Remember

At Arlington National Cemetary, 320,000 veterans lie at peace. Do not think of them in the abstract. They were sons, husbands, fathers, daughters, wives and mothers. For each stone marker, somewhere, there is a broken heart and lost dreams. These men and women gave everything they had and would ever have to guarantee that those remaining behind would remain free.

There are names that I recognize on these markers and those in other national cemetaries - Vic Driscoll, lifeguard and athlete, among the first to fall in Vietnam; Mike McAinich, classmate and fellow Scot, also killed in Vietnam; my great-uncle, Garland Baldwin, gassed in WWI, the war to end all wars; Ed Chittenden, who survived the Bataan death march in WWII.

As we celebrate the beginning of summer, we should stop and remember those who fell and pray for those who are still at risk in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let the dead rest in peace, their job well done. And let the living come home soon, to live out their dreams.

Well, as it turned out, I do have a little down time today. This place is nowhere near Mouseland. It is directly adjacent to Universal Studios Islands of Mystery, etc. I can see the rides and stuff out my hotel window but the building is well enough insulated that I can't hear the screams.

The tiny bit of child that is still alive in me wants to rush over there and ride everything I see. I don't really like roller coasters or anything that takes you high and drops you fast but I can't help but feel a little wistful as I think of days of yore when I would kill to go someplace like that. Getting older has it privledges but it can be a bitch, too. I hope all of you with younger children can take them someplace like this before they get too old to be seen with Mom and Dad. I know that it costs an arm and a leg but I think that the memories may be worth it.

Land of Many Mice

Well, I am off to Orlando tomorrow for a trade convention. It will be hectic so I don't know if I will have time to post while I'm there. It's at the Universal Royal Pacific Hotel, which sounds pretty swanky. I like the city of Orlando. The downtown area has a section of little shops and restaurants done in bright tropical colors that is pretty cool. I can leave the tourist areas, though. The whole place smells like mice to me, with Mickey lurking on every corner. Which reminds me of a joke:

Mickey Mouse filed for divorce from Minnie Mouse. When they went to court, the judge asked Mickey and his attorney to approach the bench. "Mr. Mouse," the judge said, "It says here that you want to divorce your wife because she is crazy. Is that correct?"

"Oh, no, your honor," replied Mickey. " I want to divorce her because she's fucking Goofy".

Have a great week.

I guess I've gone long enough without posting some new pics of my great-grandaughter so here are some.

Happy Mother's Day

Yes, I know it's a Hallmark holiday but we should have a special day to be especially nice to our moms and our spouses that are mothers to our children. The day is a bit bittersweet to me as my mother passed away May 21. 1999. I think about her a lot during this month as we were very close. We were really good friends as well as relatives. I pray for her soul every Sunday at Mass and will do so again tomorrow although I am certain she is in a better place/

Anyway, I will be grilling some USDA Prime New York strips that cost me a bit with big baked pototos and a good salad, celebrating the day with my wife and MIL. I hope you all have a great day

What Next?

Once upon a time, in the business world, there were meetings. In these meetings, many people got into a room. mouthed platitudes such as "We must think outside the box" and "We must act synergistly". Then they went forth from the meeting, charged up and ready to make the world safe for surety bonds or whatever it is that the company dealt with.

Then, a wise man thought, "These meetings cost money. We have to bring in many people from many locations, reserve rooms at the Red Roof Inn and let them biggie size their meals at McDonalds. There must be a better way". And, thus, the conference call was invented. Now many people stayed at their desk and listened to the same platitudes while they surfed for porn on their work computer and then hung up, ready to make the world safe for whatever.

Now the next bold step has been taken: the webinar. Not only can we listen to someone read a Powerpoint presentation, we can actually watch them turn the pages on our computer and actually read the words, "We must think outside the box". Unfortunately, we can't surf for porn while this is going on but, if we have an office, we can close the door and practice our putting.

This post comes about as I look at my calendar for next week and see that I have one conference call on Monday, two on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, a webinar on Thursday and another two conference calls on Friday. If this keeps up, I will soon be able to out-putt Tiger Woods. Either that or I will have the best porn collection in the office.

Is Nothing Sacred?

So now it comes out that Barbara Walters had an affair 3o years ago with then-Senator Edward Brooke from Massachusetts.

1. BFD
2. I thought she was a virgin.
3. When I think of hot mamas, having a big fling, Baba Wawa is pretty far down the list.