Now that for many the pain is over, I reflect on their agony and share the one thing that being a Cubs fan has taught me over the many years.
NEVER celebrate before you win. NEVER anticipate you will be the victor. Strive for victory, fight to the end of your endurance - but NEVER assume you will land in the winner's circle covered in roses and acanthus leaves. Prepare for the worst - then EXULT if the best happens.
Wait until next year.
Ernie Banks (pbuh) - MR CUB, and Ron Santo - a man who should know better, stood in Daley Center Plaza and proclaimed "THIS is the year". Ernie, Ron - NO! Do not celebrate the victory before the battle. Go grim to the fight, prepared for the worst in war - do not savor the sweetness of success, lest you blow your playoff chances in THREE STRAIGHT LOSSES.
The hubris of man allows the gods to mock. Fuck the billygoat.
Wait until next year.
1969
1984
1994
2008
Wait until next year.
*sigh* Sometimes being right isn't all it's cracked up to be. Won't get fooled again.
So. I stopped at Starbucks (*$ - get it?) and there was a spy in the parkinglot. HONEST! Sitting in a plain, unexceptional unmarked black sedan with tinted spy windows, checking out all the cars driving through the *$ driveup.
Why would someone spy on the Starbucks??? Maybe it's those damn Neocons checking out the "Eliteist Lib'ruls"? *snort*
105 days
Monday, October 06, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Howdy There, Dontcha Know - you betcha!
Sarah Palin.
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah...
*much headshaking and closed-eye deep breathing*
Yeah. Ahem.
When my daughter was very small, I made her a bunch of crocheted play-pillows for her bedroom. A big yellow sun with a happy face, a pink and grey ruffly one with pink ribbons, A white lacy one with multi-colored shapes on it, a big orange VW-car one, and two that looked like clowns.
Now, when I grew up, clowns were funny and happy and positive and able to fit 20 or 30 of themselves into a small sedan. I thought clowns were terrific.
Little did I know as a young mother, that (probably thanks to John Gacy) clowns would become horror movie fodder - and that ICP would eventually replace Bozo and Cookie as the stereotype of clowns. Clowns are scary now.
(I'll never forget the day I pissed off 2 yr. old Amanda and she ran into her bedroom and grabbed the clown pillow and came out with it over her face, declaring angrily: "I WILL BE A CLOWN AT YOU" - even then she was way ahead of me and I was clueless.)
I also when young had to deal with the hubris and taunting of the "Cheerleader" crowd. Those "popular" kids who made a point of making everyone else feel dumb or outside. Never mind that I had more brains in my pinky toenail than any of them had in their entire extended families - they had CONFIDENCE!! They had PERKINESS!! They were CHEERLEADERS!!!
Cheerleaders are scarier than clowns.
So what could possibly be scarier than a clown cheerleader running for the 2nd highest office in the land? A perky, twinkly, winking, posturing airhead who has 1/2 dozen little catchphrases in her head and plays tiddlywinks with them instead of actually answering the questions posed to her? Winking at the men through the camera and betting that they'll vote with their "little head"? Someone who doesn't even know the meaning of the phrase "Achilles heel" - but cha know, darn it, that was a trick question, you betcha!
So what could possibly be scarier than a clown cheerleader running for the 2nd highest office in the land? Having her win.
108 days
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah...
*much headshaking and closed-eye deep breathing*
Yeah. Ahem.
When my daughter was very small, I made her a bunch of crocheted play-pillows for her bedroom. A big yellow sun with a happy face, a pink and grey ruffly one with pink ribbons, A white lacy one with multi-colored shapes on it, a big orange VW-car one, and two that looked like clowns.
Now, when I grew up, clowns were funny and happy and positive and able to fit 20 or 30 of themselves into a small sedan. I thought clowns were terrific.
Little did I know as a young mother, that (probably thanks to John Gacy) clowns would become horror movie fodder - and that ICP would eventually replace Bozo and Cookie as the stereotype of clowns. Clowns are scary now.
(I'll never forget the day I pissed off 2 yr. old Amanda and she ran into her bedroom and grabbed the clown pillow and came out with it over her face, declaring angrily: "I WILL BE A CLOWN AT YOU" - even then she was way ahead of me and I was clueless.)
I also when young had to deal with the hubris and taunting of the "Cheerleader" crowd. Those "popular" kids who made a point of making everyone else feel dumb or outside. Never mind that I had more brains in my pinky toenail than any of them had in their entire extended families - they had CONFIDENCE!! They had PERKINESS!! They were CHEERLEADERS!!!
Cheerleaders are scarier than clowns.
So what could possibly be scarier than a clown cheerleader running for the 2nd highest office in the land? A perky, twinkly, winking, posturing airhead who has 1/2 dozen little catchphrases in her head and plays tiddlywinks with them instead of actually answering the questions posed to her? Winking at the men through the camera and betting that they'll vote with their "little head"? Someone who doesn't even know the meaning of the phrase "Achilles heel" - but cha know, darn it, that was a trick question, you betcha!
So what could possibly be scarier than a clown cheerleader running for the 2nd highest office in the land? Having her win.
108 days
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
12-Grain Bread. And Sox.
In my continuing battle to do something POSITIVE with my eating habits, I've gone looking for high-fiber, low-fat, low cholesterol, low sodium and did I mention high fiber - foods.
I read the label on this "12-grain bread" and it looked like it was something that might be both tasty and healthier than Wonder© Bread, so I bought it.
I didn't bother to think at the time "WTF is this 12-grain bit?" But today while eating my 12-grain bread and sliced turkey sandwich for lunch, I decided to count the number of grains that I could see/identify/remember from biology class.
I could remember very few. Barley, wheat, rice, corn, oats (all the chex cereals, with the addition of barley), rye, .... and then I petered out. That's only 6. So I looked at the bread.
I shouldn't have.
Apparently SEEDS count now. There were little brown seeds that looked something like small bugs on it. I think they MIGHT have been Flax seeds. There were other seeds too - in fact, I'm fair certain I recognized some of those other seeds from bags of birdseed and hamster food I've bought over the years.
Great.
I'm eating gerbil-food sandwiches.
Meh.
Congratulations to the White Sox. Great game last nite.
110 days
I read the label on this "12-grain bread" and it looked like it was something that might be both tasty and healthier than Wonder© Bread, so I bought it.
I didn't bother to think at the time "WTF is this 12-grain bit?" But today while eating my 12-grain bread and sliced turkey sandwich for lunch, I decided to count the number of grains that I could see/identify/remember from biology class.
I could remember very few. Barley, wheat, rice, corn, oats (all the chex cereals, with the addition of barley), rye, .... and then I petered out. That's only 6. So I looked at the bread.
I shouldn't have.
Apparently SEEDS count now. There were little brown seeds that looked something like small bugs on it. I think they MIGHT have been Flax seeds. There were other seeds too - in fact, I'm fair certain I recognized some of those other seeds from bags of birdseed and hamster food I've bought over the years.
Great.
I'm eating gerbil-food sandwiches.
Meh.
Congratulations to the White Sox. Great game last nite.
110 days
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Security
Yesterday the "financial bailout" bill failed. While I'm not unhappy about this, it has gotten me to thinking about financial/economic security - mine, and that of others. Not to even MENTION how much I'm glad that Social Security did NOT get privatized like Shrub Boy wanted.
On my lunchtime drive, I heard someone on CBS radio making a very astute comment. I paraphrase:
GWB is telling the country that this is serious - deadly serious. However, this comes from an administration that has had us at Terror Threat: Orange for over two years! No wonder people aren't taking it so seriously.
The fear tactics of the Bush Junta have finally come to bite them in the ass. WOLF... AL QUEDA!!!... WOLF!!! AL QUEDA!!!!... WOLF!!!!... and now when there really appears to be a (self-inflicted due to deregulation) crisis, nobody is listening to the Frat boy who cried Al Queda.
I am, naturally, concerned about my IRA - although it is with one of the banks that so far has weathered the storm. My savings is at my local credit union, and they're doing fine. My mortgage company is hanging on, although they're rocky - but that should be OK too. As long as my job stays safe, I should be OK through this.
I'm pulling back on spending starting immediately, however. My "consumer confidence" is tanking. My $600 "economic stimulus" is in savings, and will REMAIN there. I remember my mother washing and reusing plastic bags and aluminum foil. My sister-in-law used to laugh at my mom about her recycling wrapping paper. I grew up with Depression-era parents. I know how to economise, although doubtless not as well as they did.
Hang on, folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride - but we WILL get through it.
111 days.
On my lunchtime drive, I heard someone on CBS radio making a very astute comment. I paraphrase:
GWB is telling the country that this is serious - deadly serious. However, this comes from an administration that has had us at Terror Threat: Orange for over two years! No wonder people aren't taking it so seriously.
The fear tactics of the Bush Junta have finally come to bite them in the ass. WOLF... AL QUEDA!!!... WOLF!!! AL QUEDA!!!!... WOLF!!!!... and now when there really appears to be a (self-inflicted due to deregulation) crisis, nobody is listening to the Frat boy who cried Al Queda.
I am, naturally, concerned about my IRA - although it is with one of the banks that so far has weathered the storm. My savings is at my local credit union, and they're doing fine. My mortgage company is hanging on, although they're rocky - but that should be OK too. As long as my job stays safe, I should be OK through this.
I'm pulling back on spending starting immediately, however. My "consumer confidence" is tanking. My $600 "economic stimulus" is in savings, and will REMAIN there. I remember my mother washing and reusing plastic bags and aluminum foil. My sister-in-law used to laugh at my mom about her recycling wrapping paper. I grew up with Depression-era parents. I know how to economise, although doubtless not as well as they did.
Hang on, folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride - but we WILL get through it.
111 days.
Friday, September 26, 2008
OMG - WaMu???
I was 1/2 asleep still when I read the Yahoo News.
WaMu may not have been my most favorite of my former mortgage-holder banks (they bought mine, then sold it a while back) - but DAMN. Wow. WaMu... I'm kinda stunned.
115 days
WaMu may not have been my most favorite of my former mortgage-holder banks (they bought mine, then sold it a while back) - but DAMN. Wow. WaMu... I'm kinda stunned.
115 days
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
ZERO Tolerance
One of those quirky things about being me is the fact that I have zero tolerance for blatant stupidity, especially when it comes from someone in the Accounting profession.
Even more-so when it comes from someone in the accounting profession whose stupidity is affecting me in a personal way.
An example of this would be the statement of account that I received from my dipshit halfassed criminally stupid condo "management" association. I paid my assessment for this month on the 20th of LAST month - having gotten a tiddle bit ahead and able to make the payment early.
Statement shows the credit amount as the opening balance. This is correct.
Statement shows the amount of the assessment. This is correct.
Statement shows a $25 LATE PAYMENT FEE. Excuse me? WHAT THE FUCK???
Now, anyone can make a mistake. Perhaps the accounting clerk ran a report to show everyone with a Not-Zero balance, and applied the charge to all of them. It is a mistake, it's stupid, but it's just a mistake and can be corrected.
However.
I called up to set this straight - and the FUCKING MORON who took my call tried to ARGUE with me. She tried to say that since there was no payment that month, OF COURSE there was a late fee. WHY THE BLOODY HELL WOULD I PAY MORE WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO COVER THIS MONTH? Oh, well... um... have I ever gotten a statement before?
EXCUSE ME TO FUCK AND BEYOND???????????????????????????????????????????????????
What the bloody hell does that have to do with the price of rice in China on Tuesdays in Leap Years? YOU OWE ME, BITCH, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
Well, she's going to have to take it to accounting and see if an error was made...
IF??????
IF?????????????????????????????????????????
THERE IS NO "IF" ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, someone will call you back.
Today?
Umm....
It had better be today. I'm NOT happy about this.
Ummm... she'll try.
Blatant stupidity.
Yes, they fixed it. No, I'm still not happy.
117 days still.
Even more-so when it comes from someone in the accounting profession whose stupidity is affecting me in a personal way.
An example of this would be the statement of account that I received from my dipshit halfassed criminally stupid condo "management" association. I paid my assessment for this month on the 20th of LAST month - having gotten a tiddle bit ahead and able to make the payment early.
Statement shows the credit amount as the opening balance. This is correct.
Statement shows the amount of the assessment. This is correct.
Statement shows a $25 LATE PAYMENT FEE. Excuse me? WHAT THE FUCK???
Now, anyone can make a mistake. Perhaps the accounting clerk ran a report to show everyone with a Not-Zero balance, and applied the charge to all of them. It is a mistake, it's stupid, but it's just a mistake and can be corrected.
However.
I called up to set this straight - and the FUCKING MORON who took my call tried to ARGUE with me. She tried to say that since there was no payment that month, OF COURSE there was a late fee. WHY THE BLOODY HELL WOULD I PAY MORE WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO COVER THIS MONTH? Oh, well... um... have I ever gotten a statement before?
EXCUSE ME TO FUCK AND BEYOND???????????????????????????????????????????????????
What the bloody hell does that have to do with the price of rice in China on Tuesdays in Leap Years? YOU OWE ME, BITCH, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
Well, she's going to have to take it to accounting and see if an error was made...
IF??????
IF?????????????????????????????????????????
THERE IS NO "IF" ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, someone will call you back.
Today?
Umm....
It had better be today. I'm NOT happy about this.
Ummm... she'll try.
Blatant stupidity.
Yes, they fixed it. No, I'm still not happy.
117 days still.
Another one of those "Tag" things
Kal, whom I love dearly has seen fit to "tag" me with one of those Tag things. If it were anyone but Kal, I might feel less obligated, but he IS like the son I never had who lives bajillions of miles away in another country where they talk different and wear kilts and stuff, so here goes:
I am: An accountant.
I think: I'm starting to get a handle on how this "life" thing works. Maybe in another 52 years I'll "get" it really well.
I know: I've forgotten to do something important this morning.
I have: wayyyyyy too much stuff in my breifcase and purse. Time to purge.
I wish: I could eat anything I wanted any time I wanted and not worry about diabetes, cholesterol, fat, salt, calories or vitamins.
I hate: evangelical hypocrites. "Pro-Life" folks who support the wars, "Christians" who want to do physical violence to those with whom they differ on political issues, etc.
I miss: Leandra, more than you can possibly imagine.
I fear: romantic "relationships"
I hear: Cicadas and crickets at night, birdsong in the morning
I smell: like lavendar today.
I crave: Protein. In cheese, meats, eggy things.
I search: in the most haphazard way. I'm really rather shit at this.
I wonder: what's on the "other side" that Lea's found.
I regret: not having been more assertive in my youth. I spent way too many years being shy and self-deprecating.
I love: Amanda, chocolate, my cats, having friends all over the world, reading, designing and assembling quilts, hot coffee on the way to work, the smell of autumn in the air on a cool August morning, moonlight on freshly fallen snow, apple coffee-cake, sitting quietly in the woods and listening to the birds.
I ache: at night, when my muscles and bones all tell me I'm getting old.
I am not: a Republican.
I believe: that when we get to "the other side", we are ALL going to be in for a hugeongous surprise - that it is nothing like what we think it will be.
I dance: When nobody else is around while I'm cleaning
I sing: in the car when there isn't much traffic around so nobody can accidently see/hear me!
I cry: sometimes for no reason at all.
I fight: with words.
I win: rarely - but it makes it that much sweeter when I do!
I lose: my keys usually twice a week.
I never: watch television.
I always: have a fan running in my room at night to block the noise from the expressway.
I confuse: my boss sometimes.
I listen: pretty well. People have commented thus, over the years.
I can usually be found: at home.
I am scared: that the republicans might win the election and completely destroy the country.
I need: another cup of coffee.
I am happy about: having only one more answer to think up, and that we're down to 117 days!
I imagine: the most amazing things. If only I could string together a plot line, the story would be incredible!
I tag:
Rauf
Croila
E4E
Nzingha
117 days
I am: An accountant.
I think: I'm starting to get a handle on how this "life" thing works. Maybe in another 52 years I'll "get" it really well.
I know: I've forgotten to do something important this morning.
I have: wayyyyyy too much stuff in my breifcase and purse. Time to purge.
I wish: I could eat anything I wanted any time I wanted and not worry about diabetes, cholesterol, fat, salt, calories or vitamins.
I hate: evangelical hypocrites. "Pro-Life" folks who support the wars, "Christians" who want to do physical violence to those with whom they differ on political issues, etc.
I miss: Leandra, more than you can possibly imagine.
I fear: romantic "relationships"
I hear: Cicadas and crickets at night, birdsong in the morning
I smell: like lavendar today.
I crave: Protein. In cheese, meats, eggy things.
I search: in the most haphazard way. I'm really rather shit at this.
I wonder: what's on the "other side" that Lea's found.
I regret: not having been more assertive in my youth. I spent way too many years being shy and self-deprecating.
I love: Amanda, chocolate, my cats, having friends all over the world, reading, designing and assembling quilts, hot coffee on the way to work, the smell of autumn in the air on a cool August morning, moonlight on freshly fallen snow, apple coffee-cake, sitting quietly in the woods and listening to the birds.
I ache: at night, when my muscles and bones all tell me I'm getting old.
I am not: a Republican.
I believe: that when we get to "the other side", we are ALL going to be in for a hugeongous surprise - that it is nothing like what we think it will be.
I dance: When nobody else is around while I'm cleaning
I sing: in the car when there isn't much traffic around so nobody can accidently see/hear me!
I cry: sometimes for no reason at all.
I fight: with words.
I win: rarely - but it makes it that much sweeter when I do!
I lose: my keys usually twice a week.
I never: watch television.
I always: have a fan running in my room at night to block the noise from the expressway.
I confuse: my boss sometimes.
I listen: pretty well. People have commented thus, over the years.
I can usually be found: at home.
I am scared: that the republicans might win the election and completely destroy the country.
I need: another cup of coffee.
I am happy about: having only one more answer to think up, and that we're down to 117 days!
I imagine: the most amazing things. If only I could string together a plot line, the story would be incredible!
I tag:
Rauf
Croila
E4E
Nzingha
117 days
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Cubness
From Wikipedia, The Ex-Cub Factor is a seemingly spurious correlation that is essentially a corollary to the Curse of the Billy Goat. Widely published in 1990, the hypothesis asserts that since the last appearance by the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series, any baseball team headed into the World Series with three or more former Cubs on its roster has "a critical mass of Cubness" and a strong likelihood of failure.
What the Wikipedia entry fails to mention is that CURRENT Cubs have an even higher concentration of "Cubness", which thereby both overwhelms any other team's Cubness factor and explains why we've been waiting until next year since 1945.
Given the current situation on the North side, it is now certain that my Cubbie Wubbies will spend at least a small amount of time in the post-season playoffs. Some of my co-workers are even so bold as to assume that this year is different.
Oh, you dear, sweet, younglings. Who could forget 1969? And even if you DO forget 1969, who could forget 1984? The Cubs have disappointed fans for years and years. I actually DID believe back in 69 and 84. But I've learned, I've grown, and I know that getting one's hopes up in that fashion, only to have them dashed, is foolishness in the extreme. I love the Cubs. I wish they could win a World Series. But since having the Cubbies win a World Series Championship would also be one of the signs of the Apocalypse, the coming of the Rapture®, and Armageddon... not to mention costing me a fucking fortune in buying a dozen long-stem red roses for Grampa R's grave, I'm not entirely sure I'm totally in favor of disturbing the Status Quo.
118 days
What the Wikipedia entry fails to mention is that CURRENT Cubs have an even higher concentration of "Cubness", which thereby both overwhelms any other team's Cubness factor and explains why we've been waiting until next year since 1945.
Given the current situation on the North side, it is now certain that my Cubbie Wubbies will spend at least a small amount of time in the post-season playoffs. Some of my co-workers are even so bold as to assume that this year is different.
Oh, you dear, sweet, younglings. Who could forget 1969? And even if you DO forget 1969, who could forget 1984? The Cubs have disappointed fans for years and years. I actually DID believe back in 69 and 84. But I've learned, I've grown, and I know that getting one's hopes up in that fashion, only to have them dashed, is foolishness in the extreme. I love the Cubs. I wish they could win a World Series. But since having the Cubbies win a World Series Championship would also be one of the signs of the Apocalypse, the coming of the Rapture®, and Armageddon... not to mention costing me a fucking fortune in buying a dozen long-stem red roses for Grampa R's grave, I'm not entirely sure I'm totally in favor of disturbing the Status Quo.
118 days
Friday, September 19, 2008
Ever have a dream...
Ever have a dream so real, so detailed, so completely coherent that you could SWEAR it had actually happened? Except that what happened was so good, so wonderful, so utterly impossible - that you knew, even in the dream, that it was a dream, but when you woke up it was like to break your heart realizing that not only was it a dream, but it was a dream you'd probably not be able to shake off for a day or two, and that you'd never be able to get "back" to that part of the plot and enjoy playing in that alternate reality forever when unconscious?
Damn.
Yeah - it was that good.
No - nobody was nekid. Yet.
122 days
Damn.
Yeah - it was that good.
No - nobody was nekid. Yet.
122 days
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Did Sarah Palin invent Mooses?
So!! John McCain invented the Blackberry!
John who's never used a computer or been on the Interwebs McCain Invented The Blackberry!!
I wonder if that was before or after Al Gore invented the Intertubez?
*smirk*
However... Happy Goddamn Piece of Paper Day. On this date in 1787, the founding fathers signed the Goddamn Piece of Paper, giving our country an organized government. Really, unlike July 4 - this is the real "Happy Birthday" for America. Just think where we might be without that Goddamn Piece of Paper!
It is also St. Ebenezer day here in my town, as I saw the first Xmas decorations in a local store.
124 days
John who's never used a computer or been on the Interwebs McCain Invented The Blackberry!!
I wonder if that was before or after Al Gore invented the Intertubez?
*smirk*
However... Happy Goddamn Piece of Paper Day. On this date in 1787, the founding fathers signed the Goddamn Piece of Paper, giving our country an organized government. Really, unlike July 4 - this is the real "Happy Birthday" for America. Just think where we might be without that Goddamn Piece of Paper!
It is also St. Ebenezer day here in my town, as I saw the first Xmas decorations in a local store.
124 days
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