Did he really say that???

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said former Education Secretary William Bennett, author of "The Book of Virtues."

He went on to call that "an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky."

This idiot has some sort of morning talk show and a guy called in saying something stupid. He said something about if all the babies who were aborted since Roe vs. Wade had not been aborted Social Security would be taken care of. Bennett did say one thing smart, he mentioned that we don't know what the costs would be.

And then after that he mentioned the crime stats. Yes, it is morally reprehensible. But, buddy!!! you said it!

When people think this way it really scares me. And this man is highly educated.

Quit yer whining!

So I read in the Daily Dish (the People briefs on the Chronicle Web site) that Flight Unions are upset at the way Flight Attendants are portrayed in the movie "FlightPlan." First off this is JUST a movie. Second, lawyers, journalists, etc. are almost always portrayed badly in movies. You don't see them getting all upset and boycotting movies.
The movie looks dumb anyway. As an Administrative Assistant (and former copy editor) I will be boycotting the movie. HA!

Lots of visitors

Well, I was finally gonna post some pics from our visits with Erica and Casey and the Reuterman bunch, but we can't find that cord thingie that plugs into the camera and into the computer to get the dang pictures onto the computer. Argh! So we wait. And I still haven't posted pics from our going-away party. Some day.
Anyway, our next few weekends are filling up. Tonight Curt and I are having dinner and drinks with my dad and Hilda in the city.
My friend Dan called the other day and said he would be in town this weekend. I called him back--but haven't heard from him again. So, not sure if we will see him.
Next weekend Ed (Curt's dad) comes into town (to pick up the truck). Friday night we are going to a Giants vs. Diamondbacks game. GO D-BACKS!!! Saturday we will spend the day in the city. Ed has requested Chinese food and seafood. Those are easy requests.
The weekend after that my friend Shelly will be in town. She is coming in on a Wednesday. So Thursday and Friday she will be on her own during the day. I think that Saturday we may head to Sausalito for lunch and get a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. I am sure we will eat at Triple Rock one night (YUM garlic fries!) and have dinner in the city another.
We have become very popular since we moved here. :)

Annoyed!

So last night I decided to take Joey to the new Petsmart to get his nails trimmed. (De-clawing cats is cruel, and I refuse to do it. So he has to get his nails trimmed every few monts. And he hates having his feet touched. So I have to pay a "professional" 8 bucks to do it.) Oh, and trying to get Joey into his crate isn't fun either. He hates getting in it. So Curt and I have to have a plan. I grab the cat, Curt grabs the crate and we struggle to get him in.
So, back to my story ... I get to Petsmart, get Joey out of the backseat and seat belt. (Yes, I fasten him in.) And we (or I) walk into the store. The dang groom shop closed at 6 p.m.!!! What's up with that? So I ask them if they have a phone book so I can call Petco. They don't.
I get back in the car and call Curt at home. He looks up the Petco number. I call and the recording says the groom shop is open until 9 p.m. Great! So I drive to Petco. I get there and the groom shop closed at 7 p.m.
So I wasted an hour of my time and got Joey freaked and stressed for nothing.
So, clicky (aka Joey--his nails click on the hardwood floors when they get too long. That is usually the indicator to remind me to take him in) will go back Sunday.

One more ...

So in my post yesterday I wrote about "The Pianist." Well, something went screwy and it didn't post. So, here is my second attempt.
"The Pianist" was a very good movie. Adrien Brody did an amazing job. The movie was very sad. But very well done. It still blows me away that something like that could happen. What made the Germans hate the Jewish people so much? And so much to try to eliminate them? I don't understand hate like that. We definitely aren't born that way. What do these people fear? Why is there hate, racism, anti-semitism, sexism, anti-gay, etc.?
Isn't that what makes the world a great place--diversity?

Movie reviews and other stuff ...

So last night Curt and I watched "Super Size Me." I had already seen it, but watched it again. It really is a good movie. It is pretty amazing what fast food can do to your body. Quite scary. I rarely ever eat fast food anymore. I have been trying to be more aware of what I eat (mostly drink). I have cut out coffee and soda (once in awhile I indulge). I have limited my alcohol intake. And I have been paying attention to my portions at dinner time. And I must be doing something right because I lost 5 pounds. Woo-hoo! I have been doing more yoga lately. And I plan to do more cardio, too.
Next Movie:
"Alfie." It was OK. Maybe I am thrown off by Jude Law being a big cheater and I am just not as impressed with his charm these days. "Alfie" is a remake--I haven't seen the original, so I am not sure how close the remake is to the original. Alfie is a jerk and has lots of girlfriends. And I was kinda bored with him. Plus he drove a mo-ped or something like that and he just looked dumb on that thing. Where was the real motorcyle?
So, definitely see "Super Size Me." I don't think you are missing out by skipping "Alfie."

Word verification

You may have noticed that when you comment on one of my postings now you must type in a word verification. This is to prevent spammers (or as I call them spagers) from posting a message on multiple blogs. If you have a blog you can also turn on the word verification to prevent those annoying messages.

Golden Gate

So I finally traveled over the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, I have lived here for more than 6 months and hadn't actually been to the bridge. I have traveled many times over the Bay Bridge. Anyway, the thing is massive. But not as long as the Bay Bridge.
My friend Shelly is coming out to visit in a few weeks and I think that is one thing she wants to do. So this time maybe I can take some pics. It was dark when Curt and I traveled over it. And I just don't think the camera phone woulda done any justice to this heap of a bridge.

One woman's tale of woe

Hilarious story but kinda long. Totally worth the read. Though I warn you, it is about hair removal and wax.
I read this story on another blog and it had me laughing.



All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors,razors, Nair and now...the wax.

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. It's two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my vagina and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek. (Yes, it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself.........RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!.... OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP!! Everything is swirly and spotted. I think I may pass out...........must stay conscious...Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the
hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. CRAP! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.

Then I make the next BIG mistake.......remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. DAMN!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of a cell door. Vagina? Sealed shut! Butt?? Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I
can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cement-epoxied myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter - "So, my butt and who-ha are glue together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or who-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now.....I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor . Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and
scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works !!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair...THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Sept. 11

Can you believe that it has been four years? I still remember working that day. All the TVs on, cranking out mass amounts of news and trying to not get too emotional.
On Sept. 11, 2002, after watching a 9/11 ceremony Curt proposed.
Then Sept. 11, 2004 my Nana died. Today is the one-year anniversary of her death. My aunt and dad are having a celebration of life today for her at my aunt's house. I called over there and it sounded like a great party. Good food and lots of family and friends. I talked with my dad, my aunt, mom and brother. Wish I could be there.

SOLD!!!

So we found a buyer for our truck. A one Mr. Ed Poff will be taking it off our hands. Yup, it is staying in the family. It is nice to know we are dealing with someone we can trust and vice versa.
So Ed will probably come out in a couple of weeks to pick it up and drive it home. This also gives him an excuse to give his son and daughter-in-law a visit.

Happy early birthday to me!

So just last night I was telling Curt how great it would be to have a mini wine fridge. Then today I am looking through the Target circular and there it was! A tabletop wine cellar that holds 12 bottles of wine. It was cheaper at Target than anywhere I found it online.
So Curt and I headed to the two-story Target and he got it for me for an early birthday present. Woo-hoo! Right now it is in our spareroom. It's a little bit bigger than a microwave. There are already a few bottles of wine cooling off.
(That is Curt above at Target getting ready to go down the escalator. That big box next to the Charmin is the wine cellar.)
I should be getting my next Andretti shipment of wine very soon. And the new bottles will go into my new wine fridge.
Oh, and don't worry. You have plenty of time to shop for me. The great day is Oct. 9. :)

Baseball, football, lots of junk food and emergency kits

Wednesday was Onyx Pharmaceuticals day at the ballpark. We got a jersey, ticket and $20 in giants bucks. A bus was chartered to take us from Emeryville into San Francisco. It was a beautiful day outside. And we had pretty good seats. I spent my Giants bucks on 2 beers and garlic fries. YUM!

Yesterday (Saturday) Curt and I went to a Cal Berkeley football game with a co-worker of Curt's along with his wife and baby. I am not a fan of football--but it was still a good time. Before the game we went to the funzone. There was food and drinks and a really cool jumping castle for the kids. It was a pretty neat fun zone. Jason and Lauren have had the seats we sat in forever. They used to be Jason's dad's. So they stay in the family. Julian is their baby. And he is a little doll. I had fun playing with him. He just turned 1. Jason was telling us that the Hayward fault line runs right under the stadium. Nice to know, huh?

So after the whole unfortunate tragedy with the hurricane, Curt and I really realized we need to have an emergency kit in case we have an earthquake. It is amazing the stuff you find online. We ordered a hand-crank radio/flashlight; first-aid kit; water-proof matches; and the lovely bucket toilet (which hadn't even occurred to us until he was browsing online). We made a list of other things we need to have: water, canned food for us and the cat; batteries; glucose tabs for Curt and a few other things. So we should be emergency prepared very soon.

Oh, and all I have done is eaten junk food the past 4-5 days. I need to start working out again.