Mid-month check in

Well, let's see what's been going on.....

#1 has had another change of plan and as it stands right now, she'll be moving home sometime in the middle of February. I haven't had much of a chance to get her anything so all she has right now is a fireplace set, a few dishes, and a recliner. I'm hoping to be able to find her a good, used fridge so she doesn't have to shell out too much money after getting her utilities turned on.

P came over with her son yesterday - he has a pick up truck. We, along with husband, went through one of the sheds and separated the good stuff from the stuff that needed to go to the dump. Thus the reason for the son and his truck. I paid him to pull it out of the shed and to load up the crap and haul it off. Good thing husband was home b/c the son seemed to think that all he was needed for was to stand there while we did the work and then drive off when we were done. Hell, he didn't even bring a tarp and the dump won't accept any loads that aren't tarped. So, I had to pay him AND loan him a tarp! But - we got 'er done.

P has me on her committee of a local park and helping with the craft shows they put on twice a year. I'm not doing much - just calling all the past vendors to see if they're interested in coming back this year. We're splitting the list so that only has me calling oh....about 100 people. :o She's also dragging me to an awards banquet Saturday night. She doesn't know if she's getting an award - she was just told to be there and she didn't want to go alone. Her husband isn't THAT type of husband. You know - supportive. I know the type very well. Williamson Brothers BBQ is catering most of it so at least the food will be good. I just have to think of a side or dessert to bring. I'm thinking old fashioned mac & cheese. We'll see how the list is looking.

Nothing much else going on. Just trying to keep the fire going to keep warm.

Bust, burst, bust

Went to K-Mart today. K-Mart is a pretty good place to go and buy stuff but probably not the best place to buy what I went there for - bras. Yep, those torture devices invented by men who were tired of seeing the gravity-ridden boobs of old women flopping to and fro. I don't like seeing that either especially when it's in the mirror! The horror!!!!

But - it was time for a replacement. I used to have several bras on hand so that I could switch things up a bit but as time went by and my weight went up, my selection went down. It's much harder to find something that's not only attractive, fits, and is comfortable after you begin to experience the effects of sitting around on your ass all day and the inevitable weight gain.

As hard as it might be to believe, finally finding a replacement bra can lead to depression. Imagine this....... you've been wearing the same size bra for say, oh, the past 3 years. You don't realize that something sinister had been going on with that bra - right under your nose - quietly - gradually. Even though you NEVER put it in the dryer, it's been stretching and loosing its elasticity. It's been pulling the wool over your eyes. The wool that will be unceremoniously ripped away in an instant when you try on the prospective replacement and find that no, you're not still a 40 C. You're now a 44 D!!!!!

I was in denial. Not once. Not twice. But three freakin' times as I skulked out of the dressing room with my 1st choice and brought back my 2nd choice and then my 3rd and final choice. The bigger those damn bras got, the more depressed I got.

No wonder so many women are on Prozac when a seemingly innocent bra can rend your self-esteem and your fucking day all in one fell swoop!

Kathryn Johnston's death - police story a Krok!

"After we brought the informant in and interviewed that informant, he told us that he had no knowledge of going into that house to purchase drugs," he said. "That's what he told us. I don't know if he went in or not. We don't know if he's telling the truth."

In an interview with Atlanta's WAGA-TV, the informant said he had never been to Johnston's house.

"I'm telling them, I never went to the house," the informant told the station. "The police can't say I ever went to the house."

The informant then said police called him and told him "you need to cover our ass."

"It's all on you -- have to tell them about this Sam dude," the informant said police told him.

CNN

Seems the informant really was made up. Hell, the whole fucking thing was made up. The cops lied to the judge to get the warrant and then planted the drugs. I don't have a link to the info but Krok is doing a mea culpa on his show right now.

I'll be sure to update when the story breaks. It shouldn't be long.

Even though my argument with Krok was more about our devistating drug policy and not about the police who carried out this horrendous act, I feel vendicated.

BTW - spellcheck is still NOT working! Grrr.........

There's no place like home....there's no place like home....

Something screwy is going on with Blogger today so hopefully this will post!

Yesterday was #1's court date for her speeding ticket. She calls me on the way to ask a legal question. Like I would know the answer? I've talked to the girl 4 or 5 times in the last 4 days and yet she waits to ask about going to court while going to court? Kids!

Her question was - since she got her ticket in Dec but her court date wasn't until Jan and a new law went into effect on Jan 1st that says going 30 or more MPH over the posted speed limit is an automatic lisence suspension and 30 days in the hoosgow, will that apply to her? Ok, how the hell am I supposed to know??? I'm not a lawyer and I don't even play one on TV for chissake!

However, I am a mom and I'm supposed to have an answer for every question whether or not I'm totally blowing smoke. So I tell her, that logically, no, that wouldn't apply to her since you can't receive a punishment for something that you did before that punishment went into effect. HOWEVER! This is the law we're talking about and for the most part the law rarely is clear or fair. Then told her that I would say a prayer and keep my fingers crossed until I heard back from her. Goodbye.

She calls back in about 2 hours. Everything's cool. No suspension. No pokey. She did, however, get the previlege of paying a $250 fine. The judge wouldn't let her contest the ticket. Wouldn't let her make any arguement on her own behalf because the fucking ticketing officer wasn't in court. Say what? You get a court date. You show up ready to defend yourself. The officer's not there even though he gets the same notice from the court. So you have to come back if you want to contest the damn thing? Bunch of bullshit if you ask me!

So anyway, the judge is an ass and then goes on to prove that he's an ass. According to #1, there is a 'language' there akin to gutter talk - a slang mish-mash that only those who speak it can understand. This is how the piece of shit judge is talking and she can't understand anything he just told her! She, politely, asks him to repeat it to her b/c she couldn't quite make it out. He then proceeds to say it all over again but this time it goes something like this ----

Let.....me.....say.....it.....for.....you.....again......really.....slow......

She's standing there seething with embarrassament and rightous indignation and who the hell can blame her???

She then tells me, "I'm tired of this fucking place and I'm ready to move back to the United States!" Yeah, Hawaii might be part of the 50 states but it ain't quite like home. I totally got what she was saying.

I get another call from her about 3 hours later and she's already taken inventory of her stuff, posted ALL of it for sale, made arrangements to move in with a friend who won't charge her rent and who has a parking space (most important), and practiced how she was going to tell her commander she was leaving.

She won't be leaving until March but I'm glad that it'll be sooner than later. October was the other plan. If it goes like most other plans she makes, though - it's subject to change at a moment's notice.

I'll keep you posted.

BTW - I couldn't get the spellcheck to work so if you're distracted by any mistakes - fuck you and get the hell over it!

December - Porker of the Month

CAGW Names Sen. Tom Harkin
Porker of the Month


Washington, D.C. - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today named Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) Porker of the Month for proudly proclaiming himself to be an unabashed supporter of earmarks.


On November 25, The New York Times published a story on incoming Appropriations subcommittee chairs, or “Cardinals.” The article quoted Sen. Harkin as saying, “I happen to be a supporter of earmarks, unabashedly. But I don’t call them earmarks. It is ‘Congressional directed spending.’ ”


This is a prime example of Washington doublespeak because all federal spending is directed by Congress. Sen. Harkin implies that Congress can spend money however it wants and that earmarking is a normal part of the budget process. In reality, earmarking is a secretive, corrupting, and wasteful practice that bypasses normal budget procedures. That is why most earmarks are properly called “pork.” Furthermore, the proliferation and widespread abuse of earmarks is a relatively recent phenomenon.


The Times also noted Sen. Harkin’s habit of earmarking millions of dollars in defense spending for breast cancer research. He responded, “Now, was that bad? If you left it to the Defense Department, they never would have done it.”


The reason the Defense of Department does not conduct cancer research on its own accord is that such spending, along with thousands of other pork-barrel projects costing nearly $15 billion last year, falls outside its national security mission. In fiscal 2005, the federal government spent $560.1 million on breast cancer research through the National Cancer Institute. If Sen. Harkin wants more funding for breast cancer research, his proposal should be debated, authorized, and integrated into the federal government’s existing research framework; not snuck into an unrelated bill. The duplication of efforts across different departments and agencies weakens the government’s overall approach to all research.


Sen. Harkin, set to chair the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee in the 110th Congress, has helped to pull in $275,503,642 in pork for his state since 2000, including $1,000,000 for development of an American River Museum in Dubuque (2002) and $250,000 for the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo (2006).


A recently-announced, year-long joint resolution will apparently stave off the earmarks in the nine unfinished appropriations bills for fiscal 2007. Also, a “moratorium” on earmarks is in place until budget reforms are passed. For defending earmarking in the face of widespread agreement over its defects, for bringing home hundreds of millions of dollars in pork-barrel spending, and for muddying the priorities of federal departments, CAGW names Sen. Tom Harkin its Porker of the Month for December 2006.


The Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.

New Year's Day

We had our usual Southern fare - black eyed peas, turnip greens, mac & cheese, turkey, and dressing. We ate @ 4pm b/c #3 had to leave for work at 5pm.

During the meal, I asked if anyone had any resolutions for the year and if they would like to share them.

#2 - to pass all her classes (she always does)

#3 - to work harder at saving her money (she gave me her last paycheck and tips to deposit)

Me - to start doing more things without overly worrying that I would hurt my back again!

Husband - no, he didn't have any resolutions

So much for my hope that he might have gotten a clue at some point during the year that things were shit and wouldn't likely change unless HE was willing to help change them.

Clueless to the end.