IZZY THE BOOTBLACK

anything fair?

2009-03-15T17:49:00.004-05:00

apparently though the people who live in the apartment below me think that their yelling and screaming and fighting and repeated slamming of doors is appropriate at the wee hours of the morning, they have decided that MY noisy leather work is NOT appropriate at ANY time of day, even at, oh, in the afternoon when MOST people are awake....

last night or this morning they put a note under my door asking that I refrain from pounding before 5pm because they work third shift... so ok, no problem, I can comply to that... so I even waited for a few minutes after 5 to start so it didn't look like some sort of "statement"... but despite that, the guy comes upstairs and asks me to refrain. um... NO. I'm way the hell over in the back corner away from the bedrooms and living room as it is, I'm doing what I can do attempt to keep the noise from carrying down through the floor...

well at least this project is closing in on finished... making the holes is the loudest pounding. Rivets I can do on my lap... and is there anything much quieter than hand stitching with lacing? Not really, there isn't even a sharp needle with which to poke myself!

makes me smile

2009-03-15T08:18:00.001-05:00

I smile every time I see this commercial, probably mostly because the nonchalant bear eating the sandwich looks like my friend Spot

in your FACE... book

2009-03-14T21:47:00.002-05:00

I'm over on FaceBook now and I actually like it. MySpace was kinda useless in my opinion because to FIND anyone you had to know their clever screen name. Over on facebook, I'm actually FINDING people... I had a couple friend requests just sitting in my e-mail for months... now that I have an account, I've been able to find people through other people... and on and on... it's actually USEFUL! WOO!

a REAL birthday present this year?

2009-03-09T20:32:00.001-05:00

I am bidding on this on eBay, and it ends on my birthday...

Bootblack shinebox

Eight is apparently not enough

2009-02-07T09:12:00.002-06:00

the big news these days is the recent birth of the octuplet babies and whether or not the doctor should have maybe done more to discourage the mother from having all eight embryos from being implanted in the first place.

She says "they were all my babies; they were all successfully fertilized and so I wanted to keep them all..."

But looking at a graphic representing the children and their birth weights... they were all 3 lbs or less with some just above a pound.

So far all the babies have survived, but the potential for health problems will persist for months to come. It is still possible that some, many, or all of them will have developmental problems because of their abnormally low birth weights.

Is this responsible parenting?

And these eight babies are on top of the sextuplets she had in a previous pregnancy.

It doesn't help that she is also a single mother living with her parents. I am not morally opposed to single parents, but going it alone makes it a LOT harder for her to have to means and money to take care of fourteen children. And yes, she has her parents NOW, but without knowing how old they are, they might be too old to help her for very long.

Doctors should have advised against her having a second fertility-assisted pregnancy when she had already given birth to sextuplets. All of these kids are going to have a hard time in life , no matter how much their mother loves them

trying AGAIN...

2009-02-04T11:09:00.002-06:00

Last year I was all jazzed about trying out for the Brew City Bruisers roller derby team... but I never made it to tryouts; tryouts were during the time I had mono last year.

Year before that I missed tryouts because I had pneumonia...

hoping THIS will be my year.

I'm pricing out gear online. This ain't a cheap hobby, but it doesn't have to be expensive either. Found a pair of skates under $100 shipped on eBay, and they are unused condition.

I'm finding skates that are over $600. I know people who have bought cars for less...

IT'S COMING!!!!!!!!

2009-02-01T19:04:00.002-06:00

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA

seeing the commercial tonight was the highlight of the Super Bowl...

SADDLEBACKING DEFINED!

2009-02-01T10:40:00.003-06:00

Ok, I am a huge Dan Savage fan, even got the chance to hear him speak at Schwartz' Bookstore (the Shorewood location) few years back... I think I was even amongst the first five in line to get their shiny new copy of Skipping Towards Gommorrah signed.

A few years back, Dan and his readers "invented" and defined a new word: santorum (1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.) in reaction to Sen Rick Santorum's far right wing policy making.

The new word for the year is "Saddlebacking"

Saddlebacking: sad•dle•back•ing \ˈsa-dəl-ˈba-kiŋ\ vb [fr. Saddleback Church] (2009): the phenomenon of Christian teens engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve their virginities

After attending the Purity Ball, Heather and Bill saddlebacked all night because she’s saving herself for marriage. Unfortunately her parents found out because they got santorum all over the sheets.

In Dan's own words from his column:

"Here's why this definition is perfect: Saddlebacking, like barebacking, involves one person riding up on another's backside. But in this case, it's not the bare-naked cock-in-ass that's the most important feature of the ride, but the fact that the person being ridden has been saddled—thanks to the efforts of the Rick Warrens of this world—with religious hang-ups and serious misconceptions about sex. Like the barebacker who casually tosses away his health—or his partner's health—because he believes, quite erroneously, that "risky = sexy," the saddlebacker offers up her ass because she believes, quite erroneously, that she can get fucked in the ass—vigorously, religiously—and still be considered a virgin on her wedding night.

I've set up a website—www.saddlebacking.com—to popularize the new definition. (Get to work, Google bombers!) Now let's get this term into common usage as quickly as possible."

"SNUGGIE"... the Chia Pet of the 21st Century?

2009-02-01T09:38:00.003-06:00

The SNUGGIE... commercial shows an inept woman STRUGGLING with a blanket the size of a dish towel... how on EARTH did mankind progress as far as we have with just mere BLANKETS?

No need to worry any more... To the rescue is... the SNUGGIE! the "Blanket with Sleeves"...

or, what it actually is... a robe, on backwards...

that's revolutionary...

I love the pictures: the first guy looks like Malcom McDowell pretending to be a Jedi Knight. The woman knitting looks a bit like a monk. The woman with the baby isn't sharing her Snuggie Warmth... baby just gets to suffer until he is older... such Spartan lifestyle will toughen him up for a future without blankets.

My future is also sans Snuggie... but what does not kill me makes me stronger.

WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT

2009-01-30T04:43:00.001-06:00

VIPERS IN LEGO

"Sexiest Movie EVER"

2009-01-22T20:39:00.002-06:00

First time I ever saw Logan's Run was way back in the 1970's before it was made into a (short lived) TV show. Yes, the movie is dated in appearance, but the story is quite timeless.

Based on a 1967 dystopian sci-fi novel by William Nolan, in the world of "Logan's Run" no one is allowed to live long enough to age and die of natural causes. The movie was released in 1976 and, especially compared to a movie like "Star Wars", looks a bit like an odd night at the Playboy Mansion.

I've been hearing for years that there was going to be a remake... not of the original movie, but a more faithful retelling of the original book. The 1976 movie got the basics down, but a lot of details were changed... it happens any time a book is made into a movie, and for various reasons.

But as this is a high quality story, I am looking forward to seeing a movie version that people will take more seriously than the 1976 version.

Slated for 2010...!

if you shop through Amazon....

2009-01-20T19:07:00.002-06:00

if you shop through Amazon... use the link provided on Half Price Books .... HPB will get a commission for all sales made through that link... might be as little as a half of a percent (I really don't know how much...) but it helps us out... not money directly into my pocket... but it costs you nothing extra to do so!

Word Association

2009-01-11T16:12:00.002-06:00

ok... less "word" and more "photo", but what do YOU think of when you see this photo?

That's right, Muhammad Ali...

GOAT...

I love the Shroud of Turin

2009-01-11T12:42:00.002-06:00

I was just watching Ben-Hur on PBS, the ending which is the implication of the ressurection of the Christ. Got me thinking about one of my favorite historical artifacts of all time.... the Shroud of Turin.

That's right.

I say this with pure sincerity and zero sarchasm: I LOVE the Shroud of Turin.

I'm not Christian beyond being raised in a "Judeo-Christian" environment, so I do not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God, healer of our sins, etc etc etc... Despite that, he was of flesh and blood and walked the Earth 2000-ish years ago and made significant contributions to history and society directly and moreso indirectly. Even if you are not Christian, if you grew up in a Judeo-Christian world, he means SOMETHING to you, even if you think he means NOTHING to you... because if you think that he means "nothing" to you, you have taken the time to decide that he means nothing to you...

Go ahead... DON'T think about Jesus... actively DON'T think about Jesus... you can't... how very Zen... mwuah hahaha

But back to the Shroud...

Things in my life don't have value for their price, but for their meaning and significance. "Treasures" of a society say as much, or maybe more, than heroes and events, because they speak of the common man and his personal values. This is similar to why I love old history books; they are innacurate, biased, and slanted... which says more about the time in which they were written than the facts themselves. I had a history book from 1904 that talked of Christopher Columbus as if he himself planted the US flag on Capitol Hill. Gives you NO useful information about Columbus, but it tells you a lot about what the US was like in 1904...

I digress again... Back to the Shroud...

About a year ago, I watched a program on PBS that neither proved nor disproved the divinity of the Shroud as a relic. Actually, the science that it demonstrated proved almost equally that it could be either... For instance, one test showed how bacteria on human skin could create the "photographic" image on a cloth under the right conditions and with enough time (hours, not years). Hoax or not, most the tests showed that it was very possible and likely that the Shroud image was created because of interaction of skin and cloth...

In other words, the cloth that is the Shroud contained SOMEONE at some time. But why is this significant? It's one of many possibilities, some of which are:

1. The Shroud is the Death Shroud of the Christ, proving his divinity
2. The Shroud is the Death Shroud of the Christ and proves his humanity
3. The Shroud is a "fake" relic, but the fact that someone took the time to create it, IT SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF RELICS TO RELIGIOUS FOLLOWERS.

Around the world, churches and cathedrals are filled with relics, enough that you would think that each Saint must have had nearly twenty fingers each, the Cross was built from an entire forest, and popes were each filled with gallons of blood to accomodate the demand for such. I've even heard that there are 13 cathedrals in France alone that claim to have the Holy Foreskin of Christ. Amongst the hundreds of finger bones of Saints, splinters of The Cross, gallons of blood... believers tend to just take their authenticity at face value.

But not The Shroud.

The image is not paint, ink, dye, pencil, lacquer, shellac,... it's blood, sweat, and tears... literally. If it's a hoax, the creator knew it would be under rigorous scrutiny.

Even if the Shroud is a manufactured fake, someone took the time to create something SO realistic and believable, it continues to stump and baffle science the hoaxer could have never even dreamed of.

WE CAN SEND A MAN TO THE MOON, BUT WE CANNOT PROVE OR DISPROVE WITH ANY CERTAINTY THE ORIGINS OF THE TURIN SHROUD.

Of course, individuals have made up their minds on its authenticity, just as there are individuals who have made up their minds on whether or not the Moon Landing was a government hoax. But there is no absolute, world wide, universally accepted conclusion, and I don't think that there ever will be.

And I don't think that will matter.

As long as even non-Christians like myself understand that this hunk of linen is an important historical artifact as EITHER hoax or authentic relic, the truth might never really matter.

It was Twenty Years Ago Today....

2009-01-07T02:13:00.003-06:00

mom made me grow out my Mohawk for months and then took me to get my hair cut somewhere... was my first paid-for hair cut in a couple years. I'd been cutting it myself for several years...

But this was "Senior Pictures"... and as they cost MONEY, I had to do as she said. I didn't mind actually. I knew it was coming, and I knew I would have to comply.

The coat was something I bought for $8 at Ragstock in Madison, and I practically lived in it for... well... too long... the cuffs were frayed, and the pockets had holes. ...

Did you notice the "rat tail"?

For years I was opposed to having my hair cut AT ALL... the tail was a throwback to that time. I bleached it somewhat with... I'm not sure what, but I got it lighter color. I would color it literally with markers or Kool-Aid... anything non-permanent. I cut it off one day, shortly before graduation.. and I still have it. It's actually in a cassette case.

I actually remember my first day to school without it... my friend Julie Janes wold greet me by tugging on it. She reached for it and.. grasped at nothing...

This year is my twentieth highschool reunion year. I will probably go... just to hear people say how little I have changed

Scary Mary....

2009-01-06T06:38:00.001-06:00

Found this when I was looking at the "happy trailer" of The Shining...

Isn't that kid an ADULT yet?

2009-01-05T09:22:00.001-06:00

Christian Children's Fund has been playing the very same commercial for at least ten years... little Raquel isn't little anymore... but they still play that commercial.

Yeah, I know the point of the organization is to raise money for the community, not just the one kid, but come on...

As the Favre Turns...

2008-12-30T20:16:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was the last weekend of the regular NFL season, and I watched the Packers (luckily) NOT lose to the 0-15 Detriot Lions, but they are not even remotely close to going to the Super Bowl. However, neither are the Jets....

Wonder how Brett Favre REALLY feels...

At the End of last season, Favre retired from the Packers as statistically the greatest quarterback of the NFL. Not bad... It was great to have the greatest QB to be a part of the Green Bay legacy. The Green Bay Packers is one of the oldest still-extant teams in the NFL . They won the first two Super Bowls, they are owned by the residents of Green Bay, and when someone wins a touchdown, they leap into the arms of the fans (the "Lambeau Leap").

But apparently all that just wasn't good enough for Favre.

Just before the beginning of the 2008 season, Favre announced that he was coming back. Sounds good, right? Well... yes and no. He came back because he wanted one more shot at a Super Bowl. OK, fine, what player DOESN'T want to win the Super Bowl? That wasn't the "problem". The twist was that he wasn't coming back to the Packers; he was shopping for what he thought was going to be "THE" team. His pick ended up being the New York Jets... but they didn't do that well this season either.

I personally feel that he should have just stayed retired.

He was something of an Everyman's Hero... came from humble beginnings, didn't bury himself in the glamourous sports lifestyle, and genuinely loved the sport. He even once stated that he would never play for anyone but the Packers...

But he came back.

With another team.

He didn't become a great QB in a vacuum... he needed to be a part of a great TEAM to make it possible... and at the end, he turned his back on them.

Just cheapens the "magic" in my opinion.

Losing sleep...

2008-12-25T00:38:00.003-06:00

when I become focused on something, I can attain amazing levels of obsession... too toften over things that in the grand scheme of things are not terribly important.

Right now I am completely consumed with modifying all sorts of electronics into :steam punk" versions. I've not DONE any conversions yet, but my mind is swimming with all sorts of possibilities, which has already led to taking apart a few things... (luckily they are things that, while not BROKEN, are things that were no longer useful to me)

my first project, and one that I have high hopes of success, will be a land line phone. I already have two old phones, one rotary and one touch tone, both of which work. if it weren't Christmas Day, I would be off to Goodwill looking for more whole pieces, and off to American Science & Surplus for the sundries...

Don't know what I will DO with the final products, as I will probably make several... but I have some time to worry about that

Up to my kilt in snow

2008-12-19T19:22:00.004-06:00

it actually didn't take long to dig out of my parking spot, but the "road" was only about a lane wide... forward was blocked by the postman's delivery van, and behind was blocked by people trying to go forward anyway. I finally got past the postman (he backed up far enough where he could move over as he had better height clearance)... but there were MORE cars ahead, and the cross streets were impassable. I got stuck after making a right turn...

as I was stuck in the middle of the street, the plow went down my street. When I finally made it BACK to my street, I parked and called it a day.

It took about an hour to go a couple blocks, get stuck repeatedly, and eventually return home.

When you think Christmas...

2008-12-05T19:45:00.003-06:00

...I apparently think of weaponry...

This is the bow I bought myself for Christmas. I have been looking at Grozer bows for many years now, and NOW seemed the right time... (actually it turns out I should have waited a week or so, as this bow went on sale for about $100 less, but who knew... I didn't until it was too late...)

It is hand made and came all the way from Hungary. Draw weight is 37# up to 32". I have ordered new (longer) arrows because I hope to learn the Mongolian draw...

UTILIKILTS!

2008-08-06T00:05:00.002-05:00

alright... it's official and such... I am going to be the Milwaukee/Chicago Sales Rep... WOOOO! something that I can do in my spare time as well... so no quitting the day job...

"The Biggest Celebrity in the World"?!?

2008-08-01T07:24:00.003-05:00

The Republicans have fielded several "celebrity" candidates within just the last few decades (Regan and Schwarzenegger were both actual MOVIE STARS) but somehow Barack Obama is the "biggest celebrity in the world"? In recent ads from the McCain camp, they compare him to Britteny Spears and Paris Hilton... and a representative from the McCain campaign has the balls to say the commercial focuses on their opinion of Obama's position on foreign oil... All while a "crowd" chants "OBAMA" Third Reich style in the background sound.

Oh, the commercial is playing right now... Apparently Obama is also to blame for rising gas prices... prices that have been on the rise for several years now... all through W's actual terms of presidency. One senator has more influence over gas prices than the president himself? Hellova stretch...

The Hunt is ON!

2008-07-14T08:58:00.004-05:00

The first time I saw one of these was about five years ago. I bid on it, and lost... I saw another one in the last few months... and didn't get that one either... then I saw a permit PLATE attached to a shine box... and I was outbid on that as well...

But this time I actually won!

So now I have ONE bootblack permit badge, and I want more

I also want one made for myself... make it look vintage and authentic.

I want as many of these as I can get... contact me if you have one or you find one.

THE THREE THAT GOT AWAY

leaping a chasm of logic

2008-06-30T08:21:00.002-05:00

Not that Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of my favorite people or anything but this site Dancing with Nazis is making some HUGE leaps of logic akin to: Mosquitoes have legs; Bears have legs, therefore bears are mosquitoes.

The site alledges that Arnold is a Nazi, with their "proof" being a belt buckle that he is wearing. The buckle is a skull surrounded by fleur-de-lis. The skull reminds me more of Mexican Day of the Dead imagery, while most people associate fleur-de-lis with France (or heck, the Boy Scouts).

Again, I might not like Arnold, but their leaps of logic are nothing but laughable

Virtual Strip Searches

2008-06-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

It's amazing what the government has convinced people is "for their own good at any cost".

TSA's virtual strip search

TSA promises to blur out your face and NOT save the image... but that also means that they can NOT blur out the face and that they CAN save the image...

Despite metal detectors, terrorists were able to hijack three airplanes in the US seven years ago with knives. Going to a "virtual strip search" won't make us safer because those with malicious intentions will just find different ways to get around security.

Maybe the government prefers we just fly naked... oh, and hancuffed to the seats... and blindfolded... and gagged...

Greek Mythology on Wheels!

2008-06-05T11:08:00.002-05:00

XANADU

Xanadu comes to Broadway... its one of my favorite guilty pleasures from when I was a kid, and its a movie that I think that everyone needs to see..

if it comes to Chicago, y'all are going to HAVE to come with me...

I'm a crack whore for BSG...

2008-05-29T21:30:00.003-05:00

That's Battlestar Gallactica...

ok, so yeah it premiered four years ago and will be wrapping up this season, but its all new to me and I am its bitch...

I am half way through season two after watching eight episodes yesterday and seven today

I bought a sleeve patch on eBay and I put it on my jacket today...
when I geek, I go all out...

"Life Alert" wakes the dead?

2008-05-26T00:08:00.002-05:00

"I've fallen and I can't get up!"

press a button and help is on its way...

just saw a commercial for "Life Alert", and it's a good idea and all (though a bit obsolete with cell phones so common and handy...)

but what I want to know is why the commercial has C. Everett Koop as a spokesman...

sure, he was Surgeon General...

but isn't he dead?

stepping up to the plate

2008-05-16T01:05:00.002-05:00

this guy....

hit me...

about a month ago...

seems even though he doesn't have insurance, he is stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing to make my car right... he told my insurance company that he is taking out a loan to fix my car.

ok so it's not THAT miraculous that he is doing so... Wisconsin law declares him at fault (he rear-ended me) ... and if he was NOT stepping up, he might face a lawsuit where he might end up having to pay more... but it's nice that he is "manning up" without needing to be coerced with a lawsuit...

We can dress real neat from our hats to our feet...

2008-04-27T21:12:00.002-05:00

Near the end of 1983, my parents told my brother and I that they were going to be getting a divorce... and on January 7th, 1984, my mom moved my brother and I to 26 N Wisconsin St where we rented out a house that my mom's friend was trying to sell. The house was a hundred years old or so, four bedrooms, still had the original furnace (coal burner, converted to gas)... the house was drafty and big, and somewhat haunted... The house was sinking in the middle and the floors kinda bounced a bit... which is a trait only good in bouncy castles. In the winter, the temperature in my room would drop down to about 50 degrees, so I was sick a lot. I think I was sick a lot anyway...

We lived there for almost exactly a year, moving out New Year's Eve of 1984. Less than a month later, my father passed away... but on the bright side of that I only had to do the "two houses" thing that kids of divorced parents have to do for only just a year.

But this story is not about divorce or death or boo hoo.

Its about a song.

I don't remember how much I got a week for an allowance, couple bucks tops I am sure, but that was enough to buy a new 45 a week...

A what?

A 45... A "single"... a 7" record ... A black plastic disc with a song on each side... yeah.. those... you remember those... Your parents had a few of them tucked in a weird cabinet somewhere along next to a dusty shoe box of photos and your baby book or something like that. The 45's that I bought I kept in a drawer next to my sock drawer. I didn't have that many at first. The drawer was big enough to hold a couple dozen, and as I accumulated more I would sometimes just take them out and count them, look at them, think about the best way to organize them... Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Howard Jones....

But there is one that I can actually still remember buying it... I picked it up on my way home from school. It didn't have the colorful picture sleeve like many of them had. I think once a single had been printed and reprinted, they eventually did away with the picture sleeve and put it in a generic sleeve for the later printings. This one was in a tan sleeve with the recording company logo printed on it over and over. I ran home and probably played it a dozen times before giving my family a break.

It was "The Safety Dance".

I had just started collecting music; it was something that kept me going, something to look forward to... it was a rough time otherwise and all that (but see above where I say this story is not about the boo hoo) . To this day, most of what I consider "favorite music" is from that year, either released or acquired in 1984. And to this day, every time I hear even just the "catch" from "Safety Dance", I can remember back to the day that I bought the 45 for it; it was one of my first and was a constant favorite.

I bet you can't remember the day you downloaded such and such song... "ahh... right after I closed my Outlook Express and fended off some pop-ups, I navigated to iTunes and found it.... I had to wait WHOLE SECONDS before the data transfer was complete...." where's the fun in that?

I bet your friends don't dance.. and if they don't dance, well... there no friends of mine

It was 90 years ago today...

2008-04-21T19:13:00.003-05:00

Manfred von Richtofen, born 2 May 1892, defeated 21 April 1918

Richtofen was actually not much for flying... it was a means to an end, which was he wanted to be the Ultimate Hunter. And he was.

But the Hunter was always the Hunted, and he was taken down by a single shot, fired from the ground.

The average American doesn't understand The Great War the same way we can so easily understand World War II. In WWII, it was a struggle between "good" and "evil". The Great War was all about language, culture, and borders which had been drawn and redrawn for countless centuries by men who never thought twice about the common man. Confusion and birth-right animosity spurred this war, yes... but not evil... not the kind of evil that was defined in the Second World War...

So I feel no shame in declaring this man a Hero...

Utilikilts comes to Wisconsin

2008-04-04T12:48:00.003-05:00

over the course of the last year, Utilikilts have been opening to the wholesale/retail markets, allowing more stores to spread the kilted goodness... well it so happens that there is a shop near Milwaukee that is carrying Utilikilts.... The Blessed Bee in Kenosha is on the Utilikilts website as being a retail location. I haven't been there and I don't know how many they carry... but its a good start if you want to get fitted and hold one in person...

2008-04-02T14:40:00.002-05:00

Dear Beloved One  (well that's kinda personal...),

Compliments of the season (i'm really not much of a cook) to you and other  members of your family Based on your profile  (you should see me at 3/4), l am happy to request for your  assistance because i belive that you are not going to betrayed the trust which i  am going to lay on you  (well then, lay it on me!).

My name is Jennifa Robert Komo. 21 years old and  the only daughter of my late parents Mr.and Mrs Robert Komo. My father was a  highly reputable busnness magnet (attractive person, then...)-(a cocoa merchant) who operated in the capital  of Ivory coast during his days (and what about his nights?). It is sad to say that he passed away  mysteriously in France during one of his business trips abroad on 12th.November  2005.Though his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been  masterminded by an uncle of his who travelled with him at that time, but God  knows the truth! (you should ask him then!)

My mother died when I was just 4 years old, and since then my father took  me so special (in like a "start up the Barry White music" sort of way?)  . Before the death of my Father on November 12th 2005 he called the  secretary who accompanied him to the hospital and told her that he has the sum  of (USD$2.5 000 000) Two, Million five hundred thousand dollars left in  a metalic trunk trunk box  (double your safety with a trunk trunk), wich he deposited in a Security Company here in  abidjan, that he registered it as family valuable items for security reasons, he  told the secretary that i should contact the Company for them to know me as his  next of kin wich i have did as he instructed, 

He also told the secretary that i should not let any of his relations to  know about this because he was kiled by them and if they know about it, that  they will do nothing but to kill me in other to take hold of every thing, He  told her that i should seek for a foriegn partner abroad who will help me  retreived the trunk box and also travel with him or her in other to continue my  Education and also to start a Bussines relationship with the person, (um... wouldn't the obvious solution be the daughter and the secretary?)

My dear, this is why i have come incontact with you in order to help me  retreive that trunk box from the Security Companys custody and send it direct to  your country and also to make an arrangement for me on how i will come over to  your country in other to continue my Education and also to go into bussines  relationship with you hence i am still a child and i dont know any thing about  bussines, i am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards and  your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded.  (she is still a child, but knows how to hack and retrieve e-mails of strangers? wait, I thought she said she was 21!  I am growing suspicious...)

Now permit me to ask these few questions:-

1. Can I completely  trust you? No
2.Can you accept me as your own blood Sister? well, if we did THAT, then wouldn't I be one of those relatives you aren't supposed to trust?

3.What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for  you? all of it, Baby!

Consider this and get back to me as soon as possible with your  full assurance that you will not disapoint me in this issue so that i can give  you the contact of the Security Company where my late Father deposited  that trunk box (ohhh this MUST be a scam... it's no longer a "trunk trunk box" but JUST a "Trunk box"!) for you to contact them on how the trunk box will be retreived  from their custody and deliver to your country,

Thank you soo much for your understanding and may almighty God bless  you and your Family to the Glory of Almighty Father Amen,
My sincere  regards,
Miss Jennifa Robert Komo. and why does she have a dude's middle name?

Do you get hundreds of mails everyday? Delete none. Keep them all.

Please for your urgent reply!

2008-03-20T16:59:00.001-05:00

GOOD DAY.

NOTIFICATION OF PAYMENT BY ATM MASTER CREDIT CARD

DID YOU AUTHORIZE ONE MR. ROBERT J SMITH? WHO
PRESENTED DOCUMENTS OF CLAIM PURPOSED TO HAVE BEEN
SIGNED BY YOU FOR THE RELEASE OF YOUR PART-PAYMENT OF
US$8 MILLION ONLY?

WE HEREBY OFFICIALLY NOTIFYING YOU ABOUT THE PRESENT
ARRANGEMENT TO PAY YOU, YOUR OVER DUE
PRIZE/INHERITANCE FUND WHICH YOU COULD NOT COMPLETE
THE PROCESS OF THE RELEASED OF YOUR TRANSFER PIN CODE
THROUGH THE DIGITALIZED PAYMENT SYSTEM. WE HAVE
DECIDED TO PAY YOUR FUNDS WITHOUT ANY REQUESTED FEE
BUT THROUGH (ATM MASTER EXPRESS CREDIT CARD) THIS
ARRANGEMENT WAS INITIATED/CONSTITUTED BY THE WORLD
BANK AND PARIS CLUB, DUE TO FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES
GOING ON WITHIN THE AFRICAN REGION.

THE WORLD BANK AND PARIS CLUB INTRODUCED THIS PAYMENT
ARRANGEMENT AS TO ENABLE OUR PRIZE/INHERITANCE
BENEFICIARY TO RECEIVE THEIR FUND WITHOUT ANY
INTERFERENCE. THE ATM MASTER EXPRESS CREDIT CARD WAS
CONTRACTED AND POWERED BY GOLD CARD WORLD WIDE.
RECONFIRM THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION TO US FOR SECURITY
REASON.

1) YOUR FULL NAME
2) YOUR RECEIVING ADDRESS.
3) YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER
4) YOUR PROFESSION
5) YOUR AGE

UPON THE RECEIPT OF THIS MAIL WE ARE GOING TO LOAD
YOUR FUND INTO THE MASTER EXPRESS CREDIT CARD AND SEND
A SCAN COPY OF THE CARD TO YOU BEFORE WE WILL PROCEED
TO DISPATCH THE CARD DIRECTLY TO YOUR NOMINATED HOME
ADDRESS SO YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
ALL WE NEED IS YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE AND CO-OPERATION
BY GODS GRACE WE WILL HAVE A SUCCESSFUL TRANSACTION.
PLEASE RESPOND ONLY TO THIS EMAILS ADDRESS:

MR. PAMI VEGAS.
CHAIRMAN BOARD OF TRUSTEE
CONTRACT/ INHERITANCE PAYMENT.

"well I would walk 500 miles...."

2008-03-06T23:58:00.002-06:00

SO... IMsL wants me to some judge the Ms. Bootblack contest this year (be on a panel of about a half dozen other judges) but well... I have no money (my bankruptcy court date is at the end of this month....) I have someone who is trying to find people who will donate frequent flyer miles to help me get there, which is awesome though I don't know HOW someone donates miles...

ANYWAY...

if you or anyone you know has more frequent flier miles than they know what to do with, let me know.... IMsL is the first weekend of May, so I will need to gather this info very very soon.

and as I am not a charity, nor is IMsL, this can't be any sort of tax write-off (just wanted to say that so no one makes the wrong assumptions and then is upset that its not a write-off)

"kissing disease", my eye!

2008-03-02T22:38:00.002-06:00

ok... so I just got back from the ER... I have been feeling like walking death for a couple weeks, went to my regular doc last Tuesday, but no change in how crappy I have been feeling...

so I left work early today and went to the ER... tested positive for mono, which strangely makes me happy.... at least I feel like crap for a REALLY good reason.

Anyway, this is the SECOND time I have had mono, and apparently it is very uncommon to get it more than once, kind of like the way getting chicken pox USUALLY makes you immune from getting it again. The first time I had mono was about this same of year, three years ago... just in time for my birthday...

and yeah, "kissing disease" my ass.. I haven't kissed anyone since like... May last year.

But apparently, getting mono at all can trigger fibro... and getting it AGAIN is also related to fibro.

Anyway... I will be on Second Life A LOT in the next couple weeks...

Talk Derby to ME!

2008-01-31T18:00:00.000-06:00

I am on the waiting list for trying out for the Brew City Bruisers!

I haven't been on skates in more than a couple years... but in my younger days I was no slouch, so with some practice I should be able to get back up to speed ...

I don't know when tryouts are going to be... hopefully not TOO soon... i've got my derby name picked out already, but y'all will all have to wait until I am on the team to hear it ;)

me want....

2008-01-31T17:05:00.000-06:00

ok, since I have no money, I am going to pretend to spend it... next purchase :
Mauser Broomhandle

Old is new

2008-01-30T11:51:00.001-06:00

first of all... I have been away for a very long time... I have been without my computer for nearly a month now (!) but wait, there's more! it's not working right! I can browse the internet and check my e-mail, but anything more will crash the computer and reset it... yay

but in the meantime I have been window shopping (HA!) for some fun things... I need this...

Bluetooth Accessory

ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow

2007-10-01T16:13:00.000-05:00

most of you that know me up close and personal know that I have been plagued for years with pain and illness for quite some time... doc says it's (most likely) fibromyaliga (which I need to learn to spell AND say...).. Diagnosis needs to be made by a rheumetologist, but the reading that I have been doing points to YES...

website gone tear

2007-10-01T16:10:00.001-05:00

yeah, after being online since sometime in 2002, I let my www.izzythebootblack.com website lapse... renewal was something like $70... and that's a lot of food...

i'm not that active in bootblacking anymore, and anyone that wants to find me still can... in the meanwhile I still spend a lot of time on Second Life. I'm not going to publicly post my avatar name here, but if you want to find me there, contact me privately...

John Waters bores me

2007-08-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Don't shock me, impress me

Anyone can be shocking

Few can be impressive

One Small Day...

2007-07-24T16:48:00.000-05:00

How many times has it turned against you ?
How many times did they walk away ?
How many times have you let depression win the fight ?
Oh, my sentimental friend
We'll walk as one again
One day

One day
Where I didn't die a thousand times
Where I could satisfy this life of mine
One small day

One day
Where every hour could be a joy to me
And live a life the way it's meant to be
One small day

---Ultravox "One Small Day"

this song comes from an album I bought about 22 years ago, Lament, by a great band called Ultravox. Timeless music for sure. (find it if you can... Midge Ure plays electric violin on much of it... as just an example of what you will hear...iTunes has a clip too short to do it justice but they still have a clip)

But maybe one day again I will have a good day

Even Pure Evil has to drive to the grocery store...

2007-07-15T19:31:00.001-05:00

Love/Hate Letter

2007-06-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

I might not seem like the typical Pink fan, but she IS good...

Dear Mr. President

Selling my first kilt...

2007-06-16T13:23:00.001-05:00

ebay listing

150133392248

POSTAL BLUE KILT

This is REAL....

2007-06-07T08:11:00.001-05:00

Someone in my VW club posted this on our message forum, and when you watch it you think "great computer animation/enhancement..."

Honda Commercial

but wait, there's more...

it's not computer generated.

its for REAL

SNOPES takes on the Honda Commercial

Just Let it GO...

2007-06-07T07:59:00.000-05:00

MAN DROWNS IN SEWER...

A New Source for the Draft...

2007-06-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

got this link from the Raggedy Android awhile back, and gosh it's good... but it doesn't refer to ME... *I* am a Rev War reenactor, not one of those oddball Civil War guys...

The Onion News Online

quack quack

2007-05-30T22:42:00.000-05:00

the original name of "duct-tape" was actually "DUCK tape" because it is waterproof... it changed its name when aluminum heating ducts became more common and "duck tape" was perfect for sealing seams in DUCT work...

Latest photo of my shine box lid

2007-05-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

many in the leather community put pins on a vest, but pins on a vest can get lost (and they can hurt when you hug someone...) so i decided to put them on the inside of the lid of my travelling shine box.. the space is almost full... most of the pins are events that i have worked at, some are for clubs that i have met

IML weekend

2007-05-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

i didn't realize HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED DOING BOOTS!

i haven't dont boots pretty much at all in about a year, and kind of a little bit i was almost dreading going to IML... but i made promises to David Hawks to help with the IML Bootblack Party friday night, and i made promises to Suka and Leslie to work the bootblack chair at Cell Block saturday night...

yes, i was exhausted from sleeping poorly Thursday night, but i made my way to Chicago Friday morning, set up my cot in the spare room, and got down to the Palmer House hotel.

I didn't even know who all was going to be competing for bootblack until i got there, but i liked what i saw upon my arrival... and let me just say CONGRADULATIONS to Spot of Michigan who is now the FIFTH CONSECUTIVE Great Lakes Bootblack to compete and win at a national/international level...!

I did boots at the Bootblack Party Friday, and i forgot how good it feels...! and then i did boots at Cell Block Satuday, and HOT DAMN i loved it...! and it didn't hurt that, heh heh... erm... ok i'm not going to kiss and tell unless she tells me to... and i'm gonna leave THAT at THAT...

What's wrong with this picture?

2007-05-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

not a gosh darned thing...

Bootblack Issue is OUT!

2007-03-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

click the picture for a direct link to Amazon.com for YOUR copy of Power Exchange Magazine, March issue

Now that I have your attention...

2007-03-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

I have an article in the March issue of Power Exchange Magazine which is dedicated to Bootblacks. the issue will be available through Amazon.com (but is not QUITE yet...) and if they sell enough issues, I get paid for my article! So, shameless plug... buy the March issue of Power Exchange!

Where have i been?

2007-03-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

I've been leading a Second Life!

i have become addicted to an online game called Second Life but if you want to find me, you are gonn have to ask really really nice!

no, she doesn't look much like me...but hey, it's just a game... or is it?

Ludo is HOME

2007-01-30T21:27:00.000-06:00

okay, he came home Wednesday night, but was weak from not eating... i started force feeding him kitten formula, which he was not very happy with, but too bad. We humans can rationalize "sure i feel like crap, but to feel better and get better i have to eat soup/drink juice/take these vitamins etc. Animals just know what they are feeling RIGHT NOW. so it is easy for an animal to just not eat because they feel crappy.

when he came home, his bladder was still a bit leaky... he was CHOOSING to use the litter box, it's not that he was just randomly wetting himself. he was just... leaky... so my bed still smells a little like cat pee. so is life.

he took up a spot right by the radiator, to keep himself warm and possibly also to dry his fur when he would "leak". for the first couple days he would just curl up and sleep and only get up to pee. he was anti social and mopey.

but after a couple days of his meds and getting force fed, he started to perk up, gain back his joy, and his appetite started to come back. as soon as he was eating on his own, i stopped the force feeding.

and he is purring again. my baby is gonna be OK

Ludo is in the Hospital

2007-01-24T05:46:00.000-06:00

when i came home from Southwest Leather Conference Sunday night (actually Monday morning at 1:30 am) Ludo did NOT run out to greet me, which itself was abnormal. i called for him; when he finally came out of hiding, he was lethargic and confused. i picked him up; his belly and legs were covered with urine and crusted cat litter (some of you will remember that i added Ludo to the family after Koshka died in 2003)

i cleaned him up and rushed him to the Emergency vet. His urinary tract was blocked with crystals to the point if i was gone for one day more i might have come home to dead kitty.

He is doing well but could be doing better. they are HOPING that he can come home tonight (Wednesday night) but they can't be sure (it is only 5:30 am Wednesday; they just called me) but the bill is already $1000. the $700 deposit maxed out my credit card, and i don't know if they will do a payment plan for the rest.

so, yes, this is the fundraiser part of the story.

on my website (http://www.izzythebootblack.com) you will see my PET YOUR BOOTBLACK logo. i made this into a travel fund pin during my International Ms. Bootblack year, but now since i have a bunch left i am going to use them to try to raise money. go to the main page of my website for more information if you want to donate money to get a pin (or you just want to flat out donate money)

Attack of the Clones

2007-01-01T15:37:00.000-06:00

The FDA might be on the verge of approving cloned animals for agricutural use; breeding, meat, and milk, but the public is confused, concerned, and just plain weirded out by this possibility. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel just had a short article about it within the last few days. Of course scientists involved with the develpoment of cloning feel that yes, the FDA will approve cloned animals with a hearty "WHY NOT?" One was quoted saying something along the lines of "If the FDA says its safe, then the public should jutst accept it." But i think that we can ALL think of products that were originally approved by the FDA and then pulled from the market when said product turned dangerous. years ago i was on a prescription drug that was eventually pulled from the market because it was killing people. obviously it didn't kill me too, but it did cause me severe side effects in the time that i took it.

I think that science is going to push so hard for the agricultural application of cloned animals to justify that the work that they have done is not "evil" or "creepy". But do we even NEED these cloned animals? Do we actually have a shortage of quality dairy and meat cows? The article mentioned that even scientists admit that cloning is expensive, so we won't be in fear of whole herds of cloned cows. What's wrong with letting cattle just do it themselves?

I think that science has other reasons for developing and improving cloning, and pushing agricultural use is a smokescreen so to speak. I don't care if it is "safe". I just don't want it happening.

Elvis left Las Vegas...

2006-12-14T21:53:00.000-06:00

i'm applying for a job in Chicago... (it's actually a promotion within the company that would take me outside Chicago...)

i've lived in Milwaukee for nearly 16 years. i've never lived outside Wisconsin. i spent a semester in London, which is KINDA like living outside WI, but that was a predetermined amount of time.

i hate moving, but this might be a very good thing. if the job didn't involve moving out of state/town i would want it in a heartbeat, so the moving part is the tough part.

so yeah... this could be interesting...

Hi Ho, yo

2006-12-02T16:12:00.000-06:00

a downside to not having cable TV is watching all sorts of movies you really have no interest in, but you watch them any way. Today i watched "Posse", with a mega cast of Mario Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, Nipsy Russel, and Ton Loc, to name a few...

took place after the Spanish-American War (1898). group of black army deserters (and Stephen Baldwin) head west after returning from Cuba to avenge the murder of Mario Van Peebles father. But not only are they fighting injustice, they are fighting racism (and in Stephen Baldwin's case, he's just fighting to establish something of a sustainable acting career...)

But like any cowboy movie, there is a good dose of card playin', boozin', whorin', fancy shootin', fancy ridin', you get the idea... ever notice how "gang" activity is portrayed? and when i say "gang" i'm talking cowboys, pirates, vikings, and yes, even modern inner-city gangs in the US. So, with how "romantic" pirates are viewed 250-300 years after their heyday, i wonder if the inner city gangs of the 1980's through today are going to have the same "romantic" appeal in a couple hundred years?

my point has ZERO to do with race; vikings are as white as you can get, and can't imagine that there were many black pirate captains (but i'm sure that there were black crew memebers). But i bet that your average pirate, your average REAL pirate, could scare the bling off any inner-city badass... but yeah, i bet in two hundred years our worst gangs will be viewed with a strange folk hero worship.

i have a green thumb?

2006-11-17T20:21:00.000-06:00

i love my house plants. a normal amount, mind you, but i like my plants. i've got a bunch, and besides a Jade plant, i really don't know what any of them are... ah well... but i can make them thrive, and that's what really matters...

growing up, my mother was an avid outdoor gardener-- roses, shubbery, and even at one point a vegetable garden-- but we had NO houseplants, none that were real anyway. she would spend hours outside tending her gardens, but she thought that houseplants were too much work. whatever.

the majority of my plants are like philadendons, but i don't think that is REALLY what they are. one of them i got six or more years ago, and i have propagated another five from that one. the parent plant was gettting root-bound, so i just repotted it in something larger tonight. the first one that i propagated off of it is now as big as the parent, which is pretty "exciting" (in a boring kind of way...)

i've got a row of cacti in the kitchen window; one i even started from just a seed maybe about eight years ago. it's like a saguaro cactus, but they don't start growing arms until they are MUCH older (probably older than i will get...)

The Evil Ex and i actually had a lot of plants; we even tried growing tomatoes indoors (but they got dropped while we moved, so they didn't last. otherwise, they had a good chance...)

Come spring, when it is growing season, i'll be propagating some more again. i've got space in the kitchen for quite a few hanging plants. why buy new ones, when i can "make" my own?

Free Hugs

2006-11-13T15:33:00.000-06:00

i got this from my friend Brett, and i shall pass it on to all of you...

free hugs

Roller Grrls

2006-11-10T19:24:00.000-06:00

Come Here Once...

2006-11-06T20:30:00.000-06:00

Fun with language...

i was reading a post from someone (and it had nothing to do with language specifically) but they referred to "fire flies", which i more often than not, call "lightning bugs"... and that got me thinking about coloquiallisms...

Do you say "bubbler" or "water fountain"? (personally i say "drinking fountain")

"Pop" or "soda"? (That 70's Show, set in Wisconsin around about the Sheboygan area i think, in fictional "Point Place", has used "soda pop" because while "pop" is a Wisconsin-ism, they probably didn't want to confuse anyone... Milwaukee says "soda", the rest of Wisconsin says "pop")

"Stop lights"? Common here is "stop and go lights" (since they don't ONLY tell you to stop!)

Do you know the difference between sofa, couch, and davenport? (sofa= 2 cushions; couch= 3 cushions, davenport= 4 cushions)

"couple three times" means "a few times"

"come here once" (but NOT twice!)

"Did you go to the store, or no?" "Do you want a beer, or no?"

Pink is pronounced "PEENK", milk is "MALK" and Milwaukee is "Mah WA' Key"

So lets try a couple three Milwaukee sentences, shall we?

"Did you sit on the peenk davenport by the bubbler, or no?"

"Come here once with that pop, hey?"

"The sausage store is down by the stop-and-go light."

"I went to a wedding reception here in MahWaKey, and they were actually serving more than a couple three glasses of malk."

got any more?

OFF WITH THEIR KEDS!

2006-11-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

Went and saw Marie Antoinette on Monday, and i enjoyed it very much. Sophia Coppola mentioned that some inspiration for the movie came from the 1980's "New Romantic" music/clothing style... you know, the whole glam pirate thing that Adam and the Ants were doing... so, anachronisms in the movie are an intentional tool as opposed to mistakes. (IMDB.com lists "goofs", and mentions as a goof that there are a pair of Chuck Taylor shoes in a shoe shopping scene... aren't they smart enough to know that was INTENTIONAL?)

In the soundtrack are songs by The Cure, Bow Wow Wow, Adam and the Ants, New Order, and Siouxsie and the Banshees (among other artists).

some of the plot gets a little slow near the end, but the plot isn't the point of the movie-- we ALL know that she and the king are killed in the end. Think of the movie as a moving painting. There are no special effects, no green screen, no CGI. It's about artistic camera angles, impossible fashions, long pastoral shots, wigs with birds and ships, sunrises.

So, i LIKED the shot with the pink Chuck Taylors.

Versailles is a huge, gaudy music box of a palace, and oh so very French. Marie almost had no choice but to become corrupt. She didn't stand a chance...

The Price of a Good Time

2006-10-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

this is speeding ticket from oh, awhile ago. end of August. Just got around to paying it. coming back from Chicago. a LOT more expensive than my ticket in Ohio. Racine County. Got pulled over there once a couple years ago, but got off with just a warning the first time. This ticket is the third time i've been pulled over in my life. first time was on our way back from St. Louis, and i was driving Raggedy Android's car. no ticket.

i'm gonna carry proof of payment in my car because without it i think that i am on the verge of "arrest warrent".

goodness. i've FINALLY become the delinquent that my mother accused me of being nearly twenty years ago...

Foreshadowing...?

2006-10-24T19:27:00.000-05:00

i have no idea if the brunette in the pic REALLY IS Winona Ryder, but it sure does look like her... and the book the cover was scanned from was dated 1986, so it sure COULD be her... funny either way

Is There Such Thing as "Small Tobacco"?

2006-10-13T04:19:00.000-05:00

i just got done watching a news segment about the ongoing non-smokers war with "Big Tobacco"... a non smoking woman blasted tobacco companies for caring about their "bottom line" because they oppose tobacco tax hikes. Well, YEAH they care about their bottom line... THEY ARE A BUSINESS LOOKING FOR PROFIT.

i've noticed that, despite that this is a capitalist society, that "making a profit" is somehow seen as evil... i see it all the time at the bookstore at which i work. we are a used bookstore, and so we buy books from the public. i often have people yell at me for offering too little money for their books. well see, people, if my store DOESN'T make a profit, then we go out of business. i don't know what my store's profit margin is, but our overhead VASTLY exceeds our profit margin.

but back to tobacco (but sticking to profitability)...

if a bar owner felt that a smoke-free environment would be profitable, they would just plain do so. But you DON'T see voluntarilty smoke-free bars. if you are a non-smoker and you want to have a smoke free bar to go to, START ONE YOURSELF! and then you'll see that no one will show up, and you will shut down because you are NOT PROFITABLE.

the other side of that, though, is "Big Oil". the cost of gas and oil affects the entire economy. it costs me more to get to work, the things i NEED to buy are more expensive because they cost more to get to my town... tobacco is a luxury, but even if you don't drive, gasoline/diesel/oil are interwoven into our lives so much that they are a necessity. Big Oil making record profits while the entire rest of the economy SUFFERS is criminal.

Progress Marches On...

2006-10-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

so, this past weekend was Feast of the Hunters' Moon. one night while i was poking at the campfire that i had started with a modern lighter, i thought about matches and tinderboxes and flint and steel...

in this day and age, many people are opposed to technology such as cellphones, computers, microwave ovens, dvd players, whatever. these people aren't necessarily AFRAID of such things, not afraid for their safety mind you, they just don't like them and where they feel "society is going" with such innovations.

i wondered if people felt the same about the technological advancement that was the strike-match.

sulfur strike-and-light matches were invented in the 1800's (okay, i looked around online, and i guess people were already trying to invent the match earlier, but they became common in the 1800's). in that day and age, people were VERY reliant on fire for cooking, heating, and even light, even if the flame was contained in an iron stove or a gas lamp. it was still flame and it still had to come from somewhere. most homes kept some sort of flame lit at all times since starting a fire with flint, steel, and tinder was time consuming.

but did anyone feel that the strike and light match was a lazy alternative to flint and steel? was the match seen as social demise? hmmm... things one thinks about while poking at a campfire...

another one of those lists...

2006-10-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
the fact that she was psychotic and was cheating on me. oh, and she had accepted a marriage proposal from someone else several months before admitting that she had been cheating on me...

2. When was the last time you shaved?
maybe a week ago

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
eating breakfast while reading e-mail

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
reading the LJ that i took this list from...

5. Are you any good at math?
not as good as i used to be. use it or lose it

6. Your prom night?
we went to see the band that was playing. i actually wore a dress

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?
no, but my dad was part of the Apollo mission. something he helped build is ON THE MOON

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school?
paid in cash, all five years

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
i don't have a myspace profile

10. Last thing received in the mail?
probably bills

11. How many different beverages have you had today?
three. water, coffe, and hot cocoa

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machine?
voice mail, yes

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Sting, Dream of the Blue Turtles tour, 1985.

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
oh, i don't go to the beach. last time i went to a beach was 1991

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?
got my wisdom teeth pulled, but that was more uncomfortable than painful. had a cavity drilled w/o novacaine when i was 16...

16. What is out your back door?
stairs down to the garbage cans

17. Any plans for Friday night?
usually not...

18. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
i don;t let the ocean touch my hair... that would mean going near the ocean. see #14

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
not personally, but we usually get a couple of those at the store and share

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
no, but i've been to observatories

21. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
probably too many times because i hate doing laundry

22. Some things you are excited about?
Yorktown, 225th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown, next week.

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
i like many orange colored foods

24. Describe your keychain(s)?
one keychain has ALL my keys... 12 in all... One keychain has nothing but a leather fob, a spring clip, and my car key. that is the one that i drive with because hanging a lot of keys off your ignition is BAD for it

25. Where do you keep your change?
in one of those Denny's orange juice carafes

26. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
how large?

27. What kind of winter coat do you own?
i have a biker leather with a zip out liner, but for extreme cold i have an army surplus Big Ass Parka given to me by someone who was in the army in Alaska

28. What was the weather like on your graduation day?
warm? don't remember, it was inside

29.Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Open cuz i got cats

where have i been?

2006-10-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Amish Raped by the 21st Century

2006-10-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

A man opened fire in an Amish one-room school within the last day or two, and when i googled for information for this blog, the top FOUR listings were all from the United Kingdom (this from Wales), with the next several links being JOKE listings (and none as good as the Onion could do, even though i hope that the joke listings are not in response to the actual tragedy.

Dumb and Dumber

2006-10-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

By the time i got to work today, i wanted to call in "stupid". Not call in "sick" but call in "stupid"...

i forgot my cellphone: i have gone several days without smoking a cigarette, but make me go one day without my cellphone (with texting and e-mail) and i get the shakes.

i took the wrong way to work: Milwaukee has been rebuilding the Marquette Interchange, a major interchange between I-43 and I-94. Driving to work i take I-94, and starting about a month ago i had to start taking a detour. My old way to work was: go north on I-43/I-94 and continue on I-94 west. The detour is go SOUTH on I-94 to I-894 west... yeah, i went north my old way. i got to work on time, but JUST...

i forgot important parts of my tool bag: i have to move and reinstall a fixture at work. It's a simple procedure; i rememebered my tool bag, but missing was my battery recharger for the cordless drill.

i'm a spiller: when making coffee when i got to work i over-filled the water pitcher for the coffeemaker and spilled a LOT of water all over the floor.

things got better after i had some coffee, but DANG...

just glad that my "stupid" wore off by the end of the day... on my way home from work i stopped at the grocery store. The parking lot OUT has a traffic light, and i always use that exit because of the traffic light (since i have to turn left). Okay, it's been raining. The driveway is steep. I waited for the green light, started my way out, and took my time as i always do since the driveway is steep. From my left i see a pickup truck coming fast, and it doesn't look like they are going to stop for the light that has been red for long enough for me to take the time to think about the fact that they are going to fast and i don't think that they are going to stop...

In other words, this truck blew the red light by a LOT... but i was smart enough and aware enough that i waited for them to BLOW the light.

Driving to (or from) Pennsylvania, Suka commented that she feels that everyone has an art. it might not be a fine art like painting, music, writing... but we all have "an art". i commented mine was driving. i think, after this incident, that YES my "art" is DRIVING.

Back to the Future

2006-09-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I had one of the most coherent and involved dreams that i have had in a very long time. Characters, static setting, and a loose plot; protagonists, antangonists, conflict... this is a simplification of the dream...

The location was somewhere in the vague Chicago area, but it wasn't necessarily Chicago. The area was pretty run down and quite old. There were a few new houses that were being built, but while most of them had been started, production had been halted. Most houses were multi family, even if the house hadn't been built as that in the first place. Everything was gray, and the sky was dark... always.

The one link to reality that this dream had was that all of this was taking place a few days before we were to leave for the Feast of the Hunters' Moon, an event that i have gone to every single year for the last 20 years (and my 21st time to this event is in one week from today.) I was going to be riding to the event with Steelbuddha and Raggedy Android...

An early part of the dream, i was packing up my gear; i was having a tough time finding all of my gear, and i was realizing that i hadn't washed my uniform since the last event. But i found a clean shirt (a shirt that i don't actually own, but it would be nice if i did...) and i packed my gear in the van that we would be taking to the event...

so, i'm not sure WHY i was in this run down area of "Chicago", but there i was. There was strife and violence all over the area. We were always carrying guns, but these were nothing like real bullet guns. The guns we carried shot things like poison pellets and stun darts. I remember having to shoot a group of people just to get into the house i was staying in. While at a street market, there was a shooting "game" that i was talked into playing. The main target was a tank, and then other people-targets would pop up around the tank. I made every shot, and then for the hell of it, shot at (and precisely hit) a cigar that one of the people targets was holding.

Technology was somewhat advanced, but life was very backwards. On one hand, people had tiny personal portable computers, but on the other most were dirt poor and struggling to survive in houses that should have been condemned decades before. The dark cloud that persevered over the neighborhood was actually some sort of magnetic cloud... and it made my cell phone useless.

There were also a lot of cats around the neighborhood. They came and went from house to house. Maybe they were communal cats that helped keep down a mouse and rat problem?

So, the time for us to leave for Feast came and went, and i hadn't seen SB or RA... they must not have known that my cell phone wasn't able to take calls...

so, i'm trying to keep my phone on long enough to retrieve RA's phone number... the land line phone i was trying to call from was very strange and for some reason, very tricky to use. Even better, the batteries in the phone were starting to leak... so, i get the batteries replaced, but was having a tough time just dialing the stupid phone.

It was late Friday night and i KNEW Steelbuddha and Raggedy Android had gone on to Feast withouth me. But i had convinced the people who i was staying with that the three of us should all go to Feast early Saturday morning because it was only a couple hours away. i had my car with me, and they had their own car. The thing was that it was difficult to get out of this part of the city. This kept the riff-raff in and "upstanding" citizens safely out. If we drove two cars, i would be able to go back to Milwaukee after Feast without risking getting lost in the hell hole...

and then i woke up.

I don't like being flashed

2006-09-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Okay, this picture wasn't taken in my car, but it's what i saw on our way home from Pennsylvania. Fourth time pulled over in my life, second time in the last couple months, and now my second actual ticket. Clocked at 87 just twenty miles away from being out of Ohio (glad it was ONLY 87, since i was averaging 100+ in the flatter parts of Pennsylvania). The cop reduced the charge to just 20 over, saving me a lot of money, probably because i had all my paperwork (ID, registration, and insurance) all in order, and i didn't ask (let alone BEG) for a break.

i had just crested a hill when i saw him in the median. He actually proably clocked me at slower than i HAD been going... It took him awhile to pull out, so there was a long moment that i thought he wasn't coming. i slowed way down (careful to not flash my brakes WHILE passing him) and i tucked myself behind a semi who was doing about 63 (in a 65). He caught up, moved behind me, and just made me sweat as he followed me for awhile. S was wondering whether or not he was going to pull us over or not... "I'll get out my knitting if he pulls us over!" i would bet what he was doing was running my plates to assess the situation... is the car stolen? has the car been linked to any crimes? All i know is that he's already decided to pull me over, but he's just protecting himself.

The ticket is ONLY for $79. Was speeding worth it? eh, no. Well... okay, we still shaved an hour off the mapquest drive time, and gas IS cheaper than it was even just a month ago. It sucks, sure, but it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.

And going that fast is SO MUCH FUN.

i need a race track... i need to see just how fast my beast CAN go!

The Tarot, but Not the Carrot

2006-09-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

You scored as II - The High Priestess. The High Priestess is a card of intuition, instinct and hidden knowledge. She knows all your secrets, you can hide nothing from her. Yet you will never know the secrets she herself protects.If well aspected in a Tarot spread, this card can indicate the use of intuition to solve problems; trust to your instincts. If badly aspected, it can mean suppression and ignoring of such instincts - following your head at the expense of your heart.

II - The High Priestess

75%

XI: Justice

69%

III - The Empress

69%

XIII: Death

69%

XIX: The Sun

56%

0 - The Fool

56%

VI: The Lovers

56%

I - Magician

50%

VIII - Strength

50%

XV: The Devil

50%

XVI: The Tower

38%

X - Wheel of Fortune

13%

IV - The Emperor

13%

Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Volkswagen Saves the World

2006-09-14T20:32:00.000-05:00

The Biggest cause of World War II was World War I, and not just because two follows one...

The Great War, as it was called at the time, was chaos and devistation like the world had never seen before. Hundreds of miles of trenches were carved into Mother Earth through Belgium, France, and Germany. Weapons of Mass Destruction such as machine guns and mustard gas were born and/or perfected during this time. Boys went "Over the Top" to their inevitable deaths running headlong into showers of bullets from machine guns. Disease was rampant in the mud of the Somme and Ypres. The war wiped out generations of able-bodied men in nations across Europe, and it was sparked because of the assasination of an archduke.

The United States kept its hands out until the last moment... we swept in like a noble cavalry charge in a poorly made film and helped clean up the mess. We helped Britain and France whup the "Huns" of Germany and Austria. Once the bullets stopped and the treaties were signed, we redrew the map of Europe, gave large chunks of Germany to other countries, and left the "Huns" to rot in Hell, thank you very much.

Big Mistake.

We think that the US had it bad when the market crashed in 1929. Imagine life in a war-ravaged country, void of a entire generation of men, with the world's economy spiralling down the drain. Along comes a man who offers you a clean shirt, a job, and a hot bowl of soup. You don't care that the shirt is Brown and the job is rebuilding Germany's army (even though Germany is not allowed to have an army, as stated in those treaties signed in Paris ten years before.)

So starts World War II.

The Allies learned from their mistakes at the end of The Great War, and knew that to insure global economic stability they couldn't1. leave the defeated countries to Rot In Hell again.

One factory retooled for civilian production was a factory in a town that would be named Wolfsburg (named for a nearby castle). That factory was Volkswagen, which was originally started in 1938 for the production of the People's Car, a car that never before or during the war saw civillian production save for a few prototypes. By 1946 under British supervison, the factory slowly started churning out the ugly little "bugs". By 1956, Volkswagen was strong enough to ship to the North American market. Germany's economic stability was guaranteed.

No, Volkswagen was not the only business that was rebuilt by the Allies, but it might be one of the most globally recognizable as GERMAN that was part of the rebuilding of war torn Germany. And because of the economic stability provided by such a company, hopefully Germany will never again give a foothold to a maniac like the evil we saw spawned by the distant Great War...

Just Desserts

2006-09-09T02:13:00.000-05:00

recently in the Milwaukee area a teen-aged girl was gang-raped by up to 19 men and older boys. Reports say that she is HIV+, but that she was positive before the attack. Therefore, her rapists are now at risk of infection. i say... their punishment should include that, if they do test positive for HIV, that they receive no medical treatment for their infections AND that they get their dicks cut off (so they aren't passing it along to others).

yep.

Past Perfect Tense

2006-09-09T01:56:00.000-05:00

i used to fancy myself a writer. i used to write a lot of short stories and essays and even some bad poetry (what other poetry to highschoolers write but BAD poetry?) With online access, i could write a lot, but maybe that is the roadblock. Anything i post COULD be read by many people. Not that is IS, but it COULD be... and having an audience opens one up to criticism and failure...

I've got a sizeable portfolio of short stories and essays all written on the Commodore 64, and i have it all saved on disk (and most of it printed out) but while i still have the computer, i don't have the printer. There goes THAT careeer path...

i've kept my online blog intentionally fairly bland because of my title crap. there is a lot that i would like to talk about that i don't just for the sake of decorum. Hmmm i think that i am far enough away from all of that that i can stop caring...

personality test...

2006-09-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

My Personality


Neuroticism	88
Extraversion	24
Openness To Experience	81
Agreeableness	20
Conscientiousness	17

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report

MySpace Surveys, Ugg Boots and MySpace Layouts by Pulseware Survey Software

if money grew on trees...

2006-08-27T04:27:00.000-05:00

i would almost sell a kidney for this bow...

Slower Traffic Keep Right...

2006-08-27T03:22:00.000-05:00

Driving down to Omaha, NE, Suka turned to me and said that i was one of the few drivers she actually truly trusts. i replied "it's because you know how much i love my car and you know i won't do anything STUPID." Yep, she confirmed that is why. i might be aggressive, but i'm not foolish, and she knows it.

For Treffen, a BIG VW car show in the Chciago area, i spent about five hours just washing and waxing my car in one shot... detailing the exterior plastic was another hour; the interior was another couple hours (would have taken longer if i didn't keep up with it regularly) and THEN when we got to the show, i spent another hour touching up (since my car unfortunately has to be parked in the street. The initial wash & wax was a few days before the show...) Cleanign off road dust, brake dust, bird poop... and then a dusting of the interior... my GOD how good I'D look if i spent that kind of time on ME!

But driving is a joy. Unfortunately right now an EXPENSIVE joy, with premium gas still over $3 a gallon (nothing but 93+ octane in my car, with the GIAC performace chip). My drive to work is about 20 minutes, and that doesn't bother me unless we are crawling because of someone's stupidity...

Back in January i was VERY ill with god-knows-what. Let's just say that my digestive track was emptied in painful ways... i drove to the clinic, and the nurse getting my vitals was asking me standard questions... "Are you dizzy?" was one. Yes, very much so. "How did you get here to the clinic?" i drove. "That wasn't a very good idea driving yourself." well, didn't have much choice.

i thought about that conversation later when i was feeling better. i have driven in less than perfect mental/physical conditions, but picture the wounded cowboy slumped over in the saddle as his trusty horse finds the way home. That's kind of how i felt driving to the clinic. i can't stand, but i can drive, no problem.

But back to Treffen... it was last week, and the VW club that i belong to wanted to drive down together. to do so, we needed to meet at a convenient (and large) place. i don't know how many full members VENOM has, but we rolled down to Treffen with 51 cars. SHITE it was cool.

i grew up with Volkswagens. My dad had three Beetles on his lifetime (two in mine) and my mom had a Type III Squareback. The squareback got traded in for a Buick Century station wagon (i never forgave my mom for that) and in 1983 my dad traded in his 1974 Superbettle for a Honda CVCC. i cried over that one. i learned how to drive stick in his Bug (yeah i was like 11... but he had cut off his finger and i had to shift for him...). When i was 13, after my dad died i had to teach my mom how to drive stick (her car was in the shop so she had to drive the Honda). Ironically i didn't get my own license until i was 25... But i've made up for lost miles...

i've had the Corrado for just two years, but i've driven nearly 40,000 miles. The car is JUST short of 160,000 miles and still runs like a dream. i've been a VW owner for 9 years. i nursed the Rabbit GTI for seven... and that was six and a half more years than it should have lived... but the Corrado. i shall have that 'til i die. hopefully i have days past tomorrow...

oh, i don't know who took the picture of me (at the tpo of the post). it's someone from VENOM... i LOVE IT! i would have only gotten a picture that good (with the sign in the background) with a LOT of luck...

How Old Are YOU?

2006-08-26T02:28:00.000-05:00

NEW BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST LOOKS AT ENTERING COLLEGE STUDENTS, GROWING UP WITH NO SOVIET UNION, ONE GERMANY AND BAR CODES

the extra irony for me is that i remember buying Huber beer out of a GLASS BOTTLE vending machine (meant for Coke) in a frat house on the Beloit College Campus. thirty cents a bottle... and yes, before these kids were born...

QUIT TEASING ME!

2006-08-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

this is the latest rendition of the forthcoming VW Scirocco, and i'm getting a little tired of how many different concept pictures there have been.
more here...

Starbucks on a Plane

2006-08-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

What's more frightening than Snakes on a Plane? Apparently shampoo, water, coffee, and hair gel.

Today has seen the announcement of yet another foiled Terror Plot, this time in England. The plot had something to do with liquid explosives that were going to be smuggled onto airplanes departing London to the US, and the explosives would be detonated with disposable camers. So because of that, the Terr-O-Meter is at "Red" (whatever that means) and for now all liquids are banned in carry-on luggage for domstic and international flights. The last few times that i have flown, i have taken my bootblack kit as a carry-on, and that would have meant throwing out a huge portion of the contents-- saddle soap, boot grease, dye (even my "fly-safe" water based dye) polish, a Tide-To-go pen, several random sample packets of lube that accumulate from leather event registration packets...

And every time i hear about a "foiled terror plot", i wonder if the "plot" is merely a bogus story with fictional characters to keep us afraid of the world around us. I mean, come on... who does it hurt? No one actually dies, planes don't actually fall from the sky, and the only "victims" are thousands of people across the country who now each have to throw away $5 worth of toiletries before getting on a plane (hopefully without any snakes...) And even though no one dies, the US stays terrified of "terrorists".

Bush talks about the "War on Terror" as if it is a war with a tangible and defeatable opponent, which it isn't... who is he kidding? As long as there are human beings walking the earth, disagreeing about religion, politics, and/or money, there will be terrorism. If this were on the playground, "terrorists" would just be called "bullies".

Star Wars lines improved by substituting the word "Pants"

2006-08-10T00:19:00.000-05:00

Star Wars lines improved by substituting the word "Pants"

1) A tremor in the pants. The last time I felt this was in the presence of my old master.

2) You are unwise to lower your pants.

3) We've got to be able to get some reading on those pants, up or down.

4) She must have hidden the plans in her pants. Send a detachment down to
retrieve them. See to it personally Commander.

5) These pants may not look like much, kid, but they've got it where it counts.

6) I find your lack of pants disturbing.

7) These pants contain the ultimate power in the Universe. I suggest we use it.

8) Han will have those pants down. We've got to give him more time!

9) General Veers, prepare your pants for a surface assault.

10) I used to bulls-eye womp-rats in my pants back home.

11) TK-421. . . Why aren't you in your pants?

12) Lock the door. And hope they don't have pants.

13) Governor Tarkin. I recognized your foul pants when I was brought on board.

14) You look strong enough to pull the pants off of a Gundark.

15) Luke. . . Help me take...these pants off.

16) Great, Chewie, great. Always thinking with your pants.

17) That blast came from those pants. That thing's operational!

18) Don't worry. Chewie and I have gotten into a lot pants more heavily guarded than this.

19) Maybe you'd like it back in your pants, your highness.

20) Your pants betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for your sister!

21) Jabba doesn't have time for smugglers who drop their pants at the first sign of an Imperial Cruiser.

22) Yeah, well short pants is better than no pants at all, Chewie.

23) Attention. This is Lando Calrissean. The Empire has taken control of my pants, I advise everyone to leave before more troops arrive.

24) I cannot teach him. The boy has no pants.

25) You came in those pants? You're braver than I thought.

Don't Play Ball in the House...

2006-08-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

You Are Bobby Brainy

Ultra competitive, you will do almost anything to win. From pull ups to pool sharking, you're very talented.
And while everyone is aware of your victories, they still (affectionately) consider you to be a little brat!

What Brady Are You?

Some Antics with Semantics

2006-08-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

so this past weekend i was at Halsted Street Market days. While it's not a gay pride festival, it's held in Chicago's "Boys Town", so it's a gay-friendly event...

so i was thinking about people and words etc, and i've put my finger on why i hate the word "lesbian". Homosexual men are called "gay men" but homosexual women are called "lesbians", not "gay women". So, if you are a "lesbian", it's like you're a whole seperate breed of human being or something... and sorry, i am not some sort of breed apart just because i don't like dick.

my sexual orientation doesn't define me as a person, dictate how i pick my friends, choose my music and hobbies, heck i don't even necessarily prefer the company of women over the company of men... my sexual orientation only describes who i prefer to sleep with... and we all know how often that DOESN'T happen... (the sleeping with someone...)

American English

2006-08-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

45% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

10% Dixie

5% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I Appreciate the Sentiment, BUT...

2006-07-30T01:01:00.000-05:00

Now, i'm not criticizing the photo's content, but sorry... this looks like a Photoshop job to me. These people are "looking out the window at what is happening" but from their angle they CANNOT SEE the Marines in the cargo hold. If nothing else, the people on the plane were told to look out their windows thoughtfully for the sake of the photo...

this photo won an award (click here for the site) but the photo looks fake, which in MY opinion diminishes the message. if that Marine was a member of my family, i would be insulted by the fact that the Marine was the subject of a staged photo for a contest

i've been DENIED!

2006-07-25T17:50:00.000-05:00

so, i stumbled across a Yahoo chat group that sounded gosh darned perfect for me, a chat group for female pipe/cigar smokers. i even found the site while looking for information on 18th Century "authentic" smoking... but they DENIED my membership!

To get approved, they have you fill out a tiny questionaire asking your name, gender, favorite pipe, and favorite tobacco...

i replied back today to the "denial" e-mail... "What, am i too weird for you?"

Maybe i should have added that i'm a member of the DAR...

i'm a made-up word...

2006-07-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

For Lesbians... Where Do You Fall on the Butch-Femme Continuum?

You are a futch... the toss up between butch and femme. On a scale of 1-10, one being femme and ten being butch, you'd be a 5 1/2!
Take this quiz!

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To Be or Not to Be... a Titleholder

2006-07-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you involved in the Leather Lifestyle, you are probably familiar with "Titleholders". The importance of titles and titleholders is a bone of contention amongst many in the community. To some, titleholders are ultra-fuckable Superstars, great leaders, voices of a generation... Others view titles and titleholders with much distaste. Sour grapes? Acting out against this weird hierarchy of "authority"? Well, when you see how many titleholders demand special treatment because of the bright red, white, and blue studded piece of cow draped over their shouler, you might get tired of titleholders, too. but we are not all bad. Seriously.

I have held two titles in the Leather Titleholder system; the regional title of Great Lakes Bootblack and the international title of Int'l Ms. Bootblack. Both title years are over and have been carried on by others. i don't even sign my e-mails with my titles anymore. As i said to someone over this past weekend (this past weekend was International Ms. Leather, where i won IMsBB back in 2004), i am well aware that my title doesn't mean squat outside this weird and isolated environment known as the Leather Community. It doesn't mean a damn thing when i'm at my day job, hanging out with my cats, or sitting on the toilet...

Recently someone on their Live Journal made a snide comment about titleholders and how titleholders don't respect NON-titleholders (which, as i mentioned before, is a common sentiment). Further details of that conversation are irrelevant, so i shan't mention that entry any further. But mentioning it at all is a reference to why i'm thinking about all this right now...

Now, i didn't "grow up" in the Leather Community so i haven't been surrounded by the supposed "greatness" of titles and titleholders even though yes, i did compete for a bootblack title at my first opportunity. But i'm not so sure that i would do it again if i had the opportunity...

Reasons to NOT run for a title:

Cost. travel is expensive. Even with travel funds (which are limited) travel funds don't cover food, beer, donations to other charities, more food, more beer... etc. and all that is much more expensive than staying home.

Travel. Traveling can be exhausting, which is only ONE reason to not like travel. There are lots of people that are just not able to travel because of work, school, having to care for loved ones (pets, family members in questionable health...) fears of flying, lack of vehicle...

Need for anonymity. If you have a job that would fire you for finding out about your private life, you SURE can't put yourself in the public eye by becoming a titleholder.

Community needs at home. You don't need to be a titleholder to do good things for your community, and if you are NEEDED in your immediate local community, taking on a national/international title might take you away from the people that need you the most.

There are a lot of people who have never been, are not currently, and never will be "titleholders" who do a LOT for the community in the ways that they have chosen (and for them, their chosen ways are more effective for them than BEING a "titleholder".) And, you don't have to be a Mama Reinhardt EITHER to be important, valuable, and respected.

A Titleholder who looks down his/her nose at others who are NOT titleholders... well, they don't deserve their title.

Sign of the Times

2006-07-17T22:26:00.000-05:00

Quoted from www.cigarettes-below-cost.com: 1683:- Massachusetts passes the nation's first no-smoking law. It forbids the smoking of tobacco outdoors, because of the fire danger. Soon after, Philadelphia lawmakers approve a ban on "smoking seegars on the street." Fines are used to buy fire-fighting equipment.

A Pantsless Summerfest

2006-07-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday is my last day to bake in the Sun at Milwaukee's Summerfest selling Utilikilts. it will be my seventh full day down at the park. A full day is about 11 am to just after midnight. i am so tan that i think many of my friends won't recognize me.

i've met a lot of people, of course. The kilts have been selling quite well, and i've de-pants many Milwaukee men... which will be awkward i guess if i ever see any of them at the grocery store... "Hey! i took your pants off and stuck my hand down your kilt!" (usually when i fit someone for a kilt, i go ahead and fasten it up myself.) while i was feeding a belt through someone's belt loops i commented, "i know you can do this yourself, but sometimes it's fun to have someone do it for you." The customer agreed, even if neither of us intended it as innuendo.

i even de-pantsed an off duty cop. i shant say his name, but i feel that if i ever get caught by him for doing something, i can remind him of the time that *I* frisked *HIM*... it's probably best to just not get caught at all though...

Our booth is right by one of the main stagtes, but it's one that hired too many cover bands... i posed the rhetorical question, "Which is worse, working Big Corporate retail, or being in a coverband?" that's what i thought you'd say...

i also met Lizardman. He was doing a sideshow act near the booth. Monday the sun and crowds were really getting to me, so i stepped away from the booth for a couple hours. i went and watched the trick skateboarders and then the Lizardman show. watching Lizardman shove things into his face helped me feel a lot better (in ironic contrast to the guy who fainted at the earlier show...)

i got to meet Nate and Brett from UK headquarters, and got to hang out again with Douglass, whom i met last year at my second UK saled gig here in Wisconsin.

Sunday, being the last day, is either going to be the longest day ever, or it's going to go quite quickly...

Not you father's Rabbit

2006-06-27T18:45:00.000-05:00

Volkswagen introduced the world to the Golf MkI back in 1975, but here in the States we knew it as the Rabbit (model year 1976). Designed by the grandson of the designer of the original Bettle, it's what the Beetle would have looked like if the Beetle body style had followed design trends and evolved over the years (the Beetle, originally designed in the 1930's and built through the 1980's changed very little on the outside).

With the introduction of the MkII for the 1985 model year, Volkswagen of America (VWoA ) dropped the bunny logo and conformed with the rest of the world calling the Golf a Golf, and the Golf/Rabbit GTI was now simply the "GTI" (anyone else remember those "Little GTI" commercials? The song "Little GTO" rewritten in German for the VW GTI...?) The Rabbit had always been a simple economy car; the base cost in 1984 was a mere $3800. In comparison, the 1984 GTI was $8300...

Golf eveolution...

In the last few years, Volkswagen drastically upgraded the Golf, losing sight of its economical roots. The GTI MkV, introduced earlier this year and the first drastic body change in seven years, the base price is over $22k. VWoA didn't unveil the Golf MkV until just a few weeks ago... but with the new "Golf", VWoA is back to the Bunny. The Golf is officially a VW Rabbit again.

Base price is a mere $14,990 (the base price of the Golf MkIV was $16k). Insteading forcing a new owner to pay for options they don't want or even need, they've stripped down the Rabbit to the essentials, making it a great platform for dealer extras, mods, and aftermarket. Hall Volkswagen Mazda of Brookfield, WI got their Rabbits in a couple weeks ago. i stopped by on my way home from work for a peek...

150 HP and a five cylinder 2.5L engine ("FIVE CYLINDERS? HUH? Where do they put the fifth one?" were my exact words to Andy...) . My 1984 was a four cylinder 1.8L, and stock pulled about 95 HP. Back when the Golfs got heavier in 1985, the engines didn't. The Golf MkIVs were STILL a mere 1.8L, though available with a turbocharger.

Andy took me out in something more than just the base model, but as i told him i was happy that there were few cupholders (did you know that the Dodge Caravan at one point had SEVENTEEN cupholders? how many beverages do five people need in a car?) The options available are quite swanky-- in-dash CD changer, heated seats, climate control... but the points that count are standard.

Okay, i need to preface my driving review with a little background: i'm no Csaba Csere, and the "newest" car i've ever owned was 10 years old at time of purchase. But i've driven fun cars and i've driven crap cars. And the Rabbit is a FUN car. It took some getting used to-- the brakes are a LOT more responsive than i'm used to, and hopefully Andy doesn't think i'm a bad driver (hey, at least i didn't kill it or do anything else overtly embarassing like grind gears or something).

it's got get up and go and responsive steering. Corners like it's on rails with its independent suspension. Smooth shifting. STOPPING POWER. Room in the back seat for actual adult humans... With it's simple lines it's got what it takes to be a great sleeper car...

The downside that i see is that while the initial price is economical, the MPG is merely average (20 city, 30 highway, which would average out around what my 14 year old VR6 Corrado gets.) In comparison, while i was walking through the parking lot back to my car, i passed by a New Beetle, with a sticker declaring 44MPG highway. To be fair though, the Golf VR6 at 2.8L and 172 HP only got 19/25MPG. So, the Rabbit is conomical for the power... (with current saftey features, the Rabbit is heavier than my Corrado) and, do you REALLY want to be seen driving a New Beetle? i thought not...

The other downside is the lack of color choices. The two door is only available in black and silver (i didn't ask the range of colors for the four-door). i don't think anyone would recognize me if i wasn't driving a red two-door car!

Overall i give the New VW Rabbit a thumbs up. High quality machine for a great price... i'm NOT trading in my Corrado for one... But if i had the money, i'd buy it as an alternate/winter car. Drive one and you will be pleased.

oh, and for those of you who aren't VW geeks like me and my boys in VENOM, y'all might wonder WHY "Golf" at all? VW was naming their cars after winds-- the Scirocco, the Jetta, and the "Golf" (and later, the Corrado). In German "golf" is our "gulf" (gulf stream), but they played up the wordplay of "golf" with fun touches like the "golf-ball" dimpled shift knob. But apparently, VWoA didn't think that Americans would understand what this new little hatchback had to do with such a boring sport... so "Rabbit" it was. The "Passat" was originally here in the States called the "Dasher", and the "Jetta" had a version called the "Fox" (though the Jetta has been in the states since the beginning as a Jetta...)

SteelBuddha the gauntlet is down...

2006-06-08T01:38:00.000-05:00

of everyone that i know, the one man that can answer the challenge would be the SteelBuddha...

Evolution of Dance

i think this should be my new nickname...

2006-05-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

"GTI Kitten" is a real book... we got it at the store today