It's Halloween

And it's cold and I have a lot of candy but no trick-or-treaters. lol The thing is, I know there are hardly any kids trick-or-treating around her but I buy the candy anyway. And no, I won't be eating all of it myself....well, maybe a few. The rest I take to the office so these people:

I actually work with these people

...can eat it. ;-)

I'm sure it won't be a problem. The guy in the pink shirt and blazer and the one next to him are supposed to be Crockett & Tubbs from Miami Vice - in case anyone was wondering.

I'm not in this photo as I did not get dressed up for Halloween. The last time I got dressed up for Halloween was probably 25 years ago. That was when I was svelte enough to look good in something that isn't a 'blob' costume.

Besides, I don't do well in Halloween get up. I once got an awful rash on my face and hands after painting my face and hands silver - I was an alien. I once hit my head on the door frame of a car when I couldn't see out of my panda mask. I fell flat on my ass when I was dressed as a Can Can dancer in very high heels. I fell flat on my face when I was dressed as Morticia Adams in a ridiculously tight dress. I poked myself with a pin inside a Geisha wig when I tried to put it on before realizing there was a pin in there. Why was it in there? I have no idea.

So at the ripe old age of 50, I refuse to dress up. If I had done the vampire thing I'd probably have bitten my own lip or tongue or something.

My hubby and I and the cats are just hanging out. We were trying to get Leaper - the black kitty - to sit in the window as our Halloween decor but he's not cooperating. lol At the moment, he and Oliver have taken to napping on shirts I put out for them to sleep on in the living room.

Notice all the space available and yet...Oliver sleeps right
on top of Leaper.

Well, off to have some beef barley soup. Grilling time is over so it's crock pot and oven time.

For all who observe it, hope you're enjoying Halloween!


[NP: Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side]

Boycott NBC, USA and Wolf Productions

They all suck. Why? Well, take a look at this post on Basric's informative blog and then write letters to the powers that be again to complain and to tell them exactly how you feel. If you're like me, you're pissed and hope they all tank.

All I know is, they're getting a new round of letters. I've hated NBC since they treated Letterman like crap. Now I'm just permanently going to stop watching anything they have to offer. Which means I may have to give up Morning Joe as MSNBC is still part of that horrid family. Not sure I can do that as it's the only political show I kind of enjoy because no one on it is a nut job - except maybe some of the guests once in a while.

Still, it's horrible the way they treat talent. And of course no wonder the Goren/Eames episodes were so weak. I think Dick Wolf would treat his actors better but why should I think so? He never thought they were important to begin with. So he covered his own ass and tossed out his best talent and doesn't care if the SVU actors get tossed either. Fine. I hope all his shows tank.

I hope NBC continues to suck. It's not hard to wean myself off of NBC shows as I don't watch any regularly at the moment and don't plan to now.

I'm sending out letters informing them I won't even watch reruns of LOCI with Goren and Eames because I can always just watch my tapes/DVDs. It's sad to know that Vincent would have considered staying with the show and that Kate also wanted to return but NBC made it impossible and Dick Wolf hung them out to dry.

Well, I hope they're happy. They finally killed LOCI.

I also feel sorry for Jeff Goldblum and Saffron Burrows who inherited a horrible show at this point. Horrible because the network doesn't want it to be good. They've been sabotaged before they even started.

Killing off Goren or Eames is NOT going to make me happy and as far as I'm concerned, LOCI ended with Frame in season 7 with Ladies Man as an epilogue to show Goren back to his old self, working with his partner and moving beyond his past. It was the only episode I enjoyed last season. And it is the only one I will recognize as being part of the LOCI saga.

I won't be watching the premiere even. No way I'm going to watch them kill of one of my favorite detectives.

I knew something was fishy when all the writers were let go at the same time at the end of season 7. Now I know what it was. They wanted the show to suck. Seeing how Walon Green is still the show runner, I'd say they really want the show dead.

So fuck you, NBC, USA and Dick Wolf. I know one show isn't going to make or break you but I hope it's the beginning of the end. You selfish, power hungry bastards.


[NP: Elvis Costello - Radio, Radio]

Kitty Pictures

As promised here are updated photos of my two little bundles of kitty joy.

Oliver feel bored on a rainy fall day.

The weather is so ugly, Leaper decides to sleep through it.

Oliver finally got up and headed for his favorite spot in the
kitchen. He woke Leaper up in the process and now the two
of them are trying to share space.
(Sorry this one is blurry but I was rushing)

So Oliver is growing nicely as you can see. He's less gassy than he used to be but still has the ability to clear a room. That song Phoebe from Friends used to sing applies to Oliver - Smelly Cat. lol


[NP: Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want]

Never Trust Anyone Named Dick

No, I'm talking about DICK Cheney this time. Besides it should be common sense to all non-assholes that you shouldn't trust DICK Cheney. Considering the horrendous track record of the Bush Administration, you'd think he would STFU and go away instead of continuing to harp on how he thinks President Obama should fix the mess Cheney and company made.

Ah, but I digress....on to the actual DICK of the moment.

This time it's Dick Wolf. Rumor has it they will be killing off one of the three departing characters. Thanks to BobbyG for the link to this story.

So it seems just letting them go wasn't enough. Since Vincent has mentioned showing up from time to time on LOCI, I assume that means Eames or Ross will die. That's a crappy thing to do but what do I expect from someone named Dick?

The thing is, now that we will have no original writers, no original cast and crappy story lines, how can this be called Law & Order: Criminal Intent? It's really turned into just another cop show.

Sad to see them leave this way. It's even worse than Homicide: Life on the Streets. At least they had a majority of their original cast intact when it went out - granted it limped out but at least it didn't completely self-destruct like LOCI seems to be doing.

While I do like Eric Bogosian's Ross character, if someone has to die all I can say is, it better NOT be Eames. Goren I'm relatively sure will survive from what VDO said in regards to his departure.

Okay, with that little rumor out and about, I'm officially boycotting not only USA but anything Dick Wolf puts out in the future. I am certainly not watching anything he's putting out now. L&O was a great series but really needs to be put out of our misery. SVU has always been unwatchable for me. I had high hopes for it, too. Christopher Meloni, B.D. Wong and Richard Belzer have always been favorites of mine. Nothing they could do could salvage that mess for me.

LOCI was the best of the bunch. It stopped being watchable for me when they brought on that awful Walon Green as show runner for the Goren/Eames episodes. I guess they were hoping to kill off that half of the show at that time. Certainly it made the Nichols episodes look better. And that's not saying much. No offense to Jeff Goldblum. As with Vincent and Kathryn, they could only do so much with what they were given to work with.

I'm so disappointed. Nothing but bad news over at LOCI. I guess Dick Wolf has run out of good ideas.


[NP: Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty]

Miscellaneous

It's a cold and rainy day and we're holed up in our house. Looks like H1N1 is really hitting our area now. Sadly, we're also short on vaccines for both the regular flu and H1N1. My husband already got his flu shot. I have yet to get one. I'm thinking I need to have my regular physician refer me to my husband's lung doctor so I can get a shot. Apparently they're not giving vaccines to internists. Only to pulminologists since our doctor said he was informed the supply is short so he wasn't getting any. Wonderful. We're going to just stay home - when I don't have to work that is - and not go anywhere. I've been using enough Purell to wish I owned stock in the company. Okay, it's actually Germ X, which is cheaper but the same thing.

On up side, not as much to cover in the school news department as they keep canceling events and in some areas closing schools due to illness. Not that it's a good thing but it's less places for me to have to be to catch something. In fact, I'm thinking of asking to be excused from covering anything that may expose me to H1N1. The local high school had it's first case last week.

Maybe I'm over reacting? You know, because if I get it, my doctor tells me I'll probably end up in the hospital because of my asthma. And of course I don't want to go into the hospital as we have enough medical bills to catch up with as it is and I don't think I can afford to be sick. Thanks to the "best health care system in the world" according to Republicans like Orrin Hatch, I am planning to just die if I ever get a terminal illness. Why? Because if I end up getting cured, I will owe so much money I will never be able to stop working. It's nice to know the Republicans and conservative Democrats have their heads firmly planted up their asses. Who the hell cares if we have such cutting edge medicine if WE CAN'T AFFORD IT??? Other countries can because their governments apparently give a shit if they are sick or not.

I've decided that the media is making us all hysterical. Not about health care but about politics in general. So I've been kind of trying to avoid the extremes. But then, the politically correct ones bug me, too. Like news pundits who feel they have to be nice and not call Sarah Palin a self-aggrandizing, thin skinned, selfish, obnoxious, idiot with a whiny ass voice.

Her book is on the best seller list when it was just announced that she was actually writing one. Right. I'm sure it's ghost written or heavily edited so those of us who actually speak English can read it and understand. Why is her book on that list? Because we love a freak show. That's why Glenn Beck is so popular. I have to confess I sometimes watch him but not because I think he actually has a clue. But because I'm hoping to witness the final nervous breakdown when he cracks up and needs to be carried off set by the men in white coats. Needless to say I usually watch with the sound turned off because there's only so much bullshit I can take.

Speaking of bullshit, lots of bullshit being flung on one particular LOCI forum I'm told. Personally haven't been there in ages but apparently, a lot of members are being driven away from ci-us due to the mean-spirited, assholes who frequent the place. I left a long time ago and deleted my account because it's so ill-managed. The mods favor members who share their POV and tend to treat the rest like crap. Or allow them to treat others like crap. Either that or they are just disengaged and not paying attention. Makes me miss Major Case a lot. Caring mods who treat everyone equally regardless of whether you're Rene Balcer or some troll who just like forum jumping under different guises just to make trouble.

Fall is in full swing here. The trees are beautiful. Reminds me of when my husband and I would take our Old English Sheep Dog Belle and hop in the Jaguar Mark II and go for a drive up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan just to see the colors. I miss it. The dog, the car, the good health that allowed us to take impromptu trips.

Life isn't horrible or anything. It's just sometimes I get nostalgic. Just like I get nostalgic for Waiamea Falls before it became a tourist trap and stuff. I can live without it but I do look back fondly on all of it.

On the up side of life, word has come down from corporate that we will be getting new computers in January. I guess the new - what-ever she was - who came down to visit all the properties in the area was suitably horrified to see the horrible conditions we work under. She can't do anything about the waterfall in the front office but she can give us proper equipment. A little bit of good did come from their 20 minute stop at our decrepit old building.

Have some kitty pictures to post but will do it later. Have a good week!

[NP: R.E.M. - Imitation of Life]

I Like My Doctor But.....

...I hate going to see him. Mostly I'm going because all I need to renew my prescriptions for Rhinocort and Advair. Having sinusitis and asthma I need to see my doctor at least once a year. But it always ends up being so much more complicated.

So I ran out of everything and I've gone through like six boxes of Kleenex in one month because my nose won't stop bugging me and I'm starting to develop a cough. Great. My husband lectured me about how I always lecture him about the doctor and yet here I am, like an idiot, putting off the inevitable.

I made my appointment and went Friday. I hate going to the doctor. My doctor is a great doctor. Very nice, and very NOT PREACHY. He's Korean and he's cute in that "I'm forty-something but I look ten" kind of way. My mom, who used to go to him as well, once spent the entire visit asking him if he was really a doctor because he looked like he was too young to be a doctor.

Despite being Asian and incredibly polite, my doctor reminded exactly why I loathe going to the doctor even just for a routine "I need my prescriptions refilled so please just take my blood pressure, listen to me breathe and I'll be on my way" kind of visit. Because it's never that simple. He always wants blood work done and he always reminds me of the weight I should lose. Then he reminds me of the mammogram I need and the pap smear and this time around, a lung function test. Oh and by the way, I'm 50, so he notes. Which apparently means I should I should consider having a colonoscopy.

Okay, so going to the doctor has been so good for my ego. I'm fat, I'm old and I need even more tests than the usual round of crap I have to endure. Got it.

Well, the mammogram and pap has been scheduled as has the lung function test. I've done those before when I first developed asthma. The colonoscopy is being considered. Probably it will continue to be considered until I think I have a problem. No blood in the stool, no stomach cramping and no irregular bowel movements. Oh, so maybe I could do an occult blood test then. Having worked in specimen processing at the local lab, I know that means those three little cards upon which one has to place a small specimen of crap. *sigh*

Suddenly, 50 doesn't seem like it's no big deal. Let's not forget the FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) test because I'm getting to 'that age' where one is about to hit menopause.

The menopause I have mixed feelings about. It means no chance I could ever get pregnant. It also means I'm going to have hot flashes and be even bitchier than I already am during my period. Woo hoo.

So to recap. In the next couple of months, I'll be having my boobs pinched and twisted in that awful torture device masquerading as medical equipment to have a mammogram. I will have to be poked and prodded by my doctor who tries to make polite conversation as I lay there just knowing God is NOT a woman because if God was a woman, men would be undergoing this yearly embarrassment. I will have to be poked by the vampires at the lab for a blood sample and submit an occult blood card.

I know I should have a colonoscopy. But honestly, even with insurance there are co-pays and unless I suddenly start having problems in that area, I'm not letting anyone stick anything else up me besides a speculum. There's only so much a person can take and afford at one time.

[NP: John Trudell - Rant & Roll]

Another Milestone

Well, another milestone is here. My husband turns 60 years young today. Wow....that's kind of weird to think about. When we first met he was 33 and I was 23. Time flies when you're having fun. Even when sometimes it's not so fun. All in all it's been a great time. I still feel like I'm 23 in my head. The body feels 50 upon occasion.

We're having the kids over on Saturday to celebrate. Cake and ice cream. We'd do food but Jimmy and Staci 2.0 are vegetarians and the girls like only hamburgers and hotdogs and Jim wants barbecue ribs. Me, I eat any of the things listed - my hips and butt are evidence of that.

Probably will end up doing pizza so everyone will be happy and have ribs for dinner when it's just the two of us and the hoard have left. lol

Took the day off - not because of the birthday but because we had the carpets cleaned and the little kitty Oliver had to go to the vet. He's got some kind of allergy that's making him itch. He's got little scabs on his little kitty head and neck and he's always scratching. He got a shot to take care of the itching and we're going to see if changing his diet helps, etc. Oh and he's gained weight. Went from 3.0 pounds to 3.8 pounds. His scrawny tail is all filled out. I'd put up a new picture but he is pretty mad at me so he's hiding in the storage room and won't come out. I don't blame him.

It's been a mellow day over all. Got fed up with the news today and realized Jon Stewart is right that ALL the US news media seem to have their heads up their butts, not just FIX news. Here's a clip of his rant on CNN.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

[NP: Foo Fighters - There Goes My Hero]

It's Going to be a Cold Winter

At least that's what the local weather people are predicting. They have been known to be wrong but quite frankly it already feels like a cold winter. No more Vincent D'Onofrio or Kathryn Erbe and to make it even worse, even Eric Bogosian is leaving LOCI.

The Tigers LOST to the Twins so no more baseball for me - except to root against the Yankees. So far Minnesota is breaking my heart. I hope they rally and hand the Yankees their ass on a platter. Apologies to any friends who are Yankee fans. I just can't stand the obnoxiousness of Steinbrenner and this the way he treats people who work for him. Also am hoping Joe Torre's Dodgers will meet them in the world series and kick their sorry butt. I'd love to see Steinbrenner's ugly face enraged. lol

So it seems normally cooler weather makes me happy but with all the rain it's been damp and dark and makes it feel gloomy.

Health care reform is turning out to be a massive joke in this country. I doubt we will have anything good at the end. Either more of the same or worse. They're talking about making it mandatory for everyone to have insurance but they don't want to give us a public option to choose from. The insurance company dweebs are thrilled. Now we won't have to worry about some government bureaucrat making our medical decisions for us. We can continue to have some insurance company bureaucrat doing it as they have been thus far. This country is so totally fucked it's hard to continue being optimistic.

On the upside, the Republicans keep shooting themselves in the foot. They're in single digit approval numbers despite the Democrats taking a big dive in approval numbers. Just because people are mad at Democrats doesn't mean they're running to Republicans. How could they? They've got Rush "All the fat from my body is in my head now" Limbaugh and Glenn "I could have a nervous breakdown on the spot" Beck making these outrageous comments and only a couple of Republicans have bothered to call them on it without then rushing over to kiss their butts because they're afraid they're base won't re-elect them if they dare to contradict the disastrous duo.

Here's something I thought I'd share with those of you who don't get to watch The Colbert Report regularly. It's a thing of beauty what Stephen Colbert does. He's pure comic genius and is quite possibly the sharpest mind on late night television.

Here's my favorite of the week I just had to post here so I could have it on hand to refer to when the nut jobs get to be a bit much. I love Stephen Colbert. :-)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bend It Like Beck
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

Good News, Bad News

Some good news and bad news coming my way these days. Thought I'd share some.

Good news! The Tigers won yesterday against the White Sox. This means they're tied for first place in the AL Central and will have one more chance to win in the tie breaker game against the Minnesota Twins.

The bad news is they were leading by SEVEN games at one point and my feelings are that even if they win against Minnesota and take the division, they've got to play the Yankees and quite frankly, I just don't see them getting it done. Trust me, it's not like I want the evil empire to beat us, but hey, let's face it reality bites.

Good news! Seems the blogosphere is filled news of faithful fans flooding USA/NBC/Universal with letters protesting the exit of Vincent and Kathryn. So they know what they're losing - whether they rather not acknowledge the truth of the lost ratings or not. Someone said the people who post online and visit fan sites are a minority and most fans don't express themselves that way. Perhaps, but the ratings for this show need all the help it can get and it's not going to get any.

The bad news is, apparently Vincent's sister has stated that he is the one who has decided to leave the show to pursue other projects. Which means really, no matter how mad we get and how loudly we yell at USA, it's no longer in their power to bring him or Kathryn back. It seems she has also decided to move on instead of being the other half of the Nichols team.

Good news! I have found a way to make politics palatable.

The bad news is I have to ignore everything. Otherwise I get this uncontrollable urge to scream at the television screen, pick up a baseball bat and hit anyone who tells me they don't know if Barack Obama is an American because he won't show us his birth certificate. I've been wishing horrible things for Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. If you all thought Wanda Sykes was bad when she wished Limbaugh's kidneys would fail, you'd be shocked at my thoughts of what I am wishing for Mr. Limbaugh and his lunatic cohort Glenn Beck. These people are so horrible even Dante couldn't imagine a level of hell horrible enough to punish them for eternity. I will throw in all the birthers, death panelists and well, Republicans who think those two actually have a point about anything.

Good news! Health care reform is moving forward.

The bad news is it's going to suck. Senator Max Baucus - a Democrat - is in the pocket of the insurance companies. He received over three million dollars from them and he was instrumental in killing free choice. He also says no way there will be a public option. So he's been bought and paid for and he's doing what his constituents want. His constituents are the insurance companies apparently.

For some lighter fluff, the good news is, our kitty Oliver is now sleeping in bed with us. He even curls up right by my head. The bad news? Well, yes, there is some bad news. He's a gassy cat and having a gassy cat sleeping on your head is NOT a good thing. :-/ Think we're going to have to have a conversation with the vet about our precious little bundle of kitty joy's diet. lol

Okay, so that's it for now. Hopefully I will get over my anger and stop sounding like Lewis Black when I talk about politicians and stupid people who actually think Barack Obama is NOT really a U.S. citizen.


[NP: R.E.M. - Ignoreland]