Today's Tids Issue 2.779
Opening Stuff:
 
Occasionally somebody pats you on the back and says nice job. And, it feels great.

I really like the line-up of Window's 8 Lenova Laptops, and the removable Tablet. Microsoft lives.

Did you hear about the guy who is addicted to brake fluid? He says he can stop any time.

The Question:
What are the Ten Best Saint Patrick's Day Parades?

The Headlines:
--Hagel Finally Sworn In As Defense Chief; Confirmed By Senate 58-41.
--Stocks Up; Durable Goods Orders (Minus Aircraft) Strong; Housing Gains.
--Pope Speaks Of Rough Seas Ahead In Emotional Farewell; 150,000 Stand, Cheer - "Benedict, Benedict" - In Awe Of Departing Pope.
--200 US Companies Ask SC To Support Gay Marriage.
--Syrian Mortar Lands In Israel Controlled Golan Heights.
--SC To hear Arguments On Voter ID's.
--Shooter Kills 3, Wounds 7 In Swiss Factory; Typically, Swiss Officials Deny That It Could Ever Happen In Their Country.
--Iran Says They Are Upbeat After Nuke Talks With West; Other Countries Not So Positive.

I often rail against people who try to "improve" perfect foods. Last night it was home made chocolate chip cookies, and Almond was the distinctive new flavor, at least acording this humble pallet. Frankly, I don't like almond flavoring in anything, and certainly not in God's cookie.

I think one of the problems that the Post Office faced as a business, is that it was too difficult to train customers away from the way it had been traditionally used, too much of a leap for many to use their services differently. The PO had to maintain the inefficiency of the Government blanket. And that is expensive.

Speaking of the Daytona 500, why would anybody really want to "sit on the pole"?

One of the things I dislike about modern technology is that when intrigued by a home page headline, a click to the full story site, invariably opens a video which I am forced to watch, instead of reading text. Cool that they have video, but reading is so much quicker and comprehensive. With no voice disturbing the concentration of a rambling mind.

Unless, of course, when the video is recording a shark attack.

Could Africa eventually become the al-Qaida Continent?

Oscar Wilde once said, "I find American Beer a bit like having sex in a canoe. It's f***ing close to the water." Even as a NA drinker, I know that US beers are far inferior to European or even Canada beers. And the the big difference is wateryness. So give me body, away from the canoe, as they say.

Did you hear about the the guy who was fired from the orange juice plant because he couldn't concentrate?

Did you see that headline above about the workplace Murders in Switzerland? My comments about Swiss official heads in the sand weren't as idle as they may appear. Several years ago, we were in the capitol city Bern, when we were accosted by a couple of con men who hoisted 300 Swiss Francs from our money reserve. And, we had no idea what was happening until later when we discovered the missing money. So we reported it to the clerk in our Hotel, and you know what they did? They laughed a little and said nobody gets robbed in Switzerland.

The Conscience: Chapter 15.
   "Hi hon,"
   "You sound sober."
   "Of course, it's only 8:00 in the morning over here."
   "Usually you've been drunk by seven at home." Jeff laughed freely like he hadn't in a long time.
   "I think this assignment has been good for me."
   "I'm worried about you."
   "You don't have to worry quite as much as normal. I really am getting better...at least for the past day and a half."
   "That's not why I worried. Have you heard about that explosion at your employer's company? It's all over the papers up here in New York and on the cable news channels -- their juicy visual of the day. It  looks awful and I hear several people were killed." Jeff's glance moved towards the window and he stood to look down the quarter mile to the waterfront. His head nodding at his wife's words. He had dismissed that from his mind. Maybe a reason why he didn't need a drink this morning. "And, I was thinking that maybe it had something to do with your negotiations. Call it wife's instinct."
   Jeff just sat there for a few seconds and looked now at the mini-bar.
"Don't worry," he started, "My talks here are really going well." Then he remembered why he was snooping around in that pitch black warehouse, and felt that familiar gnawing in his stomach. "I'll call Jason, and see what they know. Yesterday, he told me it was just an accident." Of course, he knew it wasn't and so did Angelica.
   "Well keep me posted. I miss you." Then  she added. "I even miss your inebriated state."
   "How are the kids doing?" Evvy now entered into a family discussion as though nothing else was going on. Jeff enjoyed the familiarity of it, but he could not stop thinking about where he should be going today. He was waiting for Angelica to call. She would know what I should do. Am I putting too much trust in my adversary. Is that part of their plan?

The Answer:
This list is from USNews Travel and was put together by a guy named "Hamooda Shami" so take it for what it's worth. I don't know if it is because the town produced so many damn Kennedy's, but Boston is rated Number One. 2 is Chicago followed by NYC, Savannah Ga, San Fran, Dublin O, Philadelphia, Hot Springs Ark, Scranton Pa and Kansas City Mo. Dublin? And Hot Springs is a baby on the list of parades with a start date of 2004 and Elvis in green as the major attraction. get me outta there. Actually, I just walk about 100 steps to one of the oldest and good enough for anybody Newport Ri Parade. Where great Irishmen and women abound. Where Hibernian Hall is City Hall. Give me a bagpipe and I'm a happy guy.

So, I don't know about you, but I'm just languishing and enjoying the hell out of it.