Bad cop! No donuts!

This is going to leave a mark.

I got a call this afternoon. The water at the condo complex will be shut off next Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Yeah, we're down to two hours. I'll be doing lots of research between now and then, and I'll show up with every possible part, piece, valve or fitting that might be necessary. And my prayer beads.

I read an interesting article in this week's edition of TIME about achieving greater energy efficiency. I learned the term "negawatts" which describes the electricity that isn't used, that is saved through greater efficiency or anything that lowers consumption. They made the point that we make a bigger difference by increasing efficiency, thus reducing demand, than by increasing supply through alternative fuels and the like. Not that it's an either/or, but our focus should be on efficiency.
My favorite sentence from the article, referring to automobiles:
"Fuel-efficiency standards were a hit in the 1970's, but the Big Three have fought off upgrades ever since by claiming that federal meddling would ruin their businesses, which they apparently preferred to do themselves."

Our honeymoon was the four-day drive from our Vegas wedding (Pam's hometown) back to college in west Michigan. The mode was our Beige '64 Plymouth Belvedere 2-door with their indestructible slant-6 engine. Alas, the rest of the car wasn't so indestructable, which is why I found myself laying on the pavement in Kansas, in the middle of an August afternoon, trying to tie up an exhaust system. We had enough money for gas and lodging and very little food, but none for car repairs.
Great honeymoon.
But ours might be better than the honeymoon President Elect Obama is going to get later this month. Congressional leaders from his own party have already stated their opposition to Obama's tax rebates (for the middle class, whoever that is) and the Republicans oppose the monstrous spending built into the plan. It looks like Obama's stiumlus plan may be DOA. Obama's nominee for Attorney General, Eric Holder, is going to get slammed at his confirmation hearings - if he makes it that far. As Deputy Attorney General under Clinton, Holder pressed for clemency for 16 violent Puerto Rican nationalists, even though the FBI, federal prosecutors and other law enforcement personnel opposed it. The Justice Dept. opposed the clemency but Holder altered their recommendations to favor it.
Then there's the opposition to Leon Panetta, Obama's nominee to head the CIA, who lacks any experience in the intelligence community.
Oh yeah, he's also going to inherit the mess in Gaza.
I'll take the Kansas pavement.

Sunday's word: kerygma. Important NT word that may also be the most under-reported.

Nobody expects the Cardinals to win tomorrow. Vegas has them as 10-point underdogs. I think they'll beat the spread and earn even more respect, but by Monday Kurt will be on the golf course.