Off to Chi-Town. I don't really look forward to business travel. Just a homebody. Will miss family and routine.

Message for this Labor Day
As the economy began to stall last year and companies laid off workers, chief executives of big corporations still got hefty pay raises and were rewarded for making job cuts.

There has been a particularly blatant pattern of CEOs benefiting at the expense of their workers. Chief executives of the 52 major companies that announced layoffs of at least 1000 employees earned some 80 percent more on average than CEOs at 365 big corpoations surveyed by Buseness Week magazine. The layoff leaders recieved an average $23.7 million compared with $13.1 million overall in this group. These top job cutters got an average increase in salary and bonus of nearly 20% compared with average raises for US wage earners of around 3-4% for salaried employees.

excerpted from Associated Press, by Marcy Gordon

Last night, we had a great night at our minor league baseball park. Rock Cats rock! - Hey Gordon! Feelin' pretty good last night?

Well, it looks like Danny Almonte is 2 years older than his peers on the Bronx Baby Bombers and his Little League opponents. Shame on the father of this child, and if the coach knew about it, shame on him also. Although I haven't heard anyone come out and say this, I believe that this situation is very common. I know it happens in leagues I have been involved with in Softball and Basketball, and I am sure it happens throughout childrens sports. I never liked it when I saw it happening, and often criticized coaches for doing it, but I know it has happened on some of my daughters teams (never in a team I have coached).

I wonder about the kids that may have had the experience of LL World Series semi's and finals, but were elliminated by Almonte's pitching in earlier rounds. These kids may have been denied the experience of a lifetime all because one parent or coach chose to *bend the rules* (aka cheat) in order for his team to win. Shame, Shame, Shame.

As a parent and sometimes coach of kids sports, I know how we all want to win (i am probably one of those parents that gets a bit carried away with winning), but these programs are for the kids... not us parents. Now its the parents and coaches who have put a black cloud over this Little League program... one of the greatest pastimes for kids all over the world, and an organization that has been important to kids for generations. Little League will survive. I hope that parents and coaches learn from this sorry event. I know it has given me a better perspective that playing fairly and making a good example for the kids, is far more important than winning ball games.

Xx, Take your stuff and get it out of my shop. I am tired of your bullshit. Lets end it!

First day of school for the kids. Its one of those life events that, still after 13 years, tugs at your heartstrings. It reminds you of the joy of bringing up a family and takes you back to your own childhood feelings of that day. This year is somewhat special, with Dave's last year in HS, and Rach's first. You could see in their faces the anticipation. For Dave, going in with the privelidged role as a senior... taking his own car to school and driving his little sister. For Rach, the excitement of a new school, new environment, new teachers, great expectations. She already has been going to tryouts for JV Volleyball, and expects to make the team.

We ran out this morning to take a picture of the kids going off to school. Of course they were mortified. The kids ran to Daves car, rolled up the windows and drove off as quick as possible!

Kinda strange weekend. In a bummed out mood over different things goin on. Didn't feel like going out much, so I pretty much vegged out. 'Cept for Friday... went to Pilot Pen Tennis. Saw Venus Williams win. That was cool. Also, enjoyed watching the Little League World series. The whole Daniel Almonte - Baby Bronx Bomber thing, and the Japanese team with back2back come from behind wins in the bottom of the last inning. Much more fun to watch these kids than to watch a regular pro game.

Its official! Our house is ours free and clear. One less big monthly payment. Yippee.. Of course, we are facing bills for vacation, insurance (one more car), years of college tuition, a career goin' down the tubes... Just shoot me!

Its rediculous! There is this *news* media frenzy going on about the Condit Interview. This is a non-issue. Its no more news than your average People Magazine article. We know the guy is a slime ball from things that have occured over the last couple of months. Why is this NEWS now! With the economic crisis, Arab-Israeli conflict, Macedonia, and other news worthy events... how does this justify the amount of coverage dedicated to this non-issue. I don't get it!

She gave her heart and soul into an organization, and expected just one break... and it just doesn't happen. Job probably went to a total outsider. Life can suck sometimes.

Despite the heavily pro corporate environment in government these days, there is still some Justice in the court system. You lose this round, Micro$oft.

Not much to say lately. Its been a great week off chillin' away from work. Beach days... bought a car for Dave... today, visit folks and party with friends tonite.

Keep fingers crossed ... don't wanna say too much or might jinx her. More on this Monday.

Here is a pic of Daves Jeep.

Here are some pics of our three days at the beach. VERY relaxin'. What is it that draws us to the sea? The hot sun and sand, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. OHHH it was fantastic. Ate plenty of lobster. Read Rog's book. Way to go Rog. Excellent. Read it in two days... couldn't put it down.

Off to the beach for a couple of days. Got all my electronics ready (cam, mp3, iBook, cell, palm...). Will try to post a couple of pics if I can get a connection. Also, will try to read Rog's book. Looking forward to some good summer reading. Lots a lobsta, I hope!

Finally, Vacation time is here. It couldn't come at a worse time, with all the crisis goin on at work... but its also a good time. I am stressed to the max, and emotionally drained. It seems so long since my last week off, I don't even remember what we did. We'll spend a few days at Rockport, and some time just chillin' at home. I already feel the stress melting away.

X may go straight to Hell... Do not pass Go... Do not collect $200K dollars.

Helped my son buy his first car. Its a beauty. A '92 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. Its got a lot of miles, but it was kept up meticulously. The body has a new paint job, and the interior looks brand new. Its a six cylinder and 4 wheel drive. I helped out Dave some, but basically he paid almost 75% of the car himself. He has worked and saved for nearly a year at his job, and now he gets to reap some rewards. I am proud of him.

Monday, took the day off to go with my son for his wisdom teeth extractions (all 4). He had all the anxiety and nervousness you would expect going into it. The procedure took only 1/2 hour. After that, surprise... instead of him being tired, in pain, swollen, grumpy, downed out from the Percoset... This kid was energetic, talkative, wanting to party... What is this kid made out of!! It was very strange. Spent the day driving all over town looking to buy a car for him to drive. I was exhausted ... and he was ready to party.

Back to work today. The X-men still have a gun to our head (going on our 2nd week). There has been some positive movement, but we are still down for the count.

Spent practically the entire weekend watching Rach's Softball Tournament. Six games in two days. What a weekend. It was rainy, hot, humid, 7 hour days... Some might say that makes for one lousy weekend... Not so! This was such a wonderful tournament. These girls are such great kids, skillfull, competitive, fun loving. We had a blast rooting for them. They came together (kids and parents), peaked at tournament time, and went undefeated for all six games, winning the Championship. Check out the links to the pictures. It was a great time. Congrats to Rachel and all the Vernon Girls.

I have learned that high level management in corporate finance is no better than mafia thugs. When push comes to shove, they will do the equivalent of breaking your knees, and holding a gun to your head till they get what they want.

Went to see Planet of the Apes last night. Another dissapointment. Screenplay was really lame. Ape makeup and mannerisms were cool, and a real good ending, but, its just a concept that you can't repeat twenty years later and have the same impact.

Could it be happening? A nail in the digital coffin?

A bitch of a commute to work this AM. Terrible traffic ... took over 1 hour to get here. Don't know why. Then almost plowed into a car in front of me. I don't know where my head was at... but, man, it was close. Good thing there was a shoulder on the road to swerve into, or I would have been toast! Need a shorter commute!

Strange day. Xerox sends photographers to our shop for a photo layout for a marketing program. We are being annointed as "Xerox Heroes". Ironinc!...In one stroke they kiss our ass, and screw us up the ass. Go figure.

This weekend, we were invaded by kids... little ones... a couple of 1 yr old twins, and a 4 year old (not to mention, mike, illene and geri). The kids kept us on our toes. You can't take your eyes off them for a second. They see something, they'll pick it up and throw it, or put it in their mouth. See some wires... they'll unplug em. Cats had tails pulled, legs stretched, lifted by their hind quarters.... They are very good kids... just regular 1 year olds. After less than 24 hours of this, claire and I are beat! It was fun though... just tiring!

I have got to see Planet of the Apes this weekend. Hopefully it will make up for the dissapointing AI.

We'll have a house full of people this weekend. Gerri, Mike & Illene, and the kids Christian and the twins. Should be fun. Glad they are coming.

Today, work ended on a very depressing note. I am just glad its friday, and I have a couple of days to get my mind off it.

Had a big discussion with friends at a bar last night about today's music. What I object to in much of hip-hop and punk is the glorification of gangsta-ism, pimpin', street violence, gay bashing, mysogeny, guns... etc. I understand that a lot of this is the expression of rebellion of today's youth. Music has been the platform for that for generations. BUT, how about rebellion for positive social change. Remember the songs of Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, U2 and others? Unfortunately, the discussion got ugly, and one person made the accusation that he was being attacked thereby making himself the "victim", diverting the discussion away from the issue, and making it personal. Anyway, it was never meant as an attack against any individual at the table... only against the music makers.

Speaking of music - My mp3 player is way cool! Hopped to a couple of libraries to borrow CD's, rip em to mp3's, so I have plenty of tunes to load up on my player.

Ouch! Doc cut me a second belly button. Now all kinds of wierd goo is seaping out of the drainage canal now installed. I am waiting for a scene from Aliens where some creature will soon explode from my abdomen.

Got my new mp3 player. Putzed with it and my computer all night, much to the dismay of wifey... with whom I ingored all evening.

In a somber mood. Last night, learned that my sis, Laura's cancer has returned. After many months of optimism that it had not progressed, a new tumor has been found. She will undergo treatment immediatly. I am not one that puts much stock in prayer. But prayers or positive thoughts and energies are in order today.

I am also off to the Doctors today. I have had a cyst of some kind on my stomach that recently has been changing and irritating me. Sure its nothing.

Weekend recap
SAT
- Mom & Dad over for lunch (they look great - but tired).
- Bought a beautiful piece of furniture (more on that later).
- Dinner with Amy and Gordon. They are great friends. Good and generous people. Been our best friends for nearly 15 years. Sushi was great... and they picked up the check (thank U gift for coaching the kids in softball). We'll get 'em next time.
SUN
- Drove Rach to Providence College for BBall camp. Spoke with Carla Berube (one of our favorite UCONN players and ABL Blizzard too).
- Set up our new hutch (buffet), enclosing all our stereo equipment, CD's, and printer in the living room.
- Ripped a bunch of old Vinyl records to MP3. Need to retire my turntable and records. Weather Report, Shakti, Pat Methany are first to go.

There are hundreds of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts stores in the US. There are none in Connecticut, Massachusettes or Rhode Island. Bummer!

Another pilgrimage to Macworld Expo NY. Always a great time. New OS X 10.1 is shaping up nicely. Lots of new apps and stuff for it. Getting anxious to try it. New iBook is hot! Saw some great software, printers, cameras, MP3 Players...bought one!. A great day in NYC with David. Best of all... had a Krispy Kreme!!! WOW!! Took some pics. Maybe I'll put em up this weekend.

Time to weigh in on the Chandra Levy matter. This IS a legitimate news story. Rep. Condit's affair with a 20 year old intern, while not illegal (in fact, now seems commonplace), is still not appropriate for a high ranking government official. That in itself, however is not newsworthy. What is... is the witholding of information from the police, and conspiring with his staff and others to withold and even lie to officials about his affair. What is amaizing to me is that other members of congress are not clamoring for his resignation or censure. Tom DeLey actually comes to his defense. That is despicable.

On the other hand, while this is a story worth reporting it is obviously being blown way out of proportion. FOXNews in particular is just playing this to no end... trying to make another OJ story out of this. Every news cast starts with an opening screen, VANISHED: CHANDRA LEVY, and sound track that has the feel of an afternoon soap opera. Now, they are playing up this incident where a Condit staffer spoke of Chandra's "one night stands". Its bad enough that a staffer made such accusations, but the manner in which Fox News has been exploiting this, makes them (Fox) just as guilty of being slime balls.

Wish me LUCK!...
and Claire too

Weekend in review. Went berry pickin'. Neat place. No pesticides... uses netting to keep out birds. Lotsa blueberry in the house. Sunday went to a Daylilly farm. Just someones house in Somers. Beautiful garden of all daylillies. Bought some, planted 'em. There huge. Went to see FINAL FANTASY : THE SPIRITS WITHIN with kids and Gagne kids. Visuals are stunning and awsome. Story, though complex was a little weak. You have to like this movie, though just for the animation.

Week ahead should be an eventful one. On Tuesday... opportunity knocks... Thursday, MacWorld expo... one of my favorite days of the year.

It looks like both parties of Congress have worked in concert to prevent a vote on campaign reform. The most important legislation regarding cleaning up our election system is being squashed by a system that feeds on influence pedling through campaign contributions. Of course, this issue is hardly reported at all and is completely overshadowed by the Chandra Levy story. Are our priorities screwed up or what!

Celebrated David's 17th birthday yesterday. Went out as a complete family unit to dinner at Dave's venue of choice... Outback Steakhouse. Except for the cheese fries, dinner was unexceptional... but never mind that.

David is exceptional. I know I constantly give him a lot of shit, and am awfully critical at times... but this kid is extremely bright, hard working (except school), and has very good judgement. Basically, he is one teenager that has his head screwed on correctly, and for that, I am grateful and proud of him. Love ya Dave!

Oh, yeah... It was an absolute pleasure having Dave and Rach with us for dinner last night. These are great kids with great personalities, that are just fun to have around. Had some good laughs, which is just what was needed.

My company's web hosting service, BiznessOnline blew off our DNS entry, thereby making miller-johnson.com dissapear from the Internet. Why this happened, I will not say... but, it made my day a living hell. No email, no FTP, no Web site - since yesterday morning. OK, so someone here messed up... but they were real fuckers about it. BiznessOnline may go to hell.

Testified in a hearing in front of the Dept. of Public Utilities. At issue, is AT&T's breach of contract, by not providing cable internet access to the Vernon, CT region. The point I tried to make is that AT&T has lied... they have acted in bad faith time and time again, and therefore should have the cable franchise revoked and given to another cable company. Only three people showed up to testify from the community, myself, a school teacher and someone from the Economic Development Committee. Not a great showing. I was not very happy with my own presentation... just couldn't hit my public speaking stride. Oh well. On the way home, I kept thinking... what in hell am I doing? There is world hunger, threat of nuclear war, an AIDS crisis... and I have chosen Broadband Internet access as my BIG ISSUE to make a stand on... What a geek!

The All-Star game helps me reflect on why I am so enthralled with baseball. I will be the first to admit... the game can be boring. It is not the fast paced excitement of this MTV age (like basketball). Its a pastoral game, ever so rich in tradition. Its a game of summer, played on grass in the sun or on a warm summer night. It develops throughout the season, or over many seasons, like a good novel.

This year we have many great stories unfolding. Will Bonds break McGuire's HR record? Cal Ripkin... the Ironman, homers in his last All-Star Game. The Red Sox, once again will make a run for the World Series after being denied for nearly 100 years. Great Japanese players like Ichiro are taking the US Major Leagues by storm. Baseball is a game to be savored.

UGGHHH! I'm a little spaced today after last nights MJBL Fantasy Baseball trade meeting and all-star game at Rookies sports bar. A good time had by all. The suds were flowing, the hot wings were HOT!!!, and the trades were goin down fast and furious. I was really hurting last night and the AM.

Just realized that I never made an entry about our Softball party. Last weekend (july 1), good friend Amy P had all the softball team over for swimming and pizza. then I presented them with trophies, and a "Year In Review" sheet that had all our scores, stats, etc. It was a great ending to a great fun season. Its also the end of my Softball Coaching career.

Nice day at the beach at LI Sound yesterday. Connecticut beaches are not the prettiest, or cleanest... But the sun was out, the sand was warm beneath the feet, and the company was great to be with. A great day with pressmans, gagne's, and folks. Thanks Barb.

Spent a few hours doing a minor revision to my home page. Changed the pic, to one of my favorite shots of dave's sillohette in front of the Pollack painting at the MOMA. Any change to my home page is a challenge because I code it entirely by hand to keep it W3C compliant, and to make iCab smile!

Lately, there has been a lot of traffic to my movie review page. Although it was intended for mostly the Laster family's viewing pleasure, I have had a few submissions from net surfers everywhere. Pretty cool! I should really do something to spiff up the page, and enhance its functionality.

Its been a real nice holiday week. Starting with a BBQ at our house last weekend with the Gagne's. Fireworks Monday night in Vernon, another nice BBQ at Diana's with Barb and Rog showing up. Bought a recliner at RandF. Experimented with recipes for some kick-ass Marqueritas. Relaxed a lot with some great weather.

Once again... I have that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that all is not well. I have no tolerance for others... just in one of those grumpy moods. Maybe it has to do with the funeral that I will attend tonite. Anyway, a day off tomorrow for 4 JUL. Hope to go to the beach or something. I already know that Thursday will be a ball-buster day at work.

This review of the movie AI sums up my feelings. Reviewer Mary Pols also did not like the ending, but says..."A.I. should be seen and judged individually. I didn't love it, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, either." ... me too!

I went to see Spielberg's new film AI on opening night. I was so psyched, as this film seemed like it would be a classic sci-fi flick. But it wasn’t to be... What a lame ending. It started out so freaking great, and then got mired in this *Pinochio* shit that just became tedious. Read my entire review here. If you have seen AI, I'd be interested to get your impressions.

Just informed that a co-worker, one of the nicest, sweetest individuals you could know, just passed away. He had been fighting cancer for just a couple of months. The cancer won. He was about my age. Life is as fragile as it is precious. I will miss you, Lee.

I feel alot better today than I did at this time yesterday. To all those that I told to *Go to Hell*... sorry 'bout that! Today is Friday, and I really look forward to this weekend. Need a couple of days away from MJ to unwind. Dying to see the movie AI. Since wifey is goin out wit da girls, maybe I can hook up with a buddy to go to the flicks. How bout it Kirk, John, Al, Gordon...somebody!

Sucks... doesn't it? Its not surprising in todays political climate, steeped in corporate quid pro quo. Micro$uck's court imposed breakup has been overturned. The good news is that the decision did reaffirm that Micro$hit IS a monopoly, and has used its status to crush its competion in an unfair way. It is just the penalty phase that has been overturned and remanded to a new trial and new judge. Like I say, in today's Pro-Business (therefore anti-consumer) environment, it is unlikely that Micro$tink will get any meaningful penalty out of this... we'll have to wait and see.

I could use some good news... well here it is. Miller Johnson Digital has won the prestigeous Benjamin Franklin Award. Actually we won 2 Bennys. That is quite a feat. For those of you not in the printing industry, the Bennys are to printing, what the Oscars are to the Film industry. You are lucky to win one in a lifetime... we won 2 in one year. The icing on the cake is that although MJ entered in over dozen catagories, It was the Digital pieces that won BOTH awards.

Watch out... I am in a pissed off mood. I just feel like everything is NOT right. Kids ignore me, wife rejects me. I feel fat and don't fit in my clothes. I am uncomfortable with my own body. People around me irritate me. Work is spiraling downhill and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone comes to me to get things done, but when it is time to reap some rewards... I am passed over (that goes for in and out of work). So... everyone can just go to hell. .... have a nice day!

I know, I shouldn't be whining... I've got it pretty good here... but I have this inescapable feeling that I must move on. My expectations and aspirations will never be achieved as long as I remain at this position. Then there is the security, or lack of it, unless something really big can cause a turn-around. Opportunities at this venture have come and passed me by, there is no reason to think that those types of opportunities will ever be presented to me here (and maybe, with the state of things, I wouldn't want them anyway). Therefore, I will forge ahead and seek new ground. Change is good.

Listening to the Doors. What a great band they were. Such a unique sound. It rocks-takes you back to some good, crazy ole times! Think I'll spend the day listening to 60's psychedelic rock. Jimi Hendrix anyone?

Went to see Lara Croft: Tomb Raider last night with Dave... It was pretty bad. Only redeeming features are the opening sequence... and Angelina Jolie's hot looks. That opening sequence did have the feel of the game. Her movements were like run/run/duck/roll/jump/flip...etc-if you've played or seen the game, you know what I mean. After that its all down-hill. I think I actually dozed off for a little bit during the flick.

Nice to go out with my son to the movies. We went to the new cinema in Hartford. Bit of a rough neighborhood, and tough looking crowd, but the seating and sound system is awesome.

If I can be a proud poppy for a moment... just got back from Rachel's Scholastic awards night. She raked 'em in. Here is a sampling. The coveted Whitlock for French, an honored Bonano Mathematics award, the Presidents award (signed by dubya), and the creme de la creme... the VCMS Scholar award (high honors in all 12 semesters at Middle School). Where did she get such smarts? Actually, she worked REAL hard. What a girl!

BTW, by popular demand, the webcam is back. Dave confiscated it to do god knows what, but I stole it back.

Rach is as bubbly as freshly poured champagne, and its infectious... it has lifted my spirits this AM. She is excited about school ending and the anticipation of High School next year. She spent all night talking to her freinds comparing HS schedules, and all morning in the car reading notes written to her in her yearbook ... its a joy to see her so excited.

THE situation worsens... both for myself, and the enterprise. I feel almost totally out of the loop. Disgusted and disenchanted, I have been exploring new pursuits, one could be encouraging. Sorry for being so cryptic... but must be carefull.

Despite that, I got into developing a data format for a customer DB that can be easily updated, merged, synced with handhelds, exported for mail merge... and the application is free on all Mac's. I want to roll it out quickly, but need support from management. We'll see if I get it.

Its been a full weekend. On friday night, I went to Mets Yankees game with three buddies from work. Great game, great fun, but Mets lost 5-4 on a stupid base running play in the 8th inning by Mikey that would have tied the game. Man, I am beginning to hate those Damn Yankees. Anyway, Shea Stadium was packed, and the house was rockin'. On the way to NYC though, I hit a log that was laying in the road, and blew a tire. That was a bummer, but the rest of the night was a blast.

Got home at 2AM, and woke up a few hours later to take off for a 6.5 hour drive to Rachacha for the wedding of one of my nephews. I really hate weddings. I think bridesmaids outfits look stupid, as do their buffant hairdos. I hate the shlock Karen Carpenter and Kenny G music they play. I'm tired of the bride and groom cutting the cake and smashing it in each others face. I don't appreciate everyone telling us to dance when I don't feel like it. Then, you always have that one pissed off relative that doesn't like the seating arrangement. I just don't like these affairs. I guess I am just a social dweeb... I am glad everyone else enjoys themselves, though! ;-)

Writing this blog while driving home. Between NYC and Rochester trips, I will have logged twenty hours in the car this weekend (though C and D did almost all the driving). Oh, yeah... its Fathers day... happy, happy!

Tonite! Going back to Shea Stadium for Mets v Yankee game! One of the toughest tickets in NYC, and I got 4 of 'em. Going with some guys at work, and in our Fantasy Baseball league. Should be a BLAST!

A "must read" article -- The Seattle Times: Microsoft and AOL duel for the Internet crown. In short Microsoft is trying to control your access to the internet with its technology, while AOL is trying to control the content through its acquisition of Time Warner... the worlds largest media provider. Both companies want to control the Internet by limiting your choices of what you can see, and how you will see it... and pay for it. A POX ON BOTH THEIR HOUSES!

OK, the softball season is over, and so is my 5 year career as a coach of U14 girls softball. I have to admit, I feel a sadness and a huge void now that it is over. This year was such a joy for me (and I hope the girls). This last year I was fortunate to have the greatest group of kids to coach. The enthusiasm, joy, dedication, fun, skill, intensity was so evident you could feel it all around you. We placed second in the league with a 9-2 record, beating every team but one. Those 2 games could have gone either way. There is no doubt that we had the best team overall... best hitting, fielding, baserunning. That "other" team had one great pitcher that no one could hit--thats all. By the end of the season, our team was awesome. We won one game by 40 runs, and the last game against one of the better teams 16-4.

Like I said, the end of the season creates an emptiness in my being. The right thing to do is to fill that void with renewed enthusiasm towards my professional life. I will try to place that same energy into my career... whether that means at my present job, or in a search for new opportunities.

Listening to CNN live about the McVeigh execution. Its such a strange thing. I feel a compelling urge to listen, though I am sickened by it. I doubt if this act will heal the wounds of the families of the victims, or bring closure to their suffering. I don't see how this accomplishes anything positive at all. Yet I feel the man deserves to die.

Got my hair chopped yesterday. I had this strange feeling since Friday, that if I cut my hair, I would release some of the negative energies that were making me feel down. So, early Sat morning, I had my hair buzzed real short. I think it worked. Nothing but peach fuzz on the top now.

Full day yesterday. Besides the buzz cut, Mom, Dad, Di and Andy came over for lunch... went to "A Day at the Park"... all the kids from town were out and we watched Andy in a break dance show. Then went to a minor league baseball game (New Britain Rockcats). Rach and friend went with us. It was Blues Brothers night. Everyone at the ball park got free Blues Bros. Sunglasses, and Blues Brothers look-a-likes entertained between innings. It was a gas!

I am in a bummed out mood. Not real happy about my professional situation. Can't be to explicit here. I feel a deteriorating situation exists. My concern is in two areas. First, the state of this company in general. Second, my own place in the company's hierarchy. The effect of all this is it is more difficult to be motivated, and to stay on task... a general melaise and depression sinking in.

It is Friday, though, and I should try to get pumped up for the weekend.

Bought Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon DVD last night. We watched it 2 times, switching audio between Manderin, English, and Director narrative. IMHO, this is one of the greatest films of all time. A perfect balance between Asian mysticism, romance, martial arts, gogeous music, beautiful cinematography. I can't get enough of watching the fighting scenes. They are more like an intricate modern ballet than martial arts. Amazing... no computer generated special effects. All done with wires. A wonderful, wonderous movie.

Ahhh! Our girls softball team wins 44 - 4. The game was a real embarrasment. It was actually uncomfortable playing such a blow out. The game ended in the top of the 4th inning by the other team giving up... not wanting to play anymore. There are some nice pictures of Rach playing ball on our Photo Page that I added yesterday.

Weekend Update - Softball win against Stafford 18-1; Shampoo basement rug, cleaning out weeks of sick cat vomit and poop (aren't you glad to know that!); Sushi, Borders and Books - Excellent!; Drive a bucket of balls with David... more Sushi; Mow lawn in the rain; Help out at softball practice for summer league.

If music is a big part of your life you have GOT to check out the All Music Guide site. I've killed a few hours here over the last couple of days. Its got album reviews, biographies, discographies, music maps... etc. Its a site that is put together very well for just surfin' around.

Last night... Sushi. Tried rainbow roll and spicy salmon hand roll... mmmmmm! C says "sushi good... blogging bad".

Here is a first hand account of the Living Colours, Kaycee hoax. Its a pretty amazing tale. I had seen the Living Colours blog the day after it was announced she had died. I read back a few months of posts, and was actually moved by it all. At first, I chuckled when I found out it was a hoax... but now I see how elaborate it was, and how many people really got sucked into it.

Now, I am an admitted web geek, but its hard for me to imagine all these folks who have such deep emotional relationships with people that exist to them only in cyberspace. whew!

Long time... no blog. Just not much to say. Get up, go to work, come home, veg out. Only excitement these day's are our softball games. On Wed. we won 18-1 without 2 of our best players. Rach hits monster HR. Speaking of which, Rach's school team season is over. She hits 2 dingers in her last game. Our travel team has another game tonite in Stafford, one of the better teams. Looking forward to that. Nothing planned for the weekend. Will have to go out to a movie or dinner or both... any suggestions?

Rachel got home from Quebec around 9 PM last night. We (me, claire and rach) sat and talked for about an hour. She went through her entire trip with us, and told us every little detail... everything she saw, ate, friends she made, etc. While she spoke, and we drank our tea together, I kept looking at her and thinking how grown up she is, how intelligent, poised and beautiful she has become.

Slow paced relaxin' weekend. Caught a couple of movies. Went to bonsai exhibit at Eliz Park... very interesting. Gotta give this another try (1st attempt at bonsai failed miserably). Ate greek food at Tapa's. Stopped in at Di's. This morning, updated some web pages, and just hangin out. Sun's out for the first time. Maybe it'll stay that way - will have to mow lawn if it does. Pretty much a kidless weekend. Rach away in Quebec (returns tonite), and Dave has discovered Drivers License = Freedom.

Visited Mom & Dad today. I brought some Boston Chicken for lunch. It was a very nice time. So many people bitch about their parents... truth is, I really enjoy spending time with them. We always have good conversation, I enjoy their company. They are never judgmental. I appreciate their depth of experience and knowledge in so many things. They are just plain good people. Thats why they are so well liked by those around them. I love my parents dearly.

Probably the best collection of Blogs is the ageless project. Its a collection of blogs referenced by the age group of the authors. Its a great idea and a great site. Check out the 1950's for mine.

My latest *Waste of Time* is reading other peoples weblogs. It an addicting pastime (and I guess Voyeuristic). Best way to do this is to go to Weblogs.Com or to Blogger and click on one of the Most Recently Updated links. You have to wade through a lot of junk to find something good, but its kinda fun. Already wasted 1 1/2 hours this AM doing this.

Woke up early this AM to drop off Rachel at the bus for her trip to Quebec, Canada with her french class. Its her first time on an extended (4 days) trip away from us. She was really psyched about going. No doubt we will miss her and worry about her! On the other hand, she is thrilled to get away from us. So it goes!

Oh happy day. Laura got her MRI and it shows no further tumor growth. A great relief. Maybe she has beaten this thing.

Read this little tidbit in Emily's Blog. -- How true, and very well stated.
"Dilbert's "Salary Theorem" states that "Engineers and scientists can never earn as much as business executives and sales people.

This theorem can now be supported by a mathematical equation based on the following two postulates

Postulate 1: Knowledge is Power.
Postulate 2: Time is Money.

As every engineer knows Power = Work / Time

Since Knowledge = Power
Time= Money
Knowledge = Work / Money.

Solving for Money, we get:
Money = Work / Knowledge.

Thus, as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity, regardless of the amount of work done.

The Conclusion: The less you know, the more you make."

Listened to Sen. John McCain on the Imus show this morning. What a refreshing anti-politician this guy is. It made me reflect on what a lousy pair of candidates the two parties threw at us last election. Al "Cinton Butt-Boy" Gore and George "Corporate Bought and Sold" W Bush. Shame upon this country for getting to this state of affairs. Anyway, McCain (Rep.) actually defended Jeffords switch to the Dems, saying that the cause of this is the Republican strong arm tactics to try and force its members to toe the party line and to stifle any descent. That is what drove Jeffords to his decision. McCain also reiterated his views that Corporate money and special interests have corrupted the system, and until that is addressed, the will of the voters will never be heard, and the American people will be disenfranchised.

I applaud Jeffords for his move. It will make a tremendous effect on policy making, with all the senate committee leadership and the majority leader moving away from Republicans. Hopefully a Bush backlash has begun.

Beware Road Warriors - David got his drivers license.

Some significant job cuts have occured at work. There were good reasons for doing so... still you don't like to see it happen. Fortunately, it did not affect me or my department, since we have downsized recently. I wonder about some organizational changes that have happened, and ponder my own future at MJ. Need to speak with SM about all this later today.

A tragic accident happened over the weekend to a Rockville HS kid at a post prom party at the beach in RI. The kids had dug a 6 foot hole in the sand, and were diving into it. Matt Gauruder dove head first into the pit, and the sand collapsed around him. The other kids (there were lots of friends with him) tried to dig him out, but the sand kept coming in around him. When they finally pulled him out, he had been buried for over 10 minutes. He was rushed to the hospital and kept on life support for some time, but they finally pulled the plug yesterday.... chilling. 17 year old kid, just horsing around. How does it affect the kids that were there with him and tried to save him.

Despite the tragedy at my son's school, it is a big day for Dave. He is running for class President (if they have the election) today, and he also has his test for his Drivers License. GOOD LUCK DAVID!

Oh yeah... we won in softball last night 15-2. Rach hits HR and double. I had a couple 6th grade kids from slow pitch playing up on our team. Sarah played an incredible defense in the infield.

Rented the movie "Antitrust". Pretty good flick. Target audience was young computer geeks... but none the less, it was an enjoyable techno thriller. I knew I would like the movie as soon as I saw the openning credits scroll by as HTML code - nice touch. The plot is a fictionalized Bill Gates taking over the world scenario, and a young hot shot programmer screwing up his plans. The computer scenes were fairly realistic for this kind of movie. Lots of Unix stuff.

Saw a wonderful movie last night called "Widow of St. Pierre". Sad ending. French flick with subtitles. Highly recommend it. It was a very nice evening of movie and going out for a drink afterwards with my honey.

Unfortunately, killed 4 of 5 fish in my fish tank. I have had a terrible problem with green cloudy water, so I siphoned out most of the tank yesterday and refilled it. I think I contaminated some of the water with a little soap or something. One fish and one sucker fish survive.

I've been listening to a lot of Miles lately. I love Miles Davis. The man was the greatest.

• Listen to BIRTH OF COOL -. Strange arrangements, tuba's, french horns... and Miles sensitive sylistic soloing.
  
• Hear KIND OF BLUE - maybe the greatest jazz album ever recorded. Miles has a way of kickin back... holding back the beat, creating a strange tension with his playing.
  
• Dig MILES SMILES - the great quintet from the 60's. Miles, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. Experiments into new rhythms, compositions, soloing, creating moods with his music different than anything done before or since. Tony Williams dancing on the symbals. Footprints is my favorite Miles cut.
• Groove to BITCHES BREW. The landmark album that started Jazz Fusion. Chick, McLaughlin, Zawinal, Herbie, Airto. Electric, African, Exotic, Percusive, Creative, Inspiring.

All very cool stuff. Get a hold of these CD's. Listen

OK, nothing happened today as predicted. "Paranoia strikes deep, into your heart it will creep" (Crosby Stills and Nash [actually I hate CSN]). Its too bad that a good part of my life must exist in a state of paranoia... but such is life. That feeling is not without basis, so I contiue to stay on guard.

Did you ever get that feeling.... something bad is about to happen? A knot in the pit of your stomach, a calm before a storm, a bad taste in your mouth, a tense feeling that can't be relaxed? Something may happen tomorrow. Question is, will it happen to me or those around me (or both).

Lost "the big game" against TG's team. Feel like we got robbed when two clear outs were called safe, prolonging the inning where TG scored mucho runs. We started to come back, but couldn't make up the deficit. Rach hit a key double clearing the loaded bases for 3 RBI's. Our girls played great except for a couple of defensive lapses. Mary is one hell of a great pitcher, and we still managed to score 7 runs.

I haven't updated much due to time constraints and some blogger problems.

Here is an update. Softball: Big game tonite against other Vernon Team. This is always a close, hard played game... looking forward to some good stiff competition. All our other games have been blow-outs.Work: Situation bad... maybe getting worse. I will know more by end of week. ATT Cable: Met with them Monday evening... These guys are scum. IMHO their only mission is to maximize revenues while investing as little as possible in the system and they will do so with complete disregard to the Agreement they signed giving them the 13 year franchise rights.

Mothers Day - Its been a really tough year for my Mom. Since the stroke about one year ago, she has had to come back physically through a difficult period of physical therapy. She succeeded in getting most of her physical strength back, but the stroke has paid its toll mentally. Mom's short term memory is weakening. Still, it is hopefull to see she still has her wits about her, and her quick sense of humor. It was great talking with her this morning. With age and health becoming an increasing factor, she is still a strong woman. Love you, Mom.

Had a nice day with our family. Took a ride to the shore line for a great lobster dinner at Abbots.

Watched 60 Minutes. They had a segment on the execution of Timothy McVeigh. I am generally against the Death Penalty... but if anyone deserves to know the horror of taking their last breaths as a consequence of their actions its McVeigh.

Had a day away from the office today. Quick trip to Boston with R & S to look at some digital print equipment. Learned some new stuff which is always nice, but realistically, I don't think we will be buying any new presses at this time.

While away, poor RD gets buried with work... lots of high pressure stuff too. The guy is a trooper.

Meanwhile, SB last night. We win again 11-4. Brought in some younger players as subs. They did great for first timers. Lots of fun watching them light up with excitement playing with the older girls.

To help get Cable Internet access for the town of Vernon (ATT is trying to weasle out of their commitment to do so), I drafted a letter to the DPUC, and ran it past an attorney friend of mine. He edited my letter, and this is the result. Gordon... you are freakin brilliant!!! I have read this letter a dozen times and each time it just amazes me. GREAT JOB. Thanks a bunch. It goes out registered mail tomorrow.

Haven't blogged in a couple of days. I have been consumed with battling ATT cable and trying to work within the groundrules set by the State of CT DPUC. Its been quite an education. I have talked with numerous officials from ATT, DPUC, Town Council members, press, etc. whew!!!

Meanwhile, another SB game, won 37-9 or something like that. Rach hits another HR... incredible. I had a few catches with her this weekend. The girl throws harder and more accurately than the old man. I had to endure her telling me that I throw like a panzie! Guess in my old age, I just don't have it anymore (probably never did).

Just got back from Mike Stern/Dennis Chambers concert in little ole' Vernon of all places. This concert Rocked! Absolutely Jazz Fusion at its best. Incredible. Stern is my new favorite guitarist. It was also a real pleasure to experience this with my son. We were both blown away.

Ooops, almost forgot to mention our visit to Mom and Dad's yesterday. A great day... got to see Barb. We are so very fortunate to have such close family ties. This extends through three generations. My kids are so wonderful with my folks. They are thoughtful intelligent outgoing, warm hearted people. Its incredible and rare that grandparents, parents, and kids can appreciate each others company as we do.

Here it is, my recent emails to ATT regarding cable Internet access. A service that they had promised in the Franchise Agreement, that they are now reneging on. Copies of these emails also went to the Department of Public Utilities (DPUC).

For about 2 years, I have been trying to find out when our region will get cable modem access (we are too distant from phone co. for DSL). The cable companies have been ignoring my requests, lying to me, stonewalling me. About 8 months ago I found a contact that provided me with the Franchise agreement that shows AT&T *Broadband* was required to provide this access by May 22, 2001. All this time, an AT&T official told me that they will make this deadline. Now that the deadline is less than 3 weeks away, AT&T is trying to get out of there responsibility because they do not have the capital to invest in Cable Internet. What bullshit. They signed this agreement that granted them a 13 year monopoly on cable service in this area, and now they are trying to weasel out of their commitments. I have contacted the DPUC (public utility commission), and so far they seem to be interested in following up on this. I will also contact the local newspaper next week... This could get interesting. I may post some of the communications with AT&T and the DPUC up to the web.

It's Friday - Yeeha! The load has lightened at work. Alot less pressure and more manageable workload. Very interesting conversation this morning with AK. Perhaps some interesting and lucrative oportunities may come my way... who knows.

Meanwhile, Dave's condition is not healing all that well. He sees doc later today. Rach not feeling all that well either. Have a big game tonite under the lights. Hope enough girls show up to field a team.

Dave seems to be feeling better. SB game tonite, won by a lopsided 24-3. Rach hits another HR.

Work continues to piss me off. I am getting no support. In fact when I bring up the subject the result is even worse.

Update: Dave had the cyst drained. He will need surgery, but not until this current bout is healed. Rach had a great SB game, hitting 2 home runs as we won 25 - 8.