Well, Courtney Love hasn't been in the news for awhile. Somebody has to take up the slack.
But Wednesday's gig at the NIA, which can hold up to 13,000 people, was slammed by angry fans as a "disgrace" after she turned up late and stumbled about the stage.
When punters started jeering, Winehouse snapped: "Let me tell you something. First of all, if you're booing, you're a mug for buying a ticket.
"Second, to all those booing, just wait till my husband gets out of incarceration -- and I mean that."
Yeah, that's gonna earn you some fans.
Winehouse, named best British female solo artist at the Brit Awards in February, has rarely been out of the newspapers in recent months due to her lifestyle issues.
Having lifestyle "issues" is perhaps worse than having a frowned-upon "lifestyle choice."
Don't these "fans" read the fucking papers? What do they expect? That's like buying a ticket to a 1977 Sex Pistols concert and expecting dinner theatre.
She's FUCKED UP. Stop buying her tickets, maybe she'll stay home and take care of herself. I have no problems with tortured artistes performing drunk or drugged out, but hell, at least Janis could belt 'em out while blacked out.
While Atlanta has been suffering through a severe drought, as has much of the southeast, one homeowner seems to have been oblivious.
Over the past six months the address has used an average of 390,000 gallons of water. Last month it was 440,000 – up 15% from last October when there was no crisis. That one home would drain the nearby water plant’s filtration field in less than a year.
As the New York Times noted, Chris G. Carlos, the homeowner with a huge thirst, is not high on the popularity list in the Atlanta area.
By comparison, the average consumption in the United States is about 150 gallons a day per person, and in the Atlanta metropolitan area about 183 gallons.
[...]
Mr. Carlos has apparently been using the water not only to flush nine toilets and maintain a swimming pool but also to refresh nearly four acres of lush landscaping around his white-columned, red brick home.
There are people who seriously deserve to be slapped senseless, and Mr. Carlos is one such person. The problem is, how do you slap someone senseless who is already seriously lacking any?
After having concrete confirmation that layoffs would begin today, txrad and I proceeded to get shitfaced last night. I figured I'd go in to work for a couple of hours, and at least one of us would be discharged, and we could both come home and take a nap to sleep it off.
Wrong.
After suffering through one of the worst days ever, the news is the layoffs have been postponed until Thursday. It's complicated and I can't go into all the details on a blog.
But I was very surprised when I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw 95% of our pizza uneaten. At least we took care of the bottle!
So tonight I'm trying this again. We have a bottle, txrad is making veggie burgers & tots and they had damn well better start laying folks off tomorrow. Because the process of getting myself into the right mindset is expensive and unhealthy!
I'm old enough to remember when a billion dollars was a shitload of money. It was the stuff of corporate mergers and involved very impressive single digits.
Now we have people worth billions and a war costing trillions. At least $2 trillion before all is said and done.
A new "partisan" report by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee (pass that joint around) has estimated the true cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at $1.6 trillion.
The report, released Tuesday, attempted to put a price tag on the two conflicts, including "hidden" costs such as interest payments on the money borrowed to pay for the wars, lost investment, the expense of long-term health care for injured veterans and the cost of oil market disruptions.
And this is where the Republicans are getting their panties all knotted up in their ass cracks.
I'm not sure why, because I calculate my own costs of goods and services with the inclusion of interest payments and other side costs, including the cost of driving to purchase said goods.
Example: When I go out for my favorite $19 Indian meal, I accept the fact that the $19 meal is actually costing me $26 when I factor in the cost of fuel to drive 22 miles each way to get there. And that doesn't include the wear & tear on the car.
Whatever.
For the Iraq war only, total economic costs were estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. That would cost a family of four $16,500, the report said.
I don't know about the rest of you reading this blog, but I could find a better use for $16,500, or in my family of two, $8,250 could be better spent.
The White House countered that the report was politically motivated.
"This report was put out by Democrats on Capitol Hill. This committee is known for being partisan and political. They did not consult or cooperate with the Republicans on the committee. And so I think it is an attempt to muddy the waters on what has been some positive developments being reported out of Iraq," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "I haven't seen the report, but it's obvious the motivations behind it."
But of course. It needs to be motivated by somebody for some reason because it's FUCKING INSANE!
White House Budget Director Jim Nussle accused Democrats of "trying to distort reality for political gain."
Excuse the living fuck out of me. Since when is including interest payments on borrowed money and including the cost of long-term health care for injured veterans a distortion?
While incomes have increased among both black and white families in the past three decades — mainly because more women are in the work force — the gain is greater among whites.
The study, based on data from some 2,300 families during the past three decades, shows a black family's income in 2004 was a little more than half that of a similar white family's.
Don't hold your breath waiting on this to equalize. You might just die.
It should be an interesting day at work. It'll start off rather normal with an 8:00 AM breakfast taco. Would you like a layoff with that?
I've been mentioning the rumors off and on for the past 2 weeks. It was confirmed today that layoffs start on Wednesday.
Supposedly my name is not on "the list." We don't know about txrad. Unfortunately, not being on the list is probably just a temporary reprieve for about two weeks when the rest of the shit will inevitably hit the fan.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of being on the cusp of a new and unknown adventure, and particularly if the new adverture results in a significant loss of income.
That's a job I'd like to have. I delete dozens a day actually and get paid for doing it. But how long would it take to delete 5 million?
U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy directed the Executive Office of the President to safeguard the material in response to two lawsuits that seek to determine whether the White House has destroyed e-mails in violation of federal law.
The White House is seeking dismissal of the lawsuits brought by two private groups — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government and the National Security Archive.
The organizations allege the disappearance of 5 million White House e-mails.
The New Frontier Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas will have its last moment as a major source of entertainment later tonight. The last remnant of what I remember as Vegas will be gone.
Thousands of onlookers are expected to crowd along the Las Vegas Strip at 2 a.m. Tuesday to watch as the Loizeauxes set off a chain reaction of explosions that will force a storied but tired property to collapse upon itself. A fireworks show is planned, too, but the main attraction is clearly the destruction of the New Frontier to make way for a splashier edifice.
I'm not sure why I'd even care considering I lost about three grand there playing slots at a time in my life when I was unemployed and living on borrowed money.
Way back in April I secured another blog with the title Black Soap. The inspiration for it came from my favorite movie of all time, Annie Hall. There's a scene in the film after Alvy and Annie break up, and Alvy is standing out of front of a theatre going on a rant about Annie, talking to total strangers about personal things such as Annie washing her face "800 times a day with black soap." And he actually pulled a bar of black soap from his pocket.
After almost 7 months of having this extra blog and not knowing what to do with it, I have finally decided to turn it into a personal photo blog -- my own version of a bar of black soap which I can use to obsessively expose total strangers to aspects of my life they probably don't give a damn about knowing, but feign interest anyway.
"I hope I'm wrong," said Tom Mitchell, who runs a 242-bed shelter in Houston serving 14 Iraq veterans, "but I think, in a few years, we're going to have a mess on our hands."
Such a mess could last for decades. A report released Thursday, in advance of today's commemoration of Veterans Day, by the National Alliance to End Homelessness concludes that one in four of the nation's homeless are veterans. Nearly half of them fought in Vietnam.
And found this piece at Jami's Not That Different. Serving your country is tough work. War is hell. If you haven't been there, it's probably inconceivable. Serving your country for 20 years while simultaneously fighting a gender identity war is, quite frankly, heroic. This takes Don't Ask Don't Tell to a new level.
Autumn Sandeen is that person. If you don't know her, you should. She also contributes frequently at Pam's House Blend.
At what age did you start shaving? Probably when I was 16. I'd been able to get by with just grabbing my dad's razor occasionally to trim the one or two hairs that might pop up. But I definitely remember the first razor I ever bought. My brother took his scout troop to Minnesota for a week and invited me along. I bought one on the trip.
How often do you shave? Every day.
Last time you shaved? An hour ago.
What's the longest you can go without shaving? Really about 30 hours. Can't stand it much after that.
What kind of razor do you use? Gillette Mach3
How often do you change blades? Probably about every 10-12 days. I usually rotate about 3 blades until I am sure they're done. Giving one a rest for 2 or 3 days seems to allow me to squeeze one more comfortable shave from it. Probably all in my imagination.
Ever use an electric razor? I have one but I never use it. It's nice in a pinch when I'm lazy and just don't want to shave, but I've never been completely happy with the results.
Ever use a straight razor? No way.
Do you own/use a facial hair trimmer? Yes, but it's not used on facial hair.
Do you own/use a nose hair trimmer? I bought my first one about 3 years ago and not sure how I lived so long without it. Sticking a pair of scissors in your nose is not the best solution. There's nothing worse than having a long hair tickling your upper lip.
What shaving substance do you apply? A generous lather of Dr. Bronner's soap.
And what balm, if any, do you use afterwards? None.
What do you shave? My arms are about the only thing I've never shaved.
With the grain or against? First round with the grain, then a 2nd round against.
Ever shave your genital hair? I have but I don't now. The occasional trim though.
Place you hate shaving the most? The area under my chin. It requires 3 or 4 passes and although I rarely nick myself, if it's going to happen, that's the most likely spot.
Ever use chemical hair removal treatments? I have used something once. Nair, I think. Didn't work that well.
Best part of shaving? Being smooth as a baby's butt.
Worst part of shaving? Just having to do it. If someone would give me a free laser removing session and I'd never have to shave again I'd jump at the chance.
Worst shave you've ever had? Probably the first few times I shaved, with a disposable razor and no shaving cream. Just a dry shave. Or any shave in which I acquire 2 or more nicks. That really pisses me off.
konagod finished in a strong 3rd place in the Best of the Rest 8751+ category with 11.5% of the vote. That's not bad.
But I have an even better way of looking at it. Forget about who won or in what category. Let's just look at raw numbers from a couple of other blogs which dwarf me.
Oh, this looks MUCH better. Being wedged percentage-wise (based on percentage within our own respective categories of course) between two of the best blogs out there is victory by my definition. Getting almost 30% of the total vote count as Shakesville, and almost 14% as many votes as Pam is even sweeter.
Thanks to all of you who voted for me and with any luck, maybe we'll get to do it all over again next year.
About two weeks ago I clipped a card out of the New York Times offering 25 free music downloads from emusic.
Last weekend I registered to get my free tunes. Obviously, it required a credit card so they could route me to a fee-based program after my trial period ended. I must admit after poking around I wasn't impressed. Many albums I wanted I couldn't find. Many artists I searched only seemed to be available on some type of compilation disc. That ain't konacool.
So I decided to find 25 songs I wanted and get the hell out. I selected Rickie Lee Jones' latest, Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, and Joni Mitchell's Shine. I had 2 songs left and I picked some single or EP thing from the Arcade Fire which had 2 songs on it.
I got all this for free. And then I cancelled my account. I'd call that a bargain, the best I ever had.
Last weekend I uploaded all the new goods to my Zen player and at work today I decided to give ole' Rickie a listen. I really haven't heard any of her stuff since "Chuck E.'s In Love" made a splash off her 1978 self-titled LP.
Right off the bat with "Nobody Knows My Name", I was intrigued. By the time the 2nd track, "Gethsemane" began to play, I had a feeling I might be hooked.
I'm not going to publicly draw comparisons between this album and so many other artists I appreciate... at least not yet. I never like to do that because I don't want to spoil any surprises for others. Draw what you will from this.
I will not call this a flawless piece of work. I've only listened to it once, and I felt there was a lull about two-thirds of the way through the album but it soon revived itself. It's unfortunate that I was listening at the office because I had to pause a few times and maybe that lull was a result of losing the momentum.
Once I listen to this a 2nd, 3rd and 4th time I'll have a clearer assessment.
Lots of creative sparks here--plenty of them. She sounds like she's going through a transformation throughout the album in a way that's reminiscent of Van Morrison's performances on his classic album Astral Weeks." -- Amazon.com
There's a major spiritual thread running through this music, which was one of the few things I'd heard about the album before listening to it. I wasn't sure what to expect. I sure didn't want to be subjected any kind of weird proselytizing, or hearing all about how wonderful Jesus is.
I'm very glad I didn't allow my preconceived notions to interfere with my inquisitiveness. Otherwise, I would have missed out on something I think I'm going to enjoy.
This comes from my brother, a lifelong resident of Arkansas. And suffice it to say, he's not what you'd call a fan of George W. Bush or Republicans in general.
My brother's retort:
"Well, It DAMN SURE AIN'T!!
We have a DEMOCRATIC Governor, a DEMOCRATIC Attorney General, a DEMOCRATIC Secretary of State and Treasurer, a DEMOCRATIC auditor, THREE Democratic US Representatives, and TWO Democratic US Senators.
Not to mention one of the best presidents this country has ever had was a Democrat from Arkansas, and NOT ONE OF, but THE worst president this country has ever had IS a Republican from TEXAS!
In the Best of the Rest 5001-6750 category, two of my blog buddies are finalists:
Field Negro and Simply Left Behind.
With only one day left to vote, please go help one of them with your vote. I won't tell you what to do, and I'm not making any endorsements, but take a look at the results as I'm posting this and go cast your logical vote.
And while you're at it, if you like my blog, I could sure use several dozen. I am not expecting to recapture 2nd place at this point, and while it seems I'm comfortably in 3rd place, you never know what's going to happen in the final hours.
Just a quick update on my employee-bloated place of employment and my status. All signs of a massive layoff are pointing to Friday. A big meeting with a vendor on Friday morning was abruptly cancelled today to be "rescheduled at a later date." Rumors had already been flying around since last Friday that this Friday would be the day.
Who knows? They might even get an early start tomorrow. We shall see.
One of the things I'm going to miss most are the people I've enjoyed hanging around chatting with for the past 9 months. After working from home for the past 6 or 7 years it has been a blast getting to meet a lot of new people during the short duration of my employment.
I'm not suggesting I'm one of the people getting laid off. I might be; I don't know. But I do know that many will be laid off. Change is on the horizon.
After today's 25 degrees drop in temperatures from previous days, and lows expected in the low 40s, it's a perfect night to pop the cork on this lovely bottle.
A 2000 Old Vines Tempranillo Reserva from Spain. $12.99 and as succulent as some of my favorite Tuscan wines. I just need to get in the kitchen, whip up a pizza pie, put on a movie, and prepare to relax.
Speaking of movies, last week when there was a Halloween costume contest at my place of employment, one of the guys there was dressed and in character as Walter Sobchak from The Big Lebowski.
Supposedly he won first place in a Lebowski fest here in Austin awhile back, and hung out afterwards with The Dude (the guy portraing the dude, I mean the guy at the festival portraying the dude, not THE Dude, dude) and that just had to be a hoot and a half.
"Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!"
“The American Republic is in remnant status,” he says. “The stage is set for our country eventually devolving into military dictatorship, and few seem to care.”
My God, it would be so easy to like the man if he didn't have so many other less appealing views as a presidential candidate.
Mike Huckabee came to the Lone Star State on Sunday to troll for support in two churches, if you can believe that, and actually picked up a major vote of confidence from Pastor Jack Graham of the Prestonwood Baptist Church -- one of the largest in the country. I think that qualifies as a megachurch (or McChurch). With 28,000 members, if it were a town in Huckabee's home state of Arkansas, it would be among the top 15 in population. (And as txrad commented sarcastically to me, I'm sure they run a soup kitchen.)
Keep a close eye on this politician/musician/comedian. He's a shrewd one.
From the Dallas Morning News:
Pastor Jack Graham told the congregation of Prestonwood Baptist Church before Mr. Huckabee's sermon that Christian values have a crucial role in the political process. Although Dr. Graham said his church doesn't endorse candidates, his praise for Mr. Huckabee was unambiguous.
"It's very important that we vote our values, that we select folks and nominate folks who stand by principle and who live and proclaim and legislate according to the values we cherish," he said to enthusiastic applause.
Dr. Graham said the sermon from Mr. Huckabee, who is an ordained Southern Baptist minister, was a message of "God's word from God's man."
The "legislate according to the values we cherish" portion of that comment is the obvious code phrase meaning pretty much everything that Jesus preached against, or would have preached against had he lived in our current times.
"The more people hear Mike Huckabee, the more they like him," Dr. Graham said. "Everywhere he goes, in small groups as well as big groups, people are saying: 'This is a man who is saying what I think. This is man who is representing what I believe.'"
Carolyn Asher of Fort Worth drove to Plano Sunday morning to hear Mr. Huckabee. She said that his sermon solidified her support for him, and she compared him to President Bush.
"He upholds the values I believe in," Ms. Asher said. "He believes in Jesus, and he's not afraid to say so."
Oh dear God... excuse me, I think I need to pray. Did these people learn nothing from the past 6 1/2 years?
That is not a rhetorical question.
Mr. Huckabee gave up his work as a pastor to enter politics and become one of Arkansas' longest-serving governors.
He famously lost 110 pounds in the past few years and started running marathons. And as a little-known governor of a small Southern state, he started a presidential campaign that was given little chance to make a national splash.
Well, maybe he should have kept that extra weight on.
But seriously, for a governor so consumed with health, I find it very ironic that he served so long in Arkansas, and the state is still ranked 48th in health, according to a report released by the United Health Foundation.
From The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
The annual report said Arkansas’ strengths included a low prevalence of binge drinking and a moderate rate of high school graduation. Weaknesses included a high percentage of children in poverty, a high premature death rate, a high rate of cancer deaths, and low immunization coverage.
I guess he doesn't chalk that up as one of his proud accomplishments.
Asma Jahangir, a leading human rights lawyer, reported in an e-mail that she had been ordered to stay confined to her home for 90 days. She said it was ironic that Musharraf "had to clamp down on the press and the judiciary to curb terrorism," adding, "Those he has arrested are progressive, secular minded people while the terrorists are offered negotiations and ceasefires."
The Bush administration signaled Sunday that it would probably keep billions of dollars flowing to Pakistan’s military, despite the detention of human rights advocates and leaders of the political opposition by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the country’s president.
[...]
“They would rather have a stable Pakistan — albeit with some restrictive norms — than have more democracy prone to fall in the hands of extremists,” said Tariq Azim Khan, the minister of state for information. “Given the choice, I know what our friends would choose.”
So much for "spreading democracy."
Mr. Gates said the United States had begun “reviewing all of our assistance programs” to Pakistan. But, he noted, “We are mindful not to do anything that would undermine ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.”
It's hard to believe that 1977 was the year in which both of these made an appearance:
I was a junior in high school at the time, about to reach the proverbial fork in the road. I'm glad I went down the road of exhibit A rather than remaining on the goon squad road.
This collection of photos was sent to me by my ex-boss this weekend. I think it's one of those funny emails making the rounds, and the collection of photos probably originated on someone's blog. If I knew the source I'd certainly credit it, but it's too funny not to post these.
Remember these lovely furniture sets? Come on, I know you do. Everybody knew somebody who had them!
I'm not sure how much $400 in 1977 would be in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation, but rest assured it's TOO much! Actually I was looking for an online calculator to do the math. I didn't find one but I did find the box office intake for E.T. in 1977 converted to 2006 dollars and by using the same math, that furniture would be slightly over $1,300 today.
{kona takes a quick vomit break.}
OK, I'm back. It gets worse...
I remember these. I think I had one in bright yellow. I actually find that sitting on a cold toilet seat in the winter is sort of inhibiting to my desired business, so this was such a welcomed relief.
On the other hand, this look should have been illegal. And gross! I think the models were about to make out!
It may have been 1977 but JC Penney certainly had no problems with blatantly marketing to the homosexuals:
I'll confess I wore some pretty hideous shit back in the 70s, especially around 1974, but nothing that outrageous.
My God, did they pay someone to write that line??
Thankfully we've all made it to 2007 when fashion and marketing have definitely been kicked up several notches. Oh yeah...
How many of you have seen this stupid phrase stuck on the back of an SUV? Usually just to the left of the Bush/Cheney sticker and right above the "Support Our Troops" ribbon. And yes, if you are fascinated by trivia, as I am, then it's important to know that France, with 211,209 square miles is indeed smaller than Texas by an area almost as large as Louisiana.
I'm sure most of those folks bragging about the size of their state probably couldn't guess within 100,000 square miles just how big it is. What's important is that it's bigger than France, and therefore better.
Texas really isn't much in the grand scheme of things. Lay Texas next to Brazil and you'll get the idea. Let's take this study to the planetary level and beyond.
Damn, that Jupiter sure is a large mo-fo. No damn wonder Pluto didn't make the cut after all.
Now comes the part where things not only get scary, but almost incomprehensible.
If the sun is our bowling ball, I'm staying away from the Arcturus bowling alley. Holy crap! And note the comment on the graphic: "Earth is invisible at this scale." Well, so much for the bragging rights of Texans!
Finally, the obliterator of all egos.
Whatever you do, don't say Betelgeuse three times.
Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky. It is more than 1000 light years away. And you thought it was a long drive across Texas?
I'm not sure why we Americans think it's so important that God bless America. Or why some believe it'll be the end of civilization if two same-sex people tie the knot legally. Or why a Hillary Clinton presidency scares the crap out of so many of us. Maybe if we put ourselves in the correct cosmic perspective, we could get over ourselves.
In case you are wondering if there are any celestial orbs larger than Antares, there are. My Cephei and W Cephei are each more than three times the size of Antares.
Here are some of my early recommendations based on either blogs I nominated myself or some that I simply like and believe they deserve to win:
Funniest Blog: Jon Swift
Best Liberal Blog: (Does it matter?) I like Shakesville though.
Best LGBT Blog: Pam's House Blend or Republic of T.
Best of the Top 5001-6750: Field Negro or Simply Left Behind. Both I consider to be my blog pals.
Best of the Rest of the Blogs 8751+: konagod, of course!
So, get to voting. You can vote once every 24 hours. Don't let me down.
By the way, all of these are in my blogroll, hence no links in this post... that, and the fact that I'm well into my 3rd or 5th shot of tequila, but who's counting?
Our friend Rebecca in Big D sends me pictures of her cats fairly often, but not often enough. I save them and use them for the Friday cat blog when I'm home late from a crazy week and just too tired to run around snapping my own photos. Tonight is the night. I got this one from her about 2 weeks ago and thought it was a very surreal picture.
I'm not a big fan of Halloween like some of my friends. I never dress up or participate (aside from my Janis about 3 years ago). I enjoy celebrating Samhain in the privacy of my own home, quietly.
So when I was invited over to a co-workers house last night I was fighting the urge to stay home. I finally decided to go and I'm glad I did.
The first segment involved sitting in the driveway of her neighbor's house with a parade of children in costume coming around for their tooth-rotting treats.
The scariest thing I've seen in a long time on Halloween was her boyfriend.
He was dressed as the grim reaper with a hideously frightening mask. He was on stilts. He was drinking liquor. He was wearing a mask he couldn't see out of and it was dark. And he was walking around children. Because he was so tall, he was storing his can of beer on the limb of a tree, directly above where I was sitting.
Tell me that's not the stuff of which nightmares are made.
After the kiddies all went to bed we retreated to the backyard of my co-worker where we began chatting and passing around a bottle of Tarantula -- Tijuana style. No shot glasses needed.
Damn. That was fun. It makes me wish I had done a reprise. I probably could have had a chance of winning our company-sponsored costume contest.
I'm a bit surprised I made the cut again for the 2nd year in a row. After all, this has been a difficult year with me having to take an office job and having far less blog time and energy to keep this blog at the level I would like to see it.
Needless to say, I would appreciate your votes. It would be nice to snag one finally. Vote early, vote often. Best of the Rest of the Blogs (8751+)
Full Throtle Fat Man Unleashed The Urban Grind Kiko's House Kiss My Gumbo Photos by Seawitch Political Grind Konagod Slublog The Iraq War Was Wrong Blog
Surprisingly. Maybe they had second thoughts about giving people the axe on Halloween.
I got all drunk and shit last night so that I'd be in a "fuck it all" mood at work today, and it backfired.
Nothing happened.
So I spent the day working on my resume and cover letter and chatting back and forth with my boss who informed me that the new agency taking over the big account doesn't really like to do telecommuters.
Gee, what century are we in?
Anyway, I spent most of the rest of the day checking out New York apartments and researching cost of living comparisons. I found several apartments I like in Manhattan, some are walking distance to the agency. Most of them are between $4,000 and $5,700 a month. The gourmet kitchens are particularly attractive.
I also learned that to maintain my current standard of living I'd need to make a wee bit over $200,000 in New York. Granted, my current standard of living is a bit distorted because I'm trying to sock away so much extra cash with my overtime, so the true figure is probably more like $100,000, and I'd have to do a major compromise on the apartment options.
On the other hand, I do like socking away extra cash every month. And something inside me says moving from a nice house on a one-acre lot about 20 minutes from downtown Austin to a smaller apartment in Manhattan is not exactly maintaining the same standard of living.
But it is New York. Plenty of people would give anything to live there. I know I wanted to when I was like.... 16. It has lost a lot of appeal over the years, for me at least.
I have a feeling it would be fun for about 2 weeks, feeling like a vacation perhaps, and then reality would set in.
Here's my definition of fun. Sending my juicy resume to the agency, getting them all hot and bothered with my experience (rumor has it they are freaking out about not having this account in capable hands), and then saying "oops, sorry, I can't move. No way."
They could take it or leave it. The only problem is, I don't have a backup plan. There's no option B on the table yet. And when there is one, it's also likely to result in a significantly lower standard of living adjustment.
And Bad Omen perhaps. As I trudge into work this morning, on a day when layoffs are rumored to be likely and widespread, that might be the phrase of the day.
Important files saved to disc. Check. Outlook Address Book saved to disc. Check. Resume located and ready to update. Check.
Supposedly the shitstorm could happen on Wednesday. I'm wearing my waterproof and stainproof parka.
And yes, as a matter of fact, I DO plan to go into the office on Wednesday with a hangover. It might be the last hangover I can afford to have for awhile. And even if I don't get the axe, at least it'll numb my nerves to the chaos around me.
I knew this was coming after I read about efforts underway to ban magic mushrooms in Holland.
"Boss of your own brain." I like that one!
Education and information can go a long way.
Meanwhile, on a far less humorous note, read this and ask yourself what the hell is wrong with our nation! This is how we treat our ill people... by harassing them to death.
She was a high-profile campaigner for the Montana Medical Marijuana Act, and like others, she was dismayed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that drug agents could still arrest sick people using marijuana, even in states that legalized its use.
The ruling came to haunt Prosser in late March, when DEA agents seized less than a half ounce of marijuana sent to her by her registered caregiver in Flathead County.
At the time, the DEA special agent in charge of the Rocky Mountain Field Division said federal agents were “protecting people from their own state laws” by seizing such shipments.
Great! Just what we need in America: federal agents "protecting" us from ourselves.
Jesus H. I hear the unmistakable sound of the Nazi lock-step.
Genarlow Wilson is a free man after spending nearly three years of a 10 year sentence in prison for the absurd "crime" of having oral sex with a minor when he himself was not yet a legal adult.
The Georgia Legislature did modify the law to make similar behavior a misdemeanor, still punishable by up to 12 months in jail. However, they did nothing to help teens who are shackled to Georgia's sex offender registry for similar acts. It's reprehensible and while I'm happy with the outcome for Genarlow, I'm still angry that injustice remains.
From today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Those sweeping limits have stranded other young offenders with virtually no place to go. Also convicted at age 17 of having oral sex with a 15 -year-old, Jeffery York, 23, of Polk County has resorted to sleeping in a camper van in the woods to comply with the registry. When she was 17, Wendy Whitaker, 28, of Harlem had oral sex with a teen about to turn 16; her sodomy conviction landed her on the registry and forced her and her husband to move twice already.
Teen sex is natural and unstoppable. It's an instinct and brilliantly illustrates our disconnect from understanding that you cannot draw a line in the sand and say "tomorrow you turn 18 and can go do adult things, but today you are still 17 and therefore a criminal." It's not that simple and it's unfortunate the Georgia Legislature prefers to bury its collective head up its ass instead of addressing the fact that consensual sex between teens doesn't warrant a sex offender registry.
This is a pretty cool widget. Not sure how long I'll be allowed to keep it based on the Terms of Use:
Moon Module Copyright/Terms of Use -
This module, design, and code is protected under United States and International copyright laws. You are not allowed to remove any of the links pointing back to CalculatorCat.com. The text link (i.e., "moon phases") at the bottom of the module MUST remain unaltered. All copyright notices embedded in the HTML and Javascript code must remain unchanged. Also, this module may not be used on websites that have any of the following content: pornography/adult content, excessive profanity, racial intolerance, illicit drugs, hacking/cracking, or any other content that promotes illegal activity. By using this module, you are stating your acceptance of these Terms.
I guess it depends on your definition of ”excessive” as well as the definition of "illicit." And how can illicit drugs actually be on my blog? What does that mean? Am I not allowed to talk about them, pro or con, report about them, or horror of horrors, post a picture?
What about my open homosexuality? What if I'm breaking a law in some locale where this blog is read? Aside from that, there's definitely not any hacking/cracking going on here, so maybe I can skate on by this one. Just curious, what about good old-fashioned American freedom of speech? Is that a problem?
Just for fun, and because I like to know who I'm dealing with here, I went back to that moon phase site and found out the guy who created this thingey lives in Utah (that could explain some things) but he seems like a nice enough guy. Into hiking and healthy stuff and all -- your basic tech nerd. Cool. I'm feeling a little better. Just didn't want some big conglomerate Googleish beast flying up by butt for some minor Terms of Use infraction.
But since we're now on the subject, I have a question. Why is marijuana illegal, not just to consume but simply growing it can result in confiscation of your home and/or other personal property AND a lengthy prison sentence while American-style football, particularly for high school students who are too young to even buy a beer or a cigarette, is not only legal but encouraged by many parents?
I just don't get it. Marijuana never gave me so much as a headache. About the worst thing I can say about it is that I sometimes laugh at stupid stuff, and sometimes laugh at not so stupid stuff, and then I actually just go to bed and have a peaceful slumber. But I never got no friggin' CONCUSSION from it!
A recent study found that 47 percent of high school pigskin players suffered a concussion each season, according to statistics gathered by the National Center for Injury Prevention.
Thirty-five percent of players say they had more than one concussion in the same season.
Multiple concussions increase the risk of long-term damage to the brain, doctors say.
Yet, most concussions at the high school level go unreported to athletic trainers.
Anyhow, I have digressed from the entire point of this post. The full moon kicking my ass. I am still in recovery from Thursday. The big shocker was hearing the news that the biggest client at our agency is about to pack up and head to New Yawk City. And my position and future is far from certain. After a full workday feeling like an episode of the Twilight Zone (or a David Lynch film), a few of us headed out to a happy hour hosted by one of our vendors -- a local TV station.
Tequila and beers were flowing freely and generously. Too bad we all forgot to eat anything. Liquid dinners all around. And plenty of sorrows needing a quick drowning.
After about 2 hours of this, the gay bar across the street was looking mighty fine. So the six of us trotted across the street for another round. I remember feeling quite fine as I crossed the street. I even still had most of my memory. But something unexpected happened in the next 10 minutes or so.
I remember ordering something -- a beer perhaps, in this empty bar/club except for a few obvious regulars sitting around the bar area. The dance floor lured us in. Actually it was a small elevated area accessed by a couple of long steps. That's a bad idea.
I remember (s)tumbling under the swirling disco lights as I tried to navigate my way up and down. Those steps were rendered damn nearly invisible. I still don't remember what I drank and I'm sure I only had one drink, but the flood of alcohol from the previous tequila shots was hitting me like an 18-wheeler at this point.
txrad says I have a new theme song:
As we tried to leave, I had trouble finding my way out the front door. I remember going into an alcove area which was like a room of mirrors with no way out. What kind of sicko pervert would do something like this to a hapless drunk?
I also had a scrape on my elbow which I would not discover until Friday morning. I assumed I had fallen while trying to find the steps at the dance area. When I spoke to one of my friends from work who was with us, she informed me that I had actually fallen completely off the stage, and then got back up like nothing had happened and kept dancing. That probably explains the scrape, as well as all my sore muscles.
Heavy drinking and exercise don't mix. kona's new motto: exercise or dance your ass off while sober (or at least sober enough to remember what the hell you did the next day), and get rip-roaring drunk at home.
No need to walk 7 or 8 blocks to find a car that you shouldn't be driving anyway.
Another kona motto: If you are too drunk to find your car, you are too drunk to drive.
And that's illegal, isn't it? Damn, I'm gonna lose this moon phase calculator.
I found a picture of Tater Tot which was saved with the name "Donahue." Obviously we were struggling to come up with an appropriate name. This photo was probably taken just a few days after he showed up, and a couple of months before he was allowed to become a house cat. He looks so sad here, clearly a ploy to coerce us to bring him in.
Here he is a few months later as the same sassy house cat he is today.
The news came down yesterday morning around 10:00. Although there are some mixed signals still being generated about whether the portion of the account we work on will stay or go, there is a high probability it will go. And if so, a much higher proobabilty that I'll be unemployed at some point between now and February.
Believe me, the border fence and the passport requirements (oh, how nice of them to exclude Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands!) will not slow me down when I decide to leave the grand old USA because when I do, I may not return.
If shit like this doesn't stop soon, I'll be feeling the urge to pack my bags and vacate for some more reasonable climes.
And not to let Osama Obama off the hook, this shit pisses me off to the extreme.
What are these guys thinking? I'm sorry, but if this busy working stoner in Austin, Texas has time to educate himself about who I'm associating with, and how it might be perceived across Americana, then I sure as hell expect a presidential candidate who is spending tens of millions of dollars to lock down my vote to know the right thing and the wrong thing. And this is wrong.
Fuck him. He just lost my vote. Are there no gospel groups in South Carolina that aren't homophobic?
I'm sick of Bush, I'm sick of the disgusting pandering for right-wing voters by those who seek to sit on the potty that he has taken a dump in for the past 7 years, and I'm sick of two-faced politicians who would do just about anything for a dollar. Up to and including selling out the United States of America for what it's worth, which isn't a helluva lot these days.
And I'm sick of us pumping money into a failed drug war.
Concerned Women for America (CWA) thanks President Bush for signaling a likely veto should the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) be approved in Congress this week. Matt Barber, CWA's Policy Director for Cultural Issues, said, "This dangerous bill would pit the government directly against the free exercise of religion, a situation which is unconstitutional on its face. Members of Congress should join the President and exercise their sworn duty to defend the U.S. Constitution by voting 'no' on ENDA."
Concerned Women for America need to go fuck themselves.
This concerned fag for America is way more concerned.
There IS NO SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE so get the fuck over it, bitchez.
I was working at home today so you'd think I'd have gotten up a few posts, particularly since there were several things in the NY Times I wanted to mention. Such is the life of a busy boy.
There are plenty of things to blog about: the water crisis in Atlanta, the fires in California, the situation in Iraq and Turkey, the mortgage crisis, the price of oil, but here's one I really wanted to bring to your attention if I didn't have time to address any of the others.
Yet another crisis is developing in the Great Lakes with dropping water levels which is adversely affecting the shipping industry.
“What we need is some rain,” said Mr. Daniels, director of the Port of Oswego Authority, one of a dozen public port agencies on the United States side of the Great Lakes. “The more we lose water, the less cargo the ships that travel in the Great Lakes can carry, and each time that happens, shipping companies lose money,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s people like you and I who are going to pay the price.”
What does an inch mean to you?
Water levels in the Great Lakes are falling; Lake Ontario, for example, is about seven inches below where it was a year ago. And for every inch of water that the lakes lose, the ships that ferry bulk materials across them must lighten their loads by 270 tons — or 540,000 pounds — or risk running aground, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association, a trade group for United States-flag cargo companies.
None of this is good news.
Most environmental researchers say that low precipitation, mild winters and high evaporation, due largely to a lack of heavy ice covers to shield cold lake waters from the warmer air above, are depleting the lakes.
In case some of you cannot access the NY Times link, try this link. Let me know if you experience trouble accessing the story. It's really quite interesting.
So much for me planning to do any landscaping on my day off from work. Yesterday it was 88. Right now it's 49 at our house just outside Austin. And it rained heavily last night.
Apparently, it's 30 degrees colder here than in Maine. Excuse me, what month is this?
For those of you who indulge in herbage (Phydeaux), I'm sure you can relate to this story.
Our pipes are clogged. So I found a Stanley screwdriver (wow, what a multitasker!) and proceeded to shove it into my pipe to dislodge all the resin. A bubble appeared in the bowl but we can't get any suckage because the pipe is still too clogged.
I licked the screwdriver and now I have this feeling of chewing gum stuck to my teeth.
And I'm starting to not care.
I got out the other pipe and did the same maneuver.
Etymology: French manœuvre, from Old French maneuvre work done by hand, from Medieval Latin manuopera, from manu operare to perform manual labor.
And the same result. We now have two pipes with two black bubbles.
Meanwhile, I'm licking this shit off my teeth slowly but surely.
Thank God we aren't working tomorrow. It's sure to be a fun day, unlike anything since I baked marijuana brownies way back in the 80s.
I have a feeling a new pipe will be on tomorrow's shopping list.
