A Bloy and his Blog

Here it is September already. Where does the time go? In a way I’m glad — September is one of my favorite months. The days are usually warm and the nights are usually cool. This month brings the anticipation and excitement of a new football season (Go Badgers!). September is also the time all the fresh produce really starts to be available. Yesterday at my favorite local farmer’s market, I picked up the best bag full of corn, green beans (I love to eat those raw), summer squash, carrots and tomatoes so far this year. There’s just nothing like having fresh, locally grown vegetables on your table. I also saw acorn and butternut squash at the market for the first time this season. Definitely a sign that fall is on it’s way.

Next week we have a primary election in Wisconsin. In today’s mail I got two separate flyers for my congressman, urging me to vote for him. On my answering machine was a message from a campaign worker, telling my why I should vote for my congressman and urging me to go to the polls to vote for him. While watching the evening news tonight, I saw two advertisements explaining why my congressman is so good for our area and that we should go vote for him.

I swear if a politician would come out and say, “I’ve decided to donate all the money I raised for my campaign to a worthy charity and I will not waste it all on ads” I would kiss them on the lips. Okay, maybe I wouldn’t actually do that. Unless they were female, available and a good looker of course. But I digress.

I get a little amused when politicians go on about wasted government spending and then they turn around and spend millions of dollars saturating their constituents with ads, direct mailings and answering machine messages. By the way Mr. Congressman, if you really think I was going to sit there and listen to that message on my answering machine, you aren’t smart enough to be re-elected.

I feel a little obligated to post something today, although I certainly don’t want to be part of the media onslaught of disturbing accounts and images from one year ago.

I suppose each of us must remember, mourn, contemplate and pray in our own way. That’s what I choose to do. My father told me that he will do things today that feed his soul and touch his heart. Good advice. I’ve always found solace in music and I’ll be listening to a lot of it today. Here’s a quote from a song I know I’ll be listening to:

Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.
Imagine all the people, living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.

- John Lennon, Imagine

Lately I’ve been shopping around for a condo. I’ve had more than enough of apartment living (do you have to explain to someone that it’s not the best idea to play their stereo at 2am so loud that the dishes rattle in their neighbor’s apartment??). Anyway, I found a nice place that I liked a lot and had an offer prepared. After gnashing my teeth all day while second-guessing my offer, I got a call from my realtor this evening. The seller accepted my offer! Woo hoo!! I suppose I’d better start practicing my signature. I hear all those closing forms are a real bear.

So, my offer for the condominium has been accepted and the wheels are in motion for me to be thirty years in debt very soon. What’s funny is, I haven’t actually bought anything yet and I am hip deep in paperwork. Tonight I filled out the particulars of a loan application, which requires copies upon copies of bank statements, tax returns, check stubs, etc. I remember reading something several years ago that this modern computer era was supposed to bring us a paper-less society. If I have any money left after I’m thirty years in debt, I think maybe I’ll invest in a paper company.

This week I unveiled my latest web creation, Barstool Sportsmen, which is now up and running live.

Thanks to Mike (one of the Barstool Sportsmen) the idea has been planted in my brain to set up a web site for my free lance web design work. Hopefully that’ll be up in the next few months.

Wow! Last night I saw Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band’s show in Milwaukee. Of course I was anticipating songs from Springsteen’s back catalog the most (”She’s The One” was a real treat), but my favorite song of the night turned out to be “The Fuse” from his current album. I was wondering how some of the more somber material from The Rising would turn out in concert, but Bruce and the band pulled it off like the seasoned professionals they are. Surprisingly, while the old classics were great, I enjoyed hearing a lot the new songs more than the older ones.

read the rest of: Springsteen in Milwaukee