Swine Overload

When the news of David Souter retiring hit newsrooms this week, it was like being in the eye of the hurricane that was swine flu news coverage.  Yet again, the 24 hours news cycle turned what should have been a developing story into a full fledged news panic engulfing everything in its midst.  I do pretty well with ignoring most of the hype, but even NPR was taken in with this one.  Thankfully, Souter retiring seemed to give the networks something to talk about besides emergency rooms being flooded with people who did not even have the flu, much less swine flu.

Having lived in New Hampshire during my high school years, I remember well when David Souter was nominated to the Supreme Court.  John Sununu (the older one) left the governorship of the state to become George H.W. Bush's chief of staff.  Within a week of the inauguration, the Seabrook Nuclear power plant was given a license to operate after years of being stalled and it was clear that Sununu was calling the shots from D.C.  Souter was nominated not long after this to the U.S. Supreme Court on the strong recommendations of Sununu and Senator Warren Rudman.  Over the years, Souter has proven to be something of a mystery for the media and politicians alike.  He has a strong dislike for the nation's capitol and flees home to his family's farm in New Hampshire whenever the chance arises.  He rarely speaks in public, does not write books, or lecture like many of his colleagues do.  He does not attend Washington social gatherings of any kind.  He does not have a cell phone nor a computer and drafts his writings with a fountain pen.  Though nominated by a Republican, he has ended up being one of the more liberal members of the Court over the last twenty years.  He was once engaged, but has never married.  There is speculation that he may be gay, but it is merely that; speculation.  To me, he seems like a very classy guy who has worked hard to remain a private person and took his job very seriously.  In today's age of instant celebrity or infamy (think Paris Hilton or Susan Boyle), it is refreshing to find someone who is authentically himself or herself and does not require more than that.  It is also so cool that he is retiring.  Yes, one has a lifetime appointment to the Court, but sometimes there are more important things than power or a job.  If you think about John Paul Stevens who is nearly 90 and still on the bench, I imagine there are days he does not want to go to work.  Anyhow, good luck to you Justice Souter.  You have my respect and admiration.

I have settled back into work after a couple of weeks away.  The nice thing about my job is that it is pretty routine.  Yes, different stuff happens on different days, but the radio traffic never stops and the phones keep ringing.  I have more time off coming in June the week before Gay Pride, so I am looking forward to that.  Each year I donate money to the Film Festival, but inevitably only get to see two or three films because I am working a lot.  This year, I should get to see a bunch and put my gold pass to good use.  

After a couple of weeks of wrangling with realtors and sellers, I have tentative acceptance of an offer I made on a live/work loft in West Oakland.  It is a nice property, very big and open, about two blocks from West Oakland BART.  It is less than ten minutes from the Emeryville Bay Street area and the city is a hop, skip, and a jump across the bridge.  The neighborhood is a little sketchy, but that whole area is gentrifying and it is a good place to invest.  I am now just waiting to hear back from the bank that they will agree to the price, which could take sixty to ninety days.  It is exciting to consider that I may be a homeowner, something I did not think was going to be possible in the Bay Area which I love so much.  So keep your fingers crossed for me and I will keep you all updated.

I am finishing up school this week for the semester.  Now that I taking classes to fill pre-reqs, it is not as fun as mindlessly taking whatever I wanted to before.  Intro to Art was an interesting class these last few weeks whereas Public Speaking was not.  I have enough credits to earn an Associate's degree, but I am short two PE credits.  WTF?  Gym class, which I thought I had comfortably left behind in high school, is haunting me again.  

I am off to hang with my brother who is in town this week.  Hope you are all doing well and had a great weekend.

Cuidate.