All about me

Me, Simpsonized.

I love my cats Dutch and Maggie. I like my sister's cats. I like my friend's dog. I understand that pets become a part of our lives, and that we are sad, sometimes even despondent, when they die. But I think the idea of elaborate funerals, complete with approved grieving by invited mourners, is a bit much:

Every great catastrophe should have a memorable name. The Great Ice Storm of '08 is OK for a movie title, but a little long for casual conversation. Now we can call it the 10-12 Storm:

Bringing power back to Fort Wayne after the Dec. 19 ice storm will end up costing Indiana Michigan Power Co. $10 million to $12 million.

It's amazing how such a little thing can please us so much:

After missing several days last week, National Serv-All said it is now caught up in trash pick-ups.

Icy weather and the Christmas holiday last week put a large portion of Fort Wayne's trash pickup to a halt as garbage began to pile up at street corners throughout the city. A number of complaints were also called in to The News-Sentinel about the situation.

(Author's note: Several years ago, I had fun writing a serious of columns called "Remembered truths" that examined the wisdom (or lack of it) in familiar proverbs. Following is the one I wrote for New Year's 2001 that took off from "Time and Tide wait for no man." Sometimes, I read my stuff years later and wonder, "What in the world was I thinking?" But sometimes, as with this piece, I find I still like it.)

This is a minor irritation, really, but if I hear about one more "self-titled" album, I'll scream.

There are two movies out at the same time that I want to see enough that I might not wait for the video or cable release, pretty unusual. One is "Marley & Me" from the book by John Grogan. Many of my journalist aquaintances couldn't bear reading the book because the very idea seemed like such maudlin drivel. But I actually liked it.

I was attacked so savagely that I had bleeding wounds. My best girl was so frightened that her bladder gave way. She did it to me, and I did it to her. That's how I spent my Christmas.

Boy, if that isn't the ending that makes you want to know the beginning, just like they taught us in writing school, I don't know what is.

Because:

1. I'm taking a couple of vacation days.

2. I'm one of the thousands of powerless from the ice storm.

3. Christmas,

This will probably be a nearly blog-post-free week.

This sounds so matter of fact and, well, ordinary, doesn't it?

A wintry mix of snow and sleet that switched fully to freezing rain coated roads for area motorists' commutes Friday morning. Allen County authorities this morning have declared a Level 2 emergency.