Blogging on the dark side

I highly recommend a new blog by a very dear friend of mine. I've included a picture of him---> Beware the dark side, it's not just good advice, it's also a blog. His writing is thoughtful and he can do what all writers would like to be able to do, his writing "voice" is his voice. When I read his blog I hear his voice. That's a bit unfair, because I know him. Those who do not know him will get a sense of who he is by what and how he writes. And when you visit his blog, urge him to use moisturizer, he's gettin' a bit green and wrinkly.


P.S. Spell check wanted me to replace blogging with flogging. I love a spell check with a sense of humor.

Peace out!

Suge Knight was shot this past week, anybody surprised? Of course not. For me personally, it was a great source of entertainment. Here are some fun facts about the shooting and Marion "Suge" Knight. He was convicted in 1992 of assault and weapons violations and was placed on probation. In 1996 he was jailed for 5 years for violating probation after he and several associates, including Tupac Shakur, were recorded on videotape beating a gang rival at a Las Vegas Hotel. Hours after that fight, Shakur was fatally wounded as he was riding in a car with Knight. What a fun guy to party with! Now, on to the shooting at the MTV awards party. The shooter was described as a black male wearing a pink shirt, or maybe it was a pink male wearing a black shirt. It could be anything, nobody is talking. That was the only description police could get out of anyone! Black male, pink shirt, that's all. Here is a telling quote from Miami Beach police spokesman, Bobby Hernandez; "We don't have any physical description. We don't know how many subjects were involved, which is mind boggling with all those people around" Six shots were fired in the incident, only one striking Suge in the thigh. How's that for marksmanship! Shooting Suge in the thigh must have been like shooting a Hippo with a BB gun. Suge, get well soon, peace out!

Pat!.......... you are not helping

Katrina blows....through

The fine folks of the Gulf Coast region are having their mettle tested today. I am worried about my beloved New Orleans, especially the French Quarter. I honeymooned there, our friends, Rob and JoAnna, were married there. I am relieved to see that so far the damage is not as bad as expected. I simply could not even think about the French Quarter half gone by any means. I need my little aesthetically pleasing places in life. And most importantly, I spent a glorious week with my lovely wife in that cozy little corner of the world making our wedding official, wink, wink. I feel very selfish for rooting for the Quarter to be spared which means by default, someone else gets hit harder.

I am comforted by the fact that folks in that region define the word hardy, Katrina would have had to give it her best, which thankfully she didn't, to break their spirit. As I write this Katrina is now a category 2, 105 MPH winds, still nothing to sneeze at. Katrina is now on her way into my area, Northern KY., we are expecting several inches of rain and possibly some flooding. A minor inconvenience by comparison. Good luck! My wife and I will be sending you relief supplies on the first truck heading south.

He's not a sexist, He's Hungarian!

If you know any Hungarians, you will understand the title of this blog entry.
AFP/File - Sat Aug 27,11:53 AM ET A young woman wearing a mini skirt strolls through a crowded shopping district. Budapest district mayor Gyorgy Mitnyan has proposed a dress code for City Hall employees under which only women with 'pretty legs' can wear short skirts.(AFP/File/Wang Jun-Young) My father's first name, before he americanized it to George, was Gyorgy. Spell check tells me to replace Gyorgy with George, odd coincidence eh?

Tomatoes make me happy

Why do tomatoes make me happy? Well since you asked, they make me happy in a variety of ways. The first tomatoes of the year are a celebration. They make the finest first tomato meal of the season, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches, mmmmmmmm. Next, I get to see all my friends at the Boone County farmers market. Usually this is to supplement my tomato crop, but thanks to the local deer population, this year I don't have much of one (sad violin music playing in the background, faint sound of weeping). When the tomato crop really gets going, It's homemade salsa time (Latin music plays in the background, tears of sadness turn to tears of joy). I make my own salsa and we give away much more that we eat, which is a lot. I just made a new batch, probably about a gallon. At the risk of sounding immodest, people like my salsa. It makes me happy to make people happy with my salsa. It is one of the great joys in my life that I can make food that people like to eat.
Volunteers make me happy. For all you non-gardeners, a volunteer is a plant that sprouts up on it's own without any help from the gardener. Usually from seeds discarded in a compost pile or a leftover tomato tilled into the garden. This year's volunteer appeared in the compost pile in the side yard and is a wonderful, medium sized, full flavored yellow tomato.
Tomatoes are the essence of summer, they need the summer sun to ripen and the warm summer rain to grow. They make me happy, and I can use them to make other people happy. What more can you ask from this humble fruit?

Jane Fonda is bloodthirsty

Jane Fonda hasn't learned a thing. Greased up with a vehicle that runs on vegetable oil, she is on a tour protesting the war in Iraq. Hanoi Jane already has the blood of American soldiers on her hands and yet she seeks more. Her sanguineous journey will only result in motivating terrorists to continue their murderous attempts to convert the world to their version of Islam. Jane Fonda is quoted as saying "I have not taken a stand on any war since Vietnam", "I carry a lot of baggage from that" BAGGAGE! Only a completely self absorbed, spoiled, pampered celebrity can refer to her treasonous activity and classify it as "baggage". Under any other circumstances I would support her right to spew her normal, cloistered liberal silliness, but we have men and women in harms way so it's time for Jane to shut her trap. I have no way of knowing just how much of an effect her efforts are having to spur on our enemy, but there is no acceptable level of aid and comfort.

Peter Jennings

My condolences to the loved ones of Peter Jennings. Peter Jennings was an excellent announcer, smooth and handsome with a soothing voice. He had all the things you want in a lead anchor. I dabbled in some radio and television broadcasting and can honestly say he was one of the better performers. Having said that, he was also astoundingly bad at leaving his political opinion out of his news broadcasts. He was an excellent example of a unashamedly biased reporter/announcer. It is unfortunate that he allowed this to happen to his journalistic integrity because for many people on the right that is how he will be remembered. If this sounds like I'm attacking the man, that is not what I intend. I just think its a shame that a man this talented as an announcer would be so blind as a reporter. Either way, may he rest in peace.

Stuff hangin' off the shuttle

Anybody else worried that we are going to have another catastrophic failure of the Space Shuttle? I felt a little better when the space walk to repair strips of filler hanging off the tiled underside of the ship went without a hitch, but I'm still a little shaky. The Columbia and Challenger explosions are still fresh enough in my mind to keep me that way. These are truly brave women and men that risk their lives to conquer space. Good luck to them. Patsy and Aurthur will keep an eye out for you!