Merry Christmas

A few hours late, but there you go. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

I had a very nice Christmas watching a couple of movies and working on some genealogy before the kids came home from their dad's house. We had our little Christmas and the kids seemed very happy with their minor haul. Later, my mother had us over for Christmas dinner. Days like that are what memories are made of.

A few hundred billion here, a few hundred billion there...

Congress-critters are now asking questions about where the $700 billion bailout to the banks is being spent. Wonder if they'll get the same response the AP got when they began asking questions.

Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money, said that while some of the money was lent, some was not, and the bank has not given any accounting of exactly how the money is being used.

“We have not disclosed that to the public. We’re declining to,” Kelly said.

The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what’s the plan for the rest?

None of the banks provided specific answers.

“We’re not providing dollar-in, dollar-out tracking,” said Barry Koling, a spokesman for Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks Inc., which got $3.5 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Some banks said they simply didn’t know where the money was going.

Umm, assholes. That money came from the public that you're denying answers to. This is actually turning out worse than I thought it would.

Crazy weather!

So, Saturday was mid 70s. Today we'll be lucky to get out of the 20's. Christmas should be in the mid 60's! Needless to say my wardrobe is getting a pretty good workout.

At least we don't have the snow that some of you folks are having to deal with. You have my sympathies.

There is only one answer...

The Atlanta Urinal and Constipation is reporting online that the jury deliberating the fate of Brian Nichols is deadlocked on his sentence.

There's only one answer here and it's the death penalty. This criminal has shown time and again that he has no remorse for killing four and leaving one guard with brain damage. This jury needs to stop wasting time and money and get on with what needs to happen.

If money was no object

I got tagged, thanks to Jen. The subject is six things I would do if money was no object. Here goes.

1) Make sure that me, my wife, kids ,mother, step-father, sister, grandfather, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws would never have to work again, no matter what they wanted to do. Not to worry about relations coming out of the woodwork, I know who's who! :) One of my goals would be to always live somewhere warm.

2) I'd start a sighthound training, rehab, boarding, eventing, everything facility.

3) I'd fund research into finding economical alternative energies.

4) Since I love music and I know that most good bands will never be heard, I'd set up a record label and make sure good music is heard.

5) I'd give like a bazillion dollars to mental health and cancer research charities. We don't need to lose people that way anymore.

6) Me and R would hit the road and ride or drive around the USA and see all the things we've always wanted to see. Then we'd head out to the rest of the world!

Now I'll tag Jessi, Dan and Sandra.