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30 September 2005
28 September 2005
It's that time of year again...
NaNoWriMo signups open this Saturday. Are you ready?
And no, I have no idea yet what I'm writing about. What else is new? Why on earth would I actually want to prepare for NaNo beforehand? I want to live every moment in sheer agony as the words simply refuse to flow through my fingers. Aaaarrrrgggg! In a sick way, I sort of enjoy the pain, honestly. I do my better writing under pressure when I know that a deadline is looming. Perhaps it's the journalism major in me.
But honestly it won't be that bad. I do have a few very small ideas floating around. Come Oct. 1st, I'll start elaborating on them. But I do try to stick to the concept of NaNo-- all of it in the month of November.
There's a few changes in my participation role, too. Since I've moved out of Massachusetts, I can't really be the Municipal Liason for Massachusetts: Elsewhere anymore. With the craziness so far this year, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to jump into ML'ing in Rhode Island quite yet, either. By the end of November, I expect to be well on the marriage planning route. I'm so sick of being asked when the date is. So it really wouldn't be a good idea to be trying to juggle all of that, PLUS work, plus the commute, and (now) plus two feisty kittens.
I still wanted to participate on a larger scale, though, so I contacted Erin to see if there would be another area that I could help out with. Erin has the incredibly insane job that I have termed "Municipal Liason Cat Herder." I specifically mentioned possibly stepping in as a full-time forum moderator, since there was a mid-month plea last year for people who could help moderate forums. She really liked the idea.
Then on Monday, she contacted me again and mentioned she'd passed my name onto the leader of a new subsection of NaNoWriMo called the Young Authors Program for kids aged 12 and under, in case they possibly needed help. The project leader contacted me today to ask for help with the kid forums, which I excitedly accepted.
I'm looking forward to this year's NaNoWriMo. A lot. I'll write. I'll be able to volunteer in a way that helps them out, but also is practical for me. All will be good.
So who's joining me in the insanity? :)
And no, I have no idea yet what I'm writing about. What else is new? Why on earth would I actually want to prepare for NaNo beforehand? I want to live every moment in sheer agony as the words simply refuse to flow through my fingers. Aaaarrrrgggg! In a sick way, I sort of enjoy the pain, honestly. I do my better writing under pressure when I know that a deadline is looming. Perhaps it's the journalism major in me.
But honestly it won't be that bad. I do have a few very small ideas floating around. Come Oct. 1st, I'll start elaborating on them. But I do try to stick to the concept of NaNo-- all of it in the month of November.
There's a few changes in my participation role, too. Since I've moved out of Massachusetts, I can't really be the Municipal Liason for Massachusetts: Elsewhere anymore. With the craziness so far this year, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to jump into ML'ing in Rhode Island quite yet, either. By the end of November, I expect to be well on the marriage planning route. I'm so sick of being asked when the date is. So it really wouldn't be a good idea to be trying to juggle all of that, PLUS work, plus the commute, and (now) plus two feisty kittens.
I still wanted to participate on a larger scale, though, so I contacted Erin to see if there would be another area that I could help out with. Erin has the incredibly insane job that I have termed "Municipal Liason Cat Herder." I specifically mentioned possibly stepping in as a full-time forum moderator, since there was a mid-month plea last year for people who could help moderate forums. She really liked the idea.
Then on Monday, she contacted me again and mentioned she'd passed my name onto the leader of a new subsection of NaNoWriMo called the Young Authors Program for kids aged 12 and under, in case they possibly needed help. The project leader contacted me today to ask for help with the kid forums, which I excitedly accepted.
I'm looking forward to this year's NaNoWriMo. A lot. I'll write. I'll be able to volunteer in a way that helps them out, but also is practical for me. All will be good.
So who's joining me in the insanity? :)
26 September 2005
Formal Introductions
Meet our now named little babies...
Eldath (aka "Elly")
and
Nobanion (aka "Noby")
Some gamer geeks will probably recognize the names as two deities from the Forgotten Realms.
Nobanion is the god of wild cats, also known as the Lion King. Noby, who was outgoing and friendly from the start, has already shown that he's fearless. He's a little lion in training, and he needed a regal name to fit.
Eldath is a nature goddess whose specific focus is the guardianship of Druid groves. She's also known as the Quiet One, which fits little Elly perfectly. Elly is very quiet, and when not playing, is very reserved and gentle.
Over the years, they'll get a variety of nicknames, and possibly longer official names, too. Gus, for example, was named Augustus to start, but has had Mousedeath added, due to his amazing ability to shred a toy mouse in a matter of minutes. :) We did have some difficulty with the kittens' names, and finally decided to each name one of them. Erich named her, and I named him.
They're doing quite well. Even since these photos were taken yesterday, their eyes have cleared up more and are less swollen. They have healthy appetites (sharing two full 3 oz. cans of kitten food per day, plus random kibble chomping. Both have figured out the litter box and are using it correctly. They're scurrying around at full speed while awake. Kitten Sumo Wrestling is the favorite sport, and both are equally taking the role of aggressor during the battles.
Save a few sneezes from the underlying kitten cold, we have two healthy, happy kittens. :) Elly is still afraid of us, but she's willing to be held and pet for a short time. She fell asleep in my arms yesterday afternoon during a soft petting session (and Noby, seeing her curled up, then proceeded to climb into my arms as well and fell asleep for a few minutes). Erich got her purring last night for the first time. They're still isolated from the other cats, and will stay that way for at least another week. But they're able to see each other through the glass and get brief sniff sessions under the door.
I got hit with a headcold on Saturday during the monthly D&D game, so I'm home today. It's not too severe, but with Ivanna's wedding coming up this weekend, I wanted to make sure to beat the thing by getting a lot of rest. If all goes as it has been, I should kick it by mid-week fairly well. The kittens will help me feel better, anyway!
Off to medicate and grab lunch... a few more kitten photos are here if you're interested. :)
Eldath (aka "Elly")
and
Nobanion (aka "Noby")
Some gamer geeks will probably recognize the names as two deities from the Forgotten Realms.
Nobanion is the god of wild cats, also known as the Lion King. Noby, who was outgoing and friendly from the start, has already shown that he's fearless. He's a little lion in training, and he needed a regal name to fit.
Eldath is a nature goddess whose specific focus is the guardianship of Druid groves. She's also known as the Quiet One, which fits little Elly perfectly. Elly is very quiet, and when not playing, is very reserved and gentle.
Over the years, they'll get a variety of nicknames, and possibly longer official names, too. Gus, for example, was named Augustus to start, but has had Mousedeath added, due to his amazing ability to shred a toy mouse in a matter of minutes. :) We did have some difficulty with the kittens' names, and finally decided to each name one of them. Erich named her, and I named him.
They're doing quite well. Even since these photos were taken yesterday, their eyes have cleared up more and are less swollen. They have healthy appetites (sharing two full 3 oz. cans of kitten food per day, plus random kibble chomping. Both have figured out the litter box and are using it correctly. They're scurrying around at full speed while awake. Kitten Sumo Wrestling is the favorite sport, and both are equally taking the role of aggressor during the battles.
Save a few sneezes from the underlying kitten cold, we have two healthy, happy kittens. :) Elly is still afraid of us, but she's willing to be held and pet for a short time. She fell asleep in my arms yesterday afternoon during a soft petting session (and Noby, seeing her curled up, then proceeded to climb into my arms as well and fell asleep for a few minutes). Erich got her purring last night for the first time. They're still isolated from the other cats, and will stay that way for at least another week. But they're able to see each other through the glass and get brief sniff sessions under the door.
I got hit with a headcold on Saturday during the monthly D&D game, so I'm home today. It's not too severe, but with Ivanna's wedding coming up this weekend, I wanted to make sure to beat the thing by getting a lot of rest. If all goes as it has been, I should kick it by mid-week fairly well. The kittens will help me feel better, anyway!
Off to medicate and grab lunch... a few more kitten photos are here if you're interested. :)
23 September 2005
Kittens, kittens, kittens...
Now that the initial rush of getting the kittens settled in is over, I can tell the extended story of what happened last night, and what's happening with these little fuzzballs.
First... the white and orange one is a little boy. He weighs 1 pound, 5 oz. The white and black (dark brown?) one is a little girl. She weighs 1 pound, 3 oz. The vet estimated them at 8 weeks old. Neither has been named yet. That's one of the unexpected side projects for the weekend. Since it's easy to tell them apart-- "little guy" and "little girl" are the identifiers right now.
Anyway... the story of last night...
We were nearly home last night, having just pulled off of U.S. Highway 1 to turn on the side street that joins to our street. I look out of the left side window, and see a momma cat walking with kittens-- really small kittens. They're less than a block from a major highway, at night, roaming free. Something's not quite right here.
So we quickly pull over, and manage to scoop them up, figuring at first that maybe a neighbor's cat has had kittens, and we needed to find out who they belong to. Erich notices before he even catches the first one that something's wrong with their eyes. Both of them have very swollen eyes-- the third eyelid is very visible, and they're extremely goofy. I immediately presume it's conjunctivitis, if not something worse. These cats definitely aren't under direct care.
We knock on a door, and a woman answers. They're not hers-- she's allergic. But she says that she's seen them being fed by a woman that lived across the street. We decide to go over there to check, but because the kittens are wriggling, we put them in the far back hatch of my Jeep first to keep them contained. No response at the door. We then try to get Momma Cat, who quickly runs away into the darkness (my brain is still wrestling with this).
At this point, we decide to go home, grab a carrier to contain them, and call a vet to get them checked. We make sure to immediately wash our hands when we get home, since our three guys are INSANELY curious as to what's in the carrier on the table. Because it's after 8, the vets near us are closed, but there's an overnight emergency clinic near T.F. Green Airport that's open. We get an appointment for them within the hour, and head on over there.
They're weighed and have their temps taken (one resists the joy of the thermometer. The other really doesn't). It's quickly obvious under the first examining light we've had that they are flea-ridden. (and at this point, I'm barely breathing because I'm terrified they're going to have something dreadfully wrong and will have to be put down).
The vet comes in and gives each a good check-up. Both have cold-like viral infections, which has made all of the sinus membranes swollen, and caused the secondary eye conjunctivitis. Gums look good. Lungs sound clear. He gave them a shot of antibiotics and a cat version of ibuprofen to help with the swelling and bacteria infection, but said the viral infection will have to run its course- but isn't something to worry about because it's just like a kennel cold. He didn't give them medicine for worms because of the other meds he gave them, but I know that deworming will be on the menu at their next vet visit in a couple weeks.
He sends us home with a ten day treatment of antibiotics for them, seven days of eye ointment, and a packet of Frontline to split between them, and recommends that we buy some soft kitten food or baby food in case they have trouble with kibble. As we head out from the vet, it's now nearly 9:30. We run to the grocery store to get basic emergency supplies-- a small bag of kitten kibble, a few packets of kitten soft food, and a couple cans of baby food (meat, of course), plus some extra cat litter (because we weren't sure on our supply). And I point out that we probably should get them their own cat bed that doesn't smell like the other cats. The grocery store didn't have any good ones, but Kmart was across the parking lot. We just got in and out of there before it closed with a good poofy bed for them.
Then we head home, and prepare the sun room for kittens. It's the only room guaranteed to lock well and give them both the protection from the other cats that they need right now, but also the space to move around in once they're up for it. We get the futon out of there because of the fleas (and the fact that someone's going to be sleeping on it Saturday night). We move any open packing boxes out of there, and set up the tiny cat litter pan that we still had from Gus kittening, plus the little food bowls and the cat bed.
Then we get them each out of the carrier and put them in the catbox (which doesn't impress them). We put the Frontline between each of their shoulder blades, and I try to wipe off their eyes with a tissue (which fails... I'll be soaking a washcloth tonight for them). The food goes over very, very well-- they start scarfing it down, which is good. They're willing to eat. We make sure everything's set, and then let them be for the night, leaving a couple of rattle balls for them to play with if they're in the mood.
This morning, Erich went down to start the meds for them. They were up and romping around with each other like normal kittens. They still look ragged and puffy, but we're hoping that we can give them a washcloth bath tonight after we do a better run at PetCo for supplies tonight (including Frontline for our three other cats) that will help. The vet had said that the meds last night should help with the eyes pretty quickly.
We'll be keeping them isolated for at least a couple weeks at this point-- until the infection is gone. A lot depends on the flea issue, too.
But they're doing fine and already acting like normal kittens. :)
And we're done collecting cats. We now are at a 2.5 cats per human ratio. But this time, we broke our cycle -- we got two. So when they're two (like Gus is now), they'll be aging with a playmate the same age, and won't be pissing off the older cats, who are no longer interested in playing so heavily.
I'm amused, however, that every single one of our cats is a Leo. Completely by chance.
I'm a Capricorn surrounded by 6 Leos in my own house.
I am so doomed.
;)
First... the white and orange one is a little boy. He weighs 1 pound, 5 oz. The white and black (dark brown?) one is a little girl. She weighs 1 pound, 3 oz. The vet estimated them at 8 weeks old. Neither has been named yet. That's one of the unexpected side projects for the weekend. Since it's easy to tell them apart-- "little guy" and "little girl" are the identifiers right now.
Anyway... the story of last night...
We were nearly home last night, having just pulled off of U.S. Highway 1 to turn on the side street that joins to our street. I look out of the left side window, and see a momma cat walking with kittens-- really small kittens. They're less than a block from a major highway, at night, roaming free. Something's not quite right here.
So we quickly pull over, and manage to scoop them up, figuring at first that maybe a neighbor's cat has had kittens, and we needed to find out who they belong to. Erich notices before he even catches the first one that something's wrong with their eyes. Both of them have very swollen eyes-- the third eyelid is very visible, and they're extremely goofy. I immediately presume it's conjunctivitis, if not something worse. These cats definitely aren't under direct care.
We knock on a door, and a woman answers. They're not hers-- she's allergic. But she says that she's seen them being fed by a woman that lived across the street. We decide to go over there to check, but because the kittens are wriggling, we put them in the far back hatch of my Jeep first to keep them contained. No response at the door. We then try to get Momma Cat, who quickly runs away into the darkness (my brain is still wrestling with this).
At this point, we decide to go home, grab a carrier to contain them, and call a vet to get them checked. We make sure to immediately wash our hands when we get home, since our three guys are INSANELY curious as to what's in the carrier on the table. Because it's after 8, the vets near us are closed, but there's an overnight emergency clinic near T.F. Green Airport that's open. We get an appointment for them within the hour, and head on over there.
They're weighed and have their temps taken (one resists the joy of the thermometer. The other really doesn't). It's quickly obvious under the first examining light we've had that they are flea-ridden. (and at this point, I'm barely breathing because I'm terrified they're going to have something dreadfully wrong and will have to be put down).
The vet comes in and gives each a good check-up. Both have cold-like viral infections, which has made all of the sinus membranes swollen, and caused the secondary eye conjunctivitis. Gums look good. Lungs sound clear. He gave them a shot of antibiotics and a cat version of ibuprofen to help with the swelling and bacteria infection, but said the viral infection will have to run its course- but isn't something to worry about because it's just like a kennel cold. He didn't give them medicine for worms because of the other meds he gave them, but I know that deworming will be on the menu at their next vet visit in a couple weeks.
He sends us home with a ten day treatment of antibiotics for them, seven days of eye ointment, and a packet of Frontline to split between them, and recommends that we buy some soft kitten food or baby food in case they have trouble with kibble. As we head out from the vet, it's now nearly 9:30. We run to the grocery store to get basic emergency supplies-- a small bag of kitten kibble, a few packets of kitten soft food, and a couple cans of baby food (meat, of course), plus some extra cat litter (because we weren't sure on our supply). And I point out that we probably should get them their own cat bed that doesn't smell like the other cats. The grocery store didn't have any good ones, but Kmart was across the parking lot. We just got in and out of there before it closed with a good poofy bed for them.
Then we head home, and prepare the sun room for kittens. It's the only room guaranteed to lock well and give them both the protection from the other cats that they need right now, but also the space to move around in once they're up for it. We get the futon out of there because of the fleas (and the fact that someone's going to be sleeping on it Saturday night). We move any open packing boxes out of there, and set up the tiny cat litter pan that we still had from Gus kittening, plus the little food bowls and the cat bed.
Then we get them each out of the carrier and put them in the catbox (which doesn't impress them). We put the Frontline between each of their shoulder blades, and I try to wipe off their eyes with a tissue (which fails... I'll be soaking a washcloth tonight for them). The food goes over very, very well-- they start scarfing it down, which is good. They're willing to eat. We make sure everything's set, and then let them be for the night, leaving a couple of rattle balls for them to play with if they're in the mood.
This morning, Erich went down to start the meds for them. They were up and romping around with each other like normal kittens. They still look ragged and puffy, but we're hoping that we can give them a washcloth bath tonight after we do a better run at PetCo for supplies tonight (including Frontline for our three other cats) that will help. The vet had said that the meds last night should help with the eyes pretty quickly.
We'll be keeping them isolated for at least a couple weeks at this point-- until the infection is gone. A lot depends on the flea issue, too.
But they're doing fine and already acting like normal kittens. :)
And we're done collecting cats. We now are at a 2.5 cats per human ratio. But this time, we broke our cycle -- we got two. So when they're two (like Gus is now), they'll be aging with a playmate the same age, and won't be pissing off the older cats, who are no longer interested in playing so heavily.
I'm amused, however, that every single one of our cats is a Leo. Completely by chance.
I'm a Capricorn surrounded by 6 Leos in my own house.
I am so doomed.
;)
22 September 2005
Stitching update
This week's Stitcher's Blogging Question:
9/21/05: What is the most challenging specialty stitch you have ever stitched?
To date, it's a toss up between a lazy daisy (I never get them to look right), and a really clean solid block of satin stitches (I also never get them to look right).
I don't do a lot of pieces that have multitudes of specialty stitches-- Egyptian Sampler is my first real sampler with them. But I'm thinking that eventually I'll want to start picking up all of those Victoria Sampler state/province hearts because each one focuses on a specific stitch.
-------
My stitching this week is going well. I'm plugging away on The Castle again, and doing a lot of little filler work on the rocks-- all of those one to five stitch sections of a single color that you really can't do correctly until you get all the other colors around them done. But those few stitches just make the entire project look closer to being done. I'm seeing a concrete definition of the outline of the dragon's spines as I form those quarter stitches that divide rock from dragon.
Yesterday, as I plugged a few of these stitches in and took a look at the big picture, it struck me-- this project is getting done. I have several hundred more stitches to go, but the overall picture is far closer to being done than to being started now. I have a tail, a smaller rock section, and some water ripples-- and it's done.
This project has been in my stash for nine years. I still remember purchasing it, and the comment of a woman at the shop-- "Those blended stitches are a pain in the ass. It's going to take you a couple years to do this, and it's so frustrating. Do you really want to commit the time?"
Hell yes I do (did). The blends were a bit of a pain to get used to, but now that I have a system down, they're not that bad. I just label a bobbin with that blend's symbol on the chart, and keep a supply of those colors together. No problem.
I have to laugh-- that woman was so serious about how evil this project would be. And now I look at my stash, and how many unfinished Teresa Wentzler pieces I have to plug through. By her account, all of my stitching is completely evil.
I'll take it. :)
9/21/05: What is the most challenging specialty stitch you have ever stitched?
To date, it's a toss up between a lazy daisy (I never get them to look right), and a really clean solid block of satin stitches (I also never get them to look right).
I don't do a lot of pieces that have multitudes of specialty stitches-- Egyptian Sampler is my first real sampler with them. But I'm thinking that eventually I'll want to start picking up all of those Victoria Sampler state/province hearts because each one focuses on a specific stitch.
-------
My stitching this week is going well. I'm plugging away on The Castle again, and doing a lot of little filler work on the rocks-- all of those one to five stitch sections of a single color that you really can't do correctly until you get all the other colors around them done. But those few stitches just make the entire project look closer to being done. I'm seeing a concrete definition of the outline of the dragon's spines as I form those quarter stitches that divide rock from dragon.
Yesterday, as I plugged a few of these stitches in and took a look at the big picture, it struck me-- this project is getting done. I have several hundred more stitches to go, but the overall picture is far closer to being done than to being started now. I have a tail, a smaller rock section, and some water ripples-- and it's done.
This project has been in my stash for nine years. I still remember purchasing it, and the comment of a woman at the shop-- "Those blended stitches are a pain in the ass. It's going to take you a couple years to do this, and it's so frustrating. Do you really want to commit the time?"
Hell yes I do (did). The blends were a bit of a pain to get used to, but now that I have a system down, they're not that bad. I just label a bobbin with that blend's symbol on the chart, and keep a supply of those colors together. No problem.
I have to laugh-- that woman was so serious about how evil this project would be. And now I look at my stash, and how many unfinished Teresa Wentzler pieces I have to plug through. By her account, all of my stitching is completely evil.
I'll take it. :)
20 September 2005
Hobbies and their implied finances
Now that we're in the new house, the inevitable task of taking stock of my spending has come to the fore. Between required life maintenance spending and the random crap spending, I need to get things under control. And part of it also is taking stock of how much free time I really have, and evaluate what's important or enjoyable to me right now.
It saddens me, but it's been something that in a lot of ways has been dying slowly anyway-- my enjoyment of swapping and penpalling. I doubt I'll ever drop it completely, but with several folks offering to take my excess swapping materials, I'll be whittling that down to a comfortable low level hopefully over the next few months. It's an expensive hobby, and I'm not getting much out of it anymore because it's so overblown that I don't connect personally with that many people. I'm in a rut of superficial contact, and I don't like it. Not sure where I'm going to end up with swapping, but it's something I'll be working at.
My on-again, off-again enjoyment of cross-stitch is in a full on-mode, and definitely seems to be here to stay for a long time now, which I'm happy for. Stitching is meditative to me. Despite constantly counting charts and occasionally swearing profusely as I pick out miscounts, it helps me unwind from work. I enjoy it, and the resulting work is something tangible that I can see. AND... although he's a bit scared of it, Erich seems to admire my work, which helps me keep going through some of the more difficult sections of patterns. Not to mention that my mom is THRILLED that I'm stitching again. She's always loved embroidery (leaning more towards crewell herself), and has said many times how well I took to it.
And really-- it gives me a personal idiom for gifts to people. Only I'll let THEM pick the project I work on for them, so they don't get something they hate. :)
Gaming will be there for the foreseeable future as well, and thankfully that's mostly a time commitment. I'm now in only two games-- Erich's and the World's Largest Dungeon game over at Battleground. Both run only once per month-- one on Monday nights, one on whatever weekend date works well for folks. I can handle this. I'm happy with this commitment, and don't expect to get into any other long-term games.
Computer games-- no problem. I have several games to keep me occupied. Most aren't a play-once style. I have a couple on my to-buy list. I'll probably ask for them for Christmas.
Reading-- two hours of train ride every day makes this hobby so incredibly easy now. :) I forgot how much I missed reading during my commute.
So really, a lot just seems to come down to eliminating some penpalling, I suppose... now I just need the willpower to say "enough."
~ Mel.
It saddens me, but it's been something that in a lot of ways has been dying slowly anyway-- my enjoyment of swapping and penpalling. I doubt I'll ever drop it completely, but with several folks offering to take my excess swapping materials, I'll be whittling that down to a comfortable low level hopefully over the next few months. It's an expensive hobby, and I'm not getting much out of it anymore because it's so overblown that I don't connect personally with that many people. I'm in a rut of superficial contact, and I don't like it. Not sure where I'm going to end up with swapping, but it's something I'll be working at.
My on-again, off-again enjoyment of cross-stitch is in a full on-mode, and definitely seems to be here to stay for a long time now, which I'm happy for. Stitching is meditative to me. Despite constantly counting charts and occasionally swearing profusely as I pick out miscounts, it helps me unwind from work. I enjoy it, and the resulting work is something tangible that I can see. AND... although he's a bit scared of it, Erich seems to admire my work, which helps me keep going through some of the more difficult sections of patterns. Not to mention that my mom is THRILLED that I'm stitching again. She's always loved embroidery (leaning more towards crewell herself), and has said many times how well I took to it.
And really-- it gives me a personal idiom for gifts to people. Only I'll let THEM pick the project I work on for them, so they don't get something they hate. :)
Gaming will be there for the foreseeable future as well, and thankfully that's mostly a time commitment. I'm now in only two games-- Erich's and the World's Largest Dungeon game over at Battleground. Both run only once per month-- one on Monday nights, one on whatever weekend date works well for folks. I can handle this. I'm happy with this commitment, and don't expect to get into any other long-term games.
Computer games-- no problem. I have several games to keep me occupied. Most aren't a play-once style. I have a couple on my to-buy list. I'll probably ask for them for Christmas.
Reading-- two hours of train ride every day makes this hobby so incredibly easy now. :) I forgot how much I missed reading during my commute.
So really, a lot just seems to come down to eliminating some penpalling, I suppose... now I just need the willpower to say "enough."
~ Mel.
19 September 2005
Cat-filled weekend
Maine was, as always, a wonderful weekend getaway. We got home last night. It turns out to not be that much further - maybe 45 minutes - than we were driving before, which is good. I wasn't sure how well we'd do on the drive.
And I forgot my camera, so no pictures for this entry, sadly. :(
The weather was pretty icky for most of the weekend with the bands from Ophelia coming in. Friday night was extremely foggy. Saturday, we took the brunt of the weekend rain. It was chilly and muddy all day as we did our errands. The insulated hoodies we bought over the last trip came in handy. :)
We spent a good portion of the weekend at Erich's mom's house, playing with the cats. She has become the crazy cat lady in Maine, filling a decent sized one-bedroom apartment (and an outdoor cat run that's half the size of her apartment) with six cats. Three are brothers that she originally was fostering, but has fallen in love with and decided to keep. She was doomed to this-- when she first got them, they were only days old, and so tiny that she fed them with an eyedropper. (I wouldn't be able to resist). Three male kittens just shy of five months old are a riot to watch. They were all very affectionate, though. At one point when they crashed down from romping, I had one curled up next to each hip, and Erich had two cats sleeping on him.
We kept insisting we were stealing at least one, but that wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't be surprised if she did a cat head count when we were gone, though. :)
Over the course of the weekend, we stuffed ourselves with lobster (two rolls each plus a full steamed lobster), chowder, and completely unhealthy hot dogs. I'll be eating salads for a month to recover, but it's all good.
The only damper on the weekend was a sudden on-rush of sinus issues. I was fine through dinner on Saturday night. We came up to the room, and in the course of one hour, I went from normal me to a complete ball of sniffling, suffering head explosion. Erich jokingly thought I was allergic to Stargate SG-1 (which happened to be on TV at the time). By 11 p.m., it was so incredibly painful that I begged Erich to go out and try to find something to help knock me out. Of course, this is a problem-- in coastal, small town Maine, not much is open at 11 p.m., even on a Saturday night. A gas station up the road turned out to be the best help, and he came back with some decongestant pills. I promptly took the dosage, hoping to get to sleep.
No such luck. The pressure just got worse and worse. I couldn't blow my nose. I couldn't swallow. I couldn't tip my head over. I definitely couldn't sleep. My sinuses felt like they were being pulled by a vaccuum cleaner. And on top of that, I started tripping on the cold meds, getting the shakes and paranoia that is the "if nervousness and sleeplessness occur, discontinue use" warning on the back. Here I was, in a hotel room in Maine after midnight. Erich's asleep and I don't want him suffering with me, so I don't turn on the TV, don't turn on the lights. I was convinced it was going to be a long, difficult night feeling completely stir-crazy.
Ugh.
By about two a.m., thankfully, my exhaustion overtook the meds and I managed to get a few hours of sleep. We grabbed better meds yesterday morning that seemed to do the trick. But I don't recall ever having a night that bad. And now I know that Actifed is on that list with Nyquil of "never, ever give to Mel at bedtime, or else."
I'm still a bit congested today. I'm not sure whether it's a headcold, or it was just a massive allergy attack brought on by all of the moisture (mold, perhaps?). I know the pollen and mold counts are very high around here today. But other than the sniffles, I feel just fine. So who knows? In any case, despite the sinus attack from hell, it was a great weekend. I'd already planned on taking today off, so I'm catching up on some laundry and house chores and will otherwise just kick back and relax in case this IS a cold.
Time for coffee and the first load of laundry.
Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Arrrr....
~ Mel.
And I forgot my camera, so no pictures for this entry, sadly. :(
The weather was pretty icky for most of the weekend with the bands from Ophelia coming in. Friday night was extremely foggy. Saturday, we took the brunt of the weekend rain. It was chilly and muddy all day as we did our errands. The insulated hoodies we bought over the last trip came in handy. :)
We spent a good portion of the weekend at Erich's mom's house, playing with the cats. She has become the crazy cat lady in Maine, filling a decent sized one-bedroom apartment (and an outdoor cat run that's half the size of her apartment) with six cats. Three are brothers that she originally was fostering, but has fallen in love with and decided to keep. She was doomed to this-- when she first got them, they were only days old, and so tiny that she fed them with an eyedropper. (I wouldn't be able to resist). Three male kittens just shy of five months old are a riot to watch. They were all very affectionate, though. At one point when they crashed down from romping, I had one curled up next to each hip, and Erich had two cats sleeping on him.
We kept insisting we were stealing at least one, but that wasn't going to happen. I wouldn't be surprised if she did a cat head count when we were gone, though. :)
Over the course of the weekend, we stuffed ourselves with lobster (two rolls each plus a full steamed lobster), chowder, and completely unhealthy hot dogs. I'll be eating salads for a month to recover, but it's all good.
The only damper on the weekend was a sudden on-rush of sinus issues. I was fine through dinner on Saturday night. We came up to the room, and in the course of one hour, I went from normal me to a complete ball of sniffling, suffering head explosion. Erich jokingly thought I was allergic to Stargate SG-1 (which happened to be on TV at the time). By 11 p.m., it was so incredibly painful that I begged Erich to go out and try to find something to help knock me out. Of course, this is a problem-- in coastal, small town Maine, not much is open at 11 p.m., even on a Saturday night. A gas station up the road turned out to be the best help, and he came back with some decongestant pills. I promptly took the dosage, hoping to get to sleep.
No such luck. The pressure just got worse and worse. I couldn't blow my nose. I couldn't swallow. I couldn't tip my head over. I definitely couldn't sleep. My sinuses felt like they were being pulled by a vaccuum cleaner. And on top of that, I started tripping on the cold meds, getting the shakes and paranoia that is the "if nervousness and sleeplessness occur, discontinue use" warning on the back. Here I was, in a hotel room in Maine after midnight. Erich's asleep and I don't want him suffering with me, so I don't turn on the TV, don't turn on the lights. I was convinced it was going to be a long, difficult night feeling completely stir-crazy.
Ugh.
By about two a.m., thankfully, my exhaustion overtook the meds and I managed to get a few hours of sleep. We grabbed better meds yesterday morning that seemed to do the trick. But I don't recall ever having a night that bad. And now I know that Actifed is on that list with Nyquil of "never, ever give to Mel at bedtime, or else."
I'm still a bit congested today. I'm not sure whether it's a headcold, or it was just a massive allergy attack brought on by all of the moisture (mold, perhaps?). I know the pollen and mold counts are very high around here today. But other than the sniffles, I feel just fine. So who knows? In any case, despite the sinus attack from hell, it was a great weekend. I'd already planned on taking today off, so I'm catching up on some laundry and house chores and will otherwise just kick back and relax in case this IS a cold.
Time for coffee and the first load of laundry.
Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Arrrr....
~ Mel.
16 September 2005
Off to Maine
After work today, Erich and I are heading up to Maine for the weekend to visit his mom. We haven't been able to get up there since Easter, so it's long overdue. I'm leaving work early to catch the Commuter Rail up to Newburyport, Mass. Erich's working in Westboro this week, so he'll drive up and meet me there, and we'll continue up I-95.
Autumn has officially welcomed itself into New England with a combination of heavy downpours and that annoying misting rain that soaks everything, regardless of umbrella usage. It's grey, dreary, but it signals that the weather is going to cool down, so I'll take it. I just hope that it isn't this damp up in Maine, because that implies a lot of mud on the ground to trudge through.
We had some heavy flooding near the house yesterday from the downpours. Parts of Cranston had water flooding up to the lower edge of car windows on Oaklawn Street. Our house was fine. We had some mud rivers from the off-flow on our driveway, and some water seeped along the floor in our garage. But otherwise, things are fine. It rained VERY heavily at home yesterday-- almost 2.5 inches in less than 90 minutes. And Ophelia may bring more this weekend. I'm a bit concerned, but by all of the estimates, it's not going to hit us head-on. We're fairly above sea-level for Rhode Island, so we should be okay. I imagine we'll have a few more problems with the garage, though.
Leaves are starting to turn here and there. A couple trees in Copley Square seem to have noticably changed over the past two days. They are nearly half yellow/orange already. I don't remember them being that way on Monday, when I was sitting under them. What a difference a few days make! I wonder if it'll be a bright autumn this year...
Back to work so I can run away early!
Autumn has officially welcomed itself into New England with a combination of heavy downpours and that annoying misting rain that soaks everything, regardless of umbrella usage. It's grey, dreary, but it signals that the weather is going to cool down, so I'll take it. I just hope that it isn't this damp up in Maine, because that implies a lot of mud on the ground to trudge through.
We had some heavy flooding near the house yesterday from the downpours. Parts of Cranston had water flooding up to the lower edge of car windows on Oaklawn Street. Our house was fine. We had some mud rivers from the off-flow on our driveway, and some water seeped along the floor in our garage. But otherwise, things are fine. It rained VERY heavily at home yesterday-- almost 2.5 inches in less than 90 minutes. And Ophelia may bring more this weekend. I'm a bit concerned, but by all of the estimates, it's not going to hit us head-on. We're fairly above sea-level for Rhode Island, so we should be okay. I imagine we'll have a few more problems with the garage, though.
Leaves are starting to turn here and there. A couple trees in Copley Square seem to have noticably changed over the past two days. They are nearly half yellow/orange already. I don't remember them being that way on Monday, when I was sitting under them. What a difference a few days make! I wonder if it'll be a bright autumn this year...
Back to work so I can run away early!
14 September 2005
Stitching Updates/SBQ #'s
I've been neglecting my questions, so I'm doing some catchup today on the SBQ's for the past few weeks.
But first, a couple updates on stitching, sans photos... (the photo below is not mine... it's a downloaded image for complete project reference)...
I finally am wrapping up my rotation on Egyptian Sampler this week. The center three figures (Horus, Osiris, and Isis) have all of their basic stitches completed. The eyelet stitches in the headpieces are not done-- I'll do those when I do a backstitching rotation. Over the weekend, I began working the over-one cartouches in the center panel. I've never done over-one work before, and I'm finding that doing them on raw-style linen is very, very tricky, since the individual squares are so uneven.
I'm at a bit of a decision point. I've completed my goal for this rotation (which was the stitches on the three figures). I'm thinking that perhaps, since I've taken so many weeks to complete this rotation, maybe I should hold off on the cartouches, and focus just on those next round. With how many counting mistakes I made just making the left-most cartouche ring, I imagine that the four cartouches might actually take an entire 10-hour block of time.
I think I have an organized approach to how I'll go about completing this piece, which makes me feel very good. Since I'm working this piece on a scroll frame (which is driving me insane, but that's a rant for the SBQ below) due to its size, I'm going to work horizontal sections of the entire piece. So both birds will be done at the same time, and matched sections of the border will be done together. Now that I have those three figures done, I can appreciate how big the final piece is really going to be. Each of the god figures is just about the length of my hand, from middle figure tip to wrist joint.
In any case, I'm happy with what I've done so far. And it's going to look amazing when done. :)
For the trip to Maine this weekend, I'm going to bring along The Castle. I'm stitching it on-hoop (what I feel most comfortable with), and despite all of the blended threads, it's an easy piece to port around. I do have a very good chance of finishing it by the end of the year, which would thrill me to no end, so I'm pushing to really get some work on it. Other than Ivanna's wedding sampler, this really is the piece I want to focus on. Depending on what happens in the next month or so, I may drop my rotation for a bit and just work between those two pieces exclusively until The Castle is done.
We'll see...
Anyway, onto the Stitching Blogger Questions...
9/14/05: Do you stitch for events like weddings, engagements, or other things that might not last? If you have been unlucky and the two people broke up, what happened to your stitched gift?
Ivanna's wedding sampler is the first special celebration gift I've ever stitched. Thinking about a break-up to me is a bad-luck thing, and I simply don't do it. I realize such events happen in life-- both Erich and I are children of divorces (both sets of parents married at least 20 years), but I'm not going to focus on the negative because it's counter-productive and just seems... wrong... to me. If anything, as I stitch her sampler (and next year, my own), I'll be trying to infuse the stitches with good tidings for the years to come.
9/07/05: Which way do you stitch (/// and then \\\ or \\\ and then ///)? Can you (or if you haven’t done it before, do you think you could) change the way that you stitch temporarily if it is asked of you?
I stitch /// then \\\. If I were asked to change my stitching for a specific project (like a stitching round robin) to match the owner's stitches, I know I could. I've stitched both ways, and really only stitch the way I do because it was the way I decided to align my stitches to keep them going the same direction. If I were asked to change, it would probably be easier for me to just turn the fabric 90 degrees so I'm stitching sideways. I'll stitch in my normal direction, but the end result would be reversed. *shrug*
8/31/05: What do you use to hold your fabric while you stitch? A hoop, a Q-Snap, a scroll frame, something else, or do you stitch in hand? Have you always used just the one thing or have you tried one or more of the others? Which do you like best? Why?
I prefer a hoop. No discussion. It's what I learned on, and I simply feel more comfortable with it. I was thrilled... THRILLED... to take the plunge and try plastic hoops this year, rather than the cheap balsa wood ones from Michael's that I'd been using. I even have an old metal hoop that my mom gave me when I first started stitching. But I keep it more for my stitching history's sake and as a novelty, since I haven't seen one on the shelves in years. Due to how nasty metal hoops stain fabrics, I won't use it.
But I have about a half-dozen plastic hoops in different diameters, each a different color so I can quickly tell them apart. They're durable and easy to tighten. I love 'em.
I bought a scroll frame and lap stand, after seeing Michelle's work on her frame. As I mentioned above, I'm using it for Egyptian Sampler, but I'm finding it very awkward to work on. For one thing- the fabric does NOT stay tight on the frame. It's constantly loosening, and amounts to really being stitching in-hand with the assistance of a frame to hold it up. I've tried rolling it in different ways to see if anything helps, but it's just not working.
And sadly, the lap attachments for the frame are just BARELY wide enough for my hips to fit in. I have a fat ass, and the lap stand really forces me to stay in ONE position as I stitch. I'm debating a floor stand because I know there are many larger projects, like Egyptian Sampler, that would work better on scrolls so I don't have to wrestle the extra fabric out of the way. But I need to figure out how to keep the fabric on the scrolls better.
I've never tried Q-snaps. Since my hoop works fine, I haven't had a reason to try them. I have tried stitching in-hand before. For really small projects on stiff Aida cloth, I don't have problems with it. But otherwise, I'd find it difficult to keep my stitches clean.
Gotta get back to work...
But first, a couple updates on stitching, sans photos... (the photo below is not mine... it's a downloaded image for complete project reference)...
I finally am wrapping up my rotation on Egyptian Sampler this week. The center three figures (Horus, Osiris, and Isis) have all of their basic stitches completed. The eyelet stitches in the headpieces are not done-- I'll do those when I do a backstitching rotation. Over the weekend, I began working the over-one cartouches in the center panel. I've never done over-one work before, and I'm finding that doing them on raw-style linen is very, very tricky, since the individual squares are so uneven. I'm at a bit of a decision point. I've completed my goal for this rotation (which was the stitches on the three figures). I'm thinking that perhaps, since I've taken so many weeks to complete this rotation, maybe I should hold off on the cartouches, and focus just on those next round. With how many counting mistakes I made just making the left-most cartouche ring, I imagine that the four cartouches might actually take an entire 10-hour block of time.
I think I have an organized approach to how I'll go about completing this piece, which makes me feel very good. Since I'm working this piece on a scroll frame (which is driving me insane, but that's a rant for the SBQ below) due to its size, I'm going to work horizontal sections of the entire piece. So both birds will be done at the same time, and matched sections of the border will be done together. Now that I have those three figures done, I can appreciate how big the final piece is really going to be. Each of the god figures is just about the length of my hand, from middle figure tip to wrist joint.
In any case, I'm happy with what I've done so far. And it's going to look amazing when done. :)
For the trip to Maine this weekend, I'm going to bring along The Castle. I'm stitching it on-hoop (what I feel most comfortable with), and despite all of the blended threads, it's an easy piece to port around. I do have a very good chance of finishing it by the end of the year, which would thrill me to no end, so I'm pushing to really get some work on it. Other than Ivanna's wedding sampler, this really is the piece I want to focus on. Depending on what happens in the next month or so, I may drop my rotation for a bit and just work between those two pieces exclusively until The Castle is done.
We'll see...
Anyway, onto the Stitching Blogger Questions...
9/14/05: Do you stitch for events like weddings, engagements, or other things that might not last? If you have been unlucky and the two people broke up, what happened to your stitched gift?
Ivanna's wedding sampler is the first special celebration gift I've ever stitched. Thinking about a break-up to me is a bad-luck thing, and I simply don't do it. I realize such events happen in life-- both Erich and I are children of divorces (both sets of parents married at least 20 years), but I'm not going to focus on the negative because it's counter-productive and just seems... wrong... to me. If anything, as I stitch her sampler (and next year, my own), I'll be trying to infuse the stitches with good tidings for the years to come.
9/07/05: Which way do you stitch (/// and then \\\ or \\\ and then ///)? Can you (or if you haven’t done it before, do you think you could) change the way that you stitch temporarily if it is asked of you?
I stitch /// then \\\. If I were asked to change my stitching for a specific project (like a stitching round robin) to match the owner's stitches, I know I could. I've stitched both ways, and really only stitch the way I do because it was the way I decided to align my stitches to keep them going the same direction. If I were asked to change, it would probably be easier for me to just turn the fabric 90 degrees so I'm stitching sideways. I'll stitch in my normal direction, but the end result would be reversed. *shrug*
8/31/05: What do you use to hold your fabric while you stitch? A hoop, a Q-Snap, a scroll frame, something else, or do you stitch in hand? Have you always used just the one thing or have you tried one or more of the others? Which do you like best? Why?
I prefer a hoop. No discussion. It's what I learned on, and I simply feel more comfortable with it. I was thrilled... THRILLED... to take the plunge and try plastic hoops this year, rather than the cheap balsa wood ones from Michael's that I'd been using. I even have an old metal hoop that my mom gave me when I first started stitching. But I keep it more for my stitching history's sake and as a novelty, since I haven't seen one on the shelves in years. Due to how nasty metal hoops stain fabrics, I won't use it.
But I have about a half-dozen plastic hoops in different diameters, each a different color so I can quickly tell them apart. They're durable and easy to tighten. I love 'em.
I bought a scroll frame and lap stand, after seeing Michelle's work on her frame. As I mentioned above, I'm using it for Egyptian Sampler, but I'm finding it very awkward to work on. For one thing- the fabric does NOT stay tight on the frame. It's constantly loosening, and amounts to really being stitching in-hand with the assistance of a frame to hold it up. I've tried rolling it in different ways to see if anything helps, but it's just not working.
And sadly, the lap attachments for the frame are just BARELY wide enough for my hips to fit in. I have a fat ass, and the lap stand really forces me to stay in ONE position as I stitch. I'm debating a floor stand because I know there are many larger projects, like Egyptian Sampler, that would work better on scrolls so I don't have to wrestle the extra fabric out of the way. But I need to figure out how to keep the fabric on the scrolls better.
I've never tried Q-snaps. Since my hoop works fine, I haven't had a reason to try them. I have tried stitching in-hand before. For really small projects on stiff Aida cloth, I don't have problems with it. But otherwise, I'd find it difficult to keep my stitches clean.
Gotta get back to work...
12 September 2005
Death by chili
Dear Melissa,
Next time, please remember that not all spices are the same. Particularly ones that tend to vary in heat. Like chili powder. We appreciate that you took the initiative to halve your normal amount of chili powder for dinner last night and only put in two tablespoons for the double batch. That was quite thoughtful of you, and we're very grateful for the effort.
But you should have remembered that Indian chili powder may still be far more potent than the normal Durkee stuff from the store. After all, it has that extremely orange-red color, which may or may not actually be an actual warning label (but we think it is). We're really not quite sure what you were thinking, but needless to say, the dividing of the recipe, two tablespoons sugar, extra 28 oz of tomatoes, full can of tomato paste, 7 additional tablespoons of cocoa powder, and two additional tablespoons of cumin helped make it somewhat edible.
But still, ow. Really. Ow.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you at work today.
Sincerely,
Your Innards
Next time, please remember that not all spices are the same. Particularly ones that tend to vary in heat. Like chili powder. We appreciate that you took the initiative to halve your normal amount of chili powder for dinner last night and only put in two tablespoons for the double batch. That was quite thoughtful of you, and we're very grateful for the effort.
But you should have remembered that Indian chili powder may still be far more potent than the normal Durkee stuff from the store. After all, it has that extremely orange-red color, which may or may not actually be an actual warning label (but we think it is). We're really not quite sure what you were thinking, but needless to say, the dividing of the recipe, two tablespoons sugar, extra 28 oz of tomatoes, full can of tomato paste, 7 additional tablespoons of cocoa powder, and two additional tablespoons of cumin helped make it somewhat edible.
But still, ow. Really. Ow.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you at work today.
Sincerely,
Your Innards
08 September 2005
And the #1 reason we moved to Rhode Island is...
Exactly what's talked about in this article. And for the record, before taxes, the two of us are well over this "family of four" basic needs. While right now we can chalk our finance struggles to adjusting to the new house (and the expenses incurred therein), we lived paycheck to paycheck in our apartment.
from The Boston Globe (via Fark)
While I realize most of the people who read my journal have never seen my house in person, I'll give you the rundown on the comparison...
We bought our house for $250,000. It's approximately 1,800 square feet, 3 bedrooms (all small), older bathroom, older kitchen. Oil heat. Window boxes A/C on 1st floor. Detached 2-car garage. Just shy of 1/4 acre of yard. Erich, due to fabulous credit, managed a fantastic fixed rate 30-year mortgage, and we're paying just shy of $1,600 per month on our mortgage.
In Massachusetts, even in east bum fuck, we would not have been able to find our house-- in the condition that it's in- for less than $450,000.
We literally had to move to another state-- and most specifically, the state to the south (since southern New Hampshire is as obscene as Massachusetts is... it was "discovered" first, I suppose) to be able to afford anything. And I was part of that "paying over 50% of income to rent" crowd until I moved in with Erich. The Beast was probably closer to 2/3 of my take-home income per month. Once I was in that apartment, I literally got trapped there because Boston landlords require at least first, last, and a full-month's security (and if you use a realtor to find the apartment, as most people do, that's another month's rent on top of that).
It's really sad, but not surprising at all to me.
from The Boston Globe (via Fark)
- Report rates Boston most expensive city - Housing drives up cost of living
By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff | September 8, 2005
Propelled largely by high housing costs, Boston is now the most expensive metropolitan area in the country, outpacing Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and even New York City, according to a report that will be released today.
The report found that last year, a family of four living in the Boston area needed $64,656 to cover its basic needs. This was $6,000 more than in New York City, and about $7,000 more than in San Francisco. Living expenses, which include healthcare, child care, and other basic needs, were $44,000 or less in Austin, Texas; Chicago; Miami; and Raleigh, N.C.
The third annual ''Housing Report Card," produced by the Boston Foundation and the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association, concludes that even an uptick in housing production could not halt the relentless climb of Greater Boston's housing prices, which are increasing far more rapidly than are wages.
The result: In 2004, there were only 27 Boston-area communities in which a household whose members made the median income could afford the median-priced home in that city or town.
By comparison, in 2003 there were 59, and in 1998 there were 148.
In 2004, the median price of a single-family home in Greater Boston was $376,000, up 9.5 percent from 2003, the report says. The median price of a condo was $282,000, up 9.3 percent. Even though Massachusetts was the only state to lose population last year, prices continued to rise because demand is still higher than the supply of many types of housing.
The price increases in the Boston region slowed in 2004 relative to other parts of the country; the national rate was 12.5 percent. But home prices in Massachusetts have increased more over the past 25 years than in any other state; they remain among the highest in the country.
The high cost of living is prompting many residents, especially younger ones who can't afford to buy into the housing market, to decamp for other states, the report said. It is the latest to warn that such an exodus could have dire consequences for Massachusetts, which was the only state to lose population last year.
''Continued out-migration may solve the housing problem by reducing demand," the report concludes. ''But, the cost to the Commonwealth's long-term prosperity of losing its workforce is practically incalculable. Much more housing, appropriate for young working families, must be produced if this is to be avoided."
Barry Bluestone, coauthor of the 64-page report, heads the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University. Bluestone described the study as a compilation of data from a variety of sources, including the US Census and real estate firms.
The cost-of-living ranking comes from the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan Washington think tank Bluestone helped start. In addition to housing, the institute weighed the cost of healthcare, child care, taxes, and other necessities.
Bluestone said the report has ''strong warning signs" for Massachusetts. ''Dealing with housing costs is absolutely integral to the economic development strategy of the state," he said. ''It may be, in the long run, the most important thing we can do."
If the state doesn't do anything, it is at risk of losing thousands of people like Lynn Walder.
Walder, a 27-year-old Watertown resident who owns an engraving business, grew up in Connecticut, but fell in love with Boston while attending Northeastern University. She and her husband, who owns a record store, would like to stay, but they've given up on trying to buy a house.
Three years ago, she said, the couple had $60,000 for a down payment, but were outbid on three houses in Dedham and Canton that were probably too expensive for them, anyway. For the time being, they are renting in Watertown and have decided to delay having children.
When they can't delay any longer, they say, they may have to leave the state.
''To get anything affordable, we're talking about being an hour to two hours away," Walder said. ''At that point, I might as well move back to Connecticut and be near my family."
Jennifer Norris, a 34-year-old Medford resident, said the struggle to buy a house is a wrenching topic of conversation.
Norris, who works for an environmental group, and her husband, employed at Harvard Law School, make a combined salary that exceeds $100,000. But that isn't enough to buy a house near their jobs, they say, and for five years they have rented a two-bedroom apartment.
''At every gathering of people our age, this is the topic of conversation we inevitably end up on, and we all get depressed," Norris added. ''It's something we're all angry about and obsessed over."
Boston-area renters are also under strain. The report notes that even though there were 34,000 fewer rental households in 2003 than in 2000, 19,000 more rental households were paying more than 50 percent of their incomes for rent in 2003 than in 2000.
The federal government recommends that families spend no more than a third of their income on housing. ''There's a close link between adequate affordable housing and economic competitiveness in the region," said Aaron Gornstein, executive director of the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association.
''We continue to lag behind," Gornstein said, ''and although we have made some modest progress on increasing housing production, it's still falling short for many moderate-income families who can't afford a home and are, therefore leaving the state or considering leaving the state."
The report does note that in 2004, there were 13,556 building permits issued in Greater Boston, the highest figure since 1987.
And for the first time since before 1998, both single-family and multifamily production were up. The authors also praise state lawmakers for approving a measure last year that rewards communities for relaxing their zoning to make way for mixed-income housing near transit stops and in town centers. Many people contend that overly restrictive zoning, rather than a scarcity of land, is the cause of the state's high housing prices.
But Finley Perry, president of the Home Builders Association of Massachusetts, said there are still barriers to producing single-family homes. ''There is no incentive for the home-building industry to do anything at the starter-home level," Perry said. ''Land is so expensive, you can't really afford to put an inexpensive house on it."
While I realize most of the people who read my journal have never seen my house in person, I'll give you the rundown on the comparison...
We bought our house for $250,000. It's approximately 1,800 square feet, 3 bedrooms (all small), older bathroom, older kitchen. Oil heat. Window boxes A/C on 1st floor. Detached 2-car garage. Just shy of 1/4 acre of yard. Erich, due to fabulous credit, managed a fantastic fixed rate 30-year mortgage, and we're paying just shy of $1,600 per month on our mortgage.
In Massachusetts, even in east bum fuck, we would not have been able to find our house-- in the condition that it's in- for less than $450,000.
We literally had to move to another state-- and most specifically, the state to the south (since southern New Hampshire is as obscene as Massachusetts is... it was "discovered" first, I suppose) to be able to afford anything. And I was part of that "paying over 50% of income to rent" crowd until I moved in with Erich. The Beast was probably closer to 2/3 of my take-home income per month. Once I was in that apartment, I literally got trapped there because Boston landlords require at least first, last, and a full-month's security (and if you use a realtor to find the apartment, as most people do, that's another month's rent on top of that).
It's really sad, but not surprising at all to me.
It's autumn, therefore I enjoy weekends again
Due to a late night last night, I really struggled to get up this morning. I've had coffee. It hasn't helped. Gah. And since we had to drive into Boston today, it was a very long commute. A few cars decided to destroy Providence traffic. Quite impressive what a couple cars can do on I-95. Cripes.
Anyway, didn't do all that much last night. I watched Mythbusters and was highly amused at the tests to see the fastest way to chill a six pack of beer. Apparently a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is the best method, followed by salt poured into ice water (both were at or under 5 minutes). I think I'll choose the latter. Cheaper. Less spray in the air.
Speaking of six-packs, Rhode Island grocery stores are retarded in one distinct area. They no longer sell normal six-packs of soda on the shelf. They have those midget 8-oz cans, but no normal ones. Only 12-packs. BUT... at least they don't have the annoying 5 cent additional surcharge bottle deposit like Massachusetts does. I saw the store brand soda in normal 6-packs, however. The store brand ones were also the only ones to be in older style 12-pack boxes (aka not "fridge pack"). It's funny how only in a couple years, the older boxes look weird to me. Whomever designed the fridge pack is a god of engineering, I must say.
...
For a brief moment last night, I almost considered scrapping my Saturday plans and headng over to Middleboro, Mass. for the annual Southeast Mass. Pagan Pride Day festival. I'm yearning for a good drum circle, after my bad experience at Arisia in January. But I know that it's really not a good idea. This weekend is our only one through the beginning of October that has no plans involved in it. We have two full-weekend trips coming up in the next three weeks. I really want to get some of my to-do list done around the house and hopefully have some time to just chill out, too.
A big part of my concern is getting the plants on my back walkway into the ground before it gets too much colder in the evenings. I want them to have some time to get settled. Mom suggested just bringing them into our sunroom for the winter, which would be a great idea if there weren't cats who need to chew on everything. So sometime in the next couple weeks, I need to get some new topsoil, a couple bags of mulch to help protect them over the winter, and get out the trowel. It's not a lot of plants- one hyrangea, one lemon basil, four asiatic lilies, and a mess of day lilies (which will be planted in clumps, anyway).
And of course, we have boxes. The ever-present supply of boxes. I'm convinced they have procreated in the two months they've been sitting in the house. I didn't pack this many. Honest.
But we are going to roll into our weekend with some fun first. Tonight's the NFL opening game, Pats. vs. Raiders. We'll be testing the wide-screen TV that Erich bought just before we moved. :) During the game I'll finish up my final stitches on Egyptian Sampler for this round before going on to my next piece for the weekend. Tomorrow night we're going to the drive-in to catch Red Eye and Four Brothers.
It should be a good time. :)
Anyway, off to work. I need more coffee.
Anyway, didn't do all that much last night. I watched Mythbusters and was highly amused at the tests to see the fastest way to chill a six pack of beer. Apparently a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher is the best method, followed by salt poured into ice water (both were at or under 5 minutes). I think I'll choose the latter. Cheaper. Less spray in the air.
Speaking of six-packs, Rhode Island grocery stores are retarded in one distinct area. They no longer sell normal six-packs of soda on the shelf. They have those midget 8-oz cans, but no normal ones. Only 12-packs. BUT... at least they don't have the annoying 5 cent additional surcharge bottle deposit like Massachusetts does. I saw the store brand soda in normal 6-packs, however. The store brand ones were also the only ones to be in older style 12-pack boxes (aka not "fridge pack"). It's funny how only in a couple years, the older boxes look weird to me. Whomever designed the fridge pack is a god of engineering, I must say.
...
For a brief moment last night, I almost considered scrapping my Saturday plans and headng over to Middleboro, Mass. for the annual Southeast Mass. Pagan Pride Day festival. I'm yearning for a good drum circle, after my bad experience at Arisia in January. But I know that it's really not a good idea. This weekend is our only one through the beginning of October that has no plans involved in it. We have two full-weekend trips coming up in the next three weeks. I really want to get some of my to-do list done around the house and hopefully have some time to just chill out, too.
A big part of my concern is getting the plants on my back walkway into the ground before it gets too much colder in the evenings. I want them to have some time to get settled. Mom suggested just bringing them into our sunroom for the winter, which would be a great idea if there weren't cats who need to chew on everything. So sometime in the next couple weeks, I need to get some new topsoil, a couple bags of mulch to help protect them over the winter, and get out the trowel. It's not a lot of plants- one hyrangea, one lemon basil, four asiatic lilies, and a mess of day lilies (which will be planted in clumps, anyway).
And of course, we have boxes. The ever-present supply of boxes. I'm convinced they have procreated in the two months they've been sitting in the house. I didn't pack this many. Honest.
But we are going to roll into our weekend with some fun first. Tonight's the NFL opening game, Pats. vs. Raiders. We'll be testing the wide-screen TV that Erich bought just before we moved. :) During the game I'll finish up my final stitches on Egyptian Sampler for this round before going on to my next piece for the weekend. Tomorrow night we're going to the drive-in to catch Red Eye and Four Brothers.
It should be a good time. :)
Anyway, off to work. I need more coffee.
07 September 2005
Autumn Goals and Events
It's hard to believe that it's already a week into September. This year has flown, but at least this year I know exactly why!
Anyway, now that the weather is cooler and I can be upstairs and actually DO the things I want to in my office... I'm setting myself some personal goals for some "autumn organizing." Ideally, I'd like to do this by the end of October, but realistically, it's November... and more realistically, I have no hope of getting all of this done, but I'm going to at least try it because I'll be extremely happy if I can get it all done.
Important Dates to Remember
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Sept. 9th, Dad's birthday
-Sept. 12th, World's Largest Dungeon game
-Sept. 16-18th, in Maine to see Erich's mom
-Sept. 24th, Erich's game, Frank's birthday
-Oct. 1st, Ivanna's wedding (in PA/NJ Sept. 30-Oct. 2)
-Oct. 10, World's Largest Dungeon game
-Sometime in October, King Richard's Faire
- Oct. 21-24, mourn not being at JournalCon, but drink anyway
- November 1st, NaNoWriMo again owns my soul (but not in an ML capacity this year)
- November 10, Erich's mom's birthday
- November 22, Marya's birthday
- November 23, Ivanna's birthday
- November 24, Thanksgiving (at home, if anyone needs a place to eat)
- November 25-27th, on Cape Cod for annual LANness
Things to do...
KITCHEN
~~~~~~~
-Clean out and reorganize butler's pantry
- Unpack rest of boxes currently out on mudroom porch
- Figure out how/where all kitchen supplies go to reclaim counter space
- An honest hands and knees scrub of the kitchen floor (bleh)
BEDROOM
~~~~~~~~
- Reorganize dresser
- Put away heaping pile of clean clothes on dresser
- Stablize bedside table
CLOSET
~~~~~~~~~
- Resort shoe rack
- Organize top shelves
- Set aside place for assessories (belts, scarves, etc)
- Get dry-cleaning done
OFFICE
~~~~~~~~~
-Fix storage cart wheels
- Empty all boxes currently in the room ** IN PROGRESS **
- Organize things into storage carts & label carts
- Organize bookshelf
- Set up lamp
- Gather and sort all computer CD's by computer type
OUTSIDE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Buy some bags of topsoil
- Plant hydrangea in ground
- Plant day & asiatic lilies in ground
- Plant lemon basil in ground
- Help Erich with raking and trimming as needed
STITCHING
~~~~~~~~~~~
- Gather all WIPs and UFOs, make sure they have all supplies
- Photograph all WIPs and UFOs
- Update website WIP pages
- Create list of all stash supplies- charts, threads, kits, etc.
-Finish Egyptian Sampler rotation
- Cats on a Staircase rotation
- Astrology sampler start/rotation
- The Castle rotation ** IN PROGRESS **
- Smoky Mountain Cats rotation
- Home is Where the Cat is rotation (finish?)
-Purchase fabric for Apache Wedding Blessing
- Apache Wedding Blessing rotation
-Purchase floss organizer boxes for each individual project in WIP list
SWAPPING
~~~~~~~~~~~
-Update status report on lists by Sept. 8th
-Repost new swaps Sept. 8th
- Get all overdue swaps done and out by Sept. 9th * IN PROGRESS **
- Finish all current swaps ** IN PROGRESS **
- Bag and send all excess supply swaps by Sept. 12th ** IN PROGRESS **
- Bundle penpal letters for replies
SORORITY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Meet with Tricia to do website updates ** POSTPONED **
-Meet with Maureen regarding alumni help needs
- Attend meetings as often as possible (at least one per month)
- Host Stitch-n-Bitch during fall semester (with Michelle? Alumni event?)
- Attend at least one rush event that isn't the Tea
- Attend the Tea
Anyway, now that the weather is cooler and I can be upstairs and actually DO the things I want to in my office... I'm setting myself some personal goals for some "autumn organizing." Ideally, I'd like to do this by the end of October, but realistically, it's November... and more realistically, I have no hope of getting all of this done, but I'm going to at least try it because I'll be extremely happy if I can get it all done.
Important Dates to Remember
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Oct. 21-24, mourn not being at JournalCon, but drink anyway
- November 1st, NaNoWriMo again owns my soul (but not in an ML capacity this year)
- November 10, Erich's mom's birthday
- November 22, Marya's birthday
- November 23, Ivanna's birthday
- November 24, Thanksgiving (at home, if anyone needs a place to eat)
- November 25-27th, on Cape Cod for annual LANness
Things to do...
KITCHEN
~~~~~~~
-
- Unpack rest of boxes currently out on mudroom porch
- Figure out how/where all kitchen supplies go to reclaim counter space
- An honest hands and knees scrub of the kitchen floor (bleh)
BEDROOM
~~~~~~~~
- Reorganize dresser
- Put away heaping pile of clean clothes on dresser
- Stablize bedside table
CLOSET
~~~~~~~~~
- Resort shoe rack
- Organize top shelves
- Set aside place for assessories (belts, scarves, etc)
- Get dry-cleaning done
OFFICE
~~~~~~~~~
-
- Empty all boxes currently in the room ** IN PROGRESS **
- Organize things into storage carts & label carts
- Organize bookshelf
- Set up lamp
- Gather and sort all computer CD's by computer type
OUTSIDE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Buy some bags of topsoil
- Plant hydrangea in ground
- Plant day & asiatic lilies in ground
- Plant lemon basil in ground
- Help Erich with raking and trimming as needed
STITCHING
~~~~~~~~~~~
- Gather all WIPs and UFOs, make sure they have all supplies
- Photograph all WIPs and UFOs
- Update website WIP pages
- Create list of all stash supplies- charts, threads, kits, etc.
-
- Cats on a Staircase rotation
- Astrology sampler start/rotation
- The Castle rotation ** IN PROGRESS **
- Smoky Mountain Cats rotation
- Home is Where the Cat is rotation (finish?)
-
- Apache Wedding Blessing rotation
-
SWAPPING
~~~~~~~~~~~
-
-
- Get all overdue swaps done and out by Sept. 9th * IN PROGRESS **
- Finish all current swaps ** IN PROGRESS **
- Bag and send all excess supply swaps by Sept. 12th ** IN PROGRESS **
- Bundle penpal letters for replies
SORORITY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Meet with Tricia to do website updates ** POSTPONED **
-
- Attend meetings as often as possible (at least one per month)
- Host Stitch-n-Bitch during fall semester (with Michelle? Alumni event?)
- Attend at least one rush event that isn't the Tea
- Attend the Tea
I may complain, but sometimes my company absolutely rocks
They're focusing on the very spot of this whole tragedy where it makes more than perfect sense for us to make a difference...
They're opening a disaster fund starting with $500,000. They will match all donations to it or any other related charity we choose. We can arrange for it to be taken out of our paychecks directly if we wish, or write a check, wire money, etc.
They're focusing the company's disaster fund on helping the schools and students recover-- to rebuild, to help schools taking in the displaced students, etc. Educational supplies are now on their way to Texas, and they're coordinating with other school districts to do supply drives, replace textbooks, and help as needed. Divisions of higher-ed will be doing the same on its level, the trade publishing division is sending books to the the temporary shelters. Other divisions will help the Red Cross with behind the scenes work at the call centers.
I'm thrilled that my company has taken this approach, and focused on an area - education - where it can make a direct impact. While I am donating some time (and little blood bits) to the Red Cross in the next several weeks, I think I will focus my monetary donations in that direction to help give these kids some shred of normal life as soon as possible. AND it makes much more sense to take the opportunity to have my donation doubled.
I'm rather proud of my company today. :)
They're opening a disaster fund starting with $500,000. They will match all donations to it or any other related charity we choose. We can arrange for it to be taken out of our paychecks directly if we wish, or write a check, wire money, etc.
They're focusing the company's disaster fund on helping the schools and students recover-- to rebuild, to help schools taking in the displaced students, etc. Educational supplies are now on their way to Texas, and they're coordinating with other school districts to do supply drives, replace textbooks, and help as needed. Divisions of higher-ed will be doing the same on its level, the trade publishing division is sending books to the the temporary shelters. Other divisions will help the Red Cross with behind the scenes work at the call centers.
I'm thrilled that my company has taken this approach, and focused on an area - education - where it can make a direct impact. While I am donating some time (and little blood bits) to the Red Cross in the next several weeks, I think I will focus my monetary donations in that direction to help give these kids some shred of normal life as soon as possible. AND it makes much more sense to take the opportunity to have my donation doubled.
I'm rather proud of my company today. :)
06 September 2005
Inspired...
(thanks to Petrouchka on the JournalCon message boards...
A drum corps or a marching band absolutely needs to do a P.D.Q. Bach show.
The Schleptet in E flat Major would be quite a sight to see. Iphigenia in Brooklyn may have parts that could work, too.
It would be GLORIOUS!
A drum corps or a marching band absolutely needs to do a P.D.Q. Bach show.
The Schleptet in E flat Major would be quite a sight to see. Iphigenia in Brooklyn may have parts that could work, too.
It would be GLORIOUS!
A non-holiday weekend
While I enjoyed the three days off from work, my heart wasn't truly into the holiday weekend. I imagine a lot of people were feeling the same way. I did have a good time, but I'd be lying if I said that a good portion of every day wasn't drifting down to the the South.
Late last week, the flurry of calls commenced to find and confirm that my godmother was okay. She and her husbad lived in Slidell, Louisiana, and the last we'd heard, their house was gone. Thankfully, they've been found to be fine, staying with her son. But all I've seen in my mind are memories of two years ago, when she and I met up for the first time since I was a little girl... and how she told me that I must come down to Louisiana soon, and that we definitely should come down for Mardi Gras, since her husband is the king of one of the parades.
I grew up getting a yearly supply of multicolored aluminum coins and long strings of beads. I didn't know what they were from at the time, but my godmother was always the cool relative who gave me dress-up toys.
I still haven't found a couple of my penpals who lived in southern Louisiana. Since I'm not clear as to the exact damage area, it's possible that they're just fine, but power hasn't been restored. From what I've gathered, areas in the deep southern bayous were slightly flooded, but weathered the storm okay. I'm hoping that that's the case. It may be months before I find out what happened, since the postal service is now starting to restrict or freeze delivery to some zip codes.
But my appointments with the Red Cross are now made-- 7 platelet donations over 6 weeks. The earliest they could get me started was in two weeks. Since I don't have the money to give right now, I'll do whatever I can. Hopefully by mid-month, I'll be able to give some on the financial side.
Late last week, the flurry of calls commenced to find and confirm that my godmother was okay. She and her husbad lived in Slidell, Louisiana, and the last we'd heard, their house was gone. Thankfully, they've been found to be fine, staying with her son. But all I've seen in my mind are memories of two years ago, when she and I met up for the first time since I was a little girl... and how she told me that I must come down to Louisiana soon, and that we definitely should come down for Mardi Gras, since her husband is the king of one of the parades.
I grew up getting a yearly supply of multicolored aluminum coins and long strings of beads. I didn't know what they were from at the time, but my godmother was always the cool relative who gave me dress-up toys.
I still haven't found a couple of my penpals who lived in southern Louisiana. Since I'm not clear as to the exact damage area, it's possible that they're just fine, but power hasn't been restored. From what I've gathered, areas in the deep southern bayous were slightly flooded, but weathered the storm okay. I'm hoping that that's the case. It may be months before I find out what happened, since the postal service is now starting to restrict or freeze delivery to some zip codes.
But my appointments with the Red Cross are now made-- 7 platelet donations over 6 weeks. The earliest they could get me started was in two weeks. Since I don't have the money to give right now, I'll do whatever I can. Hopefully by mid-month, I'll be able to give some on the financial side.
02 September 2005
The Incompetence of King George
From idrewthis.org:
The irony is enough to make you vomit.
Today, September 1, the Department of Homeland Security launched National Preparedness Month.
Preparedness for what? The display of unpreparedness going on in Louisiana is greatest human tragedy on American soil in my lifetime so far. How dare these people talk to us about preparedness. People are dying amidst disease, squalor and misery because of their unpreparedness.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm sorry. I'm really angry.
What we keep hearing, from the administration but also from people who should know better, is that this is not the time to "play politics" with the disaster.
Well, first of all, who's playing? I could not possibly be more serious.
And second, why do so many people have this idea that politics are a game? Some sort of popularity contest, unrelated to people's actual lives? I have news for you. Politics are the means by which we select the leaders who will, in turn, make policy. Policy affects your life. At times like these, policy can be the difference between life and death.
Poll after poll shows that people agree with the Democrats on almost every major issue. We would be a liberal country if we voted for the leaders who would actually enact policies we agree with. But we don't vote that way for some reason. You saw it in the last election. It was all "I'm going to vote for Bush because you know where you stand with him." And "I'm voting for Bush because he makes me feel safe."
It is not the quality of a leader's Clint Eastwood impression that keeps you safe, people. It is the quality of his (or her) policies. And this administration's policies are terrible. Al Gore's would not have been. John Kerry's would not have been. You would have agreed more with their policies and priorities. They would not have been asleep at the switch. America, your nearsightedness in returning this man to power made this crisis worse. It made people die.
George W. Bush said on "Good Morning America" that no one anticipated that the levees might break. That is flat out false. In fact, many people anticipated it. FEMA, in 2001, identified a category 5 hurricane destroying the levees and flooding New Orleans as one of the three major disasters most likely to befall the United States. One of the others was a terrorist attack on New York.
Well, guess what? We've had both. Guess what Bush did to prepare? Nothing. Then the administration looked us straight in the eye, both times, and said no one could have anticipated that this would happen. Well, bullshit, George. It's bullshit and I don't think you care.
This one is even worse, because in 2003 and 2004, the Bush administration specifically cut the funds for strengthening those specific levees, because it needed the money for Iraq. It's ironic that we were told, ad nauseam, that we had to invade Iraq because it posed a real threat to our safety and we had to be proactive. So, in the name of that, the administration took away the funds that might have prevented a far more likely tragedy from claiming so many lives, as it is now in the process of doing.
And who normally deals with these tragedies? Well, the National Guard. That's why we have a National Guard. It isn't designed to fight wars. It's designed to deal with domestic disaster scenarios. But nearly half the Louisiana National Guard is in Iraq.
George's vanity war and his neo-imperialist fantasy of remaking the middle east and his obsessive desire to slash his friends' taxes all came before these people's lives. And now they're dying. Old people. Children. Sick people. Mostly poor people, who couldn't escape, and, when the hurricane was bearing down on them, got no governmental help in doing so. And now they're dying, George. Dying.
Playing politics? George, you've spent your whole presidency invoking 9/11. You've spent your whole presidency trying to claim anyone who doesn't support your policies doesn't care if 9/11 happens again. This despite the fact that the other side tried to stand with you right after that tragedy happened. They ignored your policy failures; the fact that Clinton's National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, gave you specific warnings about bin Laden and plans for dealing with them; FEMA's warnings that such an attack would be a huge disaster; and the fact that Hart-Rudman warned explicitly in Spring 2001 that one was coming. And you did nothing, but the Democrats let it slide because no one thought it was the time to dwell on past failures.
Well, now we're in it again, and in a lot of ways this one is even worse, and you not only did nothing to prepare, you impeded others' ability to do so. And again we're being told this isn't the time. Well, when is the time? How many times do you have to get people killed before we're allowed to talk about it? How many dead babies do we have to see on TV before criticizing the people who let it happen stops being "shrill"? I've had enough.
America, to you I say, this is proof that your policymakers should be people who are competent and whose policies you actually support. If you install a government because, gosh, they look likable and macho on television, you're going to get lousy policy, and people will suffer and die. It is not a game, it is not an abstraction, and you need to stop treating it so casually.
George, to you I say, we are not playing politics. You're the one who's playing. Playing golf, playing guitar in photo ops, acting like nothing was wrong the day after Katrina hit, the day the levees broke and New Orleans started to disappear. Giving speeches comparing yourself to FDR while lives were being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. You're the unserious party here. You don't get to base your whole career on playing politics, then urge others not to do so the moment politics becomes inconvenient.
People are dead because of your policies. If you really do talk to God, I hope he gives you an earful for this one.
The irony is enough to make you vomit.
Today, September 1, the Department of Homeland Security launched National Preparedness Month.
Preparedness for what? The display of unpreparedness going on in Louisiana is greatest human tragedy on American soil in my lifetime so far. How dare these people talk to us about preparedness. People are dying amidst disease, squalor and misery because of their unpreparedness.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm sorry. I'm really angry.
What we keep hearing, from the administration but also from people who should know better, is that this is not the time to "play politics" with the disaster.
Well, first of all, who's playing? I could not possibly be more serious.
And second, why do so many people have this idea that politics are a game? Some sort of popularity contest, unrelated to people's actual lives? I have news for you. Politics are the means by which we select the leaders who will, in turn, make policy. Policy affects your life. At times like these, policy can be the difference between life and death.
Poll after poll shows that people agree with the Democrats on almost every major issue. We would be a liberal country if we voted for the leaders who would actually enact policies we agree with. But we don't vote that way for some reason. You saw it in the last election. It was all "I'm going to vote for Bush because you know where you stand with him." And "I'm voting for Bush because he makes me feel safe."
It is not the quality of a leader's Clint Eastwood impression that keeps you safe, people. It is the quality of his (or her) policies. And this administration's policies are terrible. Al Gore's would not have been. John Kerry's would not have been. You would have agreed more with their policies and priorities. They would not have been asleep at the switch. America, your nearsightedness in returning this man to power made this crisis worse. It made people die.
George W. Bush said on "Good Morning America" that no one anticipated that the levees might break. That is flat out false. In fact, many people anticipated it. FEMA, in 2001, identified a category 5 hurricane destroying the levees and flooding New Orleans as one of the three major disasters most likely to befall the United States. One of the others was a terrorist attack on New York.
Well, guess what? We've had both. Guess what Bush did to prepare? Nothing. Then the administration looked us straight in the eye, both times, and said no one could have anticipated that this would happen. Well, bullshit, George. It's bullshit and I don't think you care.
This one is even worse, because in 2003 and 2004, the Bush administration specifically cut the funds for strengthening those specific levees, because it needed the money for Iraq. It's ironic that we were told, ad nauseam, that we had to invade Iraq because it posed a real threat to our safety and we had to be proactive. So, in the name of that, the administration took away the funds that might have prevented a far more likely tragedy from claiming so many lives, as it is now in the process of doing.
And who normally deals with these tragedies? Well, the National Guard. That's why we have a National Guard. It isn't designed to fight wars. It's designed to deal with domestic disaster scenarios. But nearly half the Louisiana National Guard is in Iraq.
George's vanity war and his neo-imperialist fantasy of remaking the middle east and his obsessive desire to slash his friends' taxes all came before these people's lives. And now they're dying. Old people. Children. Sick people. Mostly poor people, who couldn't escape, and, when the hurricane was bearing down on them, got no governmental help in doing so. And now they're dying, George. Dying.
Playing politics? George, you've spent your whole presidency invoking 9/11. You've spent your whole presidency trying to claim anyone who doesn't support your policies doesn't care if 9/11 happens again. This despite the fact that the other side tried to stand with you right after that tragedy happened. They ignored your policy failures; the fact that Clinton's National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, gave you specific warnings about bin Laden and plans for dealing with them; FEMA's warnings that such an attack would be a huge disaster; and the fact that Hart-Rudman warned explicitly in Spring 2001 that one was coming. And you did nothing, but the Democrats let it slide because no one thought it was the time to dwell on past failures.
Well, now we're in it again, and in a lot of ways this one is even worse, and you not only did nothing to prepare, you impeded others' ability to do so. And again we're being told this isn't the time. Well, when is the time? How many times do you have to get people killed before we're allowed to talk about it? How many dead babies do we have to see on TV before criticizing the people who let it happen stops being "shrill"? I've had enough.
America, to you I say, this is proof that your policymakers should be people who are competent and whose policies you actually support. If you install a government because, gosh, they look likable and macho on television, you're going to get lousy policy, and people will suffer and die. It is not a game, it is not an abstraction, and you need to stop treating it so casually.
George, to you I say, we are not playing politics. You're the one who's playing. Playing golf, playing guitar in photo ops, acting like nothing was wrong the day after Katrina hit, the day the levees broke and New Orleans started to disappear. Giving speeches comparing yourself to FDR while lives were being washed into the Gulf of Mexico. You're the unserious party here. You don't get to base your whole career on playing politics, then urge others not to do so the moment politics becomes inconvenient.
People are dead because of your policies. If you really do talk to God, I hope he gives you an earful for this one.
Wake up, America!
From CNN this morning...
Let me get this straight-- the results of the relief effort are "not acceptable?" Where were you, Mr. President?
Where were you on SUNDAY, when every network was reporting that a Category 5 storm was bearing down on the gulf coast-- which would have been the fourth ever to hit the U.S.? Every single station covering it was describing it as catastrophic and bringing up what happened with Andrew, Camille, and the Labor Day storm of 1935, not to mention Galveston at the turn of the 20th Century, which was a Category 4?
Oh, that's right-- you were on vacation.
Where were you on MONDAY, while the Gulf Coast was being destroyed? Oh, that's right-- you were plugging your war of aggression in Iraq and praising the results of forcing the Iraqis to come up with a constitution in an attempt to soften the increasing anger toward the war. You were at your ranch in Texas. Still on vacation.
Where were you on TUESDAY, the day after, when sunlight came out and reporters everywhere were describing the devastation? Still on vacation. Pledging that support will come, but that's about it.
On Wednesday, you "cut your vacation short by two days" to get back to Washington. Oh, how generous of you. People now have been baking and starving in the heat for those two days. The situation is worsening in New Orleans, and they don't have the manpower to get things under control. You decide to tap the oil reserve. Oh, how generous of you. I can do without driving a bit, thanks. My gas prices aren't as important as people's lives ending in the middle of feces-invested disaster zones. You gave a pathetic speech about how ice, water, and blankets were being sent down there, and that anyone who wanted to help should send money, and then you SMILED and said that things would work out in the end. And that's ALL you did. You SMILED. As people died. This is NOT a photo-op for you, Mr. President. You're not flying a plane to an aircraft carrier three miles off-shore so you can claim Mission Accomplished.
On Thursday, you announce plans for surveying the region on FRIDAY, and that the military has been sent from Virginia. Again-- you're late. This should have happened on Monday, as it happened, at the very latest. You condemn those who are looting stores- but at this point, really-- they've been without any food or water for THREE FULL DAYS... in the fucking 90 degree sunshine. They are starving. They are dying. And no help is coming to them. What the hell do you expect them to do? Just sit there and do nothing? Yes, there is bullet fire in the air. I find it deplorable. But I can't blame them entirely when people are looting HOSPITALS to survive and are desperate to find any way to escape the city-- no help is arriving. The New York Times begs you to finally get a clue and do your job.
Oh yeah... and rather than actually DO something, you decide to just put your father and your predecessor in charge of relief funding. Bring Daddy in-- maybe he can fix it. Oh yeah, and that president that my party tried to obliterate for getting a blow job. Yeah, he seems to know what's going on.
You are incompetent. Your administration is incompetent. This was not 9-11, which was a surprise attack. This was KNOWN. Troops should have been stationed in Atlanta for deployment on Sunday. This has been discussed ad-nauseum by scientists for years. They've had shows about it on the Discovery Channel, for crying out loud. You cut finding to a project in full-swing that was both repairing and extending those levees to protect New Orleans for your false war and "homeland security."
You are not at fault for the weather, of course-- but you are at fault for not doing your job and leading this nation in a time of dire crisis.
I hope that a good portion of your devotees from the election of 2004 finally have woken up and noticed that the Emperor has no clothes, and the calls for impeachment begin. You have betrayed our nation's trust, Mr. President.
Shame on you.
- NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- President Bush told reporters on Friday that millions of tons of food and water are on the way to the people stranded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina -- but he said the results of the relief effort "are not acceptable."
"A lot of people working hard to help those who've been affected, and I want to thank the people for their efforts," Bush said before leaving the White House for a tour of the devastated areas in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Let me get this straight-- the results of the relief effort are "not acceptable?" Where were you, Mr. President?
Where were you on SUNDAY, when every network was reporting that a Category 5 storm was bearing down on the gulf coast-- which would have been the fourth ever to hit the U.S.? Every single station covering it was describing it as catastrophic and bringing up what happened with Andrew, Camille, and the Labor Day storm of 1935, not to mention Galveston at the turn of the 20th Century, which was a Category 4?
Oh, that's right-- you were on vacation.
Where were you on MONDAY, while the Gulf Coast was being destroyed? Oh, that's right-- you were plugging your war of aggression in Iraq and praising the results of forcing the Iraqis to come up with a constitution in an attempt to soften the increasing anger toward the war. You were at your ranch in Texas. Still on vacation.
Where were you on TUESDAY, the day after, when sunlight came out and reporters everywhere were describing the devastation? Still on vacation. Pledging that support will come, but that's about it.
On Wednesday, you "cut your vacation short by two days" to get back to Washington. Oh, how generous of you. People now have been baking and starving in the heat for those two days. The situation is worsening in New Orleans, and they don't have the manpower to get things under control. You decide to tap the oil reserve. Oh, how generous of you. I can do without driving a bit, thanks. My gas prices aren't as important as people's lives ending in the middle of feces-invested disaster zones. You gave a pathetic speech about how ice, water, and blankets were being sent down there, and that anyone who wanted to help should send money, and then you SMILED and said that things would work out in the end. And that's ALL you did. You SMILED. As people died. This is NOT a photo-op for you, Mr. President. You're not flying a plane to an aircraft carrier three miles off-shore so you can claim Mission Accomplished.
On Thursday, you announce plans for surveying the region on FRIDAY, and that the military has been sent from Virginia. Again-- you're late. This should have happened on Monday, as it happened, at the very latest. You condemn those who are looting stores- but at this point, really-- they've been without any food or water for THREE FULL DAYS... in the fucking 90 degree sunshine. They are starving. They are dying. And no help is coming to them. What the hell do you expect them to do? Just sit there and do nothing? Yes, there is bullet fire in the air. I find it deplorable. But I can't blame them entirely when people are looting HOSPITALS to survive and are desperate to find any way to escape the city-- no help is arriving. The New York Times begs you to finally get a clue and do your job.
Oh yeah... and rather than actually DO something, you decide to just put your father and your predecessor in charge of relief funding. Bring Daddy in-- maybe he can fix it. Oh yeah, and that president that my party tried to obliterate for getting a blow job. Yeah, he seems to know what's going on.
You are incompetent. Your administration is incompetent. This was not 9-11, which was a surprise attack. This was KNOWN. Troops should have been stationed in Atlanta for deployment on Sunday. This has been discussed ad-nauseum by scientists for years. They've had shows about it on the Discovery Channel, for crying out loud. You cut finding to a project in full-swing that was both repairing and extending those levees to protect New Orleans for your false war and "homeland security."
You are not at fault for the weather, of course-- but you are at fault for not doing your job and leading this nation in a time of dire crisis.
I hope that a good portion of your devotees from the election of 2004 finally have woken up and noticed that the Emperor has no clothes, and the calls for impeachment begin. You have betrayed our nation's trust, Mr. President.
Shame on you.
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