Sequestration

Sequestration, a word sweeping the nation, the Obama administration to much consternation and quite a bit of trepidation is using intimidation and exaggeration with no hesitation to purport the allegation of ruination should the initiation of the sequestration occur starting March 1st. I await with anticipation and hopefully no negotiation or further taxation the fruition of  the sequestration initiation. President Obama initiated the sequestration situation and is now trying to blame the republicans. It is a sad frustration situation if our governmental situation cannot submit to an accommodation of discretional spending reduction of such a small diminution compared with the total gargantuan governmental compilation of  super spending. Woe to all of us if a reduction in spending cannot be done responsibly through sequestration and without further taxation.

"Top Dog"

  Yes, the presidential elections of 2012 are now over. Hence, I was surprised to see a booth from the Cape Cod Dog Eaters Club at the Cape Cod Mall where I was shopping recently. They had a little table set up by the pet store and were trying to sell their remaining tee shirts left over from their endorsement of the re-election of President Obama. Now, President Obama, (the current top dog) was not my candidate, but, sometimes I can't resist a bargain as they were practically giving these shirts away. Why, they would even barter for dog biscuits, any spare dog that you didn't want anymore or even accept EBT card payments for these fine quality tee shirts.

Let me be clear, I am not a dog eater (except hot dogs on occasion)  but I do believe in the First Amendment of the Constitution and if you and President Obama have eaten dogs then who am I to dictate to you that you can't do this. Muslims for example in their religion are not supposed to eat pig products such as yummy bacon or drink alcoholic beverages. To that I say, "Great, all the more for me!" Some cultures eat bats, snakes, grasshoppers, monkey brains, and countless other native delicacies that I personally haven't tried and probably have no strong desire to try.

I was curious though about this dog eating group so I did ask them a little bit about their canine cuisine.  "What kind of dogs do you prefer to eat and how do you prepare these dog dishes?  Each person at the booth had a different favorite and some of their answers were as follows: "I enjoy a nice puppy dog tartar as the young raw puppy meat with some chopped garlic and onion, a little sea salt is quite delicious". Another canine chewer responded, "I like a nice Chihuahua chimichanga as I prefer spicy food." A third dog devourer described his favorite as a "Cocker Spaniel chowder" that he prepares in a slow cooker along with some carrots, potato, and celery.

So,there you have it, I did forget to pick up some of the Cape Cod Dog Eater Club literature as I personally am not interested in eating dogs or joining this club but I think they mentioned that they have a website. You could also probably check your local area for the nearest dog eating club and I understand that they will usually accept new members even if you are not a supporter of President Obama or have never eaten dog before. Yes in this "dog eat dog" world and stressful economic times there are a small but growing faction of "people eat dog" adherents.

A Scoreless Start

 Here is a photo taken today from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut prior to the noon start of the UCONN vs Villanova men's college basketball game. It almost looks like the British "redcoats" from revolutionary wartime comprise the color guard. It was a "Dow Jones" game for a while (up and down with both teams trading leads) but in the end the scoreless start ended with a Villanova victory to the dismay of the "Husky" home crowd. In retrospect, UCONN doesn't seem to have a good record of success with noon starts; maybe this is too early for some of the college basketball lifestyle as I'm sure a few of the UCONN players were up perhaps all hours of the night before studying and doing their homework. I guess you can't always "win 'em all" and maybe the Huskies were still basking in the afterglow of crushing the #6 ranked  Orange of Syracuse in their last game.

It was fun to see the game however and also to see some of my UCONN friends from good ole "Crandall D", South Campus where we lived in 1975.

Seven Swans A Swimin'

 I saw these seven swans a swimin' today on Swan Pond in West Yarmouth on Cape Cod. I wonder what these swans thought of the recent snow blizzard and whether they could see each other during the snow "whiteout". Hmm, these "seven swans a swimin' " would be a good phrase to include in a song of some sort. Being Valentines Day today, maybe these seven swimming swans would be a good gift to give to your true love? Especially if two swans were directly facing each other;with their long curved necks they would form a heart shape. Yes, this would be a good Valentines gift or maybe a good Easter gift as these swans I'm sure would produce huge Easter eggs. A Christmas gift, not so much. I don't know.What do you think?

"Prison Talk"

During the recent "Blizzard" in Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) (of course) declared a ban on non essential automobile traffic from 4:00 pm of Friday. Subject to discretion, anyone caught on the roads after 4:00 pm was subject to a $500.00 fine or a year in jail for violating this edict. Now, I understand that during a snow event it is easier to clear the roads with fewer cars on the road BUT, are these fines perhaps a little extreme? On Cape Cod in Dennis Port at 4:00 pm Friday there was maybe 1/4 inch of snow, (I may be exaggerating because there could have been 1/8 inch of snow).

I wonder how many people are now going through the court system due to this driving ban, how many people are getting hauled off to prison, and how many thousands of dollars in fines were assessed?

I can almost picture the conversations of the newly imprisoned trouble maker car driving defiers as they talk with their fellow prison inmates. "So, what you in for dude?, armed robbery?, killin' somebody?, pushin' smack?, pimpin' some ho's?" And you have to reply,"Ah, no, I was driving after 4:00 pm. on Cape Cod through about a quarter inch of snow and this state policeman arrested me for some sort of Gubernatorial decree about some sort of traffic ban. I thought this guy was joking with me so I asked him if he was crazy. My car radio wasn't  working and nobody at the Cape Cod tunnel where I work told me anything about this driving ban. Besides, how was I supposed to get home from work?, walk the 25 miles from my job in Sandwich to Dennis? The trooper wasn't amused so here I am stuck in prison costing the public probably $50,000 for my year sentence. Oh well, at least I'll get 3 meals a day and a free place to stay. Sucks for my family though as I'll lose my job and they'll all have to go on welfare. How about you? What brings you to this prison place?" "Well, the veteran  prisoner replies, I got caught removing some damn tag from my mattress and my cellmate got caught for compulsive littering AND j-walking".

Now, what do you think? Does the punishment fit the crime? Is Massachusetts safer with a few less drivers on the road? Well, maybe every one's commute to and from work will be slightly easier with these criminal drivers off the roads but to me I don't think we need a Governor who has to try to intimidate the whole state with a driving ban particularly parts of the state like Cape Cod where at the time of the ban there really wasn't any snow to speak of at the start of the 4:00 pm ban.

"Snow Dunes"

 Here is a photo taken from the second level of the East Wing of the oceanfront Soundings Seaside Resort in Dennis Port on Cape Cod after the "Blizzard of '13". They say, (whoever "they" are) that this storm is one of the top ten storms and was billed as the "Storm of the Century". Well, considering the century is only about thirteen years old, this may put the storm rank in a more realistic classification. I, for one, can recall worse storms than this although this storm was "nothing to sneeze at" ( unless you have a cold or the flu... in which case you would probably be sneezing even on a relatively warm, sunny, Winter day).

 

Usually I see a bunch of seagulls walking along the beach or standing in the freezing water, but today I didn't see any; or maybe they blend in so well that they are there but look like blobs of snow. I often wonder where the seagulls fly off to at night or during major storms. Maybe they have a big bird condominium complex somewhere or maybe they fly off to the Cape Cod Mall and try to sneak in to get out of the fowl weather. I don't know.

This is CNN

 Here is a photo of the CNN satellite truck parked in Dennis Port on Cape Cod as the CNN blizzard coverage filmed some storm coverage from the oceanfront Soundings Resort. CNN as you know is a "cable television" network and I had to help one of the technicians with his cables as they became stuck under the snow and ice. The Soundings Resort did not lose electric power during the blizzard and ended up hosting many electric repair crews from New Hampshire as over 130,000 total households lost power during the storm (including me).

 

I was almost tempted to go swimming during the storm coverage so that I could have my "five seconds" of national TV fame; but for some reason I resisted this urge and have to continue living in relative obscurity. Oh Well, at least I have my health and didn't risk "triple pneumonia".

"Monk Beer"

I drank this bottle of Belgian beer today, a Chimay Peres Trappistes Ale Grande Reserve  from Belgium. This 1 pint 9.4 fluid ounce bottle has a real cork stopper at the top of the neck and a wire fastener similar to some wine bottles. I bought this beer a while back at "Luke's Liquors' in Dennisport on Cape Cod as every once in a while I like to try a new brew. This beer was rated a "98" by some beer rating service;(I can't remember which) and probably because it was made by Trappist Monks, this beer has a "heavenly body". I'm sure, although maybe I'm wrong, you may have heard the expression "Drunk as a Monk"; or maybe the expression is "Drunk as a Skunk" although I have never personally seen a "drunk skunk" maybe because most skunks are mostly seen in the late nocturnal hours.I don't know if I would call this beer a "bargain brand" as this single beer cost around $9.00 but this brew has a 9% alcohol content by volume. I remember drinking "Stroh's beer" while attending Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. Back then in 1972, the drinking age was 18 for 3.2% beer. So, this Chimay Trappist Ale beer has almost three times the alcoholic content.

On the bottle it states that the majority of the sales revenue is used to support charitable works. Hmm, I wonder if I can claim a portion of the purchase price as a charitable deduction? The bottle states that the water used in this beer is from the pure highly protected water of the abbey's well, maybe similar to holy water. The yeast used in this beer was isolated by Father Theodore; who may be known to some of his friends as "Father Ted".

This beer tasted fine by me. I can't confess to a refined beer palate, if the beer is cold and not too "skunky", I usually am fine with it.

I think I remember an episode of the old "Batman" television series where Robin said,"Holy beer, Batman!!" Young Robin was probably talking about this brand of brew.

I probably drank this beer today to celebrate two recent calendar events: "Super Bowl Sunday" today and "Groundhog day" yesterday. The "Punxatawney Phil" groundhog didn't see his shadow which portends an early Spring so I need to get in beer drinking shape for the warm weather ahead.