Proof that Bram exists. I have to check for myself sometimes.
DJHJD
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Just a little Sunday night p.s.
Three more blogs of note:
If you think that the torture of nameless, faceless "terrorists" doesn't affect you, you should read this.
If you read that article, and then start wondering what methods of torture are being employed, you should consult the torture bible.
Then, once you've sated your prurient curiousity on how you can be tortured, let's hypothesize for how long you can be subject to this torture .. forever is a long time.
George Orwell, we hardly knew you.
If you think that the torture of nameless, faceless "terrorists" doesn't affect you, you should read this.
If you read that article, and then start wondering what methods of torture are being employed, you should consult the torture bible.
Then, once you've sated your prurient curiousity on how you can be tortured, let's hypothesize for how long you can be subject to this torture .. forever is a long time.
George Orwell, we hardly knew you.
Cleaned and scrubbed
The yard stud worked yesterday for six hours power washing the house to get ready for Divo48. It looks FABULOUS on the patio, and the fence between the garage and the house looks like new!
While waiting for him, and while waiting for my internet connection to come back up (he got the cable connection wet,) I read a bunch of blogs that I think you should be aware of .. just in case you're feeling like being better informed.
Here's the list:
This one describes the administration's war on reports that reflect anything contrary to the political message devised by the administration.
This one sums up George Will's paid shilling for Wal-Mart in the press and on punditry shows.
This one was something that made big waves in my circle this weekend - describing growing up gay in a fundamentalist family as being like a hate crime.
Then, we have the empty tradition of celebrating Labor Day after thirty years of eliminating labor as a political force, and fifteen years of cramming down worker pay and benefits.
This one is kind of surreal - the guy who rescued the WTC flag from the 9/11 wreckage was denied medical benefits and compensation, because he "couldn't prove he was there," and then uncovers the severe health risks that were hidden by the EPA, FEMA and the City of New York and is then raided by a SWAT team for his effort to reveal the truth.
Here we have a cool website by someone who's more in love with the Phaeton than I am; it's a virtual love fest of why it's probably the world's coolest car, ever.
Lastly, Guy showed me a great article about how you have to think yourself thin before weight loss will truly work for you.
By the time I went to bed (0200) my little brain manager was shutting systems down. I slept through the alarm, and got up .. late .. and barely made it out the door for church, which was AWESOME again.
Had lunch with a client, drove home, fiddled, talked to Chuck on IM some more, then Curtis from the Days of Yore came by with a friend of his and his little (and I mean LITTLE) brother. They trimmed up the sheetrock hole in the dining room ceiling, and sanded down the texture that needs to be blended, hung the outside garage light (which is FABULOUS) and his friend installed the five gang switch plate cover that's been annoying me for months. And, they fixed an under-counter lamp that had burned out.
All good stuff.
Just to make sure that you're all keeping on your toes, I found THREE MORE ARTICLES that you just simply must have a look at -
If you're one of the 46 Million Americans (not Canuckistanians, but USers) who have no health insurance, then you may find this article interesting about how to present the concept of universal health care in a more appealing way.
He's baaa-aaa-aack!! It's another Contract with America! Newt Gingrich (whose re-emergence in the world proves Nixon right that the American voting public has the memory of a hamster and the attention span of a gerbil) has for your conservative pleasure that New (!) and improved (!) ways to make America better, brighter and safer! These methods include stripping the Supreme Court, and, well, hell - all of the courts, of the obligation to oversee the operation of the executive, putting all power squarely in the hands of white Christian people, and other fun, amazol-a ideas.
Just to keep things light, you may have been wondering what tricks the Administration has up their sleeves to keep and secure power in the mid-terms in just a few weeks .. well, it seems that information is burbling up to the top. No, it's not the collapse of gas prices. It's .. attacking IRAN!
Here, re-posted, is a synopsis of the Time magazine article that reveals that .. we're going to war AGAIN! WHOO HOO!
While waiting for him, and while waiting for my internet connection to come back up (he got the cable connection wet,) I read a bunch of blogs that I think you should be aware of .. just in case you're feeling like being better informed.
Here's the list:
This one describes the administration's war on reports that reflect anything contrary to the political message devised by the administration.
This one sums up George Will's paid shilling for Wal-Mart in the press and on punditry shows.
This one was something that made big waves in my circle this weekend - describing growing up gay in a fundamentalist family as being like a hate crime.
Then, we have the empty tradition of celebrating Labor Day after thirty years of eliminating labor as a political force, and fifteen years of cramming down worker pay and benefits.
This one is kind of surreal - the guy who rescued the WTC flag from the 9/11 wreckage was denied medical benefits and compensation, because he "couldn't prove he was there," and then uncovers the severe health risks that were hidden by the EPA, FEMA and the City of New York and is then raided by a SWAT team for his effort to reveal the truth.
Here we have a cool website by someone who's more in love with the Phaeton than I am; it's a virtual love fest of why it's probably the world's coolest car, ever.
Lastly, Guy showed me a great article about how you have to think yourself thin before weight loss will truly work for you.
By the time I went to bed (0200) my little brain manager was shutting systems down. I slept through the alarm, and got up .. late .. and barely made it out the door for church, which was AWESOME again.
Had lunch with a client, drove home, fiddled, talked to Chuck on IM some more, then Curtis from the Days of Yore came by with a friend of his and his little (and I mean LITTLE) brother. They trimmed up the sheetrock hole in the dining room ceiling, and sanded down the texture that needs to be blended, hung the outside garage light (which is FABULOUS) and his friend installed the five gang switch plate cover that's been annoying me for months. And, they fixed an under-counter lamp that had burned out.
All good stuff.
Just to make sure that you're all keeping on your toes, I found THREE MORE ARTICLES that you just simply must have a look at -
If you're one of the 46 Million Americans (not Canuckistanians, but USers) who have no health insurance, then you may find this article interesting about how to present the concept of universal health care in a more appealing way.
He's baaa-aaa-aack!! It's another Contract with America! Newt Gingrich (whose re-emergence in the world proves Nixon right that the American voting public has the memory of a hamster and the attention span of a gerbil) has for your conservative pleasure that New (!) and improved (!) ways to make America better, brighter and safer! These methods include stripping the Supreme Court, and, well, hell - all of the courts, of the obligation to oversee the operation of the executive, putting all power squarely in the hands of white Christian people, and other fun, amazol-a ideas.
Just to keep things light, you may have been wondering what tricks the Administration has up their sleeves to keep and secure power in the mid-terms in just a few weeks .. well, it seems that information is burbling up to the top. No, it's not the collapse of gas prices. It's .. attacking IRAN!
Here, re-posted, is a synopsis of the Time magazine article that reveals that .. we're going to war AGAIN! WHOO HOO!
Does anyone remember the post I made about eight months ago discussing Iran's powerful and deadly Russian made anti-ship missles that can kill a Nimitz class aircraft carrier with one hit?
The first message was routine enough: A "Prepare to Deploy" order sent through naval communications channels to a submarine, an Aegis-class cruiser, two minesweepers and two mine hunters. The orders didn't actually command the ships out of port; they just said to be ready to move by Oct. 1. But inside the Navy those messages generated more buzz than usual last week when a second request, from the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), asked for fresh eyes on long-standing U.S. plans to blockade two Iranian oil ports on the Persian Gulf. The CNO had asked for a rundown on how a blockade of those strategic targets might work. When he didn't like the analysis he received, he ordered his troops to work the lash up once again.What's going on? The two orders offered tantalizing clues. There are only a few places in the world where minesweepers top the list of U.S. naval requirements. And every sailor, petroleum engineer and hedge-fund manager knows the name of the most important: the Strait of Hormuz, the 20-mile-wide bottleneck in the Persian Gulf through which roughly 40% of the world's oil needs to pass each day. Coupled with the CNO's request for a blockade review, a deployment of minesweepers to the west coast of Iran would seem to suggest that a much discussed—but until now largely theoretical—prospect has become real: that the U.S. may be preparing for war with Iran.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
My thoughts on the death of Ann Richards
I cried last night when I read the unexpected news that Ann Richards had died. Just a little, but, as an icon in the life I've experienced, she was a politician who generally brought a pleasant tenor to her atmosphere, even when she was running a spike through the other guy.
That sort of politician, somehow, brings vitriol and spite from those who think only of winning.
Somehow, in the last thirty years, American Politics have been converted to a "team sports" mentality of win at all costs. There is no more opposing opinion, there is only the enemy who must die for their convictions and affiliation. No more is it agreeable to have two or more viewpoints at getting to the common goal. There is only the Morally Right way, the Conservative Way, the Christian Way, and the Self-Righteous demagoguery of those who view things from a conservative mind set.
In their minds, Ann Richards was a waste of a human being, and a smear on the political landscape. In their minds, the opposing viewpoint doesn't deserve to draw breath.
The comments posted here that slander Ann Richards personally are unnecessary. One can disagree with her politics, her choices, or her actions without having to demean her as a person. To those who engage in such sanctimony, I ask you - have you engaged the strength of your convictions to go against an entire social and organizational structure to accomplish the things she did personally?
The answer to that question is given by whether or not you've run for, and been elected, Governor.
Yes, my affinity for Ann Richards is rooted in a common general set of viewpoints on how the society would best work. I didn't always agree with her, and, as is consistent with most of history, as we have become removed from those days, I have come to see some of her choices that I find quite disagreeable, especially in political appointments. However, one cannot criticize her for her life.
I celebrate that we have had an Ann Richards, and I doubly celebrate that we have had her in Texas, where she was so sorely needed. She is needed yet.
I feel that the world is somewhat diminished today, until the next person who can step forward and advance the cause of inclusion is recognized.
That sort of politician, somehow, brings vitriol and spite from those who think only of winning.
Somehow, in the last thirty years, American Politics have been converted to a "team sports" mentality of win at all costs. There is no more opposing opinion, there is only the enemy who must die for their convictions and affiliation. No more is it agreeable to have two or more viewpoints at getting to the common goal. There is only the Morally Right way, the Conservative Way, the Christian Way, and the Self-Righteous demagoguery of those who view things from a conservative mind set.
In their minds, Ann Richards was a waste of a human being, and a smear on the political landscape. In their minds, the opposing viewpoint doesn't deserve to draw breath.
The comments posted here that slander Ann Richards personally are unnecessary. One can disagree with her politics, her choices, or her actions without having to demean her as a person. To those who engage in such sanctimony, I ask you - have you engaged the strength of your convictions to go against an entire social and organizational structure to accomplish the things she did personally?
The answer to that question is given by whether or not you've run for, and been elected, Governor.
Yes, my affinity for Ann Richards is rooted in a common general set of viewpoints on how the society would best work. I didn't always agree with her, and, as is consistent with most of history, as we have become removed from those days, I have come to see some of her choices that I find quite disagreeable, especially in political appointments. However, one cannot criticize her for her life.
I celebrate that we have had an Ann Richards, and I doubly celebrate that we have had her in Texas, where she was so sorely needed. She is needed yet.
I feel that the world is somewhat diminished today, until the next person who can step forward and advance the cause of inclusion is recognized.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wow
Ann Richards died today. That made me cry a little bit.
Day two of "it's all about me getting work done today." Lots more progress. I yanked out files; church files, reading files; other files - shredded six bags of paper. Made up files. Organized things. Got things ready for tomorrow night's class, for Chuck's appointments tomorrow, and so on. Tomorrow is going to be another day fully away from the house, though. Until about midnight.
Will they lower the flags here in Texas for Ann? Somehow, I doubt it.
Day two of "it's all about me getting work done today." Lots more progress. I yanked out files; church files, reading files; other files - shredded six bags of paper. Made up files. Organized things. Got things ready for tomorrow night's class, for Chuck's appointments tomorrow, and so on. Tomorrow is going to be another day fully away from the house, though. Until about midnight.
Will they lower the flags here in Texas for Ann? Somehow, I doubt it.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Monday, Monday ver. 832.01
Okay, so I've been distracted lately. Haven't felt much like blogging.
I'm going to start by cross posting links to some very interesting blog articles that I've found (and have had open on my desktop for days...)
The first one is about air traffic controllers, and how their treatment today is far worse than anything back in 1981 - and creates safety concerns that are being ignored by Congress and the media.. here.
Then, if you're offended by Disney's production of the Path to 9/11, you can read an article about how to cause Disney to pay attention here.
This next one is an interesting evaluation of the Iraq policy and how we as a nation are far less secure than before.
The third one's going to spin your wig if you're a conservative, but it goes through the Declaration of Independence and compares the current administration's actions to those of George III. Tea party, anyone?
This final one is a chilling description of third-world life inside of the United States.
Okay, so - back to the regularly scheduled blog.
Its Monday morning, and mostly, I've accomplished getting the trash out just as the little guy rode his trash hamper up the driveway, fed the dogs, fed the birds, watered the plants, put the hummingbird feeder to soak in bleach water, cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, read all the morning blogs and news (such that the news gives us,) and talked to Chuck.
Today, it's tax returns and editing web content. All day. Wall to wall. Boxes and shopping bags of loose paper to be turned into reasonable records. It's my life these days.
Yesterday, I was at church until nearly 6:00, then visited my Dutch Auntie in the rehab hospital (which was great fun!) and then came home. I know Chuck really wanted me to come over, but I needed some down time.
I'm going to start by cross posting links to some very interesting blog articles that I've found (and have had open on my desktop for days...)
The first one is about air traffic controllers, and how their treatment today is far worse than anything back in 1981 - and creates safety concerns that are being ignored by Congress and the media.. here.
Then, if you're offended by Disney's production of the Path to 9/11, you can read an article about how to cause Disney to pay attention here.
This next one is an interesting evaluation of the Iraq policy and how we as a nation are far less secure than before.
The third one's going to spin your wig if you're a conservative, but it goes through the Declaration of Independence and compares the current administration's actions to those of George III. Tea party, anyone?
This final one is a chilling description of third-world life inside of the United States.
Okay, so - back to the regularly scheduled blog.
Its Monday morning, and mostly, I've accomplished getting the trash out just as the little guy rode his trash hamper up the driveway, fed the dogs, fed the birds, watered the plants, put the hummingbird feeder to soak in bleach water, cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, read all the morning blogs and news (such that the news gives us,) and talked to Chuck.
Today, it's tax returns and editing web content. All day. Wall to wall. Boxes and shopping bags of loose paper to be turned into reasonable records. It's my life these days.
Yesterday, I was at church until nearly 6:00, then visited my Dutch Auntie in the rehab hospital (which was great fun!) and then came home. I know Chuck really wanted me to come over, but I needed some down time.
Monday, September 04, 2006
A Liberal Walks Into A Bar..
From Daily Kos
by georgia10
Sat Sep 02, 2006 at 02:45:25 PM PDT
As many of you know, I spent most of August vacationing on a small Greek island. My nightly ritual included visiting a tiny rock bar owned and inhabited by my friends. Beyond the draw of its brick walls (which remind me of home sweet home), there's four computers tucked into a corner with satellite internet access. Internet access AND a friendly bar. Heaven, some might say.
A few nights before I came back to America, I was finishing up a column, and after a bit, I signed off and went over to the bar. This guy (oh, let's call him Dick, shall we?) approached me. He was a young thing, slightly younger than me, I would say, and it was his first summer in Greece. He was a friend of a friend, and he was about to regret approaching me. Really, really regret it.
The guy committed several sins when he plopped himself next to me (chief among them were wearing more jewelry than I was and dousing himself in half a bottle of cologne). But the night really took off when, upon learning that I was a political writer (and a liberal one, to boot), he laughed, said that "liberals suck" and declared George W. Bush to be "the best fucking President EVER."
Ahem.
Now, many of you I'm sure had heard the same stomach-turning phrase, and it never ceases to have to same effect. I reflexively cringe, shake my head, and wonder how on earth a single person can be so supremely ignorant of the truth. I could have ignored him, I suppose, but there wouldn't be any fun in that, now would there?
Join me on the flip...
- ::
I took a slow sip from my drink, smiled, and asked Dick "why?". "Why what?" he asked. "Why do you think he's the best president ever? Enlighten me."
He belted out the predictable GOP answer, something about "fighting those fucking Muslim terrorists" and "not taking any shit from no one."
"Which terrorists is he fighting, exactly?"
"The ones in Iraq," he stated flatly. "Because Iraq attacked us on 9/11."
Oh boy. He shouldn't have said that.
"You trust your President, right?", I asked, knowing full well that his answer would be "absolutely." Then what, pray tell, would Dick make of the fact that his President just acknowledged in a press conference that Iraq had "nothing" to do with 9/11?
"He said that?"
Yep. Needless to say, that sure cut the Iraq conversation short.
Onto abortion.
Abortion is "murder", he proclaimed (but in cases of rape, it's ok, because, you know, "it's not the girl's fault, she wasn't a slut"). "You're absolutely SURE that a fertilized egg is a human being, worthy of protection?" I asked. Of course, he replied. So why should a fertilized egg, (or a "human" as he called it) that is the product of rape be any less valuable than a "human" which is the product of a loving relationship, I asked?
Silence.
And why, if he really believed abortion is murder, I asked, was he so unwilling to jail women who had abortions? ("Uh, ok, you got a point"). By the time I got to the burning building problem (you've got a toddler and a petri dish full of fertilized eggs, which would you save?), a small crowd had gathered around the bar. There were a couple chuckles and a very loud "She's got you there, man!"
At that point, he did what any cornered conservative would do. He whipped out Clinton's penis and waved it in my face. "Well, back to terrorism. It's all Clinton's fault you know. If he wasn't so busy getting blown, he would have killed Osama. You know he knew exactly where Osama was, but didn't pull the trigger?"
Rather than try to dilute the man's Koolaid, I decided to poison him with his own drink. I asked, assuming his assertion was true, did he believe Clinton's alleged failure to aggressively going after Osama was an impeachable offense? Of course! he replied. I then proceeded to educate him on Tora Bora, "I truly am not that concerned about him," and introduced him to three little letters: PDB. All three instances of Bush incompetence were completely foreign to him, but as I laid fact after fact at his feet, his brow furrowed and his head dipped down. I finished. He remained silent.
I'll spare you the rest of the bloody details, but suffice it to say that a lethal dose of logic left transformed this cocky young Republican into a quivering pool of confusion. I won't claim that any conversion took place at that bar that night; however, at the very least, some seeds of doubt were planted.
My little anecdote is nothing special. Many Kossacks have shared similar experiences. But not enough.
Millions of us wait around for the 247 Democrats in Congress to speak up and stand up. Brilliant diaries are penned about exactly what Democrats should say, and how they should say it. Other diaries rightly rail on "spineless" Dems who shrink from confrontation.
But we must never forget, my friends, that we are also Democrats. And every time we let a wingnut email go unanswered, we are the spineless Dems. Everytime we hesitate to jump in when our family or friends complain about politics, we are the cowards.
We're the front lines of progressivism, a 50-state army composed of millions of articulate, informed, and fundamentally right soldiers of truth. We're armed with facts, that weapon that deals a deadly blow to any Republican propaganda. And yet, in the chambers of our daily lives, I think we don't use them enough.
For example, why is it that my inbox is cluttered with right-wing chain mail but rarely any liberal forwards? And why is it that upon reading yet another email about "staying the course", my tired self is tempted to just click "delete" instead of "reply all"?
Because it's easier to let it slide, of course. It's easier to ignore than instigate. Too often, we are so afraid of getting into political fights that we shy away from having political discussions. But if we don't defend liberalism and our party, who will?
So, Kossacks, let us not shrink from educating the ill-informed, from converting the conned with logic, and from building a new Democratic majority, one voter at a time.
From now until election day and beyond, I want anecdotes. I know you have them. I want to hear about how you debunked economic myths at your Labor Day picnic, how you struck up a conversation with your co-worker about universal health care, and how your managed to get your dittohead brother to grudgingly admit that maybe, just maybe, Republicans have lost the ability to govern.
Whether it's at work or in a bar, in the presence of friends or strangers, let us become the Democrats we urge our elected leaders to be--"political warriors" in every sense of the phrase.
Cheers.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Friday whirlwind
Let's start by posting the links to a BUNCH of blogs that I found very interesting today.
Lisa chastised me severely for emailing (or paying attention to) the "condemn the brand" blog I forwarded around last week, so I have to be more careful.
This first one is here - the truth about bin laden and the Clinton administration.
The next one is a history lesson. How Iraq came to be Iraq in the first place. Talk about deja vu.
Here is one that discusses our relations with two of the "stans," and how we're promoting human rights abuses.
This next one is quite important and interesting - how privatization of government was pawned off on us, and how it hasn't worked.
Other than that, my whirlwind has taken all the support out of my sails tonight. I'm just .. wiped. I have a ton of stuff to do this weekend, yet and am
Lisa chastised me severely for emailing (or paying attention to) the "condemn the brand" blog I forwarded around last week, so I have to be more careful.
This first one is here - the truth about bin laden and the Clinton administration.
The next one is a history lesson. How Iraq came to be Iraq in the first place. Talk about deja vu.
Here is one that discusses our relations with two of the "stans," and how we're promoting human rights abuses.
This next one is quite important and interesting - how privatization of government was pawned off on us, and how it hasn't worked.
Other than that, my whirlwind has taken all the support out of my sails tonight. I'm just .. wiped. I have a ton of stuff to do this weekend, yet and am
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
At Paladium for Surgery
I’ve been working on my talk for Sunday in church already. It’s a complex engagement.
This morning, the temperature just felt cooler – like the temperature had broken, and that the hottest part of the summer had passed already. That would be just awesome.
I worked on a client’s train wreck of a file last night until about 11:00, then gave up and went to bed rather than fall over. I felt like such a loser, compared to Bram, who worked until 2:00 a.m. or later. I have to get that file work completed by tomorrow, and a bunch of other work as well. Yurg.
One of my friends dropped in yesterday; she hadn’t been to the house yet. She was very excited about all the roooooom I have now, and was walking around asking what my thoughts were about painting and so on. She asked if I had selected the colors for the kitchen, and I said “uh, no.” She then was telling me that she had been working on color selections for her new kitchen and that she had some ideas for how I could paint the kitchen in “rich” colors that would bring out the slate floor, and make the stainless and counter tops “pop.” She had the color chips in her CAR. And, what fabulous ideas they were, too – holy schmoly. She thinks that the walls should be painted in a dark, dusky sage green, and the cabinets and wood trim in a dark, nearly black grey/green. The idea is FABULOUS. I can’t wait to get it painted now, even with the risk of moving out soon.
I’m reading the follow on book to “Wicked,” about which I just raved a while back. It just isn’t grabbing me like “Wicked” did. I guess now that the Wicked Witch is dead, I don’t have as much interest. This story is about her son she had with the man whose death took her to the castle Kiamo Ko that we remember as “her” castle from the Frank Baum story. I don’t know that it’s starting slowly or what. I want to finish it quickly so I can send it to my sister.
So, yesterday I was snooping around on the internet (‘cause I do that sometimes,) and ran a search on Secret Agent Man’s license plate number. I had always thought that he worked in government, because his cars always looked like pool cars. Well, he does.
So, if everything he’s told me about his job is a lie .. what else is? The story that he doesn’t have a wife?
I guess it’s of no real consequence.
Also found the true identity of the Cajun daddy from two months ago. VERY interesting, but what could I do with it? Nothing, really. Knowledge is power, except when discretion and moral fibre prevents one from using the knowledge.
A woman just sat down next to me with a Treo 700p. She says it’s LIGHTNING fast, and she loves it. I’m really jealous now. I need to research what my 650 is worth used on eBay, and see if I can make sense of getting the newer one. She also said that she had heard there would be a NEWER version coming in November.
My evil sister Mikey finally had two minutes together to chat with me yesterday; I was SO glad to finally be able to just chew the fat about nothing at all. I’ve missed his company.
I wonder how long this is going to last?
I think it’s time to reflect on the Virtues, of which I’m speaking the next three Sundays.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Sunday - the day before Monday
An interesting day today indeed. Church was awesome. Came home right after, and Rick came by and groomed the dogs - while he did that, I cleaned the laundry room. Cleaned it - you understand? I pulled everything out of the laundry room closet, cleaned it all, sorted it out, hung up the ironing board, the mops and brooms, the can crusher, the grocery bag holder/dispenser, re-folded all the towels...
Rick clipped and bathed and groomed and clipped and shampooed and groomed and conditioned .. He got about a trash bag of hair out of Jackie. So, the garbage can outside is already full, the kitchen counters are cleaned up and the kitchen desk drawers are all cleaned out for the first time since I moved in. I hung the cool tea light hangers that I got in New York, re-hung some plant hooks on the patio covers, and then .. FINALLY cleaned the white chairs in the breakfast area.
My evil sister Mikey - he's a smart cookie. He got this Oxy/spray cleaner thing for his car seats, and I was really impressed with how the stains came right out of his car seats. So, I asked him, I asked "Mikey, evilness, would this clean my white cloth parsons chairs in the kitchen?"
He said that it would, and told me JUST how to go about doing it .. I finally cleaned those chairs today, and he was absolutely right. They look great! I have to do it again, but what an improvement.
Watching the movie "Adam and Steve," which is pretty silly. Bram's at the ambulance company, being an EMT. He's happy.
Bram and I painted part of the upstairs hall yesterday - I painted two of the doors, and he painted the trim coming up the stairs, so we can finally take down the blue tape. We learned several things - first, that the cheap foam brushes that I had before were crap, and only a decent brush works worth a flip. Second, that the grill for the A/C cold air register was REALLY dirty, not just old. Third, that the white paint WILL cover the FOUR colors on the doors and trim. The guest room needs to be repainted before his friends from Atlanta come in on Friday. I picked out colors from the Behr website for that room; hopefully that can yet come together.
I think I've made a deal to trade doing some really old tax returns for having the outside lighting installed before the weekend - and I'm going to ask the yard stud if he can power wash the house Friday when he comes to mow.
Things are very focused for me today - I'm being boiled in my own money issues, having to be responsible for someone else that I'd do anything for. Having to produce to keep someone else comfortable and secure is about sixty thousand times more intense than having to try to trudge along keeping myself supported.
I have a lot on my mind about this ..
Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somwhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth
For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
Rick clipped and bathed and groomed and clipped and shampooed and groomed and conditioned .. He got about a trash bag of hair out of Jackie. So, the garbage can outside is already full, the kitchen counters are cleaned up and the kitchen desk drawers are all cleaned out for the first time since I moved in. I hung the cool tea light hangers that I got in New York, re-hung some plant hooks on the patio covers, and then .. FINALLY cleaned the white chairs in the breakfast area.
My evil sister Mikey - he's a smart cookie. He got this Oxy/spray cleaner thing for his car seats, and I was really impressed with how the stains came right out of his car seats. So, I asked him, I asked "Mikey, evilness, would this clean my white cloth parsons chairs in the kitchen?"
He said that it would, and told me JUST how to go about doing it .. I finally cleaned those chairs today, and he was absolutely right. They look great! I have to do it again, but what an improvement.
Watching the movie "Adam and Steve," which is pretty silly. Bram's at the ambulance company, being an EMT. He's happy.
Bram and I painted part of the upstairs hall yesterday - I painted two of the doors, and he painted the trim coming up the stairs, so we can finally take down the blue tape. We learned several things - first, that the cheap foam brushes that I had before were crap, and only a decent brush works worth a flip. Second, that the grill for the A/C cold air register was REALLY dirty, not just old. Third, that the white paint WILL cover the FOUR colors on the doors and trim. The guest room needs to be repainted before his friends from Atlanta come in on Friday. I picked out colors from the Behr website for that room; hopefully that can yet come together.
I think I've made a deal to trade doing some really old tax returns for having the outside lighting installed before the weekend - and I'm going to ask the yard stud if he can power wash the house Friday when he comes to mow.
Things are very focused for me today - I'm being boiled in my own money issues, having to be responsible for someone else that I'd do anything for. Having to produce to keep someone else comfortable and secure is about sixty thousand times more intense than having to try to trudge along keeping myself supported.
I have a lot on my mind about this ..
Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somwhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth
For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my youth or childhood
I must have done something good
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Monday, Monday ver. 830.01 (but written on Tuesday)
Ahh, fresh java made from real beans that aren't New Jersey snarky.
Woke up today in fine fiddle, but without an internet connection, mostly. Spent most of today without much of one.
Been peeling open mail, on the phone hither and yon, been to the grocery, talked to Bram(bo,) washed the car (yes, I repeat - I washed the CAR.) Worked on the website development, was invited to be the instructor of record nationally for mortgage courses by an online company, listened to a tax client freak out totally because the IRS sent him a dunning notice, and shredded a bunch of "stuff."
More trip reports:
My Aunt Kay, who's the size of a green bean and is always worried about her weight, told me just as she was leaving that I looked five months pregnant and needed to do something about my weight. My Aunt Jackie, who's a bit larger at a stalk of asparagus, said that they were worried for my health.
Not that they asked about my health at all.
After two days, my assembled aunts began to criticize my sister's cottage; a stain on a table cloth, a slight depression in a gravel walkway, etc. If it's not perfect (in their taste and viewpoint,) it gets a turd bomb. I was also informed Saturday evening that I should take the (volunteered) responsibility of preparing the evening meal AND cleaning up, which carries the statement that I needed to make up for what I had not yet done.
Saturday morning, my stepmother launched this turd bomb - my flight Sunday left ALB at 0630; that meant a checkin time of 0530. Being an hour away from the airport, it meant leaving the cottage by 0430, and arising at 0330. My sister's partner had volunteered to drive me (us, my cousin was also going) at that hour, and said she loved getting up that early. This was confirmed before I traveled up there, and twice while there.
At the breakfast table (where I was not) my stepmother announced:
My stepmother, therefore, made up a problem that didn't exist, created a solution for the non-existent problem that suggested , since hadn't proposed it, meant I was thoughtless, and then added on a SECOND (or was that a third) assertion that I was thoughtless and imposed on others unreasonably for not having the ability to pay for the solution to the non-existent problem (although she never asked if I could or couldn't.)
On the same car trip with my sister's partner (SSO for sister's significant other) I asked what their plans were for the holidays. She replied that they (she, my sister and her son) were headed to my dad's in Ocala for Christmas, and that they were likely just staying home for Thanksgiving.
For years (and I mean .. twenty) I've felt hurt and punished because I wasn't invited to these family events. HELLO!? (hits self with clue by four) THESE PEOPLE ARE OBSESSIVE NUTBALLS. Would I *want* to spend Christmas with my judgmental, brutal stepmother? Uh, no thanks. How about just dowsing myself in lighter fluid and voting Republican instead?
Less painful.
SO - FREEDOM from feeling like I'm not part of things. WHOO HOO!
I'll just hurl in unrestricted love bombs from afar "oh, here's an XM radio for your car .. just was thinking of you." "Oh, here's another $150 in hardcover novels - I've already read them, but thought you'd enjoy them." "No, I'm so sorry I can't attend - I'm busy launching another website."
Drop the shackles and step into the sunlight.
Now, where was I? Oh, yes.
So, while gone in the land of enforced social contact, I had lots of time to reflect when I wasn't trying to block out the cacaphony of three aunts and a stepmother talking simultaneously and endlessly about nothing at all. Some of the things I reflected on were:
Uh, not yet, but soon. He wants to buy a copy.
Today, I have a scheduled call with the people on the east coast; oh - just as an aside, would I be willing to be their instructor of record as they roll out into forty some other states? On retainer?
Yep.
I got in two of the lamps for the outside yesterday; two more are in transit, I guess. The eBay seller isn't writing me back anymore.
So, lots done today, and nothing done. Craziness.
I'm reading a book about the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 in which nearly 675,000 people in the United States died. It's fascinating from any angle. I hope to finish the book tonight.
Okay, I'm tired of writing and tired of sitting here. I did write up the "Standard Sugar Daddy Agreement" today - everyone who's seen it has been floored.
Woke up today in fine fiddle, but without an internet connection, mostly. Spent most of today without much of one.
Been peeling open mail, on the phone hither and yon, been to the grocery, talked to Bram(bo,) washed the car (yes, I repeat - I washed the CAR.) Worked on the website development, was invited to be the instructor of record nationally for mortgage courses by an online company, listened to a tax client freak out totally because the IRS sent him a dunning notice, and shredded a bunch of "stuff."
More trip reports:
My Aunt Kay, who's the size of a green bean and is always worried about her weight, told me just as she was leaving that I looked five months pregnant and needed to do something about my weight. My Aunt Jackie, who's a bit larger at a stalk of asparagus, said that they were worried for my health.
Not that they asked about my health at all.
After two days, my assembled aunts began to criticize my sister's cottage; a stain on a table cloth, a slight depression in a gravel walkway, etc. If it's not perfect (in their taste and viewpoint,) it gets a turd bomb. I was also informed Saturday evening that I should take the (volunteered) responsibility of preparing the evening meal AND cleaning up, which carries the statement that I needed to make up for what I had not yet done.
Saturday morning, my stepmother launched this turd bomb - my flight Sunday left ALB at 0630; that meant a checkin time of 0530. Being an hour away from the airport, it meant leaving the cottage by 0430, and arising at 0330. My sister's partner had volunteered to drive me (us, my cousin was also going) at that hour, and said she loved getting up that early. This was confirmed before I traveled up there, and twice while there.
At the breakfast table (where I was not) my stepmother announced:
- It was unreasonable for me to require carriage to the airport at that ungodly hour
- If I were considerate, I'd offer to take a hotel room near the airport and stay there overnight
- However, if I were to make such an offer, I'm so irresponsible that she would end up having to pay for it
My stepmother, therefore, made up a problem that didn't exist, created a solution for the non-existent problem that suggested , since hadn't proposed it, meant I was thoughtless, and then added on a SECOND (or was that a third) assertion that I was thoughtless and imposed on others unreasonably for not having the ability to pay for the solution to the non-existent problem (although she never asked if I could or couldn't.)
On the same car trip with my sister's partner (SSO for sister's significant other) I asked what their plans were for the holidays. She replied that they (she, my sister and her son) were headed to my dad's in Ocala for Christmas, and that they were likely just staying home for Thanksgiving.
For years (and I mean .. twenty) I've felt hurt and punished because I wasn't invited to these family events. HELLO!? (hits self with clue by four) THESE PEOPLE ARE OBSESSIVE NUTBALLS. Would I *want* to spend Christmas with my judgmental, brutal stepmother? Uh, no thanks. How about just dowsing myself in lighter fluid and voting Republican instead?
Less painful.
SO - FREEDOM from feeling like I'm not part of things. WHOO HOO!
I'll just hurl in unrestricted love bombs from afar "oh, here's an XM radio for your car .. just was thinking of you." "Oh, here's another $150 in hardcover novels - I've already read them, but thought you'd enjoy them." "No, I'm so sorry I can't attend - I'm busy launching another website."
Drop the shackles and step into the sunlight.
Now, where was I? Oh, yes.
So, while gone in the land of enforced social contact, I had lots of time to reflect when I wasn't trying to block out the cacaphony of three aunts and a stepmother talking simultaneously and endlessly about nothing at all. Some of the things I reflected on were:
- Things I'm no longer willing to put up with in myself
- That I need to work a lot harder
- I am committed to executing on my (unwritten) business plan to have my website(s) support me fully by the end of the year
- I have a TON of work to do to make that happen
- I was going to start with the mortgage exam prep and mock exam course for that
Uh, not yet, but soon. He wants to buy a copy.
Today, I have a scheduled call with the people on the east coast; oh - just as an aside, would I be willing to be their instructor of record as they roll out into forty some other states? On retainer?
Yep.
I got in two of the lamps for the outside yesterday; two more are in transit, I guess. The eBay seller isn't writing me back anymore.
So, lots done today, and nothing done. Craziness.
I'm reading a book about the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 in which nearly 675,000 people in the United States died. It's fascinating from any angle. I hope to finish the book tonight.
Okay, I'm tired of writing and tired of sitting here. I did write up the "Standard Sugar Daddy Agreement" today - everyone who's seen it has been floored.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Sunday catch up
Oct 18, 2006
At
The dozen or so family member are assembled outide on the patio, talking about real estate, assembling a complex puzzle, reading, knitting, and some inside cleaning up from lunch. The tree are blowing shit everywhere, including something that seems to have landed under my “S” key, making my typing rhythm somewhat difficult.
Here on the lake, there is no cell signal at all, and no cable, television signal, television, DVD player, and a rotary dial telephone with limited service. It’s enforced socialization.
Earlier today, Edgar, Sam and I trekked into
The flight up was very nice. Bram dropped me off at Intercontinental, and I had an hour before departure when I hopped out of the car. Nearly fifty minutes in line for security – no one seemed to know anything at all about where to go, or the fastest way to get through. The side of the security lines that I chose had only one lane open. I walked up to gate C16 and was there just in time for final boarding. The plane was a nearly new 767-224ER that’s usually used on overseas routes; I was in the second row of coach, against the window wall, but had no window at my seating position. I was seated behind a couple who were very nice, and serious recliners. They both knocked back as far as the seatbacks would allow seconds after rotation from the runway, and kept their seats in the oral surgery position until landing. Next to me was a funny little guy who kept twisting and pushing up to see out the window (which was a row behind us,) and pulling on his crotch. I mean – PULLING on his crotch. Over and over. I kept wondering what sort of condition would make one’s penis that uncomfortable.
Walked off the plane at C76, right on time, and left out of C101A, which was a walk of one gate to the main terminal, over one pier, and out to the first gate. I barely had time to pee and they began boarding the XJT flight to
Since our arrival in
I cannot remember a family gathering (for this family, anyway) in which there were no hostilities. Amazing. Perhaps it’s the six vats of cheap white wine.
Their lake cottage (called a “camp” up here in upstate
This afternoon, my task is to shuck thirty-six ears of fresh corn. Later, I’m sure that there will be clean-up duties; tomorrow will involve quite a bit of cleanup to assist after the departure of the first 1/3 of guests.
Will there be another trip into town tomorrow? It’s hard to say.
This cottage is just as cute as it could be; they have worked so hard on this place. Most of the neighbors’ places look like Green Acres, complete with junked 1977 Plymouths and other dead appliances as yard art.
It’s almost time for today’s big afternoon nap.
August 20, 2006
Newark Liberty (how noxious)
In search of a wireless connection. And a decent cup of coffee; I seem to be in a nasty coffee zone. Four dollars and two cups of coffee later, none of it is drinkable.
So, it’s been since the 16th that I’ve been able to nab and internet signal and actually connect with my world. I’ve been able to check email occasionally using my Treo, but that’s imperfect.
It’s a sunny, brilliant day here in
As my aunt Kay left yesterday morning, she advised me that I really needed to lost weight, as I looked like I was five months pregnant. Then, my aunt Jackie chimed in saying that they were only concerned for my health. Mind, they never ASKED about my health, only assumed that it had to be bad since I was fat. Last evening, I volunteered to cook, and the same aunt suggested that I should clean up after also. Since I’d not been helpful enough up until then, of course. Yesterday morning also, my stepmother volunteered to the group assembled that it was unfair of us to impose on Debbie to take us to the airport at the ungodly hour of 0430, and we should find a motel near the airport. Then, she assumed (verbally, for everyone’s enjoyment) that neither I nor my cousin Jay would have the money to do that, and they’d end up having to pay for it.
Interestingly, Debbie was looking FORWARD to taking us to the airport, as it would give her several hours of solitude from the four days of eight to sixteen Hords talking over each other endlessly at a high volume.
Debbie and Wendy have a smashing lake cottage; it was featured on the first page of the living section in today’s Schenectady Gazette. I picked up a copy in Albay’s airport. It’s quite the article.
Newark Liberty is very international this morning – Peter Max is here at gate 110, ElAl has a 747-400 parked at B61,
I’m now headed back to the land of air conditioning. I’ve been damp for five days. They don’t use ceiling fans. They have the windows open – I had to ask someone what that meant. They don’t use air conditioning in the CAR for god’s sake. They do have XM radio, but that’s … IT.
Who made this coffee? Die Hard by Sears? Yurg. I’m giving up on the java idea and heading toward the gate for some wireless signal.
More after I get back to the land of air conditioning.
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