The Red Brick Times

Seasons greetings to everyone and I hope your Christmas went as you hoped. As for me, well, I got a bit of a scare yesterday.

My backyard is completely enclosed by a six foot wooden fence which makes it convenient to let Niki (my dog) out and gives her room to run a bit. There are two gates in the fence both of which can only be secured from the inside. Problem is that once or twice every year somebody climbs over the fence then lets themselves out through one of the gates leaving it open. I don't know why they do this. Maybe they're casing the house, maybe they're just taking a shortcut between streets. The result is that I let Niki out then ten or so minutes later realize that I don't seen her anymore. Show her an open gate and it's adios amigo. It happened again yesterday. Oh shit oh dear. Out I go in the wind and rain wearing my jammies and slippers calling and calling. No Niki. I live on a cul-de-sac but half a block away is Poplar Street which can be pretty high traffic. I run back in and get some shoes on then go back out and start heading toward Poplar fearful of what I might see when I get there. But no! One of my neighbors, also with a fenced backyard, comes out to tell me that Niki wandered into their yard then the wind blew their gate closed and she couldn't get back out. Yup, there she was. Whew! So in a way, getting her back, I guess I did get a Christmas present this year.
Posted 4:59 AM by whatley (2) comments

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I'm glad you got Niki back. I know, I've been trying to spend all day in my jammies during break. I finally made it Saturday without putting pants on. WOW! It was a little cold getting the mail and filling the bird feeders, but worth it.

Happy New Year!!!

# posted by  Ray : January 03, 2010 8:25 AM
 
Kind of a circle of life thing. Glad you got her back. The kid that cuts our lawn keeps leaving the gate open. Murphy the golden retriever just runs to whatever neighbor is out. Still, scares the crap out of me when it happens.
Ray, like your goal of no pants. Mine is no socks. Had to make a small allowance to knee high hose when we had a cold snap down here - got to 38 degrees. Yikes!!
Finally got to put my sandals back on today.

# posted by  Terri S : January 14, 2010 8:17 PM
 
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Your tax dollars at work: Senator Inhofe flies to Copenhagen.
Posted 5:43 PM by whatley (5) comments

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Just goes to show ignorance (and greed) know no limits. Heinlein said (through the voice of Lazarus Long), "The only unforgiveable sin is willful ignorance."

# posted by  jeichenlaub : December 19, 2009 6:07 PM
 
A letter I sent to Sherrod Brown -
Senator Brown:
As a member of the Senate Ethics and Oversight Committee, please move to recover any public money spent by Senator Inhofe for his recent trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. I feel that his physical presence at the Climate Conference was neither necessary nor effective. Per existing reports, he delivered what amounted to a predictive guess and a unilateral declaration of futility to the 192 nations when he stated that the United States would "never pass a cap and trade." By not coordinating with US Chief Negotiator Todd Stern and by not acting in concert with the US House Delegation, he appeared to promote a personal agenda that is not in line with existing US Policy. While respecting his right to individual opinion, his personal message, whether text, audio or video, would have reached more people if delivered via electronic channels to world media outlets. His physical presence in Copenhagen was not required as a stage to release this statement. As such, please act to insure that the costs incurred by Senator Inhofe's trip to Copenhagen are covered by his personal finances and not paid from public funds.

# posted by  Andy : December 20, 2009 7:11 AM
 
Oh come on now. He was tired and cold.
Maybe he can relate to some other tired and cold people now. . .

# posted by  Terri S : December 22, 2009 6:05 PM
 
Mayhaps. And how are things going for you in the land of ice and snow?

# posted by  Andy : December 23, 2009 5:16 AM
 
Oh Andy, I just saw your post. To answer your question, beyond what I posted later on another thread regarding our 2.5 weeks of stupid cold, I am hanging in there.
Work has been a huuuuge headache. The republican bureaucrats on Tallahassee have been putting up barbed wire hurdles as I try to expand my program. I think the fact that Obama loves us is putting a target on our backs. Wish I were closer to retirement.

# posted by  Terri S : January 21, 2010 7:31 PM
 
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Laid off? Taken a salary cut? Benefits slashed? Well then, obviously, you're doing it wrong.

Bonus depressing factiod: Detroit once again leads the way and apparently the rest of the nation isn't far behind (Cleveland stats are about half way down). Our national leaders can't deal with this at the moment. That money is needed to fund infrastructure (and corruption) in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention these important projects.
Posted 6:15 AM by whatley (1) comments

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Now that the fat cats have re-stuffed their pockets they may have time, over their private country club dinners of course, to also consider these items: cancer screenings and hungry kids.

I'm on a bit of a rant here aren't I. Sorry. It just all seems so insane. I can't help but imagine what people a hundred years from now, after the U.S. has failed and broken up into smaller countries, will say about all this. "What the fuck? What were they thinking back then? Greed is greed, but damn!"

# posted by  whatley : December 13, 2009 6:02 AM
 
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Kiss Medicare and Social Security goodbye. Apparently we need those funds for Wall Street instead.
Posted 5:46 PM by whatley (3) comments

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FYI: Social Security and Medicare are keeping me alive right now. Without those two programs I would be one dead motherfucker. No shit.

# posted by  whatley : December 03, 2009 6:04 PM
 
Do you think Ben gets the irony of the comparison? Fed chief = bank robber. WTF???

# posted by  Terri S : December 03, 2009 8:27 PM
 
OUTRAGEOUS !!! ABSURD !!!
I sent emails protesting his 'insanity' and offering alternative 'entitlements': eliminate corporate subsidies and close preferential corporate tax loopholes.

My 'email' list:
Rep. Tim Ryan (D, OH-13)
Sen. Geo. Voinovich (R, OH)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D, OH)
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D, CT),Chair of the Committee
Sen. Richard Shelby (R, AL), Ranking member of the Committee
and, of course,
Pres. Obama.

This cannot be allow to stand.

# posted by  jeichenlaub : December 09, 2009 9:01 PM
 
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Pennsylvania local governments spent $4 million in taxpayer dollars to lobby state and federal governments to give them more taxpayer dollars. Which they can use to lobby for more taxpayer dollars.

But... I mean how... This can't... Oh fuck it. I give up.
Posted 9:24 AM by whatley (0) comments

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