Cr@p, Cr@p, Cr@p

A while back, I lugged all of our teak patio furniture around the house and into the garage so I could oil the pieces and put them back out on the patio. The wood has to be very dry before you oil it and it can't get wet again until it sets or it just stays tacky forever. Normally not a huge deal, but for some reason, it is taking a lot of time this year. I tend to do it once a year to keep it looking nice and not greyed out and dry.

I got most of the table done and two chairs one afternoon. I left them in the garage with the other two chairs to dry because we were getting rain the following day. Well some time goes by and the husband wants or needs to do something in the garage...the table looks done for the most part (I only had the legs left to do) so he moves (without asking me first if I was done) the table and the two chairs that are done back onto the patio. Normally, I would be thankful for not having to carry them myself, but since I wasn't done with the table, I was a bit irritated. Since then, I have been waiting for a day that is 2 or 3 days after the last rain (so the table will be dry enough), that will not be followed by rain the next day (so it will be set) so I can finish the legs on the table. Mix this with trying to fit it in with my school schedule and you have my dilemna. Oh, and don't forget that you can't do this when it is cold...the oil will never set if it is cold.

Well this week, my first week to breathe at all (and I do have school work to do, just nothing as big as a paper) was supposed to be my "get things I have been putting off for this paper, done" week, and today was supposed to be my day to do that table. We haven't had rain in a few days, the humidity level has been low so I figure the table is nice and dry. We aren't supposed to get rain again until Thursday and it is supposed to be in the mid 70's today and tomorrow...perfect window, right?

Except that as I have am sitting here, the entire sky has clouded over and it looks like it might rain....grrr. Damn weather channel. They don't know what the hell they are saying. Guess I will be lugging that table back to the garage for a few days or I will never get this thing done.

Note: we are supposed to be back down into the 30s at night by the weekend....I have to move quick or I will never get this task accomplished.

Back in the Land of the Living

Just in time for the night of the dead...haha. I finished up the rough draft last night and boy is it rough...oh well, I have the next few weeks to polish it up along with loads of other school work to do but I keep telling myself this is the last class and I can make it!!!

I have 5 pumpkins that need some carving and a butt load of other stuff to accomplish this week (I have been putting everything off for my school deadline last night). Feels good to be doing something other than school.

I won't even begin to list the things I need to do, it will make both me and you sad.

Better run for now!!!

Black cat adoptions banned on Halloween - Yahoo! News

It seems to me that the issue would be less that they were going to be abused and more that they would be abandoned after the novelty of the holiday wore off. People do weird things to fit in or create a look but it wears off and then they are stuck with this black cat that they don't "need" anymore.

I never even thought that people would adopt them for satanic or otherwise rituals. I am sad to hear that black cats aren't adopted as frequently...I might just have to adopt one sometime to help them out.

Finally

I ended up resending the original email to him. He finally emailed me back today and even posted some example papers for us to look at....thanks buddy, since the rough draft of this 20 page paper is only due on Sunday...thanks for finally giving us some guidance on it.

Irritation

Nothing irritates me more when I have a deadline than a professor that WON'T RETURN EMAILS!!!!!

Overwhelmed But Still Kicking

For whatever reason our professor found that having 3 major deliverables due on one day was the way to go...I am treading water but keep thinking about the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I will actually have at least two weeks off once I get this stuff in but until then, I am going a million miles an hour to get everything in by Sunday.

Blogrolling Extravaganza

Wow!!! From looking at my blogroll at this instant...it looks like everyone went blogging crazy and updated their blogs this morning...I know that is not the case, as I read all the updated ones earlier.

I don't know what it going on with Blogrolling lately but it seems that either no one has updated or everyone has...oh well, enjoy it while it lasts...looks like all you all (I live in the SE remember) have been busy this morning....haha.

Interesting Finds

I was shooting some macros the other day, right around dusk, while waiting for someone to move out so I could find a geocache, when this little guy came buzzing up near me. I was in a little garden and I am sure the petunias nearby were quite the draw this late in the fall.

I had no idea what he was, but he didn't frighten like a regular hummingbird and there seemed to be too many feet for it to not be a bug. I was checking out my terrible pictures of it and was able to do a search and find that there is a hummingbird moth and that is what I was seeing. This is not my photo but I put the credit and link in the alt text if you want to see more of Rick Scott's work.

I found a cool site that has all the stages as well as the catapiller (which looks a lot like the tomato hornworm) that you might want to check out if you have time. It is called birds-n-garden.com and this link will take you directly to the Hummingbird Moth section but I am sure the rest of the site is awesome as well.

Oh, and in my quest to identify this guy, I found this other site called What's That Bug that has some great info and photos that people turn in. That is the initial place I landed and identified this moth from.

Bush signs terror interrogation law - Yahoo! News

As much as I want those responsible for 9/11 to be punished (or let's be honest, even killed), I think that this bill is the wrong way to go. Seems that we are stepping all over the Geneva Conventions and we will be lucky if our troops who end up in someone else's control (POWs) in the future are not treated badly. We can't shout "What about the Geneva Conventions?" from our pedestal when we hear our own troops have been mistreated if we pass bills like this.

Please note: the above is not the only reason I think this bill is wrong, but it is one of the more pressing reasons.

Discovery

Found this today on Post Secret and thought I would share...you will enjoy yourself, believe me. Give it a try...I love the voice when you click "Fresh sheet"...reminds me of my sister for some reason.

Bubblewrap

Spinach E. Coli outbreak linked to cow manure - Yahoo! News

The question still remains...could washing the spinach at home before consuming have helped?

Flying Observations

Okay...again, I can't stand cell phone users on planes. I don't understand why people feel the necessity to talk to someone the second before take off and the second after landing...I mean, give me a break. As soon as phones can be turned on, you hear all these conversations start up or phones start ringing...no one needs to talk on the phone that much.

There was one guy in particular that I found completely hilarious. I think he wanted to impress all of us with his technology. He had a blackberry like thing strapped to his hip, a cell phone, and a laptop, which he managed to use right up until take off. During the flight, he kept using the blackberry like thing with a headphone and I am almost positive at one point when he went to the restroom, it was to use the phone. They will need to put in cell phone detectors in the bathrooms too. He kept taking out his technology to make sure that everyone saw it...he was so pleased with himself. I just laughed.

What is really funny is that some would consider me to be a techno geek...I mean I do have two computers that are networked in my house and I use them pretty much the entire time I am awake and home...not to mention the fact that I am finishing up a degree in computers this fall.

Unfortunately, I don't buy into the whole handheld bit. Reading email on a 2 by 1 screen doesn't sound like fun regardless of the set up of the keyboard. Taking crappy little pictures on a cell phone or using it for MP3s also doesn't grab me. I love my Ipod, and my digital camera, I don't need them in a cellphone, for that matter, I don't need a cell phone. Yes, there are times when it would be convenient but not enough for me to bother with @sshole companies that want an arm and a leg to lock you into crappy service for 2 years.

Anyhow, I have gotten away from my original thoughts....I find airports and planes amazing places to people watch and people never fail to amuse me.

Finished and Home

I am home from my short trip...it was great to see family that I hadn't seen since the mid 90's even if it was under bad circumstances. The flights were not bad at all and it makes me think that going up to visit again when J can come too might be fun.

I have tons of observations to make about everything from accents to grief but I need to gather my thoughts and unpack!!!!

Talk to you later...

On The Road Again

I'll be away from home for a couple of days...so if you don't hear from me that is why. I might be able to post, might not...we'll see I guess.

Finished up the deliverable for school that has been haunting me all week...whew!!!!! At least that is one thing down...only 47 million more to go...haha.

Hard To Watch

Why is it that Detroit Animal Cops is the hardest one for me to watch? The animals just seem to much more mistreated and the lousy winter weather doesn't help. I have seen Animal Cops from other cities but Detroit has to be the roughest....poor animals.

Did You Know...

that if you are using a service for your blog other than Blogger and noticed that your site is never listed as "recently updated" on blogrolls from Blogrolling, you can add some code to your template to change that? I know some people probably don't care but I know I would get more reading in on the blogs that don't show up as "recently updated" if they did...unfortunately if you are using Wordpress, it can't be done but most of the others are possible. If you go to this site...it explains what code you have to add in order to have blogrolling pinged that you have updated.

This of course does not explain why no blogs are reading as recently updated this week...I don't know if is a Blogrolling thing or just a Weblogs thing...

Grrrrr!!!!!!

Is Yahoo going slow and lame for anyone but me?????

Any what the hell is going on with Blogger beta??? I swear they have made commenting absolutely impossible.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the fact that Blogrolling is not updating my recent list so it looks like no one is blogging, and haven't been for days when in actuality, I am just missing it all!!!!

Dark Reading - Desktop Security - Instant Message, Instant Infection - Security News Analysis

Okay, you MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger users out there...watch out. I am a Yahoo Messenger user and I guess I need to be on the look out for this one even though my virus definitions are up to date.

I have searched for info on Symantec's website (the makers of Norton) but their servers are being bogged down I think so the article linked in the title is all I have for now...read it and be forewarned.

This Disgusts Me

I am linking to a post over at Sally's blog because I think this kind of behavior has to be pointed out as wrong, wrong, wrong. Read the linked article she included from the Seattle PI...(and I linked above).

Apparently no one told the idiot at the airline that English is not the official language of the US and that just speaking another language does not make you suspicious. I can't believe that the guy agreed to not speak his language in airports anymore. I definitely think apologies are in order and the airline should have flown him for free just for his troubles since it was their idiot crew that messed his flight up.

What are we coming to in this country that we are so filled with fear of terrorism, we assume anyone unfamiliar to us must be a terrorist?

Fantastic Foliage

This weather is amazing. Fall is definitely the time to enjoy the outdoors in this area. Days are dry and in the mid-80s. The birds are chirping like mad, the windows are open and a warm breeze is blowing in. Our dogwoods are all turning colors and as sad as I am to see summer over, I am enjoying this fall.

I found an amazing smell yesterday while out and about geocaching. It is a flower on the silverberry bush....it is awesome. I might try to pick some and send it to my mom and sister so they can experience it too. I don't know if it grows on the west coast or not.

I wish this weather would last but soon it will start to get much colder at night and the days won't warm up as much. We'll be stuck in jeans and regular shoes but for now, I am enjoying my days of shorts and sandals while they last.

Deadlines

I found out last night, that not only do I have home work due this week in class (and this is no little homework) but I also have to have the outline and at least 12 references for my paper that is not due until December ready by Sunday because we have to have our first drafts to our peer reviewers in two weeks.

Needless to say, it is good that J is not here and I am able to get some things done without being distracted. Yesterday was supposed to be the start of my diligence but the TV did me in...this morning, I turned it off after breakfast and only an hour and a half later, I have already gotten most of my research material done and also 2/3 of the homework...it is amazing what turning off the boob tube can do for you.

This class is still boring as hell but I think I need to get focused, buckle down and get through it...after December, I will be a free woman, done with this degree and looking forward to whatever lies on the horizon.

For All The Teachers

If only they could have really done it...I checked Snopes, and although the backstory is true, they never really put this message up (from 2002).

This is the answering machine message the Pacific Palisades High School (California) Staff voted to record on their school telephone answering system. This came about because they implemented a policy requiring students and parents to be responsible for their children's absences and missing homework.

The school and teachers are being sued by parents who want their children's failing grades changed to passing grades even though those children were absent 15-30 times during the semester and did not complete enough school work to pass their classes. This was voted unanimously by the office staff as the actual answering machine message for the school:

"Hello! You have reached the automated answering service of your school. In order to assist you in connecting the right staff member, please listen to all your options before making a selection:

To lie about why your child is absent, press 1

To make excuses for why your child did not do his work, press 2

To complain about what we do, press 3

To swear at staff members, press 4

To ask why you didn't get information that was already enclosed in your newsletter and several flyers mailed to you, press 5

If you want us to raise your child, press 6

If you want to reach out and touch, slap or hit someone, press 7

To request another teacher for the third time this year, press 8

To complain about bus transportation, press 9

To complain about school lunches, press 0

If you realize this is the real world and your child must be accountable and responsible for his/her own behavior, class work, homework, and that it's not the teachers' fault for your children's lack of effort . . . hang up and have a nice day!"

One More Thing...

I almost forgot. I updated Mishka's Reading in the last few days, so if you have time, check it out, maybe you will find something you want to read as well.