"And again & again & again...!"

...2/21/03: pyrotechnic fire in W Warwick, RI night club turns deadly...death toll up to 96...people thought it was part of the act as the flames climbed up the wall and onto the ceiling!...this band Great White did not ask the club owners for permission...the night club did not have a permit for indoor fireworks...there was no sprinkler system because the structure was built prior to the law mandating this safety device (1976)...in the end, bad decisions had been made...

...the electric bill is $10 lower than last month, proving that January was warmer than normal...is Geri naive?...2/21/03: saw Dr. Williams during my midday stroll of the Campus...5 month old baby survives car accident when father fell asleep at the wheel...car rolls over...thanks to safety belts & a car seat, the baby swung from the bottom (now top) of the car...suffered a scratch on the forehead...

...2/21/03: snow in the S mountains of the state, as well as the area E of ABQ...T'storms in the SE NM...fog, rain & snow in Silver City and points W...9/10' of rain at Carlsbad; 1/10 @SunPort...

...2/21/03: troops sent to Philippines to battle terrorists...2/23/02: the Philippine government will not permit US forces to join Filipino troops in combat against Muslim extremists, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman said...4.4 quake jolts SO CAL...possible shuttle debris in NV?...girl with botched transplant died @Duke Hosp, NC...autopsy will be performed...

...2/20/03: toured the governor's mansion in Santa Fe with our First Lady...the DC White House is referred to as a white column armed fortress...

...2/23/03: Afghan rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said he is proud the US has branded him a terrorist and echoed Osama bin Laden's call for suicide attacks against Americans, according to a statement by The Associated Press...calling the US the big Satan of the world, Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, also vowed jihad against US troops in Afghanistan...

...2/21/03: Brad bought a deep fryer & humidifier...both were put to work that same day...

...2/20/03: the day the CD in my boom box died!...2/21/03: Brad bought me the Best of
Fleetwood Mac CDs'...Brad made a sweet & sour sauce with tobasco sauce added, served with tofu plus a salad with avocado...the entire meal is then sprinkled with lemon...2/23/03: Brad created stuffed boneless pork loin with apples, plus aguacamole salad...2/22/03: breakfast at the Owl Cafe (more or less)...slower Internet response time...what will happen if there is a war?...how quickly will we be able to transmit any type of info?...due to rising fuel costs, airlines increase fares by $10...

...2/22/03: Dr. Strasburger of UNM states that violent video games breed violent children...most stores, except Toys 'R Us, do not perform an age check for games that are rated M (that's right; video games, like movies, are rated for violence and suggestive themes!)...Ernie Linehan has cancer in his lymph nodes...the prognosis is not good: death within 2 years...

...2/22/03: wind advisory in the MTNS...gusts may exceed 60 mph...blowing snow in the NE MTNS...major blizzard in OK, heading E...at SunPort, the winds peaked at 46 mph...heavy rain on the eastern seaboard, with a chance of tornados & T'storms...the combined weight of rain, plus the snow, caused roofs to collapse in MD, VA & DE...rivers begin flooding Roanoke, VA & Charleston, WV...NM may get rain during midweek...@6:30 AM, the upper level is no longer dark...it is 32 in ABQ, 2 in Denver...dense fog also reduced visibility to near zero in parts of MD and NJ, obscuring highways and forcing a shutdown of the entire 148-mile-long NJ Turnpike...2/23/03: snow + rain = flooded sewers = overflow onto streets & into homes!...

"Operation: Closed Shell!"

...2/20/23: rock concert in downtown ABQ...trouble breaks out before they let people inside...things are quieter at the end of the evening...2/22/03: pyrotechnics, inspected & approved by the fire marshall, were used @Shakira concert in ABQ...no problems, approved beforehand...police have a new speed trap @Tingley & Central...2/23/03:NM is the only state (so far) to offer a tax cut...this may be an incentive to attract big business...there were pro-war marches in Orlando, FL...George Mason UNIV held an Internet chat with college students in Iraq...

...Christopher Reeve appeared in The Practice & Smallville...

...the question to ponder: Is Iraq disarming?...but the US does not want to box itself in by demanding an exact deadline date...Iraq has withheld a decision on a UN order to start destroying its Al Samoud 2 missile program, but said it is serious about solving this... Iraq's chief liaison to UN weapons inspectors insisted Baghdad is clean of weapons of mass destruction and that there should be no new UN resolution on disarming his country...2/23/03: Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped heavy hints about Washington's timetable for war in Iraq, saying the UN should take vital decisions soon after Blix presents the weapons inspectors' report on 3/7/03...the US military is anxious to act by April, when temperatures in Iraq begin to soar...soldiers may have to spend extended periods in stifling protective suits and masks because of the threat of chemical or biological weapons...Iraq has until 3/1/03 to destroy missles capable of reaching targets beyond the 93-mile limit set after the Gulf War...dialogue continues between Blix & Iraq...

"A line in the sand!"

...2/22/03: saw Stan as we were heading home from errands...most states are asking the US GOVT for Homeland Security money...3/1/02: first day of service for this new GOVT agency...Daredevil still #1, but earnings drop by 50%...N Korea fires a missle into the Sea of Japan...

...Rosanne is the judge, jury & executioner...Geri is the convenient eye witness...

...cool temps in E NM; highs only in the teens...snow in E MTNs...3 degrees in Raton @5 AM (40 in ABQ)...chance of rain during the entire week...little low pressure followed by a bigger low, as the jet stream dips into NM...it was raining @4 PM...

...do you realize how many night clubs or dance halls or discos are in converted warehouses, probably built in the middle of the 20th century?...

...2/25/03: NM GOV on Good Morning America...if it passes in Congress, GOV Richardson will sign into law a provision to prevent discrimiation based on sexual orientation!...so far, it has cleared the House...no voice mail prior to 7 AM...vandals broke into a moving van in ABQ, and took a soldier's uniform & military equipment, valued at over $1000...he was packing items that would be shipped to the Persian Gulf...people have contributed money to help pay for replacing these items...someone at work overcooked the popcorn in the microwave, resulting in a smell throughout the third floor...all doors were opened and fans helped clean the air...our "big Mike" is fixing the bubbles in our ceiling caused from previous storms...Captain does not like this disruption of his routine...Brad doesn't like the tall ladder in the kitchen...2/27/03: the painting is done, Mike & the ladder have gone, and life can return to somewhat normal...

"Nothing really matters; anyone can see. Nothing really matters, nothing really matters...to me!" (Any way the wind blows ...!)

...2/26/03: snow in ABQ?...storm in NV on 2/25/03...23 degrees @5AM on 2/25/03; 36, on 2/26...overnight rain in ABQ...2 feet of snow in Grand Junction, CO; rain in LA & San Diego with a mix in Flagstaff, AZ...on/off rain during day TUES, WED & THURS...periods of sun, some snow in the hills and higher areas...Gulf moisture may give this storm more energy...some areas received a foot of snow...ice covered the roads to Santa Fe...whiteout conditions occurred on US 550 between Cuba & Bloomfield...cold & windy @4 PM on 2/26/03...the era of the dreaded "S word"!...more at the end of the week & the weekend...not as powerful, but will bring snow to the mountains...however, KOAT TV stated that fuel bills will be 4 times higher this March than that of last year, due to the rise in fuel costs...2/27/03: the US has a 59 day supply of oil under TX & LA...it was used by Bush, Sr. & Clinton, to help stabilize the economy...oil has reached $40/gal!...Bush, Jr. doesn't think there is enough reason to tap the supply...2/28/03: the Shamrock gas station near our home had Free Gas Friday...there were long lines on Lomas, Rio Grande plus the smaller side streets, making it difficult to travel near the Old Town section of ABQ...

"Nuclear Politics!"

...war may commence during the third or fourth week in March (as of now)...210,000 soldiers are stationed in the Persian Gulf, and another 50,000 will join them...900 military planes are in that area...2/26/03: President Bush spoke to the nation, emphasizing why we should remove Saddam Hussein from power...he promises medical aid to Iraq...yet how many people in this country have no health insurance...who will take care of the wounded during this conflict? Iraq? the Middle East? Israel? Saudi Arabia? Europe (or, the ECC)? the US? where?......

"May you live in interesting times."

...2/26/03: Mike continues repairing the ceiling, on a rainy day...one more day is needed for the painting...ran from 6th & Silver to 5th & Central...saw the Lomas bus, continued running...as I neared 5th & Central, the bus kept going...a friend was driving the next bus...we started a chase up 5th, blowing his horn & blinking the lights...no other vehicles were on the street...we turned onto Lomas, and the bus drove away...so my friend dropped me off at the courthouse, where I was protected from the rain...my friend should be driving the Lomas bus for the next 2 days...coming home, we were told that the bus stops on the south side of 3rd & Lomas, plus those in front of the Convention Center, have been removed...the 5th & Copper stop is closed due to roadwork...I may get a lot of exercise during the next two weeks...and, on 3/22/03, there will be more changes in some of the SunTran routes...2nd & 6th streets will become 2-way...

...2/26/03: Brad made chicken provencal...another fantastic meal!...the last transmission of Pioneer 10 has occurred, ending its 31-year exploration into the beyond plus maintaining contact with our planet...but someone out there may still find hear its signals, and learn about our world...at UPA, do not initiate an action...someone will tell you that it's wrong (and "it" could mean anything!)!...2/27/03: I need to keep a record of how many E/R claims I do, and how long it takes me to do them...another coder keeps slowing down week after week...

War...what is it good for? (Absolutely...nothing!)

Friend only to the undertaker!

...we need to dig out the millenium survival kits in case there is a war...of course, items would need to be added as protection from bio-, chem- or nuclear weapons...if (when) a war starts, how long will the US be able to maintain a normal lifestyle...should we expect rationing, curfews or martial law?...will there be restrictions on certain types of food?...what about medical supplies & treatment?...the US may have a lengthy post-war role in Iraq, but will not stay one day longer than necessary...

...3/2/03: Brad made scones topped with cinnamon...he is also working on a painting for an upcoming NMAS auction...FEB was cooler & wetter than normal...warm, rainy weather is the forecast for March...@6:30 it was 28 degrees in ABQ; 19 below in Bismarck, ND!...Oprah Winfrey is the first black female billionaire...for the ninth year, the person worth the most money is Bill Gates, with $43 Billion!...MADD [Mothers Against Drunk Drivers] chapter formed in the Navajo Nation; governon'rs daughter was killed by a DWI...the amount of on-line SPAM has tripled in the last year...after 7 seasons, Buffy is leaving the show...a possible spin-off is in the works, but not with Faith as the title character...