Friday, February 16, 2007

LOST - Tabula Rasa (Joe Purdy - Wash Away)

Remember this song from Lost?

Joe Purdy has many more wonderful songs - check him out.
Damien Rice: 'Cannonball'

I got turned on to Damien Rice when I searched out "Delicate" when it played on Lost. The man is brilliant.

Give him a listen, it's worth your time.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Technically speaking....

Some of you might have wondered what's up with the neighbors. So here's a brief update.

The daughter and her 3 youngest did move out. She left her oldest son in a psych hospital and the next oldest son with her brother. She moved to Chicago with the new BF but was seen a couple months ago, back in the area and had visited her son in the hospital. I knew it wouldn't last long living with the new BF's Mother. There has been legal maneuvering and she cannot sign her son out of the psych ward. Best thing for those two boys was her leaving, without her, they have a chance. I pity the 3 she still has custody of.

I recently found out that she left her mother with $30k of hidden debt, it continues to grow as more is found out. All has been very quiet next door with them gone. It's peaceful. I haven't posted a video of me dancing a jig because, technically - Grandma's still there. Although she has stated that she'd never let her daughter and grandchildren move back in, you cannot believe a word out of any of their mouths. The only guarantee will be when Grandma leaves.

Grandma's plan is to fix up the place and try to sell it and move into a retirement home. My guess is, she'll move in with her son. It's only been since the skanky daughter left that a different son has been by to visit. A son I never knew she had, a son who didn't want to subject himself to his psycho sister. If Grandma can't sell the place then she'll let the bank take it. She has cleaned it up considerably inside and out. There's still a long way to go, but I'm not going to complain.

I still plan to dance a jig when she's gone and there will be video involved!

12 hours and counting

I just hope I can stay awake until 11!

I hate the fact that they've moved Lost to the 10 - 11PM time slot. It's tough when to stay up that late when the alarm goes off at 5:15AM! I shoulda taken the DVR off when I got Direct TV.

I swear I'm a weirdo magnet. I put up a MySpace profile only so I could read Nathan Fillion's MySpace blog (and be added as a friend). I'm a big fan of Firefly and Serenity, thought Slither was a hoot "I am Bill Pardy". The guy has a great sense of humor and he's a fun read. Anyway, back to the weirdo magnet. I've gotten a few "be my friend" thingies. I'm not a MYSpace enthusiast by any means. This morning I got an E-mail from a man in the Carolina's. He's all "sweetness" & "hun", which doesn't bother me like it does some. It's that Southern charm and meant as terms of endearment. BUT, and this is a big one, would you be talking about relocating to be with someone you'd had 1 e-mail and a few lines of instant messages with?

Case in point:

and i am a single parent without a wife for i have being divorce with my ex wife for over 5,years.
Right now i am really in search of a faithly woman who will love me for who i am not what what i am and i must let you know that i am a very preservative person who is willing to do anything for the one i love and that is where you comes in with this question are you really trustfull?.

I am an intelligent,determined,sensual,no game playing man who hopes to meet someone someday who can respect that. I love to either go out to dinner,movies,sometimes the club or stay home and make dinner,cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. I am quite easy to get along with. What I want is to meet someone and build on a friendship,

Sharfa: I'm the same, but I should tell you up front that I am not looking for a romantic relationship right now. I haven't dated in 4 1/2 years. Right now I need to make sure my kid makes it to 18 so I can boot his butt out and he can see what the real world is like. My father also has stage IV lung cancer and that is taking up a lot of my emotional time right now

weirdo: ohh ic

weirdo: but we can build that up together i mean by taking good care of ur kids

weirdo:if that works then get to know them inside and out,be able to hold a conversation from anything to everything. To have no expectations and just "flow" w/ each other. Do you know what I mean? I feel like so many people expect one thing or another and that puts to many pressures on the other person. I do not pretend or play games, I am me,honest and very open minded about how I feel and what I think. No lieing,nothing to cover up, just be real. I go after what I want,in every aspect of my life. So,if this interests you..let me know.


Sharfa: That's not unreasonable and I have the same viewpoint, lifes too short. But, you come on way too strong way too early. You don't know me from a hole in the wall.

weirdo: I want someone who wants to spend time with me because he enjoys my company, not because she thinks she has to in order to achieve some goal. I want someone who will be committed, loving, trustworthy, and devoted.and i dont mind relocating to where you are just to show how much i want you or care about you

Holy crap! Does this speak desperation to you? The guy lives in South Carolina, I live in MA (thank the Goddess!)

I haven't even had my coffee yet, it's too early for this shit.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Friday, February 02, 2007

From the "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Files

Jesus is gonna be pissed.


NFL won't let church show game



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The NFL has nixed a church's plans to use a wall projector to show the Colts-Bears Super Bowl game, saying it would violate copyright laws.

NFL officials spotted a promotion of Fall Creek Baptist Church's "Super Bowl Bash" on the church Web site last week and overnighted a letter to the pastor demanding the party be canceled, the church said.

Initially, the league objected to the church's plan to charge a fee to attend and that the church used the license-protected words "Super Bowl" in its promotions.

Pastor John D. Newland said he told the NFL his church would not charge anyone and that it would drop the use of the forbidden words.

But the NFL objected to the church's plans to use a projector to show the game, saying the law limits it to one TV no bigger than 55 inches.

The church will likely abandon its plans to host a Super Bowl party.

"We want to be supportive of our local team," Newland said. "For us to have all our congregation huddled around a TV that is big enough only for 10 or 12 people to watch just makes little sense."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league's long-standing policy is to ban "mass out-of-home viewing" of the Super Bowl. An exception is made for sports bars and other businesses that show televised sports as a part of their everyday operations.

"We have contracts with our (TV) networks to provide free over-the-air television for people at home," Aiello said. "The network economics are based on television ratings and at-home viewing. Out-of-home viewing is not measured by Nielsen."

It is also the reason no mass viewings are planned in large arenas like the RCA Dome or Conseco Fieldhouse.

Newland said his church won't break the law.

"It just frustrates me that most of the places where crowds are going to gather to watch this game are going to be places that are filled with alcohol and other things that are inappropriate for children," Newland said. "We tried to provide an alternative to that and were shut down."

Other Indiana churches said they are deciding whether they should go through with their Super Bowl party plans, given the NFL's stance.



I, for one, will not be watching the game Sunday.
Ass hats.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

A Step in the Right Direction

I'm not against Greyhound racing in general. Greyhounds love to run, it's what they are bred for. I practically see Julieta smile when she lets loose in the yard. She makes me dizzy, as she blurs past me in figure eights, growling a "You can't catch me" each time she passes closest to me. What I am opposed to is the neglect and cruelty that goes along with treating an animal as a commodity and not a living thing.

In my opinion, these noble, gentle, loving creatures deserve better than that. The article below brings awareness of their living conditions and I hope, at the very least, helps to improve conditions and treatment. Julieta came to me from the Seabrook Track's REGAP program.



From the Union Leader

Bill could shut down NH greyhound tracks

By JOHN DISTASO
Senior Political Reporter
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007

Six lawmakers and a nationwide nonprofit group want to shut down New Hampshire's greyhound racing industry by 2009, citing poor kennel conditions and more than 100 serious or life-ending injuries in the past two years at the state's three tracks.

The "Dog Protection Act" sponsored by Rep. Peter Schmidt, D-Dover, Sen. Sheila Roberge, R-Bedford, and four other lawmakers would effectively force the closure of Seabrook Greyhound, Hinsdale Raceway and The Lodge at Belmont (formerly Lakes Region Greyhound Park).

Proponents say they have collected what they consider shocking photographs of kennel conditions at the state tracks from the state Pari-Mutuel Commission and have compiled injury reports filed at the commission.

They say reports for 2005 and 2006 show 716 injuries with 22 percent, or 157, deemed "career or life-ending."

A key industry leader accused the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Grey2KUSA, which is promoting the bill on its Web site, of twisting statistics and other materials to suit its animal rights agenda.

"This is our livelihood and the livelihood of over 100 employees, and we will certainly fight this," said Joseph Sullivan, Hinsdale Raceway president.

He said his track runs 15 races a day, 52 weeks a year with at least eight dogs per race.

"We're talking about 11,000 or 12,000 dogs racing here over the course of a year and if you take the number of injuries reported, that's a small percentage," he said.

Editor's note: Sullivan today clarified the preceding statement. He said the state’s tracks have have 500 to 1,000 dogs apiece, with each dog racing every few days. He said Hinsdale holds 15 daily races year-round, with at least eight dogs in each race, adding up to 11,000 to 12,000 race “starts” annually, Sullivan said. The track’s injury rate is three per 1,000 starts, he said.

Schmidt and other proponents interviewed yesterday said they have no "philosophical objection" to having greyhounds race. They said the problem is how the dogs are treated by the industry.

"It's the idea that man's best friend is being exploited, used up and then thrown away," said Schmidt. "They are kept in conditions which I think are inhumane, all on behalf of an industry that is not really viable except in conjunction with the gambling aspect of it."

Commission records show that live greyhound racing is a small and declining percentage of the amount bet in the state's greyhound racing industry. But tracks are required to hold live racing at least 50 days in order to simulcast racing events from other states, which is their primary money-maker. If live racing is banned, the tracks would, in effect, be unable to simulcast and would presumably go out of business.

A draft of the bill makes it a class A misdemeanor to "keep, breed, transport, or train any dog with the intent that it or its offspring shall be engaged or used in commercial dog racing, or shall establish or promote a commercial dog race or meet." It also sets up a study committee to recommend ways to mitigate the negative economic impact in the areas near the three tracks.

Grey2KUSA's stated goal is to pass stronger dog protection laws and shut down existing greyhound tracks across the country. Group executive director Carey Theil said yesterday Vermont and Maine acted to prohibit greyhound racetracks after the existing tracks in those states closed. But, he said, a successful effort in New Hampshire would mark the first time an operating industry is shut down.

Roberge and former Sen. Katie Wheeler, D-Durham, sponsored similar legislation in 2000, but Theil said it was "a non-starter." Proponents say they are now more prepared.

Paul Kelley, Pari-Mutuel Commission executive director, had no comment on the proposed new bill except to say that the commission's job is to enforce policies enacted by the Legislature.

A Web site, www.voteforthedogs.org, has been set up, while a 65 page report listing the injuries and containing more than a dozen pari-mutuel commission photos of track kennels will be sent to all lawmakers soon, Theil said.

Sullivan called the effort "an animal rights agenda that finds any animal use inappropriate. They will use any means they can to advance that argument. There are no inhumane kennels at Hinsdale," which are inspected by the Pari-Mutuel Commission, and, in the case of an adoption kennel, by the state Department of Agriculture.

He said the photographed kennels of his track in the Grey2kUSA report were "found to be totally appropriate" by the commission.

The bill's co-sponsors are Sen. Deborah Reynolds, D-Plymouth, and Reps. Mary Cooney, D-Plymouth, Elenore Casey Crane, R-Nashua, James Splaine, D-Portsmouth.


Retired greyhounds make great pets



Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

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By John Ross
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, January 21, 2007

Dear Dog Talk: I have been reading your Dog Talk column for several years. So many of your readers are seeking a quiet, calm, gentle and devoted canine companion. They might be surprised to learn that the majority of retired racing greyhounds available for adoption fit that description.

Contrary to what most people assume, retired racers are healthy and young. They usually usually are 2 to 4 years old and past the puppy stage. The breed tends to be reserved and quiet. They are notorious couch potatoes that seldom bark.

A huge advantage of rescued greyhounds is that they were bred to be even-tempered and physically sound, rather than just for appearance. They often are exceptionally willing to please and free of hereditary ailments found in some other purebred dogs.

It is not true that greyhounds need extensive exercise. Because they are sprinters rather than distance runners, a brisk walk or romp in a fenced-in yard usually is sufficient.


Another common misconception is that all greyhounds are gray and about the same size. The diversity within the breed is amazing. There are 18 officially recognized color and marking combinations. A greyhound's weight can range from about 45 pounds to more than 90 pounds. Greyhounds shed relatively little and their soft, fine coat is a breeze to groom.

Based on their experiences at the track, greyhounds usually know how to walk on a lead and will stand politely to be groomed, and they have a head start on crate training. Reputable adoption groups foster the dogs to help them adjust to family life, and members of these rescue organizations will work to make a good match between your family and a dog.

If Dog Talk readers have never even seen or considered an adult retired racing greyhound as a pet, check them out. Just type in www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/ to locate the group nearest to you.

The Web site typically includes photographs of the dogs available for adoption, notes about the animal's progress and a calendar of events, including "Meet & Greet" where you can talk with owners of greyhounds and interact with foster dogs seeking homes.

Dear Greyhound Advocate: I agree with you 100 percent. I love greyhounds. Adopted, retired greyhounds are some of the nicest dogs that I have ever met. I do talk a little bit about retired greyhounds in my book, "Adopting a Dog."

Check out the Web site. Greyhounds make a really a great pet.