New Political Words

Bicameral: 

having, consisting of, or based on two legislative chambers

Ameliorated:

to make better or more tolerable

Word of the Day for September 28, 2008 is:

Oaf - noun

1 a stupid person: boob (this is why I don't like the word boob when talking about breasts)

2 a big clumsy slow witted person

I thought that word fit right in with politicians

There's an echo in the house

Hurry fill it! Lash and I have been wondering the halls and rooms of our vacated house. It's really not vacant but it almost feels like it. I've been spending time cleaning and getting things ready for the fresh coat of paint. It is kind of nice to have my house to myself again. 

Today I had a "home visit" from the Boston Terrier Rescue program; I passed! It will take some time but I will be getting a little Boston Terrier to either foster or adopt. I have applied to do both. Lash needs the company. He really enjoyed the visit today, Sandra brought her dog with her so he, Bowser, and Lash could run around the back yard together.

I plan to start painting the upstairs bathroom, closet and main room tomorrow. I worked on getting it prepared today, I had hoped to actually start painting but my day just got away from me. It should not take too long to paint, then I will move my things back up there.  

Oops, once again I see I have stayed up later than planned and I have a ride to do in the morning. Off to slumberland zzzzzzzzzz

good night

Changes

My little brother moved out over the weekend, he had been living in my house for the past 3 years. He and his boyfriend bought a house over in NE Minneapolis, I'm happy for him but am also sad to see him go. Lash is really bumming out too because he really liked Curt (the boyfriend) they went to the White Castle every morning and bought coffee and the newspaper then went to the park. Curt would also let Lash climb up on the bed. They were buddies. 

Now it's just Lash and I, well I have a fish too but Mollie doesn't do much but swim around, eat and poop. I guess if you really think about it that's kind of what we all do, move around, eat and poop.

Anyway, as I was saying, Mike moved out while I was in Chequamegon this weekend. It worked out good for me, I did not have to help; timing is everything. It was weird when I walked into the house and there was no furniture in the living room, only the plants were left. It's very quiet in the house, Mike was always playing music or had the TV on. 

The up side is that I plan to paint the living room and buy new furniture, my stuff is in the basement and it will stay there. I am going to move my bedroom back upstairs where I will have a lot more room. That will require more painting which is something I enjoy doing so that will be fun. I can spend some time planning my new room and go to the hardware store, another favorite pastime. 

I'm sure my electricity bill will be cut in half, Mike always had at least 3 computers, his laptop, the TV and all the lights on in the house. I use one light and my laptop which is usually running on the battery because I move it all over the house. 

I'm going to miss his entertaining stories, we usually chatted when he got home from work. But I'm going to like it when I put something away and it's there when I go to use it again. That is one thing that will drive me nuts, if you use something put it back where you found it. I'm willing to compromise, if you think leaving the scissors on the table in the breezeway is a better location than the drawer in the kitchen I'm fine with that but then put the scissors on the table in the breezeway after every use don't keep finding new places for it, pick one and stick with it. 

I know I can be a little annal about things but I've learned how that can drive people crazy so I keep it to myself. It really does not matter to me which way the toilet paper comes off the roll as long as it is available to use when I need it. I figure if ya have a problem with the direction, you're sitting right there just change it, not a big deal. If you don't cut the grass the right way (my way) that's OK too, it still gets cut and I can do it the right way the next time. I just appreciate the help. 

I'm going to miss the little battles we had, I hate water spots on the faucet and in the sink and Mike hates dishes left in the sink.  He would purposely sprinkle water on the faucet and leave it and I would purposely leave a couple things in the sink. A little fun between brother and sister. 

I have to say I am looking forward to having my house back to myself again, there is just something about being able to do whatever you want whenever you want to do it and not worry if you are disturbing someone or not. 

My friends keep trying to get me to find a girlfriend but, I'm happy with where I am and now I have my house to myself, I don't know if I want to share it quite yet. Maybe I'll just look for a friend with benefits that sounds more like what I need. With the high cost of gas this year the heating bills will be crazy and I have an old house so finding someone to stay warm with for the winter would be nice. No expectations, I get to do what I want, when I want, and with whom I want and she can do the same then we can hook-up once in a while that sounds like a good plan. Maybe I should take out an ad in the personals?

Damn, it's 11 o'clock already I need to get my ass to bed, 0430 rolls around quick. 

GO FIGURE

$11.68 billion Profits earned by Exxon between April and June 2008

$43 billion Combined profits earned by Big Oil companies in the first quarter, a $29.8 billion increase from the same period in 2001, when George W. Bush took office

$729 Amount by which the typical Minnesota family's gasoline budget increased from the first quarter of 2001 to the first quarter of this year

- union advocate

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

I'm not going to give you all of the juicy details; you can read them for yourselves in this article about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

I think you will find it interesting to learn which members of congress received donations from Fannie Mae; there were at least 354 members on both sides of the house. Pay special attention to #2 on the list as well as 3, 12, 53, 62, 139, 172, 197, 212, 217, 241, and 243. I'm sure you will recognize many more but these were the ones I noticed, I think I found all of the Minnesota representatives, if I'm not mistaken they all took money from Fannie Mae.

And we wonder why this shit happens.

I know we like to blame the present administration for all of this nations troubles but as you can see when it comes to money they all want a piece of the action.

This has been going on since the late 1980's both the Dems and the Repubs get to take the blame on this fiasco.

International Literacy Day

If I was better at reading my work email I would have discovered that yesterday was International Literacy Day. Until this morning I did not even know there was an International Literacy Day. 

Here are some factoids provided by our Diversity Development Specialist

Minnesota Literacy Facts

Courtesy of De. Barry Shaffer, Minnesota State Director of Adult Education

The number of high school dropouts has increased from 8,780 (2.5%) in 1985 to 14,325 (5.7%) in 2000. The minority dropout rate was 13% (4,979) in 2000 - Minnesota Department of Education

There are 624,250 people 16 and over who lack high school equivalency and are not enrolled in school. - 2000 U.S. Census

42% of the current MFIP (Minnesota public assistance) caseload do not have a high school degree or the equivalent. Many participants who have completed a high school education have reading and math abilities far below the 12th grade level. It is often difficult for this group to find and retain jobs.

Ten percent (388,074) of Minnesotans over 18 years old lack high school equivalency (2006 American Community Survey of the US Census). The percent of adults without high school equivalency varies by ethnic groups: Hispanic - 40%, Native American - 37%, Black - 21%, Asian - 14%, White - 13%. 

The average annual per pupil cost for ABE is $500. If Minnesota high schools had no dropouts, the state K-12 budget would require $50 million more per year (10,000 dropouts x $5000 per year). Given this differential cost per learner, ABE is a highly cost-effective "safety net" for dropouts. - Minnesota Department of Education

One out of every 11 diplomas issued in Minnesota during 2003 was a GED or Adult High School Diploma. -Minnesota Department of Education

There are about 80,000 adults enrolled in adult literacy programs around the state each year. These learners are served at about 500 adult literacy sites by more than 1,100 licensed instructors and almost 4000 volunteers. -Minnesota Department of Education

It makes me wonder if this has anything to do with the "no child left behind" program?

The Past

When I was in Las Vegas last month I learned something about myself; I discovered that I needed to face my past in order to move forward into my future. Since that discovery my past has continued to enter my world.

I knew today was going to be different as soon as I woke up and realized it was 0840, I rarely sleep past 0700 on my days off. I had plans for the day, I was meeting a friend for a mountain bike ride, I was meeting other friends for a softball tournament, and I needed to stop by my parent's house to see how the bathroom I painted yesterday turned out I also had some chores to finish around the house. 

But yesterday I received a phone call from an old friend asking if I wanted to stop by for a BBQ on Saturday. I said I would really like that and would try to fit it into my day. I knew as soon as I hung up the phone that I was going to that BBQ even if I had to change all of my plans. I needed to see those people. This was my past calling and I needed to heed the call.

So as I was saying, I did not wake up until after 830 in the morning and my day was taking on a life of it's own. I did a couple things around the house waiting for a call from my friend to go riding. When I did not hear from her by 1230 I called her, she apologized and said she would not be able to make it. She thought I had to work on Saturday and did not think we would be riding until later in the day, she had made other plans. I don't work on Saturdays, anyways, OK fine I can ride by myself.

As I was leaving my house I heard some shouting down the street, turned and saw two very young girls outside of their house and I noticed black smoke coming from the house. I threw my things back into my house and went to see what was happening. One of the girls was trying to cook and set the kitchen on fire. I asked if anyone was inside of the house and did I need to call the fire department. The girls were pretty scared and did not know how to answer. I went into the house and as I entered a woman was coming out; she was very upset, crying and yelling. I entered the house, the fire was out but there was still a lot of black smoke billowing out and you could not breathe, I made sure everyone was out of the house and tried to calm them down. I found out that there were four girls ages ranging from about 3 to 14 and the mother in the house at the time of the fire. The oldest girl was trying to cook something and started a grease fire. The mother was able to put out the fire but not before it cause a lot of smoke damage. All of them were extremely upset. I stayed with them for a while and let them know that I lived right up the street if they needed anything. I went back to my house and decided a bike ride was just not going to happen instead I would go to the bike store to buy new tires for my road bike.

I went to Eriks bike store, bought two new tires, returned home and put them on my road bike. Just as I finished and was getting ready to head over the the BBQ I heard a knock at my front door. It was the woman from down the street and she asked if she could use my phone. After she finished her call we chatted for a while, I found out that in addition to her 4 daughters she also has a son, they just moved in and are trying to get settled. Needless to say she was having a bad day.

After she left I headed to the trailer park for the BBQ. It was really great to see some of my old friends; it had been over a year since I had seen most of them. After about two hours into the party one of my ex-girlfriends showed up. I have not seen nor spoken to her in over 2 years. When we were together we never fought, we never argued and even when our relationship ended we just stopped seeing each other. It pretty much ended on the telephone, I don't remember if she had called me or I had called her but we were talking on the phone and I remember saying something like "why don't you call me when you are sober and want to do something," I never heard from her again. You see she was an alcoholic drug addict and I was too stupid not to get involved. Everyone told me, "don't do it," my friends, her friends, her family, everyone but did I listen? No.

We met over 20 years ago and she was like an icon, the woman was absolutely beautiful, a super athlete, competitive cyclist and marathon runner, you name it. She was a artist, she was a model, she had a career, she was everything anyone would have wanted. She was funny, exciting, and I had the biggest crush on her. Over the years our lives continued to cross, we had a number of mutual friends and her sister was one of my closest friends. She lived in California, I lived in Minnesota but we still saw each other a lot. Back then I traveled all over, the 80's were great, New York, San Francisco, Miami wherever the party was that's where my friends and I went. Loved it!

Then it happened, I went to visit my friend and there she was. We started dating, then she moved into my house and we were off and running, U-haul truck and all. I knew full well that she was an alcoholic, that she was a drug addict but you know what? It did not matter, I have never judged anyone and I was not about to start then. I have always lived by the philosophy that you don't try to change me and I don't try to change you. You live your life and I live my life and if we can make a life together that is fantastic. I don't tell people what they can or cannot do and I don't expect them to tell me. If what you are doing does not work for me I will tell you and you can decide to change it or not. 

After about 6 months of living together and several overdoses and hospitalizations later, I packed her up and moved her back into her apartment. We continued to see each other but there was no way we would ever live together again. Another 6 months passed and I decided it just was not worth the headache, there was no way I wanted to be with her when she was drinking or getting high and that seemed to be her priority so I just said, call me when you get sober, you're no fun to be around when you're using. That was the end of our relationship.

It was both good and bad to see her tonight. I halfway expected it and maybe that is why I wanted to go to the BBQ but I was still surprised when she showed up. She looks good, we talked, exchanged numbers, she's been sober now for over a year. At least that is what she says but can you trust an alcoholic drug addict? NO. I know that since our relationship ended she has tried to kill herself several times and some members of her family blame me for it. I don't except the blame, I have no control over what another person does but it still bothered me that they put the blame on me. 

If I don't hear from her I will probably call her, I think we need to talk, resolve some things maybe find some closure.  We both love coffee so I'm sure we can talk over a cup or two. It would be good to close this chapter in my life. I hope she was telling me the truth and she has finally gotten clean. She has a kind heart, a good soul and a lot of talent to offer the world.

Elsewhere in the garden

As the Beetles focus their energy on the Marigolds; other areas of the garden prosper nicely

WOMAN VS BEETLES

They may have won the battle...

but they have NOT won the WAR!

Just wait you pesky little creatures, winter is just around the corner. We'll see how you like 50 degrees below zero.

Damn Republicans!

Alright, I'm an open minded individual, I can find something good in most anyone, even politicians. I have dealt with the Republican National Convention for the past 6 months.  My workplace has been crawling with all kinds of law enforcement agencies, the Secret Service, the Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security, Postal Inspectors, you name it they are in my building.  I have dealt with them traipsing all over my work area, putting up cameras, moving people out of their work areas, re-routing our operations, taking our parking spaces all types of inconveniences but do I complain? No not so much.  The Republicans come to town and block traffic, close our restaurants, re-route traffic, bring their protesters with to cause chaos in our quiet St. Paul streets, do I complain? No not so much. But today was the straw that broke the camels back, those damn Republicans got in the way of my morning coffee and made me late for work!

We have things down to a science at the coffee shop, the man with the big white truck pulls out as I pull into the coffee shop parking lot, the newspaper man leaves as I enter the coffee shop, the girls know to start steaming the milk as soon as they see my car. I go in, get my large vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso and as I leave the hot blonde woman in the Cadillac Escalade walks in. Call it synchronized coffee if you will but today the Republicans got in the way.  How might you ask do I know they were Republicans?  One quick glance at the lanyard hanging from their necks holding their convention badges and I knew.  The bastards ruined the entire operation, just like paying with cash in a visa commercial, it ain't right.  You don't get in the way of a woman and her morning Latte.

I say go home Republicans, I'm tired of you now.

You've got a screw loose

Ok, I know this will sound kind of goofy but it's something I do at least once a year and tonight was the night.  I go around the house and make sure all of the screws on the windows and doors are tight.  Strange yes, but I think you will be amazed at how many screws you will find loose on your doors and windows. Deadbolt locks, door handles, window locks all have screws and they are all important so they need to be secure. 

I don't know about the fancy new houses but I do know with my house not every screw uses the same driver so bring along both a phillips (the star looking one) and a standard (the flat one) screwdriver.  Hell go ahead and bring a vodka and orange juice one too.

WORDS OF THE DAY

Hagiography 

1 biography of saints or venerated persons

2 idealizing or idolizing biography

Lycanthropy

a delusion that one has become or has assumed the characteristics of a wolf

Grammatolatry

The worship of words

History break

On August 28, 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters battle police in the streets. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley deployed 12,000 police officers, who severely beat and gassed the demonstrators, as well as journalists and doctors who had come to help.

sound familiar???

How many licks does it take?

Do you remember those commercials that asked, " How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? Me neither, it was before my time ;) Well, some engineering students at Purdue University in Indiana decided to find out in a more scientific manner: They invented a licking machine. As it turns out, it takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. 

GO FIGURE

4 Estimate of the number of houses owned by Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, given by staffers after the GOP presidential nominee was unable to come up with a guess of his own

7 Actual number of homes the McCains own, according to a Newsweek story

$5 Million John McCain's financial threshold for considering someone "rich"

$100 Million Cindy McCain's estimated net worth (does this make John rich?)

source: Politico

The world is run by the people who show up; it is your responsibility to get out and vote this election.