My Novels

Saturday, May 31, 2003

Just a brief entry to test this new version of Blogger. I thought perhaps posting an entry under the "new" features would make it more accessible.

I've been housecleaning all morning, everything is shiny and clean now. This afternoon since DH will be gone, I am planning on doing some shopping, leisurely and relaxed time browsing the local department stores. Nice to get out of the house on this windy, warm day though.

Enough for now, more later.

Friday, May 30, 2003

My apologies to anyone who has tried to access this journal and either gets a blank page or very slow loading. Apparently Blogger is undergoing some technical upgrading, which will eventually make everything faster and better. In the meantime though, it's all slower.

I have been enjoying my daily bike rides, since we're having beautiful weather. I go in the morning, usually have the park to myself, and love the pleasant ride.

Today I went to the library, then dropped by the Salvation Army store. In our town lately there's been several 'consignment shops' open, which sell used clothing, furniture, you-name-it. I've always thought the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores were the first consignment shops, and have been browsing these for years. I have found some great bargains, once even got a used exercise bike for only $5.00. I'm a thrifty person, and can't resist looking for bargains.

Not much else to report now, so I'll close with this quote:

"I can live with doubts and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it's more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong... I don't feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is so far as I can tell. It doesn't frighten me." --Physicist Richard P. Feynman

If all people felt that way, I'm sure there would be no need for religion. I agree with Feynman's statement, but find that the vast majority of humans need to believe in a fairy tale instead of reality. Unfortunately believing in a fairy tale and not reality CAN be dangerous and destructive and, even at the very least, halt all scientific progress for humanity's benefit.

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Another gorgeous day here in the South. However, I have the pest control person arriving later today, and won't go on my bike ride this morning. Perhaps late this afternoon instead. I'm still at 90 pounds, even though I ate a fairly large meal yesterday evening.

Here's an excerpt from another online journal that I found an accurate comparison between the Bush II years and Hitler's rise to power (as depicted in the recent TV movie, Hitler: The Rise of Evil:


So, I watched part 2 of CBS' Hitler: Rise of Evil last week, covering the years from Hitler's imprisonment to the start of World War II. Man, it was sincerely scary to see just how many similarities there are between the beginning of HItler's political career and George W. Bush's tenure in office. Don't take my word for it - compare for yourself:

Hitler ran for president, lost the general election, but used legal loopholes and behind-the-scenes maneuvering to gain the office anyway. Bush ran for president, lost the general election, but used legal loopholes and behind-the-scenes maneuvering to gain the office anyway.

Hitler used a terrorist attack on a national monument (the Reichstag fire) to start stripping civil liberties away from what was once a model democratic society, eventually turning the entire nation into a police state. Bush has used a terrorist attack on a national monument (the World Trade Center bombings) to start stripping civil liberties away from what was once a model democratic society, and is slowly turning the entire nation into a police state.

As soon as Hitler took power, he started promptly ignoring all international treaties. As soon as Bush took power, he started promptly ignoring all international treaties.

For the most part, the German free press fell completely in line with Hitler, almost never criticizing his policies in public. When a reporter from a prominent national publication refused to do the same, he was immediately fired. For the most part, the American free press has fallen completely in line with Bush, almost never criticizing his policies in public. When a reporter from a prominent national publication (Peter Arnett) refused to do the same, he was immediately fired.

The vast majority of German citizens completely supported Hitler the moment he took office. German citizens who publicly criticized Hitler were ostracized by their neighbors and sometimes even beaten. The vast majority of American citizens completely supported Bush the moment he took office. American citizens who publicly criticize Bush are ostracized by their neighbors and sometimes even beaten.

Never forget? History is doomed to repeat itself? Look at the facts and decide for yourself.

--J. Pettus


=====

Think that is hogwash? How about this fact then:

3. PRIVACY: PENTAGON RENAMES ITS INVASIVE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM.
By any other name, this program still smells. Back in January, the Senate banned deployment of the Total Information Awareness Program, headed by the infamous John Poindexter of Iran Contra fame, until the Pentagon provides an analysis of its impact on civil liberties (WN 24 Jan 03). The Bush administration tried again as part of an intelligence authorization bill with an even more invasive version(WN 2 May 03). Same result. Now it's back with a report and a new name: "Terrorist Information Awareness Program." "The previous program," a spokesman said, "created the impression that TIA was to be used for developing dossiers on U.S. citizens." Where could people have gotten such an idea? --What's New


======

And that's all she wrote today!

Monday, May 26, 2003

I found a dead-on poem posted on a Yahoo bulletin board -- and just have to repost it here. It is very appropriate for this Memorial Day, I think. I can't provide a link to the poster/author, as there was no profile, only anonymous. Guess this person was afraid of the Bush Gestapo, huh?

I went on my bike ride yesterday and this morning, very nice weather here. Not much else to report. DH is home today, and we're going to have a cook-out late this afternoon.

Here's the poem:

Dying for America
By: boot_bush

I am a soldier, and I am dying,
Dying for Haliburtan, Bechtal, and GE.
And here I thought I joined up
To keep the U.S. free.

They say it was about the weapons,
The people and their toil.
I wonder why they sent me to
The Ministry of Oil?

I watched people raid the hospitals,
I watched people take the art,
The military took me to the oil wells
To make sure fires didn't start.

Bagdad has no power,
The water's pretty bad.
But the oil wells will produce,
And Bush is really glad.

They say it was about the weapons,
The people and their toil.
I wonder why they sent me to
The Ministry of Oil?

It seems as though power
Has gone to Bush's head.
Destabilizing the Middle East,
Oh, sorry, "Liberation" is what he said.

Yesterday it was Iraq,
Now Iran is in his sight.
Bush's peace is bringing
The early falling of Night.

They say it was about the weapons,
The people and their toil.
I wonder why they sent me to
The Ministry of Oil?

Saturday, May 24, 2003

I haven't made an entry in a few days, nothing much to report. I was able to ride my bike the past couple of mornings, since the rain here stopped at last. Today has been beautiful too, but there's always baseball games on Saturday in the park. I did make an update in my CR Diet journal yesterday, for any of those interested (link on the righthand sidebar).

I also added a satire news link to the latest 20 stories, which you can see on the righthand sidebar. These should demonstrate on a daily basis how truly mad, mad our world has become! :-)

I have a few links/excerpts to post, which I found quite interesting. So here goes:

Some Scientists Think SARS May Have Come from Outer Space

LONDON (Reuters) - Could SARS have come from outer space? Some scientists think so.

Instead of jumping from an unknown animal host in southern China, a few researchers in Britain believe the virus that has baffled medical experts descended from the stratosphere.

"I think it is a possibility that SARS came from space. It is a very strong possibility," Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe told Reuters.

The director of the Cardiff Center for Astrobiology in Wales and a proponent of the theory that life on Earth originated from space, admits the theory defies conventional wisdom.

But in a letter published in The Lancet medical journal on Friday he and his colleagues argue there are too many puzzling aspects about the respiratory illness that has killed nearly 700 people and infected more than 3,800 to dismiss the idea.

====
Erm, doesn't this 'idea' have shades of the popular 70s novel, "The Andromeda Strain?"
====

And just when you thought it was safe to let the USA military loose on the world again, along comes this article:

Army and M.I.T. Unveil Futuristic Soldier Center

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ( Reuters) - If you ask the U.S. Army's chief scientist what the future American soldier may look like, he points to the science fiction body armor depicted in the ``Predator'' movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mock futuristic warriors took center stage on Thursday at the debut of The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. Last year, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology won a $50 million Army contract to form a center that develops combat gear using materials the size of atoms.

The idea is to develop high-tech gear that would allow soldiers to become partially invisible, leap over walls, and treat their own wounds on the battlefield.

``If you want to visualize the impact of nanotechnology, think about'' the movie ``Predator,'' U.S. Army Chief Scientist Michael Andrews told Reuters. ``It's about the ability to have a uniform that protects you totally against your environment.''

Instead of bulky bullet-proof vests made of Kevlar, ISN scientists envision uniforms lined with a slurry of fluids that respond to magnetic fields, creating an armor system that can go from flexible to stiff during combat.

``This predator, until he took his uniform off, he was the meanest SOB in the world,'' Andrews said. ``Nobody could kill him. That suit is science fiction, but it portrays what might be possible.''

====
May I just say that I shudder at the thought of our military using nanotech, because if there ever was a way in which the 'gray goo' world destructive possibility could happen, they'd surely be the culprits!
====

And finally, if you're a bit worried about mad cow disease (and we in American SHOULD be worried), you might want to check out this website that keeps track of interesting, but little known facts, about food processing and dangers in the USA.

Organic Consumers Association

I'll end with some song lyrics and a quote I find very apt in our modern day society!


Dirty Laundry
- Don Henley

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something that I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry

Well I could have been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don't have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
We need dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around

We got the bubble-headed bleach blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell ya 'bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eye
It's int'resting when people die
Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation
Is the head dead yet
Y'know the boys in the newsroom
Got a running bet
Get the widow on the set
We need dirty laundry

You don't really need to find out
What's going on
You don't want to know just
How far it's gone
Just leave well enough alone
Keep your dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em where they sit
Kick 'em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers
In ev'rybody's pies
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When it's said and done we haven't
Told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around...
=======

Happiness is in the imagination. What we perform is always inferior to what we imagine.
--Cyril Conolly


Just some food for thought, folks, in our mad, mad world!




Monday, May 19, 2003

Earlier I made a lengthy entry all about city life versus country life but somehow when I went to post it, the writing disappeared! So I guess I'll just sum it all up by saying that I am a townie and did not like living in the rural area for seven miserable years. And fortunately, DH's offer to buy the property/house in the country was countered by a vastly larger sum, which we wouldn't even consider. Believe me, my earlier entry was MUCH better, but I don't feel like repeating myself.

However, maybe the following song lyrics express my feelings best:


You Belong to the City
- Glenn Frey

The sun goes down, the night rolls in
You can feel it starting all over again
The moon comes up and the music calls
You're gettin' tired of starin' at the same four walls

You're out of your room and down on the street
Movin' through the crowd and the midnight heat
The traffic crawls, the sirens scream
You look at the faces, it's just like a dream
Nobody knows where you're goin'
Nobody cares where you've been

'Cause you belong to the city
You belong to the night
Livin' in a river of darkness
Beneath the neon lights

You were born in the city
Concrete under your feet
It's in your moves, it's in your blood
You're a man of the streets

When you said goodbye, you were on the run
Tryin' to get away from the things you've done
Now you're back again, and you're feeling strange
So much has happened, but nothing has changed
You still don't know where you're goin'
You're still just a face in the crowd

You belong to the city
You belong to the night
Livin' in a river of darkness
Beneath the neon lights

You were born in the city
Concrete under your feet
It's in your blood, it's in your moves
You're a man of the street

You can feel it, you can taste it
You can see it, you can face it
You can hear it, hey, you're getting near it, hey
You wanna make it, cause you can take it
You belong to the city, you belong to the night
You belong to the city, you belong to the night
You belong, you belong...

======

Here's an interesting, dismal excerpt from a New York Times book review:

'Our Final Hour': Global Warning


Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, a professor at Cambridge University, one of the world's most brilliant cosmologists and a longtime arms control advocate, gives civilization as we know it only a 50-50 chance of surviving the 21st century. The proposal for ''Our Final Hour,'' a breezy but deadpan recital of all the possible ways that the sky could fall on us, was so depressing, Rees has said, that his agent had a hard time selling it.

But that was before 9/11.

Humanity has progressed to the point where we are now our own worst enemies: adding to the backdrop of natural calamities that have always threatened us, technology, Rees argues, has now so highly leveraged the power of the individual or the small group that a biological ''unabomber'' or a mistake in a laboratory could wreak havoc only dreamed of by the Strangeloves of the last century, who held the forces of nuclear apocalypse at bay by war-gaming scenarios of mutual assured destruction. He says, in fact, that he has bet $1,000 that an instance of bioterror or bioerror will take a million lives before the year 2020.

But there are many things to worry about, some of which will be familiar to all: global warming, asteroid impacts and that old bugaboo nuclear war, which has been transmogrified by the end of the cold war; the collapse of the Soviet Union, Rees points out, has left the world awash in the raw materials, enriched uranium and plutonium, for some 70,000 bombs.

Others are novel. Engineering advances could lead to the creation of intelligent self-reproducing nanoparticles that could eat us and every other living thing on Earth, reducing the biosphere to what Eric Drexler, one of the pioneers of nanotechnology, calls ''gray goo'' -- the subject of a recent thriller, ''Prey,'' by Michael Crichton.

Certain physics experiments might be even more catastrophic, Rees reports. In principle they could disturb space-time itself, causing the laws of physics to twitch into a new form, like water suddenly freezing to ice, destroying our atoms and everything else. Since we lack a ''battle-tested'' theory of what happens at very, very cold temperatures, he says, we would have been right to be worried when a metal bar -- part of an apparatus to detect gravitational waves, ripples of space-time predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity -- was recently cooled to near absolute zero, making it what Peter Michelson of Stanford University called ''the coldest large object in the universe.''


As I've stated in other journal entries, why isn't it conceivable that HUMANS are a blight on the cosmos? And that we are doomed to self-destruct? Or at best, NOT populate the whole cosmos...so that our destructive forces are at least limited to earth?


Thursday, May 15, 2003

Bummer! Trying to make a decision about the house/property in a rural area today. It IS within our financial means, but I am wondering if it's worth the hassle of changing our lifestyle? Living in a small town (as we do) is greatly efficient; we've saved money, have a mortgage-free home, and peace of mind. On the other hand, DH is heavily involved in his horses, and if we bought this place, we'd have a beautiful, large pasture for those. And he'd enjoy living in a rural area. I'm born-and-bred townsfolk, so I don't think it'd appeal to me as much. BUT, will I regret it if we don't buy this place? A delimma for sure!

Here's an insightful story for all:

A conversation between an Indian and a
banker:

Banker: Red Arrow, you really should apply for a loan.

Indian: Why?

Banker: So you could start a business.

Indian: Why?

Banker: So you could make a lot of money.

Indian: Why?

Banker: So you could save some of that money for retirement.

Indian: Why?

Banker: So you wouldn't have to work, you could sleep in the mornings, hunt and fish all the time, have a beer whenever you want and take life easy.

Indian: But I'm doing all that now...

There's gotta be a life lesson in there somewhere.

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Just a brief update to post these song lyrics. This song hasn't been too popular, but I have always thought the melody AND the lyrics are some of the most beautiful ever written/sung. Very poetic...with a deeply ingrained TRUTH about ALL artists.


Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) lyrics

--written by Don McLean
from the album, American Pie (1971)

Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colours on the snowy linen land

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds and violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colours changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artists' loving hand

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now

For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you Vincent
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you

Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They're not listening still
Perhaps they never will...


Friday, May 09, 2003

A few insightful, interesting quotes to pass along today:



"The truth may be hazardous to those who tell it, but truth is not dangerous, disinformation is." --Elizabeth Neuffer, journalist killed in Iraq covering the aftermath of the war

"People who claim they support free speech but try to destroy people whose speech they disagree with are liars. When confronted with speech we disagree with, we are entitled only to exercise our own free speech and say, "I disagree." But if we attempt to punish the people with whom we disagree, we are revealing ourselves as fascist bullies. Trying to silence someone with whom you disagree is not respecting free speech. It is the act of a totalitarian who fears above all an open and honest debate." --Charley Reese, columnist

"What drives our choices and our decisions is not cold, hard reason: it is the emotional predilections of the human being. We ought to pay attention to those because it is fear and desire that drive the world. Knowledge is just something that helps us do it." --Margaret Atwood, novelist

Wednesday, May 07, 2003

I finally, finally was creative late yesterday afternoon. Poems, poems, poems! I'd forgotten just how delicious it is to create poetry, how it seems to come from somewhere you can't explain. Quite an experience.

Still lots of rain/storms in Dixie today. Not much to write about, so I'm going to post my latest poetry. Enjoy!

The Pier

There you stood
In your misspent youth
Cool-hand Luke handsome;
An arrogant, criminal grin
On your thin, angular face
Mischief in your sky-blue eyes,
Wind in your wavy blond hair,
A tall, lanky man on a pier--
Behind you, the endless vista
Of south Florida ocean.

Captured forever in a picture
I once seen in your sister's collection
(My favorite of you)
Tangible proof of your charisma
Held in my trembling hands
Touched and caressed
By my adoring gaze.

Oh what I'd give now
To own that photo
To touch, to kiss, to hold
With reverential memory,
And know you were once
So real I could taste
The essence of your existence...
Gone, lost to that distant past
Proof I'll never know again
Such love in this bleak lifetime.
~~~~

Precious Past

Vanished, but still I'm haunted
By your melancholy song
A man too charismatic
To ever be so real.

I know you are dead
Lying in a cold stone tomb
Or ashes scattered and lost,
But your memory is still here
Deep in my aching heart.

How could you be dead
When I've loved you so long?
How could you leave life
Without even saying goodbye
To your own kindred soul?

You know I always missed you
(I loved you more than life)
And I always waited
Patiently for your arrival
To take me far away
From dull, ordinary reality.

You went alone anyway
To a sweet oblivion.
I can never forgive you
For that betrayal
--Leaving without me!
~~~~

Blocked

For so long I could not write
I only saw your penetrating eyes
Haunted by a lover lost, you,
But now I know
Your absence is beyond
The realm of my understanding,
And my deepest loss
Was far back in the past
When I was still youthful
Enough to be naïve, hopeful
That life had meaning,
And you could reach out
To me, caress my kisses
Return gladly to my arms...
But you are gone,
Forever lost back there
Somewhere
In a sweet yesteryear.

We failed to grasp the moment
And let time cheat us
Of a love so intense
It killed our passionate hearts.
~~~~~

Ashes

There will be ashes over us all
In time's burnt-out sun
When all we humans have done
Becomes meaningless, useless.

There will be no shadows
Of our human loss,
An earth barren as dust,
And none of us will matter
For time will be done, gone,
The trivial quest of humanity
A joke, a jest, an eccentricity
And our ignorant arrogance
That life was somehow important
Will have ended in nothingness.








Tuesday, May 06, 2003

It has become sweltering hot here today! Near 88, thick humidity...too much like dead of summer in the South. We had an outbreak of storms, tornado warnings before noon, but then hot sunshine, warm wind. I went on my bike ride around one o'clock, and got sweaty! Fortunately though, I did have the park trail all to myself, and it's mostly shaded.

Yesterday at the dentist proved one of those weird experiences, where you learn stuff you don't really want to know from the dental technician. In this case, the tech is a mid-30s woman, and over the past couple of years, I've learned her whole life history and current circumstances. She talks while you have your mouth propped open, and all you can do is grunt in reply. You learn a lot, and I guess it's therapy for her, but sometimes I disagree with her assumptions and simply cannot respond.

For example, a couple years ago she and her husband 'bought' one of those Chinese babies. That may seem harsh criticism, but frankly, why didn't they adopt a child here in the USA? I mean, sure, they may have had to take an older child, or one with special needs, or even one that had come from an abusive home...but they are supposed to be "good Christians" (their Baptist church helps set up the Chinese adoptions!), so why not look for a child that is truly needy? But no, what they wanted was a pristine newborn, a baby, so they could take the easier path to parenthood. She is a diabetic, so I assume she didn't want to have a child; her husband was married before, and already has two kids. At any rate, I've had to sit there through all the trials and tribulations of her saga of buying the Chinese baby, when I so often just wanted to tell her how utterly disgusting I find that whole thing when there are SO MANY children right here in the USA in need of good homes.

Then yesterday she got called to the phone right in the middle of my cleaning; had my teeth in the process of cleansing with that gritty stuff. The daycare was calling, wanted to know why her husband was late in picking up the Chinese kid. Another kid raised in childcare, which makes you wonder about whether this kid will turn out to be a normal person or not. I was nearly ready to gag by the time she finally got back! Ladies, here's a clue: If you are going to work, for goodness sakes, DO NOT commit such offenses. Or better yet, stay at home with the kid till it's in first grade! Or how about this: Why have kids at all? IF you want a job/career, leave the child-bearing/raising to women who can afford to stay home and be mothers! Or marry a man who is willing to stay home and be a house-husband. Personally, I DO NOT have any patience for your parenting roles IF I'm paying for your job performance!!

To top all this off, the tech starts telling me about a woman from their church who took an overdose of pills the previous night. I did manage to ask the woman's age: 33; and if she was divorced or something, to trigger the suicide attempt. Turns out the woman's husband had been in an awful motorcycle wreck several months back, and was paralyzed from the neck down. No wonder the poor woman tried to kill herself. She was probably getting all kinds of crappy guilt trips among the church people, saying things like, "God never puts more on us than we can bear." And all that made her feel MORE guilty for not being strong enough to handle the burden alone. So instead of seeking some REAL help, as in counseling and/or someone to come in and give her a little relief from the workload, she probably felt backed into a corner, with no way out EXCEPT suicide. Then the tech has the nerve to say to me, "You know, Satan whispers all these evil thoughts into our minds when we're weak..." I felt like slapping some sense into her, but instead, I just grunted. Such is what life is like, living in the Bible-belt South.

I think people want to make sense out of life, and this is WHY religion was created. But it is downright scary to hear stuff like that, where they try to twist everything into a sick version of either God or Satan or Bible-babble for an explanation. In fact, I have always considered it dangerous and a threat to rational reasoning...and the real possibility of human extinction via religious violence. There's not a dime's worth of difference between radical, extremist Islam and rabid Christianity, in my opinion. I have faced the truth a long time ago: LIFE makes no sense whatsoever. It's full of contradictions, bad and good stuff happening randomly, etc. Only in fiction does life makes some sort of sense, but as we all know, fiction is NOT reality! Unfortunately, religious crazies take the Bible for literal truth.

And now I'll close with this ditty about GW's legacy thus far (found on the net):

In the three years George W. Bush has been in office, we've had the biggest annual deficit in US history. We've had the most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period in US history. We've had the biggest drop in the history of the stock market. We've had the most foreclosures in any 12-month period in US history. In his first two years in office, over two million Americans lost their jobs; simultaneously, he's cut unemployment benefits for more out-of-work Americans than any president in US history. He's the first president in US history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously go bankrupt while in office.

He's the first president in US history to enter office with a criminal record. In his first year in office, he set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in US history. He's also set the record for most campaign fundraising trips than any other president in US history. He's appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in US history. He's held the least amount of press conferences than any president since the invention of television. He's signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any president in US history. Members of Bush's cabinet are the richest of any administration in US history. He's the all-time world record holder for most corporate campaign donations. He has the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in US history. He's spent more money on focus groups than any president in US history.

He set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest an individual person (15 million people). He's dissolved more international treaties than any president in US history. He's the first president in US history to order an attack of a sovereign nation. He's the first president in US history to prompt the United Nations to remove the US from the human rights commission. He's the first president in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 US elections). With his policy of 'disengagement,' he's created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least thirty years. He's the first US president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71 percent) view a US president as the biggest threat to world peace and stability. He's the first US president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than by North Korea.

And last but certainly not least, he's revoked more civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.

And he still has over a year left in office.

=====

Now that IS scary! And we all know he's a religious crazy, so anything is liable to happen. :-(

Monday, May 05, 2003

I haven't entered an update in several days, just haven't had time or been in the mood. Yes, bad moods DO prevent my writing in this journal sometimes.

Nothing really bad to cause my blues; I just have them occasionally. I still haven't put out the bulletins about pet sitting, but do have the flyers ready. I may do that in the next few days.

Over the weekend I rode my bike only Saturday afternoon; yesterday, Sunday, DH and I looked at another place out in the country. It's another foreclosure, with a fairly nice house and 16 acres. We're waiting to find out the price sometimes today. It is a lovely place, somewhat private but on a blacktop highway and not as isolated as the house/property at the dead end of a dirt road we had previously been thinking of buying. That place, unfortunately, is still tied up with the mortgage companies, and not yet available. The 16 acres are absolutely PERFECT for horses, which DH has. All of it is in open pasture, a big, pretty pond, and grass ready for the horses to chow down on. The house needs some work...but not a lot. Mostly it depends on the price, whether we get serious with this or not.

I have a dental appointment at 1:00 today, just a routine cleaning. Not my favorite thing to do!

It's stormy/rainy here, and we're under a tornado watch till around 7:00 tonight. I hope the worst of it misses us, unlike those unfortunate folks in the midwest who had horrible tornado damage and deaths last night. Tornadoes are serious threats here in the South too.

I am reading a book of essays by southern writers on why they write. Very inspiring. Makes me want to get back into my fiction writing again, and I may just do that. It was a wonderful escapist world while it lasted.

I did write a poem last night, and will post it here. However, be warned: it's grim, and one of the reasons I don't write much anymore. My work is just so depressing now. Why? Mainly because the older I get, the sillier humanity seems; and the whole shebang/human existence seems sheer folly and pointless. Not a pretty picture, huh?

Here's the poem:

The Door

Where is the door
To exit this human dream,
To escape the flesh of doom?
You know it is insane!

Where is the door
To leave this awful universe
Of suffering and suicidal swirl?
You know it is a farce!

Where is the door
I can't endure the crush
Of physical reality anymore;
Please, please tell me,
Where is the door
To escape this human world?

Pardon me if I go,
I don't want to be here anymore.
=====

That's all for today.

Friday, May 02, 2003

As usual, my day has been busy. Normal morning, bike ride (lucky to get in park alone), housework, cat care, etc.

I did at last get my ink for my printer, and can hopefully print out a few flyers to post around town about my pet sitting work. I will try to do that tomorrow morning, and take those to various places to post. Don't know if I'll get any clients, but I am going to at least TRY.

Also updated my photo album with the cemetery pictures and created a new folder for Stray Cats. I feed quite a few regular city stray cats here, but rarely see most of them. However, occasionally some do stop by long enough to get photos. One is a regular: Old Fellow. He is somewhat tame, but I KNOW he's a stray due to his looks/health. Most of the regulars are male, but one is female -- she gets in heat, but never becomes pregnant. And as Martha Stewart would say, "It's good thing." Enough unwanted cats now in the city. But I feed every day, keep out fresh water and dry food. When I see Old Fellow or the other males, who sometimes lounge around my backyard, I put out some can food for them. Only Old Fellow and the female tabby will allow me to touch them. I hope to get more pictures in the future of other strays, if I can.

I'll end today with this quote: "There is a conundrum inherent in the arts, no matter what the medium or when in history - namely, artists have always been forced to band together to a certain extent, since the arts has always been an underground activity and most artists can't make it without the help of their peers. But artists are notorious for hating each other, mostly because of the combination of egotism and dysfunction inherent to most people who choose to attempt the arts for a living." --Jason Pettus

Till tomorrow or next time...