Sorry about the absence of postings of late. The so called Stimulus package, the Pakastani hostage situation, the hijacking of the Census.....all have called out for a post. But sadly I've been dealing with some “issues.” They ere not yet resolved and won't be for some months but for the time being I can get back to writing.

The V-Day weekend has been passed quite nicely. Dinner with the inlaws and friends at the Elevator. Hadn't been there since it's “Clock” incarnation back in the 80's. Then off to the Riffe Center for the the Columbus JAG / Ballet Met combined performance. Then up to the Arena Disctrict to hear Mark Cullison's band Capitol Sound at the Park Street Tavern. Saturday evening saw us heading to Olde Town East for a nice party which brings me to topic. The host is a sweet pretty young divorcee. The apartment was VERY well decorated. The food and beverage was well matched to the party. Quite a mix of guests, attractive, smart and interesting. Now the downside. There were essentially four rooms from front to back. The “Living Room” up front provided a nice sofa and a couple of chairs. And a nice flatscreen TV complete with karaoke machine. The “Dining Room” was lovely – brick and wood, with the only seating a piano bench. The kitchen was well appointed with two bar stools. And the back room office with a desk chair. Three dozen people with seating space for a dozen at best. No place for a group to sit and chat. In order to interact one had to stand. I glommed on to a bar stool and staked out what came to be referred to as the OGC (Old Guy's Corner.) I attempted several forays into the mix but due to volume, size (I'm 6'2” and was wearing boots so most people were talking into my shoulder or elbow) and comfort I was unable to maintain almost any social interaction.

Mood:  down

posting has been slow and will continue to lag for the next few days....life is taking one of its ugly if not unexpected turns......I have a few opinion posts brewing and simmering, but wanna get a few things OUTTA my brain before I commit other thoughts to pixels.

thx for understand.....

Mood:  not sure

Hundreds of TV channels catering to almost every whim and fetish. Every sport imaginable. Courtroom channels. Cop show channels. Reality show channels. And yet NONE are broadcasting a bit of Americana that so defines the decade and manifests itself in my cultural memory.

Friday nights. I won't go into ALL the details but from September through mid-November in Central Ohio they were sacred. Our ritual was the same. Many elements are for another time, but after the HS football game we had a rotating schedule. Four familys would take turns hosting so the kids (players, band members, cheerleaders) would always know where to meet after the game. More on the rotation in another post too. But we'd adjurn to our house, or the Lovelesses, of the Pfiels, or occasionally the Lewis's. Pizza and soda and a rehash of the game and when the parents talk turned to the boring stuff we'd head to the TV room. Before the local news came on and gave us our rival's scores, we watched Love, American Style. Then the scores. Then Fritz the NightOwl's Chiller Theater. Usually fell asleep half way through the first movie.   And for some reason that keeps stabbing into my head.  All of it.  At once.  And more.

I'm feeling REALLY maudlin right now. I gotta go change my mood.

And the lovely Desdemona painted it!

He left.

With little notice, the president and first lady Michelle Obama bolted the gated compound of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in their tank of a limousine on Tuesday. They ended up at a Washington public school, greeted by children who could not care less about the collapse of a Cabinet secretary nomination.

"We were just tired of being in the White House," the president candidly told the gleeful second-graders at Capital City Public Charter School."

they'd be saying he couldn't handle the job.

No-brainers that made it: Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Randall McDaniel.

Who made it instead:

Ralph Wilson Jr – Bills owner, AFL founder. Deserving

Derrick Thomas – on my 50/50 list. Was a pure pass rusher, didn't EVER drop into coverage. I thought his one dimensional approach would hurt him. Instead the voters relied on the fact that he was the best ever at what he does and that he changed games.

Bob Hayes – he was my special case. Fame wins. He's in.

Those that didn't:

Shannon Sharpe: anti-TE bias wins out again. Sharpe is the best TE NOT in the Hall and as good as any of those that ARE in.

Chris Carter: Inexplicable.

Andre Reed: Not a HUGE surprised, especially since Carter didn't make it. Reed was 6^th on my list. Tasker might have been a better component on those 4 SB teams.