Pawprints From Space

Here we go again. A brave woman, who knew the kind of daily danger she was in and yet placed her life in God's hands, has been assassinated. I don't profess to know everything about her or her politics but Benazir Bhutto seemed (on the surface at least) to be committed to democracy in Pakistan. And so she was killed. They had tried before and failed, this time they were successful. What is odd is how convenient it is for the establishment. Gosh! Now Musharraf doesn't have to loosen his grip on the country. He can claim an emergency, tighten his hold, retain his position as military leader and so on. Hmmm .... sounds like a win-win for him. Reports are saying that the additional security Bhutto had been asking for from Musharraf was never supplied. That the investigation into the earlier suicide bomber attack was not what it should have been and that she couldn't get body armor because she'd have to get written permission from the Musharraf government in order to pu...

That's "Happy New Year" for the non-Japanese speaking among you. Okay a few days early but who knows when I'll have a chance to get back online. The computer needs to hit the shop (keyboard troubles) and goodness only knows how long that will take. Christmas may have been merry but it wasn't white. It was actually something like 40 degrees which for Ohio in late December is odd. I'm told it was 50 in St Louis so I suppose it could always be... more odd. Speaking of "odd", if you have not checked out Jeff Dunham and his crazy act on Comedy Central you owe it to yourself to go to JeffDunham .com and see the insanity for yourself, or at least rent "Arguing With Myself" or "Spark of Insanity" his two Comedy Central specials. The guy is funny. He also has a MySpace page with the hysterical "Dead Terrorist" rendition of Jingle Bombs on it. Start the new year with a giggle and check it out. If you are looking for new year re...

Okay, who stole November? When did it get to be December and why is that month now half over? Christmas?!!? I'm still mentally dealing with Thanksgiving!! Nevertheless, it 'tis the holiday season and people are being even more stupid than usual. Parking lots have turned into "bumper car" rides at the county fair only more expensive since you don't need insurance on the bumper cars and you are supposed to crash into each other on that ride. Stores are filled with screaming over-tired children, rude adults, snappy salesclerks (thanks to the aforementioned screaming children and rude adults), prices that were marked up before being marked down, teenagers who need to be slapped just on principle in most cases and for some strange reason now that there are more people in the stores the managers have decided it is a GOOD idea to cram extra racks and displays into the middle of the aisles. While I am in awe of the religious significance of the season the commercial that ...

Okay so I started Weight Watchers on November 1st. Doing the online points tracking because the meetings here do not fit with my schedule . Have a friend in Chicago who is doing it too so we're "diet buddies" long distance. The funny thing is I put in how much I wanted to lose and the site told me how many points per day to have (based on height and weight and being in an office job). So far the number of points have not changed what I eat. Seems I've been eating just about that all along. Only have to cut out the snacks. Doesn't seem right somehow. The thing that really irks me though is the cost. For only three months online it is $65 and you don't get thing like the eating out guide or the slide rule thingy to calculate points by hand. If people need help (and most Americans do) why do they have to charge so much? A full blown membership is over $400 a year. About the same as belonging to the YMCA so if you add the two together (which you should) you're...

I've been wondering. It is just me or are other people out there feeling that it is way too early to be dealing with the 2008 Presidential hoo-ha? You can not pick up a paper or turn on the TV without being beaten over the head with "news" about the candidates. How much money they've raised (who cares!), whose spouse said what (slow news day boys?) and so on. And for Pete's sake all these states trying to get their primary dates changed so they can be "first". Keep this up and we won't need the November elections. It is out of control. There are too many candidates for any pollster to get a handle on what the voters really think. I truly doubt that anyone really cares at this point unless they are personally acquainted with the candidates. Wake me when we get to November.

It is time once again to rave about my favorite editorial page guru: Leonard Pitts Jr of the Miami Herald. In case you haven't heard there are schools out there banning hugs. Yup, students can not give each other a hug. It blocks hallway traffic or offends people or might just be GASP! a PDA (public display of affection, not the keeper of your schedule) and God knows we can't have that. Well Mr Pitts wrote about that today. Check out what he had to say about hugs (and a bunch of other things we've turned our backs on that we shouldn't have) at the Miami Herald Web site. I don't know about you but a hug can make me feel better on a bad day, make me feel comforted, understood, appreciated, loved - all good things. A hug is human contact. Those of us lucky enough to have human contact will live longer than the sad souls who don't have it. Laughter and hugs have positive effects on your health (physical, emotional and mental). So the hell with the "system"...

I have been trying to get a font issue resolved with the Blogger"mother ship" for over a week. Still no answers on the discussion boards but somehow, something I did in resetting an enormous amount of stuff has worked because I am back in business (clearly). Whew! We'll see how long this lasts.

Been trying to paint the garage door. Not going well. Tiny little gnats with speckled wings apparently are attracted to the paint. They swarm. Bite me. Get into the paint. And are not bothered by bug spray. At all. It has already taken 3 weekends to do a job that should have only taken one afternoon. I hate bugs.

I discovered a blog the other day about Lima, posted by someone who doesn't live in Lima but lives close to Lima. Mostly it is a crime blog. I can see where folks might find that interesting but I can also see where it might be inflammatory and counterproductive. I do live in Lima. I wasn't born here or raised here. I have lived in much larger cities, I have lived in cities the same size and I have lived in smaller towns. I can honestly say that Lima is one of the better places I have ever lived. Yes it has its problems but every city and town does. Yes there is crime, hello! crime is everywhere in one form or another. That is a sad fact of life and the human condition. Desperate people are going to do desperate things. Stupid people are going to do stupid things. People who are ill are going to do things in an effort to get that next fix or whatever. People often do not appreciate what is in their own backyard. They just don't see it. They don't participate in or atten...

I am going to start screaming. I have worked hard for the opportunity, I've earned it and I deserve it. Why? Well I had a scheduled week of vacation. It was all planned. It got cut short because someone did not listen to me. Her cat is very ill. Her cat should not have been left at the vet for the week. I knew something was going to happen. After all, just look at the poor kitty she looks like the Velvetine Rabbit - well loved but pretty scraggly - and she's 15 years old. I said "no, you shouldn't go" told her that the cat needed her at home. But oh no! Despite already having had her vacation of two weeks in a previous month, she was determined to be part of this one week. Keep in mind I just started a new job in May it is a miracle I got this week at all. Most places would not have given it to me. Keep in mind too that I had spent the last year in a job-from-hell and was REALLY looking forward to this trip. I had things planned for Pete's sake! Suffice it to ...

Well I did it. Or at least I did as much as can be done before the bank finalizes everything. This morning I "bought" a new car. After the aforemention months of research and so forth I decided on the Honda Fit (which in Europe is the Jazz - better name). Had everything I wanted. Now it is up to the bank to finalize things on Monday and I will pick the car up ASAP. Downside? The Tracker after 11 years is my baby. I have very attached to it. It is so "me" - practical yet funky, screams environmentalist (it's even green!) and outdoorsy, has bumper stickers that are kinda hip hippie. All that character traded away for a white Honda. I do not like the color but it is the only one they had. And I liked the way it drove. So I guess for me the Fit.... fits.

Well after 11 years I am contemplating trading in the old beastie for some new wheels. Have done the research (took months actually) and picked out the "chosen" make and model. Great safety features and decent mileage (the true hybrids are too damned expensive for me) with a reasonable price. Now comes the fun part... financing. Well of course the folks at the non-American car dealership are all snotty because of my credit tragedy three years ago. So they tell me to talk to my bank first and see what they can do and of course this is not a bank that they work with. I guess the smaller banks (the ones with good customer service) don't count with Japanese car dealerships. So I have spent all day today running back and forth on the phone and off and we're are poised to strike with a used car loan at a scary 10.9% the thing is the bank is a little concerned because the car according to their Internet search is a $13,000 vehicle and this puppy is listed at $16,500 so witho...

I have found a new adhesive... lurking in my kitchen cabinets this "new" goo will stick like cement to any surface with more determination than any other substance known to man. This stuff will not let go of whatever it sticks to. I recommend a chisel or even a jack-hammer 'cuz it ain't moving. No amount of soaking will loosen this goo. I can see it now... patch the foundation, waterproof the basement, repair the ceiling ... who needs dry wall? Hell no! You've got Bisquick! It will hold better than Gorilla Glue, seal stuff better than Duct Tape... It's the next great thing... make breakfast and then patch the porch without missing a beat. Now if you'll excuse me I have to chisel the pancake remains off of the mixing bowl.

Well, well for the first time in over a week the electric company is not happy with me. Why you ask? Because today I did not have to have the air conditioner on all day. Running the silly thing tends to offset all the good that switching to compact flourescent bulbs was doing. Speaking of things "green" okay I did watch (or at least have on) the Live Earth concert (on Bravo) and it was pretty good. I must admit I have my doubts about how carbon neurtal they could possibly be with all the celebs having to travel to get to the various locations. Supposedly they were going to announce after the concert what the output ended up being but I haven't seen "boo" on that in the press so either the press no longer cares (gasp!) or they didn't do that well and they are still trying to figure out how to spin it. I did take Earthlab's little carbon test to see how I stacked up and as expected I am well below average for the normal American. The crappy part was for el...

Ah summer! It's hot, it hasn't rained in an amount worth mentioning in weeks and guess what? A chipmunk, ground squirrel or other small mammal has crawl under the walkway and died. Of course being dead the little body is now producing a huge stink. Being under the wooden walkway there is no way to get at the thing without tearing up said walkway so it must remain where it is.. smelling up the place... drawing fun insects and just being, well... smelly. And guess what? It is supposed to be over 90 degrees the next few days. On the one hand this could speed up the decomp process on the other the stink is gonna get worse. And we're only into day three of stink. According to online research it can take a week or two for the smell from a dead mouse to dissipate. I am assuming that we are dealing with a likewise small rodent because the under the walkway route is a common path for the chipmunks to get to and from their den. A week or two. More if we're talking squirrel. Which...

No I am not waiting in line (on line?) for an Apple iPhone. I can't see spending that much $$ on a device that makes me that much more "available" to people I'd really rather not be available. No I don't have the latest laptop, the coolest TV, my flatbed scanner doesn't even work any more with XP it's that old and I didn't run out and get a new one. Oh yeah, and I'm waiting for the printer I have to completely run out of ink before I trade it in on an all-in-one so that I have fax access again. And yet I am a geek at heart. I love technology. When it makes sense. But I'm sorry the iPhone just doesn't and that isn't because the thing isn't cool (it is) or that I hate all things Apple (I don't, I tend to hate Microsoft but that's another rant for another time) it is because the thing costs so damned much. I mean really, my Motorola Razor can receive email and browse the Web even though the screen it too damned small to read an...

Now that it is officially summer, I'm thinking about being outside as much as possible... tending the garden... just enjoying the season. I am NOT thinking about the 2008 Presidential election. And yet everywhere you look, every time you turn on the news or pick up a paper somebody is saying something about this candidate or that whether you care yet or not. And there are a slew of candidates. And they all have MySpace pages now too. Heck, states are even moving their primary dates so they can be the first in line to pick the new Prez. Oh please. For those of us who care about the issues more than the parties this might be a good thing, we have more time to get to know the candidates and where they stand. But the issues could change a lot between now and the primaries. Some terrorist group could do something stupid, North Korea could do something stupid, Iran could do something really stupid and WHAM! we have more to think about than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (assuming you r...

So the new job has two weeks under its belt. So far so good. Or is it? I admit to a certain level of paranoia. After all the last time I left a horrid situation I ended up in something worse for half the money! Consulting is consulting, it is problem solving which I seem to be wired to do. It doesn't matter if the bag of tricks is advertising, web sites or human resources services... it all boils down to being able to figure out the problem and helping the client fix it. That I can do. In the midst of all this though is the closing in of Relay For Life. I am still up to my eyebrows with that. Still putting out fires and trying to live in a house that looks as though Relay exploded all over it. I am not a happy woman. The upside is I don't have to put up with this crap. I am a volunteer now. After after this coming weekend the event will be over and they can kiss my butt if they want much more out of me. Of course I have to pack up the files but I am going to take my time with t...

Okay I confess... I have no idea how to relax, how to be "on vacation". This is only day two but I already have a full agenda for today and tomorrow. Some of it is fun (facial, massage and lunch with a friend) but then there is the committee meeting tomorrow night, yard work, the housework and other things staring back at me screaming to be taken care of. I don't know how to ignore these things. I used to. I used to be able to ignore everything and get lost in a book. I still read voraciously but I am multi -tasking when I do it: the news is on the TV or radio, I'm eating lunch, something... I think I lost the ability to be still after my husband died. I threw myself into work and now I can't seem to claw myself back out of it. I do enjoy yard work. I find it very therapeutic although it can be exhausting too. House work I hate but the laundry isn't going to do itself after all. Damn it. Wouldn't that be nice? Especially the ironing. Ick ! I'll proba...

As a kid I never liked Father's Day. Mostly because I didn't have a father around. All the other kids did but I was the only one with divorced parents and my father disappeared when I was about two years old. So that sucked growing up. As I've gotten older and it has become obvious that I'm never going to be a parent, I'm starting not to like Mother's Day. Yesterday several people wished me a happy Mother's Day. I'm sure they meant well and being older than say 12 I could very well have children so they probably figured they were being nice. I suppose it is similar to being wished a Merry Christmas when you're not Christian. The phrase simply does not apply to you. In the Mother's Day case it can actually be painful. I can't have kids. When I was in my early thirties and newly engaged I had surgery and was told if I wanted to get pregnant I'd better do it in the next year or two otherwise forget it. Well we didn't exactly jump on that...