Of politics and pie

The travelers left at 7:20 this morning. It will be clear and cool for most of the ride, with flurries in the forecast for PEI for the next few days.

We haven't armed our Coast Guard ships on the Maine/New Brunswick border, as was done in the Great Lakes, but it's only a matter of time. Who knows when the bad guys will come charging across the St. Croix River?

Last weekend, Sandra and I went to Boston to see Spamalot and to spend the night at the Parker House. Good show. Could have been better. The all-white audience seemed to have fun. One family brought their four daughters, ages seven through about 17. It seems that some of the material might have been a bit rich for the younger kids, said by one who sang the Lumberjack Song to his grandchildren at bedtime.

We went to Quincy Market for lunch. Outside, on the back steps of Faneuil Hall, Deval Patrick was having a rally. Patrick is a Democratic candidate for governor. He's making a good challenge at the front-runner, Attorney General Tom Reilly. Patrick's speech was clear, forceful, and inspiring, marred only by the pre-recorded applause that punctuated each of his major points. Oh, and, the crowds for the juggler and the escape artist were a bit bigger.

The Parker House looks a bit worn, like an old rug at an estate sale. The room we had was oddly shaped, with the walls higher than they were wide. The Parker House has a lot of history associated with it. Ho Chi Minh worked there in the pre-WWI years, as did Malcom X. Parker House rolls originated there, as did Boston Cream pie. The rolls were that much different from what you'd get from Poppin' Fresh. The pie, though, was nothing like the layers of foam rubber and Cool Whip that passes for pies elsewhere. As lightning is to a lightning bug.

A few days ago, a drug on human subjects went very bad. Six people people were injured, two critically. The tests were conducted at the UK labs of Waltham, Mass.-based Parexel International. A British tabloid tried to find out from Parexel's CEO, Josef von Rickenbach, if the company would issue an apology. A company spokesman said, "He’s too busy to say sorry."

On the way home from work last night, I heard Bob Newhart's "Mrs. Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Company." It's one of the finest bits in comedy delivered by one of the finest comedians.