My collective impressions of the new controls.

Tomorrow morning I'm going fishing for stripers (stripahs) and blues in Vineyard Sound with 5 of my friends.

We have a rule that states you can't drink any of the beers until you catch a fish. Last time we went we were all drinking by 7:15am.

Tomorrow: A mainly sunny sky. High 66F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.

For some reason, I woke this morning with the theme to that classic early 80's TV show "The Greatest American Hero" in my head. (You know, Believe it or not, I'm walking on air...). Who knows why or how these things happen.

Well anyway, one of the things I had to do at work today was drive too many miles out of my way to go address a simple printer problem that one of my VIP-level users was having.

Before I got there the user had printed out a test page to illustrate the problem she was having, something to do with the font and the colors, blah blah blah. After listening to her explain the problem for what seemed like an eternity, she finally showed me the page she printed.

Much to my surprise, and I really did not make this up, printed on the test page she handed me was the lyrics to "Believe It Or Not" by Joey Scarbury. (Yes, Twilight Zone music did in fact fill the room.)

So Sen. John Kerry has now retracted his idea about delaying his official nomination and decided that it would be best if he accepted the Democratic nomination at the Fleet Center this July 29th in Boston. Big shock. Maybe the Fleet Center needs a temporary name change for that week.

Trey Anastasio just announced that Phish will break up after their summer tour ends in August:

"For the sake of clarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was our last attempt to revitalize ourselves. We're done."

All of you out there who don’t drive or work in or around Boston probably don’t give a crap, and rightly so, but for all of us who do fall into that category the news surrounding the Democratic National Convention to be held here July 26-29 just keeps getting better and better.

The Secret Service designated the DNC to be held at the Fleet Center a "national special security event". Therefore, all of the primary highway and rail arteries in and around Boston, including bridges and tunnels, will be completely closed from 4pm until after midnight during all four convention days. 200,000 vehicles use I-93 on a daily basis.

I’m sure I don’t have to explain the problem this poses, just think about what would occur if this "inconvenience" was to happen where you live.

Last month, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office said the event would pour $154 million into the city. Now he has advised Boston commuters to telecommute or vacation during the convention to reduce the traffic headaches. How are we supposed to rake in this $154 million if all the workers are either on vacation or stuck in traffic?

Economists say the reduction in the work force, losses to area tourism, retail, and eating establishments, plus lost productivity for workers tied up in colossal traffic jams will add up to a huge negative impact on metropolitan Boston and its economy. Their conservative estimates of the loss range from $34.3 million to $49.8 million for the week.

Now the latest word is that Sen. Kerry may not actually accept the nomination until after the Boston convention in order to boost fund raising.

So we will be practically shutting down the entire metro Boston area and costing the city and state millions of $$ for a Kerry-Kennedy Democratic Party pep rally?

Kerry’s little announcement yesterday immediately raised many legal questions - including whether the "national special security event" designation will be lifted and if the DNC committee would be wrongly spending taxpayer dollars on the event.

A spokesman at the Federal Election Commission said money can be spent only for "nominating conventions" which is defined as meetings by major political parties that "choose" a nominee.

The Democrats have every right to have a convention, and Boston is a great place to have it, but why can't they hold the DNC at the brand new convention center on the South Boston waterfront???

Personally, I’m not sticking around that week. I’ll keep an eye on events from afar and hope my apartment isn’t looted and/or burned to the ground in the ensuing riots that break out.

...


On a side note, am I the only one who finds it odd that the band Boston (cover of their multi-platinum debut album at start of this post) did not include a show in the city of Boston in their 2004 tour? The closest they come is Augusta, Maine. I noticed that the band Kansas has booked several shows in the state of Kansas on their 2004 tour.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)



What the hell is going on on this picture??

NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning May Offer Free Beer

TAMPA, FL (Reuters)-- The Tampa Bay Lightning is hoping to tap into larger crowds by offering unlimited free beer to season ticket holders.

But the sudsy sale may not reach its goal if safe-driving advocates have their way.

Police and several area chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving say the hockey team's offer is irresponsible.

"Why attach alcohol to a season-ticket plan? It's almost encouraging people to drink more than they should because it is free," said Sgt. Chris Velar, who runs the Police Department's drunken driving squad.

During the first Eastern Conference playoff game between the Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday, the St. Pete Times Forum's main scoreboard advertised the offer. Those who paid $100 toward 2004-05 season tickets were eligible for unlimited free beer during the game.

About 25 of the 21,000 people at the game signed up for season tickets, said team spokesman Bill Wickett.

People who are already intoxicated aren't served beer and free taxi rides are provided to patrons who believe they have had too much to drink, Wickett said.

Season tickets cost start at around $2000. Let's say that a beer costs $5 (and that's on the low side). Not counting the playoffs, each team plays 41 home games. That means you spend $48.78 each game for a ticket just to get in the door. Now if you drink 10 free beers ($50 if you had to pay) you could actually come out ahead in the deal. Of course 10 beers would probably prohibit you from actually remembering the game itself.

They also don't say what brand of beer is handed out for free. My guess is that it's not anything like Heineken, Harpoon, or Sam Adams. Maybe Schmidt's could get some nice PR out of this.

So we took possession of a Betta fish this weekend. We also gained a lily plant. They happen to cohabitate in the same vase. Apparently this is not uncommon.

Betta fish are also called Siamese Fighting Fish. I’m not sure if lilies have another name.

I hope Betta Fish food does not break my bank account. I’m pretty sure I can still afford the water for the lily (and the fish).

The fish/plant duo has spent the last week or so living in a predominantly old-school Italian household. I wonder if it has rubbed off on them at all.

Betta fish are sold on eBay. I didn’t know they allowed the buying and selling of living animals:

Live Animals
Other than the exceptions noted here, eBay does not allow sales of live animals or pets on eBay. eBay permits sales of tropical fish and snails, provided that the seller guarantees in the listing that the animals will be packaged safely and shipped via next day delivery. eBay also allows sales of lobsters, crabs and other similar items that are live when sold but intended for human consumption, as well as live insects, crickets, and worms used as bait or feeder food for pets.

They’ve got a whole list of what animals (and animal parts) can or cannot be listed on eBay right here.

Due to several obscene and very ugly comments (and the downright nastiness of some people out there) I have removed the post that was here.

Here's what I said (if you missed it):

Torture bad. But it happens. And will continue because of one fact: It gets results.

WHOA. What a shocker!!

I totally didn't see that curve-ball coming at the end of 'Friends' last night!

I can't believe she got off the plane! WOW. Must see TV indeed.

My ending:
Rachel calls Ross 'a sad f#$%ing loser' right to his face, knees him in the groin, and then gets on the plane for Paris.

...and for the 10 millionth time I ask the question:

Why am I a fan of the Boston Red Sox ???

(silently shaking my head in disgust at their recent performances)

Lori is no longer the Boss of Me.

In a close 7-6 vote held last night in our kitchen, members of Lori’s Cabinet voted to remove her from office pursuant to the 25th Amendment, on the ground that she is no longer fit to exercise her authority as the Boss of Me.

The Secretary of Coffee & Cusinart Services has resigned in protest.

Therefore, I myself shall immediately assume all the powers and duties as the self-governing Boss of Me.