Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Stop and sign the HRC's Marriage Petition. PLEASE!!

Dear Friend,

I believe that ALL Americans, including gays and lesbians, deserve the
rights, responsibilities, and
privileges that come with marriage. And right now, we have an unprecedented
opportunity to make that
dream a reality. Please, join me in adding your voice to a million voices
raised in support of civil
marriage for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples at
www.MillionForMarriage.org.

This week, it's especially important that we reach 200,000 signatures -
right-wing extremists are lobbying Congress right now during their so-called
"Marriage Protection Week." Please, help drown out their anti-GLBT voices!

http://www.millionformarriage.org
ROCK ON BILL MAHER!! PLEASE READ!!

Click Here!!


Monday, February 23, 2004

Wow... Just got back from showing my soon-to-be roommate the sofa/sectional I was going to buy for the house and I have now realized that he needs to be in control... YIKES!

He found a sofa at his current roomie's-father's-furniture store. He says it's nice, but I haven't seen it. It very well could be nice, but I'm thinking I'd rather spend my money on something I'm going to be stuck with for 7-10 years. In short, I want to pick it out...

The last time we went to this place all he wanted were some fairly 'unique' couches. I wasn't a fan. So I'm not optimistic...

It also came across today that the sofa would be MY purchase, but he wanted to tell me what I can and cannot buy. He also said he doesn't like ottomans, chaise returns on sofas, and contemporary style. Good thing I didn't tell him about the ottoman I want to get that is VERY cool, but contemporary.... 2 strikes against me...

I don't think he understands that the livingroom and the Dining room are essentially one big room and they needs to coordinate. He's going to purchase a dining set (which he's never seen) from his Mom and a 'bunch of antiques' to accessorize with. This leads me to believe that the dining set is going to be very traditional and I'm not going to like it.

*SIGH*

So, I guess the issue is: Do I just order the sofa and put it in my space and let him decorate the rest of the house? I'm thinking that would be the easiest...

Input please!

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Help me out here...

If you don't have a degree and you think that everyone requires a degree to get a better job... What would you do?

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

I got this from my Mom today:


500 Employees
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than
500 employees and has the following statistics:

29 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up yet?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress. The same group of
idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep
the rest of us in line.

You gotta pass this one on.

Monday, February 16, 2004

Okie Dokey...

For Valentines Day, I took Adam to see Jim Brickman and Friends at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. The deal was that he needed to make me dinner beforehand. I have to commend him. He actually had it all planned out, but I still ended up doing most of the cooking. Oh well, it's a gift!

We got to the concert and Adam got his wine served in a plastic cup and I got me some 'Heinekins' in a can! TRES CHIC! So, feeling incredibly rural, we headed down to our seats and begin checking out the rest of the crowd for their flaws. We located a low-end pimp, plenty of 'family', a 32 year old pretending he was 20, and many other fashion disasters. I attribute those to being so incredibly blinded by love that they couldn't pick out a matching pant/suit combination. Oh I HOPE that's the case...

Anyway... The Ordway is INCREDIBLE! They have done such a good job maintaining it and making it look great. Jim Brickman even complimented the city on having a nice place to perform in. He actually told us a story about how he was playing at the Fine Line when he first started out. It was pretty cool.

The concert was INCREDIBLE! However, I soon remembered why I didn't go to very many piano concerts. When those people play they look like FREAKS! He was leaning in, leaning back, flailing, and turning to smile at the audience (which reminded both Adam and I of Smeagol from Lord of the Rings). Imagine, if you will, Our friend Gollum tickling the ivories... he he he... go ahead, chuckle! The even have the same eye color...

He played with some other great people. Tracy Silverman stole the show! He is a electric violin player and after intermission he came out and played this Latin song. It had percussion (like tapping the body of the violin) in it and he used a loop sampler to capture that sound to accompany his playing. VERY COOL! Check him out... He's VERY good!

Jeff Timmons also joined Mr. Brickman that night. All I have to say is: at least he's pretty...

And I can't remember the chic's name who sang with him... She was ok... They've been friends since high-school and blah, blah, blah...

All in all, it was good. The couples around us were making comments and being witty, so it made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Check out Jim's music... it's awesome!

Friday, February 13, 2004

Westminster's Kennel Club Show

I think the dog in slide #11 out of 13 thinks he's Cher... I know a couple of guys like that... :-)



Here is an article from my friend Bo in DC... Nice Job Bo!

My Place on the Aisle...


Here's an interesting fact sheet about our President...


                               RESUME
  
                                  GEORGE W. BUSH
                             1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
                               Washington, DC 20520
  
                       EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
  
    Law Enforcement:
    I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the
     influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's
     license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost"
     and is not available.
  
    Military:
    I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take
     a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the
     Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.
  
    College:
    I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a
     cheerleader.
  
    PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
  
    I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil
     business in Midland, Texas, in 1975.
    I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The
     company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought
     the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took
     land using taxpayer money.
    With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry
     (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.
  
    ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
  
     I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies,
      making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure,
     Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.
    I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in
     borrowed money.
    I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American
     history.
    With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's
     appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by
     over 500,000 votes.
  
    ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
  
    I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a
     criminal record.
    I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one
     billion dollars per week.
    I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.
    I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.
    I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any
     12-month period.
    I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.
    I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the
     U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million
     Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.
    I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any
     administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza
     Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.
    I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S.
     President.
    I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most
     corporate campaign donations.
    My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends,
     Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in
     U.S. History, Enron.
    My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to
     assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election
    decision.
    I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against
     investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent
     investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent
     investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
    I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused
     to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.
    I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.
    I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded
     government contracts.
    I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any
     President in U.S. history.
    I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy
     in the history of the United States government.
    I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S.
history.
    I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations
     remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
    I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.
    I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war"
     detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.
    I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election
     inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).
    I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any
     President since the advent of television.
    I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year
     period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over
     the worst security failure in U.S. history.
    I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade
     Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most
     hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world
history.
    I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to
     simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people),
     shattering the record for protests against any person in the history
     of mankind.
    I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked,
     pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation.
    I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S.
     citizens, and the world community.
    I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in
     duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- in wartime.
    In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for
     attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.
    I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans
     (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and
     security.
    I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a
     WMD.
    I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden
     [sic] to justice.
  
    RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
  
    All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's
     library, sealed and unavailable for public view.
    All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my
     bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public
     view.
    All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-president,
     attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and
     unavailable for public review.

Thursday, February 12, 2004

A GREAT Valentine's Day gift!
Another good e-mail I got:


The difference between men and women


1. NAMES
If Laurie, Linda, Elizabeth and Barbara go out
for lunch, they will call each other Laurie, Linda, Elizabeth and Barbara.
If Mark, Chris, Eric and Tom go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head and Scrappy.

2. EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mark, Chris, Eric and Tom will each throw in $20,
even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller
and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

3. MONEY
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

4. BATHROOMS
A man has five items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, shaving cream,
razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from the Marriott.
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.
A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

5. ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

6. CATS
Women love cats.
Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

7. FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

8. SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

9. MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change and she does.

10. DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the
garbage, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

11. NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

12. OFFSPRING
Ah, children.
A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist
appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and
hopes and dreams...
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

13. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Any married man should forget his mistakes.
There's no need for two people to remember the same thing
When you have an “I Hate My Job” day, try this.
On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson.
Be very sure you get this brand.
When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed. Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair, open the package and remove the thermometer.
Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.
Now the fun part begins -
Take out the literature and read it carefully.
You will notice that in small print there is a statement, “Every rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson is personally tested”
Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, “I am so glad I do not work for quality control at Johnson and Johnson.”
HAVE A NICE DAY AND REMEMBER, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE WITH A JOB THAT IS WORSE THAN YOURS
Well... this crappy cold seems to be going the way of the Dodo, THANK GOD! I spent most of my day yesterday blowing my nose, but it seems to have helped. Still sniffling, but better! WOOT!

Anyway, I was playing Neverwinter Nights (as my FABULOUS Sorceress/Paladin) and *DING-DONG* the doorbell rings. I answer the door and find one of our neighbors standing there. 'Your dogs are loose again,' He says. Quickly turns and runs away.

I look across the street and see Yuna scooting through a neighbor's yard. I step out onto the step and yell: 'YUNA, AKIMA'

I think my voice had a sense of presence yesterday... it (coupled with the phlegm and stuffiness) carried through the neighborhood and scared the CRAP out of the girls. They made a bee-line for the back yard and apparently Akima isn't as graceful as she thought when it comes to the fence. It took her 4 tries to get back over into our yard. You'd think they'd learn.

I let them out later while Rocky was out snowblowing and they decided to make another run for the border... this time the neighbors came over and chewed Rocky out for letting the pups run. Oops... Sorry Rocky!!

I've decided that some of our neighbors are 'not-so-much'. The neighbor directly to the west of us decided to hit Yuna with his snow-shovel. I didn't care for that too much. Especially because I was standing right there and on my way out to get the pups and bring them in. Maybe I should save up all their poo and drop it on his doorstep as a going away present!! :-)

NAH! I don't want to make things sour with him for Cindi. She 's been a saint through the whole deal and I couldn't do that to her.

Due to my illness, I got some quality gaming time in yesterday. I played Neverwinter nights a while, but after the power flickered on and off for the 3rd time, I decided to stop.

Once Zakk got home I plugged in my Gamecube and started on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. It's got some GREAT features and the game play is VERY different from the turn-based FF that I'm used to, but I'm still looking for a story to follow. I understand that I take my caravan to go collect myrrh and once the chalice is full I get to celebrate in my hometown. But, what's next? Oh, you mean I get to take my caravan out again and find more myrrh??? That's it???

The bosses get tougher, but it's still VERY repetitive. I think the most enjoyable part of it is trying to find all of the Moogle Houses. They live in VERY out-of-the-way places, but when you find them they can stamp your moogle card. Once you collect all the stamps in a set, you get to play a cool little mini-game.

I'm still going to keep an open mind, but my first impression hasn't been all that good. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

OK... I learned my lesson today: It pays to go to the gym in the afternoon!

The YMCA has some of the HOTTEST afternoon membership check-in guys around! WOO HOO!

It's OK to look... just don't stare! :-)
WOW... I'm learning WAY too much here... This is AWESOME!!

Now I'm going to be torn between posting incredibly useless stories and information on this site, or playing video games with my friends.... hmmmm... tough call...

Anyway, I just got Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and I'm SUPER excited to play it! Guess I'll have to pull my Gamecube out of storage and give Neverwinter Nights a little break.

I have been a Final Fantasy FREAK ever since the first one was available for the original Nintendo. I'm happy to see that it's back in the nintendo family, but I'm hoping they make more for the Playstation 2. FFX and FFX-2 rocked my world with all their fancy cutscenes, but FFIX was my all-time favorite. :-)

Hence why one of my two ADORABLE black lab pups was named Yuna. Yes, it's true. I was silly enough to try and raise TWO black lab pups at one time... I KNOW, I KNOW!! I said it was silly, didn't I? However, there isn't ANYTHING in the world that would make me give either of them back! They are my buddies and constant companions.

We're working on the training thing. The are AWFUL while on the leash so that's my spring project: TAME THE BEASTS!! They're good kids when they're inside the house. They usually drop a soggy rawhide chew on my face or find the heaviest toy and climb up on the bed to drop it on my head... this is my 'sign' that they need to go outside...

They enjoy NOTHING more than to try and beat the crap out of each other. They can run around the backyard, wrestle and bite for hours on end. The newest game is: go and find a piece of ice, throw it into the air and then go try and find it. It's a simple game, but Yuna seems to enjoy spending her time outside playing in the snow and ice.

Yuna is the crazy/active one and Akima is a bit more reserved. Well... until she decides to beat the snot of her sister... then she suddenly becomes the size of a tiger (in her mind, at least).

Aiight... enough babble...




OK... now that I've become saavy with hyperlinks and such, I need to figure out if I can post pictures onto this site or not... From what I understand I need to have my own server for tha or somthing. Can anyone out there validate that?

Hello All!

This is a new place for me to try some stuff out. My friend Cinderella told me about and I'd figure I'd give it some time...



Let me try a hyperlink: This is where I work. It's not exciting by any means, but it's a stable paycheck so I can't complain.

OK... That worked! Apparently I'm doing something right...