No Black Friday for me

I think I have convinced myself not to go shopping tomorrow. This is good.   I will probably be up ridiculously early anyway, because of the dog, but I don't want to drive to Woodfield. I've done shopping for most people already. If I went, I'd just be tempted to buy for myself.   I think the only thing I may do is buy some Illuminations Fresh Air candles for myself, but I can do that online. They have a nice flat shipping rate. Yay for avoiding shopping crowds!!   Yep. I do believe I will be good and get my ass to the gym tomorrow in the morning.

So. Damn. Tired.

I'm going to need a couple days off AFTER I finish this pet-sitting gig. *groans*   I have barely gotten any sleep. I can't sleep very well when the dog is in his bed near mine, grunting and whuffing and getting up to turn and what not EVERY FIVE FUCKING MINUTES. And then he wants to go outside at like FOUR AM.   So I get up, I let him out. And let him back in. And hobble back to bed.   Only to get back up around 5:30 because they're all - dog and cats - bitching to be fed.   I finally managed to catch some sleep between five thirty and nine. Weird dreams. I dreamt I was in Hawaii and there were massive tornadoes off in the water. Yes, I know water and tornadoes aren't typically it, but they were many and massive. And scary.   I woke myself up making terrified noises.

Blah

I feel so tired today. *yawn*   I am looking forward to having five days off in a row, that's for sure!   I plan to: veg, knit, do yoga, veg some more...maaaaybe do some shopping. I don't know. Tonight I go to the D's house to watch the pets/house until Sunday. They left this morning. I bought Forrest two chewy bones. That dog DESTROYS those bones in no time flat. It's pretty disturbing. I was over there last night to make sure I could access their wifi. Forrest was all "OMG! OMG! *pant pant pant* OMG! OMG!" Big lug.   This whole two-color tubular cast on I need to make for the Brioche Hat is pissing me right the hell off. It's fucking ridiculous and there are NO You Tubes of it that I can find. I really need to see it being done.   Nothing much going on at work right now, which is fine. I spent all day yesterday talking (three training sessions), and my throat is tired.

yayayayayayay

I think my S4 Doctor Who discs finally arrived!!   *keeps fingers crossed*   At least, that's what the USPS site says!

Time to go home, yet?

I did not want to get out of bed this morning.   I don't quite feel like I'm walking on this planet.   Work yesterday was busy. Still conducting trainings on the new (and infamously sputtering) program. My throat is tired and voice is raspy from talking so much. I left about 4pm and stopped off at the yarn shop in G-lake. I got the wrong kind of knitting needles for these mittens I want to make. That place is just evil. If I had any extra time, I would consider trying to get a part time job there, just so I could be surrounded by the yarn. THE YARN, THE YARN, THE GLORIOUS YARN!!!   Exchange done, I headed off to my massage appointment. First massage I've ever gotten, professionally speaking. It was nice. Very reasonably priced - I wasn't going to go somewhere and pay "Mario Tricoci" prices! She focused on my upper body, especially shoulders and neck since that is where I hold most of my tension. I was lying there on the table - with my face in that little oval resting spot so you can still breathe - and was trying to answer a question she had asked me. Really the only thing that wanted to come out of my mouth was "Uuuuhhhbbbbbllllllgggg..." I could barely talk. I think that massage is why I slept so hard and had trouble getting up this morning.   Went to Panera and grabbed a soup + 1/2 sandwich for dinner afterwards. Went to the mall for no good reason. NOTHING in the stores, which is probably a good thing. No one shopping either. It's going to be a miserable shopping season for the retailers. I did stop in to the new, revamped Godiva store. I think it looks way too cold and ugly now - all gray stone and cold glass. The old warm woods store was much more "chocolate friendly" if you ask me. I was just going to purchase a single dark chocolate caramel. The girl gave it to me free as a sample. How nice!   That mall has some idiot management though. They've crammed so many goddamn jewelers into that place it's ridiculous. You REALLY have that huge a market for jewelry where you can support about a dozen stores? REALLY? In this economy? I can totally see more of them moving out and that mall quite possibly tanking as a result. I would rather shop at Old Orchard or Woodfield, higher tax rate be damned. There's more selection of the things I actually need to buy - like clothes!   Went to Bally's after the mall and hit the elliptical for a while. Came home and crashed.   Tonight is yoga class.   Tomorrow evening I'm going to the D's after work to get the house key and 411 for when I pet & house/sit for them while they're away for Thanksgiving (five days). I hope to make about $250. I never really set a "fee" when I started doing this for them. I don't know what "the rate" is for this. I was just like "whatever is good" and they've been pretty good to me, so no complaints. $250 over 5 days is $50/day. I'm sure some babysitters get that much for a NIGHT's worth of work. Anyway, if I can get about that I think I will get myself the 32GB iPod touch. I got that spot award from work a couple weeks ago and purchased an Amazon gift certificate with it. That + the sitting money should put me nearly there. I would only have to pay $30-40 more (I'll also need a case for the thing).

Domestic Bliss

Dear god. Sitting next to someone going through a split with their spouse just makes me...never want to get involved and have kids.   Seriously, I can count the number of "good, making it work" couples I know on one hand. Yes, they're inspiring, but jesus christ, everyone else is fucking MISERABLE.   In other news: I found an online coupon code (SNOW5) for The Popcorn Factory. Nom nom nom. I just got one of my friends a little popcorn gift thing. There's another one down.

What a fucking JOKE

LIEberman KEEPS his Homeland Security chairmanship. This is utter BULLSHIT. Way to be pussies, Reid & Co.   When Lieberman backstabs you into oblivion again, don't come crying to me or the netroots. God am I pissed.   <a href=http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm>Fucking Harry Reid needs to be BOOTED as Majority Leader. Email him.</a>   This is what I sent:   <i>Congratulations on having NO spine, whatsoever. In an election where the American public OVERWHELMING voted for "change", you all decided to KEEP a known backstabber - Lieberman - in his cushy chairmanship. What were you thinking, or were you even thinking at all? It was never about "revenge", but there should be SOME accountability for Lieberman's gross disloyalty, attacking of Obama and kowtowing to the Bush regime. HE CAMPAIGNED FOR MCCAIN. What part of that don't you get?! The Homeland Security chair should be for a LOYAL Democrat. When he continues to backstab and scuttle Obama's plans, don't come crying to any of us in the netroots. I know I'm sure as heck going to be pushing for a new majority leader since you are clearly not pushing for the change WE THE VOTERS demanded!</i>

A small victory

I was in need of something minty. So I went to the vending machine and purchased some overpriced Breath Savers. Seventy-five cents for a little roll!! Shit, those used to be .35 .   ...   Then the machine kicked out two rolls instead of one.   SCORE.

Well, I think Cuban is out...

Adding to the Cubs' woes...Mark Cuban was just charged with insider trading by the SEC.   *rolls eyes*   So now the guy who probably would have been the biggest cheerleader for the team is probably NOT going to be a buyer anymore is my guess. (Add this to Selig's already being prejudiced against him...)

What a waste

...of a morning.   I got my ass up early and in to work to set up for another round of trainings I need to conduct for the new process we have. Supposed to have THREE today.   I'm cruising along...except the platform sort of isn't. Fucking servers are down. Can't even access the goddamn thing. Even better? Our completely inept IT people dedicated to us (yeah, some dedication) are off in freaking California at a convention.   HAD TO CANCEL ALL THE TRAININGS and will now have to reschedule.   This is ridiculous. Fucking IT is making me look bad.

Clapotis!

At long last! I have finished the <a href=http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clapotis>Clapotis Scarf</a>!!!!   Woot!   It looks pretty good. All the ladder stitches wound up correct, which was a big relief. I started this back in May and was SO confused. I just left it on my needles for the longest time while I went on to do other projects. By the time I finally picked it back up in earnest late Oct/early Nov, it was suddenly "easy". I'd tackled other stitches and techniques that gave me a higher comfort level.   The "worst" part of it was the center part of the pattern - the length portion - because it went on FOREVER. Blah blah blah blah!   But now it is done, done, done. I think I will wear this at work tomorrow!

! Aggravation !

GAWD. I just wish this OVERBEARING BORE of a woman would get OFF MY FREAKING CASE at work.   She's riding me for something I feel she doesn't even need to concern herself with. She's a micromanaging, take-the-credit-for-everything-that-isn't-her-own, pit-people-against-each-other type.   *sneers*   I'm fucking ignoring her emails.

HOLY HELL

Score one more for the 1990s Clinton administration?   KO is covering this...apparently there may be a little known rule that Clinton enacted that would allow him to UNDO most of this last minute bullshit the Shrub is trying to slam through his lame duck session?

Dear God, KO and Lit

Keith just referred to Dick Cheney with a POE reference! Cask of Amontillado!

Score One More!

Begich overtakes CONVICTED FELON Stevens in the Alaska Senate race! Results are finally being tallied from the urban areas which were expected to go Begich's way.   OH PLEASE. PLEASE ELECT BEGICH. Because the last thing I want to see is: (1)Stevens - again CONVICTED FELON - get "re-elected", (2) be kicked out from the Senate for being a felon which results in (3) Palin nominating herself as the replacement Senator. Yes, she could do it. And has as much hinted she is interested in it during her recent interviews.   What a fucking attention whore.

Huh

Is it just me or is Rahm Emanuel kind of good looking in a weird sort of way?

Bi-partisan Cabinet

Ok, I know I am not the only dem-backer thinking the following when I hear all this talk about "centrism" and Obama going for a "bi-partisan cabinet": ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!   Rachel Maddow last night was spot on with her doubts of this (the cabinet bit at least) even being possible. O-man, it's great you want to set aside differences, but let's look at facts, here.   The GOP is a dishonorable, extremist party that is full of wingnuts.   They are still guided by the policies of Rove.   They are crediting their defeat to McCain not bringing up Ayers, Wright and other meaningless shit up early or frequently enough. In other words: they didn't smear you hard enough.   They refuse to take responsibility for any of their actions.   The GOP is the party that crowed about "having a mandate" and "political capital" with barely 51% of the vote in 2004. Now that we beat their asses into a pulp this election - 6% margin, popular vote, DOUBLE EV votes, gains in BOTH houses - they scream and flail that we DON'T have a "mandate". What the fuck ever.   Some GOP dude already said NO to a rumor that he would be pegged for your cabinet.   Does this sound like a group that wants to "work with you"?   Uh, no.   And this all goes double for the Secretary of Defense position. If that person is not a Democrat, I'm going to be furious. Granted, there may be one or two of them who can be worked with, but this is going to the exception and not the norm. The wingnut faction long ago ran out of most of the reasonable members of that party. Look at Chafee, for chrissake. He now runs Independent and thinks the GOP is fucking crazy.   The Republican Party of old - the one Abe Lincoln hailed from - is long dead.   P.S. OH MY GOD! I can actually watch television news again without wanting to kill people. This is great!

First kids

It seems that it's mostly been First Daughter(s) in the White House.   Bush has his (idiot) daughters. Clintons had Chelsea Bush the First had grown children, so they weren't IN the House. Same with Reagan Carter didn't have kids in the House did he?   Well, now we can add Malia and Sasha to the First Kids roster. At least they'll have each other. God knows it isn't going to be easy growing up in THAT limelight. I was reading some Newsweek article and I guess their Secret Service nicknames were (assuming it will change now) "Radiance" and "Rosebud". LOL   Spike O'Dell on WGN this morning was mentioning how they were both cute as bugs (don't get that analogy, I would think "cute as buttons", but oh well). They are. Dude, that Malia (that's the older one right?) is going to be a looker when she's older. (Sasha has the cutest little cherubic face.) Spike was saying Obama is going to have pressure soon: Malia isn't that far from dating age and he's going to go through what most fathers think "YOU ARE NOT DATING!"   It was a fun lighthearted moment on the radio.   And the kids now get a puppy! I guess the oldest wants a golden doodle. Of course PETA is up in arms about this. Myself, I would *prefer* a pound dog to be rescued but I hear there are some allergy issues and golden doodles are relatively easy on that end. I'll give it a pass because of the allergy issue. (A cat would *definitely* be out with dander.)

Still too much

I wish I had five brains and the accompanying sets of eyes to read everything that is coming across today both in news and on my flist. There is just TOO much to read about yesterday's reclaiming of what our nation actually stands for: HOPE. Sadly, narrow-minded people (locked in a cave, unable to see the light) like that ellie_kay will never see how beautiful it is that people of diverse backgrounds come together to create something better. I am happy. Not screamingly so, more in a hushed quiet way of contentment. I am happy that the rest of the world is genuinely happy with our decision. I cannot believe the images from around the world of people celebrating what just happened for us. Foreign nationals - CRYING in happiness for an official that is not even their own. Cautious for the future, but happy that we took such a great step. Look: that is the power America has. ONE nation, among so many, with the capability to either lift other countries/people up like we have in the past ("give us your huddled masses yearning to be free" and WWII as examples) or be an intolerant and domineering imperial power (basically, the entire Bush Presidency). As the Spidey comics say: with great power comes great responsibility. We do not live in a bubble. What this country does affects the world. To treat other nations disdainfully lessens us. We have damaged friendships around the globe. I hope, I hope that is repaired. We have a lot to make up for. I'm also really freaking exhausted. But what a great day. What a great start. Seriously. Except Obama was pictured this morning in a car wearing his White Sox hat. *sigh* Oh well. I suppose every one has to have a vice...!

Too Much to Process

I wasn't feeling overwhelmed or super-emotional yesterday, watching the returns. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, but today is the day I feel like crying.   I was listening to WGN 720 on the way in to work and Spike O'Dell was talking to some political correspondent in London (a US citizen). She was talking about the world's reaction to Obama being elected, obviously. She told about how random people were just coming up to her when they heard her American accent and congratulating her for Obama's win. She was saying THIS is what Europeans are saying America is really about [paraphrased]: democracy, merit, and equality. We elected a mixed-race man with big ears and a funny [Arab sounding!] name to the White House. Anything is possible.   That made me teary. I've been fortunate to do some foreign travel, and really, during my  last trips in 05/06, as an American, I just wanted to be as LOW key as possible. I was embarassed to be identified as an American because of how Bush and his minions had absolutely destroyed our standing and good will in the world. I felt like I had to be apologetic about my nationality and how our country was run by inbred redneck assholes who didn't even believe in our Constitution. Who pretty much shat on our individual rights and gave the rest of the world the middle finger. All I could offer to people I know overseas is: dude, I did NOT vote for this shit. There ARE sane people here, I swear, but we've been hi-jacked by the neocons.   There were cheers in Parliament for Obama.   Dude. America did take a huge step towards growing the hell up (some tv dude said this last night?).   Thank god the Democrats found their feet. Thank god the PEOPLE finally woke up and put off apathy and fucking BELIEVED that things CAN, SHOULD, and WILL be better. This country is not hopeless. I can be proud of my country and hold my head up.   Obama is just one man. He's got huge expectations. Realistically, he can't deliver on everything. All I know is he IS a thinking man. He is caring. He will LISTEN to people (big ears help?), even (and especially) when they disagree with him - UNLIKE THE REPUBLICANS who thought they were above listening to the people! He is going to be asked to lead our country in a time of huge crisis in almost every sector.   McCain's concession speech last night? I like the leet speak "tl;dr" for it. Blah blah blah. Get the hell off the stage. You know, if McCain had run a campaign as "gracious" as that speech was, he probably would have performed better. Instead, he caved to the Rove people running his campaign and fought a campaign of smears, lies and hatred. All of that appealed to the very worst in many of his supporters. Did you hear them booing and screaming at his pathetic little rally in AZ? I was just waiting to hear one of them yell out "Osama" or use the N-word. It's hard to convince your supporters to act like responsible adults, when you've spent a couple years whipping them up into a frenzy of bigoted and mislead hatred. (*snort* Couple years? Yeah, the GOP has spent since at least 1992 demonizing anyone who didn't agree with them.) In other words, McCain: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.   CNN coverage got fucking downright annoying after a while. Hello - they couldn't even get right the "last time one party controlled both the Congress and WH". They said Bill Clinton. MORONS - it was GEORGE DUMBYA BUSH AND HIS NEOCONS. *smacks forehead* Yeah, so much for our liberal fucking media bias!   All is not bright and shiny:   Some places went blue that hadn't been in years. Indiana is an example.   Kay Hagan beat the slime campaign of Liddy Dole in North Carolina. Gee, Liddy, I guess calling the Sunday School Teacher "godless" wasn't such a fucking smart idea after all?   Assaults against a woman's right to choose were defeated in North Dakota and another state.   Dan Seals lost to asshat Kirk. *groan* Kirk was all "we'll be there to look over [Obama's] his shoulder when he needs it". WTF?! NOW you're interested in performing your fucking job as a check and balance on the fucking executive branch? NOW? Coveniently after you've spent the last ten years voting party line and with Bush NINETY PER CENT OF THE TIME. FUCK YOU.   Darcy Burner may not have won.   Franken ran tight, but lost.   Tinklenberg did not beat that fucking crazed asshat Bachmann in the MN-06. In case you didn't know, Bachmann is the McCarthy era wannabe who thinks people should be investigated for un-American activities. Whore.   Alaska. From the state that shat out Sarah Palin. Seriously. You people need to get fucking UV lamps or something, because you are living in the dark in more ways than one. You fucking RE-ELECTED CONVICTED FELON Ted Stevens?! Are you out of your mind?! Less than four thousand votes difference. Give me a damn break. Members of his own party - shocking I know, that the Repubs would do this -  (in addition to Dems, obviously) have said they will KICK HIM OUT the Senate if he is re-elected. A CONVICTED FELON does not belong in the Senate!   And perhaps most grievously, discrimination is still alive and un-well in the U.S. Proposition-8 was passed in California. (Other discriminating laws were enacted in other states as well.) The GLBT community has been relegated to second-class status. As a straight person, how the HELL does it bother or affect MY life if two gay people wish to marry? Answer: IT DOESN'T. People need to mind their own fucking houses and their own fucking business. Gay people pay taxes and all that shit just like the rest of us. They own a share of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" just like the rest of us. All I can hope is that people continue to fight and file lawsuits all the way up to the Supreme Court on this.   We all saw how well the doctrine of "separate but equal" worked when it came to blacks and whites in this country. Pardon the pun, but clearly "gay" is the new "black" when it comes to discrimination in this country.   In short: we have things to be proud of with this election, but clearly, we still have MUCH to work on.

Amidst a lot of joy...

A lot of rampant homophobia. Discrimination against the GLBT community was given permission to continue in California and I believe three other states.   This is unacceptable.   What the fuck is WRONG with people?

Calendars

God, I am absolutely addicted to buying calendars around this time of year. Specifically: ones of the British Isles.   If I can't BE there, I can sure as hell look at pictures of them on my calendars.   There are some stunners.

Don't Blow It: VOTE!

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Senator Durbin

Senator Durbin's daughter died today "from complications due to a congenital heart disease". She was only 40.   http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/11/1/182459/586/657/649200

Truth in Advertising

TiA has really been tossed to the side these days, hasn't it?!