Just A Few More Random Thoughts

It's a rather lovely fall day and I have nothing better to do, so it's time once again for:

Weasel's Random Thoughts

* It's been said that a woman begins to enjoy her vacation from the moment she begins to pack while a man enjoys his when he arrives there. If this is true then it will be a very long 8 months because I've already begun my BotCon packing. Yes, it's true: I have no life. (Stop snickering, Prime.)

* I want to go to Universal Studios Hollywood in 2011. It will be awesome. Here is why. Guess we know the location of a future BotCon...I hope I hope I hope I hope I hope...

* No one is exactly sure where BotCon will be held, but I'm getting ready for it as if we're flying. Ever since 2005, it seems that odd-numbered years have meant a couple of plane tickets while the even-numbered years are within driving distance. With this sort of pattern established, I'm pretty much expecting a jaunt in the sky to next year's con which I really don't want. I'm kinda hoping to be proven wrong. You have no idea just how much I hate flying....

* No matter how much laundry you do, you are never done. Seriously, it never ends. (Apologies to Simon Furman. Or curses. Reader's Choice.)

* I have been training my cat to sit. It seems to actually be working. Teaching Sammy to speak or roll over probably won't happen...frankly, he doesn't need any prompting to do either. Hey, he already knows how to say "hello".

* We have 14 days until the election. This will all be over soon, thank Primus. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing about football season. (After the crap with Favre, I wish I would never hear the word "football" uttered by anyone ever again.)

* Prime and I have been on a "Masters of the Universe" tear. We've been watching the DVDs of the 2002 series for the past couple of nights. Been kinda nice to see them, really. And I learned something new while watching: I had no idea that they had done morals at the end of most of the eps.

* People are already beginning to do their Cashmas shopping. And stores have already started putting out their Xmas displays. Yet another holiday shopping season arrives. I can hardly wait. /sarcasm

And that about does it. Be sure to tune in next time when I type out another pointless message on various and inane topics simply known as... Random Thoughts.

For High Speed Internet Only

I want this like you wouldn't believe. When I get a laptop, I will beg for this thing.

--Weasel, "Fastest thing on the 'net, baby."

Next Stop: Hell

Work has gone straight to hell. I don't even want to get into it but we're rapidly falling apart. With the way things are going, I don't know if I can make it until BotCon. My steady chant of "Next June" has been the only thing that has been keeping me sane.

I don't know how long that will last.

Where's My Damned Prozac?!

For the past couple of days, I've felt a little bit like House: I've had a limp and I don't really want to take people's crap. My right foot has been hurting like a bitch lately (it's better, thank Primus) but my attitude has gone straight to hell.

Tom is pissing everyone off. Including me.

A few days ago, Tom chewed me out. Why? Overtime. Where did that overtime come from? The idiots not getting out on time. But that wasn't what really pissed me off; it was his reply afterward. "This is strike two. Third strike you're out."

What.
The.
FUCK?!

Where the flying fuck was strike number one, asshole? Or did you just pull this shit out of your ass?! I had to have swung the bat a time before this, you jackass and I sure as hell don't remember swinging at jack shit. God fucking damn!

More and more cashiers are getting pissed off. There are head cashiers who are now stabbing people in the back. We're not allowed to do any pages over the PA system anymore. And we now have about a month before the Cashmas rush begins. I'm about ready to strangle an idiot. Any idiot will do.

I love my job. Really I do.


Pic from here.

"Not My Problem"

This is the new mantra I have at work now. All the bullshit that goes on in that building is no longer my problem. I'm only watching out for myself and my friends. The rest of the building can go straight to hell.

More on the bullshit later.

:Grumble:

I hate my job. I know, I know. What the hell else is new? But we've sunk to even lower depths of bullshit than ever before.

It all started a few days ago. One of the other cashiers, Jenni, cam back from break. She was crying. It seems that she had run to the restroom before heading back to her register and one of the co-managers, Tom, wasn't too keen on this. He tore her a new one over it. Here's the problem: None, and I do mean none, of the head cashiers had a problem with her doing this. It was Tom who threw a massive shit fit over it. As she put it: "If it was such a problem, why wasn't I told a long time ago?"

But it gets better. We're no longer allowed to talk to any of our co-workers. Well, certain cashiers, it seems. If you kiss the right ass, you can talk for hours and not get into trouble. If you don't, you'll get yelled at. It's favoritism, plain and simple and it's pissing me and a shitload of other people off severely. I'm to the point where I'm ready to turn in some of the heads and their friends for chit-chatting excessively. And to hell with getting in trouble. I just don't care anymore.

I need a laptop. Like now. Then I could cobble a manuscript together, sell the fucker and get the hell outta Dodge. If I don't, I'll probably be dead of a stroke with 3 years.

--Weasel, "I just love my job. Really I do."

Life in the State of Stupidity

It seems the mayor of our fair city wants to do away with the goth teenagers who are "hanging out" at the city parks in the evenings. So now groups of 15 or more teens must have a permit to use the park and if they're under 18 they need a chaperone. Seems the neighbors have been freaking out about them since they (GASP!) dress in black and (HORRORS!) use foul language and some of them (DEAR HEAVENS!) smoke.

Call me crazy, but don't we have more important things to worry about? Unless they're pissing on my front lawn, I don't give a damn what they do. Why the hell does city hall have to legislate this?

--Weasel, "My fucking tax dollars at work here."

And Today in "Not Giving a Shit"....

On Sunday, Prime had to go in for a little bit of overtime. Me, I had to work. So Prime dropped by my store to say 'hi'.

So much for that idea. One of the heads, Mary said I couldn't ring up his order since I "knew" him. Prime was pissed (and that is putting ti very mildly) and so was I. But it gets better.

The next day I'm working on an express lane and someone found a prescription left in a cart. They brought it up to me, so I called a head. Mary, the same moron from the day before came up and said that I was supposed to hold on to it. About three seconds later, the customer who left it behind came back in and claimed it. But I was extremely pissed. Here's why:

Prescriptions are supposed to be taken back to the pharmacy immediately because they can be stolen. And guess who would have gotten in trouble if that prescription had been stolen? None other than yours truly. I have half a mind to turn her in to management for that bit of stupidity, but I doubt it would do any damned good.

Whoever said that the cream rises to the top forgot that crap floats, too. June cannot come soon enough.

--Weasel, "So... tired.... of the bullshit!"

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Ned Yost has been fired.
So this is what it feels like to be kicked in the gut. It's not a great feeling, I tell you.

--Weasel, now wondering if October will actually happen for the Brew Crew

Holy. Crap.

So for the helluva it, I decided to ask for a Mew over GTS last night. I sent out a male Yanma holding a Custap berry and asked for a Mew at level 10 or higher. After 15 minutes, I checked my progress. Nothing. I waited another 10 minutes and tried again.

A Pokéball falling from the sky greeted me. I had just received a Japanese Mew.

I checked its summary and the ID number caught me by surprise: 50716. The number looked familiar. But since Prime was on the PC, I couldn't check on it. So I did it today.

Looks like I got me a Hadou Mew. I got an event Pokémon.
This is gonna be one spoiled rotten Mew.

And Somehow, I Just Can't Care Anymore...

I saw Susie the other day. She's doing well, has another job and said flat out that yes it was a bullshit reason that was used to fire her. I'm just glad she could get another job, considering how fucked up the economy is right now. And I'm glad she's in a better position.

There are days I really hate my job. Monday was one of them.

It seems management doesn't want any of the cashiers to place perishable items into any of the soda coolers up front. Basically, we now have to call the departments and pray to Primus that somebody comes up to get their shit.

Yeah, that doesn't often happen. I've lost count of how many times Frozen Foods has never shown up to get their crap.

Why do I have the feeling I'm going to be defecting out a lot more shit? Oh well. Whatever. I can't even give a shit anymore.

--Weasel, "Can we fast-forward to next June? Please?!"

That Was Fast...

The vid's been yanked. I hate to break it to them, but it's too damn late. The info is already out on the net. Let the speculation begin!

Major Spoiler!

If you don't want to know, do not click.

All I can say is: Waiting until next June is going to be pure torture.

The Doldrums

It's happened: I've hit the Doldrums. Again.

It seems to always happen at the end of summer, but I can't really call this a summer. It's been too damn cool (so cool, that I haven't hit the pool or lake at all), BotCon was early and we weren't able to hit WizardWorld Chicago.

It feels like I've done absolutely nothing this summer. And that feeling sucks.

--Weasel, "Well, there's always next June."

There Is No God

This proves it.

--Weasel, "Why, Leslie? WHY?!"

And This Week in Epic Fail....

The SCI FI Channel is ending Stargate Atlantis after five seasons, according to Gateworld.

First SG-1, now this. I don't even know if I have the heart to stick around and watch the up-coming spin-off Universe. I'm so disgusted with Sci Fi right now it's not funny. (I'm seriously considering waiting until Universe hits syndication to start watching. I'm also thinking I may want to get my Doctor Who fix from BBC America. Yes, I am that pissed right now.)

Way to go, Sci Fi. Seriously, way to fucking go.

Yet More Random Thoughts

It been a while since I last posted and since there's so much crammed in my brain, we'll have another round of

Random Thoughts

* Some of my co-workers are complete and total morons. One of the door greeters has made comments that she wants to date one of our cashier's sons. The problem? The greeter is 25 and the son in question is a grand total of 13! Somebody needs an icy cold shower! Then there's the cashier who doesn't think that John Edwards' affair wasn't so bad... because she cheated on her husband too! The reason. She thought her husband might be cheating on her. I can sum that up in one word: FAIL!

* While playing Pearl I finally got a shiny Elekid , which has been evolved into a shiny Electivire. His name's Bumblebee and I've been Attack EV training him like crazy.

* I'm already preparing for next BotCon... even though it's damn near a year away. I've bought a few new clothes (mostly slag on clearance) and I'm getting ready to pack my suitcase. The weird thing? I'm preparing for this as if we're going to be flying.... and I have no idea where the convention is even being held.

* School will be starting soon, so the summer is almost over. Hasn't really felt like summer; the temps have been rather cool this year.

* Brewers won their latest game against the Astros 5-2. Now, if only the Brew Crew can get to the Series this year.... (I'd probably shit myself. And have to go to at least one damn game.)

And that's pretty much it. Tune in next time when we explore even more completely Random Thoughts.

Perspective, People

More parents would rather have their kids watch porn or drink than play Grand Theft Auto.

I got nothing. Really. I don't think I can add anything else to this; it's just too damn mind numbingly stupid.

--Weasel, "Cause we all know that playing a video game is far, far worse!"

"Son, I'm a lot of things. A liar's not one of them."

So long, Uncle Bobby B. You'll be missed.

How I Really Feel About Brett Favre

This sums it up perfectly.

I See Where My Extra Cash is Going....

I can't argue with free shipping.

--Weasel, "I need this... as much I need oxygen."

A Test of My Metal Mettle

Power Bots Bumblebee finally showed up in my area/store yesterday. After calling Prime and hearing a "No, don't buy him yet" I squirreled one away for safe keeping.

Now you would think that knowing I have a brand new Bumblebee waiting for me would make this one of the best days ever. It didn't. In fact, it was one of the worst days ever. After dealing with so much stupidity it nearly made my head explode, I went back and retrieved my prize.

"Man, did I ever earn you today," I thought as I placed Bumblebee in my cart.
Then it hit me; I've always had to earn my Bumblebees. Nearly everyone of them came to me during a "bad time".

The first Bumblebee I ever purchased was a KMart Legends version, which was basically the Pretender sans the shell. I was 14, a freshman in high school and had just had a really shitty week. I had no friends and felt utterly lost and alone. And like an angel on high, I found this little Bumblebee. He's almost 20 years old now, beaten to hell and loved to death, but he's still with me. He's been through my parents' near divorce, my awkward high school years. and the hellish relationship with my ex; he was the only "stable" thing I had at those times.

My G2 Bumblebees have a bit of drama attached to them (yes, I got two; don't ask); I purchased them both while I was still "recovering" from the recent death of my grandfather. The year leading up to their purchase had not been a good one; it was one family crisis after another. Again, it was as if the universe itself said, "All right, you've had enough pain. It's time to make you feel a little bit better."

Then came my Actionmaster.
My Actionmaster Bumblebee was purchased online in May of 1998, right smack in the middle of what I affectionately call the Year of Hell. The Year of Hell was a span of time between October 30, 1997 and November 1, 1998 when I was going through the hideously long and painful process of breaking up with my ex. I had already hit rock bottom once when I bought the little guy; he would be treated to me having a full blown depressive fit in October of that year. Again, the fact that I had these Bumblebees, these little transforming robots, was the most stable thing in my life at that point. It seemed the world was crashing around me and the only things I had to hold onto were them.

Then came Goldbug.
Goldbug was the first "gift" I had ever received; Prime bought him for me at BotCon 1999. It was an unforgettable moment: I saw him and Prime asked if I had Goldbug. "No," I said. "I never had a chance to pick him up." Prime picked up the little Throttlebot, paid for him and I said rather enviously, "Now you give him a good home."

Prime smiled and said, "Oh, I will," as he handed Goldbug to me. I nearly fell over, then tackle/hugged him as a thank you.

I had pretty much been a bachelorette before then; I hadn't been dating for at least a year. Now suddenly I have a brand new Goldbug and not long after, a new (and better) relationship with a real man. And the trend hasn't stopped there.

So as I paid for my brand new Cyber Speed Bumblebee I realized; each Bumblebee I own is a part of my history. Each one is a little trophy, a small symbol of personal victory over the forces of stupidity in my life.

Guess he really is my guardian angel after all.

Well, that was fun...

Just tangled with ordering from Hasbro Toy Shop and Matty Collector (Mattel's new webstore). I've got one word: UGH.

HTS wasn't too bad, just a few random error messages. Matty was a nightmare; I tried placing my order for King Greyskull multiple times only to have the server crash or get weird-ass error messages. If it hadn't been for Prime giving me the customer service number for Mattel, we'd probably be screwed right now.

I have to go lay down. I have a killer migraine from all the bullshit today.

Pic from LOL BOTS.

Best. Day. EVER!

So my friend DA is now at the San Diego Comic-Con. I admit, I am jealous as all get-out. He's been calling me off and on the whole day to give me status reports, so when the phone rang about ten minutes ago, that's what I was expecting. We said hi, he told me to hang on, and I had no idea what would happen next.

The person who said hello had a distinctly British accent. My heart skipped at least three beats when I realized who it was.

It was Mark Ryan. I was speaking to Mark Ryan!

He asked if I had ever been to anything like SDCC and I told him that I really hadn't, the closest I had come was BotCon. He mentioned that DA had said I was a huge Bumblebee fan and I said that I most certainly was.

Poor Mr. Ryan. He said it sounded like I was hyperventilating and was afraid I might pass out! I told him I wouldn't. XD

It seems he didn't know he was going to be the voice of Bumblebee until he was contacted after the filming was over; basically they wanted his permission to use the lines he spoke for Bumblebee, but he couldn't remember doing any! They had to play a recording of him speaking the lines so he could actually remember them.

He said yes and thus became the voice of Bumblebee.

He said he hasn't been invited to a BotCon yet, but he would certainly go and "make a fool of himself" again. I said if he could stand the likes of me, it'd be great. He said he could.

I thanked Mr. Ryan profusely and told him it was an honor to speak to him. When DA picked the phone back up, I must have said about three hundred "Thanks" in under five seconds.

Poor Prime. When he gets home, he's going to wonder why I'm so hyper.
I'll be unbearable for the next three weeks, easy.

--Weasel, "This. Day. RAWKS!"

There Aren't Enough Expletives

Got a letter in the mail from the bank today. And apparently, I have to deal with some stupid bullshit concerning the car. Or rather, the title to said car.

According to the person at the bank, someone by the name of James A. Sr. is listed on the title to my car. And I have to get this dwink to sign off on the loan application for some odd ass reason.

There's just one teensy, tiny little problem here.
There is only one goddamned name on the title: MINE!
There is no James A Sr. on the fucking title, or living at my place of residence! I don't even know who in the hell James A. Sr. fucking is! So how in the hell am I going to get a signature from someone who doesn't frigging exist?

This isn't the first time I've had to deal with bullshit from this bank. I'm starting to think that this place might be run by a bunch of brain damaged chimps.

--Weasel, "That dent in my desk just keeps getting bigger and deeper thanks to all this crap."

So How Hard Should I Laugh?

You have seriously got to watch this.
I honestly don't know whether to laugh..... or fucking laugh hysterically.

Here's a message for you, my good man:

Would you like to solve, or do you need to buy a fucking vowel? Or a life?

Wonder If I'm on There...

Terrorist Watch List Hits One Million Names.
I can't help but wonder: If I'm on there, should I be honored or freaked the hell out? Just curious.

Nothing Important Happened Today...

Saw WALL*E last night. If you get a chance, I urge you to go. It's a great movie. Turned out to be the only really good thing that happened in the last 24 hours. I had been trying to get Prime to go since the commercials began airing, and he wasn't interested. Opening night came and he was still stuck in NO mode. My pestering obviously paid off. He liked it, and boy, did he fume about it. HA!!

Today wasn't a great day at work.
We've had firings. A massive outbreak of firings.

It seems that management has terminated quite a number of Overnight associates. Their reason is simple: It's just after inventory and we had "too many employees".

I also heard about two other firings; unfortunately, I knew these people.
One was an associate who worked in Electronics. It seems Dominic was fired because one of the managers found broken glass on shelving in his area and fired him for it. Helluva reason to get canned, I tell you.

Susie Q was the other. She was a cashier, but transferred to our Tire and Lube area. She was supposedly let go for backing a car out of the garage area and hitting a lightpole. The car was undamaged, so she didn't file an accident report. And management termed her for it. The problem is, this doesn't sound like her at all; she's a "safety first" type. I wish like hell I could get her side of the story, but I don't know if that will ever happen.

All this comes on the heels of one of our "Associate Involvement" meetings. These are meetings that the store manager has held to try and get associates involved in reducing the amount of turnover and improving store morale. I can tell you one thing: horseshit like this does nothing for employee morale. In fact, after a while, we just stop giving a shit.

And I quit giving a shit a very long ago.

Pic from GraphJam.

Sweat Builds Character, Calvin.

I'm hot, I'm sweaty and I'm in a bad mood.

I've worked 6 days straight, my two days off are split (I have to go in at 11 tomorrow morning so there's no real chance of me feeling rested), the bullshit dealing with the car has my nerves frayed, and it's so damned hot that Prime and I are sniping at each other.

I often wonder just how in the hell I stay sane between BotCons. Honestly, if it weren't for the convention I would have lost what little remains of my sanity.

And right now, there ain't a whole helluva lot of sanity left. We're hitting the reserve tanks as of this moment

"The month can only get better," is what I keep telling myself.
I pray I'm right.

Urge To Kill..... RISING!

Our new car (I call him Scamper) is now at the Saturn dealership. He wouldn't start last night and we think that the ignition switch might be locked up and/or gone.

I'm stressed (this whole week has been an utter shitpile) irritated and ready to blow a gasket.
And I miss my car.

--Weasel, thinking of joining the Prozac nation

"Close the Iris."

Don S. Davis has passed away at the age of 65.

It's all I can do not to cry right now.
So long, Hammond of Texas. We'll miss you.

My Nerves Just Can't Handle This Bullshit Anymore...

Just had a helluva downpour here. The wall seems fine but my nerves are damn near gone. As Prime put it, "This is a helluva thing to have to worry about."

I swear to God, just when I think life can't get anymore fucked up....


Pic from FAIL blog, depressive mood by the Weasel.

Oh Good Lord....

I'm watching the Weather Channel right now (it's the only channel that consistently doesn't suck) and what's our friggin' forecast? Fucking rain.

Yeah, there's some shit we don't need. Like we haven't had enough damn flooding around here!

I'm About to Fall Over Laughing Here....

Seriously this is funny shit, no pun intended.

San Francisco may name sewage treatment plant after Bush

Somehow, this fits his legacy. Perfectly.

Happy B-day, Little Blog!

It's been what, three years now? Doesn't seem all that long ago. But I digress.

With that out of the way, let's get to it shall we?

For the first time since it was built, I hit our local Steve & Barry's yesterday. This place may give Hot Topic a run for its money. Nice selection of shirts at very good prices; yeah, I could go crazy in a place like that, especially with the amount of Transformer shirts they have. Already bought a 2007 movie Autobots group shot tee. And don't get me started on the Camaro shirts. (Prime keeps saying "No" but it ain't sinkin' in too well. Sorry, big guy.)

It's been pretty quiet here for the past few days. Prime and I both have some time off this week; we were hoping to go to Wizard World Chicago but that didn't exactly materialize. But I'm not going to complain too much. I've been needing time away from work like you wouldn't believe.

Trust me, I've been enjoying the sleeping late and doing absolutely nothing. It's great.

--Weasel, "Though I really should do more for my blog. It's been three years and I still have the same template?! Sad."

All Quiet on the Home Front

"If only life were as simple as Evangelion."- as seen on a bumper sticker

Prime's mother believes the leak in our roof isn't from the roof per se; she thinks it's from the vent from our bathroom. Her belief is that it was raining hard enough to drive the water into the bathroom fan chimney, which could have a small leak somewhere and it dripped into our stairwell. Great. That means we're gonna have to have that bullshit looked at.

I hope it doesn't rain for the next three months.
We sure as hell don't need anymore right now.

Thanks for the Memories

Stan Winston died Monday.
He was responsible for scaring (and scarring!) the hell out of me when I was a teenager; I was 18 in 1993 when Jurassic Park was released. Those damned raptors seemed so real.... I had nightmares for months. Good times, I tell you.

Thanks, Mr. Winston. Your work was brilliant. You will be missed.

A Positive Sign, Perhaps?

Yesterday had to rank as one of the absolutely worst days I've had thus far this month. It just don't get any worse than this!

Managed to wake up with a headache that turned into a full-blown kick your ass migraine. I was popping two Tylenol every two hours to try and keep it under control. All that Tylenol didn't really do much good. And considering the amount of stupid I had to put up with, I'm really amazed that I didn't have a fucking stroke.

I got stuck on the cig lane, which I hate and had a woman who said she had purchased a 32" TV and a DVD/VCR combo. Supposedly, an associate from Electronics brought them up to the cig lane. So I checked. Couldn't find them. Looked at the Service Desk. Couldn't find them. I was getting pissed.... fast.

Then, we found them. They had been shoved behind the tobacco bullpen. Basically, the associate from Electronics had, for all intents and purposes, shoved them in a fucking blind spot.

This television was worth about $800. The DVD/VCR combo was about $75. Both of these items, left in a fucking blind spot without any supervision. Think about it: If a customer had decided "Hey, what the hell. I'll steal this shit!" they very well could have and no one would have been the fucking wiser! My migraine went from a 7 to a 12 on the Richter scale in about four seconds. I was not a happy Weasel. Add to this that my first break and lunch weren't just a little late, they were late by easily 45 minutes each and I was about ready to choke someone.

When I was finally done for the day, I did a little shopping to try and clear my pounding head. So as began I wandering the store with my cart, I took a quick detour through the Infants department.
I did a double take at what I saw.

We had some new bedding items, namely a throw and an "all in one" type toddler bedding set. Normally, I wouldn't really care. But yesterday I noticed the smiling face of Animated Bumblebee.
We have Animated bedding. And they feature Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

.....what was that about a migraine? Or a shitty day?

--Weasel, "I tell ya, the little so-and-so is either a huge jinx or my guardian angel. I'm still not sure which one he is!"

And We Just Keep Piling on the Bullshit

I've got a Disturbed song stuck in my head right now; it's the only thing that isn't driving me crazy.

This morning before going to work, we found a lovely little "present" under one of our car's windshield wipers--it was a fucking parking ticket for parking on the street from 2-5 am, which, so far as I know, is only something to worry about during the winter months, or maybe some retarded special event that we didn't know about. Ours wasn't the only vehicle that got one, Prime found, but it pissed us off something fierce. Prime wants to contest it. Me, I want to pay the goddamned thing, but in fucking pennies or something. You know, just to be a royal dick.

But wait! The day gets even fucking BETTER!

Prime got our mortgage bill in the mail. Sent along with, yet in separate envelopes (frickin' USPS can deliver these simultaneously, but the five CDs we Amazon'd all at once with Pepsi Stuff points shipped all on one day but arrived three on Monday and two on Thursday?) were a couple of idiot letters. Basically, one letter said "Since you've been late with your past payments and haven't paid the full amount, we're not going to accept partial payments from you." The other was a DUR HUR HUR WHATS A DUE DATE FAQ. There's a couple of fucking problems though--

A) We have not been late with any of our fucking payments,
and
B) we've paid the goddamned payments IN FUCKING FULL! WTF?!

Maybe a C), too. The pukes holding our mortgage sure like to waste postage. And paper.

Seriously, enough with the bullshit this month. I'm about ready to start tearing my hair out.... before I dye it black and go totally fucking emo. Black plastic butter knives and everything.

--Weasel, "I'm about three seconds away from using the PUNCH OF KILL EVERYTHING... on everything!"


Dunno where I got the pic, so I can't give proper cred. I really ought to start keeping track of that sort of thing, but I save so many dippy pics that 'strike my fancy', so to speak....

Maybe Things'll Change... Or Not

We actually had some sunshine today. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a trend.

We need dry weather. And we need it now. I hate to think what will happen around here if we get any more rain.

The roof seems fine, for now. Our area is relatively dry. I still don't want to think about what may happen if we get any more bad weather. I don't think the ground can take any more of this.

--Weasel, "A few weeks of sunshine would be great; starting.... oh, about NOW!"

Happy Suck Day

Apparently, I jumped the gun a little bit. Our roof hasn't really been fixed; that goddamned leak came back today. How do I know? We've had quite a bit of rain in the past few hours and I've had to drain the fucking water from the goddamned stairwell wall. Even worse, some of the water managed to leak into our basement.

I'm pissed, to say the least. But it gets better.

We're not going to make it to Wizard World Chicago due to lack of funds.

I want to cry. I literally want to curl up in bed, grab my Slumblebee and just start bawling for all the good it would do. Too much more of this shit and I swear to Primus I'll go emo. Where's my goddamned medicaion?!

Oh here we go....

--Weasel, "I'm not kidding either. Dye my hair black, the whole nine yards."

Unsure where exactly I got this pic. If I remember, I'll leave proper credit. I just felt it fit.

Thank Primus I was a Child of the 1980s

18 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

All Patched Up, More Or Less

It looks like our roofing troubles are pretty much over, Prime's mother helped him patch up a weak spot on our house. Considering what's happened in other parts of the state, we're pretty damn lucky: We have a house that hasn't been flooded out or washed away. So yeah, damn lucky as far as I'm concerned.

You watch, we'll have all this rain now and in two months we'll end up with a drought. No such thing as a happy medium.

--Weasel, "This sort of shit puts summer heatwaves in perspective."

Just Fuckin' Peachy

So I was heading downstairs to do some laundry when I noticed a few small droplets of water on the wall in the top stairwell. Startled, I gently pushed against the wall which was bulging outward just ever so slightly. Those few tiny droplets turned into a small stream. Needles to say, I freaked.

I yelled for Prime. He came out and began mopping the wall with a towel. The droplets seem to have stopped, for now at least.

It appears we may have a leak in our roof, which is trickling into our hallway. Fuck. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry or scream.

--Weasel, "I swear to Primus, the universe hates me. It really fuckin' does."

Cosmic Rust: The Return

It's been a rather odd week. And that's putting it mildly.

* I ran into yet another one of my former co-workers the other day. It seems "Molly" is no longer working for the Hellhole either. She went on a leave of absence not terribly long ago and when she came back, she only worked for a day.
The management at the Hellhole said they had no hours for her. She should call back the next day. She did and was told she needed to call back in a week. So she did..... and was told to call back in another week. Molly said "I quit" right then and there.
She now has a better job. I wish her the best.

* For the first time in many years, I'm actually making a Ca$hma$ list.
The thing is, everything I'm asking for is "practical". In other words, it's all stuff I can use at BotCon. Prime thinks I'm slightly cracked doing this, but I'd rather spend my money in the dealer room at BotCon than on this stuff. The less I have to buy, the better for our finances at the 'Con.

* We're almost done with the Movie line and caught up with Animated right now. It may be a while before my next hit.

* Wizard World Chicago is coming up. I'm hoping that Prime and I will go, if only for a day. I really need to nerd it up a bit.

* After a really long cold winter and not-so-great spring, we've hit summer. Prime may need to put the AC unit in our bedroom window and soon.

* I've been trying to get myself over to Steve and Barry's, but with no luck. Supposedly they have some new TF shirts and I'd like to see if they have anything I'd wear.

* I'm almost done with my BotCon laundry. All I have to do is start packing and I'll be ready for next year... whenever that is.

* Still soft resetting for a shiny Darkrai. Wish me luck.

* We may sell our old car Curbjumper to Prime's brother Claymore. May he get some use out it.

And that's really everything in a nutshell. Join us next time for even more random bullshit!

--Weasel, "Signing off yet again."

At Last!

Transformers: Animated has arrived in force in my area.
I've gotten another Bumblebee fix.
Life is good again.

--Weasel, "I admit it; I need my plastic crack."

SNAFU Redux

Yesterday I was on the GM self checks when I saw a former co-worker; I'll call her "Andrea". She was out shopping with her mother and just happened to stop at my store. I asked how she was doing and she said "Fine." I then asked her if she was still at the old hellhole.

She said no.

Apparently, Andrea was fired. By S.

It seems Andrea had to take a trip to the emergency room (as for what reason, she didn't say), but managed to get a doctor's excuse for the visit. Now, that doctor's note should have been enough to spare Andrea any work-related grief.

Yet it didn't.
Why?
Because S is a woman who lacks even the most basic forms of compassion.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to chat with Andrea as much as I'd have liked; she had to leave and I was on the clock. As she left, I wished her good luck. She said she would stop by again. When Andrea left, I couldn't help but shake my head.

Nothing's changed.
My old place of employment is still a fucking hellhole. S is still a heartless bitch.
Yep, I miss my old store, all right.


Actual picture of yours truly when I left my previous workplace on the last day before my transfer. Scary, isn't it?

....But Among My Own Kind, I'm Considered Normal...

It's been over a month since BotCon and it's starting to set in pretty heavily:

I'm experiencing Post Ecstatic BotCon Syndrome or PEBS for short. It's that whole period when I "come down from the high" so to speak and the cold hard reality sets in; the reality being that I'll have to wait at least another year for the next convention.

I really don't know if I can wait that long. It's going to drive me crazy.

Thankfully, I'm not the only one suffering form withdrawal. Maybe I should start up a damned support group or something. Like a " Robot-Loving Nerds in Recovery" type group.

--Weasel, "Primus, I really miss my friends."

Oh For the Love of Fuck....!!!

Seriously, you have got to read this. If your head doesn't explode with the rampant stupidity, you are a better person than I am.

Fuck it. Each and every time I fly, I am wearing my Barricade shirt. "To punish and enslave" indeed.

--Weasel, "So much stupidity..... my brain's gonna explode here!"

Found via The Allspark.

It's All Fun and Games Until Your Favorite Character Gets (Repeatedly) Screwed... Then It's Just Bullshit

It's not really a newsworthy item by now: IDW has landed the license to publish GI Joe. Now, I'm not really sure how Prime feels about this development (he's been reading the Devil's Due Joe stuff) but I know how I feel about it.

I'm praying to Primus that IDW won't do another Joe/Transformers crossover. Seriously, I've had enough of it. If they don't do a crossover, I'll probably throw a damn party.

Okay, I'll admit that was pretty harsh. But to be fair, I've gotten really cynical when it comes to the idea of crossovers. Remember, I'm a Bumblebee fan and the whole crossover thing hasn't been too kind to him. And that's putting it in the gentlest terms I know.

The first crossover was in the Marvel continuity, since Marvel published both titles. The first issue had members of GI Joe rewarding Bumblebee's sweet and heroic nature (he saved the life of a young boy) by blowing the living shit out of him. Just seeing the cover to the first issue makes me want to puke. (Prime loves to shove that in my face just to be a turd sometimes. He's gotten a few smacks upside the head for it, trust me.) Sure, he got rebuilt as Goldbug but the fact remains that GI Joe nearly killed my favorite Autobot. The seeds of mistrust were planted pretty early, as you can see.

When Dreamwave got the license, back in 2001, they eventually did a crossover as well. Now, I can't really say that Bumblebee was the only one screwed in that universe: everyone except Starscream died. And I mean that, everyone. As to whether or not this would be permanent, we'll never know; Dreamwave went bust shortly after the publication of the first issue of their second volume of the crossover.

Then came Devil's Due. Devil's Due was the one that broke me. Completely and totally broke me.

Now, I enjoyed the first two volumes of the story; it was a damn good read. I actually had some hope that maybe this time, it would be different. Maybe, just maybe, Bumblebee would go through this story arc and everything would be okay.

Not so.

In the third volume of the series, Bumblebee was killed. Not injured and rebuilt, not "cartoon dead", but dead dead. The reason? Well, you can read for yourself:

CNI: Is Bumblebee dead for good, or will he be brought back to life? Maybe even as Goldbug?

Tim: In my mind, Bumblebee has passed on to Spark Heaven. That's one thing I wanted to do in Art of War; show that even for the TFs war has consequences. It always seemed to me that it was too easy for them. Any one of them could easily be brought back to life or rebuilt. That seemed to take away from what made them special...they aren't just mass-produced living toasters. They're individuals, and they have to cherish their lives as much as we do. Who better to portray that point than the Autobot who seemed to get the most joy out of life?

You can read the entire interview here. And I'll restrain myself (for once) and not make a snarky comment.

There was a fourth volume to the series. To this day, I have refused to read it. In fact, I pretty much stay away from comics in general now. Why get so invested in a story when the very reason you read them is taken away?

So IDW, I am begging you: no more Joe/TF crossovers PLEASE. I can't deal with them anymore. I've already seen my favorite character get blown to bits once and die twice. Primus only knows how well I'll handle a fourth go 'round. So let's not have a fourth go 'round, 'kay?

--Weasel, "And people wonder why I'm so damn cynical when it comes to comic books."

Well, I See Where My Stimulus Check is Going....

It'll probably be going here and here. Not to mention here, when it's back in stock. And that's if this isn't out first.

Primus, I am truly sad.

--Weasel, "I'm stimulating the economy alright..... but for the wrong damn planet."

New Shirts!

My new Bumblebee shirts arrived today! Whee!
Now the question is which one will I wear to BotCon next year? ('Cause I'm totally wearing one...)

--Weasel, "So..... much.... cute....!

But I Can't Even Draw a Straight Freakin' Line!

Like this'll help my lack of artistic ability.
However, if I can pull it off, I'll be sketching Bumblebee on a regular basis. Prime'll get sick of that real quick.

Found on The Allspark.

Okay, This Made Me Cry

Go. Read. Watch. You'll probably cry a bit too.

Found via The Culture Ghost.

What the Hell have I gotten Myself Into?!

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants"-- as seen on a bumper sticker

Let me go ahead and set the record straight: every time I've tried to grow anything, it dies. Every single time. It's as if they take one look at me, fold their leaves over and say, "Fuck it. I refuse to live for you."

Well, three weeks ago Prime was jonesing for pasta. So to perk up the sauce, I put in a little bit of fresh garlic. One of the cloves had a sprout. For shits and giggles, I put the thing in pot and watered it. "Okay, you little bastard," I thought. "If you wanna live, live. You die on me, no biggie."

As of this moment, that little sprout has at least quadrupled in length. The little fucker is thriving, to the point where I'm going to have to re-pot it.

Just what in the hell have I gotten myself into? I have no clue how to take care of a garlic plant! What the hell was I thinking?!

The next few weeks are going to be interesting, to say the least.

--Weasel, "I do not fucking believe this. Now what the hell do I do?!"

The Random Thoughts.... They Never Stop!

Trying to get back into the groove here, so here goes.

It's Random Thought time once again!

* Trying to get back to "The Real World" after BotCon blows. Chunks.

*We've hired a shitload of new cashiers at my store. I have no idea how long any of them will last.

* Been trying to catch both Rotom and Uxie on my Pearl game, but I've had little success. See, I want them shiny, which means an assload of soft resetting until they pop up in shiny colors. It is slowing driving me insane, but not as insane as I'll be trying to track down Mesprit and Cresselia, as they like to run.

* Had a "Nerd's Night Out" with Prime and a couple of my friends about two weeks ago. It was great fun. I hope to do it again sometime.

* I hope to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this Thursday. I can hardly wait.

* I still suck (more or less) at chaining. Today's a Beldum swarm. Considering their location, I don't even know if I'll try for them.

* Still trying to get back into my "pack a year ahead of schedule" habit. Most of my BotCon laundry is done, I just have a few things I need to wash and let dry, then pack. Yes, I am a geek without a life.

* I hope to get a few of my videos off my SD cards and upload them here, so my readership can have a good long laugh at my lack of a life.

And that's about it. I'll be back next time with even more brain droppings for you to peruse. (Nice image, I know.)

Until then, this is:

--Weasel, signing off.

I'm Still Here

Well, sorta.

I've been trying to get back to normal so to speak but it hasn't been easy. But then again, readjusting to the "real world" never is an easy task. I hope to finish up one of my last BotCon posts by the end of the week and I also hope to have my laundry done and repacked: I plan on going back to my old "pack a year in advance" ways.

It's going to be a long 15+ months.

--Weasel, "Life amongst the normal people is just so bland and, dare I say it? Boring."

And Yet Another Update

Friday was the first full day of the convention and what a day it was!

We had a helluva of a wake up call in the morning; some dry wall dust pissed off something in the hotel and set off the fire alarm. After that was taken care of, me and Prime headed out to the convention center to take in a few panels and the private dealer room experience.

We walked in on the last few moments of the IDW panel, which looked interesting enough to make me want to take it in on Saturday. We sat in and listened to the Cartoon Network guys and caught the VA panel. After that was said and done, DA and I hit a local mall for food. I haven't had Chik-Fil-A in years.

After eating, the dealer room was open and there were rare finds to be had. I managed to get my grubby little mits on a pair of Bumblebee hats from Stylin Online, got a pair of Japanese Bumblebees (Bumbles) from Fumihiko Akiyama's table (I think it was Azusa who helped me; I thank him profusely!) a few more Bumblebee candy decoys (I swear to Primus, I will get a full set!) a few Microns here, etc. So yeah, me and the Prime unit spent an assload of money. And true story: When I went to drop our haul in Scamper, I actually saw Bumper Robinson in the hallway... and managed to stutter a "hello"! (I seriously need to get his autograph!)

After stashing our plastic crack, I had to search around for the Prime unit, finally met back up with him and wandered around the dealer room. When it closed for the day, we waited by the panel rooms to take in the Faction Feud game show which started at 7 PM. Quite a few of the questions Prime sent in were actually used during the game. Holy shit, he can pull out some obscure slag! After the TF Wiki team won (again!), we were treated to the Transformers Film Fest. I have never laughed so hard in my life.

The First film was My Little Transformer: Sector 7. I don't want to give it away, but the feeling of Schadenfreude while watching this film... AWESOME! Film number two was called M.I.S.B., which dealt with a collector playing with his mint in sealed box toys. It was cute at times, if a little groan worthy. Third film up was simply titled TFMVHell. To put it in a nutshell, think of all the anime AMVs you've seen, only done comically and with Transformers. I laughed so hard at times my damn cheeks hurt. Fourth and final (they didn't get a whole lot of entries apparently) was Bumblebee Goes to School. It was rather cute as well. After viewing all the entries, we the Transfans voted: My Little Transformer took it. It probably helped that I was screaming my damn fool head off. XD

Once the winner was announced, we got a special treat. We were allowed to watch an unaired and upcoming episode of Transformers: Animated. We had two choices- episode 20 "Garbage In, Garbage Out" or episode 26 "Black Friday". The winner was "Garbage In, Garbage Out" for very obvious reasons, namely Wreck-Gar and Weird Al. Again, this was pure unadulterated awesome, which I will not spoil.

All in all, it was a great day. Tomorrow will be a lot better, I'm sure.

--Weasel, "I haven't felt this good in months."

Small Update

DA has arrived.
The festivities shall begin shortly.

--Weasel, "Maybe we should stay at Ramada more often. This business center kicks much ass."

A (Semi) Live Update

As of right this moment, I am blogging from the Cincy Ramada where Prime and I are staying for BotCon 2008. The hotel's nice enough, yesterday was an assload of fun but Tuesday.... well, it was hell.

On our Tuesday road trip from Milwaukee to Cincinnati we hit a shitload of road construction in Illinois and some in Indiana. Worse yet, due to road debris I am out a fucking front windshield. Scamper took a hit to the front passenger side by what we assume was a piece of gravel or a pebble. We're still not entirely sure.

Did I mention that this was my new car? The one I fucking love? No, guess I didn't.
Did I mention I was in tears because of this? I'm serious; I fucking love that car.
So yeah, Tuesday sucked massive balls. And the following things have earned a grade of FAIL:

Illinois Road Construction
Illinois Toll Roads
Ooms Bros. Trucks
I-65S
and last but certainly not least
MapQuest.

YOU ALL FAIL!

Wednesday however, kicked much in the way of ass. I took the fun tour while Prime took the customizing class; I played Lazer tag, toured Jungle Jim's and got to see the Earth Toy Mall while he built a "Shattered Glass" version of Nightbeat. Yes, there was much fun to be had. After that was all said and done, we hung out with Shawn (who snagged me an Animated Bumblebee; you totally rock!), Stogey and Puffy, had some pizza and watched Doctor Who. It was an awesome nerd experience, which I really needed. Thanks, guys. :)

Today's an "off" day for us; neither one of us has any activities planned for the day (save for Scamper's windshield repair, which has been taken care of BTW) so we're hanging here at the hotel, waiting for our friend DA to arrive.

Our start was a bit dicey, but now things are a-rockin'. I can actually say I'm in the BotCon spirit, so to speak.

--Weasel, "Road debris is ass. It can really fuck up your vacation plans. Trust me."

Zero Hour

Well, today's the day.
I honestly don't know when the next update will be, but I'm hoping soon. Maybe next Tuesday if I'm not too terribly exhausted. So until then, you're going to have to find other ways to amuse yourself. ;)

--Weasel, "Next stop, BotCon!"

Counting Down the Hours

I'm taking a short break right now; Prime's clothes are drying and I'm getting ready to eat a late lunch/early dinner. I've been packed up and ready to go for the last couple of days; I just need to help Prime get packed and ready.

We'll be taking in a Brewers game tomorrow (go Brew Crew!). Tuesday morning, we'll be heading to Ohio.

I've had butterflies in my stomach for the past week.

I'll be meeting voice actors, getting stuff autographed, attending panels and acting like a total geek.

It's gonna be great.

--Weasel, "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. This BotCon is gonna RAWK!"

The Countdown Begins

Cleaned out the cooler, did some laundry and I hope to pack my suitcase tonight.
It's not long now.
BotCon, here I come!

--Weasel, "You have no idea how badly I need this. Seriously."

And Oddly Enough, I'm Not Upset...

So this past Saturday, Prime and I were supposed to be heading to Peoria, IL to hit an auto show. The reason? One of the Bumblebee Concept Cameros was to make an appearance there. Well, the day before we were to leave, Prime insisted that I should call the organizers of the show and make doubly sure that he would be there. So I did.
And I got a nice, swift kick to the gut: Bumblebee's appearance had been cancelled.

I called Prime, so upset I could barely speak. Somehow I managed to tell him the news.

"They didn't give a reason?"

"No," I mumbled feeling miserable. Then we were quiet. After a moment, Prime spoke again.

"You know exactly why they had to cancel," he said. "Think about it."

That's when it hit me. "He's on the move," I gasped. "He's on the move!" And I smiled.

Three of the Saleen Police Mustangs that are Barricade have been spotted in transit. There have also been sightings of the Ratchet Hummer, the Ironhide GMC Topkick and the Optimus Prime Peterbilt. They've been heading off, getting ready for filming of the sequel. The only one who has not yet been spotted was Bumblebee.

"Doesn't hurt so badly now, does it?" Prime said. I agreed.

Am I disappointed I didn't get to see Bumblebee? Yes. But strangely enough, I'm not upset. Heck, when I think about it, I actually start smiling. This is more important than a public appearance. I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer.

--Weasel, "My chance will come. I can feel it."

New Car Smell

Went in for a car loan today.... and got it.
Just bought Prime's mother's used Saturn.

........

Yeah, I'm still a bit freaked out about this.

--Weasel, "This is freaking me out. Seriously."

Somebody Shoot Me Now......

I wake up with a scratchy throat and feverish eyes. Annoying, right?
DairyCon is in a few days.

I do not want ot be sick during DairyCon! I want to fucking enjoy it!

--Weasel, "Life just loves kicking me in the nuts.... even though I don't have any..."

Well, I Was in a Better Mood...

I was hoping to make a nice, pleasant post. You know, one that didn't involve me bitchng and whining.

Well, that ain't gonna happen. Or so it seems.

I saw one of my fellow cashiers today. His name's Robert and you could easily say that he's a ninth level nerd: he has a D&D group, writes science fiction/fantasy stories, and plans on watching all the Star Trek movies with his girlfriend..... once they're done with Babylon 5. Needless to say, we get along famously; we talk nerdspeak in the breakroom quite a bit.

Today, Robert told me, he's quitting. The reason? He got written up for excessive absences. He was out four times. Each time, it was due to personal illness. So, in other words, he got disciplined for being sick.

The co-manager who was with him said he had no clue what to tell Robert to type in the "Actions Associate can take in regards to this matter". What the fuck can you type? "I won't fucking get sick you pack of brain dead shit eating assholes"?

He's putting in applications to other places. He'll be giving notice soon.

Economists have been saying that the US is not losing jobs, we're just switching to a different economy, one that has more service oriented jobs.

In other words, we'll all be working at Wal-Mart, smiling happily, hoping to Christ we don't get sick so we can keep our miserable piece of shit jobs.

The United States is fucked.

--Weasel, "And my wonderful mood just went straight done the shitter."

And Now I Feel Like Ass....

Throat's sore and I've been coughing a bit. Yeah, I think I finally caught the crap Prime had. The Universe isn't done kicking my ass around.

--Weasel, "Fuck this shit. Let's go directly to April, do not pass go, do not collect $200."

The Universe Hates Me... And the Feeling is Mutual Right Now

I have said numerous times that my luck sucks ass. Prime has said that I'm full of shit; his is worse.

Today, I now have the dubious honor of being proven right. In this case, I really wish I to hell was wrong.

I'm sure you remember the bullshit I went through earlier this week. This was on top of Prime being sick (I think he had the exact same thing that mine Liege suffered from) and the money crunch we went through last week. I honestly thought the universe couldn't shit on me any more.

I was wrong. Very, very wrong.

This weekend, there was a car show in Green Bay; World of Wheels, it's called. I heard about a few of the big draws: the General Lee, a real-life replica of Tow Mater from Cars and James Best, who was Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard.

I had no idea who else was there. A co-worker told me today who else was at that car show (I almost wish she hadn't): a certain yellow Concept Camaro that had a small role in a little film that released in July of last year.


Bumblebee.
Bumblebee made an appearance in Green Bay. And I had absolutely no clue.

Needless to say, I'm pissed beyond all words that could possibly be used in the entire English language. If I had known, I sure as hell wouldn't have been working this weekend and my ass would have spent two days in Green Bay, filling one of my camera's SD cards with pictures of my favorite Autobot. Instead, I find out about his appearance on the last damned day of the show, with no possible way of getting there in time to see him. Talk about the final kick in the goddamned teeth.

If there're gods, each and every fuckin' one of 'em are laughing at me right now. Pricks.

On the brighter side, I have another chance coming in April, one I had at least already planned for several months ago. The Camaro is scheduled to make an appearance at a show in Peoria, IL. Come hell or high water, I will be there. I don't care if I have to eBay a kidney or sell blood plasma. It will happen.

--Weasel, "Why? Why, Primus, WHY?!"

As If Life Doesn't Suck Enough....

Ever gotten a "Dear John" letter from a credit card company? You know what I'm talking about; it's like a breakup letter but a helluva lot worse.

Well, I got one of those lovely "Dear John" letters today.

BotCon happens in the latter part of April, less than two months away, and now one of fucking credit cards is fucking dead.

Prime ripped it open and read it. I'm really glad I didn't because I've been in a funk all fucking night. We have practically no time until BotCon and one of goddamned cards is totally useless. I just want to cry.

But today didn't totally suck ass: Prime found a Rally Rocket Bumblebee at my Wal-Mart and we managed to grab some TF movie merchandise, mostly t-shirts. It helped perk my mood a bit (one of those shirts was a BB shirt) but I'm still pretty pissed off. Like "I wanna go on a fucking rampage" pissed off.

Yeah, kinda like that.
Pic stolen from here.

And Here I Thought "Madison" and "America" Were Bad...

The Ten Worst Baby Names of 2007.
Go. Read. Shake your head and wonder, "What the fuck?"

Link from here.

The Big List 'O Bigots

Okay, so why am I not on that list? I demand a recount!

Linkage found here.

--Weasel, "Hey, I'd be in great company: Being listed with Mitch Albom and the X-Men might help my writing career or my nerd cred."

Farewell, Dungeon Master

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, has died.

I have a lot of fond memories of playing D&D with my friends back in my high school and college days. All I can say is thanks for the memories, Gary. You'll be missed.

Fuck Humanity

What a great species we are:
Marines Investigate Puppy-Throwing Video.

Seriously, fuck humanity. I want off of this miserable rock. Now.

Link from The Culture Ghost.

My Heart Bleeds.... Oh Wait, It DOESN'T

Can someone explain to me why in the hell the Supreme Court is worried for Exxon? Yes, that Exxon, the one who fucked up royally in Alaska damn near twenty years ago and made $40 billion in 2006. It wouldn't be because the sorry bastards might actually have to own up and pay for the goddamned mistake they made in 1989, now would it?

.........

Hey Exxon? Do the right fucking thing for one and PAY THE GODDAMNED MONEY YOU FUCKING OWE!! You fucked up, now own up to that and take some fucking responsibility for once. Stop dragging your damned feet, grow up and take it like a fucking adult.

--Weasel, "It's been almost 20 years. These fuckers ought to owe Alaska a shitload of interest and fucking penalty fees."

How I Really Feel About the Academy Awards

Seriously, who gives a piss?

The dream started as all dreams do, a myriad of incoherent images tumbling about my mind. But then my mind focused on one image in particular: the image of a car...

He was a yellow Camaro, and an older model. '74? '76? Under the thick patina of road dirt which further dulled his faded paint, it was almost impossible to tell. He was alone and wandering and looking for something, something that was important to him.

And he had been looking for a very long time. But he refused to stop now. That something was just too important. He needed to find it.

I was looking, too. I was looking for him. And I was looking for that something.

By the time we had met, he had changed his form; he was still a Camaro, still yellow, but he had upgraded. He was now a 2010 model.

But I still knew him the moment I saw him. We said nothing; he opened his driver's side door and I simply got in. We were together now, searching for that something, that ever important something, utterly unknown but so overwhelming.

And so we traveled, down lonely highways and empty interstates, through towns and cities. That something hung over us, but it wasn't as important now; we knew together we would find it.

It was growing late, the sun was setting and stars were beginning to appear in the sky. We slipped past a desert cliff and I stared in wonder at the bright, silvery stars and shimmering clouds, and noticed how it all looked "more real than real".

And I realized that I should be afraid. I had seen things like this before. In the past they had terrified me. But I wasn't afraid. He was with me and I had no reason to fear.

His radio popped on and a song began to play. I felt happy. I felt at peace. Everything was fine. Nothing bad could ever happen to me here.

Ventura Highway in the sunshine

Where the days are longer

The nights are stronger than moonshine

You're gonna go I know

The shrill squawk of the alarm shattered it. The dream was gone, over. I couldn't go back, no matter how hard I tried. "No. I wanna go back. I was with Bumblebee,"I mumbled as I rolled over. But it was gone.

That was Wednesday morning. I can still remember that dream clearly. Usually my dreams fade away the moment I'm awake. This one hasn't.

Usually my dreams are incoherent. This one was clear.

And usually, when I see things that are "more real than real" in my dreams, I am fearful. I don't want to look at them; I want to look away. But this time was different. I wasn't afraid.

Perhaps it was just a dream. Perhaps it was something more. I'll likely never know.

I just wish I could go back. It felt safe there.

Well, That's Not Prime!

I'd like to take a moment and send a cyber "Get well soon" message to Garry Chalk, who was injured in a fall on February 5th.

"It's not going to be a freaking picnic, Garry is a force to contend with if you try to keep him down."

Get better soon, Bigbot.

For Prime

Happy Valentine's Day.

:facepalm:

What the hell is wrong with KansASS?

The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.

Um, I'd like to see you guys tell those boys' mothers that.
Wow. Seriously, WOW.

"We view officials not as male or female, Hispanic or African-American or Asian-American. We view officials as officials," Musselman said. "Discrimination against our officials is something we can't be party to."

Treating people as people. Huh, what an amazing concept.

Link found at AMERICAblog.