Vigilance or . . .?

Ok - so the right had its ass handed to it in the election earlier this month. And the Dems will take charge in January and stop the madness by being fair and bi-partisan, blah, blah, blah. So we can all take it easy now. Right? Well I say to hell with that. Since the election, Bush has played into the Dems' pledge - saying he'll be bipartisan too. But we all know he's a big fat fucking liar. Hell, since the election he's proved he could give two shits about what the Dems, or the liberals, or even the moderates, want . . . by, for example, appointing an anti-choice, anti-contraception advocate to be in charge of the federal family planning program. And trying to shove through appointments to the federal bench of candidates who had already been rejected. So much for bipartisanship. And if the Dems really think that's gonna change come January, then they're dumber, and wimpier, than I already thought. So its not time to rest just yet everyone. We must remain vigilant for if we do not monitor those morons in Washington, goddess only knows what could happen next.

Brand New Day

Glory, glory hallelujah. The Dems have taken the House and are poised to take the Senate. The abortion ban gets shot down in SD, the gay marriage ban gets shot down in AZ, and stem stell research is approved in Missoura. And then, as an extra special treat -- Rumsfeld resigns.

Unbelievable -- I mean, I figured the progressives would do well, but I never imagined it would be this good. If I was any happier I might just pee my pants.

Here's to having hope again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Madonna & David

Sounds like a renaissance painting or statue or something, but it's not -- it's just recent news about a pop star and her attempts to adopt a baby from Malawi. And of course, the human rights groups who have come out against the adoption.

Now I am a major supporter of human rights, especially the rights of children. But I don't see what the fuss is about. I understand the technical point being raised by the human rights groups, but seriously, do they really think the child would be better off in a orphanage in Malawi then in the care of Madonna & Guy Ritchie? Especially when the father - who surrendered his child to the openness because he couldn't afford to care for him - approves of the adoption?

I know, I know -- the "law" in Malawi says that prospective parents have to stay in Malawi for 18 to 24 months before an adoption can be finalized. But even the Malawi government recognizes that this law is archaic and not conducive to the best interests of children. Seriously, think about -- if every adoption was required to be preceded by 18-24 months of the adoptive parents residing in the culture, or even within the state, within which the child is to be adopted, think how far fewer adoptions there would be. There are enough parentless children out there without requiring draconian rules that would lessen the prospective parent pool. I can tell you this - two very good friends of mine adopted an adorable little girl from Russia. They would not be parents today if they had been required to live in Russia for 2 years before they could bring their daughter home. And besides, it simply does not take 18-24 months to assess prospective parents.

I also know that some people believe children do best growing up close to their cultural home. But, having majored in cultural anthropology, I know a thing or two about the topic and I don't buy that crap. Maybe once a child is older he or she would do better in their country of origin, but for very young children -- they have no culture. Culture is taught. Language is taught. If a child is raised in America, for example, by American parents, he or she will be American, regardless of whether he or she was born in Malawi, or Canada, or in my case, Italy (although technically I think of myself as Italian-American, but that's another story).

And, I also know that some people are simply against international adoption. But these people are not really thinking about the child -- they're thinking about themselves, or the country, or some other socio-political cause. If children are without parents because of disease or war or famine, then yes the root problems need to be cured. But in the meantime someone has to care for the children who are left behind. The countries can't do it so - -hell, look at America, we're supposedly the richest country in the world and our child welfare system is shit -- so if the only people who want or can afford to care for orphaned children happen to live in other countries, then so be it. Maybe it isn't fair. But tough fucking luck, cause life ain't fair, and ya gotta do the best you can.

Anyway -- if the courts in Malawi, and the government of Malawi, and the sole living parent of the child all think adoption by Madonna is best for this child, without abiding by the 24 month rule, then who are these supposed human rights groups to say otherwise? I don't care if it's un-PC to take sides against these human rights groups, but I am. I find it hard to believe that anyone can seriously say that a child, any child, would be better off in an orphanage than with willing parents. I find it hard to believe that anyone with any sense thinks it takes 18-24 months to monitor prospective parents, or that monitoring must take place in the country of origin. I believe there needs to be strict rules surrounding adoption, but I also believe that some rules go too far, and are too strict. When that happens, its OK to relax the rules if relaxing the rules means a child will find a safe and loving home.

Who's the bitch?

OK - so I'm a huge, huge, huge Project Runway fan. Makes me wish I could quit my job and take design classes! But lately, my reception for the show has sucked. And I almost lost it all together tonight for the "who goes to Fashion Week" show. The screen freezes, the sound goes wacky, or worse, silent, and sometimes the picture goes black. So who's the bitch? Comcast or Bravo? I'm thinking Bravo, since I don't have the problem on any other channel, but it may just as well be Comcast -- maybe it happens on other channels, just on channels I don't watch. Plus, I've heard that lots of folks have had all kinds of problems with Comcast. Or maybe it's all just a big conspiracy to deprive me of my favorite hour of TV. I suppose next I'll have problems with Fox once the new American Idol comes on (yes, I'm a fan of that show too -- sue me).

Of course, I'm generally a conspiracy theorist, and may just be a little nuts, but all I know is that I still have Bravo on, and now that my fave is over, the problems have gone bye-bye, so you tell me.

How Jersey Are You?

A fun new test:

How New Jersey Are You?

With thanks to Christina F., Ormond Beach, FL (but, of course, formerly of NJ)

Elections Are Coming...

Will your vote count?

Check out...http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/video.
Notice: video is about 10 minutes long.

With thanks to Becca P. , Charlottesville, VA

If this video doesn't scare the shit out of you, then you are a fucking idiot. And it doesn't matter which party-line you subscribe to - the right to vote is universal; and is universally worthless without the right to have that vote count.

DEMAND PAPER RECORDS FOR ALL VOTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9/20/06 Update -- apparently, I used the wrong link...here's the correct one:
http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/videos.html. My apologies for any confusion.

Revolution No. 3

Another winner from the tyrant commander in chief:

"There ought to be limits to freedom."

Bush in May 1999 reacting to satirical criticism of him.

with thanks to Erin G., Fort Collins

P.S. Did you know that the antonym (or opposite, for you sheep out there) for tyrant is democrat? True. Don't believe me? Click here

Talkin 'bout a revolution...

"It's unacceptable to think."
An actual quote from George W. Bush, Sept. 15, 2006

Like I said, all we need is a revolution . . . of thought.

Viva La Revolution

It is time for the neo-cons to go. 'Cause if one more person tells me I'm not patriotic, or worse, a Nazi-appeaser, because I don't support the war in Iraq (which I don't care what anyone says has nothing to do with the "war on terror"), I might actually have to beat somebody down. And I don't want to go to jail.

It's time for the pansy-ass Dems who've sat back and done nothing to go. 'Cause I'm sick and tired of the rhetoric -- the oh, now that Bush has proven to be a big fat liar and people are starting to get hip to his bullshit you don't support his agenda. Funny, you supported his agenda a few years back. Where's the fucking apology, the oh shit, sorry, I was wrong? (Can you say Hillary?).

It's time for every average American who is dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country to stand up and do something. What should we do? Fuck if I know -- but there must be something. And it starts by getting up out of our easy chairs, turning off the TV (horror) and actually thinking about things instead of just following blindly. I have way too many friends and acquaintances (both Republicans & Democrats; Conservative & Liberal) who don't have a single independent thought in their head. They believe as they do because that's what the party tells them to believe. And that, my friends, is a serious fucking problem.

They say if you don't have a solution you're just part of the problem. Well, I don't have a solution, but at least I'm thinking for myself. Maybe that is the solution? At the very least, we have to re-balance the federal government -- this one party in all three branches is bullshit. So unseat the majority party. Hell, better yet, fuck both parties and start another one; or two; or ten. Because this two-party system (1) was never intended by our founders, and (2) isn't fucking working. Doesn't matter if it's Republican or Democrat, if a single party takes control of everything, you're going to have problems. It's simple, too much power breeds corruption, regardless of which way you lean.

So let's start a revolution people -- I don't mean a guns-blazing, coup-d'etat kind of revolution, I mean a revolution of thought. Starting now, let's actually think about who we are voting for instead of just towing the party line (or maybe we just need to start with actually voting - cause seriously, the voter turn-out in this country is pathetic). Let's forget about labels like GOP, or Liberal, and really test a wanna-be politician on the issues. Let's stop believing everything we are told. Let's stop allowing politicians to say one thing and do another. Let's do something about incumbency. Let's do something about the only-the-rich-can-run problem we have. Let's see if we can't find a way out of the mess we are currently in. Let's remind our government that they have power for the sole reason that we give it to them, and that if they don't do better by us, we will take it away and give it to someone else (Can you say Ned Lamont? I see Connecticut is thinking!).

Too simplistic? Maybe. But at least its a thought.

Remembrance

This morning, while driving to work, I listened to a live broadcast of the remembrance ceremony from Ground Zero. I cried. I sobbed like a child. A pall fell over the world it seemed, and I had to change the channel. I can remember without someone telling me to. In fact, I will never, ever forget.

Exactly 5 years ago today at 8:45 AM in the morning, I was sitting in class at UVA Law. I was three months pregnant, and crocheting a blanket (it was my last year of law school so I wasn't paying as close attention to the prof as maybe I should have been). Kit, who sat next to me, was checking out the news on her laptop -- since I had chosen to forgo the wireless internet hook-up on my laptop, I was checking out Kit's. She clicked on MSNBC, or something, and there was a picture of a plane hitting one of the towers. My heart froze. I wasn't afraid it was a terrorist, but I was definitely afraid. All I could think was Oh my god, please don't let that be my brother's building. My younger brother worked on the 90th floor or something in one of the towers. I'd been to his office, but I couldn't remember which building it was. I had to leave. I had to get home to my husband. I had to call my mom. I had to go. I had to find out if that was my brother's building. There was only a minute or two of class left, but I didn't wait. I told Kit, I think my brother might be in that building. I have to leave. I have to leave right now. I vaguely remember leaving the building, and I must have sped home because I was in my apartment watching TV by the time the second plane hit less than 20 minutes after the first one. Now I really started to freak out. I woke up my husband. I didn't know if I should call my mom or not -- she was teaching class, so I knew she wouldn't have found out yet. I called. I called my brother's wife (now his ex), but couldn't get through. I tried calling everyone I knew, and couldn't get through. I felt helpless, and frightened, and worried beyond anything I've ever experienced before that I would never see my brother again. And now, I knew this wasn't a freak accident -- someone did this on purpose. And it didn't matter which building was my brother's because both had flames shooting out of them. I became glued to the television. I couldn't stop watching -- waiting for news of my brother; continually trying to get through to my friends and family in NY & NJ. Then, the south tower fell. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. And I probably did have a panic attack. After I left school, a good part of the day passed in a blur of frightening television images, and unconnected cell phone calls. At some point, I got in touch with my mom. And my other brother and sister, who also lived in VA. They all left their jobs once they realized our brother was in one of the buildings and we all went to my mom's huddling together, watching the horror, waiting for news of our brother. Not eating, or drinking, or even really talking, just waiting. And then the north tower fell. We still hadn't heard anything. Not from my brother; not from his wife. Not from any of our friends or family. All we could do was wait. And hope. And pray. Sometime in the mid-morning, or maybe early afternoon, my sister-in-law was finally able to get a call down to us. All she could tell us was that my brother had made it out of the building before it fell (he was in the south tower), but she didn't know if he had gotten far enough away from the building to avoid the collapse. And she didn't know where he was. Several hours later, we get another call. He's in midtown now, and trying desperately to get out of the city. On the news there were pictures of thousands of people waiting to escape Manhattan. No one knew if the worst was over, or if things were just getting started. So even though we knew our brother had made it out of the trade center and out of downtown alive, we had no idea if he would ever actually make it home. And so we sat, still waiting for news. Another couple of hours later, we finally find out that my brother was home. He was safe, and physically unharmed. He experienced the best and worst of people, and made it home to his family.

We found out later that he ran down the 90 flights of stairs, or however many it was, as soon as the first plane hit the north tower. He told us the south tower shook, and they could see papers fluttering in the air outside their windows. He told us that while he was in the stairwell, there were announcements telling everyone to return to their workstations. Luckily my brother has never been real big on listening to authority, because he ignored that announcement and it saved his life. He ran down the stairs as fast as his legs would take him while others listened and did as they were told and began climbing back up the stairs. Yes, people actually were climbing up the stairs. I cried when he told me that and couldn't help but wonder how many more might have been saved if only they hadn't listened, or if only the powers-that-be hadn't made such a fucking idiotic announcement. But at least my brother, a long-time believer in the fuck-authority principle, made it out. And, he was able to get a call through to his wife long enough to let her know he'd gotten out, before the call was cut off. Once on the street, he ran for his life; just trying to get as far away from the building as he could. He doesn't talk about the details of what he saw that day -- except maybe to his therapist -- but he tried to explain the horror without being graphic. I'm grateful I never heard too many details. What little I knew gave me nightmares. I can only imagine how my brother feels. Or how he was able to focus on that day. Amid the chaos, he ran away from the Trade Center, towards the water, trying to find a way home. He got to the Hudson, and headed uptown. At the ferry landing, the lines were hours long. He couldn't wait. He needed to get home. He was able to get another call in to his wife to say he'd made it out of downtown. Realizing he'd never get on a ferry, he kept heading north, to the Marina, where he found a fellow willing to ride people across the river in his personal boat. And all he wanted was, $500 PER PERSON! Believe it or not, that piece-of-shit mother fucker was charging $500 to bring people to safety. What kind of worthless dick does that I ask? To take advantage of your fellow human beings in a time of crises is the lowest of the low. But my brother paid the $500, and across the river he went. Once on the other side, he realized he was stranded about 20 miles from home. There was no public transportation running. He'd gone broke just getting out of the city. And he realized he'd probably have to huff it the 20 miles home. He said something to this effect to the guy he'd ridden across the water with (another ripped off passenger, not the boat owner), and started walking towards home. Then, this other guy turns to my brother and says something like I live only a few blocks away; come with me to my house and I’ll lend you my car. My brother, thinking he's about to get reipped off again, says he doesn't have any more money; but the guy didn't want money. He told my brother to take the car and to go home to his kids and they could work out the return of the car later. This total stranger who didn't know my borther from Adam, gives his car to my brother, expecting nothing in return. It was beautiful. They exchanged numbers. My brother drove home. And, as far as I know, he still talks to the guy who gave a stranger his car.

I hope I never have to experience anything like that day ever again. The waiting, and the not knowing, that was the hardest. There was such relief when we finally heard my brother was home safe and sound, that I broke down for the umpteenth time that day. Just like I did this morning hearing the names of the victims, wondering if any of the people being named had passed my brother in the stairwell. Wondering how different my life would be if my brother hadn’t made it out. But despite all that, I can tell you this…I am not afraid. Yes, terrorism is scary; yes, that day was scary. But not so scary that I am willing to give up my personal freedom. Maybe there will be another attack some day; maybe there won’t. But one thing is sure, if we continue to allow the politicians (i.e. Bush & his cronies) to cart out September 11 whenever necessary for their fucking agenda and fear-mongering, and if we continue to allow them to keep chipping away at the freedoms that make this a wonderful country, then not only are we allowing the sanctity of all those lives to be tarnished, we are giving the terrorists what they want. If no one ever mentions it again, I won’t forget September 11. I doubt anyone will. Do you remember?

Confession

Forgive me father, it's been 5 months since my last post...

OK - so maybe that's a little sacrilegious, but I'm a recovering Catholic so I think I'm allowed. Anyway, I could rattle off any number of crappy excuses for not writing, but basically, life just got to be too much there for a while. That, and I think I became a little too worried about whether people were reading or not. Then I realized this has to be about me, or what the fuck's the point, ya know? So, here I am, back again. With nothing particularly important to say, just a need to vent.

The last 5 months have, well, in a word, sucked ass (OK that's two words, whatever). Aside from basement sewage floods and wrecked cars, DH and I have been at each others throats a little more than before. And, the way this country is going (can you say FASCISM?) is depressing me. And I don't mean "oh, that's depressing" kind of depressing; I mean the maybe I should be taking drugs for this unliftable sadness kind of depression. I've tried avoidance -- thought maybe if I ignore the bullshit, it won't bother me. But, you can't ignore it. But, I still try to stay away from the mainstream "news". Not like it matters, because as far as I can tell, the news is gone and has been replaced by what someone on AirAmerica called "Infotainment." Perfect word -- because, really, I don't give a fuck who killed Jon Bene Ramsey. But that's all you heard for days on end. Meanwhile, back in real news land, soldiers and civilians were dying, the census bureau was telling us how crappy health care in this country is, and a federal judge ruled that Bush broke not only a federal law, but the constitution as well. That's right -- BUSH BROKE THE LAW. And was this on the news? Fuck no -- instead we watched the patsy fall guy on the Jon Bene case walking with handcuffs through international airports only to find out later that, holy shit, can you fucking believe it, he didn't do it. Shocker. Fucking media manipulation is what it is. It's depressing -- and it pisses me off too, but what the fuck can ya do about it. You get up, you to work, you pay your bills, blah, blah, blah, blah. You try to find joy where you can, and try to shove off the rest.

Or, you start a silly little blog, vent your frustrations to whoever happens across your page, and hope it helps. Or, at least I'm hoping it helps. Because summer is over, and soon the days will shorten, and on top of my general melancholy, I'll be able to add S.A.D. to my list of ills. Ain't life grand.

What is the World Coming To?

From the New Jersey Lawyer Daily Briefing (email newsletter):

TEXAS NAILING DRUNKS … IN BARS

Like shooting fish in a barrel, agents for the Alcoholic Beverage Commission in Texas are bellying up to the bar to apprehend drinkers for being drunk. Since being in a bar is no exception to the state’s laws on public drunkenness, undercover agents have started conducting sting operations. The first, conducted recently at 36 licensed drinking establishments in a Dallas suburb, yielded the arrest of 30 people for public intoxication. According to state officials, the goal is to nail drunken drivers before they get behind the wheel. “There are a lot of dangerous and stupid things people do when they’re intoxicated, other than get behind the wheel of a car,” said ABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck. “People walk out into traffic and get run over, people jump off of balconies trying to reach a swimming pool and miss.” In New Jersey, bartenders are required to stop serving patrons who’ve imbibed too much. 3-28-06

Enough...

I just can't take the fucking Bush administration anymore. I can't take the unbelievable stupidity of so many Americans. I tried getting political (and even added some great political links to this blog), but that made my head hurt. So I tried avoidance, but the news is invasive and if you have to ever leave your house there is simply no way to avoid it. While trying to avoid the bullshit, I learned that a nation that has links to terrorism will control all the ports in my general vicinity, and we can't stop the deal because that might make us some enemies (WHAT!); and I learned we're doing deals with India even though India pretty much told us to go fuck ourselves when it came to the nuclear test ban treaty. I learned all this and yet I still try to avoid the news as much as I can - even "liberal news" (and I removed the political links too) -- because quite honestly it is not news to me that Bush or one of his cronies lied, again. It is not news to me that the radical Christian right is trying to destroy liberty for the majority of people in this country (that's right you sons-a-bitches, majority...you may have Jesus on your side but I have numbers on mine so back the fuck up). It's not fucking news. At least not to me. News would be a meteor landed on the white house and killed Cheney. News would be the people of America actually waking up to the un-fucking-believable hypocrisy and corruption that is running this nation. So, I avoid. But I can't escape. So once again I'm tossing around the idea of summoning up my Italian citizenship and making a run for the EU. By the way -- did you know that the EU, according to some Christians (so says the history channel or something like that) is the anti-Christ. Well fucking sign me up. Because unless a massive sea change washes across this country, and the average, middle to lower class working man who votes republican because his pastor told him to, all the while the Republicans are screwing the little guy, screwing working Americans, basically screwing everything and everyone that doesn't kowtow to the almighty Bush administration, until that guy starts thinking for himself, or at least starts listening to someone else, we are all fucking doomed. And don't even get me started on how the Dems will probably pick someone to run for pres who can't win (again). Like I said. Enough. No more politics for me. Tabloids here I come, because while it may be mindless, it won't make my head hurt.

Idol-ized

I've been buried by work and life for a while and felt I really needed to post something, but I just couldn't really think of what to say. All I've done for the past couple of weeks is work and when I finally get home, watch some TV before crawling to bed to do it over. So, with nothing else going on, I figure, what the hell, talk about TV (not like it would be the first time or anything). But TV's been kinda sucking lately -- except for one or two shows. Now, I probably should not admit this, but I am a huge American Idol fan. Not so huge that I actually take the time to vote, but I love to watch. Granted, the earlier stages are probably the most fun (nothing like watching someone with no talent try to argue that they have talent), but I enjoy the good singers too. If you watch, then you know the top 12 girls sang on Tuesday and the top 12 boys sang last night. And of course, the "results" are tonight (I don't really care about the results because (1) I don't vote, and (2) I'm pretty sure they'll mention who lost on the news or some shit). Anyway -- I watched the girls and the boys and I just have to say, the girls had better get their shit together because although I thought they were good when I watched, I could barely remember a single performance after watching the boys. I still don't have a single favorite because whew.... a few of those boys were smokin'! I don't remember any of their names, but the guy who sang "Father Figure" -- shit, I'd let him be my daddy anytime. And I bet I ain't the only woman out there who thinks so. My guess is there were quite a few washing machines running last night, if you get my drift. ;) (sorry honey if you're reading this, but his performance was seriously-cuminyourpants-hot!)
Anyway -- until I manage to crawl out of the hole I've been living in, here's to seeing some more from him, and from a few of my other favorites. 'Til next time...

Yada, yada, yada

Just a few thoughts before I force myself to do some more work...

* Can spilled coffee kill a cell phone? I've left the sucker outside, overnight, in Hawaii, to be found in a puddle of morning dew the next day and it started working again. I dropped it in a sink full of water, and it started working again. But now, a few drops of coffee and its behaving like an alien. I've received multiple blank text messages, and am starting to get a little worried. Is it the caffeine? The Splenda? Would it have made a difference if it was Starbucks as opposed to homemade?

* Speaking of Starbucks, it has come to my attention that my sister passes by at least three Starbucks on her way to work. Now, for City folks, that doesn't sound too bad. After all, in Manhattan there's practically a Starbucks on every corner (that or a Duane Reade), but my sister doesn't live in the City, or even in the North. She lives in the middle of nowhere Virginia (to be fair, its only kinda in the middle of nowhere -- she's close to Charlottesville but goes the opposite direction to go to work). What ever happened to cute, independent coffee shops. I used to live above one (remember that place D-bud?) and it was nice to go someplace that wasn't a cookie cutter image of another. Ah well, progress...

* "TGIT" -- my firm's answer to Happy Hour is starting. What is TGIT, you ask? It's "Thank God Its Thursday" or more affectionately known as, "have a drink and some appetizers cause you know your ass is staying late tonight so you can leave at a decent hour tomorrow." Can't really complain - lord knows my last place of employment didn't have anything like this. They wanted you to work like a slave without a free beer once a week. At least the new place has its priorities straight. Free drinks make happy employees. It's a great philosophy.

* Speaking of free drinks, and my previous place of employ, last night I was out with a couple of folks I used to work with and a bartender at a Manhattan bar actually bought me a drink. I nearly fell off my stool. I guess miracles can happen.

DoNotCall This.

From New Jersey Lawyer Daily Briefing (email newsletter) 1/19/06:

DO NOT CALL — PHASE 2
Now that you’re smugly reassured your dinner won’t be interrupted by unsolicited sales calls, are you ready to get them on your cell phone? Yes, your cell phone. That’s about to happen at the beginning of February, unless you get in touch with the Do Not Call registry again. And to make matters worse, you can be charged for those incoming calls. Call the registry at 888-382-1222 accessed or log on to donotcall.gov. 1-18-06

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sorry but that's bullshit. Do not call list or not - cell phone numbers should not be public; only people I give the number to should be allowed to call me since I have to pay for the minutes whether I want to or not. If they want to make cell phone numbers public, then incoming calls should not count against minutes. It's that fucking simple. If you want to be able to call me on my cell, and I did not personally give you the number, then you should pay for the fucking call, not me. Bullshit, I say, bullshit. Even if I register at the fucking donotcall site, the rules don't apply to everyone. All my numbers, cell phones included, are registered, and yet I still get calls. From "non-profits" that are exempt from the do not call laws. Of course, someone trying to sell me some crap, and someone trying to make me give money to a charity I've never heard of are equally annoying and disruptive in my book. Plus - now these fucking charities are going to be allowed to call my cell phone? And I have to pay for the call? That pisses me off. And I was having such a nice day so far, which was a good thing because I'm here until 9PM tonight (which means I also will miss my favorite yoga class). Now its not even 11AM, I have 10 more hours of work to go, and I'm in a bad mood. Ain't life grand. I'm thinking that maybe if I get any of these damn calls, I will send bills to the callers for the minutes expended by them. They probably won't pay, but maybe they won't call back either. All I know is sonething has to be done because the way things are now is complete, and utter bullshit.

Are The Wonder Years Back Too?

I believe a need a vacation. Granted I took one not that long ago, but here we are only 11 days into the new year and I find myself unable to concentrate or focus. Instead, I'm wandering about the internet, stopping at such exciting sites as CNN's Entertainment section where I learned utterly useless (and not particularly surprising) news such as Courtney Love lost a house to foreclosure, and Britney Spears topped Blackwell's Worst Dressed List (he actually called her an 'over-the-hill Lolita'!)

Of course I also got to learn that Fred Savage, the cutie-patootie from The Wonder Years has landed himself another acting job. This time, instead of playing a sweet little boy vying for the love of Winnie, "Savage portrays Mitch, the gay prodigal son, who returns home from a failed Hollywood career" in the new ABC sit-com Crumbs.

I gotta say -- he's still pretty handsome; he's definitely aged better than some other child prodigies... for example, the kid from Home Improvement was definitely a cuter kid than he is an adult, Bobby Brady is a little scary looking now, and even Britney's starting to look trashy and over the hill (see above).

Anyway -- my original question still stands. Since Fred Savage is back, does that mean the Wonder Years will come back too? Because I really did love that show. And it would definitely beat the crap that's been on lately (except of course for Project Runway). Not that I should really care -- I did, only a few days ago, resolve to watch less TV. Then again, I knew that would be tough. Besides, I don't think playing into the hand of nostalgia by watching re-runs of shows you were watching when you still lived at home count. Besides, that show was freaking awesome -- and yet they don't play the re-runs so I couldn't TiVo it even if I had TiVo, and you can't buy it on DVD (at least not the full run, unless you buy a totally bullshit/bootleg copy off the internet made at home by some dude who somehow managed to get his hands of tapes of all the shows). But maybe, just maybe, if this new Fred Savage show takes off (and given the way "gay TV" has been doing lately it may very well be a hit), the powers that be will recognize that if they're going to play re-runs of Home Improvement, they should also play the Wonder Years. At the very least, they should allow me to buy the damn re-runs on DVD from a respectable source, like oh I don't know the fucking network that showed it to begin with?

A New Year, A New Post

Once again, the holidays took over my life -- and I am only now getting back to normal. Not like I actually have a "normal", but ya know what I mean. Now I'm not a big believer in resolutions -- mostly because its rare that they are ever kept, but in the spirit of the season, here's a few I'll think about for now and probably eventually forget about ;)

1. Do more yoga (Namaste, my friends)
2. Cut down on swearing (I know, I know, when pigs fly...but ya gotta have hope)
3. Catch up with old friends (hey D-bud, that means you!!)
4. Read more and watch less TV (although with the Sopranos starting up again this is gonna be a toughie)
5. Work enough hours to get a bonus, but enough to qualify as a workaholic (this one actually has a chance because money is a major motivator!)
and of course,
6. Post Regularly!

Hope all my readers (ha, ha) had wonderful a wonderful holiday, whatever holiday that may be.