Fucking ridiculous

The DOW continues to freefall at terminal velocity. Now we're below 9,000. Yeah, so much for that ridiculous bailout package! What did it buy? NOTHING. Oh, wait, AIG fat execs got to go play at a posh spa resort. Those fuckers should be sued, or better yet, tarred and fucking feathered. Seriously.   Who's paying? NOT the government. NOT the companies. Those assholes still get their golden parachutes.   YOU AND ME.   YOU AND ME.   My mom thinks she's retiring this December. She's out of her mind. I haven't looked at my Scottrade account. I don't think I want to. I didn't invest all of my money directly into stocks that I'd rolled out of my company SRP once I went contractor, but the majority was invested. I'm sure I've lost at least 25%.   And yet McDeregulationCain said as little as two weeks ago that the "fundamentals" of our economy were strong. WHAT A FUCKING LIAR. He is part of the problem! He was there back in Reagan's day, when this whole deregulation shit first started that was the groundwork for this whole mess. Hello, Keating 5 scandal. Hello S&L scandal.   We're in a fucking recession. There is no "risk" of one anymore. Let's face the goddamn facts. We are IN a RECESSION.   I'm not looking forward to this, but after having just cut the cable service back a tier, I may just tell my mom we need to cancel it. Because I'm not paying for it. (And I know she won't want to. She's already said she'll just have to cut back on stuff when I asked her what she planned on doing WHEN - not IF - WHEN I move out.) I watch DVDs more anyway. I'll miss the Food Channel and Discovery and TLC, but three channels are not worth crying over. I'll still have PBS. I just printed out those coupons for the digital converter boxes.   I put my Netflix account on hold. Now I'll just cancel it.   About the only non-negotiable thing for me is internet service. I have been pressing to ditch the landline - I NEVER use it, why should I pay for it? She's got a cell phone, too. WHY pay for a landline that the only people call are telemarketers? I just need to call ATT and confirm I can just have internet service only. I know they'll jack up the price since I want to ditch the landline. Fuckers.   And while I would love to go see the inauguration for Obama, I'm really doubting I'll have the money to get out there.   If I'm *lucky* I will have money saved for a roadtrip next summer.   Christmas is gonna be fun - well it usually is *snark*. My mom has a habit of getting me stupid presents. I am one of those people who will TELL YOU what I want. Don't ask me what I want, have me tell you, and then go out and get me something stupid I will never use. Gifts from friends are one thing, but I know how hard up my mom can get for money. I try to keep her from spending too much on stupid shit. She can just forgo the Christmas crap. Maybe some yarn. Maybe a book. That's it. I'm telling you, if she gets me anything else, it's going back.   I'm lucky I have nearly $600 saved in my xmas account. That's probably far more than many people have in either their checking or savings. Shit.   I've got to stop eating out during the workweek, too. Weekends with friends is one thing. If I stop going to Panera all the damn time during the week then I can do the weekend crap. Adios, Starbucks.   Gotta go to the comic shop, too. Enough of the kid crap. I'm keeping Fables on my monthly pull. Everything else is stopping. If I want it, I'll get the trade.

My family, a bunch of stupid ass republicans

God, I really DESPISE and loathe my family some days. A LOOONG time ago I blocked the Faux News Channel from the cable. Well, apparently my mom caught on. That's all that gets watched at my brother's house of republican bullshit. And then my brother called a couple days ago about it and you can guess how that went. I hung up on him. I wasn't in the mood to talk anyway because of the Cubs losing. He was saying something about how he didn't think it was fair since the cable is in her name...which is when I hung up. I'm sure I pissed him off. He called me back and I didn't answer. Deleted his VM, too, unlistened to. FIRST OFF, DUMBASS, the cable may be "in her name", but who fucking pays it? Oh, that would be ME. All fucking $82/month of it. It's too bad when I downgraded our service a couple days ago that the Fux News wouldn't be on the tier anymore. I REALLY REALLY NEED TO GET MY ASS A TEACHING JOB SO I CAN FIND OUT WHERE I SHOULD MOVE TO AND THEN MOVE THE FUCK OUT. And of course, while I'm taking out the kitty litter, what do I see my mother watching? Fux News. Drink the purple kool aid, family of mine. Be good and stupid little catholic republicans. *glares* I know you're not supposed to loathe and despise your family, but when it comes to religion and politics, I could seriously just hit my relatives over the head with a baseball bat. WHY THE FUCK MY MOTHER AND BROTHER - MEXICANS - CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THAT REPUBLICAN CRAP IS BEYOND ME. YOU FUCKERS ARE BROWN! GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS! THE RICH WHITE FOLKS DON'T WANT YOU UNLESS YOU'RE CLEANING THEIR BATHROOMS, MAKING THEIR FOOD, OR MOWING THEIR LAWNS!

Hand warmers

Still goddamn cold in here. I am borrowing a girl's handwarmers (fingerless gloves, basically). She is another knitter.   I look like a nauseated zebra. There's a black then a white band top and bottom. In the middle is bright neon green (like post it note color).   But my hands are warm.

Music

Bob Marley, my man, you somehow make me feel like pulling out of this funk.   Go to Pandora and stick in "Jack Johnson". I'm ending up with a nice bunch of mellow, sittin on the beach type of music. Jack, Bob, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, etc...

Oops

I was doing handstands in the last aisle of the fileroom to try and get the blood flowing.   Someone walked in.   HI.

Beef Bourguinon Day 2

STILL fucking tasty.   Hmm. Do I stay and watch the Sux game? Or do I go engage in some retail therapy to calm my playoff-expectin nerves?   SHOPPING

Desperate

I am so desperate for freaking baseball that I may voluntarily watch the Sux-Twinkies tonight.   Jesus. Wednesday can't get here fast enough.

THE HELL

Saturday's game is at fucking NINE PM.   FUCK CALIFORNIA!

Big Fucking Surprise

The Ruthugs just derailed their own "sent-from-heaven" bailout plan. *rolls eyes*   And this *was* surprising: Washington Mutual Inc has been seized by the Feds and sold off to JP Morgan. W.T.FFFFFFF? And their investors are SOL. I used to work for WaMu. Hated it, but I worked in one of the corporate offices for the DVP of HR.   http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/26/business/26wamu.html?_r=1&oref=slogin     Dear People Who Think Republicans are Great, Moral and Fiscally Responsible:   Please go shoot yourself. We are in the worst recession I have ever been alive for. And whose fault is that? YOURS. ALL YOURS. Because last time I fucking checked, Clinton left office with us all in the black. You fuckers SPENT AND/OR STOLE EVERYTHING YOU COULD AND PRAISED JEEBUS WHILE DOING IT.

Baseball

Welp, the Cubs won - with Bobby HOWRY no less - last night in 10. Glad SOMEBODY stepped up.   This means: the Phillies stay 1.5 games up on the Mets in the NL East, with a magic number of 3 (?). Mets have fallen into a TIE in the Wild Card with...the Brew Crew, who pitched CC Safathia on three days' rest (for the second time, and they'll probably do so AGAIN against us later this weekend).   The Dodgers have a magic number of 1 (ONE) against the Diamondbacks. Yee haw. I want those snakes ELIMINATED, bitches. This is not because I think the Dodgers would be an easier opponent - not at ALL, hello Manny! - but the thought of there being any possibility of us having to go to Chase Field sort of makes me want to HURL.   Playoff picture is still very cloudy with less than a week to go.   We get to play the team with the worst record. I'd like that to be the Mets, but meh. Right now the Mets are in a dogfight with the Brewers for the Wild Card. Fairly certain the other matchup will be Dodgers-Phillies though. That's fine with me. They can go beat up on each other.   Oh, and Minnesota pwned the Sux last night AGAIN. HA HA HA HA. God, I really hope we can get rid of all this ridiculous speculation about a "Red Line Series" (the Red Line, for you non-Chicago folks, is the eLevated train line that runs from Howard on the North side, hits Addison (i.e., across from Wrigley) and eventually goes to the 35th/Sox stop way down on the South Side before ending at the Dan Ryan). So I think the Twins are within a half game? Maybe? If they win tonight I do think they go up on the Sux. Red Line Series? Bad, Bad, BAAAAD idea. Chicago would be a war zone. Fucking Daley wants the bars in Wrigleyville to stop selling alcohol after the 7th inning stretch. What's he gonna do if the Sux make it? Have everyone check in their guns at the bar entrance? Eh?

Hopeless

This is hopeless. I did not get selected to get tickets.   BIG SURPRISE.   I checked stubhub to be outraged about prices - and was. Near THREE HUNDRED just for fucking STANDING ROOM.   Fuck everyone

Thoughts

Today's thought-provoking lyrics provided to you by The Root's "Sacrifice":   If you want to reach something in life You ain't gonna get it unless You give a little bit of sacrifice

Z

60890139
Originally uploaded by feigenbaum_04

THE NO HITTER!

GAAARRRGH!

Dear GAWD I am fucking AGGRAVATED. I am *NEVER* *EVER* going to the Walgreens at the corner of 176 and 43 for photo developing/ordering photo CDs.   THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THEY HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.   First time they gave me the WRONG order. Today? The machine busts down and the moron doesn't tell me that my order won't be ready until I fucking pester him.   I call back to check on the status, because it "won't be long" - machine STILL down.   You fuckers, I have pictures of Zambrano's no-hitter AND I WANT THEM. NOW.   I told the guy if he doesn't have them done in half an hour, he can ditch the order because I am going ELSEWHERE.

WTF?!

And now Palin is threatening RUSSIA with WAR?!   WHAT. THE. FUCK?   Someone, PLEASE toss this dozy bitch into the fucking Bearing Straight, PLEASE.

What day is it?

Well, unless you're a complete moron, you know what today is.   I'm not sad, I'm angry if anything.   Angry because seven years later ...   -- fear is still being used as a tactic to keep the Republicans in power. Lest anyone forget - it's while on THEIR watch this attack happened. They were warned about Al Q and Bin Laden well in advance of the attack. They chose to do nothing.   -- For all his bullshit posturing about "dead or alive" and "mission accomplished", Bush STILL HAS NOT caught Bin Laden or accomplished anything! Why? Because if you catch Bin Laden, you can't use the Boogeyman to scare sheep into submission. They might try to catch BL now to say "yay, we did it, now vote for us again"   -- How many thousands of US soldiers dead in an UNJUST war in Iraq. Hussein would never have had Al Q. Why? Because he was a totalitarian dictator! They would challenge his authority, and there's only room for one. Afghanistan was legitimate - that's where Bin Laden was. Iraq was a complete lie.   -- How many MILLIONS of Iraqi dead?   -- How much national wealth poured into Iraq while people here suffer, lose jobs, no health insurance, lose loved ones, national disasters (like Katrina) here...?   -- McCain uses a backdrop showing the attacks during his speeches. Yes. He actually did. USING THE ATTACKS FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL GAIN.   -- Blackwater and other contractors making large financial gains on the blood, sweat and tears of others   -- "Weapons of Mass Destruction" my ass.   -- Valerie Plame     -- LIES LIES LIES and MORE LIES and on and on and on   Fuck Bush. Fuck McCain.

Food

I could really kill for some serrano jam right about now.   Mmm. Salty goodness.   Must have been that damn Andrew Zimmerman show in Spain yesterday. Yes, I know he's a doof, BUT the Spanish food!!

Holy shit, did he really say that?

I saw this over on LOHO [ http://inaleagueofherown.com ]  I mean, yeah, we say it all the time (and oh was it fucked up on Saturday to see him hit a HOMERUN and CHEER FOR HIM), but BOB?!   Something We Heard: "I never thought we'd see the day when we's say we were glad to see Jason Marquis take the mound." --Bob Brenley

Thursday

I found the "missing" money I had lost a couple weeks ago in my trouser pockets this morning. Around $24 dollars.   I am so looking forward to yoga tonight. I need something to put me in a better frame of mind after all this sports and politics related asshattery. I'm bringing my yoga teacher an "I <3 The Riot" t-shirt. Too bad the Cubs aren't freaking winning. Poor Wendy. She's been on the cover of the Trib and/or the Sun-Times with her husband at Cubs games. (They've got season tickets.) I saw the one from the 2003 NLCS debacle and her face was buried in her husband's shoulder.   That's about how I feel.

HA!

Family Values Strikes Again!

 

Palin's 17 y.o. IS PREGGERS!!!

 

*laughs and laughs and laaaaaaaaughs*

NOOOOOO!

Weather tomorrow - when I have AWESOME TICKETS - chance for thunderstorms in the EVENING.

 

NOOOOOO! NOOOO! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT.

Knitting Antics

I am trying to find information on doing magic loop knitting for free online. (Helpful for knitting socks and mittens because damn if I want to sit and knit one, and then go back and have to do ANOTHER.) I came across this in Knitty and it is COMPLETELY screwing with my brain.

 

Damn.

 

That is hardcore knitting.

 

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/FEATextreme2in1.html

 

 

I love sports coverage after Cubs Wins

From "At 30 Over, Flaws are Few" [ http://www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/1124321,CST-SPT-rick25.article ]

 

The whole article is pretty much awesome (as is Rich Harden, Canadian's hottest export since...just about ever), but the kicker is the "memorial sticker".... BWHA HA HA HA HA!

 

Harden again shows why he figures to be a major postseason plus

 

...

 

October getting closer

 

So in the Cubs' locker room, Harden pondered this. ''Highway to Hell'' blared over the music speakers, Mark DeRosa tried to explain how he has hit home runs in four consecutive games (''It's definitely nice, but I don't know why''), Alfonso Soriano sang to himself in Spanish, Ryan Theriot sat beneath the sticker on his locker that says ''In Loving Memory of Dusty,'' and catcher Geovany Soto praised the slumping Kosuke Fukudome for his pinch-hit home run in the seventh.

Cubs Win

What a glorious game.

 

Aaaaah. Except goddamnit, with Harden going today this means for sure he won't go on Thursday. WAAAAAH!!!

 

Mark. FOURTH HOMER in as many games. INSANE. The man is out of his fucking mind.

 

Rich was just on the radio....*meep* I love him.

What is up with this?

I am just so EXHAUSTED. All the damn time.

 

I could barely keep my eyes open. I had to take a nap.

Telecommuting

So, I'm sitting here in the LF at a Starbucks telecommuting. Unfortunately, I also get to overhear these two paunchy middle-aged idiot gasbags go on about the state of the Bears, the NFL and how so many are getting overpaid.

 

Ok, Lovies-in-Training. *rolls eyes* Dude, you think backseat baseball managers are bad, you should hear these gasbags. Oy fucking vey. It's too bad Urlacher doesn't walk in and hear all this, since he lives in this overpriced town.

Idiots

I am sitting in Starbucks doing work. Unfortuantely, this really smart Asian dude is trying to teach/tutor this absolute IDIOT of a dumb blonde. It must be math or physics (a basic level). I heard him talking about equations for force or rotations earlier. I had to stick in my earphones. This woman just does NOT get even the most basic of concepts.

 

Literally.

 

Part of the earlier conversation was "if you have 4 rotations in 2 seconds, how many will you have in one second?" Dude, that isn't even algebra or physics. It's simple fucking division. She just sat there completely blank. DIVIDE IT IN FUCKING HALF MORON!

 

Plus, she sits there tapping her feet nervously non-stop.

 

Thank god it is practically a physical impossibility for me to bear blonde-haired children.

 

To add to the fun: there is this old far in a walker here. He's got a sign on his walker bashing the "do-nothing Democratic congress" and saying to start drilling for oil. FUCK YOU, GO OFF AN DIE YOU GIMPY WANKER. The congress may in fact be do-nothing, but your fucking generation has fucked up EVERYTHING in this country, electing war-mongering fuckup Republicans. OIL IS NOT THE ANSWER. FUCK OIL.

FUCK!

FUCKING ATLANTA! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Double-header tomorrow - Harden is pitching the second one. This means the rotation is FUCKED! DAMN IT! My tix to the game on the 28th are probably NOT going to be Harden now!! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

FUCK YOU MCBUSH!

I am sick of these fucking McCain ads appearing throughout the Olympic coverage slamming "rockstar" Obama. Fuck you GERIATRIC FUCKUP LIAR!

Holy crap

Bernie Mac is dead, ya'll. He was only FIFTY.

Random

Dude, my boss is the freaking grand-niece of Papa Bear Hallas. This came out during lunch when we were poo-pooing the whole Brett Favre saga. She was like "I fucking hate the Packers" and shakes her head. "Oh really?" "Yes, really."

 

And then she mentions Hallas.

 

WOW. Except, she never got anything cool from it, so that was kind of bogus.

 

Also:

 

I spent over 30 minutes on the phone with this freaking CHATTERBOX in Montreal, trying to teach her how to submit an request in the database I support. I wanted to hit myself in the head with the fucking receiver about five minutes into the conversation. SACRE BLEU, ALONS Y!

SHUT UP, TALKY MEAT

Would everyone please STOP creaming their shorts over ZOMG! BRETT FAVRE?

 

Jesus fucking christ. Just GO AWAY.

Olympics

Normally, I would be ALL over the Olympics right about now. I love them.

 

This time?

 

BLEH. I think it's an absolute TRAVESTY that China was ever allowed to host them. Pollution...human rights abuses...hell, they are blocking/censoring websites and cracking down on international press.

 

Thanks for selling your souls, IOC.

 

**oh, I just caught a little teaser for the Cubs sports coverage on ABC7: "Everything is coming up...Roses" meaning DeRosa. AAAAH. He practically skipped down the steps after his curtain call!

31 & :(

Things I should no longer attempt to do:

 

Hop into one of those trampoline thingies people have in their backyards, and proceed to bounce and do russian jumps for 30 minutes straight.

 

Why?

 

Because while fun at the time, finding out your knees no longer want to function that night or the next morning is NOT fun. *whimpers*

 

This pet-sitting is kicking my ass. I can't sleep well. And for the THIRD time (it happened the first time I sat, too), these people's alarm clock goes off at just fuck-off random hours. Last night, like 3am, I wake up to it going off. I hobbled into their bedroom and slapped at the fucking clock until it shut up. Then I fell onto their bed, wrapped in my blanket, and passed out.

 

Dog woke me up just about 5:30 wanting to go out. Had to hobble downstairs and take care of that. I am so surprised I didn't fall down the stairs. I would shuffle a couple steps, close my eyes/sway, open my eyes/shuffle a couple more steps, repeat process. Let the dog out, let him back in, crashed on the couch for another hour.

 

I feel like death warmed over.

Sleep

I have slept like crap the past two nights. House/pet-sitting is good and all, but I am HORRIBLE at sleeping in a different place. Not to mention, I don't like the bed I'm sleeping in. Oy, my back.

Yay for you, but why bother?

3 women to be ordained Catholic priests http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/16920636/detail.html 

 

Ha ha - I bet the Pope is "not amused". Good for the women, except of course, that this means they will be *cue brimstone and fire* EXCOMMUNICATED. Oh noes!

 

Fuck the patriarchy. Seriously. It's so easy to not give a shit about the people you are supposed to be "serving" when you can say "don't like my rules? oops! you're damned!" and excommunicate people.

 

I'm all for equality. I think the idea that a woman isn't "good enough" to be a priest or deliver sacraments is laughable. Let's not forget it was a woman who squirted out your so-called son-of-yahweh, right? But, nope, let's just continue on your idiotic path wherein you continue to have (dwindling!) numbers of single males be the priests. Priests whom you have shuffled around when they got a little too close with the altar boys and girls.

 

I hate Catholicism for its heirarchy bullshit. The divine is not a concept that is owned or meted out by any one select group. The divine, if you even choose to believe in it in the first place, is something freely available to all people.

 

Just go out and try to do something NICE in the world, ok, people? Don't live for the "next" life. Live for now. Try to make this world a better place.

No stars

Uggla is a bitch.

 

This game is stupid. STUPID. "IT COUNTS" What the fuck ever.

Nitpicking, probably

Okay, so more on "feel-good story supreme" Josh Hamilton. Blah, blah, blah good for you. I hope you stay sober. I'm reading an article on his performance last night and the shit he's overcome.

 

I don't like how either the editorialist and/or Josh himself make his tattoos sound. They make it sound like tattoos are bad in and of themselves. That all tattoo parlours are Satan's gateways and filled with his drug-addled minions.

 

His parents followed him on the road early in his minor-league career until a car accident ended their journeys, which left Hamilton, injured himself, with down time and nothing to do. You know the rest: He hung out at a tattoo parlor, met the wrong folks, began drinking heavily, got hooked on dope.

 

Let's get something straight here:

 

I understand why Josh Hamilton is ashamed of the tattoos he has. He got them while he was high as a kite and they remind him of a very bad time in his life when he made some shit-poor decisions. He's tried to have them removed, but the process is too painful and/or apparently he has too many large tats.

 

Tattoos are not inherently bad things in and of themselves. Plenty of respectable people get tattoos these days. Tattoos are a way of expressing one's self and important things in your life. Historically speaking, tattoos were often done in religious or social ceremonies of many cultures.

 

I have a tattoo. Well, two, if you count the one I went over with the new one. I haven't done drugs a day in my life. The tattoo salon I went to was perfectly clean, sanitary and respectable. My tattoo isn't often visible unless I wear shorts. I'm a teacher and I really don't feel it needs to be on display all that often.

 

Hell - I was at a Catholic school and I KNOW of at least one male teacher who has several tats on his arms (a cross, admittedly, is one), which I saw when he was at the gym! And he's OLD.

 

Plenty of idiots will read what I read and think "1+1=THREE!!" Faulty logic.

 

Tattoos are NOT exclusive to druggies. A reputable salon will not even tattoo you if you appear to have impaired faculties for ANY reason.

 

If anything, Josh, use those tattoos and the shame you feel over them as a warning and reminder of what once happened to you and that you can not go back.

Dark Knight

That is one hot movie trailer. DAMN.

 

Plus, you know, it was filmed largely in Chicago.

 

"This must be Lower Wacker drive!"

non baseball thoughts

You know, I really don't give a crap about Angelina Jolie squirting out two more kids in some foreign locale. Please "entertainment media", just stop already.

 

Do we really need to pay attention to her weird-assedness and attempts to create her own circus family?

 

Eventually when she and Brad get tired of trying to Adam & Eve it, it's going to be a fucking mess with all those kids.

Pathetic

I feel like crap today. I'm still coughing. I woke up last night about 11 with a coughing jag. *groans* What is this shit? Last year I had two incidences where I caught some nasty cough where I would literally cough the second I tried to lay down. It was hell. I really don't need that again.

 

 

Yesterday's performance by the pitching staff was pathetic. Actually, is there a word MORE tragic than what I used?

 

It was horrible, awful, no-good, very-bad, tear-out-your-hair, stab-yourself-in-the-eyes BAD.

 

Lilly lost his shit, although admittedly that might have been as a result of knocking a foul ball into the crowd which beaned a kid. Oops. But he had a homer lofted off him before that incident.

 

Wuertz came in and did his usual - which means more lofted ones.

 

The new kid Guadin came in and had one lofted.

 

Cotts came in and had (the usual) one lofted.

Who else am I missing? There was another pitcher in there. OH yes, Lieber. Lieber also had one lofted.

 

Basically - FIVE PITCHERS. ALL GOT HIT FOR HOME RUNS.

 

Dear pitching staff from yesterday:

 

If you ever show up again, I will kill you. Fucking pathetic.

 

The craptastic dustrags, the Reds, fucking beat us yesterday after a solid Pwning the previous two days.

 

Did I just hear that Harden's start got moved up to today? If so, Marquis must be pissed.

 

Oh well.

Mmmm

I like Mary Janes. As in candy. The little yellow wrapper ones.

 

I am bored. I came back from lunch with the work gang. I have a disc of photos to upload. I have gameday to watch soon (if it doesn't rain).

 

Just call me "Vice President in Charge of Looking Out the Window".

 

I think I may also write inane (and bad!) haiku describing the hotness that is Mark DeRosa.

 

My thoughts are so scattered, I had something else to jot down, but now I can't remember. NOW I remember. I also bought a bag of the Dove Dark Chocolate squares. You know, the dumbass kind with the stupid messages in them?

 

Here's what was in the one I opened: when two hearts race, both win.

 

WHAT THE FUCK EVER. That is the most maudlin piece of shit I've ever read.

 

When two hearts race, both might be having a coronary event.

 

When two hearts race, it's probably because I'm running away from yet another fucktard.

 

When two hearts race, it could be from loathing and disgust.

Bored!

I tell you, the highlight of my workday is going to be the Cubs coming on at 1pm. I will have gameday on. Oh yes.

 

Need to call my dad today. It's his birthday.

Triskaidekaphobia?

triskaidekaphobia \tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:
A morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.

 

Something I just recently realized when I was looking at the Wrigley Field seating chart to purchase tickets for tomorrow's game: there's no VIP Club Box 13 nor is there a Field Box 13. Both missing sections would be on the home team side. There are, however, Bleacher 313, Terrace Level 213 and Upper Level 413 (again, no Upper Level 513).

 

Seriously? No 13 for the sections closest to the field? I find this...lame.

I weep for the murdering of the English language

THE AP6D DINING ROOM WILL BE CLOSED TODAY DEW TO THE GPRD MEETING, TAKE OUT SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE.

 

Why did I watch?

I watched some of the coverage of the police officer's funeral that's happening today in Chicago. First guy killed in line of duty since 2002 (?).

 

I knew as soon as I heard the bagpipes go off I'd get all teary.

Oops

I had a Dempster wardrobe malfunction for god only knows how long.

 

Thank god I haven't been up and about in front of people.

History in Literature

As some of you may know, one of the books I taught while subbing this spring was Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. EXCELLENT book, although it is slow to develop and definitely has some strange. (Think of Morrison as a black female version of Tennessee Williams and you might have it. Srsly - Williams' "A Rose for Emily" is just about as fucked up as you can get.) I started out kinda horrified and annoyed at the book, but by the end I really loved it.

 

Anyway, it's your classic coming-of-age/search for identity & family history story, with the troubles of being a black male growing up 1930s-1960s. Takes place largely in Michigan - it's modeled after Detroit, although not explicitly stated as such. One of the fictionalized places mentioned is "Honore" - a kind of well-to-do playground for black folks, who couldn't go many places - it being the Jim Crow era and all.

 

Look what I found today on the Trib [ http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/chi-idlewildjul03,0,7855102.story?page=1 ]:  A Haven from Jim Crow: A Michigan resort town stirs anew with proud tales of its role since 1912 as a vacation spot for African-Americans.

 

"IDLEWILD, Mich — It's a 4 1/2 -hour drive to here from the South Side of Chicago—which, in the bad old days, could seem an eternity to families seeking a vacation from Jim Crow..."

 

"...It was founded in 1912 by four white couples who had a hunch there was a market for resort property among African-Americans, and bought 2,700 acres around the shores of Idlewild Lake, in north-central Michigan. Advertisements in the Chicago Defender newspaper offered lots for a dollar down and a dollar a month.

Among those who bought property was Daniel Hale Williams, a black physician in Chicago. He formed a partnership to build a lakeside hotel and restaurant in Idlewild. Anne Hawkins, a Chicagoan who summered in Idlewild for 82 years, recalls seeing Williams when he was old and she was young.

"When he was very ill, Dr. Williams would lie on the porch of his home here," Hawkins said. "To a child, he was just an old man, but my parents made sure I was aware of the contribution he had made." ***

 

I wonder if Morrison modeled Honore, and possibly a little of the character of Doctor Foster, after this place? Morrison knows her shit, historically speaking, so I wouldn't be surprised at all. I wish I had known about this earlier!

 

Hmm. Also, I wonder if Andre 3000's "Idlewild Blue" song has anything to do with this place? I LOVE REFERENCES!!!

 

 

Telemarketers Suck

This is why I never answer the home phone anymore (I wish I could convince my mother to get rid of it - we both have cell phones).

 

There was a message from someone wanting to contact me about an "injury [I'd] received at a ballgame recently".

 

An injury? WTF? I have NOT been injured. I must certainly would remember something like that. I would have probably had to fill out some kind of report, ya think?

 

I was positive it was some kind of scam. I called the number, fairly certain I would get a message as it's "after hours". This is the number: 800 309 6500. It was "Travel Division". Yep, a stupid timeshare. I also googled it and got this information.  [ http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-309-6500#pvP31OQ8-BQAkEgjKqteATg ]

 

What a bunch of fucking liars. They stoop to making up some cockeyed story about my being INJURED? WTF?! Look at the idiot "Jen" on that weblink, too, that works for them and tries to defend the company.

 

Here's a clue Jen: GET A REAL FUCKING JOB.

Bad

Woke up to the news radio blaring yet again about more violence and murder in the city.

 

Seriously. This is the worst I can think of it being. I'm not far wrong - murder is up 13% in just the first half of this year. Not good.

 

What the fuck is wrong with people?

ZOMG WHAT?

ZOMG WHAT?
Originally uploaded by feigenbaum_04

Make a caption!

Buffy Tarot Deck Cancelled

Wonder what the "circumstances beyond our control was"? Artistic bickering? Costs?

 

Kind of a bummer.

 

http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Buffy-Tarot-Cards___324290

Lunch

I'm lame.

 

I left work at lunch to sit in the starbucks so I could sit on the computer and work on the mood theme. Apparently photobucket is only crapping out while I'm at "work".

 

I have a cookie crumb lodged in my bra, too. Damn it.

Stupid internet!

This is really pissing me off. Photobucket keeps crapping out on me; I can't get in and work on that mood theme I was making.

My Mother, the Uninformed

She went to return the Cubs shirt she bought and get a different one. I came home tonight to discover the one she got was a replica jersey.

 

Soriano.

 

I laid into her about that and told her I was returning it and buying her a real player's jersey, not some asshat Soriano one.

 

FUCKING EMBARASSING. I WILL NEVER GO TO ANOTHER GAME WITH HER AGAIN. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO BE SEEN NEXT TO HER WEARING THAT BULLSHIT.

Unhappy morning

I hate waking up still peeved from the Cubs losing one.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah you non-Cubs people, I can hear you with your stupid commentary. The fact is, this year we are beating the pants off of people. Losing is now ODD.

 

Fucking DEVIL Rays. We should have OWNED them last night.

 

REED! GOD DAMN IT!! (And for that matter, HOFF - a base hit would have been nice, you didn't have to swing for the fucking fish tank.)

 

*pounds fists on desk*

 

My obsession with the Cubs...it is not good.

Music

Just when I think Adam Levine can't possibly get any more dirty in a song, I listen to the song "Kiwi".

 

Welp, he certainly PROVED ME WRONG.

 

Barry White is probably somewhere going "Damn, whiteboy!"

Uh, Chard anyone?

I just picked a TON of chard from where iillegallyaccordingtotheidiotnaziassociationrules planted it in the front. OMG. What the hell am I going to do with it all?

 

Add to this the fact that the mint is going batshit out there, too. Mint is going to take over the neighborhood, people.

 

Quick! Recipes for chard? Anyone? Sauteed with garlic and olive oil, I'm thinking?

Wherein I lay the English smackdown

I don't know about you, but I find it embarassing when there are stupid grammatical errors in formal writing. Here, in blogosphere, it's not such a big deal.

 

Let's say, however, a legal missive directing a foreign firm to do certain action on a company's behalf?

 

"Kindly confirm receipt of this letter and it's enclosure."

 

What's wrong with that sentence? I'll give you a few seconds to ponder.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Figured it out?

.

.

.

.

The "it's" is incorrect. Shit like "it's" vs "its" and "their", "there", "they're" drives me motherfucking NUTS. Oh, let's not forget "you're" and "your" (and I suppose the ubiquitous "ur") either. Who/whom? Do you know that one? One can be used as a subject, the other is objective case use only.

 

Anyway, the word needed in that sentence above was "ITS". "Its" without an apostrophe is POSSESSIVE. "It's" WITH apostrophe is a contraction of TWO words, a subject pronoun and a verb: it & is.

 

I do have some modicum of tact. I walked over to the woman who wrote it (this is NOT the first time I noticed this in one of her letters), and kindly pointed it out. Her response? "Spell-checker didn't catch it!"

 

"That's because it's a valid word. It's just wrong in context."

 

"Well, what about grammar checker?"

 

I look at her computer screen. "It sucks." THE GRAMMAR CHECKER IS YOU. Please do not count on Bill Gates' technology to do it for you.

 

Seriously. It is so easy. JUST TAKE A SECOND TO PROOFREAD. Do you really mean to have a contraction there? Say it out the long way: "Kindly confirm receipt of this letter and it is enclosure." Does that make sense? No? Then you probably shouldn't use the apostrophe!

 

And law firms are seeing this. *rolls eyes*

 

P.S. Back to the leetspeak "UR" thing. I generally detest that stuff unless I'm in a real hurry texting or being sardonic. I just had some abject retard message me on plentyoffish using a bunch of leetspeak. I read his profile. Full of it. I deleted his message unread. I'm sorry, if you write that unintelligently, what the hell makes you think I'm going to want to have anything to do with you? Did you not read my profile? I think I'm just a bit overeducated for your ghetto-ass then.

 

I'm going to be alone for the rest of my overpicky life. Better stock up on batteries and toys.

Go AWAAAAY

This joker KEEPS emailing me over at plentyoffish. I keep deleting them unread. Dude, I looked at your profile and I'm NOT interested. Go AWAAAAY.

 

steves00001 has sent you a message at 11:24:16 PM on Sunday, June 08,
2008 (Pacific Standard Time), to read your 1 new messages click on the
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With a Long Eye...

You know, we like to think that history is ... well, ancient. But really, the past is never very far away, is it? Take the long view. Look back. It wasn't so long ago that people of color couldn't vote without fear of being intimidated...or worse. It wasn't so long ago that a woman had to get fed up about riding in the back of the bus. It wasn't so long ago that women, of any color, were just expected to stay at home, mind the kids, and make sure the darling husband had a hot dinner waiting for when he came home. It wasn't so long ago that visionary men like MLK and RFK were cut down in their prime. Who knows what might have been, had they lived.

 

People are alive now who lived through all of this. People who were told that this is all "one nation", that we are all "equal" - that "anyone can become President". But you know that some of us despaired of this really being truth.

 

Things are not equal. We have made great strides, but we still have far to go. While I have some serious issues with HRC's behavior of late, I do respect that she did well for women candidates. (Well, hopefully she still has some credit there; I suspect she's damaged some of our credibility!)

 

I am not an African-American. I am Mexican on my mom's side, European mutt (mostly Irish) on my dad's. Not wealthy, but I did not want for the necessities. I am educated - the most educated one in my immediate family. I suppose I have always been the idealist. I still tend to get angry over the way things are when I know they could be better. I am the most non-religious, and most decidedly anti-Republican member of my immediate family. My father once used the "n" word around me, and before I could even think, I yelled at him to "SHUT UP" and to NEVER use that word around me again. If you knew what it was like growing up with my dad, you would understand how my telling him in no uncertain terms to SHUT UP was just...off the wall crazy of me. We were both shocked into silence and stared at each other after I said that to him. I think I was barely out of my teens when that happened. That said, I know I have still have race issues. The typical stuff: being wary of young males in groups, in particular. I'm not perfect, but I'd like to think I can improve.

 

I obviously haven't lived with the struggles so many in the African-American community have, but I am SO happy for Obama. Dude is my candidate. Reading things like this - Annette John-Hall: As Obama rises, Jim Crow falls - really make me want to cry. (See link: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/19557809.html ) I can only imagine the impact of this on people's lives. Me? I'm just happy that the scales may finally be tipping onto the less asshatt-y side of things. Seriously, this year, between teaching Of Mice and Men and Song of Solomon, I've been trying to tell freshmen and juniors in extremely affluent, white-dominated communities about just this type of thing. Their young little brains are like "WHAT? People actually got lynched and NOTHING was done? And this was the 1900s?!" (Regarding Emmit Till) I'm glad we're getting to the days when kids are boggled that "nothing was done?!", but we still need to remember that YES, it happened, and it's something we're still moving on from.

I hate cars

My car:

 

2 struts

inner tie rod

2 front sway bar links (because the dealership uses crappy PLASTIC)

front strut mount

front coil spring set

rear sway bar link

 

Car rides much better now. IT DAMN WELL SHOULD.

Have you seen my panties?

whatnottowear
Originally uploaded by feigenbaum_04

At long last, the promised post about the slut-tastic girl in yellow from Saturday's game against the Rockies. (You should also check out the quality of the clientele making comments about this photo over at Flickr. I could rest my case about how she's attracting the wrong kind of attention on the basis of that alone.)

These three girls were all above the drinking age, I assume, because they had beers. Blondie in yellow "dress". A dress that should not be worn alone or by any female past the age of 10. Her boobs were rather hefty in the front, and you could see her yellow bra up over the top of the low neckline. The skirt was entirely see through in the light, so you got a good look at her white panties. She may as well have been wearing a peignor.

Honestly. Do you think you look sexy in this? Really? Because your ass needs to sit down and spend some quality time with Stacey and Clinton from What Not To Wear on TLC. "Sexy" is not about flaunting your wares. Every whore on the corner can do that. Sexy is looking chic and put together...and leaving something to the imagination. YOU, my dear, look like a cheap and tawdry whore. If I were a man, the first thing I'd assume about you is that you'd be an easy lay. Attire like that makes it look like you're trying to get a guy to slip a digit up there. You've certainly got easy enough access!

I'm surprised her dress didn't just completely blow up in the wind. Girl, EVERYONE was making fun of you in the rows behind. Trust me. You should be embarassed.

Political Quiz

Unsurprising. Ganked from Savagemind.

92% Barack Obama
91% John Edwards
88% Chris Dodd
87% Joe Biden
86% Hillary Clinton
84% Mike Gravel
83% Dennis Kucinich
78% Bill Richardson
44% Rudy Giuliani
30% John McCain
26% Mitt Romney
26% Tom Tancredo
22% Mike Huckabee
18% Ron Paul
14% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Ready, Set, WRITE

So, the junior English finals start in just over 20 minutes. I'll be in a computer lab (no internet access) for 90 minutes with about 50 kids. I hope no one tries to pull any shenanigans.

 

I think I might be more nervous than some of the kids. This is the first final I will proctor. I have a stack of stuff to hand back, too. And then, of course, I will have to grade approximately 50 essays before Monday. I think about ten of those will actually be enjoyable to read. Others I'm going to need plenty of beer to get through. I actually just read and graded a late essay assignment from one student. GOOD LORD. What rambling NONSENSE. No thesis! Kid, what's your POINT? Blah blah blibbidy BLAH.

 

I wonder if my lab room is ready. I should go walk down there and get set up.

 

Bwwwaaararraggh!

Cubs

I am seriously considering buying crap tickets for the game on Friday.

 

It starts at 1:20. I don't have to be in school (the final is today, so technically, no class just grading all friggin weekend). Work doesn't know that...

 

SOMEONE STOP ME

If you can't handle the heat, get the hell outta my kitchen

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

Stop pampering Soriano, start using him wisely: Jay Mariotti

So now the Cubs are warning fans not to fire verbal zingers at Alfonso Soriano. Seems they want $45 for a bleacher ticket, $6 for a beer and your right to free speech if the human blooper reel drops another fly ball. What might they demand next, a group hug for Soriano by the vines every time he goofs up?

Why not just position a full-time shrink inside the little green door in left field? He would have come in handy Tuesday night at Wrigley, where a season of Soriano defensive scrutiny continued with his latest error, an air-mailed throw that landed closer to the Cubby Bear than home plate. A Dodgers runner scored, two others moved up, and 40,000 folks groaned in the 40-degree chill. But don't you dare say anything harsh to poor Alfonso

Dude, if I paid money to go to the game, I'm going to freaking yell at WHOMEVER I damn well please. Whether it's "Soriano, you twit!" or "DeRosa you are so &*%$@#*(#)!@ HOT!" I'll leave the screaming at Cedeno to other females. What is this? The Cubs version of "don't you dare critique the Bush regime you unpatriotic idiot" of the early years of empire?

Mariotti goes on to give props to Brenley for his "throw a dart at the dugout" comment earlier from the Pittsburgh debacle.

What do you do with him, then? Do you move him to second base and have Mark DeRosa and others play left field? You could, but Soriano has exceeded 20 errors at that position three times. For now, Piniella must yank him out of left in late innings, which he refused to do Tuesday night but survived anyway in a Kosuke Fukudome-stoked, 3-1 victory. When the generally favorable men in the broadcast booth start complaining, you know Soriano has issues. TV analyst Bob Brenly should be applauded for his Steve Stone-like blitz, saying after the Pittsburgh blunder, "You could throw a dart at that (Cubs) dugout and find a better defender in left field." He also amplified what I wrote last week, that Soriano can't be considered a superstar when his defense is so offensive. As for radio fan Ron Santo, I'm not sure if he's over his latest "Ohhhhhh, noooooooo" moment, which rivaled his all-time shriek when someone dropped the ball in left field 10 years ago.

If someone is stupid enough to put Soriano in the infield...! I shudder to think. He can't fucking field OUTfield, why the hell would you have him in the INfield? Dude, DeRosa is a great utility man, but it would be stupid to have him in the outfield permanently.

Thoughts? Comments? Flames? Whatever, I got beer to douse the flames, so don't even bother with those.

ALSO: Something I noticed, does Derrek Lee "doink!" every guy shorter than him when he comes in to score? I've been noticing this lately, where he usually bops a player on the head with his hand.

Mega Caffeine Needed

*bleary eyed*

 

Ugh. My sleep schedule got all screwed up over the extended weekend. My eyes felt gritty - like I had sand in the corners of my eyes this morning. I wish I had stayed and "worked from home".

 

Actually, I am going to speak to my new manager about the possibility of doing this two days a week (T/Th) starting next week. Gas prices are just too ridiculous. If I can work from home two days a week, and bike another two, boyo would that be awesome. I'd get more done at home anyways. Here I'm always distracted - often by people having stupid loud annoying conversations. There's one girl that sits in the other aisle who has her Springer-esque marital arguments over the phone. Last week I was seconds away from yelling "DIVORCE HIM ALREADY AND HAVE DONE!"

 

I'm going to have to grab a LARGE coffee on my way to school. I'll never make it otherwise.

Procrastination

I finally started grading the book annotations and last papers from my two classes. Hell. I should go grab a beer. The bad papers far outweigh the few good ones. I also had a kid who really fucked around doing his annotations. I'm teetering on giving him a D. I should give him a D. The fucker really deserves it.

 

It's actually WARM upstairs. Like, almost uncomfortably so. Except the temp is supposed to plummet again and be a high in the 50s tomorrow, so, maybe I will enjoy the warmth.

 

Oh. And yesterday I did a little tarot card reading and nearly laughed myself silly. "Insincere messages, cads, false flattery...and the light of the sun (i.e. truth) shining on it all". Hells yes, bitches. The power of my insight and logic will SUNBURN ALL YA'LLS ASSES.

Name Change

I need to change the name/address of my blog. I think I'm bored with the one I've had.

Also: I fail at getting coals to be hot in a grill. I blame the briquets - they were old. Damnit.

So sue me

I replied back to Bob the Builder. (Oh, and did I mention "Nice Boy" Ronnie totally flaked out on meeting me yesterday to give me back my books? Shithead!) I guess I came down on the side of: it's dating. Everyone fucks up on occasion, wishing they could take shit back. Although this is IT.

I have to say I'm surprised to hear from you again. I'm not sure how I feel about it, considering, yes, you could have handled the last communication better.

I'm the type of person who would rather just have the truth be said politely and promptly instead of being left wondering what's going on. If you honestly thought you were you going to move, that's your own business. I'm also not so naive to think that I was/will be the only other person you'll be in contact with here. You had mentioned that you were seeing someone else in addition to the intended move. It's a dating site, after all. Dating implies meeting/talking with many people, and saying "good-bye" to the majority of them eventually.

If I were to start talking with you again, I want it on the firm understanding that you give me the courtesy of being straight-up with me. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. I'm a big girl, I can handle it. What drives me nuts is investing my time with people who just drop off one day with no explanation and expect me to "figure it out". I may do tarot cards, but I'm not a mind reader.

If this is something you think you can do, then you can contact me.

[Me]



EDIT: OH, and the trailer for the second part of Doctor Who? FUCKING ROCKS!!!!

Social Experiment Redux

I got a notification email saying I have a message over at plentyoffish.

From BOB THE BUILDER.

WTF?

SRSLY?

*sardonic look*

Shakespeare

I've been rewatching "The Taming of the Shrew" from the BBC's Shakespeare Re-Told DVD. I fucking love that catchy little mambo number. Finally found out what it is: Gopher Mambo by Yma Sumac. YMA SUMAC. I AM A DORK.

 

But I'm gonna be a shaking/shimmying dork.

Hillary is a Whore

Seriously. She uses "assassination" in her remarks? WTF? Olbermann is so right - bitch is fucking off her god damned rocker.

 

 

Seriously FUCKED UP

I feel like I'm in an episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, people.

 

Did you fucking know that google maps now often has actual IMAGES of places and intersections when you are looking at directions? For instance, I was looking at the distance between my house and work on the route I would take biking. I knoticed there were a number of camera icons next to different stages in my directions. I clicked. THERE ARE ACTUAL 360 degree PHOTOS of things...THINGS LIKE MY MOTHERFUCKING HOUSE.

 

I am under SURVEILLANCE!!! In a very real way! *agog*

Needing a recharge...

So, it's a new day. The Cubs fizzled AGAIN last night against the asstrolls. V. v. unhappy about that.

 

Idiot Boy Ronnie has not texted back yet to confirm me getting my comics back.

 

I have a lot to do today, and really no motivation to do it.

 

Why is it that the best sleep I get is at 6:45am when I really should be UP already?

 

I need to go get a movie tonight to show in "class" tomorrow. Something American-y. Baseball. Except then the girly girls will be annoyed. WAH WAH WAH.

because happy is just so trite

 First: Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes. :) Es muy bueno. I, too, am hoping for a Cubs win on my birthday.

Second: I AM SO FUCKING TIRED. I can't work up any excitement today at all. My mom wants to know what I want. Hell if I know. She asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner for my birthday tonight. I told her probably not because I'm tired after school (YOU try prancing about and making a pack of angsty teens want to learn something at the end of the fucking school year. You'd be tired, too!). My dad just called to see if I wanted to go out to dinner with him. Nope. Too damn tired. I told him Friday. 

Seriously. I just had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich because that's all I could work up the energy to make. I just want to sit here and wait for my Cubs game to come on the tv and watch it. 

I'm looking forward to hanging out with Anne on Saturday in Chicago. But tonight? Just tired.

Also, a day or so ago, I'd emailed Ronnie (he of  "the social experiment") to mention the comics of mine he still has. I got a text from him today on my way to school. He had forgotten he had them and said he could either meet up with me or fedex them. I didn't have time to respond, so I just put my phone down. A minute or so later...another text. This time saying "Sorry I didn't k.i.t. [keep in touch]. Been dating someone."

*blank look*

Like...I fucking care? That just pisses me off. I mean, I KNOW I'm making something out of nothing here, but give me a break. It was fairly obvious neither of us was really into the other. Fine. You don't have to fucking tell me that. I haven't called you either, numbnuts! Just give me back my shit, that's all I want. What? Are you fucking gloating or something? 

Dear Ronnie, these are the reasons I can think of for not dating you right off the top of my head:

1. "Ronnie". Ronnie (unless it is followed by "Santo" or "Cedeno") just sounds infantile and like your mother still washes your tightie-whities for you. Get a fucking man's name, would you?

2. You are too motherfucking hairy. 

3. You talk with a sort of lisp.

4. You don't care for baseball in general, the Cubs obviously would not be something we have in common.

5. You're shortish.

6. The way you had your apartment decorated was cheap, tawdry and screamed of 80s hotel.

Blah blah blah. "I've been dating someone." Fuck you AND the horse you rode in on! I love how it's so easy for other people to just find some schmuck to date. GREAT FOR YOU. 

Dating sucks. I will never be successful at it. I'm angry and I don't even know why. I don't know why I should care. My life is good and I don't need a man to fuck that up. Still, I can't help being lonely every now and then. 

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may..." said Shakespeare ("To the maidens, to make much of time")

Pretty soon I'm just going to be old and wrinkled. None of it matters. I shouldn't care. I wouldn't know what love is, anyway. I haven't ever loved anyone. Thought I did, but it wasn't. Certainly no one has loved me in that way, either. I don't even know how to love some one like that. Hell, I couldn't even function at just random sex. I can't disassociate myself enough to just fuck someone and be done with it. I'm horrible at sex anyway. It's just bodies slapping away and people making ridiculous noises. The thought of exposing my various flabby pale bits to someone for their scrutiny and pawing kind of makes me want to hide. I don't want to be thought of as lacking or sub-par. I have quite enough of that as it is, with guys always seeming to find something better. 

Guys I have liked, never liked me or just liked me as a regular person. Some guys that have liked me, I haven't liked in that sense back OR they were crazy (Comic Shop Guy from two years ago would be a good example of that).

I'm just going to stick with my nice, tidy, sanitary and completely safe obsession with Mark DeRosa. Why? Because imagination is king and reality sucks.

God, I just want Saturday to be here so I can get blitzed with Anne.
 

Oh balls

I changed my template because the tea one apparently died and I LOST MY LINKS.

BALLS BALLS BALLS

DAMN

The Wrigley sports store at the mall did NOT have the blue Cubs jerseys! I could have sworn they did. Regardless, they didn't even have the DeRosa jersey. SUCK.

 

I WANT A DEROSA JERSEY NOW DAMN IT. I can order one online but it takes three weeks. Cubs flisty girls: does Woodfield's store have the blue jerseys in stock w/ DeRosa?

Main Stream Media: A Dinosaur

Let me bitch about our ever-so-reliable Main Stream Media. YOU SUCK. YOU'RE USELESS. The grand fourth estate you used to be is a DEAD, BLOATED CORPSE. This is why no one pays attention to you anymore, and it's why Jon Stewart is smarter than you.

 

Hillary Clinton "crushes" Obama in WV? Big FUCKING deal. Doesn't change the math. It is FAR too little, too damn late. He has out-crushed her in many contests prior to this. And if you want to use Hillary's idiotic racist vitriol, how about this: Obama connects with the vast majority of "white" voters in Oregon and is going to win there. Oregon is something like 90% white? Hillary is a bitch and is going down. Shamefully. Seriously, she is tarnishing whatever good Billy-boy did in the 90s. ACCEPT IT. YOU LOST, BITCH. And I am perfectly happy calling her a bitch because I'm a woman. Oh, and I'm "white"/Hispanic. I'm MEXICAN FREAKING IRISH. How about that? I also like lattes and apparently my vote doesn't count because of that and the fact Illinois doesn't "matter". Whatever, we always go blue because of the Chicago metro, you rag.

 

I'm SO SICK of this race bullshit. WHO GIVES A FUCK. Don't you think it's time we finally got over this? Obama is as much white as black. Why do we cling to these pejorative views where "if you're one drop, you're ALL black"? GET OVER IT. We live in a day and age where people can be an incredible mix of cultures. If anything, I like that Obama is both. I think it will seriously take someone like him to make this country start examining its conscience and how we all treat each other.

 

I refuse to believe this so-called poll that says "majority" believes Clinton should be on the ticket as VP. Yeah, RIGHT. The so-called "dream" ticket has been SHOT DEAD the minute it reared its ugly mutant head. NO WAY. If Obama chooses that, that's his crazy fucking business and I will manage to deal, but I can't imagine him doing that. She's been pissing in the well for far too long.

 

NEW TOPIC: Vatican says it's "okay to believe in aliens"? Great, thanks Benny. Now go get some baby oil and get back to your wanking. Give me a break, oh obsolete dinosaur #2.

 

Myanmar (Burma): Jesus. That's about all I can say. The junta there? Is evil. Just evil. Seriously, if ever there was a case for the U.N. going in there, "sovereignty" be damned, this is it. That junta is willfully destroying the people and refusing to give aid! They've stolen the aid supplies and haven't handed them out. WTF? Another Pol Pot, anyone? They won't let anyone in. Shit, even CHINA is being open about its earthquake disaster.

 

God, I am just disgusted today.

Ahead of the game?

Maybe? FOR ONCE?

 

I am mostly done with my laundry. I went to the gym and to the store already.

 

I do need to take a shower still from the gym!

 

I finished up some work (business). The last main order of business for this weekend is to seriously come up with a game plan for school this week. I think tomorrow is a fine day for a pop quiz. Some of them are seriously not paying attention to the work.

 

And maybe if I get done with that shit, I will take up some more knitting.

Doctor Who's Your [....]

Well, I personally liked that episode! (Episode 6 of current series.)

 

Seriously, can Donna ever NOT be awesome? Martha was really good in this one, too. I felt so sad at the .. well you know. (Well, you should if you watched.)

 

All sorts of interesting complications for the Who-verse.

 

DT - - loved the acting. Some exceptionally cool backstory to the Doctor. Lots of flashes to past episodes from all seasons of the current run - including Nine, Rose, Jack, etc.

Clapotis Scarf Pattern

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTclapotis.html

 

I totally need to make this.

Duh Moments

I am sitting at Starbucks, grading tests and creative writing stories. I just finished one class' stories, so am taking a break.

 

I googled "what does SM mean in knitting" because these directions on the next part of my skirt were driving me insane. WTF is SM?!

 

"Slip marker". I just stared at the screen. "Slip marker". Boy, what a dumb ass direction. One of those answers and you think "boy am I stupid".

 

Anyhow. Some of the creative writing I got from these kids is just fantastic. We just finished up Song of Solomon, so I wanted them to write about a story they think is important to their family identity/history or a story they might share with their descendents years in the future. Some of these kids are a freaking riot. I really should PDF some and share them. One kid wrote about an uncle who tried home brewing in the ATTIC, except the hot temperature made the appartus explode and beer leaked from the ceiling onto the parents' heads. Busted!

 

More than a few stories about grandparents/parents emigrating from another country. Two from Bolshevik Russia, interestingly. Another bootlegger story. One story that absolutely floored me was short, but it had an O Henry twist. One boy wrote about his Grandpa Bill. Grandpa was part of a force pushing into Germany during WWII. Apparently they were all having a good time, drinking beer, when the order for silence came in. They ran out of beer and wanted more, but nobody wanted to run through enemy country to go back to base (completely disregarding the fact that they'd also just received an order to stay "still and silent"). I was laughing at this typical army humor and wondering what was going to happen. The men drew straws to see who'd get stuck going on a beer run. Well, Grandpa Bill got it and was NOT HAPPY, but off he runs back to base to get the damn beer.

 

I'm on page two at this point of the story. Grandpa Bill comes back and drops the case of beer when he reaches camp: there was nothing left. The camp had been bombed and obliterated during the fifteen minutes he was gone to get the beer. Here he was, thinking he was going to get shot at or die on a beer run, and he winds up being the only one to live.

 

I was laughing and smiling at the story one minute, and then the smile on my face literally froze and my mouth dropped open the next. Damn.

 

In my ninth period class on Friday, some students chose to share their stories and read aloud. One girl started crying with like two sentences to go at the end. !! The room went dead quiet and I was like OH NO, OH SHIT. It's totally not kosher to do this nowadays (hello, lawsuits for "inappropriateness"), but I wound up giving her a hug after class. She had written about her relationship with her younger sister. It's evident from the story that she just loves her sister to pieces, but you know how it is when you're teenagers -screaming and fighting all the damn time. I think she should totally share what she wrote with her sister, but she was like "No way! She'll think I'm...gay! She threw a shampoo bottle at me this morning!"

 

Grading these stories isn't hard, it's actually fun. I haven't given anything below a B at this point. I'm just not looking forward to grading the essay portion of a test from last week. THAT will suck.

It's Friiiiiiday (and I'm exhausted)

This whole splitting my time between two jobs is just beating the shit out of me. Ugh. I wish I was just teaching.

 

I really have to do a better job of teaching My Antonia than I did Song of Solomon. I gave the kids a test on SOS yesterday -- it is never nice seeing how many questions they got wrong on the MC and T/F section. Ugh. That, or I have to make sure (through small daily quizzes) that they are keeping up with the reading.

 

Slowly knitting away at the Annie Modesitt skirt. I just want to finish this one section so I can at least start working a new pattern of stitches! Getting BORED with the same thing for the first six inches of the skirt. ALTHOUGH, I did manage to intuit how to correct my stitches on a previous round. I saw that I'd accidentally purled instead of knitted in a couple spots. At first it was only one purl in the previous round. I was like "YAY ME!" when I figured out how to unravel only that stitch down, knit it back up and continue. And then, last night, I noticed I had purled in one spot, for three rows down. Uh oh. I knew I could do one row down...could I unravel down to three rows without accidentally fucking up everything? I was hunched over, scowling at it, but managed to do it. Hurrah!

 

Tonight is a mini reunions of sorts. One of my sorority sisters called earlier in the week saying she was coming to Chicago for a conference, and asked if I wanted to meet up. Then, I kid you not, less than half an hour later ANOTHER sister that I haven't heard from in FOREVER (she's a bit of a scatterbrain, too) calls me saying she will be in town for her aunt's wedding. The first one is coming from Des Moines, the second from San Diego. I was beginning to think everyone was invading my territory. These are probably the ONLY two sorority sisters I would even consider spending time with, and two of only three people total I bother with when it comes to my undergraduate alma mater. (The other obviously being Ms C or "chickcook". )

 

I'm really tired though, so I'm feeling a little whiney about going out tonight. I'm going to keep it an early night. (I will have SHITLOADS of grading to do this weekend.) My friend Anne is going to come with - we'll drive down to A's place right after school this afternoon. She knows a new good tapas place in her neighborhood.

 

Can you believe it's May already? I can't. I still feel like I'm stuck in March. We've hardly had any decent weather this spring. Today it's warm, but we might have severe storms, and then it's supposed to drop back down into the freaking 50s.

More Yarn

So, this skirt I would really love to make from the current issues of Interweave Knits magazine calls for Classic Elite "Interlude" yarn (a linen/silk blend). THE YARN ALONE IS OVER $300!

 

Fuck that shit!

 

I'm on the hunt for a subtitute yarn. I love the interwebs.

 

http://www.knitinchick.typepad.com/

 

http://yarncrawl.typepad.com/lingeriestylealong/2007/05/index.html

 

Elann's Callista might be it.

Stupid w/ a Cherry on Top

I just caught one of my students cheating/plagiarizing today. Last week, I gave an essay quiz over Song of Solomon. Three prompts, choose ONE. They could even USE THEIR BOOKS and any notes they took themselves. The top of the sheet clearly stated that Spark Notes or other outside material was NOT allowed.

So, Idiot Student X, is often out of class and is more concerned about making his baseball practices on time than school work. He was gone from class the day of the quiz. Standard practice at Dwight* H.S. is to place those students' tests in the testing center for them to make up, which I did. I picked up some that were taken, including X's.

EPIC FAIL. He can't even get answers right when CHEATING. The first thing I noticed was he had basic data wrong - INEXCUSABLE given it was an open-book/note quiz. And then...his writing style completely changed and I threw down my marking pen in disgust. He had basically copied down verbatim some sections from Spark Notes regarding cases of magical realism in the text. I didn't even need to Google it to know as I HAD READ THE SPARK NOTES PRIOR TO STARTING THE BOOK IN CLASS. Still, I googled some phrases and BINGO. Spark Notes.

I printed off the corresponding pages and highlighted all the similarities and then put a copy in his advisor's box (left that dude a VM, too). Kid gets a big, fat ZERO. Oh, and that drops him down to an F overall in the class, too, which means precious can't play baseball as he'll be on academic ineligibility.

Cry me a fucking river, kid.

1) get your data right so you don't look completely inept at everything, including cheating
2) your teachers know all about the internets and spark notes
3) when you don't fucking over ANYTHING intelligent in class and suddenly come off like Einstein, IT THROWS A RED FLAG, moron

And THEN....THEN! In class today, he had the fucking gall to tell me that 1) he took the test and 2) his essay was OMG, so AWESOME.

I had to restrain myself. I looked at him and went, "Yeah." He kept on going on about his awesomeness. I was like, "Yeah, that's something we'll need to discuss" in the displeased teacher tone. That sobered him up. He wanted to talk right then and there and I was like "No, I am not getting into it now. You need to see me after class."

"I can't." (Baseball, which again, he WON'T be playing once his coach gets his academic report.)

I shrug my shoulders. "Well, then, you're going to have to see me some time." Supposedly, he will try to see me tomorrow.

Of course, by then his advisor will have already talked to him. I also left another VM telling his advisor about how low his grade dropped as a result. I probably should have called the parents this afternoon, but I forgot. I'll do that tomorrow.

FUCKING STUPID. It's JUST NOT WORTH IT, SO DON'T CHEAT.

More than that, if you ARE going to cheat, try not to get caught, genius. Do NOT try to pull some cheap, tawdy two-bit crap over on me. How flippin' stupid do you think I am? That's what offends me the most: thinking I am so stupid that I won't catch your shit.

EDIT: He's a fucking team MANAGER. He doesn't even PLAY. *smacks forehead*

* Not school's actual name, for OBVIOUS REASONS

Those Myths About Girls Locked Away in Towers...

This is so disturbing, I don't even know where to start.

 

That sick, sick, SICK man in Austria? ADMITTED to holding his own daughter captive for over two decades and fathering children upon her.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/28/austria.cellar/index.html

 

How does his wife "not know"? Whatever.

 

As for him? Death would seriously be too good for him. He should be forced to suffer what his daughter did. Except he probably doesn't have another two decades in him; he's already in his 70s.

 

Just. Depraved. Grossly depraved.

Knitting

Finally getting started on a baby project for my friend, Mo, who recently had her baby. I told her, way back in the early fall, that I'd make her something. I never had time what with student teaching.

 

Picked up a couple skeins of LBY Cupcake in Pistachio - cute! Very simple pattern for a baby hoodie. I've got it started up. I've got to go back to Michael's tomorrow to pick up a couple more skeins - it calls for four.

 

So, working on three things right now:

 

1) my skirt

2) baby hoodie

3) tube top for niece

 

And I really want to make this hemp yarn shopping bag.

An Honest Assessment of One's Self

There's a reason I could never be in special education. (I mean old school "special", by that, just for clarification's purpose.)

 

I suck around differently abled people. Honestly, I do. I'm a very "I need my S P A C E!" sort of person a lot of the time, and well, bless their hearts, a lot of these people are friendly and don't understand that. It's not their fault of course, but it really makes me uncomfortable.

 

My normal reaction is to tell someone to fuck the hell off, but for obvious reasons, I can't exactly do that.

 

I'm at Starbucks and this guy just walks up to me while I'm sitting, with my headphones on, and tells me to enjoy my lunch. And he's just staring at me.

 

I was like "Ok. Thanks."

 

What I really wanted to do was not kosher.

 

That's all.

 

I suck. I fail at humanity.

Hysterical (politics)

God, I know I said I wasn't going to look at politics. I lied.

 

This is just too hysterical.

 

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/24/01354/9055/201/502207

 

Look at the decision tree. I shall refrain from making further comment.

 

Maybe.

*headsdesk*

OMG. I desperately, desperately need to take a nap. I pulled my usual idiot move of staying up far too late on Sunday. I am ready to fall over.

I have to take a nap before classes this afternoon or I am going to pass out.

Ugh.

Dipped in Shit

I smell like shit.

And I DO mean that LITERALLY.

I ran to Home Depot and grabbed a few herbs and lettuces (surprising, that) to plant, along with a bag of organic garden soil. Oh yeah. That soil was farm fresh. The animals must have pooped into that bag this morning. YUCK!

I smell like I rolled around in my cats' litterbox. Oh god. I have to shower now.

In other Cub News, a hysterical conversation during the gameday post about the idiot girl yesterday going on about Ronnie Cedeno. We're all like "RONNIE CEDENO? Come on, pick someone better to go crazy over." I've been thinking now, to each their own. Ronnie isn't horrible looking. And lately he's been pretty damn awesome in the game. The whole idiot factor is more that this girl was just creaming her panties and totally ignoring the game. I have my favorites (hello, DeRosa) and so do most of the girls in the Cubs community.

To the credit of all the girls I wind up talking to in the Cubs community, we seem to be able to appreciate the GAME and talk knowledgeably about the it first and foremost, while also being able to appreciate a fine piece of baseball ass. Multi-tasking if you will.

Yesterday's dumbass girl failed because she appeared to just not even focus on the game unless it dealt with Ronnie.

So to all the Cubs gals on my flist - props for being SMART as well as, shall we say, being hot for baseball babes.

Need Help: Anyone know where I can download...

eps of Billie Piper's "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"? I found one place, but I think some of them are broken.

 

I saw half of one episode. *blinks* VERY VERY odd to see Billie as Bad Belle after having known her as Sweet Rose. Damn, girl!

Detours

Oooh, so evil. Stopped at the Gap at Northbrook to try and exchange a light sweater I'd bought (the neck seam had a hole). Noticed that they are ZOMG! getting a LUSH in at Northbrook! Even closer to me than Woodfield!

 

Didn't have my sweater at that Gap. Did have it at the Hubbard Woods store. So I stopped there on my way to school. Came in a full 20 minutes later than I normally do - oops! bad! - and missed a student who came to see me. Shitastic.

 

Open position for English teacher at this school just posted. Gotta apply. Probably will be one of HUNDREDS, though.

 

Gotta jet.

Afternoon schedule

Late entry day at school today. My classes don't start until 2:20. I managed to drive down a little early. I was parked on a side-street by 12:20. I was just exhausted, so I set my alarm on my mobile and took a catnap for 30 minutes. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be functioning right now.

 

Gah. I went to bed at NINE pm last night! Seriously. And I still had trouble waking up at 6:30. I wish I was doing all one thing (preferably teaching!) instead of this split business shit.

 

I have no idea what I am doing in class today. Uh-oh...time to extemporaneous speak...I really really wish I could do more history. It would be awesome to bring in this Jim Crow History website from PBS.

OMG

It's supposed to be 43 with rain/snow showers on Sunday - the day of the Race to Wrigley. I AM GOING TO FREEZE MY ASS OFF.

Ugh, Monday Again

I had food this morning. Yay. About the most solid thing I ate yesterday was some chicken broth with carrots and noodles in it. I just did not feel like eating. I was seriously NOT in a good place, gastro-intestinally speaking, yesterday. Dehydrated as heck.

 

This morning, I had oatmeal, a banana and milk from the cafeteria. I don't usually nom on bananas, but I figured the potassium and the mighty banana-power would be good at getting my insides normal again.

 

So far, so good.

 

Still freaking exhausted. I swear I closed my eyes last night, opened them a second later and it was already 5:30am. UGH.

 

Looking forward to getting out of work here in a bit, and heading on down to the school. I may go to NEIU on Tuesday to sit in on a seminar with my old supervisor and my friend Anne. They like to bring back graduated students on occasion to give people going through student teaching the real scoop. (Oh, and Cubs game starts at 12:30 so I can hear the beginning on my way down.)

 

Speaking of Anne - I seriously have to get that girl back. She was WAAAAY too nice to me this weekend and picked up my bar tab (not that I went all out, because of my stomach feeling iffy, but still!) saying that I needed to "save up so I can move the hell out of my mom's place". We went out with K and her now-fiancee. A close friend of her fiancee came along with his wife. Boy, those two were a mess drunk. The girl was nice sober, but she was the most annoying fuck when she was drunk. She wanted to stay out and party and her husband wanted to go home. So they argued. And yelled at each other. And she generally made an ass of herself. Anne tried to keep her corralled, nevermind the fact that Anne has known this girl exactly as long as I have - which is to say a few hours! DRAMA-QUEEN. I would periodically look over at Anne and K with my eyebrows raised in a "What the FUCK is this girl's deal?" manner. Said girl also 26, with husband 35/36. Which might explain the different "I want to party" vs "go home!" mentality...

 

The weather continues to hold, although we may get thunderstorms soon. Every day that the sun is shining and it's over 55 degrees feels...fantaaaaastic.

 

I got something from Ravinia in the mail yesterday. DUDE. They have Robert Plant/Allison Kraus coming in! And Feist! Those are going to sell out...

SWEEET!

Partners in Crime

 

The ending was AWESOME!!!!

 

And the grandpa was hysterical. HA HA HA

Serendipity

Haven't been making entries as of late. I just started teaching again this week. Dude, I am exhausted! I am so happy to get out of the office early so I can do something that actually has MEANING.

 

I was a little frazzled yesterday though. I teach two sections of American Literature to juniors. Big kids. THEY FUCKING SPAZ over the stupidest things. I'm trying to get them to do a fishbowl discussion activity that my freshmen at the catholic school did with NO problem. We had a demo yesterday, and god help me if they continue to go like that one did. Ay ay ay. Come on, people, FRESHMEN did this activity very well. I THINK juniors should be able to do it.

 

My 9th period did a better demo than the 8th which kind of shocked me, since 9th is when I have more "jokers". The 8th period, unfortunately, has one female student in particular who just speaks all the damn time and monopolizes conversation. I can tell she drives one male student across the room absolutely nuts by this. *shakes head* I had to remind her she was supposed to let the inner group, the fishes, talk yesterday. This student simultaneously acts like she knows everything, while still having to ask a million questions about the process. It's like if you'd let me finish EXPLAINING and perhaps watch the demo, maybe your questions could be answered. Oy.

 

Anyway, we're doing Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and there is certainly plenty of fodder for discussion in it! Oh my god, the book is chock full of imagery and seemingly "insignificant" details which come back later to bite you in the ass. I have to confess, I started out HATING the novel, but now I absolutely love it. As I reread each chapter in preparation for the day's activity, I'm just amazed by details that pop out.

 

For instance, while the book is about a fictional family, Morrison also sticks in a lot of historical detail: 30s Harlem Renaissance, Great Depression, WWII (Tuskegee airmen), etc. One incident that is mentioned in Chapter 3 (and really serves as a huge impetus for one character) is the Emmett Till murder. Hot DAMN. I had to go look up pictures of Emmett Till; bringing those to class. That was a huge HUGE catalyst for the civil rights movement. Those pictures made people wake up.

 

I'm thinking I might really need to be either a history teacher now, or focus on African American experiences/literature because it is suddenly 10 kinds of fascinating for me. Especially in the whitest-of-the-white school I'm at right now. These kids seriously have NO IDEA how much this stuff still resonates in society. The other day I was trying to explain how even within the black community, the shade of your skin is still a topic of discussion and intense questioning. They were all like "wuuuuuuh?" HELLO? Presidential election? Barack Obama? People saying he's "not black enough" or "too black"? WHICH IS IT?

 

And then today...today is the anniversary of MLK Jr's assassination. Wow. I started reading some of the anniversary coverage of it. I had kind of forgotten about how Jesse Jackson Jr was there when it happened.

I got to thinking about Till, MLK Jr..and how we're now living in a time where we actually have a viable candidate of color. One who may actually, I hope, win it. Could you imagine? The 60s weren't a long time ago. It only seems like it, but when you think of all the pain and the trouble people have suffered through to get to today? (Are still suffering?) Baby steps in history. Seriously, I would absolutely cry during the inauguration ceremony. I would so go if Barack wins it. I don't care how nasty cold and crowded it would be, that would just be something I'd have to go experience.