January 01, 2006
Thinking Pink...
As you requested, Kelley, sweets.
So excited for you and Pete and Spidey and numbah one son!
Happy New Year indeed!
January 02, 2006
Rose Parade!
It was wet and miserable on the parade route this morning, and I was wearing rain gear...
Still downloading the couple hundred photos we took. Gallery available tomorrow!
January 03, 2006
On a related note....
Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversary to my Blogparents, Jay and Deb of Accidental Verbosity!!
Jay says,
"Two years have seemed like no time and a lifetime. It's easy to imagine looking back from thirty years out and saying "has it really been that long? And was what came before really as long or longer?""I'm saying the same thing about 6 and a half years. After spending the last two nights in the company of our newlywed friends (married in June, July, and July, respectively), last night DH and I discussed the fact that even disregarding much of the time he was away in the army, we've now been married longer than we were dating and engaged. It has seemed, in Jay's words, both a lifetime and no time.
Somehow I think that's exactly why it's right, and exactly how it works.
Congratulations you two crazy kids, on finding your soulmate and being smart enough to snap them up, no matter how insane and improbable the circumstances were!
This is Exactly why I don't drink....
You're A Crazy Drunk |
 When you drink, you get wrecked - and it ain't pretty. |
From the Wild Drunk and the Crazy Drunk
Another weird quiz...
| Your Love Element Is Metal |
 For you, love is all about fusing together for one incredible life experience. You attract others with wit and a bit of flash. Your flirting style is defined by making others want and value you. Greatness and optimism are the cornerstones of your love life. You may let go too easily, but you never get weighed down by your past. You connect best with: Earth Avoid: Fire You and another Metal element: will control and smother each other |
January 04, 2006
So I was trying to write this Meme....
...that Margi tagged me with, and I was watching the PC about the miner who went to the hospital, when a woman ran up to Anderson Cooper screaming that all the other miners were dead. Seems that just when they told us all was well, the worst possible thing happened. And I'm sobbing. Just sobbing.
How in God's name did they fuck this up so badly? We were wondering why we didn't see the miners come out, why the ambulances weren't running, why the hospital only received one patient.
Now we know. What kind of cruel bastard would let this happen to these poor people who have suffered so much over the last two days? How could they have been taken from the depths of despair to utter joy, back to horrified pain again?
The president of the mine company is on TV right now, eating a big shit sandwich. Trying to cover his ass, but frankly the man is going to burn for it. He says his company never said everyone was alive. But in reality, they never said that they weren't either. His company could have avoided this SNAFU by saying that they COULD NOT CONFIRM that there were any survivors.
Now he's spinning like a top. Your ass is SO toast buddy. Your company is going down in a blaze of courtroom glory.
Anyway, maybe tomorrow I'll answer that meme and Fight On! for USC, but tonight, I just don't have the heart.
Let your dear ones know you love them everyday. You never know which day is the one when they won't come back to you.
An academic's guide to Hollywood
Or, how to get paid for being a nerd. Hollywood producer Kate Coe writes this interesting and informative piece on academic consultants and their role in production.
You might have a named chair at Hallowed Halls U, but on a film set,Interestingly the piece features the contributions of several Caltech professors to the current CBS show NUMB3RS, including Gary Lorden, who allowed me to pass Math 2C/1D (statistics) with a D, and Richard Wilson, who is famous as the Math 1A (freshman fall term math) prof, and who was long destined for Hollywood between his penchant for flute playing in class (to demonstrate harmonics) and his tendency to name functions ("Take f(x), let's call it Frank...")
status is measured by the size of your budget -- and you don't have
one. With no budget, there's not much reason for the camera operators,
set designers, or props department to take you too seriously. On the
other hand, an adviser does have access to the director and to the
star. (You have access to the writer, too, but writers don't have much
status, as they will be quick to complain.) So work with decorum, be
collegial, and go through channels.
h/t Joanne Jacobs
Fight called on account of Hockey
Best. Hockey. Fight. EVER.
The only thing missing was a Roy/Osgood style goalie throwdown....
h/t The Pirate
MeWeirdMe
So Margi's crazy in the head and she thought that not only could she tag me with this silly meme, but that her pregnant ass could outrun me! ;)
So, here we go, 5 weird things about me:
1. I love acting like an idiot. If you read this blog, you know that I love to use colloquialisms and Southern language (like ain't) and I'm a closet valley girl. Like totally. Dude. I think it tends to disarm people. When people (even my friends) hear I have a PhD, they tend to back off. When they find out that I'm a goofball, it thaws them out.
2. I have this OCD thing about even numbers. Like when I eat M&Ms or Reese's Pieces, I have to eat them two at a time, both of the same color. And yes, sometimes one goes on either side of my mouth. When I was a kid, I used to be like this with everything, but I've managed to get it down to candy, for the most part. I also count things compulsively.
3. I am the remote control queen. Most people think guys have the flipping itch, but I'm WAY worse than DH with it. I also yell back to the TV. Especially during football and hockey, at which point the language level falls to the gutter.
4. I get really damn impatient with my entertainment. I hate getting into a book or a movie and then finding it has a crap ending. I fast forward parts of movies that I consider tiresome or embarassing (to the characters), and I can't stand poorly done situation comedy or pratfalls. Not there aren't some great comedies and even some fabulous physical comedians, but if it makes me uncomfortable I hit the fast forward button. It makes me really frigging grumpy.
5. Ummmm... not sure what else. I know I'm weirder than this. Huh. Well, maybe more later when I think of something.
Good game
even if they did have to have the booth ref cheat for them. Real score: 38-35, USC.
But I guess that's how the cookie crumbles, huh?
That's ok. Makes it easier for me to get tickets next year.
January 05, 2006
PostGame Show
Well, more like PostGame blogmeet.
This lovely lady and her husband and some friends were parked outside of our house during the game, and they were nice enough to drop in and say hello after the game. Then we all went out and had some food since they had been at the stadium all day.
Despite differences in allegiance, a good time was had by all and I was pleased to see so many SC fans congratulate the UT fans on their win. In fact, the folks at the next table were the family and friends of the UT placekicker. Not a great night for him, but his mom was so happy.
They had an early flight, so I hope they're well on their way back home.
January 06, 2006
More weird quizzes
I was totally bored tonight....
This is the FUNNIEST one:
| You Have Your PhD in Men |
 You accept that guys are very different, and you read signals well. Work what you know about men, and your relationships will be blissful. |
Your Scent is Pumpkin Pie |
 Warm, comforting, and a bit old fashioned You've got what men want - believe it or not! |
You Are Midtown |
 You love so many things, you don't fit into any one label. Your city girl persona goes to a fancy restaurant one night and a dive bar the next. |
You Are a White Rose |
 You represent youthfulness and purity. Your vibe: Sweet and heavenly Falling in love with you: is like falling in love for the first time |
This one is the truest:
| You Are a Rose |
 Your friends depend on you to hold things together and make decisions. Men are drawn to your feminine powers and strength. While you are the center of attention, you are secretly introverted and a bit shy. |
And finally, for my darling sweet hubby who loves John Cusack movies:
| Your Life is Like |
 |
One more
Because I couldn't resist:
| Your Stripper Song Is |
 "You let me violate you, you let me desecrate you You let me penetrate you, you let me complicate you Help me I broke apart my insides, help me I've got no Soul to tell" When you dance, it's a little scary - and a lot sexy. |
For Ariel Sharon
From Ha'aretz:
Say a prayer for the prime minister.
Say a prayer for the man who could not be broken.
Say a prayer for our shattered present. Say a prayer for our shuttered common future.
Pray for the man who could not be stilled. Pray for the man who could not be swayed.
Say a prayer for the future only he knew.
Say a prayer for the people he has left behind. The Jewish People, the people he loved, at times despite himself, despite them. The people who could not bring themselves to love him.
Pray for those of us who once embraced him, and came to curse him.
Pray for those of us who once cursed him, and could not bring ourselves to forgive him.
Pray for those who call themselves religious and see in this, the hand of God.
Pray for those who call themselves non-religious and need now to pray.
Pray for the leaders who, unable to replace him, will now succeed him.
Pray for a miracle. Pray for all of us. Pray that we may know to heal each other.
Pray for this land. That it may know the peace that he never will.
Amen.
January 07, 2006
Stolen from Ken
This is an interesting little Meme, especially as folks of different ages have different memories of the same events....
Stolen from Ken, who in turn took it from Wunderkraut
Where Were You, What Were You Doing And How Did You Feel When…:
You found out about 9/11
The start of the FIRST Gulf War - When we began combat operations.
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
The Space Shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry
Reagan was shot
John Lennon was shot
The Pope was shot
Berlin Wall came down
President Clinton was acquitted of impeachment
Election night 2000
When Kennedy was shot (for my more mature readers)
My answers in the extended....
Read More "Stolen from Ken" »Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence....
Seems that no good deed goes unpunished:
Police in Houston reported a 23 percent jump in murders over the last year as the fourth largest U.S. city grappled with 150,000 evacuees from New Orleans and no extra money to cope with the influx.Thousands of Katrina evacuees flooded the Houston area (pun intended) in the days after the storm. While many of them arrived empty-handed, it appears some brought their criminal intentions with them. According to the article:
It's really not surprising given that New Orleans has consistently been among the most deadly cities in the US, and the murder capital in 2002 and 2003. Even just statistically speaking, that many New Orleans transplants was bound to increase Houston's murder rate.The city's murder rate was already increasing before Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, city officials say, and was worsened by a staffing shortage in the police department. Police say at least 10 of the deaths have included suspects or victims from New Orleans, a city that had one of the highest U.S. murder rates for years, leading the country in 2002 and 2003.
Houston's spike in murders came sharply into focus over the Thanksgiving holiday when 14 people were killed during the long weekend, about twice the usual number. "It was definitely a bad, long weekend," Houston police chief Harold Hurtt said at the time.
One of the murders resulted in the arrest of a New Orleans evacuee suspected of shooting another, and city officials say many of the crimes have taken place in apartment complexes where the evacuees are now living. This week, Hurtt launched a program to increase police presence at the troubled complexes and other areas with increased crime. "Some of these areas that have been identified are clusters of evacuees," he said at a news conference on Wednesday.
What's exceedingly unfortunate is that the usual citizens of Houston are suffering as the police (whose salaries they pay) focus their energies on the New Orleans evacuees (who don't). Sure the evacuees don't account for all of Houston's troubles, but they don't help either.
Read the entire article. What do you think?
January 08, 2006
Ted Kennedy, Historical scholar
WaPo's Dana Milbank notes this scholarly gem from Massachussetts' favorite drunken driver:
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), hosting a morning roundtable with reporters, had nothing nice to say about Alito. "We here in the United States are not going to stand for monarchial tyranny," he said, protesting Alito's support for "unfettered, unlimited power of the executive." He faulted Alito for belonging to a group that was "anti-black and also anti-women." Kennedy wondered if "the average person is going to be able to get a fair shake" under Alito.Yep. You read that right. Further proof that the esteemed gentleman from Massachussetts lives in an alternate universe.
Briefly, Kennedy rewrote the outcome of the 1964 election. "This nominee was influenced by the Goldwater presidency," he said. "The Goldwater battles of those times were the battles against the civil rights laws." Only then did Kennedy acknowledge that "Judge Alito at that time was 14 years old."
h/t McGehee, who found it here
January 09, 2006
Late to the party as usual...
So last night DH and were up late celebrating the last "non-school night" of vacation, and we were watching TV when Bowling for Columbine came on Bravo. Neither of us had seen it, and as we're not directly paying that Fat Fcuk to see it, we decided to watch it. Quite an interesting movie, and I had been unaware of the fact that the Fat Fcuk, the Nichols brothers, and Eric Harris (of the Columbine massacre) all lived in the same area of MI as kids. Kinda creepy. But still....
Here's my one word movie review: Hypocrisy.
Here's my 8 word movie review: Holy shit! What a difference a year makes.
One of the main subtexts of the film, as far as I could tell is that it's hypocritical to tell out kids not to shoot each other while we bomb the hell out of innocent countries.... That is, we cannot simultaneously demand peace and peddle war, even on different scales.
Who does Señor Fat Fcuk (and any number of others in the film) blame for this? Why President Bill Clinton, of course. Funny how just 2 years later Clinton is the benevolent savior of the universe and George W Bush is the only bastard that ever peddled war to the rest of the world. How conveniently the righteous indignation over the bombing of Bosnia was forgotten as soon as we went to war in the Middle East.
The other thing that got to me was this statement "[during the Clinton administration] 500,000 Iraqi children were killed by bombing raids and sanctions", displayed while a picture of a US bomber dropping bombs was also shown. Clearly implying that US bombs did most of the killing, when the reality of the matter is that the vast majority of those Iraqi children died because Saddam and friends wouldn't cooperate with the sanctions AND pocketed the Oil for Food money.
At least the shithead was blaming it on the Clinton administration for a change, evidently he hadn't gotten BDS yet.....
The saddest thing is, I used to love the Fat Fcuk. Ben can vouch for this. We both were HUGE fans of TV Nation, especially after he stood up for Sean Boyd, a weatherman from Fresno who was fired from his job after refusing to lie (scroll down to "Story #3") about the weather forecast during a station-sponsored event.
It was also interesting to see Matt Stone (of South Park) agreeing with the Fat Fcuk, as in subsequent years he and Trey have literally skewered the Fat Fcuk on South Park and in Team America.
Funny how things change. Hypocritical Fcuk.
Quick thoughts on the Alito hearing
1. It's not "the economy, stupid". This time around it's all about Executive power. They think they can shitcan a brilliant man based on one contemporaneous issue. Kennedy, in particular, was "troubled". I guess that means it's all good. (see here)
2.Leahy? He's an unmitigated twat. Like it's Alito's fault he's a white male? Jackass.
For the interested among you....
The California Mafia is back from blogging hiatus!
As is He Who Is Not Dale Gribble!
Welcome back both of you!
Osama Been Dyin?
In the National Review, Michael Ledeen sends:
"...according to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden finally departed this world in mid-December. The al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent most of his time since the destruction of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The Iranians who reported this note that this year's message in conjunction with the Muslim Haj came from his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, for the first time."
Veddy Interesting, but perhaps another instance of crying wolf? I won't believe it until I see the DNA results from his corpse.
h/t Greyhawk and Not Dale Gribble
More Kennedy Follies
Methinks Ol' Ted should just pack it in while he's ahead. Between his opening statements this morning, this misrememberation (See, Dubya isn't the only one!) and this, he's about lost it, I think:
You read that right. The dog's name is "Splash". Great name for a Portuguese Water Dog. Bad name for a dog belonging to Ted Kennedy. Wonder if he has another named "Mary Jo"???"Meet the latest children's author, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his Portuguese Water Dog, Splash, his co-protagonist in "My Senator and Me: A Dogs-Eye View of Washington, D.C."
Scholastic Inc. will release the book in May."
The jokes write themselves on this one, folks. Good going, Ted.
h/t Prof. Taylor
It's National De-lurking Week
At least, according to this lovely lady (from whom I stoleborrowed this graphic).
Follow the directions and nobody gets hurt....
Come on, you know you've got something to say..... And I'd love to know who you are.
Don't think I don't see you out there....
Survivor 12: Panama - Exile Island
CBS released the information on the new crop of Survivors who will return to Panama for the 12th season of the hit reality show (that I am evidently obsessed with...)
Seems as if this time, those voted out will be sent off to "exile island" to fend for themselves during the rest of the run of the show. As a twist (since it worked so well last season, right Gary??) an immunity idol will be hidden on Exile Island, and any of the voted-out players who finds it may return to the game.
That's kinda dumb.
Anyway, click here for the info and bios of the Season 12 castaways.
More idiocy - NCAA football edition
Marcus Vick is in the news again. Just hours after being removed from the VA Tech football team for being an assh*le, he's turned himself in on weapons charges.
Dumbass. Just 'cause your brother is Ron Mexico and you were on TV playing football doesn't mean you get to be a d*ckhead. Even if you are a (c)hokey.
By the by, just because you're eligible for the draft doesn't mean you'll catch on in the pros, my man. Remember this guy?
h/t: Dan and Tre
January 10, 2006
Odds and Ends
Not much going on with me today. Half listening to the Alito confirmation hearing, and he's dancing around the senators quite nicely. Go Sam!
So here's what's up with the rest of the bloggy-web:
AWTM is without blog access as her computers have died. Not to worry, she's got plenty of help (Mwahahahahahahahhha! Look out, Mom!)....
SGT Hook has a story you won't see in the MSM: Iraqi troops on patrol caused some terrorist scumbag kidnappers to flee, and the French hostage they were holding ran to safety at a checkpoint manned by US soldiers.
Trajectory over at TBX reports on some interesting new methods in contraception for deer...
Tammi pays off her bet at last weekend's FritzFest. Check out the dude in the kilt!
Dash has an excellent way to avoid those long Post Office lines this week.
Too bad Anita hasn't seen it.....
Dave has some thoughts on the new Ecosystem system
Lair has an idea for solving Houston's crime problem
Tolkien Geek is almost done. Follow along with ROTK Bk 5, Ch9
Got a problem with Wet Foot/Dry Foot? email Homeland Security and tell them why it's a pile of crap. Babalu already has.
Jay needs your help deciding on a gadget for mobile email etc.
Ith is home from vacation, and Jen and Beau have returned from their honeymoon. Nice pictures!
Gordon has the story of an early entrant in this year's Darwin Awards.
That's enough for now, don'tcha think? Go on. Read.
Borking Alito
Chuckie "Hillary's Lapdog" Schumer is currently trying to hang Alito with a noose fashioned of Bork's coattails...
Now he's taking him to task for being an honest dissenter. Maybe we should change Chuckie's nickname from "Hillary's Lapdog" to "Stuck on Spin Cycle".
January 11, 2006
Happy Birthday!
To my wonderful Mother and my dear friend A.
And to adorable Brandon, too.
Here's to a better year than the last and many many more.
Good News and Bad....
First the good news:
My migraine is much better. My usual remedy: a long VERY HOT shower, Tylenol Flu (which they evidently no longer make due to Psudoephedrine issues.... but Walgreens does. Yay!), and a nap. Somedays it just takes a while. I don't have BAD headaches very often, but when I do.... well, that's probably better left unsaid....
Looks like Baby Xrlq is about to have a brother or sister. Of the human kind, this time, rather than the canine and feline ones he has now.
CPT Z seems to have come through the latest round of surgery with flying colors and is resting up at Walter Reed for hopefully the last time for a while.
Kevin K likewise is doing well after his surgery and is back home.
And now the bad:
Helen had a rotten day, and she could sure use a hug and some words of encouragement, especially from anyone who's been on the IVF Merry-Go-Round (which is, of course, far from Merry by all accounts)
Vicky is still not making much progress. While she has a diagnosis, the doctors are still pretty concerned with everything that's going on and are talking about sending her to a bigger hospital with more resources. Drop by Matt's blog or Vicky's to see how to send her a note directly or leave a tuppence in the tip jar, as there's about to be a big hotel bill to go along with the hospital ones. I wish Dr. House was real so I could send him down to take care of Matt and Vicky.
January 12, 2006
Getting Geological on his ass
I wanna see the rest of the Alito Hearings in Frank J's world:
A large gray thing hit Biden in the face and knocked him to the ground.
"We agreed that Alito was not allowed to bring any rocks to these hearings!" Schumer exclaimed.
"That was a chunk of concrete!" Alito said defensively.
"It's the same thing!"
"Oh yeah?" Alito scoffed. "If a chunk of concrete is a rock, tell me whether it's igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic?"
"He's getting geological on your ass!" Bush laughed. "No wonder people call him and his friends 'wiseguys.'"
Go see what Ted Kennedy had to say....
Not to be redundant
But Teddy Kennedy is a hypocritical pig bastard.
The man and his self-serving egotistical posturing has made me physically sick. Who the fuck told him that he has the right to set him self up as the Grand Poobah High Inquisitor of Ethics?
Was it Mary Jo Kopechne?
The little fucking toad acts as if he doesn't fart. Which we all know leads to Spontaneous Human Combustion. Can I watch?
I don't recall ANYONE accusing Judge Alito of drowning a woman, or drunk driving (multiple times), or lying about anything. You Senator, on the other hand, have not only been accused of all of the above, but HAVE ADMITTED IT.
Lemme ask you... What's worse: Getting drunk and driving your car off a bridge and leaving a poor defenseless young lady to drown or recusing yourself after the fact from a case involving your mutual funds? What's worse: Lying to the cops during a drunk driving arrest or joining a group that at the time was merely protesting the removal of ROTC at Princeton?
Furthermore, if this wasn't enough evidence that Teddy needs better advice, his ill-informed tirade yesterday on the Rusher documents from CAP proved that a fat drunk bully is always a fat drunk bully, no matter how you dress him up. I about crapped myself when Spector shut him up and then when they came back from recess and Spector announced the documents were freely available without need of a subpoena, and if TK had gone about it properly, he could have had the documents himself already.... and then the killer "No recollection of Mr. Alito, and his name does not appear" HAH.
Even trying to portray Alito as a racist and a bigot failed when he made Mrs. Alito cry.
I am so glad these unbelievably long hearings are almost over. [/rant]
Better than I thought (Updated!)
Wow, the trip we took this summer really filled in my map.....If we had taken I-94 instead of I-90, we would have driven through ND too....
Interestingly, I've been within 5 miles of two of the states I have not visited (MS and NH), and really, the only time I was in AL was in the Birmingham airport on the way home from New Orleans once.
create your own personalized map of the USA
Sweeet. Planning on going to MI for a conference in May, and I guess I'll have to do a tour of the Northeast sometime soon....
h/t Gay Patriot
In case you're interested how most of the map gets filled out, various major trips are included below the fold...
Read More "Better than I thought (Updated!)" »So wrong I had to post it
Not surprisingly, lifted from a couple of llamas.....
Knight Rider Hasselhoff You are Knight Rider Hasselhoff. You kick ass, you're dead sexy, AND you are the proud owner (or perhaps life partner) of a talking black Trans-Am. What else could one ask for? Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com |
Well, duh. KITT is my friend!
Storm Warning officially canceled for Los Angeles Area
"`Thunder' and `Lightning' are gone from USC."
So said Reggie Bush this afternoon, referring to himself and rushing partner LenDale White during the press conference to announce his departure from USC for the NFL.
Good Luck, Reg. You're a good guy and I wish you the best. LenDale, Matt, and the rest, too.
New Toy!
Check the sidebar for Su Doku of the Day! Clicky here to get your own! Comes in 2 sizes and lots of cool colors!
h/t Jon and Angie
That's just a Bad Movie
"'Tristan' [and Isolde] like a Monty Python Movie wthout jokes"-- Headline seen on Yahoo! News tonight.
January 13, 2006
Agreed
We are bloggers with boatloads of opinions, and none of us come close to agreeing with any other one of us all of the time. But we do agree on this: The new leadership in the House of Representatives needs to be thoroughly and transparently free of the taint of the Jack Abramoff scandals, and beyond that, of undue influence of K Street.
We are not naive about lobbying, and we know it can and has in fact advanced crucial issues and has often served to inform rather than simply influence Members.
But we are certain that the public is disgusted with excess and with privilege. We hope the Hastert-Dreier effort leads to sweeping reforms including the end of subsidized travel and other obvious influence operations. Just as importantly, we call for major changes to increase openness, transparency and accountability in Congressional operations and in the appropriations process.
As for the Republican leadership elections, we hope to see more candidates who will support these goals, and we therefore welcome the entry of Congressman John Shadegg to the race for Majority Leader. We hope every Congressman who is committed to ethical and transparent conduct supports a reform agenda and a reform candidate. And we hope all would-be members of the leadership make themselves available to new media to answer questions now and on a regular basis in the future.
Signed,
N.Z. Bear, The Truth Laid Bear
Hugh Hewitt, HughHewitt.com
Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com
Kevin Aylward, Wizbang!
La Shawn Barber, La Shawn Barber's Corner
Lorie Byrd, Polipundit
Beth Cleaver, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Jeff Goldstein, Protein Wisdom
Stephen Green, Vodkapundit
John Hawkins, Right Wing News
John Hinderaker, Power Line
Jon Henke / McQ / Dale Franks, QandO
James Joyner, Outside The Beltway
Mike Krempasky, Redstate.org
Michelle Malkin, MichelleMalkin.com
Ed Morrissey, Captain's Quarters
Scott Ott, Scrappleface
John Donovan / Bill Tuttle, Castle Argghhh!!!
and Me, Caltechgirl, Not Exactly Rocket Science
And many many others!
Won't you join too?
I've been trying to avoid the abortion issue, but I had to post this
This post from Wizbang! set me off...
I consider myself a pro-choice conservative. Mostly because I resent like hell the idea that the government can have the authority to tell me what to do with my body. They can't even run the country properly, why in heck would I let them decide what's best for me and my body? Honestly.
However, that being said, did anyone else catch that woman from NARAL testifying at the end of the Alito hearing? About how she never thought (as a married Catholic) that she'd ever want an abortion, let alone "need" one, but that after her husband (also, presumably a devout Catholic) left her and their 3 children and she found out she was pregnant, she was humiliated because in her state in the days before Roe, a married woman needed her husband's permission to get an abortion? Did you catch her sanctimonious bellyaching about having to stand before a panel of doctors to admit the failure of her marriage and her inability to care for a 4th child and then getting to the clinic, only to be told that she needed her Ex to sign off, so she had to chase him down too? And yet she still chose to have a legal abortion, even in the face of all of that humiliation.
Oh please, lady. So you were humiliated. Wasn't that the point? Shouldn't most women be humiliated for being in a situation where they "need" an abortion? I understand that your situation was less of your own making than most, seeing as how your husband walked out on you and 3 small kids, but didn't you have other options? I notice you didn't choose adoption or seek out the vaunted "back alley"....
Your weakness is telling. That you LET YOURSELF be humiliated to the point that changed the entire focus of your life, that 30+ years later you are still cowed by the men that you presumed were in charge of your body makes me sick. Stand up for yourself and take some responsibility. They didn't humiliate you, you let yourself be treated that way.
So I guess this really isn't about abortion after all, it's about the pathetic martyr/victim nature of the left: Poor Me. Look at me. Pity me. Fix me.
Yeah? Well screw you.
Boundaries: Online and Off
An open series of questions to any of you with blogs, we'll call this the last audience participation special of National De-Lurking Week:
Do you blog under your real name?
Do your family/ off-line friends know about the blog?
Is that a reason you don't use your real name?
If you blog anonymously, have your off-line friends who know about the blog ever outed you to someone you'd prefer to keep away from your blog?
Doesn't it piss you off when people cross your personal blog boundaries?
How do you go about handling something like that (which is really an invasion of your privacy)?
I ask this because dear Helen just experienced a major betrayal of her boundaries at an incredibly bad time, and I had a similar, though not nearly so devastating experience recently, and I know others who have (or are about to) run screaming from their old blogs because of trolls they knew in real life (you know who you are).
Your thoughts? Any advice for Helen? I really am interested to hear what you have to say. Email me if you don't feel all that comfortable leaving a comment....
That's why I love these guys....
If you've been reading this blog long enough, you know there's no love lost between me and the VA Tech (c)Hokeys. They are a dirty football team, and their fans are the single rudest group of people I have ever encountered, and I've been to any number of games in multiple sports. The Trojans on the other hand, well, they couldn't be more classy and sportsmanlike. Especially off the field.
Looks like I'm not alone in my opinion.
h/t Kipper
Yummy!
Oh Yeah!
You Are a Boston Creme Donut |
 You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out. |
from another Boston Creme, near Boston, appropriately enough......
One more, because it was right....
| You Are Likely an Only Child |
 At work and school, you do best when you're organizing. When you love someone, you tend to worry about them. In friendship, you are emotional and sympathetic. Your ideal careers are: radio announcer, finance, teaching, ministry, and management. You will leave your mark on the world with organizational leadership, maybe as the author of self-help books. |
One last quiz
Sadly enough, this is 100% on the money. 100%. No idea I was so frigging predictable.
You Have a Choleric Temperament |
 You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. |
January 14, 2006
The state of Health Care today...
As most of you know, my Dad was recently hospitalized for MAJOR surgery to remove a tumor. Due to some complications (edema and pneumonia), his total hospital stay was 21 days, including 4 in the ICU and 2 more in "telemetry step down", which is similar, but less closely monitored.
In any case, the total bill was (get ready for it) $196,787.63.
Yes, you read that right.
Now, my parents are lucky enough to have fabulous insurance, a PPO plan that includes $0 co-pay for inpatient services and considers the hospital Dad was treated in as a preferred provider.
The insurance paid $51,975.00. The hospital considers the bill paid under their PPO agreement.
Imagine if they had no insurance or minimal insurance. They would have had to sell the house to save Dad's life.
Clearly the hospitals have jacked up the prices so far that they're still breaking even (and probably doing well) taking in just 26.4% of the bill. And it's no anomaly. Their insurance plan is one of the major plans in town, as Mom's employer is the largest in the county. The hospital expects that the majority of their patients will be under a PPO plan. So why jack up the prices that high? To screw the poor and uninsured? To make them choose between saving their life and caring for their family?
No wonder the insurance companies are complaining. If this wasn't a PPO provider, and the insurance paid 80% (what my last plan would have paid for a non-PPO inpatient stay), the insurance company would have been out $157,430.104, more than 3 times what they paid....
The system is out of control. But socialized medicine isn't the answer either. So what should be done?
Those darn boys...
I was the only child, you see, and the youngest grandchild on both sides by a minimum of 10 years, so stories like this are foreign to me....
This happened at Bou's house tonight:
"Today the boys informed me they were going to have Bones put on his Hulk costume and then shoot nerf stuff at his butt to see if he could feel it. Nice. The crap they come up with amazes me.But wait, there's more.... Read the whole thing.So I'm in the kitchen making a salad and I hear, "Let's punch him now and see if he feels it!"
Yeah, that's never a good thing to hear.
I was in that room within fractions of a second to find my youngest standing in the middle of the room, but almost looking bow legged. I shouted, "STOP! There WILL BE NO PUNCHING!"
They know the rules: the Be No's of this home. There will be no punching. There will be no kicking. There will be no spitting. Or typically as I say it, "There will be no punching, kicking, hitting, spitting or beating of each other!"
All three of them looked at me blank faced like, "Are YOU talking TO ME?" Like they were innocent. I heard them. I HEARD THEM!
Finally one of the eldest said, "Mom, we're going to hit him in the weenie; he can't feel it. He's wearing 20 pairs of underwear"
Welcome to the Family....
As of yesterday, I've been adopted. I'm now officially Contagion's adopted blog-sis, so that makes Bou, Grau (recently declared dead), and Harvey my adopted blog-parents. No offense if I still love my real Mom and Dad, though, right?
This will soon proudly display in place of the current "Annoying Neighbor" graphic:
At least until Contagion decides to disown me....
January 15, 2006
Terrible News
Fellow MuNuvian and BFL'er Mad Mikey has suffered a stroke and continues bleeding into his brain. Please send up all the good thoughts and prayers you can spare for him and his family. Mikey's had a lot of health challenges (he is also on dialysis), and lately just seemed to be getting one hit after another. More updates as they come in.
January 16, 2006
Mikey Update
From Da Goddess:
"Mikey had surgery tonight to remove the blood clot and stop other bleeding. His intracranial pressure is rising (not a good sign) and he remains in a medically induced coma. His wife is trying her best to be strong, but it's difficult. She's scared and confused."
Da Goddess will update her page as soon as she gets more news. Please keep up the good wishes and prayers for Mikey and his family, as it seems he needs them now more than ever!
You can drop by Mikey's page or Da Goddess's to leave messages of support for Mikey's family.
One more post for Mikey...
Pixy has set up a post on Mikey's blog where you can leave your thoughts and prayers for his wife.
To do so, go here. And go here for updates as they come in.
January 17, 2006
The everything post
Just catching up with my life:
First and foremost, Mikey updates are here and here. If you can help with flight vouchers or airline tickets to get Amy's mom out to San Diego leave a comment here. Also, thanks to mega-bloggers Michelle Malkin and LaShawn Barber for getting the word out about Mike and how you can help.
Also, on the bad news front, fellow BFLer Kevin McGehee's father passed away yesterday.
Now, under the heading of "life goes on"...
At work for a marathon day. Had a HS site visit this morning, and I am teaching tonight, so all in all a minimum 12 hour day (I work 6 hrs usually)...
My software came in! Yay! May I recommend Academic Superstore as a great resource to any of you in the educational sphere. Teachers, students, and faculty all qualify for DEEP educational discounts on software and techy toys. For example, I just got Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional (retails for $499.99) for $149.99, and there was a free shipping promotion. There are some caveats about ID and establishing your eligibility, but the process was realtively painless and certainly worth the price.
Football was so AWESOME this weekend. Go Broncos! Go Panthers! (although I'm cool if the Steelers win too. I love the Bus.)
24. Holy Cow! Hooked again. I watched Seasons 1 and 2 religiously and then kind of fell out of it, but the 4 hours so far have been really, really good. Although it is distracting to see Sean Astin from the waist up and keep wondering if he's wearing the hobbit feet or not.....
More later, and Mikey updates if they come in.
Honestly, how did I live before the internet??
The server was down for an hour at work, and I fidgeted like a nicotine addict. Not because I'm addicted, but because I was in the middle of something.
And then I kept thinking of things I needed to look up.
Nothing like an outage to remind you what you wanted to google.....
Now for more caffeine and a return to our regularly scheduled programming.
Tuesday Mikey Update
GOOD NEWS!
from DaGoddess:
"I spoke with Mrs. Mikey a while ago and this is the update I received:
Sedation was lowered and Mikey responded. The nurse was wiping his
face with a cloth, he seemed to like it, and turned toward her. She
told him to turn his head back the other way but he wouldn't do so.
Mrs. Mikey told him to turn his head toward her, and he did!
At one point, Mrs. Mikey was talking to her friend about him and he
pulled her arm. She asked him if he wanted her to stop talking about
him and he pulled her arm again. She stopped talking about him and he
relaxed.
They've reduced his blood pressure medication because his blood pressure has come down. Yay!
His blood pressure and his ICP are lowest when his daughter is by his side.
This is all good news. Very good news. Still, he's not out of the
woods yet. The doctor has told Mrs. Mikey that there is brain damage,
no doubt about it. How much? They don't know yet. And the stroke
occurred in the part of the brain that controls personality and
cognitive ability. Mikey may not be the same guy he was before."
Things to remember...
Acidman has some dos and don'ts for job seekers during their interviews.... Good advice, in his own inimitable style.
Rob, I'm so glad you decided to live :)
January 18, 2006
One Peanut, on his way!
Koolaid took Margi to the hospital today. No baby yet, they just want to watch her closely as the pre-eclampsia signs are starting to ramp up and the little man will probably be asked to make his grand entrance by this weekend.
Keep the Lowrys in your prayers as they wait for their special delivery!
I thought they were PROUD of their country
Seems Canada's star athletes haven't learned that there is no "I" in team. From CTV News:
I thought Canadians were the ones who weren't ashamed to be associated with their flag in public in other countries. Hell, ask the Barenaked Ladies.A number of Canada's star athletes have refused to carry the country's flag at the opening ceremonies for the Turin Olympics, saying they prefer to focus on their performance instead of taking on extra work.
According to the Toronto Star, cross-country skier Beckie Scott, speed skaters Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen and bobsledder Pierre Lueders have asked their associations not to nominate them for the revered role.
The Star also reports the freestyle ski team chose not to nominate moguls skiing champion Jennifer Heil for the job because she is scheduled to compete the day after the ceremony.
But then again, they are flip-top, toque-wearing Canucks.
That's just f*cking sad. Really f*cking sad.
h/t Kate at OTB
Make Mikey's Day!
Smash and Da Goddess have set up a PayPal fund to help out Mikey's family. Although they have insurance, there's a hefty deductible, and Mikey won't be bringing in a paycheck for a long time. Mrs. Mikey can't work either, as she is staying by his side. Every little bit you can drop in the bucket helps.
The button is on the sidebar. Click early and often!!
Come on folks, you donated almost $100,000 in 11 days to Soldier's Angels, surely we can raise enough to buy gas and groceries for a few weeks!
If you's like to send a card, Smash has generously made his PO Box available. The address is:
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353
Thanks for all the comments and wishes, I know Mrs. Mikey and their daughter really appreciate everyone's support and prayers!
Latest updates here.
January 19, 2006
Am I really this predictable? Sheesh!
Notice I scored 100% on Biology and Psychology.... Pretty much Neurobiology, I'd say...
You scored as Biology. You should be a Biology major! You are passionate about the sciences, and you enjoy studying cell growth and evolutionary concepts which enable living organisms to survive. Pursue that!
What is your Perfect Major? created with QuizFarm.com |
This quiz even had a tie breaker! Cool!
h/t wanna-be English Major Jay
If my Homeys could see me now....
Seen while getting off of the 210 today:
Thug looking Mexican dude, bald head, neck tattoos, driving a "no p*nis" car. That is, a small, Asian sports car with after-market extras, in particular a LARGE spoiler wing on the rear.
Dude pulls up next to me at the light, and as I look over I see a little white fluffy dog with a snazzy blue collar on his lap. Said dog promptly jumps up and starts giving Daddy slurpy puppy kisses all over his face.....
An unlooked for milestone
Visitor # 75,000 arrived here this afternoon at 3:40pm looking for news about Mikey.
Thanks to Mr./Ms. Anonymous from Thousand Oaks, CA using Adelphia high speed internet!
Whoever you are, if you make yourself known and you have a blog, linky love will be forthcoming!
Congratualtions are in order!
Margi's Little Peanut made his debut this afternoon weighing in at 4 lbs and 15 oz and is 18
inches long. Small but feisty.
Little man and Mommy are both doing well! More to come as soon as Koolaid can tear himself away!
It's a good day for blog babies, today is also Draco Esmay's 1st birthday
Going to Hell. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
I'm sorry, I know, I am indeed going to burn in hell for this, but everytime I see this story, I can't help but think of this scene in Holy Grail.....
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
MORTICIAN: What?
CUSTOMER: Nothing -- here's your nine pence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
MORTICIAN: Here -- he says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER: Yes, he is.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not!
MORTICIAN: He isn't.
CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.
DEAD PERSON: I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER: No, you're not -- you'll be stone dead in a moment.
MORTICIAN: Oh, I can't take him like that -- it's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON: I don't want to go on the cart!
CUSTOMER: Oh, don't be such a baby.
MORTICIAN: I can't take him...
DEAD PERSON: I feel fine!
CUSTOMER: Oh, do us a favor...
MORTICIAN: I can't.
CUSTOMER: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
MORTICIAN: Naaah, I got to go on to Robinson's -- they've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER: Well, when is your next round?
MORTICIAN: Thursday.
DEAD PERSON: I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER: You're not fooling anyone y'know. Look, isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: I feel happy... I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER: Ah, thanks very much.
I am glad for the little girl though, that she's making progress.....
h/t See-Dubya at Patterico's
MeMeMeMe
Or, the Meme of Fours, tagged by my buddy Kipper at CardMart:
Four jobs you've had in your life:
Student assistant in the Alumni relations office at Caltech. Fish feeder. Graduate Student. Professor.
Four movies you could [and do] watch over and over:
White Christmas, Blazing Saddles, Fellowship of the Ring, Return of the Jedi
Four places you've lived:
Fresno, CA; Pasadena, CA; Carrboro, NC; Chapel Hill, NC
Four fiction books you can't live without:
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas; The Shipping News, Annie Proulx; The Rainmaker, John Grisham; Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King.
Four non-fiction books you consider essential:
Principles of Neural Science, Kandel, Schwartz, and Jessel; Devil in the White City, Erik Larson; How the Irish Became White, Noel Ignatiev; and City of Quartz, Mike Davis.
Four TV shows you love to watch:
House, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Survivor, The Amazing Race (bonus 4 favorite shows of all time: The Pretender, Quincy, Hart to Hart, The A-Team)
Four places you've been on vacation:
Cayucos, CA; Disneyland; Boston, MA; Outer Banks (Kitty Hawk, NC)
Four websitesblogs you visit daily (there are way more):
Jay and Deb, Margi, Helen, Bou
Four of your favorite foods:
Pizza, Chinese, Bacon, See's Scotchmallows
Four places you'd rather be:
Cayucos, CA; Chapel Hill, NC; Disneyland; an alternate universe where SC won the Rose Bowl...
Four albums you can't live without:
Simon and Garfunkel, Collected Works; Barenaked Ladies, Greatest Hits; Indigo Girls, Rites of Passage; Queen Greatest Hits Vol 1 and 2
And I'm tagging two people, too: Ben and Darling Hubby
For Ben
Because (as you may find out from this meme) Ben was a telemarketer in a former life.
The telemarketing counterscript, or how to screw with telemarketers.
h/t Lex Communis
January 20, 2006
Happily Ever After?
Disney's OTHER Desperate Housewives (or would that be "Castle"wives?):
Stolen from Brandon's Mommy
If you haven't seen it.....
Here's South Park's "Trapped in the Closet" episode featuring Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and R. Kelly.
h/t Emily
BTW: Matt and Trey do not mind when fans download their episodes off the Internet; they feel that it's good when people watch the show no matter how they do it." Visit www.southparkstudios.com for more info.
UPDATE: Emily sez, "By the by, I would appreciate it if as many of you with blogs link to the "South Park" episode as possible. Couchy McBrainwashed is trying to keep us from seeing it and that's just plain censorship as far as I'm concerned. Thousands of celebrities have had the piss taken out of them over the years by "South Park" and nearly all of them have handled it in good spirits. There's no reason why Tom Snooze shouldn't do the same, other than his ego and an attempt to protect his "church.""
Rusty Shackleford to the rescue!
Our friends at the Jawa Report have actually helped nab a terrorist!
A dumb terrorist, but a terrorist nonetheless.
Excellent Job Rusty!
BTW, it's also the Jawa's 2nd Bloggyversary!
More Good News!
Smash has a fabulous AAR from his visit in the hospital with Mikey.
Mikey is definitely in there, responding to touch and to words, and fighting hard to get better and come back to us as the Mikey we all know.
Keep praying folks, he's a long way from out of the woods...... And keep hitting the PayPal button (on the sidebar here), almost $1000 donated so far!
Memo to the Moms to be out there...
Specifically those of you close to the finish line (Deb, Dana, Mrs. Phin, etc.)...
Don't let this give you any ideas about bringing another blog-baby into the world this week :)
Welcome to the world, Barrett Elijah (Paladin)! You must have been in a real hurry, to come out after only 7 hours!
January 22, 2006
An up and down weekend.
Saturday was lovely and restful, and we got some inportant shopping and laundry done to boot.
Today, however, well, let's say I'd like to start over. Today started with the chance that both of my teams would meet in the Big Game, and sure as hell, looks it will be neither of them.
Dammit. Drowning my football sorrows in the rest of my Hart to Hart DVDs.
Also, Mikey had an up and down weekend, contracting an MRSA staph infection. He appears to be beating it, but it was touch and go for a while, and he's not out of the woods yet. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Baby Barrett Elijah Paladin also had a rough weekend, as the doctors discovered he's got two small holes in his heart, and they're assessing what will need to be done. Keep all of the family in your thoughts and prayers as well.
Oh well, back to laundry and avoiding football.
January 23, 2006
I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille....
Meet Margi and Koolaid's little Peanut. Mommy's home, but baby is going to stay in the NICU to bulk up a little. They'll let him go home when he hits his fighting weight :)
Congrats again, you two. You did good!
For my DH...
...and all the other teachers whose efforts aren't completely lost on the idiot kids they teach, I give you this....
"A little boy was doing his math homework.Go here to find out just what exactly, he was doing...
He said to himself,
"Two plus five, the sumbitch is seven.
Three plus six, the sumbitch is nine..."
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped,
"What are you doing?" ..."
Some Thoughts on Immigration
James Joyner at OTB and Radley Balko both point out this study, which indicates that in certain cases, immigration is good for the economy.
The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, investigated the economic impact of Hispanics in North Carolina and found that while Hispanics contribute more than 9 billion dollars to the state's economy (primarily through their jobs), they drain less than $65 million from the state via their share of education, health care, social services, and prisons.
I find this very interesting. And yet, while I have no reason to disbelieve the study, I think it needs to be examined in context.
Here are some of the facts (source): Latinos make up just 7% of NC's population, although they are the fastest growing group in the state. Also, only about 40% of "new" hispanics are foreign immigrants. 40% are immigrants who previously resided in other states and 20 % (roughly) were born in the US. Also, the average hispanic household in NC tends to be larger than a non-hispanic household, 3.7 persons vs. 2.4.
Latinos also make up a large and growing portion of the service and blue collar workforce. When we moved to NC, nearly all the cashiers, janitors, construction personnel, etc. you would run across were either black or white. By the time we left, the vast majority of these jobs were filled with Hispanics.
Which brings me to my point. The reason (I suspect) that immigration has not been a drain on the state of NC is that there are jobs available. Though hispanic households make on average $13,000 less/year than non-hispanic households, this number more likely reflects the level of income acquired rather than a higher rate of joblessness in the Hispanic community.
Let's look at why those jobs are available. First, housing. Construction in NC is booming. The state has recently experienced a technology renaissance, taking it from an agricultural economy to a technology-based economy, with the concomitant increase in dollars and population density. All these people need places to live and buildings to work in. You can't spit in the central/eastern NC area without hitting a new construction or renovation project. About 30% of the construction workforce is Hispanic, and just about anyone who wants a job can get hired on a job site, even day laborers appear to be able to make steady money (from my own personal observations).
Second, the culture is changing. NC is going from a rural culture to a more urban/suburban culture, and the same rules apply. As the suburbs are built up, so too are the malls, fast food joints, gas stations, and other places that offer many many jobs at minimum wage and require no skills. Sure, lots of suburban teenagers are taking some of these jobs, but the number of jobs available is sufficient that the Hispanic community is becoming employed in this sector in large numbers. Especially in more urban areas and established cities.
Third, costs. Right now, NC is spending a lot of money on infrastructure: building up and refurbishing roads, schools, Universtity campuses. Especially schools. Old schools are being remodeled, and new schools are being built at an incredible rate, especially in the Raleigh area. Much of the cost of providing educational resources for the growing hispanic population of NC is already planned out in the budgeting for new schools. The extra teachers, space, and materials have all been budgeted for. This doesn't mean it won't be more of a drain in the future, or cause a space crunch, but for the time being, it's already covered. Along the same lines, the state isn't footing the bill for a lot of social services because cost of living is low, wages are decent, and most hispanics can make enough $$ to support themselves, as long as there are two wage earners in the house. I can vouch for this as two grad students together still make far less than the average Hispanic household, and we did pretty well.
Fourth, Opportunity. The economy in NC is changing, it's growing and stretching it's wings in many different directions. There are a number of incentive programs for business, large and small, to utilize. Hispanics have a real chance to use the market for gain in this context. The Hispanic population (and therefore demand for Latino-specific/ Latino-directed products and services) is growing. Who better than a Hispanic entrepreneur to seize on that niche and make some $$? Or hire some Hispanics?
Low-wage jobs help immigrant communities contribute to the economy and assimilate into American society. That's great, as long as there are enough low-wage jobs and opportunities to move into the business arena for one's self. I suspect that as the boom starts to wind down, as the new suburbs become more settled, and infrastructure building slows, we'll see this trend reverse, and the hispanic population of NC will be up the creek, financially speaking, and begin to drain on the state's resources. I'd be interested to see this study done elsewhere, say, in the NYC area, where the forces of change are weaker and exert less pressure on the market, or in CA where the immigrant population makes up a much larger percentage of the general population, specifically to ask these questions of context and the market.
On a completely unrelated note...
Congratulations. You are the "Kiss my Ass" happy
bunny. You don't care about anyone or anything.
You must be so proud
which happy bunny are you?
January 24, 2006
Real life intervenes
Grant due 1/27/06, on which I am the Co-PI.
and my boss is LOCA. But I love her.
January 25, 2006
Dear Grim Reaper
Dear Grim Reaper,
I know it must seem presumptuous, that I, a mere mortal, dare to question you and your doings, but in this case I have to ask, how could you take the wrong Penn brother? I'm certain that list for yesterday said "Sean" and not "Chris".
Please rectify this error immediately! Thanks.
Sincerely,
Caltechgirl
How F*cking Stupid do you want to be?
According to this article, British women OVERWHELMINGLY woud prefer to be "thin and stupid" rather than "smart and fat".
94%. F*cking 94%. I'd say they're already stupid, so all they really want is to be thin....
Yeah, well, as a woman who is both fat and smart, 94% of me would prefer not to be British.
Good thing I'm not.
H/T Big Fat Blog, pointed out by Stingflower
Sometimes I just have to laugh
Lair Simon is a Master of Spanglish:
"hombre baggo de la scum grande"(In reference to an executed convicted murderer here)
Og's Dog
This is dog blogging on a whole new level.....
Here's a taste:
There's more. Oh so much more. This is just the first part of the story. Drink Warning!About nine AM, dad gets out of bed, his one day off in two weeks, and starts working on his persistent honeydew list, and I hear a ruckus outside.
There are dogs all around Ginger's cage. She has come into heat, and is the most popular mutt in town, with every neighborhood cur looking to tear a piece off. Dad goes outside to chase off the neighbor dogs, and when he gets there, he finds the dogs gone, and Ginger perched atop the doghouse. The reason soon becomes obvious, as there is a badger the size of a big dog trying to get on top of the doghouse and at Ginger. Dad yells to me in the house and I come running out, he's grabbed a rake and is whacking away at this thing (a BADGER!) and yelling for me to get his shotgun. I run back in the house and grab his 870, thumbing three shells into the magazine as I run back outside. Dad has the badger chewing on the (METAL!) end of the rake as he tries to keep it away from him and the dog, and he flips the rake handle at me and grabs the shotgun. I grab for the rake handle and miss, klutz that I am, and the badger heads for dad.
Ginger, more alert and coordinated than me, and normally the gentlest dog on the surface of the planet, sinks her teeth into the badger's neck, and I learned, firsthand, what the meanng of "making the fur fly" is. I didn't know where the dog started and the badger began, and Dad, who had fallen on his backside when the ruckus started, was trying to get a bead on the badger without aiming at the dog.
At some point, and I remember this quite clearly, the dog, whose teeth never left the badger's neck, had it's hind leg in the badgers mouth, both it's front paws on the back of the badger's head. They seemed to be able to levitate, for no part of their body seemed to be touching the ground.
I grabbed a hind leg, I never did figure out which animal, and hauled it into the air, at which point the badger stopped ministering to the dog's foot and started lunging at me. I let go posthaste, and dog and badger hit the ground, split apart for the first time, and I leapt to the top of the doghouse. Ginger leapt into my arms, shitting and pissing in terror, and dad, who finally has a clear shot, sends the badger to Allah.
HELP!
Ok, so somehow I have f*cked up firefox, and now instead of it opening popup type windows normal sized (like comment windows), they all open up narrow and unresizable.
I figured out how to make it allow me to manually resize the too-small windows, thanks to Mozilla, but I have no idea how to make it work right in the first place. I would prefer not to have to resize the stoopid things every time they open.
This only happens in MY Firefox profile, not my husband's or the dummy one I set up in the process of troubleshooting.
Any ideas? I know many of you are much bigger computer geeks than I am....
Is it just me?
Or does the new "Clorox Anywhere Spray" commercial creep you out too? I mean the woman is spraying the sh*t on clean dishes and FOOD for chrissakes! On food! Even their website advertises that you can safely spray this crap on/near your food.
Umm, no. I don't want to buy your fine product, I'm too busy rewashing all my produce at the moment. Ewww!
January 26, 2006
I guess I'm just a Sci-Fi girl
Note how many of these are ties..... Interestingly the quiz tie-breaker didn't have a choice for Millennium Falcon. As you all know, I'd hang out with Han and Chewie any day.
You scored as Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica). You are leery of your surroundings, and with good reason. Anyone could be a cylon. But you have close friends and you know they would never hurt you. Now if only the damn XO would stop drinking.
Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com |
h/t Ith, the SG-1 chick
WooHoo!
Not that any of you care, but my first multi-million dollar grant application is going out the door this afternoon. Well, ok, not mine alone, but I am Co-PI. Holy Crap!
Damn I feel old. This time last year I was writing my thesis.....
My Spidey Sense is tingling....
You know, except for that whole being a GIRL thing, I could agree with this one:
Your results:
You are Spider-Man
| You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.  |
Stolen from Wonder Woman
January 27, 2006
I'd just like to point out
That the fine folks at Target.com rule. The shipping estimate for my end tables was next Monday, and they arrived today.
When we bought the coffee table we had no need for the end tables, so now we have a beat up coffee table and two matching brand new end tables.... Oh well.
Yay!
And, for the record
I could really give two shits about this whole Google in China brouhaha.
You can have my Gmail account when you pry the keyboard from my cold dead fingers.
January 29, 2006
Hello, Grandma?
Glenn links to this interesting post at Dr. Helen's site about Grandparents who don't have time to grandparent, based on this article. He asks if these are the same parents who were too busy to be parents, and Dr. Helen wonders if the lack of relationship between children and the extended family keeps them from understanding close human interactions or makes them believe that love is really only about material things. The answer is: well, DUH.
I can just see these women who don't want to be Grandma. Twenty years ago, these were the self-obsessed, career driven mothers of my friends. Trying to be there for the after-school pick up and the PTA, but not worrying overly much if the kids had to walk home or the PTA brownies came from the grocery store. Too busy with their own lives to consider that the "safe" neighborhood the kids walked home through was still dangerous after dark, that the grocery store brownies told all the other kids that you didn't really care, that you were too busy for your kid.
And Hell Yes, we made fun of those kids.
The 80s was all about the Superwoman. Could Mom work outside the home and still have a clean house and take care of the kids? The consensus was that something had to give. For a lot of these women, it was the precious moments with their kids, the small kindnesses that mean so much, and the closeness that the rest of us shared with our moms. Yet they fooled themselves that because the house was clean and the kids were doing well in school that they could have it all.
Somehow it was never important to be there, to make time. And now that their children are parents, these now grown-up children realize what they missed, and they want that for their own children. So they make time, they skip meetings and make brownies, they ask Grandma and Grandpa to spend time with the kids, and they are still disappointed.
But it's more than that. Being Grandma is being old. Hell, most of our grandmothers were at least in their 70s. For the most part, they weren't active, independently wealthy, and still working in their chosen career. Our grandmas were cooks and knitters and nurturers, with their silver hair and never ending fount of kleenex and hard candies. Today's grandmas are tech-saavy, go to work every morning, and command respect outside the home. If you were a balls-to-the-wall coroporate type, would you want to be called ANYTHING that brings to mind a blue haired woman in a rocker?
And being Grandma is an imposition. After all, it wasn't their choice to have babies, toddlers, and children around again. Their kids did this to them. The author of the article even says this in reference to her grandchildren:
Look, I'd love to nip over and whisper secrets into 1-month-old Maggie's ears, or to dress 2-year-old Ryan in the black leather jacket I bought her recently and take her to look for late blackberries in Golden Gate Park on my bike (with its deluxe new kid seat). But I have a job. I'm a reporter, I have two books to write, a husband who wants to go to France, and I just bought an investment property in Portland, Oregon. I love my grandchildren, but being a grandmother got added to my to-do list.
[emphasis mine]
Added to her to-do list. As if she only is Grandma because she has to be. As if she never expected her own children to grow up and have children of their own. Maybe she just doesn't see her own children as self-actualized individuals with lives and loves of their own. Or maybe she didn't want her children to be tied down the way she was. Another Grandma in the article is quoted as saying (paraphrasing here) that while she loves her grandbabies and wants to be a part of their lives, she's not willing to give up her life to deal with them.
If being a grandma is so damn inconvenient, it's a wonder some of the parents of these grandkids were even born so their moms could be grandmas. Hell, Roe has been the law of the land for more than 30 years.
January 30, 2006
Very Little from me today
I'm feeling rotten.
All this weekend I was dealing with an RA flare, and as soon as I get better (last night) I must have eaten something that was bad. After spending most of the late evening dealing with various stomach-related issues, I decided it was best to nurse my poor, painful tummy and stay home and finish correcting HW and write an exam for the class I'm teaching.
However, if you insist on something interesting to read, try these non-political gems:
Bou wraps up the school carnival
Ith's resident office mouse is a smartie
Margi writes Peanut's birth story
The Good Stein
One more before I go try to take a nap, Ben Stein takes on Joel Stein.
I knew there was a reason I liked this guy.
h/t Greyhawk
PS Watching C-SPAN 2 right now, and for the record, John Kerry is a blowhard who has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE what the fuck he is talking about. Flip Flop alert!
Portrait of the Senator as a Loony
Ted Kennedy is many things: a liar, a drunk, a blowhard, perhaps even a murderer, but I never knew he was a stand-up comedian until today.
Kennedy's rant on the Senate floor against Sam Alito was a treasure to behold. You can see the Senator puffing and blowing here.
I swear, the only reason I left it on C-SPAN2 is that I thought he was going to keel over from a heart attack right there on the Senate floor.
All that effort, and cloture passed with 72 votes. Suck it Ted and Johnny. I'm sure Massachussetts is very proud of you.
Michelle Malkin, as always, has more.
Welcome visitors from Expose the Left! Feel free to click around, and come back often if you like what you see.
January 31, 2006
The jokes, they write themselves...
So I was tooling down the freeway to work this morning when the traffic began to stop rather unexpectedly in front of me. I quickly started flipping AM stations to find one that might tell me what the traffic situation in front of me was, and somehow I ended up on KFI. Which at 10:15 AM is airing Rush Limbaugh.
For the record, while I used to be quite the Rush fan, I haven't listened to him since Clinton was in his first term. I honestly can't stand him, and most days I would have just changed the channel again, but today he said something that caught my attention.
Paraphrasing here, he said that in the 18 years he's been doing the broadcast, every crazy joke, satire, or parody of the Democrats that he has come up with, they have done on their own, and that after last night, he doesn't see how he can parody them anymore. The jokes it seems, are already being lived by the loonies on the left.
Explaining himself further, El Rushbo cited two things: first, tonight's planned demonstration outside the capital wherein a bunch of idiots (my word here, I believe he called them "60's retreads") plan to stand outside the building during the SOTU speech tonight and bang pots and pans together in an effort to drown out the noise inside the building.
As if. Can you just imagine the Usual Suspects (ELF, ANSWER, NOW, PETA, Code Pinkos, NARAL, et al) standing out there in the cold banging pots and pans together like a bunch of toddlers on crack? How many of them do you think will forget to bring earplugs and cause themselves permanent damage? How do they plan on holding their protest signs with pots in both hands? Or will they "work together" and hold the pots in one hand, banging them against each other's pots, holding their signs of love and peace in the other hand?
Here's the actual website announcing the protest. You too can join in, as these events will be taking place around the country tonight... Like they can hear the noise in DC from Bisbee, Arizona of all places.
The other thing Rush referred to was this article by Dana Milbank of the WaPo. (reg. req. go to bugmenot)
The article is entitled "Tasting Victory, Liberals Instead Have a Food Fight". Here's just a taste:
"Right on cue, liberal activists including Cindy Sheehan and Ramsey Clark gathered yesterday at the Busboys & Poets restaurant and bookshop at 14th and V streets NW for what they billed as a forum on "The Impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney." But the participants, while charging the administration with "crimes against humanity," a "war of aggression" and even "the supreme international crime," inevitably turned their wrath on congressional Democrats, whom they regarded as a bunch of wimps."Does the Democratic Party want to continue to exist or does it want to ignore what 85 percent of its supporters want?" demanded David Swanson, a labor union official who runs "Impeach PAC" and other efforts to remove Bush from office. Singling out Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid (Nev.) for derision, Swanson said that Democrats who do the right thing "are exceptions.""
Later on, they discussed ways to remove the President from office:
"After the participants made their urgent calls for impeachment proceedings, John Bruhns, identifying himself as an antiwar Iraq veteran, rose for a clarification. If Democrats don't first "gain control of one of the houses" of Congress, he wondered, "how else can we impeach this monster?"Swanson had a ready brushoff for Democrats who won't pursue impeachment because they're in the minority: "Just go home if you're going to talk that way." Offering the lessons of 1994, he said: "The way the Republicans got the majority was not by being scared. . . . It was by going out and speaking on behalf of their base and letting themselves be called radicals."
Bruhns, wearing a crew cut and business suit, disagreed. Somebody in the audience called for him to "shut up."
"They didn't answer my question," Bruhns protested after the exchange ended. "How do you get impeachment if you don't win elections? I'm being practical."
...
"Sheehan, in a sweet voice, condemned the administration's agenda "to spread the cancer of empire."
The first questioner, getting into the spirit of the forum, declared of the administration: "These criminals and gangsters, thugs as I regard them, I believe engineered 9/11."
Many in the crowd applauded. But others were skeptical. "I've heard a lot about accountability" from the panel, said one questioner. "Seems to me the first opportunity we had for accountability was in the last election."
"Elections," moderator Zeese replied, "are not the determining factor.""
[emphasis mine] Read the whole thing.
If I was a Democrat today, I'd be ashamed. Sincerely. If the rants of Kerry and Kennedy yesterday weren't evidence enough, banging pots and an almost institutional inability to do simple addition (not enough votes!) brings me to the conclusion that the Democratic party leadership are nothing more than a bunch of toddlers.
Let's see: Whiny? Check. Unable to add numbers? Check. Irrational sense that their way is the only way, even when it's clearly impossible? Check. A belief that increased volume equates to increased chance of getting their way? Check.
I can't wait to see what childish stunts they pull tonight inside the Capital, too.
Congratulations Mr. Justice!
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. was confirmed as the 110th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States this morning by a vote of 58-42.
He was subsequently sworn in and will make his debut as Associate Justice at tonight's State of the Union Address.
It's nice when good things happen in spite of a**holes, don't you think?
I want to be in the Bad Example Clan because....
Harvey is really my (blog)father and he won't recognize me otherwise.
Quote: "That's not MY nose..."
My mama and my brothers and sisters love me and accept me, (blog)Dad, so why won't you? Please?
Don't leave me out here in the cold. It's so lonely and scary... *sniff, sniff*...
Going Postal, again
From the Ass.Press, via Yahoo!:
"A former postal worker who had been put on medical leave for psychological problems shot five people to death at a huge mail-processing center and then killed herself in what was believed to be the nation's deadliest workplace shooting ever carried out by a woman.Holy Crap! Goleta is the hometown of UCSB, and this facility is just a couple of blocks off campus. Good thing she offed herself rather than going on a worse rampage.
The attack Monday night was also the biggest bloodbath at a U.S. postal installation since a massacre 20 years ago helped give rise to the term "going postal.""
Kick A$$!
Guess who has the #1 record in the NHL so far this year (hint: see the sidebar, or below)
Here Kitty Kitty.....
you're an evil kitty! O_o wow you are crazy. your sole purpose is to rule the world but no one can really take you seriously. i dont blame them
^^
o_O What weird creature are you? O_o
from a sweet and somewhat unexpected Llama. Not one of these, though
