Things that are difficult to say when you're drunk

This is from Thrilling Wonder, a blog with all kinds of things to waste your time with.

THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK:

• Indubitably
• Innovative
• Preliminary
• Proliferation
• Cinnamon

THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK:

• Specificity
• British Constitution
• Passive-aggressive disorder
• Loquacious
  
• Transubstantiate

THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE DRUNK:

• Thanks, but I don't want to have sex.
• Nope, no more beer for me.
• Sorry, but you're not really my type.
• Good evening officer, isn't it lovely out tonight.
• Oh, I just couldn't. No one wants to hear me sing.

Things that are difficult to say when you're drunk

My niece Addie is so cool!

My sister Lorraine sent me a photo of my niece Addie after winning an award for an art project she did. She won 1st place (naaaa-tchully!) with 2,000 submissions and her entry goes on to the county level next (she's in Southern California). If she wins that, she gets to shake hands with Arnold S!

Addie the award winner

My niece Addie is so cool!

Losing weight lately

I've been losing weight lately. Not a lot, really, but I'm down to 215, which is 7-8 pounds off of what I've weighed for quite a while. This is an improvement and is largely due to my being good all of the week before last about hitting the treadmill. (Last week I had this cold and have been a slug, damnit, but there's this week coming up.)

My pants are very loose and I've been wearing suspenders a lot lately. It's not bad, feeling a bit thinner.

The Babe is recovering from her abdominoplasty. She's down at her goal weight from the gastric bypass surgery in November 2004 and is looking fabulous.

Losing weight lately

I'm not running for office!

In the last year or two, I've had a flattering number of friends in the Society for Technical Communication tell me that they really, really, really would like to see me run for the office of 2nd VP. For those of you who read this who aren't familiar with the STC, you get elected for 2VP, then you accede to 1VP, then President, then Past-President, then your debt is paid and they strike your chains and you are freed. I've been on the Board for almost two years now and I'm happy with what I've been accomplishing on the Board itself and very unhappy with what I've been able to devote to being a regional sponsor (but I have to say that that's life, sadly; being on the Board hasn't been an easy task the last few years). It's been worth it, though; I've had a hand in helping the STC survive and bringing it into the 21st Century at last.

But the thing is that, while I think I might be a good President, while I think the STC would benefit from my being on the Board, while I think that it would be worthy work... I ain't gonna do it. I am not planning on running for 2VP next year when I'm up with my term as Director. It's a lot of work, there's no money involved, and there's not a lot of glory, honor, or fame. Furthermore, almost everyone who's President has either suffered significant financial losses because of the lack of time they put in to their jobs or has seen their primary relationship blow up--a disturbingly large percentage of the Presidents in the last decade have had this happen to them during their tenures in the Presidential chain. Most importantly, I keep having this feeling like time is running out and I'd rather not spend another four years of the rest of my life obligated to the STC. I'm sure I'll be doing committee work here and there for people--I really want to support Mark Clifford's presidency, for example--but I'd like the freedom to say "No" occasionally.

The biggest problem I've been having is that I tell all these people who are so flatteringly trying to get me to say "Yes" that I'm really not interested, and they don't believe me. They think I'm being coy and that my denials prove that I'm planning on running. No, I'm not that subtle, kids; trust me on this (but it's nice that you credit me with that kind of gamesmanship.) If I were thinking about running, I'd tell you.

I'm sure that there is some combination of factors that could really happen (as opposed to the "someone'd pay you a million dollars to do this," which isn't going to to happen for this job) that would convince me to run and maybe even feel good about it. But I can't think of any combination and I'm even less convinced that there'd be such a combination that the Babe would feel good about it. When I told her today that people just don't believe that I'm not running, the Babe said "You do like being married, don't you?" Exactly my thought, too.

I'm not kidding: I'm not running. I'm sure I'll be helping out on the Board, but someone else is going to have to run for 2VP next year, because I've got other things I'm thinking about doing.

I'm not running for office!

The sound of loons in the air

For the last week or so, the neighborhood has been filled with the cries of loons. Loons are a wonderful bird with a high, whistling, rather lonely cry, and it's good to hear them.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been loons. It's been going on far too long and it's a little regular and it's, honestly, getting right annoying.

I drove off to grab a heart monitor at the cardiologist this morning (no, no, I'm fine, they're just making sure that the meds I've been taking are working out as well as they appear to be) and I was finally able to peg it down: it's the sound of a power saw cutting the funny hard roofing tile they use in the houses here. Hardly as bucolic, but definitely irritating.

I can only figure that they're not going to be doing this much longer, as they're working on the last few houses around here. I may keep the windows shut for a while until they wrap up.

The sound of loons in the air

Here's a special kind of stupid

From the East Valley Tribune (Phoenix, AZ) today:

Man charged for starting fire while cooking meth in toaster

Christian Richardson, Tribune

A 19-year-old Chandler man has been arrested on accusations he cooked methamphetamine in a toaster, setting fire to his condo and prompting him to take unusual steps to try to put out the blaze, authorities said Thursday.

Jonathan Zaletel was unable to douse the fire with water when it broke out late Tuesday, and tried to put it out with window cleaner, Maricopa County sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Paul Chagolla said Thursday.

When that didn’t work, Zaletel then went to a local Wal-Mart store to purchase a fire extinguisher. By the time he got home, Chagolla said, firefighters and police were at his condo at 1287 N. Alma School Road, and sprinklers had doused the fire.

He was booked into jail on suspicion of manufacturing dangerous drugs, possession of chemicals and equipment to manufacture dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and criminal damage.

Here's a special kind of stupid

Sacred site to be cleansed after Bush visit

From correspondents in Guatemala City, Source: AFP, news.com.au

Indigenous Guatemalans said today they would hold a spiritual cleansing rite to remove bad spirits after US President George W. Bush visited the sacred Iximche Mayan ruins.

About 50 local people broke through a security cordon to reach the entrance of the park around the ancient city founded in 1470 by the Kaqchikel Mayans.

Four were detained by police, according to the protesters, who said they would carry out the cleansing ritual to remove "bad spirits and bad energy'' left by Mr Bush at Iximche, 90km west of Guatemala City.

Mr Bush and his wife Laura visited the site with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger and his wife Wendy.

In Tecpan, near the ruins, protesters set up banners that read "Out with Bush, the murderer, invader, fascist, criminal".

"No more blood for oil", said another banner.

Later in a visit to the village Santa Cruz Balanya in western Guatemala, another group of indigenous women weavers presented a hand-made woollen rug and jumper to Mr Bush.

Sacred site to be cleansed after Bush visit