Just read this over on CNN.com:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN)—David Bloom, a prominent NBC News journalist who was covering the war in Iraq, died suddenly of a non-combat ailment while on duty.

Unbelieveable.  I’ve been watching this guy every day for the past two two weeks.  The report says that he died of a pulmonary embolism.  39 years old.  Left behind a wife and three daughters.  I know that these guys are putting themselves in harm’s way over there, but you just don’t expect this kind of thing.  Like all of the casualties over there, our hearts go out to family and friends.

Pale Death with impartial tread beats at the poor man’s cottage door and at the palaces of kings.
Horace (65 BC - 8 BC), Odes

Ok all you philly bloggers (phloggers?  Hmm, that doesn’t sound right.), this is your last reminder about tonight’s Clarice Rose show at Finnegan’s Wake in Philadelphia.  It’s sure to be a great time and, admit it, you really do want to go, don’tcha?  See you all there around 6:00.  Groovy.

Alright all you Philly bloggers (I know you’re out there.  I can hear you typing.), here’s your chance to 1) get out and support some local talent, 2) get out with your friends and have a damn good time and 3) get a good buzz in a fun, friendly atmosphere.  Who could ask for more?  Tomorrow night (Sunday the 6th) at 06:00 p.m. (don’t forget to set your clocks forward!) you should all get your butts out to Finnegans Wake and check out Clarice Rose.  I’m heading down there with a whole gaggle of friends and I am using my ultra-persuasive, yet imagined, powers over you to do the same.  If you need even more persuasion, I am attaching a little incentive.

Overheard at Tom’s:

Barfly #1 - Ahh, I remember the good old days when you could have a cooler of beer in the car and one between your legs and you could get pulled over by the cops and not have any repercussions.

Barfly #2 - Yeah, now they throw you in jail for that.

Barfly #3 - You mean that’s illegal?

God, I love local color!

We just got ”Plan 9 From Outer Space” on DVD.  Oh - My - God!  This is, without a doubt, the funniest movie EVER!  Every single thing about it is bad - the acting (worst ever), the cinematography (you’ve got to see it to believe it), the plot (where did they come up with this plot - I suspect drugs), the sets (my kid’s 1st grade plays were better), the characters (wait till you see “Bela Lugosi"), everything.  Put these things all together and you have one hysterical film.  God bless you Ed Wood.  Wherever you may be.

Quotes from “Plan 9 From Outer Space”

Policeman: “Your guess is as good as mine Larry. One thing’s sure, Inspector Clay’s dead, murdered, and somebody’s responsible.”

Edwards: “For a time we tried to contact them by radio but no response. Then they attacked a town, a small town I’ll admit, but never the less a town of people, people who died.”

Ruler: “Ah yes, Plan 9 deals with the resurrection of the dead. Long distance electrodes shot into the pineal pituitary glands of recent dead.”

How about some pics, eh?

Just wanted to send out a big ol’ Happy B-Day to our newest bestest friend, Kim.  Hope your day was swell, Valley.  See you at Tom’s!

Anyone interested in a $2100 pool cue?  No, that’s not a typo.  $2100.00!  For that price, why not just hire someone to make the shot for you?

Check it out - The Sniper Cue

This was sent to me by a co-worker.

Essential additions for the workplace vocabulary:

BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.

SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people’s heads pop up over the walls to see what’s going on.

MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation’s answer to the couch potato.

SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, and Oppressive Mortgage. What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one’s workplace.

IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The O.J. trials were a prime example.

PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

404: Someone who’s clueless. From the World Wide Web error message “404 Not Found,” meaning that the requested document could not be located.

GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, subdivisions.

OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you’ve just made a BIG mistake.

WOOFYS: Well Off Older Folks.

CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously farting while passing through a cube farm, then enjoying the sounds of dismay and disgust; leads to PRAIRIE DOGGING

We just got word that CJ (our youngest) just got awarded a full scholarship to the school that he is attending next year.  An academic scholarship.  Very impressive.  Full room, board, tuition.  Whew!  With three kids in college, it was starting to get a little tight around here.  This is wonderful news. 

Go CJ!  Go CJ!  Go CJ!  Ain’t that funky now?

Finally!  Some good news on CNN.  Check it out.

Sharon

And, because nature always balances out, some sad news.

Michael