Chet's nuts roasting on an open fire

Holiday spirits were no doubt involved.

Picture and title borrowed from D-Listed.

More politics

Here's how the Dems are going to lose in 2010:

Congress and apparently the White House have decided to work on reducing the deficit next year. And the way they're going to do it is by cutting Medicare and Social Security. They call it "reform." The Repos will call it "starving Grandma."

Add to this the results of a recent poll that shows Dems aren't motivated to vote in the next election while the Repos are fired up.

More political quickies:

• The Congressional Budget Office says the Senate health care bill will cause insurance premiums to go up, but the net result is that 57% of Americans will save money thanks to federal subsidies.

• My congressman, Steve King, hasn't been on top of his game lately. He didn't make TPM's Top 10 Wild and Wacky Political Voices. He's going to have to step it up if he hopes to get any attention in a world full of Limbaughs, Becks and Virginia Foxxes.

• TPM also has a list of the best of the worst right-wing protests so far this year. My prez the witch doctor, he told me what to say ... Ooh ee ooh ah ah, ting tang walla walla bing bang.

• Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Walla walla bang bang.

Mike Huckabee's political career is over

This weekend, a guy walked into a coffee shop in Lakewood, WA, and shot four police officers dead. The prime suspect is Maurice Clemmons, who was once sentenced to more than 100 years in prison in Arkansas. Governor Huckabee commuted his sentence in May 2000. Since then, he's been in and out of jail for robbery and child rape.

The sad thing is, Huckabee's heart was in the right place. Clemmons was only 17 when he committed the burglaries and other crimes that led to an excessive sentence of 108 years. The Arkansas parole board and the judges and prosecutors are the ones who let him stay on the street after he reoffended.

But the law and order Republican base isn't going to forgive Huckabee for his Dukakis moment.

Buh-bye, Huck. See you on Faux News.

It's Friday

Seattle requested beefcake for Thanksgiving. Sorry, all I have are these leftovers. David Hasselhoff, Channing Tatum, Chad Everett.

Quote of the day

What can you do? You apologize for the blow job and you move on quickly.

~ Fox News' Shepard Smith sums up his view of on-air gaffes

Quote of the day

As president, I believe robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything.

~ President Obama, in a speech promoting his new "Educate to Innovate" program

I never realized ...

... how much Sasha Obama looks like her dad.

Today's post brought to you by Cockermouth

I went on a shopping binge today. Bought 4 new shirts, a small wreath for my apartment door, and a lamp shade - all on sale at 50% off. Then I ordered 3 CDs from Amazon.

Yes, I'm one of those people who still buys CDs. But it's even more pathetic than that. The CDs I ordered were Adam Lambert, Susan Boyle, and Rob Thomas.

At least they're all people who actually sing, not auto-tuned bimbos drowned out by backup vocalists.

I'm in the market for a new digital camera. Nothing fancy - I just want to take pictures of my cats. It has to be easy to operate and I'd like to keep it under $100. They're always on sale this time of year so I can probably get a good deal if I know what to look for. Any recommendations?

Time for some quickies:

• Speaking of shopping, a little gift idea for the woman who already has wombat poo paper and moose poop jewelry: a zoo Illinois sells reindeer dung necklaces.


• The FBI reports that the number of victims of hate crimes based on sexual orientation went up by 11% in 2008. This was the 3rd year in a row with an increase. What else can you expect? We live in a country where it's socially acceptable to bash Adam and Steve. Just ask your priest or your elder - they'll even help organize the next hate fest.

• The latest on health care reform from TPM's Josh Marshall:

You knew health care reform has death panels, rationing, no cancer tests and you have to get most medical exams at the DMV. But now it turns out it will also take away your guns.

TPM also has a rundown of the 4 members of the Dem caucus who are poised to block reform. And here's a blog post about cost control measures in the health reform bill. Obama liked the article and Rahm Emanuel made it required reading at the White House.

• If that whole health reform thing doesn't work out, here's something else to think about. From an article about alleged misconduct at a funeral home:

... the decedent’s tongue swelled so much during the embalming process that it protruded from her mouth.

After a variety of techniques failed to rectify the problem, a supervisor authorized removal of about a quarter of an inch of the tongue.

This removal, the judge found, “is an accepted and customary embalming practice” that is specifically recognized in the industry as “a proper method of last resort in restoring a body to its natural appearance.”

• A headline on Fark: Hey boys, you know that hot teenage girl you were exposing yourself to via webcam? Well, turns out she's a 41-year-old Olympic weightlifter called Alan.

• The editors of 2 German newspapers are feuding. One of them is famous for headlines like: “Emasculated by the mother-in-law’s dachshund" and "Now everyone can say pecker." The other commissioned artwork for the side of his building that features his rival's 20-foot penis.

• Cockermouth. I just like saying it.

• And remember, while you're enjoying your turkey on Thursday, there's some poor schlub sitting in a call center somewhere answering the Butterball Hotline. And no, it's not a good idea to thaw your turkey in the same water you used to bathe your kids.

Quote of the day

I don't know her well enough, her thinking. I don't know what she knows and doesn't know. I wouldn't know have the stuff probably that people ask me.

~ a Sarah Palin supporter, explaining why he supports her

Watch the interviews with other Sarah lovers here.

My friend in Seattle said ...

"Let's return to handsome old guys for the sake of hump day."

I hope he doesn't mind a little before and after. It's Chad Everett, aka Dr. Joe Gannon on Medical Center. I had a huge crush on him back in high school.

Happy hump day, Seattle.

Quote of the day

We've seen female pop performers doing extremely sexual routines for years and all of the sudden a guy does it and it's crazy.

~ Adam Lambert, on the hand-wringing and panty-twisting reactions to his AMA performance

Random creepy guy dot com

When you get tired of looking at pus videos, check out the creepy guys.

Look carefully

Found this on Awkward Family Photos. Can you spot the 7th person in this picture? The original caption was "Eye Contact."

Quote of the day

People call me an attention whore .. or whatever … but excuse me I'm a grown ass woman and I'm confident in myself.

~ reality TV nutjob Tila Tequila, in a web cam rant during which she stripped, pulled out her tampon and waved a gun at everyone

Meh

Right now my life is so boring I can't even come up with anything interesting to complain about. A few quickies:

• We've all heard about the Stupak amendment, which will make it next to impossible for lower or middle income women to get abortion coverage. That includes medically necessary abortions when the mother's life is at stake. But nobody's talking about the fact that the health care reform bill(s) do not require insurers to pay for birth control, pelvic exams or other basic preventive services for women.

More on the issue from Newsweek.

• You need a penis fizzy. (NSFW)

• Meep.

Here kitty, kitty

Happy hump day.

Two quickies

This started out as a longer post but I never got around to finishing it. Something's better than nothing though, so here goes.

• BBC headline: New warning on 'perfect vaginas.'

Have you ever wanted "elegant-looking labia"? Did you know there was such a thing? Well, according to plastic surgeons there is and they can be yours for the bargain price of about $5000. Because we all know that no matter how bare you wax that pussy, you won't look like a 12 year old girl unless you trim your labia too. And that's the look men want, isn't it? At least, that's what you'd think if you look at Playboy.

• If your man does want to screw real 12 year olds, you could do what this British woman did. She went into a chatroom and pretended to be a young girl to trap her husband. Then she turned him and his kiddie porn collection over to the cops.

Quote of the day

“Joe Perry, you are a man of many colors. But I, motherfucker, am the rainbow!”

~ Steven Tyler, hogging the stage at a Joe Perry concert to announce that he is not, contrary to rumors started by Joe Perry, leaving Aerosmith

Quote of the day

"Sometimes life leaves a hundred-dollar bill on your dresser, and you don't realize until later that it's because it fucked you."

~ from Shit My Dad Says

Linkie Lou

I still don't have much to say but here are links to some of what I've been reading lately.

• I just surfed across the Happy Meals & Happy Hour blog and thought it was hilarious. Check out "The One Where the Kid Walks in on Us" (read the comments too) and this video of a kid freaking out when his mom cancels his WoW account.

• An ER doc's take on health care reform

• More quotes from Shit My Dad Says - apparently, CBS is planning to make this into a sitcom:

"Nobody is that important. They eat, shit, and screw, just like you. Maybe not shit like you, you got those stomach problems."

"You worry too much. Eat some bacon ... No, I got no idea if it'll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon."

"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked."

"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2."

Good god, what is it with the spammers this weekend?

I don't need any Viagra, I don't like Russian porn, and I don't want to see Miley Cyrus naked. I'm also not interested in finding out what kind of nasty virus I'd get if I clicked on any of those links.

This is why my blog is set for comments to be approved before posted.

I'd still do them

Joe Perry and Steve Tyler of Aerosmith, looking like glam rock dinosaurs. Or maybe they belong here. Perry would be my first choice. More sex, less drama.

Apparently, Steve is off on a hissy fit, saying that he quit the band. Not the first time that happened. Joe says they're going to replace him.

Motor vehicle dilemma

For more than a year, I've been saving up to buy a better car and I'm at the point where I could. All I can afford at this point is something about 10 years old. Chances are, whatever I bought would need repairs sooner rather than later.

My 20 year old minivan has been running well. It always starts, even on the coldest days, and gets me where I want to go. I had pretty much resolved to keep driving it until it died. I was hoping to get through the winter.

That plan might be out the window. It overheated last night. Not bad enough to boil over but the temperature gauge got up in the high range while I was at a drive-thru and stayed hot until I got home.

The radiator has a leak, which I've known about for almost a year. I checked the coolant - a little low but not that bad. What worries me is the fan didn't come on when the engine got hot. It might be a broken belt or maybe the fan motor burned out.

The radiator itself would cost about $300 but odds are that I'll need hoses and other things replaced too so the price goes up. And who knows what the fan would cost. It doesn't make sense to put $500 (which is probably a low estimate) into a 20 year old car, does it?

Other problems I know of:

1. The intake manifold leaks oil. I add oil every couple of months. The mechanic said as long as I keep doing that, I could probably drive it another 100,000 miles.

2. The electric window on the driver's side gets stuck halfway down. Not a problem in the wintertime - I don't have to use it. But in the summer time ...

3. The air conditioner doesn't work.

4. The windshield wipers are temperamental. Sometimes they won't come on when they're supposed to, other times they won't go off. Sometimes they come on even when they're turned off. I try to avoid driving when it rains, but when I have to go somewhere, so far, I've always been able to get them to work enough that I can see.

5. The heater doesn't work. I get some heat off the blower - enough to keep the windshield defrosted.

6. My tires should probably be replaced within the next few months

7. The power steering fluid leaks. I have to fill it every few months.

8. The latch on the back door is broken. I haven't been able to open it for a couple of years. The sliding door on the side is really hard to open. Major pain in the ass but I'm used to it.

The transmission and engine block seem to be in pretty good condition. No problems there, but it's only a matter of time, right? The car has 160,000 miles on it, most of them in town. The brakes are good, the battery is about 1.5 years old. It's been a couple years since it's had a tuneup.

I've had this car for ten years and I think I've spent less than a thousand on repairs in all that time. It's the best car I've ever owned. Buying another one would be a crap shoot. Who knows what I'd get.

And that's my dilemma. Put the money into Old Reliable or roll the dice on something else.

Rigor mortis

He's not dead - that's just how he sleeps. A week ago, I wasn't sure if boy cat was going to make it home from the vet. He's doing great though.

He's on heart meds - he's eating okay, socializing and sleeping normally.

The only sign that anything's wrong is he's allowing girl cat to bully him. Since he was gone for a day, she thinks it's her house now. If he tries to jump up on the couch or the bed with her, she hisses at him. If he was feeling well, he'd fight her but now he just lets her have it.

All in all, he's doing much better than I expected. If the info I looked up online is to believed, his current life expectancy with this diagnosis is maybe another 3 months.

I really don't have much else to say right now. The rest of my life is going okay - not great, not awful. Hopefully, I'll get inspired soon.

Because I have nothing better to say

A Robert Redford video. I went looking for this to cleanse my eyes after watching a series of pus videos on Pop That Zit.