So I'm thinking, as I polish off the last heart-shaped, vanilla creme Peep (And ew, that's just wrong, you know. What's wrong with regular Peep flavor?), that their proud proclamation that it's a fat-free food is, like, so six months ago. Didn't they know that thanks to Dr. Atkins and South Beach, fat is IN again? And you know, it strikes me as odd that ANYONE would think a diet that claims bacon won't get you fat but orange juice will could be healthy.

OK and one last thing. I HATE HATE HATE that new Quizno's comercial with the singing, bug-eyed, snaggle-toothed rat things. It's disturbing and the only thing it encourages me to do is avoid Quizno's at all cost. I'd rather eat the freaking RATS in that comercial than buy a sub from them. STOOPID ad campaign fellas. Very stoopid

Where have all the techno geeks and tech support people gone? I'll tell you, because I know now. INDIA! I kid you not. I even read an article about how companies are farming this stuff out to India through a complex system of phone routing, because the labor is much cheaper there. In fact, all kinds of customer service is being handled by reps in India. Think about it, the last few times you talked to any tech support person, did he/she have an Indian accent?

Well I find this disturbing on many levels, beginning with the idea that American workers are too expensive so we're enslaving others in third world nations with the lure of clean work, so what that it means ridiculous hours and horrible wages. It's not much better than sweat shops. But I digress. What I really wanted to talk about was tech support. And you know, I know this sounds crappy, but I really don't want to talk to someone in India about a problem I have in the US because when I say something like, 'I think my next door neighbor is jamming my wireless with his police scanner' they just don't GET it. It's simply too foreign.

And another thing. Why is it when you talk to tech support anywhere, they always blame the other guy. When I had problems with my cell phone the Cingular people said it was a Nokia problem and the Nokia people said it was a Cingular problem. In the end the problem never did get solved, but everyone remained blameless so it's all good. Right? Yesterday the very pleasant Netgear fellow in India told me that my bizarre, intermittent and completely handicapping internet problem (that *I'M* convinced has to be interference) HAD to be a Windows problem. Growf. I said to the guy, 'I've always been under the assumption that when Windows, or an aspect of Windows crashes, it stays crashed. And that's not the case here. It works, perfectly fine, about a third of the time, moderately crappy a third of the time and completely horribly the rest of the time.' He had no response to that. Again, everyone's teflon and I still have a problem.

I'd offer a very high bounty to whomever can give me an answer. Just an answer. Doesn't even have to be a fix or anything. I just want to KNOW why the damned thing doesn't work right.

And I tell you what ELSE I want to know. Where the heck did all those kids go who'd come out of the woodwork on snow days wanting to make some money shoveling your snow? I was one of those kids. I supplemented a truly crappy allowance doing it. Today I would have shelled out mad bank if just one of those enterprising youngsters would just have come knocking.

Maybe they all went to India.

Did you ever feel like you'd spent most of your life a doormat? It hit me with a vengeance today. So I wrote someone off today. Purged. As completely as I could -- something I've only done maybe two other times in my life and felt shitty for doing it, but knew it was like a gangrenous limb that had to be amputated or it would poison me completely. I further decided that there are two more people on the 'hit list', one for being such an emotional drain that I have to run and hide when I see her online and one for complete and utter neglect of late. I'm not quite ready to admit defeat (and for me, it IS defeat to have to exclude someone from my life) and cut them off, but it's close.

Why this drama, you ask? Because it occurred to me with stunning clarity that these relationships were preventing me from offering anything but pain to the two or three steadfastly well-adjusted and supportive (and two of you are reading this and had better know I mean YOU) people in my life. That's got to stop. I hate being the one leaning instead of the one leaned on. So I'm going to work on that henceforth.

On the upside, I've got a wild, lion's mane of hair today to go with my new, take-no-prisoners attitude and a sparkling bathroom because I channeled some of this fury into scrub-brush vs. porcelain. *predator's grin* Silver linings are very good things.

OK, I shouldn't, but I'm going to say this anyway. Getting a haircut at a good salon is probably better than sex. It's definitely better than bad sex, and yes, there is such a thing. But really, think about it. Nearly an hour of pampering, and you don't have to do ANYTHING but sit there and enjoy it and when it's over you look smashing and feel beautiful. Heck, maybe it's better than GOOD sex. Whew, now that I have that out of my system ... Got my haircut and colored today. I'm a brunette again, which is kind of nice, actually. Good cut too, just the right amount off and nicely, though not fussily styled.

OK, I'm shutting up about that now.

My stupid Tamagotchi evolved into its adult form today and the thing is so FREAKING ugly that I'm seriously considering putting it in a drawer and forgetting about it. Somewhere where the cat can't find it and drag it out to where some unsuspecting doormat .. cough cough .. like me .. can find it and set the thing in motion again. Why can't I like this thing just die? Maybe I need to have my head examined.

The voices say there's no maybe about it. But usually they lie so ... I'm. Not. Going. To. Listen.

First off I took this quiz ... not a really Christmas-y thing to do, but hey. Hm. Ohh-kay. Maybe. Sometimes. Anyway. It's snowing here. That makes me smile. Happy Christmas

It's snowing and it's cold, which isn't all that unusual for mid-December in Michigan, but bleah. I've got things to do and slogging out in that isn't my idea of a good time. Just when I thought I was about to slip into a full-on funk I get something silly and fun from my brother-in-law. Try this:

http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=45

And for my buddies in sunny, warm California,Florida and Texas a big raspberry. I wish I were there. ^_^

So, one of my bakas has a birthday two days before Christmas. His current passion is DDR, so the other bakas and I chipped in together to get him the whole shebang (PS2, game and metal pads) for his birthday, mostly because he's had a rough year and he's the sweetest guy imaginable. So, the system finally all came together this afternoon and various and sundry people have been playing it since. I have to say, I've never seen a happier guy. Well at least since last year when the only thing he wanted was a kitten and I got him one. We set it up in the family room for the holidays. I imagine we'll have heavy traffic this year because all his buddies love to play it and the arcade gets expensive. So, I tell myself that I'll use the thing on workout mode when I'm home alone and there's no one to point and laugh, because I've got no grace whatever. We'll see.

Because I'm determined to do not one productive thing today .....

You are Peace. You are at peace with your self and the world
around you. You have balance in your life and
exude tranquility from every pore of your body.
People are constantly asking you "what is
your secret?"

What Emotion Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I can live with that. ^_^

OK, we all know I like these stupid quizzes, and the weirder the better, but this one takes the cake.

What more can one say?

Still sick, damn it, with the same crap that's had me wiped out for over a week and I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. On the up side, I've got this weird secondary infection that I haven't contracted in .... well, a very long time -- Christmas spirit. I mean it, I'm what you'd call the original Grinch most years, but for some reason I'm feeling all happy about Christmas. There's no real reason for this, but I first noticed it yesterday, when my cart inexplicably drifted toward the decorations aisle at Target. I don't think I realized I'd bought a wreath and red velvet bow to decorate it until I was putting it in the car! I'm terrified. Can a trip to the tree farm with an ax be far behind? I mean, the ax part sounds like fun but ... Seriously though, I think some of this spirit o' the season has to come from the fact that after years of wrangling my sisters (and most of my friends) have agreed to a 'no gifts' other than gifts of time and shared company rule, which pleases me immensely. Not that I don't love lavishing my sweeties with presents, but all this mania of shopping and hunting for 'that perfect thing' really takes away from the joy of Christmas for me. Suddenly I'm feeling unburdened and that's a very good thing.

So, I'm at the quizzes again. I stole this from Wolfie's Live Journal.

you are cyan #00FFFF

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Cyan, eh? Interesting. I guess it could have been puce. EEK!

Well ...

I really should just make a list of all the stuff that's happened and it would make sense to do it chronologically, but when did I ever do things the sensible way?

Went to Nekocon in Virginia last week, or was it the week before? It was mostly fun, but very, very tiring. Sad too, because I came to the conclusion that I'm just too old to do so may of these in a season. And I know that sounds melodramatic, but you know, I believe in being realistic. On the other hand, maybe I just need to treat myself to one of these cons as a fan and not a dealer, because while the people OUTSIDE the booth seemed as tired as I was, they were having a helluva lot more fun.

On the up side, I got to have another visit with Greg Ayres, who I was lucky enough to meet and get to know a bit at Anime Mid Atlantic. I have to reiterate what a totally adorable and down to earth person he is. And it seems as if his career is going nowhere but up and it couldn't happen to a better guy. I think the half hour spent talking to him was the highlight of the trip. One other observation, while this was a very young con, just about every person I encountered was polite and pleasant. Maybe it's a southern thing. In any case, other than one obnoxious guy who told me he didn't have to pay the sales tax because he didn't LIVE in Virginia (uh, suuuuure, buddy, it works that way EVERYwhere) the people of Nekocon, and especially Marlene who was in charge of the salesroom and all the volunteers, were wonderful.

My bowling team, which is still oddly nameless (because we're still not clever enough to come up with one) continues to sit in first place, though how any team with a member (one of three, mind you) of my limited abilities can hold the top spot is beyond my limited powers of comprehension. I took two of my bakas bowling yesterday and I think they were both as baffled as I am with the situation, tho one was afraid to tell me I truly sucked and the other was too kind to. ^_^ And I never really thought of myself as competitive before, but it feels good to win. Besides, I must be. Look.

Your Years at Hogwarts by nevermindless
Name:
The Sorting Hat places you in:	Slytherin (Green and Silver)
Subject you are naturally best at:	All of them.
Your favorite book:	Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks
Pet you bring to school:	New Britain Barn Owl
You are most known for:	Being Seeker for your House.
Created with quill18's MemeGen!

I've always thought of myself as more of a Ravenclaw type, but hey, Slytherin is a cool house. I can deal.

I'm unemployed again. Mostly willingly, but it was definitely a bittersweet decision on my part, because I did love that job and most of the people I encountered while doing it. Oh well. It's nice that I have the luxury of BEING unemployed. I think I'm going to take a few weeks off, do a few things I wanted to in my house and enjoy the holidays unfettered. For instance, I made soup today AND baked cookies and you know, there's just a kind of perfection in the scent of oatmeal scotchies in the house that makes me feel very joyful and very grateful.

I'm heading to Toronto this weekend, because I can and because I promised friends and basically just because I want to and I'm pretty frigging grateful for that too.

Last batch of cookies are ready to come out. Better run before they burn. *big grin*

I don't know if I'm amused or horrified by this.

You're an AK-47!! You're a very single-minded
person, seeking the most obvious and easiest
solutions to life. This may cause a stir, but
you can take it. You're tough, no? You're also
very simple person, easily entertained and able
to survive in the most modest of environments.

What kind of rifle are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I really need to get a life.

Today's "What is good in Life":

1) Have a day off tomorrow. Yay! That means sleeping late and time to write and actually cook something that takes longer than half an hour! I'm actually brooding on what kind of soup to cook. I'm thinkin' maybe something autumn-y like pumpkin or butternut squash.

2) Crush your enemies. See them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their ... wait a minute, that was Conan's answer. Hmm, try again.

It's fall. That means sweaters and crisp air instead of humidity and mosquitos what could eat a man. Maybe that doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but it thrills me. Today a few people I talked to were complaining about the cold. Come ON! It was only 50, not 20! I'm loving this and the cider mill is calling. Note to self, day off tomorrow ... cider and donuts ... sounds like a plan.

OK, I'm a little nutty, but hey, Autumn is my season.

One season of Japanese TV wrapping up and another beginning and I've got to say, in general it's been a great ride and looks to be more of the same. DNAngel - loved the ending. Exactly what I was hoping for. Last Exile - gorgeous and exciting. Gundam Seed - intense and action packed, if a bit rushed. I'm still a little in shock though and for anyone who wants spoilers or discussion, email or IM me. Now on to the new stuff. Can't wait!

Speaking of anime, I've got a few episodes to watch, so ....

Well, because I can't seem to walk by a quiz..

This is one of the cooler quizzes I've seen lately, and I like the creature I got too!

You are a phoenix.
What legend are you?. Take the Legendary Being Quiz by Paradox

Testing. This is only a test. This is the test of the Emergency Blogcast System. I'm goofy-happy with this new layout, courtesy of the most brilliant web-designer I know. Thanks Trin! Now, if only I was clever enough and creative enough to write something worthy to grace this lovely page.

Tired now. More tomorrow. ^_^