Monday, October 31, 2005

halloweeeeeeen!

It's that spooktacular night that we wait for all year! Halloween!
We went to a party on saturday that had a Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme..
boo went as "Faith" and I went as "Xander"


there was a group of gals who had gone to DragonCon as the Sunnydale cheerleaders.. so this halloween.. they went as the "undead Sunnydale Cheerleaders"

**Buffy party photos courtesy of Turtle
there was another girl there who tried to dress as faith, but I have to think she had never seen the show, cause her costume wasn't exactly faith-like.. but she did try..
At work, a group of us dressed as peanuts characters, I went as Peppermint patty, and we had charlie brown and linus.. our sally and fredrick blew us off and didn't dress up.. but we had a great time!


We had a bunch of trick or treaters tonight.. from the cutest mummy and fairy princesss, to the scariest of ninjas.. I put some new photos up on the sidebar of some of the spooky stuff right up by the house.. including the cranking up of the fog machine for the festivities!
All in all a great holiday.. next up.. christmas.. It's gonna be a griswold holiday here.. photos to follow

Friday, October 28, 2005

hairy girl lookin for love




Here are some pictures of one of the girls that my buddy rescued and that we are currently trying to find a good home for.. The pups have been chained in a yard for about 6 months, and the owner is now finally ready to let someone who will care for them properly take them and give them a good home.. if you are interested, you can email me from the "about me" page located on the right sidebar.


Thursday, October 27, 2005

oh happy day!

So, today old harriet withdrew her nomination to the supreme court..
smoke my friends....
the fire is in the indictments due out any day now for the likes of scooter libby, karl rove, dick cheney, and several others..
clever in their attempts to again turn the spotlight away from what is really happening.. and point it on something else..deflect deflect deflect..... THIS is what they do...
though I think that not even Mr. Clean can wash away the pond scum stank that those indictments are tied to.
Expect a terror alert in the coming days, as they use the media as their own personal 'wonder woman gauntlets' to deflect anything in their paths..

The Bush Crime Family is going down...
here are a few of their ideas for dealing with indictments.. from the LA times
Some key elements of the post-investigation game plan have emerged, GOP advisors said:

• Any indicted White House officials would immediately step down, and Bush would quickly name their successors. If Rove is indicted, more than one person might take over his many responsibilities.

• The president and other White House officials would limit their public comments on the case. Outside interest groups and allies would do most of the talking.

• Whenever possible, Bush and other administration officials would try to change the subject. Among the issues the president plans to put atop his new agenda are spending restraint, tax changes and immigration. In addition, Bush's foreign policy advisors have discussed launching a more visible presidential effort to prod Israel and the Palestinians toward peace, one official said.

• The White House would try to insulate Bush from the scandal allegations. Officials would argue that the president has not been accused of any direct involvement in the leaking of information in the CIA case or subsequent efforts to minimize the political damage. Although it is not yet clear who would coordinate the defense, several advisors said they expected Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman would be heavily involved. One official said former Cheney aide Mary Matalin was another likely participant. Neither Mehlman nor Matalin could be reached for comment.


Here's my thought.. what if cheney and bush are BOTH indicted... wouldn't that just be and early christmas present.

in other news.. the corporatists will once again have to pay a fair wage to rebuild new orleans, after bush suspended the Davis-Bacon act of 1931, which states that any company doing work with the US Govt. has to pay its workers a fair wage.. construction workers were making next to nothing in the region before Katrina hit.. but now.. companies like haliburton (largely responsible for the rebuilding effort.. in a contract that was given to them without having to go through a bidding process which is how the rest of america works) could pay rebuilders even less.. essentially reinstating slave labor, if they so desired. As a matter of fact, some reports out of the region say that they are busing in illegal immigrants and housing them in tent cities.. and they are working for squat... while haliburton laughs all the way to wall street!
Well.. DB will be reinstated on NOV 8th thanks in large part to the Unions of america.. While lots of people don't like unions, and that's ok.. they were right in that the administration was taking an absolutely horrific circumstance and exploiting the poverty that the hurricane revealed to many americans..
So good on the unions, and those people who were paying attention and got things turned around before more people were exploited.

So, in closing.. everything I have felt and thought for the past few years is now coming true.. I never trusted this person in the white house.. I always believed that he lied to us to get us to go to war, that he had absolutely no consideration for the PEOPLE of america.. only the corporations.. (isn't he the one who once said at a banquet that "these were his people" the "haves, and the have mores" or something to that effect.
I wish that part of the punishment for these criminals would be to have to live in the world that they created by their cronyism. the post katrina new orleans and gulf coast, or the post wilma florida.. Cause even though 'brownie' wasn't in charge of that one.. the response there has been abysmal as well.
We are living in a country whose key players are nothing more than a bunch of frat buddies of the president.. They lack the basic of qualifications for the jobs they have been given.. and
OUR LIVES ARE IN THESE PEOPLES HANDS!
We are in worse shape now than we were before sept 11th.. mark my word people.. if something bad happens in this country.. our federal govt has no clue what to do about it.. if it can't make them money.. they don't care about it, haven't thought about it and have no idea how to handle it.. It's pathetic and it's wrong..

Next week we go to the polls, hopefully to create change.. and a system of checks and balances within this administration that is sorely lacking.. there are currently 6 iraq war veterans running for office.. Support them, support someone..if you are a republican and you are tired of what is happening to your party.. but can't stomach voting a democrat.. vote independent, vote libertarian.. vote someone in who will help keep this out of control administration in check..
Do you know how much PORK is in this budget? there was a clip somewhere that I can't find at the moment where one guy got very upset at the prospect of having to cut some pork out of his state's budget.. here is a list of some things that have been suggested and responded to by legislators.. look yours up.. see what they've said..
pork barrel spending list

so those are just a few of the things that have been in my brain the past few days..

GO OUT AND VOTE Y'ALL!

peace..

Monday, October 24, 2005

The death of one strong woman




She was born Rosa Louise McCauley on Feb. 4, 1913
she died today at the age of 92.

There hasn't been anyone quite like her.. that one little moment.. her gentle unwillingness to be treated like a second class citizen is a lesson that we should all take with us.. daily.. No one should EVER forget what she did..


Looking back in 1988, Mrs. Parks said she worried that black young people took legal equality for granted.

Older blacks, she said "have tried to shield young people from what we have suffered. And in so doing, we seem to have a more complacent attitude.

"We must double and redouble our efforts to try to say to our youth, to try to give them an inspiration, an incentive and the will to study our heritage and to know what it means to be black in America today."

At a celebration in her honor that same year, she said: "I am leaving this legacy to all of you ... to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die - the dream of freedom and peace."



As we continue with our lives, lets not forget the legacy that she left for us.. and work every day to make sure that those who come after us are afforded that same legacy.

spackle and sandpaper and paint....oh my!

here's the update..
two layers of wallpaper.. took waaaaay longer than we thought to get it down, patch the walls, sand and re-mud the walls. but the paint on the walls is up..
the trim on the ceiling isn't done.. but we are taking the rest of the night off to watch the CBS lineup and will finish it up tomorrow night.. here are a couple photos..

here is an actual photo of me working.. it's the only one you will see!




here is the new color of the bathroom




hmmm it's actually a bit darker.. try this one..


here's my boo workin hard.. ( I actually DO work too! but I take most of the photos!)




and because you just can't do a project without being silly, here is the mark I left on boo's backside!


all in all a good vacation.. with lots of fun, love and progress on our little humble home.. next week.. the tiling of the floor.. bwaaaaahaaaaaaa

wilma.. ouch!

Spoke to my mom and aunt today after Wilma hit shore..
My aunt and cousins evacuated from Naples yesterday.. There was lots of card playing and merriment in O-town last night as they waited for Wilma!
One of my cousins stayed behind in a company owned safe house of sorts.. we heard this morning that the roof blew off of it, but they were all ok.. bet she's regretting that decision..
Everyone is ok though.. they will probably stay a day more until the all clear in south florida..
thanks for everyone who emailed to check on them..
peace...~B

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Bathroom renovation, courtesy of Wilma

After several days of being glued to the weather channel.. and all the unknowns going on with hurricane wilma, we sadly decided that the trip we were supposed to make to visit my parents would have to be postponed. It really tore me up, and in the end, the storm probably won't hit till well after we were supposed to leave.. but we just couldn't take the chance of getting stuck there.. or being in a massive traffic jam of evacuating residents when we were trying to get home..
We had a wonderfully laid back friday.. went to lunch at an Irish Pub, got a haircut and my brows waxed, since my new glasses really show off my brows.. they needed a little fine tuning.. funny though.. I had never been waxed and was expecting some horrific pain.. one of my friends mentioned that since I have a high pain threshold, it's probably why it didn't bother me..
So after the waxing.. we stopped into Jake's for some Ice cream and headed to the home depot.. picked up some Paint and new floor tiles for our guest bathroom.. we've been meaning to do something with it for a while.. but I had been unable to. Went to Eddie's attic for a benefit for a wonderful musician named caroline aiken, who had been injured in an accident.. it was a great show and I saw a bunch of people I hadn't seen in like 10 years. lots of fun..
So, today we removed wallpaper.. oh boy what fun that was.. the most heinous.. 1970's decor that I can't even imagine in such a small space.. here's what used to be in there.. it's black and metallic silver

can I get a collective ewwwwwww?
here is the circa 1970 tile that is now on the floor..

the new floor will be a slate with green and blue accents.. here they are laid over the old tiles.. hopefully those will get in on monday

The wallpaper came off pretty easily.. but we still have some cleanup.. we will have to spackle some places and do some light sanding around the shower.. the color we picked is called "false cypress" it's kind of a mossy green.. actually sort of the color of the border of my blog..----------------------------> look over there!
We had already changed out the ceiling.. which had been the kind of acoustic ceiling tiles you find in a office.. not sure why they chose those but they had to go.. we stained and waterproofed some wainscotting and you can see that in the following photo where boo is workin hard on the wall..

Hopefully we will get everything finished this weekend.. if not.. it will be a work in progress for a bit.. but in the long run I think it's going to look great.. the bathroom has these dark wood accents and the fixtures we are putting up are kind of a wrought iron and we will get a new vanity.. cause the old one is white with a black faux marble sink...
should be a fun project.. It was spectacularly cold here today.. fireplace weather.. maybe tomorrow..
I will post new photos as the work progresses.. hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Hope the family in florida is safe and evacuated..

Thursday, October 20, 2005

meee too!

I swiped this from Anne...
Cause I haven't written all week and I haven't written about the ceremony yet.. enjoy!

1. Name someone with the same birthday as you.
Martina Navratilova

2. Where was your first kiss?
hmm.... spin the bottle in the neighbor's house

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
No.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, I broke Brian Green's finger in the 3rd or 4th grade

5. Have you ever sang in front of a large number of people?
Yes of course..

6. What's the first things you notice about the preferred sex?
smile, eyes, arms..

7. What really turns you on?
sexy dancing.. all kinds of things..

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
Mocha Latte..

9. What is your biggest mistake?
hmm. I'm made a few.. not sure which to classify as the biggest..

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
Yes, when I was younger (see question 9)

11. Say something totally random about yourself.
I have nice eyes..

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
yes, many years and pounds ago I was told I looked like Billie Jean King

13. Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
the Disney Channel RULES! and of course the cartoon network too!

14. Did you have braces?
Yes, for two and a half years.. I didn't mind them

15. Are you comfortable with your height?
I could be taller.

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the
opposite sex has done for you?
You're kidding right?

17. When do you know it's love?
what is this a van halen song???
ya just know..

18. Do you speak any other languages? I understand some canadian french and speak a few words, but not much..

19. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
nope.

20. What magazines do you read?
people, entertainment weekly, time, newsweek, la times, the nation, burpee's catalog.. cooking magazines...

21. Have you ever ridden in a limo?
yup... a couple times for fun..(once on a job interview.. ) one time for my grandfather's funeral.

22. Has anyone you were really close to passed away?
many..


23. Do you watch MTV?
yep

24. What's something that really annoys you?
dishonesty, people with no integrity.. stupidity.. intolerance.. hate......bush....

.

25. What's something you really like?
Cooking, gardening.. hanging with my boo... sitting in front of a fire.. inside or out..

26. Do you like Michael Jackson?
No, I'm not fond of pedophiles.. they give gay people a bad name.
I think he's paid people off to keep his secrets and is a very sad man.

27. Can you dance?
Not that well.

28. What's the latest you have ever stayed up?
3 days.. it wasn't pretty.. and it was all about work.

29. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into
the emergency room?
No, but I rode up front in one when boo was..

30. Do you actually read these when other people fill them out?
yes, I do.. I enjoy getting to know people better..

Thursday, October 13, 2005

flu pandemic

I seem to be writing about politics a lot more than I had planned to when I started doing this, but so many things about what is happening to our country are so upsetting to me, I suppose this is my place to vent.
The latest thing that has me just really seriously concerned is all this talk about the flu pandemic possibility.
I got an email yesterday that spoke about the person in the current administration who would be in charge should the avian flu break out into a pandemic.. in yet another blatant act of cronyism, the man in charge Stewart Simonson has absolutely no experience in health administration or emergency management.. In fact, the only reason he got the job was cause he was a buddy of Tommy Thompson, former HHS Secretary. Simonson's previous job experience? He was a corporate attorney for Amtrak.
Does that make you feel safer about anything? It's another mike brown/FEMA situation all over again.
Now personally I think that the whole avian flu situation is nothing more than karl rove's waving "look over here" to keep all of us focued on something beside all of the indictments and investigations going on at the moment.. At least I hope that's all it is, cause if this thing strikes, we are going to be in a world of hurt..
This guy wouldn't know how to manage an epidemic if even if it was called the Sunset Limited.. (the name of an amtrak train)

So, if you are as concerned about this guy's total lack of qualifications, head over to moveon.org and sign the petition to have him replaced, before it's too late.

Fancy

My wife just relayed an amusing story that I thought I would share..
she was walking through Decatur on her way to lunch today when she saw this totally tricked out SUV.. big gold escalade with tan leather seats tinted windows and the big assed rimmed wheels.. In it, a large african american guy jammin and I mean jammin!.. music BLARING from the stereo.. BLARING it wasn't your regular hip hop thumpin base music though.. it was strangely familiar but was an instrumental bridge.. .. and it was LOUD The whole square could here it.. and then the chorus
HERE'S YOUR ONE CHANCE FANCY DON'T LET ME DOWN....

yes.... that's right.. REBA.... for all the town to hear..
he wasn't singin along but he was mackin and lookin all cool.. and it was just so something you don't see all the time that she cracked up.
apparently he was having a great time.. and I can appreciate his choice in music.. but it may be one of those "you had to be there moments" but I'm sure you can picture it.... sicily.. 1962 (obscure golden girls reference)

Reba would be proud..

Sunday, October 09, 2005

super spook-tacular!

It's that time of year! every halloween we decorate the yard for the holiday.. last year I couldn't do it because I was only a month out after my surgery.. so this year we went shopping and added a fog machine and black lights and some new little things to our collection.. It was a miserable rainy overcast day in atlanta today.. but we got most of the graveyard done.. we have more to do but I thought I would post some photos of our spooktakular yard boo!



there are more photos over on the sidebar in the flickr section.. enjoy

ps.. something is wrong with my sidebar on my blog template.. I've tried to correct it.. but nothing seems to work.. if anyone has any suggestions.. please email me.. I'm not sure what the heck else to do with it... cept maybe start over.. I hadn't changed anything.. just posted .. so I'm not sure what wigged out..

Friday, October 07, 2005

Supporting the troops

I don't support the troops fighting in Iraq...
now before you go all ballistic on me, let me explain..
there was a reporter who did a man on the street interview on the radio on my ride home tonight.. he was trying to find out in what tangible way to the people of the United States support our troops.. he walked around times square for over an hour.. monst people didn't even want to TALK about iraq. those who did made his point better than he ever could..
When asked how people supported the troops in iraq, most people couldn't answer, or just said they did in spirit.
So, I realize.. that while I empathize with the troops, and I support them in my heart.. I don't do anything tangible to support them, and that's just wrong.
In years past when there was war, people in the US were asked to conserve fuel, steel and other things.. and with this war, the people in the US are so disconnected from it. Soldiers are coming back changed forever, and they are coming back to a nation that hasn't changed. How is that going to affect them? We barely know what is really going on over there, the news glosses over the events of the day.
So this weekend, I will do some searching and reflection on what I can do to help those who are fighting overseas, and those who have come home and have been changed forever.
what do you do to support the troops?

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Bioterrorism at anti war protest in DC??

According to various news reports, the pathogen -tularemia(rabbit fever) was detected by monitors set up on the national mall during anti war demonstrations last month in Washington DC.
The pathogen was apparently tested in japan in the 50's for use as a bioterror agent. While officials don't believe that it was an act of terror, one has to wonder.. 300,000 people were estimated to have attended this event, and yesterday Bush starts a frenzy about the avian flu. just about the same time that people who may have been exposed would start showing symptoms. hmmm.. certainly would give some credence to bush's avian flu scare if lots of people started coming down with something.. matter of fact.. I wonder if anyone in canada has checked on the mystery virus that's killin people up there..
I expect to see the super neat avian flu graphics package with the theme music any moment on any of the 24 hour news channels..

There are various news stories, both national and international on this story.. if you don't believe me.. go look it up.. do a search for the proper name of the strain
Francisella tularensis and add anti war demonstration.. you will see articles from japan, turkey, yahoo, and the washington post among others..

and if you attended the anti war protest in DC, and find yourself not feeling well please go get yourself checked out and make sure you tell them you were there..
Symptoms include sudden fever, headaches, diarrhea, joint pain, cough and progressive weakness. Kind of mimics pneumonia.

This is one story that isn't getting any coverage at all at this point. so send the info to anyone you might know who might have been in DC that weekend.. just to be safe.

Here
is a link to the story that appeared on Yahoo news.

In other news.. I'm exhausted.. my sleep schedule is all screwed up.. matter of fact I was fallin asleep as I wrote this.. it's takin me a little while to get used to this new schedule.. but today, my new chair was delivered to the office! one that has decent lumbar support.. it's much better than what I had in there before.. they had offered after I got back to get me a decent chair, but since I was quite nomadic, going from room to room, I kinda let it slde. So I can't wait to see how I feel tomorrow after having used it for a whole day!
that's it from here.. I am heading to bed.. I hope I can sleep through the night tonight.. last night I woke up at 3:30 am... was not a restful night's sleep.. nbut tonite I am plenty tired.. and I had a little nightcap, so hopefully tonight will be different..
hope you all have a great rest of the week! tomorrow is Survivor Thursday yeeeeehaw!
peace~b

Sunday, October 02, 2005

dog flu outbreak

I'm posting this to make sure that all my friends have heard about this outbreak.
What started out as a problem in the greyhound racing community has now affected the domestic canine population. And while it's not a pandemic or epidemic, it is something that you as a dog lover should be aware of.

Please let anyone you know who has dogs know about this. Even if they don't board their dogs.. people who do doggie day care and also, as with other viruses, a simple visit to the vet could pass the virus along..

Apparently it is commonly misdiagnosed as bordetella.. States where it has been seen include Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas and Iowa.

below is an article about it, there is also more information on
Snopes


_______________________________
Dog Flu Spreads Worry Nationwide
From ABC News



New Disease Kills Dogs in at Least Seven States
Sept. 27, 2005 — A newly discovered virus has killed dogs in at least seven states, and veterinarians, kennel operators and pet owners are concerned because researchers say there is no vaccine and dogs do not have immunity to the new flu.

Dr. Cynda Crawford, an immunologist at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, said in an audio interview posted on the university Web site that the disease is only deadly in rare cases — about 10 percent in puppies and old dogs — but is of concern because it is spreading rapidly.


It is believed that the new virus may have mutated from an equine influenza strain, she said.
Like most flu viruses, it can be spread by air, as well as by contact, and the populations of dogs most at risk are those in shelters, kennels, boarding operations or other situations where a lot of dogs are housed under one roof, she said.

The disease could also spread in parks where pet owners let their dogs off the leash to socialize, vets say. Dog parks are a perfect playground for contagious diseases because when animals share toys and water dishes, they also are sharing germs.

The symptoms of the disease include coughing and sneezing, and there is concern that it could be spread in vet waiting rooms, Crawford said.

"When you bring a bunch of dogs together under one roof, if a dog happens to be infected, then the virus will spread rapidly," she said. She compared the situation to what happens with young children in school.

As yet, there is no test for the flu that vets can administer, she said.

The virus is too new for any dogs to have developed immunity to it, so pet owners should watch their dogs carefully for any symptoms.

"The concern is that the dog population on the North American continent is wholly 100 percent susceptible," Crawford said.

Seattle veterinarian Dr. Kenneth McKim recently treated some dogs with "kennel cough," but said the new virus is different.

"It's a more severe disease (with) high fever," McKim said. "It's got more complications with pneumonia and congestion."

There have been outbreaks of this new dog flu in kennels, race tracks and shelters along the East Coast. But not on the West Coast, yet.



"It's something that we're going to be watching for in the Northwest," McKim said. "There have been no reported cases of it here yet, but I think it's something that veterinarians are going to be on the watch for."


The majority of the deaths have occurred at greyhound tracks in Florida, Massachusetts, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas and Iowa, but there have been documented cases in some kennels and shelters.



Vets stress that the flu is no reason for pet owners to panic, but they should take some precautions. If you take your dog to a dog park, bring the dog's own water dish and toys, they say.



If you kennel your dogs, or take them to a doggie day care, vets say you should make sure the facility is clean, well-ventilated and requires all dogs to be current on their shots.