I'm sure the two people in this story are / were wonderful human beings, and it's sad the man died. I was extremely relieved the dog was saved by police.

More commentary on something that is contentious on Facebook, and I am not joining in. Full disclosure: I can't stand football. I find America's obsession with it like a scene from Idiocracy. The only reason the "athletes" are (far) less sympathitic than in the "sport" I disdain even more (horse racing) is because they choose to play, and they are paid handsomely. I could not care less whether they streak, do cartwheels or set themselves on fire on the field. What gets my attention is when a scum like Vick is still given kudos by his former team and that team's fans, rather than called out for the jerk he is. I also am appalled at people's understanding of the First Amendment. The Bill of Rights is all about limiting government power. "Congress shall make no law..." The First Amendment has absolutely nothing to do with fans boycotting, owners threatening to fire players, or keyboard pundits yelling about it on Facebook. Finally, I am shocked how little attention anyone pays to this issue. The players themselves don't care, and the team owners, beer and car companies, media and fans certainly don't. We may as well still be watching a spectacle dating from Roman times.

I think it says a lot that I am only comfortable sharing this brave and excellent column here (I saw it on FB).

Happy Birthday to me!

In 2014, when Stewart's announced they would close, I dreamed of an article like this one in the Times Union. Pinch me.

I am in the midst of a very unpleasant situation with a contractor. In all my years of home ownership (30 in Castleton-on-Hudson and 18 in Samsonville) I have never had a bad experience, much less anything like this happen. It is not over yet, and I have no prediction for when or how it will resolve. I consider myself unmaterialistic, and so I know it is only a house, but it's a significan part of my retirement portfolio, not to mention a source of relaxation and stress reduction, a place to get away from the demands of professional life. Bob is proud of the work he has done on the house, and in fact, only finished his every-three-year maintenance of the exterior finish a couple weeks ago (and this time it took two summers to complete). Since he received the startling news from the contractor while he was at work late Thursday afternoon, we have discussed and brainstormed and theorized about "Why?" Why is this happening? How could it happen? WTF? We want a logical explnation, one that makes some kind of sense. Sometimes there is no rational explanation I guess, and that's hard to swallow. Maybe the dude is just plain crazy, or a liar, or a cheat. Last night we postulated, perhaps he is a drug abuser, and is addicted to opioids. That would explain his behavior, and make more sense than anything else we have formulated.