Quote of the Day:     “A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.”     –W.H. Davies, from Leisure

I read today that fiscally conservative Republican United States Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker were numbers one and two in the nation in bringing home earmarks to their home states. Mississippi, last in so many areas, kicks freakin ass when it comes to feeding at the pork barrel. To be fair, most of Wicker’s haul came as a hanger on to Thad’s money as he was but a co-requester. TB does not joke when he says he will vote for Thad as long as he stays in the Senate.  I’m reminded for some reason of Thad’s statement to the press during the Republican primaries that the thought of John McCain as President sent a “cold chill” down his spine. 

Watching the ocean this weekend and waiting for a storm to arrive, I was momentarily misdirected from my peaceful vacuity by this nugget from Fox News: obese smokers are 55% more likely to die than the rest of us.

A fearful thought occurred to me Sunday on Highway 98 near Mahned, Mississippi. Will I be excluded from crossing the threshold of paradise because I sometimes wonder if particular drivers with handicapped symbols (like wheelchairs or the word “Louisiana”) on their license plate got those plates due to their inability to keep their vehicle between the lines in the first place?

I wonder how many more Tonight Show hosts I’ve got before I must answer to St. Peter’s notes.

My gang loves IHOP. New on the menu is the Octo-mom omelet. It’s fourteen eggs, no sausage and the other customers pay the bill.

AIG. 

TB finished school in 1995. From then until 2005 I was a single man with a little jingle in his pockets. I felt a lot richer than I was, and considering that I bought damn near anything I wanted, went where I wanted and gambled when I wanted, I guess I was pretty rich. But if I had only been a bit wiser with my money…..I would’ve bought more, gone further and gambled more recklessly.