The LuLac Edition #1403, Dec. 13th, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: "13 QUESTIONS" LOGO.

13 QUESTIONS

1. AS THE YEAR ENDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE STORY OF THE YEAR LOCALLY?

TOUGH TO ANSWER BUT I’D HAVE TO SAY THAT THE DEFEAT OF TWO DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMEN IN ADJOINING DISTRICTS WOULD HAVE TO TOP THE LIST. FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND WOULD BE THE GAS DRILLING CONTROVERSIES AS WELL AS THE SUCCESS OF THE HOME RULE YES PROPONENTS IN LUZERNE COUNTY. IN LACKAWANNA COUNTY I’D HAVE TO SAY THE DRAMA INVOLVING THE STADIUM AND BASEBALL TEAM AS WELL AS THE INDICTMENTS OF CORDARO AND MUNCHAK.

2. CHRISTMAS TREES. REAL OR ARTIFICIAL?

REAL.

3. IF YOU COULD BRING BACK FROM THE GRAVE ONE LOCAL POLITICAL AND DISCUSS WITH THEM THE CORRUPTION PROBES IN LULAC LAND WHO WOULD THAT BE?

I DON’T THINK YOU’D GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM A POLITICIAN. SO I’D RATHER HAVE THE POLITICAL SAGES AND OPINION WRITERS OF THAT BYGONE ERA, CARL ROMANELLI AND BILL GRIFFITH GIVE ME THEIR IMPRESSIONS. I’D ALSO LIKE TO HEAR THE VIEWS OF THE LATE BILL WATSON SENIOR AND JUNIOR WHO COMMENTED ON LUZERNE COUNTY POLITICS FOR OVER 40 YEARS IN THE SUNDAY DISPATCH. THE SCRANTON TIMES’ JOE FLANNERY TOO. THOSE ARE THE GUYS I’D LIKE TO GET AN OPINION FROM.

4. WHAT CAN WE LOOK FOR IN THE INCOMING CORBETT ADMINISTRATION IN HARRISBURG?

A LOT OF CUTS. THE CORBETT BUDGET HAS TO MAKE UP THE MILLIONS IN STIMULIS MONEY THAT’S GOING AWAY. AFTER THEY CLIMB THAT MOUNTAIN, THEN THEY HAVE TO REALIGN PROGRAMS. SOME OF THE CUTS WILL BE NASTY. AND DON’T LOOK FOR EDUCATION SPENDING TO BE ON THE RISE. CORBETT’S TRANSITION TEAM HAS OVER 15 PEOPLE ON IT WHO ARE COMMITTED TO A VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS. THAT’S A SIGNAL THIS NEW GOVERNOR WILL BE LOOKING ASKANCE AT ANY MORE EDUCATION FUNDING. ALSO, HE’LL SELL OFF ONE OF THE ASSETS, ONE OF THREE, THE LOTTERY SYSTEM, THE TURNPIKE OR THE LIQUOR STORES.

5. ANY SPORTS ORNAMENTS ON YOUR TREE?

YES, CLEVELAND INDIANS, GREEN BAY PACKERS AND SAN FRANCISCO 49ers AS WELL AS THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. GOT THE LATTER TWO ON A TRIP WITH MRS. LULAC, MORE ABOUT THE CITY THAN THE TEAMS. AND I THINK MRS. LULAC HAS A YANKEE ORNAMENT SOMEWHERE TOO.

6. HOW ARE BOOK SALES?

YOU MEAN FOR MY NEW BOOK, “WEATHER OR KNOT?" VERY GOOD, THANK YOU.


7. YOUR WARM BLOG, 590 FOREVER IS VERY GOOD. WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE WARM DISC JOCKEY?

IF YOU ASKED ME THAT WHEN I WAS 11, I WOULD’VE ANSWERED HARRY WEST. BUT IN RETROSPECT, THAT’S AN IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION TO ANSWER BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL GREAT. OR THEY WOULDN’T BE ON WARM.

8. WHO WOULD YOU CONSIDER HEAVY FAVORITES TO RUN FOR JUDGE IN LUZERNE COUNTY IN 2011?

I THINK YOU’LL SEE JENNIFER ROGERS, JOE SKLOROSKY, MIKE BLAZEK, JOE TERANNA AND DESPITE HIS PROTESTATION THAT LAST TIME WAS THE LAST TIME, TOM ‘O'CONNOR MAKING ANOTHER RUN AT IT. THEN THERE’S TALK OF PITTSTON AREA JUSTICE FRED PIERANTONI TAKING A SHOT. IT WILL BE A CROWDED FIELD. MY FRIEND AND FELLOW BLOGGER KEVIN JORDAN ASTUTELY POINTED OUT, MAYBE WE CAN LIST THE ATTORNEYS IN THE COUNTY WHO AREN’T RUNNING.

9. LATEST BOOK YOU’RE READING?

NOTHING. TOO BUSY. MRS. LULUAC BOUGHT ONE OF THOSE NOOKS FROM BARNES AND NOBLE AND WAS TRYING TO SHOW ME HOW TO OPERATE IT BUT THERE IS TOO MUCH ON THE PLATE RIGHT NOW. I JUST GOT THROUGH A HALF YEAR' S WORTH OF GQ's AND NEWSWEEKS DURING THANKSGIVING AS WELL AS READING ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT CODING CHANGES.

10. WILL WE SEE MORE OF YOU ON TV IN 2011?

YES.

11. I HEARD YOU ON THE SUE HENRY SHOW SAY THAT ONE OF YOUR NEXT PROJECTS MIGHT BE A CHILDREN’S BOOK. YET I HAVE IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY THAT AT YANKEE STADIUM IN THE 90s YOU SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF A LITTLE KID. SO MUCH SO THAT HE HID UNDER THE SEAT IN TERROR. TRUE OR FALE?

ABSOLURTELY TRUE. WE WERE 8 ROWS BACK, PERFECT SEATS AND THESE THREE LUNKHEADS BROUGHT THIS 4 YEAR OLD WHO WAS CRAWLING ALL OVER THEM, KNOCKING BEVERAGES OUT OF PEOPLE’S HANDS, BLOCKING OUR VIEW AND JUST BEING A PAIN IN THE ASS. FINALLY, IN THE 6TH INNING, I JUST BLEW AND LOOKED AT THE KID AND ENUNCIATED LOUDLY, “SIT DOWN NOW!” WELL THE LITTLE TYKE THOUGHT I WAS THE DEVIL AND QUICKLY RETREATED UNDER THE SEAT. GRANDPA (HIS LUNKHEAD SONS WERE OBLIVIOUS TO THE KID’S BEHAVIOR) TURNED AROUND AND SAID, “THANKS, I’VE BEEN WONDERING HOW TO HANDLE HIM ALL DAY”. SO YEAH IT’S TRUE.

12. YOU HAVE YET TO COMMENT ON GORT’S EXIT FROM THE BLOGGING SCENE?

I WAS WITHOLDING COMMENT UNTIL I HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO HIM. I FINALLY GOT IN TOUCH AND HE SAID THAT HE NEEDED A BREAK. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. I WISH HIM THE BEST ON HIS BREAK AND AM CONFIDENT HE’LL BE BACK. THE RUMORS THAT HE WAS DECIMATED BY THE PHILLIES PLAYOFF LOSS ARE TOTALLY INACCURATE. BUT HE WILL ADMIT THAT CLIFF LEE WOULD’VE HELPED. ANYWAY, NO CONSPIRACY THEORY OR ANYTHING CRAZY, HE JUST TOOK A BREAK.

13. WERE YOU EVER IN A CHRISTMAS PLAY?

ONCE. FIRST GRADE. THE NUN HAD ALL OF US LINED UP WITH THESE BIG SIGNS THAT HAD A LETTER ON THEM THAT MATCHED OUR LAST NAME. I HELD UP A “Y” AND HAD TO SAY, “Y IS FOR YEARNING, THE CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GOD’S LONG WAIT IS FINALLY OVER ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY”. THE KID NEXT TO ME, EDDIE ZALEPPA OF WEST PITTSTON HELD UP A “Z” AND SAID, “Z IS FOR ZEBRA WHO’S WARM BREATH KEPT THE BABY JESUS WARM IN THE COLD STABLE." I DOUBT THAT THERE WERE ZEBRAS IN BETHLEHEM BUT YOU HAD TO HAND IT TO THOSE SLOVAK NUNS, THEY KNEW WHEN TO PUNT OR CALL AN AUDIBLE.