Hitting to all fields...

• All geared up for 'Serenity' today. Been looking forward to this one for a year or so...pretty much ever since I heard of it. I can't wait.


• Walking Hooper last night an noticed the neighbor breaking new barriers in terms of a shitty parking job. They have two space and one car so of course his minivan is diagonally parked with 3/4 of it in one of his spaces and 1/4 of it in the space of the neighbor next to him


• When I fall asleep in the chair I almost ALWAYS wake up at 4:30am. I wonder what happens at that time to wake me up. It's like clockwork


• The boss's wife had a baby. A boy, their second. Congrats to them!


• Found I'll be manning a convention booth at the Swan (or is it the Dolphin?) October 17-20

More later. Was thinking of posting my thoughts on some of the new TV shows this season.

ESPN.com - MLB - Recap - White Sox at Tigers

Well, congrats. Now let's see what you guys can do with it. Good luck.

Andrews McMeel Publishing: Press Release - The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: "Fans From Around the World Interview Bill Watterson"

Watterson has pretty much retreated from 'public' life since C&H ended. This is a pretty good interview if you like C&H. Enjoy!

Some of you may have noticed there are several deleted comments in some of my posts. Rest assured, I'm not strangling anybody's freedom of saying whatever they want to say, it's just that an automated blog spam-bot is dropping 'commercials' of a kind as comments to some of my posts. When I see them I delete them.

I'm thinking of instituting a 'prove you're a person when you comment' type thing that blogger has. Basically, you'd have to type in a word that's shown in a picture to prove you're a human being before you comment. We'll see how the spam goes, I guess. If it increases, I'll turn that function on.

Hybrids: Don't buy the hype - Sep. 26, 2005: "Hybrids: Don't buy the hype
Sure, hybrids save gas but they won't save you money. There are smarter ways to go."

An excellent article. We had some small thoughts of getting a Hybrid Ford Escape (mostly, I did) but we decided the price point of a Hybrid over a regular Escape (something like $5K) was too much. Also, we had some concerns about getting it serviced, etc.

ESPN.com: Page 2 : 10 things I hate about you: "Actually, that makes her doubly crazy because she hates that I think my clothing affects the outcome of games."

So I'm not the only crazy one.

CNN.com - Last of swept away dolphins rescued - Sep 21, 2005: "JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) -- Marine biologists have rescued the last four of eight trained dolphins that were swept to sea by Hurricane Katrina."

Shell, this one's for you!

"Well, unless Ralph is willing to buy me a new car, I'm going to have to stick with this one until the wheels fall off."

Ah, my car. Shortly before I left for San Diego (actually, the Friday before Labor Day to be exact) my car went from sounding like a regular car to sounding like a damn tank. Of course, I have NO CLUE about cars so I didn't know what the hell was the matter with it. I looked at the muffler (a baby's 'looked at' not a mechanic's) and didn't seem to find anything wrong with it. I didn't think much about it because I wasn't going to need to use it Labor Day weekend and then after that I'd be gone for 10 days. I'd take it to Midas once I got back home and settled.

I met Court at Midas yesterday afternoon and we dropped it off and then I took her back to work and went home. An hour went by and the guy from Midas called. There was a cracked pipe coming out of the catalytic convertor...a new CC would cost $600 he said. Then, he said, we can replace the pipe with a flex-hose and make it as good as new. He said Ford makes the cc that way so you have to replace the whole thing if even only the pipe is cracked. Mechanics have come up with a work-around of using this flex-hose that'd make it just as good as the factory would. The price of that...$150. I chose that route. :)

One thing I like about our Midas is, there've been two times when I took my car there with something *definitely* wrong with it. Once, it was dying every once in a while and I took it there and they fixed the spark plug firing or something and that problem went away forever. The second time is this last time. Both times it cost me less than $200 (the level where fixing a car stops being a screw-job and becomes a minor inconvenience, to me anyway) and both times the car ran perfectly afterwards.

I hate taking a car in for some problem only to have it run (seemingly) the same damn way it had been running and have it cost me hundreds of dollars. (see recent Boots vet visit) With this fix the noise level produced by my car decreased 800%, so it was well worth it.

My car costs us nothing and I hardly use it so it's a perfect situation. There's definitely a level where if the fix had cost a certain amount (maybe say, over $500) that I would have said 'screw it' and either gotten a new car or gone without. I'm glad that didn't happen.

boy, if I get to see a moon landing someday...


(more later, I promise)

Still alive, just busy. More later.

CNN.com - Customs officials send seized goods to victims - Sep 6, 2005

How cool is this? What a great use for stuff that's probably just taking up space somewhere.

"But when I pulled on one of those threads...I unravelled the tapestry of my life."

Ok, now a break from our regularly scheduled "horrific news from New Orleans" or "somebody died" posts.

I was thinking the other day. It's now September 2005. A little over 10 years ago, I acted on a HUGE decision in my life. It's one that shaped my (then) future and continues to do so to this day. I went to NIU.

After high school I had always figured I would go to college somewhere. I just didn't think about where. A guidance counselor mentioned that NIU was a 'good accounting school', and since I had liked my HS Accounting classes (mostly due to my teacher, Mr. Booth) I decided to go there.

I had some thoughts about joining the Navy. The silly thing is, if JAG had been as big back then as it later turned out to be, I might have joined. I've always had something of a fascination with the Navy...I figure it to be the most 'civilized' of the Armed Services anyway. I took the ASVAB in High School along with some friends. It's the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. At the time, I remember it got me out of a study hall or something. It was full of real 'does this square peg fit in a round hole' type questions. I'm not sure if it even still exists in that form. At the time, it was basically a coin flip as to what I would do. A Navy recruiting Chief came to our house to talk to me and left some information. They were saying that with my scores they could send me to Nuclear Training School in Orlando, FL. (ironic)

I later found out they tell that to everybody. :)

I had sent my ACT scores to NIU, UofI, and Notre Dame, just for grins. I heard back from all of them and responded to NIU. After finding out how to deal with their financial aid stuff, I chose to forget the Navy and go to NIU. It was as simple as that.

That one decision, admittedly one of the most important in a young person's life, made me the person I am today. I don't know how I would have turned out had I gone into the Navy. I'd like to think I would have excelled and advanced and all that. I'd probably be in much better physical shape.

But I wouldn't have met my wife, who I love. I wouldn't know my brother and sister in law, two of my best friends in my life. I wouldn't have my dog or my cat. I probably wouldn't have my job with my good friends from work and all that has brought me, financially and otherwise.

I decided to go to NIU. I wouldn't have it any other way.

CNN.com - Armstrong: Mars trip will be easier - Sep 6, 2005: "KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Neil Armstrong said Tuesday that a human expedition to Mars won't happen for at least 20 years, but might be easier than the trip that made him the first person to step onto the moon in 1969."

I certainly hope I am alive to see a landing on Mars. I can only imagine how amazing it would be to experience, even as an observer back on Earth.

CNN.com - Bob Denver, TV's 'Gilligan,'�dies at 70� - Sep 6, 2005: "Bob Denver, TV's 'Gilligan,' dies at 70"

I *promise* that later tonight I will have something to write about that doesn't involve somebody dying or a city being destroyed.

I promise.

Chief Justice Rehnquist Dies at Home - Yahoo! News

Boy, in so many ways, this is not good. RIP. :(

CNN.com - Lt. Gen. Honore a 'John Wayne dude' - Sep 2, 2005: "Lt. Gen. Honore a 'John Wayne dude'"

This guy sounds like an ass-kicker. Glad to see he's in charge.

Kayne West is crazy.

Seriously, I don't even know who this guy is. But his ranting is kind of funny. It's a shame he had to pick this event to be an idiot...though I'm not sure he's able to turn that off.

CNN.com - Bush: 'Results are not acceptable' - Sep 2, 2005: "'These are some of the 40,000 extra troops that I have demanded,' Blanco said. 'They have M-16s, and they're locked and loaded ... I have one message for these hoodlums: These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so if necessary, and I expect they will.'"

And these guys aren't going to be on patrol in Iraq, Kosovo, or Afghanistan. They're going to a major American city, patrolling for roving bands of ARMED assholes.

I've been able to get a hold of a video of the Anderson Cooper interview of Mary Landrieu. Here's a transcrip:



AC: "Joining me now from Baton Rouge is Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. Senator, I appreciate you joining us tonight. Does the Federal Government bear responsibility for what is happening now? Should they apologize for what is happening now?"

ML: "Anderson there will be plenty of time to discuss all of those issues about why and how and what and if. But Anderson, as you understand, and all of the producers and directors of CNN and the news networks...this situation is very serious and it's gonna demand all of our full attention through the hours, through the night, through the days. Let me just say a few things...thank President Clinton and former President Bush for their strong statements of support and comfort today. I thank all the leaders that are coming to Louisana and Mississippi and alabama to our help and rescue. We are grateful for the military assets that are bringing brought to bear. I want to thank Senator Frist and Senator Reed for their extraordinary efforts, Anderson, tonight--I don't know if you're heard maybe you all have announced it--but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to pass a ten billion dollar supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Re--"

AC: "Excuse me, Senator..."

ML: "Red cross up and operating."

AC: "Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I-I haven't heard that, because, uh, for the last four days I've been seeing dead bodies here in the streets of Mississippi. I--and--to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, uh, y-ya know there are a lot of people here that are very upset and very angry and very frustrated, and when they hear policitians slap, you know, thanking one another, uh, it just, you know, it kinda cuts them the wrong way right now. Because literally, uh, there was a body on the streets of-of-of this town, yestrday, uh, being eaten by rats, uh, because this woman had laying on the street for-for forty-eight hours and--and there's not enough facilities to take her up. Do you--Do you get the anger that is out here?"

ML: "Anderson, I have the anger inside of me. Most of the homes in my family have been destroyed. Our homes have been destroyed. I undestand what you're saying and I know all of those details, and the President of the United--"

AC: "Well who are you angry at?"

ML:"--States knows those details. I'm not angry at anyone. I'm just expressing that it is so important for everyone in this nation to pull together, for all military assets, and all assets to be brought to bear to this situation. And I have every confidence--"

AC: (indistinct, to me at least)

ML: "that this country is as great and as strong as we can be to do that, and that effort is under way."

AC: "Well, well, I mean there are a lot of here who are--are kind of ashamed, uh, of what is happening in this country right now. Ashamed of what is happening in your state, certainly, and that's not to blame the people who are there, it's a desperate situation, um, but it--I--I guess, you know, th---who---who can, I mean do--no one seems to be taking responsibility. I mean, I know you say there's a time and a place for kind of, you know, looking back, but, this seems to be the time and the place...I mean there are people who want answers and there are people who want someone to stand up and say 'You know what? We shoulda done more.' Are-Are all the assets being brought to bear? I mean...today for the first time--"

ML: "Anderson..."

AC: "I'm seeing National Guard--"

ML: "Anderson..."

AC: "troops--"

ML: "I know."

AC: "in this town."

ML: "Anderson, I know, and I know where you are and I know what you're seeing. Believe me, we know it, and we understand, and there will be a time to talk about all of that, trust me. I know what the people are suffering. The Governor knows, the President knows, the military officials know, and they're trying to do the very best they can do to stabilize the situation. Senator Vitter, our congressional delegation, all of us understand what is happening. We are doing our very, very best to get the situation under control, but I want to thank the President. He will be here, uh, tomorrow we think. And the military is sending assets as we speak. So, please, I understand, I--I--I understanad. You might say I'm a politician, but I grew up in New Orleans, my father was the mayor of that city, I've represented that city my whole life, and it's just not New Orleans. It's St. Bernard, and St. Tammany, and Plackman Parrish that have been completely under water. Our levee system has failed. We need a lot of help...and the Congress has been wonderful to hlep us and we need more help. Nobody's pefect, Anderson, everybody has to stand up here, and I know you understand, so thank you so much for everythign you're doing."

AC: "Well, I--I--I appreciate you joining us on the program tonight I--I can only imagine how busy you are. Thank you much--very much Senator uh..."

ML: "Thank you, Anderson."

AC: "Senator Landrieu."

ML: "Thank you so much, thank you."

AC: "And--and--and good luck to you and all the people working to solve this problem, cuz at this point it is very hard to try to figure out how this problem is gonna get solved."

Chaotic scene at convention center - MSNBC TV Live - MSNBC.com

Boy, this video is just...horrifying.

CNN.com - New Orleans mayor issues 'desperate SOS' - Sep 1, 2005

Amazing. Was just watching 'Anderson Cooper 360'. He was interviewing Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. Basically, it went like this.

Senator: "I just want to thank Senators (blaa blaa blaa) for all their support, and former Presidents Clinton and Bush for (support), and also Congress for having a special emergency session for (funds)".

Anderson Cooper: "Do you understand how angry it's making people here that the response from you they're hearing now is thank-yous and pats on the back to fellow politicians?"

Senator: "Oh yeah, I'm angry too...(blaa blaa blaa)."

What a joke.

American Red Cross

Work is matching donations, which is nice. I've also heard there will be a benefit of some sort on TV tomorrow.