taking punches

I'm back from the weekend trip to Miami, a little older and wiser, relieved to be back in my own bed after sharing a one-bedroom apartment with my parents, sister, grandmother and her live-in aide. One of my friends said it sounded a little like that Seinfeld episode when Jerry visits his parents. I said it was a cross between that and "The Blair Witch Project." Fun stuff. And I said that before we had to wait out the snowstorm and spend most of the day yesterday in the airport.

Then I get home, sick (of course--because you should always bring back a souvenir that reflects the vacation you had), and find out this morning that my biggest and favorite project at my job is GONE. That's right, my company lost the rights to the Mariners book. We had been stalling about starting up this year, because my company was renegotiating our deal with the team, though I was told it was a lock that it would be renewed. So I'm a little stunned this morning to find out that didn't happen. Oh well, you've got to take your punches and move on, right?

Speaking of taking a beating, Anne E. Kornblut and Ralph Blumenthal write for the New York Times about the weekend's most fascinating story, the accidental (?) shooting of a 78-year-old man by our Vice President, Dick Cheney. This begs the obvious questions: who let a 78-year-old man out of the house with a shotgun in his hand?! Aren't there age limits on these things?

On a more serious note, there are also lots of questions about why it took so long for the incident to be reported, and why, when it did, it was done through a tiny local paper. Is it just me, or does this whole story seem eerily similar to the way a nasty, corrupt poilitician would deal with an enemy in a B-movie thriller--and you watch it and think to yourself, that could never happen? Right down to the public's mostly unquestioning attitude about this? "I was a simple hunting accident, I have nothing more to say. If any of you reporters would like to discuss this further, we can arrange a private, one-on-one hunting trip this weekend."

The Times plays up the angle that the incident took place while was staying with Katherine Armstrong, a lobbyist.

Asked if she was concerned that Mr. Cheney's visit could create the appearance of impropriety during the lobbying investigation involving Jack Abramoff, which has brought to light the often close personal and professional ties between lobbyists and public officials, Ms. Armstrong said: "Oh my God, he's a friend. I don't believe I've ever lobbied the vice president, nor would I be comfortable doing so.

So if you're a lobbyist and you have the Vice President over for the weekend, isn't that inherently considered lobbying? If nothing else, she's profiting from these connections because they boost her status as a lobbyist. Her claim that she's never lobbied Cheney is hard to believe, but even if it's true, maybe it's only because she hasn't had a reason to lobby the VP yet, and she's waiting to play that card down the road.

Bottom line, this probably was an accident, though this story could get very interesting if it turns out that Cheney had any kind of motive. Also, doesn't Cheney have people around who should be giving him advice like, "Just a thought, but this might not be the best time for you to spend a weekend visiting your lobbyist pal."

In a beating of a different sort, the Knicks lost to the Mavericks last night, 100-72. It was their 10th loss in a row, and 16 in last 17 games, falling to 14-37 on the season. I'm starting to question my prediction that they would run win out during the second half of the season and wind up the two seed in the East.

More later...