Will relate my long weekend visit to DC/VA shortly, but first abit of a tidbit from that weekend [Saturday]. Or, as my friend Nancie says, it was "weird stuff". I was visiting my friend Nancie and we both used to know this gal name Tracey. Many legit reasons why we're no longer friends with this individual and her family. Those stories are for another time. Basically Tracey only knows how to do waitressing, as she's never done anything else [married since Dec 1981 to an Air Force man] and her years of college now seem a waste. Anyhow ... who'd have thought she'd be working in the nice restaurant, which is part of the Mt Vernon estate. Neither Nancie or I, that's for damn sure. We got to Mt Vernon Saturday afternoon at 2pm and were hungry for some lunch. Figured we'd eat a quick bite before touring George Washington's beloved home. I might add its quite a busy place. One of Nancie's co-workers told us that the restaurant [not the food court] serves a delicious peanut soup. We walk in to find a bar with seating to the right & in back. Gal at the bar says we have to go around the bar, to the left and up some stairs to be seated properly in restaurant. It was as I'm heading towards the stairs that I recognize Tracey looking down at some "checks". [Hadn't seen her since 1996.] My whole system jolts and I keep on walking past her and up the stairs. Nancie is behind me the whole time. Tracey must of looked up after I pasted her [I never said a word] and saw Nancie. I heard her say behind me ... "Nancie!" ... I vaguely hear Nancie reply "Oh My God!!!". Nancie dislikes her as much as I do, ever since Tracey invited herself and children to Sam's [Nancie & Tims son] bar mitzvah back in early to mid 1990s. Typical of Tracey, thinks she's being cute, but is actually terribly rude. Anyhow, her daughter Connie took all the disposable cameras home with her from the bar mitzvah. She even admitted it to Nancie! Yet when Nancie called Tracey a day later, she gets shit from Tracey and never saw those cameras [with pix of son's bar mitzvah] ever again. I remember Tracey telling me about it and I was upset. [She thought it funny. Stupid bitch] Told Tracey off big time, said she should of done the honorable thing and fessed up, plus send the camera's back to Nancie. Okay ... enough of that ... so I keep walking [and shaking] until I get to Mt Vernon gift shop, turn around and Nancie is pulling up the rear. Nancie told me after she uttered OMG! she kept on walking too and never looked back. We're both upset and saying ... "lets get the hell out of here" ... stood there debating cause we were so hungry. So finally we said "screw it, lets eat at food court near gift shop and then leave". The food court is very much separate from the restaurant. After a quick lunch of crab cake sandwiches, french fries & bottled water, we left Mt Vernon to tour another plantation/estate. [Woodlawn -- which we greatly enjoyed.] It took over an hour for my darn nerves to calm down. Both Nancie and I agreed Tracey looked like crap. Too many years of sitting in the sun [tanning], bad eating habits, dysfunctional married life and not taking care of oneself does take a toll. She's only two years older than me. So, there you have it in a nutshell.

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Today, in the mail at work, I received a wonderful parcel of Pearl Jam goodies from sweet and thoughtful Kim in Michigan. WooHoo! Rock on girl! It consisted of the new CD called LOST DOGS, which is of the bands rarities, plus a very detailed RIOT ACT tour 2003 journal by Kim herself. [ie: photos, setlists, etc] Back in June she saw the band four times in concert with Josee, Liam and Melissa. All buddies from the Yahoo Group IRWTpt2. I am touched and honored to receive a copy of this journal. Thank you Kim!

While still on subject of Pearl Jam, there is this young [probably mid 20s] chap who rides my subway in the AM and believe me he looks alot like sexy Jeff Ament [PJ bass player]. Only difference is he's younger than Jeff and his hair is fashioned into dreadlocks. Woooof!

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DENNIS KUCINICH RECOMMENDS THIS BOOK

"The Five Biggest Lies Bush Told Us About Iraq," by Christopher Scheer, Lakshmi Chaudhry and Robert Scheer. It is an insightful and incisive primer exposing the misinformation campaign George Bush's White House used to secure the support of Congress, the media, and a majority of Americans for a preemptive invasion and occupation of Iraq.

http://www.alternet.org/fivelies">http://www.alternet.org/fivelies">http://www.alternet.org/fivelies

DOES AMERICA WANT WOMEN TO REGISTER FOR DRAFT?

At a recent Planned Parenthood forum in New Hampshire, John Kerry, Wesley Clark, and Howard Dean supported requiring 18-year-old women to register for the military draft, as 18-year-old men are now required to do. Dennis Kucinich opposed this further expansion of war into our culture. He favors working to eliminate mandatory draft registration for men. Here's a transcript:

http://www.kucinich.us/cand_on_draft_for_women.php