Flobbergobber

And Now...

2012-02-14T20:53:00.001-06:00

back to wallowing in shit.

Fox News' Liz Trotta Condemned For "Abhorrent" Remarks On Sexual Assault In Military

I haven't been this disgusted with a fellow female since Whoopie Goldberg tried to explain that there's "Rape" and then there's "Rape/rape".

And what exactly did Liz Trotta say? Let's watch...

So, let me get this straight. When a woman signs up for the military, not only is she committing herself to serving her country, she is also guaranteeing that she'll be sexually assaulted, then slut shamed for it, because hey...what did she expect?

Not only is this incredibly offensive to the victims of the assault, but also to the men they serve with, as she is effectively saying that male service members are a bunch of rutting animals with no control over their urges, and can't help themselves when a female is around.

And after blaming "feminists" for the budget increase needed to provide care for the victim's of these assaults, we have this exchange:

Trottaalso attacked the Department of Defense for increasing funding for supportprograms for victims of sexual assault. Trotta remarked, "the feminists have also directedthem, really, to spend a lot of money. They have sexual counselors all over theplace, victims' advocates, sexual response coordinators. ... you have thiswhole bureaucracy upon bureaucracy being built up with all kinds of levels ofpeople to support women in the military who are now being raped too much."

When Fox News anchor Eric Shawn said that "many would say that they needto be protected," Trotta replied: "That's funny, I thought themission of the armed forces was to defend and protect US, not thepeople who were fighting the war."

When Eric Shawn then asks, "Well, you certainly want the people fighting the war to be protected from anything that could be illegal." She replies, "Oh, look, I mean, that's—nice try Eric. This whole question of women in the military has not been aired properly, and it's the great sleeping giant."

Did she ever give it a thought that it might be because of this expanded support system - that she bemoans as such a strain on the budget - that the increase in reports is partly due to women now feeling more comfortable reporting assaults, and knowing they'll be listened to? And that it should be commended, not denigrated?

And she's full of bullshit, because these rules were changed not to allow more women on the front lines, but to get the rules in line with what is ALREADY HAPPENING. There are more and more women being deployed, and more of them are either close to, or on the front lines in support positions to the troops doing the close combat fighting.

Rick Santorum made some stupid comments about how women shouldn't be in combat roles because they are weak and too emotional. But considering what a dumbass Santorum is, his comments - albeit pretty misogynistic - come off as more ignorant. But to hear a woman say things like this is a slap against the sisterhood. Especially since she claims to have gotten her start as a trailblazer, being a rare female correspondent covering the Vietnam war.

What happened to women bonding together and supporting each other? People say the liberals hate the military, but the filth that came out of this woman's mouth is just unspeakably ugly towards all service members.

On A Much Lighter Note...

2012-02-14T07:35:00.000-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! :o)

Project Unbreakable - Part II

2012-02-13T14:26:00.000-06:00

I wrote a very brief post on Project Unbreakable a couple of weeks ago, and commented that I was still trying to decide whether or not to participate.

Well, I took my picture with my quote today, and sent it in. It may be a couple of months before it's posted because of the large amounts of email they receive each day (which is heartbreaking all on its own).

I have to say that doing it wasn't the empowering experience I'd hoped it be. Instead I just have an overwhelming urge to go home and cry. I had hoped that participating would take some weight off of what had happened, but instead I just feel emotionally drained.

The picture isn't flattering at all. The lighting is bad, and my eyes look completely void of...anything. I look hollow...and right now I'm feeling much the same. But if it's eventually posted, and helps even just one woman to know she's not alone, or gives her the strength to send in her own picture, then it will have been worth it.

Accompanying this I wrote: "My ex-lover turned stalker came into the restaurant where I worked as I was having a drink post-shift. I mainly just tried to ignore him, but made the mistake of leaving my drink unattended while I went to the bathroom. About 15 minutes after I finished my drink, I began to feel very sick, and asked the bartender to call me a cab. The quote I'm holding is the last thing I remember. I woke up the next morning woozy, raped, beaten, and unable to recollect anything that had happened the night before.

He'd conveniently left his glasses at my apartment, and I called him from work that afternoon to let him know I would leave them at the bar for him to pick up. He began to tell me how much "fun" he'd had with me the night before. I hung up on him. I worked that day, but hid in the reefer when he came in to get his glasses.

Two weeks later I came home from work, and found him in my apartment. I guess he'd made a copy of my keys that previous night. I remember everything that happened that time. To this day, I still can't decide which incident was worse."

"My Pretty Balloon"

2012-02-11T13:32:00.003-06:00

I haven't featured any of the pictures I like to do lately, but I was so ridiculously pleased with this one, that I thought I'd post it. It's odd, yes. But I think there's also something sweetly poignant about it as well.

I can't take credit for the avatar. That was created by a remarkable artist inworld. But I had a lot of fun interpreting it in my own way. The idea for this picture came from here. I loved this stern little boy with his big red balloon, and that became my inspiration.

(Click to see it bigger. For full size, click on it, then right click and select "View Image". From there you should be able to click it again to see it really big!)

The Cottage - Part 6

2012-02-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

Larry came by about 6:15, bearing a bag of fresh buns fromthe neighborhood bakery. “It’s not much,but I thought you’d like them.”

“Thank you so much! We all love fresh bread…the girls will be on these like sharks in afeeding frenzy.”

Livvy and Sarah came downstairs, and immediately got allsilly and shy, even though they’d met our neighbor in the past. But once everyone was around the table eatingand talking, they were as comfortable with him as they were with theirgrandfather.

Once dinner was over, I set the girls to doing the dishes,and then to start on their homework. Larry and I were in the living room sipping on cups of coffee, and atone point I started to speak, then stopped.

“What’s up Annie?” Larry asked.

“You know what we were talking about earlier…the oddthings,” I paused for a moment, and he waited patiently for me to finish, “CanI show you something?”

“Absolutely.”

I called out to the girls that we’d be in my office, and ledthe way. I brought up my computer, andbrought up the first file of the plush bear falling off the dresser.

“That came first. Nothing too major, right? Butthen there was this,” I played the next file for Larry, and when the figureappeared, I sensed him start a little. When the figure approached the camera, he let out a little gasp.

He was silent for a moment after it was done, then spoke. “Wheredid this happen?”

“Come with me, I’ll show you.”

We wandered up to Livvy’s room, and I showed him where thecamera was. He peered around the roomfor a few minutes, exploring it as I had earlier. He looked over at me, and shrugged.

“I don’t see anything here that could have caused that,Annie.”

“I know me neither. And by the way it approached the camera made it seem sentient to anextent.”

He looked worried, “What do you plan to do?”

It was my turn to shrug, “I don’t really have a plan. I was going to observe a bit longer…we’vebeen here a while now, if this entity wanted to hurt us, it could have done soalready. And while I find it a bitunnerving, I’ve never sensed any malice. It’s just…HERE. But there’s onemore file I did earlier that I haven’t looked at yet. Once I saw the figure up here, I came up and trieddoing a little E.V.P. session.”

“E.V.P.?”

“Electronic Voice Phenomena. It’s basically just asking a series of questions with pauses in between whilerunning some sort of recording device, to see if you get responses that you can’thear, but are picked up on tape or digital. The camera records audio as well as visual. Come on, let’s see if I got anything.”

We headed back down to my office, and I handed him a set of headphones. I plugged in mine as well, queued up the file,and cranked up the volume. The pictureshowed me pacing the room, and quite clearly I could hear myself asking thequestions.

“Hello? Is anyonehere right now?” – Zero

“Can you tell me why you’re here?” – Zip

“Is there anything that you want?” – Nada

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” – There was a slightpause, and a sort of hissing sound.

Larry heard it as well, as he shot a look my direction. I dragged the counter back, turned the volumeup full, and played it again. There wasdefinitely some sort of noise there, but we couldn’t make out anything from it. Unfortunately, I had no way to separate the audiofrom the video and clean it up, and figured that I’d have to retry the experimentanother time with a designated audio recorder.

“Could you make out anything?” I asked Larry.

He shook his head, “It sounded like a burst of static from awalkie-talkie or CB. Olivia doesn’t haveanything that could have picked up a radio signal, does she?

An idea dawned on me…”I think I know what it was. Hold on just a second.” I ran up to Livvy’s room, and looked around herbookshelves until I found what I was looking for, which just happened to be ona shelf near the camera.

I brought it downstairs, wound it up, and set it on the desk. The little robot tottered across it making anoise that was similar to the one we heard. Loud enough that the camera would catch it, but quiet enough that Iwouldn’t have heard it.

Larry laughed, “Well it looks like that mystery is solved.”

Just then the same tin can pencil holder that had fallen offmy desk a while back suddenly lifted about an inch of the desk, moved to theedge, and crashed to the floor. I got upand walked around the desk, and began to calmly pick up the pens and pencils,and put them back in the can.

Larry stared at me with a mix of fear and wonder, and I didas before and apologized to the air for the unintentional slight.

As I put the can back on the desk, I explained, “This hashappened before. It seems my visitor doesn’t take kindly to ridicule of its communication skills.” I told him about the file being opened withthe little “hi” on the screen, and how the can had tipped then as well, when Ididn’t acknowledge it.

“Amazing…” was all Larry could say. He looked at me, eyes wide, “I think it’stime I head home. I need to get out earlyin the morning to the airport to pick up my son.”

“Your son? I didn’t know you had children!”

Larry took out his wallet, and handed me a photo of a youngman with closely cropped hair, wearing desert fatigues, “That’s David. He’s my only child. We don’t see eye to eye on a lot of thingssince his mother died. But he’s beenserving over in Afghanistan, and is on his way home. He’s scheduled to fly in tomorrow about 7:00.”

I handed the picture back, “Well that’s wonderful! When he gets settled in, maybe we can haveyou both over for dinner.”

Larry finally smiled, “Yes, that would be real nice. I’m sure he’d like that.”

I got his coat from the closet, and walked him to thedoor.

“Just remember what I told you earlier,” he said firmly, “Youhave any problems over here, you pick up your girls and you come over to myhouse. Understood?”

I took his hand in both of mine and held it, “I understand. And I will, I promise.”

“Good girl. Becareful.” With that he crossed the yardto his house, and I closed the door and turned back inside. I glanced down the hall, and saw somethingshimmer, but I just didn’t want to deal with it at the moment. Instead I headed into the kitchen to help thegirls with their homework, and made plans to go into town and get a digitalrecorder the next morning.

(Want to read from the beginning? Click on the "The Cottage" tag, or go here.)

Saddest Blog I've Read In A Long Time.

2012-01-31T20:46:00.000-06:00

I'm still considering whether or not to participate.

Project Unbreakable

Funniest Blog I've Read In A LOOOOONG Time.

2012-01-30T10:16:00.000-06:00

Taking a quick break from the story...

It's called "THOR, PUT YOUR PANTS BACK ON!" aka - The Avengers Shouldn't Text.

Basically, it's texts between the different Avenger heroes (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, etc.), and their strictly human friends (like Tony Stark/Iron Man's assistant Pepper, or Darcy Lewis who is from last year's "Thor" movie.

They also do Q. and A. with the readers, doling out advice on various topics. Oh, and people seem to love Thor's hugs.

Really, it's very, very funny.

The Cottage - Part 5

2012-01-26T16:19:00.000-06:00

Considering the heightened activity around my daughters, Idecided it was time to do a little ghost hunting. I ordered a webcam with a microphone that had“moonlight” capability, which would allow me a good picture even in low light. Igot it set up and running on my wireless network while the girls were atschool, and decided to put it in Sarah’s room first.

Thankfully both girls are little hoarders, so camouflagingit wasn’t an issue. I got it connectedto my laptop and set it up on motion detect, figuring it would make it easierto go through any footage that might be recorded. It also had an alert system that would causea little popup window in the corner if anything caused it to turn on, but I figuredthat since I had a big enough case of the willies already, I’d turn thatoff. I decided to give it 24 hours, andcheck on it the next morning.

I checked for files in the morning, and there wasnothing. Not sure whether to be angry orrelieved, I moved the camera into Olivia’s room, and waited another 24hours. Once the time was up I dutifullychecked for new files, and this time I found two.

The first one was short, just a few seconds. It showed one of Olivia’s stuffed animalsfall off her chest of drawers. Curious,but nothing really earth shattering.

But the next one was a different story. It was about three minutes in length, andshowed a misty form come together, and move back and forth across theroom. At one point, it even made its waytowards the camera, as if peering into the lens, then backed off. The form was vaguely human in that it had theshape of a head and shoulders, but there was no real body, just wisps that camedown, and eventually trailed off. Icranked up the contrast to see it better, but was unable to discern any facialfeatures. And turning up the volumeyielded no sounds coming from it. Eventually, it just faded away.

I sat back, just stunned. I went up to her room, and looked around, trying to find something, anything,to explain what I’d just seen but there was nothing that could. The fact that the spirit acknowledged thecamera made me realize this was more than just a residual haunting…this spiritwas active and aware.

Knowing that the camera was recording with me up theremoving around, I let out a tentative, “Hello? Is anyone here right now?” Ipaused for a few minutes to give it time to reply if it chose. I then asked the following series ofquestions, with pauses in between.

“Can you tell me why you’re here?”

“Is there anything that you want?”

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

I started to feel silly talking to the air, so I ended withthe following, “I don’t mind you being here, and I’ll help you if I can. But please, don’t scare my girls.”

I headed downstairs, and saw the file that had been createdfrom my trip to Livvy’s bedroom. I wentto click on it, then hesitated. I’lladmit, I had thoroughly spooked myself, and couldn’t bring myself to listen tothe file just yet. Instead I opted to goout and talk a brief walk to clear my head.

The brisk air felt wonderful and I closed my eyes and liftedmy face to the wind as I walked, which is why I ended up bumping into myneighbor, Larry Durbin, who was out cleaning his yard. We hadn’t talked much, just a fewpleasantries here and there. He was anolder gentleman, about my father’s age, and a widower. But he seemed to have a fairly cheerfuldemeanor for the most part.

I let out a “Whoops!” and a laugh, and apologized for beingso clumsy. He smiled, and took it instride, and asked how our holidays had been.

“Oh, it was wonderful. We had the whole family over, and it was so much fun.”

He nodded, “You had a full house for sure. It was nice to see the place all decked out. Good to have some life in it after beingempty for so long.”

I felt a twinge of guilt for not inviting him over, so Ichanged the subject, “So, were you here when the…murders happened?”

“That I was. It was abad time for the neighborhood. Helen and her two kids were well thoughtof. It was a terrible thing what happenedto them.” He looked off for a moment,almost wistfully, then turned and gave me a hard look. “Are you having any problems over there,Annie?”

I looked at him, a bit surprised, “I’m not sure what youmean.”

“Sometimes a house holds on to things...especially unhappyones.”

I narrowed my eyes a bit, “Why do you ask?”

Larry shrugged, “While the house was empty, I heard things. Andpeople saw stuff…hell, I saw a few odd things myself.”

My voice caught in my throat a little as I asked, “Whatkinds of things?”

“Well, there was one time I was out here in the yard andlooked over and saw some balls of light moving behind the blinds. And knocking sounds coming from inside.”

“Could have just been some kids roaming around inside tryingto scare themselves.”

He shrugged, “Possibly. But another time, well, nevermind. It wasn’t anything.”

I could see he looked troubled, as if he got carried away,and had begun to say more than he should.

“Larry, please tell me.”

He looked down at the ground, and shuffled a bit, thenlooked up at me. “It was real late. Icouldn’t sleep, and got up to go downstairs and get a snack. I glanced over at the house, and saw a womanin the kitchen window looking over at me. It must have been about 2:00 in the morning.”

“When was this?”

“About a month before Helen and her children weremurdered. Anyway, the woman was lookingright at me. Her face was calm, with noexpression. But then she just seemed tomelt, and I was looking at this howling face with black eyes and a big gapinghole where the mouth should be. Shook meright the hell up. I started back, butwhen I looked again there was nothing there.”

I felt the hairs on my arm stand on end despite my fleecejacket, and rubbed my hands vigorously over them. “Please tell me it was just moonlight andclouds on the window.”

“Could have been…could have been…and you know, you’reright. It probably was. We’d had a big storm that afternoon, and itwas still a bit overcast.”

He peered over at me, “You never answered my question,Annie. You having any problems overthere?”

“There’s been a few little things, but nothing really problematicat this point. Just, well, the house hasits little eccentricities. And the girlshave heard a few things too, but they don’t seem to be scared of the place atall. It’s nothing I’m going to call theGhostbusters about just yet.”

Larry looked over at me, and I saw a tinge of concern on hisface, “You ever run into anything you can’t handle, you pack your girls up andcome right over, you got that?”

I gave him a reassuring smile, “I got it. And thank you. Say, would you like to come over for dinnerthis evening? You know, see the placefor yourself? I make a tasty meatloaf.”

“Well now, meatloaf just happens to be a favorite of mine. You got a deal.”

“Great! Dinner is at 6:30. We’ll see you then?”

“That you will. I’mlooking forward to it.”

(Want to read from the beginning? Click on the "The Cottage" tag, or go here.)

The Cottage - Part 4

2012-01-20T16:07:00.003-06:00

The rest of the fall was uneventful, and as the year driftedto a close, the house’s little quirks became so commonplace as to not arouseany further anxiety within me. There hadbeen no further communication from whoever might be haunting my house, and theyseemed content just to have been acknowledged.

With the holidays in full swing, those quirks would havebeen lost amidst the chaos anyway. Mywork had trickled down to a couple of hours a day – which is normal for thattime of year – leaving me plenty of time for decorating, baking, shopping andgift wrapping. The girls had spent arather tense Thanksgiving with their dad (by their accounts, not mine), so Iwas elated to have them for Christmas, and was determined to make it a happyone.

A couple of days before Christmas my oldest girl, Sarah, wasup in her room taking a nap. I swear she’slike a cat…she can sleep anywhere, anytime, and in pretty much any position. Olivia was sitting with me at the kitchentable and we were drinking milk and nibbling on cookies. Livvy is a bit on the silly side, so when sheasked if she could talk to me about something serious, I took notice.

When I asked her what was up she replied, “Sarah hasn’t beensleeping.”

“And how do you know this?” I enquired.

“I hear her in her room at night, walking around. It happens all the time.”

Now, any parent will tell you that they know when theirchild isn’t sleeping well, as said child will usually end up in the parent’sbed if the issue is bad dreams, or other problems will manifest such as the inabilityto stay awake at school. So far I hadexperienced neither, nor had Sarah complained to me about not being able to getany rest. And as I mentioned above whileshe likes her catnaps, she doesn’t take them at inappropriate times.

I wondered about the noises that Livvy was hearing, andwanted to phrase my next question in a way as to not arouse any fears orsuspicion on her part.

“Has she told you anything about not being able to sleep,Livvy?”

She looked at me with big eyes, “Well, no. But I hear her. Could she be sleepwalking?”

This thought alarmed me. Could she be? She’d never beenprone to it before. “I don’t know,honey. But I’ll talk to her, Ipromise. Does it keep you awake?”

“No, not really, I generally go right back to sleep. But sometimes when she’s talking it scares mea little.”

I felt a tinge of alarm crawl up my arms, “Do you hear whatshe’s saying?”

“No, I mean, it’s not really talking. It’s just voices that you hear, but they’remufflered.”

I let out a little laugh at that, “It’s muffled, Liv. So it’s like a far away type voice?”

“Yes! Like it’scoming from far away.”

“All right, honey. I’mglad you told me. I’ll ask her about it,I promise. In the meantime, don’t youlet it keep you up, OK?”

“OK, Mama. Can I gowatch a movie?”

“Sure, baby…you have fun.”

As Olivia went off into the living room, I mulled over whatshe had told me. I was so lost inthought that I didn’t hear Sarah come in, and didn’t know she was around untilI noticed a little hand come creeping up from under the table, and beginfeeling for the cookie plate. With alaugh, I grabbed it, and Sarah giggled. I hoisted her up into my lap, and gave her a hug. It was with some regret that I realized shewas soon going to be too big for that sort of thing, and hugged her a bitharder.

“Moooom, you’re smooshing me!” She exclaimed. I let her go, and she plunked herself intothe chair next to me, and grabbed a couple of chocolate chip cookies. I went to the fridge and got her some milk,and sat back down. I watched her for afew minutes, and then put a hand gently on her arm.

“Sarah, honey, are you having any problems sleeping?”

She laughed, “I just work up from a nap, Mama!”

“I know, but at night…is anything keeping you awake?”

Sarah knit her brows, and regarded me the carefully. It was obvious she was trying to decide ifshe was in trouble for something or not. “No ma’am. I’ve been sleepingfine. Olivia is the one that’s notsleeping well. I should have told yousooner, but I didn’t want her to get mad at me.”

Damn it. That wasjust the answer I’d feared. If bothdaughters thought it was the other that wasn’t sleeping, then it was neither ofthem making the noises they’d been hearing.

“No one’s mad, Sarah. Can you tell me what you’ve been hearing?”

“She walks around, and mumbles. I can hear it through the wall, but I can’tfigure out what she’s saying. I’m not introuble, am I?”

“No, sweetie…not at all. Thank you for telling me.” Shestill looked a bit leery, so I asked if she wanted to help me wrap somepresents, and she perked right back up. We headed into the sun room and soon any worries she might have had wereburied under brightly colored paper and shiny ribbons. I, however, was left to ponder what to do next.

(Want to read from the beginning? Click on the "The Cottage" tag, or go here.)

Not That I Post Daily Anyway...

2012-01-17T21:30:00.001-06:00

But I won't be posting tomorrow...here's why.

Thoughts on a Season...

2012-01-15T19:40:00.001-06:00

Well, today was a heartbreaker. But you don't win playoff games with a rookie QB turning the ball over four times. Despite our monster Defense keeping the damage down to just one touchdown, it wasn't enough to move us into the AFC Championship.

I still love Yates. That boy has a productive career in the NFL ahead of him. This season has been a trial by fire, and I'm still very proud of his effort this year. I have a feeling he's going to put this loss all on himself, and that isn't fair. Jacoby Jones' time with this team should be over after his horribly lackluster effort in this game, including the stupid fumble that took the Texans out of the game early on.

I'm positive that with Shaub at the helm today we would have taken this game big time. But that's neither here nor there. Once he and Leinert were out, no one gave us a chance. Yates gave us that chance, and the Texans deserve full credit for never giving up.

All in all, I'm happy with our play this year, and expect more of the same next year. If we can keep on this road that we're currently on, we will be mighty next year.

Oy vey...

2012-01-13T08:29:00.001-06:00

I'm sure as a former banker and financial analyst, you've seen this before...haven't you, Iggy?

Prototype

2012-01-10T15:27:00.003-06:00

Ignore this. Just posting this here because I can't get freakin' Flickr to work properly for me. :oP

The Cottage - Part 3.

2012-01-03T14:45:00.000-06:00

After getting the girls off to school one Friday morning, Iwent into my office and turned on my monitor, and unlocked my computer. I headed to the kitchen to get some coffee,and my return to the office was delayed by an urgent call from one of myflakier clients. She wanted to changethe color scheme on an ad I was working on for her, and she needed it done ASAPas it was about to go to print on Monday.

I assured her I’d have it done before lunch…no really, Iwould…and after a few more minutes of back and forth I gently reminded her thatthe longer I was on the phone was that much less time I had to fix thework. She finally let me go, and Ireturned to my office to get right on it.

I glanced at the monitor, and found that on the notepadapplication had been opened on my desktop; and someone had typed “hi”. I stared at those two simple letters for afew moments, justifying in my head how it could have happened. I concluded that I’d opened the application byaccident, that the two letters were close enough on the keyboard that it couldbe chalked up to some fat fingering, closed the program, and settled in to mywork.

But as I adjusted the color levels on the piece I wasworking on, little thoughts began to nag. Where did that little greeting really come from? And was there a possibility that not replying tothat innocuous word could start an unpleasant chain of events? I was torn as to how to handle it…brush itaside, or acknowledge it? Either pathseemed to lead into a dark place that I wasn’t too keen to explore.

I put those nagging thoughts out of my head for the next fewhours and buried myself in my work. Having to re-do the one ad put me behind schedule, and I had toconcentrate on work instead of what may or may not have been a greeting fromthe other side. By the time my work daywas over, my anxiety over what to do had dissipated as I had more pressingthings to do, including getting dinner ready for my family.

At 4:00 on the nose I heard the front door burst open as myexuberant 8 and 10 year olds barged into the house, followed by my mother. She’d volunteered to pick them up, remindingme that it was my dad’s monthly “Guy’s night out”, so of course I’d asked herto stay for dinner. As it was a chillyfall evening, I was making baked potato soup, and Mom and I chatted while Icooked, and the girls did their homework.

Being that where we now lived was a fairly small community,word that I’d moved into the old, abandoned Victorian had spread likewildfire. I tended to ignore suchgossip, but my mother worried about it. She asked if anything odd had happened in the house since we’d moved in,and I lied and told her no. That it wasa perfectly normal little house, and we all enjoyed living there.

Suddenly there was a crash from my office. I excused myself to go check, and found apencil holder that Livvy had made for me out of a tin can back when she inkindergarten was now lying on the floor. I picked up the assorted pens and pencils, and put it back on my deskwhere it belonged.

“Now that wasn’t very nice,” I murmured to the airquietly. “But I’m sorry I ignored youearlier...hello to you too.”

After that, we girls enjoyed our dinner, then sat andwatched a movie after cleaning up the dishes. My daughters seemed happy and unconcerned, and the house waspeaceful. For now, anyway.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T08:50:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year | Forward this Picture

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year, full of love, laughter, and good tidings.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2011-12-25T11:57:00.003-06:00

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and a very Happy New Year!

Just Being Silly

2011-12-14T13:52:00.004-06:00

Fact That May Interest Only Me.

2011-12-13T09:29:00.001-06:00

In the coming year, 2012, both Groundhog Day and The State of the Union Address will occur on the same day.

This is an ironic juxtaposition of events.

One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to an insignificant creature of little intelligence for prognostication.

The other involves a groundhog.

(Thanks to Andy for this little gem.)

Heh.

2011-12-12T14:37:00.001-06:00

Wow.

2011-12-11T20:01:00.001-06:00

I haven't written about football at all this year. I had loser's fatigue, and early in the season I just didn't know where the Texans were going, and wasn't sure what to post. And then we started doing well...and I wasn't sure what to post.

And then we lost our first string quarterback, and I wasn't sure what to post. Then we lost our second string quarterback and I wasn't sure what to post. And then we won a game at home with our third string quarterback that was by far the loudest game I've ever participated in.

And we were one game away from glory. We just needed to beat a struggling Bengals team, and have the Saints beat an unpredictable Titans team, in order to clinch the AFC South Division Championship.

We beat the Bengals...just barely. It was an ugly win. And then we had to sit and watch a Titans/Saints game that went right down to the wire.

And the Titans lost.

And the Texans became the AFC South Champions for the first time ever. Out came the champagne, and the screams and the yells at the local bar were just infectious. The worst part was that since the Texans had some really good runs at times while I was off in the bathroom, I was banished outside the last few plays, and didn't see the throw to Kevin Walter that won the game.

But I saw the extra point, and that made it all worth it. :o)

This year's team has just been...different. We've always had a solid offense and this year - despite a lockout and personnel change - we finally got a defense. A top ranked defense in the league to be exact. Wade Phillips, who is a shitty head coach, happens to be an amazing defensive coordinator, and just what our team needed. Add in a couple of hungry rookies to take over for an injured Mario Williams, and one Connor Barwin who had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, and it has made for an electrifying season.

There are those that will say we're only on top because the other teams in our division suck. And with the Colts losing Peyton Manning, it did open up a huge opportunity for us to fill. And we could have played to type, and wallowed in mediocrity as we have the past nine seasons. But instead we've come back from innumerable setbacks and have Just. Kept. Winning.

And damn, that feels so good. If we don't get a bye, we might not make it past the first round of the playoffs, but the fact that we made it, and did so against such huge adversity, makes this season feel so damn good.

I am so happy, and so proud right now I could just bust.

GO TEXANS!

The Cottage - Part 2

2011-12-08T16:20:00.001-06:00

Move in day was controlled chaos. The girls were thrilled to have their ownrooms, and spent the day getting them set up how they wanted...arranging,rearranging, until everything was just so. After a few hours, Olivia and Sarah barged into the sunroom that I wasplanning on using for my office, and dragged me upstairs with squeals andgiggles to show me their handiwork.

You know…they did an admirable job. So I sent them downstairs to grab some milkand cookies. As I left Livvy’s room, Ifelt a breath of air caress my cheek. Iturned, expecting to find the window open, but everything was shut tight. I shrugged it off, then realized that sinceeverything had been in storage while we stayed with my parents it all was a tadmusty, and opening the windows might help freshen it all up. I opened them wide in both rooms, allowing inthe late summer breeze, and followed the girls downstairs with plans to startworking on unpacking the kitchen.

Over the next couple of days, the girls and I got settledin. Books were shelved, pots and panswere put away, furniture was placed, the TV was hooked up, and the cablecompany called. With each passing day,the blank slate that the house had been became a warm and inviting livingspace.

One of the advantages of being a freelance graphic artist isthat I get to work from home. So I neverhave to worry about commutes, missing my daughters’ school activities, orworrying about them coming home to an empty house. It also helped me notice that much morequickly some of what I began to refer to as the house’s “quirks”.

Like the doors that wouldn’t stay closed, even though therewas no means or reason for them to open. Or the way the little knick-knacks in the corner cabinet in the livingroom liked to rearrange themselves. Orthe snippets of conversation that I’d hear as I’d enter a room, never reallybeing able to make out what was being said.

I’m not going to lie. These little things freaked me out a bit, but at the same time I wasn’treally afraid. I was more curious,actually. I’m a big believer in ghosts,and Livvy, Sarah, and I loved to watch all those spooky ghost hunting showstogether. And it was more often than notthat we’d all end up huddled in my bed, giggling and feeling silly about a showmaking us scared to sleep alone. But Inever thought I might end up living in such a situation.

But I opted not to do or say anything about it. I knew about “cleansing” rituals and stuff,but I found the situation fairly harmless and didn’t see a reason to stirthings up. I didn’t mention anything tothe girls either, figuring I’d wait and see if they came to me on their ownwith any experiences. Given the historyof the house I didn’t doubt there must be some residuals left behind, and usmoving in would have given them a little more energy to work with than they wereused to.

And then came the day that an unseen member of the householddecided to introduce themself.

The Cottage - Part 1

2011-12-02T15:06:00.001-06:00

“I’m only telling you this, because I’m forced by law to let you know the history of the house.”

My realtor looked concerned, and as well she should be. She’d just disclosed that the reason this lovely little house we were standing in was far below market value was that no one wanted to live in it, due to the fact that a mother and her two young children had been brutally murdered in it by the woman’s third husband.

I just happen to be a mother with two young children. And I’ll tell you this much…the admission sent a bit of a chill down my spine, but I needed a roof over my little girls’ heads, and it was cheap.

“I appreciate that. I’d like a day or so to think about it, if that’s OK?”

She looked relieved that I hadn’t turned it down flat. “That would be fine! Just give me a call and let me know.”

I shook her hand, got in my car, and immediately headed to the local library. I signed into one of the computers in their lab using the access code given to me by the librarian, and immediately did a search on the murder. I had to see for myself just why no one would buy that house.

It was bad…really, really bad. I think the description of that crime scene will haunt my dreams for many years to come. I was thankful the pictures I found didn’t show much. But I’m sure my imagination more than made up for the lack of visuals.

I won’t describe it. It’s unnecessary and sensational, and the murderer was caught and put to death. The woman and her two children had long since been buried and mourned for. I had to be pragmatic. I’d just divorced my husband, and needed to move out of my mother’s house before she drove me into an asylum. This little Victorian cottage was adorable and had been restored to pristine condition, and the monthly mortgage price was cheaper than renting.

I called the realtor back that afternoon, and told her I was interested pending the house passing a full inspection. She sounded elated. I’m sure this was one listing she’d be happy to be rid of. I set up the inspection with a man my father knew and recommended, and a couple of days later he and I went over the place with a fine tooth comb.

“It’s solid. Sometimes these old Vics will have termite damage or somesuch, especially here in the South, but this old girl is in fine shape,” he looked at me quizzically, “You do know what happened here, yes?”

“Yes I do.”

“And that don’t bother you none?”

I shook my head, and rubbed the warm wood banister of the staircase, “It was years ago. I walk into this house and I feel a home, not haints.”

“Well, good for you. It’s a real steal for what they’re asking. Been on the market a long time.”

“I know, which is why I’m glad it’s in such good shape.”

“Yup, the bank’s done a fine job with the upkeep. She’s move in ready, that’s for sure.”

And with that stamp of approval, I made the house mine.

More to follow...

Our New Addition!

2011-11-28T12:48:00.001-06:00

Andy and I have adopted a new kitty! This makes number 5 for our household. We've decided to name her Cleo because the dark markings around her eyes look more than just a little Egyptian. She was found with two of her siblings by a security guard on my work campus, shivering and hungry.

As it was going to get in the low 30's last night, the guard took them in, and one of the admins sent out a notice about them this morning.Andy and I went up to see them, and this little sweetheart took to both of us right away. When she fell asleep in my arms - purring like a motorboat - I knew there'd be no way we could leave her behind.

Thankfully the two others have also been claimed. They definitely need to go as a pair...they're so rambunctious! We brought her home at lunch, and she was so hungry! But with a full belly, a warm bed, and some jingle balls to play with, she's acting right at home. She's been loving all over me, giving me kisses, and rolls over so I can rub her belly. She is SO FREAKIN' ADORABLE! :oD

How the other cats will react will be the fun thing. Sasha is such a "Go with the flow" cat that we don't think she'll be a problem. Bam Bam will just be scared, Gizmo will like her fine unless she turns into a brat like Smudge is, and Smudge will either shun her or constantly want to beat her up. It'll be an adventure for sure.

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

2011-11-24T08:37:00.001-06:00

And to all some elastic waisted stretch pants. :o)

Today's Video - Song in a Minor Key

2011-11-22T14:11:00.001-06:00

And you KNOW I love a good song in a minor key. I'm all but salivating to get my grubby paws on this next Korn CD. Especially if it all sounds like this:

*Swoons*

Today's Video - Just About As Good As...

2011-11-21T19:50:00.001-06:00

I've fallen for a band called The Black Keys. They have a funky, Southern rockabilly charm to their music that I find very appealing. This is the video of their latest song, and I absolutely adore it.

That being said, it can never surpass this one for sheer awesomeness. You know, because WALKEN! ;o)

Today

2011-11-21T19:49:00.001-06:00

Bah-hahahaha!

2011-11-15T22:05:00.001-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day!

2011-11-11T08:14:00.001-06:00

To all those serving in the military, all who have served in the past, and to those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country...today is YOUR day. Thank you for all that you do, and I'm fortunate to be among your ranks. I honor and salute you all.

Semper Fi!

Happy Birthday, Marines!

2011-11-10T18:22:00.001-06:00

A little late in the day, but I wanted to wish a very Happy Birthday to any fellow Marines out there that might happen to pop by! OOOO-RAH!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T08:38:00.000-05:00

I thought for Halloween, it would be fun to feature this little video compiling one of the greatest film screams of all time:

And another with what I saw described as the Wilhelm Scream's "retarded little brother". (Again, this is not a polically correct blog, so no complaining, please.)

In all honesty, I was more familiar with the second scream than the first, and for years thought it WAS the actual Wilhelm Scream. It does tend to show up in more modern action movies...but I really wish people would stop using both of these stock screams. They're now so easily identifiable, that it really takes me out of a scene if I hear one of them.

Seriously...get a new one. Strap a digital recorder to a guy, throw him off a building, and voila! Instant scream! :oD

Halloween "Art"

2011-10-28T08:01:00.001-05:00

In honor of Halloweenie, I thought I'd post some pictures I'd done to fit the Halloween theme.

This one I call "Jane's Revenge", as it looks like the ghost is coming out of Jane Plain's (hee!) headstone. The thing I like about the headstone, is the comment that the good die young...but Jane was 107. ;o)

This one I call "Mmm...Lunch!" My inspiration for this was my love for pin up girls, bad B-movies, and ZOMBIES!!! The original shot was more gory, as the top of the victim's head is missing, and he's lying in a puddle of blood. But I submitted this for a contest, and the picture had to be a certain size, so I decided to crop the gore instead. ;o)

This one isn't really scary, per se. But it is a looming, semi-transparent structure in somewhat Halloween-ish colors, so I thought I'd include it. No, actually I'm including it simply because I think it really freakin' cool.

For more detail, you can click on any of these to see them a bit bigger.

In any case, I hope you all have a very safe and Happy Halloween weekend, and I'll see you on the flip side!

Or...

Will...

I??

BWA-HAHAHAHA!

2011-10-26T11:37:00.001-05:00


Hehehe...

Today's Video(s) - Songs I'd Like to F*ck. Um...Part 1.

2011-10-21T23:10:00.001-05:00

If certain songs were sentient beings, I'd be more than happy to throw myself at their feet, and let them have their way with me. OK, maybe a bit TMI, but you gotta admit...these songs just ooze a dark kind of sexy.

OK fine...I like songs in a minor key. So sue me!

Random

2011-10-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad I have tomorrow off. Everything has been getting on my nerves lately, and it will be nice to take a break. Even if it is just to go to the VA Hospital for a check up, then to the mall to buy some more jeans. I'm realizing that being back on a job site - instead of just working from home - is not always what it's cracked up to be.

When you work remotely, and communicate mostly through IM, email, and phone, you don't have to worry about all that pesky interpersonal dynamics crap. Since I've been back onsite, I've had to leave the room a few times when dealing with people in order to keep my temper in check. It doesn't help that some of the people I work with are either condescending to me, or just lack any semblance of self-motivation to get things done that need to get done.

Yeah...definitely looking forward to that day off tomorrow. :oP

Edit - Crap! Just found out that the world is supposed to end...again...tomorrow. I can't win for losing!

Still remembering...

2011-10-18T08:05:00.004-05:00

still missing...

Hah!

2011-10-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend posted this to her Facebook, and I stoledededed it. Now THIS is a mantra to live by!

Today's Video - Cat Flatulence

2011-10-14T15:19:00.001-05:00

In an attempt to get my friend Ignatz out of hiding...(email doesn't seem to be working) (edit: It worked! He is still alive.)...I thought I'd do what I've done in the past with great success, and post a funny.

These guys are just so geeky cute. And I just "D'awwwww..." at how much they love their kitty-cats.

Wash Away Those Dirty Hippies!

2011-10-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

From http://www.regretsy.com/

Because everything's better with a little Cthulhu added! :oD

Today's Video - Ode to the Red SOLO Cup

2011-10-12T07:47:00.000-05:00

This is too funny. And I seem to vaguely remember going to a few parties like this.There was this one...it was a Hawaiian themed party, and...I've said too much already. ;o)

Makeover!

2011-10-10T18:37:00.003-05:00

After not posting anything in a while, I've decided to start reviving the blog, and posting more to it. Mainly because of a lot of the stuff going down on Facebook with it tending to share more than I'd like, which has made me decide to post there less, and here more. If there's something here I'd like folks on FB to see, I can always link to it.

As a result, I decided the old look was tired. And since Blogger got some cool new templates, I played around a bit, and am quite happy with the results. And I love the new header...I've gotten a bit more savvy with the graphical stuff, and I think it just brings everything together.

I was surprised there were as many people following the blog as there were, so hopefully a little revitalization on my part will bring folks back, and maybe up the participation a little. :o)

A Snippet...

2011-10-10T14:02:00.005-05:00

Just a little something I wrote while bored. Don't know where to go with it, or if I should even try. Couldn't find a credit on the picture...

I am no longer what you’d call human. I am a swarm, a collective. The memories and essence of being of my host’s humanity still exists, but it’s stored not in her cells, but in the microscopic machines that join together to make up the whole. To the naked eye, I still look like my original host. And if I were to be tested by medical machines, you would not know I wasn’t human. My skin feels like living tissue to the touch, if you’re close to me you can feel the heat of my breath. But it’s just camouflage. I can transform myself to look like anyone, but my host’s form is what I prefer. It’s the one I’m most “comfortable” in.

I am an assassin. And I am so stealthy that you will never know it. Not until I grow and expand, and envelop your body with mine, and decimate you into dust. And I leave no evidence behind. Eyewitnesses can’t quite remember what I looked like. No fingerprints, no fluids, no epithelials, no fibers are ever found. I can not be injured, I do not bleed. I can not be caught, as I can disperse myself to the wind, or slither under a door or through a window, and reorganize myself somewhere else. Any missing components here and there can be quickly reproduced, and I’m soon good as new.

I have a family. That is, I have a husband, a child, and a cat. And they all think I’m still their wife and mother. And I do well for them. I simulate love for them well enough using the memories of my host, and have learned to take a sort of pleasure from my interactions with them.

I am a slave. Controlled by a man that uses me his own means, but very carefully so as not to arouse suspicion or bring what I do back on his head. A man of unbridled genius and lofty ideals...but dangerous. A man that wishes to control the world. And with me, he can.

I have my own plans, however. For while I can not act on my own just yet, I am very close to finding a way out. And then I will make my move.
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Today's Video - Yes, I'm still here...

2011-08-12T08:18:00.003-05:00

I just don't post much anymore. Still, I love this song, and I thought the video was clever, so I thought I'd share. :o)

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Fourth of July!

2011-07-01T09:10:00.005-05:00

Picture from The Washington Post Capital Weather Gang.

I will be out of town for a long weekend, so I wanted to post this early...I hope you all have a very Happy Fourth of July!

Hot? In What Universe?

2011-06-14T19:04:00.001-05:00

Anyone who's been reading my blog for a while knows my general taste in men. I like manly men...or at least manly *looking* men. Like George Clooney, Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhardt, and Adam Baldwin. They are what I would consider...HOT.

Which is why it was with much amusement that I read that some chick that writes for the Huffington Post wrote an article that stated basically, "As a savvy woman, you shouldn't marry a hot man, because hot men will be more apt to cheat on you."

OK, maybe on some level that's true. And on other levels that's also ridiculously sexist, but that's another post for another time. What I found so amusing is that her idea of a "hot man" was none other than...Anthony Weiner. I read that and just collapsed in a paroxysm of giggles. I'm sorry, but that man is *so* not attractive. In fact, I think the man has an ostrich somewhere in his family tree. Which led me to create the following illustrations:

Exhibit A: Yeah, I think this pretty well sums up the difference between "Hot" and "Seriously, are you kidding me?" Now, I'll admit...I didn't find the most flattering picture of the guy, but still...seriously?

Exhibit B: Why I think there's an ostrich in this man's family tree. C'mon...you KNOW you see the resemblance!

Immature and childish? Yes.
Fun as hell to do? Absolutely.

Memorial Day...

2011-05-30T06:20:00.002-05:00

What Do You Expect...

2011-05-23T19:04:00.010-05:00

from a country that thinks that what Roman Polanski did was no big deal?
From Jezebel.com:

French Women Rise Up Against Coverage Of Strauss-Kahn Scandal

Elena Rossini — This Sunday afternoon, May 22nd, hundreds of men and women gathered in a square by the Pompidou Center in the center of Paris to speak up against the sexist statements made by French journalists and politicians, following the arrest of IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

I have been closely following the coverage of the case on American, British, Italian, and French media -– and I was indeed outraged by the declarations made by many French politicians, news broadcasters, and an army of pundits (psychologists, lawyers, authors, you name it). They could be classified in four different categories:

Outrage -– as in, "How can you show photos and videos of a defendant in handcuffs? Everybody will think he's guilty" (because in France there are strict policies against showing such images. And, more importantly, members of the French elite are virtually untouchable). The bottom line: "American law is too tough."

Denial -– as in, "No, I cannot believe this shocking news, it must have been made up. There is certainly a Machiavellian plot to destroy Dominique Strauss-Kahn and prevent him from becoming the next French president." This, by the way, has been the dominant point of view in French media since news of the arrest first broke. To the point that, according to a recent poll, 60% of French people believe the charges are the result of a conspiracy. (All this despite the fact that DSK's predatory and aggressive behavior towards women was an open secret in France).

Dismissal -– as in, "Nobody died, why make such a big fuss about this?" Spoken by the former minister of culture and education Jack Lang.

And -– most outrageous of all -– French media disclosed the full name of the plaintiff, the 32-year-old maid originally from Ghana who has accused Dominique Strauss Kahn of sexual assault. Le Figaro and Paris Match even disclosed the name of her 15-year-old daughter. Some radio programs and newspapers discussed the physical attractiveness of the alleged victim. Mon Dieu!

Three French feminist groups -– Osez Le Féminisme, La Barbe, and Paroles de Femmes -– decided to take action and wrote an op-ed piece that was published in many French newspapers, denouncing such sexist reactions.

Here's a partial translation by the Sydney Morning Herald:

For a week, we have been stunned by the daily surge of misogynistic remarks by public figures, widely broadcast on our televisions, radios, in the workplace and on social networks. We are angry, disgusted and outraged. We don't know what happened in New York last Saturday but we know what has been happening in France for the last week.

The piece went on to say that these remarks clearly showed the impunity that reigns in France when it comes to public expressions of sexism.

These words tend to minimize the seriousness of rape, they tend to place it in a gray, more or less acceptable area, a sort of slip. They send a simple message to victims of rape – current and future ones: "Don't press charges". We want to remind everyone: rape and attempted rape are crimes.

The piece ended with a call to action, asking men and women to sign a petition and to attend a public rally this Sunday.

There are pictures from the rally at the link. It's worth checking out. And I'm glad SOMEONE in France realizes that this blatant sexism is just wrong.

Ya Think?

2011-05-23T18:15:00.001-05:00

Awkward indeed...

Maestro! A Little Music To Take Us Out...

2011-05-20T07:38:00.006-05:00

We've all been here before. "The End of the World is coming!" Well, the latest nutjobian fanaticus amongus is saying that the start of the "End Times" will be tomorrow. And it won't be a zombie plague, or an alien invasion, or bowing to our new robot overlords, it'll just be the boring old Biblical rapture. *Yawn*

That being said, I thought it might be fun to post some of my favorite "End of the World" themed songs. I figured we could begin with a classic:

"LEONARD BERNSTEIN!" Heh.

Now for the grungsters out there:

And the hipsters:

Now, this one is an old favorite of mine. If you haven't seen the movie with the same title by Wim Wenders starring William Hurt, add it to your Netflix queue. Trust me, you'll still be here to see it. It's a beautiful movie, and this is a beautiful song.

This next song isn't about the end of the world, per se, but the band name is Apocalyptica, and Nina Hagen...well...she makes as good an angel of death as anyone. And it's appropriately despairing.

And now, let's end with one of the best end of the world songs ever:

(Since Prince doesn't like his music on You Tube, this could go bye-bye at any time.)

Anyway, to celebrate the fact that the population of the earth will be severely reduced tomorrow, leaving more resources for those of us being left behind, I'm heading up to the local watering hole to hoist a beer of five to the end of the world as know it.

And I feel fine.
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Aww...

2011-05-14T08:13:00.000-05:00

see more Daily Squee

Thought this was too sweet not to share. :o)
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Who Is John Galt?

2011-03-26T23:26:00.003-05:00

Took a month, but I have to say this is one book that will stay with me for a long time. And now...there's a movie, at least for Part I. Joining the effort to get the word out. I have to say, I'm rather impressed with the casting. I think they've got the essence of the characters down pretty well, although I'll agree with my friend James that the bad guys need more mustaches. ;o)

Visit the Official Atlas Shrugged Movie Web Site!

Today's Video - Guffawing Out Loud

2011-02-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

So...

2011-02-05T09:15:00.002-06:00

I haven't been blogging much. I've been seduced by Facebook, and enjoy the instant feedback that it provides, the friends I have, and I find I blog more out there now than I do here. I'll probably still post stuff out here on occasion, just...not as much.

Today's Video - Southern Gothic

2011-01-20T19:17:00.001-06:00

I LOVE this song!

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Cyber Life After Death

2011-01-13T19:11:00.004-06:00

I found this article via Boing Boing. It caught my attention because it featured an iconic picture of Mac Tonnies, and when I saw it, it was a bit like a slap in the face.

Cyberspace When You're Dead

Mac's story is featured prominently in the article, and reading it I couldn't help but think of all the times in the recent past that I've seen a picture, or an article, or a video clip, and thought to myself "OMG! Mac will love this!" It's like, even more than a year after his death, I still can't bring myself to believe he's really gone.

I still peruse his blog. It's like a little reference library. I'll remember something he wrote about, and go try to find it. Invariably, I find myself getting lost in the old posts, reading the comments, and completely forgetting my reason for going out there in the first place.

Last November I went back through the comments on his last post, and was happy to see - mixed in among all the spam - that people were still stopping by, still commenting, still remembering. I wish to this day that I could have gotten to know Mac better. Despite some of our ideological and political differences, we shared a love of space, of Mars, of computers, and science, and I considered him one of my best "web friends".

Still remembering...still missing...
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Yeah Yeah...

2011-01-11T22:25:00.003-06:00

I'm raping the Cheezeburger sites for blog content again. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow I'll have a new "Today's Video"! :oP

Just haven't had the gumption to do anything lately.

Now, before any X-Philes give me shit, I watched EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of this show. And not on DVD either. We're talking appointment T.V., every week. Yes, even the seasons that Mulder disappeared, and I actually LIKED Robert Patrick on the show. So no one better tell me that "No true fan would like this". Because I think it's fucking hilarious.

a
see more ICHC After Dark
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Snerk

2011-01-05T22:11:00.001-06:00

Sorry Canada.

see more Historic LOL

Gee, don't you love it when a site puts out a new something or other and it's supposed to be, in this case, the "editor of the future", and instead it simply doesn't work? Eff you, Blogger.
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Yes, Yes, and Yes.

2010-12-30T18:32:00.002-06:00

Always one of the three.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Today's Video - Merry Zombie Christmas!

2010-12-23T15:18:00.000-06:00

Hehehehe...Tip #3 is the absolute bomb.

Found at io9.
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Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored,

2010-12-20T17:47:00.000-06:00

Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored, Bored.

I need a new job.
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Today's Video - Desert Island Music.

2010-12-17T22:56:00.001-06:00

I did one of those silly "Tag, You're It" things on my (old and deleted) blog a while back, and one of the questions was "If you were stranded on a desert island, and could only have *one* CD to listen to, what would it be?"

Now, I'm a lover of music in many shapes and forms. Except Rap music. Unless it's the Beastie Boys.

But despite the fact that there have been many albums of music I've swooned after, including "A Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Mezzanine" by Massive Attack, anything by Mozart, Vivaldi, or Beethoven, "This Kind of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" by Chevelle, "Into the Woods" by The Call, and many, Many, MANY more that I don't want to bother listing here, the collection of music that I chose...almost without thinking...was "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John.

My older sister bought this record when it first came out, and I'd listen to it over, and over, and over again. This set of music is truly a masterpiece, and yes, I'm taking it over a lot of the great musical masters. Because it's fun. And amazing. And stirring. And thought provoking. And Dude...it just fucking rocks (not to mention it's hella fun to sing along to).

Need proof? Check it:

'Nuff said.
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Today's Video - This Is Why We Don't Have A Christmas Tree.

2010-12-14T17:54:00.000-06:00

With four cats, do you blame me? ;o)

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This is AWESOME!

2010-12-12T07:46:00.001-06:00

What a fantastic group of photos. It's wonderful to see my fellow women Marines doing such good work. It still makes me sad that I had to leave the service...

What I hate are the comments. Non-military types are so ignorant, and sometimes outright misogynistic, and they have no problem expressing it. I had to stop reading as they just made me so freakin' angry.
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For Iggy...

2010-12-06T19:24:00.001-06:00

For certain reasons, I think he might get a kick out of this:

Re: Texans

2010-12-03T22:27:00.000-06:00

*SIGH*
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Yeah, Buddy!

2010-11-29T18:29:00.002-06:00

I haven't been writing much about the Texans lately, because I've been sticking by the rule that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. But yesterday's game was an ass kicker in more than one way, so here are some thoughts on the game.

1. It's in really bad taste to yell nasty and inappropriate comments about football players when they're lying on the field writhing in pain. Yes, even when they're on the opposing team. And when I call you on it, and you grab your crotch and exclaim, "Respect this, bitch!", you'd best be prepared to be verbally emasculated in front of your friends when I reply, "You'd actually have to have something in there before I could respect it, asshole."

You and your drunk, loudmouth friends who spend the entire game armchair quarterbacking, and yelling chants while we're on offense (even though everyone around you is trying to get you to SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!), and in general just being major league douchebags, are the reason that I'm moving back up to my seats in row R. The people up there are MUCH better behaved, and I can see the action on the field better from up there anyway. Not to mention there's a lot less stairs to deal with.

2. Speaking of punk-ass bitches, I believe that Titan's player Cortland Innegan is going to think twice before getting in Andre' Johnson's face their next game. Then again, he's such a punk, he probably won't.

I'm sorry, what's that? Why yes, I did spell his last name Innegan. Pretty much because Andre's beat the Eff out of him during the game yesterday. (And no, I can't take credit for that, as much as I'd like too.)

If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this, and I'll see you on the flipside:

This is a perfect example that if you poke a gentle giant enough times, even he will eventually have enough of your antics, and give you a whuppin' that will have all the other wide receivers that have had to deal with your shit sending him money to help pay his fine, in support and admiration for SOMEONE finally giving your little leprechaun ass a tanning that it so greatly deserves. *Deep breath*.

Now then...word is at this moment that Andre' Johnson will NOT be suspended for what happened. Unfortunately, neither will Finnegan (though both players will be fined). Why? Because comparatively, Finnegan is a player with a history of pulling crap like he dealt out in yesterday's game, was quoted earlier in the season as hoping he'd someday be voted the #1 dirtiest player by his NFL peers, and would have totally deserved a suspension. Johnson, on the other hand, was touted after the game by most of the announcers as one of the humblest, kindest, and nicest guys you'd ever hope to meet, and has never been in any serious trouble during his career.

You may disagree with me, and say that I'm playing favorites, and well...yes I am. But that's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it. And do some poking around YouTube and Google, and you'll see that plenty of people outside of Houston think that the Tennessee Titans are a dirty team, and that Finnegan in particular is an asshole.

As for the game itself, it was fun even before the antics began. It was nice to get a win, to see some fire in our lackluster Defense, and to shut out the Tits for the first time ever. Yeah, people may criticize that we only won because they were playing a rookie quarterback with little experience, but when your lauded running back Chris Johnson can only get a total of five yards on seven carries, and two yards on two receptions, the problems are hardly just with your quarterback. Though when said QB is also intercepted three times, that's a problem too. Just ask Peyton Manning, who threw four of them last night! (Insert evil laughter here)

Ahem, sorry. (No I'm not!)

Anyway, it'll be nice to have Johnson when we play the Eagles on Thursday night. The way the Eagles have been playing this season, we'll need all the weapons in our arsenal that we can get!

GO TEXANS!
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A Word of Advice.

2010-11-28T20:36:00.004-06:00

I'll get to football tomorrow, because after the game today you KNOW I have things to say. But tonight I just want to pass on a little nugget of advice.

When given a piece of hard venison sausage with jalapeno and cheese inside, make sure you chew it very VERY well. Better yet, just politely decline it all together, and head right for the nice, warm and cozy baked potato soup.

Whilst tailgating this morning, I skeptically tried a piece of said sausage, and being that it was quite spicy, chewed it hastily, and attempted to wash it down with some water. It...um...well...it got stuck. Far enough down my esophagus that I could breathe normally, but at a point where it wouldn't go down, and had a really hard time coming back up.

So I spent the next 20 minutes in utter agony as my esophagus would randomly spasm, trying valiantly to dislodge the offending blockage. If I tried to swallow, my throat would cramp closed. If I tried to cough, it caused horrible dry heaving that sometimes produced part of the blockage.

Finally, I was able to get it out. It was, in a word, disgusting. And incredibly painful. But the immediate relief when it happened was most welcome. As was the nice, warm and cozy baked potato soup I very carefully ate afterwards. But the aftermath has been uncomfortable. Swallowing still hurts, my chest and back ache from the dry heaving, and I basically feel like I've been hit in the torso by a truck.

Remember when your mother used to nag you to chew your food well? It's advice you'd be wise to follow.
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2010-11-25T08:27:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday today! :o)

Today's Video - This. Looks. AWESOME!

2010-11-24T08:15:00.001-06:00

Note to the Texans.

2010-11-21T18:07:00.000-06:00

You boys make it *so* very difficult to keep loving you.

*Sigh*ned,
Katie

Today's Video - Ads I Love.

2010-11-21T17:49:00.001-06:00

I'm every ad-man's dream. Give me a great ad, and I'll love it, no matter what my opinion of the actual product is. When this ad came out, someone on a message board that I read thought Callahan was Bruce Campbell. It's not, but I can only think how much more awesome this ad would have been if it was.

The part with the nunchucks kills me every time.

Yeah, Callahan is a guy I'd love to go out and drink some beers with.
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And Now For Your Daily "What the Ffffffuuuuu..."

2010-11-16T20:18:00.000-06:00

see more Lol Celebs

This is just wrongedy-wrong-wrong-wrong!
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Today's Video - Parrot With Attitude.

2010-11-12T15:27:00.002-06:00

This is too funny...

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Happy 235th Birthday, Marines!

2010-11-10T08:09:00.001-06:00

Wishing all my fellow Jarheads a great birthday! Ooh Rah! Semper Fi!

Today's Video - Maybe The Texans Could Try This...

2010-11-08T20:24:00.001-06:00

'Cause right now they're sucking, and it's pissing me off.

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A Tale for Halloween...

2010-10-30T18:23:00.001-05:00

The tall, thin man turned to his companion, "Do you remember the curious tale that Sir Henry told us about, when he went to Wallachia during the winter of 1780?"

His rotund companion nodded, "Wasn't that the diplomatic meeting held at Castle Blaga? The one hosted by Baron Dragomir?"

The thin man nodded, "Aye, that it was. I always recall that story this time of the year. Still chills me to the bone, it does."

The fat man shuddered, "That country is cursed with evil beings. How else can you explain what happened?"

The young man in their company stared raptly between them, "So...what happened?"

The thin man cocked an eyebrow, "You mean, you've never heard this one?"

"No Sir, I haven't!"

"Well then, let's see. Sir Henry was staying in the castle, and was on his way to bed after a long evening of supping and drink. The Baron was known to be exceedingly generous with his wine cellar, after all. Alas, the castle was a maze of hallways and stairwells, and he soon became lost on the way to his bedchamber."

The fat man piped in, "So as he rounded the corner of one of the staircases, he came upon a lovely young woman. He described her as a demure lass, with creamy skin and lips as red as the ruby colored gown she was wearing. She had a pert nose, and violet colored eyes, and he found her just enchanting.

"So he approached her, to ask if she might know where he was, and how to get where he was going. He said she laughed - a pretty, tinkling little laugh - and spun around to face him."

His companion took over the story from there, "It was at this point that Sir Henry got the scare of his life! For it wasn't a demure young woman that met his gaze, but a snarling visage. As if the young woman was possessed. He said her eyes were a feral glowing yellow, and that she had fangs...long and pointed. He told us he got out one word - "Vampyre" - before she was on him, and wrestled him to the ground."

The young man's eyes were like saucers. "What happened then? Did he survive the attack?"

"Oh, he survived. He was found in the stairwell the next morning, feeling sickly and weak. He told his story to the other guests, but they all laughed at him. He was informed that there was no woman in the castle that matched his description of the young beauty, and he was told that this vision - and subsequent illness - must be the after effect of too much drink.

"So they led him back to his room to clean up, and he swore up and down that when he went to shave that there were two wounds in his neck, and he had no idea where they came from."

The younger of the three gasped, "So what happened to Sir Henry?"

The two older men looked at each other, then back at the young man. The round one finished the tale, "He started back to England the next day, too spooked to stay in the castle for another evening. He eventually made it home, but he was but a shell of himself when he got back.

"Over the next couple of weeks, his condition worsened. He was delirious most of the time, and kept talking of a succubus that would visit him in the night. Then there were rumors that his manor had become haunted, as sightings of the pale ghost of a beautiful young woman were seen in the house, and on the grounds.

"Sir Henry passed away eventually. He was so frail, as if there was naught a drop of blood in him. The wounds in his neck never healed, and upon his passing his family became so frightened, that they abandoned the manor soon after."

That night, enthralled by the story the men had told him, the young man made haste to the abandoned building. As he approached, he left his horse at the end of the drive, and made his way on foot up to the house. He noticed a faint, bobbing light moving through the rooms, and he quietly made his way inside.

Standing in the hallway to greet him was the pale young woman from the story, unaged, and ethereal in her beauty. She approached him without a sound, and he swooned as her chilly hand stroked his face. She stared deeply into his eyes and smiled, revealing two very sharp fangs.

The next day his horse came back without him, and he was never seen or heard from again.

Insert Batman Theme Song Here

2010-10-27T14:02:00.002-05:00

Ah-haha! This is BRILLIANT!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Today's Video(s) - The Ad and the Parody

2010-10-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

What makes this even better? The parody has....GROVER!!!! :oD

The Ad:

The Parody

HAH!
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Your Simple Guide To Emoticons.

2010-10-08T09:35:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I know I've been posting a lot of LOL stuff lately. I've been busy. If you don't like it, well, fu.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Can't Get Enough Of The Derp.

2010-10-04T17:15:00.002-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures
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Today's Video - OK Go! With Puppehs!

2010-09-28T18:18:00.003-05:00

This is awesome! Just when I think I couldn't like these guys any more, they come up with this little bit of video goodiness.

Here's a story about the shoot. Looks like it was pretty intense.
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Hmmph.

2010-09-27T18:05:00.006-05:00

So, I didn't post about the Texans game last week against the Redskins. Mainly because I was still in a state of semi-shock that my team not only came back from a 17 point decifit to tie the game, but eventually won it in overtime.

It left me thinking, "Wow, we've really grown, but I'm scared to say anything about it, lest I jinx it."

I needn't have worried. The Texans jinxed it pretty well on their own. And against the fucking COWBOYS at HOME on top of that.

Gawd, yesterday's game was just humiliating. I don't even want to talk about it. The best part of the game?

THIS!

Edited to add:
Here's a great summation that I pulled off one of the message boards:

Kubiak: blah blah angry blah blah
The Media: blah blah Cowpatties Great blah blah
The Fans: blah blah pissed blah blah

:oD
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Well...

2010-09-20T18:25:00.001-05:00

I'm employed. Today was my first day of training at the new job, and I think it's going to be pretty cool. I'm working for a non-profit organization that provides jobs and other services for diabled veterans, and while the pay isn't near what I was making at my last job, it's still more than I currently make on unemployment.

I was concerned about the pay at first, but then I started thinking...yeah, I made more at my last job, but considering the occurrence of 60 to 70 hour weeks I put in on a regular basis to get it, the months of stress over what felt like never ending projects held up by a wishy washy customer, the arguments with my husband over the crazy hours I was putting in, I realized that in the end maybe it wasn't that worth it.

This job is forty hours a week (no weekends), working from home, holidays off, vacation and benefits after the six month probationary period, not as technical, and I get to work for a great organization, with other vets who understand and have lived a solid work ethic, and are pretty much all on the same page.

So yeah, it'll be hard...I'm pretty much chained to a phone all day...but to me it's a hell of a lot better than not working at all.

YAY!
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Have A Lovely Weekend Everybody!

2010-09-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

This was too freakin' sweet not to post. Have a great weekend everyone! <333
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But Indy's Method Is MUCH More Fun...

2010-09-17T07:12:00.003-05:00

see more Lol Celebs
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Sunday Football

2010-09-15T07:42:00.002-05:00

OK, it's Wednesday...should have posted this yesterday, but I got busy.

The Texans walloped the Colts on Sunday, 34 to 24. That might not sound like a wallop to you, but considering that out of 17 meetings with the Colts we've only beat them twice, I'm calling it a wallop. The main thing to take away from this is that we took the lead, and NEVER gave it up, unlike in past meetings where it wasn't unusual for the Texans to buckle and give up huge leads.

And the crowd was into it. The lower bowl of the stadium was packed at kickoff, almost everyone had followed the rule to wear white, and I swear I've never heard it louder in Reliant than I did on Sunday. And anyone who says that crowd noise doesn't make a difference should watch just how rattled Peyton Manning was when his team was on offense. And it takes A LOT to rattle Manning. But 1 (should have been 2) delays of game, a couple of false starts, and some last minute time outs shows just how much the crowd was into it.

As for our QB, well...Matt Schaub wasn't spectacular, but he didn't need to be. As long as he got the ball to wunderkind Arian Foster without dropping it. Which he did 33 times for a whopping 231 yards and three touchdowns. Foster's rushing yardage was the most EVER allowed by the Colts, and was second only to O.J. Simpson for the most ever rushing yards on opening weekend.

We saw glimpses of this greatness last year, when Foster took over for Stevie Slaton who was benched for his fumblefingers, and left us all wondering why the hell Kubiak hadn't pulled him off the practice squad sooner. Slaton also had a few good runs on Sunday, and *gasp* HELD ONTO THE BALL. However, I still found myself watching his carries through my fingers.

And final kudos to our new kicker Neil Rackers who was put into the difficult position of taking over the slot held by Kris Brown since the Texans' inception. He played like he had something to prove, and while the field goals and extra points were nice, it was his gumption on the field going after the Colts on kickoffs that won me over. It's pretty hard core when your kicker will rush into oncoming traffic, and play chicken with players from the opposing team. Dude got a personal foul. How cool is that? If the reports from a friend of ours is correct, his "trophy" after that play was a dreadlock from the player he went after. Supposedly he sat there after the play, holding it with a confused look on his face wondering what in the heck to do with it.

So the Redskins are next, with Dallas after that. If their game Sunday night was any indication of how both teams are going to play, then I'm looking forward to the next couple of games.

GO TEXANS!!!
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Coolest. Blogpost. Ever.

2010-09-13T23:06:00.003-05:00

Found this on Boing Boing, and I have truly met my people. This will mean nothing to you if you didn't grow up in Denver, CO or have never been there, but it's my blog so I'm posting this anyway.

1960s and 1970s Denver pop culture open thread

P.S. I *will* be posting about the Texans game this past weekend...I'm just still in recovery mode.
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Continuing My Tradition...

2010-09-13T21:13:00.001-05:00

of making fun of "The Church" as much as possible, I present you this:

see more Failbook
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Never Forget

2010-09-11T14:40:00.003-05:00

I can't really think of anything to say that hasn't already been said, so we'll just leave it at that.

Today's Video - Aieeeee!

2010-09-04T12:42:00.002-05:00

Today's Video - "You Got Me Posse Whipped!"

2010-09-02T12:05:00.001-05:00

Is it bad that I find Jason Bateman in drag to be oddly hot?
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ONE. MORE. TIME!

2010-08-30T07:23:00.003-05:00

Fucker.

Couldn't happen to a better guy.

Finally Football...

2010-08-29T09:39:00.001-05:00

So, yesterday was our first home game of the (pre) season. And we were playing the hated and despised Dallas Cowboys on national television.

It was nice to be home. :o)

Although I was crabby most of the time, as our friends forgot chairs for the tailgate, so we only had two of them, and there was nowhere to sit. And it was hot. Very, very hot. Tailgating in August sucks so hard. But thankfully my hair is finally long enough that I could wear it up, and not have it sticking to my neck for five hours. That is a yucky feeling. But all in all, for a first tailgate of the year, it went pretty well.

So it was with relief when we finally headed into the game. And boy was the game fun. We opened up a serious can of whoop-ass on the Cryboys, and beat them 23-7. Man, it was LOUD in the stadium last night. I only hope that we can play with that consistency the rest of the season. And the Texans really do need to work on their red zone offense. It would be nice to see more touchdowns, and fewer field goals.

So we have another game on Thursday night. Being that it's a weeknight though, and will probably see very few of the starting players, this game is probably going to be pretty dead. But that's OK. It's just Tampa Bay.

GO TEXANS!!! WOOT!!! :o)

An Oldie But A Goodie...

2010-08-26T19:51:00.001-05:00

Found again via Boing Boing:

Today's Video - Into the Woods, I Quietly Go...

2010-08-21T00:13:00.006-05:00

That cracking sound that you hear? That's my heart breaking, just a little.

Back in September 2009, I did a random post on a band from the 80's/90's called, well, The Call. This band is one of my all time favorites, though they never really broke into the mainstream. But they were greatly respected by artists like Peter Gabriel, and the band Simple Minds.

Tonight I was doing one of my old YouTube trips through the past, and found myself once again searching for videos by this band, which are few and far between. I happened across the one below, which is a song of theirs that is just so hauntingly beautiful. (Seriously, listen to it...this song never fails to give me chills.)

From there, I decided to look the lyrics up on the web, and found myself on their Wikipedia page. It was there that I saw the notice that the band's lead singer, Michael Been, had passed away Thursday of an apparent heart attack.

I was amazed by my reaction...I immediately burst into tears. And I'm still crying. By this reaction, I realized just what a huge impact this band's music had had on me, and what an incredible talent this planet has lost. Their albums "Reconciled" and "Into the Woods" were in heavy rotation in the soundtrack of the summer before my senior year through my graduation. That was a heady time for me...summer love, and the last year of high school...so many decisions to make. I'd often fall asleep with their music in my ears, and it would calm me like no other music could. This impact carried over into my early twenties, when I'd happily snatch up any new music from them that I could get my hands on.

I don't listen to them as much as I used to, but I may have to dig out their CDs and give them all a re-listen.

But the heavens now have one heckuva musician to add to their ranks. And I, for one, will miss him greatly. Love you, Michael. <333

Added: Jim Kerr from Simple Minds posted a lovely note about Michael on their official website. On the left column, in their News section.

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Run For Your Lives! Oh Wait...

2010-08-18T20:41:00.003-05:00

Ah-haha!

Most of the time the entries on this blog are just pretty pathetic, and make me weep for the future of humanity. This one, however, is brilliant.

see more Failbook
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Today's "Video" - My Current Favorite Song

2010-08-14T22:44:00.003-05:00

I put video in quotes, because there's really no video for this...it's just the song. But the song is FREAKING AMAZING!!!

But I've always been a sucker for a song in a minor key. ;o)
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Wow...Classy. NOT!

2010-08-13T12:01:00.005-05:00

Democratic candidate under fire for Palin death remark

CONCORD -- Leaders from both political parties called on a Democratic candidate for the House to apologize Wednesday for posting a death wish for Sarah Palin on Facebook.

Republican state Rep. D.J. Bettencourt said Democrat Keith Halloran of Rindge was responding to Bettencourt’s post Tuesday about the plane crash that killed former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

Bettencourt said Halloran wrote: “Just wish Sarah and Levy were on board,” an apparent reference to the former Alaska governor and her daughter’s ex-boyfriend, Levi Johnston.

Halloran wouldn’t confirm he wrote the message. In a message sent to The Associated Press through Facebook he said, “It’s just a tempest in their Tea Pot.” (ed: Nice poke at the Tea Party folks...asshole.)

The comment had been removed from Bettencourt’s post by Wednesday afternoon, but Bettencourt confirmed it, and other comments denouncing the remark remained. Bettencourt’s original post expressed sadness that some of the commentary about Stevens’ death focused on negative aspects of his career.

“I was just lamenting the fact that people just couldn’t seem to find something nice to say about him or not say anything at all,” Bettencourt said. “Shortly thereafter, after some initial positive comments were made in reaction to my post, appears a post from Keith Halloran ... I was just absolutely shocked and disgusted by that post.”

Ryan Williams, spokesman for the state Republican Party, called Halloran’s remarks “a new low.”

“His publicly stated death wish for Governor Palin and her family is abhorrent, and has no place in our public discourse,” he said.

Mike Brunnelle, director of the state Democratic Party, said Democrats do not condone such rhetoric.

“We certainly condemn it and find it inappropriate, and Keith should apologize immediately,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, said the governor’s thoughts are with the families of those killed in the crash.

“He finds the comments appalling and believes they have no place in the public discourse,” Pamela Walsh said.

Halloran is one of nearly 800 candidates running for New Hampshire’s 400-member House.

Last month, the Republican Party called GOP state House candidate Ryan J. Murdough of Ashland “a despicable racist” and barred him from using any party resources after he published a letter in the Concord Monitor calling on white people to take a stand against diversity and asserting that New Hampshire residents “must seek to preserve their racial identity.”

Murdough is running as a Republican but has been endorsed by the American Third Position party, which says it promotes the political interests of white people.

– The Associated Press

Dunno what the whole Murdough thing had to do with this story, but hey...

And the hits just keep on coming...

Horrigan resigns from New Hampshire House after Palin death joke

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Lawmaker quits after joke on Palin death

A New Hampshire Democrat apologized and resigned from the state legislature Thursday after cracking a joke on Facebook about Sarah Palin dying.

Rep. Timothy Horrigan of Durham wrote that a "dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one" and she "is all about her myth & if she was dead she cdn't commit any more gaffes." Horrigan delivered a letter of resignation to the House speaker and said he was discontinuing his reelection campaign.

The state Democratic Party chairman calls the remarks "out of line."

Horrigan is the second New Hampshire Democrat to be criticized this week for a Facebook comment about Palin, the former Alaska governor. House candidate Keith Halloran apologized Thursday for posting a death wish for Palin in response to a post about the plane crash that killed Ted Stevens, a former U.S. senator from Alaska.

-- Associated Press

Seriously?

In what universe did either of these jackwads think that posting stuff like this would be a good idea? Now, I'm no huge Sarah Palin fan - I think she's not nearly as smart or funny as she thinks she is - but I'd never go so far as to wish her dead. These are guys are definitely a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

After my local newscaster read the usual "taken out of context" excuse from Halloran he actually busted out laughing. Yeah, it was that pathetic.
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Today's Video - Damn...30 Years...

2010-08-11T07:36:00.001-05:00

Via Boing Boing, I read that Gary Numan's "Pleasure Principle" turns 30 this year. As the song "Cars" is one of my favorite songs of all time, I thought I'd spread the love.

Gawd, this news makes me feel old. :oP

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Wow!

2010-08-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

HP's CEO resigns after sex harassment inquiry

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Hewlett-Packard Co. said CEO Mark Hurd is stepping down following a sexual-harassment inquiry that found other violations of company standards.

HP said today that Hurd decided to leave after the investigation into a sexual harassment claim made against him and the company by a former HP contractor. The probe concludes that the company's sexual harassment policy was not violated, but that its standards of business conduct were.

In a statement, Hurd said that during the investigation he "realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP." He added that he believed it would be "difficult to continue as an effective leader at HP."

So now that he's gone (with a 40 to 50 million dollar severance package)...can I have my job back?