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Disclaimer: this blog is mine; the views expressed herein are mine & mine alone. They should not reflect on nor be attributed to my friends, family, or employer.

Part I
It's been a long time since my last blog entry, apologies to those that care, the middle finger to those that don't. I've been busy as hell w/my new job, taking care of the dogs, putting finishing touches on the house, and just enjoying life in general. I'm now totally back at home in Tampa Bay & enjoy living here again. Hard to believe Fall is descending on much of the US - watching footall over the weekend & seeing fans in stocking caps & medium weight jackets is weird, especially since it's virtually Summer here. One can sit outside clad only in shorts & work on the laptop, post to their blog & be absolutely comfortable. It's a bit cooler, high's are in the high 80's instead of high 90's, but it's still damn nice. Ah, life in FLA!

Part II
My last blog entry, which was rudely interrupted by some ill-timed keystrokes, contained a long rant against Michael Vick & his dog fighting indictment. We've all heard plenty about that, all that's left now is his sentencing, and of course the post-prison post-NFL suspension life for that asshole. I wish he'd get a decade in Hell for each of the dogs he so cruelly treated & murdered, but of course being a celeb & pro athlete he won't do more than 24 months. He'll lose millions owed back to the Falcons for breach of contractual clauses, and millions more in endorsements, never to be won back. His rep will be sullied forever, yet it's still not enough IMO. May his soul burn in hell, and may he get all that's coming to him, and then some.

Part III
Nothing terribly shocking on the political front, and I'm a bit dismayed at the lack of action from Cap Hill. Of course AG Alberto Gonzalez is stepping down - big shock there. About the only cronies left from Dubya's inner circle are Shotgun Dick, and Condi Rice. Guess they're gonna go down w/the ship & stick by the captain's side til the bitter end. As much as I'm sickened by political commercials airing well more than a year before the '08 election, at least the end of the Bush reign is in sight! And none too soon. Unfortunately, even once GW leaves the White House he won't take the horrifically ill side effects w/him, which we as a country will feel for years & years. He can't take the soiled US reputation & image, fiscal obliteration of our economy or gov'tal budget, nor the political or social dissension w/him on his way out the door. But at least he'll be gone! On the upside, whoever is the next President won't have a hard act to follow. They'd have to be a collosal fuck up to do worse that Dubya, that'd be a bitch to pull off. Anyone could look good following GW, fuck, Bozo the Clown w/Coco the sign-language-enabled Chimp would be a vast, marked improvement!

Part IV
A man (or woman) once said that "patience is a virtue", at least that's what my Mother told me. Unfortunately patience is NOT my strong suit, and waiting for what I so badly want is very hard for me. Even though deserving & worthy as I may be, it's still hard to wait around for what I want most. I guess that's true for most people, but it seems even harder for me. Another said "good things come to those who wait", I sure as hell hope that's true! Yet another: "nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is worth having". Yikes, cliches out the wazoo that make you think suffering & being left wanting is a good thing, character building they'd say! Meh.

Part V
On the sports note, my St. Louis Cardinals struggled & persevered thru most of the MLB season, despite a profuse spate of injuries they stayed w/in a game or 2 of first place until the past two weeks, when they chose a horrible time for a 7-game losing streak, and now are all but done. Oh well, they won the World Championship last season & we Redbird fans have next season to look forward to. And being in FLA I look forward to Spring Training across the state next year. The Tampa Bay Bucs lost their first game, but stomped the New Orleans Saints last weekend to pull even at 1-1. I'm hoping to head to RayJay stadium this weekend to catch the Rams game, and look forward to next year & having access to season tickets.

The world of sport has been rife w/cheaters as of late. The New England Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick was caught taping his opponent's defensive signals, and was subsequently fined $500K, his team $250, and they'll end up being docked draft picks in the '08 draft depending on their regular season results.

The McLaren Formula One team was found to have nearly 800 pages of confidential technical documentation belonging to their arch-rival Ferrari. As a result McLaren was fined $100MM, and left out of this year & next year's Constructor's Title race. Stiff penalties for Belichick (some might say not stiff enough), and certainly for McLaren. Their respective governing bodies were certainly aiming to make examples of both offenders. To quote an infamous ex-pro wrestler: "lose if you must, win if you can, but always cheat!" Just don't get caught...

Closing Time
Well, I've drained my brain for now. I hope everyone North enjoys the Fall & all the joys it brings. For a fleeting moment I'll miss the cool crispy Fall air, and the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains in Fall, but I will NOT miss temps that approach 30, snow, ice, etc. I'll take the tropics of FLA anytime! Til my next discourse, stay well, do the best you can, and live life!