Today you get the collection of random thoughts that are scrambling around in my brain, fighting for attention, hoping that I'll notice them enough to let them out. I do these posts every once in a while, you may recall.

*What the heck is everyone so upset about John Bolton for? What does it matter if he is difficult or rude? How can that possibly be the issue holding up his confirmation? As the Democrats trot out every fruit cake who ever came into contact with Bolton, I can only think that this process, this trivialization of the confirmation process, can only end in scaring more people away from serving their country until we end up with those the Anti-Federalists feared the most: those who seek office and power for their own ends and not because it is good and right to serve your country.

*Sometimes, hours after you have exercised, you feel as if you could float down the hallway on legs rendered postively gossamer as a result of the blood flow.

*An important lesson learned: never challenge a Navy man on the topic of breasts. If you don't understand, feel free to ask Jim and he'll explain it to you like he did me.

*I have been toying with the idea of what I would do if I didn't have to work for a living anymore. Would I still work? Would I get a useless graduate degree? Travel without end? Or would I just continue to work anyway because my whole being and imagination, much like a tree tied down to a fence, has become so warped by years of work that too much of my self image and self esteem is wrapped up in professional identity and accomplishments? Or, finally, would it just send a bad message to the children if I just upped and quit? Note: this thought is entirely theoretical. There has been no lottery won, no inheritance gained, no huge damage award procured.

*I received a gift this morning from the locker room attendant at the gym. He's a nice guy and we chat from time to time. I suspect that maybe not everyone chats with him. Anyway, we got into a friendly argument about Rum. He's from Barbados and I was, to his mind, foolishly extolling the virtues of Guatemalan Rum which is this truly excellent stuff that you drink like a brandy, in snifters or at least without a mixer. He disagreed, being from Barbados. This morning he gave me a bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old Barbados Rum, described on the Mount Gay website as:

EXTRA OLD, in its category, is the reference of the rum world. It is a masterful blend of the finest, aged spirits, selected attentively amongst the oldest reserves with a resulting maturity of 17 years. The force of its oak aromas is softened by its sweet, fruity notes, reminiscent of pastry and bananas. Easily identified thanks to its traditional label and its malt whisky type bottle, its magnificent luminosity, dark amber colour and extreme clarity are the key qualities of this rum. The result of many years of meticulous development, EXTRA OLD has received several Grand Gold Medals and Trophies from the highly respected International Institute for Quality competition.

I am excited to crack it open and very grateful for the gift. I'm going to get him some of the Guatemalan Rum to try.

*I am watching a not for profit I am involved with gear up for a messy internal fight. There are two boards, I serve on one of them as an officer. I just had an hour long discussion with the President of my Board, the upshot of which is that the other board may discover that they have bitten off more than they can chew on this one. I think it will be disconcerting for them to discover that we have formulated our own agenda, our own set of aims, and backed it up with advice from counsel and from an accountant. Yup, gonna be an interesting Summer for sure.

*[WARNING: SAD] Don't read the thought I put in Extended Entry unless you think today you can handle pain/sadness. Just skip it if you are feeling raw today.
more...

Posted by: Random Penseur at 11:21 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 897 words, total size 5 kb.

According to this article in the Daily Telegraph, it's Les Belges! The Belgian spies are no longer to be trusted with guns. That's right, no one is allowed to have a gun any longer:

The battered reputation of Belgium's security forces took a new hit yesterday with the revelation that its internal spy service has disarmed almost all its field agents after one drunkenly tried to shoot a colleague in the head.

The civilian agents of the Sûreté de l'Etat, the equivalent of Britain's MI5, are already among the most powerless intelligence operatives in the Western world, with no right even to tap telephones.

Now, they have had their handguns confiscated on the orders of their general administrator, Koen Dassen, a Belgian newspaper reported. A working group has been established to work out who is armed and why, after Mr Dassen realised that controls were "worse than approximate".

Saar Vanderplaetsen, the chief spokesman for Laurette Onkelinx, the justice minister, confirmed that Sûreté agents had had to hand in their weapons, pending new rules and regulations.

She was unable to confirm reports that officers had gone on a virtual work-to-rule since being disarmed, including avoidance of risky missions. The exact numbers and missions of Sûreté agents are kept confidential.

Miss Vanderplaetsen said: "For the moment, everybody has had to hand in their guns because we had this incident, in October or November last year, during which an agent shot at another."

Mrs Onkelinx was reportedly distressed that she only learnt of the incident, in which no one was hurt, from the press four months after it took place in Brussels.

The agent suspected of firing his gun in the general direction of his colleague's head was said by the media to be an alcoholic with a dependency on anti-depressants.

Belgium's internal security arrangements have proved a source of frustration for their Western counterparts.

Lax passport security helped Tunisian militants based in Brussels to supply fake Belgian passports to the men who killed Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Afghan commander and enemy of the Taliban, in 2001.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:06 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 360 words, total size 2 kb.

Mark asked for an update on the house and, since I am particularly pissed off by the whole situation, I decided to write an update in the hopes that it might calm me down. Here's where things lie: I have tendered a contract to my Sellers and my Buyers have tendered a contract to me. My Sellers have not signed my contract and, thus, I have not signed my Buyers' contract. You can see why, right? If I sign my Buyers' contract to buy my house and my Sellers don't sign, I am bound to sell my house with no place to move to. My Buyers are getting antsy. So, I picked up the phone to explain the situation to them, to cut out all the middle men (the brokers and attorneys) so as to avoid diffusion of communication. Turns out the guy is a bond trader. *sigh* That means he has the professional time horizon of a day. Tops. I was told by him that he had received legal advise to withdraw his offer. Untrue according to my attorney who spoke to his attorney. Whatever. Buyer then told me that he would stand on his offer until close of business today and then re-evaluate. I said, fine, and thanked him for his courtesy.

I then heard from my lawyer that end of business means 4:00 and that "re-evaluate" means withdraw their offer.

Ok. So I email my attorney in CT and tell him that if the Sellers don't sign my contract and return it to me by 3:00 today my offer is withdrawn. As I said to my attorney, I cannot be in the position of my deal in NY falling through at the same time that I am bound to purchase this house in CT. That is a non-starter.

So now we wait while the clock ticks.

Did I mention that I am pissed? I now intend to be a prick with respect to the closing on my house, assuming that the deal goes through. What does that mean? No courtesy whatsoever shall be granted to the Buyers. No explanation that certain pipes might be adversely effected by low temperatures, despite all appearances to the contrary. No extra lightbulbs left for light fixtures we can't use anymore. I'll chuck 'em instead. I will not share any information whatsoever with respect to the house that I am not contractually required to share and that covers a multitude of topics. And that bottle of Champagne that we would usually leave for the new owners? Ain't happening. That will go to my attorney, instead.

UPDATE:

My Sellers have returned their signed contracts. I guess the deal is going through, after all.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:01 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 460 words, total size 2 kb.

I got nothing, today. No topics I feel moved to write about today, although I was interested in writing about them before today. That's ok, they'll keep. I think what it is, you see, is a case of the Spring blahs. They happen to everyone, I believe. Today is my turn. So, here's what I'm going to do. If you feel motivated enough yourself to care, I will give you the two topics I was thinking about writing a little something about and let you decide what you feel like reading about.

Topic 1: Jewish holiday of Passover.

Topic 2: The power of a Court to make someone stop uttering defamatory statements.

Like I said, not much, but I'll let you vote.

Believe me, you'd rather hear about this than have me whine about coordinating the almost simultaneous sale/purchase of our old/new houses.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 03:34 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 149 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Bring on the GC, she's always good to raise the spirits!

Posted by: Mia at April 25, 2005 06:18 PM (0nZU5)

2 I vote for option #1.

Posted by: Angie at April 25, 2005 07:34 PM (FlWAT)

3 I'd rather hear about the new house. What's it like?

Posted by: Mark at April 25, 2005 11:07 PM (IWblo)

4 How exactly do you get someone to stop uttering defamatory statements? Duct tape?

Posted by: Kathy at April 26, 2005 12:47 AM (RFVZA)

5 RP, I am reminded of that delightful SNL skit (Coffee Tawk?), where our "hostess" would provide topics and an exhortation to engage in conversation about them. For instance: "The New Deal was neither new nor a deal; discuss". Hope your day gets better!

Posted by: GrammarQueen at April 26, 2005 09:53 AM (kqNmk)

6 Power of the court! Maybe it will work with bickering children too?

Posted by: Laurel at April 26, 2005 03:26 PM (B9oew)

7 Passover, please!!

Posted by: azalea at April 26, 2005 03:34 PM (hRxUm)

8 Not being Jewish, I can't comment on the 1st. Not being an attorney I can't comment on the 2nd. However, that will not stop me from wishing you a blessed and peaceful holiday. May the gathering of your loved ones be special.

Posted by: michele at April 26, 2005 08:51 PM (ht2RK)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

[UPDATE] I'm sticky posting this at the top for a week or so as answers seem to be still trickling in. [/UPDATE]

Mia had an excellent idea which I am borrowing from for here and which she took from fellow Munuvian, Eric. She asked:

A while ago Eric at SWG asked his readers if they would leave a comment after a post to say if they were lurkers and/or bloggers themselves and he was surprised by the amount of comments he received. I like that idea because that would mean if they had sites themselves I could have the chance to go read what they were all about and I'd not feel so vulnerable as I do sometimes (when I see from my stats that someone has spent the last 3 hours reading my archives). So ....... if you have a moment, drop me a comment and perhaps tell me who you are? Lurker, commenter or blogger . Thank you.

I'm not feeling vulnerable, particularly, but I am curious. I figure that in a normal day, fewer than 5% of visitors as counted on my statmeter actually leave a comment. So, like Mia, I'm wondering about my visitors. Are you lurkers? Casual visitors? Google search visitors who, having found what they are looking for simply read and move on? Regular readers? Or just a good buddy (and you know who you are and I do, too) stopping by to see what's up?

Please do leave a comment and say, hello. At least that way I can get some sense as to who is reading, if anyone.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:27 AM | Comments (54) | Add Comment
Post contains 288 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I'm one of your daily readers and I'm a blogger and sometimes commenter .... How did I come across you in the first place, via Helen I suspect.

Posted by: Mia at April 12, 2005 08:49 AM (9pD0b)

2 i'm a lurker! found you through buffalo wings & vodka.

Posted by: emily at April 12, 2005 10:08 AM (tV1Fh)

3 I'm a blogger too. I actually found you through an ocomment you left on a guys blog. He was/is going through separation/divorce and you left him some very good advice... Glad I found you!

Posted by: Wicked H at April 12, 2005 10:19 AM (iqFar)

4 fellow munuvian who (very) occasionally leaves a comment

Posted by: Ted at April 12, 2005 10:33 AM (blNMI)

5 Casual lurker here - you're a daily read for me, but I don't always have something to say back!

Posted by: GrammarQueen at April 12, 2005 11:43 AM (glf8i)

6 Regular reader; occasional commenter!

Posted by: nic at April 12, 2005 11:58 AM (JijW0)

7 lurker here. Found you on Amber's blog. No blog of my own, just a reader of others.

Posted by: jules at April 12, 2005 12:36 PM (AX+fr)

8 Recently a regular reader. Found you through Irish Elk when Mark posted something nice about both of our blogs at once.

Posted by: Amy at April 12, 2005 12:44 PM (nUCsP)

9 Unabashed Fangrrrl. Found you in the Munuvian Secret Induction Society and would read you if you posted your grocery list. *sheepish grin*

Posted by: Margi at April 12, 2005 01:55 PM (lWAiX)

10 I'm a lurker! I like the sound of that for some reason. I enjoy your blog daily but I'm afraid I cannot remember where I found you.

Posted by: laurel at April 12, 2005 02:38 PM (B9oew)

11 Regular daily reader. No blog of my own. I think I heard about your site from Amber. Damn, I miss her.

Posted by: Azalea at April 12, 2005 03:02 PM (hRxUm)

12 I'm a regular reader and a blogger, and I found my way here from Mia's site actually.

Posted by: Stereotype at April 12, 2005 03:10 PM (SPSLQ)

13 :waves: You already know who I am.

Posted by: Hannah at April 12, 2005 03:21 PM (0d7ig)

14 Hey fella, I am a sometime commenter, though I seem to compose responses to many of the things you write about in my head (probably proof that I am a loony). I found you through Critical Mass.

Posted by: Mandalei at April 12, 2005 03:28 PM (vUO1j)

15 Lurker, I guess, and an occasional commenter. Oh, and a one-time emailer.

Posted by: d at April 12, 2005 03:32 PM (8MmTs)

16 Fairly regular commenter, emailer and debate starter (or sh!t disturber if you want) I read your site everyday, I think I got here through a comment you posted on my blog, but I'm not entirely sure. Always amused and delighted by the GC and BC stories.

Posted by: Oorgo at April 12, 2005 07:58 PM (lM0qs)

17 I read. I blog. Oh, and sometimes comment.

Posted by: Simon at April 12, 2005 09:13 PM (OyeEA)

18 I'm a day or so late and a dollar or two short to the party. Nothing new there. But plenty new here. I found you through your finding me. And leaving lovely comments in your wake, for which I thank you. I'm looking forward to reading more, and soon.

Posted by: Jennifer at April 12, 2005 09:37 PM (MbhV6)

19 i am one of your fellow munuvians. (Gee? Ya think ) I pop over generally when I see a fresh piece o' cake next to your blog's name on my blogroll.

Posted by: Kathy at April 12, 2005 11:03 PM (RFVZA)

20 I am a daily reader and lurker who keeps coming back to hear your GC stories. I believe I came here after you made an astute comment on making light, but my memory on that is fuzzy.

Posted by: Terri at April 13, 2005 12:20 AM (SIz+V)

21 Thank you all, very much, for your comments. Some of you are well known to me but I appreciate just the same your taking the trouble to leave a comment. But many of you are new and I really am very glad to meet you. Thanks again, y'all!

Posted by: RP at April 13, 2005 09:28 AM (LlPKh)

22 Another fellow Munuvian here. I like to stop by and see what's happening to the Girl and Boy children. They sound so delightful.

Posted by: Jordana at April 13, 2005 03:34 PM (MI1Kq)

23 I'm a daily visitor. I should probably comment more often.

Posted by: JohnL at April 13, 2005 10:06 PM (gplif)

24 Regular reader, commenter, friend, fellow traveler through this incredible journey we call life. Or, to paraphrase Meredith Brooks... I'm a bitch, I'm a blogger, I'm a child, I'm a father. I'm a joker, I am straight, I really enjoy cake! I'm your bud, I drink beer, I comment over here, And no you wouldn't want it any other way! ...or something like that.

Posted by: Jim at April 15, 2005 12:13 PM (tyQ8y)

25 Regular reader. I think we joined mu.nu about the same time and I remember you posted something about Louisiana v Mississippi drivers. I commented, you replied, and we've been commenting/replying ever since. And anyone who offers to send me BaTampte pickles is a friend for life. :-)

Posted by: Howard at April 15, 2005 05:09 PM (u2JaN)

26 regular reader, comment less frequently than i would like, found you through citical mass

Posted by: Ivan at April 15, 2005 09:35 PM (Nny4f)

27 I'm a failed blogger who reads you now and again. You have a good way with words, and tell nice stories. I came upon your blog on a link from Everyday Stranger, whom I read on a similar basis. Sorry about your aunt, the C monster has affected all of us at one time or another. Some day, explain about mu.nu. I read about munuvians, and have had several blogs switch over to it, but I know not what it is. Be of good cheer.... Tom B

Posted by: bigTom at April 17, 2005 02:28 AM (RwC3v)

28 Fellow Mu.Nu blogger and regular reader. Probably guilty of too much lurking and not enough commenting.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at April 17, 2005 09:37 AM (U3CvV)

29 i read as often as i can. i tend to comment in spurts. my blogging is best described as.......split. i found you? or you found me? not sure. i think it was through Mick. and i like the 'sticky posting' idea, and how it was said. (and Jim - great version of that song! lol...)

Posted by: sn at April 17, 2005 01:26 PM (6FCAy)

30 Just found your site via Amber. I've been blogging for a few weeks about starting life over again after 40. All three of my readers find it very interesting. LOL I've also fought headaches for years, so I'll scan down and post about that. Take care!

Posted by: ez at April 17, 2005 02:57 PM (RD6DW)

31 Regular reader (okay, I admit, sometimes I'm lazy and just SKIM), only post sporadically. I've already forgotten how and why I stumbed onto you...whoops.

Posted by: Allison at April 17, 2005 03:12 PM (cNk3g)

32 Fellow (and very recent) MuNuvian here. I think I found your blog through a comment you left on mine. I don't remember for sure. Or maybe I found you via John at TexasBestGrok. Either way, I like your blog and writing.

Posted by: Eric at April 17, 2005 03:25 PM (ZUryZ)

33 What Stephen said.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 17, 2005 03:45 PM (itU4G)

34 A regular reader...I think I found you from Amber's blog. Being married to a lawyer, I relate to a lot of your writing :-)

Posted by: Jocelyn at April 17, 2005 04:35 PM (MePbh)

35 I tried to comment on this last week, but had troubles and gave up... ...so...hello! I stop by almost every day. I've only commented a couple of times. I blog sporatically. Guess I'm primarily a lurker who likes iced tea

Posted by: C at April 17, 2005 10:43 PM (5jfVj)

36 ...oops. and I found you through sn.

Posted by: C at April 17, 2005 10:44 PM (5jfVj)

37 Last May a comment you left on another blog prompted me to ask you a personal question. Your answer helped with my youngest daughter. I have been a faithful reader ever since.

Posted by: Annie at April 18, 2005 11:02 AM (y4GM5)

38 semi-lurker? Occasionaly comment, but not as often as I read.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at April 18, 2005 11:49 AM (IJkka)

39 Lurker. Blogger. And, I like to think, friend

Posted by: Helen at April 18, 2005 12:33 PM (Oxw5k)

40 I lurk. I am not creative enough to blog. I found you while lurking at Helen's...

Posted by: Kathy at April 18, 2005 02:36 PM (87x4U)

41 Hm. Interesting. I'd like to ask the same @ my blog but wonder if I'd get many responses. This is my 1st time at your blog, I followed you back via your comments at my blog.

Posted by: Kelly at April 19, 2005 11:10 AM (WLSBV)

42 Occasional reader, occasional commenter, and I started reading you when you started commenting on my gf's blog.

Posted by: Victor at April 20, 2005 09:53 AM (L3qPK)

43 Lurker, non-blogger, and sometimes (twice, I think) commenter. Found you via John Bruce's site, and I read a couple times a week.

Posted by: tex ritter at April 20, 2005 06:27 PM (tD8vq)

44 Sometimes a lurker, sometimes a bona fide visitor, sometimes a passer-by, sometimes just a transient. I do enjoy your blog and to be quite honest, I have been visiting you for a while and I know you have occasionally visited me so I've quite forgotten how we became acquainted.

Posted by: Roberta S at April 22, 2005 03:52 AM (C+5/z)

45 I stumbled in herte from a link from TexasBestGrok and I thought I would take a lok around. I've been blgging myself for about 10 months, but only recently started doing it seriously. Well, as serious as i get...

Posted by: James Wigderson at April 22, 2005 03:15 PM (+9K2s)

46 I'm a fellow blogger who found you via Kathy's blog. I really liked your idea, and have already shamelessly ripped it off... hope you don't mind! Anyway, I've only skimmed over a couple of posts so far, but I like what I've seen, so I'll come back later for some more "in-depth study."

Posted by: TeaFizz at April 23, 2005 12:43 PM (F0rK8)

47 first time here - hi

Posted by: Mish at April 23, 2005 03:11 PM (IbPy0)

48 Before 5 minutes ago I was completely unaware of your existance in the universe. i found you through Teafizz http://teafizz.blogspot.com/ I will at least lurk now...

Posted by: Tulip at April 23, 2005 07:57 PM (Jr28y)

49 I read, I rarely comment. Generally speaking, by the time I get around to reading posts, someone has said what I wanted to say MUCH better than I think I would have

Posted by: Emily at April 25, 2005 01:02 AM (CZWnO)

50 First time visitor; my blog's been up for about a year, but only blogging steadily since this January.

Posted by: Jodie at April 25, 2005 04:30 PM (cHKGi)

51 ... stopping by to visit after noticing traffic from this direction... *waves* Hi munu neighbor!

Posted by: Princess Cat at April 25, 2005 09:57 PM (K10IP)

52 Found you via TeaFizz via Blog d'Elisson. For today just a new visitor - at work right now so no time for a good read...

Posted by: Cowtown Pattie at April 28, 2005 01:19 PM (aXIPq)

53 I was looking for a tan thru swimming costume & found you!! I don't even know what blogging is but have spent a very pleasant 20 minutes here!

Posted by: Lou at May 06, 2005 08:38 AM (pIOfB)

54 First time visitor! Found you while searching for the story behind BaTampte pickles which I purchased for the first time on Tuesday.

Posted by: Summer at June 24, 2005 01:37 PM (PM+qf)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Rover Cars, the once proud British marque, is no more. Stunningly, I have not seen this story mentioned in the newspapers I read (the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal). Or, if the story has been mentioned, it was mentioned in passing and, to borrow from EB White, Rover passed despite the mention.

Some highlights: Rover announced about a week ago that it would no longer honour (spelled with a "u" out of respect) its warranties. That's right. You had a Rover and, bam, no more power train coverage, or any coverage. That sent the British press into a tizzy.

Then, this week, we learn that after all the land had been sold out from under the factories in a desperate attempt to raise money, the company is bankrupt.

Just so you know, that means 21,000 people are out of work now in England. Twenty One Thousand. That's a lot of people, any way you write it.

And with Rover, some say, goes the heart of British industrial manufacturing capability.

Finally, with the passing of Rover, we say good bye to some of the most famous British car names:

Austin-Healey

Triumph

and of course, MG

Silly, isn't it, but I'm kind of sad.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:18 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 220 words, total size 2 kb.

Today, one year ago, I launched my little blog. At the time, I said:

My goal here is to create an outlet where I can comment on the things that piss me off, interest me, amuse me, or will do any of those three things to my readers. In short, this will be a general interest blog for catholic (with a small c) interests.

I hope to have some lively discussions as time goes by.

I think that the year has been a success. During this year period, I have put up 764 posts which, since I moved to MuNu, have attracted some 2217 comments. These 764 posts have attracted over 23,000 visitors to my Mu.Nu incarnation and, counting the prior site, 26,531 total visitors. Some of you visitors have become good friends and I value these friendships we have made together. I think you know who you are so I won't single you out now.

In any event, thank you all very much for making this such an interesting year. I'm still more than a little shocked to think that over 26,000 people have stopped by to read my blog. I'm also a little shocked that I've written 764 posts, for that matter.

And thanks, also, to Pixy, who provides such great hosting and permits those of us without great technical skills to still get in the game.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:56 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 1 kb.

Overheard while half listening to Sports Center on ESPN while tormenting myself on the various machines in the gym:

He was on that pitch like a fat kid on a Twinkie.

Is it bad that I laughed at this? I do like a good sports cliche.

While perusing an article on the endangered Pitcairn Island dialect which they have declared to be a language (and why not?) and are now teaching in school:

Alice Buffett, a seventh generation islander who has written a Norfuk text book and dictionary, said the pupils were enjoying learning phrases such as "Whataway yorle?" ("How are you?") and "El duu f'mada" ("They'll do for dumplings").

You have to laud a language that celebrates the integral role of the dumpling in society. "They'll do for dumplings". Big smile. I like it better than "that dog'll hunt".

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:01 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 152 words, total size 1 kb.

Have a nice house to sell in a red hot housing market. Its really that simple. Here was the chronology for us:

Friday: Broker open house; five showings after that.

Saturday: Out of house all day; shown 15 times.

Sunday: Out of house all day; shown 10 times.

Sunday night: Tell those who made offers that best offers will be accepted by 11:30 a.m. on Monday.

Monday: Best offers made by 11:30, decision as to which to accept taken by 11:45.

Wednesday: House inspection occurs.

Friday: Contracts signed by buyers and 10% deposit check forwarded to my attorney.

I am a little bit astounded by the rapidity of it all, I must say.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:45 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 125 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Yaeh! That's great...congrats!

Posted by: C at April 18, 2005 12:51 PM (Ds4xI)

2 Fantastic news! Congrats!!

Posted by: Wicked H at April 18, 2005 06:53 PM (BQhBn)

3 Wow. It took my friend's father nearly two yesrs to sell his house. Go, team!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 18, 2005 08:06 PM (8FQK0)

4 yeah!!!!! this is great. excellent even buying mine took me 14 months. haven't sold it yet - but will be soon. i have a feeling it will take a bit longer than a few days. really - that is great.

Posted by: sn at April 19, 2005 07:23 AM (6FCAy)

5 Ping! Ping! Ping!!! Ricochet Rabbit! Excellent news, hon! Now let the Moving Watusi begin!

Posted by: Margi at April 19, 2005 04:36 PM (lWAiX)

6 Wow, that was lighting fast. Must have been a nice mix of skilled agent, great property, excellent price, and a big ol' dollop of luck. Congrats, RP! :-)

Posted by: Jim at April 22, 2005 06:03 AM (MDLz3)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

First, thank you all for the thoughts and the prayers for my aunt. I considered turning the comments off for that entry and I'm glad I didn't. So, as I said in the title, here are the facts and just the facts.

The diagnosis, after the scans, is very grim. The cancer is located in her leg, as I said, but also in her neck and spine, which we didn't know. Simply put, this is a death sentence. I'm not sure how long she has, but this will kill her and will do so very painfully.

The best we can hope for, according to the many doctors in our family, is that she can start chemotherapy, have the chemo cause the cancer to go into remission, and then, have it go very fast when the cancer inevitably returns to her body. So, that is what I'm hoping for.

We had my parents over for dinner last night so they could play with the grandchildren and have a moment or two away from this. They had a nice time but. But. My father looked diminished by the news and sadder and suddenly older. He is the younger brother and he worshiped his sister growing up. I hope my son never gets news like this. He fielded one hysterical crying phone call from one of my auntÂ’s five children yesterday.

As for me, I'm kind of numb, still trying to make myself understand and accept this. My aunt and her family have always been very close to our family. I need to call my cousins today. I just, again, don't know what to say. I'll find something but whatever it is, it will be inadequate.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:08 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 293 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Sorry about your aunt, RP. I loist my favorite aunt and uncle to cancer. And various other friends and family. Our prayers are with her and your family. I suspect that's not enough, but it's all we have to offer in light of the grim diagnosis.

Posted by: Mark at April 17, 2005 11:19 AM (pnbNL)

2 It is very hard to find the right thing to say... Hugs, thoughts and prayers sent to you and your Aunt and the family.

Posted by: Wicked H at April 17, 2005 12:05 PM (BQhBn)

3 though i can't really say i think the 'hello' will be enough as enough as anything else would be

Posted by: sn at April 17, 2005 01:31 PM (6FCAy)

4 I am sure thaty whatever you said was perfect. Hopefully, your Aunt and her family are open to hospice services when the time comes. There are several cancer blogs which I read on a regular basis-cancer giggles, cheerful oncologist, hospice blog and so forth. Last week I received a copy of something called "Medi Binder" which is a notebook that tracks meds, dr. visits, history, lab results and other important data. What appealed to me was that I could take this with me to doc appointments and the pertinent info would be there and available. One of the lessons I have learned is that tell those that are close to you and yours that you love them. Hugs!!

Posted by: Azalea at April 17, 2005 03:07 PM (hRxUm)

5 When Job's three friends heard about all of the troubles that had come to him, they set out from their homes and met together, by agreement, to go and sympathize with him and to comfort him. When they saw him from a distance they could could barely recognize him. They began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because they saw how great his suffering was. -Job 2:11-13 I guess it's best not to try to offer words to someone whose suffering something that you haven't experienced yerself. So we'll just sit with you to let you know we're here.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 18, 2005 12:28 AM (hcKm5)

6 I disagree. I don't think it's really possible to say the wrong thing. Well, okay, it is possible but you'd have to try pretty hard for it. The important thing is just to be there for them. They'll remember the call, not the conversation.

Posted by: Jim at April 18, 2005 05:46 AM (MDLz3)

7 I agree with Jim, it's pretty hard to say the wrong thing, unless you're a complete ass (which you seem to be far far from, RP). My aunt died fairly recently of a fast progressing version of Parkinsons disease. I think it was better for us to be just there for my Uncle, to talk small talk etc., to give him a mental break from the constant care and worrying.

Posted by: Oorgo at April 18, 2005 01:12 PM (lM0qs)

8 Well, okay then. I guess I was just talking about myself then. I couldn't come up with anything so I decided to say that I couldn't come with anything. Which was, of course, coming up with something. So, maybe I'll just shut my big mouth.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at April 18, 2005 08:09 PM (8FQK0)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Cancer has been a fact of life for humanity for many, many years, some countries more than others. What is cancer? It is abnormal growth of abnormal cells leading to the formation of abnormal tissue. In other words, your cells freak out and make tumors. They can spread pretty quick, too. And if you've had a type of cancer before, you are, I gather, at a higher risk for having your cells freak out again in some other area.

Like my aunt. She had and beat breast cancer. She's one tough cookie. But she went to the doctor yesterday because of persistent pain in her leg.

She has bone cancer.

It was not a good day for the home team, yesterday.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:52 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
Post contains 129 words, total size 1 kb.

Today, I have to practice some law and stop blogging and stop reading and stop dealing with house moving stuff and house selling stuff and all the other shite. So, it will be quiet here today, in blogland. If you've come to read me today, may I suggest you check out some of my "Daily (practically) Reads"? They are all exceptional writers.

But before you go, spare a moment and remember President Abraham Lincoln, shot down this day in 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater. He may have been the greatest president we have ever known.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:56 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 113 words, total size 1 kb.

. . . standing in the bathroom, slumped against the wall, my head pressed to the cold metal of the door frame on the stall, wondering whether I was going to vomit, and not sure whether I hoped I would already or whether I thought I could chance taking the train home without throwing up all over myself. Not exactly the high point of my day yesterday, but I suppose it will have to do by way of introduction to the migraine that burst into being sometime after 3:00, as near as I can recall.

I've had these headaches since I was a child but I've not had one for a very long time and this one just seemed to come out of nowhere. I called the nanny and asked her to pick me up from the train and then waited as long as I could, in a dark conference room or shuttling between the dark conference room and the bathroom when the nausea got too intense and felt too sudden, until I was reasonably certain I would not vomit from the pain on the train.

I made my way slowly to the train and sat down, pulling a cap low over my eyes, and sat there for the entire ride, trying to think of anything other than what I had for lunch. I sat there in more or less of a daze, not sleeping, not awake, just zoned out so that the announcement for my station came as a surprise, a welcome surprise but a surprise just the same, thus indicating that I had lost all spatial relationship with my sense of time and distance -- usually I know exactly where the train is in relation to my stop without effort.

I walked, again very slowly and with great attention to my balance, up to the parking lot where the nanny collected me, thank goodness, and I was able to locate the sun glasses I had left in the car and she took me home. She took one look at me and said that she would stay with the kids until my wife got home. That was very kind as I was close to totally incapacitated at that point.

I went upstairs, undressed, and climbed into bed, still wearing my sun glasses, where I remained and I think I may have slept, for about 2 hours and the worst of it passed and I was finally able to remove my sun glasses and tolerate the light.

When I was a child and would get these, I always had to vomit from the pain, I could not tolerate light, and I had to get cold, as cold as I could. Sometimes, I would take off all my clothes and lie on the tile floor of the bathroom, just to get as cold as I could, with a towel wrapped around my head to keep the light out. I think that used to worry my parents quite a lot when I was small. I can certainly understand why that would be.

Today, I am post-migraine. Not 100% by any means. I did not work out and I took 2 advil as a precaution because I can still feel something lurking. If I make it through the whole day, I will declare a victory.

I suppose time will tell.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:12 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 569 words, total size 3 kb.

The house was listed on Thursday and the brokers' open house was on Friday. Between Friday and Sunday night, I believe it was shown about 20 times, maybe more. We were politely asked by our realtor to make ourselves scarce this weekend since, after all, they are trying to show a house in which a family resides all while pretending no one lives there.

We were out on Saturday by 9 to deliver the children into the tender care of their grandparents. The kids slept over there Saturday night and, by most accounts, had a really nice time. Although, my father reports the following interesting exchange with the Girl Child:

GC: The Boy Child and I are going to get married and have a baby.

Grandfather: What are you going to do with the baby?

GC: We're going to play with it.

Grandfather: Where will the baby come from?

GC: Out of my butt!

That seems pretty close, actually, for a 4 year old.

And when queried about what she was going to be when she grew up, she explained that she was going to be a dentist and a ballet dancer and when questioned further about the combination, replied indignantly, "I can do both!!" You go, girl!

But that was all from Sunday. On Saturday, still on Saturday, my wife and I enjoyed a practically perfect example of the pre-child day, the kind of weekend day we used to spend when we were younger and had no responsibilities in our relationship other than making each other happy. Actually, those were pretty nice days, in retrospect.

We drove into the City on a glorious Spring day, dropped my wife's bag off at the gym so we could work out later and went off to the nearby American Scandinavian Foundation House to see an exhibit of contemporary Norwegian paintings from the collection of her Majesty, Queen Sonja of Norway -- a dedicated collector of contemporary Norwegian art. They also exhibited some of the Queen's stunning photographs of Norwegian nature. The photographs were mostly far superior to the paintings, I felt.

Then a taxi down to Chelsea to get tickets for the matinee performance of the Richmond Ballet at the Joyce. The Joyce is the preeminent center for modern dance performance in New York City. The best troupes in the world come through NY and many of them play the Joyce. Pre-child, we used to have a subscription to the Joyce and attended a lot of performances there. I heart the Joyce.

After procuring tickets, we adjourned for lunch at the Rocking Horse Cafe, where we sipped exceptionally spicy Bloody Mary's, drank strong coffee, and where my wife fell in love with a sandwich. And she fell hard for this: the Croque Señor, pulled pork sandwich with rajas poblanos, avocado, watercress, and queso Chihuahua.

After lunch, we wondered up the avenue a bit to go to my favorite source for Gay dance music so I could get the latest Gay Pride cd and whatever other excellent Gay party mix my buddy behind the counter, who has been there for years, could talk me into buying. They always have such a great selection and, what can I say, I love the music.

Then, the ballet. I was so disappointed by the performance. First of all, this was a big deal for this troupe -- the State Ballet of Virginia. This was their New York debut. As one group seated behind us said, they were "prepared within an inch of their lives". An inch, huh? Maybe they should have gone the extra mile. We saw two pieces -- Nuevo Tango and some Scottish thing. They were terrible. The dancers were wooden, no emotion, bad lines, sloppy movements, poorly defined hands and legs. I had a thought while watching them that just flinging yourself around a stage does not a ballet make. The choreography was worse, though. It was filled with cliches like dancers walking purposefully around the stage, lots of floor rolls, excessive use of props, overly dramatic lighting, total insensitivity to the music (unless that was the point, but I doubt it), and bad timing plays. It was dreadful. It was a second rate performance, if that.

I think we are spoiled living in NY and having our eyes trained by the best dancers in the world. I think that maybe the Richmond dancers, maybe, are at a disadvantage being so far from other dancers and the exchange of dance ideas and developments. I am trying not to say that they were provincial, because that is such a loaded word, but. . .

In any event, after the ballet, such as it was, we window shopped our way back over to the East Side and to go work out. On the way, we popped into furniture stores and thrift shops and a fun restaurant supply store where, my wife pointed out and wants to get, a sign for the kitchen which reads: The Hostess will seat you. I eyed several big espresso makers covetously, out of the corner of my eye so as not to alarm my good wife.

After a decent workout, we took ourselves off for dinner in the little concentration of Indian restaurants in the upper 20's in Lexington Avenue and for a little spice shopping in one of the excellent spice stores. My wife also picked up a glossy Bollywood gossip magazine from which I have added the word "gymming" to my lexicon. I did manage a decent little play on words, something that passes for humor in my house, when my wife and I had the following conversation concerning her order of Butter Chicken:

W: Do you think that they make this with regular butter or with Ghee?

Me: I have no idea. Why don't you ask the waiter and perhaps he can clarify it for you?

On the way home from the City, we received a phone call from my parents. The Girl Child was demanding to come home. She was only pacified with the promise of pancakes in the morning but it looked, for a moment there, as if we were going to have to go get her.

The Boy Child, by the way, declined to nap at my parents' house. My father said that after the Boy Child was piteously crying for a really long time, he went in where my son looked up at my father, cried, "Duuuude!", was picked up, flung his arms around my father's neck and kissed him as his savior. My father was quite pleased.

In any event, it was a wonderful day.

Now, as for the house, let the bidding begin!

By the way, if you are curious, I've put a picture of the exterior in extended entry below. more...

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:15 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 1146 words, total size 7 kb.

1 Your house is gorgeous!

Posted by: Helen at April 11, 2005 11:46 AM (Oxw5k)

2 What an absolutely beautiful house. Good luck with the offers!

Posted by: dee at April 11, 2005 02:27 PM (sZnML)

3 Yes, your house is wonderful. Now, why are you leaving this abode??

Posted by: Azalea at April 11, 2005 05:31 PM (hRxUm)

4 Well, that explains why people should live in NYC. Great house! I don't even want to know what you're asking for it.

Posted by: Kathy at April 11, 2005 07:11 PM (RFVZA)

5 'out of my butt' *takes notes* glad that was strightened out. i had it all wrong! thank god for girl child. as for the house...yes, it is lovely. and another opportunity to see the lions! seems the whole process is moving along quite nicely. good luck.

Posted by: sn at April 12, 2005 08:06 AM (6FCAy)

6 You're leaving that??????? Oh, man, what I wouldn't do for it! And it's still got the lions!

Posted by: Hannah at April 12, 2005 03:26 PM (0d7ig)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Go and bid Amber and Dan farewell as they hang up the blogging spurs and ride off into the sunset. They are great writers and I will miss them both. Thanks for all the great writing, you two, and best of luck in your future endeavors!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 04:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.

We have been having major problems with our phone lines this week and I just got a helpful call from Verizon to check on our status. It went something like this:

Her: Hi, this is Verizon calling to check on the status of your phone lines. Are they working?

Me: I don't really know.

Her: [astonished] You mean you haven't checked!

Me: Well, it really isn't my job to check and no one asked me to, but if you hang on for a second, I can go check right now, I suppose.

Her: Ok, now if you have any problems I will give you the Verizon repair number to call.

Me: What? You mean I can't just tell you, a Verizon employee calling to check the status of my lines, if I have a problem with my lines? That won't take care of it?

Her: No.

I hung up shortly thereafter since it was clear to me that this call had no purpose other than to waste my time and pad a statistic for the public utilities commission the next time Verizon wanted to raise rates. What a total crock.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:58 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 201 words, total size 1 kb.

It kind of hit me last night that my brave volunteers set themselves up for whatever questions I felt like asking and then answered them forthrightly and completely, for which I am very grateful. But it occurred to me that maybe it shouldn't be so one sided. Michele, in one comment, suggested that I answer all the questions that I asked people. Well, I'm not really inclined to do that since that would be something like 38 questions. But it did seem to me that if my interviewees wanted to each pose one question to me, that would total the same number of questions that they each had to answer individually and give them each a chance to turn the tables back around on me, which they might enjoy.

So, Indigo, Hannah, Dee, Angie, Helen, and John, do you all want to ask me one question each? What do you think? Make sense to extend this meme in one last direction and point it back at me?

I leave it up to you all entirely.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:43 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 183 words, total size 1 kb.

This one, from the NY Law Journal on Monday:

Sex Trafficking Trial to Begin in Brooklyn

No word on when the trial will be expanded to Manhattan, but I'll keep you posted. Is this a great city or what?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 10:57 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 55 words, total size 1 kb.

Sometimes I read too fast. Couple that with not getting nearly enough sleep, and not nearly enough high quality sleep, and you get this, at 5:45 a.m. on the train platform:

Actual Headline: Influx of Pilgrims Puts Strains on the Italians.

Headline as Read: Influx of Pilgrims Puts Strains on the Indians.

My Thought: What is this, an historical headline? Of course the Indians would have been put out by the arrival of the Pilgrims. It was the beginning of the end to their way of . . . Oh. Italians. Must mean the Pope. Right. Never mind. Nothing to see here. Move along, move along. How'd the Yankees do against Boston yesterday?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:55 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 119 words, total size 1 kb.

I have way too much going on right now to impose the kind of intellectual rigor required to produce a good, or at least decent, coherent post, so, as is my wont from time to time, I give you the following disconnected observations and thoughts that are rattling around in my head:

*I'm sorry that the Pope appears to be dying. On balance, I think he was a force for good and that the world will be a poorer place without him. That isn't to say I agreed with everything he did, or every position he took, because that would likely be impossible. But still, I'm sorry.

*I have not blogged about the elections in Zimbabwe. As you may know, the situation there has concerned me for many years. However, the regular media is paying lots of attention and I have nothing new to add. When the NY Times and the rest of the world goes away, I'll be back poking at it with a sharp stick.

*I read the newspaper on the train in the morning and then watch television news while working out. Does the television news channel rely almost entirely on the print media who, my issues with them to one side, do an outstanding job in comparison to the television types?

*There is something so relaxing about bringing a cup of coffee into the steam room after working out that it verges on the obscene.

*Putting your house together to sell is an exercise in small deceptions as you try to erase most, if not all, evidence of the fact that you live there. I will be keeping that in mind as I return on Saturday to the house my wife and I will most likely be buying. In the meantime, I hope nothing major happens to my house *fingers crossed*.

*Being a parent, any kind of parent (working, stay at home, whatever), is an exercise in applied guilt. Always being torn between different obligations, always trying to be patient with children, always feeling like you are short changing someone or something. Guilt. Learn to live with it because it ain't going away.

*Helen has had a birthday and is changing demographic groups. She might appreciate a happy birthday wish.

*Elizabeth is having a particularly tough time these days. If you have a moment, I suspect a kind word, while not helping any, would at least not go amiss.

*How can you not be impressed with the way Simon is kicking butt on readership? Congratulations to you, Simon, on a great blog!

*The heavens are supposed to open up this weeked and dump 3-5 inches of rain on us in a roughly 24 hour period. I've had better news, but, at least it ain't snow.

*I yearn for summer, for the shirt off on the beach, for making sand castles with my kids, for the smell of sun screen, for chlorine in the kiddy pool, and for rum drinks.

*Finally, I have put my tax information together. Those rum drinks sure sound good right about now.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:31 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 523 words, total size 3 kb.