I'm moving out of this hospedaje; I'm afraid you'll cut me, boy

Okay, so I seriously just had a doctor, who is attending a training session here, walk into a window from the outside, thinking it was an open doorway or something. Why she would think an office building would have a huge opening with no door in the middle of a wall, I don't know.

She hit it so hard that she left a face-print on the glass, smudged her lipstick on it, and her glasses were half-knocked off.

Yes folks, these are the ER doctors saving our lives.

Stuff

Kev and I have been watching season 1 of Dexter, which has turned out to be fantastic. I was unsure if I could accept Michael C. Hall in such a different roll. He was phenomenal in Six Feet Under. But he pulled off Dexter brilliantly.

Last night I watched Waitress. It could easily have been 25 minutes shorter and been a better movie. I got to the point where I just started fast-forwarding through Jeremy Sisto's abusive-husband scenes. I didn't need to be beaten over the head with what a crazy mo-fo he was. I got the picture pretty early on.

Scientists begin hunt for "God particle"

---I bow down to our new inter-dimensional warlords that will come through the rift in time and space that this thing is going to open.---


CERN, Switzerland (CNN) -- Scientists Wednesday applauded as one of the most ambitious experiments ever conceived got successfully underway, with protons being fired around a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel deep beneath the border of France and Switzerland in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Scientists applaud during the switch on operation of the Large Hadron Collider.

The Large Hadron Collider -- a $9 billion particle accelerator designed to simulate conditions of the Big Bang that created the physical Universe -- was switched on at 0732 GMT to cheers and applause from experts gathered to witness the event.

While observers were left nonplussed by the anticlimactic flashing dots on a TV screen that signalled the machine's successful test run, among teams of scientists involved around the world there were jubilant celebrations and popping champagne corks.

In the coming months, the collider is expected to begin smashing particles into each other by sending two beams of protons around the tunnel in opposite directions.

Skeptics, who claim that the experiment could lead to the creation of a black hole capable of swallowing the planet, failed in a legal bid to halt the project at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Others have branded it a colossal waste of cash, draining resources from its multinational collaborators that could have been spent on scientific research with more tangible benefits to mankind.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the project as a major achievement for Europe.

"The repercussions of this scientific investment without precedent in the history of humanity will be essential not only for the intimate knowledge of our universe, but also for the direct applications in fields as varied as intensive calculation or even medicine," he said.

The collider will operate at higher energies and intensities in the next year, potentially generating enough data to make a discovery by 2009, experts say.

They say the experiment has the potential to confirm theories that physicists have been working on for decades including the possible existence of extra dimensions. They also hope to find a theoretical particle called the Higgs boson -- sometimes referred to as the "God particle," which has never been detected, but would help explain why matter has mass.

The collider will recreate the conditions of less than a millionth of a second after the Big Bang, when there was a hot "soup" of tiny particles called quarks and gluons, to look at how the universe evolved, said John Harris, U.S. coordinator for ALICE, a huge detector specialized to analyze that question.

Since this is exploratory science, the collider may uncover surprises that contradict prevailing theories, but which are just as interesting, said Joseph Lykken, theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

"When Columbus sails west, he thought he was going to find something. He didn't find what he thought he was going to find, but he did find something interesting," said Lykken, who works on the Compact Muon Solenoid, one of six experiments inside the collider complex.

Why should the layperson care about this particular exploration? Years ago, when electrons were first identified, no one knew what they were good for, but they have since transformed our entire economy, said Howard Gordon, deputy research program manager for the collider's ATLAS experiment.

"The transformative effect of this research will be to understand the world we live in much better," said Gordon, at Brookhaven National Laboratory. "It's important for just who we are, what we are."

Fears have emerged that the collider could produce black holes that could suck up anything around them -- including the whole Earth. Such fears prompted legal actions in the U.S. and Europe to halt the operation of the Large Hadron Collider, alleging safety concerns regarding black holes and other phenomena that could theoretically emerge.

Although physicists acknowledge that the collider could, in theory, create small black holes, they say they do not pose any risk. A study released Friday by CERN scientists explains that any black hole created would be tiny, and would not have enough energy to stick around very long before dissolving. Five collider collaborators who did not pen the report independently told CNN there would be no danger from potential black holes.

John Huth, who works on the collider's ATLAS experiment, called such fears "baloney" in a recent interview, and noted that in normal physics, even if the black hole were stable, it could just pass through the Earth without being detected or without interacting at all.

"The gravitational force is so weak that you'd have to wait many, many, many, many, many lifetimes of the universe before one of these things could [get] big enough to even get close to being a problem," said Huth, professor of physics at Harvard University.

Because I think it's funny, that's why...

The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect wildlife in the US




Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of belonging to the Democratic Party... as they have apparently learned to just sit and wait for the government to step in and provide for their care and sustenance.

stripes on her eyes when she walk slow

Friday, we watched Doomsday again. I still thought it was stupid fun. Saturday, I cleaned the house, and then I had my jewelry party in the evening.

Sunday, I went to the pool, and it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Hot, sunny, and the pool was crisply cool and refreshing. And the best part…there was hardly anyone there. It was absolutely amazing. Sunday night, we had a few people over for a cookout, nothing major. But it was nice time. We again wrapped three kinds of meat in, as Leah calls it, "candy" meat. Yum.

Monday, I decided if I woke up early enough I'd go to yoga. And I woke up at 7:30am. Ugh. It was pretty challenging for my ankle but good. A TON of people showed up. I was surprised. I really think yoga is going to be good for re-strengthening my ankle. It's amazing how weak my foot still is. But I'll get there, and this is a no-impact way to work on it. I feel fine today, so I didn't overdo it.

One thing I have to say about yoga is that it tends to attract people of the whackjob persuasion. I suppose you could call them "free-spirited" or "child-like," but I guess I'm not in the "compassionate" mindset for yoga this morning.

Anyway, this chick was wearing some hand-painted T-shirt and start dancing around all crazy when Laurel mentioned it. Never mind there was hardly enough room between our mats to walk, much less dance around like a maniac. And then towards the end, we were doing our closing mantras, and the chick came up to the front, right under Laurel's feet and just started sobbing about how beautiful it all was. All I could think was, "You've GOT to be kidding me," and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes so far back into my head that it would have killed me.

I got home and mom said she'd go out to the Heritage Festival with me, so I picked her up, and we headed out. It was a gajillion degrees. At first there was at least a breeze, but by the time we got off the canal tour, it had died, and we were beginning to. We headed out around 4:30, having sufficiently gorged ourselves on delicious food. I downed 2 large bottles of water and wanted more. It was awful.

After showering the layer of stickiness off, I watched Infamous. It's about Truman Capote falling in love with a convicted killer. It was pretty good. I enjoyed it. Daniel Craig was a scary, intense mofo.

August 2008 Archive

August 25, 2008
Unfettered in De moss during a Duell. KUNTZ! I’m Rich!It starts out I'm walking up a huge spiral staircase in a hotel/performing arts center, and each floor has people milling about. Then Jason Demoss is with me, and we're looking for the floor that's supposed to have a sprawling continental lunch. We find it on the fourth floor, but it's really just a bunch of pretentiously cut, overcooked Digiorno pizzas.

Duell is there with his wife, but he's got this mountain man beard, and his hair is all mussed up, like he was caught in a windstorm. Suddenly, me, Jason, Nate, Duell, and Alan Fetters are all in a car headed to Alan's house.

We're greeted by Alan's parents, who both have stark white Einstein-esque hair and big black Harry Potter glasses. Alan is setting up an X-files boardgame, which looks suspiciously like Monopoly.

Next thing I know, Jason is shouting at me to come check something out. He's found an ice cavern--where in this suburban house, I don't know. But we all go into the ice cavern, which is amazingly beautiful and so cold the ice is blue and green (or so the explanation is in the dream). Everyone leaves but me because I'm picking up beautiful rocks.

When I'm done, I realize I've melted into the snow on the ground up to my armpits, and I can't get out. I yell for help for a while, and Alan comes rushing in dressed in what I imagine Jon Snow from George RR Martin's Ice & Fire novels would look like, down to the black leather gloves. He grabs my hands and whips me out of the hole in the snow as if I were weightless, scolding me for not coming with them when they left.

Next thing I know, we're all in a diner, sitting at the counter, but Rich has joined us. He's wearing some sort of Dracula-esque amulet around his neck and wildly gesticulating with his arms while we all laugh hysterically.

Then I woke up.
posted by Karabou at 7:38 PM EST


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August 27, 2008
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of chum
Kev and I went to see Pineapple Express last night. It didn't blow me away, but it was pretty funny. It's worth a rent at least.

Chick flicks on HBO so far this month...

The Pianist
I felt sick the whole time I watched this. Of course, everything having to do with the Holocaust makes me feel sick. It's about a Polish Jew (an amazing pianist), who survives WWII in Poland. It was really good, though. I'm not a big Adrian Brody fan, but he pulled off the character really well. I rate it three tissues.

The White Countess
Another Ralph Fiennes period pic, this one is set in 1930s Shanghai. It's good, glad I caught it on HBO. I rate it one tissue.

Age of Innocence
I've caught bits and pieces of this movie a dozen times over the years. It's not one of Day-Lewis' best performances, but it's an interesting period piece if you like them. I rate it one tissue.

The Painted Veil
I'd been resisting watching this one for a good month or so. I don't like Edward Norton much, and Tivo's synopsis was thoroughly unappealing. I finally decided to just Tivo it, so if I didn't like it, I could fast forward and at least see the ending and be done with it. Hehe Surprisingly, it was really good. The evolution of the characters is really fantastic. I give it three tissues.
posted by Karabou at 7:38 PM EST


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August 25, 2008
On jihad, rappin' Narnia, and Laser Cats
Iran so far away.
Lazy Sunday
Laser Cats 2
posted by Karabou at 7:38 PM EST


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August 24, 2008
Superman Reboot
Warner Bros. is apparently rebooting the Superman franchise, as The Hulk did. Surprise.
posted by Karabou at 11:41 PM EST


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August 22, 2008
we’re apin’ rapin’ tapin’ catharsis I hate when people bring perfectly baked plain brownies to a carry-in…or even within a hundred feet of me. Brownies are my weakness, my nemesis. I only bake them at home maybe once a year, if that, because of it.

I've eaten three brownies since I got back from PT at 1:30, and…OH MY GOD THERE ARE PINK CUPCAKES. Okay, now I have to eat a cupcake for a cure for breast cancer…or something like that. /sigh

Anyway, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Last week, I was trying to crush my work week into three days since we were leaving for Gencon Thursday morning. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath to save my life, and when I got back on Tuesday, it resumed its breakneck pace. It did settle down by yesterday, thankfully.

Gencon was fun, more so than last year because our friends resumed attending with us this year. All seven of us won an $80 AT-43 starter set, and two of us (myself included) won an additional set. I picked the $75 Confrontation starter set, and our friend picked another AT-43 set. Woohoo!

You could definitely tell we're in a depressed economy, or so it seemed. The WotC booth seemed significantly smaller this year, and they didn't do the game-demo-roll-a-d20-for-a-prize thing this year. I was disappointed. Wizkids didn't seem to have any significant release at the show, unlike previous years when the rolled out HeroClix, MonsterClix, and HaloClix.

Upperdeck (sp?) had limited demos going of the new WoW minis game, and it looked really unimpressive. I thought it was going to be a skirmish game, but it's basically the card game with a miniature on a little chess-like map. This is just my opinion, but I feel like companies blow their wad when they don't have the game for sale when they debut it.

Fewer companies were giving away freebies for demos. Many companies will offer a "con exclusive" mini if you demo a game. Privateer Press was doing so, and we picked up some Monsterpocalypse. We also picked up Infernal Contraption, which is really fun.

It was still as much fun as ever. In my opinion, the whole point of going is to demo new games, buy some of them, and then go back to the hotel to play them together, which I didn't get to do because I was exhausted every night with some foot pain. The swag is just a bonus.

I went to the pool Wednesday night, and it was glorious. Kids are back in school, so there might have been 50 people there, total. And during the adult swim, maybe 7 in the pool. It was so awesome, I decided to go again Thursday night, but this time, I took Amy and Zoey.

Zoey was cracking me up. She hates getting her head wet, and it took much cajoling to get her to go under the mushroom waterfall. And when she finally agreed, she plugged her ears, squinched her eyes shut, and announced to her mom, "Okay, take me under!" It was a riot. She's small enough that I can swush her around in the water, which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. We're going to try to go to Splash Moraine on Sunday, weather permitting. I hope it's nice. :)

Tomorrow, I'm dragging myself to a family reunion, and then I have to make Jambalaya for the guys. Tonight, I'm seeing Death Race with my cousin. I'm hoping it's big fun.posted by Karabou at 10:32 PM EST


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August 21, 2008
Top Ten Signs Barack Obama is Overconfident
David Letterman apparently did a list of "Top Ten Signs Barack Obama is Overconfident" ... now there is some brouhaha over this list and whether or not it will be re-aired, blah blah blah. So in case you've yet to see it, here's the list:
10. Proposed a bill to change Oklahoma to "Oklabama"
9. Offered Bush 20 bucks for the "Mission Accomplished" banner
8. Asked guy at Staples, "Which chair will work best in an oval-shaped office?"
7. The affair with Barbara Walters
6. Having head measured for Mount Rushmore
5. Guy sits around eating soup all day
4. He's voting for Nader
3. Offered McCain a job in gift shop at Obama presidential library
2. Announced his running mate will be Andy Dick
1. Been cruising for chicks with John Edwards
posted by Karabou at 11:41 PM EST


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August 19, 2008
Is McCain just another "W"?
Editor's Note: Jack Cafferty is the author of the best-seller "It's Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America." He provides commentary on CNN's "The Situation Room" daily from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.

His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.

I think he made a big mistake. When he was invited last spring to attend a discussion of the role of faith in his life with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, McCain didn't bother to show up. Now I know why.

It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.

Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?

Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived 71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.

He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.

He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.

One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.

Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?

John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.

He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.

I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.

George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.

He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.

I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.
posted by Karabou at 9:56 PM EST


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August 13, 2008
A singularity
It's the only time I have ever wished the rule of three was true and would complete itself.

The loss of Hayes and Mac was a shame. Much too young. Jackson, on the other hand, we can only hope.
posted by Karabou at 6:52 PM EST


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August 10, 2008
Hold on to your f-ing hat...
I very nearly fell out of my chair watching this. Please, for the love of all that is holy, watch it. **LINK FIXED**
posted by Karabou at 11:31 PM EST


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August 6, 2008
Last Blood
I stumbled upon this and ended up really enjoying it. You can read the whole first trade paperback online here:
http://www.lastblood.net/
posted by Karabou at 9:24 PM EST


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August 3, 2008
Giving credit when credit is due...
I have to give my husband a little pat on the back. He wrote a chapter of WFRP's Thousand Thrones, which was released a few months ago.

Two opinions:
...[Y]ou eventually get to Villa Hahn which is a dungeon in the vein of Castle Wittgenstein...and it's brilliant. I really liked this bit. It's well designed and really puts the gothic horror back in WFRP. Lucius Hahn's fate immediately made me think 'I really have to do this to one of my PC's sometime'. This Nurgle lair uses WFRP mechanics properly. What the PC's do can have nasty results and the diseases are used to potential, unlike some earlier WFRP2 products where Wound damage was the result of just about anything you come into contact with. The final showdown description is a bit confused as the results are very open. Nonetheless this is a great section.

and

Chapter 5: This is just plain good. Not much more to be said about it, except that I don't really like Nurglists as enemies, but that is entirely personal. It could be used as an independent adventure with little work.

His chapter was partially re-written in the development process, but the core ideas were his and were largely left intact, and I'm proud as hell that people really liked his section. Others have mentioned plans to use his chapter for stand-alone adventures, as well.

For whatever reason, GW refused to allow dungeon crawls to be written for other books in WFRP 2.0. Not everyone is capable of insanely involved roleplay, and my own group refused to play the game after running just two pre-made adventures. It was disappointing, as I felt the game had a lot to offer, but they lost their taste for it after becoming frustrated at the difficulty of puzzle solving that was required.

And just so you know, Hahn is my mother's maiden name. HAH!

posted by Karabou at 2:49 PM EST


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August 1, 2008
The Dark Knight Yearns
I Kev and I saw the Dark Knight on Tuesday. The asshole couple behind us who decided to have a full-on conversation for the first hour and a half of the movie no matter how many times we asked them to STFU likely had some bearing on my experience.

But largely, I felt the movie didn't live up to the hype. That's not to say I didn't think it was good. But the incessant harping of the media going on about how Heath Ledger deserves a posthumous Oscar for his performance was nothing but the studios finding a way to get people who wouldn't ordinarily see the movie to pay for a ticket to go found out what all this mumbo-jumbo was about. For example: CNN, owned by Time Warner, publishes second straight top headline about "The Dark Knight," a film made by Warner Brothers, owned by Time Warner, and based on Batman, published by DC Comics, also owned by Time Warner.

I went in expecting Heath Ledger to give the performance of all performances EVER GIVEN, and I was greatly disappointed. He was good, sure. But I didn't lose myself in the character. I still saw him as Heath Ledger and not just The Joker. A truly great performance makes you forget the actor. I just didn't have that experience, and I definitely didn't find that character "terrifying."

I did, however, like the direction he took The Joker. He was a maniacal, brilliant, remorseless anarchist. It's a shame we won't get to see the character again any time soon. Nolan has said he won't recast The Joker so long as he's still directing the films.

And I was surprised by Two-Face being a main character. I could tell Harvey had become Two-Face in the trailer, but I figured he would be introduced and then be a main character in the next installment. It was a pleasant twist. But Aaron Eckhart was GREAT as Two-Face. I liked that he wasn't some giggly dipshit, like Tommy Lee Jones' version, but was instead a man who had been pushed over the edge and had truly lost all reason and rationality.

My other beef is that the movie felt long. When I start looking at my watch, it's lost me. The movie seemed to end more than once, and that's never a good sign, either. It would just dust itself off, yell "Ta-dah!", and keep going.

My only complaint about Batman Begins was that all of the action scenes were so dark you couldn't see what was going on. And they used that ridiculous flying CGI dirt that they used in Gladiator to mask the fight scenes. Dark Knight fixed that. It was a wise move. When people go to see superhero movies, they want to see superhero fights. I didn't go see Ironman to watch him wax intellectual and fight in the dark. I went to watch him fly around, blow shit up, and have at least one knock-down drag-out kick ass fight.

And dear god, I'm so glad they killed off the Rachel character. I don't know what's wrong with Maggie Gyllenhaal's face, but it was far more terrifying than The Joker's. She's got this pug nose, and her cheeks sag like socks full of marbles, just hanging off her face. I have to admit, I was caught off guard when she died. I thought for sure Batman was going to save her, and the police would save Harvey Dent, though he'd likely become Two-Face in the process. That was when the movie got good for me.

In summary, I liked it. I would probably have liked it better had I not been subjected to all the hype beforehand. I might even have been able to be absorbed more fully into The Joker as a character, rather than an Oscar vehicle. I'll probably watch it again at home when it comes out on DVD in the peace and quiet of my living room.

It's rumored that the next villains will be The Riddler, played by Johnny Depp, and The Penguin, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. And seeing as it's pulled in $440 million as of today, I'm certain there will be a few more Batman movies in the future.

posted by Karabou at 10:28 PM EST


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July 2008 Archive

July 31, 2008
I see hot people.
I watched Rory O'Shea Was Here tonight. I've been gleefully catching James McAvoy's earlier movies on HBO. He's quite possibly the only actor who could make a quadriplegic hot.

And I swear he had some sort of weird prosthetic nose thing going on in Starter for 10 because in Rory (which precedes Starter) his nose is much less humped and hooked. Very weird. At first I thought maybe he just had a nose job, but then I saw Starter was after Rory. Weird.

posted by Karabou at 11:15 PM EST


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July 25, 2008
Pardon me, Hand Banana
I am EXPLODING with excitement.

My boss just approved me to go to NYC for a writing/editing seminar Sept 25-26! Woohoo!

I just booked the trip, and here's the hilarious part: I'll be staying at the Edison Hotel on Times Square. lol It'll be like our high school drama trip all over again.

I'm also super excited because I'll get to see Angi and spend the weekend with her. Now, to figure out what I want to do while I'm there! I think the Guggenheim is a MUST. And I'm considering Spamalot. Hmmmmm...

posted by Karabou at 7:40 PM EST


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July 24, 2008
My vote is going to... Okay, so after a conversation Tanya and I just had, I had an epiphany.

Jesse Ventura must be our next president.

There's the bad-ass Ventura for the hard-line conservatives:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/amazon284/jesse-ventura2-2.jpg

And the softer side for the liberals:
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e152/amazon284/jesse-ventura1-1.jpg
It all makes perfect sense now.

posted by Karabou at 7:40 PM EST


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July 22, 2008
Pardon me, Hand Banana
Friday, I was so sore after PT that I just decided to go home and do nothing. Yoga was a bit too much for me last week, me thinks. If I go this week, I'll have to do less of the poses and just be content with the rest of the class.

Saturday, I cleaned the house like a maniac, frequently resting in between chores. I took a delicious hour-long nap in the afternoon, and then I picked up Amanda and made the trek north to help my mom with her waffle booth's late shift. It was insane. We had people 10 deep at one point, with numerous people ordering the waffles by the dozen. Here's a pic of what a sugar waffle looks like http://www.karabou.net/Pics/Waffle.jpg

A big thank you to Amanda for helping me out, keeping the money running smoothly, and managing what was, basically, utter chaos. She didn't try one of the waffles until she got home, and she said that was probably a good thing because they were insanely delicious. I suspect next year, she'll be getting more than a bag of six. Heh

Sunday, I was so whipped, I just laid around and didn't do much. I did manage to run to the grocery, but that was pretty much it. I altered some of my shirts that have been needing it, and one of Kev's. I need to get some backing for the curtains I'm planning to make for my bedroom, but that would require me having the time to run to the fabric store, which likely won't be until this weekend. Que sera, sera….

We had Mike and Leah over for dinner last night, which is always nice. We're trying to make it a monthly thing. I hate losing touch with friends, and I'm trying to make more of an effort all around.

Tonight is dinner at Buckhorn Tavern with the family for all our birthdays. On some level, I'm so thankful we didn't have a dinner for every single person this year. I've been so over-scheduled and busy that I don't know how I'd have done it. Ugh.

posted by Karabou at 7:03 PM EST


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July 15, 2008
This is a diary of hate...
I watched The End of the Affair with Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore the other night. I really enjoyed it. Lust, love, jealousy, misunderstandings, loss…it's packed with it. Events previously viewed through Ralph's eyes become visible through Julianne's with surprisingly little redundancy. I highly recommend it if you enjoy dramas like Atonement. It was moving and unique. I rate it 3 tissues.

Kev and I watched A&E's Andromeda Strain Sunday evening--all four hours of it. The first 3.5 hours were really good, riveting even. But the last 30 minutes were just dumb and turned into a Sci-Fi Original. I was also confused that they bleeped out all the swear words. I thought this was made for TV? Maybe I'm mistaken.

Last night, I watch Evening. I'm mildly in love with voyeuristic glimpses into lives and affairs based in the 1930s-40s. So this movie was great. Basically, a dying elderly woman is remembering bits of her life, specifically her first love. I rate it 4 tissues.

posted by Karabou at 9:09 PM EST


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July 14, 2008
Radio blah blah
Friday, I went with Tanya and her boys to see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. It was big fun. It was worth it in 3D, but I wouldn't have wanted to see it otherwise. I felt like a big kid during parts of it. 3D has certainly come a long way.

Saturday, I hit the gym in the morning and went to the grocery, so I could make filled noodles for gaming that night. They were a hit. Our German friend said, "I feel like I'm home." Tee hee

Sunday, I kept trying to get stuff done and it just wasn't happening. Kev's dad was there, and they changed the hoses on the hot water heater. I did eventually get the front porch power-sprayed down. It looks so clean. I need to get the railings and porch re-painted at some point, yet.

I started sanding my trunk, but I got the top done and felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything, so I abandoned it to wash the porch instead. I'll have to keep chiseling away at it. I can't get my room cleaned and organize until I have it in there for storage.

Kev and his dad did manage to get my blinds hung, thank god. I'm part vampire when it comes to sleeping. I can have zero light in my room when I sleep. As soon as the sun starts to rise at 5:30am, I start waking up and getting angry, trying to throw blankets over my head to go back to sleep. The blinds are woooonderful. Now I just need to get to the fabric store to get some new material and backing for new curtains.

In the afternoon, Tanya and I went over to Spam's for a cookout. It was nice to see you girl. I can't wait till you're off in August. We need to spend some time together.

This morning, we did a three-hour photo shoot at work. It was gorgeous outside, but standing for three hours was rough on me. I did a lot better than I thought, but I've still got some work to do in PT. I'm getting there, by cracky.

posted by Karabou at 9:09 PM EST


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July 12, 2008
Radio blah blah
Why is it that the people who call in to talk radio shows are either far right wing nuts or far left wing nuts?

I listened to some whack job caller claim Jesse Jackson choked her at a Black Panther rally in some tiny, unknown town in Iowa or Idaho--I don't remember which--in the 1960s. I suppose it's possible, but the more the radio host questioned her, the more her story fell apart and confused even her. She even started contradicting what she said 5 minutes earlier. The radio host was like, "Ooookay, let's screen those calls a little better."

And then there are all the young 20-somethings that call in to support Obama, but they can't name one thing he's done or stuck to when asked on air. Not one. And they get pissed and yell at the radio host in a tantrum, telling the radio host he doesn't know what he's talking about. Classy.

If you can't manage intelligent, rational discussion, avoid putting yourself in a position where you're actually expected to defend your views, not just state them without substance.

And that's pretty much par for the course on any radio show I listen to. I like it when they get the occasional person with half a brain from either side to give intelligent discourse, but that hardly ever happens.

posted by Karabou at 9:09 PM EST


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July 11, 2008
"M" is for old man
McCain, McCain, McCain.

How do I feel about you? You're super old and kinda crotchety, but I giggle when you say things like "nation of whiners." You've grown up in a different generation, and I'm concerned you have no ability to relate to mine.

But really, I'm unconvinced your "straight talk" is anything more than an excuse to use rude dismissive phrases to verbally abuse people and issues. I'm all for cutting straight to the point and telling it like it is, but your total lack of eloquence won't do us any good in foreign affairs. It bothers me the rest of the world thinks we're a bunch of rude, self-absorbed douche bags, and I don't think you'll do anything to dispel that notion.

I respect that you've seen war and that you were a POW. But what are you going to do about THIS war? I don't WANT to be there for 100 years! Is the surge REALLY working the way so many people say it is? What's your plan, other than "stay until it's fixed." What are you going to do to "fix" it? How are you going to enable and empower the Iraqi government to take this operation over?

By the way, your stance on net neutrality bothers me. I want my intarweb to stay just as it is. Free markets are peachy and all, but I don't think we need "to move to a different model for thinking about the FCC." Why do we need the morality squad sticking their nose into the internet? If I want to watch donkey porn, then dammit, I should be allowed to watch it.

No Child Left Behind? It doesn't work. It's ridiculously bad. As someone who knows multiple school teachers and hears how horrendously broken the system is, you better be ready to overhaul Bushtard's pathetic attempt to hold teachers accountable for students' grades. Teachers no longer have time to teach anything but what's in the test booklet. But take my sister's class for example. She teaches in the poorest district in the city, and her kids are so low she can barely get them to learn, much less pass. How is it her fault the majority of her students have ADD, ADHD, and other severe behavioral disorders related to drugs and alcohol. The parents are totally UN-involved, if even present in the kids' lives. The schools don't get enough funding to handle special needs students, and we're facing a shortage of teachers. What are you going to do to make it better?

I hear that voting for you is basically voting for four more years of Bush policies. And quite frankly, that scares the living hell out of me. I fear you're nothing more than a panderer, pandering to the extreme right of the United States, an ideological group that has run this country into the ground with its extremist and irrational views. I have always avoided voting for the GOP because of their long-standing association with the religious reich. Who are they to dictate how this country should be run? Or how I should live my life?

And your views about abortion? You used to be semi-liberal in that area, but once you sniffed the possibility of the GOP nomination, you switched to, "I'd nominate supreme court justices who would overturn Roe vs. Wade." It makes me sick to my stomach.

So you, too, have flip-flopped my good sir. You have even been known to send out contradictory messages about your support for the President's retard antics so that you appear to be simultaneously for and against his atrocities. So which is it? Are you for or against them? Take your balls out of your hot wife's purse and make a decision; then, call me and let me know what is because I'm tired of trying to figure it out.

Hmmm…free market solutions to global warming? I'm excited you admit you think it's real, but I'm just not seeing how that solution is supposed to work. I do believe it's a problem. But getting off oil is the biggest thing we need to do combat that issue. So what are you going to do about it?

If you get to sit in that oval office chair, is the first thing you yell going to be, "Bring in those drilling contracts! I want oil flowing out of every orifice this country has!" Because I really don't want that. Have lunch with T. Boone Pickens and discuss something new, something revolutionary for our country. I'm unconvinced you're any different than Bush, who lives in the pockets of big oil.

Convince me differently, Mr. McCain, if you want a prayer of a chance of getting my vote.

posted by Karabou at 9:36 PM EST


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July 10, 2008
Get ready for your "O" face
Obama, I don't like the idea of paying massive taxes to put Socialized Health Care into effect. If you have some genius plan of funding it without strapping the middle class, you let me know about it, k?

Also, I know people are rah-rah-rallying around you, chanting "Obama for Change!" But really, what have you done? What the hell does "Community Organizer" even mean? And what relevance does it have to being the leader of the world's largest free nation?

Dude, you change your mind every other day about major issues you've already stated opposite opinions on in the past. What gives? I know your job is hard, and Sweet Baby Jesus knows I DON'T WANT IT. But really, sometimes, you gotta stick to your guns. If you voted on something that became unpopular, suck it up, rub some dirt on it, and just tell people why you voted that way. Don't flip-flop every time a CNN reader opinion poll is published.

I agree that consistency is the mind-killer, and changing your opinions isn't necessarily a bad thing. If never considering and contemplating opposing opinions were the ideal, we'd still have slavery, women would still be barefoot and pregnant and have no rights, and gays would still be getting shock therapy to treat their "mental illness." Ideas evolve and opinions NEED to change, but not every other day. Really.

I like that you're opposed to big oil. But what are you going to do about it? Where are you plans? I don't want every square inch of America's last vestiges of beauty ass-raped for oil. There HAVE to be alternatives. Call up oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens, and have lunch for chrisakes. Give us more than just hope that we won't HAVE to be dependent on oil until it runs out.

Man, I also have some issues with you pulling out of Iraq as soon as you get into power. Yes, I agree we never should have went there in the first place. But the fact is, we're there. We haven't just dipped our toes into the pool, we've grabbed it by the hips on the beach and had our way with it till it's bled in front of a crowd of on-looking countries. We've reluctantly made our bed, now we have to lie in it.
Although, if Iraq's government feels it's ready for us to leave, then by all means, let's talk about leaving. But as long as they need us, we need to act like responsible adults and finish what we started, not take our missile launchers and go home, leaving a power vacuum for extremists to fill. I truly believe the only thing that kept Al-Qaida out of Iraq was Saddam. He was so bat-shit crazy that even terrorists were freaked out by his shit. He may have been the pinnacle of evil in our generation, but he served a purpose in the bigger picture. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad he choked to death, kicking his little feet in the throes of death. He deserved far worse.

I want my coworkers and friends and even strangers to make it home safely from Iraq, but everyone I know that's been there truly believes they're making a difference. I know there are many that don't, and I respect their feelings, but they've been through things more traumatic than most of us can ever imagine. Who wouldn't feel that way in that position?

And Obama, you voted for wire-tapping yesterday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I really don't think the government is interested in hearing me talk on the phone about how I really want to buy a pair of Born sandals, so I don't feel particularly threatened in a personal way by this bill. I can see its merits, but I'm certainly not blind to its potential for abuse. So what do you do? Freedom does come with a price. What are we willing to pay for it?

The Obama-ites like Wil Wheaton are devastated by your choice in supporting this bill. But frankly, I'm astounded by such naïve idealism in a 30-something man. Who, but the young and somewhat stupid, REALLY believes you are going to stick to your campaign promises? Sure, they can hope. But what politician hasn't worked to further his own career over fulfilling the hopes and dreams of his/her constituents once he's in such a position? "People won't re-elect him!" you say. Bush was re-elected for a 2nd term. And that's all I have to say about that.

Furthermore, I firmly believe that while you're touting yourself as a moderate, once your ass cheeks touch the oval office chair, you'll be a leftist socialist until you leave office kicking and screaming. I'm not a socialist. I want a smaller government sticking less of their fingers into my paychecks and my life. I don't want wealth redistribution. I didn't bust my ass to put myself through school for a four-year degree to pay for some lazy fucker that doesn't want to work. "Boo-hoo! I don't know what I want to do with my life. So rather than work, I'll just sit at home and collect government benefits and pout about how poor me can't make a decision!" I've known people like this. They sicken me.

And sweetie, while I know you're not a closet Muslim, lots of simple folk who believe in ridiculous conspiracy theories do. And there are plenty of crazy nutwads in the world who would try to assassinate a world leader, but there are even MORE crazy RACIST nutwads who would try to assassinate a world leader. So you better pick a hell of a running mate and drive around in the Pope Mobile, because there are stupid, crazy asshats out there who don't have anything better to do than live and preach hatred against people any other color than pasty.

So Obama, you haven't impressed me. I may have voted for you in the primary, but that was only because I didn't want the Psycho Ex-Girlfriend of the Democratic Party in power. Because, even though I have my doubts about you, she scares the living shit out of me. And the Clintons, while clever, are criminals. They've gotten away with a whole lotta shizzat. There was a time when I could have been described as a twenty-something Clintonista, but now, I can see through their bag of tricks. On some level I amusedly respect their ability to deflect allegations and convictions like a pork chop on teflon coating, but deep down, I have serious reservations about them being in the White House again. Bill's approval of Gen. Barry McCaffrey as drug czar being one of them.

So in closing, you haven't got my vote Obama. Not yet. Maybe not at all. You haven't convinced me you're capable of the most important job in our nation. And while the 17-year-old anarchist in me thinks it would HI-larious to elect someone totally clueless, I know that really wouldn't be in the American public's best interests.

posted by Karabou at 11:42 PM EST


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July 8, 2008
I call Ocular BS
What an exciting day. This morning, I had what I think was an ocular migraine. All of a sudden, it was like I had stared at the sun with my left eye. There was this spot where I just couldn't see anything. My first thought was, "Oh christ, I developed diabetes in the last 10 minutes, and I'm now going blind." lol

I started to wonder if it was an ocular migraine, as my friend Lorie got them when we were roomies, and my boss has gotten them before. I tried to Google it, but I couldn't read anything on the screen. lol I went into my boss's office, starting to panic, and she said it sounded like one and just to close my eyes and try to relax and calm down.

It got worse and worse, to the point where I had to cover my eyes tightly and just put my forehead on my desk. It evolved from some missing pixels into a blazing, swirling ring of horror-diamonds all around the edge of my vision in my left eye, even when I closed my eyes.

And then as quickly as it came on, it faded away. Then I developed a dull, awful headache that, strangely, went away every time I got up and walked around the office. As soon as I sat back down, it came back. It felt like my brain had been replaced with a solid lead version of my brain, and it lasted for a good 2 hours. I'm sure it was mild by the standards of people who have REAL migraines, but I don't get headaches. So the slightest hint of one leaves me in misery.

This wasn't fun. I hope it doesn't become a regular occurrence. I can't figure out why I'd suddenly start having them. No new meds, I'm less stressed than I usually am, I've been able to relieve stress and get some moderate exercise with PT, and I've actually been sleeping through the night for the last 2 weeks (unheard of).

WTF. I'm going to the doctor in the morning just to be on the safe side, but from what everyone has told me, this is par for the course for one of these.

posted by Karabou at 10:21 PM EST


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July 7, 2008
they said you were the freaky kid
It was a nice weekend. Friday, Brian brought his grill over and we grilled chicken breasts, pork chops, beer brats, and cheddarwursts…ALL WRAPPED IN GLORIOUS BACON. Yum. Then we had a Freaks & Geeks marathon. It was very low-key and not terribly exciting. I left to go see Hancock at like 5:30pm, which is the subject of the previous blog post.

Saturday, I walked around the mall with Kev for an hour to get him some shoes and clothes, and then we stopped at Lowes to pick up a new toilet seat. When I got home, I had to lay down and sleep for an hour.

I'm not sure how it works, but I worked out hard Sunday for an hour at the gym and felt good, not tired at all. So how is it that I saunter around a mall for an hour, and I'm so dead exhausted I have to go back to bed for an hour. But if I go to the gym and work out 10x harder than that, I feel fine? It's frustrating. I swear.

Yesterday, I lazed around and did very little after going to the gym. I did finish off the last of Freaks & Geeks, which depresses me. That show was so incredible. I can't understand how it didn't make it. I guess I'll just have to savor my 18 amazing episodes.

This week is over-scheduled again. UGH. I hate feeling like I don't have a minute to myself. PT three nights this week, Thursday/Friday I have doctor appts, and Wednesday night is my mom's jewelry party.

I am, however, looking forward to seeing Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D Friday night with Tanya and her boys. 3D has come a long way, baby. I saw the trailer for it when I did trailer checks on Hannah Montana in 3D, and it looked so awesome I squealed with glee. I can't wait. If nothing else, I'll get to see Brendan Fraser in 3D, and that will be enough. Yum.

posted by Karabou at 10:01 PM EST


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July 4, 2008
Clancy Brown and the Hancock LeBouef
Wednesday, Tanya and I spent all glorious afternoon at the pool. It was amazing outside. Afterwards, Kev and I had dinner with his parents. On the way home, My right foot started to itch, horribly. I had to take my shoe and sock off, and when I put some moisturizer on it, it started burning so bad I about lost my mind.

Evidently, I somehow failed to put adequate SPF on the tops of my feet and my knees. They were utterly roasted. I haven't been burned this bad in ten years. In desperation, I started googling sunburn remedies and came across dozens of people swearing by cider vinegar. I usually keep a gallon of it on hand, as I use it to wash out the cats' water bowl and run it through the washing machine to clean out any build-up from time to time.

First I bought some Solarcaine and used that while I was at work, but as soon as I got home, I doused my legs and feet with vinegar in the bathtub. It was a miracle. It instantly took the sting out, reduced the heat coming off, and reduced the redness. I rinsed, dried off, sprayed down with Solarcaine again, and I was good as new...well, close to it. When the Solarcaine dried, I started rubbing in Vitamin A & E cream, which helps tone down the itch. I'm repeating the routine twice a day, and so far, it's been amazing.

I'd never heard of vinegar for a sunburn before, but WOW does it work. I was afraid it would burn or something, being acidic, but it actually soothed it. Apparently, it's an old trick lifeguards used to use before the days of SPF. They'd come home and soak in a tub of vinegar. It's unbelievable how well it works.

I have to walk around smelling somewhat like a pickle, but it's worth it. I'm not going anywhere important this weekend anyway.
I was working on making this strawberry/Cool Whip dessert I saw on TV when I realized I forgot to buy Oreos. We had just went to the grocery, and I didn't feel like driving all the way back. So I chanced it at the Circle K down the street. What convenience store doesn't carry Oreos? Although I probably spent twice as much on them as I would have a single full package, it was convenient. The clerk looked like a brunette Clancy Brown, early 40s, right down to the little gap between his front teeth. He kept asking me if I was making dirt cake and telling me how much he loves Allrecipes.com. It was kind of weird.

I saw some trailers today:

Day the Earth Stood Still: It's amazing, but Keanu Reeves has managed to make it look boring. Okay, so maybe it's not amazing. I can only hope he's supposed to be the robot.

Eagle Eye: Shia-Lebouef-driven movie that doesn't look terribly promising.

Quantum of Solace: I'm super excited about it. It's going to rock!

And finally, I saw Hancock. No spoilers. But I really have no idea why this movie got panned by the critics. I enjoyed it, and had I paid for an evening ticket, I wouldn't have been disappointed. Check it out for yourselves; don't let the critics make up your mind about it

posted by Karabou at 10:43 PM EST


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July 3, 2008
Pickled Sunburn
Wednesday, Tanya and I spent all glorious afternoon at the pool. It was amazing outside. Afterwards, Kev and I had dinner with his parents. On the way home, My right foot started to itch, horribly. I had to take my shoe and sock off, and when I put some moisturizer on it, it started burning so bad I about lost my mind.

Evidently, I somehow failed to put adequate SPF on the tops of my feet and my knees. They were utterly roasted. I haven't been burned this bad in ten years. In desperation, I started googling sunburn remedies and came across dozens of people swearing by cider vinegar. I usually keep a gallon of it on hand, as I use it to wash out the cats' water bowl and run it through the washing machine to clean out any build-up from time to time.

First I bought some Solarcaine and used that while I was at work, but as soon as I got home, I doused my legs and feet with vinegar in the bathtub. It was a miracle. It instantly took the sting out, reduced the heat coming off, and reduced the redness. I rinsed, dried off, sprayed down with Solarcaine again, and I was good as new...well, close to it. When the Solarcaine dried, I started rubbing in Vitamin A & E cream, which helps tone down the itch. I'm repeating the routine twice a day, and so far, it's been amazing.

I'd never heard of vinegar for a sunburn before, but WOW does it work. I was afraid it would burn or something, being acidic, but it actually soothed it. Apparently, it's an old trick lifeguards used to use before the days of SPF. They'd come home and soak in a tub of vinegar. It's unbelievable how well it works.

I have to walk around smelling somewhat like a pickle, but it's worth it. I'm not going anywhere this weekend anyway.

posted by Karabou at 11:53 PM EST


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July 1, 2008
If you break my heart one more time, it’ll be the last heart you ever break I find it sad and shocking the trouble some of my old friends have gotten into since high school. One of them OD'd on heroin. Another fled to the west coast after being charged with drug possession for pot. "Boris" is in a Texas prison after getting caught dealing crack cocaine…and I believe it was his third strike. The list goes on, if I really felt like going into it.

But one of them really, truly breaks my heart to see how he ended up. We were really good friends, totally platonic. It was one of those rare opposite sex friendships that was truly just friendship. I stayed at his house frequently, usually with other friends. I hung out there several nights every week; I remember watching Beavis and Butthead and Ren & Stimpy for the first time at his house.

I went to one of his family reunions and stayed the night. We slept in the back of a pick-up truck on an old mattress, just joking around and laughing all night. It was an odd relationship between us. The likes of which I will likely not experience again, and it breaks my heart to see what a piece of crap he grew into. He wasn't like that when were teens, not in the least. He was a good guy. He cared. And then it just seemed to suddenly fall apart. I don't claim to understand it, but I know it was at least partially fueled by his burgeoning alcohol and drug use. His home life wasn't awesome, but I knew kids worse off who didn't commit the types of acts he has in adulthood.

I know "bad" kids that have turned their lives around and are now pretty successful. And conversely, I know "good" kids that turned out to be pretty awful. Guess the old cliché is true: Never judge a book by its cover.

posted by Karabou at 7:28 PM EST


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