Are you shittin' me?

Sunday night, my throat started getting sore. And my ear hurt, too. I felt like I had a huge lump on the side of my throat and that was what hurt the most. Sinuses acting up? It's the right time of year for it and more than likely that's exactly what's wrong. All sorts of allergens floating around, as summer perennials begin to shed their beautiful flowers and go to seed. I took a Sudafed and figured that would take care of business.

I woke up Monday morning and my throat was really sore and my ear felt like it wanted to explode. I took some Tylenol Sinus Headache medication and went to work. I was miserable all day and, as the day progressed, I felt more and more wiped out. The Tylenol Sinus barely took the edge off it and, by the end of the day, I knew I needed the big guns.

So, I called in sick yesterday and made an appointment at the doctor's office. They took one look in my throat and grabbed the culture swabs. Wha'? I've been around strep so much in my life it's not funny -- my ex and my son used to get strep every month during the winter. My younger daughter used to carry the germ. I never got strep, or anything near it. So then the doctor comes in, looks in my ear(s) and tells me there's nothing wrong with my ears. Then why the hell does that one hurt so bad? He looks in my throat -- I mean really LOOKS in my throat, and tells me that my left tonsil is swollen and inflamed.

Wha'fuck?

Now, as a child, I never had tonsillitis. Never had strep, not even as an adult. A few years back, a doctor looked in my throat and said "Hmph, no tonsils." I replied "Well, unless someone came and snagged them when I wasn't looking, I still have tonsils!" He looked in my mouth again and said "Oh yeah, you do. It's just that they're so small, they look like roots." They're that small because they've never EVER had a problem.

Now, all of a sudden, at the age of 51 I'm going to have tonsillitis for the first time in my life?

And who the hell gets tonsillitis during the summer, anyway?

What next? Chicken pox?

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I love the way Moxie Grrrl expresses herself. Check her out!

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Our city is "testing" a new curfew for minors. This pilot program will run for 90 days and then undergo evaluation.

The curfew ordinance, which was amended Tuesday by Councilman Adam McFadden, will prohibit youths in the city 16 and under from being unsupervised at a public place from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday; and midnight to 5 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

One man who spoke out against the curfew said that the right to public assembly isn't age dependent.

Public assembly? A gang of kids is a public assembly?

And let's just touch on the unstated here. Where are the parents of these kids who are under 16 and out after 11:00 on a school night -- or any night for that matter?

Big thumbs up for the city council for passing this curfew. Big thumbs down and a huge raspberry for any idiot who thinks that kids should have a "right" to be out on the streets getting shot or committing crimes.

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Here's something that should stick in your craw...

The Oatmans are still trying to cope with the loss of Bear, their 6-year-old black Labrador, after he was shot by an off-duty Rochester police officer in their front yard last week.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has concluded that Christopher Muscato, 28, a six-year veteran of the city police department, was justified when he shot the dog for allegedly lunging at him and his wife Aug. 9.

"I can tell you that if any citizen were approached by a dog in the manner this guy said he was, he would be as justified as he is," said Capt. Donald Bergman.

But Brian Oatman can't believe Muscato had any reason to shoot his dog, especially not in front of his son, Nicholas, 10.

Oatman's two sons, including Troy, 13, and wife, Judy, are staying with relatives because their house is still covered in blood from Bear's futile attempt to get help after the shooting, said Oatman.

"There's blood over every carpet, in all four bedrooms," said Oatman.

Meanwhile, the city police department has launched an investigation by the internal affairs unit, a routine procedure whenever a police weapon is discharged, said Officer Deidre Taccone, the department's spokeswoman.

Bergman said deputies determined there was no basis for criminal charges. He said the officer told deputies he and his pregnant wife were walking their dog down Summertime Trail shortly before 8 p.m. when a black Labrador retriever from 10 Summertime Trail left the property and tried to attack them. Muscato said he shot the dog once, and that Bear continued to act aggressively so he shot him a second time, Bergman said.

According to Bergman, Bear retreated into the Oatman's home and later died. The officer asked his wife to go to their home and call 911, Bergman said. He waited at the scene for deputies to arrive and provided a full statement. Deputies interviewed several neighbors, some of whom reported that the dog was known to leave its property and bark. Others said the dog was known to be friendly, Bergman said.

State agriculture and markets law, which regulates the treatment of dogs, states a person can destroy a dog if there is a perceived threat, Bergman said.

"It's not like any of us don't sympathize with this family," said Bergman, a dog owner. "But the deputies did a thorough investigation."

Oatman said he plans to sue Muscato and provide evidence that the officer acted inappropriately and gave authorities conflicting statements.

"My son had to witness this," said Oatman, "I'm not after any money; my main focus is what he did to Nicholas and how he is going to have to carry that for the rest of his life."

What's an off-duty officer, out walking his dog with his wife, carry a gun for?

Wouldn't a dog owner know that a dog seeing another dog pass by would become territorial or, at least want to play? According to neighbors, "Bear" was a gentle, loving dog who would have helped burglars carry stuff out of the house if they just stopped and petted him first.

I think this idiot cop had been by the house before with his dog and, because the dog may have barked at his own dog or acted territorial, he made sure to have the gun with him so he could eliminate that small irritation.

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Anyone else besides me really, really curious what John Mark Karr has to say about how JonBenet Ramsey died?

According to CNN, this guy made "unsolicited comments" to law enforcement officials on his trip back to the US. This should prove interesting, as far as the legal wrangling.

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Here's a list schools can be proud of making. According to the news last night, parents have the option to move their children to another school because of this dubious distinction in their own school district.

Two Rochester high schools — Charlotte and Thomas Jefferson — are among the
state's 17 "persistently dangerous," the state Education Department said
Tuesday.

The designation stems from an audit of 92 public schools
statewide, and is based on data on violent incidents from school years 2004-05
and 2005-06.

Thomas Jefferson High School showed a drop in the number of
violent incidents from 87 to 58 in those years. During the same period, the
number of violent incidents at Charlotte High School increased from 65 to 68.

Makes you want to run right out and enroll your kid in one of these fine schools, eh?