Going to the big game Sunday!

Okay I know everyone is talking about the game on Sunday, so perhaps it's time for me to talk about it too. I know many of you won't be able to be at the big game, but I'll be there. My son and I have been talking about it for a while now. Well maybe it's just me that has been talking about it, and thinking about it. Trevor's excited about going though, I just know it.

I know what you are thinking, how on earth did I get tickets to the game? How on earth can I afford those tickets? I have to be honest, when I saw the tickets on ebay I jumped at the chance to purchase them. I also have to say I couldn't believe that I could get a pair of tickets to the big game for less than a couple hundred dollars. I hinted at it to my wife, and low and beyold she had the tickets under the tree on Christmas day.

Of course we'll get home in time to watch that other game. I think the Giants are playing the Patriots. There is no doubt about it, in my mind we'll be at the real Big Game!

Yes Kobe and the Lakers are coming to town to take on the Wizards. We'll be there. Most of you are aware that I grew up in Southern California. I have a soft spot for the Lakers. I will be conflicted as to who to root for though. I've lived here in the Washington area for more than 7 years, so I like the home team too. Both clubs will be banged up. Caron Butler is hurt, Gilbert and Etan are out. The Lakers also have injury issues. Luke Walton came out of the game the other night. Andrew Bynum, Chris Mihm and Trevor Ariza are on the bench.

Of course when I bought the tickets I didn't look at the calendar. So I had no idea that the game was on the same day as Super Bowl Sunday. It's such a great match up, the Wizards against the Lakers. If history is any indicator, not only will I be going to the big game I'll also be watching the more exciting game. So many Super Bowls have ended up being super bores. If the oddsmakers are right the Patriots could win in a blowout.

Someone stole my blog!

I've been on vacation. So, I've neglected my blog. Unfortunately, it didn't feel much like a vacation. I had to put out a lot of fires, but now I'm back. I was all set to blog yesterday, but someone stole my blog! I guess I don't really mind. It's just that, when someone takes your topic and runs with it, you have to grope around to find something else.

So finally I just decided, why not talk about the thief who stole my blog. There he is, right there...pictured with me all smiling, the whole time thinking:

"I'm going to steal his blog! I'm going to steal his blog."

Howard Bernstein came to our benefit event for the Dart Society on Saturday night with his lovely wife, Helaine, at Fat Tuesday's in Fairfax.

The owners R.L. and Karen Butler were gracious enough to close down their business for us. So Howard blogged about the event on Sunday morning. So you should read his blog if you get a chance.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't finish this one. First and foremost, you should know that this event was pulled off because of my wonderful wife Kate, and Ron and Karen. I also got the support of a lot of friends at the station. It started at the top with our General Manager Allan Horlick and his wife Darlene. Andrea came with husband Mike (great name!) and her Mom, who moved here after her home was affected by Katrina. I dragged Andrea on stage to talk about her own New Orleans experiences. Kim and her boyfriend Ben came to support the cause also. The place was raining meteorologists....five in all!

Of course our Promotions/Marketing Department was also out in big numbers. We watched the magic of Tim Deluca. He's pictured below with his wonderful wife, Lori. He's the guy who is editing our documentary on the plight of journalists in New Orleans. Then of course everyone was blown away by the musical talents of our marketing chieftan Steve Houk and his band "Second Wind". But one of the unsung heroes never made it. She lives 19 hundred miles away in Barnum Wyoming. Deirdre Stoelzle Graves lives in God's country. She helped Kate and I make this evening a huge success. It's amazing how much can be done with the internet and a phone. Deirdre did it all.

Three Dart Society members made it to the event. They are pictured here with me. Our past President Penny Cockerell, Natalie Pompilio and Scott Wallace. Natalie is the driving force for our efforts in New Orleans to help journalists and the people of the city in their recovery effort.

I want everyone who came out, contributed, donated, bid, and just had a good ole time to know how deeply thankful I am for your help. If you'd like to know more about our project read Howard's blog, and check out this site http://www.targetneworleans.org/

A weekend of goodbyes

I got up early this morning, because we went on the air early. So instead of the alarm sounding at 2:30, I was up and downstairs around 2:00. Normally I brew a pot of coffee, but not today. Instead I foraged for some food to take on the road. But before I left I grabbed a pad of paper and jotted a note to my son. He's on the left her with my daughter Courtney.

Trevor,

Have fun this weekend. I'll miss you. I'm going with the Chargers and the Packers.

Love,

Dad

Trevor and I spend time watching ballgames and talking about them. He'll be gone the entire weekend. He's spending the weekend at a college far from home as part of his ITS efforts. Both of my kids have had an interest in theater. This is an article that mentions Trevor's efforts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/22/AR2006112200832.html

For the last couple of weeks he's been filling out University applications. As I got to work this morning I noticed an email from James Madison. They were letting me know that they got his application. I'm still in denial about the fact that this time next year he'll be off in the world some where making his mark.

I know all parents say it, but I really can't believe how quickly kids grow up. I know Trevor wants to leave. He really has to leave in a way, because he's our baby. I went through the same thing when I loaded up my car and moved away. The youngest son making a break. But now I'm on the other side. I suspect our house be quiet once we become Empty-Nesters. I know that it will be tough on me, and probably harder on Kate.

For now we still have Trevor in the house of course. Our daughter is off at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. That's a 2 and 1/2 hour drive from our home. So we can go see her any time really. That's her with her buddy Nick. But on Monday I'll be at the airport bidding her a fond farewell. She'll be off to a semester at sea. Which means she will be gone for months. It will be tough sledding for us. But she'll be in touch via email. I'll keep you updated on her travels. That way all of us can take the trip and we won't have to pay as much. So Courtney if you are reading this, remember I'm counting on to you add some color to my blogs in the months ahead. It's just one more assignment for your semester at sea!

I'm learning Spanish

Okay I'm not really learning Spanish, but it sures feels like it. I remember in the 9th grade, taking Spanish classes for the first time, and watching in awe as student after student got it. Of course, I never did. I learned a few words here and there, but I never got a real command of the language.

Back in the 80's, I was living and working in Central California and decided I should take another stab at things. So I took a HILT class. HILT stands for High Intensity Language Training. http://www.icls.com/ESL/ESLHILT.htm It meant hours of being immersed in a classroom learning the language. I watched as student after student had that "AH HA' moment. The teacher kept looking at me with anticipation. She would lean forward with this knowing glance like "He's going to get it, I know he's going to get it. Get it, why don't you?" I never did.

So this week for all intents and purposes, it's back to the Spanish classroom for me. It began on Tuesday, and continued on Wednesday. I was in a classroom for four hours each day for Avid training. It took about 5 to 10 minutes for me to realize my instructor was speaking a different language.

In Spanish, I learned words like Aqui, and Leche. In this class, I learned words like interplay environment, frame chase editing, and meta data. I even learned what E.D.L. is. Like my days in the HILT classroom, I never had that "AH HA" moment.

Fortunately...there were others in the class who made things interesting. While I approached this training session like a class, fellow classmates Topper Shutt and Gary Reals approached it like it was a news conference. The poor guy teaching the class was treated like he was a crooked politician, as he was peppered with questions. One exchange went something like this.

Topper: "How will this help?"

Instructor: "Meta Data, Frame chase editing, 80 Terra bits of storage, collaborative environment, (additional gobble de-goop I didn't understand.)"

Topper: "Well it sounds good in theory, but I don't see how it's going to benefit us."

Instructor: (Now he's irritated) For 20 years avid has been providing editing equipment. (Major chest thumping here.) I think we've learned a few things along the way! As a meteorologist, how many stories do you do anyway?"

At this point the voice of God emerged as our intrepid Executive Producer Jay Mishkin chimed in. "The reality is, this is the system that we have. We have to learn it."

My reaction to all of this..."Duh!" Of course we have to learn it. I'm sure, once all this stuff is installed and up and running, I can start messing around with it, and I will get the hang of it. I can do that. But don't ask me to explain it, because I can't. To me it's Spanish!

I've seen the future

I've seen the future! It happened the other day as I spent some time downtown with my pal Troy Hanford. That's a picture of Troy to the left. I love this shot of him because he looks so thoughtful. It's the perfect shot, because he really is. He spends a lot of time forecasting the future. He's pretty good at it. Troy has been talking about his set top box for some time. I didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but then again I think I'm not alone. A lot of folks have been skeptical of his device called the STREAMsurfer. But this week I stopped by his office at his urging to see it in action. I left saying, "I get it."

His set top box will take what you are looking at on your computer and connect it to your TV so you can watch it there. His slogan for the device is this, "It's time to watch Internet TV on TV." Initially I thought who would want this? Who would need it? I was also expecting the quality to be rather poor. But it wasn't. As to my initial questions, the answers are limitless. But here are a couple of answers.

1. Ex patriots from other countries who can view content from their homeland.

2. People who have to make choices with their budgets.

Let's start with immigrants from other countries who move here. There are tons of Internet channels out there just for them. Let's say you are from India for example, Troy showed me some content on the Internet that could keep you plugged in to what's going on in your homeland. The device gives you a way to watch it all on your TV. As everyone knows Video is a content King on the Internet.

How about the second point, budgets? Let's say you are a college student and cash strapped. You can't afford both high speed Internet access and cable, now you only need the high speed access. So much of the content is out there now that you can watch programs on your computer when ever you want. Would people actually do this? Think land line phones. They are disappearing. More and more people feel like they don't need both a land line and a cell phone, so they are just keeping the cell.

More programming is coming. In my business everyone seems to be talking about mobile technology. We'll be able to watch our favorite programs on our phone. Troy says that those programs will look better on your home television set. I also see it's value here in Washington, since no one is from here. I was thinking it might be nice to watch newscasts from Los Angeles where I grew up. With his device it can all be customized to fit your needs, and it's priced economically.

Spending time with Troy is great for me. I feel like he's helping me to understand where we are heading in cyber-space. I was talking to a friend recently who told me their daughter told her, "My Space is so yesterday nobody is on there anymore." Troy told me that "Mobile technology is yesterdays news." Without these people I wouldn't even know about yesterdays news, because I hadn't even gotten there yet. Now at least I can say I've looked into a crystal ball, even if it is not my own.

Paul, John, George and now Me?

I did it as a kid, I used to sing along with the Beatles all the time. I can remember at a very young age pleading with my older brother Larry to take me to see Hard Days Night at the drive in. So you can imagine my reaction when our Executive Producer Jay Mishkin came out to the set to let us all know that we would be singing live across the country with Ringo Starr.

The Early Show had landed an exclusive concert with Ringo in Liverpool. In the 8 o'clock hour on the East Coast we would be singing live with Ringo as he belted out, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

S0 Friday our big moment was fast approaching, only we were having audio troubles. With the satellite delay we would be singing out of sync with Ringo. How could this happen? So the engineers raced around to set up ear pieces for all of us to hear the live feed. But they were only able to get one set up by the time they were coming to us.

So Andrea had the earpiece and kept cuing us.

"They are in the instrumental part now"

Just then they came to us. I couldn't believe it, our big chance to sing with Ringo and can you believe it, it was during the instrumental phase of the song! What gives? So I did what I do best, I danced. I danced just like John Travolta, or Fred Astaire, or maybe just Johnny Astaire.

Later during our 9 am show in a serious chat with Harry Smith he said that there could be little doubt that our station out of all the stations featured was the best. He complimented me on my dancing skills. So now I can tell everyone I have something in common with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, I got to perform with Ringo Starr. There you have it I am now officially the fifth Beatle.

Click here to watch us dance.

Morning Buzz

For those of you who watch every morning, you are well aware of our morning buzz. If you are just a reader of the blog, and don't watch, let me explain. The morning buzz happens every morning around 5:55 am. It's unscripted... water cooler stuff. You know, the latest on Paris, or Mr. Blackwell's 10 worst dressed list. We all sit around and just talk about what's going on.

While it's unscripted, we do have a format and an idea of what we are going to talk about, and ample information on each topic. Even so, we go off format...sometimes. Yesterday was one of those days. I just felt like we had to react to this story, before the buzz.

You've probably seen a variation of the story, even if you missed ours. Did she cry...or didn't she? Should she have cried? Is crying un-presidential? I felt like everyone was talking about this, and most were citing it as a pivotal moment in the campaign for Hilary.

Look...I didn't use the buzz, and I have no plans of using this blog as an endorsement for Hillary Clinton. I am using this blog to encourage people to cry. Do it when you need to, and don't be embarrassed. I have pretty strong feelings about crying and I stated them on the air.

"God created tear ducts for a reason. I've cried before and I'm not embarrassed to say it. Personally, I don't think anyone should be ashamed to cry."

I can remember vividly, after my father's death, how devastated I was. Everyone in the family felt the same way. But people show their emotions in different ways. I still miss my dad, and think of him often, all these years later. He's pictured here on the left, with my mom. He always had that big smile, which remains imprinted in my mind.

During my dad's funeral, as we followed the casket towards the back, I remember sobbing over his death. I looked over at our priest. His face was beet red...he was angry. "Stop it!" He thundered. "Stop your crying! Be a man! You are upsetting your mother."

This isn't a rant against the catholic faith. I don't know what motivated Monsignor Wade that day. I'm sure he felt his actions were well intentioned. Maybe he couldn't deal with the tears and was fearful he might cry too. Who knows.

What I do know is it took me a few years to realize that he was way off the mark. I wasn't upsetting my mom...she'd just lost her husband! He was wrong on the other count too. I wasn't a man, I was a teenager.

But the belief that you should be ashamed of crying, stuck with me for a while. Not any more. If Hillary cries, more power to her. If voters came out in droves and cast their ballots because she was crying, more power to them too.

On this same day, when I was talking about tear ducts on the air, I had no idea they would get a workout later in the day.

Right around noon, Kate and I were in a church in Falls Church, listening to the eulogies for Patrick Skehan. He was a man who left all of us way too soon. I didn't know Patrick personally, but I know his brother, Michael. I like and admire Michael Skehan. When we walked in for the service, Michael gave Kate and I a giant bear hug. He made all the arrangements for this difficult affair. Patrick was Michael's right hand man in their television production business, and despite his immense loss, Michael gave to all at this difficult time.

I know Michael, because he's married to my co-anchor, Andrea Roane. Naturally, Andrea was the next in line for hugs. Despite her own sadness, she graciously met with people and consoled them. She appreciated those who chose to share this celebration of her brother-in-law's life.

Funerals are not a strength for me. I'm a guy who makes his living with words, either reading them or writing them, and am always amazed at the loss for words I have in situations like this. I didn't know Patrick, but by the time we left the service, I felt like I did. I understand the terrible loss for this family.

I don't mind saying, I shed a few tears, and I wasn't alone. I wonder what Monsignor Wade would have thought of the priest who officiated. This priest knew Michael's family since Patrick and Michael were boys. He began choking back tears soon after the service began. I know what I thought...more power to him.

It's the economy stupid

Slogans and catch phrases are a big part of campaigns. When Bill Clinton made his march to the nomination back in 1992, his chief aides posted a sign in the War Room that said "It's the economy stupid."

It seemed so simple then. "It's the economy stupid!" But what is it now?

A. "It's the War Stupid"

B. "It's the economy stupid."

C. "Experience"

D. "Change"

If I was asking this question last week, the answer would seem so simple that you would think I was stupid to even ask it. Change would be the winner. It was Senator Obama's slogan, and of course former Senator John Edwards was busy saying he was the change agent. It was such a great slogan that Senator Clinton had to start talking about change and how experience is important to bring about change. Mitt Romney grabbed change and took off running.

Where on earth do you think Barack Obama and company came up with the idea that "Change" will work. Perhaps they got the word from the people they were using it on last week. Yes, the Clintons'. Take a look at this cover of Time that hit the stands right after the election that swept Bill Clinton into the oval office. So I guess what goes around comes around.
This morning everyone in the world of politics is singing Billy Joel's tune, "Don't go changing to try to please me." So what is it this week? Maybe this week it's experience. Clearly that's what Clinton and McCain have been touting. So what will it be next time around? I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I have no idea. One thing I do know, the pundits and pollsters will tell us. They are always so smart before an election and it seems to me they don't look all that smart after.

What's great about elections is that voters decide. That's the way it ought to be. I'm such a political junkie that I spent the last presidential election cycle visiting a website daily with the latest polls. It tracked polls in each state all across the country. On election day it showed that Senator John Kerry would be the next President of the United States. I remember a friend telling me you can take it the bank. The polls said it was a slam dunk. He was wrong, the polls and pundits were wrong.

So why can't we learn our lesson? I have no idea. But I do know every four years we all sit around and grouse about how there is no substance. We don't know where the candidates stand on the issues! Every four years people plead with the news media to start reporting on substance. Please stop with the horse race stuff, will you!

Well, here we go again. The jockeys are back on the track in the form of candidates. We all take our places in the media, trying to pick which horse will come in first. If they don't win here they can't continue. You would think after our disastrous horse race coverage of the last few days we'd back off. I mean, last night I was watching Keith Olbermann and some guy was saying Clinton was in big trouble, she was going to lose, and her campaign staff was going to get the heave ho.

So I got off the air this morning and there is a political analyst on ABC saying something like, "If he doesn't win there, he can't continue." What shouldn't continue is this nonsense. It eats up too much time that could be used to discuss the issues, and where the candidates stand. A couple of things were decided last night. In New Hampshire the people chose Senators Clinton and McCain. We also learned that the news media is always better when it reports the news, and always at it's worse when it tries to predict it.

Hall of Fame

I look around and I see a who's who of Washington. I glance to my right and see Richard Myers the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. He can't find a seat at this gathering. I had arrived early, not because I thought it would be a packed house. I just wasn't sure where I was going. So I arrive and take a seat in the back of the auditorium. That's when I spot Myers. He's standing alongside the wall, about 10 feet away from me. There aren't any seats available. Or at least it looks that way. Someone motions to him in the front. They saved him a seat. But before he makes his way up to the front he stops to visit with a diplomat or attache from a foreign country. I can't tell you which one, but it's apparent because of the ritualized bowing that begins and ends their conversation.

Who could command an outpouring like this? All of these military leaders and diplomats. Is it the President or a foreign head of state? No it's the guy to the right. Ron Hall is the man who packed the house and landed the plaudits. After more than 50 years of globetrotting with some of the top officials at the Pentagon and with lawmakers and heads of state, he's hanging up his camera. On paper Ron Hall would be listed as a staff photographer for the Air Force. But there isn't one person here who actually believes that. Some of the speakers choke back tears, and talk about their emotions as they pay tribute to this wonderful man. Ron is one of those true gems that are hard to find in Washington. His philosophy and style can be summed up this way; it's not about him, it's about everyone around him. He's always gone the extra mile to make sure that everyone around him is seen in just the right light. There are quite a few funny stories about Ron that are shared. There's the one about the guy who wants Ron replaced because he doesn't show the right sort of deference to his boss. That's because Ron is known for whispering information in the ears of higher ups, or tugging at their sleeves. He does it because he's on the lookout to make sure that there are no faux pas. He'll point out a diplomat over there, or might just say something like this:

"You know I saw the White House do it this way. You might consider doing it that way too."

The higher ups recognize, in a city of sycophants, a sleeve puller is far more valuable. The speaker gets a big laugh when he says the guy who complained about Ron Hall has now been dispatched to Alaska.

After the speeches, there was a reception for Ron. I examine all the people milling around waiting for their chance to give him their best. I brush alongside CIA Director General Michael Hayden. From the biggest names to the smallest, each took their turn waiting to say hello and to wish him well in retirement. To Ron, there are no big names. Everyone is greeted with that same warm smile, and charming demeanor. When one woman starts talking for a lengthy period of time, Ron suggests they get together for coffee some time, because there are just so many people waiting to say hello. He handles the situation as deftly and masterfully as a skilled politician. I wait my turn and tell him how honored I feel to be here. After all, unlike the others here who have known Ron for much of the 50 years he has spent taking photographs, I've only known him for a very short time. I had done a story on him when he celebrated his 50th year on the job. I had also blogged about him. He told me how much he enjoyed his time with me, and how so many of his family and friends had read my blog about him. He was kind enough to introduce me to his daughter Fawn Hall. I know you've heard her name before. I also managed to catch the eye of his wife Wanda. She spends some time talking to me too. She talks about her time in government working at the side of Henry Kissinger during his stint with the Nixon Administration. I can't stay long, so I say my farewells and head out the door thinking about how remarkable it is that this man has touched so many. He won't ever find his name in the headlines or entered in the history books. But he's been there to witness headline making events, and moments in history. He's captured them all with his camera. In the process, he has also captured the hearts of admirers far and wide. Not a bad legacy... not a bad legacy at all.

Blog, Blog, Blog

I'm blogging again today, not because I have anything to say really, just because I have to. I got the lowdown from our blogging boss the other day. This is a picture of Riley Garnett our Internet guru. He gave us a breakdown in a tersely worded, sternly focused email this week. In it he had a breakdown on who's winning in the blogging sweepstakes here at the station. I looked over the information and came away with some key findings.

Part of Roscoe Garland's email detailed how many blogs there are out there. I was stunned to see Rocky Garbands stats. He states there are now 70 million blogs out there. So I came away with these thoughts.

1. What on earth are these 70 million people saying?

2. Who cares what they are saying?

3. Who is reading this stuff?

4. How did you find time to read my blog when there are close to 70 million bloggers just begging for readers like you?

5. Is Ronnie Garbinny lying? (Okay by now hopefully you have keyed into the fact that I keep changing the name of our Internet guru. It's actually Rick Garner, but I have never gotten his name right in any of my earlier blogs. It's a source of irritation for him, but it provides me a great deal of joy. By the way no one has ever taken a picture of him here at the station, but the image above is a perfect likeness.)

So let's get deeper into the numbers shall we.

Dave Statter has the blog with the biggest numbers. If you haven't checked out his blog, it's sort of like watching an Irwin Allen movie. Irwin was known as the Master of Disaster. Remember "Tower of Inferno." Well that's Statters blog. You'll find lots and lots of fires. More than a half million people read his blogs in 2007. That means one of two things, there are a lot of pyro maniacs out there and they've found our website, or firefighters can't begin their day without oatmeal and Statter.

Kim Martucci comes in second. Now if you've ever read her blog then you know it's well, it's, it's unique. It's easy to see why Kim came in second. Every day on the air she pleads with viewers "Read my Blog!" When she leaves work she drives around in her Prius criss crossing our region with a bull horn bellowing "Read my blog I'm Kim Martucci.'

I came in 7th in the tally. So you are not alone. More than 10 thousand people found time to read my blog. I thank each and every one of you. I ended up barely edging out the newsroom rat who had a delightful entry on how he chased J. C. around the newsroom one day. Bret Haber also was nipping away at me. By the way his last blog entry was posted in 1987.

But the most important feature of Rolondo Gommickinickees note was this:

BLOG AT LEAST 3 TIMES IN A 7 DAY WEEK. If you aren't doing that, let's delete your blog. You're doing no one a favor.

I saw the rat smiling at me as I made my way to the set this morning and I'll be angry if his blog stays and mine goes. So take it to the bank, I'm writing at least three times a week! So keep reading.

New Day--New Year

I like Nick, he's a great kid. He's about my height, his face framed by glasses, and a mop of hair like you'd find on one of the Beatles back in the 60's. Speaking of the 60's, spend a little time with Nick and you are transported back in time. He hands you platter after platter to look at. His Albums are treasures, handled with care. I think we connect so well because he recognizes that only a guy from my era can really appreciate his album collection. So he hands me his Three dog night album, and an Emerson Lake and Palmer album. Nick is one of my daughters roommates. Nick greeted us yesterday as we arrived in Charlottesville to visit our daughter Courtney. We were there in a way to celebrate a New Year. Nick talked enthusiastically about going out to buy a desk. I suppose you could say the purchase of the desk was a New Year's resolution. He was going to start the New Year with a flourish. He was certain that the desk would help him get organized in 2008. It would help get all the clutter out of his room. He talked about it repeatedly. There was no doubt about it, the desk was the answer to everything. It was going to be in place by the end of the day.

I can't think of a better way to spend the first day of the year then with a bunch of young people in their early 20's. They are full of life, full of enthusiasm, and on this day full of hangovers. They were all struggling. The New Years party had gone late into the night. So my wife and I decided to show up around 3pm, just in time for breakfast. Courtney had asked us to pick up bagels and cream cheese for everyone. We did! We also picked up a bottle of champagne to use to toast the beginning of a new year.

The champagne was a great litmus test to determine who drank too much the night before. A young man sitting in the living room refused the champagne. He was holding his head, he looked miserable. Nick confided later that he thinks the kid in question, was the one who threw up upstairs to usher in 2008 early Tuesday morning. I didn't ask about who threw up downstairs, given the way he framed this, I'm certain some one did.

It didn't take long before someone began grousing that there wasn't a toaster for the bagels. So in the long litany of toasts, I proposed this one.

"Let's toast to the lack of toasters in 2008"

There is a certain amount of irony when there is a large group of toasters toasting the lack of toasters.

Part of our mission was to move Courtney's stuff out of the house she shares with her roommates. She'll be heading off to a semester at sea later this month. It's being called the trip of a lifetime. That's because it will be the trip of a lifetime for her, and it will take me the rest of my life to pay for it. That of course is a typical father with the cost of higher education joke. It's a rite of passage for all of us. I have a buddy of mine who has a son at Harvard. This is his joke, "Having a kid at Harvard is like going to the dealership each year and buying a brand new 40 thousand dollar SUV and driving it off a cliff."

By the way 2008 is off to a great start for me. I convinced Courtney to trash some stuff. So we didn't have to load as much material into the SUV as we thought. Nick helped with the heavy dresser. So I didn't have to wrench my back. By the way by the time we left Nick still had not left to get that desk. I think his New Years resolution is already on life support, but then again so is mine.