So I'm watching the last DVD of ...

"Shogun" the 1980 miniseries that I was actually able to view twice when it first aired.  It happened to be broadcast the week I was leaving to go spend 15 months on Guam, serving my country.  So I watched it that entire week.  Our cable TV on Guam was one week behind so I got to watch almost all of it again.  But I hadn't seen since.

I'm on the last disc, watching scene seven of 10 when the disc froze.  I took it out, wiped it off and tried again.  Nothing.  I tried using my laptop and again nothing.  So I had to send it back and will have to wait to watch the final 3.5 scenes until the new disc arrives. If Netflix were close enough I might have delivered it in person with an angry complaint.

But it isn't worth getting angry about anyway.  It will come in a day or two.  I know the damn ending.  So no worries.

What I am worried about is that I must have eaten something I am allergic to, yesterday.  My breathing this morning, while not "labored", is definitely impacted.  I can feel pressure on my sinuses and throat, which is the typical response when I ingest an allergen.  I'm guessing there was more than a little "pepper" in the barbecue sauce on yesterday's lunch of barbecued chicken.  I'll tell the chef to leave the sauce off next time.  Hopefully this will clear up in 24 hours or so.

Should we worry that the negotiators for the NHL and the NHL Players union are apparently meeting for lengthy stretches without even bathroom breaks?  Naw, probably not.

Should we worry that over 500,000 people are still without power back East?  Probably.  Why is it that when FEMA failed to function effectively after Katrina, everyone blamed the President, but when they're functioning just as ineffectively now, no one is assigning blame?  #JustCurious

I drove past a bar tonight that has a list of its upcoming bands on its marquee.  Why would you name your band STD?  Is there some meaning other than Sexually Transmitted Disease for that acronym?

Just in case you were curious, the five states that border Ohio are Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky.

Fun with Classified Ads:

"Open position Customer Service/ RMA/ Office admin" Is it really necessary to label the position as open?  If it were filled, you wouldn't be listing it.

" (Part Time does mean no health benefits, vacation or sick pay)"  Do you really get applicants for a part-time position that think they would be getting any benefits with the job?

"1+ experience in the similar digital marketing industry preferred"  One plus what?  I'm guessing that is supposed to read 1 plus year experience...

"Looking for individual with a series 6 and 63 securities license (or series 7 lic.) who would like to service my existing mutual fund and variable annuity clients.
Don't need to sell. No traveling, no cold calling, no selling. Strenghts: friendly, nice, good at details, and customer service skills.
Part-time or full time if right person.  Please send resume via email first."  You're advertising on Craigslist.  What would they do before emailing you a resume?  Do the actual job?

"Needs to know the difference between the from and the back of the fabric"  The from?  Should that be front?  Or is there something about fabric I'm not aware of that involves it having a from?

"Experienced Female Bartenders needed for busy South Bay sports bar.  Please send resume and picture."  Need I say anything?

This date in history:

On this date in 1867, the end of the era of the Shogunate in Japan came about when the last Tokugawa Shogun gave power back to the Emperor.

On this date in 1872, the Great Boston Fire occurred.

On this date in 1888, Mary Reilly, the final known victim of Jack the Ripper was killed.

On this date in 1960, Robert McNamara became the first President of the Ford Motor Company who was not a member of the Ford family.  He would leave a month later to join the administration of JFK.

On this date in 1970, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case that would have allowed the state of Massachussetts to enforce its law granting residents the right to refuse service in an undeclared war.

On this date in 1985, the Soviet Union's Gary Kasparov became the youngest ever World Chess Champion.

And on this date in 1998, a federal judge ordered 37 U.S. brokerage houses to pay $1.03 billion to cheated NASDAQ investors in compensation for price-fixing.  It was the largest civil judgment ever at the time (that record has since been broken).