Interesting drive home

We drove up to Keene to go to the Keene Music Festival. My sons band was playing in it and we decided it would be nice if we showed our support.

They didn't need our support.....

Apparently they are quite the popular band with the youth of today. There had to be a couple of hundred people standing there, singing along with them while they played.

For those of you that don't know him, my son is the young man seated way over to the right with his green baseball cap on backwards. No matter how many times I point out the fact that he has his baseball cap on backwards, he never fixes it.

Kids....

*

On our way home, just as we got into South Deerfield, the skies opened up. And when I say they opened up, it was biblical. As in Noah and the Ark biblical.

Every driver on the road put their flashers on and pulled into the breakdown lane. It wasn't possible to see beyond the hood of the car and anyone that was insane enough to attempt to drive was hydroplaning all over the place.

After about 10 minutes, we all started moving again but only at about 30 mph. As soon as we got to Greenfield, the road was bone dry and we were able to continue on our way.

Weird weather we're having around here....

*

While I watch the Red Sox, you can click these links:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Day.



• Only an engineer would dream this up. I want one.



• Only in Florida.

It's baseball season, not football season.

The Red Sox took a loss last night but they still remain in first place in the AL East and tied with the Rangers for first in the American League.

Tonight they start a three-game series against the White Sox and hopefully they take all three because right after that, they go up against the Tigers.

The White Sox are currently the second-worst team in the American League and the Red Sox need to take advantage of that by winning all three games. The Tigers are the third best team in the American League, only half a game behind the Red Sox and the Rangers so the Red Sox can expect that they will face some pretty strong competition.

On the other hand, no team is as bad as the Huston Astros.

I hear you say, "But Steve, how bad can the Astros possibly be?"

Well, let me tell you, they are bad. They are so bad, the word 'suck' doesn't come close to describing how bad they are. They word 'crappy' doesn't come close to describing how bad they are. I would say that there are some phrases that might come close to describing how bad they are but this is a family website so I can't really say any of the phrases.

They are bad.

They are so bad that as of two days ago, they were eliminated in the the wild card race. They are currently 31 games behind the the leaders in the Wild Card race and there are only 29 games left in the season. Even if they won all 29 games and the current Wild Card leaders lost all 29 games, they would still be 2 games short when the season ends on September 30th.

I can't say that I ever recall a team being eliminated from a potential playoff slot prior to September 1st before.

*

These links were selected by our crack staff of link-selecting-monkeys:

• Alabama has a new state motto: "Yes, we are as dumb as you think we are."



• You gotta love Ozzy.



• Only in China (and also probably Florida)



• Researchers: Contributing to the betterment of our society or a complete waste of perfectly good oxygen? We report, you decide.



• Key phrase in this story: "...which can grow as big as rats and devour plants as well as stucco and plaster..."



• Sometimes it's not the story that is funny, it's the headline....



• Key phrase in this story that makes me say WTF!: "Black attempted to remove the cash with a toilet brush and tongs."

Have we invaded another middle-eastern country yet?

President Obama, his cabinet and the U.S. Congress are all contemplating doing something to the dictator in Syria. They are thinking about doing something because the dictator in Syria has changed over from blowing people up with explosive artillery shells to gassing people with chemical-filled artillery shells.

Here's a little history for you:

In 1966, Hafez al-Assad participated in a coup and overthrew the leadership of the Ba'ath party and he was appointed as the Syrian Minister of Defense. From 1966 until 1970, al-Assad participated in a power struggle against his friend and mentor, Salah al-Jadid. In 1970, al-Assad won the battle, overthrew his friend, arrested him and became the leader of Syria's military and, by default, the leader of the country.

He was, by all accounts, a brutal dictator who managed to stabilize the country by oppressing all dissent. For instance, when the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that is currently recognized as a terrorist organization, attempted to gain power in Syria, he ordered the military to resist them and they managed to kill between 10,000 and 40,000 of them. We here in the United States have only managed to kill 4,000 or 5,000 of them.

He also did other horrid things to the people of the country like changing the constitution to give woman equal rights and allow non-muslims the right to run for president.

For more than thirty years, Hafez al-Assad led Syria with an iron hand until his death in 2000. In 2000, his son, Bashar al-Assad, an eye doctor, took over from his father and became the leader of Syria.

Everything was pretty quiet and Syria continued to remain a bastion of stability in the region until 2011 when the so-called "arab spring" kicked into gear and a significant civil war broke out between al-Assad's government and a whole bunch of "rebel" groups. This immediately led to large numbers of reporters from NBC flooding the country and reporting on everything that the government was doing while downplaying what the "rebels" were doing. And by the way, the "rebels" are made up of primarily of the Muslim Brotherhood, whats left of the Taliban and whats left of the various al-queda groups.

So now, after more then 40 years of stability in the country of Syria, we are going to step in and help our sworn enemies (the taliban and alqueda) overthrow the leader. The end result is going to be a country that is ruled by religious nutcases who shoot little girls in the face for the heinous crime of going to school.

Tell me again why this is a good idea?

*

Here are some links you might be interested in:

• This is why we should not discourage those idiots who wear their pants down below their ass.



• Ahhh, young love is in the air....



• Key phrase in this story: "Alcohol is suspected."



• Key phrase in this story: "He had no explanation as to why squirrel hunting requires attaching marijuana to an arrow."

Yet another losing lottery ticket.

I bought a MegaMillions ticket yesterday on my way home. This morning I checked the winning numbers and I find that I failed to get even a single number.

I don't know why I buy lottery tickets. I never win anything. I might as well drive by the state house and throw dollar bills at our esteemed governor.

*

The Red Sox won last night by a lot when they beat the Orioles 11-1. And since the Rays lost last night, the Red Sox now hold a two and a half game lead in the AL East. And since the Tigers lost last night, teh Red Sox now hold a half game lead in the American League.

As I said the other day, I can't predict that the Red Sox will win the World Series. I can't predict that they'll win the League Championship Series. Hell, I can't predict that they'll win the Divisional Championship Series.

But you gotta admit they are looking pretty good and I'd be hard-pressed to point to another MLB team that has as good a shot as they do.

*

You might enjoy these:

• Still no sign of Al Sharpton expressing his outrage over this.



• Nope, Al Sharpton isn't here either.



• Maybe he was... Nope, no sign of Al Sharpton here.



• Okay, that's enough about Al Sharpton and his belief that only whites are racist.



• Oops.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• I'm not entirely sure this actually constitutes an "assault".

Back at work.

I managed to get myself moving this morning in time to get back to work after a nice five-day weekend. On my way home, I bought a MegaMillions ticket because, hey, for a chance at $69,000,000.00, I'll spend a buck or two.

You know those people that hit the lottery and then say, "I'm going to keep working!" Well, I'm not one of those people. If I hit the lottery, I will gladly retire and give my job to a youngster who needs a job.

It's the least I can do for my fellow man.

*

Can someone tell me why Syria is our problem?

Why are we getting involved over there? Is it because we think someone used a chemical to kill people instead of bullets and bombs? Is that why we are getting involved? Are we now saying it's okay to kill people one way but not another?

What makes the United States responsible for protecting those people from themselves?

And I would like to point out that "limited scope strikes" never work. Either target the leadership (government and military) with a massive assault or don't do anything at all. Limiting the scope of the attack simply leaves everyone with a pissed off dictator who thinks he now needs to prove his manliness.

Either stay out of it or go big. And "stay out of it" seems to be the better option.

*

You can click on these links. Or not. It's your choice:

• Oops.



• Some guys will try anything....



• Ouch!



• They really need to read their headlines before they post them.



• Only in Florida.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.

Back to work - tomorrow....

Today was another day off for me and I gotta admit that I'm kinda looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I miss working because I....

Just Kidding!

I don't miss working one bit. As a matter of fact, I've decided that I would make a great bum.

One of these days, I will be the best retiree ever. The Dog and I went for a couple of walks. We took a couple of naps. We played tug-o-war with his rope. Basically, it was good day for both of us.

I almost feel bad that my wife had to work....

*

The Red Sox are off today but the Rays weren't. And they got their ass kicked be the Royals.

The Rays lost to the Royals 11-1 today. This means the Red Sox now have a one and a half game lead in the AL East.

As long as the Red Sox keep winning and avoid the whole one game wild card playoff thing, they should do okay. Whether or not they'll make it into the World Series or even the LCS is yet to be seen but making it into the LDCS is a pretty damn good start.

*

Before I forget to tell you this, I saw a bear get hit by a Prius on I-91 yesterday.

We were on our way home from Keene and as we started out of Deerfield into South Deerfield when all of a sudden, every car in front of us lit up it's brake lights and slowed way down. We couldn't figure out why until we went another few hundred feet.

There, in the middle of the left lane, was a large, dead black bear. In the breakdown lane was a Prius with some pretty serious hood/bumper damage.

Here's my advice to you: If you happen to see a bear while driving down I-91, don't hit it. They're pretty damned big.

Also, if you happen to be driving a Prius down I-91, get the hell out of the left lane, you hippy. You're blocking everyone with your "the speed limit is 65 and that's what I'm going to do" attitude.

*

The only time I spent on the internet today was the half hour I spent looking for links for you to click on.

Here are those links:

• Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ty Michael Carter, the latest recipient of the Medal of Honor.



• Still no sign of Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson....



• Key entry from my favorite police log: "12:01 a.m. A dog on Ridgewood Drive barked for approximately 15 minutes."



• Only in Florida.

Not quite as long a day

Yesterday we took my daughter and all of her "stuff" up to Burlington, VT. For those of you who don't know where Burlington is, it's in Canada, near the north pole.

Maybe even past the north pole, in Russia.

Just kidding, it's in America but about as far north as you can go without actually being in Canada.

It's an eight hour drive for us - 4 hours up and 4 hours back.

She has so much "stuff" that it fills several cars so we loaded her car and my wife's car and headed up there around 8:00 or so. We got there around noon and started hauling her "stuff" into her room.

She is in a townhouse this year with three other young ladies. It's very nice with four bedrooms, a living room, a full kitchen and a dining area.

Then, we all drove back and reloaded her car with the last of her "stuff". We also loaded my son's "stuff" into my wife's car in anticipation of today's trip.

This morning, my daughter got into her car and my wife, my son and myself got into my wife's car and we all headed back north. Fortunately for us, my son is only in Keene, NH which is no where near Canada. As a matter of fact, it's practically in Massachusetts but it's not, it's in New Hampshire which is a state that believes it's citizens know what is best for themselves, unlike Massachusetts.

My daughter continued on her way back up to the north pole while we unloaded the car and my son and his friends all got together ad hauled his stuff up the three floors to his room. That was nice because I'm too old to be hauling shit up three flights of stairs.

He is in a dorm with 7 others which sounds crowded but it's not. There are four bedrooms, two students to a bedroom. They have two bathrooms, a small kitchenette and a living room. And here's the kicker - the dorm has central air. That's right, he is in an air conditioned dorm.

Apparently, my children live in comfort.

*

So now you know what I've been doing.

You might like these links:

• I have only one thing to say about this: Wow. Just, wow. Turn your sound up loud, stand up and take your damned hat off.



• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story: "They not only have the same rights as vehicles on the road but also the same responsibilities...."



• It's the old Donkey Coaxing defense.

Long Day = Short Post

Not much time today so you get nothing to click on and nothing to read.

Another day without work.

Don't get me wrong - I like what I do for a living and I like the company I work for but I like these days off even better.

*

So they found that coward, hassan, guilty of premeditated murder in the Fort Hood shootings.

He is trying to get the government to execute him because then he will become a martyr and get his 72 virgins.

I'm kind of hoping they put him in Leavenworth for the rest of his natural life and feed him only pork hot dogs.

*

Here are a few links:

• Where is the outrage?



• Do you know why republicans constantly look like complete idiots? Because they don't know when to shut their mouth. If this guy is right, the last thing he should be doing is talking about it. You never show your hand to your opponent. Ever. Moron....



• You gotta love these two.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal(s) of the Day.

I am not working.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I need to take some time off because I've got quite a bit left and if I don't use it by the end of the year, I lose it. And trust me, there is no way I want to lose it.

So I took today, tomorrow and Monday off. That gives me a nice five day weekend.

I think every weekend should be a five day weekend but I'm not in charge so I guess that isn't going to happen.

*

The Red Sox managed to step back into first place yesterday when they beat the Giants and the Rays lost to the Orioles. That gave the Red Sox a one game lead in the AL East and are currently in a three-way tie in the American League.

They need to keep winning. There are only 33 games left in their season and some of those games are gonna be tough. Other than two games against the Rockies in late September, they are playing the league leaders. As a matter of fact, 9 games are against the Orioles and 7 games are against the Yankees.

They need to keep winning if they want to make the playoffs.

*

You can try out these links if you  would like:

• Key phrase in this story: "En route to Clark County Detention Center, Chalala claimed she was having a heart attack..."



• Sorry Mr Constans but I think people like you should be pulled out of your cars, tasered repeatedly and left on the side of the road, twitching.



• First rule of thumb when building a flying machine: Never put your seat above the propellers.

College kids need bicycles.

My daughter, who is in her fourth year at college, took her bike up to school last year and found that it was pretty convenient for getting around campus. The bike suffered because it was left outside in the snow but it managed to survive and she got it fixed up for this upcoming college year.

Her brother, who is a second year college student, decided that having a bike would also be a pretty good idea. Unfortunately for him, his bicycle is in pretty rough shape. You see, he's far more of a daredevil than his sister and throughout his youth, his bike was used to jump small canyons, ford streams and careen off of trees and such.

So this evening we took his bike over to the guy who fixed my daughters bike (thanks Kevin) and he said that my sons bike was pretty much beyond repair. He did, however, have a nice rebuilt bike that my son decided was perfect for his needs (thanks again Kevin).

And so, my college children are now ready to return to their respective institutions of higher learnin' with full mobility capabilities.

*

As for my done-with-college child, he is doing just fine. He is settling into his new role at Beth Israel Hospital and slowly moving his belongings from his old apartment into his new apartment. He is a little confused by the whole "signing up for benefits" thing but I told him I would help him with that once he was ready.

It's nice to see that he is enthusiastic and happy about the whole thing. He has worked hard to accomplish all that he has and I think he has chosen a great place to start his career.

It's interesting being a dad who is watching his son change from a child into a friend. I like to think I was a good dad to my children and, having succeeded at that, I will try to be a good friend to them as well. It's nice to look back over the last few decades and say, "Damn, we did a pretty good job."

*

Here are some links you might enjoy:

• Key phrase in this story: "...the following event won't be recorded as their finest hour."



• Oops.



• Key phrase in this story: "Jackson, wearing jeans and a red sports shirt, declined comment to the Star-Banner while sitting in the back of a patrol vehicle."

Sometimes my mind wanders....

I'm sitting at my desk, looking at my coffee cup, when I started to wonder what its circumference was.

I broke out a ruler and measured the diameter, multiplied that by Pi and got a circumference of a little over 10 inches.

That got me to thinking about an old joke about how woman are terrible with distance because they've been told their whole lives that (hold up thumb and forefinger, spaced about 4 inches apart) this is 10 inches.

Then I got to thinking about a lot of old jokes and the old Rabbi joke rose to the surface: How did the Rabbi get paid after the bris? He didn't - he only took tips.

That got me to thinking about Al Franken and Saturday Night Live which led me to the conclusion that the people of Minnesota are idiots. Not only did the elect Jesse "The Body" Ventura as Governor, they went and elected Al Franken as Senator.

That immediately led me to consider the fact that while the people of Minnesota may be idiots, they aren't constantly electing corrupt thieves to political office like we are in Massachusetts.

All that from a coffee cup...

*

Enjoy these links:

• Only in Florida.



• Key phrase in this story: "I don’t think it’s unique. It’s something we’re starting to see nationwide" Why is it that when a white man kills a black man, the black community goes haywire but when a black man kills a black man or a white man, the black community is silent. Where is the outrage over this?



• While they don't say so, I'm going to assume that alcohol was involved.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal Of The Week.

He shouldn't have done it.

The New York Yankees management should stop talking about Alex Rodriguez. As a matter of fact, if I were the owners. I would release a memo to all members of the Yankee management team that says:

Effective immediately, no member of the New York Yankees organization other than Joe Girardi is allowed to speak to the media about Alex Rodriquez. If a member of the media approaches you and asks any questions at all about Alex Rodriquez, you are only allowed to say that Alex Rodriguez is the current third baseman for the New York Yankees and his manager is Joe Girardi.

The Yankees have allowed this situation to spiral out of control and it's effecting everything going on in the MLB. Also, if I were a major league ball player, I would never want to play for the Yankees. If they'll throw a 12-time All Star, 3-time MVP and 10-time Silver Slugger under the bus, I would imagine they'll throw anybody under the bus. It's hard to be your best in a team sport when the team isn't willing to support and back you.

Having said that, Ryan Dempster should be suspended by MLB for his blatant attempt at injury to Alex Rodriguez. If the MLB doesn't suspend him, the Red Sox should. If someone who is capable of throwing a baseball at 90 miles per hour decides to intentionally throw that baseball at someones body, that should constitute assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

And putting the whole "A&B with a dangerous weapon" thing aside, Dempster basically lost the game when he did it. He fired up the Yankees and inspired them to play beyond their capability and he made his teammates afraid to step into the batters box for fear of getting hit in retribution.

Plain and simple - The Red Sox should have won that game and they would have if Dempster hadn't thrown the baseball at Rodriguez.

*

Here are some links:

• Not only is alcohol involved but, and this may come as a shock to some of you, it's also in Florida.



• This looks like it would be fun.



• Meanwhile, over at the Welfare Dept, there are hundreds of dead people signing up for their tenth year of "transitional assistance" without so much as a state worker asking to see some kind of ID....



• If you call 911 because your cable is out, the police should be allowed to come to your house and taser you.

And then there were two

My eldest has returned to his place in Boston to begin working for a living. He also has two weeks to move from his current Mission Hill apartment to his new apartment in Malden.

I understand he has wrangled his buddy Nick to help him move which is good by me because I don't really want to haul stuff down from his current third floor apartment and then up to his new third floor apartment.

They are young and strong, let them do it.

*

Since we didn't get home from the airport until midnight last night, I'm tired.

While I try to stay awake long enough to watch at least two innings of baseball, you can click these links:

• Key phrase in this story: "...going to my apartment ... no, a hotel somewhere around the Mall of Georgia to meet Jesus."



• How are these two not the latest winners of the Darwin Award?



• No wonder registrations are up. Who wouldn't want to go to that college.

Everyone is alive and well.

Our offspring are all safe and sound.

They all survived their two-week stint in the mountains of New Mexico where apparently there are elk and rattlesnakes and such. Fortunately for us, they didn't bring home any elk or rattlesnakes, just lot's of dirty clothes and New Mexico dirt.

*

The Red Sox lost to the Yankees last night but they won today. This means they are still in first place.

They are experiencing some issues of late with leaving men on base and not stepping on home plate enough. Hopefully they have overcome that minor slump and they will continue winning.

Still, like I said, it's been a hell of a season for the Red Sox and I'm hoping to see them playing in October. Hell, I'm hoping to see them playing in the World Series. As a matter of fact, my ideal World Series match-up would be the Red Sox playing the Pirates.

That would be a great series to watch.

*

Enjoy these links:

• Good old Beezow Doo-doo Zopittybop-bop-bop went got himself arrested again.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• In the first place, you don't need an app for that, just a ruler. In the second place, Mr. Checker should have known this would happen soon.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.

When will we start minding our own business.

Key phrase in this story: "...participating in democratic elections was strictly for suckers."

To a certain degree, he is correct. The people of Egypt, at the urging of the United States, conducted a democratic election. They elected a President and put him into power.

After a year, he started to make some changes that riled a few people and before we knew it, they arrested him and tossed him in jail.

There are a lot of people that don't like President Obama and I'm sure that if they could, they would love to arrest him and throw him in jail but the bottom line in all of this is that he was elected President and we are all obligated to stand by him.

In the middle-east, that isn't true and this is far from the first time that a duly-elected leader has been overthrown.

Maybe we should just stay the hell out of middle-eastern politics. We may not like the religious form of government they seem to like but it seems to me that whenever we get involved, in even the smallest way, it all goes to hell pretty quickly and they inevitably end up blaming us.

We need to learn to shut our pie-holes and let people do what they want to do. We should never have involved ourselves in the so-called "arab spring". As a matter of fact, I predicted back when this all first started that things wouldn't go well for anyone once they started overthrowing their dictators.

Those people need dictators like Ghaddafi or Khadafi or Qadafi or whatever... It's the only kind of government they understand.

*

I'm going to scream at my television while watching the Red Sox.

Again.

While I do that, you can visit these links if you are so inclined:

• When you say Budweiser, you've said it all.



• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminals of the Year.



• Key phrase in this story: "...they approached the cage marked 'African lion' and the beast started barking instead of roaring."

Maybe it was a superficial suicide.

The key phrase in this story is: "...a correctional officer told him that Alemany's wounds from the suicide attempt were superficial."

I have one question for his attorney: Who, exactly, is saying. "Alemany has a long history of serious mental illness"?

If Alemany's attorney, John Denner, is the one saying that he has a long history of mental illness, I would like to see his doctorate degree. You know the degree I'm talking about. The degree that proves Mr. Denner has the education to determine if someone has a mental illness.

If Mr. Denner doesn't have a degree that proves he is capable of determining if someone has a mental illness then he should either shut up or provide the prove because as far as I know, the only one who thinks Edwin Alemany has a long history of mental illness is John Denner.

As for Alemany's suicide attempts, the first one was him trying to pull his stitches out of his hand and the second one was him scratching his neck. Neither one of those constitutes a suicide attempt.

A suicide attempt would be if Alemany ran as fast as he could face-first into a brick wall. Then, after that failed, he could stand on the bed and jump as high as he could and dive face-first into the floor. And after those two attemtps failed, he could find a fellow prisoner named Bubba, call him sweetie, kiss him full on the lips and ask him if he liked being on the bottom...

Those would be suicide attempts.

What Alemany did, are, at best, a ruse designed to convince everyone that he isn't responsible for his actions.

Edwin Alemany is a clever and intelligent piece of shit who is looking to avoid a lifetime stint at MCI-Walpole (Or, as our happy, fluffy, hippy society likes to call it, "Cedar Junction") by acting the part of someone with a mental illness. His attorney is looking for someone other than Alemany to blame for this and he is trying to convince us that Amy's murder is the result of a failure of the state to properly treat Edwin Alemany's alleged mental illness.

It's one thing to provide someone with their sixth amendment right "to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence" but it's an entirely different thing when that defense consists of lies and half-truths.

Someone needs to make sure Mr. Denner answers for his lies.

*

The Red Sox lost last night. Despite my sage wisdom giving them the ability to tie the game in the ninth inning, it wasn't enough to compel them to win the game in the tenth inning.

They should not be losing to the Blue Jays. They should be winning.

I hope this is not the start of a delayed post-all-star collapse...

*

Here are some links you can visit:

• Only in Florida (and on the MassPike).



• I want one of these.



• Only in New York City.



• I really hope someone posts a video of this.

It's not that the Red Sox keep winning...

...it's that everyone else keeps losing.

They are now 4 games ahead of the Rays in the American League East and it's not because they keep winning. The Rays are on a losing streak right now which is giving the Red Sox a nice lead in the division.

That could all change tomorrow so the Red Sox need to start winning again. They won last night but only after 11 innings and that was against the Blue Jays, the worst team in the division. They can't do that. They should win those games by a significant margin and it should only take them 9 innings to do it.

Hopefully tonight goes better for them and I don't stress as much.

*

While I provide the Red Sox with my sage baseball wisdom via my special coaching TV, you can click on these links:

• ObamaCare - Turns out it's not quite what they thought it was.



• Key phrase in this story: "...banning grills in restaurants just because cooking fumes contain carcinogens"



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• Only in Florida.



• Is there anyone out there who thinks this guy is ever going to do anything to contribute to our species? Anyone? Anyone?

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

The other day I said that the Red Sox would be travelling to "St. Petersburg, Florida to play the Rays."

This is wrong. They are in Toronto to play the Blue Jays.

What can I tell ya... Rays, Jays, they all look the same to me.

*

There is a new scam email floating around that involves undelivered packages.

Notice the small box to the right of the "Print mailing Label" button. That is what pops up when I placed my pointer over the button.

I'm pretty sure that "occupationalwellness.net" is not a FedEx website.

If you get an email telling you that someone was unable to deliver a package that you never ordered, ignore it.

*

Here's a few links:

• Presenting this episodes Brilliant Criminal of the Week.



• You have got to love dogs.



• It's what dads do for their kids....

Once again, the Perseids are a bust for me.

I went outside at 2:00 this morning to see if I could spot any Persieds flashing across the sky. Unfortunately for me, the clouds had other ideas.

This is the fourth or fifth year that the sky above my house has been cloud covered when I go outside to look for the meteorites. I just can't catch a break on those things.

Back in 1987, I was working nights at WNEC (No, I can't bring myself to call it WNEU. My degree says WNEC and that's what it will always be.) and I was treated to a full 5 or 6 hours of one of the best showers the Perseids have put on in a long time. They were flashing across the sky every few seconds and every few minutes there was a popper that ended with a bright flash.

I guess it just goes to show that you can't relive your glory days...

*

Try as he might, Whitey Bulger just couldn't overtake Albert DeSalvo and his 13 murders.

Whitey was found guilty on 11 murders, making him Massachusetts second most prolific serial killer.

Unless of course you believe he was guilty of all the murders. In that case, he is Massachusetts most prolific serial killer with a total of 19 murders.

*

Try these links:

• Key phrase in this story: "I'm a single mom, I have fraternal twins on the way and I have a 1-year-old, and you know, the economy's hard and stuff nowadays."



• And this, my friends, is what socialized medicine does - it looks for ways to cut costs.



• I bet this kind of thing happens all the time in Chicago.

It's Sunday and I'm lazy.

We got a lot of stuff done around the house yesterday so today was a true day off for me.

I took The Dog for his walk, or as he likes to call it, The Daily Sniff and Pee. Trust me, if it's vertical, he sniffs it and then pees on it. Telephone poles, fire hydrants, weeds growing along the road, small stationary animals, it doesn't matter. He sniffs it and then pees on it.

After that, I prepped dinner for tonight. We'll be enjoying portabella mushrooms with crabmeat stuffing and roasted vegetables.

I've noticed that when the kids aren't around, we eat a lot healthier.

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So the Red Sox managed to win last night but lose today. They continue to maintain first place in the ALEast but like I said the other day, they sure picked a bad time to stop hitting the ball.

If the Rays win tonight, they'll cut the Red Sox lead to two games.

Tomorrow, the Red Sox are off while they travel to.....

....St. Petersburg, Florida to play the Rays.

This should be an interesting series.

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You might like these links:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• It turns out that Canadians are kind of insane.



• Only in Florida.



• Dave Barry once claimed that there was gigantic "weirdness magnet" buried under Florida. He might be right.

Busy day.

I had to go to a wake for my friends sister this morning. She passed away quite suddenly and she was the second sibling to die in the last year.

I said to one of her sisters, "You've had a tough year, God love ya." Her reply was, "I don't think he likes us very much..."

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I took my mom out to lunch today.

She really likes those Friendly Fishamajigs.

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If you don't think this is funny, go see a doctor because your brain is broken.

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Here are some links for you:

• Yes, alcohol was involved. (Watch the video)



• Key phrase in this story: "I couldn’t tell her there was a bear in the house because she would have just lost her mind. She gets very upset over spiders."



• Only in Florida.

Attention Red Sox:

You have picked a poor time to stop hitting the ball. You only have a two game lead and if you aren't stepping on home plate more than the other team, you will lose that 2 game lead and end up in a fight for the wild card.

please start hitting the ball and stepping on home plate.

Thank you for your attention.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program.

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So it was kind of a long day and I really don't want to do anything but watch the ball game and fall asleep early.

How about we just look at these links:

• Only in Florida.



• And Boston weeps....

Can anyone stop the Braves?

The Braves are on a 13 game winning streak and they are tied with the Pirates with the best record in the MLB. Right now, they appear to be unstoppable and in the NL East division, they are fifteen and a half games ahead of the second place Nationals.

That's a hell of a lead.

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Back in the American League, the Red Sox are now two and a half games ahead of the Rays in the AL East and 1 game ahead of the Tigers in the AL. If they keep playing the way they are playing, they should be able to hold on to the top slot.

Tonight they are in Kansas to play the Royals and Lester is pitching. He hasn't been having the best time of it in his last two starts but then again, the Royals haven't been playing all the great. Hopefully he can hold up for 6 or 7 innings and the Red Sox walk away with a win.

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The links I found are here:

• This kind of spewage is why I dropped my subscription to Scientific American.



• Only in Los Angeles....



• Key phrase in this story: "...he brought a copy of the father's obituary with him when he went to Williams' house to arrest her."



• I hope he catches her (or him).



• WHAT?!? What the he;ll is wrong with The Sun?

I need a vacation.

I was looking at my available vacation time today and I have 5 weeks left to take. I have to take 4 of those weeks before the end of the year or I will lose them.

I guess I should think about taking some time off.

Soon.

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Here's an interesting story out of Boston.

Allow me to summarize:

1. She is driving a 2006 Cadillac DTS.
2. She says she is from Haiti so she is probably not a U.S. citizen.
3. She is on welfare and has her own EBT card.
4. She is also in possesion of EBT cards that were issued to other people.
5. She has enough money to go to "Boston clubs" on a regular basis.
6. Her license has been suspended ten times in the last nine years.

Did she steal those EBT cards from the other people? If those people were issued EBT cards, they must need them so I assume they didn't just give them to her. Ergo, she must have stolen them.

I drive a 10 year old Volvo. How can she afford a Cadillac DTS if she is on welfare? I can't a afford a Cadillac DTS.

Since you can't get a drivers license in Massachusetts until you are 16 years old and she is only 25 years old, I assume she's only been driving for nine years. In that nine years, her license has been suspended 10 times. I've been driving eight times longer than she has and I've never had my license suspended.

She claims to have a 5 year old child yet she was out drinking until 3:00 in the morning. Who is watching that child?

All of this leads me to ask one question: What is a 25 year old woman doing on welfare?

If she has time to go clubbing in Boston, she has time to get a job and work for a living like the rest of us.

And I'm not even going to bring up the "dumb (expletive) for paying for food when she gets it for free" line because she's right.

We are dumb (expletive)'s and the people on welfare are the smart ones. They don't have to work, they stay out all night partying and they get cash-filled debit cards to use however they want. Then, when the cash is drained from the cards, they use the food stamp portion of it to purchase goods that they ship out of the U.S. to be sold at cut-rate prices in foreign markets.

I'm betting that Howie Carr is having a verbal heart attack over this...

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You can click on these links if you would like:

• Only in New York City.



• This is what is known as a "third-world problem".



• This guy should probably just stay home from now on.



• Key phrase in this story: "Damage to the SUV was estimated at $1"

I am, as always, the proud dad.

My eldest has passed all of the required tests and is awaiting the arrival of his license from the state.

Well, actually, he's not waiting for anything.

He's with his siblings in New Mexico hiking through the mountains so I guess it's really just his mother and I that are awaiting the arrival of his license.

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Here are some links:

• Key phrase in this story: "The Raiders are favored by Allah."



• Only in Florida.



• Tell me again why law-abiding citizens shouldn't be allowed to carry guns?



• If you ever meet Frank Corti, you should probably treat him with respect.

Another beautiful day.

I took a walk after lunch today and I gotta admit that it was hard to go back into the office.

Today is one of those days that keeps me living in New England.

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The Red Sox are still a game ahead of the Rays in the AL East and they are tied with the Pirates for first place in the MLB. The Red Sox and the Pirates are the only two teams above .600 with The Braves and the Rays only a game or two below .600.

This means that there is some pretty damned good baseball being played right now.

And speaking of baseball being played, seems that several players have been suspended for the remainder of the season because they just can't stay away from the stuff. Actually, they have been suspended for 50 games which is pretty much the end of the regular season. One or two of them may have to miss the first game of next season or, if their team makes into the post-season, the first game or two of the playoffs.

Alex Rodriguez, however, ended up with a 211 game suspension which equals the rest of this season plus all of next season. He will appeal the decision and play during the appeal but I don't think his teammates are going to be happy with him playing.

Let's face it, the man is a first-class jerk but he's still the best third baseman the Yankees have and they need him if they want to even think about a possible post-season shot.

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Here are some links:

• Seriously?



• Give the man a break. It's a stupid rule in the first place and, hey, it's not like it was some little boy...



• This made me laugh out loud.



• Here's your Naked Guy In The News story.



• If you ever think to yourself that your family might be a little screwed up, just read this.

Welcome to Boston Mr. Peavey

Jake Peavey did a great job in his first outing as a member of the Red Sox and the Red Sox managed to take last nights game against the Diamondbacks. This gave them a one game lead in the American League and a second-best ranking in all of Major League Baseball.

Today's game was also a victory for the Red Sox. Unfortunately, the Rays also won. If they had lost, the Red Sox would have a one and a half game lead.

Oh well.

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So now that I'm done watching the Red Sox, I can go find some links for you.

Here they are:

• Some people shouldn't be allowed to have guns or mace.



• I'm pretty sure that if you can be assaulted by whipped cream, you are the worlds biggest pansy and should just lock yourself in your house.



• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Sucks to be him. I don't have to hear it to have one....

Man, I'm still tired.

After driving my children around at 3:00 in the morning the other morning, I'm still in a zombie-like state of mind. I need a nap.

Then again, I need a nap every day.

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I stopped and talked to my neighbors this afternoon. They had just returned from a trip out to Boston to retrieve their daughters belongings. It's the saddest thing imaginable but they are strong people with a strong family.

I asked how Amy's roommates were doing and Cindy told me that the landlord had hired a mover and moved them all to another apartment at his expense. The landlord had also provided Cindy and Dennis with everything they needed to move Amy's belongings.

That's a hell of a nice landlord.

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Jake Peavey is making his first appearance as a Red Sox this evening and I'm hoping things go as well as I think they will.

The guy knows how to throw a baseball.

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I found this picture today and it made me laugh.

You gotta love dogs.

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Here are a couple of links for you to enjoy:

• Yes, alcohol was involved.



• Only in Florida.

Long Day = Short Post.

Our day started at 3:00 this morning when we all got up and got moving. My three offspring are off on another one of their adventures and they needed to be at the rally point by 4:00am.

I believe that as of this moment, they are in the state of New Mexico.

I believe that as of this moment, I am in the state of mental confusion because I'm so tired I'm having trouble reading what I'm typing.

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I think I'll leave you with these few links while I watch the Red Sox and fall asleep in my recliner:

• And the winner of The Father Of The Year Award is....



• I'm betting the SyFy channel had something to do with this....

They are people of extraordinary grace and dignity.

That is what the Suffolk County DA had to say about the Lords when he announced that they are charging that piece of shit Alemany with first degree murder.

I've known them since they moved into the neighborhood 15 years ago and I can assure you that yes, the Lords are most certainly people of extraordinary grace and dignity.

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I'm a little disappointed that the Red Sox traded Jose Iglesais to the Tigers but I understand why they did it. I'm disappointed because he was fun to watch and he made playing the infield look easier than anyone I've ever seen. Including Derek Jeter.

But, I'm only a little disappointed because the Red Sox are fully loaded on the left side of the infield. They have Drew at short and four kids that play third base/shortstop better than I ever did.

They called up Holt to platoon with Snyder but they still have Middlebrooks in Pawtucket and Bogarts in Portland. That is a pretty impressive collection of talent for third base/shortstop.

I'll continue to pay attention to Iglasias and I'll miss his style of play but I'm pretty sure I'll really appreciate the Red Sox having Peavey in the rotation. He's a pretty good pitcher.

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You can look at these websites or go find some of your own. Your choice:

• Pffftttt... Rednecks....



• Only in China.



• They used to do the same thing to us when we were in junior high.