Saturday, September 30, 2006
September 30, 2006
This month sure sucked. I have spent most of it unemployed and not collecting unemployment. In addition to Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer way ahead in the polls, now his ideological soulmates are poised to take control of Congress. Instead of trying to win in Iraq, they want to leave Iraq to the Al Qaeda types. This country is definitely headed in the wrong direction- and the only ones who can save it are ridiculed and way behind in the polls.
Friday, September 08, 2006
September 8, 2006
3 more months..
How I'm going to survive the next 3 months, I don't know. I lost yet 2 more jobs in the past 2 weeks.
I got e-mail an individual in Westport, NY, which promised information on my Clarke ancestors that called that area home 150 years ago.
And 3 more days to convince my Democratic friends that Tom Suozzi would make a lot better governor than Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer will...
How I'm going to survive the next 3 months, I don't know. I lost yet 2 more jobs in the past 2 weeks.
I got e-mail an individual in Westport, NY, which promised information on my Clarke ancestors that called that area home 150 years ago.
And 3 more days to convince my Democratic friends that Tom Suozzi would make a lot better governor than Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer will...
Saturday, August 26, 2006
August 26, 2006
Wow. It's been 10 years since I first moved to New York. In late August and in September of 1996, I was renting from vaious weekly hotels and the Flushing YMCA. By December, I had finally found work (which caused my debts to balloon). And now, I've been with one employer for 7 months and a certain Long Island temp agency for over 9 years. But that long, strange stay in New York will likely come to an end by Christmas.
I've spent some time on MySpace- now that my sister and niece have accounts there, too.
The official ISP provider of this blog has changed (as of August 23) from Netscape dial-up to Verizon DSL. I am not sure who will be providing the connection if I do move back to Colorado Springs in 4 months.
And Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer is way out in front for the November Governor's race. If he does win, my anti-Spitzer site will change to an "escape Spitzer" site, with links on how to flee the state before he takes office January 1, 2007.
I've spent some time on MySpace- now that my sister and niece have accounts there, too.
The official ISP provider of this blog has changed (as of August 23) from Netscape dial-up to Verizon DSL. I am not sure who will be providing the connection if I do move back to Colorado Springs in 4 months.
And Eliot "Job Killer" Spitzer is way out in front for the November Governor's race. If he does win, my anti-Spitzer site will change to an "escape Spitzer" site, with links on how to flee the state before he takes office January 1, 2007.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
July 1, 2006
July 1- the halfway point of the year. I have been at my current job for 5 months. I have a car that runs pretty well, and gets very good city mileage. I still have friends, and with the car, it is a little easier to visit them out in Brooklyn. I recently got a cellphone, which I am still tying to figure out how to use since cellphones are more complicated now than they were in 1999. And it is too damn hot outside. So what else is new.. not much. I'm still single, still underweight, still asthmatic, still living in an overpriced room in Queens.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
May 7, 2006
It is already May- the fifth month of the year. And tomorrow, I turn 34. But at least now I have a car, which I get to pick up on Friday. And I have to balance this blog with another blog I write on my new My Space site. Instead of working tomorrow, I get to spend most of the day at Coney Island Hospital undergoing my semi-annual asthma evaluation. So far, 34 means I'm getting older, upsetting more people, earning the same or less in income, and getting closer to the ages at which my parents died.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
April 13, 2006
Supposedly on this date 1976 years ago (the exact date has been disputed), Jesus was executed outside Jerusalem. Most Christians celebrate Jesus's death (and eventual resurrection) on Easter Sunday and the preceding Friday (which happens to be tomorrow). Next time you think of any big sacrifice, remember what happened on the night before Good Friday. A healer, who cured the sick, changed water into wine, and called out his religion's superiors on their hypocrisy, was praying that a cup (unbearable for pretty much anyone) would pass him by. That symbolic cup was knowing that your own friend and confidant was betraying you to those who would kill you. Instead of fleeing, Jesus was waiting to be arrested. And when Peter cut off the ear of one of those who arrested Jesus, Jesus healed the guy and rebuked Peter.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
April 6, 2006
Greetings, all, from the Netscaper 113 sickbed in Queens. I still don't know what caused me to get sick, but I missed work yesterday and spent most of this morning at Elmhurst Hospital. I have to return there tomorrow to get back the last of my test results. I did get one test result back this morning: I am not HIV positive. Not that I fall in any of the risk categories for HIV, but I did get a free HIV test to go along with my other exam. The HIV test was administered orally, as opposed to using needles. And I was able to get the results back in an hour. I still have a stomach ailment and a bad skin condition, but at least I don't have a killer virus. I am stuck on a soup and bread diet for a few days until the stomach ailment goes away.
I don't intend on discussing the rising gas prices or Spitzer campaign in this post (I'm sick enough as it is), but there has been major news that will affect my TV viewing. When Bob Schieffer took the anchor job at CBS Evening News in March 2005, he said his job was temporary. Well, CBS finally found Bob's replacement: Katie Couric from NBC (also known as National Bull Crap for the way they treat news). I don't blame Katie for wanting to leave the cesspool of broadcast journalism, but I don't think her signing was a great move by CBS. CBS's evening news ratings have risen considerably since Bob Schieffer took over last year. Do they really think the co-anchor of a morning show that omitted the most newsworthy event at last year's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a good choice? And NBC has already announced Katie's replacement: Meredith Viera, who currently hosts "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and the odious ABC talk show called "The View". Wasn't Meredith Viera the same 60 Minutes former correspondent who announced how glad she was that she was out of journalism following the September 11th attacks? Well, Today isn't a news show, it's a crap fest. And Meredith, no amount of Lysol is going to get that smell off the new entry on your resume.
I don't intend on discussing the rising gas prices or Spitzer campaign in this post (I'm sick enough as it is), but there has been major news that will affect my TV viewing. When Bob Schieffer took the anchor job at CBS Evening News in March 2005, he said his job was temporary. Well, CBS finally found Bob's replacement: Katie Couric from NBC (also known as National Bull Crap for the way they treat news). I don't blame Katie for wanting to leave the cesspool of broadcast journalism, but I don't think her signing was a great move by CBS. CBS's evening news ratings have risen considerably since Bob Schieffer took over last year. Do they really think the co-anchor of a morning show that omitted the most newsworthy event at last year's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a good choice? And NBC has already announced Katie's replacement: Meredith Viera, who currently hosts "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and the odious ABC talk show called "The View". Wasn't Meredith Viera the same 60 Minutes former correspondent who announced how glad she was that she was out of journalism following the September 11th attacks? Well, Today isn't a news show, it's a crap fest. And Meredith, no amount of Lysol is going to get that smell off the new entry on your resume.
Friday, March 31, 2006
March 31, 2006
Well folks, the month of March is almost over. I spent most of it working. I am still recovering from a 52.5 hour work week that ended yesterday. I am off work until Sunday, and will be catching up on 3 weeks of lost sleep.
The primaries aren't until September, but already, Spitzer and Suozzi are airing their commercials on television. Spitzer claims in his commercials that he's the savior of the state, but I don't want any of that Drano he's passing off as campaign kool-aid. One of Spitzer's commercials trumpeted his prosecutions- including Marsh and McClellan, which was found NOT GUILTY of Spitzer's accusations. But the resulting legal fees forced Marsh and McClellan to lay off more than 5000 people- the biggest single job loss incident in New York since 9/11. Suozzi's commercials attack the Albany establishment- most of whom should lose their jobs. But Suozzi seems to forget that the biggest threat to economic and employment security in this state is not Albany, but his opponent Spitzer.
To those who are afraid of higher taxes, of their job security, of having to join their relatives in moving out of state, whatever you do, do NOT vote for Spitzer. But if Spitzer does become governor, Colorado Springs is always looking for new employers and residents. In the meantime, any opponents of Spitzer are welcome to use my bumpersticker idea- "Been sued out of a job yet? Stop Spitzer now. Vote for..."
The primaries aren't until September, but already, Spitzer and Suozzi are airing their commercials on television. Spitzer claims in his commercials that he's the savior of the state, but I don't want any of that Drano he's passing off as campaign kool-aid. One of Spitzer's commercials trumpeted his prosecutions- including Marsh and McClellan, which was found NOT GUILTY of Spitzer's accusations. But the resulting legal fees forced Marsh and McClellan to lay off more than 5000 people- the biggest single job loss incident in New York since 9/11. Suozzi's commercials attack the Albany establishment- most of whom should lose their jobs. But Suozzi seems to forget that the biggest threat to economic and employment security in this state is not Albany, but his opponent Spitzer.
To those who are afraid of higher taxes, of their job security, of having to join their relatives in moving out of state, whatever you do, do NOT vote for Spitzer. But if Spitzer does become governor, Colorado Springs is always looking for new employers and residents. In the meantime, any opponents of Spitzer are welcome to use my bumpersticker idea- "Been sued out of a job yet? Stop Spitzer now. Vote for..."
Saturday, March 04, 2006
March 4, 2006
It's Lenten time, folks.
Traditionally, Lent is the 40 days before Easter. Ash Wednesday starts Lent, and many church services symbolize this time of sacrifice and prayer by having ashes on their foreheads. Some think it is their religious duty to have those ashes. Surprisingly, it is not. For Catholics, Ash Wednesday isn't even a holy day of obligation (i.e. a day you have to go to Mass). Those ashes do symbolize death and sacrifice. The old symbolism involved sackcloth and ashes, now, an appropriate might involve the ashes created from the process of cremation. I can remark that 10 years ago this month, I saw how much life can be in a pile of ashes- when what was supposed to be a routine ash scattering off the Jacksonville Beach Pier turned into a spiritual experience involving me, my great-uncle Bill Stokes (who died 5 months after that incident), and my great-aunt Gladys Stokes.
My father's final wish was that his ashes would be scattered off the Jacksonville Beach fishing pier he frequented when he was growing up. One time in the 1940s, he was fishing and caught a baby hammerhead shark. We joked 50 years later that the hammerhead's relatives would be looking for him. In late March of 1996, I opened up the plastic box with his ashes. Instead of dropping into the ocean waters below, they flew out of the box like some spirit had been released. As I found out 6 months later during Bill Stokes's ash scattering in Plymouth, MI, this was not a normal occurance.
As far as I know, Gladys Stokes is still well and living outside Myrtle Beach, SC. I haven't heard from her in nearly 5 years due to an ugly family feud that ensued following the death of her oldest daughter (and my father's cousin) Pamala Stokes. I was one of 6 family members that bothered to show up for Pamala's funeral at Tower Hill Presbyterian Church in Red Bank, NJ, in August 2001. But Pamala had a lot of friends, and it was standing room only during her funeral service.
Since Ash Wednesday 2005, my friends have had their own losses to deal with. Jon Koza lost his grandmother a few months ago, and shortly afterwards, his fiancee Dara's grandmother also died. Last week, Diana Pensabene lost her father. Tyrone Griffith lost his 90 year old great-grandfather 5 months ago. Jon and I attended the wake- and despite the sorrow of losing Kinnard Sypher, his family and friends had a very spiritual and uplifting service. It is like Bill Stokes, Pamala Stokes, Mr. Sypher, Mr. Pensabene, and Mrs. Cohen that we will end up eventually. Many are still mourning. But Lent is here to remind us of our pending death, and our renewal in a new life.
And now that this composition is over, I have about an hour to get ready for my usher gig at this afternoon's 4:30PM Mass at St. Pancras Catholic Church in Glendale.
Traditionally, Lent is the 40 days before Easter. Ash Wednesday starts Lent, and many church services symbolize this time of sacrifice and prayer by having ashes on their foreheads. Some think it is their religious duty to have those ashes. Surprisingly, it is not. For Catholics, Ash Wednesday isn't even a holy day of obligation (i.e. a day you have to go to Mass). Those ashes do symbolize death and sacrifice. The old symbolism involved sackcloth and ashes, now, an appropriate might involve the ashes created from the process of cremation. I can remark that 10 years ago this month, I saw how much life can be in a pile of ashes- when what was supposed to be a routine ash scattering off the Jacksonville Beach Pier turned into a spiritual experience involving me, my great-uncle Bill Stokes (who died 5 months after that incident), and my great-aunt Gladys Stokes.
My father's final wish was that his ashes would be scattered off the Jacksonville Beach fishing pier he frequented when he was growing up. One time in the 1940s, he was fishing and caught a baby hammerhead shark. We joked 50 years later that the hammerhead's relatives would be looking for him. In late March of 1996, I opened up the plastic box with his ashes. Instead of dropping into the ocean waters below, they flew out of the box like some spirit had been released. As I found out 6 months later during Bill Stokes's ash scattering in Plymouth, MI, this was not a normal occurance.
As far as I know, Gladys Stokes is still well and living outside Myrtle Beach, SC. I haven't heard from her in nearly 5 years due to an ugly family feud that ensued following the death of her oldest daughter (and my father's cousin) Pamala Stokes. I was one of 6 family members that bothered to show up for Pamala's funeral at Tower Hill Presbyterian Church in Red Bank, NJ, in August 2001. But Pamala had a lot of friends, and it was standing room only during her funeral service.
Since Ash Wednesday 2005, my friends have had their own losses to deal with. Jon Koza lost his grandmother a few months ago, and shortly afterwards, his fiancee Dara's grandmother also died. Last week, Diana Pensabene lost her father. Tyrone Griffith lost his 90 year old great-grandfather 5 months ago. Jon and I attended the wake- and despite the sorrow of losing Kinnard Sypher, his family and friends had a very spiritual and uplifting service. It is like Bill Stokes, Pamala Stokes, Mr. Sypher, Mr. Pensabene, and Mrs. Cohen that we will end up eventually. Many are still mourning. But Lent is here to remind us of our pending death, and our renewal in a new life.
And now that this composition is over, I have about an hour to get ready for my usher gig at this afternoon's 4:30PM Mass at St. Pancras Catholic Church in Glendale.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
February 11, 2006
I recently read an article on Netscape ISP's homepage about how everyone born before 1987 is now considered old. But since I was born in 1972 (and turn 34 in 3 months), I'm not quite over the hill just yet. Maybe I should set the geezer year at 1968 and make the following remarks about all non-geezers:
They don't remember a living JFK, and Ted Kennedy has always been a Senator.
A Klansman has always been the senior Senator from West Virginia (Robert Byrd).
PBS and Sesame Street have always existed.
60 Minutes has always been on CBS.
The Super Bowl has always existed.
The Internet has always been in use, although some may remember it being called ARAPNET.
The US has always been involved in some type of Middle Eastern political affair, crisis, or war.
Richard Nixon has always been remembered as a current or former President.
Ronald Reagan has always been known as a current or former politician and not as an actor.
Segregated schools, theatres, water fountains, etc. have always been illegal under Federal law (although if I had been born in 1971 or earlier and lived in Memphis before 1978, I would have briefly remembered being in an illegally segregated school system).
Detroit has always been a declining and very dangerous city.
Houston and San Diego have always been bigger than Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
California has always been the most populous state in the Union.
The only civil rights leader with a surname of King they remember had the first name of Coretta.
Michael Jackson and Elton John have always been famous.
In half the Presidential elections they remember, the winner won with less than half the popular vote.
The computer has always been around, although some can remember when cassettes were used to run them.
McDonald's, K-Mart, and Wal Mart have always been in existence.
And, finally, Flintstones Vitamins and Geritol have always been around and suggested for people who are older than the year listed on these type lists.
And in distressing news, the NYC area is expecting a blizzard overnight, which means I will be walking right through the middle of it on my way to work tomorrow morning. Also, Tom Golisano decided not to run, which means the Republicans are really screwed. But hopefully, Tom Suozzi will beat Spitzer and the state won't get screwed.
They don't remember a living JFK, and Ted Kennedy has always been a Senator.
A Klansman has always been the senior Senator from West Virginia (Robert Byrd).
PBS and Sesame Street have always existed.
60 Minutes has always been on CBS.
The Super Bowl has always existed.
The Internet has always been in use, although some may remember it being called ARAPNET.
The US has always been involved in some type of Middle Eastern political affair, crisis, or war.
Richard Nixon has always been remembered as a current or former President.
Ronald Reagan has always been known as a current or former politician and not as an actor.
Segregated schools, theatres, water fountains, etc. have always been illegal under Federal law (although if I had been born in 1971 or earlier and lived in Memphis before 1978, I would have briefly remembered being in an illegally segregated school system).
Detroit has always been a declining and very dangerous city.
Houston and San Diego have always been bigger than Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
California has always been the most populous state in the Union.
The only civil rights leader with a surname of King they remember had the first name of Coretta.
Michael Jackson and Elton John have always been famous.
In half the Presidential elections they remember, the winner won with less than half the popular vote.
The computer has always been around, although some can remember when cassettes were used to run them.
McDonald's, K-Mart, and Wal Mart have always been in existence.
And, finally, Flintstones Vitamins and Geritol have always been around and suggested for people who are older than the year listed on these type lists.
And in distressing news, the NYC area is expecting a blizzard overnight, which means I will be walking right through the middle of it on my way to work tomorrow morning. Also, Tom Golisano decided not to run, which means the Republicans are really screwed. But hopefully, Tom Suozzi will beat Spitzer and the state won't get screwed.
Friday, February 03, 2006
February 3, 2006
Goodbye January. Hello Black History Month, or is it Groundhog Month? Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow yesterday in Pennsylvania. Staten Island Chuck, one of NYC's resident groundhogs, didn't see his shadow. It figures that the winter I don't have a car would be the same winter that didn't require snowplows.
Since a Governor Spitzer administration seems more and more likely (and also because my new job will allow me to transfer out of NYC in 10 months), I've been looking at potential new homes. One of those options is my hometown of Colorado Springs. I've also looked at Las Vegas, San Diego, and (more recently) Chicago, Waterbury, CT, and my great-grandfather's final home of Indianapolis. There are advantages and disadvantages to each: Chicago has a much higher crime rate than the other cities; San Diego's cost of living isn't that much cheaper than NYC's; Waterbury would be a hell of a commute from potential jobsites; Indianapolis is in the heart of the allergy belt; and Las Vegas gets too damn hot in the summer. But Vegas and Chicago have a lot of big city amenities; Waterbury is a Metro North ride away from NYC and is the only one of the above mentioned cities that has a branch of my bank; San Diego has great weather and a nice beach; Indianapolis has the lowest cost of living of the other cities, and is centrally located to my relatives in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Lousiana, and Iowa; and Colorado Springs is my hometown and has probably the best natural amenities of any mid-to-major city in the United States. Regardless of whether I move there or not, I intend on driving the gravel road up Pikes Peak in 2007. But Indianapolis and Colorado Springs are the only cities in which I could afford a house rental (although Vegas and San Diego are the only cities where I would end up paying more in rent than I am now in Queens). It would be nice to have my own place again for the first time in 10 years. But that decision won't be made before November 7, 2006. I intend on doing my best to keep Spitzer from Albany before I plan any job transfers.
Since a Governor Spitzer administration seems more and more likely (and also because my new job will allow me to transfer out of NYC in 10 months), I've been looking at potential new homes. One of those options is my hometown of Colorado Springs. I've also looked at Las Vegas, San Diego, and (more recently) Chicago, Waterbury, CT, and my great-grandfather's final home of Indianapolis. There are advantages and disadvantages to each: Chicago has a much higher crime rate than the other cities; San Diego's cost of living isn't that much cheaper than NYC's; Waterbury would be a hell of a commute from potential jobsites; Indianapolis is in the heart of the allergy belt; and Las Vegas gets too damn hot in the summer. But Vegas and Chicago have a lot of big city amenities; Waterbury is a Metro North ride away from NYC and is the only one of the above mentioned cities that has a branch of my bank; San Diego has great weather and a nice beach; Indianapolis has the lowest cost of living of the other cities, and is centrally located to my relatives in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Lousiana, and Iowa; and Colorado Springs is my hometown and has probably the best natural amenities of any mid-to-major city in the United States. Regardless of whether I move there or not, I intend on driving the gravel road up Pikes Peak in 2007. But Indianapolis and Colorado Springs are the only cities in which I could afford a house rental (although Vegas and San Diego are the only cities where I would end up paying more in rent than I am now in Queens). It would be nice to have my own place again for the first time in 10 years. But that decision won't be made before November 7, 2006. I intend on doing my best to keep Spitzer from Albany before I plan any job transfers.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
January 25, 2006
Well folks, the year is only 4 weeks old and already some major news has rocked the broadcast media world. CBS and Time Warner have merged their UPN and WB networks into something called the CW Network. Why UPN and the WB had to go out of business while NBC is still polluting the airwaves is beyond me, but now we're down to 5 major English-language broadcast networks. But there are a lot of markets in this country that don't have both UPN and WB stations, so they should be delighted by this news. It's also a vote of confidence for WWE's Smackdown, which along with "Everybody Hates Chris" and "America's Top Model" was the UPN show most mentioned during the merger announcement. In fact, those shows will be moving to higher rated stations in NYC, LA, and Chicago. The biggest losers in this new network announcement are the soon-to-be-ex UPN stations owned by Fox such as WWOR 9 New Jersey, KCOP 13 LA, and WPWR 50 Chicago.
In other news, the NY Governor's Race is getting into gear. Overconfident Eliot Spitzer has already picked a running mate, who is not sitting too well with certain Democrats. This may end up boosting Tom Suozzi's candidacy, as he is far less odious (and far less likely to drive millions of jobs out of this state) than Spitzer. If you're to believe the blogs and internet news sources, Senator Chucky Schumer and various Wall Street types are trying to help Suozzi's candidacy. I recently got an automated voice mail message urging me to help Spitzer's campaign. If I knew what phone number left Spitzer's message, I'd return the favor with a 3 minute answering
message consisting of the Box Office Poison song "Inconsiderate" and reasons why Spitzer should move to New Jersey and kill their job market instead of New York's. At the very least, a Governor Spitzer would drive NYRA and me out of New York. A Governor Spitzer could also drive the stock markets out of New York, which is why so many conservative Wall Street types are supporting Democrat Tom Suozzi's challenge against Spitzer. Hopefully this race will be a battle of two Toms- Independent-turned-Republican Tom Golisano is exploring whether to run as a Republican. He would instantly be the front runner for the Republican nomination if he ran, and would probably get most of Suozzi's support if Suozzi lost the Democratic nomination to Spitzer. Most importantly, Golisano is a self-made millionaire who wouldn't need outside money to counter the MoveOn.org, DNC, and left wing PAC money that would bankroll Spitzer's
campaign (which could easily be around $100-150 million). Either Golisano or Suozzi is welcome to use my anti-Spitzer ad idea that compares Spitzer's job killing record to the jobs lost because of Osama bin Laden's terrorist attack in 2001.
I would also like to thank the left wing wackos at Air America WLIB 1190 for the anti-Bush materials they keep sending me. It reminds me why I support our President against these wackos, and it saves my landlord money on kitty litter.
In other news, the NY Governor's Race is getting into gear. Overconfident Eliot Spitzer has already picked a running mate, who is not sitting too well with certain Democrats. This may end up boosting Tom Suozzi's candidacy, as he is far less odious (and far less likely to drive millions of jobs out of this state) than Spitzer. If you're to believe the blogs and internet news sources, Senator Chucky Schumer and various Wall Street types are trying to help Suozzi's candidacy. I recently got an automated voice mail message urging me to help Spitzer's campaign. If I knew what phone number left Spitzer's message, I'd return the favor with a 3 minute answering
message consisting of the Box Office Poison song "Inconsiderate" and reasons why Spitzer should move to New Jersey and kill their job market instead of New York's. At the very least, a Governor Spitzer would drive NYRA and me out of New York. A Governor Spitzer could also drive the stock markets out of New York, which is why so many conservative Wall Street types are supporting Democrat Tom Suozzi's challenge against Spitzer. Hopefully this race will be a battle of two Toms- Independent-turned-Republican Tom Golisano is exploring whether to run as a Republican. He would instantly be the front runner for the Republican nomination if he ran, and would probably get most of Suozzi's support if Suozzi lost the Democratic nomination to Spitzer. Most importantly, Golisano is a self-made millionaire who wouldn't need outside money to counter the MoveOn.org, DNC, and left wing PAC money that would bankroll Spitzer's
campaign (which could easily be around $100-150 million). Either Golisano or Suozzi is welcome to use my anti-Spitzer ad idea that compares Spitzer's job killing record to the jobs lost because of Osama bin Laden's terrorist attack in 2001.
I would also like to thank the left wing wackos at Air America WLIB 1190 for the anti-Bush materials they keep sending me. It reminds me why I support our President against these wackos, and it saves my landlord money on kitty litter.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
January 15, 2006
Well, it's 2 weeks into the New Year. Al Qaeda is still in business, as is the tobacco industry, NBC, the Spitzer for Governor campaign, and other unworthy industries.
I'm still alive. My sister got out of the hospital. My niece Allie turned 14. I am unemployed, but I collect unemployment. I've sent out at least 6 applications this past week alone. And I have a nice job fair to go to this Friday (the 20th).
Due to problems with my free ISP, I switched to the Netscape ISP. The switchover went fairly well, although now I have to pay $12.45 a month for internet. But once I get the so called Accelerator CD-ROM, I'll see if the internet really can go at a decent speed on dial up. Of course the problem could be the old laptop that a friend gave to me last year. It runs on Windows 2000, and I had to install Firefox (and later, Netscape 7.2) just to get online. It freezes up from time to time, but unlike my desktop computer, it runs most of the time. My desktop (complete with games, a CD burner, and half my music collection) stopped running on September 11, 2005. Between catching up on rent (and paying other bills), I don't have the money yet to fix the desktop computer.
Between interviews, applications, and my normal Sunday church usher position, I've spent more time online. I updated my online family tree. I've sent e-mails to friends I haven't seen in person in years. I'm even working on some websites. One has my old newspaper columns from Brooklyn College and forum posts from 1993-2004. The other, when complete, will be an anti-Spitzer website, complete with details on how many jobs he's already cost this state. So far, I've tabulated close to 25000- all in the private sector.
So far, the year 2006 hasn't been that eventful. But there's still 50 weeks left to go.
I'm still alive. My sister got out of the hospital. My niece Allie turned 14. I am unemployed, but I collect unemployment. I've sent out at least 6 applications this past week alone. And I have a nice job fair to go to this Friday (the 20th).
Due to problems with my free ISP, I switched to the Netscape ISP. The switchover went fairly well, although now I have to pay $12.45 a month for internet. But once I get the so called Accelerator CD-ROM, I'll see if the internet really can go at a decent speed on dial up. Of course the problem could be the old laptop that a friend gave to me last year. It runs on Windows 2000, and I had to install Firefox (and later, Netscape 7.2) just to get online. It freezes up from time to time, but unlike my desktop computer, it runs most of the time. My desktop (complete with games, a CD burner, and half my music collection) stopped running on September 11, 2005. Between catching up on rent (and paying other bills), I don't have the money yet to fix the desktop computer.
Between interviews, applications, and my normal Sunday church usher position, I've spent more time online. I updated my online family tree. I've sent e-mails to friends I haven't seen in person in years. I'm even working on some websites. One has my old newspaper columns from Brooklyn College and forum posts from 1993-2004. The other, when complete, will be an anti-Spitzer website, complete with details on how many jobs he's already cost this state. So far, I've tabulated close to 25000- all in the private sector.
So far, the year 2006 hasn't been that eventful. But there's still 50 weeks left to go.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
January 1, 2006
Well folks, 2005 is over. I'm fairly glad it's over, since I managed to lose several friends, 3 jobs, 3 vehicles, and had to face the premature deaths of a cousin and a roommate (see December 25, 2005 blog- that story was not made up).
2006 started out as most years do in NYC, with a lot of fanfare in Times Square. I spent midnight at home, since I had to be up early this morning. I flipped between New York 1, Fox 5, ABC 7, and CNN (Channel 10 on Time Warner Queens cable). ABC 7 had the return of Dick Clark (no relation). He sounded awful- but supposedly because of his 2004 stroke, he had to re-learn how to talk. The real host of ABC's New Year's Eve celebration was the smarmy Ryan Seacrest. Fox settled with the more conventional Regis Philbin. Normally, Fox employs Seacrest for their American Idol show, while Philbin's normal employer is ABC 7. CBS 2, which normally is on top of news stories, eschewed Times Square coverage in favor of a CSI rerun.
I usually spend New Year's Day at work at Aqueduct Racetrack. Today was my 9 year anniversary there. I handed out and stocked the tables with calendars. I have been there every year since 1997. But due to NYRA's financial troubles (and the threat faced by a potential Spitzer administration), the calendar giveaway may be the last giveaway held at Aqueduct. The promotions department isn't sure when the next giveaway will be. Supposedly Aqueduct will become a slot machine haven next year, and assuming that happens, the track will be saved. But now the track is in bad shape, and that affects the promotional department's budget, which in turn affects my budget.
But 2006 is starting on an uncertain note. Now that the giveaways are over, I have to go on unemployment again. I found out my sister has spent the last 4 days at a hospital in Louisiana. My friends Jon and Tyrone are feuding, and I'm caught in the middle of their noncommunication. There's a tropical storm in the Atlantic (which has only happened once before in January). And the destructive job killing Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is still way out in front in the polls to be NY's next governor. I hope he doesn't win, but I have saved several potential employers' names in Colorado Springs and Las Vegas in case he does win. But I would like to go to Times Square for New Year's one of these days.
2006 started out as most years do in NYC, with a lot of fanfare in Times Square. I spent midnight at home, since I had to be up early this morning. I flipped between New York 1, Fox 5, ABC 7, and CNN (Channel 10 on Time Warner Queens cable). ABC 7 had the return of Dick Clark (no relation). He sounded awful- but supposedly because of his 2004 stroke, he had to re-learn how to talk. The real host of ABC's New Year's Eve celebration was the smarmy Ryan Seacrest. Fox settled with the more conventional Regis Philbin. Normally, Fox employs Seacrest for their American Idol show, while Philbin's normal employer is ABC 7. CBS 2, which normally is on top of news stories, eschewed Times Square coverage in favor of a CSI rerun.
I usually spend New Year's Day at work at Aqueduct Racetrack. Today was my 9 year anniversary there. I handed out and stocked the tables with calendars. I have been there every year since 1997. But due to NYRA's financial troubles (and the threat faced by a potential Spitzer administration), the calendar giveaway may be the last giveaway held at Aqueduct. The promotions department isn't sure when the next giveaway will be. Supposedly Aqueduct will become a slot machine haven next year, and assuming that happens, the track will be saved. But now the track is in bad shape, and that affects the promotional department's budget, which in turn affects my budget.
But 2006 is starting on an uncertain note. Now that the giveaways are over, I have to go on unemployment again. I found out my sister has spent the last 4 days at a hospital in Louisiana. My friends Jon and Tyrone are feuding, and I'm caught in the middle of their noncommunication. There's a tropical storm in the Atlantic (which has only happened once before in January). And the destructive job killing Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is still way out in front in the polls to be NY's next governor. I hope he doesn't win, but I have saved several potential employers' names in Colorado Springs and Las Vegas in case he does win. But I would like to go to Times Square for New Year's one of these days.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
December 25, 2005
Folks, this is not a Christmas tale for kids..
Santa did not stop by the 6100 block of Cooper Avenue in Queens last night. Instead, paramedics, firefighters, and police officers from the 104 Precinct huddled around the small white house. They were summoned because of a large man named Kenneth Gromwaldt in the living room. Despite the paramedics' best efforts, Kenneth (or Kenny, as the house knew him) was pronounced dead at 9:30PM. He was 47 years of age.
The police questioned the landlord, Shanik, about the deceased. Shanik remarked that Kenny had a sister named Geraldine from Middle Village. Kenny had a few side jobs moving furniture. He had asthma and a blood clot in one of his legs. He also had a voracious appetite for drugs, including angel dust, heroin, xanax, methadone, and marijuana.
On the preceding night (December 23), Kenny went to his neighbor Dorby's room. Dorby sometimes assisted in Kenny's pharamceutical pursuits. But this time, Kenny downed Dorby's bottle of xanax and her methadone without her consent. She shooed him away, and he passed out on the kitchen table. Hours later, Kenny stumbled from the kitchen to the living room, where he spent the last 21 hours of his life.
Shanik, Dorby, and the other residents of the small white rooming house were in shock when the paramedics announced they could not revive Kenny. Dorby blamed herself for Kenny's death. One of the paramedics gave her Kenny's tiny address book, and she started calling the names listed on the book. One of them, Pete, was Kenny's boss from the moving jobs. He hung up on her when she told him that Kenny was dead. The police never noticed the address book. If they had, they could have gotten the names and phone numbers of at least 4 drug dealers.
So much for a well paying job. So much for 47 years of life. So much for good humor- all gone because of some pills and chemicals. To those who think using and abusing illegal drugs is fun and harmless, go to the morgue or Potters' Field in the Bronx. That's where your harmless fun takes you.
Santa did not stop by the 6100 block of Cooper Avenue in Queens last night. Instead, paramedics, firefighters, and police officers from the 104 Precinct huddled around the small white house. They were summoned because of a large man named Kenneth Gromwaldt in the living room. Despite the paramedics' best efforts, Kenneth (or Kenny, as the house knew him) was pronounced dead at 9:30PM. He was 47 years of age.
The police questioned the landlord, Shanik, about the deceased. Shanik remarked that Kenny had a sister named Geraldine from Middle Village. Kenny had a few side jobs moving furniture. He had asthma and a blood clot in one of his legs. He also had a voracious appetite for drugs, including angel dust, heroin, xanax, methadone, and marijuana.
On the preceding night (December 23), Kenny went to his neighbor Dorby's room. Dorby sometimes assisted in Kenny's pharamceutical pursuits. But this time, Kenny downed Dorby's bottle of xanax and her methadone without her consent. She shooed him away, and he passed out on the kitchen table. Hours later, Kenny stumbled from the kitchen to the living room, where he spent the last 21 hours of his life.
Shanik, Dorby, and the other residents of the small white rooming house were in shock when the paramedics announced they could not revive Kenny. Dorby blamed herself for Kenny's death. One of the paramedics gave her Kenny's tiny address book, and she started calling the names listed on the book. One of them, Pete, was Kenny's boss from the moving jobs. He hung up on her when she told him that Kenny was dead. The police never noticed the address book. If they had, they could have gotten the names and phone numbers of at least 4 drug dealers.
So much for a well paying job. So much for 47 years of life. So much for good humor- all gone because of some pills and chemicals. To those who think using and abusing illegal drugs is fun and harmless, go to the morgue or Potters' Field in the Bronx. That's where your harmless fun takes you.
Friday, December 23, 2005
December 23, 2005
Well, the year is almost over. I managed to go through 3 vehicles (the Taurus died in early October). I survived the transit strike- which pretty much cost me my job because I had no way to get to work.
Supposedly, the members of Box Office Poison are fans of this blog because I mentioned them in an earlier post- and because I told my sister about their song "Inconsiderate". "Inconsiderate" was written by their bassist Jon Koza (a teacher at South Shore HS in Canarsie) about his rude, violent, gang colors wearing students. The chorus describes the students in vulgarities best hurled at Al Qaeda terrorists and transit strikers. Outside of "Inconsiderate" and "Ding Dong", most of Box Office Poison's songs are fairly clean. And that's about all the mention I'll give them until Jon Koza and the Catepano brothers cough up money for the Netscaper113 car fund.
When my father was alive, he used to send Christmas letters to his friends and relatives. My mother's relatives used to complain about the morbid, negative tone of the letters- until I wrote the family letters for 1995 and 1996. As horrifically commercial and non-religious as Christmas has become, I think the Catholic Church should move the holiday closer in the year to its historical occurance (September) and end the madness that takes up most of November and December now.
I'll try writing a year-end blog when I'm in a more festive mood.
Supposedly, the members of Box Office Poison are fans of this blog because I mentioned them in an earlier post- and because I told my sister about their song "Inconsiderate". "Inconsiderate" was written by their bassist Jon Koza (a teacher at South Shore HS in Canarsie) about his rude, violent, gang colors wearing students. The chorus describes the students in vulgarities best hurled at Al Qaeda terrorists and transit strikers. Outside of "Inconsiderate" and "Ding Dong", most of Box Office Poison's songs are fairly clean. And that's about all the mention I'll give them until Jon Koza and the Catepano brothers cough up money for the Netscaper113 car fund.
When my father was alive, he used to send Christmas letters to his friends and relatives. My mother's relatives used to complain about the morbid, negative tone of the letters- until I wrote the family letters for 1995 and 1996. As horrifically commercial and non-religious as Christmas has become, I think the Catholic Church should move the holiday closer in the year to its historical occurance (September) and end the madness that takes up most of November and December now.
I'll try writing a year-end blog when I'm in a more festive mood.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
October 1, 2005 (or is it 1935?)
Greetings, again. Again I find some reason to post here, this time for marking what would have been my father's 70th birthday. My father, Donald G. Clarke, was born on this date in 1935 in Jacksonville, Florida. He spent 20 years in the Air Force (during which time he married my mother, and was stationed in France, Vietnam, several places in Texas, and New Jersey).
My father was a bit of an eccentric. He was very detail and goal oriented. He was also stubborn, anti-religious (which is surpising considering how devoutly Catholic my mother was), somewhat bigoted (especially against Vietnamese). He was into computers early in his Air Force career, and made a living selling computers for retailers such as Radio Shack, Dillard's, and Office Max after he retired from the military. He was one of the early users of the internet- operating an online bulletin board to keep touch with his international friends in the 1980s. He later used Compuserve, Prodigy, and AOL before the ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) made him unable to use a computer. I'm sure if Google or Blogger had been around when he was alive, he would have used them.
Despite his computer genius, living with him (compounded with being a Yankee/Westerner forced to live in his retirement home of Memphis, Tennessee) was extremely difficult, and I moved away right after I graduated from high school. He did live to see his granddaughter Allie; but he never lived to see his grandson Jamie, his daughter's first marriage fall apart, his son's descent into bankruptcy and poverty and depression, or the events of 9/11 that occurred 5 miles from his son's 2001 residence. But in his lifetime, he never got to know his great-aunt Sarah, who died in 1966 10 miles from where he was stationed in Ohio, or his Uncle Milton (his father's unknown-until-2001 half-brother), or his grandmother Jeanette (whose family I discovered over the internet in the last 5 years).
But outside of the war on terrorism and several computer upgrades, not much has changed since he died in 1995. He thought 2000 and the following years would be drastically different from the 20th Century. But so far, I don't think they are.
My father was a bit of an eccentric. He was very detail and goal oriented. He was also stubborn, anti-religious (which is surpising considering how devoutly Catholic my mother was), somewhat bigoted (especially against Vietnamese). He was into computers early in his Air Force career, and made a living selling computers for retailers such as Radio Shack, Dillard's, and Office Max after he retired from the military. He was one of the early users of the internet- operating an online bulletin board to keep touch with his international friends in the 1980s. He later used Compuserve, Prodigy, and AOL before the ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) made him unable to use a computer. I'm sure if Google or Blogger had been around when he was alive, he would have used them.
Despite his computer genius, living with him (compounded with being a Yankee/Westerner forced to live in his retirement home of Memphis, Tennessee) was extremely difficult, and I moved away right after I graduated from high school. He did live to see his granddaughter Allie; but he never lived to see his grandson Jamie, his daughter's first marriage fall apart, his son's descent into bankruptcy and poverty and depression, or the events of 9/11 that occurred 5 miles from his son's 2001 residence. But in his lifetime, he never got to know his great-aunt Sarah, who died in 1966 10 miles from where he was stationed in Ohio, or his Uncle Milton (his father's unknown-until-2001 half-brother), or his grandmother Jeanette (whose family I discovered over the internet in the last 5 years).
But outside of the war on terrorism and several computer upgrades, not much has changed since he died in 1995. He thought 2000 and the following years would be drastically different from the 20th Century. But so far, I don't think they are.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
September 10, 2005
Well, tomorrow is the 4 year anniversary of those terrorist attacks Downtown. And back on August 29, an even bigger disaster hit the Central Gulf Coast.
I'm still trying to forget what happened 4 years ago. At the time, I lived about 5 miles downwind of the Twin Towers. I was unemployed at the time, and thanks to the attacks, my least favorite media outlet (NBC-4) got knocked off the air for about two months. I got a security guard job at a site in Staten Island which overhired security after one of their employees was suspected of being linked to Al Qaeda. Like most of my jobs since I moved to New York, that security job last only a few months.
About two weeks ago, a Category 4 hurricane named Katrina hit the Gulf Coast around Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The storm was huge- causing major damage from Hammond, LA, to Mobile, AL. Most of the damage was on the eastern side of the storm, which is why my sister's residence in Denham Springs, LA, saw far less damage than eastern areas such as Mobile and Biloxi, MS, that were further from the eyewall than Denham Springs. (And yes, my sister and her family escpaed the storm unharmed. Don't send her any money since she'll probably waste it on booze or cigarettes.)
Some disasters just aren't that preventable. Katrina would have still caused a lot of damage because it was an act of nature, not an act of war. But a lot of the deaths from Katrina were preventable. There was hardly any warning for 9/11 before that plane hit the North Tower. There was advance warning for Katrina- at least two days warning from the Weather Channel- and a Hurricane Warning that stretched from Morgan City, LA to the AL/FL border. Most of New Orleans evacuated, but approximately 100,000 people didn't leave the area. Instead of working in advance to evacuate the poorer residents to locations such as Shreveport and Montgomery, the city government opened a shelter of last resort (appoximately 18 hours before the hurricane hit) that only accomodated 10,000.
And now the blame game begins- when they're still evacuating hurricane survivors. Some blame the President, as if he had the authority to re-route a hurricane or to (legally) override the Louisiana authorities. Others blame the New Orleans and Lousiana officials. But it's over, it's done with- now all we can do is to aid the survivors and bury the dead (which according to recent reports looks like it will be less than the 10,000 feared dead originally).
At least with 9/11, there was someone responsible for that carnage- a Wahabist psychopath and terrorist icon by the name of Osama Bin Laden. He even bragged on videotape how the attack went "better than expected". And this psycho wants to do even worse. Recent US actions in Afghanistan and Iraq have hampered his ability to strike the US again. Unfortunately they have not captured Bin Laden. Until then, I can always dream of dragging him by his beard and feeding him to a bunch of hungry piranhas.
And to totally get off topic from the previous discussion, there are piranha feeding videos available for free on the internet- a couple featuring live rats. Now animal rights wackos say those videos are cruel. Hello- piranhas have got to eat, and live rats are considered a delicacy to those fish. And there is a Siamese Fighting Fish called the betta- whose fights the animal rights wackos want to outlaw. I have owned bettas before, and when a male betta sees another male betta, their first instinct is to plume up and attack. (Try putting a mirror in front of a male betta and you will get the same reaction from the fish. I guess this also means there is no such thing as a gay betta.) Male roosters have the urge to attack each other too- yet 48 states have made allowing roosters to attack each other (in a popular-in-other-countries sport called cockfighting) a crime. Only in Louisiana and parts of New Mexico can you legally allow roosters to fight. Other things the animal rights wackos have outlawed are bullfighting, horse meat, and dog meat. This country could save millions by turning over the dogs that the shelters plan to kill over to butchers. Either way, the dogs die- but by using them as food, people actually benefit from dead canines. If you look at the wackos' anti-dogmeat sites, you'll see their true objective: the criminalization of any type of meat eating. Yet these hypocrites see no problems with injecting deadly chemicals into a condemned animal at a shelter, or worse, with the wanton slaughter of human fetuses that occurs daily in the guise of legalized abortion. You know our system is messed up when dogs and lobsters and mice have a greater right to life than the unborn or brain damaged or suicidal humans.
So petition your legislatures to allow dog meat, bullfighting, and cockfighting. Help those hurricane victims any way you can. Pause for a moment of silence at 8:46AM EDT tomorrow. And to all piranha owners with tanks of 2000 gallons or greater- do the world a favor and start feeding your fish members of Al Qaeda or ALF/ELF/PETA.
I'm still trying to forget what happened 4 years ago. At the time, I lived about 5 miles downwind of the Twin Towers. I was unemployed at the time, and thanks to the attacks, my least favorite media outlet (NBC-4) got knocked off the air for about two months. I got a security guard job at a site in Staten Island which overhired security after one of their employees was suspected of being linked to Al Qaeda. Like most of my jobs since I moved to New York, that security job last only a few months.
About two weeks ago, a Category 4 hurricane named Katrina hit the Gulf Coast around Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The storm was huge- causing major damage from Hammond, LA, to Mobile, AL. Most of the damage was on the eastern side of the storm, which is why my sister's residence in Denham Springs, LA, saw far less damage than eastern areas such as Mobile and Biloxi, MS, that were further from the eyewall than Denham Springs. (And yes, my sister and her family escpaed the storm unharmed. Don't send her any money since she'll probably waste it on booze or cigarettes.)
Some disasters just aren't that preventable. Katrina would have still caused a lot of damage because it was an act of nature, not an act of war. But a lot of the deaths from Katrina were preventable. There was hardly any warning for 9/11 before that plane hit the North Tower. There was advance warning for Katrina- at least two days warning from the Weather Channel- and a Hurricane Warning that stretched from Morgan City, LA to the AL/FL border. Most of New Orleans evacuated, but approximately 100,000 people didn't leave the area. Instead of working in advance to evacuate the poorer residents to locations such as Shreveport and Montgomery, the city government opened a shelter of last resort (appoximately 18 hours before the hurricane hit) that only accomodated 10,000.
And now the blame game begins- when they're still evacuating hurricane survivors. Some blame the President, as if he had the authority to re-route a hurricane or to (legally) override the Louisiana authorities. Others blame the New Orleans and Lousiana officials. But it's over, it's done with- now all we can do is to aid the survivors and bury the dead (which according to recent reports looks like it will be less than the 10,000 feared dead originally).
At least with 9/11, there was someone responsible for that carnage- a Wahabist psychopath and terrorist icon by the name of Osama Bin Laden. He even bragged on videotape how the attack went "better than expected". And this psycho wants to do even worse. Recent US actions in Afghanistan and Iraq have hampered his ability to strike the US again. Unfortunately they have not captured Bin Laden. Until then, I can always dream of dragging him by his beard and feeding him to a bunch of hungry piranhas.
And to totally get off topic from the previous discussion, there are piranha feeding videos available for free on the internet- a couple featuring live rats. Now animal rights wackos say those videos are cruel. Hello- piranhas have got to eat, and live rats are considered a delicacy to those fish. And there is a Siamese Fighting Fish called the betta- whose fights the animal rights wackos want to outlaw. I have owned bettas before, and when a male betta sees another male betta, their first instinct is to plume up and attack. (Try putting a mirror in front of a male betta and you will get the same reaction from the fish. I guess this also means there is no such thing as a gay betta.) Male roosters have the urge to attack each other too- yet 48 states have made allowing roosters to attack each other (in a popular-in-other-countries sport called cockfighting) a crime. Only in Louisiana and parts of New Mexico can you legally allow roosters to fight. Other things the animal rights wackos have outlawed are bullfighting, horse meat, and dog meat. This country could save millions by turning over the dogs that the shelters plan to kill over to butchers. Either way, the dogs die- but by using them as food, people actually benefit from dead canines. If you look at the wackos' anti-dogmeat sites, you'll see their true objective: the criminalization of any type of meat eating. Yet these hypocrites see no problems with injecting deadly chemicals into a condemned animal at a shelter, or worse, with the wanton slaughter of human fetuses that occurs daily in the guise of legalized abortion. You know our system is messed up when dogs and lobsters and mice have a greater right to life than the unborn or brain damaged or suicidal humans.
So petition your legislatures to allow dog meat, bullfighting, and cockfighting. Help those hurricane victims any way you can. Pause for a moment of silence at 8:46AM EDT tomorrow. And to all piranha owners with tanks of 2000 gallons or greater- do the world a favor and start feeding your fish members of Al Qaeda or ALF/ELF/PETA.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
August 14, 2005
Maybe I got too religious in the last (February) blog, so I'll try not to offend the non-Catholics out there in this one- except to remind Catholics that tomorrow is the Feast of the Assumption. Since it is on a Monday this year, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. I'll probably be ushering at tomorrow night's 7:30 PM Mass, though.
Now onto other things:
This summer is too damn hot. So far it is the third hottest summer in NYC history. I don't have air-conditioning, so that means I have been sleep deprived lately. Some people do not adapt well to 90+ degree heat. It is one of the numerous reasons I moved out of Tennessee right after high school (although at least there I had air conditioning). And if these temperatures were effecting Memphis right now, they'd be happy to have a summer with much fewer than their normal 60+ 90 degree days. (NYC has had 20 so far, if you count today.)
Another gripe has to do with gas prices. Gas is up to $2.63 in this neighborhood. I filled up at the Hess on Cypress and Cooper on Friday, which was at $2.57 on Friday evening but up to $2.63 by Saturday morning. My Taurus gets better mileage than my old V8 Caprice did, but still, $26 to fill up half a tank? I am pretty active now on the GasBuddy.com sites (screen name there also Netscaper113).
And finally, I discovered sites that make the loony left go absolutely bonkers. Some people don't have a sense of humor. My psychotical liberal former roommate Lynda Kreger went haywire when I suggested that people give me money so I can use the services of hire-a-killer.com on her. First of all, hire-a-killer.com is not for real, and its creators admitted as much on a recent CBS Evening News profile earlier this summer. Thanks to the psycho whining to Delphi, my internet forum got deleted- even though death threats posted against me and my sister on that forum in 1999 and 2000 got nary a peep from Delphi. Maybe I should create a "live or die" website for Lynda- but then I'd pocket the money and move to Mexico and this (bleep) who was twice fired by the NYC Department of Education (it's hard to fire a teacher once in this system, but firing her twice proves she's a major threat to kids everywhere) would still be roaming the Brooklyn streets pissing off countless others with her rampages and threats to give "doggie lithium" to her neighbor's dog. And last time I checked, the original hire-a-killer site was down.
The threat of hire-a-killer.com made only one liberal go bonkers that I know of. A much more successful (and hilarious) website appeared last February to numerous animal rights wacko protests. I am talking of savetoby.com. Supposedly, this guy wants $50K in rabbit upkeep or else he will cook his rabbit Toby using one of the recipes on his site. The fact that the site's owner threatened to cook Toby on NBC News (the most unethical news organization out there) should have proven right away that this was another spoof. My initial reactions to the site were "funny" and "why the hell didn't I come up with this site first?". Copycat sites have come since then, including saveophelia.org (where a woman wants to eat her saved Pepperidge Farms goldfish), whereistoby.com (where savetoby.com's owner is supposedly outed), and tobystew.com, which encourages people to not donate and to enjoy eating rabbits. Thanks to these sites, I now know why Bugs Bunny didn't want to be turned into hassenpheffer in that 1950s cartoon.
Another animal wacko's nightmare is the long-running bonsaikitten.com . The Bonsai Kitten site is funny as hell, but people are claiming it's abuse to glue kittens' butts shut and to stuff them in glass boxes. That's certainly more humane than what certain restaurants do to cats or what most liberals propose doing to the unborn in this country, but the fact that a joke website is so popular just ticks them off. I'm sure they'd love eatbabies.com . At least that site comes with a disclaimer- and recipes.
Now onto other things:
This summer is too damn hot. So far it is the third hottest summer in NYC history. I don't have air-conditioning, so that means I have been sleep deprived lately. Some people do not adapt well to 90+ degree heat. It is one of the numerous reasons I moved out of Tennessee right after high school (although at least there I had air conditioning). And if these temperatures were effecting Memphis right now, they'd be happy to have a summer with much fewer than their normal 60+ 90 degree days. (NYC has had 20 so far, if you count today.)
Another gripe has to do with gas prices. Gas is up to $2.63 in this neighborhood. I filled up at the Hess on Cypress and Cooper on Friday, which was at $2.57 on Friday evening but up to $2.63 by Saturday morning. My Taurus gets better mileage than my old V8 Caprice did, but still, $26 to fill up half a tank? I am pretty active now on the GasBuddy.com sites (screen name there also Netscaper113).
And finally, I discovered sites that make the loony left go absolutely bonkers. Some people don't have a sense of humor. My psychotical liberal former roommate Lynda Kreger went haywire when I suggested that people give me money so I can use the services of hire-a-killer.com on her. First of all, hire-a-killer.com is not for real, and its creators admitted as much on a recent CBS Evening News profile earlier this summer. Thanks to the psycho whining to Delphi, my internet forum got deleted- even though death threats posted against me and my sister on that forum in 1999 and 2000 got nary a peep from Delphi. Maybe I should create a "live or die" website for Lynda- but then I'd pocket the money and move to Mexico and this (bleep) who was twice fired by the NYC Department of Education (it's hard to fire a teacher once in this system, but firing her twice proves she's a major threat to kids everywhere) would still be roaming the Brooklyn streets pissing off countless others with her rampages and threats to give "doggie lithium" to her neighbor's dog. And last time I checked, the original hire-a-killer site was down.
The threat of hire-a-killer.com made only one liberal go bonkers that I know of. A much more successful (and hilarious) website appeared last February to numerous animal rights wacko protests. I am talking of savetoby.com. Supposedly, this guy wants $50K in rabbit upkeep or else he will cook his rabbit Toby using one of the recipes on his site. The fact that the site's owner threatened to cook Toby on NBC News (the most unethical news organization out there) should have proven right away that this was another spoof. My initial reactions to the site were "funny" and "why the hell didn't I come up with this site first?". Copycat sites have come since then, including saveophelia.org (where a woman wants to eat her saved Pepperidge Farms goldfish), whereistoby.com (where savetoby.com's owner is supposedly outed), and tobystew.com, which encourages people to not donate and to enjoy eating rabbits. Thanks to these sites, I now know why Bugs Bunny didn't want to be turned into hassenpheffer in that 1950s cartoon.
Another animal wacko's nightmare is the long-running bonsaikitten.com . The Bonsai Kitten site is funny as hell, but people are claiming it's abuse to glue kittens' butts shut and to stuff them in glass boxes. That's certainly more humane than what certain restaurants do to cats or what most liberals propose doing to the unborn in this country, but the fact that a joke website is so popular just ticks them off. I'm sure they'd love eatbabies.com . At least that site comes with a disclaimer- and recipes.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
February 26, 2005
Somewhere out there, throughout the vast infoglut of cyberspace, is this blog. Who knows who will see this, or who will respond to it? I guess if they like what I have to write.. or if they want to laugh at my messed up mental state.
But anyone would be a little messed up if they were unemployed. I lost my last job when I lost my transportation there. For 9 months, all was fine at the warehouse in Nassau County. And then on February 2, my 1988 Chevrolet Caprice died, just off of Mineola Avenue. Since public transportation is nonexistant in that part of Nassau (and because a round trip by taxi from where I lived would cost $100 a day), I was forced to leave the job.
Three days later, I purchased (with borrowed money) a 1990 Chevrolet G20 van. The van lasted two days before meeting the same fate as my Caprice. And to add insult to injury, the van died in front of the junkyard that purchased my Caprice. I used the money the junkyard gave me for the Caprice to tow the van back to the dealer. But the dealer is refusing to refund me the money. That means I am out $800 and stuck paying insurance on a van without a working engine (thanks to the dealer holding on to my license plates).
But other people have problems, too. The Pope is in a hospital in Rome because of the flu. Now he may not speak again for a while, if ever. And yet despite the breathing tube, the Parkinson's, and the complications being in your 80s can add to those conditions, the Pope still treads on. Few people alive right now can imagine what Pope John Paul II is going through. Fewer still can understand why he is still willing to hold on to the papacy after all his health problems. But then the first Pope, St. Peter, had a chance to escape certain death in the mid 60s A.D. But he turned around (after seeing a vision of Christ) and headed back to Rome, and was crucified- upside down. Now that was sacrifice.
Sacrifice is a scary word to most people. While most people don't have to sacrifice their lives anymore, they are afraid to lose something important. The Pope has lost his voice. Millions of people in South Asia have lost their homes due to the tsunami last December (which did claim a quarter of a million lives). Dozens of people have lost their homes in Southern California due to the mudslides. It kind of makes giving up meat on Fridays (one of the Lenten obligations for Catholics) seem trivial, doesn't it? It even makes losing one job and two vehicles seem trivial.
If any of the preceding drivel made any sense, you can comment on it, or let me know if I should keep this thing going. After all, I should get another vehicle and another job sometime, and a little conversation, or criticism, or prayer, never hurt anyone.
But anyone would be a little messed up if they were unemployed. I lost my last job when I lost my transportation there. For 9 months, all was fine at the warehouse in Nassau County. And then on February 2, my 1988 Chevrolet Caprice died, just off of Mineola Avenue. Since public transportation is nonexistant in that part of Nassau (and because a round trip by taxi from where I lived would cost $100 a day), I was forced to leave the job.
Three days later, I purchased (with borrowed money) a 1990 Chevrolet G20 van. The van lasted two days before meeting the same fate as my Caprice. And to add insult to injury, the van died in front of the junkyard that purchased my Caprice. I used the money the junkyard gave me for the Caprice to tow the van back to the dealer. But the dealer is refusing to refund me the money. That means I am out $800 and stuck paying insurance on a van without a working engine (thanks to the dealer holding on to my license plates).
But other people have problems, too. The Pope is in a hospital in Rome because of the flu. Now he may not speak again for a while, if ever. And yet despite the breathing tube, the Parkinson's, and the complications being in your 80s can add to those conditions, the Pope still treads on. Few people alive right now can imagine what Pope John Paul II is going through. Fewer still can understand why he is still willing to hold on to the papacy after all his health problems. But then the first Pope, St. Peter, had a chance to escape certain death in the mid 60s A.D. But he turned around (after seeing a vision of Christ) and headed back to Rome, and was crucified- upside down. Now that was sacrifice.
Sacrifice is a scary word to most people. While most people don't have to sacrifice their lives anymore, they are afraid to lose something important. The Pope has lost his voice. Millions of people in South Asia have lost their homes due to the tsunami last December (which did claim a quarter of a million lives). Dozens of people have lost their homes in Southern California due to the mudslides. It kind of makes giving up meat on Fridays (one of the Lenten obligations for Catholics) seem trivial, doesn't it? It even makes losing one job and two vehicles seem trivial.
If any of the preceding drivel made any sense, you can comment on it, or let me know if I should keep this thing going. After all, I should get another vehicle and another job sometime, and a little conversation, or criticism, or prayer, never hurt anyone.
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