I'm home this weekend for CostumeCon 25. Very busy doing this and that. Will never look at toasted ravioli again without shuddering. Clerked the Historical Masq this year and learned a great deal. Got floored when given one of four presidential awards presented this year.

Wore bunny ears all day because I got tired of being asked, "Where's your costume?" Shut everyone up right quick.

Shelby has come into her own at this con. I can't count the compliments I've gotten on her. She's soaking all this up like a sponge; it'll be interesting to see where it takes her.

JSM

Tags: fandom, life

You can't ignore politics, no matter how much you'd like to.

In Texas, we do not hold high expectations for the [governor's] office; it's mostly been occupied by crooks, dorks and the comatose.

As they say around the [Texas] Legislature, if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their money, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in office.

...Phil Gramm, the senator from Enron...

I have been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat akin to being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt, but it leaves you with slimy stuff on your ankle.

If ignorance ever goes to $40 a barrel, I want drillin' rights on that man's head. [Molly Ivins on Dick Armey]

Last week, I began a sentence by saying, "If Bush had any imagination ..." and then I hit myself. Silly me.

Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention.

Many people did not care for Pat Buchanan's speech; it probably sounded better in the original German.

Heaven is richer in laughter and hell-raisin' today.

JSM

Tags: life

I'm sorry. I realize that it's a serious subject but I can't stop laughing.

Ad campaign triggers bomb scare in Boston: Packages were promotional material for Adult Swim network show

Law enforcement sources said the devices displayed one of the Mooninites, outer-space delinquents who appear frequently on the show, greeting visitors with a raised middle finger.

Tags: life, strangeness

Lambert Airport's East Terminal on a Monday morning is not a fun place to be. Having opted for a quick breakfast with the Redhead before my departure, I ended up at the tail end of a very long and winding line of passengers waiting to show their ID and ticket information, remove their shoes and submit themselves to the ritual humiliation of The Screening.

As I made my way through the line, I noticed that Security had three lines going with someone at the forefront telling people which line to take. A very nice woman behind me, no doubt as tired of the mess as I was, starting singing "To the left, to the left" under her breath.

I damn near died laughing. It made my day.

And I'm willing to bet a number of you have no idea where that comes from. :)

JSM

Tags: life, me!

Taking a brief break from our preparations for the Return of the New Years Day Party. Shelby is participating this year and therefore gets to assist in cleaning the house. I have done the annual Assemble A New Piece of Furniture ritual as well as Why The Hell Isn't The Vacuum Working? rite.

I have to head back to Sunny Omaha tomorrow--given the weather reports up that way, I'm kind of glad I'm not up there now. Lord, I'm going to miss the family.

And of course, I got a Very Interesting Phone Call Friday. I'm not expecting anything to come of it, as usual, but this one is much more up my alley and I know people who work there. So we will have to see.

A Happy New Year to one and all. I'm going to do my best to make it a good one for us.

JSM

Tags: jobhunt, life

The final missing piece has been purchased, the pieces have been installed, the car now has a functioning radio, CD player, and air controls.

Thank you God. You were really starting to piss me off, there.

JSM

Tags: life

@#$!!$%#$%#$!!!!!

Getting my car fixed has been an utter nightmare.

Tuesday (9/5). Went to appraiser. Confirmed what was missing (remember that). Handed me a check to cover installation & labor.

Thursday (9/7). The unit CD player and control cover shows up. Now we're getting somewhere.

Saturday (9/9). Took car over to Best Buy. BBGuy looks and says, "Well, I can install this, sure, but you don't have the switches to make your air controls work. You don't have knobs, either."

Called Redhead and wept. She claims yelling was involved; I call it wailing to the heavens for justice. Call Safeco. They say they'll have appraiser contact me Monday.

Monday (9/11). Appraiser calls. Inform him of problem. He says to get list of pieces and fax him the details. Go out to the Ford dealership, they happily provide list of parts and even a cool diagram of how they fit together.

Tuesday (9/12). Fax info to appraiser. Appraiser approves. I call Ford...oops. They have two of the three switches, last one must be ordered. Should be in by Thursday.

Thursday (today). Switches in. I go down and buy them, along with the control knobs. Fortunately appraiser's check covers everything. Head over to Best Buy for installation.

"Uhhh, dude. You don't have this harness piece. Can't install this stuff without it."

Back to Ford. It's on order, should be here tomorrow.

Going to weep for awhile, then finish cleaning the apartment so the Redhead will not think I live like a complete slob (though she knows full well I do).

JSM

Tags: life

This from Peter King's column on SI.com:

I am all for rules, airline and otherwise, that protect our safety. But last Wednesday, after walking through a security line at LaGuardia, I saw the total fruitlessness of this you-can't-take-gels-or-liquids-on-airplanes rule, designed to protect us from those who would take explosive liquids or gels on planes. A fortyish man, traveling in business togs, put his briefcase, laptop and shoes on the security belt and walked through the X-ray machine. No beep. He collected his stuff, walked a few steps down the line, put his laptop back in his case, and then took a tube of toothpaste out of one pocket and a bottle of contact-lens solution out of another, then put both in his briefcase. That sort of defeats the purpose of the anti-liquid rule and pretty much makes a mockery of it all.

Tags: life

Spent most of the weekend blowing my nose. Literally. Why can a cold take hours to really hit you and days to get rid of?

Work is...bitchcakes. That's a good word. They've pulled the guy who was supposed to be my backup to another area. So I'm back to square one. Not only that, but I have to brief the new systems architect on how all this works, just like I was doing with Mr. Backup. Deja vu. Nothing to report on the new job front.

Got everything together for the new car CD unit and headed over to Best Buy. "Uhhh...we can install this, sure, but you don't have the control units for your air and heat, so you're out of luck there." I don't know what's worse--the fact that I missed this nugget of info or that the insurance adjuster missed it. He's looking into that today. Bitchcakes again.

Venture Brothers really sucked. You could tell Publick and Hammer didn't write this one. Bitchcakes a third time.

But the Redhead flies in on Thursday for four days. THAT is something to look forward to.

*****

I made a promise to myself when I started this LJ: no politics, no personal attacks. So while I could say a great deal about the current state of affairs, I will decline. But I still vividly recall the fear on 9/11 when I realized that the Federal Reserve was in that area, and our dear friend Sharyn worked there. Phone lines were naturally jammed; I finally managed to leave a message on their home phone, and some time later her husband Michael let us know that she was safe.

I remember driving by the shopping mall and restaurants and almost shivering at how quiet and empty they were. I recall the long lines to get gas because everyone knew that price-gouging and shortages were in our futures.

The one thing I was sure of: nothing was ever going to be the same. Looking back, I'm saddened at how right and how wrong I was about that prediction.

JSM

Tags: fandom, life, work