Have A NIce Day!

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention with the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequila."

~Mitch Ratcliffe

 

Have you ever noticed that good news doesn't usually come on Fridays? As a matter of fact, bad news doesn't tend to come on Fridays either, well unless it's political. You see Friday has long been deemed the "news dump"day and politicians love it because they can come out and tell the truth, which is quite often ridiculous or infuriating, and they have two full days, AKA the weekend, to gather their collective wits about them, for the ensuing question barrage questions they know will be coming.

That's the world of Politics.

But yesterday, there was a pretty interesting bit of news that came from the Technology world. Well, it's kinda new, actually the article I read was dated June 5th, which was a Wednesday. I am not sure if Wednesdays hold any special good or bad connotations as far as news goes, but this was good news, and I read about it yesterday, which of course was Friday! LOL. Anyway, it seems there will be a major new update coming for Windows 8, on June 26th, a Wednesday, which when downloaded will make it's current operating system be called Windows 8.1.

Yeah, yeah... we know that. Right? Well yes, Microsoft did say a while back that they had heard our screams of WHY,WHY,WHY,WHY, WHY,WHY? Why oh WHY, did you change the Windows operating system so drastically? Why have you made it impossible and confusing to use? Thank you for making it pretty with the awesome little tiles, and the beautiful colors, but WHY did you take away the Start Screen Button? WHYYYYYYYYY? Just Why!

Okay, if you haven't read the article that came out Wednesday, hold on to your hats, and buttons, because as of June 26th Windows 8.1 will be available for download, with some cool new features that promise to make it much more user friendly, and without mentioning it, there is a strong indication that the beloved Start Button will be back! I know. If they haven't mentioned it, maybe I am in for a let down, but most articles I have perused seem to all agree it will be there... in the lower left corner... right where it belongs.

Frankly, I have come to terms with the Windows 8 system, and made my piece with it. After thinking long and hard about whether I should give up and have Best Buy downgrade my Toshiba laptop back to Windows 7, I chose to soldier on. After all, whether we like it or not, Microsoft has moved on from Windows 7, therefore all future computers, desktop or otherwise, will be sold with Windows 8 already loaded. Besides, while I was super annoyed in the beginning, I have acclimated to the Windows 8 system now, and I am okay with it.

But I have to say, I really love sitting her at my desktop PC, which runs Windows 7, and not have to put as much thought into the tasks I need to perform. My lovely Start Button is right there, in the lower left hand corner, like an old cherished friend. Smiling at me, and telling me in a soft voice... "It's okay... I am here. I understand. I am your friend and I will never leave you." LOL. Well, okay, it doesn't really say that, the most my computer ever says to me is... "You've Got Mail, And We Have Forwarded It On To The NSA."

Have A Nice Day!

Mood: Hopeful

~Me :)

They Know Your Uncle Jim Has Hemmorrhoids

"Of course I'm not going to look through the keyhole. That's something only servants do. I'm going to hide in the bay window."

~Penelope Farmer, Charlotte Sometimes

Sigh.

I took this photo on January 25th 2005, just 5 days after George W. Bush's second inauguration. As you can see, the owner of the Grand Lake theatre in Oakland was no big fan of President Bush, and if you have known me for any length of time, you know I wasn't either. But if you arent' aware, I think America changed with Bush in office. And it wasn't a change for the better. It was a change toward a country of infighters. I found myself, at times, thinking that we just might be on the verge of yet another civil war, fuel by the Bush administration nonsense. If you just happened to not agree with the administration, you better not say it out loud, or you met with not just hostility, but rather vulgar actions and death threats by rabid "Bushies". Just ask The Dixie Chicks.

But what could one do? The only things we on the left could do, was wait for President Bush's second term to end, and eventually it did. But about two years before that finally happened, both the right and the left was searching for our next national leader. I can't speak for the decision making process of the left, I have no idea what goes on in their minds, but as a Democrat/Liberal/Progressive, take your pick, I know I wanted most was some relief from the oppression of the Bush administration. The warrant-less wiretapping of average Americans, the TSA searching procedure at airports, his failure to sign the Assault Weapons Ban back into law, the holding of anyone, anywhere without due process.

Do I need to go on?

So, as we inched closer to the 2008 election it seemed more and more of the country had also grown tired of the same things that weighed heavy on me. We were all ready for REAL CHANGE. I was a Hillary girl. I thought in 2008, just as I do now, that Hillary Clinton would be the right person to dig us out of the desperate hole we were in. She could do wonders with restoring our name around the world. She could and would bring a fresh perspective... yes... as a woman. I believe she would have brought to the White House, and the nation, a sense of perspective. A decency. But alas, she lost in the primaries to Senator Barack Obama.

Remember him? Candidate Obama?

Candidate Obama and President Obama are two very different people... aren't they?

Did you read a newspaper (remember those) or visit and online news outlet yesterday? If you did, you know that once again America has sold out to fear. Personally, the article at The Nation was the one I read yesterday that brought a lot of perspective to the whole thing, "Secret NSA Program Gives the Agency Unprecedented Access To Private Internet Communications." Holy Cow. So, if I want to email... oh... say... my Aunt Sue... I don't have an Aunt Sue... but if I did... that means someone, somewhere, might be reading my HAPPY 89th Birthday E-Card before she does? Hmmmm. All in the name of national security?

Shame of Candidate Obama! Sir, you lied. You said one thing, and you are doing another. If you lied about what you will do as president, if only we trust you and vote for you, then what else are you lying about?

Shame on President Obama! Sir, you aren't any better than George W. Bush was! You have not just continued the work of Bush, but expanded the very things you promised to stop. Why couldn't you have had the courage to just come out and tell us, prior to the election last Autumn? Every single day more and more of those freedoms that we all enjoy saying we have are being taken away from us. Every single day! And ironically, all this wiretapping failed catch the Tsarnaev brothers who were involved in the Boston Marathon bombing. But what do they know?

They know if you Uncle Jim has hemorrhoids
They know if your neighbor Mr. Whoever, is having an affair.
They know that you get a daily horoscope
They know that your dog, Mr. Ruffles, threw up a tapeworm
They know that you think someone aught to invent a glue that is as sticky as a booger
They know that you are an avid Stephen King fan
They know that you want a real solution for Male Pattern Baldness
They know that you once Googled... "Why Can't An Erection Last Over 4 Hours?"
But do they know your deepest, darkest secret? How about your darkest thoughts? Not even the ones you are serious about, but the ones you have that go fleetingly by?

Would you want them to?

If you are me...

They know I Think George W. Bush is the worst thing, besides Dick Cheney that ever happened to America
They know I love cats
They know I send myself a list of quotes daily, for the purpose of using them on my blog
They know I am crazy about Mootsie's Tootsies
They know Alan and I flirt while we play Words With Friends
They know Alan and I play Words With Friends while he is at work
They know I LOVE ordering lunch to go from Chipotle
They know I watch One Life To Live and All My Children on Hulu.
They know I have a huge crush on Todd Manning
They know I love to order old movies from Amazon.com
They know... well... they know. They know whether or not I wanted to share. 

As for my deepest, darkest thought. Well. I have daydreams of a meteor, the size of a semi, hitting my neighbor. But I don't think of it often, because with my luck, I would be home, and I would end up getting hit right along with the pain in the ass neighbor. That's the luck I HAVE.

I miss the America we were on Monday, September 10th, 2001. Don't you?

And you know what?

You can't blame that on W!

Mood: Quiet

~Me :)

My Orange Tabby Heating Pad

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

~Leonardo da Vinci

I took this photo of Dylan after he had been a member of our family just 2 days! I was already hopelessly in love with him, having experienced love at first sight the minute we met. He and I were meant to be each other's family, it was written in a big book by God himself, and I never had a chance! Neither did Alan or Hendrix. Hendrix had been adopted a full week earlier, but he was very happy to have a little brother to beat up on, and share toys with. We are a true American family. A mom, a dad and their two little boys. Well... one little boy, and a tabby colored hot water bottle! That's right... you read that last part correct. We didn't adopt a kitten, we adopted an orange tabby hot water bottle. Or maybe space heater is more accurate. Either way... Dylan throws off heat better than any heating pad I have ever owned.

As I have mentioned many times, I am not a big fan of summer, other than the fact that my joints seem to swell and hurt less during summer, I don't really have much use for it. I consider it 3 months that are necessary to finally reach autumn. I don't like heat. Not one little bit. In winter, if one finds the temperature uncomfortable, you can always put another layer on, but in summer, you really only have a few options to rectify the situation. But what do you do when it's summer, and the kitty cat love of your life insists on sitting on your lap, or sleeping across your legs when it's summer? LOL. I don't have the heart to push him away, but even with the air conditioner going, and the temperature in the room reads 65 degrees, I still wake up sweating!

A cat's normal body temperature is 100 to 103, so ideally, 101 is just about perfect. I have never had Dylan officially checked as to what is usual number is, but I am thinking it is probably 103. LOL. Goodness, it's just the oddest thing. Elvis weighed about 29 pounds at his heaviest, and he never threw off heat. Hendrix, who weighs about 13 pounds, is a normal kitty as far as how warm he is when he is sitting on my lap, but Dylan... he is unbelievably warm. LOL. He weighs maybe 8 pounds. He is the smallest cat I ever owned, and he is by far the warmest! And the funniest part is that he actually gets upset if the air conditioner cools the house off too much! He will walk around, mewing and meowing until I turn the air conditioner off! LOL.

And I usually do! LOL.

He's my baby. He has a warm soul. Or he's demonic. I am not always sure which! LOL.

Yes I am.

It's the first one... he has a big, happy, warm heart and soul.

But goodness he throws off heat!

:)

Here is a little fun reading about cats...

99 Interesting Facts About Cats

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

It Was Tuesday So...

"You've got this life and while you've got it, you'd better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone's hand like they're the last you'll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there's no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running play music in your head when there is none and eat cake like it's the only one left in the world!

~C. JoyBell C.

Yesterday was Tuesday, and that means that the Daily Special cupcake at the Teacake Bake Shop in Emeryville was the Madagascar Vanilla with Honey Tangerine Buttercream frosting. It's amazingly delicious. Life affirming delicious! I first tried this little beauty a couple months ago when Alan and I went to the movies at the AMC Everyville. Yesterday we went to see Star Trek: Into The Darkness, and after the movie we enjoyed a little sweet culinary treat and our respective warm beverages. For me of course it was all about the cupcake, but for Alan it was the Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut cookie, also from the Teacake Bake Shop. Tuesdays, who knew how fantastic Tuesday's could be?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Everyone Knows It's Wendy

"I fully appreciate the ability of trees to attract kites. They have special powers that way."

~Charlie Dunton

Everyone knows it's Wendy! LOL. I decided to have a little fun with my photo editing program by making a GIF of my beloved kite Wendy. I have owned her since January of 2007, and I adore her, but I haven't had many opportunities to fly her. I am hoping to take her to Ocean Beach next week, now that the weather is beginning to get really warm. Ocean Beach is a great place for kites! On any given day you can see all kinds of sizes and styles of kites! Now that Alan has that gorgeous dragon kite, I should be able to do a lot of photography while I am there! Okay, I will admit it, the summer does have it's charms!

The Association... "Windy"


"Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy"


Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Gemini

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

~Unknown

When Alan and I visited the Conservatory Of Flowers Butterfly Exhibit last month, not only were we treated to a gorgeous variety of beautiful butterflies and the flowers they enjoy, we also got to see them as they are when they have just emerged from their cocoons! What A TREAT! In years past, the butterflies remained behind a protective glass viewing case until they had been emerged for a while, but this time around the conservatory releases them into the room as soon as they are completely free from the chrysalis. Baby butterflies! Okay, I know that it'd not really accurate to call them babies, as they are fully grown, ready to fly, fully mature creatures, but to see them at their most vulnerable makes one think of them as infants, if only for the few hours it usually takes them to spread their wings. This lovely little creature was born May 22nd, 2013! I love butterflies, nothing in nature can compare to their beauty!

According To The Universal Psychic Guild...

Gemini
Element: Air
The Ruling Planet: Mercury
Symbol: The Twins
Stone: Aquamarine
Life Pursuit: To Explore A Little Bit Of Everything
Vibration: Intense Mental Energy
Gemini's Secret Desire: To Be Ahead Of The Crowd

"I'm a gemini, so I change my mind every day."

~Natalie Portman

Click here to read more about Geminis.

Personally, I am a Cancer. My birthday is at the end of the month, so we will delve into what it's like to be me as the month moves forward! Doesn't that sound like fun?! ;)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Blue Jasmine... The Movie Poster And Cypress Green... The Car

"The whole of life is just like watching a film. Only it's as though you always get in ten minutes after the big picture has started, and no-one will tell you the plot, so you have to work it out all yourself from the clues."

~Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

 

Finally... the poster has been unveiled! Little by little, inch by inch, we move closer to the premier of Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine. I have been waiting since last summer for this movie, and in just a couple months it will finally be in theaters and the big question I have had since we turned the corner onto 20th street, in San Francisco, that hot August day last year... Is the top of my Cypress green 2007 Saturn Ion visible from the second floor window where Woody was filming a scene? LOL. Did my car become a star that day? You bet! At least in my hopes it did! You see, to me, if you are seen in a Woody Allen movie, even if it is just the top of your head, or hood of one's car in this case, then you have made it into cinematic history. If the top of Lilith, my car, can be seen, I will have a permanent smile the rest of my days! I kid you not. I wouldn't want to have been seen in the film in a million years, I much too shy for that. But to see my car would be like having the best secret ever, a secret that's all mine, because who else would care but me? Does that make sense?

If Lilith is nowhere to be found in the movie, no worries, I enjoyed watching it being filmed so much that I am still smiling over it. Alan and I continue laugh about how completely out there I got just standing across the street from Mr. Allen. There I was, maybe 20 steps from someone I have admired and appreciated my whole life, I had all my cameras with me, I had every opportunity to get the quintessential Woody Allen photo, and what happens? My hands wouldn't stop shaking! I had to work incredibly hard to get the handful of photos I did, but at least I didn't give up! I didn't run away, or rather shy away. I stood there, tried to calm myself down, and got the photographs I came for! I met the challenge! Fear BE DAMNED!

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must no love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

~Woody Allen

If my car, Lilith, did indeed make it into the film, here is how she would appear...
 

I know, at first sight, not much to write home about. But to me... the thrill of a lifetime. I hated having to get rid of my beloved car last year. She and I have a lot of memories together! Oh my... alas... it was time. My Lilith died less than one month later. And I miss her, I really loved that car! So I can't help but hope, a little, that she somehow has done will I will never be able to do, live on immortal. To be seen, if only in a glimpse, world wide, as a splash of color in a Woody Allen film!

How can I not think of her lovingly, after all, if not for her, and Alan of course, I would have never been able to reach my lifetime goal of making inadvertent eye contact with Woody Allen! And I did it not once... but twice! :)

Tee Hee!

 

"80% of success is showing up."

~Woody Allen

Mood: Happy


~Me :)