Yahoo!'s RSS retrieval service is acting up again

Or maybe it's just me, but two of my RSS feeds are noticeably absent. One of them is ~*Mi Vida Loca*~. The other is my feed from Topix --New Orleans news.

We're not going to have a replay of the Brad DeLong debacle from earlier this year, are we? I certainly hope not! That was a mess, all the feeds being replaced by DeLong's rantings.

Let's see how this shakes out. Maybe it's just a hiccup in the system.

--MorelaterZ--

One year ago, I was on a bus...

headed to New Orleans.

The bus trip was some 18 hours long, and I was in a lot of pain when I finally arrived at something like 6:30 am on the 31st.

I arrived at my ultimate destination @ 7am, and the person I came all that way to see was glad to see me. After a few days, the whole trip went to hell. I left on the 16th of September feeling like a complete idiot. How could I have been so clueless?

We made it up, of course. Then things got really strange when that siren song came ringing in his ears again. It was his Past, and it was calling him back with empty promises and eventual hurt. I tried to warn him, but it fell on deaf ears.

It ended badly (again), but I could have told him that. When I last spoke to him, a month ago, he was headed back to New Orleans. Nothing since then.

I wonder if he even thinks of me. Am I even on his thought radar, or am I just fooling myself.

I was good to him. I was good for him. I know I was. Maybe he still thinks we can make a go of it, that it's just not the right time. I just don't know what to think. Thinking about it is something I don't want to think about.

Except that going back to New England is becoming more and more tempting. Now for the funding...hmmm.

--MorelaterZ--

This is so perfectly eeeeeeeeeeevil!

You can't help but love it!

Call this payback from the legit blogging community-- you know, people who don't have to stoop to stealing other people's posts and claim they wrote them. And, I learned a new term: Googlebombing. More on that here.

Anyways, check out this post at thebasil.blogspot.com. Maybe we can get a certain illegal alien plaigarist blacklisted au pair to cry uncle and apologize to all the folks she's stolen stuff from, or at the very least, get her deported.

Bad blogger! Awful au pair! A discredit to Aussies the world over!


--MorelaterZ--

Damn, that stew smells good!

God, I love crockpots! I've got a stew in one now, and it'll be done around 7pm. I'm feeling hunger pangs just thinking about it! Yee haw!

The first week of school is over and all the kids report that school is "fine". I'll ask how school was, and the answer, no matter if it's Jeff in college or my niece Amalia in kindergarten, the answer is always the same..."fine".

Jeff is having trouble getting a couple of books for his classes at UCO. Fortunately, he hasn't had any homework to speak of. In his German class, all the quizzes are online, and the answers are to be emailed to the prof. I think that's cool. Beats those stupid Scantron sheets they had when I went to college 20 years ago.

Why is Jeff taking German? I think it's because he heard a lot of it when he went to Europe last summer, and he wanted to learn the language. Good for him!

Damn, that stew's getting to me. Maybe I'll check and see if it's close to being done.

--MmmmmorelaterZ--

I'm calling you out, Caroline Dwyer!

I read about this chick over on Jaime's Place, and it seems that blatant internet plaigerism is alive and well (unfortunately).

I've read parts of Ms. Dwyer's blog, and she apparently has no shame in stealing other people's work and calling it her own. If that weren't bad enough, she's also an au pair, in the USA illegally, and several families she has worked for here have filed complaints against her, stating that she entirely fabricated her credentials and does not appear to do the work she was hired to do, rather, she likes to spend all her time on the phone and on the net.

To my knowledge, she has not stolen anything of mine from any of my sites, but I do intend to check this woman's site more carefully to see if anything there came from this blog or my other blogs, Write Here Write Now and I'll Sleep in December.

And, check out Jaime's Place, and tequilamockingbird for more details on Ms. Dwyer and her shenanigans.

Tank's Grrl's Opinion Alert: Caroline Dwyer, you have been called out on at least two blogs, mine being the third. You did not write some of the entries you have on your blog, and claiming other people's words as your own is dishonest. And let's talk about dishonesty for a moment...I'm sure you are aware that complaints have been made against you by people who had hired you to care for their children. To embellish your qualifications and your education, and outright lie about your immigration status I'm sure is punishable not only here in the US but in your home country of Australia as well.

Interesting, too, is that there is no way to contact you, and your user name on MSN appears to be a dead end, too. I'm sure that was by design so no one would be able to scream at you for stealing their stuff.

When INS catches up with you (and they will, trust me), I hope they deport your sorry lying ass back to the Land Down Under and bar you from ever returning to the USA for the rest of your life. How could you accidently overstay your visa by 18 months? You knew exactly what you were doing when you decided to stay here, thus becoming an illegal alien.

You should be ashamed of yourself! If I find you have used any of my work and called it yours, I will report you to Tripod, and I'll put a bug in Blogger's ear that your blog is bogus! You've heard of a site's Terms of Service...well, I'm sure you've violated the TOS of every site you have pages on. Do yourself a favor and have yourself committed to a mental health institution, because you are a very sick person. You have no concept of the truth, as you lie so much that you probably believe you're telling the truth. That is, of course, if you are really named Caroline Dwyer...or is that a fabrication, too? If you're not and this is the name you used on your passport, well, in this country, that can land you in jail. I'm sure that Australia has similar laws regarding fraud.

Check out tequilamockingbird, Caroline. She has plenty to say about you, and to you. And keep looking over your shoulder, I'm sure that our INS (oops, Department of Homeland Security) is not far behind.

Cheers, m'dear.


--MorelaterZ--

Gotta get away from here...

I just had to get out of the house, so I am here at the library. (The library fixed the little probelm they had with patrons gaining access to blogs, something that I am happy about).

I can take only so much of TV court shows (I like the judges, it's the litigants I can't stand ninety-nine percent of the time). Who in their right mind would want to air their dirty laundry on national TV?? Do these people get paid for their appearances on these shows? They're just a couple of steps above shows like The Maury Povich Show, whose main purpose most of the time is to show the lowest of the low (and I'm sure those people get paid!). Occasionally, Maury (or whoever), will show people who are truly deserving and the show will do things for them that for some reason they cannot do for themselves.

The Olympics are winding down now, and there are some stories there that will be remembered for a long time after the closing ceremony (which I won't get into here, as they have been talked of elsewhere). Today, though, I had to turn off the Olympics, because, I'm sorry, I just cannot get into Women's Water Polo. Last night, I fell asleep waiting for Superheavyweight power lifter Shane Hamman (Mustang, OK is his hometown) to come on during the late night coverage. I wonder how he did?

Next week, there's the Rebulican National Convention, which I'm not planning to watch. It's being held in NYC, which is gearing up some of the most serious security measures since I don't know when. My question is, if we (the USA) can do that if those in power want to, then where the hell was it on 9/11/01? We should have always been doing this, keeping our cities and people safe? And now, Al-Qaida supposedly has plans to attack us again before the election? Lord help us all and pray that Tom Ridge and the Department of Homeland Security have their shit together so we don't have to go thru another 9/11.

Oh, Tank, honey...where are you?

--MorelaterZ--

It's a gas, gas, gas

Apparently not...

GM has pulled the current Corvette ads featuring the Rolling Stones classic Jumpin Jack Flash, because seven safety groups stated that seeing a young boy driving a new Corvette in a "reckless" manner might give other kids ideas. GM says they pulled the ad because of the complaints.

Do these safety groups think kids are so dumb that they can't tell fantasy from reality? I know my kids know the difference. The message board over on Yahoo! that relates to this article is hoppin', with everyone with a computer and a couple of brain cells chiming in.

There are video games that young kids play that are far more harmful to them that the Corvette was. Have you seen what passes for a video game these days? My oldest son has a car racing game that has one "racing" at speeds that would be the envy of NASCAR drivers. How is that different than watching an ad with about a young boy fantasizing about driving a hot Corvette? How many of you out there did the same thing when you were kids (maybe not a Corvette even)? Hell, my ex husband has been fantasizing about Corvettes his whole life!

I know I'm going to get a bunch of negative responses to this, so this word of advice: just remember that the preceeding is my opinion, and if you wish to leave a comment, stand behind your comment with an email address. I may just want to respond. And, maybe not...but that's up to me, isn't it?

--MorelaterZ--

A candidate for the Darwin Awards?

Jeff and I went to go get gas for the van this evening. There was this man at the next pump who was pumping gas into his truck while the truck was running! The truck had a Diesel engine, and maybe the danger isn't as great (though I seriously doubt it), but there were at least half a dozen other cars there. We got out of there ASAP, before this idiot blew Edmond right of the map, and us along with it!

I wish that if other people are going to put themselves in harm's way, that they not include me! I'll be damned if I'm going to die because of someone else's carelessness, but then again, that decision isn't really up to me, is it?

--MorelaterZ--

I'll take "Sending my kid off to college" for $7000*, Alex

Well... I sent Jeff off to college this morning. This was harder than sending him to Kindergarten 13 years ago! It means he really is grown up.

I can't even begin to tell you how proud of Jeff I am! He got accepted to two schools, and will eventually go to both of them. He's picked a tough major, Mechanical Engineering, but if anyone can do it, Jeff can.

In other back-to-school news, Scott started 8th grade today, and Marc started 5th grade. The only one not in school is Daniel, and I personally would like to see him in school, but he is 20 years old, so he really doesn't have to do anything I tell him. I can suggest, but I fear it will only fall on deaf ears. I guess he will have to learn the hard way. I really don't want to see that happen to him.

Meanwhile, my kid (Jeff) and what little money I can scrape up until Jeff gets financial aid and student loans goes to UCO.

--MorelaterZ--




*$7000 is the amount of one year of tuition for an in-state student at the University of Central Oklahoma

Freedom of Speech, My Opinion, and the whole nine yards

One person by the name of "Christopher" felt it necessary to leave not one, but two comments for me regarding my comments about the Men's Gymnastics All Around. He felt I was biased, and had an "America Kicks Ass" attitude.

First of all, everything I say here that has to do with current events is MY OPINION. You as the reader do not have to agree with anything I say here.

Second, if you choose to make nasty comments, I can choose to have you banned. Lately I've been a lightning rod for people to make negative comments. If you don't like my blog, that's your choice. Just move on. Have a little respect for those of us whose opinions differ from yours.

Third, I have a link on the sidebar to my disclaimer page. If you don't agree with what I put here, that's fine. You have the prerogative not to agree with me. Perhaps you should read the disclaimer, just so you know that I am entitled to my opinion, too.

Fourth, as an American, our Constitution has a provision for free speech. I can write about what I think of certain things, events, people, etc. That doesn't mean I am necessarily right or wrong. I am merely expressing an opinion. Period.

Finally, this is the final word on this subject. End of story, Finito, I'm done, It's a wrap.

--MorelaterZ--


Oh, yeah-- AMERICA KICKS ASS!!!

Audio Post: Just more stuff...

Hey Blogger...

Where's my Audio Post?

Thanks-- Tank's Grrl

Hey, Jon! Help me pay for OUR SON'S college education!

Jeff sent his dad a series of text messages from my cell yesterday afternoon, all asking for some financial help for his first semester of college. They were some thing like this:

HEY DAD IT'S JEFF WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE TO THE POOR COLLEGE BOY FOUNDATION COURSE YOU WOULD I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOUR DONATION

Jon replied: I'M BROKE

Jeff's next message read: BUY MY TEXTBOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love, Jeff

Jon replied: HOW MUCH FOR BOOKS?

Jeff: $200 TOPS FOR USED --Jeff

Jon: I NEVER HAVE THAT MUCH

Jeff: HOW 'BOUT $50 AT A TIME? -Jeff

Jon: IF POSSIBLE


I told Jeff not to expect anything in the way of money from his dad. Jon can't even manage to pay the back child support he owes, so I'll be more than a little surprised if he does send Jeff money for school.

Time will tell, but history is not on our side.


--MorelaterZ--

Sour Grapes?

According to this story on USAToday.com, The Korean gymnastics team has filed a complaint that the scoring in one of the events in the Men's All Around was unfair. Whether this would affect Paul Hamm's gold medal for the event is still unknown.

The complaint involves the bronze medal winner for his parallel bars routine. The rules stated that any disagreement should have taken place immediately after the event in question, not 2 days after the medals were awarded. But there's an investigation ongoing and results weren't expected until Saturday.

This sounds like a case of sour grapes to me. The Korean gymnast in question, Yang Tae-young, was just not as good as the two athletes who won the silver and gold medals. And that they would wait until after the medals were awarded sounds fishy to me. It seems me that scoring in these Olympics is decidedly un-American. Take the case of Aaron Peirsol, a US swimmer. A judge disqualified his gold medal, record breaking swim after a supposed illegal move. Peirsol protested and the findings were found to be bogus, so he won the gold medal after all.

The Olympics are supposed to be a series of athletic events, not a forum for differing political ideologies. Okay, maybe some countries are a little PO'd about our involvement in Iraq, but the Olympics is not the place to protest a country's policies. Olympic athletes have nothing whatsoever to do with the decisions their countries political leaders make, so they shouldn't take out their anger at Bush (or any other world leader) on these dedicated and talented athletes.

To those people who want to be "shit disturbers" at the Olympics: get over yourselves! Whatever problems you have with the USA or anyone else will still be there after the Games are over and done with. Don't take it out on the athletes!

Whatever the International Gymnastics Federation decides, they should leave the medals with those who won them initially. To change it to ease the so-called pain of one athlete who felt snubbed would be wrong. If there was a problem with the scoring, it should have been brought to someone's attention at the time, NOT after the medals have been awarded. Deal with it Yang!

And that my story and I'm sticking to it!


UPDATE 8/21/04 12:40pm CDT: The International Gymnastics Federation has decided that Paul Hamm will keep his gold medal in the Men's All Around, and not share it with cry-baby Korean Yang Tae-young. The Koreans are going to protest the decision, and insists that they raised their concerns at the time the error occured. A mistake was made, according to the Federation, but the Koreans didn't say anything to them until after the medals were awarded when they received a fax from the Korean team outlining their protest.

Three judges were suspended by the Federation, but declined to state which countries they were from.

Even if the scoring was discovered at the time, the gymnasts would have adjusted their strategies and performed according to the results going into the final event. The Koreans can't say that Yang would have won gold without all the other scores being adjusted as well.


UPDATE 8/27/04 1:45pm CDT: Those Koreans just don't give up! They've convinced the International Gymnastics Federation to ask Paul Hamm to give back his gold medal for the Men's All-Around so it can be awarded to the "real" winner Yang Tae-young. The USOC received a letter for Hamm from the Federation with that request, and the USOC is understandably pissed-off. They refused to send the letter along to Hamm, who has left Athens, but is aware of the letter. IOC chairman Jacques Rogge stated in an interview that the Federation did not consult with the IOC before sending the letter, and considers the matter closed. Hamm is the winner. Even the Federation stated that they would not change the scores because the Koreans didn't lodge their protest at the time of the infraction, but apparently has changed its position due to some kind of pressure by the Korean team.

Tank's Grrl's Opinion Alert: Paul Hamm should not have to give up the gold because the Koreans made a big stink out of this. After the medals were awarded is too late to have a hissy fit because of faulty scoring. If anything, the Federation should revamp its scoring system so that this kind of controversy does not happen in future Olympiads. Don't punish the athlete for the mistakes that someone one else (or a group of people, such as the judges) made. The judges should have had the good sense to say "we made a mistake and this is how we think it should be handled." The results are final. No duplicate gold, no taking the gold from the person who won it after the fact, no bending of the rules to assuage hurt feelings. The Koreans should just suck it up and deal with it. Your boy didn't win because of a scoring error and you didn't protest it as you should have at the time. If you are going to be mad at anyone, be mad at the stupid judges who cost Yang a gold medal, NOT the person who won it and was awarded it after the competition.

This is the last of this to appear here. If you have a beef with me about this, leave me a comment with your email address. If you're going to be brave and take me to task, be brave enough to leave a way for me to contact you if I choose.

Case closed.

--MorelaterZ--

Party Animal?

Didja hear the one about the drunk bear? --Wildlife workers found a black bear in Washington state passed out drunk. It was believed that the bear drank up to 36 twelve ounce cans of a local beer, while bypassing a more nationally known brand. When workers tried to capture the bear, it just climbed a tree to "sleep it off", then came back for more. The bear was eventually captured in a humane trap that had its beer of choice as part of the bait.

I wonder how the brewers of Rainier Beer feel about this?


--MorelaterZ--

Hell, yeah! We so totally rock!

Nothing says "Hell, yeah!" like US gymnast Paul Hamm's victory in the Men's All Around tonight. From a fall during the vault that looked like he was done, to nearly flawless routines on the parallel bars and the high bar, Hamm had what it takes to be an Olympic champion. After his high bar routine, his coaches went nuts, his twin brother Morgan went nuts in the stands, and Hamm got the score that gave him gold over the Koreans (who got the silver and the bronze medals) by 12/1000th of a point! Hamm becomes the first American male gymnast to win the gold in the All Around competition at the Olympics.

Then the women's 4 X 200 meters swimming relay team got gold and smashed a 17 year old record time!

And there's still a week to go!

--MorelaterZ--

Looking for something?

Now you can search for anything on my blog using that handy-dandy navigation bar at the top of the page. Looking for my posts on Last Comic Standing? Just plug "Last Comic Standing" in to the navigation bar, and it will return the desired results. Is this not cool?

Notice that the ads are gone...nice exchange, Blogger!

--MorelaterZ--

From the "Getting Pissed Off for the Sake of Getting Pissed Off" file...

Kids+Rocks=pissed off bees-- Kids throwing rocks pissed off some 120,000 bees in a hive estimated to be a quarter-ton in weight. The apartment building in Santa Ana, California (near where I grew up) was said to have its structual integrity threatened by the existance of the hive. Some dozen people were stung multiple times and at least two were taken to local hospitals.

This just pisses me off...I smell a plot a brewin'-- Police are "interviewing" elderly African-American voters in Florida, and it appears that some intimidation is involved. According to the New York Times,

"State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.

"The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March..."

Give me a break! This smacks of that old time practice of intimidating certain sections of the population to keep them from voting. Hey Gov. Bush: ever hear of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? What's going on out there is illegal! What's the deal here? Do you want to get Georgie reelected so badly that you'd stoop to this? Voter fraud my ass! This is intimidation, chicanery, whatever you care to call it, pure and simple. This is 2004, NOT 1954!

Peeping Tom works at Hollister-- In a report on KFOR-TV, a teenage girl and her mother state that a male employee of the Hollister store in the Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City watched as the unaware teen disrobed to try on clothing. The changing rooms apparently are only made private by a thin curtain that doesn't always close all the way.

Hollister is one of those over-priced clothing stores that cater to fashion conscious teens. You pay outrageous prices for basic clothing with the store's name on it. If they want me to advertise for them, either pay me or give me that damned clothes for free! Even if I could wear their clothes (which I can't because I've never been a size 0!), I wouldn't shop there if male employees are allowed in the changing room areas for female customers.

I'm sure that there's more out there that pisses me off, but I'm not going to go look for it now.

--MorelaterZ--

PS: oh yeah, the disclaimer...

Ha! I can relate to this!

For those of you who don't have your blog through Blogger, this article recently appeared on their site. It makes so many points about the common mistakes that people make when writing posts. Now, I'm sure I've made some of these mistakes at one time or another, so I can't say that I am perfect by any means, but bad punctuation, grammar and spelling gets my goat. I've read books, magazines and newspapers with all of the above, but I blame that on the copywriter or the editor rather than on the author. Hopefully, the author has his or her shit together, and can spell and punctuate well enough to get his/her point across.

Once upon a time, I knew all the minutia of proper grammar usage, but when you don't routinely refer to dangling participles and gerunds and virgules (oh, my!), you kind of forget what they're called. I probably dangle participles on a regualr basis for all I know.

The thing that really bugs me though, is the misuse of words like "their", "there", and "they're"; "to", "too", and "two", etc. My favorite misuse of the word "too" is when someone says it's "to hot to think," or a similar phrase. I have to call upon my willpower not to correct someone who misuses words or punctuation or grammar. I realize that not everyone is as anal about it as I seem to be, or have had the same level of education I had.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Ask your (or your child's) English teacher.

--MorelaterZ--

Stuff...

I've been reading: On Writing-- a memoir of the craft --Stephen King

I've been listening to: Boston (debut album, 1976) --Boston

I've been watching on the tube: Last Comic Standing, the Olympics, the Britcoms on PBS, The Legacy of Jim Croce (also on PBS), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

I've been doing with my spare time: read, eat, sleep, play on the computer when it's not being a bitch

I've been getting pissed off about (though I probably shouldn't): I read in Parade magazine that Britney Spears loaned the money to her fiance Kevin Federline to buy her engagement ring. This only confirms my suspicions that he's only marrying her because she's Britney Spears, not because he loves her. What's next, her paying child support for his two kids by actress Shar Jackson?

I've been getting pissed off about (for good reason): The Social Security Administration office in Oklahoma City lost my birth certificate. When I reapplied for Disability and SSI, they required a certified copy of my birth certificate, so I sent it to them, asking that they return it after they're done with it. The other day, I got something from them, and I thought it was them returning my birth certificate, but it was paperwork I already had filled out and a request to send my birth certificate. So I called them up, and the first rep that answered didn't even ask for my name or social, he just told me that my information got lost in the mail. I told him he was a big help (NOT!!!), and hung up. Then I called back and got someone who knew what they were doing. She asked all the right questions and told me she'd look into it and have someone get in touch with me from the local office (I had called SSA's national toll free number). Not half an hour later, someone from the local office called me and told me that she would personally take care of it. I told all these people that the copy of my birth certificate I sent was the only certified copy my mother had, and I didn't want to have to buy another copy because they lost the one I sent them. The woman from the local office in OKC totally understood and said she'd call me when she found my original mailing (mailed out some 5 weeks ago!).

I am worrying about: Every-fuckin-thing, that's all; Saon, SSA, money, my health, grey hairs cropping up all over the damned place, getting my book done, etc., etc., etc.

I'm gonna do right now: tell y'all bye-bye...

--MorelaterZ--

Whew! Got that taken care of!

I was having trouble editing one of my other blogs on this account at home, so I came to the library to see if I could do it here. Turns out that I could so I fixed the problem and everything is running smoothly. Now, I don't have to worry about anyone getting my two Blogger accounts linked to me (except by the names I used, but anyone who doesn't know me well won't be able to figure it out [insert evil laugh here]).

I just had to get out of the house. The Olympics are on, but Mom is watching one of those dumb movies they show on channel 43 on Saturdays. I thought she wanted to watch the Olympics, but I guess not.

What's with the phantom pains in my arms and legs today??? It feels like something is biting me, but when I go to shoo away the offending creature, there is none there to shoo. WTF???

That's all from here;

--MorelaterZ--
--from home--

From the "Just Ain't Right" files

How is this possible?-- A 40 year old Florida woman, who weighed anywhere from 450 to 600 lbs, died after an attempt to remove her from her sofa. This article stated that her skin had been grafted to the fabric of the sofa, and that she was so large that she couldn't even get up to relieve herself. Rescue workers had to wear protective gear and blash fresh air into the woman's apartment because of the stench. She had been on her sofa for about 6 years! Now, unless she was laying on that sofa in her birthday suit for all that time, how could she become "grafted" to the sofa?

NJ Governor steps down because he's a "Gay American"-- James McGreevy, a married man with two children, stated Thursday that he's resigning his office because he had an extramarital affair with another man, and that knowledge could compromise the integrity of the Governor's office. He made this announcement with his wife by his side. The "other man" is an Israeli national named Golan Cipel, who McGreevy met in 2000 in Israel and brought to the US. Cipel had threatened to blab McGreevy's secret life unless he was paid a ton of money to "make it go away". Cipel was the state's terrorism czar, but stepped down after a month because lawmakers questioned his qualifications for the job that paid $110,000 a year.

Calif. State Court nullifies SF gay marriages-- The California State Supreme Court voids nearly 4000 same sex marriages, stating that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom overstepped his bounds by allowing the unions to take place. A 1977 state law defines marriage as being between a man and a woman (unfortunately, I was too young to vote in 1977, being only 13 at the time). Personally, I think the Court should have left the 4000 unions alone and not allowed any more to take place, if that's they way they feel. Why shouldn't same sex couples be allowed to wed? It seems that some 40 years ago, interracial couples couldn't legally marry, and they changed that...so what is so different, other than the fact the the couples are of the same gender? Maybe a change in the law is in order. (And if this pisses you off, see the side bar for the link to the disclaimer).

And, on a sad note-- Julia Child, the grand dame of chefs, died in her sleep Thursday at the age of 91 at home in Santa Barbara, according to her publisher. May she rest in peace. I know I've enjoyed her shows over the years.

Comments? Either email me, or use the link below this post to leave a comment.

--MorelaterZ--

Last Comic Standing: and the winner is--

Actually, the best part of the show was when Ralphie May performed, and as usual, he was dead on! He is the funniest guy out there! And although he's lost quite a bit of weight, he's still a big guy. I could see that his face was slimmer, and that his jeans were more baggy than usual, but he's still got a ways to go.

Dat Phan was there, too, and he performed as well. For once, it wasn't five minutes of him imitating his mother. He was actually funny.

But, finally, Jay Mohr announced the winner. My predictions were wrong, though. Neither Alonzo nor Gary won...that means that the Last Comic Standing is...



John Heffron

Then Jay announced the big battle royal for next season (which starts the Monday after the Olympics): the Season One comics vs. the Season Two comics. No other details were given, so we'll just have to tune it in, won't we?

--MorelaterZ--

Hurricane Bonnie

No, not Tropical Storm Bonnie currently threatening the Florida Gulf Coast, but Hurricane Bonnie that hit northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia in August 1998.

I was living in Norfolk, VA then and was doing a paper route with my future ex husband. Because it was too dangerous to come to the distribution center, our batch of papers were delivered to us in the vestibule of our apartment building on Lucile Avenue. We lugged them upstairs as the hurricane raged outside all that night and put them together (putting them into plastic bags). We had been told that under no circumstances were we to go out to deliver them until the storm passed. That turned out to be about 9am the following morning. Our customers were surprised that we even delivered papers that day, with the streets being littered with debris and water and dead fish (we lived near the Lafayette River, and the force of the wind literally blew fish and rocks out of the water). It took four hours, but we got all 150+ papers to every house on our route. The paper rewarded us for going out after the storm by giving us a bit of extra money in our check and passes to the movies.

I remember looking out the window while the wind whipped around and blew the rocking chair we kept on the balcony out into the street (we found it the next morning in a million pieces...three streets over!). The electricity was out, the phones were out, and we were pretty much cut off from the rest of the world. We lived on the second floor of our building, and we contemplated going down into the basement. Since the basement flooded during a Nor'easter the year before, that wasn't a good idea in the long run. I found it ironinc that after living in Virginia for 10 years at that point, we hadn't gone thru a hurricane until Bonnie came along. We'd been hearing about Hurricane Gloria in 1985 for years, and Bonnie wasn't nearly as bad as Gloria had supposedly been.

For those of you who are now in the paths of both TS Bonnie and Hurricane Charley, stay safe. I know what you're going thru...

--MorelaterZ--

One shower you don't need an umbrella for

Jeff and I went out last night to see a meteor shower. The greatest activity, Jeff was told by his uncle (who called to tell him about it), would be between midnight and 4am. So around 11:45pm, we headed out to the darkest place we could find so that we'd have a better chance of seeing any cosmic activity. We ended up in some turnoff on Covell Road and looked to the east to see if there was anything to see. We did see four or five meteors, but nothing resembling a "shower" to speak of. Jeff did see some things in the sky he'd never seen outside a textbook. We even tried to call Jon to ask the name of the comet he'd taken the boys to see several years ago, but of course, Jon didn't answer the phone, nor has he called back.

When we got home, Jeff went out into the back yard to see if he could see anything from there. I went to bed early for a change.

--MorelaterZ--

Just out of curiosity

...because I'm not "on the market" so to speak. I've developed this quiz at twenty-questions to see if you (preferably male) and I would make a good match. This is just for fun, so please humor me...


would we be a good match?

--MorelaterZ--

"The Legacy of Jim Croce"

I was watching this on my local PBS station this evening during the semi-annual pledge drive. I've always loved Jim Croce's music, even though I was 9 years old when he died in a plane crash in 1973. As an adult, I kind of relate to the lyrics of many of his songs, especially the 2 I have listed below.

If this program plays on your PBS station, watch it. It's a good program, and the music is first rate.



Lover's Cross --Jim Croce

I guess that it was bound to happen
Was just a matter of time
Now I've come to my decision
And its a-one of the painful kind
'Cause now it seems that you wanted a martyr
Just a regular guy wouldn't do
But baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

You really gotta hand it to ya
'Cause girl you really tried
But for ev'ry time that we spent laughin'
There were two times that I cried
And you were tryin' to make me your martyr
And that's the one thing I just couldn't do
'Cause baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

'Cause tables are meant for turnin'
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin'
When the people and mem'ries they join aren't the same

Still I hope that you can find another
Who can take what I could not
He'll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
'Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain't 'bout to start nothin' new
And baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you

'Cause tables are meant for turnin'
And people are bound to change
And bridges are meant for burnin'
When the people and mem'ries they join aren't the same

But I hope that you can find another
Who can take what I could not
He'll have to be a super guy
Or maybe a super god
'Cause I never was much of a martyr before
And I ain't 'bout to start nothin' new
And baby I can't hang upon no lover's cross for you


Time in a Bottle

If I could save time in a bottle,
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save everyday till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you.

If I could make days last forever,
If words could make wishes come true,
I'd save everyday like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you.

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you wanna do
Once you find them.
I've looked around enough to know
You're the one I wanna go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true,
The box would be empty except for the memory of how
They were answered by you.

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you wanna do
Once you find them.
I've looked around enough to know
You're the one I wanna go through time with.

Misinformation and applying for financial aid

Looks like Jeff will be getting financial aid for college. He has to call the financial aid office and find out what more they need. There was something about verifying my income for last year (all $318 of it).

When I called the toll free number on the application to ask what Jeff's next move should be, they looked up his info using his SSN and asked for his last name. I spelled it for the rep I spoke with, and the next thing out of her mouth was that "according to the Department of Homeland Security", Jeff would have to bring proof of his U.S. citizenship to the financial aid office.

"What?!" I asked in shock; "He was born here and holds a U.S. passport!"

The rep checked again and apologized, that she put the wrong info in her computer system, and that Jeff wouldn't have to bring his birth certificate and passport to the financial aid office.

I think I know what happened. The rep transposed two letters in the first half of his last name, and spelled that way, it may have appeared to look "suspicious".

This is why I don't use my ex's last name any more. My maiden name is hard enough to spell, thank you.

And school starts in less than 2 weeks, and Jeff still isn't sure where he's going to school. He was accepted by both the University of Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma (right here in Edmond). When he went down to Norman last month to tour OU, he came away rather overwhelmed. OU is a huge campus...UCO is smaller, local, and also a 4 year school. Jeff has said that he may go to UCO for a year or two, then transfer to OU.

But as to where he'll be on the 23rd...I'm betting on UCO, but you never know.

--MorelaterZ--

Dance like no one's watching...love like you've never been hurt

okay...then what?

Maybe I'm too trusting with my heart. I want to believe everyone loves me the way I love them, but then I get smacked in the face by reality.

I gotta quit staying up to all hours of the day and night thinking about things that haven't happened yet. Or might not happen.

Or something...

Damned chili, while very good, is bloating me up like a balloon, making sleeping uncomfortable. Cycle that around in your brain for a while...period.

I miss Saon...I hope all is going okay with him. I wish I remembered to give him my new cell number the last time I had him on the phone. DamnDamnDamnDamnDamn!!!!!

Lord, watch over him, keep him safe and out of trouble. --Amen

--MorelaterZ--

This is weird...

I was just having a IM session with this kid who attends Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and his Yahoo! Profile says he makes his home in New Orleans...I don't have any idea how he found me other than the fact that I have "New Orleans Metro" on my profile, which I put there in anticipation of moving there last year (which of course didn't happen)...

This just hits too close to home, though--

try_me_on_4sighs (2:29:51 PM): I was just looking at your profile and noticed that you call New Orleans home. Do you live New Orleans itself, or in one of the suburbs?
playa1782 (2:30:16 PM): suburbs
try_me_on_4sighs (2:30:43 PM): I ask because I have friends on the WestBank
playa1782 (2:30:54 PM): i live on the westbank
try_me_on_4sighs (2:31:22 PM): ahhh...my friends are in Gretna and that area
playa1782 (2:31:36 PM): oh i have family in gretna


What are the chances this kid knows Saon or members of his family? I waited for him to ask who it was I knew in Gretna, but he thankfully didn't. I wouldn't have told him if he did. This is just too weird...

So where is Saon? He was supposed to be in the N.O. by now. If he wants to tell me, he knows the number.

--MorelaterZ--

Figures...

Am I the only person in creation who can take a pain reliever with a sleep aid and still have pain and still can't sleep? That was me last night.

I was in a considerable amount of pain, so I decided that I would take the Tylenol P.M. I bought some months ago before going to bed. I still slept poorly and woke up in even more pain than I had the night before.

And I'm still groggy, even now as I write this.

Figures.


--MorelaterZ--

LCS: then there were three

The final six voting results are in, but before that, the comics would perform one last time.

Jay Mohr divided the group into three groups of two-- one would go on to the finals next week, and one would go home, as determined by the votes.

The first pair was Tammy and Gary. Each performed, then Jay announced the one who go on to the finals: Gary. (IMHO, Tammy got robbed)

The second pair was Kathleen and John. John would go on to the finals. (Seems to me that they don't want to see a woman win it all, though both women were better than the guy who got it)

Of the third pairing of Jay London and Alonzo, both are consistantly dead on with their material. This was the toughest pairing, because both deserved to go on to the finals. Ultimately, Alonzo was the people's choice.

So next week, Gary, John and Alonzo will compete for the title of "Last Comic Standing". My pick to take it all from this group: Alonzo. Who will probably get it: Gary.


==============>

A new season of LCS will premiere after the Olympics, and get this: It's going to be a battle royal between the comics from Season One (Ralphie, Dave, Rich, Tere, Tess, Dat et al) and Season Two (Tammy, Alonzo, Gary, Corey, Ant, Jay London, et al). This is gonna be good!

NBC's official recap.

--MorelaterZ--

If you drink diet sodas, you might want to read this...

I found this article via a Yahoo! Group I belong to. I knew that aspartame (NutraSweet) caused me problems as far as my FMS was concerned, but it seems that it's worse than that.

You can read the article on my other blog, Look What the Cat Dragged In.

--MorelaterZ--

If you can't decide between Kerry, Bush, and what's his name...

maybe you could go for the "party party" candidate--

If you end up going to Eskimo Joe's website and buying this shirt, email a pic of yourself (or someone else) wearing it. I'd love to see it!

Eskimo Joe's --Stillwater's Jumpin Little Juke Joint

(image ©2004 Eskimo Joe's, Stillwater, OK)

If you haven't seen this, see it!

If you have seen it, see it again!

The two brothers who created the Bush/Kerry "This Land" cartoon now have a blog. They are bowled over by the response to it. Literally thousands of people have left comments on their blog, and they say they read them all. Go check 'em out at www.jibjab.com/blog/

I know that when I mentioned their website on my blog, the hits to this site went up by quite a bit. When I check my stats, I'm amazed that just mentioning jibjab.com, I get hits. The majority of my stats show searches for "jibjab", "Bush/Kerry cartoon", or any combination of those phrases.

I'm smart enough to know that this is just temporary, that the fervor will eventually die down. Then people will find me by searching for "mi vida loca" like they have before.

Go read "The JibJab Times". Amazing that two brothers from Santa Monica can rock the world with their little cartoon about the Presidential race. Go see the cartoon, or see it again...

You'll be glad you did!

UPDATE 1:02pm CDT: (I watched it again here at the library...I know I was getting some funny looks because I had to stifle my laughter in here. My computer at home is too slow to keep up. I either get the sound, or the picture, and they're not in sync.)

--MorelaterZ--

Sometimes, things do have a purpose

You've probably noticed the "PG-13" rating icon at the top of this page. I got it last year at one of those quiz sites and put it up there as kind of a joke. Now that it's been there a while, I've come to realize that I really don't want children under thirteen reading my blog. Why? Well, let me tell you:

I am the parent of two children under eighteen. They don't know that this blog exists. At times, I discuss things in this blog that I would talk about with other adults, and those things aren't appropriate for kids that age to hear (or read in this case). If there were a way to password protect this blog, or somehow prevent those under 13 from reading this, I'd do it.

I realize that there are some computer savvy kids out there, who can get around the roadblocks on the information superhighway as easily as taking a walk. If they're bound and determined to see things they have no business seeing, then they will.

I'm not about to censor myself. I'm still going to say what's on my mind.

--MorelaterZ--

"Any woman who looks like that has to be named Lucile"

Looks like WHAT?

Someone did a search on Google using that phrase, and they found my blog on page 4.

I've mentioned the apartment on Lucile Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia oh, maybe a half dozen times. It's where I lived from 1997 to 1999; where the basement flooded during a "NorEaster" in 97 (but not during Hurricane Bonnie in 98...hmmm) and I lost my high school yearbooks and the pictures of my 2 oldest boys from their childhood; where I lived when Jon asked me for a divorce (while we were doing a freakin' paper route, no less. He was romancing some chick online and wanted to be "free" to pursue a real life relationship with her); and where I was evicted from for insisting that the people I was renting from replace a broken refrigerator. It took them 5 months to do it, meanwhile, I was paying my rent to the circuit court.




The next street over was Ethel Avenue. I kid you not! Look at this map! (BTW, that "street" that connects the two doesn't exist, or at least it didn't when I lived there)

It was also the place where I was forced to abandon a kitten because she was so freaked out about my having to move that she took refuge under the claw footed bathtub and refused to come out. I still have scars on my arms from her scratching me while trying to pull her out. I still feel bad about that.

We had the whole second floor to ourselves, and it was by far the largest apartment I've ever lived in. By contrast, the studio apartment I lived in in Lawrence, Massachusetts, was by far the smallest (and it was just me there. The boys were with my parents by this time).

It's nearly 4am. I really need to go to bed.

--MorelaterZ--

Can we say "this sucks!"? I knew you could

No more Nomar

By John Tomase Staff Writer

BOSTON -- Everyone knew it was coming. If not now, then at the end of the season. But that doesn't make the following any less shocking:

Nomar Garciaparra is no longer a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The face of their franchise for almost a decade, Garciaparra was traded to the Cubs yesterday at Major League Baseball's trading deadline as part of a four-team deal that brought Montreal shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Minnesota first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston.

Consummated, according to general manager Theo Epstein, "literally at 3:59:59," one second before the deadline, the trade improves Boston's porous infield defense at the expense of one of the most popular players in team history.

Not since the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920 has a superstar of Garciaparra's caliber left the team via trade (Stef: and we all know how that turned out!). Though the circumstances are different -- the Red Sox had little chance of re-signing Garciaparra after this season and wanted to get something for him before he walked away -- the impact is still stunning.

No more obsessive-compulsive tugging on his gloves. No more chants of, "Nomahh!" from the Fenway fandom. No more No. 5 jerseys dominating the stands.

No more Nomar.

"This was not easy," said Epstein at a hastily assembled Fenway Park press conference yesterday. "But it had to be done to make our team better."

The Garciaparra-Red Sox relationship splintered irrevocably when the Sox wooed shortstop Alex Rodriguez this winter. Though that trade ultimately collapsed, the damage had been done.
Garciaparra started this year on the disabled list with a heel injury and did not play until mid-June. He hit just .235 in his first 17 games back, but caught fire in July, hitting .386 to raise his average to .321.

Still, the lingering resentment of the off-season never dissipated. In his farewell comments from Minnesota last night, where the Red Sox played the Twins, Garciaparra repeatedly said, "It's great to go to a place where I'm wanted."

It had become increasingly clear that place would not be Boston.

"We knew we were not going to be able to re-sign him," Epstein said.

Garciaparra got the news last night in manager Terry Francona's office at Minnesota's Metrodome. Epstein made the phone call, thanking him for his service in Boston.

"My initial reaction was, 'Wow," Garciaparra said. "I know there was a lot of talk and everything. A lot of speculation, but you don't know. ... If it was in my control, I'd still be wearing a Red Sox uniform. That's the place I know, the place I love. But I'm also going to another great place, a phenomenal city with great tradition as well."

Garciaparra leaves Boston as one of the most storied players ever to don a Red Sox uniform. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1997, won batting titles in 1999 and 2000, and played in five All-Star Games.

His Red Sox teams made the playoffs three times, losing to the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series last year. Garciaparra struggled all postseason, driving in just one run in 12 games.

The slump continued a slight downward tick in his play that began in 2001, when surgery for a torn tendon in his right wrist limited him to just 21 games. Though still an All-Star caliber player, he no longer earned mention among the game's elite.

Now he's gone, his storied career in Boston concluded in exchange for a pair of players with zero All-Star berths between them.

"We just traded away Mr. Boston, a guy who meant so much to the city. And just like that he's gone," Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon told MLB.com. "It's a sad day for a lot of the fans back there."

===============>

It's going to be weird to see Nomar in another team's uniform. Shoulda grabbed those #5 jerseys while I had the chance. Drat!

Tis a sad day in Beantown, to be sure.

It's true-- diet sodas do mess you up!

I had read this article somewhere on the net about the artificial sweetners used in diet soft drinks can aggrevate the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. I wasn't thinking about that when I was drinking Diet Coke at my sister's on Saturday (because that is all they drink over there soda-wise) and the Diet Pepsi we had with our pizza last night. All I know is that now, my arms and legs feel like they've gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali (IMHO the greatest boxer in my lifetime). My hands feel like I have bruises and hurt like a sonofabitch!

I should write this up in my FMS blog...maybe in the morning when I feel a little better (ha! fat chance!). Right now, I'm fallin' asleep at the switch.

Nite all.

--MorelaterZ--

Post# 563-- It's August already???

Does the time fly by because I'm older, or because I'm at the lowest point in my life?

What's up w/ Saon? He calls twice in one day, then nothing? What am I supposed to think at this point? Maybe it's really because he's trying to get a phone (or a phone card).
UPDATE- 8.2.04 @ 12:26am CDT : he did call and he tells me he's headed back to New Orleans, that he's done with Michele, the state of Minnesota, the whole nine yards. He also said he'd call back, but it being after midnight on Monday, I don't think he'll call until some time later.

We went over to my sister's last night to celebrate Mom's birthday. Amalia made this construction paper crown for the "birthday girl" to wear covered with stickers. And Mom wore it-- the whole time we were there! Scott and Marc returned from camp yesterday too. Marc swam a lot (and lost his voice-- he sounded like a different kid), and Scott rode horses a lot and broke his glasses (he didn't break his glasses riding horses, that happened before they even got to camp!).

I want to go on a picnic...maybe next weekend, after Mom gets paid again. I've got a hankering for some potato salad.

--MorelaterZ--