I am, therefore...

NJ is not always NY

2009-12-27T20:14:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm in Lambertville, NJ, and the tv here gets more New York than Philly channels, even though Philly is closer geographically. Unfortunately, I didn't think about this fact much until it came time to watch the Eagles game this afternoon, and the Jets were on instead of my team. So I put on the radio to listen to the game while I downloaded the software necessary to watch the game online. Finally, success! And my beloved team won, despite a dreadful second half. I could barely stand the third quarter. Anyway...Dallas plays tonight, and I hope they lose, because, well, they're Dallas. And, hey, the Giants were incredibly awful today and got their asses kicked, so yay! Good day thus far.

Dear Santa...

2007-11-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I need to have Roswell on dvd. I loved the show, partly despite and partly because of the angst. I was just reminiscing, and I really want to be able to watch all the moments I love, whenever I want to.

Dress-up

2007-10-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

I'm thinking of being a naughty librarian for Halloween. I already have all I would need for the costume, even though I'm not a librarian;)

hectic-ness, hectic-osity, hectic-ality

2007-07-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

I don't have my glasses on today.

I had them last night when I went to bed, but I'm not sure where they are now. They weren't on my nightstand, which is where I usually leave them at night. I think I was already half-asleep when I took them off, and therefore have little recollection of it. And of course it's hard to find one's misplaced eyeglasses when anything more then 18 inches from your face is blurry.

I'm working 8 hours straight today, with no help, and no glasses. Wish me luck.

Did it just get hot in here?

2007-07-15T12:55:00.000-04:00

This is one of the hottest dance scenes I have ever seen.

Creepy Doll

2006-12-11T16:28:00.000-05:00

I recently discoverd Jonathan Coulton...and he is totally awesome.

A.T. on CSI!

2006-11-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

CSI tonight! Alan Tudyk!

Veronica Mars S3 Premiere SPOILERS

2006-10-04T16:01:00.000-04:00

Veronica Mars: S3 Premiere: Welcome Wagon

Okay, I just have to get some of my thoughts out, for I have been thinking about this ep since I saw it last night. I thought I had missed the omg-what's-going-to-happen-next moments this show often provides, but now...okay, yes, I did miss it. I missed VMars a lot over summer hiatus.

And now its back, and driving me crazy. already.

(please keep in mind that any quotes I use are taken from my memory, and are quite possibly not exactly correct in their wording.)
* I don't think I like the new intro. At least, I liked the other one better.

* Is it so wrong for me to want everyone to be happy? I just want Veronica and Logan to not have relationship problems, but you can almost sense them hiding around the corner. No. They must have a happy ending!

* Piz has a thing for Veronica. I don't know how I feel about that. I just keep hearing Piz in my head saying "So, is he, like, your boyfriend?" And then V's expression. Cause, really, its not like she goes around casually kissing every guy she meets. Yes, he's her boyfriend!

* Piz and Wallace together are rather entertaining, though. They have common interests (sunbathing co-eds) and a nice rapport. Best moment was when they were ogling the sunbathers and trying to keep up the pretense of hacky-sacking. When Wallace tossed it and Piz didn't even attempt to get it...Wallace's expression was great.

* At the club when those kids came up to give them a tip was good, too. "They were black guys-" "Of course they were." "There was this white chick, blond-" "Of course there was." Hee! I still love Veronica and Wallace's friendship.

* Dick is so obnoxious. But I can't totally hate him, because he just seems to not care. He's being self-destructive, and its kinda sad.

* Logan being a good friend gives me a nice feeling.
Actually, Logan in general gave me a warm feeling this entire ep. He and VMars still have great chemistry, which I enjoy, and he gave her a key-card to his room! And I so want a guy to say to me "You're the only one I want. You know that by now, don't you?" How could anyone resist him at that moment? Not to mention, how could any woman resist sexgod!Logan?

* Keith is always great. He always exudes that wonderful 'Dad' vibe. But he got into a spot of trouble, didn't he? You have to be more cautious, Keith!

Aside from all this were the little details. The Clint Eastwood marathon. The 'days that end in y' comment. VMars's greeting to Mac at the rally.

Wait. Where's Weevil? When are we going to see him? I guess I didn't really focus on his absence because I know he's still a regular, and I'm just glad we lost Duncan and kept Mac and Weevil.
Anyway. In conclusion, I wish I was a good detective, but V is almost always ahead of me in solving the cases. I am not now, nor will I ever be, a good rl detective.

Next week, more about the serial rapist. And a sorority..? Veronica's fun undercover, but considering the subject matter, I don't know how much I'll be able to enjoy it. We'll see.

Mothers: A Rant.

2006-09-24T22:31:00.000-04:00

Everyone likes my mother. I do too, mostly. But she is a mother. This includes most of the good things, like unconditional love and support, and occasional baked goods.

It also includes the not-so-wonderful things that most offspring put up with to some extent.

Tonight my mother and I had a bit of a... discussion. I don't think the details of it are very important. I managed to extract myself from Part 1 of the Conversation, and figured we were done with it. A few minutes later, Mother does this thing she often does where she mouths what she wants to say, gestures a bit..I don't read lips especially well, not being deaf and therefore not cultivating the skill, but in this case I derived that she wanted me to accompany her to another room where other family members won't overhear us and Part 2. Exasperated, I complied.

She wants to clarify a comment of hers, saying that I seem to be assuming the worst about her intention regarding said comment. She didn't mean it that way, she tells me. I tell her how it came off to me, and she's like, 'well, now you know.' We went in circles for a while; I eventually summed up the purpose of this talk as 'You wanted to assure me that you hadn't actually made any unkind or unfair assumptions about about Person X.' 'Yes,' she confirms. 'And why do I care?' I ask. Before she can answer, I say, 'I know, I'm being obnoxious.' She doesn't say anything, so I know she agrees. I don't tell her that where I'm obnoxious, she's infuriating. I clarify another part of the situation, telling her that people will be angry behind the scenes about situation referenced in Conversation Part 1.. She says, 'Okay, I'll be the calm one.' I say okay, then finish by reiterating to her that if she's so concerned about what I think about her assumptions, intentions, whatever, maybe she should work on how she come across to people, how she conveys things. She's offended and angry, though she doesn't say it and is very controlled.

Fucking sanctimonious is what she is, not the calm one. She doesn't give off calm vibes. Ever. Even when she actually is calm. I don't think she even realizes that thats how it seems to me. How she comes across to me so often (though to a lesser extent than tonight, certainly).

Other people are always telling me that my mom is great. As I said, she often is. But goddamn! She tells me that other people comment that she's so nice. Sure she is. She reads books about spititual practices, etc, and then tells me about it. She incorporates some of what she reads into her behavior. Make everyone you meet smile, says one guru. So she tries to do this, by smiling at everyone, or something. To me, it comes off as fake. Kind of patronizing. Especially when she uses whatever technique on us, her family. Are you fucking kidding me? My siblings and I try not to roll our eyes when she's looking. Be kind to everyone, she says. Well, duh, I think. But the way you do it doesn't work on me or for me. Personally, I think the way I relate to the general public is better than your way, so get off your self-made pedestal, okay?

Consciously being nice to people is fine, but..I don't know, she's, like, too conscious of it. Its too affected. Whereas I'm almost always genuine in my relating to others. I don't really think about it. I don't read books of the sort she does, yet I already act a certain way, a way that often in is line with the stuff she reads. Don't depend on other people to tell you how the universe works! Stop regurgitating what their books tell you, stop being so pretentious about it. Get over it! All of it! Stop harping on things that don't matter that much in the grand scheme.

The next time someone says I'm like my mother, I may just rip out their vocal cords.

Firefly cast

2006-08-28T23:09:00.000-04:00

So I saw High School Musical the other day. I'm watching it, and I kept thinking that the lead guy looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I'd seen him. So I go on IMDB, and it turns out that the actor's name is Zac Efron, and his first major acting gig was as the young Simon Tam on Firefly!
He was a lot younger when he did that, though, so I feel like maybe I've seen him somewhere else, maybe some Disney Channel promo, or something.

Funnily enough, I was flipping channels during the breaks in the Eagles-Ravens pre-season game last week, and suddenly I stop, because Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn, on Buffy) and Sean Maher (the grown Dr. Simon Tam) are on the screen. together. I watch for a minute, and their characters' conversation leads to a sex scene. (Lifetime has way more sex scenes than you might think, btw) All I could think was, 'Two Whedon vets in a Lifetime movie together! sogreat! and weird.' I was also trying to guess the age difference between MT and SM. ('bout 10 years, in case you care)

I feel like I did a while back (March) when I saw Adam Baldwin on Bones and Christina Hendricks on Without a Trace, both without even knowing ahead of time that the actors would be guest starring. Considering I never watch WaT, it must be kismet, my being guided to Firefly actors. I seem to stumble across them on tv without ever meaning to.

Indeed, it seems I was fated to be a Browncoat. ;)

Context and Dirty Minds

2006-06-03T15:55:00.000-04:00

Link of the Day:
Fun With Innuendo

Back in Black

2006-05-19T23:05:00.000-04:00

Your Theme Song is Back in Black by AC/DC

"Back in black, I hit the sack,
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back"

Things sometimes get really crazy for you, and sometimes you have to get away from all the chaos.
But each time you stage your comeback, it's even better than the last!

What's Your Theme Song?

The Producers

2006-05-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

"Zee Fuehrer was butch!"

silk undies

2006-05-18T11:05:00.000-04:00

So, I've been kinds immersed in Ronon Dex fic lately. Plus some other Atlantisfic.

And I got to thinking: at the onset of the series, the people going to Atlantis figured there was a good chance they wouldn't be seeing Earth again. If you were headed to another galaxy, you'd probably be very particular about what you took with you. Like underwear. You'd want really nice, durable, quality underwear. Forget those department store bras; I'm getting Spoylt!

Lizzy's the Leader

2006-05-15T23:54:00.000-04:00

You scored as Elizabeth. You are Elizabeth Weir, you are the leader, your people respect you and would lay down their lives for you. You are not afraid of a fight however, especially one you are sure you can win.

Elizabeth

92%

Aiden

75%

Rodney

75%

John

42%

Teyla

42%

Carson

33%

Which Stargate Atlantis Charcter are you Most Like
created with QuizFarm.com

Geeky

2006-05-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Badonkadonk

2006-05-14T14:55:00.000-04:00

Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, Trace Adkins

Turn it up some
Alright boys, this is her favorite song
You know that right
So, if we play it good and loud
She might get up and dance again
Ooh, she put her beer down
Here she comes
Here she comes
Left left left right left
Whoo

Husslers shootin' eightball
Throwin' darts at the wall
Feelin' damn near 10 feet tall
Here she comes, Lord help us all
Ol' T.W.'s girlfriend done slapped him outta his chair
Poor ole boy, it ain't his fault
It's so hard not to stare
At that honky tonk badonkadonk

Refrain:
Keepin' perfect rhythm
Make ya wanna swing along
Got it goin' on
Like Donkey Kong
And whoo-wee
Shut my mouth, slap your grandma
There outta be a law
Get the Sheriff on the phone
Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on
That honky tonk badonkadonk

(Aww son)

Now Honey, you can't blame her
For what her mama gave her
It ain't gotta hate her
For workin' that money-maker
Band shuts down at two
But we're hangin' out till three
We hate to see her go
But love to watch her leave
With that honky tonk badonkadonk

::Refrain::

(Ooh, that's what I'm talkin' bout right there, honey)

We don't care bout the drinkin'
Barely listen to the band
Our hands, they start to shakin'
When she gets the urge to dance
Drivin' everybody crazy
You think you fell in love
Boys, you better keep your distance
You can look but you can't touch
That honkey tonk badonkadonk

::Refrain::

That honky tonk badonkadonk
Yeah, that honky tonk badonkadonk

(That's it, right there boys,
That's why we do what we do
It ain't for the money,
It ain't for the glory,
It ain't for the free whiskey

It's for the badonkadonk)

LOSTthoughts Spoilers

2005-11-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

LOST Thoughts:

Shirtless!Jin - aaw, yeah. Sun and Jin did some rekindling of that marriage. And Hurley apparently knows this...guess thay were kinda loud last night...

We finally found out what Kate did. Turns out she's a little bit evil.

"Can you watch him?" .. cuz I want to go rekindle the flame of my marriage again. Have you seen my husband without his shirt on?

Sawyer's comments once he was actually awake...sogreat. I've been missing that. Freckles!

Kate kissed Jack- but why? I think she was trying to convince herself that she felt more for him than she does for Sawyer, but I don't know if she was successful. The look on her face...not what you want to see after someone kisses you. Jack must be incredibly confused. But before the kiss he was a normal guy, pissed off about Kate disappearing, then doing just the right thing to calm her down a bit.

Hurley,again- "So, Rose's husband is white. Didn't see that coming." I LOVE Hurley.

Echo rules. He is SO much better than Locke. Way better wiseman.

Michael at the computer. Is it actually Walt? Or is it...The Others?

RACHEL'S THOUGHTS

2005-11-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

So much happening lately. And now it will all come out, in this edition of RACHEL'S THOUGHTS.

I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - BEST HP MOVIE THUS FAR. Some creepy parts, like the second task, and the graveyard scenes. And some hot guys from Durmstrang. ;)

I'm currently house-sitting; these people have a Labradoodle and a rabbit and a goldfish pond. And a wood stove for primary heating. So I've been playing with fire the past few days.

On Sunday, there was a deer in front of the Meetinghouse when we got there (10am). Seriously. On the porch. And then it came over and sniffed each person he saw. I'd never been sniffed by a deer before.

Eagles aren't having the best season. In fact, they're having a bad season. This doesn't make me happy, but the 20-year-old brother put it in a good light for me: the pressure's off, we get to just relax and enjoy football for football. I can do that:) [Non-sports-watchers will keep their mouths shut about this, because I want to feel grateful for all of my friends on thursday.]

I think I'm going to try reading one of the Anita Blake books. Not, like, the first one. But I read an exerpt from one, and it looks like it has some intense sex in it, so I think I could enjoy parts, at the very least.

QUOTES!
~ "It's not a suicide song, but its the next best thing."

~It's Harrison-Ford-in-Mosquito-Coast crazy.

~ "Now Kim, you know I don't approve of violence, but they are deadly robots."

~ As it turns out, they're meant to kill aliens, and a strange little goth boy is calling the shots.

~ Theoden-King: Don't worry. We're used to having no hope. We're Anglo-Saxons.

~ "You've seen a gay western before, haven't you?"
"Who hasn't?"

Gouged out a bit of my finger with a knife. Accidentally. It didn't bleed as much as I expected it to.

Because I've been housesitting, I haven't had as much computer access as I'd like, so this RT has been composed over several days, when I have the time. It's being sent out now because I didn't have any of the notebooks to add quotes, and 'cause I was sorta lazy.

~ "Why are they elephants. Why are they Jamaican elephants?"

Y'know, its really-frickin-cold outside. And there was snow on the ground early yesterday morning. I'm not ready for winter! And I'm at work right now, the day after Thanksgiving, being notindustrious. Okay, I'm done with this for now.

"Let us prance towards the giraffemobile." Later, the Rachel

Soul For Rent

2005-11-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

OMG, did you watch Alias last night? More importantly, did you watch the promo for next week? Sark! Ack! He's like a friggin' bad penny. Only sexier. and eviler.

Cowboiosity

2005-08-16T16:54:00.000-04:00

a Man with No Name

You scored 9 Honor, 2 Justice, 8 Adventure, and 4 Individuality!

It's one thing to be a gunslinger. It's another to wander into town,
leave nothing but a trail of those who'd try your skill and take the
town's gratitude and cash with you. Hero or villan? It's all in how you
look at it and whose side you're on.

Cigar in your teeth and colt on your hip, you are ready to step into the
hazy desert horizon. You'll do just fine.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 73% on Ninjinuity
You scored higher than 5% on Knightlyness
You scored higher than 72% on Cowboiosity
You scored higher than 23% on Piratical Bent

Link: The Cowboy-Ninja-Pirate-Knight Test written by fluffy71 on OkCupid Free Online Dating

hawt.

2005-08-12T23:51:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, Stargate: Atlantis got a new cast member; Jason Mamoa, who plays the intriguing Ronon Dex.

I'm not exactly sure how, but I managed to stumble across a fic involving Ronon and a female scientist on Atlantis... "Panther".

Space Case.

2005-07-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Astrologist sues NASA over comet crash

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian astrologist who says NASA has altered her horoscope by crashing a spacecraft into a comet is suing the U.S. space agency for damages of $300 million, local media reported Monday.

NASA deliberately crashed its probe, named Deep Impact, into the Tempel 1 comet to unleash a spray of material formed billions of years ago which scientists hope will shed new light on the composition of the solar system.

"It is obvious that elements of the comet's orbit, and correspondingly the ephemeris, will change after the explosion, which interferes with my astrology work and distorts my horoscope," Izvestia daily quoted astrologist Marina Bai as saying in legal documents submitted before Monday's collision.

A spokeswoman for a Moscow district court said initial preparations for the case were underway but could not say when the hearing would begin. NASA representatives in Moscow were unavailable for comment.

July 4, 1776.

2005-07-04T19:24:00.000-04:00

American Independence Day. Congrats to us! Or something.

PSA of the Day: Freevibe.com.

I may or may not be seeing fireworks tonight. Either way, I have sparklers! Hee!

I think the U.S. needs a "regime change".

2005-06-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 19, 2005
Memos Show British Fretting Over Iraq War

LONDON (AP) - When Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser dined with Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the then-U.S. national security adviser didn't want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qaida. She wanted to talk about ``regime change'' in Iraq, setting the stage for the U.S.-led invasion more than a year later.

President Bush wanted Blair's support, but British officials worried the White House was rushing to war, according to a series of leaked secret Downing Street memos that have renewed questions and debate about Washington's motives for ousting Saddam Hussein.

In one of the memos, British Foreign Office political director Peter Ricketts openly asks whether the Bush administration had a clear and compelling military reason for war.

``U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida is so far frankly unconvincing,'' Ricketts says in the memo. ``For Iraq, `regime change' does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam.''

The documents confirm Blair was genuinely concerned about Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction, but also indicate he was determined to go to war as America's top ally, even though his government thought a pre-emptive attack may be illegal under international law.

``The truth is that what has changed is not the pace of Saddam Hussein's WMD programs, but our tolerance of them post-11 September,'' said a typed copy of a March 22, 2002 memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press and written to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

``But even the best survey of Iraq's WMD programs will not show much advance in recent years on the nuclear, missile or CW/BW (chemical or biological weapons) fronts: the programs are extremely worrying but have not, as far as we know, been stepped up.''

Details from Rice's dinner conversation also are included in one of the secret memos from 2002, which reveal British concerns about both the invasion and poor postwar planning by the Bush administration, which critics say has allowed the Iraqi insurgency to rage.

The eight memos - all labeled ``secret'' or ``confidential'' - were first obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about them in The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.

Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had obtained the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and destroying the originals.

The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the copies said their content appeared authentic. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secret nature of the material.

The Sunday Times this week reported that lawyers told the British government that U.S. and British bombing of Iraq in the months before the war was illegal under international law. That report, also by Smith, noted that almost a year before the war started, they began to strike more frequently.

The newspaper quoted Lord Goodhart, vice president of the International Commission of Jurists, as backing the Foreign Office lawyers' view that aircraft could only patrol the no-fly zones to deter attacks by Saddam's forces.

Goodhart said that if ``the purpose was to soften up Iraq for a future invasion or even to intimidate Iraq, the coalition forces were acting without lawful authority,'' the Sunday Times reported.

The eight documents reported earlier total 36 pages and range from 10-page and eight-page studies on military and legal options in Iraq, to brief memorandums from British officials and the minutes of a private meeting held by Blair and his top advisers.

Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert who teaches at Queen Mary College, University of London, said the documents confirmed what post-invasion investigations have found.

``The documents show what official inquiries in Britain already have, that the case of weapons of mass destruction was based on thin intelligence and was used to inflate the evidence to the level of mendacity,'' Dodge said. ``In going to war with Bush, Blair defended the special relationship between the two countries, like other British leaders have. But he knew he was taking a huge political risk at home. He knew the war's legality was questionable and its unpopularity was never in doubt.''

Dodge said the memos also show Blair was aware of the postwar instability that was likely among Iraq's complex mix of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds once Saddam was defeated.

The British documents confirm, as well, that ``soon after 9/11 happened, the starting gun was fired for the invasion of Iraq,'' Dodge said.

Speculation about if and when that would happen ran throughout 2002.

On Jan. 29, Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea ``an axis of evil.'' U.S. newspapers began reporting soon afterward that a U.S.-led war with Iraq was possible.

On Oct. 16, the U.S. Congress voted to authorize Bush to go to war against Iraq. On Feb. 5, 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell presented the Bush administration's case about Iraq's weapons to the U.N. Security Council. On March 19-20, the U.S.-led invasion began.

Bush and Blair both have been criticized at home since their WMD claims about Iraq proved false. But both have been re-elected, defending the conflict for removing a brutal dictator and promoting democracy in Iraq. Both administrations have dismissed the memos as old news.

Details of the memos appeared in papers early last month but the news in Britain quickly turned to the election that returned Blair to power. In the United States, however, details of the memos' contents reignited a firestorm, especially among Democratic critics of Bush.

It was in a March 14, 2002, memo that Blair's chief foreign policy adviser, David Manning, told the prime minister about the dinner he had just had with Rice in Washington.

``We spent a long time at dinner on Iraq,'' wrote Manning, who's now British ambassador to the United States. Rice is now Bush's secretary of state.

``It is clear that Bush is grateful for your (Blair's) support and has registered that you are getting flak. I said that you would not budge in your support for regime change but you had to manage a press, a Parliament and a public opinion that was very different than anything in the States. And you would not budge either in your insistence that, if we pursued regime change, it must be very carefully done and produce the right result. Failure was not an option.''

Manning said, ``Condi's enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed.'' But he also said there were signs of greater awareness of the practical difficulties and political risks.

Blair was to meet with Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on April 8, and Manning told his boss: ``No doubt we need to keep a sense of perspective. But my talks with Condi convinced me that Bush wants to hear your views on Iraq before taking decisions. He also wants your support. He is still smarting from the comments by other European leaders on his Iraq policy.''

A July 21 briefing paper given to officials preparing for a July 23 meeting with Blair says officials must ``ensure that the benefits of action outweigh the risks.''

``In particular we need to be sure that the outcome of the military action would match our objective... A postwar occupation of Iraq could lead to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise. As already made clear, the U.S. military plans are virtually silent on this point.''

The British worried that, ``Washington could look to us to share a disproportionate share of the burden. Further work is required to define more precisely the means by which the desired end state would be created, in particular what form of government might replace Saddam Hussein's regime and the time scale within which it would be possible to identify a successor.''

In the March 22 memo from Foreign Office political director Ricketts to Foreign Secretary Straw, Ricketts outlined how to win public and parliamentary support for a war in Britain: ``We have to be convincing that: the threat is so serious/imminent that it is worth sending our troops to die for; it is qualitatively different from the threat posed by other proliferators who are closer to achieving nuclear capability (including Iran).''

Blair's government has been criticized for releasing an intelligence dossier on Iraq before the war that warned Saddam could launch chemical or biological weapons on 45 minutes' notice.

On March 25 Straw wrote a memo to Blair, saying he would have a tough time convincing the governing Labour Party that a pre-emptive strike against Iraq was legal under international law.

``If 11 September had not happened, it is doubtful that the U.S. would now be considering military action against Iraq,'' Straw wrote. ``In addition, there has been no credible evidence to link Iraq with OBL (Osama bin Laden) and al-Qaida.''

He also questioned stability in a post-Saddam Iraq: ``We have also to answer the big question - what will this action achieve? There seems to be a larger hole in this than on anything.''

The Inside of an obsession

2005-06-15T19:08:00.000-04:00

The Inside is on tonight! I'm not usually so excited about the second episode ever of a series, but this one hooked me from the start. I liked it even before I knew how many Buffy/Angel people were involved.

Rest, now.

2005-05-07T20:35:00.000-04:00

The older of our two dogs was put down yesterday. She was sixteen, and she's been having problems, but it still felt sudden to me.

Goodbye, Maisey. We love you.

DON'T PANIC.

2005-05-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

I've now seen Hitchhiker's twice, and this song has persisted in playing in my head since I first heard it. Ack!
I assume these are the correct lyrics:

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish

So long and thanks for all the fish.
So sad that it should come to this.
We tried to warn you all but, oh dear.

You may not share our intellect,
Which might explain your disrespect
For all the natural wonders that grow around you.

So long, so long, so long and thanks for all the fish.

The world's about to be destroyed,
There's no point getting all annoyed.
Lie back and let the planet dissolve.

Despite those nets and tuna fleets
We thought that most of you were sweet.
Especially tiny tots and your pregnant women.

So long (x a lot) and thanks for all the fish.

If I could have one last wish, I would like a tasty fish.
If I could just change one thing, we would all have learned to sing.

(Followed by a strange group operetta or something)

So long (x a lot) and thanks for all the fish.

Stroke

2005-04-25T10:31:00.000-04:00

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

*Ask the individual to SMILE.

*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of nonmedical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A Dog's Life

2005-04-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

I'm housesitting right now. The house includes a slightly spoiled only dog; fairly large, as Rottweilers are, and such a sweetheart.

One of the neighbors has a NewFoundland. This dog makes Sage (my Rottweiler friend) look small. "He's the only dog she likes," says Floss (dogmom). Sage doesn't like the Boxer who lives across from the country club- they have a "thing", she informs me.

Sorta tangential: I'm taking Sage for a walk earlier, and as we pass a fenced yard she suddenly starts pulling at the leash, barks a bit. I crane my neck to see what she's worked up about. ..It's a little dog, barely taller then the grass of the lawn. And now it's barking. Except that dogs that small don't really bark. It's a little yippy dog.
These dogs have the same coloring, black and tan; I think the other is a miniature daschund. It's the funniest thing; this yippydog is about the size of Sage's head, yet they're barking at each other through the fence. Ah, the world of Dogs.

Guard Rabbits

2005-04-14T11:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I saw a rabbit in the yard of the people I'm house-sitting for. It was sitting upright, ears pricked, stock still. The only movement I could see was the twitch of its nose, detectable even from my position over 10 feet away.

At my own home, my mother has placed little white wooden bunnies by the gate on our driveway. Cute as they are, I much prefer the living Guard Rabbits that show up every year. You see them for a couple seconds when you turn into the driveway, before they hurry away into the treeline.

Luckily, or perhaps not, these rabbits are not like those in the Monty Python Universe. Alas, they are not Trojan, nor do they kill people with "little sharp pointy teeth".

I wish I had an Attack Rabbit.

To wed

2005-04-11T17:36:00.000-04:00

So one of my best friends, Maria, got engaged earlier this year, and is now planning the wedding, reception, etc. And I get to hear all about it, because I'm good to vent to.

She called me up the other day, very excited because they've decided on a place for the reception, and her father is going to pay for it. Woohoo! This is a very bright spot in a sea of parental opinions.

Maria says that all her already-married co-workers have told her, at one time or another, to elope. 'Trust me,' they say. 'Just do it. Now.' Cuz its just too much hassle.

I let her vent to me about whatever may be frustrating her, then say, "This is why I never want to have a wedding." It was determined long ago that I could very well show up one day and say, "By the way, I got married over the weekend," very nonchalant.
They also think I'm the most likely to marry for money. Strangely, I'm not offended by this assessment. What's the saying?
Chocolate, cheesecake, men- some things are just better rich.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2005-04-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to me!

Today also marks the two year aniversary of my first livejournal entry.

Thanks to Dini, aka, libralyte, who forced this blog upon me,

To forrest_930, who stopped by yesterday to give me my gift, despite her verytired state,

To Youngest Brother, who made me breakfast this morning,

And to Whatever Weather Gods/Goddesses There May Be, for this lovely day, on which it is neither snowing nor raining (unlike certain past April 5ths).

Suspended

2005-04-05T09:53:00.000-04:00

Offbeat News
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Whatever You Do, Don't Read This...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - Tony Troiano grimaced as he was lifted off the floor by giant fishhooks pierced through the skin on his shoulders.

Within minutes, he started to spin, swing his feet and declare the painful experience "the greatest thing" ever.

"I was on Cloud Nine," the Wethersfield, Connecticut teenager said as he joined fellow body suspension practitioners at an annual convention over the weekend. "It was euphoric. It was spiritual. I'd do it again today if I wasn't so sore."

From tentative first-timers to the well practiced, more than a hundred aficionados celebrated their passion for body suspension at the three-day gathering, held in an old textile mill in Providence, Rhode Island.

To hang cost $100; just to watch cost $15 at what many say is the best such gathering for the hundreds, if not thousands, of people they estimate practice suspension across America.

"Ever stand up too fast and feel like you're about to pass out?" said Dave Post, of Albany, New York explaining why he liked hanging from hooks. "It's like you're stuck at that point."

The practice requires three-inch (7.6-cm) steel deep sea fishing hooks freshly inserted under the skin for each suspension.

A basic "suicide" hang uses hooks in the back, a chest suspension requires hooks in front, a knee suspension puts the body upside down, and the "Superman" pose requires hooks along the back and upper thighs. The hooks are attached to ropes, and pulleys slowly lift the body off the floor.

Some people spin like acrobats, some play like children on a swing and others hang solemnly. Some giggle, some cry.

"Some people have a spiritual experience, some people just have fun and some people don't like it and come right down," said Mike Giossi, a local mechanic and fan of the practice.

Jess Robins, a student from Canada, hung almost motionless from hooks inserted through the tops of her breasts. Blood poured down her belly, and her legs trembled.

Nearby, two men played a game of tug-of-war, pulling at each other with wire cables attached through their elbows.

"When I first got off the ground, I never felt pain like that in my life. But afterward, I was just filled with empowerment," said Giossi. "I've never been happier than when I came down."

SEARCH FOR INTENSITY?

Practitioners may seek the power and intensity suspension offers, said Karen Conterio, co-author of "Bodily Harm," a book about self-mutilation. Suspension also could be a rite of passage.

"It's a conquest of some sort. People are pushing the envelope more and more to attain some kind of separation and identification from society, and this is one way of doing it," she said. "Most people who probably are pretty healthy are not going to go to that extreme."

Many practitioners say suspension is somehow therapeutic.

"Look at his face. He's so serene," said Rosemary Curtis, watching her boyfriend swing slowly in the "Superman" pose. "We've had some really rough times this year, and he needed this really bad."

Not everyone was convinced. Colin Vanalstine watched but was not about to try it. "I'm afraid of needles," he said.

For such an off-beat practice, the convention is remarkably well-run, with sanitary precautions, surgical tools and almost military efficiency in preparing people for their suspension.

Some hang for a few minutes, others for an hour or more.

The biggest danger is cross-contamination, organizers said, due to so much open flesh and blood. Other dangers involve people passing out or suffering seizures, they said.

"The first couple of times, I didn't enjoy it," said Canadian Warren Hiller. "The first time I blacked out, and one time I was convulsing. But the third time I got better. I wasn't blacking out anymore."

It's not masochism, said Allen Falkner of Dallas, who has practiced suspension for 13 years. "Suspension is not about pain, it's about getting past the pain."

Advocates say suspension has been practiced since ancient times in many societies.

"It's searching for answers, trying new things," Hiller said. "You can only get pierced and tattooed so many times."

I saw those weapons on 'Buffy'.

2005-03-17T16:01:00.000-05:00

Offbeat News
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Fighting Crime the 11th Century Way....

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Tighter gun ownership laws are pushing South Africans to buy crossbows, spears, swords, knives and pepper sprays to protect themselves from violent crime.

"We've had to build an entirely new shop because the demand from people is so great," Justin Willmers, owner of Durban Guns and Ammo, told Reuters. "It can be anything from a Zulu fighting spear, battle axes, swords, crossbows."

New gun controls came into force last year under South Africa's Firearms Control Act, but some weapons shop owners say high crime rates are pushing law abiding citizens to look for alternative means of defending themselves.

Despite official figures showing the murder rate falling 10 percent in the year to March 2004, South Africa's Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association says individuals face a one in 60 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in any given year.

Many houses are surrounded by razor wire and electric fences, but with police turning down 80 percent of firearms license requests after an 18-month application process, Association spokesman Alex Holmes said people were forced to look at other options.

"It's not really a matter of choice," Holmes said. "Licensed firearms are not used in crime at any great rate."

Estimates of the number of illegal firearms in South Africa vary between 1 and 4 million, he said, but the real problem is from some 30-40,000 hardcore criminals using a small number of illegal guns.

SILENT CROSSBOW

South Africa began a firearms amnesty on Jan. 1 that to date has netted some 13,000 weapons, officials told Reuters, but critics say most of the weapons handed in are old and would never have been used for crime.

"It's mostly been grannies and grandpas that are handing in weapons that are probably unusable anyhow," Willmers said. In the meantime, people from all walks of life are acquiring weapons not restricted by law.

"The guys have just had enough," Willmers said.

Men are buying machetes to fight off hijackers or crossbows to shoot people breaking into their property, while women are more likely to buy a pepper spray, he said.

One customer successfully fought off three hijackers with a machete, slashing one, he said. A beggar had bought a pepper spray so he could fight off those who tried to steal his shoes as he slept on the street.

With some homeowners worried about prosecution if they kill intruders, the crossbow is particularly popular because of its silence and the difficulty of tracing the firer from forensic evidence, he said.

With no legal restrictions on sales, weapons shop staff had to exercise judgment in who they sold to, Willmers said.

hm...I dunno..

2005-03-16T15:38:00.000-05:00

You scored as agnosticism. You are an agnostic. Though it is generally taken that agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve in God, it is possible to be a theist or atheist in addition to an agnostic. Agnostics don't believe it is possible to prove the existence of God (nor lack thereof).

Agnosticism is a philosophy that God's existence cannot be proven. Some say it is possible to be agnostic and follow a religion; however, one cannot be a devout believer if he or she does not truly believe.

agnosticism

71%

Buddhism

67%

Hinduism

67%

Islam

63%

Paganism

58%

Judaism

50%

Satanism

46%

Christianity

42%

atheism

42%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

As it so happens, I'm an eldest child.

2005-03-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

Offbeat News
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Older Siblings Smarter, Norwegian Study Shows

OSLO (Reuters) - First born children in Norway get better education and as adults are more successful in the job market than younger siblings, a Norwegian-U.S. study showed.

"It is the birth order and not necessarily the size of the family that is important," said economics professor Kjell Salvanes of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. "It is better if you are the first born." Salvanes and two colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) based their study on census data of Norwegians born between 1912 and 1975.

The findings will be published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, a Harvard publication, in May.

They found that younger siblings tend to get less schooling than their elders and then end up with lower pay on average and were more likely to be in part-time work, Salvanes said. The findings were likely to hold true in other countries, he said.

"In terms of educational attainment, if you are the fourth born instead of the first, you get almost one year less education, and that is quite a lot," Salvanes told Reuters.

And first-born children tend to weigh more at birth than their younger brothers and sisters, which is a good predictor for educational success, Salvanes said.

Children alone with two adults also tend to get more intellectual stimulation than children in large families who get less parental attention, he said.

First-born children seem to learn from teaching their younger siblings, contrary to the common notion that younger children benefit by learning from their elders, Salvanes said.

So does that mean big sisters really are smarter?

"Yes. It's hard to admit because I have older sisters," Salvanes said.

RACHEL'S THOUGHTS

2005-03-01T13:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to RACHEL'S THOUGHTS. Yes, I know it's been a while...that's usually the case.

I feel like I've seen a lot of movies lately. Have I? Let's see...

I saw Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior a couple weeks ago with the 19-year-old brother. YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE. It's a Thai film, and unlike anything you have seen before.

Finally saw AVP, cuz someone rented it. Sanaa Lathan kicks ass.

and I saw Constantine. I liked it more than she did. I've heard a lot of people criticize it, but I thought it was a pretty good movie, and worth seeing.

Oh! Shaun of the Dead! Very entertaining. Very. It drags in the beginning, but that's part of the whole vibe, and by the time you get to the action-y parts, you've forgotten about that and are just enjoying. I love zombie movies.

Forrest_930, Libralyte, and I had a LotR day. We watched the entire trilogy in one day. I know, I know- crazy. It went more smoothly, more quickly, than I had expected, actually. We had yummy food and yummy Men of Middle-Earth, so we definitely enjoyed ourselves.

I think that's it for recently-viewed movies.. Two out of three brothers are in the next room right now, and they're driving me nuts. If it weren't for the snow, they'd both be in class right now. Dammit.

Jeez. There's an actual LiveJournal community called _sluts_: Snarry Lovers United Through Smut. Dear God. You know they came up with the acronym first.

There's my fricking brother again, being a pain in the ass. Argh! Anyway... The RH notebook is full. This is the fourth nb. I don't have one designated as #5 just yet, so I don't know what it will be named.
I now give you some farewell quotes from the latest notebook:

* "There's nothing more confusing than watching a naked man running."

* "Stretch Armstrong was like the gay version of Ken." [RT: Considering how gay Ken could be...wow.]

* "Unless it was an e-vite. I don't read..e-vites."

* "I make my face look like this, and concerned words come out."

And finally, a bit of advice:

If Life hands you lemons today, smile and say thanks. Then when it isn't looking, give Life a quick knee to the groin. That'll learn him.
Until next time, I am The Rachel.

Not quite 20 years, but...

2005-02-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

I felt like Rip Van Winkle when I awoke this morning.

See, I went to bed very early last night, intending it to be just a nap. Instead I slept through 'til close to 7AM. I slept 12 hours, or so, straight through, and woke up with sunlight streaming through my window. Granted, I've been sleeping a lot this week because I'm kinda sick, but it was still rather disorienting.

I am Severus Snape.

2005-02-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

You scored as Severus Snape. Well you're a tricky one aren't you? Nobody quite has you figured out and you'd probably prefer it stayed that way. That said you are a formidable force by anyone's reckoning, but there is certainly more to you than a frosty exterior and a bitter temper.

Severus Snape

80%

Remus Lupin

80%

Hermione Granger

70%

Harry Potter

70%

Albus Dumbledore

65%

Draco Malfoy

60%

Sirius Black

55%

Ron Weasley

45%

Ginny Weasley

40%

Lord Voldemort

35%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?
created with QuizFarm.com

Also, CSIthoughts.

Summations and Editorializations ::spoilers::

2005-02-10T23:58:00.000-05:00

Once again, better late than never.

LOSTthoughts: "Homecoming".
I gotta say it- this is not my favorite episode. That said, it still caused me to squeal in an entirely undignified manner and chant 'nonono'. I now give you my train of thoughts...

- I already knew from the episode blurb that Claire had amnesia, so that bit didn't seem very exciting to me. And what the hell- Jack is this wonderful doc and all he does is dab at her forehead with a damp cloth?

- More CharlieFlashbacks..he could be a charmer when he wanted to be, huh? So adorable. But it makes it really heinous at the same time, knowing that he plans to screw these people over, and NOT in a good way.

- Fuck! Ethan with a sling this that hurls rocks and knocks poor ignorant Jin unconscious. Or something. It'll eventually come out that Sun can speak English, y'know? And won't that be interesting?

- "You're sure there's nothing going on." "Yes." Liar, liar, pants on fire! And then he goes and gets all worked up about Claire...calm down, Pace. Then there's another Flashback, and damn Charlie's a good actor. And because he's so adorable, its hard to suspect him of anything, y'know?

- Boone with a spear! hee!

- "I'm here to demonstrate the awesome speed of-" Ah! Ah! Mute! Mute! ::sigh of relief:: Those CharlieFlashbacks are hard to take.

- Five guns. It seems like Jack still doesn't trust Kate. I kinda think he's right not to, but it makes life much more stressful, I think. And its not just that he doesn't trust Kate, its that he trusts Sawyer more than her trusts her. what the hell? And they don't even address the fact that Jack is probably the least capable of the five.

- Fuck! Charlie! WTF did you do?! Well, I know what you did, but...! Okay, so "he deserved to die". But maybe it wasn't entirely your desire to protect Claire that drove you to kill him. Maybe it had something to do with Ethan hanging you. Maybe you still have some issues there, hm?

- Shannon and Sayid. Jeeze.

- "I remember peanut butter. Why do I remember peanut butter." "It was imaginary peanut butter." I remember the imaginary peanut butter, too. It was the quintessential Charlie/Claire moment, with sweetandadorableness in abundance.
How much of Charlie's attraction to Claire is him thinking she needs help, needs him? hm.

- Next Week: omg! "I've never been in love." "I've never had a one night stand." jeese. This should be interesting.

AliasThoughts: "Nocturne"
This was an excellent episode. Truly. I loved it.
* First, Hockey. I'm flashing back to seasons past, man. And he says, "I know you want t take it slow, but what are you afraid of?" And I'm thinking, dude, she invited you to stay the night, but you were already asleep. And then the cell phones interrupt. As usual.

* Sydney and Jack silently searching. Syd finds this hidden door in a cabinet, or something, and she doesn't say, hey, Dad, come look at this? And there are weird drawings and stuff on the wall...creepy. Youngest Brother and I were just waiting for something to happen. And, sure enough, this guy bites her in the neck and then bleeds all over her. Ew.

* "You think its sexy." "Only if I did it." Do you like to mark your women, Vaughn? Do you often leave love bites that necessitate turtlenecks and scarves? hm?

* "Am I staying the night?" "No." "She almost said yes, did you see?" I love Nadia and Weiss together.
But I have this thing- Nadia and Kate (from LOST) kinda fall into the same category with me. Like, I don't know how much of what we see of them is genuine and how much is part of a persona. I like both characters, usually, but I don't entirely trust them. /random speculation.

* Sloan is such an asshole. Dixon is right about Sydney. He knows her at least as well as anyone does, I think. And don't forget that he was in charge of the other CIA thing before. Dixon doesn't get enough credit.

* Quite a getup there, Syd. I especially like the corset;) I don't think Jack blends in so well, though.
Then there's the guy, and they shoot their guns, and why do they never have silencers? Its so indiscreet.

* "I will only say that if you don't cooperate with us you will regret it for the rest of your life." I love Jack. He is so incredibly awesome and badass.

* Meanwhile, Sydney is hallucinating more and more. Creepy stuff, increasingly almost-real-life stuff. All of her fears, insecurities, suspicions are magnified and are manifesting themselves in her hallucinations. And poor Spy!Daddy is there, thinking clearly despite his fear for his daughter...and thank goodness, cause otherwise Syd probably would have shot both Jack and Michael. But of course that doesn't happen, cuz they're main characters.

* Dixon is so great. Sloane says, "You were right", and Dixon comes back at him with a 'well tell me how you really feel' speech in which he calls Sloane toxic and evil and etc. He says things that you know Syd is thinking, about how they can't ever be sure of Sloane- his loyalties, his motives. And when this is finally revealed, Dixon says, "I'll be there. I'll be waiting." Awright! Dixon rocks!

* End of Ep: Syd is in the hospital, tries to apologize, or something, for what she said to Vaughn in the alley, but he brushes it off. "You weren't yourself." Not herself?! But you see the reservation, the doubt on her face. You know that she knows that it can't be attributed entirely to the drug. This introduces a new insidious something to her life...I wonder what kind of long-term impact it may have on Sydney. Could be interesting.

* The episode was in memory of Tricia K. Goken, who had been a script supervisor on Alias for four years, before she moved to Maryland to be with her fiance. They both died in a car accident January 29th.

"Lord of the Bling" ::spoilers::

2005-02-09T23:50:00.000-05:00

We finally got a new ep of Veronica Mars! It was titled, of all things, "Lord of the Bling".

* Despite the cheesy title, it was a very good episode. The first scene may have been my favorite. It had Keith and Veronica, with her nagging and totally not being the daughter in the relationship, which is very fun to watch.
And it had Wallace, who I adore, with his new hair. Well, I guess its the same hair as before, but its a new hairstyle. Veronica was noticing the hair as well: "Resisting the urge to touch." "Yeah, well keep on resisting the urge." Hee! And then Bone comes in and -- honestly, is Keith Mars the only P.I. in Neptune? Not that I mind all these wealthy and/or famous people coming to him, but is it realistic? I don't know, maybe its his reputation that draws them in. But if that's the case, shouldn't the Mars family be doing a little better financially? Sorry. /tangent.
Anyway, Bone comes in and we find out that Veronica is lacking in a certain amount of "street cred". But then VMars makes a different connection from the one Wallace made: "So that's Yolanda's father."..."We used to be friends. A long time ago." And then the intro starts, 'a long time ago..' -- so great.

* Poor Logan. The "here's your costume" remark to his father held so much bitterness...and then, "there's no people like show people." I wonder how right Logan is about his father's behavior, and how much is genuine on Aaron's part.
Logan has an idealized view of his mother, I think. He sees her as long suffering, with his father in the role of the tormentor. To an extent this is true, but really, Lynn wasn't (isn't?) nearly perfect. Despite his bias in this, I'm inclined to go with Logan's take on things. Its clearer than his father's, in any case.

* "You stay in the car." "You watch your back. I mean that medically." Hee! More father-daughter interaction. Gotta say it- Veronica isn't much hipper than her dad sometimes.

* Ah, flashbacks. Lilly is fun, y'know? But not the nicest person in the world.
And omg, Yolanda was the girl Logan kissed at the party?! That makes the picture a little bit clearer.

* Bugging the hotel room. Way to take initiative, V! But, damn, Keith is gonna be pissed. Veronica is entertaining as a perky blond.

* Poor Logan (again). Fucking paparazzi. "We both wish we were better. But she's only dead because of you." And right in front of the cameras he says this. Damn. Jason Dohring really got the best lines in this one. He's perfect as Logan.

* More Wallace and Veronica: "I thought being a P.I. was about shooting dudes and making out with sexy widows." "Sexy widows?" Hee!

* Listening to Keith on the phone right after they met up with Yolanda's younger brother, I knew it was going to be a Romeo and Juliet thing. Romeo&Juliet = Benjamin&Yolanda. Congrats, you two:), even though we'll never see you again, and you'll be estranged from your parents forever...um, yeah.

* "I want you to find my mother." Damn! Is she alive? Or is it just Logan's wishful thinking?

* Next week looks to be an..uncomfortable episode. I hope they give us more regarding the continuing story arcs; Lilly, Lynn, etc.

also posted to _veronicamars_.

I love ya! tomorrow!

2005-02-08T23:48:00.000-05:00

XXXX = Next Year

Because there's always next year.

24-21

2005-02-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

XXXIX = GODDAMNIT

Jacks

2005-01-31T08:59:00.000-05:00

XXXIX = 39

Eagles v. Patriots, less than a week away.

Yep. Doomed.

2005-01-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

A while back, everyone on LiveJournal was taking the Dante's Inferno Test. This was, oh, early-mid 2003. I was looking at some old lj entries of mine, and for fun I decided to take the test again, see if my answers had changed at all. But no, I'm still in the same spot, just as sinful as ever, apparently. More so, perhaps, but not enough to change my fate.

I should really read the book. Cause, y'know, if Dante was right, I should probably be prepared.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell - the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

"Hearts and Minds"

2005-01-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, its over 24 hours late. But I had other stuff going on. So here it is, this week's LOST Thoughts: "Hearts and Minds".

Damn. That's my essential reaction to this episode. I was watching with the youngest brother, and every time a flashback was coming I announced it, for his benefit, of course. And I only screamed, like, once. Okay, maybe twice.

* So Boone has paid guys off? So does that make him a good brother or a bad brother? Of course, they put a whole different spin on it a little later...The cop had it pegged from the start- "So you're step-siblings. No blood relation." And I'm thinking, well, you're a jerk, aren't you, insinuating something like that. Except he was right.

Basically, Shannon is fucked up. As is Boone, really, but in a different way. They both look younger than I think their characters are supposed to be. She's already been married and divorced, and has repeatedly conned her step-brother out of money by playing on his feelings for her. She's bitter about any number of things, and copes by indulging in a certain amount of self-destructive behavior. They say that one's emotional development stops when a trauma takes place. In her case perhaps this happened when her father died, and during the ensuing events.

But Shannon's Aussie lover screws her over by taking the money, so she goes to Boone. And he lets her in, because she's right- he is in love with her. Or thinks he is. He's blind to her faults and machinations, to an extent. And then she seduces him, not that he resists too hard. And I'm thinking, 'Nope, not shocked. This is kinda expected, actually.' But now I'm reassessing everything we have seen about the "sibs". It really puts an interesting twist on things. Emphasis on the twist, as in Twisted.

* What's up with Jack and Kate? Last week the tension was intense, this week that like being around each other, are comfortable with each other. The rapport is rebuilding itself, even though she still hasn't really told him anything. But I like it better when there aren't lotsa bad vibes, so I guess I'm okay with the inconsistency.

* I love Hurley. It was great. Are he and Jin becoming friends of a sort? "Pee on it!" Gods, the brother and I were screaming with laughter. But the best part was - "Your wife's hot." Hee!

* Speaking of Jin's wife...she is The Goddess Sun, mistress of all plants. She is so cool. And Kate has figured out that Sun can speak English, so maybe a bit of a friendship will develop there. They have an understanding, at least. "Have you never lied to a man you've loved?"

* Now we come to the really weird part. Locke. He's become One with the island, or something. I mean, he can walk, he helped Charlie, he can predict the weather...

Locke had already mixed up that hallucinogenic stuff, before Boone even tried to broach the idea of telling Shannon what they were up to. So did Locke just use that as an excuse to knock Boone unconscious? When Boone came to and began hearing Shannon's screams, I guessed that maybe it was all in his head. But then it just continued on, and I thought it seemed a little too involved to not be real.

Even when Shannon "died", I'm thinking, 'well, I guess she's a "red shirt".' Youngest Brother and I figured Boone would then go blame Locke, which he did. But it turned out that it hadn't actually happened. "How did you feel when she died?" "Relieved. I felt relieved." He says it as if the words were torn from him. "It's time to let go." Thank you for the interpretation, oh Island Guru.

* The opinions of Locke are interesting.

Kate hypothesizes that he's just looking out for himself, and that's why he hasn't brought them any boar. But she doesn't put it quite that way.

Charlie has great faith in him, despite Locke's being a "freak of nature". "He saved my life," says Charlie. Plus, he's a Driveshaft fan. But when Charlie was professing his confidence that Locke could save them all, I was thinking about what Kate had said. I agree that Locke is very capable, but the question is, how much does he really want to help the others?

Jack seems to be withholding judgment, to an extent. Did you notice that Jack calls him 'John', rather than 'Locke', the way everyone else seems to? Maybe it comes from Jack not marveling at him so much, seeing him more as an equal, for Jack is sure of his own worth. The others are a bit more awed, perhaps. I don't know.

My opinion? Locke really is the Island Guru. As Boone says to Hallucination!Shannon, Locke is the only one who actually knows what's going on. He has things figured out, to a certain extent. We don't fully know or understand his motivations, but I don't think he intends to betray the other castaways.

**Next Week: The polar bear is back, and Sawyer is an Asshole. Usually Sawyer's just an annoying prick, but I suspect that next week I'm really going to want to scalp him.**

countdown...

2005-01-12T19:39:00.000-05:00

Less than an hour 'til LOST. Tonight we get Shannon and Boone flashbacks. The official synopsis says "the shocking truth about her past with Boone is revealed." Ooooh. Sounds sufficiently ominous.

I doubt I'll be shocked, but it would be really cool if I was. Do you know how many people have written incestuous fics about the slightly-less-annoying-than-they-used-to-be siblings? Not than I've actually read them. I swear. (Except that one drabble.) I wonder what kind of fodder this ep will provide for them.

I call them comic strips.

2004-12-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

I love 'Get Fuzzy':

And 'Doonesbury':

EE of RotK!

2004-12-16T10:59:00.000-05:00

I watched the extended edition of Return of the King with my friend Nahnee on Wednesday. eeeee! It was wonderful.

Best addition: Merry and Eowyn fighting. They were so great! I was like, Damn! Merry kicks ass! Or, you know, stabs torso. Never underestimate a hobbit, or a woman.

There was no kiss between Eowyn and Faramir, though. Only short little scenes with them.

And we have more of Eomer/Karl Urban. I kinda drooled whenever he was onscreen. I so like looking at him that even when he was telling Eowyn that war is "the province of men" I wanted him.

I want to watch it again.

Hee!

2004-12-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

Hippo Caught After 10 Months on Run in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Relieved conservationists have recaptured a young hippopotamus that spent almost 10 months on the run near Cape Town after fleeing a nature reserve where it was being bullied by an older dominant male.

The hippo, known affectionately as Hugo or Houdini, escaped from the Rondevlei Nature Reserve through a broken fence in February, and was caught on Thursday after a dramatic 3-1/2 hour chase through waterways and reeds during which six tranquilizer darts were fired into his hide.

"At one stage there were two of us on the animal's back but it just kept on going," the greatly relieved Rondevlei manager, Dalton Gibbs, told Reuters on Friday. Conservationists might have had to shoot Hugo if he had not been caught, he said.

The young hippo will now be moved to an Eastern Cape private reserve, about 1,000 km (620 miles) east of Cape Town, where he will form the nucleus of a new herd.

This is at least as depressing as Lemony Snicket's books

2004-12-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

CSI. I'm hooked. It used to be a show I would watch now and then, and enjoy. Now it has become a show I can't miss. Even when it annoys me, I have to watch. I think my strongest reasons for watching, at this point, are 1) to find out more about Sara's fucked-up past, and 2) to ogle Warrick/Gary.

Last night's ep: "No Humans Involved". (spoilers ahead, folks)

* Okay, I don't hate Sofia, by any means. I just would rather see the longtime cast members. There is already plenty of people, most of whom we don't see enough of, and then to spread it out even more..? But I still don't fault Sofia/Louise. Of course the writers did that on purpose, made it impossible to truly despise her.

* Brass and Grissom! I like it when they actually speak to each other.

* Okay, this is really depressing. A five year old kid? Starved to death. Not like, 'he starved to death', but 'she starved him to death'. Horrendous. The aunt should totally get the death penalty.

* Sara has Issues, as we all know. We also learned, earlier this season, that her Issues are related to her family/childhood. Now we learn that she was in the foster system as a teenager. Her mother was on trial in 1984, which would make Sara about 13. What the fuck was she on trial for? Abuse, neglect, something worse? What about her father? Her parents are (were?) ex-hippies. Not a perfect match with someone like their daughter, true, but apparently it went further than that. How much worse? Dammit, now I'm even more curious.

* Warrick lost his temper. Hm. It wasn't completely unjustified, but he should know better. The prison guy was Russell Wong! Who I adore. But he was a jerk in this ep.

* I like that Catherine sets guidelines for her CSIs. Ultimately, she will be a much better supervisor than Grissom.

* Random comment: Does Grissom even remember that Sara exists? He apparently hasn't checked up on her, even though he's supposed to be keeping an extra-close eye on her after the sorta-DUI. We know this because of Ecklie, who said Grissom hadn't noted her progress in her file, and we know this because we've barely seen Grissom and Sara together all season. Grissom often annoys me by pulling crap like this.

* The best parts of the eps were Sara with the kids. First with the girl from the foster home (the actress is Mae Whitman, who I guarantee you've seen before), then with the two boys when they find them in the basement. God, that moment..heart-wrenching.

* "Are you going to take her to the hospital or the morgue, first?" Sara and Brass conversing! I like the vibe there. But Sara's response when Brass asks what she thinks? "Go with the living. The dead will wait."

* That ending, Sara seeing what everyone else is doing. It's an obvious way of reinforcing that Sara is alone with her problems, though partly because she chooses to not join the others. She seems so..resigned, numb. There's a certain amount of depression there, I think. The people she works with, ostensibly her friends, are oblivious to her pain- to her, in many ways. I kinda wish her past would all come out, so everyone would know. So they would realize.

Okay, I'm done. No more CSI for now.

Frickin' J.J. Abrams and company (LOSTThoughts)

2004-12-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

They did it again. They keep making me scream. And this ep, it was multiple times. Warning: Spoilers Ahead.

The title alone is great: "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues". Are they calling Jack a cowboy? Cuz I just don't look at him that way. But damn, he does have Issues. This is a second ep with jackflashbacks, but we still haven't had any with Hurley, the siblings, Walt and Michael. Though this ep did drop some more tidbits about them.

* We saw a lot of Walt this ep. He's got serious daddy issues, too. We all know he has problems with his father, but why is Walt with Michael? It sounds like he was living with his mother and Brian before. Did Brian die as well? Or were there custody issues? It has made me curious. It always pains me to see the difficulties the two have being father and son. Michael loves him, but you can't be a good father overnight.
Hurley and Walt playing backgammon was great. Well, Hurley was great, as he always is. 17th in a tournament? For what, the state, the country, the world? We know very little about Hurley, and this has made me more curious about him, as well. "You owe me $20,000!" "You'll get it." hm.
Sawyer and Walt. It was weird to see them standing next to each other, having a conversation. Then there was the Significant bit: "It's stupid to lie about your name." And, of course, we don't know what Sawyer's given name was/is.

* Then there was the conversation between Sayid and Sawyer. For a minute neither Sayid nor the audience knew quite what Sawyer was going to do. It was fine, though. Does Sawyer believe Sayid? I dunno. It felt like the two men reached a sort of understanding. Maybe that's not the word. But it felt like a sort of ceasefire to me.

* Boone and Locke together. Best line: "Box company? .. Yeah right." Hee!
But Boone's mother (and therefore, we assume, Shannon's) is the "Martha Stewart of matrimony". Hm. I wonder, does he have "mommy Issues"?
Locke was talking to Boone as if they were going to be rescued. Rescued soon enough to go back to their jobs. Yet I doubt either one of them really believes that, even if they are trying to hold on to hope.
Also: "Did they teach you how to predict the weather at the box company!!" Locke is messed up, but very cool.

* Something "real" from Kate? She had a cool little mini-monologue there. But is it actually true? We still don't actually know anything about Kate. Well, not solid facts, at any rate.

* Dude, Jack got his ass kicked.

* Charlie! Ohgod, he's hanging...I know they aren't allowed to kill Charlie, Dom has too big a fan base. But..am I wrong? NO, he can't be dead. This is LOST, remember? Weird shit happens. Jack looks like he's beating him...gasphesalive. That's something, at least.

* But where is Clair?! We heard her screaming (she's very good at that)...they can't kill Clair, Charlie "likes" her too much. And the baby! They can't kill the baby, either. The poor baby. ohgodohgodohgod.

-- ooh, Alias promo. The new season looks hot. And fun. January 5th, people! eeeee! two-hour season premiere:) And a..Stetson Cologne for Men commercial. How interesting. --

* Poor Charlie! Hasn't spoken? Wait, he's talking now. Doesn't remember anything. Was he unconscious? Someone was dragged, it was probably Charlie. But he remembers something.. "All they wanted was Clair." wtf?! They? Who's "they"? Did they want the baby? Did the psychic see *this* coming?! Ack!

* Back to the searchers: steel? Okay, my first thought was that it was some sort of manhole cover, a hatch, if you will. But it isn't. Wha- you can't end it there! You can't! ::screams::
They're re-airing the pilot next week? ::screams again:: We probably have to wait until January to see the next new ep. See the details you didn't notice before, they tell us. Find clues about the island, the characters, etc. What do they think we've been doing for the past few months? Ack!

Speculation, etc: So Locke and Boone are investigating the metal thing. Is it related to Danielle? And her power supply? Maybe they'll find Clair. And the people holding her. Unless they only want the baby, who is due to be born any day now. Then..I don't know. But really, did the psychic see this coming? I think in trying to change the future he may have secured it. Maybe the child will be brought up by these crazy people, away from Clair's goodness, just as he feared. Dammit. This is driving me crazy. Who are "They", and what the fuck do they want?! It occurs to me that perhaps there never was a dummy trail, that there were, in fact, two trails; one left by Ethan with Charlie, one left by whoever has Clair. Do the others know that they're being followed? It doesn't seem like it, but I'm still nervous. Jack should listen to Locke more. But if he had, then Charlie would be dead, so...damn complicated plots. Gonna make me insane. Gods, I love this show.

Momentus

2004-12-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

Several things...

* The Eagles are 10-1, and have officially won their division. Their division sucks, but that's still pretty cool.

* LOST was on tonight. This show drives me nuts! And they showed a promo for Alias, which is coming back in January. The thought that I'll have J.J. Abrams Wednesdays...! eeee!

* Today is World AIDS Day, on which is celebrated the progress made in the fight against AIDS. Check out the UNAIDS web site.

So many thoughts...you know you're curious

2004-11-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

Check the links for:

*CSIThoughts

*LOSTThoughts

*House-its a new series on FOX that everyone must watch so they don't cancel yetanothergoodshow-Thoughts

And finally, my Echoing Thoughts. I've discovered that it's fun to make weird, high-pitched sounds outside, and listen to them bounce off the things around you. I've finally found a use for the houses they built next door to us (where there used to be a field, and therefore no people). I can only hope that someone heard me and got a little freaked out.

I <3 T.O.

2004-11-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

My Eagles beat the Cowboys, 49-21. The game was great, with some really excellent plays, by a number of players. Of course, Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens got all the attention. Partly because they played well, but just as much of that was for their sideline schenanigans. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a Monday Night more.

LOST Thoughts ::Spoilers for "Confidence Man"::

2004-11-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

Gods, but I love LOST. Tonight's ep was interesting, but next week's looks to be better. My family was around while I was watching tonight, so I had to explain a bit to my mother and step-father. And the now-19-year-old had to be told to shut up, cause he was dissing my show.

My thoughts on "Confidence Man". In a disjointed fashion.

* Sawyer is hot. SO hot. I think that's the main point here. He can be a bastard, but there's a reason they keep showing him with his shirt off. See evidence:

(by lj user coppala)
Am I drooling? Maybe a little. Okay, maybe a lot.

* Kate is always put in a tough spot. She seems to have this thing for Jack, but there is, as Sawyer says, a connection between her and Sawyer. Whose real name I would like to know.

* Sayid is so cool. We already know a bit about him, but he hasn't gotten his own flashback ep yet. Looks like that'll be next week. He just...he's done some bad things in his life. He knows it, and regrets it. The fact that he can be an evil badass, but is usually a fairly levelheaded, good guy, just makes him wonderful.

* It seems like Kate and Sayid have the strongest relationship, excepting the Siblings. And when I say 'relationship' I don't mean in a shipper way. I mean that they really do seem to be friends, regardless of how little they may know about each other. Like I think I said before, they have an obvious kinship that I love.

* The Kiss was hot. There were two extremely-nice-to-look-at people, and Sawyer's tongue. And yet, the entire time I was thinking, 'This is fucked up. How far is Kate going to take this? What is she thinking? Is it a really good kiss, cuz it looks like a really good kiss. Both parties seem to be enjoying it. But then, he's used to seducing wives, isn't he. Does he honestly have a thing for Kate, or is he just being a manipulative bastard and trying to undermine (even more) her..thing with Jack? Do I care right now?' And then I attempted to not drool.

* Jack can't watch torture. It's partly a doctor thing, I think. You know, 'First do no harm'. Hey, if you can't stomach it, don't watch.

* The Siblings. Aka, Shannon and Boone. They have a standard sibling relationship; mostly vicious bickering, but definite love and caring. "Boone- don't leave me alone." And he didn't. And the twisted incest fans rejoiced.

* Asthma treatments: First, the Jedi moment. Hee! That's why Hurley is fun. Then, the inhalers are still missing, but Sun is a eucalyptus-wielding demigoddess, so its all good. Except Jin doesn't want her to be a demigoddess.

* Charlie reached new heights of cuteness this week. We finally saw Clair again, she brings out the fluffysweetness in Charlie. "Extra creamy" indeed.

* Sawyer is both as bad as he seems, and not. He does have lines that he will not cross. Anyone who refuses to hurt a child can't be all bad. And he has the intelligence (and conscience) to realize the irony that is his life. Its kinda painful to think about. Yes, I do know its just a tv show. Shut up.

Children talk politics, too.

2004-11-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

This morning I had a barely-five-years-old girl, one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet, ask me why George Bush was elected. "John Kerry went to war but he didn't," she said. "So why didn't people vote for Kerry?" So innocently she asked me this.

"I think a lot of people died in the war," she tells me. "I think maybe...200 people." "More than that," I tell her. "250?" she guesses. "Way more than that," I say. "That's why war is bad. Because so many people are killed."

She ponders that for a moment. "Oh."

Thus we vote away our future

2004-11-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

Can I possible express how dismayed I am?

I never liked George W. Bush. I didn't like him when he was govenor, I didn't vote for him in 2000, I didn't like him before, on, or after 9/11.

On this day, November 3rd, 2004, I am ashamed to be an American. Or rather, ashamed to be grouped with those who have voted for so many conservative Republicans today. This is not to say that all Republicans are wrong, or evil, or that I disagree with all of them. Hell, I even voted for one for State Rep.

I am a Liberal. I want to know why that seems to be such a dirty word to so many.
I am Pro-Choice, though I personally would not get an abortion. I support programs which promote safe-sex, and prevention of pregnancy and STDs.
I support gay marriage, though I am not gay.
I want stricter enviromental protection laws.
I was against the tax cuts/refunds this administration pushed through at the beginning of 2001.
I support campaign finance reform.
I don't believe that "trickle-down economics" actually work, due to the inherent anarchy of that theory.
I think we should have stricter gun control laws- either that, or every adult should carry a gun. (Think about it.)
I think Prez Clinton behaved despicably in his personal life, but was an excellent president.
No-bid government contracts sicken me.
I would rather go through the U.N. with military action, if only because it placates other nations so they're more willing to help out if we ever need them.
I believe in the separation of church and state- we are supposed to be a Democracy, not a Theocracy.
I oppose the Patriot Act because it infringes on our Constitutional rights- I am not willing to accept fewer personal rights/freedoms in exchange for (supposedly) greater security against terrorist threats.
My views are my own; I have not adopted them because a certain party has, nor because family/friends forced these views upon me.
I am an American, born and raised, and I am loyal to this country. This does not mean that I am loyal to our legislative representatives, nor to our President.

The current presidential administration has led the way in weakening our enviromental laws, in massively increasing the size of government, in hurting the economy through unwise tax cuts, in increasing prejudice against homosexuals and foreigners, in creating a massive national debt.
Our president led us into an unwise and apparently ill-prepared military action (aka, the War in Iraq), has alienated allies and much of the U.N., has polarized our nation by taking hard-line stances on controversial issues. This doesn't even address the fact that he was an alcoholic who barely graduated college, and that my fifteen-year-old brother is more articulate than President Bush is.

I think about what I would like to say to Mr. Bush if I ever met him face-to-face. I have a certain amount of respect for the office, and would be more than a little hesitant about stating my true opinions. But probably not hesitant enough to keep my mouth shut. I'd really like to have a philosophical discussion with the man and hear his personal views on certain issues, fully explained. I want to know that he can defend his beliefs and opinions with something other than the Bible, and something more definite than "because its the right thing to do". I'm usually able to say things without people getting really upset and offended, and I'd like to be able to try it out on someone in such a position of power.

I am afraid for The United States of America, and for the world. I am afraid that the damage done to the Earth will be irreparable, that there will be nothing good left here for future generations. I am frightened by how divided we are.

I'm terrified.

Election Day

2004-11-02T16:55:00.000-05:00

I voted late this morning. The line wasn't too bad, but it was longer than I've ever seen it. Though considering I've only been voting for a few years, I guess that's not saying too much.

I just hope that you will vote, or have already, if you are eligible to. This was my 18-year-old bro's first time voting. Very cool. My first election was the Fiasco of 2000. Quite a memory, and a story I'll probably be telling all my life.

VOTE!

waiting for tonight

2004-10-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

Tonight: Lost.

Last Night: I only watched little bits of GG, cause the show is starting to annoy me again. I did watch Veronica Mars, though. This show keeps giving us little bits of info, without really explaining much. It drives me nuts, in a good way.

My fantasy lives

2004-10-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

Now that all of Joss Whedon's series are off the air, and SCI-FI is on hiatus, I have had to find new programming to enjoy. I've found two new shows:

Lost: I mentioned this one before. This show keeps you guessing. We're finding out what everyone's pre-crash stories are, through flashbacks, though even then things are not completely clear. So addictive. The next ep looks to be phenomenal. (Wednesday, 8pm, ABC)

Veronica Mars: This one definitely has my interest, though it isn't at quite the level of Lost. The main character is a high school student, but the issues involved are not schoolgirlish, nor is Veronica. Ultimately, this show is a murder-mystery. I want to know whowhatwhenwhy about Lily Kane's death. Unfortunately for Veronica and her father, there is corruption and cover-up in place, mixed with a lot of money. God, I can hardly wait. (Tuesday, 9pm, UPN)

I've also returned to a couple shows that I used to be addicted to:

The West Wing: I've sorta vaguely followed this for the past couple seasons. This year, I suspect that will continue. Truth is, I just want to know what happens to Donna, who is a wonderful, incredible character. Of course, it took her nearly dying for Josh to stop taking her for granted...which was commented on by Donna's latest squeeze, played by Jason Isaacs, or, as my youngest brother likes to call him, Lucius. (With a..passable Irish accent.) (Wednesday, 9pm, NBC)

Gilmore Girls: Okay, this one I'm watching again primarily because Luke and Lorelai finally got together. I change the channel whenever Dean comes on the screen, because they gave him and Rory a rather awkward storyline. Later the ptb are going to give her a new love interest, who I think is a surrogate for Tristan, who is now the lead on One Tree Hill and therefore doesn't have time for GG. Yeah. (Tuesday, 8pm, WB)

"Crows Feet" and Sweet Bombs - CSI spoilers

2004-10-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

Tonight's CSI, aka,

Everyone flirts with Catherine, including both Sark and the smarmy MD.

Really. Everyone flirts with her. Hell, I'd flirt with her. Have you seen Marg Helgenberger? She's incredibly beautiful. Where is my other beautiful person? Where's Warrick?

Best part? The glove comment from Travis, and Cath's returning remark. His expression there...it was great.

But gods, I hated that doctor guy. He was creepy, and he tried to mess with Catherine head. And it worked a little too well. Her own insecurities, magnified by SmarmyDoc, drowned out Nick's completely honest, "You know you don't need that, right?" CSI's social commentary, and warning.

The other storyline, with the exterminated guy and his bird was better. Hey, it had Sara, Grissom, and Greg, and it didn't have a malpracticing doctor. And there were sweet bombs:)

I actually liked everyone this ep. All the regulars, that is. And the recurring ones, too. Usually someone pisses me off, so this was nice.

The people who did the promos pissed me off, though, cause they were very misleading.
I wonder if tonight's "scenes from our next episode" are as misleading. Cause it looks like another provacatively sex-filled hour is coming our way.
"Everyone fantasizes, Mr. Grissom. Even you."

Randomalities

2004-10-14T22:39:00.000-04:00

* Joyce Summers is now in Advil commercials. That is, Kristine Sutherland, who played Buffy's mom, was on my television during CSI's first commercial break this evening. My first thought was, 'Joyce Summers is pushing Advil. I've missed Joyce.'

* The most notable 'Rachel's-screaming-at-the-tv-again' moment tonight was when I covered my ears and loudly proclaimed, in a somewhat ohmygodnonono tone, "He's hitting on her he's hitting on her!"

* I also would like to confess that I watched very little of the final debate last night, as I feared my head might explode if I did. I have, however, been waking up to NPR every morning, and I'm following a blog that often refers to our current president as "Furious George".

2004-10-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

The third and final presidential debate is tonight. We've got less than three weeks until the election. Is anyone actually still undecided? I have a hard time understanding that.

Check out this post, from LiveJournal user Amezri Mizudax: Shrinking Candidate.

I wish I was this smart

2004-10-10T13:39:00.000-04:00

These people really are freakishly smart and just as educated. But in a really cool, incredible, interesting way! : Mathematicians Help in War on Terror

csithoughts {MANY SPOILERS}

2004-10-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Ups and Downs of Watching TV with One's Family

Yes, I watched CSI with both my mother and the 18-year-old brother present. The opening setup was standard, and then David showed up. I have a little crush on David.

We move on to the two best looking members of the cast wading through miles of sewer. (Catherine: "Can't we at lest draw straws?" Grissom: "No.") I love the old guy on the bench ("I'm not holding the bus!").

Greg gets to observe his first autopsy, while Grissom fails to completely disguise his amusement. (Me: "Grissom's being mean to Greg. See! He's smirking. Asshole.") I love the doc, though. So matter of fact. After, Greg and Sara have a short yet profound conversation about Greg's lost virginity.

The incredibly beautiful people finally discover both daylight and the cause of death (stupidity). Then there's an incredible shipper moment between Catherine and Warrick, with me telling my companions, "Of course they have to have a thing with the two best looking people on the cast."
And I'm thinking to myself, 'She did recently break up with Krychek's less-sexy-but-just-as-evil twin.'
I'm also thinking, 'I could totally be bisexual for those two.'
Then some guy stops the shipper moment and gives them a new case, which they enthusiastically add to their workload.

*
18-yr-old: "So, they just forgot about the other case?"

Me: "Well, they solved it, and now they have this one. They need unusual cases for tv, so they show this."

18-yr-old: "Gettin' pretty thin."
*

We move on to a fucked-up family with lots of bombs in the house. Sara and Warrick steal a door, and W/S shippers find moments there, too.
Everyone searches the house, until the bomb squad decides to blow it up. (Me: "Cool.")

Grissom makes unsubtle comments to Sara. Later, she tells him not to worry. "I don't have a death wish, and I'm not a drunk."
"I'm not worried," says Grissom. "I'm...concerned."
("I totally saw that line coming!" crows Me.)
"Aren't they the same thing?" asks Sara, with a bit of a smile. 'Cause people want to be worried over, even when they don't want to be worried over, you know?

At some point Grissom gleefully conducts a disgusting experiment, with Greg's..assistance. "This is some kind of CSI hazing," comments Greg. "You're trying to make me appreciate blood and semen."

Our brilliantly competent CSIs crack the lies spouted to them in the interrogation room, and it is once again driven home that the family that builds bombs together goes to separate prisons. And that highschool boys can be very stupid.

We end with Sara watching the teenager's home videos, spliced with a conversation about how people could get to that point; hostile enviroment leads to hostile behavior, etc. Sara looks intently at the backyard activities on the tv screen, hinting to the viewer about what might be in her past.

*
Me: Sara has a messed up family thing, but we don't know exactly what. They hinted at it last episode.

18-yr-old: I don't care, Ray.

Me: Screw you. :)

"debate" the "issues"

2004-09-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

John Kerry and George W. Bush "debate" each other tonight, 9pm.

Keep yourself informed:

Capitol Hill Blue has articles and commentary, both objective and...not objective.

Or, you can read the actual bills that congress is proposing, debating, (not) passing... courtesy of the Library of Congress.

I want to be 'Lost' too!

2004-09-29T21:49:00.000-04:00

I don't know whether to strangle J.J. Abrams, or worship him. I first became aware of him when he did Felicity, then became a semi-rabid fan when Alias hit the air.

Now, there's Lost.

I screamed at the television when tonight's episode (part 2 of the pilot) ended. This is going to be another of those shows that often elicits that reaction. My family will hear my rather loud reactions throughout the house, and my brothers will make snide comments. Gods, I'm already hooked on this show. Abrams is still able to keep me guessing, still able to shock me.

I don't think its possible to die from suspense...

This in from Crawford, Texas...

2004-09-29T19:01:00.000-04:00

Sept. 29, 2004
Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - The newspaper in President Bush's adopted hometown of Crawford threw its support behind Bush's Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry.

The weekly Lone Star Iconoclast on Tuesday criticized Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and for turning budget surpluses into record deficits. The editorial also criticized Bush's proposals on Social Security and Medicare.

"The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda," the newspaper said in its editorial. "Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry."

It urged "Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country."

Bush spends many of his weekends and holidays at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

The Iconoclast's publisher and editor-in-chief, W. Leon Smith, said the newspaper is sent to Bush's ranch each week. "But I don't know if he reads it," Smith said.

The White House brushed aside the endorsement. "I feel pretty confident about the people of Crawford and the state of Texas in this election," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The Kerry campaign welcomed the move. "Those who know George Bush the best say it the best: John Kerry will restore dignity to the White House and provide the leadership needed to get America headed in the right direction," said Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer.

Also, the debates are upon us. The "rules" prevent them from being real debates, of course, but I'm going to try to watch them anyway. The networks seem to be a bit fed up with the "rules" as well, and are doing their best to abide by as few of them as possible. From CNN.com: Networks balk at Bush-Kerry debate agreement.

First Blogger Post

2004-09-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

New blog. Hope you are entertained, intrigued, bored, whatever.

What Kind of Geek are You?
Name
DOB
Favourite Color
Your IQ is	quite high
You are a	word nerd
Your strength is	you actually have social skills
Your weakness is	caffine
You think normal people are	interesting
Normal people think that you are	satanic

This Quiz by owlsamantha - Taken 274468 Times.

I am, therefore...

NJ is not always NY

Dear Santa...

Dress-up

hectic-ness, hectic-osity, hectic-ality

Did it just get hot in here?

Creepy Doll

A.T. on CSI!

Veronica Mars S3 Premiere *SPOILERS*

Mothers: A Rant.

Firefly cast

Context and Dirty Minds

Back in Black

The Producers

silk undies

Lizzy's the Leader

Geeky

Badonkadonk

LOSTthoughts *Spoilers*

RACHEL'S THOUGHTS

Soul For Rent

Cowboiosity

hawt.

Space Case.

July 4, 1776.

I think the U.S. needs a "regime change".

The Inside of an obsession

Rest, now.

DON'T PANIC.

Stroke

A Dog's Life

Guard Rabbits

To wed

Happy Birthday to Me!

Suspended

I saw those weapons on 'Buffy'.

hm...I dunno..

As it so happens, I'm an eldest child.

RACHEL'S THOUGHTS

Not quite 20 years, but...

I am Severus Snape.

Summations and Editorializations ::spoilers::

"Lord of the Bling" ::spoilers::

I love ya! tomorrow!

24-21

Jacks

Yep. Doomed.

"Hearts and Minds"

countdown...

I call them comic strips.

EE of RotK!

Hee!

This is at least as depressing as Lemony Snicket's books

Frickin' J.J. Abrams and company (LOSTThoughts)

Momentus

So many thoughts...you know you're curious

I <3 T.O.

LOST Thoughts ::Spoilers for "Confidence Man"::

Children talk politics, too.

Thus we vote away our future

Election Day

waiting for tonight

My fantasy lives

"Crows Feet" and Sweet Bombs - *CSI spoilers*

Randomalities

I wish I was this smart

csithoughts {MANY SPOILERS}

"debate" the "issues"

I want to be 'Lost' too!

This in from Crawford, Texas...

First Blogger Post

Veronica Mars S3 Premiere SPOILERS

LOSTthoughts Spoilers

"Crows Feet" and Sweet Bombs - CSI spoilers