The Great Debate

Just finished watching the first presidential debate. I'm biased, of course. I hope you watched them yourselves. I feel Kerry completely outperformed the President, illustrating the differences and addressing the "flip-flop" attacks. Bush on the other hand was miserable. Of course, his own people knew he would be and started laying the groundwork for his expected failures well in advance. Bush was rattled early and never recovered. When in doubt he hit his "talking points" (flip-flop, decisiveness, etc) , even if they weren't pertinent to the issue at hand. It was a mismatch. I almost felt bad. The President seems like a decent fellow, but he is clearly the figurehead of the regime. Kinda like the Queen of England. He's the "aw, shucks" guy that is just there for show, while all the decisions, etc. are made by others (I'm looking at you, Cheney - the Prince of Darkness ). Anyhow, let's see how evil genius Karl Rove spins this mess.

Emma, fuzzy on her birthday! (she's been drinking ) 

4 hours

4 more hours until I pick my parents up at the airport. Pray for me. I love my parents and I'm definitely more tolerant of their quirks than, say, my brother is. Given the stresses of the impending first year birthday fiasco however I'm a little on edge. I think it's my Dad. I love him dearly, but he can't sit still. He's always looking for something to do. And while I don't think he means it, there is always a hint of criticism when it comes to how I keep up the house, cars, etc. And my Mom, well she is a post unto herself. Oh well, they are good for a couple of meals and some kind of home improvement "gift" so I won't bellyache too loudly

No Spin Zone

It goes without saying that Bill O'Reilly is a complete jackass. Not because he is a 'conservative' ( the sad fact is actually agree with him on some stuff. sssshhhh! ), but because he is an arrogant, egotistical, know-it-all blowhard who can't control himself. This rebuttal is a response to this interview. Will it be enought to wipe that smug smirk off of his face? Doubtful! Even if he is joking, O'Reilly presents these issues as cold hard fact, hoping no one calls him on it. Kind like how he lied about the effectiveness of his Boycott France effort by quoting stats from the non-existant Paris Business Review ( or maybe it's this one ). O'Reilly is the king of spin and overblown hyperbole, which is still an understatement.

Track the mulitude of O'Reilly mistruths!
OverSpun
MediaMatters

Labor Dispute

If you're like me then you love a good labor dispute. And man, do I have one for you. The union and my employeer are going toe to toe as we speak, with all of the finger pointing, posturing , and wild accusations that one would come to expect from such nonsense.

I work in the IT department of a large utility. While most of the IT staff is salaried ( "management" is the fancy term, though I manage no one ), the vast remainder of the company is unionized. Their contract is set to expire 10/16 and so far negotiations are not going well. The company is adament on cutting back the benefits of the union folk ( and these are excellent bennies, I tell you ), cutting back retiree benefits, and scads of other give backs. The union wants more benefits, larger pay increases, and more security. As you can guess, they are at an impasse. As management I had to endure an increase in health care costs, etc this year, but even still they are pretty damn good.

I'm torn. The reason I get the pay and perks I do is because the union has raised the bar for it's members and the company had to keep management in line. That said, some of the union folks I've encountered are the laziest fucks you will ever see. And whiners, to boot. Big time crybabies. I'm not talking field personnel, I'm talking office workers. Union fucking programmers. Why in the world are programmers unionized?

Anyhow, the parent company is British and has a reputation of being cheap. They're driven by the shareholder and not the employee. I don't see them giving in. A strike would hurt the company in the short term, but in the long run the company would be happy to have broken the union. Contractors are much cheaper.

As for my personal stake: if the union goes out on strike I will be working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, no vacation. On the positive side I will get overtime, which would be nice. Plus, I will still be IT support. Many of my co-workers will have field jobs ( meter reading, locating, design ) of which I am not envious.

Is it done yet?

Work, it is a motherfucker! These people are killing me today. How do I have time to write you ask? I'm multi-tasking, of course. The goddamn proc to check for duplicate key values is running. If that vile, nasty woman in NE calls me one more goddamn time to ask if it is done yet I'm gonna bash her head in with a shovel.

I need a coffee, now.

FF roundup week#3

It looks like the Steamers finally won their first game, mostly due to their opponent having bye week issues. Once again the star failed to show up - 4 points from McNair. Luckily, Taylor put up 90 yards and a TD. Still, kinda wished I had taken McNabb instead of Taylor with that first round pick.

As for my other team, well it's all tied up at 118 heading into tonight. All I need is one freaking point from Jason Whitten at TE. One point. One catch, 10 yards, no fumbles. Please...

I just found out I have some injury issues. Charlie Garner is lost for the season due to a knee injury. Shit. I hadn't been using him, but he was my ace in the hole, the player that would help me make a deal later on. Fuck.

Also, Steve McNair has bruised sternum. WTF?

A Nice, Quiet Weekend

the title says it all. Nice and relaxing. Friday night spent watching the surprisingly hilarious Mean Girls. Highly recommended, if not for the humor then for the ridiculous chesticles sported by Lindsay Lohan. Saturday was spent exploring the backroads of the Old Forge area, which is just about at peak color. Beautiful even on a gray day. Saturday night we got to watch a nice little movie ( no pun intended ) called the Station Agent. Quirky and endearing, also recommended. Sunday was spent doing yardwork, and was topped off with a turkey dinner with all of the fixings. All in all, not too shabby.

Ratfarts!

I didn't win the 50/50 raffle. I've been informed that these will be held every Friday until December. I'm gonna go broke. Fuck.

Finger's Crossed

Now, I don't have anything against the United Way personally. They do good work, I'm sure. Helping the needy, so on and so forth. What I dislike is the Corporate fundraising aspect of their fundraising. Specifically, how my company forces us every year to sit throught a sob-story about how they need our money. The not so subtle message is "You've got a job, so why not open your wallet you greedy bastard?!??". I'm impervious to this kind of frontal attack on my nature. I know I'm greedy and indifferent, so your leverage is gone.

Other shakedown tactics have been employed beyond the initial "Give Till It Hurts" mandatory meeting. First and foremost is the "50/50" raffle. The concept is simple, the winner takes 50% of the raffle revenue, the remainder goes to the United Way. Now in my mind this constitutes gambling, which is fine if that is your bag. However, company policy prohibits gambling. No football parlays, basketball pools, etc. We can't even post lottery results. I tried to suggest that if we won the lottery, half would go to the United Way, but my manager said no effing way, take it down. Therefore, on principal alone I refuse to buy the any raffle tickets.

And now a new insidious tactic has been devised. Rather than passively selling raffle tickets in the cafeteria a policy of aggression has been put into place: tracking you down at your cube and giving the hard sell. The kicker? The hottest women in the company are used as ticket brokers. That's right, they send out the hotties to sell tickets to the dirty old men. That said, it's common knowledge that I am a weak man. I can't resist this. Not because I'm suave, or a p-hound, but because beautiful women make me sweat, stutter, and on rare occassions, soil myself.

So the super hot blond who works on our floor comes to my cube and greets me by name and I cave in and buy not one ticket, but ten fucking dollars worth. I feel so ashamed. In one moment I threw all of integrity and principals out the window. I was so excited I had somehow made an impression on this beautiful goddess and she had endeavoured to learn my name. In short, I just panicked and figured I would impress her with my generiosity. At the time it never occured to me that she knew my name because of my nameplate that is attached to my cube.

So, the only possible good tht can come from this is if I actually win, in which case I'm buying an IPod. Keep your fingers crossed!

The Hip Rocked!!!

The Hip rocked out with their cocks out! Well, not really ( no displays of genitalia ). They are Canadian and therefore too smart for that kind of crap. A great show all around - they played for two hours and while there was some stuff I wasn't so familair with they still had us up and moving. Plus, I got to hear two of my favorite songs ( Gift Shop and Ahead by A Century ).

For those who don't know what I'm talking about take a look at here and download the track.

A night out

The wife an I get a rare night out this evening. Off to dinner and then the Landmark Theatre to catch the Tragically Hip! Yay!!!

Why Do You Hate America, Slovenly Man?

"Disengenous filmmaker" Michael Moore spoke at SU last night to a sold out crowd of 10,000 people. I wish I had been able to go. Not because I'm a big fan of Moore's, but because it would have given me a perfect opportunity to kick this fundie nutjob right in the balls.

I guess that means the terrorist's will have won...

What Gay Man Could Resist This?

Perhaps it's the pompadour, or the child molestor glasses, or just the thrill of being near a man so full of Jesus he sweats it out. There is no denying gay men love Jimmy Swaggart and for good reason: He loves all of God's creatures

Nail Biters

It was good night for the undergos last night. I spent the hour from 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM switching between The Amazing Race on CBS and The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions on ESPN. Both shows came down to the wire, and contrary to my expectations the good "guys" won. Chip and Kim came from behind to win $1 million on TAR, and it couldn't have happened to nicer couple ( yeah, yeah, it's TV - editing, blah blah blah). Seriously, they always had a positive attitude and just seemed like a great couple. I was pulling for them and I was glad to see them win.

As for WSOP, Annie Duke took it to Phil Hellmuth and walked away with $2 million bucks. She outplayed him, despite what he says. Hellmuth is a jackass, so it was quite enjoyable to watch him get his ass handed to him.

A good night all around. And my wife thinks I do nothing with my time? Psshaw!

I Ask You

Is there not a better sandwhich than liverwurst and swiss on dark rye? That is correct, there is not.

I Was Wrong

I'm not ashamed to admit it. Although I've logged over 6,000 hours in a dentist's chair, I'm still not a certified endodontist. I have some gum recession but the tooth in question appears fine. Huh...

At least I got out of work early and now I'm working down my Xanax high.

Nervous

Well, today is the day of my long anticipated root canal. Needless to say the anxiety is starting to set in. Appointment is in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Time to start popping the Xanax!

Wily Coyote

Driving to the gym Friday night I saw a coyote about 1/4 mile from my house. I thought it was kind of cool, but apparently others disagree.

While I understand the threat to kids and animals that coyotes present, I don't necessarily like the idea of hunters skulking around my neighborhood with high-powered rifles. Call me crazy, but what really is the greater danger?

My Fantasty Football Teams Stink Too!

Not a surprise. I have two teams. One is now 1-1, defying the odds and winning despite Jeff Garcia's grand total of -1. The "good" team is now 0-2 and in dead fucking last thanks to underwhelming performance by Fred Taylor and Steve McNair. Things can only get better, right?

The Bills Stink!

Not that this is news to anyone. New coach, same old bullshit. I like Bledsoe and respect his dedication, but he is well past his prime. Not to make him the scapegoat, as the problems go so far beyond the lousy QB play ( poor o-line, conservative offense, questionable secondary, lack of mental toughness). 2 games, 2 13-10 losses to mediocre teams. The bye week won't help either. I'm not jumping ship, but it hurts to watch this directionless franchise flounder, especially so early in the season.

Lost

Sunday night at 9:00 PM without either The Sopranos or Six Feet Under? I'm completely at a loss. The Wire is on, but I've never been a fan. I was kind of hoping that the second season of Carnivale would start soon, but it doesn't look that way. The first season was slooooow but intriguing none the less. I'm going to try Family Bonds tonight at 10, hopefully that will fill the void

At the Movies

so the wife and I have signed up for Netflix, and the movies are streaming in. So far I'm liking it - better selection than the local Blockbuster and no time limit. Plus, I can browse online as opposed to aimless wandering through the aisles. Below is a list of some of the cool movies we've seen lately:

Kill Bill vol 1 & 2 - I didn't expect to like these. In fact I rented them simply due to the dearth of new films out. I was completely blown away. Dark humor, overblown comic violence, beautiful look. Vol 2 very different in terms of style and substance than Vol 1. I liked 2 better

American Movie - the wife was convinced this was a 'mockumentary' in the vein of "Best in Show". She couldn't believe that this was a real look at a hapless filmmaker and his oddball friends and family. The reviews bill it as a comedy, but while there are some "trainwreck" comedic moments overall this film has a sad feel.

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations - I couldn't find the original "Paradise Lost" which details the horrific child killings and subsequent trial of teenagers in small Arkansas town. Part two details the aftermath and is riveting on it's own. I'm completey fascinated by the case and outraged by the miscarriage of justice the film depicts. More info on the West Memphis 3

The Passion of the Christ - I watched at the wife's urging. In short, The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre. The violence was overdone and painful to watch, but the film still moved me and the cinematography was beautiful. I still don't feel like going to church, though.

The Office: Season One - A six part comedy series detailing the day to day life in a British office run by idiotic egomaniac. Lot's of laughs if British comedy is your thing ( The wife doesn't like it so much )

End of The Ramones

I saw this coming, I just didn't think it would happen so fast. The Ramones were one of the true touchstones of my life. They were the background music for so many life events. I can hardly believe we've lost 3/4 of them in such a short time period. Too Sad.

I've copped the same pic from my mp3 blog. Check it out, an ironic song from da bruddah's

vibration

Looks like it's finally time to get that annoying steering wheel vibration checked out on the 'ol Santa Fe. For a couple of weeks now I've been noticing the wheel vibrates at high speeds. It also vibrates while braking. I'm guessing either a wheel balance problem or bad rotors, but who knows? I'm hoping it isn't anything more serious ( expensive ), the big 40,000 mile maintenance assfuck is right around the corner (brakes, tires, muffler, etc. )

over and done

thankfully my class is over. I survived, the "students" survived. All is well. Here's hoping I never have to subject anyone else to this material again.

I give props to anyone that teaches for a living and finds ways to motivate and encourage students. Thank god there is only 3 more hours of this. The people in this class are bored to tears. They find the exercises too confusing and cumbersome. They've given up and I do't know what to do. Mind you, it's tought to dress GIS System and Database administration, by it's very nature it's a little dry.

This sucks - it's a gorgeous pre-Fall afternoon and I want to go to the zoo, dammit!

Exhaustion

sorry about the lack posts ( but does anyone actually care ), I'm teaching a training class this week. I realized just how much I hate teaching, and just how impatient I really am. My head hurts and I can barely keep my eyes open. Based upon the confusion and blank stares I encountered I decided that I must have the most complicated job ever. That, or I am a just plain lousy teacher. Either or, although I'm leaning towards the latter. I'm exhausted. I'm going home to weep until I fall into a long, hard, dreamless sleep...

random fear part 1

My daughter is almost a year old now and she is just such a peach. However, she is small in both height and weight. A veritable peanut of a toddler. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night racked with the fear she may be a midget. I mean, how would we know? When does dwarfism make itself apparent? Now I can't stop worrying about it. I love my shrimpy little girl!!!

more TV

and while my mind is on TV I gotta mention the latest incarnation of the "Surreal Life". For those unfamiliar with it, The "Surreal Life" takes 6 media has-beens and never-weres, puts them in swanky home, and records them as they do stupid tasks. Past shows have included Corey Feldman, MC Hammer, Ron Jeremy, Tammy Faye Baker, Vanilla Ice, and others. This years group really seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel:

Charo
Brigitte Nielsen
Jordan Knight
Dave Coulier
Ryan Starr ( who?)
Flavor Flav

Kind of blah on the surface, but the first episode has shown that Coulier is funny, Nielen is a drunk, Charo is a controlling bitch, and Flavor Flav is menace to society. Actually, Flav is the sole reason to watch this show, he is completely off the wall. I was laughing my ass watching him interact with the others. God Love ya, Flav

confessions

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I watched "Joey" last night and to be honest it wasn't half bad. I laughed out loud in some parts, even - more so than I did in the last two seasons of "Friends". I didn't want to like it. Frankly, I was watching out of expected train wreckedness. I'll probably tune in again next week, although new "Survivor" will make the choice difficult. Perhaps I should just turn the damn thing off and read more?

Polite?!??

Interesting article on the new "kinder, gentler" border guards on the US/Canadian Border ( from NYCO) . I'd say this is long overdue. I'm a white, clean cut, middle class gentleman and I get crap going over the border, I can't imagine what it must be like for other, more "suspicious" persons. This is of interest to me given our latest trip through customs last weekend. On the Canadian side both guards were pleasant and friendly. Crossing into Port Huron, MI, I could have sworn the guard was Stallone circa "Cobra" - squinty, tough acting, tough talking. A plain 'ol jackass. The kicker was that when the interrogation was over all he could do was nod his head in the exit direction as if to say "Git outta my sight" - no dismissal, nothing. Ass.

The Big Fight

So the wife and I have been embroiled in a big debate over just how to celebrate our daughter's first birthday. My argument is this - she's ONE for chrissakes. Plus, I hate people and and all of the assorted aggravation that comes from planning such an event. My wife on the other hand is adament that we have a CELEBRATION, 60 fucking people ( mostly little kids ). I've tried reasoning, pleading, threatening, everything. She won't give in. So now we're responsible for planning this big fucking fiasco wonderful event. As it stands now we will be having the thing at a park in a shelter on the first Saturday in October. We'll be having pizza, cake, soda, and maybe beer. It will all be paid for with monopoly money, as we don't have any of the real kind. And it's going to be so much fun I'm gonna need plastic freaking surgery to remove my smile.

OF course, if there is a strike at work I won't be able to attend, as I will be on work continuation. Looks like I'm off to foment dissent amongst the rank and file.

It's back

Blogger publishing is working again. I was lost for the time it was down. Now I'm happy. Let us never fight again.

And by the way, it's raining again in CNY. I'm guessing I might not get a roof done this year at the rate it is going

September 7, 1947

Today is my Dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad. He doesn't read this blog ( and thank God for that ), but I'm hoping that he appreciates the mention, because I didn't get him anything else. It's not because I didn't want to get him anything, it's just that I forgot. Birthday's, special occasions, holidays, I forget them all. It's the price I pay for being so terribly self involved, I guess

Search Engine Key Words

I've long been fascinated by who stumbles across this blog. Most tracking softwares allow you to view which search terms have been used to find your page. My favorites so far:

Billy Fuccillo fuck you
nursing home sex
feminine hygeine ( thanks to my spelling error )
big&fat women

and older ones involving root canals, crowns, cost and Westborough gutter cleaning. People, use quotes around your search terms!!!

White Line Fever!

Not only is it the title of Lemmy's autobiography, but it apparently could also be the name of George W's based on this report.

I wonder how this will be treated by the media? I mean, they had a field day with the Swift Boat Vet allegations that were baseless, why wouldn't they have fun with this? Liberal media, my ass.

looooong weekend

Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We put 980 miles on the car cruising out to Ann Arbor, MI to visit our dear friends Russ and Holly ( and their awesome son, Owen ). I'll detail it all out later, but suffice it say the girl was actually quite well behaved in the car considering we spent 20 hours in the vehicle, most notably a two and half hour wait at the Lewiston border crossing. God bless you, homeland security!

Nice Catch

My brother done got himself a big one. While on an Alaskan fishing trip he and some buddies pulled in a 225 lb. halibut. I shit you not!

I'm simply amazed...

...by the general stupidity of the American people. It's happened again. You think there would be a prelim training class on what qualifies as currency.

Bad Currency:


The flipside also occurs. The old cashier at my work cafeteria refused to accept a $2 bill from me a couple of months ago, on the grounds it looked fake. Yep, I'm a counterfeiter, not only making fake "2" dollar bills ( as opposed to fake 100 or 200 bills ) but ALSO passing them where I work. Dipshit. She lasted about a week, which was longer than we expected.

ssssshhhhhh....

Can you keep a secret? I played hooky from work yesterday. I really did have a tummy ache, but I could have managed to slog through the day. Instead, I spent the day napping and watching Kill Bill. I'm paying the price today, having fallen behind in my work, but screw it. Funny, today my stomach hurts worse than yesterday. hmmmm.....