London Planning

Now that I'm finally feeling better I'm actually doing planning for the London trip. It is two and a half weeks away.

I bought some of my theater tickets last night on-line. I have the Lord of the Rings, The 39 Steps and The Lion King. I'm still working on Mamma Mia. The ticket for The Lion King I printed at home. Well not at home. I went to a web page and downloaded a PDF of the ticket. The only problem is the page size is larger than 8 1/2 by 11. So I had to print the file at work on legal size paper.

I got a tip from someone at work who stayed in Bath for a semester in college. He suggested that I to to a place call Bradford on Avon. He says it is a great little town to visit. A Saxon church that dates back to the first millennium. It is a little west of Bath. It looks like a very interesting place. The plane would be to take the train out to Bradford and then work my way back to Bath. I need to get a better sense of when the trains head out that way and how long it takes to get there.

I'm also starting to get things together to start packing. I have to look at my suit cases. I'm thinking I may get a new one. The one soft side is very old. The one with wheels I don't think is large enough. So it will be off to the new Target again sometime this weekend to see what they have.

Odds and Ends

New Target
The new Target opened in DC this week. It is in the very up and coming neighborhood of Columbia Heights. I haven't been up in the area since I was house hunting which is now 6 years.

There is now development all over the place. Besides the Target there will be a Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond and a Best Buy (this will be the second Best Buy to open in the District). There is across the street from the Target more stores and many many condo buildings going up.

As to the store itself, it is on two floors. They have an "escalator" for your shopping chart. The chart escalator is located right next to the regular one. As you ride up the chart keeps pace with you. I not sure what happens when the store is really crowded and there are lots of charts heading up or down.

The only potential problem I see is that the entrance and exit to the parking garage is on a very narrow one way street. When all the stores are open the street could really be over loaded with traffic.

From one Mall to another
I went out shopping with my friend Mark yesterday. We ended up going to Springfield Mall. At one point in time it was the largest mall in the DC area. Neither of us had been there in a very long time. It was to say the least a complete and total dump. There were several hallways we walked down where there were absolutely no stores. It also was very dark and seemed claustrophobic. There were very few people in it.

On the way back to Mark's house we ended up going to Pentagon City Mall. There was a new Apple store there. It was packed with people. It was very bright and open.

Monarc Construction
This is a local construction company. They have been around for a very long time. Almost as long as I've lived here. And there has always been something that has bugged me about them. They have a butterfly as their logo. Now you'd think Monarc Construction Monarch butterfly. But as far as I can tell it looks very much to me that it is a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Go figure.

First real estate tax bill
I got my first real estate tax bill this past week. I was under a program in the District where first time home buyers were exempt from paying property taxes for the first five years they live in their homes.

So I to got my first bill. It was about one-fifth of what the mortgage estimated. I've written them a letter with a copy of the bill and asking them to recalculate the escrow payment for the property taxes which means my mortgage payment will drop.

Spring ahead
I love having to go through my house and change all of the clocks. I always forget to do the one in the basement. I also have to change my watch. Now the watch is supposed to be linked up with the atomic clock in Denver and you should never ever have to change the time. It will access the atomic clock and change all on its own. Well I've never has that work until today. I got out the instructions to the watch so I could change the time and picked up the watch and the time was already changes.

Coughing
Finally this is starting to go away. The nasal spray has helped and so has the inhaler. I think sometime I cough just because I'm so used to coughing. I think it will be gone when I head for England which is in a little over two and a half weeks away.

A fifth of soldiers at PTSD risk

That was the headline of a story in USA Today recently. The story starts:

More than five years of recycling soldiers through Iraq and Afghanistan's battlefields is creating record levels of mental health problems, as about three in 10 GIs on their third tour admit emotional illnesses, according to an Army study released Thursday.

The report goes on to say:

The report underscores concerns raised by military leaders that the current year-long break soldiers receive between successive 12- to 15-month combat deployments is far too short for them to recover. In fact, certain mental illnesses such as PTSD grow more intense as the soldiers prepare to go back into combat, the report shows.

Once again we are shown how the complete lack of planning by the Bush Administration is placing our soldiers at risk. If there'd been a post war strategy beyond Mission Accomplished our soldiers would not be going through this. But there wasn't and they are going through it. And it seems at every step along the way the military is trying to play catch up. I'd say there not doing a particular good job at it.

Those We've Lost

In light of the above post, it's also important to remember those who've not been as lucky to come back from Afghanistan and Iraq.










Spec. Avealalo Milo
Lost October 4, 2007











Petty Officer Third Class Mark R. Cannon
Lost October 2, 2007











Gunnery Sgt. Herman J. Murkerson Jr.
Lost October 1, 2007











Sgt. 1st Class James D. Doster
Lost September 29, 2007

You're Now Free To Fly

Around the Country. That's Southwest's slogan. It seems however you're also free to fly around the country in planes that are not safe. This is the headline from USA Today FAA levels record $10.2M fine against Southwest.The reason for the fine:

The FAA said it will seek the fine from Southwest for flying 46 jets during nine months in 2006 and 2007 without performing required inspections for cracks in the fuselage.

No wonder Southwest is able to offer such great fares.

But it seems there is a further wrinkle in the story. Southwest disclosed to the FAA that it had missed the inspections. It seems the FAA policy is that:

Airlines have been allowed to "disclose" safety problems and escape fines even though inspectors initially discovered the problems, Goodrich said. FAA documents prohibit that practice.

I guess it's good to know that inspections have been missed. But if nothing is ever going to happen to the airline after it discloses the problem doesn't that encourage airlines to continue to miss the inspections. It's sure cheaper just to say oh we missed the inspection knowing nothing will ever happen then actually doing them.

Media Overreacts

I know that comes as a huge surprise that the media would overreact to something. I'm trying to understand the reaction to the red phone ad. I'm not sure how exactly this is an attack ad. Also the comparison to the 1964 Lydon Johnson ad of the girl picking petals off of a flower is just over the top.

Howard Kurtz from the Post has a great article on it. I think this part of the article really reflects my opinion on this whole thing:

Michelle Cottle has the good sense to agree with my argument in this New Republic piece:

“Enough with all the whining. Also enough with all the smack talk about how there must be something seriously wrong with Hillary/Obama as a candidate or s/he would have been able to close the deal by now. Horsefeathers. This isn’t a primary in which Democratic voters are having a hard time making up their minds because both candidates are so disappointing. That’s what’s happening with the other team. Democrats’ problem is that they have two candidates who are firing up the electorate, as seen in the consistently high turnout at the polls and the jaw-dropping fund-raising figures. ($30 million and $50 million in just one month? John McCain would kill for that kind of trouble.)

The media has also decided the story line going forward:

The Hillary/Obama contest is "increasingly brutal" (Boston Globe); in danger of "tearing the party apart" (L.A. Times); a "political party trying to destroy itself" (New York Post); the "most cutthroat political campaign in years" (Boston Herald); "depressing and distressing" (Time), and facing a "nightmarish scenario" (Baltimore Sun) that "will heighten racial, ethnic, gender, and class divisions" (Politico).

Could this happen? Yes it could. But it is not happening now. If anything, the continuation of the contest could suck all the air out of any coverage of the McCain campaign. What if the contest for the Democratic nomination goes right up to the convention? Do you really think there will be any coverage on McCain? No the media will be too busy working itself up into a lather over the Democrats.

And once again it would be nice if the pundits would just shut their collective mouths and let the voters decide whom should be the nominee. But then again where would all that hot air go.

Fixed Furnace

Well the furnace did get fixed.

The repairman arrived a little after one. Just after I made my last post for that day. It took him until about 2:40 to get things up and running again. Essentially the starter had gone out. That’s why I kept hearing a click when I turned up the thermostat but then nothing else happened.

There was a great deal of trial and error in getting it back up and running. The furnace was on and off many times. At first it sounded completely wrong. There was an attempt by the furnace to start but nothing happened. After about an hour in, the furnace motor would actually turn over and it was running but still not sounding completely correct. Then finally it was back to its old self.

The visit was free. Well not actually free because I have a service contract but I did not have to pay the repairman anything. Everything was covered under the service contract. I even got new filters.

The only draw back, besides missing a complete day of work, was the house smelled like oil. And I mean really smelled. It was a nice day out so I opened up the windows on the first floor and the basement door. It worked pretty well. Although I did notice a little residual odor when I got back from Dinning Out for Life last night. I might need to open things up again. I’m not sure that the weather will be all the cooperative this weekend.

Dinning Out for Life

A reminder that Thursday is Dinning Out for Life. Click here to see a list of restaurants that are participating.

And enjoy your dinner.

While I wait

I thought since all I'm doing is waiting I'd post something funny. This is a recent series of Peanuts.

Still Waiting

I'm going crazy.

I washed the storm window in the front door.

I've cleaned the bathroom.

I dusted in my bedroom.

I got all the laundry up from the basement.

I've read several magazines.

I called my dad.

I washed the dishes and put them away.

I paid some bills.

I blogged several times.

I got the water from the big storm we had last night off the front stoop.

I've played with Sam. He wants very much to go outside and is being rather annoying about it.

It is now 11:30. There is still some faint hope that they will show up before noon. But only a faint one. Hopefully it won't take too long to fix. Say an hour or so. At 1:00 does it make any sense to try and get into work?

I did get the oil delivery yesterday so I know for sure there is oil in the tank.

So I guess I get to wait a little more.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

I'm waiting for the furnace repair guy to show up. I'm an hour and a half into my wait. I was told they would be here by noon.

I hate waiting for people to show up. I feel like I can't do much of anything for fear I'll miss the guy. I always think I'll clean. You can do some of that but you can't vacuum. Can't really do laundry because that would mean going down into the basement and you might miss the guy.

I always schedule my appointments for the morning window. I think that's easier. There's a little story that goes with that preference of mine.

I was living in an apartment at 12th and E Streets NE. I needed to have someone come out and fix the cable. I'm don't remember exactly what was wrong with it. I was always having problems with it. Once they decided to disconnect me for no reason.

Anyway I set the appointment for the afternoon window 1-5 pm. I leave work sometime around 11:45. This will give me plenty of time to get home. I'll even have time to fix myself some lunch before I have to sit and wait. I arrive at my apartment building and there's a note on the front door saying sorry we missed you. It was from the cable company for me.

I call the cable company up and ask what's going on. I was told well someone should up for the appointment but no one was home so I'll have to reschedule. I ask if there is a way to find out when the note was left. She says there should be a time on the note. I find the time it says 12:20 pm. I read her the time and then asked her when was my appointment for. She says 1-5 pm. I say well then the reason on one was home was because it was 40 minutes before someone needed to be there.

She then gets bitchy and says the guy called ahead and left a message saying he would be early. I said there was no message left on my answer machine. She says well they expect someone to be there. I said yes you can expect someone to be there but not 40 minutes before the scheduled appointment. I ask what do you expect people to do take an entire day off from work when the appointment time is 1-5.

I then ask when I can reschedule the appointment. She takes along time to get back to me on this. She finally says the next appointment isn't for another 10 days. I say you have got to be kidding me. Your employee shows up for an appointment early and then leaves and I'm going to have to wait 10 more days to get service. She responds well I'm sorry sir (in that charmingly condescending customer service voice). I ask to speak to a supervisor because I've had enough of this lady.

So on to the supervisor. I get the same line. Well the representative showed up and no one was home. I again pointed out they were 40 minutes early why would there be someone to let them in 40 minutes early. This got no where. The supervisor could only offer me the appointment in 10 days. I'd had enough. I said ok then how about I cancel the service that shouldn't take 10 days should it. All of a sudden they are going to be able to get someone out to me by the end of the day.

The bottom line is they should have done that in the first place. They should have said sorry the guy should have waited but he didn't but we'll get someone out to you by the end of the day. I shouldn't have had to threaten to quit. And that's the reason I always take morning appointments.

Brett Favre Retires

You never think sports legends will leave the field but eventually they all do.

Brett Favre is no exception. But wow will he be a big loss. Stories from USA Today and the Post. USA Today also compiled a list of Favre's Top 10 Moments.

What I liked about watching Brett Favre was you were never sure exactly what he would do when he was on the field. Sometimes his improvisations were genius and other times they were disasters. But that is what made him so fun to watch.

Sunday football won't be exactly the same with him gone.

The Contest Goes On

Clinton wins three out of four. But is that enough?

Texas holds a primary and a caucus. Who's bright idea was that? Obama won the caucus. In the end even though Clinton won the primary, Obama could end up with more delegates from Texas. And that is what really matters. It is great to win primaries but in this race it is going to be the delegate count that really matters.

That's why the Obama strategy of going after the caucus states was such a great idea. It shows the strength of his organization and the weakness of Clinton's.

There are a host of stories about the results in the press. This one makes an important point:

Clinton still faces daunting odds in her bid for the nomination. Obama began the day with a lead in pledged delegates that will be hard for her to overcome in the 12 primaries and caucus remaining, despite the results from the four states voting yesterday. But her advisers said that the big win in Ohio alone would force a serious look at both candidates and that the race was far from over.

This story focuses on the math to get the nomination:

Clinton wiped away the debate last night with a robust victory in Ohio and a narrow win in Texas. But as she vowed to keep campaigning, the tight vote in Texas signaled she may yet face a tough decision in coming weeks. The slim margin in the Texas popular vote and an additional caucus process in which she trailed made clear that she would not win enough delegates to put a major dent in Sen. Barack Obama's lead. And regardless of the results, she emerged from the crucible of Ohio and Texas with a campaign mired in debt and riven by dissension.

What it now comes down to are there enough contests left for Clinton to win so she can catch Obama in the delegate count. I just don't see how that happens. Unless of course there is a do-over in Florida and Michigan.

The bottom line: the contest goes on.

Numbers Trickling In

Clinton and Obama have split the small states. Clinton won Rhode Island and Obama Vermont. The results form Ohio and Texas are well just trickling in.

It's very possible that they could split the big states as well. Clinton winning in Ohio and Obama in Texas. The more important thing is how the delegates divide up. In the end Obama might still be ahead of Clinton. He might be closer to the number needed for the nomination but he still won't have it.

Do Florida and Michigan have some say down the road? Tonight I heard the idea floated that those two states would have another go at having primaries but in June. Do you want it to go on that long? Will it mean a divisive campaign? Will the Republicans be getting all sorts of ideas on how to attack the eventual Democratic nominee? (Not that they need any help in that department.) Or does the on-going Democratic contest suck all the oxygen out of the room the Republicans are in? Can the Republicans get any sort of press if the focus is all on the Democrats race? Will the extra time McCain have (since with the wins tonight he now has enough delegates to be nominated) allow him to unite the Republican Party behind him?

I have a feeling over the next couple of days these questions will be asked a great deal.

I am concerned that the Democrats campaign not become too negative. But the idea that this will inflict a fatal wound on whomever emerges as the nominee is pretty silly.

All we can do right now is wait and see.

Tuesday Treat

In light of all the turmoil I had on Sunday I thought this would be a great way to relax on Tuesday by posting a Peanuts strip.

A Comment from afar

Most of the time if I get comments, which are few are far between, they are from people I know.

However on the post about the number of hits I took regarding Once, I got a comment. I’d mentioned that I had a visitor from the Isle of Man.

Well I got a comment from my visitor from the Isle of Man. So I think it only fitting to give an actual blog post thank you (as opposed to my response to his comment) to my visitor from the Isle of Man. Thanks.

You should take a look at his blog Go Mann Go: Humourous alternative news and history of the Isle of Man. It is very interesting and very funny. I'd especially recommend the post titled: Isle of Man Finance Sector.

For those of you who don’t know exactly where the Isle of Man is here’s a map of the isle. For a little more history about the Isle go here.

Dinning Out for Life

Support a great cause Thursday night by Dinning Out for Life. This is sponsored by Food & Friends. Follow this link to find out the restaurants that are participating. So gather up some friends and Dine Out for Life on Thursday. You won't regret it.

Once post

This isn't so much about the movie as about my post called Once's Oscar Nod.

It got a deluge of hits after the Oscars. 107 hits to be exact. I was able to track the hits with my Stat Counter which is a fun to look at from time to time. I've posted about the ocean mystery. So I took a look to see where my Once post viewed from.

The majority of post were form the US. Several from Canada as well. Both of which is to be expected. Two from the Czech Republic. Well Marketa Irglova is originally from the Czech Republic so again not much of a surprise. A hit from Dublin, another from London, one from the Isle of Man, one form the Netherlands, two from Spain, one in Thailand, one in Cambodia, one from Hong Kong.

I won't list all of them but an interesting and very wide range of places heard from. I'm just curious as to exactly how they got to my post. I did a couple of searches and didn't see my post get listed.

Well anyway. I think it is cool.

All Down to Tuesday?

This is probably it for the Clinton campaign: Tuesday.

This from USA Today:

TOLEDO, Ohio — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton assessed her chances Monday for the Democratic nomination and made some pointed remarks about rival Sen. Barack Obama, one day before voters in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont go the polls.

Clinton suggested she'll press on with the campaign after Tuesday's crucial primaries, despite the outcome, arguing that momentum is on her side.

The polls seem to be pointing out a different trend. It also seems harder and harder for Clinton to catch Obama in the delegate count if she does not win really big tomorrow. Again all the evidence points to a close contest in the two big state Ohio and Texas. But even Rhode Island and Vermont take on added significance. Essentially ever single delegate is going to count. And in a way that makes me feel really good about the process so far. A race this time not a victory lap. I think it will make whomever emerges as the nominee a better candidate.

It is interesting to see now that the press is now pressing Obama on some of the issues that have followed him throughout the campaign: his controversial pastor, his ties to indicted fundraiser Tony Rezko, voting present, Farrakhan, the nuclear contributions and the lack of a flag pin. And the recent dust-up over NAFTA. The flag pin one seems really silly. There's an interesting article from Howard Kurtz on how the press is suddenly doing it's job [that's my take on it]; it's called Scratching Obama's Teflon.

I'm not against Obama. I think he would be a very good candidate and, if he is the nominee, I'm looking forward to voting for him. But I'm concerned, that if he is the nominee, this issues are going to follow him. Obama after all will be running against the Republican machine and it will be going after him full tilt. We seen recently some of what it may try to do. See my recent post on it.

Anyway the thing now to do is to sit back and wait and see what the voters decide. It should be a very interesting night.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Remember the song What a Difference a Day Makes?

Well all I can say does it ever. After what I can only describe as a Sunday that sucked, Monday came along and was a pretty damn good day. The fact that I had to go into worked helped my mood. It took my mind off all the stuff that had gone wrong.

A some things actually went pretty well. I called up the furnace people. They said they could have someone come out today. I was at work when I called so we've scheduled a service call for Wednesday sometime before noon. She asked if I'd used the reset button. I said I didn't even know there was such a thing. So maybe that's all there is to it. I'm pretty sure it has not run out of oil. I keep the house pretty cool during the winter and in general this has not been that cold of a winter.

I got to my doctor today. He checked me out for my cold/chest cold/sinus/flu thing. He said it was all in my head. My lungs were fine. He gave me some nose drops and an inhaler. The inhaler I'm supposed to use when I work out and I shouldn't have any problems with coughing. He thinks that in a couple of weeks I should be fine. Yeah!!

I got my real estate taxes on Friday. They are much lower than my mortgage company thought they would be. I called the mortgage company today. They said I need to write them a letter and request them to adjust the escrow payment. Otherwise they wouldn't do it until September. This will lower my payment. Another yeah! I will still probably pay the same amount it just means more will go towards the principal.

And that's how my Monday went. Yeah again.

Oh and now the lyrics to What a Difference a Day Makes

What a difference a day makes
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain

My yesterday was blue, dear
Today I'm a part of you, dear
My lonely nights are through, dear
Since you said you were mine

What a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss

It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you

What a difference a day makes
There's a rainbow before me
Skies above can't be stormy
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss

It's heaven when you find romance on your menu
What a difference a day made
And the difference is you