We live in a political world...We’re living in times where men commit crimes

Apparently, the Republican Party, the party that wants to display the Ten Commandments in front of courthouses and have any phrase with the word “God” in it put into our daily vocabulary, whether it’s through the Pledge of Allegiance, or on a quarter, is forgetting how to represent certain commandments and whatever God they seem to acknowledge. I’m pretty sure this story takes care of commandment #’s 5, 8 & 9. In case you you’re a little rusty on what those commandments say, here’s a refresher course:

5. You shall not dishonor your parents.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not commit perjury.

I suppose if you want to get technical, you could include #6 in there as well (You shall not murder). Because he was taking bribes from defense contractors, he was indirectly murdering people. Or maybe I’m just stretching this a little far? Nonetheless, way to go GOP! It’s a good thing the Democrats have absolutely nobody to run against you in 2008.

They said screw you, I ain't got nothin' to lose

I am pretty sure I just got screwed a little. I say “a little” because it was only about .20¢ worth, but nonetheless, I was screwed.

I go to Subway about once every 10 days or so for lunch. Today was one of those days and I bought the same thing that I always buy. I got my usual combo and when the girl handed me my drink cup, I looked at it quizzically and asked if that was the right size. She said yes and confirmed it with the other employee, who I think is a manager-type of some sort. She then told me they were out of the larger cups. If you’re out of those sized cups, then why am I paying my regular price and receiving less in return? Like I said, it’s probably only .20¢, but I want what I paid for.

Also, there are some 300-plus Subway restaurants in Houston; there is another one within 2 miles of this one. Somebody please go borrow some cups!

Turkey lurkey doo and turkey lurkey dap. I eat that turkey, then I take a nap!

I know everyone is eagerly waiting the next thing I have to say, but this week has been crazy with work, birthdays, bitching about Christmas commercials and the damned holiday traffic seems to have started already as well. So all I have to say is this: Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and if you’re lucky, I’ll find some time to tell you what I have a problem with over the weekend. Although, that will be after I wake up from my after-turkey-eating slumber!

She takes you places your heart cannot go during the winter (& summer!) up in Buffalo

This day has been filled with memories. This morning I was searching the web and wound up on a site that was talking about Buffalo and its lack of revitalization on the East Side. There were pictures of buildings that I recognized and streets were mentioned that I haven’t driven down in years. From the gist of what was being talked about, I gathered that someone is trying to build up those neighborhoods, but just because you build it, doesn’t mean people will come. It’s a catch-22. If you put nice, new homes in a neighborhood, the area will clean itself up and nice, new business will follow. Or is it vice versa? Well, this is not for me to ponder because I don’t live there anymore, but I thought I would mention it as something to think about.

Then my father and his email and the nostalgia he brought up about his old boat. I remember being on that boat, as he said, swimming off the stern, bucket wars in the hot August sun and as I got older, the moonlight sails to Point Abino the weekend of the Queen City Regatta and Mayor’s Cup. I remember duct tape sheets and having a race called due to lack of wind while we were 50 yards from the finish – way ahead of our nearest competition. I keep close in my mind leaning against the mast as we motored out of the channel to get ready for our Wednesday night races and preparing myself for the job ahead; setting the bag, setting the pole, jibing the chute, getting my 175 lb. frame off the bow as quickly as possible because it slows us down. I also remember being face down on the bow while setting the bag in 10 foot waves and every time we came out of a swell, a wave would crash on top of me; the whole time I’m thinking, ‘one hand for the boat, one hand for yourself’, but loving every damned minute of it. I too will miss the Getaway, but I haven’t been on her since ’99, so she doesn’t hold any recent memories for me. Dad offered her to me, but I have neither the time nor the money to take her off his hands; but oh, how I would love one more sail.

I always defend Buffalo when people criticize it, whether it’s because of the snowstorms or its sports teams, Buffalo is a very special place - home. I am often asked if I would ever return and my answer has always been the same since the day I left in ’99, “If the financial situation was better and other situations could work out, I would move back in a heartbeat." I don’t mind the snow; it’s better than running from a hurricane! I love the summers. 85 degrees and sunny almost every day is hard to beat and it’s certainly better than 105 and humid. The south doesn’t even know what fall foliage is and the area surrounding Buffalo is second to none when it comes to that. I love the architecture downtown and my dad does such a great job telling different stories about how this building was such and such and now it’s just a piece of history. Buffalo was a big part of the industrial revolution and has a huge part in American history around the turn of the 19th Century. I grew up a stone’s throw from the Erie Canal and learned about its rich history while in school. It’s close enough to Toronto to make a day trip up there and be in a world-renowned city that has a culture like no other. It’s close enough to the middle of nowhere to get lost in the country for a day and still make it home for a late dinner. You can get anywhere you need to be in 20 minutes. It’s a piece of my heart that just doesn’t die. It doesn’t matter how many times people put it down or I hear about all the economic disasters happening, I will always think of Buffalo as my home.

Wishful thinking/A change is gonna come

Time for a Change, by (my father) in Buffalo, NY:

"Two things in life are always certain, death & taxes!" That's what we're told from when we were very young. The known and the unknown, you can count on that. Owning the same boat for many years gives one the sense of security and familiarity of knowing what you have and what to expect. I owned my Cal 25, Quick Getaway for some 23 years. Looking back on those years, I've single-handed all over Lake Erie, raced in just about every event in the area and had a ball doing it. I've got boxes of trophies, plaques, bowls, and plates or as my wife calls it, "a service for 12". It's safe, comfortable, easy to sail, and quick…what more could you want? It's fun, but the challenge is gone. We need new challenges to keep us moving forward. That's why after all the happy years with the Getaway it is time to move on. I need new challenges, I need to challenge my crew and that's the only way to get better. Fast is fun, faster is funner!

Moving on is tough, all those memories. It's like a first car, first house or first love. Contentment wasn't enough anymore. Sorry old Cal. I'll miss the simplicity of your rig, the feel on the helm and the years we spent together. I remember all too well when we spent that thunderstorm together in Presque Isle State Park. Anchored deep into the corner of the marina with lightning all around and the glow from the oil lamp flickering while I tried to read amongst the thunder claps. Or the time we got caught in a storm coming back from Dunkirk with waves as high as the top of the mast. We went through it together ol' Cal, survived it and arrived back home safe and sound.

My kids grew up on that boat. We'd swim off the stern when the wind died and had bucket wars in the August heat. When they got older they'd race with us and were great additions to the usual crew. Those are fond memories. Then there are the regattas with the crew. We knew what sail combinations to use, where to set the cars and who was doing what. We've seen this movie before! After years together, we knew the dance steps by heart, not a word was needed, we knew what came next. You've been good to us, I won't forget you; you'll always have a place at my table with the service for 12! The next owner will be very lucky indeed, in a well found boat with hundreds of safe miles under her keel, of that I am sure. It was with very mixed emotions the day I wrote the listing for my own boat. Parting is sweet sorrow.

I'm driving to Michigan this weekend to pick up my Beneteau Farr 25. It's new, fast and challenging, just what the doctor ordered. I'm up for the challenges ahead. I'm excited for the new adventure; a new chapter is about to begin. If the weather holds, we'll drop her in the water for a test sail before winter. To be continued…..

I couldn't have said it any better Dad.

I won’t become the thing I hate

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the T.V. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say, "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? I’m gonna kick their asses!

5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.

6. People who ask, "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before, it couldn't be new.

8. When people say, "life is short". What the hell? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came, would I be standing here, dumb ass?

Give a little bit

Check out 10over100.org and give a little bit...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It is too early for Christmas commercials! There, I’ve said it. Six weeks is too far in advance for Outback Steakhouse to be promoting their Bloomin’ Onion by using a little girl leaving it out for Santa Claus.

On Tuesday, this past week, the maintenance department at my office building was wrapping the lights around the trees and I thought to myself, is it that close already? No! It’s still 6 ½ weeks away! Please, let me get through Thanks-freakin’-giving before I see lights and holiday traffic. The commercials can start the Monday of Thanksgiving week, since that Friday is the big shopping day, I’ll allow that to start a couple days earlier, but the rest of it has to wait until AFTER I have eaten my turkey and taken my nap! Sheesh!!

Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride

I just received this email from a coworker:

Ouch!

You don’t really need to know every last detail, it's hardly worth telling

I just finished reading the latest post by Duncan Sheik on his website and on January 24, 2006, he will be releasing his new CD, White Limousine. It will have an extra surprise in it, which I am really looking forward to. If you care to know what that surprise is, follow the link to his blog!

The lawyers dwell on small details

You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor)

You're logical, driven, and ruthless. You'd make a mighty fine lawyer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Apparently, these people don't know me very well.

That's just the way it is, some things will never change

Here we are again, on the all-important Election Day. Does it really matter anymore who we vote into office? Months and months are spent campaigning, spending your money that you’ve donated to get them elected, but does anything really change just because we elect new officials? Whom do they really represent? I have concerns and questions. Is anyone listening to me? I have thoughts and ideas on important issues. Does anyone care? Politicians eagerly take and spend your money, but when was the last time they really did something for you? Somebody out there, please, talk to me!

Uhh..hmm..

These can be purchased at the one-night stand. Get it - purchase them at the one-night "STAND"! Ok that was really bad, but seriously, do we need to differentiate if it's all down the same aisle? Won't people figure out which is which by themselves?

Sorry seems to the hardest word

Would everyone please stop paying attention to Terrell Owens now? Please, for the love of Pete, stop paying him ANY attention! He won’t be playing anymore this year and if we’re lucky, EVER AGAIN!! Good grief! This boy (I am using the term “boy” because he is a spoiled, self-centered, egomaniac who has yet to grow up) only wants attention and every time he does something, he gets it. The media just keeps on feeding him. When he got kicked out of training cap earlier this year, the media followed him to his house. What does he do? He goes out in his driveway and starts working out – for the media – because they paid attention. When are they going to learn that this is just feeding fuel to the fire that is Terrell Owens? That fire got so hot, they had to douse him for the rest of the season and sit his sorry ass down. Is it hurting the Eagles? Sure it is and don’t let the Eagles fool you into thinking otherwise. T.O is an amazing athlete and football player, but his physical abilities are largely overshadowed by his verbal stupidity. I swear on how much I love chicken wings that if I have to hear about T.O. for the rest of the season and that includes his dumb-ass Right-Guard Power Stripe commercial, I am going to have to take someone down and it might just be T. freakin’ O. himself. He is driving me crazy – and I don’t even like the Eagles, I just feel sorry for them.

There was a great rant on Craigslist during training camp and I think everyone should read it because it is hilarious and true beyond words. I encourage everyone to read it and laugh their heads off.

Oh say can you see

You wreck me baby, yea, you break me in two

Ok, I have two different gripes right now and I’m just going to get ‘em off my fingers and onto my screen.

First off, I’m leaving for lunch and it just so happens that I am parked right next to the man who I shared the elevator with to my level in the parking garage. He drives a Lexus SUV and me, well, I don’t, let’s put it that way. He was parked inside the lines (in case you were wondering), but he said the rudest thing to me as I was getting into my car, “Watch that door!” Of course, he was probably only being half-serious about it, but still, that’s just rude. I mean, here I am in khaki’s and a polo, not an expensive polo either, just a casual, plain blue polo getting into my so-so car and he is dressed in a tailored suit getting into his leather interior, gold-trimmed Lexus SUV. Does he think I am not going to be careful about hitting his door because I have the money to throw away and do it? Hello? I’m being as careful as a brain surgeon is right now! Nevertheless, I chuckled, got in my car and went to lunch; but he lit a fuse and here you get to read the bomb going off.

Now for my second issue: I don’t understand gasoline stations and their prices. I filled up today at the logical station, the least expensive one. On the same corner, there are three stations, each with different prices. None of the three was close to the other. What? That’s right, three stations, same corner and three separate prices. One was $2.39, one $2.45 and the last one $2.54. Can somebody please explain to me why anyone would pay .15 cents more to go across the street? How does this station expect to compete? For every six ½ gallons of gas sold at the least expensive station, you’ve saved $1 that you would've spent the most expensive station. Therefore, if you have to put 24 gallons into your Lexus SUV that was not hit in the door earlier in the day, you would pay $4 less. That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but over the course of a year, that equals $208. I know I could do many other things than waste my money on gas, which I could’ve and should’ve bought cheaper. Of course, if you’re driving any SUV, the price of gas is most likely not affecting you as it does the rest of the real world. Even so, there were people across the street filling their tanks up. Probably those same adults dressed up for Halloween. Apparently, people enjoy throwing money away.

As I lay me down tonight, I close my eyes and what a beautiful sight

I awoke in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water. Once I finished that, I came back to bed and I was just staring at S as she slept peacefully. She was not moving, but for her chest moving air in and out quietly.

Then she snorted and the moment was gone.

Don’t need no credit card to ride this train

I love how technology has overtaken rational thinking these days. Every month, my credit card bill is auto-generated by some computer at some office and then stuffed into an envelope and sent to me. No human interaction is involved until the actual stuffing and sending. I can also skip the paper and just have an e-bill sent to me, but I like wasting my money (I am essentially paying for the paper through my finance charge, correct?) I would at least like to think that we are technologically advanced enough to program the computer that spits out our monthly statements to make sure the due date does NOT fall on a weekend or holiday!

I received my credit card statement yesterday and the due date falls on Sunday, November 13th, but because the preceding Friday is Veteran’s Day, I need to get it there by Thursday, November 10th. How can a credit card company not catch this? I have to pay my bill three days early or it’s late. Why can’t we just shift my due date to Monday? Because money and technology rule the world, but not in my favor apparently.