Soap Box

I woke up from a nap with someone on the tv listing reasons why illegal immigrants are draining our economy. They were saying that millions of dollars are sent out of the country to their families back home. Hellllloooooo.... Have you looked at how much money corporations AND the government are sending outside of our country with outsourcing? I guess the Bush administration couldn't find an American company to run the ports and had to give the job to another country.

I would have thought, since the current administration has cut back on every program associated with people, there would be enough money to hire an American company. Guess not.

And speaking of cut-backs... besides Medicaid, the federal government has cut funding for dealing with our meth epidemic by 80%... 80%!! I guess that's one more thing the administration doesn't really know about. Head in the sand I guess. Ooops, my mistake. Head up someone's ass is probably more like it.

My Mood Today

I had four or five people come knocking on my door yesterday at different times. Times when it was inconvenient for me. Toilet time, nap time, cooking time... you know, those kind of times. They were people looking for other apartments. People coming to visit and they didn't know what apartment they wanted. Now this means either the people telling them the address didn't include their apartment number or the incoming people failed to remember it. Either way, there's some stupidity involved. Its just a matter of which end of the equation.

This morning it has begun again.... only this time when the persistent knocking occured I was in the shower and decided not to bust my butt to answer the door. (And I mean that both figuritively and literally.) Of course that leaves me with a minimal possibility that whoever was at the door was, indeed, for me. (00) Odds are in my favor, though.

Its become busy around here in the last week or so... many more people coming and going. I can't tell who is a visitor or who is a tenant. I think relatives (with a small child) have moved in with the formerly quiet people above me. When I first moved in here I was impressed at how quiet things were, relatively speaking. Now I know it was just because other folks were gone a lot or lived on the quiet side. Most likely it was both.

I'm not as nice as I use to be... and I'm not quite as ignorant either. I gotta admit, and I'm not proud of it but its true... if I was a shop owner and these people came into my store, I'd be concerned. Maybe I can blame it on trying to communicate a clearer picture of the type of people I'm writing about. Maybe.

OUCH! OH... that hurts!! What do ya mean that's my stupidity speaking?

Don't feel like it....

I came here to say 'I don't feel like talking'. Then I wondered if something would come simply because my fingers are on the keyboard. hmmmmm

I've been watching the Olympics. My gawd... so many daredevils! And all the training it takes, and the falls with perhaps a few injuries thrown in for good measure... for 15 minutes of fame if lucky. Sometimes I wish I had that internal fire... other times I'm glad I don't. But ya gotta admire youth. They were all awesome under such mental and emotional pressure.

Paul Allen is thinking of dumping or moving the Trail Blazers. (For those who may not know, the Blazers are a losing PDX basketball team.) Allen has been losing millions of dollars on the team for decades. It doesn't seem to matter how much money you pay a player... if he's a thug he remains a thug. I can't even count up how many players have been arrested for drugs, speeding (sometimes causing accidents), carrying around guns, fighting dogs, beating their partners, partying the night before a game... stupid shit like that. And there seems to be something amiss with the "front office" too... the team management. Players would hint at it often. Nothing ever changed in the office, but they would trade good players away for mediocrity. The Blazers need to be put out of their misery.

And this is my opinion and we all know how valuable that is!

To Hell with the Money!

I'm turning on the heat!
...Cha Ching
...Cha Ching
...Cha Ching
...Cha Cha Cha Ching
Okay... that's long enough.

I've nothing particular to share today so I've decided to highlight some web sites that may or may not interest you.

Working Artist's Journal is the blog of San Francisco artist Anna L. Conti. This week she is sharing excerpts from one of her favorite books, "Mindfulness and Meaningful Work : Explorations in Right Livelihood". She started doing this on Sunday so there are two excerpts waiting for you at this particular time. I'm looking forward to reading them all week.

Here's the blog of artist Harry Hindmarch. I often find myself chuckling in recognition. I am particularly fond of his entry for February 17th... "I Mean Business". Can you guess why?

I enjoy Erika Nelson's blog and Doodles of a Tea-drinking Addict.

I guess that will do for now.

A short 'outing'

For good mental health I felt I needed to get out of the apartment for a while. It is a bright sunny day that will freeze your ass off if you're not careful... which makes a car with a working heater very precious. But where to go? I thought I might check out Barnes and Noble, however, once I saw all the other people out and about I quickly changed courses.

I decided to go to the Wild Oats store in the area. They are the only place I've found that carries a good selection of incense.

Just as I was taking the picture of the store a money truck rolled up.

Here's a picture of their plant selection that they keep outside. I like the 'Hens and Chicks'... is that what they're called?

My mother use to have gobs of them and I got some from her... but I can't remember what happened to them. I've moved so much they probably got left behind.

They have a good selection of incense....

Nag Champa is what I get. I really love Prasad brand but the quanitity has been greatly reduced and the price has gone up by 50% so I leave them alone now.

They've got a great little counter I call Spring Tease.... Spring... can't cha just feel it comin'?


Here's just a scene on the way home... one way street and traffic isn't too heavy.


A couple of buildings in the hood have murals on them. Here's a very colorful one that's been there for many years. I was hoping to have the light be red so I could get a good shot of it... but I couldn't stop, so this was taken on the run.


Although I wasn't up to braving B&N, I did need to pick up a few things at the Dollar Store... now there was a crowd, but it wasn't too bad.

And that, my friends, is a glimpse into my very exciting life. You should see my fantasies! Or perhaps not.

This and That

I am noticing some of my digital photos residing on my pc are disappearing. These are photos that I would not delete... things I wanted to keep, birth of two grandchildren, photos of friends, things like that. I've searched and searched and they seem to have disappeared completely. Is it a limit on the software? (HP Photosmart) Is there limits based on dates? I don't know... but it would seem like there would be information about this somewhere. No, I haven't searched every nook and cranny in the Help file, but I will be doing so.

Needless to say I have gone through and deleted a lot of junk photos and I will be doing more. I guess digital things don't last forever. I will need to upload anything of value onto web based albums. Sigh. (I'm really feeling bummed out about losing these photos. If I wasn't in such a peaceful mood, I'd probably be doing a lot of cussing. Maybe that will come later.)

I doodled a couple of things just to be doodling. The first is from memory... a neighborhood character who walks aimlessly around looking for things dropped on the sidewalk and street. He reminds me of a Saturday Night Live character whose name I can remember. Father 'somebody'. The other doodle is from a photo in a magazine. I wasn't going to a likeness and its a good thing, too... I was just going for a feeling, a pose.



I've been watching a fair amount of Olympics at night. Such beauty and grace... and such physical punishment. WoW... no wonder its for the young. I'd like to think older people (you know... those over 25 yrs) have enough sense to not put themselves in harms way, but I know that's not it. Its about the peak of physical perfection... nothing to do with common sense. Gotta admire the determination and the beauty of it all.

Sweet Nectar of Life

Public Domain Photos

I've just received one of life's little surprises and now I'm looking the gift horse in the mouth... but its just out of habit. Alfalfa breath.

I failed to get my payment to the electric company in the mail before receiving the next statement. Timing is everything and I've got a very small window of opportunity to get a payment in so it is reflected on the next billing statement. I missed it this month. And isn't it great!

Somewhere along the way there's been a mix-up in my account. I'm not worried about it because I am confident that it will get squared away with time... you know, all those checks and balances in accounting systems, but for now it seems that a month of charges have disappeared from my account. (blink) And the frosting on the cake is that the current charge is only half of what the previous billing was. Ya gotta luv that Pineapple Express... no heat needed.

Needless to say I'm mailing my payment in today!

How Many Farts Does It Take?

I'm amazed at how offended some reporters seem to be as a result of not being notified immediately that Vice President Cheney shot someone. I thought for a moment I had stumbled onto another congressional investigation into communism under Joe McCarthy. I mean, after all, we must demand to know why it took two and a half hours for the President to be notified and over a day for the public to be informed. What is this world coming to is what I want to know.

If I had been shot I would damn well want my 'shooter' to take care of my well-being and not be worried about telling his boss what has happened. Get a grip. It must have been a slow news day... but now my raging question is this... Just How Many Presidential Farts Go Unreported To The Public?

It's been too long....

Its been a few days since I've posted anything. Where does the time go? And this is coming from someone who hasn't been doing a darn thing.

I did manage to get myself out to do some grocery shopping. My favorite coffee flavoring was on sale so I stocked up. Folger's Cafe Latte Mocha Almond blend. I also got some Starbucks but I'm so smart I managed to get the whole beans instead of ground coffee. Freshly ground coffee may be the cats pajama's for a yuppie, but for me its a pain in the ass. Especially since I no longer have a coffee grinder. Looks like there might be one in my future if they don't cost an arm and a leg. I gotta toe and a pinkie finger, and that's as high as I go.

Damn... looks like 'blogger' has made changes so I can't make something a "hot link". Well frost my cookies!
(Later... that must have scared 'em, cause now the hot link is "hot". It pays to be crusty some times.)

Hangin' with Darius

We are having some beautiful days this week. Lots 'o Sun today but now the wind is picking up. I made it to Goodwill... I wanted to check on frames (nothing) and to see if I could pick up a pot or two. The ones I currently have are losing their teflon covering. I got three small ones. I won't know if it was a good buy or not until I cook with them. Here's a couple of shots of the parking lot at Goodwill... yes, this is the most excitement for the day.



About 4pm Darius' mom called to see if I would have him over for the night. She's not doing anything in particular but needed a break. Two hours later we are back home.

He looks tired but it could be that I'm ready to put him to bed.

Since I was taking pictures of him, he decided to take some pictures of me... using a tape measure.


Gotta go... Darius wants to squirt water all over. I have to try to distract him.

"Egor... Bring me a brain!"

Others agree... Seahawks were robbed!

Here's someone else who agrees that the Seahawks were cheated out of the game.

I've never felt so empty being right. I feel dirty. I wish I'd been wrong. The Steelers did not deserve to win this game. They were not the better team. O'Connor was right. Seattle was the better team.

Where's an honest official, be it sports or government, when you need one. I wonder if the payoff was big enough for the refs. I wonder if there will be an official investigation.

Well... enough for me. Sometimes being an American makes me feel slimely.

"We was robbed, man!!"

"We was robbed!" That coming from someone who knows nothing about football, but can see a replay as well as anyone. What I saw was a referee who took a touchdown away from the Seahawks and then later gave it to the Steelers. It was still a great game to watch... rooting for the underdog... rooting for the team from the Pacific Northwest. Still.... "WE WAS ROBBED!!" or so it looked to me. (Lots O Money involved in the Super Bowl and we all know how much corruption lots 'o money can cause.)

Spring Flirts Unashamedly

public domain photos

The Neighbor is Gone

Public Domain Photos

Whew... I just confirmed that the crazy neighbor and all of her stuff is gone. Be still my heart! Let the par-tay begin.

I don't know how she managed to move all her furniture out, and she had a LOT, without me noticing because I was paranoid and watching everything... or so I thought. Her door and my window are kissing cousins... I don't know how I didn't see it, but nonetheless, its confirmed that the crazy neighbor is gone and I'm so very very sorry for those who now have to live around her.

I don't harbor ill-will or wish her harm, but I do wish her mental and drug help.

Now I can deal with my car. The entire windshield wiper arm is screwed up and will need to be replaced. A friend tried to get it off, but nooooo, that would be too easy. It looks like it requires a special tool or something. But that's okay... now I can take care of it.

I want to sing the song from the Wizard of Oz, but it seemed too mean to do that. What song you ask? You know the one... the one that goes Ding Dong the Witch is Gone. (yes, I changed the last word... but I'm not singing it, remember.)

Nuthin' much, you?

Nothing much going on here. Looks like the Kuma Sutra virus didn't strike here... just another reason to leave porn alone. I bet there are some people out there sweating bullets, though. Yes, this is all I can come up with...


Shy Froggy is chalk on green paper. He came about because I "saw" him in a splash of paint on a shovel. I'll 'see' things in trees, floor designs, etc. Sometimes they are cartoon in nature, sometimes they are regular things. Certain kind of clouds are great for this activity.

I'm reposting things (or will be borrowing from the public domain photo site) for a few days because I need batteries for my camera again. Actually, I've borrowed batteries from the camera to use in my walkman. Its just a matter of getting to a store to pick up some more batteries. And yes, this is all I've got this morning.

Hope you have a good Friday.... and every other day as well.

Makes ya wonder donut

Another 'killer' virus expected to hit Feb. 3 and knock out all kinds of programs on your pc. I kinda wonder who creates these things... if there isn't a new virus every once in a while how will anti-virus programs catch new customers?

From my anti-virus company:
"Only XXX premium products (Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, PRO, and Internet Security Suite) will protect against the BlackWorm."

If I'm off line for more than two days you can assume I've been hit.

Eerily Similar

Eerily similar but not as extreme. That's what I thought when I read about the ex-postal worker who killed seven people, possibly eight. From this follow-up article it sounds like this person should have been institutionalized, but local and federal governments don't or can't spend the money for very many institutions. Tax payers vote additional taxes down. Or something. Have I mentioned before that I think my crazy neighbor is on mental disability? There is nothing wrong with her physically so it only leaves mental. And it is when she is drinking that she loses control.


Marking the days off.

Yesterday was when the neighbor had agreed to turn over the keys to the property manager. When they came her father answered the door and said she wasn't home. Her poor father. He's 75 yrs old, doesn't get around very well, and he has to deal with her self-created problems. I bet that's one time he wished he had stayed out of bed.

It was pouring down rain yesterday. The neighbor's sister came over and they moved some clothing and bags. I don't think the neighbor could find anyone with a truck to move furniture. She took a couple of bags to the garbage and it looked like she gave a couple of bags to one of the other tenants. I'm not sure but I don't think she spent the night at her place.

I slept from 6pm to 6am... waking up every hour or so but going immediately back to sleep. This morning I felt like I was experiencing a slight case of post-traumatic stress syndrome... although using the word 'post' is premature at this time. The management office is suppose to keep me posted as to what is happening... I'll give them a couple of days and if I don't hear anything I'll send them a query.

On a brighter note, it is good to see that something is happening... that there is some moving going on. I just feel very sorry for whoever has to live around her now. I wonder if I'll ever hear her name on the news. You know, something like XXX was gunned down by someone protecting themselves.

I'm here to say, the "authorities" can not protect anyone. They can't even protect the public from the police, but enough said about that. Its a brighter day and there is more sunshine to come. I heard it on the news.