Sine Logicum

Leave Lindsay Alone!

2011-02-08T20:36:00.001-06:00

For Pete's sake, that girl can't use too much toilet paper without it being all over the news.

Chris Crocker, where are you?

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Good Lord...

2011-02-08T19:39:00.001-06:00

This is the fucking case that never ends!

We are currently in Punishment phase, though I knew we would be there eventually since I pled guilty to one of the charges for reasons which shall remain undisclosed until all is said and done. The good news is that the jury found me Not Guilty on 3 of the remaining 5 charges. The 2 they found me guilty of, I can see why they would have reason to do so, not that I am actually guilty of them. But, I can see how some facts seemed questionable.

But ultimately, those 2 extra charges really don't matter, because the plan has always been to accept that big hit from the get go, get our side's information out there, then show them some good stuff at Punishment, which is happening now.

I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. I may get probation, which is what our goal has been all along. Or I may get prison time up to 99 years.

So those of you of faith, please continue to pray for me. If I can post tomorrow, then that will mean I "won". If I don't post again, you'll know why as well.

Love to you all!

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Sunday Night

2011-02-06T23:03:00.001-06:00

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Though I fear I am extremely tired already. I've been roasted on the local news for 2 weeks already. People who had told me they would be character witnesses are backing out due to the extreme media attention.

I have to be honest, it's not looking good.

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Friday

2011-02-05T00:48:00.001-06:00

Ok, what is there to say?

Adrian, who I have known since he was 4 years old and is now 16, sat on the witness stand and accused me of hurting him.

The uber-dramatic DA made me out to be a monster.

I am very tired and don't have much energy left.

The jury was allowed out of seclusion and allowed to go home Thursday due to the threat of bad weather.

Anyway.... Hearing him accuse me and claim that I hurt him was like a dagger in my chest. I cared very deeply for him as he was growing up. To hear him condemn me now is very very painful.

And my "friends" scattering and refusing to speak up on my behalf.....,

Anyway, jury reconvenes on Monday...... If I can update, I will.

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Tuesday

2011-02-01T23:19:00.001-06:00

Prosecution rested today.

I take the stand tomorrow.

I heard from 3 of my character witnesses that they are going to have to back out. "Commitments", or "out of town", or "my lawyer advised me to not get involved since I work in the same district as the kid".

I feel whatever positive came from today's weak testimony has drained away, partly because of the plea my lawyers convinced me to make to the court. I should have stuck with what I wanted to do.

My life is forevermore fucked.

I'm tired and mentally weary; I will try to update tomorrow. If I don't, it means I've been remanded into the county jail.

Let me say since now that I appreciate you all's kind words and positive thoughts.

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Jan 31

2011-01-31T21:33:00.001-06:00

Trial starts up again tomorrow. On Friday, my accuser was on the witness stand until 5:30 pm. Tomorrow, I am expecting his parents, teachers who will say he used to visit me in my office (not that I have ever denied that), and possibly "experts" on grooming. The female PhD I am expecting has been described to me as a "state whore", meaning she will testify to anything the state asks her to for a paycheck.

Anyway, send good thoughts my way.

Wednesday

2011-01-26T19:52:00.001-06:00

It's 7:30 and I just got home. We didn't finish jury selection, which means it continues tomorrow.

This means the trial itself won't start until Friday.

However, I had a serious setback today with one of my expert witnesses. Without going into details (sorry Nelson), he is changing his assessment of me from being safe to dangerous because he said I didn't disclose all of the charges against me to him. My lawyers sent me to him, so I assumed he knew what he was supposed to be assessing, for fuck's sake. So my lawyers are now very very worried. A big piece of their strategy may just have been shot dead.

Not good for me. I feel sick to my stomach, I haven't eaten in 3 days, and I'm seriously considering throwing the towel in again. I am going to wait and see what the lawyers can work out with the "expert" before I decide. If it looks like he is useless, I am going to have to weigh the benefits of a plea deal. 20 years is better than 99, after all.

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Wednesday

2011-01-26T08:02:00.001-06:00

Ok, jury selection is today. I am very nervous, my parents look like total wrecks. I'm not sure I have the strength to see this through to the end.

I'll try to write about what happens today once I return home, but no promises.

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Apology

2011-01-25T23:19:00.000-06:00

I am trying to keep a strong face here at home so my mom doesn't totally fall apart. To be honest, I am scared as hell.

Here in South Texas, the general attitude is string the bastard up first and ask questions later. And for that reason, I am very concerned because I see the judge ignoring legal precedent to male it easier for the prosecution to string me up.

Anyway, I will let you guys know what transpires tomorrow.

Update

2011-01-25T22:34:00.001-06:00

I had another hearing today. My lawyers have contended that the search warrant was illegal as was a subsequent one.

Judge will rule in the morning. I don't expect her to rule in my favor because she is very cognizant of what her constituents expect to see.

I had my first protesters today, a group called Bikers Against Child Abuse. They were leather clad "daddies" trying to intimidate me, not knowing that I have a relative in a biker gang known as Los Bandidos. One call from me would have dozens of REAL bikers sitting in court on my behalf. I don't want to go there, but I find these pretend bikers to be hilarious.

Anyway, jury selection is Wednesday.
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Monday News

2011-01-24T19:04:00.000-06:00

I had another hearing today. My defense team requested academic/behavior records from my accusers' school. The ISD itself tried to block that, but the judge shut them down. Another good thing for me.

I have one final hearing tomorrow and it's a big one. My lawyers filled a motion that, if granted, effectively ends the case against me. My lawyers warned me not to get my hopes up because my particular judge rarely grants these motions. Other judges will, but mine likes things to go through trial. But, there is still a chance, so let's see what happens.

Still no cameras in court, which I have found odd, but I'm sure they'll be there eventually.

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Saturday's News

2011-01-22T19:57:00.000-06:00

First off, my apologies for being so down and negative in my last post, but I had just come home from a2 hour hearing and then a 3 hour meeting with my legal "dream team" /sarcasm and I was not in a good mood.

As far as things stand currently, Monday, I may or may not have to be in court, depending on whether or not the judge is in a snit that morning. Tuesday is jury selection. I was warned that it would take all day and that I would feel like I had been beaten with a bat. Loverly. And then Wednesday begins the circus. I do have to meet with the "dream team" tomorrow afternoon. Not looking forward to that, because the last 2 meetings have had me ready to tell them both off for being asses, which I am sure everyone would agree would be a bad thing.

A good thing that happened. Due to an odd series of events that had nothing to do with the competence of my lawyers, I managed to get some of my pretrial limits lifted. So, yesterday, I was able to take care of a computer issue my mom was having and then go to Starbucks. Today, I had dinner at a very nice steak restaurant and then buy a book in a bookstore, things I have been barred from doing for the 3 years I've been waiting for trial. I turns out my lawyers could have requested these changes 3 FUCKING YEARS AGO, but didn't. It took me stumbling across an issue Thursday that got these restrictions changed. Yeah, thanks lawyers who cost me $50,000 dollars for nothing.

I really should leave their names and business addresses in a queued post to pop up in case I lose, so the world can lnow what they've done. As I've said, they are considered the best in the state. One was even named Best Criminal Defense Attorney for the city a few years back. Ha, I'd like to see some of that skill eventually.

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Update for Thursday

2011-01-20T22:51:00.000-06:00

Ok guys, I'm in a pretty bad mood at the moment, so I am going to give a bare bones report.

I had a hearing today where many things happened, and most of the time I had no clue what the hell was going on. Apparently, my two lawyers filed several motions seeking to narrow what they would be dealing with. The judge granted almost every single one the motions, so the lawyers were happy.

Next is jury selection on Tuesday the 25th, then the trial begins on Wednesday. The lawyers expect it to wrap up the following Tuesday.

Clearly, I can't go into details of what all the DA is going to throw at me, but my lawyers are concerned that it is going to be a hard fight, and to be honest, I realized today, as I sat there being glared at by the judge, by the court clerk, by the newly minted young lawyers who went to observe and pick up pointers, that I don't have it in me to do this. I just don't.

Tomorrow morning, I am instructing my lawyers to discuss the possibility of a plea deal with the DA. If they offer a number that wouldn't amount to a death sentence, I am going to take it.

You see, the crime I am charged with carries a 5-99 year sentence. If I lose, the DA will most assuredly ask for the 99 to "send a message". I am not a gambler. My lawyers are very good, but they have their concerns. And I really am just drained.

Now, the DA may not accept a plea deal anyway. As I've mentioned, the younger lawyer is chomping at the bit to try my case. She has never tried a big "splashed across the news" case like mine, so she may not even entertain the notion, or offer a ridiculous number so that I would have no choice but to refuse. In that case, we'll be off to trial.

When I hear something next, I'll let you guys know.

Filler Info

2011-01-19T23:45:00.000-06:00

I found out today that the family accusing/suing me has filed a lawsuit against my old school district. Suddenly, it all makes sense.

I used to help buy shoes/clothes for the boys when their dad was having a hard time with his business. Once I tried to put distance between myself and them, I was hit with a charge of sexual assault.

It seems to me that these people, Mexican nationals, are out for a buck.

But my homosexuality has become a rallying point for the DA, and I am going to be painted as a gay pervert.

I have a hearing Thursday afternoon..I have been warned by my attorneys to expect a host of cameras. Look at your local news, chances are very great that my face will be on your screen today.

Visit

2011-01-17T18:08:00.001-06:00

I met with the lawyers today. I have to say that after they left, I am now feeling worse than ever.

Obviously I can't go into detail on the evidence the DA is preparing to use against me, but once my guys laid it all out and explained what the DA's strategy/argument is going to be, even I have to concede that it looks bad and, if I were a juror, I'd be hard pressed to give me the benefit of the doubt.

I have court this Thursday for pretrial motions, whatever those are, and then full blown trial starting Monday.

My mind is somewhat in shock still at this point; I was fully planning on winning a Not Guilty verdict, and now I am trying to figure what maximum sentence I'd be willing to plea bargain to in order to avoid a trial. Right now, the DA is offering a 40 year "deal" which would make me dead before I got out of prison. Unfortunately, our DA was pasted in this last election for being soft on sex offenses, and I am very certain that she is going to see my case as a way to win points with the public.

To be honest, I am not sure I'll be posting here again. I mean really, what is there left to say? If something positive comes from my trial on Monday and Tuesday, I'll post it here.

If this blog is never updated again, you'll know why.

Thanks for reading the last year and a half of my nonsense and take care.

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Cool Photo Wednesday

2011-01-12T22:21:00.000-06:00

Well, I made my appointment today. I can't say that I left feeling positive or negative. I answered question, he wrote stuff down. I have to fill out some paperwork and mail it back to him. Yeah, I don't see how this is going to help any, but it set me back another $150. I swear, at this rate, I am going to have to sell off a kidney and several pints of blood just to be able to buy food. I suppose the fact that my date is coming up soon is a good thing, otherwise I'd be completely out of money.

Anyway, here are some cool photographs that I found recently that I hope you guys enjoy.

Update on Stuff

2011-01-11T19:58:00.000-06:00

Well, I wasn't able to make my appointment yesterday (Monday). It wasn't my choice, of course. In the interest of brevity and the fact that I try not to put to many specifics, I wasn't clear on what the problem was that was keeping me from going. It wasn't because of a lack of transportation or anything as mundane as that.

To be succinct, whenever I want to leave the house to do something, I have to let a court liaison know first. I let her know where I need to go, she verifies if she wishes to, and then logs it in. They have no power to deny me the right to leave for work (if I had a job), go to the doctor, meet with lawyers, etc etc. Well, my new liaison is something of a...what is the word...little person with a little power who wields it like a sword. When I told her I needed to leave town for a meeting, she blew me off saying she had meetings to attend and would get back to me that afternoon (Thursday). All Thursday went by, no call back. I called her again Friday, waited all day, no call back. I called her at 8:00 am Monday, no answer, no call back.

So, I informed my lawyers. They both called her. I am not privy to what their conversations were, but she called me this morning sounding very very polite, which is atypical of her, and said she didn't know why I had informed my lawyers that she had not allowed me to go, that she had already logged in my trip. I felt like screaming, "LIIIIIIIEEEEEEEESSSSS!" into the phone, but I didn't. So, the short of it: I have been "allowed" time tomorrow, Wednesday, to go to a nearby city and speak to someone who can help me with my defense.

I also spoke to the lawyers today. One said he has hired a private investigator, though I really don't know what he is going to be doing, and I didn't ask. Oh, and when I say "he" hired a PI, I mean he contacted him but I'll have to foot the bill, which should be about $1,000 in addition to the $50,000 I already paid the lawyers. Justice, ladies and gentlemen, is apparently blind and not cheap. The other one said that they would all be "humping my case like crazy" the next couple of weeks to get ready for my January 24th court date. I think I know what he meant by that comment, but I chose not to ask about that one either.

I am growing rather more frantic and insane as each day passes. I still am having a very hard time envisioning anything other than a terrible outcome from this, but I am trying to keep it together.

Thanks to Seth and Jay for the comments on the last update. And thanks to Micky as well for almost always replying to my posts even though I don't reciprocate as often as I should. Thanks guys. It's too bad I can't get you to speak on my behalf in court. :/

The Lost Hero

2011-01-10T21:54:00.000-06:00

For those of you who visit my actual blog page instead of reading posts through an RSS feed, you may have noticed that I have had the book The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan over there --> for quite some time. It has taken me an inordinate amount of time to complete a novel written for children. Why is that, you may ask. Could it be that I have the reading ability of a mentally challenged 3rd grader or the average Fox News viewer? No, of course not, dear reader. Unlike them, I can read and form my own opinions on events, reports, and documents.

No, it has taken me so very long to complete The Lost Hero because, to be perfectly frank, it was so very painful to get through. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I read Riordan's first novel, The Lightning Thief, and enjoyed it. His next couple of novels, however, were not as well written.

And now this.

Percy Jackson, hero of the first series is absent, with the role of Hero being filled by a boy named Jason who has no memory of who he is. He is joined by another boy, a son of Hephaestus, and a girl, a daughter of Aphrodite. This combination felt to me like a similar group to that led by Percy in The Lightning Thief. A boy hero, a male friend, a female friend who then travel from place to place, coming into contact with gods/goddesses who want to help or hinder them. With the exception of the names, the plot of The Lost Hero could be swapped out with any of Riordan's other books with minimal effort.

As to the characters themselves, there is little to no character development. We learn a smidge about each demigods' backgrounds but not enough to make you care about them in any way, shape, or form. There is a great deal of whining and complaining about how each character has had a "hard life". Sorry, but I am not interested in reading a bunch of teenagers whine about the world. Besides that, each character shows little personality and are all shallow.

In this novel, Riordan tries to bring in some of the history detailed in The Hesiod: Gaea, Ouranos, the Titans, etc, but he sanitizes it for the kids. For example, the Titan Kronos uses a scythe to cut off Ouranos' genitals while Ouranos lay with his wife Gaea. Kronos throws the genitals into the ocean. The foam that gathers around the floating genitals spawns Aphrodite, who emerges as an adult god from the sea. Needless to say, Riordan's version is much changed, changed to the point of being wrong. And this bothers me, probably because I have 18 university hours in Greek philosophy. I've read The Hesiod. I've read Aristotle, I've read Plato, I've read Aristophanes, and I find it insulting that someone would take these works and cannibalize them as his own. All of his background information in simply lifted from Greek and Roman mythology. Other than sanitizing the sexual elements, his background storylines already exist. What author does that?

All in all, I cannot recommend The Lost Hero. Between the very vanilla heroes and the reused storylines, I found The Lost Hero to be a chore to read and not worth the time I put into it.

January 7th Update

2011-01-07T19:58:00.002-06:00

I have decided to start drinking again, because why the hell not?

My lawyers contacted me yesterday. They informed me that they are already putting together a strategy for trial. They also wanted me to travel to a nearby city to meet with someone they think could help. I have an appointment at 10 am this Monday, but it doesn't look like I will be able to keep it. That does worry me to a degree; how can I work on defense if I can't get to where I need to be.

Hm...

Well, there is still a couple weeks to go.

EDIT: 8:57 pm: We are now on drink 2. Tasty....

Edit 2: 10:54 pm: Finishing drink 3...considering another....

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Well well well...

2011-01-04T20:37:00.001-06:00

Or not so well, I suppose.
My wireless access is acting up, so I am unable to go online with my laptop. Instead, this post is being written on my mobile phone through my 3G coverage. This also means I can't post a nice picture to accompany the words because this app places my uploaded photos in a weird folder that people can't access easily. Oh well.

I had a picture I wanted to share of a box my niece made for me that I though was quite nice. She took the Christmas cracker paper from our Williams Sonoma Christmas crackers and used them to decoupage a box. It came out really nice and I wanted to show it off here. Meh...

Finally, for those of you guys that have been following for a while know that I am in the midst of a legal fight for my life. I had my court date reset a few months ago to this month, January 24th to be specific. Needless to say, I am devolving into a nervous wreck again and am fairly heavily medicated. I try to stay away from pills and such, but pretty much since New Year's day, I've been having severe anxiety attacks. This means, pills are a must.

My plan is to still post my typical nonsense to help me keep my mind occupied, but I'm not sure how long that will last. Either way, I will try not to just disappear without an explanation.

For the faithful among you, please keep me in your prayers.

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Random Thought

2010-12-30T22:28:00.001-06:00

I've just been adding some images to my Tumblr photoblog, and a thought occurred to me.

Does anyone know if there is a blogger widget that I can add to my sidebar so that some of my Tumblr images show up? Is rather not post the images directly as a daily post, but it might be fun to have the latest ones pop up on the sidebar.

Is that even a possibility?

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Twelve Days of Christmas Fail...

2010-12-29T01:27:00.000-06:00

So, I was floating about today on the interwebz, and what do I discover? The 12 days of Christmas are not the 12 days leading up to Christmas day, but rather, they begin on December 26th and extend for 12 days until January 6th, or Feast of the Three Kings. There is even a special cake/bread that is eaten on January 6th, called a rosca de reyes, which roughly translates to King cake or King ring.

So, my carefully planned 12 Days of Christmas posts are pretty much a giant fail.

Wouldn't you know it?

I Am On a Mission...

2010-12-28T00:43:00.002-06:00

To all my readers:

I may or may not be around after tonight. You see, tonight I will attempt to travel back in time and change history.

You'll know I succeeded if Germany loses World War II and if Sarah Palin quits the governorship of Alaska.

Wish me luck!

Post-Christmas

2010-12-26T21:27:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone's Christmas day was filled with family and fun. Mine was better than usual, which is not to suggest that my family holidays are filled with drama and unpleasantness, because they are not. It just seemed very festive.

The Christmas crackers were tone of fun. We pulled them after dinner, though everyone wanted to pull them one at a time, rather than around the table. But still, fun fun fun! We all wore our paper Christmas crowns that fell out, though to varying degrees of happiness and time. The party poopers took them off immediately after we took the family photos, and I wore mine until the last people left at 10:30 pm.

Christmas lunch was good. I made a turkey baked with a lemon garlic butter under its skin, a glazed ham, green beans with bacon, buttered corn, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and southern style biscuits. I forget about desserts completely, but my sister brought over a pumpkin cheesecake, so that was a saving grace. I had meant to take a couple of photos of the Christmas feast to put up here, but my two nephews were acting like they hadn't eaten in a week. I hadn't even managed to get all of the food on the table before they were serving themselves, and I didn't want to take photos of a mutilated turkey bowls of food that had been gotten in to.

I was laughing that this year should be called The Year of the Alcoholic, because so many bottles of alcohol were exchanged! My brother gave everyone, EVERYONE, a bottle of wine. He bought them when he was out at some fancy wine place and couldn't help himself, he said. Ha ha! My 23 year old nephew got a bottle of Amaretto, my dad got a bottle of Jeremiah Weed bourbon liqueur, a bottle of Makers Mark whiskey, and a bottle of Jack Daniels, my brother got Jack Daniels, my 23 year old nephew gave away a bottle of Chiroc vodka and a bottle of Makers Mark whiskey to friends. It was totally nuts! We never exchange alcohol and this year was a boozefest.

My uncle is the one in the center dressed as a Chinaman

My mom's brother came by and livened up the place by playing his guitar for a while. He is a professional musician; when he was younger, he was in a band called The Latin Breed that put a few albums out, so having him play for us is always fun.

My brother sang a few songs with him and so did one of my cousins, his daughter. My mom videotaped it all, along with my five year old nephew attempting to strum along on the guitar my brother gave him for Christmas. It was pretty funny watching him try to play as he scowled in concentration and not coming anywhere near a tune. He is very sharp, though, and I expect him to become good in short order. I just hope I'll be around to get to watch him. To be truthful, I am not expecting to, but I am still hopeful.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T12:00:00.000-06:00

And may God bless us, everyone!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 12

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-06:00

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Twelve drummers drumming

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 11

2010-12-24T15:00:00.001-06:00

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Eleven pipers piping

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 10

2010-12-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Ten lords a leaping!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 9

2010-12-22T21:47:00.000-06:00

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Nine ladies dancing

Christmas Cartoons

2010-12-22T13:32:00.000-06:00

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 8

2010-12-21T19:23:00.000-06:00

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Eight maids a milking

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 7

2010-12-20T21:46:00.000-06:00

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Seven swans a swimming

Christmas Cookies FTW!

2010-12-20T21:22:00.000-06:00

In yet another weird bout of Christmas cheer, today became cookie day. Yay!

These are chocolate chip pecan cookies and coconut macaroons. Elsewhere, there are mounds of oatmeal pecan cookies. I think I made way too many, to be honest. I tried giving some away, but no one who came by were interested. Weasels....

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 6

2010-12-19T18:53:00.000-06:00

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Six geese a laying

Early Christmas Present

2010-12-19T18:45:00.000-06:00

As an early Christmas present to you, my readers, I am sharing the directions to my vegetable seasoning spice. Now, I don't call this a season all, because I don't generally put this on any sort of meat. However, on pastas or vegetables, this seasoning mix is really delicious.

In fact, for most vegetables, add this and a dollop of butter, I can guarantee that they will be tasty. When I make corn, my niece always says that it is the best she has ever had. Lol!

The mix is quite easy to make, and I suspect most of you will have all of the spices on hand already.

Dr Mandragora's Vegetable Seasoning
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground mustard

I would package some for all of you myself, but you know, postage would just be ridiculous.

If anyone tries this, please please please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

2010-12-18T19:52:00.000-06:00

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Five gold rings

Fried Pies FTW!

2010-12-18T14:39:00.000-06:00

In an excess of holiday spirit, I decided to make some fried sweet potato pies this afternoon. The dough is flavored with anise and cardamom, and the sweet potato filling is a mixture of sweet potato, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla.

Yum!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 4

2010-12-17T19:42:00.000-06:00

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Four Calling Birds

Christmas Crackers

2010-12-16T20:04:00.000-06:00

On a bit of a lark, I purchased 12 authentic(?) English Christmas Crackers from Williams Sonoma. I've heard them mentioned on a couple of shows I watch on BBC America, and I remember there being a reference to them in one of the Harry Potter novels, but I've never actually seen one. So, when I remembered that Williams Sonoma carries them, I decided to use some of my remaining money to get some as a treat for my family.

To be honest, I don't even know what I am supposed to do with them. American "crackers" are lit with a fuse, but I'm fairly certain these are supposed to be pulled apart. According to the bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia, the original Christmas Crackers were made to "snap" and contained an almond. Yeah, I know, that sounds pretty sucky. There had best not be a stale and sour nut in these crackers, that's all I'm saying. Lord knows there is going to be enough "nuts" here at Christmas, if you know what I mean. In the Harry Potter story, their Christmas Crackers exploded with sparks and glitter and dropped a fun hat the characters then got to wear. Something tells me that I won't be getting a big Santa hat out of this particular batch.

Well, a rancid drupe, a flashy hat, or anything in between, the fun will be in experiencing something new. Besides, if Christmas Crackers are good enough for Gordon Ramsay's holiday celebration, they can't be all bad.

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 3

2010-12-16T19:33:00.000-06:00

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Three French Hens

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 2

2010-12-15T20:07:00.001-06:00

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Two turtledoves

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day 1

2010-12-14T19:54:00.001-06:00

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

A partridge in a pear tree

Graham Norton and Justin Bieber

2010-12-11T23:51:00.001-06:00

I just saw Justin Bieber on Graham Norton’s show. Now, before I start, let me just clarify that I do not hate Bieber; I am not a fan, but I am not on the Bieber hate squad either.

However, I have to say that he did not come off well on the show. First off, he came onstage with his pants sagging so badly that he was duck-walking to keep them from falling down. And when he sat, the crotch was midway down his thighs. I am sorry, but since when do Canadian white kids dress like street trash? Doesn't his mother travel with him? She really should say something about that. There are no parents that I know who let their kids sag like that in public. Well, no good parents, anyway.

Secondly, hearing him speak was so very very painful. I realize he is 16, but the 16 year olds I know can carry an intelligent conversation. I guess I just expected him to be, oh I don’t know, smarter? My experience is that musicians tend to be more creative, smarter, more well rounded than most. He seemed very shallow, uninformed, sort of a "if it doesn't have to do with me, I am not interested or informed about it". Ah well, I guess you don’t have to be smart to smile and flip your hair.

Finally, when Confessions in the Red Chair began, the first guest was a lady from Washington state. Bieber kept interrupting Graham with prattle and inane questions, like a child pestering his mom when she is talking on the phone. When the Biebs asked if the woman was transmitting from Washington, I just sighed. No, Justin, you are in England on an English talk show. Why would there be cameras in the US? Please don't "belieb" the smoke your people blow up your rear end; the world does not revolve around you, people were not lining up to talk to you, and not everyone at Graham's show was there to see you. I was embarrassed for him, to be honest.

He seems like a nice kid, but I just don't get his appeal. Omg.....unless it's because I am finally getting....GASP.......old?

Nah, that can't be it.........

<_<

>_>

Baby It's Cold Outside

2010-12-11T23:21:00.000-06:00

I have to preface this with a comment. I do not watch the show Glee on a regular basis, which means that I have never watched a full episode in my life. However, I love Christmas and anything, well...most things, associated with it. So, when I saw that Glee was having a Christmas show, I decided to tune in.

Out of the several Christmas songs they sang, their version of Baby It's Cold Outside was my favorite. Considering that I hate hate hate that song, that is definitely saying something. The fact that it was performed by two gay guys just made the performance that much more fun.

If you did not see the show, please take the time to see the performance in the video below. I don't think you will be sorry.

Lulu Assumes

2010-12-10T01:31:00.000-06:00

We had company over the other day and not enough beds to accommodate everyone, so a comfy pallet had to be put together. Lulu assumed that the comfy spot was set up just for her, the silly girl.

Josh Douche-hamel

2010-12-04T01:16:00.000-06:00

I don't usually blog about stuff going on in the entertainment world, but these sorts of behaviors from actors and their ilk really irritate me. The following story was copied from Yahoo's entertainment news.

*****

Josh Duhamel didn't get to fly the friendly skies on Thursday. The actor, 38, was kicked off a flight headed from NYC to Kentucky after refusing to turn off his BlackBerry before takeoff, TMZ reports.
A passenger on the flight said that Duhamel was "very rude" and "taunting" a male flight attendant's repeated requests to turn off his device.

Upon the attendant's third request, Duhamel reportedly laughed. At that point, the still-grounded plane left the runway and headed back to the gate -- further delaying the flight and reportedly angering other passengers.

Two officers later boarded the plane, and escorted the Transformers actor (and husband to singer Fergie) off the vessel.

A rep for the actor told TMZ that Duhamel was simply texting about his flight being delayed. "He's sorry," the rep added.

*****

Now, I realize that the job of Duhamel's rep is to cover the actor's ass, but still. Does he really think we are falling for that line of bullpoop?

Here's a news flash Duhamel. You aren't that great of an actor. The fact that you boink Fergie doesn't give you the right to thumb your nose at the rules. You aren't better then I am or entitled to privileges that the rest of the passengers on the plane couldn't have. Lastly, your childish behavior inconvenienced many people, hard working people, people with real jobs, because you thought you could do whatever you wanted to do.

I hope the airline you inconvenienced bars your spoiled ass from flying on their planes ever again. I hope you get charged with being a public nuisance. And I hope you realize what a jerk you were being. But I don't really expect any of those things to happen.

Question, Questions, and Their Answers

2010-11-26T22:05:00.001-06:00

Gather 'round, my dears, and hear the answers to your queries. Though I promise to answer honestly, the truth is something else all together.

What is a malted milk cake?
The best way I can describe it is thusly: a malted milk cake, or at least the one that I make, is very much like a white chiffon cake that has malted milk powder added in. Malted milk powder is the stuff that ice cream shops add in to milkshakes that transforms them into malts. It is also the brown crunchy stuff that is at the center of malted milkballs such as the candy known as Whoppers.

Since the cake is flavored with malt and is covered in a chocolate icing, it has a taste similar to the chocolate covered Whoppers.

By the by, the icing is made with 20oz of chocolate, 1 and 3/4 cups of heavy cream, 3 tb of corn syrup, and 1lb of softened butter. Mmmmm....

What is up with Chasing Jackalopes and Sine Logicum?
To be honest, I have no clue.

I first started blogging over a year ago to occupy my mind and (hopefully) get my mind off my court case. Since my new date is quickly approaching, I am having trouble focusing on much of anything. I thought posting handsome dudes on the Tumblr blog would be fun, but now I am not so sure. It's kind of losing its luster.

As for this blog, composing posts of any any length is a challenge to me. It's pretty much what has happened to me every time a significant date begins to approach. This time is slightly different in that I anticipate this one being the one. I don't see the court postponing me again. I mean, It's been 3 years now, far longer than cases are ever strung out.

So anyway, we'll see how things go.

30 Days of Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. My family and I gathered to eat and spend time together and argued/discussed what channel the television should be on. My niece and I always want to watch movies, but everyone else is more interested in the various football games.

But we never actually gave thanks.

Odd, don’t you think, that the day we set aside to give thanks for what we have, all we did was look at the Black Friday ads, fuss at each other, and eat. I think that is a bit of commentary on us all.

So, I have decided to write down and post things I am thankful for, 30 days worth of things, in fact.
It sounds like a simple exercise, but I am not sure I’ll actually be able to come up with 30 entries. This should be interesting. So, without further adieu, here is the first entry.

*****

I am grateful for quiche, quinoa, quesadillas, quarter pounders, Queer as Folk, the music of Queen, the antics of certain residents of Quohaug, quizzically queer quips that cause querulous questioners to quail, qualified qualms, quantised quandries, quatrains, quirky companions, comfy handcrafted quilts and my quadruped companion Miss Lulu

The Night Before...

2010-11-24T19:39:00.001-06:00

I just finished icing my homemade Malted Milk Cake with a chocolate buttercream. And considering that I no longer have an electric handmixer, making that damn buttercream by hand was a royal pain in the ass.

I had planned on making some hamburgers and fries for dinner, but "they" decided that "we" should make all of our Thanksgiving desserts tonight so that oven space won't be such an issue, as per every other year of my life. So, no hamburgers....crap. Hence, Malted Milk Cake and assorted pies.

Sadly, the pies are all frozen stuff from the store. I woud have made them from scatch, but I just haven't had a lot of energy lately. Which is also why this blog has suffered from a lack of posts.

My Tumblr blog, though, is moving along nicely. It features primarily, to borrow a Sethboyardee term, cuteboys. There are a handful of nature photos and wallpapers as well to flavor the place up a bit. I've had fun there with the exception of a couple of altercations I've had with two different people.

Oddly enough, both of them said the same thing, that I "stole" images from their blogs and placed them on mine. Now, as I've said before, I don't save many images so have to search for whatever I blog each day. I don't grab images from other Tumblr blogs but look other places. To be honest, even if I did take the images from other Tumblr blogs, why would they get mad? They took the images from other places themselves.

I was able to assuage the ego of one blogger. The other got into such a snit that he deleted his blog altogether. How silly is that?

Anyway, if you haven't checked it out yet, please feel free to do so. It's called Chasing Jackalopes. In fact, sign up for an account so you can comment. That would be fun. Well, for me at least. Lol!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, or at least to all of you who actually celebrate the holiday. To the rest of you, Happy Just-Another-Thursday!

The Return of the Pumpkin Muffins

2010-11-08T22:39:00.000-06:00

Jay from Jay in VA asked if I would put up the recipe for the pumpkin muffins I made the other day. Of course I said yes! The problem is that I tend to fiddle with recipes because that is my nature. I find that I don't like following people's directions, be it in the way I live my life, the rules I live by, of the way I make pumpkin muffins. This means I can't always recreate things precisely from batch to batch.


Yes, I made more muffins. Again. As if my belt isn't already on its last notch.

Love it or leave it, bitches. It's how I roll. (I don't know where that came from.)

Now, you should also know that I love making things from scratch; I just think food tastes better when made with real ingredients rather than with processed stuff. However, as I was looking around for a pumpkin muffin recipe, I stumbled across this one that uses a boxed cake. It looked interesting so tried it.

So, anyways, I will put up the original recipe I found on the internet and then I will tell you what I did.

Original Recipe
1 18.25oz packaged yellow cake mix
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove until smooth. Spoon equal measures of batter into the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

No matter what the cake mix requires in terms of eggs, oil, butter, or water, you don't put any of that in. All of the moisture comes from the pumpkin. Exactly..what the hell sense does that make? So, this is what I put in.

1 yellow cake mix
1 cap pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 cup water

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 cup pecan pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, pumpkin puree, egg, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and pecans until smooth. Spoon equal measures of batter into the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Please feel free to use the original recipe. It won't hurt my feelings.

Big Ass Cookies

2010-11-04T20:43:00.000-05:00

I have been watching Top Chef: Just Desserts and twice, Chef Eric Wolizkv from New York made these huge chocolate chip cookies. Both times, the judges thought his cookies were really good.

I scrounged around on the interwebz and found his recipe. Yay! Of course, me being me had to fiddle with his recipe because....well....just because. The original recipe is below as are my changes.


Mmmmmm!

Eric's Recipe

Ingredients:
    * 340 grams butter (3 sticks of butter)
    * 200 grams sugar (1 cup sugar)
    * 400 grams brown sugar (2 cups firmly packed)
    * 21 ounces flour (4 2/3 cups)
    * 1 tablespoon baking soda
    * 1 tablespoon salt (I used 1 1/2 teaspoons)
    * 2 eggs
    * 2 yolks
    * 21 ounces chocolate chips (or quality bar chocolate, chopped into chunks)
(I added in 1 tsp of vanilla)

Directions:
1. Melt butter, cool slightly.
2. Paddle sugars with melted butter.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients.
4. Add eggs slowly. (And vanilla, if used)
5. Add flour, mix, add chips.
6. Bake at 325 for 14min or until golden brown. (I baked them for 16 minutes)

© 2010 Eric Wolitzky - Bravo

Top Chef: Just Desserts

2010-11-03T23:36:00.001-05:00

All right..what...the...hell?

I watched last week's episode again tonight since it was rerun before the new one. Last week, the special guest judge, Nancy Silverton, looked very familiar to me, though I was pretty certain I had never seen her before. However, I just couldn't place her.

Until today.

Separated at birth? I think so.

A New Venture

2010-11-03T22:59:00.001-05:00

My Tumblr icon

I find that my posts here at Sine Logicum are growing flat. I no longer write stories since I can't seem to focus, and I am posting mostly photos.

So...............

I've decided to play around with a Tumblr account. Right now, it's half hot guys and half interesting (to me) photos I've collected from the internet.

You are certainly welcome to check it out.

Chasing Jackalopes

Oh, but I'm not abandoning Sine Logicum, by the way.

The Writing on the Wall

2010-11-03T19:23:00.000-05:00

I have always believed that everyone is important to someone in the world, perhaps many someones, and we may not even know it.

Dinner with the Doc: Tomato Basil Soup

2010-11-03T19:16:00.001-05:00

I roasted Roma tomatoes, an onion, and a head of garlic.

I blended the roasted stuff, and added in chicken stock, basil, and heavy cream.

Add a grilled cheese sandwich, and dinner was born!

Photos from Today

2010-10-31T19:07:00.000-05:00

Today was my nephew's birthday. He said he wanted to come over and spend the day with me. I asked him what he wanted to eat, and told him I'd make it for him. He said he wanted menudo. Since there were going to be many of us, I pulled out the medium sized pot. ;P

I swear I felt like a witch stirring this big-ass pot.

Lulu started fussing at the front door, so I assumed there was something in the yard that was bothering her. I looked out; there were a dozen buzzards clustered around the Arizona ash. I was only able to catch a few since I used the camera phone.

Once I looked more carefully, I saw a dead squirrel in the road. That was obviously what they were after. And I can tell you, they did not like me standing close to them.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T00:18:00.000-05:00

I am up to attending any parties if anyone is having one!

A Plate of Yum

2010-10-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally turned cool here in Mandragoraville, and I was inspired to do a bit of baking.

Behold! A plate of pumpkin muffins.

Mmmmmmm!

What the Fcuk is Wrong with Dancing with the Stars?

2010-10-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

On tonight's elimination show, my favorite contestant, Audrina Patridge, was voted off the show.

What?

And the dancing gorilla that is Bristol Palin is still competing? Come on. I cannot believe that people are voting for that Alaskan train wreck while people like Audrina and Jennifer Grey, both ladies that are dancing very well, were in the bottom two. No.


The Bumble dancing with Yukon Cornelius at an Alaskan sock hop

It is sort of like Wheel of Fortune. I have noticed that the wheel, while spinning, has different ways of stopping. There are times it slowly rolls to a stop, even bouncing back from a stopper because it loses momentum. Then there are times it comes to a jarring stop, looking very much like a brake has been applied. For that reason, I cannot believe that the producers don't influence where the wheel stops to help create closer games/more excitement.

In like fashion, I now think the producers of Dancing are doing something similar with the voting. There is no way Palin, who moves with the grace of the Bumble from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer fame, is outperforming Audrina.

Ah well. It is an entertainment program after all, not a election for Emperor of the World, so it really makes no difference. I was just taken with Audrina and am sad to see her go.

Rocky Horror

2010-10-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

I don't generally watch the television program Glee for more reasons than I care to list and you care to listen to. However, I did make plans to watch it this evening when I learned that they would be doing a version of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I happen to love Rocky Horror Picture Show.

In fact, I eve remember the first time I watched RHPS: I was a freshman in high school. My family owned 2 riding horses back then and we made friends with a family who stabled their horses at the same ranch we did. Their oldest son and I got along very well and he would invite me to the movies every Friday evening. One of those evenings, we went to the midnight showing of Rocky Horror. I had never heard of it, so was not prepared for what it was.

We walked in to a theater that had almost no seats left, it was so full. And there were people in costumes, for goodness sakes. Costumes! My first thought was that these people were freaks. As the movie began and people began to stand up and reenact scenes on the screen there in the aisles, I realized I was absolutely correct. Rolls of toilet paper flew through the air, water pistols were fired into the air during a rain storm, and the entire audience was supplying dialogue that was far more entertaining than what was on the screen.

There was a transvestite Frankenfurter in fishnet hose, Brad running around in his tighty whities, and a very sexy monster in tiny gold shorts.

In short, the 13 year old me thought the whole experience was AMAZING!

So, when I heard that Glee was doing Rocky Horror, I just had to peek in.

And I have to say, the show did a great job of putting a contemporary spin on the characters and the numbers. The blonde guy who they had as the monster in the tiny gold shorts was handsome, but there is no way he passes as a high schooler. Well actually, none of the main characters remotely look like they belong in high school, but I think that was a good thing. I would have felt like a perv checking out blondie in gold otherwise. Lol! And speaking of, I got the feeling that the blonde guy in the gold shorts was put on the show as eye candy because he kept showing off his very fit body in the majority of his scenes. Though I could be wrong.


John Stamos sans big hair and leather jacket

But the surprise for me was the cameo by John Stamos. The last I saw of him was in his days in the goofy show Full House. I recall him wearing tight pants, a leather jacket, and having big hair. And I really disliked him. I thought he was annoying, not good looking, and a terrible actor.

But tonight, I thought he did a great job as some red-haired teacher's boyfriend. He performed Eddie's (Meatloaf's) Hot Patootie number and sounded great. AND..he has gotten very handsome as he has gotten older. In a word, WOW!

Dinner With the Doc

2010-10-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

I would like to say that, in the interest of healthy eating, I ate a nice salad for dinner. But, that just isn't true. This salad, though quite nice, was accompanied by a huge slice (or two) of lasagna. And a Coke float.

I suppose it's a good thing I have an odd intestinal disorder that keeps me from absorbing all of the calories/nutrition from everything I eat, otherwise I'd weigh 200 pounds.

spinach salad with tomatoes and croutons.

The dressing was made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, onion,

Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper

I Have a Confession...

2010-10-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

I am totally in love with Audrina Patridge.

Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking. "But Doctor, I thought you were a card carrying gay dude?"No, dear reader, I have not switched teams. Well, not that I've ever actually played on either team, if you know what I mean.

Still, I've been watching Dancing with the Stars, more to make fun of the "stars" that can't dance than anything else, and since episode 1, I have been in love with Audrina. She has to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She is sweet, she is funny, and she is a great dancer. I don't think she gets the praise she deserves, though. The judges seem especially hard on Audrina while they handle Bristol Palin with kid gloves, even though she the grace of a dancing hippo. I swear, it's like watching Disney's Fantasia without the fun music in the background. I really don't understand why they do that.

In today's show, for example, Bristol fell apart in the dance, forgetting steps and just standing there while her partner danced around her. Yet, when she got to the judges' table, they all praised her "courage" and "growth". What? Even Len, who hates theatrics of any sort, "loved" the gorilla suit she wore. Sorry, Len, it is clear you all are afraid to speak out and criticize Bristol even though she is stinking up the place with her sad sad dancing. To be honest, though, I wouldn't want to be killed with a moose rifle either.

Anyway, here are some photos of the lovely Audrina.

Dinner with the Doc

2010-10-18T19:34:00.000-05:00

This was a bit more of a job than I had anticipated. I placed a brisket on a barbeque grill and smoked it for 4 hours. The meat was moist and delicious, but it was more toothsome than I like. So, it then went into the oven with extra seasoning, etc. for another 6 hours at 220 degrees. However, the darn thing is still too tough. So, it is back in the oven even as I write this. It has provided meat for two meals, though, and everyone said it was delicious. I'm just not happy with it.

**********

In other news, I just looked back at my last few posts and realized that I've been stinking the place up! No real writing, no emotion, just pictures. Pretty pictures, in my opinion, but nothing of substance. I think it's because I haven't been in the best of moods, lately, and do not want to air that here on the blog. We all journey into blogland to relax and have fun, I suspect, and I don't want to cast a pall in my corner of the realm. I need to find a way to dispel the Aura of Negativity that has been cast on my kingdom, though.

Photographer Captures Lightning Strike

2010-10-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

photos taken and copyrighted by Jay Fine

A Little Humor

2010-10-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

That's gonna leave a mark.

This is why I don't forward emails.

Umm..no comment.

A Conundrum

2010-10-13T01:50:00.000-05:00

A baby girl is mysteriously dropped off at an orphanage in Cleveland in 1945. "Jane" grows up lonely and dejected, not knowing who her parents are, until one day in 1963, she is strangely attracted to a drifter. She falls in love with him, but just when things are looking up for Jane, a series of disasters strikes. First, she becomes pregnant by the drifter, who then disappears. Second, during the complicated delivery, the doctors discover that Jane has both sets of sex organs and, to save her life, they convert "her" into a "him". Finally, a mysterious stranger kidnaps the baby from the delivery room.

Reeling from these disasters, rejected by society, and scorned by fate, he becomes a drunkard and a drifter. Not only has "Jane" lost her parents and her lover, but he has lost his only child as well.Years later, in 1970, he stumbles into a lonely bar called Pop's Place, and spills out his pathetic story to an elderly bartender. The sympathetic bartender offers the drifter the chance to get revenge on the stranger who left her pregnant and abandoned on the condition that he join the Time Traveler Corps. Both of them enter a time machine and the bartender drops the drifter off in 1963. The drifter is strangely attracted to a young orphan girl who becomes pregnant.

The bartender then goes forward 9 months, kidnaps the baby girl from the hospital, and drops the baby off in an orphanage back in 1945. Then the bartender drops off the thoroughly confused drifter in 1985 to enlist in the Time Traveler Corps. The drifter eventually gets his life together and becomes a highly respected and elderly member of the Time Traveler Corps. He then has his most difficult mission. He disguises himself as a bartender and plans a date with destiny: meeting a certain drifter at Pop's Place in 1970.

Daymare

2010-10-11T22:39:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned, but I have a host of sleeping issues brought on, I suspect, by worry and stress. I have extreme difficulty falling asleep. I wake up a dozen times over the night. My lack of sleep means I am tired during the day, but I don't dare nap. Any sleeping during the day leads to terrible dreams that leave my heart pounding and me gasping for air as I wake up.

Unfortunately, as I was reading this afternoon and trying to finish my book (which is taking me an unusually long time to finish), I fell asleep.

Now, I would have expected the usual terrible dreams, which I will not detail here on the blog, but they didn't come. Instead, it was a weird mishmash of images and story that were my most recently in my head. I find that specifics of the dream are becoming foggy, but I thought I'd relate what I remember anyway.

*************

I was outside a building that remarkably resembled a Spanish-styled museum that I've visited several times in real life. I was standing in the courtyard and looking around at the many archways that framed the doorways leading inside. There was a large tree in the center of the yard and concrete pathways laid around the perimeter. I was dressed in an odd ensemble of a black suit, an opera cloak, and a walking stick.

The next thing I remember, I am walking through a narrow corridor. To either side of me are small rooms that appear to be shops. Some are selling prepared foods, others are selling books, and the one that catches my eye is a music shop. Strewn around the corridor are strings of colorful paper cutouts that flapped in the air conditioned air.

I walk into the music shop and begin to browse at the various instruments that are on display. In another corner of the store, I spy a small of group of people gathered around looking at someone playing a harpsichord, though it could have been a small piano.

Suddenly, there is a commotion in the hallway and people begin yelling and running past the shop. Dangerous and destructive djinn are rampaging through the building, killing people at random. One of them enters the music shop and looks around, spotting the group of people in the corner. It begins to move towards them and I realize that almost everyone in the group are teenagers. I take something out of my pocket and fire it at the djinn, causing it to dematerialize.

An older man dressed in pants, a white shirt, and a vest runs up to me and tells me I need to protect one of the teens and get him out of the building. He reaches behind him and yanks a smiling teen towards me. I recognize him as (and nobody laugh!!) that kid singer, Justin Bieber. (I know, I know, what the Hell? I blame the article I had just read about Bieber having a new line of fingernail polish
coming out soon.)

There is another scene shift and I find myself crawling through small tunnels that riddle the walls in the building I am in. Following along behind me is someone that I am supposed to be protecting, but it is now someone I don't recognize. The tunnels open up into the courtyard with the large tree. There are other people sheltering there, though I don't see how an open courtyard offers any protection whatsoever.

At this point, the dream breaks down, but I do remember being attacked by unpleasant looking djinn, using some sort of power/ability to defend myself and the guy who is still with me.

*************

I woke up rather confused and rattled, though not because the last images were horrific and terrible, as they usually are, but because my coming awake was very sudden. It was like being splashed with cold water.

Edit:

I just read through my description of the dream and realize I did a really poor job of capturing it; I think I waited too long to write it up. I seriously considered deleting the whole thing, but meh...

Funniest Beer Commercial EVER!

2010-10-09T01:56:00.001-05:00

Chris Brown In the News

2010-10-07T23:54:00.000-05:00

I saw this article today and thought I'd share.

***************

Chris Brown bears no grudge against Usher after plans for a joint tour fell apart over the summer and still hopes to "work something out" for the future.

Record producer Bryan Michael Cox, who created hits for both stars, made a premature announcement in August when he took to the internet and claimed the pair was teaming up for a new trek.

The Kiss Kiss hitmaker fueled the rumors by asking fans' opinions about a possible double tour on his Twitter blog, only for Usher's management to shoot down the reports, insisting, "There are no plans for Usher and Brown to tour together."

Brown has now told of his disappointment about the cancellation in an interview with New York's Hot 97 radio station, but he is adamant there was no fall out between the singers.

He tells DJ Angie Martinez, "We kinda had different views on the tour - no beef. We both have two different promoters, so whoever would get the tour would have to work it out and I think they didn't see eye-to-eye.

"I think we rushed into it. We were in love with the idea more than the actual (business part of it). We couldn't get ready for it. Hopefully in the future, we might work something out."

However, Brown was quick to add that he didn't consider Usher a "friend" - because he quickly learned who he could depend on in the aftermath of his assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna in February 2009.

He says, "I'm cordial and that's with everybody. I don't have friends in this industry. I have my circle and I have my people who've been with me through the bad times and the good times. Everybody else is just wallpaper."

********************

It appears that Chris Brown learned a life lesson during the fallout of the circus surrounding the Rhianna incident. The people that you can count as a friend are few and far between. Most of the people who surround us are merely acquaintances, not friends. Should a problem arise in your life, the majority of them will scatter like roaches in the light. And like roaches, they take what they can from you while the getting is good, and bail once it isn't. The few who stick with you are to be treasured forever.

Old Films

2010-10-02T23:32:00.000-05:00

I don't generally watch a lot of television. I think it's because I can't sit in one place for more than a little while before I get antsy; call it adult ADHD.

Today, however, I watched a couple of old(er) films that I clearly remember watching at the theater when I was just a kid. The first was Max Dugan Returns with Jason Robards, Marsha Mason, and a very young Matthew Broderick. Written by Neil Simon, it has humor, sarcastic lines, and a great story. And it sticks in my mind because of a very sexy Matthew Broderick in the typical 80's tight pants. The movie came out in 1983 which puts me at 15 years old, and I am sure you don't need me to say that the handsome teen Matthew totally made the film for me. Ha!

Later in the evening, I watched the original Clash of the Titans with Harry Hamlin and Burgess Meredith. And though I love Burgess, especially as The Penguin and as the landlord in the hilarious Foul Play, it was seriously sexy Harry Hamlin that I recall being mesmerized by when I saw it at the theater. Clash of the Titans came out in 1981 which puts me at 13, so a nearly nude pretty man like Harry was sure to overload my senses.

Below are some captures of Harry Hamlin from Clash of the Titans that I found online. Sadly, I couldn't find any captures of Matthew Broderick from Max Dugan returns, though I suppose it's for the best. Putting up photos of teens and calling them sexy is a sure way to get a nasty label, and in my tenuous position, I don't need that.

October First

2010-10-02T00:08:00.000-05:00

Today is October 1st and I was overcome with e sense of Fall. In this wacky household, that means it is time to decorate for the season. Yay!

We broke out some Halloween stuff and placed it tastefully around the house.

This is a corner in the kitchen. The door to the right leads to the pantry.

The silly little witch is sitting on top of a gas radiator in the hallway. It used to be our sole source of heat in the winter, but now doesn't work. I had to crop off her feet because the grill was rather dusty and I didn't want everyone to see what a terrible housekeeper I am. Lol!

This is a table in the living room. The lamp is always there with different decorations around it.

Reality Therapy Thursday

2010-09-30T17:44:00.003-05:00

I like how, in contemporary culture, everyone is told that they are great. Schools no longer hold competitions because someone is going to get their feelings hurt. No longer are ribbons passed out for first, second, and third places in Field Day events; rather, everyone gets a Participation ribbon. Why, you may ask? Because everyone is a winner!

Here's a news flash for those people who don't want to hurt others' feelings: not everyone is a winner. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and more often than not, the guy who won this time is going to be the guy who wins over and over again. And do you know why? Because he is better than you.

Yes, that is right, there are people with more skill, more intelligence, more speed, and more friends than you. When I was a child and my school had Field Day, I held no delusions that I would win anything. I was the one never picked for teams because I sucked (and still suck) at sports. I didn't whine over that fact. In fact, I tended to play under the trees in the sand by myself when the other boys were playing football, baseball, etc. in teams. That didn't bother me any. There were boys who were stronger and faster than me, and I could not compete. I knew my strengths and athleticism was not one.

I also happened to be the one who could read at a high school level when I was still in third grade. So, when it came time for group work, everyone wanted to be in my group. I was the popular one then, and I was ok with that. And if I was given the chance to choose who would work with me, who do you think I chose? If you guessed the other kids who weren't chosen for teams or who weren't the popular ones, then you are clearly living in a dream world. I chose the popular kids, the cute guys who were good at sports, and my best friend. Come on, people, that's life.

Society today wants everyone to feel valued at everything and all the time, and so we get no one identified as a winner in Field Day events, or spelling bees, or art contests. It's not that no one won, it's that everyone won! Ribbons for everybody! Yay!

And so we have a society that thinks they are entitled to everything. Why did he get his requested days off when I didn't? Why did she get the promotion, I am just as good a worker as she is! I never get the breaks, it must be because the man is keeping me down.

No.

The bottom line: some people have more skill than you. Some people are smarter than you. Some people are valued more than you. Some people are just more likable than you. Suck it up and stop whining.

If at first you don't succeed, then try again. And if you keep not succeeding....get used to it. That just may be your style.

The Cowboy and the Sheep

2010-09-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

A cowboy walks into his bedroom carrying a sheep in his arms and says, "Honey, this is the cow I make love to when you have a headache."

The wife, laying in bed reading a book looks up and says, "If you weren't such an idiot, you'd know that was a sheep, not a cow."

The cowboy replies, "And if you weren't such a bitch, you'd realize I was talking to the sheep."

The Writing on the Wall: Conformity

2010-09-22T00:35:00.000-05:00

Hand Dancing?

2010-09-18T19:55:00.001-05:00

Have any of you seen this video? It features two people...um...hand dancing...I guess. Since when has this been a fad? It's different and very cool, to be honest, but still, quite odd.

The song is fun, though.

The Writing on the Wall: Get A Job!

2010-09-18T18:53:00.001-05:00

Engaging in philosophical games and plays on words are fine,

but sometimes the world needs a bit of "reality therapy."

Dinner With The Doc

2010-09-16T22:19:00.000-05:00

Spicy Roast Beast

Grean Beans with bacon and carmelized onion

Carrots glazed with butter and brown sugar

Freshly Baked Biscuits

And yes, I prepared way too much food and will be eating this

for tomorrow's lunch and possibly dinner.

Though I may chop everything into small chunks and make a soup.

The Writing on the Wall

2010-09-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't been posting these daily as I had meant to. There didn't seem to be a great interest in them and, to be honest, I was growing bored with them. I may post one every now and again. Or I may not. We'll just have to see.

Journey Quest

2010-09-15T22:06:00.000-05:00

Speaking of gaming, I was sent a DVD in the mail recently by an old high school buddy. The DVD is a low budget film titled The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. It follows the lives of a group of role players trying to complete a Dungeons and Dragons module. For anyone familiar with role playing games, this film is extremely funny.

It has the harried DM (Dungeon Master) trying to tell a story while the players whine and make nuisances of themselves. It has a player who argues and contests every DM decision as being against the set rules (we call this type of player a Rules Monger). It has the newbie gamer who wants to do well but is hesitant to do anything. It has the player who is just there for a good time and so casts spells, kills NPCs (non player characters) and in general goofs around whenever he becomes bored with the DM's story.

From what I have discovered since, this film and another titled The Gamers, by the same writer/director are often shown at SciFi and gaming conventions around the United States.

Well, I was on the main website today (www.the-gamers.com) and I saw that the same writers and producers have been working on a new project. It is another fantasy themed story, only this time done as webisodes, and it premiers on September 28th! Yay!

If you are into this sort of thing, I've included the preview below to Journey Quest.

Munchkins is Here!

2010-09-15T21:49:00.002-05:00

Well, my card game Munchkins finally arrived in the mail. Yay!
I've opened the box and looked through the cards and rules sheet both, and I must say that the game looks like a ton of fun. The game promo describes it as a dungeons and dragons role playing game without the role playing, and that is exactly what it is.

You play a human adventurer who kicks down doors, kills monsters, collects treasure, and potentially raise/lose levels until the person who reaches level 10 first becomes the winner. Along the way you can become a specific character class (wizard, warrior, thief, cleric) and/or race (halfling, elf, dwarf) , get hit with curses and, in general, have a great time. There is no role playing as all of your game and personal interactions are done through the drawing and using of the cards drawn from the decks.

I can't wait to get people over so I can give the game a whirl.


Some of the Door and Treasure cards

If anyone has ever done any role playing, you will see some nods to D&D, like the Magic Missile spell, but in general, the cards are just meant to be funny and witty. Take a look at the Maul Rat. Clearly a take on the suburbian Mall Rat, hence the blond hair and casual attire, but in this case, the rat is carrying a maul. A Maul Rat dressed as a Mall Rat. That's funny, as is the Broad Sword, wieldable only by women, hee hee!

There are several expansions (read more cards) available out there. Hopefully I'll be able to get one or two soon.

If You Don't Know Where You Came From...

2010-09-13T22:40:00.000-05:00

...You Can't know Where You Are Going

First off, let me post a disclaimer. Ive had an entire bottle of ~~cheap~~ wine already, so this post may make no sense.

A couple of days ago, my evil older sister emailed my mom to let her know she had visited my mom's cousin and scanned some family photos. My sister managed to find some photos that none of us were aware even existed. These photos are in the possession of my great aunt Mary, who will be turning 94 this year. My great aunt has had senior dementia for the last decade or so and has no idea who any of us are at this point, including her own children. Anyway, why my vulture of a sister went over is unknown to me, and I can only guess at her reasons, she did find many interesting photos. I thought I'd share one with the readers of my blog.

This photo shows my great grandfather and great grandmother and their five children. My grandmother is the second from the right and was 18 years old when the picture was shot. Today she is 89 years old, just to give you some perspective.

Out of everyone in the photo, only my grandmother and my Aunt Mary (second from the left) are left alive, and as I said, my great Aunt Mary has no idea what is going on anymore. So really, only my grandmother is still aware and active.

My great grandmother, in the front row, was half Hispaniola (her dad was from Spain) and half Cherokee Indian. My grandmother has always joked that my temper comes from her, since the Cherokee were some of the most vicious Indians ever. I am generally very calm and diplomatic, but when my temper flares, it is very ugly to watch, and I am never really sure what I am going to do.

For some reason, this picture has stirred within me some very powerful emotions. Thinking about what they all accomplished with limited schooling and limited money makes me feel small and very much a failure, especially in light of my current legal difficulties and, let's be honest, ignominy. Still, I hope to be able to shrug all of the problems off soon and resume my life. And perhaps I can still make them proud.

A Collection of Collages

2010-09-11T12:13:00.001-05:00

In honor of nothing in particular, I have decided to make a photo post. I don't do them very often but today just feels like a picture day.

I Owe You Nothing

2010-09-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking. Just how much do we owe society? Our community? Our family? To what extent are we allowed/expected to follow our own path and dreams, and how much are we anchored to the world around us?

I follow several personal blogs, as opposed to picture blogs, and over the last few days I've noticed several bloggers reporting struggles and disagreements with their respective family. Without going into specifics about each blogger, the overall theme seems to be that their (our) families have expectations of us and make demands upon us, pressures which oftentimes goes counter to the desires of the blogger. Needless to say, this dynamic puts pressure upon everyone involved, with the results being anger or stress or fear or disappointment. In one blogger's case, his family is treating him like a leper over his homosexuality, a situation which I find ridiculous and reprehensible. In fact, I was so rattled when I read his account, my instinct was to rush in and do what I could to help; that would be impossible, of course, but it took me a day and a half to let that particular feeling go. ( I have a powerful sense of protectiveness over people I like. I'm not sure where I got that from; certainly not from my self-centered family.)

I have always believed that we are responsible to ourselves. We should follow our own destiny, make our own happiness, and not worry about pleasing other people. In fact, for those of you who have been around for a while, do you recall my mentioning my friend who says she receives messages from God? (Of course, two years later, I now realize she is insane and probably bipolar. But I digress.) One of the messages she received on my behalf said that we are responsible for our own happiness only; we could be concerned for others, but their happiness is not our responsibility.

So then, what does that mean to a family who, for example, has one child, and that child grows up and is gay. The family suddenly begins to put pressure on that child. "What about grandchildren?" they ask. "Are you going to deny us the joy of watching your own children grow up?" Or better yet, "Who is going to continue the family name?" they ask. Legitimate questions, yes?

If we believe that we owe something to our parents and society, then it seems we should buckle under and say, "You are right. I am being selfish in not doing what everyone expects of me." If, however, you believe that you are not responsible for other people's happiness, but should find yours, the answer is far different. Instead, the fact that they want grandkids or they want someone to "carry on" isn't our responsibility. This is not to suggest that kids and such are counter to happiness. Many gay couples adopt, for example. I am simply saying that a person's decision to take a wife or have kids should be done if it makes them happy, not their family.

Besides, I think when a parent starts saying those things, it is an attack of sorts. Instead of yelling at their child for "choosing" to be gay, they decide to go at them through guilt instead. And that is all those sort of remarks are designed to do: make you feel guilty.
It becomes a "what about me" thing. But I want grandkids. You owe me. But who will carry on the family name? You owe me. You are making your mother cry. You owe me.

Well guess what? I don't believe we owe them anything. None of us chose to be attracted to our own gender, and we certainly aren't attracted to guys in order to rob our parents of something they think they are entitled to.

I have to do what is important to me and attain that which makes me happy. Our families and society at large can follow us along and be happy for us. Or, they can be miserable and embarrassed because their son likes guys' asses. That choice is completely theirs. They can choose to be happy or not.

I've already made my choice, and I hope you do as well. Hang in there, guys. This too shall pass and you will be stronger for the experience.

Herding Cats

2010-09-10T00:45:00.001-05:00

I was poking around, as per usual in the evening, and I found this video clip. An IKEA in the UK decided to run an experiment whereby they released 100 cats into their store just to see what would happen. How nuts is that?

The clip is under 5 minutes long, but even so, if you start to get antsy, hang in there. The last segment is the best.

The Writing on the Wall: In Retrospect

2010-09-09T00:13:00.000-05:00

Do You Want to Play a Game?

2010-09-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

Back when I was in high school, I used to play various RPGs (Role Playing Games). I was a member of two different Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, a Champions campaign (where I was a superhero named Darkowl), and a GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System) Cthulhu campaign, and I loved them all. I would also play various board games such as Risk, Battleship, checkers, chess, and pretty much anything that people would ask me to play. I love games.

Perhaps my favorite type of game, though, are card games. For some reason, I love holding a deck of cards, a hand of cards, whatever. Back in the day, I was stuck with the old favorites like Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Uno, etc. But recently, a new type of card games have risen; I am referring to the CCG, or collectible card games. These are games where players purchase and create their own personalized deck of cards and then play against other people. I was heavily into the original CCG called Magic: The Gathering.

The game is too complex to describe in just a couple of sentences, so I will only say that the premise of the card game is that each player is a Planeswalker with various magics at his command (the cards). Taking turns, each player plays his cards in a specific sequence seeking to overpower his opponent by attacking with monsters or spells. In addition, each player needs to build a defense to protect himself from his opponents attacks. It is a ton of fun.

Actual Munchkin cards. Many Bothans died to get us this information.

Well, I have discovered a new card game out there that I really want to try. It is not a CCG, in that each player does not need their own deck, but rather it is a self contained game, meaning multiple people can play using the one game deck. It is called Munchkins.

This game appears to be a Dungeons and Dragons type card game, but where in D&D, you role play a character, decide your own actions, gather treasure, etc., in Munchkins, the draw of the cards dictates what you are, if you are attacked by a monster, what treasures you find, etc. In fact, here is how the company itself describes the game: Munchkin is a stand-alone card game designed by Steve Jackson that "simulates" well, sorta' a fantasy-themed RPG oh, ok, D n D in a simple, card-based game that's chock full o' silliness. Everyone begins the game as a 1st level human with no class heh-heh and via cards, they acquire Races Elf, Dwarf, etc., classes thief, Wizard, Cleric, etc., Items, armor, potions and more that they use to combat hideous monsters like the 4th level Undead Horse, the 10th level net troll and the 14th level unspeakably awful, indescribable horror very nasty, indeed. The object of the game is to reach Level 10 and levels are acquired via the slaying of monsters and the selling of acquired treasure 1,000 gold pieces equals one level. Very silly and a lot of fun.

In effect, it is a role playing card game without the role playing. I think it sounds great. So, who's up for a game?

The Writing on the Wall: Shades of Stuart Smally

2010-09-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

On the Road to Recovery

2010-09-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Lulu on the mend!

Well, for all my fretting and fussing, Lulu is definitely on the mend. Though she is not back to her old self, naturally, she is eating and moving about really well.

*****

I have to admit that I am surprised that no one commented on the Google video below. I thought it was very well done and quite funny/creepy. Hmph. Apparently this blog is read by people sans humor. Who knew?

They Put the Ogle in Google

2010-09-04T15:52:00.002-05:00

Unless you have beem living under a rock recently, I am sure you have heard about all the privacy concerns that have been raised lately due to Google's penchant for collecting all sorts of data about your computer use.

Well, a watch dog group is asking all of us to write to our congressmen and ask them to establish a "Do not track me" list, much like the national "Do not call me list" set up for telemarketers. To help make their point, the group released this rather ~~funny~~ creepy video.

Lulu is Home

2010-09-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

Well, my little girl is home, but I am not happy.

Her whole right under belly is swollen and inflamed. There is blood seeping out, leaving little droplets on the floor. The vet saw that and said it was just "seepage" and it would be ok. All right, what? I've been through two major surgeries for liver tumors, and neither time were my incision points dripping blood the next day. How the frak is that normal? He gave us pain meds, antibiotic meds, and an iron supplement. He pointed out that her gums are very pale, meaning that she is anemic, hence the iron supplement. We are supposed to take her back in if they don't redden up by tomorrow.

I don't know. I think I would have preferred she stay there again so they could keep a trained eye on her, but I am sure she is happier to be back in familiar surroundings. She isn't walking right and is stumbling about. It is very difficult to watch, especially since I am used to seeing her bopping about and full of energy.

I am sorry now that I sent her off to the vet. And let me just say, that if something happens to her and she sickens and dies, I am plastering that man's face, name, and address here for all to see.

EDIT: Ok, seriously concerned. Lulu was sleeping in her bed and got up a couple of hours ago as if to walk around. She was still stumbling about a bit when suddenly, she just collapsed on the floor. It was as if her legs just gave out on her. Her front legs were extended in front of her, but her back legs were twisted to the side. She struggled to get up briefly, but her front feet just scrabbled on the floor. I swear my heart was about to stop.

I picked her up carefully and put her back in her bed. She didn't even try to shift into a comfortable position. She just laid there looking at me, her breathing seeming very fast to me. I don't know. She got up again and made her way to another of her beds just now, but still looks out of it.

Heads will roll if anything happens to my girl....

The Writing on the Wall: Enjoy the Ride

2010-09-02T10:42:00.000-05:00

Update: Lulu and Assorted Babblings

2010-09-01T20:17:00.000-05:00

Napping on the couch as per usual.

I called the hospital at 5:30 PM to see if I could pick up my little dog and was told that the vet wanted to keep her there overnight. Apparently the surgery was a bit more involved than he anticipated and amounted to what was, essentially, a mastectomy. The cuts were deep and he wants to keep her under observation.

I was sort of worried before, but now I am extremely concerned. I got to bring her home quickly last time and that surgery was spaying AND removal of tumors. This was just supposed to be tumor removal and she needs to be kept under observation? I am feeling like I've abandoned her to strangers, and I am not convinced that whatever qualifies as nurses at an animal hospital will keep a close watch on her.

Well, not much to be done, I suppose.

*****

I am supposed to be working on an assignment for my therapist. It involves imagining a conversation between me and someone else where I explain my reasoning for certain actions. It's an empathy thing. And it's kicking my rear end. I've put off doing it for three weeks, but my appointment is tomorrow and it has to get done. Call me Ishmael the Procrastinator.

It's not that I can't empathize with others; I just don't want to. ;^)

The Writing on the Wall: Such is Life

2010-09-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

Lulu

2010-09-01T11:23:00.001-05:00

Well, my little dog is back at the dog and cat hospital.

Lulu in the living room!

I took her there a few months back due to a large growth on her belly. I was informed that she had breast tumors on both sides of her body. There was the large one I had noticed and then several smaller ones I had not. The vet took out the tumors on one side and also spayed her, hoping the removal of the hormones produced by her female organs would halt the growth of the remaining ones. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

I've noticed one of the remaining tumors growing larger the last couple of weeks, and yesterday, it looked like it was bleeding. I figured waiting any more would be pointless and so, she is at the hospital now.

The vet said she should be ready to be picked up about 5:00 pm this afternoon. I just hope this is the last of the surgeries for her. She is eleven and a half years old; I worry the stress is too much for her.

The Writing on the Wall: Only The Shadow Knows...

2010-08-31T12:17:00.000-05:00

Ribbit ribbit!

2010-08-30T19:58:00.001-05:00

I feel so bad!

I was an accomplice in the death of an innocent garden frog. Sigh...

WTH? Another flippin' frog trying to sneak in!

Let me explain. It was about 10:30 this morning and I was catching up on blogs and such when I heard my mom scream from her bedroom. I went to see what had happened, and she shouted at me that there was a frog in her bedroom. Now, this was strange in 2 ways. One is that my parents live next to an open field, so field mice, baby garden snakes (about an inch long) and bugs are frequent intruders. Frogs, however, are not. The second way this was strange is that in the 48 years they have lived here, this is only the second time a frog has made its way inside. The first time occurred...get this...yesterday! That's right, 2 frogs in 2 days. Or perhaps it was the same frog both times? I'm not sure.

With the first frog invasion, I was able to catch it and release it outside to go about his froggy business. Today, however, the frog was much livelier and managed to hide under a bookshelf. I had already been trying to herd him somewhere else and was getting frustrated, so I grabbed 2 glue traps (we keep them on hand because of the dang field mice) and placed them by the bookshelf. I figured if he wasn't going to come quietly, I'd just have to play rough.

By the time I washed my hands and sat down in the living room, I was already regretting my decision to use the glue traps. After all, once a critter is stuck in the glue, you can't get it off of the trap. To do so would probably rip off its little legs or something. So, I decided to pick the traps up off of the floor and resume my watch. I returned to my mom's bedroom and what so I see? The little frog struggling to free himself off of the glue! It was horrible. He struggled and struggled, but he only sank deeper into the glue. Then I saw him try to get purchase by pushing with its body, but then its head became stuck as well. Oh my God....

It was bad. And I felt/still feel completely guilty.

Poor froggy. :-(

The Writing on the Wall: Eyes Open

2010-08-30T11:17:00.001-05:00

A Quick Aside

2010-08-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

I am watching the Emmy's and enjoying a glass of wine. Which wine, you may be wondering? Only the best for the Doc; a box of Franzia. LOL!

I may be woefully behind the times, but I just discovered the crazy phenomenon of wine in a box! You know that's quality.

5 liters of wine for $9.99. You know that's good stuff!

The Writing on the Wall

2010-08-29T18:13:00.000-05:00

*****

You know, I have been tempted to give my spiel on these images, but have decided against that. I think there is a personal message for each of us in them. Who am I to tell you what your message is?

Bits and Bobs

2010-08-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday at Glenn Beck's moderate and apolitical speech he gave in front of the Lincoln Memorial. With such "illustrious" guests as Sarah Palin on the list, I assumed this would be another rabble rousing affair with the illiterate redneck population holding their misspelled signs and whittling new teeth out of wood.

Apropos of nothing; I just liked this image.

However, I was wrong.

I am not going to give you a Reader's Digest version of everything he said, but rather, I will say that what I took away from the event is that Beck wants us all to return to the times when people loved the country. And I can see where he is coming from. In today's world, it isn't politically correct to love our country. Rather, as the world bashes the United States for its foreign policy, for its failure to give more aid to struggling countries, for the wars we are embroiled in, ad naseum, we the citizens bash it as well. There is no trust towards our government either. We see plots and intrigue in everything that goes on around us. Look at the people blaming the attack on the World Trade Center on President Bush and the CIA, as an example. His main focus, though, was on the US as a whole returning to a place where we act with honor, where we treat others with respect, and where our actions are done in accordance with Christian morality.

I will not comment on the practicality of his words or whether or not I agree with him. All I am saying is that he surprised me.

*****

On another note, I woke up today with my heart pounding a mile a minute. I am extremely anxious today and can't seem to settle down. I have a very small amount of medication left for anxiety attacks; I've been hoarding it since I have no refills on the prescription, but I think I may take a tablet anyway.