Sunday, December 31, 2006

Retrospectives Suck

I'm tired of them. I'm tired of having to "relive the year" in review. Enough already. I didn't care about "TomCat" and "Brangelica" the first time around, they're JUST as noxious this time. Enough! I have been disgusted by the news of the war for the whole year - and disgusted by the antics of the frat-boy from Texas for 6 years. Enough! Stop it.

The eve of a new year for me is a time to look forward. To set goals and assign priorities to them, and formulate strategies to attain them.

It is also a time that a once-friend of mine (we drifted in very different directions) and I used to always use for mental focus, by doing the things we would most like to spend the rest of the year doing.

This year I will work on cleaning up my OWN back yard, pick one of the environmental groups to work with close to home, I will work on cooking and eating healthy every day instead of just finding something to chow down. And I will make an effort to assist the other "Lib'ruls" hiding in my county - in the hopes that we can get a candidate on EVERY single opening on the ballots, not just for the large state-wide elections.

There are other goals, but this is a private, personal thing with me, and I'll deal with those on my own. For 2 days, The last day, and the first day, of the year(s), I'll try to do as much as I can toward reaching those goals in a day - to try and set my sights and focus on them. It's not a surefire thing, it's not "magick" - it's just a personal goal, and it does work frequently enough for me to keep going.

To all who will party tonite - be safe.

750 Days

Saturday, December 30, 2006

I don't know

I don't know how I feel this morning after hearing the news that they executed Saddam Hussein over in Iraq last nite.

I'm not surprised or anything - other than a certain mild surprise because there wasn't the big "build up" that we have over here before an execution. That man was never going to get a fair trial, and there was never any doubt in my mind that the people from an area where "an eye for an eyelash and all your teeth for a small cavity" is the norm. Those people put him through that whole kangaroo court with no intention of EVER coming back with any verdict other than "Hang him".

But he was a very very bad, bad, monkey man. Brought down from power by another very very bad, bad, monkey man.

My feelings are kind of numb on this matter.

751 days

Friday, December 29, 2006

Ahhh... Drugs...

Ok, first off, for all you kiddies out there - DRUGS ARE BAD...M'kayyyy?

Flexeril is good. Flexeril is very good. I now have about twice the range of pain-free motion in my arm as I had last nite, and although I'm still not completely healed up, a few more pain-free nights should be just the ticket.

The Dr. took some test or another, requiring a very small amount of blood, and then declared that my blood range thing was 6.6 instead of the 7.1 it had been so he was going to leave the meds alone for now and let me get on with diet and (ugh) exercise.

So, so far, so good, I guess.

It's been overcast and grey here for a week. Not bad weather, just dreary. My battle with the spiders and my pack-rat-itis continues, today I take another 4 trash bags full of crap to various and sundry donations-accepting places.

752 days

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Ugh

Today I have to go to the Dr. again. Ugh.

However, maybe I can do something about this muscle spasm that's been pestering me since the snowstorm a while back. I think I pulled something rather nastily when trying to sweep the heavy snow off my car, and every night my arm and shoulder hurt like crazy. I'm fair certain it's a muscle spasming. Me - the spaz case. *sigh*

Anyhow - got a lot to do, the laundry is almost all done, the kitchen is looking better and I have a TON of trash to take to the curb, since I've decided that if I haven't worked on something in over 20 years, I'm probably never going to do.

Also need to make a few stops at the postal orifice, the grocery store and somewhere that I can buy a pretty bow for a present that still needs to be wrapped. My friend from Tennessee is in town and I need to get that taken care of.

Otherwise, the week off has been relaxing and productive. If I can just get this arm/shoulder thing fixed up, I'll feel great.

753 days

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Spirituality

Been reading around some on a lot of blogs. Have found some interesting insights from some unusual places.

What I've really found is that those who have some concern with spirituality, whether in the form of organized religion or not, tend to talk about it to one extent or another. There are some atheists out there, who aren't concerned about it, and there are some "anti-theists" out there who seem bound and determined to be rude and obnoxious to anyone who is. What I find unfortunate is that most of the poeple who do the most of the talking are convinced, beyond any doubt, that they have found "the way" and that if everyone else isn't following THEIR path, they're wrong.

What I've seen is that each of us is given a path - a means to connect to the divine - the "deity" if you will. These paths aren't all going to be the same. There are too many things that need to be addressed, and if we all concentrate on just one of these things, while IT will become less of a problem, the rest of the world will go to hell in a handbasket.

If we only concentrate on one aspect of the whole, then everything tips wrong in another direction. In order to fix poverty, hunger, the environment, war, and everything else that needs attention, we have to work on them all at once, and that's just a bit too much to ask from anyone who can give enough to make any sort of difference to the whole. This needs to be a group effort, and each of us needs to find their own "small bit for the whole" and work at that.

I've made my choice, based on what I can personally do, and it isn't blogging. That's my outlet. This is my emotional overload safety valve. This is where my angst gets to come out and play, because it has to stay bottled up most of the time in "real life".

So if I don't seem to be paying enough attention to your personal pet project for improving the planet - understand that perhaps that's not the part of the whole that I've found to be my path. But I don't think your part sucks, just because it isn't mine - ok?

754 days

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Happy Boxing Day

Whilest on the subject of the imaginary "War on Christmas", it occurred to me that not only do I not know how to spell occurred, but that a major sticking point for the Religious Wrong is that the ACLU is working with other religious groups who are not happy about "Nativity Scenes" at public places.

You will note - PUBLIC PLACES. I have never yet heard of the ACLU trying to get someone to take down a nativity scene on their own private property, nor one from a church property. Apparently this scare tactic is being used by the Religious Wrong, however. I know that Dad believes that they are "trying to do that".

When I was growing up, we lived in a small suburb of Chicago - almost in "the country", as there were still gravel and dirt roads and cornfields and woods all around us. The neighbors were all religous folks - Next door was a good catholic family with 6 boys, next to them a baptist family with 2 kids, then the 2 Lutheran retired ladies, across the street a couple of methodist families, and over the other direction, my best friend was catholic...

And lots of folks would put out those light-up plastic nativity scenes. And every year, SOMEONE would come thru and steal, or bend, fold and mutilate the baby Jesuses out of a few of them. I can assure you, it WASNT the ACLU - and back then Dad would complain about "Those Darn Kids" (nobody knew who... but it HAD to be kids, yes?)

Never a mention about the ACLU or a "War on Christmas". Oh, sometimes folks would get pissy because someone would abreviate and say "xmas", but it really wasn't the huge deal. And no, to my remembering mind, I don't recall there being a creche scene at the town hall building. Just bells and lights and Santa.

Ok, guys? There IS NO WAR ON CHRISTMAS - get over it. Get past it. Think for yourself. Read everything. Question everything. The real war, George W. Bush's Illegal and Immoral War is real - and it has now, officially - at Christmas - killed more American Soldiers than Osama Bin Laden did on 9/11.

How about fighting for peace on earth for a change?

755 days

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas

To all who celebrate - Merry Christmas

You will notice I did not say Xmas. I did not say Happy Holidays. I did not say "Season's Greetings"

Now, if you would, please give me the gift that will keep giving all year and stop listening to Limbaugh, Coulter, O'Reilly and their friends, and use your brain, the one your God gave to you - and think for yourself.

The only way that anyone can "destroy" Christmas is if YOU allow it. Go ahead, say Merry Christmas. Say it to everyone you meet today - this week, whenever. Ignore anyone who gives you a dirty look. If anyone tries to stop you, trot out the old 1st Amendment - that's what it's THERE for! Stop being a victim, especially when there really is NOBODY trying to victimize you. Stop looking for imaginary evils, and do something about the REAL evils - the evils of imperialism, nationalism, war, lies and hatred.

Merry Christmas, Dad.

756 days

Sunday, December 24, 2006

The Great Jello Fiasco

So I go to make jello for the jello salad for the office pot-luck on Friday.
Thursday morning I make lime jello and put it in the fridge.
Thursday nite I make cherry jello and put it in the fridge.
Friday morning I whip up sweet cream and add sugar and take out what SHOULD be two very well-set pans of jello to cut up and add to the whipped cream...

and I have 2 pans of jello soup.

I cried.

Then I made another 2 boxes of lime jello - and instead of using cold water, I used ice cubes and some more whipping cream... and this time it came out ok, but not as nice as I wanted. I hate jello.


757 days

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Good Morning World!

I don't have to go to work again until Jan. 2. *smile*
I don't even have to leave the house, really, except maybe to go to the grocery market. I am planning to get a lot of the "never have time for it" things done around the hacienda.

La Casa de Sewmouse is a little raggedy-looking around the edges, and I think a bit of pre-new-years cleanup is in order. The first Japanese company I worked for did this - the last 2 days of work before New Year, we stopped working and had to clean out all the cupbords and files and closets and stuff. Start the New Year off clean and tidy and fresh. Seems sensible.

So I have a list of 10 things, fairly "big" things, that need to be done, and for the 10 days I have off, I'll do one per day. I think that's manageable.

Remind me to tell you all about the great Jello fiasco...

758 days

Friday, December 22, 2006

Democracy?

So I'm reading this article and it SEEMS to be saying that exporting democracy before a country is ready to deal with the rule of law is pretty much a guarantee of failure.

What really hit me in the gut, however was this:

"The complete bypassing of legal norms and standards makes the experience of present times much more frightening,"

and this:

"(Asia's people) are angry at the use of martial law and emergency and terrorism laws that steal their rights in the name of making them secure,"

It's not just Asia, folks. It's not just Asia.

More swearing!

A Virginia Representative is having kittens over the fact that a new congressman from Minnesota wants to hold a koran at his swearing-in rather than a bible.

Linky

What really gets to me is that this guy cannot see what a flaming hypocrite he is. Here is a man who is NOT demanding that ANYONE else use a koran - he just wants to use HIS holy book, rather than someone else's. The Virginia Good Ol' Boy says things like "You won't see ME putting my hand on a koran!!" Guess what, Skippy? NOBODY"S ASKING YOU TO.

Now what I found most interesting was a comment made by Charles Osgood on the radio this morning on the way to work. It seems that for many years, there have not been individual swearing-in ceremonies for members of Congress. What they do is they have them come up in groups, nobody puts their hands on anything, and if you see an individual swearing-in thing, it's just faked for a photo-0p.

So all this hoo-hah from the Fair State of Virginia is just that - hoo-hah.

But what gets me is the hypocrisy - it's FINE for the so-called "gentleman" from Virginia to force the Congressman from Minnesota to put his hand on a so-called "holy book" that he does not espouse, but it's just WRONG for anyone to want to force the "gentleman" from Virginia to put HIS hand on a koran.

Especially when nobody is forcing anyone to put their hands on anything.

Hell - they should all just put their hands on their genitalia - it's what they seem to think with, and worship, the most!

759 days.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Sanctity of Marriage

A lot has been said by the religious bigots (primarily Xtian religious bigots) about the "Sanctity of Marriage", and how letting "Queers" marry will destroy said "Sanctity of Marriage". The Religious Wrong have paraded around in Massachusetts all about the "Sanctity of Marriage".

Hopefully, we can get rid of them and send them off to India where they can demonstrate and mouth off and be bigots about the fact that DOGS are being allowed - even FORCED to marry! OH the Caninity!!! PETA is already hot on the case, but because they don't feel the doggies should be FORCED to marry. (To hell with the 3 year old girls in Arabic countries - let's make sure the DOGS aren't forced into marriages!!)

Now - if two human beings who love one another, are committed to each other, live together and want to celebrate that union of their souls can destroy the "Sanctity of Marriage" by the fact they are of the same gender, wouldn't you think the bigots in the Religious Wrong would be all over this like white on wedding rice?

*crickets*

Hmm?

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Cheney to Testify for Defense

Deadeye Dick is going to be a witness for the defense in the CIA leak trial thing.

How in the bloody hell is the bailiff going to keep a straight face when he swears him in? I mean really ... "Do you, Mr. Cheney, Swear to tell the truth..... " ROFLMAOTPSOMN

I couldn't make it past the first 1/2 of the first 1/2 of the first sentance.

Easily Amused

Go to the Yahoo home page. www.yahoo.com for those of you who are home-page challenged.

Mouse over the logo on the upper left side. Aww, the penguin ice skates.
Now mouse over him again.

Yes, I am VERY easily amused. But he's cute.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Happy Days

In the interest of making certain that I don't have to pay royalties or anything on this, the following should NOT be sung to a familiar tune traditionally associated with Natal Events:


Happy No More Rummy Day to US!!!
Happy No More Rummy Day to US!!!
Happy No More Rummy Day Everybody!!!!!!
Happy No More Rummy Day To Ussssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Oh and.

Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday Dear Leandra!!!
Happy Birthday To You.

Today is the first day of the rest of my blog.

I read where they found the body of one of those 3 mountainclimber guys on Mt. Hood. I'd hoped for better news, but yesterday while Lea was giving me the play-by-play off CNN over the phone (I don't have cable - I never watch TV), something in my gut knew that those guys weren't gonna have made it.

What an awful thing to have happen right before the Winter Holiday of their choice. My condolances to their families.

I'm sending out packages today and tomorrow. Some will surprise people, I think. I hope so, anyhow.

I have to make Jello salad for the Holiday Party at work. I'm thinking of making multi-colored jello cubes and then mixing them in with whipped creme. Or something.

I have only ONE resolution I'm making this year. I hope I can keep it. I really do. I want to learn how to spin wool or other fibers into thread. I know it's rather archaic, but I wanna know how.

Ok - EVERYONE head on over to Leandra's Blog and wish her Happy Birthday. Today is a "milestone" birthday for her, I hear she's scheduled an all-day depression to celebrate it, so go be nice and FORCE her to smile!!!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

You can buy ANYTHING on the Internet...

I really hate those auto-redirect things that if they can't find the URL you are looking for send you to E-Bay, Amazon or some other site that claims you can buy "XYZ" there. This one just hit me so funny. I was trying to click-thru to a favorite blog which has disappeared, unfortunately - the writer was an interesting person and had a lot of interesting things to say and link/comment about. I will miss her journal. One of the words in her blog's name was "Mother" - and when the thing 404'd on me, it suggested this as an alternate:

Mother
Save up to 50% on Mother. Search over 15,000 sites with one click. Your source for everything under the sun!.

http://FindStuff.com

Amazing.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Rambling On

I realize over the last few posts I've been doing a lot of either kvetching or rambling on about stupid stuff that's just crossing my mind at any given moment. While this is therapeutic for my own writing muse, it probably has all y'all bored to tears, I'm sorry, mea culpa, but... deal, ok?

The winter holidays are always my very least favorite time of year. Mostly because of the disintegration and dysfunctionality of my family, but also to a lot of other issues. I hate the cold weather, and I despise snow. (Shaddup, Sausage.) I am one of those folks who don't react well if there isn't enough daylight - even the really dreary months in spring and fall can get me feeling "down".

Then there is the whole holiday thing, which feeds back into the family thing. Sort of a snowball effect there. Things aren't as dire feeling as they were a week or so ago, but I'm still feeling pretty crummy.

And so I decided to give myself an early Xmas "Holiday" present and stop fixating on the problems with politics and all. Certainly I can't give it up completely, but I'm right near that "breaking point", and I think that since one-more-thing could send me off into a cardiac incident, it's better to have at least TWO more things available so if one more happens, I have a spare. And the only thing that I can seriously control is to back off the political bandwagon until things settle down more. Not for lack of caring, but I can't really do much if I'm dead, so I'm gonna try to avoid that for a little while more.

In the meanwhile, thank you to Peacechick Mary for the SAMe advice, between that and a slight increase in the St. John's Wort, I seem to be feeling closer to myself.

Oh... Leandra.... I got your birthday present here.... *dangles present from a distance* hehehehehehe

Mouse Tracks

I had a bit of a time coming up with just ONE title for this post. The other option was from a Beach Boys song "I get around"...

Thanks to John Good at from Left in Aboite for finding this cool way to track where you've visited. I've actually visited or driven through all the states in red on the below map!



create your own personalized map of the USA

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Back In Time

Historians are funny. So are archaeologists. Must go with the territory. One of the things I find most humorous is that according to them, everyone in the ages past was totally focused on one thing - religion.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure there was a great deal of religion back then - just as there is a gread deal of religion now - but I just don't believe that ALL of the people spent their entire days and nights focused only on gods and goddesses and stuff. Someone once wrote a book about what future archaeologists will make out of the remains of a modern motel. It was gut-bustingly funny.

The "mis-reading" of the clues in the motel and the attribution of anything "mystical" to a "religious" cause is so reminicent of I cannot say how many National Geographic articles I've read, that I have over the years taken all such articles with a huge grain of salt, assuming that the current-day archaeologists and anthropologists have made many of the same mistakes that those in the story about the motel did.

Cave paintings, for instance. The archaeologists would have us believe that these were there as "virtual offerings" to the "gods" for a good hunt. They never seem to visualize the possibility that maybe - JUST MAYBE - Ooga wanted to do the livingroom in "hunter prints".

Og: Honey, the livingroom is looking a bit shabby.
Ooga: I agree dear. How about if you paint some hunting scenes on the walls and I'll weave a few new carpets and we can pile your trophy skulls over in ONE corner?
Og: Sounds good. I'll get right on that.

Or maybe those caves were schoolrooms where the little Og's would learn the ABC's of hunting technique - illustrated?

Or Stonehenge - oh, the MYSTICAL, DRUIDIC, SPACE OBSERVATORY... yeah, yeah, yeah... I bet it was a shopping mall.

What got me onto this? Well, I subscribe to this Yahoo mailing list called "12th Century Garb" - supposed to be all about clothing and accessories and stuff in the 12th Century. I have some interest in the whole evolution of clothing, and so I like to read what others have found out through their research.

What I've found out is that the SCA is whacked.

The SCAdians claim they are all about "authenticity" and "documentable evidence" and "period correct" and a whole host of equally unrealistic minutia, the pursuit of which produces that most noxious of beings, the "GARB SNARK" - usually female, and totally convinced that HER research is the ONLY research and the BEST research and ANYONE who dares to suggest otherwise is WRONG!!!

The problem stems primarily from the fact that apparently there are only a handful of actual garments that have survived the centuries between the 1100's and current time. So these few scraps of clothing are all that anyone has as "proof" of what people wore back in those days. Couple that with the fact that most of those things were found buried in peat bogs, and you have the beginnings of the fun.

See - ONE GUY who got himself killed and thrown into a peat bog is now representative of the ENTIRE POPULATION of Western Europe during the 1100's. ONE GUY!!! What if he was killed because he was a serious fashion embarassment to the entire continent???? Dumped into a peat bog to hide the evidence of his horrible crimes against couture?

In order to combat the lack of physical evidence of fashion and style, the SCAdians refer to period-produced art as a means of determining the actual construction techniques and styles worn in this time period.

*snort*

Ok. Fine. Yah, right. You ever seen most of those monastic "illuminations" of scriptures and other religious texts? I can't draw worth a damn, but I could draw better than THAT in 5th grade! And this is what these snarky women are using for "evidence" that something did - or did not - exist "in period".

Uh huh.

Monk 1: (chanted)
Oh my brother look upon this drawing I have made
Is this not a lovely drawing of St. Andrew's death?

Monk 2: (chanted)
Oh yes, Brother it is quite lovely
I like what you have done with his cape
But why are all your figures wearing hoods?

Monk 1: (chanted)

It is simple why my figures all wear hoods, Brother
I am not so good at drawing mens hair without pompadours

Monk 2: (chanted)
Then I see your point and find your drawing good
And all as shall see it shall rejoice, Amen.

Prophet Monk: (Spoken)
And behold - the day shall come
and all who see these pictures will rejoice
and they shall use these pictures as a guide
and a pattern for construction of similar garb
for all shall wish to garb themselves as saints
and every detail shall be examined.

For verily I say unto you - even the most trivial
line shall be discussed and used as "proof" that
all the peoples of our time did dress in such fashion.

And a society shall be form-ed, and it shall be name-ed for creativity and anachronism, and many from this society shall gaze rabidly upon thy works and declaim them as fact and truth and representative of all that exists of fashion and garment construction in this age, Amen.

Monk 1: Really?? COOOL!!!! Hey Sidney! Watch what I do with
the cape on this other guy here! They're gonna go NUTS trying
to figure out whether the hood is attached or not!

Monk 2: OOOH - I've got an idea, Phil - I'll paint all the peasants WITHOUT THEIR PANTS ON! Just their long underwear! Oh what a great joke THAT will be on those future "historians"!

*snort*

Yeah. Right.
Just like EVERY person in the USA today dresses EXACTLY the same, and has garments with ALL THE EXACT SAME construction techniques.

Just sayin'

and laughin'

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Tuesday

Now with more pizza.

The problem with seasonal depression is that when you're depressed you don't want to do anything but curl up in a ball, which works but doesn't get the laundry done, the groceries purchased or the home-chores done.

Seems like every tiny thing I do during this time of year is an "accomplishment" - even if its just taking out the trash or emptying the dishwasher.

So last nite I paid bills, then treated myself to a pizza because the thought of tuna salad again was just too much to bear. I really need to get to the market again. I wish there was a market-delivery service around here that would deliver in the evening and didn't cost an arm and a leg and several major internal organs, so I could just shop online.

I'd also like to be able to work from home and telecommute so I can work in my bunny slippers. But that ain't gonna happen. We have this mean VP who won't let me.

Phlllhhbbhhttt

In other news:

It seems that several of my favorite bloggers have just up and disappeared. I wish they wouldn't do that. Deleting your blog is, of course, your perogative, but it just seems like saying "fuck you all, you're all scum". Saying "bye" would be nice. I know that when life-changing events happen, sometimes the inner depression just makes us go for the insta-kill button. But it feels like losing a friend sometimes, even though I don't know all of ya all that well.

I've also noticed a kind of sad trend among women bloggers particularly - when they decide they've been insulted or given a hard time by someone, they lash out and post some really nasty stuff about those others on their blogs. Low class, Girls. If they piss you off that bad - just ignore them. Don't read their blogs, don't comment, just disappear. Drawing nasty cartoons or posting mean things is just crude and says a lot more about YOU than it ever will about them.

Just sayin'.

BBC - your blog won't let me log in to comment. kick it please.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Merry Fucking Christmas

The holidays are supposed to be this time of loving and caring and sharing and giving.

For me, they have become a time of resentment and anger and hurt and abandonment.

I hate this time of year - I hate the weather, I hate the carols, I hate it all.

And it seems to get worse every year. But I'm getting a "Thumper" moment, so I'll just say this:

BAH HUMBUG

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Searching for Comfortably Numb

The shadows start before noon, and the chill wind creeps around the corners and through every crack and strain in the fenstrations. I huddle in the products of my craft, hands pulling the fabrics tight about me as I struggle to find warm.

This year you left me forever, I will never hear your voice again, never feel your hand rub my shoulder, never see your smile again. I miss you so much, even though our lives took different paths, through distant lands. You were the adhesive that kept the family from disintegration, and now there is no family.

The child is gone. My work is finished there. I will never again see her, it seems, never see the results of my broken and inadequate attempt at parentage. There is no forgiveness, there is no love, there is but lonliness and emptiness. But then, I've always been broken, inadequate, empty. Why would this day become any different? What is the meaning when all you strive for turns to dust? The preachers lied. The television lied. The teachers lied. This is not Leave it to Beaver. There is no Ward Cleaver. All is dust, and ash. Tasteless remnants of a promised feast that never materialized.

To what end the cycle of sticking and reading, recording and gulping yet another pill, yet another drug, yet another attempt to change what is broken and inadequate? Why the focus on all the things that only continue to fail?

When can this end, please?

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

And now here's something we hope you'll really like!

Hey, Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!

Again?

Oops, wrong hat.

Ok, this one is for BBC and his Beer Church

The Beer Song


I apologize for the need to click "Watch this movie" and all - It's the only place I've found it, and while the movie sucks, the song will get stuck in your head worse than the George of the Jungle theme song...

Bang! Bang! You're Dead!!

Couple of days ago, Croila posted about her son being given a toy gun. It seems there are an appreciable number of parents who are concerned about their offspring running about with plastic gun-shaped toys. I remember quite clearly my little brother and his cronies with cap-guns and plastic rifles &etc.

The comments she got pretty much summed up what a lot of parents find out - you just can NOT keep the gun away from the boy. If you won't get them a waterpistol, or a cap gun, or a battery-powered noisy machinegun, they will turn a stick, or a cardboard tube - or even just their FINGERS into a gun.

I suspect this is some kind of testosterone-based thing, probably ingrained into genetic memory. What did kids do before there were guns? Pieces of wood as swords, no doubt. Before that? Probably tree limbs as clubs. Since we come from a common "hunter/gatherer" past, I suspect that this "survival skill" of learning how to kill things is something males are genetically programmed to do.

I do know that my little brother and his friends were fiends for guns when they were small. They were also fiends for Tonka Trucks. They also loved the 3 Stooges, and once all gathered underneath one of my Dad's big old wool army-surplus blankets and marched around the neighborhood chanting "Hey, Hey, get out of our way, we just got back from the USA".

I have no idea why.

I do know that of the 6 boys next door (Gah, Mrs. Murphy was ALWAYS pregnant...) and the 2 from down the street that I have some knowledge of, none of his friends became either a truck driver or a mass-murderer. In fact, the little bro is St. Paul the Lutheran Minister. The only person to whom he has indicated he wishes to do bodily harm is, in fact, Senator Clinton from NY - but I suspect that he's just yapping out his ass on that.

So... My advice to parents with concerns about their kids and toy guns is "take a deep breath, count to 10, try to teach them about the REALITY of gun safety and use if appropriate, then let it go - this too shall pass."

BANG!!

Gotcha.
;o)

Monday, December 04, 2006

Faith Without Works is Dead

So said my religion teachers when I was a child.

I saw in the news today an item where Slick Willy Clinton was in India receiving a bouquet of flowers from a very short little kid who has AIDS. Seems the Clinton Foundation (or something like that...) has been working to find ways to help stop the proliferation of AIDS in the world.

It seems to me that I remember Jimmy Carter lugging around a hammer and doing an awful lot of work on Habitats for Humanity.

Then I tried to think of what works I'd seen from the Party of Family Values. Ronnie Raygun and Wife did do some lip-service toward getting kids not to use drugs, although "Just say No" is about as effective as using a teacup to empty the ocean, but... it was SOMETHING.

I don't recall ANYTHING from Bush Sr. - except for posing for photo-ops with Mr. Clinton during the Katrina disaster.
I certainly don't remember anything from Nixon
Nor do I remember anything other than bad golf from Gerald Ford.

So where are all these "faith based initiatives" that Shrubbie is hollering about?

*crickets*

Yep. Thought so.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Fear Friday Nite

So I'm driving home Friday nite. The roads are fairly clear - they're a little slippery still, however.

I keep a long distance, and try to stay moving as much as possible. Until I'm about a mile from my house.

Got to a stoplight. Thank the Goddess, I got to a stoplight. Some obvious mental retard runs the light and spins out in the lane next to me, about 100 yards downfield.

Flying all over the road, back and forth like a fucking windshieldwiper - and then spins and smashes into 3 cars in the lane going the opposite direction, flys back across the road and FINALLY stops in a snowdrift.

THIS is why I want to deport everyone who was born south of the Mason-Dixon.

So, I crawl up to where they are, roll down the window and ask if anyone is hurt. The mexican with the baby who is getting out of the van and heading to the Wendys gives me a "no comprende" look. THIS is why we need to deport all the wetbacks.

I've stayed in the house doing house stuff so far this weekend. I'll check the roads today and see if it's safe to go grocery shopping later this morning.

I hate winter.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Heads Will Roll

I very specifically told Leandra that she was NOT allowed to send her snowstorm to me. She did it anyhow! BLEH.

It is my personal opinion that the law in Illinois needs to be changed, and anyone and everyone who was born or learned to drive SOUTH OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE needs to be deported from the state on November 15 and not allowed back in until May. This can, should and probably will, be extended to include people from western Indiana as well, since apparently living in Gary has addled your brains.

You don't know how to drive in snow. You haven't learned. You need to leave.

I'd also like to give you this lil' bitty hint:

JUST BECAUSE YOU OWN A 4-WHEEL DRIVE SUV DOES NOT MEAN THE LAWS OF PHYSICS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED. Ice is still slippery. Snow is just ice in little-bitty-pretty crystalline bits. SNOW IS SLIPPERY. You can slip on 2 wheels or slip on 4 wheels, but you are GOING to slip and slide around. SLOW THE FUCK DOWN.

Yo - Asshat in the SUV "Mommymobile". yes, I left 8 car lengths between me and the asshat in front of me. No, I didn't leave them for you to go barrelling into. It takes us at LEAST that much to slow down from 30mph on the SLIPPERY SNOW. Get the fuck back in your own lane, slow down, keep away from me - or go back South of the Mason-Dixon for the winter.

OOOOHHH, yah, Mr. Cool Stuff in your fancy penis-extender-sports-car - yes, those bald fat tires were fun this summer. Too bad they're LESS THAN USELESS on the SLIPPERY SNOW.

Get a life. Grow a pair of your own. And go back South of the Mason-Dixon, NASCAR boy.

And to top it all off - someone parked in MY parking spot at work!
(Yes, I do have a reserved parking spot.)

HEADS WILL ROLL!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Winning Hearts and Minds



For Allah and the terrorist community - one group of children at a time.

What scares me is the comments from Americans on this video. Some actually try to JUSTIFY this crap. Others blatantly refuse to admit that the US Government's destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq has led to this type of desperation.

But most importantly - this fucking Jarhead should be court-martialed and shot.

For Those Who Still Believe the GOP is NOT Trying to Destroy the Constitution of the United States

Link to Source Article

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.

Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.

"We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade," said Gingrich

Thanks to Betmo for the heads-up!

The New Coke Christianity! Now with more flavor!

Happy Feet, a movie about a tap-dancing penguin, I'm told, is running around the theaters this week.

Leave it to the Religious Whackjobs to decide that because it has an environmental protection theme - it's all wrong and horrible and "Lib'rul". Somewhere along the line, probably around the time the Xtians decided that "PEACE" does not belong in Christmas anymore, they also have decided that caring for the Earth is not an Xtian value either - in fact, it seems it now falls upon the heads of those horrid, hateful, "Lib'rul", "Satanist" Pagans to care about the fate of the only planet the Deity has given us (that can be proven to be so populated).

Ok, so lemme get this straight now.

To be a Christain nowadays, we need to:

1) HATE those who are tolerant of others.
2) DESTROY our environment and planet.
3) KILL those who do not agree with our ideology.
4) RENOUNCE peace, and all it's works and all it's ways.
5) CONDEMN movies about anthropomorphic tap-dancing penguins.

I'm sure I've missed something...

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Boogie Man, Boogie Man, OOh!! Ahh!!!

So the Chimp has decidered that the death and mayhem in Iraq is NOT a civil war (despite what EVERYONE else says), it's just that old Boogie Man "AL" at it again - you know - Al Queda?

Boy, that little pseudo-texan is like a farking terrier dog. He gets a catch-phrase in his teeth and he just will NOT let go of it.

Apparently also, a Mission Accomplished is not a "Mission Complete", since he says that "merkin" troops are gonna stay in Iraq until the Mission is Complete - another stupid catchphrase with no plan, no goals, no actual content - just something to keep his inbred 25% loyal base followers from the Extreme Right Of Everything In The Universe content with him and contentious with "Lib'ruls" who ask bad evil questions like "How will you know when it's complete? What steps are you taking to achieve completion?"

But...

According to the Goddamn Piece of Paper, the Chimpy McSmirk has only 2 more years to fling his monkey-poo around the Oval Office, so where exactly does he get off saying that the troops are gonna stay past his term of office? OR does he still think that Karlheinz Rove is gonna pull some magick rabbit out of his hat and get him a 3rd term?

Back a few weeks ago on November 1, before the elections, Bush lied (and admitted the lie on Nov. 8) about Rumsfeld staying until the end of his (Bush's) term. "And so the only way to answer that question and to get you on to another question was to give you that answer.'' - in other words - "I lied to get you to shut up about it because I didn't want to tell you - neener, neener, neener". Finally, once and for all proving what We the People have known for over 5 years - George Walker Bush is a bold-faced hypocritical LIAR who cannot be trusted. If George Walker Bush tells you the sky is blue, I suggest you go outside and look up.

So what makes this asshat think We the People of the United States should believe him when he says that this isn't a Civil War that HE CREATED - it's just "insurjents" fueled by "Al Queda"??

Do you believe him?
I sure as hell never will.

(Anyone who can guess what I paraphrased that title from gets a brownie point. *hint* - you'd probably have to be from Chicago)

I really hate MD's...

So I'm sitting in the waiting room before I go in to face the torture-chamber, and the news is on the TV. And it's all about the fucking Shrub and his visits around the middle east. More about him later. The thing is, here at home I can turn off the TV or go to another website or switch off the radio. Can't avoid the chimp and his disgusting voice in a Dr. waiting room. Actually sat with my hands over my ears so I didn't have to hear IT speak.

I become physically nauseated at the sound of it's voice. When I hear it, I hear the dying screams of 3000 servicemen, screaming in agony and pain as their life blood flows out into the harsh, unforgiving desert sands, half a world away from their loved ones.

*sigh*

I'm gonna do some number-crunching later on, maybe I'm wrong. Seems to me that if you double the medicine, and the numbers go UP instead of down, that would be a BAD THING® - but I could be wrong.

I made the suggestion - maybe I need to see someone who specializes in this... and got a very kind, very patient, very "understanding" lecture on how this really is not all that bad, you lost 6 pounds, these numbers aren't entirely the whole picture, blah, blah, blah.

He hasn't changed the medicine, he says to wait another month and then he will do a 3-month test thingy. Damnit, I hate that I'm not any good at science. I wish I could understand this crap. Fucking doctors.

So... do I wait another month? Or do I go find an endocrinologist and take some of this into my own hands?

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Doctor Visit

I have to go see Dr. Nick tonite. I'm not particularly looking forward to this.
The medicine he's got me taking doesn't seem to be working, and the increased dosage has made things worse rather than better, it would appear.

Personally, I think that it may be necessary for me to go and talk to some type of specialist - either an endocrinologist or a diabetes specialist. I suspect the former, to be honest.

How do you, however, bring this up to a Dr. who really HAS been trying very hard to make things "right" for you, but seems to sort of... tune out... when you bring up a possible connection between one and another of your problems?

For instance - if every time you ate strawberries, you broke out in hives, you would assume you were allergic to strawberries, no? But what if you only broke out in hives HALF the time - but the half the time you did, you also had chicken for dinner?

So if you have chicken alone - no problem
If you have strawberries without chicken - no problem
If you have both in the same meal - hives.

This guy seems to be of the "Well, you're allergic to strawberries, we'll just treat that" school of thought, without taking into consideration some other things that are of particular note.

These type of guys usually like to "categorize" folks, putting them into convenient little boxes and making incorrect assumptions based on things like "Gee, she is overweight, so she must eat bon-bons and read romance novels".

I'm getting fairly sick of the entire medical community. I'm thinking that maybe I should just dump all the meds, eat what I want and go ahead and let it all end, because I'm tired of fighting with farking doctors who "know what they know" like a certain insane cat-lady from California - even though, surprisingly, not ONE SINGLE ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES HAS LIVED FOR EVEN 1 MINUTE IN THE BODY I'VE LIVED IN FOR OVER 50 YEARS!!!

Asshats.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

Glory to the neocon "King"
War on Earth
And profits wild
Satan's Symbol on houses defiled.

You gotta love this.
They have decided that PEACE doesn't belong in Christmas.


Glory to George in the White house
and on earth, WAR
Good profits for Halliburton!

Pre-Yule

Betmo posted an open commentary thread about the holidays, and it got me thinking. I didn't comment there, because I was thinking in paragraphs, not little bits.

She posits, as have many before her, that the holidays are too materialistic here in the "Land of Freedom and Democracy", and that in other places they also celebrate similar holidays but without the "Greed".

So I started thinking about this.

First off, I am thinking that perhaps it is not "greed" that is the motivating force. Ok, now that I've pissed you all off - let me explain. Yes, the little children exhibit a greedy desire for lots of presents. Fuck, who doesn't love lots of presents? Opening all those little packages and finding inside the things you would love to buy for yourself but cannot justify - is FUN. But is this really why we fling presents at one another at times when things should be quiet and loving?

Or is it because we've lost touch on how to show love to one another without flinging a gift at them? "Helzberg Diamonds - show her you'd marry her all over again". "How can you tell him you love him? With a gold watch... a new car... a set of power tools from Sears..."

How about trying something really amazing - TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM. SAY THE WORDS TO HER. Nah. That's too hard.

And it really IS too hard. It's EASY to fling a present. It's HARD to actually say "I love you" to someone you love. My Dad has never been the huggy type - not a demonstrative sort at all. Ever since Mom died, I've made a specific point of telling him "I love you" whenever I end a phone call, or when I show up and leave his place down in Florida. It's hard, because he really didn't know how to deal with it, and I would usually get a "Uh, yeah, ok" kind of response.

But lately he's been responding "Yah, I love you too" - which is something I really can't remember him doing a lot while I was growing up. Reticent German Immigrant family values, I suppose. I'll fling him a gift, but it will have a card that really says what I feel attached. I'm not 100% brave yet. *sheepish grin*

Flinging a present at someone is the easy-way-out, it's the way to say "I care about you" without actually having to voice it - and it allows you to FAKE admiration or a more tender emotion with people whom you really cannot STAND, but have to maintain a relationship, like your great-aunt Sylvia with the bad teeth and disgusting cole-slaw, or the woman down at work who seems determined to get you in trouble for her own amusement. A present looks like you're caring, even though you're just flinging money at the problem instead of solving it.

So where am I going with this? I don't know. I do know that this year isn't going to be just about gifts. I will get some, of course, for the people whom I wish to acknowledge in that manner - or am so far away that I can't possibly tell them face-to-face (over the phone is even MORE awkward for me!). Things I specifically want to give to certain people that I love, and to co-workers whom I feel comfortable with. But I think the people I love will get something extra. A special card inside just telling them how special they really are to me.

No partriges. No pear trees. And most especially - NO LORDS A LEAPING!!!

It snowed buckets in the pacific northwest yesterday, according to Lea. I hope nobody got hit with a bucket. That would hurt.

Have a WONDERFUL day, folks - I'm outty.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Emerging from the pumpkin pie coma

Yeah, yeah, I know it's the tryptophan in the turkey that makes ya sleepy and all, but it's the pumpkin pie (with a mountain of sweet whippy creme) that sends me off into nirvana and makes my toes curl.

What a nice, quiet, long, quiet weekend. With a lot of very strange dreams. I guess when you take naps at odd hours you are just asking for strange dreams.

But why, for all that is holy, would I wake up this morning from a dream where the entire cast of The Andy Griffith Show, except for Aunt Bea - was trying to remodel my bathroom?

Or why was I dreaming that I was living in Grandma's house on Marengo Avenue, and Manda came to visit and we had a nice, tearful reunion and she agreed to stop by even just maybe 2 or 3 times a month? *sigh* That one hurt.

Upgraded my computer so it now has 2 1/2 gigs of RAM. Heh. I remember working for this guy, and we had to FIGHT with him to let us buy a server that had a ONE GIG hard-drive, because he was flabbergasted that anyone would EVER need that much room on a h/d. Now I got 2 1/2 x that in RAM. Of course, he's not around to see it - he's dead. He augered in on a private airplane, the way I always knew he would.

Tomorrow is back to work. I'm not concerned, I'm actually looking forward to it. I've spent 4 days without swollen feet and even though I know that they'll go puff-monster on me tomorrow afternoon, it's been good and I'm glad for it. Time to get back to the important things like general journal entries and AP coding.

Time to go get another cup of coffee now, though.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Anyone Who Voted for George W Bush

Needs to watch this.
(Found on Peacechick Mary's Site)
Video from PeaceTakes Courage.com

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Wednesday is Hump Day:

So here is a post that has utterly nothing to do with that!!

Well, it seems that Fox and Mr. Murdoch have decided to pull the plug on OJ Simpson's book and 2-part interview. The outrage and negative advance publicity and reaction apparently told them what their collective consciences SHOULD have done in the first place - "This is wrong, this is morbid, this is disgusting and this murderer should not be profiting from his crime, even if he DID get acquitted in a joke of a trial."

Heard on the radio that the Shrub is going to Baghdad to meet with the Iraqi president. What the hell good is THAT going to do? The incompetent Chimp who hasn't a CLUE what is actually happening in the entire WORLD, much less his own livingroom, meeting with his puppet dictator? Someone commented that maybe it would be a really good time for the "insurgents" to stage a coup.

I suggest they wait until after Jan. 20. Not that I would EVER condone such a thing..... *looks over shoulder nervously* OH HELLO, MR. RUMSFELD!!

The Chicago Sun-Times this morning has a full-page spread with a photo of Bryan Anderson, a rather nice looking young man who just got home from Iraq.

Well, about 1/2 of him came home from Iraq. He left his legs and one of his arms over there, unfortunately. Thank you, Bryan, for your courage and service.

Thank you George Walker Bush for getting rid of those pesky old legs that were just hangin' out there and lettin' Bryan walk around on his own.

I hope, Shrub-Boy - that every time you take a step, every time you jog at Camp David for the photo-op camera crews, every time you walk down the hall to the Oval Office that you don't deserve to even LOOK into, much less "decide" out of - that you remember how you destroyed the simple pleasure of walking in the park, running bases with his kids, dancing with his sweetheart and more, for Bryan Anderson. George Walker Bush, you are a disgusting piece of slime.

Every time you hug one of those drunken slut daughters of yours - remember that Bryan won't ever be able to hug HIS children the way that you do - with both arms - YOU took that away from him, George Walker Bush.

Because it wasn't Osama that maimed him. It wasn't "insurgents" - it was YOU, George Walker Bush, you nauseating pseudo-Texan. YOU sent that sweet-faced boy into harms way for YOUR PERSONAL VENDETTA. The day will come, George Walker Bush, when you will be called to judgement by a higher court than the Supreme Court of the United States - and there, none of your "signing statements", none of your "classified" designations will protect you from answering to the Deity for every one of the deaths you personally ordered, and the people you maimed, the lives you destroyed, both American and Iraqi, you scumbag.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I plan to do some of the usual "holiday" kind of things - eat too much of rich food and stuff - as well as some introspective stuff, and hopefully some "catchup" work on my house chores as well. I'd like to end this 4-day weekend with a cleaner house, a better attitude (yeah, right!) and some decisions made about things I've been procrastinating about.

I have a can of cranberry-sauce. Life is good.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

An open letter to Anonymous commenters

Hello, Anonymous commenters,

I don't disallow anonymous comments, because Blogger in it's infinite lack of utility does not allow me to have the option of only letting folks who identify themselves SOMEHOW, but not "anonymous" post comments. Believe me, if it did, I would.

Some of my commenters, like GradeSchoolBud and TheDarkOne are friends and I do want to know who they are when they comment. They are smart enough to have figured out how to post a comment and use a "nickname" to do so. They're not LAZY CHICKENSHIT SCUM who don't bother, or who hide behind anonymity to protect their self-image.

So, understand something. You CHOSE to comment anonymously. You turned yourself into a "thing" instead of a human being when you clicked "anonymous" instead of identifying yourself, in my blogworld. So don't be surprised when I treat you like crap - especially when you post something stupid or irrelevant or derogatory, just because you think you're all "safe" by hiding in your anonymous little fucktard hole.

And if you decide to post something stupid, irrelevant, derogatory, or that I just really don't like - and I am able to figure out from your post who you are (It's rather amazing how easy that can be...), don't be surprised when I "out" you by your RL name and let the world know just what a pathetic moron you are.

If you want respect, then you have to earn it. This is my blog. This is MY space. This is where *I* hang out with MY friends and co-workers and net-friends. If you want to participate, that's all good - just identify yourself. If you choose to instead hide behind "anonymous" like the feeble-minded asshat that you obviously are - then don't be surprised when I go Harry Truman on you and call a chickenshit a chickenshit.

Have a WONDERFUL day.

Religion's "Right"

Yesterday I received one of those syrupy-sweet "God Loves You" chain e-mails from my cousin J. J's a smart lady, sweet and caring, and I'm pretty sure she didn't read the whole thing before she sent it to me. Maybe she did. Dunno. I don't think she thought real hard about the last portion if she did.

What really annoyed me was that she threatened me.

Ok - J didn't threaten me. Her e-mail did.

Started out with pretty flowers and rainbows and a little bunny holding a daisy, and all kinds of loving, caring, wonderful things based on the John 3:16 bible quote (For God so loved the world... blah, blah).

And it continued on to say how wonderful I am, and how much she values me, and how fantastic it is to be in the same world as me.

And then it decidedly turned vicious and threatening: "This e-mail MUST not be broken. You are Satan's Tool if you break the chain! Terrible things will happen to you and the people you love and your pet iguana if you don't send this to 10 people in the next 5 minutes!" (Ok, I made up the iguana part...)

Yes, Christianity is loving, and caring and wonderful - UNLESS YOU DON"T DO AS THEY SAY - then you are condemned, defiled, reviled and slandered/libeled! How Jesus-like! WWJT? WHO WOULD JESUS THREATEN? Doesn't that just make you want to run out and buy a hymnal and a bible and go thump on the streetcorner? Who writes these stupidass chain e-mails anyhow?


In other news, Some Moslem Imams got huffy and refused to leave an airliner when asked - then got even huffier when police removed them. They say it was "disrespectful", their being removed. Awww... poor babies. If they'd left the airplane when asked, instead of resisting and being arrogant asshats, I betcha it all could have been handled very quickly, very quietly, and with a minimum of fuss, and they could have been back on their flight and off to wherever.

I suspect they resisted deliberately just so they could make a lot of "Oh, us poor, misunderstood, DESCRIMINATED AGAINST Moslems!!! Wahhhhhh" noises. They're probably the front-line attempting to see how they can penetrate security and pull off another 9/11/01.

Oh, and now "Moslem" is a RACE???? They claim it was "RACIST" to ask them to step outside and clear something up? RACIST???? SINCE WHEN IS THE MOSLEM RELIGION A "RACE"???

Monday, November 20, 2006

Oh Hell, it's Monday

Again. dammit.

And another weekend without doing all the things on my "do all this crap" list. I sleep too much. I blog too much, I play WoW too much, and I just don't even like leaving the house very much, these last few weeks.

I'm afraid I'm becoming a total recluse, and I really don't want to do that. I did, however, stop on the way home Friday and get some more St. John Wort so maybe that will kick-start the old seritonin again. I still feel like if I could just get things back to "normal" with the blood sugar, heart beat, circulation and SLEEP, I'd get back some of the energy to do other stuff.

Lea sent me a link to a place that has all kinds of information about volunteering for stuff for the DNC. I looked up my area, and as I had suspected, it is pathetically under-represented. While my state is beautifully Blue, it scares me to think that there are so many of us lower middle-class and lower who are being inactive here in one of the most diverse counties in the state (and one of the few RED counties!)

I plan to look into it further.

Now is not the time to let up. Now is not the time to sit on our laurels and be contented with a SLIM majority in Congress as of January. We cannot let up the fight, and we cannot begin to think of undoing the damage done by Bush and Co. if we don't continue to fight as if our country's Constitution and Freedom depended on it - because IT DOES.

Not into a lot of obvious, in-your-face protesting against the war and against the erosion of our civil liberties here at home? Check out The Kommandos Progect, a means of getting out the word without getting in-your-face.

Back to work - back to that damned bank statement. Have a WONDERFUL day, everyone!

Friday, November 17, 2006

The "Oh SHIT" moment

Ever have one of those "OH SHIT!!" moments?

Most of us who have driven for any length of time know the moment - it's when you KNOW that you're going to be in an accident - and there's dickall you can do about it... OH SHIT.

Or you watch in horror as the crystal candydish begins a slow-motion freefall off the countertop toward the tile floor, 2 armslength out of reach, because you pushed just that TOUCH too hard on the plastic tumbler you were trying to balance on the side of the sink? OH SHIT.

Yesterday was windy as hell here. Ok, bad analogy. Windy as.... a really, really windy place with lots of strong wind! (Yes, Chicago is "The Windy City" - no, it doesn't have anything to do with the weather. Actually, the nickname came about because of all the hot air blowing out of the Chicago City Council chambers. REALLY!!)

But I digress.

So last night I got home late because I had to stop and pay the mortgage, then I stopped to pick up drugs (at the PHARMACY, you perv!!) and then stopped at JoAnn Fabrics where I found some utterly delightful winter fabric with penguins all over it.

So I'm schlumping down the back alley in the dark, and I get to my gate, which is blown open again (nothing new) - and go for the back door... which is open.

I never leave the door open. I especially never leave the door open when it's freaking COLD outside. I'm horror-struck. Someone must have broken in?? What about my TV? The computer? The Stereo? The CATS!!!??

Now - sensible me - did I call the cops? Fuck no. I flipped on the kitchen light and looked about. Microwave? Check. TV? Check. VCR/DVD/Stereo? Check. Computer? Check. Cats? Maow... Maowwwwwowwwww!!! Check.

It was very windy yesterday morning when I left for work. Windy as a really, really windy place with lots of strong wind. Last nite my bedroom was hotter than hell. (See how we get back to hell again? Works that way.) I'm guessing that in my hurry to not be late for work, I didn't pull the door real tight and check it twice like I usually do, and the only "unauthorized entrance" was from the wind.

Goddess, I hope so, because I'd hate to find out later that someone had been in there and stole all my Raisin Bran or something...

Who knew??

.
The George W. Bush Loyalty Quiz

10 Questions to Test Your Allegiance to President Bush


"Your score is 0 on a scale of 1 to 10. You hate Bush with a writhing passion. You think he is an idiot, a liar, and a warmonger who has been an utterly incompetent, miserable failure of a president. Nothing would give you greater pleasure than seeing him impeached and run out of the White House, except maybe seeing him dragged away in handcuffs."


Who knew??!!

What do you mean you knew? Bah!!! *giggle*

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Why cant' it be "Follow the Butterflies?"

.
Leandra and I were on the phone laughing about that the other nite. If you aren't already aware, in one of the Harry Potter books, Harry and his friend Ron are told to "Follow the spiders". Ron starts to whimper and says "I hate Spiders! Why does it have to be follow the spiders? Why can't it be follow the butterflies?"

It seems like I spend an inordinate amount of time "following the spiders" both literally and figuratively.

Figurative spiders like bills, chores, obligations - that tend to sneak up from behind and create "webs" that snag you into a frenzy of futile cleanup, only to find that the suckers have been breeding and piling up behind you while you were cleaning up the last batch.

Real spiders, who seem to think my house is Club Med for the winter. They're small ones, hardly can find one - but they make HUGE webs. And every time I take out my long-handled dusting thingy (it looks like a very longhaired cattail fern on the end of an adjustable pole), and think I've gotten them all, I find 1/2 dozen more the minute I put it away. I need to find some lavendar oil spray, I think. I'm told it keeps spiders away. I'll just spray it everywhere. So what if my house smells like the stage for a remake of Arsenic and Old Lace? It would be worth it.

Speaking of Arsenic and Old Lace - I want to find an Aspidistra. I have many, many patterns for antimacassars, but I want an Aspidistra - they say they are darn near impossible to kill, and I HATE Mother-in-law's Tongue (the other kill-proof houseplant), so I want one. Although I don't know if cats eat them. If they do, then I want one as soon as the cats depart for their afterlife.

Picked up a copy of "The DaVinci Code" movie DVD at Costco last nite. I liked that movie. I am thinking of getting my air conditioning fixed next month. YES I KNOW IT'S DECEMBER!! I figure the AC repair guys will be happy to get some work. Besides, it is a 3-paycheck month. :o)

Ok, back to the joy of Accounts Payable! Fun!! Excitement!! Receiver Matching and GL Coding!!! and if that's not good enough - I HAVE A BANK STATEMENT TO BALANCE!!!!

Just shoot me now, ok?

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Theories of Relativity

Somehow, the vast majority of 2006 has gone flying by without bothering to stop, hang around, be noticed, make me anything but a year older (except for shackling the Shrub). The older I get, the faster it seems the years go past.

Sometimes it seems just like yesterday that it was 1976 and I had gotten my brand-new Buick Skylark without a spare tire (Anyone else remember the "rubber shortage"?)

Then I think about how much has happened since then - and yeah, it's 30 years worth of "things". Married, had a kid, divorced, lost my Mom, 3 other cars, bought a house, sold the house, bought a townhouse-condo, been hospitalized for a lot of icky things.

Why is it that Monday goes so sloooowwww, and Sunday goes by like the blink of an eye - in fact, if I blink on a Sunday, sometimes several hours pass before my eyes open up again.

A guy who talked to me for a while (a friend of a friend who was real nice for a while, then completely flaked out) used to say "I'll sleep when I'm dead". Sometimes the afterlife seems like an attractive alternative to being so TIRED all the time. No, no, no - I'm not going to do anything to HASTEN that along any. Just sayin'.

Why is it that I can go to Safeway and bring home $100 in groceries and have just 3 or 4 bags to show for it - but I can go to Caputo's and bring home $100 in groceries and have to park the car out front to unload from the trunk in 2 or 3 trips? The Safeway stores aren't all THAT much nicer than Caputo's, they don't have as nice of meat, and their fresh fruits/veggies are all hard as rocks.

The bigger the car, the worse the driver. Soccer Mom's in SUV's need to be banned from the streets during rush hour. Just sayin'.

Thanksgiving is almost here. I'll buy a turkey this weekend, I suppose. I do hate to scrape all the meat off them, but it's better for me than beef, I suppose, so I'll do it. Once a year, I can probably handle. I'm going to try making Pumpkin pie with Splenda. I'll keep you informed. If it's not TOO vile, I'll post a recipe.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Blessed Be:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.












Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It's Monday again...

How the hell did that happen? Seems to do it about the same time every week.

I really don't want to have to get up and showered and dressed and off to work - not that I want to skip work exactly - I just want to stay here where it is warm (is COLD out there!!) and sleep. I can't seem to get enough sleep lately. I'm always tired.

Tonight is grocery-shopping night again. Seems I did NOT have good memory when I left my list of what all I need at home, so at least half of the stuff I got was unnecessary, and 1/2 of what is on the list I forgot to get. Figures. Memory is the 2nd thing to go, as they say.

Been re-reading "A Tale of Two Cities" - boy, Dickens was boring. The story is good, but the interminable amounts of description and exposition and side-color are just miserable to have to slog through. Cut to the chase, Chuck!!

I also watched "Star Wars, Episode IV - A New Hope" over the weekend. You remember? Luke and R2D2 and C3PO and Han and Leia and Obiwan? Back in the day, it was so BIG and overpowering and impressive. Maybe it's just my small TV and the lack of "Surround Sound" - but it just looked small and choppy and not-very-well made anymore.

Part of it may have been because I was watching the DVD which has some added scenes, and as soon as the additional material came in, my brain clicked out of "Movie-goer" mode and into "Movie Critic" mode. I NOTICED something different, and so I stopped being part of the story and became just an observer who observed a lot of kitsch and hackney.

Boy was Harrison Ford YOUNG then. Damn cute tho.

Ok - I have stalled long enough. Time to face the cold blast of shower before the warm kicks in - and deal with the horror that is my commute to work. Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Burbblings

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...?

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.

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.

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.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Shoes again - things that make you go "Hmm?"

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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!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Holy Sex Scandal, Batman!!

OH my, my, my.
The evangelical Christians do seem to have had this obssession with homosexuals for an awfully long time - maybe this is why? They're all closet queers?

I have no problem with gays/lesbians/bi folks. I'm more than a little oogie on transvestites (due to some issues in the life of a RL friend) but I recognize that as being MY issue. It's always fascinated me how much the Christian community, however, is concerned about what EVERYONE ELSE does in the privacy of their own home/hotel room/Dr's office.

I can't help but laughing my butt off (again, how cool would that be if we really could???!!!) at the Holier Than Everyone right-wing Xtian crowd caught with it's trousers about their collective ankles in all the "WRONG" places - yet again.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Legislating from the Bench!!!

Oh, for shame, for shame! There is no Law in Georgia to forbid this - or there wasn't until last year. I mean - according to the Neocons - anything the courts decide that isn't in BLACK AND WHITE in the "Goddamn Piece of Paper" is "legislating from the bench" if it doesn't agree with their narrow-minded world-view, right?

How many other states still don't have a law against this? How many other young Moslem girls will be subjected to this horror because of that religion's sick, twisted, demented view about women? How many more courts will have to "Legislate from the bench" before this is outlawed country-wide?

Thank goodness the Georgia court did the right thing. I suppose the Religious Right will be screaming about Legislating From The Bench, however.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Penta-Ganda

Seems that Rummy has decided that it's not just good enough to plant fake news stories in foreign publications, now he's going to attack the internet, the IM community and other sources of independent information by planting propaganda, although he SWEARS that it isn't like that at all....

And we believe you, Rummy, Dearest. Really we do! Honest Injun! We mean every word of it! Just like you do!! We would NEVER lie to you - because we KNOW YOU WOULD never LIE TO US.

Ok, I'm gagging at having just typed that...

I figure that Blognonymous, Left in Aboite, Peacechick Mary, Pissed off Patricia, Betmo and some of the rest of us politically rabid and opinionated bloggers will no doubt be visited by a LARGE number of Anonymous Viruses. And I'll laugh at their pathetic attempts to disprove what we all KNOW is truth - that Bushco wants to turn this country into a theocratic Dictatorship.

Only one more week. Pray, my friends. Pray, light candles, perform rituals - do whatever you do as a form of intercession and worship to the Deity - that the American People do what is right - not what is being manipulated, and that the country takes back it's government - By the people, Of the people, For the people.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Home again

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AaHHH it feels so good to fall into MY bed.

The last 2 days on the road were not so great. Oh, nothing of major consequence, and the road construction going NORTH was less intrusive than that going south (although comfortingly, there was construction on 80/94 through the usual zone).

I told a car mechanic in Atlanta about that. Nothing was really wrong with my car, but GradeSchoolBud had her hubby take a look at my wheels while I was down there and he had a mechanic look at my AC, so we talked to him. He couldn't believe it when we told him that I started driving at 16, I'm now 50, and that same stretch of road has ALWAYS been under construction.

Back to work today. I have GOT to pick up cat food, the greedy gits ate the entire bag of food I left in the auto-feeder. Thank goodness I had some canned here for them for last night and this morning. Although I'm sure the kid I had looking after them would have brought some over if they'd been out for more than just yesterday.

Meh. Mindi is too fat anyhow. (Yes, that sounds heartless - but I know they wouldn't have been starving and there was someone looking after them)

I may have to stop at the Immediate Care, however. I think some flexeril and oxycodone is in order - this back still hurts.

My thoughts for today are of how the Bush Admin has decided to make Shrubby quit saying "Stay the Course" (hehe - Cheney tried to say that Shrubby only used it "8 times" - so one of the news guys got clips and found over 30...). Seems that it is "giving a wrong impression that we are being inflexible"

DUH!!!

What exactly is it that you're being flexible about, Chimpface? You're using the same stragerty you have been using since "Mission Accomplished" - if someone doesn't like the way you're running things and becomes "insurgent" - you just throw the lives of more of our American Soldiers at them.

Bloody-handed murderer.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

The way back home

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Well, my visit with Dad down in Florida was good, and I enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunate it had to be so short. Although since Dad and I have rather serious political differences, it probably was a good idea not to have too much time to dwell on that.

Drove up to Atlanta yesterday - my back went out at Dad's and it was pretty rough sleeping the night before, but I made it to GradeSchoolBud's *house* without too much trouble. Georgia road construction isn't too bad, and the weather wasn't too bad either. THe heavy rain held off until I actually found their *house*.

*House*, because it's really a farking MANSION - at least to someone who lives in a tiny 2-bedroom condo like me. 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, gorgeous piece of property - lovely wide staircase to the upstairs... it's just lovely. Amazing and huge and very pretty. I'm happy for her.

We went to go see her mom - which was very nice. GradeSchoolBud tells me that she reads my blog to her Mom. So I have to be good..... *laughing*

So this morning, I'm drinking some hazelnut flavored coffee, and waiting for the handfull of OTC analgesics to kick in so I can climb back upstairs and take a hot shower and change clothes.

Dinner last nite was unbelievable - Fetuccini Alfredo with shrimp and scallops and then a LOT of wine and a bit of death-by-chocolate cake...
My bloodsugar is insane (Go away, Dr. Nick...)

I don't know if I'll make it home tonite or not. I may end up in a motel in Indiana, depending on how the back and the trip go. It's been raining a lot here in Georgia, and I may meet a net-friend on the way home too, so that could delay things a bit.

Either way, it's been a nice vacation from work, and I feel less stressed out, so that's all good. I've reconnected with some people I dearly love - and hopefully will be able to stay connected now.

In fact, I'm using GSB's Wifi to post this this morning - I guess that really counts as "connected"

*grin*
Be well, all.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Travelogue - The Journey Down

Left later than I wanted to on Saturday morn. I slept like a rock (unusual for me) and didn't wake up until 5 a.m. My alarm clock had issues, so I didn't get "woken" up.

All in all, it wasn't too bad of a drive down to Nashville. The obligatory I-294-80/94 construction was limited to a small stretch on the "normal" side of the border, and once in Hoovier-Land (Indiana - Not Hoosier, Hoovier - because it SUCKS THAT MUCH!), In fact, I was all set to cancel my usual letter to Jim Nabors telling him that he gets the words to the Indiana State Song wrong before every Indy500 race - (it SHOULD be "We drive like JERKS...In InDIana.....) because it was clear-sailing all the way to I-65. 65 South wasn't too bad either... Until right before Louisville. I'm a yankee, but I know that it's SUPPOSED to be LOUIE-vlle, But for the rest of this trip, it shall be LOUIS..vile

There, with typical Indiana Efficiency, there was a detour to go around Louisville.... and it was so poorly marked that unless you had lived your entire life within a 5-mile radius, you wouldn't know where to go. Being a life-long Illini, and all, Naturally I got lost, turned around, lost again, and finally even had to *gasp* ASK DIRECTIONS!!

IMNSHO, Kentucky needs to be moved. I think they could put it out on the other side of West Virginia, or on top of South Carolina (which really doesn't exist anyhow) and then move Tennessee, Georgia and Florida up.

Saw a dead Bambi off the side of the road, and a bit further along, a dead headlight and a chunk of white bumper.

Made it safe to Susan's place in Tennessee about 5pm and we went out for dinner to a really nice mexican restaurant where the waiter made her youngest son - M - order in Spanish (it's because the boy started trying to get the waiter to talk to him in Spanish one time, so now - with mom's blessing - he is teaching M some new Spanish words every time they go there)

Then we went out to a Play - a theater adaptation of Dracula. Susan played a maid and her son Jonathon (already Married!! Gah, time flies) was the crazy person who eats flies. He stole the show. Afterwards, we went to the cast party, then home for bed. Quite a long day.

Got up with first light and back on the road. Georgia was wonderful until I hit the last 50 miles, then it made up for the rest of the state having no road construction. *shrug*

Dad took me out to dinner at his favorite restaurant. He used to go there a LOT with Mom, apparently, and he says he just can't bring himself to go there alone anymore. The food is freaking awesome, but its' not really a "Dad" sort of place - its' a small restaurant that is built onto a neighborhood bar.

Got some nice chicken in wine sauce over fresh spinach... it was great.

Today we went out shopping for wallpaper and came up empty handed. Then I fixed a couple of things on his computer and I'm gonna have to run in a minute to go do some dinner-making.

So far, the vacation has been good.

Toodles!

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Offline for a week or so

Well, in about 20 minutes time, I'm getting in my car and heading out for sunny FLA. Hopefully sunny, that is. It's been dismal damp and overcast here. I can use some sun.

My internet access will probably be sketchy at best, and while I'm bringing the laptop and lots of cords and stuff - I can't guarantee how long I will be online for any given session (if at all)

So I leave you with this - our "Illustrious Leader", the Deciderer, has decided that he's not going to do anything to change an already proven failure of a "stragerty".

Reminds me of the "Palistinian Suicide Bombers"

Leader: "Achmed! Here, strap this explosive to your chest, then we will get our own country!"
Achmed: "Allahu Akbar!!! " KABLOOOIEEEE

*Israel ups their defense*

Leader: "Ok, that didn't quite go as planned. Fahjool! Here is more dynamite! Go blow yourself up in the marketplace - Then they will give us our own country!!"
Fahjool: "For the Prophet (PBUH)!!!! " KABOOM!!

*Israel begins shelling harder*

Leader: "Rashid!!! Here! Strap this dynamite on yourself......"

The Militant Extremist Moslems already know everything about "Stay the Course".

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Dammit Jules - I'm having trouble keeping up!!

1. Dated outside your race? No.
2. Singing in the shower? Yeah, but even *I* can't stand it!
3. Spit in someone’s drink? No.
4. Played with Barbies? Yes.
5. Made someone cry? Yes.
6. Opened your Christmas presents early? Once... *sobs*
7. Lied to a friend? Yes.
8. Watched and cried while watching a soap opera? Nah. Soaps are too silly to cry over.
9. Played a computer game for more than 5 hours? Oh. Hell. YES.
10. Ran through the sprinklers naked? Probably as a kid, but I don't remember.
11. Ate food that fell on the floor? 5 second rule...
12. Went outside naked? Yes.
13. Been on stage? Yes.
14. Been on stage naked or close to it? No.
15. Been in a parade? Yes.
16. Been in a school play? Yes.
17. Drank beer? Yes. Took me a while to learn to like it, tho.
18. Gotten detention? Yes.
19. Been on a cruise? Not yet.
20. Broken into a house? No.
21. Gotten a tattoo? No.
22. Gotten piercings? Ears. One per side
23. Gotten into a fist fight? Sorta.
24. Gotten into a shouting match? I'm divorced. What do YOU think?
25. Swallowed sea/pool water? Yes.
26. Spun yourself in circles to get dizzy on purpose? Yes.
27. Laughed so hard it hurt? Yep.
28. Tripped on your own feet? Frequently
29. Cried yourself to sleep? Yes.
30. Cried in public? Yes.
31. Thrown up in public? Nope. I'll do almost ANYTHING to not puke.
32. Lied to your parents? Oh! NO! Never! (/sarcasm)
33. Skipped class? No
34. Cried so hard you threw up? No
35. Had a one night stand? Yes.
36. Left restaurant without paying tab? No.
37. Been fired from a job? yes.
38. Wanted to make out with your massage therapist, therapist or hairdresser? Nope
39. Had a drink "sent" to a stranger at a bar? No.
40. Been winked at and loved it? Yeah, but not by anyone I ever thought MEANT it. It was just FUN.

Racism, Part II

When Martin Luther King was alive and working to fight for civil rights for ALL people, not just the priviliged white majority, the word "Racism" had teeth and meaning. The concept of "Separate but Equal" was never a reality, and anyone who lived through those times knows this damn well. "Whites Only" bathrooms, drinking fountains, movie theaters and other facilites were wrong, and the abolishment of them was a GOOD thing.

Unfortunately Martin Luther King was cut down in his prime by an idiot redneck who couldn't accept change. In exchange, what we got was Jesse Jackson, a sing-songy, manipulative parody of Dr. King, who has done more to KEEP true Racism alive in this country than almost any other individual - with the possible exception of Louis Fahrakan. We can all thank James Earl Ray (take your conspiracy theories elsewhere - the man was convicted.)for "Political Correctness". Had Dr. King survived and Jesse been relegated to a well-deserved background role, such silliness as "reparations" and the insistance on revising the State flag of Georgia would likely never have occurred.

Jesse Jackson began the "victimization" of the black community (oops! Did I say black? What IS the euphenism for Negro this week? African American? Person of Colour?)and continues to brand his own people as weak, helpless and unable to stand up for themselves and overcome adversity. Therefore, they "NEED" affirmative action, and anything ANYONE does or says to make them feel bad is "Racist".

Bite me. We all come into this world the same way - naked and screaming. We all leave this world the same way - stiff and silent. It is what we each CHOOSE to do with the time we are allotted that governs our worth as human beings. Nobody ever promised any of us that we would NEVER be offended, that we would NEVER feel bad, that we would NEVER be uncomfortable. Welcome to Schoolhouse Earth.

Racial profiling has come under attack by many groups over the last 10 years. While I am entirely aware of the potential for abuse, I think that refusing to allow law-enforcement officials to utilize a perfectly valid investigative tool, simply to avoid making someone "feel bad" for a short while is ludicrous.