The Bosque

I said, a-hey-hey-hey-yeah
(I said a-hey-hey-hey-yeah)
I said, a-hey, a-hey-hey-yeah
(Said, a-hey, a-hey-hey-yeah)

Well, come on ev'rybody
Take a trip with me
Well, down the Mississippi
Down to New Orleans

They got the honeysuckle bloomin'
On the honeysuckle vine
And a-love is a-bloomin' there
All-a the time

You know ev'ry Southern Belle
Is a Mississippi Queen
Down the Mississippi
Down in New Orleans

I said, a-hey-hey-hey-yeah
(I said, hey-hey-hey-yeah)
I said, a-hey-a-hey-a-hey-yeah
(Said, a-hey-hey-hey-yeah)

Well, come on take a stroll
Down to Basin Street
Yeah, listen to the music
With the dixieland beat

A-where the magnolia blossoms
Fill the air
Yeah, an if you ain't been to heaven
Then you ain't been there

They got the French moss
Hangin' from a big oak tree
Down the Mississippi
Down in New Orleans

I said, a-hey-hey-hey-yeah
(Said, hey-hey-hey-yeah)
I said a-look out, child!
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(Said, look out child, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Well, come on ev'rybody
Take a trip with me
Well, down the Mississippi
Down to New Orleans

Well, the honeysuckle's bloomin'
On the honeysuckle vine
Yeah, and the love is a-bloomin' there
All the time

You know that ev'ry Southern Belle
Is a Mississippi Queen
Down the Mississippi
Down in New Orleans

Hey, hey!

(sax & instrumental)

Well, I says, a-hey-hey-a-hey-yeah
(Said, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)

FADES-

I said, a-look out child!
Yeah, yeah, yeah

written by Gary US Bonds

(lyrics from here)

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was unable to post a Manifesto today. Fortunately, Tim decided to put one up...he rocks like that sometimes.

I read this article in the paper on monday. It makes me laugh because all it is another mother not taking responsibility for her sons actions and wanting to blame someone else for her mistakes.....

St. Louis — A grieving mother said Monday that she does not believe the police account of the fatal shooting of her 16-year-old son by an off-duty city police officer.

The 22-year-old rookie officer said she shot Joey Foster Jr. in self-defense after the youth pulled a pistol on her in a street robbery attempt late Saturday.

The officer, whose name has not been released, had just pulled up in front of her home near Lawn and Fairview avenues when Foster and a friend confronted her, police said.

"I'm not buying the story," complained Foster's mother, Cynthia Austin, 33. "My son had brand-new shoes, new clothes and a pocketful of money. Advertisement

"He didn't have to rob nobody."

Austin also said her son didn't have a gun, but she acknowledged that she had recently called the police to search her home in the 5300 block of Wells Avenue after suspecting that her son and a friend had hidden a handgun there. She said the police search found no weapon.

Police said they believe that Foster and another friend, Amos Taylor, 18, had wanted to take the officer's Jeep.

Police said Taylor ran off when the officer began shooting at Foster. Taylor, of the 5800 block of Dressell Avenue, was arrested a short time later and charged with first-degree robbery. Police said they recovered a handgun near Foster's body.

Austin said Taylor called Foster's grandmother on a cell phone just after the shooting and told her that a police officer had been harassing the two teens and began shooting at them when they ran from her.

Austin also said her son had a disability, an emotional disorder, that might have caused him to become confused and run from the officer.

She said her son recently spent $2,000 from his disability benefits on shoes and clothes. "He had three or four pairs of Air Jordans and Air Force Ones," she said.

"He was excited by the start of school, and was going to play basketball for Sumner (High)," she said.

"I have to get to the bottom of this, and I want that officer to take a lie-detector test."

Are you fucking shitting me?!?!?! You are living off my tax dollars for "emotional issues?" I am working my ass off for you to get 4 pairs of air force ones. I don't have any air force ones! I also find it very hard to believe that a young female rookie officer getting out of her car is going to start fucking with 2 larger guys in the middle of the night. And the mother wants the officer to take a lie detector test?! They're not even admissable in court, so what's the point. But mama is trying to make her son sound like such a sweet boy. Number 1 if he's such an angel why did the cops have to search your house because you thought sweetpea had a gun. Number 2 why was sweetpea out this late at night? You fucking bitch, take a look in the mirror and realize that you raised this kid on state aid and his actions were a result of your shitty parenting. You were probably too busy partying and fucking god knows who instead of being focused on being a good parent. No wonder Bill Cosby hates his own people.

I was reading this article in Newsweek about how Honda's hybrids haven't been as successful as the Toyota Prius. Some thoughts on and based on the article:

--First, the nerd in the first paragraph. Liberals aren't supposed to brag about their greenness. In fact, he should have kept the Civic and said, "Oh, did I mention that it's a hybrid?" Then he would have gotten some mad pussy...or dick.

--The Accord hybrid is interesting...255hp, but 34 mpg on the highway. I dunno...I guess it's cool if you want the power, but that just doesn't seem very environmentally conscious. It's no longer being made.

--The Prius would be great for delivering pizzas...all that braking and stopping...I'd easily beat 60 mpg. But then I'd never get any tips...because customers would think that I'm rich since I would own a $23,000 car...and a Prius at that. I think the Malibu limits me a bit on tips as it is.

--I don't know if America will ever truly embrace such vehicles. Look how long it took the country to accept a car like the old-school Toyota Corolla or the Geo Metro. And the Priuses and Insights weren’t exactly hits when they first came out. Even GM is realistic…they mentioned a while back that they don’t know if anyone will accept a car smaller than the Chevy Aveo.

I figure that I’m doing my part. I haven’t driven a gas-eater since my ’88 Caprice…and I got rid of that in ’99. The Malibu gets decent gas mileage and I don’t drive it when I’m not delivering pizzas. The RAV4 also gets decent gas mileage and we don’t drive it all that far and all that often. I think you can be green without going overboard…and you can do it without being trendy. If gas prices fall back significantly again, people will want large cars or SUVs. When gas prices went ape shit in the ‘70s, then came back down, what happened?

And I like having a larger car…the Malibu is classified as a mid-size, and it works fine for me. I might get something like a Chevy Impala or a small SUV like a Saturn Vue, but that’s about as big as I’ll go. And they both do well on gas. I just can’t do small cars…maybe if I drop some weight or something, they’ll be more comfortable to me. I hate having to climb up out of a car, which I already have to do with the Malibu. I’ve driven an Aveo before…it’s actually not bad, but it’s just a bit too small for me.

So, go green...but go green in the way that works best for you. Every little bit helps.

I've been watching a lot of Sasuke (aka Ninja Warrior) and Banzai on G4. I was vaguely familiar with both of them, but stumbled upon them over the weekend and started watching...funny as hell, particularly Ninja Warrior. It's like a cross between American Gladiator and Iron Chef, without food or gladiators per se...too fucking funny! Check out some of the Ninja Warrior clips at the link above.

I'll probably burn out on them in a month or so. :)

To the family member that expressed concern at April and I posting information about our lives online: Thank you for your concern, but we've got it under control here...really.

I've been online for over 12 years now, and have owned my own site or sites for 10. I've heard the horror stories about companies holding internet shit against you. I'm well-aware that it could happen. If you look up my name online, you'll find that I was the head of an organization fighting pay-to-play issues in Philadelphia, that I'm an Eagle Scout, my mother and father's names, that I signed a petition for a BBC journalist...and apparently, I have unclaimed property in Pennsylvania.

A record of my life is already online...if people want to use it against me, fine. I am who I am. I say what I'm comfortable with, and what I want people to know. I have no problem telling a complete stranger the bad experience we had with Fr. Larry Herzog at Little Flower Catholic Church in Richmond Heights, MO. And I make sure I qualify when I need to. April doesn't have a lot of information out there about her...but she's alright with what is out there.

And the Church of the Whale Penis kicks hundreds of kinds of asses easily. And it'll knock the socks off any other church any day of the week.

...before the chaos commences.

We had some pretty nasty storms roll through town earlier today...knocked power out to parts of the city and county, including one of our stores in the suburbs and my sister-in-law's dorm. So, any time now, April will be bringing 4 college kids in with her, and they will be crashing on our living room floor tonight. Fun stuff!

We were pretty busy tonight on the delivery side, but then the dining room got crazy too...I have never seen the kitchen so busy in the two years I've worked at the shop. At one point, there were 9 people working in the kitchen and both pizza ovens were going. On a Friday night, there are normally 6 guys and one pizza oven going. For a few hours, we handled some of the orders for the store that was closed...those that weren't too terribly far out of our way. Their territory overlaps with ours on our southern end anyway. Fortunately, I had some pretty good runs today and tonight...didn't go to any bad areas at all tonight, and didn't have to go into the other store's area.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy this silence for a little while longer...

Yeah, that's right...I'm calling out the (apparent) shift manager on duty yesterday at the Pizza Hut located at 4344 Loughborough in South St. Louis.

She called the shop yesterday to order a pasta lunch special. I chuckled inside when the address and Pizza Hut came up, but I tried not to let it out. I mean, come on...you're a pizza shop calling another pizza shop to order food. How is that not funny?!

Anyway, so it's made and I hopped in Malibu Barbie and headed over to the Pizza Hut...it's not too far away from our shop. I walked into the shop with her lunch special and drink...the total with tax and delivery was like $9.40.

She handed me a $10 bill and told me to keep the change.

Bitch, you work at Pizza Hut...you know that delivery drivers live off tips. Even those that are paid minimum wage. Yeah, your food was only $9.40...but I still expect a better tip out of a fellow pizza worker.

So fuck you...fuck you and your stupid shop and your crappy pizza! Your breadsticks are still delicious though.

...to the Catholics.

This is the letter that we're sending to Fr. Assmunch via certified mail tomorrow:

Dear Fr. Herzog:

We’re sending this letter to inform you that your services are no longer requested or required for our wedding on Saturday October 20th. St. Joan of Arc has been advised that we will not be marrying at their church.

We are incredibly disappointed by the way you handled our wedding preparations, especially in the past month. We realize that you have a parish to run, but perhaps you should not have accepted our request to officiate at our wedding. After much thought and discussion, we have decided that we will be much better served by a non-Catholic denomination that accepts us for who we are and where we want to go in our lives. We will leave the “spiritual prostitution” to those that do it best…among them, the Roman Catholic Church.

Regards,

Terry B
April M

This is the letter that we're sending tomorrow via certified mail to the pastor of the parish where we were originally to marry:

Dear Msgr. Turek:

We regret to inform you that we no longer require the use of St. Joan’s on Saturday October 20th for our wedding. We have already advised Fr. Herzog that his services are no longer requested or required. In addition, we want to be removed from the parish rolls.

We want to stress that we have had no problems with St. Joan of Arc at all. Your parish was warm and welcoming upon our registration. However, we are incredibly disappointed by the way Fr. Herzog handled our wedding preparations, especially in the past month. We feel that he did not provide us with the necessary information in a timely manner. For example, he only advised us about Engagement Encounter and Natural Family Planning in late July; we asked him to officiate at our wedding in January. Furthermore, he advised us of a problem with the “validity of our marriage” on August 14th, but was unavailable or unwilling to discuss it until August 21st. Needless to say, the last couple of weeks have been very stressful for us.

We are good people who want to do right on this Earth before God, but simply have no desire to procreate, which (along with other disagreements) puts us sharply at odds with the Church. After much thought and discussion, we have decided that we will be much better served by a non-Catholic denomination that accepts us for who we are and where we want to go in our lives. We have now secured a non-Catholic church and celebrant for our upcoming wedding.

We apologize for any inconveniences we may have caused.

Regards,

Terry B
April M

I am saddened--yet secretly happy--to announce that there will be a change in location for the Sycamore Wedding Extravaganza and Swap Meet.

As many of you know, I have never been a practicing Catholic, and have not even considered myself a Catholic for some time now. April is a rarely-practicing Catholic; however, she felt that it was important to be married in the Church...because it seemed "right" to her. I knew this before we even started dating, so I knew what could possibly happen. Of course, we fell madly in love, and I would do anything for her, so...let me break out a Missal and remember all that sit-stand-kneel shit.

We settled on St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, which is a parish near the Sycamore Palatial Mini-Estate. Technically, we're not in their parish boundaries, but April has some deep-seated unresolved issues with the St. Mary Magdalen soccer teams of her youth (She played for their archrivals--St. John the Baptist), and Joan of Arc is not much further away than Magdalen.

Since April essentially picked the church, I called dibs on picking the priest. I picked Fr. Larry Herzog, who is the pastor of Little Flower Catholic Church in the nearby suburb of Richmond Heights. He was my algebra teacher my freshman year of high school, and was my advisor the remaining years. He was the last person to hear me in a confessional--in 1993. I contacted him in January, asking him if he would officiate, and he said yes. He advised Joan of Arc in February that he would make sure we completed all the steps required to get married in the Church.

We didn't hear from Fr. Larry a whole lot in the proceeding months...he's got a parish to run and shit, so I assume he's a busy man. Plus, I was working on my thesis in May and June, so that consumed most of my life. We finally sat down with him for the first time on July 29th. He started with the "pre-marital investigation": asking April and I various questions about our Catholicness--in separate rooms. Then each of us took the FOCCUS survey, which is a mammoth scantron test that sees where you stand on various issues. The two tests are then compared to see how a couple stacks up.

I have never felt a real desire to have children...and I made a conscious decision not to have them 8 years ago, just before I started dating Rhoda. April is of the same mindset. We love children, but we simply don't want our own. We'll spoil our nieces, nephews and our friends' kids.

(Speaking of kids, Timmy let it slip here last week (maybe you caught it), but he has a big announcement to share with all of you...perhaps he will write a Manifesto about it tomorrow. :D)

Anyway...before we went into to our session with Fr. Larry a few weeks ago, we decided that we were just going to be honest--we're too fucking old to lie and keep it up anymore. We knew that our answers on children and our status as Catholics could potentially be a problem, but Fr. Larry is not exactly a to-the-letter Catholic, IMO, so I didn't think we'd really have any problems.

Well, during the pre-marital investigation, when asked if I was willing to give April children, I said "yes." I think I said it more because I was thinking of the question in hypothetical terms..."I would give her children...if we both wanted them." That, or I got cold feet about being truthful and decided to be a "good Catholic." Or maybe a bit of both.

April said "no" to the question. He had already asked me the questions, so when April's response was different than mine, he immediately had a look of concern. April then qualified her answer (that we're both on the same page with the issue), which apparently confused him even more.

But in the end, everything seemed fine. He instructed us to make arrangements to go to a pre-cana weekend and to attend a Natural Family Planning seminar. We would then come out on another Sunday to see him about the FOCCUS tests.

April calls to make arrangements for the pre-cana weekend...she was told that there is no availability between now and October in St. Louis, and that we should have called 6 months ago. Of course, Fr. Larry didn't give us any information until 4 weeks ago. Fortunately, the Diocese of Belleville, IL (which is just across the Mississippi from St. Louis and covers southern Illinois) had open spaces for the 12th and 13th of this month.

We loved the weekend (known as Engagement Encounter). We met some awesome people and had a great time...and it wasn't real heavy on Catholic preaching. We even went to mass at a local parish in Belleville, and the church didn't fall down on us!

So I e-mailed Fr. Larry last week, advising him that we completed Engagement Encounter and would come out to see him the following weekend (this past Sunday). He told me that he couldn't do this past Sunday, but that "we needed to talk." Well that doesn't sound good, does it?! So I asked him if there was something we needed to be concerned about.

Yes Terry there is. It is not however, from the inventory that you completed. It is the information that you both offered on the Pre-Nuptial investigation. It deals with the validity of the Marriage. So, we will be talking about it.

Okay...so there's a problem with the "validity of the Marriage," but you don't have time to talk to us about it until the 26th?! Oh fuck no! We suspected it was the kid issue, but it could have been a lot of different things, ya know?

April sent him a long e-mail, explaining our suspicions and fully clarified our thoughts on children. She also asked him to get back to us as soon as possible so that we could get this little speed bump out of the way...this was last Tuesday morning. She also left 2 personal messages with his secretary and a couple of voicemails as well.

Needless to say, we were pretty stressed last week. We tried not to be, but we were so frustrated with the process. We felt that Fr. Larry was jerking us around and half-assing this whole thing. And I beat myself up because we probably should have been pro-active on this shit, plus I'm the one that picked him to officiate.

By Friday, we hadn't heard from him, and had pretty much decided that we were not going to be getting married Catholic after all...which was fine by us. We started making a few phone calls...April has friends that attend a UCC church in the nearby suburb of Webster Groves. She attended services there about a year ago, and really enjoyed it. She felt that the congregation was warm and welcoming, and she felt more comfortable there than she ever had in a Catholic church. We contacted the church Friday, but the pastor was out of town until yesterday. More waiting...

Fr. Shithead finally calls April this morning. Apparently, the issue throwing a spanner into the works was the fact that April answered that she was unwilling to give me kids. The Church still dictates that the primary purpose of marriage is to procreate. Essentially, Fr. Asswipe could send a letter to Archbishop Burke (who is a grade-A asshole and not well-liked here), explaining that April was confused, and that she would give me children after all. He then also talked about the "Joseph clause"...some shit where she would declare that she would give them to me, but that we're not going to have them. Needless to say, this did not go over well with April, and Fr. Ballbag wasn't exactly sympathetic or understanding.

We fully understand that the Catholic Church is what it is...we conform to it; it does not conform to us. We fully understand that many of our views do not conform to Church teachings. But we also know that many Catholics don't subscribe to half the teachings of the Church. We could have easily lied...but that's just not us. I think we're more upset about the fact that Fr. Larry fell asleep at the wheel, and that this shit is coming up now...the wedding is 8 weeks away, and we've already sent out invitations. In addition, we're not sure that this sort of thing should be held over our head by a fucktard that we don't think is a model Catholic himself...not to mention, a Church that isn't exactly held in high regard right now.

I'm not a religious person...I'm more spiritual, as is April. I'm not the biggest fan of churches, but April would like a place to gather with like-minded people to celebrate her faith occasionally. And I'm willing to join her on occasion. Unfortunately, we will not be celebrating with the Catholics...we're just not compatible, apparently.

We spoke to the pastor at the UCC church today...everything is pretty much set there now. We will be sending out postcards in the next week or two advising guests of the new wedding location. We apologize for any inconvenience, but I think our wedding is now going to kick even more ass than it was originally going to kick. Fuck that...I guarantee it!

Peace.

From yesterday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Lightning struck a storied 135-year-old church Thursday evening on Grand Boulevard, sparking a fire that caused major damage to the midtown monument.

The five-alarm blaze gutted St. Alphonsus "Rock" Catholic Church, dedicated in 1872 and widely known for its trademark limestone exterior walls.

You can see pictures of the church in better times here. It's a beautiful church that stands as an oasis in the middle of one of the City's worst areas. It has a loyal (and large) group of parishioners, and I suspect it will be as good as new in a short amount of time.

Incidentally, one of the parishes I grew up in, St. Anthony of Padua, caught fire in the mid-1990s under similar circumstances.

Timmy is at the controls today...he is referring to this incident at a St. Louis area country club Monday night.

This is in regards to the drowing at the country club earlier this week. Good to finally see someone is taking some action against these assholes...


IAFF Local 2665 Responds

Posted On: Aug 14, 2007 (16:20:43)



Elbert Walton and Joe Washington are alleging that the dispatchers from North Central Dispatch did not properly do their job and that the Normandy Police Chief is lying. The Professional Fire Fighters of Eastern Missouri take great exception to both of those assertions, and fully support the men and women of North Central Dispatch, Normandy Police Department, and in particular the Professional Fire Fighters of the Normandy Fire District.

We are urging members of the media to contact North Central Dispatch and request the actual tape of the 911 call and subsequent emergency radio traffic as well as the run report that details the unit times and call location. The tape and report will clearly show that the dispatchers did and said what they were supposed to do, that the Normandy police department did what they were supposed to do, that the Normandy Fire District Engine Company (unit 4724 under the command of Captain Ron Fritz) staffed with experienced, Professional Fire Fighters did what they were supposed to do, but that Joe Washington and Elbert Walton's people failed miserably to do anything close to what they should have done.

The citizens of Normandy and the surrounding communities deserve quality emergency services. Instead of focusing on retaining competent, experienced employees who are dedicated to the community they serve, the Normandy Board of Directors have focused their efforts on removing the very people upon whom the community can count. Instead of building positive relationships with the law enforcement agencies and emergency dispatchers with whom they must work, Elbert Walton and Joe Washington are disparaging the employees at the North Central Dispatch Center and the Normandy Police Department in an effort to cover up the gross incompetence of the people they have put in place.

The following is a breakdown of the dispatch times:


CALL #: F072250234

LOCATION: Glen Echo Country Club, 3401 Lucas & Hunt Road

Original call taken on 08/13/07 at 20:22:35


UNIT #
DISPATCHED
EN ROUTE
ARRIVED ON SCENE

4717
20:23:40
20:25:23
20:37:36

4701
20:25:12
20:25:12
20:31:47

4724
20:26:22
20:27:27
20:28:57


Unit 4717 is the ambulance, Unit 4701 is the Deputy Chief, and Unit 4724 is the Engine Company. 4724 was not dispatched during the original alarm, and was not requested by the ambulance until almost three minutes into the call. 4724 took exactly 90 seconds to leave the fire station and arrive on the scene. All units responding were audibly given the correct location of the Glen Echo Country Club at 3401 Lucas and Hunt Road as well as receiving the dispatch information in writing over their laptop computers mounted in their fire apparatus.

The Professional Firefighters of Eastern Missouri are outraged by the gross lack of professionalism being displayed by the Chairman of the Normandy Board, Joe Washington and district attorney, Elbert Walton., and we are appalled by the incompetence being forced upon the citizens of this community. Our organization prides itself on our member’s willingness to sacrifice for, and their ability to serve the citizens we protect. Joe Washington and Elbert Walton’s blatant disregard for the residents of the Normandy Fire District is an egregious violation of the public trust placed in emergency responders.

I am not a regular Bible reader, though I keep saying that I [b]should[/b] read it...not because I'm a religious freak, but because it's just a great book, period.

I couldn't sleep Saturday night while we were on our retreat, so I read a little bit of the Bible while listening to Miles Davis's "Water Babies" CD. And I stumbled upon Ezekiel 22, which goes like this (from here):

Jerusalem's Sins

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices 3 and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 4 you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.

6 " 'See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. 7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the alien and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. 9 In you are slanderous men bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. 10 In you are those who dishonor their fathers' bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11 In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor's wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father's daughter. 12 In you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest [a] and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD.

13 " 'I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. 14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. 15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. 16 When you have been defiled [b] in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the LORD.' "

17 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 18 "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20 As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace to melt it with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. 21 I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the LORD have poured out my wrath upon you.' "

23 Again the word of the LORD came to me: 24 "Son of man, say to the land, 'You are a land that has had no rain or showers [c] in the day of wrath.' 25 There is a conspiracy of her princes [d] within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says'-when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice.

30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."

Is that not fucking awesome?! Seriously...whoever wrote that was a fucking beast!

starring Wolf

A couple of years ago, Philadelphia Mayor John Street, started talking about giving the whole city wireless internet.

What a thought. Sort of a wiPhiladelphia, if you will. Okay, you won't, I wasn't sure about it either. Let's move on.

What a thought. An entire city with wiFi. How cool is that. But stupid when you consider the other things that need doing in a city the size of Philadelphia that's crumbing around the edges.

Well, they just started running ads.

You have to pay.

Oh, it's not FREE wiFi.

And, in ancient Philadelphia tradition, there is only one provider ... Earthlink. They're offering some kind of deal to get people hooked right now, but the regular service rate is $19.95/month.

There's a subsidized service for low income families, "if you qualify."

If you qualify for the subsidized wiFi, you shouldn't be in a position to afford a computer.

Thing is, most of the places that you'd want to use a laptop around the city already have free wiFi hotspots. The free zones for the public wiFi are in a couple of public parks, and around the historic district.

I don't see a lot of tourists lugging their laptops around the Liberty Bell.

Maybe they'll start, now that they can.

Wolf's in charge the next two days

Sometimes, I get to do some really cool shit.

Life is a little different when you live in the shadow of a nuclear power plant.

Well, technically, I work in the shadow, but live outside of the 10 mile evacuation ring.

Every year there is a large-scale drill for the Emergency Operations Center in the County that simulates some kind of an incident at the "Generating Station." The official name avoids any mention of the word "nuclear." The purpose of the drill is to test the procedures and protocols for a large-scale event, making sure that the manpower and equipment resources are available, and that the emergency operations end functions smoothly.

Since last year, I've been directly involved with the drill.

Last year I thought that I was going as an observer, but was put to work in what's called "Rumor Control."

Rumor Control is part of what the National Incident Management System considers "Operations." That's the section chief that the Rumor Control Manager reports to, anyway.

In amongst the pages of information in the Phone Book about the Generating Station Emergency Procedures for the community, there is a phone number that folks in the community can call to find out what's going on. It's supposed to keep them from clogging up the 911 Call Center with non-emergency calls.

During the drill the calls to Rumor Control are coming from some folks out by Harrisburg who work for PEMA, The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

They must spend weeks coming up with content for the stupid calls.

My job is to sound reassuring, to try as best I can to address the caller's issue or question, and mostly remind them to read the stuff in the phone book and the pamphlets that everyone in the ten mile ring receives every year, as well as to listen to the local news radio station for the most updated information as far as the progress of the emergency, information about any possible danger to the community, whether or not it's time to take the potassium iodide pills that everyone in the ten mile ring is issued, and when the Governor has ordered them to evacuate, and how to find their designated evacuation route.

This year the "event" was pretty mundane. The initial report was for an explosion and fire at the plant, and everything was confined to the plant property, no danger to the community. Last year was much more elaborate ... the scenario involved a helicopter crash into the "pools," the storage area for spent fuel rods. Of course, an explosion and fire at a nuke plant is nothing to take lightly, that's how Chernobyl was reported at first, after all. As the hours of the drill pass, the various sections are making calls to fire, police, and EMS services throughout the region, putting, for example, 203 ambulances on standby for the possible evacuation, long before it's ordered. You don't just pull 203 ambulances out of your back pocket. There are folks from the Health Department, the National Park Service, a Radiological Control Officer, and so on, and all the while evaluators are buzzing around the room checking out what people are up to, and whether they are following the protocols.

So, I get my first call ...

wolf: Rumor Control, how can I help you?

PEMA Lady Pretending to be someone living near the plant: I heard there's something going on at the nuclear power plant. Is this going to mess up my plans for going on vacation?

Ah, if only I could say the first thing that pops into my head, but we're being graded on this, so answering "You'll get a better tan in your own backyard by staying" is not possible.

Rumor Control is not just responding to goofy questions. One of the important tasks is to keep an ear out for repeated questions and trends, and if there are rumors flying around out in the community, they will be specifically addressed in the press briefings which are also part of the protocol.

Rumors like what?

PEMA Lady: I heard from my neighbor who works at the plant that terrorists have blown up the power lines coming out of the plant!

wolf: No, ma'am. That's absolutely not true. There is an event at the plant involving a fire, but there is no risk to the community at this time.

To spice things up, an hour and a half or so into the drill, they upgrade the alert status because of a "non-routine radiological release."

I don't know about you, but the possibility of there being such a thing as a "routine radiological release" is a mite scary to me.

That's when the calls start getting good. First a question about whether one's cows should be brought in from the pasture and sheltered, and then another concerned farmer who wants to know if her cows will be radioactive if they drink from her pond, and who does she call to get her cows tested?

Information passed along to Agriculture, to make sure the Press Release gets updated for cow instructions.

When the call comes from the governor about the evacuation, some biddy demands to know if the surrounding counties will see an increase in their crime rates because of the nuclear evacuees.Then a busybody from an area outside of the evacuation ring decides that she needs to know if there is screening for sexual predators at the Red Cross Shelters. Consult with Rumor Control Manager for an answer that seems reasonable regarding security in evacuation shelters.

According to the evaluators' initial impression, we passed.

I had a good time, a night off of work, a fairly decent dinner, and I got a new baseball cap from the Nuclear Power Plant as a gift for participating. Last year I got one of those fold-out nylon camp chairs with the cupholders in the arms.

I'm hoping that next year they'll complete the set by giving me a beer cooler.

From ESPN: Rick Ankiel returned to the major leagues Thursday as an outfielder -- and quickly put on a power display.

After flopping in his attempt to rejoin the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher, Ankiel was called up from the minors and hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning off San Diego's Doug Brocail.

Ankiel drove a 2-1 pitch into the right-field stands to put St. Louis ahead 5-0.

The story gives a good summary of the last 7 years of the career of Rick Ankiel...once a phenomenon on the mound, now a phenomenon at the plate.

Sometimes, perseverance pays off.

From Fox News: California's budget impasse has passed the one-month mark, social services aren't getting state-funded help they need to stay open, and other legislative priorities are being put off the table until the legislature can come to agreement.

One California resident thinks he has the answer: Legalize the growth and sales of marijuana.

Clifford Schaffer, who runs a marijuana advocacy Web site in his spare time from his day job as a computer programmer, says that California could easily clear up the $700 million budget gap still facing state lawmakers, and as a plus, the measure could even help improve national security. He has started a petition, and the number of those supporting his idea is growing rapidly.

Bold emphasis mine...heh...

From MSNBC: Barry Bonds hit No. 756 to the deepest part of the ballpark Tuesday night, and hammered home the point: Like him or not, legitimate or not, he is baseball’s new home run king.

Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s storied record in the fifth inning, hitting a 3-2 pitch from Washington’s Mike Bacsik 435 feet to right-center field. Three days earlier, Bonds tied the Hammer with a shot to left-center in San Diego.

Interestingly, today marks the 33rd anniversary of Nixon announcing his resignation.

From MSNBC: Thai police officers who break rules will be forced to wear hot-pink armbands featuring “Hello Kitty,” the Japanese icon of cute, as a mark of shame, a senior officer said Monday.

Police officers caught littering, parking in a prohibited area, or arriving late — among other misdemeanors — will be forced to stay in the division office and wear the armband all day, said Police Col. Pongpat Chayaphan. The officers won’t wear the armband in public.

Wolf and I would wear them with pride.

Terry B. Sr. is still a piece of shit after all these years.

As some of you may know or figure out, the above-mentioned is my father. And as some of you may know, we haven't spoken since 1994. Long story...bottom line is that my father has never been heavily involved in my life. Which is fine, because I have a stepdad that has always treated me as his own, and my father's family knows that he's a piece of shit and tries to include me in family stuff.

So anyway...I thought I would be a shithead and invite him to the wedding. I wasn't going to be a dick about it...I was going to send him an invitation through the mail, just like everyone else is getting.

My father reveres his privacy...he's never had a listed phone number as far as I know. So my mom tried to get his address from his sister/my aunt (who has been my mom's best friend for 35 years, and actually introduced my parents. My mom doesn't hold it against my aunt. :)).

My aunt waffled on giving the address. She and my father don't always get along, but she's always been a bit protective of him...I understand why. Anyway...she asked him over the weekend if it would be alright for me to send an invitation. Apparently, he asks about me on occasion as well as April.

He said no...he didn't want one.

*shrugs* Well, at least I tried, right? Fucking pussy.

Seriously, I'm not jaded about anything involving him anymore. I enjoy taking pot shots at him on occasion, but I'm past the whole anger/upset thing. If anything, I feel sorry for him...the dude is seriously fucked up.

And now I can invite 2 more people that were on my B-list.

From MSNBC: Barry Bonds swung, took a half-dozen steps and clapped his hands. With no trace of a smile but a strong shot for all the doubters, he caught Hank Aaron and tied the career home run record Saturday night.

No. 755 was an opposite-field drive to left-center field, moving Bonds within one swing of having baseball’s pinnacle of power all to himself.

Hopefully A-Rod can surpass whatever Bonds finishes with.

From Fox News: Two dogs belonging to actor Ving Rhames mauled a man to death at the star's home Friday, authorities said.

The 40-year-old victim, who has not been identified, had worked at the home for about two years and was responsible for caring for the dogs, Los Angeles Police officer Sandra Gonzalez said.

Four mastiffs were seized by animal services, she said.

Off the subject, I fucking love Ving Rhames. He is such a pimp...and he was perfect in the new Kojak.

As of yesterday, I officially have my Masters degree.

*stream of consciousness on*
So now what? I've barely looked for a job. I look like a fucking cow right now. I don't even have a pair of pants that fit me properly. Who the fuck would want to hire me? I could really use some benefits, and delivering pizzas is starting to get old, but I just never feel energized enough to look for a job. It's like I'm not hungry or something. I'm getting married in October, I'm 31, and I'm graying. Time to get serious. But I like being "non-traditional." I'd like to start my own business. But I don't have the money for that right now. And do I have any plans that are actually viable? Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!
*stream of consciousness off*

My first ever passport:



I've been wanting to get one for some time, but really haven't needed one per se. We're planning on going to Vancouver and Seattle for our honeymoon, and since you need a passport to fly into Canada now, this seemed to be a good time to get it. Of course, I fucked around for a while, so I wound up paying almost $200 to have it expedited so that I would get it before our honeymoon...got it in 2 weeks.



Nice photo, eh? This is the best one I could get using April's camera...couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash, so I just played with the brightness in MS Photo Editor.

As a side note...invitations start going out for the wedding this coming weekend. I don't know if we're actually sending them to members of the wedding party. April can answer that question. Send them back ASAP!