October 2003 | Main | December 2003

November 30, 2003

Acidman's Sunday Seven

sunday seven
1) Did you ever find yourself totally in love with someone? What was it that really attracted you to them?
Yes, my husband, John. We met over the internet, and I was totally attracted to his writing. He has an incredible sense of humor, and he does great cyber-sex.

2) Have you ever driven a car at a speed in excess of 100 MPH? If so, did you enjoy the experience?
Yes. When I was about 18. It wasn't really intentional, I just looked down, and I was going way to fast, so I slowed back down to about 75.

3) What was the first alcoholic beverage you ever drank? (If you answer "sloe gin," you are disqualified.)
Beer. I was brought up on beer. My daddy worked for a brewery, and made sure that I acquired the taste.

4) How old were you when you lost your virginity?
19 - I was a sophomore in college. Had plenty of opportunities before that, but no one who seemed worth the while, and I was right.

5) How often do you have really crazy dreams that make perfect sense while you are dreaming them?
Nightly. I have always had crazy ass dreams. They always make sense until I wake up.

6) What is the CRAZIEST thing you ever dreamed that made perfect sense as you dreamed it?
John and I were working in a large room that looked like a library. Beautiful rich wood walls, shelves, molding and huge doors made up this room. There were a lot of bosstype people around who spied on everyone's every moment.
It seemed that our jobs consisted of looking in a book and copying down numbers. I recall being bored shitless, but I needed the money, so I had to look interested.
Finally, at lunch time, John and I ran outside and jumped on a hydroplane boat and took off on the river and ended up at Lake Tahoe.
That is pretty far from Kansas!

7)If you could change one thing about your physical appearence, what would it be?
well, let's see - I would be thinner, quite a bit thinner, a size 10 or 12 - that's fat for a lot of 20 and 30 somethings, but I look good in a 10 or 12. I am one of those curvey wimmen.

Posted by Beth at 3:39 PM | Comments (3)

oooohhh - cookies!

What Kind of Cookie Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Stoen from Kate - who has great stuff to steal!

Posted by Beth at 3:23 PM

I'll be traveling

for the next week. I'm off to Reno, Nevada tonight, and I'll be there until next Sunday, when I'll come home, repack my suitcase, sleep a few hours and then fly to Durham, North Carolina - that week I get to come home on Thursday night.
I will be blogging when I can, so I'll see you then.

I have to get packed and go buy some damned pantyhose. (they never last more than one trip).

I hope that some kind Christmas Fairy will come and decorate our house while I'm gone, but chances are, he or she will go to the wrong house.

Posted by Beth at 11:37 AM | Comments (1)

Bloggin' Nekkid ©

I'm happy to see that people are voting. My apologies to Cheeky Squirrel, the deadlines for logo entries was Saturday, noon Central, and I won't be able to add your logo.
However, I figure people can use whatever logo they want.
I am working on the Congress of Nekkid Bloggers Blogroll, which will be located right under my calander on the right.
If you want to be listed, please let me know. I have some idea who is interested from earlier comments, but I will need your blog URL.
If you do not have a blog, well, you ought to start on - there are free hosting services out there. But if you really, really don't have a blog, don't want to start one, then give me your name and email address, and I'll have a special section for you.

Posted by Beth at 10:22 AM | Comments (4)

November 29, 2003

Bloggin' Nekkid© Logo Contest

Okay, folks, The voting begins now. Just pick your favorite over there on the right.
Many, many thanks to our artistic Bloggin' Nekkid friends:
1. Eric of Straight White Guy 2. Pam of Drowning at 2 feet sea level has 5 entries;

And finally, Jim of Snoozebutton Dreams has two entries - one male, one female:

Voting will be open until December 5th, then the winner will be announced.
The winner does get a tin of wonderful bourbon balls and pecan balls (figured 2 kinds of balls are better than one.)

And, the winning logo will be the official Bloggin' Nekkid logo.

Posted by Beth at 1:41 PM | Comments (5)

Bill Whittle is back

About time!

Posted by Beth at 7:53 AM

Dr. Seuss would roll over in his grave

The Cat in the Hat was a favorite read when I was a little girl, and when Andy came along, he had every Dr. Seuss book ever written. I read them so often to them that I had them all memorized. Often, when on a longish drive in the car, we would recite the Cat in the Hat or Green Eggs and Ham or the Dr. Seuss Alphabet.

Doc. Seuss rhymes and words were fun, fun, fun.
But in the movie there was none, none, none.
They ruined the book, they ruined it bad.
The film, Cat in the Hat just made me feel sad.

They created bad characters like Larry the creep,
who's part was completely unneeded, not deep.
and, where was this bossman within the great book?
an anal retentive who searched in each nook?

No rhyming, no cadence, no humour, no fun.
This movie sucks badly, just run, run, run, run!

Posted by Beth at 7:31 AM | Comments (4)

Friday Five - yeah, a day late

1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not?
That depends. I love to shop at odd little stores, I hate to shop in malls. I love to shop on the internet, but I hate catalogs. Amazon.com saves me every Christmas as I'm desperately picking out last minute gifts that they will wrap and deliver.
There are a couple of exceptions - I love Kohls and Bed Bath and Beyond.

2. What was the last thing you purchased?
A turkey fryer on sale at K-Mart. Got it after Thanksgiving, I will try it at Christmas.

3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why?
For clothes, going to an actual store is pretty much required.
For nearly everything else, the Internet is king.

4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it?

I got $2.00 a week until I went to college, then I got $10.00. At least half of that had to go into the piggy bank.
Once a year we would break the bank and take it to the bank. I had enough to buy a used car when I was 21.

5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing?
We bought my mother-in-law's old car. I was assured by John, his parents, et.al that it was in perfect shape and lovingly cared for. We gave him mom $2,000 for said car two years ago. Since then we have spent over $4000 on repairs for the damned thing!
I will never buy a used car again!

Posted by Beth at 6:52 AM

November 28, 2003

Nekkid Bloggin' Logo Contest Reminder

Anyone who wants to enter, needs to let me know (in comments) where your logo is.
I'll copy them to my server and post them tomorrow afternoon.
Then the voting will begin!

Posted by Beth at 5:53 PM | Comments (1)

I have always tried to embrace my inner bitch

You are a seductress! You use your beautiful body
and hypnotizing eyes to reel in your prey, and
go in for the kill after they have fallen in
love with you. It is truely a fatal attraction
that kills them. Perhaps, you sometimes fall in
love yourself. Behold the power of woman!


What Kind Of Evil Bitch Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Beth at 5:32 PM | Comments (1)

pest free at last!

PestPatrolCL scanned c:\ checking 38,658 files in this area as well as checking for
4,262 Spyware registry entries, 3,556 Spyware files, and 390 Spyware directories.
Did not check for Spyware Cookies. Use /SpyCookie or /SpyCookieNoAlert to check.

Found 0 pests!
4 Seconds
Exited with error level of 0

Posted by Beth at 10:14 AM

Good luck, Helen

Helen is having a busy week, you should go and catch up with all she is doing.
First off, she tells a story of The Kindness of Strangers which has warmed my heart and reduced me to tears, both at the same time. Darn you, Helen!

Secondly, she has a chance at a job in England, and has an interview.

Helen is so open when she blogs that we all feel like we know her. And her writing is just incredible.

Posted by Beth at 9:18 AM

November 27, 2003

George W. Bush

is my hero. I am stunned, shocked, awed and terribly happy that GW went to Iraq to have dinner with our troops.
To my mind, this tells the world, nay, the universe, that we are in Iraq to finish what we started.
If I could, I would give President Bush and Mrs. Bush a huge hug for doing exactly the right thing.
Clinton would never have done this. Neither would any president for many years.

I am so proud that I voted for George W. Bush. This man loves our country and our people far more that any other politician I can think of. God bless George Bush, God Bless America!

Posted by Beth at 10:28 PM

I'm grateful

to all of you who take a moment of your day to read this and comment. I had no idea there were so many cool nifty really neat people out there in the blogosphere. (and I include those with no blogs of their own).

I'm a zillion times thankful I am married to John, who writes stuff like this and makes me cry. (Good thing I don't wear makeup, or I'd be a Tammy Faye Baker look alike right now.) and that I was fortunate enough to have a wondeful son, Andy, who has always made me proud.

Every day, I thank God that I was born in the United States, where people are more free and more prosperous than anywhere else on earth, and where brave young men and women VOLUNTEER to protect our way of life in the Army, Airforce, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.

Posted by Beth at 10:11 AM | Comments (1)

"Happy Thanksgiving!"

A friend of mine sent me this:

A Thanksgiving Poem...

Twas the night of thanksgiving,
but i just couldn't sleep.
i tried counting backwards,
i tried counting sheep.

the leftovers beckoned -
the dark meat and white,
but i fought the
temptation with all of my might.

tossing and turning with anticipation,
the thought of a snack soon became infatuation.

so, i raced to the kitchen,
flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge,
full of goodies galore.

i gobbled up turkey
and buttered potatoes,
pickles and carrots,
beans and tomatoes.

i felt myself swelling
so plump and so round,
'til all of a sudden,
i rose off the ground.

i crashed through the ceiling,
floating into the sky
with a mouthful of pudding
and a handful of pie.

but, i managed to yell
as i soared past the trees....
happy eating to all -
pass the cranberries, please!

may your stuffing be tasty,
may your turkey be plump.
may your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump,
may your yams be delicious,
may your pies take the prize,
may your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

Posted by Beth at 8:26 AM | Comments (1)

damn spy/ad/annoyingware

In the meantime, instead of cooking, I will continue to try to get rid of all the pests on my computer.

I have PCCillan, Pest Control, SpyHunter, AdAware, and I'm still not getting everything - on bootup, some come back, and I suspect that perhaps the data files from the above software companies don't have all the tricks in them yet.
So, I am going through the registry, the system32 directory, all that really tedious stuff.

Posted by Beth at 5:59 AM | Comments (3)

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that all of you and your families (married or not, Jack!) have a wonderful day.

I've got it easy this year. The owner of the Outback Restaurant we frequent closes the store and cooks up a Thanksgiving dinner for all of his employees and some of his good customers at the restaurant. He was kind enough to invite us.

Roger is a great cook. It should be fun.

Posted by Beth at 5:55 AM | Comments (1)

November 26, 2003

sorry for lack of posting

Our son is home from KSU for the Thanksgiving weekend, and, as usual, he has managed to install all kinds of spyware/adware/badware on my pc.
So, I have spend most of my time at home trying to get it all cleaned up.

I have Adaware, SpyBot and PestPatrol all trying to get rid of this shit.

John's pc is so much better than mine, and our son's is better than both of ours, but it is back in the dorm.

So, I'm running every kind of scam scan I can to get rid of this darn stuff.

In the meantime, I am thinking of making a slightly different bourbon ball recipe - one with maple syrup as well as bourbon. (hope Mom doesn't roll over in her grave or through a lightening bolt at me from Heaven!)

Posted by Beth at 7:37 PM | Comments (3)

This is so cool!

Thanks to Venomous Kate for this link: StrangeBanana: Computer-generated webpage design.

Everytime you refresh the page, a different template appears.

I don't know CSS well enough to create an exciting template and I'm too cheap to pay someone else to do it - well, actually, we spend too much money on guns to have enough money left over for my own template.

I will try some of these tonight when I return from work.

Oh, can anyone tell me how to get a graphic into the top of my page? Or do you make the whole header thingie a graphic?
I love the dachsund on pamibe's page, wondered if I could do something similar with a different kind of critter - I guess it would have to be a nekkid critter.

I'll do some checking around.
Update: I found a really neat style, I applied it, and all my stuff on the right, from the calendar on down went to the very bottom of my blog.
So I'm back to where I was. The style looks a whole lot different from MT, so I got scared. If anyone can help me with this, I have the new style in the Extended Entry.

Posted by Beth at 6:11 AM | Comments (3)

For Acidman, new puppy owner

Got this from a friend, and thought it funny. First thing I though of was Acidman and his son and their new puppy.

Posted by Beth at 5:57 AM

Change of rules

For the logo contest - I am extending the entries until Saturday, November 29th, noon Central time. That way, I hope Eric can finish his logo.
Here are Pam's works of art.
Update - Jim has been creating logos, too.

Posted by Beth at 5:28 AM | Comments (2)

November 25, 2003

Rachel's Happy Thanksgiving

Every day I check Rachel Lucas's blog. You never know, I figure. Today I was happy to see that she had a chance to blog a bit.
Rachel Lucas - Piquance. Impudence. Ordnance.

I hope she has a wonderful Thanksgiving, too, and I look forward to reading about her History Project.

Posted by Beth at 8:55 PM

Bloggin' Nekkid © logo

Okay. This is my thought. Please feel free to give me your thoughts.
I would like to put up any and all Bloggin' Nekkid logos, and let everyone vote on which one they like best.
So far, Pam has been absolutely going to town, and Eric has created one.
How about I put those up, and any others that are entered, and we can have a contest, and whoever gets the most votes wins. (I will look at IP addresses to at least try to limit duplicate votes.

The chosen logo will be the official logo of the Bloggin' Nekkid © whatever we decide on the group name.
And, I will give a prize to the winner.

The winner will receive a tin of home-made bourbon balls. My mom's recipe.

So, anyone who has more logo possibilities, please link to me by Wednesday evening (that would be November 26th, 2003).

The voting will begin on Thanksgiving and go until November 29th - that is this Saturday. Sunday I'll post the winner and make the bourban balls (balls seem to be appropriate, don't you think?

I will link to all the logos as you let me know you have created them!

Posted by Beth at 7:34 PM | Comments (5)

Take this, Ted Kennedy!

U.S. 3rd-Qtr GDP Grew at 8.2% Rate, Fastest Since '84

"The first wave of the tax cuts President George W. Bush won from Congress hit during the quarter. "

So much for the Democrats denying that a tax cut would help the economy!

Didn't any of them take macro economics in college?

Posted by Beth at 3:01 PM | Comments (1)

more on gay marriage

In my earlier post, I said that I was raised completely unaware of homosexuality. I don't want you all to think I had prejudiced parents or anything, you just didn't think much about homosexuality back in the 50s and 60s. I'm 50 years old. Most gay people were well hidden in their closets back then.
It ended up I had several gay cousins (one died of AIDs back in the 80s) and a gay and unfortunately pedophile uncle.
My mom, sister to said uncle, was totally shocked when he came out of the closet - she never had an inkling that Uncle Bud was gay.

Jack of Random Fate seems to think this means that I believe something along the lines of: "I don't think the federal government should be involved, I don't care as long as they don't do it on the street and frighten the horses and children."

I think that is a rather unfair statement, sex is something that people should be doing behind closed doors, no matter what your sexual preference is.

It was not until I went to college, way back in 1971, that I became aware of different sexual preferences.

Just thought I should point this out - I'm older than a lot of you folks, and my upbringing was much more sheltered than kids are today.

Posted by Beth at 6:16 AM | Comments (5)

I need a bloggin' nekkid

logo. I can think of silly things in my head, but I am no computer artist. I imagine a nekkid person sitting on a chair facing a computer, only we only see it from the back. What a bad description. Ok, let me try this - one of those lumpy comic like characters you see in the Sunday comics. I dunno.
But it would have to be silly.
Maybe Eric could draw it?
Helen said she would join, that alone should bring in most of the men of the blogging world - they would all wanna join!

Posted by Beth at 5:33 AM | Comments (3)

November 23, 2003

gays and marriage

This is such a hard subject to discuss. I was raised totally unaware of homosexuality. I never knew what it was until I was in college. Now, of course, I know quite a few homosexual men and women. Being a libertarian at heart, I don't care what people do behind closed doors, as long as no one is hurt (this knocks out all pedophilia, to my mind).

I had honestly never even considered that homosexual people would want to marry each other - how dumb can I be? The media has always described gay and lesbian people as being rather promiscuous. Obviously wrong.

Now, with one State Supreme Court deciding that the Constitution upholds the idea of gay marriage, I am forced to consider it.

And now, this silly Constitutional Ammendment that people are trying to get going to be sure to ban it forever forces me to speak my mind.

I don't think the federal government should get involved in this - let them worry about war and peace and toting the mail and keeping terrorists off the street.

I think that it's okay for gay/lesbian people to marry each other. For one, they would then be subject to the same tax laws as we hetero-married folks are - and I think that would be a good thing - it might change the politics of those who are far on the left when they find out so much more of their hard-earned money goes to the IRS.

I think that encouraging monogamy is a very good thing, and that universal marriage laws would do that.

I also think that wonderful people like AndrewSullivan should have the same opportunity to legally bind themselves to those they love, as I have.

I have heard too many stories of gay partners now being allowed into hospitals when a dear partner was sick or dying. This would give them those rights.

I know there are a lot of religious arguments against gay marriage, but heck, this is not a religious state. So there.

Posted by Beth at 5:32 PM | Comments (4)

author, author

Flannery O'Connor wrote your book. Not much escapes
your notice.


Which Author's Fiction are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Beth at 5:08 PM | Comments (1)

it's a burger king christmas

Ok, I stole this from Kate Spot BKHoliday.

But it was worth stealing!

I used to really love the Carol of the Bells, but now ....

Posted by Beth at 3:53 PM | Comments (1)

More on Bloggin nekkid'©

Just in case some of you don't believe my premise that there are bloggers out there nekkid, take a look at these links:
Nekkid Pam

Nekkid Acidman

half nekkid Susie of Practical Penumbra

And of course, John.

Of course, there are those who have not quite come out of the closet, but you know they have to be bloggin' nekkid©, too.

Anyone who writes the erotica that Jim writes is bloggin' nekkid.

and you know that Harvey has to be bloggin' nekkid - all those love notes!

Then, of course, there are those who just act suspicious enough that you have to just assume that they are.....bloggin' nekkid.

Like Kelley of Suburban Blight, she is just so obviously cool, that she would blog nekkid, if it wasn't for the little one (or ones, it's hard to keep track of those 'breeders') in her household.

And, naturally, Venemous Kate has to be bloggin' nekkid when there are no little kiddle's around - just look at her picture on the right side of her blog - you *know* she is bloggin' nekkid when possible!

And then, there is Helen, probably the sexiest, most desirable woman in the Blogosphere. I know that my husband likes to imagine her bloggin' nekkid, and so do I - no comments from the peanut gallery, please!!!

And, one more nekkid blogger - Chris Muir - he even admits to it - look at the comments to my first bloggin' nekkid post.

Anyone else bloggin' nekkid, let me know!

Posted by Beth at 3:19 PM | Comments (15)

Bloggin' Nekkid ©

I think there is a large contigent of bloggers out there who blog nekkid. It's time to come out of the closet, fellow nekkid bloggers! I suggest that we form a Bloggin' Nekkid © Alliance. John thinks it should be called the Axis of Bloggin' Nekkid ©, but I'd like to think of something more original than Alliance or Axis - any suggestions?

Now, you don't really have to blog nekkid all the time to join, it's the whole spirit of the free and easy blogging that is of the utmost importance.

Think nekkid, blog nekkid.

Posted by Beth at 9:38 AM | Comments (5)

November 22, 2003

Michael Jackson, freak

I agree with Kim of Velociworld. Michael Jackson is such a freak, that I totally believe that he would sleep with kids without 'sleeping' with them. Personally, I suspect he is asexual. He wants love and attention, but doesn't have much desire for sex.

Along with many others, I also agree that any parent who lets their kid go spend the night with Michael is nuts, or greedy. The man is 45 years old, for God's sake! He has not grown into puberty yet, from what I can see, and has a fairy tale view of life.

It's too bad someone didn't convince him to get into therapy when his self-abusive plastic surgeries started making him look more like Dianna Ross than a talented young black man.

What is nuttier, is that the whole country is more focused on Michael than on what's going on in the world - yeah, yeah, I know - here I am talking about it too.

I hope he gets a fair trial, and I hope all parents keep their kids the hell away from that knucklehead!

Posted by Beth at 3:26 PM | Comments (1)

blogrolling

Blogrolling is completely functional again, so I hope I have pretty much recreated what I had before. If I am missing your link, please tell me, and I'll add you back in.

It's a good service.

Update: Blogrolling quit working again. I still have to add Blackfive, the paratrooper of love back into my blogroll.

Sigh

Posted by Beth at 7:01 AM | Comments (5)

typical democrat

Dr. Dean got a medical deferment from the Draft in 1971 and then played ski bum for the next few months. The New York Times covers the story: 33 Years Later, Draft Becomes Topic for Dean

He was a wuss back then, and I suspect he is still a wuss now - and in times like these, we don't need a wuss president.

Bush, at least, was in the Texas Air National Guard - he flew fighter jets, and that takes brains and balls, even if he never flew in Vietnam.

I prefer to have a Commander in Chief with some inkling of what service to the country means.

Especially now.

Posted by Beth at 6:49 AM

November 21, 2003

Which door do you want?

Apparently, LeeAnn's screen door - I've said it before, and I repeat - LeeAnn tells the bestest, funniest stories on the internet, and they all appear to be true - go read about LeeAnn's crazy neighbors - I guarantee you will giggle and whatever you are drinking will shoot out your nose. The Cheese Stands Alone: Local Loons

Posted by Beth at 9:56 PM

well, maybe

You are Persephone, from "The Matrix."
Tough cookie, you are, yet there are strains of
sadness and desire that lie beneath you- of
course, you wouldn't want anyone to know.
You're too busy putting up a facade.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Beth at 4:23 PM

November 20, 2003

you suck, not me!

you are the "you suck, and that's sad"
happy bunny. your truthful, but can be a bit
brutal.


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Posted by Beth at 7:47 PM | Comments (2)

Everyday Stranger

lost her job.
I feel so awful for her. I worked in the telecommunications industry for quite some time and was lucky enough to leave when the quitting was good and get into something else. I have seen so many good people lose their jobs with Sprint, Birch Telecom and other companies.

But, she is not quite 30 - scary - she is young enough to be my daughter. She is so obviously a talented, brilliant young woman, I really don't think she will have a problem finding a great position again.

Unhappily, we can't trust corporations - they cut corners for short term gains to make the stockholders happy, and employees be damned.

I know that Everyday Stranger will come out on top in the end - the heck with the damned corporation!

Posted by Beth at 7:36 PM | Comments (6)

The thing is ...

Most of us don't give a shit if President Bush knows which fork or spoon or knife to use. President Bush does not need to be Emily Post or Miss Manners - he needs to lead our country and protect us. He does that quite well, thank you.

President Bush is the most powerful leader on Earth. Instead of mocking his being ill at ease with the pomp and circumstance of the United Kingdom, we should be thrilled that he is so much like the rest of us.

The Washington Post, however, thinks it is fun to mock the man who is working to save us all from the tyranny of terrorists: Texan on the Thames: President Bush Treated Royally (washingtonpost.com)

But here he was, seated next to the Queen of England, amid Corinthian columns and gold-enriched pilasters, before a red velvet throne used for the coronation of King Edward VII. The Yeomen of the Guard, with their red robes and long spears, stood at attention. The Puligny-Montrachet '96 was flowing. And the president was having trouble with the toasts.

The queen gave her toast, noting that, unlike presidents, she was not term-limited. The president smiled, Prince Charles did not. When the queen finished, the president raised his glass, but Her Majesty did not return the gesture, instead waiting for the American national anthem to begin. Hearing the music, Bush put down his glass and placed his hand on his heart, then took it off, then put it on again. "The Star-Spangled Banner" over, he clinked glasses with the queen, then turned to clink glasses with Princess Anne, who was already sipping from hers.

And thanks, ever so much to Baldilocks for the heads up on this link. I read her every day. You should, too.

Posted by Beth at 6:51 PM | Comments (3)

American liberals want us to lose

DC is braver than I will ever be. She is actually able to read The Daily KOS without having a stroke.

I tried, my blood pressure went up so hi, I had to lay down.

Anyway, DC has an excellent post about Democrats for Losing the War.

Posted by Beth at 11:31 AM | Comments (3)

here we go again, thanks to the peaceful religion of Islam

I am sure there are other links to this, but I read WSJ.com every morning - and it does require registration and an account (well worth it, I might add) WSJ.com - Two Explosions in Istanbul Kill at Least 13, Injure 200

Associated Press

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Two explosions shook downtown Istanbul on Thursday, one in front of the Turkish headquarters of HSBC and another at the British consulate. At least 13 people were killed and 200 injured, media reports and officials said.
The blast in front of the HSBC building was in the Levent district, according to media reports. Ambulances took several injured to hospitals, CNN-Turk television footage showed. London-based HSBC is the world's second-largest bank.
Another bomb ripped off the wall surrounding the garden of the British consulate in the downtown Beyoglu district. Ten people were reported killed in that explosion, private CNN-Turk television said. That figure couldn't be confirmed.

Now, of course, lefties in Great Britain will blame Bush.

Update - here is a link to CNN for their coverage of blasts:

Posted by Beth at 6:07 AM

November 19, 2003

Omar ...

Another issue that I want to talk about is the behavior of coalition forces. They have been accused by ill-treating Iraqis, unjustified arrests, and random shooting of fire after being assaulted- by Saddam’s mercenaries-. And I tell you again, this is not true.

So saith Omar, an Iraqi with a blog.

Posted by Beth at 8:51 PM

instaundit needs to clean up his blogroll

I enjoy reading Glenn Reynolds. He, Andrew Sullivan and The Corner were my first introduction to the world of blogging.

However, Glenn needs to clean up his blogroll. Many links have not updated their sites for a very long time. Some don't even exist anymore.

One, I followed from the time she started blogging until the time she quit was called The Lone Dissenter. Glenn has her original blogspot link, but she went to MT and had her own url until she decided to quit blogging, as it wasn't fun and interesting for her anymore. But still, her link is on Instapundit.

If Glenn cleaned up his blogroll, there would be room for more people, like me, (-: or really, my husband, who has a much more interesting blog than mine.

Posted by Beth at 8:09 PM | Comments (4)

Gennie embraces her inner bitch

Not that it matters, but I like her bitchiness. And she has most definitely earned it:Dizzy Girl: The Origin of Gennie's Bitchiness....
It's hard to read about what she has gone through, but read it anyway. She is a survivor.

Posted by Beth at 6:18 AM

November 18, 2003

kitchen confessions

I, like Rush Limbaugh, have an addiction. I have had this overwhelming need for many years, and no matter how much I get, it's never enough.

What, pray tell, is this addiction for? Kitchen appliances, gadgets and cookbooks. I have more gadgets then Emeril. More appliances than I can ever use. And, I have cookbooks - many, many cookbooks. When I travel, I try to find at least one local cookbook - you know, the kind that a restaurant might sell, with local recipes featured.

I see some idiot Rotisserie on TV, I buy it.
Everytime I walk into Bed Bath and Beyond, I walk out with at least 3 new gadgets, and quite often a new kitchen appliance.

Some of them are wonderful, and well worth the money - my bread machine is fantastic. The Smoothie maker is great. My Jennair electric stove top is as good an electric stove top as you can get - gas would be nice, but the kitchen ain't plumbed for it, so I got electric.

But I have been bitten by George Foreman appliances twice, and I will never buy one again. Damned rotisserie - great chicken, but it take a week to clean all the parts. Heck, I can stop at the grocery store on my way home from work and buy a chicken that they have rotisserized all day for under $5 and they have to clean the mess up! Then I bought the George Foreman Five Star Grill, and it truly sucks - the angles are so weird on it that there is not enough space to grill a burger on it without it breaking in half. So, if I grill indoors, I use my old trusty Hamilton Beach Grill that I have had for at least 8 years - they don't even make it anymore, but it's big enough to put 4 hamburgers on it without making them the size of White Castle Burgers.

I also own just about all the cool gadgets you are likely to see on just about any show on the Food Network. In fact, while other people watch sports and whatever reality show is popular, my eyes are glued to the Food Network. I love watching them cook, and I try the recipes and they are great.

I think that a good meal is sexy, and likely to make for a lovely bedtime, and that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

Posted by Beth at 9:27 PM | Comments (4)

blog cliques

Go read Hi. I'm Black!I love this guy! And he is right, there is a blog clique thingie - and since I have never fit into a clique, not even in highschool, I'm kind of an anti-clique clique. Maybe.

Posted by Beth at 5:05 PM

alrighty then

I stole John's blogroll and pasted it into my Index - ha! That saves me a lot of work. I will add back in any that are not in there - just might take me a few days.
I still think Blogrolling is really cool, and when it gets fixed, I'll use it again. When I first saw my blogroll and saw that it had been hacked, I was afraid that someone had actually stolen my password into blogrolling, and that I was the only hacked site. So I changed my password for Blogrolling, and I deleted my blogroll, because I couldn't delete all the entries fast enough.
So then, I started a new blogroll - only got as far as Chris Muir's Day by Day, and Blogrolling shut down.

I have not been able to recreate my blogroll yet, that function still does not work, but I still love everyone who is not on my blogroll yet!!!

Posted by Beth at 3:41 PM | Comments (2)

November 17, 2003

blogging nekkid

In an earlier post, I mentioned that John (of Argghhh!!) was blogging nekkid. This may have scared some of you away - Pam of pamibe is worried that is all she will ever think of when reading John's blog.

Well, heck, Acidman said he blogs nekkid all the time, and everyone on earth reads him. So, maybe John will get a larger readership if everyone knows he is ... shall I say ... less than clothed?

Though why I should be shilling for John to get more readers is beyond me -- he has about 6 times as many hits as I do. But, you can't find a more informative blog about guns and military stuff. Not that I'm prejudiced.

Anyway, if it's really warm, I blog nekkid, too. But it's now November, and I like to stay toastie.

Posted by Beth at 8:06 PM | Comments (4)

okay, monday for real

Today, one of my co-workers quit. Last week, I shadowed him when he installed and configured Perform/Predict (a BMC product that lets you gather information on system usage and then extract performance data from it - it also let's you predict what will happen with your system if you add certain loads to it). He has been the only person in our group to do this for the past 2 years.

He leaves Friday, and I will be taking on what he did - wish I had known this a couple of months ago, I would have been trying to learn more and more from him. Anyway, I will still do what I do now, but I'm adding what he does to it.

Wonder if I'll get a raise?

Actually, it's a good thing - another thing to add to the resume and I much prefer learning new things than being stuck with the same old stuff day after day after day!

Posted by Beth at 7:44 PM | Comments (2)

Monday, Monday

Anyone old enough to remember the Mama's and the Papa's? I mean, anyone alive when Monday, Monday was a big hit?!

When I was in high school (all girl Catholic school), my friends and I would take turns going to each other's homes on the weekends. We would each sing a different part - I was generally the Mama Cass voice (more of an alto than a soprano). We would sing all the Mama's and Pappa's songs, and then we would sing Motown - Supremes, Temptations, and we would end with the Turtles.

Must have been 8th and 9th grade, none of us were old enough to date yet, so we just did girl things. And way before karioke was ever thought of, we were singing and dancing in Mimi's or Marianne's or Laurie's or my basement. That was about the most fun we ever had together - no bickering - too young to be stealing each other's boyfriends, and too naive to notice the difference in our parents' incomes.

Wow, I meant to talk about my Monday at work - Just goes to show how scattered I can be.

Posted by Beth at 7:33 PM

blogroll

Somehow, my account at Blogroller was hijacked this morning, and everything I had was replaced with a link to a port site.
So, I deleted the blogroll from Blogroller, changed my password, and now I have to start from scratch.
Sigh. Has anyone else had something bizarre like this happen? Any suggestions as to what I should to to avoid this in the future?

UPDATE:

From Bloggroller:

Blogrolling has been the victim off a malicious hack in the past 9 hours. The blogroll links have been restored from an offsite backup from Saturday. I'm tracing the cause off this now and the site may go offline at some point today while I make changes and collect evidence. All new links since Saturday afternoon have unfortunately been lost due to this. I'll post more here as I know it.

So, I guess it wasn't me, but my blogroll was not restored, apparently, so I'll have to redo it.

Posted by Beth at 11:29 AM

November 16, 2003

quiet weekend

Last week, we bought a dry bar at this neat little store in downtown Leavenworth called Abierto Puerto. They go to Mexico and buy furniture, glassware, dishes, etc., and bring them here and sell them. We put it in what used to be our breakfast area (too big to be called a nook, and too much a part of the kitchen to be called a breakfast room). We had a corner bench /table set up (anyone want that? Free if you come get it), but we never eat there, it had become a place to put junk on - junk mail, junk food, junk anything.

So, this weekend, I spent a chunk of time arranging things, rearranging drawers, moving bar type stuff to my bar, etc. Not too exciting, I guess, but rather satisfying. My kitchen now looks pretty darn nice, except we need to paint the walls and do something about the awful carpeting - I hate carpet in a kitchen, but flooring ain't cheap, so I'll just have to wait longer!

Now, if I could just extend my rearranging and straigtening and getting rid of stuff we don't need to the dining room and living room! Maybe next weekend.

We went to see Elf today. It was pretty cute. A little too long, I thought, and awfully corny, but what do you expect with Will Farrell as the star - I think he has reached the peak of his acting ability in this movie.

That's about it - we did go out to dinner, and now we are home and John is blogging nekkid. I think he writes better when he has no clothes on.

So, I'm just trying to catch up on everyone else's blogs, and I'm neglecting mine. I'm just not really inspired today.

Posted by Beth at 8:21 PM | Comments (3)

November 15, 2003

World Toilet Day

When these people celebrate - oh boy!Singapore to Celebrate World Toilet Day

I think that there are some people who use the toilets in airports all over the world who could learn something from this, though!

Posted by Beth at 7:35 PM

words in business

Why is it suddenly correct to ask someone, "What are you wanting?" What is wrong with, "What do you want?"?

Every bit of documentation I read anymore has a verb with an 'ing' following it. When I look at a problem ticket, the analyst writes - "she is wanting to fix her Excel Spreadsheet."

Does anyone else notice this? Does it drive anyone else crazy?

I'm all for short and sweet.

Yesterday, I got an email from a co-worker that said, "You can dialog with Joanie Smith". What is this bullshit? The note went on to say, "I have dialogued with her and found her to be reasonable."

It's enough to make me want to scream.

Posted by Beth at 4:15 PM | Comments (2)

musicians

Seems that Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull doesn't like the American flag being waved around the country.

"I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon, out of every SUV, every little Midwestern house in some residential area. It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism," Ian Anderson said in an interview published in New Jersey's Asbury Park Press. "Flag waving ain't gonna do it."

Damn, that guy got a lot of my money for concerts and albums many years ago.

UPDATE:

After realizing that he offended many of us, Ian has apologized:

I now regret the tone of these statements and offer my belated apologies to those offended by any perceived slur on the Stars and Stripes. I really didn’t understand - even after 35 years of visiting the USA on a regular basis - that this symbol had such fierce resonance for so many people as is now apparent to me.

While I can’t support the international policies of either the current US administration or the UK government, I will always stand up to defend the honour and integrity of the American people, anytime, anywhere and in the face of anyone’s criticism.

They don’t deserve the anti-US views being increasingly voiced across the globe. As I believe I said in the interview concerned, the natural warmth, hospitality, and generosity of Americans is their great asset and the sad fact that many US citizens feel unable to travel abroad as a result of imagined or real fear of resentment from foreigners is, I think, an increasing factor in US isolation, in world terms.

Read his whole apology. I feel better now for spending all that money.

Posted by Beth at 1:44 PM

falling asleep in class...

There have been times when I fell asleep in class due to a combination of things - boredom, room temperature a bit too warm, boredom. My teacher would tap me on the shoulder and razz me about it a bit, but no note to parents, no demerits.

This, though, is going way too far - kid falls asleep in a boring class, the teacher sends him out to be drug tested. The kid is suspended for a day, even though he is as clean as he could be.

I'm so glad that our son is in college and doesn't have to deal with this idiocy.

Thanks to Joanne Jacobs for the link.

Posted by Beth at 12:39 PM

Baldilocks rants, and does it oh so well!

baldilocks: Yes, I'm Still Ranting.

I hear and see this kind of bullshit at work all the time. The company I work for (which shall remain nameless forever) has a mail list where people can rant freely. Aside from the fact that this is an absurd thing for a corporation to do - as it causes a lot of bitterness between employees - I get to see first hand how ignorant a lot of 'smart' college graduates are.

They all think that Bush dodged the draft. They all think that Bush is an idiot. Most of them think that Israel should not exist, and that the state of Israel was a unilateral invention of the USA.

Anyway, go read her rant, it rocks.

Posted by Beth at 12:06 PM

terrorists bomb again

Car Bombs at Turkey Synagogues Kill at Least 20

I think that Misha is right, this is a world war - the terror is hitting every continent.

And all, thanks to the 'peaceful' religion of Islam.

Posted by Beth at 10:58 AM

Office Space

Pre-Hyptnotized Peter


What Office Space character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to Michele for the link.

Posted by Beth at 10:32 AM | Comments (1)

Ann Coulter has this one right

I don't always like her style, but this article is a keeper: Remove Dennis Kucinich's Feeding Tube!
It is about Terri Schiavo's situation. I agree with Ann completely - even to her last line.

Please note world, I do not ever want my feeding tube removed!

Posted by Beth at 9:00 AM

New Blog Showcase

From The Truth Laid Bear's New Webblog Showcase:

My choice for the non-political entry is > Ruminations in Korea: A Blessing and a Curse

I like him better than all the others, political and non-political, combined.

For political, this is my choice:
eTALKINGHEAD.com: Political Commentary: The Misleading Statements of a Misleading Misleader

I also found it somewhat offensive that one person entered an Anti-Catholic diatribe about abortion as their entry. I ain't linking to it - it just panders to all those who have no qualms about knocking the Catholic Church - it is the one religion that is apparently exempt from political correctness. The Church, at least, is consistent. It is pro-life on both ends of the spectrum.

Posted by Beth at 8:08 AM

Carnival Censorship

I'm always behind the times. Just found out that Jim at Snooze Button Dreams was censored at this week's Carnival of the Vanities.
It is an erotic short story, but I still think it should have been included.
Anyway, I'll link to it, not that my puny link would make up for being in the Carnival, but because it just seems fair. Here it is, The Somnolence of Clouds.

Posted by Beth at 7:50 AM

no loss no gain

same as yesterday.

Posted by Beth at 7:30 AM

November 14, 2003

for daddy

My dad worked his way up from an accountant to Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer at a company that no longer exists - Falstaff Beer.

He was such a loyal employee that he had both my sister and I bow our heads whenever we passed the old Falstaff headquarters at 5050 Oakland in St. Louis, Missouri. I had my first sip of beer when I was but a toddler, and by age 6, I knew the proper way to pour a beer and serve it to a guest.

Daddy has been dead for gee, 7 years. He gave his life to a corporation, and the corporation pretty much shit on him and all the other people who had worked for many, many years at Falstaff. For the history of the company, go here.

My dad lost his livelihood, his pride, his home, his honor when the brewery was bought by a very petty, evil man, way back in 1975, when I was a senior in college.

I remember it well, because Daddy was in the hospital with a gangrenous (yes, gangrenous) appendix, and right after surgery, the man who bought the company, Paul Kalmanovich (may he rot in hell), called him in his hospital room and fired him. Yes, after 42 years of service, he fired my dad.

What made it worse was that Daddy, age 62, not eligible (at that time) for Social Security, had to go look for a job and accept unemployment benefits.

Mom and dad had to sell the house we grew up in and move into an apartment.

The company refused to give him his pension - which he had paid into for all those years. Daddy, along with other executives at Falstaff, had to fight for his pension in court - it went all the way to the Supreme Court, and finally, 5 years later, after losing everything, Daddy won.

Now, this was back in the days when a Fortune 500 executive made way under $100,000 a year - my dad made $42,000 a year when he was fired back in 1975. Corporate executives were not the millionaires they are today.

Why am I talking about this? I don't know. Perhaps it explains my very deep distrust for corporations - they do not have their employee's best interests at heart.

Tears still come to my eyes when I think of the pain my mom and dad went through. He had worked his way up from nothing and then lost it all to the capriciousness of a nasty rich man.

Neither of my parents ever recovered from this - they found that many of their friends were really friends only because of Daddy's position. Mom developed a drinking problem, got over it, and then died suddenly of a cerebral hemmoraghe at age 69, when Andy was only 1 year old.

Perhaps this is a warning to all - don't put all your eggs in one basket, don't ever depend on a cold corporation to stand behind you - always keep a resume handy, and know who your true friends are.

Posted by Beth at 7:33 PM | Comments (4)

Jeff in Korea

This guy has a great blog. I'm adding him to my blogroll. Go read him!
jeffinkorea.blog-city.com

Posted by Beth at 6:35 PM

2 pounds went away

Just like Dean Esmay said they would. Dean and his wife, Rosemary, have a lot of weighty (heh) information on obesity and all the issues surrounding it on their blog, well, I guess it is Dean's blog, but Rosemary writes there a lot. In fact, Rosemary should have her own blog.

But the weight is coming off. Perhaps this going public thing has merit.

Posted by Beth at 7:15 AM

November 13, 2003

well, that's just great

I'm a fricking lime tree:

LIME TREE (the Doubt) - accepts what life dishes out in a composed way,
hates fighting, stress, and labor, dislikes laziness and idleness, soft and
relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious
enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous but
loyal.

Gee, thanks, LeeAnn!

Don't let John see this! He will think you are the queen of the Gypsies.

Posted by Beth at 6:06 PM | Comments (3)

bad beth - up 2 pounds today

and I expected it. I ate quite a few salt and vinegar chips yesterday. Hopefully, it will come back off soon. but.it.was.worth.it.

Posted by Beth at 8:10 AM | Comments (5)

good news

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - U.S. Forces Launch Operation Iron Hammer

Posted by Beth at 7:06 AM

November 12, 2003

comment spam manifesto

Link and fight Comment Spammers!
Comment Spam Manifesto :: Kalsey Consulting Group

Spammers are hereby put on notice. Your comments are not welcome. If the purpose behind your comment is to advertise yourself, your Web site, or a product that you are affiliated with, that comment is spam and will not be tolerated

Posted by Beth at 8:42 PM

I have never been one of those love it or leave it types, but....

Ted Ralls is changing my mind. Read this: Yahoo! News - WHY WE FIGHT if you can get through the whole thing, anyway.

Then, perhaps you will join me in paying Ted's one-way trip by slow boat to Iraq and then directly to Tikrit, where I am sure he will be welcomed with open arms. I'm sure he is ready to fight for the Iraqi people - I'm not sure which side he would chose to be on. Well, actually, I am pretty sure he would not be on the same side the USA is on.

He apparently likes the Baathists more than the normal Iraqi.

Michele is so right to pick this guy apart all the time.

Posted by Beth at 7:58 PM

some people are really annoying

My husband, John, as most readers know, is an avid collector of Militaria. We have many old guns, ordnance and other paraphernalia in our home.

Yesterday, on Veteran's Day, he spent many hours putting World War I displays together and posting them on his blog, Argghhh!!!

A GFW (Gun-Fearing-Wussy) emailed John about the guns and said this:

"But quite aside from the frightening overdose of obvious over-compensation and excess hostility displayed in your "collection" and your "writing" I simply cannot believe you openly display a GUN IN YOUR KITCHEN, RIGHT ABOVE ALCOHOL!!!! How irresponsible is that? ANYONE can gain access to that gun and hurt someone! If you have children, you should be reported to Child Welfare!"

John has answered this ass hat in a much more moderate way than I intend to do here.

Mothers and fathers, avert your children's eyes. My more gentle readers, do not go further, for I may shock you.

1. John is not overcompensating for anything. His sexual equipment compares favorably with most porn stars.

2. I have read through everything John wrote yesterday, and I just don't see the hostility in his writing. By the way, John is an excellent writer, and his collection is an excellent collection. John is a retired Army officer, with over 20 years service to the country. He taught military history at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, and used much of his collection for demonstrations for students. He has a Collector's license - for antiques and curio's - which is what we have.

3. As for Child 'Welfare' being notified, well, there is no sin in owning a gun, and no law as yet displaying one in a private home, at least not in this state. You might be surprised to learn that our town's high school has a rifle team. Our son is 18 years old, and even when he was younger, he has been around guns for most of his life, and guess what, he graduated from High School with an A average. John has taught him to respect guns and that they are not playthings.

4. I wonder if I was to examine your house, what things I might see that I found offensive - and if I did - would I report you to Child "Welfare" (these days it is called Child Protective Services, and it is anything but that!)?
Nope, not unless I saw an abused child, or a neglected one.

And I would know - because once upon a time I was a Child Abuse Investigator, and you know what, our home does not qualify, even if we did have tiny ones around.

I can't stand ignorant, biased people like this guy, Eric. Just pisses me off

Posted by Beth at 6:58 PM | Comments (4)

working in the technical world

By a strange accident of fate, I am a technical consultant. I implement Enterprise System Management tools for my company's clients. I train them how to use them and I also support them. It seems that every year, I have to get recertified, so I am always learning upgrades, new architectures, etc. This is a far cry from my psychology degree, let me tell you! I got a liberal arts degree because I hated math, and now math is an integral part of my worklife.

I enjoy what I do, but it is getting harder and harder to support 4 or 5 versions of the same software - especially when there are huge changes between one version and another. And to make it harder, we have our own software that we use with the 3rd party software, and we have just as many versions of that.

Sigh. Anytime a client calls and has problems, if their install is more than 2 years old, I tell them they will not be happy until they upgrade. I give them all the reasons why - the main reason being that it just plain works a lot better now than it did 2 or 3 or 4 years ago.

But they never want to pay for services. They want me for free. And a lot of times, they get me for free because the higher ups want the clients to be happy.

Now, I would not mind this at all, I get paid either which way, but part of my annual review is based on my billable hours. So if upper management gives me away for weeks at a time for new projects or to make a client happy who is not happy (I kinda specialize in those cases, most of the time), I don't get any billable hours out of it.

Which brings me to my next worry - maybe I won't get a decent raise!

Ok. No more work talk.

Posted by Beth at 6:08 PM | Comments (1)

they think we are stupid morons

but they will take our money any day:
You (and Bush) are likely too dumb for this

Damn celebrities who say bad things about us when they are out of the country. They probably think we are too dumb to find out about what they say.

Posted by Beth at 7:07 AM

no loss no gain

same as yesterday. Better than gaining!

Posted by Beth at 6:58 AM

November 11, 2003

One more cool thing

Argghhh!!! The Home of one of Jonah's Military Guys©: Okay, one last entry for Veteran's Day - and the most important.

read it.

Posted by Beth at 9:04 PM

World War I stuff

John of Argghhh!!! has put up some pictures of my favorite parts of our collection. I especially love the more mundane things that a soldier would carry with him, like foot powder. and prayer books.

Go look at all his posts for today, there are lots of neat, interesting tidbits on militaria from the First World War.

Oh, and I bought him the Vickers - it's my favorite!

Posted by Beth at 8:45 PM

this guy needs to read Kim Du Toit

Perhaps then, he would learn how not to be a pussified man:
smh.com.au - Woman locked husband naked in bathroom for three years.

And this happened in Turkey, not one of those places where one would expect pussification to have occurred!

Posted by Beth at 8:24 PM

tarriffs on tp in EU

I don't think that the steel tarriffs are a good idea, myself - causes things like tradewards:
US goods set to double in price as Europe plans huge trade war.

Here is a list of those items that Europe is going tax:

Europe can now impose duties on products ranging from T-shirts and lavatory paper, to bras, pantyhose, suspenders, ballpoint pens, ski suits and bowling alley equipment.

Warning to travelers - you better bring your own Charmin with you when going to Europe these days, even the "lavatory paper" they import from the US is harsh. Now it will probably be like rubbing your butt with pine bark.

Posted by Beth at 7:16 AM

lost 2 1/2 pounds

67 pounds to go. To those of you who may be concerned that I'm just losing water weight, I should tell you that I started watching my food intake last week, and dropped 9 pounds (this was mostly due to my monthly bloating going away) and I have been on diuretics for some time. So I think it is real weight.
What's very odd, though, is that I am not counting calories or weighing food. I am trying very hard to just eat when I'm hungry.
So maybe there is something to my public commitment - we'll see as time goes by, how long this happens.

Posted by Beth at 7:03 AM | Comments (2)

Someone is keeping track

Operation Self Defense is keeping track of all newsreports of guns used in self defense. They link to the actual news items on the web.
One drawback to this, though, is that eventually some of those links disappear. It would be nice if they documented them as well as linked to them.

Posted by Beth at 6:37 AM

Today is Veteran's Day

And most veterans have to work. Hardly anyone gets the day off anymore. When possible, I take the day off, because I like to ride my horse in the Leavenworth Veteran's Day Parade, but this year, I have to work.
Anyway, go thank a veteran. They have given nearly everything to make us free.

Posted by Beth at 6:26 AM

Rumsfeld's job is now secure

Has Donald bribed Twenty-Six House Democrats to push for his firing?

Smart move, that will guarantee Rummy a job forever.

Posted by Beth at 6:13 AM

November 10, 2003

down 1/2 pound

69 1/2 to go.

Posted by Beth at 5:58 AM

Comment Spam

Here is the IP address of the SPAM that was in my comments this morning:
209.208.9.254
Ban them!

Posted by Beth at 5:27 AM | Comments (1)

November 9, 2003

Rosemary Esmay

I am still trying to catch up with everything I missed while I was on vacation. I just now found Rosemary's essay on Dean's World: Why I Left The Democratic Party.
I found it fascinating, because my transformation from a liberal Democrat (believe it or not, a Democrat Precinct Captain) to a conservative Republican/Libertarian (I guess that is how I would classify myself), was so similar.

Anyway, I like Rosemary, and I think it is time she had her own blog!

Posted by Beth at 5:31 PM | Comments (1)

no loss no gain

same weight I was yesterday!

Posted by Beth at 10:36 AM | Comments (2)

Alliances and the Blogoshpere

N.Z. Bear makes some interesting points about blogger alliances in The Truth Laid Bear: Blogosphere Welfare, or the Welfare of the Blogosphere?

I am an unaligned blogger, and intend to stay that way. I'll never be much more than the slithering reptile I am proud to be today because I would rather write than link all over the place. I simply don't have a ton of time to do that.
And since I'm not in this for fame and fortune, that's ok.

The comments that N.Z.'s post generated are well worth reading. I will never get over how pissed off liberals get all the time, about anything. It's very childish.

Posted by Beth at 10:29 AM | Comments (5)

No responsibility required

The New York Daily News' Tracy Connor seeks to absolve Rosie O'Donnell's nasty temperment by insisting that it just ain't her fault -New York Daily News - Home - Rosie's demons are unleashed.

... as she strides into the courtroom to defend herself in a $100 million lawsuit, there is another unseen presence - the demons of a painful childhood.

An adored mother who died young. A father who was cold and distant. A little girl starved for approval and affection. Abuse by a male relative. "I would say she has never sufficiently dealt with these feelings of abandonment and loss of control," Dr. Carole Lieberman, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist, told the Daily News.

"She's desperately trying to maintain control - and she's doing it by trying to intimidate people and by acting like a child again."

In my opinion, she is just another spoiled star who indeed does act like a child, but does it because she is a selfish, rich bitch, not because she (like the rest of the world, it seems) had a difficult childhood.

Posted by Beth at 8:14 AM

November 8, 2003

Rachel's puppies

Personally, I'm not at all surprised that Rachel is still getting over 1,000 hits a day: Rachel Lucas - Piquance. Impudence. Ordnance.

She is just the kind of person you like to hear from. I check on her a couple of times a week, and I really do enjoy her pictures of her puppies. (gee, could it be because I have lotsa critters?).

Anyway, I hope she is doing well, and is happy now that she has finished school and moved!

Posted by Beth at 5:41 PM

Oh, how I wish I was as funny as`

LeeAnn! . Every day, I get at least one good giggle from her.
If I was as funny as LeeAnn, my stories of England would cause you all to snort milk out of your noses.
But I'm not.
However, you don't get out of hearing about my trip.

This is what I learned from my trip to England:
1. Bring your own toilet paper, Charmin Ultra, if possible. The English must have the toughest bottoms on the face of the earth. Even at the very nice hotel we stayed in, the toilet paper was like sandpaper. I walked funny the entire time, and to my husband's disappointment, it was due to the toilet paper!

2. All British Children are extraordinarily beautiful - at least up to about age 18. I don't know where they go after that, or what happens to them, but all the children have beautiful faces, gorgeous skin and twinkling eyes. Doesn't matter what color they are, they are all absolutely gorgeous.

3. British adult men are of two types (or at least obvious types - there may be more, I was only there for 5 days, after all). 1- the men who used to play rugby or football, and have many tatoos and piercings ,and are running to more flab than I have ever imagined, and 2 - tight lipped business men who are still very polite and will listen to the most obnoxious drunk in a pub with great magnanimity.

4. There are a lot of sweet old British grandmas with lapdogs - they take them on the train, the underground, shopping, everywhere. Lots of King Charles Spaniels, and Corgis. I didn't see one old lady with a Black Labrador, Newfoundland or even a Golden Retriever.

5. Everyone gets to have a beer at lunch. I like that.

6. Ok, this is for women - I had an 'opportunity' to purchase some women's feminine products. Oh. my. God. It cost 2 pounds to get 6 tampons - and they are each about the size of the last two joints of my baby finger, and about 1/2 the width. And no applicator. I kept them, can't use them, have no idea if British Women are built that much differently of if these things balloon out about 5 times their size to be normal. I'm scared to try!

7. Bathrooms are never on the ground floor. They are always upstairs or downstairs. I don't understand why, but that is just the way it is.

8. Harrods is a really big department store. Really, really, really big. Many people. They must do a shitload of business. They sell everything, probably even some kind of designer shit. They have siamese kittens, hams, oysters, diamonds, toys, clothes, clothes, clothes, and guards - a zillion guards - there is a guard every 15 feet in that store. I spent money there on gifts - food gifts, mostly, and a couple of Christmas ornaments.

9. The British people are very polite, very nice, and very patient, unless they are Asian or Middle Eastern men - then they are the opposite. Rude, pushy, scarey.

10. Steps. Steps. Steps. There are steps everywhere. And they are often narrow, tiny, steps - and of course this is because everything is incredibly old and beautiful. The architecture is amazing. Newer homes are older than the State of Kansas.

Well, there is more, but I have to go and run an errand or two. I'm glad I live here, the toilet paper situation alone would kill me.

Posted by Beth at 2:18 PM | Comments (2)

Commitment Experiment

I have been reading a book, "Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion", by Robert b. Cialdini, PHD. The book has been around for awhile, but I have just now found it. It explains how simple it is for people to be persuaded to do things they might not otherwise do - from Prisoners of War being convinced to colloberate with the enemy to people being convinced to become an Amway Dealer - to a smoker successfully quitting.
One of the very interesting techniques involves writing down a goal and making that goal public.
Well, in the interest of science ( I was a psychology major, lo those many years ago!), I decided to make public my rather embarrassing goal of losing a lot of weight.

To be exact, I need to lose a minimum of 70 pounds. I have tried many diets, but after I lose 10 or 20 pounds, I just gain back that much and more. Thus, I have gone from a size 10 (that I shoulda been happy with) to a size 20 in the past 10 years. Yes, even the famed Atkins diet (which caused all sorts of embarrassing farting noises that emanated from my bum during the night) failed me.
So, I am not going on a diet, but just letting everyone know that I have a goal of losing 70 pounds. As part of this goal, I will weigh myself each morning and post my loss or gain.
I ain't telling nobody how much my current weight is, but I will tell you how many pounds I have gotten rid of and how far from my goal I am.
This will be the only long post about this, - the rest will just be tiny little notes under my Beth's weight loss category.

Thanks for putting up with this interruption. Back to blogging.

Posted by Beth at 1:35 PM

November 7, 2003

Misha speaks the truth

The Great Emperor Misha demonstrates his genius here:The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: The Baby Killers Are At It Already.
Go read it. He is exactly correct. All hail Misha.

Posted by Beth at 6:34 AM

still having jet lag problems

Darn, we got home Tuesday night, and I'm still not sleeping right. Last night, I was exhausted by 7 pm, I snuggled up with a book and was out for the night. Then I woke up at 2:00 am. Finally fell asleep again, and got out of bed at 5:00 am.
I hope I can stay up later tonight. I had no idea what jet lag felt like until this trip. The first 36 hours in England are a fuzzy memory, as I felt like the walking dead.
I will never complain about flying out to the West Coast and the relatively easy 2 hour difference again. Promise.

Posted by Beth at 6:11 AM

November 6, 2003

I know that Mr. Du Toit will not like this!

Today is the annual Men Make Dinner Day.

John, I'd like a nice juicy rare steak, please - oh, but I forgot, last time you tried to grill steak, you were showing your dad the arsenal of doom and forgot about dinner - and we had crispy cow instead of steak!

Guess I'll cook after all!

Thanks to Michele for the link!

Posted by Beth at 3:57 PM | Comments (2)

I'm glad I'm not an Oscar Mayer Weiner

at least not in this truck in Iowa.
For if I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner.
I'd be burnt to nothing but an ash.

Yeah, yeah, yeah - it doesn't rhyme - what the hell rhymes with Iowa anyway?

Posted by Beth at 3:33 PM | Comments (2)

property rights

I agree with Brian of Musings from Brian J. Noggle
He writes:

More property rights hijinks. This time, a man who refused to remove junk from his yard is sentenced to a year in prison. He's completely framing it as a property rights issue, and whereas I dispute the aesthetic appeal of the man's "cause," I have to agree.

Of course, I might be that guy if I had neighbors who didn't like my pond in the front yard, or my mountain and tunnel (for our Garden Railway).
That is one of the major reasons we don't live in suburbia.

Posted by Beth at 2:54 PM

jet lag. . . .

too tired to blog right now. must go earn money to pay for trip. later.

Posted by Beth at 7:23 AM | Comments (1)

November 5, 2003

coming home is good and very sad ...

Before I left for the UK, I took our 5 dogs to our veterinarian to be kennelled. Of the 5 dogs, two were over age 12 1/2. Mickey, our Golden Retriever, age 13 1/2 has redeveloped a tumor she had removed last summer, and Little Guy, 12 year old Chow, was having serious problems with moving, and both have been very arthritic.

The day I took them all to Nikki (our wonderful, kind and incredible veterinarian), I talked to her about the two older dog's problems, and told her that if either of them were in pain that could not be easily releaved, to please ease their way home to doggie heaven.

Little Guy didn't make it, and Mickey did, at least for now (her tumor is inoperable - around her esophagus, but she is still wagging her tail and is in no pain - but when the day comes that she is miserable ...).

I, unlike most people, believe that there is an afterlife for all creatures, and that Little Guy is able to run and play with all the other dogs and kitties and other pets of our lives - from Blitzen (my Christmas puppy when I was 5 - who lived to be 16), to Gabby and Ninja (two wonderful cats) to Thumper, my college bunny and Geraldine the Gerbil. And I believe when we die, we get to be with all our loyal critters again forever, otherwise, Heaven would not be really perfect, would it?

Anyway, John has a picture of Little Guy over at Arrgghhhh!!

Posted by Beth at 7:11 PM | Comments (3)

anyone else have problems with comments?

I just found out that when I added two IP addresses to the IP Banning preferences, that no comments at all were allowed.
It does let me ban some of them, just not these particular ones - has anyone else had this occur, or is my MT haunted?

Posted by Beth at 6:26 AM

CBS ...

Wow, if a self-described liberal Democrat thinks that The Reagans is biased, can you imagine what it must be like? Naturally, Drudge has the scoop: DRUDGE REPORT 2003®

Posted by Beth at 6:05 AM | Comments (1)

Back Home Now

England was fascinating - very beautiful countryside, mostly very nice people and really bad service at restaurants.

This is the first time I have ever flown overseas, and it is really boring and very tiring.

I flew on American Airlines only because they had the best deal. I had purposely stopped flying American a few years ago because at that time, the flight attendants were damned close to rude and acted as though they were doing you a favor to let you on their airline. Happily, things have changed - perhaps losing so much business to Southwest made them realize that customer service is important (the Southwest flight attendants are always, always, always kind, helpful and full of humor).

I have put American Airlines back on my list of airlines I will fly. They were nice, the coach seats were much roomier than they used to be, and most importantly, the pilots made gentle landings.

I'll go through our pictures and post the cool ones later on - now, though, I must catch up with the news of the world. We stayed nicely away from the internet, TV, etc., while on 'holiday'.

Posted by Beth at 6:03 AM | Comments (3)