Knickerbocker Film Festival: Committee Selected

Support your local artsy folks when you attend the Knickerbocker Film Festival! For only $5 (per day), you can attend the inaugural Knickerbocker Film Festival from Feb. 26 – March 4 at the Madison.

The event is run by local film maker and all around good guy, Joe Bonilla. (You know, the guy who never sleeps!) The Knickerbocker Film Festival’s Film Screening Committee is currently in session to select the films to be presented at the festival itself and is a diverse set of perspectives for a diverse set of films,” said BASKnickerbocker Inc. (“BAS”) CEO Joseph M. Bonilla Jr.

The committee is chaired by Joseph A. Alindato, Chief Media Officer for BAS, and consists of the following:

Leah Golby – Albany Common Council Member from the 10th Ward since January 2010.

Luke Gucker – past Democratic, Green, Working Families candidate for Albany’s 11th Ward.

Tammi Landau – executive producer of the upcoming sitcom “Studio 19,” set to launch on UAlbanyTV in late February 2010.

Jane Pearson – Community activist; worked with Gucker’s campaign.

Dustin Lanterman – Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for BASKnickerbocker Inc; Director of Academic Affairs for the UAlbany Student Association, and a senior U.S. history major at UAlbany.

Michael Fennally – Iraq U.S. Army veteran; graduate of UAlbany

Patrick Council – Time Warner Cable representative.

Tremayne Price – Administrative Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for BASKnickerbocker Inc.; Chief of Staff to the President of the UAlbany Student Association, and a sophomore Public Policy major at UAlbany.

The festival, sponsored by the Albany-based BASKnickerbocker, Inc., will be a selection of short films, likely a mix of local and national films. Remember, the tickets are only $5, and part of the proceeds go to support Haitian relief efforts. Attendees will be able to vote for best film, actor, and actress. Come out and support your local theater, local business, and a worthy cause. For more information, go here or here.

 

The Political Flag Raising

I’ve never been to an official flag raising before…never! But, today I went at the invitation of Ron Scott and friends at 45 Central…Townsend Towers. First off, lovely spread. I’m going to hate to see this election season end if the food ends with it.

I waved at Mr. Scott and Mr. Curtis as I crossed the bridge towards the door asking “am I going to be able to get into Fort Knox today?” And the guard at the door popped open the gate. I was happy, I just hate getting locked out. They all showed…Mr. Longo (and a few of his crew), Mr. Breslin, BJ, Luke, Jack Mac, Anton, Mr. O’Neill and Ms. Sheehan.

My buddy George kept an eye on my laptop as I hung with the 4th estate and schmoozed with Albany’s 5th estate. And then came the flag raising…it was great and by great, I don’t mean your ordinary goosebumps style great. I’ll explain.

Now, I don’t know if you know Townsend Towers but they are surrounded by a dry mote (I don’t call it Fort Knox for nothing.) So, the base of the flagpole is one floor below street level and the community room opens onto the patio where the flagpole is situated. It’s actually a very nice space. (Thanks Ron!) Anyway, I find it interesting that so many people pass by and most never even notice what is going on in the “mote.” Until today.

While everyone had their say at the podium, the flag was the main attraction. All the politicos rose together and the flag was raised slowly to the melody of the star spangled banner and it was then that I saw something that I haven’t seen for a long time. Respect.

The peeps on the streets, stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the music and drifted toward the flag and one by one they placed their hand over their heart and stood in silence. Cept for one “street” woman that kept yellin’ into her cell phone…”wha th’hell goin’ on?”

I almost shed a prideful tear as I looked about and saw those that couldn’t easily stand, attempting to stay erect in honor of this piece of fabric and for those whose days are much longer than mine, taking time to share a moment of patriotism with their neighbors.

Of all the events I’ve attended, this is the most genuine pride I’ve witnessed. Thanks, Ron, for inviting me to participate.
(I’ve got a lovely picture to share but no USB cable right now…stay tuned!)

 

Bat Shaped Pancakes and Catsuits

Now, that’s how to win an election. Leave it to Mr.Gucker to host a Halloween breakfast bash over at 45 Central. (If you didn’t already know, Mr. Gucker is a zombie aficionado in addition to being a planning wiz and the most sickeningly logical geek I’ve ever met.)  Oh, be sure to check out the best lit piece I’ve ever seen…I campare to to BJ’s television commercial. Love it!

Unfortunately for me, I woke up at 4AM today which gave me a challenging head start to the day. Why I didn’t get a jump start on my house buying extravaganza, I’ll forever be kicking myself. At 8:27, my stomach started reminding me that it had been awake longer than usual this fine morning. Then, it hit me…I remembered Luke was serving breakfast on over at 45 Central….so I showered and ran.

Now, I don’t know if you know 45 Central but I had only been there once, apparently, it’s similar to Fort Knox because the guy sitting inside the security door wouldn’t lift a finger to get me in. Doesn’t he know who I am? I punched the button as instructed, got the nod from the community room…still the guy sat there. Soon, Mr. Lussier came bounding toward the door. I stuck my tongue out at the “security guard” and made a mental note to pour him the caffienated coffee this morning.

Now, while I may not have been inside this building, I passed by every day on my way to the old office, all the folks sit out front on nice mornings and I say howdy and wave to all of them along my way. One guy even took to walking me to work and buying me coffee….why, cause I’m sweet as hell…mostly. I had really wanted to meet up with one guy in the Central “wave zone.” I heard his name is Sonny but, Sonny apparently wasn’t hungry this morning. Hey, I go where there’s free food! I’m easy.

Oh, and I found out today, from George, the palmreader that I am, indeed….easy. Now, George attempted to make that sound a little better than it was and I think in the end, I had negotiated to “not really easy.” That sounds much better, right? He also told me that I would be “comfortable” in my old age. I like that cause I’m damn sure not “comfortable” now and I’m damn close to being “old aged.” Oh, and you’re never going to believe this, Georgie tells that I can see things clearly that others can’t see clearly (now, mind you, he had never read my blog so he didn’t know I was so damn smart at that point…he has since read it.) And, get this, that I get frustrated with others inability to see the “things” that are so clear to me. Now, that explains a few things.

Also in attendance, Ms. Sheehan, the “I love all candidates candidate.” Really, the chick’s a diplomat and a half. I love the woman. Oh, and I had my first encounter with Mr. Teff. He’s not nearly as imposing without his suit….nice guy. He was pumping up on the coffee with me. Then, I met one of my fans, I’m always surprised when I hear that someone reads this here blog. Oh, and this fan owns my favorite male name, Ron…I have a son named Ron, a Dad named Ron and I’ve had several cats named Ron. Ya see, my Dad used to hate cats and every cat I would bring home I’d name Ron. Now, how could my dad say no to that?

So, Ron is the Dad of the famous witch DJ at the Albany Library…you should have seen that place rockin’ with 850 folks dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” for the last dance of the evening. Sorry, flashback to fun.  Great meetin’ ya, Ron, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon…like Monday.

Anyway, the breakfast had a great turnout and a fun time was had by all…..oh, and they all promised to vote for Mr. Gucker…course, I promised to write bad things about them if they didn’t. (Naw, I’m halfway jokin.) And, of course, I put that line in there for Mr. Konev. Oh yeah, almost forgot to tell you about the cat suits. While the kitchen was packed with volunteers making sausage (Mr. Curtis, sausage king!), bacon and pancakes, two college volunteers (WITH TAILS!!) were serving the residents their food. Now, who would have thought that cat servers on Halloween would be a hit with our seniors?

I will be hanging with the 45 Central Avenue folks on Monday morning at 10AM when they will have a real flag raising ceremony. Everyone who’s anyone will be at that ceremony so be there or be counted among the missing.

 

Gucker Calls Out Konev

I just received the below statement from the Gucker campaign folks, while I’d love to confirm, it seems as if the Board of Elections website is having some issues. Besides, I’ve reported here throughout the campaign that Mr. Konev has been rather lax in his public obligation to follow the same rules are the rest of the candidates…like filing his financial reports.

Statement From Luke Gucker Regarding Missing Campaign Filings

From the beginning of this race I have emphasized my support for campaign finance reform and the repeated offenses by my opponent, Anton Konev, are a testament to how important this is. Much like some of his backers in New York State government, he doesn’t seem to feel like he has to play by the same rules as the rest of us.

In accordance with the law and respect for the transparency our constituents have come to expect and deserve, I have filed all of my campaign finance disclosures on time and accurately. While Mr. Barnes hasn’t raised or spent enough money to merit a filing, and though no longer a candidate Ward Leader Justin Teff has made it a point to file timely disclosures as well, Mr. Konev is now nearly a week late with the most recent legally required disclosure.

These disclosure statements are critical in helping voters understand where candidates get their support and how they spend their money. The 11-day pre-general disclosure is particularly important, given that Mr. Konev hosted a fundraiser less than two weeks ago. The public deserves to know from whom he raises his money, and how he has spent it. This is not the first time Mr. Konev has failed to file his reports on time, and one can only wonder if this type of blatant violation off the law is what we can continue to expect out of him should he be elected to office.

I am calling on Anton Konev to release his 11-day pre-general campaign finance filing and show the voters of the 11th Ward the respect they deserve.

 

WFP restates Gucker Endorsement

Perhaps you remember my post from yesterday when I spoke of Anton Konev’s usurping of the WFP endorsement in his campaign literature. Yeah, I was a bit unhappy about it. Seems that WFP might not be too happy with it either. Here’s today’s release from Ms. Scharff:

Karen Scharff, co-chair of the Capital District chapter of the Working Families Party states that Luke Gucker, a candidate for Albany Common Council member from the 11th ward was endorsed by the WFP in June 2009. Any implication or statement by any other candidate that the WFP endorsed a different candidate is wrong and misleading. Capital District WFP members interviewed both Luke Gucker and Anton Konev as part of their comprehensive endorsement process.

“The Capital District WFP recommended Gucker for endorsement because of his thoughtful, comprehensive understanding of the issues facing this city especially when it comes to city planning, community redevelopment and long range financial budgeting, ” said co-chair Karen Scharff. Gucker has a background in urban planning.

Gucker will appear on the Working Families Party line, i.e., Row E, in the November 2009 election. WFP’s endorsement process is a pioneering, grassroots process that helps hold politicians accountable to regular, working people.

In accepting this endorsement Gucker stated that, ” I sought the WFP’s endorsement because of my respect for them as a progressive party that sticks to its roots and consistently argues for issues that are near to my heart. They are also a party of integrity… I respect their guts for standing up to strong opposition in order to achieve progressive goals.”

 

Working Families Confusion in the 11th

I’m confused. I swear that the Working Families Party endorsed Luke Gucker in the Common Council race for the 11th Ward. Let me check…oh yeah, here it is…

Working Families Party of New York
I sought the WFP’s endorsement because of my respect for them as a progressive party that sticks to its roots and consistently argues for issues that are near to my heart. They are also a party of integrity, the WFP goes out of its way to ensure that only progressive candidates get their nod and try to protect their line from getting co-opted which would dilute the potency of their message.

I respect their ability to organize on multiple levels, I respect their use of influence to further a progressive agenda, and I respect their guts for standing up to strong opposition in order to achieve progressive goals.

While I don’t share Luke’s perspective on the WFP, I do have concern that Anton Konev seems to be attempting to usurp Mr. Gucker’s endorsement in a most “ungentlemanly” way. Seems that his latest campaign materials might be a little misleading to a few of our citizens…namely, working family party peeps and supporters. Why go through an endorsement process if any candidate can use their name…sure, “working families” is rather generic but…for Mr. Konev to use it with his mountains of claimed experience as a “candidate” is willfully misleading and desperate.

Now, we should also remember that Mr. Konev has always had close ties to Mr. Ellis, the Mayoral WFP candidate even publishing tons of pictures of he and Obama Jr….did “Obama’s annointed one” bestow a special endorsement upon his leige? (Hey, it’s within the scope of special powers gained through a direct connect with the lord.)

You see, (if you didn’t follow the link) Mr. Konev’s lit is entitled, Albany Working Families Support Anton Konev. Hmmm…What kind of crap is that? Why isn’t the WFP calling him on the carpet? Or are they, I’d love to know.

I guess this should be expected by a candidate who claims that, as an “aide” in Assemblyman Peter Rivera’s office, he is responsible for passing statewide legislation. Yeah, I was even surprised with that claim and I wasn’t alone.

Mr. Konev has, once again, proven that he can not make it through an entire campaign without embarrassing himself, his “party” and his supporters. Bad, and unethical, decision Anton…is this this how you had intended to legislate?

 

The "Gentleman’s" Race: 11th Ward

I attended the common council debates between candidates for the 10th ward (Leah Goldby and Jimmy Scalzo) and the candidates of the 11th ward (Justin Teff, Ken Barnes, Luke Gucker and Anton Konev). Before the actual debatin’ of the 11th ward began, I was informed by one or more of the candidates, that the four had met and agreed that this race was to be a gentleman’s race. No dirty tricks…no negative campaigning….on a handshake (like gentlemen) it was agreed.

The smiling candidates were in unison, agreeing…may the best man win. All the while, listening to their stances, I kept my afternoon’s discussion with one of the candidates in the back of my head…”I can’t turn in Luke for Hatch Act violations, ACO, but you can.” Yeah, like I would do anything like that. Have you been listening to me?

That seemed a little dirty to me, considering they had all agreed to play a fair game. Geez, I thought, a gentleman would have gone to Luke and said, “hey, have you spoken with your emmployer to be sure there aren’t any problems with the Hatch Act?”

So, I wasn’t shocked when this same candidate made a “gentleman’s” phone call to Mr. Gucker to give him a heads up that he was going to challenge his independent nominating petitions for the Green Party Line. Wanna know why he is challenging? I thought you would.

You see, Mr. Gucker used a form identical to the petition he used for the democratic party line except that he changed the party from Dem to Green. Now, this “ungentlemanly” candidate challenging the petitions says that Mr. Gucker, technically, should have the words “11th Ward” in the petition. Now come on, Anton, woops, I mean, gentleman candidate, Luke has his 11th ward address on the petitions and he is gathering signatures in the 11th ward.

Now, what good does this do the challenging candidate…huh? Mr. Gucker has already secured the Working Families Party line, he is in the primary for the Dems and he has secured enough signatures to secure the Green Party line (a challenging task in itself considering there are four candidates in the 11th ward.) Reminds me of the Little Miss Faust challenge. Things like this, petty things, stay with a candidate long after the election…kinda like the image of a candidate peeing on a public street is an image that sticks with a candidate…can’t shake that kind of thing. The public, they may not know how you voted on the budget, but they remember your humiliation and they remember bullying. Why, cause they can relate to those things…they can’t relate to a vote on the budget.

So, if the ungentlemanly candidate had done a little research, he would have discovered that this situation has come up before (CICCOTTI v. HAVEL 186 A.D.2d 979) and it was determined that the petitions stand. So, my little petty ungentlemanly candidate who refuses to acknowledge that Mr. Gucker is a superior candidate by Albany standards has proven his insecurities and, I might be so bold to add, has made it obvious who he considers the front runner in the 11th ward race.

 

11th Ward….Most Impressive

On the card for the 11th ward this evening: Justin Teff, Ken Barnes, Luke Gucker and perpetual candidate, Anton Konev.

Teff introed himself as a worker’s comp attorney, Barnes seemed a good old school guy, works for a grocery store (I don’t want to get that wrong so I’m not even going to pretend I captured that info), Gucker works for the DEC (website dude), believes in active participatory government, innovative idea, stronger code enforcement and public safety with a community focus and Konev, Russian immigrant, claimed to have been instrumental in passing legislation in his role in Asssemblyman Rivera’s office, he is an advocate for public access television and active in neighborhood watch.

And the questions were:
How will you deal with the diverse population of this ward?
Teff: lists different pop groups and says he works with students and homeowners together.
Barnes: He is a 28 year resident and a St. Rose grad…he is a team player and he can make it happen.
Gucker: Diversity needs to be enhanced and the the needs of each sector need to be identified. We need to acknowledge that many students have little respect for the rentals they live in and that they need to be responsible for the trashing they’ve done and the disrespect to this city.
Konev: Seniors and disabled need more accessible areas.

What do you think of the convention center situation and the Solid Waste Management Issue?
Barnes: He is against the convention center and the hotels are only full during the bar exam. We need to revisit the ANSWERS program.
Gucker: Before we even think about a convention center we need a transportation system that can handle transportation to and throughout the city. Until we earn the position of establishing a CC we shouldn’t have one. On the landfill, the expansion is morally reprehensible. We need to look at who is throwing and separate the streams.
Konev: opposed to convention center and he wants a community college downtown.
Teff: he agrees with Luck. the Landfill dealt with and we must reduce dependence on the landfill for revenue….working in Obama “we must reduce our dependence eon “foreign garbage” and combine that with a reuse/recycle program. He is not in favor of the CC but, if it does go through, he insists on a community benefit agreement. (I believe he is working on something like that now.)

What can we do to better the education in Albany? (I’m paraphrasing completely…doodling with my blackberry at the time.)
Kovev: Stop placing the blame game and look at similarities rather than differences (Anton used his time to complete the previous question so I got a little lost on this one.)
Teff: Since the School system seperated from the city the CC doesn’t have a lot of say but one thing is that we need to stop the charter schools.

THEN…a shout from the audience (and it wasn’t the woman from the radio commercial) “Then build a better school!”

Teff again: That takes money…he does go on but I got bored…sorry.
Barnes: the blame for they education system goes to everyone in the city. Some of our teachers, well, they shouldn’t be teachers (Finally…someone said it out loud!!)
Gucker: Education doesn’t end when the school bell rings. We have interconnected problems…crime/lack of services are related. Gucker does indeed have a problem with Charter Schools as they don’t serve special needs kids so they cherry pick students, draw off the funding for education and leave the kids that take the greater amount of time and money with the public school system. I like this guy.

Now, Luke remains standing…you see, he was skipped to answer a question first…the other candidates agree and finally convince the LWV moderator that he had indeed been skipped…and he gets the next question (like that’s something a normal person would fight for…did I say I like this guy?)

How would you address the public safety issues in our city:
Gucker: Universal design – bikes are designated as modes of transportation and should never be on the sidewalk…this is an issue. Dragging feet on the bike lanes is irresponsible.
Konev: work for blind and wheelchair accessiblitiy.
Teff: Quality of life begin with the sidewalk. The cracks in the sidewalk reflect life in the neighborhood. He also says we can’t have community policing because we can’t force those guys to walk in an Albany weather…a few groans from the audience on that one….hey, dude, I walk in the winter.
Barnes: we need more bike paths, sewer systems are bad, roads are bad…jaywalking is bad…everyone needs to be courteous to everyone else.

After the Ghost Tickets issue, what’s next?
Teff: I hope nothing. We need responsive government.
Barnes: Hope there’re no more issues. We need to be more proactive as a city. More ethical.
Gucker: Hope there’s not another and he questions the role fo the common council in future investigations as that’s not their expertise. If there were to be issues…perhaps they would involve the budget process….not that there’s any on the horizon but could involve contract issues…not that there’s anything but…perhaps allocation of IDA funds.
Konev: Could be issues with developer perks from campaign funds, afd diversity issues (who reads your blog, ACO?)

What will be your number one issue?
Barnes: Give code enforcement teeth.
Gucker: People must feel safe on the streets, pay attention to what’s working and preserve and enhance those practices. Have a more community oriented way of thinking.
Konev: Comprehensive planning and common council efficiency.
Teff: Vacant buildings were mentioned as his issue of choice. (You know that’s one of my “faves” so I couldn’t help but being a little critical of his summary…I won’t elaborate.)

Closing
Konev: He supports Higgins legislation at county level to channel energies (sorry, I didn’t understand his answer…I’m trying.)
Gucker: We need to start looking at what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. This is about the big picture but we need to concentrate on the details as well. Everyone, not just the elected officials need to help…this…tonight, with the people all coming out here to listen to this debate…is the beginning of Democracy in Action. (Did I mention I like this guy? I think he’s my long lost son.)
Barnes: We must work to be more efficient as a council. Don’t raise taxes and ask city employees their ideas on where to save money, as Luke said, everyone in the community has ideas…we need to listen.
Teff – I hate to be the guy standing between the audience and dinner and American Idol.

So, there you have it. My clear winner is Mr. Gucker…Luke. I look forward to following his political career and I’m not sure that Mr. Bentson would have made the same statement to this candidate as he did to Mr. Quayle so many years ago…this guy is going places and I hope he takes the city along for the ride.

Judge for yourself.

 

Senator, You’re No Jack Kennedy

Remember back to 1988? Awww..the thrill of debate. Lloyd Bentson deflated Dan Quayle’s sails with this one…but all was not lost for Mr. Quayle. (Thank goodness for America!)

I hope I haven’t got my sights set too high for tonight’s debate but I’m certainly looking forward to it. I just love Mr. Scalzo’s words of wisdom and my pen will be poised to capture them. (And Remember, JC, my recording doesn’t give you an excuse to sit home and eat ice cream!)

Be there, tonight, at 6:30…details contained in the release below.

The League of Women Voters (LOWV) and the Pine Hills Neighborhood Association (PHNA) are proud to announce they will be jointly hosting debates between the Common Council candidates for the Democratic Primary in the 10th and 11th Wards of mid-town Albany. A series of moderated forums will take place on August 5th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the First Lutheran Church in the Pine Hills Neighborhood, located at 181 Western Avenue.

Neighbors from both Wards will be joined by the six candidates that have currently submitted petitions for the two offices. In the 10th Ward, challenger Leah Golby will face off against incumbent Councilman James Scalzo. The 11th Ward is lining up to be a very exciting four-way race between Ken Barnes, Luke Gucker, Anton Konev and Justin Teff. Candidates will be available for prior to, and for a brief period following, the event to meet with voters and press.

The neighborhood has several important issues that will likely be addressed including rising public safety concerns, zoning and code enforcement, abandoned buildings, infrastructure issues, and many more. Questions will be submitted from residents and the League of Women Voters will moderate.

See ya there…lj is determined to clear his calendar for the event as well.

 

Date Night With LJ

Oh the hectic life of a community activist….LJ actually has that on his resume, community activist. We both had a few meetings yesterday, mine went more smoothly than his but he didn’t have to sit through a solid waste management meeting. Honestly, the SWMP meeting wasn’t nearly so bad. They had some Italian guys there, really from Italy not from Pine Hills, from a company called EcoDeco. I must say…I heard the word “wasetess” in my dreams. I love the language…and I loved their product. Completely natural solid waste management with a revenue generating concrete company buying the final product. Gotta love it for a mere $64 million start up. I’d give ’em $65 million if they just keep saying “wastess.” I hear Mr. Commisso, Jr was in the mix in this invite…good job, youngin’.

I went home and had some spaghetti and home made Italian bread. Then, lj and I hooked up and headed down to the Young Dems “meet and greet” to keep our friend, Mr. Calsolaro company. We don’t like him being lonely. Unfortunately, I missed BJ. But, hey, I had to eat!

The greet was held at P&H, perhaps you remember them from previous posts. This, of course, was my first hesitancy on attending the meeting, but I muscled through as so many had requested my attendance. (More on that later.) Of course, Mr. Ellis was there, Anton, Luke, Mr. Higgins (always fun to have around), Mr. Ruichuiti, Mr. Levine (twas a library reunion!), Mr. Curtis (photographer extraordinaire), Janie, Carolyn was still around…let’s see, I’m not sure we met anyone else (I know I did but sorry, don’t remember many names…oh yeah, Mr. Carlos Gonzales was there too.) Of course, with Mr. Curtis taking pictures, lord knows whose campaign materials I’ll be showing up in! See BJ, you could have added to your BJ and ACO collection!

All in all, it was a fun evening, until, the Pinto and Hobbs “manager,” Jess followed me across the street when I left, pacing quickly behind me, huffing and puffing….hard to keep up with long legs…huh, Ms. P. She calls my name…”aco?,” I turn around…”What makes you think you can come in my bar?” I responded with, “Well, I was invited.” (Hey, I didn’t order anything…figured she couldn’t double charge me if I didn’t order anything!) She says, “Don’t you ever come in my bar again.” Now, not that I plan on going anyplace where they fraudulently up my bill but I say, “I’ll go where I want to.” Good come back, huh? Felt like I was in sixth grade with the playground bully chasing me.

Now, I should have thought a bit more quickly, I should have said, “perhaps the real owner of the property would be in a better position to make such a demand since you, Jess, are no longer the owner of the establishment and merely a squatter.”

So, all in all, it was a fun night, Jess is always good for a laugh, I’m sure the Young Dems didn’t plan on having the event in an establishment where the manager restricts their guest list.

Sorry I missed ya, BJ!

Technology has cursed me again today. Be patient (I keep telling myself.) Oh, and since the tech issues are plaguing me, I’ll have to post pics in the future…later today…I hope. Tonight, I have caucus and the final draft of the VIP/Ghost Ticket release on the dance card. See ya there.

Update: The TU’s JCE and Mr. McFartfinger have freed up my dance card…there is NOT a caucus NOR is there a ghost ticket meeting.