Screecher's Notebook

Bye Bye Bloogle

2008-05-27T19:28:00.004-04:00

I've gone over to the Dark Side, combined various Blogs, and moved the whole shebang to my own domain...

www.yarnfu.com

2008-02-27T01:00:00.002-05:00

Bookish

2008-02-22T20:11:00.000-05:00

In a feeble effort to be more contentious with this blog, and with a complete lack of originality (idea stolen from Meetzemonsta), I thought I'd keep track of my reading for the year...Rereads are asterisks, and my current book'll be in bold...

I usually read multiple books at a time, just so's ya know...

Edit: I haven't finished all my January books, so I will just continue and 'unbold' them as I finish...It's all Vikram Seth's fault...*grin*

January

Exodus by Leon Uris*

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth* (this may take a while, since this is one of the longest novels ever written in English, but it's an old favorite, so...)

A. D. 500: A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland by Simon Young

Valley of the Dolls by Jacquelin Susann (quite possibly the stupidest book it has ever been my misfortune to encounter...How is this book on the list of all-time best sellers???)

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England by Judith Flanders*

February

Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shi by Karen Kingston*

St. Petersburg: A Cultural History by Solomon Volkov

A. D. 500: A Journey Through The Dark Isles Of Britain And Ireland by Simon Young

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England by Judith Flanders*

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

2008-02-19T22:17:00.003-05:00

Whether it's a random zombie attack, or just stranded on the moon...

I'm gonna die!!

18%

I don't know where I am either...

74

Or what color the world is...

32

I am about the same value as the Blue Book for my car...

$3840.00

*sigh*

But on the plus side?

"In a clear sign of their standing in the race, most cable television networks abruptly cut away from coverage of Clinton's rally when Obama began to speak in Texas." (link)

Hee!

Thirty One

2008-02-13T23:04:00.002-05:00

My Mental Age Is...

[X] I know how to make a pot of coffee.
[ ] I keep track of dates using a calender....
[ ] I own more than one credit card....
[ ] I know how to change the oil in my car.
[X] I do my own laundry.
[X] I vote every election.
[X] I can cook for myself.
[X] I think politics are exciting.
[ ] I balance my checkbook.
[ ] My parents have better things to say than my friends.

total: 5

[ ] I show up for school/college/work every day early.
[X] I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse.
[ ] I've never gotten a detention/written up at work.
[ ] I have never smoked a cigarette.
[ ] I have forgotten my own birthday at least once.
[X] I like to take walks by myself.
[ ] I watch talk shows.
[X] I know what 'credibility' means without looking it up.
[X] I drink coffee at least once a week

total so far: 9

[X] I know how to do the dishes.
[X] I can count to 10 in another language.
[ ] When I say I'm going to do something I do it.
[X] My parents trust me.
[X] I can mow the lawn.
[X] I can make adults laugh without being stupid.
[X] I remember to water the plants.
[ ] I study/work only when I have to.
[ ] I pay attention at work.
[X] I remember to feed my pets/child.

total so far: 16

[X] I can spell 'experience' without looking it up
[ ] I work out on a regular basis.
[ ] I clean up my own mess.
[ ] The people at Jamoka's know me by name.
[X] My favorite kind of food is take out.
[X] I have gained weight since high school.
[X] The first thing I do when I wake up is get caffeine.
[X] I can go to the store without getting something I don't need.
[X] I understand political jokes the first time they are said.
[X] I can type quickly.

total so far: 23

[X] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour.
[ ] My only friends are from my place of employment.
[ ] I have been to a tupperware party.
[X] I have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job.
[X] I have more bills than I can pay.
[X] All my friends are older than I am.
[X] I can say no to staying out all night.
[X] I use the internet every day.
[X] My wardrobe hasn't changed in a while.
[X] I can read a book and actually finish it.

Grand Total: 31

Re-post as, "My mental age is---"

2008-02-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

Cutest.

Video.

EVER!!!

2008-02-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

Cold Sweat

2008-01-26T18:11:00.001-05:00

Exit polls say Obama's ahead in South Carolina by 15%...

*crosses all her fingers and toes*

B to the A to the R-A-C-K O-B-A-M-A!

2008-01-19T00:14:00.000-05:00

Obama Girl!

The Iowa vid is also brilliant...

2008-01-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

you are darkredviolet
#600B40

Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing.

Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative.

Your outlook on life is slightly darker than most people's. You try to see things for what they are and face situations honestly. You'd rather get to the point than look for what's good.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Tough

2007-12-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

Your kid teases a fucking wild animal and then you bitch and moan that it's the zoo's fault when he gets his face bitten off? Give me a fucking break...

Hee!

2007-12-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

Your Score: Serious Cat

45% Affectionate, 45% Excitable, 62% Hungry

Hungry for knowledge in any internet forum, you demand decorum. Any off-topic remarks, absurd statements, or tomfoolery on the interweb is deeply frowned upon by you. Truth has no room for drollery.

To see all possible results, checka dis.

Link: The Which Lolcat Are You? Test written by GumOtaku

Merry Christmakwanzakkah!

2007-12-25T23:20:00.000-05:00

2007-12-21T21:31:00.001-05:00

Looking for payday loans?

Because Oz Loves Wally-World

2007-12-14T18:27:00.000-05:00

glumbert - Henry Rollins goes to 'Wall-Mart'

I'm Gonna Fuck You Up!!!

2007-12-09T23:38:00.000-05:00

An Excellent Idea

2007-11-30T20:02:00.000-05:00

MYANMAR DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES PIN HOPES ON PANTY POWER

Thu Oct 25, 5:48 AM

BANGKOK (AFP) - A campaign is underway to chastise Myanmar’s military regime, not through dialogue or sanctions, but by flooding the country’s foreign embassies with women’s underwear, an activist said Thursday.

A pro-democracy group based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is urging people all over the world to “post, deliver or fling” their undergarments to Myanmar’s international embassies.

“The Burma military regime is not only brutal but very superstitious. They believe that contact with a woman’s panties or sarong can rob them of their power,” the Lanna Action for Burma group said on its website.

The generals who rule Myanmar, previously known as Burma, provoked international outcry in September when they violently cracked down on peaceful protesters, killing at least 13 people.

Europe and the United States led the chorus of disapproval, announcing new sanctions against the regime.

Despite the outcry and a United Nations statement deploring the crackdown and urging dialogue, the junta has shown little sign of moving any closer towards democracy or freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Those behind the so-called “Panty Power” campaign hope that lingerie can succeed where international diplomacy has so far failed.

“We want to raise awareness first, and we want to target the Burmese government officials, letting them know we are against them abusing their power,” said Tomoko, an activist with Lanna Action for Burma.

Tomoko, who goes by one name only, said she had heard that Myanmar embassies in Thailand, Australia and the United States had been targeted by the Panty Power campaign, which began last week.

“We are sending (the generals) panties as a symbol of putting their power down,” she told AFP.

Here's a website with some more info, and some 'cute' pictures of some of the main players in Burma's military junta that you can include with your package! I guess the embassy would be just as good as well...

Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S Street NW, Washington D.C. 20008

You know, this may be way TMI, but I was planning to have a panty-sort in the very near future and clean out some old ones, so this is Perfect Timing...*evil grin*

2007-11-28T00:15:00.001-05:00

HA!!!

2007-11-21T18:38:00.000-05:00

Best. Blog. EVER!!!

Uh Oh...

2007-11-09T20:57:00.000-05:00

45%

2,247,000

Seven Meme?

2007-11-09T20:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I got tagged with a meme for the first time...I guess my Solitary Reader was getting cranky that I've only been updating the Fiber Blog...*grin*

OK, here goes...

"Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself."

1. I am named after both my grandmothers...I am just glad they didn't go for Agnes (another family name)...

2. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 25...

3. I am quite a good cook, but I don't...It's a Lifestyle Choice...

4. I've had plastic surgery (twice)...

5. I've lived in 6 different countries and visited every continent except South America and Antarctica...

6. Neither of my parents were born in this country, yet I am eligible for membership in the DAR...I've always wanted to show up at one of their snobby meetings and spout off about my Irish steelworker grandfather...

7. My great-grandfather founded the local Mormon church in his adopted home town in Canada...

Did You Pay For That?

2007-09-24T19:35:00.000-04:00

I Wish I Lived In Knoxville...

2007-09-06T22:44:00.001-04:00

White Flour? Tight Shower? Ohhh, Wife Power!!!!

Still Here, Mostly...

2007-08-17T18:42:00.000-04:00

I'm a little discombobulated now, because this article basically took a big steaming shit on my degree...

But this is funny...

Wassamatter? Why don't you like intellectual wanking?? Huh??

I'm Going To Be Rich!!!

2007-08-06T19:12:00.000-04:00

From: Maliki Abudoulah
Sent:
Fri 8/03/07 10:06 PM
To:

FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION.

COULD YOU PLEASE CONSIDER TO HELP ME TO RELOCATE THIS SUM OF FIVE
MILLION,THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS(US$5.3m) TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR
ESTABLISHING A MEDIUM SIZE INDUSTRY IN YOUR COUNTRY.

THE SAID 5.3 MILLION DOLLARS WAS DEPOSITED IN OUR BANK BY MRS JOYCE LAKE AN
AMERICA CITIZEN WHO DIED IN A PLANE CRASH IN 2000.WE HAVE TRIED TO
CONTACT HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY TO COME FORWARD FOR CLAIMS BUT COULD NOT SUCCEED.

WE DISCORVERED THAT THE LATE AMERICAN DIED ALONG SIDE WITH HER HUSBAND
AND CHILDREN WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HER NEXT OF KIN.

CLICKHERE(http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/).

I WILL GIVE YOU ALL VITAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE AMERICAN AND THE
5.3MILLION DOLLARS IN OUR CUSTODY SO THAT YOU WILL CONTACT OUR BANK FOR
THEM TO RELEASE THE MONEY TO YOU.

YOU CAN COME HERE IN PERSON OR YOU CAN REQUEST THE BANK TO SHIP THE
FUNDS TO YOU IN YOUR COUNTRY DIPLOMATICALY.

I AM A MANAGER IN THIS BANK,I WILL PLAY A ROLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE 5.3 MILLION DOLLARS IS RELEASED TO YOU.

AS SOON AS I RECIEVE YOUR REPLY,I WILL GIVE YOU A DRAFT APPLICATION
WHICH YOU WILL FORWARD TO OUR BANK.REPLY AND LET ME KNOW YOUR
FULLNAME,AGE,ADDRESS,OCCUPATION,YOUR TELEPHONE
AND FAX NUMBERS IF AVALIABLE.

I AWAIT YOUR URGENT REPLY.

MR Maliki. A.

When Cryptids Attack

2007-07-24T19:04:00.001-04:00

Listening: Billy Bragg
(Re) Reading: Drums of Autumn

So I got bitten by a chupacabra last night...I wouldn't recommend it...

Though if El Senor wanted to take a chunk out of the Ambassador of Fun, I really wouldn't complain...I'd probably hold her down...

Her BFF, Chatty Cathy, thinks I'm her hero now...She tossed her cookies in the hall at work not too long ago, and since I paused (very!) briefly to make sure she wasn't in imminent danger of expiring in the Death, Inc. ladies room, she believes that I care...*huge snort*

In other news, various Hippies are wandering about, doing Hippie-ish things...Some are searching the city for plant fibers for 'artistic purposes', some are currently out West picking up rocks and putting them down again, and...well, that's all the Hippies I know personally (thank goodness)...

And I got to play with Baby Goaties this weekend...Aaaaaaaw!!!

Meanwhile, I am very busy Not Blogging...First, it was Kung Fu Week, and then I got my Ravelry invite, so Blogging has been slipping down on my priority list...And Shark Week is coming up, so don't expect any huge-giant updates anytime soon...

OK, all this 'writing' is taking up my precious, precious Ravelry time, kthxbye!

Unusual Twist

2007-07-19T19:07:00.000-04:00

Not who I thought it could be.

The DNA evidence that was being tested in the West Memphis Three case has come back...Clicky here, because there are several articles with info on the main news page...Jessie, Jason and Damien had no DNA on the boys' bodies, or any of the evidence tested (no surprise there, duh!) but they found a strand of hair from one of the boys' stepfather tied up in a knot of the rope used to bind the children...And it was not John Mark Byers' hair, which really, really surprised me...

The best news of all? They are reopening the case!!!

I can't wait...It still may be months before they are released, but if I possibly can, I want to drive down to Arkansas and stand outside the courthouse and yell my lungs out...

Job Notice

2007-07-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

CP Morgan is looking for a Warranty Service Coordinator...fluent in Punjabi...

Do they know this is Indiana? Maybe they think the name 'Indiana' means it is a long-lost Indian state?? Used to be part of Andhra Pradesh and then just floated off into the Bay of Bengal and ended up on the banks of the Wabash??

WTF?

lolcats

2007-07-16T22:12:00.000-04:00

I have an inordinate love for lolcats and I Can Has Cheezburger?

You either get it, or you don't...But if you don't, there's probably something wrong with you...

I am so totally not into cutesy cat pictures...I can barely stand the cat I have half the time, let alone oooh-ing over something someone else's cat has done that is 'just too adorable'...

My absolute fucking favorite?

Love it...

Hi-Yaaaaah!

2007-07-08T19:48:00.000-04:00

It's Kung Fu week on Spike TV!!!

(Hence the lack of blogging...*huge grin*)

2007-07-06T22:51:00.000-04:00

You scored as Clio, You are Clio, the muse of history.
You love academic pursuits, but still know to have fun.
You're a bit of a tease and a prankster.

Clio

69%

Thalia

63%

Euterpe

56%

Terpischore

50%

Polyhymnia

50%

Melpomene

50%

Erato

44%

Urania

44%

Calliope

38%

Which of the Greek Muses are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Firefly Extended Bloopers Reel

2007-07-04T01:48:00.000-04:00

Clicky.

Anti-Cthulu Undies?

2007-07-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

The most distressing part of the description for me is actually the whole bit about your panties being a conversation starter...HA!!!

http://www.cthulhulives.org/toc.html

I'm Going To Sue L'Oreal

2007-06-29T12:47:00.000-04:00

This is what I did last night...Well, actually it kind of happened to me, though I have to accept a certain amount of personal responsibility, I guess...

See how the hair on the top of my head is a bright, bright red? See how the hair from the temples down is a deep, rich black? Yeah...

I had a job interview this morning too...

By the time I realized it had all Gone Horribly Wrong TM, it was midnight, with no time to redye, or get to a hairdresser before the interview...I've been dyeing my hair for years and years and never had a serious issue like this...Well, excepting the Great Bleach Disaster of 1991, but that is a completely different story...

Luckily, my 'front hair' (where there would be bangs, if I had bangs) is the same color as the rest of my hair, so I can do my hair so that you can't tell...

Super.

See, I AM Perfect!

2007-06-27T12:28:00.000-04:00

Your Score: Almost Perfect- INFP

46% Extraversion, 60% Intuition, 20% Thinking, 33% Judging

So, you want to make the world a better place? Too bad it's never gonna happen.

Of all the types, you have to be one of the hardest to find fault in. You have a selfless and caring nature. You're a good listener and someone who wants to avoid conflict. You genuinely desire to do good.

Of course, these all add up to an incredibly overpowered conscience which makes you feel guilty and responsible when anything goes wrong. Of course, it MUST be your fault EVERYTIME.

Though you're constantly on a mission to find the truth, you have no use for hard facts and logic, which is a source of great confusion for those of us with brains. Despite this, in a losing argument, you're not above spouting off inaccurate fact after fact in an effort to protect your precious values.

You're most probably a perfectionist, which in this case, is a bad thing. Any group work is destined to fail because of your incredibly high standards.

Disregard what I said before. You're just easy to find fault in as everyone else!

Luckily, you're generally very hard on yourself, meaning I don't need to waste my precious time insulting you. Instead, just find all your own faults and insult yourself.

*****************

If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check out this.

*****************

The other personality types are as follows...

Loner - Introverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving

Pushover - Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging

Criminal - Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

Borefest - Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging

Freak - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging

Loser - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

Crackpot - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

Clown - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving

Sap - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging

Commander - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving

Do Gooder - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging

Scumbag - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving

Busybody - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging

Prick - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

Dictator - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

Link: The Brutally Honest Personality Test written by UltimateMaster on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

A Post for Oz

2007-06-25T19:53:00.001-04:00

Here.

Meme!

2007-06-24T18:57:00.001-04:00

The rules are to go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday month and day only. Then post 3 events, 2 births and one holiday that occurred on your birthday...

October 11th

Events:

1582 - Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

1862 - American Civil War: In the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart and his men loot Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, during a raid into the north.

1999 - The Lord of the Rings movies begin principal photography.

Births:

1844 - Henry Heinz, American food manufacturer (d. 1916)

1957 - Dawn French, Welsh comedian

Holidays:

Wikipedia lists no holidays on my birthday :( But I know Columbus Day (observed) has fallen on the 11th a couple of times...

Unca Hank

2007-06-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

Listening: Fred's Mix
Reading: the Fire Mountain Gems Catalogue

It's about 4 years ago now that I became aware of Henry Rollins...I'd been vaguely tuned in to him, since he's always popping up where you least expect him (Indy 500 anyone?), but I really wasn't familiar with any of his work...I don't remember exactly how I came across him...Maybe from the WM3 album? I have a memory like swiss cheese, so I really have no idea...

I'd heard of Black Flag, of course, but back in high school, way out in the wasteland of the Toronto suburbs, my friends and I were more into The Cure and The Smiths and escaping the confines of boarding school for the weekends than any serious music...After high school, I was more interested in self-medicating with various legal and illegal substances, and making up for lost time after 5 years in various all-female environments...*grins and winks*

Rollins came across my radar, and though it sounds melodramatic, I haven't been the same since...It's almost like a door was opened to the things I used to love, and how I used to be before I let the world bash me up a bit...I loved music when I was a kid, listening to all kinds of different genres, and playing it as well...My dad has quite eclectic tastes, though a bit circumscribed; I got Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and (especially) Edith Piaf from him, and for that I am grateful...

I forgot how much I loved music, and even before the Rollins radio show started, I went back to the stuff I used to listen to, and found new stuff I'd completely missed...I always loved alternative music (before there was such a term), but me and my little aspiring punkette friends were so focused on England that I completely missed the whole LA scene...The Mission UK, some Clash, Skinny Puppy, Depeche Mode, all the New Wave/New Romantic stuff that I don't really listen to now except when I feel the need to wallow in some memories...*grin* Gods, I completely forgot about Images in Vogue...Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! The Cult, a little bit of Bauhaus and Joy Division, the Sex Pistols...Anything that was kind of obnoxious and made us 'weird' to our parents and the other kids, but nothing really sunk in with me...

The first time I heard Minor Threat, it hit me 'like a thousand of brick'...Black Flag was so fierce I had to get as much of their music as I could possibly get my grubby paws on...Can you believe I fucking missed hardcore? I was around, I just didn't know! The Germs, the Teen Idles, Husker Du...Gods, I love the Dead Kennedys, I really, really do...And the 'softer' stuff, which just slays you anyway, like the Minutemen and X...

It's like I came home one day, and my whole family was there, and they knew me inside and out, and understood...

Rollins did that for me...Music just came flying in...I've loved Billy Bragg since the first time I heard him singing about politics and love, and I found the Carter Family from some TV special, and was totally blown away by Mother Maybelle's guitarwork...And I've been a ska devotee since a friend let me copy her Specials tape about a million years ago...Bob Marley, the Aquabats, Butthole Surfers, the Ramones, Dancehall Crashers, Die Cheerleader, Eek-A-Mouse, Fugazi, Generation X, The Stooges, Jane's Addiction, Black Sabbath, The Knitters, Lee Scratch Perry, The Misfits, Operation Ivy, Phil Ochs, The Riffs, The Toasters...

Rollins Band.

I'm often not a very nice person...I know I'm prickly, and hard to get along with...I know that...

There's a woman I work with...I refer to her in this Blog as 'Dum-dum', so that probably would give you an insight into how I often feel about her...Her cubicle is covered with doilies and ceramic frogs; basically we have nothing in common...Except art...She makes jewellery that is quite different from mine, very delicate, and sparkly, and beautiful...Some time ago, I was trying to work on my issues with this person, because I knew that it was my issue, and not really very much to do with her at all, and I had just bought the Rollins live album 'The Only Way To Know For Sure'...This is his riff from 'Thinking Cap'...

Think about it--This is a big city, covered with people--All kinds of people come through Chicago--Thousands and thousands, millions and millions--But there's one small subset of people who found their way into this place tonight--I like that--Because that means we definitely have something in common--And we've got something going--You might not know the boy or girl, man or woman next to you--But you know you've got soul--If you didn't you wouldn't be in here--So you know we've got a thing with you--And you've got a thing with us--So every day look around, do what you can to make it cool for someone you don't know somewhere else--And that's when we stop living like pigs and start living like human beings--You wanna talk about culture--You wanna talk about high civilization--A high-minded culture is literate--A high-minded civilization does not kill its own--A high-minded mind does not seek to oppress or step on anyone else's expression--I know you know, and I know you're just like me--You've been stepped on all the time--You've wanted to say something but someone takes your words and chops them up and puts them at your feet--And you go back into your room feeling half the size you were when you left it in the morning--I feel like that all the time--And sometimes my fuse gets mighty short--And sometimes I stop seeing what I should see--And sometimes I get out of the high-mindedness and I get real low--And then when I come to I see the mistakes I've made and I curse myself--Because I realize that's not it--That's not rock and roll--That's not what the Ramones taught me...

The bold sections? That's where Henry might as well have said 'Ms E?' and pointed directly at me at the end of the sentence...

Am I really saying that Henry Rollins is teaching me to be a better person? Oh gods...

2007-06-23T02:21:00.000-04:00

Um, What?

2007-06-20T00:24:00.000-04:00

Man says salad stolen from refrigerator

Tue Jun 19, 4:46 PM ET

SOMERSET, Pa. - Someone kicked in the door of a man's apartment, stuck a knife in the door and took a chilled salad from his refrigerator.

Somerset police said the man reported the bizarre burglary on Monday. He told investigators someone broke into his apartment while he went to a nearby tavern. Nothing but the salad was missing, police said.

Police said they have a suspect and expect to file charges once they finish their investigation.

2007-06-18T21:06:00.000-04:00

OMGs...I am totally geeking out...History Channel International has a two part Russian history special...4 hours of non-stop tsars, scandal, slaughter and mayhem...

I guess I won't be Blogging tonight after all...

Asshole

2007-06-13T19:52:00.000-04:00

I hate this guy...They should throw him off the bench, and the Chungs should sue his ass for emotional damages...To the tune of $67 mil, I reckon...

Only One of You Will Appreciate This

2007-06-12T19:43:00.001-04:00

This evening, I was finishing up some letters at work, and concentrating on one particular one, since noting the math was complex for the retained asset accounts, strange percentage division, etc. I also had my iPod on...

The Ambassador of Fun felt it necessary as she was leaving to stand behind me and say "Good night! Good night! Good night! Good night!" in a progressively loud and aggrieved tone of voice...

I've already asked the Kinder Boss if it's OK if I bring liquor to work, but she just looked at me and sighed...

Are You Fucking Kidding Me???

2007-06-11T20:24:00.000-04:00

New White House plan for Iraq...

Temptation

2007-06-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

I just got an invitation to go to Argentina in January, all expenses paid...

Even though I know for a fact it will come out of my hide later, I am still seriously thinking about it...

Fuck...

I Haven't Laughed This Hard In Days (Other Than At Paris, Of Course)

2007-06-09T00:33:00.000-04:00

I just found Picnik...It freakin' rocks! And it's free! (For the moment...)

Original photo...

Of course, you can do all the regular stuff, get rid of red eye, crop, sharpen the image, etc

Then there's some fun stuff, like making a color photie black and white, or sepia, or...

You can scare-ify your pic...

There's always mockery...Mockery's good...

Aaaaah!

Ha!

2007-06-08T19:56:00.001-04:00

I am so fucking tickled hearing about all these goings-on...I really wish I didn't even know she existed, but the fact is I do...And her sobbing all the way back to the Pokey is the best thing I've heard all day...

*snort*

F*%&ers

2007-06-05T19:27:00.000-04:00

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I hate Bloogle.

Far Out, Man (Serious Spoilers)

2007-05-27T00:51:00.000-04:00

Oh.

My.

Gods.

I just watched The Best Movie In The History Of Cinema!!!

So these groovy 70s chicks start a rock band and move to LA (man), and the Singer Girl finds her long lost aunt who is rich and wants to give the girl half her money (for reasons that are unclear--get used to that!)...Then Auntie Susan takes the band to a party (where they all immediately have sex with various revellers)...The Mopey Manager Guy who had a crush on the Singer Girl gets to have sex in a Rolls with a porn star, so he becomes less mopey (for a while), and the Bass Player meets a chick who decides to stalk her, and Singer Girl gets off with someone who looks eerily like Luke Skywalker...Then the aunt's lawyer gets mad because Singer Girl is getting half the money, so she gets him stoned and has sex with him so that he won't be mad anymore...The Shakespeare-spouting record producer/host of the party decides that he likes the band, so he makes them huge stars in a 5 minute montage, featuring him grooving on the band's music while Mopey Manager becomes progressively mopier...The Little Drummer Girl does a busboy at the party, but at the next party she meets a boxer (she does him too) but then Busboy comes home and catches them so Boxer tries to run him over in his giant blue convertible...Also, Auntie Susan's old fiance shows up at the party, and they decide that they really are in love after all, so he dumps his new fiancee and they go off together...Meanwhile, Mopey Manager falls out with the Porn Star, so he tries to beat up Skywalker...When that doesn't work, he goes home and date rapes Bass Player...Then he gets really depressed because Porn Star accused him of being gay, so while the band is doing a live TV interview, he takes the opportunity to attempt suicide by jumping from the catwalk onto the stage...He's paralyzed, of course, but then Bass Player finds out she's pregnant with his baby...It's OK though, because Lesbian Stalker Chick convinces her to have an abortion, and then they fall in far out 70s lesbian love...The Crazy Record Producer calls up the Lesbians and Skywalker, inviting them to a private party...So they do a bunch of drugs and then get dressed up in these freaky outfits, with Producer insisting that everyone call him Superwoman...The Lesbians go off for an extraordinarily tepid sex scene, and Producer tries to get it on with Luke, but he's not having any of it...So he hogties him, and during the struggle we see that Crazy Producer Man actually has boobs...So he's a woman, right? Then he kills Skywalker with a big sword...And inexplicably chases his Nazi butler (did I forget to mention the Nazi Butler earlier? I think I did...) out to the beach and chops him up too...Then he runs upstairs and kills Lesbian Stalker by making her fellate a pistol...Bass Player has run away from Superwoman at this point, and calls (no, not the cops) her friends in the band and Mopey Manager to come save her...They all show up (they forget Mopey Manager and leave him in the car to crawl down the driveway to the house) and although the Crazy Record Producer has shot Bass Player in the face, they all overpower him, and he gets accidentally shot and dies...They all realize everybody's chopped up and shot and dead in the house, but it is really OK, because during the fight Mopey Manager realized he wasn't paralyzed after all! Yay! The End!

No, wait, there's an Epilogue!

The Little Drummer Girl and the Busboy, Auntie Susan and Fiance, and Singer Girl and Mopey Manager have a triple wedding! Yay! The End! (For real)

Best. Movie. Ever.

Not As Cool As I Think I Am

2007-05-13T20:11:00.000-04:00

Listening: L7
Reading: Six Moon Dance

So this afternoon I was spending some time playing my favorite MMORPG...Yes, I have a 'favorite'...It's all training skills and fighting monsters, like any other Serious Dork type of game...I suddenly realized that this might have become a problem, because I got an Obsidian Shield from a monster drop, and gasped audibly, because I had really, really wanted one...Then a few minutes later, I got another drop with the matching Obsidian Cape, and I almost literally shouted in glee...And then I cursed, because none of my Runescape buddies were online to share the joy with me...

*sigh*

I fool myself that my addiction is not that bad...I'll put dishes and laundry on, and sit at the computer and work on whatever project is going at the time, and train my character, and tell myself I am really multitasking...Yeah, that's it...

Today is Mother's Day...I didn't send a present or even a card to my mum...I am having The Guilt, but not really as much as I had thought I would...To tell the truth, I didn't even really think about it until Thursday or so, too late too send anything...I don't know if it is all the work I have been doing with the Ananaia class recently, but I have been having serious anger issues re. my mum the past few weeks...I'm way too old to be blaming issues I have on my parents, but sometimes I think about things my mum has done or said in the past that were totally inappropriate, like telling me as a 6 year old in great detail about the Kitty Genovese murder, or statements that were just plain rude; e.g. last year when I tried to talk to her about my jewellery, she told me that we should talk about something else because she was 'just not interested' in hearing what I was doing with that...

They've been trying to convince me to move to Vegas...I might think about it, if they go through with their plan to move to Flagstaff...*snickers* Part of the reason that I am thinking about moving out West is that in 15 years, my dad will be in a wheelchair and my mum will be blind, so jumping in a car and driving 5 hours to get to them in an emergency, or just for a quick visit to check up on things, is a lot easier than trying to get on a plane quickly and all the hassle that involves...

I just need to figure out a way to get rid of some of this anger shit...It does me no good, and I know I'll never be able to explain the way things are to my parents...I am always the Bad Girl, who needs fixing, and Mommy and Daddy to tell her what to do and set her straight...*shrugs* So if I work on my own stuff and offload some of it (in a Blog?! *grin*) then I can do my own thing and not worry about the toxicity...

I haven't done this in a while, and I know my Faithful Readership (Um, both of you? *grin*) is dying to know what I'm listening to, so...

Fred's Top Ten for Today!

1. Disturbance at the Heron House--REM
2. Thursday Afternoon--Rollins Band
3. No Deposit, No Return--Black Flag
4. You--X
5. Rock the Casbah--The Clash
6. Edward--Old Blind Dogs
7. Crying--The Hotknives
8. Babysitter--The Ramones
9. It's Up To You--The Specials
10. Shirley--Billy Bragg

Oh, and I almost forgot My Total Humiliation...Checked my site stats for the Fiber Blog and this one the day after I posted about Lady Linoleum (Squee!) commenting on the FB...She looked at my Crazy Fan Girl post here as well...*blushes* But I did notice that someone who I believe to be Guido looked at my FB too (Technorati search for 'It's A Purl Man' coming from a computer in Massachusetts)...Yay me! *grin*

Possibly The Most Annoying Game In The World

2007-05-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

http://bored.com/boomshine/index.htm

OMFGs...Fan Girlie Moment

2007-05-08T00:25:00.000-04:00

Right after I posted that about my Fiber Blog last night, I resigned myself to Blogging in a vacuum, and just shrugged it off--I'm doing it for me, right? I don't need outside validation, right? Right?!?

Lady Linoleum commented on my Blog...

Squeeeeeeeeee!!! I love Lady Linoleum!!! A favorable comment on work that you did from a woman that crochets fried egg wrist warmers?

It doesn't get any better than this...*enormous grin*

I Need A Life

2007-05-06T16:45:00.000-04:00

Listening: The Ramones

I had great plans for this evening...Finishing up in my studio room, getting laundry done and clothes sorted for the work week coming, working on the Fiber Blog, etc...But there's a Miami Ink marathon on TV tonight, soooo...*huge grin* A couple of the shows are repeats, so I can work a few hours, and rush around during the commercials too, I guess...

Most of my computer time recently has been doing things on the Fiber Blog...I am unsure about what exactly I am doing with it; I don't feel like I have found a 'voice' in my writing there...(See the review of the Greencastle Fiber Show--Uberdorky!) But I am soldiering on, and I'll see how it goes...Blogging's really about the person who's doing it anyway, so if I like my Fiber Blog, noone else has to! *grin*

2007-05-04T20:04:00.000-04:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

This Is Why I Read Blogs

2007-04-24T21:40:00.000-04:00

From Mike of I Am Prepared To Give Up At Any Time fame...

The dessert was yummy too. They called it a "classic cocoa custard", but it didn't seem very classic. It was rich, and turd-shaped, and had little crispy cocoa bits in it. It was, however, the tastiest thing I've ever eaten that looked like poo.

A Different Top Ten

2007-04-24T00:57:00.000-04:00

From my Best Friends at Netflix:

'March of the Penguins' is on the way...

1. Ken Burns' America: The Shakers
2. Punk: Attitude
3. Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey
4. National Geographic: China's Lost Girls
5. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations
6. Fugazi: Instrument
7. The Fighting Sullivans
8. End of the Century: The Ramones
9. Battleship Potemkin
10. Restaurant

Good thing I'm not a music-lovin' history geek, huh?

Me At Work Yesterday

2007-04-20T20:57:00.000-04:00

Virginia Tech

2007-04-18T19:37:00.000-04:00

Erin Peterson was 6-foot-1 and played center for the school’s girls basketball team, helping lead it to a district championship.

Partahi Lumbantoruan’s family in Indonesia...sold off property and cars to pay his tuition and that his goal was to become a teacher in the United States.

After surviving the Nazi killings, Liviu Librescu escaped from communist Romania and made his way to the United States before he was killed in Monday’s massacre, which coincided with Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Friends continued to post hundreds of messages and remembrances on Henry Lee’s Facebook page since he was shot to death, knowing he would never get to view them.

“Remember how you used to freak out when I hugged you all the time?” one read. “I’m not so sorry for that anymore.”

Department chief Ishwar Puri said Kevin Granata was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country, working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

Austin Cloyd, from Blacksburg, was so inspired by an Appalachian service project that helped rehabilitate homes that she and her mother started a similar program in their Illinois town, her former pastor said.

"Ryan Clark directed the music/dance program at camp and brought cheer to all the campers around him. He was constantly smiling and dancing, signing and cheering. The campers would gather around Ryan and hug him. We have a picture of a year that Ryan was at camp on his birthday. All of the campers were surrounding him, hugging him, and all you could see of him was his head sticking out above the crowd. They all loved 'Mr. Ryan'.

Christopher Bishop spent four years living in Germany, where he “spent most of his time learning the language, teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing a certain fraulein.”

Waleed Mohammed Shaalan: “He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew. We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us,” Fahad Pasha, Waleed’s roommate, said.

I'm Not A Nice Person...

2007-04-17T19:21:00.000-04:00

Just got an invite to my cousin's wedding rehearsal dinner in Chicago in September...I thought only the wedding party went to the rehearsal dinner, but what do I know? So, the Happy Couple have a website for their wedding...Way cool idea in my book, because it is very well done and has directions to everything (church, reception, etc.) with info about valet parking and all that good stuff...

They also included several photo albums, which was neat, because I haven't seen my cousin since before he went to college (has it been that long???), and he's done 1 or 2 things since then (West Point, Iraq, business school, and who knows what else) And I didn't know anything about his Beloved either...

There were some photo albums on the site...Thank gods my mum is in France now, because there is a pic of her and my dad and she looks...Very Surprised would be putting it mildly...I am totally cracking up, and even more so because I know she is going to lose her shit as soon as she knows this photo is up for the world to see...

EDITED PHOTO

Huh?

2007-04-16T01:36:00.000-04:00

"We've noticed that customers who have expressed interest in The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori by Mark Ravina have also ordered Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning by Kirk Douglas."

They must put drugs in the water at Amazon.com...Because I never expressed any interest in this historical novelization about a samurai...And my brain is twisting around desperately, trying to figure out how Takamori would relate to Kirk Douglas...

Owww! My head!!

2007-04-15T17:15:00.000-04:00

www.toothpastefordinner.com

In A World Where Death Will Make You Dead...

2007-04-13T00:44:00.000-04:00

Please Explain This To Me

2007-04-09T00:46:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time (DST) is that it saves energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.

In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time "makes" the sun "set" one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means that less electricity would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day. We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of spring and summer.

Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings."

While the amounts of energy saved per household are small...added up they can be very large. In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset by the morning's need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise.

How does this save oil, considering that most electricity in this country is generated by coal and nuclear power? Because that's how this whole thing has been marketed so far...

Meh.

2007-04-08T23:43:00.000-04:00

Listening: The Minutemen and a bit of the old X
Reading: Incubus Dreams

Watched We Jam Econo yesterday...It was so beyond great, but those things make me really sad too, I guess because I missed it...I was a couple of years too young, and locked up in school when all the bands came to town in the early 80s...I wonder if they know what they meant and still mean to a lot of people...

I've been doing a lot of energy work with Ananaia recently...A healing class that's been going on for the past couple of months...Thursday we all got some Peruvian initiation (for want of a better word)...Very powerful, and I think it will be very useful, but I am having a harder time than usual integrating it...After my Reiki I attunement, I was kind of wonky for a couple of days, but I could feel things shifting and becoming clearer...This is different...I feel very conflicted; that's the only way I can describe it...Maybe I am fighting it subconsciously and my old habits and thought patterns are trying to reassert themselves through the energy shift...I don't know...I do know I'm not having a very good time with it right now...*grin* I was going to try to do Fire Ceremony again tonight, but it is rather late...I may try that tomorrow and if it's not better soon I'll give Ananaia a call and be a Drama Queen...

Buddy's Visitor

2007-04-06T00:47:00.000-04:00

Dapper Dan's Buddy got his Purple Heart...

2007-04-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

http://www.marriedtothesea.com

United Airlines Flight 93

2007-03-31T22:11:00.000-04:00

For a long time, I've wanted to see the Flight 93 film...It was on the History Channel tonight, and I decided it was time to watch it, having put it off and put it off due to the subject matter...I do not say this lightly, but everyone in this country needs to see that film...

It was extraordinarily well done, very sensitive to the families and friends of passengers...The topic is very violent, but it is not gory or exploitative in any way, shape, or form...It's terrible, because throughout the whole movie, I was really rooting for the passengers...Even though I knew how it ended, I kept thinking: 'Do this! Hit him! Do that! Pull up on the throttle!" As if they could be saved at the last minute by my shouted instructions at the television set...

A friend of mine said re. that flight, that only in America would a plane get hijacked, and everyone just whip out their cell phones...*smile* The thing that really struck me was Lisa Johnson, a customer service supervisor who took over a call from Todd Beamer...Maybe it's just the tiny human brain trying to understand these things by personalizing them, but the initial images of that call, in that bland call center/office atmosphere really hit home...

I saw a documentary some time ago, by two French filmmakers who had intended to do a documentary about a particular fire station in NYC, and just happened to be there on September 11th...This was the first time I really realized what happened when people were jumping from the WTC...Throughout the documentary as the cameraman rushed around the base of the towers, you'd periodically hear this tremendous 'BOOM!'...Literally as loud as a car crash, or one of those pounding machine things they use in road construction...That was a person hitting the pavement...On September 11th, the networks, in a rare show of compassion and discretion, agreed not to show any of the people jumping or falling from the WTC...Afterwards, I tried to imagine the fear and the strength of people joining hands to die together, crossing themselves, the man who attempted to scale the side of the building in search of safety...

And I thought about how 40-odd people realized what was on the line and took action to prevent more horror on that awful day...

I was unemployed in the summer of 2001, and remember waking up briefly that morning with a start, frightened for some reason...I went back to sleep, but it must have been about 8:45 or so, when I got a call from S, telling me that planes had hit the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon, that there was a truck bomb at the State Department, and at least 2 other planes were in the air in the control of unknown hijackers...Noone knew what was happening...Like everyone else, I turned on the TV...S had more calls to make, to check on another friend whose mother was flying that day...I called my parents...It was still quite early out West, but they had already heard...They were trying to get through to our cousins, whose apartment was about 2 blocks from the Towers...All the phone lines were jammed up, but I managed to get a call through to his sister in Canada, who had heard from them, and they were fine...It's a complete cliche, but that day is just a blur...I talked to my parents again, but there was just nothing to say...

Watching the coverage after the initial hits, an announcer mentioned that a command center for the WTC rescue operation had been set up in the lobby of one of the buildings...I remember thinking (yelling at the TV actually...I do that a lot) that that was really stupid...What if it fell down? About twenty minutes later, it did...

That afternoon, I went to the grocery store...As I stood in line waiting to check out, the man in front of me made some comment to the cashier about the huge line and the $5 a gallon prices at the gas station across the street...Putting my foot in it as usual, my interjection to the effect that '$5 a gallon was nothing, wait until we're at war with these fuckers and then you'll see some gas price hikes' was not well received...

It was so strange to me, watching Flight 93, I can hardly remember what that world was like, before September 11th...The Cold War was over and we had 'won', we were worried about having a President who was not the brightest crayon in the box, but I think most people were just wondering what happened to Aaliyah's plane...Life seems to have come to some sort of new normality, but I wonder what the historical analysis of this time period will be in one hundred years...

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath A Blog

2007-03-31T12:03:00.000-04:00

From one of the best Blog posts I have ever read...A review of 'Snakes on a Plane'...

Withinne the hulle of the shipe he had privilye yputte manye a caske fulle of serpentes and wormes and foul addres, and therto he put aboute the boate a philtre ycleped Far-Amoun by the Arabes, the which maketh serpentes to freke the helle oute and starte juste bitinge eny oon thei see.

Clicky.

Obviously I Don't Get Out Much

2007-03-30T19:34:00.001-04:00

Listening: The TV in the other room
Reading: Still in a Civil War rut

So, there's a small business on a corner near my place, which I drive by with some regularity...Every single time I catch the sign out of the corner of my eye, I misread it, and trust me, if you're not feeling well, the Manson Family Chiropractic Clinic is not the first place you would want to go for assistance...

Cognitive Dissonance #463: Went to Boston Market to pick up some dinner tonight...The Muzak was playing The Specials...I didn't think anyone in this country knew The Specials...*grin* It was 'Ghost Town' though; that's the one song they always play if they're playing The Specials, though IMHO it's really not one of their best...

Speaking of music...

Fred's Top Ten

1. Padded Cell--Black Flag
2. What You Own--The Rent Soundtrack
3. Space Light--Lloyd Brevett & The Skatalites
4. The World According To Nouns--The Minutemen
5. Black Pearl--Horace Faith (Trojan UK Hits Box Set)
6. Problems--Sex Pistols
7. Always The Same (Live)--Rollins Band
8. Baby Out Of Jail--The Knitters
9. I Don't Need This Pressure Ron--Billy Bragg
10. Gone Inside The Zero--Rollins Band

Pretty much nothing's gone right this week...Not anything major, just lots of little stuff...Failed my underwriting exam for the second freaking time, cat barf on the bedroom floor first thing in the morning, lost my brand new prescription sunglasses, got a traffic ticket, poor Fishie finally died, etc. etc.

Time to be proactive, I guess, and throw off some of the bad mojo that's floating around...I'm going to try and use some time this weekend building an Etsy store, and getting all my studio stuff organized...Apparently I neglected to move the Biz Blog over when I was working on consolidating all this Bloogle stuff, so I'll need to do that as well...

Sorry, But It Had To Be Done...

2007-03-26T00:11:00.001-04:00

Hope it doesn't kill people's laptops...*grin*...But it's totally worth it...

2007-03-23T23:44:00.000-04:00

Very nice...

Random Thoughts Part Eleventy Four

2007-03-21T23:37:00.002-04:00

Listening: Sex Pistols
Reading: The Civil War

1. I saw a neat website once, for misheard song lyrics...I have a couple of those firmly stuck in my tiny cranium...I am convinced that what is sung in the first verse of 'It's Up To You' (The Specials) is "We can't force you to injure this muesli", and I can't actually hear what he really sings...Maybe he really wants to insure the muesli, I don't know...My latest is in 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forward', where Billy Bragg suddenly yells out towards the end of the song: "Baby, I'm Scottish!" Bard of Barking, my fat pink ass!

2. I'm a bad, bad fish mommy...On Saturday, I did a quick half water change for Fishie, and he seemed a little weird, but looked fine, though he didn't eat...I finally figured out that I have been feeding him waaay too much (seems that the instructions on the fish food are wrong, big time), so I wasn't worried...When I went to feed him on Sunday, he was ill...I mean ILL...I went straight to Yahoo Answers, and it seems he has something called 'pop-eye' (Warning: Link has a gross pic, if you're squeamish)...The stupid bint at PetSmart gave me some fish medicine that she said was the only thing you could use on Bettas...So I used it on Monday morning...And evening...By Tuesday morning, he was looking really, really bad, so back to my trusty World Wide Internets...From what I'd read and been told, pop-eye's caused by an internal bacterial infection...What she had given me was a topical skin treatment...I went right to a different pet store after work on Wednesday, and got a whole new tank setup (he had been in just a large bowl before)...I figure that if there's an infection, he shouldn't be sitting in a jug of bacterial soup, so he's got a big ol' 10 gallon tank now, and a filter and light and all that good stuff...Oh, and the RIGHT MEDICINE...He looks a lot better already, though I don't think Fishie's out of the woods yet...

3. That Hippie Chick's a clever gal, oh yes she is! She's Blogging away on her MySpace page like no man's business...I wonder if I can bring her over to the Bloogle Dark Side...?

4. I'm obsessed with my new Frappr maps...Zooming in on Santiago, Chile, etc. (Gimme a break, I've never been to Chile!) I was a bit disappointed though, since the map over Melbourne is not working right at the moment...I have cousins that live in Ballarat, so it's not really cyber-stalking, right? *grin*

5. Just found out a certain Not-So-Local college has an online Funeral Service course...Then I found this, which made me drool on my keyboard...They've got an even cooler Masters in Thanatology...But I really can't afford it, so maybe I'll just find out more about the NSL college stuff...*sighs and wishes for a winning lottery ticket*

Book Meme

2007-03-20T20:34:00.002-04:00

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. +~~The Da Vinci Code~~ (Dan Brown)
2. ~~Pride and Prejudice~~ (Jane Austen)
3. +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. +Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. +Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. *Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. +Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. ~~The Stand~~ (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. +Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. *Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. *The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. +The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. *The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. ~~Confessions of a Shopaholic~~ (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. +Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. *She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. +A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. *Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. +Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. *The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. ~~The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants~~ (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. ~~Bridget Jones’ Diary~~ (Fielding)
72. +Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. +Shogun (James Clavell)
74. +The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. +A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. ~~The World According To Garp~~ (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. +~~Emma~~ (Jane Austen)
86. +Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *~~Kane and Abel~~ (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. +The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. ~~The Bourne Identity~~ (Robert Ludlum)
96. ~~The Outsiders~~ (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. ~~The Celestine Prophecy~~ (James Redfield)
100. +Ulysses (James Joyce)

Well, apparently, I've never read anything...But it's a fair bet to say that if they make it into an action movie, I won't be reading it anytime soon...Harry Potter leaves me fairly cold; though I did watch the second movie, because, honestly, I could watch Kenneth Branagh read the phone book for two hours...

Ew.

2007-03-20T00:31:00.000-04:00

You know what? Frappr Maps are creepy...I just figured out that you can zero in right on a pinpointed location...To the extent that when I checked out the map of Death, Inc., I am convinced that with a little effort I could find my car in the parking lot...

Double Ew...

2007-03-17T12:54:00.000-04:00

Fred's Top Ten For Paddy's Day...

1. Jungle Music--The Special AKA
2. Bottle of Smoke--The Pogues (Yes! I knew Fred was Irish!)
3. Six Pack--Black Flag (Irish people...Beer...Yeah, this works)
4. Shut Up--Madness
5. Pull My Strings--Dead Kennedys (Kennedy is an Irish name)
6. Soul Shakedown Party--Bob Marley
7. Big City--Dandy Livingstone
8. Public Enemy No. 1 (Jeronimo Punx Redux)--Public Enemy
9. Wouldn't It Be Nice--The Beach Boys
10. Thirsty and Miserable--Black Flag (Per the stereotype the Irish drink a lot, so this is Also Appropriate for the day)

Stalky Stalkerson

2007-03-16T23:00:00.002-04:00

Some People need to post an Official Warning when they put new links on their Blog...Because Others of Us will be cheerfully munching a delicious open-faced smoked salmon sandwich that they have been looking forward to all day, and then will innocently click on a link and be confronted suddenly with graphic pictures of freshly-removed calf testicles...

OK?!?!?

Geez...

So, as I was merrily clicking...(and removing pieces of half-chewed smoked salmon from my keyboard and monitor) I decided to check out some of this 'Homesteading' nonsense that people seem so enamored of...*grins and winks* I reckon that I am probably 80% City Girl, but it's fun to play outside, and though in my imagination living on a farm would be swell, the actual Getting Up At 5 AM thing, and the Putting My Hand Up A Sheep's Butt thing would probably get really old after, say, 8 minutes...

(A little explanation, and then the rant that you know is coming will commence...)

Quite some time ago, remember the Tiger Guy got chewed on by one of his charges, and had a stroke? I went to the bookstore with Lady Miss C (who after a successful college career as a Rok Chik ended up getting 'saved')...We were checking out 'People' or one of those foolish celebrity rags, and I saw that in an article describing the events surrounding Roy's unfortunate chomping incident, several members of the crew, instead of coming to his aid, formed a prayer circle off to the side...My immediate reaction was 'What the fucking fuck???' A man is seriously injured and bleeding, and the first thing that springs to your mind to do to help him is not attend to his wounds, or stanch the bleeding, or check an airway, or call 911, but to go off to the side and petition Deity to help this poor man?

Lady Miss C was Very Offended at my comments/opinion on this matter, and stated that she reckoned she would be no good in a situation like that and prayer would be her first option also...It kind of made me think, in that if you knew you would immediately freak out or faint at the sight of blood, would just get in the way and be no help at all, getting out of the way might be a very good idea...And maybe not everyone is interested in goo (dinnertime excepted of course, though I have had several delightful evenings over bedtime snacks and Rotten.com...)

Tonight, I was checking out those homesteading forums; there's some really interesting stuff in there, along with the goats and the cheesemaking posts...*grin* One of the posts had to do with a seemingly nice older lady who was having an issue with her son's behavior/attitude when she went to pick up her granddaughter at daycare...Now obviously, there are a lot of other issues with this family, since swearing at your mother when she has come to do you a favor is really not cool, but I digress...The very first answer to this post was short and sweet; something along the lines of "Go and pray about it and you will have an answer."

Now, my thing is that if there is a situation that is immediate, or needs action in the (very) short term, what the hell is the use of praying at that particular moment? Grab a blanket, find a doctor, call your son on his weak bullshit...Pray later, when the emergency isn't hot...Pray for his speedy recovery, pray for guidance to deal with an angry son, but freakin' do something right then...Take action when it's necessary, and talk to Jeebus on your own time...

I don't understand this mentality at all...I believe that some of my annoyance with this has to do with lingering feelings of disdain I have for the more vocal followers of Jesus Christ...I've seen studies done about the 'power of prayer', and from what I've read, it seems to have good effects (because it's energy medicine!) But the whole idea that prayer can do absolutely anything, and that Jeebus Claus will give you whatever you ask for is offensive to me...Don't tell me that if there is no response to my prayer that that is the answer...I pray (fairly) often, and get told no in no uncertain terms, far more than my selfish little soul would like...In fact, I would be surprised if I got absolutely no response at all, and would not take that as a negative answer, but as a strange development in my relationship with Deity...

Maybe I'm missing the point here, but it seems too passive and ineffectual for my tastes...Good thing I'm not Xtian, I guess...*grin*

It's Bloggerific!

2007-03-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

Since I have been sadly neglecting my Very Important Blogging Activities, I got my act (ass?) in gear tonight...

I added a link to my super-duper My Space page, since I am a Total Hipster Chick now...And I figured out how to put music on it, which thrilled me...Since some people apparently have never heard The Greatest Pop Song Ever Written, they should go listen to it...*pokes Sherri savagely in the ribs* I am very upset though, since Exene still has not put me on her friends list...

Also finally updated the Fiber Blog, and will be adding the link here too...It's all about tragedy and triumph...*smirk* Fixed the counter too...

Apparently I Am Too Lazy To Do Any 'Real' Posts, So Here's A Meme

2007-03-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

Soundtrack of my Life

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.
7. Don’t skip songs.

My Movie:

1. Opening credits: Elvis & Me--Dance Hall Crashers
2. Waking up: Rawhide--Dead Kennedys
3. First day of school: There Ain't Shit on TV Tonight--The Minutemen
4. Fight song: Some of Them A Bawl--The Pioneers (Trojan Rude Boy Box Set)
5. Breaking up: Spooky Graveyard--The Toasters
6. Happiness: Envy The Love--The Apollinaires (2 Tone Box Set)
7. Life’s okay: Scream--Black Flag
8. Mental breakdown: The Stage (live)--X
9. Driving: Buffalo Soldier--Bob Marley & The Wailers
10. Flashback: Straight Edge--Minor Threat
11. Getting back together: Nervous Breakdown--Black Flag
12. Wedding song: Rude Boys Outa Jail--Neville Staples (2 Tone Box Set)
13. Birth of first child: Independent Intavenshan--Linton Kwesi Johnson
14. Final battle scene: Mother's Young Gal--Desmond Dekker
15. Death scene: Is There For Honest Poverty--Old Blind Dogs
16. Funeral song: Tuesday Morning--The Pogues
17. End credits: Burning House Of Love--X

If you’re reading this, I’m tagging you! Let’s see it!

2007-02-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

This is the best book I have seen on interior design...Ever.

http://www.lileks.com/institute/interiors/index.html

2007-02-27T00:33:00.001-05:00

Wartime

2007-02-26T01:27:00.001-05:00

Reinvention

2007-02-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

Fred's Top Ten...

1. Dr. Wu--The Minutemen
2. Special Secret Song Inside (I Want To Party On Your Pussy)--Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Pink Frosty--Fugazi
4. Janie Jones--The Clash
5. Three Days--Jane's Addiction
6. My Baby Lollipop--Millie Small
7. The Unheard Music--X
8. She--The Misfits
9. Just Tell Me--Toots & The Maytals
10. Help Save The Youth Of America--Billy Bragg