01/03/2008

Breaking news from West Chester, OH:

A Miami University student was killed Wednesday in an explosion in the backyard of his parent’s home. Police said a group of teenagers were trying to blow up a two-story, wooden playground set when debris from the explosion hit Daniel Ferraro, 19, a 2006 Lakota East High School graduate.

Police received the call about a loud explosion at the two-story home about 2:20 p.m., according to West Chester Capt. Joel Herzog. Police would not say what kind of explosives were used, but neighbors said the explosion rocked their homes.

But the best part of the article is this:

Butler County Corner Dr. Richard Burkhardt confirmed Ferraro, a Miami sophomore studying psychology, was killed, but said the cause of death has not been determined.

Umm… I’m guessing the cause of death was the explosion that shook houses across the neighborhood. But hey, I’m just a programmer guy, not a forensic pathologist…

01/01/2008

We just watched the movie Stardust with the kids, and it was fantastic. I couldn’t help but compare it to The Princess Bride, for sheer simple enjoyment and the same kind of mix of fantasy, romance, adventure, and humor. I hadn’t even heard of the movie until my friend Dave told me it was a good one, and he was right.

01/01/2008

Happy New Year!

To celebrate the end of 2007, today I’m going to… work on taxes.

Whee! I need to get my corporate finances in order, so I can send them to my accountant (because no mere mortal like me can comprehend the corporate tax code) so he can process them and send them back to me so I can do my personal taxes (with the help of software from the nice folks at H&R Block, because no mere mortal can comprehend the personal tax code either) and in the end, figure out how much I owe. Oh, how I love writing that annual check to the “United States Treasury”, knowing that my money is being spent wisely by our benevolent government.