If you know what that means, then it was a pleasure meeting you. I had one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time. And for that, I wanted to take a moment and thank my roomie, and the nicest guy I'd never met, John Hobbs. I'm glad I had a hand in fulfilling your lifelong, childhood dream of having the party room.

For the first time in our married life, my wife has left me...

OK, not like THAT, but she's gone for 10 days, off on a trip to a family reunion, all by herself. In our entire married life together, all of 14 years, I've been the one to leave her behind when I've traveled outside the country on business.

I feel guilty telling my pathetic story after all the deaths, and bad diagnosis of late, but if I don't write it down, my head will explode.

A bit of background, in case you don't know me. I'm a software engineer (fancy word for programmer) working as a contractor for a multi-national, multi-billion dollar company. I am an under-utilized drone (giving me plenty of time to participate here), but finish every task given to me well before the time alloted has expired.

About 15 minutes before quitting time for the day on Wed., June 18, I got an email from my contact at the agency I work through telling me to call him ASAP. When I did, I heard the words that no one likes to hear over the phone, "I've got some bad news."

Here we go...

This is great news, especially coming on the heels of yesterday's historic SCOTUS decision. In yet another blow to the neocon wet-dream of their New World Order, Iraq has refused the fourth attempt by the US to impose our rules on their sovereign nation.

I've been reading various posts and watching the videos about John McCain, the Republican nominee for president, since before he got the (presumtive) nomination. Hell, I've been following the R's since they had a full field of whackos candidates competing for the coveted conservative nomination. Back then I thought to myself, "This is the best they've got? This ought to be a piece of cake." Now that McCain moved to the front, I find myself asking, "Is this the best they've got?" Sometimes I catch myself laughing, especially when another video of him in a McCain moment pops up.