The Golden Grasshopper

We got to see the Golden Grasshopper today on our little bus trip to Boston, but not much else. The trip down took longer than expected leaving us with just enough time to grab something to eat at Quincy Market and hop back on the bus. Traffic was so bad we were almost late for Lion King at the Opera House. But we made it just as they flashed the lights. The show was awesome and we had a fun day, even if the weather sucked. We knew it was supposed to be raining and windy, so we didn't even bother bringing the camera. Now we just have to figure out how to get back there when the weather is nicer. There is no way I will attempt to drive around those streets myself. City driving normally isn't a big deal to me, but that place is nuts on so many levels, there is no way we would ever get in and out in one piece.

One of my fellow tax preparers is working for the Census Bureau. She knew I had taken the test back in December and asked me Friday if they had called me yet. They hadn't and I made some half-hearted comment about contacting them. When I got back in cell range (there is better cell coverage on China's Tibetan Plateau than we get here in the Live Free or Die state), I had not one, but two messages from the Census Bureau. I called and was basically hired on the spot. I start two weeks after the end of tax season. Sweet, if temporary.

Obviously, our major preoccupation for the last couple days has been Debbie's mom. It now looks like open heart surgery is imminent, but we won't have a firm date and time until sometime tomorrow. There really isn't any more news than that, so please refrain from jamming the hospital switchboard or calling her cell or the phone in her room. We'll update everyone via phone, e-mail and Facebook as soon as there is anything to update. Right now, she needs rest. If you want to send her a message, you can do so here. A volunteer is running the messages up to her room every few hours. Marge is getting a kick out of them, so keep 'em coming!

With everything else going on, I haven't had the time to dig up stuff on the web other than watching the ruling party implode as they try to create a constitutional crisis. This will not end well.

Peggy Noonan has an interesting take on the mental health of those we elect to the highest office. Current events certainly support her theory. It is often said humorously that the lunatics are running the asylum, but that may be literally true. That hardly makes America unique in world history, but it's still a hell of a way to run a railroad.

Well, I need to see if I can get some sleep. I'm wide away from too much napping on the bus ride to and from Boston, so I don't expect much in the way of success.