If it weren't for bad luck...

Hit a snag with the new job process yesterday. I was chosen (it's a random process) to go for a physical abilities test before I could be cleared for the new job. No big deal, I figured they just want to see if you can lift 40lbs or so, and bend down and stand up and all that. Problem is, they wouldn't even let me do any of that because they tested my blood pressure and it was too high. So now I have to go to a doctor and get clearance (and likely blood pressure medication) to be tested.
Hence the subject of this post.

On the upside, I finally broke out of my bowling slump, which had started about 4 or 5 weeks ago. I had dropped rapidly from a 202 average down to a 195. But last night I shot a 223, 222, and 225 for a 670 series.

How about my Dolphins beating the Chargers on Sunday? That's what San Diego gets for looking ahead to next week against the Colts. The Fins may very well have fucked up the Chargers playoff chances.
In the possible but unlikely department, the Dolphins still actually have a chance to win the division and make the playoffs! They just need to win their last 3, and the Patriots need to lose their last 3. It would be mighty interesting if the Fins win their next two and the Pats lose their next two, as they play each other to end the season.

Next Monday I'll be getting my first Monday Night Football experience. I'm going with my cousin to see the Ravens play the Packers in Baltimore. Both teams suck so it should be a good game. :-)

Seven months, four weeks, one day
9746 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,437.04
Life saved: 4 weeks, 5 days

The times they are a changin'...

Met with Schwan's again yesterday and signed a "conditional offer of employment", which basically means as long as my drug screen comes up negative (it will), I've got a job. The one concern is the benefits. Coverage starts 60 days after employment. That sucks. That means I have to screw around with COBRA for a month or so.
This whole thing feels wierd. I feel like I'm cheating on a wife or girlfriend...although admittedly I have no idea what that feels like. :-)

Seven months, three weeks, 22 hours, 51 minutes
9438 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,359.94
Life saved: 4 weeks, 4 days, 18 hours

Almost forgot

For those who care, I'm still off the smokes.

Seven months and two weeks smober
9124 cigarettes not smoked, saving $2,281.56

Looking for a change

I've been sending my resumé around lately. Ever since my company moved my "home base" an additional 20 miles from my home (for a total of 45), I've grown increasingly estranged with Kraft. But it's not just that. It's also the fact that over the past couple of years we've had our management positions all filled with Nabisco people, resulting in a much colder and more corporate philosophy. And the straw that's breaking the camel's back is the truck. I'm so tired of loading the truck, getting it maintained, defrosting it, etc.

So I went for an interview today with Schwan's. For those not in the know, me interviewing with Schwan's is akin to an employee of Coca-Cola interviewing with Pepsi.
I think it went well. The pay would be about the same, and the job itself is the same...minus the truck. I would work out of my car and not be bound by receiving times. The big concern is that my car insurance would likely skyrocket if I'm using my car for business, but I guess that's why they pay $0.38/mile.

Anyway, I hope I get an offer. I need a change.

Happy Thanksgiving

If you're reading this, you probably thought I had given up on this blog thing. Truth is, I almost did. I was thinking that this whole blog "trend" is sort of silly and "conformist", and I was going to delete it altogether. Then I thought, "What the hell...even if no one is reading this (which is probably the case), it will serve as a diary of sorts just for myself to review where my life was at given timelines."

So, I'm back, and I'll likely continue posting sporadically as I have been.

An eye opener

Here's a site I heard about on Opie & Anthony.

It's a site by people who pose as kids in chat for the sole purpose of exposing these scumbags who prey on kids. They basically collect entire conversations, pics, phone numbers, etc., and then they expose them to wives, girlfriends, bosses, and of course, the authorities.
For those of you who don't realize how many of these pervs are out there, you need to see this (especially those of you with kids). And these are just the ones who get caught!

http://www.perverted-justice.com

Nearfest Weekend

Well, Nearfest is over, and what a great weekend it was. Following are my thoughts and opinions of the events of the past 3 days...

Let me first say it was great being able to meet more people....Steve Ispay, Thom Overstreet, and Kevin Cassidy (who brought his 13 year old daughter...little warms the heart more than to see kids that are musically open-minded...she was even wearing a Frogg Café t-shirt), Scott Montgomery, and a host of others.
Also, it was great seeing the usual suspects again....Bill K, Donna K, Robert D, Allison, Adam P, Andy K, Andres, Dave Floyd, and of course Mike H, my "roomie" for the weekend.
Sincere apologies if I've forgotten anyone.

Anyway, on to the weekend...

Friday was fantastic...a great start to the weekend.
I originally hadn't planned on going to the preshow, but after seeing Proto-Kaw in Metuchen a month ago, I wanted to see them again, so thanks to an extra ticket that Adam had, there I was.
Proto-Kaw was just as good as last month, and it was an exciting start to the weekend.
I'm really looking forward to their next CD due for release in September.
Then came PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi). I'll admit that not really caring much for Metamorfosi last year, I didn't have high expectations for PFM. IOW, I prejudged them based on their country of origin. The upshot to pre-condemning a band is that the satisfaction level can only go up. In the case of PFM, my satisfaction level skyrocketed. They were amazing. Nothing like I expected. A very exciting band full of energy. And I actually preferred the songs sung in Italian over those done in English...which had to be read by singer/drummer Franz Dicioccio.
PFM was probably my favorite unknown-to-me band of the weekend. I can't believe I reached the age of 42 without having a clue who these guys were.

Saturday...between the unintentional procrastination by Mike and I in the morning (eating breakfast and jaw-jacking) and not being able to find parking, I walked in almost 30 minutes late for Wobbler, and I didn't want to bother others by working my way to my seat, so I stood on the side steps for the remaining 30 minutes of their set. Admittedly, because of these factors, I couldn't really get myself into Wobbler. What I did observe though was that while I enjoy their music (listening to Hinterland as I type this), they seemed to drone on unnecessarily. IMO, they took 30 minutes to get a 15 minute message across. I don't feel that way listening to the CD, so maybe it was just the circumstances of my late arrival, but I heard similar opinions from others who were there on time.

Next was Frogg Cafe. I'm not gonna go into detail about bands I've already praised.
I love these guys...saw them twice before this, and they did not disappoint this time either. The highlight was seeing Frank Camiola (original guitarist and co-founding member) join the band for Waterfall Carnival (one of my favorite FC tunes). That was really cool.

I didn't watch Steve Roach. Mike and I were hungry and went for lunch. Besides, electronic ambience is not something I want to sit and watch.

Present was next. I'm not really into RIO bands, and Present is no exception. This very dark type of music is not my cup of tea. However, I did stay for the entire set mainly because I was mesmerized by the drumming of Dave Kerman. He was a marvel to observe and he single-handedly kept me interested in Present.

Saturday was capped by I.Q.
I really like these guys. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, and I am a big fan of what most seem to call "neo-prog"...a term I don't really get, because "neo" means "new", and what people call neo-prog is stuff that emulates the "classic" prog sound. Whatever...I'll leave the term coining duties to the progholes.
I do have to say this though...I only own their most recent CD, 'Dark Matter', and after seeing their set, I feel like I don't need any other CDs. IOW, there was a certain "sameness" to their music that made me feel that Dark Matter is more or less representative of them (plus the fact that the DM material was my favorite part of the performance). I discussed this with several more knowledgeable people (not IQ sycophants though), and the consensus that I got was this...most of their releases have at least a couple of unique and great tracks that make it stand out, but yes, they do have a "sameness" about them.
That being said, I liked them enough that I would most likely buy future CDs, but I don't think I'll be collecting their back catalog anytime soon.

On to Sunday...

Knight Area lived up to my preconceived expectations. I was very disappointed when we found out that Riverside could not make it and they were being replaced by Knight Area. I had purchased their CD "The Sun Also Rises" at last year's NF, and what I heard on the CD was not a derivative of Genesis, but a band about 4 bars short of being a cover band. Their performance Sunday morning was no different. I have little positive to say about them, so 'nuff said.

Next up....The Muffins....
For me, this was the surprise of Nearfest 2005. I expected a dark, RIO band like Present, but instead got a band that "wowed" me much like Hidria Spacefolk did last year. I guess "Avant-prog" is the way people describe them, or what used to be called "Acid Jazz" some 10 or 15 years ago. Again, I'll leave the proper labelling to those that it really matters to.
Now, I tend to favor guitar driven bands, but I have to say keyboard/reed player Tom Scott beautifully handles the melodies and chords that a guitar might (if there were a guitar). It was definitely the most interesting set of the weekend for me, and The Muffins have gained a new fan. Ironically, like PFM, the Muffins are another band that have been around (on and off) since the 70's that I never even heard of prior to now.

Matthew Parmenter was the solo spot for Sunday. I watched an extremely well executed introduction by Bill Knipsel (sic), then saw a guy with a mime-painted face come out, sit-down in front of a keyboard, move his hand to one key with the motion of someone about to place the top card on a house of cards, and then began a high, nasally chant while repetitively depressing a single note. That was it for me.
In my eyes, he came across as someone pretentious enough to say, "Hey, look at how profound I am."
It reminded me of Bono's stage presence after U2 became too cool for school.
Is it wrong to make a judgment like this in less than 90 seconds?
Absolutely...but that's all it took for him to turn me off.
To each his own, right?

Next up was Kenso....probably the most non-stop energy of any band all weekend.
While I will say that this is an incredibly exciting and technically proficient band, it loses it's luster with me after a few songs. Then it all tends to sound the same...much like classical music does with me. As I said, I much prefer guitar driven music, not keyboards (I was never much of an ELP fan, but I love Genesis...go figure), and Kenso is definitely a keyboard driven band, despite the most excellent guitar playing of Yoshihisa Shimizu. In fact, my favorite part of the set was when he was prominently showcased, which wasn't really until the last 30 minutes or so.
Anyway, I would have preferred them as an opener (i.e. a one hour set). Any more than that is a bit much for me.

Speaking of keyboard driven bands, Le Orme closed out the weekend.
Le Orme to me was a very ELP-ish band....similarly symphonic. While Michele Bon emulates a near perfect guitar sound on his portable organ, it wasn't enough for me.
I enjoyed them more than Metamorfosi, but nowhere near as much as PFM. While emotional Italian vocals are very beautiful and moving, they are not really my cup of tea for prog listening. The highlight for me was the sitar. I had never actually seen one played before, and it was really cool to witness.

Of course, there were people who couldn't understand how I could not fully appreciate Present, Kenso or Le Orme, but by the same token, I can't understand how people could walk out on Frogg Cafe or Proto-Kaw...but they did.
Different strokes and all that.

To sum up, this year's Nearfest was overall much better than last year's. This year I thoroughly enjoyed 6 bands (including Friday), while last year I can only say that about 1 (Hidria Spacefolk).
On top of that, being a "veteran" of the event this year, I knew more people, and met more people, and had much more fun. It really was a great weekend.

I also spent a LOT more money this year.

My purchases:
Non-music:
NF '05 T-shirt (black)
Frogg Cafe "Noodles" lt. blue shirt
Proto-Kaw white shirt
NF '05 pint glass
NF '05 official program

Music:
Little Atlas - Surface Serene & Wanderlust
(Little Atlas should be a 2nd band at next year's NF in my opinion)
PFM - Live in USA (aka Cook)
Wobbler - Hinterland
Glass Hammer - The Inconsolable Secret
DFA - Work in Progress (Live at NF 2000)
Indukti - S.U.S.A.R.
The Muffins - Loveletter #1 & Loveletter #2/Live at Orion DVD
Sonny Sharrock - Into Another Light
Nitrostar - Self-titled (free for Progression mag renewal)
Best of Baltimore's Buried Bands II (free for Progression mag renewal)

hehe...just realized that were I still married, today would be my 13th wedding anniversary.

Two months, three weeks, six days, 9 hours
3535 cigarettes not smoked, saving $795.38
Life saved: 1 week, 5 days, 6 hours

Still here

Yeah, I'm still around....just haven't gotten around to posting anything in a while.
Been focusing too much on upcoming events rather than what's already been.

I went to see Mike Keneally in PA a couple weeks ago. That was a lot of fun. Got a seat at a cabaret table right up front. I would have had to sit on the stage to be any closer. They were filming a DVD, so it was a good time. It was a great show and spirits were high. Can't wait for the DVD to come out.

The Alex Skolnick Trio opened for Keneally.
(Alex of course being formerly of the thrash metal group Testament, as well as having toured with Ozzy). They were pretty good, but I'm not big on that kind of smooth jazz fusion. Although it was interesting if nothing else to hear Kiss' Detroit Rock City and Judas Priest's Electric Eye done in that fashion. :-)


Nearfest is less than a week away! I wasn't originally planning on it, but I'm going to the Friday night pre-show. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see Proto-Kaw again. :-)

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
More later.

Oh yeah....
Two months, two weeks, five days, 4 hours, 49 minutes
3208 cigarettes not smoked, saving $721.81
Life saved: 1 week, 4 days, 3 hours

Concert photos

Well, I need to become a bit more knowledgable on how to take good pictures in concert lighting conditions. The pics I took didn't come out nearly as good as I expected.

I took over 100 pics of each band, and here are the links for the ones that I didn't delete:

Frogg Café
Proto-Kaw

Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw Review

Usually when I set my expectations high, I find that the actual experience is not very satisfying.

Tonight was a huge exception.

The evening started with disappointment as I was unable to unload my extra ticket and realized that it had cost me $70 to see the show.

Ya know what? It was worth it. I'd rather spend $70 to see two great bands than $85-$100 to see one band at a place like the PNC Arts Center.

Anyway, there was a decent merchandise spread in the lobby for both bands.

Frogg Café had two T-shirts (powder blue Noodles and white 2005 Summer Tour) and all their CDs, including Noodles, and various color baseball caps. I might pick one of those up at Nearfest.

Proto-Kaw had three T-shirts (four, if you count that one was in either black or white), buttons, both CDs, as well as the "Best of" Kerry Livgren CD, and there might have been another piece of paraphernalia that I'm forgetting...something near the buttons.

All I picked up tonight was the best of Kerry Livgren CD (I have all the others available by both bands), and that was on the way out. On the way in all I bought was a $2 bottle of Poland Spring water (I believe it was a 10 oz bottle).

While buying the water, I heard a pretty cool acoustic solo cover of Jethro Tull's Wond'ring Aloud. I walked in to find that it was Karl Eisenhart from Pinnacle. It seemed to be an impromptu "solo spotlight". Pretty neat way to be seated.

On with the show...

FC opened with my favorite track from Fortunate Observer of Time, Abyss of Dissension (and they closed the show with a track from my favorite artist....more later). I was surprised they opened with this one, but it was a good kick in the ass start for a show.

Now, I'm terrible with remembering setlists, but suffice to say that they played a phenomenal set which included the aforementioned opener, You're Still Sleeping, Fortunate Observer of Time, Eternal Optimist, Kandy Korn, and All This Time from Creatures, and the closing track that I couldn't possibly forget, a smokin' cover of Zappa's 'Dog Breath'. When Suss asked if we wanted to hear a Zappa tune, I honestly expected Peaches, and was very pleasantly surprised to hear something different.

One of the highlights was seeing Steve Uh wield a violin for a duet with Bill Ayasse. That was fun to witness.

All in all a great show from a great bunch of guys.

Then it was Proto-Kaw's turn.

Now, I'm sure there were some people there mainly to see Frogg Café, and there were probably some there mainly to see Proto-Kaw.

I was one of the ones there to see both.

The one thing I worry about when seeing a great "warm-up" band is that they'll upstage the "headliner".

Let me first be very clear that I love Frogg Café, love their CDs, and loved the set they played.

That being said, as soon as Proto-Kaw came out, they immediately commanded the respect of a headliner as they broke into Alt. More Worlds Than Known. Maybe it was the louder sound mix contributing, but they just exuded professionalism and experience. I can't remember all the tracks they played, but it was a nice mix of older songs and newer material. Among the highlights (for me anyway) was my favorite track from Before Became After, Heavenly Man (which is a new recording of an old song), Gloriana, Totus Nemesis, Skont, Belexes (show closer), and an absolutely killer version of Death of Mother Nature Suite. I must say that their performance of these last two songs I mentioned left no doubt that it was the "famous" Kansas that did the "cover" versions of them.

The only change in song selection I would have liked if I had my way would be to lose the "Lawyer Song" and play Theophany (my other favorite from BBA).

Otherwise it was a nice choice of songs for a set.

Most importantly, I finally got to see Kerry Livgren perform.

I was not the least bit disappointed.

NP - Kerry Livgren - The Best of Kerry Livgren

One month, four weeks, 22 hours, 11 minutes
2356 cigarettes not smoked, saving $530.32
Life saved: 1 week, 1 day, 4 hours

Optical tricks

As Obi-Wan once said, "Don't trust your eyes, they can deceive you."
Check out some pretty neat proof of that here.

Not much else going on. Going to see Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw tonight. That should be pretty cool.

My cousin Tom asked me last week if I wanted to go to Cancun to a "Guys only" type 4-day weekend in August. I strongly considered it, but decided that $1100 was a bit much for 4 days...even though the resort was all-inclusive.

NP - Frank Zappa 3/15/88

One month, four weeks, 7 hours, 31 minutes
2332 cigarettes not smoked, saving $524.82
Life saved: 1 week, 1 day, 2 hours

They're telling us because....?

By now you've heard the latest news from the U.S. Department of Who Gives a Shit?
"Deep Throat" unmasked!

AND?!?!?

That was almost 35 years ago! Is there anyone who really cares anymore? Nixon's dead. W.M. Felt himself is 91 and senile.

Why is this news?

I guess we need something to keep us going...we've still got another 33 years or so before they release to the public the files on the Kennedy assassination. Something else that no one in 2038 will care about.

One month, two weeks, four days, 16 hours
1946 cigarettes not smoked, saving $437.90
Life saved: 6 days, 18 hours

Last day

Oh well, here it is, the last day of my first (of three) vacation of 2005. I must admit that it didn't fly by too fast. It was nice being able to relax without driving my usual 700+ miles in a week.
Had a nice little Memorial Day get together at my mom's yesterday. I took some impromptu photos when we took a walk by the lake. Those photos can be seen here. Mostly nature photos. A few with friends and family in it, but frankly the lake pics are better. :-)
In fact, one of those pics can be seen (for now) at the top of this blog page.
Now that I have a decent camera, I need to make a concerted effort to dabble a bit more into that hobby. I really enjoy capturing "moments".

I can't wait to try out my camera at a live show. The next one is Frogg Café/Proto-Kaw on June 11th, then I might go check out the Mike Keneally Band along with the Alex Skolnick Trio in Sellersville on June 18th, and of course there's Nearfest on July 9th and 10th (which also kicks off my next vacation)!

Anyway, back to the daily grind tomorrow.

NP: Van der Graaf Generator - 5/6/05

One month, two weeks, two days
1837 cigarettes not smoked, saving $413.46
Life saved: 6 days, 9 hours

Here's a great article. It's so true, and a real eye opener for those who think commercial music is "real". It also helps to show that talent and popularity rarely, if ever, go hand in hand.

Bootlegs Save the Music

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


The music industry has been in a definite slump for at least the last five years, if not more. Where at one time true artists gathered to give people beautiful songs to soothe their souls and create good vibes; now all you get are mechanical backbeats, sampled loops and trite, generic lyrics. For the assumed benefit of distracting the public from this mediocrity, you are also treated to big breasts covered by just enough clothing to sneak by the FCC’s increasingly watchful eye.


But some of us aren’t fooled for a second. We see today’s music for what it is: disposable garbage out only to make a buck for a roomful of record company executives. Speaking for myself, I’d rather have someone chuck razorblades dipped in hepatitis at me than hear one bar of Britney Spears’ latest release. But I do tend to border on the extreme from time to time.


So what do we, the masses yearning for good music, do? After all, there are only a limited number of good bands still active these days. Most of the greats hung it up years ago or moved into the province of lame and boring (Rod Stewart, anyone?), leaving behind a back catalog that while impressive in quality remains limited in quantity. When you’ve bought all the essential titles from the past, where do you go next?


The answer is simple: bootlegs. That’s right, bootlegs. The music industry hates bootlegs, as they provide free to listeners something that the suits could be lining their pockets with. I understand completely why record companies panicked over Napster and file sharing. After all, it costs money for a label to release an album; if you download that album for free, they can’t heat their swimming pool that year. But the bootlegs are a unique entity, one that remains separate from the legal repercussions of downloading commercially released music. The bootlegs belong to the people.


Many of today’s “working bands” (bands consistently on tour) allot the privilege of taping to fans attending their shows. The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, The Dead and Dave Matthews Band are just a few of the artists that hold an “open taping” policy at their performances. The bands also maintain an unwritten agreement with the tapers to use the shows for personal means and not make a profit from them. Trading between fans, however, is perfectly acceptable.


Record company disapproval has deterred many bands from instituting an “open taping” policy. But the artists that do permit performance recording see it as nothing but positive and pay little mind to the suits who frown on it. “We don’t care what the record companies think,” Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson said in a Relix magazine feature. “It’s for the people who are really into the music and who’ve supported us…If someone wants to come tape our show and take it home with them, I mean, it’s their evening too – then that’s cool.”


Indeed, Robinson’s statement mirrors the sentiment of many tapers and traders. Concertgoers have, in essence, paid for the music by purchasing a ticket to the event. If they want to take home a recording of the evening’s performance, who are they hurting? As long as no financial profit is made, where is the harm? After all, record companies will still make their cash, as loyal fans will still purchase albums no matter how many bootlegs they possess.


I personally have over 3200 hours of music on bootleg discs, either traded or given to me over the years. Of those 3200 hours, 1600 of them are Black Crowes related. Now, if you took a look at my shelves full of commercially released CDs, you’d notice I own every Black Crowes album. Why? I mean, I undoubtedly have all their songs in my vast library of bootlegs. Why purchase the albums? Well, because I, like countless other music fans, support the artists.


Supporting the artists, by the way, is something that the record companies don’t do. In fact, they do just the opposite. In the over-inflated corporate world known as the music business, you’re only as good as your last million units sold. As it stands right now, if a release doesn’t shift a million or two copies immediately upon its release, it’s considered a failure. And what do artists get in return for selling at the platinum level? Well, in most cases they get less than a dollar per sale. So, to sum up, the artists do the work and the record executives reap all the benefits. If the artist fails to line the record company’s pockets with a release, they will most likely be dropped from the label. How’s that for loyalty?


Case in point is a band called the Spin Doctors. You may remember them: back in 1993, they were riding a multi-platinum album (Pocket Full of Kryptonite) and the year’s biggest single (“Two Princes”). But when they released their second album the next year, it fell flat. To their credit, Epic Records did give the Spin Doctors a second chance (most likely based on the sheer commercial viability of their debut) and the band got to work on their third album. But since their sophomore effort was considered a dud, the new album hit the stores with virtually no marketing and zero promotion. So, when said album failed to get much further than gold status (500,000 units sold), the band was dropped from the label. Never mind that their two “flops” were huge strides for the band from an artistic standpoint or that Epic Records dropped the ball in terms of promotion – the band was sent packing. Nice, huh?


Given this information, it’s no surprise that many bands are flocking to smaller labels when their deals with the corporate pork run out. Although smaller labels can’t offer acts the same financial clout the big names are able to, they still posses many more attractive and artist-friendly features. The most notable of the aforementioned perks is that smaller labels allow bands to record the material they want to record. Big labels will often pressure a band to produce at least one “hit” track per record and will even go as far as requiring song approval during the recording process to secure a chart-topper’s inclusion. With the smaller labels, the band’s can finally give you the songs they want you to hear.


The sheer lack of understanding and loyalty on the part of record labels regarding their signed artists is a big part of the reason bootleg recordings are on the rise in terms of popularity. The added benefit of the Internet is also an essential element. With a decent Internet connection, the right software and a little bit of patience, music fans can download and share an endless number of live shows via peer-to-peer networks. In fact, for once in the history of music, the fans are winning. They’ve figured out a way to legally circumvent the corporate pigs and get what they really want: the music.


Want to join in on the bootleg trading but don't know where to start? Check out these helpful links:
Etree.org - An Online Trading Community
Bit Torrent Explained
What You'll Have Access to Once You Get Involved

NP: Porcupine Tree - On The Sunday Of Life...

One month, two weeks, 18 hours, 48 minutes
1791 cigarettes not smoked, saving $403.05
Life saved: 6 days, 5 hours

Winding down

Ever want to get a bird's-eye view of your house (or anywhere else)?
Check out Google maps.

Well, another vacation has just about flown by already. Day 8 today, with only 2 days left. Of course I didn't get nearly as much done as I had hoped, but this was partly due to the fact that for the last 4 days I've experienced a great deal of discomfort with my right ear being swollen (to the point of blocking my ear canal) caused by a skin condition. I finally went to a doctor yesterday. All I was told was what I already knew. A waste of time and money....I don't know how hypochondriacs don't go bankrupt. It's getting better today. I've been taking Tylenol and aspirin. A lot cheaper than a doctor visit.

One month, two weeks, 8 hours, 56 minutes
1774 cigarettes not smoked, saving $399.35
Life saved: 6 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes

NP: Frogg Café - Fortunate Observer of Time

Faster than a speeding bullet....

It's amazing how fast vacations go by...even if you're not doing anything particularly fun. It's day 4 of my vacation and I feel like it just started.

Anyway, took my mom to see Star Wars last night. Great movie.
It was by far the best of the newer trilogy, and IMO ranks right up there with the older trilogy.
I don't go to movies much (last one before this was The Day After Tomorrow...well over a year ago if I recall), but there are some movies that just have to be seen on the big screen. For me, Star Wars is one of them.
Saw a couple of previews that looked pretty cool. One was the Fantastic Four. Not so sure the story will be anything special, but the effects look pretty cool.
The other is War of the Worlds. That one looks loaded with action and special effects.

We had our "fun night" at bowling last night. It's where we get our prize money and awards and stuff. We ended up in 6th, which really sucks. We took home $217 each for that (keep in mind that we pay in $648 during the season).
I won high average with a 198 (actually low for the high avg winner). That was $50 and a patch. For all intents and purposes, I actually won most improved average as well (from a 182 to a 198), but because of a stupid rule that says you can't win more than one "money" award, it went to some guy that improved by 6 pins.
Anyway, between the prizes and the 50/50 prizes that we won, I guess I walked out of there with about $293. Kind of like a Christmas club. Someone holds your money and you get it back without interest. :-)

What else?
For the past few days I can't stop listening to the new Porcupine Tree CD "Deadwing". It is easily my favorite album of the year so far. I've seen the song "Shallow" being referred to as a "single". Is this actually getting airplay? I wouldn't know....I avoid commercial radio like the plague. Wouldn't surprise me though...Shallow is probably the "pop-iest" track on the CD. Not that it sounds like "pop" (it's much heavier than that), but it has a catchy guitar riff that anyone can wrap their mind around.
I do know they are getting a lot of airplay on XM radio.

Someone came across an interesting blog. Fair warning though...I guarantee that this will remind you of yourself or someone you know...or both. And if you have any mistrust with those close to you, then reading this won't help matters.
You can check it out here.

Trying to reformat my PC this week. What an incredibly daunting task it is. I'm still in the process of getting stuff off my drive and backing things up before I can even start. It's amazing how much of your life you can accumulate on a hard disk.

One month, one week, three days, 4 hours, 43 minutes
1607 cigarettes not smoked, saving $361.77
Life saved: 5 days, 14 hours

Sound of Muzak indeed...

Went to see Porcupine Tree last night at Irving Plaza. What an ass-kickin' show it was! These guys really shine in a live setting. It was a very cool climax to an otherwise unnerving evening. I didn't get home from work until about 5:45, and had just enough time to grab a quick shower and run out to pick up my buddy Bill in Frenchtown. I actually didn't get there till about 7. My online EZPass account indicates that we got to the city shortly after 8:30. The next hour or so was spent looking for a place to park. The good news is that when we finally found a spot, it was directly in front of the venue. Anyway, we missed all but the last song of the Rudess/Morgenstein Project. Not that big a deal, but it would have been nice to check out more of them.

PTree took the stage at roughly 10:15 and played till just about midnight.

Here's the content of this sold-out show:
Deadwing
The Sound of Muzak
Lazarus
Halo
A Smart Kid
Hatesong
Arriving Somewhere, but Not Here
Fadeaway (John Wesley on lead vox)
Shallow
Mellotron Scratch
Blackest Eyes
Even Less
=encore=
She's Moved On
Trains

Also picked up a few CDs at the show....Voyage 34, Warszawa, and the Porcupine Tree Sampler 2005.
They said they're coming back in October with possibly some *new* songs to play. I'll be looking forward to that. Great band, great show, great night.

NP: Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34

One month, one week, 7 hours, 37 minutes smober
1492 cigarettes not smoked, saving $335.86
Life saved: 5 days, 4 hours

Mobile Blogging

Here's something interesting. I can now blog from my cell phone. This might be fun...or not.

--

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

Greetings from the middle class

Interesting article in the NY Times today. A somewhat in-depth poll of how Americans view class and where we all fit in. According to this, I border between middle and upper-middle class. There are 4 factors that determine this, each holding seemingly equal weight. Occupation, Education, Income, & Wealth. Two surprises for me were that my education (Bachelor's Degree....very common I thought) puts me in the upper echelon, and my income (quite modest, IMO) puts me comfortably above average (well into the upper-middle class) in that category. My occupation is just about dead center, and my worth borders on lower-middle class.
Anyway, click here to check it out. If you can't view it, you may have to register at the site (it's free).

Yes, still smober!
One month, one day, 4 hours, 35 minutes
1247 cigarettes not smoked, saving $280.72
Life saved: 4 days, 8 hours

Get organized

For those who might not check out Pogue's Posts (Other Blog links at right), check this out here. Looks like there's a new craze sweeping the blog community. It appears to be a very handy tool/site for organizing this and that.
Check it out!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. ;-)

Yesterday was interesting. I got up and got out early to bowl in a tournament that I signed up for about 6 months ago. We get there, we're waiting, and I decide to look at the list of bowlers to see what lanes we're on. Mark Clark...Kara Cook...Mark Clark...Kara Cook....hmm....funny, I don't see either name there. There is a perfectly good explanation for this....you needed to qualify for the tournament, and WE DIDN'T! Great, so now it's either drive back home for a few hours and come back, or stay in Dover all day long. My lazy ass opted for staying. Anything but more driving. So I hung out with Donna at her mom's garage sale for the better part of the day, then we all went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The food was outstanding, but it is a pricey place. With the tip, came to about $205 for 5 of us. That included one mixed drink and one beer. Of course, we had to try some cheesecake while we were there too, no? I had the German Chocolate Cheesecake. Incredibly rich...almost to the point of nauseating. I tried a bite of the plain old cheesecake, and I must admit, it was not what I would expect from a "factory" of such. Not bad, but not the best I've ever eaten. In fact, the main food was better than the cheesecake in my opinion. I had a skirt steak...tender, tasty...mmm it was the best meal I've had in a long time.
It killed the better part of the night though. We left the house around 6 (way too late), and got home around 10. Waited about 80-90 minutes for a table.
It was nice to try something different, but too expensive to frequent.

What else....oh, if you haven't heard about them yet, you gotta check out this High School percussion band performing Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Karn Evil 9! This is pretty amazing for a bunch of kids!
http://www.poteetpirateband.org/video.htm
It's at the lower left-center of the page. You'll need RealPlayer to view it.

Still Smober!

Three weeks, three days, 15 hours
985 cigarettes not smoked, saving $221.64
Life saved: 3 days, 10 hours

Bowling for dollars

Gettin' down to crunch time in my bowling league. We dropped from 5th to 6th place, and last night we only won one point (out of a possible 7) because we tied one game. The next two weeks are "position" nights, and will decide where we end up. The best we can do is 4th.
I bowled better last night than I have the past two weeks, although still not that great. The first game I had a 198 with one ball left to throw. Just keep it on the lane and I have a 200 game right? In a perfect world maybe, but I went and threw it in the gutter. In any case, I threw a 198, a 198, and a 204, for a 600 on the nose. I had a 201 average at one point. Now I'm down to a 198. I should still win high average as well as most improved though.

Still not smoking!
Two weeks, five days
762 cigarettes not smoked, saving $171.51

Just a thought

Just a quick thought to ponder for the day....why do most wireless companies charge minutes usage when you call your voice mail? Since you're essentially calling your own cell phone, shouldn't it fall under unlimited mobile to mobile?
While calling Cingular on another matter, I asked them about this. They agreed that my theory makes the most sense, but had no answer as to why it is the way it is...it just is.
Isn't technology wonderful? ;-)

NP: Mahavishnu Orchestra - 1/26/73

One week, two days, 19 hours
391 cigarettes not smoked, saving $97.92
Life saved: 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes

Summer preview

Been an unusually warm couple of days. I think it pushed 90 at one point today.
This weather makes me tired...been going to sleep early this week.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of extreme weather. I don't like the dead of summer or winter. If it went back and forth between Spring and Fall I'd be happy. Someone said San Diego is the place to live for nice moderate weather all year round.
I had to crank up the AC when I got home today...just to cool the place down a bit. Thankfully it was breezy outside, cuz when my sliders are all open, I have the most amazing cross-breeze coming through here.

Oh, to follow up on my post from the other day. Turns out it was a false positive on my mom's blood test. Everything looks ok now. That's why I try not to worry about things unless I have concrete evidence to worry. Why worry unless you have to? Think positive...things seem to have a way of working out for the best.

NP: Jethro Tull - 8/12/03

Six days, 15 hours, 30 minutes
265 cigarettes not smoked, saving $66.46
Life saved: 22 hours, 5 minutes

Well, it WAS a nice day

Since my last post, the day took a sharp turn...albeit temporarily. First, my mom calls and tells me that the doctor called her and wanted her to immediately go for blood cultures because one of the last tests came back positive for infection. So I had to drive up there and take her to the hospital. Then, while I'm waiting for her, Valerie calls me to....well, I really don't know why she called me. I think I got told off. Not sure because she hung up before I could determine the point of the call. When it comes to relationships, perception and reality are often far apart. Or are they?

Through it all, I'm still off the smokes. That's the one positive constant today.

Three days, 16 hours, 32 minutes
147 cigarettes not smoked, saving $36.89
Life saved: 12 hours, 15 minutes

Beautiful Day

Nothing much to report today. Just enjoying this absolutely gorgeous day! Warm and sunny....spring is here!
Which means that football season is right around the corner. ;-)
For the first time since...well...ever I think, the Dolphins don't have a single primetime game. Good thing I have Sunday Ticket.

Anyway, like I said, not much to report.

NP: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - 10/14/67

Three days, 10 hours, 30 minutes
137 cigarettes not smoked, saving $34.38
Life saved: 11 hours, 25 minutes.

A fun distraction

Was just perusing my buddy Mike's blog (Musings & Meanderings...link at right), and decided to take a fun little IQ test that he came across.
I'll admit that I might not be posting about it here were I not just a tad smarter than he. :-)

Congratulations, Mark! Your IQ score is 136

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.
Your Intellectual Type is Insightful Linguist. This means you are highly intelligent and have the natural fluency of a writer and the visual and spatial strengths of an artist. Those skills contribute to your creative and expressive mind. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results.

Two days, 6 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds. 90 cigarettes not smoked, saving $22.69. Life saved: 7 hours, 30 minutes.

High Anxiety

No, I'm not reviewing the Mel Brooks movie. Just sort of anxious...on edge.
I'm still not convinced one way or the other whether the "effects" of quitting smoking are physical or psychological...or both.
A lot going on with me right now. I'm very mentally spread out. All I mean by that is that I keep turning my focus to something else every few minutes. I guess just trying to occupy myself with anything but smoking or eating (a potentially dangerous substitute for smoking).
The real test will be tonight at the Cooks'. If I can get through being around them smoking, I should be ok.
One hour at a time.

Two days, 5 hours, 28 minutes.
89 cigarettes not smoked, saving $22.28.
Life saved: 7 hours, 25 minutes.

NP: Porcupine Tree - 4/3/05

Short and simple

Ok, yet another extended absence between entries. Sue me.
I'm gonna sum up the last couple of weeks quick and easy. Maybe at a later time I'll elaborate on some, all, or none.
Anyway, here it is....Val and I got back together...then we split again...all the while I can't get an old Foreigner song out of my head.

As a side note, I'm making a concerted effort to stop smoking. Never mind one day at a time...I'm going one hour at a time.

Here's where I stand as of this writing:

One day, 19 hours, 17 minutes.
72 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18.03.

NP: Opeth - 7/18/2003

OUT!

Just checking in....

You know how the "fortune" in fortune cookies has a series of numbers on it? Obviously this is to prompt people to choose those numbers for playing the lottery.
Turns out that this method actually does pay off now and then:
http://tinyurl.com/64byy

Speaking of money...it occurs to me...if there's only so much money in circulation, then that means for every person getting richer, there's a person getting poorer. Kinda takes the fun out of it.

The Jets' bid for rights to build a stadium in NYC's West Side was approved by the MTA.
As if I care.

That's it for today. It's late...I'm tired.

Happy Easter!

I've been letting way too much time pass between posts, but I've just been too busy.
Between how busy I've been at work these past few weeks, and visiting my mom in the care facility, I've hardly been home at all lately.

Things should be slowing down a bit now though. We just closed out the first quarter of the year at work...with success I might add. We had a very lofty number to hit, and it was looking pretty bleak going into the last few days, but we all stepped things up a notch and got the job done. It came down to the wire on Saturday, but we hit our number as a district, and as a reward we'll be enjoying tomorrow (Monday) off.
Hopefully now I can get back some semblance of a social life again. I just don't have the time or energy to devote to others during the months from October to March. I've no doubt things might have turned out different between Valerie and I had we met in the Spring. I'm much more relaxed and at ease when work is slow. People in my life never seem to understand the extreme difference in stress levels for me between the winter and summer. I just wish Val had the opportunity to meet the stress-free me. :-)

My mom is doing much better. She gave me quite a scare there when she transferred to the new care facility from the hospital, but she seems to be getting back to her old self again. Now she's mostly frustrated from being a "prisoner" and just wants to go home. Although, she is wise enough to realize that she does not yet have the strength or stamina to take care of herself just yet. With any luck she'll go home by next weekend.
I took her home today for a few hours so she could visit her cats and spend a short time on her PC and just say hi to her home.

What else?
Oh yeah...got Nearfest tickets! This is going to be a good one! 8 of the 10 bands look very interesting to me. I'm really looking forward to the second weekend in July.

Had a really good night of bowling last week.
To start, I bowled a couple of practice games before the league, and I came the closest I ever have to bowling a 300 game. I had all strikes up till the first part of the 10th frame (10 in a row), but then I got the jitters (despite it not really counting) and screwed up the second ball of the 10th frame. Ended with a 288.
I did carry over the decent bowling into the league though. I bowled a 243, a 245, and a 203 for a 691 series. 9 pins short of a 700. I bowled a 695 earlier in the season too. I hate when I come so close to a 700 and fall short.
Still...a good night nevertheless. :-)

Happy Easter to all applicable readers!

Life on a downswing

Things haven't been that great lately.
First, my mom is hospitalized for a staph infection stemming from some type of arthritis (not the osteo that she knows she has...some other kind). They've got her on several antibiotics and she seems to be improving. Hopefully she'll be out of the hospital in a few days and into the therapy clinic. That would be about 3 more weeks.
The other downturn my life has taken is that Valerie and I are over after less than two months. I really thought things were going great, and love was definitely blooming, but it seems her feelings didn't mirror mine. But it takes two to tango, so what are ya gonna do right? Life goes on.

SSDD in NJ

Randomly...

Yet another snow storm. They were saying 8-10 inches, but last report knocked it down to 3-6. For those living where snow is a rare, if ever event, 3-6 for us is like 100 degrees in Phoenix. No big deal.
I actually love this weather because frozen pizza flies off the shelves, which equates to increased income for me.

More political bullshit in the state of NJ. Acting Governor DICK Cody is well on his way to making a good case for Republicans. Just a few things he's fighting for so far in his tenure...selling off the NJ Turnpike to help pay the state's deficit...taxing 401Ks...eliminating the NJ Saver Tax Rebate...oh and by the way, he's refusing to divulge his 2004 tax return; something Governors in this state have willingly done for almost 25 years. What can he possibly have to hide?
I'll say it again....I'm not a staunch Republican or Democrat, but since so many Dems love to bash Dubya solely based on the fact that he's a Republican, I feel the need to point out that you can be sure to find an asshole at any "party."

A woman in Hightstown, NJ, who happens to be an illegal immigrant, claimed she was afraid to report a mugging because she doesn't trust the police. She fears she would be deported. In response, police officials stated they want to make an effort to form a better relationship with the minority community.
So here's someone living illegally in this country, making the police look like the bad guys, and the police are cowtowing to that notion.
This country has gotten entirely too soft.

And as for this country's future?
How about this quote from a 23 year old woman?

"They did this to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. They're trying to do this to Michael. This is the way they bring him down. They don't want him to be powerful."
--SUSIE MUMPFIELD, 23, telling The Washington Post why she stands vigil outside the courthouse where MICHAEL JACKSON is being tried for child abuse.

As a former co-worker of mine used to say..."We are so doomed."

Been a while...

It's been about a month since I last posted, so I'm not going to even attempt to recap. Suffice to say that the picture below shows what has consumed me while I've been neglectful of this blog. :-)

More later.

Brighter days ahead?

I met someone on match.com recently. She is so cool...one of the guys, so to speak. That's just how I like it. I have no interest in "prim and proper ladies". I've chatted with several women online lately, but she's different. Our conversation doesn't seem "forced" just for the sake of conversation. There was an immediate interest after the initial email, and it seemed mutual. We spoke on the phone once so far, and I'll admit we were a little bit apprehensive, but it was a nice chat...about an hour. I can't wait to meet her in person. She said herself that despite how "loose" our online (email, IM) conversation is, we'll probably both be like deer in the headlights when we meet...and she's probably right, but if we can both just try to focus on what we already know about each other, we should be fine.
I suggested maybe going to a dinner/comedy club for the first meet. Someplace where it's near impossible to allow tension to exist. Plus she's a real wise-ass...it's one of my favorite qualities in her so far. Did I mention that she's pretty cute?
I hope this turns into something...it's headed in the right direction so far. Brighter days indeed.

Killer week at work

Wow, what a week this was! Between the snow storm last weekend, and loading in for the DiGiorno Super Bowl sale at Stop & Shop, I generated sales in this week alone ($33,000) what normally takes almost 3 weeks to do. Of course, it comes at a price. I worked almost 70 hours and I'm exhausted. However, working on commission, and generating about $52,000 (normally a 4 week output) during this two week pay period, it will be like getting a double paycheck. Plus I should be getting my nice tax refund soon, so I'll be sitting pretty for a while. I just have to remember that the summer is a total contrast sales-wise, so I need to put some aside. It's quite ironic actually. I make the most money when the weather sucks and I don't have the time or energy to do anything, and the least money when the weather is great and my days are much shorter and easier due to less sales.
Anyway, this week coming up is one of the busiest of the year, and then things should calm down a bit.

Some more raw, unbridled buffoonery for you and yours

Today, I think I'll let Paul Harvey illustrate how preposterous and uptight our society has become.

Paul Harvey & Prayer

Paul Harvey says: -
"I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.
I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game.

So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome..

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized.. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds.. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer! Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep.

Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well..........just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. it's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard, that the vast majority don't care what they want.. it is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right.. but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away . we are fighting back.. and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him... God bless America, despite all her faults, she is still the greatest nation of all.....

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God...

May 2005 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions.

Keep looking up..... In God WE Trust.

First storm of the winter

Well, it has arrived. The first major snowfall of the winter of '05. What started as a forecast of 3-6 inches has become a minimum of a foot...possibly 18". Thankfully it happened on a Saturday. The roads should be in fine shape for the Monday AM commute.
What a beautiful snow it is too. I can't wait until tomorrow and hopefully grab some nice photos of it. Makes me appreciate where I live. The snow looks beautiful on what is already a top-notch landscape, which also means there is no "gray" snow tomorrow. I really love it here.

In the meantime, being snowed in makes it that much more fun to get some things done around the house, on the PC, and enjoy the games tomorrow. When the Dolphins are not involved, I tend to like the underdog, so I'll be pulling for Atlanta and Pittsburgh tomorrow. If the Steelers win, I'll be pulling for them in the SB no matter who they play. If the Pats win, I'll be pulling for whoever they play against. :-)

Winter is upon us

Getting the first real glimpse of winter this week. Bitterly cold temperatures, and a legitimate snowfall. The roads were very slick on the way home tonight, with the usual sporadic accidents causing typical bad weather traffic.
The ride home became much more pleasant from receiving not one, not two, but three phone calls from Cheryl being concerned that I was getting home safely (I have a wireless headset for my cell phone, and she knows it, so there's no potential irony in regards to my safety). Her thoughtfulness really meant a lot to me. She's a good egg.
From what the forecasts are saying, today's snow is only a small preview of what's to come this weekend. Ought to make the football games in Pennsylvania on Sunday quite interesting.
Did I mention that snow scares are the best thing for my job? The more concrete the forecasts become, the more pizza I'm gonna sell. Gonna be a fruitful next couple of days!

Possible career advancement

Went for an interview today for a potential promotion. They're creating a new position called Senior District Coordinator, which is basically an entry-level management position to aid the District Manager. It's not the most ideal job, but it does come with a company car, and is a step in the right direction. I think the interview went well...we'll see what happens.

Cool concert news

Just found out that Frogg Café is opening for Proto-Kaw in Metuchen in June.
I finally get to see Kerry Livgren!
"The way I see it Barry, this should be a really dynamite show!"

Also, I can't wait to give my new camera a trial run before Nearfest in July.

Very cool indeed.

Rare friendships

I haven't mentioned here yet that we got a replacement bowler on our team in place of Donna, who is on injured reserve. Her name is Cheryl, and we connected the minute we met. Wonderful gal she is. It's amazing how much we think alike emotionally and how we've hit it off so well. Unfortunately she's not "available", but nevertheless we're quickly becoming very close friends. We talk just about every day, and often for a couple of hours at a time. We've already shared intimate details of our lives, including things she's told me that she claims only a handful of people even know. Considering the content of those conversations, I believe her. It's really nice to find someone that you feel an almost immediate trust to open up with. Friends like that are rare, and are certainly cherished. Those are the kind that last for years, even if the frequency diminishes.

They shoot horses, don't they?

I guess this can be a follow-up to my "What the hell...?" entry...or maybe a continuation.

Heard in the news the other day that sleigh riding is now banned in some NJ town (forget which one) because apparently some kid ran into something and got hurt. Happened to all of us, right? That was the risk for the thrill of it, no? Here's the wrinkle though...the parents sued the town...and won! HELLO!! Kids play...kids get hurt (it wasn't serious, btw)...it's part of growing up. It's called being a kid and having fun! It kills me to hear things like this, because most parents of small children these days are of my generation. When did we learn to file frivolous lawsuits? Pretty soon it's going to get to the point where kids will start getting briefcases and cell phones in lieu of their first tricycle or Barbie doll! They say youth is wasted on the young...not for long if Jersey parents can help it! Youth is becoming a lost concept. Did I mention that Jersey is a totally Democratic state? Again, I don't latch on to either party...just reinforcing my point that both parties have their fair share of dipshits. Anything a Democrat can criticize about a Republican, a Republican can find just as much to criticize about a Democrat.
I have lived through a more or less equal share of both parties' administrations, and I've always had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on my table. If anyone can tell me how one party benefits me over the other, I'm all ears. A Democrat might defend NJ by saying that we have the highest median income in the nation. AND? We also have among the highest cost of living...what's your point?
I'll say it again...bipartisanship is stupid. Why not take the best of both and make one really spiffy party that will make everyone happy?
What really scares me is that I am not, and never was, very political. Unfortunately, the events in this state have forced me to go on political rants because everything is politically motivated these days.
Man, I hate this state!