Finally got around to getting my eyes looked at today. Apparently I don't have any issues with being near/far sighted. I simply have a muscle in my left eye that doesn't make it focus properly. So! I get glasses. I still don't quite understand exactly how they help but they do. Well, a lense with the +.25 helped my left eye and when they actually HAVE the glasses all done for me, I'm sure it will STILL help. I'm so es-cited!!! I want to be able to see without having a headache!

Rarr. And the frames I picked out are CUTE. They make me look so damn smart. I wanted some Lisa Loeb glasses but that style just makes muh eyebrows look uneven. Bad. Anywhoo. 3-5 working days and I will have teh glasses. Woot, yes?


Blah blah blah. The day is almost over and I feel like I haven't gotten anything done. I always have so much I want to do on my days off and then when I actually HAVE days off, I can't find anything to do. Stupid, huh?

I don't remember what the weather was like this time last year. But I'm pretty sure I couldn't run around outside in a short skirt and not be cold. Weather is weird, innit? I never know what to expect when I get up in the morning these days. I bet next summer is gonna be hellacious.

Today, I meant to plant alot of bulbs and get some other yard work done. Unfortunately, everywhere I wanted to dig, there were ants. Ants. ANTS. Everywhere.


They MADE me be lazy.

Bush uses new nickname for senator
Friday, January 14, 2005 Posted: 10:48 AM EST (1548 GMT)


LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) -- Sen. Ben Nelson finally has succeeded in getting President Bush to stop calling him by the nickname "Nellie."

Bush had been referring to the Nebraska Democrat as "Nellie" since 2001.

Nelson disliked the nickname and had asked the president to stop using it.

The president likes to give people nicknames. He has called Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, "Pootie-Poot," while aide Karen Hughes gets "High Prophet."

Pootie-Poot? Oh. My. Hell.

Every once in a while, I like to get my tarot cards out and see what they have to say. Most of the time, they're a reminder to stay focused on whatever is at hand and that's always good.

Of course today, the reading was baby-related. And yes, this is brought on by the birth of muh nephew yesterday. I see babies and I get baby-fever. It's a sickness, I know. Anyway. Just a general Baby Question. Specific questions don't work for the celtic cross reading anyways. So! Upshot of all this idiotic rambling? A gentle reminder to avoid indecision, doubt and mistrust and all will work out for perfect contentment and love.

And you thought tarot cards were for the birds....

I think I'm going to love being an aunt.

No charges in chicken cruelty case
Prosecutor says incident was disturbing, but not criminal
Tuesday, January 11, 2005 Posted: 11:44 PM EST (0444 GMT)



MORGANTOWN, West Virginia (AP) -- Former workers at a processing plant who were caught on tape allegedly kicking, stomping and slamming chickens against a wall will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Ginny Conley, head of a state prosecutors' organization, said that while the incident at the Pilgrims Pride plant in Moorefield was disturbing, it does not warrant criminal charges because "these were chickens in a slaughterhouse." The plant serves as a supplier to KFC restaurants.



So, because these were just chickens, it doesn't matter that they were kicked and stomped and slammed against a wall till they died? If they were cats or dogs, maybe they would merit having the ex-employees charged? So what's the difference? Chickens aren't cuddly enough? Is the prosecutor afraid that people will really give a second thought to the whole issue and stop eating chicken? People don't give a shit. That's what it comes down to.

And here's something else funny. At a meat processing plant in Iowa, it was discovered that the supposedly kosher slaughter of animals was causing the unnecessary pain and suffering that it is supposed to avoid. Big uproar amongst the Jewish community. They want their meat but they don't want it to mean that the animals suffer needlessly. What's so hard to grasp about this concept? Why is it that you have to be of a certain religion to give a shit about creatures? Is it really such a foreign notion to the rest of America to be concerned... about anything?

Blah. I've lost track of where I was going with this. Eat meat, don't eat meat, I don't care. But give a shit and don't pretend that what happened to your meal before it got to you doesn't matter.

I could have been a sailor, could have been a cook
A real live lover, could have been a book.
I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock
As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.
I could be
Here and now
I would be, I should be
But how?
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

I could have been your pillar, could have been your door
I could have stayed beside you, could have stayed for more.
Could have been your statue, could have been your friend,
A whole long lifetime could have been the end.
I could be yours so true
I would be, I should be through and through
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

I could have been a whistle, could have been a flute
A real live giver, could have been a boot.
I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock
As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.
I could be even here
I would be, I should be so near
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

First day back at work in a week and it was all sucky. We had no customers till the last 15 minutes of the day and they wanted to stay all night, it seemed. The list of things to do this month is about a mile long and only a few little things on it are mine so I guess that's ok. But before I saw the list with assigned tasks, I spent a couple hours helping to move some of the dirtiest and heaviest pots in the world. Bleh. Not on my list of things to accomplish. So screw 'em. I'm just gonna stay in my little sphere and be happy.

Also, I have Saturday and Sunday off. I don't know why I have Saturday off. That's probably a typo but the boss-man is on vacation for a while longer yet so I don't have to worry about someone catching it and making me work. I was hoping the sister-in-law would be going into labor this weekend so we could spend those days with her but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. Well, unless the baby decides to cooperate. Not likely: it's a boy. Anyway. If I'm off next Tuesday/Wednesday like normal, I'll get to be around for the baby borning anyways because they've schedule inducement for Tuesday. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! I so heart babies. I think I'd rather have a girl baby to start with but I don't guess I really care much.

It's cold as ass outside right now. It was 26 this morning and 36 when I got off work tonight. It's supposed to warm up again over the weekend but I imagine it'll get freezing ass cold as soon as I want to do something outside. Mean ol' winter.

Will Eisner 1917-2005

The count is approaching 150,000. I can't even imagine how many tears that amounts to.

Updated Uber-List for 2005

1. Read new books: no more re-reading old
ones.

2. Find a market for soaps.

3. Take up knitting again. Work in progress.

4. Start crocheting again.

5. Make more candles.

6. Take a yoga course.

7. Landscape the front yard.

8. Plant a fruit tree.

9. Learn how to drive.

10. Save up at least $1000 dollars. Doesn't matter from where.

11. Get money from Misty.

12. Throw out clothes I don't wear anymore.

13. Wear the clothes I like.

14. Do more sewing. Partially done, anyways.

15. Stop talking inside my head.

16. Paint the bedroom.

17. Get a new desk for the office

18. Get a raise from the job I like.

19. Stop eating out so much.

20. Wipe out old computer and give it to Mom and the girls.

21. Start a compost heap.

22. Go to Galveston with the boy at least once during the summer.

23. Go to Galveston with Nicole at least once.

24. Paint the kitchen.

25. Get rid of extra furniture.

26. Replace pots and pans.

27. Hang flower boxes on the shed.

28. Pave area in front of shed.

29. Grow irises. Irii.

30. Make fresh pies as often as possible. Baking
is fun.

31. Write more letters.

32. Get something pierced. Nose or eyebrow, I think.

33. Get another tattoo.

34. Get some Johnny Cash LPs.

35. Buy more Beatles LPs.

36. Go to one amazing concert.

37. Get insurance/doctor's office fiasco sorted out.

38. Send out postcards regularly.

39. Improve handwriting.

40. Learn how to dance

41. Buy more comics.

42. Learn how to paint. Japanese!

43. Learn Tarot cards by heart.

44. Bake bread.

45. Get ChiChi's health issues sorted out.


46. Get rid of pointless collections.

47. Take a trip somewhere I've never been.

48. Locate and buy copies of "In His Own Write" and "Spaniard in the Works".

49. Level the backyard.

50. Learn how to sleep in.

51. Expand cooking skills.

52. Take a real vacation.

53. Get glasses or contacts.

54. Visit friends more often.

55. Keep a normal journal and update it every day.
Working at this one.

56. Take more pictures of the pets.

57. Wear more dresses. So much fun!

58. Clean out the office closet.

59. Come up with a schedule of daily chores. Gah.

60. Eat less candy.

61. Film parties. They're fun to watch later.

62. Write more emails.

63. Make mix CDs.

64. Exercise more.

65. Dye hair red.

66. Get some real muscle tone. I'm pretty sure this is never going to happen.

67. Replace dishes with Matching Set.

68. Knit baby bonnets and find place to donate them.

69. Clean out closet and donate unused clothing. Ongoing project.

70. Expand backyard flowerbed.

71. Add a flowerbed to the front yard.

72. Replace broken screens.

73. Replace missing blinds in living room.

74. Hang more pictures.

75. Take more photos of family and frame them.

76. Paint shed.

77. Get new printer.

78. Get flat panel monitor.

79. Spend more time hanging out with Bob.

80. Stay depression-free.

81. Stop buying things you don't need. Work. In.
Progress.

82. Take unread books to Half Price.

83. Redecorate the bedroom: get rid of picture mural.

84. Have at least one garage sale.

85. Stop collecting things that don't have an immediate purpose. (ties in to
#46)

86. Do things on list. *sigh*

87. Drink more water.

88. Eat more fresh foods. Processed is Bad.

89. Baby-make.

90. Give more money to charities.

91. Finish at least one game I've started.

92. Get shots for the cats and dog.

93. Upgrade to a futurephone.

94. Organize dresser and closet again.

95. Put old cabinets in laundry room and new cabinets in kitchen.

96. Replace/get rid of carpet in kitchen.

97. Replace Beatles videos with DVDs.

98. Paint bathrooms.

99. Patch/replace sheetrock.

100. Put a birdbath in the yard.

101. Have a small garden.

102. Cut my hair.

103. Start an address/birthday book for friends and send cards.

104. Regular doctor and dentist visits.

105. Either get a day-planner or use palm pilot more.