Sunday, April 30, 2006
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
Living the Cliche.
In an interview, the assistant general manager of the Watergate Hotel confirmed that federal investigators had requested, and been given, records relating to the investigation and rooms in the hotel.
Republicans need to stay the hell out of the Watergate. Nothing good happens to them when they go there. I mean if you are going to shame the party, the country, and the constituents, go to a Days Inn or a Red Roof. But, geeze, stay away from the Watergate.
WSJ
In an interview, the assistant general manager of the Watergate Hotel confirmed that federal investigators had requested, and been given, records relating to the investigation and rooms in the hotel.
Republicans need to stay the hell out of the Watergate. Nothing good happens to them when they go there. I mean if you are going to shame the party, the country, and the constituents, go to a Days Inn or a Red Roof. But, geeze, stay away from the Watergate.
WSJ
Damming my stream of thought
Because I know that wait with breathless anticipation for the daily update as to the temperature of my office, my report today is: It’s Cold.
Yes, it is cold. It was hot and then it was warm and now it is cold. It’s like the circle of life.
I’ve thought about how nice it would be to work in a climate controlled environment but how much fun would that be? Where is the challenge of knowing ahead of time that it is going to be 72 degrees in the office when you come in? I mean, it is so much more dramatic to have no idea what it’s going to be like until you walk in the door. - will it be a warm day? Will it be a hot day? Will there be popsicles? Will I be a Popsicle? I mean. I am convinced the building has a very small penis because it is always over compensatining for stuff. It can’t just be warm it has to be hot; it can be a little chilly with out there being appreciable snowfall in the hallways. I wish it would just buy a sports car and leave us alone.
Mini Kitty is being a great house guest. So far she’s been here two full days and I’ve only seen her twice. True, one of those times she was running up the stairs in front of me with her head turned, hissssssing at me, because I was there, but that’s fine. I just wanted to do a head count and I really didn’t care what her head was doing, as long as I knew where it was I didn’t care, she could make as many sound effects as she wanted. She can wast her energy any way she sees fit.
Mr. Kitty is doing well too. He woke me up last night asking for food. He hasn’t done that in I can’t remember, so I’m glad to see his apatite is getting stronger. I don’t love being awake at 2am but if it’s in the service of his little health it’s worth it.
What else?
If it doesn’t stop raining soon poor Dogger may never get a walk again. It poured all day yesterday and it’s been pouring all day today and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. Poor Dogger. If it was warmer and raining, we would be walking but its too cool out for that. Dogger doesn’t like the rain anyway. I put her out in the yard instead and she spends the whole time staring at me through the window. It was very sad – not so sad that I let her in right away, but she got points for trying to work the “I’m so poor and wet and pathetic” angle as well as she did. I think she practices the look while I’m at work. I would feel sorrier for her if she bothered to try to find some way to get out of the rain instead of sitting in the middle of it like a broken toy. She can manage to hide from the birds but she makes not effort to get out of the weather. Silly Dogger.
Because I know that wait with breathless anticipation for the daily update as to the temperature of my office, my report today is: It’s Cold.
Yes, it is cold. It was hot and then it was warm and now it is cold. It’s like the circle of life.
I’ve thought about how nice it would be to work in a climate controlled environment but how much fun would that be? Where is the challenge of knowing ahead of time that it is going to be 72 degrees in the office when you come in? I mean, it is so much more dramatic to have no idea what it’s going to be like until you walk in the door. - will it be a warm day? Will it be a hot day? Will there be popsicles? Will I be a Popsicle? I mean. I am convinced the building has a very small penis because it is always over compensatining for stuff. It can’t just be warm it has to be hot; it can be a little chilly with out there being appreciable snowfall in the hallways. I wish it would just buy a sports car and leave us alone.
Mini Kitty is being a great house guest. So far she’s been here two full days and I’ve only seen her twice. True, one of those times she was running up the stairs in front of me with her head turned, hissssssing at me, because I was there, but that’s fine. I just wanted to do a head count and I really didn’t care what her head was doing, as long as I knew where it was I didn’t care, she could make as many sound effects as she wanted. She can wast her energy any way she sees fit.
Mr. Kitty is doing well too. He woke me up last night asking for food. He hasn’t done that in I can’t remember, so I’m glad to see his apatite is getting stronger. I don’t love being awake at 2am but if it’s in the service of his little health it’s worth it.
What else?
If it doesn’t stop raining soon poor Dogger may never get a walk again. It poured all day yesterday and it’s been pouring all day today and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop. Poor Dogger. If it was warmer and raining, we would be walking but its too cool out for that. Dogger doesn’t like the rain anyway. I put her out in the yard instead and she spends the whole time staring at me through the window. It was very sad – not so sad that I let her in right away, but she got points for trying to work the “I’m so poor and wet and pathetic” angle as well as she did. I think she practices the look while I’m at work. I would feel sorrier for her if she bothered to try to find some way to get out of the rain instead of sitting in the middle of it like a broken toy. She can manage to hide from the birds but she makes not effort to get out of the weather. Silly Dogger.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Better Days
Aaaahhhhhhhhhh, Now, this is what it’s supposed to be like - it’s the middle of the afternoon and my clothing is not sticking to my body, and I do not hate the world. What a difference a day, two industrial strength fans (designed I think to remove smoke from a building), countless regular strength fans, free ice cold sodas in the break room all day and an out door temp 25 degrees cooler than it was yesturday can do for your day.
There are even sections of the hallway where it is almost cold. In my little section of the building I have not second guessed my long sleeves one bit – okay, briefly but I was filling boxes with purged stuff and moving around and it was my own fault, for you know , working. I should have known better. I’m better now.
The weather helped out a lot to. It was kind enough to host a cool front and not insist on being sunny today, like it was yesterday. Today it’s easy only 60 degrees outside, and over cast and grey and really, if I wasn’t so pleased about how much cooler it is inside today, I would be thinking it was actually kind of dismal outside. It’s not dismal though, its cooler which allows it to be quite nice inside. Really livable. I may get work done today.
Today my supervisor gave us our Happy Administrative Professionals Day gifts. I am now the proud owner of a $10 gift card for Wal-Mart. I’m actually, kind of happy about this. Do you know how much plastic crap I can buy at Wal-Mart for $10? A huge amount. What I really may use it for is to buy replacement plants for my front patio. I just planted out there and all ready one variety it failing. I don’t have a clue what kind of yellow flowery plant it is that is going Camille on me, but it just never caught on and now I think it’s time to tear them out and put something else in. It’s really harshing on the other plants mellow. I need to find something that will bother to get use to the place before they decides they hate it and want to go home, it would be really nice to pick a variety that will perhaps even stick around long enough to hatch new blooms or even, gosh, thrive like the pretty white flowers I planted at the same time are. When I planted I also planted some nice lavender colored jobbies and while the plant itself is doing all right the blooms disappeared two minutes after I transplanted it and they have never come back. So. I need more plants. I have a black thumb and I am all about appearances.
If it stays nice and cool and over cast maybe I can Dogger with me to the store, you know to guard the car but I’m pretty sure she’s in it for the people watching. She seems to like the Wal-Mart parking lot. I think she’ll be happy to be out of the house and away from Mini Kitty. Yes, MK is back in the house. I’m hoping that she’ll remember her last stay here and not be such a nasty cow while she’s here. The last couple of days of her visit she was almost nice and she and The Kitty were getting into some sort of cat groove together. How long is the average house cats’ long term memory? I bet it’s really short. Anyway, she’s baaaaa-ccckkkk!
Aaaahhhhhhhhhh, Now, this is what it’s supposed to be like - it’s the middle of the afternoon and my clothing is not sticking to my body, and I do not hate the world. What a difference a day, two industrial strength fans (designed I think to remove smoke from a building), countless regular strength fans, free ice cold sodas in the break room all day and an out door temp 25 degrees cooler than it was yesturday can do for your day.
There are even sections of the hallway where it is almost cold. In my little section of the building I have not second guessed my long sleeves one bit – okay, briefly but I was filling boxes with purged stuff and moving around and it was my own fault, for you know , working. I should have known better. I’m better now.
The weather helped out a lot to. It was kind enough to host a cool front and not insist on being sunny today, like it was yesterday. Today it’s easy only 60 degrees outside, and over cast and grey and really, if I wasn’t so pleased about how much cooler it is inside today, I would be thinking it was actually kind of dismal outside. It’s not dismal though, its cooler which allows it to be quite nice inside. Really livable. I may get work done today.
Today my supervisor gave us our Happy Administrative Professionals Day gifts. I am now the proud owner of a $10 gift card for Wal-Mart. I’m actually, kind of happy about this. Do you know how much plastic crap I can buy at Wal-Mart for $10? A huge amount. What I really may use it for is to buy replacement plants for my front patio. I just planted out there and all ready one variety it failing. I don’t have a clue what kind of yellow flowery plant it is that is going Camille on me, but it just never caught on and now I think it’s time to tear them out and put something else in. It’s really harshing on the other plants mellow. I need to find something that will bother to get use to the place before they decides they hate it and want to go home, it would be really nice to pick a variety that will perhaps even stick around long enough to hatch new blooms or even, gosh, thrive like the pretty white flowers I planted at the same time are. When I planted I also planted some nice lavender colored jobbies and while the plant itself is doing all right the blooms disappeared two minutes after I transplanted it and they have never come back. So. I need more plants. I have a black thumb and I am all about appearances.
If it stays nice and cool and over cast maybe I can Dogger with me to the store, you know to guard the car but I’m pretty sure she’s in it for the people watching. She seems to like the Wal-Mart parking lot. I think she’ll be happy to be out of the house and away from Mini Kitty. Yes, MK is back in the house. I’m hoping that she’ll remember her last stay here and not be such a nasty cow while she’s here. The last couple of days of her visit she was almost nice and she and The Kitty were getting into some sort of cat groove together. How long is the average house cats’ long term memory? I bet it’s really short. Anyway, she’s baaaaa-ccckkkk!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
You tell me
I drove to my friendly neighborhood McDonald's. I ordered my regular, #2 meal, NO CHEESE. I illustrated this with the use of sign language as well as clear enunciation. Fine. I got my food, I checked the wrapper to see the little "special order sticker", Feeling confident about my food, I went home.
I got home. I opened my bag and went for my burger. CHEESE! Cheese on my burger.
I hate this with the fire of a thousand burning suns. It's up there with being called "Diane". I calmly broke open my fries and waited so that I would not kill anyone when I got back to the McDonalds. High on the fry grease, I then packed up my burger and went back to the McDonald's. Gas is expensive now, but I don't take a messed up order lightly.
On the way to the store, I practice my speech. I wanted to sound irked but not irrational. I want to speak to your Manager... . At this point in my script, the manager appears ( unlike real life where I waited and waited). At long last...
Me - Hi, My name is Diana. I am a regular customer. I ordered this WITH OUT CHEESE and it came with cheese this happens to me all the time.
Manager - All the time?
Me - Yes. All The Time. If I had allergies or kept kosher, this would be a big problem. .
Manager - Apologizes, blah, blah, new employees...
Me - I know how hard this job can be, intimately. Really I understand.But here on my receipt it clearly says W/O CHEESE. I also know how EASY this job can be!
Manager - More apologies. I will replace the burger and give you a pie!
Me - Fabulous
I was thrilled with the pie thing. When I was rehearsing this on the way there, that was going to be part of my demands along with giving me my money back. I had all ready eaten my fries so that was out. If I had bigger, brasser ovaries I would have made them give me money back too.
I drove to my friendly neighborhood McDonald's. I ordered my regular, #2 meal, NO CHEESE. I illustrated this with the use of sign language as well as clear enunciation. Fine. I got my food, I checked the wrapper to see the little "special order sticker", Feeling confident about my food, I went home.
I got home. I opened my bag and went for my burger. CHEESE! Cheese on my burger.
I hate this with the fire of a thousand burning suns. It's up there with being called "Diane". I calmly broke open my fries and waited so that I would not kill anyone when I got back to the McDonalds. High on the fry grease, I then packed up my burger and went back to the McDonald's. Gas is expensive now, but I don't take a messed up order lightly.
On the way to the store, I practice my speech. I wanted to sound irked but not irrational. I want to speak to your Manager... . At this point in my script, the manager appears ( unlike real life where I waited and waited). At long last...
Me - Hi, My name is Diana. I am a regular customer. I ordered this WITH OUT CHEESE and it came with cheese this happens to me all the time.
Manager - All the time?
Me - Yes. All The Time. If I had allergies or kept kosher, this would be a big problem. .
Manager - Apologizes, blah, blah, new employees...
Me - I know how hard this job can be, intimately. Really I understand.But here on my receipt it clearly says W/O CHEESE. I also know how EASY this job can be!
Manager - More apologies. I will replace the burger and give you a pie!
Me - Fabulous
I was thrilled with the pie thing. When I was rehearsing this on the way there, that was going to be part of my demands along with giving me my money back. I had all ready eaten my fries so that was out. If I had bigger, brasser ovaries I would have made them give me money back too.
Popsicles in the break room
Gawd it’s hot. It’s hot and freaking miserable and we’re all helping each other out by talking about how hot and miserable we are.
Honey, Honey, Honey! . I keep walking because none of my names are Honey. Honey, help me out, take that jacket off! It’s a 100 degrees in here!. First? Yes. I know it’s hot. Second, I office in what was called once upon a time “The Sun Porch” – the whole heat thing is not really coming as a huge surprise to me. I was hot hours ago. The paper thin jacket in question is not really high on my list of things that have been making me hot.
Tell me that shirt isn’t long sleeved!. No, no it isn’t. But right now it feels like I am encased in a full body bra and I bet that if she really was feeling hot by proxy, she would realize it wasn’t my shirt that was making her uncomfortable.
The coke machine hates me too. I went to get something cold to drink, because you know, the heat and it wouldn’t take my money and not in a “lets all pitch in and do what we can for each other here have a free coke” kind of way either. It didn’t like how one of my quarters tasted. Bastard. I think it just doesn’t like working when it is this warm inside. I don’t either but when a quarter falls into my hand; I’m not giving it back. I’m poor, I need quarters. . It is now so hot that I am bitching that the coke machine didn’t steal my money.
I’m sure that the Pepsi machine would be all about taking my money but the Pepsi machine doesn’t have anything I want. Stupid machine. Stupid Pepsi. The Coke machine is chock a block of things I want and it won’t have any part of me! And I’ll take the abuse too. Stupid Diana.
Mr. Kitty is well into another couple of days on his new and improved Chicken diet. Everything seems to be going as it should be. I have noticed a little increase in the time he spends grooming, but that could just be because he is spending less time begging and can a lot more time to his person care regiment.
So. Back to the heat. What is wrong with our A/C you ask? Isn’t this a problem that our crack team of maintenance professionals shouldn’t have taken care of? Well.
Earlier this week the electrical starter equipment that serves the subject chiller suffered major damage due to an electrical fire. The repair parts have beenobsolete since 1976 so a replacement unit has been ordered. We expect delivery of the equipment on Monday at which time we will begin installation. We are working to complete installation and startup by the middle of next week. Unfortunately,both buildings will continue to be without air conditioning until the repairs are complete.
We have expedited the repairs by authorizing overtime, paying premiums for quick shipment, and bringing in outside contractors to assist. I appreciate the understanding and cooperation from the staff in both buildings. If you have any questions or additional concerns please feel free to contact my office.
FYI? “My Office” is out of the office until Thursday
This was okay. On MONDAY! (Now, it's Wednesday. Still hot) In the morning when that email came in. it was fine. It isn’t fine now. It is HOT now and I have work I could do but am not doing because doing it would mean I would have to get up and move around and even do a little problem solving and all of that would be a lot of work in this heat – I would be more productive if I wasn’t so hot. I should go home. Someone should send me home. If you were to come to the building and want something you would find that every light in the building is off. This is supposed to make it less hot. It makes it more dark.
I just took off the offending jacket. No, no change in condition. Still hot.
Gawd it’s hot. It’s hot and freaking miserable and we’re all helping each other out by talking about how hot and miserable we are.
Honey, Honey, Honey! . I keep walking because none of my names are Honey. Honey, help me out, take that jacket off! It’s a 100 degrees in here!. First? Yes. I know it’s hot. Second, I office in what was called once upon a time “The Sun Porch” – the whole heat thing is not really coming as a huge surprise to me. I was hot hours ago. The paper thin jacket in question is not really high on my list of things that have been making me hot.
Tell me that shirt isn’t long sleeved!. No, no it isn’t. But right now it feels like I am encased in a full body bra and I bet that if she really was feeling hot by proxy, she would realize it wasn’t my shirt that was making her uncomfortable.
The coke machine hates me too. I went to get something cold to drink, because you know, the heat and it wouldn’t take my money and not in a “lets all pitch in and do what we can for each other here have a free coke” kind of way either. It didn’t like how one of my quarters tasted. Bastard. I think it just doesn’t like working when it is this warm inside. I don’t either but when a quarter falls into my hand; I’m not giving it back. I’m poor, I need quarters. . It is now so hot that I am bitching that the coke machine didn’t steal my money.
I’m sure that the Pepsi machine would be all about taking my money but the Pepsi machine doesn’t have anything I want. Stupid machine. Stupid Pepsi. The Coke machine is chock a block of things I want and it won’t have any part of me! And I’ll take the abuse too. Stupid Diana.
Mr. Kitty is well into another couple of days on his new and improved Chicken diet. Everything seems to be going as it should be. I have noticed a little increase in the time he spends grooming, but that could just be because he is spending less time begging and can a lot more time to his person care regiment.
So. Back to the heat. What is wrong with our A/C you ask? Isn’t this a problem that our crack team of maintenance professionals shouldn’t have taken care of? Well.
Earlier this week the electrical starter equipment that serves the subject chiller suffered major damage due to an electrical fire. The repair parts have beenobsolete since 1976 so a replacement unit has been ordered. We expect delivery of the equipment on Monday at which time we will begin installation. We are working to complete installation and startup by the middle of next week. Unfortunately,both buildings will continue to be without air conditioning until the repairs are complete.
We have expedited the repairs by authorizing overtime, paying premiums for quick shipment, and bringing in outside contractors to assist. I appreciate the understanding and cooperation from the staff in both buildings. If you have any questions or additional concerns please feel free to contact my office.
FYI? “My Office” is out of the office until Thursday
This was okay. On MONDAY! (Now, it's Wednesday. Still hot) In the morning when that email came in. it was fine. It isn’t fine now. It is HOT now and I have work I could do but am not doing because doing it would mean I would have to get up and move around and even do a little problem solving and all of that would be a lot of work in this heat – I would be more productive if I wasn’t so hot. I should go home. Someone should send me home. If you were to come to the building and want something you would find that every light in the building is off. This is supposed to make it less hot. It makes it more dark.
I just took off the offending jacket. No, no change in condition. Still hot.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
More Gas
Gawd
Crude oil and gasoline futures fell Tuesday after President Bush said he would waive regional clean-air specifications for summer-grade gasoline in order to attract more imports of motor fuel to the United States . President Bush also said he would halt deposits of oil to the nation's strategic petroleum reserve until fall, but analysts said the measure would have little impact on crude prices and certainly not help make gasoline any cheaper .
Gawd
Crude oil and gasoline futures fell Tuesday after President Bush said he would waive regional clean-air specifications for summer-grade gasoline in order to attract more imports of motor fuel to the United States . President Bush also said he would halt deposits of oil to the nation's strategic petroleum reserve until fall, but analysts said the measure would have little impact on crude prices and certainly not help make gasoline any cheaper .
The Fox is guarding the hen house (again)
Bush Seemingly Resigned to High Gas Prices 4/22/06
Bush's approval ratings slide to new low 4/24/06
The Associated Press reports President Bush has decided to temporarily halt deposits to strategic petroleum reserve to make more oil available for consumers, senior administration official says. 4/25/06
Bush orders gasoline price probe 4/25/06 Probe Now.
Congress Questions Oil Company Executives Probe Then. (This was the whole not asking the Oil Company Executives to asnwer under oath. They didn't and they lied.)
Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And there is new controversy today surrounding last week's testimony by oil executives on Capitol Hill. The executives were not asked to testify under oath. Now a published report suggests statements they gave may have been false.
Bush Seemingly Resigned to High Gas Prices 4/22/06
Bush's approval ratings slide to new low 4/24/06
The Associated Press reports President Bush has decided to temporarily halt deposits to strategic petroleum reserve to make more oil available for consumers, senior administration official says. 4/25/06
Bush orders gasoline price probe 4/25/06 Probe Now.
Congress Questions Oil Company Executives Probe Then. (This was the whole not asking the Oil Company Executives to asnwer under oath. They didn't and they lied.)
Document Says Oil Chiefs Met With Cheney Task Force
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And there is new controversy today surrounding last week's testimony by oil executives on Capitol Hill. The executives were not asked to testify under oath. Now a published report suggests statements they gave may have been false.
This was supposed to run on 4/24 but got Bloggered
Operation Fat Cat
I was eating dinner the other night and out of nowhere my main course disappeared! It was there and then it was gone. I was eating BBQ brontosaurus ribs and watching MASH reruns and I glanced away for moment (Oh, that Hawkeye!) And the little monster picked a whole rib up and carried it away.
Over the last week or so The Kitty has been making sorties toward my dinner plate. He never used to beg from me and all of a sudden he’s skipped right over the begging for food and straight for the taking of food! He never was in the habit of begging at the table and now all of a sudden he’s blown past Oliver Twist style pleading and gone right for Robin Hood style taking
The food stealing started last week. It started small, so it was kind of cute. Little pieces of turkey, maybe I looked away for a moment and when I glanced back there was a paw on my plate. I didn’t kill him because he wasn’t after my dinner, he was after the scrapes. I should mention that Dogger has never done this, begging at my plate or stealing scraps. Dogger also doesn’t know that I eat and I don’t think she cares. As long as her bowl is presented to her twice a day she could care less about how I fill my daily nutritional needs.
But back to The Kitty. It has been my experience over the last year or so that if The Kitty eats anything other than the magic kibble, that The Kitty will have a bad outcome. The Kitty was eating bits of my food all week and there was no bad outcome - not yet, at least, not from the bits. The more food The Kitty eats and keeps the more weight The Kitty will gain back and the better off he will be. I’m all for that.
The comment was made that since The Kitty can tolerate bits of turkey that I should make turkey or chicken available to him. It was also suggested that I cook for him: I do not cook for myself. If there is going to be boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked in the house they are going to be cooked by and for the household biped. So. Where else can you get chicken that is all ready cooked? Well, you can buy lovely chicken all ready cooked from the supermarket. True, but The Kitty doesn’t know from lovely chicken and does not need to learn. The Kitty licks his own ass - a well seasoned chicken would be lost on him.
Where to now? There are canned meats! You can buy tins of chopped up chicken! It’s edible! It smells like chicken! and it even looks more or less like chicken! Yay. He has eaten a smallish can of it over the last day and seems fine so far. But that can was a lot more than the bits and pieces that he and his lower GI have been tolerating. Even if he and his lower GI are in favor of the canned chicken he can’t go off his magic kibble all together because even the cheap jack magic kibble I buy has some vitamin content that he can’t get from straight chicken and his magic kibble can sit in his bowl all day if it suddenly bores him.
Operation Fat Cat
I was eating dinner the other night and out of nowhere my main course disappeared! It was there and then it was gone. I was eating BBQ brontosaurus ribs and watching MASH reruns and I glanced away for moment (Oh, that Hawkeye!) And the little monster picked a whole rib up and carried it away.
Over the last week or so The Kitty has been making sorties toward my dinner plate. He never used to beg from me and all of a sudden he’s skipped right over the begging for food and straight for the taking of food! He never was in the habit of begging at the table and now all of a sudden he’s blown past Oliver Twist style pleading and gone right for Robin Hood style taking
The food stealing started last week. It started small, so it was kind of cute. Little pieces of turkey, maybe I looked away for a moment and when I glanced back there was a paw on my plate. I didn’t kill him because he wasn’t after my dinner, he was after the scrapes. I should mention that Dogger has never done this, begging at my plate or stealing scraps. Dogger also doesn’t know that I eat and I don’t think she cares. As long as her bowl is presented to her twice a day she could care less about how I fill my daily nutritional needs.
But back to The Kitty. It has been my experience over the last year or so that if The Kitty eats anything other than the magic kibble, that The Kitty will have a bad outcome. The Kitty was eating bits of my food all week and there was no bad outcome - not yet, at least, not from the bits. The more food The Kitty eats and keeps the more weight The Kitty will gain back and the better off he will be. I’m all for that.
The comment was made that since The Kitty can tolerate bits of turkey that I should make turkey or chicken available to him. It was also suggested that I cook for him: I do not cook for myself. If there is going to be boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked in the house they are going to be cooked by and for the household biped. So. Where else can you get chicken that is all ready cooked? Well, you can buy lovely chicken all ready cooked from the supermarket. True, but The Kitty doesn’t know from lovely chicken and does not need to learn. The Kitty licks his own ass - a well seasoned chicken would be lost on him.
Where to now? There are canned meats! You can buy tins of chopped up chicken! It’s edible! It smells like chicken! and it even looks more or less like chicken! Yay. He has eaten a smallish can of it over the last day and seems fine so far. But that can was a lot more than the bits and pieces that he and his lower GI have been tolerating. Even if he and his lower GI are in favor of the canned chicken he can’t go off his magic kibble all together because even the cheap jack magic kibble I buy has some vitamin content that he can’t get from straight chicken and his magic kibble can sit in his bowl all day if it suddenly bores him.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Pravda says those who hate litter shouldn't throw leaflets. Or something.
Europe makes ridiculous attempts to condemn communism
PACE tries to equate communism with Nazism while fascist sentiments gain more popularity in Europe . Deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) gathered for a meeting today in an attempt to organize another Nuremberg trial over communism. The draft resolution to internationally condemn “the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes” will become one of the key points of discussion during the PACE session which opened on January 23rd. It goes without saying that the resolution touches upon Russia directly because Russia was destined to inherit the biggest communist regime in history.
Pravda
Europe makes ridiculous attempts to condemn communism
PACE tries to equate communism with Nazism while fascist sentiments gain more popularity in Europe . Deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE) gathered for a meeting today in an attempt to organize another Nuremberg trial over communism. The draft resolution to internationally condemn “the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes” will become one of the key points of discussion during the PACE session which opened on January 23rd. It goes without saying that the resolution touches upon Russia directly because Russia was destined to inherit the biggest communist regime in history.
Pravda
No Heavy Lifting Required
I don’t even have much to show for most of my day, well, I did. If you had walked into my office around eight this morning, it was obvious I was doing something.There were stacks ands stacks of paper all over the floor and all over the tops of the cabinets - it was a mess and it looked awful. Awful, but at least started. I came in and got right to work (as opposed to coming in and playing on the computer) and I was doing what my boss told me to: I piled the charts and files on top of the cabinets (yes, we are still on the damn cabinets, welcome to my life okay?) and I’m working away pulling files and tugging on recalcitrant cabinets and doing my little thing. I’ve got a lot of files piled up; I’m feeling pretty efficient and workery. It isn’t until then that I notice that the two cabinets that I have so efficiently cleaned out have piles of files piled on top of them. This was dumb. These cabinets had to go; they couldn’t have piles of files piled on them. So I had to move all my piles of files and pile them somewhere else. Somewhere where they would not be able to be in the order they had been, which would have made it easier for me to put them back again when the new cabinets were in place. I hate it when my piles of files are out of order.
Do you know how much your average five drawer filing cabinet weighs? They weigh a lot. The weigh more then you would think and that is when they are empty. Sadly, filing cabinets no matter how empty they are don’t move on their own. You can ask them, but they won’t do it. Over all, cabinets won’t do anything outside the parameters of their job description. They are totally not team players and they will wear only one hat thank you very much. They aren’t going to move themselves.
So. I rounded up some co-workers and we moved the cabinets out. This was not fun and I don’t suggest it to others. The pink collar world does not prepare you to move heavy pieces of office equipment! You don’t sign up for these office jobs because you want to have to shift heavy things, you sign up for these office gigs so that you won’t have to shift heavy things. You don’t get paid much but you don’t have to wear a weight belt either. It’s a trade off.
And even worse, there are no men in the office. No. Men. We had a man in the office but he bolted for the door the first time a better gig came around. Loser. I think he sniffed the air and sensed that he was going to be asked to do more than answer the phones. He just figured the cabinets were going to arrive sooner or later and he didn’t want to have to move them; because before he signed on to answered phones for us he delivered our refrigerator. He was our office Man and his job was to what the rest of us didn’t want to do. If a guy wants to work in a largely pink collar office such as this on, he is going to kill bugs and move furniture it’s not on his official job description but he’s going to do it. It’s kind of like sexual harassment but harder to prosecute. With him gone we used furniture sliders instead.
They are the best things ever. I mean it. They rock and they work just like they say they do. You put under whatever heavy thing you need to move and they allow you to slide that big heavy mother anywhere you need to. Love. Them. It can be kind of a bitch picking up the corners of the heavy thing in order to get the sliders underneath , but it can be done and it’s a small price to pay for sliding instead of lifting/pushing/tugging/hefting/etc.
Have a good weekend, No heavy lifting!!
I don’t even have much to show for most of my day, well, I did. If you had walked into my office around eight this morning, it was obvious I was doing something.There were stacks ands stacks of paper all over the floor and all over the tops of the cabinets - it was a mess and it looked awful. Awful, but at least started. I came in and got right to work (as opposed to coming in and playing on the computer) and I was doing what my boss told me to: I piled the charts and files on top of the cabinets (yes, we are still on the damn cabinets, welcome to my life okay?) and I’m working away pulling files and tugging on recalcitrant cabinets and doing my little thing. I’ve got a lot of files piled up; I’m feeling pretty efficient and workery. It isn’t until then that I notice that the two cabinets that I have so efficiently cleaned out have piles of files piled on top of them. This was dumb. These cabinets had to go; they couldn’t have piles of files piled on them. So I had to move all my piles of files and pile them somewhere else. Somewhere where they would not be able to be in the order they had been, which would have made it easier for me to put them back again when the new cabinets were in place. I hate it when my piles of files are out of order.
Do you know how much your average five drawer filing cabinet weighs? They weigh a lot. The weigh more then you would think and that is when they are empty. Sadly, filing cabinets no matter how empty they are don’t move on their own. You can ask them, but they won’t do it. Over all, cabinets won’t do anything outside the parameters of their job description. They are totally not team players and they will wear only one hat thank you very much. They aren’t going to move themselves.
So. I rounded up some co-workers and we moved the cabinets out. This was not fun and I don’t suggest it to others. The pink collar world does not prepare you to move heavy pieces of office equipment! You don’t sign up for these office jobs because you want to have to shift heavy things, you sign up for these office gigs so that you won’t have to shift heavy things. You don’t get paid much but you don’t have to wear a weight belt either. It’s a trade off.
And even worse, there are no men in the office. No. Men. We had a man in the office but he bolted for the door the first time a better gig came around. Loser. I think he sniffed the air and sensed that he was going to be asked to do more than answer the phones. He just figured the cabinets were going to arrive sooner or later and he didn’t want to have to move them; because before he signed on to answered phones for us he delivered our refrigerator. He was our office Man and his job was to what the rest of us didn’t want to do. If a guy wants to work in a largely pink collar office such as this on, he is going to kill bugs and move furniture it’s not on his official job description but he’s going to do it. It’s kind of like sexual harassment but harder to prosecute. With him gone we used furniture sliders instead.
They are the best things ever. I mean it. They rock and they work just like they say they do. You put under whatever heavy thing you need to move and they allow you to slide that big heavy mother anywhere you need to. Love. Them. It can be kind of a bitch picking up the corners of the heavy thing in order to get the sliders underneath , but it can be done and it’s a small price to pay for sliding instead of lifting/pushing/tugging/hefting/etc.
Have a good weekend, No heavy lifting!!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Public Service Announcement
Go here and report how much the gas is going for where you are. Reading through it, its bad all over but kind of interesting to see how much the same the prices are. Price fixing anyone?
Go here and report how much the gas is going for where you are. Reading through it, its bad all over but kind of interesting to see how much the same the prices are. Price fixing anyone?
Newbies
Remember yesterday and the mysterious smell of burning rubber? Today there was an email:
I just wanted to inform you that due to a problem which occurred yesterday with the a/c system, there will be no air conditioning available today in the Bldg. I am trying to locate parts to repair the system ASAP. I apologize for any inconvenience and will inform you as soon as unit is repaired and running.
Ah ha. The little “problem” we spent yesterday inhaling. They didn’t care to fill us into what specifically the problem was and what exactly we spent the day inhaling - I and the rest of the building are hoping it wasn’t a particularly carcinogenic problem the A/C was having. I’m sure if it was a real issue they would let us know - On the twelve of never or three days after the statue of limitations runs out, which ever is longer. Bastards.
So.
We have no air. Which would be fine, my side of the building is always cold and if it does get too warm I can just not move around much, that can be arranged. So of course on this day without A/C my long ordered replacement cabinets arrive. Of course they do! And without warning! No heads up, no hint no nothing. “Oh, by the way, five six foot cabinets are here for you”. Great. I am so not ready for new cabinets, because now I have to empty out the broken cabinets, pry the charts out, thin the charts stack them up in order and then find help to remove the existing broken cabinet out of my office and replace it with a not yet broken cabinet. Five times. This is hot and sweaty work. The moving of the cabinets from point A to point B is unpleasant as well as unfun. It is hard to manhandle cabinets into place in dress shoes. We have one in place and I am all ready warmer than I would like and among the many things I am not paid enough to do, I am not paid enough to sweat.
There is going to be a mild problem with the new cabinets. They are a very small amount more wide then the existing cabinets they are here to replace. This was not a problem with cabinet number one, as it was at the end of row and moving it in was not a problem. The problem is going to be when we start moving down the list of cabinets that need to be replaced. They will not just slide into place. They won’t fit into the space provided. All the existing cabinets will need to be shifted down X number of inches to make room for the newbie’s and that simply isn’t going to happen, these things are very large and heavy and when full are practically forces of nature and they will not be moved. Not by me. Not by anyone in this office. It is going to be a problem. Not only are they too heavy to move most of them are rather severely warped ( and these are the cabinets that are not so broken that they need replacing) and moving them would cause even more warpage and more issues for me. Right now a majority of them still open and close properly and I would like them to remain in their existing not all that broken state for as long as possible and thus moving them is out of the question.
So. What to do. I don’t know. The size issue only just now occurred to me as I was writing this that my supervisor made some remark about them being a little wider and so they would fit more charts and files, which they do, quite nicely. But. Where was Henry Ford when they were designing filing cabinets?
Remember yesterday and the mysterious smell of burning rubber? Today there was an email:
I just wanted to inform you that due to a problem which occurred yesterday with the a/c system, there will be no air conditioning available today in the Bldg. I am trying to locate parts to repair the system ASAP. I apologize for any inconvenience and will inform you as soon as unit is repaired and running.
Ah ha. The little “problem” we spent yesterday inhaling. They didn’t care to fill us into what specifically the problem was and what exactly we spent the day inhaling - I and the rest of the building are hoping it wasn’t a particularly carcinogenic problem the A/C was having. I’m sure if it was a real issue they would let us know - On the twelve of never or three days after the statue of limitations runs out, which ever is longer. Bastards.
So.
We have no air. Which would be fine, my side of the building is always cold and if it does get too warm I can just not move around much, that can be arranged. So of course on this day without A/C my long ordered replacement cabinets arrive. Of course they do! And without warning! No heads up, no hint no nothing. “Oh, by the way, five six foot cabinets are here for you”. Great. I am so not ready for new cabinets, because now I have to empty out the broken cabinets, pry the charts out, thin the charts stack them up in order and then find help to remove the existing broken cabinet out of my office and replace it with a not yet broken cabinet. Five times. This is hot and sweaty work. The moving of the cabinets from point A to point B is unpleasant as well as unfun. It is hard to manhandle cabinets into place in dress shoes. We have one in place and I am all ready warmer than I would like and among the many things I am not paid enough to do, I am not paid enough to sweat.
There is going to be a mild problem with the new cabinets. They are a very small amount more wide then the existing cabinets they are here to replace. This was not a problem with cabinet number one, as it was at the end of row and moving it in was not a problem. The problem is going to be when we start moving down the list of cabinets that need to be replaced. They will not just slide into place. They won’t fit into the space provided. All the existing cabinets will need to be shifted down X number of inches to make room for the newbie’s and that simply isn’t going to happen, these things are very large and heavy and when full are practically forces of nature and they will not be moved. Not by me. Not by anyone in this office. It is going to be a problem. Not only are they too heavy to move most of them are rather severely warped ( and these are the cabinets that are not so broken that they need replacing) and moving them would cause even more warpage and more issues for me. Right now a majority of them still open and close properly and I would like them to remain in their existing not all that broken state for as long as possible and thus moving them is out of the question.
So. What to do. I don’t know. The size issue only just now occurred to me as I was writing this that my supervisor made some remark about them being a little wider and so they would fit more charts and files, which they do, quite nicely. But. Where was Henry Ford when they were designing filing cabinets?
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Today is April 19 2006
Google remembers
April 19, 1993
April 19, 1995
Yahoo remembers
April 19 1993
April 19 1995
Google remembers
April 19, 1993
April 19, 1995
Yahoo remembers
April 19 1993
April 19 1995
Sniff, Sniff
I was sitting at my desk around midmorning yesterday and I thought I smelled something burning. I didn’t take this lightly as my entire world is flammable and if this place is going to go up in flames it is going to go up in flames while I am not here. If this place wants to burn down it is going to have to burn down over the weekend or after business hours. I don’t get paid enough to try to rescue state property from the flames.
I sat there and sniffed a little, defiantly something rubberyish or metal burning. This can’t be good; I looked at the floor around my desk and decided that I was a few oily rags short of a real fire hazard. I did a little fire proofing and ground sniffing and I still smell the rubbery smell, I checked the computer cords and sniffed the hard drive and nothing seemed amiss. So I sat there and sniffed some more. No, still burning. I went out in the outer office area and talked to a surveyor and she smelled it too. So it wasn’t just me smelling the burning rubber and it wasn’t my computer trying to burn the building down! Good, I felt better. A little high, but better because the smell was stronger out there. Clearly, this was not my fault.
The surveyor and I took turns sniffing her computer and then sniffing the outer office and agreeing that the smell was rubbery and burning and definatly not a good thing. We decided that we should tell some one. Since I was the least high from the fumes, I volunteered to go and report the odor.
You would be surprised how fast people move when you report something may be burning. I learned that while they will move fast they don’t do anything about the burning rubbery smell. They did what the high surveyor and I did, they sniffed... They did agree that the hallway smelled rubbery and it was indeed a burning rubbery smell, Great, I said, go down and sniff my office, it really has that smell of burning rubber. It really stinks the fumes re much more potent down there. I had no takers
I went to lunch, because now I had the munchies.
The other side of the building now smells the burning rubber odor. A little man in a campus uniform is wandering the halls. He’s there because he and his crew are cleaning the dead leaves off the roof and he swears up and down the smell is not emitting from their work.
I was now wondering if I could claim workers comp because by now I was really high from the fumes. I also have a stuffed up nose and the surveyor in the outer office claimed a brand new sore throat. Humph.
Hours past. The odor is still there.
The surveyor thought that the burning rubber smell was coming from the generator. It is on, she reasoned and it may be burning. We look at the generator. It isn’t smoking, it isn’t even making noise. My office still reeked.
Later on I start to worry because I was hearing voices. This is very disturbing as now I thought that I was not only high from the rubbery smell I was now suffering from rubbery smell induced auditory hallucinations! Great, I said to myself maybe Workers Comp can pay for my rehab. A few minutes later I take Workers off the hook for my rubbery smell rehab, because I was not having hallucinations! Yay. The little men outside were real! And they were really arguing with each other about the state of the generator! And they were not actually rubbery smell induced hallucinations! Boy was I ever relieved! They weren’t solving the problem arguing with each other, but they were defiantly really there.
My head hurt. I bet myself that people employed out in the private sector don’t have to deal with burning rubber induced headaches after spending hours with mysterious burning rubber odors, they get sent home while the burning rubber odor problem gets checked out. The state hates it’s employees.
I was sitting at my desk around midmorning yesterday and I thought I smelled something burning. I didn’t take this lightly as my entire world is flammable and if this place is going to go up in flames it is going to go up in flames while I am not here. If this place wants to burn down it is going to have to burn down over the weekend or after business hours. I don’t get paid enough to try to rescue state property from the flames.
I sat there and sniffed a little, defiantly something rubberyish or metal burning. This can’t be good; I looked at the floor around my desk and decided that I was a few oily rags short of a real fire hazard. I did a little fire proofing and ground sniffing and I still smell the rubbery smell, I checked the computer cords and sniffed the hard drive and nothing seemed amiss. So I sat there and sniffed some more. No, still burning. I went out in the outer office area and talked to a surveyor and she smelled it too. So it wasn’t just me smelling the burning rubber and it wasn’t my computer trying to burn the building down! Good, I felt better. A little high, but better because the smell was stronger out there. Clearly, this was not my fault.
The surveyor and I took turns sniffing her computer and then sniffing the outer office and agreeing that the smell was rubbery and burning and definatly not a good thing. We decided that we should tell some one. Since I was the least high from the fumes, I volunteered to go and report the odor.
You would be surprised how fast people move when you report something may be burning. I learned that while they will move fast they don’t do anything about the burning rubbery smell. They did what the high surveyor and I did, they sniffed... They did agree that the hallway smelled rubbery and it was indeed a burning rubbery smell, Great, I said, go down and sniff my office, it really has that smell of burning rubber. It really stinks the fumes re much more potent down there. I had no takers
I went to lunch, because now I had the munchies.
The other side of the building now smells the burning rubber odor. A little man in a campus uniform is wandering the halls. He’s there because he and his crew are cleaning the dead leaves off the roof and he swears up and down the smell is not emitting from their work.
I was now wondering if I could claim workers comp because by now I was really high from the fumes. I also have a stuffed up nose and the surveyor in the outer office claimed a brand new sore throat. Humph.
Hours past. The odor is still there.
The surveyor thought that the burning rubber smell was coming from the generator. It is on, she reasoned and it may be burning. We look at the generator. It isn’t smoking, it isn’t even making noise. My office still reeked.
Later on I start to worry because I was hearing voices. This is very disturbing as now I thought that I was not only high from the rubbery smell I was now suffering from rubbery smell induced auditory hallucinations! Great, I said to myself maybe Workers Comp can pay for my rehab. A few minutes later I take Workers off the hook for my rubbery smell rehab, because I was not having hallucinations! Yay. The little men outside were real! And they were really arguing with each other about the state of the generator! And they were not actually rubbery smell induced hallucinations! Boy was I ever relieved! They weren’t solving the problem arguing with each other, but they were defiantly really there.
My head hurt. I bet myself that people employed out in the private sector don’t have to deal with burning rubber induced headaches after spending hours with mysterious burning rubber odors, they get sent home while the burning rubber odor problem gets checked out. The state hates it’s employees.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Some days I miss living in Dallas...
Monday would not have been one of them. Here, it was cool and raining, this morning I turned the heat on in the car on the way to work.
April's unexpected warm-up sent temperatures surging to 101 degrees Monday in Dallas, rewriting weather records, triggering rolling electric blackouts and offering an early taste of what could be a hot, dry summer even by Texas standards.
Shiiiiiitttttttee. As we would say at home. Right before we said "OMG ya'll, its 101 degrees and it's only APRIL. We're all gonna die!” I think the summer of 2006 is going to leave the summer of 1980 and the summer of 1999 in the dust - and those were really bad summers, they at least waited to start until it was actually, you know, summer
Global warming hits home
Monday would not have been one of them. Here, it was cool and raining, this morning I turned the heat on in the car on the way to work.
April's unexpected warm-up sent temperatures surging to 101 degrees Monday in Dallas, rewriting weather records, triggering rolling electric blackouts and offering an early taste of what could be a hot, dry summer even by Texas standards.
Shiiiiiitttttttee. As we would say at home. Right before we said "OMG ya'll, its 101 degrees and it's only APRIL. We're all gonna die!” I think the summer of 2006 is going to leave the summer of 1980 and the summer of 1999 in the dust - and those were really bad summers, they at least waited to start until it was actually, you know, summer
Global warming hits home
I feel less bad about the flag tie thing
I would like however to point out that we when were caught flagless, we at least pledged allegiance to images of the American flag...
As someone stood up to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at a GOP dinner here Thursday, it was suddenly realized there was no flag in the room. "Pledge to the elephant!" shouted Bob Watkins of the county Board of Education. So the audience, which included Rep. Darrell Issa, state Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, Assembly Republican Leader-Elect George Plescia and Mayor Jerry Sanders, turned toward the GOP banner and recited the pledge while facing the party's symbolic pachyderm.
Fortunately, it was a patriotic red, white and blue with stars.
story here
I would like however to point out that we when were caught flagless, we at least pledged allegiance to images of the American flag...
As someone stood up to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at a GOP dinner here Thursday, it was suddenly realized there was no flag in the room. "Pledge to the elephant!" shouted Bob Watkins of the county Board of Education. So the audience, which included Rep. Darrell Issa, state Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, Assembly Republican Leader-Elect George Plescia and Mayor Jerry Sanders, turned toward the GOP banner and recited the pledge while facing the party's symbolic pachyderm.
Fortunately, it was a patriotic red, white and blue with stars.
story here
It really is Shrubs Fault!
Iran worries push up prices
Oil surged to a record high above $72 Tuesday on concerns that Iran's nuclear standoff with the West could cut oil exports from the world's fourth-largest crude exporter."The Iranian situation is making us all very nervous... We don't seem to be getting anywhere on the diplomatic solutions," said Deborah White, an analyst at SGCIB in Paris. Oil prices have soared from $20 at the start of 2002
THANK YOU GEORGE W. BUSH!! YOU WARMONGERING SOB!
Uncle Sam's hand in high gas prices?
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - As gasoline prices spiral upward ahead of the high-demand summer season, some traders and consumer advocates are laying at least part of the blame squarely on the doorstep of the federal government.
HATE!!!!
Iran worries push up prices
Oil surged to a record high above $72 Tuesday on concerns that Iran's nuclear standoff with the West could cut oil exports from the world's fourth-largest crude exporter."The Iranian situation is making us all very nervous... We don't seem to be getting anywhere on the diplomatic solutions," said Deborah White, an analyst at SGCIB in Paris. Oil prices have soared from $20 at the start of 2002
THANK YOU GEORGE W. BUSH!! YOU WARMONGERING SOB!
Uncle Sam's hand in high gas prices?
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - As gasoline prices spiral upward ahead of the high-demand summer season, some traders and consumer advocates are laying at least part of the blame squarely on the doorstep of the federal government.
HATE!!!!
Dribbles
I took The Kitty to New Vet last week and I still haven’t heard back from her. There wasn’t much New Vet could do with The Kitty past taking a history until Old Vet faxed over his records, and thus far Old Vet hasn’t fazed the records yet. I am too much of a weenie to call Old Vet and have them send the records to New Vet because it would be too much like having to call an ex and have them call the current and I just can’t go there. In reality, there are so many vets holding records on The Kitty that it could turn into a major production to try to get in touch with all of them, again, I am a weenie who can’t get on the phone to Old Vet to break up with them – maybe I’ll need them in the future, maybe they might have a Vet Friend I might want to see sometime... I don’t want to burn any vet bridges... WEENIE.
I called New Vet Friday after she didn’t call me, and the clerk who answered the phone didn’t have a clue about faxes, Old Vets, who I was or really anything pertaining to The Kitty at all. I would have thought with the fuss he put up that The Kitty would be something of a legend around the office. Obliviously not. Why does this bother me? I wanted to crawl under the floor but his screaming didn’t make much of an impression with the office staff?
Humph.
If Old Vet doesn’t come through with the faxing it means that The Kitty will have to under go the same pricey blood work he had done a few months ago, again. Blood panels don’t come cheap and I would just as soon not pay for them a second time ( weenie, weenie, weenie)I would just as soon have New Vet tell me that The Kitty has developed some kind of feline anorexia in response to the Pred sponsored heft he picked up over the seven months he was on it. New Vet did offer up the suggestion that his weight loss may have something to do with going off the pred and not having the same appetite and the fact he is more active in the house than he ever was in the apartments we lived in and cat physiology being what it is, it just may have taken time for him to lose all the apartment living/pred appetite fat. I think this is a fairy tale but since it seems to have a happy ending I’m going to memorize it and maybe cross stitch it on a sampler. My cat isn’t sick, he’s just getting more exercise and possibly needs some face time with a dietitian or something. Yeah. The weight loss is totally natural and healthy. Sure it is.
I’ve been sitting here in my office with the lights off and it just occurred to me that I am sitting in the dark. My co-worker just came in and said she was just about to run to her car and get her umbrella. I think this might jinx it. On the other hand, I did go and buy replacement pair of sunglasses #2 over my lunch hour and that might have been what is causing darkness to fall. I hate replacement pair of sunglasses very much. They are mirroredy and make me look like the fly. I now have to balance how much looking like the fly bothers me against the piercing head aches I would get if I went out into the sun not looking like the fly. I am also hoping that going out and buying replacement sunglasses #2 might bring replacement sunglasses #1 and possibly, original sunglasses to come out of hiding so that they may taunt me. I know since I dislike replacement sunglasses #2 so much that they will never, ever leave me and most likely I will have them on me when I die but I will never, ever see replacement sunglasses #1 or original sunglasses ever again until I either step on them/fish them out of Doggers maw/vacuum them up/or run them over with my car.
I took The Kitty to New Vet last week and I still haven’t heard back from her. There wasn’t much New Vet could do with The Kitty past taking a history until Old Vet faxed over his records, and thus far Old Vet hasn’t fazed the records yet. I am too much of a weenie to call Old Vet and have them send the records to New Vet because it would be too much like having to call an ex and have them call the current and I just can’t go there. In reality, there are so many vets holding records on The Kitty that it could turn into a major production to try to get in touch with all of them, again, I am a weenie who can’t get on the phone to Old Vet to break up with them – maybe I’ll need them in the future, maybe they might have a Vet Friend I might want to see sometime... I don’t want to burn any vet bridges... WEENIE.
I called New Vet Friday after she didn’t call me, and the clerk who answered the phone didn’t have a clue about faxes, Old Vets, who I was or really anything pertaining to The Kitty at all. I would have thought with the fuss he put up that The Kitty would be something of a legend around the office. Obliviously not. Why does this bother me? I wanted to crawl under the floor but his screaming didn’t make much of an impression with the office staff?
Humph.
If Old Vet doesn’t come through with the faxing it means that The Kitty will have to under go the same pricey blood work he had done a few months ago, again. Blood panels don’t come cheap and I would just as soon not pay for them a second time ( weenie, weenie, weenie)I would just as soon have New Vet tell me that The Kitty has developed some kind of feline anorexia in response to the Pred sponsored heft he picked up over the seven months he was on it. New Vet did offer up the suggestion that his weight loss may have something to do with going off the pred and not having the same appetite and the fact he is more active in the house than he ever was in the apartments we lived in and cat physiology being what it is, it just may have taken time for him to lose all the apartment living/pred appetite fat. I think this is a fairy tale but since it seems to have a happy ending I’m going to memorize it and maybe cross stitch it on a sampler. My cat isn’t sick, he’s just getting more exercise and possibly needs some face time with a dietitian or something. Yeah. The weight loss is totally natural and healthy. Sure it is.
I’ve been sitting here in my office with the lights off and it just occurred to me that I am sitting in the dark. My co-worker just came in and said she was just about to run to her car and get her umbrella. I think this might jinx it. On the other hand, I did go and buy replacement pair of sunglasses #2 over my lunch hour and that might have been what is causing darkness to fall. I hate replacement pair of sunglasses very much. They are mirroredy and make me look like the fly. I now have to balance how much looking like the fly bothers me against the piercing head aches I would get if I went out into the sun not looking like the fly. I am also hoping that going out and buying replacement sunglasses #2 might bring replacement sunglasses #1 and possibly, original sunglasses to come out of hiding so that they may taunt me. I know since I dislike replacement sunglasses #2 so much that they will never, ever leave me and most likely I will have them on me when I die but I will never, ever see replacement sunglasses #1 or original sunglasses ever again until I either step on them/fish them out of Doggers maw/vacuum them up/or run them over with my car.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Hogan's a Hero
On Saturday afternoon I attended the Democratic Women’s Caucus picnic. We Democrats are so tasteful and understated that I had to drive around the park where it was being held, three times before I could finally find us. I couldn’t help but think that if the GOP Women’s Caucus was holding a picnic that they would have had a banner lit up like a “War on”Christmas tree . I was told that we had had some balloons but some kids from another picnic enclosure came over and popped them, and that oddly, the ladies of the Democratic Women’s Caucus let them live... I would imagine that The GOP Women’s Caucus would have out sourced killing them, called FAUX News to report this wanton case of Republican bashing and than would have raised seven different kinds of hell with the city for allowing such wanton acts of bigotry against white persons to take place on their property.. . I would have simply tied the undisciplined little balloon popping bastards to the enclosure and then kicked their parents in the head for raising such rude offspring and left it at that, but that would be the difference between the GOP and myself.
Saturday night I watched Auto Focus . Sigh. I have had it on my Netflix list since I joined but I kept moving it down. I was afraid the movie would be to a fan of his about the same as it would be like to a big fan of Family Affair to run across the actress who played Buffy’s autopsy report. I am glad that this movie got made after I was a grown up fan instead of a little kid fan; when I really lurved Col. Hogan. I’m very glad that when I was a little kid my knowledge of pop culture hadn’t fully matured and 1) I didn’t know he was dead and in fact been brutally murdered, and that 2) what a miserable, deeply depressed, addicted, self hating and delusional person the actor who portrayed him was. Ignorance is bliss.
When I was in college and the late Larry “Sgt. Carter” Hovis was one of my instructors, he was asked (not by me) about Bob Crane and he said the man showed up every day prepared and ready to work and that in his experience, Bob Crane was a good guy.
He didn’t know the details about Cranes other life until years later when he was called before a couple of grand juries after Cranes death. Larry really didn’t want to take about him or his porn issues anymore. I didn't blame him. I would imagine that there would be nothing like having to testify about a friend before a grand jury to really make you not want to talk about that friend ever again.
According to the movie, Cranes’ porn habit was almost life long and deeply ingrained into his personality. He appeared to have worked very hard to keep his life extremely compartmentalized, it’s no surprise that most of the people from his “straight life” didn’t have a clue. It helped that Crane was very, very conservative and you just don’t see many porn fetishists that are also big fans of Richard Nixon. The movie didn’t say much about his support for the republican party, for that I had to read a book about Hogans Heroes( Shut. Up). I think learning about his politics caused me more discomfort about the man than learning about his porn.
The truth is totally not going to stop me from watching my Hogans Heroes DVDs , although I won’t be watching the out take real included on the season 2 DVDs. I was, until I saw that the blooper real was “Edited by Bob Crane!”, thanks to the movie, I know how and why he learned how to edit tape and I’m not going there.
I still love the show though, Crane wasn’t the only person with the capacity for self delusion. In my world Col. Hogan is still Super!Heroic!Really Cool!Nazi foiling!Col. Hogan-man! and of course, Sgt. Carter is still with us.
On Saturday afternoon I attended the Democratic Women’s Caucus picnic. We Democrats are so tasteful and understated that I had to drive around the park where it was being held, three times before I could finally find us. I couldn’t help but think that if the GOP Women’s Caucus was holding a picnic that they would have had a banner lit up like a “War on”Christmas tree . I was told that we had had some balloons but some kids from another picnic enclosure came over and popped them, and that oddly, the ladies of the Democratic Women’s Caucus let them live... I would imagine that The GOP Women’s Caucus would have out sourced killing them, called FAUX News to report this wanton case of Republican bashing and than would have raised seven different kinds of hell with the city for allowing such wanton acts of bigotry against white persons to take place on their property.. . I would have simply tied the undisciplined little balloon popping bastards to the enclosure and then kicked their parents in the head for raising such rude offspring and left it at that, but that would be the difference between the GOP and myself.
Saturday night I watched Auto Focus . Sigh. I have had it on my Netflix list since I joined but I kept moving it down. I was afraid the movie would be to a fan of his about the same as it would be like to a big fan of Family Affair to run across the actress who played Buffy’s autopsy report. I am glad that this movie got made after I was a grown up fan instead of a little kid fan; when I really lurved Col. Hogan. I’m very glad that when I was a little kid my knowledge of pop culture hadn’t fully matured and 1) I didn’t know he was dead and in fact been brutally murdered, and that 2) what a miserable, deeply depressed, addicted, self hating and delusional person the actor who portrayed him was. Ignorance is bliss.
When I was in college and the late Larry “Sgt. Carter” Hovis was one of my instructors, he was asked (not by me) about Bob Crane and he said the man showed up every day prepared and ready to work and that in his experience, Bob Crane was a good guy.
He didn’t know the details about Cranes other life until years later when he was called before a couple of grand juries after Cranes death. Larry really didn’t want to take about him or his porn issues anymore. I didn't blame him. I would imagine that there would be nothing like having to testify about a friend before a grand jury to really make you not want to talk about that friend ever again.
According to the movie, Cranes’ porn habit was almost life long and deeply ingrained into his personality. He appeared to have worked very hard to keep his life extremely compartmentalized, it’s no surprise that most of the people from his “straight life” didn’t have a clue. It helped that Crane was very, very conservative and you just don’t see many porn fetishists that are also big fans of Richard Nixon. The movie didn’t say much about his support for the republican party, for that I had to read a book about Hogans Heroes( Shut. Up). I think learning about his politics caused me more discomfort about the man than learning about his porn.
The truth is totally not going to stop me from watching my Hogans Heroes DVDs , although I won’t be watching the out take real included on the season 2 DVDs. I was, until I saw that the blooper real was “Edited by Bob Crane!”, thanks to the movie, I know how and why he learned how to edit tape and I’m not going there.
I still love the show though, Crane wasn’t the only person with the capacity for self delusion. In my world Col. Hogan is still Super!Heroic!Really Cool!Nazi foiling!Col. Hogan-man! and of course, Sgt. Carter is still with us.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
HisssspatspitMrrrrrreeewwwwGrrr
Back from the vet.
Well. The Kitty has lost weight. He is now at 12 lbs. While that is still with in normal limits and actually at the top end of the normal for a cat - it is till nine pounds less then he weighed a year ago and four pounds less than the last time he was at the vets office. Sally Struthers is going to do commercials for him.
But first. The new vets office. They scored points, I approved of the aesthetics - The waiting room smelled like a gerbil cage and looked like a bus station. I am never going to pay for a vet practices’ aquarium man again or their pricey subscriptions to Architectural Digest and Southern Living. I didn’t have a chance to see what mags this vet subscribes to as I was taken into an office when I walked in the door! And I was only in there alone for five minutes! I about passed out. I was like “But, I brought a book”. The tech who came in gave me something to fill out - after figuring out the cat I had in the carrying case was not actually Nephdog and that I was neither Alphagal or Broskey.
Identities cleared up she started to take a history. She was not prepared to do that much writing. With out notes I can talk for, I discovered, forty-five minutes on The Kitty’s long and colorful medical history. It covers eighteen vets, seven veterinary practices, eight years and three states and covers everything from lower GI complaints to periodontal issues. The Kitty doesn’t have a body cavity that hasn’t cost me money.
The tech got writers cramp about half way through and was replaced by the vet. Are all doctors now eleven? When did that happen? I remember kind of liking that when I was younger, it seemed so neat to have a doctor near my age OT the younger ones are much harder to lie to, and they look at you while you are lying to them because they know you’re lying to them and they want you to open up to them because they’re hip and young and wearing a concert tee-shirt. The older ones assume you are lying to them but they have moved beyond wanted to talk to you about it. They don’t bother looking at you while you lie to them they just note in your chart you lied to them. Everyone is happyOT. Today I think I would rather have a stuff old guy. These children make me nervous. Anyway.
Props to the vet for taking such a complete history though. She also took the name of the vet in Marquette as well as the Banfeild vet and talked to both and arranged for both to send on The Kitty’s medical records. I told her this could take a while.
After the history the vet and another tech tried to do a physical. The Kitty was not co-operative but they were able to listen to his heart and palpitate his little intestines - she declared them “thick”. She also agreed that he most likely has IBS.
We didn’t do any blood work because she was waiting to hear from Banfeild. I told her due to their chronic staffing woes that she may have to wait for those. She surprised me by not demanding that we do anything until The Kitty’s records come in and she has a chance to look at them. Wow.
Full cost of office visit? Much face time with vet and a very detailed History and Physical? $27.
Wow.
Back from the vet.
Well. The Kitty has lost weight. He is now at 12 lbs. While that is still with in normal limits and actually at the top end of the normal for a cat - it is till nine pounds less then he weighed a year ago and four pounds less than the last time he was at the vets office. Sally Struthers is going to do commercials for him.
But first. The new vets office. They scored points, I approved of the aesthetics - The waiting room smelled like a gerbil cage and looked like a bus station. I am never going to pay for a vet practices’ aquarium man again or their pricey subscriptions to Architectural Digest and Southern Living. I didn’t have a chance to see what mags this vet subscribes to as I was taken into an office when I walked in the door! And I was only in there alone for five minutes! I about passed out. I was like “But, I brought a book”. The tech who came in gave me something to fill out - after figuring out the cat I had in the carrying case was not actually Nephdog and that I was neither Alphagal or Broskey.
Identities cleared up she started to take a history. She was not prepared to do that much writing. With out notes I can talk for, I discovered, forty-five minutes on The Kitty’s long and colorful medical history. It covers eighteen vets, seven veterinary practices, eight years and three states and covers everything from lower GI complaints to periodontal issues. The Kitty doesn’t have a body cavity that hasn’t cost me money.
The tech got writers cramp about half way through and was replaced by the vet. Are all doctors now eleven? When did that happen? I remember kind of liking that when I was younger, it seemed so neat to have a doctor near my age OT the younger ones are much harder to lie to, and they look at you while you are lying to them because they know you’re lying to them and they want you to open up to them because they’re hip and young and wearing a concert tee-shirt. The older ones assume you are lying to them but they have moved beyond wanted to talk to you about it. They don’t bother looking at you while you lie to them they just note in your chart you lied to them. Everyone is happyOT. Today I think I would rather have a stuff old guy. These children make me nervous. Anyway.
Props to the vet for taking such a complete history though. She also took the name of the vet in Marquette as well as the Banfeild vet and talked to both and arranged for both to send on The Kitty’s medical records. I told her this could take a while.
After the history the vet and another tech tried to do a physical. The Kitty was not co-operative but they were able to listen to his heart and palpitate his little intestines - she declared them “thick”. She also agreed that he most likely has IBS.
We didn’t do any blood work because she was waiting to hear from Banfeild. I told her due to their chronic staffing woes that she may have to wait for those. She surprised me by not demanding that we do anything until The Kitty’s records come in and she has a chance to look at them. Wow.
Full cost of office visit? Much face time with vet and a very detailed History and Physical? $27.
Wow.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Dear MoveOn member,
Yesterday's New Yorker quotes a number of high-ranking administration and military officials on the possibility of pre-emptive war with Iran. Not only do the officials say war is really on the table, they report that the Bush administration is making plans to use nuclear weapons.
Iran may well pose a threat. But people as diverse as Richard Clarke, Hillary Clinton, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff agree that a nuclear attack or even threatening one is a terrible idea. Yet the White House insists on keeping the "nuclear option" on the table. And according to one member of Congress, "there's no pressure from Congress" for a more diplomatic route.
This is one place where all of us can agree: Americans don't support a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Iran, and Congress must act to prevent the president from launching one before it's too late. Please send a message to your representatives at the link below and forward this message to friends and family who you think will be concerned.
Don't nuke Iran
It sounds ridiculous and yet and yet... Ridiculous plans are SOP with the administration. North Korea has been doing the same saber rattling bull shit and Shrub et al does nothing. I guess it matters if you do your saber rattling in an oil field.
Yesterday's New Yorker quotes a number of high-ranking administration and military officials on the possibility of pre-emptive war with Iran. Not only do the officials say war is really on the table, they report that the Bush administration is making plans to use nuclear weapons.
Iran may well pose a threat. But people as diverse as Richard Clarke, Hillary Clinton, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff agree that a nuclear attack or even threatening one is a terrible idea. Yet the White House insists on keeping the "nuclear option" on the table. And according to one member of Congress, "there's no pressure from Congress" for a more diplomatic route.
This is one place where all of us can agree: Americans don't support a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Iran, and Congress must act to prevent the president from launching one before it's too late. Please send a message to your representatives at the link below and forward this message to friends and family who you think will be concerned.
Don't nuke Iran
It sounds ridiculous and yet and yet... Ridiculous plans are SOP with the administration. North Korea has been doing the same saber rattling bull shit and Shrub et al does nothing. I guess it matters if you do your saber rattling in an oil field.
Stuff
CSI Miami aired a show Monday night that was a follow up to a show that aired, I would have sworn, last season and then preceded to make us believe that a matter of weeks had passed between episode A and episode B aired last night. It was very confusing. I think it’s a case of too many reruns and too many interruptions and the fact that they never have made it clear the time line the show follows. Is it one episode= I week? It’s not clear. It would have also been nice if they could have rerun episode A during the most recent spate of reruns so that we might remember these people in the first place. The bad guys created in episode B weren’t all that bad and the “Bonnie and Clyde 2.0 characters from episode A not really compelling or bad in episode A . They did this big build up for Bonnie and Clyde 2.0 who then wimped out and went out like Thelma and Louise! I mean how 1991! Live fast, Die Young and Leave a Good Looking Corpse but if you are really into the whole drama of it? Don’t take drowning as your out, you leave a wet corpse and your outfit is totally ruined and will hang badly and no one looks good with wet hair or smeared make up. I mean, do some research! Try some different death options before you go the whole way! See how you’ll look “dead”.
I would have thought the big , bad TV show would have thought about that. And as to "we don't want to glamorize crime and suicide so we took them out in a lame way", puh-lees. Drowning them was so done.The glamorized been-there-done-that. They should have killed them off, punished them for being bad in a more spectacular way, a less 1991 way at the very least. It’s a CSI for Gawds sake! They are all about creating sexy deaths. And yet, I will watch next week. I don’t even like the show, if only to see what they do next. If there was anything else on network TV 10pm on Monday, I might watch it. I tried watching American Chopper for a while but they repeated too often and they aren’t on network TV, I would have to stay downstairs and I don’t wanna. I wanna watch TV upstairs. I just checked to see what I could be watching. Yeah, nothing else on. Very sad.
What else.
One of the women I worked with, one of the latter day groupies told me that she asked a feral cat person about what we should do about the disposition of our office cats as it gets closer to our move out date from this building. The feral cat person was not hopeful that our cats will just pack up their stuff and come with us, but she did leave open the hope that the cats have a wide territory and depending where the new building is (about a block away) they might wind up there following the food. I hope so, but I’m not going to hold out much hope. I’ll be really happy if I do pull up in front of that building and see my little kitty friend galloping out to greet me like he does here, but I’ll have to learn to deal with it if he never does, this building is his home and has been for years.
I thought the LDCG were kind of wacky about this but only because they thought to think about it before I did. We thought about ways to make him come down to the new building, trapping, drugging - what to use and how much of the drug it would take to bring a cat down with out harming it, honestly, a pharmacist has been consulted! No one has talked about how one would pill a feral cat and the fact that cats won’t eat food smells messed with, and if we should be successful in our cat drugging then how would we find our little drugged up kitty post drugging? The drugging of the cat may not work, so we also discussed leaving a trail of cat snax to lead them to the new building… anyone out there know about hearding cats?
CSI Miami aired a show Monday night that was a follow up to a show that aired, I would have sworn, last season and then preceded to make us believe that a matter of weeks had passed between episode A and episode B aired last night. It was very confusing. I think it’s a case of too many reruns and too many interruptions and the fact that they never have made it clear the time line the show follows. Is it one episode= I week? It’s not clear. It would have also been nice if they could have rerun episode A during the most recent spate of reruns so that we might remember these people in the first place. The bad guys created in episode B weren’t all that bad and the “Bonnie and Clyde 2.0 characters from episode A not really compelling or bad in episode A . They did this big build up for Bonnie and Clyde 2.0 who then wimped out and went out like Thelma and Louise! I mean how 1991! Live fast, Die Young and Leave a Good Looking Corpse but if you are really into the whole drama of it? Don’t take drowning as your out, you leave a wet corpse and your outfit is totally ruined and will hang badly and no one looks good with wet hair or smeared make up. I mean, do some research! Try some different death options before you go the whole way! See how you’ll look “dead”.
I would have thought the big , bad TV show would have thought about that. And as to "we don't want to glamorize crime and suicide so we took them out in a lame way", puh-lees. Drowning them was so done.The glamorized been-there-done-that. They should have killed them off, punished them for being bad in a more spectacular way, a less 1991 way at the very least. It’s a CSI for Gawds sake! They are all about creating sexy deaths. And yet, I will watch next week. I don’t even like the show, if only to see what they do next. If there was anything else on network TV 10pm on Monday, I might watch it. I tried watching American Chopper for a while but they repeated too often and they aren’t on network TV, I would have to stay downstairs and I don’t wanna. I wanna watch TV upstairs. I just checked to see what I could be watching. Yeah, nothing else on. Very sad.
What else.
One of the women I worked with, one of the latter day groupies told me that she asked a feral cat person about what we should do about the disposition of our office cats as it gets closer to our move out date from this building. The feral cat person was not hopeful that our cats will just pack up their stuff and come with us, but she did leave open the hope that the cats have a wide territory and depending where the new building is (about a block away) they might wind up there following the food. I hope so, but I’m not going to hold out much hope. I’ll be really happy if I do pull up in front of that building and see my little kitty friend galloping out to greet me like he does here, but I’ll have to learn to deal with it if he never does, this building is his home and has been for years.
I thought the LDCG were kind of wacky about this but only because they thought to think about it before I did. We thought about ways to make him come down to the new building, trapping, drugging - what to use and how much of the drug it would take to bring a cat down with out harming it, honestly, a pharmacist has been consulted! No one has talked about how one would pill a feral cat and the fact that cats won’t eat food smells messed with, and if we should be successful in our cat drugging then how would we find our little drugged up kitty post drugging? The drugging of the cat may not work, so we also discussed leaving a trail of cat snax to lead them to the new building… anyone out there know about hearding cats?
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
A Chorus of Disapproval
WASHINGTON - Greeted by a loud chorus of boos along with some cheers, Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' Major League Baseball home opener on Tuesday.
Play Boo-all
WASHINGTON - Greeted by a loud chorus of boos along with some cheers, Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' Major League Baseball home opener on Tuesday.
Play Boo-all
Why it's better to just visit NYC
Because you then don't have live in Park Slope and you would have better things to do than argue about whether or not describing lost hats in gender specific terms makes you a sexist!
Because you then don't have live in Park Slope and you would have better things to do than argue about whether or not describing lost hats in gender specific terms makes you a sexist!
What’s that sound?
What a beautiful day!
An evol law firm that does business with my office finally sent us a check! And a big check at that. They haven’t bothered to pay us for services rendered for, literally, years and there in my in box this morning was a check. A nice check. Not all they owe us but they paid us for something! Never say never.
Second reason it is a beautiful day. I linked to this yesterday but it bears repeating ; 500,000 people marched in Dallas! The cops low ball estimate was 350,000! Do you know how big a crowd that is? Dallas is not a city that encourages marches. Demonstrations in Dallas tend to be limited to the run of the State Fair and then are largely restricted to demonstrations of new push brooms and cleaning solvents. I saw the story and looked at the pictures and I was so proud of those people. I hope somebody is listening.
Now I have a question. Where is the NAACP in all this? I would think that they would be all over this. The issue is at its heart a civil rights issue and I would imagine that the NAACP would be active participants in anything that supports the rights of minorities in this country. I went to their site and found this, which is great, they do not approve. Super. They shouldn’t. I would think that this would be a great time for them to broaden their membership rolls and remember where they came from; “colored” people are not just “black” people. I went to the site thinking that something about the rallies would be mentioned – and there was nothing but the brief release linked to above. Shouldn’t the NAACP be concerned a bit? This would be a great way to be relevant beyond holding endless conferences. HR 4437 is pure institutional racism and I thought the NAACP was all about shinning a light on and stomping out all forms of racism. I would think that of a return to institutionalized racism would really get their attention.
Does LULAC and the NAACP have some sort of agreement to not poach each others demographic ? Is that a smart idea?
What else.
The Kitty has a vet appointment on Wednesday and I really hope they don’t tell me he has cancer. The best case scenario is that they tell me that he is just getting older and the weight lose is a product of aging and all I need to do is feed him more. I think this is a pipe dream, the “aging” answer would be less pipe dreamy if he was eleven or twelve or was an outdoor cat. He’s eight and he has always lived inside, he has a life expenctancy of 18 years. He’s too young to be showing signs of ageing. There is also the specter of Diabetes which would also answer the weight loss question. He isn’t unduly thirsty though, he is very hungry. He will eat anything and will snatch things right off my plate if I don’t watch him carefully enough. He never even used to beg from me and now if I don’t stop him he will just take things off my plate, over the weekend he tried to take my baklava! And it isn’t even very good baklava! And normally he shows much better taste than that. He didn’t care; he just wanted to eat “it”, no matter what “it” was. “It” was on the plate and it looked like food and he wanted it.
He will eat his kibble but only if it is absolutely fresh kibble, if it has been sitting there for more than 10 minutes (literally) he won’t eat it I’m wasting a lot of cat food having to dump out what he won’t eat and the world is full of food wants but can’t eat.
What a beautiful day!
An evol law firm that does business with my office finally sent us a check! And a big check at that. They haven’t bothered to pay us for services rendered for, literally, years and there in my in box this morning was a check. A nice check. Not all they owe us but they paid us for something! Never say never.
Second reason it is a beautiful day. I linked to this yesterday but it bears repeating ; 500,000 people marched in Dallas! The cops low ball estimate was 350,000! Do you know how big a crowd that is? Dallas is not a city that encourages marches. Demonstrations in Dallas tend to be limited to the run of the State Fair and then are largely restricted to demonstrations of new push brooms and cleaning solvents. I saw the story and looked at the pictures and I was so proud of those people. I hope somebody is listening.
Now I have a question. Where is the NAACP in all this? I would think that they would be all over this. The issue is at its heart a civil rights issue and I would imagine that the NAACP would be active participants in anything that supports the rights of minorities in this country. I went to their site and found this, which is great, they do not approve. Super. They shouldn’t. I would think that this would be a great time for them to broaden their membership rolls and remember where they came from; “colored” people are not just “black” people. I went to the site thinking that something about the rallies would be mentioned – and there was nothing but the brief release linked to above. Shouldn’t the NAACP be concerned a bit? This would be a great way to be relevant beyond holding endless conferences. HR 4437 is pure institutional racism and I thought the NAACP was all about shinning a light on and stomping out all forms of racism. I would think that of a return to institutionalized racism would really get their attention.
Does LULAC and the NAACP have some sort of agreement to not poach each others demographic ? Is that a smart idea?
What else.
The Kitty has a vet appointment on Wednesday and I really hope they don’t tell me he has cancer. The best case scenario is that they tell me that he is just getting older and the weight lose is a product of aging and all I need to do is feed him more. I think this is a pipe dream, the “aging” answer would be less pipe dreamy if he was eleven or twelve or was an outdoor cat. He’s eight and he has always lived inside, he has a life expenctancy of 18 years. He’s too young to be showing signs of ageing. There is also the specter of Diabetes which would also answer the weight loss question. He isn’t unduly thirsty though, he is very hungry. He will eat anything and will snatch things right off my plate if I don’t watch him carefully enough. He never even used to beg from me and now if I don’t stop him he will just take things off my plate, over the weekend he tried to take my baklava! And it isn’t even very good baklava! And normally he shows much better taste than that. He didn’t care; he just wanted to eat “it”, no matter what “it” was. “It” was on the plate and it looked like food and he wanted it.
He will eat his kibble but only if it is absolutely fresh kibble, if it has been sitting there for more than 10 minutes (literally) he won’t eat it I’m wasting a lot of cat food having to dump out what he won’t eat and the world is full of food wants but can’t eat.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Bushcoland - Where No means Yes
U.S. tries to dampen talk of Iran strike
While stressing that diplomacy is the first course for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions, the White House is not ruling out a military response and says "normal defense and intelligence planning" is under way.
Those of us between 18 and 40 may need to start worrying.
U.S. Is Studying Military Strike Options on Iran
The Bush administration is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program, according to U.S. officials and independent analysts.
According to current and former officials, Pentagon and CIA planners have been exploring possible targets, such as the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan. Although a land invasion is not contemplated, military officers are weighing alternatives ranging from a limited airstrike aimed at key nuclear sites, to a more extensive bombing campaign designed to destroy an array of military and political targets.
U.S. tries to dampen talk of Iran strike
While stressing that diplomacy is the first course for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions, the White House is not ruling out a military response and says "normal defense and intelligence planning" is under way.
Those of us between 18 and 40 may need to start worrying.
U.S. Is Studying Military Strike Options on Iran
The Bush administration is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program, according to U.S. officials and independent analysts.
According to current and former officials, Pentagon and CIA planners have been exploring possible targets, such as the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz and the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan. Although a land invasion is not contemplated, military officers are weighing alternatives ranging from a limited airstrike aimed at key nuclear sites, to a more extensive bombing campaign designed to destroy an array of military and political targets.
Tráigalos a sus rodillas!
No Turning Back,500,000 march in Dallas; boycott today aims to show Hispanics' economic power
As many as half a million people marched peacefully through downtown Dallas on Sunday for the rights of illegal immigrants, in the largest civil rights demonstration in the city's history – and to some experts, the birth of a new social movement.
No Turning Back,500,000 march in Dallas; boycott today aims to show Hispanics' economic power
As many as half a million people marched peacefully through downtown Dallas on Sunday for the rights of illegal immigrants, in the largest civil rights demonstration in the city's history – and to some experts, the birth of a new social movement.
Signs of Spring
Awww. Spring.
On Saturday I got up early and went and did my Duty. My notes say we started at 10:09am, well, the guy tried to get the attention of the crowd starting at 10:00 but it was a good ten minutes until the crowd stopped chatting outside the auditorium and wondered when this thing was going to start.
The invocation. (We are Christian’s DAMN IT.) My notes on the invocation seem to indicate it went on forever. My notes also indicate I may have fallen asleep. We then said the Pledge (We love this country DAMN IT) . The last county convention I went to was held at the Raleigh Convention center in a room that was not equipped with a flag, we ended up saying the pledge while aimed at a guy in a flag tie. This years was held in a high school auditorium that came pre-flagged.
Moving on. We had 85% of the precincts represented and achieved quorum.
The key note speakers gave their stump speeches and hurried off to other counties conventions. A good speech is a short speech. If you are represented by David Price, Bob Ethridge or Brad Miller you can be proud of them and their CVs.
After the speechifying we had our first motion. It was concerning the reading of the minutes from the last years county convention. A gentleman was still pissed and wanted it read into this years minutes that he was pissed about last years minutes. The next motion, by that same man was concerning the resolutions that were not made part of the official resolutions to the party platform.
There was an extended argument about the resolutions that didn’t make the cut. At one point the mic was cut off. Many people lined up to argue for and against turning off the mic. Between arguing about the mic, the speakers testified at length about the wonder and the power and the glory of the folks who did go to the resolution committee meeting and spent 8 hours arguing about the resolutions!! Lather, rinse, repeat.
The resolutions that were collected from the precinct meetings held earlier in the year. These were then taken to the Resolution Committee and some were taken up and some were not. Every single democrat in Wake county was repeatedly informed of and invited to this meeting. 20 people showed up and found they were now part of The Committee. They met for 8 hours to argue over the resolutions that covered everything from officially saying that George Bush and the Republicans are big fat meanies and we hate them to formally complaining about a sewage system in some housing development. The resolution calling GWB and the GOP a bunch of meanies failed while the resolution condemning the sewage to the housing development passed. Guess who bothered to show up for the meeting?
Roberts Rules of Order were trotted out and explained. And Explained. And Explained. I learned that "Call The Question" is RRoO for " Stop running your mouth and sit down!". Almost everything everyone said was out of order because they wouldn't look at the agenda. One man complained that the whole convention was out of order because the agenda had a fixed time of adjournment and since The Chair was insisting on a near fanatical devotion to the agenda that this year the assembly would be robbed of the opportunity be held captive by special interest groups and what a great loss to Democracy and the Party and the Republic and Mom and apple pie if the crowd was not held there indefinitely. Ended as scheduled : 1:00pm.
Mom, apple pie, The Party and The Republic managed to stay on their feet.
Awww. Spring.
On Saturday I got up early and went and did my Duty. My notes say we started at 10:09am, well, the guy tried to get the attention of the crowd starting at 10:00 but it was a good ten minutes until the crowd stopped chatting outside the auditorium and wondered when this thing was going to start.
The invocation. (We are Christian’s DAMN IT.) My notes on the invocation seem to indicate it went on forever. My notes also indicate I may have fallen asleep. We then said the Pledge (We love this country DAMN IT) . The last county convention I went to was held at the Raleigh Convention center in a room that was not equipped with a flag, we ended up saying the pledge while aimed at a guy in a flag tie. This years was held in a high school auditorium that came pre-flagged.
Moving on. We had 85% of the precincts represented and achieved quorum.
The key note speakers gave their stump speeches and hurried off to other counties conventions. A good speech is a short speech. If you are represented by David Price, Bob Ethridge or Brad Miller you can be proud of them and their CVs.
After the speechifying we had our first motion. It was concerning the reading of the minutes from the last years county convention. A gentleman was still pissed and wanted it read into this years minutes that he was pissed about last years minutes. The next motion, by that same man was concerning the resolutions that were not made part of the official resolutions to the party platform.
There was an extended argument about the resolutions that didn’t make the cut. At one point the mic was cut off. Many people lined up to argue for and against turning off the mic. Between arguing about the mic, the speakers testified at length about the wonder and the power and the glory of the folks who did go to the resolution committee meeting and spent 8 hours arguing about the resolutions!! Lather, rinse, repeat.
The resolutions that were collected from the precinct meetings held earlier in the year. These were then taken to the Resolution Committee and some were taken up and some were not. Every single democrat in Wake county was repeatedly informed of and invited to this meeting. 20 people showed up and found they were now part of The Committee. They met for 8 hours to argue over the resolutions that covered everything from officially saying that George Bush and the Republicans are big fat meanies and we hate them to formally complaining about a sewage system in some housing development. The resolution calling GWB and the GOP a bunch of meanies failed while the resolution condemning the sewage to the housing development passed. Guess who bothered to show up for the meeting?
Roberts Rules of Order were trotted out and explained. And Explained. And Explained. I learned that "Call The Question" is RRoO for " Stop running your mouth and sit down!". Almost everything everyone said was out of order because they wouldn't look at the agenda. One man complained that the whole convention was out of order because the agenda had a fixed time of adjournment and since The Chair was insisting on a near fanatical devotion to the agenda that this year the assembly would be robbed of the opportunity be held captive by special interest groups and what a great loss to Democracy and the Party and the Republic and Mom and apple pie if the crowd was not held there indefinitely. Ended as scheduled : 1:00pm.
Mom, apple pie, The Party and The Republic managed to stay on their feet.
Sunday, April 9, 2006
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Friday, April 7, 2006
The Totem Pole or Self Pity 101
We got the new “O-Charts” emailed to us today; an “O-Chart” to the uninitiated is a guide to The Powers That Be, who does what and who reports to whom. Our little “O-Chart” goes on for pages and I am the very last name on the last page of the chart. Its one thing to joke about being at the bottom of the totem pole its quite another to actually be the bottom of the totem pole.
I wish I hadn’t opened the attachment. I really didn’t need to know that I am the lowest ranking person in the building, hell, in all our buildings across the state. Literally every single person I come in contact with is my superior, all these people, some of them really, really stupid. There are even a couple of them that I suspect are actually suffering from the early stages of dementia and all of them are my superiors. I come in contact with a lot of superior idiots.
The women would answer the phones except they are always chatting on there cell phones? Superior to me, The temp? Why yes, Superior to me, the data entry clerks? Superior to me, The woman who collects the bunnies? Superior to me.
It’s funny. When something goes wrong, I am made to feel like the most important person in the freaking world! My actions have consequence! The whole damn place spins on how well I do my job. Every damn thing that happens around here is my fault… Shit flows downhill and I am the lowest of the lowly at the very bottom of the hill.
I’ll be here five years in May.
See, I could go with the idea that if it wasn’t for the base the totem pole would fall over. “A strong base blah, blah the tallest tree blah, blah”. Whatever.
I am the one who fills the Public Records Act request. I do all the requests from our federal over seers as they take facilities to court to make them pay fines. I deal with all the subpoenas that come through. They aren’t addressed to me, that honor belongs to my boss. I’m too far down the totem pole to go to court. Yay. But they end up on my desk and they are ultimately my responsibility.I fill them, if there is something wrong it is my fault. But. I work like hell to make sure that things don’t go wrong and most of the time they don’t. Most of the time I make the office look good, the glow off that official goodwill doesn’t always make it down to the bottom of the totem pole but I hear towards the top it is a very becoming light – mostly in shades of yellow and blue. Our federal overseers think I’m great, the public for the most part likes me. I get gifts from third parties I can’t accept every Christmas.
Every single piece of paper that comes to, is produced by, requested from this office comes to my office. Every single document. I have it and there is a pretty good chance that I know where it is. Bottom of the totem pole.
But I can remember from bitter experence that it is better to at the bottom of the totem pole than not on the totem pole at all. I would much rather be annoyed and employed than annoyed and unemployed. I can sooth my self with my 11.10 hours of vacation time that after five years of employement I acrue each month.
We got the new “O-Charts” emailed to us today; an “O-Chart” to the uninitiated is a guide to The Powers That Be, who does what and who reports to whom. Our little “O-Chart” goes on for pages and I am the very last name on the last page of the chart. Its one thing to joke about being at the bottom of the totem pole its quite another to actually be the bottom of the totem pole.
I wish I hadn’t opened the attachment. I really didn’t need to know that I am the lowest ranking person in the building, hell, in all our buildings across the state. Literally every single person I come in contact with is my superior, all these people, some of them really, really stupid. There are even a couple of them that I suspect are actually suffering from the early stages of dementia and all of them are my superiors. I come in contact with a lot of superior idiots.
The women would answer the phones except they are always chatting on there cell phones? Superior to me, The temp? Why yes, Superior to me, the data entry clerks? Superior to me, The woman who collects the bunnies? Superior to me.
It’s funny. When something goes wrong, I am made to feel like the most important person in the freaking world! My actions have consequence! The whole damn place spins on how well I do my job. Every damn thing that happens around here is my fault… Shit flows downhill and I am the lowest of the lowly at the very bottom of the hill.
I’ll be here five years in May.
See, I could go with the idea that if it wasn’t for the base the totem pole would fall over. “A strong base blah, blah the tallest tree blah, blah”. Whatever.
I am the one who fills the Public Records Act request. I do all the requests from our federal over seers as they take facilities to court to make them pay fines. I deal with all the subpoenas that come through. They aren’t addressed to me, that honor belongs to my boss. I’m too far down the totem pole to go to court. Yay. But they end up on my desk and they are ultimately my responsibility.I fill them, if there is something wrong it is my fault. But. I work like hell to make sure that things don’t go wrong and most of the time they don’t. Most of the time I make the office look good, the glow off that official goodwill doesn’t always make it down to the bottom of the totem pole but I hear towards the top it is a very becoming light – mostly in shades of yellow and blue. Our federal overseers think I’m great, the public for the most part likes me. I get gifts from third parties I can’t accept every Christmas.
Every single piece of paper that comes to, is produced by, requested from this office comes to my office. Every single document. I have it and there is a pretty good chance that I know where it is. Bottom of the totem pole.
But I can remember from bitter experence that it is better to at the bottom of the totem pole than not on the totem pole at all. I would much rather be annoyed and employed than annoyed and unemployed. I can sooth my self with my 11.10 hours of vacation time that after five years of employement I acrue each month.
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Dayum!
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- President Bush defended the government's eavesdropping program Thursday and said he would not apologize for monitoring the phone and e-mail conversations of Americans talking to people with suspected al Qaeda links.
A man who identified himself as Harry Taylor rose at a forum here to tell Bush that he's never felt more ashamed of the leadership of his country."I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration," Taylor said, standing in a balcony seat and looking down at Bush on stage. "And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself."
Outside, Bush's motorcade came within site of at least a couple hundred protesters outside the hall. They chanted, "Do your job!" and held signs with phrases such as "Liar" and "Worst President Ever."
full story here
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (AP) -- President Bush defended the government's eavesdropping program Thursday and said he would not apologize for monitoring the phone and e-mail conversations of Americans talking to people with suspected al Qaeda links.
A man who identified himself as Harry Taylor rose at a forum here to tell Bush that he's never felt more ashamed of the leadership of his country."I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration," Taylor said, standing in a balcony seat and looking down at Bush on stage. "And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself."
Outside, Bush's motorcade came within site of at least a couple hundred protesters outside the hall. They chanted, "Do your job!" and held signs with phrases such as "Liar" and "Worst President Ever."
full story here
Yard Work
I was on the phone yesterday and I looked out my back window and saw a rabbit. A big rabbit. So I was trying to follow whatever was being said on the phone and all I could think of was ”Damn. That is a big rabbit! It must be some ones pet. It looks like one of those lop eared ones. I wonder whose it is and what it’s doing here and why Dogger hasn’t run it out of the yard yet and if it is going to let me catch it and how do you go about catching a rabbit and then what would I do with it. Did you know cats and rabbits are natural enemies?..”. I was really getting into the idea of this rabbit.
Tel me this doesn’t look like a rabbit
And so I’m standing there thinking these thoughts and after getting off the phone and washing my glasses and peering at the rabbit some more it started to look less like
and more like
Well.
Moving on.
I got to chatting with a fellow a pet lover at work and we were discussing Mini kitty and I told her that The Kitty was acting very unhappy since Mini came to visit and what a bitchy hag Mini was being to both of us and that Mini picked on The Kitty that The Kitty hasn’t purred since Mini walked in our door. The pet lover was aghast and said that it sounded like I really needed to do something “special” for The Kitty. I’m not sure what she was suggesting. It’s not like I can make a Mama and Kitty only tea party for the two of us or have an outing to the park or go to the mall together. I can’t even give him tuna as a reward. The Kitty can’t have treats. I can’t put him in the yard so he could let out his inner jaguar - he might eat grass and he can’t eat grass. He can’t eat anything that isn’t his kibble.
So I called a vet. Not primarily because I can’t teach The Kitty that food=happiness or that eating will solve his problems - I don’t want him to think that all he needs to do to make himself feel better is to feed his face. I don’t want to feed The Kitty fattening cat snax but something is wrong and I want to know what it is.
I called and made an appointment. I scored a Saturday appointment and all was good. It wasn’t until I came home and checked my messages that I realized I all ready have plans for Saturday morning.
Grrrrrrrr! Grown up TV shows shouldn’t start at 8:00! 8:00 is for kiddie shows! And Law and Order reruns!!! “Real” network prime time TV for adults starts at 9:00pm eastern!
Anyway. My plans. 2006 County Convention. The vet had to be rescheduled. I called them, noted that I had just talked to them to scheduled an appointment and I needed to reschedule all ready. I also let them know that The Kitty loves me and very few others. They have been warned.
I was on the phone yesterday and I looked out my back window and saw a rabbit. A big rabbit. So I was trying to follow whatever was being said on the phone and all I could think of was ”Damn. That is a big rabbit! It must be some ones pet. It looks like one of those lop eared ones. I wonder whose it is and what it’s doing here and why Dogger hasn’t run it out of the yard yet and if it is going to let me catch it and how do you go about catching a rabbit and then what would I do with it. Did you know cats and rabbits are natural enemies?..”. I was really getting into the idea of this rabbit.
Tel me this doesn’t look like a rabbit
And so I’m standing there thinking these thoughts and after getting off the phone and washing my glasses and peering at the rabbit some more it started to look less like
and more like
Well.
Moving on.
I got to chatting with a fellow a pet lover at work and we were discussing Mini kitty and I told her that The Kitty was acting very unhappy since Mini came to visit and what a bitchy hag Mini was being to both of us and that Mini picked on The Kitty that The Kitty hasn’t purred since Mini walked in our door. The pet lover was aghast and said that it sounded like I really needed to do something “special” for The Kitty. I’m not sure what she was suggesting. It’s not like I can make a Mama and Kitty only tea party for the two of us or have an outing to the park or go to the mall together. I can’t even give him tuna as a reward. The Kitty can’t have treats. I can’t put him in the yard so he could let out his inner jaguar - he might eat grass and he can’t eat grass. He can’t eat anything that isn’t his kibble.
So I called a vet. Not primarily because I can’t teach The Kitty that food=happiness or that eating will solve his problems - I don’t want him to think that all he needs to do to make himself feel better is to feed his face. I don’t want to feed The Kitty fattening cat snax but something is wrong and I want to know what it is.
I called and made an appointment. I scored a Saturday appointment and all was good. It wasn’t until I came home and checked my messages that I realized I all ready have plans for Saturday morning.
Grrrrrrrr! Grown up TV shows shouldn’t start at 8:00! 8:00 is for kiddie shows! And Law and Order reruns!!! “Real” network prime time TV for adults starts at 9:00pm eastern!
Anyway. My plans. 2006 County Convention. The vet had to be rescheduled. I called them, noted that I had just talked to them to scheduled an appointment and I needed to reschedule all ready. I also let them know that The Kitty loves me and very few others. They have been warned.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Sunshiny
Yesterday as I was leaving work we were under a tornado watch. I had to stand there in the hall cooling my heals while the campus siren went off. I should mention that it was beautiful outside. The sky wasn't green, the wind wasn't blowing, there wasn't a fluorescent quality to the light - none of the signs that I read as "imminent tornadic activity". Earlier, it had been ugly, but the ugly weather was well past us. If it were up to me I would have pulled the siren in the morning when it went from sunshine to total blackness in about twenty minutes. It was nasty outside. And then it went away. It’s all about timing. I don’t think it helps the sirens profile in the community if it goes off when its pretty, it’s kind of like crying wolf.
Mini almost behaved like a real cat yesterday: She let me touch her with out drawing blood! It may have helped that I was able to come through with her demand for her own room. I drew the line at her request for white litter in a white box with freshly cut magnolia blossoms nestled in it.
Happy on “her” bed
Isn’t she cute? You can hardly tell she’s one of those slimy undersea creatures that sting innocent bastards just for walking past her.
Speaking of the little animals. I think I’m done with my vet. The Kitty now weighs less than an Olsen and while he did need to drop some weight he didn’t need to drop all his weight. He has hip bones that Laura Flyn Boyle would covet. I want a second opinion. I also want a vet that won’t laugh at me when I ask about my dogs growing agoraphobia
I’m glad to see that now that the time has change back to where it belongs, that it is dark again in the morning – As it should be! There is nothing comforting about waking up with a face full of sunshine in the morning. It was really causing me stress there at the end. I kept checking my clock on the way to work in the morning to make sure that I hadn’t some how not noticed over sleeping and it was really much, much later than it should be. I don’t care to have to wear sunglasses in the morning. Sunglasses are an afternoon thing. I see people wandering around in sunglasses before noon and I think jealous, less then sympathetic thoughts about what they must have been doing the night before . I am also happy about the morning darkness because it prevents me from having to see the trash that “somehow” makes it into my yard each night. There is nothing that takes the "Good!" out of your "Morning! like dumpster diving in your front yard.
Yesterday as I was leaving work we were under a tornado watch. I had to stand there in the hall cooling my heals while the campus siren went off. I should mention that it was beautiful outside. The sky wasn't green, the wind wasn't blowing, there wasn't a fluorescent quality to the light - none of the signs that I read as "imminent tornadic activity". Earlier, it had been ugly, but the ugly weather was well past us. If it were up to me I would have pulled the siren in the morning when it went from sunshine to total blackness in about twenty minutes. It was nasty outside. And then it went away. It’s all about timing. I don’t think it helps the sirens profile in the community if it goes off when its pretty, it’s kind of like crying wolf.
Mini almost behaved like a real cat yesterday: She let me touch her with out drawing blood! It may have helped that I was able to come through with her demand for her own room. I drew the line at her request for white litter in a white box with freshly cut magnolia blossoms nestled in it.
Happy on “her” bed
Isn’t she cute? You can hardly tell she’s one of those slimy undersea creatures that sting innocent bastards just for walking past her.
Speaking of the little animals. I think I’m done with my vet. The Kitty now weighs less than an Olsen and while he did need to drop some weight he didn’t need to drop all his weight. He has hip bones that Laura Flyn Boyle would covet. I want a second opinion. I also want a vet that won’t laugh at me when I ask about my dogs growing agoraphobia
I’m glad to see that now that the time has change back to where it belongs, that it is dark again in the morning – As it should be! There is nothing comforting about waking up with a face full of sunshine in the morning. It was really causing me stress there at the end. I kept checking my clock on the way to work in the morning to make sure that I hadn’t some how not noticed over sleeping and it was really much, much later than it should be. I don’t care to have to wear sunglasses in the morning. Sunglasses are an afternoon thing. I see people wandering around in sunglasses before noon and I think jealous, less then sympathetic thoughts about what they must have been doing the night before . I am also happy about the morning darkness because it prevents me from having to see the trash that “somehow” makes it into my yard each night. There is nothing that takes the "Good!" out of your "Morning! like dumpster diving in your front yard.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Nature doesn’t buy airtime
My first thoughts this morning were “Why are the Good Neighbors making so much noise? Are they moving? Why are they moving in the middle of the night? They own that place. Maybe they are starting a remodeling project? At 5:50am? and then, Maybe something blew up? Is blowing up? Do things blow up in slow motion? And finally, What is Dogger growling at? Is that Dogger? Wow, she has a great growl. I should record that and sell it to single girls as a low end security devise. and finally, I hope that is the cats running up and down the stairs and not that they somehow got into the attic and are running around in the walls. Because that would suck. It would be murder to get them out of there.” I didn’t get up to actually investigate any of these theories, I wasn’t that awake yet and a quick check of the clock let me know that I was going to be up soon anyway and I didn’t want to ruin my alarm clocks daily moment of glory.
My alarm went off and forced me into realityland.
It turned out in realityland that it was not to be Dogger growling or the cats chasing each other inside the walls or the Good Neighbors attempting to slip out in the dark or remodel their kitchen. It was thunder. It has been so long since I have heard thunder I had to come up with a series of increasingly stupid explanations for what I was hearing.
We used to get huge thunderstorms in Dallas. Huge! We don’t get them here anywhere near as much. It’s a pity, a good, loud thunderstorm can be very entertaining – because usually any good, loud thunderstorm knocks out your power and takes out the phones and really limits your access to entertainment. Electric storms take away your electronic entertainment and show you how entertaining sheer electricity can be while also reminding you again, why you should not to stick that fork in the outlet. Gawds own PSA.
The Cats. The cats spent the night chasing each other and ignoring me. Which was good because it was too damn hot to be wearing a cat hat or needing a cat pelt for warmth. Mini Kitty rested up all day so she would be able to more effectively torment The Kitty all night long. Mini just pays there like a ,um, like, a, uh, like one of those nasty, poisonous ocean creatures that lay flat on the sea floor and wait for some poor bastard to step on them? Yeah. Like one of those Mini would do well as some sort of poisonous creature of the deep. She would have ideal camouflage – her fuzzy, fluffy fur makes her appear to be a practically adorable house cat when in reality she is predatory ocean creature who lies on the bottom of the sea waiting for some poor bastard to step on her. She is no nasty and predatory she doesn’t even need to be under water. She wears some sort of fluffy, evil, life support tanks attached to her fur somehow.
She is even set up so that she doesn’t have to wait for some poor bastard to step on her to unleash her evol. She has it so that all you have to do is walk past her and she can nail you with her evol. She is talented and highly evolved. There she is, an evil under sea creature who has over the millennia developed into a house cat, in order to both fool what few predators she does have (radioactive Sharks in the service of some shawdowy paramilitary force controlled by a nephew of Donald Rummsfeld) and better spread her evol over a wide area. Let the creationist explain that.
My first thoughts this morning were “Why are the Good Neighbors making so much noise? Are they moving? Why are they moving in the middle of the night? They own that place. Maybe they are starting a remodeling project? At 5:50am? and then, Maybe something blew up? Is blowing up? Do things blow up in slow motion? And finally, What is Dogger growling at? Is that Dogger? Wow, she has a great growl. I should record that and sell it to single girls as a low end security devise. and finally, I hope that is the cats running up and down the stairs and not that they somehow got into the attic and are running around in the walls. Because that would suck. It would be murder to get them out of there.” I didn’t get up to actually investigate any of these theories, I wasn’t that awake yet and a quick check of the clock let me know that I was going to be up soon anyway and I didn’t want to ruin my alarm clocks daily moment of glory.
My alarm went off and forced me into realityland.
It turned out in realityland that it was not to be Dogger growling or the cats chasing each other inside the walls or the Good Neighbors attempting to slip out in the dark or remodel their kitchen. It was thunder. It has been so long since I have heard thunder I had to come up with a series of increasingly stupid explanations for what I was hearing.
We used to get huge thunderstorms in Dallas. Huge! We don’t get them here anywhere near as much. It’s a pity, a good, loud thunderstorm can be very entertaining – because usually any good, loud thunderstorm knocks out your power and takes out the phones and really limits your access to entertainment. Electric storms take away your electronic entertainment and show you how entertaining sheer electricity can be while also reminding you again, why you should not to stick that fork in the outlet. Gawds own PSA.
The Cats. The cats spent the night chasing each other and ignoring me. Which was good because it was too damn hot to be wearing a cat hat or needing a cat pelt for warmth. Mini Kitty rested up all day so she would be able to more effectively torment The Kitty all night long. Mini just pays there like a ,um, like, a, uh, like one of those nasty, poisonous ocean creatures that lay flat on the sea floor and wait for some poor bastard to step on them? Yeah. Like one of those Mini would do well as some sort of poisonous creature of the deep. She would have ideal camouflage – her fuzzy, fluffy fur makes her appear to be a practically adorable house cat when in reality she is predatory ocean creature who lies on the bottom of the sea waiting for some poor bastard to step on her. She is no nasty and predatory she doesn’t even need to be under water. She wears some sort of fluffy, evil, life support tanks attached to her fur somehow.
She is even set up so that she doesn’t have to wait for some poor bastard to step on her to unleash her evol. She has it so that all you have to do is walk past her and she can nail you with her evol. She is talented and highly evolved. There she is, an evil under sea creature who has over the millennia developed into a house cat, in order to both fool what few predators she does have (radioactive Sharks in the service of some shawdowy paramilitary force controlled by a nephew of Donald Rummsfeld) and better spread her evol over a wide area. Let the creationist explain that.
Monday, April 3, 2006
Liberals?
Political, in liberal doses.No one is being conservative in calling ‘Boston Legal’ the most ‘aggressively partisan’ show in TV history.'Boston Legal" requires its own descriptive combo-word. The ABC series about a powerhouse Beantown law firm is part drama and part sitcom, but "dramedy" doesn't do it full justice. It's also as politically freighted as a Maureen Dowd column or Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points." Call it a "sitcommentary" or perhaps a "dramatorial." It's the most overtly, aggressively partisan entertainment series in TV history.
full story here
How am I not watching this show?!
Political, in liberal doses.No one is being conservative in calling ‘Boston Legal’ the most ‘aggressively partisan’ show in TV history.'Boston Legal" requires its own descriptive combo-word. The ABC series about a powerhouse Beantown law firm is part drama and part sitcom, but "dramedy" doesn't do it full justice. It's also as politically freighted as a Maureen Dowd column or Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points." Call it a "sitcommentary" or perhaps a "dramatorial." It's the most overtly, aggressively partisan entertainment series in TV history.
full story here
How am I not watching this show?!
When a nanny state is a good thing.
Tokyo's city government is trying to persuade allergy sufferers to sponsor a campaign to replace the pollen-rich cedar trees that cause misery for many Japanese each spring.
full story: If thine tree offends you, chop it down
Ceder trees are evil.I spend four years with a nasty head cold and one with a nasty case of Kill Me Now. I hate, hate, hate ceder trees. And living where I did was not a help
Ceder Fever
Tokyo's city government is trying to persuade allergy sufferers to sponsor a campaign to replace the pollen-rich cedar trees that cause misery for many Japanese each spring.
full story: If thine tree offends you, chop it down
Ceder trees are evil.I spend four years with a nasty head cold and one with a nasty case of Kill Me Now. I hate, hate, hate ceder trees. And living where I did was not a help
Ceder Fever
Gawds own Party
Now that the GOP has been transformed by the rise of the South, the trauma of terrorism and George W. Bush's conviction that God wanted him to be president, a deeper conclusion can be drawn: The Republican Party has become the first religious party in U.S. history.
We have had small-scale theocracies in North America before -- in Puritan New England and later in Mormon Utah. Today, a leading power such as the United States approaches theocracy when it meets the conditions currently on display: an elected leader who believes himself to speak for the Almighty, a ruling political party that represents religious true believers, the certainty of many Republican voters that government should be guided by religion and, on top of it all, a White House that adopts agendas seemingly animated by biblical worldviews.
Read the artical and then worry, worry, worry about where Shrub and his minions are taking our country.
Now that the GOP has been transformed by the rise of the South, the trauma of terrorism and George W. Bush's conviction that God wanted him to be president, a deeper conclusion can be drawn: The Republican Party has become the first religious party in U.S. history.
We have had small-scale theocracies in North America before -- in Puritan New England and later in Mormon Utah. Today, a leading power such as the United States approaches theocracy when it meets the conditions currently on display: an elected leader who believes himself to speak for the Almighty, a ruling political party that represents religious true believers, the certainty of many Republican voters that government should be guided by religion and, on top of it all, a White House that adopts agendas seemingly animated by biblical worldviews.
Read the artical and then worry, worry, worry about where Shrub and his minions are taking our country.
Weekend
Things Mini Kitty Has Hissed at me for so far
For:
1.Walking past her too quickly.
2. Not walking past her quickly enough.
3. Petting her.
4. Not petting her.
5. Staying too long in the same room as her.
6. Not being in the same room as her.
7 Not removing the “all ready been climbed” smell from the cat tree.
8. Having a blood type she does not care for.
9. The doggy smell.
10. Not providing her with her own room ( arrangements in process)
11. Buying cheap litter.
12. Not feigning interest in her stories.
13. The neighborhood birds not of high enough quality.
14. The window screens weave too dense.
15. Food provided not up to her high standards.
16. Insisting that the couch not be used a scratching post.
17. Not owning the sound track to Cats.
18. Kitty.
19. Dogger.
20. Forcing her people to leave her here.
It’s been a long 14 hours.
Do you think your neighborhood is quite? I did until I had over night guests and I realized I live in Grand Central Station! It never stops. Motorcycles, loud car stereos, ambulance, fire police sirens all night long!, people outside chatting, a train going through, dogs barking - Akita's do yap! I thought they were too big to yap and they do. For hours.
I don’t even hear those things anymore and I don’t think it really bothered my parents but I was up all night listening to all the damn sound. I nearly jumped out of my skin when The Kitty knocked over a plastic thing in the bathroom. Kitty knocks that over all the time , but not at 2:30 am when I have guests in the house! It sounded like a bomb going off.
This weekend I finally removed all the taped-from-TV tapes that I made. I haven’t watched them since I made them and the shows are now available in syndication should I want to watch them, and I don’t do that very often, so I decided that it was time for them to go hide somewhere. I also wanted to be able to access my DVDs more easily. Mission Accomplished.
Kitty has ignored the shelves where the tapes and DVDs live. He wasn’t even around when I did the switch over but he now knows the shelves are not just a part of the wall and he wants to explore them. I store a lot of things on those shelves, breakable things I have to keep out of his way. All night long I kept waiting for him to take the whole thing over
Along with hosting the fam and clearing a shelf I also finally went and picked out this years Bunny Drive bunnies. I was able to get two less than completely satisfactory bunnies for about what I would have paid for one completely satisfactory bunny. I.E, too gender specific, thus the having to buy two, the ribbons around their little bunny necks...
It was hard finding two I didn't hate. Every other bunny either had Jesus Saves embroidered on their little bunny chests or were dressed like little bunny para-troopers and carrying guns. I don't think bunny para-troopers or bunny born agains really honor either group with much respect. "HI! you're putting your life at risk! Here have a bunny wearing a camo tee-shirt and holding an AK-47! Thank you for your sacrifice!!, or "HI! you are a true believer! Here is a your belief system reduced to a slogan on a stuffed animal!! Happy Resurrection Of Your Lord!! While I was there in Plasticsloganland I also opted for some new plastic flowers. The plastic Irisi
My home grown Irisi
I hate Wal-Mart.
Things Mini Kitty Has Hissed at me for so far
For:
1.Walking past her too quickly.
2. Not walking past her quickly enough.
3. Petting her.
4. Not petting her.
5. Staying too long in the same room as her.
6. Not being in the same room as her.
7 Not removing the “all ready been climbed” smell from the cat tree.
8. Having a blood type she does not care for.
9. The doggy smell.
10. Not providing her with her own room ( arrangements in process)
11. Buying cheap litter.
12. Not feigning interest in her stories.
13. The neighborhood birds not of high enough quality.
14. The window screens weave too dense.
15. Food provided not up to her high standards.
16. Insisting that the couch not be used a scratching post.
17. Not owning the sound track to Cats.
18. Kitty.
19. Dogger.
20. Forcing her people to leave her here.
It’s been a long 14 hours.
Do you think your neighborhood is quite? I did until I had over night guests and I realized I live in Grand Central Station! It never stops. Motorcycles, loud car stereos, ambulance, fire police sirens all night long!, people outside chatting, a train going through, dogs barking - Akita's do yap! I thought they were too big to yap and they do. For hours.
I don’t even hear those things anymore and I don’t think it really bothered my parents but I was up all night listening to all the damn sound. I nearly jumped out of my skin when The Kitty knocked over a plastic thing in the bathroom. Kitty knocks that over all the time , but not at 2:30 am when I have guests in the house! It sounded like a bomb going off.
This weekend I finally removed all the taped-from-TV tapes that I made. I haven’t watched them since I made them and the shows are now available in syndication should I want to watch them, and I don’t do that very often, so I decided that it was time for them to go hide somewhere. I also wanted to be able to access my DVDs more easily. Mission Accomplished.
Kitty has ignored the shelves where the tapes and DVDs live. He wasn’t even around when I did the switch over but he now knows the shelves are not just a part of the wall and he wants to explore them. I store a lot of things on those shelves, breakable things I have to keep out of his way. All night long I kept waiting for him to take the whole thing over
Along with hosting the fam and clearing a shelf I also finally went and picked out this years Bunny Drive bunnies. I was able to get two less than completely satisfactory bunnies for about what I would have paid for one completely satisfactory bunny. I.E, too gender specific, thus the having to buy two, the ribbons around their little bunny necks...
It was hard finding two I didn't hate. Every other bunny either had Jesus Saves embroidered on their little bunny chests or were dressed like little bunny para-troopers and carrying guns. I don't think bunny para-troopers or bunny born agains really honor either group with much respect. "HI! you're putting your life at risk! Here have a bunny wearing a camo tee-shirt and holding an AK-47! Thank you for your sacrifice!!, or "HI! you are a true believer! Here is a your belief system reduced to a slogan on a stuffed animal!! Happy Resurrection Of Your Lord!! While I was there in Plasticsloganland I also opted for some new plastic flowers. The plastic Irisi
My home grown Irisi
I hate Wal-Mart.
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Saturday, April 1, 2006
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