Tomjw217's blog

Vox Hunt: [this is a good time]

Show us a good time.

Look at the picture on my profile. I just can't imagine a better time!

Thursday

Well, first off let me advise everyone that the nap yesterday seems to have been an aberration rather than a new norm, although I didn't really try to get Pooh down. Instead, we were playing on the floor until around 1500 and I decided that was too late to start a nap since Daddy would be arriving around 1630 for his baby.

But we did have a nice day (see playing on the floor, above), both in the toy room and upstairs. We have a set of hard-paged Winnie the Pooh books, and i guess i must have read them to her 4-5 times over the day. She sure loves being read to.

Daddy did arrive about 1630, and that was the signal for Pooh to accept getting ready to leave. When she went outside she squealed "Daddy," and watched him add transmission fluid to the truck. It is so great that she loves her daddy, and he's pretty taken with his baby too.

I worked on a few things after Pooh left; then after Marilyn got home we watched an episode each of "Moonlight" and "House." ASTB.

Won't Last the Season

There are always a bunch of new TV shows -- trial runs to see what will be the next "Law and Order" or "Friends." Most of these shows I cheerfully ignore. For example: anything remotely resembling a "reality" show is off my radar. Any program that claims reality while recording the event with cameras should be referred to the Hawthorne Effect. Anyone who believes the situations contrived by the producers are in any way, shape, or form related to reality must be from another planet.

Another sure sign I won't watch is any comedy show with a trailer that isn't funny. Trailers are supposed to show the best of the program. If the best of the program leaves me flat, think I'm going to watch it? Not a chance.

There are, however, three new shows that I decided I'd try. They are: "Chuck," "Moonlight," and "Reaper," programs that promised something different from the various forensic-based shows.

The premise of "Chuck" is that a typical geek worker at an electronics store has his brain implanted, through some unexplained process, with all of the intelligence secrets of the U.S., which data has been erased from everywhere else. As a result, Chuck is assigned two rival operators for protection, one from the CIA and the other from the NSA. These operators are former lovers as well as rivals, and Chuck pretty quickly falls in love with the woman, much to the delight of his family who are glad he has finally managed to find a girl. Certain events trigger the information in Chuck's brain, which plays out in a series of flashing images that he then relays to his protectors. They turn Chuck into an involuntary, and totally inept, operator.

The premise was cute and the first two shows were fairly entertaining. However, a formula has developed where Chuck has to decide which of the two operators to trust in a given situation. Since he's in love with the girl, one would think he'd tend towards her, but various things, some highly improbably, cause him to question her. In addition, inept Chuck seems to be the better at getting the team out of trouble.

It was cute in the beginning, but unless the writers discover some new situations it's going down the tubes at mid-season.

"Moonlight" is a vampire story. Mick is a vampire and a private investigator who tries to keep predations on the human population to a minimum. For his own nourishment he keeps a supply of instant people, transfusion bags, at the ready. He also investigations murders he suspects are caused by vampires -- all while trying to stay in the background.

Again, this program started out pretty good, with good dialog and even a bit of humor. The humor has pretty much evaporated. More problematic is that Mick must be the worst P.I. ever -- he's constantly behind the power curve and even with his vampire strength and speed has trouble defending himself. Rather than solving the mysteries presented, the show seems to have devolved into a soap opera with Mick and a young female reporter as the stars.

Not good enough to keep.

"Reaper," on the other hand, has promise. Not that this means it will survive. A young man's soul has been sold to the devil by his parents before his birth. When Satan appears to him on his 21st birthday, he's advised that he's expected to "reap" souls for the devil.

This program is saved from mediocrity by the dry humor injected by the writers. Of the three, this is the closest to being a winner, but I doubt if it has the legs for a long run.

Speaking of Blue Eyes

Pooh

Speaking of Blue Eyes

Pooh

Wednesday

Still raining off and on. Noticed that since, when we covered the pool for winter, we failed to place cover pump, cover is now small lake. We'll have to attend to that.

Pooh arrived and we had a wonderful day.

Around 1400 decided that perhaps the study (where Pooh naps) might be too bright. Hung a blanket over the window. Moved the crib from in front of the window to the corner of the room. Put Pooh down about 1415. Pooh went to sleep.

Sigh of relief.

Called Karen. Advised her that we were two weeks into Pooh's two-ness, and when was she going to start picking up the baby around 1500 as we had agreed in September. She said tomorrow. Wednesday is a bad day for her because of Awana (Alex) and bell choir (Karen).

Asked Kerry via email who was getting Pooh. She had arranged time off. Told her that Pooh was napping and that she could want 'til 1800 if she wanted, but she was aiming at 1630.

So about 1645 she arrived with Johnathon. Pooh was still sleeping, but it had been 2.5 hours so Kerry got her up. She didn't want to go with Mommy, but finally said "Bye,bye" and left peacefully.

Marilyn home at usual time and we watched an episode of "Moonlight."

ASTB.

Back-Alley Lethal Injections?

Lethal Injection Ban Leads To Rise In Back-Alley Lethal Injections

TALLAHASSEE,FL—"If governors can't execute prisoners legally in prisons, they're going to turn elsewhere for the procedure," said Dr. Daniel Blecker.

Comment:

If ever I've read a story that seems to be a total fabrication, this is it. Illegal lethal injections in the prison dungeon? Cm'on.

(1) As of today, the Supreme Court has not halted lethal injection as a means of executing condemned prisoners. It has stopped ONE (1) case in Virginia, pending review.

(2) Even if lethal injections were estopped by the Supreme Court, why would any governor's job be at stake if he fails to perform one? And why, for heaven's sake, would any governor be persuaded by public opinion to break the law and murder someone? Would you trust a cadre of prison guards to keep secret the fact that you held a back-alley execution? Not when the first to break the news retires a rich man, while you spend the rest of your life in the company of people who aren't known for their love or kindness. I'd rather be seen as soft on crime than soft on the law.

(2) How do you account for the missing prisoner? Did he vanish? Escape? Move to another prison? Parole? All of these leave records. Perhaps he left no forwarding address?

(3) It's odd that there is no Daniel Blecker, doctor or otherwise, listed on the faculty of Cal Berkeley Law School. Wonder who he is and where he is.

(4) This story written like copy for abortion, rather than lethal injection. Really. If you substitute "abortion" for "lethal injection," it sounds like a plea for the Supreme Court to rescind a stay on abortion. Does anyone think that back-alley lethal injections will become some kind of norm if they're not allowed? Is terminating the life of a convicted criminal who has been sentence to death really to be compared with the ending of an innocent life in the womb? (I'm neither pro-choice nor pro-life. I'm pro-responsibility.)

(5) Even if the story is true (which I seriously doubt), why does the governor make himself the victim? All I'd have to do before pulling the switch is read over the trial transcript. Let's say you've got a guy who's sentenced to die. Probably not the nicest fellow in the world. Probably committed some pretty aggregious crime. Maybe killed another human being in some horrible fashion and has never bothered to say he's sorry (because he isn't). Any scattered warm feelings I might have toward the prisoner would vanish in the light of the facts of the case.

(6) There is no citation for the DoJ study, and I could find no record of such a stuch.

Conclusion:

Taken in toto, the article seems to be to be a bizarre combination of
Here in this article we find a perfect example of why people must learn to read critically. That does not mean with a disposition to criticize, but rather with the intent to examine the reasonableness and logic of what has been written. And, sorry folks, this story just doesn't pass muster.

Tuesday

Still raining. Making up for the spring drought.

Crisis today. We have no bottles.

When Kerry brings Pooh in the morning she brings her with a sippy cup of milk. Pooh generally wants a bottle here, so the cups accumulate and the bottles go home with Pooh. Well, by COB Monday, all my baby bottles had gone home with Pooh -- the last one departing with her last night. Kerry stayed up late washing up some bottles, but then forgot to bring them. She also forgot my hat and cane.

So, of course, shortly into her stay with me Pooh wanted a bottle. Nothing available. Pooh most unhappy. Pooh goes into meltdown. Then she decides she would accept a banana. No bananas. More melting Pooh.

Naturally, I saddled up for a trip to the grocery. Pooh insisted on wearing my leather fedora. Fortunately, Kroger is about 3/4 mile from the house.

We shopped. Got bottles. Got bananas (which Pooh picked out, by the way). Got powdered milk. Pooh ate one banana in the store, so I had to weigh the bunch, and then weigh one banana from the bunch.

Pooh got entranced with the Halloween exhibit, the main event of which was an air-inflated pumpkin with a ghost that rose up from inside displaying packages of candy and then collapsed back into the pumpkin. Pooh said,, "Pappa, up! Pappa, down!" After about five minutes I dragged her away.

Pooh in grandpa's hat trailing grandpa along behind garnered its share of smiles from passersby. Too bad she didn't have my cane.

Got home and made bottle. Pooh very, very satisfied.

No nap.

Kerry arrived around 1810. Told her that as long as Pooh wasn't napping I needed relief by 1630. She agreed.

Collapsed. Cleaned up some from the DVR. Marilyn home usual time. Watched two programs and now off to bed.

Monday

It's raining.

Pooh is back as scheduled. Don't think she missed me -- even though she laughed when she saw me, ran over and gave me a hug, insisted on sitting in my lap, immediately waved bye-bye to Mommy, and then became "Velcro-baby" by sticking to me all day. At my request, Daddy picked her up around 1630. I, for one, was relieved to see her go, as there was no nap today. She's the sweetest girl in the universe, but after 8.5 hours non-stop, this old guy needs a break -- no matter how much I love her.

John was going to mow the lawn and do some edging. Canceled due to rain.

Marilyn got home around 2000, so we spent an hour or so watching recorded episodes of our favorite shows before crashing.

Sunday

Played musical beds with Marilyn and Sierra. Three of us tucked in around 2200. Around 0200 Marilyn gave up on being in the middle and moved to the Sun Room. About 0600 Sierra got up and went to be with Marilyn. When I got up Sierra was still asleep, but since her hair and head are so much like Marilyn's I wasn't sure who it was. Found Marilyn downstairs getting ready for church.

Afternoon and girls back. Kerry got Pooh around 1430 and Karen got Sierra sometime later.

We watch more TV in the evening.