My darling husband wrote the following on the grocery list:
"Popeye's G.F."
The first person who can correct identify what we need to buy wins a big fat nothing prize.
I'm surely not the only one who had no idea what he meant.
Talk about disconnected from reality.
Interviewed on BBC television's Newsnight about his latest films 'Syriana' and 'Good Night, and Good Luck' Clooney said that not only did he accept the right to be attacked for his views but he even relished them.
I've never been able to decide about Hollywood types--are they narcissistic, moronic or both?
"I want to be on that deck of cards. And I want to be able to say that they boycotted my films... I want to be able to say I was on the cover of a magazine called a 'traitor,"' he said.
That may get you 'street cred' with your Hollyweird friends, but most of the rest of us simply think you're an idiot.
"I'm proud of those because those were badges of honour for me because that was when you did it when it was hard to do," the actor and director said.
Grammar wasn't one of your better subjects, was it George? Ah, but what a wonderful example of the lies one tells oneself to sleep better at night. And your bravery in the face of such a repressive environment just has me all a-quiver.
What a man. After all, it isn't just any second-rate hack who can take advantage of his familial connections & a pretty face to make B movies about how our country sux ass.
Here's a little FYI. We don't stay away from your movies in droves because of censorship or repression. We stay away because they're puerile drivel. You've seen one "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE OIL" movie, you've pretty much seen them all.
So sit down this morning, George, and have a nice warm cup of 'Get Over Yourself'.
It'll be good to the last drop.
Talked to my son & DIL yesterday....our new grandbaby is expected any day now. (Official due date is Friday) I can hardly wait, though it'll prolly be the end of March before I'm able to make the trip to San Diego to see it.
Another one to spoil rotten....albeit by long distance. I bet we can manage though.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
This used to be my favorite sushi place. But ummm, 89 suspected cases of salmonella poisoning? I think I'll wait until the Health Dept. gives them the all-clear before I go back.
Yeah, yeah I know. That's what happens to people who eat bait.
And your point is?
So I picked up a copy of my knee MRI today, they burned it to a CD for me how cool is that, and they also included a copy of the radiologist's preliminary report.
"Grade 3 chondromalacia is identified in both the medial and lateral compartments of the tibiofemoral joint. There is grade 2 chondromalacia patellae."
See here for the definitions, but basically it means the cartilage in my knee is well on its way to being totally shot. As in worn, torn, used and abused.
Like duh. I already knew that. I imagine my right knee would show something similar. That's why when I bend then straighten my leg, my knee sounds like someone walking on Rice Krispies. Which is fun to really freak people out with too, btw. Not that I would do that. Much. Heh.
Anyway, it doesn't appear that there's anything in my knee that would be causing nerve pain in my leg. So unless the neurosurgeon tells me differently on Monday, I'll prolly be scheduling me some back surgery in the very near future.
Anything to make this stop.
Where've I been? In pain, that's where. Ahahaha, I slay me.
Anyway, I'm having (another!) MRI today....this time on my knee. Which has been naughty in my sight and swollen. Assuming nothing shows up besides Mr. Arthur, who's resided in my knees lo these many years, I may be having back surgery in the next couple of weeks.
Yes, the neurosurgeon thinks he's found the source of my leg pain. A herniated disk. And he thinks surgery will help. Since he has a reputation of being a) good and b) conservative about doing surgery, i.e., won't operate unless he thinks it will help, I'm willing to try it.
Because frankly my friends, the pain has gotten so bad that I'd try just about anything to make it go away....including, but not limited to, rubbing the afflicted area with stump water. Wait, that's the remedy for warts.
Never mind.
Start at the top & scroll.
Glad we don't need to go anywhere.
Yay! We finally got a decent snow....about 3 inches and still falling. That was one happy Akita when I let her out earlier. Snow is what Akitas like best....even when it's 14 degrees & a wind chill of 3.
OTOH, Sollie was excited only as long as it took for his feet to get cold, which was about 5 seconds. Then it was 'let me back in the warm house you crazy woman!'
I'll prolly put up some photos later as soon as my camera battery charges.
And the power has stayed on. So far. Double yay!
You know, the first thought I had when I heard about Coach Sutton's car wreck last weekend was
How drunk was he?
I got the answer today.
Looks like we may be in for some nasty weather this weekend....including, but not limited to, freezing rain, sleet and/or snow. Not to mention wind chills around 0 or below. If we still lived in Fayette-nam, I know what that would mean:
No electricity.
But I'm hoping B-ville will do better. (Just in case, I'll be checking the oil lamps today)
At any rate, looks like a good weekend to stay home.
So I spent this morning getting stuck with needles & electrocuted. Ok, having a nerve conduction study & a electromyopathy. Whatever, same thing.
Anyway, some good news. No major nerve damage. But. You knew there'd be a 'but', didn't you? Something funky showed up in my left calf muscle, in an area controlled by L5/S1 (lower back). And the problem's not coming from my spine, but rather somewhere after those nerves leave my spine. So, it's likely, he said, that it could be caused by the lipoma, since that's where it's located. The neurosurgeon can tell me more after he looks at all my test results, which will be on the 21st.
So I'm still in limbo, more or less...at least until Tuesday.
Hurry up & wait. Hurry up & wait.
A Ft. Smith man gave his girlfriend a rather.....unusual Valentine's Day present.
Police are calling it one of the strangest cases ever: A shooting reportedly carried out as a Valentine's Day gesture by one man for his girlfriend.
Happy Valentine's Day honey! I just shot your ex.
I'm telling you, nothing says 'I love you' like gunshot wounds, right?
Now here's a bumper sticker I'd like to have.
Hehe.
Jeez people, get a grip. They're freaking cartoons. While I can understand that they're contrary to your religious beliefs, that doesn't mean you can run hog wild and pig crazy.
The whole thing is just so ridiculous.
I'm still alive & kicking, just not too high as my dad would say. Plus Das WildChild has been here since Friday, so I haven't had much free time. Like none.
I'm taking him back to his mom's at noon, after which I plan to celebrate Valentine's Day by taking a very long nap.
That's my plan anyway. What are you doing for V-day?
But I don't think anyone wanted to take my place today....had the CT myelogram this morning. I'm still a bit wobbly, can't sit up very long without getting a headache. I think I'll live though.
But it was decidedly unpleasant.
An unnamed official is reporting preliminary autopsy results show Jacob Robida killed himself, and was not killed by police as originally reported.
I'm not sure if using meth makes you stupid, or if only stupid people use meth. Either way, driving a stolen car with bogus tags, and filled with drugs and paraphernalia to one's arraignment and parking it on the town square is definitely a bad idea.
Bentonville is still a small town in many ways, and there's not much that goes on here that's not noticed by someone....someone who'll call the police in a heartbeat.
One of the reasons I like living here.
UPDATE: Fox Breaking News is reporting Jacob Robida has died.
Jacob Robida, suspect in the Mass. gay bar shooting, was shot & captured by police in Norfork, Arkansas. (Norfork is a small town south of Mountain Home) One of our local news stations happened to be in the area, and has exclusive video of the capture. (Look for the video link on the right here)
Robida shot & killed a Gassville, Arkansas policeman during a routine traffic stop. There's also unconfirmed witness reports that he shot & killed his female passenger at the end of the chase.
If the crazy bastard survives the double tap to the head he got during the shootout with police, he'll likely face capital murder charges here as well as in Massachusetts.
And here he'd prolly get the needle.
There's not many bleeding heart liberals in that neck of the woods.
We journeyed down to Fayette-nam last night to have dinner with Matt and the ever delightful Miss Vicky....who I'm happy to report continues to (slowly) improve. We all enjoyed a variety of sushi & sashimi, except Mike who says he doesn't eat bait. He had steak.
Conversation topics including everything from blogging to how to survive prednisone without stabbing anyone with a fork to the best ways to rice out Miss Vicky's walker. We had a great time, and all agreed we don't get together nearly often enough. Mike & Matt said there's a new Irish pub opening here in Bentonville that supposedly serves authentic Welsh pasties. We may have to try that next.
Good food and good friends. What more could you want?
After showing a clip of some groundhog yesterday, one of our local newscasters asked "Isn't he soooo cute? Wouldn't you like to just pick him up & hug him?"
My first reaction: "What, are you stupid?" [/rhetorical question]
I've seen more than a few dogs that have been up close & personal with Mr. Groundhog. It wasn't pretty. I'd just as soon snuggle up to a running buzz saw. It'd be safer.
City folks. Sheesh.
Speaking of judges, here's what one of my favorites had to say about Arkansas' current judical code of ethics, which prohibit a judicial candidate from expressing his or her political views.
"No serious, thinking person reasonably believes that a judge actually has no views or values or beliefs at all," Griffen said, and any judicial candidate projecting himself as being without preconceived beliefs has "demonstrated they are incompetent."
Quite. Judges are, after all, people too. The best ones try to not let their personal beliefs affect their judgments. And after all, the more one knows about a judge, the better one can fine-tune his or her arguments and evidence to the court to more effective present a case. A judge's political leanings may only be a small part of this, but it is still helpful information.
It's also helpful information when electing someone to a judgeship. Judicial elections here are non-partisan, which too often leads to a choice between two names, neither of which one knows much about. Or as Judge Griffen puts it,
"A judicial election should be more than a glamour contest between or among comparably attired lawyers who basically go around trying to have good breath and little body odor," he said.
Heh. Ayup.
That didn't take long.
Alito, handling his first case, sided with inmate Michael Taylor, who had won a stay from an appeals court earlier in the evening. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas supported lifting the stay, but Alito joined the remaining five members in turning down Missouri's last-minute request to allow a midnight execution.
What's that I always say? You never know what a judge will do after he gets on the bench?
Ummm, yep.
I've been tagged.
4 Jobs You Have Had In Your Life
1. Tomato Grader--first non-farm job I ever had. Paid $1.15/hr. I sorted green tomatoes on a conveyor belt. I was 12.
2. Sleeve Set--last job I had at our local shirt factory. I hated it.
3. Ice Delivery Person--drove a bob truck making ice deliveries. Actually a pretty fun job. I also bagged & loaded ice, kept the company books, did payroll, worked on the machinery....and anything else that needing doing. Gosh, isn't owning your own business fun?
4. Strawberry Picker--my dad grew strawberries commercially when I was growing up. I still don't like strawberries very much. What made it worse was my sister is allergic to strawberry plants, so she got to work in the shed, packing strawberries in the crates, while I slaved on the steep hillsides in the hot sun. You bet I was jealous.
4 Movies You Would Watch Over and Over
1. Casablanca. Some of the best dialogue you'll hear anywhere. Though I have a tendency to make up my own b/c I think the Ilsa character is dumb.
Ilsa: Rick, take me with you.
Rick (me): Hell no. You're a sissy girl and you cry too much.
2. The Christmas Story. "You'll shoot your eye out." I had the same problem when I wanted a BB gun. But I got one too.
3. To Have and To Have Not "You do know how to whistle, don't you Steve?"
4. Imitation of Life I confess, the ending makes me cry like a baby. Delilah reminds me so much of my grandmother it's not even funny. Except for that being black thing.
4 Places You Have Lived
1. Fortville, Indiana
2. Indianapolis, Indiana
3. Farmington, Arkansas
4. Harriet, Arkansas
4 TV Shows You Love to Watch
1. CSI: Las Vegas
2. Las Vegas
3. Scrubs
4. Law and Order: SVU
4 Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. NYC
2. Jamaica
3. Ensenada, Mexico
4. Las Vegas
4 Websites You Visit Daily--in no particular order and not limited to those four.
1. Jim
2. Craig
3. Andrea
4. Chaz
4 Favorite Foods
1. Sushi
2. Steamed Carrots
3. Filet Mignon
4. Pasta Carbonara
4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now
1. In bed, asleep.
2. Naples, Florida
3. Florence, Italy
4. San Diego, California
4 People to Tag
1. Keith
2. Jennifer
3. Andy
4. Da Goddess
There now, that wasn't so bad.