Elvis Lives, at the DMV

Friday was supposed to be my day to get off work at noon, zip by the DMV, get a new ID since mine has been expired since my birthday, back in August, and then have the rest of the day to play, play, play! I had it all planned out in my head. I haven't yet spent the birthday money from Wifester's grandma, and I so wanted to go shopping with that. I also had a walk at the park with the Sunny-dog in mind. Knowing the debates would be on in the evening, I wanted to pack my day with as much as possible, so that I could return home, fulfilled, happy, and ready to face the debacle that is our political system.
Wifester picked me up from work, and we headed over to our local DMV, which I looked up online before leaving work, just to make sure we knew where we were headed. We don't want to waste gas, what with the shortage around here these days, and the prices, sheeeesh! I found the web site and located the nearest place where I can pick up an ID only, since my neurologist won't allow me to drive, that's all I need. If I didn't have the driving restriction, I could have ordered it online, but nooooo... I have to go in. So off we go. Luckily for us, we thought, the DMV is right down the street from our neighborhood. We get there, and circle the building, not seeing any cars, except one in the back corner, with a questionable looking man talking on his cell phone, parked in the furthest corner. We finally locate the DMV office, and wouldn't you know, this office is closed on Fridays! Now you'd think that would be information that they would have placed on their web site! The sign on the door says to visit the other location, in the neighboring city, the one we passed, on the way home, to this one. So backtracking, we head out, passing the same questionable looking man, who now has company in the form of another car with another questionable looking man parked next to him. I'm not here to make assumptions, but I've lived a very full 35 years, and I've been in those cars in the back corners of parking lots that can't bee seen from the road, and I know what's usually happening in them, I'm just saying. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, this is not a DMV I want to come back to.
We finally make it to the other DMV, and upon entering, see a sign on the door that says, "Renewing or Replacing License or ID? Don't wait in line, use our SELF SERVICE KIOSK". Great! I thought, and head right on over to it, there was actually 5 kiosks, all of which were occupied, so I get in line and wait, and wait, and wait. Finally a gentleman leaves his kiosk, and I move in to get started. I realized he walked away without hitting "Submit" and he had an error message on the screen, so I called to him to notify him, "Yeah", he said, "I know" and dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I backed away, not wanting to peer at this gentleman's social security number and driver's license number and other personal information that he'd left on the screen, until finally the lovely DMV worker from the counter across the way cleared the screen so that I could start. I say lovely DMV worker, of course, in jest. This woman was by far the most vile human being ever placed on this planet. Honestly, if you hate your job so much, just do everyone a favor and shoot yourself. I looked at Wifester at one point and said " These are state employees, right?" "Yep" she answered. "So, we're paying them to talk shitty to us" "yeah, and they do it cause it's impossible to get fired from a state job" she replied. Wifester needs a job at the DMV. I think it would help her work out some pent up aggressions.
Where was I? Ah yes, well, I begin the process at the kiosk, entering all my info, which is a quite legnthy and detailed questionaire, by the way. And at the end, it tells me "You are not eligible to renew your ID at this station, please get in line"
YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!!
So I get in the line which has grown by at least 10 more people since I first got there, and when I finally made it up to the counter, Sweetie, the lovely DMV worker, says with utter and complete sarcasm"Yah, cause you're suspended, you can't use that". OK. Let me inject here, I am only suspended because I have a medical condition, epilepsy, and that I was only trying to renew my ID, not my license. And if the stupid kiosk will not allow these types of renewals, it should tell you that at the begining of the process, or on the friggin door sign that suggests anyone wanting a renewal to go to the kiosk! Am I wrong here? Maybe I'm just expecting too much. Maybe my logic is not the same as everyone else's.
So Miss. Smarty pants gives me an application, and a ticket with number 118. I look up at the "Now Serving" board, and they are on 92. Miss Smarty Pants says "It's gonna be like an hour and a half, have a seat, we'll get to you when we can."
As I'm walking away, she hollers out, to the waiting area "if you have one of my pens, bring it back! I've gone through two boxes today! If you're using my clipboards, be sure you return them here too, people!" She had one of those tones that made the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
As we sat in the waiting area, we looked around, and saw some interesting people. I love people watching. There was the young mom, who was more interested in the conversation she was having on her cell phone than watching her baby crawl around on the floor, try to eat the floor, grab her pack of cigarettes out of her purse, drop them on the floor, then place them in his mouth, you know, that kind of stuff. Aparently she was going to "kick it" with her friend, and needed to discuss in detail the arrangements and the liquor that needed to be purchased.
I couldn't bare to watch the little one wallow around on the nasty floor of the DMV so my eyes drifted over to what I though for a few moments was surely Ritchie Valens. In my head, I was singing "Oh, Donna....Oh, Donna..." then I giggled and elbowed the Wifester as we both saw Elvis enter the building!
He must have been hanging around outside when we entered, because we did see a car with "Elvis Lives" on the license plate, and surely this man went with that car...

And what's more, when they called number 108, he stepped up to the counter! Elvis's birthday was Jan. 8, coincidence? Well, most certainly so, but fun none the less!
They finally called my number, and I stepped up to counter 2 where a man with a gentle tone, which surprised me, after hearing the screaching bitch from hell all afternoon, who asked me why I didn't just use the kiosk. I explained that it would not allow me to renew, and he looks at his screen, and says to me, "Oooooh, well, do you know what you'll need to do to get your license back?" "Yeah," I said, "Get cured from epilepsy." He types a few times, and replies "Oh! yours is just a medical hold. Yeah, you just need clearance from your physician".
No duh!
It really gets old when people assume the worst when I have ID only. Even at the DMV. It' s bad enough when I go to buy a bottle of wine, and the clerk looks at me like "come on, lady, you've already lost your license" or when I'm out with Wifester and the waiter looks at it, then looks at me, then looks at it again, and I can see their wheels spinning..."What did she do? Was it a DUI? Was it tickets? What happened?" And it's always followed by that same condescending, what a pitty look. I hate that. I'm not saying I've been Miss. Perfect Angel all my life, by no means has that ever been me. But I have made it this far without and driving record due to being impared while behind the wheel. And I rather dislike the assumption.
Anywhoodle...
By the time I left the DMV, it was almost 4 oclock, and the day was spent. But I do have a new ID, in which I look as though I'm just about to wrap my hands around someone's neck and squeeze until their head pops off. On the up-side, I can vote at my new location come November worry free.
How was your Friday?

Sometimes Wow is all that can be said...

Watch CBS Videos Online

Wondering how they came up with $700,000,000 ?

photo from www.acf-fr.org/i/08-01-17_money8.jpg

It's not often that I'm left speechless. But upon reading, at Forbes.com, the about a spokesperson from the Treasury commenting on the $700,000,000 bailout plan, saying:

“It’s not based on any particular data point,” a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. “We just wanted to choose a really large number.”

My jaw dropped, and my voice failed me.

Oh really? So that's how it works? No statistical data used, no analytical processes, no rhyme or reason...
just "We wanted to choose a really large number."

It's appalling, it's disgusting, and all I can say, my friends, is bend over and spread em', cause here it comes, like it or not, we're about to get screwed.

Wallstreet = Kids and Candy

A perfect analogy:




and I just heard McCain wants to postpone the debates?! And suspend his campaign so he can focus on the economic crisis?! Ha! Nice try. It's the political equivalent of "I'm taking my toys and going home!" We've seen World Wars I and II, and those candidates didn't suspend their campaigns...the show must go on...democracy must prevail. Maybe he's not a good multitasker.
Thank God Obama didn't take the bait, he says bring on the debates!

What's that? Could it be? Is there HOPE yet?? I read this at RockTheVote.com:

New Rock the Vote Poll

Today, Rock the Vote released the results of our latest poll of 18-29 year olds, the first to ask young people their thoughts on McCain-Palin vs. Obama-Biden and the most recent to ask young voters what issues are deciding their vote this fall.

Here are some interesting tidbits; you can check out the full results here.

The faltering economy is at the top of young voters' minds.

• 41% of those surveyed said the next president, whoever he is, should take action on the economy and jobs as his first move in office.
  
• 51% said "creating jobs" was a 10 on a scale of 1-10 (most important) in deciding for whom to vote in November - higher than anything else, although nearly tied with "gas prices/energy" at 50%.

We want more talk of issues in this presidential campaign.

• Health care, college affordability, jobs and the economy, the environment - for nearly every issue we asked about, young voters said the presidential candidates are spending "not enough time" talking about them.
  
• 63% want to hear more about creating jobs, 56% want to hear more about health care, and 64% want to hear more about college affordability. 54% want more on gas prices/energy and 50% want more on immigration.

Young voters are paying serious attention to this election, and know they will play a major role in a historic moment.

• 87% plan to vote in November (up from 82% in our February poll);
• 92% have talked with friends or family about the election;
  
• 57% are following the election extremely or very closely (up from 42% in February);
• 88% think that, as a group, young people have the power to change things in this country;
  
• 82% think this election is an opportunity to make history by electing the first African American president; 69% think this election is an opportunity to make history by electing the first woman vice president.
  

Young voters continue to trend Democratic.

• In today's poll, 50% of 18-29 year olds say they are Democrats, 29% say they are Republicans, and 12% say they are Independents.
  
• When asked for whom they will vote in November, 56% say Barack Obama and 29% say John McCain. 13% remain undecided.
  
• For Congress, 49% say they will vote for the Democratic candidate and 27% for the Republican candidate.

Clearly, young people are energized, paying attention, and keyed into top campaign issues - candidates from president on down to city council should get out there and talk to young voters. All signs point to 2008 being the third major election in a row with increased young voter turnout - and the more we see on the ground, from our polling, and online, the more likely it looks like we might hit record turnout levels on November 4th.

WWC - Modern and Primitive & Green La Vergne Update

This week's WWC words were a delight! Tink, over at Pickled Beef, challenged us to post our photo interpretations of the words Modern & Primitive.

Modern Software:

Primitave, notice it says it's compatible with Windows 3.1 and 95!!!

Primitave art

Modern

He looks Primitive, don't cha think?

And in unrelated events, as promised, here's my update on my Green LA Vergne Group's Booth we worked at our city's Old Timer's Day Parade and Festival this weekend.
We signed up a LOT of new members who are willing to volunteer to help us make our city litter free, cleaner, and greener and all around a more beautiful and earth friendly place to live. We made some new important contacts, and we were invited to run a booth at a local school's Fall Festival next month. Mission accomplished!
Here's the Green La Vergne gang, sans Wifester, as she was behind the camera...



The words for next week are:
Time
and
Place

Hmmmm....I better get busy working on that one. Don't forget to see Tink, if you're interested in joining.

What do Health Care and Wall Street Have In Common?

In the latest issue of , Contingencies, McCain's brilliant plan for health care reform is spelled out by the McCain party. To summarize, McCain's plan is to make the health care system more akin to the finance industry that he worked so hard with Bush to destroy. You heard me right. More like the finance industry! In the words of Kyle's mom, "What?!What?!What?!"

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."

Now there's a plan.
Hey, wait, is that not that the industry that's in the process of imploding right now? Oh, yeah, yeah, it is.

McCain's health care plan would create a situation in which millions of working families would begin paying a new tax on health benefits, millions more would be dropped from their existing coverage, and an unregulated insurance industry would be left to offer absurdly expensive, exclusive, or inadequate coverage in their policies. Therefore, potentially and most likely, creating even more uninsured Americans than we have today.

Great! Sign me up!

A study, conducted by the economist, over at Health Affairs, estimates that 20 million Americans could lose their current health coverage under McCain's ingenious plan. They further acknowledge that with 160 million people receiving coverage through employers, effects could be even larger, devastating, I believe was the word they used. Under McCain's plan, employer's would be given incentives to drop coverage and push workers into the private market, a market which would be unregulated.

Unregulated. Let that marinate a while.

To put into perspective, in the private market, you can be turned down for a pre-existing condition, or any "health issue" that the insurer deems too costly to them. I have epilepsy. I'd be screwed. He says he wants to actually decrease protections for consumers. Decrease protections for consumers? That makes it even harder to get care. All I can say to this is WTF???!!!

I actually saw a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on a car today, right next to a W sticker. I just don't get it. If the past eight years hasn't been enough, what will?

Is it any wonder I am a bundle of nerves these days?

Passing it Along...

I saw this over at Knight's and had to share it.

Pimping

Old Timer's Day was a smashing success, and I am T-totally tired! But I wanted to stop by and let you know about something... I've told you about it before, but just in case you missed it, or haven't been there in a while, you really should check out this blog. Yes, I'm pimping author P.A.Bees, not just 'cause she's my mommie-in-law, but because I genuinely love her writing and appreciate her perspective. You should also check out her web site, where she has poetry and a short story posted. I love reading her work, and I'm sure you will too.

Arrrrrrrrr! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy there matey! Today be International as ye a pirate day. Shiver me timbers! Is it that time o' year already? T' elections be smartly approachin', and so be t' holidays. I've been a runnin' me self ragged, what with school, work, and gettin' ready for an event with me Green La Vergne Group. T' event be tomorrow, and I'll be aye t' get some photos and post em' here, just as smartly as I can.
But right now, I wanted t' tell you 'bout somethin' t' ole' buxom beauty said t' me last night as I fumed over some politics...

(O.K., out of pirate voice for this part )
she said to me " So um...this weekend if _K__ comes over, do you want me to tell her to bring _P___ with her so the two of you can talk about this shit? Cause she's sick of hearing about it, and he needs someone else to talk with about it, like you."
Ha! So I guess the Wifester is over my political rants, but I will not apologize for being passionate about how I feel and what I believe. We have that right. Just as she has a right to her apathy.
But I did tell her to tell _K___ that she could bring _P__ so that I'd have someone to talk the good stuff with. :)
(back to pirate speak now)
So tell me, mateys, what 'ave ye' planned for this fine Talk Like a Pirate Day?

Searchin' fer' some loot?

I thought you'd like that ye ole' dirty dogs!

Canada's Looking Better and Better

I wasn't one tiny bit surprised to read that Sara Palin charged Wasilla rape victims to pay for their own rape kits. To me, making victims pay up to $1200 to gather medical evidence against their own attackers seems to be par for the course with this woman. She did, after all, grossly fail to address the epidemic of sex crimes in Alaska, which is what led to Walt Monegan to plan a trip to Washington to seek federal funding. A trip she and McCain thwarted:

WASHINGTON (AP)
...The last straw, the McCain campaign said, was in July, when Monegan planned to travel to Washington to seek federal money for a plan to assign troopers, judges and prosecutors who could exclusively handle sexual assault cases -- one of the state's most intractable crime problems.

In a July 7 e-mail, John Katz, the governor's special counsel, noted two problems with the trip: The governor hadn't agreed the money should be sought, and the request was "out of sequence with our other appropriations requests and could put a strain on the evolving relationship between the Governor and Sen. (Ted) Stevens."

Adding insult to injury here is the fact that under Palin policy, women would not only be required to cough up the money for their own rape kits, but should they turn up pregnant from said rape, she doesn't even believe they should be granted the right to an abortion. The hipocrisy of Sarah Palin is that she so adamantly and blatantly pushes policies that are hurtful, even oppressive toward women, yet calls herself a feminist. But again, that just seems to be appropriate for the party she's affiliated with. There's the hipocrisy of John McCain, calling Barack Obama an elitist, while McCain himself owns at least 9 quite luxurious homes. Then there's this McCain ad thats talking about McCain's energy policy and his innovative energy inititive, but it was McCain who has been absent, therefore, rendering a no vote, on key energy bills nine times since December of 2007. See here and here.

And now McCain is pulling out the Willie Horton style punches, according to the associated press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative nonprofit group with a past link to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign wants to spend $2.8 million on an ad questioning Democrat Barack Obama's relationship to a founder of the 1960s radical group Weather Underground.

The ad, which is expected to begin airing Thursday in Michigan and Friday in Ohio, focuses on William Ayers, whose Weatherman organization took credit for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol four decades ago.

American Issues Project, the sponsor of the ad, is a nonprofit 501(c)4 organization. One of its board members, Ed Failor Jr., was a paid consultant for McCain's campaign in Iowa last year. The campaign paid his firm $50,000 until July 2007. American Issues Project spokesman Christian Pinkston said Failor has no connection to the McCain campaign now.

OOH, that sounds bad, huh? Except the ad won't mention that it was fourty years ago, when Obama was about six years old. And it sure won't mention that Ayers is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He and Obama live in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood and served together on the board of the Woods Fund, a Chicago-based charity that develops community groups to help the poor. Or that Obama left the board in December 2002. Nor will it highlight Obama's Fox News interview from April 2008, in which he said "Mr. Ayers is a 60-plus-year-old individual who lives in my neighborhood, who did something that I deplore 40 years ago when I was 6 or 7 years old," continuing, "By the time I met him, he is a professor of education at the University of Illinois. We served on a board together that had Republicans, bankers, lawyers, focused on education."
Where is that Christian attitude of forgiveness and redemption that I keep hearing about from the right?
And if we're going to talk about what happened fourty years ago, lets take a moment to remember back to the '80, when McCain was a member of the Keating five. Anyone remember that? Let me remind you.

Charles Keating was convicted of fraud and racketeering at both state and federal courts, after his Linclon Savings & Loan Collapsed. The cost of that calamity to taxpayers? $3.4 BILLION. McCain was never convicted, but he did intervene on behalf of Keating, after Keating gave McCain at least $112,000 in contributions. Their relationship goes back to the mid 1980's, in fact, when McCain made at least nine trips on Keaty's airplanes, three of which were to vacation at Keating's Bahamas retreat, a luxurious personal little get away. McCain's wife and father in law had some ties to Keating too, investing $350,000.00 in one of his shopping centers.
McCain is the only one of the Keating 5 who has remained in the Senate after they each were accused of attempting to intimidate regulators on behalf of Keating.
Oh, and this Keating Savings and Loan that the Keating 5 were defending and protecting...it sold worthless, high risk junk bonds. Many of its 23,000 investors were elderly customers who didn't even know that their investment was not even federally insured. Now that's classy. Many of them were left destitute in the wake while Keating and Co. reaped the rewards and lived a lavish lifestyle.
I say it's time for the Dem's to stop playing nice and dish it back, in equal portions.

WWC - Male & Female

Yes, kiddies, it's time again for the wonderful and challenging Weekly Words Challenge, brought to us by none other than Tink, from Pickled Beef. If you want to play, talk to the fairy. Don't forget to stop by the WWC Flickr group, too!

This week's words are Male & Female:

So back in June, when we went on vacation, we went to Wifester's brother's wedding. I thought I'd make the newlyweds a present to commemorate their special day, think they'll like it? It's still in progress...

Here's my old roommate, Menace, showing us that he's a boy, OK Menace, put that thing away, already!

What is it with boys showing their stuff?

you gotta love rainbow man!

I paint a lot of female mermaids

now, this one's tricky, because the one nursing is the female, while the one being nursed on is male!

just because someone's shirt says "trust me..." I'm just sayin'...

So that's all I've got for this week's WWC. Remember, if you want to join the fun, go see Tink!

Symphony for the Sandman

As I sit to write this, I hear the familiar sound of Wifester's snore wafting from the sofa in unison with the Sunny-dog's. It's this cacophony of nasal and deep pharyngeal sounds that I've grown to love. The two of them are like one when in deep slumber and beware the woman (or man) who tries to place a wedge in between this girl and her dog. I see them snuggled up together and I think of how at peace they look together and I miss my Max. I remember how we were one. Max knew me like I know myself. I think about people who don't have pets and how much they miss out in their lives by not having this bond, this joy. Oh sure, with it comes an inevitable heartache that is akin to no other, but I believe, through my pets, I've learned how to be a better person.
I see it in Wifester and Sunny-dog. See, you may not know this about my Wifester, but she's from up north. People from the north have a different mindset than us southerners. Always in a hurry to get things done, always with an agenda to complete, always wanting to get in and get out. No dilly-dallying. I think it stems from all the cold months they spend up there. There's no time for niceties and lingering. If you pause to converse, you'll freeze. Down here in the south, where it sweltering hot and you can cut the air with a knife even in September, we take our time. No running around, that'll just produce more heat! We stop and smell the flowers, because they're everywhere. But the Sunny-dog is a southern-girl too, so now the Wifester is outnumbered. Sunnydog is a laid back, take it easy kind of girl. And sensitive, to boot. Wifester is hurried and gruff. She's learning to be gentle and slow down, relax a bit, through the Sunny-dog. And what any of this has to do with anything, I really don't know. But I was sick and tired of politics, and rants, and honestly, I sat down to write about something else, but hearing the symphony of snores led me here.
What's on your mind today?

Lipstick Makes Pigs Pretty!

I'm sure everyone's heard by now about the McCain side calling foul over Obama's use of the "lipstick on a pig" phrase. To place it in context, Obama was asked about his policy vs McCain's and he responded that McCain's was not any change, that it was the same ole' same ole. That's when he went on to say that “That’s just calling something the same thing, something different," and "But you know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. You can you can, wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it’s still going to stink after 8 years," he continued with "We’ve had enough of the same old thing.”
McCain-Palin spokesperson, Maria Comella, said in a statement "Barack Obama’s comments today are offensive and disgraceful. He owes Governor Palin an apology."
Personally, I'm outraged at their outrage. I recall when Hillary Clinton proposed her health care reform plan, it was John McCain who used the exact same phrase, to quote him, he said "I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." And no one heard Hillary demanding an apology for being called a pig. Why? Because she wasn't called a pig! She was smart enough to know that it was a jab at her policy, not her. She knew that he was saying her policy was no different than the current, which is debatable, but still... And last year, when John McCain was quoted as saying "It's all about withdrawal or not withdrawal, okay? I mean that's what it's all about. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." – John McCain, 2007...He was never called insensitive or offensive.
And again,in 2007, he showed he is no stranger to the use of this common phrase when he said "It gets down to whether you support what's being done in this new strategy or you don't. You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig in my view." – John McCain, 2007.
Even the Cheneys get in on the action of prettying up the pigs in their parts.
Dick, in 2004, said this of John Kerry, "Or as we say out in our home state of Wyoming, you can put all the lipstick you want on a pig, but it's still a pig." – Dick Cheney, 2004.
And not to be left out, Lynne Cheney got in on the piggy-prettying party in 2004 when she said "John Kerry tries to put a bunch of fancy, fancy talk...but there is nothing you can do to really -- to really obscure that record. You can try, though. And in Wyoming, we've got a saying for what it is when you keep trying to make something that's not so good look good, we call it putting lipstick on a pig." – Lynne Cheney, 2004.
Listen, all I'm saying here is all this talk about the stupid pig comment is silly nonsense. It's smoke and mirrors to distract people from the real issues. The real issues that Obama was trying to talk about in the first place. Health care. Employment. The wars. The economy. Education. It seems like Idiocracy is coming to America, and I thought that was just a bad social commentary. See, as long as people use this knee jerk reaction rather than stopping to pay attention to the full picture, the truth becomes occluded. We have to think, pay attention, educate ourselves, and not blindly trust what our corporate employers, news media, and politicians tell us. We have to take the time to understand the issues at hand, and where each candidate stands on those issues. Only then can we make an informed decision. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see the debates.

WWC Safe & Danger

The bride to be, Tink, over at Pickled Beef, asked us to show our interpretations of Safe & Danger for this week's Weekly Words Challenge. Never being one to play it safe, and Danger being my middle name, I was surely up for the challenge! Here's what I came up with:


Click on a photo for full screen slide show


Don't forget to stop by the WWC Flickr Group to see even more photos, and if you want to join the challenge, go see Tink, she has all the 411 to get you started.

The words for next week are:
Male
and
Female
come back to see what I've posted then!

Jon Stewart Says it Best...

I saw this over at GeekGirl's blog, and thought it warranted sharing:



On Saturday, in Colorado Springs, Colo., Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said, "The fact is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help."

Too expensive? To the taxpayers?? Pardon me Mrs. Palin, but they're private entities, maybe you meant the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie are what's too expensive for the taxpayers, yeah, I'll bet that's what you meant. I'm pretty sure of it.

A New Poem

a new poem is posted, here, if you're interested ...it's been a while, wow, like since Max died, since I've written any poetry, maybe one for the Wifester since then, anyhow...there it is, be gentle, I'm out of practice ;)

A Citizen Appalled

I watch the world shift and crumble all around me
A treacherous path lay ahead
I tremble
I see the leaders of a once great nation
falter and stumble...
And I wonder, who will heal this crevice, this wound?
I look for a leader with honor, with valor
I find none.
My eyes shift from the wreckage of democracy gone awry
Now focusing upon the subtle strengths of
a woman determined,
a woman focused,
a citizen appalled.

Angela Schleicher © 2008

Stop, or I'll Stab You With My Fork

Most people who are in love are fortunate enough to have a partner or spouse who whispers sweet nothings in their ear. Tender, nurturing, sentimental words that make the knees go weak and the heart go pitter-patter. It's this sentimental, mushy-gushy chatter that endears us to our significant others, and raises the body temperature ever so slightly.

Last night as we snuggled together on the sofa, I eased my hand to a position, posterior to the Wifester, and commenced to caressing her sweet tush to which I was greated with the retort

" Stop, or I'll stab you with my fork!"

Ahhh...if that's not love...In all fairness to her, I suppose a tush-rub can be distracting when one is trying to eat dinner. ( I'd choose the tush rub, personally. But that's just me.)

In other news, I'm officially a sell out...I gave in and joined the YMCA. I'm tired of being fat. And I'm tired of fighting them for a family membership for the Wifester and I. It's a battle that I so don't have the time or energy for right now. Sometimes I wish I were still twenty-one. At twenty-one I had fight in me for any and every battle that came my way, and a few contrived ones as well. I fought for the sake of fighting back then and bucked authority with the disdain of a thousand angry protesters all rolled up into one Fortune Cookie. Today I am older, wiser, and quite frankly, tired. I can't make the YMCA allow gay's and lesbians to join with family memberships any more than I can make my parents believe that I'm not going to burn in hell for all of eternity for loving another person.
Sometimes we have to pick our battles. I still boycott Wal-Mart and Cracker Barrel (unless I have a gift certificate) and I even wrestled with my Starbucks addiction, taming it to a manageable level, only having their burnt tasting lattes once every blue moon, or so. They are the true corporate whores, if you ask me. But on this one instance, I'm gonna have to sell out and conform just a bit. I need the use of their ellipticals and the treadmills on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'll let you know how it works out.( No pun intended)

WWC Moody & Bright

Oh my god! The holiday weekend let me get away from myself and forget that today is WWC Day, not tomorrow. I apologize, I really wanted to make something special with this one, instead, I've had to recycle some old photos, and throw them in with a new one or two...sorry about that...
Here's my interpretation:

Moody & Bright

The sun is BRIGHT coming in my window at work

These BRIGHT coffee cups put me in a good Mood when I found them!

Wifester thinks it's funny when I say things like "It's loud" when I really mean to say "it's too BRIGHT" after I've had a seizure

She looks like an angel, but trust me, she's MOODY!

But probably not nearly as MOODY as me!

Remember, if you want to join the WWC, visit Tink, over at Pickled Beef! She'll show you what's what.
The words for next week are:
Safe
and
Danger