We're not fat we're double portions of healthy!

I read an article on the New York Times about fat people pushing back on the Healthcare Debate. Saying that it’s a stereotype and that you can be fit at any size and/or weight.

Apparently a movement started by a lady in San Francisco:

Marilyn Wann is an author and weight diversity speaker in Northern California who has a message for anyone making judgments about her health based on her large physique. “The only thing anyone can accurately diagnose by looking at a fat person is their own level of stereotype and prejudice about fat,” said Ms. Wann, a 43-year-old San Franciscan whose motto in life is also the title of her book: “Fat! So?”

I don’t understand the debate. Why are we “pushing back” against the healthcare debate? You’re fat. You’re at higher risk of about every known condition because of it. The expenses to keep you “healthy” — or rather, “alive” — are astronomical compared to “thin” people. It’s not a question, it’s a fact. There’s no debate.

Here's from the same article, a few paragraphs down:

Extra weight brings with it an increased risk of chronic disease, medical experts say, and heavier people tend to have medical costs that are substantially higher than their leaner counterparts.

Come clean, lady: we’re “starting” this debate so you can feel better about yourself, right? Because you’re not fat, you’re big-boned!

I’d say “get over it” but that’s quite a task for a fatty. I mean, seriously: just take ownership here. You're excessively overweight and it affects your health. You're having trouble with the self-control required to avoid being that way. I get it. We all have our flaws. But don't blame ME for your fatness, lady. It's not a false stereotype, it happens to be factually backed-up and has severe consequences.

I hate this, I hate it when people are in the wrong but "start a debate" or something, essentially blaming EVERYONE ELSE for their shortcomings; "it's not MY fault, I don't lack self-control, I'm NOT FAT, YOU ARE ALL TOO SKINNY AND YOU'RE THE UNHEALTHY ONES! SO THERE! NANANANA!!"

Whatever. Grow… Nevermind. Don't grow. Shrink.

The importance of Neutral, Folks; Neutral

Have you heard of the Consumerist? You know, the website that deals with consumer issues? Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t (though now I guess you have), I only bring it up to ground my upcoming complaints:

Yesterday I read a story on some Consumer Reports testing of stuck accelerator pedal survival strategies. It was in reference to a recentl story about a CHP officer who — along with his family — died in a car accident in their new Lexus thingamajig. What happened apparently sparked a recall by Toyota for some 3.8 million cars & trucks (mine included) because the floor mat got stuck and caused the accelerator pedal to stick. Which is what happened to this dumb CHP officer and his poor, poor family (yes I’m going to Hell with all of my friends to suffer for eternity, I know don’t bother telling me).

They were traveling at like mach 2 and the guy called 911, they couldn’t unstuck the pedal and they crashed & died at 120mph. Cue crying.

OK now here’s where I scream “Darwin” folks, because there’s a really really simple solution to this problem, and actually TWO but one is better than the other. First and less effective is “turn the car off,” because, DUH, if there’s no power, there’s NO POWER and you don’t rocket to 120mph and DIE. The other, better option, is just to push the lever into neutral and brake like normal. I mean, what the hell? at no time PRIOR to calling 911 did he figure to try one of those? or hell, at no point during a 60-second phone call to 911 did he have this — or heck, A (singular) — thought? Really? Really, dude?

OK I got off-track a bit. Because here’s the things that really got my logic all riled. The commenters on the article were all discussing the event in question, and while a special few had the right ideas on what the dumb guy driving should have done (see above), too many to count were chastising the recommendations that would work because these people are a) stupid and/or b) legally retarded.

Everyone and their mother, it seemed, was saying that you SHOULD NEVER turn a car off at high speed because if it’s a newer model with the locking steering wheel function, then you’re stuck without steering at 120mph. This is infuriating to me because these idiots who don’t know are giving out bad advice to the other IDIOTS on the web who might someday find themselves rocketing into a bad situation at 120mph. Because here’s the deal, dipwads: IT’S NOT THE ACT OF THE KEY BEING TURNED “OFF” THAT LOCKS THE WHEEL, IT’S THE COMBINATION OF THE CAR BEING PUT INTO PARK AND THE KEY BEING REMOVED THAT DOES IT.

Which means that if you’re traveling at mach 120mph and you’re panicking on what to do because you have the silly feet and got your mat lodged into your accelerator pedal, seriously, turn the damned car off. It’ll work.

It was so frustrating to read all of that because it’s both wrong, and shows the complete lack of critical thinking skills the commenters are equipped with. Have they ever tried to turn a car off anywhere besides “Park”? No? Well then, probably not the best source of information regarding the matter then, huh? I mean, that’s pretty basic, right? If I want to learn to skydive stopping my local “We’ve never Skydived but we’re experts, trust us” shop on my way home for information is probably not my best bet nor in my best interest.

OK so that information was completely wrong, what else could get my panties all wadded up? Well like I said, that option happens to be the least-effective of the two that would work in the given situation. The more effective option is still to tap the gear lever into Neutral, and stop like normal with the brakes.

The scenario as given was that the car was accelerating like mad and life was on the line. A lot of people were wasting time killing brain cells of all that read their tripe by saying that they wouldn’t and therefore you shouldn’t put the car into Neutral in that situation, you should turn it off and fight it down to a stop against a now non-functional Power Steering unit, and non-functional Power Braking unit. Which while possible, is far from easy.

Their rationale? Because the engine will rev up and bounce off the redline, and BY GOLLY! It could be a really expensive fix to have that motor repaired if it bends a valve or blows a rod or seal.

(Kudos to you if you just pictured a large blubbery sea animal getting… You know what? nevermind)

How far down do you have to pull your stupid hat to come up with this lame-ass reason for not doing the right thing? I mean, we’re talking about a 3,000lb piece of metal hurling itself down a road at speeds man was never intended to travel, with the lives of all inside — and possibly the lives of others outside — on the line. Really guys? You know what, shut the f*ck up. Why? Because you might die, and possibly having to repair an engine is the better alternative, given the situation. So… Why? Why spread such stupidity on the web? Why misinform so many people?

If you have read those comments, if you heard the story and the stupid among you have said anything resembling the above, shut them out, and listen to me here:

IF YOU’RE PRESENTED WITH A CHOICE, THAT YOU’RE GOING TO DIE OR HAVE TO REPAIR AN ENGINE, CHOOSE THE LATTER.

Seriously. Browsing the internet, it’s good to see (sarcasm) that we still have plenty of stock of stupid. Can’t run out of that, now can we? Demand’s just too high.

Hairless & better for it? Who'd have thought

One thing that has mesmerized me for some time has been the apparent almost backwards design of us humans. It always has seemed to me that we’re extremely weak, and in most respects not worthy of our place atop the food pyramid.

Don’t misunderstand me, I a) still think that’s mostly true, and b) recognize the importance of our higher-level thought, though more on that later. Anyway. Moving on:

One such thing that got me started on it was body hair. First it was the observation that our hair patterns are basically backwards from the rest of the animal kingdom and natural selection. Really, bear with me here, OK? Think about it, or hell, turn your dog or cat over on its back and pull up on its arms. What do you notice? That’s right, a significant density difference in hair in their armpits; animals have LESS hair in their armpits. We, however, have more. Why is that? Talk about a backwards design, huh? I mean, it’s warm & moist there, and what’s more – and probably the main reason other animals have tended to shed hair from that region – it’s a major friction location. If you’re going to get rid of hairs that might just interlock from somewhere on your body, the armpit is probably a good choice.

...Unless you’re human. Then it would seem that the best place to lose body hair would be from the large, flat, exposed regions of your body, where you’re probably most likely to have a need for hair, to protect your fragile skin and to retain body heat. Yes I know that sentence contradicts itself, PAY ATTENTION, MAN!! That’s my point – we evolved backwards, we lost hair from the portions of the body that needed it most, but retained it where it is most bothersome & problematic.

It always seemed to me that we’d be better off with a layer of fur ourselves, and that the reasoning used above was a good proof that we are indeed oddballs in the great Darwinian race. And watching my dogs go swimming in ice-cold waters that I’d need a wetsuit and a sauna to even attempt a dip into.

Until recently. There was a reason I came across awhile back that has sat in the back of my head. It sat back there so long in fact, that I forgot to write anything about it. And then yesterday, with the puncture wound story about the boys, I added reason #2 to the list of reasons our hairless body design may actually be more beneficial than not.

Reason #1 was ticks. We go out hiking a lot. And by “hiking” I don’t mean wimpy Southern California Hiking where you walk a concreted path, passing women pushing baby strollers, oh no! I mean up in the mountains, hiking down to the rivers below, with the dogs on the lookout for mountain lions (editor’s note: ha, I initially wrote “mountain loins”) and elk twice as tall as we are. We’re f*cking out there, man, we’re f*cking out there. Know what else is out there? Ticks! Damn! How’d you guess? Oh wait I said that earlier didn’t I? Sh!t. So much for the element of surprise.

The dogs have Frontline Plus. And thank god, because searching through their mounds of hair to try and find these tiny little creatures is a royal pain in the ass. So much so, that we just rely on Frontline working well, and in a few days anything that’s still alive is big enough to see easily and pull off. As for us though, we don’t have Frontline, and we don’t need it either. We just strip down, inspect each other for ticks, get all turned on and then have sex (was it good for you?). It’s easy because with the exception of our scalps, we’re pretty hairless and anything that doesn’t belong is quickly spotted. No dear, that belongs there. Trust me.

Reason #2 was the puncture wound suffered by Chase. We didn’t see it at first, it sat unattended for 30 minutes, and it would have been longer had he not sat against a white door and left a red stain; we just couldn’t see any wounds through the thick layer of hair. And once it was discovered, the first thing we did was grab some scissors and trim all the hair away, to keep it clean and easily flushable. 

What if I was wounded? Hell I’ve been wounded enough in my life, I know how easy it is to clean up after a spill or a puncture or a whatever. Wash rinse repeat. Having hair would definitely complicate matters for me. 

And suddenly, I see a great logic behind our hairless evolvement. It’s not that we’re bare and for the worse necessarily, we’re masters of our environment and when we need a fur coat, we make one and put it on. When we need to get to the skin, it’s right there, plain as day. We have the best of both worlds the way we are. And now I can’t look at the dogs and think “they’re better than we are,” I can only think “why then, do we still have hair in our armpits,”and for some of us, maybe “and why one or two in the crack (you know where I refer to)?” 

And on parting, a warning: take special precautions to avoid the dreaded mountain loin. They’re deadly :-)

Is the internet & Cram sites encouraging cheating & Stupidity?

A New York Times Article examining whether or not online “study aides” are actually hurting the education of those who use them, basically helping/encouraging them to cheat. I have had a similar thought recently, when going to the internet for an answer.

You have to question, why is the answer on the internet accurate? Or rather, why would anyone bother to learn anything, if you can just “google it” and have the answer? How long until the knowledge is only held by one or two people? Or hell, no one? I took this example:

Say I look for an answer to a greywater installation issue. I type the query into google, and it links me to some yahoo answers forum where someone asked a similar question and someone answered it. See here’s the issue I have: we go to google to get answers to the questions. Right now say there’s 10 sites that answer the question because there’s 10 people that have done the legwork and figured it out. But say in a few years, since there’s an answer in yahoo answers forum that shows up on google as the first hit… well, we stop doing the legwork. Everyone just types it into google and accepts that answer. Now there’s just the one site with the question and everyone just diverts questions about it back to google which just links back to the one post, which is then I guess given “God Status;” it’s on google therefore it just is.

Who’s making sure that information is accurate? Who’s learning anymore? The internet was supposed to free the information and give it to everyone. But I think about it, and I feel like there’s a possibility we’re just leading ourselves down a path to common stupidity. “Google” will be the smarts, and whoever has the link on google will just be right, just because it’s on google. Go watch Idiocracy. Gaaaah… I can’t believe I’m recommending that movie. But watch it, and you’ll understand what I mean here.

US-Iranian reporter freed

I have been keeping tabs on this story, about a US-Iranian journalist who was accused & sentenced for spying. It would seem that the charges are probably baseless, as has been stated numerous times in the press by just about everyone in any administration.

Which I suppose might mean she’s actually the highest-level operative we have, who knows, right? It’s not like people come out and say “hey this is our top-secret spy, Frank, and he’ll be working inside your country for a while.”

Anyway. I bring it up because in reading today that she had effectively been released (figured that would happen), I came across this sentence:

”She had gone on a hunger strike in prison recently to protest her jailing but ended it after two weeks for health reasons.”

L.O.L. That’s dedication, folks. You can tell she thought that one through, eh? Wow.

Our interest in Graywater is piqued

It’s something that’s sort of piqued our interest of late. When we moved up here, the goal was to be as self-sustaining as possible, while still having access to niceties only found in the wasteful side of society (i.e. Computers, flat-screen TV, sex toys, etc…). We’ve taken to pretty much an all-organic diet, and we consider the impact of the things we do. I think we’re off to a good start. Hell, our monthly utility bill is around $30 during non-Winter months, which is pretty good.

We recently had a drain failure that really got us thinking about water, though. Our washing machine dumps into a wash sink in our utility room, and that had backed up. In trying to fix it (plunge!), we actually made it a bit worse: the length of pipe that connects to the main busted through. After we got that fixed, we realized that that wasn’t all that had busted; the main had actually developed a nice leak at the joint as well. This is not an easy fix, and with 4 dogs – two of which we’re definitely not supposed to have – we were in no hurry to call the Landlord out to inspect.

So we started doing laundry less. After all, we’re shopping for a house, shouldn’t be long, right? Yeah, right. But still, we needed to do laundry, and what we came up with was to stop up the wash sink, and bucket the stuff away. First idea was to bucket it to the tub, bypass the leak and get the water out. This worked, but we were amazed – AMAZED, I tell you – at the actual amount of water that we bucketed out when we did this. We’re talking 6-8 trips with a 5-gallon bucket, per load. Ouch.

So we considered what we were doing. We use all-natural laundry soap, so we figured, it’s not going to hurt the lawn any. Why not bucket it out to the lawn? Saves the drain in the bathroom at least. So we started doing that. And now we don’t hesitate to do laundry. And in fact, we’re happy to bucket the water out, because our lawn is doing fabulous with all the water it has access to. Seeing how wasteful it was, really gives us an idea. What’s wrong with that “greywater?” If it’s not chemical-infused, why can’t we reuse it? It makes sense.

Anyway, that’s what we’re doing now. What we’re planning on doing when we get our house (finally), is to implement something almost house-wide. We don’t use chemical detergents or additives anywhere, so all the drains are a go, save for the toilet. I think it’s a good idea, one that probably everyone should incorporate if able. According to some research I’ve come across, a family of 4 would save 38,000 gallons of water a year doing this.

Wow. Think of that. 38,000 gallons. We should all stop being so wasteful.

AIG paying (un-) trained monkeys

Have you heard the other good news? AIG, which has so far received more than $170 BILLION of taxpayer dollars, has plans to pay out $165 million in bonuses to the very executives that got them to this dance. How sweet; how criminally sweet.

They’re trying to argue that the bonuses are contractually obligated, from signed contracts that originated in early 2008, before they completely melted to the core like a Hotwheel® over a flame. And of course, the ‘bob is highly upset over this. I even have a fitting analogy ready for it!

But before we get to the analogy, let’s just quickly dissect how they’re NOT legally obligated to pay these bonuses, as far as I’m concerned. Yeah I understand there’s a contract in place, but just for the hell of it, let’s go back in time a little. To around the time AIG was on the verge of becoming insolvent. Now let’s examine the situation. Some smart executives decide to play games with people’s money, and it backfires horribly. They do so bad a job, that they drive their company to ruin; AIG can no longer function under its own business plan. The Government has to give them $85 BILLION just to make it a few more months, at which time they need even more capital, and then more again to the tune of $170 BILLION total to date.

My main argument that these bonuses are not legal stem from that fact that most senses, AIG ceased to exist. Basically, we came in and picked them up out of the gutter for the sole purpose of keeping everyone else from suffering horrendous blows to their capital. At that point (or this one, take your pick), they stopped being AIG, and you can’t enforce a contract to a party that no longer exists. There’s still three letters arranged in a a particular order on the side of a building, but it’s not AIG in the old sense; it’s just a banner over the real company’s name: The United States Taxpayers Insurance Company.

And now here’s the analogy:

It’s like a little kid – we’ll call him Little Johnny – out with its parents at the zoo. he asks mommy & daddy if he can have a cookie when they get home, and mommy & daddy say yes. But then a few hours later, they’re looking at the bonobos and Little Johnny pulls out a pipe bomb he had stuffed in his pants and shoves it up some poor bonobo’s ass and blows it into a million, blood-drenched, furry pieces. Now this wasn’t just some bonobo off the street, it was a hard-working bonobo that was the breadwinner for a family of 4 and now that family will most likely be out on the street! Well then, after the parents have to deal with the cops over Lil’ Johnny’s actions, the the zoo staff, and have to agree to pay to keep the poor bonobo family from eating out of trash cans, when they get home Johnny asks for that cookie, and says “you promised, remember!”

Yeah f*cking right. You’re grounded for LIFE, you little sh!t. You’re lucky to be alive.

How’s that for an analogy? I mean, if you run a company out of existence, then I think that maybe you shouldn’t get a cookie.

Marijuana & Pop Culture

I live in Humboldt County. It’s weed central. We have a reputation known around the world.

And I do not smoke pot. I am against it. I don’t like mind-altering, save for the hot kinky sex variety.

I still don’t hold it against the people around here that do like to smoke/grow the cannabis. Whatever. It’s a freaking weed, folks; who cares, right? If you’re not trying to get me to buy it, or you’re not showing up late to a job I’m depending on your for, because of it, I really don’t care. Do what you want to do, it’s not hurting anyone, that’s how I feel about it.

And it is so, that I don’t understand all the hoopla surrounding the recent outing of Michael Phelps as a bonger. Seriously, who cares? It’s Marijuana, not damned cocaine. How many people high on marijuana are out in public robbing people? None. Why? They’re too damned happy about life. They’re just concentrating (very intently) on their hunger. I imagine a group of no-gooders sitting around on pot, contemplating doing some nefarious sh!t going sort of like this:

“Hey man, we should go rob that guy’s house.”
“Yeah, man, he’s got tons of cool sh!t.”
“You in?”
“…”
“Man, I’m HUNGRY…”
“dude, me too!”
“You got any chips around here, man?”
“dude, I’m too stoned to get up and get them; you do it”
“nah, I’m cool”

Seriously, how come we’re not more concerned with alcohol-related crimes/misdeeds/incidents? They’re far higher in number. And what’s more, who the hell cares if he smokes pot? It obviously didn’t impair him enough to stop the 8-gold-medal run he had in China, now did it? Seems to me, everyone ought to just cool the f*ck out about it.

Just guessing, but I bet a lot of his most vocal critics are fat rich white guys who happen to be closet addicts to the much-harder, white powdery stuff. Just saying. That’s pretty typical.

Hey, I don’t like the guy. I think he’s a dork with a shower cap who swims fast because the bullies used to give him wedgies. I don’t want to meet him. I don’t think he’s cool. And even still, I just think that perhaps – perhaps – everyone should lay off the dork, and calm down.

Maybe take a hit off the pipe themselves. And chill out.

Random bob takes a few hours off with the DEATH; Sees Visions of... Walmart?

Back from the dread
Unbeknownst to you, dear reader, I damn-near died on Friday. At least once, maybe twice.

I don’t get sick all that often. I mean, I get minor sick on occasion – you know, a slight sniffle, maybe enough snot to fill a tissue, that sort of thing – but I don’t get sick often like most people do, in that I don’t spend weeks at a time at 60% capacity, complaining and feeling like general poop. No, instead what I do, is I save that up, and once every 3-5 years, I get so sick I almost die. But while it only lasts about 4 days typically, instead of the 60% the general public feels, I spend the first day of it at about 80%, then the next two days at about 25%, and the 4th day somewhere up the ladder again near 80%. This is typical.

This last time was ever-so-slightly atypical however, in that it wasn’t 80%-25%-25%-80%, it was 40%-80%-25%-80%, just to switch it up, I guess.

And honestly, friday night (night #3) might have been more like 10%, really. It was bad. It was as bad as I can remember. I had to leave work early – I haven’t missed so much as an hour’s work since 2004. Then I headed home on a warm-ish day, with the heater cranked up to full & the windows up to keep it all in. Had to talk myself into getting out of the truck when I finally reached the house, because dammit it was already cold as it was outside, plus I was going to have to walk through the shade, and then the heater in the house wasn’t on yet, to make matters worse. And once I got got psyched up enough to run to the house, I rushed inside and turned the heater on full there too, and had to hustle to make the tub ready for a warm soak, as hot air was not cutting it, and not fast enough. And it doesn’t matter how fast a spigot can turn over some warm water, when you’re as sick as I was, it’s never fast enough. And the shower at my house? Slow on a good day to begin with.

The tub seemed like a good idea. Hell, it was a good idea. Falling asleep in it might have been a little less good, but dammit, it felt oh-so-right at the time. Like heaven. Right about until the time I woke up because I was underwater, and it got just a smidgeon worse when my consciousness arose just enough to try and return the heat to the tub, only to find that the water heater had been tapped out.

I need heated towels. How cool would that be? Well, hot, I guess. At least warm. Anyway.

I spent the rest of the night either staring at the moving picture box, asleep, or sweating profusely whilst shivering, and sometimes a combination of two of those three. Maybe even all three at some point, I’m really not too sure, it was all kind of a blur to be honest. The sweating though, it was killer. When I eventually made it off the couch for good last night and into the bed, I took with me the sweats I was wearing, because I could not be convinced to put my already-shivering body onto sheets that were not somewhere north of 100º. It wasn’t happening. Then, at some point in the middle of the night, I awoke and had to take off the sweatshirt & pants, because I had sweat so bad that they were literally soaked through. Yes, I know what literally means. Yes, I understand the difference between literally & figuratively.



The Angels, they sing for me!
When I woke up the next morning, it was like a Christmas miracle in January: I was freakin’ healed. Still a little weak maybe, but still, pretty much healed. Waking up may not seem like much, but during the bulk of the day on Friday, I was pretty sure I was going to die from this. I had thoughts of how pathetic a death it would be, being undone by the flu. The Girl having to call everyone and tell them the bad news. “What was it? Did it he die while saving animals from a fire?” “no.” “Did he die while facing down armed robbers?” “no.” “What could it have been?” “the flu.” “oh…”

Morbid, I know. But that’s about how I felt at the time. SO glad Saturday came around!



Seen but not believed while sick on the couch
It was all kind of a blur, so I may at some level be making this up, but I swear I think I saw a commercial for Walmart advertising how awesome their gift cards are. Like, some mom got one for her kid, and she’s telling us how much he likes it, because it can use it on almost anything at walmart!

What, you mean like Cash? Like he could use Cash on almost anything at walmart? Like that?

Seriously, let’s get this straight OK? Gift Cards are a total waste of time, money & effort, put bluntly. Think of about this: if they’re as good as cash, why not just give cash? And what’s more, the reality is, they’re not nearly as good as cash. You give me S20, I can buy $20 worth of whatever I want, from wherever I want. You give me $20 in walmart gift cards, I can only spend it at walmart. That I never shop at.

Look, gift cards only make sense if you are paying less for them than their value. That should be the tradeoff for the lock-in. Otherwise, you’re getting f*cked pretty hard. You drive there, you wait in line, you give them cash money of a particular denomination – say $20 – which they then turn into a plastic version that’s not accepted at all the same places cash is accepted, and has fine-print limitations on top of that at the one place it is accepted. Seems like a total scam to me.

Was it real? Was I delirious to that extent? I hope so. I hope that wasn’t really what they were trying to get me to believe: that a card of a particular denomination as a $20 but with less utility is somehow better. But then again, it was a walmart commercial. Totally feasible.



Literally. Not figuratively.
The sweatshirt I tried to put back on Saturday morning could not be worn. It was still sopping wet. I had to throw it in the dryer with a towel for 20 minutes before it began to be dry enough to wear, and an additional 10 to get it to what I would consider “dry.” So, yeah. There.

Close Calls at the 'Bob household

Rheumatoid and The Girl
For the last year or so, The Girl has had the misfortune of having a case of swollen knuckles. They come and go and are usually accompanied by some strange red “lumps” around the knuckles as well. It seems that during the Winter has been the worst, and finally this time around we decided that it was getting scary enough that she should seek medical advice on the matter.

This was made scarier by the mention of Rheumatoid Arthritis by the lady that caught sight of them when she was renewing her Birth Control.

We don’t currently have insurance, because… well, we don’t fall ill often and we tend to heal. And we’re legitimately together, so it’s not like we’re scared of coming up with Genital Warts or something, and the cost of insurance is still high, especially when you consider that you still have to shell out the dough for Co-Pay when you visit the doctor. I mean, wtf, really. You pay insurance, so that you can visit the doctor, and pay again. Seriously, I think something’s amiss here.

Plus, the last time I saw a doctor was for a routine physical, where I caught something and damn near died 3 days later, so yeah, no thanks I think I’ll stay the f*ck away from all the sick people.

Anyway, $157 dollars later and we were waiting on a phone call for the results of the blood work. And spending free time researching information on – and treatments for – the disease.



Early Call
We were expecting to be called no earlier than Saturday (today) but more than likely have it put off until Monday. Yesterday however, she got the call while I was at work. It came back negative.

Which is both great news and a little, tiny bit of a bummer. Because, if it’s NOT RA, then what the hell is it? It’s got to be an allergy to something, but god knows what, right? I’m currently thinking it might have something to do with her coffee regimen. No, seriously. During the Winter, she drinks more of it (and all the strange stuff she adds to it). She also had some flare-ups in late spring, near finals for that ending semester at school, during which time she was drinking coffee more heavily again.

It doesn’t seem to be a topical thing as much as an internal thing, so I’m sticking to dietary items, but there’s also the idea that it’s related to the flocking on the inside of the dishwashing gloves, though I doubt it. What else could it be? I’m thinking that perhaps a call to the family doctor (read: Daddy Dr. Stepdaddy) is in order.

Hopefully it’s not too early.



Silver Lining imagined, disintegrates
One good side to the RA thing was that it would be a legitimate reason to not have kids. Why don’t you guys have kids? Because she has a disease that appears to be at least partially hereditary. Would put a quick stop to all that discussion rather quick.

C’est la vie. It was not meant to be, though. Kids are still on the table. Damn.

How to Cure Hiccups

I’ve seen too many people suffering needlessly. I have to share this. Look, if you’re suffering form hiccups currently, are you have in the past, or you think you may in the future… if they run in the family, perhaps you know someone that suffers; here’s how to cure hiccups. It works. Seriously, it works, you just have to trust me, and do as I say, to the letter. Hiccups are caused by a spasming diaphragm below your lungs. What you want to do it calm it. So here’s what you do:

1. Hyperventilate for a few seconds. Breath in deeply, rapidly (but not too rapidly). Warm your lungs up.

2. Now that the lungs are warmed, prepare yourself. Are you prepared? Good.

3. Take a deep breath, and then hold it. Now that you’ve just taken that deep breath, take in just a little bit more, and hold it.

4. OK so you’ve taken in a DEEP breath plus some, and you’re holding it. It’s a lot of pressure, I know. You probably feel it against your throat, right? Don’t worry. You only have to hold it for like 40 seconds.

5. Yes, 40 seconds. Dammit don’t argue, just do it. You can do it.

6. 1,2, skip a few… 40. OK, notice anything? That’s right, the hiccups are gone.

How does this work? I don’t know exactly. I learned from my dad when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It’s worked each and every time for me since then without fail, and it’s never failed anyone else that I’ve told it to. I think it has something to do with stretching the diaphragm out and keeping it like that, though I’m still notquite sure of the mechanics. Look, don’t worry about it, alright? But forget drinking a cup of water upside down with a wrench between your knees or something like that (don’t look at me like that; what you never had a crazy uncle?). Just take a deep breath + some, and then hold it for 30-40 seconds. Works every time.

And spread the word; random bob is full of useful, pertinent advice that will get you laid.

Topglock.com: Politically Clueless & Stupid; not worth your time

I have to share an email I got and the response I sent back. But first I suppose a little background: I am FOR guns. I do believe that the population should have access to weapons, NOT just the governing body; to me, that’s some low-hanging, “we’re your overlords now” fruit that’s just ripe for the picking. Anyway. So when I moved out of So Cal, I wanted to arm myself appropriately. I figured on a simple pistol. Nothing major, I’m not planning on fighting the Russian infantry or anything, right? Just something to protect my family should anyone ever decide to enter with intent to cause harm.

So I registered with a website to check out prices & such; topglock.com. Well I registered my ‘junk’ email address because I figured I might get spammed. Was right! Most of it is legitimate self-advertising, so I don’t much mind. I figured, what the heck, if I ever actually DO decide to purchase, it might be from them and I’d like to keep abreast of any deals.

Well I won’t be purchasing from topglock.com, you can now rest assured. Their president is a flaming idiot. And by “flaming idiot,” I mean “blind following republican.” They’re one in the same, anyway.

I got a politically-charged email, urging me to vote the right way this November 4th, and according to him, that was for McCain. Because, apparently, without understanding of the terms “marxism” and “socialism,” he feels comfortable using them as labels still. Well here, I’ll let you read it:

I am a patriot and a true believer in the American ideal. I’ll share some of my story with you. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family. My father was a building contractor, custom cabinet business owner, and apartment complex owner. My mother worked in the banking industry and took care of my brothers and me. I’ve always been taught to do one thing in life: “Do whatever you want to do…but do it as good as you can.” To my parents, it didn’t matter what I chose to do in life as long as I did it to the best of my ability.

I looked up to my father’s success and often asked, “How do you become an entrepreneur/business owner?” His answer was, “You just do it. Find something you love and just do it.” In high school and throughout my twenties, I found that answer to be frustrating and irritating beyond belief, but now I see the truth of it. I still wish that I would have been coached better and been able to sit in the office rather than push-mow acres of lawn, work in the stain room of the cabinet business, and sweep parking lots, but I owe my work ethic to that as well.

After some soul searching and inspiration, an idea or two, and a small loan, I started this business from a small apartment, being newly married and with a new baby, often working 20-hour days. Over nearly 10 years, I’ve managed to build this business to a respectable level with the help, dedication, and overwhelming support of some wonderful co-workers. I’ve stood tall in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. I’ve challenged the status quo in this industry and the “good ole boy’s network” that is prevalent here. As a result, I can look my children in the eye, look in the mirror and like what I see, and sleep well at night. We have and will continue to have challenges, but I will try to face each one with the same honesty and devotion to my employees and customers that I always have.

My point is not to brag, but to inspire. I started from next to nothing and built my success on hard work and dedication. This Presidential election is very much about that. Barack Obama is the first truly Marxist-leaning Presidential candidate that we have had in this country. ‘Marxist’ may seem like a strong word to throw out there, but look at what he has proposed. He is unabashedly in favor of a redistribution of wealth. Although that may sound nice to some, those people need to realize that all that will happen is a decay of our society as well as the beginning of the takeover of our American ideals. This country is about the ideal that a single person can make it happen for him or herself. Obama’s ideals are those that wish to take that away from you.

Think it isn’t happening? Take a look at the $1 trillion+ bailout that we are paying for. Our country now owns banks and private industry. I have to ask: where does it stop? We are marching ever further towards a socialist economy, led there by the people that we elect. In fact, my friend and I started the website www.dontbailout.com that sells t-shirts illustrating the people behind this enormous mess. My questions about the economic disaster are: “Where is the truth?” Who is to blame?” “And why aren’t these people being publically hung for what they have done?” The answer is that many in our government would have to answer for it and they aren’t about to investigate themselves.

So on to the Second Amendment. Let’s truly understand why our founding fathers put that in The Constitution. It wasn’t for self-protection (that is a natural right). It was to protect us from abuse of power from the government. I am in no way advocating starting a revolution, but if you can see past the horizon, you will see there is a point that we will need that power. There is a point that we will need to stand up and say, “NO MORE!” Look up what communist/socialist/Marxists nations do to gun ownership. I urge to you look at the facts and remember what becomes of socialist and Marxist nations before you consider your vote this November. Although you may not have all the faith in McCain (I certainly understand that feeling), please realize that at least he is not a socialist/Marxist and destroyer of the American ideal. Vote conservative and take the time to teach people around you about the American ideal and the importance of their vote. It is a sad day when polls show that nearly 50% of the people of this country are completely brainwashed and have no understanding of the country that they live in.

Here are some YouTube videos that may be inspiring for you to watch and listen to:

Obama on abortion with a rebuttal by McCain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGFPR6H6aE

Obama on taxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=491_5WxfcgI

Newly uncovered audio of Obama on redistribution of wealth (socialism/Marxism) and cover story of DrudgeReport.com on 10.27.2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck

Call the McCain campaign and urge them to start fighting with the gloves off! This is OUR nation and if we are to have a defender of it, I would personally like someone who is willing to kick the hell out of the other side of the aisle rather than someone who is willing to reach across it. McCain needs to realize that and finally see what is at stake here.

Best of luck to all and remember to vote!

Eric R. Thompson

President

TGSCOM Inc.

And of course if you know me, you know you don’t send a politically-charged anything unless you’re ready to discuss fact & theory, right?

You can just take me right off your mailing list then.  Shameful.  You're woefully uninformed, sir.  buzzwords may sound nice, but it's the meaning that matters.  "Marxism."  "Socialism."  Blah.  You don't truly understand what these words even mean, yet you are attaching them to someone you don't understand, and you haven't even bothered to look at the issues and the plans that follow them.  Yes, I know, he's BLACK OMG!!!!

Got news for you: the tax system always has been and always will be a system of redistribution.  That's EXACTLY what it was set up for and WHY it is tiered the way it is.  And it makes perfect sense; the people who make the most have the most ability to help support the system.  You idiots fail to realize certain, basic facts:  The richer you are, typically the more people you have working underneath you doing a LOT of the work.  These people are NOT paid according to the money they bring in.  If everyone was paid based on their ACTUAL contributions, you know what we'd have?  Communism.  Actual, true, theoretical, by-the-book communism.  

We don't like that, we like the idea that if you can organize the means of production in your favor, you deserve the spoils.  OK, but the fact remains that the people at the top are NOT doing the brunt of the work despite getting the brunt of the pay;  I fail to see how the CEO of Countrywide earned his MILLIONS of dollars, or the CEO of AIG, or hell, let's even throw some non-defunct company CEOs in the mix, too.  If we were each paid by the amount of actual work we did, the ditch diggers would be the rich men.  Here in America though, we like to believe that the guy sitting in the truck drinking a Coke and telling the ditch diggers how & what to do deserves more money.  We call it "Capitalism."

PAYING INTO THE TIERED TAX SYSTEM ALLOWS YOU TO CONTINUE SKIMMING PROFITS OFF OF THE LABOR OF THOSE BELOW YOU; IF YOU CONTINUE TO GIVE THE TAX BREAKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED IT LEAST AND FORCE THE TAX BURDEN ONTO THOSE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE THE MOST, THE SYSTEM FACES THE VERY REAL REALITY OF FALLING APART.  IT'S THE RICH-POOR DIVIDE, AND THE FACT IS THAT THE RICH MAKE UP A PALTRY % OF THE PUBLIC, AND THE POOR ARE THE VERY-VAST MAJORITY -- YOUR MONEY WILL NOT SAVE YOU WHEN THEY COME WITH PITCHFORKS TO TAKE YOUR SPOILS, AND SIR I'M AFRAID EVEN YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH BULLETS IF THAT DAY EVER COMES.

You don't want mutiny, you want status quo; you want everyone to be happy where they're at in the scheme of things.  Helping to keep the working class easily above water does many good things for EVERYONE.  If they have money to spend, that money will probably go to you.  Yeah you'll probably get taxed an extra 3% on those dollars you earn ABOVE $200K, but you'll have more of them to be taxed on anyway.  And furthermore, if they are not worried about slipping into poverty, they're less likely to critically examine the fact that they're doing most of the work and getting pennies on the dollar for their effort; they'll remain gleefully employed at their current state, happy to continue playing the game, and by extension, let YOU and other moderately-and-above wealthy people continue to play the game & make money for many years, for work you are no longer actually doing.

But hey, let's give trickle-down economic theory a go, right?  It might work!  Except, you know, for every-freakin'-time it's ever been tried.  Oh yeah, Reaganomics worked so well.  And hey, it's worked so well the last 8 years, too!  Let's take a look at the similarities, huh?  Inflation during both times?  High.  1980's we have loose oversight and the S&L collapse.  2000's we have loose oversight and the Financial/mortgage collapse.  Recession fears (and reality!).  Divide between rich & poor grows.  More people out of work.  Tax breaks go to the RICH instead of those making the least and who could probably use a tax break the most...   Coincidence?  Really?  Think so?

Suffice to say, I will not be buying from you.  You're scarily out of touch with reality.  But hey, go ahead, keep spouting fear & hate for that which you don't understand, and hey while you're at it, keep not looking into the facts of the matter or studying the economy & history and all those nifty buzzwords you keep throwing around without true understanding.  Keep the 'labels' alive, man.  You're a prime example of why we need better education in America.

Obama's not going to fix everything, he might not even fix that much.  But stopping the ship from sinking sounds like a much-needed improvement for our condition, rather than continuing the rich-folk spending & hoarding spree that got us to this dance.

I used to be registered republican.  I actually support the basic premise; the 'ideals' of republicanism, like personal responsibility, less gov't, etc.  But the reality is, the GOP does NOT do this.  They are corrupt.  They say all this pretty stuff, they say they're for "family values" thereby implying no one else is, which isn't true.  But the fact of the matter is, while you & everyone else like you is focusing on these buzzwords they throw around, they're legislating your house & home away.  Less gov't?  This has been the single biggest expansion of US gov't ever over the last 8 years.  They're taking away your personal liberties (have you read the PATRIOT act? you should).  They're giving money to themselves, and that money is coming from YOU AND ME.  Only the "in crowd" is benefiting.  So while I support the republican ideals, I reluctantly side with the democrats, because despite how you and your cronies like to frame them, the legislation usually is actually in line with my core republican beliefs.

When's the last time a republican balanced the budget?  It took a DEMOCRAT to do it, didn't it?  Personal responsibility?  Yet the republicans are knee-deep in deficit-spending; they're spending money that they don't have as a staple of their policy.  How is that "responsible?"  Answer that!

Now let's also specifically tear apart your linked bullshit:

ABORTION:
that video was terrible.  What, if you inject middle-school humor you suddenly have a point?  OK then, YOU answer the question, dipshit!  What, from conception?  Well then when's that?  Well any answer you're about to give seems like a rather arbitrary answer, and if YOU can arbitrarily come to a conclusion, WHY CAN'T I?  OK so I will:  Life starts in your balls.  And each time you jerk of, you're GUILTY of MURDER!!!!  And each time your wife has a period and wastes an egg, SO IS SHE.  And I will pass legislation to charge you as such.  Sound fair?  Or sound arbitrary?  But don't you see, that's EXACTLY what you're doing by deciding FOR EVERYONE when or what it is.  

His answer is FAIR.  It's a difficult question that is really dependent on the person involved, their religious & scientific beliefs, and other life experiences.  He cannot answer unequivocally for YOU, and as such, you shouldn't be able to answer unequivocally for HIM or ME or ANYONE else.

To fashion laws that only allow your point of view on the matter is DANGEROUS.  But it seems, anyone who doesn't support YOUR opinion, even if they do so in an articulate fashion with good rationale, is worthy of "warning."  

Passing laws to tell people what they can think is a very slippery slope.  Have you ever stopped to consider what happens if one day what YOU think is not in line with what the ruling class decides is fashionable or correct?  What then?  What if someone DOES decide that having a period or squeezing one off in the shower is a form of abortion; sort of "murder by inaction," for failing to create what could have been a human life.  What then?

This, in essence, goes against the very idea of gov't staying out of people's lives; you're trying to actively insert gov't into people's personal lives, legislating what they should believe and making them conform as such.  Ever think of it in that perspective?  So.... gov't is bad if they want to create social programs to lift up the populace, but it's good if they want to legislate what you believe?  This does not compute.

TAXES:
Wtf are you smoking?  It must be some good republicanized shit.  You're not actually showing anything that proves a point.  Have you an understanding of the tax plans?  Do you KNOW that "Joe the Plumber" isn't even a licensed plumber?  Or that the company he "plans to buy" doesn't even do enough business to qualify for that tax bracket?  And do you understand that this TAX INCREASE OMG!!! only affects people making over $200K annually?  What percentage of the population is that?  Want to take a guess?  The fact is, the MAJORITY of the population makes far less than that.  And did you bother to understand the full meaning of what Obama had to say?  That IF THESE TAX PLANS HE HAS IN MIND HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR THE LAST MANY YEARS, JOE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE ENOUGH TO HAVE ALREADY MADE THE PURCHASE, instead of talking about it in terms of future-tense still, in the year of 2008.

Of course you don't see all this; you're still too busy smoking that republican weed I like to call "I'm white & ignorant and therefore better,"  and searching for those reality blinders you need to put on before you leave your house for the day.

You should read a book.  I would recommend starting with something in History, and then moving on to Economic Theory and the history thereof.  Education would do you good.  I'd stay away from Porky Pig though, I don't think he's very intelligent;  that may be the reason you're so damn ignorant – the pigs you're hanging out with are bad influences.

So spread the word; topglock.com should maybe instead be called “Top Cock?” I’d vote for that. Sh!t, I mean, talk about being disconnected from any sort of reality. And hey, if you’re brave enough, you can even try and go to those links. They’re “great,” and by “great” I mean “Steaming piles of hateful, misinformed propaganda.” Which aren’t the same thing, but I was trying – for what, like 4 words? – to be nice to the guy.

Let’s all hope that he goes and gets that Education he so desperately needs.

Oldest, Least Funny Joke in HISTORY

OK so let’s set the stage: You’re outside washing your car or truck or van or horse & buggy, right? Someone, probably a neighbor or three, or maybe some guy that isn’t even from around your parts, sees you.

What’s the punchline?
“Hey you want to wash mine next?” or something similar.

Hey look, it’s not funny. It’s not cute, it’s been done before, probably a couple of times at least just today before you yourself said it again. It’s telegraphed, too easy to spot, and the polite smile & chuckle you get in return is actually code for “die you flaming moron.”

If you want to handle the situation even remotely well, avoid this classic “joke.” Maybe just mention that the car/truck/van/horse & buggy is looking clean, maybe even mention that yours needs cleaning too, if you must say something about it. Maybe even skip all that and just go for acknowledgement, as in “I see you’re cleaning your car/truck/van/horse & buggy today.”

But whatever it is you do, avoid the “wanna wash mine next” joke. Please. America is depending on you.

This Bailout is a False Idol

Utter bullsh!t if you ask me. Why are the rich people so against welfare handouts, yet so willing to ask for them? So let me get this straight: we can’t afford to insure the uninsured, the people with the least in this country, but when the greedy, richest 1% act recklessly and get their companies near financial ruin, we should give them $700 BILLION, with no restrictions?

Does this sound right to you? What strikes me as really off in this whole matter, is they weren’t willing to help out the “regular folk” who are in financial crisis (mortgages), but they’re willing to step up and give executives who earn 10’s of millions of dollars a year and ran their companies to ruin all the help they DON’T need? I’m sorry, but if you’re making millions and you still do a sh!tty job, then rot in hell for all I care. If you’re not going to bail me out, why the hell should I – who has considerably less funds – bail you out, who’s already rich?

You want to stem the financial crisis? Give it to those who are going to suffer, not to those who are going to be driving their $60,000 Mercedes-Benz home to their $3 million mansion regardless.

All these people that keep thinking the Republicans are doing us good. Sorry folks, but think of this: During the 1980’s our financial situation was dire; high inflation, bad economic times, the Savings & Loan debacle… Then around 1992, that all changed. The US went on to have probably the most prosperous times of the modern age, rivaled only by the decade following WWII. Then around the year 2000, housing prices started climbing, reaching values in certain locations (So Cal especially) that were 400-500% higher in the span of about 5 years. During this time, wages did not move up at all. Gas prices rose 400%, and unemployment jumped to the highest in years.

Now step back. 1980’s? The Republicans were in office, trying out “Trickle-down Economics.” Reagan & Bush Sr, remember? Loosened oversight on their part & deregulation led to the collapse of the S&L’s, which required a government bailout (YOUR tax dollars, saving the rich: Corporate welfare). And while this was going on, the rich were getting tax breaks! So they were supporting themselves less, and you were supporting them more!

Around 1992? Clinton comes to office and undoes most of these Republican mantras. The rich start paying equitable taxes and have less loopholes to work. Better welfare programs are put into place to help out those who need it most. And we enter our modern “golden age,” where our unemployment was terrifically low, wages were competitive, and the US’s world standing was respectable.

Around 2000, Bush Jr takes office, and repeals the taxes on the richest of the crowd. They deregulate the markets and throw away oversight. The housing market balloons up like a bubble, and unemployment rises as wages stagnate. US productivity starts to decline, and now we find ourselves being asked to give $700 BILLION to the rich. These are the a**holes that wanted deregulation. These are the a**holes that made millions & BILLIONS of dollars off of their reckless behavior. And now that they’ve run their companies into financial dire straits, they want a free handout from the government. The Democrats are arguing that if they get a bailout, they need to forfeit their excessive salaries, seeing as how they’ve only proved they don’t deserve them.

The bush regime, however, is balking at this. They think these ultra-rich should just be given the money with no strings. Does this sound fair to you? It does to your republican overlords, folks. See? It doesn’t matter what they say; they’re going to continue to preach “Family Values” because it sounds good, they’re going to lie to you and say that they’re on your side. But ignore their lies; look at their actions, instead. Look at what they’re really, truly doing to you, the average American.

Actions speak louder than words, right? Which is why I’m voting against the Republicans. Join me: Let’s put America back on the right track: BY the people, FOR the people! WE are the people; we’re 80% or more of the population, the rich are a mere, paltry fraction of that! Let’s stop letting them get all the perks, at our expense!

Tacoma only 85%, & Politics and History

So about those options…
I mentioned 3. I had ordered three. Showed up to pick up the Taco?

Saw two. Suh-weet.

The Running boards & Roof Rack made it on. The Skid Plate? Not so much. Didn’t actually exist on the Tacoma. I figured what happened was this: The original new truck was ordered but had the skid plate pre-installed when they got it, so they didn’t order it. However, when the original new truck was returned and the NEW new truck was ordered & then delivered, no one caught that little detail.


Until, that is, random bob showed up on the scene.

Found the sales manager – who was not happy to see me – and got it straightened out. He pretty much verified that what I thought was probably the issue was indeed the issue. Yeah, he was a little worried at first sight of me. He’s been well-trained that seeing the ‘bob ususally means that something is the matter. But it wasn’t that bad this time, and he was on top of it. Should be in by Monday. Suh-weet.

It sucks a Tad. Not this Tad. But just a little bit.

Doesn’t matter too much however, as I’m not putting the truck to the test until I get the Shell, anyway. I mentioned it before, but I’m not going anywhere in it for too long without the dogs. Especially now with the new guys. Yeah. Little bastards. I’m out eating right now. They’re probably eating more speaker wires as I type.

Dammit.



What the funk: Politics
I don’t get it. The public has an abysmally-low rating of the current presidency, led by monkey-boy Georgie Bush. Like, abysmally-low. Yet somehow, McCain’s not only running, but according to one pole at least, is in the lead?

So let me get this straight: The American People don’t like bush anymore, feel they’ve been lied to & misled for the last 4-8 years, and want change. Then see fit to essentially re-elect him? In the form of McCain? Who’s essentially the Bush Candidate reincarnated, but older (is that possible?)?

Holy f*ck. Canada, come save us. Apparently, we’re too stupid to do it ourselves. We need an intervention.

You know, I really think we should re-think that whole Civil War thing. The South may have been on to something. I sure as hell don’t want them dragging me down. Let them be their own collection of idiots, I say.

I say a lot, I know. But I definitely say that.

Fonolo, Honesty in Web Sites, & Avoiding Buses in Canada

Fonolo: Sign me up
You haven’t heard of it yet most likely, but I urge you to go and read about it in-depth. The basic low-down though, is that it’s a website that has already mapped out all the phone trees of all the large corporations. Log on, find the service/person you want, call them (fonolo) and they hook you right up and transcribe the call, as well.

How sweet.



DPReview.com: Negativity is frowned upon? Way to keep it honest, guys
After my recent tirade about our horrible experiences with Canon Elphs, I went to this site to write my reviews/experiences on both the SD870 model & the SD1000 model. I wrote the reviews, but they never showed up on the site.

Apparently, you’re not allowed to create a truthful review pointing out actual issues with real hardware. Which I think is horrible. How the hell do you have a site composed of user reviews, but censor/delete/not post reviews by those users? It’s doubly as bad, having read their ‘rules’ on reviews, first of which is “don’t write reviews about hardware you have not used,” and one of the first reviews I saw that day was a review by someone about a just-announced (and not released) camera that so much as said “I haven’t used this camera, but there others are good so I’m sure this one will be too.”

Anyway… The Girl got hers back yesterday, and all seems dandy. They replaced the whole optical unit and it seems to be working flawlessly anymore. Mine was sent away, and if Canon can fix the issues and make them not come back, then I’ll be satisfied.

We went and looked at other brands of cameras, just in case. Truthfully, none of the others are anywhere in the neighborhood of Canon’s equipment. So I’m still pulling for them.



Holy f*ck, Canada’s becoming America
Found this sad news on another blog I stop by occasionally. Holy cow, is it not totally horrible? I linked it to a friend of mine over IM, and his response was to “never send me anything like that in the future.”

So, having just read that, why don’t you go ahead and hop on over and read it? And then you, too, can wonder: “no one bothered to – I don’t know – help?”