My dogs are crazy.

The small emergency backup dog (SEBD) has decided that burrowing under blankets is fun. The large main dog (LMD) sleeps in the bed with us and when the SEBD is under the covers, she "attacks" him. This causes the LMD to growl, snap and then leap off the bed. That is when the SEBD comes out from under the blankets and leaps off the bed so she can "frolic" with the LMD.

The big problem with all of this is that I get woken up by those two nutcases who think 2:00am is great time for playtime.

*

I was chatting with a very good friend of mine the other day and we got on the subject of the issues with Springfield.

My friend is a pretty bright guy. He is a lawyer for a large firm in New York and prior to that, he was a town manager for several towns in the eastern part of the state. Before that, he worked for Congressman Edward Boland. In other words, when he talks about cities and towns, he knows what he's talking about.

He said something to the effect of:

"Springfield constantly elects idiots for mayor. There is no reason that Springfield shouldn't be one of the nicest cities in the state of Massachusetts."

"Think about it - it has a major river running through it, it is at the intersection of two major highways and it is surrounded by some of the most beautiful sceanery in the nation. Why isn't it a thriving tourist/retail/business metropolis?"

"What Springfield needs is a professional city manager who understands how to take advantage of those benefits and turn that city into something good."

Like I said, he's a pretty bright guy. I'd say he's got it about 90% right. The other 10% of the problem is that the state government thinks the state ends at Worcester and all that's out here are rubes, rednecks and James Taylor at Tanglewood. For every tax dollar we pay, they send back sixty cents and as far as they are concerned, we should be pleased with that.

We kinda get screwed and it shows.

*

Here are some links:

• How is it that this guy hasn't been shot yet?



• If it's on the internet, it must be true!



• You gotta love dogs.