TGIF!

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DISCLAIMER: this blog is mine & mine alone. It bears no reflection on my friends, family, or place of employment.

Part I
For all the working schmucks out there - of which I am - Happy Friday to ya! For those of us that put in 40 hours, or anything close, the weekend is well-earned. This was a long week, yet it went quickly too. Thank God the weather here is supposed to be beautiful - sunny & 70's both Saturday & Sunday. At least I can get out & enjoy the fresh air, getting outta the mole hole I work in (see prior blog posts). Tonight I'm watching the resurrected Bulls play the Heat in the NBA playoffs & relaxing w/the dogs. My oldest stepson (nearing high school) is at the movies & on a date, which is quite a trip. I'm not this old, but it's weird seeing your kids doing what you were doing not so long ago. I'm too young to be doing something this old!

Part II
Sports are definitely one of my main hobbies. I follow the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, the Chicago Bulls basketball team, and the Tampa Bay Bucs football. The Cards won the World Series last year, which was hugely satisfying. It's been 20+ years since the last St. Louis title, and winning in the first year of the new Busch Stadium was cool. I'm no bandwagon fan - my late grandfather was a diehard Cards fan, living in StL as long as I knew him. He took me to my first professional baseball game at Busch Stadium II, I saw Lou Brock get his 3,000th hit there, etc. My grandfather passed very early; I only hope, nah, I actually have faith that he was watching, cheering, and celebrating from the great skybox above. Cheesy metaphor you say? Kiss my ass.

I've been a Bulls fan since Jordan's first season in what, '84? My father lived in Chicago at the time, and my first NBA game was at the old Chicago Stadium. I was lucky enough to really enjoy Jordan's 63 points vs. Boston, and the Bulls' title two three-peats. While living in Chicago, a friend of mine scored tickets for Game 4 of the playoff series vs. Orlando the year Jordan returned. And corporate skybox tix at that - one of the highlights of my sports fandom. But after MJ retired the Bulls sank into the doldrums of the NBA & have remained there for the better part of the past 10 years. Last year they started to improve, and this year they've been a great suprise. Not quite as attention grabbing as Batman & Robin (Jordan & Pippen, et. al.), but still worth following & entertaining nonetheless. A young team that just might bring another title banner to the United Center yet...

As for the Bucs, since the Super Bowl win of 2002 they've kinda sucked, but on the eve of the draft, hope springs eternal.

Part III
Unfortunately it seems the political & economic landscape is still fraught w/disaster, liars, and unadulterated bullshit. While browsing the business headlines on MSNBC.com, I noticed that one of the major oil companies (Exxon I believe) posted a $9 billion profit. This, while I notice that gas prices jumped $0.20 in less than 36 hours. Gee, wonder where my money's going?!!? I hope the corporate exec's are enjoying the massive, yet embarrassing fleecing of the American public as they line their pockets. Somehow, Alberto Gonzalez is escaping getting his due for his role in the firing of the eight US attorneys. Somehow, we're still listening to yet another official - or ex - attempt to lie his/her way out of their role in the Iraq mess. George Tenet now denies making the "slam dunk" statement (or claims his statment was exaggerated, nigh taken out of context), and seems to be paving the way for a future "I didn't think this was a good idea" statement/ruse. Petraeus states that the Iraq war is "exceedingly complex and very tough" and said the U.S. effort might become more difficult before before it gets easier. No shit Sherlock; whatta fucking genius! Does anyone have any doubt that this has become the modern era Vietnam? Some day we as a nation will look back & realize how big a mistake this war was, and how much damage Dubya did to our nation in so many ways. Unfortunately it will be too late.

Part IV
Corporate radio sucks. Hard core. Big time. The vast majority of radio stations are boring, repetitive, and inspire a mighty, "meh". This sad institution has bred such smegma as Hinder, Fergie, Bowling for Soup among many many others that are supremely suckarrific. You can spend 8 hours listening to the radio & hear the same what, 18, 24 songs (if you're lucky) repeated in the same mindless, numbing loop. Switch to a different station, and you'll probably catch the same set of songs, just in a different order.

Nothing again her personally, I'm sure she might be a nice person, but Fergie is one of the most prolific no-talent assclowns in my humble opinion. London Bridge, Fergalicious, My Humps, and the latest piece of shit song are just about unbearable. Back in the 80's Reagan & Co. used gems like "Achy Breaky Heart" to drive Manuel Noriega mad & out of his bunker. A constant diet of Fergie could drive me to suicide.

One unexpected gem I found living in the Lynchburg area has been NRN (WNRN) - New Rock Now. It's like the NPR of rock & roll radio, and I love it. A small sampling - their last five artists played include Bloc Party, Sparta, Papa Roach, U2, and Madina Lake. Not what you hear on WKRAP FM right now. I will miss it dearly when we move. If you have a chance, hit the "listen online" link. While at work & doing relatively mindless tasks I like to listen to Internet radio stations like Sky.FM, a streaming station you can get thru app's like the VLC media player, Winamp, etc. You can also listen to Sky online via their website. When I get bored of my CD & MP3 collection I can find solace or refuge here.

Part V
Life is better w/pets. I think that behavioral science has shown that human's blood pressure drops when a person pets a dog or cat. Christ, how many therapy dogs are there?! Endless proof there. Even though none of my dogs are therapy dogs per se, certified as such, they are therapy for me. I can't imagine my life or home w/out them. Dogs are in many ways the essence of love. That's really all they want, and they're willing to give it w/out end. They live in the moment, they forget the bad & are able to forgive w/out prejudice. I wish I could be more like my dogs. Speaking of which, I have a "Dog a Day" calendar on my desk at work, w/a different doggie pic & factoid, quote, or related story for each day. In the past couple of days was a plea for those of us that love purebred dogs to consider one dog of the breed of choice, and one mixed breed adopted from a shelter. I echo that plea: if you can find room in your heart & home for a dog, please consider a rescue, or a shelter dog. And when you see the little change trays at your grocery or convenience store for the local shelter, drop some change in. It'll make you smile on the inside, if not outside as well.

Closing Time
Well, it's time to sign off for now. Time to get a bit of exercise on the treadmill & watch a DVR'd episode of "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives". I hope everyone gets outside, gets some fresh air & enjoys the great Spring weather this weekend. Of course, I hope you have some great weather wherever you are! If you're lucky enough to own a convertible (I have a sunroof!), drop the top, get out & drive! Find some time to de-stress, decompress, let all the shit of the week roll off your back & flush from your mind, in your own place, your own way. Find your happy place, space out....Enjoy, appreciate yourself, the ones you love, the ones that love you, and the life you've got. Peace!