A Snapshot of My Life

Note to Self

Always be more drunk than the groom.

Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

An excerpt from Lee Iococca's new book, courtesy of Borders Books.

Had Enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.

And so forth, & so on... .

Sleeping Cuties

Just too adorable.

The perfect child — NOT!

Call Me Back When Your Aneurism Subsides

Girl on phone: Mommy, my nose is pierced, I'm marrying a girl, I'm in love with a gay boy, and I'm pregnant. One of these is false. Goodbye.

via Overheard Everywhere, Apr 22, 2007

You'll Have to Speak Up

I can't hear you over the huge dehumidifier sitting behind me.
When I came in this morning, I noticed a wet spot on the carpet of my office, & thought that rather odd, since we don't have drop ceilings, & it hasn't rained recently, anyway.

As I soaked up the small area, I noticed that is was very cold, & then remembered that maintenance had never returned to fix my thermostat.
Upon further investigation, I found that most of the carpet in the back 1/3 of my office was at least damp, so I got someone on the phone to come look at it from Facilities Management.
I was happily surprised to see them within an hour, & we began moving desks & files so they could access the HVAC unit in the wall.

Gary thinks it was just leaking around the valve (and I bet it wouldn't have, had they returned to fix the thermostat).
After turning off the valve, he promised to return in the morning to make sure no more leaks occur.

When pressed about fixing the thermostat, though, there seemed to be a good bit of head shaking, & "I thought Bug (yes, we have a guy named Bug) was going to fix that."
"No, he told me that you were going to do it... ."

As long as I have some functional environmental controls before warm weather gets here, I'll be happy.
Actually, it's usually quite warm by now, but the freakish weather has prevented that for now.

And I'm starting notice an ever so slightly unpleasant smell from the dehumidifier, as well. Nice... .
Guess I need to find a place to plug up my HEPA.

April 16th Memorial Website at Virginia Tech.

To honor and remember the victims of Monday's tragedy, the university has created the April 16 Memorial Website so individuals may share condolences, thoughts, and prayers.
NOTE: Due to extremely high volume on the memorial website, you may experience slow performance. We ask for your patience.

Evaluating the response

In various sites & media outlets, many people are moving to criticize the response of VT police & administration during the events of 16 April. This include many higher ed venues, with people looking at their own plans & procedures.
This is the response I posted on one site.

As someone who has worked for VT in various capacities, & lived in the area for a fairly long time, I'd have to say they did the best they could with what they had at the time.
If you've never been on this sprawling campus, you have no idea how hard it can be to find something that you're looking for when you don't know where, or who, it is.
The idea of shutting down a campus of 26,000 students in short time is similar to trying to shut down a small city; no easy thing.

And it is about impossible to get the full attention of a college student.
Even after the police shut down the campus, the central drill field (20+ acres large), which is fairly close to Norris Hall, was filled with students taking pictures & video of the unfolding events. These were students who had just been told to stay indoors for their own safety!
I think it is clear from subsequent information released that the VT police felt that the initial dorm shooting was an isolated incident, and that they felt that they knew the person they needed to be talking to about it, the early person of interest.
Yes, all of our universities are now looking at their emergency communication plans, but I wonder how much better anyone else would have done in the same situation?

I sincerely hope that we never find out.

The mailman always knows, right?

After watching the convocation at Virginia Tech, I was channel flipping a little before turning off the TV in our conference room, and CNN was interviewing the shooter's family's mailman... ??

VA Tech Shootings

Yes, everyone in America is blogging about the shootings, & I want to add my piece.
Starting with my thankfulness that my wife took the day off yesterday & wasn't on campus.
Her offices are on the other side of campus from where the shootings took place, & I'm sure that she wouldn't have been in any physical danger had she been there, but I'm still relieved that she wasn't there.

I've heard back from one of our martial arts students that he wasn't in the vicinity when everything went down, but am still hoping to hear from the others who may have been on campus, so that we know that they are not in the list of as yet unreleased decedents.

Hooray!

The state was kind enough to deposit my paycheck today — before the last bill I paid got to the bank, so nothing bounced!

Researchers explore scrapping Internet

Some days I feel like doing this with life in general, don't you?

Oops! They did it again.

Rove E-Mail Sought by Congress May Be Missing

A lawyer for the Republican National Committee told congressional staff members yesterday that the RNC is missing at least four years' worth of e-mail from White House senior adviser Karl Rove that is being sought as part of investigations into the Bush administration, according to the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Come on, man! This has got to be one of the most crooked administrations in recent memory.
Those emails are out there somewhere, & you just know ol' Karl (aka, Spawn of Satan) is sweating brimstone, & the three sixes on his ass are started to feel a little warm.

What men say

I'M GOING FISHING
Means: "I'm going to drink myself dangerously stupid, and stand by a stream with a stick in my hand, while the fish swim by in complete safety."

IT'S A GUY THING
Means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical".

CAN I HELP WITH DINNER?
Means: "Why isn't it already on the table?"

UH HUH, SURE, HONEY, OR YES, DEAR...
Means: Absolutely nothing. It's a conditioned response.

IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN
Means: "I have no idea how it works."

I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND.
Means: "I was wondering if that redhead over there is wearing a bra."

TAKE A BREAK HONEY, YOU'RE WORKING TOO HARD.
Means: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner."

THAT'S INTERESTING, DEAR.
Means: "Are you still talking?"

YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."
Means: "I remember the theme song to 'F Troop', the address of the first girl I ever kissed, and the vehicle identification numbers of every car I've ever owned, but I forgot your birthday."

I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU, AND GOT YOU THESE ROSES.
Means: "The girl selling them on the corner had great tits."

OH, DON'T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF, IT'S NO BIG DEAL.
Means: "I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death before I admit that I'm hurt."

HEY, I'VE GOT MY REASONS FOR WHAT I'M DOING.
Means: "And I sure hope I think of some pretty soon."

I CAN'T FIND IT.
Means: "It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I'm completely clueless."

3 Generals Spurn the Position of War 'Czar'

How do you know that your time in office is pretty much doomed?
When you're fucking up executing a war on multiple fronts, & none of your generals want to run it... .

The White House wants to appoint a high-powered czar to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with authority to issue directions to the Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies, but it has had trouble finding anyone able and willing to take the job, according to people close to the situation.

On my way to the store now.

Cocoa, not tea, calms blood pressure, study says — Yahoo News

Foods rich in cocoa appear to reduce blood pressure but drinking green and black tea may not, according to an analysis of previously published research in the Archives of Internal Medicine, published by the American Medical Association.

Nice to know

That when you don't feel well there is always someone willing to snuggle.

What the *%#@?

 
Snow?
The day before Easter?
In southwest VA?

Small but Persistent

 

Man Shoots Neighbor's Pit Bull

Who thinks the wrong guy is in jail?

Why we love New York!

 
... And Patronize Our Vendors

A tourist mom with three teens in tow halts in the middle of the block, causing two suits and several other people to crash into them.

Suit #1: For the love of God, move, you idiots! There are people walking behind you!
Tourist mom: You don't have to be so rude!
Suit #2: He's rude? You clearly see this is a busy sidewalk, and yet you stop dead in the middle and block all traffic!
Tourist mom: He didn't have to say it so rude -- we are not from around here!
Suit #1: And does that somehow excuse your being idiots and stopping in the middle of a busy street?
Tourist mom: At least we are not so rude in Tennessee!
Suit #2: That explains the idiocy, but it still isn't an excuse.
Tourist mom: That was unnecessary!
Suit #1: Perhaps, but it's true.
Suit #2: Here, maybe this is more polite: Welcome to New York. Slow walking idiots prone to stopping for no reason stay to the fucking right of busy sidewalks, and don't get in the way of the non-mentally impaired locals. Now fuck off.

--50th & 6th

via Overheard in New York, Apr 3, 2007

Chicago suit charges 'negligent dancing'

CHICAGO - A woman is suing her dance partner, claiming he dropped her on her head after flipping her into the air at an office party.
Lacey Hindman, 22, was a victim of "negligent dancing," says her lawyer, David M. Baum.