Today was a good and productive day. If you know me, you'd understand:
Obsessively watched episodes of Gilmore Girls season 1 from bed.
Got up at 10 to pick up my long unused wallet from where I had left it on Tuesday
Drove around a lot
Sang lots of Dixie Chicks and Bon Jovi
Found lots of rich lavender-scented hand cream at L'Occitane (outlet!! I love Williamsburg!)
Finally bought a much wanted big...sharp...Henkels...knife
Gazed at the sparkly iced over trees
Bought 4 new CDs (Jimmy Eat World, Sublime, U2, and Gwen Stefani)
Updated and uploaded days worth of music onto iPod (and not even halfway through my CDs)
Purchased gaudy, shiny, ethnic cabinet with many tiny drawers which actually used to organize bathroom
Obtained and will soon enjoy squishy mattress pad to enhance already mama-bearish bed
Figured out a song on the piano
Played a little SIMs and did not set my SIMs husband on fire (woo-hoo!)
Saw angsty-Achilles Brad Pitt butt
Ate dinner of buttery popcorn and diet coke
Boogied to "September" by Earth Wind and Fire
And, did not do any work at all. Life is good.
1.21.2005
Here's what I think of your "expanding freedom"!!
Ah, inauguration day. The speechwriters for the imminent Bush-Lite have done a good job this time. Too bad it doesn't seem to work well in reality.
Enough about that, it's too easy to tear apart. What really concerned me was the actual and possiblevalue of the crazy celebrations in "our time of crisis and sacrifice":
$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting
security costs.
$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by
D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.
200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops
in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on
the inauguration.
$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which
includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls
Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete
with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.
22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who
could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the
amount of money spent on the inauguration.
1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in
Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.
$15,000: The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee
who didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.
2,500: Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush
takes his oath of office.
26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and
Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.
Ah, inauguration day. The speechwriters for the imminent Bush-Lite have done a good job this time. Too bad it doesn't seem to work well in reality.
For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical – and then there came a day of fire.Did he forget about that little Gulf War that his dad (and America) was involved in?
From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave.From our founding, only rich white males had rights and everyone else's value was chump change. The second line just appalls me if Republicans really think they are upholding this ideal.
Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.This doesn't work well in application. Germany chose to follow the Nazis. China and Korea chose to follow their dictators. Didn't seem to work out. And, the soul of the nation, their own voice...who chooses that soul, that voice? A majority of the people in the nation, the oppressed, the minority government, or the extremists? Basically, if we get rid of all those against us, it seems we've chosen for them.
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.Who's helping in Africa? Oh, yeah I forgot they're not oppressed (aka economically helpful to us).
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them.Trust? Our government seems to have a long history of control also--limitations on gay marriage, birth control, abortion, etc. You can't let people be morally wrong!
I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself – and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.Ah-ha! A solution to our overworked and underpaid military, get in teenagers to fill in your ranks. They're stupid and willing, and totally expendable! But wait, what about the real problem? That killing others is evil--yet, you too can be a soldier!
When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner “Freedom Now” – they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.Funny how the President has to quote from French history to validate our wars.
Enough about that, it's too easy to tear apart. What really concerned me was the actual and possiblevalue of the crazy celebrations in "our time of crisis and sacrifice":
$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting
security costs.
$20,000: Cost of yellow roses purchased for inaugural festivities by
D.C.'s Ritz Carlton.
200: Number of Humvees outfitted with top-of-the-line armor for troops
in Iraq that could have been purchased with the amount of money blown on
the inauguration.
$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which
includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls
Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete
with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.
22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who
could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the
amount of money spent on the inauguration.
1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in
Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.
$15,000: The down payment to rent a fur coat paid by one gala attendee
who didn't want the hassle of schlepping her own through the airport.
2,500: Number of U.S. troops used to stand guard as President Bush
takes his oath of office.
26,000: Number of Kevlar vests for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and
Afghanistan that could be purchased for $40 million.
1.18.2005
Wallet.
House keys.
ID.
Money.
Food.
Clothing.
You'd think these things were important--important enough not to walk away from them, drive hours away, walk up to your front door, and then think, Oh shit. Yet, time after time, I leave such objects behind when I'm visiting someone or on the road. Someday, I'll just walk out, without any shoes or coat, without a purse, get into some random car driving to Las Vegas, arrive at the Bellagio, and think, Oh shit, where's my cell phone? And my...oh SHIT. Where the hell am I?
So, tonight, I went over to Heathen's for some scrapbooking madness (I know, shut up. At least it's not Tupperware.) I bring food, belated Christmas presents. I leave with food and Christmas presents. BUT no purse, checkbook, credit cards, ID, no filled out order form with the amount I owe, no address of the person I owe the money to, and no viable brain cells whatsoever. Exactly when does Alzheimer's kick in?
House keys.
ID.
Money.
Food.
Clothing.
You'd think these things were important--important enough not to walk away from them, drive hours away, walk up to your front door, and then think, Oh shit. Yet, time after time, I leave such objects behind when I'm visiting someone or on the road. Someday, I'll just walk out, without any shoes or coat, without a purse, get into some random car driving to Las Vegas, arrive at the Bellagio, and think, Oh shit, where's my cell phone? And my...oh SHIT. Where the hell am I?
So, tonight, I went over to Heathen's for some scrapbooking madness (I know, shut up. At least it's not Tupperware.) I bring food, belated Christmas presents. I leave with food and Christmas presents. BUT no purse, checkbook, credit cards, ID, no filled out order form with the amount I owe, no address of the person I owe the money to, and no viable brain cells whatsoever. Exactly when does Alzheimer's kick in?
1.13.2005
Usually, the new year brings me feelings of happiness and a renewed hope for the upcoming year. So far this year I've been really overwhelmed and depressed. I was blaming it on personal issues--work, family, etc. But no, now that I've thought about it, it's not me, it's the fucking world. I've realized that all the information that I've been bombarded with adds up to "My God we're setting ourselves up to die."
For example, I've been putting together a briefing for my director at work that sums up all the expenditures on the what the military calls the Global War on Terrorism (ha!)--mostly Operation Noble Eagle (keep the crazies out of our country), Operation Enduring Freedom (keep those Afghani crazies down), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (hey, those oil fields are mine!), with some money hidden away for our next attacks on another country that starts with an "I" and ends in an "n"(but you didn't hear that from me). Anywho, here's the breakdown:
- Just last year, we've spent a total of $71 billion (that's with nine zeros) on the Global War on Terrorism
- Also, our federal deficit is now over $4 trillion (that's twelve zeros), which is a major shift from 2000 when we had a surplus of $1 trillion. There goes that Republican theory that a war leads to an economic boom. Something I never understood anyways.
What does all this mean? We're shit out of luck if we want to remain economically viable, hell, the Euro is double the value of the US dollar. Not to mention that we're already diplomatic pariahs. Fucking Dub and his fucking followers.
Here's a more comprehensive article on why Bush is the Tony "fuck the future" Manero of this century. It all makes me want to cry.
For example, I've been putting together a briefing for my director at work that sums up all the expenditures on the what the military calls the Global War on Terrorism (ha!)--mostly Operation Noble Eagle (keep the crazies out of our country), Operation Enduring Freedom (keep those Afghani crazies down), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (hey, those oil fields are mine!), with some money hidden away for our next attacks on another country that starts with an "I" and ends in an "n"(but you didn't hear that from me). Anywho, here's the breakdown:
- Just last year, we've spent a total of $71 billion (that's with nine zeros) on the Global War on Terrorism
- $3 billion on homeland security, $10 billion on Afghanistan,
and $57 billion on Iraq
- this $71 billion is in addition to the $462 billion spent on "peacetime functions"
- the grand total for last year--> $533,000,000,000 spent on our defense, about half our overall federal budget and the highest military spending across foreign countries by about $468 billion. But I guess if everyone is out to get you, you have to spend more.
- Also, our federal deficit is now over $4 trillion (that's twelve zeros), which is a major shift from 2000 when we had a surplus of $1 trillion. There goes that Republican theory that a war leads to an economic boom. Something I never understood anyways.
- half of the $4 trillion deficit is from tax cuts, a third from our
struggling economy, and a fourth from federal spending increases
What does all this mean? We're shit out of luck if we want to remain economically viable, hell, the Euro is double the value of the US dollar. Not to mention that we're already diplomatic pariahs. Fucking Dub and his fucking followers.
Here's a more comprehensive article on why Bush is the Tony "fuck the future" Manero of this century. It all makes me want to cry.
1.12.2005
I promised it, so here it is:
Lost and Found in Bavaria
“Hello, this is Lufthansa Lost & Found at Munich International Airport…we’ve found your sister. We understand the inconvenience that the delay has caused you, but we will promptly deliver her to your house. If you do not receive your sister in the next couple of days, please feel free to call our service desk. Happy Holidays and thank you for using Lufthansa.”
GAO has taught me many things to about how to make travel less painful—limit your baggage, carry no metal on your person, buffer in lots of time between connecting flights, have your tickets/ID/passport always at hand, and above all, be flexible, patient and pleasant. In my recent holiday travels to visit my sister stationed in Germany, these lessons came in handy, but they couldn’t prevent me from arriving 20 hours late after 9 hours in the air and endless hours wandering the airports.
This horrific trip began on an icy Monday morning. The Norfolk field office had closed due to the weather conditions. I should have known better, yet I was still hopeful that my flights would be only slightly delayed. I arrived at the airport the suggested 3 hours early for international travel—my small amount of baggage was checked, and I had seats for all connecting flights from Norfolk to Boston, to London, then finally to Frankfurt, Germany, with hours in between these connections. I was prepared to sit and wait.
Seven hours later, many announcements on flight delays to Boston, and walking laps between various gates, I was reassigned on a different airline to fly into JFK airport in New York so that I could catch my connecting flight to London. That is, if I was lucky and ran from my arriving gate to an unknown departing gate in the span of 10 minutes.
The flight from Norfolk to New York was deceptively pleasant so I was well prepared for the mad dash and hopeful that I could catch my flight given the other delays from JFK. I walked into the terminal and entered a zoo. People and luggage everywhere parked on any space of the floor. I picked out a narrow, winding trail and promptly ran through as fast as I could without knocking people aside. The passageway opened up into an area as large as Central Station, roaring with people pushing, yelling, and jumping over counters. I had walked into a riot. I dodged flying luggage, fists, and NYPD officers and ran to my gate as best I could. Luckily the plane was still in the gate and I was airborne for London soon after. But wait, there’s more!
The flight to London was probably the worst plane ride I have ever been on. It was so turbulent that the flight attendants remained strapped in throughout the 6 hour flight. That meant, no food or drink service, which in the end didn’t matter as everyone was sick to their stomachs.
After the marathon of retching, we safely arrived in foggy London, only 4 hours late. However, that still meant we had missed any connecting flights and the lines to find new flights were not moving. I found out that all flights to Germany were delayed, overbooked, or cancelled, and being a trained analyst, I quizzed them of various other routes to get to my destination—Luxembourg, Hamburg, Brussels, Paris, anything. The best they could give me was standby to Munich on a different airline, if I waited another 6 hours. My pleasant outlook was starting to fade, but I accepted my fate and waited. I also avoided thinking about my very late arrival to a city 8 hours away from my original destination, with no hotel or train reservations, and thought I could handle it when I got there.
My flight to Munich was uneventful, except for getting a glass of Coke spilled into my lap right at the beginning of the flight. Sticky and tired, I arrived in Munich near midnight and immediately went to baggage claim. I watched that track circle round and round until it stopped and then my predicament really dawned on me. No bags, no train tickets, hours late, soda covered, and not able to speak any German. Crushed, I went to report my lost luggage to Lufthansa, expecting very little help at this point. Instead, the angel of mercy behind the counter assessed my situation in one look, sat me down, booked me overnight train tickets to Frankfurt, and gave me a lollipop.
In the end, my trip was wonderful; I loved visiting Germany, but if I could prevent it, never again will this happen to me. New lessons learned: Stay home, don’t travel on the holidays. If you must travel, carry-on bag only, ship everything else, direct flight, bring ear plugs, and wear soda-repelling pants.
Lost and Found in Bavaria
“Hello, this is Lufthansa Lost & Found at Munich International Airport…we’ve found your sister. We understand the inconvenience that the delay has caused you, but we will promptly deliver her to your house. If you do not receive your sister in the next couple of days, please feel free to call our service desk. Happy Holidays and thank you for using Lufthansa.”
GAO has taught me many things to about how to make travel less painful—limit your baggage, carry no metal on your person, buffer in lots of time between connecting flights, have your tickets/ID/passport always at hand, and above all, be flexible, patient and pleasant. In my recent holiday travels to visit my sister stationed in Germany, these lessons came in handy, but they couldn’t prevent me from arriving 20 hours late after 9 hours in the air and endless hours wandering the airports.
This horrific trip began on an icy Monday morning. The Norfolk field office had closed due to the weather conditions. I should have known better, yet I was still hopeful that my flights would be only slightly delayed. I arrived at the airport the suggested 3 hours early for international travel—my small amount of baggage was checked, and I had seats for all connecting flights from Norfolk to Boston, to London, then finally to Frankfurt, Germany, with hours in between these connections. I was prepared to sit and wait.
Seven hours later, many announcements on flight delays to Boston, and walking laps between various gates, I was reassigned on a different airline to fly into JFK airport in New York so that I could catch my connecting flight to London. That is, if I was lucky and ran from my arriving gate to an unknown departing gate in the span of 10 minutes.
The flight from Norfolk to New York was deceptively pleasant so I was well prepared for the mad dash and hopeful that I could catch my flight given the other delays from JFK. I walked into the terminal and entered a zoo. People and luggage everywhere parked on any space of the floor. I picked out a narrow, winding trail and promptly ran through as fast as I could without knocking people aside. The passageway opened up into an area as large as Central Station, roaring with people pushing, yelling, and jumping over counters. I had walked into a riot. I dodged flying luggage, fists, and NYPD officers and ran to my gate as best I could. Luckily the plane was still in the gate and I was airborne for London soon after. But wait, there’s more!
The flight to London was probably the worst plane ride I have ever been on. It was so turbulent that the flight attendants remained strapped in throughout the 6 hour flight. That meant, no food or drink service, which in the end didn’t matter as everyone was sick to their stomachs.
After the marathon of retching, we safely arrived in foggy London, only 4 hours late. However, that still meant we had missed any connecting flights and the lines to find new flights were not moving. I found out that all flights to Germany were delayed, overbooked, or cancelled, and being a trained analyst, I quizzed them of various other routes to get to my destination—Luxembourg, Hamburg, Brussels, Paris, anything. The best they could give me was standby to Munich on a different airline, if I waited another 6 hours. My pleasant outlook was starting to fade, but I accepted my fate and waited. I also avoided thinking about my very late arrival to a city 8 hours away from my original destination, with no hotel or train reservations, and thought I could handle it when I got there.
My flight to Munich was uneventful, except for getting a glass of Coke spilled into my lap right at the beginning of the flight. Sticky and tired, I arrived in Munich near midnight and immediately went to baggage claim. I watched that track circle round and round until it stopped and then my predicament really dawned on me. No bags, no train tickets, hours late, soda covered, and not able to speak any German. Crushed, I went to report my lost luggage to Lufthansa, expecting very little help at this point. Instead, the angel of mercy behind the counter assessed my situation in one look, sat me down, booked me overnight train tickets to Frankfurt, and gave me a lollipop.
In the end, my trip was wonderful; I loved visiting Germany, but if I could prevent it, never again will this happen to me. New lessons learned: Stay home, don’t travel on the holidays. If you must travel, carry-on bag only, ship everything else, direct flight, bring ear plugs, and wear soda-repelling pants.
1.04.2005
BTW, in a depressed state due to many intertwined events: end of cheerful holidays, end of restful holiday break and beginning of anxiety, horrific travel conditions, inability to reach zen state over travel conditions, imminent engagement of younger sister, being given advice by younger sister on finding "the real one," gloomy weather, strong urge to cut overly long hair, death and destruction throughout the known world, etc. How do I cope? Why silly oogling of unrealistically handsome celebrities of course! I haven't had this reaction since Antonio first arrived. And the most recent one is not gay (not that Antonio is). Well, I don't think he is....I hope he isn't...they didn't mention a wife or girlfriend...dang.
Anywho, I proudly present, my newest gasp, oooh guy--Gerard Butler.
*gasp* oooooh! Definitely the first Phantom that wins the "Love the way he fits his pants" Award.
Anywho, I proudly present, my newest gasp, oooh guy--Gerard Butler.
*gasp* oooooh! Definitely the first Phantom that wins the "Love the way he fits his pants" Award.
