Year-End Top Ten

During this traditional time of reflection, I've looked over some of the posts I've written this year and put together my own half-assed top ten: 10. My Own Personal Bud Light Commercial - My own personal ode to the club of the clueless, of which I am a charter member. 9. It's not about what THEY deserve, it's about what WE deserve - I'm never going to buy the ridiculous verbal diarhhea dribbling from the mouths of our so-called representatives in Congress. And I don't care what side of the aisle they sit on. 8. Ha ha hee hee hoo hoo !!! - I'm still not sure what's funnier -- all the crap people gave Crazy Dave in the comments or the fact that Randy makes me look like my hair is long. 7. My very first post: A trusty is a convict considered trustworthy and allowed special privileges. 6. Law and Order - just another day at the office. Not. 5. Balloons, Balloons Everywhere - The trip with Crazy Dave to Albuquerque is now a legendary chapter in the blogosphere. And, yes, I am a legend in my own mind . . . 4. The Answers - Who woulda known how much fun could be had with a little Q & A? My personal favorite was the one involving listening to the alien abduction tapes ;^) 3. Letting go of the wouldas, couldas, and shouldas - Nothing like the present to move on. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Yea, whatever . . . 2. The Queen of the Universe - Still reigning over the kingdom to this very day, still in charge, and more beautiful than ever. 1. To blog or not to blog, that is the question - If you gotta rant, nothing like total, unmitigated, unforgiving, and unjustified self-righteousness, eh? Thanks to all my blogger friends for a great year! I'm raising a glass and toasting all on my blogroll this New Year's Eve! Happy New Year, everyone!

The embarrassing "debate" about secret spying

I'm terribly embarrassed about Bush's secret spying program. I just hate "told you so" kind of people, which makes it all the more difficult since I so vividly recall when we were all bellyaching about precisely this kind of crap right before the last presidetial election. We just couldn't prove it. And of course we couldn't -- it was a state secret for pete's sake. I am surprised, though, that Bush admitted it. Which proves that he is also just as stupid as everyone thought he was. At least Clinton denied his "happy ending" until confronted by DNA evidence. Now that's the kind of prez I want -- one who is able to hold out to the very, very end. A tantric president, so to speak. ;) What's totally embarrassing about this debate is the failure to recognize and acknowledge the clear tension between liberty and safety. It seems rather obvious to me that if you want liberty and privacy, you accept the fact that there is risk. Potentially serious risk. You instead want safety, then you give up liberty and privacy. It's pretty much as simple as that. Our founding fathers knew this. They were nowhere near as stupid as our current politicians are. They favored a constitutional approach to balancing liberty and the risks that accompany it. Notice that word balance. It is an important word. It implies that there are no absolutes, but only balances to strike. Freedom is not absolute, and neither is the government's power or authority to do as it chooses in the name of protecting its citizens from harm. Back in the 60s, liberty was an absolute in the minds of many. Now that the metaphoric pendulum has swung back in the other direction over the years, many seem to think that protection or safety is an absolute. Neither is correct. The constitution requires us -- like it or not -- to strike a proper balance between the two extremes, and and to do so in a rational, principled manner. Instead of striking a balance, however, all we seem to hear today is the rhetoric of absolutes and polarization. Bush says he has an "obligation to protect Americans." That's only half true. He also has an obligation to protect the privacy rights of Americans. He oughtta be saying "I have an obligation to protect Americans while also protecting their constitutional rights." I can just hear Rove now -- "You can't say that, it'll sound too intelligent and liberal. Doesn't really matter if it's true." The fallacy of that rhetoric is, also, that this obligation has been around for over 200 years and never yet has anybody with any credibility concluded that the president may unilaterally spy on Americans at home without obtaining a warrant by a showing of some kind of probable cause. I hate to sound like such an, well, activist, but it is, in my view, time to stop pissing and moaning. It's time to do something about it. It is time to either pinch a loaf or get off the metaphoric crapper. I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker. "Clinton lied - nobody died." Well, Bush is lying -- and people are dying. The vast majority of the tens of thousands killed in Iraq have been civilians, not terrorists. Americans are dying. Patriots and non-patriots alike from every country in the coalition, contractors from all over the world and innocent civilians are dying every day. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Write or call the White House to tell Bush that you think he's a jackass on this issue. Call your congressman or senator, regardless of his or her party affiliation. Join a group and actually do something. Donate some money to a worthy cause. Do something, anything, but do it. We need to get our country back on the right track before it's too late. Update: Courtney quoted from the above in her discussion of the Alito nomination. Hop on over there and give it a read.

Merry Christmas, everyone !

:)

A Christmas Letter From My Sister, the Lawyer

From me (wisher) to you (wishee): Best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most joyous traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, and with respect for the religious persuasions of others or their choice not to practice a religion at all; a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to our society have helped make our country great, without regard to the race, creed, color, religious, or sexual preferences of the wishers. (This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It does not explicitly convey or otherwise imply that the wisher actually has the power to produce any benefit (tangible or otherwise), or that the wisher will actually deliver or implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others. It is in no way to be construed as effecting anything other than a gesture of goodwill which should not be construed as a contractual obligation of any sort on the part of either the wisher or wishee.) I hope, but cannot promise, that you will all have a wonderful holiday. [Disclaimer: I am obliged to tell you I cannot take credit for writing this clever holiday greeting. I am simply passing the sentiment on to you.] Love and even more love, Christie

Letting go of the wouldas, couldas, and shouldas

Of all the places I've lived in my life, one looms larger than all the others. I look back on the five years I spent in Denver as some of the happiest, most invigorating, and possibly the best of my adult life. I have a strong feeling that I grew up into who I am today there more than at any other time or place in my life. The friends I made have endured. Though I was there only five years, it seems much longer. The lessons I learned I've taken with me everywhere I've been since then. I built a career on the legal education I obtained there. When I moved to Denver in 1992, there was literally nothing going on, certainly not downtown. You could get a parking spot on a Saturday night anywhere, for free. There was no Colorado Avalanche, no Colorado Rockies, no Coors Field, no Pepsi Center, no Denver Aquarium, and Ilitch Gardens was nowhere to be seen on the skyline. There were a lot of hobos and transients, as well a dearth of valuable real estate. You could get a good two-bedroom apartment in a decent part of town for under $600. Downtown pretty much emptied out at night, and if you worked late, an escort to the car was a good idea. By the time I moved away, Denver had four major sports teams, most of them competing downtown, more bars than you could visit in a week, huge numbers of microbreweries, and a building revitalization to rival ancient Rome. You couldn't get a parking spot near downtown on a Saturday night, and you needed reservations pretty much anywhere if you wanted to avoid a wait. Though I have visited fairly frequently, the last time I was in Denver was about three years ago. Yesterday, I returned again. This evening, I wandered the streets, revisiting my old hangouts, seeing how things here have changed, and wondering how things would be different if I had made different decisions way back then. I walked throughout LoDo (lower downtown). I shopped at the Tattered Cover Bookstore. I strolled down Blake Street. I ate dinner at the Wynkoop Brewery, where I sampled their Railyard Ale and St. Charles ESB. I smoked an Ashton Robusto and sipped Talisker and Highland Park Scotch at Trios Enoteca. I checked out the Oxford Hotel, and the Brown Palace (I once saved my money all winter and surprised my wife with a dinner at their fancy restaurant on her birthday). I drove by my old apartment, though I sensed that my former neighborhood was seeing some hard times. It was more run down than I recalled. I traveled the Cherry Creek district, and drove over to the University of Denver. I passed by my soon2bx's apartments that I visited while she was getting her Master's degree. At one of them, I recall cooking her dinner and proposing in 1990. I openly gawked at the mountains to the west. I drove down Colfax, upon which rode the bus line I took to law school each morning and evening. I drove by the finest liquor store west of the Mississippi, Argonaut Liquors, which is where I would sometimes take my meager savings on occasion in an effort to further develop my appreciation for single malt Scotch. I drove by the police station where I reported the burglarly in which my most prized guitar was stolen in 1996. I noticed many vast changes to this city, but I also could tell that its heart remained the same as when I regularly inhabited its streets. Though current affluence far exceeds anything that existed when I lived here, there is still room for the less well-to-do and all the students that constitute the party crowd, the working class, and the literal servers of the jet-set. I found myself wondering how my life would be different if I had not left this amazing, beautiful and vibrant place. Would I have achieved success as an attorney? Would I still be married? Would my soon2bx have been happier? Would I know any of the wonderful, incredible friends that I have today in Ypsi? Would I be blessed with my two beautiful girls? How would things be different today if that one choice had gone in the other direction? The one thing that is clear is that I will never know. As I pack my belongings and prepare to fly back to Michigan, I leave more than this wonderful city behind. I also abandon the sense of regret that has been burdening me. I've made my decisions as best as I could as each fork in the road presented itself before me. Though I certainly could have made different or better decisions in my life (better certainly now that I have the benefit of hindsight), there is no guarantee that they would have resulted in anything different than the who, what, and how of where I am right now. It's time to move on.

Continuing Legal Education: How to be a lawyer without being a jackass

I flew to Denver today so that tomorrow I may take my mandatory Professionalism Seminar, which will undoubtedly be a total snoozer. Apparently, unlike in Michigan, they have so much trouble getting their lawyers to act civilly and professionally in Colorado, they require every single lawyer who gets a license there to take this class. And since I received my license to practice in Colorado in September, I have to take this course before March. I can't buy a tape or video and watch it at home. I have to physically come to Denver and either see it live or watch a tape of a prior presentation, presumably to make sure I don't cheat and say I watched it when I really didn't. Consequently, I'm in Denver to watch a videotape of something I already know how to do. As to the flight, I must admit that I was surprised by both the fare (really cheap), and the fare (a Cobb salad roll up sandwich that was out of this world). I also truly enjoyed my free Silver Elite upgrade to First Class (nothing like real silverware and someone asking if they can fill up your wineglass every few minutes). I turned on the iPod (w/noise cancellation headphones), pulled out a mystery novel, and was there in no time. I'm such a snob, ain't I? Thank goodness I'm staying with my good friends, Bill and Karen, and their daughters, Eliana and Margalit. Bill and Karen used to live next door to me when I was in law school, and we have been close friends ever since. I've been playing with their children and eating Chinese food since arriving. Their girls are fun, bubbly, friendly and a delight to be with. I expect to have pictures to post upon my return Tuesday. Until then . . .

Courtney Compares

Hop on over to Courtney's site, Midvale School for the Gifted Alumni Association, where she compares snowmen of the present with snowmen of the past. The actual post is here.

Trusty Doyle Saves the Day (and my car)

Dave Strenski offered to help me get my car out of the ditch yesterday. The plan was to come home a little early, drop the kids by his house, and he and I would drag my car out of the ditch it was sitting in since yesterday. Trouble is, his family came down with the flu last night, so he was up all night assisting and comforting them while they blew chunks. And he's a super-duper nice guy for doing that. Only, what with the family contagious and all, I was hesitant to drop my kids off at his house, and what with him not sleeping at all, he was understandably hesitant to pretty much do anything that required effort. So, I loaded the kids into the car, with a couple of shovels and a really bright idea. I, moi, would dig my car out by myself. I have an overabundant sense of optimism about all sorts of silly things, if you haven't already noticed. So I drove out to my car, put the hazards on, dialed the radio to a station that would entertain the girls for the next several hours, and began digging snow from beneath the Lawyermobile. Much to my delight, about 3 minutes into this exercise in futility, a very attractive, 40-something, redhead, buff, tall, thin woman who was on her way to yoga in a very large four-wheel-drive pickup truck drove by, rolled down her window, and asked if I needed help. "I have a chain," she said. I smiled and confessed that, yes, I indeed need some help. Though I'll admit I did not confess that the help I really need involves an inpatient stay in a lockdown ward. Having appreciated the magnitude of this gift from the heavens above, and having of course accepted her generous offer, about 90 seconds later my car was free. I parked it on the side of the road, but not too close to the side. "Well, I'm off to yoga, then," she said. "Glad I could help." I fell over myself thanking her way too many times. So I next drove the girls home and called the person who always gets me out of a jam: Board of Education Trustee Amy Doyle. Amy graciously offered to pick me up and ferry me and the girls to my newly liberated automobile so I could drive it back to my house. And she did. Isn't Amy wonderful? I sure think she is. What's more is that I think Amy should have a blog. And I think it should be called Trusty Doyle. <(:^o)

At least the children like all this snow . . .

We got another dumping of snow. At least six inches this time, maybe more. Now, it normally doesn't snow and stick in December where I live. We have a green Christmas more often than a white one, if memory serves me correctly. Well, at any rate, I learned a valuable lesson today. I learned that my not-so-new Infiniti Q45 (aka the Lawyermobile) doesn't handle well in several inches of wet snow. In fact, I will be revisiting this lesson (and my car) later on over the weekend when I retrieve it from the ditch it is sitting in just outside of town. And before you start giving me a hard time, all I did to precipitate this minor disaster was stop. I was going very slow. I stopped with plenty of room in front of me. When I began moving again, the car simply began sliding to the right, right into the ditch. Some extraordinarily nice guy in a tractor drove by, hooked up a chain to my car and tried to pull it out of the ditch. Guess what happened? His tractor slid sideways into the ditch. No kidding. 'Least he got his tractor out. So he went to the back of my car, and tried again from the other direction. You guessed it -- the tractor slid back into the ditch. I left my car there. Words cannot describe my frustration right now. At least the kids loved the snow. After I hitched a ride home, we went out front and built a snowman together. Here he is with the snow falling around him: And here he is with the girls giving him their biggest, bestest snowman hug: And, for YJ's benefit, here are our Christmas lights in the tower room:

Law and Order

Today, I was the courageous character played by Sam Waterston in Law and Order. In other words, I got to play the role of prosecuting attorney. I just *love* doing that. By way of explanation, my firm represents a sizable municipality, and one of the things we do as city attorneys is prosecute criminals and scum. We lock them up and throw away the keys. We issue criminal complaints, seek warrants and have these losers arrested. The offenses range from the serious, such as drug offenses, domestic violence, shoplifting, embezzlement and trespassing to the more mundane, such as speeding tickets, failure to use seatbelts, and overweight offenses for trucks, for example. When the attorney who regularly acts in this capacity is out of town, I am on the "B" list to cover for him. Which I did today. So today, at 8:45 A.M., I entered the courthouse, picked up the stack of files from the prosecutor's office, signed a bunch of complaints and requests for warrants, and proceeded upstairs to confront the legions of criminals who were scheduled to incur my wrath on this fateful day. The first one had been cited for failing to wear his seatbelt. I threw the book at him and demanded that he serve hard time. He refused. I consequently offered him a plea bargain. If he would plea to impeding traffic (no points on the record and not reported to his auto insurance company), I would recommend no jail time. Admittedly, I was bluffing on the jail time, and I think he saw right through my ploy, but he accepted the plea anyway. The next offender had been doing 5 m.p.h. over in a 70 m.p.h. zone. Once again, I confronted this one-man crime spree, and let him know how lucky he was that I was in a good mood today. I took the death penalty off the table in return for a plea of guilty to -- yes, you guessed it -- impeding traffic. His relief was palpable as he left the room with his walking papers in hand. The third offender was much more difficult. The charge was "Possible Paraphenalia." Now, don't be telling anyone now, but I have no clue what "possible paraphenalia" is. It's either paraphenalia or it's not. The officer who showed up to provide testimony in case we needed a hearing was similarly perplexed. It seemed to her akin to being "sort of pregnant." Hmmmmm. Thankfully, before learning that the officer and I had no clue what the deal was, the perp confessed to possession of the crack pipe. In these instances, it is hard to tell if you should congratulate the perp on being such a fine and upstanding citizen by telling the truth, fessing up and taking responsibility for his actions. It's either than or abject stupidity on their part. Hard to say. I do know that I'm not exactly the most intimidating prosecutor in the universe. Then came the guy who beat up his girlfriend. She came in first with a stack of medical bills and pictures of the gruesome beating. I called him in next to listen to his fanciful tale of how she slipped and he tried to catch her and the he fell on top of her. Righto. I guess I look like I was born yesterday. Needless to say, the deal was plead guilty to the offense as charged, or you will be tried and lose, loser. He hemmed and hawed, and when he realized that I couldn't care less if he lived or died, he decided to plead guilty. He will be sentenced next month, at which time, he'll be doing time. In the middle of it all, since I value bizarre juxtapositions, I spent my lunch hour shopping for Christmas toys for my girls at Wal-Mart. Nothing like locking people up and then locking up a few great deals before returning to the lockup. In the afternoon, we had a couple of DUI's, a few shoplifting charges, and an odd case involving a very drunk teenager who thought he could grab a couple cases of beer and run out the front door of a local party store. Since he was in rehab and his probation officer didn't want me to press anything that would violate his probation, I worked out a deal whereby if he keeps clean for a year, the offense gets wiped off his record. The party store owner thought it was a great idea. All in all, a very funky day :)

Needle sticks anyone?

The girls had checkups today. I got to take them. Few things in life are quite so much fun as accompanying the kids to an event that concludes by permitting a stranger to stick needles in my youngest. I must admit that, though it was long, it was just about the easiest doctor appointment I've ever been to. Well, at least if you ignore the baby in the next room who screamed as if his toenails were being pulled out one by one the entire time we were there. We began by looking at the fish and then reading a book in the waiting room. We were called in less than five minutes after arrival -- a record, I'm sure. Following the weigh-in and height check came the blood pressure cuff, accompanied by an "ouch that hurts." Now, our pediatric group is one of the finest in Michigan. I know, because I sue doctors for a living. I am very, very choosy about the docs I allow to treat my family, because I've seen too many instances of lousy or inattentive care gone very, very bad. It's a good thing they are such good docs, because if they weren't, I just might be offended by the "So how do you discipline them" and "How many glasses of milk does she drink" and "Do they ride in car seats" and "Do they wear helmets when they ride their bikes?" This kind of quizzing kind of makes me want to respond: "I beat the living crap out of them (but only when I'm really, really drunk)," "they don't drink milk -- just lotsa Mountain Dew," "yea of course my car has seats in it -- what the heck else would we sit on?" and "helmets? helmets are for wimps. What doesn't kill them makes them stronger, doc, you oughtta know that." Sheesh! They're my kids, I'm on top of it already !!!! Does anyone really get those answers wrong? The funnest part was when the doctor asked, have their been any family changes in the last year? "Um, ahem, actually, no, but there's about to be one," I said with a big, huge, fake smile on my face. "May I enlighten you with the details? I just love to talk about it . . . particularly in front of the children." "Oh, I understand. You should consider counseling. And there are some very good children's books on the subject." Do I look like I'm clueless? I've got all the books, and the counseling is on the radar already. Next, the kids had their eyes looked at, took vision tests, had their lungs listened to, had their reflexes tested, and more. Then came the vaccinations. Only Esme needed them, and this time, she needed three. Two "helpers" came in (I guess to hold down the uncooperative ones), but they weren't needed. They took her shirt off, stuck her three times in her arms, and all she said was "Ow, that hurt," while sucking on a lollipop. They put bandaids on the wounds, and it was over. I must've asked her four or five times on the way home if she hurt, but she didn't complain once. What great kids I have !!!!

Snow Day !

I received the obligatory automated phone call this morning at 5:30 A.M. No school because of "inclement" weather. Where the heck did the word "inclement" come from anyway? Sounds to me like a high-fallutin' way of saying it's snowing like crazy outside. At any rate, it was snowing like crazy outside all last night, and we woke up to a wonderful blanket of beautiful snow on everything. Here's the house: And here are the cars, which I still haven't dug out yet: So, I got to blow off work yet again (twice in one week - that may be a record - but who's counting?). This time, only fun was on the agenda, and we went sledding in Riverside Park. Our favorite place to sled is Riverside Park, right behind the historic mansion that is now offices. In fact, the very best place is right beside the sign that says, "No sledding, no sliding." Now, please people, nobody turn me in. I can just see the headline in the Ann Arbor News, "Slippery Slope: BOE Trustee Slides into Jail Following Crime Spree on Sled." And, I don't want to forget that there are some lessons that kids only learn by, well, experience. Bad experience, that is. Like, for example, when daddy says that the waterproof mittens will keep the little hands warmer than the fleece gloves. Turns out I was correct ! How 'bout that? And, for example, like when daddy says, the antique wooden sled that Grandma Cross used when she was a kid and was kind enough to mail to us is very heavy and hard to carry up a hill. Turns out I was correct yet again. That's twice in a short period of time. Perhaps another record. But of course, I ended up carrying that one to the park and carting it up the hill over and over again. Here are the girls on the way back home (don't ask me why they're closing they're eyes -- I have no clue): After returning home, we lunched, ate fresh baked cookies and drank hot chocolate. The girls were happy and content. :)

The Holiday Season is Upon Us

Okay, I apologize in advance for my lack of blogging this week. It has been *quite* the difficult week. But you didn't come here to listen to me bitch and complain about crap, so I won't. I can tell you're delighted . . . . :) Monday evening, we were s'posed to go out and get a Christmas tree. We didn't. I'm not saying why, but I will say it wasn't my fault. That, by the way, is not me complaining about crap. That is me stating a fact. 'Nuff said. So, Tuesday evening, we went out and got a Christmas Tree. Since the big one we got last year fell over several times -- until I tied it to the staircase -- we opted for a smaller one. This was a good plan, and it worked beautifully. Wednesday, I blew off work, since Hannah had a day off school. I surprised her and Esme by 'letting' them accompany me to the Secretary of State to stand in line to have the title transferred on my not-so-new Infiniti Q45. They actually were excellent sports about it. :) Then, as a bonus, we went to McDonald's and ate unhealthy, fatty food and played on the playscape. Then, we went to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum for the entire afternoon. Which they positively loved ! I also bumped into a neighbor and her child, and we spent the afternoon talking about school issues while the children played. Wed. night I had a Bus Garage Relocation Committee meeting (sounds spellbinding, doesn't it?), and then I went out with a local activist for a beer afterward (had a very nice time, btw -- and no, she's not single, get your mind out of the gutter, people). Today, I met with a prospective client in Leslie, MI and sat through a long deposition of another of my clients in a Lansing law office. I did get to talk briefly with a defense attorney and friend who beat the pants off of two members of my firm a few weeks ago. Interestingly, he thought he was going to lose and was as surprised as everyone else when he actually won the trial ! This evening, after my longish drive home, we decorated the new tree. The girls were super-duper happy, dancing and singing all the while. They had a blast putting the bulbs and homemade ornaments on the tree and helping me water it. We listened to Christmas music and sang along. It's already started snowing the 5-8 inches we are supposed to get tonight. I suspect that the storm is the same one that Brian got a snow day from today. The girls are hoping for a snow day tomorrow, and frankly, so am I. Nothing would be better than sledding right after breakfast, so far as I'm concerned. Well, we'll see! Happy Holidays all !!! :)

Doh! Tagged yet again

Jim over at Patriside tagged me with a meme over the weekend. Actually, he kind of snuck in two memes, which I must say was devilishly clever of him, skillfully killing two birds with one stone. The first meme requests that I reveal five things about myself that people aren't likely to know, list them, and tag five people to do the same. The second meme is the 23-5 meme that I did some time ago, so I'll just link to it here. When I lived in Denver, I regularly brewed my own beer, and it was some of the best beer I've ever had. I'd like to get back to doing it again, if I can ever find the time. To fulfill my science requirements in college, I took Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, the Physics of Music and a Reproductive Biology colloquium. I chewed my fingernails until I was in my early 20s. Yea, I know -- ick! I wanted to become an environmental attorney after graduating law school, but the only jobs with decent pay at the time involved working for polluting corporations and oil companies. I spent one Thankgiving afternoon in high school serving up soup to homeless people at a soup kitchen. I'm tagging the following fab five: Megan at The Color Purple mean_girl Peri YJ at FOMA Deputyswife You may do either, both or none. Now have at it already !!!

Geoffrey Fieger's Law Offices Were Raided Yesterday

Less than a mile from my law office is the office of famous trial lawyer, Geoffrey Fieger. Well, yesterday an army of IRS and FBI agents raided his law office looking for evidence of illegal campaign contributions. They also showed up on the doorstep of every attorney that works for him issuing subpoenas and asking if they could "look around." Well, Fieger held a press conference where he tried the "it's all a Republican conspiracy against me" theme. I'm thinking he should have mock tried or focus-grouped that before showing it on television. Fieger, of course, has said that he may run for AG next year. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Word on the street is that the raid was a preemptive strike on Fieger, as some higher ups are scared silly that if he actually won the AG race, he'd be issuing subpoenas and investigating everyone he dislikes, including insurance companies, Republican politicians, contributors to Republicans, as well as the conservative Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court. Hmmmmm. On second thought, maybe Fieger would make a good AG candidate after all . . .

It's not hard to fall . . .

when you float like a cannonball. -Cannonball, by Damien Rice In addition to Kate Bush, I've been listening to Damien Rice all week. I first heard him when I watched the movie Closer last weekend. The movie seems to be one of those you either love or you hate. I haven't heard very many middle of the road reviews of it. It has four characters who are some of the most beautiful people on the planet (Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Clive Owen), yet their characters are detestable. If you like watching people behaving wickedly when it comes to love and betrayal, this movie is for you. If that doesn't sound all that attractive a way to spend a couple hours, you should probably pass. At any rate, I purchased Rice's record "O" on iTunes shortly after watching the movie. I've never seen quite so many "buy this record now" reviews on iTunes so I, you guessed it, bought it right then and there. I have been literally spellbound by the song that begins and ends the movie, The Blower's Daughter, which is a truly beautiful, cryptic song. It ends with some key lyrics: "I can't take my eyes off of you, I can't take my mind off of you, 'til I find someone else." Yea, I know, it's easy to see why I'm attracted to that song. The rest of the album is equally beautiful and relevant. Cannonball's lyrics are: stones taught me to fly love taught me to cry so come on courage teach me to be shy 'cause it's not hard to fall when you float like a cannonball Every song on the record is worth a listen. Rice uses mostly acoustic instruments, minimal percussion, just a few strings, a few winds, and minimal electric guitar. His voice is similar to that of Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), only quieter, somewhat more emotional and with less angst. The entire album has a live, organic feel to it, definitely not the smooth, studio savvy sound I'm accustomed to. I've listened to it all week, and I'm still not bored by it, which is rare for me. It's almost as if the record keeps calling out my name each time I have a moment to listen. Which seems to be a rare quality in music these days. :) If you're looking for a quiet, acoustic record that you can listen to from front to back, this is definitely something worth checking out.