Growing up is not as fun as advertised

It's Wednesday and it's already been a hectic week for me. Why you ask? Well Monday I got to schedule some fun dental work (wisdom teeth), yesterday I was reminded just how much I want to pursue a graduate degree and today I got to go and make the doctor's visit all women loathe. I love how they tell me my blood pressure is high after I've already told them I'm anxious about this whole deal. Surprise! It's going to be high. Do you honestly think that I look forward to donning the paper gown?

Wisdom teeth get yanked in November and you can be sure I'm marking the days like a kid counting until Christmas. And if you believe that I've got some great swamp land you can buy for a dollar. Just kidding about the swamp land but serious about the teeth anxiety.

School this time around is going ok I guess. This DIS is a lot different than I envisioned it and I am not sure if I jumped to technicolor too fast or if I was just on the wrong channel. I know it would be different if I were in classes but that just wasnt in the cards right now. I'm doing hard core library night tonight so we'll see how it all shakes out.

If someone were to ask me for advice on growing up, I would definitely tell them it is different than anything you could imagine. There are days where you have amazing power and can sit on top of the world, nothing can stop you and life is really cool as a grown up. Then there are days (I've had quite a few recently) where you're reminded just how high the deck is stacked against you and just how much you've got to prove to move ahead. I know this can sound like a broken record from me but I think it is really just all sinking in. I'd like to know a bit better what it is that my life path has in store for me. Nothing earth shattering, just a road sign or two. I'm on a path now that I feel an exit is coming up to a new destination but I haven't seen the sign yet. Turn on the street light for me so I dont miss it.

McDonald bring you enlightenment

Ronald-son say "good food inside"
"get the super size sushi, it's good"

Yet another harrowing reason I am stuck renting

"If housing prices go up, apartment and other rental prices will go up as well," said Mark Soskin, an economics professor at the University of Central Florida. "When people can't afford to buy a house, they go to the rental market."

With more people looking for rentals and thousands of apartments being converted into condominiums, an already tight rental market -- occupancy rates are virtually full -- will only get tighter. Rents are expected to increase an average of more than 3 percent this year, according to one real-estate-research firm.

Linda Beach, publisher of Apartment Finder, estimates that Central Florida has lost about 10 percent of its apartment communities to the condo craze this year.

"I've been in this industry for 20 years, and I've never seen it like this," Beach said.

Found here at the Orlando Sentinel.

Woo Hoo!

I hit 1000 hits on my blog today!

I know this is nothing for people like Vixen who is already widely read. Or Zipper who gets mentioned on Washington Post's Tech page. But for little ol' me, I have to say I am pretty stoked about it.

So thanks to people like you who make this possible :)
Yes, yes kind of like public broadcasting only I dont ask for financial tithes. Though if you want to donate to my fund, drop me a line and we can discuss sponsorship options. Trust me, I wouldnt be saying this if I didnt think I was a solid investment. Ok, ok maybe I would because I need a new bed and Zipper is working the campaign hard for one of these.

Happy reading!

Another Cheeky Blogger

I ran across this blog the other day but this post really said a lot to me. She hits the nail right on the head if you ask me. So without further adieu, I give you the Million Dollar Question. Sorry it's not the answer to life, the universe, and everything. But somehow 42 didnt come close to cutting it...

Political Tastes

Your Political Profile

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Open minded

As I sit from my measly cubicle in the depths of my "working for the man" office, which I must profess is not nearly as dire as Les Nessman's digs on WKRP in Cincinnati and not nearly as posh as Dilbert's Ultimate Cubicle but of course I digress. I think about all the advocates for various causes. Those who fight so valiantly to get their point across. Really I've got to hand it to them because despite what they have to say, they are free speech advocates.

And in this vein of free speech I've got some time on the soapbox coming to me.

First off, there are some god fearing people here who want to set into the Constitution what marriage is. Sadly, they forgot the first tenet of marriage being love. Instead they want to break all emotional bonds between people and let those who go off in a drunken stupor and get hitched have more rights than same sex couples who are committed to their partners, many of them life partners. Love isnt A or B, it isnt a 1 or a 0, it isnt something that can be confined to strict guidelines. I can only hope that one day people open their eyes and their minds to possibilites that the authors of this sneaky amendment want to pass. This is the article and if you live in Florida or know someone who does, please make them badger the hell out of their elected officials to stop this from happening. Marriage is just a court document, it cannot fully express the bond people create in their hearts.

Second issue, stem cell research...yeah I know, I am going with the heavy hitters today :) Florida recently got in the business of biotech with the groundbreaking of the Scripps Mecca site this week. Well, more accurately, ground was broken to create the permanent facility. The Scripps agreement has been in the works for at least 2 years. Now the advocates in Florida have come together to form Floridians for Stem Cell Research and Cures which was barely a blip on the radar this summer, July to be exact. They are relying solely on volunteers to help gather signatures to get the language on the ballot. This is a statewide issue but is being drummed up in Palm Beach. The local papers have two good articles covering the events here and here. I say go for it in terms of research. Who knows what mysteries we can unlock with these amazingly powerful cells. I read recently that neural stem cells repaired the spines of paralyzed mice. Pretty damn amazing if you ask me. I am sufficiently convinced that through a bit of scientific ingenuity and know how that using stem cells could unlock the cure to some of the greatest maladies that plague us today. I can only hope that the advocates are strong enough to get their word out that this is unlocking life, not taking it away frivolously.

Third, I am going to touch on the Katrina stuff before Rita ever hits. Now the guy over at the Orlando Sentinel must have been listening in on my conversations. I've been saying for a while now Dubbya needs to take lessons from Jebbie on hurricane preparedness. At least his version of the story made it to the press. Pretty funny account too if you ask me. Mine probably would have been too snarky.

And hooray for the guys at NASA who in spite of everything else still want to go to the moon. They are ready to resume operations at Michoud with those crazy kats from Lock-Mart. "In my opinion, we won't be going back to the moon without Michoud," said Patrick Scheuermann, NASA's chief operating officer at Michoud. You guys have my support if that counts for anything.

I've been working on this silly post now for three hours trying to eck some time out to write it all. I was going to go into my votes on the fall tv line up but that'll have to wait for another post. This is what I get for having So long and thanks for all the fish playing in my head.

Renting squeeze

One of my daily tasks in working for the man includes perusing the various newspapers and political clips in order to find relevant articles to issues before us in terms of up coming legislation. Of course finding things for my job doesn't nearly take as much time as going through all the media stuff does so along the way I read other articles. Any given day will yield such amazing articles as Clinton Condoms, sky rocketing energy costs, Dubbya's latest debacle, and then there are the ones that pretty much tank my day.

Of course not all news is sunshine and farts, but when you're pining away for better times and whatnot you really don't want to hear about how rental property in Florida is getting eaten up. Especially when you're trying to figure out what the next step is. According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel that a "recent report from the Orlando office of Marcus & Millichap forecasts 94 percent occupancy by the end of this year. That's virtually full by industry standards. Asking rents are projected to climb more than 3 percent this year." Not even close to music to my ears. I've already come to terms that I am not going to buy a house until I know I'll live there for a few years and I am not going to bankroll it on a hope and a prayer. Sure I could be considered financially sound but at what cost to me?

Sometimes all it takes is a stiff gust of air to sink me into the throws of Chicken Little theorizing. No, the sky might not be falling but there sure isn't a whole lot to look up to. As ZipperSeven frequently enjoys telling me: I always know how to put a cap on a truly lousy day. I guess that is what I get for being a cynical optimist.

Ads in space

So I wonder if cup-o-noodles' new ad will bear any resemblance to the scene after scene of noodle cup being consumed at the hands of one Spike Spiegel.

Can't keep 'em down

Hats off to the teams over at NASA that are making the steps to roll out clear plans to get humans back on the moon by 2018. Sure that seems a long way off but there are several factors to consider. They want to retire the shuttles. Sad, yes but it's a step that is necessary to move towards the future. Or is it a step back to the days of Apollo? Either way, the new space vehicle is going to draw heavily on the technology tried and true at NASA to develop the next step in human space flight.

Also, NASA announced today that returning to the moon would have a $104 billion price tag. "The $104 billion price tag, spread over 13 years, represents 55% of what the Apollo moon-landing program cost measured in constant dollars, Griffin said. Apollo spanned eight years. The objective is to pay as you go and what you can afford, he noted." And in the very same article I would also like to direct your attention to this: "Unlike Apollo, the new lunar lander would carry double the number of people to the surface of the moon — four — and allow them to stay up to a week, or twice as long. It also would haul considerably more cargo, much of which would be left on the moon for future crews." A week on the moon? How cool would that be? Imagine the copious amounts of information we could gather and hopefully make strides to understanding our planet and our moon not to mention other planets in our Solar System.

Mars might be a little bit farther off than previously thought much to the chagrin of space enthusiasts. But as the article points out "If you don't have money to go to the moon before 2018, you sure as hell don't have money to go to Mars" as said by John Logsdon, director of George Washington University's space policy institute.

All in all, remember the amazing fact that members of my generation may actually witness first hand a moon landing. That would only add to our portfolio of life experiences: two Bushes in the White House, economic expansion under Clinton, the hey day of the Gipper, Challenger and Columbia, September 11, Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Katrina, and so much more...

Take stock, we will return to space flight and we will rebuild. It's just a matter of patience and time.

(This post was re-edited for your reading pleasure and the new time reflects the most recent changes)

No I didn't see this live

It's true, I do love poking the proverbial stick at our C-in-C but this time I have pointed my prod elsewhere. Now I am shaking the muah hah hah hah hah stick at none other than The Donald. I kid you not, I did not think the man wore clothing other than suits and ties. Ok, there was this one time I saw him in a polo shirt but in bibbers?!? For all of you kids out there bibbers are also known better as overalls. We all wore them when we were kids. I could even dig up a pic of yours truly in specially *monogrammed* oshkoshbigoshes but that would take some work of minions in my archive department. Oh but I digress, I think Megan Mullally could slip into the Lisa Douglas role in a snap.

Small snippets of fun times.

Porn for every taste

Now before you fly off the handle with my title, I must explain where this comes from. Most of you loyal readers know I live with a weather nut who admittedly comes from a family of weather enthusiasts. His webhaunts range from extreme acts of geekery to the trials and tribulations of the internet savvy, weatheriffic, and the autofabulous. So when he sent me this snippet of another guy's blog and the posting on the definition of hurricane porn I had to let the curiosity take the best of me and check it out. The article is well written and well thought out. I've seen many innocents become victims of teh hurricane pron.

I dedicate this to everyone who is intimately familiar with hurricane pron and who are knee deep this season in all kinds of weather erotica.

Hah hah hah hah!

Thanks to ZipperSeven for this British gem of fun. I am so addicted already! It's a nice break from news stories all day let me tell you.

Reader poll

I am having a bit of trouble with consistent formatting on el blog of doom. Not sure really what the deal is but I get three different views with the three different browsers I use. So to all of you loyal readers out there, I have a noncontroversial opportunity to comment on my blog...

Please leave me a comment telling me what browser you use and if the font formatting throughout looks uniform or it looks like I got bored and decided to change the font with every sentence, sometimes in the middle of sentences.

This would really help me out and give me some small peace of mind that my internet life isn't as chaotic as PortableFF makes it seem.

Thanks and remember Raven loves you!

Ushering in Fall

tv season that is. You know it's still 95F here on a daily basis. Anyway, to put a nice cap on a thoroughly icky day, ZipperSeven and I got to settle down with The WB and watch (that's right kids) Gilmore Girls in their mildly triumphant return. I was so happy to see our DVR filling up with shows to watch (usually for me while doing dishes) again. I think I notice this more right now because this week is particularly busy for us here at work. 5 am mornings really sock it to ya at night. At least tomorrow we can look forward to having an episode of Top Gear to watch while cleaning up from dinner.

Tonight I am going to try watching NCIS and maybe catch up on Craig depending on how much I need a laugh. There are always reruns of Sex and the City for a good laugh.

And to finish things off, here's a round of "What's on my DVR" (in no particular order):

Gilmore Girls (last night's season premier to watch again)
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Craig Ferguson (at least two eps by now)
NCIS
Sex and the City (two eps)
Rockfish
Supernatural (I am going to at least give it a try, who knows from there)
Good Eats (come on, it's a given!)
Under the Tuscan Sun (still trying to get ZipperSeven to watch it with me)
The Living Daylights (which is what he's trying to get me to finish with him, lol)
I bet there might even be an episode of Mythbusters on there too

And I think that's it...If there is great demand, I'll update the list when I get home. I know how all of you loyal readers are dying to know what I watch in my idle time. Now for me to get back to work in this "energy conscious" aka really hot office. There were so many complaints yesterday that they turned all the lights back on and were supposed to kick the air down a bit. Lights I can certainly verify but this air situation, that's still waiting to be seen or felt as the case may be. I will tell you one thing, I do love my Honeywell Super Turbo High Performance Fan that was on clearance (my favorite kind of sale) at the meglomart of doom.

Verify this resume

Hopefully the current administration checked the references for R. David Paulison before saying he's in line to be the new FEMA Director. From what I read he sounds like he knows what is going on and how to handle a disaster. As a Miami native, he probably knows a thing or two about destructive hurricanes.

And another NOLA tid bit that I picked up on from ZipperSeven was a quote from Robert LeBlanc (who everyone in NOLA apparently knows): "I think we need to get this story out. Some of what is being portrayed among the media is happening and is terrible, but it is among a very small group of people, not the majority. They make it seem like New Orleans has somehow taken the atmosphere of the mobs in Mogadishu portrayed in the book and movie "Black Hawk Down," which is making volunteers (including us) more hesitant and rescue attempts more difficult."

So that's got to bring a small glimmer of hope for us here in the outside world. We know that the conditions are horrible, but with people like LeBlanc who as soon as the levies broke was on a boat trying to get people out of their houses, there is hope yet. We're pulling for you Gulf Coast.

Bored at work?

Just when I thought I was the only government schlep who hid crosswords on my desk! Thank you Senator Coburn. And just for shits and giggles, try Babble. Thanks to C-Span too for bringing us this gem...

Check out the BlogShare

I signed up for BlogShares today while the server wasn't acting up. It's a pretty nifty concept where the blog acts as a commodity on a market of other blogs. I think it has to do with readership and then incoming and outgoing links. Now for the tech aspects of it all, I would ask ZipperSeven on how it all works.

So if you do in fact sign up, be sure to buy some of my BlogShares. I would like to think I am doing a pretty good job keeping it up these days. ZipperSeven is listed too (of course) and his shares are doing really well.

On another note, I've also added some new reviews to check out on Amazon if you're bored or want to see what kooky books and stuff I've reviewed lately.

Shameless plug

I usually dont do all of this but I am attempting to clean out my closet. Please suppress your laughter. I've got some clothes on eBay that are too big for me and I am trying to sell them since I never got to wear them. Check them out here and bid nicely.

I warned you this was a shameless plug ;)

Who could forget Mr. Bill?

Speaking for the first time from the Senate floor, Sen Landrieu started her account of the devastation in the Crescent city. So I guess she forgot about her interview with Anderson Cooper where she couldn't be bothered with giving straight answers. It really all does come down to what kind of dog and pony show you can put on while on the floor. Sure this USA Today article gives me some hope that there is human under that political skin. But based on her pedigree I might be a little off. Then again you've got to see there are clear differences in the reigning family dynasty between this one and this one. So who really knows?

I've got to hand it to her though, she did cite the best PSA announcer, Mr. Bill, as being more informed than Boosh. That got a hearty laugh out of me.

Katrina delays NASA

As if NASA didn't have enough things on their to-do list, Hurricane Katrina rolled in and made their growing molehill a humungous mountain. But thoughtfully enough, they are more worried about housing their employees than tackling their program. From my human side of the HR movement businesses are taking these days, I give them a hearty pat on the back. I have great admiration for the shuttle program but I have even more admiration for the Administration that takes stock in their employees first and foremost.

The Orlando Sentinel has a good article on Michoud and Stennis. We all would like a return to flight but we have to remember that our human capital on Earth matters most.

Our hearts are with everyone on the Gulf Coast. We live here too and pledge to do all we can to help.

So they thawed out the Duke, eh?

In this latest article update, Lt. Gen. Honore disembarked the chopper in NOLA and was ready to kick ass and take names to get things done. That's how it should have been done a while ago. Read more about this spit fire and his take charge attitude here. The Duke would be proud that they shared his moniker with this guy.

Political How to guide

Hey kids, take a look at our nation's most powerful politicos and take notes. This is how you publicly end any hopes of furthering your political career.

Example 1. Hastert's comment reverberated with Fox News anchor Shepard Smith in New Orleans, who said, "In my wildest dreams, I cannot conjure up a vision of this city rebuilt."

Hastert said it makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level. "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed," the Illinois Republican said in an interview yesterday with the Daily Herald of Arlington, Ill.

Full Text

Sure you're Speaker of the House but who made you God? Hmm not in my book. Enjoy your time now as the top political party because I think the winds of change are going to blow through swiftly. I'm not saying all blue states or all red states but I think there is going to be a lot of purple.

Example 2. Now, almost a week later our famed President now realizes that he's been reticent in finding ways to provide aide to the victims of this horrendous storm. I wonder what was the cause of the delay? Too busy getting oil money kickbacks because of the false panic that was set on the gas market? Not enough right wing voters in the affected areas to take notice? Or were there not hands to keep the puppet strings going in Iraq?

Yeah and who had to point this out to you? That's right, your wife! So does it seem like he surrounds himself with brilliance so that he can ply people with his Southern Charm? Damn, I turned of my charm receptor a long time ago.

Example 3. The religious right. I've had it with them, seriously. Someone should remind them of the teachings they sleep through during service on Sunday. Treat others as you wish to be treated. That means get up and take heed when the mayor of New Orleans says to help him because the people are getting out of control because everything they knew was taken away by the hand of mother nature.

To change gears a bit, I'd like to give a few shout outs.

Here's a round of applause for the state of New York who just donated $2.5 million to the Red Cross for rescue efforts. Talk about giving back to the people who helped you out when you were down and out. That's pretty classy.

Hooray for the people of neighboring states who are opening their hearts and some even their homes to help out the refugees. It is good to know that there are still people who operate on the golden rule out there.

Now will the recent turn of events make people take notice when there are storms a brewin' in the Atlantic basin? I am going to hope that's a big and resounding YES. In some way, we're all going to be hurricane hunters.

Three cheers for Ray Nagin

He's the guy talking about New Orleans and the one who says he's pissed ON NATIONAL TV. It's about time. Here is the article that says it all.

So powers that be, if you are reading this: How does a terrorist threat that stole thousands of innocents differ from a natural disaster that decimates the Gulf coast? America, the beautiful is wounded and you've got to get out there and help her.

No words to say it

My head is full of thoughts right now. Ideas and opinions, rants and raves and general whozits and what fors. Of course, I can't find the words to get everything out. Thought it is unfair to make everything snippets, I've got to say something.

1. Hurricane Katrina: what could I possibly say that hasn't already be said? The sheer and utter devastation that these people now face breaks my heart. There will certainly be a long road to recovery for those affected and for the honest people trying to get by right now. Z7 has had a few things to say as well and I think that his thoughts echo mine. Right now he's just a lot better at words than I am.

2. Gas prices: holy mother of god. I knew I was going to see high prices in my lifetime but $3.50/gal? Never in my wildest dreams. What is worse is the run on stations that I saw on Wednesday night and Thursday. I was scared. I saw 5 major hurricanes hit my state within the last year and didn't see this kind of rush. Is it worse in Tallahassee? Yeah it's flipping crazy. And for all of those people who mocked me for driving a Saturn, I know you're not mocking me now.

3. Energy conservation: since I work for the man, things start at the top. Z7 informed me that things are really hairy in my office building today. Here is where my keeping my cool starts. Please wish me luck because I am not good at keeping cool at all. Here's to wishing for an actually cold winter.

4. Working hard for an honest life: things aren't so easy in my little world. Sure compared to what I've already written about things are great. I've been in kind of a slump here with the conflict of what I can do and what I want to do. I have to keep reminding myself that when my time comes it will be even better than I imagine it because I put forth hard and honest work towards securing my dreams. I earn everything I have. I know that there are rewards in this world that are not meant for me now no matter to what lengths I go to secure them. My time will come and I hope that I am ready for all that it has in store.