"Spectacle on a gala night,”
I say, “Spectacle and no soprano took flight!”
“Quite satisfied awed viewers say,
we are satisfied – such a brilliant play!”

Tim Martin Gleason knows his business!
Plays Raoul with unending smiles!
With Elena Batman
all the crowd still cheers!
Opera!
To hell with Gluck and Handel -
This show is gonna pack ‘em in the aisles!

I think I am going to stop there. If you are a Phantom Fan then you caught the play on these three verses as being based on “Notes/Prima Donna” from the first act. If not, ignore this post as it is a Phantom review and may be a spoiler if you plan to see it.

You have to know that I am a huge POTO fan and have seen it about a dozen times. I know just about every word and most of the parts. I think that the movie of POTO (2004) was just about the worst thing I have ever viewed. So, to say I am critical of this production would be an understatement.

OK, here is my review on “Phantom, the Las Vegas Spectacle” which is not the whole Broadway production of “Phantom of the Opera”, but it is pretty darn close. The goal of this Vegas production was to offer POTO as a 90 minute show. Why limit it to about 90 minutes? Simple, it gets the people back out on the casino floor sooner or into the restaurants faster. Also, at 90 minutes there can be two shows a night maximizing ticket sales. But 90 minutes means that there are going to be cuts from the Broadway POTO which runs about 160 minutes. So, how do you cut a Broadway icons running time in half? Very carefully, and in this case, mostly successful.

I always though that POTO was too long. There are scenes that needlessly drag on and awkward silences here and there. From time to time the production (the Broadway version) seems to worship its own elegance and that is boring. So when I heard that they were bringing the runtime on POTO down to 90 minutes, I was happy! But I was also skeptical because I thought 90 minutes was now too little, and I think I was right.

So, that being said, let’s get specific.

The production: The production is not as slick and as smooth as the Broadway production. Now I saw POTO in LA, but I have to say all the times I saw it the production values were tight. Fast scene changes (often under 2 or 3 seconds) were the norm and silences within the production were all but non-existent. Not so with this Vegas production. I hope that this cleans up with time.

The script: Well, when you have to cut about 40% of your running time you got to cut it somewhere. In this case they cut it from some scenes that I thought would have been best left in and others that could have been sacked. For example, they spend a fair amount of time on the Hannibal scene and that could have been cut a bit. They cut the Masquerade scene somewhat in what is a marquee scene in the play. They cut the rehearsals for Don Juan Triumphant and Il Muto (OK in both cases in my regard) but spend too much time descending into the depths of the “Phantoms’ world”. It is the choices of the cuts that bother me because it seems that the cuts in many cases were needed information and the stuff that was left was “for show”, a mistake in my opinion.

Other choices: Also, there were elements that were pulled in from the movie POTO that should have been tossed with the movie neg. One was the deadening of the language. The original is filled with sexual innuendo and colorful imagery. For instance after the line, “Ms Daae has returned” the next line was “I hope her midnight oil was well and truly burned” hinting she was having sex all night. Now it is “In which case, I think our meeting is adjourned!” and takes the wit away from great writing. This is a common change throughout the play.

The other holdover from the movie is the timing of the chandelier drop. POTO fans know that it crashes at the feet of Ms Daae at the end of Act One (the end of Il Muto.) Here they save it for the end and it is anti-climactic there since there is so much more going on. Also, they do not drop the chandelier at all really and I do want to see it crashed on stage. (Oh, the and chandelier prop itself is pretty lack luster, not what Weber had in mind.)

The actors: I have to admit, the acting was great and almost never lost pitch. A clean performance by all helped make the production of PTLVS a sure hit. These were not the Broadway Tour De Force performances of Crawford or Brightman, but they were good and entertaining. I can not pick out one performance as far and away better and that made for a balanced show.

There are many other things I can pick on that step the production down, and a few help. Overall the show is great and I think that everyone should see it.

If you have not seen the Broadway version of POTO you are absolutely going to love this production. It is lust and rich and easily digested in the 90 minutes allotted.

If on the other hand you have only seen the movie Phantom of the Opera (2004) then you should absolutely see this. If you liked the movie (and I can only think that those who do have nothing else to compare it to) then you are truly in for a treat. First off the quality of the voices is far superior to the movie. That alone is worth the view.

Finally, if you have seen the Broadway production of POTO, go into this production with an open mind, as if you are seeing something totally new and you will enjoy it a whole lot. It really is a good show for its’ few flaws.

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Why is it rabbits run in front of cars in the evening?
This is not strictly rabbits, it seems many small mammals exhibit this same behavior. I have a theory… I think that this feat of daring do, namely running in front of a car and narrowly being mowed down, is an initiation rite. If the buck does it and lives he can go over and do a doe. Think about it, could be.

Do deaf people think with sounds when thinking?
You know the drill. You’re driving along and thinking to yourself and listing in your mind the things you have to do. In your head you hear yourself list the items. If someone is deaf and never understands the concept or experiences sounds as a mode of communication, can they think in it? If they don’t, how do they express the ideas to themselves, visualize sign language? Is thinking in sound “audiolizing”?

Why is it that the bad guys armies always goosestep when on parade?
Is it my imagination or do all the enemy armies on parade goosestep? You watch it on TV and you see it in the old news reels, they all goosestep. Now the goosestep gait is not very efficient for marching, extra bouncing and the short strides (for the really impressive goosestep) just slow everything down. Why bother?

Walking, talking and chewing gum, do people have really have to multitask while driving?
As you may know I drive a cab all day. It is fair to say that I have seen all kinds of people on the road, but the ones that scare the hell out of me are those talking on the cell and doing something else AND driving all at the same time. They drive too slow, too fast or swerve randomly. The cut corner too close and come up on people too fast and close. In short they are hazards. I see at least two or three accidents a day and I would say about half involve someone with a phone stuck in their ear. Why do we still do it?

I bet you have imponderable questions too… I would love to hear them.

Israel wants an end to aggression against its people and property, and to live in established borders without external threat. It is the same thing that any country wants and most get.

To end the fighting happening between Israel and Hezbollah (I cannot even say Lebanon any more because the Lebanese government is totally out of control) Israel wants some simple things. Return the kidnapped soldiers, disarm Hezbollah, and conform to UN resolutions established years ago. This is not unreasonable, it is what should be expected, so why is everyone so surprised that Israel is reacting the way it is?

Critics will say that Israel was planning this bombing for years, and you know what, they are right. They planned this assault on Lebanon years ago so that if/when the Lebanese or Hezbollah broke the UN agreements they would have a plan and execute it without delay. Why are we surprised, the US military does this all the time, it is part of the peacetime military planning.

Israel is bombing targets with regard to infrastructure, roads, airports, ports, factories, military (as related to Hezbollah), C’n’C and other sites that could aid Hezbollah. This is really basic military tactics, ones that the US military has used for decades. Israel is not attempting a demoralization campaign by subduing a citizenry, no carpet-bombings of towns or cities. In fact, with all the military might Israel can bring to bare it is amazing the civil death toll is so low. You can credit the low death count to Israel’s extreme accuracy. In fact it would be much safer for the Lebanese to NOT try to shoot the incoming missiles down because if they do hit, the maimed rockets could do more damage to civilians than if it actually hit its target.

Israel is showing some pretty good restraint in all this. Now that they know that Hezbollah is being supported by Syria and Iran I am sure there are some hardliners that would love for Israel to break out the really big guns and take on these two annoyances. They would be within their rights to attack prophylacticly, but that would put them on three or even four fighting fronts and that may be stretching their abilities. Besides, Israel will wait for Syria or Iran to take the first swing and then get into it. Israel rarely initiates actions, but usually ends them.

But the really interesting thing going on now is that while some of the neighboring Arab countries do not outright support Israel’s action on Hezbollah, they are definitely not against it. Could this be a turning point in the Arab/Israeli conflict? No, not at all. You see, Iran (the backer of Hezbollah) has Hezbollah sects in many of the other countries, and the Arab nations are scared of this. They are scared of Iran and what it may do. Each of these other countries knows that if Iran starts to look their way they could be a target for trouble in one form or another, be it civil unrest or military action. Let’s face it, these Arab countries are not very strong in terms of military and will to fight each other. Besides, fighting a Muslim foe would not go over well. It is one thing to fight “the American Dogs” but completely different fighting their Muslim brothers. The Arab countries are hoping Israel faces down Iran takes out a common enemy. In this case “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is in action although very tersely.

Interestingly though these same Arab countries are toning down the rhetoric against Israel simply because they do not want the fight any more. They are facing an interesting crisis, and that is they know that they do not have that much longer to be the kings of oil and thus do not want to spend money on a cause that will get them nowhere. They are instead pouring their money into infrastructure for the time when the oil runs out. In short, it does not pay to hate Israel anymore. Sure they can say all sorts of things, words are free, but they will not be putting their money where their mouth is.

One curious interview I saw the other night was Chris Mathews interviewing the Syria UN Ambassador, Dr. Jafar Ja’afari. There was one simple question that Chris put to him over and over again and he refused to answer, and that was “How small does Israel have to get for Syria to leave it alone?” Dr. Jafar Ja’afari would not answer the question because he did not want to say that Israel should not exist at all, the same line that Hezbollah takes. He did not want to tip the fact that Hezbollah is calling the shots and these instructions are coming from Iran.

So, what does Israel want? To left alone to do its thing and not bother anyone. It wants this because it knows the issue is all moot in the coming years as the oil goes away. It knows that regional support for a fight against Israel is waning because it is not fiscally responsible to be concerned over 8000 sq/m that have no oil reserves. And at this point as the money goes, the religious arguments will go too. After all the Koran tell of respect for Israel, not its demise.

Verdict: I am going to live.

OK so my triglycerides are through the roof (963), but on the other hand my cholesterol is not that bad (214). OK, so my HbA1 came back at 10.4 (way high) and my testosterone level came back at 180 (normal is 300), these will not kill me today.

So where does that leave me? Well it leaves me like this: Lisinopril for the blood pressure, Mevacor for the cholesterol, Tricor for the triglycerides, Avandaryl (Avandia and Glyburide) for the diabetes and Androgel (testosterone replacement therapy.) Then to top all that off, the Wellbutrin in a week or two once I feel that all the above have had a chance to take hold.

I have gone from a medicine cabinet with some ibuprofen and Tylenol to being completely loaded. I also got some emergency meds for when the pain of everything gets too bad (my favorite pain cocktail, Vicodin and Soma). Now I am feeling like my father, a pill for everything.

The next step is for me to figure out a good schedule for all of the above. I think I will do the Lisinopril, Mevacor and Tricor at night so it does not hit me hard during the day. The side effects of these are conducive to evening use and a good night’s sleep. The Avandaryl, Androgel, and Wellbutin would probably work well during activity and so I can monitor them better.

So now I have a plan and all I have to do is execute it and work out and eat well and abstain from sex and worship the god Plutorex from Xerzon and make generous donations to various and shady organizations and I will be fine. Oh yeah, I can only watch Jerry Falwell for the next two years and in my free time I am allowed to meditate and astral project to the plane of Visshusain Gawzoontite.

But other than that… I’m fine.

I have heard some silly things from around the world, but Lebanon declaring war on Israel is just about the dumbest there is. Have the Lebanese people lost their senses or what. Let look at the situation for a moment.

Lebanon has been in a civil war for years and has no army to speak of. Hezbollah has infiltrated their government and is using it as a puppet. There is little if any overall organization in Lebanon.

Israel is sick and tired of working with terrorist groups and still having its soldiers kidnapped. Israel has a standing army in good shape and in practice. By all accounts, the Israeli army is man for man the best in the world. Everyone in Israel serves in the armed forces, so Israel can raise a huge trained army at a moments notice. There is an organization to the Israeli Army and that makes it more effective.

So here we have it. On a scale of one to ten, a ten being the best army in the world, Israel takes Lebanon 10 to 3… Lebanon doesn’t stand a chance.

But there is something else here, and that is the way they two countries are handling themselves. Israel wants a stop to the kidnappings and rocket attacks, that’s all. What does Lebanon want? I do not know except to assume the usual obliteration of Israel itself. Gee, I wonder of that will happen. When attacking targets in Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah attack civilian targets killing non-combatants. Israel targets only military targets when attacking. When was the last time you heard of Israel specifically targeting civilians? Granted there have been times when missiles went off target, it happens, that’s war, but they do not go out of there way to do so.

So I have to ask… Why is it that the world is not condemning the actions of Lebanon? Seriously? If any other country were attacked as Israel was, the world would be outraged. But when it is Israel the rules and responses are different.

Now we are seeing that this action on Israel was influenced by Iran with support from Syria. Also Hezbollah is attempting to get the kidnapped soldiers to Iran. Can you imagine what may happen if they succeed in getting them there? What a total mess.

I can see no good reason for Hezbollah to have started this chain of events. I can see why in the timing… they figured that Israel was busy with Palestinians (read Hamas) in Gaza and figured that Israel would not notice… yeah, right.

The pundits are arguing that Israel is going to be out of it’s element because it has to fight right now on two fronts. Does anyone buy that one at all? Have you seen the size of Israel? Or Gaza? Or the Lebanese border?  Israel is a total of 7850 sq/m (to put that in perspective, Los Angeles is 4061 sq/m) and Gaza is a mere 360 sq/k (139 sq/m). The border with Lebanon is about 40 miles long, that is nothing. Multiple fronts, ridiculous, they are all one front and not a very big one at that.

Well, it is all a mystery to me why people can be so stupid. The Lion is stirring again and I wonder who will be mauled by the Israeli military machine this time?

What runs in circles at the drop of a hat, has a tongue that peeks out, tilts its head at unusual sounds and looks so cute doing it, has big eyes, loves to lick you for any reason, and will flop dead asleep in your lap just because? A Pug Dog puppy, that’s what. And what is more fun then just one Pug puppy? Two Pug puppies of course. And even more fun than that? Two Pug puppies that are litter mates.

So here it is, the debut of my new pups Bogart and Orson. That’s right I named them after Orson Wells and Humphrey Bogart, and it really seems to fit them.

First up: Bogart. This little guy was the little guy of the litter, and being the runt of the litter he was has little dog syndrome. He is all bark and no bite, acts big and but chickens out is looked down. It is rather cute if you ask me. Though he is small, he is the classic form of a pug. Beautiful wrinkles in the head, mask and jowls, and of course the “pug mark” on the forehead. He is properly stocky and moves with the sideways gait that is part of his pure pug heritage. Finally he has the course coat and nice faun color that most good Pugs have.

Next Up: Orson. He is definitely a lover, and he should since he has the smooth coat not common to many pug. He just begs to be pet and is completely at home lying next to you, on you, or even under you. Of the two he is not the sharpest, but make up for it in enthusiasm. He doesn’t have the wrinkles like a purebred, but he is cute none the less. Without all the wrinkles it appears that he has a high forehead (think Orson Wells) and it make him look more regal. His coat is smooth and a light tan (not common) making him distinctive as a Pug. But most of all he is a lover through and through.

So far they are acclimating to their new home well. Paper-training is happening as expected and they know when they are wrong. Smart boys if you ask me.

Walks lately have been a real meet and greet of the other dogs in the community, so good, some not so, but always interesting when they all do meet up. The two will team up on bigger dogs, and flip out when smaller dogs are around. It is funny to watch.

So there you are, two new additions to the family.

If you know me you may know that I do not like doctors and I especially do not like hospitals. So for me to go in and see a doctor is one of those things that I dread. But I compromised and went to see a doctor, but at his office and not at a full blown hospital. I can live with that.

The visit was for the most part to get my prescriptions renewed. I have to admit I let the meds run out and did not bother to refill them, and now that I am feeling really shitty, I figured it was time to take care of the matter.

My new doctor is nice guy. Mike came in and talked to me as an adult without the patronizing attitude that sometimes comes with the over inflated egos of medical practitioners. He allowed me to explain what was wrong, what I had done in the past, and what I wanted to do for the future. He also listened to the new stuff that had popped up since my last doctors appointment and we actually talked about it. No lectures were forthcoming thank god.

So after some bloodletting and prescriptions I was out of the office and on my way, the visit as painless as I had hoped for. Off to the pharmacy and started my regimen up again as I had successfully done before.

You see, as I child I had an over protective mother and with every sniffle and cough I was back in the doctors office just to have him tell my mother to get me some Robitussin. After that it was doses at precisely four hour intervals. Then there were all the test and procedures that this “sick child” needed to be well again. Tell you what… the doctors got rich off me.

Finally, the hospital holds the “death” association for me that many of us have. A hospital is a place to die and to a teen it is even worse when your one father figure does die in a hospital. My grandfather died in a hospital and from that point on I resisted the urge or desire to go to a hospital unless absolutely necessary.

So yeah, an admission, I sometimes overlook my health or self diagnose when medical attention is needed. Oddly enough I am usually more accurate than the doctors when I do this. I know my symptomology, I can look up what it means, I can read a PDR for proper dosing levels and side effects, so yeah, I am usually right. I was correct when I told my doctor I had a left inguinal hernia. I was right when I diagnosed my diabetes and recommended Glyburide (now Glipizide) as opposed to Glucophage. Granted these are simple cases to diagnose, but I find that it is certainly more pleasant than being poked and prodded endlessly to figure out every little thing.

So last night I woke with two sets of leg cramps. The first was of the Extensor Digitorum Longus, the muscle that controls lateral movements of the foot and leg and very unusual for me to get a cramp in. Trust me it was painful and deep and took a while sooth out. But that was just the start.

The next cramp (maybe triggered by the first, we still do not know what triggers these painful attacks) was of the more common Gastrocnemius (Calf) muscle (the big one behind your shin) in which I have had many cramps in the past. The only ting was this was more severe and faster an attack then I have previously experienced. In the past I get the twinge of the oncoming Charley Horse and can stretch the muscle as it is coming on to relieve the severity and pain of the attack. This one last night came on lightning fast and since I could not catch it I was screaming in pain for about ten minutes until it subsided.

Now most people would say that it was the new meds entering my system again. In fact they may be right, for the Lovastatin does indeed have a side effect of muscle cramps. But then again, I do have a history of leg cramps, so instead of getting alarmist about the new meds I am going to chalk it up to the coincident that it may well be. Also, if the Lovastatin is going to cramp muscles it may cramp something other than my calf muscle. (I know, one would argue that my calf would have a higher susceptibility to cramping because of the history.) So until something cramps up other than the calf I will ignore it. After all there are times when just ignoring it is appropriate, and this may be the case.

So, now I just suffer until the meds kick in again and I start to feel better. One of the medications that was also recommended was Wellbutrin, for a couple of reasons. First off I am seeing (or experiencing) shifts in my mood. These depressions come on strong and usually put me out of sorts for at least a week and I do not like it. The other reason is smoking. Wellbutrin is also called Zyban, so I am attempting to kick a habit and get better all at once. I have not started taking this yet, I wanted to get the other meds going again first and not subject myself to a complete chemical makeover all at once. I have a feeling that just getting the Glipizide, Lovastatin and Lisinopril working together first is better for me.

But now the kicker… My blood work has come back and guess what? I have another doctors appointment. I guess the numbers were higher than I thought (though I may have honestly suspected) and a phone consultation will not do.

What could be the problem with the blood work? Let’s see… It could have detected that I had a mild heart attack. Cholesterol is through the roof. Testosterone levels are in the basement. My HbA1 is in the stratosphere. I got blood cancer. I have some other disease that I have not thought of (most likely not an STD). They screen for Hepatitis in all cases, maybe that? Herpes, doubtful. Who know. Apparently I will tomorrow. (Wish it were today.)

Whatever it is it can’t be too bad since Doc did not want to see me immediately. I guess I may have more time after all. Ah, the dread has reappeared for me.

Got health? Will find out tomorrow.

Something has to be done about some of our younger citizens. I do not know what the answer is right now, nor how to implement anything for it, but something must be done.

But here is what I see as the problems or trends pushing the youth in the wrong direction. (Please note this is not in all cases or even possibly a majority, it is just an observation from where I sit.)

Too much time: If “idle hands are the devils playground” then we are providing too much opportunity for inappropriate behavior on behalf of our youth.

Too little supervision: If “when the cat’s away, the mice shall play” then we need to be present more in our children’s lives.

Too little discipline: If we “spare the rod and spoil the child” excessively, we need to find a fresh hickory switch and instill some values where it counts. (Please, I am being metaphorical here.)

Too little example: If we never “lead by example” then how will our children know what is proper and what is not? If we as parents are not taking an interest in anything then neither will our children.

Too much entitlement: If everything is “our god given right” and we and our children do not have to work for it, everything is expected and nothing is earned.

Too little value: If we do not instill “the value of a dollar” into our children they will forever think it has no value. Thus, they see no need to earn a dollar for any work they may do, hence not care about the job.

Too little respect: If the children cannot “honor thy mother and father” they cannot respect them. No respect means no value to the lessons their fathers or mothers may want to teach them.

Too little self-respect: If children cannot “respect themselves” then how will they every feel good about themselves. And if they are not feeling good about themselves, why should they care about anyone else other than themselves.

I am sure there are many more reasons that the kids of today are lacking the kind of restraint and discipline that most of us grew up with, but this short list should do as a starting point. If any one of these issues were dealt with I think that we would see some really amazing results, for it occurs to me they are all part of good parenting. Let’s face it, this is where the problem stems from.

Who can blame us though for falling down on the job. Both parents today have to work to maintain a household, one income just will not do. We have to be successful at work so we can provide for the children. After all, they kids have to have the latest video games and stuff. We would be failures if we could not drive them around in the best SUV money could buy. We have to trust that the children will teach themselves how to be good citizens, and by all means we must trust the schools to instill our values on them. After all, aren’t the schools the surrogate parents we cannot be because our daughters need the latest fashion in jeans and our sons the newest high-tops we must provide by being at work? If we are forever as parents trying to keep up with Jones’s, and the Jones’s are doing a piss-poor job of raising the kids I guess it is ok to do a piss-poor job of raising the kids.

On the other hand there are many communities (read ethnic or cultural) where there is far less prevalence of problems with the younger generation. Why is that? Not to praise conservatives unduly, but it is because of more traditional upbringings of the children. The parents in these communities are more involved in their children’s lives. The parents spend more time with the kids and get involved in their activities too. Some of these communities stress schooling above all else and teach work ethic. Some of these communities are heavily religious and thus an ethic and moral code are taught early on thus providing the youth with a moral and ethical compass. But the key in every case is the level of parental involvement.

There may be some lessons for us to learn as parents if we just open our eyes and look at successful and disciplined families around us. That is if we care that our children grow up as respected and well meaning members of the community.

In the last entry I mentioned that “don’t tell me these teens did not know they were committing arson and about to heavily burden someone who relied on that van” and pretty much glossed over the human toll. Not only is my girlfriend having to find a new car, the burnt one had sentimental value that can not be replaced.

It is illogical and totally natural that some people anthropomorphize certain important item in their lives. In the case of my girlfriend she named her van (a Ford AeroStar) Vinnie and gave it the plates VNOGH. Vinnie VNOGH was important to her because it allowed her to do the things she needs, haul the stuff she wanted and accompanied her through several life changes and addresses. So when the car was torched, you may be able to understand how much it hurt. She had to face the fact that something dear to her was literally burnt to ashes without so much as a goodbye.

So today was spent doing the things one must to recover a loss, dealing with the towing company, dealing with the insurance company, talking to the police and fire investigators. But the hardest part… Claiming Vinnie’s remains from the tow yard. While this was not as hard as identifying a body in the morgue, it was just about as traumatic to visit the hulking remains and search for anything salvageable. Hell, the only reason we knew for sure that this was her van (it was so badly burned) was from the one remaining VNOGH plate. In this case there was a whole set of valuable, one of a kind, tiles within and none survived. So we poked and prodded the burn heap and recovered one ceramic saucer; that was all that survived. The end of an era for my girlfriend brought about in hellacious flame and torture.

Seem too dramatic? Think again. Have you ever had stuff stolen from you? Did you not feel violated? This was not just a car; it was a means of transportation and a symbol of freedom. This was what was violated and my girlfriend felt every bit of it. I mean I can understand, I have had valuables stolen from me before and it makes you feel sick to your stomach when you think about it. There are the times you go to get something and then remember it was stolen and it all comes back. Eventually you look at it as part of life, but it takes a while.

The saddest part of all this is even if the kids that torched her van are found there is nothing they can do to ease the emotional suffering they have inflicted. Sure we can talk about stringing up the little monsters by the thumbs (or other more painful parts according to my girlfriend), but this does not remove the pain of the loss. We could take the parents to court and make a claim against them for the value of the car and the items in it, but this is just money and not much for satisfaction when it comes down to it.

Taking a vengeance just acts as a justification to let the violence out we are feeling for the loss and acts as a temporary bandage until time mellows the more painful aspects of the crime. Vengeance is hardly a cathartic act, but is really understandable.

So what are we to do? Well, nothing other than get past it and move on with our lives. Eventually there will be a new car, there will be new items to replace the burnt old ones and the memories will mellow and time will heal the wound leaving another scar on our emotional psyche. We will get past it and shudder every time we see a car fire or another Vinnie on the street. But eventually it will be, “Yeah, I had one of those. They do a great job hauling everything you need.”

This is to inform all you bloggers out there that since there is not very much interest in the blog anymore I will be taking it to a one person blog as of Septenber 1, 2006. Sorry if this inconvienences anyone, I just feel that this is the way it is headed at this point.

You know, I have just about had it with kids running around at all hours of the night without supervision. Why the sudden increase in my nausea level? Simple, they just torched my girlfriends ‘ car. What an incredible way to celebrate the Forth of July! Set off fireworks inside a van and add lighter fluid. Wow what a cool thing to do.

So who is to blame? Well it is certainly not my girlfriend. Even though she left windows open, she did not invite some idiot kids to torch it. How about the kids that did it? Are they to blame? Yeah, they hold a lot of the blame; in fact the principle blame must be set squarely on their stupid, dumbass shoulders. They threw lighter fluid into van and then set off fireworks INSIDE the van. It does not take anything more than about an eighty IQ to figure out what would happen. So don’t tell me these teens did not know they were committing arson and about to heavily burden someone who relied on that van.

How about the parents? Where the hell were they? I know that when I was growing up that my parents watched where I was and who I was with very closely. They were not doing this to be intrusive but rather to stop me from doing stupid shit. If I knew my parents knew what I was doing and where I was and who I was with, I was a lot less likely to do anything that would really get me into trouble.

So, where were the parents? I hold a huge amount of the blame directly on their shoulders for allowing their kids to be roaming the streets with nothing better to do than to setting cars on fire for kicks. If it were up to me, I would have these kids set their parents cars on fire too so they could get a taste of what us unknowing citizen must endure because they let their monsters roam the streets.

Finally this all took place in a gated community. There is ostensibly a security patrol, but the complex management is quick to point out this is a courtesy of the complex and they are not responsible. Well, if they bare no blame, then why bother with gates or a patrol at all? I mean I am paying for the security with my monthly rent payment. Don’t tell me there is no culpability here. It will be interesting to see what a lawyer has to say.

So where we are, celebrating the day after the forth with runs to the police, fire investigators, insurance, towing company and half a dozen other things. Tomorrow… emergency car shopping… fun.