What do you imagine would happen to you if you repeatedly failed at your job?

You'd be let go, no doubt. Not Mike Bishop, the Republican leading Michigan's Senate toward a shutdown of state government. Bishop has taken every single opportunity he possibly could to stop Michigan's Legislature from reaching a budget deal, only to lamely attack and blame Governor Granholm for his failure to act. Now, Bishop wants more time. This, after he supported ending the Single Business Tax without first coming up with a plan to replace the revenue. This, after spending months and months stalling when we all asked for a list of proposed cuts. This, after he committed to reaching a deal and then spent all day trying to pick the three Senators to be on the team. It's time for Mike Bishop to put up or shut up. If he can't do his job and reach a deal in the next 24 hours, he should resign, and if he doesn't, he should face a recall. It's that simple. For a comprehensive timeline of the this fiasco, click here.

Weblogs that literally have "pet-peeves" about thing's like the misuse of quotation marks, apostrophes, and the word "literally"

For those who love to point out the countless literary missteps of amateur writers such as myself, check out these blogs: The "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks Apostrophe Abuse Literally, a Web Log These blogs also have links to other fun blogs, too. Check them out :)

Silver Lake Sand Dunes, pt. 2: Lake Michigan and Floradale

Back when I was a child, my family would travel to this area every year. We went annually for well over a decade. I have great memories of the fun we would have each year and of the new friends we would make. Back then, the Little Au Sable Point Lighthouse was closed to the public, but we would see it every year and play on the beach. If you recall, last fall when Meredith and I visited Silver Lake, we learned that the lighthouse had recently been opened to the public for the first time in over 50 years. It was a treat for the rest of the family to have a chance to visit, too. Here's a shot from the top of the lighthouse, looking down at my family passing by: The kids and I walked down the beach in both directions, wading in the water and beach-combing. We found butterfly wings, lots of ladybugs, shells of all sorts, and a vertabrae from a fairly large fish. At one point, we dug holes all the way down to the water table, which the kids really enjoyed. The parents pretty much just relaxed on the beach: Back at the motel, the cousins hung out after swimming in the pool: The trip was wonderful. If I have a chance to put some more pics up, I most certainly will.

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

The entire family, plus a large contingent from our extended family on both sides, traveled to Silver Lake, near Mears, MI near the shore of Lake Michigan. We stayed at the Silver Sands Resort, which has a really nice pool, great rooms, and is close to the water. Right across from the resort were the Go-Karts, which we spent a lot of time (and money) riding. They were a huge hit. That's Esme and me, getting ready for a run: Meredith and Hannah zoomed across the track, putting most of the rest of us to shame: Even Granny gave it a go: Taran was quite serious, and he wasn't letting anyone pass him - no way . . . And that's Teilo getting ready for his first shot at driving ever! My sister, Christie, burned up the track as well: Here's a group shot of many of us hanging out in front of the motel: More to come in the next few days!

Busy, busy, busy . . . .

I've been remiss in my conspicuous failure to post. My bad. There was this trip to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes with my kids, Meredith and her kids, my sister and her family, my parents, and Meredith's mom. There was our entry into the MiniVan Generation. Then there was a trip to California for a deposition of an expert witness, and dinner at Mikuni. Then there was a trip to Cleveland to hang out with Meredith's family, see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and visit the Great Lakes Brewing Company. Now, I'm supposed to be giving a talk to residents at Grand Rounds at Henry Ford Hospital first thing tomorrow morning, and then I start a trial (assuming it doesn't get adjourned) on Thursday. In the meantime, the girls are back, and school starts for them in the morning, as well as for Meredith's boys. So, I will do my best to get some posts up, particularly featuring the kids, since that's the real reason you read my blog ;) But it may take a little time . . . . . Please exercise your patience, and no doubt it will develop in both strength and stamina. ;)