Ending On A High Note

Even though I had just returned from a wonderful First Communion party, yesterday evening was on a decidedly downward trend. First I watched the Celtics get blown out. (Quick analysis: Rondo and Garnett have to dominate their match-ups and they didn't do that. But, if you're going to lose a game, Game 1 of a 7-game series when you are on the road is the one you can most afford to lose. Not flipping out... yet.) Then I powered up my computer to discover that, despite not even being turned on for about 24 hours, it had picked up a particularly nasty computer virus. It was the kind which poses as virus-scanning software, says it can eliminate all your viruses for a small fee and only seems to get worse the more you try and get rid of it. After three hours it had gotten to the point I couldn't even get online because it would just high jack all my other systems. After fighting with my computer until almost ten o'clock and feeling incredibly frustrated, I went downstairs to download virus-killing software onto a memory stick via my laptop. It was at this point I learned Osama Bin Laden was killed. Suddenly my computer virus didn't seem like such a big deal.

Now look, I know in the grand scheme of the world this actually doesn't change anything. Gas is still $4 a gallon and unemployment remains near double-digits. Plus, it's not like all the other terrorists are going to pack up and go home: crazy people don't stop being crazy when a leadership void is created - they just start following a different crazy person. I understand this doesn't even make us all that much safer, a point Fox News was more than happy to keep hammering home. [Sidebar: you know Fox News, even though it happened under someone else's watch you are allowed to be happy that Bin Laden is dead. I know you've spent the last 2 years telling anyone who will listen that Obama is a socialist Muslim bent on destroying the US from the inside and you've got to be getting frustrated because since that hasn't happened yet you're starting to seem like raving liars, but good news is still good news. If this happened when Bush II was in office you would have spent the night debating whether to put his face on the $5 or the $10. Really, is there anything Obama can do to make you lighten up?] So, no, it doesn't change much, but at least it makes some people feel better.

My only complain with the entire night was when Obama came out of his prep room and down the hall: he was way too formal. Dude, strut a little. Hell, you earned it. He could have even thrown a little spin in when he got to the podium and no one would have said shit. If there was ever a day to use up some executive privileges, this was it. Then again, this is the same man who gave the order on Friday, went down to Alabama that afternoon to meet with victims of the storms, flew back to D.C. Saturday morning and sat through the entire correspondent's dinner listening to jokes about Osama still being able to evade capture and didn't even crack a "Just wait a day, assholes" smirk the entire event. Remind me never to play poker with that man.

After being glued to the TV for a couple hours I came upstairs to watch more coverage in bed, having completely forgotten about my computer virus. However, I remembered when I saw my computer screen and the message window on it. Only this time, it was the actual virus scanning software I have installed on my computer, not a virus posing as it. And the message was letting me know that I had a virus, but if I would like this taken care of, they could easily remove it. (Again, would have been nice if McAfee could have erased it before the virus rendered my computer as useful as a paper weight for several hours, but I'm not going to nitpick.) So, my Sunday went through a bit of a lull towards the end there, but I guess all's well that ends well.