It is that time of year again. Spring Break. Orange County Schools are off today and all of next week. Our neighborhood center, as well as the other neighborhood centers throughout the city, are having a day camp for Spring Break. The manager at our center put a cap of thirty children total to be enrolled in our program. Needless to say, those thirty spots went quickly. We have had several call throughout the week, and some people that have called are not taking "no" for an answer when we tell them all spots have been filled.

"What part of the word 'no' don't you understand?"

And I am wondering how many parents woke up this morning with their children standing bedside with that stupid look on their face that children always give you.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'no school' today?!"

Anyway, spring break is in full gear for 2008. All the college students are down, and the beaches and the theme parks are packed. Why,last week, WKMG Local 6 News' top story was about the producers of the "Girls Gone Wild" videos in Daytona Beach holding an event at a Daytona Beach nightclub. Oh, the horror!

City commissioners and the police chief are up in arms! Residents feel violated!

There is a war going on in Iraq, several human rights groups are calling for protests on China holding the Olympics, there are problems in Africa, the United States economy is taking a nose dive,and homes throughout the United States are being foreclosed on, and you are concerned about college women flashing their breasts?

Now don't get me wrong. I do not care to watch any "Girls Gone Wild" video. And I would be concerned if I had a daughter going somewhere on spring break.
But I think there are more important things to worry about. And there are more things that are worth covering on the news.

I have an idea. Why not send your anchor woman on the evening news cast to cover the story. Better yet, have her enter the contest! I would not mind seeing her naked. Besides, most of these anchor people get their job based on their looks anyway.

Well, I have to get going. The children are back in from the playground, and they are getting ready to eat lunch. And if you know how children eat, multiply that by 30 and that equals a mess.

After next week, I will be needing Spring Break.

Sometimes, it's just best to walk away.

I hope that everyone had a Happy Easter. I'll post some comments from my last post when I get a chance. Have a good week, and I'll stop in on your blog soon.

Big Al

What a difference a day makes. Especially when the sun is shining. I had a bad day at work Saturday. And when I came home that evening, I did not do much of anything. I washed any dishes from that afternoon, and then stepped out onto the patio for a cigar. No television. No stereo. Just some deep thoughts.

If I did not need the job on the weekend, I would most likely have quit. As of Sunday morning, a part of me wanted to call in sick. I went to work anyway, knowing that it would be busy. And it was busy. But it was a much better day. It amazes me how one customer can ruin your day. Or how the action of a co-worker can make your work experience miserable. Yesterday was different. Yesterday was actually a good day. And everyone at work seemed to be in good spirits.

When I came in from off the patio on Saturday evening, I turned on the computer and checked my e-mail. I then went to Blogstream, but I really did not have much to say. I just wrote down how I felt, and time to say good night.

As I had breakfast yesterday, I watched CBS Sunday Morning. There was a commentary from Ben Stein regarding Eliot Spitzer. It actually sounded as if Stein was defending Spitzer, going on about how an everyday John faces no scrutiny if found with a prostitute. But if it is a high profile politician like Spitzer, they face public humiliation and most likely have to resign their position. He then argued that it was no fair to voters who elected him because now they would have someone in that position they did not select.

Let me say this. If a married man was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, he has caused pain and grief to his family. If they forgive him, that is fine. But if she decides to pack up the children and leave, she has every right to do so. And what if the man was not arrested but contracted AIDS from that prostitute. Most likely, he would have passed that on to his wife. I could not live with myself for doing that.

As for a replacement for the position that Spitzer held, it would not have come to this had he sworn to uphold the moral conduct expected of him when he was elected. We all make mistakes. But we must also be held accountable for our actions. Eliot Spitzer must be held accountable as well. No matter how much power and influence he has.

And how about the politician that was arrested for soliciting for sex in a public restroom? The very thought of that makes me sick.

And so here I am, driving down Interstate 4 on my way to work, and I am angry as to what Ben Stein has said. I like Ben Stein, and I have much respect for his opinions. But I feel that Eliot Spitzer let the people of the state of New York down. But most of all, he let his wife and family down. Why, if it was your neighbor who did the same thing, he let his wife and children down. Spitzer knew what he was getting into.

If you are looking at hiring a prostitute or looking to buy drugs, you are only looking to get into trouble.

I finally get into work, and the weather is beautiful. And fortunately, the day went by the same way. A few kinks here and there. But all in all, it was a nice day.

And today the Irish eyes are smiling upon Orlando. It is one of those post card days that you hear about. Wish you were here, the weather is beautiful. Or the weather is here, wish you were beautiful. That's if you are a Jimmy Buffet fan.

Saturday has passed, and Ben can go on about Eliot. But today is Pat's day. Saint Patrick, that is. And Saint Patty has some beautiful weather for his day of honor.

So today, I am going to forget the past few days, and walk down to the Irish pub at the corner of my street, and I am going to toast St. Patty. And as I raise my Guinness Stout, I wish you all a Happy Saint Patrick's Day.

And hopefully, there will be a beautiful woman there who will want to kiss me because she is Irish.

Most likely though, I will probably run into my friend Kevin, who is Irish. And we will be toasting our beers, knowing that we will be in Heaven a half hour before the devil finds out that we got there.