Back at the Mother Ship...lightly tanned, rested and ready.

Before returning the rental car yesterday, I had to fill it up, and you think gas is expensive here?
Well, yes, it is. But slightly less than a half-tank cost $32.40...for a Toyota Corolla!

It'll make filling up here less painful.
Come to think of it, no it won't.

Anyway, back for a big 2-day work week.
If only...

Time to check out for a few days and turn into a sautéed vegetable.

But before I say “see you next week”…a few (OK, more than a few) words about this blogging thing. Being new to this, I’ve been doing some homework, checking out a cross-section of other blogs, and all I can say is, “Oh my.”

It seems some bloggers want you to know everything about them. What time they get up in the morning…their health…what kind of car they drive…their kids.
Some post while they’re on vacation.

That won’t be me.

Just because you’re reading this, I like you, and I hope you like me, though I’ve learned over 33 years in this business that you can’t please everybody. But I don’t need to know everything about you, and you really don’t need to know everything about me…not that there’s that much to know.

Sometimes perception is enough. I perceive our news audience as educated and interested. How you perceive me is entirely up to you. But I figure after those 33 years, longtime viewers (and listeners from the old radio days) have drawn their conclusions. And generally, how bad could they be if I’m still gainfully employed?

I will write about travel, because, as I pointed out yesterday, I’m fortunate to be married to a flight attendant. (See, THERE’S something personal.)
But I will rarely check in from vacation because…well…that’s why they call it vacation. If there’s a discovery worth sharing afterward, I will.

I will write about health issues from time to time…but only for the greater good. (Hey, get a colonoscopy!)

Kids? Uh, no, but I’m sure your kids are very “special.”

I’d like to touch more on politics, but with my job, that’s difficult. I want the Republicans to think I’m a Democrat, the Democrats to think I’m a Libertarian, the conservatives to think I’m a liberal, and the liberals to think whatever they want. Same with religion. I want the Catholics to think I’m Jewish, and the Jews to think I’m a Hindu…and…(this is where you say, “enough already, I get it!”)

But since my puss shows up on your TV set at your discretion, I will share something personal, albeit trivial. Why I shaved my mustache.
And the reason is: because I wanted to. 35 years was enough.
And here’s my dirty little secret: the mustache had turned white, while what’s left of my hair is still dark. They didn’t match. So I touched the mustache up every work day with mascara. My wife and Joanne Nesti would give me their mascara tubes when they thought they were empty, but I could get weeks more out of them to color my mustache.
90% of the reaction has been complimentary, and most who don’t like the new look are guys who have mustaches. And you know what? I understand perfectly. I winced when John Rowland and Eddie Perez shaved theirs off…but Alex Trebek was the killer. And I don’t even watch “Jeopardy.”

I have no doubt we’ll learn more about each other as we exchange views and ideas on this blog. I want you to participate.
But stuff like “boxers or briefs?” We just don’t need to know.
Oh, sweet mystery.

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend. See you sometime next week.

FROM OUR 5:30 NEWS ON MAY 22ND:

10-DOLLAR AIRFARES?
THAT'S WHAT "SKYBUS"...A NEW DISCOUNT AIRLINE...IS OFFERING.
SKYBUS MADE ITS FIRST FLIGHT THIS MORNING FROM COLUMBUS OHIO TO BURBANK, CALIFORNIA.
THE AIRLINE PLANS TO SURVIVE BY SELLING EVERYTHING FROM FOOD TO PILLOWS.
BY THE WAY, ONLY TEN 10-DOLLAR SEATS ARE AVAILABLE ON EACH FLIGHT.
AND NO, THEY DON'T FLY OUT OF BRADLEY.
---------

Before we go any further, please know that my wife is a longtime flight attendant with a major airline. And boy, does she have stories! But, alas, they’re subject to husband-wife confidentiality.

But even she will tell you the purpose of any flight is to get you from Point A to Point B. The “services”…food, drink, movies…are the extras offered on any given route to keep up with the competition.
No competition on a particular route? Enjoy the peanuts and soft drinks.

Flying depends largely on how you want to roll (I like saying that) and what you can afford.
First class on certain flights is one of life’s true pleasures, but may cost you more than a good used Cadillac.
Skybus sounds like…well…a bus with wings.
But if it gets you where you want to go...get going!

If you’re lucky enough to get one of those 10-dollar fares, you might want to bring some extra cash.
They charge 5-bucks each for the first 2 bags you want to check...50-dollars for additional checked luggage.
Want to board early? 10-dollars.
Food and drink? Extra, and don’t even think of bringing your own food on board. That’s a Skybus no-no.
Pillow and blanket? Gotta buy them, but they’re yours forever. Redecorate the bedroom!
When you buy your ticket, make sure you have no second thoughts, because there are no refunds.
And you’ll need a computer to buy that ticket, because they don’t have a phone number. You deal with the website.
So a 10-dollar fare can actually cost you 20...or 50...or 150. It’s up to you. Eat first and travel light.
By the way, Skybus’s closest airport to Connecticut is Portsmouth, N.H.

Travel can be one of the great pleasures of life. It’s a privilege to see new places, meet new people, open up to new ideas and ways of doing things. So if a little more competition opens the doors to travel for those who were priced out, that’s dandy.

And no matter which airline you choose to fly, please remember: always be nice to your flight attendant. Their husbands, wives and significant others really appreciate it when they get home from a long trip without a horror story.

It's Monday night heading into Tuesday morning, and the one image that sticks with me at the end of the work day is the smile on James Tillman's face.

He wasn't smiling because Governor Rell signed legislation that gives him 5-million tax-free dollars. The man's been smiling in public since last summer...exonerated after DNA tests proved he didn't commit a rape that sent him away for 18 years.

5-million dollars. Nice. But can you put any kind of price tag on 18 years of your life?

James Tillman sat in prison during what would have been his most productive years; the years in which he might have married and had a family. Now, he's got a lot of money, his loyal mother, and a heart as big as any I can imagine.

Even as he came into his millions, he never talked about the money and what he might do with it. He talked about helping others, about playing an active role with the Innocence Project, which took on his case.

And all the time, he smiled that smile. That genuine, honest smile.
Something tells me James Tillman was already a rich man.

The flat-screen TV's will be nice, and so will those big cushy chairs.

But in an effort to make Bradley's Terminal A more "friendly", the folks at the airport say they'll be bringing in entertainment, too.
Music might be welcome, as long as it's something to soothe you when you find out your flight is delayed, and you'll have to spend another 2 hours in one of those cushy chairs.

But CLOWNS???
I mean, I like clowns well enough in their natural habitat: the circus, kiddie birthday parties, on television (I loved Clarabelle on "Howdy Doody.")
But at the airport? When you've just made it through security, and you're hoping your flight's on time, and praying you don't get stuck in the middle seat in coach? You want Bozo honking a horn in your face? No thank you.

UNLESS...they're clowns who mirror real-life.
Imagine: you're sitting quietly, having a pre-departure cocktail, and Ronald McDonald's second cousin grabs the stool next to you.

Me: "How's it goin'?"
Clown: "Lousy. The kids used my makeup for finger paint, my wife used my wig for a mop, and I blew my fake nose off."
Me: "Shame. Love your size-16 shoes, though."
Clown: "You know how many times a day I trip in these things? It's like walking on scuba fins."
Me: "Buy you a drink?
Clown: "Make it a double."

That's my kind of clown.
Otherwise, the clowns should steer clear... while I contemplate that screaming baby who will undoubtedly end up in the seat behind me.

FROM OUR 6PM NEWS ON MAY 15TH:

THE FUTURE OF THE GROTON SUB BASE MAY COME DOWN TO ITS NAME. MEMBERS OF THE SUB-BASE REALIGNMENT COALITION HAVE SUGGESTED RENAMING THE BASE "NAVAL STATION GROTON."
THEY SAY WHEN IT COMES TO MILITARY CUTS... "NAVAL STATIONS" TEND TO SURVIVE BETTER THAN "SUBMARINE BASES."
ANOTHER ROUND OF BASE CLOSINGS IS EXPECTED IN THE NEXT 5-6 YEARS.

View: As they say on "Grey's Anatomy": "Seriously?"
This is what it's come to? They're so simple in Washington that they'll buy a re-branded sub base? Heaven help us.
If that's the case, let's just call it "White House Connecticut." They'll leave it alone forever.

Apparently, there was a fair amount of discussion as to what to call this blog.
Blogs have to have some kind of name, I guess.

Colin McEnroe’s is called “To Wit,” but I don’t think I could stand the exertion of having to be witty every day.
Joe Amarante’s blog at the Register is called “Java Joe’s Journal Jive.” Lively title, and Joe’s a lively writer, but he stole all the alliteration for the “J” sound, even though I spell Gerry with a “G.”

The folks here had settled on “Just Gerry,” which was kind of cute in a “Will & Grace” sort of way. But then weather wonderboy Ryan Hanrahan walked by, and said, “What about The Brooks File?”

Hey, why not? I think the statute of limitations has expired, and I can use it again.
And come to think of it, how old was Ryan Hanrahan when the last Brooks File aired. Maybe eight?

The Brooks File was born in 1979 (before Ryan), and died at the hands of political correctness in 1993. It was of another time, another place, and another medium.

And now, it is resurrected in 2007 as a blog. One of the hundreds-of-thousands of blogs screaming to be heard in the vast cyber wilderness.

I hope with this edition of The Brooks File, we can establish a dialogue about anything that interests us, from politics to travel to sports to idle chat about anything.
OK, not about Anna Nicole Smith. Or Britney Spears. Or Paris Hilton. Or Lindsay Lohan.
Hey, it’s my blog.

So let the conversation begin. I’ll try to write as often as possible. I look forward to exchanging ideas with you on matters large and small.