Absolute hell

For those who have lost family or friends in the great tsunami in Asia, my deepest sympathies to you.

At this time, there is nothing that I can to do to help, other than make a donation to a relief organization, such as www.redcross.org , which I have done.

I encourage others to do so as well.

Hug your family and take a moment to appreciate how quickly ones life can be turned upside down.

More holiday snafus

Another Christmas day gone by and I am left with a rumbling stomach. You see, I wanted to start a new tradition this year, since we weren't going to any big family dinners. I figured we could go out for Chinese food. This way, we would not be tempted by leftovers for the next week nor would we feel obligated to eat leftovers for the next week. Besides, the traditional beef or lamb roast does not appeal to me freshly cooked, nevermind as leftovers.

I did not take into account that Chinese restaurants in my part of town might actually be closed. Everywhere else we've lived, we could always count on them to be open on Christmas day, along with the local movie theatewr. We did get to see "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events", but when we came out of the theater we noticed no cars in the lot of the Chinese food restaurant next door. So, after driving by 4 seperate restaurants, we came to the sad conclussion that dinner was not to be. Instead, we visited friends that informed us jokingly that "hear in the South, our Chinese are good Christians". It does seem to be so. Or it could be that since many of our Chinese restaurants are actually staffed by Mexicans, there may not have been anyone willing to work.

So, as my son chanted "your dreams are gone, your dreams are ruined" (which I thought rather unsettling), we headed back to our house for a less than inviting dinner of hard-boiled eggs and toast. Mmmm-mmm good. Hey, Mary and Joseph didn't have it easy either.

Walgreens - my new favorite store

It is the night before Christmas and all through the house, I am scurrying and searching for those gifts hidden months ago.

I found most of them, but had a bit of a scare when I realized that I had nothing for the stockings. For some this may seem trivial; but for us, stockings can be more fun than present opening. Those empty stockiong looked extra long too. I think someone has been hanging himself on them while they've been hung by our fireplace.

Off I went to my local CVS drugstore, only to find it closed. But what light yonder breaks, but the red flashing sign of the Walgreens up the street. Dashing through the snow (flurries) I arrive to find them not only open but actually stocked with all that I need; from candy to socks, to elctronic gadgets that will end up in my junk drawer before the end of the year. They are open untill midnight so I still have an hour in case I forgot anything else. I think I'm good - I just found the present I had hidden next to my laptop, so with it wrapped I should be done.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

Baby it's cold outside

Here in Texas we are actually getting some cold weather for a change. This actually helps put me in the mood for the holidays since I am originally from the New England region.

I have a tough time getting into the "spirit" of Christmas, since it just seems like an over commercialized holiday to me. When I lived in Italy, I enjoyed it much more. There was more of a focus on the religous aspect of the holiday, without the hurried commotion of shopping, shopping, shopping for a gift for a cousin you only see once a year. I remember strolling the plaza, enjoying the sights, and just relaxing in the glow of the nativity star (it was about 50 feet long, they do go for some tackiness).

This year is especially tough for me since I will be away from my extended family during the holidays for the first time in 6 years. I do enjoy spending time with them; appreciating how my family can lift my spirits, even when they might not be on my good side. I would skip celebrating altogether if it weren't for my son. The wonder of the season captivates him, and the joy on his face Christmas morning is priceless.

In case you were wondering, Santa does not spoil him. In fact, my son leaves presents for Santa, so that he (Santa) can take them to other boys and girls who are not as lucky as he is. All on his own one day, my six year came up with this idea. I could not not support his generous spirit.

To all of you, I hope the magic of the season captures you and brings you joy and happiness.

You Bastard

Something has been troubling me for a long time, and I'm hoping you, my loyal readers, can help me understand. Let me preface this by saying I have grown up in a family of Italian Catholics. I love them dearly, and have nothing against them.

As you may or may not know, a Catholic is not allowed to divorce per se, but the marriage is allowed to be annulled. In fact this is neccessary if you wish to remarry in the church. My question is: Are the children of that annulled marriage now considered bastards by the church? After all, the original marriage has been made nonexistent.

I would love to hear your answers.

I'm not in a bad mood so stop asking

Have you ever noticed that you can be minding your own business, just thinking of what you are going to have for dinner, when a co-worker, relative or loved one comes up to you and asks "Why are you in such a bad mood?" Your reply is "I'm not in a bad mood" and of course, "No, I can tell you are. What is wrong?" soon follows. By this time you are getting a little peeved, but still deny the bad mood. Of course friends never seem to drop this topic until they do put you in a cranky mood, to which they reply "I don't understand, everytime I see you, you are always upset".
My response now - "I'm in a bad mood because I like the view". It makes no sense, but they stop asking that stupid question.

Stupid blogger

So, I’m thinking of selling ad space on my site. I’m rather curious as to what I could earn. Of course, I would have to post more frequently, with more scintillating topics. Just think, I could earn residuals like people in commercials that run once a year every holiday season. I'd love to get a check in the mail for doing absolutely nothing.
This is assuming that I could post at all, which I having quite a bit of difficulty with as of late. This stupid blog site takes forever to load when it does load at all. Yes, I so enjoy reading the “HTTP 500 Internal Server” error message. That just makes my day. Especially since those are usually the days when my creative juices are really flowing. Stupid blogger.

A nip in the air

Ahh, here in my part of Texas we finally have some cool weather. Temperatures are in the mid 50's, so it is time to pull out those sweaters. Well, if you are a native Texan, you'll pull out your hat and gloves, at least that is what I've observed so far.

I was wondering when this cold weather would come. I've been here in TX for less than a year after coming from up north, and I was getting a little tired of the warm weather. One can only enjoy 80 degree weather for so long. I need season change. Yes, I know if I was up north right now I would be saying "#@$^*#@ weather, I wish it were that warm here"; but it does get tiresome. You should not be able to go swimming in an outdoor pool and be comfortable on Thanksgiving (which for you non-Americans, is Nov. 25 this year). There should be snow, or at least a hint of it. If nothing else, all the trees should be bare of their leaves. Here, the flowers are still blooming. It's just not natural.

The Day After

It's a gray, bitter day here in the midlands. It goes with my mood. I've got a bad feeling about these election results. I hope this vile feeling in the pit of my stomach is not a premonition but just a result of too late a night with too much Halloween candy thrown in the mix.

We needed a decisive win for either candidate, not a repeat of 2000. Maybe I should go hide in an underground bomb shelter for the next 4 years. Will someone come knock on my door in 2008? It should be safe to come out then.

The countdown starts

I just got back from voting and I am just giddy with joy over it. It may be a bit strange, but I approach voting with the same excitement others have for a fun day at the carnival. While at the polling area I had to refrain from breaking out into a song and jig. I love voting. The power that we the people have is amazing.

There was a woman in front of me, a late 20's hispanic, casting her vote for the first time. She is the voter that Kerry and Bush have been chasing (sorry Bush, she voted for Kerry). The "get out and vote" campaign is working. Our polls were full, and people were waiting patiently. Everyone wants to be able to say, "yes, I voted, it counted, I made a difference."

Yay democracy!

If you have problems at any of your polling places, call 1-866-myvote1

Vote or Die

Tomorrow is election day here in the states. Sadly, a turnout of 50% of registered voters is considered a "successful" election. Too many people do not value their right to vote.

I have voted in every election that I could, not just presidential elections. Even when I was overseas, I sent in my absentee ballot. It is too precious a gift to just throw away.

I've actually been involved in politics since I was in my pre-teens. You see, my mother was a local politician (or trying to become one), and insisted that we beome part of the process. I have stuffed envelopes, gone door to door for signatures, and passed out many a flyer in the pursuit of democracy.

I've also worked at the polls, and was even put in charge of maintaining the security of the votes cast. Sadly, I received absolutely no training as to how I was supposed to do this and may have cost the election for some individuals. There were the questions from the other poll workers that I could never answer - such as do we let this person vote; it looks like s/he is registered for the other party, but who could really tell? I always just let them vote, why hold it against the person if s/he voted republican last time. I didn't have the poll open on time, causing individuals to leave before they cast their votes, and when I closed the polls I think that I may have misread or even erased some of the booth tallys.

I say this to bring to light how easy it is to disrupt an election's results, unintentionally or intentionally. Although I truly value our democratic system, I do wonder about its efficiency.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Now what do I have to live for?

Although I don't know if I should actually be posting this, since the game is not over, but "way to go Red Sox!" It looks like they are going to win the World Series. If they do, what do we, the fans, do? Part of the allure of the Sox is their never-ending talent of turning the tide against themselves. Every good fan knows you can count on them to blow it, they always do. Of course, I am breaking every rule of the Sox fan by saying they are going to win this early in the game. As a clarification, until the final out is scored in the final inning, be it the ninth or the fifteenth, it is always to early.

Shhh...don't tell anyone, but I actually feel optimistic. I can't help it.

Don't worry, if they lose you can blame me and my jinx. We'll see how it goes - it's the bottom of the fifth.

Take me out to the ball game

The penant series is heating up and I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. As a native Rhode Islander, I grew up watching the Red Sox. Even though they continously failed, I still believed that they would go to the World Series and blow it in the 7th. The curse of the Bambino is alive- ask Bill Buckner; that is, if you can find him. I think he went into witness protection after his famous world series blunder.

I have been watching their series against the NY Yankees through my fingers (my eyes have been covered the entire time). The Sox play the same, tired or rested, but the Yanks need their sleep and they haven't been able to get it.

Now the rock - I live in Texas now and the Astros are about to go to their first World Series. I would like this team to win too. The fans around here are so energetic. They have "Go Astros" days in school. I know that NY doesn't, nor does MA; at least not whileI lived there during playoff times.

So who do I support? Well, I figure if either one makes it to the World Series, I'll route for them. If both go, I think I'll just have to turn the tube off and get a book from the library.

Sex,sex, sex

I just wanted to up the number of hits to my blog.

Stupid people shouldn't breathe

A person I hold near and dear to my heart asked me "Why do you blog, you don't even like people?" This is true, I do hate people. That is why my chosen profession is archaeology - I only have to deal with dead things. The other choices; if I hadn't gone into archaeology, would have been forensic medicine or county coroner. When I was a child of about 8, I used to wear a pin which said "stupid people shouldn't breathe" (either you get it or you should hold your breathe until I say stop).

Of course, when people first meet me and I tell them "I hate people, I'm not nice and I never claimed to be". I don't try to mislead anyone about the type of person I am. They laugh and say things like "you're so funny" or "you don't mean that". Often times they will bring up my past occupations as evidence that I do like people. One they like to bring up is when I was an EMT on an ambulance. "You have to care about people, look at all the lives you've saved." Not true. I enjoyed being an EMT because those people were suffering, they had a reason to be whiny self-serving idiots. They needed me and knew it. Plus, I didn't look at the patients as people, I looked at them as medical cases. Therefore, they weren't human beings in my eyes. I had a patient come up to me days after an incident to thank me for all my help, and I hade no clue who she was. Why? Because the last time I saw her she was unconscious and naked on a shower stall floor. When she was dressed, she went back to being an annoying oxygen stealing person. I got joy out of the job, but that was from my skills as a medical professional not as a caring individual.

Yes, I come off as a hardhearted bitch, but I'm not going to change. Who needs friends anyway? ;)

I didn't say stop yet.

You asked for it

My search for suggestions has yielded one, although its source is from a paronoid delusional man (his test results, not mine). Seriously, he suggested I mention some of my favorite blogs (yes, that is how I am interpreting the comment).

Although I am lax in updating my blog, there are several which I do frequently visit to get my daily laugh or to just stay informed.

One of my favorites is www.bookofjoe.com . This man updates his site every few hours, so that us compulsive types have something new to read when we don't feel like doing any work. His topics are varied - from medical news to odd facts to modernistic furniture.

A rather nice blog is one that was started for the Olympics but has been continued since then. The main character is a stuffed robin named Robin. There is also Kit who will be marrying in Greece next year and promises to take us along for the ride. Check it out and you'll see what I'm talking about - it is www.Athens2004blog.blogspot.com

There is www.cutto.blogspot.com although he has become rather immersed into the policital scene, he usually has a few insightful ideas. You can also write him in as your candidate on Nov. 2.

Finally there is www.kevinlehane.blogspot.com , a suffering scriptwriter waiting for his big break. You must take him with a grain of salt, but when you are miserable you can be sure that his life sucks more (archenemy The Producer). I can't wait until he has a true success story, we'll be able to use his blog for blackmail.

It's a short list, and I visit most of the sites several times a day, which is why I get none of my work done. You ask and I'll answer.

When the words won't come

It is quite embarassing to check out my favorite blogs and then look back at mine only to see that it has been 2 weeks since my last blog. It isn't a question of topics to discuss, more of motivation to discuss them.

I, like many Americans, have watched the presidential and vice-presidential debates with more interest than I ever thought possible to muster. Perhaps I care more this year since the topics of debate contain several about which I feel strongly. Stem cell research is a necessity for future medicinal developments. In this country alone, there are many resources for those stem cells. In vitro clinics often destroy unwanted embryos, want not use them for science.

I could go on, but the motivation is not there. Simply put, with whom am I discussing these great ideas? If those of you out there want me to discuss anything in particular, let me know.

Going postal

As I mentioned before, there was a time when I worked for the U.S.P.S. This post office was located on an army base in Europe. Besides civilians, military personnel also worked there, which made it all the more fun when something had to get done.
If you never worked in a military environment, you may not realize that the average GI wants nothing more in his day than to do as little as possible. I'm not saying our service men and women do not do a good job defending us, what I'm saying is they want to get away from the day to day crap that has to be used a filler while they are waiting to go do their actual MOS.
While I worked there, I was able to truly appreciate how many ways there are to waste a human beings time. I witnessed one gung ho lietenant assigning mailbox cleaning duties. These were the mailboxes we used to sort mail, the public never touched them. They had to be washed out and made sparkling so that we might dirty them again when the evenings mail came.
I had the luck of being in charge of claims. First, let me explain to you how mail is shipped. You bring your package to the counter and have the postal person stamp it "fragile", with the assurance that it will be treated with care. You might even see it being placed gently in a large bin. What you don't see is the 70lb box that is set on top of it before it is rolled into the back. Let's say it survives that. It gets tossed into a nylon bag along with any other box that is going to that zip code zone. It doesn't matter if it is heavy or light. If it fits in the bag, it's going. That bag is tied up tight and then loaded on to a cart with other bags just like it. Now, it is an overseas PO like the one I worked at, the soldiers load an 18 wheeler with these bags. Think for a moment, what is the quickest way to get those bags in the truck? You guessed it, throwing! We used to have contests to see who could throw it the furthest.
It then gets driven to the airport, where it is off loaded onto large open carts that will be dragged to the airplane. Now, as a person loads the cart, all he is thinking of is how fast can I get this thing loaded so I can get back and go home. These carts often resemble a Jenga tower after 10 rounds. You tell me if you think it makes it to the airplane without falling off.
As the claims person (and one who does all the other stuff as well), I have to explain to GI Smith exactly why that priceless figurine that Aunt Susie sent didn't make it in one piece. I'm the one who had to listen to them rant and rave. Of course, Aunt Susie just wrapped her porcelain unicorn in newspaper with a brown paper overlay, so it doesn't make it safely. That little "fragile" stamp is not a stamp of invicibility.
We had a room dedicated to all the broken merchandise that had outstanding claims on them(claims never took less than 6 months to be completed), from computer monitors to car flywheels. I used to send out notice after notice to people who filed claims, trying to find out if they got their money. They didn't realize that I had to keep every broken piece of crap that came through my doors until I was notified that claim had been paid. What? You ask, "Didn't the USPS notify you?" Now why would it do that? It might save me 5 hours a week doing paperwork follow-up if it did that. How else can it warrant that stamp increase if it can't prove that all this work is being done?
Many a day I was glad that all the weapons were locked up in a seperate building.

My karma is fine, how's yours?

Having just gotten back from someone hitting my car and then driving off,
I'm a bit ticked today. The @#%*@ a-hole rear-ended me as I was driving, signaled that she was pulling over, then sped off once I had pulled over.
The pathetic thing is, I had already decided that I would be nice and tell her not to worry about the damage (there is already some from the last time my care was rear-ended). I realize this individual probably did not have insurance, but she didn't even check to see if I was OK. Where is the common decency of mankind?
Then I go to check on a project I'm working on and I find the new girl trying to take it away from me. She does not even try to hide this fact, just blithely continues prattling on about how she can't wait to start working on it. I was polite and did not tell her to @#%* off.
So it makes me wonder, what I do to deserve this? I gave blood yesterday, I would think that counts as a positive addition to my karma. I guess we all have to have those days where we feel like the world is out to get us.
I think I'll just curl up on my couch, put a heating pad on my back, and hide until tomorrow comes.

What I want to be when I grow up

After looking through some boxes from my recent move, some of which have gone through 6 moves without being unpacked, I came across a third grade "yearbook".
Two things struck me about it:
1. How in the world has it survived literally crisscrossing the world without any damage?
2. How many people actually grow up to be what they to be?

You see, there was a list of students and their future occupation choices. Mine was to grow-up to be a veternarian in New York. Well, at least I lived in NY for awhile, thereby half reaching that goal.

Honestly, my dream job, as it has been since the 4th grade, is archaeology. Unfortunately, I can't find someone willing to pay me to do this. In fact, there was a time where I worked without pay in the hopes that funding would come through. It didn't and I was moving to Italy, so it was a good time for a career change anyway.

That career change was to the USPS, and not one I would recommend to anyone. I truly understand the phrase "going postal" and many days was on the verge of doing so myself.
More later on this.

Musings on the olympics

Hmmm, am I the only one who is amused by the judging at Olympic events like gymnastics and diving? The commentators will gush over a routine and then damn it with one little flaw, such as "Oh, that triple twirl twist with a round-about roll is one of the tougher dives of these Olympics. So far it has been exquisit, and..ohh..that entry was not pepindicular...she just ruined it..it was only 87.6 degrees..." How about giving these athletes a pre-emptive credit on how difficult and near impossible most of these moves are for the common man?

Well, I will do so here. Congratulations to every athlete at the Olympics. You inspire us and make the rest of us reflect on just how much of a coach potatoe we really are. Bravo

A novice's first time

Hello. I've never tried to "blog" before, but I thought this would be a nice time to start. In case you are wondering about my site's name, it has come from several areas of my life.

One, I was an archaeologist for a time, and old bones are what we look for. Two, even though I'm not that old, every day I get myself out of bed, I can't help but hear the creaking and cracking of my joints. There are days when I just feel older than dirt.

So, I hope to update this regularly with current events musings. Feel free to drop a line to let me know if you think I'm on course or just wildly out on control.