Fun Fact For the Day
Posted on April 19, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 30 Comments
President Bush is giving a speech right now, about 20 miles from where I’m sitting! Indeed, it’s entirely possible that one of my nieces, who goes to school in Tipp City (where he’s at) is listening to him blather on.
Another of my nieces asked me yesterday, apropos to a discussion of his imminent arrival, if I would want to hear him speak. I told her that given Bush’s propensity for not speaking except in front of vetted crowds, I found it very unlikely I would be let into the auditorium at all. Which in some sense would be amusing, but then not so much when I got put on a watch list and banned from boarding planes. I’ve got traveling to do soon, you know.
Anything exciting going on where you are?
Can’t spend too much time bragging about how exciting things are right now: I’m too busy fending off NINJAS!
I’m eating Girl Scout Cookies.
The cat is eating crunchy food.
I just woke up from a nap.
I may finally get back to working on my novel.
Life in Maine rocks!
I’m eating Girl Scout Cookies.
The cat is eating crunchy food.
I just woke up from a nap.
I may finally get back to working on my novel.
Life in Maine rocks!
On hitting their watch list. My name is on it, If I don’t use my middle name I get stopped every single time. Too common a name. On Bush. I didn’t care for or trust President Bush before he got elected and like his act much less now. I do have to say the latest on the talk shows is off the hook, bashing wise. He was getting cooked to well done for showing up at the site of the murders in Virgina, so much sooner than he did for the Katrina disaster! “Sorry, you came to quick!” I don’t care for him at all, but I don’t go our of my way to make every single thing he does wrong or evil.
James A. Harris
I cut my hair off.
I’m looking into SEO and Google’s AdWords for work, and trying to figure out how to not blatantly lie when doing up a CV to give to a guy my Dad knows that might be able to find me a web geek job that I’m LONG out of practice to do.
It’s snowing here in Northern California today so I am just sitting at home watching movies & eating pizza…OH JOY!
If you do get in, the Secret Service really puts a chill on heckling, as do the black helicopters.
Hmm, vetting crowds is nothing new. It’s been going on for longer than GWB has been in office. Can’t say I like our leaders on either side of the aisle behaving in such a way.
I’m upgrading my laptop to XP Professional because our new office network doesn’t play nice with XP Home. I’m also mourning my office couch, which won’t be coming with us. However, since the new office will be twenty miles closer to home and not in the little slice of hell we call Santa Clarita, I can cope.
I’m attending the concert of a local musician/friend tonight, and monitoring the hospitality room at a local con this weekend. So I’ll be somewhat busy.
The dog just puked on my home office carpet.
Speaking of puking, a former Seattle cop’s blood alcohol level set a new state record at 0.47%, and she’s been charged with DUI.
And in other DUI news, the Seattle Sonics are leaving Seattle for Oklahoma, home of their new owners. It’s been a long time since I followed pro basketball – the players have become freakish, overtall thugs noted more for their tattoos, bling and transgressions than their athleticism.
Speaking of bling, SF author John Scalzi is coming to the PacNW next week. I hope the oversized diamond and platinum jewelry he packs won’t be a problem in his carry-on.
Otherwise, all is pretty quiet on the Kitsap peninsula.
Just in case there are any St. Louisans reading this thread interested in hearing some good local music tonight:
Details for concert
I’m contemplating how I’m going to finish some office work this evening, watch “My Name is Earl” and “The Office,” and avoid getting sucked into the beautiful copy of Tolkien’s “The Children of Hurin” and reading until 2 am.
I’m also planning for Penguincon this weekend, where I’m looking forward to meeting John Scalzi.
No comment on the POTUS, he’s my CINC and there are rules about that sort of thing.
As to my day, I’m turning spruce bowls in the woodshop and decorating them with hand-carved salmon. They’re beeeuutiful, if I do say so myself, said I. I may take a few hours this afternoon, before the hellion Jr. gets home from school to work on my book. Oh, and it’s sixty and sunny here in Palmer, Alaska today – so I’ve got the shop door open. Me and the dogs are having a great day! The cats are hibernating in the sunroom, collecting solar energy so they can raise hell all night, bastards. Thanks for asking.
Jim, this would be WAY too scary-coincidental if it were true… but is or was one of your dogs a tibetan spaniel? If so, I have “met” you before on a dog focused forum.
I’m thinking about following Resident Bush’s lead and baking a turd soufflé for dinner than force feeding it to children and brainwashed adults.
Nah, too much work, I’ll order pizza and work on my book instead.
As Molly Ivins used to say, “our ownliest president” is going to be giving a talk at East Grand Rapids H.S. tomorrow, Friday 20 April 2007. He should have a fine conservative reception from that community in West Michigan. And hopefully, his comings and goings won’t interfere with either end of my commuting by virtue of timing and geography. Not saying this to be meanspirited, just that I have enough hours commuting to a part-time teaching job that I don’t live for having delays due to special movements.
Back in the days when Presidents road the rails, POTUS specials required crews to go out and spike all the switches along the route and post guards to prevent anyone from tampering with the track. I think Nixon took a Metroliner to New York once and the POTUS rules nearly brought the Northeast Corridor to its knees. There’s been very little President on rails traffic since then — end of an era.
Dr. Phil
My fiance and I are babysitting his mom’s friend’s daughter tonight. Tomorrow we’re going to a benefit concert (UM Life Sciences Orchestra, for the local children’s hospital) in Ann Arbor. Notably, we’re not going to Penguicon, even though we preregistered at ConFusion, because the hotel was full and then the more-expensive nearby hotel was full and we have a wedding to attend Saturday afternoon. Not that we’re bitter.
We’re moving the exercize bike up from the basement today in the hopes that will inspire our fat asses to get on it.
Jeri, nope. Sorry but happy to have avoided a scary coincidence. Wheh! (wipes brow). I raise Alaskan sled dogs, shepherd husky mutt mixes. Working mail run dogs, not racers. I fact, Jumper, my lead dog is helping me type this, mostly by keeping my lap warm with her head and making the “give us a treat” noises…
So, you know about the NYC Condoms, right? NYC has an official condom(http://72.32.200.206/flash/) Anyway, organizations can order them in bulk to be distributed at events and such. So I, in my genius, decided that – since I’m currently producing a musical called Emergency Contraception!: The Musical – a great marketing idea would be to distribute these condoms with info about our show on labels on the back – with a tagline along the lines of: Our show should be the only EC you need. Wear a condom. Or something…that’s still being worked out.
The point is, I was on the phone – at my office, mind you – placing the order, and it amused me muchly that I was at my place of employment saying things like The minimum is 3 cases? How many condoms come in a case? 1,000? OK, so I need three cases of condoms. No…no I didn’t need any cases of lube, just condoms. Yes, three cases.
So, yeah. That’s what’s happening with me today. :)
‘Scuse me. Watch list? What watch list? There’s a story there, but he’s not telling it…
Try being the kid of the guy who’s the head nerd of the biggest independent crime lab in the world, and then having the chief of police in your city recognize you when he’s giving a speech in the auditorium sophomore year. That’s interesting. Or the time we handed out condoms at the Gay Pride Parade, to support my father’s ‘revolutionary’ new test. ‘What’s In Your Genes?’ in a matchbox-type thing with a picture of a jean pocket. I was dared to hand them out in school.
I get to go home soon. I’d be excited but for the tired.
I get to go home soon. I’d be excited but for the tired.
2 Live Crew recently played a local bar. (I know — they’re still around?)
No, I didn’t really make any attempt to go.
Let’s see…listening to my one dog cough (he has a “growth” in his heart, which makes the heart bigger and pushes against the lungs). Listening to the other dog snore. Getting ready to watch an episode or two of “Planetes” followed by more of the Criterion edition of the original “Solaris”. Then either “Diamond Dogs” by Alastair Reynolds or “Ghost Brigades” by some hack, followed by eyelid maintenance.
This after a shift at the part-time job where I was given another Major Task that must fit into the limits of the job (no OT, now, and nothing over the hourly cap!) while not scrimping on the other stuff. Que sera, sera. Or something along those lines.
This weekend, unless it rains (again), I expect to be mowing the grass. Don’t think it ever got this high this early in the year.
Use to live in Tipp. Graduated from the local high school. Left as soon as possible and have NOT been back.I can see why fearless leader would set up camp there. Not exactly a hotbed of liberalism…Used to be totally snow white town, not a black or brown face to be seen.
Pretty exciting, here, trying to keep from getting caught reading blogs at work.
Which politicians don’t perform for heavily vetted crowds, aside from the ones who can’t draw a crowd?
It’s snowing. Supposed to snow for at least another day, and on Tuesday it’s supposed to be plus 17. Celsius.
Scalzi, I am constantly amused by your posts regarding your neck-of-the-woods Ohio — my girlfriend grew up in Troy.