Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Seems my last struck a chord ................................ ;-)

years ago, I dated a fellow who had been in advertising - per him, the criteria for ads was "white man as a$$hole" .................... just so y'all know ......................... ;-)

Another burr that takes up residence under my saddle is the use {misuse} of the word "real" ......................

from Dictionary.com:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
re·al1 /ˈriəl, ril/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ree-uhl, reel] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective 1. true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent: the real reason for an act.
2. existing or occurring as fact; actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or fictitious: a story taken from real life.
3. being an actual thing; having objective existence; not imaginary: The events you will see in the film are real and not just made up.
4. being actually such; not merely so-called: a real victory.
5. genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic: a real antique; a real diamond; real silk.
6. unfeigned or sincere: real sympathy; a real friend.
7. Informal. absolute; complete; utter: She's a real brain.
8. Philosophy. a. existent or pertaining to the existent as opposed to the nonexistent.
b. actual as opposed to possible or potential.
c. independent of experience as opposed to phenomenal or apparent.

9. (of money, income, or the like) measured in purchasing power rather than in nominal value: Inflation has driven income down in real terms, though nominal income appears to be higher.
10. Optics. (of an image) formed by the actual convergence of rays, as the image produced in a camera (opposed to virtual).
11. Mathematics. a. of, pertaining to, or having the value of a real number.
b. using real numbers: real analysis; real vector space.

–adverb 12. Informal. very or extremely: You did a real nice job painting the house.
–noun 13. real number.
14. the real, a. something that actually exists, as a particular quantity.
b. reality in general.

—Idiom15. for real, Informal. a. in reality; actually: You mean she dyed her hair green for real?
b. real; actual: The company's plans to relocate are for real.
c. genuine; sincere: I don't believe his friendly attitude is for real.

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

I'm truly tired of ads that speak of "real people" - as opposed to "fake people"?

Also, what's the deal with "meteorologists" telling us that rain/sleet/snow are coming down? Do they believe that the laws of gravity don't affect various forms of water as they affect everything else on this planet? The same man I mentioned in the beginning of this post referred to me as "interactive Mary", because of my ..................... arguing with garbage I heard on TV/radio - I've lost count of the times I've yelled at TV weathermen, telling them I wanted to see rain/sleet/snow going UP ........................ ;-)

Sunday, February 25, 2007

OK, time for a rant ………………………..

Exactly WHEN did “gaining self-respect” devolve into putting down others?
In case you hadn’t noticed, in the gospel according to advertising/entertainment, men are: stupid, or insensitive, or arrogant with no reason ……………………… and if, in the equation of their skits, there are racial minorities represented, the white man is the one having the aforementioned “qualities” …………………… the CitiBank woodland cycling ad comes immediately to mind – a group of friends are cycling along, but one of them doesn’t have a bike – HE jumps off a rise, bellyflops in the leaves and claims “I’m good!” The Dr. Scholl’s ads for “gellin’” have a similar put down ……………………. on ANY sitcom, the male leads are idiots, with their wives/children/friends showcasing their ……………………. “limits” ………………………….
Mebbe I’m too much a product of the nuns – I was taught that achieving self-respect consisted of raising one’s self to the goal, whatever it may be – but today, with everything being of the lowest common denominator, it seems the only requirement is to denigrate others, preferably white men …………………. I’m NOT of the school that produced John Edwards’ recent blogmistresses – “the patriarchy” doesn’t send me into frenzies of fear or loathing {which is kind of ironic, given the one blogmistress’ assertion that she would continue to have sex, using contraception, without fear of bearing children – there’s a disconnect there, in that she will use men for sexual pleasure} – the ONLY “special treatment” I’ve demanded was the opportunity to TRY something – if I failed, so be it – but THAT is how I became the first woman in my field in the Marine Corps …………………………

Friday, February 23, 2007

Still feeling like 10 lbs of fecal matter in a 5 lbs

bag ........................ Holly, since you only had a cold, you're off the hook for infecting me - but Rocky Mountain Medic is another story ....................... ;-)

Spousal unit decided last night that he'd take today off ..................... but he didn't tell me 'til today when it was time for him to be leaving for work ..................... I don't mind his taking a day off {God knows he deserves it!} HOWEVER comma pause - he COULD have called last night & informed me, so I could plan MY day ........................ if he can call to ask me to run out & pick up beer, because he's working overtime and beer sales won't "be" when he gets off work, he can call & let me know that he WON'T be going into work the next day ..................... ;-)

Thursday, February 22, 2007

OH!!

And I certainly HOPE Holly the Goddess and Rocky Mountain Medic are pleased with yourselves - however it comes to pass, the two of you got me with your old flu's .............................. ;-)

From the "can't win for losing" files .......................................

I generally fix my spousal unit a dinner to take with him to work - repeatedly he has raised he## with me for giving him "too much" ..................... yesterday, I'd fixed him some of the stew beef with cabbage, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, sliced potatoes ....................... he adds about half again what I'd put in his dish ......................... 'cause "it smells so good, I want more!" ............................ ;-)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Picked up the pan set ........................

and tried making a "checkerboard cake" .......................... only problem, Wilton's recipe was only sufficient for *2* of the *3* 9" X 1.5" cake pans ............................. any bakers out there, HOW much batter should one make to fill 3 9" pans? I'm thinking of trying a gateau batter next time ......................... ;-)

I AM feeling somewhat "better" .......................

{thank you, DW! ;-) } ..........................
Made some pork roast in the crockpot couple days ago; now have stew beef in it .......................... and there's still homemade/made from scratch Salisbury steak in the freezer ............................
Public Health called today - they're busier than one-armed paper-hangers, due to an employee of a local restaurant popping with hepatitis A ....................... luckily, the spousal unit & I haven't been to this restaurant in about 4 years {so, I guess there is an "upside" to not going out .................. ;-) }
I'm kinda bummed - got an "issue" with a family member, that I'm struggling with, that won't be "resolvable" 'til May or so, so ....................... be patient, please ....................... ;-)

Friday, February 16, 2007

Back from 2nd doctor visit in a week .......................

a followup to the food poisoning from TacoBell/KFC - I signed a HIPAA form for release of my records to Harris County Public Health - thinking I was being helpful/accomodating - come to find out, my permission isn't needed in potential public health issues .........................
One little "oops" today - my blood pressure was 140/90 all three times the doc checked it - normal for me is 110 or below over 70 or below - so the doc wants me to check it ~ 3 times/week 'til my next visit in a month ...................... she was quite concerned, since every other visit I've been much closer to my "norms" ......................... now I have a "hegg-ache" as our progeny used to call'em - whether due to raised BP or just because, I dunno ........................
New author/series to recommend - Keri Arthur, and the books are Full Moon Rising, Kissing Sin, Tempting Evil, & Dangerous Games {the last two will come out in April & May} - think J.D. Robb meets Anne Rice - the protagonist is Riley Jenson, a heterosexual female dhampire {combination vampire/werewolf}, fraternal twin to Rhoan {a homosexual male, same combo} - the author lives in Australia, which is where the first two books take place. VERY well-written .................... I received James Patterson's latest, Step on a Crack for Valentine's - read it last night - Patterson is a good, quick read for those unfamiliar, and his new character, Mike Bennett, is very likable ......................

Thursday, February 15, 2007

I admittedly have "issues" with double standards ..............................

I believe that what adults do in private, to/for each other, is their business ....................... promotion of support groups for adult members are adults' choices {organizations such as NAMBLA do NOT come under this umbrella} ...................... so why is an organization that promotes 'traditional' values such a threat to others? It seems to me that allowing civil discourse just may be more effective than shouting down any 'diversity of opinion' ......................


Use of the Words 'Natural Family' Ruled Hate Speech, Appeal Hearing Underway

Decision against employees could silence debate about homosexuality and related issues in entire Western United States

OAKLAND, California, February 14, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Thursday morning, in a special session being held at the Stanford University Law School campus a critical First Amendment case is being argued before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The case deals squarely with the issue of whether Christians have a right to use neutral language in the workplace to talk about same-sex marriage and other issues at the forefront of national debate.

Attorneys Scott Lively and Richard D. Ackerman will be arguing the case before the Ninth Circuit on behalf of an African- American Christian woman who was threatened with termination at her job with the City of Oakland. The City of Oakland claims that references to the "natural family, marriage and family values" constitute hate speech which is scary to city workers. The Ninth Circuit panel of judges includes two women and one man.

Back in February of 2005, United States District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled the city of Oakland had a right to bar two employees from posting a Good News Employee Association flier promoting traditional family values on an office bulletin board. According to the lawsuit, gay and lesbian city workers had already been using the city's e-mail, bulletin board, and written communications systems for promoting their views to other workers, including the plaintiffs.


Source

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

OK, who's ready to join a class-action discrimination lawsuit?

As LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS, I daresay we would all have to provide SSNs ................... and BoA's actions are not discriminatory - how? They can also be charged with racketeering .........................

Bank of Illegal Aliens in America
By Michelle Malkin · February 13, 2007 09:21 AM

Higher standards...except for illegal aliens

Bank of America has introduced a new credit especially and exclusively for law-breaking immigrants. Really. The story is on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today. It's subscription-only. Here are the details:

In the latest sign of the U.S. banking industry's aggressive pursuit of the Hispanic market, Bank of America Corp. has quietly begun offering credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers -- typically illegal immigrants.

Michelle Malkin's Blog

Monday, February 12, 2007

Seems the mayor of Nashville has the

same degree of intestinal fortitude of most politicians ........................
Nashville mayor vetoes measure making English official language
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mayor Bill Purcell vetoed a measure making English the official language of Nashville, saying it was unconstitutional and unnecessary.

"This ordinance does not reflect who we are in Nashville," Purcell said at a news conference Monday shortly after issuing his veto.

The measure passed 23-14 last week by the Metro Council required all government communications to be in English, except when multilingual communications are required by federal rules or are needed "to protect or promote public health, safety or welfare."

Yet Another Gutless Wonder

Here's an idea: Send politicos such as Purcell to Aztlan ..................... see how "flexible" his "hosts" will be .......................

Saturday, February 10, 2007

OK, kiddle-diddles ...................................

thanks to LawDog on an idea for my spousal unit's birthday present ....................... ;-)
NOW, to the current "news" - Anna Nicole Smith died - I don't pretend to have ................... 'appreciated' her life choices, but they were her choices - I think she may have been very lonely, and couldn't figure out how to 'fix' that - she wanted out of a less-than-affluent existence, and she worked to accomplish that - it may not have been a career that you or I would have chosen {in my case, if I ever tried to support myself working in a "gentlemen's club", I woulda starved} - and I feel nothing but disgust for the 3 males {they aren't "men", much less "gentlemen"} now claiming to have known her in the Biblical sense and all claiming paternity of her baby. Additionally, her mother {from whom she was estranged} is now making the rounds of the 'chat shows' - "I loved her but didn't approve of her lifestyle" - and looking to gain some degree of claim on her granddaughter - her cousin is responding to reporters telling sordid, trashy stories of their youth - the only person to be mentioned so far, who has comported himself with any degree of dignity is her father - he refuses to deal with reporters, who are agog at the simplicity of his life {"His house is on stilts; there isn't even mail delivery here!"} - granted, there are claims {by others} that he was estranged from his daughter, because he didn't approve of her lifestyle, BUT - he, personally is not grabbing for the attention.
JMO, but the 3 males and her mother are all looking to get custody of the baby, in hopes that Anna Nicole left a will - there is a consensus that her lawsuit against her late husband's estate will move forward, and eventually, the baby will be worth about $400,000,000.00 - read my lips that is ALL the 3 plus her mother are concerned with - gaining control of that unimaginable sum of money - my spousal unit & I believe that DaniLynn {sp?} should be given to her grandfather, with about $1,000.00 as the standard monthly stipend for her care - the rest of the money held in trust, until she reaches her majority - if the court offered such a deal to the 3 plus mama .............................. watch them scatter ............................

Thursday, February 8, 2007

'Specially for DW ............................ ;-)

re: revenge/justice ...........................
Back immediately after 9/11, I tried to go back in the Marines - as I explained to the recruiters, I had a great plan for bringing ObL to justice ........................ assemble a platoon of women Marines going through menopause - "insert" us into Afghanistan - when we find ObL, he's immediately heavily sedated - he's removed a la the NVA officer in The Green Berets - he's brought to the U.S., to a 'hidden location' - keep him valium'd up for about 6 weeks - in addition to the valium, LOAD him up with estrogen - which would basically atrophy his 'pride & joy', enlarge his breasts, widen his hips, severely affect the growth of his facial hair - do a 'hooker chic' tattoo'd makeup on him - at the end of 6 weeks, put him in a halter, microminiskirt, come-get-me heels, throw a burqa over him - let the valium wear off - parachute him back into Taliban Central - and make sure you have 'observation drones' covering the entire ....................... return ........................ ;-)

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Our beloved LawDog is taking on Amazon.com .........................

FWIW, count this non-LEO on HIS side ........................... anybody who advocates what "Tom" does should be hanged, drawn & quartered .................... for those unaware, Braveheart showed it pretty close to historically accurately - one is "half hanged" - then let down - the trunk is split - then each arm & leg are tied to a horse - and the horses are whipped in 4 different directions ...........................

I'm about ready to boycott Taco Bell/KFC combos ............................

yesterday, trust me when I say, I woulda had to die to feel better - in the process of reporting the restaurant to health department ........................
Couldn't even get up to say goodbye to Frankie Blue Eyes, when Animal Control picked him up - I just found out, if I decide to "claim" him as his owner, it'll be about $300.00 - just under $100.00 for the quarantine {due upon picking him up from AC}, then $200.00 in fines/citations {due in about 30 days} ........................ if God smiles, I'll be able to take care of him ..........................
Our daughter believes in karma - if it is a valid belief system, I have to think that sometimes, payback occurs after death ....................

Monday, February 5, 2007

Hadda go pick up a humane trap Friday ..........................

I would truly like to have about 10 minutes alone with people who dump cats - I've managed to catch one in particular - I just put the trap out today, since I didn't want to have a cat in there over the weekend - this old fellow I've got in there right now is skittish - runs away if he can - but he's allowed me to pet him through the cage - I have the top covered wtih plastic, one of the sides is covered by a piece of cardboard - when I put a towel in it, for him to cuddle on, he drew it to him ........................... I KNOW I may be sentencing him to be euthanized, but that's far kinder than abandoning him when we move again - but I would STILL like to have a "private meeting" with the gutless, conscienceless "human" who dumped him - far as I can see, the old cat's only sin was in his original choice of human companion .............................

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Flying Flo has a GREAT commentary on

"HillaryCare" - take a gander ......................... ;-)

Couple of evenings ago, our nextdoor neighbors brought me another cat - FizzleDizzle is GORGEOUS - he's sweet-natured - he looks like he could be the son of our poor Fuzzy, who disappeared in Mexico - Fuzzy was 'special' - he would have been a good candidate for tinfoil hats - he always seemed to hear voices no one else could ......................... FizzleDizzle doesn't seem to be psychotic - he IS playful as all get out, and a definite lap-kitty ........................
The same neighbors' cat had disappeared for several days - I saw him when he returned Friday morning - called his "mom" at work - he'd been in a tussle with something considerably bigger than him - he has a gaping wound behind his right ear, and a deep puncture wound on his left shoulder - he let me pour some hydrogen peroxide on him yesterday, and administer banana-flavored oral antibiotic {who thinks banana-flavored anything is appealing to cats??} - the son let me know he was walking around today - I brought him in, washed the fur over the wounds to soften it up & the spousal unit removed the matted fur from his big wounds with a razor blade, so they can be more accessible for treatment {antibiotic ointment} - this wonderful cat tolerated all our ministrations with NO complaints - no biting, scratching, nothing - there was a brown, herbal powder we were able to get in Mexico, that performed WONDERS on that type of wound - yes, I'm KICKING myself for not having stocked up on the stuff before we moved back .................... :-( }

Saturday, February 3, 2007

FINALLY able to get back here ......................

and I see an announcement that they'll be out of service @ 1100 PST ....................... sigh .........................
Something I've wanted to put here for 2+ days - William Arkin, military commentator of the Washington Post - THIS troglodyte has me ready to smoke a pickle - how dare he question the troops' right to ask for support! When I was in, I would have been what is referred to as a REMF - rear-echelon - that's the way it was back then - but I'll put MY intestinal fortitude up against "Mr." Arkin's anyday - he MAY have worn the uniform, but he was NEVER a part of OUR military ...........................

First link is to the HotAir copy of Matt of BlackFive's comments:
HotAir Report

Here's a link to BlackFive itself {YAY, MATT!! KICK his butt!}
BlackFive

Johnny Dollar has a radio link of Arkin getting hysterical:
Johnny Dollar's comments

Here's the original article:
Column that started it all