"Without a commitment to withdraw partisan and sectarian politics from the selection of senior inspectors general leadership, there is the likelihood that investigations will not have credibility."
So sayeth the sages who are reporting from Iraq on the state of the "government" there and their courts system.
Ironic, huh?
In other news:
I am so "L33+". Last nite on the way home from work I realized my left turn-signal had a lamp out. By process of elimination (checking for reflections in other people's bumpers), I realized I was also missing a brake-lamp, as both the turnsignal and brake use the same lamp. Joy. *sigh*
I also had a trunk full of boxes, which I had to unload first, so I went home and unloaded - then realized that since I had the car going anyhow, it wouldn't be all that hard to drive to a "service station" - which isn't that easy to find anymore! - and get it fixed.
On my way to finding the Marathon station that still has a mechanic on staff, I noticed a "Car Quest Auto Parts" store - so I drove in. I went in my trunk and pulled out the carpeting away from the back of the taillight, and voila - within seconds I had a burned out light-bulb in my hand. Went in, showed it to the guy, and got a new one for $1.38. Went back out to the trunk, plugged in the new one, started the car, checked to make sure I had turnsignalage - and SUCCESS!! Drove off with working lamps. WOOT!!
Would have cost me over $10 at the service station, no doubt. I am feeling very sassy and superior for this - which is silly because it's only a freaking taillight bulb - but hey, ya takes yer "attagirls" where you can gets 'em, eh?
486 days
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Holiday Planning
So I'm planning to take a couple days off work next month and go down to Florida and visit the Dadster. Gonna drive. Which means I'll be stopping over about 1/2 way down. Trying to find a decent hotel/motel/whatever to stay because I don't want to spend a fortune, but I am also not wanting to freeload on my friends either.
Meh.
I hate doing all this research baloney. I'm not sure I trust the "user reviews", because sometimes there is a one-off bad stay at a hotel - and sometimes folks have expectations that are vastly different from my own. For instance, I expect a certain level of cleanliness/quality at a 3-star rated hotel than I do at a 2 or 4 star one, but this is MY expectations. What do you do when you research the same site on several booking sites and get 3 different ratings?
"The best part of our stay was the hotel" vs. "What a dump! Don't stay here!!" Who to believe?
Tonite I'll have to make a decision, most likely, so that I get the rate that I'd prefer. But I sure do wish I had a way to run a real-time robot-cam through all the possible hotels before I made a reservation!!
487 days
Meh.
I hate doing all this research baloney. I'm not sure I trust the "user reviews", because sometimes there is a one-off bad stay at a hotel - and sometimes folks have expectations that are vastly different from my own. For instance, I expect a certain level of cleanliness/quality at a 3-star rated hotel than I do at a 2 or 4 star one, but this is MY expectations. What do you do when you research the same site on several booking sites and get 3 different ratings?
"The best part of our stay was the hotel" vs. "What a dump! Don't stay here!!" Who to believe?
Tonite I'll have to make a decision, most likely, so that I get the rate that I'd prefer. But I sure do wish I had a way to run a real-time robot-cam through all the possible hotels before I made a reservation!!
487 days
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
"Ya can't catch me, 'cause the rabbit done died - yes he did"
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet Emo-ooooooooooooootion
Gah, I love that song. Love the whole album, actually. 12 inch record and the title cut and all, not to mention the equally top-40 "Walk This Way"
And not just because it all so vividly recalls the "Aerosmith Story" which I will refrain from retelling to protect the gentle sensibilities of the other party involved (because it is kind of embarassing and all)
No, I love that specific song "Sweet Emotion" because it is LOUD!
As a general rule, I drive to and from work with no radio, no CD, no tapes - just the hissing of tires (or tyres if you are UK), the swisssshhhh of air movement, the myriad small noises from the engine and a suspect muffler noise that may soon require some attention.
And then there are those moments... when someone wants to share their (c)rap "music" or Cuntry and Western, or *shudder* contemporary female pop "artists". Or the VERY worst - mariachi "salsa" garbage.
#1) Turn on CD player
#2) Make sure track 3 is set to play
#3) Turn up volume to almost maximum
#4) Enjoy the song stylings of Messrs Tyler and Perry
#5) Enjoy the lack of (c)rap, C&W, mexican Oompah or Brittney
This often also will result in #6) Enjoy watching the idiot blasting THEIR songs try to avoid your car - thus allowing you to turn off the CD player again.
*very... big... evil... grin*
488 days
Gah, I love that song. Love the whole album, actually. 12 inch record and the title cut and all, not to mention the equally top-40 "Walk This Way"
And not just because it all so vividly recalls the "Aerosmith Story" which I will refrain from retelling to protect the gentle sensibilities of the other party involved (because it is kind of embarassing and all)
No, I love that specific song "Sweet Emotion" because it is LOUD!
As a general rule, I drive to and from work with no radio, no CD, no tapes - just the hissing of tires (or tyres if you are UK), the swisssshhhh of air movement, the myriad small noises from the engine and a suspect muffler noise that may soon require some attention.
And then there are those moments... when someone wants to share their (c)rap "music" or Cuntry and Western, or *shudder* contemporary female pop "artists". Or the VERY worst - mariachi "salsa" garbage.
#1) Turn on CD player
#2) Make sure track 3 is set to play
#3) Turn up volume to almost maximum
#4) Enjoy the song stylings of Messrs Tyler and Perry
#5) Enjoy the lack of (c)rap, C&W, mexican Oompah or Brittney
This often also will result in #6) Enjoy watching the idiot blasting THEIR songs try to avoid your car - thus allowing you to turn off the CD player again.
*very... big... evil... grin*
488 days
Monday, September 17, 2007
More babbling
So it seems the Shrub has come up with a name for the guy to replace Not-So-Speedy Gonzales as Attorney General. Some guy named Michael Mukasey. Apparently some retired judge or something. Never heard of him, actually. Every time I see his name I think of Michael McCaskey, and considering what HE did to Da Bears...
Bend over, grab your ankles and prepare for the worst.
In the process of making the "mystery quilt" along with whatever 2 or 3 readers are also interested, I've managed to move 2 steps beyond what I've already posted (always good to know WTF you are planning to spring on folks BEFORE you spring it), and I am surprisingly happy with the choice of fabric colors I've made. My digital camera is crap, and the colors are always just exactly NOT what they really are when I take photos, but the colors you see on the blog here are actually fairly accurate (pink, brown and mint-green) - even though the original pieces that I used for the photos were using a much brighter and more "POW in your face" kind of lime-green. The switch has made a world of difference, instead of being "all bright and loud", the quilt is now going to be "soft, warm and subtle" - not my usual style, certainly not my usual choice of colors - but damn, it looks nice. So far. I have surprised myself.
With the waning of summer comes the waning of the tomato plants. Last night must have been fair cold, because the baby-tomato plants are all rather wilty-leaved this morning. The midsize tomato plant is in a more protected corner and still seems "OK", but I suspect I'll have to gather in the last bits off that in the next day or so and then compost the remains. I should take an "after" shot of those 2 "baby" tomato plants. I swear they became almost "Attack of the Killer Cherry Tomato" size. (Quick! Someone get an STP sticker!!) They took over most of the fence and trellis, and then headed out into the narrow alley between our gates. Someone tucked it back into my garden again, so it's weaving in and out of the fence boards, with baby greenies still on it.
Nightmares still bothering me. Actually, very vivid, very bright and highly detailed dreams in general, and several of them being of the "wake up with adrenaline rush" variety. An example was the one where somehow I drove off a hilly road into a flooded bridge over a lake that washed away in front of me and the car sink in the lake. Managed to get out, and Manda was with me, she got out too, but I couldn't find her and she was hollering for me, so I backfloated and then she paddled up to me and I got her to backfloat and towed us both to the shore and got out, but the police wouldn't help us get the car out of the lake, and I was late for work.
Ok, who said dreams make sense? Fucking effluvia of the brain. This is not the first time I've dreamed of driving into deep water. I guess I have some kind of subconscious Mary Jo Kopechne syndrome or something.
490 days
Bend over, grab your ankles and prepare for the worst.
In the process of making the "mystery quilt" along with whatever 2 or 3 readers are also interested, I've managed to move 2 steps beyond what I've already posted (always good to know WTF you are planning to spring on folks BEFORE you spring it), and I am surprisingly happy with the choice of fabric colors I've made. My digital camera is crap, and the colors are always just exactly NOT what they really are when I take photos, but the colors you see on the blog here are actually fairly accurate (pink, brown and mint-green) - even though the original pieces that I used for the photos were using a much brighter and more "POW in your face" kind of lime-green. The switch has made a world of difference, instead of being "all bright and loud", the quilt is now going to be "soft, warm and subtle" - not my usual style, certainly not my usual choice of colors - but damn, it looks nice. So far. I have surprised myself.
With the waning of summer comes the waning of the tomato plants. Last night must have been fair cold, because the baby-tomato plants are all rather wilty-leaved this morning. The midsize tomato plant is in a more protected corner and still seems "OK", but I suspect I'll have to gather in the last bits off that in the next day or so and then compost the remains. I should take an "after" shot of those 2 "baby" tomato plants. I swear they became almost "Attack of the Killer Cherry Tomato" size. (Quick! Someone get an STP sticker!!) They took over most of the fence and trellis, and then headed out into the narrow alley between our gates. Someone tucked it back into my garden again, so it's weaving in and out of the fence boards, with baby greenies still on it.
Nightmares still bothering me. Actually, very vivid, very bright and highly detailed dreams in general, and several of them being of the "wake up with adrenaline rush" variety. An example was the one where somehow I drove off a hilly road into a flooded bridge over a lake that washed away in front of me and the car sink in the lake. Managed to get out, and Manda was with me, she got out too, but I couldn't find her and she was hollering for me, so I backfloated and then she paddled up to me and I got her to backfloat and towed us both to the shore and got out, but the police wouldn't help us get the car out of the lake, and I was late for work.
Ok, who said dreams make sense? Fucking effluvia of the brain. This is not the first time I've dreamed of driving into deep water. I guess I have some kind of subconscious Mary Jo Kopechne syndrome or something.
490 days
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Mystery Quilt 2007 - Part 6
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
Hello Again Everybody.
This week's installment is very easy-peasy. So easy-peasy that I've not taken any "Real Life" photos even!
Gather up the 25 solid "B" squares and the rest of the un-used "horizontal" A+C squares.
What we want to do is take two of the "horizontal" squares and sew the long "A" side of each of these squares to opposite sides of one of the "B" squares. Sounds tricky? Bah. A picture, however being worth 1,000 carpal tunnels, when you are done, your piece should look like this:
Remember, the White is "B", the Yellow is "A" and the Green is "C". In other words - on THIS nifty strip, the 2 colors that are used in the "triangle" squares are not touching each other at all.
When you're finished, you should have 25 of these strips. Iron the seams toward the INSIDE - toward the "B" solid square.
Put them aside with the 50 you made last week - that's it for now! (Told you this week was easy-peasy!!!)
Hello Again Everybody.
This week's installment is very easy-peasy. So easy-peasy that I've not taken any "Real Life" photos even!
Gather up the 25 solid "B" squares and the rest of the un-used "horizontal" A+C squares.
What we want to do is take two of the "horizontal" squares and sew the long "A" side of each of these squares to opposite sides of one of the "B" squares. Sounds tricky? Bah. A picture, however being worth 1,000 carpal tunnels, when you are done, your piece should look like this:
Remember, the White is "B", the Yellow is "A" and the Green is "C". In other words - on THIS nifty strip, the 2 colors that are used in the "triangle" squares are not touching each other at all.
When you're finished, you should have 25 of these strips. Iron the seams toward the INSIDE - toward the "B" solid square.
Put them aside with the 50 you made last week - that's it for now! (Told you this week was easy-peasy!!!)