Sunday Night SOC...

-- I'm covering the Sunday night shift for a vacationing co-worker. The phone's been ringin' in above-average mode for a Sunday night tonight. Well, I've been putting out the fires as they have flared up so far (crossing fingers.)


-- Weather forecast for the next two days, both of which I am off work: They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad...bleh...

-- Speaking of weather, a warm front and a cold front have been butting heads 'round the St. Louis area all weekend long and it's been scattered storms today. I hate that Chili-dog has to be home alone tonight--local radar shows heavy weather right over my little corner of St. Louis County. She gets visibly upset, as most dogs do, in times of storms. The bathroom rugs and (if I don't close my bedroom door) my bedroom rugs bear the brunt of her anxiety. Fortunately I remembered to close my door before I left tonight. She got a visit from St. Louis Pet Sitters tonight so that's a bit of relief.

-- Tried out the new McAlister's Deli that has opened near my house. Was not overly impressed. They do same basic thing that Quizno's and Bellacino's and Subway does, just with a wider selection of sandwiches and sides. I got a 6-inch toasted roast-beef and cheddar sub with a side of mac and cheese and a nice big cup-o-Sprite for $8.00 and change.

-- I rented "Juno" last night. Not a bad little movie. Ellen Page was good in the title role, but I really liked J.K. Simmons in his role as the dad. I have always liked him whenever he popped up as a psychiatrist on Law & Order. He's one of those low-key character actors that brings a lot of believability to whatever role he plays.

-- Tragic scene near my house yesterday - a woman suffered a seizure while driving past a bus stop at South County Center shopping mall. Her car ran over several people at the bus stop and landed on a parked car behind it. One teenager is dead and several others were injured. You just never know when your time's coming, folks. What if that kid could have known when he woke up in the morning that his life would be over in a few hours?

-- Ominous rumblings from the intersection of Arsenal and Pestalozzi streets in St. Louis. Anheuser-Busch is **reportedly** being pursued for merger by a foreign beer conglomerate. A-B is very much the heart and soul of the St. Louis economy and I hope they can successfully fend off their pursuers. I find it interesting that this news was first reported in an internet blog. Wouldn't have happened like that even 5 years ago. 5 years ago, most people thought a blog was the sound you made whilst driving the porcelain bus.

-- I really, really hope that gas doesn't hit $4.00 a gallon this week. That will SO freak me out. Don't you think that somehow, somewhere, the Middle East oil barons are having a prolonged good laugh at our expense? I was amused that our Congress held another committee meeting to publicly flog Big Oil's CEOs last week. You can do that as much as you want, boys, but guess what: THEY DON'T CARE. We're gonna keep on buying what they sell, no matter what the price.

-- YAYIAMHAPPY that the Cardinals took 2 of 3 games from the Padres and Dodgers. They're hanging in there. ESPN.com commented that we have a fearsome 3-4 combo in Pujols and Ludwick.

That's all for now.