Taking Out The Trash

OUR SON COLE is getting married tomorrow, in the Idaho Falls Temple, to the lovely, talented, and bright as a penny, Miss Heather Ann Hazelett. A wonderful edition to the family and cause for much celebration. So, because of the usual last minute details, running around, etc., that comes with such a blessed event, today in The Lounge, you get a veritable fountain of (mostly) useless information and some relaxing, lighthearted tunes from Mr. James Bartholomew Buffett. Always good for stress relief. And yes, photos will follow...

THE TURNING TIDE: I haven't been a big fan of the Nothing-but Corrupt Athletic Association since the olden, golden days when Marcia's dad, Ced Dempsey, was running the family...er..maf...er...organization. They did, however, do one thing right, when the NCAA decided to feed their benefactors (the fans who wach the Tournament) by making every single Tournament game available online...for free (http://mmod.ncaa.com). How good was this decision? The first three games of yesterday's opening round: #11 Old Dominion upsets 6-seed Notre Dame, 10-seed Florida takes #5 BYU into double-overtime before finally succumbing, and #15-seed Robert Morris and #2 seed Villanova (who yours truly has slated for the Final Four) ran their game into overtime before the 'Cats finally squeaked it out. By the end of the first day of play, a 3 seed, a 4 seed, an 8 and a couple of 6's were one and done, we saw two buzzer beaters, three games go into O.T. and there were enough other close games to easily double the number of upsets. And only half of the Tournament teams have played their 1st round games! In the 40-plus years I've been following the Tournament, this was one of (if not the) biggest day of 1st round upsets and otherwise great basketball; yet another testament to the iconic reminder of ESPN anchor Chris Berman: "THAT'S why they play the games"...

GAME OVER: It looks as though this weekend, the House will finally vote on the Healthcare Reform Act, it will pass, and the beginning of next week, President Obama will sign it into law. Not being able (or interested) to understand the incoherent gobbledy-gook spewing from the mouths of our useless representatives and the idealogues of the Tea Party and MoveOn.org, here's my final-final: This is by far a perfect bill. Partly because Dem leaders Pelosi and Reid are too busy playing politics to govern well, and partly because leaders on the other side of the aisle have been doing exactly the same thing, in fighting every provision of the bill from the get go, instead of accepting the good and proposing better alternatives for the bad parts. It can and will need to be amended as times goes on, but for now, here's the deal...The American Taxpayer, you and I, are already paying for the healthcare of the 32,000,000 people who can't afford insurance. When they need a doctor, they go to the emergency and you and I end up footing that bill. When this bill is finally encated, we will still be paying their medical bills, we'll just be paying a whole lot less. In addition, there are some excellent provisions that will benefit everyone, such as the absence of pre-existing conditions clauses in everyone's insurance, such as lifetime caps for those of us who have to face chronic or catastrophic illnesses. It not great, but it is better than the nation has ever had, and it is going to pass. So let's just move on, ok? Next up, bouncing the leaders of both parties' congressional delegations out on their ear in Nov...

FOUND (Fountain Of Useless Nowledge Dept): I learned today that actor Dick VanPatten (daddy dearest on the 70's tv show Eight is Enough) is the founder of Nature Balance Pet Foods...In 1995 the Republican House, led by supposed savior Newt "Sure I had Affairs, But Clinton Was Immoral" Gingrich, actually enacted the Houses much touted Contract With America using the same Pass and Deem procedure the Dems will use on Sunday to pass the Healthcare bill. "That which does not kill us surely come back to bite us in the a**"...That recent Nor'easter that knocked out power to thousands and killed at least six people in the metro NYC area, generated more calls to 911 than 9/11 did...General Mills does not sell Lucky Charms to the UK, but the majority of business done in a Baskin/Robbins ice cream parlour is for--vanilla ice cream...

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Did you know that the White House will send your newborn a birthday card? All you have to do is send the following information: Baby's name, address, and birth date to: White House Greetings Office, Room 39, Washington, DC 20500 Or Fax Your Request To:202-395-1232. Am wondering if this doesn't belong in the section directly above...

BLAST FROM THE PAST: the other day I was perusing my FB Wall and who do I find but Walla2's Sally Barker Shafer, a stalwart from the Woodstick days and perhaps the most talented female guitarist-vocalist without a record deal. No joke, folks; imagine a brunette Bonnie Raitt with just a taste of Tina Weymouth. This gal is a five-tool player: Vocals, guitar, writer, cute as a bug, and cool as the other side of the pillow. I am still amazed someone hasn't put this sweetheart on vinyl (yes, I am old), but one thing's for sure, she'd kick tush in any club West of the Mississippi. If she wasn't so cool, I'd suggest she go after the next "Idol". Game over on the first night. Great hearin' from ya Sal...

And so concludes our daily scribbling (and pardon the typos). Here's hoping you all have a magnificient weekend, that your bracket picks all show up, that the weather stays clear, dry and sunny, and that you will each take one moment to "Share" The Lounge with your FB Friends. We always believe the more, the merrier. And while we're at it...that little box below...

What's on YOUR mind?