I am sad and disgusted

I generally don't put the same post on both of my blogs, but seeing this story has broken my heart, and I just have to.

Words cannot express the dismay and sadness. This girl was not just abused by her father, she was apparently abandoned by an entire neighborhood. All these people are coming out of the woodwork with stories of how terrible the situation was, how widespread knowledge of the abuse was. Where were they when they could have done some good?

One person could have opened their mouth and saved this girl. Instead they did nothing. They knew what was going on, and did nothing. They heard her screams, and they did nothing.

Now she stands held as an adult, for taking the only option she could see available to end her terrible pain. Unless the authorities rethink this one, she will be victimized yet again.

My heart is broken. My heart is crying and broken for this poor girl.

Please, read about this and take this story to heart. I hope nobody has to be confronted with such a situation, but if you ever find yourself in the same place as these people, I beg you, have the courage to do what is right. Too many children are helpless victims to the people who are supposed to care for them and protect them. You may think it's none of your business, or be afraid of getting mixed up in something. But you can be that child's hero. If the people with the knowledge and ability to save them don't, then no one will.

The Best Cartoon Ever

Clicky clicky.

Word.

Don't Encourage Me

I'm on the phone with my friend MG who read about my office supply plight. A recent JD victim...er...recipient, she's been providing constant input for my plans to return to the hallowed halls of learning next year and chase down my own. So, it's a little bit ahead of time, but she set me up with a nice office supply shopping list for next fall:

Highlighters
Highlighters
Highlighters

...and...

maybe some highlighters.

What is that I hear? Is that my Office Depot membership card crying out from lack of use? I've been ignoring the poor thing...

My Paper Clip Crisis

In order to save some space at my new digs I've decided to forego an actual desk; for now I have an old PC that I can work from my couch thanks to the miracle of wireless crap, and eventually I'm getting a new laptop. On the one hand I really like it because the apartment just isn't that big so it frees up more space, and it also eliminates one of those typical places where clutter and crap builds up easily.

On the other hand, I've found that I'm having an existential desk crisis. The cause: A deeply-rooted obsession with office supplies.

Yes, office supplies.

I love them. I admit it. I get jealous when my friends go to Office Depot, OfficeMax, or Staples without me. I love wandering around looking at all the clever organizational gizmos. There are few things I hold onto more tightly than a really good pen. Ah...composition books, thick markers, label makers, filing cabinets, binders, and of course paper. Oh, the aisles of paper. And don't even get me started on calendars. If you've been to my place you know my dirty secret about calendars.

Well, in losing my desk, I'm losing my home base for questionable purchases of frivolous office supplies. It becomes a lot harder to justify buying stuff when you've lost the obvious place to keep it. I still get stuff of course, but not as much, and it has to live in a bookcase which is just not as much fun.

Sometimes I think, why lose the desk? Do I really need that table? Can't I just stack my clothes in laundry baskets? Would a bunch of pillows really be less comfortable than the couch? Ultimately sanity returns and I realize the desk was the right choice to go, but my heart cries a little.

My Poor Buccos

Dejan Kovacevic passed along the following video...if you're a Pirate fan, you won't know whether to laugh or cry. If you're not a Pirate fan, just laugh. But the next time you come across one of the Bucco faithful, remember it and be kind.

Yes, the last time the Bucs had a winning season, Christopher Reeve was still walking; apartheid was still in place in South Africa, and 23 current teams in the four major sports leagues either did not exist or existed in a different incarnation, 10 in the NHL alone. But, I won't spoil it all for you--see for yourself!

And that's just what they were able to fit into the length of the song. Let's see...what else has happened since my boys last won? David Beckham made his first start in the English Premier League; Martin Luther King Day was officially observed in all 50 states; the Branch Davidian complex in Waco was sieged and burned; the US Marines entered Somalia; Arthur Ashe, River Phoenix and Richard Nixon died; the Brady Bill became law; the following movies were released: Schindler's List, Philadelphia, The Lion King, The Crying Game; the following shows all began and ended their original runs: Absolutely Fabulous (began and ended twice), The X-Files, Beavis and Butthead, the Power Rangers, and NYPD Blue; the Chunnel opened between England and France....

Oh, I could go on.

Surreality

It's weird to look around at what have been the artifacts of your life for several years, and know that they will no longer be. The apartment and the things in it will continue to be part of someone else's life, someone who I will always know and love very well, but no longer mine. If anything, knowing those people so well makes it even weirder. These objects which I once thought would be an integral part of the rest of my life--silly collected items, photos, gadgets, toys, decorations--are relegated to the periphery. They will still be present to me, but now distant and unknown in a certain way.

So in case you couldn't tell, I've moved, and the final packing and stuff-dividing was very strange. Certainly, the things that were hers before we met continue to be hers, but I had also come to know them as part of the setting of my life, which they no longer are. Stranger is the division of the myriad items acquired during the course of three shared years, reminders of happier times and strong emotion. What is more sad, when she wants something and you lose that physical reminder of happy memories, or when she doesn't care about something and you wonder if the meaning was as strong as you thought?

I don't want anyone to get the idea from this post that I am very materialistic, that I'm blown away by the loss of things. Little could be farther from the truth. But I guess for me, the removal of those physical objects represents that final, complete separation. Of course, I also don't want anyone to get the idea that I wish the relationship was still intact. Since we split, the separation was always there, always good, and always undeniable. Now it is just final. And man, when you spent that long assuming your life was following a certain path, the final erasure of that path is weird, no matter how good and necessary it is.

FOOTY!!

It's far too late for this summer, but great news that the Riverhounds will be playing again next year! Even better news, although a location hasn't been finalized they are going to be moving to a new location closer to the city. Good for fans, who don't have to trek all the way down to Washington, and good for the players, who hopefully won't have to play on a FREAKING BASEBALL FIELD. (Even having seen games there, I still can't make that work in my head.)

If the new ownership group is smart, they will seriously consider landing a home field within the city, as the Pittsburgh Passion did. I didn't go to any Passion games when they played at outlying areas such as Ambridge or Belle Vernon, but I can't imagine that moving to the South Side has done anything but help their visibility and attendance. I'm sure I'm not the only one who didn't go to games when they played in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, and in related news, we're down to 10 days for Beckham's planned on-field debut in a match vs. Chelsea. I do hope he proves to be as much of a boon for MLS as folks claim he'll be. However, as a lifelong hockey fan I know the battles that fringe sports face in the US.

OK to go

(You waited all that time to see the aliens and it was her damn father!)

Oh...um, hi. Today's Tuesday, which was supposed to be moving day, but moving day got moved. So moving day is Thursday. But this time it's definite. The carpet is in, it's not supposed to be hot as balls, and I actually should be able to breathe long enough at work to get the day off. Woot woot.

And, the good Comcast folk are supposed to come on Friday to hook up the cable and internet. Looks like my camping days are almost over. Oh well...I'm getting tired of sleeping on the floor. Wow, I really am on the verge of trying this whole "living on my own" thing again. We'll see how it goes.

And I don't know why I feel compelled to share this, but not only did the carpet guys leave a nicely installed new carpet, but one of them also decided to take a leak in my toilet and not flush. Strange man pee smelling up my bathroom. I know you'll sleep better tonight knowing that.

Camping in

I camped at the new apartment last night--first night there! Camping, you say? Yeah! Think about it...I don't have much there, so it was pretty much indoor camping. Sleeping bag and pillow, a little light and a book (not quite a flashlight and book, but close). No TV or internet. No furniture. Whatever clothes I remembered to stuff in a bag. Limited uninvolved food and beverage options. Bathing with the typical travel shower kit.

Camping!

The only thing that was missing was a fire and s'mores. I thought my neighbors might frown on me starting a fire in the building my first night there. I do love s'mores though....mmmmmm....

But I felt like an asshole staying there while Tiki and Whiskey were at the old place. I felt like I abandoned them a bit.

So, cross your fingers--the carpet is supposed to go in tomorrow (Monday), and it better happen because I'm scheduled to haul some furniture Tuesday.

Hey thanks, Kev

Bob Smizik had a very thoughtful column in the PG today, it was a good reminder that few things are black and white and few people really are the devil incarnate. The Nuttings still might prove to be the devil incarnate, but Kevin McClatchy, not so much.

Granted, I'm somewhat easy to sway with appeals to sports sentimentality, as one of the few who refuse to boo Jagr when he comes to town. Sorry, but you have to take the sum total of a guy, not just the last two years when he was a whiny crybaby.

Barry Bonds, on the other hand, has never been anything but a prick. Which is really why everyone hates him, not the steroids. Sure we ridicule other guys like McGwire and Giambi, but we don't hate them. Bonds = Prick = Hate.

Happy 4th!

I love the Fourth. Ever since I was a kid and we would spend the whole day at the lake swimming, cooking out, getting massively sunburned; I love it.

Didn't do much of that sort of thing today, but I got a fireworks show this evening courtesy of the entire Pittsburgh metro area. Sitting on the balcony of our apartment, I could see any and all fireworks going off anywhere north of the parkway. Much better than fighting your way through crowds somewhere and only getting to see one display. The downtown display was blocked by the buildings, which unfortunately blocked a lot of the show, but there was a great effect of all the buildings being outlined by fireworks. Probably the neatest was seeing not just the "official' displays, but all the individual people who got their hands on rockets and set them off in the neighborhoods below us.

My only regret was that no one else was there to see the coolness with me.

Keys!

Got the keys to my new place today (finally). I let the apartment people have it, and of course true to form felt bad afterwards. Because I'm a sap. But we got things smoothed over, and as an added bonus I found out they're putting new carpet in the living room. Score.

So, having been at the place again, my excitement at moving there is somewhat renewed, but the nerves remain.

And am I the only one who thinks that a vacation day is cheapened when you have to stay at work until 11:00 the night before in order to get far enough ahead that you can take the next day off?

Lots of weekend

Let's see...

Went to the wedding of an old friend from high school. The wedding was beautiful--she and her new hubby have been together 10 years and are such a great couple. I had been very close to her family in high school, then some bad juju came about and I didn't see them too much. I was a bit surprised that they recognized me; not just the fact that it's been about 12 years, but I also didn't exactly look like this back then. It was really great.

Went to my first Pittsburgh Passion football game. They kicked ass to advance to the semis and I was damn impressed with the play on the field. Very happy that the next round of playoffs will be in town, too. And, went with some new friends--new friends are cool.

I was supposed to pick up the keys to my new apartment today, but the property manager never called me to schedule an appointment and the office is closed on weekends. I was told repeatedly it would still be today even though it's Sunday. They are DAMN lucky I'm flexible with leaving my current apartment. Someone is going to be read the riot act tomorrow if these people don't remove their heads from their rear ends.

Once again one of my sister's kids surprised me when I was feeling a bit down--my oldest niece is visiting her dad and brother in Georgia and gave me a surprise phone call out of nowhere. It was very sweet and made me smile.

Mentally preparing myself to see a new doc on Tuesday. I hate new docs. Very exhausting. Also mentally preparing myself for the new apartment; it's a weird time in that all my closest friends are either out of town or very busy right now. But I guess I need to be able to get in before I can move in.

Went golfing for the first time ever. Well--swung a golf club in earnest for the first time at a range and a pitch and putt. I was only a little nervous at the driving range (if you know me you likely know that backstory and have felt the dent in my jaw). Even managed par on one hole of the pitch and putt. Better lucky than good--it's like goals in hockey: nobody asks how, they only ask how many.