Holy Cheese, Bot Man!

I'd say I can't believe how long it's been since I posted but I can believe it. Forty hours a week definitely cuts down on the computer time. I spent some time surfing today and have found a new "band". If you get a chance, check out The Dresden Dolls. Fan-freaking-tastic.

It's a Retail Christmas

Crazyness. Absolute crazyness. People are insane shoppers. I've been so busy between the loonies and the serious shoppers that I'm lucky I don't collapse under the desk for a nap between whiny I-want-ers and ranting Why-don't-you-have-ers.

Oh. And the new DragonQuest is pretty time consuming too.

Progress, I think...

The Husband has decided that now is the time to get the school stuff going and I'm going to cheer him on all the way. Or at least until the rent comes due. This should be interesting. I'll keep ya posted.

Happy Birthday Dahlin'

Happy Birthday to the bestest Husband in the world. Just wanted you to know.

Oblivious

/Rant

It's not rocket science people. Hell, its not even science. Don't park your grocery cart in the middle of the aisle, walk ten feet away and expect me to wait on your slow waddling ass to check the price of every detergent and then whip out your calculator to compare prices while I stand ever-so-patiently behind your effin' cart waiting for you to waddle back and move on down the aisle at a snails pace looking like a damn tourist to the Vatican. Get your soap and move your ass woman!

Don't run me over with your grocery cart trying to beat me to the canned foods where you will promptly stop and block the whole aisle (sideways no less) to get one can of pearl onions. Why in the heck you'd want those is beyond me. Let me pass you so you can catch up to me at the end of the aisle where I'm trying to jump out in traffic that makes rush hour in Oakland, CA look tame and ride my ass until I want to take that frozen dinner out of your cart and beat you to death with it.

Understand that if I am pulled over to the side of an aisle, it is okay to pass. Don't stop right next to me or a foot in front of me and block my exit while you argue with your wife about which laxitive works better for the both of you and if you can get it in bulk. I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THESE THINGS. Move along, nothing to see here.

When I've finally beaten back the horde that has arrived at the checkstand and manage to make it to my car without being run over by the same nearsighted dude who is still probably arguing with his wife about the quality control of X Lax, DO NOT lean up against my car while I am in reverse waiting for them to move from behind me at that same snails pace I mentioned before.

What posesses you to think I am going to patiently wait for you to get OFF my car? Hello? Proper car etiquette does not mention, I'm sure, the power of the pedestrian that thinks since they can't get into their car RIGHT NEXT TO ME that it's okay to keep backing up and bumping into mine so that I have no way to PULL OUT of their way.

I swear, I WILL pull out the stupid stick and beat you until you take a hint.

/END RANT

What Kind Of Muppet Are You?

Scooter! You scored 53 Mood and 57 Energy!

You are cheery, energetic and achievement oriented. You are a hard worker and you are proud of your accomplishments.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 28% on Mood You scored higher than 32% on Energy

Link: The Muppet Personality Test written by TheLadyEve on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Um...it's green

You Are Absinthe!
You have a unique personality. Although most like you, sometimes you take some getting used to. You can be a bit strong. You are full of energy and sometimes flamboyant. You are the life of the party but if people are not careful you can knock them on their ass.

What Naughty My Little Pony Are You?

Yup, that's some strong stuff

You remember that super unclogger I picked up? Well, I still have a clog somewhere and a hole in the pipe under my sink where it ate through. And stink? Oh my gods, yes. Eye watering, gut wrenching, sulfurous stick. Blech. Fantastik. So, I guess my Jill-Fixer-Upper self is going to have to get handy.

"The Devil finds work for idle hands." - Proverb, first appeared in 1721

Well I never would have guessed...

Posessing a rare combination of wisdom and humility, while serenely dominating your enviroment you selflessly use your powers to care for others.

Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.

Always nice to know that I've a little elven in me.

Nightmare Before Christmas

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween,

Halloween, Halloween...."

That has to be my all time favorite movie. I've got posters, purses, pillowcases, salt and pepper shakers...the list goes on. I love Burton's movies and can't wait to get my hands on the Corpse Bride.

I've got the candy ready, the porch is all cleaned off and I'm hoping to see at least one or two trick-or-treaters tomorrow night. Life is good.

Ghouls 'n' Goblins

To start off the month of October truly well, one must run through one's collection of assorted stuff to see what would apply to Halloween. Let's see now, some Stephen King for reading, a little Nightmare Before Christmas for movies and the one I just got today Ghouls'n'Goblins in the Capcom assortment of old games they put out. Just to let all those whiners about how hard Maximo was for the playstation, try playing the originals he came from. Because you know what? They are whoopin my ass people. Damn good thing there are infinite continues.

Blogger ate my template

Took me a few days to realize that blogger ate my template and so I have to go back to the original blah. I'm going to work on getting my links back up and various stuff replaced so just remember..."Please pardon our dust. Under Construction."

Downloading

I have learned the fine art of downloading and it is good. At least it is for now. I've just spent the past two days downloading various things that I've wanted to watch for forever now and I'm happy. :) The computer is making progress and he's had it working this weekend, although he just took it apart again to put in tubing and lights to make the tubing glow. Hopefully, it'll still be working after he puts it all back together again.

In other fun news, our new neighbors (actually just the guy back there) are the go-to guys for the not-so-nice elements in town and they also have a lot of "friends." *Sigh* At least they're quiet. I find it hard to take a man too seriously when he's having a conversation over the fence with me while wearing his Monsters, Inc. tm slippers. :)

Just so y'all know, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and 2nd Gig rock.

New Computer Time

Hubby is building himself a new computer but until all the parts are here I'm stuck fighting with him for time on the net since he's started playing City of Heroes (tm). So, if you don't see me too much for the rest of the week, (although he has to work sometime) it's because I'm trying to surf the net on my PSP. Which is cool but isn't made for typing anything out on. :)

I'm not ignoring Katrina

But, being on the opposite coast means that the best I can do is donate money to Red Cross, etc. I feel the response to this disaster leaves much to be desired. Why were certain things not done or not funded? Why wasn't there a more concentrated evacuation effort? I lived in Louisiana for 3 years and where we used to be wasn't badly hit but my heart aches for the people I know are still there.

In other news, I've been working out some of my feelings by cleaning house and starting an exercise program. Dishes, laundry, dishes, taking the garbage out, dishes, vacumning, and dishes. (I still don't have a dishwasher so I am the dishwasher.) I wish...I wish there was something else I could do. My mind is moving in circles obviously. Just as soon as I think I've finally let the images of the aftermath of Katrina out of my head, something else pops up.

That's it. I'm off to scrub the floor in the kitchen.

Red vs. Blue

This is the coolest site. Red vs. Blue
I really enjoy these guys. Check them out.

BBQ Round #3

So, I've done chicken on the grill for my first bbq and kabobs for my second(which were awesome I must say) and now, burgers this Sunday. It shall be all good. I've really enjoyed coming up with different recipes to try that aren't too far out. I'm not interested in spending my whole Sunday preparing things for the evening meal so stuff that I can basically chop and throw on there is my limit.

I was flipping thru a bbq cookbook and some of the things they've got in there I'm thinking to myself are like, "What? Grilled polenta? Why?" or "Quick Seafood Pizza? What the?" Why on earth anyone would want to grill pizza on a bbq is beyond me. Oh, and it's great and all that they want to put pictures in the book but why do I want to see a lit beeswax candle on a page that isn't in the food picture, just all by itself? Weird.

"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it's on your plate." - Thornton Wilder

Age

To take off from a previous threads idea, I want to point out that those of you who are old? You do not get first priority on everything. I am not here to load the shopping cart you kipped from the Payless down the road. That's not my job. If you're nice about it, then no big deal. But I do not owe you a damn thing so don't get all huffy with me when I refuse to fill out your checkbook that you threw at me. Yes, I need a physical address for ya and if you say "I can't hear you" when I know damn well you can, that is what I'll write on your check. Jerk.

I don't know why most of the retired people I have run ins with assume I'm there just for them. I don't have an on/off switch on my back last time I checked. They don't just shut me down at closing and then just fire me up at the start of the day. I am expected to give good customer service (minds out of the gutter!) and I do. But if those certain seniors don't treat me as more than a robot, then my attitude goes down the drain. Age does not entitle anyone to be queen (or king) bee of the hive. I realize that these people will never change but I know now that I've had several good examples of what not to be. So help me, if I act like that please tell me!

"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It's true some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." - Abigail Van Buren

Deity

What is Deity? According to Merriam-Webster Online, Deity is 1a: the rank or essential nature of a god (divinity), 2: a god or goddess, 3: one exalted or revered as one supremely gifted or powerful.

But what about the intangible? That little bit of something we receive that lets us keep going, the feel of love flowing through us, the "oomph" (for lack of a better word) that gets us off our asses and back in the game of life. The fire that burns in us, convincing us to finish some especially difficult project or task. Is that our deity showing their support?

What about nature? The bloom of the jasmine on a summers night. The birds building their nests. The fruit trees loaded with their bounty. The dance of a flickering flame and the cool breeze blowing. Is that our deity showing us creation?

Deity is feeling the wind blowing on my face after a rough conversation with a family member, it's watching the birds take a dust bath in the driveway and the neighbors cats watching them. The curve of DH's cheekbone under my fingers and his eyes meeting mine. To feel emotions, to hate and to love. It is all part of Divinity.

More Hot Weather

I hate it when it is hot. When you sweat when you're lying around, it's too hot. When getting a drink out of the fridge is a major ordeal, it's too hot. When you end up burning yourself with the seat belt, it's too hot. Gak. I'd rather be too cold that too hot. You can only get so naked but when it's cold you can always kidnap blankets off the bed.

My front door faces west and I leaned up against it and immediately told the hubby that we need a different house. The front door was warmer than I was. Yuck. I've tried watering down the yard in the morning and keeping the a/c filter clean but the weather is doing its best to defeat me. On another note, yes I finished Harry Potter #6 and no, I'm not telling you what happens.

"All books are alike in that they are truer than if they had happened, and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, than you are a writer." - Ernest Hemingway

Harry Potter Tonite

Well it's Harry Potter nite tonite. w00t! (As they say in l33t.) Anyway, it'll be interesting to see who shows up. I really enjoy the books and have never understood the whole hoopla certain people throw fits about. It's fiction. Kid's fiction. For fun. Yeesh. Same thing with the DaVinci Code. It is a book people, get over it. All that these people accomplish is free advertising for the books. And wouldn't that just fry their bacon to realize that the only thing that is accomplished by all the wailing and hair tearing is making people curious. When people start making a big production, natural curiousity seems to say "Hey, we should see what all the fuss is about."

I have to admit that idea gives me a good laugh.

"People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs." - Unknown

One Good Thing ...

I have the whole day off and I've washed my car. And surfed some blogs. That's about it up to this point. I have to say the car really did need it. I think that is going to be all the outside time I can take today though, as I really want to avoid the neighbors right now. TMI from them, starting last nite.

I came home and was just about ready to pull in the drive way when I realized that the neighbors son (who is like 4) was taking a wild wee on my front yard fence. And I mean swinging all around. So with a raised eyebrow, I parked the car. As I got out, I could hear that the bums had set up shop on the berm behind our houses and were making comments on the other neighbors girls who were running up and down the driveway in their swimsuits. The oldest girl is like 12 and the youngest 6. I decided I'd better wander back to their house and let their Grandpa know what the blackberry bushes were saying.

After I talked to him I figured I'd stop by the Mad Whizzer's house and ask his momma to restrict his "watering" to her own front yard. She decided to tell me how the lawnmower shot her with a rock, show me her stitches and then flash me her ass because she had a bruise from falling over after getting attacked by the rock. I managed to avoid talking to drunken monkey since she wasn't home. As usual. Thank gods, cause I don't know what I would have done with anymore flashing of body parts.

And my family wonders why I stay in the house. Yeesh.

Summer has arrived

The sun comes out from hiding and the temperatures climb higher. Slowly they emerge from their long winter rest and get all cleaned up. They do a few forays into the road and down the freeway. They casually wander down the main drag in town. Then when it looks like they might have disappeared again, they arrive and descend upon the town in full force. You can't go anywhere without seeing them grouped together. The townies turn out to see them go by. For a weekend in my small town, it's an on-going car show. All the old cars are out in full force and it is something to see.





























This is my little sister's favorite "holiday." Mine too, actually. For one weekend a year, the town is overrun with Chevelles and Bel Airs, Studebakers and Corvettes, old Fords and silent Packards. It's American Graffiti outfit time and ladies wander through the car shows with pony tails and in poodle skirts. Guys sit around at the various shows going on trading stories and secrets of automotive restoration. There were some real beauties in the show this year and at the cruise downtown. We wandered all over snapping pictures and listening to stories. The cars are a labor of love, reminders of good times and to some people more innocent times. It is nice to see that hobbies can be something that brings people together.

On a lighter note, I saw all of three Studebakers this weekend and you know what? Not one Bear.

"A bear in his natural habitat. A studebaker." - Fozzie the Bear

Time to Myself

Bumper Sticker : BOMB SQUAD-If you see me running you'd better catch up.

Fireworks and Crappy Neighbors

/rant on

So, you want to set off some fireworks? Cool. I'm all for setting off fireworks. But how about we try it drunk? How about you come out of your house and watch your twin boys who are only seven pick the lit ones up off the ground to hold them? Isn't that cool? How about you nail a spinner to my wooden fence and then set that bastard off? How about chucking lit fireworks onto the neighbors private property to scare her dogs? I am beyond impressed you low life fucking drunk. Way to go.

I also noticed that you were too entirely cool to even have a garden hose anywhere near. I bet that can of beer will do to put out the grass you were catching on fire. Too bad the asphalt main street was less than 50 feet away, I wouldn't want you to have to walk down there to set all that cool stuff off.

So how about I call the landlord and tell them I've had enough? Will that impress you? Good.

/rant off

Differences of Opinion

I've always found it kind of odd that here I am, some sort of wishy-washy demo-liberal-conservative and my family ranges the rest of the politcial spectrum. My sister Kate is a complete raving liberal type and Sister Hilly is actually fairly conservative. My mom is a stauch Republican and my dad doesn't give a crap one way or the other since the world isn't important and is coming to an end anyway.

I've noticed that people I hang out with all have different viewpoints too. Liberal, Conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independant. The thing they've all got in common is their common sense. The ladies are independant - they may not know how to change a tire but at least they are willing to try, for example. The men are thoughtful - they may not agree with you about things but they respect your opinion and are willing to change their mind if you have a good argument with reasons to back it up.

The people I can never seem to get along with are those with their minds stored in airtight plastic ware. "So-and-so said it was that way, so it must be true..." or "That's what I saw one guy do, everyone else must do that too...." Doh. They don't want any rational discourse, they don't want to discuss anything, "That is just how it is..." Whatever. It is so frustrating to have conversations with these people and being in retail, I run into all types. How do people survive with that mentality?

"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side." - Aristotle