You know we're never gonna surviveUnlessWe get a little crazy

You wanna know what is crazy delicious?

I just got jiggy wit it.

I took a garlic clove and I sliced it paper-thin, like Paulie when he was cooking for the guys in jail in Goodfellas.

I chopped up an onion and a green pepper.

I sliced up one spicy italian sausage.

I sauteed the garlic, onion, pepper and sausage in a little olive oil.

Meanwhile, I was boiling some water and cooking some whole-wheat penne pasta, with a pinch of salt. I'm Sicilian. That's how we do.

In a separate saucepan, I was simmering some Classico Tomato and Basil sauce. I added some oregano and crushed red pepper.

Once the sausage, onion, garlic and peppers was done, I drained it and added it to the sauce. I let them hang out together for a while.

Once the pasta was done, I drained it, put it in a huge pasta bowl and added the sauce concoction.

I'm telling you, it was crazy delicious.

(I made it through another post without swearing. I promised my mom I would try to swear less.)

My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limbAnd all I remember is thinkingI want to be like them

Ever since I was little, ever since I was little it looked like fun
And it's no coincidence I've come
And I can die when I'm done

First and foremost, I dropped my mom off at the airport this morning.

What can I say?

Everyone should have a mother like mine.

We had a great time, and she pulled out all the stops, kicked me in the ass when I needed it, and picked me up when I needed it even more. She is awesome, and I wish she could have stayed another two weeks...

She basically took my place from "recently-divorced" chic to a fully functioning domesticated home. She baked cookies. (peanut butter chocolate chip) She made a pie. (chocolate cream, my favorite) We watched 11 episodes of the HBO show Rome on DVD. We shopped. We laughed a lot. I took her on a cruise in Paradise Valley, even though the weather didn't provide us with great views until yesterday. She told me her two favorite things to do are "cruisin' & hangin' out," so I made sure we did plenty of both. She put up with my animals, even though she is neither a dog nor a cat person.

She is the best, and I love her.

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A note, in counterpoint to the prevailing opinion that Wal Mart is evil.

Some months ago, I wrote of our family friend, Rudy, who was injured in a horrific accident. A van hit him and then ran over him, fracturing skull, ribs, pelvis, femur, causing massive internal injuries.

Rudy is on the mend, albeit slowly. (He has surpassed $ 1 million in medical bills, and he is not done... he still needs surgery to remove all the plates, etc.)

Rudy works at Wal Mart as a manager. He is universally beloved by just about everyone who he meets.

At the time of the accident, Rudy was punched out for lunch and was walking across the large Wal Mart parking lot to Quiznos.

I used to handle cases like Rudy's when I was a lawyer.

Objectively, I would say liability rested solely with the van driver, who was not paying attention, speeding, and then hit the gas instead of the brakes. Wal Mart certainly had no liability, and I am certain a Dodge County jury would have agreed. Unanimously.

Also, it is well-settled that a situation like Rudy's does not fall under Worker's Comp law, as he was punched out, on personal business (lunch), and wasn't driving a company vehicle or conducting any company business.

Despite this, Wal Mart paid him Worker's Comp, and continues to pay, even though they leaglly don't have to do so.

Also, someone from Fayetteville, which is Wal Mart's headquarters, has called Rudy once a week for the last 7-8 months to check on how he is doing.

Finally, Rudy returned to work last week, and Wal Mart gave him this fancy walker that is also a chair.

Now, I understand cynics may say that Wal Mart is indeed evil, and that they are just covering their asses... but this information actually impressed me.

Sure, they may be Darth Vader, and sure, they may freeze Han Solo, set you up through Lando, and cut off your hand... but in the end, in the end, they may just rise up and use the Force lightning bolts to help you kill Emperor Palpatine.