Ooooh

Posted on August 5, 2003 by Frog

I got the eastmountainsouth CD in the mail yesterday. No wonder I couldn’t find it through my normal routes…it is all one word and lower case. The CD is great and the harmony is nearly perfection. I’m a fiend for liner notes and I always hold out this hope of actually knowing someone in the notes. In reading the liner notes I found out that the one of the leads is from good old VA. So, I heard the song “You Dance” on satellite beamed from somewhere over Texas (at least I think that’s where our satellite is), got on the web, found a seller from CA on ebay, bought the CD and found out the female lead is from 3 hours away in a town I’ve been to dozens of times for work. It is a small world after all.

Here’s another little tidbit for anyone who doesn’t already know this….when a funeral procession is letting out onto the streets to go to the cemetery, it is customary to wait your turn patiently and let the dead and the grieving go about their business. Whatever hurry you think you are in can wait.

Our office building is next door to a sizeable funeral home and yesterday as I was leaving the hearse was pulling out. A full blown moron pulled into the other lane to go around….fool. Guess what happened—a huge SUV came down the road on his rightful side of the road and the fool had to back up into a parking space on the side of the road. Then he had to sit and wait for the rest of the traffic to clear out. Serves him right. I hate stupid and rude people.

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Oh Yeah–Monday

Posted on August 4, 2003 by Frog

Friday afternoon we had a thunderstorm—I know can you believe it? The thunderstorm knocked out power at the office for a second but long enough to stop the AC unit. Did I mention that it is August in Virginia? Did building management do anything about it? Is the AC on yet? Did I mention that thing about August and Virginia? Building management is a joke. So, here I sit in front of a fan getting chapped lips and trying to work. Everyone on the floor has their doors open and fans blowing. Gee, hope no one is trying to entertain clients or is hosting an important meeting.

Lest I forget, the building is being painted and the painters painted over a leaf on the window sill. I have the leaf on my desk as proof–white paint on one side and green leaf on the other. Did I mention they painted the window shut? Looozhers.

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Not that you care

Posted on August 2, 2003 by Frog

Last night the better-half touched my right elbow, which he has been trying to avoid since the accident, and I could feel the scab rip. Yes, this is going to be a gross entry.

Anyway, I was ecstatic and ran into the bathroom…he was slightly mortified. Another part of the scab was gently removed. Pink skin underneath! This morning when I was pulling on my shirt the last little bit of scab fell off to the floor. Whoohoo, now I just have a very pink looking spot on the elbow and I no longer have to worry about whether or not I’m banging into things, as is my wont.

We’re headed to Home Depot today to look for a transformer for the kitchen under cabinet lights. It blew about a week ago during a storm. If we can’t find a new transformer then we’re buying new lights. I am beyond missing having light on the counter-top. Did I mention I hate my kitchen? Because of this hatred, when one little thing is missing that makes it less loathsome it really gets into my craw.

Speaking of kitchen hate, a few weeks ago I was sitting on the porch and I heard a loud crash. I refused to get up because I was quite comfortable and I figured the better-half was in the house and he could take care of whatever was crashing. A few minutes later he came out to the porch carrying a cabinet door in two large pieces. The cabinet door under the sink doesn’t close very well (the problem most of our cabinets have) and he shut it and it popped open so he kicked it. The thing shattered. So now it is braced to the hilt on the inside and doesn’t close worth a darn. We have to firmly push it closed so the magnets grab hold. I was thrilled that he broke the cabinet and not me. I have a habit of going off on things like that so it was pure elation that he did it and not me.

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Edit Much?

Posted on July 31, 2003 by Frog

I read Salon.com at least 3 or 4 times a week. We actually paid for and are the happy owners of a charter membership for Premium content. So, I hate to riff on them….but I can’t let this go without ragging on them.

This image is not faked….

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Uncomfortable

Posted on July 31, 2003 by Frog

I’ve been trying to figure out how to best write this entry for days now and I’m still not sure if I’ve gotten it right or not. My entry is about the whole fervor over gays and whether or not they should be allowed to get married.

I think they should. Why not let everyone have the benefit of sharing in either a wonderful union or a freakin’ nightmare?

What disturbs me is the possibility that Congress and W. may make a change to the constitution that outlaws gay marriage or at least “defines” what a marriage should be. If that is allowed to happen, then where does the definition stop? I don’t have any children and I’m married. Am I falling out of bounds of what marriage is? Joining forces and raising kids? If that is part of the definition of marriage then what will the better-half and I do? Break the law? Break up? Get “grandfathered”–like I was in Georgetown in the late 1980s?

I don’t think the gay marriage thing will be solved this year or the next because let’s face it there are still so many states out there that ban sex…well they might as well ban sex since it bans certain acts between consenting adults no matter what gender the adults are in relation to each other. That’s right–don’t do anything other than the missionary position in the state of VA if you are a man and woman and, gasp, married. VA, as a whole, doesn’t protect discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1997 we enacted a bill to ban same-sex marriage. And, sadly, VA’s hate crime laws don’t include sexual orientation. Hello 1800! Where’s my hoop dress?

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Sounds the Same-Hey, wait it is!

Posted on July 31, 2003 by Frog

I’ve been listening to Bela Fleck’s Perpetual Motion CD (which is an excellent combination of superior banjo playing and classical music–that may sound weird, but it isn’t–check it out). I’ve noticed this before but that was before I had a blog…did you know that “God Save the King” is the same as “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”? Yes, it is and in fact that tune is used by lots of countries for their anthems. No one seems to know exactly where the tune came from but, of course, we know Samuel Francis Smith wrote the words for “My Country…”

It is interesting that Beethoven, Paganini, Donizetti and others have all used a variation on the tune. If you want to know more, just type in God Save the King and browse the web. Lots of interesting items on it are out there.

My friend A once mentioned that “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and the “Alphabet Song” have the same tune. I wonder how many other well known songs share the same tune.

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Trees Make Good Neighbors

Posted on July 30, 2003 by Frog

Reason #856 why we live in a house that if you squint during 3 seasons you can’t really tell we have neighbors.

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Krack Kills

Posted on July 29, 2003 by Frog

Krack kills–doesn’t anyone remember that? Smoking the krack pipe is the only explanation I have for this idea.

My eyes have rolled so far back into my head I may never see straight ahead again.

Note: added 1/21/04–I changed the spelling because I was sick of the sp*m.

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WHOOO HOOOO

Posted on July 29, 2003 by Frog

I won the auction on ebay for the East Mountain South CD. Granted, there was only one other bidder and that other bidder only bid once. But, daggone it, what a thrill.

Now I’m plotting how I can become the queen of ebay and sell all my stuff and retire to a warm tropical locale with cabana boys at my beck and call.

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Things I am digging right now

Posted on July 29, 2003 by Frog

Here’s a short list of things I dig right now (at this very second)…
A. Last night I was flipping channels (that Indigo Girls song “Cold Beer and Remote Control” calls to me) and came across the show “Your Private Island” on the Fine Living channel. Ordinarily I may watch 5 minutes of the show because it screams pretension. In fact that whole channel does. Anyhow, I was intrigued because Tresco Island was featured. Who knew there were palm trees in the UK? We visited the UK a couple of years ago and I’d love to go back. So, should I win the lottery that I don’t play, this is where I’ll be going.

B. Also, today I made my first bid on ebay. How fabulous. I have 4 hours to go on the auction and I’m the only bidder. I think I’ll get it. Last night I heard an amazing song on Music Choice and I couldn’t find the CD anywhere else. Here’s hoping I’m the only one who wants that CD…East Mountain South is the name of the band.

C. My new car…a blue Honda Accord. Love that car.

D. This time next month we’ll be on vacation at the beach…can hardly wait.

E. This one is work related but I’ve been trying to learn how to use Quark and the book I had assumed that you actually have some skill in Quark. Yesterday I got a Visual Quickstart Guide book to Quark and it rocks. I actually got a bunch of stuff done yesterday instead of getting pissed off because I can’t figure out how to work software.

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