Welcome to the Hall, Ryno. Well deserved.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
7/27/05--More tales of the courthouse
Sometimes....I don't even have to try. The story just writes itself. Like when:
Broward judge chastised after dog gets loose in courhouse
By Buddy Nevins
Political Writer
Posted July 26 2005
The Broward court administrator has a bone to pick with a judge whose German shepherd got loose and chased a fellow jurist down the courthouse hallway.
Broward Circuit Judge Susan Lebow said Court Administrator Carol Lee Ortman chastised her after complaints from the other judge, whom Lebow and Ortman would not name. Ortman told Lebow never to bring 5-year-old Udah Maccabee to the courthouse again.
Pets are prohibited there, except for Seeing Eye and other dogs that assist the disabled. But because Lebow had nobody to take care of Udah Maccabee -- a variation of Judah Maccabee, the Jewish military hero of the Hanukkah story -- on July 18, the judge said she bent the rule. She left the dog alone in her chambers while she handled a cocaine trafficking case that lasted into the night.
The trouble started, Lebow said Monday, when "somebody let him out of my office, but they won't own up to it."
Soon Udah Maccabee, who weighs 113 pounds, was wandering the fourth floor. The dog spotted another judge and gave chase.
Circuit Judge Peter Weinstein, who has an office near Lebow's, spotted Udah Maccabee in the courthouse. "I saw a big dog," Weinstein said, but he declined to comment when asked if the animal chased him.
Lebow said the other judge shouldn't have overreacted.
"When somebody runs from him, he thinks they are playing and he chases," she said. "He's harmless."
Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Sunday, July 24, 2005
7/24/05--Kellie "The Crippler" Poe-Bowdren
So yesterday, the wife & I hike it up to West Palm Beach for another tae-kwon do tournament. This one was the prestigious "Tropic Games", which included competition in karate, fencing, weight lifting, wrestling, boxing & tae-kwon do.
I had the chance to walk over and watch some of the other events and it was pretty cool stuff. Like other tournaments, we had to sit through the whole 4 & 5 year old thing, and all the parents that go with it--all fully believing that there is no WAY that there is a child as remotely cute as their child. UGH.
So the sparring part of the tournament got going early to mid afternoon with Kellie going first in her weight//and or belt class. She was in a classification with 2 other girls, and after a drawing, it was determined that Kellie would go up against a blonde haired girl named Corey. Let's remember that in the last tournament, Kellie was
defeated by a score of 11-2, and I was happy just to see her score a couple of points. She had been working very hard on her technique and sparring during her classes, and it really showed. The bout was tied after the first round at 3-3. The 2nd round was also very close, and Kellie ended up losing by a score of 8-7. After
the match the other girl was on her chair really sucking in the air, or as they say in the wrestling business...."blown up". Kellie on the hand, was tired but not exhausted.
She was upset at first, in part because she had hurt one of her toes during a kick attempt, but I told her that she had done absolutely awesome in her match, and that I was so totally proud of her and her effort. I pointed to the other girl and asked Kellie if it looked to her like she was the winner. I told Kellie that the first match she was in, I only wanted her to get a point, and that this match I wanted her to be competitive. She had accomplished both--I was really proud of her.
A little while later, Andy had his match. A troubling pattern is forming in Andy's tournament matches. The first round, he ends up falling behind, sometimes by a large margin--and then in the 2nd round he ends up coming back and absolutely wailing on his opponent. Its like Bruce Lee shows up in the 2nd round, and his brother "Bob" (who?) shows up for the first. So once again, he made a tremendous comeback in the 2nd round, and with about 10 seconds left in the match, he has tied things up at 17-17. His opponent makes a kick at him and Andy tried to block it---with his hand. The kick hits the hand right on the wrist, and And sort of instinctively pulls his hand up and looks at it. While he's doing that, the other kid throws another kick and scores a point with 2 seconds left. Andy loses 18-17. It was a tough loss, but we were really proud of the way he came back and dominated the 2nd round.
I told Andy that if he ever figured out how to fight in round 1, he could make himself out ot be one heck of a tae-kwon do guy.
Meanwhile, the tournament has its very own Jerry Springer moment during the middle of Kellie's match, as apparently one of the contestants, after a tough loss, decided to show certain members of the audience just who # 1 was with the old middle finger display. Needless to say, said audience did not appreciate the gesture, and a minor calamity ensued. One of the mothers in the crowd and one of the coaches were throwing challenges around, offering to settle the matter on the mat.
As a lady next to me said, "aren't the coaches supposed to be setting some sort of an example to the kids?" Uh...well, yeah...as a matter of fact--they were.
Finally, as we're getting ready to leave, one of the girls in Kellie's division named Allie comes over to Kellie and tells her that there is something wrong with Corey, the girl that Kellie had fought. We walk over and see Corey laying on a stretcher, the victim of an asthma attack. We checked with a member of her family and were assured that Corey would be fine. After we found that out, we began really laying it on thick to Kellie.
"Hmm...'Kellie the Crippler'."
"Or maybe...'Killer Kellie'."
"Leave me alone!"
Parenting. Its big fun.
Later,
Jeff
I had the chance to walk over and watch some of the other events and it was pretty cool stuff. Like other tournaments, we had to sit through the whole 4 & 5 year old thing, and all the parents that go with it--all fully believing that there is no WAY that there is a child as remotely cute as their child. UGH.
So the sparring part of the tournament got going early to mid afternoon with Kellie going first in her weight//and or belt class. She was in a classification with 2 other girls, and after a drawing, it was determined that Kellie would go up against a blonde haired girl named Corey. Let's remember that in the last tournament, Kellie was
defeated by a score of 11-2, and I was happy just to see her score a couple of points. She had been working very hard on her technique and sparring during her classes, and it really showed. The bout was tied after the first round at 3-3. The 2nd round was also very close, and Kellie ended up losing by a score of 8-7. After
the match the other girl was on her chair really sucking in the air, or as they say in the wrestling business...."blown up". Kellie on the hand, was tired but not exhausted.
She was upset at first, in part because she had hurt one of her toes during a kick attempt, but I told her that she had done absolutely awesome in her match, and that I was so totally proud of her and her effort. I pointed to the other girl and asked Kellie if it looked to her like she was the winner. I told Kellie that the first match she was in, I only wanted her to get a point, and that this match I wanted her to be competitive. She had accomplished both--I was really proud of her.
A little while later, Andy had his match. A troubling pattern is forming in Andy's tournament matches. The first round, he ends up falling behind, sometimes by a large margin--and then in the 2nd round he ends up coming back and absolutely wailing on his opponent. Its like Bruce Lee shows up in the 2nd round, and his brother "Bob" (who?) shows up for the first. So once again, he made a tremendous comeback in the 2nd round, and with about 10 seconds left in the match, he has tied things up at 17-17. His opponent makes a kick at him and Andy tried to block it---with his hand. The kick hits the hand right on the wrist, and And sort of instinctively pulls his hand up and looks at it. While he's doing that, the other kid throws another kick and scores a point with 2 seconds left. Andy loses 18-17. It was a tough loss, but we were really proud of the way he came back and dominated the 2nd round.
I told Andy that if he ever figured out how to fight in round 1, he could make himself out ot be one heck of a tae-kwon do guy.
Meanwhile, the tournament has its very own Jerry Springer moment during the middle of Kellie's match, as apparently one of the contestants, after a tough loss, decided to show certain members of the audience just who # 1 was with the old middle finger display. Needless to say, said audience did not appreciate the gesture, and a minor calamity ensued. One of the mothers in the crowd and one of the coaches were throwing challenges around, offering to settle the matter on the mat.
As a lady next to me said, "aren't the coaches supposed to be setting some sort of an example to the kids?" Uh...well, yeah...as a matter of fact--they were.
Finally, as we're getting ready to leave, one of the girls in Kellie's division named Allie comes over to Kellie and tells her that there is something wrong with Corey, the girl that Kellie had fought. We walk over and see Corey laying on a stretcher, the victim of an asthma attack. We checked with a member of her family and were assured that Corey would be fine. After we found that out, we began really laying it on thick to Kellie.
"Hmm...'Kellie the Crippler'."
"Or maybe...'Killer Kellie'."
"Leave me alone!"
Parenting. Its big fun.
Later,
Jeff
Saturday, July 23, 2005
7/23/05--Do you wanna get rocked?
Joe Elliott--rock star. What a handsome son of a gun, ya know? The piece of crud had the women going crazy last night at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. First time I'd ever seen Joe & Def Leppard, and it was a pretty damn great show. It also establishes a new personal record for the daddy. I can now safely say that AC/DC is no longer the loudest band I've ever heard. Holy crap! I thought my ears would be bleeding when we walked out of the arena last night. Those sons of bitches not only play, they play LOUD!
So the wife decided to join me in going to see Def Lep, even though going in
she swore that "I only know like 4 of their songs". Trust me I said, their one of those bands that you're going to end up going...."oh yeah, I forgot they did THAT song".
Sure enough, afterwards the wife not only said that she had a good time, but pronounced that Def Lep was "better than Springsteen". Rare air indeed for the boys from Sheffield, England. Joe & the guys got started about an hour late (not their fault as apparently there was some sort of electrical glitch at the arena--not a good sign considering they opened the public a WEEK ago) but definitely made up for it with a show that went just under 2 hours. They managed to hit most of their big hits, getting the biggest response in doing "Rocket", "Rock of Ages" & "Pour Some Sugar on Me". Also adding to the concert was a great video montage that played throughout the show. A rare case of the video screen NOT being a distraction from the band, but an addition to the performance. During their performance of "Rocket", the video screen filled up with images of David Bowie, Elton John, Queen and other bands that have influenced the band and who were mentioned in the lyrics of the song. Very good stuff. One of the other highlights of the show--to me at least--was the absolutely fantastic job the guys did on their two cover songs during the evening. First up was the old Badfinger song "No Matter What", followed by the David Essex hit "Rock On". Both were pleasant surprises.
You also can't go to a Def Lep show and not be totally amazed by the musicianship of drummer Rick Allen. One armed after a car accident in 1984, Allen truly puts on one hell of a show in keeping the beat going for the band. Amazing stuff. Last night was also apparently another edition of "formerly hot women, now not looking so good" night, as there were a lot of women wearing push-up bra's and skintight jeans that...ya know...probably shouldn't have been those items at this point in their life.
All in all, a terrific show, even if I may need an ear exam at this point.
Later,
Jeff
Thursday, July 21, 2005
A ghost from past appears
So the other night....I pop online the other night to check my mail....and (here's where my wife will roll her eyes) "lo & behold", I have an email from my ex-wife.
This would be the former Mrs Me # 2 for those of you keeping score. That would mean that I didn't have to think about contacting the police, like I might have if I got an email from THE OTHER ONE. Anyway, it was a surprising...almost stunning email. When I first opened it, she talked about the death of our beloved dog Misty.
Now, it has been almost 6 months since that happened, so my first initial reaction was---ya know....thanks for giving me the news. But I continued to read the letter, and it was geniunely very sweet and real. She talked about how hard it was to let Misty go, and how she knew how much I loved our "daughter". What surprised me even more---almost shocked me actually--was when she began to apologize for all the craziness that surrounded our marriage and how she hoped that one day I could forgive her for not being "the wife you deserved". I was stunned. I showed the note to Kim, not because I was violating any sort of trust, but because I don't keep anything from her (I'd like to think I learn a FEW lessons as I go along in life). She read it and said it was a very nice letter.
I waited a day or two, and wrote Kelly back. I told her that our marriage was what it was--that she had nothing to apologize for. I told her that, in hindsight, that we both had entered the marriage thinking about how we were going to change the other person. That I had learned that people generally are the way that they are, and that you either accept them or not. I told her that she was a wonderful person who had a lot to offer and that I hoped that she was doing well. And then....I added something on to the letter, and was glad I did. I told her that I had always wondered what would happen if...one day...we were in a mall or a Publix or something....and we both turned a corner and there was the other person. We might be alone, we might be with our family....what would we do? Would we greet each other with scorn or contempt...or would the years have tempered some old memories of bad things...and would we be able to greet each other as two people who had once cared about each other very much.
I was very happy when she responded to my letter again. She told me that she had also wondered about the same thing...and said that she believed that we could greet each other as two old friends. It really made my day. It made my day because her sister is married to my best friend. It made my day because I've known her sister for over 20 years and have been friends that long. It made my day because my wife has met her sister--socialized with her on more than one occasion...and that they seem to actually really like one another. It just made my life easier to know that this spectre is looming over two friendships that I hold very dearly.
It made me know that time.....maybe it can really heal some wounds.
Later,
Jeff
This would be the former Mrs Me # 2 for those of you keeping score. That would mean that I didn't have to think about contacting the police, like I might have if I got an email from THE OTHER ONE. Anyway, it was a surprising...almost stunning email. When I first opened it, she talked about the death of our beloved dog Misty.
Now, it has been almost 6 months since that happened, so my first initial reaction was---ya know....thanks for giving me the news. But I continued to read the letter, and it was geniunely very sweet and real. She talked about how hard it was to let Misty go, and how she knew how much I loved our "daughter". What surprised me even more---almost shocked me actually--was when she began to apologize for all the craziness that surrounded our marriage and how she hoped that one day I could forgive her for not being "the wife you deserved". I was stunned. I showed the note to Kim, not because I was violating any sort of trust, but because I don't keep anything from her (I'd like to think I learn a FEW lessons as I go along in life). She read it and said it was a very nice letter.
I waited a day or two, and wrote Kelly back. I told her that our marriage was what it was--that she had nothing to apologize for. I told her that, in hindsight, that we both had entered the marriage thinking about how we were going to change the other person. That I had learned that people generally are the way that they are, and that you either accept them or not. I told her that she was a wonderful person who had a lot to offer and that I hoped that she was doing well. And then....I added something on to the letter, and was glad I did. I told her that I had always wondered what would happen if...one day...we were in a mall or a Publix or something....and we both turned a corner and there was the other person. We might be alone, we might be with our family....what would we do? Would we greet each other with scorn or contempt...or would the years have tempered some old memories of bad things...and would we be able to greet each other as two people who had once cared about each other very much.
I was very happy when she responded to my letter again. She told me that she had also wondered about the same thing...and said that she believed that we could greet each other as two old friends. It really made my day. It made my day because her sister is married to my best friend. It made my day because I've known her sister for over 20 years and have been friends that long. It made my day because my wife has met her sister--socialized with her on more than one occasion...and that they seem to actually really like one another. It just made my life easier to know that this spectre is looming over two friendships that I hold very dearly.
It made me know that time.....maybe it can really heal some wounds.
Later,
Jeff
Sunday, July 17, 2005
7/17/05--Sports, music, food....and a great movie!
So I haven't mentioned it since it happened, but how about the fact that the NHL has finally gotten over their year-long collective brainfart and decided to settle its labor problems? Its time for hockey again people!! Hopefully that means a return to good hockey...and lots of fights! I love the hockey fights. Can you imagine how hard it has to be to sit there and take a shot to the face while your standing on a blade that's like less than an inch thick? Sometime in the near future, I'll take a look at our very own beloved Florida Panthers and how they look for the upcoming season. That phrase "upcoming season" never sounded so good.
Here's some thoughts on the strike and the settlement, courtesy of "The Fourth Period" website:
NHL reaches tentative deal with NHLPA
TheFourthPeriod.com
Also included in the new deal is a 24 per-cent salary rollback on the existing contracts of all NHL players, in addition to the league's total expenditure on player costs not exceeding 54 per-cent of all hockey-related revenue.
Here's some thoughts on the strike and the settlement, courtesy of "The Fourth Period" website:
NHL reaches tentative deal with NHLPA
TheFourthPeriod.com
The NHL and NHLPA have reached an agreement in principle on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The NHL Board of Governors and the members of the Players' Association must approve the new six-year deal by next week before it is official.
The 600-plus page document took nine consecutive days to finalize and is believed to include a team-by-team salary cap in the range of $21 million to $39 million
Both sides are likely to accept the agreement within the next seven days, with a formal announcement expected for July 21.
Also included in the new deal is a 24 per-cent salary rollback on the existing contracts of all NHL players, in addition to the league's total expenditure on player costs not exceeding 54 per-cent of all hockey-related revenue.
The salary cap, meanwhile, will move vary as league revenues increase or decrease throughout each year of the new agreement.
After the deal is official accepted and signed by both parties, the 2005 NHL Entry Draft is the next big event.
The league has tentatively scheduled the draft for July 30 in Ottawa's Westin Hotel, where 17-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby is expected to go first overall.
The league will hold its lottery draft a week prior to the draft.
Then yesterday, as I sat around doing...ya know...pretty much nothing, I decided to
throw my latest Rod Stewart DVD into the player and give it a looksee. The cover of
the DVD looks like the sort of thing you'd find in a throwaway bin at Wal-Mart, but
don't be fooled. This is a pretty damn good DVD.
Amazon.com: DVD: Rod Stewart & Faces - The Final Concert (1974)
There are a couple of unquestioned highlights to the DVD. First of all, this may
contain the definitive version of one of my favorite Stewart songs---"I'd Rather Go
Blind". Not only is Rod in fine singing voice, but legendary guitarist Ron Wood is
joined for this and a couple of other songs by Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
What really makes it interesting is to watch Richards let Wood take the lead guitar
role and Ronnie just runs away with it, in a powerful performance. The video isn't
exactly state of the art, but this performance of an almost forgotten and influential
rock band is definitely worth checking out. ****
So last night the wife & I ventured out with our friends Will & Amanda (yes, THAT
Amanda) and had a very nice dinner at J. Alexander's. I hadn't been there in like
forever, but we had a very nice meal. I had the grilled pork tenderloins, which were
absolutely excellent and came in a huge portion. Definitely recommended.
After dinner, we headed over to the local movie theatre and went to see:
1) The Wedding Crashers--this may have been one of the funniest movies that I've
seen in a long, long time. I mean, this may vault into my top 10 comedies of alltime.
Right up there with Stripes, Slapshot, Young Frankenstein....its that good. Vince
Vaughn & Owen Wilson play a couple of friends who have never quite grown up,
and who...just for fun mind you....like to crash weddings so they can meet women.
The movie is bawdy, dirty, slightly raunchy....and 100% funny. Okay, maybe 98%
funny as I could've done without the whole "message" at the end. Surprise cameo
right at the end of the movie by a big movie star is also very funny in a twisted way.
Very, very good stuff and highly recommended (if you didn't figure that out by now).
****3/4
Later,
Jeff
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
7/13/05---ONE YEAR!! 2500 HITS!!
Well, as the Grateful Dead once said....
"What a long strange trip its been....."
I've been writing this blog now for one full year, and quite frankly, can't believe that I actually didn't quit! Mainly the reason I kept going was due to the loyal readership of friends and strangers who would drop me the occasional note of support or bump into me and tell me how much they enjoyed reading about my (sometimes) bizarre life. Its been fun telling you about it, maybe because I have a big mouth, or just can't shut the hell up when I should. Thanks for all your support.
Enjoy the picture of your favorite writer.....I call this one.....
Introspective writer---freezing ass off.
Later,
Jeff
"What a long strange trip its been....."
I've been writing this blog now for one full year, and quite frankly, can't believe that I actually didn't quit! Mainly the reason I kept going was due to the loyal readership of friends and strangers who would drop me the occasional note of support or bump into me and tell me how much they enjoyed reading about my (sometimes) bizarre life. Its been fun telling you about it, maybe because I have a big mouth, or just can't shut the hell up when I should. Thanks for all your support.
Enjoy the picture of your favorite writer.....I call this one.....
Introspective writer---freezing ass off.
Later,
Jeff
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