Right As Usual

I've always been a Type A kind of girl. I tend to focus in on a goal, and run myself into the ground in the process of getting it accomplished. That's how I finished my bachelor's degree with 3 kids, the youngest in kindergarten when I finished. I've been pushing to go to work every day, regardless of how I felt, since I was working as a long-term sub, and I was due to get more money once I had 40 working days. It was tough. The second week, I sprained my ankle, and I hobbled to work for 2 weeks on crutches. A week later, I developed bronchitis. Although I improved, I never really got back to feeling GOOD. Day by day, I found it harder to move. I showed up every day, but then nearly fell asleep at lunch. Sometimes, I had to stay an extra half hour after I finished at the end of the day, just to get up the energy to move. I dragged myself home, then fell asleep early, only to wake up in the middle of the night coughing uncontrollably and gasping for breath...

The Dylan standard came to mind while I was catching up on my web reading. There is a massive re-alignment of political allies and thinkers, at national, regional, and local levels. There is also a sweeping change in the movers and shakers in this new day. The crazy antics of Rather and others will cause new blood to rise in the traditional media. And, that's how is should be - a system should evolve. Other media long-plays, from the Liberal Elite in Hollywood to the entrenched writers, producers, agents and packagers, and studio executives, will eventually see their influence diminish and their empires fade away. There are many parts of the current media up-and-comers style I don't particularly like. For example, Team America, while absolutely hysterical, relied too heavily on the vomit-type stuff. But, as a first thrust, it was indeed brilliant. I'm still humming the theme song. I really can't get into the beat of rap, although I am starting to listen ...

The major news organizations have begun moving on from the election, and are finding new stories to focus on: OMG! We forgot to obsess about Scott Peterson for a single hour! Well, even though the-it-who-would-have-become-Connor didn't get that chance, and although it would have been perfectly legal (and completely HER CHOICE) for Mrs. Peterson to have made the decision to terminate his existence, we are going to make this into a huge issue because his father made that choice. And, BTW, also killed his mother. Warning! Bush is actually going to use his executive power to appoint some new members of his cabinet and administrative team. And we, the media (The Real Annointed Rulers of This Pathetic Collection of Bumpkins) weren't even consulted! Schools Suck, and they aren't getting enough money. Which, when they did get more money, still sucked. So, give them even more. And, BTW, don't expect smarter children, since we don't offer any guarantees or money ba...

I found this on the always incomparable Little Green Footballs . LGF was quoting David Warren , on the meaning of Arafat's life: It is not as if the world lacks heroes. There is no need to elevate a skunk. I'm adding to this link - Cold Fury is on a tear, with some VERY blunt rebuttals to the prevailing liberal wisdom. He expresses himself in sarcastic hyperbole, with some straightforward thoughts for liberal consideration. On a more serious note, I confess that I was more than a little out of the loop of news while hospitalized. My first reaction the the Chilean security incident was to smilingly imagine the teasing the agent would take, having been rescued by Bush from the police. But Power Line rightly points out the more serious aspects, which I have not seen addressed by the media yet. Come on, people - we have lived through some crazy times in post-election years. Despite the number of home-grown loonies that try to take out a president, we can't for...

There is a petition defending the actions of the marine who shot an insurgent who was previously wounded. The facts of this incident are being used as an excuse to smear US soldiers and marines as war criminals. I cannot believe that Americans would believe this, given the MANY incidents of Western non-combatants who have been savagely tortured, on camera, regardless of gender or lack of military status by the insurgents, or, I should say, terrorists of the region. Please consider clicking on the link and adding your signature to the petition.

I was finally sprung from the hospital this afternoon, after 5 days of very good medical and nursing treatment. But, no matter how good the treatment, a hospital is never a good place to be. I had my innards poked and prodded, in an worthwhile effort to find the source of my breathing difficulties. They x-rayed, bled, monitored bodily fluids and gases entrance and exit, and had me wearing a heart-monitoring harness for 4 days. All of the tests were negative. In the end, they cautiously diagnosed a very resistant respiratory infection, or two. The most likely cause - two or more competing infections, that fought for supremacy. Nice to be able to assert authority over the germs, and emerge triumphant. I'm still weak and shaky, but definitely on the mend. The doctor said not to do too much. After seeing the condition of the house, I felt it wiser to go to work Monday and Tuesday. It should be much more restful. It's kind of sad that I have to go to work to re...

Thank God for laptops. Without it, I would be channel-surfing through 500 channels of nothing. Instead, I get to stop in at all the blogs I've been too busy to keep up with. This has led me to some humble conclusions: Damn, these guys are good! I mean it. Day in and day out, many of the most popular bloggers post accurate, interesting, and worthwhile blogs with a decided point of view. Although I like blogging, I'm not dedicated enough at this time to play in their league. I do have a life off the net (although my most recent job as a substitute technology teacher has given me more time to blerk). So, for now, if someone wants to visit, welcome, but I'm giving up, for now, the effort to raise my readership. I should have gotten the flu shot. That's all for now. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em - just not at MY house.

Try BlogExplosion for a quick ability to promote more traffic to your blog. Once you sign up for a FREE account, you get access to their tools (banners, buttons, ability to get feedback through a ratings system) It looks good, so I'm going to try it for now. I'm also going to see whether I can view my own blog at work (at lunchtime, folks, I'm not wasting time at work). The current filtering system blocks free sites like Blogspot.

This has been a tumultuous week for emotions. I was too busy living the excitement to write it down. Election Day My polling location was in Cleveland, OH, the heart of all the nail-biting excitement. It was in a church community center, in a solidly middle-class area of town. The neighbors are cops, firemen, city workers, and union members. The plethora of Kerry/Edwards signs is a strong signal of affliation. My first indication that this wouldn't be an ordinary voting year was the full parking lot. Normally, at that hour, the voters are outnumbered by the poll workers (a sweet, elderly bunch of folks). I had to park on the street and down the block, then dash through the rain about 400 yards to the center. Inside, about 150 people stood in 7 lines (Wards A-F, and an information line). They were patient, and appropriately somber. I watched the newbies get instructions on using the punch-card ballot. Each time, the poll worker ended with a demonstration of check...

I was reading this afternoon, after watching the Kerry concession, and found this in an article by George Will: Tuesday’s winner will not start from scratch but from where we are now, standing with the women of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Back in Washington recently, Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said those women were warned that Taliban remnants would attack polling places during the Oct. 9 elections. So the women performed the ritual bathing and said the prayers of those facing death. Then, rising at 3 a.m., they trekked an hour to wait in line for the polls to open at 7 a.m. In the province of Kunar an explosion 100 meters from a long line of waiting voters did not cause anyone to leave the line." I know I'm not that brave. And, reading about these women, I wonder again just why Americans don't vote. They don't face the barriers of distance or fear of death.