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April 30, 2006
workity work work
Well, finally the painting is done. 4 fricking coats of paint!
Seems a bit much, but I guess red is one of those colors. Now, for the scary part - the floor . . .
Destruction Construction update here.
Posted by Beth at 11:53 AM | Comments (8)
Happy Happy Joy Joy
Aaron's CC is back up finally! Our blogs were down because of the DOS attack, but only for a few hours - it took a lot longer for Aaron since he was the target.
So go say welcome back to Aaron and maybe buy one of his cool hats or shirts to help him defray the costs of blogging.
Posted by Beth at 8:26 AM
April 29, 2006
Ha ha hee hee, chuckle, snort
Can you believe I am number 2 for X-Rated blog on Google?
Site Meter is so much fun to play with when I should be painting the kitchen!
Posted by Beth at 3:17 PM | Comments (3)
More on Cyber Terrorism
Go check out Hog On Ice. This post, in particular. Steve wants to have a Swine/11 day. I'm all for it.
And I think I'll publish a copy of Linda's new creation on that day.
Well, heck, now is as good a time as any.
And you know what really gets me about the Islamisists who so idolize mohammed - a man who slept with children (figures, I bet pedophiles love Muslims)? Is that they treat him as if he was God - all their protestations about allah this and allah that being the only god, but they obviously worship a man - mohammed - and a child molester at that.
UPDATE: Aaron is back!
Posted by Beth at 9:43 AM | Comments (1)
The Cyber War on Terror
Yesterday was the second or third or fourth time that Hosting Matters (and our blogs) were shut down by DOS (denial of service) attacks. The most recent attacks were probably aimed at Aarons CC - a great anti-terror blog - though Hosting Matters does not reveal which site was the victim.
His blog has not yet returned from the DOS attack.
Hosting Matters *did* say that the attacks were originating from Saudi Arabia. Which kinda figures, Aaron is no friend of the Arabs!
And all of this brings me to the subject at hand - our enemies seek to silence us anyway they can, even, or especially, individuals with blogs or websites of some sort who speak against them. The Islamofascists who want to kill us all or force us to become Muslim are only one faction in the cyberworld who wants to shut us all down.
The Chinese, I believe, are even more dangerous. They have billions of people - and who knows how many are employed in trying to hack the computer systems of banks, government and businesses of the West. And the Chinese are more organized that the Islamic extremests. There is no doubt in my mind that the Chinese crave world domination. They can't even handle people who meditate and exercise (the Falon Gong) and have tortured and murdered many of their own citizens for the crime of being different. When John and I were in DC last week, there were hundreds of Americans of Chinese descent protesting the visit of the Chinese President. There were also hundreds of Chinese who are pro-Peking (yeah, yeah, I know, they want it to be called Beijing) holding American and Chinese flags in their hands - and there was something very wrong about the two flags being together. I will try to upload my pics from there later today.
Anyway, between the Islamists who want me to wear a burka and never leave home or be tortured to death, and the Chinese, who simply want to rule the world, our words are more important than we might think.
So, even though I have been mostly blogging about my work, home, etc., maybe it it time for me to start being more outspoken.
One person can make a difference - look at Jane of Armies of Liberation - she has made a huge difference to the Yemeni people who want only freedom - and mostly all by herself. The government of Yemen is afraid of her! The "press" in Yemen writes all kinds of made-up stories about Jane - it's funny, really. Jane is making a difference.
So I will endeavor to write something of value more than my kitchent color in the future - at least once a week!
For no other reason than to defy those who want to shut us up.
Posted by Beth at 9:05 AM | Comments (10)
April 27, 2006
Finally!!!
LeeAnn is back blogging! Apparently she started a few weeks ago, but she sure as heck didn't let me know! And I've been a fan of hers for years! Years, I say!
The Cheese Stands Alone. One of my very favorite blogs - only this time, no comments, but that's okay. I still have her email address. I can bug her that way.
Welcome back, LeeAnn!!
And I agree with her completely when it comes to immigration.
Posted by Beth at 7:12 PM | Comments (2)
kitchen project
I'm going to be daring. I'm going to paint the walls red - heck it's only paint, no big deal to change it. Should be interesting, no?
Update - the color is Cherry Cobbler Red - how yummy is that for a kitchen?
Posted by Beth at 11:55 AM | Comments (5)
April 26, 2006
Need help from a handy person!
I am pulling up the awful carpet in my kitchen/breakfast room in preparation for laying a new laminate wood floor on Friday and Saturday. I realized that the walls look like shit, so I am trying to take everything off of them so I can paint them tonight and tomorrow.
I have a nice plate shelf thingie that goes the length of one wall - I got all the screws but ONE out using my drill. There is one screw left - in the middle of the plate shelf thingie, and I have stripped the damn phillips thingie in the middle. Anyone have a suggestion as to how I can get it out without wrecking the shelf? Or maybe I just don't need the shelf. Heck I dunno.
Any ideas?
UPDATE:
John managed to get the darn shelf down for me, and he helped me with that stupid tack strip from the carpeting. I still have about 1/2 of the kitchen floor carpeted - I'll pull that up after dinner.
I do need ideas for colours for kitchens (not yellow or white!) now that I realized that I should paint before I plank (ha ha).
Posted by Beth at 2:58 PM | Comments (8)
Holy crap!
As a very frequent flier, Fausta's discovery of Airbus plans to make us stand up during flights to cram more people in is absolutely horrifiying.
Well, they do let you lean your butt against something - not sure what you call it - certainly *not* a seat! And there is nowhere to stow carryon luggage. And since you don't have a lap if you're standing - gawd - you can't even use your laptop.
And the children ... what about the children? Are they going to stand on top of each other?
How can anyone read in that position, or nap? Next thing you know they will load us into planes, hook us up to catheters so we don't have to walk to the restroom, thereby eliminating aisles, and strapping us to the standing room only 'seats' - and our feet stapled to the floor and our mouths duct taped so as not to bother the flight attendants.
Gahhhhh!
Posted by Beth at 8:42 AM | Comments (7)
Gas Prices
I have been listening to and reading about all the bitches people have about the price of gasoline. President Bush wants to give tax breaks to people who buy hybrid cars. That's nice, but I think it a tax break to employers for encouraging employees to telecommute would be a much more effective tool for decreasing the use of oil.
Of course, the rotten managers of the world would flip out over this possibility because they tend to be control freaks. I had one manager at Sprint who would call me or page me every 30 minutes on the rare occassions I worked at home - he wanted to make sure I was there - and he would send me emails to make sure I was on line. He was a major reason I left Sprint!
I am much more productive when I work from home. I don't have the distractions that I have at work. I did have to provide my own broadband connection, printer/copier/fax machine and phone - my company no longer provides those things to telecommuters, and I had to sign an agreement with them that I did not expect reimbursement for materials, etc. So I drive down to the office from time to time and get the notebooks, pens, pencils and paper I need.
The sad thing about the company I work for is that it has nearly stopped supporting telecommuting - there have been some changes to the HR department, and the current VP of HR is a bit of a control freak. We used to have hundreds of people telecommuting - now we have fewer and fewer because management doesn't trust us like they should.
If there was a tax incentive to telecommute, I believe that the company I work for, as well as many others, would take advantage of that tax break and in doing so can be good corporate citizens by reducing pollution, traffic, road rage, and gasoline usage.
Posted by Beth at 5:36 AM
April 25, 2006
I'm home!
The weather certainly changed here! It's cold - and we might even have a frost tomorrow morning. Good thing I didn't get around to planting anything last week. Some times, being a procrastinator is a good thing...
So I was checking out all my email from the last few days, and whilst checking with the ladies of the Cotillion, I found that our friend, Right Wing Sparkle, is now blogging for the Houston Chronicle - only they renamed her Texas Sparkle. She is doing a great job of covering the story of the woman that a Texas Hospital wants to kill . They have a clever way of making her comatose - they drugged her - and now, under Texas law, they can just pull the plug. Awful, horrible. Not ethical in anyway. Please, go read about it here. (yes, I know it is the DU - and someone there is the sister of the patient in question, and her family is asking for support).
Posted by Beth at 10:17 AM | Comments (2)
April 22, 2006
Watch for this one . . .
The War Tapes. Interesting concept, should be out in June. Go to the site!
Posted by Beth at 2:58 PM | Comments (3)
I'm at the Milblog Conference
I'm I'm going to kinda sorta liveblog the conference. I got here a little late because I dropped John off and had to go find a parking spot.
Makes me very thankful that I don't have to go and find parking sspots at home!
Buzz Patterson just started talking - he does have a new book - War Crimes - coming out in July.
Actually- you can get live feed from the conference here.
John is doing a much better job of liveblogging than I am - heck - there is chat available, so I'm trying to keep up with that. Smash is funny.
Posted by Beth at 8:15 AM
April 21, 2006
Children should be children, not sex toys
Raven, one of my Cotillion pals, has several pieces on the exploitation of children by sexual predators.
Raven managed to live through the incredible violence and horror of sexual predation as a young girl. It's a wonder she has survived to be the brilliant, caring woman she is now.
Please go read this post and leave a reply.
In fact, go read all the links above - it will take some time, and perhaps those of you who do not understand just how evil people are, will begin to see why sexual predators everywhere have got to be stopped.
Posted by Beth at 8:48 AM | Comments (3)
I'm in Washington, D.C.
John and I flew into Baltimore/Washington International yesterday and spent the day walking around the Mall and wearing out our feet!
We wanted to go to the Washington Naval Yard, but we could not find the right exit, and then we were in D.C. and we found a parking garage, parked, and started walking.
Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day - low humidity and a high of about 73 - can't get much better than that in Washington - or anywhere else. I have been to D.C. area many times for work, but I've never seen D.C. and all the government buildings and museums, etc., until now. I fell in love with the Smithsonian buildings
and the many flower gardens
and the White House
and of course, the Washington Monument
today and Sunday, I hope to be able to see more of our historic center of government.
Posted by Beth at 8:10 AM | Comments (4)
April 13, 2006
Save Fran O'Brien's
Please consider writing or calling the people listed in the post on Arrgghh!!! to save a wonderful place, Fran O'Brien's. Click on this link for the details, then you can read on.
As a Hilton Honors VIP Diamond member, I have emailed Hilton asking them to please renew the lease for the restaurant. I know that many of you are also members of Hilton Honors. Please call them or write them. It's for our veterans!
Posted by Beth at 10:45 AM | Comments (1)
April 11, 2006
Let's talk about fat people
I'm not going to use any euphemisms here - I'm not horizontally challenged, I'm not fluffy, I'm not pouffy, I'm fat.
You know, I am not a lazy person. I did not get fat on purpose. I am not a weak-willed bum. I am not poverty stricken. I don't even like sweets, except for an occasional ounce of dark chocolate.
In fact, I'm extremely busy - but my job is very sedentary. I travel all over the place, don't sleep well because of the time changes and when I travel I usually have to eat out because hotels with kitchen suites are not always in the travel budgets.
I have spent the bulk of my life being ... bulky. For example, here is a picture of me when I was one:
No matter what I did when I was a teenager, I was always a size 11 or 13. Didn't seem to matter much, I had plenty of dates and plenty of boyfriends, and I was very active - rode horses, water-skied, rode my bike all over the place and walked a lot.
I am from an upper-middle-class family. John and I are in the upper-middle-class income bracket - yet I'm still fat.
The thinnest I have ever been in my life was when I was 40 - I got down to 150 pounds and wore a size 8 or size 9. I was fairly muscular, but then, life interveened and I had to work a lot of hours, and the martial arts class 4 nights a week had to go. I slowly gained weight over the next 12 years until I am where I am now - too fat to divulge! I try to exercise when I can (though arthritis pain makes it very difficult, even with celebrex) and I eat carefully. I know that the big problem here is age and my high stress, sedentary job. I make the big bucks, as far as I'm concerned, but I am glued to computers, data centers, meetings and phones - doesn't leave much time for a daily walk.
So, I get pretty pissed when I see that people like the Queen of Dumb, Megan McAardle and others arrogantly insist that anyone can lose weight, and do it easily and that those of us who weigh too much are morally corrupt.
Let's see - I am a productive citizen, I pay my taxes, I am a home owner and mother and a wife. I have a very good job, and my clients absolutely love me. I am smarter than the average bear, and my genetics are aparently closely related to said bear. (I was adopted, so I have no idea what my genetic forebears look like).
I rarely get sick. I have never been hospitalized in my 53 years except to give birth - so I'm NOT using more than my fair share of medical stuff. I am creative, and sometimes even kinda funny.
But some people condemn me because I'm a size 18, not a size 8.
Again, I would prefer to be back to 150 pounds, and I am working toward that, but even when I do eventually lose weight, I would never expend any energy snarking people who do not fit the picture of perfection as a skinny-ass woman or pencil-necked man.
I understand that everyone is terribly concerned about obesity in children - but you know - it's not the food they eat at school or at home that makes them fat - it is the lack of exercise.
When I was in school, we had gym class for one hour each day - many public schools have gym twice a week, and spend half that time learning about health/drugs/etc while sitting down.
And then at home, American parents have become so overly paranoid about the possibility of abduction, that they don't allow the kids to go outside and play.
When was the last time you saw kids playing hide and seek or tag or riding bikes together?
That was very common activity when I was a kid.
So, the answer to childhood obesity would have two parts -
1. Schools need to have PE every day.
2. parents need to make kids go outside and play and make friends and run around the neighborhood!!!
The answer to adult obesity -
1. Companies need to not expect people to put in 12 to 14 hours a day at a desk job.
2. Society needs to shut the fuck up about it and those of us with the problem will be able to go out in public for walks, etc., without the fear of being abused by assholes who think they are better than the rest of us.
Posted by Beth at 11:01 AM | Comments (35)
April 10, 2006
Monday Morning Pop Quiz
Who wrote this amazing, erudite and mature line:
Phat Gilrz--EEUUW!; Anti-White Racism & Another Reason to Hate Fat Chicks
A. My 15 year old niece.
B. My 8 year old neighbor kid.
C. Fred Phelps
D. Queen of Dumb.
Posted by Beth at 6:18 AM | Comments (6)
April 4, 2006
John is home
And all is right with the world, at least here at Castle Argghhh!
Posted by Beth at 11:21 AM | Comments (4)
April 3, 2006
Debbie Schlussel
Debbie Schlussel is an embarrassment to all Americans - left or right! She has no understanding of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. Somehow, she managed to pass the bar exam in Michigan and is listed on the Michigan bar as an attorney. That alone is unbelievable. She must have passed the bar prior to losing her mind.
Debbie is calling Jill Carroll all sorts of names and is even insinuating that she deserved what she got by being kidnapped.
When I heard Jill's first comments when she was released, yet still in Iraq, I took them all with a huge grain of salt - as I assumed she had been threatened by her captors. And I was right. And even if she might be against the Iraq war or dislike the Bush Administration, Jill is an American and has the right to believe as she wishes.
Anyway, Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy covers this Schlossel stupidity
quite well. Also be sure to check out these fine reports of Debbie's continuing slide into the sewer from whence she came.
I have said it before, and I'll say it again. Debbie Schlussel is a whiney woman with no talent and no skill. She is living in some kind of fantasy world where she believes that she somehow knows more than anyone else about everyone else.
I fully expect that she will email me with one of her famous threats to either sue me or contact the FBI about me (again, why, I have no idea!). And when she does, I'll publish every word the c*nt writes.
Posted by Beth at 8:01 AM | Comments (11)
April 2, 2006
Good joke!
Wow, LaShawn Barber's post of yesterday has to be one of the best April Fools jokes ever!
Posted by Beth at 10:51 AM
April 1, 2006
I'm going to be busy today
So check out these links:
Here.
oh, and here.
Can't miss this one. I love gadgets!
Just before John went to Korea, I bought him a new watch - he is going to be so disappointed that we did not see this one first.
Posted by Beth at 6:29 AM | Comments (2)
Remember what today is!
And go check out this hot new site - click all the links!
Posted by Beth at 5:27 AM | Comments (2)