It was a wild one!

When I left the room to change my bed linens, the Cubs were up 4-1. By the time I smoothed out my top sheet, the score was tied! The final score was 13 to 8. It was a slugfest, with Ramirez getting 6 RBIs all by himself. I was happy to see Kerry Wood strike out two. It would be great to have him contribute in the post-season. Yes, I'm daring to dream.

I had kind of a a rough day off today. It's never fun to go to the doctor and while nothing out of the ordinary is wrong, I'm reminded of something JFK was fond of saying in private, "Old age is a shipwreck." Since I've outlived him, I shouldn't be surprised that I'm wrestling with age-related maladies like weight gain and high cholesterol.

But nothing makes me feel young again like a good Cub game. Hey, hey, holy mackerel, no doubt about it -- The Cubs are on their way. Thanks, guys!

Friday's Feast #16

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?
I love colorful, representational pieces. Thomas McKnight is my favorite artist.

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it? Last month, at work we got free burgers in celebration of the anniversary of the Big Mac. (Our client, McDonald's, paid for it.)

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you? 17

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails? Wow! I've never thought about this! Probably an hour.

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat? My thermostat is purely decorative, but I've got the AC set at 75º.

For more information, or to serve up your own feast, visit Friday's Feast.

He never fails to disappoint, does he?

"He" would be my President, George W. Bush. I am a patriotic American. I believe in our Constitution and am continuously amazed by the document's flexibility and wisdom. I want George W. Bush to do well because if he succeeds, my country benefits.

Yesterday, he sunk to a new low and I'm so angry and upset and disillusioned I could puke.

I'm talking about his press conference yesterday, when he took off on the Move-On ad slamming General Petraeus. Now please know that I do not support Move-On nor that ad. No soldier deserves that treatment.

That ad was as dirty a trick as what the Bush Campaign did to war hero John Kerry with those hideous Swiftboat ads. Or what the Bushies did when they likened Max Cleland (who lost both legs and an arm in VietNam) to Bin Laden. Or when they smeared John McCain by implying that his time in VietNam had left him mentally unstable. No soldier deserves that treatment.

It's measurably worse, though, when that treatment comes at the hands of a man elected by his party and his nation than it does when it comes from Move-On.org. Yesterday's hypocrisy was so thick that it's painful and infuriating.

My President lied to us about why we're at war in Iraq. Never mind that if we had waited to go in until after our efforts in Afghanistan were a success, and if he had said that Iraq (like Darfur) was the victim of a cruel, genocidal regime, I would have supported our effort wholeheartedly. Instead he had to exploit our fears after 9/11 by tying Saddam to Bin Laden. Cynical and dishonest.

Abu Gharib. Pat Tillman. Katrina. Mocking Karla Tucker. This man is MY President. It hurts when his Administration behaves this way.

It shouldn't continue to hurt me. It should just be what I expect from this man.

But if he is incapable of being heroic, couldn't he at least be decent?