Engorged Week

Fending Off a Vicious Bear Attack

It’s been a very full week on a number of fronts. At work I fought the budget wars all week as we’re looking at a bleak year due to level funding from the People’s Republic of Taxachusetts. That meant a bare bones budget for next year encompassing some serious cut backs and a fare increase. The politicos were understanding when I presented the budget but we still have to go to public hearings on the proposed changes. That was another part of the fun week as the first two of those beasts kicked off. The Voices of Inappropriate Worth were out in full force. It was kind of cool though because they focused so much on the fare increase that the schedule reductions drew only passing comment. We haven’t raised fares since 2009 so their arguments there are harder to condone.

Another idiot was on the loose in London yesterday attempting to justify the vile ideology of radical Islam. It’s a sign of the failing ISIS state that this is emblematic of the few “victories” those barbarians can now claim. My thoughts are with the families of the victims including the brave, unarmed police officer who blocked the assailant from Parliament grounds. The attacker was killed and should be transported to the nearest sewage treatment plant where all effluent should be directed over his corpse for the next thirty days or so.

Loving the New Carpet

On a more cheery note the First Blog Reader was in serial hugging mode last night during our video call. She bounced between mom and dad showering them with hugs until I asked to join the activity and she delivered a resounding hug to her mother’s IPad. It still transmitted the needed endorphins. She also broke through with her first molar which means the dead animal consumption gene which is deeply embedded in her genetic heritage can be fully exploited.

I spoke with Keene Friend last night and he convinced me he really is on the mend. He feels better each day and hasn’t had to use the oxygen bottle since the day he came home from the hospital, five days ago. He’s also getting full nights’ sleep which had evaded him for months. He’s got a full schedule of appointments with specialists next week and is already making noises about going back to work in a couple weeks. In a true sign of the excellence of all the individuals involved the ABFA’s parents drove over to Keene to deliver a home cooked meal to him; just great people.

Speaking of great people my Favorite Panamanian related some condo news she acquired yesterday that will determine my visits to Panama this year. We have to attend the first ever meeting of the condo association to set up ground rules in mid-May. The condo will be delivered to us in August which is much later than we expected but not a problem because we weren’t going to be able to use it during this dry season anyways. So, two trips this year to Panama which is seriously down from the past couple years when I wrestled with the Panamanian immigration bureaucracy. Hopefully we can also knock out the final moves of selling our land while we’re down there in May.  As stated above, a fairly full week. She starts her journey home to me a week from today and the cleaning gods will have my full genuflections over the upcoming days to get the house back to minimally acceptable levels.