Family Traditions.....

Awright....I'm back to bloggin'.

Such as it is.

The computer is functional. But let me qualify that.....I use Vista. I've still got some "housecleaning" items to take care of, and in a perfect world, I'd have Quicken up and running, and that may take some work to make happen, but mostly, I'm back.

But tonight, we went to LJ's Pizza for dinner.



So, anyway, I've never really liked the pizza at LJs. I don't really like the Chicago deep-dish style, but I do like a more "bread-y" crust than LJs puts out. Its like a big cracker.

And their meats are greasy, which is beginning to become a bigger issue for me than it used to be. Not the best pizza, in my opinion. They've got a crappy salad bar, and they serve soft-serve ice cream for dessert.

However......

It is a family favorite none-the-less. We had a bit of good news to celebrate tonight, and Wifeof- and Sonof-Azlib both like the pizza. Wifeof- went to high school with the current owner, who is the son of the original owner. She's been eating at this LJ location (it has been located elsewhere many years ago) since she was 18. They cater to an older crowd, and being in my 50's, it is sorta weird to be one of the youngest people in the place. The atmosphere is what I call "small-town cheese-y". Not really much interesting in the place, but neither is it overwhelming. Tonight, they had a New Orleans jazz band, The Cats and Jammers, and I enjoyed them quite a bit.

Anyhoo...bad pizza, lame salad bar, cheesy band all made for a good night.

Count me as more than a.....

Little pissed off.

My congressman, Jeff Flake, missed the vote on the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade bill.

Not that it matters, as the bill passed 219-212, so his vote would have made it 219-213.

But.....

I took the effort to call his Arizona office this morning to speak out on this issue. The woman who took my call was receptive, but as is usually the case, she didn't offer anything back.

And tonight I found out the reason: Flake was watching his daughter compete in the America's Junior Miss competition.

Don't get me wrong: I really, really like Jeff Flake. Everybody likes their congressman, but I don't just like him because he represents me. He has been one of the best guys around for quite some time.

[A personal point: Flake lives in my neighborhood. This daughter is a senior at the high school that my three kids attended. I see him at our neighborhood gym. And Flake selected a drawing my oldest daughter did when she was a high school senior for the Congressional Art Competition. Her drawing hung in Congress for a year, and it was a high honor for both her and our family.]

I'll give the guy his due....family is important, and I have no doubt that this Junior Miss is a big deal. Being there for his daughter is something any father would want to do.

But this Cap and Trade bill is important for all of us--his daughter included. It will crush our economy in a misdirected aim of saving our environment. There are too many loopholes to be effective as a environmental tool, making the whole thing a stupid exercise.

Flake is still a good guy, but he should have voted. Even given that the bill apparently has a slim chance in the Senate, he should have found a way to be there for the vote. I'm going to remember this.

Bittersweet...

Today Dau#1ofAzlib and her new husband left for his assignment in the Air Force.

We are quite happy for her. She came back from her honeymoon looking very happy. He's a great guy, and is everything a parent would want out of a son-in-law.

That said, she has been a great kid, and we're going to deeply miss seeing her regularly. Many tears were shed today. I suspect more will be shed tomorrow.

Thanks for asking....

...Yes.

The Wedding was fantastic!