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Sorry.

It's not as if I am swamped with work, because I am quite underemployed these days, having lost three clients due to budget cuts, my contact at my primary client (the USDA) is busy with other matters, and my potential new contract (National Park Service) is still in the proposal stage.

In the meantime, we had a delightful weekend camping near Bend over the holiday. Beautiful weather and good company, along with a substantial amount of good food and drink.

Zacky, our almost 10-year-old Corgi is really going downhill fast, with his degenerative myelopethy. His walking is quite impaired, often having to drag is hind-quarters along on the ground. I am carrying him a lot.

Still, when he's happy, that old smile appears. We are trying to monitor his quality of life, to know when it's time to pull the plug. It ain't easy.

Picking bok choy from the garden (Karen says it's the best bok choy she's ever had). Peas are climbing the trellis; tomatoes and squashes are still pretty small. Onions are starting to make little bulbs. Raspberries are coming along, although the patch could sure use a good weeding. 17 of the 20 asparagus crowns are doing well - many of them getting ready to go to seed, which is what you, want the first year.

Spending a lot of time reading tourism materials on Spain. Can't resist buying specific maps and guide-books. Four months to go!

Doing a lot of piano accompaniment, for various events around town. Some of it actually pays!

Oh yeah, I'm hosting the Yiddish Hour next Sunday (the 31st) on KBOO from 10-11 am PDT. You can stream it live here. I have some traditional stuff and some wild stuff planned - should be fun.

Gotta pretend to do some work now...

Delight in DC

Having fun each day, visiting sights and friends.

Peak experience last night standing at the Tidal Basin at dusk, with the Washington and Jefferson monuments beautifully lit, after a magnificent dinner at a trendy restaurant.

Off to baltimore today by train, as karen's law conference begins.

Mother's day advertising

Kinda difficult to watch - first one since I lost my mom.

Arlen, the honeymoon is over

Didn't take long - says Coleman should be seated.

Grrrrrrrrr.

veggie update

Onions and bok choy doing well:Of the 20 asparagus crowns, 15 are definitely up and 2 more are probable. This was a major relief, as I was beginning to feel that nothing would ever happen with these guys.

Transplanted the 2 zucchinis to another bed, with more room. They are about 4 inches and looking healthy. The tomatoes haven't grown much, but I'm confident that they are building roots.

The peas are just about high enough to find the trellis and start wrapping around it. I think I got 6 from the first planting, and am beginning to see a few now just appearing, from the second planting.

Planted some chard next to the bok choys, hoping that they will be up when we are eating bok choy. It's all so much more fun to think about than work (which is a tad slow these days).

Karen and I are heading to Washington DC on Saturday, where we will be all next week. She is attending a law conference and I'll be visiting with old friends and places-where-I-was-young. When we get back to Portland, the rest of May is filling up with several music obligations, so this trip will be my last chance to relax, after I get up from this afternoon's nap.

fun with belief systems

Here's a fun little questionaire, that compares your beliefs with the top 50 or so religions of the world, and tells you how your beliefs stack up against each.

It shouldn't be surprising that, for me, Secular Humanism rocks.

happy birthday, Pete Seeger

One of the greats. Here's another clip.

Also, it's our anniversary today - 24 years. Better start planning something big for next year.

best idea yet for new Supreme Court justice

I love it.


And now for something completely different.

I had heard about the low caste in traditional Japanese culture (leather workers, tanners of hides, and grave diggers), but this story reminds us that this is still an issue in that society.

The larger astounding, unavoidable fact (in that the excluded minority are ethnically indistinguishable from other Japanese) appears to suggest that discrimination is part of our socio-genetic makeup, and that a truly egalitarian society may be contrary to the role that aggressive oppression appears to have played, in the evolution of species.

Thinking here of the natural urge, in bird nests, for the runt of the litter being pecked to death by the more-robust hatchlings.

Nature ain't pretty, and no human society is immune from dastardly behavior.

Why can't we all just get along? Maybe we're programmed to be otherwise.

Just sayin'.

why i'm worried about swine flu

The massive media frenzy conveniently serves to direct attention away from financial-industry corruption, holding the Bush administration accountable for its crimes, global climate change, and the Blazers.

Wait, I think that last topic is being sufficiently addressed today.