I want to scream...

That's it. I can't elaborate. Just want to scream, then quit. Don't you hate it when you can't just quit because you need to pay rent and buy food? I hate that.

Performance Evaluations

I just finished my annual performance self-evaluation. I detest these things, but, as they say, the sooner you start the sooner you finish. Done. It's such an artificial format and you KNOW there are pertinent things you just can't bring up. Here are a few questions and a few choice responses that did not appear on my self-evaluation:

Q: What can you do to improve your performance and value to the organization?
A: Nothing. I'm perfect as is.

Q: What can you do to improve customer service to the rest of the organization?
A: Nothing. They're a bunch of rat bastards who never met a deadline they didn't break or a requirement they didn't ignore. And let's not even talk about last minute "fire drills"! The real question is "what can the rest of the organization do to prevent my wrath?"

Q: What are your goals for the coming year?
A: To raise enough money to quit this job and go back to school for something unrelated. Hehe, just kidding. No I'm not.

Q: What makes you an asset to the organization?
A: If you need to ask, you haven't been paying attention. Go, be free in your ignorance, but still give me a raise.

Ok, enough already, but if you have some other good ideas, feel free to share them with the royal Us in the comment section.

Ok, it's official...

...I am a dorkus magnus. I went to Spanish class today, then to Fresh Fields...came home, looked in the mirror...and only then did I realize that I had two, very dissimilar earrings on. I ask Jeff, did you notice this? He hadn't until that moment. No one mentioned a thing all day. I am a dork. I embrace this. Otherwise, I'd be mortified. Thankfully, I put on matching shoes and my shirt was on the right way.

Whew! Am I relieved!

Bush won; Kerry conceded. No drawn-out BS, no sore losing. Hopefully no one out there is going to be saying "Bush stole the election" for another 4 more years. Yes, I'm relieved.

Yesterday at the polls was thankfully very calm & as you might expect, well-attended. We arrived there at about 5:50am and there was a substantial line. Our little polling place gets kudos for organization & proper identification procedures. The officials made sure that even in the packed little gymnasium, the lines (A-L, M-Z & cleared for voting) were discrete and proper. Also, the touch-screen machines are a cinch to use with bold, simple directives, even to the blind and caffeine-deprived like me. You can even move back and check your answers on previous screens.

Ok, now, Mr. President, are you going to do something real to secure our borders this time around? Are you going to play "Spending like a Democrat" some more? There are other questions, but I must earn a living. Mewl, mewl, mewl.

I'm really here, I really have thoughts...really!

Ok, we found the missing higher-order remote control deep inside the couch. Funny, I thought I looked there - sly boots!

Speaking of boots, the honey & I will be in line to vote muy temprano tomorrow morning, and if either of us are accosted by some left-wing wack job because we're not the aforementioned and we ARE voting for Bush, you'll become well-acquainted with a steel-toed version thereof in your nether regions. Translation: I do not suffer fools easily, especially violent fools - you are warned.

On the way to the metro this morning I came across something I hadn't previously: a Bush campaigner. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, "do you want to help elect John Kerry." No, fool, I'd rather extract all of my own teeth. But I digress. I thought it was another one of those, but pleasantly surprised. I think I heartened the lad by saying that I was voting for Bush. He seemed relieved.

Anyway, go vote tomorrow & be safe. For that matter, better go in packs!

Quick Stuff

Theresa Heinz Kerry is a horse's patoot. By now, you've heard or read about THK's comment about how Laura Bush never held a "real job." You dems out there - do you really want this woman as your first lady? You know what's obvious? THK has no passing acquaintance with class (as in, classy), just a lot of inherited money & a big stupid mouth. Thank goodness we've had LB as first lady (emphasis on lady)for the past few years & hopefully, for 4 more! Oh, BTW, Susan Konig over at NRO has some choice words about the matter too, so go read the whole thing here.

Hello Again & Random Thoughts

I've been a very bad blogger these last few weeks. It's all due to the evil that's called work. I've been skipping lunch breaks (aka workouts) and working like crazy. I object to this strenuously, but alas my bills just don't go away.

The Horrible: There was an article in the Post today that demonstrates the cheapening of human life in this country. This guy shakes an infant to death and the jury recommends 5.5 years in jail. Well, after all, he wasn't a full-fledged human being, only an infant (can you feel the sarcasm?). Basically, just a slap on the hand. Read on & you'll learn that this same beast permanently handicapped another small child...and has an established criminal record, to boot. But his mom says "he's a good father." Um huh? Read the whole thing and be horrified.

The Unexplained: We had this remote and now it is gone. We still can find other, lesser remotes, but not this main one. Where has it gone? Our apt is only 955 square feet, after all. Yoohoo!

Mewl, mewl, mewl: I must go back to work...

Too Much Stuff...

Ok, so I have training all week, I have to keep up with regular work on breaks, the only Ladies Room on the floor was out of commission this morning & people are just being annoying. I have Accounting class tonight. Class will include quizzes every week. Yeah. I really don't care about all the campaign BS. Looks like we're going to be hearing about Native America & the new museum ad nauseum. I haven't worked out all week.

All will be well, no?

UPDATE: Did I mention that the laptops we're using have micronized the normal viewing aspect, so my eyes are burning holes in the back of my head? And what's more, I haven't taken off my lenses in a week and a half so things are getting a little tight? Namely my temples?

On the good: Big thanks goes out to D., a coworker, for standing guard at the Men's Room while I took an urgently needed potty break. You rock! The Ladies' Room is now operational. Whew!

On that subject, what kind of moron designs a large building with only one of each bathroom per floor?!!

Juicy Pulsating Candy

Two items of note:

-Swiffer products rule!!! Early on Sunday morning (eh, slightly after midnight), I found myself in the midst of a cleaning frenzy. Now, this doesn't happen often, so I just went with it. Using my new Swiffer "mop," I cleaning all tile floors in the apartment - in a matter of minutes! Amazing. I also bought the Swiffer duster & that saves all kinds of time too! Equally amazing to have a mostly dust-free living space! Yes, anyone who has visited our place would undoubted note the inch of dust on everything - but no more!

-Jolly Ranchers Chews rock! I've always been a fan of the hard candy variety, but just tried the chews yesterday at the movies & was totally hooked. Yummy, sweet & tart!

Sept 11 Note

On Saturday, Sept 11th, Jeff and I enjoyed a leisurely afternoon eating yummy hamburgers & french fries, drinking beer & reading. No hurry. Just taking our time.

It might not sound like an appropriate way to observe the 3rd anniversary of the attack, and to be quite honest, we didn't have that in mind when we headed to the Clarendon Woodgrill, but it sufficed quite nicely for us. We enjoyed an afternoon together, unhurried, doing what we enjoy doing - eating, drinking, reading, discussing. This is the sort of thing those bastards sought to destroy on that pristine morning 3 years ago - but didn't.

We rejoice in our - still free - American lives!

My Blogging Sucks...

...ok, just for a while. Work actually expects me to work - go figure! Hectic, crazy, and more hectic.

Did I mention that I'm totally sick of the whole campaign thing and esp. Kerry? Yesterday evening, at my metro station, I was accosted by a Kerry-ite (handing out Kerry bumper stickers) demanding to know if I was registered to vote. I said yes, but I'm voting for Bush. Heh. She promptly scuttled away.

Ok, back to work. Mewl, mewl, mewl.

Random Thoughts

This week will suck - got too much work. Quick, disorganized thoughts...

Code Pink sucks. Amazing, the lefty dumbasses.

I want a Subaru Forester in cobalt blue. I want one, so you give me one. heh. And you pay the stupid car taxes.

Woe to those slow, meandering people in crowded public places - Fresh Fields, the Metro, wherever. I especially love those who park their shopping cart right at the entrance of the store, blocking ingress for others, taking their sweet time, looking at stuff - evidently unaware or not caring that there are others trying to get by, shop, whatever. They're so special. Cattle prod? What a good idea!

I'm less than jazzed about my piles of work and work-related intercourse (heh) today. But, my boss brought in yummy cookies for us, so all is not lost.

Blah.

More Notes from the Underground - Thurs Morning

A little non-PC note about an observation on the Metro this morning. Well, I was lucky enough to get a seat so I could comfortably read - yeah! Catty-corner from me sat a blue-clad behemoth. Now I don't use that word lightly. She was so huge, that she took up a good portion of the empty seat beside her. Let's face it - no one is going to sit beside her because even if they're carrying half their apartment to work with them, they don't want to be smashed up against all that cascading fat. When her stop came about, she literally had to hoist herself to a standing position, then shuffled slowly out.

The disturbing thing about this, besides the obvious visual nightmare, is that she is not an isolated incident. I've seen morbidly obese people around on a pretty regular basis. Look folks, the human body was not designed to hold that much adipose. I can only imagine the myriad health problems that accompany this lifestyle choice. Ah, you say, how cruel, etc, but I say whoa, most obesity is caused not by "glandular disorders" but by identifiable bad habits.

The good news is that people have changed those habits, lost weight, gotten healthier, and feel better about themselves. The Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee is perfect example of a great success story.

Notes from the Underground

I was sitting beside this youngish chick today on the Metro and as I was calmly reading my book (Great Feuds in Medicine, by Hal Hellman), I noticed via peripheral vision that this girl's hands never stopped moving - to her hair, to her face, into her purse, to her eyes, back to her hair. I just found it amazing that she couldn't just sit there calmly. Could it be that she was nervous? That she had had too much coffee earlier? That she's a mental wreck? Well, as we both disembarked at Faragut West, she pulled an errant string from my jacket. Weird.

A Bright Spot on the Education Horizon

You know, I have all these great articles that are just waiting for posting and commentary...and drat! work just gets in the way, so by the time I have a few minutes to blog, I have this stack of stuff to report on, and I'm completely overwhelmed. Yep, I have plenty of child abandonment, heinous crime & liberal bullshit articles stacked up, but instead, I'll now share something uplifting.

Today in the Post was an article about KIPP, Knowledge Is Power Program, a program started by two young lads (public school teachers), who wanted to give inner-city kids a real chance at education and therefore, success, not just bogus grade promotion. Their system is basically about accountability - the kids & theirs, and about consistent reward and yes, punishment. Best of all, their system produces results in way of notably improved test scores.

What is abundantly clear in the article is that this is not just a flavor-of-the-month, throw some money at-type program. These guys, Mike Feinberg & Dave Levin, are true believers, with persistence, courage & an incredible amount of energy. This is not just a job, it's a mission. Not so surprisingly, their core beliefs are nothing more exotic than doing your homework on time, being well-behaved, asking for help when you need it. Read the article and let me know if you're not impressed.

Also let me know if you're as scandalized as I was about education bureaucrats who are willing to sell out their own students for statistical appearances. Gaack.

The Catch of the Day

I just checked out Silent Running, another right-wing blog, to which I linked from Rachel Lucas's site. It's kinda interesting because it's done by a group of people instead of just one. Ok, I found that kinda interesting, so it's my Catch of the Day.

Jeff's New Blog

My love monkey Jeff has a new blog called Nuthin' But Fluff. While his old blog Kinshasa on the Potomac focuses on politics and current events, his new blog will be movie, restaurant, bar reviews plus anything upon which he wishes to comment. Check it out!

Questionable Parenting?

About a year ago on a different blog, I gave the following account of delinquent parents:

"When dining out, please secure both your toddler. The other night, I actually witnessed a couple allow their small child to roam around a restaurant, getting under foot of the servers and patrons, while they (the "parents") nonchalantly had cocktails and appetizers. Now, what's wrong with this picture? First, it shows no concern for the safety of the toddler or anyone else for that matter. It's a trip to the ER waiting to happen. Second, if you take your kid to a restaurant, it's YOUR responsibility to actually parent, ie, control him/her - not the restaurant staff's. How is that hard to follow? More later on other great parenting skills..."

Evidently this species of parent is alive and well. This Saturday morning, my scooter Jeff & I were having coffee & bagels at Cosi. There were two very energetic little ones racing around, screaming & squealing with delight. Now, people generally don’t go to Cosi to supervise others’ kids. But that seemed to be the expectation of these bonehead parents. I decided to not stew about it like I usually do, and asked the mother if she would corral her kids. You know what she asked me? “Oh, are they getting out of hand?” You should have seen my jaw drop. I felt like shaking her and reminding her that she – not we – is the parent & that she should probably know what her own spawn are doing. Well, the couple – and I wasn’t being sexist by talking to the mother – she was just closer at hand – left shortly and blessedly after my request.

I'm still shaking my head over her response.

Non-smoker Vitriole

Did I mention how much I loathe and detest cigarette smoke? Even worse, I’ve been witnessing the “smoke and toss” response on the streets of lovely DC. Let me just say that every time I see an (by definition) obnoxious smoker finish his/her fix and then toss his/her butt on the street, I’m sorely tempted to just smack them.

Here’s enumeration of my wrath at smokers in general, in case you were wondering:

1. You are not smart. Anyone who purposely inhales that carcinogenic muck needs his/her head examined.
2. You are not sexy or cool. Sucking desperately on your death stick like a junky is not attractive. Ditto for the smoker’s cough.
3. You stink: your hair, your clothes, your breath. Even though you can’t smell anything anymore, the rest of us can.
4. You are not environmentalists. Polluting the air and city – think about it.
5. You are selfish assheads who make healthcare costs go up.
6. Don’t ever whine about how poor you are – smoking is an expensive habit & you know it; quit and put that money in the bank.
7. You support Big Tobacco.
8. If you’re a lib, you’re also supporting Big Business.
9. If you have kids and smoke around them – it’s child abuse. Not to mention a bad example.
10. Don’t whine about how hard it is to quit; there are only about a bazillion products on the market to help you.

End rant…for now.

The Promise of Adult Stem Cells

Today in the Washington Post’s Business Section, there is a very interesting article about the potential therapeutic and curative uses of adult stem cells. This is related to the whole hoo-ha about how us backward conservatives object to the use of embryonic stem cells for research, whereas the pragmatic and beneficent libs think there’s nothing wrong with it & this administration is robbing millions of the cures and a better life from disease, accident injuries, etc.

For the record, I see fertilization as the line not to be crossed in the whole “life begins” debate. So I’m against embryonic stem cell research because I see embryos as helpless humans that deserve protection. They are the ultimate underdog. Now, I have no problem with research & experimentation done on stem cells derived from umbilical cords for instance. I have no problem with adult stem cell research.

Therein lies the big fight. Embryonic stem cells are so highly desired because they can develop into any type of cell (bone, liver, etc) whereas adult stem cells are generally thought to only be able to develop into & reproduce cells of the type of tissue from which they are derived. One side makes it seem that there are existing cures or that cures & treatments are imminent. They are not; it might be ten years and a lot more research before any are realized. On the other hand, says this article, they are companies who are finding that adult stem cells may be able to produce different types of cells. And, on a limited basis, there are current clinical trials for various treatments.

One of the big issues for companies who are doing adult stem cell research, however, is funding. The Feds give some grants. Few of these companies are publicly traded and those that are not doing that great.

So, my perspective is that we need to support adult stem cell research, so that beneficial AND ethical research can progress. Sometimes the best path is the road less traveled.