Belly Dance Video Pick

The Belly Dance Superstars were on KTLA recently. Someone captured their appearence and put it on the web. Unfortunately, the file is massive. It took a minute to DL on my industrial-grade connection here at work.

If you do watch it, the dancers in order are Bozenka (who is trying a little too hard to look like Jillina now that she's dyed her hair red), Rachel Brice (*squeal!!!!* GAWD she's amazing!), Petite Jamilla, and Sonia with Issam.

For the Nashville folk, BDSS will be in town on Saturday, February 18th at the Belcourt. They will be appearing at 2pm at Borders on West End for a signing of the new Solos from Monaco dvd as well as other merch and photo taking opportunities. I won't be there because I will be at the Sonia and Issam workshop. That weekend is very much PK's all bellydance-all the time weekend. Heh.

If you want to see them in your city, check the BDSS calendar.

Adventures in Rubbernecking

On my way home from the store yesterday, traffic was really bad. It's a Sunday.. it's not raining. It's actually very pretty. What could be going on?

There was a wreck.

OK... I can handle that. It's in the left lane. People are having to merge to the right to get out of the way.

Well... about 50 feet further, in the right lane, there is another wreck. Why? Because people were looking up the hill at the apartment complex where a Nashville fire truck was flashing its lights and had its ladder extended for something. Would I have been looking if I were actually moving? No. I saw it because I was at a dead stop waiting for the people in front of me to merge.

Incident #2: Monday morning. 21st ave S. There is a woman holding a large particle board sign that she holds to hide most of her face.. sort of an industrial grade veil. On it, she has the following statement "ID Theft Covered by Law Officials."

Dance is Life

Elena suggested that I do another 'dance is life' post. I am not sure I've done one previously and I'm not sure what she wants to see out of it.. but perhaps she just wants me to talk about it to other people and not only her (just teasin' you, sweetie).

This past weekend, I went to my first ballroom dance competition. One of the owner's of the studio where I take lessons and his former competitive partner performed in a couple of exhibitions. They are former US champions (3-time US champions in American Smooth). Last Friday night, they did a waltz-based program. I wish I could put into words what I saw. Just thinking about it makes me all teary. Etheral is the best word I can think of. It was dance as languange and pure emotion.

I listen to some people say that they just have to dance or else they will burst. I'm never sure what to make of their statement. Personally, I think they are weird. I love dance. But I won't die if I don't. Upset? Sorely unhappy? Quite possibly. I'll die if I don't breathe or eat or drink water. I won't even die for lack of sleep unless I happen to be in a car, pass out and crash.

Perhaps it is because I've never felt that burning desire to create something. Dance to me is an expression of emotion. For example, I had a conversation with someone recently that left me in such a mood that I was giddy to the point of being insanely goofy. All the way home, I listened to one of my favorite belly dance CDs and sang along as best I could (though I really don't know what they are saying). I got home, put on my headphones and mp3 player and danced for about 15 minutes, expressing the joy I had after this conversation. Then I got to my regularly scheduled dance lesson and my instructor must have thought "what is with this girl?" because I couldn't stop grinning or giggling for no apparent reason.

Dance isn't life. Dance is a form of communication. It is a language. It conveys an emotion, an idea, and an image. Not everyone gets it. And that's ok.

The show everyone else is talking about

but I have yet to watch.... so I'm going to take a silly little quiz about it and wind up being a character I'm not familiar with at all.


Nina Myers


Which 24 Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

The Puffy Shirt, Part Deux

I saw this item in a popular chain bookstore the other night and nearly frightened the clerk with my squeal. I could make PK the proud owner of a carefully-enshrined-in-a-blister-pack male-fashion-doll-sized Puffy Shirt!! I thought.

I got the clerk to pull the box off the shelf behind her, and she informed me that sadly, I must purchase the Seinfeld Seasons 5 & 6 DVDs in order to get the Puffy Shirt.

Dag, yo.

$80.00 for an eeny-weeny Puffy Shirt. Uh-unh....I don't think so.


Yes, folks, you can purchase a Puffy Shirt for your Ken doll, but.......should you?

I'm just sayin' .......

The Most Important Question I've Found Yet

Fishkite asks about soft drinks and The choice of a binary generation

Blessings

This is a random thought but... it's good.

I got to thinking about the fact that my parents and grandparents are gone the other day. It was the first time in a long time I cried about it, particularly for my dad. I can't recall crying over his passing. Maybe I have at some point. I don't remember.

Jehovah-Jireh - God does provide.

I lost my mom but have gained 2 more - a lady at church and a lady at work. They both say to me every now and then "If I may be a mother for a moment..." and they are so supportative and loving.

I lost my dad but God sent a man that is more like a dad than my biological father was. I've unofficially become his 4th daughter.

I've gained another family though my brother's fiancee' (he proposed 2 weeks ago!). It has taken a long time but both my brother and I finally relax around them - not fearing the guilt trips, reprisals, and anger that would come with our blood family gatherings.

It feels good.

Understatement of the Year

Realtor (responding to voice mail left yesterday - she returned a phone call! Hell froze over!): Pink Kitty, I could tell from your message that you were frustrated and irritated.

Pink Kitty's response upon hearing this message: Give you a gold star for observation! What could have possibly clued you in? Geez!

No, I didn't actually say this. I'm still not up to actually speaking to her. We are using voice mail to communicate.

Elena has been writing again v. 2

Polka-dotted Sky

Question...

Does anyone know how I can fire my real estate agent (because she is an incompetant idiot who has decided she no longer has to work for the commission) and not give her a commission.. AND keep the condo I want to buy?

This is my own fault - I didn't go through my previous realtor. He's a good agent. This lady is the freak who sits in the model all day who apparently can't get clients on her own. I was so thrilled to be getting an end unit, I let that cloud my judgement. But that doesn't excuse her for not returning my infrequent calls or answering my simple questions (like "how big is the central heat/air unit? It looks like it is a 1.5 ton unit, which would be large enough for the space but could you check on that?")

But I've had it and she hasn't done a freakin' thing to earn her commission. And I found out that yes I can fire her but she still gets her commission. WHAT THE HE** KIND OF RACKET IS THAT!?!?! You can be fired for being a bad agent and STILL make money?! She doesn't deserve any of my money. Anybody have any advice on what I should do?

More Fun with the News2 Scrolly Thing

It's Friday isn't it? Click on the images to see the whole thing.

I lost Smith and Wesson...

Not literally. They are at home.. probably asleep in the laundry. Or climbing into a box on the top shelf that makes you wonder "How in the heck did he get up there?!"

Weight-wise.

I think I told y'all that I have been meeting with a nutritionist and that I met my weight loss goal for 2005. That was through a combination of working on my own (-15 lbs) and weight management program(-15 lbs).

When I started this program in November, we set a goal for the 3 month program of 20 lbs. For those that have trouble with math, like me. For 2006, I've lost 5 lbs thus far.

Now - in just around 2 months, I've met that goal and down 35 lbs from my heaviest just under a year ago.

It is nearly impossible to put into words what that feels like for me. My cats weigh about 10 lbs each. I lost Smith and Wesson. Wow. Yep. It's a good day.

No, No, a Thousand Times No

Via NIT, I saw this post about the puffy shirt.

OK, so Gerard Butler looked good in The Phantom of the Opera, but I don't think I was near-drooling because of "the Puffy Shirt." Seriously. The guy is smokin' and looked really good in leather in Lara Croft: Cradle of Life. Too bad he had to die. That just sucked.

Anyway, here is a major example of what not to wear... the puffy shirt:



Update: Elena sent the picture to me.

Caption Contest Winner

Always funny, as usual. Very creative... it gets to be a hard decision sometimes, you know. But the winner is:

Digital Cowboy with:

"George! George!

Stop that! You're old enough to know better and I'm tired of telling you!"

Congrats!

Shopping!

Shop CD Baby - the best in independent music. I love everything I've purchased from them. They are having a big ol' honkin' sale.

$5 Specials

Put 3 or more of the CDs on the sale page and they will be discounted to $5 a piece. Shipping is reasonable, too. Get there and get some.

Full disclosure: I don't get a kickback. I say it because I love them. And I'm a girl - genetically wired to shop and find sales.

*sighs*

I'm a few days late with this. Not that anyone will really care.

So it seems that the campus is all aflutter that The Bachelor happens to work here (I know somebody over in ER... I should ask her about him. She told me the whole scoop when TLC did its show about the residents here - that one girl wasn't as ditzy as she was on camera but because she was shown in a spaced out moment, no patients wanted anything to do with her).

Anyway, via Brittney via Heather, I poked around the show's website and became amused with the facts that:

1) Almost every girl wanted someone tall, dark and handsome (one even had a height requirement and 2 said "perfect teeth")
2) 3 girls described their perfect date which included a private jet trip somewhere

My favorite profile - Yvonne:

Hometown: Miami, FL
Age: 28

My three best attributes: Compassionate, dedicated, assertive
My perfect date would be: Being with someone who did nothing to annoy me
My ideal mate is: Tall, lean with dark hair, witty, open and lets me be the center of attention

She's also a CFO. Kudos on her accomplishments. Something about her picture says "I eat testicles for breakfast"... maybe that is just me. Granted, I want to be with someone who doesn't annoy me but I think her attempt to be funny completely back fired. She comes across as self-absorbed (uh... wait... there's that whole being the center of attention thing).

Thus ends all that I really have to say about The Bachelor.

What I did Saturday

Defensive Driver Training...

- or -

First Offenders Class

I ran a stop sign a while back (well, technically it was a rolling slow. The officer didn't agree with me on that fact). Since it was my first ticket, I opted to go waste a Saturday morning and have the thing expunged from my record by sitting in a driver's training class. Here's the gist:

1) Pay attention to the road and not your cell/kids/radio/cute person in next car/hamburger/makeup/etc....
2) Slow down - you drive too fast.

We could have handled that in 10 minutes but now... 2 hours of listening to a very nice little woman with a Latin American accent talk about collisions and death on the road was near enthralling *cough cough*. Then there was the the 1992-era video with what's his name from Coach and a bunch of other people that I'm sure were the bomb in the early 90's but are now relegated to Trival Pursuit pop-culture edition questions.

Am I a better driver? Eh. I am leaving more distance between my car and the one in front of me.. and I use my turn signal. Can that be considered an improvement?

Candy

I got a hazelnut truffle from one of the girls at work. It had this little wrapper on the inside of the foil wrapper. Written on it, in multiple languages, is the following:

Woman: You don't understand me!
Man: What do you mean?

PK *staring at the wrapper, looking all sorts of confused* thinks: Does this bad acting on this piece of wax paper make the chocolate taste bad? Nope. It doesn't. Yummmmm...

New Year, New Caption Contest

I think this needs little introduction....



Note: As always, please keep your captions safe for work. Thanks!

It fell into a burning Ring of Fire

Since Johnny Cash is no longer Stayin' Alive (none of us can have Immortality), the estate had to do something with his home.

Making us Cry, Cry, Cry is the fact that Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb buys the Cash home. Mr. Gibb probably sees is bit differently seeing it as Too Much of Heaven. He will likely change it One Piece at a Time and live there Until The Man Comes Around.

(thanks Miss O'Hara!)

Today's Funny Word

Garanimals

Belated Christmas Funny

I'm a little late with this, but here's what the 12 Days of Christmas would look like if it were found on eBay.

Happy New Year - almost

I've been remiss about posting this week but I think that is largely because I can't think of anything to say.

I decided to not really use my Palm anymore. I've gone back to analog. I love the Moleskine notebooks I use for dance so much that I bought the 2006 Moleskine daily planner. I like it. It is actually alot easier to use than my Palm.

I could whine about how I got sick overnight but even I don't want to hear that. The only reason I came into work today was because of a lunch our boss is buying for us.

Wesson went to the vet last night. It was the first time he and Smith were parted since I brought them home. They were both out of sorts last night. Wesson is fine for any who might worry. Of course, he was the hit of the evening because he is so sweet, loving and gosh-darn cute. They all raved about his bright gold eyes.

A couple months ago I started working with a nutrionist about the same time I got serious about dancing. I've been the fat-chick most of my life and I am tired of living this way. So I've been watching what I eat and exercising more (as the Dr. who supervises the program said - 'Losing weight is a very simple concept. Eat fewer calories. Exercise more. Actually doing it is the hardest thing you will probably ever do') or something like that. I set a goal for myself over the summer to be down 30 lbs by the end of the year.

I achieved that yesterday. Hooray for me! I noticed last night my neck is actually getting more slender and doesn't look so much like a football player. It all feels good.

I still have a long way to go but the mini-goals are much more doable than saying "I need to lose 100 lbs." Yeah - I know that but looking at it in that way is trying to hike the Applachian Trail in 2 days. It can't be done. Saying "I want to lose 20 lbs over the next 3 months" is much more realistic, safe, and doable.

Here's to 2006. May your New Year be blessed, safe, joyful, and happy.

Love all y'all!

Clucking Along

Chris Wage thinks I am a chicken. Last I checked, I wasn't. But I suppose I'll take chicken over some various other names I could be called.

Res, keep your 9th grade mind out of here. ;)

I am working on a response to his response to my anti-unions post.

It will take some time for me to finish up the research. Scholarly articles take a long time for my poor-little-brain to process.

Meanwhile, Difster (aka Captain Obvious), Res, and Erik have some good points on unions in the comments thread.

Christmas Songs I Love

Per Elena's request (who has said that I've been very Grinch-y this year; yes, I'm being a Grinch), here are the Christmas songs I love. Newton also has a list of his favorite songs.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
This one one of the first songs I learned when I was in chorus in High School. It was in our repertoire for four years. I didn't get it until I became a Christian. Katherine posted the lyrics on her blog a couple of weeks ago, and I cried like a baby.

Just thinking about it makes me weepy. I can still hear the bass section opening the song - so strong and clear.

O Holy Night
I love this song for a lot of the same reasons I love "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." They kinda quickly get to the point of Christmas: celebration of Jesus' birth. I think about the shepherds who were greeted by an angel of the Lord - how terrifying and awesome that must have been.

That may also be part of my Grinch-y behavior this year: I'm sick of the commercialization. I'm sick of the cult-of-shopping. The debate over "happy holidays" versus "Merry Christmas" just annoys me to no end. Shut up already and pick one!


These songs also have not been beaten to death by celebrity Christmas albums.


I am seriously considering returning the gifts I bought and just donating the money in everyone's name to a charity where it will do some good. Truthfully, do we need more stuff?


Carol of the Bells (though I prefer the instrumental versions of this song) It sounds really cool and that's why I like it.

Anything by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They rock.

The Charlie Brown Christmas CD

You dance too much when....

you are at the mall and a song comes on with a cha-cha beat (1-2-'cha-cha-cha').. and your feet automatically start moving.

And you are three patterns in before you even realize you are dancing.

Oh yes, this happened to me. And I was in the middle of a spot turn when I realized what I was doing. I had to just say to myself over and over "NO - NO DANCING IN THE STORE!!!"

So I made it through the cha-cha. The next song was a Middle Eastern piece that was perfect for belly dancing. Again with the hips! There they go! Figure 8's just start without a thought. At that point, I left the store before I made too big a fool of myself.

More on the Power to destroy

"Transit workers are tired of being underappreciated and disrespected." - Union President Roger Toussaint in announcing the NYC Transit Workers strike.

And you think angering 7 million potential commuters is going to get you more respect and appreciation?

The union said the latest MTA offer included annual raises of 3 percent, 4 percent and 3.5 percent; the previous proposal included 3 percent raises each year. MTA workers earn between $47,000 and $55,000 annually. The MTA originally had demanded an 8 percent pay raise per year for their members.

Pension issues have been a major sticking point in the talks. The MTA wants to raise the age at which new employees become eligible for full pensions from 55 to 62, which the union says is unfair.

But Toussaint said the union wanted a better offer from the MTA, especially when the agency has a $1 billion surplus this year.

I would like to work in a job where I'm guarenteed a 4% pay increase every year. I will count myself blessed to get a 2% raise. And I would also like to retire with full benefits at 55 - still young enough to get out there and really explore and savor life.

There's a surplus this year. Wouldn't upgrading equipment be useful - more fuel efficent vehicles for example? How about setting some of it aside in case there are years when there isn't a budget surplus? What about using it to lower prices for the riders? Huh?

GEEZ - our entire society is acting like a 5 year old with a buck in his pocket. It's burning and it must be spent - NOW!!!!!

Playing like a broken record

I've said it before and I will say it again: the power to tax is the power to destroy.

And it is the power to use bunker-buster bombs when big government gets into bed with unions. It is a must-read article. Don't hold any illusions that tax payers have any say what-so-ever.

Don't pay your income tax, the IRS will put you in jail.
Don't pay your property tax, the city will confiscate your property.

Nothing is yours anymore. I think I want to find out how to live off the grid.

Overheard at Lunch

Guy: Did he have a gross peter?
Girl: No, he didn't.

PK's thought: Well, I think I'm going to skip the roll portion of my meal and enjoy the non-phallic things on my plate.

They then went on to talk about all the people they knew in the mob. Like her uncle and a friend of a friend of his who is supposed the grandson of the guy who the Godfather is based off of.

From the Ministry of the Obvious

Cell Phones Interfere with Family Life

Because if you talking to someone on the line about what he did to you last night 'Oh no he di-n't!' how can you pay attention to the person right across from you? It is one thing to take a call and be brief about it. But it is quite another to conduct a 20 minute conversation about... uh... what's the strangest cell phone conversation you've heard?

The next time you are subjected to an obnoxious cell phone user, give them one of these cards from the Society for HandHeld Hushing. Free to download and fully customizable for any conversation.

And for the bad drivers of the world, use these Road Rage Cards. (Not safe for work)

Insanity:

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
- Albert Einstein

Need proof? See Congress and the US Treasury Department's latest scheme: New dollar coins to feature dead presidents

Because the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollar coins were so popular....

You are mean one, Mr. Grinch

You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.

You're a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.

(pops to full size)

Christmas Puppy Goodness

It isn't my puppy. Miss O'Hara sent me a link to a Detroit Knottie (that would be a fellow member of theknot.com wedding message board) snapfish account.

But it is too cute not to share:

Smokin'

I don't smoke. In fact, I'm allergic to cigarette smoke. It pretty much gives me an instant headache. It is such that I can smell a cigarette when it has been tossed out of a nearby car. The friends I have who do smoke are very courteous about it. They try to stand down wind or sit further from me at the table.

It's why I don't do the downtown bar/club scene. The thought of coming home and smelling like an ashtray just isn't appealing. I would like to go out but many places aren't smoke free or they don't have a place for non-smokers. The one time I attempted to visit Legend's, I wound up sitting on a bench outside.

Oddly, pipes and cigars don't bother me. When I've gone to Sherlock Holmes Pub, I've been around a number of pipe smokers and haven't been sick at all.

A business aquaintence from Boston told me he was surprised that Nashville didn't have more non-smoking restaurants or areas of restaurants. Boston is smoke-free. All restaurants and bars are smoke free. I've not done the research but it makes sense to me. He said that he and his friends now go out more often because it is smoke free. Restaurants and bars protested initally but the complaining eventually went away because profits didn't decrease (according to his opinion).

Since there are more non-smokers than smokers, it would stand to reason that there are people (like myself) avoiding businesses because of smoke. I believe that they would actually go out more often if they knew they weren't going to get sick from the experience.

All of this to say, the Nashville Scene had a story about it. The good libertarian in me says let the businesses (or at the very least cities) decide for themselves what is/isn't smoke free. But boy, it would be great to visit Legend's and not sit on the street corner the whole night.

What's in Season

I get a little frustrated when I hear the phrase from snooty chefs on Food Network say that I should buy "what's in season."

"What IS in season you dolt?! Not all of us have that information or know where to go get it." I knew eggplants were in season in the summer from the Alton Brown "Good Eats" episode on eggplant.

When I go to the store, the produce looks pretty good. I buy it. I'm not paying too much attention to prices from June to now.

Apparently, Food Network heard me screaming, and they now have a handy-dandy guide to what is in season.

Finally declaring a winner

I've finally gotten around to it. I'm picking a winner in the last caption contest with the Pelosi Pic. Drumroll please.....

Steve with: "OOoooo...so that's how a Republican hangs. Dems are so tiny."

Because size comparison jokes are funny.

Bridal Caption Things

Miss O'Hara is getting married in April and being a bridesmaid, I get to help with all sorts of wedding things. From a distance anyway since we live in different cities.

Miss O'Hara is NOT a bridezilla. She has been fabulous and wonderfully accomodating and gracious. And helpful in pointing out the horrible things in bridal trends.

Like this, for those that can't be bothered to hold a bouquet:



And Elena found this one and sent a caption of "His boutinerre is REALLY happy to see the bride":



Then there are the shoes (not bridal but they deserve to be made fun of anyway. We found these while trying to find some good shoes to go with the dresses):

Miss O'Hara said these were "for the yak solidaritist"


I said these were for the corset fan in your life. They may also work for Pochantas if she needs something dressier for a night on the town:

My Booth Would Be So Much Cooler

Brevity Comic... that's because all the bloggers I know are cool. Except Difster. He's Captain Obvious.

All I want for Christmas

My own personal tank. Except that it needs some kind of gun mounted on it. I mean, what's the point of having a tank if you can't shoot at anything?

Does it scream "Jawa Transport Vehicle" to you? It does to me. With Smith's and Wesson's beady yellow eyes looking Jawa-like.... yeah - I'm ready for Tatooine, baby!

Christmas Songs I Hate

Away in a Manger

I can't stand this song because of the fact that it is so.. so.. Thomas Kincade in its depiction of the Nativity. The whole cattle lowing but the baby isn't crying thing just seems so un-realistic to the point of irritating.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Much like 99 bottles of beer on the wall, this song just keeps going on and on. It launches into the realm of annoying about the time you get to 3 French Hens. Now I know it is supposed to be spiritually significant but honestly, when you were taught the song, did they tell you that 3 French Hens represented "Faith, Hope, and Love?" I went to Church of Christ and Baptist schools. Never mentioned. Maybe it is a Catholic thing.

White Christmas

I am about to commit Christmas blasphemy: I don't care for White Christmas and I can't stand "It's a Wonderful Life." Being from the South, we don't have white Christmases. It's hard to share in that sentimentality (much like the mushy Amy Grant song 'Tennessee Christmas'). I think my problem with this and Grant's song is that it creates an ideal that just can't be met in the real world.

It is as though you are looking through a semi-foggy window at the ULTIMATE Christmas scene. Large family gathered around an expansive table with a turkey the size of a small child. Side dishes to make your eyes pop. Everyone wearing sweaters and other holiday-appropriate gear. Children running around, playing. It's just lovely and peaceful. Everything is ready on time and perfectly cooked. There's no TV playing the background. No one is eating in the den off of TV trays. The house is tastefully decorated with a large live Christmas tree. Did I mention the ribbons?

Yeah. I hate that. If anyone actually experienced a Hallmark-style holiday, I'm not sure I want to hear about it.

The Wonder Twins

Here are a couple of pictures of my boys: Smith and Wesson.

Loaded as a Logan's Baked Potato

Check this out:

Jennifer Pizer, a lawyer for the gay rights group Lambda Legal Defence, said the case was the first in the US to allow a gay man or lesbian to sue doctors on allegations that treatment had been denied because of sexual orientation. The case has still to reach trial.

She said the latest ruling would be appealed against at the California supreme court. "We fear this decision is going to worsen the confusion in the minds of the public about whether you can legally discriminate in the name of religion," Ms Pizer, who represents Ms Benitez, told Associated Press. "The bottom line is that you should not be able to treat patients in a discriminatory way."

What treatment was she being denied? Fertility treatment. Now, last I checked, fertility treatment was not a life or death issue. It isn't cardiac care. She isn't going to die if she doesn't have a baby.

The court ruled in favor of the doctors, by the way, who refused to treat her on religious grounds.

Since fertility treatments are optional and one can have a good quality of life without them, I agree with the doctors. Maybe she should try another doctor, hmm? It is a free market economy, you know. She did that anyway, and has a 3 year old.

If they were refusing to, say, go through with a liver transplant even though there was a qualified donor and all because she was a lesbian, then I would agree with Lambda. Denial of critical care based on gender, orientation, intelligence level, income, race, or political persuasion is wrong.

Guest Blogging Stint

This weekend, I will be holding down the fort at NashvilleIsTalking.com.

So, let's head over there, mm-kay?

Caption Contest of the Third Kind

Holy Freakin' Crap... what a screen capture of Nancy Pelosi. Many thanks to the lovely and talented Miss O'Hara for pointing it out to me or else I would have missed it.

Have fun!

Elena has been writing again

Someone finally got around to adding something to her blog. :)

She has a great post on Walk the Line. There are some good observations in there. Go check it out.

Nashville Goes Mod

In two recent videos, we see the revenge of the Mod look, channelling June Carter Cash and Jackie O:

Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago - Lee Ann Womack
- and -
Like We Never Loved At All - Faith Hill with Tim McGraw

Lee Ann and Faith have their full shaga-dellic looks going on. Big hair, bigger eyelashes, funky patterns, neutral lipstick. Yet, Tim still seems to look like a 21st Century Metrosexual Cowboy.

Justifiable Homicide

That's what I told the lovely, talented and somewhat crazed bride (but who has good taste) Miss O'Hara when she IM'd me this... thing....

It's Chucky meets Alien meets a Can-Can Girl. And whoever says "wear this" should be shot for committing unspeakable crimes against fashion. And the designer should be severly beaten for even thinking it was... wearable. Man... I think I'm going to lose my lunch - which is ok because it wasn't that good anyway.

A playset for the Cartman in all of us

Via Elena (who knows exactly how to make me cackle with glee):

This playset has everything......except a hippie. Though the New Age Lady will just have to do. I bet they don't know that hippies have sub-categories: the giggling stoners, the drum-circle hippie, and the college know-it-all hippie.

Yeah - I know. I'm being lazy. I have nothing insightful or all that funny to report. So unless you want to hear my internal monologue of various dance steps "One, Two, side-together........" that has been stuck in there for 4 days now... I didn't think so.

I will eventually get around to saying something neat.

Though I did over-hear one woman at the dance studio report that the only reason why she was dating this guy was "THE SEX IS AMAZING!!!!!" We all needed to know that, thanks sweetheart. If it isn't followed with an offer of his phone number, I don't really want to hear it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Enjoy the day!

Your Papers, Please.

Y'all might think I'm crazy.. that I'm a hater of the state (well you are right about).. that I have completely gone off the deep end into the world of conspiracy theories.

The Washington Post reports that the CDC wants to make a database of travellers to track the spread of communicable diseases in case of an outbreak.

What is to stop them from switching the health database into a database used to track the movements of the citizens nationally - for security purposes?

"As proposed, passengers could refuse to give personal contact information and still travel."

Just like you can still travel and not enter yourself into the TSA database. Be prepared to stand in line for 2 hours.. because if you are innocent, what do you have to hide? Come on.. enter your name and information into the database. Make it easy on yourself. We are from the government and we are here to help.

Just like you helped after 9/11 and the hurricanes? Yeah. No thanks. I will protect myself thank you very much.

M Is for Movie

M is for Murderer
M is for freakin' creepy.

So that didn't quite work out with the Sesame Street tune, but M is a old horror movie staring Peter Lorre' as a child killer.

What struck me about it was the very "CSI-Berlin"-circa-1931 feel to the beginning of the flick where they are searching for clues. Then a near-police state is created in an effort to find the killer. Because of the increased police presence, the criminal underworld goes on a hunt for the child killer. They are ticked off because the child killer has put a cramp in their day-to-day thieving and whoring. When they catch him first, they put him on "trial." Just as mob justice is about to take over, the police show up.

Just remember that when you exchange freedom for security, you are likely to have neither. Sure, initially you may feel safer, because you trust the police; but it is easy for them to abuse their power. Then you fear the state, as well as the criminals (who will always be out there). And because the state wants to control the populace, they have probably taken away one of the ways that you can defend yourself and family: personal firearms. Lang, the director, said that the message of the movie was for parents to watch over their children themselves---not to depend on others to do it for them.

The killer, Hans Beckert, sees himself as a victim. How can he stop doing what is just a part of him? How can he help himself? Something inside him drives him to kill. Haven't we heard that before? The mobsters don't buy it and say that he is better off dead at their own hands than in a prison where he will be evaluated as crazy and could be out in a few years---back on the streets to prey upon children---when the prison officials say he has been "rehabilitated." Again, the arguments haven't changed in over 70 years.

Lorre's child murderer is scared, small, and animal-like. You hate him the moment he comes on the screen. Compare that to the contemporary standard for a movie serial killer: Anthony Hopkins's Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, who is suave, charming, funny, and---in a twisted way---likable. It isn't that you are rooting for him. No, you hate Dr. Lecter too. You don't really see what he does or what he did, but his nonchalant description of eating liver with a chianti is more chilling than seeing Buffalo Bill shot to death, in my opinion. Both Beckert and Lecter are devoid of a moral center. How can they be human?

If...

You were praying for me yesterday morning, I appreciate it.

All is well. Thanks. Now back to your regularly scheduled snark.

Burn Burn Burn

Burning Ring of Fire...

That should have been the name of the Johnny Cash bio-pic (as one review suggested).

Short review: Double-plus good.

Longer review: I loved it. I will admit to becoming a fan of Mr. Cash late in the game. I started with his American series from the 1990s and 2000s. If you don't own those CDs, you should. They are very good - raw, emotional, and authentic.

Reese Witherspoon should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance. She stole the movie. Joaquin Phoenix was good, but there was something missing...but I'm not sure what. His voice was spot on to Johnny's, and Joaquin did all of the singing. Bonus points for that.

Elena pointed out the way that a lot of Cash's songs' rhythms sound like a train moving. She also loved that the record producer at the beginning said, "If you were about to die and you had a chance to sing just one more song, what would it be? What do you want to be remembered for? Something mediocre that everyone's done before? Or are you going to step out, take a risk, and do what you are passionate about?"

It's a hard question that I definitely want to consider for myself: How do I want to live?

How do you want to live?

Lame, Lame, Lame

It's Friday. Past closing time.. and I'm still here working.

GOOOOSHH!

By the way, I will be out Monday. Just say a prayer for me Monday morning. I'd appreciate it.

Shopping until Dropping

I normally do not go to the stores on the day after Thanksgiving. People, en masse, are stupid and crazy. Parking lots are full... I'm just not about that craziness when I can stay at home with a movie and a bag of popcorn.

But this may have changed my mind.

And the full listing of ads, deals, and sales can be found at bf2005.com. Or here. It is a market, after all. There is competition.

I can't wait to see what Elena is....

You Are an Iced Coffee

At your best, you are: hyper, modern, and athletic At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you're out with friends Your caffeine addiction level: medium

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

A purr to Sugarfused.

What a lady needs to know abour social dancing

Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking. ~John Wayne

Girls respond. Period. Women - we do NOT INTITATE ANYTHING IN SOCIAL/BALLROOM DANCING. Ever. Ever. You follow. You respond. This doesn't mean you just stand there like a limp rag, but you are actively following - leaning back just enough so that you can feel where he is moving. And no back leading just because you know the step. You have to stop anticipating and let him lead.

Lemme say it again: let... him... lead.

The lady's responsibility is to stay on beat - no matter what goofy thing he does, even if you step on him.

It's hard for a guy to lead, particularly when the woman is fighting. When I first started ballroom dancing, I fought Zorro (my now former dance instructor) for about 3 weeks. Coming out of belly dance, I'm used to almost everything coming in a sequence of 2s, 3s or 4s. So I would constantly be anticipating a set of moves. "Let me lead," he would remind me. "Strengthen your frame. Push against me like you're trying to keep me from kissing you."

It's a good thing he isn't the Army Guy dance instructor. I wouldn't be fighting too hard... he's hot. He's also very married with a newborn. *mind returns to reality*

OK, so, I finally made the mental connection to how to follow. And my dancing greatly improved. And the guys I dance with seem to have more fun when they don't have to struggle with me as far as where the dance is going on the floor. We can zig-zag across the room. We can stay in one spot.

Oh, yes, your other responsibilty - look fabulous. Much of what the man does is to make the lady look good.

How to Get Out of Iraq

Use a paper clip, a piece of string, 3 buttons, chewing gum, a Swiss Army Knife, and an old copy of any book that happens to be laying around.

Vote Macgyver in 2008

What was really up with Vader's outfit

More cartoons at I :heart: Darth. This comes under the category of "Why didn't I think of that?"

Kelly Clarkson Whines

I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same d**n thing

As a child of divorce, I get the point of this verse. My mom leaned on me because she didn't have anyone else to lean on. She would talk to me about things I probably shouldn't have known about because she needed to get them out.. unknowingly coloring my perception of men for years to come.

Not that my dad's walking out hadn't already shaded that to a great extent.

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I tried my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

I know this song is emotional and heart-wrenching but at a certain point, you have to stop blaming other people and accepting (uh-oh, will she go there???) PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Maureen Dowd says....

"Deep down all men want the same thing: a virgin in a gingham dress..."

1) Who wears gingham? One would think a sophiscated, fashionable woman from NYC should know better. Hello? I want to look like a picnic table? Ick.
2) The "Dorothy meets the hunky Wizard fantasies".... keep them to yourself.

Enough PC-isms that it will make you twitch

By the way, "twitch" is my word for the last 2 weeks. I think I've used it about 3 dozen times since last Sunday.

On to this story found at WND... Seems that some overly zealous vandals scrawled a hateful anti-gay, religiously themed message onto a GLBT office door. If they had made some non-religious statement, there would likely only have been one seminar - not three.

The best response, participants decided, would be a series of free forums in which local clergy and others explore different perspectives on how the Bible should be interpreted in regard to human rights and homosexuality.

At the first forum next week, for example, two ministers and a rabbi will explore such questions as the Bible's social context, whether it was "God-written or God-inspired," and arguments for and against literal interpretation.

"People are using the Bible to dehumanize LGBTQ folks," said Garcia, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals. "The purpose of the forums is to bring an inclusive vision of what the Bible is stating."

While I certainly don't condone violence or discrimination, I personally think alot of people are trying to make themselves feel better by having a whopping bag-full-o-forums.

And this could launch us into a whole debate about protected speech vs. non-protected. We know that hate speech isn't protected under the First Amendment but... should it be, for the reason that speech doesn't physically violate your space? As a libertarian, I view the issue as this: the minute your actions involuntarily affect mine, there is a problem. This is why screaming fire in a crowded theater where there is no fire, is illegal. In that case one person's action/speech has impacted us all, and likely to the point where people got hurt physically.

My political science professor (who helped make me into a libertarian) asked why we couldn't see each person as an individual actor - or in his demonstration, a bubble. In that bubble are the things you have direct influence and control over. Your stuff. You have your little bubble and you voluntarily interact with others for the purpose of commerce or having a social life. This causes your bubble to overlap with someone else's bubble.

Why force me to interact with someone I don't want to? But if you move your bubble over to push against mine and take/damage my property (including my person - not just my stuff), then you have violated my bubble. In my world, I would start shooting. Many would say, "We are glad we don't live in PK's world." But in PK's world, everyone knows you run the risk of getting shot at if you attempt to defraud/steal/rape/kill/act like a nuisance.

Since I don't live in just PK's world, I work hard to keep my bubble as intact as I possibly can in a world that is hostile to libertarian thinking.

How all of that reflects on speech--and others would say that speech threatens your bubble--that is the price one lives in for a free society. Do you give up freedom of speech for perceived safety and tolerance? Just because it hurts your feelings doesn't mean it is a legitmate threat. To borrow from the gun "safety" advocates: words don't kill people, actions do.

Would cross burning be protected? If they put it on my lawn and set it on fire? Heck no. If he burned it on his own lawn, in as bad taste as though it may be - yes.

I think they should get the people on vandalism and destruction of private property - the hate speech issue, for me, is beside the point. You mess with my stuff and you are going to get it. Say whatever you want. It is your God-given right to prove to the rest of us that you are a stupid racist, homophobic bigot. But you can be a stupid racist, homophobic bigot over there. You scrawl your message on my door, then we have a problem.

Edited to add: Another topic for discussion is hate crimes. All crime is about power, control, coveting something or wanting to hurt someone. Because someone does it out of a racist POV doesn't mean the crime is any more or less special. Dead is dead - no matter how you got there.

Hate crime laws demean the... non-hate crime victims. What happened to Matthew Shepherd, for example, was heinous. But why does the motive make it worse? What about the random guy murdered in Anycity, USA? Why should his attacker get anything less for what turned out to be the same thing?

Or should you extend hate crimes to cover gang violence too? I mean, those gangs REALLY hate each other.

You know what it says to me: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others - George Orwell, Animal Farm

Lead, Follow, or Don't Dance

Here is an example of where the guy needs to lead clearly. Last night, Elena and I went to the Tango Nashville 2nd Anniversary party (it was free - and I am all about the free stuff). Part of the festivities was a free tango lesson. I jumped up and waded into the crowd to find some single guy to dance with. Turns out the guy next to me didn't have a partner either, so I asked him if he wanted to dance. He said, "Sure," and off we went. The steps were very basic: walking; a side step; and then a cross step for the lady, that can be very sensuous and flirtatious. 'Cept that Omar was having none of that and was, like, not willing to lead.

Argentine tango is quite different from the ballroom-style tango I have been learning, but the idea of lead–follow is the same, regardless. The man directs the movement of the lady through the use of his chest and shoulders and by shifting his body weight.

So I asked Omar 3 times if he would strengthen his lead, because I couldn't tell what foot he was on or what direction he was going. "I can't follow if you don't lead." No response.

I'm a good follower. I can usually pick up on what is going on, even with a bad lead, but this was awful. I kept missing steps. He stepped on my foot 3 times because we were off-synch. He messed up the rock step (the man signals that by bringing his right foot forward to touch the lady's left and then rock back and forth). And he was having none of the cute, sensual, flirtatious side of the tango.

PKs thought during the experience: Dude, so I'm not that little blond hottie you are staring at and who you probably wanted to dance with, ok... but for the moment, could you pay attention to what you are doing here? It would really help. And uh... she's married. Big gold ring. Right there. Easy to see. To that other professional dancer.

Elena observed the whole thing. I'm hoping that she wasn't trying to puff up my ego (because if she was, it worked) by saying that she could see that I was definitely the better dancer. I hope the workshop this weekend goes better. I'm looking forward to it.

Copy Kitties

Seems that once again, I am the inspiration for a post.

Nashville Is Talking: Caption Contest

It's a great photo. Go write something funny.

Thank you Captain Obvious!

In an effort to continue to point out what we mere mortals don't see, the Tennessean has a story today about how teens see first cars as ticket to independence.

In other news, they will tell us that the government collects taxes, smoking is bad for you, Wal-Mart is evil, and and people waste time at work doing anything but work.

Ohhhh what could I do.....

PETA prez sells herself on eBay

The lovely and talented Miss O'Hara and I immediately kicked out the following suggestions of what we would do with the President of PETA if we won the auction (that is if we combined her wedding fund and my dance lesson money):

Make her eat meat, veal in particular. And a nice juicy grilled steak. Mmmmm....
Wear Leather
Kill a chicken
Cook a turkey
Beat a baby seal
Wear Fur
Take her to the circus
Feed the lions
Conduct cosmetic testing that they aren't doing on animals
Spend time with Giselle and the editor of Vogue

I can't make this stuff up, folks.

Overheard in the office just now. A student who is upset because her petition to change her class from graded status to pass/fail said:

"I know there are rules or whatever and that they are trying to make it like the real world. But to me, the real world is about exceptions you know?"

My Own Caption Contest Entry

The Clintons each thought "I'm make-believing like I am kissing you... I'm dreaming about.. uh.. any woman other than you as I do it."

Dancing Backwards in High Heels

That's part of a quote used to imply that Ginger Rogers did more than Fred Astaire in their dance routines. And its a lyric from a Kenny Chesney song, too.

It occurred to me Saturday night at dance class that the quote is wildly inaccurate. Men have WAY more to do in social dancing (that would be your couples dances - waltz, foxtrot, swing, salsa, etc...) than women. I was dancing with a guy who is quite a bit more advanced than myself. So he would test my ability to follow by throwing stuff in there. And for the most part, I did pretty well if he provided a clear lead.

In every dance class I've been in, the instructor has spent more time going over the guy's part than the girls. Usually by the time they get to the girls, we've managed to pick up on our step and only need a moment or two to make sure we are actually doing it correctly.

Guys have to learn to lead. That means the guy has to somehow provide information to the woman through the direction of his body, the pressure of his hands, and the release of a particular handhold to move into a open step or turn.

Guys also have to look out where they are going. This is particularly crucial on a crowded dance floor. I can't tell you how many people I've bumped into because the guy in the other couple wasn't looking where he was going and walked right where we were moving. It doesn't hurt, but it's a bit embarrassing for all parties.

Guys also set the tone of the dance. Sure, the girl can be fun and flirty, but it's the guy who sets it up so that she looks super-great.

Given the amount of information the man is responsible for, it doesn't surprise me that I keep bumping into men who don't want to learn to dance. Such a shame, because I meet SO many women who say, "I love to dance. I wish I had a partner," or something like that. I really think that if a guy wanted to wrap a girl around his finger, he would learn to dance well. But that's just me... and I love to dance.

In my next entry, I will talk about what the ladies are supposed to do... or not do.

And she's pretty too!

Elena has a major big post on language that everyone should go read.

Y'all are quiet...

too quiet.

All Dressed Up...

Res said he wanted to see me in a belly dance costume. Here are a couple of pictures taken at the Dance Club Friday night. The gentlemen with me in the second picture are a couple of the instructors:






I'm not Rachel Brice, but I think I look pretty cute.

Edited to add: It isn't really visible in this pic, but the skirt I was wearing was black with black sequins, so it was really shiny and sparkly with gold and silver over-skirts. When Zorro whipped me around in a spin, the skirt flew up to about my knees - awesome look (which is why I bought the thing - its perfect for spins)! And then when I wore the same costume Saturday night, Guy X spun me around, and all of a sudden I'm wondering if everyone is seeing my naughty bits, because the skirt caught some serious air.

On a scale of 1 to Awesome...

I am Super Great.

Thanks to Katherine and Michael for this... Of course I'm worth more than both of them. What else could one expect from Super-Secret Agent Pink Kitty?

My blog is worth $106,133.52.
How much is your blog worth?

But apparently it isn't worth as much as Mr. Roboto.

Thanks and more blogger outings!

Thanks to Rex Hammock and the wonderful Mr. Roboto for putting together last night's blogger get-together. No fights broke out, though there were some threats made. I didn't make them. I was there to drink beer and eat pizza. I didn't drink beer... *sigh* I had one sip of the one Dana gave me (she got it 2-for-1) and whatever it was, it was awful. After that, I opted for no alcohol. Life was good.

I had a Red Stripe when I got home.

Nashville Bloggers need to keep in mind that Blake and I are working on another outing - at the gun range. What? Shocked you say? Should we actually put firearms in the hands of bloggers?

Just remember - don't point them at anyone and point them down range at the target. There is no goofing around with them at the range. My future brother-in-law-in-law (no I'm not stuttering. It's my brother's fiance's brother in law. Therefore, he's our future brother in law-in law) hopes to come with us to help with new shooters. He takes gun safety very seriously.

Anyway, so, we are trying to find a place to go shoot. Once we have that, we will post it. Email me (pink_kitty_post at yahoo dot com) if you are already interested in going.

Second social event of note, I met a smattering of other edited "Nashville's Private College" folks. We decided we needed to get together for lunch. "Nashville's Private College" bloggers also email me so we can find out who we all are and share love for the employer.

- I'm using that term under protest. There are countless other Private Colleges in Nashville. -

Political Pranks

The Scene talks about a prank at the Metro Council where 3 microphones were disconnected and that it cost $144 to fix.

I believe the TN General Assembly desks are similar. The microphones can also be disconnected there, leaving the cord trapped between panels of wood. When this happened at the TN General Assembly, they just got out a coat hanger that had been stretched out and pulled the plug up.

No recess needed. And it certainly didn't cost $144. Perhaps the Metro Council should look into that.

Having Issues

Oh yes... I have issues. No secret about that, but today, I want to talk about one specific issue: the Iraq war. This is prompted by the war protests that went on around the country the other day. And a post by Brittney at NIT about a soldier's story of working with a paralyzed girl (not the fault of the war - she was paralyzed well before it happened) and the snarky and rude comment made by someone in response.

It is no secret that I was in favor of the war in Iraq. I believed it was a good idea. Saddam was threatening and not abiding by the UN resolutions for inspections and such. He wasn't quite the buffer between Iran and Israel that he used to be (which is why I think we didn't take him out in 1991 - the power vaccum left in his wake would have been more than ripe for Iran... which it now is... and left Israel in a very vulnerable state). I did the Protest Warrior thing (and I still think Kfir is hot.)

I think there are those on the left who try to pretend Iraq was some lovely place full of rainbows and streams of flowers. It wasn't. Hussein is an evil man who tortured and terrified his people. As bad as some think George W. Bush has been, at the very least he has not released gas over his own people to kill them. Think about those innocent Iraqis when speaking of the Iraqis that have died. Here was a government that continually threatened its neighbors and (former) allies to the point of invading them. They also funded terrorism by paying the families of suicide bombers.

I'm also a flag-waving proud-to-be-an American type. I know the words to the various Armed Forces songs and can sing all those patrotic 4th of July stuff. Blah-blah.

Part of the reason I haven't wanted to say anything publically about my dwindling support for the war in Iraq is that I do not want to be lumped in with the left-leaning hippies (as if that mistake could be made. Possibly since the women I meet in my belly dance classes all seem to think I'm a hippy when I haven't given them any reason to think otherwise. We don't talk politics. I'm there to dance.) And as I have said before: I hate hippies. I haven't quite progressed to the Eric Cartman level of hippie hating, though. I'm sure hippies hate me - so it's all mutual.

I've also not wanted to because I am immensly proud of those in the military. With my brother over there (not anymore - he's back in the US as of this morning), I don't want to pull a Cindy Sheehan type move and dishonor their service. The lunatic fringe overshadows the entire debate so that we can't actually discuss it.

Truthfully, I think they should have split Iraq into three countries controlled by their dominant factions: Kurdish, Shiites, and Sunni.

Can one say "I disagree with this" and still honestly support the troops? Am I just buying into the constant negative press? There are good things happening there but at what cost? Christians feel less safe now than they did under Hussein. When does the price get to be too high?

He's Home! He's Home!

Well, almost.

My brother called from Camp Shelby, MS just a little bit ago.

He made it back safe and sound... and he was on his way to Wal-Mart.

Ahhhhh.... God Bless America.

Miers Withdrew From SCOTUS nomination

Miss O'Hara just told me that Harriet Miers has stepped out of the process to be a Justice.

Conservatives everywhere heave a sigh of relief.

Miss O'Hara went on to say "Now watch W name Karl Rove."

What Is Newsworthy?

Perhaps this was overheard at the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament:

Now that I know you choose paper, I clearly cannot choose rock. But since I know that you will now choose paper, I can safely choose scissors to soundly best you. But I see that you are clever. You would know that I would choose scissors, because you knew that I know you have the disposition to choose paper. Therefore I clearly cannot choose scissors, because you would counter with the rock.

/stolen from fark.com/

Things that should never come back - vol. 2

Farrah hair. And Madonna. Girl - you've made your money, go live quietly in the English country-side and let the rest of the planet be. I saw you on Letterman or whatever it was this weekend.. or was it VH1. I dunno. It just seemed so... 5 minutes ago.. listening to them talk about your upcoming doc on your last world tour. I am not planning to go see it. I wouldn't even see it for free.

Overheard at Lunch

Woman at next table: I feel like we are on "Sex and the City!"

PK - nearly chewing on her tongue to keep her mouth shut thinks: "Chick - you are at Pizza Perfect. There is absolutely no reason why you should feel like a fabulously dressed, well-heeled, uber-trendy Manhattanite HERE!"

For non-Nashvillians: Pizza Perfect is this place near campus. It's fast food but instead of burgers, it's pizza.

Miss O'Hara's comment: What? Were they comparing vibrators?
PK: I dunno. I missed that part.

Halloween Stories

from The People's Cube:



Visit their site for the rest.

Proving Idiocy

It isn't hard. Actual conversation, not 10 minutes ago:

Woman in hall: Excuse me?
PK: Yes?
Woman: I was wondering if you could tell me where Human Resources is?
PK: HR moved out of this building 3 years ago. Their offices are now located at -----.
Other Woman: We are looking for ---, the Director of HR.
PK: He's not in this building. He's at ---.
Other Woman: Are you sure?
PK: Yes ma'am.
Other Woman: I was told he had an office in this building.
PK: I am positive he's not in this building. In fact, he's never had an office in this building. It was vacant the year he came to work here. And we moved in last year. (PK's thought: but feel free to go knock on every door in here if you don't believe me.)
Other Woman: Are you sure?
PK: Yes ma'am. Would you like me to go get the phone book and show you?
Other Woman: Yes.
PK (returning with phone book: Here it is. His office is at ------ above the bookstore.
Other Woman *stares at me as though I have conspired against her to move the HR guy's office under her nose... just to confuse her. That I've made up this phone book entry and LIED to her!!! He's really in this building!!!!!! Don't you DARE PROVE TO ME OTHERWISE!!!!!!!*
Woman: Thank you very much.

Caption Contest

Here we go... time for another one... :)

Have fun with Chuck Schumer! Enjoy!

Things That Should NEVER Come Back

After the party Friday night, several of us stood around talking about trends that come back after dying the horrible deaths they deserved.

I related the NIT discussion of gaucho pants (the link for it is now gone).
And then we talked about Tamagotchi pets. You remember those, right? The keychain pets that you have to feed and play with or else they die and you just wasted $15. They are back, too.

Well, I didn't mention it but one person that should go away is Ricky Martin. Yep, Mr. Livin' La Vida Loca is back and has a video on VH1. Ugh. He is so 1999.

Thoughts? Additions?

Edited to add: leg warmers. Why are girls wearing them again? I know I saw them. Eww. Pretty soon tight-rolling your jeans will be back.

I wish I was this funny.....

I read GoFugYourself religiously. This entry is probably one of the funniest things I've ever read.

So unless Michael Stipe woke up one morning and said, "today, I am going out dressed as Jessica's grandfather, if he were an academic obsessed with crossing the Delaware," then this is a MISSTEP.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Saying what we always thought about some movies...

That the postershid the fact that the film stunk. Go farkers!

"Men are very bad for women really"

No Kitty... that's my pot pie!!!!

Actually, that article has little to do with Cartman.. but that quote makes Elena laugh.

See, I knew men were to blame but somehow... like a McDonald's Chicken McNugget... I can't stay away from them.

Walking a very fine line

In this WND story, a group of British Christians want to use the hate crimes law to ban the Quran.

While I agree that the Quran, sunnah, and hadith have statements that encourage radical and violent Islamists, attempting to ban it is a mistake. Let's say they win, the next target could be the fire and brimstone preacher. Then a radical Hindu. Next? A Christian who would dare say in a public forum that such-n-such behavior is a sin.

You don't think they would target Christians more than anyone else? They would. Why? First, Christians tend to be the majority. They also tend to be more outspoken and thus make themselves targets.

Overheard at Lunch

A diner complained about the sandwich brought to him by the waiter.

Waiter: "Yeah. BLT means bacon, lettuce and tomato. Did... you want something else?"
Diner: "Well, I thought it meant burger with lettuce and tomato."

PK's thought: It was on the menu. Hello? Where on this planet does "BLT" mean burger with lettuce and tomato?

Said diner got a burger and then sent it back because it was cooked to medium and apparently he wanted it "burnt." I bet after the meal was over they asked for it for free, too.

Does it say...

"Nooo Kitty. This is my pie!" or
"Respect my athoritha" or
"M'am, I'm here to check your house for parasites ... apparently, you have hippies. " or
"I want Cheesy Poofs!"

Shroud Of Cartman Appears On Sofa

Running Lights

On 3 separate occasions this past week, I saw what appears to be an abuse of police power:

Flicking on their sirens to run red lights.

I saw it twice at the intersection of Blackman Rd and Edmonson Pike.

They turn them on to go through the intersection and then turn them off once they are past. They don't speed up. They just keep cruising at whatever the speed limit is or slightly above it (like all Nashville drivers.)

Maybe, just maybe they on a call where they have been asked to arrive sans sirens and lights but... I dunno. But, if not, yes - it's an abuse. I have to sit there and wait on the light. If I run it and you are sitting there, I get a ticket. You run it and I just have to take it.

I thought several years ago, Metro installed some device to keep track of how often police cars used their lights because several years ago there was a story about abuse of the lights to run red lights.

Belly Dance photos of the week - the Salimpours

This little darling is Isabella Salimpour.



Her mother is Suhaila Salimpour, another of my favorite dancers. Suhaila's mom is Jamilia Salimpour. Jamilia is a pioneer of American belly dance (before her husband forced her away from performing by threatening to break her legs. Nice.) Suhaila's style heavily influenced the American Tribal-Fusion movement that you see with Rachel Brice. All those California dancers sticking together.... *watches as the audiences eyes glaze over*

Here are a couple of pictures of Suhaila.

Things I saw that made me wish I hadn't broken my digital camera

- The "My wife is a b****" bumper sticker. Refreshing, no? Wish I knew who was driving it. It would have really been funny if it was a woman driving the car.

- The tow truck pulling a tow truck.

- The kittens asleep in my lap.

Do Some Good - Shake a Tail feather

The Nashville Belly Dance group is having its second hurricane relief show this Sunday at 6pm in Tucker Theater at MTSU (which is in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building).

Oh yes - the Titans Cheerleaders will be there too.

What? You say you don't know where it is? Here's the map.

PK Impresonating Helen of Troy

Not really but I am the inspiration behind Glen's post on Christian libertarianism.

I'm so honored.

Caution: Government at Work

We all know that cars park themselves and get tickets when we aren't around.

Hat tip: WND.

*speechless*

Via IDontLikeYouInThatWay.com comes an auction that proves you can take the girl out of the country but you can't make her stop putting crappy nasty stuff on eBay.

Come ON! Used flip-flops?! That's just got all kinds of gross written on it. *shudders, spasms violently*

What do you want to bet some Britney fan who has a foot fetish won the auction?

Save yourself some money and get new flip-flops from Target.

Update: The lovely, talented and always fashionable Miss O'Hara informed me that the auctions have since been removed. "Apparently it was too gross even for eBay."

That reminds me of this story a co-worker told me. There was this QVC-"like" show on in Knoxville. It was a local show and was more like a yard sale on TV, taking the hawking of crap to whole new levels. She told me that one time, they brought out a mystery box and when they opened it, it had the contents of stuff one would keep under the sink, including:

1. Half a box of tampons
2. A used curling iron
3. Pink foam rollers

I think I need to go watch the StrongBad email regarding garage sales again. "I mean isn't it a bit suspicious that there is only one letter difference between garage sale and garbage sale?"

It's not really about sex

Some weeks ago, I had a post on some of the questions I had about what does the Bible really have to say about sex. I now have a stack of books, most of them useless, on either side of the issue - secular and Christian.

One side of the aisle says "don't think about it at all! Don't let any sexual thought even cross your mind for that is lust!" The other says it's all good in a comitted relationship. Don't fight your fantasies. Not quite follow your bliss but it's getting there. So, like Aristotle, I sought out the golden mean.

I found it in Richard J. Foster's The Challenge of the Disciplined Life which acknowledged the struggles of sexuality in the modern world without sounding like I'm stuck in a health class in 6th grade with a nervous teacher would rather be talking about anything else... or the other teacher who wants to get into discussing technique. Foster talks about power and money too but I haven't read those chapters yet. Winner's Real Sex that I referenced in my earlier post was also a helpful resource.

Then it occurred to me last night - it isn't about sex.

It's about intimacy.

Foster writes that we have come to equate sex with intimacy when there is more to intimacy than that. We have lost the non-erotic part of intimacy that comes with spending time with one another in genuine fellowship. We have also attempted to make every touch sexual. He states that some older singles will go for MONTHS without the touch of another human - and we are talking just like a pat on the back here.

You don't know your neighbors. You only associate with your co-workers in the office. If you are lucky you may have a lunch buddy. If you go to a gym, it's about working out and not about getting to know anybody. How many of you have watched person after person breeze in and out of your church without stopping to say a word to anyone? How many of you (myself included) have done that very thing?

Note: this is not meant to be a accusatory. It is a hard look on what I think the real problem with sex and singleness is. And loneliness isn't just a single-person's problem.

We are created to be in community. Living in a fallen world, the idea of intimacy has been distorted and perverted to where we equate it only with sex. This leaves generations of single Christians trapped - we want to honor God and live our lives for Him but we are lonely!

How many of you have basically lost a friend after they got married? They slip into a world where they only associate with other couples and if you are around them, you feel like half a set of training wheels on a bicycle. Not much good for anything and really kind of in the way.

Well-meaning church folk talk about having relationship with God. Yes... we are supposed to do that. But God flat out says "it is not good for man to be alone." He KNOWS we need to be with other people.

A whole other discussion is can men and women really be friends or does the cultural imposition of sexuality on those relationships make it impossible?

Free At Last!!!

Free at last! Thank God Almighty - I am free at last!