That would be me.  I have a lot of things I'd like to post on.  The election, ABC's use of the new show Eli Stone to promote their (completely wrong) agenda about autism, football, idiots, work, and the puppy (who is doing just fine, thank you very much.  At least she was when I shut her into the bathroom this morning (the bathroom is her safe room, with her bed and food and toys and puppy pads on the floor and nothing she can tear up or piddle on).

Honestly, I'm not sure where my brain is right now.  I haven't really been on track since before the holidays, and I am trying to get back into the usual routine.  Just as I was getting back in to the swing of things, jury duty fried my brain.

It's amazing how sitting on your ass all day in a terribly uncomfortable seat, surrounded by strangers, and being forced to pay attention can totally zap your energy.  For days.

I have been trying to pick it up, though.  Going to bed earlier, doing things around the house, cooking and baking, yard work.  Pretty much anything to keep me from just falling into the sleepy trap I have been in the last couple of weeks.

Things are slowly improving, though, and at least the insomnia beast hasn't reared its ugly head in weeks.  Sleeping is about what I do best these days.  Damn, I just want to go to sleep RIGHT NOW.  As I type this.

I think the best thing for me to do now is just pack it up, go home, and try to get some work done there.  If I go now, it takes me about half as long to get there as it would if I leave an hour from now.  And I get puppy time.  Which is much more fun than sitting in my office all day.  And maybe I can get some laundry done, too.

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Fred was the man.

Let's face it.  Dropping all the hype and the hyperbole, Fred was the only candidate LIKELY to punch the hippies.  And turn the terrorists into nuclear waste.

Because the truth is, I am a one-issue voter:  National security.  As far as I am concerned, the rest of this bullshit can take care of itself.

Abortion? I could care less what you do with your body

Gay Marriage? See above.

The Economy?  Market forces will foster self-correction.  Together with greed, that's how the market stays afloat, not some shitty presidential policy.

So for me, it's all about Security.  Iraq, terror, the border, all of that.

With Fred out of the race there's no candidate that I trust to have the balls to pull the big trigger.  Period.

Forget the Democrats. They're tripping over their ownselves trying to beat each other out of the middle east, and forget regulating the borders, after all, they want Mexican votes. And they'll say whatever they need to say to get them.

And what about the Republicans?  Huckabee is a whiny-ass pussy, Giuliani is not really sure what he wants, Romney is a slick used car salesman (AND he was Governor of Massachusetts, so his conservative credentials seem rather fake to me), and that leaves John McCain.

Eight years ago, I was on the McCain train when he ran against GWB for the nomination.  Then, he seemed like Fred, the only one who was willing to kick ass and take names.

Which frankly, IS the best job description for the President of the United States, IMO.

Today, I am not so sure.  McCain-Feingold and the Gang of 14 antics, among other things, have made me re-think my McCain-iac status, but all in all, today, I think he's the best candidate with regard to what I consider to be the PARAMOUNT issue facing our nation. He's the only one that I think would NOT be a pussy.

So I'll be supporting McCain.  With a little "s". 

Fred, why oh why were you such a lazy asshole?  You could have won the whole thing.  Late start or no.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:12 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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So on Saturday we did a bit of yard work.  The Bougainvillea fell over on our gorgeous (and still producing!) yellow tomato plant, effectively killing it.  Once we removed the bougie back to upright status, we found dozens of small green tomatoes still growing on the dying vine.  So we harvested at least 4 quarts of beautiful green tomatoes.

Ironically enough, fried green tomatoes is one of the FEW fried, Southern dishes that I DON'T like.  So I went to Chef Google to find some different recipes for using up the garden's bounty.  One of the first that I turned up was this recipe for Green Tomato Soup.  I made this last night, and by all accounts it was a BIG winner.

Believe it or not.  Originally found here. The recipe below contains my modifications.

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So after 3 days of sitting on my ass on hard wooden benches or stone benches in the hallway, I was excused.  I was #47.  They got to #45 before they finally empaneled a jury.

The case was this one, since I can now talk about it.  Clearly it took longer than anticipated, as the trial actually began this morning.

The most interesting aspect of this case, I learn now, is one that would not be presented to the jury.  That is the REASON it took 2.5 + years to come to trial: the whistleblower cop was fired for reporting the alleged brutality.

Below the jump is a cached version of an article about the case from last May including info on the corruption aspects of the case....
more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:52 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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So first off, the reason we can't read is that the judge wants everyone to pay attention. The way she runs voir dire in her courtroom is that she questions the panel aloud en banc, and should any of us not yet in the privileged seats move up, she wants us to be aware of what we are going to be asked. It saves time in questioning the people who get seated later.

So I have been learning a lot about my fellow jurors. Seems there are a lot of people who have really negative opinions about cops and judges and attorneys. And a lot of people who have been harassed by cops or know someone who has.

This is one hundred percent outside my worldview.

It's an interesting exercise in psychology listening to people talk about their experiences and feelings, and then to see the judge and attorneys' reactions. And it certainly makes things less boring, especially for a people-watcher like me.

And, I get to go back in Tuesday morning. As expected, they have already chewed through 36 of the original 55 of us, and the last 7 of those are still actively in voir dire. I expect the jury will be picked and sworn Tuesday, whether or not I get chosen. At this point, I'd almost RATHER be chosen, as it will be 3 days out of my life already, and I'm interested to find out what happens.....

But, joy of joys, I GOT A METRO PASS!!!! No more $5/day to go back and forth. No more bums staring at me while I feed bills into the ticket machine.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:16 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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So I am not on a jury, yet. I am, however, in a jury pool for a particular case which I may not discuss except to say it's a criminal matter. I must return to the Courthouse of Doom tomorrow for further waiting around with my thumb up my butt sitting in a courtroom with nothing to do but listen to idiots spew their biases in an effort to get out of service, as reading in the courtroom is prohibited and I suspect that if I piss this judge off it won't be that good for me....

And, joy of joys, it might go through to Tuesday before they actually get around to picking a jury. So much for work this week and next.....

The only bright spot is that I am 7 from the back of the queue....

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I get to go in for Jury Duty tomorrow.

Blecch.

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Usually Pasadena is pretty calm on Santa Ana wind days. But tonight it's been blowing up a storm. I'm not sure what the top gusts have been, but 30-40 MPH is a good estimate. It's blown all kinds of things around our yard, and I am currently waiting to hear the big citrus trees in the sideyard come down on the roof.... So we moved into another room, on the lee side of the house. The dogs are actually pretty freaked out, which is a first for a non-thunderstorm.

We've been through a bunch of hurricanes, and at times it's sounded eerily like those did. I wouldn't be surprised to see hurricane or at least tropical storm force sustained winds through the passes with higher gusts.

Holy cow.

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Seen at the LlamaButchers'.
Belief-O-Matic:

Your Results:

The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking.

Interesting, as my religious upbringing is #3 and #5, being both Orthodox and Methodist.

1. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (100%)
2. Orthodox Quaker (93%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (88%)
4. Seventh Day Adventist (79%)
5. Eastern Orthodox (75%)
6. Roman Catholic (75%)
7. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (64%)
8. Liberal Quakers (56%)
9. Unitarian Universalism (54%)
10. Orthodox Judaism (53%)
11. Reform Judaism (51%)
12. Sikhism (50%)
13. Islam (48%)
14. Jehovah's Witness (47%)
15. Bahá'í Faith (47%)
16. Hinduism (46%)
17. Mahayana Buddhism (42%)
18. Neo-Pagan (42%)
19. Theravada Buddhism (42%)
20. New Age (40%)
21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (33%)
22. Jainism (31%)
23. Nontheist (30%)
24. New Thought (28%)
25. Taoism (28%)
26. Scientology (26%)
27. Secular Humanism (25%)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 02:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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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.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:35 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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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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Ok, it was the only cool title I could think of. 

This one seems to be going around, and I thought it was interesting enough to do.  Evidently the idea is to explore "privilege" (whatever that is) and see what bloggers have in common....  For more background, see it comes in pints?, McGehee, or Dustbury.

Obligatory Legal Mumbojumbo:

Premise: bold each of the statements that applies.

Original source: The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.

Father finished college

Mother went to college

Mother finished college

Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor (I assume cousins of my own or subsequent generations don't count as they were not already practicing, and thus could not serve as role models)

Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (my teachers had way more $$ than we did)

Had more than 50 books in your childhood home Hello, Mom's a Children's Librarian....

Had more than 500 books in your childhood home See Above.

Were read children's books by a parent This is getting redonkulous

Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 Violin lessons

Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 and Dance lessons, too, I realize.

The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (Have you seen a scientist on TV lately? Yeah.)

Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (Credit Card? I was 21 before I had a credit card!)

Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (Does the Caltech Scholarship Fund count? I didn't think so.)

Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs (HA!)

Went to a private high school (the private high schools in Fresno SUCK. I got a MUCH better education at the math/science magnet)

Went to summer camp (Church Camp)

Had a private tutor before you turned 18 (I WAS the F-ing tutor)

Family vacations involved staying at hotels (Hell no, we stayed with relatives or at friends' houses, except one large trip)

Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (Mom sews. You should see some of my pretty dresses)

Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (My Neon. Loved it. Dad's car was too unreliable to pass on, and Mom's was new then, too)

There was original art in your house when you were a child (I'm guessing my kindergarten scrawls don't count?)

Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 Hello, former teenage girl here.

You and your family lived in a single family house

Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home Still do, in fact. But for my generation, this really isn't as much of a sign of privilege as it might be now given housing prices then vs now.

You had your own room as a child Only child, duh.

Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (No, but I TOOK the SAT when I was 12)

Had your own TV in your room in High School After my grandmother moved in with us, I got her TV AND cable!

Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College (you're shittin' me, right? I barely knew what a mutual fund WAS)

Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (Nope, I was 17 the first time. I flew to NY and back by myself)

Went on a cruise with your family (I'm guessing the Catalina Ferry doesn't count. I've never been on a cruise)

Went on more than one cruise with your family (see above. What's a cruise?)

Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up Museums, but not galleries.

You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family (Nope, I always knew. Mom used it as an illustration of why we conserve energy.)

Wow, I guess I was a poor little rascal. At least, according to this metric. Funny how we thought we were doing well....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:19 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 I'll have to link to this because it's eerie how close some of our answers are. )

Posted by: Lemon Stand at January 11, 2008 07:40 AM (4cWxS)

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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.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:16 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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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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Don't let her sleeping, jailed appearance fool you.  This is a high-speed, mightily independent monster with a bladder the size of a thimble and big, nasty teeth! (well, ok, little nasty teeth...)





It's a miracle she even sleeps.  She didn't shut up until 6 AM Saturday, and last night was pretty bad, although she quit crying a LOT earlier.  I'm hopeful that sleeping in the crate/ pen/ whatever means she's ok with it now......

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:17 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Aw, what a sweetie. Have you tried putting a clock (that ticks) under her pillow? We did that when our girls were new and it really helped with the crying.

Posted by: beth at January 06, 2008 06:47 PM (9skvr)

2 aaaaawwwwww... how sweet! I don't even have to ask if you're working on bite inhibition...! LOL! Thank God my dog is a year old now; I couldn't live through puppyhood again...!

Posted by: pam at January 07, 2008 07:13 AM (l6NIn)

3 Oh but she is cuuuuuute!!

Posted by: Richmond at January 07, 2008 07:52 AM (GvGiJ)

4 Oh man, puppy crying all night! How well I remember that phase. I figured out one way to stop the crying was to put the puppy in a big cardboard box with blankies *on the floor next to the bed*. Then I dangled my arm and hand downward and into the box. She seemed comforted and slept quietly. I got some sleep too, finally. Maybe my arm was a little numb the next day. Heh. I'm not saying this is a good or proper technique, just that when I got desperate for a quiet night's sleep . . . it worked.

Posted by: dogette at January 07, 2008 04:53 PM (q/UVc)

5 Hey, I know I'm probably the last to notice or clue in, but is that by any chance a message to Hillary scrolling across the top of your screen?

Posted by: dogette at January 07, 2008 04:55 PM (q/UVc)

6 looks like a sweetie! We have our younest poodle box trained..she heads for it at night to sleep..and we close the door. My older dawg..Miss Sassie Poodle has been sleeping with me since she was two months old and she is 14 now..I think the highlight of her day now is to cuddle up next to me at night..and sometimes when I am up late she comes looking for me and barks at me until I go to bed..

Posted by: GUYK at January 07, 2008 07:23 PM (uyoGg)

7 Very cute and great reason not to be at the computer. ;-)

Posted by: vw bug at January 08, 2008 04:45 AM (FPOeI)

8 Oh how sweet!!! She looks so cuddly and adorable!! Aww, puppy snuggles.

Posted by: Amanda at January 08, 2008 10:59 AM (5PUVj)

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So you may have seen that there was much hoo-hah about a float honoring the 2008 Beijing Olympics in yesterday's Rose parade.

I was front and center for the spectacle, and my take on it may surprise some of you.

We left the house at 5:15 am, drove to a nearby church, parked the car and had a lovely pancake breakfast, then we walked to Colorado and Orange Grove, where our seats were located in the Grandstands, just to the side of the HGTV booth.  We were asked to be in place by 6:30 AM so that the Parade organizers could stage the "opening number".  We were in our seats at about 6:15.  I people-watched until the parade got going, and hubby took a catnap or two, wrapped in our warmest USC gear and sitting on a thick blanket instead of a cold metal bench....

What happened was that a protest was organized wherein people were supposed to stand and turn their backs on the float as it passed, a sign that you disagree with China and it's human rights abuses.  There was a pro-float group on our left, and an anti-float group on our right.

Here is the very beautiful and fun float in question:

First of all, where we were, VERY few people stood other than the few who were present specifically for that purpose.  Most of us were too busy taking pictures of an adorable float and the acrobats and dancers hired to accompany it down the parade route.  The few who did stand were real assholes about it, getting in front of people taking pictures and trying to be dickheads.

Which really detracts from a message of human rights and peace, in my book.

I hadn't really known how I was going to react.  I am no fan of China's human rights practices, but at the same time, I had no animus against the float itself or the actors and dancers paid to make it fun.  As the float passed us, and the spectacle unfolded, I came to a realization:  The Rose Parade is not a venue for politics.  The parade is about fun and spectacle and celebration.  It's a moment for the thousands of kids who raised millions of dollars  JUST TO BE THERE IN THE PARADE to enjoy their (cold) morning in the sun.  It's a celebration.  It's for the kids.  Kids and politics shouldn't mix.

There were two beautiful little girls sitting in front of us.  They were enchanted by the lion dancers and plate spinners and acrobats.  As the float in question passed, and the little girls couldn't see it, they were debating their favorite floats.  One preferred the circus float and the other preferred the Princesses and Rose Queen with their bouquets and big pearl crown.  They could give a crap about China.  They just wanted to see the floats and dance to the bands.  Which is what the Parade is all about.

So keep the politics out of the Parade.  Protest before the parade, stage a vigil at the float viewing sheds tomorrow and the next day, but keep it away from the magic of New Year's Morning.

Our kids have so little innocence anymore, and are severely short on magic.  The Rose Parade gives them at least a couple hours of kid fun.

And for the record, this protest was, IMO, a truly cheap political stunt.  Why, you ask?  Well, first of all the float wasn't funded by the Chinese government, it was funded by a coalition of American companies and individuals, most notably the Avery-Dennison Corporation, a worldwide manufacturer of paper and office products based here in Pasadena.  Furthermore, the float didn't promote the Chinese government, either.  It promoted the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Beijing.  And don't the Olympics themselves promote equality and human rights?  So if they were protesting the idiocy of the International Olympic Committee being bullshitted about human rights improvements by the Chinese government, I'd almost understand the sentiment, but protesting China just makes it a cheap, opportunistic stunt staged for the TV cameras.

More pictures of the Beijing 2008 float can be seen along with the rest of my 2008 Rose Parade pictures here on Flickr.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:46 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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