The semi-typical afternoon chat (Caddie is the clear bubble, I’m in green).

Last Friday morning we met a few friends at Brooklyn City Hall at 8:30AM. After a bit of paperwork and a short (and unexpected) ceremony, we became legally married…only six months after the ceremony!

And yes, the flowers were rented (thanks Mo!).

gratuitous cat shot…

It’s a sad day in blogville. The Carpetbagger Report, one of my favorites and a mainstay on my daily blog stroll, is no longer. What with mainstream media being such a joke, The Carpetbagger has been of my more valuable sources of political and international news. The bright side is that Steve Benen, The Carpetbagger himself, hasn’t given up on blogging. He’s now the voice of The Washington Monthly’s blog Political Animal. It sounds as if much will stay the same…I’m just hoping his daily “mini-reports” and “campaign round-ups” make the move with him. It’d also be nice if he can talk the Washington Monthly into switching that layout a bit. It’s a little confined. If you never checked out The Carpetbagger, go give Steve a look at Political Animal.

My Dad just sent along a pretty amazing story about a rescued whale off of the Farallones. To think that whales are actually still hunted in Norway, Japan, and elsewhere is pretty disgusting. A few years ago my Dad and I cancelled a then-dream-trip to Iceland over their resumption of whaling. The Icelandic Tourist Board’s response to my e-mail just angered me further. Iceland has since suspended its whaling quotas, but whether or not that’s a permanent move is highly questionable. Regardless, the killing continues elsewhere.

Bored at work this Friday? Send a letter, all it takes is hitting “send:”

• Greenpeace’s plan to protect 40% of the world’s oceans as marine reserves.
• Sea Shepherd. Ram away.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare

Have a kid? Adopt a whale:

• World Wildlife Fund
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

The above photo is a California Gray Whale in Magdalena Bay. Taken on a 2007 trip back to Baja.

I’m fighting a cold, a little delirious, and probably six years late on this, but Craigslist’s “Best Of” posts are hours of fun. A few (PG) favorites: Dead Moose Found Cat Black with White Stripe Potato Canon

Around 1PM on the 23rd look for me in a bar, glued to ESPN2. It’s Champions League semifinal time, and I love the CL as much as the World Cup. Maybe even more. Chelsea and Arsenal meet in one Champions League semi, with Barcelona and Man U in the other. While Chelsea are one of my least favorite teams to watch, it should still be a great game. And Manchester United v. Barcelona? It doesn’t get any better than that – though it’ll be hard to top Tuesday’s Liverpool-Arsenal quarterfinal! Beyond following the US National I don’t have a team. I’m more a fan of the game in general and the English Premier League as a whole. I do, however, find myself leaning in one direction more often than not. I wonder why? Years of hearing this before every Liverpool game, perhaps. I should point out that video was taken by a fan of Barcelona, from inside the Barca section (another version here). Here’s one more for you, this from the 2005 Champions League Final. It’s a little over the top, but so was that game… Prediction? Liverpool and Man U in the final, Manchester United wins…but what the hell do I know?

Touching my toes for the first time since elementary school, maybe ever.

For sale: One lightly used tub of American Crew Fiber pliable molding creme. Current owner no longer needs. All reasonable offers considered.