Doll Logic

Survivor Episode 4 - Thoughts & Observations

2005-03-21T19:03:00.000-05:00

Back from vacation with a torn MCL, yes - Lake Tahoe and skiing at Heavenly was great fun!! Spent most of my time at Cabo Wabo's at Harvey's, what a blast, but anyway...

More of the same this week, but more of the same fun as opposed to the same of the more bore from last season. Koror kicked Ulong's ass as usual in both the reward & immunity challenges!

Quotables:

"I'm gonna stomp on anyone's ass that lags!" - James to which Kim replies that he should try and motivate people instead of stomping on them.
"I never thought I'd be that excited to see tools" - Coby, after finding out that winning the reward challenge would get them a custom built shelter.
"We found Nemo" - Angie remarking about the size of the fish that BJ caught.
"Tom and Ian are very careful about making sure to say something positive about everyone in front of everyone everyday... Tom's our motor" - Willard, observing Tom & Ian during the building of the bathroom/shower.
"Women around here can't throw a stick in the fire without saying Oh Tom, Oh Tom, can I throw a stick in the fire?" - Caryn, remarking on Tom's leadership in the tribe, funny but I could have sworn that she accused Katie of having to approve the 'extra stick throwing' into the fire.
"I need food, I am so dizzy, I can pass out right now" - Kim, when Stephenie asks her what she wants to do about it she replies, "I don't know".
"I don't brush my teeth cuz' I'm a redneck" - James responding to Probst's question as to how well the plant-form toothbrushes work.
"Heee heee heee snort hehehehehehehehehehehe snort snort teeheeteeheeteeheeteeheee snort" - Caryn after drinking some champagne.
"Feel terrible having my butt whooped by a homo-secs-xual y'know, but a lot of gay folks are strong man, they all be working out at the gym and all, y'know - Dam!" - James in a QI after being beat by Coby in the immunity challenge.
"I've never lost this bad in my entire life and I'm about to flip out, thank God for the women because the guys are getting their butts handed to them" - Steph, talking to Angie about their losing streak and who they should vote off.
"...trying to keep someone around and hope you maybe don't get voted off, but then if she helps us lose it, then someone goes anyway" - Angie, contemplating whether she should vote Kim off or go with a guys vs. girls plan.
"No doubt. I'm thinking, man he's a hairdresser, he don't look like he's got any muscle tone, I oughtta' be able to whoop him. I'll tell you what, that boy right there has got some ass behind him" - James answering Probst's question as to if he thought he was going to beat Coby in the immunity challenge.

Perhaps the most striking difference between the tribes is the question of leadership, or lack thereof. Ulong may have made a fatal error in voting Jolanda off. As much as everyone resists against being seen as the leader and as much disdain that is shown by most of the tribe to those that dare to 'tell others what to do', they have resisted to the point of making their tribe defunct, and ineffectual.

Although there is much dislike for Tom and Ian garnering at Koror, they are smart in knowing that leadership skills are needed and are keeping their mouths shut for the most part. Let's just hope that Tom and Ian are able to collect enough admirers to last through the merge. As much as I'd like for Tom to win, he'll probably either be the 1st to be axed once the merge comes or he'll be kept around but won't make the final four because he is too much of a threat. Astro update soon, I didn't do so shabby with the limited amount of information. Scary huh?

Hazard*Too Much Room in your Front Jeans Pocket

2005-03-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the update PEE! I was seriously concerned over the disapperance of his most favorite lighter and was pleased to receive the following in my email this morning

ROYAL OAK, March 19 - Local authorities have announced late today the recovery and safe return of a lighter reported missing by a local man on Friday. In the report, the police stated that the lighter was found by its owner in his own house. Although the police are satisfied with the safe outcome, the investigation continues into the actual circumstances surrounding the lighters disappearance.

The lighter, a Colibri model GBN-28, was reported missing after it failed to show up for work on Friday's drive home. The owner, his name being withheld, made the call to authorities only after repeated and extensive searches of his vehicle and garage. "I was very concerned after checking all the usual hiding places and found nothing", the owner stated.

Police quickly focused their attention on a Utica woman suspected in several other Butane kidnappings. The lighter was last seen in the presence of both the owner and the suspected woman just prior to the owners drive home. The woman, known to have a Bic fetish, was never brought in for questioning due to lack of evidence. The police had their doubts about the women's involvement after the initial investigation showed no previous arrests for the theft of high end torch type lighters. The police spokesman went on to say, "She was strictly a Bic gal, never crossing over".

The police received a call from the lighters owner informing them of the lighters safe return Saturday evening. In the police press release it stated the owner told police that the lighter was found in the front pocket of a pair of pants worn the previous day. The owner said the pocket was searched the day of the disappearance and the lighter must have been confused with another steel like object located in or near the front pockets. When questioned further regarding the confusion, a reporter reminded the owner about the facts that the lighter is steel but is only two inches long. The owner had no comment after that point.

The very cool chick initially suspected of the kidnapping had only one comment regarding the incident, "Dumb Ass."

On Vacation - Lake Tahoe

2005-03-09T19:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm probably soaking in a hot tub in Lake Tahoe after a tough day of skiing in 60 degree weather. Hahah! Oh yea, I'm probably giggling from downing a magnum of champage too. I'll update when I get back. Go Tom!! Hope I didn't just jinx him.

Survivor Episode 3 - What a @#$% Moron!

2005-03-06T12:07:00.000-05:00

Starting with Ulong, Kim is pissed off at Probst for his pointed questions and/or remarks at Tribal Council. She then tells us that the 2 person alliance was exaggerated by Probst and she doesn't want that image, editor cuts to her & Jeff giving Eskimo kisses. Heh, love it!

James meanwhile says they may just be cuddling now, but soon they'll be sucking face and stuff he has ears like a bat. Kim's got to go cuz 'all she's got is her seks-xu-ality!

Cut to Koror where it's pouring rain and everyone complains because they have a crappy shelter. Coby walks into the camera in his bikini black underwear - Egads!! That was NOT something I wanted to see, at least Hatch got the blurry circle that covered him, they should do the same on Coby - ugh!

Meanwhile, Caryn is acting like a 3 year old as she throws a temper tantrum directed at Katie. Complete with that irritating, whiny nyah-nyah voice she tells Katie that she has been on this island for 7 days and has kept her mouth shut - Huh? Must be her other personality that has been bitching and moaning for the past week - and just can't do it anymore. Katie has the posture and tone of a psychiatrist telling Jack Nicholson that she sees Johnny too, in the QI Katie laughs and calls Caryn crazy and informs us that she's lost it.

Caryn stomps off telling Katie not to tell her what to do anymore!! Cut to Willard and the blonde girl (who the heck is that?) just standing on the beach and smiling, cut to (shudder) Coby in his weenie bikini's (shudder) mentioning that it's good that they still have everyone on their team, but there are also too many people on the team. Sounds like a precursor as to what's to come. Coby has already shown this manipulativeness, and up to now he's been pretty docile in his pink tu-tu way.

Reward Challenge: Oh, now this is a great one and I think all of us that have played in a swimming pool when we were younger could appreciate it. It's sort of 'smear the queer' (well that's what we called it when I was young) but in a body of water and with a life-ring instead of a ball. Competitors have to have one hand on the life-ring and one hand on their pontoon in order to get one point. First team to get 3 points win. Everything is legal except for the choking maneuver ala Robb. Reward - A sewing kit with fabric, Probst notes that a lot of them are in their underwear and this could help them. Please, oh please let Koror win so they can cover Coby's weenie-bikini's up! (shudder)

First up is Tom vs. Jeff - The life-ring is released and Tom quickly swims out while Jeff hangs back. Tom pauses assessing the situation and decides to get the life-ring around his body. Jeff calmly swims over and hand on life-ring swims, pulling Tom who is floating inside towards his pontoon. Tom realizes his faux-pas and gets himself out of the life-ring and puts up a bit of a fight, but it's too late. One for Ulong. Next up...

Jen (Oh! that's who the blonde is) vs. Stephenie - Steph swims out to retrieve the ring, Jen hangs back, trying to use Jeff's drag maneuver. But Steph manages to swim almost to her pontoon before Jen can catch up. Two for Ulong. Next up...

New twist, boy/girl teams: BJ and Angie vs. Greg and Janu - BJ swims out for the ring the other 3 hang back. Janu tries to go after BJ but Angie is all over her, Janu should probably stick to her monkey-tree climbing and stay out of the water. Angie, dunks her, hold her under, heh Janu is NOT happy, and is pretty much out of it... As BJ swims towards the pontoon Greg gives pursuit and Angie is all over Greg like a shark sniffing seasnake blood. Greg manages to get free, and gets a hand on the ring, but it's too late and BJ reaches the pontoon. Three for Ulong - Winners!

Back on shore Ulong is celebrating - Angie getting hugs and high fives all over the place - cut to Janu who now looks like a drowned rat, a seriously pissed drowned rat, heh.

Back at the ranch, Ulong checks out their sewing kit. BJ is going to make fishing gear, Ibrehem says in a QI, I'm not a sewer or a seamstress and have no idea what to do with it. BJ goes spear fishing and catches yet another guppy. BJ is really loving Angie. BJ chops wood. Cut to everyone else lounging on the beach. Jeff is saving his strength for later - of course - hmmm, shades of Osten here. BJ is knocking down coconuts and Kim sits on a log cheering him on. BJ is disappointed in the laziness of his team, but someone has to do the work. Kim is mad that BJ is working so hard because it make the rest of them 'look' lazy.

Over at Koror, Tom the seasnake hunter with his posse Ian & Greg are, well, hunting seasnakes. We hear how venomous and deadly they are, but it is food ( I guess). Tom traps the snakes in the cave, while Ian delivers the finishing blow that would make any highlander proud. They manage to kill 3 or 4 of them and hang them on a branch to (dry out?). (Jaws music please) Enter the shark. Apparently the shark gets a whiff of seasnake blood and comes sniffing around. Tom decides that shark fillets would be a whole hell of a lot better than poisonous seasnake. He and Ian grab their pointed sticks and try to lure the shark in for the kill.

Poignant QI with Tom (had me laughing) - Says 'going after the snakes was a little foolhardy and he's hooked up with 2 other "knuckleheads" that take fun in stuff like this'. About the shark hunting: '...If we had seen a shark at Jones(?) Beach in New York, everyone would come running out of the water, here we see a shark and everyone goes running INTO the water, the sharpened sticks probably won't work, but what the heck, it's all about the adventure.' I'm really liking Tom. I hope he wins, he is the Michael Skupin, Hunter, Rudy, Sarge, Matthew of this series and they never win - and it sucks man!

Ulong at night we see Jeff walking along the beach. QI: 'I had to use the little boys room and rolled my ankle on a coconut, I've sprained my ankle before and I know it's sprained'. Morning, BJ makes himself a diaper out of the cloth and bright lad that he is bunches it up right under his -ummm- manhood and decides that would be the PERFECT spot to put the safety pin. Yowtch, maybe men don't have as much experience using safety pins, but probably every woman out there cringed while watching. If that pins 'sproings' the boy is going to be in a world of hurt.

Immunity Challenge (water based again): Everyone is tethered to each other by a rope and has to carry a 20 lb. sandbag. There is a giant rectangle made of ropes in the water. The two tribes start kitty-corner from each other and the first team to tag a player on the other team wins. Tribe members can quit when they get tired, the catch? The quitting player has to hand off the sandbag to one of the remaining teammates.

Jeff takes 3 steps and quits. Caryn, Willard, Greg, Kim, Angie, Coby & James follow suit. It's Tom, Ian & Greg, vs. BJ, Ibrehem & Stephenie. I don't know how long this actually took, but watching it on t.v. seemed like they were out there for hours, everyone is worn out. Tom runs his line like a true military leader, I was waiting for the military running chant to start and was sorely disappointed that it didn't. Tom tells them to dig deep and that every time they hit the shallow sections, they are to run. The plan works and Ian finally gets within reach to jump on Ibrehem's back. Koror Wins!

Back at Ulong. Tribal Council maneuvering: Jeff calls a meeting saying everyone tried hard and apologizes for not being able to help, he says his ankle won't get better for another 3 weeks and he should be voted off. OMG, you idiot! QI's: James says they can't vote out Jeff cuz' he's strong. Ibrehem talking to BJ says that if they vote Jeff off it's like voting two people off because they'll then be stuck with Kim, and she doesn't do anything (good one!). BJ finally sees the light and agrees that Kim has to go. BJ approaches Angie and she says she is voting Jeff off and not swaying from her vote. As they walk back they see Jeff splitting coconuts with one strike of the machete. BJ whispers to Angie, 'see that, Kim can't do that'. QI-Kim people are whispering and conspiring and she's feeling vulnerable.

Tribal Council: Probst says they've got to be sick of seeing him. Ibrehem says it's frustrating getting pummeled and if they would have had Jeff, they would have won. Probst asks BJ if Jeff really was the difference and he says, 'No, Tom was the difference, he respects him man against man'. Well, I'm starting to like BJ, turns out he may have pulled a scarecrow and found the Wizard of Oz. But the rest of the team seems unhappy with his remark.

Steph says there was no finger pointing as Jeff immediately sat them all down and asked to be voted off, to which Jeff says that he has always been a team player, and he can't allow himself to drag the team down. Probst asks Kim if the tribe is at a point now where they can see who is really doing all the work as opposed to who is laying around. Kim says it's hard to be on this team with all the strength and stamina of the guys and there's now way to measure up to that. She's sick of being on the tribe because she's not weaker than the average person, but is on this tribe.

Vote:

Jeff
Jeff
James (huh?)
Kim
Kim
Jeff
Jeff

First, I have to remove the 'Dumb Ass' title from BJ and thunk Jeff over the head with the much deserved and earned title of King Dumb Ass! Sure, I'm slightly pissed because my $200 gimped away, but I HATE when people quit the game - either outright ala Osten, Morseca & Sue or by 'asking' to be let go ala King Dumb Ass and a few others who's names I can't remember.

Even worse, his 'reason' for leaving was crap! I really don't know what the hell he was thinking, if he took a bullet for Kim, well than his new title is King Dumb Ass of the Universe. Look, I used to run the 110/220 hurdles in high school (and was actually quite speedy as a matter of fact, but enough about me, sort of...) I have sprained my ankles more times than I can count, and I was always able to run at the next track meet. Perhaps my original concern over Jeff pulling an Osten wasn't far off base. He did have very little body fat to begin with, and maybe he saw the 'ankle sprain' as his way out. Any which way you trip over it - It was pathetic. Jeff you're worse than a loser, you are a QUITTER!

Survivor Episode 2 - Rob & Amber 2?

2005-02-27T19:06:00.000-05:00

I'm still in my pool, barely. Jeff is walking a fine line right now.

This episode started with Janu shrieking about finding rats on their new beach. This turned into Caryn calling Tom out for picking the new beach without consulting everyone. She now wants to have a vote on the beach to see who would have voted what way? Huh? The way the episode was shown it did appear that Tom made the decision on his own, but after the QI with Katie, we find out that the majority of the tribe DID want to switch, and that Katie is getting really annoyed by Caryn, as am I.

Switch over to Ulong - QI with Stephenie saying how happy everyone is with Jolanda gone & what a great decision it was, then the ever-quotable James says everyone is feeling good and no one is telling anyone what to do anymore - Cut to the tribe standing around on the beach doing nothing and Stephenie says, "So what should we do?" - hah, great editing. QI with James again, "We're American's and we're going to do Democracy".

It's now time for the Reward Challenge. Probst asks Karor if they are enjoying their fire and when they say they lost the fire, Probst's mouth drops gapingly wide, and the Ulong tribe is obviously happy, Jeff the most obvious about it. The Reward Challenge is another obstacle course with the added ooo-factor of having a couple of tribe mates wielding sandbags on the sidelines to swing at the others as they are trying to cross the balance beam type course.

Katie cannot get the 'swing' of it, pun intended, and after about 700 failed attempts, Willard has to tell her to keep her knees up longer. Angie on the other hand dominates the challenge. There are a couple of spectacular wipeouts. James had one of them that looked like he might have knocked his tailbone up through his throat... Yowtch! And for the 'guffaw' factor, we see Coby on his second attempt, stop half way through, put his hands over his head take a deep breath for a zen moment, puts his hands down, lifts his foot to take a step and wipes out (snicker, snicker)... heh, that could be a 'priceless' moment. Anyway, Ulong kicks Karor's ass & they get diving/fishing gear & fire.

Meanwhile, back at the camps... Jeff goes fishing and catches a spotted fish about the size of a goldfish and takes it back to camp. Ashlee isn't hungry & goes to bed early by herself instead of sitting by the fire as noted by Bobby John in his QI. Ian manages to retrieve the box with flint, they set up a pulley-type system to pull the box up which was very smart.

Immunity Challenge. Yet another water challenge, tribes had to memorize Morse code to decipher their clues once they were released by pulling a weighted trunk under water. Ulong has a serious lead because Willard obviously can't swim and all 8 team members have to be at the pontoon before they can begin diving. Ulong breaks down and it appears that no one can stay under long enough to be able to pull the trunk. Kim doesn't even try. While at Karor it seems that Tom single-handedly manages to drag the trunk far enough to release the mess kits with the Morse code symbols on them. Karor wins easily. So much for strength. Hmm, that sounds familiar.

Ulong is now doing the tribal-council-pre-dance. It seems the tribe is split 4-4 between voting Ashlee or Kim off. Stephenie, Ashlee, Angie, James want Kim gone because she didn't even try during the Immunity Challenge and because it's become very apparent that her & Jeff are getting very, very close. Jeff, Kim, Ibrehem and Bobby John (BJ from now on, or Dumb Ass) want to vote Ashlee off because she isn't part of the group, and because she didn't eat, and went to bed early by herself.

James confronts Jeff about the relationship. Kim confronts James about voting her off, and there are lies all around. BJ approaches Stephenie to vote Ashlee off, Stephenie tells BJ that they need to break Jeff & Kim up, but Dumb Ass says, 'I don't see them as a threat'.

Well, they go to tribal and it pretty apparent that Kim is going home, and Jeff is probably only around because of his strength (Boy's got me worried). When Probst asks Jeff about his relationship with Kim, Jeff says that there are no relationships being built, they are just snuggling, pan-out to everyone else doing some good ole' eye-ball rolling. Time to vote. Votes are Kim, Ashlee, Jeff (Huh?), Ashlee, Ashlee, Ashlee (huh??). I'm confused!

What did we learn this week?

Jeff & Kim have a cuddling relationship, that is threatening to the majority, but they managed to survive - holy shades of Rob & Amber.
Caryn is irritating the hell out of everyone.
Angie has proven herself to be a fighter.
James continues to offer up one-liners, and I think between him & Stephenie, they would make a strong Alliance.
BJ is a DA, oh wait we already knew that.
Tom is the rock of his tribe.
Ian the dolphin trainer, can't dive very well.
Katie is going to kick Caryn's ass, and I personally can't wait.
Coby makes a crappy ballerina, pink tu-tu and all.
Janu is afraid of mice.
Jeff can't fish.
Willard only talks when necessary, for the time being anyway.
Greg who?

The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower-The Saga Ends...sniff

2005-02-20T00:59:00.000-05:00

WO!

I sure did not expect that ending! Wow! I'm sure there are probably a lot of pissed off readers out there after reading the last book in the Gunslinger series, but I thought it was perfect! After my mouth just about dropped I had a sad smile on my face and thought, "Brilliant".

When I finished reading The DaVinci code I felt ripped off, I felt like the writer totally copped out on the ending, and although there may be some people that feel like that about the Gunslinger, well - I think they're missing the point.

The Dark Tower takes us through the end of the journey for Roland and his ka-tet. And the part I was worried about in the last book almost made sense. I've made reference to how this saga almost feels like Steven King was actually watching it all play out instead of writing a story. It's hard to explain, but you almost become enthralled with the whole thing, I found myself even feeling like Roland and his ka-tet were working in the background even as I was reading the book.

They travel to other lands, meet other people all on their quest to The Dark Tower. A lot of things are tied up nicely and explained, and I am still amazed at the life King is able to bring to this tale, I mean I would know any of the four of them if I saw them on the street, and at this point probably wouldn't be too surprised if one of them knocked on my door. Bizarre huh?

I think from the first, "Once upon a time..." story we're all read to as children, we sort of expect the, "And they all lived happily ever after." schtik. We want everything wrapped up with a pretty little bow and explained to us. I suppose it's partly due to the fact that we are reading fiction, and rarely does life always end with the 'happily ever after', so we almost subconsciously demand it of our books. For those of you that are looking for that, and I admit I am usually one of them, you are not going to get the typical wrap up with this last book in the series. But to contradict myself, I think it wraps it up perfectly!! For what other ending could there be, really?

King alluded to the fact that he wasn't sure if any of them would reach the Dark Tower in his writer's comments in the earlier books, because he just didn't know yet. I will not say if Roland, Eddie, Jake, Susannah or Oy actually reach the Dark Tower, for that's part of the fun in the reading of this saga. Well, almost the purpose of the tale really.

There was a moment there in the last book, where I was thinking I would be really pissed if I spent the last several months reading these books and the ending was going to be something along the line of where I felt King was leading us. But, I for one, do not regret starting these books, some 10 or so years ago and re-buying them all this past year.

Much like King describes, Roland was always sort of left there in the background of my imagination/subconscious after reading the third book 8 years ago. You just get busy with your life and forget about it. When I heard from my buddy PEE that King finished them this year, it was like being on a mission to find & buy the books. Even reading them became almost a mission. I recommend them to everyone!

As a matter of fact, I almost feel like King has raised the bar and every other book I read, as much as I may enjoy it, will have a sense of non-reality. I honestly have never read a historical account on anything that would come even close to the way King was able to bring Roland, his ka-tet and the Dark Tower to being.

Oh, and should King decide to follow this series any further, I'm in, afterall you did leave us a nugget didn't you Steven? A great tale and as much as I didn't want the books to end, the ending was absolutely brilliant...

In my opinion.... S. Doll

Survivor Episode 1 - William Hung's Mother found?

2005-02-19T14:15:00.000-05:00

Jeff was not one of the 3 to get 'voted' off the island yesterday, so I'm still in the hunt for the $200 in my work pool. Georgia, Karen & Paul D. all lost their chances as their survivors were history by the end of the episode.

I like this 'new' survivor better already. I hate the male vs. female shows, and it seems I am in the minority with that opinion, but those shows are just so boring to me. It almost makes it too predictable and I like the extra finagling that comes in when tribes are mixed with males & females.

So the show starts out with Jeff giving us a history of Palau, without the cultural schtik which was also nice for a change. Zoom out to show all 20 of the survivors rowing themselves through some choppy water, well except for the wildcard Janu who seemed to pull a 'cleopatra' move as Boston Rob would have put it and sat on the (bow?) of the ship along with a blonde guy doing, um..well... nothing. Probst pulls up on his boat and informs everyone that they are all going to the same island (straight ahead) and on that island are 2 immunity necklaces. The first female & the first male that make it to the island get the immunity necklaces. The only other things they have are 2 machete's and one map to the water source. He then tells them they are about a mile out and how, when or where they decide to get to the beach is up to them.

Coby is the first to get up and is about to jump out of the boat, looks around and sees that he is the ONLY one that has done so. Everyone is yelling "row, row" in the background, but they should have let him jump, he would have reached shore by nightfall, heh. There is some maneuvering to get to the back of the boat, when all of a sudden...

The middle-age female schoolteacher who may actually be the mother of William Hung if dance moves and singing are hereditary. Stands up at the front of the boat and shows where sonny boy Hung got his skills. OMG, I almost feel sorry for her. Tom informs us that he would have liked to knock the lunatic out with his oar, but somehow resisted the urge. Coby tries to be nicer about but it seems that Wanda Hung has irritated the shit out of everyone within 2 minutes of opening her mouth.

And to make matters worse for poor Wanda, (God Love her). They do one of those quickie interviews (from now on, they'll be known as QI) where she lets us all know that she has written a bunch of songs for survivor and is "all about this being one big party as long as it lasts". Oh, this poor woman, lol, c'mon now have you all seen her picture? I just get images of a not so good-looking June Cleaver walking into the sock-hop at Wally's high school, and yelling c'mon kids let's pahty, pahty, pahty as she jumps on the dance floor by herself and starts doing the Twist and screaming woo-hoo, while all the kids look at her with their mouths agape.

Stephenie & Jonathan are the first to jump, and make royal asses out of themselves as the boat blows by them. QI Katie laughs at them, the rest keep rowing and when they are about 50 yards out there's a mad scramble and they all jump in Ian & Jolanda win the immunity.

QI's: Jolanda says she wasn't about to let that (long pause) young girl beat her to immunity, James call Ian a fast little booger, heh, Willard notices that there is only one tribe sign, Gregg is paranoid and worried about what is going on, people are introducing themselves, Jolanda raises her hand above her head waving and screams her name out to everyone. Jonathan & Stephenie swim to shore about 20 minutes later.

They break off into 2 groups 15 to build shelter & 5 to hunt down the water. When out of the forest you hear, "We are Survivors, we're going to build a for-tress, we are sur-vivors" totally off-key and it's party-girl Wanda. A couple of the others are doing the cringing-smile at her.

QI Tom is smart enough to stay away from trying to build a fire, Ian likes how the females are using the machete to modify their clothes, everything is getting shorter. Angie knew that her & Cody understood each other and were kindred souls, Coby agrees that they are cut from the same cloth, Janu climbs up a tree, "climbed that puppy like a monkey" - her words.

There is some positioning already as people know this one tribe thing will probably not last long. Coby begins a smear-campaign on Jonathan. I figure Cody being the pink shirt wearing, slightly lispy guy that he is... is either jealous, intimidated or got blown off by Jonathan. Water is found, along with a bag that contains all of their shoes. As they are all working or scheming...

Jeff comes out of the woods and calls the 2 winners of the immunity necklaces to the front and tell them that they are guaranteed to stay in the game for at least the next 10 minutes which can't be said for the rest of the group. Basically this has turned into that oft-lamented schoolyard team picking with Ian and Jolanda as captains. You can just see everyone's faces drop. Being one of the tom-boyish, athletic girls, I never really worried about this as I was often picked high up in the order, and reflecting on it now, this is one of those instances in which where you fall in the pecking order in early elementary school often follows you through high school. Funny as I hit the rewind button, you can almost imagine all of these people flashing back to being 8 years old and by the look on their faces you can tell what percentage they fall into in the equivalent of the Athletic MEAP (a test in Michigan that kids have to take every 2 years to see how smart they are in different subjects) test. Some faces immediately drop, eyes are rolled, sweat breaks out on foreheads, while others try to contain the smile on their faces. The one BIG difference here?

The jocks don't have the benefit of years of kicking other peoples butts in dodge-ball that almost makes these situations a no-brainer. Also, you didn't have to worry about having someone on your team then turning on you to try and take your head off with the dodge ball when you were the only 2 left. I guarantee if that were the case, team picking would be much different even in elementary school.

The captains pick a person, that person in turn picks the next person. They are to pick a person of the opposite sex. And the new tribes in the order they are chosen. KAROR: Ian-Katie-Tom-(apparently he remembers the monkey climbing skills and picks...)Janu-Gregg-Jen-Coby-Caryn(uh oh, Coby just totally f'ed over his 'made of the same cloth' friend, Angie)-Willard. ULONG: Jolanda-Bobby John (Coby gives Jolanda a thumbs up & 'good choice' which is very obviously an attempt at bravado as he continues to rub his chin in worry)-Stephenie-Jeff-Kim-James-Ashlee-Ibreham-Angie.

Jonathan (still apparently in shock at not being picked) & Wanda leave & Wanda gives us an encore of another Survivor ditty, fist raised in the air, wearing her wet slip (God love her). If this were the Breakfast Club, a better looking Emilio Estevez & dorky Ally Sheedy got sent packing.

The tribes are kept together on the island and are not sure as to what is going on. It is obviously going to be hard living on the same beach with the other team. Jeff magically pops out of the jungle a little later to tell them their first immunity challenge will be an obstacle course. At the end of the first leg the team will have to untie a bunch of boxes that contain different items (tools for fire, tarp, food, etc...) Once they are all untied it is up to them whether to take any items or all items, oh and by the way, the boxes are weighted to add some extra fun to the challenge. They then have to run back through the obstacle course to a rowboat, have to go around the buoyie(sp?) and back to the beach with their flag.

They are pretty much neck and neck the whole way with Tom taking a serious lead (surprise, surprise). Once they get to the boxes KAROR obviously has decided to take the fire only, they do so and take off. ULONG meanwhile is confused, with Jolanda yelling, we have to get everything and will not leave even after the KAROR takes off. ULONG is now distracted between watching how far KAROR is getting, trying to untie knots, decide what to take and finally the rest of the team pulls a mutiny (finally!), they take what they have and take off. Jeff pops as ULONG is trying desperately to catch up and informs us that they have taken food & the tarp, but no fire..."Interesting". He's a funny guy .

Once they hit the water KAROR way ahead, you once again see the difference in the teams. KAROR is rowing straight, strong & as a team, while ULONG seems to be going in circles about 15 yards off the beach. One of the guys slaps the oar in the water in frustration, it's one of the younger dark haired guys (Gregg, Jeff or maybe James). KAROR wins handily.

Jeff is waiting for them and tells the winners they have a choice of choosing islands. Do they want to stay with the known, or take the unknown. Tom pipes up and wants to go for the new & exciting, so off they go rowing to their new beach. Along the way, the boat tips. Good-bye fire. There are a few half-hearted attempts to retrieve the weighted down box, and many editorial shots of the box laying all by itself at the bottom. They decide to leave it there? Huh? Maybe they tried longer and they didn't show us, but it sure didn't look like it.

Meanwhile Jolanda is doing some serious campaigning to get Angie voted off, because Jolanda is strong and a vital asset to the team. I'm sorry, but you know what Jolanda - you MAY be stronger than Angie, but you're a DUMBASS and a loud-mouthed, cocky one at that. Stephenie is approached go vote Angie off (she sort of agrees) but can't seem to get the taste out of her mouth of Jolanda's incompetence. Jolanda herself even approaches her, and Stephenie calls her out, in a pleasant way. Another segment of the tribe (we'll call them the smarter side), approaches Angie and asks her if she'll vote out Jolanda. QI Angie knows her heads on the block, she remembers who was picked last, pretty much says hell yeah I'll vote anyone else off and thankyou! Bobby Jon is going to vote for Angie, because he "doesn't see how Jolanda hurt their tribe" now this is a guy who uses his first & middle name, is it really so surprising that he's a dumb ass? Seriously?

TRIBAL COUNCIL: James says he loves his team, it's damn fyine, full of enehrgy, young and full of tes-tos-terown, giddyap, hyuk hyuk . Didn't I tell ya' James would be funny? Then again, it could be his accent. Probst calls MY Jeff out and asks about the seeming lack of strategy and although they are young and strong, did brains beat them out? I'm cringing now, don't say it Jeff, don't you open your mouth in tribal council and ostracize yourself buddy. But he does it, in a cool-headed way, says part of his team wouldn't leave, flash to Jolanda not looking too happy. Jolanda pipes up making excuses and talking about how strong she is and a vital asset to the team, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they lost BECAUSE of HER.

Voting begins, we are led to believe it will be either Angie or Jolanda, with the Angie more than likely being voted out. As Jolanda goes to vote, we catch a close up of a snake - Woo Hoo, Jolanda is GONE! Gotta love all the subtleties that the editors come up with. Votes are read, and yes Jolanda is history. She only gets two votes on her side and they are Bobby Jon and Ibreham. Ibreham looks absolutely mortified over Jolanda leaving. Probst parting remark? Seems the team needs to stop making excuses (ahem Jolanda) and start working together.

Survivor Astrological Update

2005-02-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, I didn't do too bad with the limited amount of information on each person's astrological imprint. I knew as I was finishing it that I should have focused more on Mars as far as people that would appear to be leaders, but didn't have time to expound.

Think of the progression of the astrological signs as a baby as it grows through the different stages in life. Aries is the first sign and although it would appear to be the weakest, since we have a baby here, it is actually the most aggressive, self-centered, cardinal (meaning leader), fire (meaning they do first, jump before you look) sign there is. Each sign in the progression has it's own personality traits which eventually ends at Pisces.

Pisces are the old wizened person who has lived through all the other stages in life and have come to the reflecting stage in life. They are characterized as dreamers, cautious and as symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions slightly fighting their different natures. They are a mutable (meaning changeable), water (meaning they feel first, emotional) sign. They seem to have a world of their own and that they keep hidden from others, which make them hard to understand.

As stated earlier, the template of our personalities is our sun sign. Our Rising Sign is the 'mask' we wear to others and is the first impression people get from us. Which is probably the most important aspect to making it in the early stages of survivor, and obviously we don't have that information. I'm willing to bet that Jolanda had some fiery or cardinal sign as her rising sign.

I think it's safe to say that both Tom & Gregg have emerged as 'leaders', and have that steady as a rock quality to them. James & Angie's leadership qualities are tempered by their flamboyant fun sign of Leo, with Angie being even more subdued by her pisces aspect. James on the other hand has funny, emotional leader cancer doubled with quirky weird Aquarius and showman Leo. He should be a hoot!

The Merc in Scorpio's, Jolanda, Stephenie & Willard have shown themselves to have the verbal capacity mentioned earlier. Scorpio's also tend to be very deep and very protective of themselves. It is very had to bust your way into having a Scorpio's trust, but once you do, you should have a friend for life. With Mercury in Scorpio, they should also be quick to understand other people's underlying motives. Willard should take a stronger (more up front) position than Stephenie with his Leo vs. her Pisces. Although, we can't forget that environment also plays a role in shaping all of us and I think that may subdue Willard until he feels more comfortable with his fellow survivors, as well he should.

Ashlee & Katie also have a mental edge with their Mercury in Gemini (they should turn out to be the 'thinkers' in the group), although their thinking may harm them if they take too long in making a decision. I think Ashlee is more prone to fall on that one as Katie has impetuous Aries in her Mars, while Ashlee had a double whammy of thinking signs with Libra in her Aries, and although Libra is another leader sign, it tends to think before it jumps. And as symbolized by it's sign of the scales they are forever trying to weigh out all the possibilities before making a decision. It's usually the right one, but may be too late in the game of Survivor.

Ibrehem, Jennifer, Kim should follow the leader's. As Ibrehem did with Jolanda, and Bobby Jon who has his signs in Aries (the ram) and Taurus (the bull) sort of explains why the dumbass put so much emphasis on strength.

Well, that should give a snapshot of what to look for, and we'll see how it pans out. The other thing about astrological signs is that sometimes they just rub each other the wrong way. I'm a Libra among other things and Pisces (although I really like them at first) tend to irritate the shit out of me in the long run, I usually end up viewing them as spineless weak jelly fish. On the other hand I get along great with Aquarian's (a fellow thinking-air- sign) with enough quirk to them that although I don't always understand them, they have enough guts and fun to be very endearing. And I'm pretty sure the Cancer's just love the servitude and quirkiness of Pisces. Therefore, although Tom and Gregg are naturally stoic leaders (Capricorn's-Earth) they're bound to bug the crap out of some other sign. More than likely it will be the water signs, because earth & water make mud.

Okay, enough weighing for me.

Astro Survivor Experiment

2005-02-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I do not proclaim to be a professional astrologist, more of an astrological hobbyist, if such a thing exists, hah, guess it does now... I created my own race! woo hoo. Guess that would make me Queen, who wants to pay me taxes for my castle dammit? Well that's a subject for a different day, here goes & I'll start with my man...

Jeff, 21 yr old Aquarius-Mars in Pisces;Merc in Cap - Personal Trainer
Bobby John, 27 yr old Taurus-Mars in Aries;Merc in Tau - Waiter
Coby 32 yr old Virgo-Mars in Virgo; Merc in Virgo - Hairstylist
Gregg, 28 yr old Capricorn-Mars in Cap; Merc in Cap-Business Consultant
Ian, 23 yr old Virgo-Mars in Cancer;Merc in Virgo-Dolphin Trainer
Ibrehem, 27 yr old Pisces-Mars in Aquarius;Merc in Pisces-waiter
James, 33 yr old Cancer-Mars in Aquarius;Merc in Leo-Steelworker
Jonathan, 23 yr old Virgo-Mars in Leo;Merc in Libra-Sales & Mktg.
Tom, 41 yr old Capricorn-Mars in Cap;Merc in Cap-Firefighter
Willard, 57 yr old Sagitarius-Mars in Leo;Merc in Scorp -Lawyer
Angie, 24 yr old Aries-Mars in Leo;Merc in Pisces-Bartender
Ashlee, 22 yr old Taurus-Mars in Libra;Merc in Gemini-Student
Caryn, 46 yr old Leo-Mars in Tau;Merc in Virgo-Lawyer
Janu, 39 yr old ?? -Hmmm, not listed for her a wildcard-Vegas showgirl
Jennifer, 32 yr old Pisces-Mars in Tau;Merc in Pis-Nanny
Jolanda, 39 yr old Scorpio-Mars in Sag;Merc in Sag -Lawyer
Katie, 29 yr old Gemini-Mars in Aries;Merc in Gemini -Ad Exec.
Kim, 25 yr old Pisces-Mars in Pisces;Merc in Aries-Student
Stephenie, 25 yr old Sagitarius-Mars in Vir;Merc in Scorp-Pharm. Sales rep.
Wanda, 55 yr old Virgo-Mars in Cancer;Merc in Virgo-English teacher

Wow!! I can't believe how many Pisces & Virgo's there are, this is either going to be a very, very boring show or one full of emotional rollercoasters! Pisces tend to be dreamy servants, while Virgo's tend to be anal-retentive servants meaning they both like to please others. If someone leaves for the irritating factor, I've got to pick Coby - triple Virgo (ick).

Mercury is said to rule intelligence/thinking, Mars is your 'life force'/aggressiveness and your sun sign is a sort of general template.

Look for Gregg, James, Tom & Angie to be the leaders. As a matter of fact Greg & Tom might be twins. James & Angie will be funner. Bobby John will more than likely be a very stubborn, aggressive yet agreeable guy. Mercury in Scorpio? Want a verbal tongue-lashing that leaves you crying & stunned? Piss off someone with mercury in scorpio, not a pretty thing to see, but sometimes, people deserve it and it doesn't hurt my feelings afterward (yes, I'm one of those).

Look for some seriously charming 'double-speak' and manipulation from Ashlee & Katie, while Jonathan will be another word-charming, manipulator. My Jeff isn't looking too bad astrologically. Aquarians tend to be a little off-beat, but get along really great with people, his Mars in pisces will definitely temper his aggressiveness (think Barry Sanders) & with Mercury in Capricorn he should be pretty level headed and business like. This is going to be interesting.

Confessions of a Survivor Addict

2005-02-16T23:25:00.000-05:00

I admit it, I'm a reality junkie... I absolutely love most of the reality shows with Survivor topping the list & The Apprentice & The Amazing Race coming in tied for second.

What I love about them is the sociological/psychological aspect, along with the competitions. Us Reality Show lovers have become almost as maligned as smoker's lately, I don't understand why some people hate the shows so much. I mean they're probably the same people that were addicted to Friends or 90210 or some such garbage.

The interaction between people is fascinating to me, and it's like watching a mystery, but better because I usually can't figure out what is going to happen. Humans are so damn unpredictable sometimes, but especially in the circumstances they are thrown into in Survivor. I'm thinking about doing a quick prediction on who will get along or personality types by their sun signs. It would be hard because there is so much more to it than just a person's simple sun sign, but it might be interesting.

A new thing for me this year is I got into a 'Survivor Pool' at work, thanks to PEE for nominating me and Don for running the thing, although it doesn't look too complicated. I picked one of my lucky numbers (2) and a few days later... Voila... Don sends me an email (totally work related of course) informing all of us who 'we have', I have Jeff. I hope he's not a jackass, well actually I sort of like the jack asses on Survivor, so strike that last comment.

Anyway, if Jeff is the sole Survivor my $10 (I'll pay you Monday, I swear Don!!) will be a cool hundred (I think) hmmm, maybe I should have checked into the rules of this pool before I threw my money in (on Monday, I swear Don!). Looking at the Survivor website and Jeff, he's kind've a dork, I wonder if I can trade him in for Jonathan (he looks cute!).

But my Jeff is 21 & a personal trainer, which is good. The fact that he isn't drop dead should actually be a bonus too, people won't be too threatened by him. I just hope he doesn't go the way of Osten who had so little body fat, his body couldn't hack it. Well good luck to everyone in the pool, and Go Jeff... kick some butt buddy!!

Accounting is ruining my LIFE!

2005-02-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

A snapshot of the inside of my brain. I used to LOVE math, and now after 5 chapters of accounting & it's 101 for cripes sake, I'm starting to wonder what the hell was wrong with me! I can not wait for this course to be over, yet I can't seem to get myself to actually try and get ahead in the damn class. It's just too painful to even think about

My life has become consumed by the contradictory impulses of wanting to sit down for hours and bust through the class and not being able to get off my butt to sit down long enough to actually do it (incongruity intended).

It's gotten so bad that I'm finding myself HOME on the weekends trying to catch up, I can't even pick up the phone to talk to a friend because I know I'll blow a bunch of time that I SHOULD be spending on getting my damn accounting homework done. Sorry Trish, hah! and you didn't believe me, hmmm you either Gavin or Dave - I bet. I swear, I'm going to go out again real soon, as a matter of fact I'm thinking it might just be the ticket to drown that damn raging, number ball stress headache.

I tried to figure out a way to use Quick Books, but the time it would take to set up a business in order to prepare the financial reports would take too long, and it really wouldn't be 'cheating' considering there isn't an accountant out there that actually USES T-Accounts anymore!

Well, at least I now know why CPA's make so much damn money. Well, I guess I should get back to my accounting, hmmm, I wonder if I could pay one to do my damn homework? Yeah! I'll go out tomorrow night and meet me a nice CPA, ha hah!

Michigan Bad Driver Alert - Road Rage 2

2005-02-02T23:38:00.000-05:00

If you are the driver of a blue Chrysler Town & Country with a flag license plate that starts with BF, and you were driving west on M-59 around 7:15 a.m. today...

SCREW YOU TOO BUDDY!

I happen to have a lot of pet peeves about other drivers, I thought this one might be my biggest pet peeve, but after further reflection I hate them all pretty equally. If you are in the fast lane and someone is 'tail gating' you You are NOT the traffic police, you are a passive-aggressive, idiot driver that probably gets beaten by your wife at home and your boss at work, and instead of addressing your problems like an adult, you decide to take out all your hostility on the rest of us unfortunate souls that happen to be stuck behind your dumbass on the road.

The driving conditions were fine today (if you were able to get your car started, that is), but there was no snow, no rain, no fog, no blinding sunshine, it wasn't a Sunday afternoon, and there are no billboards or stores around that would cause one to drive slowly. So, I can't for the life of me figure out why this jackass had at least 7 car lengths of empty space in front of him. Wait, I take that back, I do know...

Not only was he driving well below the speed limit of 65, but the traffic flow in the right lane had that steady, yet hurky-jerky (I think that's a word, sort of..) movement that would allow someone driving slower to get over, but would box in anyone that wanted to go faster so I couldn't get over to do an illegal (or so I've been told) pass on the right.

So here we are (the guy behind me was 'tail-gating' me, etc.) stuck behind the moron for miles. I realize these people sometimes just don't know any better, so I tried a few maneuvers that usually work for the ignorant drivers, like veering slightly to the left to see if someone was in front of him, the car behind me followed suit, I tried getting right on his butt, but he didn't move or speed up, which classified him as a grade-A jackass!! He was doing it on purpose to punish those of us that dare to drive the speed limit and perhaps 5-7 mph over on occasion, but especially to punish me, because besides being an evil smoker, I am also an evil 'tail-gater'.

Traffic finally broke enough on the right for all of us in the fast lane to do the illegal pass on right, and as I was driving past the s.o.b. he had the nerve to flip ME off...grrrr

To all you idiot drivers out there that bitch about 'tail-gaters', let me make this real simple for you since you all obviously lack common sense and prefer to create your own misery because you just love playing the victim don't you?

The first step as always is to 'admit' that you are driving slower than need be in the FAST LANE .
If you have more than 2 car lengths of empty road in front of you, you are driving too slow.
People drive in the 'FAST LANE' because it is supposed to be FASTER (what a concept!)
When YOU are impeding that progress YOU have become the problem.
The problem is I don't have a beater vehicle and a million dollars to pay the insurance hike after I really make your morning drive exciting... oops I digress.
In order to try & eradicate the problem, us faster drivers do the only thing we can. Get as close as possible while still being safe to let you know, 'We want to go faster can you please move out of the way?'.
You see someone 'tail-gating' you, so invariably you either drive slower, or tap your brakes (& I have a specialty return driving maneuver reserved for you s.o.b.'s).
This causes the person behind you to get REALLY pissed off, because it is YOU that not only created the problem, but you have now exacerbated the situation (look it up). This has been known to lead to Road Rage!
YOU are the cause of people 'tail-gating' you. In essence if you drove with the flow of traffic, there would be NO 'TAIL-GATING', because there would be no need for it.
Perhaps now would be a good time for you to really examine your motives for purposely driving slow in the fast lane, to see what f***ed up type of psychosis you really have.
Fear not, there are two easy solutions a) speed up and I guarantee the person behind you will amazingly NOT be 'tail-gating' anymore, unless you pulled the ole' tap on the brakes move and if so, you're on your own and you know who I'm pulling for; or b) get your ass over to the slow lane BEFORE someone has to 'tail-gate' you.

I love irony - it's so ironic, heh, but anyway you should now be able to comprehend that YOU are actually CREATING that which you hate most, us evil 'tail-gaters'. So before you go bitching about us to anyone that will actually still listen to you, take a good, long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why you like being miserable.

We really don't care what the explanation is, but do us all a favor, and take your hostility out on whoever it was that caused you to believe that the only true POWER or CONTROL you have in your life, is your 'ability' to regulate traffic flow in the fast lane. It's really sort of pathetic isn't it.

In the meantime, hopefully I won't crash into one of you idiots that cause me to have a heart attack while being stuck behind you in traffic, and pray I don't win the Lottery!

Waco Burns Tobacco Users

2005-01-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

Debbie, my friend at work is trying to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is HARD! The thought of it alone freaks me out, so I have only tinkered with the idea from time to time. I have heard that it is easier to quit smoking crack than it is to quit smoking cigarettes, I don't know if that's true or not, thankfully I haven't had the urge to pick up a crack pipe in my life. But all you crackheads that also smoke cigarettes are welcome to send me an email & let me know.

But anyway, Debbie was having an especially stressful day and asked if I wanted to take a smoke break with her, I said of course because not only do I feed my nicotine habit, but I get a few minutes of b.s.'ing and laughing into my day, and we can catch up with what's been going on.

We have to go outside to smoke and I think it was about 7 balmy degrees or so, we ran to the smoking enclosure with our fellow losers and chatted for a few when Debbie asked me if I heard about the people getting fired for smoking. Huh? Where? Smoking what? Were they smoking in the building or something? Were their smoke breaks longer than the average water cooler/coffee break?

No, apparently they got fired for SMOKING AT HOME!! What??!! I'm thinking that Deb must of misheard something, or is messing around with me; "How can they fire someone for smoking at home?!" Well, Michigan like many other states is a 'fire at-will' state, meaning that a company does not NEED a reason to fire you, if your boss doesn't like your new hairstyle... Hello unemployment line.

This president of Waco, oops I mean Weyco, David Koresh, oops I mean Howard Weyers "said his decision goes beyond the bottom line. He refused to disclose how much money he'd save by dismissing tobacco users from the ranks, but said taking such drastic action was needed because increasing health care costs were choking his business." (The Detroit News) Ha, ha smoker's were choking his business... pun unintended, I'm sure.

They will not hire smokers anymore and I don't have any problem with that, but for the current employees? They have to undergo a 'testing program' in the morning to see if they were smoking OFF COMPANY TIME, OFF COMPANY GROUNDS and if the nasty, dirty, evil smokers who happen to be the root of all evil and the reason for cancer are caught, well they have to pay $50 a month and undergo further testing and agree to take a smoking cessation program. Four workers were fired because they refused to take the test.

It sounds to me like David (ahem), I meant Howard has some personal issues he needs to deal with. His concern for the health of his employees is overwhelming, and I think he should also do some breathalyzer's for Big Mac's along with alcohol while he's on a roll and we musn't forget those damn sunbathers with their damn melanoma cancer. This ban applies to users of ANY tobacco product. Forget your cigar on the weekend, forget your chew while watching NASCAR, why poor grandpa can't even enjoy his pipe anymore, and for all you people that only smoke 1 or 2 when you get drunk, you're FIRED!

I say all of us loser nicotine users should quit all at the same time. I'm sick of being the addict of scorn d'jour. If we all quit for the same time period, we'll ruin the economy. Just think of all the people we can put out of work in retaliation. Ever hear the phrase be careful what you wish for? Why we could bring states like Michigan to it's knees without all the revenue they make off taxing cigarettes, we'd shut down the tobacco companies and half the lawyers with them, the 'big tobacco' lobbyists would be looking for new jobs. And if we're as unhealthy and sickly as they all proclaim, we should be able to put a big dent in doctor's pocketbooks.

And the piece de resistance... Because we would all be paragons of health we wouldn't need health insurance anymore or health care companies, and guess what company and company's president that would include... You guessed it, the great thinker & leader of the anti-tobacco assault in Michigan, Howard Weyer... Ahhhh, I think I'll light a cigarette while I enjoy the irony of that.

The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah

2005-01-25T22:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, I forgot to mention that in the last book there was a little, bitty oddity that made me go, "Hmmm, I don't like where this could be leading..."

But before I get there, I have to say there is a lot of dying in these books, we are introduced to people some of which we don't really care for & other's that we absolutely love and when they die, it sort of sucks, but it's not really THAT big of a deal. Certainly no cause for tears to well up in my eyes.

Well dammit, I actually got teary-eyed in a particular spot in this damn book. Who knows, maybe it's just because I was tired but dang... that was weird, leave it to Stephen King. But enough of the mushy stuff. This book as you can see by the name focuses a lot on my favorite character (Big Lie, for those of you that can't read sarcasm) Susannah. I still can't figure out why I am just so bored by her, but lucky me I atleast get to 'speed read' a bunch of pages because I'm just not interested.

I find myself reading this book as fast as I can so I can get to the good part, or what is going on with the other Gunslingers. When King finally delivers it's good, but that sense of 'Hmmm' is turning into some serious foreboding on the clearing at the end of the path, and if it's anywhere near what I think, I'm going to be awfully pissed. There is nothing worse than a great book with a crap ending!! It ruins all of the good that came before it!

Sure enough, King takes me down the path I do not want to travel and I'm thinking, c'mon man this has been done and redone so many times it's trite. He ends the book with some 'REAL?' journals from King's own life, and that was the only saving grace to this book if you ask me. He ended it with a nice melancholy line and as the olden say, in for a dollar in for a pound. There isn't anyway I'm not (how's that for a double negative) going to finish the series, but I sure hope he does some type of smooth move and manages to take me down an unseen fork in this path!!

Bogging Down

2005-01-25T21:36:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a couple of online college courses this semester - Accounting 101 and Computer Literacy 101. Both classes are required for me to get my associates degree and being the intelligent gal I am, I never checked with an advisor as to which classes I needed for an associates. I was just going off my list of classes for the Bachelor degree.

Suffice it to say, I've got a bunch of classes that apply to my Bachelors but not to my Associates, ergo my 101 classes. Math is my thing. I have always loved math and aced accounting in high school, but I've got to say this class I'm taking right now SUCKS! To make matters worse I've got a professor that takes this online stuff way too seriously.

His input is nil other than telling you that you're a dumbass when he returns your homework and tells you to redo it, but doesn't tell you what you did wrong. Needless to say, being the bratty teacher's pet I've always been, I find this very disconcerting. On the other extreme, my Computer class is great with a great professor and a lively bunch of cyber students (even if some of them are a little dense).

Teaching is one of those professions that should not have unions and/or tenure. It's way too important of a job to let any Tom, Dick or Harry that SUCKS at teaching continue to 'teach'. I will never understand why people that seemingly do not like their jobs stay in them. Yes, you can say it's the money, but is it really worth being miserable about it every day?

Instead they go on year after year messing with kids minds and with no recourse for us to take. If a certain teacher consistently gets complaints by parents and students they should be canned like the rest of us when we don't perform. Why are they protected in the first place? The bad ones are like those damn priests that seem to enjoy taking children's trust and returning a nice bitch slap welcome to the bad part of the real world.

They say you will never forget your best teacher or your worst, and I have found that to be very true! Thanks Mr. Brauer, my 5th grade teacher you made learning FUN, and Mr. Devers, my 7th grade Geometry teacher, you SUCK.

No one wants to feel like a dumbass, especially not students, and it stinks when your teacher makes you afraid to ask a question, or when their answers to your questions are to 'read your book/notes'. Seriously, the whole reason you are there is to ANSWER questions, and to all you great teachers out there, THANK YOU! You really do make a difference, I think we should have a National 'Thank your favorite teacher' day, because as I reflect on Mr. Brauer I wish I would have stopped by or written a letter just to let him know that he made a huge difference in this girl's world. Hmmm, I wonder if he's still alive - maybe I'll try and see if he's still teaching in the Utica School District, right after I redo my accounting.

The Dark Tower V - Wolves of the Calla

2005-01-19T17:45:00.000-05:00

Another absolutely great story. Roland & his companions, now gunslingers themselves, find their 'Ka' taking them to yet another city with another dialect with different problems. All of the cities they visit have some remnant of the machines that the 'old great ones' built. Is that us in the future?

Much is still unclear as to where and what the Dark Tower is, and it's function other than holding the Beams together. What happens after all the Beams break? Some type of Armageddon, but what & who has really created the worlds to begin with? Roland is agnostic and only cares about reaching the Dark Tower, what he's going to do when (and if) he gets there is anyone's guess. Is the Dark Tower good or evil?

I've got to think that King actually dreams of Mid-World & Roland. His story seems just that. Like he is actually telling us the history of what actually happened. Weird to think of what goes on his brain, but I'm definitely thankful for it, and I only hope that the 80 year old woman that wrote to King years ago is still alive to enjoy these.

I find myself slowing down in reading, because I don't want them to end. If Roland dies some in some insignificant way without actually reaching the Dark Tower, that's gonna suck! Of all the characters in this book, I just can't seem to be that interested in Susannah, and I really don't understand why. She probably has the most fantastic history, yet I find her boring. Go figure. Another great read!

Being the Director

2005-01-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

I am working behind the scenes these days trying to make my blog 'new & improved'. I want to have buttons that will take you to the different sections since my thoughts run to such diverse topics. Thought it would be easier that way... and someday soon it will be.

I'm back to work, which doesn't leave me a lot of time to mess around with this. A bonus of working for the big three (Chrysler, Ford, GM) here in Michigan. You pretty much get December 24 through January 2 off. Ahhhhh, it's NICE!! And ain't that Gladiator cool??! Auto show is happening right now in fabulous downtown Detroit -hah- Anyway, going back to work after that long of a break is always a shock to my system, and getting my body clock used to waking up in the middle of the night (5:30 a.m.), takes a while - actually I'm not quite there yet.

As a matter of fact I should be soundly tucked into my bed right now, so off I go like the rest of the sheep out there... baahhh

You ungrateful non-Americans!!

2005-01-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Regarding Tsunami relief/aid. I Have been clicking on the random blogs that come up on the dashboard page of Blogger and I'm fuming right now. I have read more than one person's blog bitching about Americans and our President George W. Bush not doing enough for the Tsunami relief.

For your information, that money is NOT the President's money. It's MY money, my money and everyone else's that pays taxes in America. We DON'T HAVE to help. Go to your damn United Nations for help, that's what it's supposed to be there for.

What's even worse is the remarks about how we gave almost the same amount to Florida victims. Florida is part of AMERICA, the Floridians pay taxes too. Of COURSE they should get more relief. Where the hell was Asia's relief money TO THE UNITED STATES FOR FLORIDA??? How much money did all of your countries give to those people?? ARGH. And I thought the 'looking for a free handout' mentality was just a certain segment in the U.S. I see it's a worldwide phenomena.

How dare any of you in other countries actually complain about our generosity?? I've never been one for closed borders, but I'm starting to rethink the validity of it. No one likes to be taken advantage of, and no one wants to be taken for granted. Where's my THANK YOU for helping???

Uncle Sam is bad enough, I sure as hell don't need the rest of the world dipping in my paycheck too. Go get a damn job and pay for your own disaster relief. If anyone should be pissed at our President it should be me for using MY MONEY that I WORKED damn hard for and sending it out to a world that has nothing but malice & spite for us. Worry about your own damn countries and leave us and our President alone. Better yet, go ask John Kerry, Robert Redford, Michael Moore and the rest to put their money where their mouth is.

It's 2005 !!

2005-01-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!! OMG, my feet are killing me! Wore my favorite patent leather, 5" platform boots, they are sooooo COOL! I love my boots even though my feet hate me.

I danced the night away at my favorite place to dance in Royal Oak. It's the only place left that I know of that still plays what used to be alternative. I'm not sure what it's called now; 'old skool alternative', 'industrial alternative'? Think Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Sisters of Mercy. Here's a sample pretty cool huh? Not exactly the type of music you line dance to, or bend over and grind into the person behind you too.

Because the music never really caught on with main stream America, we would have to follow the music. Instead of being able to go to just about any club on any night, you would have to go to certain clubs on certain nights (usually Sundays or Tuesdays) to be able to hear & dance to this music that a certain sect of us will follow. I met most of my friends because we would all 'follow the music' & after seeing each other time after time you tend to either form a real friendship or a 'musical' friendship. You could call any of these people up & they would be glad to meet you up at whichever club was happening for that night.

Another great bonus about the 'unpopularity' of the music is that it never attracted those nasty foreign men that felt a woman was property or an object. If you live in Metro Detroit, you know who I'm talking about! You didn't have to subject yourself to a bunch of, 'Hey baby you lookin' goooood' and worse yet having to dodge gropes from these pigs. More than one cool club has been ruined by this group of men. It's a sure sign of a club's demise (for the normal people anyway) because no one wants to put up with the crap. These men actually sued a club out here years ago because they claimed they were being denied access due to their ethnicity. Bast*rds!

The atmosphere is usually dark with black lighting. Anything white glows, including lint, eyeballs and teeth. It's pretty funny/scary. Clothing is whatever the heck you want it to be, but tends to be - not the 'norm'. It tends to be a lot of black, a lot of big boots, fishnets, t-shirts with your favorite band, tight see through mesh shirts for the guys, collars, and I've noticed more men wearing kilts lately. Pretty damn cool, I think. People usually dance by themselves and the people that are actually gay, don't do the girl/girl thing to get attention from guys which is so pathetic nowadays.

I went with one of my best friends, Dave (who happens to be an excellent artist) and saw a ton of people I haven't seen in a long time, including Tony, Timmy & Josh. The music was good, the people were good and a great time was had by all, except for my poor feet.

Disaster Relief... Enough Already!

2004-12-31T16:32:00.000-05:00

Let me first say that I feel really bad for those affected by the tsunami, the hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, etc. Mother Nature sure can be a bitch! But as the scorpion said so aptly to the frog, 'it's my nature'.

I remember a 'joke' by either Gallagher or Sam Kinneson, about ads coming on t.v. for Americans to help a culture of people that lived in the desert. His response, 'move the f*** out of the desert!'. In the human vs. Mother Nature bout, my money and any that I can borrow is on Mother Nature every time! Now of course, this isn't any great revelation so quit using my damn tax money to 'relieve' everyone else in the world. Relieve ME!

I haven't been listening to much of the news lately due to my recent blogger addiction, but I've caught a few tidbits here and there on Fox News. 1)Some ass from the UN said we (Americans) weren't helping enough 2)There was some type of delay before Bush responded about aid 3)American's are turning out in droves to donate 4)Stories of survivors.

To all the countries out there that have been bitching about the U.S. and that we need to mind our own business, perhaps now would be a great time to do just that. Let's take care of our own that were affected, as for everyone else, now would be a good time to ponder the phrase, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." I'm thinking that possibly our President was thinking that exact thing, and had to be calmed down in order to do the proper 'PC' thing, come on t.v. and confirm that he will be sending MY money to the cause.

I understand that President Bush doesn't really have a choice in the matter, but this type of thing is why I choose not to vote Democratic. I work to earn money, I want a National Defense and roads, but let ME decide who I want to give the rest of my money to. There are far too many people that need help in our own country. For me personally the only ones that really deserve any 'handouts' are children, Veterans and anyone in the military. They want boob jobs for their wives from the government, I say be my guest, if it makes for happier soldiers, then I'm all for it.

Where's Michael Moore and Janine Garofolo with their pseudo-intellectual b.s. now? Why aren't they wringing their hands about the waste of tax payers dollars? Where's Cameron Diaz telling us that if we don't help, the government will be forcing Indian women to be raped? (And we wonder why she's dating a 20-something year old). Where are all these millionaires now that the world needs them. Hey Michael, Janine, Cameron, put up or shut up or move to Canada with Redford! You all care for the little people? I'm a little person, and I want you to donate millions so our deficit doesn't get even higher, weren't you all so worried about that a month or so ago?? OH, and don't forget, you're sending my tax money to the people that are supposedly getting all the outsourcing work!! @%#@! Hypocrites, but on the brighter side...

The stories of survival are amazing, & it reminds me of the World Trade Tower survivors and the fickle? hand of fate/destiny? I just heard today about a 20 month old that survived and was found floating on a mattress. There is a philosophy on seemingly random events that in turn affect each and everyone of us, which I'll delve into at another time. I would really like to know where all the damn insurance companies are when disasters strike. Someone should hold them accountable. I am not a heartless person, but there comes a point when you just can't write another check. Will our children be relying on the handouts from other countries because we've bankrupted our own? Or is this just another precursor to the eventual relial on the UN for everything. You know, a One World Government... That certainly leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling, Egads!

$%!@& Font This!

2004-12-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, excuse my language, but WHAT THE HELL??
Hah, & I was feeling sooooo proud of myself yesterday. Trying to fix my previous posts is a major pain in the ass, and it's NOT working!! Apparently this text editor thingee keeps putting spans in when it should be br's or p's
The LI's are driving me nuts, because they won't format like the rest of the page, I even went into Front Page to test the other posts and they looked fine until I publish them?! Any ideas from you blog/html gurus?
Okay done venting, but that's why my posts look like sh**

What's a BLOG??

2004-12-30T01:23:00.000-05:00

When I tell people I have a blog, the first thing they ask is...'A what?' Then I try and describe what exactly this is. I first heard about Google and how good it was from a fellow co-worker, (who claimed he knew the guys that started it from college) and I have used it every since.

I have the google toolbar (that contains an excellent pop-up blocker by the way) and it still astounds me that people use any other search engine. Being the google fan that I am, I started noticing stuff about 'blog this' and I remember looking it up to see what it meant, ready? weB LOG. Which is an excellent segue into what I've discovered since I started this.

If you want anything other than a very simple template look to your blog, you better learn HTML and/or CSS pretty damn fast!! And that's when it really starts - ACRONYM & BRACKET HELL - And I thought working for one of the 'Big Three' (DaimlerChrylser, Ford & GM for you non-Michiganders) was bad, hah. If you thought fixing your mistakes with a typewriter was bad, wait till you try and fix a mistake in your Blog or your template - hahahahahahhaha (ahem) Sorry about that, felt a little Jack Nicholson coming on there for a moment!

If I weren't so entralled with the idea of being able to share MY opinon with the world, I would've said 'F this' and quit in the last couple of weeks when I first started this thing. Talk about a crash course, as I thumb through my copy of HTML for dummies and search google for tutorials. I have learned that you better start training your right ringfinger and pinkie on the keyboard so you can reach the "<>\:;= keys without looking.

If you're a newbie like me you'll soon be having nightmares of br, #009900 which is an easier way to say green, hahahahaha,tr, td, h1, h2, a:link, src=,valign, p, /p, char, bgcolor...I could go on for pages, well -literally books - on this stuff, and don't forget to enclose them all in brackets!

The good part is the result. I'm pretty happy about the look of my blog right now with a ton more of stuff I want to add. Consider having your own blog as being creative with a science background, now there's using both sides of your brain, for ya! Another really cool thing is that I'm actually learning & retaining all this gibberish.

One comment I received from my darling neice Stefani was that I should keep my text size the same in my blogs. HAH, I did yet somehow when I published the blogs they didn't look like what I had originally written. Stef, I hope you've notice that this blog is pretty clean, and that's because I'm actually writing the whole thing in HTML format instead of converting it. WOOHOOOOOOO, LQQK out for me. One other cool note, as I was writing this, trying to get the damn brackets in the right place, I stumbled upon the little box below.... Pretty damn nifty. I mean where else can you make a mistake a come out feeling smarter?? LOL.

The Dark Tower III - The Wastelands

2004-12-26T18:42:00.000-05:00

Riddle me this:What kills cats, gives birth to invention, most have it although some prefer to ignore it? Just curious if you know the answer...HA.

The 3rd book in the Stephen King Dark Tower Series seemed a bit of a let down (to me) after reading The Drawing of Three, although it definitely served its purpose. I think because King has written this 'epoch' without knowing the ending makes a big difference in writing. I do believe that he is actually finding things out as he goes along in this story just as we are, and that he just doesn't have the answers yet.

Whereas in The Drawing of Three, there was an anticipation to events coming up, The Wastelands gives us a better understanding of the background and history of Roland & his world and delves into the complication of time travel and the ramifications thereof. With Roland choosing to not draw the third in the 2nd book, and that he chooses to save Jake causes some complications of course because if Jake is not killed when he was supposed to be, then how could Roland have met him at the weigh station? Interesting....

What and Where is the Dark Tower?? Where is Rolands world?? Is his world the 'watchers' of the Dark Tower since they seem to talk of it so freely while our world is oblivious. Was it invented in our world? So many questions, and I am addicted....Still.

If I were a cat, my curiosity would kill me for sure! Ah, well just remember not to forget the face of your fathers!!

The Dark Tower II - The Drawing of the Three

2004-12-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! Steven King's 2nd book in the series made me remember why I became enthralled with the series!

Although some mysteries are explained, new mysteries abound. Roland (gunslinger) continues his quest to find the Dark Tower. He has finally caught up with the 'man in black' who goes on to give him clues about the Drawing of The Three.

We learn more about Roland's sketchy background, but only enough to make me want more. The mystery behind these stories almost leaves the reader salivating for more. TELL ME the REST of the story!! These books are almost like a tortuous addiction. They're so good, even though you WANT to know how they all end, you don't want the story to end!

Without giving away too much of the book. The Drawing of The Three has Roland interacting with Our World with three different individuals in three different time periods, that are all interrelated. Not only with each other but with Roland and his "Ka". Ka in Rolands world means 'fate, destiny, karma'.

The three characters introduced in this book are great! The parallels between Rolands world and ours are many. It's fun to see how King explains these idiosyncrasies, and leaves us wondering as always where Roland's world is and what the heck happened to it! Is it a parallel universe? Is it the future or perhaps the past and what does the Dark Tower have to do with all this, other than it is Roland's Ka to search for the Dark Tower or die trying to reach it.

Count me in as being one of those 'Slingers' that would be BEGGING King to PLEASE tell me how the story ends before I die.

Astrology Fun & Insight

2004-12-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

I am a Libra, I like being a Libra - Which may make me a Leo. I hate when we're stereotyped as being indecisive because it makes me want to hit someone - which may make me an Aries. You get my drift.

When being tickled past the point of fun, these may be some typical or stereotypical responses:

Aries: Will tickle back until YOU are begging her to stop!
Taurus: Will roll over & sit on you.
Gemini: Giggles and tickles back and then realizes that she had forgotten what she was going to say just before the tickling started.
Cancer: Will just get up without saying anything, walk into her room, and slam the door. She won't come out for hours and will bring up the whole incident ten years later in the middle of a fight.
Leo: Will get extremely offended and look at you with utter incomprehension when you explained that it was only fair, since she felt free to tickle you.
Virgo: Will stare at you without laughing until you stop.
Libra: Will enjoy it until you mess up her outfit.
Scorpio: Will at first succumb then suddenly through an effort of sheer willpower regain her composure, stare you fixedly straight in the eye and say, "Stop it! now! or else!"
Sagittarius: Will tickle back, then when you were in the other room will start tickling the guy sitting on her other side.
Capricorn: Never gets tickled because she's always at the office working late.
Aquarius: Will have quietly extricated herself with a small smile while trying to think of a way the entire group could have fun with the tickling.
Pisces: Will at first hate the tickling, then decide she liked it, because after all, it's what the other person wants.~ Thanks to Aquarianage.org

Actually, Astrology surprisingly is pretty accurate. I don't believe in horrorscopes that appear in daily newspapers. The subject of astrology is much deeper than your sun sign! Your sun sign is described as the *mask* you have on in public, while the deeper emotional you is found in your moon sign. I actually have both Leo & Aries in my chart, which change some of the 'normal' humble, demure aspects of Libra. Yes, I DID say humble & demure, for those of you that know me, quit laughing dammit!

I have found 2 very cool sights on astrology. One is a monthly horoscope that has been uncannily correct in my case and the other is a free sight full of information including free charts. Now go ahead and check them out, unless you don't want to, but it would be really cool, but then again I don't want to pressure you into anything, well, do what you want... why are you looking for me to decide for you anyway?

The Dark Tower - Gunslinger

2004-12-12T14:26:00.000-05:00

I just finished readingGunslinger, for the 2nd time, it is the first in the series of books by Stephen King called The Dark Tower.

I do not normally read fantasy or science fiction type books and first picked this up simply because it had Stephen Kings name on it. Surprisingly I was hooked. At that time (at least 8 years ago) there were only 3 books in the series and after I finished the 3rd I waited & waited & waited for the next one to come out. As so often happens with 'series' books, by the time the next one comes out I've either lost interest (Left Behind) or I've totally forgotten most of the plot of the book. In this case is was the latter. I heard from a co-worker (who isn't very timely in producing football results for our pool, by the way, heh jk pee) that the 4th book came out!!

Well, talk about excited. I decided that all of us - You know who you are - should be called 'Slingers', ala Trekkies. King even addresses this in his forwards of the republished series, even sharing that he received pretty much a death bed request from a woman to 'please let her know how the story ends!'. Remembering how much I enjoyed the books, I went out and bought all 4, so I could start from the beginning...again.

The books follow a man - Roland through his journey to find the Dark Tower. The first book is vague, yet detailed enough that it almost compels you to keep reading to try and figure out who this person is, where he is, where he came from and what the heck is going on. I laugh in reading that last sentence back because I'm thinking, 'oh yea, nice plug there...NOT'. For instance we know that Roland is a "gunslinger" what exactly that means I don't know, but King tells us the story behind how he became one and it leaves the impression of a 'knight' type.

Almost like a mystery, King leaves enough hints and references that you get the gist, but you want to know the whole story. And that's what these books are, much in the genre of The Stand it's a story. And a good one at that. Another first with me is that I do not re-read books, but I am glad I did re-read this one. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good story.

Road Rage 1 - December 6, 2004

2004-12-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

'Holy Crap, You IDIOT!' I shouted at the moron in the white panel van that was driving in the 'FAST' lane, westbound on M-59 this morning around 7:45 a.m.

I'm sure idiotic drivers are common worldwide, but as you can see from my profile, I live in Michigan. It snows in Michigan! Every winter as a matter of fact, and sometimes even in spring, for good measure. For those of you who celebrate Christmas in your shorts, along with that obvious benefit another is that you don't have to deal with drivers that freak out when there is a snowflake that appears in their vicinity.

The Motor City does not have mass transportation, and I have never met anyone that carpools on their way into work. Obviously that makes for a LOT of SUV's on the road all trying to get to the same centers of Metropolitan Detroit. We are The Motor City after all and each household deserves a car and 2 SUV's in every garage, sidled up to the Skidoo and the snowmobile.

With light traffic my drive to work takes approximately 15 minutes to traverse 14 miles. A normal busy morning commute turns that 15 minutes into a half-hour. Today, it took me 50 minutes to go 4 miles! All because of that idiot in the van and others like him that, for whatever reason, drive 15 mph in the fast lane of an expressway because there is a covering of snow on the ground. I'm talking less than 1/2 inch of snow here.

If you are wearing shorts right now, that may sound like a lot of snow but we're talking about Michigan here. We don't close businesses or schools down until we get a good foot or so of snow... and then only if it's combined with a nice covering of freezing rain. Nature's own gift of a slip-n-slide for automobiles! Don't get me started on black ice... but I digress.

I finally get frustrated over seeing cars in the 'slow' lane pass me at a death-defying clip of about 30 mph and I manage to cut over in front of another 15 mph'er. I am now happily doing the accelerate/hit brake/accelerate/hit brake dance of expressway driving in Michigan (although not at the normal break neck speed of 70 mph) when I see a vast open expanse of driving lane open up in the fast lane.

And the white panel van, with NO ONE in front of him for at least a good quarter mile! Because I am unable to teleport into his van and lay the butler slap with my glove upon him, I resort to letting loose a string of profanities, more so for my own sanity. I will never understand drivers like this and to the driver of the white van and others like him... Either keep up with the traffic in front of you, or GET OUT of the fast lane!! Better yet do us all a favor and move to a state where you would be decorating your palm tree right now. Oh, and you owe me for an hour of overtime!!