The Bosque

From the BBC: The collapse of President Bush's recent immigration reform was partly fuelled by fears that the English language was under threat from Spanish. But as one food stall owner in Philadelphia illustrates (Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento), English has some unlikely champions.

Joey Vento sounded pleased to hear from me. Well, fairly pleased.

"Sure I remember you," his voice came down the phone. "You're the guy who put me through the wringer last year."

That is not quite how I remembered our previous encounter. I had certainly quizzed him about his views on immigration, but he had given as good as he had got and been more than happy to talk about the need to defend the English language in today's America. With immigration back in the news, I asked him, could we have another chat?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Geno's sucks. Their steaks are shit. If you eat there, you're either a tourist or a fucking idiot. What the hell is wrong with James Coomarasamy? Who cares what the fuck Joey Vento thinks? For that matter, who the fuck cares what I think? :)

From KMOV-TV, St. Louis: In West County an Abbott ambulance, transporting a patient, is involved in a crash.

It happened on Highway 141 at Interstate 64 in Town and Country.

Police say the ambulance had its emergency lights and siren on.

Four were transported to the hospital.

One is in critical condition.

I haven't talked to my brother today, so I don't know if he was actually the driver or not.

I have been waiting for this for years! Now I can finally be at peace...the Spice Girls are back together! Allah Akbar!

From the BBC: The Spice Girls have confirmed they will reform for a world tour to take place in December and January.

The full line-up has not performed on stage since Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell quit in May 1998.

The 11 dates announced include a London show on 15 December, eight days after the tour begins in Los Angeles.

From the BBC: Gordon Brown has become the UK's prime minister, succeeding Tony Blair.

Posing outside 10 Downing Street with his wife Sarah, the man who has been Mr Blair's chancellor since 1997 said: "Let the work of change begin."

As a whole, I think Tony Blair is a good man who served his country well. However, unless things change dramatically soon, Iraq will hang over him. Having said that though, I think Blair truly believes in what he was doing there...he seems more noble and genuine about it than Dubya.

Time will be his ultimate judge.

Last November, I received a summons for jury duty for the first week of this year. I claimed a student hardship at that time, but offered to serve jury duty later. The court folks told me I should receive another summons for jury duty beginning the last week of July.

I was hoping that they would forget. And as we marched through June, I figured that they did indeed forget about me...usually you get a summons 6-8 weeks before duty.

Nope...they remembered...the summons came yesterday: July 30th.

Not that I mind serving jury duty...it's just that I don't get paid for missing work at the moment. I'm going to lose at least one day of work, maybe two...which sucks. Of course, I could have a real job by then...bahahahaha!

Oh well...I'll go do my civic duty...and now that I have a Masters degree, maybe they'll leave me off a trial. We'll see...

From NBC4, Washington, DC: A D.C. Superior Court judge has sided with the defendants in a $54 million lawsuit over a pair of pants.

According to the judge's decision, the plaintiff, administrative law Judge Roy Pearson Jr., will take nothing from Soo Chung and Jim Nam Chung, the owners of Custom Cleaners.

The judge also awarded the Chungs court costs. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff said a motion for attorneys' fees in the case will be considered later.

I hope this fucker loses his judgeship...what a ridiculous abuse of the judicial system.

While dining at La Tropicana Market yesterday, we selected two new Jesus candles to go with the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Guadalupe. These photos are kinda crappy...I didn't turn off the flash and don't feel like retaking them.

The first was the Powerful Hand (La Mano Poderosa):






April selected one of St. Michael:




Look at Michael whupping Lucifer's ass!


We might buy one more...we'll have to look at the selection the next time we go over there.

A while back, we noticed that our bathroom storm window was broken…the top window has a hole in it that we suspect was caused by our drunken neighbor in the building next to us. It didn’t damage our inside window, so I suspect it was probably broken sometime during the winter. After laziness on our part and our landlord’s typical slowness, I got a call on Monday from the folks that are going to replace the window. Our landlord has various companies come out to do work on the building.

I explained the situation to the window people, and they wanted to schedule an appointment to come over and look at it. They told me they were only able to schedule appointments from 8-noon or noon-4. The only day I don’t work during the day is Wednesday, so we set up the appointment for Wednesday between noon and 4…and apparently I had to be there.

The guy from the window place showed up promptly at noon. He was going to come inside, but I advised him that it was a storm window. He then went out the front door…and I didn’t see him again. It’s not fixed yet…I assume that he measured it, and will replace it upon getting the okay from my landlord.

What the fuck was that about? I told them on the phone Monday that it was a storm window. They could have done this shit without me being here. Not that I was doing anything in particular this past Wednesday, but I was enjoying a nice nap.

So they called back yesterday morning, wanting to set up a time to put it in. I then explained to the lady setting up the appointment how the last appointment went…and she was rather surprised. After calling the guy that came over Wednesday to confirm my story, she called me back to let me know that I wouldn’t have to be there for the installation.

I’m almost glad that our landlord is selling the building.

Wolf passed this along earlier this morning...from Fox News (full story to follow due to its short length): Police on Wednesday were investigating how a naked couple fell 50 feet from the roof of a downtown office building to their deaths.

The bodies were found on the road by a passing cabdriver around 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Clothing was discovered on the roof, leading authorities to suspect the man and woman, in their early 20s, may have been having sex. Their identities were not released.

"It's too early to rule out anything," Columbia police Sgt. Florence McCants said, but McCants said a preliminary investigation didn't show any sign of foul play.

"Oh baby, you make me feel like I can fly! Wait a minute! We ARE flying!" *SPLAT!*

From Yahoo!/AP: A crowd attacked and killed a passenger in a vehicle that had struck and injured a child, police said Wednesday.

Police believe 2,000 to 3,000 people were in the area for a Juneteenth celebration when the attack occurred Tuesday night. The man who was killed had been trying to stop the group from attacking the vehicle's driver when the crowd turned on him, authorities said.

This sounded crazy (and funny) to me, so I went to get the story from the Austin Statesman...and the story there doesn't sound as "exciting."

Tim's in charge today

Courtesy of http://myfoxstl.com

Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, told a news conference that the Vatican felt it necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life.

He noted that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus -- and that his office is tasked with dealing with all "itinerant" people -- including refugees, prostitutes, truck drivers and the homeless

Vatican's 10 Commandments for drivers:

1 -- You shall not kill.

2 -- The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3 -- Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4 -- Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5 -- Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6 -- Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7 -- Support the families of accident victims.

8 -- Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9 -- On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10 -- Feel responsible toward others.

Getting new shoes rocks! And April and I were both lucky enough to find new shoes on the same day. Each of us has been looking for a while, so it was nice to finally buy a couple of pair.

Here's the pair April bought at Sports Authority...Nike Air Maxes. Note the loud colors...they rule!



And here's the pair I bought later in the day at DSW Shoe Warehouse...Adidas Kumasi M's. They're outdoor shoes...incredibly comfy, and I love the colors:



And here they are commingling:



At the rate I'm walking, I'll burn through mine in less than a year.

My uncle (my paternal aunt's husband) had to have surgery Thursday to remove part of his foot that had been ravaged by a staph infection. He's a 48-year-old diabetic, and he's had lots of foot problems over the years. He's doing well though, and may go home as soon as tomorrow.

The hospital where he is at also happens to be the employer of my father, aka Sperm Donor. According to my aunt, he's been popping in occasionally the past couple of days. And he had apparently stopped by right before April and I got there.

We were there for a little over an hour visiting, then left to finish some errands. No sign of him.

On one hand, I'm glad. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with him today...perhaps if I had had one more margarita at lunch, I would have been alright. ;) Seriously...I don't have a lot of animosity towards him, but today just wasn't the day.

On the other hand, it would have been interesting to see the look on his face. I can only imagine the look that will be on his face when he receives an invitation to the wedding...I suspect it will be priceless. And April and I suspect that he'll show up...just for curiosity's sake.

From MSNBC: Four lesbians convicted of assaulting a man who was stabbed after he made advances toward one of them were sentenced Thursday amid screams and weeping to prison terms ranging from 3 1/2 to 11 years.

More than two dozen court officers ringed the courtroom as Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Edward McLaughlin pronounced the sentences, which were usually punctuated by a moan, a wail or a comment of disbelief.

Sorta...from KSDK-TV, St. Louis: You know what yellow lines mean on the roads, and you know what white lines mean. But what about a giant orange line?

Drivers Thursday morning were greeted with a wide orange stripe of paint where Interstates 70 & 55 run together in the metro east.

Apparently, a truck carrying orange paint sprung a leak, and just kept going. The orange stripe starts around Highway 203 (near Gateway International Raceway) and goes to about 4th Street in East St. Louis, a distance of more than 3 miles.

The KSDK news chopper has video of the entire paint trail, which can be viewed by clicking the Video link at the top of the story on the webpage. Should work on any browser.

From MSNBC: A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

This is the best part, IMO:

County and state authorities are now investigating Rodriguez’s death. Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital after the officers they had asked to help Rodriguez arrested her instead on a parole violation. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Duane Allen said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

More from NBC4, Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Times.

Pimpin Phone 2 was a delightful little phone...probably the best cell phone I've ever had. We went traveling across this great country, from Atlantic to Pacific. And I used it a lot...my cell phone has been my primary phone pretty much since I got PP2. And we've had a home phone since shortly after I moved into the apartment. But PP2 is 2 years old now (or 1000 years old in cell phone years), and my parents' contract with AT&T (Cingular) recently ended. It was time for me to cut another cord from that relationship, so April and I started a new account at AT&T last night.

I had a hard time deciding what type of phone to get. I like to check my e-mail and news on occasion, and I wanted a texting package. I thought about a Samsung BlackJack, but didn't want to pay for a full internet package just yet. Plus, Chris can get phone discounts through AT&T. So if I want a better one later, I can probably get it on the cheap. And the iPhone is coming out soon, so I might just spring for that...even if it means forking over full price.

So, I went with the Motorola V3xx. Very nice...and only $50 after rebate. Does everything I need it to do. April went with the Samsung SYNC, also very nice, and only $30 after rebate.

I'll probably still be finding out things this phone can do when the new contract is up in 2 years.

(Insert witty thoughts and commentary here)

So...my hopes of purchasing our apartment building were quickly dashed on Thursday. That sucks, but not a huge deal.

Yesterday, even worse news came my way...my best man is backing out of the wedding. Unfortunately, his infant son has recently been diagnosed with a severe medical condition. As such, he will be unable to fulfill his duties.

This really sucks...but what little Jack is going through is even worse. Please keep John, his wife Sandi and all their kids in your thoughts and prayers.

Monken will be taking over as the best man. Now I just need to determine the 4th groomsman. I had a hard enough time trying to figure out #4 the first time...now I gotta do it again. :P

Last night, I gave a 16-minute presentation that was deemed excellent by my professor. I'm now printing up a turn-in copy of my thesis to get bound at Kinko's...of course, I was actually done with the paper a week ago, and that too was deemed to be excellent by the professor.

Next Thursday, I simply have to go to class to watch 11 classmates give their presentations and eat pizza and salad that we're having delivered. I think I will partake in some alcoholic refreshments before going to class that night.

Though I officially won't have the degree until August 1st, I have successfully completed the requirements for a Masters degree from Fontbonne University.

Now, there are no more excuses...it's time to get a "real" job.

April and I have talked before of possibly buying our apartment building...this was well before we knew the owner was putting it on the market. I love the building, and a four-family apartment building would be a great investment opportunity, in addition to possibly saving us from paying a mortgage or rent.

My brother's comments this morning got me thinking more about it. We don't plan to live here forever, but then our apartment would just be bonus cash. And I wonder if our landlord would be more willing to sell it to people she already knows...especially given that we're essentially the caretakers of the building as it stands.

This could all be a pipe dream, really. The landlord bought the building in 2004 for $205,000. The real estate market here has been hot in the past few years, and doesn't seem to be cooling off.

But I sent her an e-mail advising her that April and I might interested in buying the place. We'll see...

Our landlord informed me this afternoon that our building is going on the market. She is supposed to be bringing prospective buyers over later today.

This kinda sucks. Our landlord is a bit of an absentee and is slow to fix things, but we get along with her. Plus we basically take care of the building...Tim even mows the lawns for her. And though our building is somewhat antiquated in style, I like it that way.

But maybe new owners will fix things more quickly and do them the right way. Whoever refinished the hardwood floors in our apartment sucked balls. We're hoping to stay until the end of '08, but I wouldn't mind moving at the end of this year.

Of course, we'd like to buy a house, but that's gonna be a couple more years.

...this little piece of plastic:



What is that thing, Syc?

Well, I'm glad you asked. It's called a forehead support.

As some of you know, I use a CPAP machine to help me breathe at night due to sleep apnea. Without the machine, I can stop breathing many times in one night. When I was last tested at a sleep lab in Philadelphia 3 years ago, I stopped breathing 70 times in 7 hours.

Anyway...this forehead support connects to the top of the CPAP mask, and prevents too much air from escaping out of the top of the mask. If I had insurance, it probably would have been replaced gratis, or they would have just sent me a new mask. But since I am sans insurance at the moment, well...*shrugs* What are ya gonna do?



It might be hard to tell from the photos, but there is a flexible piece at the bottom of the forehead support that allows it to be adjusted to the size of your head. That piece broke off the original support.



I tried to duct tape the two pieces together for a few weeks (because if you can't duct it, fuck it), but inevitably, the air pressure from the machine would cause the pieces to separate. Finally, I ordered the new piece yesterday from a medical supply company (after not hearing from the maker of the mask), and had it rush shipped to arrive today...so it actually cost $65 total.

But I bet you that tonight I'll get the best night of sleep I've had since it broke a few weeks ago.

Alright, let's try this daily thing again...

Ever since April moved into the apartment in January, she's had an incredibly difficult time getting up in the morning. At home, she was usually the first out of bed, making sure her mom and sister were up and at 'em. But here, sometimes, it gets to the point of annoyance with me to get her up and going.

But I think I know why...actually, April had the answer a long time ago, but I didn't give it much thought until recently: she needs her old alarm clock back.

I have a perfectly nice alarm clock. It even has dual-alarm settings, so that April can set it for one time, and me another. But I just don't think that April's body likes it. I mean, her getting up in the morning has been a struggle for almost five months...and she never had a problem getting up before now. And I don't think that moving the current alarm clock to her side of the bed would help matters much.

So, I'm going to plug her clock up on her side of the bed today...and we'll see what happens.

Alright...let's try to get back on a daily...

So, April has abandoned me again. This week, April's job takes her to the buckle of the Bible Belt--Springfield, MO. I believe she is at some sort of car seat certification seminar...but to be honest, I don't remember. :oops:

Damn, my life has been so consumed by the thesis recently. Not that I haven't been paying attention to April, mind you...it's just that I've been eating, drinking, sleeping and pooping thesis for the past 2 weeks.

And now, the hardest part is done. The thesis has been reviewed, double-reviewed and turned in. All that's left is a 10-minute presentation that I'll be giving next week.

So, what the hell do I do now? There's so much to do...we still have quite a bit of wedding plans to finish. I need to update my resume and look for a real job (though I probably will not do that until the fall). And our apartment could use some cleaning...plus we still need to clear our storage space out and bring what's left there over here.

But right now, I think I just wanna vegetate for a few days. :)