Alternatives to Preventing Pregnancy

This really should be filed under the, "You must be shitting me" column. I would have thought only in Alabama, but I still underestimate the ever-maturing state of Georgia. The sad thing is, it took the death of this bitch's eighth child to get the State to do something. And just because she's never been charged with abuse doesn't mean she isn't guilty of it. Read between the lines. Why else would her oldest run away from home?

Also, do the math: She's 34 and on her eighth kid?? No wonder she suffered from depression. If I have been pregnant almost a quarter of my life, I would beg you to fry my ass.

In today's AJC:

Mother chooses sterilization over murder trial

By BETH WARREN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/10/05

An Atlanta mother who pleaded guilty to killing her newborn child has agreed to a medical sterilization procedure to avoid prison.

The plea deal Tuesday halted the murder trial of Carisa Ashe, 34, who has seven other children, after she consented to undergo a tubal ligation, in which the fallopian tubes are cut and tied to prevent pregnancy.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, whose office suggested the plea deal, said he agreed to reduce the murder charge to voluntary manslaughter because Ashe suffered from postpartum depression when she shook to death her 5-week-old daughter, Destiny, on Dec. 16, 1998.

The premature infant had been hospitalized for weeks and was killed two days after going home to her mother. Ashe told police the child simply stopped breathing.

Ashe, who has no prior criminal history or complaints of abuse, could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter — defined as a killing committed with a sudden, violent irresistible passion after the assailant has been provoked.

Instead, Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes ordered Ashe to serve five years on probation and to have the tubal ligation within three months. If she doesn't comply, prosecutors can try her on the initial murder charge.

The judge questioned Ashe to make sure she was voluntarily agreeing to the procedure.

"It was her choice to go forward," said Jan Hankins, director of the Fulton County conflict defender's office, which represented the mother.

Two of Ashe's children are living with her mother, while four are in state custody, Howard said. Her oldest child ran away from home, he said.

Jack Martin, legislative committee chairman of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said agreeing to tubal ligation is a creative way to avoid jail time. But, he said, "it should be rare and cautiously done."

"We're always concerned when an unusual condition is the price to stay out of jail because of the fear it isn't truly voluntary," Martin said.

Prosecutor Ash Joshi said asking Ashe to have her tubes tied was similar to allowing child molesters to choose chemical castration. He said the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such punishment as constitutional, as long as the defendants consented.

Prosecutors say this is the first criminal case in Georgia that they know of in which a woman has agreed to undergo sterilization to avoid prison.

"If it's happened before, I've never heard of it," said David Fowler, deputy director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia.

"As long as she did this with her eyes wide open, I see nothing wrong with it legally," he added.

Three months ago, a Louisiana woman charged with murdering her newborn child agreed to a reduced plea that involved tubal ligation.

The prosecutor in that case, District Attorney Walter May, said he agreed to the plea because of conflicting medical testimony on whether the child was stillborn or murdered. The 33-year-old mother had three other children and told her attorney she didn't plan on having more, May said.

"Given similar facts, I would consider doing it again," the Louisiana district attorney said. "I can have some confidence this particular defendant will not have the ability to commit this particular crime again."

In the News...

#1

For starters, something light. Check out the design for the new building to house the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As someone who works in the design/construction field, I'm impressed, but I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to build it.




#2

The Israelis and Palestinians have declared a cease-fire. Good for them. I'm sure it will last - not (especially if Condi is involved), but good for them for now. I'm waiting for Bush to jump in and take credit. Yeah, that's right, Dickhead - the peace process in the Middle East has nothing to do with Arafat kicking the bucket.


#3

Speaking of Condi, looks like the WarMonger is setting her sights on Iran. Of course, being the second nuclear power in the Asses-of-Evil, I guess that was a no brainer. I suppose we should all prepare for the true apocolypse... you know, when Bush gets stupid enough to attack that loon, Kim Jong Il. Chances are, though, the War on Iran will take four year minimum and maybe the Democrats can come up with someone breathing that is smarter than Bush. Actually, I wonder who will fight the war on Iran? I mean, aren't the Americans running a bit thin when it comes to their military personnel overseas?

#4

I should have been in Rio yesterday. Screw New Orleans - been there, done that and it ain't all that. But those Brazilians?? Please, next year...




#5

Bush sent his budget to Congress. Take away money from education, the environment, and farmers. Give money to Pentagon, but don't mention war money (right now at about 144 Billion dollars) or the money to save Social Security. Good news, though. CNN polls say two-thirds of Americans think the rich should pay to save SS. Well, what a novice idea.

Big Day in Atlanta Culture

Yessir-eee, doggie. Big, I mean huge day in the Cultural MegaCenter called "Hotlanta". No, I'm not talking the Olympics again, nor the Peach Bowl, not the SEC Championship not even the NASCAR 500.

It's the American Kennel Club Dog Show!!!

Rah, rah, rah.

I mean, I really hate these things. People who don't have anything better to do than spend their days, dressing their dogs up to... well, look like people. I mean, is this even a dog?




No, boys and girls. That's a gerbil.


THIS IS A DAWWWWGGGGG...



And what would he be saying??? How about, "Hmmm, that little gerbil over there would make a lovely kibble snack."

Better than the BOO-BEE

So, all the hype over the SuperBowl and its shame of last year's half time, now I have to choke down the SuperClean Pre-game (and I'm sure, half time) shows.

Let's see, if I'm a neo-Conservative, hypocritical bible-thumper, I'd say, "What's the best way to overcome the "embarrassment of last year?" Answer: Lots and Lots and Lots of PRO WAR stuff. Don't get me wrong, folks.

I'm all for the "troops".

Yeah, those 20% shylarks ganglanders (who can't get enough of "San Andreas - Grand Theft Auto") and those 80% scared-shitless (who can't make a living in this dogeat economy who think the only way to get by is to fight a bogus war that the US started.)

What bothers me is that this country opts for promoting the violence of war by shaming those who served in legitmate times of warfare in lieu of showing some bee-atch and her TIT. Who's the Tit? Those of us who watch this crap.

They say we have to "clean up" TV because of what Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake did at the Half-time show last year. Why can't they clean up what Bush has done during his entire show the past four years?

Ironic hypocracy is not a contridiction in terms. It really has become the norm, it really has become the iconic standard of American mainstream media (at least for half of them).

Excuse me, but the game has just started and I need to go watch 300 pound gorillas in tight pants rip the heads off the fuckers on the other team (of course, I'm one of those TOTALLY against violence in prime time media.) However, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is on and they're "converting a Brit". Who would miss that especially considering this house would be showing both football and fags at the same time???? Oh My, You Charlatan, you!

Me.

PS On the record: - Philly will take this one (sorry, Lovely Pats - you won me boatloads your first year, but the crystal ball speaks.)

News to Make You Say....

... yeh right:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a U.S. attack on Iran “is simply not on the agenda,” despite the United States’ continued criticism of Iran’s human rights record and potential nuclear weapons.

And what was it she was saying in March of 2003 about Iraq and their nuclear weapons? Notice the direct, bi-polar schism of rhetorical dialect (i.e., "flip-floppin' to you Bushies out there). Must have something to do with her promotion from National Defense Secretary to Secretary of State. Hmmmm, how much ChapStick do you think the White House gave her before she moved into the new office space?

Smoke another one, Condi.



News to Make You Say...

... you must be shitting me:

Thursday night (Laura Bush) added another cause when the president announced she'd be leading an initiative to fight gang violence.


Whaaaa? Laura Bush fights GANG violence? OK, I see it happening

VERSUS

Now considering I'm not much of a betting-hag, I'll only put a couple of G's down on this one - hmmmm, me thinks... Yeah, if it comes down to a fist-to-fist, I'll take Chico. Come on down to my 'hood, Laura, you stupid-ass, unemployed kindergarten teacher. I'll introduce you to a gang called, "Us Niggers Who Love Violence" and then let you watch the bloodshed as they try to take out their Latino counterparts, "La Gran Familia". Have at it, you ass-whoppin' mama. I love this site since it clearly indicates your qualifications for being a good mum http://www.bettybowers.com/jenna.html





News to Make You Say...

...Stay the Fuck Out of MY Business

Abortion foes target use of pill
Druggists may refuse to dispense

By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/04/05

Newly empowered Republicans in the Georgia Legislature are setting their sights on another anti-abortion measure.

Under a bill filed Thursday by freshman Sen. Jim Whitehead (R-Evans), pharmacists who oppose abortion on "moral or religious" grounds and who refuse to dispense emergency contraceptive drugs would be immune from lawsuits or disciplinary action by employers.



I mean this really, really, chaps my large ass... I'm so glad the goddamn Georgia legislature has it's priorities straight. First, you make a woman have a baby even though neither toothless, unemployed teenage parent-to-be is smart enough to use contraception. Second, you take all the money out of the educational system to ensure this kid will grow up to be an ignorant, angry, indigent bastard who ultimately grows up to be... (see picture of Chico above for clues.)

During the Days of War and Disaster...

...comes this refreshing little ditty from today's AJC

Triplets at the zoo and more to come?
Tom Sabulis - Staff
Friday, February 4, 2005



Rare newborn monkey triplets, a young gorilla stud who's going to town, and a critically ill elephant: Even for an institution familiar with the circle of life (birth, procreation, death), Zoo Atlanta is having a fairly intense time these days.

Consider that:

> On Monday, one of its golden lion tamarins --- a critically endangered, squirrel-sized monkey --- gave birth to triplets, a rarity in the world of these marmosets native to Brazil.

Zoo officials are using the event to illustrate the unusual social structure among the world's smallest primates, one in which the father helps the mother take care of infants almost from the moment of birth.

> Taz, a 15-year-old gorilla, recently mated with all four females in the family of legendary zoo mascot Willie B.

Taz's most famous partner, Kudzoo, is the beloved silverback's oldest offspring. It will take a few more weeks before pregnancy testing is complete, but zoo leaders expect that Willie B. soon will become a grandfather for the first time, albeit posthumously. (He died at age 41 in February 2000.)

Taz's performance, researchers say, demonstrates that young lowland gorillas raised in a "bachelor" environment --- a group of male gorillas that never mate --- still can be moved in with females when they reach sexual maturity and lead a successful reproductive life.

Taz has taken to his procreative duties with gusto since joining the females in November: One day last month, he copulated 20 times.

"It's a very exciting time in the gorilla world," said Tara Stoinski, the zoo's manager of conservation partnerships. "This is the first time [at Zoo Atlanta] we've had a situation with animals that are all brand-new to the breeding scene. Taz has not bred before, nor have three of the four females."

Aside from Kudzoo, age 10, Taz's females include two other Willie B. offspring --- Sukari, 6, and Lulu, 5. His other partner is Kuchi, 20.

The zoo has been seeking a new male gorilla breeder since the death of Willie B. One possible successor, Caesar, a mature silverback on loan from the Los Angeles Zoo, was supposed to fill that role after moving to Zoo Atlanta in 2003. But he died suddenly last May.

> One of the zoo's three elephants, Starlett, is suffering from leptospirosis, an infection of the liver that has caused her to develop skin lesions and lose about 1,000 pounds over the past year. (She now weighs approximately 6,400 pounds.)

It is the most serious elephant illness the zoo has encountered, senior veterinarian Rita McManamon said. The three elephants, all female and 21 to 22 years old, arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1986.

Starlett's disease can be fatal, but zoo officials believe the African elephant is recovering. "She's not out of the woods yet," zoo President and CEO Dennis Kelly said.

Starlett is being treated with antibiotics, and her appetite has returned. In a typical day, elephants consume about 56,000 calories. Her diet is being supplemented with corn oil mixed with her feed.

"They like the taste of corn oil," McManamon said. "I think they'd suck it up if they could."

Her illness has reduced the amount of time Starlett can be seen by zoo visitors --- she now eats separately from the other elephants (Zambezi and Victoria) so her diet can be monitored --- but she's still visible to the public at bath time, usually in the morning.

A team of experts from the University of Georgia --- including veterinary nutritionists and dermatologists --- has been collaborating on Starlett's treatment. Branson Ritchie, an animal clinician, has developed a new cleansing skin treatment useful for battling infections in human burn patients.

"We're using that to wash Starlett's skin," Kelly said. "It's cutting-edge stuff, the best medicine we have."

What's not so scientifically cutting-edge is the method Zoo Atlanta is using to test its gorillas for pregnancy. Since no gorilla pregnancy test exists, vets are using human tests, which monitor urine samples, that they buy at a local drugstore.

Right now, that process is adding to the zoo's wait.

"Those pregnancy tests are not designed for gorillas," McManamon said, "and it may take a couple [of] months before you will actually see a positive [result]. The hormone the test is looking for is a human hormone. There is some similarity between that human hormone and the gorilla equivalent of that hormone, but it doesn't always cross-react perfectly."

There is one other holdup.

"It's not easy," she said, "to get a gorilla to pee on demand."

Holy Freezer-pops, Batman

Woke up yesterday morning to this...




This intersection isn't too far from the house. Needless to say, we kept our fingers crossed and prayed that 1) we wouldn't lose power and 2) a branch from our beloved pecan trees wouldn't come crashing through the roof. Neither happened, thank you very much. Oddly, we seem to be the only ones around that have power. Usually, if the wind blows at all, we get dumped first which is why we chose natural gas for our heat and water. We figured if we lost power, we could take long hot showers and I would be baking all day, but as it is, I think I am suffering from a relapse of mono (way too sore throat, body feels like it's been hit by a mach truck and sleep is all I can do with any real gusto). For those of you who don't know, if you ever get mono, you will never get rid of it... it just kinda goes into hibernation and creeps up when you least expect it. Hopefully, it will only last a few days, because it really does make you feel like the end of the world is near.

What's really depressing is that I can't do my treadmill today. Even if I felt like doing it yesterday, there's no way I could have gotten down the driveway. Roomie went out yesterday to get something out of the car and damn near slid into the side of the house. Steep, ice-covered driveways suck. Of course, nobody thought the storm was going to be that bad so we didn't think to go to the grocery. The only thing in the house to eat was bread and cheese. Roomie said he must have eaten 40 pieces of cheese toast yesterday.

Today things are improving somewhat. The temperature is hovering around 40 degrees which is causing the ice to melt very quickly. It makes me a little bit jumpy to hear the ice crash on the roof, but at least its still not hanging on to the branches.

Well, I went on a job interview on Friday. This guy calls me up on Wednesday and says a friend of his has told him that I am an excellent project manager and I'm looking for a change of pace. When I met him, he looked like he was 25 years old, but he owns his own construction firm in downtown and he says he did about 6.5 million in business last year. Of course, he's only been in business for a year and a half. We're going to talk again later in the week and there is no rush as he really is just looking to build up his business. The only scary thing - and it's a big thing - there's no job security in the private sector. That's not to say I have a lot of job security with the state, especially since budgets are getting cut right and left, but I've been doing the same thing for 11 years and they still haven't gotten rid of me. I didn't talk price with this "kid" on Friday so that could be the proverbial straw. I don't think he knows what kind of money I make and I'm not sure he'd be able to pay me what it would take to get me to leave - but I'm pretty sure I impressed him with my resume and my experience so maybe he's got an open checkbook. If nothing else, I had me first interview since 1993 and I'm not so out of practice. We'll have to see. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and hoping to go back to Europe.

Speaking of other places, looks like Iraqis found the guts to go out and vote today - good for them. I mean, if anyone ever took advantage of the fact that almost anyone can vote in this country, today would be a good day to rethink their freedoms.

Gotta run, lots of b-movie re-runs on and the space heater in the den is calling.

Here We Go Again

OK, so the crackhead Republicans are now in control over the Georgia Legislature. Their first two orders of business;

First - Introduce a law banning all abortion unless childbirth risks the life of the mother - that's right, even if you get pregnant via incest or rape, you're still going to have to have the little one-eyed monster if you live in the state of Georgia. See, that was actually a law here several years ago which explains why a bunch of folks - especially in Georgia mountains, ain't got a lot of branches in their family tree.

Second - Try to ban all forms of the teaching of evolution in all schools. Going back to those whose daddies are their brothers who are the husbands of their sisters - hmmmmm, I guess that's how they explain how Cain and Abel were capable of populating the world - incest is best.

Thankfully, neither of these passed. I would have to think even the backward-ass dip-shits understand that the few Democrats left would have come up with yet another archiac, redneck passion - lynching. I for one would have been down at the capitol building with a club in one hand and a rope in another, just waiting to inflict my own form of population control.

Holy shit - I've still got 3 years and 11 months to put up with this crap. No wonder we are ranked #50 on the list of stupidest fucking people in the country. For godssakes, even Texas ranks higher.

"Jumpy teens died in store they came to rob"

Yup, "Jumpy" is a word the Atlanta Journal Constitution uses to justify the behaviour of two teenagers who had their heads blown off in a poe-dunk redneck town outside of Athens.

According to the AJC and other local news, two teenagers walked into a store in Ogelthorpe County and demanded money. The news said the owners of the store were "going to give them the money", but the kids got "jumpy" and pulled out a gun.

The owners shot both kids dead.

Neither of the owners was hurt and neither of the owners will face any charges because "it was their right to protect their property."

I've always been told that in Georgia there are specific laws governing how and when you are allowed to blow off someone's fucking head. If someone breaks into my house to steal something and I happen to catch them and want to kill them, it is absolutely my right to do so. The only minor hang-up - and it really is minor - is if they happen to be running away from my 12-gauge when I shoot them. If that's the case, I need to make sure I put at least one bullet in their face and be sure to drag them back into my house (wiping away any trace of blood in the process.) See, if I kill them on my front porch, I go to jail. I kill 'em in my house - free as a bird.

How many other folks out their have Jethro-laws like this one? I mean, I guess it makes sense on some primal, special-ed level, but really...

Michael's Boo-Boo and Moore

Well, Michael Moore should have counted his blessings and submitted his film for Best Documentary at this year's Acadamy Awards, now he has been completely shut-out. At least that Bible-toting, born-again Freakboy, Gibson, only got ass-kissy nominations like best make-up. If figure if they had a category for Most Gorey and Most Violent, he could walk away with two statues. After all, he knew that since his was to be a "religious" film, he couldn't have sex in the movie and we all know what that means for Hollywood - the least amount of sex, the more amount of violence if you want to sell tickets, especially to those equally bigoted, hypocritical, Bible-toting, born-again freakboys.

Now, Mr. Foxx on the other hand, has impressed me to no end this year. I remember him on "In Living Colour" from my salad days at Auburn. I would have never thought to see him as a double candidate for Oscar, even if the movie, "Collateral" totally sucked. Try to catch Jamie Foxx on "Inside the Actor's Studio". Not only is the man funny, but he tells some very poignant tales of his life and what has gotten him to where he is now. His acceptance speech at the Golden Globes was also a highlight to that evening. Click on Jamie Foxx "video" on this page if you missed it

http://www.hfpa.org/goldenglobeawards.html

As for "The Aviator", I think I would need to smoke a half kilo of killer weed to sit through three hours of watching the Leo DiCaprio drone spew out his lines. When will the general public and Oscar realize that although he just turned 30, he still looks and acts like his 12? I guess you could call it acting. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the little boy. I haven't seen the movie, but I haven't seen "Sideways" or "Million Dollar Baby" either and the trailers look more interesting that the whole of "Aviator".

My money is on Mr. Foxx all the way!!

Good Eats

Credit: Alton Brown for the title.

Since my last blogger was a serious rant of how fat I am and how I'm trying to take it off, I'll share some of my latest good eats that I am attempting to convert into food for fatties:

First: My all time favourite dessert TIRAMISU!! done as fat free and calorie free as possible and still yummie:

Tiramisu Parfait

Preparation Time: 30 min.
Chill Time: 3 hours or overnight
Makes 8 servings

1 Sugar-Free Angel Food Cake (it's better to use lady fingers and I have yet to find a sugar free angel food cake.) You'll need about 35 lady fingers.
3 1/2 tsp. Decaffeinated Instant Coffee (much better to use 4 or 5 shots of espresso that you can either make or go to Starbucks to pick up.
1 1/2 cups Hot Water (won't need the water if you use the espresso).
1/2 cup Mascarpone Cheese
8 oz. Fat-Free Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granular
3/4 tsp. Vanilla (or you can use sweet marsala, here - it's more authentic.)
2 tsp. Cocoa Powder


1. Cut sugar-free angel food cake into one-inch cubes. Set aside.
2. Dissolve instant coffee in hot water. Chill in refrigerator.
3. Combine mascarpone cheese and cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add 2 Tbsp. chilled coffee, brown sugar, SPLENDA® Granular, and vanilla. Mix well and set aside.
4. Pour remaining chilled coffee into a 9x13 inch pan.
5. Assemble Tiramisu. Quickly dip half of the angel food pieces into the coffee. Remove immediately and place in a medium glass serving bowl. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture on top of the angel food cake pieces. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. cocoa powder. Repeat process with remaining angel food cake, cheese mixture and cocoa.
6. Cover and chill for three hours or overnight before serving.

Nutrition Information per serving - Some of these numbers change if you take my suggestions above:

Serving Size 1/8th tiramisu
Total Calories 120
Calories from Fat 60
Total Fat 7 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Cholesterol 20 mg
Sodium 170 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 3 g
Protein 5 g

Another killer dessert that I snagged off the Food Channel - Bread Pudding w/ Bourbon Sauce that will make you cry. I didn't make the bourbon sauce 'cause we didn't have any in the house, but I ate this with the low sugar vanilla ice cream. - YUMMY

3 cups stale French bread, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups milk (use 1 c. evaporated skim milk and 1 c. reg skim milk to negate most of the fat).
2 eggs
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 c. Splenda and 1/4 cup sugar)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (be sure to use 1 TABLESPOON here)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup sultana raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place stale bread in a bowl with milk and squeeze the bread with your hand until well saturated with milk. I didn't squeeze any bread, just put it in the bowl and stirred it around a few times until the milk was sucked up (about an 1/2 hour or so).

With an electric mixer on high speed in a separate bowl, beat eggs with sugar until thick and pale. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and raisins to the egg mixture. Add the soaked bread crumbs to the egg mixture and stir well. Let stand for 10 minutes. It is important to allow enough time for the bread to absorb the egg mixture or the bread crumbs will float to the top during baking, leaving a layer of custard on the bottom of the dish.

Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish. Bake until firm, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let it slightly cool in the dish.

Bourbon Sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 stick butter, not margarine
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup bourbon whiskey, to taste

Meanwhile, near the end of the baking time, make the sauce. With an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until thick and pale. In a saucepan, melt the butter and sugar. Pour the butter and sugar mixture over the egg yolks, beating constantly with the mixer, until well thickened. Stir in bourbon by hand. Serve the pudding warm with vanilla ice cream if desired. Pass the hot bourbon sauce separately.

DELIGHTFUL!!! The sauce looks great, but the ice cream works just as well.


AND NOW - Drumroll, please... something absolutely NOT on the dieter's list and something I would never, ever mess with.... Real English Fish and Chips:

The trick to making this is #1 the rice flour and #2 you MUST have a thermometer or a some way of monitoring the temperature of the oil. Also, use a good quality veggie oil like canola or something equally light. There's a new oil on the market called ?Enola? or something that is supposed to be great for the health, but it sounds a lot like Olestra which will give you the runs for days if you eat too much of it. Stick with canola with 7 grams of saturated fat, safflower with 9 grams of sat. fat and sunflower with 11 grams of sat fat.

Vegetable oil, for deep frying
4 large russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (12-ounce) can soda water
1/2 cup rice flour, for dredging
2 (8-ounce) cod or haddock fillets, cut in 1/2 on an angle
Malt vinegar, for serving
Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

Heat 3-inches of the oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees F. Alternately, heat 3-inches of oil in a deep pot.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into chips, about the size of your index finger. Put the potatoes in the oil. Fry the chips for 2 to 3 minutes; they should not be crisp or fully cooked at this point. Remove the chips with a spider strainer or slotted spoon, to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.

Crank the oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and egg. Pour in the soda water and whisk to a smooth batter. Spread the rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.

Put the chips in the bottom of the fryer basket and carefully submerge in the hot oil. Carefully wave the battered fish into the bubbling oil before dropping them in on top of the chips. Fry the fish and chips for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain the fish and chips on paper towels; season lightly with salt. Serve wrapped in a newspaper cone with malt vinegar and/or tartar sauce.

Tartar Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped capers
1 tablespoon chopped cornichons
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
Dash hot sauce

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Chill before serving to let the flavors marry.

Bon Apetite!!!! I'll post more yummies after I test drive them first.

Random Thoughts for Early Saturday Morning

Amazing the random thoughts that will cross the mind when you are up early on a Saturday morning and not in the least bit hung over. Incidentally, as part of this weight-loss program, I'm seriously cutting back on the last vice I have - beer (you know the calories, carbs, toxic waste - whatever - that is supposed to contribute to the poundage.) Needless to say, I've been working on that treadmill every day like a goddamn hamster on crack and I still haven't dropped any lbs. Those who fear me say, "Oh, but you're gaining muscle weight". Yeah, right. That really was my turnip truck that rounded the corner there. It might as well be my Sarah Lee truck as fat as I'm still feelin'.

Listening to VH1 - a song caught my attention. A cold, badass rapper has hooked up with a sappy country artist a produced an very interesting song:

http://www.mp3.com/nelly-featuring-tim-mcgraw/artists/382582/summary.html (click on the video for Tim McGraw if you happen to be lame enough to think Christina Aguilera and Jaheim are country artists. Not to knock Chrissy - the bee-atch can belt them out. She sounds like my siren self while I'm in the shower.)

Speaking of showers, what is it with men who think women would just looooveee to go to a strip bar? Every Friday afternoon, Roomie gets an invitation to go to this strip bar in Midtown called, "The Cheetah" - yeah, clever name - by one of these contractors he works with who basically is doin' the schmooze thing. Yesterday, I told him to go and he said, "Nah, I really don't want to unless you want to go". Then later that day, we're talking with some good ol' boys and they ask me again, "How come you don't wanna go?" Well, I guess if I wanted to see tits and ass, I'd take a shower. What kinda stupid question is that? I mean, I'm just not that into naked people - be they Chippendale dancers, Roman sculptures, or da Vinci renderings. I certainly don't want to drop 8 bucks for a beer while I sit there watching women who weigh about 60 pounds less than me - except for the additional silicon - give lap dances to my Roomie. Do I really look like a crackhead?

Speaking of crackheads, there was a mighty presence of right-wing, Neo-Republican, ultra-Christian idiots in downtown yesterday praising the new Republican State Congress and their pledge to pass the "Women's Right to Know" law. Yuppers, this is something the Moe-Rons have drummed up that would require a doctor to show a woman all these gruesome photos and whatnot before she has an abortion. Governor Purdue (our first Republican govenor in over 130 years) just finished talking about how his government would "partner" with the people, not "rule" them. In other words, he said the rest of his term would be less like Democrats and they would only deal with critical issues. That was last week. Oh yeah, and from what I heard about Georgie's speech on Wednesday, the idiot couldn't even use a thesaurus to find a synonym for "freedom" (27 times in a 21 minute speech???) I guess Georgie's "freedom" doesn't include a woman's freedom... period. And what is our common denominator here? Hmmmmm, me thinks there is a chromosome deficiency in the group. I ask you, if every man would wear a condom every time he had sex, how many abortions would women have?

Speaking of stupid men - or is that redundant - Atlanta hosted, FalconsFeverFriday yesterday. I can't stand the Falcons or most of the Falcon fans. God forbid the Falcons win the SuperBowl, we could make InnerCity Detroit look like mid-state Iowa with the gun blasts, super-decible crap-rap music and non-stop partying in the street. However, I'm pretty confident that when the blackbirds get to Philly and start playing in 2 feet of snow and temperatures hovering around 8 degrees, they're going to freeze their little new-nads off and get their asses collectively whooped. Even the big-bad Vick will be coming home, nursing his wounds - or maybe his hypothermia - will be set down.

Ah, enough ranting for one morning. Time to get up, do laundry, attack the treadmill and head for Augusta. Good friends are planning a surprise party for Jules and it promises to be an absolute blast!!

A Reason NOT to Party?

OK, anyone who knows me will think this latest blog is something only an acid blot and vodka screamer would produce, but I assure you that I am most utterly sober and most utterly saddened when I ask this question... Why the hell is anybody having a fucking PARTY to celebrate George W. Bush? Can anyone tell me what he has done in the past four years that is worth celebrating? The only folks on this planet who should be celebrating are the Iraqi insurgents who have now taken almost complete control over a country that was never our primary enemy in the first place (don't you dare hand me some horseshit about the first Gulf War and the "enemies" Saddam made.)

See, I'm not the only one with the same idea:




Bush should be beheaded, drawn and quartered, then devoured by Kenyan hyenas (only because we wouldn't want to torture the little buggers by having them cut their own meat.) Or perhaps we could offer the creatures the "Brain of Bush", Karl Rove, which would be a much more satisfying main course than the kibble bits of Georgie Bush. Alas, 49% of Americans are partying their asses off today - and for the next four years - because, like certain other animals, they have decided the best thing for them to do is stick their empty heads in a pile of shit-laden sand and... well, you know, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, think absolutely nothing for yourself.

Speaking of Georgie- FUs - did Barbara Boxer eat Condi's lunch the other day or what? Stephen Colbert, esteemed correspondent at the beloved Daily Show, had this tidbit of news info for us: http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/

Be sure to check the "watch" tab on the left side of the screen under "Colbert".

I cannot believe Georgie has nominated someone as war-minded as Condi for such a touchy-feely position as Secretary of State. Ohhhhh, but wait, the Bush Administration says that if accepted, Condi will travel more that Powell did during his term. OK, so how much will that cost? I've already heard that the bullshit inaugural will cost more than ever in history and that DC will pick up the bill, but now is when Condi wants to go sightseein'?

Here's another reason to throw down with the booze, drugs, liquid glue or whatever other goodies you have on hand. Did you know that 29,000 children die everyday in Africa from disease, hunger, malnutrition, or… what have you. Big fuckin' deal right? Well, this shit has been going on for years and what have we done (as big bad Americans who can afford a Presidential Throwdown like today??) As far as I can tell, not a goddman thing since 1985 - that's right NINETEEN EIGHTY fucking FIVE. But, ol' Mamma Nature steps into South Asia and all of a sudden the world unites in this grand ol' warm-hearted, oh-so-conveniently-tax-deductible contribution and the Asians are the Poop-of- the-World. I guess that means if you were one of the ones sitting on a sunny beach in Sumatra drinking MaiTais and eggnog from a crystal glass when suddenly a tsunami washes you to your death, you are much, much more privileged than some impoverished, orphaned child born with AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa who will die an anguished, excruciating death. Kiss my ass and call me fuzzy. God gave the animals the sense that humans learned to dismiss long ago - RUN.



Speaking of 1985, isn't it ironic that Bob Geldoff put together "Live Aid" about this time almost 20 years ago? Where's our "Live Aid" now if the urgency is so real?

Speaking of death, what are the real numbers on ALL the dead people because of America's invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq?

What are the real numbers of the dead in Sudan?

Why is the American reputation swimming in the bottom of a south Georgia swamp?

When is a war-monger’s presidential inauguration going to be seen for what it is … an utter, complete antithesis of what is good, civil, honest, and caring.

When will we all be hopeful again?

Today marks the start of another uncertain, terrifying, unpredictably horrible four years. How bad will it get?

So, here's how to find me????

I can't remember my pass word to my blog therapy so I type some crap into Google and this is MY first hit?????

"The body is a biblical scene with Jesus, staff in hand, laying a blessing hand on the bridge of the guitar. The real jewel encrusted pick guard (Jade, sapphire & star sapphire) displays a laughing face of Christ. One sapphire is set in Christ's eye."

Hack, gag, puck, piss, poop.

Truly Awe Inspiring Satillite Photo

While taking a cue from IbeJO, I found a true "HOLY SHIT" moment captured in time...

Look at the top of the photo and you will see the wave that is about to come ashore onto Banda Aceh (bottom of photo).

Photo from: http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/tsunami/tsunami.html

News of Late

Generally this type of blog is simply for family and friends who don't read my emails. It's a kind of bait and switch to anyone out there that just reads my stuff for the hyper-intellengent, nearly holy-enlightened information I process with supersonic speed and accuracy. Here is NOT one of those blogs.

Looks like I will probably lose my job in June. This, not because of the quality of my work, but because Georgia Tech cannot manage their money (and our brillant governor has taken $58 million out of the education budget). So, trim the fat, screw the quality. And I wasn't even that fat.

Fortunately/unfortunately, I will get the money I have invested in my retirement and the money that Tech has contributed. That's a good chunk of change considering we are required to contribute 6% of our salary (before taxes) each year to our retirement and when you get 10 years here, GT matches that with 18% for every year. SJ said not to take it because I will take a tax hit, but if I can't get another job between now and then, I might have to anyway.

On another note, we got our computer set up about 85%. It's awesome! Broadband rules as does the mega billion ram that a friend set up for us. Also, because I am a Tech employee - at least for now - I can download any and all software I want as long as I use it for "work" purposes. I'm going to advertise to the moron-students at Tech that I will write/edit their papers for the bargain price of $1.00/page. Maybe I can make a couple of bucks. First, I will start using some of my new software by designing my flyers against Air France and passing them out at Hartsfield. I have to write them another letter because they have insulted my intelligence and resolve (they even went so far as mispelling my last name - hissssssss - that indicates they don't even give enough of a shit to check.) How stupid. If Air France doesn't want to play nicey with me after this next letter, it's off to Florida to small claims court we go where I will not only request reimbursement for our tickets, but a reasonable sum for pain and suffering. Since the tickets and all were around $1,500 and the max you can sue under Florida law is $5,000 - hmmmmm, looks like my pain was worth about $3,500! I also like the fact that the burden of proof is on them since they are the ones that record their phone conversations and none of the documentation they sent me after-the-fact said it was non-transferable.

On another nice note, the house three doors down from us is a 3-BDRM/2-BATH and is selling for $189,900 (no basement). If it sells at that price, it could be very, very good news for us. Once we can figure out how to use that damn camera, I'll post photos of the stucco work.

And lastly, I absolutely love the treadmill that I bought myself for Christmas. I feel (and probably look) like a fat-ass gerbil on it, but with all that has happened of late, do you think I really give a damn?

Ah, Back to Web Therapy

First and foremost, happy new year to everyone. Yeah, I know it's already the 5th, but since this is my first blog in a couple of weeks and I'm feeling optimistic about this new year (yeah, I know it's only the 5th), I figured I'd say it again.

That being said, we must take a moment to look at the ominous signs occuring around the world.

1) Not much to say about the South Asian tsunami that hasn't already been said in the media. Every few hours each day after the wave hit, the news kept reporting the number of dead: 15,000, 50,000, 79,000, 110,000, 155,000. I had to look hard this morning to find the latest numbers, but all I could really find were the number of body bags requested by certain cities. I guess the media understands the concept of saturation after all. I mean, considering the week after the holidays is when the largest number of people want to jump off bridges anyway, hearing about hundreds of thousands of dead, injured, and suffering might not be the ticket. My philosophy is a little twisted, though. When I hear about such a grandiose, totalitarian disaster as this, I feel somewhat thankful.

Speaking of thankful, CNN reported that a Malaysian cargo ship picked up a tsunami survivor at sea: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/04/tsunami.adrift.ap/index.html

Now, had this been me - adrift in the shark-laden waters of the Indian Ocean, clinging to some tree branches for over a week... hmmmmm, me thinks we would need a cargo ship full of valium for the rest of my natural life. To make matters worse, the Malaysian cargo ship was taking the poor soul back to Malaysia. Again, if it were me out there, I'd be screaming down the captain's neck and telling him to take my ass to Inner Mongolia.

Something else that caught my attention yesterday about this disaster was something Neil Boortz said on the morning teaser for his show - Hell no, I don't listen to the idiot's show, but this made me go, "Hmmmmmm." Then I heard it again on NBC News last night and it made some sense. Boortz said that "The world is gearing up to use the tsunami disaster as yet another platform (sic) excuse from which to attack economic freedom, capitalism and, of course, the United States" (as though anyone needed an excuse). NBC News clarified by staying that some Arab new networks were advertizing that the earthquake was actually caused by the US testing nuclear devices in the South Pacific. The Arab media was also saying that they performed these tests during the infidel's holiday of Christmas - incidentally - don't read the Koran or listen to what Mohammed had to say, in this regard, "infidel" is anyone who believes in any sort of iota of independence and freedom. Yicks!!! Granted, those folks out there who have 2 or more brain cells know this to be horseshit, but the fundamentalists, just gaga-gooing for another reason to hate the US, are going to eat this up. What's really sad on this note? Countries like Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar have only pledge measly amounts of money (like the initial sums given by the US) because they fear their money will fall into the hands of the infidels. Double yicks.

2) Onto another really, really apocalyptic sign???? How do locust swarms in Africa sit with you before breakfast? Check this out on National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/explorer/webpost.html The show airs Sunday at 8PM EST. This is going to really be something to give me the heebies. A friend showed me a picture of the locusts flying around the Pyramids in Egypt, but watch the video preview on the link above if you really want to get the creepies.

Well, that's enough negative stuff for such a pre-admitted positive blog. Now for some goodies to leave you feelin' happy

1) Roomie and I have decided to enter the 21st century. We have shunned the antiquated Windows 98 for XP, added billions meg to the harddrive as well as MS Office and -drumroll please - the 56K modem will be history sometime this afternoon as the Cable Guy will come by to install Broadband. Holy smokies, Batman.

2) Funny comment made by unnamed comedian on Comedy Central yesterday. He said he was traveling to Jamaica recently and was stopped by a customs agent. She asked him if he were carrying any drugs into Jamaica. He says, "Carrying drugs into Jamaica? No, wouldn't that be like carrying Slim Fast into Ethiopia." OK, cruel, but still funny.

3) Speaking of Comedy Central: Check out http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/thedailyshowwithjonstewart/

Where Lewis Black who has a newbie on the show and Billy Connelly is a guest. Billy was supposed to be on discussing his part in the Lemony Snicket's film, but instead, he and John had a roving laugh over rabbit sex and pissing yourself.

I'm Off...

I didn't want to make my last blog before the holidays a negative one, so here goes something a little different...

I'm heading off to Maine and Vermont for about 10 days. I have called Delta about 4 times now to confirm that I won't get goosed like Air France did me, and it's looking good thus far.

Anyway, I cannot remember my password to Bloggerville so unless I am writing from this PC, I won't be able to access my addiction. Therefore, I will say it here and now...

I wish everyone a peaceful, content - if not happy - Christmas. I also wish everyone -and I mean everyone - have a peaceful year in 2005.

Air France

So, taking a cue from my pal at IbeJO, I'm going to test drive my very own blog-trap.

Since I have not heard back from Air France about the bait and switch deal Air France did last week, I thought I'd write and let you and Air France know, again what Air France did to mum and me. Did I mention this was Air France, not Delta, not USAir, not Northwest. It was Air France which you can find at AirFrance.com or you can type Air France in Google, or AirFrance in Netscape, or AirFrance in any search engine.

See, Air France had a special to France for two people. Since Air France lied and said I could change my companion and then Air France told me I could not change my companion, Air France would not let me fly Air France to France. The Air France folks at Dulles were ugly, rude, and not very hospitable to say the least considering the Air France folks were in my country and not France and considering I paid Air France almost $600 and Air France stole my money.

Air France has not written me back nor has Air France sent me an Air France check for the money that Air France stole from me. As far as I am concerned, Air France is a thief. No reflection on the people of France or the country itself, but Air France - corporate Air France really needs to learn a little something about customer service.

Coincidentally, I have to go to the airport this afternoon for my flight to Maine. Coincidentally, the Air France counter is next to the Delta counter. I see - I see - yes, that's right - I see the most opportune time to pass out my little flyers to all those unwitting peons standing in line at the Air France counter. Nothing slanderous, I assure, just the truth about the little theives called Air France.

Don't forget to go to http://www.airfrance.com/

A True Scrooge Moment

So, Roomie and I go shopping on Saturday. Across from the place where we were shopping is a huge parking lot that is used by the Kroger and the illustrious Ford Factory lofts (this was an old warehouse converted to loft apartments a few years ago.) Anyway, behind the Ford lofts is City Hall East. City Hall East only has a pay parking deck to service those employees.

Every year about this time, the folks from the Empty Stocking Fund set up shop between the lofts and City Hall. There is a MARTA station across the street, but other than that City Hall is on a very busy street with no parking. All that being said, guess what the good, kindhearted, Santa-like folks at Kroger and Ford Lofts were doing? They had CONVOYS of tow trucks coming and going all day, towing away the people who were there for the Empty Stocking Fund. Yup, I sat there and watched and in the course of 10 minutes, I saw four tow trucks carry away these total pieces of shit cars - after all, it's not like if you're getting handouts from the Empty Stocking Fund, you're going around in a goddamn Hummmer.

So, these people - who are so poor that they cannot afford Christmas gifts for their kids, now have to figure out a way to get to the tow yard with their kids and either pay for their vehicle or leave it there and figure out a way to get home - carrying the gifts they got from the Fund.

Now, really!! These folks are only there about 10 or 15 minutes, it's in the middle of the day, and the parking lot is huge, with plenty of open spaces. What the hell? It must be owned by Air France.

Ah, the Salad Days

As a young lass growing up in the Mega-metro culture of Augusta, Georgia, I had to find humour and nostalgia in the article by my bud, Cliff Bostock of the Loaf...

http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/headcase.html

This really was a touching story considering I never could stomach going to JBs house at Christmas. The only true annual tradition we had was rolling his house and his shed (up right there in the FRONT yard) each Halloween. For you younger crowd, "rolling" is to take toilet paper and throw it into the trees - yeah, not the most mature thing to do, but at 16, it's better than having unprotected sex, right??

Of course, we had an advantage as my friend J.A. lived next door. At the time, his daddy was a state senator that still relished in the days of the KKK and the like so to him we were doing the South a favour by bastardizing the Godfather of Soul with Charmin hanging in the vegetation.

I actually experienced minor pangs of guilt as I got older, but then JB got popped for beating up his wife. I now think I should have dosed the TP with lighter fluid before I tossed it into the trees.

Good story anyway so check it out.

Bait and Switch - French Style

I truly can't remember ever being this totally pissed off. I mean, talk about not even getting a kiss.

Here's the email I've been sending to anyone and everyone regarding what should have been a beautiful trip to France and Italy... buyer beware

"In May, I bought myself and a companion a ticket to Paris with Air France. I was told that I would be able to change the name on my companion ticket. Air France sent me an itinerary and the terms and conditions of the promotion. Neither mentioned "non-transferrable" or "non-refundable". It did NOT state that I could not change the name of the companion, only that I must travel "with a companion". In June, I found out my friend could not go with me so I asked my mother to go. When we got to Dulles airport, I was told that I could not change the name of my companion and since I was not going to travel with the original person, I could not go to Paris either. I was also told that Air France would not refund any of my money.

After arguing with the Air France people, I finally gave up, but asked to have their names so I could reference them in my letter to Air France. Can you believe, nobody would give me their name? They all ran like sheep from a wolf. Obviously, I'm not the first moron to get ripped off like this.

I'm so mad, I could spit nails. I not only lost the $600 for the tickets, but I bought a ticket to DC (and had to change the return at an additional $100), I had two hotel room reservations, two train tickets, and two airport shuttle tickets - all total about $1,500!! My travel agent told me that there were 24 available seats on the plane and she could not figure out why they were being so belligerent.

I am a very experienced traveler and never would have thought that I could get screwed like this. Let your listeners know that this could happen to them, too."

That's all for now as I am getting sick just thinking about it.

The Cheesiest

Warburtons, a British "Cheeto" maker, recently polled a bunch of Brits to find out what the cheesiest line in movies was. Here are the results:

1. "Titanic": Leonardo DiCaprio's "I'm the king of the world!"

2. "Dirty Dancing": Patrick Swayze's "Nobody puts Baby in the corner."

3. "Four Weddings And A Funeral": Andie McDowell's "Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed."

3. "Ghost": Patrick Swayze's "Ditto," to Demi Moore's "I love you."

5. "Top Gun": Val Kilmer to Tom Cruise: "You can be my wingman anytime"

6. "Notting Hill": Julia Roberts' "I'm just a girl ... standing in front of a boy ... asking him to love her."

7. "Independence Day": Bill Pullman's "Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

8. "Braveheart": Mel Gibson's "They may take our lives, but they will not take our freedom!"

9. "Jerry Maguire": Renee Zellweger to Tom Cruise: "You had me at hello."

10. "The Postman": A blind woman says to Kevin Costner: "You're a godsend, a savior." He replies: "No, I'm a postman."

Now, I really must protest the ranking here, although #1 should be number one. However, #10 really should be closer to the top spot. I didn't even see the movie - thank God, but please - "No, I'm a postman"?

As for cheesy TV, I've got my new guilty pleasure. It's called "Love is in the Heir" and it is hilarious. A real Iranian princess who lives in L.A. has to find true love (preferably with a prince or equally as wealthy) and earn a worthy living. The catch is 1)She's in L.A. where there aren't a whole bunch of royalty and 2)she thinks she can earn a living as a country singer. This really is a shame considering she's my age, but her parents are mega-wealthy and still support her (and her personal assistant) 100%.

Getting back to cheesy flicks, I got to do some movie-watching over the Turkey holiday. Best flicks (keep in mind, I'm behind the times with movies):

1) "Love Actually" - The has-been rock singer and Hugh Grant's Prime Minister are classic. One of the best lines in the movie is when the rock singer says, "Kids, listen to this word of advice from your Uncle Bill: Don't buy drugs... Become a pop star and they give them to you for free."

2) "Something's Gotta Give" - Diane Keaton is great and - nothing needs to be said about the classically, eternal Herr Nicholson. Best scene in the movie:

Erica: "What do you do, Harry."
Harry: "I own a hip hop label."
Erica: "Hip hop? Oh, you mean rap music."
Harry: "I know what you're going to say."
Erica: "Well, I just don't care for rap. It's crude, violent, and slightly misogynistic."
Harry: "You know, some people consider rap poetry."
Erica: "Yeah, but how many words can you rhyme with 'bitch'."

And just in time for the holiday season, "The Year Without a Santa Clause", starring this unsavory mutt:



Singing the best Christmas song of all time (a close second being the Grinch song): Sing along boys and girls:

http://www.northpolesantaclaus.com/video/heatmisersong.wav

Our New Baby

Baby Bro will soon be an only child (as mum is going to shoot me), but here she is...



Her name is Anna and she's our newest baby. You can tell by the fact that she's sitting in front of the range that she isn't really very big (she's just now about 3 lbs). During October, I had to house sit for SJ and she got sick so I brought her to our house so I could keep an eye on her. Over the course of about 5-6 days, I didn't think she was going to make it, but with a little help from Dr. George and the Powers that Be, she's now become the newest terrorist in the house.

Oddly, she's befriended Emmett the most. He weighs in about 16 pounds right now so it's pretty funny to watch her run up behind him and goose him right in the ass! Of course, he could take her out with one swipe of his six pound club for a paw, but he's actually quite gentlemanly.

Alas, Anna makes five, but she will be the last one for a very, very long time. I know mum will have a problem with it, but really - how the hell do you turn down a puff ball like this?

Flip a Coin

Apparently, Presindent Elect of Ukraine, Yanukovych, has "won" by three percentage points. Bush says that means there aren't enough votes to declare him the winner and they need new elections to give his (and Putin's) puppet another chance. However, last time I checked, Bush won by three percentage points (or less as some polls would suggest) and he called it an outright victory. Come on Georgie, even you can flip a coin.

First thing this morning, I log onto CNN and there's Georgie with Condi boarding a plane to Canada. Remember the "White on Rice" blog a few weeks ago? I ask you, if I'm not on the mark, why the hell is the National Security Advisor going to fucking Cannuck-land with Georgie? Are our northern neigbours now part of the Asses-of-Evil? Yup. OK Georgie, who's it gonna be - Laura-the-Librarian or Bust-your-balls-Condi? Heehehe. I have visions of Dominatrix/CatWoman and a black leather whip, slashing away at a whinning Monkey-man, demanding him to shout, "Who's your mamma?" Should I start packing for Cuba, now?

Here we go again with the Right-to-Lifers. You know, those MEN who think they have a right to tell a woman whether or not she can safely have an abortion. Aren't these the same people who believe in assault rifle bans, capital punishment, a ban on stem cell research? Which one is it, fellas? As George Carlin would say, "I guess you call yourselves "Right to Lifers" as long as you get to chose the life??"

And lastly, Goodbye "Red-Alert-Ridge". Hopefully, his replacement won't continue to sit there and say how much safer this country is since Bush attacked Iraq. No coin needed here, folks. The writing is clear.

Bill Cosby Ain't Bein' Funny Now

Bill Cosby is in town tonight. You know, the hilarious comedian who did his entire stand-up routine without one dirty word? Apparently, DOCTOR Cosby - that's right - he has a doctorate in Education - will be at Douglass High School tonight sending out a loud (not so funny message). According to Cosby and the AJC, That message is: "Too many young black men and women have devalued life, judgment and morals in favor of a life filled with low expectations, few options and irresponsibility."

See http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/atlanta/1104/18cosby.html

Now, my normally pip-squeek-quiet Roomie had this to say when I sent him the article of Dr. Cosby's address:

"I applaud Bill Cosby's crusade and wish I could do something to help. He hits the nail on the head, where, if a Caucasian said it, they would be labeled racist. Any African-American that criticizes his truth, are indeed showing their true colors (pun intended). Would it be out of line to show up at Douglass High School as a Caucasian supporter of Bill Cosby's message?

I'd vote for Bill Cosby as the first African-American President in a heartbeat."

Now, this coming from a true Southern, Atlanta born and raised, self-proclaimed Redneck is actually quite eloquent and thought provoking. However, we both live in a neighbourhood that is riddled with people who think they deserve to be treated in a special way simply because of their skin colour.

One of the best quotes Cosby gives in the article is this:

"People who are worried about what white people hear Bill Cosby saying have their heads in the sand," he said. "Do you really think that white people — while riding on the bus, listening to our people get out of school, hearing them use profanity, watching how they address each other with 'nigger' — don't know? You think that these white people don't go back and tell their friends about the horrors of having to ride the bus?"

Come to our neigbourhood and see and hear exactly what he's talking about. It makes my stomach turn - and it's all a matter of lack of respect for oneself and one's community.

Here's a good example:



This is what my trashy neigbours leave in front of their house each week. These are African-Americans, renting a house, they're young (mid-20's) with several kids that only know words that you see on occasion at IbeJO (no offense JO, but you get my drift). Most of the time during the school day, these kids hang out in the driveway, smoking weed and listening to the MOST offense music at the MOST intolerable decibels.

I'm almost tempted to go see Dr. Cosby tonight. I agree with him 1,000 times, but I can say that because - I can't believe I'm going to quote Roomie here, I would be "labeled a racist."

American Coastopia

Thanks to mum for sending this. I do feel a little better even though I'm still smartin' over the phenomenal blunder of November 2nd.

An Alternative to moving to Canada....
American Coastopia!


Ladies and gentlemen, you needn't fret anymore. We have decided that we can't live in the United States anymore, because so many of you in the "heartland" are so full of shit. We were all going to move to various other countries, but then we thought - why should WE move?

We are tired of rednecks in Oklahoma picking the leader who will determine if it is safe for us to cross the Brooklyn Bridge. We are sick of homophobic knuckle-draggers in Wyoming contributing to the national debate on our gay marriages. So we have done the only thing we could.

We seceded.

May I present to you: AMERICAN COASTOPIA.

That's right, American Coastopia. The states of Washington, Oregon and California are joining us on one coast, and we will provide all of New England. In the middle of the country, we have taken Iowa and Illinois, mostly because we need the fine produce of Iowa's soil, and the museums in Chicago are fabulous.

The other dot is New Orleans, which you don't deserve. American Coastopia needs a place to gamble, and the locals want nothing to do with you.

Sure, you can visit, but it isn't part of your country anymore.

I can sense your worry. Who will get all the banks? You can fucking have most of them, because we're taking downtown and midtown Manhattan back, turning the whole thing into a giant artist colony replete with movie studios and progressive think tanks. Wall Street and other financial institutions will be relocated to Charlotte, which we believe will suit your needs better. Frankly, the good folks in Manhattan are sick of being a terrorist target for your benefit.

A word about our politics. Abortions will be safe and legal in American Coastopia, and homosexual men and women will be free to marry at their discretion. We will have our own currency, and trade with any countries we want. Everyone will have health care. Everyone will have an identity card. Homelessness and unemployment will be virtually unknown. We believe in a meritocracy and a huge chasm between church and state. 100% of our cars will be hybrid by 2006.

Yes, we're taking all the people that ever created everything beautiful. Yes, we're taking all the funny people too. All the sculptors, architects, surgeons, philosophers, violinists and fishermen. You should have treated them better when you had them. We have no pledge of allegiance, but I can say this: I am no longer from your United States of America. I belong to American Coastopia, the United States of My Friends, the Nation of Two: my wife and myself.

We hold our noses as we fly over you. We are sickened by the way you treat people that are different from you. The rest of the world despises America, and we don't want to be lumped in with you anymore.

Please, all of you who went to bed last night sick with worry, come to us. In American Coastopia, the light is always on, the hazelnut lattes are always hot, and we have a trundle bed for each and every one of you.

Like White on Rice

So, Georgie has decided to nominate Condolezza Rice as Secretary of State. This, if you didn't know, requires a person with unquestionable diplomatic skills. The last time I checked, Condie was the war monger positioned behind Donny and Dick, pushing the Prez to attack Iraq. Even the honourable Colin Powell admitted that he regretted some of the things he said to the UN Security Council about the WMD that Saddam never had.

So, after watching Fahrenheit 9-11 with my extremely politically savvy cousin, I asked her, why would a woman as smart as Rice work for such a fucking MOE-Ron as Bush? The answer, oh so obvious today...

Georgie's been giving Condi the Big Bone (or in his case, a bone nonetheless).

For those of you who aren't as educated in the vulgar vernacular - he's sleeping with her. I mean, for Christ's sakes, NBC News just said that she goes on all holidays with Bush and we all know that he has been on holiday more than on the job since 2000.

So, thanks to Roomie for the Southern expression... "Like white on Rice" and thanks to Cuz for the "Moment of Enlightenment". Too funny, but equally, too sad. Glad to know that George has nominated a war monger for Secretary of State. Goodbye, Kind Powell (and goodbye international relations). We will truly miss your diplomacy and generosity. At least I don't have to question - any longer - why you work for Bush. And now, I'm sure as to why I don't have to question why Condi works for Bush.

PS. Most likely this is the most inflammatory thing I have blogged so if you don't see me write in a few days, naturally assume BIG BROTHER has paid me a visit and I'm shackin' up at Git Moe.

Yet Another Sad Day

So what has this world come to when terrorists kill a woman like Margaret Hassan? I mean, she did nothing whatsoever except love a country and its people. By blowing off her head, I would have to say that truly punctuates the situation in Iraq. Insurgents will do anything to protect their country and their way of life, even to the point of killing an innocent woman.

Now, at the same time, a video has also been produced showing an American Marine blowing the head off an unarmed Iraqi. The radio show I listen to on my way to work critisized the media because they were showing the video and "people were going to take it out of context." Let's see, we have 1) A US Marine 2) The Marine is holding a rifle 3) The Marine is screaming nasties and going ballistic 4) The Iraqi with no gun 5) The Iraqi's noodle all over the floor. No grey area there, folks. Pretty straight forward if you ask me. I mean, what conclusions should I draw?

I just have to ask: Who's the fucking terrorist?

What Happened to Menopause?

Alrighty here, what the hell is going on? First, there was a 56-year old woman in New York that had a baby on Tuesday, now the AJC reports there is a 59-year old great-grandmother in Sylvester (that would be poe-dunk South Georgia) who is going to have twins.

"For this mother of five, grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of six, the news of her pregnancy was even more shocking considering she had her tubes tied after the birth of her last child — 33 years ago. 'They came untied,' she said."

That just isn't right. I mean it's bad enough that these kids have to grow up in Sylvester, Georgia, but now they're going to be younger than their great nieces and nephews? How twisted are these kids going to be? Besides that, they'll be lucky if their parents live long enough to see them graduate high school - oh yeah, I forgot we were talking about Sylvester, GA. What high school?

Come on peeps - if you can keep your pecker in your pants when you're sixty years old - good for you! But wear a goddamn helmet when you go into battle.

Place Your Bets, Place Your Bets

OK - Now that Buttmunch Bush has been re-elected, which one will it be first: 1) the abolition of the separation of church and state OR 2) the reversal of Roe vs. Wade?

Granted, both are coming to the new Jesusland soon, but which one will be first? Me thinks... drum roll, please... the abolition of church and state. Why? Check out this little ditty in today's AJC

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/cobb/1004/07evolution.html

See, Cobb County is one of Atlanta's metro counties that is about as backward as they come. Most folks that live in Cobb have new money, are Conservative Southern Baptists, and many even live in trailer homes smaller than the four-wheel pickup trucks they drive. The folks in Cobb have been trying desperately to eliminate the teaching of good ol' Darwin in the school system for years, and thanks to the appointment of Kathy Cox - School Superintendent, they're getting a little closer each day. Right now, those trailer trashers are scheming to put this:



in all biology books.

Yeah, it's soft and it is seemingly innoculous, but Kathy Cox started out as a kindergarten teacher, too.

The thing that worries me the most is that George is going to most likely elect - and Congres will approve - four Bible-thumpin' buddies as Supreme Court Justices during his next term. That should make life much easier for those who think Darwin was a crack addict.

The Brits Are Brilliant

Check out the cover of the Daily Mirror the day after the US election. This and the articles since then give me hope that the rest of the world might not blame all of us for what happened on Tuesday.

Forgive Us Father, for Half of Us Have Truly Sinned

This morning, around 7AM, this asshole in my office came in screaming about how much of an idiot Kerry was for trying to contest the election. I quietly reminded him that politics and religion were inappropriate issues in the work place and he verbally attacked me, threatened me, then told me, "I should be proud to be an American". I told him that I was actually ashamed to be an American, especially since he represented the same type of barbaric, neoconservative, ultra-rightwinged, Christian, bible-thumping, backward-assed morons that voted for Bush. I haven't been this angry in a long time; however, I'm not going to debate with the brainless.

This is my mourning blog. Nothing more tonight as I am too livid, sad, surprised, angry, ashamed, and downright sickened to express myself in a mature manner. Rest assured, more is to come. Like Jon Stewart said, "The only good thing about Bush getting re-elected is that I am guaranteed another four years as 'Daily Show' anchorman." I would think that Bill Maher and Chris Matthews fall within the same job security platform.

Here, here.

I might even make a movie since I can't watch another four years of that fucking monkey pretend to be the leader of the free world and Michael Moore take all the credit.

And Let the Games Begin

So today is the day when millions of people will go out and decide the fate of this country for the next four years and perhaps the next four decades. Normally, I do not consider myself an optimist, but I have hope today that Kerry will defeat Bush - fair and square, with a definative majority of votes. Why? I saw last night that the US has registered over 15 million new voters and 58% of those new voters said they would vote for Kerry.

Now, I don't put a lot of faith in pollsters even though my college statistics prof proved that polls are worthy, but I have a rational idea that those new voters are scared shitless about the future of our country and our place in this world. And, considering they didn't vote in 2000, they're feeling like MO-Rons because it is common knowledge - at least to those of us who have a brain - that Bush "won" in 2000 by only a handful of votes.

What really blows my mind is that in the 2000 election, over 20 million women chose not to vote. Granted, some of these women are probably too stupid to realize they have that right in this country or some of those women probably believe they will get bashed over the head by their Neanderthal husband if they voice an opinion and exercised their right to vote, but COME ON! 20 MILLION??? This really bugs me because these are WOMEN! You didn't even have the right to vote until 1920 so how can you be apathetic when it comes to voting for the one person who can change the rules that dictate your life (think I'm joking? Look at how many Supreme Court Justices will retire during the next presidential term.)

It really jerks my chain that a woman has not been president - yet. Our sex is more intellegent, more compassionate, and much more rational that our male counterparts (sorry if I offend some of you, but the facts are facts - live with it or prove my point.) We would naturally make for a better president. But until that day comes, we will continue to have to live by the rules set by the men. That being said, why would any woman not want to chose who those men should be?

Mahatma Ghandi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Go out and vote. If 120 million people go to the polls today, the overwhelming perception is that Kerry will become our 44th President of the United States and we will experience the most positive, optimistic change this country has ever seen in it's relatively short history.

Want, Want, Want

So, I want world peace, self-cleaning cat boxes and, when I die and go to hell, a big glass of daily ice water. Bush wants, is going to ask for, and will probably get another 75 billion (that's billion with a "B") dollars for the war in Iraq and Afganistan.

Last time I checked, Bush said we had a "mission accomplished" for Iraq and Afganistan was no more than a stain on the sheets. Why the hell would he need another 75 billion (that's billion with a "B") for a war that we "won" almost a year ago? Maybe Georgie ain't so stupid after all. Maybe he does realize that the Iraq situation - that he gladly created - is going to hell in a picnic basket. But, he must also realize that if he goes to Congress and requests another 75 billion (that's billion with... you know) that he would sound off bells and whistles to us enlightened folks that HELLO - this war is bullshit and he's been lying to this country for at least a year, if not almost four.

Also, the last time I checked, the economy in this country wasn't so great. Let's ponder what 75 Billion could buy:

1) Schools

2) Civil Infrastructure

3) Environmental protection

4) House and feed those who have all lost their jobs in the past 4 years

5) Most of the buildings at Georgia Tech, which, thanks to my mum's suggestion, I would name after my cats... hehehehe - think about it:

Freshman #1: "Where do you live?"
Freshman #2: "In 'Stinky Bear Dorm', but my classes are in 'Skinny Minny Kitty Hall'".
Love it.

6) Cuba (I had to throw that in because you know Castro would sell his island in the sea for less than $75B and we could stockpile Iraqi detainees until Donny Rumsfeld kicked the bucket or publicly pissed his pants).

And I could go on and on and on...

What dollar figure did Georgie give us when the war first started? Man, that was so many lies ago I just can't remember.

Gay Marriage

OK, so the Georgia Supreme Court is going to allow a vote on the ballot to amend the State Constitution to ban same sex marriage. Maybe that was my turnip truck that just pulled out, but why the hell is this an issue for the state? What real privileges do married people have that single folks don't. I mean, you can use the thing about getting more taxes back, but isn't it your money anyway? Last time I checked, the divorce rate in this country was a screamin' 50 percent. Sounds to me like marriage ain't all that - and if that's the case, why wouldn't the backward ass, country morons want to allow gay folks the opportunity to be as miserable as the married ones?

Besides, in this state and in very few (special) others, we have something called, "Common Law" marriage. That means that if you've been with someone for a certain period of time and you consider yourself faithful to each other, you can call yourself married and you automatically have all the rights of the married (in the sense of the law) as those who walk down to the County courthouse. Granted, this is a law that was enacted 200 years ago when all those right-winged Christian fundamentalists were trying to figure out an excuse to screw each other without a wedding band, but the law is still in effect. Why the hell couldn't a gay couple use this same law for their own benefit?

Roomie and I have fallen under the common law marriage title. We get to enjoy the "privilege" of filing as a married couple, we get the "privilege" of creating a pain for our employer, and best of all, we get the "privilege" of giving some schmuck lawyer 100 bucks in the event that we want to get "divorced" - yup, that's right, we have whatcha call a common law deeee-vors here, too). The only reason we don't go down to the courthouse to get married is because that too costs money. And, of course, me being Catholic and roomie being a heathen, the Church wouldn't recognize the marriage anyway.

And speaking of the Almighty Church, marriage was never intended to be controlled by government anyway. That's why we call it a holy sacrament. It is an issue that belongs in the Church and the Church only. However, not even everyone in the most strict Catholic upbringing can agree on whether or not to allow same sex marriage. For example, if you have a brain and a conscience, you would agree that as long as two people truly love each other, who gives a rat's ass if they are same sex or not? I love the people out there who like to twist around passages of the Bible and try to convince the brain-dead that GOD said homosexuality was a sin. Let me tell you, if you're talking to God, you're a schizophrenic and you need help and besides, there were lots of folks wandering the Holy Land looking for love in all the wrong pastures for God to worry about human homosexuality.

I say, live and let live. Basic, simple, but in reality, leaves nothing to be desired. If everyone were so worried about their own lives as they are about others, we wouldn't have disease, poverty, crime, and all the other cherries that life throws our way.

President's Test

I thought this rather clever, but a couple of years ago I bought a book called, "George W. Bush, My First Presidentiary" and it is a classic to this day.

The Undecided

OK, it's time to face reality. If you consider yourself "undecided" in the pick for the President of the US, you're an idiot. Actually, that's insulting idiots. Let's just say you probably have trouble breathing 'cause you're too stupid to inhale.

Look at some of the facts:

1) The war in Iraq: How can anyone NOT have an opinion about that? Sunday's AJC has an article that says 47% of Bush supports still believe Iraq had WMDs. And, "three of four Bush backers believe Saddam Hussein provided substantial support to al-Qaida or was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and 56 percent said the Sept. 11 commission found such ties." So if you're one of these people, you obviously cannot read, nor do you have any desire to read (the 9/11 Commission has published their report which you can buy anywhere.) Regardless of how insane this is - and oh, how insane it is - at least these morons have an opinion about the US in Iraq.

2) Health care: If you don't have an opinion about the state of health care- or lack thereof - in this country, you probably haven't been to a doctor in the past four years. Also, all of your family members are probably enjoying the eternal dirt nap. I had a interesting conversation this weekend with my French little brother and he had a great point: The Republican party is so damn eager to save the lives of an unborn child that it wants to ban all stem cell research. However, once a woman has that baby, the kid is on it's own in terms of the support of the government. How can you not have an opinion about the health care situation?

3) The economy: When Clinton left office four years ago, this country was enjoying a ??? billion dollar surplus. Three years later, we are choking down a rising bile of 480 billion deficit. I can remember when gasoline rose above the $1.00 mark - and that wasn't that long ago. We were all wondering how we would survive. I can also remember when I lived in Germany and thought that to pay the equivalent to $2.00 for a loaf of bread was insane. If you haven't noticed a change in the economy in the past four years, get your head out of the sand.

4) The international reputation of the United States. A friend of mine in Alabama puts it gently, "Lower than frog shit in the bottom of a Mississippi mud pond". That's preeeeetttttty low.

What's the common denominator, you ask? Hmmmmmm, that's a tough one. Let me see... I just dunno. I just can't decide.

King of the World!

He may not look like something you'd take home to mama, but Johnny Damon certainly was Boston's daddy last night. Six out of eight RBIs, to include a grand slam and a two-run homer. It don't get much better than that.

Hopefully, the Sox will get a chance to get some zzzzzz's before Saturday's first WS game. At least whoever wins tonight will have one day's less rest. How awesome would it be for the Sox to win the WS in Fenway?

Another Reason the Sox Should Win

When you have to bring out the riot police for a fucking baseball game, your fans either suck themselves off or they're terrorists. I say the former.

I guess this is payback for all the brillant moves made by Bobble-head Jeter the night before. I cannot imagine what will happen tonight if the Sox take the Yanks IN New York. And for the Yank fans to believe that A-Rod blew their opportunity just shows they haven't a clue.

I think it's time for the Yanks to shut UP. They are the whinniest, weaseliest, wussies on the planet and I'm tired of them thinking they deserve everything - all the time.

You Have to Wonder...

... what this little fella is thinking





I don't think it's, "Do I look fat in purple velour?"


It's probably more on the lines of, "If you don't take this fucking thing off me, I'll bite you a second asshole and post pictures of that on ajc.com".


What is it about Halloween that makes stupid people want to dress up their pets to look like blitthering idiots?

Gotta Find Another Way Home

So this twin engine crashed this morning on the road I take to and from work. We were just here yesterday as a matter of fact. I probably would still be under intense animal tranquilizers if this plane hit around 4:30 instead of 9:30.



Sadly both the pilot and the passenger died.


Also having a truly SHEEEET-EE day...

"Authorities were searching Monday for family members of two pedestrians struck and killed in separate crashes on Gwinnett County roads Sunday night.

They also were looking for a hit-and-run driver believed responsible for one of the deaths. The first fatality occurred about 8 p.m. on Ga. 316 in front of the Gwinnett County jail.

The female victim, whose name was not released because relatives had not been contacted, had apparently been released from the jail just before the accident, said Lawrenceville police Lt. Jeff Smith."

Just think - You're riding high, just outta jail, wondering where you're gonna get your first cocktail and WHAM! - Road Pizza.

According to Bill Maher

Last night on a re-run of Real Time with Bill Maher, he said this, "" ...I agree with that very much - but on a practical level, what I'm saying here is that the lesson of Vietnam, to me, was that once it went bad, it's not going to get better - like a relationship."

Although he finished the statement as a joke, he had what I thought was a very powerful concept of how we should end the US occupation of Iraq. He said that like a school project, if you are given three weeks to do a project, you'll take three weeks. If you are given one year to do something, you will take one year. The people we are fighting - Iraqi citizens - in Iraq aren't there just to fight us. They are there to protect their rights and what they view as their society. If it takes 100 years to get rid of the US's ideology for freedom, they will stay the course.

His opinion, which I have to agree with, is that we have been in Iraq for 1-1/2 years. Let's tell the Iraqis we will be there one more year. If by then, they haven't embraced "our" democracy, they never will.

Now, for Bill's funniest "New Rule" of the night:

New Rule: No puppet fucking. The "South Park" guys have a new movie called "Team America," which features graphic sex scenes between marionettes. Hey, you know what? If I had any interest in wooden sex with strings attached, I'd get married.

I laughed so hard, I barely made it to the potty. Maybe I should consider Granny-diapers when his show is on.

Up 'Till 11:00 Again

But that's OK 'cause the Sox pulled it off again last night even though that Bobble-head Jeter got away with murder three times. I guess with all the money Steinbrenner pays him, he can throw some cash in the 2nd base umps pocket when he needs a little help.

Some stats about the game:

1) Last night's game went 5 hrs and 43 minutes. Longest game in post-season play.
2) Second longest game per innings (longest inning game was '86 NY vs Houston at 16 innings).
3) Sox and Yanks played 26 consecutive inning the past two games.
4) Wakefield has a magic knuckleball.
5) Rain is predicted tonight in NY. I'm betting both teams have pulled their cash and hired a pro rain dancer so they can get some shut-eye.

Great game! Go Sox!! Now if they can just hold on two games in the Big Apple.

BTW - Check out Ron Corddry on the Daily Show (episode from 19 Oct). He did a great story on the "Curse of the Babino". According to some die-hard Sox fans, ever since the Sox traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees in the early 1900's, they have never won another World Series. Leave it to Corddry to spin it into something hilarious.

'Cause My Momma Told Me...

...that there are two types of people in the world:

The first type thinks they get paid to put up with shit.

The second type thinks they get paid to do their job.

I am the Queen of the SECOND type.

I want/need/should get paid to do what I DO. That is... I'm a construction superintendent (ironically, there are lots of folks out there that wouldn't admit to that fact, but I am happy and proud that I am a woman in this field.) I am also proud to say that, unlike so many other people, I don't get paid to sit on my ass and play Solitare or PacMan.

Tomorrow, I must face up to the fact that things are going to change DRAMATICALLY for me. I will be told that my supervisor and my job responsibilities will change and I will have to begin legal proceedings because of it. Of course, this is all because I found the balls to bitch about my piss poor merit increase. For over four years, I have dealt with stupidity, misogyny, racism, sexism, - fuck -------- NAME IT. Tomorrow will be the catalyst to change all of that. I have to remind myself that I am in the second category of people... I earn my living by what I do, what I have earned the right to do, and the fucking fact that I do it EXTREMELY well. I did not get to where I am because I simply take unsolicited bullshit.

Maybe it's all the yoga. I did a handstand today and held it for a lonngggg time. Considering I haven't been able to do that in 18 years, I just hope my tolerance muscles are as strong as my physical muscles.

More later.

If You Can't Take the Answer....

don't ask the question.

I loved it when, during the last debate, they asked Kerry if he thought homosexuality was a choice. Kerry mentions Cheney's openly gay daughter and says, "She is who she is" (great answer, by the way) and Cheney gets pissed?

What the hell is he pissed about? I think he's pissed that his daughter is gay, not the fact that Kerry used her as an example. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall the day she came home to daddy and announced she was a lesbian. Now, if someone could just prove that homosexuality was hereditary.

I'm Baaaacccckkkkk!

WOW! I've been a real slacker of late and haven't been blogging like a good girl should. I had some real shocking news at the work front lately and it's really has put me in a really pissy mood which I haven't wanted to share. However, I recently took a few days off and went to Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and saw the most beautiful foilage. The locals call all the tourists "Leaf Peepers" which I find hilarious. Anyway, it was very relaxing and Mum and me had good laughs.

One quick story, though before I head home for the day. Yesterday, my cousin's wife, TW, and I went to the airport together (each of us flying home - she to DC, me to Hotlanta). I cruised through airport security, but TW got felt up by every TSA employee in the airport. Apparently, because hers was a one way ticket, she got flagged. Of course, she really looks like a terrorist - NOT.

So, they take TW off to the side and a female TSA worker goes to town frisking her up and down. I mean, the TSA worker actually feels up my cousin right there in the airport with God and everyone looking on. I probably shouldn't have done it, but I hollered over the counter, "Hey, don't you wish your gynecologist was that thorough?"

I thought the TSA worker was going to start crying. She said, "I'm so sorry, I'm just doing my job. Please don't get upset with me."

What a puss. I mean, they could have had me arrested for mouthing off like that, but this little cheek-a cowed down like a puff muffin.

Ah well, it was good for a laugh.

Time to head home. I have plenty more bloggin' to do though since I had such a wonderful trip to Kerry-country. It was so nice to finally have intellegent conversation with Kerry supporters. Only 18 more days before we have a new President and our country can start the healing process.