Whadda great weekend. Jarvae was my guest for the whole of it.
Actually time spent with her started back on Tuesday when she and her coworker went with me to see Spiderman 3. Long movie, but better than I'd anticipated from all the stuff I'd ready about it. Maybe what I had read was penned by the Spiderman Purist society or something. Ah well. I liked it, that's all that matters.
Forward to Friday; I picked her up as she dropped off her rental car, and we went to Chipotle after stopping at a couple places. The Fire Bowl Cafe turned out to be a Chinese food place. I thought it was interesting that the word "wok" isn't to be found anywhere until you're looking closely at the menu. You can find the menu in their web site if you have the patience to look around. It seemed to me that they want to be 'hip' to the point of trying to distance themselves from a "Chinese Restaurant" kind of place that has paper lamps hanging from the ceiling and dragons on every wall. They say: "Vegetarian, low carb, allergy sensitive? Come in and build a bowl to meet your special diet needs. Just ask one of our cashiers if you need help." Are you kidding me?? They expect their cashiers to be dieticians? Good grief. Yuppie-ville has spawned yet closer to my neighborhood.
We agreed that the weekend was going to be one of sleeping in, and to that end we watched part of Dr. Strangelove until she fell asleep. I nudged her enough to get her to go to bed. She woke up the next morning at 7:30. I should probably iterate here that Jarvae is not one you would call a "morning person"; I am usually her main alarm clock when she needs to get somewhere (like work). At least, when she doesn't answer and hang up the phone in her sleep. If she answers in her sleep and starts talking, it's a laugh riot though!
So she wakes at 7:30 completely on her own, though I think me walking out to get the paper might have been the culprit, really. We went to Pearl Street Mall and wandered around for a few hours. We stumbled across a winery and it was, as they say, all over. She likes wine. She likes tasting wine. She likes this to such a degree that she has told me of her intent to have the many bottles of wine that she's accrued taken to an actual Self-Storage Wine Cellar (I can't imagine what this would look like) somewhere for something like $40/month. This makes no sense to me, I think mostly because I'm sane.
She is now bound & determined to convert me to wine as well. After three wineries over two days, it seems I like white wines over red unless there's chocolate within reach to go with the... What are they again? Oh yeah, "tannins". So now I've got four whites in the fridge and a red in a dark dresser drawer, and a lot of reading to do. I know, I know. Just don't even start, okay?
Saturday evening after dinner with the g/f (recently ex... that'll take a post on its own), we try watching Young Frankenstein. I understand why she's not seen this movie. She keeps falling asleep!! It's either that, or she's just been entirely too sheltered in her young life. Anyway, the following morning I come out of my room at 8-ish & see her already awake. Says she was up again at 7:30. I think Mario woke her up this time though. We'll see how she does going forward to see if she's becoming a morning person or not (if you know her at all, I'm sure you can guess the answer to that, right?).
During the driving around over the weekend:
Pouting from Jarvae: "Hey! Why did you lock the windows so I can't roll it down?" --extra pouty, even HURT look--
I checked the window lock & it was not on, then watched as she tried to roll the window down.
I replied, "Darlin', you've gotta push down on the switch instead of up. Works better that way."
Doubting me, she looks at the switch, pushes the other way and looks slightly irritated as the window goes down. "Oh..."
Of course I mention that only as a pre-emptive strike as she'll likely post a photo or two of me in a less-than-composed, goofing-off nature.
Metallica, One
21 May 2007
12 May 2007
Friday off... PARTYPARTYPARTY
I took Friday off. No reason, just decided to take a three-day weekend. Saw a movie from the same guy that gave us Shaun of the Dead. Turns out that the movie also used pretty much the same cast as SotD, too. I enjoyed Hot Fuzz quite a bit.
Last night went to a going-away party of sorts; A coworker here is being sent to the desert for a while, so a bunch of us got together to shoot some stick and down some booze. Then there was the obligatory knee-to-chin incident as well (hey, get a couple Marines and an Army Ranger together with alcohol in the general vicinity and things happen. Good times)... Happily it wasn't my chin. I only got clocked as I stood too close watching someone take a swing at the Golden Tee game there. I ended at +16 for that course (I can't putt in that game to save my life). The other guy was swinging to slice a hard left and brought his hand right to my eye.
Gnarls Barkley, The Boogie Monster
Last night went to a going-away party of sorts; A coworker here is being sent to the desert for a while, so a bunch of us got together to shoot some stick and down some booze. Then there was the obligatory knee-to-chin incident as well (hey, get a couple Marines and an Army Ranger together with alcohol in the general vicinity and things happen. Good times)... Happily it wasn't my chin. I only got clocked as I stood too close watching someone take a swing at the Golden Tee game there. I ended at +16 for that course (I can't putt in that game to save my life). The other guy was swinging to slice a hard left and brought his hand right to my eye.
This morning was a good morning. After six hours of sleep, I got up with the sun to get outside & wash the car before the temp crept up too high. Started at 61 degrees, wiped off the last of the wax at 71 degrees, a mere two hours later. The Nissan is mostly pretty again ( #!@%*^!! Cottonwood tree keeps dumping its sap & other crap on it). Why did I do this? ... Forecast from the local station this morning:
... No really. I'd like to know why. A few hours later I went to the store and found a nice layer of cottonwood pollen covering it, bumper to bumper. Grrr. Anyone want to do some midnight chainsawing?
Gnarls Barkley, The Boogie Monster
04 May 2007
Look, I'm heartless.
Points from a CNN story.
"Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean told immigrant supporters in Miami that a reform bill before Congress was "insane" because it would require many illegal immigrants to return home before applying for citizenship."
--Not insane at all. It's proper punishment to reinforce the assertion that we are a country of laws. Start over and immigrate to our coutry the legal way. Do we just give a child whose hand we caught in the cookie jar a reward? Maybe we should just "punish" those that drive 75 in a school zone by simply raising the speed limit instead of taking away their license?
"In New York, immigrants and their supporters added names to a painting of a tree meant to symbolize the American family and the crucial role of immigrants in U.S. history. People in the crowd then attached leaves containing names of relatives. "
"These people are hardworking people," said Djounedou Titi, a West African immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for eight years. "They deserve credit. And the only credit this country can give to them is citizenship."
--This is no tree. It is a weed. Slowly rooting into the concrete that was America, deteriorating it to a pile of rubble. "Added names to a painting of a tree"?? A tree of people that, with their very first step into this country, spit on the laws of our land? There are rules for a reason. Abide by them, or go shit in your OWN sand box.
Magda Ortiz, a 27-year-old legal resident from Mexico and mother of two, pushed through crowds on the city's lakefront with a stroller bearing a sign that read: "Bush, think about the moms. Stop the raids."
--Huh? I'm pretty sure Bush didn't BRING your infant over the border, or tugged your pregnant sister's arm to get her across the border between contractions to try to ensure your free ride. How about this: Why don't you think about your children? Why not set an example for them by following the rules of admission? Your children are NOT my responsibility.
"I want to send them back," he said. "I've been in the city for 40 years. They've completely destroyed our city."
--Okay, he's just a nut-job that the media apparently really had to hunt to find. They didn't get any other input from the opposition? Of course not. They only want the salivating reactionaries' view-point. Helps ratings, after all. Look, immigration doesn't have to be splashed broadly as ONLY filth-ridden free-loaders pouring in. Why are the stories of new immigrants, right hands held up taking their oath as new American citizens, not spot-lighted more often? Give these free-loaders something to aspire to.
"After last year's marches, which drew a million-plus protesters, the Senate passed a sweeping bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for many of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants. But the bill was never reconciled with the then-Republican-controlled House, and legislation has languished since last summer. Subsequent bipartisan proposals have gotten more conservative."
--Oh, sure: When the Bush puppets were "in power" they supposedly blocked all attempts at this sweeping bill, but now that the toothless other party is in control... what? What's their excuse? Perhaps they realize that the puppets might have been on to something? Maybe that their own constituents DON'T want the borders wide open?
Roy Dunn, Further On Down the Line
"Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean told immigrant supporters in Miami that a reform bill before Congress was "insane" because it would require many illegal immigrants to return home before applying for citizenship."
--Not insane at all. It's proper punishment to reinforce the assertion that we are a country of laws. Start over and immigrate to our coutry the legal way. Do we just give a child whose hand we caught in the cookie jar a reward? Maybe we should just "punish" those that drive 75 in a school zone by simply raising the speed limit instead of taking away their license?
"In New York, immigrants and their supporters added names to a painting of a tree meant to symbolize the American family and the crucial role of immigrants in U.S. history. People in the crowd then attached leaves containing names of relatives. "
"These people are hardworking people," said Djounedou Titi, a West African immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for eight years. "They deserve credit. And the only credit this country can give to them is citizenship."
--This is no tree. It is a weed. Slowly rooting into the concrete that was America, deteriorating it to a pile of rubble. "Added names to a painting of a tree"?? A tree of people that, with their very first step into this country, spit on the laws of our land? There are rules for a reason. Abide by them, or go shit in your OWN sand box.
Magda Ortiz, a 27-year-old legal resident from Mexico and mother of two, pushed through crowds on the city's lakefront with a stroller bearing a sign that read: "Bush, think about the moms. Stop the raids."
--Huh? I'm pretty sure Bush didn't BRING your infant over the border, or tugged your pregnant sister's arm to get her across the border between contractions to try to ensure your free ride. How about this: Why don't you think about your children? Why not set an example for them by following the rules of admission? Your children are NOT my responsibility.
"I want to send them back," he said. "I've been in the city for 40 years. They've completely destroyed our city."
--Okay, he's just a nut-job that the media apparently really had to hunt to find. They didn't get any other input from the opposition? Of course not. They only want the salivating reactionaries' view-point. Helps ratings, after all. Look, immigration doesn't have to be splashed broadly as ONLY filth-ridden free-loaders pouring in. Why are the stories of new immigrants, right hands held up taking their oath as new American citizens, not spot-lighted more often? Give these free-loaders something to aspire to.
"After last year's marches, which drew a million-plus protesters, the Senate passed a sweeping bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for many of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants. But the bill was never reconciled with the then-Republican-controlled House, and legislation has languished since last summer. Subsequent bipartisan proposals have gotten more conservative."
--Oh, sure: When the Bush puppets were "in power" they supposedly blocked all attempts at this sweeping bill, but now that the toothless other party is in control... what? What's their excuse? Perhaps they realize that the puppets might have been on to something? Maybe that their own constituents DON'T want the borders wide open?
Roy Dunn, Further On Down the Line
02 May 2007
Hear Elvis singing?
So there's this problem I have. I live in a ghetto. I can't say it's the boonies, because I've lived there before in Montana. This ain't the boonies. This ghetto is so ghetto that neither Qwest, nor Comcast will bring broadband internet. That ghetto. The telephone lines that Qwest does have here aren't that great, but dial-up internet has peaked somewhere between 42 and 44k. Not bad for a PCI modem, until you try to use any ISP in this area. Not once am I able to complete a connection on the first attempt. It's just painfully annoying.
Then I picked up this cell phone that has a USB connection to keep my address lists of friends and family (and other lists) nicely backed-up. Lo and behold, I see it can even act as a modem for the computer with the data package I have.
A couple days ago, as I was getting connection speeds of a mere 24k due to awful noise on the phone line I thought, "What the hell, I'll give that a try. Can't get much worse than 24k fer cryin' out loud."
Try indeed. The first attempt connected me at 460k. Trying later in the day connected my computer at a "lowly" 120k. I don't know why the sudden slow-down, but I immediately called Cingular and upped my service to include their unlimited "MEdianet" package. Only $15 more on the cell phone bill, and I lose $35 for the home phone service and ISP charge.
Yeah, I can deal with four times the connection speed (ten times, on a good day apparently) with $20 savings per month. Yay for the home team.
I can actually stream Sirius radio now WHILE Icheck out porn download winders updates and irfanview and an occasional tune! ...am I, perhaps, just a little too happy about this?
Elvis, Money Honey
Then I picked up this cell phone that has a USB connection to keep my address lists of friends and family (and other lists) nicely backed-up. Lo and behold, I see it can even act as a modem for the computer with the data package I have.
A couple days ago, as I was getting connection speeds of a mere 24k due to awful noise on the phone line I thought, "What the hell, I'll give that a try. Can't get much worse than 24k fer cryin' out loud."
Try indeed. The first attempt connected me at 460k. Trying later in the day connected my computer at a "lowly" 120k. I don't know why the sudden slow-down, but I immediately called Cingular and upped my service to include their unlimited "MEdianet" package. Only $15 more on the cell phone bill, and I lose $35 for the home phone service and ISP charge.
Yeah, I can deal with four times the connection speed (ten times, on a good day apparently) with $20 savings per month. Yay for the home team.
I can actually stream Sirius radio now WHILE I
Elvis, Money Honey
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