Photo Walking, 2

Computer is being slow to upload pictures will try to put more up later. Some random shots from this week:

Nephews Douglas and Eammon playing a game at Charles Towne Landing.

This is how Thor sees himself in his mind.

Loki learns that other people aren't really going to kill him and might even be nice.

Photo Walking

There are a few places on earth where you don't dare not bring a camera. Downtown Charleston is one of them.

Kitten Lights

Loki sez: I can has my sparkling lights all year 'round?

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Yesterday, I led my nephew Douglas and his girlfriend Adrianne on a JanetLee style Charleston tour. (On Broad Street, I pointed out the South of Broad/North of Broad divide, at John Calhoun's mansion, I described him as "sort of the Newt Gingrich of his time".) Most likely not approved of by the visitor's board.

Anyway, we were walking up Church Street when I spotted this anchor. I snapped a quick picture and told Doug and Adrianne, "I think I took a picture of that exact same anchor back when I was a teenager."

And sure enough, I was right. The date on the back is stamped 1978, but I think it was in late 1977 when I took it. That was back in the days of mailing off your film to be developed.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The boyz say: Is that Santa we hear?

LOVE This!!!!

Insanity. In a Good Way

This is why I so love my Confederacy of Geeks. Who else would hook me up with this little bit of insanity?

Exhibit A

One of the Occupy Wall Street groups hands out a card with their "goals":

1. End corporate "personhood".
2. Get big money out of politics.
3. Support Occupy Wall Street.

The response they get?

Dirty lazy liberal pussy babies think we owe them everything. Go take a bath a get a job you socialist crybabies.

How can we solve anything with vomited out rhetoric slamming shut any lines of communication?

Unless....gasp!

That's what the corporate "persons", those funneling billions into electing "their" boy or girl, those raking in billions playing the poorly regulated Wall Street games with our pensions want.

Loki sez: No!!!!!?????

Tell That To. . .

I was reading an article on the teenage girl in Kansas who refused to apologize for expressing her opinion of her Governor in a tweet.

And in the comments section, someone dragged out a version the completely disrespectful, "people died for your right to say that."

It makes me cringe every time I hear it.

Why?

Because it is used to SHUT UP another person's exercise of free speech.

It is said by someone on one side of an issue to someone on another side of an issue.

The problem?

It is so completely disrespectful to those who HAVE died to support what America is all about - freedom. Freedom of speech in this case.

What you are saying when you use this is that people have died for your right to speak your mind so you better shut up.

I'm sorry, but if I died for the right for people to speak freely, I sure would want them to do so and not use my death to shut up others.

But it has become one of the many things we parrot back without ever really sitting down and thinking our way through what it really means and do we really agree with what we are saying? We've become so used to using sound bites to encapsulate a complex idea that we forget the many facets that are steamrollered over by such narrow platitudes.

Thor sez: How about some freedom to have canned food three times a day?

Huh?

So, Grover Norquist, the non elected "random person" was giving an interview in which he said, (paraphrasing): The Republican members of the Super Committee assured me that there would be no tax increase.

And the interviewer just IGNORED that statement.

I want to know:

1. Why are our elected representatives having to go to the man to whom they have sworn an oath (after swearing their oath to office) and having to tell him that they will do things his way?

2. Why did the reporter not jump all over that like white on rice?

3. Why does no one care?

Loki sez: Because there is no sex scandal, Americans only pay attention if there is illicit sex involved. It's too hard to write our representatives and tell them we are mad.
Thor sez: zzzzzz

I Have a Dream!

A dream that next year, the biggest media story will be the deserted stores, the absent crowds, the empty cash registers of the chain stores on the day after we give thanks for living in the land of plenty.

I have a dream that for one Christmas season, everyone in America will make home made gifts, give gifts bought second hand or from solely local merchants or give donations to charities.

See, we all seem to hate the avarice and shamefulness of what "Black Friday" has become. But to excuse it: well, I know those people are crazy, but for me, it's just a fun time to spend with my family. It's a tradition.

Those excuses condone the entire sham.

It happens because we participate.

Anyone who has ever gone shopping on that day is guilty. (And, sorry, Charlie, with my crowd phobia, my hands are cleaner than clean on this issue.)

Our culture is so far gone that only massive shock treatments will work.

Everyone stay home next year.

If you haven't finished your shopping this year, vow to buy local, buy secondhand - putting the money directly into the hands of your fellow citizens - or give to charity.

The big companies do this because WE participate. We go along with it.

Stop. Opt out.

Thor sez: Give the best gift ever: pictures of ME!

Trying to be Thankful

I think for New Year, I'm going to give up news. And watching television in general.

This is the saddest thing I have heard:

People are boycotting and smearing the American company, Butterball, because they labeled their turkeys as kosher.

I mean, seriously, what harm is there in giving someone with dietary restrictions information on your product?

Isn't that what the free market and capitalism all about? Framing your product to appeal to as many people as possible?

Seriously? People are signing petitions and calling Butterball to say that they will never buy another turkey from them because they put a religious dietary label on their product.

Isn't that the stupidest thing you've ever heard of?

Oh, wait, well, I was mistaken, Butterball labeled the turkeys with "halal" not "kosher". Halal is the Arabic word used for determining if a product is allowed within Muslim dietary restrictions.

Did you think it stupid people were mad about kosher?

Do you think they have a point about halal?

What's the difference?

Loki sez: I don't care about halal or kosher, but is Thor gluten free?

Tuesday Tinkering

Playing with the website. Check it out.

Hoping to add a blog to it soon. Baby steps.

The boyz say: That's what all the bad words were for?

Caturday!

With sunbeam season comes one of the boyz favorite things: mattress warmer season. This is the time of year they only leave the bed for eating and calls of nature.






Thor sez: Do you mind? You are jiggling the bed.

Happy Veterans Day!

Thank you to all the men and women (and their families) who have served our nation!

My most awesome friend, Heather Solos, has been involved with one of the most amazing charities, Cooking With the Troops. This group not only gets together and cooks for our wounded vets and their families, they also teach nutrition, basic and most importantly, nutritional needs of vets recovering from their wounds.

They, and Heather, are in New York City today cooking at a Veteran's Day event at the NASDAQ stock exchange. If you are there, go by and look for the gorgeous, six foot tall red head, cooking up a storm and slinging snark.

If you are on Twitter, you can follow Heather at @HeatherSolos.

Believe Him!

I'm not a huge fan of Oprah, but there is one thing she has said that has stuck with me over the years as I've grown older and wiser:

People will tell you who they are. Believe them.

So, when Herman Cain, who is under fire for sexual harassment of women, called Nancy Pelosi "Princess", he showed us who he is.

Now, I don't know if the allegations are true, not true, wildly exaggerated, or what.

But, by using a degrading term for a woman in a position of power (whether you believe in her politics or not, she is a person and worthy of basic human respect), Herman Cain has show us that he does not respect women, that he will use words to denigrate them. (Did he call President Obama or any of his opponents Little Lord Fauntleroy or some equivalent degrading term?)

And, the choice to use a degrading term while under the scrutiny of the public and the media for the sexual harassment charges says to me that he is incapable of regulating his behavior or even understanding himself or others.

Or else, he does know exactly what it implies and how it would be perceived and he just doesn't give a flying fig. Which means he is a mean, bullying, vindictive man.

He told us who he is America, believe him.

Thor sez: Yeah, Princess, how about getting in the kitchen and get busy popping open those cat food cans, huh, honey?

Odin's Day Bible Quote

Genesis 2:7:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Even God doesn't agree with the Personhood People.

Education Monday

Due to several news stories, one local and one national, going on about child sexual abuse, I feel the need to clarify some definitions.

Heterosexual is one who is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.

Homosexual is one who is sexually attracted to people of the same sex.

Bisexual is one who is sexually attracted to either sex.

Pedophile is one who is sexually preys on children.

Okay? They are not interchangeable terms, nor does one mean another.

That is all. Thank you for taking a moment to think about it.

Thor sez: Just because I'm on the floor, doesn't make me a rug.

Loki Sunday

Like a Loki in the sun:

Going Back to My Cave Now

I have had a long several days of dealing with some of the most piss-poor customer service. And I'm not hard to please.

The Comcast debacle.

Then there was the "we're going to turn this over to a collection agency" FIRST notice I got thanks to my mailman noticing the address was wrong and matching my name to the correct address. When I called them, the lady sort of laughed and told me it "happens all the time" and "we never know if people actually get their bills".

I need to bake my mailman some muffins for going the extra step or I'd be trying to straighten out a hit to my credit rating.

Then this morning, I literally went through one robot and six humans beings at AT&T to cancel my land lines. And when I finally got to the right person, he tried to sell me MORE SERVICES? Um, what part of I can't afford land and cell service so y'all gotta go do you not understand?

Like I said, I'm going back into my introvert, hermit mode and not deal with people today.

The boyz say: Yes, we have a complaint about our food delivery service.

Loki Sunday

After a morning that began with a Comcast technician ringing the doorbell at 8am and continued with a one hour long internet session with a Comcast rep who did not restore the service I was paying for, and one phone call to talk to a real live American person (I am sorry, that "Edsel" on line was not an American, no one in this country would name their kid that), I now, after 3 days, have cable tv back.

This afternoon's muffin project will be cream cheese and strawberry muffins and toffee muffins. Contemplating some Halloween themed muffins, but there are only so many places I can take them so I don't end up eating them all.

Loki sez: What about tuna and catnip muffins? That sounds yummy!

Random Stuff

The weather is cooler and I can actually turn on the oven so I am, naturally, baking muffins like a crazy person.

My super spicy pumpkin muffins with toasted pumpkin seeds on top were a big hit at work yesterday.

My apple cinnamon (were supposed to have caramel also but let's just say that you should not go to put laundry in the dryer no matter how unmelted the caramel looks) were okay, I'll have to experiment with that a little more.

My dark chocolate raspberry almond muffins that Jason took to work were awesome.

Going to rummage around in the kitchen in a little while and find something new to try.

It's a not so secret secret that I have applied and interviewed for a new job. I am waiting to hear. Fingers crossed as it looks like something I will enjoy doing and will be *able* to do for the next 25 years. That's all about that for now until the process is complete.

It is sunbeam sleeping season:

Loki Loves Cilantro

I was making a won ton soup last night and held out a sprig of cilantro for Loki to sniff.



Put him on the love side of the great American cilantro love/hate divide.

Kittens! Again!

Sunbeam season has returned!


Pardon the dearth of posts as I am engaged in some life changes at the moment. Details to be announced. Good stuff. Not bad.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

See, if I wanted to play his game, I could now say that Rush Limbaugh has called World War Two vets "parasites" who have "contributed nothing".

But I won't. I'm just going to assume that Rush just made a mistake and now that he knows that the protesters are more than college age kids, he will apologize to the veterans who are participating in the occupy protests.

And be more careful who he smears with his broad generalizations.

What? Why are you laughing?

Kittens!

That's all.

Put It All Together and You've Got What?

At GOP debates:

1. Supporters chant to let an uninsured man just die rather than treat him.

2. An American soldier serving on the front is booed (because he is gay).

3. Rick Perry's execution rate was cheered. (several of those executed were later found innocent, oops, shrug.)

4. Newt Gingrich suggested jailing congressmen for legislation they wrote (and Newt just happened to be against.)

And recently, a Republican official in Kentucky posted on his facebook page that he thought we should "go Taliban on" (read: kill) the American citizens exercising their civil right of peaceable assembly.

This is beyond a few random lunatics making statements to try to get attention. This is the mask slipping and revealing the monster below.

Hateful is what they are.

Hate. Full.

Occupy Congress!

I've been watching the Occupy Wall Street protests and the media coverage. It is sadly predictable.

The people involved are either socialist mobs trying to destroy America or the next coming of the Tea Party.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as usual. But that's boring, so the media ignores it.

Finding someone to either look up to and admire (they are making a stand!) or to sneer at (dirty pot smoking college kids) gives us an emotional hit.

And we Americans are so addicted to our emotional hits that we don't even know that we are responding to them.

This is why the media has to become more and more outrageous in the stories they produce or the slant they give them, just as an addict needs more and more to get the same high, we need more to get that emotional high.

The problem with emotional hits is that they short circuit reasoning. So we don't think about a situation or a problem to look for solutions, we just react emotionally, then walk away and do nothing.

I support the Occupy movement but hope that they target the real problem: the money of the super rich buying politicians. Then the politicians write laws to support the super rich at the expense of the rest of America.

This is what people are angry about. They are not anti-capitalism. They are not against working hard and reaping the rewards. They do not want to seize the bank accounts of the wealthy to distribute to the poor.

They are angry that the politicians put into office by the money of the super wealthy have re-written the tax code, the rules of regulation, and the laws of our land to stack the deck in favor of those who already have advantages over the rest of us.

They are angry when a company cries poor mouth and wrings its hands that it just can't create jobs for American citizens then see that company rake in record profits, send jobs to India, and donate millions to political groups.

Turn off CNN, turn off MSNBC, turn off Fox. Go online, read the stories at We are the 99%.

Read the story. Don't look at the person. It's the story. Not what you can find to criticize about the person.

Loki sez: They aren't going to occupy my cat bed, are they?

Thor's Day!

Best. Kitten. Face. Ever.