I'm Back!

I know it's been a long time. I intended to update my blog once I got back from Italy, but it just got so darn busy. I've barely had time to keep on top of washing clothes and paying bills.

I do have a giant collection of Italy pictures up on Shutterfly. That was one thing I managed to finish right when I got back. They're all overcast, but what can you do? The weather is the weather.

Around here the weather has been atrocious. We dropped by 49 degrees in 24 hours this week, and now I'm dreading a return of the deep cold for next week's winter camping trip. Especially now that my cough has bruised my rib.

And the cold has driven the rabbits to desperation. They ate an entire rhododendron and a mock orange. These weren't tiny bushes, and now there's almost nothing left. Here is a picture of what little is left of the rhode:

Now, to top it all off, the sink has developed a giant crack across the bottom. If only we could have decided on a new counter top, the sink would have been replaced months ago. Oh well. At least I'm 100% sure I won't be buying a composite sink.

But I still have to decide between stainless steel and cast iron. And the counter? Still don't know.

And I haven't even decided which candidate to support at the caucuses. . .

New Year's Resolutions

I don't have much to resolve this year, but I think I'm going to have to make a concerted effort to read novels again. I just can't seem to get through Tristram Shandy - the latest Economist keeps arriving just as I finish the old one, and now I have The Dirt on Clean beckoning me as well. I've also got a Maria Edgeworth sitting around, collecting library fines.


Perhaps I should also resolve not to get library fines.
Yeah, right.
Who am I kidding?

Watching Charlie Wilson's War

I did go to a movie on Christmas, since I managed to get out of baking a cake and we all had some time on our hands. We decided on Charlie Wilson's War after a short debate about seeing that or Juno. I'll probably go to Juno with Kelly anyway, so this worked out well.

It was a pretty good flick, as far as dark comedies with superstars go. Mom didn't find it funny (which doesn't surprise me), but Nick & I did. I know that some reviewers have been put off by the quick roundup of the lack of support for Afghanistan at the end of the move (and the war against the Soviets), and I also felt that it missed something at the end. But it wasn't the tacked on bits about the Zen master and the unintended consequences of ditching your "allies." Instead, it was the naive manner with which they portrayed Wilson at the end. I mean, come on! this guy had been in Congress for a while; I can hardly believe he really was surprised that everyone would just walk away once there were no more Soviet helicopters to bomb. He really never asked "so, what happens once the war's over?" during the course of rounding up weapons and money? Geez.

But, then again, maybe that really is how it was. It's the "what happens next" that gets you in trouble, and that's what people always ignore until it's too late. I was reading something stupid in Commentary today about "no one" anticipating something or other (I can't remember exactly what it was . . . perhaps it was the rise of the Taliban and their anti-US stance). And all I could think was: get real, plenty of people could see this coming.

So, if anyone is surprised by any of the following, I'm just going to tell them they are an idiot in no uncertain terms. And this is a short list, so there may be many other idiots coming:

• Civil War in Pakistan


• Violent ethnic/religious uprising in India, goaded by the BJP


• Ethiopia getting bogged down in a two front war


• The entrenchment of al Qaeda in North Africa, including more bombings in Algeria, and probable violence in places such as Morocco, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia


• Growing charges of authoritarianism and diminishing democracy in South Africa, along with political instability caused by Zimbabwe's economy and SA's support of Mugabe


• Housing-based recession (in several other OECD countries as well as the US), with increasing disparity between the middle class and the rich, along with a strong push to free states from balanced budget requirements

Who knows if any of these will happen. Just saying that we shouldn't be surprised if they do.

Now, what will really surprise me? Whatever Americans choose to dump all of their money into next. They've done stocks and houses. I just can't quite wrap my head around what they'll pick next. Art/antiques/collectibles, gold, and foreign currencies are the three that seem most accessible, but they also don't seem very likely to snag more than a few true believers. There's got to be something that will fill all those get-rich-quick desires and then explode into a giant catastrophe by 2014. But what?

Video IM Disasters

For whatever reason I can't get the video IM to work on Windows Messenger. It's very annoying.

So, to cheer myself up, I've turned Saskia into a LOLcat.


moar funny pictures

I'm sure she'd be horrified if she used the internet.

Nothing like working after a holiday . . .

Boy was today one of the quietest days on record at work - even worse than last Friday. At least I got part of my desk cleaned up.

And I'm still getting over my inability to get a new water heater. Here's hoping the old one manages to survive until we can get all the plumbing updated. And Sears better get my credit card bill refunded soon, or I'm going to get pissed!

And in my bit of complaining, I want to say that I'm really sick of getting DVDs of shows through Netflix and only having 2 episodes! I know this isn't Netflix's fault, but it's freaking annoying to have to get five separate discs just to watch 13 episodes. Somebody tell Al Gore how wasteful it is!

Next, a Water Heater

Well, I'm nearly done with replacing nearly every major appliance in my house. The new water heater should be installed on Friday, and then I should be able to take a breather and actually spend money on making my house look better.

I'm seriously sick of home maintenance.

And the cat's keep attacking my holiday decorations. I think I need some people revenge--like this:
Some days I can has cheezburger is the only thing that makes me smile . . .

Cat Vacation & A New Oven

Well, the kitties are on their mini vacation (it's listed on their very own google calendar - they're very up to date technologically). I hope they don't hate me too much when I pick them up tomorrow.

The new oven is here! It looks a lot like the old one, but we managed to get this one level. Now we're waiting for the fridge. It should be here within the hour. That will also have to be leveled and somehow crammed into the back hall closet. To get the old one out, we had to take off the doors (of the fridge and the entryway). You can see the fridge door in the picture below. Oh, the joys of old homes. . .

At least the plants love it. I've got more African Violet blooms coming, and the Christmas Cactus that used to be at my grandparents is blooming once again. I wasn't sure it'd like my house as much as their apartment, and despite blooming like mad late last winter, here it is, blooming again. And this time it's just in time for Christmas!