...that, for once, I wholeheartedly support:

{...}Just before Christmas, Congress sent Mr. Bush a $516 billion omnibus spending bill stuffed with 8,993 special-interest earmarks. To make matters worse, most of the earmarks aren't even in the language of the law itself. They were slipped into a 900-page "committee report" that represented the wish-lists of the Senate and House appropriations committees. Almost no one got a chance to read that report before the budget was passed late at night and with barely a day for members to review it.

Mr. Bush agreed to sign the budget but said he was disappointed at Congress's failure to overcome its earmark addiction. He announced he was asking his budget director, Jim Nussle, "to review options for dealing with the wasteful spending in the omnibus bill."

What Mr. Bush knows, and Congress doesn't want the taxpayers to know, is that the vast majority of the offending earmarks--the ones that aren't part of the actual budget law and were instead "air-dropped" into the committee report--aren't legally binding. A Dec. 18 legal analysis by the Congressional Research Service found that most of the committee reports have not been formally passed by both houses and "presented" to the President for signing, and thus have not become law. "President Bush could ignore the 90% of earmarks that never make it to the floor of the House or Senate for a vote," says Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who has read the CRS report. "He doesn't need a line-item veto."

Federal agencies would still be obligated to spend the dollars appropriated by Congress. But they could use the money higher priorities that would benefit all taxpayers, rather than on favors for special interests or political donors. For example, the $700,000 for a bike trail in Minneapolis could be used to rebuild the collapsed bridge in that city and to strengthen others. In addition, under such an executive order, future earmarks would likely have to go through committee hearings and would receive much greater scrutiny and publicity than they do now. {...}

{my emphasis}

What's needed, apparently, is an Executive Order, signed by President Bush, that would deny funding for all the earmarked pork that, ahem, was never passed into law in the first place. If you would like the president to wield some control over pork-happy members of Congress---you know, because it's his job to do so--I would highly recommend calling the White House at 202-456-1111 or sending an email to comments@whitehouse.gov. The more people that chime in, the better the chances President Bush will actually do something about this.

Bush has nothing to lose by not funding these earmarks, and he could actually strike a lasting blow for fiscal conservatism that would live well beyond his presidency. He has no grand programs making their way through congress this legislative session, so Congress doesn't have anything to hold over him. He could make a bold, legacy-building move here. I sincerely hope he avails himself of it. I always thought Bush has the possibility to turn into a budgetary slash-and-burn president. The war has kept him from keeping many of the promises he made during his election and re-election campaigns, but there's no time like the present for him to step up and live up to his potential in this regard.

Call him or email him and tell him that not funding earmarks that were not passed into law is the right thing to do.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:03 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 579 words, total size 4 kb.

Oh, Look, a levee broke.

By afternoon, the Truckee River water flowing into the canal was diverted upstream, said Ernie Schank, president of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. As the water receded, Fernley Mayor Todd Cutler said he had reports of damage to at least 300 to 400 homes.

One official suggested burrowing rodents might have contributed to the break in the levee along with the heavy rains, but the cause wasn't clear.

"We have to look at the weather as the culprit right now, but we are not sure of that," Huntley said.

Let me say it first: it's all Bush's fault.

Because we all know that's where it's going, right?

As of 6:40p.m. CST January 5, 2008, I beat the Huff Po and Kos with this *exclusive* observation. To be honest, though, this "Blame Bush" stuff ain't all that hard. Point finger, lay blame, get excessively windy and self righteous. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Maybe I can parlay this exclusive into a job at Newsweek, too. Ya think?

Posted by: Kathy at 06:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 170 words, total size 1 kb.

The whole world appears to be in an uproar today about the fact that Britney Spears finally lost it.

Sigh.

This chick, for all the wackiness she's displayed over the past year, still can see her kids. Does she have full custody? No, she does not. But, she's allowed supervised visitation. I suppose that will probably change after last night's events, but still... She's squeezed out two kids and she still has the right to see them. Even though she's a complete whacko, her biological right to "mother" her children is all important and no one, apparently, wants to intrude upon that right.

Contrast this with the fact that I, as a cancer survivor, will need to have Dr. Academic state in a letter that I am cancer-free and expect to have a normal life span, with a good quality of life, just to get in the door. Of course, I probably won't need him to write the letter for five years, because that's the average amount of time adoption agencies make cancer survivors wait before they can apply to adopt. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, kids.

I'm just wondering: does the bitterness show? I hope it does, because there is something seriously FUCKED UP about this entire scenario.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 214 words, total size 1 kb.

"Little green men.*"

Seti@home, the project using personal computers to search for radio signals from alien civilisations, is calling for more volunteers to help crunch a vast surge of new data. An extensive upgrade at the world's largest radiotelescope, Arecibo in Puerto Rico, means that data is flowing 500 times faster than before.

When Seti@home began eight years ago it was the first internet computing project that harnessed spare capacity on private PCs for scientific work, and it is still the largest such network, with 320,000 computers involved. They analyse radio signals from space, looking for patterns that might come from intelligent beings rather than natural sources such as quasars, the distant celestial bodies.

If enough new PC volunteers come forward, "we are 500 times more likely to find ET than with the original Seti@home", said Dan Wertheimer, chief scientist of the project, which is based in Berkeley, California. "We're entering an era when we will be able to scan billions of channels. Arecibo is now optimised for this kind of search, so if there are signals out there, we or our volunteers will find them."

If you, too, perhaps would like to help find the little green men, well, go here and volunteer your home's computing power! It's not like you're going to find anything, but really, you've got some spare gigs of memory that can help the cause, right? Donate them! So we will definitively know that we are alone!

*spot the quote. And it's easy peasy, so I fully expect someone to chime in, in a sing-song voice, with the answer.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 278 words, total size 2 kb.

Yep. And I lived there, so I can testify to the fact that, yes, indeedy, it does suck, but I'm immune from criticism because I have first hand experience. I received an excellent college education courtesy of the state university system, and had a very good time at its bars, but, damn, if I wanted to see a movie that didn't have multiple explosions and chase scenes it was kind of hard to find an alternative without driving long distances. Like to Omaha, or Chicago or Minneapolis. I like chase scenes as much as the next girl, but, damn, sometimes you want a little depth in your movie viewing, eh? It's kind of hard to get that in Iowa.

That said, I'm glad Iowa had its moment in the spotlight and that I sincerely hope they enjoyed it. See you again in four years, or the next time I have to cut through your state to go to Omaha.

But, I will add this small codicil for the Huckabee supporters. Ahem. Enjoy it while it lasts, kids, because it won't last long. And, if on the odd chance that it does and he actually manages to snare the nomination, know that I will defect from the party and will vote Democrat for the first time...ever. I'll have to hold my nose whilst doing it, because, as most people know, I damn well don't want a bunch of mealy-mouthed, pacifist, hippy, Kumbaya-singing, Che-worshipping socialists running the country. But I won't abstain from voting, because I believe you have to make a choice, even if those choices are lacking. People have died for your right to choose your elected representatives. You damn well better not spit on their sacrifice. So, consider yourself warned: if the only choice on offer is Huckabee, then I'm voting for the other side. I simply WILL NOT vote for a man who thinks I should get my bitch ass back in the kitchen to make him some pie. Not. Going. To. Happen. And you can take that to the bank.

If the Republican party wants to alienate most of their female supporters, go right ahead and nominate this whack job. But don't be surprised if said female supporters, like the much prized Soccer Mom demographic, decide to alienate the party in return.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:56 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 387 words, total size 2 kb.

Oy.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A week after Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack, a Jewish human rights group has taken out a full page ad in the New York Times on Friday demanding that the United Nations formally address suicide bombings.

The ad by the Los Angeles based Simon Rosenthal Center features a picture of Bhutto beneath the words "SUICIDE TERROR: What more will it take for the world to act?" and calls on the United Nations for a special session devoted to the issue.

"Unless we put suicide bombing on the top of the international community's agenda, this virulent cancer could engulf us all," it reads. "The looming threat of WMDs in the hands of suicide bombers will dwarf the casualties already suffered in 30 countries."

In the ad, which will also run in the International Herald Tribune, The Simon Rosenthal Center also calls on the United Nations to declare suicide bombings "crimes against humanity."{...}

Ummm, dude, I don't quite know how to tell you this, but the UN regularly has trouble "defining" genocide---to conveniently avoid sending peace keepers to regions without a requisite Four Seasons resort and spa nearby (with lots of young girls to rape)---and regularly puts the worst human rights abusers on its Human Rights Council. Sure, if a suicide bomber were to disturb the liquor and Beluga deliveries to UN headquarters, then you might have a chance of getting it on the agenda. But as it currently stands? Nope.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 260 words, total size 2 kb.

...for movies that will undoubtedly disappoint me when I actually get to see them.

First, we have Jumper.

Hey! Hayden Christensen appears to act for the first time in his career as a Jedi! Who knew it was possible!

Then we have The Dark Knight, which I'm really hoping will. not. suck.

I will admit, when I heard that Heath Ledger had been entrusted with the role of The Joker, I was incredibly skeptical as to whether or not he could pull it off. But, after seeing this, I have high hopes Heath will finally live up to his much advertised, but never yet seen, potential.

And, finally, we have Nim's Island, which is family fare, but it's family fare that I would have dug when I was a kid, so I'll give it a go as an adult.

The fact that Gerard Butler is in it has absolutely nothing to do it. Ahem.

While I will admit, it does have a strong Romancing The Stone feel to it, I'm a sucker for a dude in a fedora. You know, so long as it's Harrison Ford or Gerard Butler sporting the fedora, and not Michael Douglas. Bleh.

Is there anything that you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, are looking forward to being disappointed by in the near future?

Posted by: Kathy at 02:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 222 words, total size 2 kb.

So, the Iowa Caucuses are today.

Whoop-de-freakin' do.

Now, before you think I'm down on the whole process, let me correct that assumption. As someone who has actually participated in said caucuses, I can tell you that, really and truly, it's a neat thing for those involved. You make your way, at the appointed time, to your precinct's caucus location (there's one for Democrats and one for Republicans. In fact, two doors down from our house in Des Moines, there was some sort of hippy learning center that was where all the Birkenstock sportin' moonbats in our precinct gathered.), you take off your coat, and find a seat. The Republican caucus for our precinct was held at the Des Moines Community Playhouse, so, thankfully, we had comfy theater chairs to sit in. A younger gentleman came onto the stage and announced that he was, technically speaking, in charge of this shebang, and asked people who supported the various candidates who were running to stand and explain why they thought their dude was the right one for the job. And, surprisingly enough, people did just that. The guy I remember the most was a Buchanan supporter. He was dressed in bibs, boots, and a snowy-white beard that flowed down to his chest, and spoke rather eloquently, I thought, about why he thought Bucky would make the best Republican nominee for President. Whilst most of the people assembled rolled their eyes, I was surprised by the number of people who applauded. Then it was time to vote. If I'm remembering correctly, when you're asked to place your ballot (which is a piece of paper where you've written your dude's name on it), you did so when they called your candidate's name. So, all the Lamar Alexander people walked up at a different time than did the Bob Dole supporters, etc. There wasn't a secret ballot. You're expected to cast your vote unashamedly, and in full view of your neighbors. Once the tally was over and done with, and the winner announced, more than half the people in the theater fled like rats from a sinking ship. Some people, like the husband and myself, stuck around for what it turns out was a hashing out of the Republican party platform. Every issue that was raised was debated, and then voted upon. Theoretically, these issues were to be raised at the state party level. Whether or not that actually happened, I have no idea. But, on the whole, it was an instructive experience.

The husband, at that point in his varied career choices, was managing a restaurant in West Des Moines (rhymes with "Timmy's") and the place---and the servers who worked there---had been making boatloads of money from all the hungry politicos and media types. While they were all happy for the increased sales, everyone was, really and truly, quite over it by that point in time and the caucuses actually did seem like quite the anti-climax. Everyone was happy when the news trucks---and the obnoxious anchors attached to them---and the politicos moved on to New Hampshire. I was happy the phone stopped ringing at the house, because, in the days leading up to the caucus, it never stopped as people working the phone banks for the various campaigns kept calling, repeatedly. The third time Bob Dole's campaign called, the volunteer on the other end of the line got it with both barrels. I'd had it and let them know it. After that, I turned the ringer off for three straight days. I wasn't surprised when some random soul told me later that there were more unlisted numbers in Iowa than any other state in the country. I don't know if this is true, but I could totally believe it if it was. I can only imagine how much it must have sucked to be on the voter rolls in Iowa this time around, with the various campaigns calling over the holidays.

Whilst I think the process is a good thing, I'm nonetheless sick of all of this crap. I really don't care. Very few people outside of Iowa care. I know this hurts the Iowans, because they really do like their moment in the spotlight, but really, people, the rest of us are sick of it.

Call me after the nomination process is over with.

Who's with me? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

BECAUSE I'M ALL ABOUT BEING FAIR UPDATE: Here's devoted Cake Eater Reader Russ from Winterset's speech supporting Teh Fred.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 753 words, total size 4 kb.

Taking a page out of Robert Mugabe's playbook, Lippy McLipster has decided to issue a new currency in an effort to prop up the notion that's there's no inflation in Venezuela.

In an effort to stem record-high inflation, Venezuela launches a new currency on Wednesday – the “strong bolivar” – by slicing three zeroes off the bolivar.

While President Hugo Chávez’s government is hailing the measure as an anti-inflationary measure that will help stabilise the economy, non-government economists fear the strong bolivar will be anything but strong.

“We’re ending a historical cycle of . . . instability in prices,” Rodrigo Cabezas, finance minister, said on Monday, adding that the change aimed to “recover a bolivar that has significant buying capacity”.

“It was necessary to leave behind the consequences of a history of high inflation,” Gaston Parra, central bank president, said in a televised year-end speech. He added that officials aimed “to reinforce confidence in the monetary symbol”.

However, in view of racing inflation, an increasingly unsustainable exchange rate and shortages of basic goods, José Guerra, a former chief economist at Venezuela’s central bank, said: “The monetary ‘reconversion’ is not going to stabilise prices. It’s not going to help reduce inflation, or anything of the kind,” arguing that the new currency could even trigger higher inflation. “It’s a dangerous move,” he said.

{...}José Manuel Puente, an economist at the IESA business school in Caracas, says the exchange rate is at least 20-30 per cent overvalued. But the key problem, he argues, is the gap between the official and the “parallel” exchange rate for the dollar, which recently exceeded triple the official rate of 2,150 bolivars.

You know, just because people can set their farts on fire doesn't necessarily mean that they should. I believe the same principle applies here.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 308 words, total size 2 kb.

...don't let the door hit ya in the ass on the way out, eh?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Posted by: Kathy at 10:44 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 21 words, total size 1 kb.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 6 words, total size 1 kb.

I totally agree. Babies are good eatin'. Particularly when slathered in BBQ sauce. Mmmmm. Tasty.

Have at it, my devoted Cake Eater readers.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:55 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 27 words, total size 1 kb.

Holy Crap! Doug's back!

And it's a good thing, too, because way back in July, he linked to my baldie picture---and then had the gall not to post anything for six months, meaning that I was still getting hits from that damn post until a few days ago, when it, mercifully, was pushed down the page.

Despite this egregious error, I'm nonetheless glad to have him back at the keyboard. If for no other reason than I can give him loads of shit about Nebraska's faltering football program.

Heh.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:49 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 91 words, total size 1 kb.

A bit of advice to our favorite web slinger from moi. Ahem. Feel free to use the UN building when you pull your Tarzan routine, but for the love of God, don't actually enter the freakin' place.

{...}In a move reminiscent of storylines developed during the second world war, the UN is joining forces with Marvel Comics, publishers of Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, to create a comic book showing the international body working with superheroes to solve bloody conflicts and rid the world of disease.

The comic, initially to be distributed free to 1m US school children, will be set in a war-torn fictional country and feature superheroes such as Spider-Man working with UN agencies such as Unicef and the "blue hats" - UN peacekeepers.

Camilla Schippa, chief of office at the UN Office for Partnerships, told the Financial Times the script was being written now and the final storyline was due to be approved in February. The illustrators are working for free. After publication in the US, the UN hopes to translate the comics into French and other languages and distribute them elsewhere, Ms Schippa said. The idea came from French film-maker Romuald Sciora, who had been working on other UN projects and is making a DVD about the international organisation that will be distributed to schoolchildren along with the comic books.{...}

Spidey, Spidey, Spidey. Whatever are we to do with you? Poor, naive sap. Mary Jane's behind this one, isn't she? You can fess up. We'll understand.

Whilst I'm sure Mary Jane's heart is in the right place, she's wrong about this one. She fed you some line of bull over cold, leftover pizza, about how the UN, really and truly, is the only international governmental organization that can truly help those in need around the world, didn't she? Well, my web-slinging friend, don't you see that she's taking you for a ride? Mary Jane, while a very nice girl, I will admit, is also an actress. Of course she's going to have a very liberal worldview, wherein the UN is good and wonderful and the mean, old US is withholding their funds and talking trash about the work they do. MJ would understand that it's all about PR. Where better to reap the benefits of good PR than with those who have very little power to distinguish between the facts of the situation---i.e. that the UN is the most corrupt of corrupt organizations and most Americans have formed a bad opinion of them for precisely that reason---and the lure of a free comic book? Yes, Spidey, we're talking about the children; they are first front engaged in any propaganda war because they have a limited sense of the world, and the motivations of the people within it. They're easy targets, Spidey. Go to your history books and check out where Goebbels and Stalin made their biggest strides---and you'll see it was with the children of their respective countries. You're being used, Spidey, in a propaganda war to bring children over to the dark, insidious side of institutional corruption. While I would agree that institutional corruption isn't exactly on the same level as anti-semitic fascism and communism, the toll it exacts, however, can be just as hefty as either of those ideologies.

I fully realize you're a physics geek, who's got bigger problems to deal with in his daily life that don't revolve around widespread corruption at the UN, but, really, you need to wise up.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 585 words, total size 4 kb.

Hey, you Romney for Minnesota bastards: don't say I didn't warn you.

I've decided that while Mitt does have some fabulous hair, he needs to switch it up.

And I'm just the girl for the job.

Here's Mitt with Don King's hair. Kinda suits him, for some strange reason.

Who's hair should we appropriate for Mitt next, kids? Any ideas? I'm thinking Zsa Zsa Gabor, but I'm not sure.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 75 words, total size 1 kb.

Benazir Bhutto, the first woman to be prime minister of an Islamic country, was murdered in cold blood today by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi. The NYT has a decent, covers-the-bases obituary here. Whilst, you can find the details of her murder here. Via Gateway Pundit, we have a claim of responsibility coming from Al-Qaeda, but I'm not quite so sure it's to be trusted.

A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda terrorist network has claimed responsibility for the death on Thursday of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahadeen,” Al-Qaeda’s commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location, speaking in faltering English. Al-Yazid is the main al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan.{...}

Whether that's actually true or not, I don't know, but suicide bombing is definitely Al-Qaeda's m.o., so I wouldn't be surprised if they're responsible. As much as Bhutto complained about the security Musharraf's administration offered---and the resulting conspiracy theories that abound regarding the attack on her procession back in October---I highly doubt he had anything to do with it.

Neither do I have any clue about what her assassination means for the future of Pakistan. I'm not going to pretend to, either, because, in all honesty, Pakistani politics is always a crapshoot, and I'm of the general opinion that anyone who claims to be the soothsayer of the moment in regards to Pakistani politics is full of it. They don't know what will happen. They can only guess. And they'll most likely be wrong when it all shakes out.

The only commentary I'm going to offer in regards to Bhutto's heinous assassination is that I find it curious that while it's been much heralded that she was the most powerful woman in Pakistani politics, and in Islamic politics in general, it hasn't been mentioned at all that, perhaps, her gender might have had something to do with why she was murdered. There hasn't been one ounce of speculation that I can see in any of the articles I scanned on Google News, that the fact that she was a woman put her at greater risk from Islamic nutjobs. Why, even in the Al-Qaeda claim of responsibility, the only reasoning the Al-Qaeda commander offered was that she was an ally of the United States and had promised to help defeat terrorism.

I don't know whether this is a MSM whitewash job, to avoid the reality of the situation, as they do so spectacularly most of the time, or if, really and truly, her gender had nothing to do with it. That she was simply murdered for who she was, what she represented and what she stood for. If that's the case, well, isn't it rather extraordinary that Islamic nutjobs---who feel they have to be protected from women, lest they be tempted toward sin, and subsequently subjugate them every day of the week, and twice on Fridays, all over the globe---inadvertently achieved a measure of Western-style gender equality and murdered Bhutto simply for her politics. They didn't murder her because she was with a man to whom she was not related. They didn't murder her because she had the gall to get behind the wheel of a car and drive herself where she needed to go. They didn't stone her because they believed she was an adulteress. They murdered her for her politics.

It doesn't make her murder any less heinous. But what's not being said is rather significant: that Bhutto was their equal and she deserved to be murdered the same way as any man with whom they disagreed.

That, at least, is something in a culture where she easily could have been murdered for not covering her hair.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 635 words, total size 4 kb.

Clueless

Who better to disparage than lawyers? They're known for talking fast, driving expensive cars and making sure they take as much of our hard-earned money as possible - when we're at our most vulnerable.

Some lawyers are willing to face up to their bad rep. The attorneys at Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb of Minneapolis have turned it on its head, creating a magazine-style public relations piece called "(Not Just Another) Despicable Lawyer."

Designed for some 5,000 clients and friends of the firm, the magazine contains stories about the good works its lawyers have done, the interesting trips they've taken or the hobbies they enjoy outside the office. It also lists gift ideas that benefit others, like Heifer Project International, which provides animals for families in poor countries.

"I think this piece has really captured the essence of the culture of the firm," said Mary Kay Ziniewicz, the firm's business development director, who came up with the idea.

"Our clients see a side of their attorney that they didn't know before, and so it really opens up conversations," she said. {...}

So, what we have here is yet another waste of paper in the name of "community relations," to put it kindly. It's fluff pr, but it's fluff pr, with style, and a sense of humor about itself. Whilst I will give them credit for the tack they took, they still manage to screw it up, however.

{...}In one of the magazine's more personal pieces, managing partner Howard Rubin talks about his personal crisis of confidence and a simultaneous struggle with his mother's Alzheimer's disease.

"I dwelled on life's problems and what they were doing to us, rather than focusing on what I could be doing," he wrote.

He realized that he wanted to help others and loved to throw great parties. Rubin ended up serving on the board of the Alzheimer's Association, chairing its annual gala.

The energy he gained from that work also spilled over to his law practice. He began to see that his contributions were valuable, and he decided the firm "needn't be dull and laborious - we could have unforgettable parties!"{...}

{my emphasis}

Yay! Unforgettable parties! Who wouldn't want to go to an unforgettable law firm party? We, apparently, can all find higher purpose in this life simply by having an unforgettable (!) party! It's, like, in the Bible or something.

The pressing question I would like answered, however, is if the firm's clients who received this piece o' work were somehow charged for it----and the postage the firm used to send it out.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:11 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 448 words, total size 3 kb.

So, in a bit of precisely plotted populist electioneering, the Serbian parliament was set to pass a resolution today, "{...}implicitly rejecting membership of the European Union and NATO if the West recognizes the independence of Kosovo." President Boris Tadic is up for re-election in January, and, apparently, he's ready to forgo the carrots for the stick. Probably because it'll play well during his re-election campaign, when the prizes double during the rhetoric round.

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica had this to say in regards to said resolution:

{...}"Kosovo is big enough for Serbs and Albanians," the prime minister added. But "the main problem is that the United States is preventing the Albanians from compromising."{...}

{my emphasis}

Gee, if only those pesky Americans would get the hell out of the way, of course bees would buzz, birds would fly, dogs and cats and Albanians and Serbs would live together in peaceful harmony. If only the US administration would evacuate to Hawaii for the month of January and take up surfing as an admirable past-time, the Albanians would see reason and peace would break out all over, like a particularly virulent case of the crabs.

Yep. It's all our fault. Really and truly. The Serbian Prime Minister said so.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:18 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 216 words, total size 1 kb.

We've gotten some snow here in Cake Eater land over the past couple of days.

Starting on Friday night, we received some sort of precipitation that resembled a slurpee. That froze solid on Saturday afternoon, when the temperature dropped quite quickly after another inch of the white fluffy stuff covered it over. On Sunday, we received about four inches when the tail end of the blizzard that hit Wisconsin rather badly sideswiped us. Yesterday, we received another few inches, and this morning, it's snowing lightly and is supposed to stop in the next hour or so. Reportedly, on Friday we're to get another one to three inches.

The only reason I mention this precipitation pattern is to note that I'm really sick and tired of the snow plow drivers only showing up for overtime hours. As in, the plows are all over the roads late at night, but if you need them to be running at any time during the day, well, that's a crapshoot. The Cake Eater pad resides on a fairly busy road, which is managed by Hennepin County. Across the street, in the Province of Minneapolis, the streets, per usual, have barely been cleaned off at all. Our back alley is taken care of by the Cake Eater City crews, and they've been on the ball---and I've got no issues with them. (They even plow the sidewalk in front of my house, because the plows dump their stuff there and they wisely realize that no mere mortal snowblower could work its way through that crap.) But it appears as if the Hennepin County and City of Minneapolis crews would prefer to make sure they're making as much money per hour of snowplow driving as possible, whilst the roads become completely unmanageable in the meantime. This is not to say I haven't seen crews from my perch, here in the Cake Eater pad, during the day, but they are far and few between during that time period, whereas during the evening, they're all over the place. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what's going on here. Mr. H. reports a similar situation within Ramsey county, where he lives.

I suspect, if the snow keeps up in this fashion, the county and Minneapolis will be announcing sometime in early February, if not sooner, that they've run entirely out of money for snow removal and will come begging to the state for assistance. Of course, when they go a-begging to the legislature, I'm certain they will not mention that their drivers only seem to show up for work when they're getting paid double for their services.

Posted by: Kathy at 08:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 448 words, total size 3 kb.

Well, here we are again, my devoted Cake Eater readers. Another year has passed, and in time-honored holiday fashion, I'm going to post everyone's favorite photo of me...

...if for no other reason than my hair was longer in this photo than it is now. Perhaps if I have enough spiked egg nog tonight, I'll let the husband take a photo of me and I'll post it for comparison purposes. But only if I have enough spiked egg nog. We'll just have to see how things on that front progress.

My hair aside, I realized earlier this month that I really didn't need any Christmas presents because I'd received a pretty big present this year, in the form of my survival from ovarian cancer. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I honestly couldn't come up with anything to tell them. And while my reply frustrated the Cake Eater Mom, I'm fine with it. I want for nothing. I've got my life, and my health, and that's all that really matters. While my survival required some rather large sacrifices, we're coming to terms with the situation. We're not healed yet, but, just like everything else, I have faith that we'll get there. Someday. That's enough for now.

I have so many blessings in my life. I have my fabulous family, who really stepped up this year to keep me buoyed up during my incarceration in the hospital and at home, afterwards, and during my treatments. We've had illness and adversity in our family before. We're no different than any other family in that regard. Yet, as the first of our immediate family to be diagnosed with cancer---a disease that has done a number already on our extended family---I know I scared the shit out of them. I'm so sorry I scared them. I couldn't really help it, but I'm sorry nonetheless. Instead of running away, like some of my real-world friends did, however, they all stepped up and did what they could to help, even if that was just sending the occasional e-mail telling me that they were thinking of me. That's no small thing. I'm thankful for them. I am also thankful for my in-laws who, despite having their own massive battles to fight this year, took the time, of which they didn't have much, to help out in their own way.

I also have my fantastic friends. My real-life friends, like Mr. H. and ML and the Doctor, just to name a few, have been there with incredible amounts of support, Louis Vuitton scarves, friendship, and much-needed laughter. They're incredible people and I'm truly blessed to have them in my life. I also have my online friends, people like Chrissy, who sent marvelous pick-me-up presents and emails, but who also made and shipped a SHITLOAD of gooey cakes to help out with my nephew James' JDRF fundraising efforts and never got a proper 'thank you' note from moi for her efforts, but who, somehow, doesn't think bad manners are a reason for cutting off friendship. For that I'm REALLY grateful, because she's truly an extraordinary person and I'm grateful for her presence in my life. I'm also grateful for the Llamas for their friendship. Steve-o kept up with the usual harassment, which made it feel much like things were still the same, and for Robbo in particular (and who just sent me the sweetest Christmas note, which completely made me blubber.) for plenty of things, but mostly for making me laugh like nothing else had in a long while with his "chemo pr0n" comment when I posted this picture. A certain "Just Me," with whom most of us are familiar, has also been a rock, and who graciously allowed me to make something useful out of all the knowledge I gained from my hysterectomy. Surprisingly, despite the fact I'm full of shit, she even took some of my advice and, in the process, made me feel useful for the first time in a long time.Phoenix, Cal Tech Girl, Eric, Zonker, Mitch , RP, and SO many others that I'm undoubtedly forgetting to mention, have also been just fantastic. But, last but not least, I cannot forget my devoted Cake Eater readers from Winterset, Russ and his wife, the Lovely Janis, who sent not only many, many emails of friendship and support, but who also sent a sleeve of cups from Kelly's, which I've been meaning to blog about, but haven't quite gotten around to doing yet. The internet truly does make the world a small place, but it makes my world so much bigger and richer because of the people I've been fortunate to meet through it.

And, finally, I have my incredible husband, who has been such a gift this year, that I really cannot express how grateful I am for him. I married a good man. I've written before that he's a wonder, and that I'm grateful for the knowledge of him, but really, kids, he's gone so far beyond and above the call of duty this year, that, well, I get all weepy thinking about him and all he's done for me for no other reason than that he loves me. I feel humbled and undeserving of his love and devotion. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

And now, because I have other things I have to do this Christmas Eve Day, I will wrap this post up with a golden oldie recommendation for tonight. I wrote this little bit way back in 2003, during my very first Cake Eater Christmas, and I've always been particularly proud of it, unlike most of my writing. I always struggle to get things right, and usually after I post something, I think of a million ways I could have gotten something across better. This is one of the few instances where I think I got it just right the first time around:

Make the time tonight, between glasses of wine and obnoxious relatives, to go outside. Enjoy the peace and quiet, albeit temporary. Enjoy the cold for a few minutes. Breathe deeply and, for a brief moment, enjoy the icicles forming in your lungs. Shiver copiously. And then look up at the night sky, and if Rudolph's honker isn't too distracting, gaze at the stars.

Then, think of a young couple who on this night, roughly two thousand years ago, gave everything over to their faith and a God who demanded difficult things of them to fulfill His will. Know that they submitted without hesitation. Think of the gift they gave us this night and know that they gazed at the same stars you're looking at.

And know that the world is a wondrous place.

Merry Christmas, my devoted Cake Eater readers.

UPDATE: I'm also incredibly thankful for YouTube.

And Linus.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 1138 words, total size 7 kb.