Happy New Year Cont'd

It's just past 10, and it's time for bed. Fatherhood has put an utter and final end to New Year's Eve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ali G Junior wishes you a Happy New Year

A Good Man is Gone

Jerry Orbach - The best joke teller ever.

NY Times Letter

I will always post my letters to the editor of the Times. Here's today's. (For what it's worth, I have had 2 letters published so far)
-----------------------------------

Dear Editor:

The front page of the Dec. 28 paper struck a nerve with me. Above the fold there was continuing coverage of the crisis in the wake of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Below the fold was the story about giddy Wall Streeters and the return of their massive year end bonuses. The bonus for Goldman Sachs' COO was $4.5 million MORE than the entire United States government initially pledged for the earthquake relief effort.

I am flabbergasted that our government's initial response to one of the greatest natural disasters in my lifetime is less than a Wall St. Christmas bonus. There is something seriously wrong with the picture this paints about us as a society and a people.

Question about childrens fashion

I noticed recently that many of my daughter's trousers contain pockets.

What does a 5 month old use pockets for?

Down, boy...

Everybody over at one of my favorite blogs, Eschaton, is freaking out about this weird pause in Bush's press conference the other day.

Look, I dislike this president as much as anybody, but, c'mon, this is nothing. We've got way better shit to hang this guy with. We look like a bunch of conspiracy freaks peddling this.

Here is the link to the video. Judge for yourself.

ALLRIGHT - THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!!!!

Doing a little Christmas shoppping today I wandered into J&R's DVD store. Among series 2 & 3 of Starsky & Hutch, Northern Exposure, The Office, SCTV, etc, was this:

Too Close for Comfort: The Complete First Season.
But it least it starred Jm J. Bullock, the best character on tv since Larry on Three's Company

This country really is going straight to hell.

I'm starting to see a pattern

I am beginning to see the pattern of the old USSR repeated in this country. We basically forced them to spend their whole nut to keep up in the arms race and it destroyed them.

Think about now:
1. Iraq: $200+ billion
2. Prescription drug benefit: $450+ billion
3. Social Security Privatization: $2 Trillion??
4. Permanent Tax Cuts: $1+ trillion
5. Repeal of Inheritence Tax: $50 billion + PER YEAR
6. Missile Defense: $800 billion
I'm not even adding Homeland Security costs.

These assholes are digging a hole so deep we can never climb out.

Too Clever by Half

Thomas Schaller is usually right on the money, but I have to think he's being a little out there with this article.
Maybe he's just pulling my leg.

Granted, Karl Rove is a smart (Evil Genius) guy, but this gives him a little too much credit. Especially because it makes Alberto Gonzales, the next AG, look stupid.

It sure has been fun reading all the new stuff on Kerik this week. Kind of makes you wonder what the &%$@! the NY press corps was doing when Rudy nominated this bozo to be Police Chief.

A Little Baseball Thought

When I first saw that Pedro was coming to the Mets, I thought, "What an ungrateful..."

But then I remembered that The Red Sox:
1. Are simply dumping Derek Lowe, who was their absolute savior in the post season.
2. Placed Manny Ramirez on waivers last winter. He went on to an MVP type season this year.
3. Traded Nomar at the beginning of the stretch drive
4. signed David Wells

That said, they beat the Yankees, so I'll never, ever hold a grudge against them.

Fatherhood Lesson #308

Tonight, I let my wife put the baby to sleep, and I spent that time opening a nice bottle of Shiraz and finishing most of a glass.

A lesson learned is a lesson earned indeed.

Why this blog is aptly named

Tonight I was in charge of putting our daughter to bed. She has a habit of screaming and flailing just as we enter the sleep chamber and tonight was no exception. I did my best to remain calm with her as she melted down, sobbing uncontrollably. This went on for 15-20 minutes, and I eventually called in the cavalry. Mum popped in and had her silent as a mouse within 5 minutes.

Ah, a mother's love. And a father's blog instead.

Stupid is as Stupid Votes

Here's another for the "No Shit Sherlock" department:

WASHINGTON - Michael Leavitt, President Bush's choice to be secretary of Health and Human Services, may have to cut billions of dollars from the government's mammoth health programs for the elderly, poor and disabled to pare the budget deficit.

All those poor bastards (and I mean that literally in this case) who voted for this man will get what's coming to them. Unfortunately, so will the rest of us.

In the NO SHIT SHERLOCK Dept.

KERIK PROBLEMS MAY HAVE GONE BEYONED NANNY

Monday Child Blogging Part 1

Screaming baby advice solicited

When I am trying to put Grace down for the night (mother usually handles this job) she often goes into crazy screaming and sobbing (she's 5 months). Any advice to calm her?

Mission not Accomplished

Back home and no sighting of Tom Poston, although I learned from my friend Tim Saccardo that he was working on the same lot I was on. It felt too seedy to stalk him. But he probably would have enjoyed the attention.

I was introduced to (I originally wrote that I met her, but that is more involved than our brief encounter) Allison Janney on the set of The West Wing, but she seemed uninterested in a friend of a co-worker. Can't say I blame her. She didn't seem to interested in the attention. Must be a generational thing.

Does Delta Know something We don't

On my flight back to NY today, Delta posted connection information on a screen.

One of the connecting cities was listed as:

Kiev, USSR. (Gate 9 I believe).

Wow.

LA Dreaming

Spending a couple of days in LA,I have decided what is the greatest celebrity spotlight I could ever hope to have here:

Tom Poston.

I had a false sighting earlier today. I'm still depressed it wasn't him.

Posted without comment

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004_12_05_atrios_archive.html#110242990842348719

Father Says Nothing

Sorry for the dearth of Posts. Busy, busy, busy.