Had an enlightening day, my ex called for my kid, we got talking, and lo and behold the story she told him about the car getting wrecked didn't match the story she told me. I called her, out with her friends being useless as usual and she finally told me the truth. She wasn't driving. A so called friend took the keys and went joyriding and wrecked the car. Now that would have been covered by insurance. She cost me over $2000. And of course he was going to pay til he ended up in jail for grand theft auto, different car. Seems he likes joyriding a bit too much. And she nearly lost the tire off the car, the one I bought to replace the one he wrecked along with the front end, cause the lug nuts got loose cause the person at the tire place didn't tighten it properly. Oh, she hasn't gone back to straighten that out either. And she still doesn't have a job. And she soon will not have a home. I am fed up.

So, what else is new? Went to the doc last week for an earache, got an antibiotic which apparently didn't work. So now, after the doc's assistant didn't return my call, I went to Urgent Care with stabbing pain, ringing in my ear, and not being able to hear much. Now I have a ruptured eardrum. Safe to say I am not listening to the iPod. And the doc still hasn't told me the results of my hip xrays, probably will need surgery or something eventually, hopefully before I am unable to walk.

Been working, ewwww, boring. Been sleeping cause so tired from working, haven't done anything. News, hmmm, either the monitor or the video card on the PC is dying, all wiggly, jiggly, and stuff. That may be fine for big boobies but not for monitors. I hardly ever use the thing anyway. Kids do. I prefer laying in bed with my iBook, easier, nicer, no blue screen of death.

Update on the iPod, it works great in the car hooked up to the car's stereo and even doubles as a mirror. ^_^

Been busy. I updated OSX, iTunes and downloaded all my songs into iPod faster than I could have imagined and with infinitely less trouble than I could have done anything with Windows. Window Update always tended to overwrite essential ddl's and require an fdisk. Firewire is definitely fast. I did find another use for the iPod. It is great for lifting fingerprints. I would have preferred the brushed metal look of the PowerBook or iBook to the shiny too easy to cover with fingerprints metal they used. Otherwise, it is very neat and definitely easy to use.

Time flies when I'm having fun, er well not exactly. OK, Kabul has fallen, things are looking up in Afghanistan. My hip, however, hasn't which is why I am not on the compy much. Yes, pain and torture has yet to improve it. In fact, it's worse. Oh bother! And I have work to do, lots of work. I need to upgrade to iTunes2 then download all my Mp3's into my iPod which arrived Monday. And with my luck, I had to work so haven't had time to play. Well, not totally true. Now that WebRing has laft Yahoo, I can customize all the navbars, really customize them. Course, the move isn't very obvious to the non observant cause the new WebRing site looks exactly like the old Yahoo! Webring site.

Gee, it's November and I still haven't done anything. Well, I have been hanging around Yahoo Clubs but considering what has gone on in there, I have become somewhat disenchanted. So I left most of them. I haven't been on the compy much either as it hurts to sit. Bad hip, I start pain and torture (PT) tomorrow. If I can stand sitting long enough, I will try to update the site. Somehow, I find it easier to just lay in bed reading my doujinshi.

OK, well got the compy working, actually the iBook works better. Anyway, now I wait my iPod. After all, looking at MP3 players that have a paltry 32MB ram, seeing one with a 5GB hard drive that can serve as a back up for data, well, it was irresistable, firewire even, charges thru the firewire when downloading the music. I remember being impressed with a Memorex CD Player that played MP3's and held over 100 songs on one CD. This holds 1000 and is color and designed coordinated to go very nicely with my iBook. And remember burning several CD's before I got one that worked. This will be so much easier. And it is getting really good reviews too. ^_^

Ok, I get off work, sleep for 18 hours straight, then wake up and upgrade the iBook. OSX 10.1 is loads faster, cooler even. And I got a ton of email, notably one store opening. So, naturally, I went to the mall, the new mall, to go to the Apple Store. Yes, tons of stores full of yummies and I go drool over the new Macs. And the cinema displays are awesome. I want a G4 next. Hmmm, explorer crashed when I tried to check out the new iPod. Gotta reboot.

600MHz G3, 30GB HD, 100MHz system bus, and with OSX 10.1: it's better than ever and I already have one of the first of the new iBooks. So, guess I will have to wait. They zipped up the Titanium Powerbook too. I can't wait to see what Apple has next.

Honen Matsuri the Japanese festival I have to see. Where else could one find a penis festival?

Probably should write something not that anyone will be reading this when CNN is more interesting. Let's see, into third day of bombing in Afghanistan and so far, it's pretty quiet here cept for a little anthrax scare. Course if they go after the terrorists not in Afghanistan, things could get more interesting. Well, despite all the gloomy news, this site still exists, gotta have some fun when not working.

It's been a while and glad to say there have been no new attacks on American soil, no buildings bombed, no death of huge numbers of people, just a large number of arrests. Looks like someone has been doing their job. I commend President Bush for his handling of this crisis. I sleep easier now. Now if those spewing hate would open their eyes and realize that is counterproductive, we would really make some progress.

Thinking back a few days, it occurred to me that 9/11 is 911. Wonder if the terrorists that picked that day thought of that? It has been hard to think of my site in this disaster. I was quite touched by the all the people worldwide that have shown their support, given their blood, said their prayers, held services on behalf of the victims, offered their aid. It helps counter the hate spewed on the net. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of hate, hate against Arabs, hate against liberal Americans, hate against everyone that doesn't think as you do. I deplore the hate and wish we could realize we are all God's children. We're in this together. And on a personal note, if we all thought alike, and all believed alike, it would be incredibly boring.

Found a good chronology of events of today for those that don't know. And now war has broken out in Afghanistan. This has been a very bad day. Gee, wonder what will be next? And here's a list of emergency numbers courtesy of Yahoo. Actually, Yahoo has been quite useful. I could access it when I couldn't access regular news sites. And international Yahoos make it easy to see what is happening elsewhere.

I get a whole day off and wake not to fun, not to cleaning, but to a rather odd post on a ML. Odd in that it was totally off topic and extremely upsetting. At the time, I didn't even check it out til I was IM'd. And so now I sit totally in shock listening to CNN in the background. I am totally horrified by the devastating news, moreso that there was some warning. Apparently, one Osama Bin Laden warned that he'd do this three weeks ago and wasn't taken seriously. Well, now that it is obvious that we have been attacked in a big way by terrorists, I expect changes and not pleasant changes in the way this country is run.

Back from Yaoi-Con and still wading thru the 47 some doujinshi that I got. Oh, I do have some good ones. Guess it's back to scanning. The con was great, got to meet a lot of friends, chat, think up demented fic ideas, etc. And I will never forget the useful stuff I learned, like new uses for corn.

OK, kid is now 18 and an adult. Her car is still in the shop. The van finally reached the magic 100,000 miles and is essentially worthless well as a trade. Nothing really wrong cept no AC and in 100+ heat, that is unbearable so I got myself a new car subject to credit approval, still waiting on that. And, it's finally almost here - Yaoi-Con. I'll be there.

OK, this is earthshaking news, I found a use for AOL, unzipping files on a Mac. It works, I can't believe it. I need sleep if I find AOL exciting. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Not much blogging, got to work lots of OT to pay for the car kid wrecked, first it was a tire, then it was a tire and rim, now it's the tire, rim and whole front end suspension. I really would like her to pay for it but at the rate she's going, it will be in the shop for a very long time. Meanwhile, my old clunker needs freon and driving it is like driving in an oven.

PC is still dead, haven't got time to fix it cause busy getting ready for Yaoi Con. And I need to update the website, all of it, headers need to be edited so it won't accept Smart Tags. I really don't want every instance of the word "word" or "office" or "window" to link to Microsoft.

Slowpoke here has finally updated my iMac, now to get the site on the iBook. PC died, what do you expect? It's Windows, it always dies. Course, I will eventually have to fix it cause I have fics there that I don't have here. And kid wants the PC, seems she doesn't like the one button mouse of the Macs. However, I was able to impress her with OSX. Must say, Apple actually listens to customer input and the next update, OSX 10.1 adds stuff we asked for. Now that I like. Sure beats the horror stories I have been reading bout XP.

Been reading, not necessarily a good thing. Course, it would be a better thing if my kid hadn't IM'd using one of my SN's and then emailed it to her SN. Quoting her: "we went swiming too and once we decided that the pool was lame we went back inside and Miss. Jilly went to go take a shower and right in the middle of her shower Mr. Benjamin decided to get in the shower too . Then Mr. Benjamin stood behind Miss. Jilly holding her against him while feeling his hard cock against her making her want him even more .............so insteed of Miss. Jilly & Mr. Benjamin having some play time nothing happens" To quote her further: "miis jilly is very shit out of luck" She sure is. And she thinks I don't know much about computers.

Finished reading the book think it was Tuesday morning and it was tragic in the end least in my opinion. Other than that, not much news. Missed AX, had to work, but the paycheck for all that OT was worth it. More money for Yaoi-Con. And the Bastard DVD boxed set I just ordered, even has a D.S. action figure, best price I found was at CDNOW. Soon, D.S. will be mine.

Last time I posted I was reading the first book in a trilogy. Well, many sleepless nights later cause I just couldn't put the books down, I'm up to the last one and won't stop til I'm done. So, nothing is getting done, sorry bout that. And I found the best part, two males that were embracing, it was obvious that they "loved each other with a passion". Ah, yaoi!

I don't blog much when I'm working 6 out of 7 days in a row, 12 hour shifts, too tired. I will say thou that when work gets boring, and it does, reading a good book whiles away the time nicely. I am reading a wonderful book now, first in an exciting trilogy, fantasy setting, called "The Golden Compass". It is full of high adventure, a fasinating alternate world with some interesting differences from this one, a compelling story and extremely well written. It has plot, something I desperately need in my writing. It's better than Anne Rice too.

Having visited perhaps the most techie site I have found, very flash intensive, I feel mine is a bit dull. No flash, no counter, one measly popup map which is optional, frames which is optional, little graphics, fast loading...yes fast loading and hopefully easy to surf despite it being huge. Will I do flash and add a bunch of graphics to make it look swell? No, cause probably 90% of the people surfing have dial up modems. It's a challenge just to make things look decent in a variety of browsers, screen resolutions, platforms, etc. Will I get jealous of other more whiz bang sites? Definitely yes. Will I do something about it? Naw, I'll just go back to reading the djs that came today...Bart x Billy, whohoo!

Looking for a new email address, one that will definitely get noticed, check this out. Thinking WolfwoodxVash@getlaid.net would be so cute.

A nifty new club, firstamendmentdefenders has a nice series of people that have been victims of censorship. Good read and some great links.

Which is more exciting the lovely picture I got in the mail of my teen, yes, she got her picture taken by photo radar for speeding, or the $526 phone bill she ran up chatting with her boyfriend who just dumped her? Guess I'll be working lots and lots of overtime. She is an expensive kid. Now if she'd just get a job.

Interesting bit in the news today, bout half of all net traffic goes to only four companies, AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Napster, guess diversification is over. Course, if I were to root for one of the four, it would be Napster. Unrelated, finally for the birthday present of sorts, last night my adorable teen and I went to see The Mummy Returns. It was fun, definitely one to see on the big screen. Course, it had enough bugs to creep me out, those little scorpions, lots of little scorpions, and best of all had some great fighting between the ladies. And of course it had mummies, scary mummies that were rather a bit too powerful, silly pigmy mummies that were, well, silly, and of course, the Mummy. Bout the only thing the movie was lacking was a plot, well much of a plot. Makes me not feel to bad that I suck at plot. Course, when this huge army of the undead comes toward our good guys, I couldn't help but thinking that at least they didn't look as silly as an army of Jar Jar's. But thinking, that battle, with Jar Jar Binks, was funnier.

I just love work, well vacation is over, so back to work. Actually, it was good, I was exhausted from working so hard I actually slept well despite being all sore. So being all rested and in a slightly better mood, I am sharing this lovely quote:

"In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."

- Martin Niemoeller, Berlin Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau concentration camp in 1938; the Allied forces freed him seven years later.

Bah humbug, not holidays, birthday's, if anyone checked stats, today's mine. Let's see, spent the morning calling the PO cause kid skipped out on 22 classes, a probation violation, oh and didn't get her community service done, nother violation. Then it was off to work, mind you I'm on vacation. Why? Cause the idiot doing payroll saw I had no time punched and didn't check the computer to see I was on vacation and didn't put in any time. Result, no paycheck. Several hours later, we were off to get the weekly UDS, while driving there, kid informed me she was going out to a concert with friends tonight. To hell with mommy, all I'm good for is the car, the goodies, and the money. No, I don't feel like writing, I don't even feel like living at this point despite having a nifty new iBook. That even locked up on me while using IE, and let me tell you, trying to shut down a battery operated portable was a challenge, their instructions didn't work. And, yes a program can freeze up OSX completely despite the force quit, which didn't work. All in all it's been one hell of a sucky day. So don't bug me. I'm not in the mood.