Well, I brought the Monster with me and it's the first time Jennalise was allowed any time with the Monster. Daddy brought her into the room and she almost immediately left Daddy's arms and walked over to the Monster. Jaemon pulled her back, Tana went and got the video camera, and Jaemon let her go again. Bingo...walked over to the bed again, at which point Monster gave her a big old wet doggie kiss on the lips, and Jaemon and Tana ran screaming from the room shouting something about finding a disinfectant wipe for Jennalise. Not sure what that was all about <grin>. SO I got to see Jennalise's first steps and she got her first Monster kiss!

 

Not a bad day!

As of yesterday, gas prices are the highest in U.S. history—we just passed the 1981 record, even adjusted for inflation. Prices could reach $4.00 per gallon in parts of the country, just in time to crimp summer vacation plans. As consumers suffer, the oil industry continues to reap the windfall—breaking profit records on an almost quarterly basis. It's outrageous!

Enough is enough. Hearings start today on H.R. 1252, a House bill that would make gas price gouging a federal crime, punishable by 10 years in prison. Speaker Pelosi has said she'll move the bill to a vote this week—if there's the two-thirds majority required to fast track the bill through the process.

Oil company lobbyists are frantically trying to stop the bill. Your representative needs to hear from you today. Will you sign our petition asking Congress to pass the price-gouging bill—and then send it to your friends?

Rep Bart Stupak (D-MI), sponsor of the House bill said this of his motivation to introduce the legislation:

In April, more than two-thirds of Americans reported that their gas bills were causing financial crunches, with a full third saying it was having a "serious" impact on their families.

That same month, the top two US companies, Exxon-Mobil and Chevron-Texaco, announced a combined $14 billion in first quarter profits.

^{Please call your reps and ask them to support this bill....}

I added more pictures today to the Tenth Month Album, though some of the photos are really of Jennalise's eleventh month!

 

Spent all day yesterday at the Topanga Canyon Fiddle and Banjo Contest and Folk Festival! What a great day, but also humblimg in terms of how much there is to learn about the banjo. Lots of stuff there to learn. What's great about this festival is the fact that it's only a half hour away. Even better, though, is the fact that not only are there 4 stages with contestants and bands, but lots of impromptu jamming going on all over the grounds. It was held at Paramount Ranch, which is now a National Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. It's the place where many old westerns were filmed, and there is even still an old western town set in the park.

 

I ran into my banjo teacher and a friend from Meeting. I even took my banjo out of its case twice. I'm really self-conscious about playing in front of other people, but twice I found a spot and sat by the side of a tree and did some practice. Some folks even stopped to listen, so I guess this was the first time I've played for someone besides my banjo teacher. I have the same problem with him. I can play really well at home, but then when I go to my lesson I'm all thumbs!

 

It was really funny carrying around the banjo. I felt like a real musician!

Added some new pictures today. Getting close to the first birthday on June 30th!

You can tell it's the end of the semester by the fact I haven't written in this blog in a while. Spent all weekend in a Ministry and Oversight Meeting for PYM, and I took part of Thursday off to watch Jan Iocca graduate as a Physician's Assistant. More mourning for Shar, as Jan had begun the program just a few months before Shar got sick. How Jan's managed to get through it all is amazing. I was really teary eyed...som uch so I couldn't stay around for lunch. Went off into the mountains to cry and remember. The amazing thing about grieving is how it sneaks up on you, often times far from the time and place of loss.

 

Things are going to ramp up now over the next few weeks as we get ready for finals and grading.