Hi, I recently purchased your "Fancy Pistachios" and found some bug larvae inside of them and almost threw up. That's absolutely disgusting and unacceptable to have bugs inside of your nuts and I have never come across bugs in any other nuts I have eaten. I will happily send you the container plus the bug larvae I saved, in its shell, but I want my money back.
~CD
September 29, 2005
September 27, 2005
11/15/05
I've been really, really bad about running lately. That is to say, I haven't been running at all. Finally fed up with myself today, I got my butt back outside and went for a run on this beautiful fall day. (Okay, mostly walk, but after 2 months of zero exercise, what do you expect?). Anyway, I "ran" today, and I felt great afterwards, despite my fat lard status. I set myself a goal: I want to back in shape - in fact in even better shape - and able to run 3 miles by November. November 15th, 2005 is going to be the day I can run at least 3 miles without it being a stretch.
November 15th. That's the day I need something really good to happen.
November 15th. That's the day I need something really good to happen.
Let's Play Chicken!
New thing I learned today:
Apparently, you do not have to be a certified (or licensed, or whatever it is they do) traffic guard to stand in an intersection during rush hour and direct traffic. You just have to have the colossal balls of steel to stand there, wave your arms around, and - surprise, surprise - the people in the cars will obey. Even when there's no apparent REASON for you to be doing so.
Hmm. I think this is something that warrants further study. I may need a volunteer to play in traffic for me while I... observe...
Apparently, you do not have to be a certified (or licensed, or whatever it is they do) traffic guard to stand in an intersection during rush hour and direct traffic. You just have to have the colossal balls of steel to stand there, wave your arms around, and - surprise, surprise - the people in the cars will obey. Even when there's no apparent REASON for you to be doing so.
Hmm. I think this is something that warrants further study. I may need a volunteer to play in traffic for me while I... observe...
September 23, 2005
More Than Occaisionally
Someday I hope the day will come
When I won't think of you
Before my coffee's done...
~Long Story Short
(check them out on MySpace)
September 20, 2005
"Growing Up" Sucks
You know what stunk? Graduation.
Syracuse class of 2003 - I miss you guys. A lot.
[stupid back-to-back episodes of Felicity]
Syracuse class of 2003 - I miss you guys. A lot.
[stupid back-to-back episodes of Felicity]
September 19, 2005
Silver Bells...
It's 8:05am and there's showtunes coming out of one of the offices behind me. It just flashed me back to the winter of 2003, when I was working at Lifetime TV. There was this woman in the cubicle next to mine who turned on her Christmas music station the day after Thanksgiving and played it every day until December 25th. By the end of the month, I was ready to stick my head in an oven.
Just a reminder of how much I'm NOT looking forward to the holidays...
Just a reminder of how much I'm NOT looking forward to the holidays...
September 16, 2005
Who Am I? (you get 3 guesses)
The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his
own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for
his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause. A man
is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding.
When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless
affairs by minding other people's business.
--Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)
September 15, 2005
Test of the Emergency Broadcast System
While Bush is doing his Address to the Nation, I think I'll write my Address to W.
Hey, Mr. "President" guy - could you do me a favor? If you're going to continue killing everyone, fucking up the world, the environment, the nation, the economy, the lives of my friends and my own life, could you do me a favor? Could you NOT fuck up my tv-watching schedule? Just go back to doing what you do best (otherwise known as 'vacationing') and please get your illiterate face off of my television screen. You're interrupting my regularly-scheduled programming, and I was really looking forward to tonight's episode of Reunion.
It's a relief that the man isn't articulate or intelligent enough to speak on live television for more than a half hour. Karl Rove's butt probably gets tired with the dummy on his lap and his hand up its ass for over 25 minutes. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll catch something worth watching at 9:30.
Hey, Mr. "President" guy - could you do me a favor? If you're going to continue killing everyone, fucking up the world, the environment, the nation, the economy, the lives of my friends and my own life, could you do me a favor? Could you NOT fuck up my tv-watching schedule? Just go back to doing what you do best (otherwise known as 'vacationing') and please get your illiterate face off of my television screen. You're interrupting my regularly-scheduled programming, and I was really looking forward to tonight's episode of Reunion.
It's a relief that the man isn't articulate or intelligent enough to speak on live television for more than a half hour. Karl Rove's butt probably gets tired with the dummy on his lap and his hand up its ass for over 25 minutes. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll catch something worth watching at 9:30.
Cosmetic Surgery
Daze End got a facelift today!
I've been trying to change the 'comment' link to say something amusing, but I'm giving up. Who am I kidding? I don't know shit about html coding. I give up!
PS - check out the links - I may have added some new ones.
I've been trying to change the 'comment' link to say something amusing, but I'm giving up. Who am I kidding? I don't know shit about html coding. I give up!
PS - check out the links - I may have added some new ones.
September 14, 2005
So Much To Do...
Some of my coworkers make me want to stick a pen in my eye. Or theirs. Or make me wish I were deaf as a doornail. And blind.
I have 5 chapters to read for my class tomorrow night. Guess how many chapters are in the book? 7. Guess how many chapters I've already read? Getting back into this school thing is harder than I thought it would be.
THIS is where I'll be tonight... instead of reading my 5 chapters. Sometimes, you just have to weigh your priorities.
I have 5 chapters to read for my class tomorrow night. Guess how many chapters are in the book? 7. Guess how many chapters I've already read? Getting back into this school thing is harder than I thought it would be.
THIS is where I'll be tonight... instead of reading my 5 chapters. Sometimes, you just have to weigh your priorities.
September 13, 2005
To All The Wanderers
Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what
makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what
the world needs is people who have come alive.
--Harold Whitman
September 12, 2005
Ladies, Ladies, Ladies...
I am continually astounded by my fellow women... and men.
[This isn't going where you think it is - I'm taking a break from my political ranting.]
The number of interesting, brilliant, talent women who get hung up on men who are total wastes of oxygen is simply DUMBFOUNDING to me. It's horrifying - what cool women allow men to say and do to them under the heading of 'being in love'. Absolutely repulsive. Granted, I am no exception to this rule; you're reading the blog of a girl whose boyfriend cheated on her, then proceeded to tell her he wasn't in love with her, yet she continued to stay with him for another 6 months.
What we let them get away with - and what they think is acceptable behavior - is absolutely amazing. I was channel hopping last night... and I happened upon a really, really stupid reality show with C-list celebrities. It was this show on VH-1 called 'My Fair Brady', following around Christopher Knight from the Brady Bunch(who is so C-list I had to look his name up, and was surprised he's still alive) and Adrienne, "America's Next Top Model" in relationship-land. She's like, 22, and he's like, 47. He was the biggest gigantic asshole to her, and she just followed him around. The man doesn't seem to have all that much going for him - aside from being rich. Average looking, not particularly smart, acts like a 15-year old. He talked to her like she was a child - which, at 22 to his 47, she IS - and basically just continued to treat her like she was worthless. And she was just like, "but I love you so much, wah wah wah." UNBELIEVABLE. And that girl is kind of a tough chick.
While celebrities don't always 'count', I've seen the same thing over and over. I saw it with my college roommates, I've seen it happen to my best friends, I've listened to the way my male friends treat THIER girlfriends, and I've been guilty of it myself. What is it about our society that has conditioned women to let men treat us this way, and why is it socially acceptable for them to do so? Are we so desperate to be loved, or to believe that we're loved, that we are okay with continually abasing and degrading ourselves? Are women that paralyzed with fear over being alone that being in a crappy relationship that is better than being single?
This is my message: Ladies, knock it off. Stop being stupid. You're WOMEN, for God's sake! Studies show we're smarter, stronger, and tougher than them. We live longer, we go through childbirth. We multi-task better, we're better commuicators, we know how to dress ourselves, and we're more compassionate human beings. We are now the majority on most college campuses in the United States. New research shows that our brains are more densly packed with neurons. We need to stop letting these useless men treat us like crap. Maybe if we strengthen our backbones, men will learn that their abasement of women is NOT acceptable.
Until that happens... find a hobby. Men are fun, but having one doesn't necessarily fix your problems. Trust me on that one. You're much better off taking a painting class.
[This isn't going where you think it is - I'm taking a break from my political ranting.]
The number of interesting, brilliant, talent women who get hung up on men who are total wastes of oxygen is simply DUMBFOUNDING to me. It's horrifying - what cool women allow men to say and do to them under the heading of 'being in love'. Absolutely repulsive. Granted, I am no exception to this rule; you're reading the blog of a girl whose boyfriend cheated on her, then proceeded to tell her he wasn't in love with her, yet she continued to stay with him for another 6 months.
What we let them get away with - and what they think is acceptable behavior - is absolutely amazing. I was channel hopping last night... and I happened upon a really, really stupid reality show with C-list celebrities. It was this show on VH-1 called 'My Fair Brady', following around Christopher Knight from the Brady Bunch(who is so C-list I had to look his name up, and was surprised he's still alive) and Adrienne, "America's Next Top Model" in relationship-land. She's like, 22, and he's like, 47. He was the biggest gigantic asshole to her, and she just followed him around. The man doesn't seem to have all that much going for him - aside from being rich. Average looking, not particularly smart, acts like a 15-year old. He talked to her like she was a child - which, at 22 to his 47, she IS - and basically just continued to treat her like she was worthless. And she was just like, "but I love you so much, wah wah wah." UNBELIEVABLE. And that girl is kind of a tough chick.
While celebrities don't always 'count', I've seen the same thing over and over. I saw it with my college roommates, I've seen it happen to my best friends, I've listened to the way my male friends treat THIER girlfriends, and I've been guilty of it myself. What is it about our society that has conditioned women to let men treat us this way, and why is it socially acceptable for them to do so? Are we so desperate to be loved, or to believe that we're loved, that we are okay with continually abasing and degrading ourselves? Are women that paralyzed with fear over being alone that being in a crappy relationship that is better than being single?
This is my message: Ladies, knock it off. Stop being stupid. You're WOMEN, for God's sake! Studies show we're smarter, stronger, and tougher than them. We live longer, we go through childbirth. We multi-task better, we're better commuicators, we know how to dress ourselves, and we're more compassionate human beings. We are now the majority on most college campuses in the United States. New research shows that our brains are more densly packed with neurons. We need to stop letting these useless men treat us like crap. Maybe if we strengthen our backbones, men will learn that their abasement of women is NOT acceptable.
Until that happens... find a hobby. Men are fun, but having one doesn't necessarily fix your problems. Trust me on that one. You're much better off taking a painting class.
September 05, 2005
Calling A Spade A Spade
The day after the Presidential election last year, The Ex called me from work. I was crying and inconsolable after he informed me that Kerry had conceeded and that W. had, at least by actual votes this second time (rigged voting booths in Ohio notwithstanding) won the race. In my head, I wasn't surprised, but in my heart I'd kept hope alive that if we tried hard enough, we could beat the Republican Machine. Anyway, Ex called, and I was a mess. Just the idea of the disasters that would befall us in the next 4 years was horrific. This administration had already run us into the ground in the last 4 years - what was to happen next? I distinctly remember his response. He kept saying, "Look, Beck, it'll be okay. Everything is going to be okay." I got really angry at this - the entire reason for my distress was that it WASN'T going to be okay, and I told him exactly that. Naturally, he poo-poohed me off as an over-emotional, irrational female.
This weekend - and after the passing of Chief Justice Rhenquist Saturday, leaving yet another Supreme Court seat for W. to fill with his incompetent cronies - I've had an almost irrepresible urge to send him an email saying simply, "I told you so".
This weekend - and after the passing of Chief Justice Rhenquist Saturday, leaving yet another Supreme Court seat for W. to fill with his incompetent cronies - I've had an almost irrepresible urge to send him an email saying simply, "I told you so".
September 03, 2005
Clarification
Let me rephrase.
Hurricane Katrina was NOT W.'s fault. A natural disaster is no one's fault... unless, of course, you consider the fact that global warming is NOT a load of crap; it's a scientific reality and is in fact a direct result of the poor environmentalism us humans have shown throughout our existence - politics notwithstanding. [If you 'don't believe in' the greenhouse effect, then you're also probably one of my favorite people who doesn't 'believe in' the science of evolution and is in support of teaching creationism. You also probably drive an SUV or Hummer that gets 9 miles to the gallon and burps toxic waste into the air.] The state government of Louisiana (and Mississippi) AS WELL AS the Federal Government have all completely failed the hurricane victims. W. himself just happens to be spectacularly ineffective at making any sort of effective decision to galvanize the rescue mission. Of course, maybe if he'd bothered to cut his vacation short BEFORE the hurricane hit instead of 3 days afterward, there would have been more for him to do...
Hurricane Katrina was NOT W.'s fault. A natural disaster is no one's fault... unless, of course, you consider the fact that global warming is NOT a load of crap; it's a scientific reality and is in fact a direct result of the poor environmentalism us humans have shown throughout our existence - politics notwithstanding. [If you 'don't believe in' the greenhouse effect, then you're also probably one of my favorite people who doesn't 'believe in' the science of evolution and is in support of teaching creationism. You also probably drive an SUV or Hummer that gets 9 miles to the gallon and burps toxic waste into the air.] The state government of Louisiana (and Mississippi) AS WELL AS the Federal Government have all completely failed the hurricane victims. W. himself just happens to be spectacularly ineffective at making any sort of effective decision to galvanize the rescue mission. Of course, maybe if he'd bothered to cut his vacation short BEFORE the hurricane hit instead of 3 days afterward, there would have been more for him to do...
Bullshit
Sidebar -
As I was republishing my post, I heard the non-descript sound of the tv chattering away from the other room, and then I heard a very clear and distinct "Bullshit. Bullshit! Bull SHIT!" in my mother's voice. From this, I can decisively conclude that she's watching the news, and that W. is (once again) attempting and failing at effectively using the English language in front of a microphone to spin our latest catastrophe into something that isn't his fault.
As I was republishing my post, I heard the non-descript sound of the tv chattering away from the other room, and then I heard a very clear and distinct "Bullshit. Bullshit! Bull SHIT!" in my mother's voice. From this, I can decisively conclude that she's watching the news, and that W. is (once again) attempting and failing at effectively using the English language in front of a microphone to spin our latest catastrophe into something that isn't his fault.
Spitting Venom
It's so nice to know that the spam world has been reduced to posting advertisements in the comments section of blog sites. At least here, I have the small satisfaction of knowing that only about 10 people even bother reading my blog, and of the 10 of you, hopefully only about 2 or 3 are bored or gullible enough to bother clicking through to the website.
If you haven't read Maureen Dowd's syndicated column today, copy and paste this link and get to it.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=395115&category=OPINION&newsdate=9/3/2005
If you haven't read Maureen Dowd's syndicated column today, copy and paste this link and get to it.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=395115&category=OPINION&newsdate=9/3/2005
September 02, 2005
Kill Your TV
I've been attached to the news since I got home tonight. Here are a few places I've been to tonight that you should consider it your responsibility to visit as well.
www.cnn.com
www.redcross.org
www.newsweek.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/
(this is a live blog being posted from the heart of New Orleans)
www.workingforchange.com
and one more slightly-unrelated by also useful link...
http://www.venganza.org/
www.cnn.com
www.redcross.org
www.newsweek.com
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/
(this is a live blog being posted from the heart of New Orleans)
www.workingforchange.com
and one more slightly-unrelated by also useful link...
http://www.venganza.org/
Left My Heart at the Big Easy...
Early September is one of my favorite times of year in upstate NY. The weather is calm; warm, but not too warm... everything is green... the sun still lingers until 7pm, the sunsets are full of color. It's beautiful.
Today I came home from work and walked out to the mailbox as the sun began to drop behind the top of the hill. The birds continued their mellow chirping, and I could hear the sound of a sprinkler from the neighbor's yard. There was a little bit of a breeze, and the smell of someone's backyard grill floated along on it. I looked around at my gentle, serene neighborhood, my home for over 20 years. Then I closed my eyes and tried to imagine it under 15 feet of water, the roofs of our homes caved in, bodies floating down the street, people looting and dying of hunger at every turn. Then I came inside and cried for the poor, poor people suffering in New Orleans. What could that possibly be like?
To see a city of such heritage and history - a blindingly proud city despite its rather ignoble reputation - brought to its knees so thoroughly and humiliatingly is painful to watch. My heart bleeds as I watch the people of Louisiana tear each other apart in a desperate attempt to survive. Just as painful to watch is the overwhelming homogeneity of the people who are suffering. Americans have become accostomed to pretending that racism 'no longer exists' in America, that we're 'above' all of that... but take a look at CNN. The people who did not make it out of Katrina's path were the poor and the infirmed - they HAD no way out. Almost every single hurricane 'refugee' you see on the news today is black. What does that say about America? New Orleans is the 9th poorest city in our country, and 2/3 of its population is African American. Are we really doing anything more than preaching equality in this country, while at the same time funneling our 'undesireables' somewhere we consider to be out of sight and out of mind?
And please do NOT get me started on the appaling way that the residents of the city have reacted to this tragedy. When the World Trade Centers were demolished, not one New Yorker looted. Not one New Yorker attacked or killed another in an attempt to get to safety or shelter. They helped each other, died to SAVE each other. As the cameras roll, people being housed in the Superdome are raping and murdering each other over blankets. I watch the news and I feel like I'm watching a scene from the movie version of Lord of the Flies (a book that made me throw up, incidentally).
This awful tragedy and the nation's reprehensible reaction to it refreshes and strengthens my fear of the future. I really wonder sometimes if the apocolypse isn't pending... if it's already arrived and is just taking it's time finishing what's been started.
Today I came home from work and walked out to the mailbox as the sun began to drop behind the top of the hill. The birds continued their mellow chirping, and I could hear the sound of a sprinkler from the neighbor's yard. There was a little bit of a breeze, and the smell of someone's backyard grill floated along on it. I looked around at my gentle, serene neighborhood, my home for over 20 years. Then I closed my eyes and tried to imagine it under 15 feet of water, the roofs of our homes caved in, bodies floating down the street, people looting and dying of hunger at every turn. Then I came inside and cried for the poor, poor people suffering in New Orleans. What could that possibly be like?
To see a city of such heritage and history - a blindingly proud city despite its rather ignoble reputation - brought to its knees so thoroughly and humiliatingly is painful to watch. My heart bleeds as I watch the people of Louisiana tear each other apart in a desperate attempt to survive. Just as painful to watch is the overwhelming homogeneity of the people who are suffering. Americans have become accostomed to pretending that racism 'no longer exists' in America, that we're 'above' all of that... but take a look at CNN. The people who did not make it out of Katrina's path were the poor and the infirmed - they HAD no way out. Almost every single hurricane 'refugee' you see on the news today is black. What does that say about America? New Orleans is the 9th poorest city in our country, and 2/3 of its population is African American. Are we really doing anything more than preaching equality in this country, while at the same time funneling our 'undesireables' somewhere we consider to be out of sight and out of mind?
And please do NOT get me started on the appaling way that the residents of the city have reacted to this tragedy. When the World Trade Centers were demolished, not one New Yorker looted. Not one New Yorker attacked or killed another in an attempt to get to safety or shelter. They helped each other, died to SAVE each other. As the cameras roll, people being housed in the Superdome are raping and murdering each other over blankets. I watch the news and I feel like I'm watching a scene from the movie version of Lord of the Flies (a book that made me throw up, incidentally).
This awful tragedy and the nation's reprehensible reaction to it refreshes and strengthens my fear of the future. I really wonder sometimes if the apocolypse isn't pending... if it's already arrived and is just taking it's time finishing what's been started.
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