Kim's back

I've been very sad for the past year that Kim, one of my oldest friends, had dropped out of sight. I couldn't reach her on the phone, email and snail mail weren't effective... I didn't know what was wrong, but it saddened me greatly.

I got email from her the other day and we talked on the phone for an hour or so on Wednesday. She's alive, she's fine, and she had been suffering from sleep apnea to the point that she simply couldn't do anything. I'm greatly sorry her health was so bad, but I'm quite happy that she's on the mend now. Old friends are always hard to lose and she's one of the best. It's great to have you back in my life, Kim.

Kim's back

Time has passed, once again....

It's the 24th and I haven't posted anything for 3 weeks. Oy!

I'm currently down in Lake Forest, CA (Orange County) for work. Normally, I'm here for a week and then home, but this time I'm down for two weeks.

The weather's been quite decent. I was worried I'd be fighting the effects of the heat, but no! It's been in the high 70s and I can survive that. I'm working with great people and they're all here, too.

There've been several fun things that've happened so far:

• The space shuttle was landing at Edwards AFB near here, so we got to hear the sonic boom as they passed overhead on landing approach. We didn't see the shuttle, but chances of that were small at the speed they were traveling.
  
• The four of us staying here at the hotel went out for a morning walk a couple days ago. We saw someone dressed in voluminous white cotton clothes and a huge sun hat walking in the same area we were. As she passed us, I saw that it was Julia Gnuse. She suffers from porphyria and has a sun hypersensitivity. To cover up the scarring, she's had her whole body tattooed. This doesn't prevent the sensitivity from causing new blisters and so on; it's cosmetic. She's listed in the Guiness Book as the "World's Most Tattooed Woman." She lives in Foothills Ranch, a mile or so from where we're staying.
  
• Most of the staph went out to our boss's place in Riverside for a pool party Saturday. That was a Good Time Out.
  

I need to do laundry or I'm not going to have shirts to wear tomorrow. Bleah.

A problem has been detected and Bush has been shut down to prevent damage to your country

Time has passed, once again....

I'm not sure where to go with this

Is this the desperate act of a bunch of overmatched and incompetent people who are challenged by the task of tying their shoes... or is it a brilliant ploy to bring in expert assistance into a group known for breeding imagination and foresight out of the system? I really can't tell, although it could be both, I suppose.

Whatever it is, it's weird. It's really weird.

I'm not sure where to go with this

My Gawd, this explains a lot!

I sure hope this scientist wins the Nobel Prize. Could be for Medicine, could be for Peace; works either way, really.

My Gawd, this explains a lot!

Random Mondayish thought for Tuesday morning

If matches are made in heaven, where do lighters come from?

Random Mondayish thought for Tuesday morning

Misc thoughts for the day

It's Friday and it's already started out with someone at work who's being a prick, and a stupid prick at that. ~sigh~ Apart from figuring that he'll forget to breathe someday, I was reminded once again of a delightful aphorism given me by Mark Hanigan:

You can only get one good glass of lemonade out of a lemon.

While I'm putting in a quote, let me add another one just because:

I wouldn't mind the born-agains half as much if so many of them hadn't suffered the same annoying birth defects during that second trip down the birth canal.

Misc thoughts for the day

Jesus Christ--The Musical

This is short and probably a wee tad disrespectful, but DAY-umn, it's funny!

Jesus Christ--The Musical

If that link doesn't work, try this one or this one.

Jesus Christ--The Musical

Dubya bumper stickers

As we tromp merrily down the road to a prison-state run by Christian fascist blockheads, it's nice to know that we still can do a little to raise consciousness with bumper stickers. One of my sisters sent me the following list, to which I can only add "Dubya: the load his mother should've swallowed."

• Bush: End of an Error
• That's OK, I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
• Let's Fix Democracy in this Country First
• If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran
• Bush. Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
• If You Can Read This, You're Not Our President
• Of Course It Hurts: You're Getting Screwed by an Elephant
• Hey, Bush Supporters: Embarrassed Yet?
• George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight
• Impeachment: It's Not Just for Blowjobs Anymore
• America: One Nation, Under Surveillance
• They Call Him "W" So He Can Spell It
• Whose God Do You Kill For?
• Jail to the Chief
• No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade Iraq?
• Bush: God's Way of Proving Intelligent Design is Full Of Crap
• Bad President! No Banana.
• We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
• We're Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them
• Is It Vietnam Yet?
• Bush Doesn't Care About White People, Either
• Where Are We Going? And Why Are We In This Handbasket?
• You Elected Him. You Deserve Him.
• Dubya, Your Dad Shoulda Pulled Out, Too
• When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46
• Pray For Impeachment
• The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century
• What Part of "Bush Lied" Don't You Understand?
• One Nation Under Clod
• 2004: Embarrassed 2005: Horrified 2006: Terrified
• Bush Never Exhaled
• At Least Nixon Resigned
  

Dubya bumper stickers

Falwell's dead--it's a good day!

Falwell's dead. The day seems better already.

People I know have said they don't celebrate anyone's death. They may be better people than I or just not as observant; who knows? But I can and do have a visceral hatred for the man for a wide variety of reasons. He lied about my faith, he lied about friends of mine, and he incited hatred, intolerance, and bigotry on virtually every issue he ever discussed. Like Pat Robertson, he was notable for lying to preserve the God of Truth, something that it seems only televangelists and their ilk do quite so well.

By clinging to 18th and 19th century values and bigotries, he set back social progress by and for decades in this country. He was a liar, a thief, a hypocrite, and a man who incited his brainless little followers to new heights of intolerance towards people they found threatening. His "university" is just a breeding ground of more peasants and Christian fascists stamped out in his mold.

What makes Jerry (and Pat Robertson, btw) personally culpable for all of this is their clear knowledge of what the alternatives might be and choosing to do this to maintain their power base and mulct still more millions from the jackasses who they conned into sending them money they could ill-afford. There are two types of evil: the thoughtless kind of evil committed by the ignorant and insensitive and the deep-seated planned evil that is willing to sacrifice people for a personal advantage and simply doesn't care. The former is more common, but the latter is far more dangerous, for it incites mobs, forms Crusades, and promotes further evil, all in the name of "God."

I piss on Jerry Falwell, his family, and his generations. May his brainless and brainwashed followers be treated as they deserve and may his name be forgotten forever by men and gods.

Note: for those who think that it's harsh to wish someone like this dead, let me point out that Jerry thought he was a Christian and that he'd go to a heavenly reward far better than anything on this earthly plane because of it. I have always approved of this belief on his part and have been very keen to see him get that wonderful gift of faith. I am deeply saddened for him and his future eternity that it took decades longer than it should've to arrive. There, I'm wishing him only the best--happy now?

Falwell's dead--it's a good day!

Weekend :)

I made a bunch of banana-carrot bread that was really more of a cake recipe. Good stuff! I took a loaf over to neighbors a block away who are finally back in town (we've tried to stop by several times in the last few months, but they've been out of the country on business and pleasure a bunch; catching up with them has been impossible 'till now). I gave another loaf--with a cream cheese icing--to Brian & Inger next door.

I also tried out a new recipe for bagels. They're not done yet, as the recipe requires you to let the bagels rest overnight in the fridge before they're boiled and baked, so they're currently out in the fridge in the garage and I'll do 'em up tonight. Should be pretty nice, though; they look very good.

The Babe was in Tacoma for the weekend at the wedding shower for one of her nieces. I'll see her this evening.

Weekend :)

And you thought you had no life....

This thing just keeps going on and on and on. (They used a lot of electrical tape.) I'm truly dazzled at what human boredom + inventiveness can come up with. "Hey, Beavis, whaddaya think 'll happen if I put the dumbbell over here on this track?"

There's a little sound, but it's really essential to a few of the things to appreciate the level of weirdness. Keep it low if you're at work and concerned.

And you thought you had no life....

Do not press the red button!

Do not press the red button. Just don't do it.

Do not press the red button!