Boxing session...

Turn your sound up... listen for Sam's paw hitting Seamus' nose!!!

Bank exec. bonuses...

Things that make you go "grrrrrrrrrrr..."

From an AP article on 12/22 ~
Goldman Sachs ~ their poor executives... Lloyd Blankfein (pres. and CEO) took home nearly $54 million in compensation last year. The top 5 execs received a total of $242 million. This year, Goldman will forgo cash and stock bonuses for it's 7 top paid execs. They will work for their base salaries of $600,000. Oh, the poor little babies!!!
The company described it's pay plan last spring as "essential to retain and motivate executives whose efforts and judgments are vital to our continued success, by setting their compensation at appropriate and competitive levels".

Gag.

Gotta love Barney Frank (chairman of the House Financial Services committee)... He said "the bonuses amount to a bribe to get them to do the jobs for which they are well paid in the first place. Most of us sign on to do jobs and we do them best we can. We're told that some of the most highly paid people in executive positions are different. They need extra money to be motivated!"

Like most people, I've never gotten bonuses for doing the job expected of me. Gee, would I get a bigger bonus if I saved the life of a patient who had some kick-ass insurance, as opposed to a Medi-Care patient?? Would I get a bonus for causing a car accident that brought lots of wealthy patients to the hospital??
(I do have to admit one guilty little secret here... as a perk, I once won a gift basket on National Nurses Day... mea culpa!)

The greedy little bastards need to have their financial legs cut out from under them. No cash bonuses, no stock options, no personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, no company-paid-for home security, country club memberships or professional money management*. (all benefits found in a review of federal securities documents.)
And while we're at it, cut their base salaries in LEAST half.

*Isn't it a little ironic that people who were supposedly managing the nation's money would need "professional money management" themselves?!?!?!? Ironic, and more than a little scary!!

Seamus and his ball ~

Taken with our new toy, the mini vid camera... not too shabby!!

Merry Solstice!!

Here comes the sun!

We got 4-6" of snow last night, with another 2-4 predicted for today ~ Jim is out (bundled up like Nanook of the North!) shoveling the driveway... and the deep snow doesn't seem to be fazing Seamus in the least!!

New storm, and a toot for a friend ~

We've battened down the hatches here... supposed to get 3-5" of snow tonight, and the same again tomorrow! We're still having the low temps (12* right now) ~ so I think we're going to have a white Christmas.

To my dear friend Betz ~ who just found out she was accepted into ASU's Masters program for education ~ YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW you will do well with this, and you know we have your back. Many hugs ~

We got the little video camera Jim ordered yesterday ~ I hope to have videos of Seamus and Sam up here soon!

A small self toot ~

Got this back in a note from Jim's cousin ~

"Received Bobbie's beautiful handmade Christmas card. Thank you. I am probably going to frame it I love it so much!"

Lord of the Dance...

...was awesome, wonderful, stupendous, fantastic, amazing!!

First of all, the seats Jim got us were incredible ~ 6 rows back and dead center on the stage! The music was great ~ impossible to keep from tapping your toes most of the time; hauntingly beautiful the rest.
Then there was the dancing... I'd seen some of the shows on TV, and loved them. But live, the tapping is even more incredible! Their shoes are miked, and the power they convey is soul-stirring.
And I wasn't the only one who felt that way ~ they got (and deserved!) 3 standing ovations (and we got 2 encores!!!)

Now I have to decide if I want to go hear Handel's Messiah at the Seasons!

Snow!!!

Yesterday we got our first little bit of snow ~ but it was too warm for it to stick. Today about 1415, it started coming down in earnest! We had been VERY curious about how Seamus would react, as he's such a prima donna about going outside in the rain (lil stinker!) Jim was at the store, but I bundled up and took him out. As soon as his front feet got on the mat, he looked around as if to say WTF?!?! I walked out into the yard, and much to my surprise, he followed right along, and LOVED it!!! He would push his nose into it, then raise his head and snort... then he started running all around the yard, to check out the funny white stuff. It didn't seem to bother him in the least! I got some pictures with my camera; as soon as Jim got home, he brought his out and got some (hopefully good)action shots. I got Seamus playing with his big blue ball, and he was having an absolute blast chasing it around, slipping and sliding at times... He also got the zoomies a couple of times, and was REALLY tearing around the yard. And when we finally went in, he kept wanting to go back out and play!
Jim finally ordered us a little video camera this afternoon, because I have a feeling we're going to be doing LOTS of playing in the snow this winter with him! (and we should be able to post videos here).
We had a high of around 38 today; tomorrow a cold front hits and the high is only supposed to be 12!! And Monday night the low is supposed to be -5! YUCK!!!

Thain!!!

To: Jeff Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch

Take that $10 million bonus you think you deserve, and shove it where the sun don't shine!!!

44...

44 till 44!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-)))

Lil Miss...

Well, well, well ~ look who is being Lil Miss helpful on the SG boards...

A lament ~

For SG...

Our wonderful club is shutting down as a result of the horrible economy. And while finances forced me to quit getting the kits regularly about a year ago, I stayed on the boards ~ because the friends I made there were even better than the kits.

I think the biggest fear we all have is of those friendships slipping away. Plans and sites are already underway to keep us together ~ huge hugs to the ladies that have taken that on!

In the time I've been with SG (since Jan 06), I've had the great joy of meeting 32 of the gang; but even the ones I haven't met feel like family. We've been there for each other through countless tears, great joys, tons of cyber nieces and nephews, marriages, divorces (and almost divorces), and much, much silliness. We've had our rare squabbles, but what family doesn't ?!
It would truly break my heart to lose that family.

Recession...

So the feds have finally made it official, stating that "Oh, by the way, we've been in one for a year". No flippin' shit, Sherlock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell us something everyone in America hasn't already known for at least 6 to 9 months!!
Jerks ~