Quick Update on the Life and Times....

A quick refresher for everyone on our little family.

Jen is still working at the Tallahassee Neurological Clinic, where life isn't so bad. It isn't where she wants to end up, but, for now while we are childless and I am still studying, it pays the bills.

I am still employed by Capital City Bank, until August 15th when I will make a mad dash for the door and never turn back... except when I have to come and handle personal banking business I guess... CCB has been really good to me in a lot of ways while I've been an undergraduate, but it is time to move on and focus on a career, not just a job.

Yoshi is fully recovered (as far as we know) and is still on his Vitamin K treatment to boost his clotting factors. He has been sorta aggressive towards other dogs since the fiasco, we need to call the vets in Gainesville to see if this is normal. Either way, he will probably be going to obedience school for a quick minute just to get some refreshers (he is great at home, not great other places.)

In August I will be starting a Master's Program in Higher Education at Florida State. I am very excited to get back into school and hopefully I'll never leave again (though once I finish the degree I hope they will pay me to administrate something in some capacity.) I am currently applying for assistantships... so pray for me, because I do not want to be in debt. My end goal is to work in some administrative capacity in the Athletic Department (preferably in Academic Support, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at anything they offer me post-graduation.)

Just so you know, it is 67 days until my birthday. I want a lionfish, an iPod, and a digital camera. Pass it on.

Doppelgänger

So Meredith (lil sis) called me today to announce she had found some odd picture of me somewhere on the WWW. It is a guy hanging out near black people (sounds like me), with a goofy grin (sounds like me), and striking an awkward pose (again, sounds like me.)

The thing is, it isn't me. I was never that tall, thin, or owned that shirt. She found my doppelgänger. I'm kinda freakin' out right now, cause the dude does look an awful lot like me... enjoy.

My tax dollars pay this guy?

Arlen Specter.

Even his name sounds creepy at best, sinister even.

If you don't know, he is a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. He has been in office for more than 27 years now and has been very involved in many of the big legislative events of the past 3 decades.

He is a Republican, but unlike most of the GOP, he is unafraid to break ranks and vote how he truly believes, for which I must give him mild kudos (mostly for speaking out against the impeachment of Bill Clinton, but also for his support of a substantially higher minimum wage and his support for stem-cell research.)

However, like almost all politicians, he gets caught up in matters that are suspect and seemingly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. He has time and again taken up the banner, crusading against the National Football League. Now why would a politician continue to rail against the NFL? We'll get to that answer in a few moments. Recently, Specter has demanded answers of Roger Goodell (the Commissioner of said League) regarding "Spygate" (the scandal involving the New England Patriots and illegal videotaping of opposing teams signals.) He believes the investigation by the League was biased and that there was an inside cover-up, now demanding that a Congressional investigation be initiated to uncover the truth.

This is not the first time he has taken a hard stance regarding the NFL. In 2005 he sought to have the NFL investigated for violation of anti-trust laws over the Philadelphia Eagles and their handling of Pro-Bowl wide receiver Terrell Owens. In 2007, he sought to have the law that allows the National Football League to sign lucrative television contracts on behalf of all 32 teams repealed. In February 2008, he sought to have religious organizations declared exempt from NFL copyright laws.

Why would one senator keep attacking one organization so harshly? Could it be that he actually feels that the NFL doesn't deserve an anti-trust exemption? I mean, he is on the anti-trust subcommittee headed by Herb Kohl of Wisconsin (who coincidentally owns a major sports franchise.) Is he just an irate Eagles fan who is still bitter about a Super Bowl loss to the "cheating" Patriots? All signs point to no. This is the point the sinister nature of his name comes back into play.

The second largest contributor to his campaigns over the years has been Comcast Cable. The largest donor is the Law Firm Blank Rome, which "coincidentally" represents Comcast Cable. Comcast has been locked in a legal dispute with the NFL and its own television station, the NFL Network for the past 3 years. Arlen Specter has publicly declared that he would support legislation ending the NFL's anti-trust exemption, allowing local teams to negotiate their own cable contracts to the benefit of Comcast. It appears that Specter has violated the code of ethics for senators because of the link between his two largest donors and his attack on the NFL.

It also appears to me that he is currently violating a humane code of ethics, in that he is concentrating his legislative and influential prowess into something so irrelevant as the TV contracts for football teams, when he could be doing something good. Especially when put in stark contrasts of the events around the world in the past few months; an estimated 200,000 deaths in Burma, 300,000 displaced Chinese citizens by the forthcoming Olympics, increasing teen drug usage, housing markets falling, foreclosures increasing, trade deficits with almost every trading partner we have, increasing "pork" in legislative bills, a still broken New Orleans, etc, etc, etc.

Instead, Mr. Specter cares about football. Rah Rah Rah.

Geriatric Appreciation

Sorry it's been a while, but I'm lazy.

Last night (Mother's Day) I enjoyed a chat with my Grandma Ada and as always, picked up some fun tidbits. In describing Yoshi's appearance to her, I figured I would compare him to something she knew, coyotes. Living on or near a farm in Texas or Kansas for her entire life, she certainly knows about coyotes. So, after coyotes came up in conversation, she dropped this interesting tidbit....

The high-chair and rocking horse that were originally purchased for my Aunt Kay over 60 years ago, which have been used by each subsequent child, grandchild (yours truly included), and great-grandchild, were bought using coyote bounties. Apparently Grandpa John collected bounty on coyotes (@ $2 a pop) to earn additional fundage back in the day. He (presumably) shot them, then cut off their ears and tails to take to the county offices for credit, where they would give him money for helping control the "pest" population.

Amazing. While 2 of my grandparents have passed away, the remaining 2 have vast databases of great stories that I really need to hear while they can still tell them. You don't hear great stories about coyote bounties every day. So the lesson is, enjoy your grandparents while you can!

Hopefully I'll have great stories for my grandchildren, but almost certainly they will not be impressed that I bought their high-chair with my debit card... sad.