Letters to a Young Creative

And as with any advice, YMMV. Nobody has the "One True Path to Success." Those who say they do are trying to sell you the book they wrote about it.

So there's another piece of writing (or creative life) advice that's making the rounds again and I think we need to talk about it. That piece of is, "You've gotta jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down." And it's being misquoted, so let's start there. The full quote is…

“If we listened to our intellect we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go in business because we'd be cynical: 'It's gonna go wrong.' Or "She's going to hurt me.' Or,'I've had a couple of bad love affairs, so therefore…' Well, that's nonsense. You're going to miss life. You've got to jump off the cliff all the time and build your wings on the way down."
― Ray Bradbury

Now I like Ray Bradbury, and yes I know at the end of his life he got a little too right-wing for people at attempted to claim copyright over his title Fahrenheit 451, mostly because he disagreed with a certain filmmaker who used its concept and power to get attention. Yes, yes, yes, but I still like Bradbury, both his writing and what he contributed to the genre.

Let me start with what he means here. There comes a time with every endeavor that you have to take risks to gain anything worthwhile. You can always find a reason not to do something, not to take the chance. Not to make that jump. You aren't ready, you may fail, you don't know what will happen. What he's saying is screw all that, walk up to the cliff, take the risk and figure it out because somethings you learn by doing. This is a corollary to carpe diem. Notice how he's saying "all the time." There isn't just one cliff.

However we live in the age of EXTREMES and this phrase has come to mean something else entirely. All or nothing. Because many people have a fucked up view of life and must "live on the edge" and all that other shit, this is now considered to mean, "To get anything, you gotta leave everything you have, risk it all, and just jump."

Well, I'm standing at the base of that cliff and let me tell you there's a hellofalotata graves down here. Some of them, actually many of them, are literal. These people didn't figure out how to build their wings or forgot that they needed to bring materials to build wings with or even have some concept of physics and aeronautics that allowed them to make wings that would work. Some of them face planted and never got up. Some of them found the journey too tough and because of this ideal of "all or nothing" chose the latter and killed themselves because they didn't have success as soon as they thought they should. I'm serious here, that "give it all up and jump" concept is a killer.

We won't talk about the mass graves of dead dreams that are down here too. Because, damn, call the UN we have a crime against humanity.

So let me tell you about my life. I'm a moderately successful designer, I make a good living. There were two opportunities that would have involved giving up almost everything in my life to take a grab at the gold ring. And it might just be the allure of the road not taken, but they would have been great. I had invites, so it wasn't a total blind leap. I didn't take those for various reasons (most of which is I wouldn't have been gambling with my own life and I do know how tough it is to build your way up from nothing because I did). However I have taken about six moderate gambles like this in my life (probably more if I think about it, but here I'm talking about working as a creative). Times when I didn't know if I could do something, or if I would survive. At this point I'm batting 500.

I have had two "dream" jobs at really "great" design firms. Both of those crapped out for various reasons (one was because they were insane, the other because they were jealous). Am I doing the highest-end design work, grabbing those great clients (lots of money and a willingness to experiment), and landing in the awards? No. But I make well above the average in my market and I am worth it. I have a second job I love (that was another leap moment, that one worked, mostly). I am successful for various definitions of successful. And for the most part I enjoy the work I am doing.

But I also look at the smoking holes that were those 3 leaps where I face planted. Those things guide my decisions. How could they not?

There are people in the creative field who will tell you that you have to give everything up to do "art." I was told to my face that I might need to divorce my wife to get ahead (look at that crater smoke, will ya, maybe that was my "mistake" with that one, but I'm more than okay with that decision). That you should give up sleep, give up money, give up food (starving artist anyone?), give everything to be the "artist." Let me tell you, every single person peddling that narrative is out to rob you of your creativity, your money, or your life.

That doesn't mean you won't need to sacrifice things. You might not go out as often as you want. Sometime you have to make less temporarily to make more in the long run. And being a creative means being on the outside, even among friends (but it helps to find friends who understand what being creative means and how it warps your perception of the world). It means spending on equipment or training you need instead of a nice vacation. It means delayed gratification. It means knowing what is important to you, and what can be jettisoned without diminishment.

But I'll tell you something, that's life. Few people make it through life without those things, unless you start from a position of abundance. Scratch anyone who has "made it" and you'll find the scars of their sacrifices. Some are greater than others. Some are deeper wounds than others.

But I wanted to tell you that being a creative is not a "Cake or Death" decision. While you can't have it all, you also don't need to abandon the things you love. Life is hardly ever an all or nothing prospect. The fire of this creative life will change you, temper you, make you stronger. But it will also burn the dross away. Don't cling to it.

Cliffs come in all sizes and heights. You can choose your cliff. And you don't have to leave everything behind, you need something to build those wings out of anyway. Don't allow people to separate you from your world, from yourself, from people you love. But do take risks when you can. Don't be afraid to do things that scare you. Don't be afraid that you don't know everything.

You don't have to quit the day job.

Well, someone in the White House knows how to play chess

The NYT editorial all the cool kids are talking about. It's a masterful bit of information warfare. The question, though, is who is it aimed at?

"Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people. At best, he has invoked these ideals in scripted settings. At worst, he has attacked them outright."

The president is not a conservative? For some part this is true, however, and this can not be overstated, the GOP is Trump's party. He owns, if not the intellectual course, the rabid base. He owns and represents that 32% of conservative Americans who aren't going anywhere. Trump is a conservative, but here is a way to distance "True Conservatism" from the damage Trump is inflicting on the country. This is the "True Scotsman" fallacy.

"There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more."

See, those things conservatives run on are "good" and the "highlights" of his administration.

"But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective."

Hi, have you meet conservative talk radio, InfoWars, or Fox News?

There is the discussion of everything we all can see. The chaos. His inability to think clearly or hold a position longer than a bowel movement. Of which the editorialist calls him a "flip-flopper." There's a tell. Intentionally planted, or a mistake? His love for tyrants and absolute rulers. His disdain for long time allies and his embrace of our enemies. Yes, we all see that.

There is a tribute to McCain which rings hollow. It's a recognition of popularity (and the obvious and overt hagiography) of McCain this past last weekend.

"There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans."

This is seeing the coming blue wave. If all is true, President Trump will not be the only one sunk by this sea of inequity. The wolves are at the door and they have the scent of the kill. Those associated, who participated, who actively supported and helped bring about this presidency, the appointees, employees, spear carriers and generals will all carry scarlet letters of association.

The NYT states this is a senior staffer, and I accept that they verified this. But the questions of motive still remain.

Is this a distraction from Kavanaugh? The waving hand of the stage magician meant to distract you?

Is this an attempt to call off the dogs? A move to allay our worst fears and maybe take off some of the pressure of Mueller's investigation? Maybe blunt the over enthusiasm of the left for the coming election? See, the president won't do the worst things in your imagination, we have people inside who will stop him. If so, I don't buy it. The president has shown his propensity to bulldoze ahead. Yes, the worst will come. It's already here, the stage has been set.

Is this an attempt to pre-re-write history? Again, all in the administration and all the lap dogs will be marked for complicity. Is this a move to leave doubt that maybe some of them aren't so bad? Should we throw them all to the wolves? Surely there are "good people" who "tried their best" among them. Again, I'm not buying it. If you feel such, resign. Do so publicly and with great fanfare. We don't have the function of a parliamentary government to hold votes of no-confidence. The only way to force the issue is to create the Constitutional Crisis we all know is really going on. End the charade, abandon the president, call for impeachment, force the enactment the 25th Amendment.

Is it an attempt to throw themselves on the mercy of the court? "We were with you all along." Again, I don't buy it.

Go peddle crazy somewhere else, we're all full here.

The president will rant and rave. He'll put on a good show and distract us for a few days. Sand will be thrown in the eyes of the charging bull. And the president may survive the mid-term elections. The Democrats will take the House, but by what margin? What about the Senate? How much has this president, the champion the base clamored for since 2004, tarnished the brand of conservatism? Is it on the surface and can be buffed away, or will it involve welding new material?

No, this is disinformation. This is a bold faced attempt to save the president, save the GOP, save their asses from the fire.

I'm not buying it.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

A letter to my fellow progressives and liberals.

Okay, having fun watching the conservative side of politics implode from their own self-delusional behavior? Yes, it can be fun, in some ways, except that they may have so well fertilized the ground with conspiracy and idiocy that Donald Trump does have a legitimate path to win the White House. Not so funny anymore, is it? Unless you're in the media comedy (or standup) business, this would be a Very Bad Thing™.

And don't let the various articles from the GOP intelligentsia rending their garments and pissing themselves about Trump make you think that this Fall there's going to be some mass defection behind the voting booth curtain (does anybody still have those anymore?). Trump is exactly the candidate they want. He will be exactly the President they want.

• He will govern like a business dictator, which fits both their ideal view of what a President does. Which is why they're constantly upset at "Imperial Obama", but don't actually do anything about it. And it goes along with their professed view that government should be run like a business (no it should not, but they think it should)
• He hates the people they hate. This is what Trump's supporters are saying when they say "he tells it like it is" and "he says what's on his mind." What they mean is "I wish I could say those things in public" and "he isn't playing nice like we must to get along because we're scared of the other".
• He stokes their pet concerns about "absolute security" and "kicking all these people out" even though anyone with a brain, even in the GOP, will tell you those things are impossible and would cost too much.
• He is the school yard bully, which they love. Do I really need to explain further, do you not see the Bully/Toadie relationships. They like to talk tough, and beat their chests, and swing their dicks around like they own the place. They use the language of bullies. And the vast majority of them, faced with actual violence or having to fight, if they can't do the quick put down, the fold (how many draft deferments have been running this year).
• He thinks he'll be able to close down the parts of government they hate. It really isn't easy to do that. Just look at the discussions around creating DoH. Once created, it takes 100 times the effort to end.

I could cite more.

Although, I should point out, part of me wants it. Part of me wants to be able to point to concrete evidence that their rhetoric is garbage are not a way to govern by allowing him to be elected and watching the economy and our lives go right in the shitter. There have been lots of experiments run on the core economic and governance beliefs of the GOP, and they've all come up lacking and typically cost 2 to 100 times more. And despite all that real world evidence they just don't believe it, they'll continue to clap harder so Tinker Bell comes back to life. They've been doing it since Pres. Reagan. No, really, there are no new ideas in their campaigns. All the grass roots tell them that what they want is someone to espouse the Real Conservative Values and they believe their current leadership just hasn't had the guts to go full bore for them. But the hell we'd all have to live through isn't worth that satisfaction. And I'm also not willing to sacrifice my friends or their futures just to prove a point.

If you think this is a bonanza for Democratic Party, you need to re-examine what is about to happen. The GOP will hold their noses and the rank and file will close up and they'll all vote for him. The ones who don't will just lose heart and stay away from the polls. Their hate of Hillary Clinton will drive them more than their fear of turning over the government to a demagogue. Conservatives are reliable voters. More of them reliably vote straight ticket than any other demographic. And they always come to the election. This is why they win off year elections. The Democratic Party hasn't been focused on statewide and national elections since the late 80s, so there isn't as big an effort to get to the polls on the off years.

Here's what the Democrats really need to come out of this and do.

• Deep down-ticket support for candidates at the local level. That means cultivation, encouragement, and education of progressives who are willing to serve on local committees and be elected as mayors, councilmen, supervisors, etc.
• Stop believing everyone is paying attention and knows all the ramifications of the arguments. Look at how the GOP does it, zombie arguments galore because even after being disproven, they still continue to make the same statements and argue their talking points like nothing happened.
• Never believe the argument is ever over. The conservatives have lost on Social Security, Medicare, Civil Rights, abortion, Obamacare. Have you seen them walk away from the battlefield? They are still hell bent on making this election a referendum on Obamacare. I see you shaking your head, yes, we already had one. But they didn't get the outcome they wanted so they will do it again. And again. And again until they win. I'll point to abortion as the example. The battles are not over, get back to the ramparts and defend your ideas full throatedly. Without opposition they will wear down the public and convince them they are right. Keep beating that damn horse until it actually falls apart.
• You have a historic opportunity to explain how all elections matter. This presidential election is about more than just the Presidency. It's about the Supreme Court with both this opening and the possibility that 3 other judges will be nominated by the next president. That's four justices and the majority of the Court. If you think a Trump presidency would give a damn about the balance of the Court, get medication. Even if he doesn't believe the rhetoric (which I think is a dangerous assumption), giving the conservatives an overwhelming majority would secure his re-election and they'd probably carve his face on Mt. Rushmore.
• Don't beat the issue until the base doesn't want to hear it. Democrats are notorious for getting tired of an issue quickly. There will be enough opportunity that will come naturally in the course of this to remind everyone what is at stake.

So here we are, as the GOP elite allow the coronation of the person they despised. The wonks know they have no other cards to play and so will bluff with the 10 high hand they have with Trump hoping progressives shoot themselves in the foot again. And while the circus goes on, they work hard on the bread and win small victories that amount to much more. Democrats point and laugh and think the public agrees with them and understands the implications of what is being said including not actually asking for the votes of the people.

I still think Hillary has the strongest chance of winning the election. She understands the politics of the situation better than anybody. Unfortunately the party seems to be paralyzed and not willing to take the cheap shots needed to change the course (mostly because liberals hate the bitter parts of politics). I keep hearing rumors that President Obama is ginning up his electoral engine, but I see so little on the ground, it makes me worry.

The GOP registered 1 million new voters in the Youngstown area. The Democrats are calling for 3 million new Ohio voters by the end of the month.

I don't know the answer. I wish I did. That part of my brain that kept bothering me during the waning years of the GW Bush presidency has been worrying me again. "You swore an oath, Buchheit. What the fuck are you going to do about it?" I don't know.

Linkee-poo special

So, today the Trumpster made a gaff and said that if abortion is made illegal, women who have abortions should be punished. He later walked back that statement (while at the same time saying his position hasn't changed, see earlier statements on how the Trumpster talks and tries to get things both ways). He did this because there was tremendous outcry against that position, including from the anti-abortion crowd who said they would never go that far.

Oh, reeeeeeally?

Rennie Gibbs in Mississippi, Purvi Patel in Indiana, Amanda Kimbrough in Alabama, Nina Buckhalter in Mississippi (again), Melissa Ann Rowland in Utah, Bei Bei Shuai in Indiana, and others. All of these mothers are being prosecuted because their children were either stillborn or died shortly after birth. All charged under laws protecting the health of the fetus (most charged with ingesting drugs or poison to intentionally cause the death of the fetus). It took me longer to type this paragraph than it did to google the articles.

So let me call bullshit on the anti-abortion movement. They really do want to make abortion illegal and inaccessible to women, and then prosecute those who may try to do it themselves. They also are coming for your birth control (as previously linked to).

Dear media outlets, this is part of what we mean when we say that you need to report on what is happening, not just say, "this person said this." But that requires smart people doing the reporting, and the courage of the news outlets to upset the people they report on. This isn't hidden knowledge, but it does require actual effort. As you can see it doesn't require much effort.

Thoughts on the Campaign on Donald Trump

And here I will pause for a moment. In my twitter feed there has been a lot of people talking about being at that moment in Weimar Republic and there being a funny looking little guy with dangerous ideas rousing up the folk, and just what were we going to do about it, President Hindenburg? And I'm not entirely sure they're wrong anymore. Donald Trump is just as ignorant as the people he's whipping into a frothy mixture with stiff peaks. But he's smart enough to play that ignorance, the be the populist to that demographic. Hindenburg and his intelligentsia laughed at the funny little man. And then, three years later, he appointed him Chancellor with emergency powers. Because laughing up our sleeves doesn't counter his message.

And, yes, I've just Godwin'ed my own post. It's intentional.

I am as guilty as the next person for making the Trumpster the butt of the joke (see all the Linkee-poos since, I don't know, July?). I'm not going to stop at that, but I've never discounted him or the rage he's tapping into. It's a dangerous path he's trending, and to mix my metaphor, that high-voltage live wire he has grasped may just turn on him. He has shown he knows how to wield it. Not everything has gone his way, but that power is intoxicating and the people around him are getting a contact high from it.

His rise needs to be checked, and that may mean some of us will need to grab that hot end of that live wire. My tool of choice is ridicule, to play the fool, but my voice is small. Together our voice is louder. It may be that New Hampshire breaks the campaign (I'm laying odds he wins Iowa), it has done so in the past. However, the Trumpster has broken the patterns of the past ("he'll fade by Fall", "He won't make it past the tides of October", "We'll see his numbers fall by Thanksgiving when people really start to make up their minds and get serious"). The Trumpster is doing quite well with the theory, "There go my people, I must leave to go lead them." The undercurrent of hate and pent up anger (yes, to these people, it's still pent up) is a strong tide he can ride right into office. I can't let that happen. The rest of the GOP field appears better only because of the comparison to the lunacy of the Trumpster. He's a dangerous lunatic, fueled by narcissism and his internal stories. He's taken on the mantle of the Voice of the People. That's a major step.

His rallies are not safe places to contradict him (I give props to the Black Lives Matter Movement and Jorge Ramos for trying, those people have put their health and safety on the line). A head-to-head confrontation will lead to violence. Not from the Trumpster himself, but from his followers who have reached a point where they will tolerate no dissent. In these types of movements, the front men never get their hands dirty, and there are toadies a plenty who will volunteer to do the work. The Trumpster needs to be countered before we reach a state of not being able to stand up to him.

Many people who remind us to think of the Nazis and not wanting to repeat history have an incomplete knowledge of that history. Before the Holocaust, before the Nazis rounded up the crippled, mentally ill, handicapped, and then gay people for extermination there was the Night of the Long Knives when Hitler and his cronies assassinated anyone that might challenge him for power (including many leading Nazis and Brownshirts).

Right now everyone is discounting the Trumpster's chances. And none more loudly than those on the right. The establishment of the GOP is already conceding they may be losing control, and the Trumpster has made even Chairman Reince Priebus apologize and make nice (so there's not going to be any King Richard moment coming). He's formed a co-dependent relationship with Roger Ailes. He is coopting the power structure of the party.

They all say he won't last past Iowa. And even if he makes it to the nomination, Hillary will stomp all over that parade. I am not as certain. A small victory in Iowa could be enough to propel him to the nomination (it hasn't happen for the past 20+ years, but again he is breaking all known patterns). Even a strong showing (but an over all loss) in Iowa might be enough. And then as we on the left laugh, scoff, and point at the ignorance and fear mongering suddenly we wake up November 9th to President-Elect The Donald. And that's a hang-over I don't want to experience. Again, this is the actual lesson of history.

So understand when I make fun of him, I'm dancing in front of the King with my jester stick firmly in hand, looking for an opening to twist the (metaphorical and/or political) knife in.

If I'm successful we can tie all the bastards together so we only have to find one weight to sink them to the bottom (I grew up in southern NJ, it's a thing there).

Terrorism 101

Terrorism is used to provoke an unlawful, disproportionate response that violates citizens expectation of rights and protections. By doing so a government breaks the social contract with citizens, which leads to questioning the right of that government to exist. Long term fear leads to anger, anger leads to blame. People blame their government for not protecting them. This leads to revolution, which is the terrorists' goal. The overthrow of governments by the citizens.

Terrorists are political animals. They don't eat, shit, or piss unless their politics tells them to do so. The are revolutionaries who realize their own cause can't draw enough people or funds to actually cause the revolution. So they turn to terrorism and wait for the targeted governments/societies to tear themselves apart. In that chaos they hope to emerge in a position of power, however they have accepted they may all die to get there.

So every idiot out there who tells you that you should be afraid, afraid of refugees fleeing these same terrorists, strangers, your government, your fellow citizens, they are doing the work of the terrorists for them. Donald Trump saying he would bomb ISIS is falling into that trap (if it were that easy, drop a few bombs, we would be way past the time when they were all dead). Every idiot saying "we should kill all the muslims" is doing the work of the terrorists. That's exactly what ISIS/al Qaeda wants us to do. Every Congressperson and Senator who says we shouldn't close Gitmo and handle these people as either criminals or repatriate them is doing the work of the terrorists.

This is how they work. They divide us up, make us come to the conclusion that only revolution will cure us of the disease. Drive us to remove rights and oppress others, violate our own laws and societal customs. All of this is exactly what the terrorist wants. Even to the point of their own extinction, this is what they want.

Because the ultimate goal is to kill off the targeted government. If the terrorists survive to take advantage of the situation, that's just the icing on top.

Don't fall into their trap.

And, yes, so far they're winning because G. W. Bush forgot that lesson once he walked back into the White House on 9/11 and fell prey to the chickenhawks in his administration. You only have to look at the racist, isolationist, chest beating responses to the Paris attacks to see that they are winning. Look at how Europe is responding. That's because they have had decades longer experience dealing with terrorism (especially when it was home brewed). They know this playbook better than we do.

Corporal Pedantic on Chemicals

So, I think I've had enough. See, there's this meme about treating people who are worried about "chemicals" as idiots because, well, everything is made out of chemicals. And so the people who point that out can feel superior in their knowledge and at the same time dismiss the concerns people have.

The above is a joke, you can tell by the "dihydrogen monoxide" (water if you don't know). That's the key here. Audit's very successful propaganda if my Facebook feed is anything to judge by. And yes, it's propaganda. And it's spread by people who don't want you to really know anything, but are trying to get you to trust them because they're smart.

Don't fall for it.

First of all, let's clear out the air here. Chemicals. People use words. Words are symbols, they represent ideas and concepts. And those meanings are individualistic and variable. Ask any writer you may know. There is the dictionary definition, and then there is the societal use. While many people think of it as slang, it's not, words work differently for different people.

When most people say "chemicals" it's a short hand statement. It means, to them and anyone who understands how words work, industrial chemicals. What they want to say is the chemicals that are being produced by our industry and, surprise, find their way into our body.

And only an idiot would think that when people are worried about "chemicals" in the bloodstream that they mean the dictionary definition of "chemical". And a political propagandist would be the one who would use that to dismiss the argument concerning non-organic chemicals (the ones that the body doesn't produce and can not process regularly) showing up in the environment and in the human blood stream.

Because here is my response to that graphic, I wanna know the person who created it, and offer them a big glass of Tetraethyllead or (CH3CH2)4Pb. See, that's a chemical. And it was a damn important one for many, many decades. You may remember it as "leaded gasoline." You might remember lead paint. As a human of a certain age, I have trace amounts of these different leads in my body. And it's toxic. Highly neurotoxic.

But it's just a chemical, isn't it? And we once thought it was very, very helpful. After all, we put lead in everything (lead pipes, lead in gas, lead in paint, lead in our jewelry, lead everywhere). In fact, in many parts of the world you can still buy leaded gas and lead paint. We still make it here in the US (you just can't sell it in the US).

Then there's Thalidomide. It's a chemical. It's a damn useful chemical. It was so useful we once prescribed it to expectant mothers to help with morning sickness. How did that work out when it reached the fetal blood supply? I mean, it's just a chemical, that wasn't supposed to be able to pass the placenta. And we still make it because it is a damn useful drug (it treats a whole host of other things).

There's methyl mercury. That's a chemical, and highly useful industrial chemical. And it's in your blood. Ah, but you know about the problem with mercury, mad hatter's disease and all. When I was a kid, we played with mercury, because it was "safe." We knew it was safe, didn't we? Well, there was Minimata disease, but that was in Japan. Now, when a mercury thermometer breaks, the hazmat team is called in. But mercury is just a chemical. And I'll bet you that you have it in your blood right now. Remember how tuna has mercury? It still does.

Just because a chemical is in your body doesn't mean that 1) it belongs there, and 2) just because you're not falling over doesn't mean it isn't killing you.

But there's a whole industry that wants to make sure you're not thinking about it. There's a hellalotta money riding on the fact that the people who really like this graphic also don't know what chemicals, or chemistry is about. And just because we don't know that something is bad for you doesn't mean it's not killing you right now. Lots of the chemicals they list do occur naturally. But here's an interesting fact. You see that line about ketone bodies? Yea, that's actually a natural occurrence. It's a byproduct of processing proteins and fats into sugars to use as energy. All those commercials about proteins being good for you, as a long term source of energy they're all true.

But do you know about ketoacidosis? This is when you have too many of them in your blood stream. And you begin to die as your blood pH levels turn off your enzymes. You can get it from too much alcohol, from diabetes (and especially from undiagnosed/uncontrolled diabetics drinking too much alcohol - oo, that's really bad, don't do that, seriously). See, the alcohol and/or proteins and fats aren't bad by themselves. But what your bodies makes from them can. Ketones are very natural, or biologic, chemicals and you have them right now. Hopefully not enough to do the pH in your blood.

Carbon dioxide is also a chemical that you can breathe and that you make. It's "natural." You make a lot of it. There's a lot of it in the environment. And it will kill you as well. And strangely enough by the same process that the ketones will, by dropping your blood pH (unless it suffocates you first). Want a lot of that?

You might remember a lot (and I mean A LOT) of congress peoples talking about how carbon dioxide is good for you, it's not poisonous. How can it be hurting us? Mostly in reference to global warming, but you get my drift. See, it's just a chemical, and because we know what it is, we know all about it. Not really. Also, CO2 will kill you quickly (like if you're in an enclosed space with too high a concentration of it) or slowly (by altering the climate of the earth until we can't adapt fast enough).

There is a whole industry (well, multiple industries) that are hellbent on you not knowing that. There are industries who really hope you don't think about how much we've altered the environment, how many of the chemicals your body doesn't make (and we don't know how it affects you, hell, we don't know how the chemicals our body makes affect us) have found their way into your blood and tissues. And if you actually think of that, they most assuredly want to make sure you think there's nothing wrong with it, because you're not falling over dead right now, are you? And they sure as hell don't want you to think it's a problem and want your government to regulate their production or use. Because they wouldn't make as much money. And you can trust companies, because if they hurt you, they wouldn't be in business for long, would they?

Ask Exxon-Mobil.

So, pay no attention to those chemicals. Scientists know them. You food is made of them. And you can trust the people in the white coats, can't you? It's all under control. You can go back to sleep.

'Cause after all they were right about lead, mercury, and all the rest. Especially all those drugs that the scientists researched heavily before putting them on the market. Like fen-phen.

Now plastics. Plastics are uber-ultra-good for us. They don't breakdown, so they're non-reactive. Yea, plastics are good. Like micro-beads. All good. You should get a job in plastics.

How about a nice glass of Agent Orange?

Ah, we meet again, my old scourge

Oh gods, not this again. Okay, so I just went through investigating a few potential good links to include in a Linkee-poo post. Only to land on another post that references and links to a further post, which is the meat of the matter (supposedly), without either a discussion or inclusion of relevant points. And then that link isn't actually to the material being discussed obliquely, but to another post with another link… I stop at 3. Hey, I understand we all link. Look, here I am actually doing it myself. And I know sometimes I'm vague about the content of certain links (and I know a few other people who are as well and I use their material all the time, but I'll admit, I don't look at all their links and so am probably missing stuff I would like, but hey, life is finite).

But here's the thing, I try with all my linking to take you directly to the final piece, or to a commentary on the piece that I think is the most interesting (because sometimes it's not the event that's the thing, but someone's take on the event that is either the most enlightening or the most entertaining). But after a few links of "OMG, you need to read this" only to link to another site that says the same thing, that links to another site that says the same thing… that's where I stop. See, this is why I say where I get my links (the "grokked from" statement, yes, I know, I'm not using that term correctly, but my site and I like it). The person (or site) I mention there is the first person (or site) I have seen mentioning whatever it is I'm linking to. Note here that the link I'm providing may or may not have been their original link (sometimes I dive past the commentary to get to the original, or I find a better alternative). I've thought about using that grokked tag to link to the item that sent me to whatever it is I'm pointing to, you know, good referencing of source material, but that's way too much work and I do this for fun and my own enjoyment (notice there's no advertising on this blog, I hope to keep it that way).

I also don't mind the link to a piece that "sparks my interest to know more" and then I go searching out other material like it (or gives a different perspective). That's the great fun that is the internet and the many to many communication is can provide.

But back to my peeve of the day, link to link to link to link… without any real form of commentary or distillation. This form of Russian-nesting-doll links drives me insane, and in the early days of the internet it was all over the damn place. It's something I thought we have matured out of. But like I said, I just went down that rabbit hole once too often this morning. Seriously, folks, cut it out. If you want to give credit to the person you got the info from, all fine and dandy (hey, I support that in fact, I love the people who point me toward interesting and entertaining material and you deserve the shout out). But after the 3rd link to the "this is what we're talking about post" and I've kind of lost interest.

And here I'm granting you all permission that if I link you to another site that is basically, "ZOMG this is so good, I just… you gotta click here" without adding anything to the conversation, you can call me out on it.

God's Own Law

Okay, well, I guess I'm tired of hearing the canard about how "our laws" (ie. the laws of the United states) are "Biblically based" and all "flow from God's law outlined in the Bible." Not to mention the often repeated, "we're a Christian nation and a nation of Christians." It's a bunch of bullshit and actually violates two of the commandments. But, let's look at it. While there are hundreds and hundreds of laws outlined in the Bible (mainly Old Testament stuff, and even more from the Torah and Halakha), let's just look at the biggies, the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadlies.

And because I really like the poetry of the KJV (which was written in an antique language style even for its time), well use that text for the Big Ten:

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1.Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Okay, the first one out of the gate and here we have an establishment of religion. God's saying, "Ignore all those others, pay attention to me and me alone" (although I've had discussions on what this commandment is actually saying given modern Christianity's stance that all other religions are false here God seems to be saying that there are other gods). And that's in direct violation of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution (so much for the religiosity of our Founding Fathers if they can't even get this one right). So we have our first score and it's 0-1.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

There's a whole history regarding just exactly what God may or may not have been talking about here, but I think most of us can safely say that even with the recent "ZOMG, Terrorists!" rules regarding taking photos in public places, we pretty much ignore this one outright. While we don't (as a rule) make statues of gods for our public spaces, we've pretty much have made graven images of thee and me as it were as a matter of course. And if you want to say God was just talking about making graven images of him, and deny the whole "we are made in his image" trap, I say, okay, what about crucifixes, the statuary of Christ being taken off the cross, and the ubiquitous Warner Sallman's Christ painting that seemed to be hanging in everyone's homes when I was a kid. So, our score so far? 0-2. It's not looking good.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

If this was a crime, the jails would be even more full then they are now. Also, here I will point out that this Commandment deals with more than "cussing." Many an evangelical minister is guilty under this by saying they do what they do in the name of God, only to directly contravene his laws and precepts, not to mention the various infidelities and other crimes. Also, when Crazy Uncle Pat says that God/Jesus told him whatever was going to be true (like putting Mitt Romney in the White House and giving the Senate to the GOP) and then it turns out not to happen that way, yeah, guilty of taking the Lord's name in vain. 0-3.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

At one time in the US there were local laws that forbade any business happening on Sundays (and here we could have a debate on which day the Sabbath actually is). They were a part of the Blue Laws and most have been repealed. Heck, we can't even shame businesses to not be open on Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July and Christmas, how would we close down the malls on every Sunday. So, 0-4.

5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Should I quote the long litany of cultural garment rending that accompanies every new generation about how they don't respect their elders and are a bunch of slackers? IIRC it's even possible for a child to sue for divorce from their parents. So, 0-5. It's not looking so good for God's law, is it.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

Oh sure, you think you've got me here, don'tcha? We could go into the various degrees of killing (felonious to justified) and if the definition of killing in war actually falls under this Commandment or even talk about how not killing people has been a standing rule since we decided to band together to bring down the antelopes that were taunting us. Seriously, it's been a part of any organizations laws since forever and dates back to the Hammurabi Code (which, IIRC, is one of the earliest code of laws written). But I'm feeling generous and will give you this. 1-5.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Puslifer)

Sorry, couldn't resist that joke. And, okay, here we do have codified laws regarding this. Adultery is grounds for divorce or palimony. But that shows the problem here, our law doesn't specifically outlaw it, but recognizes it's caustic effect on relationships. I could also discuss about how we no longer stone adulterers or require them to wear scarlet letters. But I'll call it a draw on this one. Yes, adultery is in the law code, but not really the way this commandment calls for. So, 1-5-1.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

Same thing as with killing, it's been in everyone's law books. I have some thoughts about what is now considered stealing (such as certain right wingers who like to call taxes "government stealing", and how tithes are essentially Church taxes and how they relate), but I'll give you this one. 2-5-1.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Perjury, libel and slander. Seems simple enough, and since I'm going with the killing and stealing I can not give this one. 3-5-1.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

We could talk about the nature of coveting, but if I'm willing to go with killing, stealing and false witnessing, here I'm going to take it back because "Keeping up with the Joneses" is a national hobby (and for any definition of coveting, "I want what they have" is pretty much a standard definition).

So, final score for the Big Ten? 3-6-1. Even grading on a curve, that isn't good.

So what about the Seven Deadlies? You know, the sins that'll take your soul on a straight path to the Lake of Fire. So if our law follows God's law, there should be some strong laws about these.

1. Lust

You've got to be kidding me, right? Okay, well, there are laws against some forms of lust. But here we are mostly talking about intense desire that is differentiated from Greed and Envy (numbers 3 and 6). If lust were made a crime, most teenagers wouldn't make it to adulthood without going afoul of the law. 0-1.

2. Gluttony

There's various definitions for gluttony that go beyond the simple consumption of food beyond one's need. But there ain't no laws against rampant consumerism either. Add in America's obesity epidemic and we get to 0-2.

3. Greed

"Greed is good" pretty much has defined the later half of the 20th century and much of what was wrong with the first decade of the 21st. Nobody has gone to jail (except for violating other laws like perjury and making false statements to investors). You could say the laws against insider trading might qualify, but I think that's pretty shaky ground (as the law isn't so much against greed as it is against getting an unfair advantage regarding your greed). So, 0-3.

4. Sloth

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need…" So you would say that we would incorporate the socialist creed into our laws? 0-4.

5. Wrath

Okay, well, we do have laws regarding the effects of wrath, however not being in one's right mind, ie. filled with wrath, is sometimes used as a defense. So we'll call it a draw. 0-4-1.

6. Envy

You can't be serious if you think this would be encoded in our law. 0-5-1.

7. Pride

Yes, because it's not like we aren't a prideful nation. 0-6-1.

So God's Law fared even worse when it comes to the Seven Deadlies. Care to make any bets on the Commandments as reinterpreted by the Christ? I mean, if we take both the Big Ten and the Seven Deadlie together we're at 3 wins, 12 loses, and 2 ties. Given that Jesus rewrote and consolidated the Big Ten to his Laws of Deuces, love your God and love your neighbor, you'd think we would at least get those two down in the laws.

For a nation founded on God's Law, we don't seem to be doing very well with it.

I'm stickin' to the union

Look, okay, you want "Right to Work"? Fine. Here's the deal that should be made. If you decide not to joint the union in a union shop, you are not covered under the union contract and your employer can not use the union contract as the basis for your pay or benefits. Also, you do not accumulate seniority (placing you at the bottom of the list no matter how long you work there, until you joint the union - seniority would start accumulating when you join the union). You are not covered under union rules for redress or position protection. You are not entitled to union representation during reviews or disciplinary matters. Nor are you dismissed for union activities (if you have them in your shop). You are "Right to Work" which means "at will" work. Also protect payroll deduction for union dues and pensions. Seriously, this is why you have a payroll department or service (and if you don't, more than likely you're not big enough to have a union either). Accept those terms, enforce those rules on business, and sure, I'll accept "Right to Work" legislation.

If not, Right to Work is an entitlement program benefiting people who contributed nothing to the program to begin with. And aren't conservatives morally opposed to "entitlements"?

Edited to add You know how in 2010 the Tea Party and other disaffected conservatives voted in majorities of Republic legislatures, governors, and the House of Representatives to nominally put our nation back on fiscal track. And then those new Republican majorities set out to strip women of their reproductive rights, deny gays equal protection under the law, and make futile votes to "Repeal Obamacare"? You know, everything but passing a budget that could work, making tax reform work (that mythical rewritting and simplifying the tax code that's been in the works since, what, 1996), and "righting the fiscal ship of state". So now it appears these two years will be devoted to "how much of the state can we dismantle to give employers their right to screw over their employees as much as possible." This is why whenever any conservative touts how they're "more fiscally responsible" then those tax and spend liberals, I've taken to laughing in their faces. The GOP is no longer focused on the fiscal stuff. They are social conservatives (who really aren't "conservative" as much as "retro") 24/7/365. It was my hope the Tea Party might skew them back to fiscal matters, but they've also been co-opted by social conservatives.

Random Holiday Advertising Thoughts

Stop it with the Carol of the Bells already. No, really, there's like a thousand other holiday songs/Christmas Carols. How about a little The Holly and the Ivy, or something like Good King Whatshisname. It's not that hard.

So is it just me, or does anybody else thing the elves in the T-Mobil commercial are actually singing, "Walking in an Orgy Wonderland"? I know it's supposed to be "4G", but that "f" is real soft. Might have chosen a different song.

Or, in other words, changing a holiday song to fit your product? Don't be a jerk, okay?

Give Santa a break. I mean it's not like we don't work the poor guy to death one day out of every year. But you guys aren't helping.

It's also about the Anglo-Germanic-Nast-ian view of the holidays, isn't it? Even the whole "Bad Santa" sub-genre. There are plenty of other traditions that include Santa and holiday decorations, how about we mine those a little?

If you attempt to do the "tear-jerker" routine, I'm turning the channel. Thanks, already have enough of that in real life, don't need it on the TV. (I'm looking at you, Sarah McLachlan)

The whole "older son in (college, military, other state) coming home for a surprise Christmas visit" has also been done to death. And given the prevalence of both home security systems and concealed carry laws, your premises don't work very well. Plus, you know, most of those kids are living at home these days because of the economy.

Giving a car for Christmas? Wow, are you talking to the top 10% or what. Or, in other words, "fuck you, nobody who has a real life does this."

The "save so much so you can…" or just in general the "give yourself a gift at Christmas" ploy? Glad we're not being cynical about American Culture here.

Small Aggravations

Okay, so, for exotoxins of microbes (the toxins the microbes create and shed, as compared to the toxins formed within the microbe that are released as the microbe is lysed - destroyed - which are endotoxins), there can be a two part system referred to as A-B. They're two different toxins (proteins), but here the B helps the A into the cell. The B has the receptors to attach to the cell wall, which then causes phagocytosis - the cell "eats" it. The A part attaches to the B part, so when the B gets eaten, so does the A. Now, in most cases, the B doesn't do much of anything else. It's the A protein that causes the problems (acts as the toxin).

With me so far?

Clostridium difficile (C. diff), has two enterotoxins (toxins that work in your GI tract) called A and B.

Sigh. Really? REALLY? We couldn't call them C and D (you know, for C. diff)? One of the reasons this shit is so hard. Don't even get me started on "di-" versus "bis-" prefixes.

Healthcare Scheduling

Okay, remember all the brouhaha during the debate about "socialized medicine" and "the long waits you have" and how our US system is "the greatest in the world."

You may also remember that I've been having sleep studies. After complaining about bad sleep for 3 years I finally got a referral to a local sleep center. The appointment when I got the referral was June 24th. The first sleep study was on July 24th. I made a follow up with my primary care doctor on August 19th (3 weeks, it should only take 2 weeks to get the report). He didn't have the report ready then.

It wasn't until Sept. 9th that I had the results. Diagnosis, "Moderate Sleep Apnea" in case you're wondering. So I needed a follow up sleep study to determine if I could use CPAP. That only took two weeks. So I had my follow up on Sept 22nd.

I just got a call (today) that I need to meet with one of the "sleep doctors". Want to know when the appointment is?

November 16th. That's when I'll also probably get my machine (or at least I'm hoping). If not, that'll be another appointment.

For those of you playing the at home game, that's nearly 5 months after the initial referral with two of those appointments a month or more apart.

Tell me again how we don't have delays in our system. Oh, and for the Nov 16 appointment, I'll have to use half a day of PTO to go to the appointment.

Why, it's almost like the stock market this week

Okay, so, remember when I said I had a plan regarding my ranting Tuesday night?

Yeah, well, late developing news, after the late developing news of the next morning, has put those plans in doubt. While one course of action would certainly help me, it has the possibility of screwing more than a handful of other people. Not to mention scuttling some plans already in motion.

Imagine me as a profane sailor Donald Duck.

I believe this is what they mean by "caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea." So, tomorrow I'll try and take a moment and check some of the potential fallout victims to see how they feel.

That Damn Duty Bone

I can't wait until my term is up and I no longer have to deal with this crap. I want my life back, I'm tired of getting to the point of being healthy and in a good spot only to have stupid stuff rip the carpet out from under me. And unlike the table cloth trick, it send me tumbling and into a dark place.

I want to write. I need to write. I've put my writing self on slow just one year less than when I decided I needed to be serious about it. In that time I've watched the majority of writers at my same level progress significantly in their craft and careers (or drop out). While I kept hitting those mental road blocks that suck the life out of me.

It isn't writer's block. It a sucking of mental energy. A big vortex of suckatude that drags me under and saps my resources. It fills my brain with other thoughts and knocks my focus off the target.

I'm so tired of it. And tonight is another example. I was already, it was going to be a good meeting. I've been rewriting the novel and picking up pace. There's two short story ideas I was working through. And then because of other people's disfunction that I'm forced to deal with, I get thrown back in the tar pit.

I thought I could last out the remaining five months. I don't know now. With the day job that is more stressful, and this crap, I'm tired of being not myself. I've gone beyond doing my bit for king and country. Hell, I was beyond it 9 years ago. I don't know if I should fill out my term. Now at least another month is going to be sucked away as well as a piece of my soul.

The price that is being asked of me is to high.

A record setting week

For those of you who know me in person, you know that I'm a fairly easy going kind of guy. It takes a hell of a lot to disturb me. And even then, when I'm upset, I usually maintain a live and let live attitude. The, "well, we couldn't agree/come to a deal, s'okay we'll go our own ways" mind set.

Well, this week saw two organizations that became dead to me. (Also here, let me explain that this is emulating behaviors my father modeled for me. That gets an instant heavy push against it in my book. This is how bad you have to screw me over before I pull the trigger on this. I don't want to be like my father in any way, but there comes times when I don't have any choice.)

First up is PNC Bank. PNC didn't become dead to me when they changed the rules in regards to my former job and listed any bills 90 days past due as "uncollectible", which our industry was on 120 day standard. This led them to foreclose after the best 2 months we had in years, and I got laid-off. Pissed me off, enough for me to not want to deal with them, but not enough for me to go around saying, "Do not use." However, Bette's Uncle Benny used PNC (as a previous NCB customer, as was my old job). The double billing for identity protection (for years), the statements that were wrong, inaccurate accounting, and general pissiness in dealing with them over the past month and they're dead to me now.

Really, if you all didn't really want to be in personal and small business banking, why the fuck did you buy NCB (which, BTW, moved jobs out of Cleveland)? Are you on drugs? If any of you have money with this bank, I recommend moving to another bank, credit union, or savings institution as quickly as possible. Not all banks will treat you like this. NCB, which wasn't the best (lets be honest) wasn't this bad. I'm talking hyperbolic curve of reduced customer service. We don't have the time to continually come back into your offices because after assuring us we had everything we needed in place, suddenly we need one more thing. And then another. And then just one more. Please, PNC, roll over and fucking die.

Next up is the NFL. First you allow that bastard Modell to move my Brownies from Cleveland. Didn't you learn from your 10+ point share drop in viewership that year? Then you drag your feet on giving us the newly reconstituted Browns. I went from someone who would stop what I was doing to watch football to someone who just doesn't care about it anymore. I went to high school in Canton, Ohio. We love football down there. My mother has volunteered for Hall of Fame for decades now. I marched in 3 parades (back when the bands wore our wool uniforms). I volunteered for activities with my Mom. You didn't think it was critical to get your labor dispute done in time for Football Hall of Fame?

Hey, you know your fans, the people who give you their money? You might want to stop fucking us over. That's it. You're dead to me. My HoF t-shirts won't even be used as dust rags. When I'm out in bars, if they have an NFL game on the TVs, I'll ask them to turn that shit off. I used to buy NFL stuff for gifts. Never again. You're not getting another dime from me.

To all you fans out there, all the NFL cares about is the money you're spending on their overpriced products. They want you to buy their outrageously priced tickets, $8 beer at stadiums (of which they get a cut), watch their TV programing, and buy their licensed materials (which in any other market would qualify for both monopolistic behavior and price gouging). Need your football fix? There's plenty of Friday Night high school football and Saturday college football. You could probably TiVo a lot of it and never be able to see all of it. Why give your time and money to someone who doesn't give a shit about you.

Commercials These Days - the Curmudgeon is Curmudgeonly

There's this Heineken commercial which shows an event with dancing (probably a wedding). The player gets two Heineken from the bar and goes to ask hot chick to dance. On way to table he sees another player strike out. There's a moment of being shaken, then he develops a plan and moves in, gives the girl the Heineken, and then asks the older lady sitting next to the hot girl (presumably the mother) to dance, while eyeing the hot chick he dances with the mother. Hot chick then gives the eyes down, head lowered, "he's so cute look, I'll give in," movement.

Instead my brain says, "Aw, he so cute working my mother to get to me." Yeah, that's the kind of guy you want to date.

Then there's the new Ketel One Vodka ads. The one with the hunt club (guys who go to bars to pick up chicks, but often then leave together recounting how they could have had the hot chick, if they wanted to) that's standing outside the club in the rain and then hail a cab, only to have the cab taken by two hot chicks. Three guys, two hot chicks. But it doesn't matter because the guys let the hot chicks have the cab and then give each other a "well, we scored points with that." Yes, you scored points with the hot chicks you'll never see again, oh, and who probably didn't realize you gave up the cab for them.

Tag line? "Ketel One Vodka, for guys too dumb to get out of the rain while waiting for a cab."

The ubiquitous "buy a car as a present" commercials. Really? Ah, the gift that keeps sucking your wallet dry. It's a wonderful gift with a 60 month recurring bill. Also add in to this the "get a cell phone for the holidays." Uh, yeah. Gee, thanks. Glad you got me the $50 a month data plan and four year contract. I don't know what to say.

And then there's the "Santa Sells Everything" ads. Gee, I'm glad there's a War of Christmas, because if I saw one more commercial that has Christmas Lights, Santa, etc I think I'd have an overdose of saccharine cookies and egg nog. Hell, even the TCM set where Robert Osborne gives us the low-down on the movie (actually, I really like that) has wreathes with candles.

And then, because you can believe everything you read on billboards, the Rapture is coming March 21, 2011. Damn, I won't have my book done by then. I wonder if I can a money back guarantee on that? Another candidate in the long line of Millerites.

And thinking about billboards, remember how we were going to see the GW Bush, "Miss Me Yet" billboards all over? Yeah, I haven't seen any either. I guess we don't miss him at all.

Don't mind me

You know, one of these times I'd really like to have time off where in the days leading up to it other people think, "Hey, you know, Steve told us he'll be off these days, we'll get wrapped up before hand so he can finish out the work without a great deal of stress or anxiety and maybe have time to do those little things one needs to do before vacation/travel/events." Instead of the "Oh, we're going to wait until the last moment and then dump and run with projects that need to be done before he leaves."

Yeah. I need to clip my toe-nails and I don't know when I'll be able or if I'll be able to do it. (I've already chucked the "trim beard" and "scrub bathrooms" before I go)

And I'm remembering now why I was so whacked and can barely remember Viable Paradise last year. Same thing, same stress, and (this I forgot until recently) I had my flu shot right before leaving and had pain for half the week.

Saturday and hopeful for getting it back together, but not today

Another day, and some more crawl out of the woodwork. That's an article on the latest in racism and the S. Carolina senate race. Guess which side the racial comments are coming from. While there's enough idiocy to go around in the world, and on both sides of the political aisle, it just seems the conservative side has decided to fall off its rocker and then roll over the deep end.

And I agree, this is one damn scary chart. Yeah, that's how totally sucky it is out there. And how damn lucky I feel for finding this job. Now, if you combine the 1980 and 1981 recessions (which I oh, so certainly remember), you're looking at a similar length, however, not as deep. What sucks is that I've been in the job market for 5 of those. But I'll just point out that the job losses for this current recession started in 2007.

Spent the day glooming through the paperwork. Cleaned out the shredder, and filled a bag for recycling. It's amazing how much you can get rid of when you don't have a certain job anymore.

I should have been reading my textbook. I should have been rewriting. Instead I punted. Not good for getting anything done, and I feel lousy about it.

Dear "Chuck" Writers

To the writers of Chuck,

Puh - lease

I mean, I know that you haven't been completely, you know, close to something in reality. But seriously. I'm waiting for Casey to put a cap in Superman's ass. And while in seasons 1 and 2, the intersect and how you used it was pure fantasy, season 3 takes it to a whole new level of silliness. And the side story of the Buy More, yeah, not buying it anymore.

Please stop me from rolling my eyes so often, it distracts my wife's enjoyment of the show. And the deus ex machina, especially in tonight's episode, more than ridiculous. Please, start considering that there is a full world outside of the box of the camera. You used to do this.

Thanks for your attention.