I've been fortunate enough to enjoy a couple of impressive works of art this weekend.

The first, of course, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that this is an amazing ending to an extraordinary series. If you have the chance, I can't recommend this classic book strongly enough.

Thank you Jo Rowlings.

Canon Rock is a rock arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major by the Taiwanese musician and composer Jerry Chang (JerryC). The song became popular on the internet after a video of JerryC's playing the song was posted online...


The rendition has since been featured on newspapers, magazines, and television shows.

Awesome!

Despite the fact that everyone should just know that Homer and Bart's hometown of Springfield, USA is nowhere near Vermont, I haven't forsaken The Simpsons completely.

So, here I am Simpsonized...


Not bad, although I must say that my cat Boo is better looking than Snowball (pictured).

You too can become a Simpsons character by visiting Simpsonize Me. Upload a headshot of yourself, and then tweak the available options in faces, hairstyles, body types, and accessories.

Don't know about you, but I'm digging the orange and purple cabinets. Maybe it's time for a kitchen makeover at Casa de DeckMonster.

Am I the only one getting spam-hammered (spammered?) by the ecard/postcard/greeting card phishing e-mails? These are just from today (and that's not all of 'em)...


I love the "worshipper" ones.

I've stayed away from political issues in this blog because, frankly, politics don't hold much interest for me. And politicians even less. I've worked my entire professional career (13+ years of computer consulting) in the bowels of state government, so I can say with some authority that government works as well as it does not because of our elected officials, but in spite of them.

It's the "little people" that make the day-to-day business of government run. They work in less-than-spacious cubicles, answer their own phones, and hold meetings in conference rooms where fewer than half the chairs match each other. And they have to deal with the disruption that inevitably comes with an entirely new set of bosses every few years.

A successful political administration doesn't let egos or agenda get in the way of the business of government. Which brings us to the point of this little rant...

Right now, the State of Illinois is one week into Fiscal Year 2008 without an official budget. That might be marginally acceptable if Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) and the state legislature were working together to reach a compromise that will allow the business of government to continue without interruption. Instead the Governor, Speaker of the House Mike Madigan (D), and Senate President Emil Jones (D) are all feuding about issues having less and less to do with the budget, and more to do with ego and agenda.

That is failure of leadership. And it is unacceptable.

The following items illustrate just how ridiculous this situation has become...

Governor: Rep. Madigan a Republican
Both the Governor and Madigan are democrats, BTW.

Budget stalemate descends into bickering over meeting time
The Governor accused Madigan of "unlawful" action by changing the meeting time of a purely symbolic legislative session.

Blagojevich: Madigan action "unlawful"
More details and discussion about the brewing constitutional controversy.

Capitol Fax Blog
I highly recommend listening to the audio of Rep. Lou Lang’s (R) House floor speech, included in the 5:27 pm update. Volatile stuff.

Constitutional controversy in Ill. House of Representatives
Some Republicans used the word "impeachment" for the first time openly on the House floor.

ImpeachBlago.com
Given everything above, this one pretty much speaks for itself.

And one more, because the State of Illinois does not hold a monopoly right now on bad politics...

A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease
President George W. Bush, grasping for answers to his abysmal popularity, remains resolute and fixated on Iraq.

Our political "leaders" need to remember that they were hired to fill a temporary public service position. They need to worry less about keeping their jobs, and concentrate more on doing their jobs.

THE SMALL PRINT: For the record, these opinions are mine and mine alone. I don't speak in any capacity, official or otherwise, for anyone but myself.