Yeah, that’s what I’m doing: waiting for the farrier. And, around here, it’s kind of like waiting for Godot. Tick, tock, tick, tock. But the good farriers are few and far between so you just keep waiting and keep hoping that the fine fella will come and put the winter shoes on my boys. We’ve got work to do, you know. Trees to pull. Sleds to pull. And fun to be had.

So, while I wait for the sound of his truck to pull up, let’s blog. Ready. Set. Go.

My Brother the Rock Star: I just learned from my brother’s blog that he’s written the introduction to Lee Ranaldo’s new book . Yeah, Lee Ranaldo, as in: Lee Ranaldo from Sonic Youth fame (and a wee bit of fortune). Damn, why is it that older brothers have all the fun? But it gets better. The artwork for the book was done by Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets fame. As some of you may remember, my alter ego from last year, Snarky Boy, attended the Meat Puppets concert in Burlington and had plenty of good things to say about it. Congrats, bro. And, since you failed to get me the free tix to either the Sonic Youth or Meat Puppets concerts, I look forward to a signed copy of the book (hint, hint).

Cheap Bastards: I loaded up on newspapers yesterday on my way to court. The last thing I wanted to happen was to be stuck conversing with the old bastards I was arrested with. Just kidding, Boots and Will. Included in the stack was the Wall Street Journal, one of my favorite papers (no kidding). If you can hold your nose – or keep your sides from splitting from the laughter – while getting through its “opinion” pages, it’s a pretty good paper as far as pretty good papers go.

But I wasn’t laughing while reading Andy Laperriere’s op/ed entitled “No Bailouts for Borrowers.” In it, Mr. Laperriere is rip snort over the calls for legislation that would aim to help the homeowners who are on the edge of foreclosure due to the slimy practices of certain loaners of late. Funny, isn’t it, that the Wall Street Journal didn’t mind it when the federal government started forking over billions of dollars to help prop up the slimy loaners? They thought that was just fine. In fact, they called it a necessary step to “stabilize the markets.” But when it comes to a rather benign action like holding the foreclosure agents at bay for 90 days, the Wall Street Journal and its knuckle-dragging opinionators scream holy-hell about a waste of taxpayers’ money.

It kind of reminds me of certain war policies. You know, like handing over billions of dollars to rogue military contractors but then asking soldiers who get their legs blown off to return a few thousands dollars of their sign-up bonuses because they didn’t “complete their tour.” Bastards. No, make that: Shameless bastards.

Zapping the Elderly: Speaking of the Wall Street Journal, they also had a very bizarre – and disturbing – article entitled “The Graying of Shock Therapy.” Yep, it’s about the growing use of shock therapy on the elderly to literally zap them out of depression. The article features 93-year-old Ida Galvanoni who had this to say after three-shocks-a-week since October:

I’m smiling more now; I can see it in myself. I don’t get so distraught.

Sorry, but this is more than a bit disturbing, especially when you consider this eerie note of caution on the practice of zapping the elderly from the article:

One concern is the risk of administering shocks to someone who is actually suffering from dementia rather than depression.

Yeah, that would suck. And why don’t you waterboard them for some family secrets while you’re at it?

But, don’t worry, the medical profession is all over this one. A doctor from the University of Toronto, for example, told the Wall Street Journal that “elderly patients should be carefully monitored for confusion after [shock] treatment.” You think?

Hey Mom, as soon as you get back from that bus tour to Nashville, let’s stick your finger in the socket….

Seven Days Nails It: Mike Ives of Seven Days has filed a great story about the protests at the military recruiting centers last Friday. I guess we were lucky that the increasingly cantankerous, meandering and navel-gazing Peter Freyne wasn’t available to attend. Whew. Ives beautifully captures the mood of the event and puts a well-deserved spotlight on 15-year-old organizer-extraordinaire, Jaz Whitney. It’s just too bad that the feature photo had to include those old bastards. Guess which one is Boots? Hint: Look at the feet. Another hint: He’s A LOT older than I am. Congats, Jaz. And thanks, Mike.

Oops, out of time.

Note to readers: Click on “Go to the Full Blog” for today’s earlier post.