Freeeeeedoommmmmmm!

Since October, I've been working on a project unlike any other I've ever worked on in my professional career. It focused on one of the most important basic services -- emergency response -- that any city/state/federal level government can perform. Yet, it was also the most dysfunctional, awful project I've EVER worked on.

Not until this particular project did I ever feel a degree of misery about going to work on a daily basis. But on this project, I HATED going to work. Quite literally, I was stuck between multiple warring parties who all used my presence, and the presence of our team, as a proxy for their fights. The cops hate the firefighters, the firefighters hate the cops, they both hate the executive branch leader, the executive branch leader hates each of them, they're all stuck together working on this initiative, and they all use us to fight battles against each other.

Every day, we were screamed at, stabbed in the back, lied to, lied about, accused of every type of improper behavior one can think of, threatened, and spied on.

Yesterday, I escaped. I'm off that project and on to another. I've never felt so happy to leave a client environment. I actually skipped out of the building I was so damn happy to leave and NEVER, EVER, EVER come back.

Then, I enjoyed a few drinks here. I highly recommend it if you're ever in town.

To be sung...

to the tune of Skip to My Lou...(yes, I've been spending too much time around my small child)...

I just don't give a shit
I just don't give a shit
I just don't give a shit
About my current project

I wish my clients would die
I wish my clients would die
I wish my clients would die
In a blazing inferno

Then I'd laugh till I cried
Then I'd laugh till I cried
Then I'd laugh till I cried
Because they're all morons

Now I feel better.

16 for 16

Before today's results ruin it, just thought I'd point out that my stupid system that I usually post but did not this year was 16 for 16 yesterday in the NCAA tournament. That's great.

What's disconcerting is that the system is designed to get Elite 8 and Final 4 teams, not get every first round game right. So, overall, this could be trouble.

Drink Club

To paraphrase Tyler Durden:

The first rule of Drink Club is: You do not photograph Drink Club.
The second rule of Drink Club is: You do not photograph Drink Club.

Judging by the internet, some of you have forgotten these rules.

New Podcast

There's a new Malt Shop Logic Podcast here:

http://www.archive.org/details/MaltShopLogicPodcast-March182008

It's a double preview edition of the podcast as Rob Spuhler leverages his MLS knowledge as a beat writer covering Chivas USA to try to explain what this thing called soccer is and we look ahead to the NCAA tournament. There is no truth to the rumor that I suggest that AU maybe can sort of win on Friday. Not all that much truth at least.

BTW, sorry for the length. I have lost my disciplined timekeeping skills, plus the MLS is actually pretty interesting.

The argument will resume...

Gentlemen,

We will resume the discussion tomorrow afternoon after I complete my 3rd interview at a potential new employer...currently scheduled for 12:30 tomorrow.

Crisis over...

Audrey, Cherie, and I are home. Tired, no, exhausted, but home. We were discharged after Audrey continued to show significant positive progress. Her infection is receding, the swelling has all but disappeared, and we're happy that she's no longer hooked up to tubes in the hospital. She'll have another 10 days' worth of prescription antibiotics to take, and several follow-up appts. to make, but other than that, she should be ok.

No word on how exactly she contracted cellulitis, but it apparently can be caused by an existing, persistent sinus infection, which Audrey did have for the last week or two. It's not directly contagious, because the infection occurs in the deeper layers of the skin and the bacteria don't normally migrate to the surface of the skin.

But, man, this experience both sucked and blew.

We interrupt this history-making basketball game to bring you life-threatening illness...

Friday afternoon, while plotting how to catch part of the Patriot League Championship on TV, I received a call from Cherie. She was at daycare with Audrey, who had awakened from a mid-day nap with her right eye swollen shut. It didn't look like pink-eye -- no oozing, no crustiness. Instead, it looked like someone had punched her in the eye, and she was developing the kind of swelling above and below her eye that a day or two later would yield a black eye.

Cherie and I debated whether to take her to a doctor. We had just about decided to just take her home, put her to bed, and see how she looked in the morning. But something kept nagging at Cherie and me, and we talked ourselves back into a Friday night trip to the emergency room.

After several hours of mostly waiting through various stages of triage, we saw a Physician's Assistant. She agreed with us that Audrey's eye looked "injured, not infected". But she second-guessed herself and later brought in a doctor for a second opinion, and it may have saved Audrey's eyesight or even her life.

It turns out that Audrey had peri-orbital cellulitis. For those of you who aren't doctors, that's a bacterial infection of the skin or connective tissues of the body, and in this case, tissues in and around the "bony cavity" surrounding the eye. While it doesn't manifest itself in an obvious way, it's often aggressive, and without immediate treatment can rapidly transition into a life-threatening condition. Untreated for only a short period of time, it can lead to very serious consequences for its victims -- most often blindness, and/or meningitis and/or a brain abcess.

By the time we got Audrey seen and correctly diagnosed, the disease was making that transition from serious annoyance to serious condition. Audrey was admitted to the hospital and started a course of very powerful antibiotics delivered intravenously.

Throughout the night, and again today, she's been pumped full of drugs. The swelling, which at first worsened, has receded significantly, and Audrey appears to be on the mend. Provided all is well, she will be discharged tomorrow and we will all go home.

For now, I am thankful for the medical staff at Danbury Hospital, who have once again earned my admiration for their competence and compassion. They were phenomenal in 2006 when Audrey was born, they were tremendous when Audrey tumbled down the stairs last summer, and they have been phenomenal this weekend.

And, I am thankful for Cherie, who proved again this weekend that when a serious situation arises, she rises to the occasion. She has been patient, calm, and strong at every turn -- and has been great with Audrey. Just a great, great mom during a difficult time. As a dad and partner, it makes me love her all the more when she responds this way to a crisis. Damn, she's a good woman.

A Report from Illini Nation...

...that does not involve Obamania. Since the other blog is the province of AU-phoria, let me point out the University of Minnesota's ridonkulous last second win over Indiana. Who cares? This Illinois fan does. I have been quite a critic of the Big Ten Network-Comcast feud this year until basketball season rolled around and the bevy of Illini games on BTN thankfully prevented me from watching some awful basketball.

All of sudden, though, Illinois is winning close games they used to be losing and get to play Minny instead of Indiana in the Big Ten tournament semis tomorrow.

Nine years ago, the somewhat infamous Chris Close-victory jig was inaugurated in 44th St, NW when the #11 seed Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the #2 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten tourney semis. The task tomorrow is somewhat less daunting. Could one of the worst Illinois teams ever make it to the NCAA tournament by running the table in the Big 11 tournament? Looks much more likely than it did just a few hours ago.

That is all.

The [half?] bright side

I've been trying to come up with something positive if Obama were to get into the White House. So far, the only thing I can come up with is that if we've elected a black guy (ok, he's only half, but still) as president, then we should be ready ahead of the 25 year schedule set out by our genius Supreme Court to toss out affirmative action.

Or, if you believe Gerard Ferraro, maybe that's why he got the job in the first place.

New Music Bleg

If you happened to catch Saturday Night Live this week (or tivo-ed it as the case may be), you saw a hilarious opening sketch (well, at least the first four minutes) and if you didn't skip through the musical act were introduced to Vampire Weekend.

I am now completely enthralled with this band's music. But that's not the bleg - this is: where do all of you find new bands to listen to - and by that I mean before they end up on SNL? I'm just curious as my local radio stations, at least the ones I listen to, do not seem to be helping me out.

Thanks for your guidance.

World, prepare thyself...

Chapin baby #2 arrives approximately August 8, 2008. We'll find out next Thursday (Mar. 20th) whether we're unleashing a boy or girl upon the unsuspecting denizens of this planet........

Politics Is Interesting Again

I have to say, that Democratic primary for president has made politics interesting again. Who knew in this day and age that we could end up with a political convention that actually matters.

What this contest has also reintroduced us to is something that I thought was lost forever: the Clinton in-fighting story. Check out this story from today's Post for a hilarious account of how everyone on her campaign hates each other.

It would be quite a loss for newspaper reporters if the Clintons leave us too soon.

TSA Gangstaz

I assure you, this is not safe for work.