A Terrible Beauty Was Born

Photo from the Guardian.uk.co
Wave rolling up on the shores of the Gulf

You could hardly believe it; it was truly cringe-worthy. Uriah Heep at his best. Just a few minutes into the congressional grilling of BP CEO Tony Hayward, this bozo makes a statement apologizing to BP for the government "shake-down" they were subjected to yesterday by President Obama's demand for the $20B fund to help restore the people and the environment after the Gulf oil spill. Joe Barton (R.Texas-does that tell you anything?) wanted it on the record that he felt sorry for BP and was ashamed that his country would stoop to shaking them down for the money. They should pay, sure, but only after all due processes of law had been completed. Never mind the people who need this money now. Now I'm thinking of Bleak House. Good idea, Joe, let's just let these cases grind through the courts for generations. As a side note, not that it's probably very important, Joe Barton has collected $1,447,880 from political action committees and individuals connected with the oil and gas industry since 1989 (according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics).

uite excited to be off to the shore for a good long stay with my friend. We hope to get to the beach, Cape May, and visit some friends. I know this post is lame, but I need to get rid of the Lost post. Old news. A couple more things: did you see Rachel Maddow deliver the speech President Obama should have given? I don't want the White House to hire her away from her real job, but they should give her editing duties whenever there's an important speech to be give. You can watch her here: "">

Hopelessly Devoted To Lost

An Inquirer columnist today said Lost fans are either extremely discerning pop-culture junkies or gluttons for punishment. Whatever they are, they are going to sorely miss their usual Tuesday night appointment with the heroes and villains of Lost. It's hard to believe for those of us who never missed a show...no more Jack, no more Locke or Sawyer or Kate. No more Des. It's like saying goodbye to friends. Nothing will fill the void. There will never be a show like this again. It was truly an original. Thanks you all everybody for taking us along.

Found in the Urban Dictionary

Ain't it the truth.

Chicken Little Was Right!

Yesterday the sky fell on us. Never in my life do I remember this much snow practically all at once. First we had a huge snowfall over the weekend. I measured 19 inches on the table on my deck. Just as we got dug out of that, yesterday's blizzard hit. This time I measured 18 inches on the same table which I had completely cleared before the new snow started to fall. The weather people are reminding us of another blizzard in the winter of '95-96 that measured 30 inches and I remember that one well. The whole area was in a state of emergency and roads were closed and people ordered to stay home. That was a lot of snow...30 inches. But this was worse. I'm looking at 37 inches piled in drifts 6 feet high. But that isn't the worst part.

Here's a picture of my pergola in happier times.


Here's a picture of it today.



It collapsed under the weight of the snow early yesterday evening. I had been watching it all day; I knew it was going to go. I could see the nails pulling out of the support beams and I figured it was just a matter of time. I was pacing the floor, wringing my hands and gnashing my teeth. I was afraid to even go in the kitchen or dining room because I was afraid it might explode under all that snow and send the beams crashing through my windows. The worst part was how helpless I felt. I was virtually trapped in the house with the snow slamming into everything and all paths out cut off. I finally called poor Amy to say goodbye, in case I didn't make it. She assured me it wasn't going to explode, but that the weight of the snow would drop it straight down. I tried to believe her because that thought had also occurred to me, but I was still very nervous. I was huddled in the bedroom, venturing out every so often to peek at it. Finally, at about 4:30 I looked and it was just gone. Gone. All I could see were the upright posts sticking up. It had dropped just as she said. I never even heard it. It just dropped silently onto the deck itself, partially cushioned I guess by all the snow underneath it. I felt sad, but vastly relieved. It was down and it hadn't smashed into the house.



Nothing much to do now except wait for the spring melt. Poor pergola.

Have a Wonderful Christmas

Musically Inclined

A man named Jarbas Agnelli saw a newspaper photo of some birds sitting on a wire. The photo inspired him to write a song based on the position of the birds. Aren't people amazing?

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.