Morning All!

Morning!

egregious rocks the house!

good morning!

Wake Up Kitty strikes again….

Did anyone see this yesterday in the WSJ editorial? It’s from the Chairwoman of the DOT talking about a gas tax is a bad idea, among other things. I thought it was pretty disgusting, and just as disgusting was that this was the first time I had heard anything about it. Nothing in any of the papers.

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/01-.....ournal.htm

Three years ago Congress created two commissions to examine surface transportation policies and financing. Yesterday, one of those commissions, the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, gave its recommendations to Congress.

Unfortunately, its report maintains a strong emphasis on status quo solutions at a time when the country needs an entirely new transportation policy. As a result, I and two other commissioners have declined to endorse the report’s central recommendations. Instead, we issued a chairman’s statement that’s available at www.dot.gov.

Among the most troubling proposals, the report recommends an up-to 40-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax increase over the next five years, with automatic increases every year thereafter tied to inflation. This would more than triple federal fuel taxes from current levels by 2018.

I notice you left all the rubbish about music discussed on FDL or what I call the dumbing down of the blogs by wasting time on pop music.

Music does have a place in our lives, for sure, but whay is it taking so much space on FDL?

Hey everybody! Congratulations PeteCO on the zed. How are you all doing this morning?

I find it a refreshing break myself.

Let’s forget about the fact that the world is going to hell in a handbasket and pretend it’s not.

Things now are really spiraling out of control. The planet is on a fast track to warm itself up, the world economy is being led down the drain by the US corporatist and we have a media campaign of a billion dollars.. the whore’s race to the white house.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned and we Ipod our lives away.

The three guys I was apprenticed to when I first started work, at age 16. Mick Hill, Bob Longhurst, Dave Crump. Not only taught me much about sheet metal, but a lot about politics, the media, and life in general.Blue-collar autodidacts in the finest British tradition.

Speaking of refreshing breaks–

I hear we have coffee, tea, and cocoa, plus french toast waffles with [duh] real maple syrup for breakfast. What about your choice of omelette?

https://www2.blogger.com/start

Morning Egregious et al,

One of the teachers who had the most impact on my life was Maria Harris in seminary She taught Religious Ed. but so much more. She greeted latecomers warmly as if it was an honor that they showed up at all, not minding that they were late. She set examples in so many ways.

Also, my first grade teacher, Miss Sanderson. We had an ongoing relationship with her for years—my brother also had her for 1st grade 2 years after me. We’d give her valentines candy every year. She sent birthday cards to us all the way through college. Then at some point my mother ran into her on the streets of Chicago and she got both of our addresses and sent us wedding gifts—picture books of Chi. so we would remember where we came from.

Both are now dead, alas.

Millinery, fine and dandy. I listen to music too, but I take my breaks off line and consider this site a political one… it was at the get go… but now there is too much taking the eyes off the ball and dancing or as you call it… a refreshing break.

There are millions of people who can’t take a refreshing break… and we need to think about them… all the time. Don’t you think?

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Every now and then people need to relax.

Anyone? This is the Chairperson of one of our biggest agencies saying that she needs less money.

Contrary to the views of the majority of the commission, we do not believe Washington is capable of spending billions more of Americans’ money wisely when it comes to transportation investments. Anyone who doubts that should review the more than 6,000 earmarks in the last transportation bill or visit the new Woodstock Museum in upstate New York.

Marion, no one(me) is denying what you say about “play”, but why is this site giving so much time to “play”. We are in some very troubling times and I think that we can play when some of the work is done and it is a long way from being done.

I have no problem with raising gas taxes to pay for research into alternative fuels. I think a better strategy would be to tax vehicles on their engine’s cubic capacity. A five-litre monster truck uses more resources, and pollutes far more, than a 1500cc Honda. Make people pay the true cost of their selfishness.

Over the past 25 years, the federal government has increased transportation spending by 100%, yet traffic has grown by over 300%.

Her view on this is that the spending increase hasn’t helped. My view would be that it’s 200% short.

This thing really pisses me off.

Music does have a place in our lives, for sure, but why is it taking so much space on FDL?

Here’s why I’ll allow it

Warning: egregious blogwhore

SanderO, you are kind of new here. Music has been a part of this community for a long long time. Many find it a helpful break, some come here just for that. If you don’t like it, don’t participate on those threads, there are lots others that are still running at the same time.

Her solution is “technology” and private funding.

David Cay Johnson does an excellent take down of what the problem is with our “democracy”. It’s become a feeding trough for the wealthy who suck at the tax payer’s tit. The dems and the repukes play this came of “enrichment” and that is why we don’t have a democracy, but a cleptocracy for the well connected and well heeled.

It’s all about the money.

egregious pulls up the chair!

What a beautiful picture, I’m going hiking up there later this afternoon :)

Ms. Peters is the secretary of transportation.

You’re going to the Smoky Mountains today?

Rev Deb, I am not new here. I was here when FDL started, thank you very much.

Well you can live without art of any kind, but my mentors were always music teachers. Music’s as much a part of FDL’s atmosphere as it is part of the human ability to express itself.

As twolf1 suggested. Start your own blog if you have a dislike THAT strong.

But yes, my choral teachers in general were the types i admired most. Highly intelligent to a tee, and oh my god the offbeat humor. *grin* Just a part of why the art of sound itself is so integral to me. Made me see the wider world in terms of music as well. How can you not when choral music notation is based in italian, latin is used many traditional choruses. The fun of roundelays as warmups(and relics of older time periods!). I was very open to music to begin with as a kid, but my last two choral teachers were the biggest influences in terms of really opening my eyes to the entire world of it. I mean come on? I’m betting there’s a handful(if that many) of cultures that exist that do NOT have some type of musical form.

Actually I had a different nick back then defjef… but what’s in a name, they say… specially on the blogs where people name themselves as often as they change their knickers.

Spouse just read to me a blurb from the Inky—sub-prime mortgage exec. killed his wife and then jumped off a bridge into the Delaware river, hasn’t been found yet. Left 2 sons, 8 & 15. Shades of the great depression. Really scary.

Apparently Cheney was egging him on on his Facebook page, saying that it would help the economy.

There have been so many. Mrs Shaw who told me in the 3rd grade she couldn’t stop what was going on at home(another age people, another age) but it wasn’t MY fault and she would always be there for me, and she was. Joanne that sweet lil hippie chick who spent over a year gently leading me back to the world of the living. Joe Bateman, a crusty old Marine who went in the second wave at Iwo who taught me how to cut glass and became the father I always WISHED I’d had instead of the drunken sadist that WAS at home when I was a kid. I just hope someone someday remembers me the same way I remember them.

I have a big problem paying higher gas taxes while the oil companies are still making record profits and still receiving government subsidies. Meanwhile Exxon has still not paid for the Alaskan oil spill.

then I’m not sure why you are complaining. You know music has been here for quite a while. Personally I don’t usually check in to the Spin threads, but that’s my choice. There’s more than enough politics here for me to keep up with. And from what I can tell most of us have stuck with the same names throughout.

Music is wonderful and I love it, listen to it and attend performances. I just don’t believe, (my opinion) that it serves any function in a political blog.

Imagine if the senate for example, stopped to discuss some piece of music or some artist (or some athelete for that matter). I would consider that they are wasting our tax dollars. We need them to address important issues. I would hope that they all like music, listen it it and attend performances etc. but not on my dime so to speak. Bidness is bidness.

I see a political blog the same. And many are. My opinion is that FDL is diminished because of this sort of distraction. If FDL wants to be taken REALLY seriously it need to stay on message. Dat’s my point.

Teachers
My grandmother, who would call me inside, wash my hands, and let me spank the rising bread. Even at 3 i saw the care she took, so that my hand touched the bread.
My first grade teacher, who, when I was demythologizing Santa, said to my friend and me to solve our dispute, “Well, it’s nice to think there’s a Santa, isn’t it?” satisying both of us, expanding possibilities.
My undergrad professor who challenged my freshperson sensibilites, “Where’d you get your bad taste in literature?” shocking me into thinking about thinking.
My grad advisor must have had a big impression. he introduced me to Heraclitus — and, look, it’s the name i’m using on FDL.
(formerly Ga)

C-Span 1 teevee has run the hearing on the subject several times since it was held (Thurs?) and I’ve heard parts of it; it was quite long and very interesting. Someone (pol ? member of panel) mentioned the fact that DOT had already had a knee-jerk negative reaction to the recommendations (maybe without even having read the proposal). Don’t know if you might be able to access it on the C-Span site.

eg -

Just came across another article about the #3 at State; if you haven’t seen it, will be glad to go get it for you.

You’re going to the Smoky Mountains today?

virtually ;)

I guess, but remember a few years ago when a gas tax was suggested, Republicans screamed it would kill the economy. No one would have ever proposed a gas tax that would have put gas this high.

Late Late Nite,

Where most of the music happens in the thread itself? Is all part and parcel of the ‘wind down’ part of that time of day. Got a problem with it? Don’t follow the thread. We have to kick off our shoes some days. Being Very Very Serious pretty much leads to more stress than necessary. Political blog or not, you need the detox time even as a group. Take it up with the owner for that policy at that too. SanderO. Bosslady determines content overall, it’s her real estate here.

Morning EG. Thanks. You have awoken very happy memories of an english teacher I had at boarding school. We called him “chunts” though why I do not remember. He was the person that stoked my reading engine. He always carried a book that he was reading and every free minute you could find him with his head buried in it. I carry a book with me everywhere I go these days so even if I have a five minute traffic tie up I can read. I first met Chunts when I was 12 years old and 53 years later I still think of him very fondly.

I must admit that I also quite often listen to music while reading which would no doubt send SanderO nuts *g*

At least it made it to Cspan. Sure, I’d appreciate that article, if you have a link. Thanks.

I had log in probs so I was forced to change the nick. No biggie.

I pass by the SPIN thing as well, but also think that for those who need such “distractions” (I don’t mean to diminish the arts as “distractions”)…. they can find them elsewhere.

“Distractions” were added in after the get go here and my view is that they muddle and diminish the message. I think the “owners” of the site have made a mistake by going “there”, but that is their decision. I only present my opinion.

RevDeb,
I liked you story about your professor who greeted the latecomers warmly. It’s lessons like that makes life good.

I prefer action to help instead of thinking about helping.

Late Late Nite’s posts didn’t depreciate this place’s value during the Libby Trial. It REALLY didn’t do that at all. *shrugs and grins*

and with that? I’m off to work. I’ll check back up on this after i get back home around 4pmish.

Waccamaw,

Sure, would be interested in that link, thank you.

My 2nd grade math teacher: Mrs. Berg. Not so much for any single thing she ever did or said, but because of the simple charm she showed every day. She was happy to see us learning, and creative in the ways she challenged us: reciting multiplication tables while skipping rope (something they’d never try today) and then pushing us to be the first class to ever finish the book at the end of the year.

She took my brother under her wing two years later. We’re polar opposites - math major and artist.

Absolutely. They should be given the choice of paying punitive taxes to pay for their war, or diverting 90% of their profits into R&D for oil alternatives. They would benefit in the end.

I’m in a “Nationalise the Commanding Heights of the Economy” sort of mood this morning.

I, on the other hand, might define “distractions” as persistent attempts to hijack my lovely Saturday morning post by demanding that FDL discuss or not discuss certain topics.

Europe has a robust economy and they pay 2x what we do at the pump. Obviously it has little effect on their economy.

What it did was discourage big gas guzzlers, better public transport and so forth. See.. they made the correct policy decisions. We (our pols) are binded to them.

Americans love conspicuous consumption. It’s as american as apple pie.

I have advocate direct action for years and most blogs are just chat sites.

Chat may inpsire people to act, but that is where change will come… action. Good for you!

I had a professor who had an amazing impact on my life. When I started studying art I had no idea what it really all about. She was close to my age, she just had finshed her graduate work and her stint at this college was her first jobs.

She opened my eyes to a whole way of life that I chose to make my life about. I haven’t spoken to her in a very long time, and now that I’m applying to grad school it seems like our paths will cross again.

It should be interesting to see how that will works out.

IIRC, I’ve read that the vision that Jane and Christy had when the departed Dkos to found FDL was that they wanted to build, not just another political blog, but also a community. I really think that exchange of menus and music tips helps in building that sense of community as do some other traditions such as the Saturday Morning Pull Up a Chair that we are enjoying right now.

That said, like you, I’m a bit of an obsessive politico and tend to focus on the political exchange. But the overall vision seems to be working very well.

I miss the GeorgeWBush.org forums

Also, Mr. Peel, my history teacher through most of high school. He had the gift of making subjects that were superficially dry on the surface (to a teenager) become interesting. History is still my favourite subject, 30 years later.

I won’t! ;)

Elliott @ 38 -

We’ll take you anyway we can get you here. LOL

George @ 42 -

Repeatedly it’s been run and I do hope you get a chance to see it….lots of meat there for thought.

P.S. the article below was intended for eg; (iirc) she knows the guy at State personally. But you’re most welcome to it as well. *g*

eg @ 47 -

http://www.theledger.com/artic...../801190600

I once heard a senior professor says to his graduate students: “The purpose of graduate students is to teach their professors.”

One student shot back: “Then what’s the purpose of professors?”

“To prevent burnout among you hardworking student,” he replied.

Did anyone hear how the fund raising went for Edwards yesterday?

Thanks Waccamaw!

Thank you Waccamaw!

Hmmm
Where to start, should I talk about the gym teacher who coached all the girls sports at my little bitty high school?
She managed and coached the field hockey team, the basketball team, the softball team and then she started the track team.

We had a strong county-wide system for girls sports, something I took for granted way back then; I assumed all the schools across all the land had leagues for girls sports. But not so, and what we had was no doubt due to the hard work and efforts of my gym teacher and her sisters across the county.

Thanks to her, thank to them I get to act big sometimes and say that we ran in the Penn Relays. Couldn’t have done that by myself, though could I? And that’s a lesson right there. There are things that take a team with leadership to accomplish –and that’s what we have here imo.

Good Morning everyone. Hmmm, how will we know how much Edwards raised yesterday?

That’s an interesting visual, running the relay race. We can’t win alone.

Hi eg! (I figure it’s always good to be polite before going OfT:)

Indiana takes a brief respite in its continuing effort to become the northern-most Southern State:

A proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages in Indiana likely was dealt a fatal blow Friday when a key lawmaker said he would not give the issue a hearing.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/p...../301190002

“This is an issue that jumped the shark,” Pelath said, using a common phrase for an idea that has come and gone.

heh. Pardon me for a while as I go wade into the “Comments” section, which will not be pretty.

FYI, this was a proposed amendment to the State constitution that would have disallowed not only gay marriage, but denied “all incidents of marriage” (no civil unions, survivor benefits, etc) Truly Draconian.

Hey Indiana - yay! (with a small “y”)

I had a professor who had an amazing impact on my life. When I started studying art I had no idea what it really all about. She was close to my age, she just had finshed her graduate work and her stint at this college was her first jobs.

She opened my eyes to a whole way of life that I chose to make my life about. I haven’t spoken to her in a very long time, and now that I’m applying to grad school it seems like our paths will cross again.

It should be interesting to see how that will works out.

wow, funny how life does that sometimes, isn’t it?

Speaking of influencing people. My son, who played high school basketball (in my itty-bitty town) convinced a talented classmate to start calling the games. It had never been done before but the 2 of them went to the PTB and got permission to do so. It was a big hit. The announcer was funny, spot on with his remarks and added a new dimension to the games. This student went on to major in television and radio. Got accepted into the Syracuse U program (which is a big deal here in CNY) and is now working at a local tv station. He credits my son…..but if he doesn’t move up soon, he’ll curse my son’s name.

solai -

What’s ETA for MB? If your spring break is around the usual time, I should be back in that patch by then. Easy drivin’ distance to MB…..but only if you can meet up on the north side of town. *g* Traffic in that place is so far past insane that I swore never to go back.

A couple years ago I decided to look up my favorite teachers in order to thank them. Found a surprising number of them, and I think they appreciated hearing that their efforts were worthwhile.

“One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.” –Thomas Paine

Relatively late in my career as a General Contractor I decided to gain a Certificate in Const. Management at Golden Gate University. There was a law instructor there who was a total marvel. Prior to gaining his law degree, Mike had been a Union Carpenter working on the highrises and docks of San Francisco. He was, to say the least, a colorful orator with a lot of funny stories.

One day he showed up in class and was in a particularly jovial mood. This was the early 1990s and it was an age of fantastic invention in finance, accounting and legal theory. Mike was marveling at the utter creativity of an opposing lawyer who worked for the Bank of America and was attempting to figure out a way to screw Mike’s clients out of about $3 MM. A general contractor had gone spectacularly belly up on a huge condominium project and had stiffed the subcontractors as he headed for Brazil. The Bank still held about 90% of the funds owed to the subs, and was in a mood to renege on them. Mike’s job was to get the bank to disgorge. That morning, the opposing attorney proposed that the judge in the District Court issue a temporary restraining order on… wait for it… the mechanic’s liens on the property. In the 100 year established history of lien law, no one had ever tried to pull this stunt. It took some time, but Mike prevailed and the case proceeded.

The lesson that he drew from this and shared with us? The distillation was delicious:

“Construction, boys, is an argumentative business.”

And the lesson I learned? I was out of da bidness in 4 years, and never looked back. ;’)

We’ll arrive late Friday nite, April 11. We’ll be there for a week. Staying at The Palms.

Speaking of influencing people. My son, who played high school basketball (in my itty-bitty town) convinced a talented classmate to start calling the games. It had never been done before but the 2 of them went to the PTB and got permission to do so. It was a big hit. The announcer was funny, spot on with his remarks and added a new dimension to the games. This student went on to major in television and radio. Got accepted into the Syracuse U program (which is a big deal here in CNY) and is now working at a local tv station. He credits my son…..but if he doesn’t move up soon, he’ll curse my son’s name.

what a great story of initiative! Go for it!

I was a suburban teenage punk. Folks divorced when I was 11 and I lived with my old man in Chicago while my mom, sis and brother were in LA. I stayed in trouble in school until the “authorities” had enough and gave me the choice between the Army or jail on my 17th birthday. I had a teacher, Mr Cook, who hung with me, encouraged me as much as he could, and wished me the best when I left. He ended up the assistant basketball coach at Iowa State but I have never been able to find him. I really wanted him to know how he impacted me and I especially wanted him to know that I earned a doctorate. Darn.

Interestingly, the majority of comments are applauding throwing out this legislation, and stating that it’s time the legislature work on issues that really matter.

Anecdotal evidence?

Re:

I notice you left all the rubbish about music discussed on FDL or what I call the dumbing down of the blogs by wasting time on pop music.

Say, you might try getting out of the other side of the bed, eh? :)

Else, stick with the decaf.

Or, ahem, I hope the hangover isn’t too severe.. (grin)

Thinking of meeting up with Waccamaw reminds me again that I wish there was a pin we could wear to identify ourselves as readers of liberal blogs.

As a former teacher, you have absolutely no idea how much that effort meant to them!

For those of you with fond memories of special teacher(s), go and do likewise. *g*

“If FDL wants to be taken REALLY seriously it need to stay on message. Dat’s my point.”

I have to run and don’t know how to put this in a really friendly way.

Step back a bit. Man telling women, who are extremely successful in what they do, ‘how to be taken seriously’

The taking seriously starts with us men. What has your advice been to Kos and Josh?

Take a deep breath and forgive my bluntness.

Joelmael

No shit.

“If FDL wants to be taken REALLY seriously it need to stay on message. Dat’s my point.”

Seriously by who? What a joke.

Re:

Nero fiddled while Rome burned

Funnily enough, I’m using Nero to burn Colbert on my other computer right now.

You haven’t found your teacher-–yet. Google? Write the school?

What about US Flag lapel pins, upside-down? ;)

YES! Puttin’ it on the calendar.

How can we get in touch? Don’t do facebook & e-mail address is *way* too close to identifier.

I’ve gone way deeper than that. I’ve found guys from my outfit in Korea and the Nam, high school friends, all kinds of stuff but drilled dry holes on Mr Cook.

You haven’t found him–yet. Google? Write the school?

maybe we can help you find him, that would mean the world to him to know what an impact he had on your life. And if he’s no longer with us, it would also mean a lot to his family.

Nice. lol.

Raven -

Back from the coffee shop already? Does the furry child do caf or decaf?

Hi Marion,

Re:

Every now and then people need to relax.

Exactly, just look at how much vacation time Dubya has had and how he still had time to effectively destroy a nation (well, maybe three of them). I’d hate to think about what might have happened if he were a hard-charger.

She chews chews chews, we are trying everything to figure it out, we will be patient.

I really went after this, tracked down the last place he taught, talked to people on the phone, everything I could think of. I was able to track down a sister I had from a relationship my old man had with a woman in the 50’s so I’m pretty good at this.

‘Morning, egregious!! Nice to see you here at the helm on a Saturday morning! Hope Christy’s getting a good sleep-in today.

Mentors: I’ve had good ones and bad ones. Surprisingly, it’s the bad ones I learned more from that I can use almost every day.

One taught me that apologizing — even if it was for something you didn’t do — costs very little but it can yield enormous benefits.

Another one, a pain-in-the-ass lawyer with an ego the size of Montana, explained that in spite of conventional wisdom, life IS fair — everybody’s heart gets broken.

Yeah - that’s weird. Guess the serious bigots aren’t awake yet. Based upon past experience, I can pretty much guarantee that the tone will change soon.

Last week, a homeless guy who had been at my corner for years, and who always only said “You have a wonderful day now!”, and *never* asked for money, died. David was a lovely guy, and probably knew more people than the mayor (the corner was just across from the City-County Building, where all the courts are). That comment thread was positively revolting, with people who never met the man jumping in to applaud the death of “another bum”.

and the comment thread when Rep. Julia Carson died was so despicable that I’ve since begun watching all comment threads there as a sort of sociological experiment.

This is not a pretty place.

Oh, and I left my own little preemptive nugget at around comment #56 - not my best work, but I’m far from fully caffeinated. Yet.

What a useful insight about learning from bad teachers. One of my kids spent a year overseas working as a volunteer teacher in a poor neighborhood, in a program with terrible management. I told her she was learning a lot about how to be a good manager from that.

Crikey, dudes. This got off track in a hurry, didn’t it? I sat back in my chair, expecting a leisurely entry to the weekend when I saw the name “egregious” as the author of the post, and found snark enough for two full days with a Republican. Pass the antidepressants, please.

My Dad was my hero and best teacher. He was passionate about his work in the law, could spout poetry like a fountain, gave a wonderful social history lecture about the Civil War whenever we were near a battlefield (which was on most Sunday drives), and wrote me letters when I was at school during the Nixon era that I still re-read for inspiration today. When we ran into the slings and arrows of small business after I married, he’d slip a twenty into the butter dish before he left after a visit, and he made sure my kids always had plenty of reasons to believe in Santa. He came up the hard way himself, and never lost his faith in liberal politics, the absolute requirement for oversight in government and the obligation to stand up for what we believe in.

Nice

It’s really great fun doing the tracking….I must have worked at one of those “find a missing person” companies in a former life. *g*

jayt @ 93 -

So sorry to hear about your friend….people with the reactions you describe were born with no souls. :-(

One taught me that apologizing — even if it was for something you didn’t do — costs very little but it can yield enormous benefits.

Works with estranged relatives too.

Yes, bad management can be a WONDERFUL learning experience — although best when viewed by hindsight.

I worked for a company that was insolvent; the employees were forced to shut it down when the owner, who suffered from cancer, became incompetent as the cancer spread to his brain. We had to minimize the losses to the lowest paid workers by laying them off first, then had to shut the doors while in the hole to the tune of 5 weeks pay ourselves.

Years later I can smell business trouble from several miles away now, have a finely tuned sniffer for the trouble I couldn’t detect when I took that job.

“We bark for attaboys!” :)

OK, there was an awesome collective at UCSF called “Outdoors Unlimited” and they have an outstanding whitewater kayaking school. The honcho was a fella named Bo Barnes and he was about as charismatic as they come. Bo had a nature grace and a good joke about everything in life, which he found to be a joyful experience in spite of being one of the most underpaid people in San Francisco.

As I say, the teaching of kayaking at OU was a collective experience with about a 1:1 ratio of teachers to pups and everyone became an instructor as soon as possible to keep the organization vibrant and bring in as many newbies as possible. The waiting list was always twice the size of the classes we could accommodate.

We’d have grand trips on all the holidays. After I got very comfortable in the boat we took a trip down to the Kern River for a Memorial Day weekend. What an amazingly different experience from any of our other destinations. Instead of pristine wilderness runs, it was sort of like kayaking down Sunset Boulevard in flood, at least from the crowds along the rio. We did have some fun with the locals, who seemed to treat us as trained seals. Lots of folks would ask us if we could do the Eskimo roll. We said sure, as long as you can toss us a beer. So there we were, the well lubed entertainment…

“We Roll For Beers!” :)

The husband is painting the kitchen today. He wants to know if I plan on helping him at all. Hmmph. Guess I have to go pitch in. See all later.

It’s really great fun doing the tracking….I must have worked at one of those “find a missing person” companies in a former life. *g*

Yea, I looked for my sister by tracking her mom’s name in the Boston area. I turned out that she had been adopted by an aunt and lived 10 miles from my dad in Chicago. He asked me to find her but I spoke with her at length and she did not want to make contact with him so I never told him I found her.

Wow! We are having our cabinets painted and have to get ready too!