What to say

So I go to Yahoo's news home page and two of the top stories



"Dancing with the Stars talks about tabloid rumors"



and



"Giant potato may be new record".





Do I need to even comment??

Tis the Season

Today, black Friday to those who care, a man was killed by a crowd of people storming a Wal-mart. The store was not to open till 9:00am but the mob broke down the doors at 5:00am killing one man and injuring at least 4 other people. Instead of helping the man up he was stepped over and those who tried to help were trampled as well. When it was announced that a man had died and the store was closed shopping continued and many people (if I should call them that) refused to leave.

This is Christmas shopping?

A man died today because a mob wanted electronics and cheap clothes. I'll bet some will even sleep without guilt tonight.

It's the Christmas season.

God Bless us, Everyone.

Socialism

Well isn't it a goof.

Now that Obama is prez I don't hear anyone calling him a terrorist, now he is a socialist. Mmmhhhh. Maybe because what they want to call him doesn't start with the letter "t" or "s".

Heck, that bright and charming mental wiz Alen Keyes even compared Obama to hitler...though, come to think of it he called Alan Dershowitz a nazi. (I hope you know Alan Dershowitz is Jewish).
Rep. Paul Broun also did the hitler thingy.
What silly fellows they are!!! Next they will be dancing with clown nose and funny shoes!!

I truly don't know if Obama is a socialist, I doubt if he will be anything like hitler, and I really doubt that Alan Dershowitz is a nazi.

I do feel both these idiots Keyes and Broun need to pick up a book and read it from time to time (past "Dick and Jane" that is). Maybe a book on hitler (what a thought)!!!

And as far as the socialist thing. Look at this......

Socialism-a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

The government buying out the morgage companies with our government owning stock...that is socialism, not capitalism.

Who is the socialist?? You, me?

I do love my country, I just worry about who we let drive it.

Sunday Night Football

How could I not have known...I can watch SNF on the internet. Hell, I am doing it right now.

This is so cool!!!

Five different camera angles too!!

That is all for now, I have a game to watch!!!

Fun at Work

Some weeks my work is just plain strange.

I give historical tours of New Orleans. I have been doing this for sometime and it helps pay the bills. I also do a couple of ghost tours. They are the big pay with tips if you can put on a show. What a ghost tour breaks down to is telling ghost stories with up to 28 people (the legal limit) for two hours through the streets of New Orleans. When I say the streets I mean right there with drunks, crazies and madmen. Rain or not, holidays, festivals and full moons. Sometimes the drunks, crazies and madmen are on the tour.

Monday was a slow day, I had one person on the tour. (Old tour guide rule-a single person on the tour is off in the head, and they don't tip!!) This woman was nice enough but she informed me her dead husband was on the tour too. Now I want to point out that I do believe in things like that, you can't live in New Orleans and not but....I am about to spend two hours with a woman for somewhere else and I have to entertain her and her dead hubby. What made it even more interesting was that she hit on me a couple times, nothing rude but I tried to send all the "not interested" vibe I could muster. Sometimes my super powers are not up to the match. I was also uncomfortable in front of her dead husband.
The tour was OK and it ended tip free.

This week I did a history tour with a history teacher that didn't know anything about the Louisiana Purchase.

This isn't as bad as the five teachers that I took on a history tour. I stoped to show them the place William Faulkner lived while in New Orleans. Three of these teachers didn't know of him. One informed me she was a first grade teacher (though I have no clue what that had to do with anything). I mentioned that he liked to imbibe and another asked what that word meant. I worry for our youth.

I think there is a full moon this week, I'll let you know how it goes.

Master Liu

I have studied Martial arts under Master Liu for almost two years. Starting with Tai Chi for over a year before adding Kung-fu. Right now I miss going to class, I miss the training and funny enough, I miss saluting.
When I first started school I though saluting was a bit demeaning. I am a grown man with skills of my own, I should respect his skill (since he could snap me like a dry twig) but saluting?? Really??
Now I miss it. Saluting. The showing of respect.

Not only to him but to his senior trainers George and John. Both are just good people. OK, maybe George isn't people. He works a full time job and then trains us 4 days a week. I have never seen him angry or even a bit grumpy. Either he is on some very strange drugs or he's not fully human.

Due to other life things I am unable to take class, still practicing though. I look forward to attending class soon.

I look forward to showing my respect.

Wind after the Storm

Why, oh why is Sarah Palin (throw your hat Sarah) still talking. My God, go home and look at Russia from your roof.

Life is good

I had a great show tonight, walked away with good pay and when I got in the car, The Bill Evans Trio was playing on the radio.

Driving thru the city of New Orleans.

Somedays life just makes sense.

This age talk is getting old

Since the presidential thing has been pumping through the news, weather and sports of my ears I thought I would remind my readers (all two of you) about history.

John McCain is 72 years old and I listen to his nay sayers proclaim that he might just fall over dead at anytime and ol Sarah (throw your hat Sarah!!) would be commander in chief.

Maybe we should look a bit at history for a simple lesson.

There have been many leaders of countries as old. We Americans don't have to look any farther than Ben Franklin for an example. I know, that would mean reading and learning and who has time for that?

Mr. Franklin was 70 when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

He then was sent as ambassador to France. It was this “old man ready to fall over dead” that convinced France to sign a Treaty of Alliance with us in 1778. He was the “almost dead” man who secured money from France to finance our war against England. Without this support we would be British citizens even today.
I will also mention that even in his 70s he was quite the favorite of the ladies.
When he came home to America he continued to do work, good stuff to, I'm not talking tending the flower garden.
Then we leap to cancer, Those dem. folks are shouting that he gave short access to his health records and that there must be something to hide.
Heck, Obama hasn’t even released his records. Refuses to do so. Wait!!! He smoked cigarettes!! He refuses to let us see his health records. Maybe then rep. folks have something that needs to be looked into. (we can do this back and forth all day)
Truthfully I don’t blame either one of them for keeping there innards to themselves. I wonder if we would even let George Washington in the White House if he had to go through this same bull run.
I may or may not agree with McCain but I think I will stick to real issues.


Someday you will be 70, I doubt you would want to be dismissed as being useless and even more important, at 70 I doubt you will be useless.

Tad

Tad died tonight.
He was old, grumpy and would pee in the house...on anything. He was 15 years old (105 in dog years), lost most his teeth and his breath stank. His hearing was shot, eye sight was poor and if he didn't feel like going out the dog door he would poop in the house.

Tad was my friend Wilson and Darla's dog but he was my buddy. They have 5 dogs and of all, he was my favorite. When I first returned to New Orleans after Katrina I had to stay at their house. Tad use to hang out with me in my room, until he would try to pee on something of mine. I couldn’t relax with him around but I liked his company. He was always happy to grab whatever food hit the ground, always happy to get his ears scratched, happy to pee on my stuff.

I hope when I get that bad there is someone who still likes me, and someone who misses me as much as I will miss him.

Somewhere in heaven an angel is shooing Tad as he takes aim to mark his space.

As I reflect on Sarah Palin

When she smiles she reminds me of the opening to the Mary Tyler Moore Show. (Throw your hat Sarah, throw your hat!!)

A man sitting in the same room as I was watching the Rep. convention made the observation "Oh god, she has Hillary calves". Soda flew out my nose from me laughing.

I’ll bet she is a good mom.

I’ll bet she has a "balanced to the penny" checkbook.

I’ll bet she could make your life hell if you were on her bad side.

I’ll bet getting there isn’t hard to do.

She does have “Hillary calves”.

That is all I have to say about her.

What to do with a year in office

I have wanted to avoid the political comment on my blog but.....
Here is one anyway.
First
I am not for either team, I don't vote party lines, I don't like the whole one side or the other. Good guy, bad guy.
I have listened to the Rep. yell about how little experience Obama had. I have listened to Dem.s yell about Palins experience. I have heard speculation that McCann is a war hero or a bitter man due to his history in the war.
No one is mentioning Biden, apparently he has the time on capitol hill that prevents anyone from commenting.
I will.
Here is a list of what he did in 2007.
He was part of 21 Bills or Resolutions. I have listed 14 of them. They all have the same theme. I think you will see what I mean.
1/26/07
A resolution designating January 2007 as "National Stalking Awareness Month". (yes, I noticed the date)
3/29/07
A resolution condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human rights advocate Hrant Dink.
3/5/07
A resolution supporting the goals of "International Women's Day".
6/20/2007
A resolution designating September 2007 as "Campus Fire Safety Month".
5/1/07
A resolution designating May 2007 as "National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month".
3/26/07
A resolution congratulating the European Union on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome
4/11/07
A resolution observing Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day
6/7/07
A resolution designating the month of August 2007 as "National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month".
6/26/07
A resolution designating June 2007 as "National Aphasia Awareness Month"
9/21/07
A resolution recognizing the achievements of the people of Ukraine in pursuit of freedom and democracy
9/24/07
A resolution condemning the assassination on September 19, 2007 of Antoine Ghanem
10/2/07
A resolution designating October 19, 2007, as "National Mammography Day"
10/26/07
A bill designating the week of November 11 through November 17, 2007, as "National Veterans Awareness Week"
12/19/07
A resolution designating January 2008 as "National Stalking Awareness Month".

I am in no way condemning the intentions of these days, weeks and months but I wonder is this time could not have been spend doing something like...errr...maybe looking into the financial mess that America is in. It is not like this wasn’t seen coming.
Is this experience or lack of it in the Senate?? Is this what "insiders" do with our money.
I will say there are 7 other bills he was a part of that seem to have more meat to them but 14 condeming, congradulating or creating awareness holidays!?!?

Right now this is National 700 billion dollar month. Wonder if I can get the tee shirt.

Just Thinking

Things that make me think,

When did this economic trouble become so last minute? Did these CEOs suddenly discover that they misplaced 700 billion dollars just last week.
I would get fired if I lost $20 in a regester. Just to add, I wouldn't get 5 to 65 million for the trouble.

From whom are we getting the 700 billion? What is the interest rate? Don't forget, we are in debit for more than we have ever been. What is America's credit rating?

While America worries about gas why is the rest of the world worrying about food? Germany and China are buying farmland like crazy in America. I like food more than gas.

Pakistan and American troops are shooting at each other after American troops have entered their country. Pakistan has asked us not to enter and we are anyway. More folks shooting at each other.
I don't even know what to say about this.


This country would do better if we had "none of the above" listed when we vote.

Ian Moulding

Ed called with the news.

After I got off the phone I just sat.
The brain turns on white noise as the shock sets in.


Two moments with Ian came to mind, I want to tell you about them. They were years ago.

The First.
I don't remember when or why we were there but we were, walking down an alley in the middle of the night in a snow storm. I am talking a mad, don't bother driving tomorrow, school closing kind of snow storm. Boston throwing its best at us.Ian and me and not another soul.

Oh, we had a bottle of something too. Needed it for the cold.

As we wander and ramble we came across a fire escape lowered to the ground. We figured that if it was down...well, ladders are for climbing. We did.

The roof was five or six stories up.

We ended up standing at the ledge and just looking out on the city. Just looking. Nothing was said. The snow muffled anything else. The bottle past back and forth but we didn't speak a word.
Silence, simple silence...and peace.

We must have sat like that for an hour or more.

That time just looking over Boston , the sky full of snow. Just looking.Maybe in some strange dimension that moment still exists.

The Second.

We were walking in a park by symphony hall. It was just getting dark. We passed by a woman that was yelling at a tree. She was really mad at the tree. As we were walked by we heard her shout at the tree “You are always asking for money”.Ian turned to me and said “I wonder if she knows something we don’t”?

He turned back and kept walking without breaking his stride.

I miss my friend.

We always Know Where something Started

Benjamin Franklin once said that “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing about.”I doubt that this blog will prove to be up to the standard Mr. Franklin has set but I, not being employed by a printer when I was a young man, will take advantage of what is available for me.

I want to mention that the catharsis for this has been the death of a couple of good friends, some issues I'll mention later (or not at all) and finding out a friend whos life was totally together (own company, wife...) developed a distructive addiction.

All this news in the last 7 weeks. It has been a strange past couple months. With the added distractions and tensions from Hurricane Gustav and Ike I can’t say I have felt real warm a fuzzy. Just fuzzy.

I have taken a few steps back and started re-valuing (is a hyphen correct ) what I do. Nothing new or different, nothing you haven’t gone through, just something I want to do...I need to do. Putting things on paper (paper?) can help sort out things, doing a blog makes me look at what I write a bit closer than if I were to write it in a hidden notebook. There is still a hidden notebook, written in code so don’t try looking.

All things have a beginning middle and an end. In life it is sometimes hard to tell where the middle and the end are, the beginning is another matter.

We always know where things started.

A thanks goes to “spoke the cat”. Inspiration in the 504.