Upgrading Wordpress. If everything ends up deleted, it’s because I’m a big, stupid idiot. If everything works, that’s just because I’m a genius.

I moved to Lynn (City of Sin), Massachusetts a few years back and have been very happy here. I’ve watched the city progress more and more every year and one of the only critical things the local newspaper has written about our mayor is that he doesn’t eat at enough local restaurants. Working at a newspaper that covers four cities (not Lynn) and seeing the actions and missteps of three mayors and a town manager, I think that’s not too shabby. Despite being here for only a few years, I have developed massive pride in my city and its constant improvements. My neighborhood could hardly be called a “ghetto,” it’s far from it, and it is a diverse mix of many ethnicities (We take pride in being the only Italians in da ‘hood). Believe it or not, food is cheaper in the local Stop & Shop, my car insurance went DOWN (seriously) and we have neighbors we can actually talk to, unlike in my old neighborhood where they were all complete assholes. Even the police were much more responsive and helpful when our house got broken into than when I had to deal with the police in our old town when my car got stolen.

So you can imagine how pissed off I was when I read about State Rep. Doug Peterson’s statement that Lynn children must be educated so they will make better employees for all the children, also referred to as “the future Captains of Industry,” in nearby Swampscott. I first read about this earlier in the week in Lynn’s local paper (I’d link to that one but it requires login), but their story lacked the quintessential elitist comments from 14-year-old Darlene who refers to Lynn as “Ghetto.”

Who really cares what Doug Peterson thinks of Lynn? I don’t, but it is a problem when Mr. Peterson also represents a Ward in Lynn. This is what he thinks of his constituents? He tries to liken it to John Kerry’s statement about the troops in Iraq. Yes, Kerry’s statements that effectively knocked him out of the 2008 Presidential election. Unfortunately, with most of Peterson’s voters coming from the ultra-elitist Marblehead, I don’t think he’ll have much of a problem being re-elected when his time comes.

The State Department warns Americans to be careful overseas.

Today, I thought I saw a butterfly. I smiled, that is, until I realized it wasn’t a butterfly but just a piece of garbage being carried by the wind.

I couldn’t even imagine the great Troy Brown playing anywhere but New England. A Sports Illustrated article today mentions Troy’s desire to continue playing, period. I know the drill, “the NFL is a business,” yadda, yadda. I understand the Patriots’ newfound depth at wide receiver. Please, please allow Troy Brown to finish his career here, with us, his loyal fans that have watched him from day one.

I’ve mentioned how much Troy Brown means to me in the past. He’s not a flashy player like Randy Moss or T.O. He’s not going to go down in NFL history as the greatest receiver of all time. He’s just one of those guys that makes the big plays when they count the most. Like in the AFC Championship, way back in the day, before talk of dynasty, before any Super Bowl Championships…. Troy Brown, being tackled, laterals the ball to Antwan Harris who ran it in for a touchdown.

According to Wikipedia, Troy is currently the longest-tenured athlete in Boston professional sports. He’s taken pay cuts to stay here, he’s played nearly every aspect of the game, including being listed as a backup QB!

I don’t think I could imagine Troy playing on another team. I’d hate to see him go.