They say a man’s home is his castle. Some take this a bit too literally. (Hat tip: Alex.)

Late last week, the House and Senate approved the final version of an energy bill that includes a provision extending Daylight Saving Time by a month. The bill is now on President Bush’s desk, and he says he will sign it. So, it’s as good as official: DST will start three weeks early and end one week late, starting in 2007.

The DST extension was cut in half from two months because of complaints from the airlines that it would disrupt international flight schedules, of all things. (It’s good to know that Congress is on the side of the little guy, as usual. Heh.)

I meant to post this quote two weeks ago, as I figured the local anti-Daylight Saving Time denizens would appreciate it, but then I forgot all about it, what with the various hardware and website crises that have befallen my digital world recently. But now it’s newly relevant, so here it is:

I think Washington likes DST because, having regulated everything else, it now wants to regulate time. (Maybe next year it can regulate space, and form a continuum.) At least the Jacobins, for all their calendar-related crimes, did not claim that they were making the sun shine longer. It takes a 21st-century American congressman to utter such nonsense.

Heh. Indeed.

But, hey, at least Congress has good, solid reasons for making this change:

[Co-sponsor Fred] Upton [(R-Mich.)] noted that the extension means daylight-saving time will continue through Halloween, adding to safety.

“Kids across the nation will soon rejoice,” he said, as they get another hour of daylight trick-or-treating.

Oh yes, the kids will rejoice… but what of their parents, the actual voters? What will you tell your constituents when their children, and indeed children all across America, are stricken with unprecedented sugar highs come Halloween 2007, all because of your DST bill?!? Their blood sugar will be on your hands, Congressman!!! :)

Then there’s this, from fellow co-sponsor Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

“The beauty of daylight-saving time is that it just makes everyone feel sunnier.”

LOL! God bless America…

P.S. South Bend Tribune columnist Jack Colwell says this whole thing is Mitch Daniels’s fault — and also the South Bend Tribune’s fault, in a way.

P P.S. Bush may be slightly perturbed that he was unable to get this provision passed. :)

I like music. I like it a lot. I like lots of different kinds of music, too. I’m going through a distinct country phase right now, but I also enjoy music from just about every genre: pop, rock, alternative, folk, classical… even the occasional rap or heavy metal song. And of course, I hold a special place in my heart for all manner of Celtic, Irish, or Canadian Maritime music. :)

But I don’t blog about music very much. I suppose this is because it’s hard to put into words what I feel about a song, even a song that I really really like at the moment, even a song that moves me or that I think is utterly brilliant. I’m not a music critic, after all, just a listener. I like what I like, and I don’t like what I don’t like, and to the extent that I have anything to share with others about my musical tastes, it’s usually along the lines of, “Hey, listen to this!”

Which brings me to this post. It occurred to me the other day that perhaps I should start an occasional feature listing a few songs I like right now, thus inviting commentary, ridicule, or whatever else y’all might like to say about my chosen tunes. Who knows, maybe I’ll even inspire someone to download one or two of ‘em (legally, of course!).

Country-haters won’t have much use for my playlists at this particular point in time, but because this is me, that will inevitably change eventually. I’ve always been prone to obsessive “phases,” both in my musical tastes and in my interests and hobbies generally. (Hello, A.D.D.!) Anyway…

Songs I love right now
“4th of July” by Shooter Jennings
“Mississippi Girl” by Faith Hill
“Don’t Ask Me How I Know” by Bobby Pinson
“Stand Back Up” by Sugarland

Songs I like right now
“Somebody’s Hero” by Jamie O’Neal
“Redneck Yacht Club” by Craig Morgan
“Daddy’s Money” by Ricochet (so getting played at our wedding)
“Letters From Home” by John Michael Montgomery

Songs I recently loved, but I listened to ‘em so many times that now I’m mildly sick of them… but I still like them
“Independence Day” by Martina McBride/Carrie Underwood
“Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by Billy Dean
“Something More” by Sugarland
“Baby Girl” by Sugarland

Butter just boldly tiptoed up to Robbie and sniffed him. Robbie promptly responded by licking her face. Butter was not pleased. “MEEEOW!”

Aww.

Courtesy of fellow 2L Chris McLemore, here’s a New York Times article pondering why cats seem to be more popular on the Internet than dogs — and concluding that it’s because frequent Internet users, and bloggers in particular, have a lot in common with cats:

There’s a deeper answer to be had at infinitecat.com, where users post pictures of their cats gazing at pictures of other cats already posted on the Infinite Cat site. You see an infinite regress: pictures of cats looking at pictures of cats looking at pictures of cats.

Remind you of anything? Those cats are like so many bloggers sitting at home staring into their computer screens and watching other bloggers blog other bloggers. Cats, who live indoors and love to prowl, are the soul of the blogosphere. Dogs would never blog.

Heh.

Of course, I have no idea what the author is talking about…

:)