A fart in the fog

Nascar Nationwide series starts at Daytona today. Danika Patrick is the headliner. The rest of the news is about tensions and rivalries. I'm more excited than previous years because of the snow, and of course, Patrick. I thought she was overexposed after last years SI swimsuit issue but again, I'll credit the weather with altering my senses. I just heard Dale Jr say that "everybody should have an urgency to be an entrepreneur" in response to a question of whether he is taking on too many business challenges in addition to being a driver. I hope he had success this year. Can't end without mentioning Pitt's great win last night. 3 OT's to beat a top 5 team at the Pete for the sixth time against zero losses.

Ugh.

Still reducing Medrol by 1 mg per month. At 6 weeks and down to 2mg from 4 mg (for 4 years). I'm stocked up on Advil, but I haven't taken more than 6 tablets. December 5 and I can have a Guiness to celebrate. Shortness of patience and occasional stuttering until then, but so far no old symptoms returning. I've made a lot of friends on steriods. I don't know how I'll interact with people when I'm steriod free. We'll see if my character weakens and I become a liberal.

I've long intended to visit Biloxi Mississippi. Jimmy Buffett sings about the town. "They all look like sisters, in the water...". As news about Katrina broke and as details surrounding the devestation surfaced I thought it may be time for Jimmy Buffett to headline a concert to benefit the region. However, I couldn't imagine Parrotheads coming together to party about such a tragedy. Getting wasted should never have a purpose. If the concert is held at the Astrodome for the victims, I'll be more understanding and even likely to donate. Those people who lost every physical posession. The most unfortunate lost loved ones, or are praying for, and have yet to realize the fate of their missing. They need a break. When they're ready to dance and listen to music, the rest of us can carry on like a flock of drunken penguins. Until then, can we stop planning the next party?

Can someone convince me that the two party system is good for tax paying Americans? The Karl Rove story got muted by Able Danger and Rep. Kurt Weldon's remarks. I'm not sure the trade was fair. Maybe there was a "player to be named later" involved. The Sandy Berger affair might have been worth more than just some leverage on the Roberts nomination. Roberts is not Von Hayes, but the Berger thing seems like it should have had more wheels. Maybe it was Roberts for Berger and Sheehan's mother's stroke.

I'm off to try to get a refund on my 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT. Maybe they'll just mail the "traded/update series" to my house with my tax info.

Tonight while picking up a half gallon of milk I watched a shortie in denim leaning over the counter at the local Sheetz browsing the cig selection. I considered getting in line right behind her and showing the sexagenarian counter help my "O" face. The counter help needs to be entertained once in a while, plus I wondered if I would get a laugh.

Before I could decide, shortie picked a cheap brand. I paid for the milk.

It happens that I followed the vehicle that she got into for 2 miles. PA plate FJT-77**. En route she tossed the cellophane wrapper and threw another wrapper or box out the window.

What gives?
There are a few peices of litter that outnumber all others. In the rural areas of Western PA, it's cigarette related garbage and beer cans or bottles. PA does not offer refunds on beverage containers, but I'm not offering an excuse. I'm suggesting that all cigarettes be wrapper free, box free, and filter free. We'd go back to days of personalized cigarette cases. People might smoke more to keep their stash from going stale, thus generating more tax revenue. In theory, smokers might also die a little sooner and presumably make less waste during the course of their briefer lives. (Also part of this bill would be an amendment to the constitution requiring that all smokers be cremated at or very near their death. On what religious grounds could a smoker protest this?).

You could buy reusable filters for cigarettes. They'd be about 25 bucks each. They would have to cost just a little more than the cost of "doing business"- think Hugh Grant. If people were still inclined to toss away cigarette butts, women of the night would be likely to pick them up. STD's and lung cancer might decline.
But I digress, my point is, there's no real threat of being penalized for littering, and with smokers and drinkers making up so much of the litter maybe the ATF should be spending more time on the A & T and less on the F. I love to see a standoff between the esteemed gov't agency and Joe Litterbug. "Step out of the car. Extinguish your cigarette. Put your hands up! Is this your lip-print on..." BANG BANG.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=978963


July 26, 2005 — Five Egyptian men with maps of the New York City subway system and video of New York landmarks have been arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, N.J., ABC News has learned. (see the rest of the link if you don't believe what I'm about to tell you).

These 5 able bodied men, 4 of whom are illegal immigrants - one already a fugitive since 2000, will be deported.

Call me unreasonable but can an expenses paid trip home be the wisest idea?

I guess it's reasonable that being here illegally isn't neccessarily a ticket to Camp Gitmo either. The 500 or so current jihad committed inmates might be uncomfortable if 500 Christian Mexicans per day were to be added to the general population.

This is only a test. If this had been a real blog I would have tried to find the line that divides piquing Patriot Act drones and hysterical liberalism.