Surprise!

April 15th - tax time. Is that a surprise to you? It shouldn't be, but I guarantee the news will show Post Offices open until midnight and lines of people waiting patiently to get their returns in the mail so they won't be penalized. It's not like the date changes every year - it's always April 15th!

Why do I say this? Because it appears the TV stations I watch will, for the next 59 days be incessantly running ads for the transition to digital TV - you know what I am talking about. I believe the original date was to be February 17th, but it also appears not enough people were "ready"! Even after constant ads which put political advertising to shame in sheer volume. not enough people were ready, so the date was pushed back to June 12th. If I could embed the song, I'd have "People Get Ready" playing in the background.

People get ready, damn it! I really don't want the date pushed into September...!

Violent Times

Perhaps it's the times in which we live, but there seems to be quite a rise in violence being reported. There is a mounting frustration amongst the people, and instead of seeking help, more and more people seem to be lashing out at others and going out in a blaze of vainglory - let's see how many people I can kill before I kill myself. I expect it won't get better for a while.

I don't want to be any part of such happenings, but something disturbing (or maybe not) happened today. When the news arrived online that Captain Richard Phillips had been rescued and three of the four pirates had been killed, I thought to myself, "Good." I was beginning to get edgy and wondering why three warships and attending personnel were unable to deal with four men. I am sure at this point that everything was being done to assure the safety of the captain, which really answers my concern; I guess I am just too impatient these days. Why don't ships have armed security; that has to be cheaper than millions in ransom... doesn't it? These pirates have been acting with impunity for way too long. Of course, the current policy of shipping companies easily paying ransoms has contributed to the situation. Other Somali pirates have vowed revenge against the U.S. This time, unlike the boondoggle in Iraq and the next one in Afghanistan, I say, "Good. Bring 'em on!"

Ch...ch... ch... changes!

Yes, I am hopeful change will come, but I am patiently reserving judgment on President Obama for at least a while. Unfortunately, my inbox is regularly inundated with anti-Obama emails from a few hardcore haters (locksteppers who walk in darkness - Republican = good; Democrats = bad [black Democrats = really bad]). They don't seem to understand that it took many, many years to royally screw up the country especially during the past eight years under President Bush. Regardless of when the roots of the problems began taking hold, instead of making anything better during his administration, we continually spiraled down and further down under Bush.

Obama has since taken the reins and is working to get us back to some sense of normalcy. It can't be done overnight, however. Why can't some people understand that? Believe me, if Obama can't improve things after more time has passed, I will be changing my tune, but for now, all I am saying is give the guy a chance! Is that so hard to understand?

When the moon hits your eye...

Quite simply, there's no great pizza near where I live; there's not even any really good pizza - there's... pizza. I am spoiled because in my formative years I was brought up with places like Tony's Italian Villa, Pino's, Dino's, and the best of 'em all (the creme da la creme), Pizzeria Regina. They all set a standard for me that is hard to come close to in my area of central New Hampshire. In a say twelve mile radius, there is no shortage of shops; it's just that to me they're all pretty similar with a thicker, usually pre-made crust.

Frozen pizza is, well, frozen pizza. If you buy Red Baron, Tony's or Freschetta's, you're buying pizza made by Schwan's. If you buy DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, or Jack’s, you're buying a Kraft foods pizza. I don't know who makes Wal-Mart pizzas, but to my taste, they're no worse (or better) than any of the aforementioned brands (but they are less expensive).

Today, everything changed. I visited a accountant (CPA) for the first (and I hope last) time - she was a former student of mine. When we were done, on the way home, I stopped off at Elvio's Pizzeria and Restaurant up in Lincoln. It was the best I have had in a long time! The taste and texture of the pizza today almost brought a tear to my eye (don't tell anyone, but I had four slices thinking I could store up the experience [I think I will be storing it around my waist area]). I guess there is hope. I still have plans to try a place called Sal's, which I am told is also good. I rarely travel for food, but maybe Lincoln really isn't that far.