We Need A Fence Or To Sell A Vote?

Historically, cultures that have come to another country for work and not tried to assimilate have drawn the ire of the natives. Although the success of immigrants abroad usually creates a bigger backlash, keeping up language and social barriers puts them in a perilous spot. Germans living abroad suffered after World War I and II. Those successfully farming in Russia were told to stop teaching classes in the German language, end printing newspapers in their former country's tongue and cease gathering in secret groups. After World War II broke out, these immigrants were forced out of the country as some were believed to be drumming up support for the Nazi cause. Businesses were taken from them and many were sent to their deaths in the cold harsh elements. Russia wasn't the only one that treated Germans this way but restrictions on schools, newspapers and social groups were created in Brazil and even in the United States. This same thing happened to many cultures including the Jewish, Lebanese, Chinese and eastern Indians. Those that don't assimilate become resented for their success, what they might be saying or teaching in their language and even outward appearance.

These thoughts have been on my mind during the recent marches by those supporting the rights of illegal immigrants. I've been waiting to see things come to a head in our country as they are now. Personally, I'm stuck in the middle. The marches have shown me more than I expected. People carrying the Mexican flag as they try to show the United States that they are patriotic? (Being born in Sacramento, California, if I were to wave a state flag, I would hoist that of Nevada as it represents me as a Nevadan.) I've even seen signs saying that they are just taking back the property the U.S. stole from them. Ignoring the outcome of the Mexican - American War is not helping their case.

I personally believe that we have a lot of people that don't want to or can't physically or mentally do work in our economic system. In February, we posted a 4.8% national unemployment rate. Many of the jobs being taken are entry level set at our minimum wage standard. Many of the other jobs are ones we have little record of seeing that if I pick someone up to do yard work and pay him in cash, taxes aren't reported nor collected. So, I'm not against a guest worker program if it will keep track of who we have in our country, push towards assimilation, accurately increase tax revenue and lessen the strain put on our education system. But, I also believe that giving amnesty to those that broke our laws promotes more of the same. (This year, I hope we can forgive anyone that broke the speed limit... no points on your license and no fine. How will you drive next year?) Amnesty would also buy a lot of the Hispanic vote come election day.

Do good fences make good neighbors? Sure, to some extent but if one neighbor has to watch the fence more than the other, something is wrong. I hate the whole situation as I like my friends that have come to work over here. I also dislike racism with a passion. Right now the United States Senate and House of Representatives are redefining what being an "American" is and the future will only tell if history repeats itself.

Got I.D.?

When I walk into work each day, I'm required to show my I.D. It was much worse when there were threats against some of our hotels for possible "dirty bombs." Our bags were searched each day. This never bothered me too much. I figure that I can take a few seconds of my time to help security. I also know that, currently, if we don't have our I.D. when we walk in, we stopped and are walked to Human Resources to verify who we are and have to pay to get a new I.D. card. This sucks when you are running late. Yes, it's easier to just comply.

The reason why I'm thinking about this is that I have Georgia on my mind... that is Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Representative McKinney was stopped while in a rush and heading into government building without wearing a pin that allows government officials to bypass security. According to witnesses, she turned and hit a security officer in the chest while holding er cell phone after he put his hand on her shoulder when she was told to stop.

McKinney held a press conference today claiming that she was stopped because she was "a black congresswoman" and has hired a lawyer although she has been told not to talk about the incident as it may go to court. Whether charges for assaulting security are filed against her, I think about the fact that I'm heading into work in a few minutes and know the procedure. My I.D. card is in my hand as I walk through. How's the security at your work?

Steps On A New Path

When I passed my classes for home appraisal nearly 2 years ago (July 2004), I figured that I would wait out an intership where my friends are at. I did interview with their boss but they can't hire until one of them has finished their internship... not to say that I'd get the job. Anyhow, I had my interview with a company from Pennsylvania last week. It just so happens that they were planning on opening an office in town. The first interview went well and was asked to meet with them the next day. The second interview went well also and was offered the internship that day which would start in June. My only task until then will be helping them find an office location... which I've never looked for before and should prove interesting.

This means that I need to take care of a lot of my projects while I have the time. But, with the change of days off, I do foresee having weekends pretty free (although, I'll probably sleep a lot.) I have a good feeling about time getting sorted out but I do feel apprehension about the new job. It's probably just the jitters.

The Yard: The Removal

Pictured here is what my house looked like when I purchased it. From the looks of it, the environment is trying to reclaim it... the pine tree and the juniper on the right side of the photo actually were touching the house (the juniper looked like it would get caught soon in the garage door.) On the left is the massive bush and an oleander that is peeking out near the front door. Since I've moved in, I've removed the juniper, removed the oleander and ripped out the bushes on the left. (The roots to the bushes were so big that they pushed the sidewalk up where there was a good half inch difference between slabs.)

As part of my converting to desert landscape, I picked up a sod cutter on Friday. My work on the yard itself would have taken until Sunday had my neighbor's brother Pietro not joined in. I cut the sod (and many sprinkler heads) while he cut the strips into rolls. Everything was going well until the pull string on the cutter snapped in half as I started work on the back yard. The company sent someone out to fix it while Pietro and I took the rolls to the side of the drive way and stacked them up neatly. I put a post on Craigslist.org in the Free section about the sod. 3 people that saw the ad came by and took all the good sod (1 woman made 4 trips with her sons in the car and later purchased my lawnmower from me.) Lots of little pieces of sod left under the pine tree but hopefully, I'll find a way to slowly dispose of them over the next few weeks.

Pietro had asked me about a leak in the sprinkler system several months back. I kept thinking that, I'm removing it so it really isn't a big problem. Well, after cutting up the sod it seemed to be a bigger problem than expected. It was a huge puddle. After cleaning out the area with a shovel, we discovered that the water wasn't coming from the sprinkler line but under the concrete... so we called the Water company. It didn't take them long to notice that the leak was on my side of the meter but under the concrete (meaning = "your problem buddy.") Kept the water off that night and repairs would cost $403.11 that next afternoon. I used that day to prune and trim up the bushes and trees.

My body was extremely sore after the first day of yard work. The second day felt better after ibuprofen and forcing the muscles back to task. I'm still sore today but I know more work is coming and my pockets will be emptying out a bit more. On the next episode of The Yard, Martin tries to design, remove the sprinkler system, organize plants and prepares for the coming rock.

Life Update - 032106

Ok, lots going on so today is an update day:

1) The iPod is full and now I have to choose which songs don't make the cut. It's like playing American Idol with people who already were/are stars.

2) A friend at work bumped into an appraiser moving his business into our area and he is looking for an intern with knowledge of the area. Hmmm... my interview is tomorrow at 3pm prior to work.

3) I decided that my procrastination with the lawn conversion has to end. On Friday, I'll rent a sod cutter and pull up all the grass (with a little trimming around the sides.) On Saturday, I'll take some photos of my irrigation system to professionals so they can build me what I need and go look at pretty rocks. On Sunday, I'll play in the dirt a little but expect to spend the day doing my newsletter.

4) Dad got a used Tivo from my brother Matt (first he gives me a sofa, dad the Tivo... I need to check with his wife about his health.) I'll be heading over to Dad's to set things up maybe early tomorrow. The good thing about now getting Sunday's off is that I will not miss family gatherings in the evening.

5) After going to my friend Mike's house last week, I've been thinking of painting these white walls in the house. I thought white was a serene non-color but I just don't want to start another project too soon.

6) People keep asking me about advertising on my main Web site. Usually, I just take so long to answer them that I delete the email. I need to figure a "going rate" at some point. If the new podcasts work out alright, I'll probably need to figure out ad rates for that too. Never had to worry about it in the past because I wouldn't consider the idea unless they had something to do with 80's music. Now, some of them are popping up.

7) I'm really loving Taco Bell's Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuffed Burrito. I love a good caesar salad (the dressing is important.) And considering it is one of the few sources green cellulose (salad) that I'll ingest, it may be a healthier option than my regular haunts.

It Takes A Cab

As I've mentioned before, Tivo is my friend. I like to let it make suggestions for me according to what I already like to watch. (Actually, because of it, I've recently become a Nielsen family... of one.) Anyhow, I was very happy to find two new television shows on my Tivo recently and thought I'd share them with you.

The Discovery Channel's reality series It Takes A Thief is intense. The series takes two reformed thieves who stake out houses and propose a deal with the home owners. They will show them how unprepared they are for a real home invasion in exchange for a home security upgrade. Seems like a fair deal but think of this: If you walked out of your home like normal and sat somewhere nearby to watch everything that means anything to you ransacked and taken, what emotions would you feel? Even knowing that it isn't real, it pretty much is what would happen. Great series but do yourself a favor and don't watch it before going to bed. I made that mistake one night.

On a lighter note, there is Cash Cab. Imagine that you are on the streets of New York and hail a cab. Upon sitting down and telling the cabbie your destination, you are greeted by computerized sounds, see flashing lights and hear "You are in the Cash Cab!" The idea for this game show is that during your drive to your destination, you will be asked questions and accumulate cash as you go. You are also allowed a "Shout Out" where you can either call someone on the host's cell phone or pull over and ask someone on the street for an answer to the question. Oh, there is a catch: You miss 3 questions and you get kicked out of the cab where you are without winning anything or getting to your destination. Great stuff but I do think that groups of 4 people in a cab have a huge advantage.

Everything And The Kitchen Sink

I've mentioned before that I have a lot of home projects in the works. (One that needs to be done by Mar. 18th that I haven't even come close to starting.) They have been building up since moving in and were taken care of in order of what was important at the time (that big hole in the roof letting water in was critical.) Tomorrow, I will be knocking one more off my list... the sink.

I guess that when I moved into the house, I was under the impression that the most work that I'd have to do is mow the lawn. I was very very sadly mistaken. After awhile, I noticed that the bathroom shower had badly cracked grout (after a few repairs, I gave up and plan to redo that sometime), the dishwasher had rust on the rails (replaced that) and the sink had chips in it that were obviously touched up. I was able to put the sink out of my mind for the most part until the disposal went out recently. Most of these things have to be expected after 2 decades in the life of a home and I've accepted that. So, I'm taking the opportunity to change the disposal and sink at the same time for a little under $500. Should be interesting as the sink is supposed to not scratch, stain or scorch while it will bring a more modern look to the area.

I'm just wondering how distracting it will be having them install it while I'm working on the newsletter. So, what is the one home project that is haunting you at the moment?

Uber

It's Matt's fault. I saw that he took The True Geek Test and said, "Let's see how I do." Not only do I pass it with flying colors but they give me this funky picture (seen below.) Then again, I don't know if I feel worse about how I did or not knowing which questions that I answered wrong. Otherwise, Mom should be out of the hospital tomorrow.

The Uber Geek You answered 87% of the questions as a geek truly would.

You just completely conquered the geek test. Not only are you a geek, you're you're proud of it and wear it like a badge. Saying you're socially awkward is an understatement. Your hobbies include most things that normal folks cringe at. You're obsessed with information and details. You'd skip a Friday night party if it meant getting your latest project finished. Your intelligence probably intimidates people, and you enjoy spitting out random trivia to annoy people. So what does it all mean? Well for one, your claims of being a geek are true. You were probably picked on - heavily - in high school. You don't care about fashion, so generally you're easy to spot from a distance. In social situations, you're either perfectly silent or ridiculously loud-mouthed (true geeks always fall into the extremes). Cool people probably laugh at you behind your back, but you take gratification in knowing most will grow up to become career alcoholics. In a nutshell, you answered almost every question as a true member of the geek philosophy. You're geekier than 80% of the population!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 95% on geekness

Link: The True Geek Test written by ambientred on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

On Why I Avoid Watching Award Shows

I'm not a big fan of award shows. Sure, if I have nothing else to do or watch, I might see a little of one but in general they mean very little to me. The major reason for this is the subjectivity involved with saying something was 'the best' that year. Yes, film awards are voted on by actors but... what if they were voting on films that they themselves would like to be in? A little twist like that would likely push out any big budget film and focus on ensemble casts with meaty parts and controversial stances... like what they had to choose from this year for Best Picture. Yet, not all the films cleanly connect with what the people want to see.

When I started thinking about this, I stumbled on a fact nestled in the middle of an article about Mariah Carey "reigning supreme" at an award show. Essentially, Jamie Foxx was honored with the Quincy Jones Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th annual Soul Train Awards. Yes, the man has released only 2 albums (1994's Peep This and 2005's Unpredictable) and they honored him for his 'life's' work. I along with many people believed he performed very well in the film Ray. I even watched him on In Living Color and Roc. But, isn't Quincy Jones a musician? They should be honoring this person for his contribution to music during his lifetime. Maybe, Unpredictable was so amazing that they decided it equaled the life's work of many other musicians. All I know is that it gives me one more reason to believe that award shows are created to place things on pedestals that might not belong there.

Poe Slacker Me

Things have been a little busy lately. I've also been slacking a bit on the posting as I started thinking (if I post less, people have more time to comment etc.) but that's just a catch-22 created by 'the man.' Anyhow, here's a quick update on what I've been doing (in no certain order):

Went and read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," "Eldorado" and "Annabel Lee" to Mrs. Mann's 4th grade class. Good kids and no, I didn't sneak in any adult humor. Poe has and will always be one of my favorite authors due to the lack of respect he earned during his short 40 years on this earth, his variety of writing styles (poetry, novella, plays, etc.) and his morbid obsessions. Sounds like some of the kids took up my call to learn all the big words they could from the dictionary.

Mom has been in the hospital since Wednesday with an upper respiratory infection (I believe, as detailed information has been unusually vague.) All I can think about is the last few times that she was in the hospital for having an attack of emphysema which were close calls. Things really have changed for her physically as I remember a much healthier woman raising me. My youngest brother, Michael, flew in to surprise her and I'm hoping her relationship with my brother, Matt, will thaw during this time. We are a stubborn lot.

Grandma (Dad's mom) went back into the hospital for surgery to remove more cancer found on her bladder. They expect it's going to be a short outpatient procedure but I'm still concerned.

Measured my front, back and side yards today. This is actually a big task as I set in motion the process of converting to desert landscape in October. The rush is on now as my slacking has left be with 34 days to complete everything (if I want to be reimbursed $1 per sq. ft.) I'm expecting to rent a sod cutter next week and then learn a lot about drip systems. Should prove to be an interesting project.

When I helped Matt move several months ago he offered me his sectional. Little did I know how big it or expensive it was. It seems that it didn't fit the decor of his new place. So, I spent last week rearranging the room, painting the coffee table and rewiring the HDTV/surround set-up. The living room looks amazing and only needs a little more touches to be finished. I owe Matt bigtime.

The Titty Tax

My girlfriend's nephew went to the new Hooters hotel here in Las Vegas for lunch and had some wings and Mountain Dew. Sure, it's going to be expensive ($17.27) because you pay for the view but he didn't know how expensive it was until later. After showing the receipt to his grandmother and noting the unusually high tax (receipt on the right hand side of the picture,) she called them asking them why they overcharged the young man and if it was some form of "titty tax." They offered to return the overpayment. Hilarious but it does make you wonder. This is a new hotel with many restaurants and how many people were actually overcharged?

The receipt to the left is of my dinner with Kerry a few nights ago. Smaller receipt, more food and less tax. The tax was 7.7% of our bill. His tax came to 17.8%. All this makes you wonder, do we look at tax closely enough when we are eating out? I tend to look at it because slightly more than doubling the tax gives me a good guideline for tipping (15% to 20%).

Planetes

For those that have considered space travel and maybe hope in a few decades to travel to the moon and beyond, put the anime series Planetes on your wishlist. Sure, I think the name is a little messed up (it's like a French spelling of "planets", I think.) Anyhow, I want you to think about what the world and galaxy would be like in 2075. As of 2006, we are sending people into space to explore and robots are collecting photos and samples from planets we can't reach in a manned craft. Exploration is all about pushing the boundaries and, as Armstrong would say, taking that next "step."

Planetes is less science fiction than science reality pushed forward a few advancements. The series centers on the lives of the people in "half-section" or debris section. You see, with all these missions we send into space, things get dropped or abandoned and continue in Earth's orbit. Space junk. One dire accident involving a lone screw colliding with the glass window of a shuttle changed mankind's perception of it. Half section (nicknamed because it is given half the budget it needs to do the work and little respect since it isn't revenue generating) is sent out to clean up the messes created from our interplanetary advancement. But, the series isn't all about cleaning but throws out science "what if's" like what happens when a human is born and raised on the moon (essentially, less gravity means 6 foot tall 13 year-olds with frail bones.)

Now, what's in the series to ensnare someone uninterested in the geekiness of science and space advancement? Human drama... which unfolds between the characters while depicting very realistic relationships in a futuristic setting. It seems there are still terrorists, bureaucrats, love triangles and silliness on Earth as in the future of space. This is a terrific series to consider watching at some point. The artwork is different from most animated series but grows on you as the storyline progresses. I'm just waiting for the final DVD to be released to find out how they wrap this up. For a better explanation and a few photos, check out Tokidokijournal.

My First Time Will Not Be My Last

Tuesday was my first time donating blood. I have thought about it several times and went in expecting to donate a few times (taking antibiotics and cold medicine got me turned down.) I did it right before going into work and I was iffy about the whole thing not knowing how long it would take. I guess, I have pretty good sized veins because they were able to get in there in one shot. Took only about 12 minutes to drain me.

I actually feel good about doing this because I do know that it will be useful for someone who needs it as currently the blood banks are low. I'm not too sure how long a donation can last but it'd be interesting to hear a news report saying that the blood bank is in a surplus. 93% of the 14 million units transfused to 4.9 million patients were collected via donation. Heck, there are even some believed benefits for men donating (reduce the risk of heart disease, controls blood iron levels and monitor your cholesterol level.) They liken it to bleeding off some oil from your car and putting fresh stuff in except your body is making the new stuff. I was pretty impressed with how easy this experience was and plan to do this again in the future. Later, I talked to a friend of mine about my donation and he said something to me that made me wonder: "I'm not donating. They charge so much money for the blood when it's used at the hospital that I'm not giving it for free."

My question for you is: How much of a difference between what it costs them to receive blood (provide extraction machines, provide clean needles, provide clean bags, provide clean surgical tubes, stock the donation center with food and drink, staff the center with medical professionals, store blood in a clean facility, promote donations, etc.) and what they charge the hospital, insurance and the patient? Would this keep you from donating?

Top 5 Pillow Injuries

Sure, we've seen violence with pillows many many times on television. Whether it is the wife snuffing out her husband's life or snoring under a pillow or the ever popular pillow fights during a 'sleep over.' But here's something you probably haven't thought about... 5,840 people with pillow related injuries checked into U.S. emergency rooms in 1992. Not hospitals but emergency rooms meaning there probably were more non-emergency injuries that just went to see their own doctor. Of course, with a bigger population since the nearly 14 years since that survey, there is a bigger chance of sending more to the hospital today. (I do wonder if that is why more people are seeking help for sleep apnea.) No, I really don't see myself going back to putting a pillow under my head as I sleep anytime soon. My question for you is: What is your Top 5 list of how these pillow related injuries may have occurred?

Feeling Guilty?

You own a functioning automobile, a television set, a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer and many of the things that are considered common in our present era. If you go back a few decades, these were all considered luxury items. But, for some reason they are considered standard fare now because people expect more and have more money to spend. Most of us actually have more than one television, a computer (or you are at the library annoying a librarian presently,) VCR and DVD player. I believe that the more we acquire, the more we think we live a sub-standard lifestyle because we don't have something someone else has. Nothing is wrong with keeping up with the Jones'.

I mention this because we all have jobs to pay for our necessities and luxuries. I'd like to know if you feel guilty about how hard you work, how much money you make and how you live. Many people would like you to.

Revisiting Firefly

I'm pretty upset with myself. I've been easily distracted by my projects around me (and been sleeping as if for some reason my life depended on it) and not posted. I feel you deserve more than a quickie post.

I became hooked on Buffy The Vampire Slayer after the season (had to watch the early episodes in reruns to catch up.) Of course, an addiction to Angel followed. The way Joss Whedon creates a great cast of characters and brings them together is almost magical. That was why I was thrilled when his new series Firefly made its debut on Fox.

If man were to leave earth to colonize the outer planets, would the lawlessness and lack of authority create a modern day wild west in space? Would the planets be ruled by one body or remain independent? Take those questions and add proven character-driven writing, technological elements with a jolt of humor here and there... I'm watching. The series was amazing but ended before its time and before all the filmed episodes aired. Depression set in and I joined a mass of browncoats in a desperate fight to keep the show on the air... which failed. Several of the actors migrated over to Buffy and Angel as both of those series made their final bows. A comic book was released and then finally the movie Serenity was released last year.

I waited until recently to rewatch all of the episodes of the television series (including the unaired episodes and amazing extras) and last week finally viewed the feature film, Serenity. I would implore any of you to rent or purchase the series as it is enjoyable on many levels. Imperfections and all, these characters grow on you and it's amazing to feel that way after spending less than a season with them. Here's the theme song.

Seeing a show that you really got into bite the dust can change how much interest you put into other shows out there. So, what television series cancellation has most affected your TV viewing?

Page Migrations

With the new work hours there is considerable downtime and I can't wear the iPod during work hours so I've finally been able to get some reading done. (Ok, sometimes it's hard to read because there is this person I work with that has a booming and excited voice that resonates off the walls and he needs to talk about everything he does including his last bathroom visit.) I've been stockpiling books to read for the last few years and now can start getting into them. Although I promised someone (cough, Lloyd) that I'd start with the Da Vinci Code, I was drawn into Thomas Sowell's Migrations And Cultures: A World View.

I don't mention Mr. Sowell much but, as I have been reading his column at Townhall.com, he has had a way with words in turning my Polaroid view to that of a wide-angle lens. The book has over 100 pages of reference material (which made the book look ominous) but contains statistics for immigration, emigration, repatriation, remittance and much more that I never knew were documented that far back. If anything, the book does a good job of showing you the struggle of many different cultures to better themselves (which often bettered the economy of the country they came to) while enduring the societal issues of progressing beyond the standards of people of the host country (many of these led from terse harmony to civil wars and genocide to dictatorships.) A very impressive read although it may make your brain hurt a little.

Now I'm off to work and to start Dan Brown's novel in hopes to finish it before the movie is released. I'm sure that it'll be a much easier read. What've you got in your current reading list?

How The Cookie Crumbles

Today, I'd like to vent about one of my favorite treats... the chocolate chip cookie. The simplicity of the recipe helps those of us picky people that would like to make it at home ourselves. I know... you are wondering, "Why would you do that when there are those bags, boxes and cookie dough rolls staring at you when you are in the shopping aisles?" Well, that's easy. Control. You know exactly what goes in there. (And they taste better just out of the oven.)

My favorite example is the use of coconut and coconut oil in the pre-mixed dough. I really wish I knew why. I can taste it there and it becomes a coconut chocolate chip cookie to me. But, did you know that they sneak those items into your cookies often? I first discovered it after I bought some at 'Mal-Wart' and thought it was an aberration that coconut was used in it. But then I seen that it's in my favorite ice-cream, chocolate chip cookie dough. (Btw... it's been tested, that if you take out the cookie dough in the ice cream, it doesn't bake up like the real thing.)

So, I like to make them myself if possible (not often enough) and looking at each of the labels on the cookies that I buy. It's amazing what they try to sneak in there on you. Any surprise ingredients in your favorite goodies that you'd like to share?

Today's Interest In Genetics

The research behind genetics is pretty amazing. No, I am not thinking of making any of the local animals glow green or growing human ears on the backs of rats. I'm more intrigued by simple things like the tendency for a man and a woman to have a child with the same eye sight as the father. Nothing astounding.

I discovered that I had bad eyesight as a child. I can still exactly remember how. I was sitting in my father's car waiting to go home from the tennis courts with my siblings. I noticed my father's glasses there (he tended to use them most when he drove.) I put them on. It was the weirdest thing... the world really seemed to open up to me. I turned my head to the right and looked at what used to be the Desert Inn golf course and could see little white golf balls out there. This was amazing to me because I've looked at that area thousands of times. It was like super vision but I didn't know that it was pretty much standard. I didn't get my first pair of glasses until much later.

My brother also has vision issues but all 3 of us went in to look into Lasik a few years ago. My father and I were told we had rather thin cornea so we weren't candidates at the time. Matt got his vision corrected. Dad decided to go to another specialist for a second opinion and got his eyes done there. He actually mentioned it to me at the time but I was very wary with someone burning something that is thinner than normal. You ever see where the piano is dangling over the damsel in distress by a rope that has caught fire? Same idea.

So, of course severak years have gone by. My brother is thinking he needs contacts again. My father wears reading glasses here and there. And I? I'm getting my eyes looked at one more time in just a few minutes. They are going to have to make it sound pretty amazing for me to get something done (remember that pessimistic optimist thing?) but we'll see. I'm happy that I didn't do it earlier and I could wait a lot longer for better technology. But, I can't help seeing the irony of having my mother take me to have father's genetic traits corrected. hahaha

P.S. - They talked me into it. Surgery went well and I can see a difference already. I'd describe the process but I don't want to freak anyone out. The doctor did a great job and now I just have to rest th recover quick enough to watch UFC tonight and the Super Bowl tomorrow.

Baby, You Just Like Me For My Fat Fingers

Ever wonder what happens to all those eBay searches for "furniture" when the person submitting it didn't pass 3rd grade and spells it "fernatur." Well, not everyone has but think of it... if everyone is bidding on one correctly-spelled item the price will keep rising higher and higher. Wouldn't it be great to buy it for a whole lot cheaper at the expense of the person that can't spell? Ok, maybe they were just in a hurry and had a typo but that's the whole idea behind the site Fat Fingers. Nothing promotes a good education and patience like having someone win your expensive items for less than $1 + shipping and handling.