Top o' the Morning to Ya!

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

_____

Aaarrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Of course I find this and this when I can't have any bacon, dammit!
_____

Lest you think that I think that all Democrats are profligate wasters... I luuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrvvvve me some Toni Preckwinkle:

"[I]f we don’t impose some discipline on the county now it just gets harder and harder going forward. We need to make our plans and figure out how we’re going to provide services in an environment in which resources are less. That’s just how it is."

Let her run for President and she'll have my vote. That woman's got balls of titanium and she ain't afraid to whip 'em out!
_____

Quote of the Day:

“Older people are not just wrinkly adults. They have totally different needs.”

Ain't that the truth?
_____

In honor of St. Paddy's Day, here's a little Irish earworm for you:

Traffic Report

Do NOT get between me and the elevator at 11:30 a.m. or you might just get flattened.

This giving up breakfast for Lent is a dangerous thing.

That is all.

Sunday Schedule

This is an old clip from the Spike O'Dell show on WGN Radio of Gavin Coyle singing "Danny Boy."

I heard Gavin do this for the first time this morning on Dean Richards' Sunday Morning show, and just had to share it with you. Gorgeous!

_____

Whoohoo! They finally opened the Merchandise Mart to the general public! Get all the details on how to get in and how to get around here.

I'll be wandering that place over and over and over again, as there are a gazillion showrooms there.

_____

Go read this to understand why I'm so disappointed a trip to Ireland is not in my budget again this year.

Our crock of gold may have turned out to be a crock of s--t, but the very essence of our country — the beauty of our landscape, the richness of our history, the friendliness of our people — will never disappear. That landscape can’t be sold, our traditions and our history are eternal, our hospitality is an unwavering fact.

The land is magical and its people the warmest and most welcoming of anywhere I've ever been.

_____

Quote of the Day:

Did you notice the graceful winning?

Once again, Ms. Althouse nails it.

_____

If this is true, then I'll live a very long time and retain my marbles!

Sunday Funnies

Here's the rest of Tommy Tiernan's "Something Mental" (totally unsafe for work or kids):





Hang on to your hat for this one:







Screamingly funny!

*ahem*
______

Saturday Ramblings

There's an exclusive trailer for Game of Thrones up at Entertainment Weekly. All I can say is, "Oooooooooooooooo!!!" (Winter is coming.)
_____

St. Pat's Day is coming, too. Get ready (not safe for work or kids):

I laughed so hard that my stomach aches. I blame lynn.

Parts 6 through 10 tomorrow...

_____

Speaking of George R.R. Martin and his record on promises, seems I'm not the only one who speaks of reasonable doubt as to the July publishing date. The boys over at Finish the Book, George are also not buying it:

"Call me just a total amateur--because you know, I don't get paid to chortle and frolic with my cats--but I don't understand how you can have a page count for a book that has no final manuscript turned in."

... and...

"I will have as much of a chance finding this fucking book on July 12th as the Feds chances of finding Hoffa's body. Oops i said too much."

If I'm a cynic, I'm a cynic in good company!

_____

Roadside Diner

Recent fast food breakfast finds that are astonishingly tasty and pocketbook friendly, too?

Caribou Coffee's Chicken Apple Sausage Daybreaker:

The "brioche" bun has more a challah chewy density and sweetness, but it pairs really well with the savory/sweet elements of the chicken apple sausage. This thing is so darned good that I haven't gotten around to trying the rest of Caribou's hot breakfast sandwich offerings... but I'll get there eventually. The Daybreakers are less than $3.75 with tax -- a great value, especially for the quality of the ingredients.

_____

It's also no secret that I'm a huge fan of Potbelly's breakfast sandwiches, which for $3.32 with tax, are an incredible bargain. But NOW, my local Potbelly's is offering breakfast "squares," where the bread is a square-shaped, skinnier and slightly smaller roll, the egg portion remains the same as the original sandwiches, but the meat portions are a little smaller (1 sausage patty instead of two, for example) and they now have cheddar cheese available. The new bread toasts up crispy and wonderful, and the portion size is more lady-like. For about $2.75, this is a steal of a deal!

_____

On the flip side, Dunkin Doughnuts has a new calorie and cholesterol bomb called the "Big N' Toasty" that contains not one, but two fried eggs, four slices of bacon and American cheese piled onto liberally buttered and grilled Texas Toast.

At 580 calories and 55% of your recommended daily allowance of saturated fat, and costing just under $5.00 with tax, this might give you pause. I will say, however, that they're not kidding about the tasty part. Rats.

_____

So why am I so fixated on breakfast all of a sudden?

I normally spend the last five to ten minutes of my train ride into the city assessing the level of my hunger pangs and the demands of my taste buds, then plotting my pathway to Burrito Beach for a Lo-Carb Scramble or to Potbelly's or Caribou or Dunkin Doughnuts or to Lloyd's Express for a more customized breakfast, working up a healthy appetite by the time I've picked up the daily selection and hit my desk. I am a creature of habit, dammit.

I don't usually give things up for Lent, but this year I decided that it would be good for my self discipline, if not my soul, to give it the ol' college try this year. And I figured that for it to be a true exercise in self denial, then it might as well be something I really, truly love... and I love breakfast.

How do I define breakfast? It is the meal that you eat after waking up in the morning any time before 11:30 a.m. It also involves fried or scrambled eggs, bacon (not even on burgers) and/or sausage, pancakes, french toast or hash browns at any time of the day.

Urk.

(I can do this...)

Give-Away

Update: We have a winner! Mexicanne and The Meezers gave her a real run for the money, but I saw Cordovan in a whole new light in her entry... and laughed my butt off. Congratulations, my friend!

As for the rest of you who entered, keep an eye peeled towards this blog. CSN likes me, and I'll probably be doing another give-away in a few months.

Thanks for playing!

_____

Those crafty folks at CSN Stores want me to do something unobtrusive for my next give-away, but I'd already spilled the beans to you all before they made that particular request so...

Here's what I need you to do: Go noodle around in their stores, especially taking note of the lovely recessed lighting they have available. Pick one item (any item) and drop me a comment containing a link to that product and why you find it illuminating.

The most creative answer wins a $75 gift certificate good at any of CSN's online stores.

You've got until Friday at 5:00 p.m. to enter.

Good luck!

(And I'll be sneakier about how I do this the next time CSN Stores offers up one of these fantastic dealios!)
_____

P.S. -- Winner of last contest Sandy says,

Easy, painless experience. Merchandise exactly as advertised, delivered to my home quickly. I actually comparison price shopped and their price was quite good. I'm quite happy with the crate - nice quality. Thanks again.

They are the real deal. There are one or two caveats. They apply the gift certificate as a coupon, so no other coupons are applicable. In addition, they will not price match if you are using the gift certificate. (For example, I'd been looking at the wicker and metal crate combo; their price was about 35% higher than competition, but they would EITHER price match OR allow use of certificate - not both.)

I wouldn't hesitate [to use them again].

There ya go!
_____

P.P.S. -- I get zip, zero, zilch, nada for doing this. I just love being able to give stuff away!

Drive-Bys

I'm putting this on Mr. Monkey Toes' birthday list this year:
That's just too cute for words, and I'm sure his daddy will approve!
_____

What's wrong with education in Chicago?

Our school day in Chicago is so short that by the time a kid graduates from high school, she will have been in the classroom four years less than her counterpart in Houston. As I heard Rahm Emanuel put it, a kid in Houston essentially has an extra entire high school education when compared to our kids. Four more years of education!

The statistic is equal parts sad and telling, and makes me realize why NASA is headquartered in Houston and not Illinois.

I don't care how advanced a curriculum is, there is no way a kid can compete with a four-year disparity. And that is just compared to Houston. I shudder to think how students in Japan are eating our kids' lunch, as there the school year is about 240 days, not a measly 180 days like ours.

It reminds me that instead of having high-brow debates about the best way to educate our kids, we should instead be doing something extremely low-brow. My wise mother simply called it "tush in seats." That is, we need more tushes, in more seats, for more hours. Only once that happens should we turn to other curriculum debates.

Who will fight this effort the most? The teachers union, of course.
_____

If you have a pet, whether cat, dog, ferret, bird or turtle, print this article and tape it inside a kitchen cabinet or medicine chest. You may thank me for that one day.
_____

Not getting enough sleep these days? Put the tech toys down at least an hour before you go to bed. (Unless, of course, you have a Kindle or Nook or any other e-reader with e-ink.)
_____

Not so popular with the kids?

The White House is ramping up an effort to promote a nationwide competition to decide which high school wins a commencement speech by President Obama.

An internal White House memo indicates that the White House is facing a shortage of applications less than a week before the deadline.

The competition was extended from the February 25 deadline until Friday, March 11 after few schools met the original application deadline. CBS News has learned a White House Communications Office internal memo dated February 22 noted "a major issue with the Commencement Challenge."

"As of yesterday we had received 14 applications and the deadline is Friday," the memo said. The memo also urged recipients to, "please keep the application number close hold."

A follow-up memo on February 28 reported receipt of 68 applications. Noting the competition among more than 1,000 schools last year, the memo said, "Something isn't working."

Ya think? That's just a sad state of affairs.
_____

Every photo on this page is breathtakingly beautiful. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
_____

I have a good friend in her mid-40's who just had her second heart attack. As she says, when it comes to smoking, not quitting is "not an option" any more.

I sent her my list of things that worked for me.

If you or anyone you know is thinking of quitting, please pass it on.
_____

Ear Worm of the Day:



What the heck -- let's have another:


_____

Giggle of the Day:


_____

One more thing:


_____

And one more, for my Meezer Boys:

Drive-Bys

Question of the Week:

"I've been a derelict blogger the last couple weeks, but you've been fooking nonexistent! What, did you go to Ireland again and get married?" -- My Norwegian Pal from the North Woods

Ummm... no and no (although the former would be nice) (and the latter is not high on my bucket list... although there's a certain smolderingly hot Italian bartender from one of my favorite Dublin pubs who would at least have me toying with the idea for a day or two if: a) I had enough Black Bush in my system and b) I'd completely taken leave of my senses).

Work has been crazy busy. That Was Then opened, and I've been helping out with front-of-the-house stuff like box office and concessions (including an odd experience with a strange little woman who looked like a character straight out of The Simpsons, but that's a story for another day). This required convoluted train scheduling and extra travel time. I've been up to my eyeballs in biographies -- looooooooooong biographies. I was sick one day. I didn't feel like it a few times. I got distracted a few more times.

Between Mad Mikey and Harper, however, I've been suitably chastised... and it's nice to have been missed.

Now back to my regularly scheduled blogging...
_____

So now it's scientifically proven:

[S]cientists claim to have settled the score once and for all: Guinness tastes better in Ireland than anywhere else.

Experts from the Institute of Food Technologists carried out extensive taste surveys in 33 cities in 14 countries to find the best place for a pint of the black stuff.

And the majority of testers said they enjoyed a pint of plain in Ireland far more than in any other location.

The study, which claims to be the first to scientifically prove that the stout doesn't travel well, used 'non-expert' tasters, each from different countries, to conduct the test.

It took 103 in 71 different pubs where factors such as pub ambience, Guinness appearance, flavour, and aftertaste were all considered.

Using a Visual Analogue Scale which ranks enjoyment from 1-100, Guinness drinking in Ireland averaged a score of 74, compared to just 57 anywhere else.

There's another reason, not raised by this article:

The only place their Quality Team shows up to inspect taps, lines, refrigeration temperatures and the like, and where they'll yank the publican's license if they don't comply with their quality standards is Ireland.

(And I certainly would have volunteered to be a part of that tasting panel!)
_____

Classic Obama -- Asking one Arab nation, which is currently making government protests illegal, to arm another Arab nation's rebels... and being surprised when he doesn't get a response.
_____

_____

Guilty of driving while webbing? You’re not alone. An online State Farm survey found 19 percent of drivers say they use the Web while driving.

As someone who was hit by a taxi driver when he yakked away on his cell phone, may I just say this:

Get the fuck off the phone when you're behind the wheel.

Thank you.
_____

Once again George R.R. Martin toys with my emotions:

The next book in George R.R. Martin’s bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series has a publication date.

Yes, we swear, after waiting six long years since the release of the last novel in the saga, the fabled Book 5 A Dance With Dragons is close enough to being finished* for Martin’s publisher to set a release date. We have that date, exclusively, along with a first look at the book’s cover art and an interview with the man himself.

A Dance With Dragons will be published by Bantam on July 12, 2011. The manuscript is huge — the publisher estimates the hardcover edition will run more than 900 pages, putting it about the same length as the longest book in the series, A Storm of Swords. Schedule your summer vacation accordingly.

His last book in this series had at least three "firm" publication dates on Amazon.com, and each one came and went whizzing by over the course of more than 18 months.

Yes, I know. You've all seen publication dates before: dates in 2007, 2008, 2009. None of those were ever hard dates, however. Most of them... well, call it wishful thinking, boundless optimism, cockeyed dreams, honest mistakes, whatever you like.

This date is different. This date is real.

I call bullshit. He hasn't even turned in the final manuscript yet... because it's not DONE yet.

Oh, well. At least we now know what the cover will look like.
_____

The good folks at CSN Stores apparently like me and my readers, as they've authorized me to do another give-away. I'm still figuring out just what kind of contest it'll be. In the meantime, start sharpening your wits if you want to win. Stay tuned!

Drive-Bys

The brilliant (and bent) mind behind @MayorEmanuel is finally revealed:

For weeks, journalists and insiders have urged the person behind @MayorEmanuel to reveal himself, but he (or she) demurred. Until now. After a protracted email negotiation, the author has outed himself to The Atlantic. He's receiving no compensation.

The genius behind @MayorEmanuel is Dan Sinker, who has a heart made out of Chicago and balls of punk rock.

Read the whole beautiful thing.

_____

I don't know why anyone would pay full price for a meal in Chicago, what with Groupon, YouSwoop, LivingSocial, kgbDeals, Open Table and Village Vines offering wonderful deals. And now there's a new and innovative entry into the market -- gDine.com:

Bargain-hunters, there's another discount-dining game in town.

gDine.com launched in the Chicago market today with about 20 participating restaurants, and owner Rakeesh Thakkar says he'll have 100 restaurants within two months.

"It's Opentable meets Orbitz meets Restaurant Week," Thakkar says.

Positioned as an alternative to couponing, the site lists restaurants and their deals, generally a set menu (with choices) for a given price. Diners select a day and time, pay up front and arrive to dine with the big unknown -- the check -- already paid.

Thakkar says the format is especially helpful to larger parties. Individuals can pay their share up front and enjoy dinner with no "who-ordered-what" issues at meal's end.

Sounds good!

_____

Have any of my readers tried this Provent doohicky?

Looks to me like it would beat the hell out of a CPAP machine or any of the dental devices available on any number of levels -- less invasive, more mobility in bed (YOU try turning over with a hose attached to your head without strangling yourself and/or yanking the machine off the nightstand), and certainly more portability.

I'm seriously thinking about getting the free trial sets, but would be interested to know if any of you have tried this product and how it did or did not work for you.

P.S. -- Given that my dreams, which are once again lasting all night long, have recently featured little pop-up ads in the lower right-hand corner of my dreams, just like the ones at Pajamas Media, anything that would improve my quality of sleep at this point would be welcomed.

_____

Note to self: Pay attention to the weather report and carry a damned umbrella if rain or sleet is in the forecast. You'll pay the price if you don't.

_____

In Memoriam

Frank Buckles, the last of the WWI doughboys, has passed away:

Frank Woodruff Buckles, a onetime Missouri farm boy who was the last known living American veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110.

Buckles, who later spent more than three years in a Japanese POW camp as a civilian in the Philippines during World War II, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Charles Town, W.Va., family spokesman David DeJonge said.

A total of 4,734,991 Americans served in the military during World War I, from 1914 to 1918.

"I always knew I'd be one of the last because I was one of the youngest when I joined," Buckles told the New York Daily News in 2008, when he was 107. "But I never thought I'd be the last one."

God speed, God bless and thank you for your service, Mr. Buckles.

Drive-Bys

A fixture from my childhood here in Chicago has turned 90. Happy Birthday to Dr. Lester Fisher, who introduced us to The Ark in the Park at Lincoln Park Zoo!

And since my most persistent ear worm has returned due to these memories, I'm passing it on to you:


_____

Mark your calendars for November, when Rob Kroese's next book in the Mercury series lands! I loved the first one, and can't wait for the new one to arrive!
_____

Things I won't be doing this weekend? Going to WingFest (Wah! No PB&J wings!) or to the IKC Dog Show, where I'll bet you Hickory and several of the best in Group from Westminster will put in an appearance.

I will, however, be at the Irish American Heritage Center working the box office for That Was Then on Saturday and Sunday. See you there?

Traffic Conditions

The evening commute in Chicago ought to be just ducky tonight:

A National Weather Service winter weather advisory that predicts 3 to 5 inches of snow is in effect in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana beginning at 6 p.m. this evening until 9 a.m. Friday.

Locally higher amounts are possible, according to the National Weather Service.

In any case, enough snow should fall in Chicago to break the February snowfall record of 27.8 inches set 115 years ago in 1896. So far, exactly 27 inches have been recorded at O'Hare International Airport, the official reporting station.

Accumulations late this evening may exceed an inch an hour, the weather service said, adding that gusting winds of 25 mph may produce areas of blowing and drifting snow, reducing visibility to under a half mile at times. Driving conditions may become treacherous and snow removal difficult.

Oh. Goody.

Drive-Bys

The Wisconsin Democrats have fled to Illinois to escape actually doing the job they were elected to do. I hope they have their stories straight when they have to explain to a lot of their constituents that it was more important to stand on their conscience than to save their jobs:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Tuesday that state employees could start receiving layoff notices as early as next week if a bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights isn’t passed soon.

Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press that the layoffs wouldn’t take effect immediately. He didn’t say which workers would be targeted but he has repeatedly warned that up to 1,500 workers could lose their jobs by July if his proposal isn’t passed.

The Dems will still have jobs and paychecks right up until the next elections, whether they head back home and vote or not. What does it matter to them if a measly 1,500 of their constituents' jobs go down the toilet in the meantime?

Now the Dems in Indiana are playing monkey-see, monkey-do:

Indiana House Democrats took a page from the playbook of their counterparts in Wisconsin on Tuesday, refusing to show up and stalling action on a Republican-backed labor bill.

Most stayed away from the Statehouse completely, and a couple skipped town to neighboring Illinois. Only three of 40 House Democrats were in the chamber when Republican Speaker Brian Bosma tried repeatedly to convene it, leaving the chamber short of the two-thirds needed for a quorum.

And guess where they ran?

Democrat Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary said he... had been driven to Illinois by Rep. Gregory Porter, D-Indianapolis, and didn’t know when they’d return from the Land of Lincoln.

Spare. Me.

I think Richard Roeper is right when he says:

"This is how you deal with an issue? Teachers calling in sick to work, doctors distributing bogus excuses, state senators playing hooky?"

And Roeper's coined a wonderful term to describe the phenomenon:

Think of all the noble stands, all the great marches, all the tremendous gestures made by brave American men and women throughout our history in the name of what they believe in.

In 1775, Patrick Henry stirred the crowd at the Virginia Convention when he declared, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

In the 1830s, journalist William Lloyd Garrison took up the causes of anti-slavery and women’s rights.

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala.

In April of 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail.

And in February 2011, Wisconsin “flee-baggers” hopped into their sedans, fled to Rockford and tweeted about it.

Hmmm let’s see. Which one of these is not like the other?

Haaaaaaaaahahaha!

Ahem.

I have just one thing to say to all these noble out-of-staters:

I'd tell 'em all to go to Ohio, instead, but... lookee here:

While Wisconsin remained the main front in the national debate over union rights, similar battles were taking shape in other states. Ohio drew thousands of union protesters Tuesday, prompting officials there to lock the doors to the Statehouse.

Tell me again that the folks we elected didn't get the message. (Well, everyone but the moron we elected here in Illinois... and even he's beginning to get it.)
_____

I finally found a camp where I could imagine my brother, Sammy, V-Man, The Straight White Wonder, Elisson, El Cap, AD, the Criplets (especially C.D.), Holder (yes, a chick), T1G and a few others (even Harvey) would be right in their element:

Explosives camp: Want to get your kid's attention? Ask him if he wants to go to explosives camp. The Missouri University of Science and Technology Explosives Camp has three weeklong sessions in June, where students (11th- and 12th-graders, 16 and older) learn about things like priming and detonating dynamite, explosives-related careers and, most important, safety. Beavis and Butt-head types need not apply; the application process is serious. Check it out at precollege.mst.edu/explosives.html.

Sweet heavenly Lord, that's a frightening thought.
_____

And another thing -- What happened to the left’s hand-wringing over a lack of civility in our political discourse?
_____

It's worth it to join Twitter if only to follow @MayorEmanuel's latest hijinks.

Since September, a Rahm impersonator has lampooned the mayoral campaign on Twitter — a roman a clef in 140-character installments, with a heavy thumb on the "F" key. More than 31,000 "followers" have come to relish the daily romp through the cartoonish world of the mayoral front-runner and his sidekicks Quaxelrod, Hambone and Carl the Intern.

It's a brilliant send-up, but hardly child-friendly.
_____

The Chopsticks Dining Club sounds marvelous! I'm going to have to find some friends and go. Anyone interested?
_____

We need followers, dammit.
_____

"The Subtle Art of Beer Snobbery" is hilarious... but I'd argue that, unlike wine snobs, beer aficianados are actually populists, not snobs.

(Thanks, Kat!)
_____

Spit-Take

It's nice to see that people end up here because they've heard fantastic things about my intellect and wit.

Sheesh.

Drive-Bys

Giggle of the Day:

_____


My recent passion for biographies and autobiographies led me to my current read, Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, by Michael Korda. Oddly enough, I started reading it just before all Hell broke loose in Egypt and I'm still plowing through it as the Middle East sends itself up for grabs. Much of what is happening began with T.E. Lawrence -- the use of guerilla warfare and his prediction that Britain's and France's carving up of the Middle East in World War I would have grave consequences in the future -- and is spot-on relevant to what is happening right now.

I highly recommend this read!
_____

I shouldn't find this funny... but I do. (And Old Crankypants would have cited this as proof positive that all felines are pure evil.)
_____

I don't have much use for Socialists, to be sure, but I'll make an exception for Senator Bernie Sanders on this issue, at least:

The last you heard from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, he was filibustering President Obama's tax-cut deal with the GOP. Today, the Independent and self-described socialist has his eyes on a different Washington target: the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Sensing an opportunity in Chinese President Hu Jintao's stateside visit, Sanders is attacking the museum for its practice of selling tchochkes made abroad—mostly in China—in the gift shop.

Right on, Senator!
_____

For those of you who think Michael Vick has learned his lesson and is truly sorry for what he did to all those dogs he abused so badly, take a gander at this video of how he and his band of thugs deal with the owner of one of those rescued dogs:



Here's Steve Dale's follow-up interview with Mel's owner.

Tell me again why Michael Vick should have a second chance at owning a dog??? He may be a great football player, but, as far as I'm concerned he's a piss-poor excuse for a human being.
_____

Late Night Ramblings

Where've I been? Busy, my friends -- very busy.

First of all, Seanachai Theatre Company's new show, "That Was Then," by Gerard Stembridge, opens this Saturday, but has preview performances available for $10/ticket this Thursday and Friday Nights.

It's a black comedy, and the early buzz is fantastic. Follow us on Twitter to get updates on meet-the-cast and dinner theatre availability. Join us at the IAHC, won't you?

_____

Yes, I'm now tweeting -- for Seanachai. Another "never" crossed off my list. (Tweeting, not Seanachai, that is!)

_____

Brian Jacques may be gone, but the world he created in Redwall lives on. My favorite characters were frequently to be found among the dibbuns. What's a dibbun? Behold:

Badger babies! How utterly adorable at this age!
_____

I just found this cool site where a page a day is posted from Jim Henson's "Red Book," and sometimes a good deal of historical information comes with it.

If you're a Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Dark Crystal fan like me, you'll love this!

_____

Via Pat Hickey, why I luuuuuuuuuuurve me some Col. Allen West:

“Over this past week I have watched and listened to members of the House of Representatives from across the aisle.

“I am appalled at their ignorance, belligerence, and dishonest rhetoric filled with empty emotional platitudes. Have they no shame in realizing that their inept, incompetent failures are the reason why we are debating this continuing resolution. They failed to pass a budget during the 111th Congress.

“Have they no honor in realizing that their fiscal irresponsibility over the past four years has resulted in our standing on the precipice of a fiscal canyon from which we may not recover.

“Also troubling are the events in the state of Wisconsin which mirror those that happened in Greece several months ago. We are witnessing the abject hostility of a unionized entitlement class that is being lauded by the liberal left, seemingly to include our President.

“It is such a critical time for our Republic, yet there seems no visionary leadership — it is as if America stopped producing adults. I have never seen a greater assembly of petulance and sophomoric behavior as what I have witnessed this week on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“To those across the aisle, please explain to the American people how your economic policies have created a better environment for long-term sustainable growth.

“This debate is about jobs and the economy.

“It begins with remedying the spending problem on Capitol Hill. It includes tackling the burdensome taxation and regulation policies strangling our country. It is the understanding that Keynesian tax and spend policies did not grow America’s economy, but the indomitable, entrepreneurial spirit of the American people.

“Government sets the conditions for job and economic growth, it does not create jobs."

I love a guy who'll call a spade a spade. Well done, sir.

_____

What else was I busy with? Well, I spent a good deal of the weekend up to my eyebrows in bridal photography websites.

Don't faint! It's not for me.

I now have not one, but two weddings to attend in September -- one in Houston and one in Las Vegas, and both of which make me very happy. I can't wait!

Spit Take

How is it that I had to hear about this device from listening to the erudite Dr. Milton Rosenberg on his radio program, and not anywhere else in the blogosphere?

It's the next best thing to riding the mechanical bull at Gilly's, I think.

Going to the Dogs...

I'm equally in love with GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, the Scottish Deerhound and GCH Tolkien Raintree Mister Baggins, the Bearded Collie.

I know some people love Pekingese, but I have a hard time getting excited about a hairy hassock with beady eyes. The Shar-Pei with the great name was nice, but she just didn't have the pizazz that the other two had.

With three more groups to go, I may lose my heart again, so stay tuned.
_____

Dogs to watch for the future (in my opinion)? The Wirehaired Daschshund, the Affenpinscher, the Pomeranian, the Lhasa Apso and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Oh, yeah -- and Bunny's daughter, the Ibizan Hound.