Notification

Oops! I maybe should have posted that I put the comment moderator on.
Apparently someone stumbled across my blog and was slightly, um, miffed at my political opinions. While I always appreciate a good debate, insults are not tolerated, and I was not amused.
So now, I moderate.
You can still comment, and I will still post said comments (even if you disagree with me), there just may be a little lag time for approval...

better than elmo..?

I REALLY need to see these movies now. Is that so wrong? You scored as Jigsaw. You are Jigsaw. You don't enjoy killing people at all. You instead love to see how far people will go to live. However if it ends in a bloody death, you still sleep with a smile on your face. You are intelligent, and know how to outwit just about anyone. And that spells bad news for anyone who falls into your games of death and torture. Jigsaw 80% Hannibal Lecter 75% Pinhead 60% Leatherface 55% Candyman 50% Freddy Krueger 45% Jason Voorhees 45% Michael Myers 35% Buffalo Bill 30% Captain Spaulding 20% Which Horror Killer are You? created with QuizFarm.com

my new year's toast- "to everyone's health!"

Not that we NEEDED another reason to drink up, but hey! It's science, right?
Thanks for the memories!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21693-2005Jan19.html

Patriot's stay of "execution"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562008/

Good news- the Patriot Act was not approved into permanent law.
Bad News- it was, however, extended for six months so the Senate and House can argue about it some more.

Yea (?)

I'm Elmo!?!?

The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test by greencowsgomoo (OKCupid.com)

Elmo

You scored 50% Organization, 75% abstract, and 61% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are mostly organized, more abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

Most people either love or hate Elmo. I hope you love Elmo, because that's who you are.
You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Elmo has the same basic approach. His place is pretty tidy, but he doesn't spend all of his time cleaning it up.You both are abstract thinkers. You definitely are not afraid to take chances in life. You only live once. You may notice others around you playing it safe, but you are more concerned with not compromising your desires, and getting everything you can out of life. This is a very romantic approach to life, but hopefully you are also grounded enough to get by. Elmo's whole life is based on fantasy and his imagination. In the beginning he was a regular character, but now he spends most of his time in this fantasy world. You are both somewhat extroverts. Like Elmo, you probably like to have some time to yourself, but you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations. Elmo spends some of his time with real friends, but he also needs some time just to chat it up with his goldfish.

Find out who you are and let me know- a link to the test is in the post title!

Big Brother go home....

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little tempory safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, In Freedom

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/politics/20spy.html?pagewanted=2&th&emc=th
-Administration cites war vote in spying case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/opinion/20tue1.html?th&emc=th
-The fog of false choices.

http://www.slate.com/id/2132811/
-The secrets they keep.

http://www.slate.com/id/2132983/
-Uncivil liberties.

He's back!

Awww, Georgie, we missed ya!
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusgen/ap12-19-052732.asp?t=apnew&vts=
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/opinion/18sun1.html?th&emc=th
121920050708
Check it out- Georgie's got his little buddy Al saying congress OK'd domestic wire-tapping as a part of the measures that were passed in the wake of 9-11.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't those measures for use of military force? The NSA 1) isn't an arm of the military, and 2) if the tapping was only to occur if one of the two (or more) parties involved had "ties" to al Qaida and was out of the country, who determined the connection? If the CIA can't properly deal with its own intelligence (or lack thereof), we're supposed to believe Georgie can?
Pardon me while I go beat my head against a post.
But it appears that it's Congress to the rescue. (yea?) Prominent members from both sides of the aisle are looking into hearings, so there will certainly be more to this story. Woo-hoo!
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/18/bush.nsa/index.html

Here's the other shoe...

We can't torture 'em, but if we do the testimony's admissible in court!
Yea!
http://www.slate.com/id/2132572/

Investing in ice skates; or, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

OK- where is Georgie, and who is this guy?
Now he's OK-ing Sen. McCain's Anti Torture bill.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/15/torture.bill/index.html

Granted the Senate and House had to bloody his nose a little to get him to do it, but still.... I'd hate to have to start liking the guy.

Actually, this is one of those issues that ethicists and legal eagles (and those of us with former aspirations to both) love to chew over, spit out in disgust and chew over again. Even I still have a metaphorical hand on that fence. While I whole-heartedly, and unreservedly support any legislation that will make torture illegal (or at least get us back in line with the Geneva Conventions), you can't help but wonder about that one case in a thousand. Ain't rampant paranoia a hoot?
And I'm not the only one wondering about that. Michel Kinsley of Slate.com wrote a pretty good piece hearkening back to that wonderful ethics-class debate of "What if you were alone with Hitler in his cradle- would you kill him?" and coming up on what I tend to think of as the "Didn't I just see that on '24'?" scenario of a lone terrorist having vital information on an imminent attack. I had a class spend two whole class periods discussing and arguing the Hitler question alone- I didn't sleep well that entire week, and the professors flat-out refused to let us even bring up the other issue. Here's Kinsley's article for those of you who like chasing links 'round the net:
http://www.slate.com/id/2132195/

Hmm, Hell got a little colder. Not frozen over, but still...

Georgie finally did it- sort of. He finally admitted some responsibility for going to war with faulty intelligence. Of course he bracketed the comment with the usual line of we were right to go, we're right to stay, and we're going to stay until we're done. But it's the first time I've "heard" him take any responsibility. (Unless someone can correct-me and please do if you have an example, I'd like to read it.)
The link in the title goes to the CNN.com transcript of the speech, but the following are a few excerpts that stuck out at me, complete with my own sketched-out initial impressions:

B:"In an age of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, if we wait for threats to fully materialize, we will have waited too long."
Me: So rumors will do just fine? Where do you even begin to draw this line in the first place? And wasn't that the problem with the intelligence to go to war in the first place- too many rumors and too many mis-drawn conclusions?

B:"When we made the decision to go into Iraq, many intelligence agencies around the world judged that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction. This judgment was shared by the intelligence agencies of governments who did not support my decision to remove Saddam. And it is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq. And I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities."
Me: Remember my "Random thoughts" post about "political oopsies"? Granted that was more of a reaction to the Libby-Cheney-Plame debacle, but this kinda applies as well. Pseudo-kudos to Georgie's advisors for getting the guy to take responsibility, but does he have give it in this back-handed manner? Yes, other governments jumped on the WMD bandwagon, but some of them have since expressed sorrow and regret at the mistake, while still remaining resolute to "stay the course." Taken in context with the rest of the speech, this is almost like he's saying "I was responsible, the info was wrong, but I don't care."

B: "This is an enemy without conscience. And again, such enemy, there is only one effective response. We will never back down, we will never give in. And we will never accept anything less than complete victory."
Me: And neither will they- that's the problem with a "war on terrorism". How do you define your victory when there's no one border that contains your enemies? Do we call it when we've chased all the terrorists out of Iraq and into neighboring countries? Do we follow them if that's what happens? Here's an interesting take on that conundrum: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/14/morton.victory/index.html

B: "It used to be that after American troops cleared the terrorists out of a city and moved on to the next mission, there weren't enough forces -- Iraqi forces -- to hold the area. We found that after we left, the terrorists would re-enter the city, intimidate local leaders and police and eventually retake control.
This undermined the gains of our military, it thwarted our efforts to help Iraqis rebuild, and led local residents to lose confidence in the process and in their leaders."
Me: Ya think? And it only took what, over a year for us notice this was happening? Yup- here's a quote, "Our troops liberated Najaf in 2003. Yet about a year later, the city fell under the sway of radical and violent militia."

There's a lot about this speech that bothers me, but some of it is encouraging. It seems that Georgie is actually taking the time to listen to his nay-sayers, instead of ignoring them outright or attacking their patriotism. (Bottomed-out approval ratings will do that, I guess.) In more of his recent speeches, he's actually taken the time to answer some of the endless questions he's been asked. And while his answers aren't wholly satisfying, at least to me, he is finally engaging in the debate.

And for the record (in case anyone cares) I don't like that we went in using faulty intelligence as a prop, but the regime was horrible (and there are many others as bad or worse out there) and needed to be dealt with. I HATE that we went in almost half-assed and misjudged everything from the strength of the insurgents, the weakness of the existing infrastructure, and the number of soldiers it would take to take and hold positions. It is getting better (slowly), but only after how long? As cheesy as the comparisons to the WWII mobilizations are, there are points to be made. And I have to (grudgingly) agree with one point Georgie makes- while a firm withdrawal date would be heavenly, it's not practically possible.

Raven's dictionary: Inept Weather-Preparedness Day

Def: (noun) Inept Weather-Preparedness Day (or IWPD) occurs when people who don't know how to cope with cold weather run headlong into it.
The resulting hysteria is characterized by early release/cancellation of school/work, panicked rushes to community grocery stores to stock up on goods, general gossiping and over-concern about the latest weather report, and/or rumors of road conditions varying from slightly exaggerated to "You've got to be f*&^%$# kidding me!"

Common to more temperate-weather zones, this phenomenon is the by-product of hysteria, poor cold-weather coping skills (both individual and institutional), and an extreme desire to do anything but work, go to school, deal with reality, or generally do anything but cozy up with a blanket, a movie and one's Poke-Slippers (see picture above).
It does not take much to trigger an IWPD, generally a forecast of freezing temperatures, a little precipitation, and no way to cope with it is sufficient excuse. Compared often to the ubiquitous "snow day", it is worth mentioning that triggers of that event vary wildly region to region, but is still based on a sound principle of "It's too dangerous to go outside," and should not even be considered a synonym for IWPD which seems to be based on the principle of "It might be too dangerous to go outside."

Long story short- I get off work 2 1/2 hours early, I get to laugh my Rock-Mountain-raised ass off at the poor little Texans, and I get to mock everyone who thinks, as my Nic-knack put it so delicately when she came home, "Holy Hell, it's cold out there!"

Freakish diet tips, or drinks are on me!

Because dieting isn't confusing enough as it is, two new studies were published recently regarding the roles of alcohol and coffee on diet and overall helath.
I am going to live forever- freaking forever!

Study finds coffee reduces liver risk. (Yahoo news)

Moderate drinkers show lower obesity risk. (Yahoo news)

A true moment of silence.

Title link is to UNAIDS homepage with links to the Annual AIDS Epidemic report showing too few successes, and far too many disappointments.

MSNBC.com's World AIDS Day coverage

Pledges of abstinence, help on World AIDS Day. (CNN.com)

FDA panel considers home AIDS test. (CNN.com)

UN: 40m now have AIDS virus. Prevention starting to pay off in some countries, report says. (CNN.com)

Gobble, gobble, gobble...

Happy Turkey day to all!!!
I learned a fun factoid today! Did you know the reason Twister got so popular was that it encouraged the breaking of social norms in a friendly, "family" enviroment? Bending, laughing, twisting, writhing, hot, sweaty bodies falling.... um.... well...
Thanks Ro-bear for the lesson in pop culture, I will meditate on it at great length. (he-he-he) I hope you see this and smile Ro, it's just for you.
Today I give thanks for my family and friends, who keep me (relatively) sane, and always feeling loved.
Wonderful day, hearing from wonderful friends, and spending a wonderful day doing absolutely nothing of consequence.
And tomorrow- shopping! (Heavens help me!)

New photos!

Hi, everyone!
I (finally) put some of my artwork on my flikr site.
The link's under Ravenscar's Visions in the sidebar.
Let me know what you think.

happy, yet... becoming underwhelmed

Mmmm, butterbeer at the Drafthouse.

Yes, last night was the midnight screening of HP4- The Goblet of Fire. And don't get me wrong, I really liked the movie. But I was a little disappointed, which I suppose was inevitable due to the sheer amount of information that had to be left out just to get a movie under 6 hours.

That will be the shame of the rest of the movie series, right there. The books have gotten so big, that huge amounts of information, characters and exposition are just going to disappear in a rush. The directors will have to count on the audience, a) having read the books to fill in the gaps, or b) being quick enough to catch the blink-and-you-miss-it references. Goblet had to rush so swiftly from Triwizard challenge to challenge, that the characters, which are the driving force of any tale, become rapid sketches of themselves.

Spoiler alert!!

Dobby was completely lost, along his entire subplot (although I did like the substitution of Neville), and Sirius Black's scene was such a throw-away, he should have been cut entirely. Malfoy, whose reaction to Voldemort's return would have made a great foil to everyone else's (not that anyone else got to have a reaction- keep reading...) was in two scenes (barely). I greatly enjoyed the ferret bouncing, though, so that made up for some of it. If you hadn't (at the very least) seen the other three movies, most of the character relationships would have made little sense.

Which is the catch-22 of translating any series-based media to the big screen- you can't keep explaining the same points over and over, but you can't NOT explain some of them without losing your audience. Director Mike Newell (with screenwriter, Steve Kloves) had the unenviable task of making sense of an entire universe. Goblet kinda rewrote all the characters, and turned a lot of what you "knew" on its head. You can't do that in 2 1/2 hours.

What I missed the most was Voldemort's return and the absolute fear that should have instilled in all the characters. Yes, the entire movie was very dark and scary (compared to the others), and yes, Cedrick's death at the end was wrenching (kudos to the guy who played his Dad!), and Ralph Fiennes was at his chilling, creepy best, but I'm talking after. Cedric died, Dumbledore made a speech, and we end with Hermione hitting us over the head with the cliche- "It's all going to change, isn't it," and then everyone nods in agreement and, that's it. If there had been any way to give Goblet a "happy ending," that was it. Oi! I would have preferred the sound of Voldemort laughing as we run into credits, if we have to resort to a cliche that blatant. Big build-up, three movies worth of talking up the terror of the Dark Lord, and basically we get, "aw shucks, guess we might have some problems on down the line." I really liked the scene in the book where the Minister of Magic keeps trying to deny what happened, it gives Dumbledore's speech the justification and weight it needs. With just the information in the movie, when Dumbledore make reference to the Ministry not wanting the students to know, my first question was, why?

It's a good movie, don't get me wrong. There's a lot to like, but I was left kinda empty. I expected more of a payoff....

Highly insulted by a "Higher" authority

"If there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God. You just rejected Him from your city. And don't wonder why He hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for His help, because he might not be there." - Pat Robertson on the ousting of the Dover, PA school board in the last election.

Sometimes I wonder if God is just hiding under a rock somewhere, shaking his head, and wondering why His children seem willing to insult, threaten, and belittle each other in His name. Forget the hubris involved in claiming that your word is God's Word, this is just getting stupid.

If God wanted religious theories thought in schools, we would have lost the Revolutionary War, or the framers of the Constitution would have instituted a national religion, or we would have been struck down when Darwin opened his big mouth. Just because parents are too lazy to insist their children learn religious instruction in church, where, let's face it, the people teaching it would have a little more cred than an art teacher drafted into the science department, or too lazy to teach it to their children themselves, doesn't mean that schools have to pick up the slack. And if little Johnny and Jenny come back home from school crying that teacher is teaching different things than Pastor Paul, feel free to refer them to me.

One of the wisest pieces of educational theory I have EVER heard was mounted on the wall of my high school choir room: "When we study religious music it is not to teach you what you should believe, but what others in the world believe." And if you can't accept what others may believe, and think just because yours is the majority religion you have the right to enforce its teaching in a public arena, than you can go be a good little Nazi somewhere else.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T is not a song, and if you think I should go to hell, than I say, "after you."

And please, don't point out that intelligent Design is a scientific theory unless you're willing to admit that the "Designer" in question could be the little green men from a galaxy far, far, away. You can "prove" one as easily as the other.

And I'm not saying that ID has no place in schools, just not in a science class. If these parents really, really want this taught in public schools- lobby to make it an elective. Comparative Creation Theory 101, or Judeo-Christian traditions in Modern Science. Heck, the latter can include topics on the abortion debate, stem cell research, and assisted suicide. We can teach children to listen and debate topics without resorting to "I'm right, you're wrong and you're going to hell."

The link in the title is to the Washington Post article that sums up Mr. Robertson's latest tirade, and yes, while I don't agree with a thing the man says I do defend his right to say it. It's always nice to be reminded why I believe what I believe, even if I have to be offended in order for that to happen.

The link below is to an interesting article by William Saletan, posted on Slate.com. Mr. Saletan covers a lot of the scientific/religious debate in today's politics.
http://www.slate.com/id/2130282/?nav=tap3

a moment of silence

Bill, the beta who has silently plotted my demise for over two years, has finally left us for the big fishbowl in the sky.
He will be remembered for his eerie way of watching people as they crossed the room, and the fidgety way he would swim around his little bowl.
Bill is survived by his older sister Gambit the cat, and his little sister Cosmic Creeper, also a cat.
After a short investigation, both cats were cleared of any involvement, and Bill's death has been ruled a suicide.
Mourners please omit flowers, but feel free to make donations in Bill's name to your local ASPCA.

Random thoughts

1. Inspiration: Political "Oopsies." (Pick one, there are plenty to go around!)
The thought: The words are "I'm sorry." Why can't politicians learn them? I had a director rant at me once to the tune of- "You're the stage manager and that makes it your fault!" Which is true, if something goes way wrong on/off stage, it generally means the guys in the booth missed something. My respect for this administration (not that there's any to begin with) would go through the roof if someone would just say, "My guy goofed, but he was mine, and now I'm going to fix it." Hell, I'll even take "My guy MAY have goofed."
2. Inspiration: Reality TV
The thought: Why am I watching this? Yup, that about sums it up.
3. I: Work
T.T.: Why am I watching reality TV when I have this? It's like The Apprentice and Survivor are running Extreme Makeover: The Home Edition, only everyone's missing their deadlines, no one gets immunity, and the houses aren't done on time!
4. I: Cats
T.T.: I need a nap.
5. I: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." -Groucho Marx (I think.)
T.T.: He-he-he. This gets me every time I think of it.

Blah time

I'm a little maudalin tonight. Of course, I've been a little maudalin a lot lately. Part of it was being sick, (I'm feeling much better-thanks) and part of it is work related, (the new lady started, she seems OK so far.), but a large part of it is a case of the blahs.

"Up" is not my natural state- contrary to any evidence otherwise. My normal default setting is best described as a neutral/withdrawn, buried somewhere in the depths of my mind where I wander until I get bumped up into the external realm. My mind doesn't wander so much as it sinks. This usually isn't an issue, because I'll come out and play fairly readily. But lately....

I'm finding it really hard to really "get into" anything. I've had passing interests, flashes of focus that basically fall into the "bright and shiny" category. Blink-and-you-missed-it, but it was cool for awhile type things. Add to that a case of the "I wants" and I'm having some very bitter thoughts.

What makes it worse is that I'm very aware of my blahs, and I have a really hard time passing them sometimes. I kinda hunker down inside my mind, feel bad that I'm just letting things slide, and wait...

I think I really just need that vacation I have coming up. Everyone's been asking me if I'm going to visit my folks, and look at me kinda odd when I say I'm just staying in. I think my friends get that I just want to be alone, but I tell people at work and they think I'm a bad child, not going to see ma and pa.

I just want to ignore the world and deny my own existence for awhile. Can it be any simpler?

P.S. I'm turning off the comment option on this post (I think) so please don't go to other entries to tell me, well, whatever you might tell me to make me feel better. It is just a case of the blahs, and it will go away. This is just a statement of this weeks issues. Seriously, hugs and kisses to all, I will be fine.

the devil you find is your own

For as so much as eagles fly,
and waves beat across the sand,
I see the sky above me,
and the devil takes my hand.

Across all time
and thru all space,
I've wandered 'cross this land.

And never 'til my dying day,
will I ever understand.

I see the pain, I taste the joy,
It's distant, shut away.
It's not me, but I want it too,
more than I can say.

The devil smiled, and the angels danced.
The faries played a hollow tune.
And still I wander, hand-in-hand,
And I wonder, and I wait.
Some answers come too soon.

Before you leave, my silent friends,
close your eyes, open your soul.
Reach out you hand, and before you know,
the devil you find is your own.

Coming soon...

...to a DVD player near you. This kooky, family movie is a feel good hit. Fun for everyone. See it today!!
http://waxy.org/random/video/shining_redux.mov
There's more where this came from, too- Check out www.ps260.com- their site (enter the homeroom, go to the blog tab) has links to the eerie and terrifying West Side Virus as well.

Ahhhh....

River. Kicks. Reaver. Ass.
Admittedly, I'm very Firefly/Serenity obsessed these days to begin with, but the crocodiles are very well fed tonight indeed.
My inner-snark, inner-child, inner-sci-fi geek, and inner-action junkie are all VERY happy with Serenity. I even had a few chick moments. (sob)
Thank you, Joss.
Thank you fellow Firefly fans, for getting this green-lit.
And thank you roomies for letting me drag you to a midnight screening, 'cause I'm a geek and you love me.
Now get everyone you know to see it! That's an order!
"I am a leaf...."
Here's the requisite official site plug:
http://www.serenitymovie.com/main_site.html

Alias, CSI, and tequila...

There is a lovely little mexican place 'round the corner that sells a lovely little margarita that can make the world a happy little place.
Add good company and a crappy day at work seems very far away. Thanks Nic-nack!
Add a few dead bodies, some cheesy spy-stuff, and a movie (and more drinking) to come- Ahhhh, happy place- you opened the gate, so nice of you to invite me in.
Coming soon... a friend suggested I should try my hand at snarking a TV show, like my sarcasm should be shared with the world at large, so I just may have to try. To see a pro at it, check the Television w/out Pity link. They're my heroes, they keep me sane with their insanity.

Grrrrrr

The new guy decided he didn't want the job after all.
S*&$!
Not amused. REALLY not amused.
Looking for my happy place....
Let me in!!!!

Ranny-din thinks...

...that if I start pricing gun holsters at work, people won't bother me as much.
Just a thought.
Kinda nice thought.

Got the tix....

Gonna get me some movie time with the roomies!
We've got midnight screening tix for Serenity. (And no, my iPod's name is, well, only kinda not a coincidence.)
Ahhh, Joss Whedon, space cowboys, and chinese cursing lessons. All brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Alamo Drafthouse.
I'm gonna need that.
http://www.originalalamo.com/lamar/frames.asp?b=/online_tix/show_details.asp?show_id=2974

And I shall call her....

Mini me!!!! Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!
Um, er, I mean her name is Serenity. The iPod, not the flower, the flower doesn't have a name- that would just be silly.
Everyone say "hi" to Serenity and play nice. She's new in town and she doesn't know many people.
However, she did keep me from ripping peoples' heads off today, so that was good- right?
She's a 6-gig iPod mini, and one of the last of her kind, as the fiends at Apple have discontinued the minis in favor of the nanos. Check it- they're not even advertised on the site anymore. No more yuppies color coordinating their VW Beetles to their iPods- it's criminal.
(sigh)
My baby- brand new and she's already outdated....
On a more somber note-
Everyone's getting ready for the hurricane. Rita's a comin' and she doesn't look happy. Cat 5 as of this posting, and headed for land Sat. morning. Best wishes and prayers for everyone in her path. Please be careful folks! Take your time, find your shelter, and keep your heads above water.

(sigh) Conformity is evil...

but I still bought an iPod, it should arrive in the next week, and I'm happy, I tell you, happy, happy, happy!!

In case you were wondering...

Breaking up with people over e-mail is BAD.
Sending your "girfriend" a picture of the new busty blonde you met while she was out of town, before or after you "break-up" is tacky.

I think my roommate deserves better, but that's my biased opinion. Challenge me if you will....

Sigh and smile...

I saw a rainbow on my way home from work today.
No day with a rainbow in it is wasted.
Smile and go play in the puddles- it's fun gosh darn it!
http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/rainbows/bows.htm

Expositional moment

"Sagittarius
November 22 - December 20
Stress from whatever work pressures you've been experiencing might cause you to feel a bit under the weather. Yet, you're probably unwilling to take some time off, dear Sagittarius, because you're too concerned about finishing what you're doing in a timely manner. It's important to remember that you won't finish it at all if you exhaust yourself. Move slowly and steadily, and take time out to relax a little, and all will go more smoothly than you think."

Thank you, msn.com horoscopes for summing up my week, actually, my entire month.

Warning- long entry with much exposition, griping and bitterness follows.

For those of you just tuning in, let me fill you in on my current situation. I work in a branch office of a large-ish company which has gone through quite a bit of restructuing and revamping in the two years I've been there. I've been working for this company longer than, say 98% of the rest of the employees- including the president and nearly all of the management. For awhile it felt like "Survivor" the office edition.
My office has (or I should say is supposed to have) three people. Two account managers and me, the assistant, the go-fetch girl, the have- you- seen- the whatever-it-is lady of the desk. Only currently, there are two of us doing the work of three, and honestly somtimes I think four would be a good idea. Just occasionally, not full-time, just someone to answer the flaming phone so I can get some real work done once in awhile. The new guy is coming (or so I'm told), he should be in by the end of the month. We get to train him, but that's gonna be another issue- I'm sure I'll get there when he starts.
Anyway- it's been busy. I've been brining work home, going in after hours, and generally, I'm exhausted. Tired. Considering looking for new employment if things don't re-arrange after the new guy starts. I need a vacation, so does my boss- she hasn't had more than a day or afternoon off since she started over a year ago.
I despise leaving things half done, I was always one to pull the all-nighter to get the paper done in one setting so it didn't drag out. Leaving a project mid-whatever to fix something else irks me to no end, and that's all I've been doing lately. Start project Q from top of (a currently rather large)stack. Stop. Urgent e-mail- go find contract. Reply to e-mail. Start Q again. Stop. Phone call. Find document X, fax to secret location. Start. Stop. Phone again, this time about the fax, could I please find documents Y and Z to go with X? Yup. Faxing. Where was I? Ah- start again. Boss calls out- "When you have a minute (aka- now) can you run project W?". *&%@! Stop. Grab W from bottom of stack, return Q to top of stack, start W. Stop. Rince, repeat, and run screaming into the night.

Am I luckier than most- yes. I have a job that pays the bills and for school. It's realtively easy work, if time-consuming and stressful, and whist I don't really like my immediate co-workers, I don't come home in tears. I'm getting to the point where I do what I can, remind my boss I'm only one person, and try to let it go. Is there something better out there for me- possibly, probably, but I've gotten to the point where the devil you know....

I am alive.
I have friends who feed me comfort food, buy me drinks and listen to my whining with infinite patience.
My cat loves me.
And I think that makes it a lot better.

An introduction... or laying the blame.

Ahem, hello? Anyone there?
Welcome to the newest window into my psyche. As I begin to wonder as I wander through the reaches of my own mind, posting as I come across something, well, something-ish, I give you this caveat: Don't Panic. As this will be the Hitchhiker's Guide to Me, I may ask you to please bring you seat into it's full, upright position, return your tray tables to the backs of your seats, and please don't exit the vehicle until it has come to a complete and final stop. I hate cleaning squished friends off my blog, and there may be some sudden truns and abrubt stops ahead.
The picture is, I believe, Dali's "Still Life Moving Fast." Kinda appropriate.
Just for the record- this is all Nymwae's fault. If you don't like me- go bother her. Actually, if you hate me you won't like her either, so maybe you should leave her alone. Or give us both hate mail. Or not- that's really mean, and spiteful, and wrong, and, well, mean. Yeah, "mean" works for me- good for you?
Anywhoo- she's the one who finally worked me up to this.. Actually she had a great deal of help dragging me into bloggerdom, but I prefer to let her do her own finger pointing....
http://ebonbutterfly.blogs.com/