This weekend was our un-official staycation. We went out and had fun on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday evening, Hubby's college roomie and his wife joined us for dinner and a movie. Had some terribly overpriced Mexican food at Paseo Cantina and then wandered over to the Paseo theater for a moderately over priced film. $21 just for the tickets. Ouch. Especially considering the last time we went to movies regularly, we'd get in for just $10. For both of us. Of course, this is was Sunday afternoons in Chapel Hill, not Friday night in Pasadena.

In case you're wondering, we saw the X-Files movie. It wasn't terrible. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. Mostly because there was nary an alien to be found. It was, has our friend described it a "monster-of-the-week" episode, albeit a long one. Mulder-Scully shippers will truly appreciate the film, because (spoiler here, sorry) it pretty much answers the "Are they or Aren't they?" question once and for all, portraying our favorite odd couple in a long term, somewhat committed, and intelllectually intimate relationship. My take: It was a good X-files fanfic. But I appreciate that as a Mulder/Scully fan.

On Sunday we drove out to Simi Valley and took in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. We also met Jen and Beau and Jesse "Speaks" there! They are in CA on vacation, and were staying with family in Santa Barbara, so we met in the middle!

Jen and Beau are both as fun and awesome as you would imagine from their blogs, and that little Jesse is a charmer. If a bit shy.... although he seemed to really warm up to DH and even let DH hold him for a bit in the elevator!

The museum itself is really amazing. It was a lot like the Presidential Gallery in the Smithsonian, but more up close and personal. My favorite exhibit, other than Air Force One, which deserves its own post, was the Reagan Diaries display with his personal diary on the desk, laid open to March 30, 1981, the day he was shot. At the top of the right-hand page, he wrote "Getting shot hurts."

DH was also a big fan of the doodads and geegaws and random things that were given to the Reagans as gifts from people around the world. The sheer randomness of some of it was just unbelievable.

A funny story: The former president oversaw much of the construction detail, especially the White House replicas (the South Portico, Colonnade, and the Oval Office), and he was very concerned when the contractor indicated that the Oval Office would be an exact replica of the White House, except for the ceiling, which would have to be 2.5 feet lower in the museum due to the building's engineering. Never one to back down, Mr. Reagan replied, "Well, if you can't raise the ceiling, lower the floor." And indeed, you must go down a ramp to the Oval Office, and then up 4 stairs to the rest of the museum and the gardens.

We took lots of pictures, which are posted at my Flickr page. Most of them are public, so click over!

After the museum we headed over to Marie Callendar's for dinner. Now, I know it's maybe not the nicest place in town, but I knew where exactly 3 restaurants were in Simi, and they have Applebee's and Chili's in Virginia! So Marie's it was. Food was good, company was better, and we had a nice meal. And pie. Until Jesse got tired and his dad had to take him out, so we finished our pie and said goodbye to the Speaks clan, knowing Jesse would conk out in the car on the way back to SB.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:47 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 We just found (while driving x-country) that Marie Callendar's is related to Perkins Restaurant. Not sure if the menus are the same and all, but the table tents in the Perkins we visited were copyrighted Perkins/Marie Callendar's. Of course, I have no idea if the Speaks family has a Perkins close by, but they were all over the place in the midwest

Posted by: ZTZCheese at July 31, 2008 12:31 PM (Iw+8+)

2 Hey ZTZCheese, thanks for the tip about the Perkins chain. One is about 40 miles away and another is a bit farther but towards my sister's.

Posted by: Beau at August 05, 2008 06:13 PM (0wyQJ)

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Helen's post yesterday, about names, got me thinking. You see, I can't just say these are the names I would choose for my children without explaining why. There's a whole list of rules that hubby and I came up with many, many years ago. Long before we even started dating.

You know those long, rambling conversations you can have with your closest friends? The rules sprung from one of those. WE were just sitting around, BS'ing one day. I don't even know what started it off, but eventually both of us (and Ben. He was there, too) were tossing out rules for what names you can and can't give your kid. Over the years, we've gone back to them, as friends have had and named their own kids, and had a few laughs, I must admit.

So here's a list of our rules:
1. It must be a classic American name, spelled in the most standard way. Our children's heritage is classic EuroMutt with a dash of Native American and heaping helping of Armenian. The best way to describe them will be American. So we think their names should be, too.

2. It can not be one of certain names. I would list them, but I don't want to piss people off. It's just that, with a few exceptions, in our collective experience, everyone we know with these names is some kind of asshole. To the point that it's like "well his name is (one of those), you expect that".

3. It can't be a family name. Too much animosity. If I name my kids after my side of the family you can bet his family would be pissed. And vice versa. There may be some leeway for dead relatives used as middle names, but in general, it would cause more fuss than I'd care to deal with.

4. Probably best listed as a corollary to 3: There will be no juniors. There's enough confusion in the house with 4 different names now (two of which, I might add, belong to DOGS), I don't need to add on the confusion of calling for DH and getting answered by DH, Jr. Plus, we both think our kids should have their own names.

5. They must be full names. Alexander, Elizabeth, Johnathan, Katharine are all acceptable, for example, while Alex, Beth, Jon, and Kathy are not. Give the kid the whole name, and they can choose from a multitude of nicknames for themselves.

6. The Asswipe (that's Os-Wee-Pay) Rule: No easily made fun of names. Hubby's name is very similar to the quirky title character of a popular song during his childhood, and my last name laid me open to years of taunting comparing me to a comic villain. We'd like to spare our kids as much as possible. So under this rule, no Richard (Dick), Peter, Johnson, etc.

7. No rhyming. Dear God no. Thankfully, neither of our last names rhymes with many first names.

8. No multiples. This is mostly an issue for people with first names as last names, and we'd really have to stretch it to get that to work for us, but seriously. You couldn't think of anything more creative than Thomas Thomas (my mother's orthopedic surgeon) or Martin M. Martin (a teacher at our high school)?

9. No objects. Thing names are for animals. "This is our daughter, Ladybug." "This is my cat, Ladybug." "how nice." NOT. There's a reason some names refer to people. Abstracts are ok, however, such as Faith, Joy, Hope, Honor, etc. Although in my experience such names often turn out to be no more than wishful thinking on the part of the parents....

10. Fictional Characters are sometimes ok, under these conditions: the character must have a real name (Luke is acceptable, Han is not), and the character's reputation won't come back to bite the kid in the ass (again, Luke is acceptable, Homer is not). Naming your kid after a villain is usually a bad idea, as well. Especially if it's a villain in a kid's movie....

11. There should be a reason you're willing to share. Someday your kid will ask you "mom, dad, why did you call me Paris Nooner Lastname" and you have to be willing to explain your quick trip back to the hotel that ended up being more than a bag drop-off....

12. Gender appropriate names are a must. Gender neutral names are ok, but for GAWDS SAKE, don't give a girl a boy's name or vice versa. Even if it is acceptable as a name for the opposite gender. Leslie is a girl's name. As is Stacy. Cameron is a boy's name (see Ferris Bueller). So is Kendall. Trust me, it's hard enough to pronounce the names people give their kids. Don't make me look a fool by calling a "he" a "she" in class.

I'm sure some of our rules go against what you like or even some of your names, but this is what we want for our kids. Because life is hard enough without being known as Chlamydia Vagina.

More on the worst baby names ever compiled here.

So what do you think? What are your rules? Which of these do you agree with? Disagree with? That's what the comments are for, hint, hint.

UPDATE: Check out this poor girl's name. I would like to beat her parents. (h/t Richard Cocking)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:45 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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1 Fully agree with the "no juniors" part. Also, that bad name link you listed? Hilarious. Big time.

Posted by: Helen at July 25, 2008 02:01 PM (R4iEo)

2 'Paris Nooner'. Heh.... Here's another one: don't name your two daughters the same name, just in different languages. That's silly.

Posted by: pam at July 25, 2008 02:11 PM (l6NIn)

3 Honey, you forgot: Don't name all of your children names that all start with the same letter. Don't name alphabetically either. :-)

Posted by: GMT at July 25, 2008 02:18 PM (IfXtw)

4 When I see Leslie, I think it's a boy My great uncle's name was Leslie, so that probably reinforces it.

Posted by: Ith at July 25, 2008 03:23 PM (tHVIZ)

5 oh, and there should be a whole section on multiple births. Rhyming twin names, or matching twin names are BAD. Choosing names based on the letter your multiples were assigned at Ultrsound, also BAD. You get the picture....

Posted by: caltechgirl at July 25, 2008 04:25 PM (IfXtw)

6 and along with that thing about the same initials? If you must do that, for goodness sake don't change the spelling of the kid's name to fit the scheme (eg Jinger Duggar, which is pronounced 'Ginger', but fits the J scheme along with her 17 other brothers and sisters)

Posted by: caltechgirl at July 25, 2008 04:28 PM (IfXtw)

7 I think you nailed it pretty good. My dad and FIL had the same name, so when I was preggars with #2, and my father died, we got away with naming his middle name after both of our dads. My FIL still calls #2 today by his middle name. My sister works for a pediatric dentist, and wow, has she come across some really bad names. Celebrities name their kids, quite often but not always, some odd things. Gwenyth Paltrow's daughter, Apple, I actually like.

Posted by: Stacy at July 25, 2008 07:30 PM (92p8H)

8 I just thank God I don't have to worry about it anymore, unless you consider naming a pet controversial. But nonetheless, you have great rules.

Posted by: c.a. Marks at July 25, 2008 07:52 PM (ePdrC)

9 I had this thing where I wanted to name any child (female) I had with Mr. Right "Malevolent". Because Malevolent Brown is a rawkin name! RG

Posted by: RightGirl at July 25, 2008 08:20 PM (dizBt)

10 These are good. I'm all for classic names myself. I was into syncopation of the first & last name too. It all has to roll off the tongue just right. And I didn't want a first name that ended in the same letter that our last name starts with - I don't like how they mush together. So for us, Michael was out, though I really like the name...

Posted by: Marie at July 26, 2008 05:00 AM (UunPp)

11 Don't name all your daughters Mary Blank - For example - me. My full name is Mary Elizabeth - my sister's name is Mary Anne. Catholic families often give their girls the first name of Mary and then a second name that is what she is called. I'd prefer they reverse that so your daughters won't all have the same first and last name as my sister and I did.

Posted by: Mary Elizabeth (Beth) at July 26, 2008 05:21 AM (RZhpS)

12 Yup, you pretty well nailed it. On the topic of "abstract concept" names: I've had several women in my class named Chastity. I'm sorry, but that is just not a good name. I know, I know, Cher used it, but still. Especially when the girl's 19 and is "experimenting." I also cannot stand the "invented spelling" names. Seriously, I think the parents sometimes do that to screw over the kids' teachers and anyone else who might have to read off their name. Snorglfqt does not equate to Michelle, not in ANY phonetic scheme of ANY real language, and several made-up languages. I don't even like the pretentious-spelling names, like MyShell instead of Michelle. Spell it like it is pronounced. And parents that name their kid after a consumer product should have said kid taken away.

Posted by: ricki at July 26, 2008 07:48 AM (UvHaM)

13 And I have to add: Parents who give their twins rhyming names should just expect those twins to turn evil. That is the curse of rhyming names. And second: if you give your kid an "invented spelling" name, you immediately disqualify them from EVER getting huffy if someone mispronounces their name. Seriously, if you name your kid Ghoti and expect teachers to pronounce it "Fish," also teach your kid not to cross their arms and pout when on the first day, the poor teacher goes, "Ghoti...Ghoti Anderson?"

Posted by: ricki at July 26, 2008 07:52 AM (UvHaM)

14 Amen. Preach it.

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at July 26, 2008 11:06 AM (0Pi1o)

15 Kendall = Girl's name for me, thanks to All My Children

Posted by: ZTZCheese at July 26, 2008 03:25 PM (Iw+8+)

16 I work in high school photography, so most of the time it's a lesson in Don't Do That. The classic one, though, is one that we had come through prom photos a few years ago. We ALL took one look at this "dress" and ended up with our jaws on the floor. Basically, imagine a halter top— except it just barely covers the breasts, and is bound at the waist, exposing the spangles the girl has around her belly button. Then imagine that she has on those little spandex cheerleader shorts, and a fall of cloth that does, in fact, go to the floor. Yes, she is wearing a garter. And high-heeled sandals. I pulled the girl's card, looked again— that couldn't be serious— and went to the school database. Sure enough, the girl's name was Sparkles. Sparkles hangs on my cubicle wall now, with a note: What Not To Wear. Ever.

Posted by: B. Durbin at July 27, 2008 07:59 PM (tie24)

17 Very good list...wish I could greet parents at the the classroom door with it and say, "Fix it or we will."

Posted by: Mrs. Who at July 29, 2008 12:44 PM (z+bTV)

18 I worked with a Latin girl named "Candida." I once asked her where her name came from, and she said that it was a "common Hispanic name." In my world, candida is yeast.

Posted by: Lauren at July 30, 2008 11:44 PM (Pt1kf)

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Happy Anniversary to the sweetest husband a girl could ever imagine. Even if you are a complete and utter dork.

I like you that way.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:44 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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I haven't really had a chance to brain dump lately. Despite the fact that it is summer, and therefore I am NOT teaching, I have been as busy as ever. Stuff just piles up on my desk and I am trying to get through a thousand small things just to get to see the top of my desk.

In some sense this is my fault. Being the person who is NOT on vacation means a lot of things that wouldn't otherwise come my way get shifted to me. Plus I am adding a new class in the Fall which I have to prep. Although it has been taught before, the focus of the class is changing, and the massive increase in enrollment (5 to 15, yeah I know, but it is TRIPLED) means I have to rethink the way labs and some assignments are done, almost as if it were a new class. I am also taking the opportunity to switch to a more rigorous text and need to make the syllabus reflect that text. With my "old" class, I need to re-arrange some of the units and make the syllabus more reflective of our designated Student Learning Outcomes (yes, we are going through Accreditation, why do you ask?) and combine the lab and lecture syllabi into one with a less formal schedule for the lab, because, as we all know, sh!t happens.

Along with this is the possibility of getting some grant $$ for research, which means I need to write a formal animal protocol which explains exactly what I plan on doing with my animals and how and when and why. This is the last thing I want to do. Boring. And pissy. And I really really really could give 2 shits about doing research anymore. Srsly. And anyway, I research stress hormones. Why on Earth would I want to hurt my animals? It only screws up my data.

I am also deeply embroiled in University politics. So far I have managed to play the naive child role well enough to slide through some serious controversial sh!t, while behind the scenes I plot and maneuver and try to come up with mature solutions. Who ever it was that said that Academic politics are worse because they are meaningless was right.

It doesn't help that I am trying to work from home as much as possible. On days when I can really focus, telecommuting is great. I can work all day on my schedule and get other things (like laundry or a trip to the dentist) done at the same time. I don't have to waste time or $$ on driving in to campus, either. I figure it costs me about $60-70/ week to drive in, just in gas costs. The inconvenience and creepiness of the Public transit makes that a less useful choice. Especially the creepiness. Someone was shot at the stop for my office a few weeks ago, and there have been a number of muggings and other violence.

Outside of work, things keep swimming along. Tomorrow is our 9th Anniversary. I can't believe it's already late July. Classes start again in a month. Also, I've "graduated" from physical therapy, and I continue in the pool, working on my own. So far so good. I like the pool, I like the workout, and I've gotten to know the group of "regulars" at the therapy pool who come every morning (lucky retired gals) to workout. Most of them are also therapy graduates. We switched my class schedule so that I can continue going to the pool in the morning twice a week. YAY.

Oh, and I have a ton of pictures to post. I'll try to do that tonight after I get home. I'm staying late for a student orientation "mixer" on campus. Yecch. But it gets me out of tomorrow's festivities and therefore I can hang out with hubby for our anniversary!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:54 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Happy Anniversary! ...and I thought profs had it easy during the summer! Proved that theory wrong!

Posted by: pam at July 23, 2008 03:16 PM (l6NIn)

2 Happy Anniversary! People who say "Those who can't, teach" have clearly never taught. Don't envy you the politics - hope you can safely navigate through them!

Posted by: beth at July 23, 2008 03:58 PM (AwZ3/)

3 Happy anniversary. And my condolences on it being accreditation time. I remember the last accreditation visit on my campus and it still makes me come out in hives (we got almost the highest possible ranking, but still...there was serious anxiety and serious amounts of horsepucky stuff we had to do beforehand).

Posted by: ricki at July 24, 2008 05:40 AM (O5SYw)

4 Happy Anniversary!! And I wish you many many (happy) more!!

Posted by: Richmond at July 24, 2008 06:50 AM (p79b+)

5 Gah...just reading this stressed me out. Aren't summers supposed to be fun? *sigh*

Posted by: Lauren at July 25, 2008 12:29 AM (Pt1kf)

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One of my favorite things about summer is that my schedule is less crazy and I have the flexibility to do things I usually can't in the winter: catch up on TV, knit and crochet, read good books, and especially, cook.

Hubby has been working like a fiend in the yard getting all the detritus up from this weekend's festivities and mulching it with the mini chipper of doom. So I thought I would treat him with one of his favorites, Stuffed Peppers. I hate 'em, but I'll totally eat the filling and we had some beautiful green peppers I picked up at the Fresno State farm market last week when we were in town that I needed to use.

My stuffed pepper recipe is the easiest ever (especially when you use pre-cooked rice from Trader Joe's), so it makes a quick summer rerun. And a very happy hubby, too!

Go here to see just how awesomely easy it is!

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My always wonderful Daddy is going in for a total knee replacement at 7 this morning. Predictably, I can't sleep and he's sawing logs.

Although the doctors have all given their blessing, and even say he's in great shape, we can use all the good juju we can get, so if you have a moment I'd appreciate it if you could spare a thought and a prayer in his direction.

Update: Dad is out of surgery and resting comfortably in his room. He's already had a stream of visitors and a tuna sandwich.

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Rather than the death sentence that could have been imposed, imprisoned journalist Abdul-Karim al-Khaiwani was sentenced to 6 years hard labor. This "lighter" sentence is 100% due to pressure from the US media coverage of the story. Keep talking about it, keep blogging about it.

Jane has all the details here.

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Jane Novak, who some of you know from her own blog, Armies of Liberation, and also from her frequent postings at My Pet Jawa, was on Fox and Friends this morning talking about her efforts to work for regime change in Yemen. Nice Deb beat me to the video editing and posted Jane's interview on YouTube, so check it out (below) and then go sign the petition! Learn more about Yemen and more reformers in the Middle East here. Finally, tell Fox how happy you are that they highlight these issues and talk to bloggers! Leave a comment here for FoxNews' Alisyn Camerota (who Jane tells me is very, very nice!)

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We walked into our house for the first time as its owners. It was kind of a surreal moment, to say the least. It was a Thursday afternoon, and we had no idea when the title would be recorded, so we gave the previous owners until 5pm to leave.

Of course, they took advantage of that, and the fact that it was memorial day weekend to to have the power and water shut off on us, pettily hoping that that they could screw us over and force us to be uncomfortable until the next Tuesday.

Happily, however, Pasadena Water and Power are AWESOME and everything was back on by Noon, Friday.

It's been a crazy year. Somehow we've managed to rip out two wall heaters, install a ceiling fan, a chandelier, change two more light fixtures, fix another ceiling fan, install a brand new bathroom sink, run a water line to the refrigerator, cap off a number of useless pipes, completely replace the plumbing for the shower and the kitchen sink, and install a dishwasher. Oh, and hang lights on the pergola, rip out three trees, hack away a number of bushes, and plant two rose bushes, azaleas, calla lilies, carnations, lilacs, hydrangea, and two summers' worth of garden.

Not to mention replacing a broken window and installing an alarm system. And bringing home a new puppy.

Wow. That's a hell of a lot more than I realized.


This weekend's project? Why plastering the holes from the plumbing job and repainting the bathroom, of course. And hanging our Anniversary present to ourselves:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:38 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 WOW! That was a quick year! CONGRATS! And happy anniversary, CTG & hub!

Posted by: Marie at May 25, 2008 05:37 AM (UunPp)

2 happy anniversary!

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at May 25, 2008 06:11 PM (0Pi1o)

3 A year's gone by already? How time flies. And the progress you've made on the house is impressive, too. BTW, my blog suffered a major meltdown and is being reconstituted at a new site. The new URL is www.weekendpundit.org You may want to update your blogroll as the old site has just plain up and disappeared!

Posted by: DCE at May 25, 2008 07:51 PM (m0MXk)

4 Wow...a whole year?! So much accomplished in that time. And I greatly admired how you have handled this recent episode with the thugs. The important stuff, (the babies), are fine, as are y'all. A good year, indeed.

Posted by: Mrs. Who at May 25, 2008 09:34 PM (GWbHW)

5 More puppy pictures! Oh, and happy anniversary in your home!

Posted by: pam at May 27, 2008 05:08 PM (l6NIn)

6 Happy anniversary, CTG. I hope the next years are filled with much happiness.

Posted by: zonker at May 27, 2008 10:43 PM (PrUNH)

7 Congrats on your new home and your anniversary. Too bad those old California homes almost always have to be extensively remodeled whenever a new owner moves in.

Posted by: diamond dave at May 28, 2008 04:43 PM (EKSJf)

8 It's already been a year? Holy crap. It seems like yesterday that you were dealing with all the shenanigans to get the place. Wow. I love that picture. It's calming and serene. Perfect for above your bed.

Posted by: Lauren at May 30, 2008 01:19 AM (iUfJz)

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OK, so she's not my baby in the usual sense, but she IS my child. The favorite, the spoiled one, the one who gives me kisses and runs to see me when I come home every afternoon. She watches while I sleep and gets offended when her Daddy and I argue with each other. She loves books and kleenex (to eat) and cheese and chicken and eggs that escape from my breakfast burritos. She's Daddy's girl when he's got trail mix and Mommy's shadow whenever there's a glass of Dr. Pepper poured out. My 35 pound hot water bottle who loves the snow beyond reason and runs from rain drops. My "worth her weight in Molybdenum" hound who has cost me more than a fortune in tests and specialists and pills and special dog food, and finally human anti-rejection meds for an allergy that only took a move home to California to cure.

But for all that, we wouldn't trade a moment with our "border spaniel cocker collie" and all the ways she's spoiled us.

I love you, my Princess.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:22 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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1 Happy birthday, Princess! She likes Dr. Pepper? really??

Posted by: Marie at May 05, 2008 06:47 AM (UunPp)

2 What a sweet little doggie! Did you get a special milk bone birthday cake?

Posted by: Phoenix at May 05, 2008 07:36 AM (4N2f4)

3 Happy Birthday to the Princess!

Posted by: Amanda at May 05, 2008 07:50 AM (ay+rD)

4 That's a fine looking dog!!

Posted by: Alan at May 05, 2008 02:01 PM (jYCG+)

5 Happy Birthday to your girl! She's gorgeous...!

Posted by: pam at May 05, 2008 03:15 PM (l6NIn)

6 she obviously adores you too. what a doll.

Posted by: zoey at May 05, 2008 03:32 PM (oNP5F)

7 Happy Birthday, kiddo!!

Posted by: Lauren at May 06, 2008 11:12 PM (iUfJz)

8 Awwwwww! The princess is adorable! Happy birthday.

Posted by: nightfly at May 07, 2008 06:41 AM (PuuC1)

9 Happy Birthday to a cutie!

Posted by: Mrs. Who at May 08, 2008 07:39 PM (DhhRx)

10 Oooh! What a beautiful puppy-girl! Happy Birthday to the Princess! And many, many more! Hope she got a new toy and special puppy treats for the big day! Congratulations!

Posted by: Lee Ann at May 09, 2008 06:20 AM (In0yv)

11 Happy Birthday to a beautiful girl!

Posted by: vw bug at May 13, 2008 03:12 AM (FPOeI)

12 This is how the gods do business:::::They use temptation and deception to compel people to chase something that has already been decided. It's children who go to "beaven". OLd people have to come back. The gods will use their power to contradict this, corrupting people and compelling them to incurr evil::::They used the Italians to ruin life in the 20th century, cost you the Final Prophet and the result will be death as you wait for the Italian Second Coming of Christ to save you. This is the god's positioning and it IS going to be enforced. Never forget::::The gods have always offered "protection" to those genuinely religious. It is something that was always respected, even in the wicked 20th century. As people begin to age the gods employ corrupting tactics. They ultimately begin to look down on the children and the wisdom they recently understood::: They voluntarily turn their back on their opportunity to ascend and instead embrace evil. It's not old people who go to heaven. Old people must come back because of the mistakes they've made throughout their lives. Children are the ones who have the opportunity to ascend. Children are discounted by adults in society. The gods corrupt people as they age, use trust-building tactics and soon adults view the children as ignorant, yet to understand the god's system, and subsequently look down on the children. This is one of the most bitter, painful ironies the gods employ, for people consciously turn their back on and lose their opportunity to ascend:::: Religions teach that old people to go to heaven when they die. They don't. Old people are reincarnated. It's the children who go to heaven, those who have a chance at immortality. The wisdom the gods impart to children, either through their innocence/purity or religious-based educational pursuits are the gods sharing the truth with their most favored people::::It's the children whom the gods teach the right way for it is the children who have a chance. For example, they teach children to have faith, for understanding the god's geographical clues hurts people by illustrating negative things, opening the door for the god's to employ deceptive tactics. Old people don't go to heaven. Old people must come back because of the mistakes they've made throughout their lives. It's the children who have the opportunity to go to "heaven". They must behave apprioriately, think correctly and be genuinely god-fearing. Their innocence and lack of desensitization ensures they have a real opportunity to achieve this goal. This is charecteristic of the gods methodology::::The big prize gone early, deception compels people to chase something that has already been decided. They sent this clue with boss as well. It is also a clue supporting my claim RW&B's german is in fact Christianity's Anti-Christ. Logic also dictates, considering the definition. This individual was used to justify the repression of alternative technologies, and in the early/mid 20th century the elimination of productivity enhancing developments like Chicago's underground railroad for merchandise delivery to retail outlets. There are other examples like this as well, notably the railroad on the lower span of the Bay Bridge. This forced transport via internal combustion vehicles instead. This is how the gods do business:::They get theirs right off the bat. The #1 industrailist, the #1 capitalist is the Anti-Christ, and he's been "in charge" for 150 years. Of coruse this is all telepathic theater. He was just a clone host all along. All those industrialists were. Flanders is on the Simpsons as a clue. The confusion over this multi-dimentional positioning will serve as an effective tactic, eliminating many additional disfavored in the process, for positioning states the Apocalypse to be a continuation of WorldWarII's Aryan superrace ideals, positioned as punishment for the 5th century invastion of the Roman Empire:::John's Fourth Reich. This amounts only to "nested theater":::::Levels of positioning enables the gods to scapegoat:::::RW&B merely is the tool the gods chose to execute the final scene of their scripted theater that is human history. Just as they would have had me chase boss so would they have wanted me to sign on to this theater, evil by definition, and chase this role of Anti-Christ. By doing so I would have incurred evil and would have been punished, painfully "losing" Anti-Christ in the process. Does that mean RW&B is not the Anti-Christ?? I suspect as they would have "offered" it to me so will there be a fake Anti-Christ for those in these generations to accept as well. But it is a clone host. This is ALL clone host theater, created not as a clue to me but instead designed to be preditory on the disfavored, designed to increase indecency and further the god's goal of justification towards The End. We were all merely peasants centuries ago, struggling with our disfavor, but without the enormity of temptations, real and telepathic, which exist today. They have shared I was positioned to some disfavored as the Second Coming of Christ, explaining all the evil surrounding me and RW&B's placement in the "eye of The Beast" was to positon the sabotage of my candidacy (Damien Omen, Big Army Men, etc). The Big Lie of course is that Christianity is evil. The reverse positioning nature of Planet Earth dictates that good is demonized, as we wintessed in World War II, while evil is put on a pedistal, as we see with the Italians. The truth? The gods used their tools to create this and the rest of the incidents surrounding this Situation to distract the people from my message, for I speak the truth:::Only you can save you. You have to be responsible for your own relationship with the gods. The gods are asexual. They have no sex organs nor rectums. When the gods take children these individuals have the opportunity to become "god-like". Temptations are employed and, if sucessful, these are the individuals who make up the human race's immortals. I believe there are opportunities that exist for females that do no exist for males. I don't mean to paint with a broad brush but women's "sexual peak" may represent the transistion to "sociological males" and their "fall from grace". Considering today's promiscuity I question whether this is currently applicable, and is yet anther 20th century-earlier phenominah. I believe Purgatory is real. I think it is a temporary destination, perhaps sparsely utilized until the Apocalypse, but this will be the destination for those who "ascend" during the event. As they've said this planet will too be disposed of one day and it is imperative people try to avoid that destination, for there may be no escaping its fate.

Posted by: This is how the gods do business:::::They use temptation and deception to compel people to chase som at May 14, 2008 10:05 AM (Zz71Y)

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It has been a crazy week since I last posted.

Tuesday night we cleaned the house in preparation for an out-of-town guest. After we finished putting things away, vacuuming, and changing the sheets on the guest bed, we decided a shower was in order. Usually, since it's just the 2 of us, I turn on the shower, jump in and wash and step out, then DH jumps in and turns off the shower. Except the goddamned thing wouldn't turn off all the way. So hubby hauled out the tools and stripped the hot water handle back to the stem, then used pliers to get the stem turned off.

For those of you keeping score, this is the THIRD problem with the shower/tub handles since we bought the house. THIRD. By this time, however, it's well after midnight, and there's little that can be done except to get the water turned off and go to bed.

Wednesday, I got up and went to work, and then picked up my friend from the airport. We went straight from LAX to the beach, as she'd never put her tootsies in the Pacific. We had lunch at the Kettle (my favorite MB comfort food place) and then walked down to the waves. After goofing around for about 15 minutes and introducing her to the joys of squishing kelp bobbers, we walked back up to the car and made our way back to the casa. We got her gear stowed, watched some TV and went to choir rehearsal.

Thursday I dragged her to school with me, and she got to sit in for the final fetal pig lab of the year. Of course her patience was rewarded with a trip out to Melrose to shop at Fluevog and Kidrobot and lunch at Johnny Rocket's.

Friday we went to the Dodger game (Joe Torre Bobblehead night!).

Saturday was plumbing day 1. We took the access panel off the wall to see how difficult it would be to replace the diverter/valve/handle thingy. As usual, it wasn't that simple. As with the dishwasher, one plumbing job quickly became three, as we discovered that the water shutoff valves for the shower were broken OPEN. So we had to turn all of the house water off to replace those. AND we discovered that the shower would take a hell of a lot more work to replace... so we decided to cap the leaking valves and put the rest off, as we were having people over for a BBQ so that our friends could meet our guest. Much meat and wine took the edge off of the plumbing mess.

Sunday we went to see the Big Fat Rat. It turns out that was an excellent day to go. Not terribly hot, and not terribly crowded either. We rode all the big rides, and most of the smaller ones, too. The longest line we stood in was 45 minutes, for the Nemo submarines. Everything else was 20 minutes or less, including Indy! We had "linner" at the Blue Bayou (yum!) and went to Downtown Disney to the Lego Store via Monorail. We left at 9 because Monday is a work day, but everyone was exhausted by then anyway.

Monday was plumbing day 2. We fixed the valves and tackled the shower/diverter replacement. It quickly became evident that the geometry of the house made it IMPOSSIBLE to remove the pipes via the access panel. So we cut a hole in the side of the house! Extreme, but it was either that or rip out the fiberglass shower surround. And anyway, our house is covered in flat wood panels (1x 12's) with wood shingle siding attached, so what we cut out came out in one single piece (which we screwed back on when we were done). Once we could actually REACH the plumbing, the shower replacement was a piece of cake. And now it works great. YAY Hubby!

Tuesday was my class's final, and then another trip to Kidrobot and a tour of Hollywood Boulevard.

Wednesday I dropped my friend back at LAX, and our whirlwind week was over. Back to real life, and fast. I got a hell of a curve ball at work, and then I had to grade exams.

Today I finally got to do my ACTUAL job. Wow.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:28 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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wB turns 31 today! Isn't she lovely?



Welcome to the over the hill gang,my friend!

That box'll get there as soon as it gets over its gout.....

Update: link fixed. Must be my OLD ARTHRITIC FINGERS.

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1 LMAO!!

Posted by: Amanda at March 07, 2008 11:44 AM (ay+rD)

2 Eh? What? Did you say something? rotten kids. GET OFF MY LAWN!

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at March 07, 2008 12:08 PM (+MvHD)

3 Lord. I'm surrounded by children!

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at March 07, 2008 12:41 PM (PvqFn)

4 BTW, the link is broken. Missing I in ville must be your own aging eyesight!

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at March 07, 2008 01:17 PM (+MvHD)

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UPDATE: Leave your answers here :-)

Ken loves to do these Rock N Roll Trivia posts, and often I end up scratching my head and feeling somewhat less than inadequate because, well, I usually suck at them.

So here's one of my own, for Ken and the crew:  The Paul Simon/ Simon and Garfunkel Edition (Now with Bonus Questions!)

1.  If I was a Kellogg's corn flake I'd be floating in my bowl doing what exactly?  And to whom would I be talking?

2. Someone told me it's all happening where?

3. Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly? How Terribly strange to be (how old???)...

4.People say she's crazy, why?

5.If you take two bodies and you twirl them into one, what won't come undone?

6.How far away is the Mother and Child reunion?

7. The sign said the words of the prophets are written where?

8.Where are you going with Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme?

9. What do Rene and Georgette Magritte have hidden away in the cabinet cold of their hearts?

10.  The Mississippi Delta shines like what on the way to Graceland?

BONUS:
My father was a fisherman, my mama was a fisherman's friend.  What's my name?

How many ways are there to leave your lover? (Just ask Jack, Stan, Roy, Gus, Lee.....)

The fog's rolling in off the East River Bank.  It covers which street?

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:39 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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On Flickr:

And lots more, including photographic evidence that big sister is learning to tolerate Puppy.

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- First of all, I want to start out by saying tonight's Golden Globes were the BEST AWARDS SHOW EVAH.  I'm certain that I am not the first to say so, but it was delightfully refreshing to not have to listen to blather about designer dresses and celebrity dates and political bullshit speeches from idiots who, for the most part, are merely talking out their asses.  Not to mention 3 hours of bad comedy and rotten stage numbers.  Thirty minutes.  No bullshit.  I loved it.

Thanks Writer's Guild.  I wish we could have you picket ALL the awards shows.

On the other hand, I think you writers are a bunch of selfish bastards.  See, LA really is a company town.  And all the NON-writers are really suffering.  One of the news stations reported that if the parties accompanying the awards shows are cancelled, just the parties, that's $80 MILLION out of the area economy.  $80,000,000.00.  That's a hell of a lot of crews and waiters and caterers and delivery guys and lots of others who are barely hanging on in the best of times, and who are facing a serious crisis because a bunch of writers want 2 more cents per DVD.  The actors say they're in solidarity with you, but they can afford to.  Strangely enough, it's the richest among them who are calling for your selfishness to end.  George Clooney and others have begged the parties to come back to the bargaining table, someplace they haven't met in WELL over a month.

In the meantime, crew members, caterers, security guards, and all the other "little people" are struggling.  Not to mention the store owners, construction firms, barbers, restaurants, and other businesses that aren't getting business because Hollywood is essentially shut down.

Get your shit together and grow up.  That is all.  But do skip the awards shows.

-Top Gun is an ass-kicking movie.  I think more people should watch the first half-hour and the last half-hour, and think about the implications of what's going on for TODAY.  We came to the conclusion that if more people actually THINK about what's going on in the world, you'd hear a HELL of a lot less whining about the war.

-Psych is the best show on TV.  If you don't watch it you should.  Especially as NBC will be running episodes starting in February. 

-We watched a lot of TV tonight.  I needed the mental break.  On a whim we flipped it to "Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant" on VH1.  It was actually funny.  And it had a damn good soundtrack (incl. Depeche Mode and The Cure).  We also watched Home Makeover.  Damn if that show doesn't make me cry every time I see it.

-The Puppies are beginning to get along.  I even have photographic evidence.  They were in the same chair.  I was so shocked I jumped up to get the camera before they could figure out I was going to take pictures.  I'll post them tomorrow when the camera and I are in the same room.

-Who turned on Fred's Espresso machine?  Seriously.  WooHoooooo!

-My mind must be on another planet.  I usually have a mind like a steel trap, but I have forgotten a ton of things this weekend.  Stress, and a working subconscious.  First, Attila Girl asked me to guestblog for her for a few days.  And I forgot.  I was supposed to begin calling for jury duty this weekend, and guess when I remembered to do that?  11:05 PM, when the news dude started talking about Brit-Brit going to court tomorrow.... yeah.  Go me.  And I forgot a bunch of work stuff I need to get done before tomorrow.

And what am I doing?  Blogging and procrastinating.  Because I can.

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1 Psych is the best show on TV. It's must watch TV for me and the spouse as well. Did you catch the rerun of the pilot? They had a different girl playing Maggie in the first episode. You might remember her as the beeyatch extraordinaire from House this year.

Posted by: physics geek at January 14, 2008 01:29 PM (MT22W)

2 That last little bit about procrastinating is one reason why I love you so much. I resemble that remark. A bunch. Mweh.

Posted by: Margi at January 15, 2008 11:45 AM (Cms8m)

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I went to work, the traffic wasn't bad, I came home, took the dogs to the vet, and everything was fine.  That was clearly BEFORE noon.

Then I whacked my forehead on a tree chasing the puppy, scared her (no big deal, I just put a little pressure on her shot site when I picked her up and it hurt) and then spent the afternoon trying to get her to calm down.

i quit.

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1 ...and... there's no video of the noggin crashing? Too bad. [sigh] Puppy pictures, then?

Posted by: pam at January 09, 2008 05:52 AM (l6NIn)

2 What do you mean, you quit?

Posted by: Amanda at January 09, 2008 06:56 AM (ay+rD)

3 Oh not good... clearly it's time for a cocktail!

Posted by: CrankMama at January 09, 2008 04:15 PM (F9si8)

4 Oh crap... Better today I hope!

Posted by: Richmond at January 10, 2008 10:47 AM (wg5Wh)

5 Here, let me help you feel better. I adopted a dog. A Dalmatian. I was told she was trained and well over a year old. She was very cute. 1) She had no training whatsoever, including housetraining. No sit, no stay, no come. 2) She was about 5 months old and in full on "teething" mode. Not a well trained 1.5 year old. 3) She suffered from seperation anxiety which could only be relieved by chewing up an entire sofa, guest bed and $800.00 wool rug to name just a few. 4) Did I mention that just seeing a human being would make her pee herself, whine, bark cry and run away? (Everyone but me.. I am MOMMY.) Nightmare. She's great now but man were those first 4 months were a scream. It was more like COCKTAILS, rather than cocktail. Good luck! P.S. even though I'd have rather not gone through that, she is really the dearest little girl. She still has some fear issues and doesn't come when called until she feels like it, but she is a little angel now.

Posted by: Jenn at January 10, 2008 10:51 AM (sSCF/)

6 It's like having a 2 year old. Good grief. Its why I can't ever do another baby mammal in this house. I think I have PTSD from my own once baby mammals.

Posted by: Bou at January 10, 2008 07:35 PM (mPTKU)

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I haven't been ignoring y'all on purpose. Really. I've just been super busy. Mom is doing very well, walking around on short excursions with just her cane and doing therapy twice a week. Staples SHOULD come out at her DR appointment tomorrow, which is a HUGE milestone because that means she can shower without wrapping her leg in plastic and tape....

Santa Claus was DAMN good to me this year. I didn't think I was THAT good a girl.... I got a Kitchenaid mixer. It's PURPLE! and n AWESOME digital photo keychain. Hubby got a telescope (for school, actually) and PS2 games. And a bad case of the Flu. Dad had it first, then me, then hub. Ugh.

Puppies also scored. New leashes and food dishes and beds. Princess got lots of dog treats, too.

More later, as it appears to be dinner time!

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Quick update:

Mom is doing great! Really great! The therapist was really impressed with her today!

Mom came home Sunday afternoon, and ever since it's been a whirlwind of therapy, continuous passive motion machine, walker exercises, and puppies.

I did manage to pay my bills and get all of the Christmas cards done.  If I have your address, you should be getting one....

On tap for this afternoon, Round 2 of puppy booster shots at the Vet and sorting all the Christmas presents that need to be wrapped. And then maybe some Christmas decorating, I hope.

In other news, it's pouring like the proverbial SOB here in Fresburg, which I love, especially at the holidays.  There should be a TON of snow in the mountains.  YAY!

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I just talked to my Dad and everything with Mom's surgery went well. She is now officially the Bionic Woman, with two titanium knees. The Dr. was very pleased and last I heard Mom was in recovery and Dad was waiting to be able to go see her.

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1 GREAT news!

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at December 14, 2007 07:40 PM (Yh9SA)

2 so happy to hear good news

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at December 15, 2007 06:24 AM (0Pi1o)

3 YAY! Please give Mom a hug from me when you see her.

Posted by: Amanda at December 15, 2007 08:32 AM (lkltr)

4 Excellent news!! Glad the surgery went well!

Posted by: pam at December 15, 2007 12:15 PM (l6NIn)

5 I'm so glad the surgery went well. I hope she's up and around very quickly!

Posted by: Teresa at December 15, 2007 01:17 PM (rVIv9)

6 ... good for her, but wow.... she certainly has a long road to recovery..... I wish her all the best!...

Posted by: Eric at December 15, 2007 07:23 PM (g02Hg)

7 Yay! I'm so glad it went well! She has some time coming that will suck, but in the end, she will be so glad she did this. She will...

Posted by: Bou at December 15, 2007 09:12 PM (fGpp7)

8 Wonderful news!

Posted by: oddybobo at December 17, 2007 10:19 AM (mZfwW)

9 first time gay sex

Posted by: omgoge at January 02, 2008 08:38 PM (Wu5AG)

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I'm guessing this ranking has everything to do with a certain blogger moving to Fresno......

The list below ranks the cities from most dangerously drunk to least dangerously drunk.

Most Dangerously Drunk

100. Denver, CO F

99. Anchorage, AK F

98. Colorado Springs, CO F

97. Omaha, NE F

96. Fargo, ND F

95. San Antonio, TX F

94. Austin, TX F

93. Fresno, CA F

92. Lubbock, TX F

91. Milwaukee, WI F

90. El Paso, TX F

In other highlights, Washington DC comes in at 88, Los Angeles at 65, Las Vegas surprisingly near the middle at 47, and the LEAST dangerously drunk cities are (below the jump!)
more...

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