More for a Monday

Because twofers are for Tuesdays.

Some more on querying from Magical Words.

More data on the Tea Party. Sure it's Mother Jones and so is biased, but the Public Religion Research, not so much. (Tipped off by Sheila)

There's also the short story at Stranger Horizons, How to Install Linx on a Dead Badger. (Pointed to by Dan)

Also pointed to by Dan is the Five Times We Almost Nuked Ourselves.

It's a place where they take sick people, but that's not important right now.

Leslie Nielsen, February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010. Thanks for the laughs.

Twofer Monday

Still suffering a little, but at work. Because I'm that way. So a short link post today.

Jim takes on the new revisionist history surrounding Thanksgiving. Also, let's point out this year was the first year I've heard about "The War on Thanksgiving" (it's a religious holiday, after all, don'tcha know, why have we taken God out of it?).

Mer is traveling around Europe on "research" for her novels. So is Camille. Damn, I've gotta get in the writing business. It sounds like a hoot.

The after Thanksgiving diet that works

Be so sick that you can't keep anything down. Not advised for the weak of constitution. Hope your holidays are going better.

Dear NBC and Macy's,

I'd really to see a parade, the one you show on your opening and closing cuts around the commercials, usually with your full screen graphics layed over top. Also, I understand, NBC, that you pay a lot for these rights, however, I'm tired of your commercials only vaguely disguised as content. As someone who has marched in more parades than I care to remember, including the Hall of Fame Parade in August while wearing our full wool uniform (and my director felt that having people with water,etc, marching along side was a sign of weakness, so we didn't have those), if people aren't marching the whole length and entertaining the crowds along the way, I really don't want to see them. That means all the broadway show-tune crap has to go.

So I'm going to watch CBS. They're showing the actual parade, which is twenty times more fun that what NBC has.

Thanks.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes

When NE Ohio people say, "That sky looks like snow/winter," well, now you know what we mean.

Wednesday overstuffs with links before turkey day

A Buffy reboot sans Joss Whedon? Truly, Warner Bros, WTF? If, for the love of all that isn't holy, you do this, why not just give a call. "Hey, Joss, we're going to do a reboot. No, we don't want you involved. Just thought we'd let you know, though." What's next, a Serenity remake but this time more cosmopolitan?

Vince has a video on his blog on the repeal of DADT. Except that in Amurika, peoples is deathly afraid the gay cooties will gets on them if we treat the gays as normal. Relax, people, you're already infected. Business as usual. It's a slightly weird world for me to live in where our European and Asian allies are more advanced than we are.

Hypocrisy is the stuffing du jour this Thanksgiving week. We'll start with what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Or, besides the idiocy of Rep Andy Harris (new R-MD), many people want those who ran against Obamacare and government run health care to actually, you know, not take government run health care. Good luck with that idea, folks. And what people want the government to focus on in the lame duck session. Also, good luck seeing those things happen. I think it's hilarious that 56% of people want the estate tax to be extended, when it only impacts less than 25% of people. And the Democratic Party forms their infamous circular firing squad a little early.

And, how come the conservatives continue to elect the crazies? Really, Tom Hackbarth? You're giving us the choice of either thinking you're some crazy with a gun menacing a Planned Parenthood Clinic or buying your alibi that you're just some crazy checking up on a girlfriend you met over the internet while carrying a loaded revolver? So, you're a kook with what the story looks like, or to get yourself out of trouble you're going with that you're really a crazed stalker kook instead? That's our choice? Who the hell voted for you? Also, yet another argument against concealed carry.

Tell me again why this industry doesn't need an enema

Just spent a frustrating amount of time on the member's website of my health insurer (and fairly large name, you know them) and I still don't know if I need a procedure precertified or not. Downloaded both the certificate (hey, at least they had that there, not easily accessible or saveable) and the benefits calendar. Each refers to the other. Then one page says to check your card. All that is there is a number for precertification, nothing on what needs to be precertified.

Wish we could reform this part of it as well.

And there it is

Huhn, went through some of my blog statistics just now. Seems SSgt. Guinta is a home run in search terms. Including this one, "nationality of salvador guinta"? Really? Really? He's frickin' American. Seems assholiness isn't reserves to prickish ministers.

And then there was the ""eustice". Stop it. Stop it now.

The other WTF?! moment was "bones sex stories". Sigh. As we say in Anatomy Class, "There's no bone there, kids. Get over it."

Three for a Tuesday

Wish that brain-interface was working. You'd have some killer posts by now. But, alas, it hasn't been invented yet and I still feel self conscious talking into my voice recorder. I guess I've seen to many guys talking to themselves (this is before bluetooth headsets made it all the rage).

This is why you never wear red on away missions. Not only a fashion faux pax, it's down right hazardous to your health. (Grokked from Elizabeth Bear)

It may mark me a juvenile, but this keeps me giggling. And it's for a good cause (literacy). I think I need to get a couple of those cans of "A Vague Sense of Unease."

Via Camille, someplace someplace I'd like to visit for the glass igloos and reindeer sledge rides. Now that looks like fun to me.

Monday Resurfacing

So tonight brought a 46/50 on the practical and 100/100 (well, 104 possible, 52 questions, 2pts each) on the fourth test (skeletal system). Still an A, but that 46 has me worried. I only had quibbling on two questions, and I'm pretty sure I got those correct. Which means there were four questions I was pretty sure of the answer, but am wrong on them. I'm pretty sure of the two I got wrong on the main exam.

So, overall I have enough points that I'll get at least a C in the class. There's one more practical (50pts) and one more exam (100pts). In total I can miss 78 points over all, and I'm still carrying 3 bonus points over from a previous exam (513 out of 510 total points so far). So I only need to score 75 out of 150 points left to get an A. Not bad, but not the best position I could be in (there's been a total of 14 bonus point possible so far).

I blame the early Christmas Music on the radio.

So that's where I've been (besides trying to get caught up on the chores).

Friday Is Going to Dance With the Little Piggies

Staurt Jaffe on a plan to write a synopsis (something I hope to be doing over Christmas).

It might just bee my designer geekiness, bu cool business cards get me going in the morning. A flicker set of more. And then there's even more (even including Steve Wozniak's card).

Dan sends this link to one of the interesting nondurables in the universe. See, our galaxy has already absorbed many other galaxies (in fact, we're about do to collide with Andromeda in about 4-5 billion years from now), but now if the initial conclusions about this planet hold up, we have proof. The planet is orbiting a metal-poor star, which (supposedly) aren't able to produce planets.

And I will try to keep this to only one political link.

Bryan Fischer doubles down. Really? I think what you wanted to say, Bryan, is, "I'm getting a lot of support in the email." No, I did read your whole post. What I think is funny is that when people get "all up in your grill" over what you say, you think this is somehow a vindication that our culture has gone all "feminine" and doesn't honor aggressiveness. Really? Hey, dipwad, WTF do you think just happened to you? Yeah, we're being aggressive, you poor excuse for toilet paper. Again, you point to the "Scriptures" as vindication of your misguided perception of Christianity. Well, here, let me help you. It's called "The New Testament." It was a new beginning, a new covenant with God. You'd know that if you actually had read it all, instead of the truncated version or Cliff's Notes. Also, here's a thought that probably won't fit in the narrow confines of what you call your brain, Sgt. Giunta's patrol was taking the fight to the enemy, which he continued to do while rescuing his fellow soldiers. So, really, you're argument is as vacuous as your theology. But I'm sure they support you in the email.

Okay, maybe one more. Because then there is this whackaloon elected to government. Tell me again how it's not about the racism, 'cause these people keep getting into positions of power and there has to be a reason.