The clean smell of kids who know they rule the world.

So my state has a new (possibly ambiguously gay, but who cares really) Governor in Charlie Crist. Good for us. Except, he vows to continue on with Jeb's education and economic policies. So - bad for us. Actually, I've met Governor Crist before, and he seems like a nice guy. The Dems took the House (makes me imagine them storming the House of Representatives with pitchforks and torches), and a couple of wins may still swing the Senate in their favor. We got crazy man Bill Nelson as a Senator, but that was better than the alternative of "My Skin Is Stretched So Tight Over My Endoskeletal Structure That The Seams Might Burst Here On National TV In This Debate As I Tilt My Head In My Best Impression Of A Simple Human Gesture" Katherine Harris. She's an alien. And Rhonda Storms. She of the legislated morality and infamous hairlip. What else can I say, but WTF were you people in Hillsborough thinking, voting that witch-burner into the Senate? Don't you know she's made it her life's work to tell everyone else how to live their lives?! Is that what you really want? Okay, but you're next, sinners! My in-laws think Rhonda's neat-o. "She knows how to get things done" they say. "So did Hitler" says I.

Yonder into the infinite sucking void

Everyone around me seems to be succumbing to some sickness that leads to upper respiratory infections. I'm one day away from stringing garlic around my desk to ward off whatever this is. I also love how some of them have decided that since I'm not *ahem* sick (supposedly) I'd love nothing more than to do their work for them. Work which should have and could have been done last week, when they weren't suffering from the campus equivalent of the plague. I have realized today that the co-workers across the hall are really loud and obnoxious sometimes. I don't need to hear them yelling and braying like asses in addition to the ding*ding of the elevator all day long. Have some courtesy, people, and use your inside voices. As we like to tell my son when he gets a little too wound up.

This weekend my husband and I finished the drywall on the one doorway, and I helped pull up the rest of the old floor moulding. We ordered a front door and the new carpet (it's Mohawk!). Both will be installed sometime this month, I believe. Let me tell you - if you ever want to truly test a relationship, do a few home improvement projects. If you make it to the completion stage still together, you can survive almost anything. I went to see Pete Yorn in concert on Sunday night with my mom. Not my cup o' tea, but it wasn't bad. I got a kick out of watching the bass player act as backup singer with a cigarette dangling from his lips most of the night. I also amused myself by people watching. The beer was flowing at the bar, and judging by the smell the hash was being passed with abandon, so I watched a couple of patchouli and hemp festooned hippies twirl and a big beefy drunk guy dance around with a couple of ladies that were my mom's age but definitley attempting to seem younger. At one point beefy-man was doing a dance that I decided to mentally christen "The Elvis". It defies description. Trust me. Toward the end of the night some girls were dancing in front of the stage on the other side of the barricade. Security hadn't done anything up to this point, so my mom decided to go up there to get some pictures. About ten seconds later I see her come scurrying out surrounded by a bunch of laughing girls being chased by a security guard in a bright yellow shirt. Way to go mom. Pete seemed a little bummed by the sudden departure of the dancing fan girls, but the show went on. And on. And on...

Our weekly dinner with the Millers has been planned for tonight. It's back to Carmelita's. That means sangria - by the pitcher. It's like a tradition. {Five of us managed to polish off two whole pitchers this time. A record that's just begging to be broken.}

File this one uder Crazy People Follow Me Wherever I Go: While in the restroom at work today, some lady two stalls down who had walked in a second after I did says out of nowhere "I already wish it was Thursday". While she was peeing! I waited a second to see if she was on a cell phone (which is equally weird, imho). Nothing. I didn't know this woman, so I didn't say anything, and waited for her to leave first to avoid any strange awkwardness. Who attempts a conversation with a complete stranger while you're both doing your business in the john? Megi and I sometimes talk in the lav, but we know each other. It's still a little odd, even then I suppose. Just not as outright bizarre. I guess some men might be comfortable with this but their bathroom etiquette (and the circumstances of how they go about their business) is a little different. But I'm not a man, so I think it's creepy.

Six degrees of bringing home the bacon

Wow. Sometimes I think that full disclosure in higher ed in the state I work in can be awfully inconvenient. And then, I read articles about misappropriation and excess by university presidents in other states. All I can say is...wow. This point was made on a forum in response: "As universities are forced to operate more and more like corporations, guess what? Presidents are going to be more like CEOs than education administrators". I've been saying that for a couple of years. So much for "It's the students, stupid". Now speaking of higher ed...if you can rate your professor, why can't they rate their students? Oh, wait. They can. It's those novel things called "grades".

And stoned profs are the best! (Hint - to play the clip, select your video preference and click save)

Why do I find Borat funny? I mean - "Anoos" -- it's just sooo wrong. And yet.. *chuckle* Here's to hoping that this shtick will burn itself out pretty quickly, though. The "Niiiice" and "high five" catch phrases are wearing thin on me already.

Pony. The other, other white meat.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to write newsbriefs...
So apparently CNN is branching out. Now they're seeking opinion pieces from celebrities. Their new ad campaign will go something like "CNN - Now with more fluff to balance out your full day's serving of not-quite news!" Although, I guess it's still better than Fox News with "All missing white chicks all the time" when they're not war mongering or running propaganda pieces.
I did so love the editor's note at the top of the article, though: Willie Nelson is a legendary singer and songwriter. His new CD is called "Songbird." I'm sure that was for all of those young wippersnapper fifteen year olds who regularly read (or watch) CNN, who would look at that picture on the left of the page and ask "Who the eff is the old dude?". Yep. Sure. I do agree with almost every point he makes, however - as anyone who knows me is aware of how much I love horses. And llamas. And goats. And livestock in general. Did you know that the human hormone replacement drug PreMarin is a derivative of pregnant mare urine where the mares used in the manufacture of the drug are constantly kept pregnant throughout their lifetime, and that the by product of those pregancies is unwanted foals, many of them bound for slaughter? The more you know...

Bender: Today, I've personalised each of your meals. For example, Amy, you're cute, so I baked you a pony.

Got a story. Wrote a blog about it.

Something funny happened this afternoon. One of the lower admins came over to talk to the boss. While she was there, she got a call on her cell phone, so the boss says to her, without thinking "Get your vibtrator...I mean..." Then, she walks out to take her call, and he's laughing so hard he literally fell out of his chair. While knocking things off his desk. And he somehow managed to either hit the wall or the desk, dislodging a clock from the wall in the office next door. Oh. My. God.

Before all of this went down, though, I had the chance to talk to the boss about some things. He confirmed some suspisions and alleviated some fears. I just have a hard time watching the administrative gears grinding sometimes. Especially when it seems like they're more like spinning wheels. I have payroll issues to resolve come tomorrow. *this is where I'd put the sad smiley*

My husband is pretty excited about an upcoming opportunity (that sort of reads like a crappy on-line tarot reading...I am my own Miss Cleo -- "Call me now"!).


We're making some progress on the home-demolition projects that are supposed to be finished by the beginning of December. Will they be finished? Let me consult my crystal ball...