I thought I posted some of these but I think I actually forgot

One of the beautiful things of having relatives smack in the middle of DC is you can select your historical moments without a whole lot of advance planning. With the inauguration of President Obama, my former spouse and I thought it would be good to take our kids and just be part of the moment. Given their racial makeup, it was a once in a lifetime thing. Given a horrifying ride down the night before, I was ready for a little lackadasical adventure. Essentially, we walked a few blocks and were in Obamastock. It was fun to just see all the hullabaloo. We didn't stuggle to get into certain places. Things just seemed to happen all Ferris Bueller like, just right into place. The feeling of hope made everybody friends. After eight years of Washington induced fear, it was a beautiful thing to see the city (both of them) so friendly.








My Eldest and Youngest having more fun in front of the Department of the Interior than is usually permitted.























Our hero, trying not freeze celebrating democracy

If you ever wonder why people are disinclined to vote, I believe those folks received validation in the form of the New York State Senate. As a moderate democrat, I like to think I see both sides, but this is ridiculous. While the democratic senators pout and act like petulant fifth-graders, the republicans are playing a glorified version of "King of the Castle." Neither is doing anything remotely resembling the people's business. Nobody's looking to lead, change the nature of a government hellbent on getting the very last drop of blood from the stone. Talk about a bunch a people who need smacked with a big bag of hammers.

Wish it was possible for a government bail-out because our state senate is run worse than GM.

In other news, I've had it up to here with the race for this, the fun run for that, the 5K for rectal itch, you name it. The race organizers seem to think the city has three streets and the course help doesn't know the route either. I was trying to take my daughter to work this morning down one street, was told to take another, when I got to the end of that, was told to turn around to go back where we started. I realize it is the only time you get folks into the city, but how about a little consideration for city lifers and spread this grab out a little, puhleeze??

Been down Elmwood at Forest three separate times today, each time there was some butthead who couldn't remember to get out of the right lane so they could keep traveling on Elmwood, and they HAD to challenge everybody who remembered?

Lest you think I'm too high and mighty gentle reader, after hitting the ATM by Bidwell, thinking I was free and clear, I pulled right in front on an SUV who thankfully was too oblivious to me.

It's Allentown weekend and once again, the stuff around the Art Festival is cooler than the items in the Art Festival. You'd think the Art Association would embrace the positive vibe and not be such hypocrites when it came to music and the merchants in the area, that way a big party could get spread out as it grew.

Buffoons.

Still tired from it all. Well, dear reader, it is like this. Physically, (and sometimes by necessity, I have had to be a really early morning person and it isn't sitting well.

During a recent day of double promotion, I had to stare down actual bikers, take crap about a commercial that doesn't exist, run a few miles across the grounds as well as take my part in the Eugene O'Neill drama that is my parents and sister living together under one roof. The bikers were a piece of cake by comparison. Events are funny things. It is kind of like traveling. You stand around a lot alternating with periods of moving all over the property at as a high of rate of speed as was possible.

There are some oddities, watching people and their sense of entitlement to things they knew nothing about. I watched as one woman who paid nothing to come, wasn't charged a thing, was all set to go tear off the head of some restaurant employee in search of the parking token she believed she so richly deserved. People will have self-inflicted anuerisms over the littlest thing. A letter in my email box gripes over the lack of free ice cream, when we specified when the free ice cream was to be given away. Went to my folks house at the end of the day feeling like Methusalah.

Woke up the next morning with designs on the parade and my fatigue was hard to conceal as the splife offered to take the boy home early, provided I went home and napped. Don't have to tell me twice. I plopped on the couch and promptly checked out for three hours.

New man today: got the car inspected, picked up the dry cleaning, filled out the paperwork for passport card and booklet, washed the vehicle and enjoyed the coffee much more since I was at my own brewer. Good way to start the week. I may yet just thrive.

It's funny how often you can read in these pages how somebody's getting old or feeling so old and invariably the writer isn't past 30. Well, I got one for you all and I don't mind. Today, I am the parent of an 18 year old. That statement is one of those that makes me worry. I can't remember much about last night's dinner, but the events of today 18 years ago are practically in high definition. She got her yearbook last week at a reception at the Pearl Street Brewery (My kid in a bar, one of my bars!!!) and the following picture was inside. I'm so proud, even at just a few months old, she could render a good evil eye.

Happy Birthday, Siobhan

Oy!

My older sister subletted her place and came back to Buffalo with our Dad yesterday afternoon. Wow, didn't like being there at all. Everybody knew it was coming and I think ultimately it will be a good thing. She has herself convinced that it is the end of the world. Anybody with a brain knows otherwise, but the economics of the times are her off her game.

It was a tough weekend, but she was dragging it out. By the tiime Sunday morning got here, my dad's patience was gone. He wanted to get her moving out of Chelsea to at least cap one end of the odyssey.

They made it to Buffalo in a decent amount of time, a little more than 7 hours. I made it out to Clarence to help with the minivan unload and get the valuable electronics up and running. As we're unloading, he venting to me about her. She's venting to me about him. Apparently, I'm switzerland (without the secret Nazi financing).

She was upset because they left without a friend coming by to pack her tv. Dad told the friend that they were aiming to be gone by 9AM on Sunday. She wanted the friend to pack her tv (and really to say goodbye for the summer). That didn't happen. My Dad thought standing around in Chelsea would only prolong the agony. I think he was right. My younger sister and I half joked it worh risking the wrath for the greater good.

I offered to go in my Dad's stead. He is off infusion therapy finally, but the last treatment was just a week ago. He declined. I got my brother-in-law to get there to do any heavy lifting. So, it worked. He got her into the car and fortunately had clear sailing all the way back this direction. The finality of the journey was a big monkey off their collective shoulders.

I do what you can: mix highballs, pickup food and hook up all of her valued electronics, which got everybody chilled appropriately. Never wanted to leave my folks place so badly before.