Feline calls for help

Oreo, a black and white cat, has become our hero thanks to his loud voice warning of my daughter faced danger.

Thursday, July 23, I picked up my daughter, 8, and son, 11, from their summer daycamp and drove them to their mother’s home.
My son went right to sleep.
Alyssa began to play.
I began [...]

St. Patrick’s Day Keening

Oh why did you leave?
You celebrants,
Infants,
to America sailing,
Leaving dread in your wake
and my dead ancestors
resting in a County Tyrone churchyard.
Oh what did you find?
You Pattons found feast after famine,
food on the table,
rangeland and oil in
the Indian Territories.
You begat and begat,
Until along I came,
To wear a green derby,
Lift a green beer
and trivialize your travails,
at some pretentious pretend pub.
Oh were your [...]

A Favorite Poem Has Come Alive…

She Walks In Beauty like the night
by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which [...]

Late-Night Cell Phone Shake Awake

Wazzuh buzzin’ on my chess…
Cell phone trembling stillness lose
Sleep ‘n Sleepin’ not muh best
Sweetest call from angel/muse
 Lady/woman whispers sane
 Straight comfort, clearing cloudy mind
 World-weary walker finds his fane
 Peaceful sighs of restful kind
 Rosy arbor gardens grow
 Spreading fragrant aural scent
 Care-hushed caller bans sleep’s foe
 Tranquil words of love are spent

Now Playing

Normally, my workday warm-up tune is the Muppet Show theme.
Seriously, the “It’s time to play the music….”
But today needed a kick so “Three Strange Days” by School of Fish currently plays while I look for the lyrics to a long-lost folk song.
The album is detailed in this Wikipedia entry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=8327805 
The song:
 
“I Saw a Stranger With [...]

“YAS” Sir, That’s My Baby Boy You’re Bouncing

Budget Shortfall Targets Loudoun County Afterschool Program
Public disclosure as in the above headline – my son attends the Youth After School (YAS) Program.
He loves it due to all the games he plays, events like pancake breaks and arts and crafts.
His mother and I love it due to the cost.
As the county web page reads:
“The YAS [...]

17th Random Thing – Conscientiousness

Determined to completely outline my personality using eHarmony’s profile of me that they won’t let me share with others on eHarmony because I’m not legally divorced and single yet.
One of my random things is vindictiveness – something I’m trying to drop.
Meanwhile:
Conscientiousness
It’s a work day, breakfast is over, and you’re dressed and ready (Must be about [...]

Cadenhead’s Workbench Added to Links

Rogers Cadenhead exudes genius.
Proof – beyond his website here http://workbench.cadenhead.org/ - is that he didn’t talk to me much when I knew him at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Okay, beyond that, check out his Wikipedia entry here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_Cadenhead
The entry starts off:
“Rogers Cadenhead (b. April 13, 1967 in Dallas, Texas, USA) is a computer book author and web [...]

Stimulus Bill Boosts Cobra Benefits

Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed the economic stimulus bill containing items boosting COBRA benefits for the recently laid-off during the nation’s economic downturn. 
COBRA benefits basically mean continuation of health care insurances that otherwise end when an employee is terminated. Usually, the former employee takes on the entire benefit cost.
This is important because a company may pay about 75 percent of [...]

16th Random Thing while Passive-Aggressive blogging

Passive-Aggressive behavior is something I’d like to rid myself of with as much seriousness as I tackle passive verbs.
My behavior is still sucking.
This would be my 16th Random Thing, this passive-aggressive crap that mainly gets directed at my soon-to-be ex-wife when I can’t get her attention.
Speaking of my wife and eHarmony (we took it posing [...]