Cooper

I went down to the pound last Sunday to see if there was a dog for me. After getting there I wasn't quite ready for the conditions the dogs are kept in. The dogs at the pound are really noisy and a lot of them want to meet you really bad. I found a dog there that was friendly and chill. I got to play with him, and it was such a treat I decided to adopt him!

I had to wait for him to get shots and fixed, so I picked him up on Wednesday. He is really furry and soft to match his friendly personality. He gets along well with people and other dogs. He's a gentleman-dog.

Here's some pictures

Puerto Vallarta

This was one of those times where its tough not to overdo the superlatives. The beauty of this place, hospitality of the staff, and warmth of being surrounded by family and friends has me grasping for words to capture it all. Here's a couple of shots:

or, if you have time, check out the slide show.

D.C. weekend!

Hey - Check out the newest Barry Manilow fans! Well, maybe not, but Sean and Tiffany were really good sports at indulging my eclectic music tastes. They accompanied Richard and me to the Barry Manilow concert at the D.C. Verizon Center. I was really relieved to find that Barry has not had a hit song since the mid 70's, so I knew the words to everything that he sang. Prior to attending the concert, I downloaded the Ultimate Manilow and popped it in the Tiffany's car CD player so they could get acquainted with the music. Lucky kids! You should be so lucky too! Check it out!



What else did we do in D.C.? Well, we always try a new restaurant or two. Saturday we had a late lunch at La Tomate at Dupont Circle. Great food, great service, great prices. Also, Sunday we enjoyed a super brunch at Busboys and Poets in the Shirlington Village section of Arlington.
Sean and Richard also did some home repairs putting some finishing

touches on Sean's condo.


The condo is compact, but Sean makes very good use of space, as illustrated in this Youtube video:

It's been fun to see the progress at Sean's place. Chez Finz is quickly becoming the place to stay when you're in the D.C. area!

Barack my world!

Susan, Richard and I braved the cold with thousands of others last night for a chance to get in to the election-eve Barack Obama rally at the Seaport Convention Center in Boston.

It was a who's- who of Massachusetts politics, including Governor Deval Patrick, Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, and Caroline Kennedy.

We had a great time chanting and cheering and generally whooping it up with Obama faithful. Lots of young people. Overall the crowd was a cross section of Boston--Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and of course, plenty of Irish! In a cool coincidence, an old Academy friend, of Sean's (James Miller), recognized Richard and me in the crowd and stood with us during the rally.

The crowd went crazy when the Senator took the stage. Here's a little clip of the early moments of his speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7Lgrehptw

As the hour grew late, he wrapped it up with a message of hope. It was an awesome time.

Politics - heaven or hell?

I got this from a friend (a Republican friend) down in Florida. Rather than forwarding it to everyone, I decided to post it here. Enjoy :-)


While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. 'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'

'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.

'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'

'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the senator.

'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.'

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

'Now it's time to visit heaven.'

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.'

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. 'I don't understand,' stammers the senator. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?'

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning......
Today you voted.'