More Cockle Warmers

Here are some more of my favorite sites.

Samarost

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-1/

Why? It’s an enchanting game/puzzle/story that presents a challenge to me, but doesn’t frustrate me to the point of quitting. (This is for oldsters only. It’s a doddle for anyone under 30.)

SciTech Daily

http://www.scitechdaily.com/

Why? It’s great site for recent science and technical articles. Updated daily.

Botany Photo of the Day

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/

Why? For the terrific pictures of plants from all over the world, usually photographed in situ.

The Brick Testament

http://www.thebricktestament.com/

Why? Need to brush up on your scripture? Visit The Brick Testament. You can read bible verses there that are never read out in church today. (I’m not counting Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptists.) The image that accompanies this post is from The Brick Testament.

Cornwall Cam

http://www.cornwallcam.co.uk/

Why? Because of Charles Winpenny’s photos of one of the loveliest places I’ve ever been. His site is updated almost daily and that’s how often I visit it. My only problem with this site is that it doesn’t render well in Firefox, so I have to use IE to see it.

Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/

Why? One of the best sites I know for debunking urban legends and emails about deadly ‘Pop Rocks’. Use it. Think of the bandwidth we’ll free up if we can eliminate some of the chain-mail hoaxes that litter the cybersphere!

Viral Email

If anyone out there has avoided being the recipient of a viral email, may your good fortune continue forever. But the rest of you, you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the semi-hysterical, semi-irrational messages that appear in your inbox everyday. Since these emails, almost without exception, urge the reader to forward them to everyone in their address book, you might receive two or three copies of the same email. (It’s happened to me, and when it does I forward my reply to everyone in my address book.)

There’s no end to the incredible variety of subjects these emails cover. Obama’s father was born on Mars! Disney World is the secret headquarters of the WTO. Mexicans have cooties! Rapists hide under your toilet seat. Adolf Hitler is alive and living with Michael Jackson. HIV was developed by white supremacist homophobes. HIV was developed by Communists. HIV was developed by Obama’s father. I mean, really!

It’s not that I wonder where all this is coming from. There have always been cock-eyed stories floating around about 12 foot alligators in the NYC sewer system, or about the babysitter who discovers that the “children are dead and the phone call is coming from inside the house”, or that there was a bloody hook hanging from the car door handle. But mostly everybody knew that they were crapola. What happened to make us so credulous? I know what happened. The ‘Forward’ button happened, that’s what!

Honestly, some of these viral emails are so comprehensively misleading that you would almost need to answer them line-by-line. That’s tedious for me and for the people that would be reading my reply. Still, that’s my job. I feel compelled to do it. But I urge all of you who may be tempted to forward anymore ‘Very Interesting’ items to me; Check with Snopes, check with Google, check with Wikipedia. Don’t rely on just one source. Be suspicious of emails that are confusingly or vaguely worded, that don’t cite reputable sources, that ramble from subject to subject, or draw conclusions from questionable or insufficient data. Most important; don't believe something just because it says what you want to hear.

The preceding paragraphs are for those people who mistakenly forwarded incorrect information in good faith. By that, I mean that you actually believed that what you were forwarding was true. I've made many mistakes myself and you have my sympathy. We'll do better in the future.

But for those of you who knowingly disseminate untruths, half-truths, whoppers, fibs and lies, simply because you want to do damage, you have my complete contempt. Appending a sentence about how you "don't know if this is true, but (you're) forwarding it anyway" will cut no ice with me.

- Maggie

I got one of THOSE emails today....

.....saying that Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat controlled Congress are responsible for the high price of gas. The image above (click for larger image) was part of my reply. Nancy and Harry are not among my favorite people in the world, precisely because they've done virtually nothing to oppose the current administration regarding foreign policy, energy policies, climate change and constitutional issues, but to give them all the credit for the oil debacle would be unfair.

This email also contained indignant allegations that Cuba and /or China will be allowed to drill for oil in areas that remain off-limits for oil-drilling to the U.S. As Rich Simon writes, " Yes, this sort of thing is insidious --it's self-replicating propaganda, designed to look like a "note from a friend of a friend".

These are easy to pop -- just look for who would be the financial beneficiary if one were to take the actions or adopt the positions therein proscribed.

It's pretty obvious in this one."

(I'll take a leap here and guess that, since the original email was directed at "oil company haters", it's Big Oil that wants this propaganda spread around like confetti.)

I replied with this:

Cheney Mistaken on China Drilling Oil in USA's Backyard
By By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press
CNSNews.com
June 13, 2008

Washington (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney's office acknowledged on Thursday that he was mistaken when he asserted that China, at Cuba's behest, is drilling for oil in waters 60 miles from the Florida coast.

In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Cheney said on Wednesday that waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, long off limits to oil companies, should be opened to drilling because China is already there pumping oil.

"Oil is being drilled right now 60 miles off the coast of Florida," the vice president said. "We're not doing it, the Chinese are, in cooperation with the Cuban government. Even the communists have figured out that a good answer to high prices is more supply."

He cited his source as columnist George Will, who last week wrote: "Drilling is under way 60 miles off Florida. The drilling is being done by China, in cooperation with Cuba, which is drilling closer to South Florida than U.S. companies are."

Congressional Democrats pounced on the vice president's remarks and were backed up by independent energy experts, who called the assertion hyperbole at best and a falsehood at worst.

Cheney's office said in a statement to The Associated Press that the vice president had erred.

"It is our understanding that, although Cuba has leased out exploration blocks 60 miles off the coast of southern Florida, which is closer than American firms are allowed to operate in that area, no Chinese firm is drilling there," according to the statement.

Cuba clearly is interested in developing its deep-water oil resources, estimated at more than 5 billion barrel, including areas within 60 miles of Key West, Fla., energy experts said.

Jorge Pinon, a senior energy fellow at the University of Miami specializing in Latin America, said Cuba has awarded offshore oil leases, or concessionary blocs, in its offshore waters to six oil companies -- none of them Chinese -- and soon may announce an agreement with Brazil's state oil company, Petrobras.

"But no one is currently drilling in any of those concessions," said Pinon in a telephone interview. Pinon, who supports drilling in the eastern Gulf and believes it can be done without hurting the environment, said China is being raised as an unnecessary "boogeyman" by drilling proponents.

"There is no actual drilling yet. ... There is exploration," said Johanna Mendelson-Forman, a senior fellow on energy and Latin America at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

She said China's oil company, Sinopac, has conducted exploratory drilling on a lease on land in western Cuba, but is not involved in the offshore development.

But talk of China drilling in waters within 50 miles to 60 miles of Key West has been a common theme among Republicans. They are clamoring to open more of the country's offshore waters to energy development, including the eastern Gulf where drilling is strongly opposed by Florida officials.

"China, thanks to a lease issued by Cuba, is drilling for oil just 50 miles from Florida's coast," Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif., recently wrote in The Modesto Bee in California, arguing for opening waters that have been off limits for 25 years to U.S. companies.

Radanovich's office said the congressman was in transit and not immediately available Thursday.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio, calling for more domestic oil production, declared, "right at this moment some 60 miles or less off the coast of Key West, Fla., China has the green light to drill for oil."

"Even China recognizes that oil and natural gas is readily available off our shores, thanks to Fidel Castro," complained Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a leader of a GOP energy task force.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., accused the Republicans of pushing oil development by "scaring up the ghosts of communism and xenophobia" and "perpetuating a myth that China is drilling off the coast of Florida."

Anyway, I promised that I'd post this in the blog, since I wouldn't want anyone else to be taken in by this spurious email. I'll publish something more colorful later.

- Maggie

Don't Make Me Take Out My Samurai Sword, John!

I wrote to my congressman (John Hall, Democrat, of the 'Fightin' Nineteenth, as Stephen Colbert would say) and asked him his position on the Articles of Impeachment that Dennis Kucinich presented to Congress on June 10th, and why there was no mention of it on the front page of his website, which is quite up-to-date otherwise. I told him that I sincerely hoped that I would receive a relevant reply to my letter. If I don't hear from him shortly, I'll write again. This evening, I'm going to write to Senators Schumer and Clinton. (After I inspect their websites.)

RE: The floating feet! Clearly, those feet are only showing up because they're encased in big puffy sneakers that float. Granted, a lot of people wear shoes like that on a daily basis, but other people wear regular leather shoes that wouldn't float. Can you imagine how many other feet there are out there, that we'll never even know about? I wonder if all the feet were at the same level of decomposition or if some are fresher than others? I hope this mystery gets solved. I'd hate never to know why this is happening.

I'm thinking of mowing my lawn. It's a good day for it. Partly sunny and in the mid 70's. But boy, I just don't feel like it. I've only got about a hundred pages left on the book I'm reading: I could finish it and then mow the lawn in the evening. Yup! That's what I'm going to do.

- Constant Reader

Aside from the foot issue...

...I can't think of anything to write. I did go to the waterfront yesterday to take some pictures. There's one right here...its a great blue heron and it was standing not far from the dock at the Silver Cloud.

Here's another. Across the way there you see the entry to Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island as seen from the dock at the Silver Cloud in Tacoma, Wa. It was a cloudy morning as it is today and kind of hard to get an impressive shot.

I worked last night and I'll work tonite again and then I get the weekend off. I'm so ready to begin working on a per diem basis; I'll probably work quite a lot but at least I'll be picking the days and nights that I do work. I can bunch them all up at the beginning of the month and then take 2 weeks off if I want!! I can read books and watch movies and play with the cat without trying to fit in a nap--unless I want to. Only five more shifts of someone else's choosing.

Hooray.

(I could've gone on at some length about the feet--its like some bizarre horror movie...picture it: Sailing peacefully through the islands and having these feet come bobbing along like a flock of ducks! All wearing shoes, but none of these feet belongs to the other--lonely feet. Well, its just too crazy to go on about at so I'll stop and simply hope that someday the mystery is solved. I neeed to know [I meant to put the 3 e's in there].)

More pictures tomorrow.

I Want a Pair of These!

And I have two very good reasons for wanting them. First, if I wear long pants, I won't have to take my shoes off at the airport security point. Second, if I'm flying to see you.....well, you guys are the ones with all those disarticulated feet coming ashore. (We're up to six now, right?) If I come to the PNW with four feet, I might return to NY with at least two.

- Maggie

..Afoot! I know. I almost called you about that foot last night...

....but I was waiting for more information. Left or right? Adidas or Manolo Blahniks? What IS it with the PNW? I don't believe in Ley lines, but there is something drawing all the nuts to your neck of the woods.

Run! Run while you still have feet to run with!

- Maggie

Happy Feet?

FIFTH FOOT RISES TO THE SURFACE IN B.C.

THIS ONE WEARING A SHOE.

A LEFT FOOT.

THE GAME'S....

West Country Idyll

It's a good thing that you put that picture of yourself up there, because I was going to do it. Now I can put up the picture I took while hanging off the bridge over the Abbey Basin in Penzance. And I hardly fiddled with it at all. I adjusted the color balance a little and removed a piece of trash that was floating in the water, but that's all.

I just wish I'd had my camera handy when Bronwyn's son buzzed us in his helicopter! That was great. Amongst the many rocks that are on my desk, I have a very old piece of cement that I picked up when we walked down to the sheep pen. What a lovely day that was. Remember that huge eucalyptus that they had? I'd never seen one in real life, outside of the NY Botanical Gardens.

So I hear that the House Judiciary Democrats have suggested they may accept a compromise in which Karl Rove would be interviewed in private, without being under oath, about the politicization of the Justice Department. Isn't that just dandy? The Republicans make the Justice Department their own personal franchise, and no one has to answer for it. Or, if they do have to answer for it, they don't have to risk perjuring themselves when they lie about it. Anyway, why bother? They subpoena Rove, they subpoena Harriet Miers, and our President tells them to ignore the subpoenas. Maybe that was covered by one of the 44,000 signing statements that George scribbled all over any new legislation that crossed his desk. (On the other 43,999, he just wrote, "You're not the boss of ME! Nyaaaah, nyaaaah....) I wish he'd run out of crayons already!

Geez!

- Maggie

Speaking for me

Hermana can speak for me anytime:

"I don't want to speak for your mother, but I think she'd agree with me on this point. We're not going to lay down and roll over for criminals who think our Constitution is "just a goddamned piece of paper"! George Bush said that. The man who vowed to "protect, preserve and defend " the Constitution said that! George Bush wants us to be scared of him; scared that we might end up on an enemies list if we say or do or think the wrong things. Scared to buy the 'wrong' books or belong to the 'wrong' organizations. He wants us to spy on our neighbors and report 'suspicious' activity. He wants to hold secret trials for people who violate secret laws. Well, he can kiss my blatantly Socialist, Feminist, Atheist ass. There comes a time when you have to stand up. Here I stand."

Here's a photo Hermana took while we were in Cornwall. I just found these photos and as I look at them I think about why we went and how we felt and the suprising things we came upon. It was great. When we get together we always gravitiate to earth and ocean. We always go to the edge. Maybe now we jump in.

I'm not a soapbox sort of person so this blog is a more or less comfortable place for me to put my toes in the water--it may never get to be any more than this. But for now, here I stand as well.

(C)update (Thirty Seven Days!) and BushGate

(Photo update only. Click for larger images. If it doesn't work the first time, hit your 'back' button and click on the photo again.)

It's not really rage, Cat. It's indignation, disbelief and, finally, determination. We've lived through something like this before. Long before you were born, there was Vietnam, an unwinnable and torturous 'police action' which stretched on for years and years. Because a military draft had been instituted for young men, there were protests and riots on college campuses and in government buildings. In 1970, the National Guard was called upon to keep order during an anti-war protest at Kent State University in Ohio. They ended up shooting 13 students, killing four of them.

The American people were lied to. During the time that we were fighting the North Vietnamese, we were also waging secret wars in Cambodia and Laos. I know that history repeats itself, and, since we never learn the lessons history teaches us, it repeats itself over and over! But for this to happen again, in our lifetimes, is like a bad dream. And some of the very people who colluded with the Nixon/Ford administration have helped orchestrate our invasion of Iraq.

Nixon didn't get us into the war in Vietnam; we were already there when he took office. But he used White House staff and resources to secretly spy on the Democratic National Committee, in hopes of consolidating GOP power by sabotaging the Democrats. He encouraged secret wiretaps and he obstructed justice by withholding and destroying evidence. Eventually, his Vice President faced criminal charges and was forced from office, his attorney general and chief of staff were in disgrace, and the President himself would have faced impeachment if he had not resigned. (He evaded criminal charges because Gerald Ford, the man Nixon had chosen to replace Vice-President Agnew, pardoned him. If it seems like they were making up their own laws, they were.) For your mom and I, it's deja vu, all over again.

Anyway, from what you say, you are doing something about it. You're staying informed, you're writing letters and you're getting out there to vote. If more people do what you're doing, we may be able to clamber out of this pit that we're in.

I don't want to speak for your mother, but I think she'd agree with me on this point. We're not going to lay down and roll over for criminals who think our Constitution is "just a goddamned piece of paper"! George Bush said that. The man who vowed to "protect, preserve and defend " the Constitution said that! George Bush wants us to be scared of him; scared that we might end up on an enemies list if we say or do or think the wrong things. Scared to buy the 'wrong' books or belong to the 'wrong' organizations. He wants us to spy on our neighbors and report 'suspicious' activity. He wants to hold secret trials for people who violate secret laws. Well, he can kiss my blatantly Socialist, Feminist, Atheist ass. There comes a time when you have to stand up. Here I stand.

- Maggie

Hello, Angry!

Wow, there is a lot of political rage on this blog. It makes me feel so detached. While I find Dick and his Georgelings absolutely out-of-hand, I just can't think of a thing to do about it. I voted. That didn't help. I send hate mail to my senator about Gitmo, but that doesn't help either. At least I stay informed, which is more than I can say for most people my age. Any age, really.
So I just got home from work. It was outrageously busy. Chris is snoring away on the couch and Jake called a bit ago. He is in Salt Lake at the HQ of what will hopefully be his new workplace. He said he would call me when he knew more tomorrow and that Salt Lake is very beautiful.
This coming weekend I will be away in Portland for a bachelorette party. I've got a really good song stuck in my head. I am eating some apple and contemplating how I will ever get to sleep. At least is was gorgeous outside today. I slept through most of the sun but I had happy thoughts about the state of my tomato plants whenever I cracked an eye to look outside.
Maggie, I took your advice and moved my African violets to my south facing windows. They are absolutely full of flowers now and I smile whenever I go into the kitchen. There they sit in all their purpleness.
I started the mural! Just sketched it all out so far and I didn't take any pictures because pencil on wall does not show up well. But it looks good and most importantly the owner really liked it. I love you, Catherine

Are you shittin' me, Pyle???

If you've got time to sleep, you've got time to post. You can sleep after June 28th.

You've no idea how I look forward to new posts. You know, it's funny but I was planning a 'Pet Peeves' post just before I saw yours. My pet peeves weren't going to be as global as yours. They were going to be more like; Why do the skunks keep digging up my cone flowers? Why is there so much bird poop on my car? Those are the sort of peeves I was going to write about. Maybe I still will.....

Sleeping Woman

I did a Google search for pictures of sleeping women. I needed a zaftig woman with gray hair but no luck--this is the best I could do. Pablo's not too shabby but I was disappointed that, apparently, no one wants to see a gray-haired zaftig woman sleeping.
Anyway I'll probably be sleeping for the next few days. No one will be watching.

Pursuing Pet Peeves

I firmly believe that if we instituted a military draft for all able-bodied citizens, we'd see a lot more interest in a thorough investigation of this iniquitous and lawless administration. We'd also see a little more action at the voting booths.

- Maggie

Sites That Warm My Cockles.

Dr Ian West’s site dedicated to the geology of the Wessex Coast of England.

http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/index.htm

Why? Because I’ve always been interested in geology, particularly sedimentology. This extremely comprehensive site can fill an entire evening for me. WanderingL and I have even visited some of the places he’s studied. (I’m such a creep that I brought a really big hat with me and made my elder(ly) sister use it to carry all the rocks and fossils I collected. Sucker!)

The image above is an aerial photo of Chesil Beach, a tombolo that connects the Isle of Portland to the mainland at Weymouth. The picture is from Dr West's site and you really need to click on it to get the full effect. On the day my sister and I were there, there was such an onshore wind blowing that the spindrift was as high as the island beyond.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

http://houseoffame.blogspot.com/

Why? It’s just a total hoot. The most hilarious items are the movie reviews, but the bits about his ‘wyffe’ and his ‘werke’ are also worthy of a change of underwear. I actually purchased several of his T-shirts, one of which reads, “Ich Pwne Noobs” Don’t miss it!

Scorp10n Bowl

http://scorpionbowl.blogspot.com/

Why? It’s a great Left Coast blog by Rich Simon. (very refreshing to a ‘Blue’ woman, trapped in a bright Red county in the suburbs of New York City.) Unlike so many other political bloggers, he doesn’t rant or spin or froth at the mouth. (As I am wont to do.) He provides actual facts and figures to back his conclusions. If you catch him on a really good day, you might get a little poetry or literature thrown in there too. I don’t visit this site as often as you should, because I get it delivered to my inbox, fresh out of the oven.

Said the Gramophone

http://www.saidthegramophone.com/

Why? There are scads of MP3 blogs out there, and a lot of them are really good. This is my favorite. It’s an interesting blend of all things musical. You never know what you’ll find there. A good site to get lost on.

Wayne’s Word – An On-line Textbook of Natural History.

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/worthypl.htm

Why? If you have any interest at all in botany/biology, this site will keep you reading long enough for your butt to fall asleep. It’s written with enthusiasm, and is clearly understandable to the casual reader. It’s a treasure trove of information. Read it and learn.

Arts & Letters Daily

http://www.aldaily.com/

Why? It’s a well-chosen variety of articles on diverse subjects from reputable sources. It’ll keep you up-to-date on politics, philosophy, literature, theater and all manner of other subjects. If you want to converse intelligently at parties, read ‘Arts & Letters Daily’.

Robert Krampf’s Science Videos

http://www.krampf.com/experiment_vid.html

Why? If you like ‘Mythbusters’, you’ll like Robert Krampf. His videos are often messy, sometimes explosive, always interesting. A good site for kids, but adults will like it too. (Editor's Note: This is a 'Pay' site, but it's got plenty of free stuff to watch and read.)

I’ve got lots more, but my fingers are tired. Anyway, I have a (C)update to publish, so I’ve got to go and scrape the barnacles from the hull.

-Maggie

Pet peeves

That was them. I'm finished for a while now.
Thanks for listening.

And...

Attention, young people of the America and the world.

Who do you suppose is profiting from all the alcohol and cigarettes you consume?

Who makes money because you get stoned?

Keeping you stupid and-self involved is a money-maker for plenty of folks.

Here's what they look like.

Throw money at them!!

Americans don't have to ante up for anything. There's a war on, we are billions of dollars in debt but nobody's going to complain because there's no sacrifice involved.

Bush and Co. obviously know that appealing to our baser instincts will keep us quiet. No draft. No taxes. "psst...let's send them all $600.00...that will keep them sucking their thumbs"

I'm surprised we even have thumbs.

But raise the gas prices--we can spread that blame all around.

Somebody must be well-invested in oil.

Death to all Tyrants!

Yahoo Yippity! When you throw caution to the winds you absolutely put it into orbit! Good for you!! That'll put paid to all the folks who thought I was the only smart-aleck in the family.

I think I spotted myself in that flock of sheep. I'm the one carrying the liter bottle with exactly three ounces of seltzer left in it. Or better yet, three ounces of duckweed. Brainiac (Rich Simon) has clued me in that if I cultivate enough of it, I can use it to produce hydrogen for fuel cells. I'd have to expand my operation to make it a going concern. Think of all the 30 cc syringes I'd need. Speaking of Brainiac, he's now trumped me in all my strong areas; Literature, Music, Geology (Who knew there was oil under Burma except Rich Simon and the Federal Department of Exxon/Mobil?), Geography, World History and now, Freshwater Biology. My only solace is that NOBODY beats me at Yahtzee! (Best 5 out of 7 games.) (Bugger! Best 4 out of 7 games.)

I wrote to this guy today (Editor's Note: The ensuing comment by Jim Maggiore is particularly damning.) who seems not have the proper spirit concerning impeachment. He thinks the effort is doomed to failure and offers this as a crumb of hope. "However, having the Judiciary Committee hold the hearings might at least document the criminality of the Bush Administration in a coherent manner." Maybe he's right, but I don't think we should lay down just because Nancy Pelosi is afraid that impeachment hearings might mess up the seemingly favorable staus quo for the Dems. (By the way, Ms. Pelosi needs a much heavier gavel and voice lessons from Jesse 'The Body' Ventura.)

Notice how I revived the Western Theme that you used to such good advantage? It took me awhile to find that. But I've been cooking for the Ethnic Club today, so I've had planty of time to fart around while the sauce was reducing. (It stuck to the bottom of the pot a little, but it was only very dark brown - not blackened - so....)

To Whom it May Concern: Fritz the Cat! And I didn't even look it up. It came to me, as in a dream. (Was Coleridge high when he wrote 'Kubla Khan', or just sleepy? I can't remember. I do remember that the guy who figured out the molecular structure of benzene did so in a dream. He was probably suffering from benzene toxicity, which gave him nightmares.)

- Maggie

Waiting at the Airport

Serial Killers

Where's GWB and his crew?

The results of their actions have been killing people since we invaded Iraq.

Impeachment is too good for them but its all we've got.

Probably, if he had a swastika tattooed on his forehead we'd see more action impeachment-wise.

But GWB looks like a pansy.

"...lips like a chicken's ass" as an old acquaintance of mine used to say.

Just a few of the articles of impeachment:



Article II Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.

Article III Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.

Article IV Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of H. J. Res114.Article

VII Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Is it true that the USA is a republic of laws and not of men? Men and women colluded to manipulate the grief and fear of America--to break laws, to take away the rights of Americans and to send troops into battle.

Six years later Americans have not taken action to correct this. We are sheep. And we all know what happens to them.

Here They Are!

The 3rd one from the left must be Wallis Simpson, the Dutchess of Windsor. In fact, it was this very photo that incurred the wrath of the Royal Family. After this was published, the Royals were going to make Wallis call herself the Dutchess of Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, except they didn't want to advertise their own German roots.

The woman next to her (the one with the triangular hair) possesses the biggest surfboard in all the world! During the winter months, she's an ice trucker, and uses her board as a plow to clear the way for all the other trucks. She's related, by marriage, to Larry Fine.

I'm feeling very creepy today. A sense of bad things to come is haunting me. I get a lot of days like that, and the feeling has never actually presaged doom and disaster, as far as I can remember. But just having the feeling is bad. I don't like it. At first, I thought it was because M. Night Shyamalan has a new movie opening. And after 'Lady in the Water' with all it's squinks, narfs and twerps, I don't think I'm up to any more of his cinematic jiggery-pokery. But the Times gave it a half-hearted 'thumbs up', so it can't be that.

If growing duckweed were profitable, I could make a fortune. It's almost time for another (C)update, so I'll have to get in there and scoop some of it out.

It looks like the media aren't really jumping all over these articles of impeachment. It's cause they're not lurid enough. Dennis should have included pictures of Miley Cyrus and photocopies of Cindy McCain's tax returns. That would get some attention. What was it that Gene Wilder said to Sheriff Bart (Cleavon Little) in 'Blazing Saddles'? It was something like, "These people are the common clay, the salt of the earth. You know......... Morons!"

I despair. I wish I were a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas. But 'Ghost Whisperer' goes on tonight, so I'll have to put that off for another day.

- Maggie

Oh, Where are the Girls of Yesteryear?

...it seems we're pushing 60...

In this picture of the Hatchling I can see her as she was in 1967--with that glint in her eye.

She'll be retiring this time next year.

Yes, it only seems a moment ago that we were young but you know we've aged -- all of us--very brilliantly. We don't mince words, or take crap, or care what the world thinks.

Ride'em Bloggers!

Cool, cool, cool!!

Love that Rich Simon.

Love that Hermana, Maggie-girl.

Yes! We are bloggin' with gas!

Cat, I'm so glad you listen to the BBC and NPR!

It's 'cause you was brung up rightly! Watching 'Sisbert & Eagle' and "Red Dwarf', playing the kazoo, eating 'crisis' peanuts and making your 'trucker' face; it all made you the fine woman you are today. Anyway, absent "The Daily Show' there is no actual news broadcast on any of my 314,159 channels. It's not JUST that USAer's don't care about the rest of the world, it's that they are fearfully ignorant about it.

Which is sad. For a long time now, the US has assumed the role of 'Top Dog'. We issue edicts, we send our battleships into other people's waters, we build army and air force bases all over the world. (I understand that the rest of the world has been partly complicit in this, but if anyone else tried it with us, we would be horrified!) The entire human population has a vested interest in what we're going to do next. Being subject to our might, they probably feel a little disenfranchised. If all the people in the world could vote in the November presidential election, Barack Obama would win by a landslide. You wouldn't know this if you just watched CNN.

Watching CNN gives me a headache. They should ditch all those screens and colors and crawl bars and insets. Makes me feel like a character in 'Blade Runner'. So does GAS TV. Do you guys have those gas pumps out there? The ones that have screens in them that talk to you and try to get you to buy beef jerky and squishees? It's eerie, especially if you fill up at the center pump, because the voices, the faces, with their big, white teeth, are all around you.

I couldn't find an image pertinent to this post, so I chose this one by David Hockney. I like a lot of his stuff, but this one is my favorite.

-Maggie

I Hijacked Rich Simon's Blog

You can see the real thing here. http://scorpionbowl.blogspot.com/

You can read the full text of The Articles of Impeachment here: http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=93581


Dear Rich,

Dennis Kucinich would have been my choice for President. I knew that he had virtually no chance to be nominated by the Democrats, but I was still sorely disappointed when he withdrew. I wish that, when the time comes to cast my vote, I could vote for Obama, adding the caveat that I only do so because Kucinich isn't on the ballot. As a matter of fact, I think that I'm going to put your whole email on the blog today. I chastised my sister for one of her posts, which was largely the text of an interesting article she had read. (With proper attribution, of course.) And now I'm going to do the same bad thing.

Regarding impeachment; there are wrongs that must be righted. An accounting must be made. Impeachment is more than in order and I look forward to seeing it proceed. If criminals are not prosecuted, if public officials can escape the consequences of their misconduct, then we will have proven that we deserve whatever unprincipled government that manages to wangle it's way into power. - Maggie

"RICHARD B. SIMON" wrote:Scorp10n BowlJune 11, 2008


Impeachment Is On The Table
Richard B. Simon June 11, 2008


Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, perhaps one of few honest men in Congress, has introduced articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush.

They are exhaustive -- a stunning indictment of this man, and this presidency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on taking the speakership in 2006, announced that impeachment was "off the table" -- a position this page has likened to a new sheriff riding into a lawless town and announcing, don't worry, nobody's going to jail under my watch.Pelosi has argued (and indeed, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer argues today) that impeachment would be a distraction for the country, and would detract from House business that the Democratic leadership believes is more pressing.

More likely, they are concerned that impeachment proceedings against Bush will re-galvanize the right and jeopardize their party's chances of increasing their majorities in the House and Senate -- and taking the White House.

They apparently are taking, as example, the impeachment for perjury of President Clinton, whose approval ratings at the time were around 70%, and how it galvanized the American people against the Republican Congress that pursued it.

No doubt, Americans will find it more pleasant to have Barack Obama on the front pages day to day, with a positive, upbeat message than a potentially nasty and divisive dredging up of this Administration's crimes, and recriminations flying back and forth between the Republicans who gave every Bush policy their hearty approval, and Democrats, who -- in the face of Bush's artificial, post-9/11 popularity surge -- caved, on everything. Lest they be branded cowards.

But there is legal precedent to consider.

It may be an ugly reality to face months of impeachment, of the second Presidential Administration in a row -- but the key lesson from the recent past may well be that Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon led directly to Cheney (and Rumsfeld, both being creatures of the White House in that dark time) believing that in the wake of Nixon's criminal behavior, some grievous injury had been done to the Presidency.

That was not because Nixon had broken laws, but because the Congress responded to Nixon's lawbreaking by tightening restrictions on what the President could and could not do (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, for example, which prohibited domestic spying without a warrant).

Nixon was never tried, never convicted -- and was pardoned. He was, therefore, not a criminal. Cheney carried that lesson for thirty years, plotting -- and eventually achieving -- the return of the Imperial Presidency. He knew there would be no consequences, even if he shot the moon and failed.

But if this precedent stands, what will be its next iteration? Will it be benevolent dictatorship, or will it be more malign, as the actions of the Bush Administration are far worse perversions than the sins of the Nixon White House?

The more recent lesson, which Congressional Republicans will certainly take from our time, is that by impeaching a Democratic President for misdemeanors, they inured the next Republican President against impeachment for high crimes. That is a lesson we can afford neither party to rest smugly assured in having learned.

This was once, famously, a nation of laws, not of men.

Bush and company have held themselves above the law. They have forced interpretations of law that excluded their own behavior from consideration of wrongdoing, and even scribbled notes on the backs of new laws stating, essentially, I reserve the right to not obey this law.He has changed the legal precedent -- indeed the very founding moral and philosophical core of this country -- to one in which the President is King, accountable to no one, and to no law.But John McCain, who would be the next President, has already asserted that, if he is President, the Bushist prerogative to violate FISA and listen to our phone calls, and read our email -- likely this email -- without warrant, will stand.

If that precedent stands, this nation walks crippled into the future.

It may be sad to muddy this glowing moment, in which the winds of change blow clear and crisp from off the Pacific, and begin to cleanse the continent of its decade-long illness.But while a new President may be the treatment for these years of lawlessness, impeachment is the cure.





"The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist more money or more power." -Henry Wallace, Vice President of the United States, April 9, 1944



"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four.If that is granted, all else follows."-George Orwell

I could not sleep at all last night. I woke up every two hours or so before I finally decided to pack it in. Glad I don't work today. Also, it was still kind of restful. I laid and looked out the window while listening to my Ipod, which is probably my favorite thing to do. I also listened to the BBC on my clock radio. Said clock radio is Chris' and he has had that thing since 1988. We have gotten new clock radios to replace it (because it seriously looks just like the clock from Groundhogs Day) but they never work as good. So, every night I set its creaky old buttons and then listen to NPR before I go to sleep. Yes, Mom, it is true that I keep the clock in bed with me. Sometimes we don't hear the alarm because the duvet muffles the sound.

I am off to buy some beads in a little while to finish up a project. Then I am watching Euro 2008 soccer (real football) until around 2pm. Then I will get back out there and exercise because I have to be in a bridesmaids dress in front of 200 people in two months. Better start early. It's a nice dress though. This is it below. Same color and every thing. I will make some jewelry to go with it.

Mom and I went to see The Visitor last night. What a spectacular film. The actor who played the main part of Walter was brilliant. Such an understated and quiet film that managed to convey a stronger message than any other film I have seen in a long time. I think it was partly why I could not sleep. Not in a bad way, just in a contemplative way. I just felt thoughtful all night.

I start the mural on Friday. I have got Mom's digital camera to document the process. I'm nervous.

Mom, if you have not gotten the Anthony Bourdain Vietnam episode (Mr. Sang's Island) go get it right now. I just saw the rerun last night and it is one of those AB episodes that has all the things you want lined up in a perfect snarky row. One of the best episodes I have seen.

On the issue of belief, I never believe something until I look it up myself. Over time, from listening to the news and from listening to co-workers, I have come to understand there is an element of propaganda in everything I hear. Mild or not. Intentional or not. It is always there. That extra hype a person/news show gives information to make it more interesting or surprising. Ick. So, I think "Yeah, right." Then I go get on the Internet and look it up my damn self and find out half of what I was told was rubbish. You can't go look up God, though. You'd be on the Internet for the rest of your life. I don't have that kind of time, so I read some books on religion and found out several major religions were originated from powerful men wishing to subjugate the populous for tithes. Not surprising. This has diminished the idea of religion for me. Also diminishing the idea of religion for me is that most non-religious people I know are much better in heart and spirit then the religious, just like Kurt said. Religious people need to work on that whole single-mindedness thing. It isn't good.

Lastly, I have always felt that when I believe in something, it is less likely to be true. Just because I believed in it. I cannot get rid of this superstitious niggling that to believe in something is to curse it.

Words Do Not Do Me Justice.

So, I was driving Kurt home from the Ethnic Club the other night and we were talking about a particular member's very bad behavior. Actually, hypocritical behavior, since this member is tireless in proclaiming the status of a devout Roman Catholic.

I've actually been the target of evangelical attempts by this member, who says "We've got to make you a Christian!" At which time, I explained to him the whole deal about how I was raised in a Catholic household, received all the sacraments in a timely manner, was whacked by nuns and assigned penance by priests, but that it just didn't take. I'm not a believer, I'll never be a believer, I am missing whatever it takes to believe. (Kurt IS a believer, a man who's stubbornness is exceeded only by the depth of his conscience.)

Anyway, in discussing this person's iniquity, Kurt said to me , "You're a better Christian than that ass!" While I didn't want to disown the compliment, I said, "It doesn't take being a Christian to know what's right or wrong. There are Hindus that would agree with you about this person's behavior. There are Jews who would agree with you. I agree with you, and I'm a 'nothing'. Kurt said, "You're not a 'nothing'. You're an Atheist, aren't you?"

Well, I guess that's part of what I am. I just think the label draws too tight a circle. I think that my disbelief is bigger than that. (Bigger than God. I sound like John Lennon!) I mean, I don't believe in phrenology or reading chicken entrails to predict the future. I don't believe in Bigfoot or leprechauns. None of those things are associated with a belief or disbelief in any gods.

So I wonder if there's a word that describes my non-belief. I suppose 'non-believer' would be a candidate. 'Secularist' certainly might apply, since the thought of theology informing government policy gives me the creeps. I don't like 'Humanist' since it leaves out everybody else on the planet, which is rather selfish. 'Skeptic' seems to come closest, since I'm skeptical of things that aren't self-evident, ie: There are snails on my desk. Yes, there are snails on my desk.. There are potatoes in my kitchen that are so old they're growing roots and leaves! No argument there. "There is a divinity that shapes our ends." Yeah? Prove it, Shakespeare! (And you know how fond I am of the old Bard.)

I like to think that I am at the 'default' position. The un-indoctrinated 'start point' for a neolithic brain living in a highly technological society. Anyway, whatever label one chooses for oneself will be defined differently by anyone who hears it. Labels confine. 'Nothingness' frees. I am a wide-open nothing, ready to consider reason, evidence and experience.

- Maggie (Hermana)

Oh no!!!

So, I post a 'heavy' message. And then I have to read ol' Hermana's heavy and literate and well-thought out post. Rats. I must still be tired.

But you're right about Hilary. She steamed me bad--she lied and when she didn't lie she shaded the truth. I shade the truth as well but I'm not running for present.

Too bad about the heat wave. It's wet here and the rumor is we're not going to HAVE summer this year. Its been warm for about 5 days---otherwise its been cool and gray and damp and wet.
Isn't it great to be blogging again? I'm going to take lots of pictures this week coming up and post them all. I'm also going to post my hopes for retirement--what I'll do and not do. How I'll keep thinking and learning and not being depressed as the weeks go by. I want to make good use of my retirement. I want to rest and read and take photos and see the kids and lie on Catherine's sofa and have her make me dinner and play with the cat. And I want to avoid getting dull and stupid. Hence the blog.
I can't get stupid when I have Hermana reading my stuff.

I'm Back!!

Good Morning, Bloggers. My last day at work is coming up. Saturday June 28th I'll be out of work. I'm not too nervous about it and I think that's because I don't like to take care of people anymore. I don't like it so much that retiring early and being poor is going to be much healthier for me than continuing on and trying to get a bigger pension.

I'll work perdiem somewhere and make just enough to keep me in the black.

I can't wait until June 28th.

Saturday night we went up to Seattle to hear Anthony Bourdain expound. It was great to see him and hear him in person. When he walked out onto the stage we felt as if we knew him and he was one of us. He was interesting and informative and funny but the talk kind of stayed on the surface of his experience. When he went to questions from the audience people only asked him about what portion of the pig he likes best and what's his latest take of Rachel Ray.

One audience member did ask where Anthony Bourdain thought Americans were on the humanity continuum now that he'd been out among the other cultures in the world. He said he thought our country was pretty good seeing as how we can still travel and speak our minds but he thought more Americans should have passports and get out there and travel and see what the world is like for themselves.

I second that but its very expensive to travel these days if you're not getting compensated for it and its uncomfortable to travel especially by air. Not just the seats but the packing and unpacking and being searched and scanned and poofed-at and having your sewing scissors confiscated.

Also, these days our rights are being pared down, we're being watched and listened to--most of us just expect to be watched and listened to. I was afraid to post my affinity for Sam Harris on this blog but I did, of course. There are other things I'm afraid to say but I'll probably get over it and say them as well.

Anyway--more heavy stuff next time. Today I'm just being glad to be ALMOST semi-retired. Ain't life grand...for me?

As much as I hate to admit it.....

.....It's NEVER lupus! In my case, it's old age and pig-headedness. It seems that my 'banishment' from Blogger wasn't anybody's fault but my own. I persisted in logging on with the wrong name. Woe is me. I am a feeb.
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From MoDo's column in the NYTimes today; (Jean) “Houston felt at one point that being Hillary was like being Mozart with his hands cut off, unable to play,” Bob Woodward wrote. “She felt that the first lady was going through a female crucifixion.” I just don't buy this. Clinton could very well have won in the Democratic primaries if she hadn't pissed people off (like ME, for instance) by enabling Bush to start the second (oops, third) Hundred Years War and to pick apart the Constitution all at the same time. She has the confidence, toughness and grit needed to be President. What she doesn't have (seemingly) is any perception that we're engaged in an unlawful and immoral war, or that our personal liberties, which we all shamefully took for granted, have been trodden and spat upon. I don't know if I've got this quote right but "is life so dear, is peace so sweet, as to be bought at the price of chains and slavery?" She should have demanded that we give diplomacy a chance before letting the NeoCons frighten us into craven submission. She should have forcefully opposed any legislation that allowed the empowered to tap our phones, read our mail and suspend our civil rights in the name of 'Homeland Security'! THAT would have been the gutsy course. THAT would have proven that she had as much testosterone as the boys. That's why I would have voted for her.
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Will she be VP? That was a lovely speech she gave, throwing her support behind Obama. Maybe it would be smart of him to bring her aboard. (I'm not advocating that he do that, I'm only speculating that it might swing him enough votes to win in November.) John McCain has an advantage in that he would bring more to the Presidency, as he suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. (Three! Three! Three Presidents in One!)
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I ordered fifteen books from Amazon the other day. Am I insane? I can't even remember which ones I ordered, although I know that all the mysteries are set in cold, stark and lonely places. Oh, I tell a lie. I did order a new Charles Todd, which is tres anglais, although distant in time, taking place after World War One.
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I'm glad to be blogging again. It'll give me something to do during the 5 day heatwave that's been forecast. We're on Day Two now and I'm already really sick of it. I'll have to go out this evening when the sun goes down and try to save some of my plants.

Testing....

Just wanted to see if I could post. I guess the blog loves me. But what can I say? I get that every where. Jake should be down to visit soon. Only one and a half days before seeing Anthony Bourdain!

Things creep through.

I do remember the botanical gardens very well. I also remember you teaching me how to braid the long grass at one of Kurt's softball games. I remember the first time you made me listen to Rhiannon on your stereo and how I still love that song. I remember you and I at a bookstore and you waving The Color Purple in my face and saying "You haven't read this? I'm buying it for you right now!" Or you telling me to always ring out the sponge so it didn't get nasty and us watching Red Dwarf while Kurt was out at the club. When I was at Carrie's house the other day, I was waiting in the living room and on the mantle were all these Hummel figurines. I thought about how I used to count Louise's Hummel's every time we went there. Carrie's mom had the fisherman Hummel, but the pole was broken off. But I knew there should have been a shoe hanging from the little boy's fishing pole and I was suddenly so sad. It is funny that even though a childhood can be so difficult, you can feel so powerfully about those days gone by. How's all that for deep thoughts? Maybe not that deep, but true anyway.

It DOES look like a beer helmet!

Regarding the Bio Tanks; I noticed that it looked oddly familiar in the picture I posted on the blog. (You don't see the resemblance when you're sitting here, looking at it in 3D.) But it isn't complicated. Aside from squirting air into them a few times a day, I just drop in a dollop of pond goop every week or so. I don't know who's eating what, but they're all still alive in there.

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The 2nd picture (above) is by Alex Thomas of SwanCam. He stopped posting a few years ago and I really miss him. The 1st picture is my rendition. I decided to 'Van Gogh' it. (Click for full-size images.)

- Maggie

Various

I love the biocup but it does look complicated. I'm having trouble keeping my ferns alive--here in the PNW! But its raining today and its kind of nice--listening to the rain. Its warmish and comfortable otherwise.

Yes, Cat, come and get my camera--or I can give it to you over the weekend. I want to see the progress on your mural--post the pictures here.

Mag, do you remember going into this shop? Another picture from Chas. Winpenny.

Stop. Jungle time.

Well, well. I actually got a Rousseau book out from the library looking for inspiration, but I need actual photos. Found a good book for that. I am painting a jungle on the wall of a co-workers 5 year old son's room. I have it all laid out in a sketch, trees and foliage on either side with a vine across the top, monkey's swinging around. Gecko, snake, frog and toucan will also be making an appearance, at least until I run out of paint. Tentatively sched. to start next week. Actually getting bored with all this time off. Looking forward going back to work tomorrow because I am compounding so I can sit alone and mix IV's with no one but my Ipod for company. I download racy BBC comedy shows and sports chat. I love listening to that stuff because the humor is for smart people. And I'm smart as hell!! Anyway, Maggie that set-up you got on the desk is a little freaky. It reminds me of a story Mom tells about a guy with drains coming out of his head. It also reminds me a little of a beer helmet. And I get angry and agitated when people shoot oxygen at me, but then I feel better. So keep up the good work. Love, Peanut

This is how desperate I am. I'm subliminating my need for the Atlantic by building tide pools on my desk! How pathetic is that?

There's no way I can keep up a saltwater chai cup on my desk, so I might as well put that right out of my mind. (I wonder if you can get dehydrated sea water? I'm going to look that up!)

- Ondeia

Twenty Three Days Since I Set Myself Ablaze.

Call me Ishmael. This is the ongoing result of my abrupt plunge into Lake Matilda. (Click for larger image.) As you can see, I'm totally cheating now, and have abandoned the idea of a closed environment. I sealed off the distal end of some O2 tubing and then punched a bunch of little holes near the seal. Kind of like the business end of a surgical drain, only instead of draining stuff out, I'm injecting air in! 30ccs a couple of times a day. I inject it nice and slowly, just like I'm injecting mannitol IAK. And even though my snails have the latin name Stagnicola, I think they're happy about the air. They seem more lively. (Maybe they're angry and agitated.) I've also put my extra-strong reading glasses on and have noticed what I suspect are either cyclops or hydra. (Where is Theo Stephanides when you need him?) I put the picture on my desktop because Kurt is used to me changing it at least twice a day. Anyway, it'll disorient him a little to see that the same thing that's on the desktop is on the 'desktop'!

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I took quite a few pictures, but don't want to bore anyone by posting them here. (But they're really GOOD!) I'm going to post them at http://www.washthedishes.com/ . (They probably won't be up until tomorrow, but there's one really good close-up in there. Look for the water beetle.)

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Cat, who're you painting the mural for? Will it be just plants or will there be wildlife as well? What continent will your jungle be from? Who was that guy that painted jungles and lions and stuff, but made up all the plants from his imagination.? Some French name like 'Cousteau'.

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Rousseau!! Marcel (?) Rousseau. That's the guy. Clearly, he was an absinthe drinker. And I decided to link http://www.washthedishes.com/ to my earliest and latest (C)updates from the blog.

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- Maggie ( I might as well take the responsibility.) Kampp

This blog is like 'Seinfeld'

It's the blog about nothing in particular. When we have deep thoughts, we'll throw them out there. When we don't (and I can't think of any at the moment) we'll talk about the hum-drum of real life. I mean, if you spend all day having revelations, you won't have any time to get your laundry done, right? I don't think that any of us are obsessed enough about anything to write passionately or intelligently on it everyday.

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Who wouldn't like being surrounded by tall and amusing men? You've got an edge, being a little peanut yourself. I doubt there are many men shorter than you, though there are hardly any who are more amusing.

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You know, I had the occasion to be in the vicinity of Fordham Univ. a few weeks ago, and I saw the entrance to the Bronx Botanical Garden. I thought of you and that day we spent at the gardens. I still have my kazoo AND my slide whistle. I'm glad you have good memories of that day. You were rather young and I thought you may have forgotten it.

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I'll bring my camera when I go to Montauk, and take pictures of shells and waves.

--------------------------------- Mal de Mer

Now I've got a powerful yearnin' for Montauk too. As for troubles with the blog, I am not having any. Chris and I went to visit Jake in Carnation yesterday. We went out for lunch and ice cream, then went to the park. After that we went back to Jake's and talked with his roommate Rory. It was pretty fun for me. There are few things I like better than being around tall, funny men all day. Today will be a lazy day for me, although I do plan to get some exercise (avoiding canines and undergarments). In two weeks I go to Portland for Melissa's bachelorette party. Mom, congrats on going down to per diem. There is a full time evening shift opening up at the RX but I just can't take it. I rather not have vacation days than have no say over when I work. On Friday I hung out with Carrie. We were supposed to go for a walk but her mom called. She had been trying to reach Carrie's dad all day but he was not answering his phone. So I drove with Carrie to Brown's Point to make sure he was alive. Not only was he very alive, but then he took us out for beers. Way to go, Pop! If this blog is more meant for deep insights, I'm afraid I don't have any. I had my deep year of thought in 2007. 2008 is for not thinking too deeply. However, I have been putting a lot of thought into the mural I got hired to do. I start the week after next. Mom, can I borrow your digital camera so you both can see how it goes? I've never painted a jungle before but I think it should go well.

I got a powerful yearnin'

I want to go to Montauk. I want to sit on the cool sand and feel the wind, and watch the sun come up. And I'm going to do it too! I figure I'll pick a weekday, before the schools start their summer vacations. I'll leave at 1:00am and be out there by 4:30am. As dawn breaks, I'll think about the nature of the Sun and the Earth. I'll look for rocks and shells on the beach. Then I'll find a cozy spot near the water and read a book all day. I'll bring coffee, seltzer and a sandwich with me. (I'll hope that the public bathroom is open at Bee Sting Beach.) I'll let the wind blow in one ear and out the other. And I'll think about September, when I can spend a couple of days out there. (If I can arrange it around my work schedule. You're right. Per diem is the only way to go.)

It's visceral, this longing. It's like homesickness. I wish I could go now. But I can't! Cherry Bomb is having her surgery tomorrow and Cancer Friend has chemo on Thursday. (By the time these two are finally well, I'll be old and lame.

I'm going back to bed.

- Poop!

June 2nd, 2008. The day I leave regular work

Hi, its WanderingL operating under a misapprehension or a misnomer (see above).

I stole this picture off the UBC website and watercolored it myself. thanks to UBC.

I'm handing in my resignation tomorrow to live a life of my own: to blog, to study, to photograph...to read the books I have not read. Hermana has given me some summer reading from the Scandinavian Countries...And to work of course, one must finance one's fun but only when I need to