My Computer Is Soon To Become A Satellite!!!

...IF IT DOES NOT STOP CRASHING!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

Yeah, so... computer issues, likely to result in less frequent blog posts for the time being. Currently experimenting with Ubuntu Linux as an OS alternative because I am absolutely sick of windows and it's horrid security holes which allow virii in despite some of the supposedly "best" antivirus programs. That coupled with the insane amount of Christmas shopping and whatnot, I am completely frazzled. Maybe things will come back down to status quo after the holidays.

Speaking of holiday shopping, has anyone else noticed a definite drop in the amount of quality gift items out there? I went shopping after meeting the other day and all the stores which usually carry wonderful gift items are now selling some of the worst kitschy crap I've ever seen. Who the heck needs to buy a faux brass plastic-framed glass top coffee table with random soul-less Thomas Kinkade paintings screen-printed on the surface; or how about wolf-themed statuary with American Flags painted all over it??? Oh, and let's not forget generic exploitative Native-American themed knick-knacks which usually feature some barbie-dollesque "Indian" princess in a skimpy outfit. Either it's the economy or the businesses & consumers in my area have lost all sense of taste.

Wow, I'm a real peach today. It doesn't help that I was one the phone for two hours last night with a tech support rep for my DSL service; she was very polite but had such a heavy middle-eastern accent that I couldn't understand 90% of what she said (could you please repeat that??? could you please repeat that??? could you please repeat that???.... ad infinitum) and as it turns out, I knew more than she did about configuring my router. Sorry people, maybe I'll be in a better mood next time I post.

GAAAAAAH!!!

It seems that no good deed goes unpunished...

Lately, in an attempt to adopt life practices that are healthier for me as well as the environment, I've been walking to work at least 3 days out of five. I usually prepare for whatever weather is coming before I leave, so I hoofed it to work today with my umbrella, backpack, and lunchbox. After an amusing day filled with assorted unusual customers and people who were so drunk that I could have caught a buzz off their breath I realized that I needed to walk to the grocery store to pick up kitty litter and a few other little items before heading home. So I am walking home in the wind and pouring rain, trying to avoid stepping on the earthworms that were all over the sidewalk, with a 15 lb. bag of kitty litter on my shoulder in addition to my other cargo, trying to control an umbrella that kept threatening to fly away in the wind... and the bag of kitty litter rips right open and pours all over myself and my belongings. As I type this I am soaked to the bone and still peeling off bits of caked on cat litter from my clothing & hair. May tomorrow treat me better!!!

Parade of FREA... errr... Interesting People

OK, so there are mixed opinions in some circles as to whether or not the lunar cycles affect people's personalities, particularly the full moon. I can tell you with certainty that I believe they do. Having worked in the nursing field, I've observed that dementia patients get far rowdier and more unsettled (as well as exhibiting more pronounced unsettling behavior), and in retail, rude customers become more rude around the full moon. Between the crazy lady who lives in her van with 15+ pet rats... harassing the front counter people to give her a refund for a product which she has no proof of having bought... and not just harassing... she HUNG AROUND FOR OVER FIVE HOURS and proceeded to bombard different staff members with no less than three different versions of why she deserves a refund and how she obtained the product.... and the man who seemed to imply that we had somehow conspired to sell him sick fish (despite the fact that the illness manifested almost 2 weeks after he purchased them, pretty much all fish diseases are evident within a few days of purchase if they were sick at the time of purchase)... then getting incensed about the fact that he had to actually PURCHASE the medicine for curing the ones that hadn't died yet. And a whole other delectable onslaught of miscreants... The highlight of my day was the several hours of having to duck pipes and ductwork in a cobwebby basement room where I had to slouch like a hunchback because of the low ceilings (my back is killing me as a result)... and repeatedly plunging my hands & forearms into mud that smelled like a swamp filled with human waste... ( I was trimming pond plants of all vegetation & external roots and storing them for winter)... Ummm... let's just say that today was a bit of an ordeal and I am glad that it is done with. On the positive side, I went to Dimitri's house to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? with him and his mother. I had never actually seen the film before and I have to say that I enjoyed it... such a quirky and creative adaptation. I also made a huge pot of my Italian(esque) gumboish soup... gumboish because my soups are typically so thick that they could be considered the bastard child of gumbo and soup. Will post the recipe at some point soon.

BERNIE SANDERS LOVES DRUG DEALERS!!! (Pet Peeve #5)

HE ALSO FREQUENTLY BEATS UP QUADRIPLEGIC VETERANS, WANTS TO GIVE VIOLENT CHILD MOLESTERS ACCESS TO YOUR FAMILY, STEALS LIFE-SAVING MEDICATIONS FROM SENIOR CITIZENS, AND ROUTINELY SACRIFICES INFANT CHILDREN TO THE DEVIL!!! BERNIE ONCE VOTED TO STEAL CANDY FROM ALL THE BABIES IN THE WORLD AND HE HATES THE STATE THAT HE HAS SERVED FOR ALL THESE YEARS!!! IT HAS BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN THAT EVERY TIME YOU VOTE FOR BERNIE SANDERS, GOD KILLS FIVE INNOCENT, ADORABLE BABY BUNNIES!!!! YOU DON'T WANT GOD TO KILL BABY BUNNIES DO YOU???!!!.....VOTE FOR REPUBLICAN RICHARD TARRANT!!!

Ummm, so maybe that's a bit of a dramatization, but I am getting really sick of political ads that have swung to an all-time low.... it seems that some of the candidates have sunk to the level of supermarket tabloids in their mud-slinging efforts. The radio station that they play at my workplace is based in Vermont (just across the border), and I've been getting an earful of these ridiculous ads which (despite the fact that I am not involved with Vermont politics) even I can tell are sensationalistic, misleading, and in some cases completely false. If you take time to look up Bernie Sanders' voting record and the reasons for his decisions, you will find that Richard Tarrant's websites only represent a completely blind view of things with no regard for the big picture. Anyone who even pays the slightest bit of attention to politics can tell you that politicians often vote against seemingly positive funding initiatives and laws due to unreasonable legal concessions riding on the coattails of whatever bill it is that they are voting for. Then again, I am getting the distinct impression that Mr. Tarrant is not targeting these ads to anyone who is politically aware. As usual, it's a game of driving the sheep in the direction that you want them to go.

Hmm... pretty hard to end this post on a positive note, so I will simply hand you some Cute Overload ferrety-werrety weaseliness.