Sick, Sick, SICK

My Thursday night article will be short. I am suffering the plague quietly - except at night when the sneezing, coughing and hacking keeps even Wally awake. Rick is well and looking for a quieter place to live ... I'll miss him.

Here's to a healthy tomorrow and a wonderful Halloween to all!

Dallas Thursday Roundup

Thursday Night Dinner was cancelled this week due to an illness. Wendy has what she termed "the plague" so our hearts go out to her and we hope that she does not develop corpuscles or whatever else happens with the plague.
Since we were not gathered together, each Thursday Dinner Regular will have to update for him or herself.
I for one have had a big week of trials. On Monday, I argued a trial where the defendant was charged with engaging in a riot, a first for me, and also for the prosecutor, who had to run for her books to see what the crime actually entails (curious? see my article on riot here). The "riot" was actually a very large fight after school right across the street from a high school campus. My kid was found not guilty, largely based on the fact that no one observed him actually participating in the fight, just walking to and away from it (though sweaty and breathing hard after).
Then this morning, I argued another trial, this time for disorderly conduct: tampering with power lines. My defendant was a homeless woman who went to visit a friend who was squatting in a condemned house which had illegally diverted power from the power line outside. She was the only one present when the police raided on suspected prostitution activity, so she was arrested for the tampering and illegal diversion of the power. We lost this one based on the legal presumption that if someone is found enjoying the economic benefit of diverted power, she can be presumed to have accomplished the tampering. Still, we beat the prosecutor's initial offer of 180 days in jail, and she was sentenced to only 60 days, and will be released tonight for time served. So not too bad.

Early Vote

JoAnne and Ralph voted Thursday at one of three early voting locations in Moore County. The one they went to was set up to handle a very large number of people and as a result, they didn't have to wait at all. Predictions are that 1/3 of the votes cast nationwide will be voted early.

Star of the Show

Bailey got an enthusiastic reception at both the Health Center and the Elementary School in his witch's outfit. He had trouble keeping his hat on but his admirers didn't seem to mind.

Celtics and Election Day

Tonight starts the new NBA season for the World Champion Boston Celtics. They will be receiving their champion rings prior to the game. Looking forward to it. Also looking forward to is next week's election, both nationally and here in North Carolina. The local races are intriguing and I am determined to vote with the mindset that we need big-time change.

Glory Days

It was Homecoming Weekend at Miami University.  This, of course meant a lot of alumni and a run on hotel rooms.  I had booked our room some time ago, as had Anne.  She and Justin were to be there thursday and friday, and Norman and I were staying friday and saturday.  At the last minute, the Richter's decided they wanted to stay the extra night, but the hotel was booked.  Grace offered them her room, but, well ... let's just say, Anne does not miss college living and was bound and determined to get herself a hotel room.  

The hotel was crowded with alumni "reliving their glory days", as one of Grace's roommates put it, and were getting a bit too rowdy for the staff and some of the other guests.  We happened to be in the hallway saturday morning and overheard housekeeping complaining.  One said to her partner, "if they get one more complaint, they are being kicked out!"  Without skipping a beat, Anne walked into my room, picked up the phone and I heard her say, "I'd like to register a complaint . . ."

Needless to say, Anne got her room.

Bearing Gifts

Norman and I drove from NC to Ohio this weekend to see Grace at Miami.  As a bonus, Anne and Justin were there also!  Everyone brought Grace a little something from home - A & J had a bag of salmon filets and specialty hummus (two of Gracie's favorite things). I made her Martha's chocolate chip cookies and my nutty trail mix, and Norman brought her doritos, potato chips, double stuff oreos, cheez-its, and a bottle of vodka.  Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?

Have Broom, Will Travel

The attached photo shows Bailey ready to go to the Health Center for Trick or Treating. Later he will go to the Elementary School.

The Back Porch

While it is not completely finished (I dare say nothing in the Dilbeck will ever be completely finished), the back porch is really taking shape. We have added music and a Franklin Stove for warmth and atmosphere, and some great tongue and groove paneling (see Wes, I know how to spell tongue). Later this weekend I will post some "after" pictures, but this morning I am posting some "before" pictures.

These are pictures that show the back porch as we found it before buying the house. Given some of these "before" pictures you may wonder why we even considered the purchase.

On the Menu:
Meatloaf, baked potatoes, curried squash, and spinach

Rick: Spent last weekend finishing up the tounge and groove cedar wrapping on the porch, I plan to spend this weekend painting the new French door and patching some cracks in the walls. Pretty good week, nothing much more to report.

Wendy: Came back to a boatlaod of work and co-workers who are delighted with the apples I brought to share. Alison and I are getting ready to work the polls on election day. We need clerks, and all readers are invited to apply. Please RSVP. Lodging provided.

Alison: Swamped under a mountain of work (my apologies for the mixed metaphor) from my week's vacation. Eating a lot of toast.

Mike: The pitch for the annual ad campaign went off fantastically! It's a project I'm really proud of, and can't wait to unveil the finished product to Gazette readers. Mike is absent from Thursday festivities this week because he is waiting for the cable guy, but he eagerly awaits his box dinner of meatloaf!

Kelly: Went to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Kimball this past very cultured weekend. This Saturday is Kelly and Preston's ghoulish halloween party for which decorating preparations have already started.

Some Minor Humor

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Always a Bridesmaid . . .

Well, finally - the bride!  After winning numerous door prizes at various golfing events, I finally won something legit. Norman and I played in the Couples Championship yesterday, and though we didn't take home the whole "guntsa magilla", I did win a $15 Pro Shop credit for being "Closest to the Pin" on #17.  I have broken the curse perhaps!

W.

Justin and I went to see Oliver Stone's new movie "W." last night. Our consensus, over wine and pizza following the movie: love Bush or hate him, the movie is worth a trip to the theater.

The all-star cast did a spectacular job of portraying (often comically) W's family and the inner circle of his administration. Particularly impressive were Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheney and James Cromwell as George Bush Senior. The movie focuses on two important times in W's life: his younger days and the events leading up to his decision to run for president, and his early presidency and the events leading up to his decision to go to war with Iraq.

To be honest, both Justin and I expected the portrayal of W and his entourage to be pretty negative - but this wasn't really the case (although Condi Rice played by Thandi Newton came off hilariously bad). That's not to say that Stone's Dubya doesn't have his moments in the film: remember the infamous pretzel choking incident? Misunderestimated? But these are more of a side-bar to the movie's central theme: W's mostly well-intentioned attempts to live up to the expectations of his family and emerge from behind his father's shadow. Most of W's actions throughout his presidency, according to Stone, were the result of this desperate desire to make his father proud. All he really wanted to do, it would seem, was to stay in Texas and "be in baseball"...but it was clear that this wouldn't be enough to satisfy George Bush Senior: hence his unlikely journey to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

In one scene, Laura Bush (played by Elizabeth Banks) says "I don't think people should be defined by their politics." And maybe that's really the point this movie tries to make.

Thursday Night Dallas Update

Alison has been out of town since Friday. I ceased to be entertained with my temporary bachelorhood right around Sunday evening. As it turns out, I am TERRIBLE at living alone. Henry the bagel and I spent Monday night watching football and eating Doritos directly from the bag, thus fulfilling the terms of 'dude time,' but now we're just ready for Ali to return.

Pitching our ad campaign next week, and a complete rebrand of another thing tomorrow. Very busy, but in a good way. Looking forward to a nice work-free weekend, though.

Have spent a fair amount of time hanging out on the remodeled porch at Rick and Wendy's (see Rick's post). The weather's perfect and the new Franklin stove/flooring/etc (qv) look awesome. I'm totally jealous of the setup.

That is all.

Thursday Night

It's Thursday night. Alison and Wendy are on the way home from NY and Mike and Kelly are here for Thursday night dinner. We sat outside on the newly refinished back porch for happy hour and are preparing a fabulous meal for dinner before watching the Texas Senatorial debate.

Oh, did I mention... the back porch is really coming around. Last week we had a Franklin stove installed, Saltillo tiles laid on the floor and I wrapped the back walls with tongue and groove cedar. When the weather turns cold we will have a nice fire and sit on the screened in porch and sip wine. When it is closer to being completely finished I will post pictures.

Thursday Roundup In Exile (backdated for your convenience)

On the Menu:
Domino's Pizza in the hotel room, because we're TIRED of driving!!

This week Mom and I have been back East to see the gorgeous leaves (which are at their absolute peak this week - a trip well timed!) as well as to see my crazy aunts on Mom's side.

Highlights have included a trip through Amish Country, which is chock full of quiet dignity, A stop in Little York at the farmstand to buy cheese, Macoun apples, maple syrup, and other excellent veggies, an afternoon Skaneateles, and the world's crappiest hotel room in Endicott, NY (neither the TV, nor the fan, nor positively anything else worked). All tolled, it's been a fabulous trip and we can't wait to get home!!

Wachovia

Well, last week the bankrupt firm treated their top 80 execs to a weekend golf outing in Pinehurst.  The lucky employees played several rounds of golf on the famed #2, enjoyed the spa and otherwise had a fine time to the tune of $4000 per person.  Boy, this economy sure sucks.

The Dallas Thursday Roundup (Tuesday Edition)

In an effort to bolster our Gazette footprint, the Dallas crowd has agreed to post a weekly supplemental roundup posting to coincide withour weekly Thursday gathering. This week, however, Thursday is being held on Tuesday because Alison and Wendy will be leaving for their big road trip super early on Friday morning.

On the Menu:

Tandoori Chicken, Curried Butternut Squash, Spinach and Mushrooms, Brown Rice

• Rick: I'll be batching it next week while Wendy and Alison are on their road trip. This weekend will be spent painting doors, trimming the porch with cedar, and patching cracks in the walls where old house settlement occurs.
  
• Wendy: Getting ready for the big road trip to New York, looking forward to seeing my sisters Carol and Cindy, and I'll be coming back with McGowan apples and River Rat Cheese!! Oh, and I'm also looking forward to spending quality time with my dearest daughter:)
  
• Alison: Taking time off as a solo practitioner is not too difficult when you have a month's notice. I'm just finishing up my motions for continuance for those settings that were made before travel plans, but I'm thrilled to say it hasn't been as difficult as I anticipated. In other news, I have been a sophisticated and mature for two full weeks now, and I am really loving it!!
  
• Mike: I am working on our 2009 ad campaign. We're pushing the general accepted financial industry envelope this year with some more fun conceptual stuff, so I'm  putting together a massive presentation - research data, multimedia presentation, etc. I make Don Draper look like clown shoes, and fully plan to win some sort of award with this campaign.
  
• Kelly: I have been busy spearheading the winter fundraiser for Grace Unlimited, the nonprofit of which Alison and I have recently joined the board of directors. It's a Christmas theater fundraiser, and as a first project, it's going really well!!
  

Dear Mary

Dear Mary,

I have a big problem. A big, loud, scary, noisey, banging, scary problem. Please help, I don't know what to do. Every day when my parents leave I stay home and take care of the house. Most days, my uncle Henry comes over to keep me company, but it's my house, you know, I am the beast of the manor. Anyway, lately, these big smelly invaders, maybe visigoths, maybe just barbarians have been breaking into the house and banging on the walls and taking apart the things. I must admit, Mary, I'm not pleased. Henry seems to be just fine with it. He sniffs them, wags his tail, all in all, he has no problem with the whole ordeal. I just don't trust it. I stay upstairs in the bed. Shivering. My problem is twofold. First, I have to find a way to shore up our defenses and keep these cretins out. But second, what do I do if my folks find out that I've just let these banging invaders work their mayhem in my castle?? They'll know I'm a cowardly dog! They'll make me get a real job! Help!!!

Sincerely, 

Mr. Wally T. Bagle

School Days

Last Thursday Bailey had his first reading session at Pinehurst Elementary School. We worked with six different students from Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades. We will be going every Thursday morning. This is part of the Canine Assisted Reading Education program (C.A.R.E.) Bailey took it all in stride laying between the student and me while the student read to him. They say that students reading skills improve dramatically because reading to a dog is less stressful than reading to all of their classmates. So from now on it's Monday with the old folks at the Health Center and Thursday with the kids.