The scum of the legal world is in New Orleans trying to create the biggest class action lawsuit in history.  They plan to get all of the home owners to sue the federal, state, and local governments and anyone else they can think of because the levies broke and flooded the city.  This of course means that the lawyers will make millions and millions of dollars, while the home owners will get some money for their losses, but will then be part of the group known as - the citizens of the United States - that will end up picking up the multi-billion-dollar tab.

I think the lawyers for the defendants should counter-sue every member of the class with neglegence.  Did they vote in every election that recommended a tax increase to improve the levies?  If not, they are neglegent.  If so, did they vote for the tax increase?  If not, they are neglegent.  Did they clear out their garage, under their cabinets, etc. to make sure that if the flood waters reached their property they would not be poluting the water with chemicals, medecines, etc?  If not, they are neglegent.  I’m sure that they could cover the entire class using this methodology, until everyone agreed to drop thier lawsuits.

Brenda and I went to a costume party on Saturday night at her friend’s house.  I wore my Sir Bedevere costume — and no one had a clue as to who I was.  Last year when I wore it everyone had seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail and thought the costume was great.  At this party no one had seen it.  Monty who?

Cheese Dip with Crackers

• Ingredients:
• 8 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 cup mayo (NOT MIRACLE WHIP)
• 2 cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 cup real bacon bits
• 2 or 3 green onions - finely chopped
• Sliced almonds
• Sociable crackers (Keebler I think).
• Combine all ingredients EXCEPT ALMONDS in a medium sized bowl. Mix until an even consistency is achieved. Refridgerate until ready to serve. Before serving, mix some sliced almonds into the dip, then sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the mixture. Serve with Sociable crackers.

Mini Pumpkin Tarts

• Ingredients
• 1 can Pumpkin
• 2 Cups CoolWhip (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 TBSP Pumpkin Pie Spice (plus extra for garnish)
• Alternately create your own pumpkin pie spice using this recipe. (1/4 c Ground cinnamon, 1 tb Ground ginger, 2 ts Ground nutmeg, 1 ts Ground allspice, 1 ts Ground cloves)
• 1 pkg Cheese Cake flavored instant pudding
• 3 pkg - Athens Phyllo Mini Shells (15 each/ 45 total)
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional, but mine needed sweetening)
• Combine Pumpkin and CoolWhip. Mix by hand until you have an even consistency. Add pumpkin spice. Mix some more. Add instant pudding, mixing until it thickens. Taste. If it needs sugar, add it and mix some more. Pipe into mini shells. Pipe additional coolwhip on top. Sprinkle additional pumpkin spice.
• I froze mine so that they would survive the trip to the annual hayride.

My psychic powers tell me that if you sum up tonight’s winning powerball numbers, the number will be between 138 and 170  but probably closer to 155.  It will absolutely be between 122 and 187.  If your powerball numbers don’t fall in this range, go buy another ticket (Don’t say I didn’t warn you).

Example:  1 + 7 + 15 + 37 + 41 + PB 9     = 110 (Not gonna happen)
1 + 14 + 22 + 37 + 41 + PB 14 = 129 (possibly a winning number, but not likely)
1 + 14 + 22 + 37 + 51 + PB 24 = 149 (well within the range and a possible winner)
6 + 14 + 22 + 37 + 51 + PB 24 = 155 (now you’re talking)

Come back tomorrow and see that I was right.  If you happen to win and you bought another ticket based on my psychic abilities, I could use a cool MIL or so.

• Kids: Can we see where they stuck you with the needle?
• Me: They said I should keep the bandage on for 5 hours.
• Brenda: You can show them.  If you start to bleed, you can put the bandage back on.
• Kids: Come on dad.
• Me: Okay.
• Me [removing bandage]: See, it’s no big deal.  It’s just a little mark.
• Me: It’s starting to bleed again.
• Brenda [with a huge grin on her face]: See, dad should listen when the doctors tell him what to do.

Here is a picture of our dog Jack trying to climb into the kids playhouse

Danielle decided to write Jack’s name on the driveway last night.

She used part of a milk cap and a stick to make the A, chalk for the C, and wood and grass for the K…and of course, she used a dried up worm for the J.  It was actually the dried up worm that made her decide to write his name.

---

Blue Jersey Devils had our one and only playoff game of the season.  We kept the game respectable; only losing 7 - 4.  I had our teams first goal, a breakaway at the end of the second, and the games only penalty.The move to the C-league should be in two or three weeks, then I can start talking about wins once in a while

---

We went to a bonfire on Saturday night.  I don’t think the kids ever went near the fire.  Instead, they were content to play on the trampoline and the tire swing.  Oh yeah, and playing fetch with Izzy and Penny.

Twenty years ago, today, I was sitting in the right-field bleachers at Busch Stadium with my brother Joe.  Joe is the one who turned me on to professional baseball, and somehow he had managed to get us bleacher seats for the playoff game against the Dodgers.  Things were looking pretty bleak when the following conversation occured:

• [WOMAN in front of us shouts] - Come on Ozzie hit a homerun.
• Me - I would be happy with a hit.  I think the odds of Ozzie hitting a homerun are pretty slim.
• Joe - Especially when he’s switch hitting.

* CRACK *