Place That Smells Bad

That's the Aboriginal meaning for the place Vicki and I stayed in last year when we went to Australia. Coogee NSW is actually a fun place, and it didn't smell too bad from where we were standing...

As you can guess by the photos, there's a new place that smells bad in the Pigpen. And it ain't the Queen's cooking, or something lingering in the bathroom....

If you can believe it, the monster towering over little dog is Maggie; yes, she used to be that small. So, we're really in trouble in about eight months.

Coogee is a distant cousin to Maggie -- they came from the same breeder in Florence, AZ. We considered getting her a real sister -- her mom Snowflake was due to have a litter in another three or four weeks. But, with some travel we're going to be doing in March, we thought it was best to get the worst of puppydom out of the way now. At least that's the justification the Queen gave me when I found out she'd already met with the breeder...

The real reason we got her a cousin? Puppies are just too damn cute to resist.

So, welcome Coogee. I know we're going to have a lot of places which start to smell bad.... hopefully all of it being in the back yard.

In a time of war and disaster, is it time for a lavish celebration?

That's a quote from ABC, and I can't help but agree with it. Certainly, all of the festivities are ringing a little hollow with the millions of people facing unemployment, foreclosure, etc.

Unfortuntately, the quote was from ABC news back in 2005, and the target was W's second inaugural. If you'll recall, Bush got lambasted by the MSM for spending $43M in private funds, and the $20M or so in federal funds spent on security. Some used the event to show the hypocracy of the Republicans by comparing how much Asian tsunami aid could have been provided, or how many millions of vaccinations could have been given in Africa.

The $75M price tag for security alone this week will exceed that from 2005.... and that doesn't take into account the $45M+ in private donations for celebrations, etc. I've heard total costs as high as $170M... What I have yet to hear is how that money could be better spent in Darfur or Gaza, or how much relief it could provide for people affected by the collapse of their 401K's, or those who were fleeced by the Madoff's of the world.

Without a doubt, this is an historic event.

And no, I really don't expect the media to be questioning the candidate they backed on spending twice as much as the previous administration, or five times as much as the Clintons did in 1993 ($33M without security).

But, in light of the average citizen's economic outlook for 2009, I do think it's a little much.

Diversity comes to the closet

Tonight, the Queen came home with....... more footwear.

In honor of the fact that the last pair was named W after being the 43rd pair, it was only appropriate that these weren't shoes, but high boots...

Change and hope.... Change, since they're different from every other pair before them, and hope that she'll one day stop buying more shoes than can possibly be worn by a single person...