Absinthe & Cookies (a bit bitter, a bit sweet)

Make Them Stop!

If I have to listen to one more sanctimonious "global warming" radio spot, I'll scream. What's worse is that the majority of them are put on by PG&E! So they take money from my electric and gas payments to them and use it to pay for these insipid and irritating radio adverts. Talk about adding insult to injury!!

Bah!

So I actually managed to install the new TypePad/MT anti spam plug in. Go me! It's showing up on the plug ins page, but I don't think it's working. I'm getting the same amount of spam as before. And seeing as I disabled the older anti spam plug ins, I'm beginning to think none of them ever actually worked. No wonder I've been drowning in spam. I'm thinking of disabling comments altogether and people can just email me if they have something to say. It's not like we're drowning in traffic around here -- just spam!

How Stupid?

How stupid do the Dems think we are? Yeah, rhetorical question there. Their fave line is 'but if we started drilling now, it would take ten years to get to the oil'. No kidding! And if we'd started drilling ten years ago, we'd have the oil now. By that argument, there's no point in building new roads to relieve traffic congestion. Heck, they won't be finished for five years, right?

GAH!!

Do I Have To?

I see headlines like this: McCain planning climate change tour -- and I ask once again, do I really have to vote for this guy? He sure doesn't make it easy.

I Hate That!

You just discover a product you really like, and when you got to buy more, find out it's been discontinued! Last year, at Bath & Body Works, I bought a shower gel form a new line they were carrying, Aquatanica Spa. I really liked it it -- it had a fresh oceany sorta scent, made with seaweed and other sea type ingredients. I went to the website, and they've discontinued it! The bottle said it was a line from France, but it looks like it was actually made by B&B W since I can't find it anywhere else but on Ebay. I'm bummed. My favourite showergel by Aveda (sage and cedar), which I'd used for years, was discontinued last year, and this was what I'd replaced it with. To add insult to injury, the B&B site recommended I try instead one of their other lines, which they claim is similar, but it's almond scented! Bleah! Almonds do not smell like the ocean where I come from.

/ticked off

For Pity's Sake!

NHS staff told to eat away from desks for Ramadan

Every day that passes makes the UK seem more like one big Monty Python sketch!

In Where I Do One Of My 'Angry' Posts

For those of you not in fandom circles, Joss Whedon posted on a website about the honor killing of Dua Khalil. Now this is a good thing. It is. Having a big name Hollywood liberal bringing attention the subject is a nice change and can only help bring awareness on the issue. Those of you who've read my blog for the last five years know that the plight of women under radical Islam is one of my 'issues'. But the overall response on the web to his post irritates the hell out of me. Most act like this is some new thing. Because Joss brought it up, it's now an approved issue to care about. Where have these people been!?!? Can they actually have been totally unaware that this sort of violence against women is commonplace? It's incredibly frustrating. and it points out once again how out of touch with real women's issues the western feminist establishment is. If they'd been doing their job, this issue would be common knowledge, not a huge surprise to so many.

Why aren't there demands for sanctions against countries that practice 'gender apartheid'? I'm sure many of you remember what happened to South Africa in the old apartheid days. Where's the same outrage on behalf of a whole society of subjugated women? The Left is always telling us how much they care about women, but I see precious little proof of that. They're the ones that run big media, and if they wanted to publicize the plight of these womenit, they could. They have the megaphone. They just aren't interested in using it.

This Is Stupid!!

I can't access half the internet.

I can't get to Live Journal -- I'm in total withdrawal. I don't know if there is some sort of internet blockage between me and it, but the connection keeps timing out LJ, on National Review Online, on the Chicago Tribune, but for example, works for Yahoo, my own website, and fanfiction.net. So I basically can't get to the websites where I spend most of my time. Not being able to read The Corner is particularly hard.

I wish I knew why/what was going on.

ARGH!!!

Authenticated Commenting Back On

Sorry, but I had to put it back on. Just the two days it was off, I was once again drowning in spam. And no, the comments still aren't working properly. To comment, after you'd logged in to Typekey, you have to exit the blog entirely and then come back and comment. Otherwise you get trapped in a loop that keeps telling you you need to register.

I apologize for the inconvenience. Maybe if Six Apart ever makes MT a decent piece of software again, an upgrade will fix the problem. But considering what a piece of crap it is now, I'm not hopeful.

For Today

Well, aparrently comments still aren't working properly. So, just for today, I've switched the blog to open commenting for the virtual book tour.

I'll switch it back tomorrow.

Terror Practice

I know, I know, crap like this shouldn't shock me or surprise me, and I probably shouldn't let it get to me. But that being said, this is GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! & ARHGGGG!! inducing

A school needed to put on a mock terror drill for law enforcement practice. But gee, who were the terrorists?

...The mock terror attack involved two irate men armed with handguns who invaded the high school through the front door. They pretended to shoot several students in the hallway and then barricaded themselves in the media center with 10 student hostages.

Two Burlington Township police detectives portrayed the gunmen. Investigators described them as members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the “New Crusaders� who don't believe in separation of church and state. The mock gunmen went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of one had been expelled for praying before class.

Seen at The Corner

Waaaah!

Those of you who've read my blog for a while know of my love for Bonny Doon's 'Cardinal Zin' Zinfandel wine. I just found out they've discontinued it! I may cry [sniff] Seriously, I just might.

Utter Crap

I've had to turn the 'moderate all trackbacks' function on since I'm being flooded with spam trackbacks. Even after boosting the junk filter up to +4, they're still coming through. I just upped it to +6. I still have to deal with them, but at least they don't hit the blog. Now watch it start rejecting perfectly okay comments. Piece of junk.

Honestly, the new MT anti-spam functions are utter and complete crap. The older version with Blacklist was so much more reliable and efficient. If only I had a time machine and could go back. Bleah.

I Give Up

I give up.The comments are still fried. I can't fix them. I'm actually sitting here in tears at this point. I've been trying for something like six weeks. I'm getting ready to just chuck the f$#$^&*g blog entirely at this point. It's just not worth the stress. I'm just done. I've been blogging nearly five years, and this is what ends it all. Yeah, I'm upset right now and need to just walk away from the computer.

Sorry

But I just can't take the assualt of spam anymore. I've had to turn on the authenticated commenters only option. I'm not sure If I've ticked off the right sequence, so it may take some tweaking.

Thanks, and sorry it had to come to this.

A bit later: It's not working, so holding pattern for a bit...

Gar!

The MT people were morons for removing blacklist from their newest version. Whatever they use built in now to try and reduce spam sucks. I raise the aggressiveness of the spam filter, and it junks actual comments, I lower it, and it alls all sorts of crap through. It was just perfect before, and I rarely got spam. Gar! Now I feel like I'm back to the version from several years ago.

One, I'm never upgrading again. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Though in this case, it's just broke it seems.

Two, I think I will have to start using the 'trusted commenters' function so comments from all of you can actually get through, while hopefully allowing me to up the spam filter to junk everything else.

Still Not King

Errr.. .. that would be 'still no comments' :)

Also, I'm at less then two days away from zero hour for canceling my vacation. Not a happy girl right now. But, in case I do get to go away, anyone who has guest blogged for me before is welcome to do so again. Actually, why not do it whether I go away or not? It'll be a virtual vacation if nothing else! I'll be 'gone' for two weeks starting Saturday.

In other unhappy inducing news, I'm on my sixth day with no TV. They put a new roof on our building last week and the roofers took down our dish. They put it back up Monday night WRONG! And I can't get anyone out till Friday to fix it. So I've missed a ton of new shows this week. Grr.

And that's about all that passes for blogging today.

Arh!

I hate it when someone who has worked here all of a few weeks unilaterally decided to move the entire kitchen area around! does it not occur to them that in the 13 years I've been here that we've tried every variation and the way it is is because it's the way it works best?!?!

So when she leaves at 3pm, it's all going back to the way it was.

Ugh!

I hate silverfish. I'm just sayin'!

FYI

Starting next week, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketers. If you want to be added to the 'do not call' list, call from your cell phone: 888.382.1222. Or you can register your phone at http://www.donotcall.gov

Brought to you because I care :)

Later: apparently, it's an urban legend, but it was part of the news on the radio this morning, and I don't usually check out snopes for news stories, despite my distrust of the press :)

Oh No!

The horror! We're out of tequila! But Nin is braving the night to get us some! Just in tome for dinner!

Blogrolling?

I just realized that blogrolling shows me as last updating on Thursday! I've been trying to manually ping, and I keep getting error messages. Anyone else having trouble with their pings?

That Was Helpful

Not

Live Journal has been down off and on -- mostly off -- since late this afternoon. The status page, on its special separate server, is also down. Even six apart's website has been down, along with the movable type website at intervals. You think they'd have some redundancy, no?

Update: apparently, they're suffering from a DNS attack:

Since approximately 4:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time, Six Apart has been the victim of a sophisticated distributed denial of service attack. This has affected all of Six Apart's sites, causing intermittent and limited availability for TypePad, LiveJournal, sixapart.com, movabletype.org and movabletype.com. Our network operations staff is working around the clock with our Internet access providers to resolve the issue. We appreciate your patience and support, and will provide updates as we have them.

Wonder if it's the same Saudi based ones from last week's Hosting Matters attack?

Anxious

Waiting for the second of my deep dental cleaning appointments this afternoon. Considering the last one wasn't stellar, my tummy is doing back flips.

Crud!

Our kitchen drain backed up about 1030 last night, and I figured it was too late to call the landlord. So I call this morning, she already knew cus the person upstairs did call last night, and they won't do anything about till tomorrow! I can deal with having to use the bathroom sink, but the smell is just gagging in here. I have the sink covered with a cooler top and a blanket, but it's only partially successful.

So Nin had to go to work today -- and a long shift at that, till 10pm --, and I'm sitting all alone in a smelly house, and I can't even cook. [sigh]

For the "People Are Pigs" File

So four of the 'beautiful people' from the local country club graced us with their presence today. After they'd left, I went into the bathroom, and what do I see? One of the women had tossed her feminine hygiene product on top of the trash can without even an attempt to wrap it in any way whatsoever. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! So guess who ends up emptying the trash? Me, of course. I mean, what is wrong with people? Haven't they got a even a shred of common courtesy? It's still ticking me off. I'm seriously thinking of making the bathroom employees only. What with the delivery driver that urinates all over the floor, and now this, I'm fed up.

Calamity Continues

So I went to my new dentist for a deep cleaning. This has to be done over two appointments and requires multiple injections. Since the injections are the center of my dental phobia, I have to take drugs before the appointment. Last dentist, I got 3 valium. This dentist thinks valium is old fashioned, so prescribed two Atavan instead. It didn't even make me blink. So, it was either reschedule or try adding gas. So we went the nitrous route with only modest success. The next section is in two weeks, and they're going to try some other drug instead. At least they didn't charge me the $108 for the laughing gas because they felt it was their fault for screwing up with the meds. So my jaw is in agony, and several of the spots where the injections were hurt like hell. I'll probably just get jaw function back before the next appointment.

Remind Me...

...never to post anything Harry Potter related again. I've gotten something like 600 referrals from something called 'metafilter' all becuase if that '50 Rules for Hogwarts' email forward from last week. Geez! Normally, I'm the last person to get a popular forward, but this time I guess I must have gotten in at the beginning!

Resolved: no more Harry Potter posts.

Off to make sure my bandwidth hasn't been wiped put by this.

Grrr! Argh!

I've had it.

Third day virtually alone in the office, so busy everyone's falling behind, so since I'm the only one here, who do you think is bearing the brunt of the nastiness? No lunch breaks, no break of any kind, even getting to the bathroom requires planning. Yesterday, I stood alone in the middle of my office and cursed out loud. I want it to be Friday 5pm so bad I can't begin to tell you. Today's the day I may snap at someone.

Behold My Misery

This is the current tree pollen chart. It's supposed to peak at the end of January, but oh no! Not this year. Blasted Cypress, Cedar, and Monterey Pine.

Nothing!

If one person asks me what my plans are for the Superbowl, I shall most certainly scream. Plans? Like it's Christmas, or my birthday! It's not, it's a football game! Why would you think I have 'plans'? Geez! Not only do I not have 'plans', I'm not even watching it. [stomps off]

Now I've got that out of my system!

Allergy Hell

That's what I'm in. There's a slick of yellow pollen over every visible bit of standing water, and a covering of yellow dust over every surface.

Most Hated

I have a dentist appointment today. Even worse, it's another brand new dentist. And it's my original appointment -- I didn't reschedule 3 or 4 times like I normally do in an attempt to put it off.

Seven Reasons To Strangle... Never Mind!

HUGE DISCLAIMER: I never do these tag things. Ever ever! The only reason I’m doing it is because Ilyka started blogging again, which made me very happy, which made me think she needed the positive reinforcement of playing along with her evil twistedness -- just this once. So if any of you think I’m getting soft, and think you can start tagging me with abandon, errr, don’t! [insert bone shivering glare] And if I've ever not done one of your tags, don't feel bad! You just need to quit blogging for a few months, and then come back! I'm much more pliable then.

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1: Attend a Viennese Ball, maybe even in Vienna, complete with fancy dress. Escort optional, since I’m a realist and not totally in a fantasy world here.
2: Learn to Waltz, and Swing Dance, and Tango. I’m a very accomplished (she says modestly) Scottish Country Dancer, but modernish couple dancing has always been a mystery.
3: Take at least one college class.
4: Learn Japanese.
5: Visit Egypt.
6: Visit the moon.
7: Write a novel.

Seven Things I Cannot Do
1: Knit (I can crochet)
2: Play a musical instrument.
3: Stop a Nuclear Reactor from melting down.
4: Eat fish that hasn’t been deep fried and drowned in malt vinegar.
5: Drive a car without being terrified.
6: Speak Chinese
7: Do these tag things!

Seven Things That Attract Me to My Mate
Don’t have one, never have, so I’ll skip this.

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1: Dang
2: Bloody hell
3: Moron
4: Duh
5: April, please remember to clean the kitchen.
6: It’s not rocket science!
7: Blast!

Seven Books That I Love
1: The Lord of the Rings
2: Jane Eyre
3: The original three Pern books
4: Anne of Green Gables
5: Downbelow Station
6: The Silmarillion
7: The Bruce Trilogy
(That was a hard category! Only seven….)

Seven Movies That I Watch Over and Over Again
1: Pirates of the Caribbean
2: Bridget Jones’ Diary
3: Lord of the Rings
4: Local Hero
5: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
6: Dangerous Beauty
7: Force Ten From Navarone

Seven Songs I Play Over and Over Again
1: Annachie Gordon – Loreena McKennit
2: Laddie Lie Near Me -- Connie Dover
3: Something More Besides You – Cowboy Junkies
4: Full of Grace – Sarah McLachlan
5: Song for A Winter’s Night – Sarah McLachlan
6: Whiskey Lullaby – Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss
7: Sweet Dublin Bay – Silly Wizard

Okay, that’s enough positive reinforcement for a lifetime! No, I’m not passing it on. So feel free to tag yourself if you’re into that sort of pain.

Next Day: Question in the comments on the Bruce Trilogy. You can check it out here.
It's by Nigel Tranter, and all of his books are pretty darn good.

The Best Laid Plans

As you may know, Nin's 30th birthday is on Sunday. Since it's a 'special' birthday, I planned something special. We were supposed to sail on the Lady Washington -- which was on a stop in our general neck of the woods -- Sunday afternoon, but due to 'technical difficulties', it's all off. (I'm assuming it had something to do with the storm yesterday). So no special event now. and to top it off, her birthday gift, which was supposed to be here yesterday won't be here now till Monday. Just can't win. I'm just slightly bummed out now.

I Know

I complain about this every year... I'm COLD! It's the usual, uninsulated cinderblock warehouse with no heat, bricks get as cold as whatever the temp goes down to at night, not enough sun in the day to warm them up, perpetual cold coming off the walls no matter how close I get the space heater. Which means a winter of numb fingers and just plain cold.

Two Things

One, OUCH! I almost snapped my thumbnail off, and it's bleeding under the nail bed and it hurts!!

Two, what is it with people who call, you answer, and they're so busy holding a conversation with someone else on their end, they don't even hear you? And then they act all pissy aksing who they've reached because they didn't hear your greeting because THEY were the ones talking. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Oh, and three, I'm irritated. Can you tell?

Bummer

So Nin was working till 10 tonight, which sucks because I hate being all by myself all weekend. I actually do miss my lil NinjaPiglet even though she hogs the computer :) Now it's more of a bummer, because the phone rang at 9am!! and for some silly reason, she answered it. guess what? Somone was a no show, and they wanted her in ASAP. Still working till 10pm of course. On the one hand, OT is of the good, but on the other, I'm bored, and lonely [insert more pouting]. This is when I wish Jen didn't live two hours away, cus then I could go see her, or she could come here. Or that TamTam didn't live in SC. [waves to EvilT] So what shalll I do? Take up watching football? Now there's a thought! Ihaven't watched a college game in years, and I used to follow the Bears and Huskies. And I do have a zillion sports channels on the satellite.

I'll keep y'all updated, as I know you're dying of anticipation.

"I Hate Guns"

So the new James Bond hates guns. But that's not what this post is about. It's about "shaken AND stirred martinis". Yes, apparently, the new Bond thinks the martini his character is famous for are shaken and stirred. As opposed to shaken and NOT stirred. And so does the person who wrote the article about it.

.... Nor does the 37-year-old share Bond's love of Martinis shaken and stirred.

"I love a Martini straight up. I don't think anybody makes a Martini stirred any more," he said.

Absolutely hopeless.

For Your Elucidation

When you call for one of my coworkers, here are a few things to keep in mind:

I don't know how long he'll be on a call.

I can't force him to call you back.

I don't know who he's talking to -- and even if I did, it's none of your damn business!

I don't know what his average response time is on responding to voicemail.

I don't know if he read your message.

I don't know if he's listened to your voicemail.

If he hasn't called you back, don't accuse me of not giving him your message.

I don't know why he didn't call you back.

He isn't required to account for his time to me, or you, for that matter.

I don't know how long his meeting will be.

No, you cannot have his cell phone number, home phone number, or his pager number.

His wife isn't here at his place of work.

I didn't say he wouldn't be back today, I said he was at lunch!

Give me grief when you're a lousy telemarketer, and you will regret it.

When I tell you that no one is here but me, I'm not lying.

He's 'away from his desk' -- do I have to spell it out to you that he's in the bathroom, so no, I'm not going to go find him for you?

I'm not his mother, a mindreader, his social secretary, or even his assistant, so get over your gorram self!!

/vent

That felt good! Imagine the above all in CAPS with many many !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'s

Gorram Blender!

First, the paper towel holder breaks, then comes the big one. I'm making a big batch of Seranno chile salsa, I have all of it prepped, I put it in the blender, I hit on, and what happens? An unhealthy noise, and then smoke starts pouring out. So guess who needs a new blender now?

Not

Until now, I haven't posted anything but the 'fetching coffee' question in regards to the new SCOTUS nomination. However, for the record, I'm not an elitist, and I'm not a sexist. Just because I'm not thrilled with the President's choice doesn't make me either of the above. And I have to say, I'm more than a little disappointed that people I respect, like the First Lady, are intimating that sexism has something to do with it. I'm a single woman, I never finished high school, I'm a regular working Joe, or Jane, if you prefer. I think I am as much representative of the Republican "base" as anyone, and I have as much right to my own opinion without being labeled by other people in my own damn party. I've disagreed with the President before, and until now, I thought that was allowed.

So yes, I'm unhappy on a number of levels. That being said, I'm waiting to see how the hearings go. I'd just like the name calling to stop. We get enough of that from the other side -- we don't need to do it to each other.

Bias: Example 540,935

What starts out as a nice article about the woman in charge of education for the Africa bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development, turns into the usual jab fest -- its crowning moment being ths: .... Though her brand of Republicanism might not sit well with the right-wing zealots who now command the GOP...,

See? They just can't help themselves.

Just Resting

I'm hoping she's just pining for the fjords.

[pout]

One of my favourite bloggers, and even more importantly, one of my favourite people, is giving up her blog. This is not happy news.

Just Thought I'd Mention It

Jesse Jackson is a buffoon.

Get Out The Electric Heaters

According to what I just heard on the radio, natural gas will be up 71% of last winter, heating oil 33%, and electricity only 17%. Guess who's not using her furnace this winter and will be getting a few electric radiators? Thank goodness for the new double paned windows! Of course the walls are still uninsulated, but thank heaven for small mercies, eh?

YRGHHHLLLEESHIVER!!

I hate spiders. They wig me out in the worst way. So a bit ago, I happen to see something black near the fire alarm box on the wall beside my desk. At first my brain thought, stray bit of wire, electrical tape... then it short circuited, looked around the front and realized it was a huge black spider. BWAH!! I run into the warehouse and have Bo come look, cus I'm afraid it's more than a large black spider. My worst fears are confirmed when I hear a "WHOOWEE! This is a HUGE Black Widow!!" Look at the size of that hourglass!". Now my goose bumps are turning into teradactyls, and I am creeped out beyond measure as the other males I work with beat a path to my desk so they too can see the giant office manager eating spider. Then I hear, "Uh oh!". Uh oh?!?!? I have visions of the spider disappearing and me coming to work in boots and protective gear for the duration! Turned out the spider ran back into the fire alarm box -- behind the circuit boards. So Bo shooed me off and told me to go to lunch, and he'd handle it [insert tough guy posture]. So I did. I just got back, and he had uninfested my workspace by using circuit cleaner to drive it out. He also looked around for dead male spiders and egg sacks.

I am so thoroughly creeped out/skin crawling/icky!! right now. Thank god for men and their superior spider slaying abilities!

It all balances out, because I'm the one that takes the mice in the humane traps and sets them free. Most of my coworkers won't go near a mouse! Yes, I work in cesspit.

What a Crock

Washington Workers Union Flexes Muscle

Government workers in the state of Washington are being hit with a tough choice — if they want to keep their jobs, they have to join the union or pay a hefty union fee.

"I don't like being forced. I don't like being told either join the union or I lose my job," said state employee Sharon Mathews.

The Personnel Reform Act passed in 2002 gives managers more flexibility in hiring, firing and outsourcing. It also allowed the workers union to bargain directly with the governor on provisions of their contracts. After taking office this year, Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire (search) gave state workers a raise and then gave the union the power to have any worker fired who didn't either join or fork over a representation fee of up to $45 per month.

"I think a lot of us jumped on the bandwagon out of fear," said another state employee, Kristie Hubble.

[....]

"There will be increased political activity and they will have just by the sheer numbers of people involved in their union and by the share of dollars they'll receive there will be increased clout," said Dan Brunell of the Washington Business Association.

Union leaders say they're even-handed when it comes to political donations, but the numbers from the 2004 election tell a different story. Seventy-five percent of the union's candidate contributions went to Democrats. The union also gave $200,000 to the Democratic Governors Association and paid $250,000 to the state Democratic Party to underwrite the third vote count that finally put Gregoire into office.

Can We Get an Amen?

Kathy has a perfect rant on women who use a public restroom, wet all over the toilet seat, AND DON'T CLEAN IT UP!! Yeah, I love having to clean up their urine before I can use the loo.

Where Does It End?

Spanish Echoes Increasing in US Congress

I love how the author uses "daring" & "dared". Oooh! How brave! Personally, I think it would be more daring to buck the trend and not cave in to the pressure.

How long before federal government employees are required to speak Spanish as well as English? Think it can't happen? If we keep heading down this path....

A bit later: the flip side with some good news. (via The Corner)

Too Bad She Didn't Sneak Across The Border

See what happens when you are in this country legally? If she were illegal, excuse me, an "undocumented immigrant", she could have avoided all this.

/sarcasm off

What Did I Miss?

No DSL (or internet of any kind!) from 1130 this morning!!! I felt totally cut off from the world! Don't you feel my pain?

Okay, That's It

Everything I read is depressing me this morning. One of the most being that Juliette is was thinking of throwing in the towel. Believe it or not, I was actually in happy sort of mood this morning -- and that's very rare for me. I don't know what the solution is, but I suppose 'this too shall pass' [sigh]

At Least They're Sorry

(do I need to insert a very large SARCASM tag?)

I read this a bit earlier. Since then, I've come across some excellent commentary and links here.

The blood's on their hands.

Ain't That A Pip?

I never realized how many of my favourite blogs were on mu.nu till every blog I click on won't load all the way, if at all, and I can't read comments [insert large pout] I miss you guys!

(No, I'm not addicted)

(I can stop whenever I like)

(Yes, I lie)

Vincent Price Must Be Rolling In His Grave

How they could take a classic horror film like "House of Wax" (which scared the crud out of me when I first saw it on "Creature Feature") and remake it with this cast is beyond me.

Why not just throw in Fran Drescher, Alyssa Milano, and Jennie Garth for a complete WB primetime lineup?

Drat!

I got spoiled accidentally. Be warned if you visit the official Serenity site and aren't paying close attnetion to what you click. I clicked on a link that said 'poll', not realizing it took you to the "I've seen Serenity" portion of the message boards, and the poll was about something that happens in the movie that I sure wish I didn't know. I think this has to be a personal best for me -- knowing major spoilers for a movie that doesn't even come out till SEPTEMBER!!

[sigh]

GARRRR!!

If I have to deal with one more stupid question from one more stupid customer or coworker, I swear I'm going to scream out loud right here at my desk. I mean, what? Did everyone get together and decide today was the day for mass stupidity and generally infuriating behavior??!?!?!

This is a tequila when I get home sort of day. If I make it to the end of the day, that is.

Gads!

three hundred and bloody six trackback spams. I'm still trying to delete them all, 25 at a time.

Drat!

I didn't know Amazing Race was two hours tonight. So if anyone wants to fill me in at about the lion park?

An Outrage!

Cambridge has banned the wearing of the kilt! And just in time for Tartan Day!

via Dean

A Record

I got nearly 300 trackpack spams overnight. I'm still working on deleting them.

BAH!!!

Why?

Can someone please explain to me why our elected representatives are wasting so much time on baseball players and steroids? With all the pressing issues our country faces, I'm at a loss to figure out why this issue deserves this sort of high level attention. What's next? A Senate hearing on illegal drug use use in Hollywood? Binge drinking during Spring Break?

(About as sick and tired of this 'news' as I am of Michael Jackson & Scott Peterson)

Thank You, John McCain

Get a load of this one. I don't even know where to start.

Via The Corner

A List Of Unfortunate Facts

This is one of the worst weeks at work every year, and this year is no exception.

Unremitting head pain.

Stupid people and then some.

Still they haven't finished the new windows! 8 days and counting.

It's going to rain again -- probably just in time to walk home.

A big stack of payables.

Payroll.

Did I mention stupid people??

What Part Of "Square" Didn't You Understand?

I've been repeating the same thing for nearly 14 years, and no matter how I word it....

Typical phone call:

"Do you rent screens?"

Me: yes, we do.

"What size are they?"

Me: we have 5, 6, 7, or 8 foot square tripod screens.

"So how long/tall/wide would that be?"

Me: [bangs head against desk]

Variation:

[blah blah blah]

"I need something bigger!"

Me: we also have ten or twelve foot pole and saddle screen.

"Yeah, that's more like it! Give me a ten foot!"

Days pass... customer comes in to get screen.

"It's TEN FEET LONG!!! I can't get that in my car!"

[bangs head against desk]

This is my life.

YRGHHHH!!!

There is a person in our head office who makes me want to scream like Howard Dean on a regular basis. If I did my job the way they do theirs, I wouldn't have a job! They will call and ask me the most inane questions and after I've gotten aggravated over the idiocy of being called on the subject at all, then I have to try and give them an answer that they can understand after I repeat it a few dozen times. All this while dealing with very poor English and a heavy accent.

Right now, I want to kick something while screaming!

This Is All Liv's Fault

Guess what I've been net shopping for? Tetsubin, that's what -- Japanese cast iron teapots. No, I haven't bought one, since currently I'm broke, but one day.... There's these, and these, and these ones, oh, and these. And then, to top it off, there's Ebay!

And since I was on a Japanese roll, I put on my CD of Japanese flute music, "Shakuhachi Zen", which inspired me to go look for additional Japanese music, and my Amazon wish list has now grown some more.

Oh, The Tragedy

I finally decided to cure my craving for a patty melt, so we went to Denny's. And then, tragedy struck: they don't serve them anymore!!!!! That's anti-American!! GEEZ! I settled for chicken fried steak.

The quest continues.

Just Say No

to talking babies!! ARGH! I hate those Quizno adverts...

Oh To Be Home

I really wish I could see the swearing in. I'm taping it, but it's not the same. I have the news radio station on and they're not even covering it! What's with that? I should have taken a vacation day.

I Apologize

On behalf of California (at least the non left wing nutburger part), I abjectly apologize for Barbara Boxer and her antics today. I swear I didn't vote for her!

What a horrible embarrassment....

[sigh]

On the way home last night, the truck lost power and just died on Highway One. My brother got it over to the middle median, and I called AAA and they towed us to our mechanic. We ended up getting home about ten pm. I have no ideas what's wrong, until the mechanic can look at it Monday, and I'm really hoping it's something under $500, just once! It just figures, because I'd just gotten April new glasses that she needed that afternoon, and bang! more expensesive stuff. I've been saving up a few dollars here and there so we can go away for a week over New Years, and see my parents, and see Roberta, but this may blow up that little plan. Heck, I may not even be able to afford to get it fixed period, which means back to the bus for me.

If There's Anything Worse Than A Comment Spammer...

it's an incompetent one! Some fool is spamming my comments and not even leaving their skanky URLs. An example:

[h1]Please check some helpful info dedicated to- Tons of interesdting stuff!!! [/h1]

I've gotten dozens of such in the last hour and it's very annoying.

Damn It!

Now Cassandra's quitting blogging. We're not happy, precious, no we're not! What is it with all my favourite blogers quitting all of a sudden anyway?

Cassandra, you're welcome to guest blog for me anytime! And please consider getting your own blog. Pretty please? :)

Dang!

Both Besmirched and Whomping Willow seem to have gone *poof*. Anyone know what happened? I'm hoping it's some temporary internet glitch....

Fighting The Urge

Here's the deal: On the one hand, I'm actually a very kind person (honest!) I don't like hurting people's feelings or being mean. On the other hand, I've spent the last four years being called a Nazi, Brown Shirt, Fascist, Racist, Stupid -- did I miss anything? Not to mention the almost constant whining about Bush not being a legitimate President, stealing the election, etc, etc, etc.... So, I'm torn, you see. Normally, I wouldn't feel inclined to rub their noses in it, but this time around, I'm finding it really hard not to take some malicious glee in our victory. What makes it even harder is that the other side still has this smug nasty little attitude problem. Already they're on the "divided country" schtick, and how Bush needs to reach out to "the center" (code speak for agreeing to do whatever the Dems want). Well frell that! They lost -- again. They're the ones that need to be doing the soul searching and reaching out, not us. The absolute cheek of the left never ceases to amaze me. The sense of entitlement and superiority that makes you just want to smack them upside the head. Not to mention the sheer disconnect when our guy got a higher percentage of the popular vote than Pres. Bubba did, and I don't recall any talk about "reaching out" then!

See my problem? I'm getting all riled again and feeling mean.

This could be harder than I thought.

Well, niceness is overrated anyway....

Absolute Suckage

Francis informs me that Roy Marsden has been replaced as Adam Dalgleish .

I am so bummed right now, you have no idea. I watched the series because of RM, and it even got me to read the books. (I'm not much into mysteries). RM is Adam and he's irreplaceable.

Something To Set Me Off On A Friday Evening

An Argh! inducing excerpt from this article:

.... Shortly before the debate began, Newsweek national editor Jon Meacham suggested on MSNBC that journalists are tired of Bush being in the lead, and so will try to narrow the race. Meacham foresaw "the possibility that President Bush has peaked about a month too early. Because we all need a narrative to change." Chris Matthews asked: "Is that your prediction?" Meacham replied: "I think it's possible that we're gonna be sitting around saying, 'Well you know Kerry really surprised us.' Because in a way the imperative is to change the story."

But remember, journalists aren't in favor of changing the story because it makes good copy. They're in favor of changing it because it gives their candidate a better chance of winning.

Illegal Rights?!

I'm listening to a local talk radio, and they're discussing a bill currently in front of the governor of California to give illegals the ability to get a driver's license.

Why?

Why should people that are breaking the law every moment they live in this country be given any rights?

It's bad enough that they're getting basically free medical care.

I'm going to go crush some tablets to work out my aggression.

(I knew compounding would be good for something!)

Pots And Kettles

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accused the Republicans of "fear and smear" negative tactics Monday and said they would offer only empty slogans rather than real plans to help most Americans in their national convention here next week.

"They have obviously decided that some people will believe anything, no matter how fictional or how far-fetched, if they just repeat it often enough. That's how they have run their administration, that's how they're running their campaign, and that's how they will run their convention," Kerry said. [emphasis mine]

"You can't cover up reality with a few empty slogans."

I have just two words for John Kerry:

"Bush lied!"

Read the whole thing here (if you think you can stomach it).

Well, Duh...

Uh oh... Ith has let the guest bloviators out of the cage again... she knoweth not what she hath wrought!

My first salvo:

Saw a newspaper story the other day wherein a disabled jail inmate (a guy with only one arm) was whining about the overcrowding, and how he had to sleep on the floor. He complained that with his handicapped condition, he should have been allotted a bed.

Earth to inmate: If you don't want to sleep on the jailhouse floor, don't do the crime!

GRRR!

So Comcast said we needed to switch digital boxes since our old one was out of date. Fine, I go in and switch the box, I get home, set it up like the last one. Piece of cake. Except now, I can't watch the TV unless the digital box is on. And I can't record on the VCR any channel other than the one I'm watching. What the frell? So I double check all the connections, still nothing. I call Comcast and the guy has me change some settings on the menu, still nothing. Then he puts me on hold, comes back and tells me the new boxes aren't set up to allow taping on another channel etc... I have to get a splitter and an A/B box!! Why on earth would you make something new that works less well than the old version? It makes no frigging sense! And this new box has the RF bypass just like the old one, and I mention that to him, and how that's what allows you to watch the TV independently of the box. He tells me I'm right, but he has no idea of why it works differently. He emailed me a diagram and a list of equipment, and while he was very nice, I'm really ticked off right now.

Most Annoying Song

My current winner in the "most annoying and overplayed song on radio" contest is "Save a Horse, Ride a A Cowboy" by Big & Rich. It's like a country song that wants to be a rap song when it grows up. Any song that uses "bling blinging" is enough to make me want to toss the radio. I went from finding it annoying to actively disliking it after I saw the video -- tawdry and trashy through and through.

So I want to know what song(s) you can't stand! Share the misery.

Why Am I Not Surprised?

The timing of the announcment is suspicious.

No, no link, just heard it being discussed on the radio.

So Much For That

I wasn't going to really do any heavy blogging today, but then I read this.

I'm torn between screaming and shutting the computer off.

We'll see how that choice goes.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Two Days Later: And I beat Drudge by 48 hours!

Even Later: Cassandra is the coolest.

Bigotry

Paul has an illuminating post on discrimination against a young man of Scottish ancestry in Ottawa.

For Pete's Sake!

We have one of those small office fridges here at work. A fridge I'm constantly throwing stuff out of since everyone thinks that the food they leave in the fridge magically apparates away or something. Anyway, some dear coworker decided it would be cool to put an opened, nearly full can of coke on the top shelf. Guess who just knocked it over, not knowing it was open?? Right in one! I just spent ten minutes on my hands and knees cleaning coke up from all over the inside of the fridge and the surrounding floor.

I'm just waiting for him to demand, "Who threw out my coke?!??!"

I am not pleased.

More Nutty Neo-Prohibitionism

I've found more neo-prohibitionism nuggets to add to my stack.

Here & here. Read and be ready to bang your head against the nearest wall.

(via The Corner)

Something In The Air Tonight

And it's not happiness.

I'm frustrated, worried, and yeah, a little scared. I want to reach through the TV screen and shake the talking heads who don't seem to have a single clue, or they're outright lying. If my typing mirrored the thoughts in my head, all this would be in CAPS!

Last night I was almost crying in frustration. This morning, I read this post of Michele's which said so well what I've been feeling. Then listening to Rush, I hear him say a lot of what I was nearly shouting at the TV last night. It's like the Twilight Zone, it really is. The twisted half-truths of the media and a great many of the public who won't look past what Dan Rather or Peter Jennings tell them. How can they be so ignorant? How can they not see the danger? You'd think nearly three thousand dead on 9/11 would get through to them, but it hasn't! We're back to business as usual and it puts every single one of us at risk.

I honest to god understand at times why some people head for the middle of nowhere to wait out the fall of civilization. But I can't turn it off, I can't stick my head in the sand, and at the same time, I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall and am totally useless. This is when the word "heartsick" works really well.

Another Medicare-esque Rant

I started to rant about Medicare prescription coverage here at work, and I thought I'd be getting into a semi-intelligent conversation with one of the pharmacists (Luckily, not the rabid Democrat. Every time I try to have a discussion with him, he starts ranting about how evil Bush is. Then, I figuratively blow him out of the water and he wanders off, muttering.)

Me: And, where are they going to be getting the money to pay for the nifty Medicare prescription coverage plan in 2006? We don't have enough money for Medicare now!
Pharm: Well, by then, maybe we'll be out of Iraq.
Me: That has nothing to do with it. They're both different parts of the budget. Even if we weren't in Iraq, we still wouldn't have the money for this.
Pharm: Oh, yes we would. [pause] Can I have one of your chips.

So, instead of a conversation about the government, I was forced to retreat, using my black marker as a weapon to beat off the hordes after my cheddar and sour cream chips. Grrr... My chips! Mine!!

(This was going to be serious, but I de-evolved into my normal, wacky self...)

Who Is He Kidding?

I have the news on and they just finished showing Kerry with some WWII vets droning on about how "this isn't a day for politics". And yet, in the crawl, there are quotes of Kerry's where he says that the dedication of the memorial highlights the alliances we made in WWII and how we need to rebuild those alliances that Bush has shredded. (paraphrasing)

We keep hearing about how Kerry talks out of both sides of his mouth, and he's managed this time to do it all in one day! Does he have no shame?

And just a note to Mr. Kerry: Britain was our major ally in WWII and Germany was the enemy. And then there were the French -- we pulled their bacon out of the fire in case you'd forgotten.

Sometimes...

If you're going to go buy donuts and make a big production out of the fact you are, even asking me where the store you want to get them from is located, it would be polite to at least offer me one when you get back.

Yes, this actually happened. They bought donuts for the four of them alone to eat. Just like the old days when they'd send someone to buy coffee for everyone in the warehouse -- except me of course. I'm just the monkey girl that works in the office, not one of the techs chosen by god, and therefore not worthy.

Sometimes, even after 13 years here, they still really tick me off. I think next week I need to buy donuts to place near my desk, not offering to share at all.

This Just Irked Me

This guy offers up what he thinks Asians think of Americans.

We'll just go with this one:

5. Four more years of Bush or not, Asians still believe in us long term.

Gee, isn't that special?

Razzin' Frazzin'...

I'm quietly working (Well, quietly goofing off anyway) and I hear one of the pharmacists around the corner from my terminal say, "The government can spend billion of dollars in Iraq, but they can't provide adequte medical care."

AAAAAAAA!!!

Where in the constitution, the document our whole country is founded on, does it say that every American is entitled to medical care?

But, the constitution does cover protecting this nation.

Granted, I feel sorry for the guy who can't really afford his chemo medication because it isn't one of the few drugs covered by Medicare, which is how the above comment came into be... Argh. I'm so pissed I'm not coherent.

[deep breath]

I'm going off to kick some empty boxes.

I would go car jack some people in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but I can't because I have to do other stuff... (That game is really great as stress relief. I don't try and beat the game, just steal cars and run people over... Die, Pixelman! Die!)

No Good Deed...

Goes Unpunished.

Words to live by, folks. Trust me.

Going To The Pope

I read this origianlly when it was sent to an email list I'm on. It had no link, but I found the original source here.

The upshot is that apparently the President has asked for a meeting with the Pope, and he can expect to be scolded.

I have issues with this, I really do. One, I've never understood why United States Presidents visit the Pope. I could see it they were Roman Catholic, but that isn't usually the case. If they're going to go calling on the Pope, then what about the leaders of other people's religions? Or do only Roman Catholic citizens merit their President visiting the head of their church? I, for one, am getting a little tired of it.

Two, the comments by this Cardinal just set me off:

"The United States must also stop and I think it has the strength to do so. It must re-establish respect for human beings and return to the family of nations, overcoming the temptation to act on its own," he said.

"If it does not stop, the whirlwind of horror will involve other peoples and will lead us ever more to the abyss," said the cardinal.

Cardinal Laghi said he is certain that the Holy Father will repeat to Bush "the advice I gave him, which he decided not to heed. Now we see how wise it was."

We need to re-establish our respect for human beings and return to the family of nations?? Excuse me? How dare you preach to us! I'm sorry but this just has me fuming. Bad enough this Cardinal thinks he has the right to treat our country and our President like naughty children who don't know any better, but President Bush just gives these people more ammunition by asking to meet with them. It gives them a sense of justification, like he's some sort of damn supplicant. I don't care what the Pope thinks, any more than I care what the Dalai Lama thinks!

[insert blogger Lamaze exercises]

Oh My!

Lachlan fills me in on some news I missed on MT, version 3, and the big load of cash you need to get it. Whoa! I have too many authours on the three blogs we have to even qualify for the most expensive personal edition. I'd have to get the $600!! professional one. Lordie! I don't mind paying for MT, but $200-$600 is a little rich for my blood. And I don't get why the number of authours on one blog matters? What's it to them, I guess I'm asking.

Well, this version will suit me fine for the forseeable future, and there's lots of options when I need to switch. I just hate having to learn yet another blogging system.

Make It Go Away!

If I see a banner ad for Shrek 2 one more time, I shall scream, I tell you, scream!

There, that feels better.

(I couldn't stand Shrek the first time around and just wish this one would be released so the ads will stop)

A Rational EU Voice [snort]

This article in the Scotsman (free registration required) is about Britain joining the EU, but while they're at it, the anonymous authour (which is really odd for a newspaper piece, isn't it?) decided to take a few shots at America:

.... Because they just don't care. They can be whipped up into an occasional jingoistic frenzy by the irresponsible gutter press; they'll phone low-brow radio shows with inarticulate, half-formed non-opinions on how we're getting screwed by the snivelling, untrustworthy French (it's always the French...) - while secretly admiring their determination to stand up for their own interests - but they can't be bothered getting off their pasty posteriors to express their opinion at the ballot box. They'd rather blurt nonsense about pulling out of Europe to form closer ties to the US.

Yes, dear, the French are so trustworthy. I guess you haven't been paying attention to the oil for food scandal, or several other bribery and corruption scandals in France these days. But you probably don't want the facts to get in the way of your little screed. And yes, isn't it just silly that the other side thinks that strengthening ties to a country they actually share a cultural heritage with, and a history, is a good idea.

Then we get to the really juvenile part:

That's all we need. Sod bloody America. What have they ever done for us, apart from get us in a whole heap of trouble? OK, as they keep on telling us, they did save our faggy limey asses (© Americans on the internet, everywhere) a couple of times in the 20th Century (with oodles of help from the Soviet Union - what's the Russian for "faggy limey asses"?), but they've been dunking us in the brown stuff ever since.

The British people get nothing but honour and respect from me for what they suffered and how they fought during the years of WWII. They didn't shirk, they didn't falter, even during the worst of the Blitz. Something like 20,000 pets were euthanized because there was no food for their beloved companions, and even if there were, it was illegal to feed them anything a human could eat -- at that was about anything. Thousands of children were sent to America and Canada to keep them safe for the duration of the war. Can you even imagine what it cost the British people, "anon authour person"? Can you? You probably don't care one bit. To just toss that suffering and loss aside, like it was nothing, and using the terminology you do, speaks volumes about what's wrong with you, far more than you malign the sacrifice of Americans and Britons who gave everything to keep Britain free from Nazi tyranny. And anyway, what's the problem with a little Fascism to someone like you? You probably think the UK got what they deserved -- after all, they must have done something to engender so much hate from Hitler.

Pathetic that you can't marshal a logical argument for Britain joining the EU and have to rely upon cheap shots about the United States.

It's a good thing I know that voices like yours don't speak for all in the UK, or my heart would break at what's become of my mother country, and for those of my family that still live there.

Right now, I'm still seeing red after reading this tripe, so I'm going to go have a cup of tea -- from Scotland -- and think of Britain.

God Save the Queen.

(Editorial note: revealing some of my bias, my uncle was shot and captured at Dieppe and spent the war in a German POW camp. I never got to meet him because he died before I was born -- his health never recovered from his imprisonment)

Rule

Don't clean when you're tired [sigh]

One of the guys that works here -- hell, maybe more than one -- uses the toilet, misses, and leaves it on the floor. Guess who almost always gets to clean the bathroom? So, the bathroom stinks, I decide to do a quick mop before I leave. I catch my foot on the bucket trying to get paper towels out of the cupboard, spilling Pinesol water all over my new shoes and the back of my pant leg. Then I manage to splash the water with Pinesol in my eye as I scramble to drop paper towels on the spill.

This is not a good day.

Update: I REEK of bloody Pinesol!!!!! [gnashes teeth]

Pond Scum

This article in the Scotsman has me fuming. Apparently, white supremacist groups are trying to use Scottish Games here in the US as a way to promote their poison. There always seems to be evil people in plenty to try and defile even the most innocent expressions of heritage and pride.

And this just plays into the media here that anything to do with white people is 'bad'. When I went to Highland Games in SoCal after the Rodney King riots, there were reporters at the gates asking attendees if we didn't feel we were sending the wrong message by celebrating our heritage. I bet they didn't ask that question at Cinco de Mayo or Oban Festivals.

Damned if I'm going to let some pond scum white supremacists hijack my heritage!

This is one of those mentally all in CAPS posts!

Bleah

I hate daylight savings time.

Really, really hate it.

Gutting Three Strikes

Patterico has a must read post on attempts to gut California's Three Strikes law and what the results would be if it happens.

Another In A Series

Last weekend, it was the boar statue, then the police checking with Muslim clerics when they arrested terror suspects. The latest, once again via Andrew Stuttaford:

”A school yesterday banned children from wearing England soccer shirts in case they incited racial tension.

”Parents of pupils at Grange School in Stourbridge, West Midlands, were told their children could not wear anything with the England motif during a non-uniform day to mark the last day of term.

”The decision followed attacks on the school by vandals spraying graffiti offensive to white people and the school did not want to heighten tensions."

Yesterday, Boar. Today, Capt. Cook

Australians plan a 'less European' Botany Bay

Australian authorities want to remodel Botany Bay, where Capt James Cook first landed in the country, to make it look less European and more Aboriginal.

Re-igniting the country's simmering racial divisions, the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales, which manages the site, wants to remove flagpoles and an historic anchor.

It also proposes to cut down a number of mature Norfolk Island pine trees and replace them with original bushland.

Even though the area is regarded as the birthplace of modern Australia, it said the features were symbols of "European dominance" and ignored its Aboriginal history.

Ulysses S. Grant & The American Revolution

What do those two have in common? According to 36% of seniors surveyed in American universities, he was the commanding general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

It gets worse.

Gasket

You know, I may well blow a gasket before the election gets here. If I'm this riled up now, I shudder to think what I'm going to be like come November. Maybe I'm going to have to impose news free aka mental health days, you think?

A Tarnished Rule

Do people not have manners anymore? Whatever happened to "do unto others"? Let me tell you, I'm getting sick and tired of being on purely social email lists where someone brings up politics. It's not the subject itself -- I think people can have rational debates on the subject -- but the total disconnect these people seem to have. It's as if their "social conditioning" has been turned off. They really seem to think that there's no one who could possibly disagree with their POV so they may as well let the insults fly. If, out of the blue, I started making posts on a list about how I can't believe there are people out there who actually take CNN seriously, how people that do make me shudder, and anyone who does is just stupid, I'd be vilified as a an evvvvvvil conservative. But let a couple of liberals say the exact same thing about people who watch FOX, and then it's so funny! Tee hee! I'm amazed that this sort of thing isn't a random occurrence, but it happens with more and more frequency. Okay, maybe I shouldn't be amazed, I know. But it's just plain rude, and I have to wonder how these people were brought up.

Of course, the same thing happens in RL social situations these days. You're having a perfectly nice time, then someone decides to share with the whole room. Again, it stuns them to discover someone may actually disagree with them. If you're in someone else's home, you should have enough respect for them not to be offensive towards other guests. Or am I just old fashioned? Maybe I am. Of course, both online and in RL, it affects my comfort level. You realize what people really think of you now they know you're one of the stupid people who make them shudder.

Yet Again

The British courts have sentenced a man defending himself against armed attackers to prison.

INSANE!

Reverse Trackback aka Update: Dean is pointed to another article that says the man in this case was a drug dealer. All the details here.

Decisions, Decisions

Jay's been my web hero this week in trying to help me understand my domain and traffic and bandwidth, and all those inscrutable reports. Well, all the news hasn't been good. Seems we're outgrowing our current plan big time (Paul's getting too popular!) So, I need to ether purchase more bandwidth from my current host, or move altogether. I'll admit, moving makes me nervous, but spending even more money on the domain isn't a much better alternative. Jay is recommending Hosting Matters, and I know a lot of bloggers use them. So I'm opening the floor to thoughts on switching hosting companies. Recommendations, advice, suggestions, all gratefully accepted.

And thanks again to Jay! He's been a prince :)

Help?

I'm using the export entry function in MT to back up my entries, but when I scroll down to the bottom, there's only entries up to June of last year.

Is there something else I need to be doing?

Feckless Crap Weasels!

The WB that is.

They've cancelled "Angel"

Breaking News: Angel to End After 5 Seasons WB makes late announcement; TV movies may be possible. February 13, 2004 - In a move that has completely blindsided producers and fans alike, the WB Network announced late Friday that it was cancelling its long-running Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel.

[....]

The fans may have to fight this round on their own. David Greenwalt,
co-creator and consulting producer for the series, sounded almost
defeated when reached by the Zap2It website.
"It's official enough to know it's real," Greenwalt told the website,
"but I haven't talked to anybody at the network or the studio. I can
tell you that it's real, that it makes Mr. Whedon and myself very sad,
that we wish it had kept going and we thought it was only getting better.

"Joss and [executive producer] Jeff Bell told the cast and crew today.
We have no understanding of the inner workings of the corporate world,
but we've had a long and fruitful relationship with [producing studio]
20th Century Fox and The WB, for which we are grateful. We just wish it
could have gone on forever. Apparently, it's not going to."

Just So You Know

The next time I hear "Domestic Diva" in regards to that Stewart woman, I will snap.

No More!

I swear, weekends are Michael Jackson & Scott Peterson fests on FNC! How on earth can they spend so many hours on these two??

TV off, CD on.

Old Chestnut

Just had a nice little email rant on the President shirking his responsibilities during Vietnam. What drives me crazy is that even people who are sympathetic to the President seem to labour under the illusion that there was shady dealing going on during his National Guard service! And I can't believe I'm still having to write long emails on the subject. Okay, I suppose I shouldn't really be surprised.

There seems to be a lot of history rewriting going on that puts up a picture that bears no resemblance to what it was really like during the Vietnam years. I was only a child, but I certainly remember the adults around me talking about how to stay out of the military. I remember watching the news, seeing things in the newspaper. I'm sure most of GWB's contemporaries would have thought he was an ass for signing up for the National Guard when he could have used his family connections to avoid military service of any kind. But he didn't, not only did he join a unit that could go overseas at any time, he chose a dangerous field of work. I don't know, if all he were trying to do was stay safe and sound, I think he could have found better ways to go about it.

Update: Jim shares his perspective.

Another Thought: After reading Jim's post, and looking back at mine, I was struck even more on how our own past shapes how we think and feel. I mentioned in my post I was a child during Vietnam, what I should have added was that I was a child living in Berkeley, CA with riots, tear gas, bombings and bomb scares, curfews, and a military presence in the city. People's Park was out our back window. I thought what was going on was happening everywhere. It took me awhile to realize that my experience wasn't the same as every child's in America.

And while I'm here, (where else would I be, you ask) thanks for all the thoughtful comments. But I have to say that I think the first person who says "Haliburton" should lose points just on principal!

Dangnation!!

Last year, I posted a link to some Lord of the Rings checks in a post on my old personal blog. The last few months, I've been getting thise emails from the check company telling me keep my customers happy by updating the link. Well today, I decided to email them and ask them to please stop sending me the notices as I was not a business. I get an email back and the woman is arguing with me over my request! It just set me off! So, I emailed again, this time in a very grumpy mood. Basically said that if they wanted to keep me as a customer, I wanted to be removed from their notify list as I had requested.

Geepers! I'm the frelling customer, so do what I want, don't argue with me!

[deep breath] I just got a reply back apologizing and promising to take me off the list.

Sick

What kind of people are so sick and depraved to do something like this to a defenseless cat? And it wasn't just one sicko, it was two of them! Stories like this make me by turns furious and sad and boy would I like to submit the bastards to some reciprocal justice.

The Sermon

On Xmas Day, I was watching TV for a bit, and found our local NBC affiliate was playing the Christmas morning service at the Natl Cathedral. I left it on and was just in time for the sermon. I should have known better. It was full of wonderful PC twaddle -- about what one would expect from the Natl Cathedral, I guess. But, it was soon over, and I did enjoy the familiar words of the Creed, & the music.

Via The Corner, here's a snippet from the sermon:

And what was God thinking... when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the Law to Moses? And what was God thinking... when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the sacred Quran to the prophet Muhammad? And what was God thinking... when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

As Rod Dreher says, it comes as a surprise to many Christians that an Anglican bishop believes that the Islamic revelation was true, not false, as Christianity teaches implicitly.

Comes as a surprise to many Anglicans too!

Just So You Know

There aren't words to describe how much I loathe McDonald's rap ad campaign.

Not "lovin' it".

ARGHHHH!!

Nuts

You know, I've known Gennie for quite a while -- in blog terms at least. And I don't get why she gets so much grief. She's a standup gal, always there for you, & a good friend. So she speaks her mind! Don't we all? Isn't that why we blog? I've never understood the point of reading a blog you hate. Life's too short. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Geeez!

You go, girlfriend!

Who's at Fault?

I don't know who's at fault here... Is the patient addicted? Or is the doctor enabling the patient?

Earlier today, a patient, driving under the influence of opioid narcotics, came into our pharmacy. She was pale, incoherent & completely disoriented. She was asking for her refill of Oxycontin, the opioid she had gotten a thirty day supply of on 10/29/03. She was complaining of chest pain. We dialled 911. When the police, firemen, and ambulance arrived, we discovered that the patient had driven with her rear tire shredded. Also, she side swipped the side of the parking lot kiosk and had crashed into a wall in the parking lot. The paramedics drove her to the emergency room.

Later, one of the technicians was given another order for Oxycontin written by the patient's doctor. We were alarmed, considering she was noncompliant. In the past, she has exhibited a failure to comply with directions on her medications. The pharmacist called the doctor and spoke about our concerns. The doctor mentioned that he had spent too much time today resolving this issue. He said that she was "hanging by a thread". According to him, if she violated any terms of her contract, she would no longer be under his medical care. Since she was, she wasn't noncompliant.

She received a thirty day supply of an opiod narcotic half a month ago! The new prescription had the same directions! It caused her to crash her car!

Taking It All Away

So Sandra Day O'Connor thinks we should chuck the Constitution and base court decisions on International Law! And that the day we start doing that is coming soon.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor predicts that the U.S. Supreme Court will increasingly base its decisions on international law rather than the U.S. Constitution, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. By doing so, the court will make a good impression among people from other countries, she said. "The impressions we create in this world are important and they can leave their mark," Justice O'Connor said.

"Make a good impression"??? Why in the hell do I as an American want my Constitutional rights trashed so that we can make nice with the rest of the world? Is she insane? I'm just appalled that someone in her position could even believe such a thing. I know I shouldn't be, but I am.

Read all of it and be amazed and horrified.

Geez!

Drudge has this big headline about an earthquake in the fire zone, and I click the link to the USGS, heart a pounding.... to find it was only a 3.6 and it happened several hours ago!

(in the last 6 days, there have been 7 quakes above 3.0 in the state)

(here's a list of quakes in the state since the 22 of Oct.)

(I have the USGS earthquake site bookmarked for easy access after a quake. It gets used a lot!)

I Want My WKRP!

DPM has an illuminating post as to why many of our favourite series aren't coming out on DVD.

Get Over It

Being called a "chick" is a slur??? Not only that, but a slur worth suing over? Get a grip, dudettes! There's lots of words to get offended over, but "chick"?

Some women on campus said use of the word “chick” constitutes a slur and demanded that the paper’s faculty adviser be fired. They also said they planned to file a gender harassment complaint against the school.

Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick! Chick!Chick! Chick! Chick!

The Fiction Of Freedom Of Religion

More and more, I'm beginning to believe that freedom of religion is a fiction. Freedom of religion seems to be for everyone but Christians. Heaven forbid you express your beliefs in a church! I hope the President doesn't cave to the PC left when it comes to General Boykin. I am so sick and tired of believing Christians being portrayed as kooks and nutjobs. Lieberman said his remarks were "hateful", Conyers said "it is outrageous that someone who holds such extreme, closed-m