Drive-By Thinking.

bits of stuff

First, let me address a matter I've been rather remiss about. Lauren reminds me that I failed to give my $.02 on the finale of Sing Off. 

Well, it ended pretty much as I thought it would, and I would have been disappointed with it any other way. Of all the groups selected to participate, Nota and Face (Faces?) were the only real groups in the genre they were looking for. The others – the college-based groups and the barbershop groups – were great, but when it comes to music that's going to sell albums, it'd only be a hard-core choral music fan that would have really bought an album by Voices of Lee or the SoCals or Noteworthy. A lot of those groups also put too much of a "dramatic" spin on it all. The music needs to stand alone, without all the choreography and waving of hands. A group like Nota was able to bring the music on stage in an original manner, injecting their own style to the arrangements, without being too formulaic, too campy, too silly, or too structured. I look forward to the eventual release.

I thought a lot of the "special appearances" were overblown. Boyz 2 Men were off key/out of balance most of the time. The only guest I thought worth listening to was Bobby McFerrin – what a clinic THAT was! Wow. Just wow. 

In any case, that's what I thought. Here's a few examples of some of my favorite a'cappella groups, just as a little Christmas gift for y'all. Enjoy.

That's some serious vocal music. Watch some of their other clips if you get a chance. You won't regret it.

Here's another video of some serious cuteness that you'll enjoy. It made me all warm and fuzzy and giggly.

I'm not going to comment on the Senate vote. No sense in it. I blasted the shit out of both of my senators, but I honestly didn't expect them to vote any differently than they did, and I don't expect that my lighting the both of them up is going to change anything in the future. They're both a couple of nutless putzes who are so petrified of stepping outside the party dogma that they haven't had an original thought in years.

So there.

Anyway, I'm not wasting another minute talking about what wasn't and what should have been. It is what it is, and if I didn't have a kid to take care of, I might be willing to up my protest to something that might get me jailed. But I do and I can't so I won't. Yet. 

/end rant.

I had a wonderful Christmas Eve, surrounded by extended family. I made a huge spread of food, dozens of cookies, and killed off most of a bottle of Two Shilling Red all by myself. HSH went to church with her cousins and I taught my niece how to knit. Right now I'm finishing the rest of the wine, watching It's A Wonderful Life for the eleventy-billionth time, and enjoying the calm while I can.

You all go hug your kids and significant others, eat good food, drink good drinks, and be nice to each other. I'll check in after a few weeks' hiatus.

K out.

now remember kids, don't breathe.

Or in actuality, don't exhale. Lest the EPA come and take you away. Granted, they don't have the Constitutional authority to do anything to you, but since when has that stopped the government?

I find it slightly ironic that the best link to this story was in a Chinese internet newspaper.

Perhaps the best way to reduce carbon emissions is to tell all these bureaucrats to shut up. Oh, but wait – that's what the Anointed One is doing. Because the big bad GOP is scaring people. With the truth, apparently. Allahpundit's right, too. He did try this with health care, too. What he's forgetting is not every American can be as easily led as the Obamatrons who voted him in. A great many of us see the truth for ourselves. Naked emperors and whatnot. I don't need the nutless wonders of the Republican party to explain to me what I can quite clearly see for myself, Mr. President. Now go find some pants.

What's really interesting with that CO2 thing is that some greenatics think that it can actually be used for something besides photosynthesis. Check out this press release. Now I'm as much of a doubting Thomas as anyone (maybe more so, genetically), but if this isn't so much wishful thinking – if it's a real, viable technology that could be implemented as an effective alternative – just imagine the quandrary it puts the climate crowd in! 

Ahh… I can dream….

Speaking of the GOP and all the supposed power they have, apparently they've blown Harry Reid's comments all out of proportion. 'Cause like, they have the media in their back pocket or something. No, Harry, they didn't. You said what you said and it's out there for anyone to see, hear, read, and understand. You, sir, are an ass. 

But we knew that.

Speaking of asses, can all this eco-consumerism turn you into one? So it would seem, sez the Slate report. I'll tell you that from personal experience it kind of rings true for me. Certainly, I've seen this superiority complex in people who throw themselves into these kinds of causes. "I care more than you," they say, both in their words and actions. "I care more and it makes me a better person. See my recycled bag?" It's like the Seinfeld episode where Kramer just wants to do the walk, not wear the ribbon.

I'm not so much for the pencilheaded research report – everyone knows that you can make numbers and studies say whatever you want them to say – but that something like this would ever make the light of day is showing me that the world is weary of supercilious sorts who like to think they have all the answers. 

I know I am.

This alternately made me very angry, very scared, and very sad. I can only imagine what this poor woman was going through in her head as she had to make a decision that would alter many lives forever. I hope that none of us ever have to walk in her shoes. However, if you were, would you be able to act as she did? Me, I don't know if I would be that calm. I have to work on that.

weekend wrapup

First on our agenda, a finished project.

 

 rarely seen publicly – me in profile.

Details:
Pattern: Ishbel Beret, by Ysolda Teague.
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multy, in a colorway whose tag has eluded me.
Needles: Addi Turbo 40" US6, magic looped.
Notes/Mods: None. I did it just as Ysolda wrote it. Easy pattern. Looks stupid on me, but we all know how I feel about me and hats. It should fit the recipient just fine – hopefully not too big, but she'll grow into it. I think it's a cute way to translate the pattern from the shawl – which is still in my queue – into a hat. The recipient requested a slouchy hat. This is a nice, feminine, slouchy hat which will still look appropriate on a 10-year old girl.

Currently in progress, a Vintage Velvet scarf in Blue Heron rayon chenille. Very pink chenille. It's very close to being done; maybe three more repeats of the pattern and it's into the washer we go. I like knitting this. With a 22-row pattern repeat, you actually feel as though you're getting somewhere when you're done with one or two. Pictures of that later.

 

 

So we got all the decorations up. I'm still not much in the mood for all of this, I must admit. Used to love decorating, but now it's such a chore. Used to love the season, but now it's just one obligation after another. Apparently I've become an agoraphobic, selfish, grumpy old bat. I dunno. It's just not happening for me so far, and it's not for lack of inspiration. I suppose I just should be glad for what I have and what I've been able to do and just shut up and smile and not piss in everyone else's wassail bowl.

speaking of bowls…

I found this article while cruising earlier today. I love football. College, pro… I love football. I do NOT love the farce that is the BCS (Bowl Championship Sham, or something like that, for you non-sportos). (This is NOT colored by the fact that my alma mater is a Div. I-AA school. Although a playoff series seems to work rather well in the lower divisions – I'm just sayin'.) I just don't understand where the down side would be – for any top-level college team – in a true playoff scenario. Not this shell game that currently exists, where rankings and who plays where is largely determined by who's paid off who.

so you don't like who's playing in the championship game.

I think one of the teams belongs there, and the other one, not so much. But that's not the point. Look, I'm reading in the "background" section about all the "glowing" comments from coaches – from BIG schools that already benefit from shutting out other conferences. It's bullshit. "…strength of schedule must comparable. It's a little different stepping up once or twice a year when we do it 10 or 11 times a year." Baloney. Florida ran up the score 62-3 against schools like Troy, FIU and Charleston Southern, and spent HOW many weeks at the top of the charts, based on WHAT? As if these teams had any chance of beating them? The rankings are practically predetermined before the season starts, the computer rankings are based on crap like "style points" – WTF? Show me where this makes any sense? 

There's twelve Div. I-A conferences, if I've counted right. Only six really get a fair shake (heh) in the BCS standings, because of "contracts with the host bowls." This is fair how? I know I'm only a woman, and thereby shouldn't understand anything about football, but I totally don't get this one.

You want to keep all the eleventy-billion bowl games, then fine. Dole them out to the conferences that bought their way into them are traditionally associated with them and make them playoff games. And don't give me the crap about how no one will watch football until the playoffs if you do it this way. College basketball does NOT suffer from this kind of malaise no matter what the hucksters want you to believe, and neither will football. Fans are fans and the stadiums will continue to be full of drunk alumni who are the little worse for a few dozen mimosas at the tailgate.

So no, I don't think Congress needs to get involved – they'll just eff it up worse than it already is – but the current system has got to go. You want true competition, change the system. You want perpetual TV rights for a pampered few athletic programs, then keep it going just as it is.

/end rant.

i think i'll start by…

…ignoring the heap of laundry in the corner of my bedroom. I didn't need to get into the closet, anyway. Okay, maybe I do, but I'm not tackling it yet.

Christmas knitting: 1 down, 2 to go. 

you don't do Christmas knitting.

Apparently, I do now. Project one is off the needles and just needs to be blocked. I can show a picture after that because the intended recipient would never look here. It's Ysolda's Ishbel beret, and though I care neither for the knitting of or the wearing of hats (personal problem, no offense), I must say that it looks cute. It will suit the intended very well.

Christmas knitting 2 was a personal request and I'm not the sort to turn this particular person down.

Christmas knitting 1.5 is still in progress, and really wasn't intended to be a gift, but it will actually work better all around if it is. So…

so you got yourself into that mess.

And I'll never learn. Yeah. Rub it in, why don't you. Look, I had a couple other stupid ideas regarding the holidays that I thankfully rid myself of, okay?

I still have a couple dozen biscotti that aren't going to bake themselves.

So speaking of Christmas, the ornaments will likely make their appearance this weekend. I haven't told Hizzoner that, yet. And since he's the only one of the three of us with enough cogliones to brave the attic stairs, the decision to decorate or not to decorate will largely be his to make.

chicken.

I don't like heights. I did make it halfway up, once, when I had to grab a suitcase. Made me dizzy.

heights? you live in a ranch-style. you have no heights.

Anything over six feet is "heights" to me. I got nervous painting the shutters summer before last. And that only involved the second rung of the ladder.

whatever.

Yeah. Well. 

Thanks to everyone for sharing on my religion post. I'm still dithering about the schooling bit, but I'm at a peaceful point with my own – and her – attendance. HSH, for her part, has said nothing about this coming Sunday. Yet. We'll see what she pairs the tiara with.

So, the boss is gone on a ten-day, well-earned vacation, leaving me pretty much in charge. Whether this was a wise decision on her part or not is yet to be seen, but there will hopefully be few fires to put out between now and next Thursday. I've been informed that if something goes awry on a day I'm not scheduled to be there, I'm to be called. Now is the time to practice, "I'm sorry, I don't speak English" in several different languages. Where are my linguists out there?

The laundry is staring at me.

So is the dog.

So is that cake. Dang it.

paranoid? 

No. Hungry. Haven't had breakfast.

all this copy and no rant.

Well, I have a rant, but it's not really a rant, because I don't know if I should expend energy on it or not.

oh, come on.

Okay, well, it's the Swiss minaret business. Okay, I know… it doesn't concern me/more important things stateside to rant about/how's that laundry pile looking to you now.

I've read a bit. Mostly the articles that slam the Swiss for voting the way they did. I don't get the uproar. 

That's not entirely true. I understand that everyone siding against the Swiss vote claims they're against the discrimination factor. Okay, but…

Why is there no uproar about Muslim countries that outright forbid the practice of any other religion, period? 

Why has there never been? Answer me THAT and we can have a discussion. Otherwise, this whole protest is moot.

The Swiss don't want minarets. Fine. Ever been to Switzerland? I have. It wouldn't exactly fit into the architecture to have skinny little towers up everywhere.

Y'all, the minaret isn't just a little innocent building devoted to a "call to prayer." It's a symbol, as strong as any other tower, of domination over the landscape. You know, medieval knight invades area, kicks ass, burns a few towns, builds castle keep as a symbol of his now dominant presence as liege lord. It is, if you pardon the mildly feminist reference, a phallic symbol of sorts. Power. Place a few speakers in said tower blasting the resident holy yodeler five times a day and you might as well send rowdy hordes of invaders running through the streets of Zurich wielding scimitars.

It's Islam saying, "We're the dominant force here now. Suck this."

The Swiss realize this for what it is and are saying, "Fine. You live here – great. You want to practice your religion – fine. You want to dominate the landscape and make a statement to intimidate the rest of Western Europe – I don't think so."

Yet the rest of Europe, the UN, and every other left-wing group on the planet is all too willing to roll over and capitulate to the scent of potential repression of the poor, misunderstood Islamists and bleats to that effect.

There aren't minarets poking through the skylines of your average American city, either, but American Muslims still manage to figure out what time it is and give proper devotion.

When Islamic transplants in other western countries stop practicing their own version of Sharia law, honor killings, and other ways to subvert the dominant culture of the country they have chosen to immigrate to and begin to integrate fully into that society, then we can talk about buildings. Until then, there's no basis for an argument, and Switzerland should be supported for their decision, not slandered.

i wanna watch, but…

My father had a peculiar theory about watching his favorite teams play. He was convinced that in this passive activity, his focus was alone the factor in keeping his team from winning. Sort of giving them the "kiss of death" by endorsement.

Oddly enough, Daddy wasn't that superstitious. Pessimistic in certain respects, yes….

Anyway, here I am with NBC tuned in and the Colts playing New England. And I am tentatively buying into my dad's theory. Or, maybe I'm just chickenshit and don't want to watch the carnage. Don't need the anxiety. Don't need to be yelling at the television when flags are thrown for getting within 6 yards of Tom Brady. Think I'll turn the sound down, regardless. Can't stand Collinsworth and Michaels running their yaps.

I can't stand these new Best Buy commercials with the traveling chorus. Ever have the "embarrassed for someone else" feeling? Yeah. That's about it.

Hey, I finished two projects this weekend. Actually, two and a half. HSH now has a new sweater and my mom is getting some socks. And one of the gloves is done. I just need to drag the camera outside tomorrow

'cause it finally stopped raining

and take some photos. HSH declined to model today and I didn't feel like arguing. Anywho….

The November Nor'easter, as dubbed by the local media, has come and gone. Estimated rainfall was about 4 inches where I live; between 6-9 inches for the region officially, but I've got to think that some areas got more than that. We lost a pier, have a runaway cargo barge washed up on a beach, and most neighborhoods in the seven cities were flooded out to near Isabel levels. One of the local teevee stations had nervous news gerbils on air, stammering about the water coming into the studio. And one of my buddies had 4 inches in her house. I feel badly for her. But for the grace of God go I. (Well, that and I don't live anywhere near the water.)

Oh, for pete's sake – New England is already challenging calls. FPS. 

Yeah, I gave in. 

so, then.

This is going to be a collection of random shots. Mainly because my few remaining untainted brain cells are weary from a freelance job, and I'm not really capable of my typical long diatribe.

Not much left to be said about Veterans Day, since it's 9pm on the east coast as I type. I will say, however, that if you couldn't take a few lousy minutes out of your day to spare a thought or a prayer for someone who volunteered to put his or her life on the line to protect your ass, then you aren't worth a warm bucket of spit.

I then throw down the gauntlet and dare you to watch this without a Kleenex. Go ahead. I double-dog dare you.

This story tickled me a little. Found the link via Fun with Unemployment and had to get the whole story. I don't know what to think, really. It returns to my earlier rants against academes and the intelligentia. Except for the fact that most academics rarely deign to dirty their hands…. FwU made a link between out-of-control emotion and the correlation to liberals being all about the emo, and that resonates with me. I also found the NYP commentary amusing. But given the ram-it-down-your-throat tactics of liberals legislatively as of late, I'm not so sure I'm surprised by the violence in this guy's outburst. I'm just wondering where the peacey-lovey-hopeychangey feelin' went. And of course, I hope she sues the shit out of him.

"Everything" bagels rock. I'm just sayin'.

Her Serene Highness decided it was time for a change:

 

Hizzoner escorted her to the hairdresser last Saturday. I had forewarned my stylist as to what she wanted, and told her to use her best judgement. I'm pleased with the results. Especially after I played with it a little. 

 

Even if her facial expression does look rather pained, she's also quite pleased with it. It suits her.

I've finished the glove portion of the … well, the glove… and I'm picking up the stitches for the flap. Although I'm a bit confused as to the correct geometry. I expect it will resolve itself shortly. You just need to walk away from these things occasionally….

It's raining cats, dogs, weasels, elephants, and the occasional three-toed sloth right now. It's expected to do so through the wee sma's of Friday. The dog is not amused. Neither am I, truth be told. It's the first nor'easter of the season, and between 35-40 mph winds, tidal flooding, and some serious rain, I'm anticipating a slow day in the shop tomorrow. And wet feet. But I shouldn't be grouchy.

Why? Well, the AP said I shouldn't be. And well… if the media commands, I suppose I must obey. And it is good soup weather. Try this chicken corn chowdah recipe. It'll keep you from getting crabby.

i gave it the finger.

Or a finger, anyway.

 

we're number one.

I think it looks pretty good so far. I took Turtlegirl's advice and talked to Glenna about using her Podster Gloves pattern for an upcoming class. She graciously gave her permission and blessing, and I'm having fun working it up. (I'm eyeing her Viper Pilots socks, myself.)

I'm using Dream In Color Smooshy (In Vino Veritas) on size 1 needles. So far the only thing I've changed is using a twisted rib for the cuff instead of a regular 1x1. I just like the way it looks. The pattern is quite straightforward – good for my addled brain.

so you do still knit.

Have to. Got to stay warm somehow. Worrying about the cost of heating oil isn't going to heat the house. No, a nice pair of socks and some fingerless gloves will nicely do the trick. That, and keeping the thermostat around 62.

 

Yeah, I know. The dog's not too impressed with that plan, either.

the best thing that happened this weekend was

… that Hizzoner implied that it would be okay with him if I entered into an illicit affair with Peyton Manning.

Mind, he unequivocally denies this. But he brought it up, and although he claims to be misquoted, I should like to point out that he's the one who was trying to calculate the age difference, and whether or not I would then be considered a "cougar."

This is all important just in case Mr. Manning ever … oh, I dunno… loses his senses completely and develops a sudden urge for a middle-aged, portly Italian broad housewife with a 35-piece matched set of emotional baggage.

really? the best thing?

Yeah. Really. It was quite entertaining.

umm… yeah. so how was the festival?

I don't know.

that good, eh?

No. I'm sure it was fine. Unless you were outside on Friday, where at least 1.5" of rain fell.

you act like you weren't even there.

I wasn't.

–blink– then why did you even go?

*sigh* Good question. You may remember that I had some misgivings about going in the first place. By Thursday it had gone into full-blown black funk and it was only a stern look from the boss that kept me from volunteering for a Saturday fill-in at the store.

We left here early Friday morning. The trip was fine. HSH talked us to death. It started raining shortly after we arrived in Asheville and was all-out pouring by the time we pulled into my in-laws' driveway. They were happy to see us and the evening went well.

Saturday is when things went downhill.We opted to spend the day together. HSH had asked to go to the toy store downtown, and I wanted to go to the yarn store. That was fine. Then, over a nice fish taco, I got into it with a wandering elderly hippie who wanted me to sign a petition of hers supporting national health care.

"So," sez me, "do you support tort reform as a part of any comprehensive reform package?" 

"Um, yeah," she said.

"Really? Well. Interesting." I took another bite. (It really was good. The pico had a great kick.) "I won't sign your petition. Thanks."

"Why not? Don't you think it important that we all take care of each other?"

"No. It's not my responsibility to take care of you."

She became indignant. "Oh yes it IS. We all need to care for each other!"

"No. If you're foolish enough not to have provided for yourself at your obviously advanced age, it's not my problem. Besides, under your… leader's… health care plan, you'll be phased out soon enough."

At this point, my mother-in-law saved the old hippie from her sputtering anger by offering to sign her petition. "It's important that we do something," she said scoldingly.

"So you'd rather pass a faulty bill that has nothing to do with health care than to actually focus on the problems that really are the root cause?" I asked, astounded. "No. I will not support that bullshit. It's absolutely ridiculous that you want to destroy everything we have for no good reason than this touchy-feely kumbaya baloney of yours."

You can imagine that this did not go over well. The hippie, glad that she had found a kindred spirit at the table, handed my MIL a small sheet that "outlined the points." 

"Wait a minute," I said, glancing at the flyer. "Have you read the bills?"

"Of course not," she said dismissively. "No one has."

"Oh, but yet you want to pass them. That makes perfect sense. I have read them. Those talking points of yours aren't in there."

"Yes, they are." 

"No they aren't. I've read the bill; you haven't."

"Well," she said, tucking them away, "it doesn't matter. It's a moral issue."

"Moral? MORAL? I'll give you moral. It's immoral of you to be foisting off your irresponsibility into a trillion-dollar bill just so you don't have to lift a god-damned finger for yourself. It's immoral to make my daughter and her generation pay for this nonsense. I'm not responsible for you, and I'll be damned if I pay for you or any of your kind."

The hippie shuffled off in search of easier targets. My MIL turned to me and said, "Well. I had no idea you felt so strongly about this." 

By this time I was in my black rage, a dangerous place as anyone who has experienced it will tell you. My hands were shaking and I could barely see. I turned to her and said, as calmly as possible, "I will not stand for this. I will not stand idly by and let this kind of thinking destroy my country. I will not allow you to mortgage my daughter's future on this nonsense, and I WILL NOT be quiet nor allow anyone to silence me when I know I am in the right."

"I think this goes deeper than that," she said.

At this point, the rage broke and I burst into hysterical sobbing. I looked across the table at a very confused HSH, and said, "I'm sorry. I never would have brought you into this world if I thought the adults in it would leave you this sort of mess."

Hizzoner finally recovered his powers of speech and calmed me down enough for me to finish my nachos. (Hey, they were good.)

By the way, the bottom of the hippie's petition had www.barackobama.com on it. Campaigning still?

The rest of the day was tentative at best. I refused to offer apology for my bit of drama, and none was offered to me. We took HSH to the wildlife refuge and fish hatchery (yeah, I know) where she got to feed the trout (oddly entertaining) and walk through a nature trail. I did make the effort to sit and be civil through supper, and my MIL furthered the rift between us by proceeding to psychoanalyze me through polite conversation, gently pronouncing me an "angry person who doesn't take joy from anything in life." I could also benefit, in her opinion, from some medication.

To be fair, my MIL is a former social worker. It's an occupational hazard, this mental screening thing. Whatever. She's probably right in some ways. I certainly wasn't pleased with her.

so you got out of the house on sunday.

That was the plan. I was sniffling a bit on Saturday night, and Sunday morning woke up to a head full of concrete. The pain from the pressure in my sinuses was blinding, and all I could do was lie there and moan. And not in a good way. Although my MIL did bring me hot tea, which I thought was nice.

Hizzoner took HSH – and the car – up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for a little hiking. I didn't get out of bed until noon. (My class started at 9.) After a generous handful of ibuprofen and a hot-water blast from the shower directly on the face, I felt sufficiently revived and needed to get out of the house. The in-laws had gone for a walk and I followed suit. I decided to walk downtown (a half-mile at the max) and get something caffeinated, then walk home.

I walked further than I intended, got winded, then had to rest at a number of park benches while making my way back. I drank about half my diet Coke before I even got home. I was sporting a bit of a fever by then, my lungs were on fire from the exertion and the mouth-breathing (nose still fully blocked), and all I wanted was to crawl back into bed.

I settled for a little knitting, a bit of football, and falling asleep on the futon before Hizzoner returned.

wow.

Yeah. Enough already. I knew we should have stayed home.

I'm feeling better today. A little. Hizzoner drove the whole way home, which meant that HSH was free to talk non-stop, kick the back of my seat, and proclaim a need for a potty stop every thirty miles or so. But we're home. The dog's a little freaked out – so stressed from her stay at the vet's that she's gotten all gassy. Which is pleasant. Not. Four loads of laundry, added with cleaning up the house, answering all the mail and email, getting HSH together for school tomorrow, and trying to figure out what I need for work in the morning – I'm beat.

At least I know better than to leave the house from now on. 

lone voice?

Or just the beginning of active dissent in the ranks? Dunno. You read this and tell me what you think.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

You'd think it's October 2008, the final month in the Obama presidential candidacy, rather than October 2009, nine months into the Obama presidency. Yet the Obama White House is in full campaign mode -- maybe because it needs to mask the shortcomings of the Obama presidency.

Sounds like fightin' words to me. And from a Chi-town columnist, no less.

and in other news:

Anyone got a good flip-top mitten pattern? Boss wants me to teach a class. (hoorah.)

another week, another note to the teacher.

No, I'm not writing to her to bitch about something. I just figured it would be good to warn her ahead of time that HSH will be missing from class while we go to Asheville. And get her homework. You didn't think I'd let her out of that, did you?

Yeah, SAFF is next weekend. I still have homework of my own to do before my colorwork class. I'm strangely not as excited about going this year. I don't know whether it's because I know buying is out of the question, or that I'm kind of in yarn overload what with working at the shop and all, or because I really don't need anything new, so why bother? I should be excited that I'm taking the class – shouldn't have done it but now I'm glad I did, what with the detail part of the Vancouver sweater looming on the horizon. I'm hoping that some of my buds will be there. It'll make the trip worthwhile.

I dunno. I'm not looking forward to the traveling. That's kind of unlike me, because I used to enjoy road trips. Nowadays I don't much like to leave the house if I can get around it. I get along with the inlaws – good, because we're staying with them – but I can't say I'm overly thrilled about spending all weekend with them, either.

Maybe I'm just in a funk. Maybe it'll do me good to get out of town for a bit. It's the only vacation I'm taking this year – and that's not likely to change in the near future – so I'd better shut up and enjoy it.

aren't we little mary sunshine?

Sorry. The weather's been getting me down. Rainy – more like grey and drizzly – and cold. Today's high was 47F (8C). Wind coming straight out of the north, right off the bay. The kind of day where you just want to stay in bed. Which I would have done if I didn't have four loads of laundry to do, a kitchen to clean up, every ceiling fan to vacuum (OMG do you KNOW what collects on those blades?) and a class sock to catch up on. Even though I know – I KNOW like I know the back of my hand – that no one's going to be even close to ready to start the heel. Hell, I know I'm not.

I'd like a cup of cocoa with a little Kahlua in it, but I think we're all out….

But can I ask something? What exactly is the Anointed One trying to distract attention from this time? Why are the attack dogs yapping about Fox News all of a sudden? Is this a test before the re-implementation of the Fairness Doctrine?

I'm getting really sick and tired of it. Axelrod, Emanuel, you nutless putzes -- there's ONE freaking news network that won't toe your line and blindly repeat your talking points ad nauseum, and you can't handle it. Well get over it. They aren't going away. Herr Gibbels and his myrmidons can do all the morning shows they want to (and I don't know why anyone bothers because the ratings are hardly worth the effort) but the fact remains that there remains a significant number of people in this country who don't buy what you're selling, and they're glad that there's at least one network who isn't afraid to air a contrary point of view. The bullshit meter went off a long time ago.

Oh, and the Jets really suck. Welcome to New York weather, California boy.

Riddle me this: was it truly necessary for the Patriots to run up the score like this? It's bad enough that anyone who gets within six feet of Tom "I bruise easily" Brady gets a flag thrown at them, but now we have to give him eleventy billion touchdowns or else he throws a tantrum?

The Saints game was fun to watch, though. (Saintseester didn't pay me to say that, either.)

My 'Canes are letting me down so far. I keep reminding myself that the season is still very young.

Maybe I'll skip the cocoa and go straight to the Kahlua. Or maybe I'll just go straight to bed. The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow. I don't know about that, either. Unlike that frizzy-haired little optimist, I'll believe it when I see it.