Read My Lips - the blog

Oh crud -- I'm 50

I awoke this morning to the bleeping of my cell phone alarm. It seems that today is my birthday ... the golden anniversary* of my birth. I have now experienced 50 years of life and just working up to this milestone has been murder. All I have to do now is find a place to hide the body until the heat dies down. With summer approaching, that might take some time.

[In the Why Not? Dept.]

*Feel free to send me ample amounts of gold, if you please. Also note that my birth falls in April, thus making diamonds my birthstone. You can throw a few of them into the pot as well. ;)

Multifaceted Moona?

Found this little test while visiting Eric & Denita's blog.

You are the rare, the overlooked, yet incredibly useful dodecahedron: the d12. You are a creative, romantic soul. You often act without thinking, but make up for your lack of plans with plenty of heart. You easily solve problems that stump others, but your answers tend to put you into even deeper trouble. You write long, detailed backgrounds for all your characters, and are most likely to dress up as one or get involved in cos-play. You can be silly at times and are easily distracted by your own day dreams, but are at the end of the day you're someone who can be depended on.

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

[Sneaking in the back door to post my own results on Moona's blurb:

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Tig]

Disclaimer:

This survey is completely scientific. Despite the mind-boggling complexity of mankind, the billions of distinctly different personalities found on Earth can easily be divided into seven simple categories that correspond to the five Platonic solids, a pseudo polyhedron, and whatever the hell a d100 is. The results of this quiz should be considered not only meaningful but also infallible, and pertinent to your success as a fully realized individual. If you feel the results of this examination do not match your perceived personality, you should take whatever drastic measures are needed to cram your superego back into proper alignment, as described by the quiz results.

And if you believe that, we have some really great critical-hit insurance to sell you.

Even the Mighty Eeyore has nothing on me

In lieu of several missed NNGR™s and such, allow me to explain that I am currently working on getting all the pieces of my book together so as to get it finally published. I have about six people just dying to read it, and several others who have promised to buy signed copies of it because they love me or want to love me, or something like that. I'm well, or not too far off of the mark if you consider everything I've gone through to get to this point of my life, and eating well. There are plenty out there whose lives are not going as well as mine, but I can assure you that could never work as hard to find fault with their lives as I do with mine.

I knew somthing was wrong

I felt that there was something wrong as soon as I awoke this morning. The neurons in my brain just didn't seem to be connecting right. In fact, I could feel a headache coming on. I hit the snooze more times than I intended, finally sleeping through the last alarm. I was an hour late getting up. Then, of course, my hair would not cooperate, and what I wanted to wear was wrinkled. Finally, when opened my contact lens case, I found that I had apparently dropped one of my lenses when I was storing them last night. It was the last disposable lense I had left.

When I arrived at the Meals on Wheels headquarters, where I am the director, I found that my assistant, who needed to leave early for a doctor's appointment, was having trouble finding a substitute for a delivery route and would have to leave to deliver the route herself.

As the other volunteers, started coming in from their routes, one had been a meal short. The next volunteer coming in had had an extra meal, so I begged him to take the meal to the lady who had not received hers. Then the phone rang, and a woman in the neighboring town where we have a satellite office had received a bag of liquid nutritional supplements instead of her meal. She said that since she was overweight and diabetic, she didn't think that these were intended for her. It seems that the substitute in the neigboring town should have delivered this to another lady down the street from her.

Just a moment ago, my assistant left for her doctor's appointment. She always does the order for the next day. Guess what -- she forgot!

I can hardly wait to see what the remainder of the day has in store. I will be glad when my biorhythms are again in an upswing. But then, maybe this was just a coincidence.

Surf's up --- again

click for source

The earthquake, centered just off the coast of Sumatra registered 8.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and prompted several countries in the region to issue tsunami warnings. Residents of Banda Aceh, on Sumatra fled their homes in panic. - full story

Looking through the rubble for signs of life

It is rare that I point back to my old stuff, but someone surfed across this today. I still stick behind these rules on parenting. As my two-year blogoversary is approaching soon (April 4), I might be trolling through my previous postings to find those highly valuable gems strewn throughout.

The stars don't know diddly-squat ---

click for source

PS - I did check the freezer and they were not in there -- this time.

[UPDATE: Glasses successfully located near where expected to be, however, had been accidentally knocked off the table upon which I had placed them and bounced sufficiently high enough to have become lodged in a box of bric-a-brac, a few feet away along the wall. I won't be committing suicide,* after all.

*I have places that I desperately have to be. Attempting to navigate a large Lincoln Town Car along two-lane highways filled with inattentive elderly blue-haired ladies and crazed youngsters with cell phones pressed against their ear with anything less than clear vision is tantamount to taking one's life in one's own hands without much chance of survival ... hence committing suicide.]

Re: The BS about TS*

To Terri Schiavo's parents: Losing a child is a devastating and traumatic event in a parent's life, understandably, but let go already. A place in Heaven, next to God, is awaiting Terri. Isn't that thought comfort enough? I bet she can already see it and is wondering what is holding her back from reaching that place. Enough is enough. Let God have her already.

To the Legislative and Executive branches of the Federal government: Just because you can find a way to do so does not necessarily bestow upon you the right to interfere with established due process of law. The system in place works! Doctors have personally examined Terri and, being the persons most properly qualified, according to law, to determine the scope of her medical condition, have testified that her condition will never improve. I am sure the judges did not take lightly their decision to allow the removal of her feeding tube, but both the facts and the law were compelling. Look at her, already, and allow her to die.

*I had tried very very hard not to weigh in on this matter, but when I read that emergency legislation had been passed and signed into law by Dubya to forestall this situation a bit longer, I just could no longer hold my tongue. Please don't hate me because I have to side with the right to die with some small shred of dignity still intact.**

**I wonder how many people realize that the name Terri Schiavo will forever more stand for the proposition that some people will stop at nothing in order to save the life of another, even if that other is a complete vegetable with no quality of life, whatsoever. I just do not believe the woman deserves such legacy.

Sometimes addlepatedness comes in handy

_{Click to Enlarge}

I'd planned all week to go see Loretta Lynn at Billy Bob's this evening. I got busy today doing this and that and almost plumb forgot about it. Thankfully, at the very last moment, I decided to check Billy Bob's website to see if I could still possibly make the show.

Guess`what I found?

Nyaaaaah! What's up, Doc?

In a move decried by millions of us who grew up watching the Bugs & Tweety/Roadrunner Hour as part of our Saturday morning cartoon fare, WB is revamping five of its popular characters, plus another not so popular character, for a new show set far into the future, 2772 to be exact.

So as to appease those traditionalists that love Bugs, Daffy, Taz, and the gang just as they have appeared since the 1930's, Buzz, Daf, Spaz, and the others are their distant relations. From what the Big Guy in Charge said on MSNBC, Buzz ain't gonna be your granddaddy's bunny. He is sleek and has a whole new attitude. Roadrunner's kin is called Roadster while his toonmate gets a most drastic moniker makeover and will be known simply as Slick.* The sixth member is called Lexi, and, for the life of me, I sure don't remember any characters of that ilk appearing in Merry Melodies or Looney Toons. I do suppose, however, they had to find a female character of some sort. The WB lineup is particularly masculine, what with Petunia Pig being the most famous femme-mem of the WB cast.

Some in the current fold are keeping a keen eye on the situation.

Spork: verbatim

*I'd somehow envision his being called Sky Captain in the World of Acme or something.

I didn't make the cut --- again

The finalists in Blogging for Books 8 have been announced and my entry is not included. Wah! Another rejection slip. This is beginning to become monotonous. Move over Rodney.

Chocolate is bad good

"Oh, no! Is this the last piece of my Valentine chocolate?" I told myself that surely I had not already devoured nearly the entire package of candy that I received on Saturday -- Well, I did share one piece. And after all, I had not eaten any chocolate in a long time. A recovering chocoholic, I finally reasoned that if I ate the last piece and did not buy any to replace it, I would be all right. Really, I would.

As I was savoring every bite of that exquisitely smooth and scrumptious confection, I continued to surf the net for interesting material to include in my next post. It was then that I ran across a blog post entitled "What's a Chocoholic to Do?" Assuming that it was written by a fellow blogger who had also just finished off her last piece of Valentine chocolate, I began reading. It was not at all what I had expected.

It seems that the cocoa beans used to make the candy that I had just enjoyed might have been harvested by child slaves on the Ivory Coast of Africa.

Few realize that most of the cocoa beans that go into Nestle, Mars and Hershey candy bars come from Ivory Coast, where thousands of enslaved boys — some as young as 9 — work in the most squalid, brutal conditions imaginable.

According to one report, the child slaves of Ivory Coast "are whipped, beaten and broken like horses to harvest the almond-sized beans that are made into chocolate treats for more fortunate children in Europe and the United States."

Frantically, I dug through the trash, looking for any packaging that I might have thrown away. Surely this company, which has prided itself on making the finest chocolate in the USA since 1852, has not contributed to the propagation of child abuse.

Finding no label, I went to the company's website. But all I could find was the history of chocolate -- which was actually quite interesting -- and further descriptions of the luscious stuff that I had just consumed.

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate’s rich, legendary signature taste is created by a precise blend of deep-roasted cocoa beans and hand-selected ingredients. Deep, dark and decadent, this redefines chocolate indulgence.

Nirvana Chocolates, Art Bars (Ithaca Fine Chocolates), Cocoa Camino, Coffee-Tea-Etc., Ltd., Dagoba Organic Chocolates, Divine Bars (Day Chocolate Company), Endangered Species Chocolate Company, E.B. Botanicals, Equal Exchange, Fair Trade Teas, Frontier Cooperative, Green & Black's (Maya Gold Bars), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Nutraceutical Corporation (Fun Fresh Foods), Mont Blanc Gourmet, Omanhene Chocolate Co., Shaman Chocolates, Sojourn, Spruce Foods, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates.

The site also informs potential licensees of the certification process and offers additional forms to order fair trade labels, as well as DVDs, brochures, and posters about fair trade. There are announcements for jobs and for volunteer opportunities, as well as solicitations for donations. Also, since this organization also puts their stamp of approval on coffee, tea, and fresh fruit, there are announcements about food fairs featuring organic fruits and vegetables.

I finally decided that the lack of a label on my chocolate was not conclusive evidence that I helping to perpetuate child slavery.

That really was good chocolate. I refuse to feel guilty about something that I cannot prove. Please don't tell me that I should be. I won't listen.

I am hopeful ya'll are looking forward to tomorrow

I have previously posted a couple of my short stories here for your review: 2014 and Snakedance. It appears that the recent little ditty I penned in hopes of getting published in an upstart Internet Suspense E-Mag was not accepted for the first edition as I had hoped. As I have not heard back at all from the publisher, I will give ya'll all a look at it tomorrow.

It would be the very end of them

I have received a continuous barrage of commercial email messages* with the following question:

What would happen to your family if you died?

*The namesake which is so regularly used in referencing such type of messages is unworthy of the continual malignancy infecting its honor which is created by such misuse. It may now be time to stop dragging such a praiseworthy pork product's name through the mud during discussions of the slime found so regularly in our respective inboxes with which we find ourselves barraged by those worthless cretins lurking deep back in the dark slime-encrusted corners** of the ethosphere.

**It just occurred to me that if Al Gore had done a much better job of designing the internet in the beginning, those corners might be much better illuminated and a little less slime-encrusted.

No beautiful minds here

As I mentioned earlier, the first two years after receiving my Bachelor's degree, I taught math and history in junior high and high school. Even then I was shocked at the difference in curriculum and teaching methods, as well as the level of achievement of students, since the time that I was in those grades. For example, when I gave a worksheet to a seventh grade class with the instructions to find the product of the numbers in each problem, one of the students asked, "Do you plus it or do you times it?" It seems that the curriculum has changed further since my exit from the profession:

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Please read more about the "history of teaching math":

• Teaching Math In 1950:

  A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

• Teaching Math In 1960:

  A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100.. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

• Teaching Math In 1980:

  A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20.

  Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

• Teaching Math In 1990:

  By cutting down beautiful forest trees, the logger makes $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?

  Topic for class participation after answering the question:

  How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down the trees? (There are no wrong answers)

  
  _{Note: Above picture
  found at same source}

• Teaching Math In 2005:

  El hachero vende un camion carga por $100.

  La cuesta de production es ...

  Thanks James.

  Source.!

What is white, cold, and falls from the sky?

No one in my neck of the world is able to get any work done, right now. It seems that the possibility of snow is in the weather forecast for this afternoon and tonight. Most people around here are less worried about the actual snow itself than the mere occurrence of snow. Opportunities like this are rare, indeed, and many are wondering just exactly what a blue moon actually looks like. Several of my friends have mentioned that they are hopeful for a break in the clouds so they will have the ability to get a good look at one.

If you are confused, no problem. It is likely that you ain't from around here. If asked if it ever snows around here, more than likely, any local old timer will say, "Yeah, it snows, oh, maybe once in a blue moon."

Monday, Monday

Only once did I have a somber moment last weekend, when Tig showed me one of his old posts about working moms. In it, he had presented an excellent case for the stay-at-home mom. Unfortunately, even though I had always been against farming out young children to day care centers, I took only two months off after the birth of each child. So for about an hour, I was off in my own little world, on a guilt trip to the past, regretting the way things had worked out. I do this from time to time anyway--when I see mothers with small children who, along with a supportive husband, have chosen to place child-rearing in its proper place of importance. I have also beaten myself up over choices made by my son when he was left as a latch-key teenager.

The truth is, I really wanted to stay at home with my two children, now 24 and 17, but circumstances prevented this from happening. Now, I know what you're probably thinking--that I was caught up in materialism and was not able to sacrifice my "standard of living." Not so.

I had two reasons why I felt that I was better off at work, and that my children were actually better off in daycare:

1. Mother-in-law
2. Father-in-law

Yet as I mulled over the depressing events of my former existence, I thought about what a beautiful (inside and out) person my daughter has become, even though her circumstances at home were far from perfect. In some ways, these adversities have made her a more sensitive, perceptive, and sympathetic person, and she uses these traits in her chosen fields of psychology and art. I realized (as I have so many times before) that I cannot dwell on the past, but rather enjoy the present. And so I returned to my enjoyable weekend.

l knew after only a few months of marriage that I had married the wrong person. We met in a college environment, when he was into existentialist writers and appeared to have admirable goals. Soon we moved back to his home town of nearly 500 people, and his whole personality changed. Moreover, my in-laws could see our house from theirs, and they made everything their business. I tried hard to convince him to move away before we had children, but when it didn't happen after five years, I decided that, at age 30, I really did need to start my family. I kept making excuses for the way my then-husband was acting, blaming it on his parents' influence. And I did make the vow "for better or for worse." I didn't know how much worse it could get. I will not bore you with additional details, except to say that after the children were born, we were expected to be at their home more than we were at ours. The only time I had by myself with the children was in the car when I commuted to work, or at home with them when they were sick. My daughter finally admitted at age 22 that many of her asthma attacks were faked.

Ha! No more guilt about leaving the bed unmade*

Confess, now! Haven't you ever thought that making a bed was ludicrous? You're gone from the house all day, and what do you do when you get home but pull down the sheets and get in. ... What's the point?

Well, researchers have now shown that not making your bed may be beneficial to your health!

*Sorry, Mom.

Still fighting the addiction

Here I sit at work, still compelled to wander off to the blogosphere.

Well, I told you that I fibbed to you about working at Walmart. Guess it's time I told you what I really do. I am the Executive Director of a non-profit organization that provides hot home-delivered meals to homebound elderly citizens of the rural county in which I reside, along with nutritional supplements, passes for the local transit system, and referrals to a larger agency which can provide additional services, such as counseling, home modification and repair, or help with household chores. It sounds like a big title, and actually has quite a bit of responsibility, but the State pays me more in retirement than what I earn at this.

The State agency from which I retired was known as the Welfare Department when I started in 1976, but it has changed names three times since then (for political correctness and other various reasons). During my twenty-seven-and-a-half year career, I worked in the nursing home program, AFDC (TANF), Food Stamps, Children's Medicaid, CHIP, and Employment Services programs. I also served two years monitoring offices in the region for compliance with regional office procedure and taught a new-worker training class. I broke the monotony of working there by writing silly poetry and song parodies about the job.

Nearly everyone who worked there for an extended period of time remarked at one time or another that they should write a book about their experiences. After all, not only have we heard thousands of bizarre real-life stories, but we have also experienced bureaucracy at its worst. The last five years that I worked for this agency, I felt like the department store employees in the movie The Devil and Miss Jones. Younger employees in higher positions were doing all they could to force me out so that they could hire someone who did not earn more than they did. Finally, when the State offered an early-retirement deal, I took it. I started my current job during my last two weeks as a State employee.

Prior to that I taught in junior high and high school (some funny stories here, too). I was certified in history, math, and English.

So now you know the truth. Perhaps this revelation will provide catharsis for me.

Tsunami Transplants Turtle

^{Another Tsunami Tsurvivor!}

Helicopters scouring a devastated Indian island have sighted endangered sea turtles nesting again at new locations a month after the tsunamis wrecked their habitat.

Name: Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys oliveacea)
Cool Facts: It is the smallest of the sea turtles. It often travels thousands of miles between feeding and nesting sites. It has been known to turn cannibalistic in captivity.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threats: Loss of nesting sites, egg poaching, fishing and pollution.

It is all Moona's fault*

OK, got profiled and it said:

Your Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 43%
Visual : 56%
Left : 56%
Right : 43%

Yada!

*According to the current evidence, it usually is.

Wednesday's Not-So-Funny

Oooooh! I'm definitely in the mood for law enforcement jokes after my not-so-funny experience on Wednesday. I received a ticket for the highway patrolman's assumption that I had to have been driving at an unsafe speed. But I don't even want to talk about that.

This won't get me out of having to pay my ticket, but it does make me feel better.

A policeman pulls a man over for speeding and asks him to get out of the car. After looking the man over he says, "Sir, I couldn't help but notice your eyes are bloodshot. Have you been drinking?"

The man gets really indignant and says, "Officer, I couldn't help but notice your eyes are glazed. Have you been eating doughnuts?"

What did the policeman say to his belly button?

You're under a vest!

A man who is driving a car is stopped by a police officer.

The Officer: "You were going at least 75 in a 55 zone."
Man: "No sir, I was going 60."
Wife: "Oh, Harry. You were going 80."

Officer: "I'm also going to give you a ticket for your broken tail light."
Man: "Broken tail light? I didn't know about a broken tail light!"
Wife: "Oh Harry, you've known about that tail light for weeks."

Officer: "I'm also going to give you a citation for not wearing your seat belt."
Man: "Oh, I just took it off when you were walking up to the car."
Wife: "Oh, Harry, you never wear your seat belt."

Man turns to his wife and yells: "Shut your damn mouth!"

Officer turns to the woman and asks, "Ma'am, does your husband talk to you this way all the time?"
Wife: "No, only when he's drunk."

You Might Be a Cop if...

• people shout, "I didn't do it!" when you walk into a room
• your idea of a good time is an armed robbery at shift change
• you disbelieve 90% of what you hear and 75% of what you see
• you believe the government should require a permit to reproduce
• you believe Prozac should be added regularly to the water system
• when you mention vegetables, you're not referring to the food group
• you want to hold a seminar entitled "Suicide - getting it right the first time"
• you call for a criminal record check on anyone who seems friendly toward you
• you believe anyone who says, "I only had two beers" is going to blow over .150
• you walk into places and people think it's high comedy to seize a co-worker and shout, "They've come to get you..."

On the same wavelength

OK, Tig, this "wave" is from your fan club:

A break from blogging is OK, but I don't want to hear the "Q" word. Tell me instead that, having the winter version of spring fever, you are merely pulling my leg -- sort of like an April Fool joke. (Well, April is in the Spring.)

Now, I'm not wanting to make waves here, but something tells me that your brain waves have been the catalyst for some sound waves which are commonly recognized as laughter (aka LOL), and that your creative genius has brought a new wave of entertainment to many in the blogosphere.

The waves and smiles of those who travel down the Blogging Beltway will not be hitting you with the force of a tsunami, but rather with a gentle lapping onto your shore.

Remember that there are all kinds of waves. There are those which merely bring discomfort (i.e., heat wave, cold wave), some that awaken us to what is happening around us (i.e., shock wave, radio wave), but there are some which are meant only to be creative, making the world more tolerable--in fact, a better place.

The Wave Organ is a wave-activated acoustic sculpture located on a jetty in the San Francisco Bay. The concept was developed by Peter Richards and was installed in collaboration with sculptor and master stone mason George Gonzales. Inspiration for the piece came from artist Bill Fontana's recordings made of sounds emanating from a vent pipe of a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia.

In 1980, Richards (now a Senior Artist at the Exploratorium) received a planning grant from the National Endowment for the Arts which enabled him to conduct an extensive period of investigation into the physicality of the Wave Organ phenomenon. The sculpture's speaker horn and audio equipment were either built or acquired for use in some of the experiments of this period.

It was a long ride to the bitter end

It does 'pear that my prognosis 'bout not bein' missed was right on point. I did see a smatterin' of people came by to say this and that, but even that traffic petered out after a day. I appreciate those of you who admitted that you read but do not comment, as well as those of ya'll that admit you get very few comments though 'spect you get a steady stream of visitors. Truthfully, this site draws 'bout 200 visitors a day on a fairly steady average, yet seldom was there more than one or two comments, other than from myself, Moona, or the one or two steady regulars, OzGuru and Denita TwoDragons.

I tried to overlook the lack of commentin' and was successful in doin' so for a long long period of time. I understand that there are times when someone reads somethin' and finds no reason to comment 'bout such. A lot of bloggers spend endless hours regurgitatin' the news without addin' much of anythin' new to their reports. I can see why there would be very little commentary necessarily given to such reports. I stopped jes' reportin' the news a long time ago, because, to tell the truth, I thought there was way too much of that bein' done already. I figgered we couldn't all be Glenn Reynolds. I 'spect that James and Steven have more insight into the political stories than I, so what could I add?

Nope, I am a humorist and a creative writer. The only way that I can know if I am truly reachin' my audience is if I am gettin' some feedback. I wasn't gettin' any. I therefore sensed that I had only a very small audience, way too small for the creative efforts I was puttin' forth on a daily basis. I do, however, 'preciate ya'll's well wishes.

If I have anythin' 'portant to share, I'll likely post a blurb here in hopes that it will be seen by someone who cares. Moona is turnin' out to be a natural blogger and is doin' a really great job of takin' over. Read My Lips is still continuin' to get its 200 daily visitors. It seem that there jes' ain't nuthin' for me to fret 'bout here.

Yada!

^{Gallopin' off to greener pastures.}

Raging Rivers of Rhinorrhoea

After reading Tig's last entry, I decided to search the net to see if I could find some new cold remedy for him to try. Most of what I found involved herbs that are not to be found in either one of our small towns. But I did find some interesting facts about the common cold. One was a definition of the scientific name "snot" found in the "Howstuffworks" website.

rhinorrhoea, n.: This is the fanciest way of describing your babbling, bubbling stream of snot. You probably recognize the last part of that word, and the first half, rhin, is Greek for nose. (A rhinoceros is literally a horn-nose.)

It feels like it sounds: A rhinovirus is a good indication of how it would be to have a rhinoceros stuck up your nose. Your throat hurts. Later you begin to sneeze. Then, a babbling stream of snot bursts from your nose. In the end, you cough. Maybe your colds don't take this exact route, but you can probably predict the path they'll hack through your head.

Ms. Holmes tried to find out more about the common cold from Owen Hendley, who has spent a long time studying on the subject. He explains that

A cold virus gets into your nose when you touch your germy fingers to your nose or eyes. ("You gotta do something pretty stupid to get it in you, I'm sorry to say," says Hendley, who admitted having just caught a cold from his kids.) The virus, be it rhino, corona or some other cold-causing breed, infects cells and multiplies, its numbers concentrating at the back of your nose. The infected cells send out an SOS, and it's your very own response to that plea that makes you wish you hadn't bothered. Among the possible culprits are leaky blood vessels. As a normal part of fighting disease, your vessels leak special portions. If these leak into your throat, Hendley says, they may irritate the tissues there. Leakage, plus swelling of blood vessels, goes on to cause congestion in your head.

Well, Tig, hope you're feelin' better. In the mean time, get something to eat. This one's a myth, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything either.

Myth 6: You should feed a cold (and starve a fever).
Facts: 1. The origin of this old saying is obscure. There is no scientific evidence that excess eating will cure a cold.

2. On the other hand, eating tasty food will not make a cold worse and may help the cold victim feel better. Commoncold.org features tasty recipes for the cold sufferer.

(S)he who laughs last . . .

Tig and I were talkin' the other day about how some people really have a warped sense of humor. In fact, in some instances, it becomes a total abuse of authority. In Tig's little town, everyone must have a post office box; no mail is delivered to any houses in town. Seems that the postal employee who assigns the boxes to customers has only one hard and fast rule: The vertical position of the assigned post office box will be inversely proportional to the height of the postal customer. In other words, if you're tall, you'll get a box on the bottom, and if you're short, your box will be on top.

I told him that my newspaper carrier seemed to be equally twisted. Whenever the weather is dry, my newspaper may be found on the driveway or on the sidewalk, but in "rain, sleet, or snow" I can be sure that my paper will be in the grass or mud, not quite properly wrapped.

It seems that there are some people who must find a way to have more power over others than their job really allows.

For instance

Holy spit! Tainted food dogs cops
Spit, urine, cleaning products and other contaminants found in the fast food served to police officers in restaurants around the country has left many in law enforcement wary of reaching for that next burger and fries.

The problem is consistent with a growing disrespect for authority and antipolice sentiment in the public at large, said Jim Pasco, executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police. “There has been an erosion in respect for authority figures in general and police officers are among the most visible authority figures, they’re going to be targets for this kind of misconduct,” he told Law Enforcement News. Another hypothesis is the resentment felt by underpaid teenage workers...

Narcissists in Positions of Authority

Frequently Asked Questions # 11 - By: Dr. Sam Vaknin
Question: Are narcissists in position of authority more likely to take advantage of their patients/students/subordinates?

Answer: Being in a position of authority secures the uninterrupted flow of Narcissistic Supply. Fed by the awe, fear, subordination, admiration, adoration and obedience of his underlings, parish, students, or patients - the narcissist thrives in such circumstances. The narcissist aspires to acquire authority by any means available to him. He may achieve this by making use of some outstanding traits or skills such as his intelligence, or through an asymmetry built into a relationship. The narcissistic medical doctor or mental health professional and his patients, the narcissistic guide, teacher, or mentor and his students, the narcissistic leader, guru, pundit, or psychic and his followers or admirers, or the narcissistic business tycoon, boss, or employer and his subordinates - all are instances of such asymmetries.

The day that I was determined that I was indeed expecting my second child, the doctor had left his notes in the little room, and I saw the date that he wrote in the records.

However, when he took me into his office to talk with me about the results, he told me two weeks later than that. I thought nothing of it, until the awaited day drew nearer and nearer.

Of course, I had been through this before. When I had my first child, the doctor who delivered my daughter was to speak at a nurses' graduation, and he was obviously frustrated by the fact that if I didn't hurry up, he would miss it. Thus he gave me an I-V of something that made my contractions harder and faster so that he could meet his schedule.

When the due date for my son had passed, he told me that if I did not go into labor by two weeks from the due date, he would induce labor. When he left the room, I started talking to the nurse, who was his wife. I told her that I hoped that he did not have to do that, because I imagined it would be more painful. She told me that, when she had her children, he always induced labor for convenience if had to go to conventions near the due date.

So I thought back to the date that I had seen in that little room, realizing now that his plan is to minimizes the instances of having to be called in the middle of the night by convincing unsuspecting fat ladies that they are "more pregnant" than they really are. He was going to have to pay. I had my last child a day or two earlier than the due date, and I was going to do everything I could to hasten the birth. I walked every change I got, did as much exercise as my round body would allow, and sure enough, the night before I was to be "induced," I went into labor. I called the doctor, and he did his best to convince me that I was wrong. However, he said, since I lived a long distance from the hospital, he would let me check in the night before.

We rushed to the hospital, with me in the backseat, along with my seven-year-old daughter, whom we did not have time to drop off anywhere. My mother lived in the town where the hospital was located, so we thought that after I got settled in the ER, she could be taken to my mom's. On the way there, my daughter got sick and started vomiting. It was a ride not to be forgotten. As soon as the nurses examined me, they were on the phone to the doctor. By their conversation, I could tell that he was still trying to get out of it, but he managed to get there shortly before my son was born at 1:11 a.m. No one really knew why I laughed when he walked in. I really had never told anybody else about what I did. I thought it was worth sharing.

Dull drudgery as the World Turns

I am movin' my office into my home and in the midst of this and that to accomplish the mission. Alterin' furniture arrangements, findin' new and novel ways to store that which is unused and in the way, and discardin' or givin' away some of the stuff for which I have no further use. I have been puttin' this off and puttin' this off despite havin' reached the decision several months ago. I jes' been dreadin' gettin' it done, 'cause, to tell ya the truth (this is categorized under "The Full Story," after all), I HATE MOVIN'.

Looking back to when I looked for'ard

Folks, I knew I had this 'round here somewhere. This is one of the earliest examples of my creative writing. This was written while I was still an undergraduate student at University of Texas at Arlington, which I attended from 1978 to 1983. I seem to recall that this story was penned in the fall of 1982.

2014
A short story by Terence A. Russell

Twelve volts jolted the flesh of my left arm. The clock above the hatch spoke "5:55," and the holoscreen flashed red, announcing that the President would appear in five minutes.

Dropping to the sleep chamber's deck, I entered the hatch opening beneath it. The dressing console's switch was flicked to the "on" position. A green light on the console immediately brightened. Sliding open the cabinet's door above the console, I removed the neatly pressed clothing, a fresh yellow jumpsuit.

My United States Transportation Authority uniform was quickly donned. The feel of the recycled paper fabric was fresh and crisp, but the bright yellow did not appeal to my senses, was too crisp, and too fresh. I often longed for the feel of freshly washed jeans and a cotton shirt.

The red bulb on the console flashed as I turned to leave. My pajamas were picked up from the floor and placed in the PAPER ONLY chute. The red light went out as I stepped from the wardrobe chamber.

The clock now read 5:57; sufficient time to punch up breakfast before the President began his address. Moving from the private chamber through the lounging chamber and to the galley, the five minutes that it took for the usual breakfast of kelp-cakes, soy sausage, and neutro-ova were pressing my time-sense. The code was punched for a cup of lactocaf and two slices of toasted kelp-bread.

Sliding open the food chute's cover, I removed the tray containing breakfast. I carried it into the lounging chamber and placed it on the table beside my reclino-lounger. After consuming breakfast, my attention was shifted to the holoscreen.

The screen stopped flashing; bright red faded into deep blue. The audio-trac burst forth with "Hail to the Chief." A scene from deep in the White House, buried somewhere beneath the Colorado Rockies, materialized on the screen as an image of the President cleared.

"Citizens," he began, "I apologize for awakening you so early, but my scientists at the National Nutritional Laboratories have informed me that they are ready to release their findings in the tests of the presently available foodstuffs.

"Wishing to keep this as short as possible, I will dispense with the details of the report and read only their conclusions." He read, "'... and in conclusion, we find that the only nutritional products which are completely fit for human consumption are the kelp-bread groups and the hydro-vita fluids. All other substances have been found to contain carcinogens or other health deteriorating substances.'

"This statement is concise and direct enough to give you an understanding of the problem. As you are aware, I have attempted, during my decade as President, to rid this nation of its health problems, crime problems, and economic problems.

"New homes, meals, and jobs were provided. Every room of every building in this nation was provided with a direct hook-up with the central computer back in Dallas. This system, provided from my personal facilities at EDI, is bringing my life-size figure into every lounging chamber across the nation at this very moment.

"Millions of you faithfully provided the necessary information, as members of my National Association of Respected Citizens, which enabled us to rid the nation of its crime element, halting forever the drug distribution network which was destroying this great country.

"Though many raised objection, you cooperated with the national ban on sex in our effort to halt the genetic malformations which were becoming epidemic across the nation, and applauded as the first generation of Americans, perfect Americans, was born in the National Genetic Laboratories just last year.

"I trust you will provide this same support in the problem we face today. It is absolutely necessary to place all foodstuffs, with the exception of the kelp-breads and hydrovita fluids, on the controlled substances list. Workers at the central computer banks will reprogram the memories such that these substances will not longer be available to be delivered to your homes. NARC agents will be alerted that the state will again offer 1,000 credit bounties for each smuggler of controlled substances reported, convicted, and executed by the National Police.

"You must bear with us in this program, as we will make these products available again as soon as our scientists have found a method of neutralizing their harmful effects.

"Thank you for your support, citizens. Before I leave you to your appointed duties, I do wish to brighten your day just a bit. The scientists at the National Genetic Laboratories have succeeded in artificially producing all the necessary genetic materials to produce additional offspring, so that we find it no longer necessary to protect your genitalia from the harmful effects of sexual encounters, and find it no longer necessary to enforce the ban.

"All persons who submit themselves to building clinics for sterilization will find, upon returning from duty, that their sleeping chambers have been reprogrammed to facilitate sexual acts.

"Again, thank you for your support, and I wish each and every one of you a pleasant day." With that the image on the screen and on the floor disappeared.

Stepping to the console, I punched TFG57386743. An image of my girlfriend, Tara, appeared where the President has stood only moments before. She was wearing the dark brown jumpsuit, identifying her as a worker in the National Nutritional Kitchens.

Before I had a chance to speak, she hurriedly blurted out: "Hi Bobby! I'm late. Can't talk. The answer is yes. See you at 1900 sharp," and disappeared.

The clock read 6:24. I was running late myself. My breakfast tray was placed in the delivery chute, and the return code on the galley console was punched. The entry hatch was dialed open, and I moved through it into the corridor. A dozen steps down the corridor led to the trans-booth. The code I had received upon completion of my duty last eve was punched, and I stepped into the booth. Moments later, I found myself in a different booth, in a different corridor. The sign above the console read: STATION 412-NATIONAL GENETIC LABORATORIES-LIBYAN TERRITORY-UNITED STATES OF EARTH, and in smaller letters below: HUMAN OFFSPRING SECTION.

A shudder of excitement, almost that of an orgasm, rushed through me. My security clearance had been upgraded, and I was to have the honor of manipulating the transporter controls for the nation's youngest citizens.

Charging down the corridor, eager to view my new passenger prospects, I opened the hatch marked FIRST GENERATION. Twenty-five identical faces confronted me, each bearing a remarkable resemblance to President Ross Perote.

In a time of rebirth and renewal

The holidays make me maudlin. Seriously so, ever' since the passin' of my dear departed Betsy a decade ago, and it ain't gotten any better as I have aged another 10 years older and 'pear to be farther from my dream than ever. In times like these, it is good to have somethin' to remind yourself of your ancestors literally right at your fingertips. Those of ya'll that have followed me durin' the maturity of this publication likely 'member the reprint series of my deceased father's bloggin' efforts. I have, jes' this day, come to think of them as bloggin' efforts: if a blog is a website with regularly dated entries and these columns were posted to his website on a regular monthly basis, then Rusty Rucker was 'mong one of the earliest blogs. I now have a greater appreciation of these early columns. Here is your opportunity to take this walk back with me down memory lane. Read My Lips - the blog: Rusty Rides Again™ Archives

Not everybody eats black-eyed peas on New Year's

OTBTJTB™

The most interestin' New Year's Eve that I can remember was when my aunt & uncle from Illinois visited. We searched all over town that day before because they had to have pickled herring in sour cream sauce at the stroke of midnight so that they could have good luck all year. Of course, no one in our little town had even heard of eating that, so we had to make a trip to the big city, where some of those rich businessmen were transplants from the North. Well, we finally found some and made it home in time to watch all of the New Year's Eve programs on TV.

So, when it was midnight, instead of black-eyed peas, my aunt and uncle were putting this foul-smellin' pickled herring on crackers--and they wanted me to try it. Yuk!

To each his own, I guess. So I started surfin' around and found that people eat a lot of strange things for luck at New Year's. I also started wonderin' why we eat black-eyed peas, for that matter. I ran upon one interesting story from the Jan. 2001 Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, in a space entitled Legend, Lore & Legacy, subtitled "The Great Black-Eyed Pea Hoax," by C.F. Eckhardt. According to this article,

It seems that in 1947 a man named Elmore R. Torn, Sr. was essentially the one-man Athens/Henderson Co. Chamber of Commerce, in a struggling community that Houston and Dallas hadn't "discovered" yet. Its industries, Eckhardt wrote, were "oil, farming, oil, pottery, oil, and a cannery."

And one of the products of the cannery was black-eyed peas. Today canned black-eyed peas are quite tasty, but in 1947 they looked like '"rayish-tan lumpy library paste with black spots scattered in it" Eckhardt notes. And that's just about what they tasted like too, "with heavy overtones of tinplate and salt."

Challenged to create a market for this unappealing product, while boosting the local economy, Torn went to work. (Just an historical note here that has no relevance to this story that I can see: Torn's son is Elmore R. Torn, Jr., aka actor Rip Torn.)

Torn, Sr. began his task by having the cannery make up several dozen two-ounce cans of black-eyed peas. Then, his genius in overdrive, he began to write.

Eckhardt's story continues: "Eating black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year's Day, Elmore wrote, was a fine old antebellum Southern tradition that had been viciously suppressed by the d___ Yankees during Reconstruction. Jeff Davis, Stonewall Jackson ­ even Marse Robert Lee himself ­ partook of the unique Southern delicacy known as the black-eyed pea every New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year.

"Why, the reason the South lost was a failure of the black-eyed pea crop in 1863, which led to the Confederate reverses in '64 and ultimately to the humiliation of Appomattox in April of '65.

"The tradition, he wrote, was hoary long before the war, but had been suppressed by the Yankees for the nine long years of Reconstruction in Texas. It was time for all good Southerners to rise up and reclaim this great, almost-lost bit of Southern heritage. Who knows, it might lead to the South rising once more.

"And, of course, what better way to serve black-eyed peas for New Year's Day dinner than with convenient, tasty (he may have gagged slightly there), canned black-eyed peas from Athens, Texas?"

If you are from the South, that is, the Southern part of the United States, you already know all about Hoppin' John and perhaps you serve it to yourself and guests every New Year's. It was a Texan who first said to me, "Of course, you must have black-eyed peas for New Year's-- it brings good luck."

I got to wondering about this and soon found that it was more than a matter of serving black-eyed peas. It was actually a mixture of black-eyed peas, rice and ham hocks or bacon, and it had a name. It was called "Hoppin' John." . . .

In fact, the dish appears to have African, or African-American roots, as the black-eyed pea is the seed of the cowpea, a delicacy in North Africa. According to a 1788 account, the food on slave ships was a combination of fava beans, yams, rice and possibly a bit of pork or other meat. When they got to America and were able to substitute black-eyed peas for the "horse beans" the slave traders served them, the Africans improved on the dish and it became popular.

In Georgia, it's a tradition to eat black-eyed peas and turnip greens. The peas represent copper and the greens are dollars. We say each pea you eat equals one dollar's worth of earning, and each portion of turnip greens equals $1,000. . . .Some people say that it brings good luck and prosperity. This may be founded in truth because a 3-ounce portion of black-eyed peas and turnip greens is good for the digestive system. It helps clean out the digestive system.

And here's a link for those of you who want to know what the rest of the world is doing: New Year's Customs Worldwide - TOPICS Online Magazine - TOPICS Online Magazine for ESL

The things ya never see and or sometimes jes' overlook

I've been goin' through a lot of posts I have saved in draft mode. Both of the previous two were initially composed in August 2004. The post I am gonna be blurbin' 'bout right here dates back to May 2004. It's a real doozie an' I can only assume as to why I am jes' now shinin' a spotlight 'pon it is that I had marked it as somethin' to review for possible use on my USURP site. After re-readin' it, I could see why I did such, but I am now feelin' it is much more appropriate to use here on Read My Lips.

Truth is relevant to perception. That is a truism that I quote often. All people are purty much aware that we all likely see and hear jes' 'zactly what it is that we want or 'spect to see and hear. It 'pears that some scientists found evidence that such indeed is true and that it is all the fault of the way our poor pathetic minds function. It seems they have discovered a “bindin' problem” inside the brain. I ain't gonna spend my time outlayin' 'n' outlinin' the whole scenario for ya'll when ya can go have a look for yourself at my primary source for the information. Ya'll go read it there: Stupid Evil Bastard: The binding problem and how your brain makes sense of the world. I am entirely proud of havin' had this supreme privilege of bein' the one to point the way out for ya'll.

But I thought the future was in "Soylent Green"

Swedish ecologist Susanne Wiigh-Masak has developed Promessa, a method for recycling human corpses into fertilizer.

While cremation burns fossil fuels and releases pollutants, burials require that the corpse be filled with embalming fluids which can pollute the groundwater as the body decays.

Wiigh-Masak's solution has bodies immersed in liquid nitrogen to remove water, causing them to crumble into fine organic dust. This is then placed in a container that biodegrades within six months. - [source]

What I know 'bout shoes would fit in a shoe box

Revealing the Soul of a Soulless Lawyer

MYSTERY MAN The Anonymous Lawyer blog has struck a nerve.
By SARA RIMER
Published: December 26, 2004

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. HE lives at the law firm, blowing off his wife's dinner parties, not to mention the birth of his son. He finds no satisfaction in his work, but he is trapped by his high salary and partner title.

He disdains everyone lower in the hierarchy: the smarmy $2,400-a-week summer interns, the idealistic associates who want to help poor people on company time, the associates who have the audacity to become pregnant and his incompetent secretary who broke the crystal plaque he received from a client.

He is, in short, a petty, cynical, sexist, miserable, overpaid corporate creep. He is also fictional.

But he is apparently all too familiar to thousands of lawyers across the country who are regular readers of his Web log, Anonymous Lawyer, in which he chronicles the soulless, billable-hours-obsessed partners, the overworked BlackBerry-dependent associates and the wrecked families that are the dark underside of life at his large firm in Los Angeles.

"What A.L. posts on a daily basis are the precise reasons I have left practice and am now in a `law-related field,' " one reader wrote.

Hilarious, poignant, maddening (even the readers chide one another for their high-priced whining), the blog, which began appearing in March, has become an anonymous, online 24-hour confessional for disaffected associates at large, elite law firms around the country. (Many comments are posted late at night when, presumably, the readers are still at the firm.)

And even though the blog (anonymouslawyer.blogspot.com) makes clear that Anonymous Lawyer's stories are fiction, readers write in to say they identify with him and especially with the associates he tyrannizes.

"I'm a real live Big Law midlevel associate," one reader wrote. "And I'm here to say that whether A.L. is real or not, yes, most (most) Big Law partners do think that way."

It is not surprising that a group of highly verbal computer-bound professionals who are paid to complain would gravitate toward the blogosphere. The elite firms are supposed to be the pinnacle, the reward at the end of Harvard, Yale or Stanford law schools. Anonymous Lawyer is a chance to admit, anonymously, an uncomfortable truth: The money and status may not be worth all the sacrifices.

"Anonymous Lawyer is a cultural phenomenon," said William Henderson, an associate professor at Indiana University School of Law, who uses the blog in class. "It strikes a nerve with the deep-seated ambivalence that lawyers in big law firms feel about big law firm life."

So who is Anonymous Lawyer, anyway?

The blog is full of the sort of real life details, like the chocolate-covered pretzels offered during recruiting interviews of Harvard law students at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge ("unusually good for hotel food," Anonymous Lawyer rates the pretzels, while dismissing the students as entitled and ignorant) that have convinced many readers that Anonymous Lawyer has to be a Big Law insider.

"I know he's come to Harvard to recruit," said John Howell, a Harvard law student, citing the chocolate-covered pretzels.

Anonymous Lawyer's comments about his view of the ocean from his 20th floor office have led to speculation that he works at Latham & Watkins outside Los Angeles.

"Very good possibility A.L. is one of the corporate partners at L.W. in Costa Mesa," one reader wrote.

Another reader countered: "Step back and ask yourself what partner making a fine six-figure salary with half a brain is going to risk being caught exposing various little secrets of this anonymous firm. My guess is A.L. is a current or former associate at an L.A. or L.A.-area firm."

As it turns out Anonymous Lawyer is Jeremy Blachman, a self-effacing 25-year-old third-year Harvard law student whose firsthand experience of Big Law comes down to a round of recruiting interviews last fall (at which he encountered the aforementioned chocolate-covered pretzels) and three months as a summer associate at a large Manhattan firm. While Anonymous Lawyer has been gloating over his view of the Pacific, Mr. Blachman has never even been to Los Angeles.

"I wanted to see if I could post as a hiring partner and be believable," he said over a recent dinner at a Thai restaurant in Harvard Square. "I thought it would last for a week." ... [more at source]

Tig bloggin' to be intermittent

Lookie!!!! Download this 1289KB MP3 file - runnin' time 00:01:49 of author readin' this post. That's near' two minutes of tittilatin' Texas twang, all for the price of a few minutes of your bandwidth. Whatta bargain, at any price.

Well, I'll be on the road for a few days -- flexible schedule, as usual. That's why I drop in unannounced, so no one frets if I ain't there on time, goes outta their way to make special arrangements for me, or has the utmost concern if I don't even show up at all. There is the possibility that they could not even be there at all. It happens. It is part of the adventure and what makes travel fun for me. Heck, ever'day life is routine, enough, I like the road to be full of adventure. Governed only by the rules of the road, the little bit of capital you can part with, and the limited amount of time ya got 'fore ya gotta get back to the daily grind, and the world it yours. It could be that jes' 'fore I turn east, I hear 'bout some event goin' on in Phoenix that sounds like a hoot -- I might jes' turn left at the corner 'stead of right. Stranger things have happened.

Good thing I bumped into Moona in the ethosphere, huh? She is a natural - and will fill the bill nicely while I am away. Read down through her openin' barrage, 'specially the openin' shot. You'll likely be titterin' 'nough to tee-tee in your trousers.

I didn't have time to fill her in on the regular features, but I'll do my best to keep the current programmin' goin' if'n and when I can find a chance. Keep readin', keep enjoyin', keep smilin', and don't be afraid to say somethin'. We kinda like receivin' your cards and letters. Ya'll gals throwin' your dainties to'ard the stage are most appreciated -- by me, that is. I ain't been apprised of Moona's feelin's on that particular subject. I gotta be fillin' up my paper sack with supplies. What am I gonna need? Half dozen pairs of pink underwear, a change of pants . . . Why am I suddenly hearin' strains of Blue Moon playin' overhead?

[UPDATE: Popup view of packed bag]

Wow, I cannot believe it happened to me!

I was eatin' walnuts and surfin' BE when I cracked open a trifurcated walnut, one havin' three equally-sized separated meat parts instead of two. A trifurcated walnut must be rarer than a four-leaf clover. I am so lucky, unless it was unlucky that I ate it. I prolly should have seen how much it would bring on Ebay first, huh? Darn it! There's a hole in my sock!

Hints from Heloise Tig I'm a laundry putz! Pink underwear is not only for whiffenpoofs, ya know!

I was runnin' a load of laundry earlier this morn so as to run through the dryer after I left for the office. I had gathered up some sweats that were layin' in a corner of the bedroom and, to make a load, gathered up several pairs of FTL/BVD/Hane's type male brief undergarments as I had gone through since last runnin' a load. Well, when I removed the load, all the assorted briefs were a bright pink color, a pair of the red sweats seemin'ly havin' bled its colorin' onto the whites. So, here I had a dozen tightie-pinkies to deal with.

Well, as I have oft mentioned, I am nearin' the mid-century mark in tree rings now, so I have been 'round the block innumerable times. I have previously faced this exact situation. It is possible I faced this same problem in conjunction with this same set of red sweats and several of these same undergarments. I deftly removed all the undesired still wet pink items from the mass of sweats and rewashed them, addin' a half-cup of chloride bleach into the cycle. If ya do it while the clothes are still wet, it seems to wash that color right back out. I'll know if I was successful in jes' a few short moments, as the cycle seems to be runnin' down as I end this short blurb.

If this wee bit of laundry knowledge has assisted even one lowly poor bachelor in the quest to never again have to wear a pair of unintentionally dyed pink briefs again for the rest of eternity, I shall consider my life a success. ;)

[UPDATE: Well tie me up and beat me with a whisp of ghostly smoke, but that first attempt at bleachin' out the pink did little more than brighten those pink hues into the loveliest rose shade. If'n I was a whiffenpoof, I spose havin' several pairs of bright pink BVDs would be an asset, but to me, it is abhorrent! We'll jes' wash 'em again and add a whole cup of bleach and some OxyClean to the mix.]

[ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am now the proud owner of a dozen pairs of bright pink unmanly lookin' briefs and one pink Cowboys T-shirt, which are, for all practical purposes, disatrous! Urrrrgh! You are now free to go back to you regularly scheduled program!]

A new addition to my graphic art collection

neon nightmare
©Terence A. Russell 2004

OTBTJTB™

Well, I really can't play a banjo very well

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convincing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, such as it is

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one man to decide how to proceed with the rest of his life, he should weigh all of his possible options and select the option that will provide the greatest opportunity for possible future happiness, right?

Is a new look comin' to Read My Lips?

Well, I been workin' and workin' tryin' to come up with a new logo, and this is the one I decided I liked best. Whatta ya'll think?

I am thinkin' of a new design, likely gonna put the title over the link column and allow the actual blog posts to be nearer the top. However, it is jes' a thought for now. Who knows what happens next. I'll go to bed, and tomorrow, I might come up with somethin' different.

Photos from the field

The Rebel Rouser has a few interestin' photos showin' aspects of life on patrol in Iraq. The correlation 'tween the US contingent and the Iraqi Civilian Patrol was a great touch! Thanks for sharin' 'em with us, soldier!

In the There is no room in the Inn Dept.

It was quite a sight having 60-some people standing outside in below freezing weather, by a dumpster with candles in hand singing "Silent Night", praying, and doing responsive readings. - joshua.michael

The day the giant fully awoke

Today is the anniversary of the surprise attack upon the US Naval base in Pearl Harbor. If you would like to know more about this event, I personally recommend a visit to National Geographic's Remembering Pearl Harbor site.

In the Never One to Follow Blindly along with the Pack Dept.

I have decided that I would like to be the first in my town to have one of these on my car. Now 'scuse me while I go to searchin' in my couch cushions to see if I can scrape up that much.

And so it was tol' that on this day unto Jason Owens a spork would cometh.

Pickin' bits and pieces of stuff outta Aunt 'Net's mail dump

^{Within this post, all links are designed to open pictures in pop-up windows}

My regular readers know that I often get a lot of forwards from my favorite aunt, an AOL user. As many of us 'spect, there is an unwritten AOL rule that you have to forward ever'thin' you receive via email to ever'one in your email address book. So far, I ain't really seen anythin' novel enough in full form to share with ya'll, but have found parts of several that are worthwhile to see.

If I was one of the people who do caption contests, I might think this photo fully qualifies for such an event.

This little bit seemed to be the real meat of another:

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

(F)ather (A)nd (M)other (I) (L)ove (Y)ou

Then there was this alcoholic holistic approach to avoidin' the flu:

You can take the doctors office approach. Think about it, when you go for a shot, what do they do first? Clean your arm with alcohol. Why? Because alcohol kills germs. So......

I walk to the liquor store (exercise), I put lime in my Corona (fruit), celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies), drink on the bar patio (fresh air), get drunk, tell jokes, and laugh (eliminate stress) and then pass out (rest). The way I see it, if you keep your alcohol levels up flu germs can't get you!!!!

There ain't nuthin' funny goin' on here, I swear

Ya ever been mired in one of those financial binds where ya think back on all the money ya wasted, lost, stupidly gave away, or got cheated out of?* I been thinkin' on that and thought if I had a nickel for ever' dollar disposed of any such mentioned way, I would prolly 'least have enough to order a pizza from Dominos®,** a large one, with extra cheese.

[Addendum: It jes' dawned on me, a light bulb burned brightly 'bove my head, or some such cliche' designed to denote that another thought popped into one's head, that if I had a quarter for ever'time I been rejected by a gal, slapped by a gal, or given a go to some really really hot netherworld place look, I could prolly purchase that Mr. Jim's® franchise.]

*Yeah, yeah, I know that participle was left danglin', but here on Read My Lips, in such situations, we*** always provide proper participle safety lines. I am proud to say we have, thus far, maintained a 100% perfect participle safety record. ^{~knock on wood head~}

**We`actually don't have a Dominos® in this tiny burg, but the same thought does apply to Mr. Jim's®. We do have one of those.

***No, that is not a royal "we." I actually do have mouse in my pocket. He is helpin' to keep my nuts pecans warm.****

****And if you bought any of the claims made in the foregoin' footnote, that bein' number ***, I have a nice suspension bridge in San Francisco for sale, very reasonably priced.

Ashcroft v. Raich - the medical marijuana case, recounted and analyzed

So how will Ashcroft v. Raich come out? I don’t know. I got a sense that O’Connor, Ginsburg, and perhaps Stevens were quite sympathetic to the respondents. Based on his questions, Justice Kennedy seemed quite favorable to the government. One would guess that Justice Thomas will be the hardest member of the Court for the government to win. One might also guess that it will be hard for the petititoners [sic] to win Souter or Bryer, who both are very skeptical of Lopez and Morrison. Justice Rehnquist is hard to call. We didn’t hear from him. One suspects he is both pro-federalism/state power and pro-federal regulation of drugs. One can imagine this case coming out 5-4 either way. Before argument, I would have said it could be 9-0 either way, but if I allow myself the dangerous pleasure of reading the tea leaves, I now think that is unlikely. - Lawrence Solum of Legal Theory Blog

The black eye might have faded but some of the pain lingers still

I 'member our Texas History classes back in grade school and durin' High School. I am also quite sure that I even took a Texas History class durin' my undergrad years at the University of Texas at Arlington, but I can't 'member there ever bein a mention of this incident in any of my textbooks:

Nearly 90 years ago, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas blazed with a brief uprising of mostly U.S.-born Hispanics – Tejanos – to reclaim the region for Mexico. It lasted little more than a month, unleashing a frenzy of shootings and lynchings by Texas Rangers and local Anglo vigilantes that raged across the Valley. It left a legacy of ethnic segregation and racial animosity that plagued the Valley for decades.

Historians estimate that 3,000 to 5,000 people – mostly Tejanos – died over about three years before the killings stopped.

The great majority had nothing to do with the uprising. Jesus Bazan and Antonio Longoria were just two of them.

"Until recently, the border uprising was perceived by historians as a marginal event," said Southern Methodist University history professor Benjamin Heber Johnson, who's written a book on the subject. "But it is a part of Texas history in the same way that the lynching of Emmett Till is Mississippi history.

"It's a part of the American story that should be remembered and understood," he added.

It isn't. [full story, but may require registration.]

OTB trackback pinger ... continue readin'

Hell, yeah, it oughtta be 'membered. Although I often ride the anti-PC high horse, it is 'cause I don't like the see the truth of the past buried for the sake of some child's feelin's. But, by that same token, I sure as heck ain't proud of bein' a part of a society that keeps it misdeeds under wraps for years and years.

The terrors of 1915 helped give rise to the Hispanic civil rights movement, Dr. Johnson contends in a book published last year by Yale University Press, Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans Into Americans.

In 1915, as the chaos of the Mexican Revolution raged across the river, the Valley underwent its own turmoil. For more than a decade, Anglo land speculators and Midwestern farmers flooded the Valley. Ranches of pioneer Tejano families were transformed into row after row of cash crops. New towns popped up like weeds as the population doubled in 10 years.

The newcomers brought their racial prejudices with them. Foreigners and dark-skinned people were not to be trusted. "American" became a synonym for "white" and any brown-skinned person was a "Mexican" regardless of origin.

In January 1915, authorities arrested a man near the border who carried a copy of a revolutionary manifesto. It called for a Tejano armed uprising to reclaim much of the Southwest for Mexico. It also called for Anglo males over age 16 to be killed.

On Aug. 6, 1915, revolutionaries, known as sediciosos– seditionists – struck. Armed riders attacked Alfred Austin's Hidalgo County ranch, killing him and his adult son. Scattered attacks on other ranches occurred over the next few months. The sediciosos burned railroad trestles, cut telegraph wires and skirmished with soldiers and police.

Panic spread throughout the Valley. Vigilante groups sprang up. When major landholders called for help, Gov. James Ferguson sent in the Texas Rangers. He also deputized a number friends and campaign supporters among the local population as "special Rangers."

The Rangers and their helpers launched a reign of terror. Being "Mexican" was enough to be suspected of insurrection. Real lawbreakers and the innocent, alike, were turned over to the Rangers. Few reached jail. Roadside lynchings and impromptu firing squads became common. Piles of corpses were left across the Valley as an object lesson. Grisly photographs of dead "bandits" became popular postcards. [link to book listin' on Amazon.com added]

In 1885 an estimated twenty-two mobs lynched forty-three people, including nineteen blacks and twenty-four whites, one of whom was female. After this the number of lynching victims generally decreased, dropping to five in 1893, but increased again to twenty-six in 1897. The number of victims continued to decline (to twenty-three in 1908 and fifteen in 1909) until 1915, when there were thirty-two. The 1915 figure, which is probably an underestimate, reflected an increase in racial hostility that accompanied the spread of Jim Crow laws and border troubles growing out of the Mexican Revolution.^qv Six mobs in Cameron, Willacy, and Hidalgo counties accounted for twenty-six of the victims.

Motivated by anger against decades-old discrimination and contempt, Tejanos joined in a movement of armed resistance against oppression in 1915. Specifically, they joined in support of the Plan of San Diego,^qv a call to arms apparently hatched in San Diego, Texas, by individuals who called for the establishment of a new nation of Mexican Americans and other oppressed minorities in the lands lost by Mexico in 1836 and 1848. Luis De la Rosa and Aniceto Pizañaq^qv led the PSD uprising with recruits from South Texas as well as from the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Coahuila. The conspirators conducted raids on both sides of the border; targets on the Texas side included newly developed farms, irrigation^qv systems, and railroad lines. With these raids, widespread panic enveloped much of South Texas. Non-Hispanic whites organized vigilante groups to administer justice. The Texas Rangers,^qv their ranks increased for border duty, arrived in the region to carry out law-enforcement activity-but their actions degenerated into repression and violence against both immigrants and Mexican Americans. Ricardo Flores Magón spoke out in Regeneración against what he perceived as genocide directed against Tejanos. Conditions became so volatile that Governor James E. Ferguson^qv threatened to send forces into Mexico after the raiders. In November 1915, however, the governor and Mexican president Carranza met in Nuevo Laredo and agreed that they would take whatever steps were needed to stop the border troubles. Soon after this meeting, activities associated with the PSD subsided.

In April 1914 Pershing took command of Fort Bliss,qv which had been an infantry post. By 1916 he had set up a field camp outside of El Paso. More than 50,000 American soldiers, most of them National Guard, lined the border at Columbus. Their objective was to subdue revolutionary forces and to capture Francisco (Pancho) Villa.^qv

What's red & blue, crawls on walls, and is simply amazin'?

For those of ya'll who were not yet alive when Stan Lee & Marvel Comics originated Spider-Man, here's your chance to see it the way it was done in the beginnin'.

Did I find myself another fan?

I was checkin' my StatCounter earlier today and saw that someone had been readin' a lot of my ol' posts. It seems it started with a Google search dealin' with Mrs. Lileks but look below the fold for a table with all the related activity. I will not provide any of the identifyin' data with regard to my visitor, 'cept to say they are located somewhere in the State of Florida.

Navigation Path

Date	Time	WebPage
26th November 2004	03:58:05 PM	Read My Lips: Dammit, Life goes on! www.google.com/search?q=mrs. lileks&hl=en&lr=&start=10&sa=N
26th November 2004	03:59:33 PM	Read My Lips: Dammit, Life goes on! www.google.com/search?q=mrs. lileks&hl=en&lr=&start=10&sa=N
26th November 2004	03:59:44 PM	Read My Lips tig.mu.nu/archives/016524.html
26th November 2004	04:01:19 PM	Read My Lips tig.mu.nu/archives/016524.html
26th November 2004	04:01:22 PM	Read My Lips: Dammit, Life goes on! www.google.com/search?q=mrs. lileks&hl=en&lr=&start=10&sa=N
26th November 2004	04:01:28 PM	Read My Lips: I just love well done satire tig.mu.nu/archives/016524.html
26th November 2004	04:01:36 PM	Read My Lips: Parental Guilt and Stay at Home Moms! tig.mu.nu/archives/016525.html
26th November 2004	04:04:38 PM	Read My Lips: I just love well done satire tig.mu.nu/archives/016524.html
26th November 2004	04:04:48 PM	Read My Lips tig.mu.nu/archives/016525.html
26th November 2004	04:04:48 PM	Read My Lips: I just love well done satire tig.mu.nu/archives/016524.html
26th November 2004	04:04:50 PM	Read My Lips: Parental Guilt and Stay at Home Moms! tig.mu.nu/archives/016525.html
26th November 2004	04:04:52 PM	Read My Lips: Free time reading material tig.mu.nu/archives/016526.html
26th November 2004	04:04:57 PM	Read My Lips: The New Weblog Showcase Review IV tig.mu.nu/archives/016527.html
26th November 2004	04:04:59 PM	Read My Lips: Public Announcement: Wizbang tig.mu.nu/archives/016528.html
26th November 2004	04:05:01 PM	Read My Lips: 1st Lady of the Silver Screen Dies tig.mu.nu/archives/016529.html
26th November 2004	04:05:07 PM	Read My Lips: Now where did I put that <i>roll of quarters</i>? tig.mu.nu/archives/016530.html
26th November 2004	04:05:09 PM	Read My Lips: Without a <i>conscious thought</i> otherwise tig.mu.nu/archives/016531.html
26th November 2004	04:05:28 PM	Read My Lips: What's good for the goose . . . tig.mu.nu/archives/016532.html
26th November 2004	04:05:41 PM	Read My Lips: College: I did it <i>my way</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/016533.html
26th November 2004	04:09:39 PM	Read My Lips: I am pretty picky about my nits tig.mu.nu/archives/016534.html
26th November 2004	04:09:45 PM	Read My Lips: Ain't it a crying shame tig.mu.nu/archives/016535.html
26th November 2004	04:09:54 PM	Read My Lips: Pardon my French, but <s>F**K YOU</s> France! tig.mu.nu/archives/016536.html
26th November 2004	04:10:13 PM	Read My Lips: No Virginia, you can't sue <i>Glenn Reynolds</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/016537.html
26th November 2004	04:10:26 PM	Read My Lips: Blame it all on <i>Corporate America</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/016538.html
26th November 2004	04:12:51 PM	Read My Lips: Update: Stay at Home Motherhood tig.mu.nu/archives/016539.html
26th November 2004	04:13:04 PM	Read My Lips: Woohoo! Now we are <i>cooking with gas</i>! tig.mu.nu/archives/016540.html
26th November 2004	04:13:10 PM	Read My Lips: I'm late for court & can't find <i>my crayons</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/016541.html
26th November 2004	04:13:13 PM	Read My Lips: Deep Thoughts by <s>Jack Handy</s> Laughing Wolf tig.mu.nu/archives/016542.html
26th November 2004	04:13:16 PM	Read My Lips: <i>Do you know the way to San Jose?</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/016543.html
26th November 2004	04:13:17 PM	Read My Lips: The swinging of the pendulum tig.mu.nu/archives/016544.html
26th November 2004	04:13:27 PM	Read My Lips: Needed: Someone else . . . tig.mu.nu/archives/016545.html
26th November 2004	04:13:29 PM	Read My Lips: Smile, <i>KID</i>, you are on <i>hidden camera</i>! tig.mu.nu/archives/016546.html
26th November 2004	04:13:49 PM	Read My Lips: You <i>surely</i> have my nod! tig.mu.nu/archives/016547.html
26th November 2004	04:13:51 PM	Read My Lips: Happy Fourth of July, ya'll tig.mu.nu/archives/016548.html
26th November 2004	04:13:55 PM	Read My Lips: 3 glorious months of blogging tig.mu.nu/archives/016549.html
26th November 2004	04:14:01 PM	Read My Lips: Was that an echo I heard? tig.mu.nu/archives/016550.html
26th November 2004	04:14:04 PM	Read My Lips: The stripes of the *** tig.mu.nu/archives/016551.html
26th November 2004	04:14:06 PM	Read My Lips: Did the Blogosphere <i>evaporate</i> during my absence? tig.mu.nu/archives/016552.html
26th November 2004	04:14:10 PM	Read My Lips: Oh, my! <i>what happened</i>? tig.mu.nu/archives/016553.html
26th November 2004	04:14:13 PM	Read My Lips: I thought they came in THREEs tig.mu.nu/archives/016554.html
26th November 2004	04:14:34 PM	Read My Lips: Damn you DFILM! <i>The ongoing DFILM frenzy continues</i> No referring link
26th November 2004	04:14:40 PM	Read My Lips: You can say that again <i>and again</i> No referring link
26th November 2004	04:14:44 PM	Read My Lips: Denita's Dazzlin' Dozen tig.mu.nu/archives/017755.html
26th November 2004	04:14:46 PM	Read My Lips: Life goes on --- <i>dammit!</i> tig.mu.nu/archives/017756.html
26th November 2004	04:14:49 PM	Read My Lips: An absolutely amazin' discovery tig.mu.nu/archives/017757.html
26th November 2004	04:14:54 PM	Read My Lips: It ain't pissin' in the wind tig.mu.nu/archives/017758.html
26th November 2004	04:15:03 PM	Read My Lips: Doin' a double take and seein' the Big Picture tig.mu.nu/archives/017759.html
26th November 2004	04:15:14 PM	Read My Lips: Sometimes I wonder about things tig.mu.nu/archives/017760.html
26th November 2004	04:15:24 PM	Read My Lips: The title escaped unscathed tig.mu.nu/archives/017761.html
26th November 2004	04:15:28 PM	Read My Lips: Strange things catch my eye tig.mu.nu/archives/017762.html
26th November 2004	04:16:04 PM	Read My Lips tig.mu.nu/archives/017763.html

I might be out doin' my part to boost the economy

I am gonna go to Walmart and look through the DVDs they have marked down to under $4.00 to see if there is anythin' worth havin' that I don't already have. I have taken a look at all the blogs that my spies said have been updated since my last tour of the blogosphere and this was the most interestin' thing I read:

So, do you have any weekend plans and do any of them involve visiting Buzz and Empress? 'Cause I'd like to make sure we have enough beer, if they do. - Empress

REAL TIME Thanksgivin' Day Cowboy's game bloggin'

Well, three and out for the Bears first series, Cowboys across the 50 with the ground game. Henson's handoffs to Jones are superb. No one has dropped anythin'.

Bootleg pass is superb, moves the chains. After short gain, Julius Jones runs one in for a touchdown. 7-0 Dallas

Interestin' side-show: Budweiser Light goes head to head with Miller Lite by usin' their own referee characters against them.

After pass for 1st down, brother Jones has nifty run for good gain. Three rushed passes by Krenzel and three non-completions, the Bears get off a good kick. Dallas ball, 20.

Dallas 3 and out on one short run, followed by one with no gain, then an incomplete pass, a short punt, good run back no flags, Bears on the 50 coming back.

I like those new Mustangs. I really like that retro look!

Krenzel fumbles, Dallas ball on the 50 - goin' other way. Short run and sack, long incomplete pass, Dallas is ready to punt the ball away. 52 yard punt into the end zone.

Bears' Thomas Jones runs for two yards on two runs. Bears pick up 11 on screen to T. Jones, rarely, Nguyen missed tackle. Short gain, no gain sack, and incomplete pass, time for another punt. Good punt, 21 yard return - no flags!

Visa commercial where Trump searches dumpster and some gal says I didn't know he wasn't doin' so well, is much funnier after the bankruptcy has been announced.

One nice Julius Jones run was 'bout the only highlight of the next series of Dallas plays endin with another punt. Quarter change jes' before Jones run. 2nd Quarter, Dallas 7 - Chicago 0

Short gain, incomplete bomb, and then a SNAFU play and the ball was punted back to Dallas, fair caught on the 14 yard line.

Startin' off with a false start, Flozell Adams, leadin' the lead in 8 such violations, a good Jones run sets them up at 2nd and 8. Incomplete pass, well defended on the sideline, Bootleg screen pass, no gain, ball on the 15, and the puntin' team comes onto the field. Excellent 52 yard punt out of the endzone, 7 yard run back but a 10 yard penalty and it is Bears ball on their end of the field.

Startin' from inside the 30, one short pass and a no-gain run by T Jones, a Cowboy player is layin' on the ground. 3rd and one, and time for a commercial break. Very first play after the commercial, run for no gain, Bears player on the ground. Punted to Dallas, fair caught jes' inside the 25.

J Jones 7, then 6. Chains moved. Jones runs 'cross the 45, flag, but declined. 2nd and 2, bootleg play to KeyJohn incomplete. Next Henson pass is intercepted by McWhorter who runs it all the way for a touchdown. PAT. Bears 7 - Cowboys 7.

Good run back on the kickoff, Dallas starts on the 30. Henson throws a bomb for an incompletion. Gets 8 yard on a slant pass, gets announcers off his back for few seconds. Jones gains nothing in 3rd on short situation. Puntin' team back on the field. McWhorter runs back long punt to 18. T Jones gets 2 yards on the first play run, tipped pass greatly defended to breakup play on second down, 3 down pass play looked like dead duck, and Chicago's puntin' team is back, kicks a line drive which is smartly run back. Dallas on their 45. J Jones met in the backfield on the first play from scrimmage. End around for nothing. 3rd and 12. 2 minutes to halftime.

Come back on the first play, incomplete pass in a screen play. McBriar punts to inside the 10 and McWhorter runs back to the 30. No flags. Goin' back, first play, 17 years on a rebound pass play to T Jones. Incomplete, thankfully, short Jones run and commercial. Time Out?

False start looks like a sack. Next play, pass for first down. 6 yard sack starts next series, and commercial. 5 yard penalty and first down. Next play, the ball is fumbled recovered by the Bears are way back, on second down a long way away from the goal line. A penalty for false start, a missed interception, and a very short run. 11 seconds on the clock, Dallas calls time out. Punter punts away from receiver and the ball bounces down the field surrounded by Bears until time runs out in the first half.

Durin' break, I run to local convenience store for a Dr Pepper® refill, and, forgettin' what today is, I noted a lot of cars 'round one of my neighbor's houses, and drive in the drive wonderin' why. Parkin' lot was crammed, ran in, got refill, purchased T'Day dinner. Watchin' halftime dinin' on turkey dinner 5 oz. bag of plain ol' Lays® Potato Chips with the intention of only eatin' one. I quickly missed such goal and am sittin' here quickly shovin' them in my mouth one at a time.

Henson is out and Vinnie, sore shoulder or not, is comin' in. Halftime decorations hold up the game and the announcers start talkin' 'bout the QB situation. Openin' kickoff goes out of bounds, and Testaverde gets to start on the 35. Jones get nothin', KeyJohn gets 8, but Jones again gets nothin' and puntin' team comes on the field. Good long punt, little return. Bears ball, inside the 20.

T. Jones dances for 5, then sweeps for 3 and a half more, but gets stuffed on his next try and the Bears get ready to punt. Fair catch on 19. Still tied at 7.

Testaverde misses a throw to KeyJohn and the crowd boos. Jones tripped up, third and long. Pass to KeyJohn on side line for first down. Good block by Jones provides the time. On first down, Jones goes straight ahead for 3. Pass to KeyJohn who falls forward for the 1st down. Chains move. Testaverde throws long interception to McWhorter who runs it all the way back to the Dallas 30 then fumbles it away to Flozell Adams. Dallas begins 1st down with hand off to Jones for no gain. False start moves Dallas back another 5 yards for 2nd and 15, which ends on an incomplete pass, as does 3rd and 15. Fans boo as puntin' team comes on, good punt, McWhorter runs it back to the Cowboys 40.

J. Quinn throws two quick interceptions, but T Jones runs it to long field goal area, but the special team players take too long to get set up and time out is called before time runs out. I conclude my Thanksgiving dinner down the last chip in the bag. After the time out, the kick is missed and back to commercial.

Game returns, with Dallas on their own 38. Throws long pass to Witten who runs to the Bears 45. Chains moved. 1st down, no one open, VT throws it away. Jone runs for no gain. Testaverde sack on 3rd and 10. Flozell misses his block allowin' his man to get straight to the quarterback. WcWhorter wrapped up at the 21. Bears come back, T. Jones get 3. Bears are befuddled and call second time out. No commercial break. On fake end around, QB flips to FB on screen pass, which loses 2. Then false start and Bears move back 5 more. Pass to TE, wrapped up, and time for Bears to punt from their 20. Punted out of bounds near the Dallas 40. Flag, but no foul. Dallas 1st and 10 on 38 42 secs left in quarter. J Jones ahead for 4, and players mill as clock winds down to end the quarter. Still tied 7-7.

Ball on Dallas 43, 2 and 7. Pass to KeyJohn for 10 and 1st down. Jones slants for the sideline and speeds ahead for 18. Chains moved J Jone again gets ball on draw on next play and runs for 7. John runs close to first down marker, fumbles, but KeyJohn recovers. Bear hobbles off the field. Dallas ball, 1st and 10 Bears 19. Testaverde fires to KeyJohn on slant and ball is inside the Bear 10. 1st and goal. Johns runs ahead for jes' a couple. Play action bootleg pass to Barnes for a touchdown. PAT. Dallas 14 - Bears 7.

Ball on 35, first play, Dallas Newman intercepts and runs it back to the Bears 42. Testaverde rushed on 1st and 10 and throws it away. Pass ahead over the middle to new hire Terrace Copper for 12. Chains move. Hand off to Jones who slants left for long yardage. Chains move. Jone only gets two on next run. 2nd & 8 on the Bears 19. Testaverde throws to Morgan who makes an acrobatic move to pull the ball down inside the 5. 1st and goal. Jones sweeps right, loses yards. Jones powers straight ahead 5 yards for his 2nd touchdown of the day. PAT Dallas 21 - Chicago 7 Parcell smiles.

Kickoff returned to the 21. 1st and 10, Bears.

1st play after commercial break and Quinn, rushed, fumbles, Bears recovers. 2nd and 14. False start. 2nd and 19. Quinn fires ahead to get back jes' across the original line of scrimmage, 3 and 9. Next play, Quinn sacked. Punted away and a short return to the 46 yard line of Dallas. Eddie George in, runs ahead for 7, but flag for holdin' brings it back with the addition of 10 more for 1st and 20. No gain. 2nd and 21, George ahead for jes' 2 makin' it 3 and 19. George ahead again for 6. Dallas to punt. Punt bounces out of bounds inside the Bears 30. Dallas encroaches and Bear move ahead 5. Long pass over the middle glances off the hands of the Bear receiver. Short pass to T Jones who runs ahead to move the chains. Another short pass in the flat, receiver runs ahead for another 10. Next pass incomplete on the sideline. Short pass to 42 for gain of five, but flag thrown. Illegal formation, brought back with 5 tacked on for 1 and 15 back on the Bears side of the field. Pass into the flat on next play, receiver circles to bring the ball back across the midline, tackled at 2 minute warnin'.

Back to the game after the commercial and long incomplete along the sideline. 4th and 12. 1:47 left. Hail Mary pass on 4th down and Nguyen intercepts and falls down on the Dallas 28. Testaverde kneels and clock runs. Play repeated as needed until time expired. Dallas wins, 21-7. Henson wins 1st NFL start. Jones brothers hug and shake hands, and J. Jones announced as winner of the Golden Gobbler trophy by the announcers. 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Head's up for you Smallville fans (guys only, I 'spect)

Get yourself a copy* of Cat People, the 1982 Paul Schrader version, in which Martha Kent, herself, the lovely Annette O'Toole displays a healthy portion of full frontal nudity. O' course, in said full frontal nudity department, Miss O'Toole was flagrantly out-done by the star of the show: Nastassja Kinski, one sleek pouty-lipped pussy cat with which this Tiger would have gladly tussled.

*I had no previous experience or knowledge of this movie and only received it when I purchased the two movie set containin' such with the sole intention of finally obtainin' a DVD copy of An American Werewolf in London. The latter movie is among my all-time favorites and I had been searchin' for it for a number of months now. My love for the werewolf flick might have a lot to do with the fact that it starred David Naughton, the original I'm a Pepper** guy. As it turned out, however, runnin' 'cross that movie set turned out the be a serious stroke of exceptional good fortune.

**Some of ya'll might be privy to my predilection for drinkin' Dr. Pepper.

In the "For What It's Worth" Dept.

I jes' received this in my inbox.

Dear Blogger:

I am updating my Political Junkie Handbook (www.politicaljunkie.org) to include the following information. I believe your readers will find this information interesting and worthy of further discussion.

Michael Crane
Editor
The Political Junkie Handbook

Comparing Economic Freedom with Political Orientation

A study called "US Economic Freedom Index" analyzed 143 variables and rank correlated our 50 states according to the degree of economic freedom given to their citizens. It is even more interesting to compare the Top 10 (most free) and Bottom 10 (least free) with their choice of president in the recent presidential election.

Top 10

1) Kansas (Bush)
2) Colorado (Bush
3) Virginia (Bush)
4) Idaho (Bush)
5) Utah (Bush)
6) Oklahoma (Bush)
7) New Hampshire (Kerry)
8) Delaware (Kerry)
9) Wyoming (Bush)
10) Missouri (Bush)

Bottom 10

50) New York (Kerry)
49) California (Kerry)
48) Connecticut (Kerry)
47) Rhode Island (Kerry)
46) Illinois (Kerry)
45) Pennsylvania (Kerry)
44) Minnesota (Kerry)
43) Ohio (Bush)
42) New Jersey (Kerry)
41) Massachusetts (Kerry)
40) Louisiana (Bush

Sources: US Economic Freedom Index: 2004 Report, Pacific Research Institute; The Political Junkie Handbook

Prior Post Update (German POWs)

Jes tow days ago, in a post entitled Somethin' good landed smack dab in the middle of tonight's TV lineup I asked

By the way, did any of the Germans ever escape from our prison camps durin' the war?

Prisoner of War Escapees

Nearly 1,600 enemy prisoners escaped from American Camps. There were 47,000 guards to watch over the 360,000 German and Italian prisoners of war. Though this escape figure seems high, it should be remembered the re-capture rate was correspondingly high - no prisoner ever succeeded in gaining his freedom. Fort Reno's only escape lasted two weeks. The escapees surrendered at the El Reno train depot. An escape was futile as there was no viable way to return to Germany. One escapee did make it all the way to France before being recaptured, but he did not escape from Oklahoma. There are 59 escapees named and 33 unnamed. from the Oklahoma Camps. [The actual names are listed at the source.]

Charlie Stenholm likely choice for next Secretary of Agriculture

I had mentioned to James in a comment to this OTB post earlier that I had heard rumors that Bush might choose recently ousted Texas Democratic Congressman Charles Stenholm as his next Secretary of agriculture, Mr. Stenholm, despite bein' a Democrat, has always been 'mong the more conservative of that party, represented a highly rural and agriculturally diverse section of Texas for three decades and has an extensive background in agriculture.

I was discussin' this same rumor with some of the others at my local Lion's Club luncheon today and one of the members said he knew that Stenholm had been unofficially contacted by Bush's people about the job. I think he will be an excellent choice for the new Ag Secretary.

[ADDENDUM: Here I thought I had come up with somethin' new and find it was ol' news days ago. ^{~shrugs in mock disbelief~} Now I really feel like this.]

'member, you heard it here first!

OTBTJTB

A casual observation from the man's side of things

I was jes perusin' Serenity's Journal when I ran across this passage:

[W]hy is it that whenever you go to the store clad in a pair of sweats and pajama top thinking you’re just going to run in, get the milk and run out real quick, besides, it’s middle of the day, only old people and moms are shopping at this hour and you barely ran a brush through your hair, your face is going natural, but it doesn’t matter because really, hardly anyone is going to see you right.....that it is at that precise moment in time that a delicious looking guy passes you in the aisle looking fabulous. [sic] He makes eye contact, gives you a smile and you are mortified because you, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that it was a congenial smile, know he’s taking mental notes of your current appearance and having himself a good inner laugh? [more . . .]

[ADDENDUM: Speakin' of naked.]

Somethin' good landed smack dab in the middle of tonight's TV lineup

In case ya are bored and can't find nuthin' better to do, I suggest ya turn on your TV, if'n ya got one of 'em, and tune in PBS. NOVA has a very interestin' show lined up for ya to see tonight, the real story behind The Great Escape. 'Scuse me please while I go try to locate a videotape that I can use to make a copy of this program.

By the way, did any of the Germans ever escape from our prison camps durin' the war? I ain't never heard any stories about such occurrin', least ways not from the American POW camps. I also never heard of a Hogan's Heroes equivalent playin' on TVs in Germany.

I reached into my bag of snappy titles and came up empty*

Yeah, I know I am prolly a bit late to actually play the game, but I jes' discovered that CNN has state maps showin' how different counties supported the Presidential candidates. Here is the one for Texas:

My county is the small one jes' below the teal arrow. To relate where I live to the closest metropolitan area, the completely white square jes' to the right of the teal arrow is Dallas County. I 'spose at this point, this is mostly for show -- to kinda show where I live in relation to the rest of the state.

I only got this far 'cause I found it perusin' the latest offerin's over on 2flower's blog.

*Actually, I jes' couldn't think of anythin' snarky enough to say 'bout somethin' as mundane and blase' as this lame postin'.

I gotta an eye for these sort of details

OK, this is gonna go 'round in a bit of a circular motion, so stick with me here. I was perusin' the offerin's over on OTB, where it appears that James has abandoned his efforts for a few days so as to soak up some rays in the Bahamas, to find this post by guest blogger Kate which, with a hat tip to Wizbang! that petered out upon closer inspection, pointed to this Indymedia piece 'bout the 'pearance of a couple of tanks at an anti-war protest in LA. The story was only slightly interestin' in itself, but what I thought was particularly interestin' was this comment to that Indymedia piece:

Disturbing

This is truly the most disturbing thing I've seen in.... Well, 8 days.

Any secondary source on this at all? Even a blog would be good.

Author: T
Link:
Posted: Tuesday November 09, 2004 08:33 PM

[emphasis supplied]

It might be jes' a bit too little, too late

Well, did I ever get a s'prise today when I went to check my hotmail account. The long awaited increase in the storage space has finally occurred. Hotmail has increased its former 2MB storage limit to 250 as much. Yep, magnanimous Bill Gates has exceeded Gmail's substantial 100MB storage capacity by 250%. It all works out great for me, as I have a couple of hundred business cards I ordered for use in promotin' my book with my hotmail address. I was havin' to continually check it so as to dump the junk mail box jes' to insure that it was not bouncin' anythin' I was lookin' for find its way into my inbox. I was 'bout ready to scrap those hundreds of cards and reprint usin' my Gmail account. I guess, now, I don't have to do so. Yippee Yi Ay! Gracias Senor Gates!

[ADDENDUM: I checked another of my assorted hotmail accounts and found the storage limit was not raised from 2MB, but I 'spose that the storage increase might be an ongoin' process and does not yet include every hotmail account.]

Well, the polls official close in 15 minutes, locally

The time has come for me to go sit with the rest of the Repub Club at the eatery across from the gazebo on the Courthouse square, such bein' the place where the election results are posted in my local area. I am crossin' my fingers that ever' Republican on the ticket wins, 'specially in certain local seats.

In the battle 'tween Jorge and Juan - le's leave Jesus outta it

Man, talk 'bout takin' a man's words and spinnin' 'em to say what ya want --- jes' go see. The Empress did, that is how I found it.

OTBTJTB

"not in the hands of Kerry or Bush"

Accordin' to CNN, Al Jazeera has jes' released a video message from Osama bin Laden*:

Osama bin Laden delivered a new videotaped message in which he told Americans their security does not depend on the president they elect, but on U.S. policy. "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or al Qaeda," bin Laden said in the video aired on the Arabic language network Al-Jazeera. CNN story

"It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the country (Bush) would leave 50,000 citizens in the two towers to face those horrors alone ... because he thought listening to a child discussing her goats was more important," bin Laden said, referring to Bush's visit to a school when the attack occurred.

More lies and deceit from the Pro-Kerry camp?

I jes' received the followin' email:

A week ago, we sent you an email asking for help debunking anti-Bush documents. After receiving hundreds of responses, it become clear that all the documents were actually real: the Bush/Cheney DUIs, the Ken Lay letters, and even the bin Laden memo. For more information visit the documents page:
http://www.yesbushcan.com/falsedocs.shtml

We also received hundreds of emails from concerned bloggers that eloquently expressed the problems with the Bush administration. And as we traveled across America campaigning for Bush, we learned more than we wanted to know about Bush's policies. We came to see that this administration is a catastrophe for most people.

As a result, we are abandoning our support of Bush and officially endorsing John Kerry for President. You can read more at the Yes Bush Can web site:
http://www.yesbushcan.com/
We deeply regret our misguided support and apologize for our previous email. This will be the last email we will send directly to bloggers. If you want to join us in supporting Kerry, you can find out more here:
http://www.yesbushcan.com/act.shtml

Thank you for your understanding,

Yes Bush Can

Domain Name: YESBUSHCAN.COM
Registrar: GANDI
Whois Server: whois.gandi.net
Referral URL: http://www.gandi.net
Name Server: NS7.GANDI.NET
Name Server: CUSTOM2.GANDI.NET
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date: 14-aug-2004
Creation Date: 14-aug-2004
Expiration Date: 14-aug-2005

I really 'spect that some with greater IT search capabilities than myself will soon find that moveon.org is behind this subterfuge. We are all aware of which opportunist ketchup heiress bankrolls their operations, right?

More blatant BS rhetoric! Will the Kerry camp continually pull ever' lowbrow trick in the book in order to put a wholly unqualified man in office. OK, if we are allowed to say anythin' and ever'thin' that we think of to destroy the character of the opposin' candidate, I can here and now truthfully state that I am startin' to 'spect that Kerry is the pro-al Queda candidate, is personally already in bin Laden's pocket, and his first official act as President of the United States will be to hand the keys to the US to bin Laden and his militant Islamic cohorts. That is about enough to make a semi-anti-gun person such as myself wanna run out and buy myself a truckload of automatic weapons.

This jes' in! Fast breakin' anti-Kerry BS that I jes' this very moment thunk up. Osama bin Laden is suspected of hidin' in the basement of one of the numerous Kerry mansions and plans were revealed today that discussed the details of bin Laden's public surrender to Kerry, personally, some time tomorrow or Monday, which should close the door on his victory, and, as repayment, in his first act as President, he will give a full pardon to his good chum bin Laden and, afterward, the two of them will go off on a Cape Cod fishin' expedition aboard Kerry's yacht. Rumor has it that Teddy Kennedy negotiated the particulars and hopes to be rewarded by bein' pardoned for his involvement in the Chappaquiddick fiasco. Bill refused to do so 'cause Teddy wouldn't give him a Lewinsky under the table. Kerry disclosed, in a handwritten note found among the plans, that Teddy Kennedy was purposely off the invite for the weekend excursion as, even with all of Teresa's dough, it would be hard to afford all of the liquor that Teddy would consume over two days.

Strange things are happenin' today

I should have suspected today was gonna be a very strange day 'cause of that moon thing last evenin' and the fact that I did not receive my horrorscope in my mornin' email, as usual. Well, it has been quite peculiar. I have had a couple of delightful visitors today. One was jes' an ol' time resident who reminded me I had some signs advertisin' some out-dated events still posted in my community event window. As I was the self-appointed bulletin board monitor who removed all outdated notices from the various places around campus and law school durin' my years in institutes of higher learnin', it was a bit embarrassin' to have someone catch me havin' committed such transgression myself.

The second visitor I have had this mornin' was Jenna Bush. No, not that Jenna Bush, but a young Jenna Bush currently seekin' employment in the local area. Regrettably, I currently am unable financially to offer any job openin's. I did get her contact information, however, and tol' her that if this book deal takes off, I definitely might be lookin' for someone to do a substantial bit of the typin' on the next installment of what I 'spect to be at least a trilogy. As for the status of that project, here is the acknowledgment of receipt I received from by recent manuscript submission:

Dear Mr. Russell,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript. I have forwarded it to our reviewers and we should be in touch in about three to four weeks. If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact me.

Regards,

David P. Braun
Author Relations Representative
Dorrance Publishing Co.

Anyway, to get back to the most interestin' part of my conversation with Jenna Bush . . . when I was remarkin' how she ought to jes' go 'round introducin' herself as Jenna Bush, but not that Jenna Bush, she tol' me a story 'bout her cousin, who supposedly bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Jenna Bush's sister, Barbara, who also supposedly happened to be at the DFW International Airport at the same time as the Bush twins, and was involved in an incident involvin' the Secret Service who mistook said young lady for Dubya's daughter. O' course, maybe such incident was only interestin' to me.

Accolades found in the Inbox

Hello to the cast!

Just finally getting a breath, and I wanted to tell each of you how proud I was of you guys. You did such an outstanding job and the crowd loved it. I know you all probably could not hear all the applause and laughter, but the response was sooo good! You all were great! I have heard so many great comments and good things. As near as we can tell without the final count, we made about $4,000. That is tremendous. It will go far in helping the efforts of the genealogy society in reaching their goal of getting the newspapers on film.

One request, we need to have the props, hair, wig heads, jewelry, hats, clothes back by the end of the week if possible. The wig heads belong to Hill College and they are needing them. Also, Kenneth Black has a black tuxedo somewhere?? I do not know who used it and we could not figure out who wore one?? If you can't make it to the center just call and we will make arrangements to have any items picked up.

We are in the process of getting copies of all the pictures that some of the members/friends took. If you have someone in your family who took pictures maybe they could share with the center also. When the ones we have are available we will get a copy to everyone. Especially one of each of you. You may want to include it in your "portfolio"!

Thanks to you. I loved working with you and enjoyed the comaradie, jokes, laughs, and just plain fun we all had. We had lots of KODAK moments and made lots of memories. You are a great bunch of men. We thank you and we salute you for your hard work.

You will go down in the History of Somervell County as the best wedding party of the 21st century!

Joan Echols Taylor
Paluxy Valley Archives & Genealogy Society

Bah Kryptonite!

Sadly, it seems that Superman has perished. Vaya con Dios, Chris! Your own personal courage was an inspiration to all who attempt to overcome those regrettable hardships that befall them. You truly were a super man!

Sing along with me here -- If I had a headache . . .

It hit me right behind the eyeballs. I blame it on the weather and the mold allergy with which I am afflicted. I think I tol' ya'll bought that crazy side effect I get when I take antihistamines, right? The thing where I am unable to fall asleep durin' the night? I got too much planned over the next several days -- I don't need to be groggy. Rain, rain, come and stay, come and wash mold spores away. Arrrrrrrgh! See what it made me do? _{walk like an Egyptian talk like a pirate}If there was ever a time when I wanted to lay down with a cold rag across my forehead!

Gmail, Gmail, get your own Gmail account!

Wow, last I knew, I only had 4 Gmail accounts available to give away, but now I see they have given me a couple of more. If anyone is still lookin' to get one, please send me a message to roguegenius [at] gmail [dot] com. By the way, all of ya'll who regularly email me through the same user name at hotmail, please feel free to start usin' the gmail account instead. I am jes' so tired of dealin' with the small storage capacities of hotmail and havin' to continually delete messages all durin' the day, jes' so I have enough space left to receive all ya'll's important messages.

This offer is intended for fellow bloggers and not open for people who jes' supply me with a hotmail or yahoo address.

American Experience and how I was affected

I had actually meant to blog on this as part of last evenin's Nightly Navel Gazin' Report™ but the idea had slipped my mind as the time for providin' such report drew near. I recalled my need to get my feelin's about the event off my chest when I rolled over this post while over on Susie's blog.

Anyway, what this is all about is that since I purchased the laptop, which, incidentally needs to be taken in for some major problems, I can sit it in my lap as I watch TV or whatever. Such allows me to blog as I observe the media that comes in through my rabbit ears.* Well, this story begins with last evenin's perusal of the TV listin's when I found there was very little of interest to watch. However, PBS was showin' an episode of American Experience. These programs are always very well produced, and I have not seen one yet that I did not find to be an interestin' and enjoyable experience after havin' completed my viewin'. Well, last night's episode was on New York City, its rise as the commercial center of all the worlds trade, the program centerin' on the construction and emergence of the World Trade Center.

One portion of the program centered on some French guy who strung a wire between the two large towers and walked it, danced on it, and even laid down on it and looked into the sky admirin' a seagull. I found myself feelin' very nauseous and queasy as the pictures and descriptions of this event were played. I marveled at my uneasiness because I really have no real fear of heights, but for some reason, I was experiencin' vertigo jes' imaginin' bein' on a wire strung between two 100+ story buildings.

Imagine, however, my marvel when I felt nothin' other than the normal uneasiness at watchin' those planes go crashin' into those towers or the sight of those people who jumped from the top floors other than to die from smoke inhalation or bein' burned to a crisp.

I still ain't quite sure why I felt the way I did about the wirewalkin' episode, but even now, jes' thinkin' 'bout it makes my stomach queasy. Could it be that I have an allergy to visions of wires strung between two tall buildin's? Might I have a phobia 'bout idiots who would risk their lives in such a way? Surely my trepidation is not merely based 'pon the fact that the idiot in question was a Frenchman? I wanna hear your thoughts.

Now, 'less there be any thought that I am an unremorseful French despiser, let me say that I was very disappointed in the French government's failure to support the US in the War on Iraq, found French speakin' Quebecians to be rude and obnoxious when I was traveling' through Canada, and had no good experiences to relate to what I observed of the French military units that were stationed at the same NATO base as I while I was in the Army. I do, however, not despise the entire French population. I have always thought Jerry Lewis was a very fine individual based 'pon what I observed durin' his tenure as the host of the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon over the years. I 'spect Charlie Chaplin was a fine gentleman, as well.

Additionally, as some of ya'll likely know, I collect Best Picture winners: I have found a lot of connections to France 'mong these fine pictures, although some are primarily ephemeral. I have An American in Paris and Gigi, both centered on French life and starrin' a beautiful French actress Leslie Caron, as well as The French Connection whose biggest connection to France is the word French in the title, Patton, about a famous General who assisted in liberatin' France from the Nazis in WWII, The Life of Emile Zola, a movie actually about a Frenchman, Casablanca, which was centered during' WWII in "Free French Morocco", Wings, a movie 'bout pilots in France during WWI, All Quiet on the Western Front, which is based on WWI battles fought in France, and, of course, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which had nothin' at all to do with France, 'cept that there are some who think most of the French people are a bit cuckoo.

OTB Backtag™

*I actually have one of those antennas that sits on a tall pole outside.

A quick snapshot into my real life

I might have mentioned that they have been doin' road work in front of my house for like weeks now. Today was the day they were to start on redoin' my drive that got destroyed in the street cut, although, I have been able to get in and out via the temporary gravel ramp. I took the followin' picture with my phone camera, so the resolution is not great.

They actually had to form done and the drive poured by the time lunch had come around, but a surprise rain storm caused some washin' of the top layer of the concrete and they had to resurface it so as it make it match the other entrances they had done yesterday, like the one directly across the street which allows entry into the parkin' lot of one of the local schools.

I put the marker showin' all the dirt that covers my sidewalk from the continuous dirt bein' dug up by my dogs, Comanche and Duke, as they work industriously to find every escape route out of their yard confinement. While the workers were busily reworkin' the surface of my drive and several others, I was doin' some work along that fence line so as to make the dog's ability to escape along said portion more difficult. One of the road workers had promised to dump some excess concrete into the holes which were resultant from the dog's efforts, but I think such excess concrete had to be used in the resurfacin' efforts followin' the rain.

As for the remainder of the evenin', I got one of my systems hoggin' my bandwidth in an attempt to download Windows XP SP2. As such, I 'spect I will not be bloggin' much 'til such task is completed. However, if you are lost for somethin' to do, you can always leave a comment 'bout what you think of the new cleaner lines of this blog. I 'spect that the css file is 90% complete and the main index is 75% complete. I am sure I have some tinkerin' to do with some of the other indexes, the biggest part bein' somethin' that I had wanted to do a long long time ago, which is to add category indications to archived posts. Anyway, toodles for a few hours. Hopefully, with my not usin' any bandwidth in any other capacity, this download will be completed in time to allow me to make my popular report on a timely basis.

I gnu it was in there somewhere

OK, jes' for those of ya'll that have any interest of any kind, I wrote out a quick two pages of a children's book idea I have been contemplatin' here of late. It is actually more of somethin' I am doin' so as to possibly assist the facility in some future fund-raisin' efforts. I have placed my initial thoughts in the extended entry.

The newest gnu

Ned was the youngest of the herd. He had not arrived at the time when the rest of this year's calves had been born. He now worked very hard to get strong. When his slower movements offended any of the adults in the herd, his hindquarters were often prodded by one of adults. Ned was a gnu, or so had dad had said. His mother had told him that most of the world called their species wildebeests, his father preferred the traditional designation.

His father had said they were a pampered herd. His father said that their forebears had moved across the open plains continually in a search for food and water in amounts sufficient to sustain herds of thousands and thousands of gnus. They were a part of a captive herd that lived within the confines of Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas.

Ned did not think life was so easy. Those zebras were always very pushy and those little blackbuck antelopes were quite formidable with those long horns. He always gave those big scary ostriches a wide berth. The hardest part of this life was caused by every other member of his generation., Since all of them were at least two weeks older than himself, they were also just a little bit bigger and stronger than he. That made him the target for all of their pranks. He now worked very hard to get strong.

In the shadows of the trees, Ned was charging a fallen limb. He ran full speed toward it over and over, attempting to catch the tip of one of the outer branches with the tip of his emerging horn without slowing. He had done so three times, today and was feeling pretty proud of himself when he felt the hard poke in the side of his body.

One of his enemies had launched a surprise attack. Ned felt himself losing his balance. He knew his worst nightmare was happening while he was feeling himself tip over and hit the ground. No matter what, there was no way any gnu could be more embarrassed than by getting itself knocked over. He could not be any more vulnerable to attack. His head hit a big rock as it came into contact with the ground. All went black.

When Ned regained consciousness, he found himself laying on the ground with the rest of his herd amassed around where he was laying. "What are you doing down there?" one of the older adults asked.

"I don't know," Ned said, as he searched his mind for any memory of any sort. Ned did not remember anything other than he was a part of this big group of animals surrounding him.

"You had better get up," said another older adult. "Unless you want one of the keepers to come checking on you."

"Get up," said Nell, one of the three older and larger members of his age group, as she prodded at him to move. "I didn't kill you, did I?"

Ned got up. "Kill me?" he asked Nell. "I tripped over a rock. I'm fine."

The older members of the herd wandered off, discarding the incident to what it was - the petty squabbles of the young calves. They had not laughed. Their only concern was to his well-being. He found himself surrounded by Nell and the remaining members of his generation, Nikki and Newton. "That was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my three months of life," Nikki said as the last of the adults wandered to warm themselves in a large meadow full of sunlight.

"Are you hurt?" Newton asked, eyeing Ned's flanks as he circled around Ned. "I do not see any signs of injury, but those rib injuries can be very painful."

"I feel fine. What's all the fuss about me?"

"The story going on around the ostriches is that you were knocked out by that fallen branch over there," said Nikki. "Its the biggest story to hit the front pasture in years, and they are standing at the fence spreading the word to the emus right now."

"It seems they didn't see me hit you in the flank as you charged full speed at that branch, and think that it was due to your collision with that branch that caused to be thrown to the ground."

"So why is everyone talking about it?"

"They don't know what to think about you. Nothing like that has ever occurred in anyone's memory," Newton added.

"I think I had better talk to my mother and father about it," said Ned. "Does anyone know what they look like?"

"They look like everyone else looks, remember that we are gnus, after all," Nell said.

"So, how do we tell one another apart? I cannot seem to remember much, right now."

"We have individual aromas. Your mother's scent should have been imprinted upon your brain at birth," Newton said. "You should just walk into the herd and sniff around. If everything works like it is suppose to, you ought to be able to smell her sooner or later."

"Thanks," Ned said and he trotted across to the sunlit meadow where all the adult gnus were standing around, trotting in and among them, skipping and merrily dodging a back kick here and there. They all smelled alike, though, and he was unable to smell anything familiar. He trotted over to a vacant lot, lost and unsure of what to do.

"Well, she disowned you pretty quickly, didn't she," said Nikki as she trotted in to join him in his thoughts. Ned watched as Nell and Newton raced across the meadow to join them.

As they trotted in, Ned responded, "I was unable to smell any difference among any of the herd. They all smelled exactly the same as you and I."

"This is bad," said Nell. "We had better go see the adults about this."

It's copyrighted, ya'll, by me.

The Russians are blabbin' and the buzz is slowly makin' the rounds

Accordin' to profindpages.com - Latest News in Moscow:

We have received reports from US sources that Pakistani security forces have captured Osama bin Laden.

*I actually thought that by my also passin' along this news along could possibly assist in the Russkies' mission 'til I 'membered no one really reads this blog anyway, so I was jes' doin' this for the sake of bein' able to say I was like third in line** in bloggin' 'bout it.

**'Course, since I am petty 'bout makin' sure ever'thin' is perfect 'fore I hit the button to publish each post, it is likely that three or four other people have, by now, actually jumped in front of me.

Kismet never seems to be in my corner

Well, found out today that I am likely to be in trial beginnin' bright and early Tuesday mornin'. My stars say that is gonna mess up a great opportunity for romance comin' into my life:

Your Thursday, September 2, 2004, Horoscope, Taurus!
A passionate encounter could be stalled by a heavy workload. If you have taken on more than your fair share of responsibility, you might be missing out on other pleasant aspects of life. Focus on recreation.

You may want to avoid Florida over Labor Day weekend

Seriously, all funnin' aside. It seems that another hurricane is headin' toward Florida. They are sayin' this one is currently packin' winds of 140mph. This one is a she-devil goin' by the name of Frances.

If'n anyone jes' ain't go nowhere else to go, my spare bedroom is unoccupied.

I wanna thank Alice wholeheartedly for her rapt attention

I had the most peculiar afternoon today. After lunch, I returned and had jes' a bit of paperwork to complete so as to be done for the day and to have cleared off the one item I had on tomorrow mornin's court docket, as well. My front door was opened.* I twist around to look toward where the entryway terminates at the front counter, and eye this lovely young lady. She was nicely dressed and did not appear to be a client in need of my services. I suspected she was another unsolicited applicant for an unadvertised office assistant's position that I desperately need to fill but have too little funds to accommodate. As it stands, today is the next to the last day of the month and I am needing 3/5th more money than I currently possess in order to pay the bills that are due for this month, and that doesn't include those companies that lack the power to literally shut somethin' off. I have several of those that I have been floatin' from month to month, hopin' for a windfall which might allow me to catch up on all of my bills. Let us return to the lovely lady awaitin' my attention. I allowed her to come through the swingin' half door and bade her to come into my office, or, as she may be thinkin' on her long drive back to Dallas, my lair.

She was seekin' to make me a customer of an office supply company with which I already trade. I jes' don't use that many office supplies 'cause this is a little tiny town and there ain't all that much need for legal services on a regular basis. I never wonder, any longer, why there was a noticeable lack of full time legal representation in this county when I first arrived. It is highly difficult to make a livin' practicin' law here. Anyway, Alice, as I learned her name to be, currently aged 20, decided that she might like to try her hand at sellin' office supplies, as her previous waitstaff position had not panned out as the career choice she most desired. She admitted that she was doin' well sellin' office supplies, and she did seem to have the skill necessary to be a good salesperson.

We actually had a very enjoyable afternoon, conversing freely 'bout all kinds of subjects, notably her future and future course of study. It seems that Ms. Alice is thinkin' of pursuin' a marketin' degree, but may eventually pursue a psychology degree, or some such scenario. Additionally, as oft occurs whenever I can gain the ear of someone, I began to tell Ms. Alice 'bout my book, how it came to be, the problems I had encountered in my attempt to get it published, etc. She thereafter advised me that she thought I was one of the most creative persons she had ever encountered, that she believed, as has everyone else who had taken the time to actually hear my storyline or to read portions of my manuscript, that I was on to somethin' big and should put all my efforts forth into pursuin' publication of such book. I discovered, additionally, that her sister was involved in the creation of a comic book and had already secured a publication deal. I, ever the eager beaver, asked if she would not mind approachin' her sister to inquire as to whether said sister would be willin' to contact me. I gave her my card:

*I have an alarm that tells me when such action occurs.

Diff'rent strokes 101, havin' nuthin' to do with Willard

I hadn't been over at G'Day Mate for what seems like forever, and what did I find right at the top? A link to this Steven den Beste post where he says he is packin' up his boxin' gloves 'cause he is tired of the scrappin'. I have to admit that I did not drop by USS Clueless very often, usually not unless one of my regular reads linked to somethin' to be found there that seemed to be involvin' subject matter in which I might have some interest. I 'spose what was intriguin' to me was the reasonin' given for his haven laid down the quill:

For the last few months, each time I published a post, I mentally cringed a bit, thinking about all the kinds of letters I knew I'd get, things I could predict. You've sometimes seen me try to preempt those with DWL's.

Several times in the last three weeks I thought of something which would make a good post, and then I stopped, and said to myself, "Better not."

I've learned something interesting: if you give away ice cream, eventually a lot of people will complain about the flavors, and others will complain that you aren't also giving away syrup and whipped cream and nuts. I put together this page which contains two days worth of my email, just so you could get some idea of what it looks like. It isn't all bad; it isn't all unwelcome. Very little of it is abusive. But the majority of it is burdensome.

To slice the email a different way, here's a collection of email regarding my last article about terrorism. Again, it wasn't all unwelcome, but much of it was more burden than pleasure.

Far too much of it was from people who knew better than me what I should have written, and wanted to tell me how to rewrite it. Those are the people who have made me cease getting pleasure out of my writing.

Smack dab in the middle of the target

I don't really like most of these quiz thingies, but ever' once in awhile, one tickles my fancy. This one did, mainly 'cause the graphic presentation was apropos for the quiz theme. Without further ado:

What internet acronym are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Today's Olympics notes

• Women's Beach Volleyball is so much more interestin' than the indoor sort. A lot of that has to do with the difference in uniforms.
• Why doesn't Lance Armstrong represent the U.S. in Bicycle Road Racin'?
• Even if someone told you that your routine, under new rules, would not be scored as high as thought, would you change your routine to somethin' that you were not totally sure you could do?
• Considerin' the number of gun aficionados, it is surprisin' no one from the US qualified to receive a medal in the BB gun competitions. I do 'spose we will score highly in the automatic weapons contest and are a shoo-in to take the gold medal in GPS guided missile competition.

The Village almost put me to sleep

OK, ya'll, I spent my dough on a movie ticket for this evenin's entertainment, and, after seein' the newest great review-filled advertisement, opted to see The Village. I especially liked it when I heard Ebert and Roper had given it two thumbs up, as I rarely find a movie that Ebert liked that I don't. Well, this is one of the exceptions. It may jes' be that I am onto M. Night Shyamalan. I was pleasantly surprised with the final twist in Sixth Sense and very surprised at the turn of events at the end of Unbreakable, but ho-hummed greatly at Signs. I guess my reaction to this poorly scripted movie was fairly predictable, wasn't it? I did get some strange stares from the rest of the crowd when I started laughing out loud at the end. The premised proved to be so ridiculous as to be laughable. The faces of the rest of the crowd as they were walkin' out were pale and ashen.

{ADDENDUM: I saw some blurb today sayin' it was possible to see Spider-Man 2 in IMAX. I thought, how cool, and wondered if more movies were also available in IMAX, as well, although there seem to be too few IMAX theaters around, so no one knows whether it was possible to see Gigli in IMAX, do they? I wonder if someone in the industry has an answer to this question, like she will ever see it.* ;) }

*It seems that she did see it, but was unable to answer the question. [See comments.]

Juicy man, Juicy!

Oh my, in the words of Lt. Smash:

I CAN ONLY HOPE, should I ever feel the urge to run for office, I don't have a bunch of my former fellow officers waiting to ambush me like this*.

O' course, This Land** is still the No. 1 election related video currently goin' on the 'net.

[UPDATE: It seems that WizBang!*** not only is all over this story, but has also uploaded a .pdf file of a chapter entitled, "The Purple Heart Hunter" from the book written by John Kerry's companions durin' the time he was in Viet Nam.]

*Please note, that in the quoted text, Lt. Smash actually linked such word to this transcript of the advertisement than to the page displayin' the actual video of the ad.

**This link takes you to the atomfilms presentation of the film, whereas in this post, I provided a link to the originator's site.

***I did try to back out so as to get to the correct permalink to take you to the right post on the WizBang! site, but was given a dead page. It might jes' be that there is too much bandwidth bein' sucked up currently or somethin' so I am not sure you can reach that .pdf file at all times.

I sometimes cry watchin' sitcoms

Well, a'fore some of ya'll get a little carried away by my admission, let me clarify -- I mostly find myself cryin' when watchin' Dharma & Greg. Ya see, the zany antics of Dharma are so akin to what I used to expect from my late wife, that I almost get tearful 'memberin' playin' the Greg part and how very very happy I was. O' course, my late sweetie's name wasn't Dharma, it was Betsy, and my name ain't Greg, so we could not have actually been Dharma & Greg, but Betsy & Tig might work, huh? 'Scuse me now, 'cause I am gonna go get my cryin' done. Lonely weekend foreseen.

He may have been first, but what's still on second

It appears that although they are all a bunch of Bozos, an investigation has dethroned he who had claimed to have been first, and there is now another who will be thrust forward as the one who initially took that one small step for clownkind in big floppy shoes, laughin' his silly head off like some kind of Bozo. [full story]

attribution: Kiril Kundurazieff

Hmmm, this or that & that & that & that & that . . .

Don't you really love it when the evidence points to the fact that you were right about somethin' all along. I have been deplorin' the growth and variety of choices forever as bein' somethin' unhealthy in our society. It now seems that others have actually researched the issue and the evidence substantiates my hypothesis:

[M]ore Americans than ever are clinically depressed. By some estimates (for example, those of psychologist Martin Seligman in his book Learned Optimism), depression in the year 2000 was about 10 times as likely as it was in 1900.

Of course, no one believes that a single factor explains this. But accumulating evidence from psychological research indicates that the explosion of choice plays an important role. It seems that as we become freer to pursue and do whatever we want, we get less and less happy.

Ya'll really do not understand how distressin' it is to me ever'time they bring out a new version of M&Ms or Doritos powdered with a different flavor. Too many choices complicates life; the simple life is the happy life.

Now -- don't get me started on havin' more stuff than you actually know what to do with. I will have to save that diatribe for another day.

Direct from the Blogosphere's most prominent Snarky Inaniac™

OK, OK, as whomever is in charge of this place is not workin' very hard to take over a niche in the blogosphere that I have been workin' hard to carve out for myself, I can still say I thought this was very funny.

Laughin' Wolf, commentin' on a Stephen Den Beste diatribe that I did not look at, as I was already fairly convinced it was likely to be much longer than I could read in a single sittin', was just mentionin' the way that the blogosphere has evolved to the point where specialists have cropped up in the model of all previous forms of media. I carved mine out and am proud of my creation, and not too sure I want any slick city whippersnappers comin' in and grabbin' up pieces of my hard won territory.

About the visitation/bandwith situation

Although the visitation stays steady, accordin' to this graph, the actual bandwidth use has fallen off after the initiation of the search situation. As I stated in a couple of responses about this situation, the bulk of the visitors are goin' straight to one of the archive pages, which has no graphics of any kind, well other than the backgrounds.

A little bit of this and that

Did Emode change its name to Tickle? I am almost positive I had taken this test* previously, with similar results:

Congratulations, Tiger!
Your IQ score is 135

good at discovering quick solutions to problems, able to think on your feet...

This number is the result of a formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on Tickle's Classic IQ test. Your IQ score is scientifically accurate; to read more about the science behind our IQ test, click here.

During the test, you answered four different types of questions — mathematical, visual-spatial, linguistic and logical. We were able to analyze how you did on each set of those questions, which reveals the way your brain processes information.

We also compared your answers with others who have taken the test, and according to the sorts of questions you got correct, we can tell your Intellectual Type is a Precision Processor.

This means you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems, especially ones that involve math or logic. You're also resourceful and able to think on your feet. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results.

you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems, especially ones that involve math or logic. You're also resourceful and able to think on your feet.

[UPDATE: Some of ya'll may have been watchin' as I was experimentin' with this post to use a few of those new toys everyone else is usin' on their blog posts recently. So, what do ya'll think?]

*Let's give a large handful of kudos to Ikoko was herE** for the reminder.

**I could not find the permalink to the post despite my efforts. Blog*spotters! We all started there, didn't we? ;)

Rick has gone to a different place, now

A blog I had never run across was The Magic of the Mundane. According to the top post on that blog, the blogger, known as "waistdog" by most, but was called Rick or Richard in real life, died this afternoon. My condolences to his family and friends on their loss.

Michele is spreading this sad news.

A little of this and a bit of that adds up to not much

OK, sorry about not much bloggin' goin' on but I have got a real life as well. Mostly today was a work-filled day, an evenin' meetin' of the American Legion, and then I was doin' some editin' on my book. I still need a literary agent. Surely there is one or two of you who know one, right? Now, I am lookin' at the clock and wonderin' why I stayed up so late.

The day comes to an early end --

Pixy is going to pull the plug in a bit to do some server maintenance. Supposedly it will speed stuff up or somethin'. Whatever Pixy does is OK with me. He seems to keep everythin' oiled and stuff. I have been cleanin' up the blogroll a big. Deleting some of the people who I seldom read and/or seldom update. There are just too many blogs that I do read and I thought it was time to get some that I no longer did read off of the list.

Of course, it has been rainin' all day here and my dialup connection has been erratic at best. At worst, it has been disconnecting and connecting all day long and it has taken me forever to do anythin'. Oh well. I am either gonna go watch some TV or write somethin' other than blog posts. It seems that both the people workin' on editin' my book are working on it. I might either start on the second book in that series, work on one to the other two books that I have yet to complete, or begin a completely new one I have been runnin' through my mind. Or, or course, I can just go watch TV ... or even just go to bed early. You can bet there ain't gonna be any updatin' on any Munuvian blogs for a few hours 'cause Pixy said this maintenance thingy was gonna be a big effort. Somethin' 'bout convertin' the database, I think, and it it a big database that supports every blog in the MuNu Universe.

Yay Pixy! You are a Prince. ttfn to the rest of ya'll.

Never too late to assist good Ol' Mother Earth

OK, I did nothing yet for EARTH DAY! I meant to do so, but I didn't. It is late. Thanks to Denny, I found Yahoo's Earth Day page. What follows is taken directly from the Yahoo! Earth Day page. The list was too well done and the items contained therein too important for me not to share, that I felt it was only fair use that I just copy their script, complete with links, and give it a good home. Thank you Yahoo! for having collected up a great list of 10 things we can all do:

	But do so in a reusable mug. Styrofoam cups can stay in landfills for 500 years.
	But turn off the faucet. It may sound soothing, but an open faucet lets about five gallons of water flow every two minutes.
	Bring a carpool buddy and save money and time. Feeling social? Take public transportation. If not, telecommute.
	Take yourself off junk-mail lists. Incredibly, 100 million trees are ground up each year to produce junk mail.
	Invest in a socially responsible mutual fund, or in a company that's kind to the environment.
	Volunteer for a local chapter of an environmental group. It's fun, and you'll find power in numbers.
	Take your own bag. This is a biggie. If every American refused to use plastic bags, we'd save 12,000,000 barrels of oil each year.
	Then toss the scraps in a compost bin. If your city doesn't take away compost, start a compost pile. Your plants will love you for it.
	Buy a few degrees on your AC's thermostat, and make parties more fun.
	If every household replaced an incandescent bulb with a fluorescent, it would be like eliminating the pollution from a million cars.

doin' a smatterin' of good?

Often times I wonder if I do more good than I believe with some of my inane postings. You remember this little short blurb from a couple of days ago?

Complete Idiocy™ » Where do they find these people?

I just received an email from some unknown moonbat with a juno.com email address with the subject line: A WinXP patch. There is a 137kb file attached to a simple email that reads:

This is a WinXP patch
I wish you would enjoy it.

I don't know. What do ya'll think? Should I install the patch?

I didn't think so either. I was just wondering who would actually install some file that some strange person sends them in this manner. Does it not just yell -- Idiot, here is a virus for you to load into your computer?

Referring Link	http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q= a@juno.com
Host Name	dinat.mdacc.tmc.edu
IP Address	143.111.217.18
Country	United States
Region	Texas
City	Houston
ISP	The University Of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Returning Visits	0
VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS
Browser	MSIE 6.0
Operating System	Windows NT
Resolution	1024x768
Javscript	enabled

Navigation Path
Date	Time	WebPage
22nd April 2004	11:03:11	Read My Lips: Where do they find these people? http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q= a@juno.com

I am hopeful that my sarcastic remarks stopped some cancer patient down in Houston from openin' a similar attachment and ruinin' their laptop. I am gonna believe that happened. I would like to think that I do some actual good for worthy strangers from time to time by bringin' these inane things I find into the open. Oh by the way, I really do love the level of detail that StatCounter delivers.

Things sometimes work out pretty well, huh?

When I moved over to munu, I changed the name of my blog from Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin' to Read My Lips. My subtle reason for choosin' that title had more with do with somethin' other than the connection with the current Commander in Chief's father havin' used that particular phrase when he was runnin' for the position several years ago. I am actually quite pleased more now with the title than my previous choice and am likewise proud to have come up with it before someone else. I find it quite apropos. One thing that really surprises me, though, is the number of people I find using the phrase, in exact word order, in search engines. I seem to have at least three or four different visitors a day who hit my blog from some search on that phrase. I suspected there was some ulterior thing goin' on at first, but the searches come from all kinds of different places and hardly none locally. I have finally come to the conclusion that there is just a lot of interest in that particular phrase. Are they all searchin' for this?

Come on ya'll and give me the skinny on this...

OK, I have just had someone describe my writing style as:

using a whole pile of ordinary words in a peculiar fashion, so as to make it virtually impossible to find the head or tail of it

The quick and short of it --- breaking news

----- Original Message ----- From: "CNN Breaking News" To: Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 4:07 PM Subject: CNN Breaking News

> -- Iraqi leaders set up tribunal to try Saddam Hussein and other Baathist regime members, Iraqi Governing Council says.

The rains came but left a sunny afternoon

I sat around this mornin' watchin' a couple of old movies from the 1930's awaitin' my schedule tour at the local wildlife park at 2:00 pm. It was a cool and cloudy mornin', and I was thinkin' it was gonna be an enjoyable day for the tour. Just 'bout the time I was gettin' ready to go, I started hearin' the pitter-patter of rain drops on the windows, but still it was such a soft shower, I felt it only added to the event, as the animals at the park seem to be a bit livelier durin' the rain. By the time I arrived at the park, the intensity of the rain had grown to a torrential level and I started to worry if the groups would cancel. I checked with the personnel and they said two groups had already arrived and were here and there. So I prepared the vehicle, assured myself that rain gear was present in case any of the visitors wished to don one of the cheap plastic ponchos which usually insure that you will actually get wetter than you would without the use of such. I then drove the vehicle to the front gate to await the arrival of my groups. The rain stopped, the sun came out, and the tour went without a hitch. Each member of my group admitted they'd had fun and had all learned a lot about the park and the assorted steps taken to assist selected endangered species to survive into the future.

Just where do those tax dollars go?

I found this story in the local paper yesterday: STAR-TELEGRAM.COM: Elderly inmates costing millions It looks like one of those megadollar Catch-22 situations that can quickly drain a state's coffers.

It's too early in the mornin' to feel like a heel

I have arisen way too early for such a long day, and yet I feel bad, both physically, as well as mentally. My body is still tired and sore from yesterday's adventures, and I just now remembered I was supposed to go crud on Bill yesterday. I got so caught up in my real forkin' life, I let down one of my blogger friends. My sincerest apologies to Windrider for havin' totally neglected the party after turnin' in my RSVP and to Bill for not havin' dished out my share of crud in his much deserved celebration. I will have to face the long day today with that guilt weighin' on my mind. ~sigh~*

*I would've groaned, but I just don't have the strength.

The bell tolls for Bob Zangas

The following is the welcome message on Bob Zanga's site:

Howdy!

Thanks for "visiting" my web site! I’m glad you found me here in Iraq. The purpose of this website is to keep you up to speed on my activities, see pictures of where I’ve been, and to let you know, FIRST HAND, what it is like to be in Iraq—the stuff you don’t hear about on the nightly news. It also keeps me from getting bored at night. I plan on making periodic updates so keep the link handy and I promise not to sell your e-mail address to the good folks at “LowMortgageRate.com.”

To make it easy on you, I have each entry dated on the "Daily Journal" page. Those links will get you right to the latest and hottest updates. The same links are also on the left side of this page.

Of course I'd like to visit with you as well. So, feel free to e-mail me if you have any personal info you’d like to pass along. Or, if you want to share specific questions about what I'm doing--or what I'm supposed to be doing--while I'm here, just visit the “Message Board.” I’ve made it so that anyone can post a topic.

As you may know, this is my second trip to Iraq. I was here for about 6 months with the USMC this past year. I was working as a Civil Affairs Officer in the 4th Civil Affairs Group then. This time, however, I am a civilian: Wearing civilian clothes, growing my hair, and singing Kumbya on my guitar. My real job will be with the Coalition Provisional Authority working in the Public Affairs department. That means I'll be hanging out with members of the media, journalists, and other folks bent on spreading the news about what is happening here in Iraq. I may even get a chance to do some good!

So, browse through, read over, laugh at, and pass along this link to others who are curious about my experiences. I'll be here until June!

Your Pal,

Bob

Bob Zangas perished in an ambush in Baghdad last Wednesday. I did not know Bob Zangas. It appears I never will. Rest in Peace. Greyhawk has more.

Okie Dokie, the makeover seems to be complete

Well, after lookin' over the main page for awhile and tweakin' here and there, I am pretty satisfied. I could change the major text off of small capitals, but I find it is a bit easier for me to read and I like the look. I am hopeful Goldie won't abandon me. :(

I was awakened early this mornin', as some animal was creepin' 'round makin' some weird noises. I have not had much problems with mice this year since I bought those electronic whatever the fork you call them things that keep mice and squirrels and supposedly all kinds of bugs outta your house, and except for some of those giant water bugs that look like huge cockroaches, I have not seen any crickets, mice, or any other kind of animals and bugs around. I think those things are doin' a great job. I actually came to the conclusion, although I never did locate whatever was makin' that noise, is that one of those giant waterbugs was caught in on of those plastic sacks we seem to have all over our house, or at least, everyone I know has about a million of them layin' here and there. As such, I figured there was no danger, but I was wide awake at 4:00 am. I decided I had better finish what I had started, so I have been workin' on redoin' all the archive, comment, and trackback templates as well, so, unless I can figure out how to redo the one that comes up if you use the "search form," I suppose my job is finished ... at least until I have another bug up my ass* and decide to change the look again. However, I love this look. Ya'll probably don't remember, but I told ya'll a month or so ago it was comin'. It finally did, and I am glad to get it behind me. Now all I need to do is think of somethin' worth bloggin' 'bout. I am gonna take a break and maybe somethin' will come to me. ttffn™

[UPDATE: George, the reason I wrote this post in the first place was to tell ya'll I gotta do a complete rebuild on the whole site, so some of the pages might look a bit kinky and with my dialup service, it is gonna take awhile, so I am gonna go do somethin' else. Wish me luck, though, as these major rebuilds sometimes take a couple of attempts before they are completed.]

PSA: Your prayers are bein' sought

Denita is holdin' a prayer vigil for Serenity. Oh, maybe it is here. I get so distressed and confused when I am distressed.

Is there a significance to the number eleven?

"Maybe what we are seeing is an 'Islamicization' of the style of ETA terrorism," said an investigator of Spain's paramilitary Guardia Civil. "That is, they see that spectacular, coordinated attacks like those carried out by al-Qaeda are the ones that cause the most impact. So instead of killing a city councilman somewhere, they do this."

Spanish investigators are working through the evidence, attemptin' to discover who was behind the 3/11 terrorist attacks in Madrid. [LA Times through Dallas Mornin'-News]

I suppose those on the left will say this is a response to Dubya's "War on Terror" efforts, while those on the right will say the attacks are futher evidence that we need to continue our no holds barred pressure to eradicate all terrror from daily life, worldwide. Those in the middle are likely just wonderin' what the fork is goin' on.

A super quick update

Things are hoppin' 'round here.* We are just workin' like crazy to get some stuff off the front burner so we can move some of the back burner stuff forward, or some such crud like that. In essence, the crud that I supposed to be gettin' paid to do is takin' precedence over my desire to blog. I know ya'll are sufferin' but so am I. They don't call it work 'cause it is forkin' fun to do it, do they? ttffn!

*I am supposin' that will make Roxette Bunny's ears perk up, huh?

Somethin' I caught out of the corner of my eye

Accordin' to Michele,* the followin' is a bit from the new Iraqi Temporary Constitution. The emphasis is mine:

All Iraqis are equal in their rights without regard to gender, sect, opinion, belief, nationality, religion, or origin, and they are equal before the law. Discrimination against an Iraqi citizen on the basis of his gender, nationality, religion, or origin is prohibited. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the security of his person. No one may be deprived of his life or liberty, except in accordance with legal procedures. All are equal before the courts.

Now don't that just go to show ya that constitutional construction is a hoot.

*Yeah, I coulda gone to an official source read it for myself but I trust Michele to correctly quote stuff.

Monday Mornin' Quickie

Now wait, this ain't got nuthin' to do with the story about the realtionship between Carpal Syndrome and Rosey Palm, it is just a quick mornin' report to explain why I may not be throwin' out a flurry of posts today. It seems that I have a hearin' regardin' the agitated man scheduled for this mornin' and then have to drive an hour or so to the town of my daddy's birth for the funeral of my great aunt. She was a big part of my childhood, but I saw her a year or two ago and she was really old. I was not surprised to hear from my aunt that she had fallen ill a week or two ago and was even less surprised to hear of her death on Friday. Some unidentified caller caught me on my cell phone as I was travelin' back from Luckenbach on Saturday to inform me of the schedulin' of the services and to inquire if I was willin' to be a pall bearer. I declined that privilege as I am already experiencin' strain in my lower back. Anyway, as postin' is gonna be slow, 'spect some Nuggets and Gems™ for sometime later 'cause I know all of ya'll are gonna be postin' some really great stuff that I will be wantin' to point out. Annika already has this story about lax security in a Swedish uranium facility and a picture of that most vile and evil* Osama dude holdin' a Kerry for Prez sign.

*Two good descriptive words usin' the same four letters.

Surfin' the net sometimes takes you into uncharted waters

Dean Esmay was ravin' 'bout this GeoURL setup that would show you sites within the network that were geographically close to you. It sounded like somethin' to do, so I did it. I added the right crud, with some work, and sent the ping, and then checked to see who was close to me. I got like several listin's for deviantART: someusername. Yikes, I thought, I was surrounded by members of some kind of a kinky deviant sex cult that was swappin' porno of every kind and variety. I was ready to delink myself from the GeoURL site. But, bein' the avid adventurer that I am and bein' over the age of 21, I figured I would take a peek at an example of this deviantART. The site looks like some network of mostly young people to showcase their art from drawin's and photos to poetry and prose. If you are interested in art, you might actually want to check this site out. Of course, it also might be that I am the only person on the Internet who didn't already know about this site.

A good story spins off a blogospheric mystery

Joe Garner of Rocky Mountain News has written a glowin' story on Susie Scott Krabacher a selfless Aspenite who has, for several years, championed the plight of Haiti's abused, homeless and orphaned children.

In the past decade, she has plunged into the chaos of the vilest slums in the Americas, taking charge of the abandoned children's unit in the city's main hospital and establishing a system of six schools and three orphanages.

"I see the faces of the people around me and I know I'm responsible for their safety, and that is fine," she said. "I know where I am going; I know why I was born."

She cradles dying children. She gives some of them the surname "Krabacher" or names them for friends in Aspen.

When supplies run low, she pulls out her credit card to foot the bills for educating her family of 2,000 children and caring for the 150 orphans, almost one-third of whom are severely handicapped or terminally ill.

"I don't think I was born with the fear gene," Krabacher said in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince, where she was caught in the recent vortex of violence that racked the Caribbean country during the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A committed Christian, Krabacher said she has "a supernatural mandate to do what I do. God gives me the strength."

"Mama Blanche" is the name Port-au-Prince's starving, discarded children have given the luminous blonde from Aspen, ..." and she needs your help.

Despite two appearances on Oprah Winfrey's* show and a spread in People magazine, she still struggles to raise funds.

"Haiti is right on our doorstep, but no one ever seems to notice it," she said.

You can contribute though Foundation for Worldwide Mercy and Sharing, 201 W. Mill St., Suite 201, Aspen, CO 8161 or by clickin' on http://www.haitichildren.com/

There is somewhat a mystery involved in this story, because Susie Scott Krabacher was Playboy's Playmate of the month for May 1983, a fact that was mentioned in the story. However, there was no link to the picture from that May 1983 Playboy picturorial that Kevin Aylward displayed on his blurb to this story? Will we ever know?

*As I am continually hearin' that Oprah has a shit pot full of money, one does wonder why she doesn't throw a bit of it toward assistin' the Foundation for Worldwide Mercy and Sharing. The annual budget of the Foundation is only $340,000.00 so would seem that they do their best to do as much as possible with a very meager amount of money.

It's nice to keep track of stuff

>From this point on, I might be postin' the data from my SilkQuit meter. Here are the current statistics: Two months, two days, 22 hours, 9 minutes and 42 seconds. 2202 cigarettes not smoked, saving $440.46. Life saved: 1 week, 15 hours, 30 minutes.

I just ain't understandin' some of this crud all that well any longer

Ya know, I was just discussin' people who supposedly talked with the Deity and did his biddin' and, in a similar vein, for months and months I have heard where certain Muslims have interpreted the teachin's of Mohammad to include the eradication of those who do not subscribe to the Islamic faith ... and, although, I think such is a most ridiculous interpretation of the teachin's of Islam, it was just further evidence of people's hateful activities supposedly mandated by religious beliefs. However, I am pretty sure that Muslims killin' Muslims is about the weirdest bastardization of religious zealotry in the world.

The day that just would not go away

Today has been a horrendous day. Seriously, the dam broke and a deluge of crud got dumped all over me. I will give ya the nitty gritty about this situation later.

Oh Yikes -- where do we go from here?

OK, there are gonna be a few people that will agree with the controversial message that Birmingham, Alabama preacher, Pastor Michael Jordan, put up on his church sign and you can bet there are gonna be a lot that are gonna say he is full of crud.

Jordan said God inspires his church signs. When God tells him something, he puts it on the sign. If God doesn't tell Jordan anything, the sign is blank.

Jordan says this message will stay up until God tells him to change it.

I guess what I am really interested in is if there is anyone that can prove whether or not God told him to put that message on the sign. I am puttin' my money on the fact than no one can do so. As such, let the man say what he believes God tells him and you listen to what God is tellin' you. That seems to solve the whole damn dilemma over the message on this sign, as far as I am concerned.

Kristopher believes the Pastor Jordon is so far out of bounds with his message that everyone should call him and harass him until he takes it down. I guess I thought ever'one had the right to free speech, even those with whom we disagreed. From what little I learned about Pastor Jordan's convictions from the story, I suspect he believes exactly what is in the blockquoted part above. I urge ya'll to freely voice your opinions about his message both publicly and privately, but don't be fuckin' up the Pastor's peace and harmony with your phone calls because he has said what he believes God told him to say until you have verified proof that God didn't tell him to put that message on the sign.

[UPDATE: Oh, have I opened a can of worms?

I apologize if anyone thinks I agree with the message, because, as Jennifer suggested in SilverBlues comments, the disease does not only affect homosexuals and is so illogical as to have no validity. I do not promulgate that anyone agree with such or disagree with such. I was merely stating that the Pastor believes he is speaking for God, and he has an absolute right to such belief. This is an absolute example of the fallacy of religion, as all religious leaders have a right to believe what they believe and only blind faith in the the truth of their statements or not gives their religious convictions any weight at all. I suppose that is one reason I refuse to subscribe to any church, because I do not have faith in anyone to have a better understanding of how I am suppose to live my life than I do. I thought the 10 Commandments were pretty specific and that Jesus showed us how were were supposed to act toward others.

My actual belief is that if God had intended to punish homosexuality, he could have done it without the randomness of a communicable disease. AIDS is a plague, nothing more, caused by a mutated virus. I just disagree with anyone promulgating unjustified actions in response to this message. In the same vein, where I do not believe in abortion as a means of birth control, I also do not believe that anyone who feels as I do has a right to kill those who have abortions for birth control or those who actually perform the abortions.]

***'s still workin' on his Best Picture Collection

OK, except for last night's winner, I am lackin' the followin' movies to complete my collection of all the Best Movie Oscar winners:

• Going My Way
• Gandhi
• On the Waterfront
• The Greatest Show on Earth
• Gentleman's Agreement
• The Lost Weekend &
• How Green Was My Valley

It is funny that this came about when I first decided that I thought maybe I should start buyin' a few movies of my own but was not sure what movies were worth buyin'. After some thought, I figured any movie that won Best Picture was probably a good movie to have. Of course, I found that such assumption is not actually true, as, in my opinion Titanic really sucked, as did American Beauty. Of course, havin' decided to collect them all, I have found some real gems that I never saw in the theater, some because they were made way before I was born, and some just because I suspected I really would not have liked them. Of the latter category, there is Shakespeare in Love, which I found to be very original in an age where most movies seem to come out of a cookie cutter, and some of the really old ones, Wings, the first winner and the only silent one is superb, as is Grand Hotel and You Can't Take it With You.

Has today been officially designated as Simpson's Trivia Day?*

Well, Michele thinks we should all spend our Saturday playin' Simpson's trivia. OK, but do we really need to write down 150 questions and our answers to them? That is way too much work for me to do on any Saturday. I don't know about you, but I would rather do some housecleanin'.** I suggest if you want to spend all afternoon tryin' to answer questions about the Simpson's, you just go here and punch a few radio buttons. I sure do hope you get more Woohoos than Dohs, though. My best round was 8. However, they graciously gave me a Well Done! in several rounds where I only answered one question correctly.*** These questions are hard too, but at least ya don't have to worry about writin' anythin' down, right? How did you do?

*I am still awaitin' the official word from the Whitehouse or "The Ranch" in Crawford, Texas.

**As if there is gonna be any of that gettin' done around here today either.

***Actually ... a bit later

Game Over

Well Done!

You scored a total of: 0 points

Have another bash....

Yeah, so what?

Hmm, seems that Dawn found a couple of psychological tests. My scores:

Conscious self	Overall self

Yeah, yeah, so I'm forkin' insane ... what ya want to make of it, huh?

I wish I could think

After an complete day of rest, I have awakened to find a wholly blank mind and a truly bland life. I can now easily imagine how Rip Van Winkle truly felt after havin' awoken from his nap to find himself 20 years into the future. I only awoke to face tomorrow, which I understand is actually today, and, yet, I seem to be lost in a world I no longer understand. What in the Hell do they put into Tylenol PMs anyway?

Ponderin' a plethora of Amber Alerts

I have noticed that there seems to have been quite a few Amber Alerts lately, and I was a bit alarmed ... then I thought about how many children there are in our country and how many evil predators that exist in our country, and how many of those Amber Alerts actually involve custody situations, and all of a sudden, I was thinkin' that maybe it is simply amazin' that there are so few Amber Alerts on a regular basis.

Why we here in Texas stay here in Texas

Ya'll 'member that snow that was sittin' around on the ground on Saturday mornin'? Well, ya'll know it was all melted before nightfall. And today it is 61 degrees and bright sunshine outside. If variety is the spice of life, then Texas is the spiciest place there is anywhere in the world. Our weather changes from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. Our geography contains almost every feature that can be found anywhere else, from canyons and mountains, to plains and rivers, to white sand beaches and forests. A myriad of varyin' cultures combine to color our heritage and the varying foods fill our air with such delicious odors. Yep, Texans are a proud bunch, but then we feel we got a right to be proud. Besides, if ya got a problem with that, then feel free to move back where ya came from. ;)

Take it easy as it's only Tuesday

Your Tuesday horoscope, Taurus! An egotistical moment could cost you dearly; someone is ready to give you something based on an assumption of your humility. This is a day to pull back and let others promote your efforts and sing your praises.

Excuse me, while I pull myself off of my pedestal and tuck it into the closet until tomorrow.

Now it's off to work I go! crud.

OK, I am gettin' close, I think

[click to enlarge]

So, what do ya think? Am I on the right track?

Help! I have no idea what I am

Cool, here are the results of another quiz which are entirely over my head.

Cb major - life is full of complications,
commitments and organization. You love to make
sure everything is just perfect, but sometimes
this can cause you to fall over your own feet.
A slightly unsociable key: why Cb major when
you could be the identical Bmajor? It has less
accidentals.


what key signature are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Could I have your attention please!!

I think we ought ta shine a spotlight on this one: caughtintheXfire: Well alright!!!

It's Saturday ya'll

Yep, here it is Saturday, and so that means there won't be too many of ya'll doin' much bloggin', right? Well, I will likely be here doin' my part after I get done doin my part at the zoo. Yep, it has been awhile, but I got some duty to do out there this mornin'. Seems we got a big group comin' up from Texas A&M University on some sort of research project and they wanted to tour the facility and see it like the general public does. I am both eager and apprehensive about the task ahead, as these people probably know more about these animals than I do. I hope I don't make a fool out of myself, and maybe I will get really lucky and learn a bit more about all the animals in the zoo than I currently know.

Then, afterward I have that meetin' I told ya'll about previously. I am both curious and apprehensive about that meetin'.

So, there may not be much of anythin' new until later this evenin', there is a good chance there will be somethin' interestin' to read. Oh, wait, there always is, isn't there? In fact, I bet if you start scrollin' down the page, you find somethin' interestin' right now. And don't be afraid to comment. I always like to know who's a'visitin' and knowin' what they think about the crud I write and write about. I'm an entertainer after all.

Another of my childhood role teachers has passed away

Kang is saddened to learn of the death of Bob Keeshan who made Kangaroo a household word in the United States. Vaya con dios, El Capitan. Say Hello to Fred Rogers when ya get there.

Gracias to Jen

[UPDATE: Steve's blurb on this story is top-notch funny stuff!]

Somethin' will come to me, I hope

I awoke stuffed up and weepy-eyed, that condition where ya don't really feel all that sick, just don't feel worth a damn. Mold allergy is my guess. I always seem to get this condition followin' rain, and we have had rain off and on for almost 5 days now. The lack of sunlight ain't helpin'. That fact alone has caused excrutiatin' physical effects upon another blogger. I just ain't feelin' up to snuff.

So, ya know how it is? Ya don't feel good so ya can't seem to find any interest in anythin'. Mood: Foul; Condition: Could Be Much Worse; Situation: Forcin' Myself Into Gettin' Dressed And Gettin' To The Office. Ain't LIFE Grand?

Conservative lady with an itch to blog sought

It seems that since Lori has ventured out on her own, Maripat is havin' to bear all the efforts on being the we on Right We Are and really ain't linkin' it to much. Therefore she is puttin' out a call to any females who ain't got any blogs goin' but wantin' to take a stab at it,. to contact her, if ya might wanna be the other part of the we I was speakin' of previously.

Nyaaaaaaaa! What's Up, Doc?

I am just readin' some of the nominees in the 2004 bloggies. It is a pretty interestin' array of great offerin's. Kinda like what ya will find below, Pardner.

Kickin' butt and changin' things

Ya know, ain't technology grand? I mean not just bein' able to get on the internet, not only just havin' cool programs so you can blog, but now ya don't have to have a million floppy disks to move crap from one computer to another, or have to email files from the office to home or visa versa, but you can go buy a USB whatcha-ma-callit and transfer more data by usin' it than my first computer would hold usin' every storage device it had installed or connected to it. I made a mistake when I told Kathy Kinsley in an email that I was havin' problems unzippin' s-comment.cgi ... nope, it was the update for MT with which I was havin' the problems. So, I decided to try to download it and unzip in on my office computer, the one now hooked up with cable high band. Yay! It did successfully download and unzip and I brought all the necessary files home. I also brought a print out of the installation instructions, since I have had no printer hooked up to this system since my HP Desk Jet 500 went out last year after 10 years or so of use.* I am pretty sure I paid as much for it as I did that HP does-everything, includin' printin' in color thing I bought last year for the office, just so I had somethin' with which to print pictures. Actually, I already had a Canon color printer, but it didn't accept faxes, and the fax machine I had ate those damn ribbons that cost $24 each like crazy, so I saw that damn thing on sale for like $400.** I do guess I could actually bring that Canon printer home, but as I hardly ever need to print anythin' here anyway, I think I will just wait until I can get me another Brother laser printer. I like those really well. The print like forever on one toner cartridge, you can actually replace the drum unit for not much, and they don't cost all that much to buy. Well enough with that subject, 'cause what I was tryin' to say is that I am gonna be tryin' to upgrade my MT. As such, I might not post much more tonight. Of course, I suppose maybe there are a few items below that you have not looked over yet, so maybe you won't mind just scrollin' down a bit and seein', right? Oh, and don't be afraid to comment a bit, either. ;)

[UPDATE: Well, that ain't gonna happen any time soon. It seems that I am usin' Berkeley database instead of MySQL database, like I know what that means or anythin'. It just seems that MySQL will give me a bit more functionality, so before I do anythin' else, I need to figure out if I can do MySQL on my server, though I am pretty sure I can, and, if so, how or what do I do to convert to usin' MySQL database. I am almost sure, that at the very worst, all I have to do is reinstall a full version of MT again and iimportin' all my entries. Ya can bet I ain't doin' nuthin' to it before I export ever' single one of 'em. -- Anyway, if any of ya'll actually have a clue as to what I am talkin' 'bout, please feel free to explain it to me, k? I mean, it ain't like I'm beggin' for skins, here. -- To tell ya the absolute truth, if'n it wasn't for that ya know what that occurred a couple o' days ago, I would be pretty satisfied with things just as they are ... oh maybe tightenin' up some of the .css a bit, some cosmetic changes from time to time, a smatterin' of a bit more bric-a-bac here and there ... but the MT was workin' fine ... just the slimy slugs was findin' the kinks and squeezin' through the cracks. It seems only natural to install a few measures to stop their entry. I mean, I chide the crap outta MS for their crappy software, not because I am findin' updates to the OS comin' in on a regular basis, but because they won't open source. If I knew crap about anythin', I would go with Sun and Linux. Both are puttin' a lot of effort into fightin' MS for the long haul. Hey, what am I talkin' 'bout here? I know less about this tech crap than Bill knows about ass pimples.]

*Yep, that old HP Desk Jet did well, bein' my mainstay office printer*** for several years until I got my first Brother Laser, when it came home and was used for another 6 years.

**And like most such things, I swear I saw the same thing at Fry's a month later for $100 less than that.

***Truth be told, I initially began usin' that Desk Jet as my office computer when my office was in my dinin' room and my wife was still alive. If my recollection of dates is correct, that means it worked for about 12 years before crappin' out. What is wrong with it, I have no idea. It just don't print no mo'.

These blog awards look like the real thing

OK, looks like the nominations for the 2004 bloggies have been made, albeit I didn't know there was such a thing and found that I was not nominated for diddley-squat, but what the hey ... to tell ya the truth, there were not a whole lot of blogs that were nominated of which I had ever even heard. Ya only have until Jan. 31 to vote so ya'll likely got a lot of lookin' and checkin' to do before ya can make a wise choice. I did notice that Dick Gephardt failed to make the cut in this election process also. Go do your part. I, for one am gonna spend some time seein' who and what all these nominated blogs are about.

Thanks to Buzz Stuff.

Light Bloggin' Warnin' might be in effect for this mornin'

I am off to stand around to see if my case is goin' to trial this week. I might or might not be back later today. In the mean time please feel free to read back through some of the crap I posted over the last two days and give me some feedback or debate or somethin'. A guy craves a bit of attention ever' once in awhile.

In the caucuses, the Iowa caucuses, a donkey brays tonight*

I am guessin' from this that the Iowa Caucases are over. About all that I do know for sure is that everyone is pretty sure that neither Mondale or Dukakis is gonna get the Democratic nomination this year.**

*sung to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

**I didn't think that up outta the blue. As much was said in the text of the linked post.

Search engine updates

Ain't it funny what people search for from time to time> i remember back when I was gettin' at least one of two hits a day from people searchin' for filthy lingerie but I am supposin' there just ain't all that much interest in filthy lingerie anymore, 'cause I ain't seen a hit on that term in quite awhile. Most of the searches I found today were for Opus. I am doin' pretty good in the Opus listin's bein' in the top 20 sites in several different search word groups. I came up #7 on Google under Opus comic archive. Of course, I have nothin' that will likely satisfy whoever is searchin' for such, except maybe a link in one of the comments. Maybe they found it and were happy with their search results.

The biggest change I saw was my rankin' under searches for ***. I was on the third page, but it seems that on the US Google site, I am currently number 10, whereas I am as low as 12 on some of the other Google sites. I am number 9 on Yahoo. It might be hard to bust it up to number 1, what with *** bein' a term in common usage. I am quite satisfied to bein' listed on the front page.

I must be on the rag today

I just noticed I have posted three Rip-Roarin' Rag™s in a row. Hmmm, think maybe I need to get somethin' to eat, see if I can't bring my blood pressure down a bit. ;)

The crap that happened update!

For those of you who are not well protected from the dilemma I am facin', this is a listing of the URLs that I have so far found to ban:

200.182.136.2
203.97.97.131
218.66.219.11
210.99.91.251
212.44.139.194
213.154.72.162
209.233.190.121
66.162.147.1

Comments seem to be finally cleared of the garbage, but are disabled, I believe for the time bein' until I figure out how to stop that crap from reoccurrin'. Ya'll don't know how close that came to compellin' me to just delete this whole damn blog!

Of Snarks and Spam, a Short Saturday novel by ***

Well, it seems the most Venomous One has again hunted down a barrel of snarks and is shootin' 'em as we speak and layin' them out for your enjoyment. I regrettably must note that one delightful little snark I tried to shoo her way got caught in a SPAM trap in some wayward eddy along the electron highway, and evidently never did arrive at its destination. First, my thoughts are to that poor poor little snark, who must be cold and lonely as he floats eternally lost in the ethernet. However, I must view this bit of bad luck for me in light of the great fortune I had in headlinin' yesterday's Letter of the Day Review. I doubt Kate is thinkin' 'bout bloggin' much anyway. As I posted earlier, she has a good excuse.

Another amazin' milestone comes to pass

Today is Susie's BIRTHDAY. She is 23 .. for the nth time, it seems. She is sick and yet she waited up 'til just past midnight so as to share the good news with us. If'n ya ain't already done so, and there was already a passel of folks who had, drop by and wish her the best. It is a neighborly thing to do, don't ya think? And it ain't too late yet!

Thursday Mornin' Update!

I know ya'll ain't been keepin' track, but today is two weeks of nicotine free life for me. I been keepin' track 'cause it has been somethin' I been thinkin' 'bout here and there durin' every one of the last 14 days. Now that ya got the 411 from the Tiger Den, go imbibe some massive amounts of caffeine or somethin' like I am fixin' to* do and have a great day, won't ya?

*I read somewhere that Yankees just don't understand it when ya say ya are fixin' to do somethin'. That's OK, 'cause no one down here understands anythin' about Yankees.

OK, check this out!

If you read down a bit, you will see a long list of links that I did today, and just above that a post that says I posted it before I was finished. I am here to now explain why that was done.

First off, check out my SiteMeter stats for the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today. The day before yesterday, I spent about 3 hours composing a link listin' containin' 26 links, and did not post at all while I was in the middle of that composition. When I check my visitation rate during the 3 hours I was busily composin' that post, hardly anyone visited.

Yesterday, I did 23 or so posts, at the rate of about one ever 20 minutes from about lunchtime onward. This continually showed my blog being regularly updated and as such, my visitation numbers yesterday were nearly double what they were the day before.

Today, I was working on that lenghthy link list and noticed that my visitation numbers while I was workin' on that compostion were near nil, so I posted the part I had completed and continued the compostion. I also posted the post immediately precedin' that one to explain why ya might see this blog as updated, but see no clear evidence of a new post.

The moral of this story, people, is that if ya post regularly and show as updated on blogrolls, your visitation numbers will increase. Of course, some of the extra visitation also comes from showing as updated on the MT.org updated blog list, but it still is visitation associated with regular updatin'.

SURPRISE!!

Hey, ya'll just thought I was gone, didn't ya? Naw, was just readin' through some of ya'll's blogs and then read back over the stuff I posted today. Now wonder I had such great visitation numbers today, because that was a fantastic list, wasn't it? Snarky, inane and every strange thing I could think of -- do ya get that at InstaPundit? Well, do ya? Yeah, I heard that few Thank Georges out there in the audience. OK, so here's the deal -- I wanna get your vote on what was the best post I did today. I ain't been submittin' anythin' around, 'cause I can't choose between all my crap, it is all so meticulously crafted to be as crappy as possible. Help! Which one did ya like the best?

I am bettin' I wake up in the mornin' to nada. ;) That's OK, 'cause I got a new title graphic. How do you draw a smilie stickin' its tongue out?

I am guessin' I have done gone and made an invalid assumption

I dunno, but when Owen blurbed about there being somethin' about huntin' females with some nice pics, I was not exactly 'spectin' this.

It ain't never gonna replace the hamster dance

Well, since the entire blogosphere had forgotten DFlim, ya'll are likely not too interested in a lamer idea of creatin' your own comic strip, are ya?

Actually, Lisa did one that was so much better than my idea.

Onesies and twosies don't count for nuthin'

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 24. What is your score? Get it here.

Found: Deb the married lady

Quit teasin' me, damn it!

Your Monday horoscope, Taurus! A lucky stroke will put you in the right place at the right time. A romantic encounter is favored if you are single; an enjoyable afternoon with children or your closest partner is ahead if you have already committed to someone.

Ya done played this game with me last Friday and I came home broken hearted. Stop tuggin' at my heart strings makin' me think that somethin' good is comin' my way, stargazers. There is a dark cloud affectin' my star chart that ya'll ain't seein'.

Oh my, was this ever a long day

If there was any justice in this world, today would be Friday as I am plumb tuckered out. I was just at my friend's store standin' at the counter. I guess I was standin' there for fifteen minutes or so before someone finally asked me what I was doin'. I looked at them and said, "I guess I ought to just go home, because I have absolutely no idea what I am doin' right now.

It started out with me havin' court today, but all my cases were set at 1:30 pm, just after lunch. The notice says they are set at 9:00 am, but I know from experience that because my clients are still in jail, that they won't be brought to court until after lunch, but as long as the notices keep comin' in sayin' the cases are set to be heard at 9:00 am, I will continue to show up at 9:00 am. I am afraid that the first time I don't do that, that will be the day the judge decides to have all the jail prisoners brought up in the mornin'.

So, since I was there, I decided to take care of some other business. I copied a bunch of paperwork I needed for some of my cases in the clerk's office, mostly new cases I have been appointed on, so that I could go visit those clients in the jail afterward. However, my time was growin' too short to try to get into the jail to see them and then get back to court by 1:00 so as to get a chance to speak to my clients before the judge came in. I now am gonna have to spend my entire free mornin' tomorrow seein' a dozen different people in the jail.

After I found I was unable to get to the jail this mornin', I went by Wal Mart and bought some wiper blades for my car and some strong mint breath spray I am usin' to assist me in my stop smokin' program. I had a quickie breakfast at McD's and then decided to run back to my town to drop off some of the files and give my new secretary a few instructions so that she would not have to play Free Cell all day while I was in court. I dropped by to check on Matt, and he wanted me to go to lunch with him, so I did, but I only ate a small order of Tater Tots at Sonic, since I had that very late breakfast. Then I headed back for court.

I started out with 4 clients set for pretrial hearings today. One decided to plead guilty, another the DA is threatenin' to re-indict, one other I suggest we polygraph the defendant on an issue regardin' whether he had permission to use the ATM card or not, and one that is one of five possible cases goin' to trial on Monday. I was also appointed to represent another person while I was awaitin' the probation officers to complete the paperwork for my pleadin' client. I also ran upstairs and talked to another judge about another case durin' some of the wait time, as well as went to Da's office to try to track down some information about a couple of files that I had not seen any action on. One was dropped and the other one even the DA's office was confused as to why there was no pendin' action. It might have actually fallen into a crack in the system, so that might have been my biggest accomplishment today. I mean I am still unsure as to what the outcome of the case will be for my client, but whatever it is, it is likely gonna be much better than him rottin' in the Johnson County Jail unforgotten and lost in the system.

Anyway, I finally got back to the office just in time to get my dozen files all lined up and ready so I can go do my jail calls tomorrow mornin'. Tomorrow afternoon, I will be at the dentist office. I am actually supposed to get somethin' done to my teeth besides cleanin' them this time. I might also watch a movie afterward.

Right now, I think I am gonna go rest for a bit. If'n I don't come back, it might be 'cause I fell asleep. I have been yawnin' pretty wide as I was sittin' here composin' this post. Don't fret too much if I am unable to tell ya about the condition of my belly button, OK?

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you ain't connected to the web

So, how about that for a title. So anyway, I have been more than busy today, havin' to go to court early this mornin' and hang around all day while tryin' to work a deal that my client would approve only to have the DA for the third time reset the case because they were plannin' on reindictin' my client. So I finally get back to my office and the cable is down, or I think it is down or somethin'. So, I spend considerable time awaitin' somebody that knows somethin' to get on the line to figure out why my cable is not workin'. So, what was the problem? It seems for some reason, I had to unplug my cable modem, wait a minute, the replug it in. Seems that was what was needed. Why? I don't know, but if ya ain't connected, ya can't blog. Of course, now it is time for me to leave this place and go to the other. Bloggin' may recommence as some later time. I really appreciate my visitors, though.

Of course, I really did think this story would have gotten much more widespread attention than it got. I mean, I worked long and hard concoctin' that story.

Good distractions are hard to find

OK, I awoke early today and day three has been plagued with thoughts of just taking a few puffs of a cigarette at every turn. There is nothing good on TV and none of my movies seemed to interest me, so I guess I will just go for a drive. I think what I really need to get my mind off of smokin' would be to find myself in a tangle of naked women buried somewhere under some soft silky sheets. Oh wait, after it was all over I would definitely be wantin' a cigarette. I think I had just better go for a drive.

Stay tuned for the Rest of the Story

Well, I suppose several of ya'll assumed I found myself in the predicament described below just because I asked that question, but, alas, I was not so lucky. I actually awoke at 10:00 semi-reclined in my car, with my head poundin', viewin' the side of some buildin' I did not recognize. I have slept most of all day today, somewhat to recover from my partyin' from last eve but also to suppress any desire that I might have to seek out and destroy another cigarette. I suppose few of ya'll recall that today was my official quit day. So far, so good.

My head is still poundin' but less so that earlier. I arose about an hour ago, decidin' that I desperately needed to eat somethin'. Thankfully, Sonic was open and I got a plain and dry steak sandwich and tots. I have found it best not to indulge in a lot of rich, spicy stuff when attemptin' to cure a hangover. My stomach seems to already be havin' enough trouble dealin' with the after-effects of the consumption of large quantities of alcoholic beverages. I am ever so thankful that the hangover consisted primarily of dehydration and dyin' brain cells, with no evidence of nausea.

I am plannin' on now takin' another long hot bath and afterward goin' back to bed. A Hell of a way to start a New Year, I know, but I have actually had worse starts to New Years in past, so overall, I am thinkin' of this one as a fairly successful start.

Another round and par for the course

I just had a client's mother call me. She said that her son had finally been indicted on the case on which I am appointed to represent him . It has to do with some explosives discovered in the trunk of an abandoned car. I was not surprised about the indictment, as I had thought he had been indicted on the previous time such was scheduled to be heard by the Grand Jury, and was surprised to learn it had not been reached. She then asked "How can they hold him when he didn't have anything to do with the matter?" I told her that he had previously provided me with his denial of knowledge and I suggested that he cooperate with the investigation so as to provide what information he did and he declined. I asked if if he would be willing to take a polygraph regarding the extent of his knowledge of the matter and he again declined. The information in the case file shows that two of the people who have admitted their involvement with stashing the explosives in the trunk of the car have identified him as a party to the offense, as well as being identified by a neutral party who stated he remembered someone resemblin' my client who was in the area with the other two men.

When my client's mother again reiterated that her son was being held with no evidence, I said, "You say that he was not involved and he says he was not involved but the witnesses say differently," and she just hung up on me.

I sometimes wonder what people expect of me. Do they think that attorneys have this magic wand that they can wave and all someone's troubles go away? I think the evidence against my client is very scanty and have discussed such with the District Attorneys' Office which just shrugged. They have him and he ain't goin' nowhere, and they got enough evidence in their file to believe he was involved. I suspect they will never agree to dismiss the case until forced to present their case to a jury. I am indeed prepared to take this matter before a jury at the earliest opportunity and let let the jury decide the facts of this matter.

Attorneys learn a basic premise in law school. You cannot change the law and you cannot change the facts. My client is eligible for bond, and the bond amount is reasonable, so the thing that needs to be done is that she and her family post bond to free the young man while this case is pendin' goin' to trial. Of course, I have told her that previously, more than once. She doesn't have any money to bond him out. I don't have a magic wand. I again wonder why I ever chose this profession.

Shot in the foot, more than once

OK, what was goin' on in my world today? I made the 90 minute to the dental office. I entered about 15 minutes or so before my scheduled time. They seem to be good about always bein' on time, so I feel obligated to repay the favor. I had just sat down, havin' luckily spied a recent copy of Reader's Digest, a gold mine of interestin' items. I had no sooner than gotten through 'bout half of the letters when the hygienist comes over and tells me that this appointment had been rescheduled forward and that this one was supposed to have been canceled. A data input error - not on my end though, because the dental office had called to remind me of the appointment. My calendar was bare concernin' it. Still, I could always still go see my movie.

There are two multi-screen movie houses on my route through southern Ft. Worth to my dental office, and I had noticed neither of these was playin' ROK. I had eyed a sign for Jason's Deli on the way in and had gotten a hankerin' for a good pastrami sandwich. I returned via my inbound route, which is actually different that my regular outbound route, due to some strange convergence issues with the access at this juncture. I could write a book on it.

I actually ended up drivin' much farther north than the Jason's which was reflected on the highway signs could have possibly been located, so was circlin' round to head back home via another route when I encountered another. I stopped and had my pastrami and a lump of potato salad. It was delicious and is now givin' me heartburn.

I decided to head back and catch ROK in the larger town where the Wal-Mart I find the easiest to access exists. The theater is just down a side road next to the Wal-Mart. I pulled into the parkin' lot and walked up, the next showin' was at 7:30 pm. It was 5:30 pm. OK, so I headed back home to check up on things for an hour or so, then headed back up that 25 minute trip to our northern neighbor. I slid in and cut deftly through Home Depot's parkin' lot and zig-zagged through the abandoned carts to my regular Wal-Mart parkin' spot. I grabbed a couple of staples: Pepcid Complete and breath drops, no line at a couple of counters. Wal-Mart was semi-deserted, or semi-deserted for a normal Friday evenin' crowd, without such also bein' less than a week 'fore Christmas. From the traffic I saw in Ft. Worth, there was no shortage of people at the Mall.

So out of Wal-Mart, across the lot to the opposite side, a quick right turn and then the next left and you are in the theater parking lot. I park, choosin' a space conveniently located to make a quick get-a-way, and walk to the ticket booth. Big sign: Sold Out. Fine. I am not gonna see ROK today. It ain't like they ain't gonna still be playin' it tomorrow, is it?

However, I sure did do a lot of drivin' in heavy traffic to have accomplished nothin' but eatin' a pastrami sandwich. Like I said, it was a good sandwich, but a good reason to drive around all afternoon and evenin'? Not normally, not in my world. In the grand scheme that is my life at times, today was a very productive day. I stopped and ate.

I am celebratin'. I am sloggin' nog and am gonna go watch a flick on my television. I do wish I had some popcorn, but I ain't gettin' out for a couple of hours now, at least.

Things come along when you least expect

Well, this is nothin' earth-shankin' to report, but my dentist just called top remind me of my appointment this afternoon. I didn't have a dental appointment on my calendar for today. Hmmmm, still might as well go. After all, I make it part of my day to go to the movie afterwards, and I understand there is a pretty good new movie out to go see this time. It may be hours and hours before I get around to postin' anythin' new. I do so hope ya'll will understand. ;)

[Last minute grovellin' Update: Feel free to leave comments while I am away, or if somethin' seems interestin' enough to blog 'bout, please do not hesitate to trackback to any of my posts. ;) ]

Beavers and busy

I have been pretty busy today with office tasks although I did spend part of it ponderin' 'bout beavers, beavers somehow comin' to mind. Still got lots more to do before I can break away from here. I will try to blog in force sometime later today.

Oh, Gordon Wood died today. He was really old, so it was not that big of a surprise, but he was one heck of a football coach, so I was sad to hear of his passin'.

Hours and activities not addin' up

Yep, you got it right. It seems this has been a hectic week. No matter how hard I try, I just cannot seem to find the time to get everythin' done that I need to do. I guess that is a good sign though, 'cause it means I am busy. However, it also means that I have not had sufficient opportunity to read all that bloggy goodness ya'll have put up for me to see. I am sorry. I promise that if you will trackback your best of the day to this post or leave a comment with nicely scripted hyperlink, I will come by and see what ya had to say. OK?

Oh crap, I am liable to be busted by the Spellin' Police

I was readin' back over some of my entries from yesterday and found them to be full of grammatical mistakes and spellin' errors. I guess that is what happens when you are inebriated, huh? Of course, I spotted a few in the answers to my intervew questions, and I am pretty sure I was sober when I typed that up. I was almost sure I ran it through spell check, but then I have slept since then, so it is possible I have forgotten. I do that sometimes: forget things.

Drunken Linky Love, or Artificial Respiration with Tiger

Ya'll really ought ta be ashamed of yourself for all the linky-love ya'll have thrown my way. I mean it ain't like I ain't mired in a blue funk although I am pretty sure that 5 ounces of whatever that crap was has definitely reignited some spirit within me. Oh, whatever, so anyways, stay with me here, no one is bloggin' much 'cept 'bout Saddam and such so I decided to go prowlin' down among those great blogs at the bottom of my roll that just do not seem to have a clue as how to ping blogrollin' so as to move up from time to time and let me know they are fresh. Put another sh on that for the full meanin' or somethin'. Damn, my glass is empty and I am outta eggnog.

So where was I? Oh wait, need a cig, so be back in a bit. Oh my, some guy got an Instalanche and 52 comments. I didn't get any comments with my Instalanche (I woulda linked it but I didn't feel like lookin' for it). I guess I shoulda Photo Shopped Saddam, huh? (attribution: James)

So, anyway, I was gonna sludge through them bottom dwellers and see if there was anything worth bloggin' 'bout or linkin' or somethin'. So, on the bottom is Jockularocracy (and thank George for cut&paste) who offered a very fine listin' of Children's Christmas books for ya'll that might be really interested. And I suppose everyone else beside myself likely has a kid, a grandkid or a great-grandkid, so that should include you all. Go look. You should.

Waitin' on slow dialup to load the next contestant. Note-it-posts didn't have nuthin' 'cept the stunnin' pic of the owner that interested me enough to blog 'bout or link, though it was a fine array of topics. Just nuthin' jumped up and bit me.

I think this guy has been sloggin' in the nog himself. Mr Fish, my ass.

Next contestant didn't pass the entry exam. I found nuthin' that I hadn't seen on every blog I read today. The one behind that is not permalinked but the prose so overwhelmed me, I can't describe my pleasure. Hey, find it for yourself, it is on the blogroll.

The blog known as redandpurplehaze.blog-city.com, although it could be Dreaming of Summer Daze Gone Bye..., I am still tryin' to decide ... posted this link to somewhere quite bizarre. I am not really sure what it was or what to think of it.

Next guy, last post December 4, must be havin' fun ... a couple of more that don't pass the entrance exam, then Signal + Noise pointed me to a story that would have interestin' if either there was not some script problem on the page or my IE was not fuckin' up again. I smell Blogger involved in this mess, though.

A blogger later and OldCatMan gives us a collage of Saddam pics. Click it quick 'cause OldCatMan does not do permalinks.

Pixy Misa gets a taste of Krispy Kremes.

A skip, another one not updated in awhile, one just blurbin' 'bout someone they blogrolled, another not updated in like forever, then Annika (who I wished still showed her pic) and tellin' us she has been invited to Palm Springs to stay at a swanky 5 Star Hotel, and oh how I wish it was me and that I too could afford to wine and dine a doll at a swanky 5 Star Hotel in Palm Springs. Damn, but that thought is depressin'.

Then another that has gone hiatus or somethin', next one had a lot but nothing' with any bite, then Right We Are who in sportin' a sporty new look announced the closin' of their doors. Hmmm!

The another on hiatus or somethin', another that had mostly fluff but little of interest, then found out Tony was on vacation in Bolivia, of all places.

Nothing' much, then found Aaron had moved.

Too Much to Dream displays the Grinch and leads us to Boomer Deathwatch, not somethin' I am really wantin' to be a part of, bein' a Boomer and not wantin' to think of Death all that much.

Nuthin' new at the next one, then Susie links everyone but me. And that brings me to the end of the journey.

Mindless bloggin' as I slowly get drunk

Well, I am back on dialup, so bloggin' shall become sloggin' again. I purchased a quart of eggnog on the way home and have already had one dose with about 1.5 ounces of some cheap American blend (Seagram's 7 clone) I have among the various bottles of liquor I have from the cabinet I built when my dad was alive and still owned a liquor store. That was like, what, 8 years ago? I just don't drink all that often, and I hardly ever have anyone over. Of course, of anything you might have, your liquor is probably as good or better if it has been on the shelf for awhile. It does not age as well in the bottle as it does in the cask, but it does age. Enough with that crap, though, for liquor bloggin' go see Madfish.

So, here I am bloggin' drinkin' eggnog highly does with some inebriatin' liquid and listenin' to the washin' machine rewash for the third time that load of underwear I put in there Sunday night. I would have already put them in the dryer, but that takes someone gettin' the clothes outta the dryer and puttin' them up. That ain't my job. Well, yeah it is. I just don't ever seem to have a place to put them, or enough hangers, or there is just somethin' else I would really rather be doin'. It really ain't a problem 'cept when ya got a whole load of wet ones awaitin' the dryer bein' emptied. Then things get much more stressful.

I have way too many clothes. I am thinkin' of doin' this sort of deal. I got an extra bedroom, so what I am gonna do is I am gonna start takin' everythin' out of the dryer and throwin' it in the middle of that bed. After a month, I am gonna take everythin' left on the bed and either donate or throw them the leftovers. I need to weed my wardrobe down to a manageable size. I need to whittle my life down to a manageable size. I need to just dig a hole and crawl in it. Oh wait, they could still find me, couldn't they? The dirty rats, there just is no escapin' life anymore, is there?

Somethin' I have actually worried 'bout

It seems that Dean Esmay used up all his server space and was unable to further blog for awhile. I am always wonderin' how close to the top I am all the time, thinkin' surely I have a limit comin' up at some point. Hopefully, if I exceed my limitations, my server landlord will allow me to use a couple of those empty closets until he can build me another room or somethin'.

The strangest thing ---

I have twice loaded up several blogs as is my normal procedure, so that I can be readin' one while another loads. Provided the internet connection remains stable durin' the loadin', I can usually get the first twenty to thirty-five blogs on the upper part of my blogroll loaded and read before I sign off. Each time, at some point durin' the loadin', without warnin', all IE window just closed and disappeared immediately. I am surely wonderin' at what is causin' that. Very strange, very strange indeed.

[Update: and this 31.2 connection ain't helpin'. So, to me, that means it is likely a good time to let the machine reboot and reconnect. Ta ta for now.]

Wicked dreamin"

I just spent all day at the mall shoppin'. Well, not exactly shoppin', but more like checkin' out the gals wearin' the low cut jeans. I also noticed there is a definitely migration of types to different stores, because the gals I saw goin' into Laura Ashley were not the same as the ones enterin' Limited. There is definitely a variety of different low cut jean styles as well. Most pleasant is the difference in contents of the package, however, as some bodies define the cut of the jeans better than others. I was sure doin' a lot of lookin', but was I ever dreamin' of applyin' some touchy feely to a few of the specimens of fine female flesh upon which I feasted.

It's time for the game!

I was over at squishybear's checkin' how she picked the Dallas game (and we won't go into that right now) ... seems she has initiated the Photo Shoppin' of Saddam. Get to it ya'll. Ya know ya wanna!

[Update: Oh, squishy, were you ever wrong: Dallas 27 - Washington 0 ]

[Update: See also]

Scooped by the entire blogosphere

Well, I arose this mornin' with somethin' that I had to run to do. Yes, today was a day I had to go to the zoo. I had one of the other docents contact me last week about coverin' his mornin' tour this mornin' and I arose with just enough time to get out there. That means I had no chance to read any blogs, read any news and the station I was listenin' to on my drive out was playin' their standard Sunday mornin' spirituals. So, was I ever surprised when I was tryin' to get my group together to find that someone was tellin' me that Saddam had been captured. Oh well, like I said, I was likely scooped by the entire blogosphere on the most important news story of the year. Sometimes, it just goes that way.

I am an addict

Well, here I am again. Damn system locked up so I sent it through a reboot while I ran to the store to sneak another cig. Still stayin' below 10 a day, so not doin' too bad. Been under 10 a day for about month now I think. I am definitely gettin' more conscious about my smokin' which I think is a good sign. Years and years of chain smokin' had left me with very little consciousness about dealin' with life without a cigarette danglin' from my lips. The first of the year sounds like a good day to pick as my quit date. I am announcin' it officially, so ya'll gotta rag on me now to make me stick to it.

So anyway, I was thinkin' 'bout Jules Verne. Why Jules Verne? Well, it seems that most of my belief in the future is based on Jules Verne. Jules Verne wrote of stuff that was almost inconceivable in his time. Before the turn of the last century, he wrote of travel to the moon, to trips deep below the waters, and travel around the world in remarkable times. All these things came to be. So, I developed this philosophy that whatever man could conceive, man could accomplish. To my mind, science fiction is science fact in some future reality. I am hopeful that it goes like said in the Book of Roddenberry. I suspect humanity might have to survive the assault of the machines before we get to that future.

I am gonna post this and hope. I have no idea what I just wrote. Blame it on the mushrooms need for sleep. I just can't ever seem to leave this damn computer off. I am addicted to regurgitatin' my every inane thought for your pleasure.

[Update: I looked again at that site I had linked under Jules Verne. I didn't really check it out except to see that it had a short biography of Jules Verne. I mean I assume everyone knows who he is and had no necessity of clickin' the link, but it supplied enough background to those who might not have had a clue, hence its purpose. Anyway, to make a long story short, upon that quick review of the site I saw this: the best way to view this page is with Netscape 2.0 or higher. I just cannot remember the last time I saw that. I mean didn't we already update the whole world to Netscape 3.0? Yes, I tell ya, I just can't stop ... ]

It's Saturday night and no one is bloggin'

Well, we signed up three new members to the American Legion, so the day was a success accordin' to the guy who came down to assist us. Actually, he was the one who signed the up. Most of the time, I was sittin' in my office, readin' email, answerin' the questions in my interview that will soon be seen on Jennifer's blog, and readin' all the updates on the blogs that were updated. As usual, Saturday is a slow bloggin' day for everyone. It seems most have not even posted anythin', so I suppose that means they post from work or just have a better life than I. I have no idea. I am hopeful that everyone in the world has a better life than mine, but I doubt that, as I am pretty sure in some countries there are people who are hungry, have nowhere warm to sleep or are bein' hunted down by someone else. Nope, my life sucks, but it is not that bad. I am alive, just alone.

The sun came out and that seemed to warm up the area enough that some people decided to come to the square. The parade will be startin' soon, as it is supposed to start right after dark so everyone can look at the lighted floats and the emergency trucks' lights as they roll by. Just like the parade that Denita, Eric and Zane attended in their little Texas town this mornin', I suspect this one will last about 5 minutes also. I am not plannin' on attendin' it, though, as I am now home and not wantin' to go back down to the square. I mean, why waste two minutes worth of drivin' to see a five minute parade, as I have already seen half of it come by my house as all the fire trucks drove to the High School where the parade starts/ I have told ya'll once before that I live almost right next door to the Volunteer Fire Department buildin' so I am already pretty familiar with every vehicle they have. In fact, my dog Comanche, knows when there is a fire call as soon as it comes in, and lets me know the trucks will be rollin' up the street because she starts howlin'. Anyway, I might or might not be back. It is slow, so there is very little new to read, and I feed off of what other people blog about as much as anythin'. Therefore, if no one else is bloggin', I have nothin' to blog about. Waaaaaah. Of course, as the category does not say Nightly Navel Gazin' Report™, I do suppose that means there has to be one more post at sometime later, right?

Condition Yellow

Headache subsided sometime durin' the night, however, I am wary of reoccurrence. I amy be back later. We are havin' our little town Christmas event today, so I am gonna be on the square, probably in and out of my office. The American Legion is setting up a table in front of my office. I expect there will be other things goin' on here and there that I need to observe or which need my assistance. If anythin' excitin' occurs, I will try to run right back and let ya'll know 'bout it. I mean -- what if a squirrel was to fall outta a tree right into the punchbowl? Naw, that never happens in real life.

[Update: It is 32 degrees and overcast. There are just a couple of people settin' up right now. I suspect a really small crowd. I don't see a punchbowl and the squirrels seem to be hangin' out wherever squirrels go to stay warm.]

Time to change positions, so flip over

The polls are still open, but I am on the way home. Bloggin' will recommence at a slower pace at a later point on a lower band connection. So get over there and vote for me and get to postin' a lot of bloggy goodness for me to read and blurb about when I get around to it.

Who the Hell is this guy?[*]

Thanks to James, I now know what was on the cover of Time at the time of my birth. Wanna check out what was on the cover on your original birthday?

[Update: *James kindly provides the information in the comments. Thanks James!]

Waaaaaaaaah!

I made my first visit to Silflay Hraka from a recommendation from my friend Eric at Who Tends the Fires. I was expectin' to see Bugs Bunny. I didn't. I was disappointed. I would cry but I am listenin' to I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas from a link I found at Buzzstuff. I suppose I should tell Michele about it since she asked, but no matter what she posts she gets comments, and I can't seem to get any comments even if I beg.

Oh by the way, if you haven't gone and voted for Best Large Mammal Blog today, I need a few hundred more votes. Now surely as the only blog in contention with an actual large mammal in the name of the blog, I deserve your vote. Vote, vote often and vote for Tiger: Raggin' & Rantin'.

The Christmas Blues

I seems that Tink is a bit blue* as the holiday season approaches. However, some of her gripes and concerns are very valid points.

I have not really enjoyed any holiday much since my wife passed almost a decade ago. Bein' orphaned, widowed and childless does have it downside. Enjoyin' holidays is way up there on the list of things that are just not all that much fun when you are alone in the world.

*As long as she doesn't sprout long ears and a fluffy tail, I am sure Roxette Bunny won't mind sharin' the color.

Yes, I am here

Hey, sorry 'bout not postin' nuthin' yet. Just been busy with some other stuff. Tryin' to read a few blogs here and there, and will definitely let ya'll know if somethin' really interestin' comes up.

A simple sign of a simpleton

Oh my! I was checkin' the details on sitemeter and came across this:

115 minutes and 31 seconds

reflectin' the amount of time one visitor spent perusin' my blog. Wow, I thought, someone was readin' all my archives or somethin'. But wait, maybe it was a possible enemy who had Googled me and was tryin' to dig up some dirt. I figured I had better investigate. All it showed was a number and no referral link. I ran the number through ARIN and low and behold, it came up with my cable internet provider. It still took a few minutes before I realized that the visitor was me on the office system. I have not yet configured sitemeter to ignore visitors from that IP address.

Ya'd think I do better

Yep, sittin' here after work, got the highband kickin' and am I bloggin'? Nope, been busy over at Atom Films. Ninjai is pretty good. I had completely given up on tryin' to check out anythin' that took more than 5 minutes to download on lowband, so now I am scramblin' to catch up. I haven't run across the Wally and Grommett episodes.

It is official!

Natalie of the most reknown Pickle Juice blog has endorsed me as the one to vote for in the Large Mammal category. So get ye over there and do that while I try to find a good spot on one of these columns to display my award. ;)

OK, time to make a hard decision

Yes, the nominations have been made and now you have to choose between myself and several of my friends in the Large Mammal category in the 2003 Weblog Awards. I am pleased to just have been nominated. My vote is gonna be as difficult as any of yours in this category. Please vote with your conscience. If your vote be for me, such will be appreciated. If your vote be for some other deservin' friend of mine, so be it. To my friends in contention for this award -- Good Luck!

[Update: As I was goin' through the rest of the Ecosystem categories, I saw where my goofy blog Abject Apathetic Procrastination was nominated for top Slitherin' Reptile blog. I was surprised and aghast! I voted for one more worthy, but whomever nominated it, you need to get your head examined. The only way that one should win an award is if there is a category for blog authored by blogger masqueradin' as marsupial or the worst munu blog.]

[Update II: with the votin' so far, it looks like my chances for even a show suck. I am wonderin' if the current leader's blog is all that great as I have never even heard of Roger L. Simon. So, I checked it out, and the first thing I notice is that it has no true blogroll, save a list of graphic links to mostly big dog blogs, and was designed by LGF, which is likely a real clue as to why it leads in the votin' as well. The blog is not that bad, authored by an actual professional author of mystery stories bloggin' on current news items from a mostly conservative slant.]

In the interim

Well, I have returned to Hell! Yes, I just could not remain at the office all night. I mean despite the frigid ambient temperature, the lowband connection, and the utter loneliness* of the place, there really is no place like home. Besides, I had to feed the dogs.

I had attempted to put some kind of router that my friend John recommended so as to create a firewall and to split the signal so that Heather could have eBay access in the reception area. I mangled it, so had to go fetch John and haul him down there to crawl around on the floor under my desk with me and correctly connect all the wires. I am glad no one was on the square to peer through the windows or there could be a really nasty rumor floatin' 'round town right now about John and I rollin' 'round on the floor together. I got that cable up and runnin' and began some downloadin' of some badly needed updates to the software on the reception computer. I still have to reconfigure the network to get the computers to read off of each other and to share the printer. Alas, I will probably frag that too and have to hire someone to come repair the damage.

Well, anyway, I got me a quart of eggnog and am gonna see if there is enough cheap bourbon left in that plastic bottle** to make it tasty and go watch Apocalypse Now Redux*** durin' the interim between now and when I come back to make my Nightly Navel Gazin' Report™ -- you know, the dwell when no one is comin' 'round to read my crap. If I get snonkered enough on eggnog laced with bourbon, I might end up lookin' like Acidman. I'll let ya know.

*It is pretty lonely down at the office too after the close of business.

**It seems I remember drinkin' plastic bottle bourbon before they actually started puttin' it in plastic bottles.

***Yes, I did have to look it up to find the correct spellin'.

Let's Rock 'n Roll

Oh my George, I might never go home. I just got back from finishin' up today's court docket, and the Cable Guy has finished the job he didn't complete just before closin' yesterday and now I am cookin' with gas. Four years ago I had DSL then I moved to this little burg where broadband was non-existent above 128K for $100 a month. I inquired with the phone company about DSL availability. Six months. 6 months passed, I asked again, six months. Another year, I ask again, six months. Microwave came in with a hefty $500.00 installation fee. I checked when DSL would be available. six months. Some tells me they are rewiring the city with fiber optic cable. It will be completed in six months. Just on the offhand that this competition to a possible market had spurred the phone company into initiatin' DSL in the area, I called to see when they might have it. Six months. About six months ago my friend John at the convenience store tells me he is gonna to sign up for cable and WiFi it so as to connect at his house a couple of blocks away. My house in the signal line path, so he was gonna give me access. A week ago, my friend Matt was braggin' to me about his new cable internet connection on his office system and I asked for the guy's card. I still don't have the WiFi at home but I now got me some high band on the office box. I wonder if I am gonna have to change that tagline?

Sometimes I wonder about things

I have attempted to emulate the more popular bloggers who seem to post with some regularity, but I often wonder if some of my choice posts go unread because they get buried under the crap. Oh well, I can always console myself with my newly won BUZZ. Thanks SilverBlue, I shall treasure it always.

Doin' a double take and seein' the Big Picture

When I read Kathy Kinsley's rant about this story, I immediately jumped on the bandwagon about the actions of Oklahoma Republican Congressman Rep. Ernest Istook in introducin' legislation to deny federal fundin' to transit agencies that are "involved directly or indirectly with any activity ... that promotes the legalization or medical use" of illegal drugs in response to advertisements promotin' the legalization of marijuana as bein' patently violative of the First Amendment right of free speech. Then I read the story. It appears that the ads were Public Service Announcements, free ad space donated for public service use. So, now it seems that maybe the Metro was a Federally funded public entity promotin' the repeal of law. Does the right to free speech apply to Federally funded public entities? If the ads had been bought and paid for by some foundation promotin' the legalization of marijuana, surely any action by the government to curtail their ability to advertise might be suspect under the 1st Amendment, but such is not the case surrounding this incident.

Are not Public Service Announcements, by their very nature, often a mere promotin' of one political agenda over another? Does the government owe to the public the right to have positions that are adversarial to the current law funded by the government? Is there a right to equal time for the opposin' viewpoint, so that for every anti-DWI ad there has to be a ad promotin' drunk drivin'?

The proposed legislation, like most of what comes out of Congress and every other law makin' body, will probably be so overbroad as to step on protected rights, but as far as it attempts to cease the promotion of any stance adversarial to the government position done at government expense, I concur.

A study in futility

Oh my, what a dearth of postin' for this fine Tuesday. Well, I have a good excuse. Today was another of those hectic days. I had court this mornin', court appointed case where my client is charged with two separate but similar offenses. It appears that a couple of years ago, my client wrote a substantial multitude of checks while lackin' the necessary funds in the bank to cover them, a.k.a. theft by check. Then, after bein' arrested and charged on that offense, and while out on bond, came into possession of a box of someone else's checks which were stolen from the person's mailbox by some party, most likely my client's estranged husband, and she then wrote a several checks on that account, a.k.a. forgery. My client has two small children and is pregnant with a third. Accordin' to my client, she is havin' pregnancy complications and the sheriff is transportin' here back and forth from the jail. The first plea bargain offer I got was for my client to do 9 months on one charge then return to do 5 years probation on the second charge, with it bein' a condition of probation that she pay restitution in the amount of damages done in these episodes of bad check writin'. I relay such to my client who balks at the deal.

I have to agree that such seems a bit harsh due to her physical problems, so consult with the DA, the chief dog, who is the elected head of the District Attorney's Office. He listens to what I have to say, we gather a bit of information about how long the client had been in jail, etc. I attempt to convince him to allow her to be released on probation so as to give her an opportunity to start payin' the restitution. He asks about her support, meanin' who is gonna be assistin' her on the outside. I inform him that the client's mother will give her a place to live, and her step-father will arrange employment until other suitable employment can be found. So the DA suggests that maybe if the support people are able to raise some of the restitution money, maybe some better arrangements can be made. My client informs me that her family lives in a trailer and don't even own their own cars. Maybe they could come up with $400, no where near the $6000 suggested by the DA.

So I spent a goodly portion of my mornin' accomplishin' nothin' but bringin' that gal up before the bench, havin' her acknowledge that she understands the charges against her and enterin' a plea of not guilty to both charges. This is not a triable case, but that is for my client to say.

Now, I am pretty well convinced that this client falls into that 95% of my clients that I could get off the hook if only absolute stupidity was a defense to criminal activity. She reminded me of a former sister-in-law of mine who was charged with writin' bad checks and sittin' in jail who once called my ex-wife and I askin' if we could pay off her checks so she could get out of jail. I asked her why she had continued to write those checks after depletin' the balance of her account. "I still had checks in the book," was her answer, and I was almost thoroughly convinced that she had thought it was alright for her to continue to write checks for whatever she needed until she ran out of checks. Absolutely stupid, I know, but the world seems to be full of these people, or actually, maybe the jails are full of them.

I do not know what will happen to this gal. My next step will be to call her mother and investigate just how much money they can raise. My client will likely be brought back to court in about a month and we will see if either the DA or my client has changed their mind about the offered deal and go through the whole thing again.

So, after havin' taken care of this matter, or havin' moved it off to another day, as was the actual accomplishment, I headed back to the office to check on Heather, as today was her second day of work and the first day she had faced sittin' around twiddlin' her thumbs with nothin' to do. It really ain't like there is nothin' to do, but nothin' that she is yet qualified to do. I have dedicated this first week with just lettin' her observed the daily goin's on so that she understands prioritizin' stuff, the need to maintain a good calendarin' system, the essential need for proper filin' of papers. She is doin' marvelously.

I spent about an hour in the office checkin' my email to see if there was anythin' pressin' and returnin' a few of the more urgent calls, then had to head back to the town where I had court to do jail calls. I have several clients sittin' in jail there, a few that I had not met yet. I try to make a jail call trip once every other week. It is one of the least enjoyable parts of my job, but also a very necessary one. Oh, it is not all that necessary, as there are several attorneys who handled court appointed cases that never go to the jail to visit their clients. I just think it is important that I show I am concerned enough for them to visit them in jail and talk to them face-to-face about their cases. I had narrowed the list of the ones I felt I actually had somethin' to discuss or which I just needed to make that initial contact to eight individuals.

As I was standin' at the intake window, or at least that is the best way I can describe it, as it is where all persons not brought in handcuffs enter the jail or leave stuff for the inmates, I began to get this severe headache creepin' up the back of my neck. I wanted to just abort the mission and return home. Nope, I am here and I have to go through with this. So, I get my list of locations back from the deputy behind the glass and go into the buffer room, where you go through one locked door to room overlooked by a window from a control room and then have a choice to enter another hallway leadin' off to the left or go straight ahead. I head for the door leadin' left, which clicks when the control guard sees me approach and then I wait until I hear another click to enter the control booth itself.

In there, I write my name in a book with the date and the names of all the people I am there to see, then open a box and take out 4 keys that I will need to access the 4 different rooms I will be sittin' in facin' by client through glass. I leave the control room, turn right and wait for the click before reenterin' the buffer room. I turn left and enter the long hallway that leads to the entries to various jail wards: Red, Blue, Green, and Orange. Each ward has two attorney visitation rooms, East and West. I have clients to see in Green West, the Green East, then Red East, and finally Red West. The first two were supposed to be in Green West before I got to that point, but both were trustees that are actually housed in a ward that does not have access to attorney rooms, so they have to be found and brought over. This requires some coordination between the deputies assigned to Green ward and the deputies assigned to supervise trustees. Needless to say, I sat in that room waitin' for 10 to 15 minutes before I was able to get the attention of any deputy to tell me where my people were, then another 10 minutes before the first one made his appearance. We chat for few minutes and I make some notes about what to do, people to call, etc. I dismiss him and expect that the next one will be waitin' to come in as he leaves, but NO, I had to go through the same rig-a-ma-role, waitin' an additional 10 minutes before he arrives. No all through this, as I am goin' in and out of the room, I am able to see the three I would be visitin' in Green East wonderin' why they were waitin' while I was piddlin' tryin' to get the first two out of the way. I didn't line up the order of visits, that is done by the intake deputy.

Anyway, everyone else was ready by the time I got to the other three rooms, and I was out of the jail and on the way back to the office with just enough time to get there before it was time to send Heather home for the day. What was really weird what the way my headache greatly dissipated the moment I walked out the door from the jail to the parkin' lot and my waitin' car.

Car 54, Where are you?

Would someone please respond to an unwarranted Gogglin' of Natalie?

As I'm sitting here writing out my (honest) resume I can't help but think, "My word, I hope they don't Google me."

Oh, the sheer terror of bein' Googled when you least 'spect it.

There's a New Somethin' in town

Ok, so what do you think was your best post? Or even better, what do you think was my best post ever? Either way, if you want to know a good place to point it out, try BestofMe Symphony.

The eyes of the ***

OK, Kevin is takin' nominations for all those Blog Award categories. Go nominate your favorites, but, just as a warnin', I am gonna go on a virtual cryin' jag if I don't get nominated for somethin' there. I can already feel the cyber tears wellin' up in my cyber eyes, just thinkin' 'bout bein' overlooked as usual when the time comes to recognize those who put forth their best efforts to be the best.

Somethin' worth readin --

OK, just got a boatload of mail from my Aunt Jeaneatte. Haven't gotten far into it and already found a pearl:

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

The poem is attributed in the received email as bein' composed by a Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan. I have not confirmed the truth so such, but am of the opinion that except for proper credit bein' given, the authorship makes no difference in the quality of the sentiments expressed.

Why I like Bill - The Blurb

Oh my oh my, but it seems that SilverBlue and Bill are at each other's throats. Bill featured SilverBlue in Suckwatch today and said some pretty nasty things about SilverBlue. SilverBlue retaliated and said some pretty nasty things about Bill. I, however, have to agree with this statement made my SilverBlue referrin' to Bill:

"... sometimes you just have to point and laugh!"

I mean I read Bill's stuff and I laugh, not because what he writes is funny, but because it sucks so bad it is fuckin'* pathetic. I mean Bill really sucks bad. You wanna know how bad Bill sucks? Well, the cast of Queer Eye was discussin' Bill and unanimously agreed that Bill sucked so bad that a female, any female, could suck better.

*Now ya know why the blog is rated "R," don't ya, 'cause Tiger done went and used the fuckin' "F" word.

They went that'a way

Oh, I stayed up much too late last night to be attemptin' to get up this early. I have such a hangover, and I didn't have a drop of alcohol to drink. I really seldom drink alcohol in any form. I don't enjoy the effects of inebriation all that much and despise the nausea, headaches and other assorted side effects of imbibin' beer, whiskey and wine. Of course, feelin' all those side effects without havin' imbibed is where I am right now. Got Court? I do.

Road Trip? I am thinkin' on makin' a road trip to Key West, Florida over the next few days, majority of travel on I-10 from Beaumont, Texas eastward. I thought I would give a heads up to anyone along the route that I might be passin' by in case any of ya'll would like to meet face-to-face over a Dr. Pepper or sumthin'. Not sure when I leave, but it might be this evenin' or sometime tomorrow.

I had forgotten where I said it

I knew I had said somethin' about havin' Hesiod, a blogger about whom I had no previous acquaintenceship or knowledge, linkin' to me for some reason, but I had was not really sure where I said it, why I said it, and when I said it. I do now. Anyway, he did make good on his promise to link to me, and threw a lot of traffic my way. Thanks again Hesiod.

My only comment is I cannot comment

Michael Jackson can speak for himself:

Michael Jackson (the Official Press Room)

Of course, on the advice of his attorneys, his comments will be limited. I suspect they will be limited to just exactly what they want him to get across to put the right kind of public spin on the case.

attribution: Kelley

Some guys never give up the fight

It seems there is a possibility that there are still four Japanese soldiers holed up somewhere in a remote part of the Philippines who have not heard that World War II has ended.

I got this from Sassy in the Philippines, who linked to the story in a Scottish newspaper.

Bowin' down to the Emperor

I am officially announcin' my induction into the Dept. of Entertainment & Satire at The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler. I was hopin' to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I found that I could neither sing, dance, nor play a musical instrument, so gave up that dream. I am very very proud of my attainment of such stature so as to have been selected for induction into this organization, but would have been more so if I had not discovered that I had to wear a tie and to sit right next to Bill at meetings.

Susie finally gives in to pressure

Oh my, what ya'll have been pinin' for forever has finally occurred. Susie has posted a pic of herself completely nude from the waist up.

The pain of losin' those you love

As Saturdays are usually slow and no one updates much, I have spent most of the evening readin' the blogs at the bottom of the blogroll, as these are the ones that have no capabilities to ping blogrollin' and never move. I had not visited dailee for a week and found that tragedy has hit her world. Her brother is dyin' of cancer and she is frettin' 'cause her family commitments in regard to this situation may mean she will be bloggin' only intermittently. Go visit, give her your love and support in this time of need.

Assault by portly penguin expected

It ain't the first time I visited Daniel Drezner's blog and likely won't be the last time. I mean anyone who is a fan of Opus can't be a bad person. Opus returns to the Sunday comics startin' tomorrow. [see also]

attribution: InstaPundit

One day when I was eight --

I was at home from school with the flu. My mom was there and she had let me lay on the couch in the living room watching TV while she cleaned the house. It was not a good day to have the flu, it turned out, because there was just news on both stations. I turned off the TV and went back to bed. After about 3, I knew there would be cartoons and Three Stooges so I asked my mom if I could go back in the living room and watch TV now. She said I could, but they did were still playing news. It was turning out to be less than an enjoyable day. It was bad enough to have the flu, but having the flu and being bored and not able to watch cartoons and the Three Stooges was worse. I went back to bed. The date was November 22, 1963. I was sick with the flu for the next three days and for some reason every time I turned on the TV, it was news. My dad said they had killed the President, but I couldn't understand why that meant they had to show news when the Three Stooges were supposed to be on. I didn't really pay much attention to politics when I was eight. I mostly read comic books and watched cartoons and the Three Stooges.

Long, Long Ago ---

Deb Yoder is not feelin' the force and needs to retreat to Dagobah for needed meditation. Limited communication opportunites until later date.

In recognition of some helpful bloggers

I am hereby creating and awarding the Tiger Blogotarian Award. This award is presented to those who go out of their way to assist their fellow bloggers. In this initial ceremony, I am giving such award to the following four bloggers:

Pixy Misa for his assistance in providing web space and sites to worthy bloggers.

Dean Esmay who was instrumental in assisting many to leave blog*spot and create MT sites.

Kevin Aylward for always lending a helping hand. and

NZ Bear for having created and continued maintenance of the Blogosphere Ecosystem.

I hope you each glady accept this award and my gratitude for all the assistance you provide to your fellow bloggers. Please feel free to display this award on your blog and to link back to this post to explain its purpose if you wish to do so.

[previously posted 11-20-2003, but bumped forward]

Poor, poor Anna

It does seem that Anna is in a pitiful state. She must be supplied cookies in order to blog.

But before I go --

It seems that today is the anniversary of the invention of the phonograph, or what became the phonograph, in 1877 by Edison. I got that from the radio DJ, who stated that by 1880, somone had installed a nickle slot on one in a Colorado saloon, and the jukebox was born. Ah, capitalism! And you wanna know somethin' -- a nickle was a heck of a lot of money in 1880 and from how many different songs do you think they had to choose? How many nickles do you think were dropped in the slot so some old drunks could keep listenin' to the same ol' song over and over?

The Public Delinking of Glenn Reynolds

Yes, it appears that Glenn Reynolds has been publicly delinked. I found this at Dr. Weevil:

At 9:27:24 AM, the blogger known as 'Hesiod Theogeny' publicly delinked Instapundit, declaring "No more links for free publicity from me after this post".

Said Professor Bug failed, however, to provide a link to the supposed delinkin' post or the blog upon which it was done. However, since he did disclose the name of said blog, with great risk to life and limb, your intrepid reporter tracked down the link to said post. I have been unable to reach Glenn Reynolds for comment.

Lynn S is responsible for first bringin' this story to my attention.

All clear, full speed ahead?

Hmmm, here is hopin' this connection is stable enough for the next few minutes and I can post up one of the other items I was tryin' to point out in earlier. Today has been like a sick day, I started out sick and didn't get any work done today. Oh, I have been here, and I even made a few calls and talked to a few people that came in, but I have not seen one incomin' dollar cross my hand. Do you know how devastatin' a feelin' that is in an attorney's gut? But that wasn't what I was here to say. --

I had wanted to point out that Steven came up brilliant pearl when he penned: Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me." With Jacko, it's, "Little children suffer when they come unto me."

Arrrrgggh! Turn it off!

Oh, do I ever have a headache. It starts right in the base of my neck and goes all the way up in the area behind my eyes. The damn sun is shinin' brightly on the other side of the blinds lightin' up this room blindin' me. I will deal with the headache, but if one of ya'll could conjure up a cloud or two to break that bright beam of light, I would appreciate it.

Oh, I noticed that Venomous Kate has called me a jackanape. I am not sure what that is though. I figure it is like a jackass with opposable thumbs! Cool! Thanks Kate!

[UPDATE: After soakin' in a hot tub of water for a bit, the headache has subsided slightly, nothin' a megadose of analgesics and some DP will not suppress enough for me to operate normally for the remainder of the day, and the sun has retreated above the roof line so that the bright light is not streamin' full force. See? Always just have a little patience, do your best at what you know to do and things always work themselves out.]

Bringin' the news from around the world

I think it is interestin' to know how people in other parts of the world think about their country's involvement in the War in Iraq, don't you? Take the Phillipines, for example.

Sorry to be so late

Hey ya'll remember the story I told ya'll yesterday? Well, it was worse today -- a lot worse. I overslept again, and really have to idea why -- other than maybe I stayed up a bit too late tryin' to load ya'll up on some bloggy goodness or somethin' -- but anyway, there was not a fire call this mornin' -- I did wake up at 10 minutes to 9:00 though, just this mornin' I had court in the next town instead of my home town. Anyway, to make a long story short, I made it to court arrivin' only about 15 minutes late. I was majorly pushin' the speed limit on the trip over and I arrived before my case was called. There was no harm in my oversleepin' 'cept that my hair was a mess, I hadn't shaved and my breath probably stunk. [I will leave out some of the other info] What was worse is that I had a lot of other things I wanted to get done while I was in that town. I did get most of it done but I had so much to do that I only got back to the office an hour or so ago. I would have jumped right in here and posted to update ya'll on why there had been a dearth of postin' so far today, but I had not checked my office email since last Friday. I had 356 messages awaitin' me in my inbox. Of course 333 were SPAMs, 37% of which were tellin' me about these miracle penis enlargement pills on the market, and several others which offered me all kinds of different prescription drugs with a free medical consultation with a doctor. The ones that I like best, though, are the ones that offer to sell me programs to assist me in stoppin' SPAM. SPAMMIN' to assist me in stoppin' SPAM. Well, I do promise more postin' to come, but I got a mess of phone calls to return.

Gone to the fillin' station

It seems that my tank is runnin' low on fuel and the slightly neurotic neuronic engine of this blog will cease to correctly function unless I make a quick trip to refill that tank. Besides, I need a quick nic fix. Still hoverin' on about 10 per day. BBL: chatspeak for be back later. But then you knew that.

Oh, hey, did you see what James said about Acidman? Strange, for some reason, it seemed like he was talkin' 'bout me, but then he didn't say anything about the blogger bein' real handsome, so I knew it was Acidman. George, but he is ugly.*

*I am really only joshin' 'bout that, but he did start it when he said I looked older than he did.

A Blogger Service Announcement

I just wanted to inform some of ya'll that do not use MT or one of the other bloggin' programs that will ping blogrollin' to inform it that you have updated your site that there is a stand alone form at http://www.blogrolling.com/ping.phtml that you can use to ping blogrollin' when you have recently updated your blog. For those people like me that have their blogroll set to where the most recently update blogs go to the top of the list, pingin' blogrollin' might assist you in gettin' more readership for your blog.

Cleanin' up the blogroll

OK, after I reported some of the big dogs that have given up the bloggin' habit, I was rememberin' last time I checked, I had several blogs on my blogroll that had not been updated in quite awhile. Let me see:

Slumbering Pierrot

Collinization

Rachel Lucas

The Bemusement Park

Bloggers' Congress [a good idea that just didn't take off]

tarek speaks crap -- and

Peppermint Patty

and there were a few on there that I seldom read and have not linked to me on their blogroll:

Reality Bitchslap

Banana Oil

Hot Buttered Death

she sells sanctuary

The American Undershirt

Gooberbug

Tim Blair

Mark A. R. Kleiman

IsThatLegal?

Asymmetrical Information -- and

Ken Layne

All blogs which I feel I need to delink at this time.

And there are a few on the bubble, bein' blogs that I like to read often, but, for some reason, have found no reason to link back to mine:

Dangerously Delusional

The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler -- and

Jessica's Well

However, I want to say that just because I delinked a blog does not mean it was not a good blog or a worthwhile read, as some that I delinked are among some of the most popular blogs. I have previously stated that the blogs on my blogroll are the blogs I like to read, so those I am delinkin' are those which are no longer offerin' anythin' new to read or are blogs that I seldom if ever read and to which I feel no reciprocal need to stay linked.

Now, that bein' all said and done, that frees up some space for some new blogs to find their way onto my blogroll. You want on there? Well, leave me a comment and I will check ya out. A couple of clues though: Be able to ping back to blogrolling so as to show you have updated is a key factor and not bloggin' on blog*spot is a plus. I will be lookin' for some new ones myself, but it surely won't hurt your chances to let me know you are out there.

Just wait 'em out, my boy

Well, Rachel Lucas supposedly hung up her keyboard, then David Strain announced he was movin' on, and today I read that Juan Gato is givin' it up as well.

Hmmm, so you get all the fame and fandom and they just get tired and run off into the sunset ... sounds about right to me, I guess. So, all ya'll that had them on you blogroll/link list now have some room to add me. Glenn Reynolds? Oh, speaking of blogroll/link lists, I was not listed on the sites of Rachel Lucas, David Strain or Juan Gato. You think there is a coincidence there?

And, while we are on the subject of Glenn Reynolds, did you see what John Cole was sayin' 'bout the Blogfather, Kevin Drum and Mark Kleinman?

Seems that if ya just wait long enough, your day will come. You will be the big dog and people will spend all their time pickin' ya to pieces until ya either give it up or you show how tough ya are. So, whose the next big dog to hang up them spurs?

Blitzin' the Blogosphere

OK, folks, the Cowboys are playin' in the ESPN Sunday Night game, so in order to get them ready to whoop up on the New England Patriots, I am gonna start the action by blitzin' the blogosphere.

SilverBlue is handin' out some good advice.

Eric has unveiled the fabulous new design of Who Tends the Fires.

Michele has an extensive discussion on the need to reconsider the nature of the Blogosphere. Has it become a Blogogalaxy?

Cracker Barrel Philosopher reports on tactics used by some Chinese citizens in an attempt to reduce select portions of the population.

Stevie has a major Swedish Meatball dilemma.

James of OTB also evaluates the blogosphere in reponse to the recent Washington Post story on the coziness among rival bloggers.

Dean Esmay opines that a recent recommendation in the New York Times that the Arab League take over security in Iraq is insanity.

I seem to remember several bloggers mentionin' that wonderful product called Duct Tape on many occasions, but Dawn has brought forth praise on that other household staple: WD-40.

Random Prose has provided evidence that Brittney Spears is piratin' music.

Kathy Kinsley points to a new found possible source of fuel for the future on our very own moon.

Jen has some thoughts on the Kennedy assassination, its celebration, and whether Kennedy should actually be viewed as a great President.

In his first appearance in a ***ific Linky-Love session, Robert Prather brings us a funny old joke.

Kevin is wonderin' why he is not on the A list, when he is sure he deserves to be.

Misha is ravin' bout Frank J's latest efforts so that you don't have to.

In startlin' news, Greyhawk relates that a blogger has been wounded in action in Iraq. Further info: here, here and especially here.

and last, but not least

Venomous Kate is hissin' 'cause she was not a recipient of one companies latest mail campaign effort.

Now, 'bout that incestuous blogosphere crap, I have been sayin' for years[*] that some bloggers continually link to the same blogs all the time. I know I do, because I seldom read blogs that are not on my blogroll, yet most blogs on my blogroll are there because someone on my blogroll had linked to a story of theirs that I liked, I checked out the blog and added it to my blogroll. Regrettably, I find I only have so much time to devote to readin' blogs, so I just can't be readin' them all. Sorry to those of you that were mentioned in the Washington Post story, but I have never read your blogs or ever even heard of your blogs. I did, however, notice that my blog was not mentioned in that story or anyone's blurb about that story. I wasn't surprised.

This post was compiled in slightly less than 90 minutes despite having had three dialup disconnections during such effort.

[* UPDATE: After publishin' this and readin' through it, I realized I have not been bloggin' for years, so if you are wantin' to check out where I first stated such, you will have to go back to 312 B.C. and see where I wrote such on some stone tablets. I would have linked to such in the blurb, but I am unable to locate them at this time.]

I read it and didn't know what to say

There is an interestin' discussion on rape pornography that you might want to read. In the words of the immortal Stan Lee, 'Nuff said.

attribution: I found the link somewhere, but forgot where by the time I found time to read it -- feel free to claim credit if due

Lookin' for some excitement

I suspect it is gonna be another slow visitation day, so instead of spendin' endless hours sittin' here regurgitatin' my inane every thought, I think I will go out and see if I can locate a little excitement. Surely there is somethin' goin' on out there in the real world. If for some reason, you do venture in lookin' for soemthin' fresh and new, don't despair. I am sure there is plenty of bloggy goodness down below that you have overlooked, or, if you are one of my ardent fans who reads every word I write, then you likely already know that there are some really good blogs over on that blogroll. Bloggin' will recommence whenever I regain the itch ... likely later today, but who knows what distraction I might find.

Oh, last thing, visit, visit often, so that my daily visitation average does not go into the dumper while I am gone ... please!

Some light inanities

Hmmm, seems that Ith has a list of things to do to irritate other people durin' The Return of the King. My favorite was

Imitate what you think a conversation between Gollum, Dobby and Yoda would be like.

I would however, also include that the subject of the conversation would be how to explain to Jar-Jar Binks what the movie was about.

I don't know why Owen had to go ruin my Friday night and mention that today was the anniversary of the publication of the worst book ever written. Call me Depressed.

And finally, Dustbury envisions Hell.

Now back to whatever you were doin'.

Gone fishin'

Not really goin' fishin'. I just began to feel like I am quickly fallin' under the weather, so thought I might ought to quickly post this light bloggin' warnin'.

The family* has requested that in lieu of flowers, cards, and comments, that you show your condolences by makin' a link back to one of the more worthy posts on ***'s blog and send him a few readers. That always seems to brighten his spirits.

*Family, what family? This is a hoax, folks, so don't buy into it. However, those link backs are still welcome.

Okie dokie, real law time

What a strange thing. Back story, guy under mental treatment for 30 years walks into a crowd of people with his dinger hangin' out. He is drunk, off of his anti-psychotics and gets arrested and spends the next five days bouncin' off walls at the local lockup. I got appointed and suggested I do a quick motion for psych eval. After a good dose of Haldol, the guy comes down and regains ability to live normally with day-to-day medication. He is practically homeless, a ward of the state MHMR system. He gets charged with crime of exposin' himself knowin' children are present with the intent to sexually arouse some person. This occurred almost two years ago.

I immediately know this guy has an insanity defense. I mean, this is not a guy that was lookin' though windows at little girls or prowlin' dark hallways at nights, this guy walked straight into a crowd of people with his dinger hangin' out. No one in their right mind would do that. Since my appointment more than two years ago, that has been my plan of attack. The first DA lackey psychologist determined my guy was not legally insane at the time of the offense. I moved for an appointment of a second evaluation. Another DA lackey psychologist was appointed and came to the same conclusion. I protested that I had not been appointed the psychologist who my client was entitled to have to assist him in raisin' this defense and got a third psychologist appointed. The case is set for trial on December 1. I have been playin' phone tag with my assistin' psychologist for the last three weeks. Pre-trial was scheduled for this mornin.'

Wednesday, late, an assistant DA called me and offered to give my guy probation on the case. This was a rapid departure from their position that he was to serve a minimum of 5 years. Yesterday, I call the client in and discuss this offer with him. At the merest suggestion, he agrees to the plea bargain. I explain to him that by takin' the plea he will be convicted of a felony and will be required to register as a sex offender. He understands and still says he wants the deal. I explain that not only do we have a good insanity defense, I cannot see any way that the DA can prove he had any intent to arouse the sexual desire of any person in his action. He still wants to plead. Why? It erased the possibility that he would have to serve time in the penitentiary.

This morning, I walk in with my client and we are the only case on the docket. I had informed the DA last evenin' that my client had agreed to the deal, so we begin the arduous amount of paperwork necessary to complete the plea: the probation forms for the judge's signature, the sex offender notifications, and my duty to get the proper acknowledgments and waivers executed by my client. We stand up before the court, the magic words are spoken, the necessary questions are answered, and the judge sentences my client in accordance with the plea bargain. As a last step before grantin' the probation on this offense, the Court asks the DA if he had consulted the victims and secured their agreement to the recommended punishment. The DA responses, in my opinion, indicated he had gotten no cooperation from the complainin' witnesses.

I did not want my client to plea. I thought we had a good case for trial. I know what he did was shockin' and alarmin'. But was it criminal? This was just some drunk crazy old man who was not watchin' whether or not his willie was sufficiently concealed who wandered into a crowd goin' to the store to get a box of matches. It is not the mere sight of genitals themselves that are criminal, as it all has to do with the state of mind involved when they are visible. In Dallas, I would have probably already had this case dismissed, or gotten an agreement to send the guy to the hospital for some treatment, or at the very least, reduced to a misdemeanor with no sex offender registration requirement.

How do I feel about all of that? I dunno ... the client got what he wanted, I guess. I made damn sure to make it clear on the record that he knew what he was doin' and that he was doin' what he wanted to do. I hope he does well on probation. I am now not too sure the DA would not have offered somethin' much better on the day of trial, but it is over. Two years of involvement with this client and this case. I only await receivin' the check from the county where I will be paid. End of story.

Trickle, trickle, it must be Thursday

George, but is the Blogosphere dead or what? Survivor must be on.

Speakin' of Thursdays, I have noticed that in the latest revisions of our Standard Possession Order, the schedule of who has the right to have the children in family cases, has changed McDonald's Night from Wednesday to Thursday. The Order does not call it McDonald's Night. That is my term for the night one parent has possession of the children from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Usually, on such night, you will see almost every McDonald's in Texas is packed with mostly men with two or children each between such hours. It seems kinda funny that after 20 years or so, all of sudden they changed the two hour visitation from Wednesday night to Thursday night.

In the meantime ...

Well between the time I last posted and now, I did get a lot of things on my 65 item todo list done. In fact, I got all of the things off today's list. Some were put off until tomorrow, a completely clear day on my calendar. Then I thought today was goin' to be a mostly clear day, and we see how that turned out. Most of the others were status checks on cases, so mostly I reset the status checks to do again in another week or so, dependin' upon the case. I did get a substatntial amount of correspondence prepared and mailed, so the most urgent items did get fully accomplished. All in all, I was fairly productive after all. I still wanted that nap, just had to put it off until I got all that crap done.

I am buried in paper all the time. I have paper all over my office, tons of it comes in through the mail on a daily basis, and several items come via fax, and then there are emails that I find important enough to print out and put in a client's file. And, of course, I create a goodly amount of paperwork on a daily basis. I still need another totally free day to go through the various stacks of paper in my office and put them in the various files to which they belong. I need a secretary, but I never seem to make quite enough to be able to afford one. So, I end up workin' my butt off regularly. Do I make a good livin'? Well, my yearly wages for the last few years have been about equal to what a school teacher makes, except that I do not get 3 months paid vacation in the middle of each year. Still, there is nothin' quite like getting up in front of a bunch of strangers and trying to convince them to do somethin', usually somethin' they have no desire to do. I sometimes figure the thrill of winnin' a case is like what a NFL quarterback feels when he completes a touchdown pass. You feel elated, then you go back to the huddle a little bit later and try to figure out how to do it again.

I have a really bad headache tryin' to come over me. I am unsure if it is sinus, but that is my suspicion, or if it is what I call a CRT headache, which is caused by the eyestrain from lookin' at a computer monitor for hours and hours. Anyway, I fear bloggin' might be light, so forgive me ... please.

It's my party, so I can ban who I want to

I have always attempted to allow each to share their views on this blog through the comments, whether they agree with my position or not. Of course, I have never put up with comment SPAMMERS and today I got my first troll. He left two comments, neither of which had anything to say other than to try to inflame others. I checked out his site, blog, or whatever he wanted to call it, which said it was offensive humor. No, it was just offensive. There was nothin' humorous to see. I doubt there is much traffic coming his way and I surely was not gonna allow him leave his name or link on my blog. So today, I banned the little troll from my blog, even though it tied up my bandwidth for almost an hour rebuildin' my blog. It was worth every minute.

Now, as a Veteran, I am gonna reserve my right to go rest. I am tired from all the recognition I got today.

Sometimes bad news hits close to home

I received an email from my brother today. It seems that they buried my ex-step-nephew last week. From the best I can remember, he would be about 9 years old. He was found dead outside the apartment he and his mother lived in, where he was supposedly huffin' freon from the air conditioner. Hopefully someone will learn a lesson from his death. That is the very best thing I can hope for from this situation. Rest in Peace, Matt.

As sad as it makes me to say so, I am glad my dad had already passed away, because my dad was very very close to Matt. His death would have broken my dad's heart. Of course, if my dad had still been around, maybe this would not have occurred. Who knows?

One last thing before turnin' in

Wow, 95 visitors for November 8: the closest I have come to toppin' the 100 mark since I actually did get 100 visitors on October 9.

I also had to rebuild my entire blog three times during all of those visits after discoverin' and deletin' spammer commentin'. It actually takes quite a bit of time to rebuild this blog now that I have somethin' over 1300 entries.

Perchance, I should read more and blog less?

Flannery O'Connor wrote your book.
Not much escapes your notice.

Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Fine & well, I might say, but I don't have a clue as to who Flannery O'Connor was. It seems someone does.

Assist goes to Kelley.

We all regret these kind of days

Poor Cathy had a horrible day. A good friend passed away.

Go by and pay your respects.

Update to Health watch: Lettuce may be toxic

Way back on April 28, 2003, I reported on a possible health problem involving perchlorate contamination in California lettuce. Today, I received this comment to that post:

As California’s former Secretary for Environmental Protection and former chief law enforcement officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I share the public demand that the facts about perchlorate become available and accessible to as many people as possible.

It is absolutely essential that regulatory agencies have access to the best possible scientific information on which to base critical decisions. To do otherwise would risk creating a drinking water standard for perchlorate that fails to provide public health benefit while imposing staggering costs—not only unnecessarily burdening taxpayers and ratepayers, but also diverting resources from other important needs. This is important everywhere, and nowhere more than in California, where we are struggling to maintain services during a historic budgetary crisis.

In the midst of these challenges, there is very good news. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), recognizing the importance of this issue nationally, has convened a panel of experts to review the science. This affords state governments the opportunity to obtain and apply the best available scientific information in setting regulatory standards. Given California’s longstanding commitment to environmental leadership, the timing could not be better.

The NAS will have a large body of credible research on perchlorate from which to draw, going back half a century, when perchlorate was in widespread use as a medication to treat thyroid problems. You will see on the Web site www.councilonwaterquality.org, credible scientific studies have found no adverse effects on human health from low levels of perchlorate. Widely accepted scientific evidence indicates that perchlorate does not cause cancer or birth defects, and is not stored in the body.

Just as the NAS is a unique forum to bring together science in neutral, respected forum, the Council on Water Quality Web site aims to become a reliable source of information on perchlorate.

James

I thought his message was too important to be buried in comments that no one would likely see. Thanks for the input James!

George ... Friday has come at last!

Of course, I over slept .... badly. Cold weather does that to me. I am so warm snuggled up in a goose down comforter that there is no way my body wants to feel that cold air touch its outer shell. It rebelled against my will and remained inert until the bladder alarm went off and forced me into action. Now I have things to do, the most crucial of such is another trip to the dentist for deep cleanin' on the other side. I am so lookin' forward to that. Feel free to denote sarcastic inflection within that last sentence.

There is really a lot of good stuff to read from the past couple of days, so if ya got a minute or two, scroll down and read a few of the other entries. 'Course, that is only a suggestion, not a requirement.

Yours truly: Butt end of lame jokes

Hmm ... according to Madfish Willie, Kang A. Roo is tellin' some really lame *** jokes. After being found out, said Kang A. Roo seems to headin' out the back way.

The Lord of the Pings

OK, I previously posted about Roxette Bunny's ping onslaught of 39 pings on SilverBlue after discovering Denita's showering of 29 pings on me. This made me mindful that with a little effort, a person could easily manipulate the Blogosphere Ecosystem. I had actually prepared to do so, just to show how it could be done. Someone very close to me talked me out of it, saying that the Blogosphere Ecosystem operates as well as it does due to the fair play of the bloggers involved and that my example would not be within the bounds of fair play. After having it stated so succinctly, I came to the realization that such was evidently true.

Just to show you how easily one person could singlehandedly change the face of the Blogosphere with one post, please consider what is exhibited in the extended entry. Each link is to a different post, but as all such links point to this blog, such will have no effect on the Blogosphere. However, if such script were to be posted in any other blog taking part in the Blogosphere Ecosystem, the number of unique links to my blog would be increased by a substantial number. The following script took me just over an hour to create using some ordinary functions of some very common programs most people have on their computers. I will not, however, disclose how such was done or advise anyone to attempt to duplicate my efforts. My exhibition of the darkest side of rampant linkage herein is intended only to initiate some discussion of the bounds of fair play as it relates to rampant linkage from one blog to another.

One post to link them all [1359 total unique links]:

ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, pi

Posted by notGeorge at 05:41 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Candyman is home safe and sound

Only once a year can you be an old man coaxin' little children with candy without someone callin' the law on you. Yes, the event is over. I ended up havin' about 1/4 of the candy left over after no one was comin' by, so I just took the bucket and ran around puttin' 2 to 3 more lollipops in anyone's baskets, buckets or sacks that were around. I saved the last 25 or so to put in the bowl on the receptionist's desk for the kids that come in with my clients from time to time. Last time I did this event, I started out puttin' two pieces in every bag, bucket or whatever and ran out, so this time I limited everyone to one piece. I actually think I would have done better if my office was in a better location, but as it was, I saw several people cuttin' the corner and completely missin' me. I actually didn't have as many come by a second time this time as I did on the last occasion either.

It was not all that much fun at first, because my office is on the east side of the square and the event started at 3 to 4 o'clock. For some reason, here it is November 1st and it was somewhere about 85 degrees, fairly humid, with some gustin' breezes here and there, and I was burnin' up sittin' in the door to hand out candy. Finally the sun fell behind one of the buildings on other side of the square, and I could actually stand to wheel my chair onto the sidewalk.

I had several of my clients come by, one who told me that the sheriff's department decided to drop his case. I was almost sure that would happen sooner or later because the complainin' witness, the person who was supposedly assualted with a baseball bat by my client, has about 6 or 7 cases against him right now in another county. One of his charges is for assaultin' a police officer. Our defense on this case was that my client was only defendin' himself and his wife from the person, so I am sure the investigator decided their case against my client was a loser and decided there was no reason to send it to the grand jury. It really does not bother me, as I have already been paid enough for what I have done on his behalf.

I am really tired now. My friend at the convenience store is cookin' some roast beef up there right now for him and his family, and it will be done pretty soon. I stopped by to refill my cup with Dr. Pepper and he said to come back later and get a plateful. He does that from time to time, as both he, his wife, his 6 year old daughter, and his 22 year old step-son are usually somewhere around the store anyway. He was tellin' me today how they almost feel like I am one of their family. Several people in town agree he has a heart of gold. I am one of them. Well, I will likely come back a bit later to do my daily update on you know what, or if you don't, you are just not one of my regular readers.

Gone fishin'

Well, actually, I have to get to court for a few matters. I will likely be there for most of the afternoon. Now ya'll don't give up on me! I am sure most of ya'll have not yet read all 18 of those posts I penned yesterday. I thought I was at my snarkiest!

Here is somethin' really interestin'

My friend Frank sent me this link http://www.firehogs.com/calif/calburoc.shtml which deals with California's bureaucracy as applies to its firefighting preparedness. Really interestin' stuff.

Another severe disappointment for the masses

It appears that a sparcity of crop circles in Virginia has postponed a weekend rocket launch.

As many links as I can do in half an hour

Kelley says kids are getting headaches from readin' Harry Potter and should be ashamed.

Jeff is ravin' 'bout a new search engine.

Steve has a friend who dumps boyfriends just to get him to make cookies for her.

Some people seemed to understand what the Hell michele was talkin' 'bout, so maybe it's me.

Sophorist found somethin' that made me proud and sad and mad and feelin' bad.

Jay is proud to find he has fans from around the world.

Venomous Kate has found something to seethe about and really didn't?

SilverBlue has linked to something you really shouldn't see, and thankfully for some well placed black boxes, you won't go blind if you check it out.

It seems Deb hasn't been postin' much lately either, and found that skippin' work yesterday was as bad as she thought.

and just enough time for one more ...

Scott has a nifty tale involvin' duct tape and emus.

The severe decline of daily blogging

Damn, but I need broad-band. I have been contemplatin' severely gettin' broad-band through our cable company now that is has finally come to town. Of course, they are chargin' way more than what you have to pay in the big city, but we are at the mercy of all companies here, payin' more for electricity, water, cable, gasoline, food, housing and almost anythin' else than almost anywhere else I have lived in my life. Sure, some of it can be due to general price rises that come along durin' time, but I was surprised at the difference between what I was payin' for the same things when I lived in Dallas right after I moved here almost 4 years ago. Still, despite the large cost of livin', I would rather live here than in Dallas.

I have worked it out, and really havin' the cable connection would cost me as much as the extra phone line at work, so the monthly bill would not be hard to swallow. The big problem is the connection fee. It is free if you sign up for two years, but I am hopin' to move into the County Attorney's Office before the end of two years. I already ended up payin' for the 8 months left on my DSL contract when I left Dallas, so I am not really wantin' to pay again for somethin' I am not usin'. So why am I tellin' you all of this? Well, I have not been able to stay connected to the internet long enough while I am at the office to get a post to go through over the last few days. The previous post took me more than an hour of effort to finally get it published. By the time I get home, I am tired. I have probably sat in front of a computer for 4 to 8 hours already, and sometimes I just do not feel like sittin' here all night.

Tonight is one of those nights that I am really tired ... and here it is only Monday. Wow, is this ever gonna to be a long week. I will be back a bit later, I think, but for now, I am gonna to go watch a movie. You know, I have never had a compulsion to watch a movie twice in a row before, but I could almost sit down and watch Chicago all over again. However, I have several more new ones I bought, so I will likely wait a few says before screenin' that one again. And if I do come back, I might just spend some time catchin' up on readin' a bunch of blogs I have not had time to read here lately. Of course, once I start doin' that, I start findin' all that bloggy goodness that I feel like pointin' out to those that might have missed it. I will then end up sittin' here way way past midnight. I didn't get any sleep last night, if you remember, so I am likely gonna hit the hay pretty quickly tonight.

Forgive me for the slow down, but if I remember one of Venomous Kate's rules about bloggin' -- if it ain't fun, then why are ya doin' it? Of course, Kate didn't quite say it like that, but I think that fairly represents the gist of it. Ta Ta for now.

The simple lessons of life

I was just talking to my six-year-old friend, Cheyene. She was wearing some fashion jeans with various graphics painted on the legs: a couple of hearts, a tic-tac-toe game, the word kiss, the word love and the phrase touch the sky. I asked her if she could touch the sky and she told me no, it is too high to touch it. I then asked her was not our world made up of land, water and sky? She agreed. I said so if it is not land or water, then it must be sky. She agreed. Then I asked if someone told you to touch the water, would you have to touch the bottom of the pond or just the top? She said you would just have to touch the top. So, I said if you wanted to touch the sky, then you would not have to reach very high to touch the bottom of it, would you? I simply love kids. I love how they are so innocent and so very unknowledgable about the simplest things. It is such a joy to watch them learn about the simple things in life and so sad to watch them lose their innocence as the hard lessons are learned.

When does it stop?

Wow, has this ever been a long day, but before I get into that, let me share a story about our small town. From what I have heard, Seth is the oldest man in town. He told me he would be 96 this December today when I saw him drive by as I was getting out of my car. His wife, who was just a year younger than him has died recently, I had not had a chance to give Seth my condolences, so I stopped him for a moment to tell him I hoped he was doing well, as I understand how hard it is to lose your spouse. First of all, when I say I stopped Seth, I halted his progression as he passed by in his motorized wheel chair. When I first moved to town, someone pointed him out as he was driving around in his little black pickup truck and said always watch out if you see that guy. He cannot see all that well and will just backup into the street right in front of you. Well, Seth has since gotten rid of the pickup truck and just tools around town in the electric wheel chair. Of course, the thing only goes about 2 mph, but if my memory is right, that is about how fast he drove around in that pickup truck also. I suppose if you cannot see all that well, it is important not to drive too fast as you do not want to approach anything you are unable to see, because who knows whether 10 feet ahead there might be a hippo just sitting in the middle of the street or something. The town is small, and even though his destination was over a mile away, I understand he makes the trip at least once a day. He was going to his favorite restaurant for lunch.

Anyway, to make a long story short, when I asked him if he was doing alright with his wife gone, he said he was doing alright. He said I go dancing twice a week, Tuesdays in Stephenville (about 20 miles west of our town) and on Thursdays in Granbury (about 20 miles north of our town). I wondered where he was dancing at, so I asked. He said it was the Senior Citizen Center in each town. He said he usually spent about 90 minutes dancing on those two nights and that there were all kinds of women. He said there were a lot of pretty ones. I could hope that I was like Seth when I was in my 90s, but sadly, I can't dance for 90 minutes at less than half his age. I would say it is likely due to all of those cigarettes I smoked over the years, but then Seth had a pack of unfiltered Pall Malls in his shirt pocket as we talked.

Now back to my day: long ... and for tonight, that is likely enough. I am almost sure ya'll are tiring of me describing how swamped I am at work right now. I complain a bit, but then I also remember how I had absolutely no business when I first moved here in 2000, so I might actually say I have exceeded my expectations. ;)

Were there two Mondays this week?

Wow, what a day? I just got home. I had at least a million things to do, just like yesterday, and actually did knock out a large portion of what I had to do. Spent most of the morning meeting with different members of the DA's office which is actually in the next town over, regarding several of my clients sitting in the clink, then worked a deal to get one of them out of the clink and took it before the court, had a long discussion with that judge afterward regarding an estate matter that needs to be finalized, what he suggested and what we needed to do to effect the end result. Back to the office, worked diligently to get all the notes made about what I had accomplished this morning, return the various calls that had come in during my absense, prepared the four cases I have for tomorrow's our town docket, that occurs for this court once a month, called a couple of clients to remind them on the need for them to appear, then went to meet with the former Adjunct of the American Legion to get the mailing list to send the notices out to the membership regarding next week's meeting. I am about worn out, had have had a nagging sinus headache escalate during the day, so that I finally succumbed to downing some sinus tablets. That means I will not sleep well during the night, and tomorrow starts very early as I have one client that wants to meet early to prepare for court tomorrow. As such, I think I will just call it a night. Nothing new to report about the navel so count this as your Nightly Navel Gazing Report for Tuesday, October 21, 2003.

The Halftime Show

You know, I have been doing a fairly poor job here lately of slingin' some linky-love around to those hard working blogging friends of mine, so while I am awaiting for the second half to start, let me tell you what you can find around the Blogosphere at this very moment:

• Tink is doing a bit of reflection, introspection and genuflection about the life that was and is.
• Cathy is experiencing one of the lesser joys of parenthood.
• Tony is following the growth, or is it the birth, of the data storage industry.
• SilverBlue lays claim to popping the 10K cherry on Susie's blog.
• I dunno how much I can believe about anything on Little Tiny Lies, but just read what Steve has to say.
• Cherry is a flappy bird and had decided that she should spend more time outdoors.
• I don't know how Kate has time to blog with all the stuff she and Kelley have been up to lately.*

Checked the game, and it seems to be going way too far on KC's way for me to watch right now, so let's continue:

• Mark has a picture and a link to one of those "now why didn't I think of that" product ideas that will make someone else a million bucks.
• Jen is working hard to be assist those who will be tomorrow's "life of the party" at work.**
• Kim posts some graphics and conjures up some mental pictures of his upcoming business trip.
• James took the opportunity to mention that anthrax is still in the news.
• Only Natalie could find a robot to talk with when there was no one else around.***
• CG Hill located someone who actually found a good use for SPAM.
• Ith has found another one of those PC things that went overboard.
• Lesley lists and pans the 10 worst movies he has ever seen.****
• Michele is unusually quiet.
• Deb is listening to the Eagles and having memories of buying the CD while in the service.
• Kevin has posted the picture of the perfect woman for me.
• TalkLeft gives us the latest Kobe news and a link to the actual ruling by the judge.
• Jed makes a few apropos comments about John Allen Muhammad's choice to represent himself.
• Saving the best for last, you just have to read this fantastic short play composed by Jeff.*****

Now back to watch the end of the game, or if it is too far gone, maybe to bed.******

*I wish I had a good friend in Hawaii and the plane fare to travel there to party with them.

**Just reading the description of all that food made me hungry.

***Did I ever tell ya'll how delighted I was when I one day discovered that I had found myself on Nat's links?

****I actually remember liking Flash Gordon, but then I think I was about 10 or 12 when I saw it.

*****I think maybe Frank and Steve better watch their backs, 'cause this might be a sign that there is a new Sheriff in town.

******Now, you know I wouldn't go to bed without giving you the Nightly Navel Gazing Report™, don't ya?

[UPDATE: I did manage to catch the very last play of the game, which showed why Oakland was destined to lose this game.]

Busier than a one-toothed beaver

Whew! What a day! It started off normally slow as I spent most of the morning catching up on Friday's todos that were not urgent enough to keep me here past 7:00 pm on Friday. Then the FedEx guy that I missed on Friday dropped off a fine payment I needed to take to another town to dispose of a distant out-of-town client's speeding ticket, so I left just before lunch to get that matter off of my list. Well, of course, my timing was bad and I arrived just after noon and the Justice of the Peace office had closed for lunch. I found somewhere and had lunch myself. It was not an entirely pleasant dining experience, but I am going to count some of that as my mistake for picking a fairly new place instead of going to that place in that town where I normally would have eaten. Anyway, after lunch, I took care of my client's legal matter and started on my way back home. I hit town about 2:00 p.m. and as I pulled past the courthouse, I caught a whiff of engine coolant. I pulled into a space on the square and popped the hood. I observed a small pinhole squirting a steady stream of antifreeze mixture from one of my heater hoses onto the fuel injectors. Oh, well, such occurs and at least my timing had worked out on this one so that I was actually on my home turf when such occurred. I checked my heat gauge and the car was not running hot at that point, so I felt safe to drive it the few blocks to my mechanic. I then sat around for an hour while it was repaired. Of course, today had to be one of those very warm Texas autumn days. I sat around in coat and tie and sweated for an hour. By the time I finally returned to the office, I was severely behind on some other matters that I had hoped to have taken care of before the end of the day ... but guess what? The end of the day is here and those items have not been done. In fact, in the past hour, I have gotten three phone calls about items that take priority over those. Oh well. Guess it is another late night. Par for Monday, huh? I was really hoping for an eagle on this one.

One final ugly dog mug

It seems that Rachel Lucas is announcing a long hiatus while she recuperates from a thumb injury or something, and does some volunteering at a local nursing home. I never did get around to blogrolling her, so I guess I will put that idea on hiatus also. By the way, the dog really ain't all that ugly ... in fact it is very cute. Hope life goes well for ya, Rachel. Almost 1.2 million visits in just over one year says that you have a lot of fans that are gonna miss your rants.

attribution goes to WizBang!*

*Upon reading a bit further, I see Kevin has something about how to get some free hosting service and such if you want to leave accursed blog*spot and become a real-life MT blogger.

My sometimes other job

Some of ya'll have probably fun across a blub here and there about my zoo duty. I am not too sure I have ever taken much time to tell you much about Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, but here is an ABC news take on the place.

Did anyone really want to know all of this?

You know those damn questions people send around by email, with some foreword like the following:

Welcome to the next edition of getting to know your friends. What you're supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the person who sent it to you. The idea is that you'll learn a lot of little facts about your friends.

1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GO TO BED LAST NIGHT? 10:30 pm

2. IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would have taken better care of my teeth

3. PAPER OR PLASTIC? paper

4. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK/MAGAZINE YOU READ? Sports Illustrated

5. A TV SHOW YOU CAN'T STAND TO WATCH? any supposed reality show

6. WHAT DID YOU EAT FOR LUNCH TODAY? salad

7. DO YOU LIKE TO BE SURPRISED? sure, why not?

8. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR TOOTHBRUSH? blue

9. WHAT BRAND OF DEODORANT DO YOU WEAR? none

10. YOUR FAVORITE STORE TO SHOP AT? Dollar General

11. WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER OR FALL? Spring

12. FAVORITE DESSERT? peach cobbler

13. WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PREFER - MAID OR PERSONAL CHEF? maid

14. FAVORITE CANDY? Wintergreen Altoids

15. REGULAR OR DECAF? I don't drink coffee, but drink plenty of caffeine

16. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Taco Bueno

17. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU ADMIRE? Honesty, sense of humor, fairness

18. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? New Year's Day

19. FAVORITE TIME OF DAY? quittin' time

20. FRUIT OR FRUIT SMOOTHIE? yuck, I want my fruit in either a pie or a malt

21. HOW MANY RINGS ARE YOU WEARING? zero

22. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR MEAT PREPARED? cooked until it is done

23. WHAT WAS THE LAST CARD YOU SENT SOMEONE? I have no independent recollection of such event

24. WHAT RADIO STATION IS ON WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW? none currently but when I have an opportunity, I usually listen to 92.1 FM (country gold) or 92.5 FM (classic rock)

25. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? as I ain't gonna send it to anyone, I guess I ain't expecting no one to send it back

26. WHO IS THE PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK FIRST? see answer to previous question

27. ONION RINGS OR FRENCH FRIES? It definitely depends upon the quality of the onion rings ... it is harder to fuck up fries

28. DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY CARDS OR BOARD GAMES? sure

29. NAILS POLISHED OR UNPOLISHED? I ain't gonna be polishin' my nails in this lifetime

30. DO YOU LIKE NUTS ON YOUR SUNDAES? sure

31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SODA? Dublin Dr. Pepper

32. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH ON TV? NFL Football

Back on the hard stuff

As a last post for this evening, Dr. Pepper drinkin' recommenced at sometime around noon today ... oh, and for those of ya'll interested, our new Sonic® opened up for business today. As for me, I am going to go to bed and snuggle up under my goosedown comforter, as there is a bit of chill on the night air tonight. Maybe autumn has finally arrived, just in time for Halloween!

I know the cause of it

For all of you that were concerned about my headache problem and my lousy mood over the last few days, the root of the problem has been found. Most of my regular readers know I drink Dr. Pepper almost all day. Well, my source dried up when they forgot to ship a container of syrup for the fountain, so I have been drinking Mug Root Beer for the last 5 days instead. I was not aware, until last night, that the Root Beer does not contain caffeine, and as such, all my problems, including the headache are symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Let me tell you, it is strange how you feel when you are used to getting so much caffeine in your system and all of sudden it stops. Anyway, still drinking Root Beer, but hopefully that will change sometime today or tomorrow. The headache has subsided a bit, thankfully, but I still am feeling a bit lazier than usual, if that is possible. Just thought I would update ya'll a bit! ;)

What a day!

Wow, was today ever strange. I had the hardest time sleeping last night, as my head was pounding painfully since sometime late yesterday. I took several different analgesics trying to get the pain to subside to no effect. I finally arose this morning and, zombielike, forced myself to go to the office in an effort to get some of my lengthy todo list accomplished and about all I could do was to go through the big pile of unopened mail that I had from the weekend. I was so mind numbed and my eyes hurt so badly, that I decided I would come home, take another round of analgesics and lay down for a bit. I have slept most of the afternoon. I awoke, the head still pounding, and finally took 4 BC powders and the pain has finally subsided. However, I am so drowsy, I suspect I will just go back to bed and sleep as much as posible. Blogging to resume sooner or later, provided I survive. ;)

Mr. Green came by today - Part II

Tig enjoys playin' the part o' the Medicine Man

Up & at 'em

Well, time to hit the road and get out into the world and do some fun and exciting stuff.*

*No, there is no sex involved.**

**Uh, there is nothing having to do with sex on my agenda today, but maybe I will get lucky.***

***It is highly likely that I will find myself thinking about sex on several occasions today.****

****It is entirely possible that I will be thinking about have sex with several of ya'll female bloggers now that I have had a gander at ya'll's boobies.*****

*****It would have been very nice of ya'll if ya'll had written your names on your boobies before takin' them pictures, so we could have known to whom they belonged.******

******I need to get my mind off of sex and get out there and do what it is that I need to do today.

Just so's you'll know

There is a cost to getting an Instalanche. I got a bill from my server company for $6.00 for excess bandwidth use. ;)

At least now I do know what they do in such situations. Now we just have to wait and see what they do when I run out of server space.

It's Friday, but ...

Ya'll remeber what I was doin' back in July? Well, after that foray into checking the condition of my choppers, a plan was devised which started with some cleanings. Of course, since that office is likely the only place that takes any form of insurance, they seem to be pretty backed up for anything but emergency procedures, so the cleanings had to be scheduled for some time in the distant future. That distant future has arrived, and today, I go to the dentist to have them scrap a lot of tartar or something off of my teeth. Yay!

It is very hard to blog from a dentist's chair, even if you do have a laptop, which I don't, so don't expect anything new until I get back. However, they might shoot my mouth full of novacaine, so if my writing is slurred when I get back, it is because I can't move my lips right.

Mildly Mittwoch

Wow, it is hard to believe it is humpday already. I've got a shitpile of things to do, like I did these past two days, so it will likely breeze past just as quickly as Monday and Tueday did.

This Saturday will be a busy day around our little town, as we have another music festival in town. maybe two, plus this is the inauguration of our Annual Moonshine Festival, which is a 20's themed affair designed to draw visitors and their money from the MetroMess. I got a role in this later mess, as I am reprising a Medicine Man (Snake Oil Salesman) character I developed in another venture a couple of years back. It ought to be a real hoot, so make plans to come visit notCrawford this Saturday, October 11 ... the date that used to be Columbus Day when I was a tadpole.

Ok, here is a horror story for ya

I was doin' a bit of Google searchin' tryin' to come up with somethin' for tonight's Nightly Navel Gazing Report™ and happened upon this tale of unGeorgely horror.

Happy California Recall Election Day!

Oh, what the fuck, I got a fresh roll of toilet paper, a clean pair of underwear, and full tub of hot steamy water, and a shitload of crap to get done in court this mornin'. It is foggy as hell and I have to drive 20 some odd miles to court in the neighboring county, that being the reknowned Johnson County of the recent Phillip Morris settlement fame, so I am reserving judgment on the day until some later time. I would let ya'll know what my horrorscope says, but I forgot what sign I was born under. At least we got that damn Monday out of the way, huh?

Hey, sorry, but it might be a bit later 'fore I get a chance to post somethin' new, but just look through the crap I wrote yesterday, 'cause surely there is somethin' there to enjoy!

Things I had forgotten

When you finally have lived your first year and all your relatives come and celebrate such, what do you think is the most fun part of the celebration?

This is my niece MeKayla, who instinctively knew exactly what to do with the cake that was put in front of her. Of course, she was not sure about what to do with the candle on the top of it, other than see if it tasted as good as the rest of the cake.

News Flash: No Reynolds' Rap

It appears that Glenn Reynolds is havin' some computer problems, so punditry may not be instantaneous for the time bein'.

Oh, why the Hell not?

I have never previously taken part in the Friday Five fad that seems to go on around the Blogosphere, but since this is the eve of my 6 month Blogiversary and the topic being something about which we are all a bit passionate, I decided, if I was ever going to do so, today was a good day to do it:

1. What vehicle do you drive?
   • 1993 Lincoln Towncar
2. How long have you had it?
   • Since about this time last year
3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?
   • The damn thing runs almost every time I need it
4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?
   • It doesn't get a gazillion miles per gallon
5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?
   • Hell, if dream vehicles is the name of the game, I go with this one:

     

Now someone better link this or somethin' 'cause I worked extra specially hard on the formattin' layout on this one!

Doin' what the bees do ...

No, just wishin' this had somethin' to do with the birds and the bees, but it is more about how busy I have been lately. Yes, seems the criminals just keep gettin' in trouble, so off I go to court almost every day anymore. I guess some of ya'll might remember when I was havin' trouble with my secretary and that she quit and how broke I was at the time, but that whale finally beached, so I am in better shape with my bills this month that I was last month. But, of course, by tryin' to do everythin' myself, it seems that I hardly ever have time to blog from the office anymore, and sometimes, like today, I did not even have a chance to even check my email. I sure hope there was nothin' important that came today. I suppose I should take a few minutes to check it out, huh? OK, let me initiate ICQ first, so I can delete all the SPAM off of my server, and if there is somethin' really important, I can always go to my ISP's site and use the webmail.

I seem to be so tired here lately. I have been really been busy as a bee all day at work, so by the time I get home, I am so tired I can hardly think. This has been hittin' me hard in my blogging, as I am havin' a hard time thinkin' of anythin' new to put up for my faithful readers and I am findin' it hard to find time to read all the great things they are puttin' up on theirs. Actually, I try harder to find time to read all those great blogs out there than I do tryin' to think of somethin' to put up here to read. I do hope ya'll have figured it out that although I have not been very good at throwin' linky love around here lately, I have been tryin' to visit at least once daily. I even try to comment from time to time.

However, as if not havin' enough time was not a problem already, my damn Internet connection situation, the thin' that is the basis of my tagline on this blog, has been about as bad as ever here lately. I have already had it disconnect twice while I was tryin' to write this post. ICQ has still not successfully connected, strike that, it just did connect and only 18 messages are awaitin' my attention. Heck I had almost that many messages awaitin' me on my answerin' machine when I got back to the office this afternoon. I know I had more pieces of mail than that, but it looks like I have as many pieces of trash waitin' in my email box as I found in my post office box. I only had one or two messages on my phone from people tryin' to solicite money or to sell me something. Maybe my registerin' my phone number on that Do Not Call list actually worked.

Anyway, still around, maybe here off an on, but I am plannin' actually gettin' some rest, that is, if I don't decide to write Chapter 5 sometime today. Tomorrow I have a zoo tour at 10:00 and a meetin' with my American Legion Commander (and me bein' 2nd in charge of the Post now) at 3:00 pm, and then Sunday, I am goin' to drive 3 hours to Abilene again so as to attend my niece's 1st Birthday Party. Yep, the weekend is here and I still got a lot to do.

Still, stayin' busy does keep me from thinkin' about how I have not had any sex forever. ;)

Overall, heck I am satisfied

I was telling Tony over dinner that it was so funny how I had worked so hard to build my readership up to more than 200 visits a day, then got that Instalanche and afterward my readership started dropping down. Now, I have no idea whether the Instalanche had anything to do with such, as how would such affect my regular readership? I think maybe Google changed their search engine, because I have noticed I have not gotten as many visits from Google searches as I used to get and all the current ones seem to go to my category archives. My current readership is a little below 100 visits a day, but I have several daily readers, have made several good friends from blogging, like Tony, Denita & Eric, who I have had a chance to actually meet, and of course, my homey, Scott, who is a really good friend of mine now, and then there are several I would love to meet, if I ever have a chance to do. I doubt that I can meet Pixy, or my lovely Blogchild Cherry, because they live in Australia and New Zealand, two countries I have dreamed of visiting, but are not places to which I can drive on a road trip.

Any of you who are coming to Texas, getting close the Dallas area, let me know. If you have some extra time, I would love to show you around our area, which has a lot of nice things to see: dinosaur tracks, a very historic square, and a local well-known wildlife park. There are a lot of events, music festivals, and other things going on almost every weekend. You can find several great camping places, a very nice one owned by Scott [the blogger known as The Fat Guy] and plenty of bed and breakfasts, or even might be able to find a room in a very historic hotel just off the square that is owned by a couple of my friends. If you are bit low on cash, I do have an extra bedroom, probably the cleanest room in my house, where you might be able to stay.

My next road trip adventure plan is to go to Florida, see Epcot Center in Orlando and maybe a few other attractions in the area, then I want to drive down to Key West, maybe rent an airboat and see a bit of the Everglades and a few alligators up real close. I am not sure when, but I do need a vacation. Anyone with information in such area, please feel free to drop me a line and give me some advice about such.

I have decided I am doing fine with my blogging efforts, and I am not going to be stressed about the drop of readership. My daily readership seems to be about the same, so whatever the problem was that caused the 50% drop of daily visitations is nothing to worry about.

I love you all, really. To me, those that take the time to blog to share their opinions about what they think about what is going on with the world are doing a good job of changing the world to the way it should be, run more by the people than by the tyrants. Keep reading, and if my writing is unsatisfactory, don't worry about contacting me, OK?

By the way, has anyone displayed their ta-tas yet? I am waiting, ladies!

Happy happy Humpday!

Well, I did not sleep a wink, but the dull pain subsided so I am only slightly pain-free drug-fogged this morning, which is a bit better than having had a pounding headache for 24 hours or so. I see Tony has gotten home safely and has posted the picture our waitress took of us while we were dining together in Dallas. Work is awaiting my arrival, so I guess I had better start getting prepared to go face it. Ta-ta! Oh, when the ta-ta pictures start showing up for that boobie-thon thingie, someone be sure to give me a heads up! There are a couple of pairs I am pretty eager to see ... however, wouldn't it be so much better in person?

A zombie like none other

Yes, I am so full of antihistamines that I feel I am on remote control. I am conscious but yet am seeing everything through a drug induced fog. I am on the verge of slumber and yet my mind will not rest. And the worst part of all is that I hurriedly put on my watch and seem to have caught several of my arm hairs in the band. I don't know how I did that. I don't know why I posted about it. Now what should we read into that?

Hey Tig, where ya been?

Well, I met with Tony S this evening. He was in Dallas for some classes, so we had set up to go eat dinner tonight, had a good meal and few beers. We had a good conversation, became friends, and surely at sometime, Tony, who did not forget to bring his camera (but guess who did), will be posting a picture on his blog of us clinking glasses soon. He was going to try to find an internet connection at his hotel, but I guess he could not find a connection, or was just tired by the time he got back. I had a great time, and too bad I came down with a headache toward the end so I had to head off early.

Do you know how hard it is to drive 90 minutes with a pounding headache. George, I could not wait to get home. I have a hot bath awaiting me, so I am off to see if I can get some relief. I hope to see you all sometime tomorrow, because if I can get this pain to subside, I am going straight to bed.

Another mystery easily solved

I awoke this morning with some horrible heartburn and did not have any anti-acids in the house, so I decided to get up, throw on something and walk to the store. I do not know if I have told you that I live right across from our local Jr. High School, but I saw youngsters being droped off as I left for my short walk and when I looked at my watch, it was about 6:30 am. Now, not having any children, I guess I am not all that familar with what happens in school anymore, but I was pretty sure school does not start until 8:00 or so, as I see the school buses come by about 7:30 or so every morning. I am not usually up this early, so I was wondering why so many people were being dropped off so early.

As I was walking, the only thing I could think of was that some people must have to go to work early, so were dropping off their kids on their way to work, and I was thinking how horrible it was to have to sit outside for an hour or so just because your mother or father had nowhere else to leave you. However, when I was on the way back, I saw everyone was in their gym clothes and the coach was there, and just as I turned the corner to come home, they started running around the block. I guess that instead of staying late in school to practice or whatever, they come early. So, instead of it being horrible to the kids to be dropped off that early, I started feeling sorry for the parents for having to be dragged out of the house so early to have to drop their kids off.

Isn't it funny how things look differently from different perspectives? It is like I tell juries, there are always two sides to every story. In this case, I just had to wait for all the evidence to come out to solve this mystery. Now I know why my dogs start barking early every morning, because every time the girls run by on their loop around the school, my weeniewolf, Duke, lets them know to stay on their side of the street.

Well, at least I got some anti-acids. Too bad I am awake now, because I am sure that the two hours of sleep I lost are going to affect me sometime later. Of course, it gives me a couple of hours to check what everyone else has posted this morning, huh? See, there is always a silver-lining in the cloud, if you just look hard enough.

The NFL Report - Texas style

Yes, folks, so far it has been a great day in the NFL for the Texas teams, and even the former Texas teams. Of course, my own favorite, America's Team: The Dallas Cowboys showed that Tuna may know what he is talking about as Quincy Carter was connecting with his receivers on a regular basis and Troy Hambrick is learning what a starting running back is supposed to do. The defense was able to work all the way through this game, and held the Jets to 6 points, but then, the Jets haven't really figured out how to carry or pass the ball into the end zone yet this season.

Then the new boy on the block, those pesky Houston Texans prevailed on the final play of the game, when instead of kicking the field goal and going to OT, their coach chose to go for the win and was successful. I kind of liked what Deion Sanders said about it. "It isn't like they are going to the playoffs, anyway."

Now, one of the former Texas teams: Dallas first NFL franchise, now playing in Indianapolis, will be playing the night game against the Saints. I like the Saints, so I am kind of not really caring who wins this one. However, if the Colts lose, they will be the one team with Texas connections that lost today.

Yes, Dallas' former AFL franchise, and the original Texans, the team now known as the Kansas City Chiefs prevailed over the Baltimore Ravens, and the former Houston team, once known as the Oilers and now known as the Tennessee Titans easily dispatched the Pittsburg Steelers.

The scores, you say, as you had bets on the over/unders on these game?

Dallas 17 - NY Jets 6
Houston 24 - Jacksonville 20
KC 17 - Baltimore 10
Titans 30 - Steelers 13

Friday Night High School Football

Well, the notCrawford ***s prevailed in last night's game, but it appears to have been a pretty sloppy affair. But then again, it is high school football, and aren't most high school football games pretty sloppy affairs? Congratulations, ***s! Go, ***s, Go!

I would have personally attended the game, but I have this thing about driving more than an hour to attend a high school football game.

IN TOTALLY OTHER NEWS: Blogging could or could not be very light today and tomorrow. I have yet to decide if I am going to stay home and sit in front of the computer all day or if I am going to go out in the world and smell some flowers or something.

Former Detroit Lions Quarterback dies

Yes, sadly George Plimpton has departed this life. However, his game film still survives.*

And I need to thank Sean Hackbarth for letting me know, but I heard through the grapevine that Kevin told him.

*Well, actually the game film is mostly of his stunt double, Alan Alda.

What, you mean it worthless?

It seems that Jennifer has tracked down the origin of "Don't give a damn." Now, is the real explanation really worth a plug nickel?

I might 'a missed it 'cept that SilverBlue pointed it out.

What do you call this?

I know what an Instalanche is, but what do you call it when no one is linking to you and no one is visiting? I have gotten 20 visitors so far today, and if I get just 3 more, Bill Gates will send me a crock pot or something, or at least that is what that email I forwarded to 100 of my friends said. [As if!]

IT was bound to happen

My mind is totally blank. Now what was it I was supposed to think of when I had totally cleared my mind?

[UPDATE: Did this just totally go over everyone's head? Think about it: Someone says clear your mind and then think about something, right? So if you clear your mind, how would you remember what it was that you were supposed to think about? Uh, still don't get it? OK, try this, erase everything on your hard drive and then search for any file that use to be there. ;) ]

I have been outed!

Yes, Eric snapped a shot of me holding a baby, now everyone will know I love babies. Too bad I look so much like a damn granddad in that picture, when I am still trying hard to actually become a first time father* before I get too old to be able to actually hold a baby and not drop them.

*Lovely mother for future children sought. Interested parties inquire within.

I am back, without the parrot

Well, I am back. I made Fredericksburg just in time to eat just before closing time. I had some famous Fredericksburg wurst, with some saurkraut, some not so sour kraut, and some spicy mashed potatoes. I drank 28 ounces of a good German Pilsner. I left there, heading for Blanco to meet up with Denita, Eric and Zane for Zane's Birthday Bash. I found a safe place to pull over on the little two lane road from Fredericksburg to Blanco and slept in the car until about 4:00am when I awoke chilled. I was thirsty so drove on into Blanco, went both ways on the highway hoping for find some place open without luck. I finally pulled into the parkinglot for the large grocery store there and went back to sleep. I awoke again about 8:00am and looked for somewhere to eat breakfast. After breakfast, I called Eric to check to see if everyone was alert and headed on over there.

Denita was working on the cake, Zane was having fun, Eric was getting stuff ready to take to the park and Eric's mom was playing with her dog, mostly. Eric and I left and set up the picnic canopy and blew up helium balloons awaiting the arrival of all the guests. Let's see, besides myself and his mom and dad, both his grandmothers were in attendance, as well as his maternal uncle, two friends of Eric's from work, some couple from Denton, relationship unknown with their baby, and one other guy who seemed to be a friend of Denita's. Eric cracked out hsi new smoker he had purchased at Wallyworld and loaded it with chicken quarters, steaks, dogs and sausages. The crowd arrived bit by bit. The food was done and everyone ate. Then the real party began. Zane laughed, he cried, he smiled, he frowned, he played in the cake, ate very little,a nd then he made out like a bandit with the gifts. He especially seemed enamored with a Clifford, the Big Red Dog card and the half full water bottle his grandmother had left unattended in the chair where I sat holding him in my lap. Finally, it all got the best of him and he fell asleep. Good time for the party to end, people started leaving. I did, regretfully, as I had a really great time. I probably didn't have as good a time as Zane, but it was his party. For me, it was just good to get out of town for a bit. Of course, now I am home, am really tired, just ran a hot bath and am ready to go soak for a bit.

I have to get up early in the morning to go do my zoo routine, so blogging will be light until I get home from that adventure. As for party pics, I got some, but the camera is still in the car, the software and USB cord to get them off of the camera and into this computer are both at the office. I'll try to get something up soon.

As a last aside, I think ya'll must have been glad to see me gone, because I seem to have gotten more visitation while I was away than I got all week while I was here. Maybe I need to go away more often, huh?

Gather 'round swabbies

Aye, ya landlubbin' scurvy dogs, perk up them ears, 'cause Cap'n Black&Bluebeard here gots some orders and such to pass along to you'un.

Arrrrgh, Mr. Filcher, hoist that slimy pig eatin' scurvy lass that's asleepin' though my news up the yardarm. And the next ones of ya that ain't payin' attention to whats I gots to say will be awalkin' the plank and these be some shark infested waters we be sailin' through, so shuts ya yaps and listen up.

Seems that theres some hoedown luau or somethin' nut other I gots to attend over on t'otherside of Neptune's knickers so's I am gonna commandeer the Queen's launch and head into the sunset. Be'un back when I get back. Mr. Filcher will be in command.

Oh, un, when I be gettin' back, I will be tryin' to get that black&orange lamp carryin' fella to come back wit' me. Seems some o' ya'll scruvy mealy-mouthed buccaneers been missin' his company. Well'n, that's 'bout alls I gots to say. As ya was!

Mr. Filcher, bring that danged squinty eyed fella with the big forearms front and forward. I was a swearin' I seen that bloke a 'nibblin' spinach when I was a talkin'.

Black&Bluebeard rambles something inane

Yar, it be 'memberin' MIA/POWs day too, so's ye better be 'memberin' 'em or ye willst be a'walkin' da plank!

Oh what a Slap-Happy Day!

Oh George, I forgot. Excuse me while I jump up and give mine a birthday kiss. Happy Constitution Day, US Constitution.

Thanks to you and you!

[Update: Oh, and I did forget to thank those who wrote it, those who have interpreted it wisely, those that actually tried to follow it in effecting their duties, and all those little people out there who need such as a shining light of what freedom really means. Our freedom is as strong as the words that were written as interpreted by the judges and as enforced by the enforcers. The script is a hit, but the direction is haphazard and the actors are all suspect.]

You know what you can do with that cucumber, buster!

Attention, bosses: Even monkeys seem to know the value of equal pay for equal work.

When rewarded similarly for the same task – in this case, exchanging a small rock with a scientist – capuchin monkeys worked happily for a slice of cucumber. But after they witnessed a partner getting a coveted, succulent grape for the bit of granite, the cucumber-paid monkeys took offense.

Some went on strike. Some kept halfheartedly doing the work but refused to accept the stinkin' cucumber.

From DallasNews.com - Study: Monkeys, like people, balk when they feel cheated or slighted, by Laura Beil

Hmm, I am a bit suspicious as to why Frank J does not like monkeys now. Could it be that he has been getting all the cucumbers while the monkeys have been getting all the grapes for doing the same work at his place of employment?

Blogroll, get your fresh, hot blogroll

Thanks to my blog amigo, Tony S, I have discovered a covey of new blogs to add to my blogroll:

• Altered Perceptions
• resurrectionsong and
• A Nickel's Worth of Free Advice

In other blogging news, you might have noticed that I changed the order to list the blogs in udated order. I find that I usually read regularly updated blogs more often. That order makes it easy to find those blogs that have updated since I last updated mine.

I did recently add another Texas blog: Jessica's Well, a Midland-based group blog. I particularly agreed with what was discussed in this post.

Fiddlin' while Rome burns

Well, I am unsure if the drop in visitation rate has anything to do with the template, the coloring, or what, but I would rather my blog was read than being beautiful to see. As such, I might be doing a bit of experimentation. If the site looks funny, it is supposed to be funny. Of course, what you are reading is supposed to be funny, the way I look is supposed to be funny, but the site itself is not supposed to look funny.

Well, that's all the changing I am gonna do until I learn if everyone is pleased with these colors.

In Real Life: The Soldier's Funeral

THe following is the body of an actual email* that was sent by Vicki Pierce following her nephew James' funeral:

"I'm back, it was certainly a quick trip, but I have to also say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There is a lot to be said for growing up in a small town in Texas.

The service itself was impressive with wonderful flowers and sprays, a portrait of James, his uniform and boots, his awards and ribbons. There was lots of military brass and an eloquent (though inappropriately longwinded) Baptist preacher. There were easily 1000 people at the service, filling the church sanctuary as well as the fellowship hall and spilling out into the parking lot.

However, the most incredible thing was what happened following the service on the way to the cemetery. We went to our cars and drove to the cemetery escorted by at least 10 police cars with lights flashing and some other emergency vehicles, with Texas Rangers handling traffic. Everyone on the road who was not in the procession, pulled over, got out of their cars, and stood silently and respectfully, some put their hands over their hearts, some had small flags. Shop keepers came outside with their customers and did the same thing. Construction workers stopped their work, got off their equipment and put their hands over their hearts, too. There was no noise whatsoever except a few birds and the quiet hum of cars going slowly up the road.

When we turned off the highway suddenly there were teenage boys along both sides of the street about every 20 feet or so, all holding large American flags on long flag poles, and again with their hands on their hearts. We thought at first it was the Boy Scouts or 4H club or something, but it continued .... for two and a half miles. Hundreds of young people, standing silently on the side of the road with flags. At one point we passed an elementary school, and all the children were outside, shoulder to shoulder holding flags ... kindergartners, handicapped, teachers, staff, everyone. Some held signs of love and support. Then came teenage girls and younger boys, all holding flags. Then adults. Then families. All standing silently on the side of the road. No one spoke, not even the very young children. The last few turns found people crowded together holding flags or with their hands on their hearts. Some were on horseback.

The military presence...at least two generals, a fist full of colonels, and representatives from every branch of the service, plus the color guard which attended James, and some who served with him ... was very impressive and respectful, but the love and pride from this community who had lost one of their own was the most amazing thing I've ever been privileged to witness.

I've attached some pictures, some are blurry (we were moving), but you can get a small idea of what this was like. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support."

I have seen the pictures and provide a look at a few of the better ones below.

*I do not personally know Ms. Pierce or James, and received this email from another firend, who may or may not be personally acquainted with Ms. Pierce or James.

Forever in the SPOTLIGHT

I meant to point ya'll to this Dallas Morning-News story yesterday.

Combine the proliferation of media outlets – cable television, the Internet – with the trend of a few media conglomerates controlling the content of more and more outlets, and you have the basic recipe for instant overkill.

Its effect on consumers is best described as "simul-tedium" – the increasingly common experience of being sick of hearing about something at almost the same moment you first hear about it.

"There is a change taking place – no doubt about it," says Paul Levinson, a media studies professor at Fordham University and author of The Soft Edge: A Natural History and Future of the Information Revolution. "We've reached a point when there's so much media that when something catches on, it's just suddenly everywhere and there's almost no escaping it."

Have you ever just gone from blog to blog and seen the same story again and again until you wonder if there is anything interesting happening anywhere else?

World Architecture 101

My first two years in undergrad were spent in the Architecture Department at UTA. I might not been ready for college, because I didn't really put forth my best efforts in those courses. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do. I was fresh out of the Army and I just wanted to do something. Architecture just seemed pretty cool.

The first year was pretty cool too. Freehand drawing actually made me a much better artist. History of Art and Architecture was intriguing but I didn't really like knowing all those damn details about everything. I just wanted to look at it and try to figure out how they made it and why. I still try to keep my eye on the world of Architecture. I found this site and a description of an new type of house in line with one of my interests in self-sustained life. What this guy is doing is really not a new idea, but a technologically updated version of a very ancient habitation design. Pretty nifty: check it out.

As amazing as it is ...

that I have stressed as heck over the last few days trying to get this new look put together, I have also been trying to work on giving up on my nicotine addiction. Usually, I would have likely been sitting here for hours and hours chain smoking while I was experimenting on how to fix the errors or whatever, and yet, I have not done so. I have a pack of cigarettes at my neighboring convenience store where I go several times a day for a Dr. Pepper, and I will get one smoke out of the pack every trip. I started such last week, went through only one pack on the first day, took me two days to go through the second pack, and this time I have gone through three days on the last pack. I have one cigarette left in the pack, and I suspect I will smoke it sometime before the end of the night, so all I have to decide is whether to go ahead and buy one more pack or just try to make this one my last cigarette. I am leaning to go ahead and by one more pack, as I think that is my safety net, knowing if the cravings hit me too awfully bad, I know where I can get a cigarette to satisfy my craving. If not, then I will either have to find someone to bum one from or go in and buy another pack at that time. Knowing the pack is there will likely assist me in not worrying as much as not having it there. Anyway, I really am trying hard to quit this time. Why?

Well, I have been looking through Internet dating site ads for the last two years, and several times I have found someone who I thought was pretty close to what I wanted. Almost each time I did find someone with whom I think is worth communicating, they were looking for only non-smokers. I have even tried a couple, and everytime, my smoking was a big problem they could not overlook. I figured it was a change worth making if I really wanted to realize my dream. Also, I am sure it is going to be better for my health. ;) Besides, I am sure I can find some other way to spend $10 a day. Maybe I will start drinking beer {not!}.

Check out what's coming up

As I w posted yesterday, I am working on a template makeover, and I have gotten most of the changes done. Check out my testblog.

The Impossible Dream?

I am working and trying to figure out how to get my blog to look a bit like this:[graphic deleted by editor, luck changed] I do not seem to be having much luck, though.

Fisking my horoscope

Get fried on Friday, Taurus!
An unrealized well of knowledge is finally put to use. [Ask a stranger for advice] A breakthrough concerning your appearance is arriving. [Someone will give you a paper bag] Focus on the way you present yourself; it should be open to inspection. [Act absent-minded and don't zip up.] Wait to take action, but begin your makeover preparations. [Stay home, but bathe, shave and comb your hair.]

The real pain of 9/11/01

Today I had a juvenile matter in court involving a very intelligent 12-year-old who seems to be having disciplinary problems. His 18-year-old stepsister, with whom he was very close, died in a car wreck riding home with an intoxicated friend and his parents divorced last year. Now I am suspicious that most of his problems stem from the death of his stepsister. Why do I say that? Well, there were two major events that have happened to him over the last two years: the death and the divorce. You can almost bet the death of the young lady that was a big part of both of their lives had as much to do with the parents divorcing as anything else.

See, I know a little about having someone close die at a young age. Many of you are aware that I lost my wife nine years ago at age 33. It takes a lot out of you. First of all, you lose sense of your own mortality by seeing that anyone of any age can die without any warning. Then you also find a big hole in your life that you cannot fill. Death brings grief and grief takes time to overcome. Everyone seems to have to deal with it on their own time. Some have a harder time than others. In my own case, it took five or six years for me to refocus my life and its purpose. I felt for a long time that when my wife died, my life actually ended also. It made no difference that I was still alive, with my wife no longer around, I had no purpose in life.

As I contemplated these thoughts about the causes of the distress plaguing this young man, I became aware that such correlated well with what we were all remembering today. I thought of all those young widows and widowers who lost loved ones in the incident and all those children who lost parents. I wondered how many among us actually knew what they are still going through and how much it still hurts deep inside having had their loved ones taken away at such an early age. The dead are dead. Some of them may have suffered, but their suffering is long gone. Those left behind are still suffering. Much of it is likely being done silently with very little complaint.

Sing it Johnny!

Well, the clock radio awoke me to the strains of that legendary hit: A Boy Named Sue. I always liked that song. I am pretty sure I owned the 45 once, when I was a kid. Of course, as an attorney, I have never disliked the name Sue, but I would be more likely to name my son Litigate. It just has a better ring to it, doncha think?

The new look and other stuff

Well, I had been thinking of redoing the colors on the site for some time, as I could not find any pictures of light blue ***s. I tried it with orange background which was said to be too bright. I agreed. I had originally tried peachy background, but that was panned, and I really did not like it either, as it was not really ***y enough. I do think the black background looks best, with just enough orange highlights to give it the Tiger feel without being so bright it blinded my readers. I do hope that everyone likes it. I really do read your comments, you know? Although this is my blog, I do try hard to please my readership.

I am sorry I have not posted much today. I had a morning tour at the local wildlife park and did not get home until after noon. I got a pizza and was eating it while watching TV. I started watching the Cowboys game, and my phone rang. It is actually unusual that such happens, as I only have the one line and I am almost always hooked into the Internet when I am home. It was some female who asked if I had an personal ad on Yahoo. I said yes. She said she thought she had recognized my face. It seems she lives locally and was thinking of putting in an ad or something. Anyway, she said she was just looking for someone to go walking with or something. She said she was 40 or somewhere around that age. I told her about my dream of having my own kids and such, and she said she appreciated that. She just suggested we hang out together or something. I found out where she lived and discovered she lived near this cross on this bluff overlooking town and I had always wanted to stand up on that bluff and look down upon the town. So she invited me over and we walked up there just as the sun was setting. I didn't see much, but still it was a great view. Then we went back to her house and just sat out back and talked. About 9:30, her son came by before heading back to college in San Antonio. She asked when he had to leave to go back, and he said something about having about a half hour, so I excused myself and came home.

She was nice and we were having a very intelligent conversation. Of course, she reminded me a lot of my mother. I seldom actually envision myself being as old as I actually am. As my dream is that of someone a decade or more younger than myself, I still see myself as being that age. Of course, my creaking bones and the grey hairs which seem to be cropping up everywhere remind me that I am not 20-something or even early 30-something. I am not sure where this will go. Anyway, I did not blog much today because I was either not here, or I was eating pizza while watching the 3 Stooges or watching the Cowboys play horrendously. Now it is getting close to bedtime on a work night.

I really need to do some laundry.

Texas Football Update

Houston upsets Miami 21-20!

1st Quarter: Dallas Scores, Parcells Smiles! More to Come!

Halftime Update: Score: Cowboys 7 - Falcons 3. Not an offensive showcase on either side.

3rd Quarter: Carter fumbles, Falcons score: Falcons 10 - Cowboys 7. No Cowboy offense, another Falcon Quick Strike: Falcons 17 - Cowboys 7. Falcons close to another score. This is getting ugly!

Fourth Quarter: Cowboys hold Falcons to 3: Falcons 20 - Cowboys 7; Carter to Galloway, 50 yard TD pass, point after blocked Falcons 20 - Cowboys 13 Nothing good follows: Falcons score again, time is running out. On to something else. Can't wait to see what Tuna has to say though.

A milestone of sorts was reached

I just noticed that the previous post was officially the 1000th post on this blog. George, but what I have posted a lot of crap in the last few months, huh?

Don't forget the new guys!

It seems that Owen of Boots and Sabres has taken on the chore of reviewing the entries in this week's New Webblog Showcase. Remember to vote for your favorites.

Regrettably none of them seemed to move me. What's up with that?

I am now a registered voter

No, not in regular political election matters, as I have been a registered voter is such things since the first Reagan election. I have registered to vote and take part in the Blogger's Congress. It does appear there are still several states that are not represented. Do your civic duty as any person who shows enough concern to blog: get ye there and register to vote.

What wiggles its nose, drinks carrot juice and is blue?

What? You don't know? Roxette Bunny™, now having a blog of her own over in the Munu universe.

Thanks to Susie for the head's up.

Today's parcity of posting

Whew, was today ever a busy day. I had a morning docket that was postponed to this afternoon, so I decided to run up to Fry's to get the power supply to fix my server. No problem, just three hours of time, one hour to drive up, one hour to get the part and look to see if there was anything else I needed*, and one hour to drive back. Then I was at court for about 3 hours this afternoon. I got back to the office at about 4:00, had enough time to check my email, then started to work on the server, then had a meeting for the notClark County Republican Club which just ended. So, sorry about not having posted much today. I have tried, when I had time to check a few of the blogs I saw updated and for some reason, I bookmarked a couple stories that I found interesting. Why I have forgotten whose blogs sent me to the stories, I have no idea. I am going to apologize for not attributing them to such bloggers.

The first story has to do with Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, cutting their prices on CDs. The reason I bookmarked the story is because of this:

Starting in October, Universal . . . will trim its prices on most of its CDs to $12.98 . . . .

"Our research shows that the sweet spot is to sell our records below $12.98," said Universal Music president Zach Horowitz.

The second story is about the Department of Defense planning to have some events to commemorate** the terrorist attack on 9/11/01. I keep seeing stories about the media has no plans to do so, but that does not mean that America has forgotten. Of course, michele has a great place to see stories that people have contributed about how such event affected them and others called Voices. I applaud her for all of her work on such site and thank her for coming up with such a great idea. This story reminded me that I had not posted anything about such yet.

If I regularly read your blog, and I regularly read all blogs on my blogroll, and you posted a link to either of these stories today, then feel free to take credit for leading me to such story. I am just sorry I have not publicly credited you for doing so.

*I found that I needed this thing called a USB drive, which is a little thing about the size of a pocket knife that you can use to save data on and transfer to another computer. Oh, and I really needed another cheap optical mouse that I hope lasts longer than the last cheap one I bought that ceased to work correctly after about two weeks. I almost needed a DVD burner, but felt I didn't need it that bad at that price.

**Commemorating the event seems weird to me. I want to remember the tragedy, but do I really want to commemorate it? The word and the connotations surrounding the word just seem wrong for some reason.

It's time for a blog party!

Put on your duds, shine your shoes, and let's all go over to Rhetorica for the Carnival of the Vanities. After we have had our fill of fun there, we can all meet over at Kevin's place and dance around the Bonfire of the Vanities. Be sure to bring your own marshmallows and weenies.

The Ongoing Techno-Battle

OK, it seems the power supply on the system is fried. The switch checked out, but the fan on the power supply seemed to have frozen up while I was gone and it most likely burned out. That is about as far as we can tell. I have a system here at the house that I suspected had a memory problem, so I took the memory out of the other system and put it in the one here. It won't connect to the monitor, so I have no way of knowing whether the memory fixed the problem. I am not sure why the monitor is not recognized. That might be a CMOS problem. More research. The one thing I accomplished was putting my old monitor on this system to make sure it was not a monitor problem, so the heck with the flat screen. I would rather have the big bulky case and the high resolultion capabilities than the extra space and be stuck with 600x800.

It really seems easier sometimes to just scrap these old non-working systems and get new ones. The way the prices have dropped, you can get a superior system to whatever you have for not all that much money. Mostly it has to do with transferring data more than anything else. Of course, right now, I don't have any extra money. I think maybe I will just start burning all user files straight to CD. Sheesh, I hate this!

Wow, I didn't know that

I just heard on the radio that they are asking for dove hunters in Texas to report any pieces of Columbia found during their treks while hunting. It seems that more than 60% of Columbia is still missing. It is amazing that so much of it has still not been found.

Another Munuvian?

Well, it seems that Rocket Jones was puttering around uncharted space and found himself caught in the gravitational pull of the great sun Munu. He is no longer available on the blog*spot frequency, so change your dials to http://rocketjones.mu.nu/.

Thanks to Kelley for the heads up in her weekly Cul-de-Sac.

I am home safe & sound

OK, I left here at approximately 11:00 am yesterday. Now after driving 813.0 miles over the last two days, I am safely home. Of course, you know I took a detour to stop by and see Denita, so it was about 10:00 pm last night when I hit Eagle Pass, Texas and stayed the night. It was a bit out of the way to go through Blanco, but I wanted to do so anyway, not only to have a chance to meet Denita, Eric and Zane, the cutey (and glad I came the day after the event Denita told on her blog), and when I looked at the map, I noticed Luckenbach, Texas for song fame was very near, that is why I decided also to go a bit out of my way going down to Mexico. Luckenbach is a hole in the road, actually you have to turn off of the road to see the town, as it is not on the main road anymore. Although it is a hole in the road town, it is really popular, or, at least, it was yesterday, because the town was filled with Cooper Minis. I thought Morris was the one that made them. Oh, well, who knows, maybe Cooper bought Morris out. Goes to show how much I was keeping up on that type of car. Anyway, I was really surprised how many were there. They seem to be pretty popular, and, I guess like everyone how own a Harley goes to Sturgis, SD, Luckenbach, TX on Labor Day Weekend must be the destination if you own a Cooper Mini. I just drove through, had a look at the crowd, most of whom seemed to have a longneck bottle of beer in their hand, then I headed to Fredricksburg, TX and had a nice German food dinner with a nice beer.

I walked up and down the street looking in the various shops, reading the menus of all the German food restaurants, and such for an hour or two, and as I watched everyone, I had an epiphany: Here I was, a single man, all by myself, and I went in and out of every shop and did not buy one single thing. In every couple I saw, the man would be standing outside a store holding several bags, usually, while the woman was inside the store looking around for something on which to spend money. I saw a couple of groups of women only and in such groups, every woman was carrying at least on item she had purchased. I am always having the women who own stores in this town always complaining that I never seem to come in and buy anything they have for sale, and I have always said it is because I already have too much stuff anyway. From now on, I am going to just tell them it is their fault because they have not found me a wife. I had forgotten that all of this crap I have too much of around here is because my wife loved to shop and buy crap for which we had no use. She died, of course, and now I have all this stuff for which I have no use. I just cannot see adding to it. Of course, if I had a new wife, I bet she would be eager to add more crap for which we would have no use to the existing crap we for which we have no use.

After I left Fredicksburg, I drove and drove through some beautiful country and finally ended up in Eagle Pass, as I mentioned. I passed several cheap motels, well not that many, as Eagle Pass didn't have a whole lot of motels, all of which either looked too scary to stay in overnight or had no vacancy signs flashing. I finally tried the Motel 6, which was not displaying any sign, and which was full, but at least the desk clerk told me the Holiday Inn Express still have some vacancies. $89 for f**king room. I watched a couple of hours of HBO (Mission Impossible) and went to sleep. I arose early this morning, ate a toasted and buttered English Muffin and had 6 ozs. of OJ in the breakfast room, then checked out and drove across the border to Peidra Niegras.

I saw about 20 Dentist Offices, but not much more. It was pouring down heavy rain and the streets were flooded. No one was out, so I just looped around the town, looked at it, and came right back across the border. I never know why they pick me, but the U.S. Border guards decided to have a look through my car. Maybe I looked too much like a Middle-Eastern terrorist or something, but no real problem except the time.

I left Eagle Pass and drove to Del Rio. I decided not to drive into Acuna, as was no use having my car searched for a second time in one day, so asked at the first place I stopped if they had a bus that would take you across. They have such in El Paso, which is the way I always go into Juarez. The person said they did and gave me directions. The bus was not running today, and I found out from the cab driver that took me over that the bus service had gone out of business about a month ago. So I paid an American cab $12 to drive me across the bridge. probably about 2 miles on the whole trip.

I got out of the cab, walked up and down the streets looking in all the shops, and really only saw one shop that had anything I really wanted, some really neat china cabinets. I have too little storage for all my kitchen crap, so that is something I could really use. However, even if I had had my car, I could not have fit that in the trunk. I ended up buying a belt with some silver conchos and gold plated longhorns in the middle of them, paid some guy $2 to shine my boots, and ate lunch in the restaurant of the hotel where the cab had dropped me off. I had 3 Tequila Sunrises, with nachos and cheese enchiladas. I had hit town about 10:30am and by 2:30pm, I had had all of Mexico I wanted for this trip. Acuna is famous for its Boys' Town and I had thought about going to check it out. I do like girls, but I am not really into those kind of girls, if you get my drift. I saw the cab driver who had brought me across letting some people out and tried to get him to take me back. He said he couldn't. I guess it is some rule that American cab drivers bring you over and Mexican cab drivers take you back. He asked this cabbie that had just put two passengers in the back of his cab if he could take me back, so I sat in the front with him for the trip back. We had to swing by the hotel where the couple had stayed to pick up their luggage, then sit in a long line going back across the bridge before we got to customs. They tagged us and we had to go at the tables and let them search through the couple's luggage. I just sat on the table, as I had nothing on me but the belt. The guard found one Cuban cigar in their luggage and made the young girl go in the building to fill out some paperwork so they could seize the contraband. She was scared, but came back out telling us about the two US Airmen who were inside and had been caught trying to bring drugs back across. My guess was that they scored some pot, but she didn't know any details, only that the two guys were really scared.

Finally, I was dropped off where my car was, and I headed north by northeast toward home. It rained heavily in parts, and I was fearing these two low water crossings on the road back, hoping I would be able to cross. Last time I had driven back from Del Rio, last summer when I went to Langtry just to see the Jersey Lilly, the South Llano River had been running over the road at both of those crossings. I was almost sure I was going to be stuck when I got there, what with the pelting rain and such. Surprisingly, when I did finally arrive, neither crossing had any water crossing the road. The remainder of the trip home was fairly uneventful.

If you want the Road Trip Roadkill Report, read the extended entry:

Road Trip Roadkill Report

Armadillos - 9

Skunks - 6

Turkey Vultures (or other bird) - 5

Cottontail/Jack Rabbit - 11

Racoon - 6

Dog/Coyote - 2

Possum - 4

Snake - 1

Unidentified - 17

Posted by Tiger at 09:41 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Cabin Fever and other such stuff

OK, it is already beginning to look like this is going to be another slow blogging period during this long weekend. As for me, I have a severe case of cabin fever, so I have decided to head for Mexico, destination Cuidad Acuna. Blogging will resume when I return. Until then, if you are one of the people who are stuck for the weekend and needing something really snarky to read: delve way back into my archives. There are some postings in April and May that very few have ever read.

Happy Labor Day to all! No lawn mowing, ya hear?

[UPDATE: Still on the road to Mexico, just stopped by Denita's Internet Cafe for a sec as it seemed to be on the way. Just finished my herbal tea, paid for my five minutes of Internet use, and am ready to get back on the road. I am somewhere about 1/3 of the way there.]

And now for the rest of the story:

Here is the next day's newspaper story about the trial I finished up on Tuesday night. It seems that they mentioned my name quite a few times in this one. ;)

Now say "Goodnight," Gracie!

"Goodnight Gracie."*

*It still plays in Indianapolis, huh?

Jennifer is history . . .

at least as far as blog-city and blue dragon is concerned. She is now another planet circling the munu star and is using MT. Woohoo! Now, did I hear right? Did she decide to give up on the Blog War stuff?

Oh, before I forget, be sure to change your blogroll link to http://jenlars.mu.nu/.

It came like an Anna in the dark

Well, I was not paying attention last night and I see my hit counter crossed that ephemeral 15K marker at 11:31:54 pm Central time and the 15,000th visitor was our own Anna of Primal Purge who came to see what I had said about her in this post. She even left a comment.

As consolation for having been visitor No. 15,000, Anna is hereby entitled to the serene thought that she is but one among fifteen thousand. Now ain't that a kick in the pants?

Real Life Adventure

Today was a very bizarre day. I woke up this morning with another sinus headache. I slept in kind of late to make up for getting home so late after waiting almost all night for that jury to finally come to a verdict. After I finally decided to go to the office, I passed my secretary's house as usual, because it is actually on my route to work. This is a small town and she lives between here and my office which is about, oh, what?, like walking six blocks from here. I stopped to check on why she had not come in, and she said something about her mother and her chemo treatments. I had actually stopped by her house after court last night just to check up on what had happened at the office the last couple of days, and we had discussed her maybe taking the afternoon off to accompany her mother. It was not yet 11:00 am. She tells me there are some important messages waiting for me, so I leave, not really happy that she had not stayed until lunch like we discussed. I understand her needing time off, and I feel I am quite generous, but this has been a really slow month. The pay that she has received this month is just a tad more than I have made. I am not all that eager to pay someone who does not work, but I like her, she does work hard, she is young, needs the job, etc. I just was not smiling when I left.

I get to the office and am trying to get my internet to connect so that I can download all those damn emails that collected over the last couple of days. I am responding to some young lady asking me some nutritional advice on this Expert thingy I am on with About.com. I actually only identified myself as an expert as to identification of symptoms of anorexia, being as my wife was anorexic and died because she was anorexic, I believe I have some insight into the symptoms of anorexia. Anyway, so in walks my secretary.

She is not happy. It is not the office situation so much, as it is that some neighbors of hers had told her thay had overheard someone in one of the local businesses telling people that she and her husband were selling drugs out of their house. The rumor is that you stop in front of their house and honk three times and one of them comes out and gives you the drugs.

I accompanied her to this business and allowed her to try to get to the bottom of it. The person said someone had told her, and that she had not said anything. She is going to call this supposed person and have them come there. However, three young men later came in and were talking with her while we were there, who looked back in our direction several times. This infuriated my secretary who jumped on the lady about it. She asked her if she had called the people, and the lady said he had, but that they refused to come in. About this time another lady came in, and the first lady said this is the person that lives in the blue house. This was all getting a bit too much for me, as I knew both of these women, and had actually considered them to be close acquaintenances. I got a bit vocal and said something about there was not truth to these rumors and the bullshit needed to stop.

One of the young men, a rather sizeable fellow comes to where we are and says something about me having said the word "bullshit" and gets very aggressive. He got right in my face, in a threatening manner [funny how he laso used the word "fuck" to me in his show of machismo] and I told him to go ahead and swing. He backed up, ranted for a bit longer. I just ignored him.

So, we leave there and go to the local Sheriff's Department where she and I and the Sheriff discuss the rumor and, at my suggestion, she invites the Sheriff to bring a drug dog over to her house. He says if she gives her consent, he will definitely do a search for drugs in her house. This is to put all the rumors at rest. I have been in her house several times, and I also know her landlord, who makes regular visits to her house, and I am sure there is no drug dealing going on there. These kids barely have a pot to piss in and have, as of today, a five month old daughter.

We go back by her house and just let her husband know that the Sheriif might be coming by sometime in the next couple of days. As we pulled up in front of her house, the neighbor across the street comes out. I did not know he was the person living there, but I also know him, as he is the ex-husband of the woman who had arrived after us at the business establishment. He is also the former boyfriend of one of my former secretaries. He just wants to explain that he had gotten the call, and that he had never said anything about the drugs. It seems that the woman and his ex-wife had been visiting at his house one day. His ex-wife and he actually have a strange relationship and she does spend a considerable amount of time with him. He has a girlfriend, however, and I am not all that sure how that all plays together. It turns out that the young man was his son, and he said he was probably just being protective over his former step-mother. My secretary goes over to his house to discuss something, so I am sitting in the car waiting for her to come back out.

Up pulls the damn kid who had threatened me. Now he decides to sit on the curb right across the street and stare at me. I am sitting there for well over 30 minutes. He just sits there and stares. It was hot as hell outside and this ignorant putz sits there and stares like he is scaring me or something. It was so bizarre.

I later find out he is fresh out of the Marines, and his dad thinks he is still full of aggression from his time in the Corps. This punk has done pissed me off. I am contemplating provoking him into taking a punch at me so I can get him locked up for some serious time. I have a plan.

The very next time I see him, I am going to approach him very apologetically, advise him that I am a veteran who had received an Honorable Discharge, and that I could understand how someone like him must feel to have been booted out of the Marines because opened his mouth and blurted out his admission in violation of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule. If that doesn't provoke him to take a swing, he is even dumber than he looks.

Blogosphere is up to snuff

NZB reports that the Ecosystem has passed Hosting Matters' concerns and is now fully back on line. As such, the New Weblog Showcase is up and these new bloggers need your votes. Go check them out and vote for the ones you like. Even new bloggers need your help. I have discovered several of the great bloggers on my blogroll in the past by looking through these entries. There is always some bloggy goodness to find. Take the time to do so. I am sure they will appreciate your looking at their offerings.

As for myself, I have found I am now number 167 on the list, still solidly in the Large Mammal zone. If you have not yet blogrolled me, please do feel free to do so. With your help, my readership will pick up and hopefully, at some point in the future, I can evolve to have opposable thumbs or something. We thank you for your support.

Step right up! For just one thin dime . . .

you will see things that will delight, amaze and surprise you. This week's Carnival of the Vanities is hosted by Rhesa of Creative Slips. It highlights a couple of my often overlooked political diatribes.

I missed announcing yesterday the opening of the week's Bonfire of the Vanities, hosted weekly by Kevin of WizBang!, upon which I fed one of my lesser appreciated posts to fuel the flame.

Dog & Pony Show: Day 2

Day two of the Dog & Pony Show started with me getting to court at 8:45 am, with the trial to start at about 9:00 am. All parties were ready at such time. The case was a two count indictment for Felony DWI, one count for an arrest made in May of this year and the second count was for an arrest from March of last year. To be charged with a Felony DWI, the defendant must have been convicted of two prior DWIs within the last ten years. The State had convicted my client of two in 1987 on the same day where I client had plead guilty to both. He was put on two years probation for one of them, and given 28 days, with 28 days back time on the other one. Not that great of a deal, but I was not his attorney at the time, and it probably got him out of jail. He has been sitting in jail since the arrest in May of this year.

The DA read the indictment to the jury. My client plead not guilty to both the charges, and true to the enhancement convictions necessary to be charged with Felony DWI. The first witness was a probation officer just to prove up the two prior convictions. The state had very few questions to ask, and neither did I. I could have made them jump through a lot of hoops to get prove up those convictions, but would have just wasted the court's and jury's time, as there was really no way to challenge such. As we had already plead true to such, it actually made no sense to do such, so I just let the exhibits come in without objection. The time was about 10:30 am and the judge recessed the court for 15 minutes, which I was glad to see, as I was about to wet my pants. One of the downsides of drinking 32 ounces of Dr. Pepper while driving to the next town for court.

After the break, the DA called the police officer on the May 2003 and questioned him and showing the videos from the arrest site and in the jail where the defendant was given the field sobriety tests. At about 11:35 or so, they passed him off to me. He was a young officer, but my client did not look that great on the videos. I hit him hard on his knowledge about the testing and about how quickly he came to the decision to arrest my client. I also questioned him about some things that my client did well. He was actually very more naive that most police officers and gave away a bit of ground. I was pleased, but still the videos were not that great. Lunch time, and we were recessed until 1:15 pm. After lunch, the state re-questioned the officer to try to mop up a few of the mistakes he had made while I had questioned him. I figured there were no other questions worth asking and did not want to give the DA another chance to come back and ask him more questions as I thought I had him pretty well on the ropes. The second police officer was called. The more experienced DA in the two person team questioned him, he was an older officer, an assistant supervisor for the department, and the experienced DA and he proved up the second charge pretty easily, although both seemed to agree it was a close case, but that there was enough evidence to believe the defendant was guilty. I asked the officer very few questions, as the tape was pretty good and almost all the stuff I could have asked this officer, I had asked the other officer, and I did not want the jury to hear how a more experienced officer would answer those questions. The State rested. I asked for a recess to discuss with my client whether we would put him on the stand. The judge granted it. I had originally thought I was going to have to put my client on the stand, but at that point felt like he would have more to lose by being subjected to vigorous cross-examination than he would gain by explaining his side of the case to the jury. We returned from recess and I rested, both side closed and the judge again recessed the jury for an additional 15 minutes so the charge could be prepared. The charge is an instrument that explains the applicable law to the jury and provides to them the questions that they are to answer. In this case, they were to find the defendant either guilty or not guilty on both charges.

The returns and arguments begin. The older DA begins and argues for 10 minutes. He says something that I thought was unbelievable, but says the second charge is not something they are worried about and that they had only brought that charge so the jury would have an opportunity to see the defendant in a very close case as opposed to how he appeared in count one, where he did not look so great.

I began my argument by showing amazement that a DA would have admitted that one of the charges in the indictment was a throwaway. I said, yes, I agree there is a marked difference between defendant's appearance in the later case, but I also pointed out that the arrest had been made at 2:00 am on a Saturday morning when the evidence showed the defendant had arisen at 6:45 am the previous morning and after he had worked all day. I said the difference was fatigue, not intoxication. I slammed the field sobriety tests as circus acts and the wobbly eye test. I explained how everyone in the court had a job and how it was the DA's job to prosecute the case and to argue for my client's guilt, but how their job was to look hard at the evidence and see it for what it was. I pointed out the several normal things that my client had done well. I said from the point alcohol was smelled on his breath, he had been placed under a microscope and that everything was tainted by the perception of the police officer in looking for things to prove the defendant was intoxicated. I talked about how the line between when one had drank but was not affected and when one became affect was a grey line and that we agreed that the defendant was very close to that line, but we believed he was on the good side of that line. I explained that on one side of that line he would go home and on the other side, he would be branded a felon. I put the ball in the jury's hands to decide which side of that line he fell.

The younger, less experienced DA closed out argument by asking the jury to look at the details and she listed all these various items the police officers noted as clues of intoxication. She ended by asking them to find the defendant guilty on both counts.

Now really count two was not that great, and the DA had been offering from day one to dismiss it if we would plead to the other count. I had not put much effort into countering it after the first DA's admission that even they were not worried about a finding of guilt on that case. It appeared they thought they could win the first count, and I put all my effort into defense against the first count.

At 3:30 pm, the jury was sent into deliberations. About 4:30 pm, they sent out a note asking to be able to review the tapes with regard to count one. I and both DAs were of the opinion that they had decided to acquit on count two and were only deliberating a decision on count one. At one point during the viewing of the second video of count one, the presiding juror said something to several of the other jurors and asked to have the video stopped. The retired for further deliberations. I thought they had seen what I had pointed out and the DA thought they had seen what she had pointed out. Thirty minutes later, the second note comes out. The jury has voted to acquit on count one, but the vote is 8 guilty, 4 not guilty on count two. Everyone is in disbelief. The judge sends in a note telling them to continue deliberating.

About 6:00 pm another note. Jury is still deadlocked on count two, now it is 7 guilty, 5 not guilty. The judge sends a note telling them to please continue deliberating, but if they are hopelessly deadlocked to please send a note.

7:15 pm, another note. We are still deadlocked, vote is 6/6. Judge sends in dynamite note which says basically that mistrial means another jury will have to go through the same process, hear the same evidence and will have just as difficult decision to make, so please deliberate and make a decision, but do so only with a clear conscience.

8:10 pm, note: Why were both counts tried at the same time, and what is the standard for field sobriety tests. Just responds that he cannot answer these questions, that the charge contains all the information that he can give.

9:15 pm, we get the word the jury has finally arrived at a verdict. There had been raised voices heard from the jury room for over an hour at the end, but the final vote was acquittal on both counts. There were 12 very hazard and grim faces in that jury box as the judge thanked them for their service and discharged them to get back to the their lives. That is probably the hardest $12 most of them had ever earned for two days work. I was court appointed, so I don't make a killing but it ain't that bad. My client was happy. He gets to go home and is not a felon. I advised him to stop drinking and driving. Do one or the other, but if you drink, pay someone to drive you around, it is cheaper in the long run. The younger DA had been forced to await the end, as the other one had seniority and went home. She congratulated me. She wanted to talk to the jury, I guess to find out what they liked or didn't like about her work. I wanted to tell the ones who had finally relented to acquit that my client had sat in jail for 5 months awaiting this trial, so as to let them know he had not gotten off quite scott free. The jury didn't want to hang around and talk to anyone, and I knew that. I just let them get home.

I got home about 10:00 pm, and dropped by my secretary's house to let her know the trial was over, and to see what I had missed the last two days. I have a lot to do tomorrow.

Dog & Pony Show: Day 1

Well, at 8:15am, I was in the courthouse ready to begin another rousing Dog & Pony Show. I spoke with my client about needing to sign an application for probation, and he declines, then the DA approaches me with a much better offer, which my client still declines. I think my client's chances of getting acquitted are slim, but he refuses to budge, saying either the jury convicts him or they let him go. So, off to the Dog & Pony Show we go. The jury panel arrived approximately 9:30 am. The court had actually ordered a double panel, thinking there might be two trial possibilities this week, but everyone else fell through but mine so we had a shitload of possible jurors. After the general qualification questions, the judge allowed anyone who had some excuse to come forward to explain their reasons. Approximately 25 people came forward and came up with one excuse after another. Most were pretty good excuses, but not valid excuses for jury service, but with so many, both the DA and I agreed one after another to allow them to go. I think we kept 2 out of the 25, and those two had not really wanted off, just thought maybe they were not qualified.

We break, come back, and then the DA starts questioning the prospective jurors to discover what biases, experiences, and what-not they might have that would make them less than desirable jurors for this case. He is not finished when lunchtime arrives, so we recess for lunch.

After lunch, he resumes for about another 10 minutes. Then I get up and do my questioning and spiel for about 45 minutes. I have never felt like it was necessary to go over the same ground as the state, but I see other attorneys who think they have to do it because it is on their outline. I do my outline for each individual trial, on the fly. That is how I have always tried criminal cases, on the fly. There is actually so little you can find out about testimony until it occurs, because there is no discovery in criminal cases in Texas. Well, there is, but the DA's always say they have an open file policy, and they do. You can look all through their file and take whatever notes you wish, but you can't get copies of anything. Mostly anything you get is an outline or case report anyway, and what the police officers say on the stand is usually much more than they write down. They have learned to make their statement brief, so that they do not lock themselves into facts. That makes it easier for them to change things to counter any defenses you propose.

Anyway, the jury was finally seated, and the real show starts tomorrow. The police officers take the stand and tell their side of the story. I already prepped the jury on my "truth is relevant to perception" philosophy, so tomorrow we see if they paid any attention. I actually like this jury. It is a lot of housewives and blue collar workers. Much better than the usual 12 bankers, accountants, and engineers I get. They are so ultra-conservative as a rule that they require the defendant to prove his innocence before voting for acquittal.

It is amazing how few people understand picking a jury. You don't pick them, you pick the ones that you know or think will not be good for your side, the other side does the same, and then you use the ones left over. You don't pick good jurors, you eliminate bad ones ... or at least try to do so.

I guess what I love the best is that there are so many attorneys in the world, and so few who really love to do the whole Dog & Pony Show! I love jury trials. It is the closest to stand-up I ever get. I got quite a few laughs today. And they really liked my tie. I know, I asked them.

Do these pants make me look fat?

Well, as you might can tell, I did a bit of sprucing on the old blog today. I mean, after all, it was so quiet, and I just was not in the mood to post a bunch of stuff no one was gonna read anyway, so did a bit of changing to make things a bit more interesting. So, anyone like what I did to the place? You don't have to anwer if you aren't here, OK?

Tony is still Always Right

Well the contest is over, and, surprisingly, the voting concluded that the new name of I Am Always Right should be I Am Always Right.

What do women really know about men?

One thing that I have to do almost daily is check my hotmail accounts. Oops, I guess I let it slip that I have several*. I actually have accounts on Netscape** and Yahoo*** too, but mostly, I use the hotmail accounts more than any. Why? Well, primarily because with MSN Explorer I can easily sign in to each individual account just by clicking the appropriate icon. So, where is this going? Well, upon initiation of the browser in each account, I am taken to the MSN Explorer home page. I see this page on several occasions during the day, and I usually check to see if there is anything interesting on that day's offerings. Today, I found something I did think was worth sharing: 10 myths women have about men. I won't make you go to the MSN homepage to see it, however, and have published the whole article in the extended entries.

*I actually have one predominant hotmail account that I use. The additional accounts usually relate to one program that I have downloaded and had to give an email address to register. I found that by creating a new email address for use with each program, I could actually track which ones of them were selling off addresses to SPAMMERS. Most of reputable companies got good marks.

**This address was primarily associated with my now defunk comic strip site, and I rarely even check it. I am not ever sure it exists.

***This address is primarily connected with my Yahoo personal ad. It gets very little traffic, except for the hundreds of SPAM messages for penis enlargement pills.

10 myths women have about men By Susan Hayden

As perceptive as women can be, they have yet to figure out the male psyche — an interesting and sometimes frightening place from which men forge their own unique approach to life.

To gain a little perspective on man and his muse, we approached a variety of men with some of the more common female perceptions of them. Not surprisingly, we found out that a lot of those beliefs are, in fact, misperceptions, and the guys we spoke with were more than eager to clear them up.

Though a highly subjective survey, here are some of the more interesting truths revealed from the mouths of men:

1. Men are not interested in what women have to say
"Men are interested in what women have to say," countered Chris, 27, "as long as it involves one of the following: Our favorite sport, our favorite activity or your naked body. For example, many men would find it extremely interesting if a woman said, 'A couple of years ago, I got so drunk that I showed up nude to a football game.'"

2. Men want somebody who is just like their mother
"Men do want somebody who will love them like dear old Mom," admits Eric, 42. "But sometimes Mom also annoys us; we don't want you to be like that. So love, nurture and spoil like her — just don't be her."

3. Men only think about sex
"Well, yeah," says Paul, 34. "Thinking about sex takes up a good portion of our brain power, but we don't spend all of our free time pondering when we'll make our next move." Paul also adds, "There are actually plenty of women who are more interested in sex than we are."

4. He's spoiling me, so he must have plenty of money
"No, I don't," assures Brady, 49. "I'm going a little outside my comfort level to woo you, but plan to return gradually to my normal level as you fall, hopefully, madly in love with me."

5. If I sleep with him on the first date, he won't respect me
"Not necessarily," suggests Juan, 21. "My impression of you is based more on how you treat me and how we connect than whether or not we're intimate on the first date."

6. I can change him
"No, you can't," replies Jacques, 30. "Oh, you might get us to behave differently for a while. We might wear some newer shirts or clean up after ourselves for a few weeks, but I'm only doing it because I want to do — at least that is what I'm telling myself."

7. Men are interested in my dating history
"I couldn't care less about your sexual history," says Thomas, 19. "I don't care if you've had one or 20 partners; just don't tell me about any of them."

8. Men don't like women who make the first move.
"Sure we do," returns Romero, 39. "It's less work for us and shows us you have good taste."

9. Men prefer inexperienced women
"That's one of the great myths," admits Chuck, 52. "In reality, we'd rather be with someone who knows what they're doing."

10. Men are strong
"No," assures Michael, who just turned 40. "We're babies, especially when we've got a cold or you break our hearts.

Another new blogger

It seems that OLDCATMAN has a blog-child of his own. Well actually, it is OLDCATMAN's actual fully grown, 42-year-old son, who has decided good old dad is having so much fun blowing brain farts that he wants to ramble a bit about being an Average White Guy. He started Thursday. Not doing bad for a beginner, and like me, he is a widower. They did have a kid before his wife died, however, so he is having to raise his 9-year-old daughter without a mother. I bet he will be having some interesting tales to tell in the future. Right now, he seems to be getting his feet wet and getting the hang of the blogging game. Do give his blog a look. You might actually like it. ;)

Bloggy Goodness relocates

Yes, Anna has deserted blogspot and moved here. Kindly adjuct your linkage appropriately.

FOX vs. Franken: Finalized

Well, it seems the judge in the FOX vs. Franken case has issued a fair and balance ruling. "There are hard cases and there are easy cases," the judge said. "This is an easy case. This case is wholly without merit, both factually and legally." It a parody, FOX, fair use, no injunction for you, the book goes to stores.* End of story.

attribution: Volokh

*and I ain't buyin' it, but what do you bet all the press makes it a hot item?**

**I actually might put a sticker on it saying something like this book is being sold against the wishes of FOX and their attorneys.

News Flash!

-- Alabama chief justice suspended pending outcome of ethics complaint for defying court order to move Ten Commandments. via CNN email updates

Why Tiger?

Commenter the girl* in the following post asked:

Is your Tiger name a reference to American Graffiti? This has nothing to do with the entry, but I felt I must ask.

When I was a little boy, my Dad always called me Terry the Tiger. I am not sure why I got that nickname, but it was better than my brother's: Podink P. Possum. My sister was merely Pete. This nickname faded away and disappeared after I grew up. Some of the kids in high school tried to tag me with the nickname Lizard, but after I pelted several of them with some sizeable rocks, they decided it was best not to call me that.

When I was practicing law in Dallas, there was a pretty well-known attorney there called Tiger Leach. I am not sure if he is still alive, but have no reason to think otherwise. I never did attempt to use such nickname there, and just was glad to be called Terry.

However, when I first moved to this area, everyone was always telling me about this attorney that used to be here back in the old moonshining days, a Rhodes' scholar, reknown to have single-handedly scored on an opposing team when at Baylor**, who lived in a cave, and all other kinds of legendary stuff. His name was Bull Adams. Well, I came here with the goal of becoming equally legendary, so figured the only way to compete with a "Bull" was to have an equally formidable nickname. Tiger, although abandoned for a number of years, already belonged to me. It was rightfully still my nickname. It doesn't hurt that the local football team is also called the Tigers.

*Is this an alias for Nicole?

**Legend has it that for some reason all the other members of the Baylor squad were disqualified, injured or something, so instead of forfeiting, Bull Adams took the field by himself, picked up the ball, and, with several opposing players hanging all over his immense frame, plodded down the field to score a touchdown. I am not sure if he kicked the extra point or went for the two point conversion. The legend is a bit hazy in parts.

A little bit of this and that

Thanks to Glenn of Hi. I'm black!, I found this entry about one blogger's dissatisfaction of being outed by a reporter:

Here's the thing: remember when I said yesterday my archives and images were going to be messed up because I was cleaning up? I lied. In reality I agreed to give an interview to a local reporter about blogging on the condition that my URL wasn't published. The reporter didn't follow through with our agreement, and my URL was published in a regional newspaper. Both my boss and my mother-in-law read the paper in question cover to cover every day. I panicked a bit. [Nicole: go fish]

In my interview, Paul asked, due to the honest nature of what I disclose about myself, if there was anything I wish I had not published, or something along those lines. I basically said I wasn't afraid of telling the truth about myself.

I am not sure I want everyone in my local area to read this blog. I live in a small town, and I really don't want my comments to become a forum for discussion of local issues. I have had some of my local friends who do read regularly ask me why I don't discuss local items more often. Well, mostly, I think it is because, except for those things I experience first hand, most of what I could discuss is based upon gossip, hearsay and the grapevine, and except for select locals, would be of very little interest to anyone unfamiliar with small town life in this small town in particular. I mean our weekly rag, and a rag it is, already reports on all the local car wrecks, who was arrested and convicted,* how much rainfall we received over the last week, some items about what is happening in the school, what the county commisioners are doing, and some other items. There are no editorials or letters to the editor, and I am pretty sure the majority of the people buy it to find the garage sale ads in the classifieds. I don't want to do local editorials on this blog, and I don't want to post letters to the editor. This blog is intended for the world audience. This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of the truth or whatever is funny, whichever comes first. If I wanted the URL of this blog to be reported in the newspaper, I could just buy an ad and publicize it.

*However, they never seem to report on the results of trials where someone is aquitted or on those cases in which the charges were subsequently dropped.

Am I here yet?

Yes, I am actually here. I just have a lot of things one my mind. Nothing of any real importance to any one but me. Nothing all that interesting to anyone else, and not even all that interesting to me. Just life. Sometimes there are parts of it that are not that much fun, like worrying how you are going to get your bills for the month paid when not much is coming in. I will get beyond this, though, in a bit.

I guess he did anwer my question

Well, I surmised about what the effect of one little mention on InstaPundit would do to your visitation rate and Glenn did show me. As of this point, his blurb has brought me somewhere about 3000 hits. Of course my the average time that a visitor stayed on the site dropped from approximately 3 minutes to just over 1 minute. I am still number from the giant spike that Instalanche caused on every one of my Site Meter graphs. I have court this morning and am late, so blogging will be light during the day. Please feel free to read through yesterday's offerings, and then start reading your way through my blogroll. There is a lot of bloggy goodness to be found. Have a nice day!

Blogosphere Ecosystem going on vacation

No, not NZB. It seems that Hosting Matters, the server upon which NZB's site is on, is saying the Blogosphere Ecosystem is fragging their servers too much, so until NZB can figure out some other way to fix this problem, no new updates are going to be done. To me, this is both good news and bad news. The good news, if I rightly understand what he is saying, is that I will stay in the same place [top 200/Large Mammal] until more updating can be done, and the bad news is that I cannot expect to climb any higher [No. 1/Higher Being] up the chain until more updating can be done. I can live with that.[*]

Now, if I had a proposition to propose, I would say that maybe technorati should come to the rescue and host such on their site. They seem to have no resource problems there, and this plays right into what they say their site is for anyway: Index page title- Technorati: Web Services for bloggers. Now tell me, is not the Blogosphere Ecosystem the one web service the bloggers want the most?

[*Update footnote] Oh, wow, I just noticed this occurs just when I had worked really hard to get my average visitation rate back over 200 per day which should have slid me finally into the top 200 in visitation also.

Blogospheric Inanities

NZB says the Ecosystem is again fully functional, and explains why it occurred. It seems to have something to do with some problems associated with power lines in northern Ohio or something.

Venomous Kate has unwittingly sent an enormous amount of visitos to this post from a trackback from such post to her site. I am hopeful all of those visitors appreciated my reflections as contained in that post, but, despite the very large number of visitors, there has not been a single comment about what I had to say.

I hate weekends, especially days like today when I feel so compelled to take a nap and can find absolutely no good reason to deny myself that pleasure. As such, I shall endeavor to go catch 30 or 40 winks. If you run out of things to read on my site, check out all of the fine sites on my blogroll. They are a special, hand-picked bunch of very fine blogs, you know. ;)

This is only a test

Saturdays are slow blogging days

michele says blogging traffic today has been ever so sluggish. I am just glad that my hits are near average. After than just over 100 I got last Saturday, 1.7x that is so much better to see. I am very appreciative for everyone who came to look over my paltry offerings today. I warms my heart to feel your love. Thanks. ;)

A place in the sunshine

Hmmm, someone has listed the 10 best campin' spots in the US and ain't none of 'em in my backyard. Scott does have a real nice place to camp down on the Brazos, and that is pretty close to my backyard*, but, of course, campin' ain't all that much fun when you have the whole tent to yourself, is it? Well, don't think I am goinna go campin' today, but I might go out for fresh refill of Dr. Pepper or somethin'. More to come later. Seems to me, I didn't put up a Rusty column yesterday, so maybe I better put one up for those die-hard fans today, ya think?

*And I figured if I was talkin' 'bout good places to camp, I had better mention it or Scott would never ever forgive me.

There are faint signs of life

It seems NZB has gotten some clue as to the ailments as to what is wrong with the Ecosystem and has attempted to explain it. Of course, a geek/0™ like me was left in the dark even after reading it. All I understood is that he hopes everything will be fixed by the end of the weekend. We shall see.

I am not a peacenik, but . . .

I dunno, but I really do not want to take any sides in Blog Wars. I would just rather stay on the sidelines and keeping being a Snarky Inaniac™, so as far as anything to do with the Blog Wars, I shall now be a Switzerland Blog.

This is HOT NEWS

Just in via email from CNN:

-- Libya to accept responsibility for Pan Am 103 bombing, renounce terrorism, U.S. official says.

Oh George! I woke up and it's Friday!

I woke up with the most bizarre thoughts swimming through my sleep deprioved brain. I was thinking of Ted Williams and Al Franken, and how it was so strange that Ted Williams had died and how his head was separated from his body and frozen and how Al Franken's frozen head remains attached to a living body. I told you it was bizarre.

Good news/bad news: It seems that most of the electricity has been restored bringing an end to the blackout of naughty-three™ but NYC's subways are still out of commission. I guess all those stranded executives are still wearing their same suits and may get to spend another night at their mistresses' houses.

The Blogosphere Ecosystem remains mired in its coma and it may be time to consider disconnecting life support. NZB is distraught.

Upcoming: Stevie's questions

More to come!

I got snagged for The Interview Game

OK, Seems that I have the following questions as posed by DavidMC of Better Living Through Blogging:

1. Do you appreciate or hate being asked "Hey, you're a lawyer, and I was wondering if you could help me out..." type of questions from non-paying acquaintances? It depends a lot on what day of the month it is. If I have just successfully paid another round of monthly bills on time and still have a bit of change jingling in my pocket I don't mind it as much as I do when it is near the end of the month and I still am about $1K short of making my monthly nut.
2. If your nickname wasn't "Tiger," what other nickname do you think people would use for you? snake shit or something like that.
3. Your tiny little burg in Texas has closed up - gone bankrupt - everything must go! Where do you choose to relocate, and why? What? You have been here and know the financial condition of the friggin' town? I would move to Canada, maybe Vancouver, open a hash bar or something, and write my books in the back room with Crayolas on a Big Chief Tablet.
4. You have just been given a check for $1,000,000, tax-free. Which charitable organization (if any) will you give some money to, and would you give some to me? Hmm, still thinking that a one million dollars is not really all that much money, so I would just put it all in CDs and live off the interest, leave the principal in my will to the National Park Service to buy electric buses to cart people through those smog filled NPs after they banned auto traffic. Wilderness should be wilderness. I would buy you a couple of cases of beer after I got the first round of interest checks.
5. President Tiger, having just been inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, what message do you have for your fellow Americans? Look you lazy fuckers, it is time to stop sucking on the government tit. No, not talking to you welfare recipients, but we are gonna be checking to see if ya'll really need that money and finding ways to get you to start providing for your own living. The ones I am talking to right now is all ya'll good for nothing bureaucrats that push paper here and there and waste time accomplishing nothing but sucking the tax dollars out of the government trough that could be used for real important things, like teaching all your kids to speak Spanish so they won't be left behind when they become the minority in our great country and building more Wal-Marts and McDonald's so they can all have places to work, and don't forget all the free T-shirts we are gonna be handing out to tell everyone how proud we are to be Americans. I already got a really good deal on those lined up with a factory over in China. Now get your resumes ready, because a lot of ya'll might be soon looking for a job.

There, how was that?

Now, according to the rules of this game, I now have to interview someone.
Here are the applicable rules:

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions (not the same as you see here).
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

I need one victim volunteer. Leave your name, address, bra size, and phone number in the comments, and I will try to come up with a doozy set of five questions to frag your braincells.

There's some 'splainin' to do

OK. I was checking the pongs. Seems that Susie ponged me pretty bad, but I always forgive her. I used to have that affliction and for the life of me do not know why it seldom occurs anymore or I would pass that information along. But as I was looking at the long list of prior posts, I noticed that I had titled two of the Rusty Rucker posts as Episode 21. As such, I am going to renumber them from the second No. 21 so as to correct such mistake. Denita, you can adjust or not as you see fit. I apologize, and are almost wondering why you hadn't pointed such out to me already. ;) Also, while on the subject of Rusty's columns, I also noticed that I had not posted June's column, so tonight's Rusty posting is going to be the June 2000 column which should have been posted several back. I have also noticed that August and October 2000 columns were passed over. I did have some trouble getting these posts at my first attempt, but I am finding that I can sometiems retrieve these now. As such, I will most likely be posting August and October's columns in the next installments. The run is coming close to the end.

Breaking News:

Just in via email:

Posted by Tiger at 03:52 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Goodnight Susie!

Well, as usual, I did have more visitors today than any other day this week, but only beat yesterday's total by 3. Not all that bad for a slow blogging day. Of course, I pulled out one of the best things I think I ever wrote to share, and as far as I can tell, it will still be there tomorrow for those who have not read it yet. Rusty column is probably more controversial than any of the others. There is plenty for Susie to read* after her hard day/night at work, I guess, so I can go to bed with a clear conscience. ;)

*That is provided she has time, what with needing to link every post that Kevin has written today in some way on her blog. She is determined to keep that permalink.

Where's Waldo? or at least a good facsimile*

Now I am going to have to search for one of my snarkiest posts to submit to Venemous Kate. Thanks for the heads up, Susie. I missed it. She tipped Kevin** for the find.

OFF TOPIC: Ummm, got another one of those great Texas thunderstorms brewin' outdoors and I can feel the ozone in the air already. That means I will be sleepin' well tonight!***

*OK, not the best title, but then ya'll never did remark on the one I thought was about the best I ever came up with, did ya?

**What is with the avalanche of Kevin links today, Susie?

***Even if it is alone.

So Tiger, whatcha doing?

Other than nursing a headache and reading a lot of what other people have been writing on their blogs over the last few hours and commenting to some of it, I am watching that damn Site Meter counter as it closes in on 7.5K. I am not sure why it is significant, other than it marks halfway between 5K and 10K. And not really a bad number for less than half of two months of tracking. I remember my first, what I thought was a really popular website, amassed like 300 hits over a two month period and I was literally on cloud nine, thinking I had one of the most popular sites on the internet. Of course, that was like 7 years ago, and the site was on geocities, before Yahoo took it over and it was called: The Electronic Teabag. Now that was probably not all that interesting to read, but didn't it beat that stink bait* that Bill was using to lure catfish today?

Hmmm, and I am pretty sure that Susie reads my blog, what, every once in a blue moon?

[Update: I make a snarky crack about Susie and she pongs me, and I had to rebuild the whole site just to fix it.]

*Sorry Bill, but I still ain't bitin'.

Much ado about nothing

Well, actually just not all that important to read. This message is a test to see if I got the blogrolling bug worked out. I am keeping my fingers crossed. If it worked, I will update you with further information.

OK, from what I have discovered so far, it looks like if I do what is necessary to ping from the right URL to correctly show as updated on the blogrolls, I have to put a file name into my site URL configuration in MT. I did that and it worked. But it also cause my page not to display correctly, probably doing something that caused the .css file not to load. I am confused, but I suspect that MT development just assumed that the main page was always going to be named index. As it sits now, it may be best to just do a manual ping through blogrolling's standalone ping page. I will need to wait until I drop off of showing to have updated before I can test whether such will correct my blogroll dilemma. Stay tuned.

OK, gonna see what happens if I try to send a stand alone ping after I put more text on this page.

I cut about an inch off of my . . .

no, not what you were thinking, but just checked out every blog in my blogroll today and trimmed it quite a bit. I deleted a lot of fine blogs, but found that I seldom read them, or if I even checked, I seldom found anything of interest. As I have said time and time again, those blogs on my blogroll are the blogs I read. Of course, now that I have cleared up some of the space, I suppose there are a few I could add. I think there have been a few people who have blogrolled me over the last few days that I have not recognized, and am sure many of these will find a place on that esteemed blogroll. However, as the damn Ecosystem still seems to be fragged, I cannot find the new ones who have linked to me. If you have done so and are not blogrolled, feel free to leave a comment and let me know.

In completely other news: Hey, I need two things, deperately: First off all, does anyone have any pull with blogrolling.com? Isn't that like Dave Winer or someone. I am almost positive my readership would increase insurmountably if my blog would show as updated on people's blogrolls. Secondly, if any of you template gurus would like to assist me in redesigning to a 3 column format so that I could add a bit of stuff on the right side of the blog entries, I would appreciate it. Also, if I could get some tips on how to change my .css file so as to add some spiffy borders or something to snazz up the place, I would likewise be eternally grateful. I am thinking of a black on orange, Tiger type of motiff. Of course, I am not sure how that will play in real life, but isn't experimentation the key to happiness?

Continued Light Blogging

Due to prevailing creative spirit in the local area, caused by a large development in the Alien Attitude™ project occupying a large part of the blogger's brain, The National Inaniac Blogger Service has issued a Light Blogging Warning until later this evening. Please stay tuned to this blog for further development. You are now returned to whatever you were doing. Thank you for you patience.

I guess it's time now!

I posted something really personal a few days ago. I actually have been reading the comments that have been gathering from Denita of TwoDragons, who has quickly become one of my blogfriends and poured out her heart in consolation for my pain both in the coments and in this post, Dean Esmay of Dean's World who suggested a service that I did look into and may actually try, non-blogger Jefferey McDowell who offered hope and encouragement, Guy, the OLDCATMAN, another blogfriend, who offered empathy and encouragement, new blogacquaintance Ursula, who offered the first kind words of encouragement, and a fine blog post by recently blogrolled margilowry which not only gave sympathy and encouragement, but also sent readers to my post. I am so very thankful and appreciative for all of your kind words and feelings on my behalf.

Today, I have discovered that my very good friend, Charles G. Hill of dustbuy, not only writes a very nice column called The Vent, but that the latest column concerns my post. Thanks for shining a bit of your spotlight my way, Charles!

Standard Station Announcement

Tonight's episode of Rusty Rucker will be cancelled due to a severe case of blogarrhea* infecting an important member of our staff. Hopefully, such condition will improve and tonight's episode will be shown tomorrow.

*However, I do think the mushrooms are wearing off and he should soon have completed his vision quest.

Of little real interest to many

Just for those of you who are following the Alien Attitudes™ development process: Chapter One is completed. If you took the time to look over the Prologue and want to see where it goes next, email me about it.

Breaking News?

I just had someone tell me that the Jack Daniels distillery was on fire. I am researching the story right now. I will update as soon as I find out anything else.

[UPDATE: It looks like everything is all right in Lynchburg. It was the Jim Beam Warehouse. [full story]

However, in other news, in Florida, it seems that when you called the number listed for Verizon Customer Assistance, you were in for a special treat. How come I think Frnak may have been involved in this?

attribution for this one: FARK

New dinosaur species is identified*

It seems that a bunch of fossilized bones that were on a shelf in a South African university are those of a previously unknown species of a large dinosaur. [full story]

*I had neglected to check this email account for a couple of weeks, and this story is actually from July 10. However, I figured given the 215,000,000 years that the bones layed in the ground and the 20 years that they laid on the shelf gathering dust, you might forgive the week or two delay it took me in bringing this story to the light.

Good Morning, Sleepyhead!

I remember my mother sayng that to me almost every morning when I was a child. I am not a morning person. I hit the snooze button over and over and drag out of bed. It is usually just the pressing need to empty my bladder that forces me to finally climb out of bed. Staying up way too late blogging is surely not helping me want to get up in the morning either.

So, what is the first thing I do when I get up, other than what was mentioned previously? I check the blog: Who commented? Who linked any of my posts? How many visited while I slept? It is true! Then I go to TTLB's Ecosystem list to see where I rank, both in position by number of links and by daily visitation. I am pleased to see that I have again attained a position in the top 250 by number of links [Large Mammal] and have remained there for a new record of 4 days. I have also climbed into the top 200 blogs in daily visits. I profess that from the actual amount of time that I expend on this blog, I am quite pleased to see it has resulted in the development of some readership and popularity.

I still have a couple of problems which I think severely hamper my blogging success and hinder my climb higher in the evolutionary scheme of the greater Blogosphere. The first is, of course, my lack of any consistency in connectivity to the World Wide Web. The second is that the Blogroll system fails to ever show that my site has been updated.

I am unsure if I will ever get a better connection. Alternatives to dialup are few and cost prohibitive in this small town where I reside. Additionally, there are not any local ISPs so all connections from this area have to go through servers located in towns more than 20 miles away. The quality of lines going into and out of this town is piss poor to say the least. I am continually connected at rates of 31.2kps, 26.6kps, and, remarkably, was very pleased one day to get a 12.0kps connection that allowed me to access my email. I had connected time after time on that day to find that although I was connected, absolutely no data was being transmitted over the connection. Oh, how I hate dialup.

As to the blogroll problem, I have mentioned it time and again and have gotten all kinds of advice from my fellow bloggers regarding how to ping blogrolling. I have been successfully pinging blogrolling. I finally broke down yesterday and contacted blogrolling support and they replied with a message that they did not show the URL for my blog in their database. I responded with the URL from my preferences page to show them I had a blogroll and that my URL had been correctly emplaced thereon. I am hopeful there is a response to my response awaiting me when I finally check my hotmail following the publication of this post. I suspect my visitation numbers will escalate once that problem is solved.

There is also one other minor situation that displeases me. However, it is purely personal. I am too geek/0 when it comes to certain aspects of blog form and function. I would love to know more about css so that I could arrange this blog with a 3-column look and add a little pizzazz to my look! As it was, I finally had to just use table tags just to get that masthead to display correctly when adding my picture.

However, in the grand scheme of things, given that I had never even heard of blogging prior to April 1 of this year, I think I have come a long way into understanding the nature of the blogging world.

Important Public Service Announcement! Please read!

I just received an urgent email from Glenn Reynolds of InstaPundit and he has informed me that his bandwidth is severely taxed from all of the asshats [he actually used a different term but my fucking morals won't allow me to repeat it publicly] coming to his site to read his boring drivel. He has asked me to inform each and every one of you to please, in the future, visit my blog for your blurbs to the news. He states that mine are far more interesting than his and that I am able to limit mine to items of a real interest to a broader spectrum of the public. He further informed me that should he discover anything of any real interest of a nature of which people should be aware, that he will forward such to me by email so that I can blurb about them here on this blog. This concludes this important public announcement, and you may now return to reading some of my hilarious posting.

There is actually no truth to anything said above,* but wasn't it funny?

*Well it was true where I said his blurbs were boring drivel and that mine were far more interesting.The false stuff was that he emailed me. ;)

Where's your stuff?

It seems that Kelley is tired of posting the best stuff she finds from the bloggers she reads all the time and is looking for a few new people to submit some great work for her to post in the next Cul-de-Sac, so if you don't know Kelley and have something really great you want to share with the Blogosphere, send it her way.

What is good for the goose

I just ran across this MSN news story entitled "Alleged Saddam tape on sons’ deaths." It states:*

TIKRIT, Iraq, July 30 — Skeptical Iraqis began to show signs on Wednesday that they believed Saddam Hussein’s sons Odai and Qusai were dead after a new audiotape attributed to the fallen dictator said his sons had become martyrs in the fight against American occupation.

*Oh, I am absolutely sure that someone else has already found and reported on this story, but I ran across the link to the story when I was checking my hotmail account. I owe no attribution on this one.

[UPDATE: I am fuckin' pissed simply aghast! I thought this was such insightful political analysis that I emailed it to InstaPundit. Not the link, but the whole post, the link to the story, and my permalink. He would not even have had to come to visit my blog to blurb it. But does he? No, three hours, and not a single mention! And what is this with this channelling crap and emulation of his utterly uninteresting style? I mean I understood the first time I emailed him an offer to visit my blog way back when I was pond scum and was ignored, but I have been in the top 300 of the Blogosphere for several weeks and holding steady and my readership climbs day by day. Glenn get off your damn high horse and realize that some of us Johnny-Come-Latelies might be worth a look or a mention once in awhile, also.]

Saddam* says sons were martyrs

According to this CNN report:

The Arabic-language television network Al Arabiya on Tuesday broadcast an audiotape said to carry the voice of Saddam Hussein mourning the loss of his two sons.

[*]The authenticity of the tape was not confirmed.

And the test result says:

According to a test I just took at emode.com:

The Religion Test

***, your belief system is best suited to religions that value open mindedness

How do we know? While you were taking this test, we compared your religious beliefs against 10 of the world's most common religions. Your score shows that you share core beliefs with religions that encourage you to find your own spiritual path.

You are attracted to a religion that tolerates mixed beliefs about the existence of God and upholds the idea that there is something to be learned from every religion. You are open to a wide variety of religious and spiritual ideas. You are attracted to spiritual groups that are composed of typically open-minded and intellectual people who actively engage in individual exploration of many different spiritual truths.

[UPDATE: And from my email, they continue with:

***, your religious beliefs have the most in common with Unitarian Universalism

Did you know?

What sets Unitarian Universalism apart from other religions is their view on religious tolerance.]

Check your links and other minutiae

It seems Collinization has deserted blog*spot! Good move John. Change your links, ya'll.

AND, it seems that Frank is awaiting for a few more of ya'll to vote for my entry in the groveling contest. So go vote for it. I cannot tell you which one it is, but you can figure it out.

[UPDATE: I was gonna let ya'll know the voting was over but Frank I just backed up and retyped that after I saw I had typed in Frnak has already announced in the comments that I only placed in this race. Still, it pays off at 17 to 1.]

Why evolution has ceased in the ecosystem

NZB finally offers up some explanation as to why things have not been going as usual in the Blogosphere Ecosystem of late. No, you read it, but the dog did not eat his homework.

No New Weblog Review

I decided not to do a review of the entries in this week's The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase. Mostly I was a bit perturbed that some of the entries that were submitted prior to last week's deadline and were reviewed, are also among those appearing in this week's listings. As the contest forum has gotten a bit erratic, and I am not sure as to the reasons why NZB has not been up to speed with all the various facets of his site, but for some reason, the bug to review the entries just did not bite me. I am sorry for those who look forward to such. However, I will willingly allow you to review them for yourselves. Utilizing NZB's cut and paste HTML, I hereby submit the following as a list of the links to this week's entries:

Sarcastic Southerner: Dean's Hypocrisy
JustCron Report: JustCron Report
Passenger Pachyderms: The News on Tape
One Little Victory: The Killing Urge
The Usurer: For want of a fly-swat
Angry Liberal: Tucker Eats His Shoes
Wince and Nod: Are You A Dung Beetle, Too?
the Federal Examiner: Why Not Tenet?
American Digest: The Sunday New York Times Lite
Sadly, No!: Only 16 words you say?
Interested-Participant: Senator Lieberman and Elmer Fudd
RobMorris.NET featuring Baby Morgan: Episode 1
dr.mani's remarkably purple spots...: an experiment in selfishness
The Poison Kitchen: Now It Can Be Told: Saddam's Secret Weapons
Angry Liberal: Tucker Eats His Shoes
Howard Lovy's NanoBot: The Hulk, Prince Charles and other scary things
In Sheeps Clothing: Liberty

The fiction writing contest update I

Well, I am seeing there is some interest in having a fiction writing contest. Of course, I am sure there are a few rules on the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest that we surely need to change. For one, I am not wanting to write mine on a postcard and sending it in by snailmail and I am surely hoping that we all come to the conclusion that waiting until April 15, 2004 is a bit long to see what people submitted. Here are the proposed rules:

• Each entry must consist of a single sentence.
• Sentences may be of any length (though you go beyond 50 or 60 words at your peril), and entrants may submit more than one, but all entries must be original and previously unpublished.
• Entries are to be submitted by Midnight July 26.
• Entries are to be emailed, with writer's blog URL, to TRRcontest[at]msn.com [this email address was created for that single purpose].
• All entries must be fiction, but may be based in any genre

All entries will be posted here on ***: Raggin' & Rantin' on July 27 in anonymous format for judging. I will be attempting to locate three quality judges to do the judging.

However, that said and done, as the contest has not officially begun, I am willing to listen to other suggestions.

Posted by Tiger at 08:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Good time to call it quits*

It seems blogrolling has decided to go offline, so I cannot access all my links to those great blogs out there I wanted to read. I guess that is a good sign that I really ought to be getting to bed anyhow.

*Now you didn't really think I was announcing I was giving up blogging, did you?**

**Are you sorely disappointed?

I have done rethunk it

I have reconsidered my coinage of the word inanitarian and have decided its purpose would be fulfilled if the word was reformed to become inaniac.

Carnival time again!

This week's Carnival of the Vanities is up at Caerdroia.

Also, I have forgotten to mention that Kevin has posted the Bonfire of the Vanities at Wizbang.

You haven't been paying attention

If you have no idea what I am doing right now, you have not been keeping up with your reading! Shame on you!

Today's agenda

Today is round two with the dentist. Today will be a discussion about which teeth need to go, which teeth we can save, which ones to cap, etc. What a great thing: having someone poking around in your mouth while you are contemplating the fortune it will take to pay for that privilege.

UPDATE: Well, the absolute biggest surprise of the day was when I heard the dentist say as she was assessing the condition of my teeth: "This one looks OK." I heard that twice. Mostly what I heard was "RCB Crown" which I later learned stood for root canal buildup, which is what they have to do to that tooth before it is ready for a crown. I was shown the total costs for everything that needs to be done: $26K and change. My part is a bit above $10K. Thankfully, this looks like it is going to be done over an extended period, so hopefully I can pay my part out at $1k here and $1K there.* If I am really lucky, I can get some local dentist [who does not accept my insurance so that I have to drive an hour to Ft. Worth] who will come in and hire me for a nasty divorce and I can just take it out of his/her pocket and give it to a dentist who did accept my insurance.

*What really frightens me is the thought that I will invest large amounts of my time and income to get my teeth all in order and die of some malady right after all the work is completed. It is not like I will need a great smile after I am gone, because I intend to be cremated.

Blogosphere coincidence

Wow, I lost 18 links overnight. Was I ceremoniously de-linked by a multitude of sites, or were there 18 links to some post of mine from the week before last that finally fell off the front page? Either way, I am ranked as #290 in the Blogosphere Ecosystem whether you look at number of links or daily visits. Just how often do you think that would happen?

Watching the clock on Friday afternoon

What a day! Nothing much went on this morning, just one client who loves to come in and talk and talk. Mostly he talked about car stuff. He finally left and before I could get anything done, a girl came in. She was sent by a client to give me some insight on her ex-husband who is the complaining witness in his case. She was extremely attractive, so I gambled and invited her to lunch. She agreed! On the way, I had to stop by my house to dig into my capital as I am broke. I expected her to wait in the car, but she got out and followed me into my messy house. Yuck! Still we had lunch, and had an interesting conversation. We did agree that we would each like to see each other again. She even took a copy of the previous draft of my book. I guess it was not a true disaster allowing her to see the inside of the ***'s den. I guess the sight of scattered remnants of former meals was not thoroughly distasteful.

I saw that my friend's car was no longer parked in front of my house, so I suppose someone else took care of getting that serpentine belt back on the alternator pulley.

I am currently babysitting, as my secretary is running errands. It is just me and her three-month-old Kirstie manning the office. Kirstie is doing her part: sleeping quietly. I am so glad it is Friday, as I am totally beat today and really looking forward to getting home and getting some sleep.

This week's New Weblog Showcase

[ed. note: This is a predated post created on July 3, 2003]

This week's New Weblog Showcase Review is being done by guest reviewer Kevin of Wizbang. Please visit Kevin and support his fine efforts in my absence.

UPDATE: I just wanted to say that I thought Kevin did a fine job of filling in for me this weekend, and did a very great job at reviewing the entries!

Was that an echo I heard?

I wasn't here today either, see yesterday's post as to why there is a post here that wasn't composed by me on this day.

3 glorious months of blogging

Today is my three month blogging anniversary, and is actually the first day that I did not enter a single post, as this one was written after I returned and backdated just so I would not have an empty hole in my numerical calendar. It was bothering me.

Happy Fourth of July, ya'll

I have gone campin' ... be back when I get back, no guest blogger, so nothin' new 'til I return! Ya'll all have a happy and safe 4th of July, 'ceptin' ya'll that ain't got no reason to celebrate American Independence Day! Drink responsibly!!!!!!

Needed: Someone else . . .

. . . to do this week's New Weblog Showcase review. I have weekend plans, so will not have the time to do one for this week. There are already 6 submissions to the contest. Anyone who wants to undertake this mission wins a link on the top post of my blog until Monday morning, as I will link to you so that those who might venture here will know where to look for this week's reviews. As an incentive to think about it, doing the reviews assisted me in jumping several places in the Blogosphere Ecosystem at a rapid rate, so the effort does get you noticed.

1st Lady of the Silver Screen Dies

Already one person who, for years, embodied all that was great about Hollywood died, last week. when Gregory Peck passed away. Now it seems that the greatest actress and classiest lady to have ever been in the movies, having starred in such classic movies as The Philadelphia Story opposite Jimmy Stewart, The African Queen opposite Humphrey Bogart, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner opposite Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier, has left us. Kate Hepburn has died at aged 96. [Fox News Story]

attribution: Jen

Public Announcement: Wizbang

Kevin of Wizbang has a new home. Change your links to: http://wizbangblog.com

Wow, does his new site look snazzy or what?

It was a great day in Texas today for justice

Tony over at I am Always Right points to a story about a disturbing individual who lured a suicidal woman to Texas so he could murder her while having sex, but who was apprehended before actually committing the murder and asks is it illegal to think about killing someone? Tony concluded with this statement:

I'm not saying the guy doesn't need help, I'm saying that I don't actually see where the guy actually did anything wrong.

I responded to him in his comments and had this to say:

Tony, according to the information in the story, it is hard to tell whether she set him up or he instigated the ordeal. While she might have been contemplating suicide, most of us would attempt to help her find assistance to save her life. Instead, it seems like he urged her to go forward with her plan to die, but he wanted to do the killing. He was not charged with murder, he was charged with attempted murder. That charge requires more than just thinking about committing the deed, it requires some act in preparation of doing the deed. In this case, he had already purchased the flowers he planned on using during the killing and the device to use in the killing. Now, of course, the lady could have been a law enforcement plant to catch these types of predators, but he was a predator, prowling around for suicidal women to kill during sex. I am one of those attorneys who read your blog, and I am from Texas. This defendant may have been smart to take the probation deal because it is difficult to determine what a jury might do with this set of facts. It is not illegal to think about murdering someone, but it is illegal to do any little thing in furtherance of actually committing the murder.

Tony also reported that Chante Mallard had received 50 years for the murder of the man she hit and let die laying in her windshield. I had gotten a CNN blurb in my email that said she got 60. She was sentenced to 50 years for the murder and 10 for destruction of evidence. Texas judges rarely stack sentences, so 50 years is correct. Now, what does that sentence mean? It means, most likely, [there may be some factors that I am not completely aware of that might make this a false statement] that she will have to serve a minimum of 25 years before she is eligible to be considered for parole.

There was definitely some confusion, even among the journalists covering the story as to the sentence. When I initially accessed Tony's link to ABC News version of a story penned by Associated Press reporter, Angela K. Brown, the headline to the story read:

Life Sentence Avoided
But Former Nurse's Aide Gets a Total of 60 Years for Windshield Slaying

Life Sentence Avoided
But Former Nurse's Aide Gets 50 Years for Windshield Slaying.

Is the case [bing being] shown on Court TV? I live only 30 minutes from FW and it is all over the news here, but did not realize it was being televised all over the Nation. I agree, she should have done something to assist the man. I am not sure whether he jumped in front of her, so maybe that part was not her fault, but she should have gotten some medical assistance for the man. The only thing that comes to mind, however, is either she was too intoxicated and was afraid of being arrested for DWI (stupid) or if he had survived he would have testified that she ran off the road and hit him, which would have also gotten her arrested. This woman must have rocks in her head for she was so stupid, because if either one of the above was true, she would not have been sent to prison [for life] for either act. Even if he died after she hit him and took him to the hospital or someplace else, and she was drunk or intoxicated, it would not be a murder case, only a manslaughter case, in which the maximum punishment is less than life in prison. What a ding bat. She deserves whatever the jury gives her. Of course, it is not a Capital case. However, if I was her attorney, I would be working toward getting the jury to convict her of manslaughter, because actually I think she had no intent to kill the man, only is guilty of reckless indifference which is different than knowing and intent. [I edited my remarks in this rendition as shown]

As a defense attorney, what I always hope for is a reasonable prosecutor who will listen to what I have to say about my client and attempt to work with me to formulate a punishment that will benefit both society, my client and his family [who are members of society]. In my area, this is very difficult. Our felony prosecutor seldom has any compassion for my clients or their families. However, he has been in office for an extremely long period of time, so he must be doing what the voters want him to do. He continues to be re-elected.

What irks me the most is juries who fail to listen to all of the evidence and use their common sense to find the truth. Too often, I feel they did not even listen to anything, as if they had made up their minds before the case even started. To me, that is a complete miscarriage of justice.

In both of the above cases, however, I am convinced justice was served. The demented killer of suicidal women pled guilty and the judge set rules so as to stop him for repeating his actions. The jury in Ms. Mallard's case came back with something less than life, so they at least considered Ms. Mallard's utter stupidity. All in all, even from a defense attorney's point of view, it looked like a good day for justice in Texas today.

Oh, just to add a final point. I am running for County Attorney next year, and if elected, I will be the prosecutor, at least for the misdemeanor offenses committed in my county. Attorneys are trained to always be able to work both sides of any case. Having been a defense attorney for a number of years ought to assist me in being a very good prosecutor, just as being a prosecutor for a number of years usually prepares one to be a great criminal defense attorney.

Update: Ken at CrimLaw had this to say:

The main defense was that "murder has to be an act not an omission." Therefore, since she did not intend to hit and kill him she was not responsible for murder. Intellectually that argument has some merit but there is no way a jury buys it. Of course, it's not like the defense attorney had much else to work with and it will provide him with a valid appealable issue.

Well, I went and did it

I keep seeing everyone posting their results from taking the test at politicalcompass.org. I really do not like such tests, because there are not enough choices for me to provide an accurate picture of where I stand on certain issues. But, be that as it may, here is how I came out:

*I somehow suspect that I am nowhere near where U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft lies on the political compass. If I had to guess, I would guess he lies just off the chart near the upper right hand corner.

It seems to be catching

Well, as you might have guessed from the amount of posting and times on the entries, I have had no luck getting to sleep tonight. I also noticed that Deb and Scott have also reported having trouble sleeping.

Now surely this has nothing to do with Glenn going on vacation, does it? Oh, Jay Solo has offered to take up the slack for Glenn's absence. So if you find yourself having run through all of the great humorous prose on my site, and just feel the need to look for someplace to start finding other great posts to read, you know where to start your search now while your regular source is gone.

The Florida Lemonade Queen hits the Big Apple

So, did any of ya'll catch Letterman last night? I am not a really big Letterman fan, but I was watching the news and saw he was going to have Avigayil Wardein on. In case you are not really familiar with that name, she is the 6 year old girl whose lemonade stand in Naples, Florida was shut down by the police after her neighbor complained she was breaking the law by selling lemonade without a permit. Although I never said anything about the story on my blog, mainly because everyone else in the Blogosphere had already done so, I was interested in seeing what she had to say about the ordeal. I think she was a bit scared and overwhelmed about being on the show, because it seemed like Letterman had to ask her leading questions just to get any information out of her. The best parts of the interview where when he held up a picture of the stand and there she was with two other people and Letterman asked her if the other two were her friends, she said "No, just one of them is." When he asked her why her lemonade stand was shutdown by the police, she said, "The crabby lady next door called the police." I am thinking someone had put that word in her mouth at some time before. Then David showed her a picture of her handing a glass of lemonade to a policeman in a car and there was a dog in the picture. He asked her if that was her dog. She said, "No, that is [I forget the name], we just go get him to play with sometimes." Letterman then asked if he was a good dog, and she indignantly said, "It's a girl." When he began to ask her about the incident, he asked her if she knew she needed a permit, and she said, "Yes." Letterman immediately ended the interview with the words, "No further questions, Your Honor."

Here is the local newspaper's story about her trip, with links their previous stories about the ordeal.

I did attempt to do my best to provide notice as soon as I found that she was going to appear on the show: I emailed Glenn Reynolds about it. I think he had already gone to bed or just did not have any interest in putting it up on InstaPundit. I just could not think of any other way to get it to as many members of the Blogosphere.

A bit of this and a little of that!

I will be attending a seminar for the next two days, so blogging will be light.

Although I am trying not to be concerned with my links and my status in the Blogosphere Ecosystem, I may or may not have attained the status of Large Mammal this morning. Hmmm, I may not be an elephant or a hippo, but being a Tiger seems to suit me just fine!

UPDATE: Well, my car's transmission started acting up sitting in rush hour traffic this morning while I was driving through Dallas, so I decided to register just for today. I saw no reason to take a chance of breaking down tomorrow morning. The seminar was pretty boring, but then I find that is true about most of them. Most of the topics were the same as those in previously attended seminars. After lunch I started feeling nauseous.* I decided to leave a bit early, come home and have my my transmission seviced at the oil change business. They advised me as my car has over 150,000 miles, it was advisable to it have it checked at a transmission shop. As I already scheduled tomorrow off, I guess I will be going out tomorrow morning to have my transmission checked out. But for now, I am here. I just thought I would let everyone know!

*I have to look up the spelling of this word every time.

Yes, it is true, there is something new

After my last post, I got a bug* in my brain that said "Hey, you, you know what? You need a logo for your blog." Dang that bug, I had to work for 2 hours to do what he said so I could get him out of my brain.

*Actually, I have this big sore lump just above my right eyebrow which is

1. A big pimple;
2. A boil;
3. A ingrown hair; or
4. A bug bite I got while sleeping.

I am going to the dogs

Well, electricity around here is really high, especially in the hot Texas summer when either you can spend half your pay cooling your house or you find some other way of cooling off. I bought two fans today at Walmart and have both of them blowing on me. Despite the fact I am nearly naked, I am still steadily leaking waste fluids from my pores. I have been watching my dogs out the window, who, despite being covered with hair,* seem to be staying quite cool. I have decided that I am going to go outside and kick them out of that large hole they have dug in the middle of my yard. Then I can be free to lay in the middle of it with my tongue hanging out. It does seem to be working for them and it uses absolutely no electricity.

*Actually, Duke, my weeniewolf, has had a very severe case of demadex [sp?] mange for several years that seems to defy any attempt at treatment and he has hardly any hair.

Comtemplations of future endeavors

As I have been rating the newest bloggers on the Blogosphere Ecosystem and have gotten pretty used to critiquing blogs, I was wondering if there was any interest among you other bloggers in the Blogosphere Ecosystem to see how I would critique the 10 blogs currently in the Higher Beings level.

In the meantime, as I am downloading the 84MB zip file containing all the songs composed by Pixy Misa and so my bandwidth until such is completed is shot to Hell. I think I will mosey over into the town 20 miles away which does have a movie theatre* and catch a showing of the movie made about that loveable green behemoth,** The Hulk.

*I usually rail at the way those Brits misspell English words, as if they invented it or something, but for some reason I have always loved this spelling better than our American version.

**Speaking of words, you really have to love when you can find a way to use a word like behemoth in a sentence, don't you?

Link whore no more?

Well, I was in the midst of a dizzying climb up the Blogosphere Ecosystem where I had quickly climbed through the ranks to the level of Marauding Marsupial on June 9, 2003. Since that date, I have seen my links stay + or - 5 daily within the same area and am still in the same level.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with such status, as I am agreeable this is probably not the best blog* in the Blogosphere Ecosystem and is far from the worst. I have likely found my proper place in the scheme of things.

According to Blogshares, however, the current value of this blog is $33,483.51. Maybe it is time for me to sell my shares and move on to another endeavor?

*I truthfully make this admission despite the severe and nasty blow it gives to my fragile ego.

Why are there no delightful [or boring*] new quips?

Because I am busy working on the New Weblog Showcase Review III.

*I have found that my posting is considered to be boring by some. There is just no account for taste, is there?

Happy Juneteenth!

Yes, it is Juneteenth. What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is the celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation finally being officially announced in Texas. On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union General Granger declared:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired laborer.

From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. JUNETEENTH WORLD WIDE CELEBRATION

How do you know when you have spent too much time blogging?

Your hand hurts, or at least mine does. It seems my mouse pad callous is especially sensitive tonight.*