be done about how easy it is to get weapons.

Of course, we could simply ship them all down to Mexico!

Damn, this sucks not being able to post more than once a week or so. Still, I like to let folks know that I'm still around and that things are going pretty smoothly.

Donna may be starting her own business out of the house soon, but more on that as time gets closer.

Donna's BFF, Fran will be coming out in a few weeks to spend some time with us. Probably hit at least one casino and maybe a horserace track while she's out here. I know that Donna is really excited about this and I'll have to get used to waiting on two ladies to get ready again. It was SOOOOO much fun during the Alaska cruise. :-)

Guide & Scout continue to make their presence known, as they never stop chirping and singing. We actually have to cover them during supper or even when watching TV, to get them to settle down. They may be spending some time on the balcony when the weather gets warmer. Ahem...

Sums it up for me. Take care, drop me a line and let me know you are still out there...if you are!

Does it even pay, considering how seldom I post now, to get into the AIG thing? I mean everybody else has been going on for the past week or so and I imagine they'll continue. There's certainly nothing I can add that hasn't already been said by folks far wiser or far dumber (pick whichever group you think I fall into).

On the other hand, if you DO care what I think about it, I'm leaning (at least today) in the direction of allowing AIG to fade from existence. This whole 'too big to fail' bulls*** doesn't work for me anymore. If the company is that large then it should not have been allowed to become so. Since it is it must be broken down in to smaller units and those that are profitable, or at least doing what they are supposed to, be sold off. Otherwise, let's just nationalize the friggin' thing and get it over with. Why assume the debt and not reap the eventual profits, if any?

You're welcome to damn or praise me for that rant, as I'm sure some of you will.

For the half dozen of you I consider friends, you'll be happy to know that things are going well out here. The down part is that Donna hasn't been feeling well the past week and she'll be seeing a doctor to try and get to the bottom of it all. We're actually looking around for a new doctor or two, but that's a whole 'nother issue.

The birds are quickly wearing out their welcome and may find themselves released to see how Babie deals with them. hehe

Just kidding, although it is amazing how frackin noisy two tiny birds can be!!

Oh, I caught WATCHMEN yesterday and will be trying to write a quick review to post over on Shot's Shack later. Bottom line: Four stars and a big, blue penis!

Shaun Barker "Pieces" video

Posting this because is 'stars' my friend Christina Stoffo. You get to hear her voice reporting traffic back in New York, so it's nice to see her demonstrating her acting skills.

I'm sure her mom is very happy with this!

VCR Hack!

Want to thank the guys over on the Tony Isabella messageboard for digging up this treasure.

The monster in mine also likes fun-size Snickers!

Donna and I love our DVR, but are having trouble finding the time to watch everything we already recorded. Seems half the time there are things in 'real time' we want to see, or we are both so wiped out that one or the other is dosing off in their recliners. I have a feeling we'll have more than half a season of COLD CASE, NCIS and a few others when summer gets here.

Growing up my mom almost always had a parakeet, but she would only have one at a time. Having Guide & Scout you can't begin to imagine how loud two small birds can be! I feel bad sometimes covering them up at 8:30pm or so, but it is nice to have a bit of peace & quiet!! Of course, Babie is fascinated by them and will sit for hours watching them jumping about.

Looks like we are going to have a hectic few months ahead. Donna's BFF Fran will be coming out for a week or so next month, we're trying to figure out where to go, but I'm sure I'll be dumped at least a few times so the ladies can spend some 'quality time'. Then in May, Donna's sister Marilyn, along with her husband Doug and the twins, Megan & Daniel will be flying out for just about two weeks. Already have gone out and gotten sleeping bags for the kids and some stuff to keep them occupied. I think we'll be boarding Guide & Scout with The Child while they are here.

In case you're wondering, things seem to be steady in our employment situation. Our bargaining unit here at the Library is taking a vote on some issues with the city and we hope that keeps everyone from talking lay-offs or 'unpaid' furloughs.

Have I said recently how happy we are to be living in southern California? Can't tell you the number of times Donna and I have high-fived each other while watching the Weather Channel folks talking about ice & snow back east. Ha, ha!!

That does it for me! Hope not to be so long before my next update.

BEST RAP VIDEO EVER!?

OMG! You can't go wrong with Doc Proctor in the house!

What a nice surprise seeing Phil.

Here's Babie keeping tabs on Guide & Scout. Not the best picture of the two new houseguests, but you get the idea of how things are around here.

Have a good weekend!

I forgot to post the picture I took of Babie watching Guide & Scout, but will try to do so in the next few days. She is still fascinated by her two new roommates, but has never tried to get at them. The birds have become pretty used to their new home and can be heard arguing a good part of the day over who gets the swing. It's quite a lively household.

My beloved will be celebrating her birthday tomorrow, but we have no plans. She was offered dinner, but she declined so we'll be staying home. I might get take-out, and we'll catch the Oscar telecast. Not that we have seen more than one or two movies and only one that has any nominations. Still it should be fun seeing how Hugh Jackman handles the hosting job. He has performed that function at the Tony's, but this is a slightly less sophisticated crowd, so I'm sure we'll get Wolverine/X-Men references and a joke or two about Australia.

On the political front I'm not going to say a word. Everybody else has bashed or praised the decisions of the Obama adminstration thus far, so I doubt there is much I can add either way. I'm almost at the point where I'm thinking of taking a break from watching anything but the local news and weather, plus sports again once actual exhibition games start.

Hope you all are doing well and staying out of trouble! I do have an e-mail address so feel free to drop me a line.

Obama Girl Stimulates (New Mike Gregory Song!!)

Full of awesomeness!

Our Representatives Just Stabbed Us In The Back

This is why I find The Young Turks one fo the best sites for analysis and kick ass commentary.

I joined the effort to get them onto MSNBC in the 10:00pm slot.

Check out http://www.theyoungturks.com

Scout & Guide, our two new parakeets, are settling in quite well. Babie is absolutely entranced by them and is spending hours sitting on the arm of the love seat or Donna's recliner (even when Donna is in it) staring at her new roommates. In the morning you'll find Babie sitting near the table waiting for one of us to uncover her new friends. Honestly, she hasn't tried to get at them or bother the cage, which was my initial fear. It's actually kind of cute! (In case, you're wondering that IS NOT Babie or our two birds. I found it on the web and it perfectly captures what we experience. I'll try to grab the camera and get a couple of photos of the real thing to share.)

The weather here the past couple of days has been a bit chilly (SoCal wise, not the below freezing stuff you folks deal with. Brrr!) and rainy. We do need the rain, so I really should not complain. I just hate driving in bad weather, but I guess nobody does!

Donna and I are checking cruise lines, airlines and Las Vegas websites trying to figure out what we want to do this year. The only definite plans we have so far actually involve the Rose Parade next January, but we like to do something between then and now. We both love cruising and might have a three-nighter in May, depending on several factors. Donna and Kristina were in Las Vegas last year, but I haven't been in a few years and would love to go back. I have loved the place since my first visit and have enjoyed every visit since. I'll keep you posted.

As you can tell, from the lack of posts, there continues to be a block on Blogger and MySpace at work. Personally, I'm just happy that I can continue to visit Shelfari and the Tony Isabella messageboard each day. We'll see how my blogging goes for the rest of the year. (By the way, for those of you who check both I've also posted a comics review over at SHOT'S SHACK.)

Take care, be well and write if you get work!

Well, overall I'm pretty happy with the first four days of the Obama administration. Of course, being one of those 'liberal/leftist' bloggers I'm never going to be completely in agreement with everything done by a moderate like Barack. Still after eight years of the Bush crime family all this feels like a breath of fresh air.

I'm willing to wait for the next few months (giving Obama/Biden their 100 days) to see where we are at that point. Things seem headed in a much better direction and we can't expect miracles. (An old agnostic like me never does!)

We are having some badly needed rain here in SoCal, but it still doesn't make me happy to have to drive in it. Those who know me already know how uneasy I am in this kind of weather. Hell, I'm even nervous driving in bright sunshine!

Donna and I are going back and forth on how to celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. I know it won't be until late November, but if we want to take a cruise or head off somewhere we want to make plans and get reservations. We might take a another weekend cruise for Memorial Day, but it's not 100% set yet. I'd also love to hit Las Vegas sometime this year, even for a few days. Been several years since our last trip (not counting a few hours spent in the LV airport playing slots during a plane change) and I love the place.

That wraps it up for now. Just wanted to let you all know I'm still around and will be trying to post updates at least every other Saturday.

Barack Announces Organizing for America

I am very, excited about tomorrow. Maybe this country still has a chance to be great again.

Peace!

Has G.W. gone yet? Can't we get an amendment stating that the new President can toss out the current resident of the Oval Office if his poll ratings are lower than the President-elects? Just a thought next time around!

Can we get a show of hands on how many of you believe that nothing will be done about the 'war crimes' committed by the out-going gang of thugs? I don't see the current Democratic leadership suddenly gaining the courage to do anything. I expect it to duplicate the Clinton administration in regards to the Iran-Contra affair, allowing Bush I to remain at large.

Oh, in case you were wondering. Donna and I felt the 4.5 quake the other night. Just annoying enough to get me out of my recliner and check out our cars.

A very, happy belated New Year's to all of you. (Pardon any typos since, Babie, has now decided it's time to check out the keyboard.)

If anybody is still reading this blog (and I don't know more than a few), I want to apologize for not being here. As I mentioned a couple of months ago, my employer has changed the filtering system at work, making it impossible for me to write on a break. This leaves only weekends, since I never go online at home after work. I spend enough time doing research and reference, along with my reports, in the library and don't feel like typing when I get home.

I don't expect things to change, so the coming year will see even fewer posts here and on SHOT'S SHACK. Many of those will be when I upload YouTube videos and add comments. This is a way to get around the filter, until I find another way or set up another web page somewhere. It's a thought, believe me!

Donna and I had a nice holiday, spending Christmas with The Child and a few friends. Then, since I had a couple of weeks off, we took a four-night cruise for New Year's Eve. Unfortunately, I got sick and ended up quarantined in our cabin for 24-hours and watched the ball drop and shipboard activities from my sickbed.

*sigh*

Any of you who have known me for a while (and this would be most of you reading this) are aware that I have a short-attention span and my interests come and go. When I started blogging, I had so much to say that I began a second blog to spread things out and separate the political from the pop culture stuff. I seem to have hit a point where my interest in posting is in decline. As it was when I gave up on apa-hacking, I have come to a time when it seems more a chore to blog than fun. When that happens it time to step back.

Time for an admission (unless I've mentioned it before and forgotten). Another reason I am delinquent in posting and reading others is that I have a new addiction.

For the past month I have started playing the online RBG game KINGDOM OF LOATHING . Check it out, if you don't know it, or you can wait for me to write it up and post some of my experiences over on SHOT'S SHACK in the next week or so.

Take care and I'll try to stay in touch!

A California Carol

I only wish something like this would happen! Things look bad here and I don't expect them to get any better.

We already have a 10% cut in the Library budget and we are supposed to plan for further cutbacks. Fingers crossed!

Well, Happy Holidays anyway.

Books = Gifts

They really do, you know!

Of course, my "Fra-gee-lee" (it's Italian)leg lamp Christmas ornament was an amazing birthday present. Thanks, sweetheart!

Down Goes Gov. Blagojevich! Does This Help Obama?

Is this going to allow the GOP to start pushing for investigations like we saw throughout the Clinton administration? At least it is going to give the Right something to talk about for months, using it to get contributions from the base.

By the way, Donna is back home and the doctor told her the biopsies were negative. They found no trace of cancer in her thyroid. Whew!

Also, my doctor tells me that the stress test was good and my heart will keep beating for a while. Just have to watch that cholesterol. hehe

Take care and easy on the eggnog!

Star Wars Vs. Star Trek - DMP Edition HQ

Passing this along for fans of both series. Nicely done!

Dedicated to The Child. :-)

We had a very, nice Thanksgiving out here. Donna's BFF, Fran, is visting so the three of us had a great dinner, that Donna really went out of way to cook. Fran was good enough to bring us some Italian bread & pastries, which we're still enjoying.

On the positive front, the specialist has told me that I DO NOT have glaucoma, but will have to have my eyes checked again since I do have cataracts beginning in both eyes. My mother had them, as did her mom, so I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm still awaiting the results of a stress test of my heart, which I'm hoping will show good news as well.

Donna will be going in on Dec. 8th for a thyroidectomy. I'll be taking the day off to be with her that day, but she may have to stay in for up to two days. We have our fingers crossed that all will go well.

Like most folks, we have been watching the ongoing drama in Mumbai the past few days. Interesting to find out who may have been behind it, with the Indian press & public believing it to be 'official' sanctioned by the Pakistani government, despite their denials. Naturally, with the crisis still going and little actual information it didn't take long for U.S. "terrorism experts" to announce that it was obviously the work of Al Qaeda or of individuals with ties to them. I saw one such 'expert' who looked barely old enough to be in grad school. How do you get that kind of gig? Shouldn't you have done something besides attend a few classes taught by somebody else who never did anything of note?

Sorry, this sort of thing just pisses me off. Of course, it's all because of Obama anyway!

We're still working with my blogs filtered here at work, but for some odd reason they are not during the weekends.

Have a busy month ahead of us out here. We're going to be watching somebody's cat for a week around Thanksgiving and Donna's BFF, Fran, will be coming out to stay with us for a few days. Saying much about either will just get me in trouble, so I'll leave it at that. :-)

Don't have much to say about it, but Donna will be having some surgery in early December. You never know about things like that, as it depends on other tests and how her general health will be at that time. I'll keep you all updated and appreciate the nice, e-mails folks have sent asking about her.

Unfortunately, the fire season seems to be off to a start, with hundreds of acres and dozens of homes already burned. Odd that one of the big fires up Santa Barbara way happened the very, day after the state-wide disaster drill. We are all hoping that we won't see a repeat of last year's dozens of fires, which cost billions that we certainly don't have.

I'm currently taking part in an online class on legal research for librarians. Pretty interesting stuff! Not sure now much use I will get from it in my daily work, but it's good to know that I'll have a list of great sites & resources if I do.

That seems to be it for now! Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Alone - Veteran Support - IAVA

I wanted to share this with you, if you haven't had the chance to see it yet. I believe it was on the Rachel Maddow program that I first saw it. Then a link was sent via the IAVA newsletter, to which I subscribe.

Donna and I both had doctors appointments on Tuesday, so we didn't have the opportunity to attend any Veteran's Day events. I did watch some of the ceremonies on television.

Donna is doing a bit better, with her foot healing. It looks as if she may be taking a leave of absence from work, so that she can take care of some other health issues. That includes a possible surgery in early December. I'll have more on that when I know more.

Still miss reading and posting on Blogger, but it's still blocked on my office computer. Posting these videos gives me a chance to sort of work around that.

For the next two days, here in SoCal there will be a disaster drill taking place, called the Big Shakeout. All city agencies and many state departments will be taking part in a simulated response to a massive quake. You'll probably see something about it on some of the national news shows.

Take care! I'm thinking of you all.

No on 8 PSA: CONSTITUTION

Donna and I spent a couple of hours yesterday holding up signs and waving to traffic in Mission Viejo. Along with The Child and dozens of other folks we were hoping to bring attention to Prop. 8 here in California.

No on 8! Equality for all!!

Think about the issues and the candidates you are going to support. If you haven't already please get out tomorrow and vote!

It actually does, no matter what some in the Blogosphere would have you believe. Is the Democratic candidate my first choice of those who initially ran? No, he actually came in fourth, but he was the best choice I had by the time the primaries came around to California. I've grown to have more respect for Obama and certainly feel that he will actually try to make things a little better for the average American.

The McCain campaign has been going downhill from the beginning. Any respect I had for the Old Man is completely gone at this point. The Palin choice certainly didn't help matters in my mind, or apparently in the mind of a great number of his fellow Republicans.

Wow, I can't ever remember so many people publically declaring themselves for the candidate of the other party. Sure, you'd get somebody like Zell Miller (back in 2004) or Joe Lieberman (this year), who unhappy with the Democratic nominee would turncoat and speak before the Republican Convention. This year, especially in the past month, it seems that every news cycle has another well known conservative/Republican politician coming out for Obama.

In case you're wondering, the new filter system at the library appears to allow me to post only on weekends. Don't ask why? I'll continue to try and get here during the week, either by posting videos with commentary or jump on a public terminal during lunch. Still unsure if I want to create a seperate website or see if another posting service can get around the filter.

Anyway, have a nice weekend and be sure to vote this Tuesday, if you haven't already!

Elvira - Haunted House music video

Since I might not have a chance to blog tomorrow...Happy Halloween!!

Obama or McCain- Why You Should Vote

I wish I was able to access Blogger from work, but it's still blocked. Felt this video was pretty effective, so it was worth passing along.

Just so you know everything is going smoothly out here. I'm heading to the eye doctor for a checkup and new glasses this Friday.

October 24, 2008: The Day in More Than 100 Seconds

Certainly a bit more than 100 Seconds, but I really want to recommend TPM. They and the Huffington Post are keeping me sane out here.

We're still blocked at work and I'm going to have to figure out something. Might be time to find out something other than Blogger if this keeps up.

Take care, have a good weekend and vote early if you can!

Britney and McCain in 2008

Well, yeah...who wouldn't??

The Library has decided to block (AGAIN!!) Blogger, so I won't be posting much. I have to log on when I'm on break, so it means trying to find a public computer along with everybody else.

I'll try to stay in touch, here and at Shot's Shack, but far less often.

By the way, Donna is feeling a bit better, but still not completely over her cold. I seem to be on the verge of catching one, starting with a scratchy throat. Sigh...

Remember, California voters, NO on Propositions 4 & 8, Yes on 2!! My two cents!!

While I seriously doubt that Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL will change the mind of any voter, I'll give her credit for doing the show. I do wonder how her fellow Alaskans will feel about it though?

At this point I think Palin is moving to establish herself for her own reelection campaign in her home state (should she decide to do that) and for 2012, where she will probably run for the top spot. Palin will have four years to campaign for the White House and has already shown that a certain part of the Republican base will align with her. This was McCain's last and best shot, so we can count him out, even if he doesn't decide to retire from public service at the end of his current term. Romney (aka The Anti-Christ), Huckabee and a few others will be maneuvering to become the favorite, knowing that Caribou Barbie will be in competition.

It was good to see Colin Powell come out for Obama, but I don't think anyone truly expected him to back McCain. I think there is just to much difference between the two men on various domestic and international issues. We'll see how the Right plays this, but I think the matter of race will certainly show it's ugly head. As even John McCain's buddy, Tom Brokaw brought it up the folks at Fox will feel that gives them a free pass to go in that direction.

That's it for now, unless something else happens later.

If you had asked me about a month ago, I would have said (and I believe may have) that I felt John McCain had the election all but sewn up. The Palin choice seemed to have invigorated the campaign and it appeared the PUMA crowd was going to vote for McCain to get even with the Dems for NOT picking Hillary. Who knew that the bottom was going to fall out of the financial system and change the dynamics of the entire campaigns?

It will be interesting to see what happens tonight in the last debate. I'm willing to bet that McCain does bring up Ayres at least once, if not more, since if he does not he is going to be hit by his own backers and the media. It will seem at this point that he doesn't have the courage to confront Obama and "courage" is the last thing he has to run on. It is a no win for McCain now since the polls have shown that the issue only appears relevant to a small portion of his base, which would not have voted for Barack or any Democrat in any case.

This is also why the Republicans & their media tools are pushing the non-story of ACORN and voter fraud. They realize that they may in fact lose, and lose big, but want to dirty the victory before hand. It doesn't surprise me that FOX is running with this, since everything else they have thrown at Obama has not worked. The disappoint is seeing CNN give coverage to the issue, although a network that gives a platform to right-wing dimwad Glenn Beck would probably do anything so as to appear 'objective' on the issue. I expect them to bring in some 'experts' on the side of lynching so as not to offend some in the Republican base. Just my two cents!

On the personal front, Donna is feeling better, although she still has a cough. We're hoping to recover some of the money we put up for the cruise last weekend, and Carnival says they may let us roll some over for a future booking. We'll see how that works out. We're planning ahead for next year when we would like to take a Caribbean or Panama Canal cruise to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Can you believe that??

In case anybody is wondering, we are pretty much between the major fires out here. Actually nearer to the ones which burned thousands of acres in Camp Pendelton south of us. The other fires are pretty far north, but may effect the area where Elayne's brother lives, and may still as far as I know.

Probably have something to say tomorrow about the debate, especially if the Old Man takes a swing at Barack before it ends. :-)

Cindy Sheehan lambasts the Bankers' Bailout

I approve this message! Go Cindy!!

John McCain's Rage is a National Security Concern

I fully expect that we are going to see McCain lose it one of these days. Something which, in a way would be good for aht public to know about, but something the Senator has so far been able to control.

With the McCain/Palin campaign reaching the desperation phase in this election, they have announced publicly that they are going to 'turn the page' on the financial crisis and begin attacking Obama even more. If you can't get somebody on the issues attack their character, even if you have to make things up and take them out of context.

This video discusses the actual case of the Keating Five, in which John McCain was deeply involved. It's not quite fourteen minutes long, but should deliver enough information for people to make up their minds.

Check it out & pass it on!

It is not getting much play, except on some 'progressive' radio talk shows, but this article from the Army Times should get you thinking. Why, suddenly, would the Bush administration decide to bring these Army troops home to perform functions normally conducted by National Guard troops?


According to the article:

They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.

Training for homeland scenarios has already begun at Fort Stewart and includes specialty tasks such as knowing how to use the “jaws of life” to extract a person from a mangled vehicle; extra medical training for a CBRNE incident; and working with U.S. Forestry Service experts on how to go in with chainsaws and cut and clear trees to clear a road or area.

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them.

Are we expecting something perhaps at the end of this month or in early November, that might...oh, I don't know...affect elections?

Just wondering.

Well, it seems that Donna may have sleep apnea, but we have to get the results from her doctor. It's pretty apparent that if she suffers from this than I probably do as well, so I guess it's my turn to get tested. Not the first time that the question of my forgetting to breathe has come up.

The Senate is now in the midst of a debate of the current 'bailout' bill. It has been interesting to hear and read the commentary the past couple of days, both pro & con. I was listening to NPR last night and several economists agree (not on the plan, of course) that having everyone call it a 'bailout' doesn't help matters with the general public. It is not an actual bailout, as that is defined or as most of we uninformed understand the term. Unlike many of my fellow bloggers I am not going to pretend to understand the "problem", but my gut feeling is that we might actually be better off allowing some of these banks & business to go belly up. Then again, I think a 'bank holiday' where debts are forgiven or decreased to workable levels might be a good idea. There is a reason that I'm not working in retail as you can tell. :-)

The smart money says that McCain is stuck with Palin, no matter how she does tomorrow evening. I agree with Mark Evanier that it is too late for the Republicans to make a change at this point, especially with some folks already submitting 'absentee ballots' and Early Voting about to take place in some states. We haven't decided whether or not we are going to take advantage of that this year or just wait until Nov. 4th. We probably will since I'm working late and don't have to be in until noon and Donna has that Tuesday off.

Probably more to say about this whole thing later or tomorrow, depending on what happens in D.C. & Wall Street.

The Bailout

This pretty much sums up what I'd like to do. Losers!!!

John McCain: Yakety Sax Debate Remix

Just because....

Well, I thought that Obama should have come out a bit more forceful on Friday night. I also think that saying that McCain was right or that he was in agreement with the elder Senator didn't do much for him either. Of course, reading the results of several polls taken that night and over the weekend appear to show that many folks think that Obama did a better job than I did.

The Anti-Christ (Mitt Romney for the uninitiated) was on the TODAY show this morning talking about how well John McCain did and that we should not underestimate Sarah Palin. If you saw the opening of this past Saturday's SNL, either on the broadcast, on YouTube or the various news shows that have been using it since, you know the scary thing is that Tina Fey really didn't have to do much of an exaggeration to make Palin look foolish. Clips of the actual interview with Couric show the Alaska governor is truly out of her depth when it comes to any foreign or domestic knowledge. The worst that could happen, I believe, is that Biden will make the woman look so bad that she will actually gain sympathy from those predisposed to like her and allow the McCain camp to regain some of the momentum they seem to have lost in the past couple of weeks.

As of a few minutes ago (11:00 PST) the House has not voted on the 'bailout' plan that was hammered out this weekend. It will be very interesting to see if the true Conservative Republican members of the House prevent its passage. Where do we go from there, no matte how you feel about the plan as it now stands? Should be an interesting week all around.

When even the Wall Street Journal begins questioning Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson you know something is giving off a bad small. Bad enough that Paulson used to be employed by Goldman Sachs (clue #1) but it appears that this whole thing was done pretty quickly over the weekend (clue #2).

Maybe McCain will want to fire Paulson this time? :-)

Speaking of the Old Man, if you are in need of a snicker or two, you might want to check out the video from TPM showing even George Will appearing to turn on Grampy McSame.

It really does pay to check the links you have on your site every so often. The past week I've found a couple of websites which have stopped updating and one which changed its URL completely. I couldn't figure out why the page would not load from my blog, but would from others. Chalk it up to laziness on my part!

There seems little reason to go off on what has been happening this past week. I'm afraid to see what the statements from my retirement plans will look like when I get the next ones. We're also doing pretty good on keeping our savings down below the $100,000 mark this year, so no problems there. :-)

Interesting that McCain wants his supporters to believe that this is all Obama's fault and that he hasn't done anything with the past eight plus years. He's a maverick! It says so right in his campaign ads and you can't lie in those!!

Hey, and let's not rehash history with that silly Keating Five stuff either! He was a POW when that happened, wasn't he?

YouTube's Mass Censorship (S1959)

Something to think about knowing that Lieberman has the ear of McCain.

Don't report me!!

I don't even know what to say about the AIG bailout and the whole financial sh*tstorm brewing on Wall Street. Frankly, as The Old Man said a few times, "I don't understand much about Economics." This is way over my head and I'm not too proud to admit it.

I remember taking only two Economics classes in college (Micro & Macro) and don't think I got above a 'B' in either. Also, it took me three colleges and a CLEP exam to get that undergrad degree, so I can sympathize with poor Sarah on going to all those schools.

If you missed McSame on the various news shows the other day, you might want to check out the "Chicken in every pot" video over at TPM. You'll see him repeating the same phrases on each show and sometimes stumbling. Personally, I almost feel sorry for him, since it's obvious that he's uncomfortable and probably doesn't even understand what he's supposed to be saying.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and state for the record that I believe that Senator McCain is beginning to show signs of Senior Dementia. Folks used to joke about Reagan in his second term (and even his first) but I really believe that if this man is elected that for reasons of health or mental disability he will not remain in office for even a single term. Even some Conservative columnists seem to realize what that might mean.

Okay, I've said it before and I'll probably say it again, but in my opinion the election is all but over. John McCain will be the next President of the United States.

Forced to take Palin, against his better judgment I'm sure, he has discovered that she is his only chance to get into the White House. The Old Man wants this so badly that he will lie and distort his record, Palin's and that of Barack Obama. This is a guy who wants to have "President" on his headstone and knows this is his last chance.

If John McCain ever was a "maverick" it must have been sometime between being a member of the Keating Five and 2000. Personally, I think the fable has more to with his friends in the mainstream media than any actual examination of his voting record would demonstrate. His buddies in the Washington press corp still seem unable to reconcile the "Straight Talker" with the guy running for the third Bush term. He was a POW, you know!

I also think a lot of the folks voting for McCain because of Palin are going to be unpleasantly surprised to discover what their policies are when they go into effect.

John McCain's ads are LIES. Here's the video proof.

This is a dangerous man! He will use any lie, smear or misleading statement to get into office and continue the policies of the Bush administration.

Seven years ago today the World Trade Center building fell into rubble. Thousands of our fellow citizens were killed. The McCain campaign feels the most important thing to discuss is an old joke about putting lipstick on a pig.

It's pretty apparent that America did NOT change that day, at least not for the better.

Spend a moment to remember those who died that day and those Americans, Iraqis and others who have died since in a war we should not be fighting. Meanwhile, those who planned that initial attack may still be living free.

There really is nothing more I can say.

These are just a few of the hundreds of photos that we took in Alaska. As beautiful as they may be, they can not do justice to the massive size of the glaciers and the wonderful views.

Among these you'll see me at Mendenhal Glacier, Donna & I in Glacier Bay and aboard the train which goes up White Pass into Canada. This was the trail used by the hopeful as they traveled to the gold mines.

I'll try to post some more when I have a chance. But wanted to at least show a few so you'd get some idea of what we experienced.

I really had meant to download some photos and talk about the Alaska cruise, but we ended up taking care of some other things this past weekend. Of course, one of those was researching and booking our next cruise for '09. Wanted to plan for our 10th anniversary! LOL!

We also signed a renewal of our lease, so if you plan to visit over the next twelve months I hope you'll be happy on the sofa sleeper with Babie. :-)

I don't even want to talk about the poll that came out today, since it just makes my head hurt and reminds me how dim some of my fellow citizens have become. Of course, the economy is good, most people are working and there are no wars involving American troops of any note, so why shouldn't we want another four years of the same old thing?

Republican Hypocracy Defends Palin

Some fun stuff from THE DAILY SHOW!

Let me add this article on GOP lies & half-truths from various speeches and interviews.

Hard to believe that it's from the Associated Press and not Slate or Salon!

It is truly amazing how the folks at the major networks will just sit there nodding and never challenge these people.

Okay, WE just might be in trouble here!

By 'we' I mean Progressives/Liberals & just plain old fashioned (pre-Reaganite) Democrats. While on vacation I had a chance to speak to a few folks about the upcoming election and the Left Blogosphere really is out of touch with the mainstream. Of course, most of us were surprised by the outcome in '04, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

One of my good friends, whose opinion I respect, was a Hillary supporter who found herself 'leaning towards McCain' (to quote her), but was finding him increasingly disturbing. She was beginning to feel that Obama might be a better choice, which certainly made me happy. Then came the announcement by the Old Man, that he was picking Caribou Barbie as his running mate.

Last night I got a call, around midnight her time back east. Her first words to me were "You're in trouble!", after which she started laughing. "She's feisty!" Again her words.

Now, 'feisty' isn't the first thing I look for in a candidate, but I'm stupidly optimistic enough to believe that issues count for something. Again, I'm part of the Left which is out of touch.

We are in deep doo-doo, my friends!

Well, we're back! I can't begin to tell you how wonderful Alaska was. It seemed that everyday we saw something incredible and the photos (well over 300) we took do not do justice to the beauty of the landscape.

Bears, eagles, seals, otters and countless whales! Man, I only wish the digital camera I had could have brought some of that closer. I hope to have some of the shots from College Fjord, Glacier Bay and Mendenhall Glacier up this weekend. We are going through them, since after a while shots of trees and mountains become repetitive, no matter how amazing they were at the time.

We all agree that we'd love to go back one day, not on another cruise but perhaps tour Danali National Park or other areas.

I had originally planned on checking in once or twice, but between eating, drinking, sightseeing and the casino there just wasn't time. :-)

I'll go into more detail in a few days.

First off, I think Obama made the right choice with Senator Joe Biden as VP. Not my first pick, but probably the safest and the one which will bring him additional support from long-time Dems.

Well, we are all packed up and ready to fly out of John Wayne Airport tomorrow for Vancouver. Then on Monday, sixteen of us (Donna, me, Donna's BFF Fran and a dozen plus of Donna's cousins and assorted spouses & partners) will be boarding the Island Princess for our seven-day Alaska cruise.

I won't promise anything, but I will try to post once or twice during the cruise, just to gloat. We'll probably check our e-mail also, if you really need to get in touch, but we won't be checking in everyday.

We will definitely be taking lots of photos so if I don't get too close to the edge of a glacier I'll post some of those when I get back. Otherwise, check with my next of kin!

Bon voyage for now!!

John McCain in "Missing, Presumed Dead"

I'm shocked at the behavior of both McCain and Kerry (whom I have admired and voted for) in this situation. Both have things to answer for, especially McCain who has been using his POW experience as both excuse and shield.

Boston Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski is recovering from triple bypass surgery today. Growing up in New England, Captain Carl was legendary and one of those players you enjoyed watching. Like the player he was brought in to replace as an outfielder, the amazing Ted Williams, Yaz instantly captured the hearts of Sox fans.

We're thinking of you, Cap!

War Block Breath Spray

If it was only so easy!

It's sort of funny that, considering what a political junkie I am, I'll be missing the Democratic convention next week.

Actually, it might be kind of pleasant to give myself a break from the whole thing considering how we'll be beat over the head with it from now until early November. At this point I still can't understand why it doesn't look like a landslide for Obama, even though he is 'different' from past Presidents. :-)

We have all the clothes ready to be packed and other things already put away. No doubt, as usual, we have over packed and might not wear everything we bring. A couple of Donna's cousins (with whom we'll be sailing) were shocked to hear that we'll both bringing more then one suitcase. Still, you can never know what might occur so it's better to bring a few more outfits.

I've gone back and forth on which two books I plan on bringing. I have stuff from both San Diego and the ALA convention, plus five more Joe Bob Briggs books to be reviewed. I'll probably finish the paperback of short mystery/suspense stories on the plane ride up, so I'll still need two for the cruise and the trip back.

I'm definitely going to bring "The Powers That Be", the first volume of a new espionage series called Room 59 by Cliff Ryder (and who doesn't believe that to be a pen name). The publisher was at San Diego giving out freebies and I now regret not being as greedy as other folks and grabbing the next two books. I'll just probably blindly pick one of the JBB books and toss it and the Ryder book in my suitcase.

This may not be fascinating to anyone else, but I really don't have anything else on my mind right now.

Bush's I.C.E. Unit Kills Again

This is the sort of thing that demands investigation and not a coverup!

Free Tibet

We should not forget what was done and continues to be done in China.

Oh McCain - Extended Director's Cut

Brilliant and I had to share this!

We enjoyed watching the U.S. Women's Softball team win last night. I have to admit that I did feel a little bad for the Venezuelan team. Donna used to be an assistant coach for a girl's team so she was really into it. We're hoping to see some more games, depending on when they are televised.

Still wishing for Mark Phelps to come in second or third in an event. That would be MY Olympic moment this year!

Interesting report I heard on the radio earlier today. It seems the areas set aside as "free speech" zones in Beijing are unusually quiet. Of course, it might be because the authorities have not given anyone the necessary permits which would allow them to gather there. I'm sure G.W. & Company were taking notes for possible copycat action during the GOP convention. Heads up to the Mayor of Minneapolis-St. Paul! Pay close attention.

G.W. is back (unfortunately) and making noises about the events taking place in Georgia. As I said in the last post, there really is nothing we can do about the situation. I hope that the U.N. does take some action (however futile), but don't expect Putin to change his plans even then, being the little Stalin that he has shown himself to be. Time for Rand-McNally to change the maps again, since if he gets away with this I expect Putin to find excuses to go into other former Soviet states to reclaim them.

Apparently the current campaigns of neither Obama or McCain really are as relevant as what did or did not happen in the Edwards & Clinton camps the past six months. Of course, Barack does have a lot of nerve going to some foreign nation like Hawaii for a holiday!

Show of hands: When you heard that Russia had invaded Georgia, your first concern was that the price of peaches was going to go up? Then you realized it was the country and not the state. Thirdly, you knew deep down that you don't care either way? Am I alone in this?

Seriously, if nothing else it proves beyond doubt that the U.S. is pretty much impotent when it comes to international affairs. I'm sure that Putin had a good laugh, probably in G.W.'s face, when Bush said Russia should not invade a sovereign nation. Like everyone else in Beijing, Putin knows that the President is there to suck up to the Chinese, begging them not to foreclose on the U.S. At least not until after the election, when it can be blamed on somebody else. Probably the Democrats and Bill Clinton.

Donna and I have been watching the Olympics on & off all weekend. Taking a break Saturday night for Bingo and yesterday to do some shopping and grab lunch at Mimi's Cafe. As I've mentioned before, I actually prefer the Winter games for enjoyment and action. Not to knock the track & field, swimming, etc.

Anybody else rooting for Michael Phelps NOT to win the gold in each event? Nothing personal against him, but I'd just like all the announcers to shut up. It almost seems like Phelps is the only athlete competing who deserves notice. My hope is that a Silver or Bronze would get NBC to focus on someone else for a change.

Finally, and this holds true for every time gymnastics are televised. How old are these girls? This is especially apparent in the Chinese team, where I don't know if some have even reached puberty yet!! It kind of makes my feel creepy.

Anyway, enjoy the games! Bush seems to be....

We watched most of the opening ceremony last night while visiting. We also caught some of the 'parade of nations', when we got home, until both of us were falling asleep in our chairs. It certainly was an amazing spectacular, no matter what you might think of the Chinese government or its policies. It is apparent that whomever hosts the next Olympics will not be able to match it in size or scope, even if they go all out using technology.

Found it interesting that Matt Lauer actually spoke on several controversies and political issues as the various countries were announced. As usual, Bob Costas was on hand with lots of information on the various Olympic athletes, both past and present. Neither spent too much time talking over the actual ceremony just to hear themselves talk. The absence of Katie Couric was noted and greatly appreciated by me, at least. Overall it was a good job, although I suppose you could argue with some of the camera shots and angles which didn't aid the viewer.

Of course, I can't let the subject drop without saying a few words about His Smugness and the Mrs. Did he seem especially bored by the event? It appeared as if he was fiddling with his binoculars and twitching his leg quite a bit. As for her, she had the same smile and bored expression in every single shot. It really did seem that neither wanted to even be there, but when you are in debt to somebody you need to pay your respects.

Finally, I'm saddened to hear of the problems in the marriage of John Edwards. It doesn't effect, in my mind, the positions he has taken or the ideas he expressed on the issues in the Presidential campaign. I believe I still would have voted for him, had his name been on the ballot and the scandal erupted earlier. I'm really sorry that the Obama campaign will now have to spend time and effort putting distance between the candidate and his former opponent.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and whatever Olympic event you care to watch.

It's hard to believe that our cruise is less then three weeks from today. We haven't even started to get our stuff together, which for Donna is unusual, since she is usually way ahead. Probably come down to pressing our formal wear and making sure we have enough clean casual stuff for the eight days. Big debate about whether or not to pack more then one swimsuit, as we aren't sure if one of the pools is covered or not and you can't predict the weather up in Alaska.


We thought about taking the laptop along, but decided against it. To likely to either get lost, stolen or just sit in the stateroom unused. We are going to get one of the Internet plans that the cruiselines offer, where you pay for a certain amount of online time ahead, with additional cost if you go over. Never hurts to keep in touch, plus I might try to blog just for the novelty of doing so while on vacation.

Since our other camera was taken out by a Jedi in San Diego, we bought a new one (and a tad better while we were at it) this past weekend. We'll be playing with it to make sure we know what we are doing.