Ok, just to keep The Dark One from complaining, I'll sandbag the politics for a post and talk about me.
Gah. Boring!!!
Life at work has been boring (I'm an accountant. Comes with the territory) and overwhelming to an extent. I have to admit a lot of it is my own fault - I've allowed my desk to get out of control and now I'm having to whip it back into submission. It doesn't like this, and hides papers on me.
I have, however, in this spurt of desk-discipline, also managed to do a bit of extra cleanup at home. Nothing spectacular, mind you, but I'm working on getting the back garden to look more like a, well, back garden, and less like a rubbish heap.
Not that there's all that much rubbish back there, but when the guys put the new vinyl siding on the houses, they took all my pots and pothangers and wire-pot-holders & stuff and kind of chucked it willy-nilly into the garden part. So now if I want to get it out, I have to put on shoes that I don't mind having get all nasty and muddy and slog thru the muddy mush to get them out, hose them off and then stack neatly until spring. All the lawn-edging between the garden part and the patio part is fardleschnockered up too, so I need to rework that. THAT has to wait for a sunny day that is not too cold, since I need to dig a trench and re-sink the edging.
Actually, I may wait until spring for the edging, because all the freezing and thawing and heaving that goes on during the winter will probably just uproot it again.
I'm not quite certain what to do about the Peony dilemma. Should I hope that the roots are still there and go ahead and wait for Spring, or should I go out now and find another one to plop in the ground and hope that IT makes it thru the winter?
Or just give up and plant more daylillies...?
Friday, November 10, 2006
Hypocrite - thy name is Bush
Oh isn't this just fucking amusing? Less than a month after the Shrub signs himself a bill allowing him to hold American Citizens incommunicado without benefit of a lawyer, without charges being brought against them, without the ability to consult with an attorney or examine the evidence - to destroy the Constitutionally guaranteed right of Habeus Corpus... the Shrub puts pressure on Vietnam to stop holding 3 Vietnamese-Americans being held as terrorists without charges and without a trial.
Fucking hypocrite. Close Guantanamo and all your fucking "Secret Prisons" you asshat.
Fucking hypocrite. Close Guantanamo and all your fucking "Secret Prisons" you asshat.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Breathing again...
Well, it looks like the "Decider" has lost his pet congress. Thank the Goddess. I'm breathing again. Not as well, but breathing. Unfortunate that the Democrats did not get a clear 2/3 majority in both houses so they could take back America right NOW - but at least the Chimp has been shackled. Thank you, America.
The voting machines issue was a non-issue in my precinct. Yes, they had them - but the precinct workers offered the electronic machines - or a paper ballot.
ALL of the people who voted while I was there chose the paper ballot. I found it VERY VERY telling. Nobody trusted the electronics. Folks were waiting in line for the paper ballot booths. The American People in my area do not trust Diebold, it appears. I applaud their astute judgement.
No, the problem here is that they moved our voting site from the field house where it's always been, to some church just up the road. The field house is undergoing major renovations. Unfortunately, nobody MENTIONED to anybody that the polling place had been moved - and the church had an evangelical message on it's message board out front, not an announcement that it was the new polling place. Thank the Goddess again for the League of Women Voters and their website! Several people in the line complained about this - and it makes me wonder how many OTHER folks were not informed and therefore did not vote.
The good guys didn't take the 6th district - that would have been too much to expect in DuPage... but the Shrub is shackled. I can breathe.
Thank you, America.
The voting machines issue was a non-issue in my precinct. Yes, they had them - but the precinct workers offered the electronic machines - or a paper ballot.
ALL of the people who voted while I was there chose the paper ballot. I found it VERY VERY telling. Nobody trusted the electronics. Folks were waiting in line for the paper ballot booths. The American People in my area do not trust Diebold, it appears. I applaud their astute judgement.
No, the problem here is that they moved our voting site from the field house where it's always been, to some church just up the road. The field house is undergoing major renovations. Unfortunately, nobody MENTIONED to anybody that the polling place had been moved - and the church had an evangelical message on it's message board out front, not an announcement that it was the new polling place. Thank the Goddess again for the League of Women Voters and their website! Several people in the line complained about this - and it makes me wonder how many OTHER folks were not informed and therefore did not vote.
The good guys didn't take the 6th district - that would have been too much to expect in DuPage... but the Shrub is shackled. I can breathe.
Thank you, America.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Vote Early, Vote Often
Vote.
Vote as if your country's way of life and form of government depended upon it.
Vote - because it does.
If you don't want to see the United States of America become a theocratic dictatorship - VOTE. Vote Democrat.
VOTE.... TODAY. VOTE.
Don't let the Republicans scare you into voting for them. If the Democrats win, they will NOT "raise your taxes". There's something you need to realize - the ONLY person who can raise your taxes is George W. Bush. The congress can pass as many tax-raising bills as it wants - but unless George Walker Bush signs them, they won't become law, and your taxes won't go up.
Let me say that again - THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN RAISE YOUR TAXES IS GEORGE WALKER BUSH.
So if the Democrats gain control of congress, there is NO WAY they can raise your taxes UNLESS GEORGE WALKER BUSH SIGNS OFF ON IT AND ALLOWS IT.
Don't let the Republicans scare you into staying home and not voting - into thinking your vote won't count, or that if you vote Democratic you'll be in the poorhouse.
VOTE.
Vote for the Constitution of the United States. Vote for Freedom of Speech, Habeus Corpus, for the right to an attorney being present at any questioning, for the right to face your accusers and to examine the evidence against you. Vote for Peace. Vote for the continued right, privilege and obligation to vote! Don't let the Republicans continue to rubber-stamp George Walker Bush's initiatives to becoming the first American Dictator and removing your right to vote.
VOTE.
NOW. GO DO IT. RIGHT NOW. GO VOTE.
Or I will send morbidly obese rabid feral wombats after you.
GO VOTE.
Vote as if your country's way of life and form of government depended upon it.
Vote - because it does.
If you don't want to see the United States of America become a theocratic dictatorship - VOTE. Vote Democrat.
VOTE.... TODAY. VOTE.
Don't let the Republicans scare you into voting for them. If the Democrats win, they will NOT "raise your taxes". There's something you need to realize - the ONLY person who can raise your taxes is George W. Bush. The congress can pass as many tax-raising bills as it wants - but unless George Walker Bush signs them, they won't become law, and your taxes won't go up.
Let me say that again - THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN RAISE YOUR TAXES IS GEORGE WALKER BUSH.
So if the Democrats gain control of congress, there is NO WAY they can raise your taxes UNLESS GEORGE WALKER BUSH SIGNS OFF ON IT AND ALLOWS IT.
Don't let the Republicans scare you into staying home and not voting - into thinking your vote won't count, or that if you vote Democratic you'll be in the poorhouse.
VOTE.
Vote for the Constitution of the United States. Vote for Freedom of Speech, Habeus Corpus, for the right to an attorney being present at any questioning, for the right to face your accusers and to examine the evidence against you. Vote for Peace. Vote for the continued right, privilege and obligation to vote! Don't let the Republicans continue to rubber-stamp George Walker Bush's initiatives to becoming the first American Dictator and removing your right to vote.
VOTE.
NOW. GO DO IT. RIGHT NOW. GO VOTE.
Or I will send morbidly obese rabid feral wombats after you.
GO VOTE.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Shoes again - things that make you go "Hmm?"
.
Yes, I'm a masochist. I went back to that shoe store. I had pre-armed myself with slightly edited (for language - I do tend to swear like a sailor when provoked) printouts of the previous 2 shoe-related blog entries to hand off to the clerk if I got miffed again.
The same bouncy little retail gal was there - but bouncing a lot less. She very quietly and professionally welcomed me to Payless and offered to help me if I needed it - then backed the hell off.
*hmmmm*
So I went back and started perusing the shoes - finally found one pair of black "ballet flats" that fit well and were comfortable - and there were 2 pair of them in my size, so I snagged them up. A short while later, the clerk stopped by and asked if I was finding everything I wanted.
Quietly.
*HMMMMMMMMMMMM????*
I asked her if she had this same shoe in any other color. She looked sad and said no, but that she had something similar in red. I asked to see them, she brought me the box, and yes, the red shoes were comfortable too, so I bought all three pairs.
Yes, Gentle Reader - three pairs of shoes where there had previously been nothing but a walk-out. From the same clerk who inspired two nice long blog rants a few days ago...
*HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM???????!!!!!!!!*
Blog it loud, blog it proud - complaining and then blogging it DOES make a difference. *grin*
Yes, I'm a masochist. I went back to that shoe store. I had pre-armed myself with slightly edited (for language - I do tend to swear like a sailor when provoked) printouts of the previous 2 shoe-related blog entries to hand off to the clerk if I got miffed again.
The same bouncy little retail gal was there - but bouncing a lot less. She very quietly and professionally welcomed me to Payless and offered to help me if I needed it - then backed the hell off.
*hmmmm*
So I went back and started perusing the shoes - finally found one pair of black "ballet flats" that fit well and were comfortable - and there were 2 pair of them in my size, so I snagged them up. A short while later, the clerk stopped by and asked if I was finding everything I wanted.
Quietly.
*HMMMMMMMMMMMM????*
I asked her if she had this same shoe in any other color. She looked sad and said no, but that she had something similar in red. I asked to see them, she brought me the box, and yes, the red shoes were comfortable too, so I bought all three pairs.
Yes, Gentle Reader - three pairs of shoes where there had previously been nothing but a walk-out. From the same clerk who inspired two nice long blog rants a few days ago...
*HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM???????!!!!!!!!*
Blog it loud, blog it proud - complaining and then blogging it DOES make a difference. *grin*
ACK - I've been Tagged!!
.
1) Name the person who tagged you
2) 8 things about you
3) Tag 6 people.
Croila has done gone and tagged me!
8 things....
1) I hate Dishonesty. More than anything else in the world. I can't stand being lied to. Even if what I hear isn't what I "want" or would "like" to hear, I'd rather have the truth than being bullshitted. My ex lied a lot. He seemed to think it was OK.
2) I love dark chocolate candies and turtle blizzards. For Croila's sake, because I don't know if they have Dairy Queen's in Scotland - a turtle blizzard is soft-serve vanilla ice cream with bits of chocolate and caramel and pecans chopped and mixed-in with a blender. This diabetes thing takes away a LOT of the fun in life...
3) My mother was never pregnant. *grin* I'll let you chew on that one for a while.
4) I always thought I wasn't at all creative or artistic in school. I can't draw my way out of a paper sack, my "artistic eye" is just not translating into my fingers. Anything I draw looks somewhat "cartoonish" not unlike many of the medieval book illustrations. I was wrong. My talent just lies elsewhere. I have discovered that with a bit of inspiration, I can put together quilt tops that are exceptionally bright and attractive - not exactly "work of art" - but creative and fulfilling.
5) I'm a fair lousy housekeeper. I wish I was more of an anal-retentive clean freak, but I just am not. I'm thinking of looking into hiring someone to come do some of the heavy cleaning once a month. I think it would be a good thing for me.
6) I would love to write a book. I like to mess around with words and short stories. I belong to a small "writer's group" that tries to keep ourselves doing SOME writing every week. Thus far my efforts have been entirely unimpressive.
7) If I could live anywhere I wanted, I think I'd live in Tennessee or Georgia. In fact, that's probably where I'll move if/when I retire. Much as I am a Chicago person, and as much as I despise the "bible belt" part of the south, I think living below the Mason/Dixon line would be wonderful, and I don't like Florida weather much. I want a LITTLE bit of nip in the air at Yule, just not mountains of snow and sleet and ice and -20 F windchill. (And I LOVE the way the guys talk down there...)
8) I have a bizarre fixation with the color blue. I cannot pass up dishes or household items that are nice dark cobalt-y blue. Had a roommate once who felt it was his responsibility to keep me away from buying any more blue kitchen items. He was probably right, but it was obnoxious.
Ok, so now I tag:
Trauma Queen Kal
Leandra
Jules
NoLimits (aka LIMITED - get your blog going!!!)
Patricia from Morning Martini
Betmo
C'mon gang - I did it - you can toooooooooooo!
1) Name the person who tagged you
2) 8 things about you
3) Tag 6 people.
Croila has done gone and tagged me!
8 things....
1) I hate Dishonesty. More than anything else in the world. I can't stand being lied to. Even if what I hear isn't what I "want" or would "like" to hear, I'd rather have the truth than being bullshitted. My ex lied a lot. He seemed to think it was OK.
2) I love dark chocolate candies and turtle blizzards. For Croila's sake, because I don't know if they have Dairy Queen's in Scotland - a turtle blizzard is soft-serve vanilla ice cream with bits of chocolate and caramel and pecans chopped and mixed-in with a blender. This diabetes thing takes away a LOT of the fun in life...
3) My mother was never pregnant. *grin* I'll let you chew on that one for a while.
4) I always thought I wasn't at all creative or artistic in school. I can't draw my way out of a paper sack, my "artistic eye" is just not translating into my fingers. Anything I draw looks somewhat "cartoonish" not unlike many of the medieval book illustrations. I was wrong. My talent just lies elsewhere. I have discovered that with a bit of inspiration, I can put together quilt tops that are exceptionally bright and attractive - not exactly "work of art" - but creative and fulfilling.
5) I'm a fair lousy housekeeper. I wish I was more of an anal-retentive clean freak, but I just am not. I'm thinking of looking into hiring someone to come do some of the heavy cleaning once a month. I think it would be a good thing for me.
6) I would love to write a book. I like to mess around with words and short stories. I belong to a small "writer's group" that tries to keep ourselves doing SOME writing every week. Thus far my efforts have been entirely unimpressive.
7) If I could live anywhere I wanted, I think I'd live in Tennessee or Georgia. In fact, that's probably where I'll move if/when I retire. Much as I am a Chicago person, and as much as I despise the "bible belt" part of the south, I think living below the Mason/Dixon line would be wonderful, and I don't like Florida weather much. I want a LITTLE bit of nip in the air at Yule, just not mountains of snow and sleet and ice and -20 F windchill. (And I LOVE the way the guys talk down there...)
8) I have a bizarre fixation with the color blue. I cannot pass up dishes or household items that are nice dark cobalt-y blue. Had a roommate once who felt it was his responsibility to keep me away from buying any more blue kitchen items. He was probably right, but it was obnoxious.
Ok, so now I tag:
Trauma Queen Kal
Leandra
Jules
NoLimits (aka LIMITED - get your blog going!!!)
Patricia from Morning Martini
Betmo
C'mon gang - I did it - you can toooooooooooo!