Sunday Morning Music

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today and am going back to my childhood for this edition of Sunday Morning Music. When I was young, and especially during the summer, my brother and I would go with our mother while she ran errands. One band I remember more than any other was The Moody Blues, and I still listen to them.

Story in Your Eyes

Question

How about one more, it's hard to choose but I'll go with....

In your wildest dreams

Enjoy a relaxing Sunday Morning

Seen on FB

A few people have used this as their status today on Facebook.

Dear Congress,
Last year I mismanaged my funds and this year my family and I cannot decide on a budget. Until we have come to a unified decision that fits all of our needs and interests we will have to shut down our checkbook and will no longer be able to pay our taxes. I'm sure you'll understand . Thank you very much for setting an example we can follow.

Signed, America

Too much

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to track all the NFL deals this week on my other blog http://bryanonnfl.blogspot.com

I update this blog by email from my phone, so it's easy to put up news fast. Here's what's going on so far....

Seattle Seahawks- Have let QB Matt Hasselbeck go and have signed former Vikings QB Tavarris Jackson. Also, rumor has it they are talking to former USC/Arizona QB Matt Leinhart. He'd love to play for Coach Carrol again, I'm sure.

Tennessee Titans- Have signed QB Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle).

San Diego Chargers- Have signed LB Takeo Spikes (San Francisco) and put a Franchise Tag on WR Vincent Jackson

Washington Redskins- Have signed DT Barry Cofield (NYG) and have are finalizing a trade to send QB Donovan McNabb to Minnesota.

Green Bay Packers- Have released LB Nick Barnett.

New York Giants- Have released C Shaun O'Hara and G Rich Seubert.

I'll set up an easy blog method for the NFL blog later today, and I'm sure there will be more moves as the day goes on.

Sunday Morning Music (and a rare endorsement)

I used to post some easy going music for Sunday morning but have somehow gotten out of the habit. I am restarting that and I'm going to post something very different for me...country music. Normally, I can't stand country music. It's too goody-goody for me, I don't know, just something about it makes me nuts but I have found a country group that I really enjoy. They are the Zac Brown Band, and it's not too surprising that I like them because they mix a country/rock style similar to Neil Young's Harvest and Harvest Moon (which are two of my favorite Neil Young albums).

As She's Walking Away (w/Alan Jackson)

Colder Weather 

Chicken Fried

How about we throw in a Neil Young song also, since I brought him up

Bob's Nightmare

This is Bob (well, not really but for this story Michael Douglas will play the role of Bob).  Bob loves America, and baseball, and apple pie. Bob is a staunch Republican who lives in a nice New Jersey suburb and commutes to New York City. Bob has a high credit rating and pays his taxes, he has a great investment portfolio, excellent insurance benefits, and an amazing retirement plan. Bob is doing pretty well for himself, good for Bob, he is an American success story.

One thing Bob doesn't comprehend though is why he needs to pay higher taxes so people who don't have life as good as him can have insurance for their families. He boasts to his friends " I worked hard, and got a good job, is it my fault these people don't have insurance? They didn't work hard and don't have good jobs, that's not my fault".

One afternoon he is talking with his coworkers about this at the Corner Deli, the girl behind the counter over hears his gripes about insurance and says to him "I beg to differ, I work 50 hours a week, on my feet all day. Cutting meat, making salads, unloading trucks and the owner of this deli doesn't offer insurance, I work just as hard as you do sir, but I got pregnant at 16 and had to drop out of high school, this is the best job I can get, so yes, I need insurance that is provided by the taxpayers". Bob replies " well, it is not my fault or anyone else's fault that your life is messed up, you should have put the kid up for adoption and gone to college and gotten a better job". The woman now very upset says, "we can't ALL have good jobs, sir, and a hex on you for your attitude".

By the next morning Bob had forgotten all about the ordeal, he headed out in the morning and stopped at his favorite coffee spot, but something was wrong. There were no employees. On the counter was now a coffee machine, coffee and mugs, with a sign next to it that read 'make your coffee, clean your cup and move on'. Bob was puzzled, where were the workers? He backed out of the cafe and took his train to the city. When he got off the train he noticed hundreds of cabs lined up with nobody in the driver seats, when he walked up to a cab there were keys on the seat and a note 'drive yourself to work'. Bob checked his watch, he was running late and the world was going crazy. He walked the 10 blocks to work and when he arrived he noticed that the floors hadn't been mopped and the trash wasn't taken out. He ran into the bathroom in a cold sweat and found his boss, the CEO, scrubbing the toilets. "What in the name of God are you doing!?" exclaimed Bob, the puzzled boss looked and him and said "well, there are no more jobs that don't offer insurance, so we must do all the work ourselves from now on.". Bob ran from the building looking around, everywhere he looked people were doing menial jobs. People in business suits unloading trucks, washing toilets at McDonalds, and the deli? Quickly, Bob ran to the deli and found the woman who had hexed him yesterday. "What's going on? what have you done?"  "Well, you see Bob, everyone has to do things for themselves now, any job that doesn't offer insurance or where it costs too much for the employee to afford has been eliminated. See, there are jobs that do offer insurance, but they charge the employee so much for it, that they need state assistance, but that is gone now and now everyone goes to college and gets good jobs like you, the only problem is now there is no one to do the little things that make your day easier".

Bob runs from the deli screaming, and a man in a business suit driving a taxi hits and kills him.

Bob wakes up in a sweat, gets dressed and goes right to the corner deli. He walks up to the lady who is checking inventory coming off of a truck and says "I'm an proud American and I'm proud to be able to help another  American like you, thank you for what you do."

The End

Wouldn't it be nice...

If priests actually acted like priests. Here's the story unfolding now in Berlin, CT. We get one or two of these a year.

Berlin police have formally charged Father Michael Miller of St. Paul's Church with having inappropriate contact with a minor.

Police said they served an arrest warrant for Miller, 41, on Tuesday, after an investigation that began on June 30. He is charged with five counts of risk of injury to a minor and impairing the morals of a minor, and one count of criminal attempt to obscenity.

Police said Miller was processed and released after posting a $150,000 court set bond. He is scheduled to appear in New Britain Superior Court on July 26.

In a recent statement delivered to parishioners at the church, Father Robert Schlageter said "the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Franciscan Friars are cooperating fully with this investigation. We are trying to be as open as possible and we will provide additional information when we are able."

Miller was taken by Lifestar on the morning July 4 to a local hospital. It is unknown what medical condition he suffered.


Again, as long as he's a good Christian and confesses his sins its not a big deal. God must be extremely liberal because if he were a conservative he'd be for the death penalty and wouldn't forgive these molesters so easily.

Happy Birthday, Alyssa!

Today my daughter is 9 years old. I can't believe how big she has gotten. Yesterday we went to an orchard to pick blueberries, which she looks forward to doing every July. Tonight, she's going to her first concert, she loves country music and we're going to the Mohegan Sun to see Keith Urban. On top of going to Yankee Stadium two weeks ago, I'd say she's had a pretty good birthday so far. She's having her party with her friends at a mini golf up in Farmington next weekend, its going to be hard to top all of this next year when she's 10.
Happy Birthday, Lyssie Bear

Benjamin Franklin

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."

Does that mean Palin is the hardest working woman in politics?

Karma

Let us all hope that karma grabs Casey Anthony by the neck and pulls her down. I honestly think Florida has now moved past Kansas for craziest state (congrats, Fringe). The local government interfered when a man wanted to let his vegetable wife go in peace and with some dignity but they fuck up an election or let a woman get away with killing her daughter and they throw their hands in the air. I guess the system we have is the only one we've got, and we have to put this matter into hands bigger than ours.

I don't believe God will punish her but I do believe in karma and at some point in her life she will be punished....well, after she makes millions as a big reality television star!!
The only good news I have is that we don't have to watch Oprah exploit this for all its worth, I know she must be foaming to get back on TV now.

Kids will be kids

Summer vacation is here and with it are long days of playing outside until it gets dark for Alyssa anyway. We live in a very quiet condo complex that is surrounded by pine trees, weeping willows, flowering pears, and boulders, a very nice place for kids to play. Three days ago Alyssa went out to play with the boy on the first floor, he's a few years older than Alyssa and his father is a retired Southington cop.
I was on my way home from work and my wife called me and said to drive around the complex and tell Alyssa to come home for dinner. So, I drive around once, then twice (the complex is horseshoe shaped and we live right in the middle) and don't see her anywhere but found her scooter is a neighbors parking spot (that gets me mad, she's been told before not to do that). Figuring that they went to the boys house to play Wii I texted his father, who informed me that they were not there. He then called his son and asked where they were and said they were on the street behind the dumpsters.
Let me explain that, there is a line of trees about 15' deep behind the dumpsters and then a cul-de-sac with houses. They cut through and were playing with kids in that neighborhood. But, to drive there is a much longer way, so, I set off in the car getting mad that she left the complex without informing anyone. Her playing there was no issue but we didn't know where to find her if we needed her. So, I did yell at her a little when I pulled up and found her but then realized something. We were never where my mother thought we were and if she actually ever came looking for us, she would probably never find us either (no cell phones in late 80's). Sometimes we'd be at a friends house or at the pond, but sometimes we'd walk to the Middle School and play at Falcon Field or walk down to the flood plains and play on abandoned train tracks or cut through the trees at the end of our dead end road and go to Stonycrest or one time walked all the way down to Amity (a good distance if you drive but close if you walk and cut through yards).
So, I guess I couldn't get that mad and now I have the phone number of the kid she plays with and she'll be getting her own pre-paid cell phone so we can call her to come home or to see where she is. Not a real phone to text and stuff on, it has just about $20 dollars on it and has her emergency numbers stored in it and she'll only have it when she goes out.
Kids like to explore and you're not gonna stop them but at least now you can keep tabs on them.