Please Help Me Welcome.....

MURPHY!!

(Murph posing in the backyard. Isn't he sharp looking?)

After 2 1/2 months of waiting and wondering, I finally brought home my big buddy this past Thursday evening. After a trip down to Woodbridge, VA to meet his foster mom and him, I knew I had to bring him home with me. He's absolutely the coolest. As Great Danes go, he's on the smaller side, weighing in at only around 115 lbs. right now (vet says he should gain at least 5 more pounds to be ideal). But he's got a TON of personality (just like his Dad). He's 2 1/2 years old, but still carries on like a puppy. Murph wasted no time at all making himself at home, as I type this he's asleep next to me on the sofa. He loves that there's a big yard for him to run and play in (foster family lived in a townhouse w/a small yard), and he's pretty funny to watch run around. He gallops more than anything. Anyhow, this week has been crazy between work and literally finding out Wed. that I was next on the list to see Murphy and then bringing him home the very next day. Thank God I have the weekend off so that I can get him acclimated - although he seems to be doing that just fine on his own - and getting some other assorted stuff done around here.

Jumping on the Imus Bandwagon

As much as I'm getting really worn out on all the hubbub about the remarks Don Imus made, I felt compelled to throw my 2 1/2 cents into the jar.

First of all, I'm not a fan of this guy. I'd caught his show on MSNBC a few times over the years, (which is to say that I stopped for all of about a minute while channel surfing), but that's about it. I don't really know that I'd call him very funny, although he claims his show is mostly comedy. But having said that, I don't think I'd go so far as to say he's a racist anti-Christ, either.

I'm having trouble understanding how the likes of the Rev. Al Sharpton and his minions can go on a rampage demanding that Imus be fired for a "nappy headed ho's" remark about a basketball team. Imus isn't a journalist. He's not an elected official. He's just a guy who tries to entertain his (underscore HIS) audience every day. Was the remark funny? I don't know. I don't really follow basketball and know precisely dick about the Rutgers women's team. So I'm the last person on Earth who might get humor out of that. But you know what folks, if I don't think it's funny, that doesn't exactly make him wrong for saying it. If Imus had said "Yeah, that Rutgers team is a bunch of no-talent, lazy n****rs," then he absolutely belongs in the unemployment line. Because that, my friends, would be a hateful, racist remark.

I can watch black comedians on HBO and even listen to rap music daily and hear the same, if not worse, remarks being made about African Americans - BY African Americans. I've heard some songs containing pretty derogatory remarks about women and I've heard many a comedian and rap artist throw the word "nigga" around like they're tossing a hackey sack. It's truly a double standard.

If you're going to be mad at Imus, be mad at Lil' Jon, Snoop, and all the others who use harsh and sometimes demeaning language in support of their "artistic endeavours." At the end of the day, I don't give a shit if rappers and comedians use those words as part of the act. If I'm legitimately offended by it, I just won't listen. If you don't care for a talk show host's point of view, a rapper's lyrics, a comedian's material, don't listen! It's a simple concept. But I guess it's easier to find all that's wrong in the world than it is all that's right.

I did a little looking into Mr. Imus before I sat down to write this, since I don't really know much about him. He's been in broadcasting a long time and it seems that he and his wife do a great deal of charitable work. So I don't really think he's a bad guy. And I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say he's a racist hate-monger. He just doesn't know how to make a joke. That doesn't make him a racist, it makes him a lousy entertainer. Rev. Al and his brood need to learn how to separate the innocuous from the malicious.

The rant endith. Go in peace.

I Hate Mondays

Especially when it's my first day back on the day shift. I'm about as far from a morning person as can be, so getting up for work at 3:45 AM damn near kills me. Oh well, the things I do for money.

I'm going to take a moment to respond to some comments from my last post(s):

1. Sorry Kim, I won't be doing anyone else's yard work but my own. It's going to be all I can do to whip this place into shape. I enjoy having a large yard, but maintianing it is a mofo.
2. The Great Dane I've got my eyes on is a harlequin with cropped & floppy ears. He has one blue eye and one brown eye. Very sharp looking dog. Last I was told I was #2 on the list to see him and I haven't heard anything more on him. I did come up with alternates (I really like the fawns, but they're few & far between), but the only ones I think I can go see right now are all the way down in North Carolina. I'm not beyond driving that far, but I'd like to see how I fare locally before I make a road trip.

So I'm still wondering when I'm ever going to bring a new pooch home. Hopefully sometime soon, but it's really hard to say. With the list of dogs I gave them, it seems that I'm second, third and even fourth on the list to see the ones I want the most. Something tells me I'm not going to end up with any of the dogs I really want.

The regulation 2006-2007 NHL season is over and we're on to the playoffs. I really do enjoy watching the playoffs, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much it sucks that Washington didn't make it (again). I'll keep my fingers crossed for next year. I'm interested in seeing what happens over the summer when Big Daddy Ted (Leonsis) says we'll probably be active in the free agent market. We have bunch of hard working guys, but sometimes that's not enough. I'd be willing to bet that there will be a move to land a solid playmaking center. Ovechkin and Semin did well this season, but imagine what they could do with an Adam Oates-type center.

And I'll leave you all with these words of wisdom for the day:

"Don't trust Whitey."

I Dig Spring

Literally.

I capitalized on the great weather today, and the fact that I didn't have to work, to get some much needed yard work done. Late last year I removed two trees from in front of my house which I'm convinced had been dead longer that Abe Lincoln. When I did that, however, the front of my house looked exceptionally bare. So I knew that once Spring rolled around, I would have my work cut out for me.

So today I got up at a respectable hour and zipped down to the Home Depot to pick up some plants, flowers, mulch and edging so that I could make the joint look nice. Several hours, beers and gallons of sweat later, I don't mind telling you it looks kick ass. I only did one side of the front porch today and will do the rest this weekend. But having only done one side of it made a world of difference. I'm quite pleased with myself.

In other news, I finally received word that I'm approved to adopt a dog from the organization I applied with back in the beginning of February. I appreciate the fact that they are a volunteer organization, but taking two months to decide if I'm a worthy candidate to adopt is ridiculous. And if they were really that backed up processing applications, all they needed to do was let me know. I'm a fair guy, but not hearing anything for weeks at a time is just stupid.

Anyhow, the next step in the process involves another person getting in touch with me (the e-mail they sent last Thursday said "within the next few days," but I'm still waiting for a call or e-mail) and I tell her which dogs I'm most interested in from the website. I have a list of about 5 dogs, but I really have my sights set on one in particular. But since he may no longer be available by the time I'm ready to bring a dog home, I have to have alternates. If the dogs I'm interested in are still available, I have to contact the people who are currently fostering them to arrange a day to come out and see him. If all goes well, I come home with my Great Dane. I'm realistically another couple weeks away from actually seeing a dog, much less bringing one home, but hopefully I'll have a new addition to the family soon. I'm in the home stretch now.