McCain/Palin

OK, so Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. Big deal, right? Why is it that everyone and their dog can have babies, but when Bristol Palin gets knocked up, it's news? Yes, it's probably not the best plan, but people have survived worse. I am voting for McCain--more so now because of his pick for VP. Sarah Palin is a firecracker and has the cajones to kick some ass and take some names.

My hat is off, however, to the one person I thought I would never tip my hat to--Barack Obama. He has instated a "hands off" policy about Bristol Palin's pregnancy, and that is a HUGE kudos for him. I don't like his ideas and I'm not voting for him, but I'll be damned if that wasn't just the absolute right thing to do. His words were (paraphrasing), "Families are off limits, and anyone breaching that policy will be fired." Bravo, Obama...but I'm still not voting for you! :-)

OK, that's all for now. We're going to sit here and watch Gustav come rolling in and enjoy a little excess rainfall. Until next time...

Our psychotic cat

OK, so anyone who knows me or about me knows that, for the past four months, we have been diligently and systematically remodeling our house. When I say "remodeling", I mean damn near demolishing the inside and replacing it. The kitchen, dining room, laundry room and two closets are affected presently, with projects in the works for two bedrooms and both bathrooms. I guess that's the price one pays for an 80 year old house that's been abused in the past. But I digress...

Anyways, we have this cat. He is the most frighteningly psychotic freak cat you'll probably ever meet. He is nothing but a bulimic shit factory! If he's not puking somewhere, he'll drop a load somewhere else. He rarely uses his litter box for its intended purpose, and he has recently come to use the remnants of the dining room and the nearly-completed kitchen as his litter box. Now, I can tolerate it for a while, but when it comes daily, and sometimes multiple times daily, I get agitated. Yesterday, after his second 'visit' to the kitchen (where I was slated to install the new floor on the same day), he dropped a steaming load right in the middle of the kitchen floor. Well, to say "I lost it" probably doesn't do it justice. I hunted the cat down, and proceeded to plant him smack dab in the middle of said pile. Upon his subsequent rapid departure, I took a shot at him with the right foot, landing him squarely against the wall.

Now, before you sic the SPCA on me, let me say that this was done in an absolute fit of rage. Normally, I just make my normal bitchy comment about it, and the mess is cleaned up--typically by my spouse. This time, it was a bit different. I don't know what happened, but I just went ape shit. I'm not one to abuse animals--at all. My wife is now very upset with me, and after a visit to the vet to make sure all was well, she's not speaking to me. By the way, the cat has no broken bones--a dirty coat of fur and maybe a bruise or two is about it. Oddly enough, I've never pounded this cat before, and won't again. It was just a series of mishaps that lead up to this whole incident, and the planets must have lined up just wrong or something.

So, the cat will be fine in a day or two. He's none too happy to see me living and breathing at the moment, and I can't say my wife is, either. The vet probably thinks I'm a horrible person, and I guess this one time, I probably am. I'm not really a 'cat person' to begin with, but when the cat doesn't like to be held or doesn't like to do things a normal cat does, I just don't have a lot of use for it. But, like a bad burrito, this too shall pass.

That's all of my venting for now. I just had to say it so I'd know it had been said. I'll get back to my life and see what comes of tomorrow. Until next time...

Summer sucks

OK, so today is the first day in about two weeks that it hasn't been at or above 100º, and that just sucks. My 80 year old house has NO insulation in the walls, so the heat just kinda blows right in. We just spent $5000 getting a new air conditioner installed because the 22-year-old unit had rusted through and was leaving water rings on the ceiling (the AC is in the attic). Couple that with $4000 to have the house jacked up, blocked up, shored up and leveled up and the new kitchen/dining room that we've been working on all summer, and the tally is quite sobering. It's about a half-year's salary for me, so that seems to be a lot. The end result will be very nice and extremely functional, but damn...

School is about to start back up--my daughter will be starting the 10th grade, which officially makes me an old fart. I still remember the carefree days of fun and sun when I was that age. What the hell happened?

Other news in my life...let me see...Colts football has started up once again. I realize it's pre-season, but hey--it's FOOTBALL! I look forward to the first game that counts on Labor Day weekend! Now I have something to do when the remodeling is done on Sunday afternoons. Life is (about to be) good!

Enough for now. I'm looking forward to fall so I don't have to pay to run the AC all day and all night. I'll also be very busy at work when the fall semester hits, which is also a good thing. It's just time to get something going on besides remodeling. I'm very tired...of remodeling.

Until next time...

The floods in Iowa

Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in Chicago?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees that failed in Des Moines?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a 'vanilla' Iowa, because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

How come in 2 weeks, you will never hear about the Iowa flooding ever again?

Employment and woodpeckers

OK, so it's been a very long time since my last submission, and boy, have things changed! And by "changed", I mean CHANGED!

I recently was provided with the opportunity to begin what I consider to be a REAL career with a local university. I've actually been hired on as a true System Administrator, with full benefits and a very competitive salary. It is certainly a far cry from the previous employers, where chasing checks and constant strife because of financial problems was more commonplace than grass. My salary nearly doubled, and I have the added benefit of--benefits! Health insurance...dental insurance...life insurance...and a huge discount on college tuition. Plus, I get the chance to prove that I am a hard worker and that I know more than I've been receiving a paycheck for. Windows, Unix, Linux...it's a whole different ballgame! SWEET!

I have been extremely busy as of late because we are in the process of completely removing the kitchen and dining room, rearranging the walls, and putting in all new. The hard part comes in because we are doing the work ourselves. Demolition is not an easy task, especially on an 80 year old house! The wiring is piecemeal, as is the wiring, the room additions and the foundation. When we're all done, it's going to look fantastic, but what a lot of work in the meantime! I just wonder if I knew when I started what I was getting in to! Every time a wall comes down, we find something else that needs to be fixed, changed or moved. UGH! In the end, I'll see the reward in the increased equity in the house (thanks to DIY channel and HGTV), but it's going to be a long, hot, dirty summer!

To the woodpecker whom shall remain nameless, I apologize for your untimely demise. I am pleased that your babies were raised and fledged before you departed. My wife is beside herself with despair, and the more I think about it, the more it saddens me. So much so that I wrote about it to try to feel better.

That's enough for now. I have to get back to work. We have 50 new computers coming in that have to be prepped for the fall semester, so I have a lot of work to do! I will try not to wait so long before my next submission! Until next time...