Well Poo

The blogroll isn't working. What am I supposed to do without my blogroll? All my favorite blogs, conveniently bookmarked in one place, now I can't access them. *fidget*

EDIT* Of course, as soon as I whine, it's working again. It always happens that way.

I promise to use these powers only for good.

Destroying America

A friend asked me if I'd read Richard Lamm's speech on immigration. I had not so he went to find an 'unmolested' copy of the speech and found one on Snopes.com. I read the article and, all I could say in response was, "wow". Even if he never actually made this speech, it mirrors what is going on in America right now. If we really wish to destroy America, all we have to do is sit back and wait. I don't want to sit back. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to do. How do we reverse this?

Men Without Chests

We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and then bid the geldings to be fruitful.
-- C.S. Lewis

I've been thinking alot about this quote lately. I could not, for the life of me, figure out exactly why. Why was this stuck in my head? Then it hit me when I was reading an article about a 66 year old nun shot in the back in Somalia. Religion of peace, eh? Meanwhile in London Sunday.

Where or where is the West? Are we so stuck in a quagmire of tolerence and political correctness that we will not say "No! Enough!"? When are we going to put our foot down?

Before anyone says it: No, I do not have a problem with peaceful protests. In fact, I adore peaceful protests and would much rather see thousands of them in the place of a single person getting shot in the back or calling for beheadings as a protest over someone calling their religion violent(hypocracy much?). I do have to wonder, though, just how far a bunch of Catholics/Christians would get if they staged a similar protest outside of a mosque? Not very far, I wager and that is exactly what Christians should be doing - protesting outside of mosques.

Edit: And here is an update from Michelle Malkin on the nun.

Yan Zhu (Cindy) Guan (2996 Project)

I have been trying for a couple weeks to research Cindy's life. Cindy was 25 at the time of her death, a 1999 graduate of the State University of New York at Geneso, married and she was employed as an auditer the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance in the World Trade Center. Her final resting place is Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. She is survived by her husband Edwin Yuen. The facts all sound so impersonal, don't they?

The university she attended in, 2002, set up a memorial for the alumni that lost their lives in the September 11 attack. A picture of Cindy's husband can be found near the bottom: http://arboretum.geneseo.edu/911/

I was most disappointed that I was unable to find out more information about this lovely young woman. I found her name referenced hundreds of times on hundreds of different tribute pages but not much else. She was so young, on the verge of a lifetime ahead of her. I look at her picture and I wonder what were her hopes for the future.

Cindy was more than a simple statistic and much more than a name with a picture on a few websites. It is my sincere hope that someone out there who knew this young woman and remembers her as she was will find this entry and help to shed some light on her life.

Woot!

2996

I found this link on a blog I visit and decided to sign up for the project. Please, if you have a blog of your own, sign up and help.

On September 11 of this year, bloggers from all over the world will unite and remember the VICTIMS of 9/11, not their murderers. If you are not familiar with the 2996 project, here is information:

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11. Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives, and not by remembering their murderers.

If you would like to help out, either by pledging to post a tribute on your own blog, or by offering your services to promote this cause, just leave a comment here and I’ll email you the name of a victim.

Then, on 9/11/2006, you will post a tribute to that victim on your blog.

But, and this is critical, the tributes should celebrate the lives of these people–kind of like a wake. Over the last 5 years we’ve heard the names of the killers, and all about the victim’s deaths. This is a chance to learn about and celebrate those who died. Forget the murderers, they don’t deserve to be remembered. But some people who died that day deserve to be remembered–2,996 people.

To date, 2,565 blogs have signed up. Let's get that last 431.

NOTE: In order to sign up, please don't leave a comment on my blog, follow the links above.

Paramount cuts ties with Tom Cruise - Aug 23, 2006

CNN.com - Paramount cuts ties with Tom Cruise - Aug 23, 2006

I can't believe it. I don't mean this in a bad way, in fact I'm pretty happy to see it. People seem to think that because someone is 'famous' they can get away with certain behavior and that belief tends to be perpetuated by the lack of (visible) consequences for their actions. Negative actions should breed negative consequences. Nice to see for one famous person, they finally did.

Feline stealing gardening gloves of Pelham

This is one of the funnier news articles I have read in a long time. I'm so totally a cat person and this is just so endearing to me. Animal behavior is endlessly fascinating to me. Why do they do what they do? What are they thinking? In this case, why the fascination with gloves?

Sometimes I wish I could read the minds of our cats, especially my cat Chelsea. I've had Chelsea for ten years now. She's been my constant companion during those ten years and, at times, was the only friend I had the in the world. She loves my husband but I am her "person". Even when he's scritching her in that special spot behind her ears, if I walk into the room her eyes are on me. Though she's not a lap cat, if I'm feeling blue she'll curl up on the sofa next to me and press close to my side. When she wants company, she'll perch on the back of the couch behind my head. Sometimes at night, she sleeps pressed up against the small of my back. She has such a personality and I swear sometimes she makes faces at me when she's mad at me!

Our cats are funny and not a one of them are alike in personality. Chelsea is the house "mother". Maxine is our "Bucky" (from the Get Fuzzy comics) even if she's not siamese. I think of her as our little curmudgeon. O'possum is my husband's cat through and through. He's a little slow and dumb but we love him just the same. He got his name because, as a kitten, he looked like a little baby o'possum. Our ugly duckling who turned into a swan, he's become a gorgeous cat, colored like a snowshoe kitty. Tink, his sister, is our sitting pretty kitty. She's the most gorgeous shade of grey (mouse grey we think of it) with white on paws. She's very stand-offish unless she wants attention and then she's relentless in her persuit of a good ear scratching. My daughter also has two cats; Mama, a very noisy ('talky') siamese and Hades, a sleek black kitty who has more than earned his name.

Our kitty cup runneth over but, you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. My house is just not a home without at least one cat. I suppose, though, you could call us the crazy cat family.

Awkward moments ... understatement

How would you like to be called to testify in this trial? Or be a juror? Or hell, just sit in the 'audience'? Awkward moments abound in penis pump trial

I suppose it does get boring sitting on the bench sometimes.

One of the best blogs I've seen in a long time

Miss Doxie

This woman seriously makes me laugh out loud. I discovered her via a friend and am now hooked. Hooked I say!

The Saga of Harry Potter or Why I Hate Amazon.com

We were promised, nay *guaranteed* delivery of Harry Potter by 7pm yesterday. 7pm rolls around and no sight of the book. I was busy (though at home) so I decided to wait to contact them until this morning. Their website is completely unhelpful - keep this in mind because it will relate to a comment from one of their (thankfully not in Bangladesh) "customer service" reps I talked to this morning. I can not access the order on the website. It's simply not there, in spite of the fact that I have received no less than 5 separate emails about my order. One this morning about 3am telling me the price dropped a dollar and I'd be getting a credit on my next statement (gee, a whole dollar?).

UPS HAS the shipment one town over and has since FRIDAY but, guess what? It didn't get delivered yesterday and there was someone home all day long too. So I try to get help via the amazon.com website and it's a complicated labyrinth of webpages with ZERO helpful information. I click on "contact Amazon.com" and, lo and behold, there is NO customer service phone number to be found. Why? They don't want you to have it because, and I quote "we're an internet based company". Well, golly gee, I never would have guessed. Don't you think an "internet based company" would have a HELPFUL website where their customers can get the answers they need in that case?

I finally found the customer service phone number on a website that was, you guessed it, NOT amazon.com. People have taken to posting their customer service phone number on various webpages because you can't get it from amazon.com (by the way, if you need it it's 1-800-201-7575). So after jumping through THOSE hoops, I call. I give the guy my order number. He wants to verify my email address. No problem. Then he wants to verify my mailing address. Okay. And my name as well. Mind you, I have now verified 4 separate pieces of "security" information for them.

Guess what?

It's not good enough. NOW I must jump through an additional hoop or these geniuses can not access my account. Now I have to figure out which credit card I used and give them the last FIVE digits as well as the expiration date. And they tell me they're doing ME a favor. All I want is my book and my money back. They guaranteed me something they did not deliver. But no, they can't help me. Oh no, until I give them the information they need for MY protection, they say, I'm out of luck.

After going round and round with them, I finally told them to screwthemselves and I'll call back later when I can dig up whichever credit card that MIGHT have been used for the order. And I am going to demand my money back as well as my damn book and then I am going to terminate my amazon.com account as soon as I have both.

I Heart Chocolate

I always knew chocolate was good for me, especially dark chocolate (which I love). And the darker the better, since dark chocolate has fewer processed sugars. And no, I don't plan on centering my diet solely around chocolate but it's nice to have some of what I've known all along be substantiated, even if it's just a little.

I Heart Chocolate

World Horror Con Update

I'm cancelling my trip to New York. I just got off the phone with the hotel. I'm still sick and, frankly, not feeling any better. No way I'm making the drive from Maryland to New York and I can't imagine giving the freaking flu to everyone at the convention. What a disaster that would be.

I'm crying like a baby right now. I'm SO tired of being sick all the time and I honestly can NOT remember what it feels like to be healthy and well. It's not just being sick, it's having to miss this convention that I LOVE attending and seeing people I really only get to see once per year. I am so disappointed right now and I just hate myself for not being able to get well.

So I'm having a meltdown. The weather has been freaking gorgeous and I can't even enjoy it. I can't do the things I love to do anymore because I just don't have the energy and everyone looks at me like I'm insane. Or like I'm making it all up. It's not all in my head.

World Horror Con

Next weekend is the annual World Horror Convention. This year it is being held in New York City, a mere 4-5 hour drive from where I live in Maryland. This will be my fourth year attending WHC as an artist. It is one of my "must attend" conventions because it is an industry convention.

I tend to enjoy WHC more than most other cons, when I am going as an artist and showing in the art shows. Few fans go to WHC because there is very little to interest them outside of some author readings and autograph signings. In general, the panels are geared toward industry professionals, amateurs and those who wish to be in the industry. The main focus is on writing and publishing. The artshow, however, tends to be small but fantastic. You have to be juried into the WHC artshow and I have to admit it is an honor to be included among these really talented artists. Especially an honor being one of the few purely digital artists who shows on a regular basis. They have definite opinions on the kind of art I do and, interestingly (and flatteringly, is that a word?) enough my name has been brought up by the jury panel in regards to 3D CGI and the potentials for the medium using software that is not considered to be "high end".

As usual, I am not ready to go yet. Tomorrow will be spent sorting through my artwork and deciding what to take with me. That's always fun. I have a print I need to take Monday to be matted (yes, Jeanette, this is your reminder). The woman who does the matting of my larger, odd-sized prints does a fantastic job. It's always such a joy to see her. I still need to pack and get the teenager to clean out my car (the trunk is full of her stuff) and then Wednesday I am on my way.

Wish me luck.

I rarely update. I know I should but I just don't. I hate putting my politics out there for the entire free world to see, especially when I rarely discuss them with people I know and happen to like. Part of the reason is there are just so many people out there who are waiting to jump on someone, anyone, and tear them apart for their beliefs. It's not that I can't handle it when someone disagrees with me. I enjoy a good debate as much as the next person. No, what I can not abide are people who think their opinion is the only viable opinion and instead of arguing their stance with logic they resort to name calling and high school grade insults. I left high school behind nearly twenty years ago and, honestly, have no desire to go back.

My best friend, Kate, has asked me more than once why I don't read or comment more in her blog. I do read it, though not every day and sometimes not every week but I do read. I even comment occasionally. The reason I do not comment often is not because of Kate herself or her politics (which I only occasionally disagree with and even then it's generally only on minor points). Kate has developed quite a following on her blog and the majority of them fall into the name calling/high school grade insult category. They simply can not abide anyone who may have an opinion counter to their own and, again, instead of arguing their stance with logic and intelligence immediately pull out the insult card. They'll argue and say that they only do this to the "trolls" who start out by being generally stupid and insulting. Granted, they've not done it with me, but I am still reluctant to post anything even remotely contrary to what they believe.

Does this make me a coward? Probably. Though I like to think of it as avoiding a headache for both myself and my best friend.

They Fight Crime!

They Fight Crime!:

"He's a superhumanly strong coffee-fuelled cop on a search for his missing sister. She's a supernatural motormouth queen of the dead on the trail of a serial killer. They fight crime!"

This link amuses me greatly.

MSNBC - Firm hits brakes on �road kill' candy

MSNBC - Firm hits brakes on 'road kill' candy

Because we all know our kids will grow up to be heinous animal runner overers.

Yes, I know that is not really a word.

A fun little meme

This is a fun and interesting little meme. I realized I've done some interesting things.

10 things I've done that you probably haven't.

1. Lost your driver's license and a major credit card and had it returned by a famous author.
2. Danced the hula in a luau in Hawaii.
3. Had artwork published by three different publishers.
4. Been hugged by Neil Gaiman.
5. Had someone ask for your autograph.
6. Developed a successful online RPG.
7. Been a ballerina
8. Wrote an article on sexual fetishes (with more to come!).
9. Have been a telephone sex operator.
10 Have been a telephone psychic

AIDS virus may hold key to cancer cure. 15/02/2005. ABC News Online

AIDS virus may hold key to cancer cure. 15/02/2005. ABC News Online

Wow. Just wow. If this works, what an incredible breakthrough it would be. To quote my friend Kate: If they're right ... the worst disease of the modern world may very well wind up being cured by the worst epidemic of the modern world.

Ha ha ha

Soles

I promise a 'real' update soon.