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Sunday, February 18, 2007
Happy Chinese New Year!
It's the Chinese Year of the Pig.
Now, now, no sniggering about my weight. I'll have you know that, accoring to their system, I'm a TIGER!
Now, now, no sniggering about my weight. I'll have you know that, accoring to their system, I'm a TIGER!
Via Chris J's comment on Zoe's blog:
Rat 1912,1924,1936,1948,1960,1972,1984,1996
Ox 1913,1925,1937,1949,1961,1973,1985,1997
Tiger 1914,1926,1938,1950,1962,1974,1986,1998
Rabbit 1915,1927,1939,1951,1963,1975,1987,1999
Dragon 1916,1928,1940,1952,1964,1976,1988,2000
Snake 1917,1929,1941,1953,1965,1977,1989,2001
Horse 1918,1930,1942,1954,1966,1978,1990,2002
Ram 1919,1931,1943,1955,1967,1979,1991,2003
Monkey 1920,1932,1944,1956,1968,1980,1992,2004
Rooster 1921,1933,1945,1957,1969,1981,1993,2005
Dog 1922,1934,1946,1958,1970,1982,1994,2006
Pig 1923,1935,1947,1959,1971,1983,1995,2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Tripping on the Ice
Yeah, well I *thought* it was safe enough to go out for breakfast. Unfortunately on my way back home I tripped or slid or something on the ice while trying to get from my car to the cleared part of the sidewalk.
No I wasn't injured, managing to catch myself before I went totally kerflop. Too bad I can't say the same thing for the large coffee that I had been carrying. It was sacrificed by my frantic efforts to avoid further disaster.
So now there's a nice coffee-colored stain on the ice/snow; adorned also with the empty coffeecup.
No I wasn't injured, managing to catch myself before I went totally kerflop. Too bad I can't say the same thing for the large coffee that I had been carrying. It was sacrificed by my frantic efforts to avoid further disaster.
So now there's a nice coffee-colored stain on the ice/snow; adorned also with the empty coffeecup.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Braving the Ice and Snow
For the first time in literally days I've braved the ice and snow and gone outside.
The sidewalks were mostly snow and ice free but not the parking lots. And getting from the sidewalk to the parking lot (and my car) meant walking over ice. UGH!
I was lucky and a nice workman took pity on me and my ice covered car. He cleared the roof, front and back windshields for me; otherwise I might still me scraping it.
The sidewalks were mostly snow and ice free but not the parking lots. And getting from the sidewalk to the parking lot (and my car) meant walking over ice. UGH!
I was lucky and a nice workman took pity on me and my ice covered car. He cleared the roof, front and back windshields for me; otherwise I might still me scraping it.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
A Tram
Zoe (winner of the 2005 and 2006 Bloggie Awards as Best European Blogger) posted a photo of a tram on her blog today. She lives in Belgium and normally commutes to work via tram or via tram and something else.
It's obviously some species of train since it runs on a train-like track and the cables overhead indicate that it's powered by electricity. I've never seen one myself but I suspect the closest USA approximation would be the now mostly defunct streetcars that were once popular several years ago. In fact, aren't the famous San Francisco cable cars an example of the breed?
Personally I think more USA cities would benefit from mass transportation like this. It would help ease the commuting gridlock that paralyzes too many large cities during rush hours while at the same time saving massive amounts of gasoline.
It's obviously some species of train since it runs on a train-like track and the cables overhead indicate that it's powered by electricity. I've never seen one myself but I suspect the closest USA approximation would be the now mostly defunct streetcars that were once popular several years ago. In fact, aren't the famous San Francisco cable cars an example of the breed?
Personally I think more USA cities would benefit from mass transportation like this. It would help ease the commuting gridlock that paralyzes too many large cities during rush hours while at the same time saving massive amounts of gasoline.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Snow Day
Well it's a snow day today -- for me at least. That's one of the good things about being newly retired. I don't have to fight the traffic and dicey road conditions in order to get to work.
Hmmmm, I think I'll go back to bed now.
Hmmmm, I think I'll go back to bed now.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Pre-Approved! ... Better Reconsider That Offer
I got this over at Kos. It's a great posting, you should amble on over and read the whole thing. By the way, the author wrote it as a humorous piece, but in fact, it's true -- even without the humor.
From: www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/3/13339/05675
*************
...
There is one overwhelmingly un-Biblical evil that stalks our land. Like a Very Heavy Thing of Sin, it drags us down into the depths of the 6,000-year-old Ocean of Doom. Since our nation must surely be governed according to the principles of the Bible (as interpreted by me, of course), we must STOP wallowing in this Cesspool of Total Naughtiness.
That's right. I'm talking about Satan's dominoes...the most un-Biblical scourge of our time. CREDIT CARDS.
...
Oh, for shame, you James Dobsons, you Jerry Falwells, you Ralph Reeds. Where have you been in our Holy Crusade?
Thankfully, our new PAC, Focus on the Usury, is here to help good, god-fearing Christians lobby our elected representatives against the credit card industry. We have a fairly simple legislative agenda that restore our nation to its glorious Puritan roots
...
Step 1:All interest payments shall be immediately returned with 1/100th interest.
Step 2:All CEOs who do not agree to the above receive a fair trial; if when convicted of unreptentant usury, the death penalty is applicable
I realize that this may seem extreme.
...
[but] if we do not shape up:
...
The Lord has been very, very clear about what to do in order to achieve perfection:
*************
A comment, by zeke L, adds this historical note:
I've been warning you that credit card lenders are EVIL. Now there's another poster who agrees with me! And has the Biblical quotes to back us up. <g>
From: www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/3/13339/05675
*************
The Wages of Satan are...Pre-Approved! Now at 13.5%by aphra behn
...
There is one overwhelmingly un-Biblical evil that stalks our land. Like a Very Heavy Thing of Sin, it drags us down into the depths of the 6,000-year-old Ocean of Doom. Since our nation must surely be governed according to the principles of the Bible (as interpreted by me, of course), we must STOP wallowing in this Cesspool of Total Naughtiness.
That's right. I'm talking about Satan's dominoes...the most un-Biblical scourge of our time. CREDIT CARDS.
...
25 " If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.(Exodus 22:25)
35 ' If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.
36 'Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.
37 'You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. (Leviticus 25:35-37)
19 " You shall not charge interest to your brother -- interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest.
20 "To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that the LORD your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess. (Deuteronomy 23:19,20)
Oh, for shame, you James Dobsons, you Jerry Falwells, you Ralph Reeds. Where have you been in our Holy Crusade?
Thankfully, our new PAC, Focus on the Usury, is here to help good, god-fearing Christians lobby our elected representatives against the credit card industry. We have a fairly simple legislative agenda that restore our nation to its glorious Puritan roots
...
Step 1:All interest payments shall be immediately returned with 1/100th interest.
11 "Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them." (Nehemiah 5:11)
Step 2:All CEOs who do not agree to the above receive a fair trial; if when convicted of unreptentant usury, the death penalty is applicable
13 If he has exacted usury Or taken increase -- Shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, He shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him. (Ezekiel 18:13)
I realize that this may seem extreme.
...
[but] if we do not shape up:
24:1 Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
2 And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. (Isaiah 24:1-3)
...
The Lord has been very, very clear about what to do in order to achieve perfection:
7 If he has not oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing;
8 If he has not exacted usury Nor taken any increase, But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity And executed true judgment between man and man;
9 If he has walked in My statutes And kept My judgments faithfully -- He is just; He shall surely live!" Says the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 18:7-9)
*************
A comment, by zeke L, adds this historical note:
... as an interesting historical sidenote, these laws were actually followed scrupulously during the medieval period, and usury was actually illegal. and deut 23:20 is the reason that jews obtained their stereotype as moneylenders - because christians couldn't make any money loaning to each other (at least in theory) they mostly didn't bother. so the jews took that business because while they also followed the commandment, it only applied to other jews for them. by the renaissance christians realized they were losing out on a lucrative business, of course, so decided not to take those parts of the bible seriously anymore.
I've been warning you that credit card lenders are EVIL. Now there's another poster who agrees with me! And has the Biblical quotes to back us up. <g>
Friday, February 02, 2007
As I Was Saying ...
Or rather as I WASN'T saying, it has been literally months since my last blog entry. And you might have wondered what's up with that?
Well, I've been busy; or under stress; or exhausted; or some combination of all that; and more too. Let's see I DID participate in NaNoWriMo again this past November and I did technically "win" the challenge but since I employed so many "cheats" in order to inflate my word count that (like their website warns) it doesn't even feel worth claiming as a victory. So I think I'll forgo posting the 2006 NaNoWriMo Winner logo this time.
Probably the most noteable event is that I've just retired. Yes I was a bit young to be doing that -- although technically I had already been eligable for over a year as I had noted in a previous blog post.
I'm not positive that it was the right thing to do at this point since if I worked longer my retirement income would have been higher. On the other hand, one sleepless night I found myself counting all the reasons that I had for retiring now (rather than later) and when the number reached over two dozen I was somewhat reassured that it wasn't an entirely foolish choice to be making.
The list of reasons themselves ranged from the mundane to the life altering. Some quite personal but many others very typical of any workplace. Too much stress from others trying to climb the corporate ladder by stomping on the backs of their subordinates and/or co-workers; a corporate CEO relentlessly driving my employer in a direction likely to sink the whole shebang; shifting job responsibilies; stupid nigling sbout inconsequental matters; etc. etc.
The whole situation made my insomnia worse (perhaps also being the root cause of it) so much so that I felt my health was suffering for it. And, well, in the end, it just seemed easier to leave than to try to struggle onward. (And due to a quirk in the system, quitting versus retiring just wasn't possible.)
Perhaps I'll feel differently about it in a few months and/or it may prove to have disasterous financial consequences, I dunno.
At the moment I'm still endevoring to tidy up all the loose ends involved in actually retiring such as getting the necessary paperwork done properly and cleaning out my office.
In a few days or weeks I may find that my natural laziness has come to the forefront and I'll enjoy not having to do ANYTHING...
Well, I've been busy; or under stress; or exhausted; or some combination of all that; and more too. Let's see I DID participate in NaNoWriMo again this past November and I did technically "win" the challenge but since I employed so many "cheats" in order to inflate my word count that (like their website warns) it doesn't even feel worth claiming as a victory. So I think I'll forgo posting the 2006 NaNoWriMo Winner logo this time.
Probably the most noteable event is that I've just retired. Yes I was a bit young to be doing that -- although technically I had already been eligable for over a year as I had noted in a previous blog post.
I'm not positive that it was the right thing to do at this point since if I worked longer my retirement income would have been higher. On the other hand, one sleepless night I found myself counting all the reasons that I had for retiring now (rather than later) and when the number reached over two dozen I was somewhat reassured that it wasn't an entirely foolish choice to be making.
The list of reasons themselves ranged from the mundane to the life altering. Some quite personal but many others very typical of any workplace. Too much stress from others trying to climb the corporate ladder by stomping on the backs of their subordinates and/or co-workers; a corporate CEO relentlessly driving my employer in a direction likely to sink the whole shebang; shifting job responsibilies; stupid nigling sbout inconsequental matters; etc. etc.
The whole situation made my insomnia worse (perhaps also being the root cause of it) so much so that I felt my health was suffering for it. And, well, in the end, it just seemed easier to leave than to try to struggle onward. (And due to a quirk in the system, quitting versus retiring just wasn't possible.)
Perhaps I'll feel differently about it in a few months and/or it may prove to have disasterous financial consequences, I dunno.
At the moment I'm still endevoring to tidy up all the loose ends involved in actually retiring such as getting the necessary paperwork done properly and cleaning out my office.
In a few days or weeks I may find that my natural laziness has come to the forefront and I'll enjoy not having to do ANYTHING...
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