Kill the Bill, DC March 20, 2010 [with a couple pictures]

We're heading to DC is a couple hours. This is a place holder to see if I can get some pictures loaded from the phone while down there. (Still can't upload pictures from phone to here, will have to be links from Twitter.)

In a related topic, my town had a Kill the Bill rally earlier this week. We didn't know it was happening, of course, because we aren't on any mailing lists. We went to the July 4 one last year and would have signed up then. But you know what? We're the sort of people who don't like to have our names on lists! So that got me thinking: how do you have email lists to organize for a group of people who don't want their names on any lists? Even though I know that's what the list would be for, I still don't want my name on it! So I guess that means that it's even more remarkable that so many people show up to the various Tea Party events around the country.

Anyway, pictures hopefully soon. And I'm bringing a video device, but don't know if anything will be worth recording. The last time I started recording speeches the guy went off on a How Awesome Ron Paul Is speech. So I didn't post that.

UPDATE below the fold:

I had my iPod on me, but wasn't close enough to really be able to see or hear what the speakers were saying. But I got a couple pictures. Everyone liked my shirt (Obama on a Unicorn) and my sign.

And then just a few of the crowd:

We stayed toward the back of the crowd by the traffic circle. We couldn't even see where the speakers were from way back there. Walking up the street towards the Capitol (we were late) you could here everyone cheering for whatever someone said before you could see them. And the way it all echoed of the buildings made the sound carry a lot farther down the street. It was pretty cool. And then to slowly be able to make out all the yellow flags in the huge crowd of people in front of the Capitol. I actually had goosebumps!

So, my rough estimate is maybe 1/4 of a Rose Bowl, so 25ish thousand people. It sounds like a lot, but it felt like a lot of people. [apparently at the thing they announced they were at 25000 people.] I was just on the outskirts the whole time, but I could see that the crowd was stretching out a long ways. I saw lots of white people, which makes sense since there is mostly white people in this country. There were plenty of different ethnicities there also. A group of Japanese exchange students (is my guess as to who they were) asked me who the man on my sign was, so I explained. There were a lot of kids coming through on tours, who probably just wanted to get a nice picture of the building. I really felt bad for them, because I hate having people in my pictures. Especially when I was in Philly trying to get a clean picture of Independence Hall.

Saw a sign of Pennsylvania Nurses against HCR, so looks like there were some groups who actually came from pretty far away. Talked with a retired couple for a long time (while Mr. Voight was speaking :( ), but they were like us and most people there who hadn't done that sort of thing before. The mood was like the one July 4 rally we went to in my town last year. People cheer when they hear throw the bums out, or cut taxes, or whatever. But mostly it's just a bunch of people milling arund admiring each others signs. I don't know why every one like mine so much, it wasn't very original. There was a guy who does caricatures for a living, and did a great Obama as Pinocchio (with the long nose and leaves coming off of it). That sign was really a piece of art, and he's saying "Oh, it only took me a minute to do up."

Anyway, I had a good time, even if we spent a lot more time travelling than actually there at the event. I thought this one was pretty awesome, so I can only imagine how goosebumpy the 9/12 march was!


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Things Trebek sucks

(or, Potpourri)
Would you have got that joke without the explainer? Do you still not get it? Does this help: "Rough; just the way your mother likes it, Trebek." Fine then just look it up.

Snow
It's melting! We've had a few nice days in a row, so the piles of snow are slowly shrinking. The sun is out, the birds are chirping. Makes me feel like quitting my job and sitting on the deck all day. OK, step one of the plan is already in the works.

This sudden change from winter to spring weather has got the geese all migrating at once. Instead of the many small groups of birds flying south in the fall, there are few giant groups all heading north at once. Big groups like 50 birds in one V instead of the 5 or 10 your usually see. Still the same amount of racket coming from the sky. And poop too.

Lizards
It took a little while, but they are both done brumating. The little dude I'm not sure he ever was fully under, but he did slow down for a few months. Big dude, though, he was out for like three months. I had fed him just a couple veggies and fruit maybe a week ago, he took them reluctantly. Now yesterday feeding him more, he practically took my hand off. I think he's awake and ready for food. He just needs to make a good poop then he'll get his veggie and crickie regimen back.

Toyota
I am thoroughly disgusted at how the media has portrayed this outrageously scandalous scandal with their news stories every day: "XX more instances of sudden acceleration!! WEREALLGONNADIE!!" Now, that's fine to report that more instances are coming to light. But I think they need to make sure it was a genuine occurrence and not, say, a floor mat or an old person jamming on the gas before flipping their shit with the freakout factor. The particular example I'm thinking of is the video of the police cruiser stopping the Prius with the brakes of the cruiser. Obviously the Prius driver forgot or never knew to flip it into neutral. Also something he could have done? TURN OFF THE FUCKING CAR. Yes I know that is not the first step to try, as you lose power steering and power assist brakes. BUT YOU STILL HAVE THEM. And yes, the cars with a push button start can be tuned off while driving down the road. You know how you do that? By pushing the button. Well, holding the button I guess, for however long it takes. 5-10 seconds, I'm guessing, if it's like a computer that froze up (yes, I'm looking at you work computer).

Anyway. Back on topic. The driver obviously needed some direction on how to handle the situation. Maybe he already burned out the brakes, I don't know the story I'm only reacting to the visual this story created. So the cop comes along the help. Apparently the cop also forgot about putting the car into neutral because he resorted to the most dangerous situation possible. Seriously, running a car down the freeway without power steering is WAY less dangerous than trying to stop a moving vehicle with another moving vehicle.

So my point: why didn't the cop just say over the PA: "Take your right hand and put it on the gear select lever. Move the lever to the N position. Steer to the side of the road. Have a nice day."

It is unfortunate for Toyota that my fantasy situation didn't happen. There would have been no sensational graphic to be blasted on every news outlet for the next three days. Instead the cop risked everyone's lived and we end up with a sensational graphic that is blasted on every news outlet for the next three days. I just feel like Toyota doesn't really need this piling on right now. They got a couple things to worry about, and they are addressing the issues. So why are we determined to drive Toyota's good name down into the mud? These freakout stories have been running long enough now that John Q Public's immediate reaction to just the mention of the name or a glimpse at the logo is "Danger! Unsafe! Run away!"

All I'm saying is Toyota is going to have a tough enough time recovering their reputation after this already. But they wouldn't have such an uphill battle if the media would treat this as they would any other recall from a GM or a Ford model. OK, with the exception of exploding fireballs of death trucks as seen on Dateline way back when. The media would say "Ford Taurus XL model years 2002-2003 have a seatbelt problem that will strangle children and small adults. Go to you dealer or call this number for more info." Done. No slander, no libel, no defamation.

End rant

Moving
Still no word

Health Care Reform
A friends' 11 year old daughter is right this minute in the ER with a bad asthma attack. This is a known thing to the family, so she has inhaler and all that stuff. Just a particularly bad attack, is all. That part isn't the point of the story. That point is that this is a lifetime military guy's kid, so he has a just a little experience with the way government run healthcare is going to work. [Aside: People seem to forget that there a few groups in this country that already experience this miraculous new way of doing things: active military, anyone in the VA, American Indians living on reservation (I think). I feel like I'm forgetting someone. These groups know the system, and know it sucks. Just ask any one of them. Anyway: this guy's daughter is not responding to the nebulizer treatments, Prednisone, etc. She started off at the base hospital, but has been moved to one closer to their house, the regular hospital for everyone else. His statement on her getting moved from the government system to the private citizen system: "She should start getting better now. I hate to say it, but it's true." From a lifetime military man and exceptionally honorable and good human being.

OK, that's all.


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Too much snow makes people lazy

Sometimes people need a helping hand, and sometimes people need to help themselves. Yesterday after the big snow, we had ZERO secretaries come in to work. So all the important phone calls (the President could be calling, so a phone has to be answered (during daytime) or forwarded (weekends and evening) to a live human at all times when not ) went through to Hubby. That sumbitch was ringing all damn day. But anyway. The reason no secretary and less than half the regular personnel bothered to come to work yesterday: snowed in. Yes of course. They only had two full days to dig themselves out.

Hubby shoveled enough of the driveway to get one car out. That job took all day Saturday, while the snow was still light. The job was so long because of the section that was piled up by the snowplow. So all he had to do was get the driveway, then it was plowed roads from there. The street right behind us is outside of city limits, so they are lucky if a county plow came by. They had one strip plowed while we had the full width of the street plowed. But the poor souls in the streets that connect those two major roads? Totally effed. No plow. Two feet deep of solid snow from their front doors to the road at most 200 yards away. Those people I can understand not being able to make it to work by Monday. Even with a snow eater it would take a week to clear the street. Oh! And those smug bastards who bought snow eaters! I will only privately acknowledge their wise move in buying a snow eater. Even if you use it once in your life, that is money well spent. I will not compliment their wise purchase to their face. I’m not going to give them the satisfaction.
 
So anyway. Back to the sacks of crap who can’t be bothered to shovel their driveways. I don’t believe for a second that every secretary in the building was in the situation that their road wasn’t plowed. Most of these people live in the same town as I do, so they have excellent maintenance services, with snowplows running 24/7. I want to know how many people just decided to park their car on the street the night of the snow and then the next day said “Oops, snowplow totally trapped my car! Guess I can’t get to work!”
 
And why am I ragging on secretaries? We are supposed to have one in the building to answer the phone in the daytime no matter what. The Commander was here ferchrissakes but not one out of eight secretaries? The Commander lives an hour and a half away!
 
So why am I upset about this? It makes me feel like a sucker. The same way people who pay their mortgages are suckers because we could have just defaulted on the loan for too big of a house and still been able to keep living there. Hubby is a sucker because he has the work ethic and sense of responsibility to make sure he can get dug out and mobile as soon as possible so he can make it to work come Monday. We were out driving around on Saturday night and ended up helping some idiot in a 2WD station wagon who was stuck. Because we are the people who carry jumper cables in the car not because it has a shit battery and constantly needs a jump, but so I can help anyone I see who needs a jump. Which is an awful lot of people, it turns out.


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STFU SOTU SOMT (State of My Town)

Let's take a look at the businesses in my immediate area that have, um, "passed on" (as in the rainbow bridge?) let's call it, in the last year:

- Giant: gone, sign torn down, building still unoccupied.
- Super Fresh: gone, sign torn down, building still unoccupied.
- Circuit City: gone, Halloween store had moved in before demo work to building, but now the big red part of the building is gone.
- nice Italian eatery/pizzeria privately owned and operated by the Greek family: gone, sign still up so I have a glimmer of hope, but I know I'm kidding myself.
- Pizzeria Uno: news to me, Hubby just told me, just in the last couple weeks apparently.
- Chinese buffet in a nice mall with Safeway: gone but something else is there now, don't remember what.
- Wendy's: gone, made into more parking for the ATV store next to it; this may have been pre-Obama, but can't be sure.

The part that troubles me about the places closing down (which happens. I get it.) is that nothing has really come in to take their places. A lot of these are major chains. I mean, grocery stores? These two were in the same part of town, and now the people on that side of town have to drive all the way across town to another, more expensive one.

Thanks a pant load you fucking piece of shit.


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Thanks Obama

Jut tried to eat at our local pizza/sub/pasta joint. Closed forever. It's a pity because that place was really good!


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Well, shit

So I checked the UPS site multiple times yesterday and today to see if they said anything about needing a signature (I know the box of computer parts coming next week will need a signature, as I've ordered computer parts before). It said nothing about needing to be there to sign. So I didn't worry about coming home early to sign. So what's waiting for me when I get home? The Failure to Deliver Notice, of course! Thanks UPS, you fuckin fuckers.


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I don't care about Michael Jackson

Or Farrah Fawcett. Now Ed McMahon, he was honorable. But he died of old age so there's nothing tragic about it. Both Farrah And Michael? both bat shit insane, but for some reason everyone is completely flipping out over this. I say who cares. You know there are still innocent people being hacked to death or pushed off of bridges by their government, right?


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Bits

1. Addendum to "stuff in my yard": Hubby saw a baby fox in the back yard last week while I was a tupperware party. He should have taken a picture, even though I know it would have come out blurry. I thought they were very protective of their young, so I don't know why one would be out on its own in the grass. But I have noticed the fox activity is up from years past. I have only seen adults, two different ones I think. One is kind of mangy looking, and the other looks in better condition.

more rambling after the fold

2. Biscuit barfed. He had a hairball and ate some grass to alleviate the problem, and he alleviated it all over the carpet. At least it was dark carpet and not the almost white. He's been shedding like crazy lately and I hope it's just the increasing heat and not something serious.

3. Gravy does this thing that I don't know if it comes from being a kitten or her half feral beginnings: if she gets really hyped about a toy or some activity, she'll spaz attack my hand if I am grabbing her. Like with sharp teeth and razor claws really start biting and clawing and kicking hard. She's still little so it may hurt a lot for a kitten but in the scope of cat-damage it not really a big deal. I yell at her ferociously in my angry voice, but I don't think she cares.

4. I was putting the pre-shredded cheese (Kraft brand) on my microwave burrito today, and happened to look at the ingredients. I already knew there was starch or some sort of moisture absorber to keep the individual shreds individual, but it turns out there's an antibiotic in there too (for mold prevention)!! This I was very surprised at. It's natamycin. I've never heard of it, but it's not like I'm versed in antibiotics. I know the few used in aquaria, and that's about it. Anyway, it seems like this would not be a very good thing gut-wise. Or just general superbacteria-wise. Maybe we shouldn't be putting antibiotics in the general food supply? Or maybe we already do? I don't know, it just feels wrong.

5. I watched a few movies recently. hhmm, Netflix says I've watched Boogie Nights, Taken, The Machinist, The Bank Job, Knocked Up, American Psycho, latest James Bond, and the Harold and Kumars.
- Boogie Nights: still love it. "Have you seen my fucking wife?" Love it!
- Taken: I liked it because he wasn't afraid to kill bad guys. Problem is he's ex-CIA in a foreign country and so should maybe not run roughshod over their laws, but still I liked Aslan kicking ass (more that Aslan already kicks ass) a lot.
- The Machinist: I looooove loooove looove Christian Bale in a totally I'll leave my husband sort of way. He lost 60 pounds for his role. Hubby left halfway through because it's kinda artsy, but I enjoyed it. It may have borrowed too much from Memento and ... shoot I can't remember now. Anyway, good and creepy and one that makes you think about what you just saw when you get to the end.
- The Bank Job: not the next in the line after the Italian Job (that's The Brazilian Job) but it has Jason Statham in it as well. Based on a true story. I liked this just fine.
- Knocked Up: Hubby had no interest in watching this, but I found it a little funny, but also a little sweet at the end too. One reason I liked it was the lead actress Katherine Heigl seemed like she really fit the role of upper crust who shouldn't be telling or laughing at dick and fart jokes. Or maybe it was just stiff acting, I couldn't tell.
- American Psycho: again with the Christian Bale! (and guess what's next in the Q? 3:10 to Yuma) People may give him shit for his meltdown, but dude can freaking act! This was a really good movie, and he did a really good job in it. I mean, he really was quite amazing. And I'm not all fangirl with the vapors about this. He really did an amazing job. Sounds like overall, though, the book is much better as usual, just because you get so much more detail about what's going on in that noggin of his.
- Quantum of Solace: I really dislike the name of this one. But I still enjoyed it. What's not to like about a super-secret super-powerful super-embedded group of super bad guys? Except for the fact that head bad guy is a douchey twerp, but I liked it anyway.
- Harolds and Kumars: I actually liked both these movies because they were a lot smarter than I thought they would be.

[OK gotta pause and watch me some crab show]

6. My fish still have fin rot. And I don't know if there are any babies left running around. I just wish I knew why this tank has so many problems. Discus seem to be doing A-OK.

7. "Something has happened in Iran": Yeah, no shit Sherlock. I would say "Turn on a TV and open your ears" but we all know this story is not being talked about except by the internet, as usual.

8. And that reminds me about why this Iran thing bothers me so much. Yes, it's the wanton abuse of the regular people just to scare the rest into submission. But it's also the way they are going about it: stalking to dormatories and killing students who were going to go to, no have been to, opposition rallies. Also the government wanted to try and track Tweets and texts to locate the people writing them. And by locate I assume they mean learn their names and addresses so they can later sneak into their homes and kill them. Now it looks like some stories are saying that Hamas has perpetrated some of these killings, and so the Iranians are sort of consolidating against Palistine. I'm thinking only good things can come from this if that's the direction they are heading.

9. As usual no links to anything because I'm too lazy to look stuff up. Just search the HotAir archives.



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I think they're following us

Should I be worried that two days in a row we went into a place of business while it was pleasantly quite, and then not one minute later like 20 more people were in there? Yesterday it was a girls field hockey team after a game at the local pizza joint, today it was (hopefully) more than one family with kids and babies at Dairy Queen. I just want to eat in peace! Guess I need to learn how to cook.


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Hold this space [updated finally]

Remind me to tell you a little story about going outside of your comfort zone. I did it tonight, and had a nice little meltdown. Awesome. But right now I have to sleep and get rid of my headache.

So. I should probably fill this in.

Updated finally below the fold:

“Outside of my comfort zone” means we accompanied a couple Hubby and I know to go out…swing dancing. I can hardly say it. It’s just something I never thought I would agree to. It started with an hour easy lesson before the actual dance started. The lesson was fine, started at the very beginning. It took me too long to get the hang of it, and I thought Hubby had done this before, so he would be able to help me out. (I later learned he had done 4- and 8-step, but we were learning 6-step, so he was as lost as I was.) Anyway. My problems started when the instructor told us ladies to rotate partner by one. I was sort of expecting this, so I just got over myself and went to the next guy. Problem was, that guy didn’t want anyone touching his wife expect him, so she stayed put. The instructor tried hard to get her to move along, but both guy and girl were adamant about staying put. Well this threw me into a lather and I was fuming about it the rest of the night. Why should that bitch get to stay put in her secure little place while I was out here with total strangers? Huh? I was mightily pissed, and my face just got redder and redder as the night went on. So I was doing it, the rest of the lesson, getting totally lost once we started doing beginners’ turns. Most of my new partners were fine, just normal people like me, some more experienced than others, but seemed like most were brand new. And then I came to Pervy McChildmolester. That guy still gives me the creeps just thinking about him. I’m already worked up because that fucking bitch and her fucking boyfriend couldn’t play with anyone else, and here I am holding the softest creepiest hands I’ve ever felt in my life. Pervy’s hands were so soft I think he has someone else brush his teeth for him. Seriously: you get more calluses on your hands from making breakfast in the morning. So the whole time (few minutes) we’re “dancing” together I’ve got “It puts the lotion on it’s skin or else it gets the hose again” running through my head. I’m really getting worked up by this point. Then more normal partners and more frustration at not getting the moves right, and then another weirdo right at the end. That guy was unremarkable in his weirdness, just seemed lonely. So now the lesson is over and it’s time to start dancing. I went to the refreshments to get some water, and paper napkins to try and hide that I’m crying. Problem with trying to hide that I’m crying is that I’m a very ugly crier. My face was already red from being so pissed at those fucking “nobody touches my wife but me” assholes, but the crying makes my eyes really bloodshot and red in general, and puffy to boot. So our friends see how miserable I am, and they get their few dances out of their system (they are pretty good!) and mercifully say we can go. Thank the sweet baby Jesus, we could go. I think they thought I was having some allergic reaction, because of course I’m not going to say I hated it there and I wanted to go. So then we went to dinner and I was fine.



Moral of the story: stay home. It’s safe there. Click for full post and comments

Sometimes I don't like being able to track my packages

because then I can see when UPS is a bunch of lazy assholes. I've got a bunch of fish and bird stuff coming (time to replace the old stinky moldy bird feeder) and it's scheduled to come the 23rd. It's coming from Columbus, I think, which a person can drive in a day or less. As of the 21st, it arrived in Bal'mer (yes, Baltimorians have and accent) in the morning and shipped out around noon. Didn't say "out for delivery" but criminy, it's 30 minutes away! They'll make sure that package comes when it says it will, darn it! My bet is it went from Bal'mer to Sparks, which apparently is a distribution center or something. The first time we tracked a package after moving here, Hubby and I both said "WTF is it doing in Nevada?? It came from [some state in the middle]." It doesn't make the package any closer, is what I'm complaining about.


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Funny thing said in Knoxville

I think it was during a meal, we were talking with Idiot Friend and his very nice wife about how there aren't a lot of Mexican places in our part of Maryland (they lived here for a year, so they know). So they say "Oh hey, there's a Mexican place down the street, it's supposed to be excellent." Hubby's and my eyes light up at the prospect of having Mexican. "Yeah, I think it's called Chu Gwa-something." "Uh, you mean Che Guevara, mass murderer and all around tool?" "Yeah, that sounds right." Hubby and I both at the same time say "There's no Mexican food good enough to make us patronize a place named after that type of person." And does any one else think it's kinda funny to name a Mexican place (even if they serve more Latin-style food) after a guy who was neither Mexican nor Latino?

A couple of days after we got back, Hubby confirmed with Idiot Friend that yes, that is indeed it's name. Contact info and interesting bit below the fold...

Best Mexican Food - Che Guevara
8025-A Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919
(865)690-5250
Formerly La Paz, Che Guevara sits unmarked in the corner of a Toys ‘R Us shopping center but from the size of the crowd, needs no advertising. It’s known as one of the best Mexican restaurants in Knoxville with more Latin American dishes than run-of-the-mill Mexican plates. Located in the corner of the Barnes and Noble shopping center near West Town Mall.


I find it perfectly awesome that the store doesn't have a freaking sign up. Because if anyone were to, you know, find out about it, there may be some problems. Like boycotts hopefully.

[EDIT] apparently it's spelled "chez" not che (from the Esteemed Perfessor). This restaurant guide (sneakysunday.com) was the first one I found it on. If you google Knoxville with the properly spelled restaurant, then you find it.

Like I said before, Knoxville apparently has a well-established hippie population. Click for full post and comments

Refi update

Short version: we're not going to do it.

Long version: We're not going to do it because the house has lost too much value for us to stay at 20% equity. We are currently at about 22% equity, with a payment of $1800 a month at 5.875%. A good appraisal and the promised rate of 5% would have brought that down to $1600, which I definitely wanted to shoot for. Problem was that the appraisal came back at $38k (!) lower than what we paid. So because of this drop is house value, we would no longer be at 20% equity; it would be somewhere like 14% (!!). So we could have gone this route and then pay for mortgage insurance, but then our total payment would have been like $1750. If we wanted to get back to 20% equity, we would have had to pay like $22k (!!!). Uh, yeah, we don't have that kind of money, so no thanks. So I guess we'll just wait out the last three years of our fixed rate and see what the rates are doing then. Our luck they'll be up to freaking 30% or something. No, I don't have any confidence in the future state of the economy with this clownshoe coming into office. Why do you ask? [heh. the only word spellcheck didn't like was "clownshoe".] Click for full post and comments

Shoot me please

So tonight at the pottery place there was a tableful of moms. One in particular spent the entire four hours I was there talking about how many ounces the baby ate at each feeding; how many hours the baby slept for the first six months; weaning off the bottle. Agh!! I was sick of it, and even the two ladies I was with said how they are so over that part of their lives (they both have grade school aged kids). But I still had fun, as usual. All I know is those moms need to have conversations about worldly matters. Even talking about whatever insipid TV show they're watching would have been better.


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who knew?

Apparently Target is the place where all the young skanks hang out. It's freakin 40 out. Put on a damn jacket!


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I'm as mad as Elaine with her sponge problem

I think my deodorant is discontinued. I've been using Secret since forever, because I sweat like a pig, and it's the only one that worked. I use the soft solid one, where you squeeze the white goop through the holes (it's not the gel). Also, I use unscented. So at first when I couldn't find what I wanted I chalked it up to the commissary sucking, whoch is does, regularly. But now I can't find it at the regular grocery store either. Not only is it hard to find unscented anymore, but today I finally sucked it up and got regular solid. Poop! I'm mad!


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Oops, my mistake

I use Picasaweb for online photos, because that's where photos uploaded to a Blogger blog go. Those crazy Google folks are always tweaking things so I wasn't surprised when I couldn't for the freaking life of me find the delete button. But then I got to thinking that disabling the delete button would be a good thing for Google: your album gets totally clogged up with duplicates and other bits and pieces, and then you have to upgrade to the pay version for more space! Genius! Then I got pissed off, the more I thought about it. Then I found where they hid the delete button, so that threw my theory out the window. Sorry Google. My bad. Click for full post and comments

I don't like children

because they ruin your stuff. You can't have anything nice when you have kids. Apparently you can't even have something cheap and made out of plastic without them breaking it. I had a BBQ on Independence Day, and some of our friends have kids. I set up a golf tee-up thingy in the yard. So aside from the fact it rained all that day, the kids still made an opportunity to play on the golf tee-up thingy. It has a ramp that the balls roll down, until they come to an arm on a counterweight to deliver the ball onto the tee. Apparently the kids just pounded on the arm until the weight snapped off, because I set it up today to find the arm in two pieces. poop. Click for full post and comments

Obligatory Valentine's rant

I don't like Valentine's Day. I know there are plenty of people who don't like how the meaning of, say, Christmas has been diluted into a mass-commercialized flurry of worrying if a present you give is "good enough." You shouldn't have to worry about sleeping with the dog because you didn't buy your wife diamonds. Here's what I believe: I don't care what the original meaning of Christmas is. I like presents, and I like sparklies. However, there are only a select few holidays where receiving sparklies is acceptable. Valentine's Day is not one of them. Neither is Mother's Day, since that's only fabricated by the greeting card companies. Sparklies are reserved for only Christmas and birthdays. These are the only two times of the year (and hope they don't fall too near each other on the calendar!) giving a gift as big as sparklies is acceptable.

So, since it's the beginning of February, I'm hearing the ads on the radio directed to the men to go buy a sparkly for their wives/girlfriends (and if my boyfriend gave me a real diamond for V Day I would probably freak out and dump him!). This is one instance I really feel sorry for men. I feel bad that they have to dodge these overt attempt to not only drain their wallets, but put them in a position to fail. The women start to feel they deserve a sparkly for something as stupid as V Day or Mother's Day. Then they get mad at the men for not giving them said sparklies. Then the men wonder what the hell they did wrong, and she won't tell him because he should just know what he did wrong. And god help him if he got her something *gasp* ugly!

Anyway, I am officially anti-V day. This "holiday" only serves to put men in the dog house. Click for full post and comments