I think there's something in my eye

So my step-mother passed along this incredible article about a woman teaching a terminally ill deaf child with Downs in Pittsburgh. And that woman happens to be married to my brother in Pittsburgh.

Nice job sister. Love you and incredibly proud of you.

There's some great photos of her with Sarah, the little girl here.

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On the Job: Student's illness changes teacher's lessons

By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 28, 2008

Buzz up!

Malkah Bird has taught mentally challenged children to tell time, use sign language and count money.

But when one of her students developed a deadly cancer, Bird began teaching her most difficult lesson.

"I never would have guessed at the beginning of the year that the big umbrella concept we're going to work on is what happens when your friend gets sick," said Bird, who teaches special education at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. "I've never taught this lesson before, so we're all learning together."

Bird, 29, is in her second year with the Edgewood school. It's a career path she never imagined she'd take

Shortly after graduating with a degree in geology from Smith College in western Massachusetts, Bird was accepted to Teach for America, a program that recruits high-scoring recent college graduates to teach in underprivileged areas.

She was sent to the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico and, for two years, taught a class of mentally challenged teen boys whom other teachers had labeled "impossible."

Many of the children couldn't speak and would get frustrated because Bird didn't understand what they wanted. So she taught them -- and herself -- some sign language.

"A whole new world opened up," she said. "Suddenly they had this ability to communicate."

Inspired, Bird went to the University of Pittsburgh to earn a master's degree in deaf education and started teaching middle school at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

Although most children at the school are as intelligent as any hearing child, Bird decided to continue teaching mentally challenged students.

"Everyone has a calling in life, and this is Malkah's," said Donald Mazreku, assistant principal in the middle school. "The students she works with have multiple disabilities and, where some may view that as a challenge, Malkah is a person who perceives it as an opportunity."

Bird's goal is to help the children become functioning members of society, teaching them to count money, tell time, make food and do laundry.

"Who's to say that what they have to contribute to society isn't just as important as what I contribute?" Bird said. "Every human deserves the opportunity to feel successful."

Sarah Richardson, 15, of Wilkins is one of Bird's students. A strong-willed girl who loves candy and the Disney princesses, Sarah was born with Down syndrome and diagnosed with autism four years ago.

"She's brilliant with any kind of matching or shapes," Bird said.

In February, Sarah was diagnosed with a rare cancer that caused her left thigh to swell to three times its normal size. She was admitted to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

"That day, when I told Malkah that Sarah had cancer, she came down here and was waiting for me in the emergency room," said Sarah's mother, Denise Richardson. "We call her Malkah-mom."

Because the cancer has spread to Sarah's lungs, doctors consider her terminally ill. Denise Richardson isn't sure her daughter will be alive for her 16th birthday May 29.

The school rearranged class schedules for Bird and fellow teacher Sally Wellman so they could spend a few hours every week tutoring Sarah. Even on days she isn't scheduled to teach, Bird visits Sarah, who is in hospice care at The Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill.

On a recent visit, Sarah tried to match shapes through a morphine haze and the distracting tickle of her strawberry-blond hair falling out when she suddenly scrunched up her face and started to cry.

Tears sprang to Denise Richardson's eyes as Bird stopped the lesson to cup Sarah's face in her hands and kiss her forehead.

"That is what's hardest for me," Denise Richardson said. "How do you watch your little girl in so much pain?"

To prepare Sarah's classmates for their friend's death, Bird and the other teachers explain daily that Sarah is very sick. Bird created a fundraiser called "Steps for Sarah" and her students have walked 100 miles and raised $2,000 to help Sarah's family.

"Just as with every other teacher that I have seen in that school, Malkah has a love for her students," said John Irwin, who is the father of Nathan, 15, one of Sarah's classmates. "It's exemplified in how she, and everyone at the school, has rallied around Sarah Richardson and her family."

Bird said there is value in teaching any child, even one with terminal cancer.

"In the beginning we continued teaching Sarah, I think, because we saw that she was bored," Bird said. "But now it's more. Just like anybody, if you have a reason to fight, you fight."

Celebrate Good Times

First, to all Knick fans, Christmas came early last week. I was so happy to see this happen, but sadly he was in for far too long. Apparently that internet petition I signed last year did some good. I'm kind of a big deal.

In other news, I went to North Adams, MA for work today. If you don't know where that is, it's here.


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I could have spat on both New York and Vermont. Yeah, its far. And the best part is getting to drive out there through all these smaller towns, like Charlemont, Florida, Peru and Savoy. Massachusetts isn't a very large state, but there are very different parts of it. While it can be a total pain in the ass to get to some of them, it's always fascinating to me to drive through it and watch it all change outside the window.

Finally, congrats to my friends Lisa, Anne and Jodi on running and completing the Boston Marathon. You ran 26.2 miles in an event that caused the original participant to die. You are very impressive.

Assorted Ramblings

Let's see....
(Photo courtesy of Michael Carter)

We start with the recently announced merger of Delta and Northwest Airlines. Ramblings doesn't really care that much about this. Delta has decent sized operations from Logan, but nowhere near as big as they promised. Though, if approved, it does mean fewer carriers which in case you've been drinking the Kool-Aid means higher ticket prices. Which is not good, but understandable considering the high oil prices. If you're dying to know more about the new airline, they made a website which is filled with unhelpful stuff that flacks wrote in a hurry.

And much more importantly, I found a pair of black dress shoes that I ordered from Kenneth Cole. They are shown here:

Now you'll notice one thing about them. They have no laces. For some I know this is no big deal, but I'm old fashioned about these things. I don't do sandals at all, I prefer shoes that lace in a straight forward no nonsense way. Hell, even my Merrells were a big deal at the time. So I know I'm joining my metrosexual brother on the dark side, so we'll see when they get there. The ones that I wanted with laces were only in sizes Gary Coleman and John Holmes, so no dice.

Finally, I found an occupational safety video from the Canadian version of OSHA. So I'm watching this video here, the first one.

And this is what goes through my head.

"Oh hello. You can make me breakfast in be...

Huh? Well that seems rather...

AAAHH What the fu$k is going on? I will never cook again!"

I call the Canadians pansies, but the people that make their PSAs have no sense of humor, unlike the wacky Germans. (Note: Wait for it....wait for it...)

Postal Service employs Dobermans to deliver mail

Dear Netflix,

A few weeks ago I was told by you that you had shipped Stalag 17. This the WW2 German prison camp thriller which I have not seen. I did not receive it. I waited and then started to accuse. I thought that perhaps my upstairs neighbor who also gets Netflix had taken it by mistake, and then thought he was a thief. I checked to see if my roommate was using it as a coaster, but no. So, I sent an e-mail saying it hadn't come, and you shipped one out. No doubt you were thinking that I had wondered down to the local Blockbuster and tried to sell them my copy.

Vindication came two weeks later when I received this in the mail.
Some of you may recognize this envelope. It's the one they send to you, when something went wrong somewhere along the postal journey. Possible things that could have gone wrong?

• The automatic machine they use ate it.
• A dog ate it.
• It was used for scrap paper to take lunch orders for the midnight shift at SCF Boston.
  
• A letter carrier did horrible, unspeakable things to it.

In any event, your letter or postal item got trashed and they put it in a protective plastic sheath and drop it off. I like the "We Care" part. No you don't. How do you know that wasn't a letter containing my birthday money from Grandma, or Red Sox home opener tickets? It should say "We're Sorry." Seems only fair.

So I open the sheath and find this:
Netflix, as you know, this is the front of your envelope. I blanked out my address so that my female blog fans wouldn't stalk me (or that people would order pizzas to my house.) So the question is, where is the DVD? I have this image that it went home embedded in some poor bastard's head after the sorting machine shot it out like a discus. I hope this is not the case, as that guy is probably watching Stalag 17 and drooling due to the blunt brain trauma.

So all this is to say Netflix is that I'm not a thief and I have proof.

Thank you.

P.S. I know some people that work at this facility and they're all really nice. So I'm not insulting the work of the largest employer in the country. Please don't do unspeakable things to my mail. Except the credit card offers. Make them cry.

Charlton Heston: 1924-2008

Good night Chuck Heston, where ever you are.

Turn Alone into Opportunity

So I was walking back from dinner tonight and had a brilliant idea.

It started a week ago when two things happened. My Mom asked me "was there anyone special I'd like to bring to Easter dinner?" That answer was no. And I got a wedding invitation and my friend Mikie asked if I had gotten a Plus 1. And I replied that I didn't think so, but it didn't matter because I wouldn't have brought someone anyway.

So does everyone know how emissions trading works? Basically two companies purchase permits to pollute and one needs to be able to pollute more, while the other doesn't, so they trade the credits to make it all equal. There's a much less awful explanation here. But I have come up with a new idea.

Plus 1 Trading

Think about it. A plus one is basically a nod that says "You're so close to me, you can bring anyone you damn well please." The invite for just you solo says either this wedding is really small or we're not that close, dog. So being a handsome likeable guy, I get a bunch of invitations with a +1. However, also being that I'm apparently incapable of a relationship of any length, they often go to waste. In my scenario everyone wins.

See, the people getting married don't really care if their good friends finds some nice girl to bring. He's probably going to just hit on the bridesmaids anyway. But they wanted to give him the +1 because they like him and hope he one day finds someone nice. But they have a cap of 150 people and to be honest they really don't care who comes with who, as long as they're under the cap.

So, how it would work, would be through a website. You know how you go to the Bridal Registry page on Target or Macy's? Well there would be a site called Wedding+1.com. And you look up the wedding you're going to. As the emotional cripple who can never find anyone, you put your +1 up for sale. And the dashing good looking guy who's a dick, but finds girls that like him, manages to score his latest piece of arm candy an invite.

I think the rules would be:

Cash Bar

Hot Asshole buys drinks all night for Emotional Cripple and takes care of cab ride back to hotel. If there is doubt about whether Hot Asshole is complete asshole, then you work out a system with drink tickets at the start of the night to insure that dude doesn't go missing while you're parched.

Open Bar

Here is the genius. For the weddings with open bar or for those weddings where scoring a +1 is almost impossible, like the Obama-Clinton second wedding, we go to the Single Guy Registry. And it is exactly what it sounds like. A list of items that you decide you want to fill up your single guy homestead. You put up your +1 for items such as:

• Neon Beer Sign
• Foosball Table
• Velvet Painting of Dogs Playing Poker
• Kegerator
• Premium Adult Movies
• And on and on and on

To be honest, I think this is brilliance. Everyone leaves happy. Sure, I'd still be no closer to a girlfriend, but I'd be able to think about how to get one while playing on my new pool table. I'm sure pulling a cold beer out of a free kegerator might go a little ways to ease my pains.

WOW: Weekend of Wire

So what does one do on a nice beautiful Saturday in Boston?

Well, if your friend's wife lets him get HBO on Demand and that means he has Season 5 of The Wire expiring in two days, you sit in front of the TV. We watched Season 5 in one sitting, save getting up to get chinese food and use the bathroom. It's no wonder I'm single. 11 hours of TV goodness.

And sweet baby Jesus was it good. Now I can talk to all of you who had the gag order in place about the final season. I won't spoil it for my tens of readers. Suffice it to say, you hear from a lot of old friends and it cleans up nicely. That show is a damned work of art. And while some people seem to think that it's popularity is due to the fact that people want to believe it's authentic, I can only say what I know. I wasn't a drug dealer or a newspaper reporter or a teacher, but as a former cop, that shit is real. They got that part down, which tells me they probably have a good handle on the rest of it.

I'll miss the show, but I'm glad it went out on top. David Simon, I'd let you be on top.

Please God let this piece of yellow journalism be true

The University of Tennessee has come out with the results of a survey that say that hot women who marry average looking guys tend to have happier marriages. The UT group tends to conclude that those more homely of my gender tend to work harder to please a sex kitten.

Hear that ladies? That's the sound of me holding the door open for you, wondering how the hell I got so lucky date a supermodel. Looks are fading. Blind subservience is for life.

The article is here.

Hat tip to Fark.com for the find.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter all! My roommate and I toyed with the idea of me sealing myself in the study, which is like 4 feet by 7 feet, on Friday. I'd live off a diet of beer, Pringles and spotty internet service. Then Sunday, he'd remove the plastic wrap and I'd be reborn. Then I'd walk outside touching people.

It was that last part that was the least worked out of the whole plan.

So tomorrow is Monday. This week is going to be a loong one at work. And so in order to prepare myself for it, I'd like to share a little bit of humor. My favorite part is when he tells the girls to dance. Oh, and this is a real commercial too.



Oh, and big congratulations are in order to the Wildcats of Davidson. They beat Georgetown today to advance to the Sweet 16. It would be like Vassar beating Michigan, pretty much. One of my oldest friends went there and I'm sure she's super happy tonight. And drunk.

Shipoopi everybody.

Miércoles

So not much to report on today, some remainders if you will.  

• 10% of the Ten Angry Men has a new blog about his experience as a Boston kid living in the United Arab Emirates for work.  It's worth a read.  Good stuff.  
• Had the new Prime Rib Ranchero from Quizno's yesterday.  I think it was Michael Clark Duncan's sweet voice that inspired me.  Verdict: While I can't find a photo online, its bursting with meat in the pictures.  In reality, it looked like Nell Carter was inside the toasting oven sitting on it.  Pass.  Especially for $6 for a small.  
• I was teaching class today, which means I had to reschedule the Yellow Fever Vaccine that I'm supposed to be getting now that Urban Yellow Fever has been identified in Asuncion, Paraguay.  I'm guessing that Children's Hospital won't want my blood when I get back so I should give 3 pints next time I go.  I was told by the two guys from my agency who did get the injection that the needle is big and they give it in your ass.  I call bullshit, but I'll let you know in April when I get it.  

And finally, for those of you who know my former career in New York City, I loooooved this article.  Jack Maple is rolling in his grave.  You can't make this stuff up.  Seriously.  

Erin Go Bragh

Greetings Sports Fans, 

I just viewed Michael Clayton, which I enjoyed very much.  There were three actors nominated for Oscars in it.  Tilda Swinton (supporting), for the big corporation's chief counsel.  Tom Wilkinson (supporting), the batshit attorney. And finally George Clooney, the protagonist And of the three of them, Swinton won.  I'm not sure why.  I mean Clooney was Clooney so that's not hard to figure out.  But Swinton was on the screen for not a very long time and didn't blow me away.  

What I did enjoy was the feel of the movie and the pace.  And the credits.  Now mostly the credits are where I jump up and eject the Netflix disc, or try and get busy with the girl I've been plotting to make out with since the beginning of the movie.  But in this case, the credits end with him (Clooney) taking a cab ride through midtown during the day.  There is something cool about watching him just sitting there, the camera focused on a guy in the backseat that seemed to be a good place for the movie to end.  

You know how at the end of the roller coaster there's that long stretch where the air brakes come on and you get to yell at each other "Awesome!" or "Let's go again!" or "Mrs. Hansen, Tommy got stung by a bee and dropped his Epi-pen on that last loop."  I think that part of the ride is like the credits in a powerful movie.  They allow you to sit there and take it in, before getting up and getting back to reality.  And I liked the way the director here chose to do it.  Well played.  

Calling all teachers....

First I wanted to point out a new documentary called Rubber Room. When NYC teachers are accused of something they are relieved of their teaching duties and forced to sit in a room until the department charges pending them are founded or not. This can take weeks, months, in some cases over a year. So there are full grown teachers who sit in a room and do nothing.

I understand this though. When I was a cop, if someone made an allegation against me, I was placed on modified duty, which means you get your gun taken from you while they check it out. It never happened to me, but I knew guys that would get into fights with their wives/girlfriends/baby mommas and the women would make an allegation. Usually the cops would work in the courts. They handle some of the intake pre-arraignment, before Corrections takes over. But they got to do work and get a check until the investigation was complete.

The schools have nothing else for these teachers to do, so they make them sit in a room. What seems absurd makes sense. You should pay them because the charges haven't been proven, but you don't want to see the headlines if you pay them to sit at home. Maybe they could make Department of Ed sweatshirts or something. At any rate, the trailer for the documentary is here.

And finally in this category, lemme pose a question to all of you.

You're chaperoning a high school field trip to Italy for Model UN. The night before you are supposed to all fly home one of the girls loses her passport in a taxi. Do you:

A) Call the Superintendant or Principal and be guided by his or her instructions?

B) Use the photocopy of the passport to get the student onto the plane?

C) Stay behind while it gets sorted out while the other chaperone takes the rest of the kids home?

D) Shove some foreign currency in the girl's hand, point her in the direction of the consulate, and get on the plane with the other kids and the other chaperone, leaving her to fend for herself?

If you answered D, you must work at the Wachusett Regional High School.

I love this place.

Congrats to the new parents

Kieran Patel is a week old. So this is a little late. But I've been sick, so lighten up.

I'm tired of awful movies

So I drove back from MD today and I'm quite tired. So for mindless entertainment, I popped in a movie from my Netflix queue. Next, with Nick Cage and Julianne Moore. This movie is heavy on the mindless part and really short on entertainment.

Oh, and for as awful as Cage is as usual, Moore is 10 times worse. Like turd sandwich bad. Like my eyes and ears are bleeding bad. I should eat this DVD so that no one needs to go through this pain.

That's really all. My friend Chuck told me not to watch this movie. I'm sorry Chuck. I should have listened.

Wait....this seriously got worse. A lot worse. How does a crappy movie have a worse ending? I wouldn't even eat this DVD. It's not fair to my stomach.

Maryland or Bust!

Hey folks,

I'm off to Maryland for a week of intensive training by FEMA. No doubt that we will find Osama when I return. I'm up for it. So I might be blogging about the excitement of Maryland, and hopefully the weather will work out.

A few shout-outs this Saturday:

First to Mike Fitzgerald, or Fitzy. He's my brother's friend and by extension my friend. He is a big fan of this blog and it seems only fair to say hello and thank him for continuing to read this blog. He's hot and a fine man. And he cries when he laughs.

Next, a big 2-8 congratulations to Nate Mole, formerly Officer Mole. Soon to be Sergeant Mole. I never thought it would happen, but I'm very happy for him. May God have mercy on the City of New York.

Waka has the Campys

I love this kid....

There's a hole in my pants

And it's not where you think it is. I know. I was as shocked as you were. It's on my knee. And when I say pants, I mean plural. Like I have this same problem on about 4 or 5 pairs of slacks, which is kind of a bummer as they're fine apart from that. Oh, it looks like this.
That is my sexy knee right there. So I have a hypothesis as to how this happens. When I drive, which is every day 50 miles round trip, I have an automatic. As such, my left leg has very little to do. So I seem to bend it and the crease tends to be right where these holes are popping up. What's that you say? A close up of my pasty knee? Okay...I can do that.
So I need to go pants shopping. Any suggestions on more durable pants? This stuff really only happens to me.

Oh, and for my friends and family in PA. Your state just became the most awesome place to live.

This blog is even worse on video

So my friend Tory made an insightful comment that the only food you eat that actually comes from the area between the asshole and the testicles is in sausage. So what did I have last night? You got it. I made a very small movie, which is not very good. And it's brevity betrays the fact that it took forever to put together. I now have complete appreciation for Waka and his Lunchbox. So here is my first attempt at showing you my dinner. I think this might be an occasional feature here.


Oh, and it's super early. But this is what time you need to get up to be in Springfield by 7. I tell you, the state gets my dedication for a bargain.

Being an adult isn't cheap

So tonight I was watching Asteroid on the Sci-Fi Channel and I also caught Jon Stewart's monologue from the Oscars. Both TV events were equally ridiculous. Asteroid as it centered around FEMA's response to an asteroid, which makes me laugh as I deal with FEMA all the time. And the FEMA I deal with is much more like this. Note: This is an actual document. I have a copy sitting above my computer.

And I'm tired of the Oscars. I think it's more tiring given the writer's strike. People, especially E!, were terrified that perhaps there could be a year without glitz and glamour. A.O. Scott has a decent article about a similar take. So bored with that, I decided to go grocery shopping, given that most of Cambridge would be glued to the TV.

I hit up the Shaw's and found plenty of spots, which is good because usually the Porter Square Shopping Center looks like the fall of Saigon. I've been trying to eat better. That is to say, not just buying lunch meats and beer, but trying for dinner and some sort of breakfast as well. And that apparently costs money. $102 to be precise. Olive oil was 12 bucks. Are you serious? I've also taken to looking at the calories on everything, which makes me feel like an idiot as I'm holding two different loaves of bread and staring at them.

And what the hell is up with jam? I was running out of strawberry jam for my PB&J. Because as we all know those who eat grape jelly want the terrorists to win. And I'm standing in front of a row of jars for like 5 minutes trying to figure out what the difference between Jam, Jelly, Preserves and Spreadable Fruit are. Are you fucking serious? I wanted to yell at the aisle, "Which one of you goes with the peanut butter and tastes delicious?" Because I'm sure that one of them causes cancer and I totally shouldn't buy. Cooking Light has the breakdown.
So it appears the only ones I don't want are fruit spread and possibly preserves. I settled on Jelly, though Jam looks to be the better choice.

I hate being an adult. I have no idea what kind of meat to buy unless it's sweet sausages or maybe chicken breasts. I bought a steak tonight which is probably the part of the cow that's between it's asshole and it's balls, but I have no idea as they don't say that. The package says "Flank" or "Ribeye." It never says "Taint of Cow" or "Worst piece of meat on animal." That's what I need. A grocery store for dummies. Not dummies who buy Goober Grape, those people should be rendered to Kazakhstan. I mean a place that asks you if you're really going to eat all those bananas before you buy them, or are they just going to turn brown in your fruit bowl of death. Or ask you if you have a pan that can cook that lasagna before you bring it home. That kind of store.

That's all. I now have to eat a lot, before a leave in a week for work.

Your Batshit Video of the Day

While this is really for my friend who grew up in Missouri among people like the girl in this video, it can be enjoyed by all.

No matter what your feelings on the abortion debate, you have to admit that this is awesome.

For the real comedy, please click here to read the comments on Fark. God bless a country that has people like this and then has other people funny enough to write about it.

Your help is needed

So today via FedEx I got a package from my college. It wasn't a lawsuit for dorm damage. It was a photograph. I agreed to appear in the college's Report of Gifts and I went down there and they took an hour's worth of photos.

Hands in pockets, hands out.
Hat on, hat off
Arms at sides, arms crossed.
Smiling, not smiling
Pants up, pants down.

Well, all but the last one. And we finally went with hands in, hat on, arms crossed, smiling. And so the publication went out to all the alums and I'm in there with people that actually give money. One lady actually gave enough to light on of the athletic fields. Not sure how much that cost, but probably more than $45 a month, which is what yours truly gives.

So they just sent me a photo thanking me. And here is the question? What the hell do I do with a photo of myself? It's a decent photo, but it seems really odd to put up on the wall in my apartment. So I put this survey together for the three of you who read this. And if there are any suggestions outside these, just leave them in the comments.

I'm really curious.

Hope you chose wisely

In case you haven't heard, there is a winner in the DVD 2.0 wars. It is Blu-Ray. And while the owners of Toshiba cry and the owners of the PS 3 rejoice, here is a neat fact sheet from Consumerist for the rest of us schlubs.

I don't even have a flat screen yet.

Lunchbox in Boston

So this weekend was a busy and terrific one. First, my friend Adam who is known around here as the guy in the Lunchbox videos, was here for a few days. He was in a radio play that opened for the Magnetic Fields. I'd never heard them before, but they were pretty interesting and the lead singer had this odd low voiced mumbling thing going on. But we had a great time. Went to The Barking Crab with my friend Chuck and we all had...crab. It was good and the waitresses were humorless.

I also went to pick up my new car on Friday, and I drove it home.

Okay, so this isn't the car I bought. But there was some snafu at the dealership with my bank check which I knew was too easy. How often do you print out a document that allows some guy to let you take away a new car. So after that was done, I brought this home.

Much better. Put XM radio in and I'm all set. Nice to finally drive my own wheels.

Ego Much?

Listen, when I was a cop in New York City, we only went so far as to call ourselves "New York's Finest." And I'd hazard that we had some really incredible guys working on that job that was larger than the Coast Guard

What the hell is up with this? I didn't vote for these clowns.

Go drink a latte and write some jaywalking tickets, you tanned zips.  Hard to see the criminals with the cucumber slices over your eyes I hear. 

Californigh-yah.....

Good Evening, I took a quick jaunt to the Left Coast on this weekend. And I didn't get to see a bunch of friends out there, but this was a somewhat under the radar trip as it's been crazy at work and I just needed to chill.

And this is the thing you want to see when leaving for warmer climates.These are deicing trucks spraying down a JetBlue plane at Logan. Which as mentioned before in this blog is a good thing, but even nicer when you're flying somewhere that's 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

So out there I stayed with my friend Sam and his wife Kathryn (I really think I'm spelling her name right) and their insane sheltie Dougall. That dog barks at the wind, the TV,or my farts. So yes, the dog was loud this weekend.  Hardy har har.  To sum up the activities: 

Drinking, finally watching Superbad, U.S. Rugby 7's tourney in San Diego, really fresh mexican food, a beach with like 4,000 dogs on it, karaoke at an Irish pub, wearing shorts in February.  

This photo does it justice:

And then I got back and it was like 15 degrees. Damn New England. It's like we did something to God over here.

Ah so....

If you watched the Super Bowl, I'm sure you saw this coming....

Even voting is different up here

So today is Super Tuesday and I just went down the street to cast my vote. This is not going to be a post about Vote or Die or how thousands of Americans have died so that we can all have the right to vote. I think people should vote, but I'm not going to preach.

However, I miss the NYC voting machines. They are these giant metal beasts with levers and knobs. It makes voting fun. You turn the knob for your candidate and then to cast your vote and clear the board, you move this giant lever on the floor. It feels satisying. As if you're actually sending your vote hurtling towards the Board of Elections.

In Somerville, they have a paper ballot with the candidates names. And there's broken arrows next to each of them. So you fill in the arrow. I was skeptical to say the least, and unlike the machine, I kept peeking at the ballot to make sure the right arrow was connected. And then you feed it into a machine and it beeps and you're done. That's it. Not satisfying "Ka-chunk" as the lever slides forward. You sort of wonder if you voted at all. However, I did get a sticker that says "I voted today." And that's gotta be worth something.

Is it safe?

So tonight the 18-0 Pats coughed up the big one to the Giants, and while I was rooting for the Pats tonight (Jets fan), I realized that this isn't a big deal. I know that's blasphemy to the guy from Quincy getting his large regular at Dunkin tomorrow morning, which perversely up here means cream instead of milk with sugar. But I think that given the past successes of the Sox and the Pats that this town has come to expect victories. And every once in awhile, when one gets too cocky, you need to be reminded of where you live. And that's Boston, the home for suffering sports fans. The perennial underdogs. This being on top stuff isn't really all that great.
Tomorrow morning I have my checkup at the dentist. And just like I did in 5th grade, I spent like 20 minutes brushing my teeth. As if somehow an extra 3 minutes the night before will make up for 5 months of general dental neglect and lack of flossing. I'm going to have to have the talk tomorrow about the mouth guard. Which even though a beautiful friend of mine admits to using one, seems like the last step in bachelor geekdom. But I guess I want to keep the chompers, right?

Take that Mike Gravel

No matter your political views, you should admit that this is a pretty awesome spot.

Wow, so much Wow. Like a Sea of Wow.

So I must conclude that Season 4 of the Wire is the most depressing season of television out there. This show which I've gloated over like some sort of deranged lunatic I know, really is the tops. No show on TV right now has the guts that The Wire does. No show. And ending Season 4 might have crushed my soul a little bit.

But much like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the staff at RoCS have come up with something to lift the dark clouds of inner-city Baltimore. And it comes in the form of a psychic. I should mention that this guy is actually the son of my parent's friends. This clip is awesome. My favorite part is when he asks the guy how often he touches himself.

I agree it's a tad excessive, but the man has needs.

This is the future of TV if the WGA doesn't work out this strike.

Florida Primary Results

So the world knows now that McCain won in Florida and Romney came in second. And yes Hillary came in first in a state that gives her no delegates. I'm currently feeling Obama.

However the big news is Giuliani, my former boss. He staked it all on Florida and came up looking like a dumbass as he is currently fighting off Huckabee for 3rd. I for one, as a former NYC police officer, couldn't be happier. This is what happens Rudy when you wage a mayoral campaign, senate campaign and then presidential campaign on the fact that you lowered crime in NYC. In reality, it was the police that lowered crime, and Rudy thanked them by giving them double zero's as retro-raises. And it's not just the cops, this man is a uniter in that he brings loathing from both sides of the NYC public safety community.

Karma is a bitch, Rudy. Now please McCain, don't take him as your running mate.

And if you missed the State of the Union, my good friend Waka will gladly break it down right here:

It's late

First, RIP Heath Ledger. Sorry to spoil it for those who didn't know, but he was apparently found in his home with sleeping pills nearby, which while police have said might not be an overdose, did not deter this bastion of journalistic integrity from opining differently.

Here's an example of their creativity. Though my favorite was when the busted the alledged Al Qaeda cell in Western New York and the headlines read, "Osama's Buffalo Wing."

Finally allow me to say that I started watching the 4th Season of The Wire. I know, I'm a season late. But I've come up with a new word.

Televorgasm

It's what happens in my pants after watching an episode of this show. It's so damn good. Please. For the love of all things holy, find this show and watch it if you haven't already. Goddamn I love it.

Under the category of general whoring

Ahem...

So yours truly is a guest on a podcast. This all happened as a result of my dear friend Amanda who is one of the smartest, coolest, sexiest kindest people I know. She works part-time with these two people Peter Villa and Lindsey Neill. Anyway, these guys decided apparently to do a podcast with no basic subject or theme.

And what do you do with an hour with no restrictions? You apparently invite me to blather on for almost 50 minutes about everything and nothing in particular. Hearing my voice recorded still makes me cringe a little bit.

Peter and Lindsey are awesome people. And for the guys reading this, she's single and very attractive. If you want to meet her, I'll need $5 and proof you have your shots. Sorry ladies, Peter is married and sadly does not have his shots.

If you care to occupy your time with some funny stories and my awful voice, then click here.

The follow-up

So, it's Sunday and I've found time to blog for a little bit. I think I'll go back to the beginning.

This is the Seattle skyline from the ferry to Bainbridge Island that Emily and I took. You can't see the needle, but it's to the left. Had some good times. Went to the Sci-Fi Museum and the Experience Music Project which are co-located and both owned by Paul Allen, who is silly rich. They used the Zune as their music player in both museums, which was the first time I had seen one, which explains the popularity of the IPod. We drank beer at this place, after getting a car to take us up there and back which was a few bucks but worth it so we could get our drink on and not have to worry. Good beer. And fun was had by both of us.

Flew back on the red-eye through an awful storm and then took a nap and then drove up to Maine. So here's what happened. Driving in heavy snow on 295, going the speed limit which had been reduced down to 45, and the car begins turning left. I try to get out of the spin by turning the wheel right. (Note: You're supposed to turn into the skid, but what with the oncoming traffic I wasn't sure if that was the wisest.) So sure enough the Explorer comes around to the right, and then I go too right. And now I'm sliding out of control and about to broadside the snowbank on the right side of the road.

This song starts playing in my head.

Seriously, I was really like "I guess we'll just see how this turns out. "

So I hit the snowbank, huge amount of snow kicks up and I'm slowing down. I think to myself this isn't that bad, and as if God had an awesome sense of humor, the Ford goes over onto the driver's side. And the driver's window breaks and snow floods into the cabin. That was probably the only time in the 7-second event I was really scared. I was thinking about that older couple every year somewhere that go off the road and aren't found and need to survive by drinking frozen snow and eating Lorna Doones. Except I think all I had were Altoids. And then the car was on it's roof, and then the passenger side, and then somehow the wheels again.

So I come to rest about 45 feet from 295, perpendicular to it. The engine is running, my hands are clenched in some sort of death grip on the wheel, there's snow all over my lap, and some awful Maroon 5 song is blaring, in some way mocking the seriousness of what just happened. I get out via the passenger door, call 911 and have no idea where I am. I use my Garmin to tell the dispatcher where I am. And the rest is basically history....well they come, the car is totaled, the Maine Emergency Management Agency totally looked out and were amazing. I did teach the class I was supposed to the next day, because what else was I supposed to do.

Funny last thing: When your car rolls completely, it's amazing the crap that squirts out of whatever hiding place it's been in for the last 5 years. I found 2 EZ-Pass transponders. Both active. So that means my car has three active transponders. God knows how much I've been paying for tolls these past years. The MassPike should send me a Thank You card. Seriously.

I'm going car shopping and have some stories. But that's for another post soon.

Holy crap...

Okay, so this is going to be quick as I'm really tired. I was in Seattle with my friend Emily this past weekend and took the red-eye back on Monday morning. Have some great photos.

Driving up to Maine to teach a class in my 98 Ford Explorer in a pretty nasty storm last night. And lost control of the car. (Well, I'm typing this and not dead, so it wasn't too bad) But I ended up going off the interstate, and rolling the car completely so that it landed back on it's wheels again. Some minor cuts from the broken window, but nothing serious.

Finished the class in Maine today and got rides back. I have some incredible friends I know and work with who drove me up and back from the accident to the class and then home. One pal loaned me his car for a few days while I get it sorted out. My brother offered me his car, which I might take him up on as a friend of mine in Poughkeepsie might need me this weekend.

I was talking to a friend tonight who said I have a guardian angel out there, as last night could have gone 1,000 different ways and all of them far worse. It might be our friend Erin Schlather, she suggested. And I like that idea very much.

I'll have photos and play-by-play soon. I'm just too damn tired.

Thanks Erin.

NH Primary Day

My good friend Ben is writing for the online political journal Politico, and happens to be in NH today covering the primary. If you're interested, which if you have a pulse you should be, then swing by and follow his coverage. N.B. He's covering the Dems and 08 race. There's another guy on the site named Jonathan Martin that's covering the Republicans.

Rock the Vote

Wired and unhappy

So I own a MacBook Pro laptop and have for almost 2 years. When I bought it, I bought AppleCare which is the extended warranty of 3 years as opposed to 1. However this guy thought it was like a car warranty, ah no. You have to activate it. Which was all well and good until I lost the box that the code came in.

Fast forward almost two years and I'm cleaning my bedroom. I found the box, and a bloody glove and Amelia Earhart. And currently my computer is making noise. Sounds like a fan problem. It actually sounds like Leopard. Not the new operating system, but as if there's an actual leopard stuck in my laptop. No bueno. So I call to activate my AppleCare and the lady is perplexed as to why I'm doing this almost two years late. I tell her she doesn't know me. So it gets resolved and I take it to the Apple Store and meet with a genius who takes it from me and promises to get it back in 5-7 days.

5-7 Days? I need this thing. It sits on my lap and acts as my second brain. Like when I'm watching TV and I think "What else has that guy been in?" Boom, he was in Leprechaun 4. Or I want to do some e-mails before bed, well now I'm tethered to my desktop. A computer I'll add that I bought about 5 years ago when I was drunk one night. I woke up with a hangover and saw my wallet near the computer, which is never a good sign. And then got an e-mail from Dell congratulating me on my purchase. At least it wasn't Russian hookers.

So I'll be blogging a little light this week. And then I'm off to Seattle for a long weekend with a friend. Wha hoo. Coffee, flying fish, and microbrews.

The New Year's First Post

Happy 2008 to my handful of faithful readers. I spent the evening playing Wii and eating chinese food with my favorite gun for hire at his swanky digs in Boston. We screened two films this evening on his giant TV. They were the GrindHouse series directed by Robert Rodriguez and Tarrantino. Basically two separate films with similar casts, shot similarly and then screened in theaters together.

The first one, Planet Terror was good. I do love me some Rose McGowan, especially when she has a machine gun as a prosthesis. And Bruce Willis spoke like 9 words, but they were manly words. Asides from that, it was general zombie mayhem with a little Toxic Avenger thrown in for good measure.

The second, Death Proof, was about a guy who kills girls with his car. This was the Tarrantino film and was much slower to get started and then got really fast, really quickly. Good stuff. Vanessa Ferlito was excellent and sounded straight out of Brooklyn which made me smile.

Verdict: Check these films out. And do watch them together for the effect. And the fake preview before Planet Terror is actually becoming a movie.

Merry New Year

That title keeps with the Trading Places theme.

On this, the last day of 2007, I sit here in Morrisville, VT just outside of Stowe. Stowe you say? You must be enjoying some hard-core winter sports! Not so much, I went cross-country skiing yesterday and fell about 341 times in about 2 hours. I got snow in places my doctor can't even find, and I broke the coat rack of the lodge trying to prevent my face from being one with the wall. Good thing that those cross-country people are super chill. Case in point, on my 35th wipeout of the day, I was buried in a snowdrift with my head poking out and a couple came up the trail. I joked to the guy, "Stay away from this part, it's deep over here." To which he replied "Right on man, thanks." Ah stoners.

So I'm in a small house with about 9 members of my family or their girlfriends/wives. Booze is really the key here, people. It's like the lubricant to get through family gatherings. So wishing you all the best in the upcoming year. And if you're not with someone on this lamest of holidays, fear not. For there's always booze and Twilight Zone marathons, and the Stooges. And me.

Be good everybody.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope this finds you all happy and with friends or family today.

The Boob Tube

So I was watching TV a week or so ago and flipping through the Comcast on-screen menu and saw The Wedding Planner. No big deal. Awful J-Lo movie with Matt McConaughey, don't care about the story dreck. This is no big deal, as there's crap on TV all the time. But it was on AMC. American Movie Classics. Now I know they call themselves AMC now. This is reminiscent of how Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC. Many said it's because legally they weren't allowed to call it chicken.

So as a film fan, I realized how much I do love the classics and to call this movie a classic pissed me off. So I did what any red-blooded American would do. I wrote an e-mail.

Here is the letter:

From: Ramblings of a Civil Servant
T0: Info@amctv.com
Date: December 9th, 2007 11:31PM

To Whom it May Concern,

I was watching TV a few nights ago and noticed that AMC was showing The Weddling Planner, starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. I wonder if perhaps had aired this by mistake, because this movie hardly could be considered a classic. First, it came out in 2001. I've got things in my fridge older than that. Second, it is an awful movie. This is not really open to debate. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rating of 15% which is very bad. Very, very bad.

Please don't show this movie again. Screen the Godfather or Ben Hur anytime you see this movie coming up in your lineup. And if there was an intern who told you this was a good movie for your channel, fire him. Okay, make him watch the Godfather and then fire him. Note that I didn't say Godfather 3, which is almost as large a piece of crap as The Wedding Planner. Or you can continue to screen The Wedding Planner, but just change the name of your channel to Additional Mindless Cinema or something like that.

Sincerely,

Ramblings


They haven't written back.

Spotters Ready! Gladiators Ready!

Holy Crap. It's on. I remember this like it was yesterday. My favorite game was the one where they used all kinds of different weapons to fire foam projectiles.


Though for some AG love, and to get you pumped for the redux, here's the Eliminator

Spike Lee would have wept

Last night I took in a professional basketball contest between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knickerbockers. I have gained some allegiances since moving up here from New York, and while I like the Celts the Knicks are still my team. Which really is too bad.

I remember the Knicks from high school, and names like Ewing, Starks, Anthony Mason, Smith and many more. Hell I even remember the white guy. There were no names asides from Marbury and Curry that I recognized last night. Which is fine, because I was too busy yelling "What the hell is the matter with you guys?" and "Are you serious?" In case you didn't hear, the score of that game it was bad. I promised my friend we could leave when the Knicks scored 50 points.

I left with three minutes left to go in the 4th quarter.

There are only 4 quarters in the NBA.

I spent most of the game booing Isiah Thomas, the worthless racist, sexist coach of the Knicks. I wanted to boo the owner, James Dolan, who has to pay some woman 11 million bucks because of Thomas, and he still keeps him on. People talk all the time about government employee job security. But tell me another job where you can make millions, cause your employer to lose 11 million, and be 5-10 on the season.

Fire Isiah. Now more than ever.

Tryptophan Movie Roundup

So on a weekend where you're eating more than is humanly possible, and need to break up that eating with 2-3 hour digestion periods, what's better than movies to break it up? So without further adieu....

Deathwatch: This movie was about an evil trench in World War I. I made the fam sit through it the morning of Thanksgiving. It was decent, not great. A little low-budget and it had a neat twist at the end. But it really wasn't worth sitting the stuff before the twist.

Verdict: If you like movies about war or horror then this isn't for you. However if you've been searching for a horror movie about trenches, then you need a life and this probably still isn't the movie for you.

Next up was the much awaited American Gangster, which is the movie about Frank Lucas, the real life black NYC crime boss in the 60's and 70's. I had heard from friends and readers of this blight on the internet that they found the first hour a little slow. I actually liked the whole movie and thought the first hour set up the film nicely. Some highlights in the movie for me:

• The movie was filmed heavily in the 28th Precinct in Harlem, where yours truly used to be a cop. It was neat seeing a lot of the buildings I pulled people out of making cameos.
• Armand Assante was excellent as a local mob kingpin. Really good and subtle work and much more courageous than his work in Partners in Action. Welcome back from TNT movies Armand. We missed you.
  
• The cops in this movie are not New York cops. They're from Jersey, which I'm not thrilled about. The NYPD guys come off looking pretty poor actually. But it's reality.

Verdict: Good movie. Good cast. If you like Denzel, the mob, guns, or pretty much movies in general, you'll like this.

Finally, I finished up with the exciting Ryan Phillipe/Chris Cooper flick, Breech. It covered the takedown of Robert Hanssen, who is thought to be the one of the most damaging spys the U.S. has ever known. Phillipe plays Eric O'Neill who was an FBI kid on the track to be Agent and got asked to spy on Hanssen. And so he does and it leads to Hanssen's capture and then he decides he doesn't want to be an agent, which is virtually a lock for him . Takes guts, but don't worry. He goes on to be a lawyer at one of the biggest firms in the country.

Verdict: Decent spy flick. You won't be unhappy by watching it, but you really won't be missing anything if you don't see it.

That's the scoop for now.

Happy Turkey Day (Belated)

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully there was much poultry consumed. It was cool that my Mom and step-dad came up and cooked in my oven. So that means that I have leftovers. Tomorrow begins the parade of turkey and stuffing sandwiches that I will consume this week. Huzzah.

That's me carving the bird. Carving that shit sexy-like.

I have no honor

In a shameless plug, I would like to mention that one of my reviews was chosen as Review of the Day on the local Yelp page. It was for pizza at this fine place that I've written about.

Good pizza.

Movie Roundup

Today on Movie Roundup, I've got three movies to share with you. I had meant to write this a few days ago, but then tonight I saw No Country for Old Men, more on that soon.

First up, Host. This is a South Korean sci-fi movie basically involving a creature that steals a little girl and their family's attempts to get her back. It was good, with crisp clear effects. It also had a good sense of humor, much like another Ramblings fave, Kung Fu Hustle. But good story, even if America does come out as partly evil. Though I think given world events, a movie made outside this bubble might be justified in thinking that.

Verdict: Good action/thriller that would never have been filmed the same in the U.S.

Next on the list was Illuminados por el Fuego, or Blessed by Fire. This movie was about an Argentine who has flashback of him and buddies in one of the most lopsided contests since the original Olympic Dream Team took on Angola in 1992. I'm speaking of course of the Falklands War, or the Malvinas war, depending on which side you support. It was a good movie, made even better by the scarce material I had seen on the conflict. It weaves a current story with flashbacks well and tugs at the heartstrings.

Verdict: I liked it. If you are at all interested in the conflict, like war movies, or enjoy hearing spanish, then you will too.

Finally, I took in No Country for Old Men, which is the Coen Brothers new film. It was heavy. It is the sort of movie you find yourself following straight through and then sitting staring when the credits start rolling. It should be called "No Movie for Candy Asses." It was violent and yet slow at the same time, but in a good way. The movie also went against several Hollywood cliches, which I won't go into so as not to spoil them. But I like film and I liked this movie on several levels. Asides from the mentally imbalanced man sitting to my right that apparently thought the whole movie was a comedy, it was a perfect viewing experience.

Verdict: It can wait until DVD, but it can't wait much longer after that.

And that's all for now.

So good....

Sorry for the double video post, but this is another really funny installment from Lunchbox.



Way to be Waks. Keep making the funny.

If you're a kid of the 80's, check this

Probably the coolest thing ever done with snare drums and flutes ever....

Made my day.

Weekend Movie Roundup

This weekend I saw two movies that came in those awesome red envelopes. I enjoyed both of them tremendously.

Let's start with Zodiac. It was a great movie that seemed to have everyone in it. My favorite surprise character was Anthony Edwards, who fit his role perfectly. The Director apparently wanted someone who represented good and order, so he rang up Dr. Green. The movie did start off with some decent violence and gore, but then it transitioned into the investigation. Oh, and I have come to love Robert Downey Jr. more and more. The movie was well shot and had some great visual effects. Not quite a straight thriller or crime drama, it really hit the mark.
Verdict: If you like crime drama or good movies, rent this.

I followed that the next night by King of New York. This is an older movie (1992), but it holds up well again thanks to terrific casting. Christopher Walken is pretty much awesome in most everything, this being no exception. I really liked Wesley Snipes and Lawrence Fishburne too. I'm not sure I'll ever like David Caruso however. Gritty and dark, it's a great portrayal of 1980's New York City.
Verdict: If you like violence, or Scarface, and perhaps want to remember when the subway cars had graffiti, rent this as well.

Quite the weekend

First of all, greetings late on this Veteran's Day. I called my Dad yesterday and thanked him for serving in Viet Nam, so that I could have today off. Seriously though, given the rising death toll this year for service men and women in Iraq, the day is quite sobering.

This weekend was important for other reasons. I threw off the shackles that are Cingular and joined the Verizon network. So I traded the Whogivesacrapistan commercials for the one with the annoying "this is my network" guy. I think I'm going to go start fights with people and then sue them when the army of Verizon linemen and cable splitters don't rush to get my back.

Observe my kick-ass phone. And it's not just me that thinks so. These guys do too. And because I trudge in the salt mines of public service, I got it free. So thank you taxpayers for allowing me to serve you at a deep discount, so that I may reap the occasional discount myself.

Hope everyone out there had a fantastic weekend.

I am still a union man at heart

And as such, I fully support the Writer's Guild of America strike that is currently going on. If you have no idea why the WGA is striking, then watch this.



And sign this petition. Because when the man tries to get over, we need to be able to reach up and collectively bitch slap him down.

The Hawaiian Jerry Richards

So this is crap gossip news.... Dog the Bounty Hunter (Duane Chapman, I think on the right above) used the word "nigger" to describe his son's girlfriend. But this story has an incredibly awesome twist. He used it in a phone conversation with that son to try and warn him that son's girlfriend might hear him use the word, not understand that he means it as a casual use thing and not as a slur, and then she'd tell The Enquirer. So son tapes that conversation and sells it to who? The Enquirer.

Oh and you know those prescription drugs you have from that knee injury that you're afraid your kids might get their hands on? Reuters knows what to do. Hide your old pills in poop. I shit you not. Actual headline. Is this what Murrow fought for? And I'm pretty sure you could just throw them away without needing to feed the kitty mexican food the night after your arm feels better.

Happy Election Day!

How many of you voted? I can't tell a lie. I was away for business and I couldn't get back in time. I know. That makes me a communist. It also means I couldn't shape the future of Somerville by choosing the next Alderman at Large.

I was in New Haven, CT for business today. Stayed in lovely Orange last night. Really special places. All I could think about when I was in New Haven was my friend Montu's stories about the ghetto convenience store he used to work in when he was younger there.

Birthday Shout-Outs to Mikie and Nicole(N.B. She's a lazy blogger. Foxy ladies who both entered this world on November 6th. Thanks for being here.

Finally, you'll notice that the thermometer has filled up for the DonorsChoose.org site to the right. I'd like to thank Ross for donating to an unknown cause before I could set up the challenge and then me for paying the 50 bucks. Cheap bastards. Not even a red penny from my readers, all 6 of you.

Bad Idea Jeans

So everyone should see this movie.

But you shouldn't watch it right before you go to bed. Jeebus that was depressing. If I had anything left in me, I'd follow with this, which is the cure-all for any sad movies.

"Work, work work work. Hello boys, happy to see me?"

Mas Lunchbox. Me gusta Lunchbox.

All Hallow's Eve

So this Saturday night saw me at a kick-ass Halloween party at my friends party. I actually went as him. This costume won't really make sense, until you learn that one day Chuck did get his shoe and sock eaten by the escalator at Alewife. Only this guy would then gimp back to his car, go home and change and then come back to work. I'm pretty sure I would have called it a day at that point. That's why he's the better employee. Ross went as Duff Man, well actually Beer Man, who is Duff Man's non-copyrighted cousin.

Tonight I saw a great movie I highly recommend called Layer Cake. Daniel Craig, of James Bond fame, was really good. An English drug dealing, double and triple crossing whodunit. The ending was the best. A must see. Really.

Can't I make your product with 5 fingers?

Today, I went shopping, but not at the shopping plaza near my house because that parking lot spawns cars and is constantly full. So I went to another one and bought $70 worth of food. On things like Hamburger Helper, and various juices and veggies and fruit. I don't buy food often enough, and I essentially buy food to replace the food that has turned colors in my fridge. Like my greasy turkey. Now I have new turkey. And bologna. Yes, there is a 30-year old that still eats bologna.

And don't know if your state is one of these 40, but you might want to check this article out. I totally agree with this policy and think everyone should do it. I think the changing lanes option is better than the slowing down policy.

Weekend Doings

So this weekend was full of fun and not fun, near and far.

Friday night saw me hanging out in Poughkeepsie with my friend Vinnie, who's a firefighter with Arlington. Always a good time. He and I are good friends, but you wouldn't have thought so when we first met. Our personal lives have followed the others closely with the peaks and the valleys. We always end up talking about life in his basement around some Michelob Lights. And there's no place I would rather be.

Saturday morning I was at the old alma mater. They were taking photos of donors who have apparently given large sums proportionally. I guess they thought the government salary was a a gimme. I had a really interesting talk with a woman from Development about what I see as a new way to look at raising money and connecting with alumnae. Hope that works out, because I got really excited about it. I'd write more, but I'm kind of spent.

Last night was a surprise party for my good friend Steve. He turned 30 and it was a shared party for him and his Dad in the Nutmeg State. Good times. Drank, hung out, saw the Sox get spanked and not quickly. Got to experience the joys of a Hilton Garden Inn. Good times.

Today was pretty crappy. For a few reasons, the biggest one personal. Did laundry, and started on a paper. I did fix myself a nice cocktail and watch Blood Diamond. That movie proves two things. First, my whole thing about wooden engagement rings is a social justice movement. Second, I want Jennifer Connelly to have my babies.

But even when the chips are down, sometimes there are signs that I'm not meant to stay down forever. I'm not saying life is great tonight. But I'm saying that thanks to these guys here, it's a little easier.

My apologies

I'm sorry for what seems like a double post, but this is my friend Waka's video blog right after the Mets self-combusted in the home stretch. A must see for Mets fans or those who like baseball.

Waka breaks down the possible 8-way race in 08

A lil philanthropy

So you may notice a fundraising thermometer to the right of this post. Normally, some of you may only see these things outside your volunteer fire station when they're raising money for a new flagpole.

The link at the bottom goes to DonorsChoose which is a site that allows you to direct fund teachers in schools. It's actually pretty neat. I plan on donating enough to cover the balance. So that means if I only get $20 out of you skinflints then I'll put up $30. However, if we hit the $50 or over, the Ramblings staff will match the final total.

So give something. For your karma, or if only to see that stupid little thermometer get higher.

Update: My kind brother apparently gave before the charity was chosen. I'm raising the money for a 1st grade teacher to buy a rug for her classroom with a giant world map on it to show kids the countries. Ross's $20 are apparently floating around feel-good cyberspace.

Movie Trifecta in Play

Today, after seeing the Sox spank their way to the ALCS, I took in a film at the Somerville Theater. God bless local community cinemas. $7.

Eastern Promises. I won't give a very in depth review. Mostly because a friend of mine has already done a better job reviewing it than I can. It was well done. Cronenberg also did History of Violence with Viggo Mortenson and it's obvious. The film was incredibly violent, but very beautiful at the same time. It's worth a look, but you can wait for DVD.

And then came home and caught the last hour of Field of Dreams. And yes, I bawled like a baby when Costner asks his dad to play catch with him. Happens every damn time.

If he was so super, how come he couldn't cross a river

So today brought some things, and took some others.

GPS unit was stolen out of my truck this morning. I was dumb and left it mounted. I have renter's insurance, so we'll see what happens with that. But you realize how heavily you rely on those things. I'll keep everyone updated on my next purchase and if USAA sees fit to give me some cash.

Helped some friends buy a plasma TV at Costco. I dearly love Costco. Not just because they're cheap, but the way they do business. Jim Sinegal, the CEO, answers his own phone and has the same desk he did 20 years ago. They carry less items than Sam's Club, but they choose each item they sell. They also pay more than the other guys.

Then tonight, helped my friends install said plasma TV and we then went to see Into the Wild. I read the Krakauer book. I highly recommend the read. I liked certain things about the movie, mainly the supporting cast, the cinematography, and the soundtrack. I found the story taken from McCandless's POV was quite an unsympathetic one. Sure he had a bum deal with his parents, but lots of people do and don't die in a bus in Alaska.

Sean Penn directed it and you can tell he has a kinship with the ghost of Alex Supertramp McCandless. It seems like it's going to be a coming of age story, but you realize that he doesn't really get it until the very end, at the edge of starvation and even then you're not sure. But the scenery was breathtaking and worth going to see for that alone.

But all of Alaska considers him a fool, and while it's a sad story, I tend to agree with them.

This ain't right

So I got home after a lovely night with my brother and his charming girlfriend and I saw this on Boston.com

Sources: autopsies found alcohol, cocaine in fallen firefighters' systems

For those not in the Boston Area, two firefighters died fighting a fire in a Chinese restaurant. Firefighters came from all over the nation to pay their respects. Apparently some guy from the Medical Examiner's Office leaked the tox screens to the Globe. One of them was legally drunk and the other had traces of cocaine in his system.

How does this matter? They're both dead, so they can't face department sanctions. Are you going to take the pensions away from the widows? I'm all for going after yahoos who hit guys over the head with folding chairs, (Look under DOI's Examination of the Circumstances Surrounding the Assault of a Firefighter and Subsequent Cover-up at the NYC FDNY Engine Co. 151/Ladder Co. 76) but this seems a bit much.

I would argue that full disclosure here is not a good thing. It hurts morale, and far worse hurts those families who are already in incredible pain. Shame on those people that leaked this. It shows incredibly poor form.

The Weekend was Good

Had a great weekend filled with accomplishments, laughs and help for the kids.

Finished the 5K. Ran the whole thing, so even though my time was poor I didn't care. I didn't die, which is all me and my PCP really cared about. Then that evening went to the Westin and had a lovely time at the CTF Gala. Gave some money to help the kids, got to dance with enchanting women and laugh a lot.

Sunday held tickets to the last regular season Sox game. (Thanks Chuck) and plenty of reading for grad school.

All in all a great weekend. Now to tackle the week, which seems to be okay. Long weekend next weekend. And while the terrorists might not get Columbus Day off, this guy does.

Oh and my Mom called me to tell me she thought I looked a lot like this guy who apparently is some sort of Professor at a Christian college or something. I can see the resemblance.