A City Adventure!

So, my friend Zac - who is really just this kid I met in WoW - and his lovely ladyfriend came to Chicago this last weekend for Valentine's day.

What could be more romantic than Valentine's day in Chicago in Fucking February? Ummm....

Gosh.... I really am at a loss to think of anything LESS romantic. But then, Zac is different.

I mean, here he is, in the Big City with his lovely lady - and he wants to spend the day with a crabby old curmudgeon like me????

Obviously nuttier than a fruitcake.

Anyhow - seeing as they are from Pencil-Vane-Ya, we did the obligatory visit to the top of the SEARS Tower.

Way up there in the 103rd floor there is a "Skydeck", which lets you look out over the city. The view was awesome Saturday afternoon - you could see Indiana easily, and you could almost see all the way past O'Hare. They have these plexiglass things built into the western side of the Tower now, that hang out over the edge of the building and you can see all the way down to the street.


I did step onto it. Just barely. For once in my life I was glad of not being able to see my feet standing on "thin air" - I stayed close enough to the inside of the building so I could jump back in if it even WIGGLED.

Zac wouldn't go within 10 feet of it. *chuckle*

Anyhow, after that we went and browsed the many shops of Chicago Kitsch Souviniers (there was a mug I seriously coveted, but not $15.00 worth of coveting and besides of which it was heavy and I didn't want to lug it around) - then we made our way down the street SORTA with the help of their GPS except not exactly... I saw the sign for where we were going before the GPS could tell us where to go. Oh how we laughed.

Well, I did. So did his g/friend. Zac just gave us dirty look.

We went to Giordano's Pizza - a nice little pizzaria, very crowded.



They make a to-die-for spinach & mushroom deep dish pizza.



By the time we got done talking and all, it was time for me to turn into a pumpkin, so we caught a cab back to Navy Pier.




We were all surprised that the Ferris Wheel was operating - even with the extreme cold. We did not attempt to ride it. I'm not that insane. Besides, I had to hike back to my car, which was several blocks away, in the cold.



In all, a fun time, and I only wish we'd had more time, and less transportation issues. Cabs are farking EXPENSIVE - and so is parking. Maybe next time I see them, we can take the "Sewmouse Tour of Chicago" - which includes some memorable Blues Brothers sites. *giggle*

Oh - and 186 of 625!

More Ideas Formulated While Commuting:

So I'm driving to work this morning and there's this car in front of me with a license-plate holder advertising someone's website - except that the fastener to hold the plate to the car was positioned in just such a way that it blocked out the top of the letter "O" in the (dot)com part of the URL.

Which got me to thinking. Since EVERYONE knows that "The Internet is for Porn" - and 100's of 1000's of dollars go into Pr0n advertising, and there are like 2 Pr0n websites for every "normal" one - not to mention Rule 34 - and considering the amount of time and energy wasted on things like "net-Nanny" and such - why not just give all the Pr0n providers their very own extention? "(dot)CUM". They could have all the addys - and parents would only have to block the one extention - well, maybe two, if they got "(dot)ORGY" as well... They could even have their very own search engine "OOGLE".

Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone...

This is not an environmental activism post.

This post is about hot water.

Specifically hot water from a heater of hot water that delivers said hot water directly into one's bathtub. Or shower. As JRR Tolkien tells us:

Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
That washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain.
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
but better than rain or rippling streams
is Water Hot that smokes and steams.

O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;
but better is Beer, if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.

O! Water is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white beneath the sky;
but never did fountain sound so sweet
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!

So Friday I discover that my water heater has stopped heating water. There is nothing for it, I will have to call a plumber - but! The hell if I'm going to call a plumber on Friday night - because there's no way I want to spend "emergency call" type money on what is probably a simple repair.

So I would have called on Monday, but the CPA was in, so I called on Tuesday and the guy came out yesterday. No. I did not go from Friday to Wednesday without washing, you gits. I hotted up water on my stove, poured it into a bucket and took it up to the bathtub. It was soooooo very 18th century...

No wonder they had servants back then.

Anyhow - the hot water heater is again working (something about a clogged filter and some other plumbery-talk stuff I didn't understand) - and I had a lovely, lovely long hot shower last night - and another this morning - and will probably do again tonite just because I CAN!!!

O! Water Hot is a noble thing!

OMG!! WTF??? BBQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111ELEVENTYONE!!!!

What is that STRANGE - UNEARTHLY GLOW IN THE SKY?????????????????


Oh. Yeah. Sunshine. Forgot about that. Heh.

So, I took Kili to the vet on Thursday to get her vacinations caught up so she can be boarded at their facility while I am in Florida. ($$$!!) Someone was decidedly NOT HAPPY at travelling yet again to the V-E-T in the cat-carry-box-of-DOOM. She peed on the towel I have on the bottom to keep it warmer. *grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

Anyhow, vet tells me that for a 17 yr old, almost 18 yr old cat, she's pretty healthy, the only bad thing is that her kidneys are starting to lose mass, which means they are starting to "go". *sigh*. I have a feeling I won't have a cat in the house anymore much longer. Still and all, the vet says I take good care of her, and that most cats don't make it this far, so I'm glad we've had as much time together as we have had.

All this advance planning for the trip is making me stress out some (I haven't flown in YEARS) - and so work on things like the quilt for Kal and my diningroom makeover are kind of falling by the wayside. I need to finish all the arrangements for Florida so I can get back to being happily busy on house stuff.

Channelling my Inner Martha Stewart, as it were.

I'm feeling good, though - a bit on the sleepy side still, but otherwise fine and happy. Makes for boring blog posts, though.

Sorry.

Crawling out of my hole for a bit..

So I've been cranky and unable to post or do much of anything for a couple 3 weeks here. I had a Dr. appointment coming up, and I was not doing so well and I was all kinds of stressing over it.

Well, it turns out things were not as bad as all that, and the Dr. changed my medicine (again!) and it seems to be easier for me to tolerate, so maybe I can get back onto track again.

The downstairs bathroom is acting up again, but I think I know what is the problem, so I should be able to fix it maybe. I started in by turning off the water to the faucet, so now I just have to get up the courage to get in there with a wrench and see if I can fiddle with the guts.

I am not fond of plumbing.

Gonna go visit Dad next month. Should be nice, going to Florida in February. I get to miss out on a bunch of cold days, I hope.

Rush LimpBalls taken to hospital with "chest pains"

Everyone over at Huffpo is falling all over themselves trying to out "classy" the WrongWing nuts by "wishing him well".

I'm not that classy.

My personal take is that this couldn't have happened to a more deserving individual, and my supreme hope is that he is incapacitated for the rest of his life and unable to spew his hate-filled venom at his fellow Americans in any way, shape, form or fashion. I wish him all the worst.

"But Sewmouse" I hear you say "Wasn't that last post rather vitriolic and hate-filled? How can you criticize El Rushbo for something you have done too?"

True.

However. I challenge you all to find me one. ONE. O-N-E American Liberal Female Progressive person who has ever tried to detonate a bomb on an airliner for "Allah". You do that, and I'll STFU about religous extremeism. Hell, I will shut up about Rush limpballs too - maybe.

Because really, when it comes right down to it, political "conservatism" is really a religion. They BELIEVE in their Corporate Deity, and worship the almighty Dollar.

So - Here's to an extended, hideously painful & expensive hospitalization, Rush. Don't get well soon.

To All the Al-Queda wannabes and friends

It is my understanding - and I may in fact be wrong - that your major complaint is that we aren't like you. We don't follow Islam, or Islamic law. We don't make our women hide themselves in unsightly tents because you can't keep your peckers in line. For the most part, we don't go around wasting our time worrying about other people's religious beliefs or "morals". We leave those kind of things between each individual and his/her deity.

We don't cower in fear and give in to fucktards like you. We don't go the appeasement route. We will hunt you down. We will bomb your countries back to the stone age you seem to prefer to live in. Your once-proud civilizations will never again rise, because you refuse to fix your OWN problems, but choose to try and inflict them on US. DIE IN A FIRE - and if that fire has to be the fire from nuclear missiles - then so be it, you will have chosen your own fate, Swine.

It seems you've tried again to blow up an airplane. Tried. You're not going to succeed, fuckers, because we are aware now. We are alert. We aren't going to let your fucktard murderers get away with it. We won't sit like sheep in the plane and not fight back. You fucked up on 9/11/01 - and we don't forget easily - and we forgive grudgingly - if ever. For my part - I will never forget, and I will NEVER forgive.

You fucked up again with this Nigerian boy. You seem to not get it - the more you try to force your despicable "Allah" on us - the less inclined we will be to acquiese to your desire. Allahu ain't akbar enough to cut through MY stubbornness. I would rather spend eternity in hell than even a fleeting moment in "paradise" with the likes of you misogynist pigs. I will purchase a gun and learn to shoot it if that is what it takes to keep you from forcing me into one of your shapeless "Abaya" or "Hijab" or "Burka". And if you think I'm going to take off my bra, lift my shirt and shake my tits at you - you've got several MILLION "thinks" coming, Asswipes.

I spit on your Quran.

Relativity

The extent to which you NEED your car is directly dis-proportional to the availability of said vehicle.

When deprived of your transport, 10,000 reasons why you simply MUST get your ass to Walgreens come to mind. Sweats, chills, shaking et al may accompany the feelings of entrapment.

Once said vehicle has been returned.... it will doubtless sit for the better part of the 4-day weekend in the driveway gathering copious amounts of sn*w.

Silly, really.

Merry Christmas!!

Chappy Channukah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Blessed Yule!!
FESTIVE FESTIVUS!!!

I got my car back - can you tell??? *grin*

May your winter holiday of light be warm and cozy, may you enjoy the comfort of family, friends and awesome food. Be well, Internet Friends.

Day 3 - No Wheels

My hands become sweaty. My heart races. Tremors of fear wrack my frame. Paranoia begins to rear it's ugly head in the most dire imaginings.

If I don't get the car back today, I will be 4 days more without wheels, as the shop is closed for the 4-day holiday weekend. If I don't get the car back today, I will run out of cat food and Kili will start to gnaw on ME, like those pug dogs did to their dead owner, except I will be alive. EATEN ALIVE BY OWN CATS - film at 11.

(actually, I am hopeful that the mini-mart at the Shell station has cat food and I might could walk up there for some.)

I hate being car-less. I hate having to impose on co-worker D for a ride to and from the office. It's out of his way, and I feel like a terrible, terrible leech.

And there is a blizzard due.

Good thing I don't have a dog, I'm probably broadcasting fear pheremones like crazy.