Spoof This!

There's nothing quite like figuring out that someone is spoofing one of your email addresses to send spam. The only thing that tops it is to find out that they're a titty site out of Moscow and there probably isn't a damn thing I can do about it legally. What sucks for them is I'm a geek and was able to find all of their information in which to plan my retaliatory attack. Mess with MY email will you... MUAHAHAHA!!!

Me? Evasive?

Those of you who know me, know I'm a stickler about giving out my personal information. Hell, I've even had a friend dub me as "Miss Evasive". My last name cannot be found on any document on line. My address is top secret but to those I've come to trust. You do not get my email address unless I'm sure you're not a stalker. And I'm practiced at the art of question avoidance. You get the idea. Maybe I take it to extremes, but a gal's gotta be careful. And then I come across something like this...PLEASE be sure to click on the Social Security Card link.

http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/antonybrosnan/

Bud...Wi....Zerr

So I'm going to let my dog out last night, and as I open the garage door, in hops this cute-as-hell toad. I'm freaking out because... well come on... he needs to be outside, not in my kitchen!!! So I try to catch him. I'm on my hands and knees chasing after this sucker on my kitchen floor hoping it doesn't make a break for under the stove or the fridge. I finally grab him and he jumps out of my hands onto the counter top. I'm squeeling... "No no... get back here", as I grab it again. He's kicking at me for all he's worth and I'm talking to him like he understands--"I'm sorry little toadie, but you can't be in here!" I finally get him outside and set him on the ground and yes, of course, HE PEED on my HAND. Nice! And I submit to you: How can ANYONE call me a girlie girl?

Don't Deny Thine Self

I just bought myself a gift... For no reason other than I WANT! I WANT! I WANT! Credit card bill be damned!

It's a Guinness ring bayyybeee! Made from an actual can!  YES!!!

Insight

I'm an angel...

With clip on wings.

I'm Inspired...

I just watched this fabulous documentary conducted by Roseanna Arquette called Searching for Debra Winger. The gist of the documentary, at the heart of it, is Roseanna's own personal search to understand being a woman who is "growing up" and/or "becoming mature" in the world of acting. What makes some actresses decide to hang up their hats, what type of fallacies are there, rivalries, expectations both of self and by the media/public, those things that are inflicted upon women--especially those behind the camera (must stay thin, look young, no bags, no wrinkles...), how to react to these expectations, sisterhood, heroes, accepting oneself, and simply put, a bunch of incredible women discussing the ups and downs of being creative women.

I Was Robbed!

So I took this 80s test (Thanks C!) - And while I scored pretty high, and even got some bonus questions... I think that the grading was a little strict on the following don't you? (They were fill in the blanks)

My Answer: "Make you wonder how the [other] half [die]."
Right Answer: "Make you wonder how the [better] half [die]"
Nevermind it is "Makes" not "Make" but i'm not bitter!

My Answer: "Don't [trun] [around]" (yeah typo!)
Right Answer: "Don't [turn] [around]"

My Answer: "And the full moon that hangs over these [dreams] in the [myst].
Right Answer "And the full moon that hangs over these [dreams] in the [mist].
COME ON! You say tomato...

My Answer: "When I see [your smile], I can face the world".
Right Answer: "When I see [you smile], I can face the world".
Okay, getting a little TECHNICAL aren't we?

My Answer: "And I know I'm right cuz I [heard] it in the night."
Right Answer: "And I know I'm right cuz I [hear] it in the night."
My answer is actually grammaticaly correct...

My Answer: "By order of the [prophets] we ban that boogie sound."
Right Answer: "By order of the [prophet] we ban that boogie sound."
Are you SERIOUS?

Heh heh.. I got 147 points though... That was fun! WE...ARE..THE 80s!

A True Compliment

My little brother (I say little because he's ten years younger than me) was here visiting over Fourth of July weekend. We were having an off-handed discussion about relationships and that type of hooey. After his vehement "I'm never getting married" I jokingly commented, "Oh face it, you just can't find a woman as WONDERFUL as your sister." He looked at me with all the seriousness of a train wreck and said, "You're not kidding. If I could find another woman in this world like you, I'd marry her in a second." WOW! I guess my brother thinks I'm pretty great! Who knew?!?!

Damn Yankee

Living in "The South" is wonderful. The weather of course being the main benefit. If you're not a fan of the snow, you can escape it all together if you move as far as Florida. If you like a little snow, you can try the climes of North Carolina or maybe Virginia. Having lived in all three locals, I can certainly tell you that the laid back atmosphere and the beautifully blooming flowers and trees (not to mention the beaches) are supreme.

Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. We've got bigger bugs. And just last month I saw a bull frog that could eat my dog as a snack. But one of the main drawbacks would have to be the, shall I say lazy, attitude? Now I'm as laid back as the next guy (or gal) and I'm all about taking it easy. But being a native of Cleveland (or the burbs thereof), I have what has been described to me by previous southern employers as "the Midwestern work ethic". Essentially what that means is we work hard, we work quickly and are genuinely pleased over a job well done. Southerners on the other hand, as a whole, move slower than Mississippi mud and, as I sit here waiting for my noon appointment to show up (at 1:45 p.m.) I'm reminded that they have no concept of "a schedule".

Meanwhile, Darryl and Darryl are behind me, attempting to fix my kitchen sink, which I recently discovered, was lacking in hot water. I'm more than mildly amused as I listen to them fumble their way through the repair as the foreman announces in a thick southern drawl, "Your killing me!" to his fellow employee, who responds by mimicking the sentiment.

Return of the Fly

Sometimes I feel like a flying insect too stupid to realize that the glass will stay glass no matter how hard I keep throwing myself into it, hoping I'll get through to the other side.

Girls Will Be Boys...

I have always been somewhat of a tomboy. My older brother was my best friend growing up and keeping me clean was something my mom gave up on in the early years. So the following story should come as no surprise:

I went to check on the status of my home (i.e. make sure the builders are not screwing shit up) and to drop off a ceiling fan on my way out of town, heading up to my grandmother's funeral (yeah it's been a rough week). For the first time since groundbreaking, the doors were locked. I figured I'd try the back door and also a window. It was pouring down rain and the yard was a big muck hole, but I felt safe enough in my Lands End hiking boots. What I didn't expect was to take a step towards the window and find myself sunk to my knees in a concoction of quicksand mud that seemed to want to hold me captive. Thankfully I was close enough to the deck to grab hold and hoist myself out. Unfortunately the water had not been turned on yet so I coudln't try to rinse myself off, so I decided to find some puddles to jump around in (which were equally muddy) Good thing I had a suitcase full of clothes so that I could change into new pants and shoes (hey those boots kept my feet clean and dry so I didn't have to change socks!) - A 10 hours drive covered in wet sandy mud would've sucked tremendously.

The Year of My Birth

I was going through some old paperwork this morning and I came across this card I got for my Birthday last year (December for those of you wanting to send me prezzies). Based on my personality and values, I think some of this is pretty funny, odd and also interesting:

In the news: Neil Armstrong walks on the moon; Bernadette Devlin (21 year old female w00t w00t!) is elected to British Parliament; Smothers Brothers show is canceled, labeled "too controversial" (pah-lease!); The Saturday Evening Post folds; Woodstock Festival is held (drugs, music, partying and mud...); Pantsuits become acceptable for everyday wear by women (This, I admittedly found surprising!); Senator Kennedy's car plunges off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island killing passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Large anit-war demonstrations take place.

New to the market: Penthouse founded by Robert Cuccione (Isn't this the first skank porn?); Boeing 747 makes its first flight. The concord makes its maiden voyage (I love airplanes); Yale, Bowdoin and Colgate colleges (pooh-pooh) admit women (w00t w00t!); Arthur Michell establishes the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Value of a Dollar: $189.95 would buy you a stereo (For real!); Eggs were 61 cents a dozen (I grew up eating eggs and soldiers - if you don't know what that is you missed out!); Kodak Instamatic Cameras were $35.00 (I remember those!); and you could buy a car for (US average) $2,280 (holy crap... now TVs go for as much as cars did then!).

Awards: Midnight Cowboy gets Best Picture; Best Actor: John Wayne for True Grit; Best Actress: Maggie Smith for The Prime of Miss Jeane Brodie and 5th Dimension gets the Grammy for Aquarius (That song is synonymous with hippie!).

Music: Rolling Stones release Gimme Shelter. Other Popular musical groups were Led Zeppelin and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Born to be Wild and Come Together are musical hits. Portnoy's Complaint, The Godfather, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Andromeda Strain and Slaughterhouse-Five are published (Andromeda Strain was crazy stuff!); Easy Rider; Hello Dolly; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Hitchcock's Topaz are showing at the cinema. Broadway's Oh Calcutta! shocks audiences with its frontal nudity (w00t w00t!); Coco, Starring Kathrine Hepburn is on Broadway. Star Trek is off the air after a 3-year run (I admit it, I'm a bit of a trekkie. Though TNG and Patrick Stewart rock my world!); Rembrandt's Self-Portrait sells for $2,256,000 at Christie's In London (This makes me wanna start painting again!).

THE END

I'm a Bad Girl...

So I went to see the movie Crash last night. Very intense movie. For those of you that have seen this sucker you know its one of those thing that both surprises and inflames. One of the ladies I was sitting next to during the show is really freaked out by racism (and rightly so) so between the two of us there were quite a few... "Oh my GAWDs", gasps and other such, along with a few quick side comments. This of course resulted in me getting chastised by some stuffy man sitting a few rows back who actually got up out of his seat, walked up to us and said rather sternly "Ladies, do you think you can save the conversation for after the show?" I put on the right amount of contrition and apologized and was quiet for the rest of the show.

Please realize I'm not one to talk through a movie and we weren't being incessant about it, but I suppose I too would have been irritated by my behavior. But, as I said, this movie tends to inflame.

This is what I get for attending a show at a swanky theater that serves wine and cushions your ass with leather seats. Umm hmmm...

Am I THIS big of a geek?

The actors who play Padme Amadala, Darth Sedius and Obi Wan are going to be at a local store this month for a meet and gree and I'm contemplating going... Holy crap... I AM a geek!

RETURN OF THE SCREEN SAVERS

This freaking rocks! 

HABITcky writes "Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, and Robert Heron have gotten together and recorded their first podcast of The Return Of The Screen Savers (ROTSS) It's a 56kbps MP3Pro file weighing in at around 14MB. Join them for 34 minutes of Skyping fun as they discuss driving in the dust, cell phones, Kevin's new webcast, Systm, and the demise of TechTV. They plan to make this a weekly broadcast."

Society and Fear

I was driving down this windy country road yesterday after having looked at the progress of my new home. It was starting to get a little late and storm clouds were moving in, so there was an eerie feeling in the air. I'm buzzing along at a high speed when I notice this man on the side of the road. I slow a bit, wondering what his deal is, when I notice him flailing his arms as I almost zoom past. I slammed on the brakes, realizing he was trying to flag me down.

A lot of things run through your mind in these types of situations. The first of course... do I stop? Obviously I did. The second thing I did was press the door lock as the man approached, then I kindly lowered the passenger window. I remember feeling crappy that I had to lock the doors. I'm a trusting person by nature but let's face it. I'm not stupid!

I could tell by looking at him that something wasn't quite right. He seemed very upset and he uttered the words "I'm deaf" as he presented me with a handwritten note.

This is the part where I realize I can never tell this story to my mom or she'll never sleep at night expecting that at any moment my trusting nature was going to result in a phone call that I've wound up dead in the proverbial ditch.

The note tells me that he's deaf and his father is in the hospital and he doesn't have enough money for gas to get up to the hospital. It kindly asks if he could borrow $15.00 and that he would pay me back tomorrow. And you know what? For some reason, I believed him. I motioned for him to hold on a moment as I reached for my purse (which of course was an invitation for any criminal to grab it and run - he kept his distance). I felt like crap that all I had in my wallet was a dollar bill but I hand it to him as I said "this is all I have", shaking my head from side to side and hoping he understood. He shook his head in acknowledgment and I drove off.

I'm left with a few feelings. 1) Our society is so un-tusting! 2) Why didn't he just ask me for a ride? 3) What would I have done if he did? and 4) Why do I feel like shit that all I had was a dollar?

On a lighter note...

I'm walking through the parking lot of Best Buy the other day, minding my own business. As I'm heading towards my car this other car stopped to let me walk passed and this dude leans out his window and gives me a "Hey GIRL!"...

What is that? I mean...I appreciate the implied compliment and all, but what do you suppose his response would have been if I replied with "Hey BOY!" - Mind you there was a nice... appreciative "wooo-oooohhhh" as I continued to walk on pretending as if I didn't hear--Because sometimes, honestly, it's best just to move on.

BAD idea... REALLY BAD...

Don't EVER decide to change your domain name, webhost, email host, and
the entire look of your website all at the same time. And toss in a
curve ball of having the deadline bumped up for various reasons
(including but not limited to the looming expiration date of the email
account and early server switch, to name a few) and you've got a recipe
for complete and utter HELL.

THIS is SO Cool!

Pilfered from slashdot: Bunny writes "The City of Dayton, Ohio announced a plan to make all of downtown a WiFi hotspot - and as of last week, the network is live. This makes Dayton the first Ohio city to offer free WiFi access. Approximately one square mile of downtown is now live, including Fifth Third Field, the Oregon District, Webster Station and RiverScape. The WiFi project is a public/private partnership not funded by taxpayers, and comes at no charge to the end user." (According to the linked story at WHIO-TV, the city is actually paying about $5,000 per year, with advertisers picking up the rest of the tab.)

The Benefits of Walking

So I was on my daily walk - it's an exercise thing - and I was most of the way home, attempting to beat the rain clouds, when I passed by a man mowing his lawn. I didn't really pay a lot of attention to him, earbuds with ipod blaring a radio show into my ears and all. I happened to notice him as he looked at me, stopped what he was doing and just started, mower still running in his hands. He then let go of the handle (which turned the mower off) and signaled that I should pull out the earbud, which I did. "Hi!" he says. "I thought it was going to be nice today!" "Yeah..." I replied. "Dunno what happened. I was going to mow my lawn today too..." I fibbed slightly (I NEED to mow my lawn and I had considered it breifly but never fully committed). "Oh! You need some help with that?" He asks. How sweet, I thought, and smiled brightly "No thanks, I'm going to wait for a dry sunny day." I reached for the earbud and started to walk away and he began to mow again. As I made my way around the cul-du-sac he signals to me again, at which I repeat the process of removing my ear bud and pausing my show. "My name is EJ by the way, what's yours?" "I'm Kim. Nice to meet you EJ." I said. "Let me know if you need any help with that lawn. I'm right here." I chuckled and replied "Thank you!" and continued on my walk.