Tis The Season...

Happy um... whatever it is you celebrate this time of year, everybody!

I'm not normally a preachy person...

I've been having a really bad go of it recently. REALLY bad. I won't go into details, but Friday night, my comp died. It was a bios issue. Those who have any computer knowledge, knows that that's a really bad thing. But to everything that's been going on, it's just another kick in the pants. Granted, it hurt a bit more, because the computer is really my only outlet. I do just about everything with it. Socialize online, art, writing, etc. So I've been spending the last day (on and off) talking to God about what's going on in my life, and what the "dealio" is with Him and myself. It just seems sometimes, to me, that even though I accept that shit happens, sometimes too much shit happens, and He can stop it, or at least make it clearer what He intends for me to learn from it. Neither was happening. I asked last night, for some kind of sign that He doesn't hate me, and that He's still with me.

Earlier today, both my sister and nephew tried turning on the computer, and got the same thing I was getting after the incident friday, the light was amber instead of green, and their was no power going to the mouse or keyboard, and aside from the light, the computer was totally unresponsive. So they went out to dinner with my sister's new boyfriend, and I intended to call Dell to explain the situation and hopefully have him talk me through a bios reset. So I got the dell stuff (the account info, the service tag, etc) ready, and I opened up the computer (so that I would be ready). I saw some lights on inside the computer (although nothing was activated), and before I called, I pressed the power switch.

It was green.

The computer started up like normal, as if nothing had happened. I know my sister and nephew didn't do anything (they can barely start it normally, but definitely wouldn't have the slightest clue how to fix it if anything went wrong). I also know that merely opening the case didn't do anything (especially since the lights inside were already on when I opened it).
You may not believe in signs, but I have no doubt God was telling me, "Hey, I'm still here. I'm still with you."

Amen.

I know it's a bit early, but hey, at least it's not August.

Isn't the very concept of "Santa Claus" counter to what Christmas is about? And I'm not even talking the religious/spiritual aspect of Christmas.

Think about it; If the spirit of the holiday is the spirit of giving, and of 'humanity', what is it saying that basically, ONE man is the only one doing the giving while the rest of us sit on our asses and do all the taking? (in concept, that is)

Even the fact that hey, just write a list and if you've been good, Santa will bring you all the crap on the list. How is that going to make destitute people feel? I think personally, Santa is one of the worst concepts that has ever been foisted upon mankind. I'd be more for it if was more along the lines of, "Santa knows if you've been bad or good, and he makes the toys, and then tells your parents what to get you" or something like that, but in this modern day and age of "gimmeegimmeegimmee" and "taketaketake", isn't the concept of Santa just totally overindulging (even justifying) that selfish attitude? At a time when the idea is to love your fellow man, and give openly and freely, why on earth would we fall back on the concept of ONE man giving everything away for free? Should we not openly encourage people to give under the guise that, "hey, you're my fellow man, and I care about you. So this is from me to you" ? IOW, people (especially children, IMO) should understand and be aware of just where these presents are coming from, and not take it for granted that some immortal hippy with thousand year old fashion sense is doing all the "good will" so the rest of us don't have to be bothered?

Eww, I actually ate that!

Today, I mashed up some canned salmon (I love salmon), added some of the Starkist marinated "Sweet and Spicy" tuna, put some salt, pepper and onion powder into it, some miracle whip (low fat) because I choke on it dry, and some chinese hot mustard. It wasn't bad. Then I um... well, we didn't have much bread. Just that Pepperidge farm Cinnamon swirl bread. I took a couple of slices of american cheese, and was going to make some grilled cheese (yes, with the cinnamon bread), and had a thought... what if I made sort of a Tuna melt? So I um... tried it... Yeah. I did. Just thought you all oughta know.

One Year Anniversary

Just wanted to take this opportunity to share. This is the one year anniversary of when we found/adopted my little girl, Cleo (you know, the queen ).

I doubt I'll be posting here for awhile, so this small celebration seems an appropriate 'sign off'.

You have questions, I have answers

Well, I figured a week was long enough. I'm greatful to the three of you who did ask (and appologize to Sheri for not answering hers, but I was chatting with a friend of mine about some of this the other day and realized that even 3 pages would barely be the tip of the iceberg):

Interestingly enough, apparently I can copy and quote from comments directly (who knew?) so I'll answer them from such:


1. You are heading off to an island.. alone, oh yeah, for FOREVER- you can bring 3 things - what are they?

Answer: a gun and two bullets

2. On that island, you can only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life - what are they?

Answer: assuming you mean any foods, and not just "what can you find on an island", I'd have to go with sushi (philadelphia roll and tekka maki specifically), bananas (because as far as fruit goes, I never tire of bananas :) and... asparagus. It's a well balanced menu, and flavorful to boot!

3. On the "Island of 3" you hava a DVD player BUT, you guess it, only 3 dvd's for the rest of your life. What are they?

Answer: Yay! Let's hear it for magical portable self-charging DVD player :Þ
Let's see... "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children" (even the music is great, I can just listen to it sometimes, w/o even watching the movie), "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and... it's a toss up between "Godzilla X Mechagodzilla" and "Godzilla: Tokyo SOS" (SOS is actually the sequel to X Mechagodzilla, but they are two of the best Godzilla movies made, IMO).

debby | Homepage |

---

hmmm...

if you can be a superhero, what superpower would you have?

Answer: this line of questioning is almost unfair. I've already thought about this stuff (even attempting to create a comic along these lines :)
The answer is simple: Super Strength. Sure, flying is great, but it's a "selfish power", it only benefits oneself. Super strength can be put to many uses, not just ones own.


would you be a hero, or a villain? would you have a sidekick? a cool car?

Answer: If I had to choose, I'd be a hero of course, but ultimately, I'd rather just be a "normal guy with super abilities". Sidekick? No way. I refuse to take responsibility for someone elses life in dangerous situations like that. If they go on their own volition, that's one thing, but a "sidekick" implies someone that I'm dragging along myself. Car? Heck, any car would be "cool" at this point :) But no, it wouldn't be defining of my "alter ego", although a specially designed only-one-exists vehicle would probably be necessary, since anything mass produced can be traced.

and what would your costume be like?

Answer: Chrome plated shorts, and a comfortable shirt. And leather gloves (I hate touching icky stuff).

shrewness | Homepage |


Thanks again, for the questions. I hope I can be more "interactive" in the future.

Just a quick question...

I urge you all to keep up with the post below this (the question challenge), but in the meantime, I have a question for those of you using the AdSense feature:

Does anybody actually make any money off this? Is it even worth cluttering my blog for? Thanks.

I guess questions are in order? As are answers, maybe...

Obviously, I don't feel much like posting, but I don't feel like cutting off this blog altogether. So I guess I'll cop out, and do one or two of those "ask me anything" type memes, where I'll answer as honestly as I can. It doesn't have to be about other recent posts (it can be if you're really curious, but chances are a totally honest answer will take up a few pages), it can be about anything really (even not about me. I'm nerdly enough to be able to answer or at least theorize on a bunch of things).

Also, another reason I didn't want to give this up too quickly, is I just signed on to Bloggers new beta program, so I want to test out all the new features they're working on.

Edit: I felt the need to edit (as shown via the strike through text). I didn't really expect anyone to ask, and to be honest, I don't feel I could give a complete answer, and frankly, nor do I want to. Some of it is a little too personal (upon introspection), so I'm going to null and void that as a topic. Sorry.

8 Degrees of Instigation

I got tagged by Shrew (The Taming --> ). It's been awhile since I've posted (ironically, the most stuff going on in my life, the *less* I am inclined to blog about it, at least in the past year or two), so here goes, 8 things you probably didn't know about me:

• I own a large pair of very sharp, industrial strength scissors I affectionately call, "The Castrator"


• Sometimes I'm watching something (like a Godzilla movie, or anime), or listening to certain types of music, and I get this "non-specific inspiration". It affects me so hard sometimes, that I am often on the verge of crying


• Despite my recent need of them, and my own desire to see them due to said need, I'm growing increasingly annoyed with doctors. Mainly, because some of them are f***ing know-it-alls who make grand assumptions (which are totally WRONG) and even when corrected, they don't change their diagnosis/instructions, despite the fact that it could potentially hurt me


• For every piece of art that I show publically (on various websites), there's probably EASILY about 30 or 40 pieces that I hated, threw out, or just stopped working on because of disappointment


• I drink soy milk. 8th Continent is by FAR the best. I also collect the plastic tops, because each one I send in they will donate 50 cents for breast cancer research. I have about 8 dollars worth (donation wise) waiting to be mailed in next week


• If I suddenly gained the miraculous/magical ability to create fully realized (effects and all) movies/videos, I have at any given time, about 8 of them in my head that I would create within the first 10 minutes


• I have several very ambitious projects that I've wanted to do for many, many years, that I will likely never get to do. Among them are a pen and paper role playing game, and an RPG video game


• My last living grandparent passed away when I was 3 months old. I have never known any of them. I have only seen a couple of brief photos of my grandmother on my mom's side (the last one who passed away). I have never seen any photos of any of the parents on my fathers side, and my dad passed away almost 12 years ago, so it's unlikely I will ever know what they look like

There's only one semi-regular reader to my blog who *might* do this if I tag them, so I'll leave it up to her discretion, and not obligate her. Anyone else is welcome to do this, I only ask you leave a comment here letting me know you did it.

Note/Request: Someone who knows more about Blogger and CSS than I do (which is a lot of folks); obviously I was able to get it to display the custom bullet icons I made, however, I don't know how to get it to NOT show the normal browser created bullets, like in the sidebars. If you can help me, I'd appreciate it.

I need a little fun...

I don't know about the rest of you, but my day is turning out shitty. I found this over on 'Chelle's blog (My Escape -->). I've actually seen the face recognition part before, but the collage is neat.

EDIT: I took out the pictures because they were too wide, and messing up the layout of the page.


I tried taking a new shot with my crappy webcam (bad lighting, and you can see on my face just how bad my day is going).

isn't it odd now none of my pictures has the same celebrity twice? And many are old pictures. Do I have a more "classical" face? Or do my pictures just come off as pre-1960's? ;Þ

My Condolences to Many of You

I don't know what's going on, but something wierd is. This month, I celebrate the birthdays of my 3 fur-babies. Yet, so many people I know (I think the count is up to about 6 now) have lost their babies in the past month. What's more, is many of them have gone from what can only be called, "extreme old age", that is, they passed on from natural causes, and well beyond the average lifespan of their breeds (more than a couple were 16 year old dogs, which is about 25% longer than dogs average lifespans. To put it in human terms, it'd be a human living to be about 100 years old).

So, I want to express my sympathies to all of you who've lost a furry loved one recently. I also hope that my own revelry in my babies hasn't upset anyone...

Someone is celebrating their VERY FIRST BIRTHDAY today!

This is Cleo. She bypassed, "princess" and went straight to, "Queen". She's also my little girl, and always will be, no matter how old she gets.

There Ain't No Cure for the Summer Time Blues...

Although I've been out of school for nearly half my life (ack!), it seems the STblues still come around. Actually, it's not just me. I see it in a lot of people (especially the bloggers who's blogs I frequent).

Just so you all know, I'm commenting sporadically, but I still visit your blogs almost everyday.

August Birthday Number 2...

It's... Pepper!

My puppyhead. She turns 9 today.

A Movie Exercise

Yes, this is a meme! It's about your favorite movies (try not to list more than three in each category):

"Screw Plot! I just want action up the wazoo!" (favorite action movies):

"Was the movie really 6 hours long? It only felt like 2!" (movies that were so great they felt like they ended too soon):

"Gah! The movie was only 2 hours? It felt like 6!" (movies you can't believe you sat through [or maybe you didn't]):

"If you tell ANYONE about this..." (movies that made you cry, even if you weren't supposed to):

"I wouldn't see that movie if my life depended on it!" (movies that you have never seen, and have no desire to see):

"Cartoons, they ain't just for kids!" (favorite animated [yes, CG animation is fine here] movies):

"I'm a romantic at heart." (favorite date movies):

"Shockingly, I thought it was pretty good." (movies that you were surprised you actually liked):

"Why am I the only one? Am I just wierd?" (movies that are generally panned, but for some reason you like them anyway):

OPTIONAL:

"Japanese cartoons, they DEFINETLY ain't just for kids!" (favorite anime movies):

"I wish they would make another movie about them." (sequels you wish they would make):


I will post this sometime within the next couple of days with my own responses. In the meantime, I tag... ALL OF YOU! Seriously, whomever reads this blog (I'm pretty certain Chelle, Shrew, and Cyndy visit regularly. Not sure about the rest of you). Basically, I want to pass this around ;)

EDIT: I guess I should have added, "If you decide to do this exercise, post a comment saying that you did!"

HNT - No more?

I know there's a LOT more important things going on (oh, like say, that terrorist thingie in England), but I think I'm going to give up HNT. I know, it's only been a few weeks, but you know, I came to a realization about HNT that basically makes me not able to continue (don't worry, it's nothing bad or illegal, it's just a personal issue that's not actually related to HNT).

Be well, and have fun everyone who is still continuing with it!

Technology - What a royal pain in the ass...

See that new fangled counter down there on the bottom right? I got that from Blog Addon.com. It's kind of a fledgling site, but I think it has potential. Problem is, it takes forever for new "features" to update for me with Blogspot, so I spend ages wrestling with the code, only to find out there's nothing wrong with it, just Blogspot hasn't updated yet (for future reference if you have similar problems: try clearing your browser cache then reload the page).

HNT 004

Hat style!

Yes, another stock HNT image. But there's no way I'm taking a new one today! You know that nasty heat wave across most of the northeast? I have no air conditioner! I can't even turn on the computer until 11 o'clock at night, when it dips *down* into the mid 80's, and I'm certainly not turning on any extra lights! Sorry folks. But at least next week should be cooler. And um... feel free to make suggestions. I can't think of any! (as in what I should take pics of for HNT)

One of my babies has a birthday today...

Happy birthday, Shadoe!

My baby is 15 years old today!

(get used to this, folks. I have *three* fur-babies with birthdays in August ;)

HNT 003

Older pic I had (but hey, Osbasso himself suggests saving some pics for when you have nothing else to publish!). I shaved that beard off a long time ago :)

A Most Painful (Video Game) Way to Go...

Screencap taken from my recent playtime with "Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay". This image has only been lightened so the detail shows. Nothing else was altered in anyway, shape or form.

Half Nekkid Thursday - 002

It's a BELLY BUTTON, people!

I don't feel so bad now...

I looked up, "rage" on Google image search, and just skimming the first few pages (even with filters off), I can see that none of those images (or the people who created them) can adequately visually define the emotion either...

This Doesn't Bode Well...

Well, despite the fact it pretty much hit 100 degrees today, and I lived in my towel (I believe I've taken 4 showers and counting today), I decided to shave with my new Gilette Fusion razor.

Shaving sucks. Period. Don't you females dare go, "you think it's bad?" stuff. You nick your leg, you have stockings, long socks, pants, skirts, etc. We men nick our faces and what do we have? Tiny swatches of toilet paper.

So let's just agree that shaving sucks for both genders and get on with the story...

First off, I prefer Gilette anyday over Schick (don't get me started on the insulting wordplay with the name alone). I was an early adopter of the Gilette Sensor, and it only took me awhile to get with the Mach 3 because of monetary shortcomings. (although to be honest, I felt 3 blades might be pushing it). Well, if 3 was pushing it, the Fusion is a self-massacre waiting to happen. 5 blades, plus one in the back (for those hard to reach places). Great, twice as much opportunity to accidentally slit my throat. I kid of course, I mean, I've been shaving for nearly 20 years, I'd like to think I'm a *little* practiced at it. But today was a horrible day to shave (weather wise), so I wound up nicking myself twice. I haven't nicked myself twice in the past 5 years of shaving combined, but twice in one day. I'm afraid. Very afraid. It does however, do a wonderful job on the chin (and that "blade for hard to reach places" on the back gets the spot under my nose really well, which is a pretty big deal for me).

I just thought this was a goofy little fun story to share (considering some of the other things that went through my mind today, it was post the shaving story, or nothing).

Rabbit... on a STICK!

Isn't there a safer way to lose weight?

I think the next week and a half are going to be "half nekkid" at least. They're predicting low to mid 90's with heat indices in the low 100's for my area until almost next tuesday (not the tuesday 3 days from now, but the tuesday a week and 3 days from now!), and I have no air conditioning. So if you see me on late, or not at all, these are the days I won't turn my computer on until at least 9pm...

Half Nekkid Thursday - 001

I blame Chelle (It's My Escape -> )

Oddly Appropriate...

Just wanted to share this:

Your Brain's Pattern

You have a dreamy mind, full of fancy and fantasy. You have the ability to stay forever entertained with your thoughts. People may say you're hard to read, but that's because you're so internally focused. But when you do share what you're thinking, people are impressed with your imagination.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

A Rarity: Something I Like!

Pitt Brush Pens. I've actually been using these for awhile (mine are actually black, although I did get a grey one for some simple grayscale shading if I feel like it), but I haven't had access to them in awhile. Then last week, before I went to my friends house, we stopped at Pearl Paint, and I got a few. And I fell in love with them again. They're such wonderful tools. I just felt the need to rave about them (instead of my usual rant), and if anybody else out there has any artistic tendancies, I can't recommend these highly enough!

One of those itty bitty gripes...

It's about the profile image. Now if you see the "FL" shield in the upper right, it pertains to my new logo (for my portfolio site). After several iterations of that "button", I finally just made it a jpeg file with a background (it's the same color as the box, but you can see it when I post comments on other people's blogs). I know that force resized gifs (forcefully resized by the browser) look terrible (especially when there's a dark line). However, it seems to be a no-win situation. If I made the button any smaller than that (to the right), then blogger forcefully upscales it, making it ugly (gif or jpg). If I leave it at that size (which looks nice on the blog), then blogger forcefully downscales it when I comment on people's blogs, which looks ugly also.

Sorry folks, I just am an occassional perfectionist, and just wanted it to look good regardless of where it's being used...

I'm such a tease...

edit: decided to give it a little "photo noir" feel to it

You silly Ken-ig-its...

Nobody actually misses me, so don't play sly .

I'm kidding, of course, and I deeply appreciate it when you fine folk actually post comments asking where I am. Well, I did what most people do on a summer holiday weekend (except I'm not most people), and I went away for a few days. Nothing huge, travel wise. I stayed with my friend from friday to monday.

On Saturday, we went to the beach. My first trip in almost 10 years. But hey, since Shrew will have to come into Long Island to go to the beach from now on, she can pick me up along the way :Þ

Oh, did I mention we went to the clothing optional part of the beach? Woohoo! The only "optional" thing for me was my shirt. Pants stayed firmly in place. I have to admit though, seeing as how about a quarter of the people there shared my same body type, I would have fit in fine if I had gone sans pants. Of course, I'm so terribly shy and self conscious, I think I would have turned red all over from embarassment. As is, I did get some tan, and a little bit of sunburn (nothing major), and it was just so nice. Gorgeous day, great breeze, no clouds. Walking on the beach is a b*tch though. We walked for over a mile on the beach, then about a mile and a half back on the boardwalk (since from that side of the beach it's a scenic trail boardwalk, it's longer back to the parking lot). I slept well that night!

Sunday, we got up early, went to see "Superman Returns". Alas, I was disappointed :( I admit, I've always been a Marvel Xombie, but I really do enjoy the marvel comic book movies more than the DC comic book movies (I didn't think "Batman Begins" was any great shakes last year, either). I hope the Wonder Woman movie is better.

We also watched a couple of my favorite movies, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and "Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children". Overall, it was one of the best weekends I've had in awhile.

Oh yeah, we also went to Pearl Paint (out on the island, not the huge one on canal street in the city), it's an art store (well, arts and crafts now). I kept looking for one particular product, and was disappointed they didn't have it. Well, they did actually. For some odd reason, I kept looking around this huge display of the pens, and not actually *at* it... That's my blonde moment for the month (summer, hopefully)

That's about it for me. And yes, that's about how exciting things get for me (unless you count the sunburn at my hairline. Ouch!).

Take it easy folks, and have a relaxing summer!

It's the background, right? Yeah, it's gotta be the paisley background...

Or maybe it was the two political posts, I dunno, but most of you regulars don't seem as eager to respond lately ;Þ

So what do I need to post to get you back in the commenting spirit? Half nekkid pics of my athletic body?¹

Photos of my irresistible² smile?

Or how about my gorgeous, dyed, wavy³ hair?

I'm willing to work with you all, just tell me what I have to do.









¹ : Sumo wrestlers are considered atheletes, right?
² : the urge to vomit is almost always nearly irresistable.
³ : thinning

Let's face it folks, if the key to enlightenment is a round tummy and long periods of sitting on your butt, I'm well on my way!

Are we defining our culture, or is our culture defining us?

Yeah, here I go with the political commentary again...

Court Rules: 15 year old girls can [commonlaw] marry.

For traditional ceremonial marriage, Colorado law sets the minimum age at 18, or 16 with parental or judicial approval.

"It appears that Colorado has adopted the common-law age of consent for marriage as 14 for a male and 12 for a female, which existed under English common law," the ruling said.

This has me wondering several things:

• Where do we draw the line at what "commonlaw" marriage is, what benefits (like health insurance, etc) commonlaw marriages are subject to (as opposed to legal marriages), with regards to restrictions on minors (like "age of consent")?


• Is this saying it's okay for teenagers to have sex and get pregnant, because in some "official" capacity a union between the boy and girl are recognized?


• Not trying to sound perverse here, but what are the restrictions with regards to household occupants? I know in most states intra-family unions are illegal, but what about distant cousins living with the family? I may have the definition of commonlaw marriage mixed up, but I thought it had to do with living conditions (household occupants) more than a guy and a woman living together for a certain amount of time and *stating* that they are commonlaw married. IOW, doesn't the state actually recognize/define commonlaw marriage on it's own? When I lived in NC, I lived with my ex-girlfriend for the better part of 3 years. I think commonlaw is 5 years or more or something like that, but would that have made us commonlaw married in the eyes of the state, even though we never claimed we were such?

Where the real issues with this type of stuff lie, to me is, condoning actions, and hypocriticism. What I mean is, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of acceptance (in both directions), yet as a country, we're constantly fighting against that "push" (at least, the negative aspects).

Okay, my thoughts are completely unorganized here, and I appologize for that.
We are one of the most prudish societies on earth, despite the amount of sex, exposure, etc. we see on TV and ads and the like, we're still much more constrained than much of the rest of the world in those respects. We're constantly trying to "lock up our daughters" (to use an old saying), and protect our children (there's another discussion, defining the boundaries of "childhood" and when a person ceases being a child) from, well, themselves (since they are the most easily influenced aspect of society). But at the same time, we're also making many more allowances for things that just a decade ago were considered wrong, or just plain stupid.

Okay, that's just the "questions" aspect of my post. My opinion?

Well, I'm torn. 30 years ago, the stupid kids were still smarter than our stupid kids today, but the smart kids weren't as smart as our smart kids are today. Back then, the majority was "average". That's not the case nowadays. The gap between "smart" and "stupid" appears to be widening, and there's just not that many "average's" anymore. I think "all men (and women) are created equal" is mostly true, but things diverge rather quickly. Unfortunately, laws are meant to be "indiscriminate", so how do you seperate the responsible from the irresponsible? And I don't just mean age, because I guarantee you there are a lot of "kids" who are much more responsible than many "adults".

I think that's why we're suffering, because societal priviledges are doled out based upon age (a non discriminating factor), but there's no way to adjust those priviledges (more appropriately) based upon intelligence and/or maturity (the truer defining nature).

I'm going off on a HUGE tangent here, and I'm aware of that (mind wandering and all that).

So, let's end it on this note: I'm not SURE what my opinion is on this, but it is something that really struck a chord with me. I'd love to know what your opinion on the matter is (and if you feel uncomfy commenting publically, or your opinion is even longer than mine ;), feel free to email me (link on the right)).

Sure, blogging is nice and fun, until somebody posts an eye out...

Little itty bitty tweakage...

I like having the exclamation point next to the post title, but it just occured to me abut an hour ago that it didn't match my new layout. So I tweaked it :) (I've been really bleh and down lately, so that sadly is just about the most exciting thing I have to post about).

What the...?!

Nobody liked the millipede?

On a political note...

Regular visitors to my blog know I'm rarely "serious" and even more seldom am I "political", but this pissed me off, and I need to share (especially since I *live here*!)

Homeland Security's rationale for stabbing the city in the back, as Rep. Pete King put it, was based on figments of the imagination and outright lies, all recorded in black and white on the score sheet used by the department for determining which cities got funding. By Chertoff's reckoning, New York has not a single national monument or icon that needs special security. No Ground Zero. No Empire State Building. No New York Stock Exchange. No Federal Reserve Bank. No St. Patrick's Cathedral. No Statue of Liberty. No nothing.

Feel free to Read more specifics here.


On a lighter note, they found a Rare White Millipede.

I think they call these "memes" because they force you to use your memory (b*st*rds!)

100 THINGS ABOUT ME


INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Copy this whole list into your journal.

2. Bold the things that are true about you.

3. Whatever you don't bold is false.


here we go!!


01. When I was younger, I made some bad decisions - um... duh...
02. I don't watch much TV these days - (define "much" and "watch")
03. I love broccoli- Love is so strong a term, but if made right, it is one of my favorites.
04. I love sleeping - I don't know if it's by habit or necessity... or both.
05. I have loads of books
06. I once slept in a toilet - Once? I used to work for the post office (not delivering mail, but in other capacities). I would take a half hour snooze on the toilet at least once or twice a week.
07. I love playing video games - I grew up on the stuff. I even used to impress my friends kids with my prowess. Yes, pity me.
08. I adore marijuana
09. I watch porn movies - (I was too embarassed to actually boldface this one).
10. I watch 'One Tree Hill'
11. I like sharks - They fascinate, yet scare the crap out of me at the same time (my second biggest fear is being stranded in the ocean in the middle of nowhere).
12. I love spiders
13. I was born without hair
14. I like George W. Bush
15. People are cool
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year - This time last year, I was questionable. Now I'm certifiable!
17. I have a Toyota and a pool
18. I have a lot to learn - and if you think you don't, allow me to enlighten you...
19. I carry my knife everywhere with myself
20. I'm really, really smart - Thay donet com no smahrder!
22. I have a secret
23. I hate rain
24. I drink health juice - (what the hell is "health juice"?)
25. Punk rock rules
26. I hate Bill Gates
27. I love Vietnamese food
28. I would hate to be famous
29. I am not a morning person - Morning is when I go to bed.
30. I have semi-long hair - But just on top of my head.
31. I have short hair - On the back and sides.
32. I have potential
33. I'm pure Afghan
34. My legs are two different sizes
35. I have a twin
36. I wear those long ass socks
37. I can roll my tongue
38. I like the way that I look
39. I'm obsessed with Italian food
40. I know how to French braid - Well, I used to anyways. Not sure if I still know how.
41. I can be pessimistic or optimistic whenever I want
42. I have a lot of mood swings
43. I skateboard/snowboard
44. I think that skateboarders are HOT
45. I'm in a band
46. I have talent
47. I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have
48. I think that I'm popular
49. I am currently single - (hence, number 9)
50. I can't swim
51. My favorite color is either blue, red, or white
52. I practically live in sweatshirts
53. I love to shop
54. I would classify myself as either punk or goth
55. I would classify myself as ghetto
56. I'm a prep, shop at abercrombie, and ADMIT IT
57. I'm obsessed with my xanga - (I used to be, but then my doctor prescribed an ointment...)
58. I don't hate anyone
59. I know how to square dance
60. I have a unibrow
61. I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mom
62. I have a cell phone
63. I believe in God
64. I watch MTV on a daily basis
65. I know how to play the tuba
66. I need coffee to live
67. I have had a boyfriend before
68. I've rejected someone before - It's not what you think...
69. I currently like someone and they have no idea that I like them
70. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life
71. I want to have kids when I get older
72. I have changed a diaper before
73. I've called the cops on a friend before
74. I bite my nails
75. I am a member of the Hilary Duff fan club
76. I'm not allergic to anything
77. I love broadway plays, and have been to at least 3
78. I have no idea who the 38th president was - (sadly, I know this and didn't need google)
79. I plan on seeing Mary Kate and Ashley's new movie - (only if it has something to do with number 9...)
80. I am completely shy around the opposite sex - darn, aren't there any more font decorations I can apply to this one?
81. I'm online 24/7 - nope. Only 14/7
82. I have at least 25 away messages saved
83. I have tried alcohol or drugs at a party
84. I loved Rush Hour
85. I've read all of the Harry Potter trilogy - trilogy?! There are *6* books, I've read the last 3 back to back to back over the span of 3 weeks (I'm half evil! Agh!), but I haven't read the first 3.
86. If I were a dwarf, I would be dopey - and about half of the others as well. I'd be like, Super Dwarf, with the strength and power of 5 dwarves!
87. When I was a kid I played with G.I. Joe If they and Transformers were size compatible, I'd STILL be playing with them...
88. I dont mind country music
89. I would die for my friends
90. I think that Juicy Fruit is the best type of gum
91. I watch soap operas whenever I can
92. I'm obsessive and paranoid and extremely jumpy - well, paranoid, but not the other two.
93. I would love to be demi moore because ashton kutchers a major hottie
94. I love the Beatles.. they're classic
95. I know all the words to 'I'm a barbie girl'
96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.. - and, as one comedian put it, "women can dress up as whores and get away with it."
97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
98. I have to fart - not currently, but when you actually read this, probably.
99. I want this damned thing to be over!
100. I'm happy.

I think it important to add: "Shrew made me do it". (I know, I'm so obliging)

Tweak this, tweak that (no, not *that* :Þ)

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for the kind birthday wishes.

Secondly, I'd like to thank everyone for the compliments on my blog template.
I tweaked the font settings, so it's better in Firefox, but still a little larger than I'd hoped for in IE, but not enough to fudge the layout, so it'll do. I also tweaked the comment popup to match the site more. Hope you like :)

Yay, it's my birthday! Uh Huh, it's my birthday!

The self serving post title, although accurate, is not about celebrating another year of my existence (although, that happens today too). It's more because I figured out what the heck was wrong with the template, after two days of fiddling, faddling, twiddling and anything else you can think of, I finally got it to display properly in Internet Explorer (links and all!), and I'm really, really pleased about that.

To those who are considering customizing their templates (like Michelle), fair warning: HTML has nothing to do with it. It's all Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and fairly complicated ones at that. I have almost no experience with them myself, which is why I had to bust my butt to figure this sucker out (and I did learn a lot in the process). I'd suggest you do what I did, and create a hidden "template testing" blog. (and make sure you back up any and all templates, just copy and paste the code into notepad and save it)
Even despite my precautions, I still messed up the template (which is why, if you stopped by last night, you saw I had the old template up temporarily).

This template is a heavily modified version (both in code and graphics) of the Blogger template "Rounders" by Douglas Bowman (whom I am very greatful to, just for creating it that I could learn from it).

I've now taken it upon myself to continue to learn CSS, so I can totally create my own templates from scratch. Obviously this will help me in other areas (like my own online portfolio). Once I get this more down pat, I'll also understand more how to insert the blogger coding (again, html is useless for it, for the most part).

The only real discrepancy now, is font size. I don't know if it's just my default browser settings, or what. In IE, text size is set to "medium" and everything fits perfectly, and looks nice. In Firefox however, the text is quite small, and the "normal" text size doesn't actually change it (I have to increase the size to get it comparable to IE). So either the "x-small" setting (in the CSS code), is x-small for Firefox, and "small" for IE (at least in proportional appearance), or there's a setting in Firefox I can't seem to find...

Let me know if it's too difficult to see. I can still set it to "small", and it will be normalized in FF, but a little larger in IE (but hopefully shouldn't mess up the layout of the page).

As for the links, I'm not 100% certain on how they were affected, but they show now too, so I'm glad of that :)

If anyone else is new to this, and wants to customize their blog template, maybe we can start a club, or a group blog to hash out information :)

Oh what a difference a browser makes...

I was so happy with my new template and such. And then nobody could see the link. Why? They were using Internet Explorer. Blogger always recommends Firefox (which is what I use by default). So now I'm going to have to re-write this template from the ground up, to make it as cross-browser compatible as possible. I appologize for the inconvenience.

Just so you can see the difference:

Firefox:


Internet Explorer:


*sigh*

Wish me luck...

It's Official...

The egg came first...

Not that this really comes as a surprise...

Out with the old, in with the new...

So I decided to start playing around with blog templates. The graphical part is easy. The hard part is the blogger coding that creates the actual blog. So I started out small. I modified the existing template I had on the site ("Rounders" by Douglas Bowman). I rather like it. It's unique, personalized, but still familiar. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments on it.

I have a hidden "template testing" blog, and intend to start creating more, and from scratch.

Random Thoughts...

1]Just saw a great new commercial using footage from Godzilla 98, for doritos. They show his "first appearance", and the fish semi-truck he chomps on is replaced by a doritos truck, and at the end of the commercial, it shows when he appears from the sewer, except this time he's licking cheese powder from his hands.

2]The Weather. I love this time of year. It's not too hot, and it's nice and breezy. I'm of the opinion that the windows should be WIDE open, even if you have to wear a shirt. Besides, indoor air is generally less healthy than outdoor air, so circulation is good. However, not everyone I live with seems to share the "open the windows" opinion...

3]I made brownies yesterday. They're gone today .
But that's not the point I'm trying to make here. Now, I've always been pretty good at math (although it wasn't my fave subject, so I always took the easier classes, no calculus for me!), but I'm ever so slightly befuddled. I was trying to figure out approximate baking times for our new stove based upon total surface area of the baking dish. The mix recommended a 13x9 pan, which gives you 117 square inches of surface area, at 28-31 minutes. And I started thinking...
If I took 3 inches off t he long side (making it 10 inches), and added it back to the shorter side, (making it 12 inches), essentially we're not actually losing size, however, now we have 120 square inches of surface area! Where'd that extra 3 square inches come from? I had taken the total inches (22, specifically. 13+9, 10+12, etc.) and started thinking of other derivations thereof. I came to the conclusion that an 11x11 square pan gives you 121 square inches, ie the most out of any derivations of 22, and thus, the shortest baking time (more surface area, and the mix would be spread out more. I haven't even attempted to calculate the changes in depth between variables, but I feel it's a fair assumption. So an 11x11 pan will probably only take about 20 minutes), not to mention it being easier to cut even pieces for everyone (assuming you're anal enough measure each piece. I assure you, despite my apparent nerdness, I'm not THAT anal).
Why did I start contemplating all this? Because I was in the bathroom, where all great and wonderous thinking takes place.

4]The Da Vinci Code: And I thought I was paranoid...
First off, this (from book to movie) has always been promoted as a work of *fiction*. Even if it wasn't, it isn't anything more than speculation (heck, even within the fictious story, the storyline is based on speculation).
Secondly, Da Vinci was a brilliant man, but a] has a known history of playing with genders in his work. For whatever reason, he had no problem painting/drawing effeminate men, masculine women, and often, gender non-specific figures. It seems he found them interchangeable, or at the very least, felt that the specific genders of his subjects were unimportant in many of his works of art. Also, b] as brilliant as he was, why would he, and he alone, have this specific information (presented in the ficticious work)? He also have a known history of being a theorist. A really good one, too. Even if he did theorize everything presented therein, it's still just that, a theory!
Thirdly, and this is from a more christian standpoint: One of the tenets about the bible is, "take nothing out, nor add anything to" it. What is in the bible is there for a reason, what's not there was also done for a reason. But that doesn't mean that stuff didn't happen outside the bible (it just wasn't included for whatever reasons). Jesus may have taken Mary Magdalene as his wife, and He could have had 43 kids with her. So what? That doesn't do ANYTHING to disparage, or somehow lessen the importance of His teachings presented within the bible. Of course the naysayers would latch onto such factoids and use it to undermine, or otherwise tear into Christianity (they've been doing it for centuries, like they really need another excuse). The point is, no Christian secure in his/her beliefs has anything whatsoever to worry about this, even if it was proven to be 100% true! The church has become just that paranoid. They have more to worry about from the pedophiliac priests who are tearing down the church from the insides, than from this speculative work of fiction that only would add another, if somewhat unexpected, aspect to the life of Jesus, but not negate what is reported in the bible.
Btw, I am a Christian (even if, admittedly, I'm not always a model christian), and I'm also naturally paranoid, but even I feel the church has often gone way too far in it's own paranoias. God help us all...

I love you, Mom

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least acknowledge my mom on mothers day (well, a little late, but that's okay because I spent a good part of today prepping the floor for the new (used) stove, her mom's day present ;).

She doesn't actually read my blog, and I'm not here to impress anybody, so I won't go into details, but I do love my mother very much, and I'm greatful for everything she's done for me, and given me.

David Blaine: What in the Bloody Blue Blazes is wrong with this man?!

I didn't watch his special the other night, but how could you not hear about it? Every time this guy does some stunt, it's in the news for a week or more afterwards. I saw a special with him very early in his career, and he did some amazing stuff. Like walking the streets, and finding homeless people drinking coffee, and making their cups overflow with coinage. Also his "levitation" (as far as I know, from friends who practice such... trickery/deception (let's face it, that's what it mostly is, not real "magic" in the classic sense), only that levitation trick is repeatable. The others are still a mystery). But all of a sudden, this guy tried to become David Copperfield, only using himself instead of the Statue of Liberty or Space Shuttle. Is his ego THAT large that he must make such a public spectacle of himself for no reason? Even his latest stunt, the breath holding thing, why break the record?! The person who holds the record is a free diver (someone who dives fairly deep, but w/o any equipment), so it's a *practical* skill. He has no business trying to compete with that. You'll never see him going for the "most consecutive hours watching TV" record (for the record on that one, it's held by a couple of kids who broke it during the last summer olympics in 2004, and they did it in an IHOP restaurant!) because it just doesn't inflate his ego like the 'stamina' records do.

This guy went from respectable, entertaining and even amazing, to just needy and egotistical. I have doubts as to whether or not he and Donald Trump could even fit in the same building together...

A Sad day in Toonsville...

Now we know what happened to the cast of "the Little Mermaid". Let us bow our heads in a moment of silence.





Someone please pass the tartar sauce?

Of all the things...

They say wednesday is "hump day", but you know... I'm still waiting for proof.

Adventures in um... Cat stuff...

Last week (thursday to be precise) I took Cleo (my calico kitten) over my friends house. See, she's 8 months old, and she's gone through her first heat, and honestly, ugh! I mean, my other two cats (Shadoe, and Kitt who passed away last year) are female, and Shadoe wasn't spayed until she was 6 years old (and had a pyometra), and Kitt was never spayed, but they were kooky when they went into heat. They also had NO desire to go outside whatsoever. Cleo on the other hand, well, I have a harness and leash for her, and have to take her for walks (otherwise she'll try to escape whenever the door opens). And she was yowling. And she was LOUD. I mean, I took Pepper (doggie) for a walk across the street, and we could hear Cleo yowling.

We have had a great veterinarian for years, but unfortunately, they won't spay until the animal has an initial exam, stool sample and testing, vaccinations, Feline Leukemia and FAIDS testing, MINIMALLY. That's almost 400 dollars worth of tests/exams, before we even get to the 250 bucks for spaying. I couldn't afford that, but there's a great place called "Island Rescue" near where my friend lives, and it's where he took his cat to be spayed. Also, they vaccinate them, and give them a rabies shot when you bring them in for spaying. The cost of all this? 50 bucks! Truly a life saver. They encourage people to bring in strays/ferals as well (which is why it's so cheap, they're all about prevention, not profit). On top of that, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.

So Cleo hated the cat carrier, and ripped up my hands trying to get out (I have 9 scars just on my left hand alone). But we stayed overnight at my friend's house, his cat wasn't happy. She was hissing and swiping at everyone. Early the next morning (you have to bring them in between 9am and 10am), we were there with Cleo in the carrier a few minutes to 9, and got in right away. What a brat she is. She totally freaks out in the car, even when covered, yet with a dog barking less than a foot away, she's sitting right at the front of the carrier watching it. Even when the vet took her in the back, she was at the front looking at the vet. So my friend and I just hung out, watched a Godzilla movie, went to a couple of stores, until 2:30pm, when it was time to pick Cleo up.

They said I couldn't let her out of the carrier until at least 7pm (this is friday night), and warned that the anesthesia often made cats cranky, and potentially agressive (since it's a disassociative anesthesia, they're not really certain of what's going on). Of course, I'm also supposed to keep her indoors for about 10 days, and limit her activity. The anesthetic is supposed to wear off in 24 hours as well.

Well, we went pretty far out on the island, to the Montauk lighthouse (about an hour and 15 minutes, approx. 65 miles east, one way, so 2.5 hours total trip), and didn't get back until almost 9pm. So, keeping Cleo isolated in my friends room (we weren't going to risk the trauma of the hour long trip home right after her already stressful day of surgery, so we stayed over friday night too), I opened the carrier, and offered her some water and a little food. She drank a little, didn't really eat much, but wouldn't you know it? The resilient little brat started exploring the room again! She walked a little drunkenly, but she seemed to be otherwise fully aware, and not cranky at all! I still put her back in the carrier for the night (didn't want her stumbling around in the dark), and she wanted to get out about 6:45am saturday morning (she had to use the litterbox), and she was reserved, but walking fine. I commented that she was supposed to be groggy for at least another 7 hours.

After that, she went back into the carrier, we slept a bit longer, then brought her home. Again, she complained :) She then slept most of the rest of saturday and sunday (I figured since we were in a strang/new place, for her at least, that she forced herself to stay awake a bit more, but once we got home she slept off the anesthesia).

Well, here it is now, early tuesday morning, and she's already done a couple of things she shouldn't, despite me trying to keep tabs on her. She tried to jump to the kitchen counter (eek!), and she's climbed partway up the wooden clothes dryer rack and gotten to the window. I still try to keep her from doing the really big things (like climbing up to the top bunk, or doing her "spider cat" impression), and I check her incision daily. She's such a strong willed little trooper, and yes, I do worry about her (at this point in my life, I figure she's probably the closest I'm going to get to actually having kids of my own).

The bonus? (aside from no more yowling and attracting male cats)

They trimmed (or capped) her claws :) She loves to tread on my arms (the milk treading habit they do to encourage the flow of milk from their mother during weening, after weening though it becomes a sign of closeness/affection in a way). But since she climbs a lot, she has long, strong claws, and unlike Shadoe who would tread with her claws fully retracted, Cleo just relaxes the muscles, so her claws are out. Often times I wind up with cuts, scratches, sore spots and even hives on my arms from this (and with her being so stubborn, I can't seem to discourage this habit). However, when she did carefully jump up on the bed this morning, and knead my arm, it was not only bearable, but actually pleasant! No "pin pricking", no sharp poking, or catching the skin. (When we got to my friends house thursday night, she still has some shreds of my skin under her claws. Ouch).

Yeah, I know, long winded post, but I'm just letting you all know how my weekend went and why I wasn't around.

My Life: The Motion Picture

I saw Ren had done this, and I know I did it before (but can't recall where):

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Bring on the freaky chicks!

Happy Easter, folks.

Just a plain and simple post wishing everyone a happy easter.

I'm not snubbing you, honest!

There's a few of you who's blogs I visit, but I don't have you listed in my "bloggage" links on the right. I visit your blogs because I enjoy them, so it's not my intention to keep them a "personal little secret". So what I'm saying is, if I've commented on your blog at least twice, that means I'm a frequent flyer. If your link isn't on my blog, email me please and let me know! I'd love to add you!

More List-isty Goodness

I wasn't officially tagged, but I purloined this from Shrew:

accent - I have a single word accent. From my time spent in North Carolina, I don't get "tired", I get "tarred". Don't know why. Other than that, I've had people tell me they can't tell where I'm from because I have no accent whatsoever.
booze of choice - bailey's irish creme
chore i hate - cleaning the kitchen/livingroom
dog or cat - 1 dog, 3 cats
essential electronics - my computer, of course!
favorite perfume/cologne - I like Nautica, although deodorants are becoming so perfumy nowadays, who even needs colognes?
gold or silver - I don't wear jewelry, but I am a little partial to silver.
hometown - brentwood, new york
insomnia - depends on how you define insomnia...
job title - O2 to CO2 converter
kids - ha!
living arrangment - here and there.
most admired trait - in others? Honesty, sense of humor, intelligence (but not snobbiness)
number of sexual partners - nada, zip, zero, zilch.
overnight hospital stays - More (since january 2005) than I'd care for...
phobia - dying
quote - my all time favorite/most often used quote: "huh?"
religion - christian
siblings - one older sister
time i wake up - whenever
unusual talent/skill - I'm multilingually illiterate. I can't read in several languages :Þ
vegetable i refuse to eat - cauliflower. Yuk!
worst habit - I'm a bit of a recluse
x-rays - Chest mostly
yummy foods i make - Chili, various egg dishes, and a few personal recipes :)
zodiac sign - gemini

Something ain't quite right...

So I had some salmon (I mush it up good, add some mayo, horseradish, and honey mustard, because I can't eat dry meat, and it could still use a little flavor). Then I had some applesauce, some with "country berries", some with strawberries (these are Motts little snack cups). But for some reason, the taste in my mouth right now is that of black olives.

What the...?!

Forgotten Love?

I'm usually not "philosophical" (I'm either goofy, or analytical), but I was chatting with a friend tonight, and it got me thinking about something...

Can one "forget" what it's like to love, or be in love (to be more specific)? I mean, obviously I love my family, and my friends, so love isn't a foreign concept to me. There was a time when I was deeply *in love*, so I'm no stranger to that state of being either.

I do have a lot of female friends, and I do have a lot of fun with them (mostly chatting), and yes, some of them are quite attractive. I do find myself feeling protective of them sometimes (that's always been my thing), but I sometimes wonder if I'll ever truly be in love again, or if I already *have*, but somehow 'glossed over it'.

See, I've gotten into a different mindset (in recent years) with regards to "love". I'm definetly all for it, but I don't feel... I guess "worthy" is the most appropriate thing here. That's not to say I don't have anything to offer, but there are also things about me that I feel a potential mate shouldn't have to deal with. Like my recent health issues. But I wonder if I am keeping people at a distance, either due to my own feelings of inadequacy, or in trying to be so *certain* that it's love, that I'm actually circumventing the process?

It's not that I have anybody specific in mind, I care about all of my friends, and yes, many of them qualify as "potential spouses", I just wonder if I'm short changing myself... Something for all the singles who read my blog to ponder :)

And to all, good luck with your own love experiences!

I Wonder...

The most popular egg dish is scrambled eggs. Did you ever stop to consider how many of those scrambled egg dishes started out as an omelette or sunny side up eggs gone bad?

Paid Spamertisements? (a legit discussion)

Spam Blockers and AOL's new plans...

I found this article rather interesting. I will agree that it seems some spamblockers are a little too agressive (yet they still tend to let too much spam through). But most services have a "junk" folder that allows you to check out the email they've marked as spam. I advise always going through the folder for at least a week whenever you set up a new account of any kind, that utilizes such a service (like gmail, hotmail, or mozilla's thunderbird email program), as it will inevitably peg some of your legit email as spam.

AOL's new plan, however, is to begin *charging* legitimate mass emailers a fee to allow the emails to pass. This has it's pros and cons. I'd like to address a few:
PRO:

• Virus wielding, illegitimate spammers will not pay for such services. In fact, one of the reasons why the computers have viruses is because they are built *solely* to spam. A simple mass emailer, a long list of emails, and the spam is installed, the comp is given an internet connection, and left alone for weeks (or more), so when they do get hacked, or a virus, the owner doesn't give a rat's behind.


• Foreign email spammers, even if they are legit, likely won't pay for such services. I don't know about you, but I recieve a TON of Korean spam (and occassionally chinese spam). Mostly for online stores. They seem legit, but obviously there's no way I'm buying from them.

CON:

• Mass emailers that commonly get pegged for spam but aren't (like yahoogroups, and other legit mailing lists), are going to have an even harder time getting through. Why? Because these lists are usually free. Why would they continue to be free if AOL is going to charge them?


• AOL is controlling what they define as "Spam". Not you. Like the aforementioned emails that often get pegged for spam but aren't, that you normally have to white list, or mark as "not spam", now AOL is planning to play Border Patrol and stop them before you even get the chance to mark them 'legit'.

Obviously those are very brief lists, but I'd like to mention some of the repercussions as well:
Many mailing lists are going to specifically NOT allow you to sign up with AOL email addresses. Considering how the majority of online identities out there are AOL, this is going to alienate a lot of people (at least, the less computer litterate ones who don't know/trust well enough to sign up for an alternative free email account). Eventually however, this may severely hurt these services, when they realize just how big a populace the AOL community is, thus either making them decide to allow AOL emails, but start charging for the currently free services, or decide it's not worth it to continue the service altogether.
The other big repercussion is the control of content. I'm all for more agressive spam control, but the problem (and this is the big problem with product activation, like Adobe and Microsoft), is that these systems, the obviously "easier to implement" solutions, tend to victimize the *legitimate* parties, rather than make the spammers/pirates pay for their misdeeds. Since AOL has to approve what is or isn't spam ANYWAY for this program, why not identify the legitimate entities, allow them through, for free, and identify the real spammers and *locate them*, and make *them* pay, the situation would be not only more tolerable, but praiseworthy.
The FBI goes after hackers, and software pirates with applomb, but obviously doesn't go after the spammers with nearly the same tenacity (for several reasons, one they can't really recoup much monetary cost, so there's no financial reason for the FBI, or AOL to go after them too hard, plus legally, there's still a fine line between solicited and unsolicited. How many emails have you gotten that said "you're receiving this because you signed up with..." even though you haven't, but the fact that they have your address they can say you did if ever taken to court over it. OR, the ones that quote some government statute/docket number as the reason why the email isn't spam (for the record, it's a lie, the statute commonly sited was shot down in congress years ago, and there hasn't been any such proposal since).

Basically, spammers are not financially viable targets to go after (for the big companies/FBI), and victimizing legitimate mass emailers is not the way to go. Although, if AOL was dedicating any fees they got from legit emailers towards locating and stopping spammers, I (and many others) wouldn't have such a problem with this issue.

Let me know your thoughts, feedback, peanut butter cookie recipes, etc. ;Þ

Oscar Notes (the very brief version)

I got 10 out of 25 right. But of course, the two biggest upsets of the night were Reese Witherspoon for Best Actress, and Crash, coming out of nowhere to win best picture.

A Great Way to Unwind...

Music has always been a great way to unwind, but I'd like to specifically recommend the soundtrack to "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". The recent Johnny Depp/Tim Burton remake. The soundtrack is by Danny Elfman, and it's so quirky, and the tunes are so catchy, you can't help but "fall into them". It's great for just forgetting the day and loosening your mind...

Oscar Predictions!

Figured I'd make my Oscar predictions since it's only about 3 weeks away (and me, being a procrastinator, would probably make my predicitions a week after the event, if I wasn't going to do it right now.)

Best Picture
Capote

Best Director
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

Best Actress
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica

Best Supporting Actor
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain

Best Supporting Actress
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

Original Screenplay
Good Night, and Good Luck, George Clooney & Grant Heslov

Adapted Screenplay
Brokeback Mountain, Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana

Best Animated Feature
Howl's Moving Castle

Best Foreign-Language Film
Tsotsi (South Africa)

Art Direction
Memoirs of a Geisha

Cinematography
Memoirs of a Geisha

Costume Design
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Documentary Feature
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Documentary Short
God Sleeps in Rwanda

Film Editing
Cinderella Man

Makeup
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Original Score
Munich, John Williams

Original Song
"In the Deep" (Crash), music by Kathleen "Bird" York & Michael Becker; lyrics by Kathleen "Bird" York

Animated Short
The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation

Live-Action Short
Ausreisser (The Runaway)

Sound Editing
King Kong

Sound Mixing
War of the Worlds

Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

There you have it, folks. If I'm right on all/most of them, and you placed any wagers based upon my predictions, I require a 10% cut of all the winnings.

If you place any wagers based upon my predictions and lose, well, what's wrong with you?! Listening to me... yeesh. You need to have your head examined...

In case you need a list yourself of all the nominees in all the categories, go Here (E! Online).

Get Ta Know Me!

Reposted (with my own answers, of course) from Shrew's blog.

welcome to the 2006 edition of getting to know your friends (& relatives). what you are supposed to do is copy this entire thing and paste it into a blog entry. change all the answers so they apply to you. youre supposed to send this to a whole bunch of people including the person who sent it to you, but instead, ill post the answers here [ i know, lazy girl that i am! ]. the theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends, if you did not know them already.


here we go....


1. what time did you get up this morning? 2pm. I've been very tired/sick lately (might be my weakened heart)
2. diamonds or pearls? Neither
3. what was the last film you saw at the cinema? Chronicles of Narnia
4. what is your favorite tv show(s): CSI, Family Guy
5. what did you have for breakfast? I had a leftover empanada (the caramel apple ones from Taco Bell. Yeah, I know, bad for me, but since I've hardly eaten all this week...)
6. what is your middle name? James
7. what is your favorite food? cuisine? I'm almost inclined to borrow Shrew's answer. I love sushi (and it's many variations thereof), and I do love Penne Ala Vodka. But traditionally, I'm a sandwhich man :) (one of my faves though, I used to get for lunch when I lived in NH was the steak tips sub, with cheese and wilted lettuce).
8. what foods do you dislike? I don't dislike foods, they dislike me.
9. Do you like to play the skin flute? Yes and no.
10. favorite sandwich? steak tips sub with melted cheese and wilted lettuce :)
11. what characteristics do you despise? dishonesty, self-martyrdom, I don't mind know it alls, as long as they actually do. I dislike the ones who insist despite any and all evidence that they are right and you are wrong. Trollism (if you read usenet/newsgroups, or frequent message boards, you'll know what I mean).
12. favorite item of clothing? probably my one pair of jeans, but that's more because of lack of alternatives.
13. if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Ireland
14. what color is your bathroom? White I think. Last time we needed to paint it (badly), so we just used the paint we had on hand, which was either white or a slightly grayish white.
15. favorite brand(s) of clothing? I'll say "faded glory" (Kmart brand) because I can usually get tee shirts for 3-5 bucks apiece :Þ
16. where would you retire to? If this is an "anywhere" question, I'd probably say "San Diego", otherwise, just some place that's nice, but not too humid in the summer, but preferably doesn't average 6 feet of snow per winter!
17. favorite time of day? When everybody else goes to bed, and I have the apartment all to myself.
18. where were you born? almost in a toilet (seriously), but luckily mom got to the bedroom in time where my father delivered me on their bed.
19. favorite sport to watch? baseball
20. who do you least expect to send this back? spamspamspamspam :Þ
21. person you expect to send it back first? Just to buck the trend, I'm going to send this to myself first.
22. what laundry detergent do you use? whatever's on sale.
23. coke or pepsi? I like coca cola, but sugar and caffeine are no longer part of my diet.
24. are you a morning person or night owl? night owl without a doubt.
25. What size shoe do you wear? 10 wide
26. do you have pets? 2 cats and a dog that I call my own, but we have another cat in the house as well (belongs to my sister, but he's friendly enough for everybody).
27. any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? I was diagnosed with a heart condition. Not that it's "exciting" per se, but it does qualify as "significant".
28. what did you want to be when you were little? an Paleontologist. I loves me some dinosaurs!
29. candy bar? again, can't have 'em, but if I could, Reeses PB Cups, all the way!
30. what is your best childhood memory? I don't know what my "best" is... I have a few that I remember, but not for anything significant...
31. what are the different jobs you have had in your life? worked overnight at a grocery store (technically, I was the cashier, but I did stock, product ordering, basically everything!), Comic book colorist/penciller, Postal Employee.
32. what color underwear are you wearing? black. Whenever I feel bad enough that I think a hospital visit might be in order, I wear dark/colored underwear.
33. nicknames: fungus, or several other derivatives thereof.
34. eye color: olive green
35. who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? Nobody's. I'm not a stalker. Honest I'm not... *hides zoom lens and camera*
36. last person you went to dinner with: My best friend, Pat
37. what are you listening to right now? "The Towering Inferno" on the TV, and my dog barking at me to give her more food.

On a Personal Note...

This is my little kitten, Cleo. I always consider my pets as pretty much, "the closest I'll get to having real children", until I actually have kids myself. That being said, she likes to lay side by side with me, with her head resting on my outstretched arm. When I was a kid, I used to do that with my dad. I find the fact that she does this to be bittersweet. Simultaneously reminding of one of my fonder childhood memories, enjoying the moment as is, and making me think of what possibly may never be. It's one of those past, present, future things I guess...

For All My Friends on Valentine's Day

To share this with others, just copy this link: The Flash File

EDIT: It seems Internet Explorer doesn't like the embedded object linked remotely, so you have to click the link above to view it (it views fine as an actual URL, just not embedded). Sorry for the inconvenience.

EDIT AGAIN: I fixed it. IE and other browsers have no problems with embed tags, but IE doesn't seem to care for object tags. So it's been fixed. Enjoy :)

Finally, a Quiz that gets it right...

I don't usually post these type of blogthing quiz results, but this one was so right on, I just had to share:

Your Musical Tastes Match: Weird Al

What Celebrity Matches Your Taste in Music?

An observation, and the evil that is "Valentine's Day"

I'm sure like all of you, 90% of your inbox is merely spam. Even with the filters in Thunderbird, some of them get through. Well, this one subject line caught my eye today:

"Former President Klinton uses Voagra"

and dang it, the only thing I could do was guffaw and say "well he's using the wrong dang thing, Boseefus!"

Why I did that, I'll never know, but the memory of which still gives me a chuckle (you had to be there).

So what's the deal with Valentine's day? Seriously... I mean, I'm marginally aware of the history of Saint Valentine, but to be honest, shouldn't everyday with your loved one be a mini-love fest? As if this day needs to be "especially special". Why? Because Hallmark said so? Sorry, just ranting. It's actually not a horrible day if you do have a loved one (let's face it, we don't celebrate the loves in our lives often enough, at least let this day force us to remind us of that). I think the thing I despise the most, and it's the same thing I despise about most holidays, is the commericialism. When I did have a sweetie, at the time she was living in NC and I in NY, I called 1800flowers, and had a custom bouquet sent to her. It had a small white teddy bear (I think it had a custom message on the t shirt as well), and a small bouquet that had one dark rose (I'd have prefered purple/blue, but I think red was the darkest they had available) surrounded by half a dozen white roses (that's my 'specialty bouquet', I think it is a fair representative of myself, as presented to my love in flower format), and it cost a small fortune.

I did learn though, that if you wait for the end of the day (or if it's on a sunday, all day is fine), you can usually get flowers cheaper (but forget the delivery) as many places usually overcharge, and find themselves with overstock. Hey, it's still the thought that counts. Isn't it?

I can't comment on the candy, because I always found that the most fascist part of valentines day. We always found toilet paper (usually in the large 12-24 roll pack) to be a more practical gift, as well as saying, "even when you're taking a sh*t, I got your ass covered."

Isn't that what real romance is all about?

Just a Quick Note...

Since I know most of the people who read my blog are women (I'm not being chauvenistic, I just happen to know that most of the people who read this and generally respond are female), I want you all to do me a favor:

If I ever become the subject of one of those "I love you but you don't love me back" type posts (or poems, or whatever), please smack me. Seriously. Even if I didn't even have a clue, feel free to clue me in. I think the only worse thought than not ever experiencing love again, is to find out that there's someone out there who does want to share her love with you, and you (I) were either oblivious, or just didn't care. And if (and honestly, I can't imagine why) there does happen to be such a lady out there, please let me know. At the very least I want to acknowledge it (even if I honestly can't share it, I don't want to be that 'unrequited love'). That being said, I find the prospect of such a being being out there remote and even preposterous at times, but hey, all things are possible, who am I to turn a blind eye? :)


In case you're wondering, I wrote this because there's a couple of blogs I frequent (and many more I've read in passing) that basically deal with this issue (the blogger caring deeply for someone who barely acknowledges her existence), and frankly, it saddens me that such things occur...

Okay, enough sentimentality. Where's my damn beer, woman?!

Three Week - The End

Well, I'm actually cutting it off at day six for several reasons:
1] spending friday in the hospital¹, I missed a day in the cycle.
2] Technically it was a week (from sunday to sunday).
3] Even though I did have a seventh topic (Three School Memories), I honestly can't remember what I had in mind when I chose the topic (aside from a girl borrowing my chocolate milk, so she could fill a condom with it and hit someone with it).

Is it a cop out? Maybe. I don't think so. We got 6 in, and I think the project was interesting. I intend (hopefully) not only do do a "Three Week" every year, but come up with other blog projects (blojects? <- you read it here first!) for my own use, and that of other blogging buddies.

That being said, I'd like to thank everyone who participated (or intend to participate). It's an interesting (but hopefully non-intrusive) way to get to know the people we blog with. And if you see "Three Week" pop up on MySpace, you can blame me ;)

¹speaking of hospital visits, I hear Shrew (the Taming ) spent a few days in one. Hope you're feeling better now dear, if not, get well soon!

Three Week - Day Six

Topic: The first time you "discovered" underwear, list three things that made it a discovery.

The colors, oh the colors!


Up until this time, I thought underwear only came in white. Imagine my joy upon discovering black, navy, olive, burgundy and other colors! Okay, it may not seem like a big deal, but being paranoid as I am, especially since we had to change in the lockerroom in front of other guys, this was a Godsend.




Midway aka Boxer Briefs.


Boxers are too rough/uncomfy (I've never had a pair of knit or silk boxers, so I can't comment on those), and sometimes "tighty whities" tend to ride up too much (and they were much worse in the summer, when we used to play ball almost daily). Then I discovered underwear that was as soft as briefs, but allowed for the same thigh protection (not to mention anti-wedgie protection) as the too-rough boxers. So now when people ask me, "Boxers or Briefs", I tell them, "Both, at the same time."




Lacey Panties.


I've never worn woman's underwear (honest!), but I'm pretty sure that there's no greater underwear discovery in a boys life than woman's underwear! Ironically, I think this contributed to my *trouble* drawing women. I happen to think that all women are beautiful in their own way, but there's just such a natural accentuation of that beauty when a woman is in her underwear. When drawing, I feel so intimidated trying to capture such beauty...

And just so nobody has to scroll down unnecessarily:

My "Three Week" tags:
Reciprocal - Beginnings
Chelle - It's my Escape
Shrew - The Taming
Brenda - Planet Brenda

Three Week - Day Five

You all got a little reprieve, as I spent the day in the hospital.

Topic: List three marketing promotions that you've seen in your lifetime that stick out in your mind.

Herb (Burger King)


This was a mid-80's promo that incorporated a middle aged bald guy who would appear randomly at restaurants around the country, and spotting (and identifying him would win you about a million bucks. Needless to say, I feel sorry for the balding, middle aged man who was apparently not Herb, that I harassed when I was 12, trying to convince him that he was indeed, Herb, while he was trying to enjoy a solitary meal.




Bigfoot "You Ain't Got No Camera" (Cingular)


This one is only a few years old, and I've only seen it twice, but it's just about the funniest commercial I've ever seen. It was used to promote some of the first camera phones. A lone hiker comes across bigfoot in the forest, who then proceeds to mock him with a dance, and the repeated chant noting, "you ain't got no camera!" The hiker then takes out his cell phone and snaps a few shots of bigfoot. Needless to say, he tries to convince the hiker to give up the cell phone.




Godzilla (1998)


Who could escape (especially if you lived in NY or Los Angeles) the gigantic, "His _____ is as big as this ____" posters and billboards? Being the big Godzilla fan that I am, I would drool at each sighting (sadly, for the scrapbook I was making, I never took any photos of these ads). This, coupled with the totally unexpected teaser shown with "Men in Black" (which started the whole "let's show trailers more than a year before the movie opens" trend), I couldn't possibly have been anymore hyped for this movie than I was.

Honorable mention: The "Independence Day", Blow-Up-The-White-House Superbowl commercial that had people talking for weeks (and practically overshadoed the game itself)

And just so nobody has to scroll down unnecessarily:

My "Three Week" tags:
Reciprocal - Beginnings
Chelle - It's my Escape
Shrew - The Taming
Brenda - Planet Brenda

Three Week - Day Four

Topic: Aside from the obvious (watch/wallet, etc), list three items that can be found in your pockets or purse.

Lip Balm


Usually Chapstick, but I'm not above going for the flavorful alternatives. The last three pack I bought had french vanilla, citrus, and almond scents. And no, they weren't lip gloss.




Albuterol Inhaler


I don't actually have asthma, but I am prone to breathing problems (usually due to GERD or anxiety). So it's not as effective against those (I had to use it when I had severe bronchitis), but it still helps sometimes (unless it's GERD).




Old Receipts/Scraps of Paper


and lots of them! Mostly paper, or a card with my last few doctors appointments, etc. I only tend to clean out my jacket pockets when I need to put something in them and there's not enough room.

And just so nobody has to scroll down unnecessarily:

My "Three Week" tags:
Reciprocal - Beginnings
Chelle - It's my Escape
Shrew - The Taming
Brenda - Planet Brenda

Three Week - Day Three

Topic: Name a food item that you've eaten, prepared 3 different ways. List them, and explain your favorite.

Food item: Macaroni and Cheese

Pre-packaged


I actually really used to like the "White Cheddar" dry mac and cheese (any brand really, but I used to get the local store brand). I used to work at a supermarket, and on my last day, I bought a big blue tote bin, and filled it with mac and cheese, and ramen noodles. I subsisted on that for months afterwards. The Velveeta with the creamy sauce isn't bad, but the best one is the Kraft Deluxe three cheese variety.




Classic Homestyle, baked


Ironically, this is my least favorite version. I don't mind baked pasta (hey, I am half italian afterall), but it's moreso the use of cheddar that I dislike. When cooked, cheddar (moreso than most other cheeses) tends to break down into the milk solids (like curds) and oil. You have to go through a few extra steps to keep it creamy, and even then it's often quite bland.




Creamy Mac and Cheese, my way


I guess we really are the most knowledgeable at what we like. I decided one day to create my own version of mac and cheese, on the stove top, not baked (although it would probably work fine baked too), and came up with some very tasty, and creamy mac and cheese. This is definetly my favorite, although I haven't made it in years. I won't post the recipe, although I'll gladly share it if asked

Just to help people out, there are plenty of foods that may be prepared multiple ways that don't immediately come to mind, so I'll list a few:
Eggs
Pasta
Potatoes
Cakes
Fish

And just so nobody has to scroll down unnecessarily:

My "Three Week" tags:
Reciprocal - Beginnings
Chelle - It's my Escape
Shrew - The Taming
Brenda - Planet Brenda