Updated Blogger

I was avoiding it. I tried to avoid it. And now I no longer can.

Blogger Beta is no longer beta. When posting this morning, I was forced!!, forced I tellz ya, to update to the new version. Who the hell really knows what this will mean. We will see.

Let me know if you have issues viewing, commenting, etc. I’m thinking it might be time to update to Typepad or WordPress.

Scooter

What is the deal here? This is all falling into place and it is all tooooo easy. Way too fuckin‘ easy.

Cathie Martin, former top press liaison for Vice President Cheney (and current communications assistant to the president!!!), testified that Libby asked Martin to talk to an official at the CIA, who in turn told Martin that Joseph Wilson’s wife was a CIA employee. Martin says she soon after relayed this information to Libby and Cheney. This directly contradicts Libby’s assertion that he learned the information later, and from reporters. She also testified that both Cheney and Scooter were intensely interested in Mr. Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame. Hmmmmmmm.

Ari Fleischer turns his back on his ex-bosses and completely turned on Scooter Libby? Satan’s offspring The former White House Press Secretary testified that Libby divulged Valerie Plame’s identity to him on July 7, 2003, three days earlier than Libby has told investigators he first learned of the undercover CIA officer. Oh – and he gets immunity for his testimony! He said he was scared that he broke the law by knowing this information. Boo-fuckin‘-hoo.

I hate to side with Libby’s lawyers, but Cheney & Co. have thrown Scooter under the bus to save that cretin’s skin. Cheney’s that is. Libby seems all to happy to go along with it. That I don’t get. I guess there will be enough doubt to get Scooter off the hook. And even if not, he’ll get a big old fat pardon from W. Why should Libby be nervous in the slightest?

Mind you all these Bushies are under oath, so I’m sure they’d never fib. That is just not in this administration’s nature to do so. They’ve always been so completely honest and forthcoming in the past….n’est ce-pas?

Even former NYT reporter, Judith Miller, contradicted Scooter’s claims. Judy says that he told her of Plame’s identity on June 23rd. Scooter says it was July 10th. Not that you can really believe anything that comes out of her mouth, since she did so well with her own “truths” and her notes.

So, Scooter has been sold up (or is it down?) the river. Someone should go to prison over this. Probably not Libby. And at the very least, more than just Libby.

Monday Moanings

Yes – I realize it’s not Monday, but I had my other post written and ready to go yesterday morning before I read the paper.

Here are just a few excerpts from the Plain Dealer’s weekly tribute to the ever evolving Grandpa Simpson population of Northeast Ohio. There is no set subject for the gripes – it’s all free form. Don’t try applying logic or trying to reason with these folks…it’s never gonna work.

“Where did that slogan ‘Best Location in the Nation’ come from? Best location for what? Getting shot, robbed, raped, home foreclosures and taxed to death? – Parma

“My moan is funeral homes that don’t give discounts to seniors.” – Berea

“I’m tired of reading about what may, might, should or probably will happen, in Iraq. Just keep quiet until something does happen.” – Akron

“Stop naming cars with numbers and letters. It’s ridiculous.” – Strongsville

I’ve made no secret here about my former love of the drink. Mostly beer. I still like it. I still drink it. I still drink. I just kind of accepted the responsiblity of not putting away a 6-10 beers four nights per week. Anymore, I doubt I drink 6-10 beers a month. No judgements on anyone else. Honest.

I don’t necessarily believe in 12 step programs. ‘They’ say accept a higher power than yourself and ‘they’ claim that power doesn’t have to be g-d, but that’s what they want. That’s what they expect. Those are the same people who use ‘it’s g-d’s will’ when it is convenient and that you and I have ‘free will’ when they want to associate blame. Fuck them.

And quite honestly, who has the time to apologize to ALL the people I may have hurt? Unless there is a salary and benefits attached to that task, I can’t take on that full-time job.

I am not an alcoholic. teehee. I know what you’re all thinking.

Back in the late 80s (?) a friend of mine was passing through town and stayed a few days with me. I’ll call him “Jack” – mostly because his name is Jack. All I’ll say about him is that he was in a 12-step program that wasn’t for substance addiction, but Columbus didn’t then have a meeting for what he was going through, so he had to substitute an AA gathering. He asked me to go with him.

I had never been to an AA meeting. Interesting only begins to describe it. It was exactly and nothing like I thought it would be.

To start off, we were the only two who weren’t smoking, let alone chain smoking. Cross-addiction is a wonderful thing. Ruckiry (not Jon’s boss), I was raised by parents who each smoked two packs a day, and I frequented bars a lot, so I was used to the atomsphere somewhat.

Actually to start off, they did something that was at least familiar to me: the serenity prayer. If nothing else, Sinead O’Connor starts her I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got disk off with it. But after that, this group never launched into “Feels So Different” – so I was a little let down!

Anyhoo – this was one of those long term gatherings where everyone knew each other, at least by sight, so the new folks were honed in on early – and often. It didn’t help when they asked new people to introduce themselves. No last names, obviously.

Jack did his deed, stood and stated his name, who he was/why he was there. Then they just looked at me. I sat. I looked around behind me like someone else was there and ready to say “Hi, I’m (fill in name here) and I’m an alcoholic”. But there wasn’t anyone else – they were lookin’ at me. I fumbled with something to say and am sure I finally uttered something to the effect that I was not an alcoholic and was just there to support a friend. I’m sure every single person was thinking ‘admitting it is the first step’ and that I was clearly in denial.

I thought the one of the steps in these programs was to take responsibility for your actions – but the two featured speakers didn’t do this. It was all about the blame. Why they drank. Who started them down that road. Who thwarted their recovery attempts. It was never them. Everyone in the group seemed to be ok with this.

I don’t know what, if anything, Jack got out of the meeting. I didn’t.

Afterwards, we went to a bar.

The funny thing about this post is – I came across this comic and it made me smile. I was just going to post it with out any real text. And now you get a few hundred words. Maybe the cartoon isn’t as funny now.

Indiana Bernstein

Josh Bernstein can put on decent educational show, but he’s no Mike Rowe (who is?) or even Jeff Corwin.

He’s Digging for the Truth, but what you usually he’s just finding a bunch of theories with no solutions. Though no one was actually expecting him to find Atlantis, were they?

On the other hand, he could play Harrison Ford’s son in the new movie: Indiana Jones & the Enlarged Prostate – since Indy will be like 81 and unable to handle a whip or most likely a script. And while Indy may have searched for the Lost Ark, he would probably still have to explain how is son is jewish.

These Things Happen

The 2007 Weblog Award Nominees have been announced. I’m a Beyonce in a Meryl Streep world…..just a lot more talented and not such a (media) whore.

Oh, I didn’t expect to get nominated. Fuck – I was too lazy to even nominate myself….and you just know that most of the people who got the final nod did indeed submit their own blog. I didn’t even shill for anyone else to nominate me. There isn’t a category out there that I think I’d fit into. I had a better opportunity to be in the Best Latin American category than GLBT or Humour.

I am a little GLBT (minus the L the B and the T), some humour, a part of politics, a note of music, and a smidge of food in my blog. The only area I might have even been eligible for would be Best Kept Secret Weblog. I’m not lamenting that I didn’t get in, but I won’t lie and say that a bump in readership wouldn’t have been fun, however short-term it might have been.

Actually there are very few sites that are nominated that I read, or have even heard of. Post Secret is a weekly read for me. I know of Defamer, but stopped reading it months ago. I do visit the Daily Kos. I’m thrilled to visit some of the web development sites to see how to improve this thing.

Other sites I don’t know or look at, but am sure that Becky would like Go Fug Yourself, Meredith with Crazy Aunt Purl and I can almost guarantee that Jon is a daily reader of Wil Wheaton (HA!). Who doesn’t like a little Wesley Crusher? In space, no one can see you swish!

I do however, expect to see an site represented here next year – and not mine: Dith and Becca better get Sharing Needles up and running so you can be considered under Best Craft Weblog.

Though the best nominated blog name (and I haven’t ever read it) for 2007 has to be My Boyfriend is a Twat.

So, there you have it. Nominees are there to vote on – or not.

Non-Site of the Month

Yes, I know it is kind of one-note, and it’s not enough to ever make it my site of the month, but this site made me laugh. Someone went to a lot of trouble to set it up the blog and do multiple posts.

….and it has about 1.2 million more hits than my blog!!! (SOB!)

Oh – and I snapped this pic in the parking lot of Panera. …and you just know the owner was probably sitting in their eating, watching me and going ‘what the fuck is he doing?’

I guess they couldn’t wheel out fast enough to ask me themselves. ooops. my bad!

Please Pack Your Knives and Go

Here is the fun and not so fun of being sick – BAD TV.

Since being home without a job for a few months, I tried not to watch television after the morning news cycle.

But during my week of massive head cold and lying around on the couch trying to concentrate on breathing, I did nothing but watch tv some of the days. I’ll hand it to some of these stations – they know how to do overkill. Eight hours of Law & Order, CSI (pick your versions of either – they got them all) in a row or a day of Myth Busters. They have no programming ability. In reality, it’s cheap for them and nothing but profits.

If you don’t read blogs other than mine, you might be surprised at how many are out there with guys just completely fascinated with Project Runway. I didn’t get it. Nor did I want to. I kind of found it obsessive and a complete waste of time. But now I kind of get it. I’m assuming hoping it’s a passing thing for me.

Bravo is great at airing nothing but episode after episode after episode of their shows. Most of that network’s fare is reality based: Queer Eye, that Rocco show, etc. Then I came upon something that is the confluence of those two shows with the addtion of what I read Project Runway to be: Top Chef (click on the link if you dare – the website is a frickin disaster!) Not just Top Chef, but Top Chef 2. There was a first season of this?

I hate to say it, and maybe it is the cold medicine talking, but I’m diggin’ it. On more than one day of this illness Bravo has shown each and every of the already aired 10-12 episodes back to back. I didn’t even know this show was on – but now I’m all up to speed. Mind you I don’t know when the original episodes are on, but how hard can that be to find out? Even if I miss them, I’ll venture to guess that Bravo will show them ad nasueum.

For a very brief synopsis – 15 ‘chefs’ do two challenges a show: a quick one, which the winner is exempt from elimination from the next challenge. All the challenges have themes and/or specific ingredients that have to be used by all. Sometimes everyone cooks solo or they’re paired in teams. Each show one, sometimes more, are eliminated. They are judged by g-d knows who. One of them, though her on-line bio doesn’t says it, is married to Salman Rushdie. Go figure. A fatwa on her!

I’ve never really watched ‘reality shows’ (ok ok…Kathy Griffin) – which obviously is a misnomer. Nary a shred of reality exist in any of them and most are ruled by product placement. Top Chef is no different.

The editing is there to enhance or create the personality conflicts. Naturally, there is the seemingly one bad seed in the group that everyone hates (myself included…..I totally bought into it) who will also be one to go to the finals. Mark. My. Word. And here he is.

Do you think Heat Miser (yes, even Heat Miser has his own wikipedia entry!!!) knows his hair is missing?

G-d Hates Fags

Joke? Real? Je don’t know. I’m not sure je care! YouTube pulled it. I’ll wager that Gooooogle Video will too – eventually.btw…first time posting right from another site directly to my blog. I have NO idea how thsi will go.

UPDATE: GOOGLE DID INDEED PULL IT

Ponderings

Why watch the frickin’ State of the Union? Shrub was slated to talk about things he’ll most likely never get done, let alone start, during his less than two years left (yes folks he only has 726 days left). BTW, how is that trip to the Mars via the moon thing going?

As it turns out (I read), he was well past word 1000 in his speech before he ever uttered ‘Iraq’. No one could see the elephant in the room??? Besides what he might or might not say, I literally cannot even listen to his voice. Then the thought of having to see Dick for 45-60 minutes, sitting behind him, was just the trifecta.

No, my evening was watching clips of an unwinnable war. One where people questioned military strategy. One where children were left without a parent. One that showed the fall of a country we had gone into. One where, upon coming home, people had trouble acclimating to civilian life.

Yes, I watched China Beach.

I found an odd cable channel that plays the show once per week. The time just coincided with the SotU. Unfortunately, I found this station as they are broadcasting the fourth and final year of the series. Though the series had some weaker moments, overall it was an extremely strong show. Heck, the first four episodes had Chloe Webb, post Sid & Nancy and pre-Tales of the City (whatever happened to her?) The second year had a post-Hairspray and pre-talk show Ricki Lake (whatever happened to her?)

But the last year, as uneven as I thought it was originally, is actually pretty good. It’s not sequential. Timelines jump from 1982 to 1972 to 1975, etc. And all the while it flashes back to 1969 for small periods of time. A little hard to follow, but no less poignant.

As I watched, I couldn’t help think that the show started a little less than a decade after the fall of Saigon. Will there be a similar show 15 years after the war in Iraq ends? If the war in Iraq ends?

There was no happy ending to China Beach. I doubt there will be for Iraq – the war or the potential series.