Unshelved	by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

:)

Dwana just brought me one of the new nickels from The United States Mint commemorating the Louisiana Purchase. A second design, celebrating the Lewis & Clark expedition, will be released this fall. Nifty.

I love commemorative coins. I got a Florida quarter the other day and accidentally spent it. Unfortunately, with the lack of money, I haven't really been able to hoard the quarters like I'd like, although I usually try to make sure a friend has one as I get them. I know he won't spend it. You have to love a quarter with the Space Shuttle on it. :)

Eilir raved on 10:47

On the other hand

I'm kind of glad I don't have TV at the moment...I mean, please, the things they're doing for sweeps these days.
'20/20' Under Fire for Adoption Contest

Eilir raved on 10:41

Oh, please

Stations to Boycott 'Nightline's' List of the Fallen

Shouldn't the people of the United States get to see the faces of the people who have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms? If anyone is using this as a political statement, it seems to be the owner of the bloc of stations that are staging a blackout (read, censorship) of the programme. Newsweek has periodically provided similar content as a means of reflection, and it really helped to be able to see the faces, read a little, recognise that each of those names--and the sad thing is that, except locally, we're to the point where it's often not even a name we get in the news, but just a number, in terms of casualties--had a life, a story, a family attached.

Eilir raved on 10:30

Happy Friday, Happy Bealtaine

It's supposed to storm today, but that's okay, because it's Friday. Unfortunately, the Friday Five is still on hiatus, but still, yay!

I woke up to a cat draped over my chest (Spock), purring, one (Darius) draped over my dog (Cerys) because, well, he's terribly devoted to her and must. be. in. contact. at. all. times. I'm not sure how Cerys feels about that, to have this maniacal orange cat of devotion attached to her. He watches her when she goes out. He snuggles next to her whenever she isn't moving. His brother was the same way with his dog, a friend's, and when she'd had to be put down :( the cat waited by window for weeks waiting for her to come home.

The alarm went off and cats went flying (they know the lumbering giant they know as mom is going to get up to turn the infernal noise off) and then I went over to snuggle with Cerys, who'd been sleeping with her butt up by my head. Unfortunately she chose that moment to do one of those shake-your-head-and-flap-your-ears-back-and-forth right in time to slap me in my eye. Ah, my life. :)

I'm looking forward to two things tonight; one, it's game night--I'll be spending time with friends playing board games. Two, it's Bealtaine eve, an important religious holiday which unfortunately I can't really celebrate to great effect (being the fertility/sex one, and not having a partner), but there are other aspects of the holiday, too, although I learnt a long time ago that jumping bonfires was not something to do if you're clumsy and not likely to be procreating--there was one year I injured my foot and it gave me problems all the way to Samhain (November).

Last night's dreams were mostly spy thrillers. I think my brain is making up for the lack of TV. When I was a kid my favourite episode of M*A*S*H was being shown but we were in limbo during a move and didn't have our TV yet, and that night I reproduced the entire episode faithfully from beginning notes to credits, which means somewhere, lost in my brain, is a memory, right? :)

Eilir raved on 09:10

One last thing

I was checking on the status of Mad Mad House, since I am now without cable and can't watch, and I came across a story where Nicholas Brendon of 'Buffy: the Vampire Slayer' has voluntarily entered rehab for alcholism. Sad, but I'm glad he decided to seek help. I admire his efforts to overcome obstacles; I first learnt of his overcoming stuttering through ads in Exceptional Parent magazine. Apparently he has been the honourary chairperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America's Stuttering Awareness Week for three years now. By the way, here's a bit of trivia I didn't know--his name always sounded like it was a first and middle one, and that's actually true; he keeps his last name private, and he has a twin brother, Kelly Donovan. Hmmm...I'm betting someone in the family is Irish. :)

As for Mad Mad House, I'm a little disappointed to see Eric, who just comes off as a jerk, still on. I have to admit, I'm rooting for Nichole, and I think she's probably done the best job, at least from what I've seen. From the beginning, the three I did not want to see win were Kelly, Tim, and Eric. My favourite Alts are Art, Avocado, and Ta'Shia. Fiona's seems a little high-strung. Don...well, let's just say that I think he values shock-value more than substance, and even the other Alts struggle to deal with him.

There are a lot of things on the website like chat transcripts. Now both Don and Fiona have their own websites. Ta'Shia has a blog.

Well, we've had about one minute of rain, followed by silence, I have two cats perched on top of my computer who seem ready to adjourn to the bedroom, and I think it's time to go to bed. (I am so happy to be able to stay up again and not be getting up at 4 am!). Cerys, however, has burrowed under some of my laundry-to-do (yes, I still have part of my backlog) on the couch, so I think she'll stay there for the night. I'm interested to see what I dream tonight. The night before last was a vivid return of Cole from 'Charmed', but a good Cole, with a wedding and odd stuff along the way, but here in Lexington. Last night involved Versailles (one town over, and pronounced here like 'Ver-sales', a river, a journey, and women, ,but I don't remember the particulars...I do know that I somehow got a lot of my job frustrations out in the dream and essentially bitched in my head throughout the night. So who knows what's next? 'Night.

Eilir raved on 02:27

Hmmm...interesting

Whilst looking up the link for Belle Brezing I came across this: the official historical Creeps website which mentions Belle, Appalachian Voodoo, music, Lovecraft, and generally piqued my curiosity. Which led to this FAQ and this performance artist's website. The odd thing? It makes me feel terribly mundane, normal, even sane, and that I've lost my touch for knowing the oddest people in the area. I guess it's a new generation, and I know the older eccentrics but not the younger ones. Oh, and here's her diary.

Eilir raved on 01:54

How do you explain to a dog

with great big puppy eyes and salivation that macaroni and cheese is not an appropriate doggie snack? :)
Apparently once I put the bowl in the sink, she got the message and went back to her own food. (Cheese isn't really toxic for dogs, like chocolate is, but it's fairly rich and not all that easy to digest, so I usually avoid it. One thing I found out from that link, though, is that large quantities of onions can be toxic to dogs and cats.

: 'Me and Bobby Magee' (unfortunately not the Janis Joplin version, which is truly wonderful, but Kris Kristofferson's isn't bad); 'We Shall Not be Moved' by the Seekers

Eilir raved on 01:08

*Hysterical Laughter*

I came in from picking a friend up at work and I'd left my computer playing the folk station...and then I looked at the name of the song and just collapsed in giggles: Kentucky Borderline by Rhonda Vincent.

If you've been reading for any length of time, you'll probably get the joke. :)

Eilir raved on 01:04

Ah, well, tomorrow was actually another day

: 'I Ain't Got No Home' from an album called Folkways: A Shared Vision, which is Various Artists but this sound like it's Bruce Springsteen; 'I Hung My Head' by Johnny Cash
: Pretty nice, actually

Yesterday was one of the worst days I've had in a while; in the whirlwind of busy-ness (as opposed to business) I've had over the last couple of weeks, I apparently:

1. Forgot to take my Paxil. For days, and I'm not sure for how long. It may have been as many as four or five.
   
2. I'd apparently set up a payment date for my phone, but it was the day after I put Buns down, and somehow with that on my mind instead, I thought I'd set up a payment itself. So I'd had to run over early yesterday before work and pay it.
   
3. I'd thought I had until Friday to pay my electric bill (and since I was getting paid on Thursday and Friday, that was good). I was wrong. I came home last night to a very dark house. Eeeeeekkkk! I will say one thing for KU, though, they had it on in 20 minutes flat after I called in the payment last night. At least I had the phone back. :)
   
4. I had the aforementioned run-in with the co-worker, which I'd like to put down to hormones and lack of meds, but really, upon reflection, I was completely justified in my reaction.
   

Good things about yesterday...

1. I did take my Paxil.
   
2. I went over to the university with Dwana and sat outside her class reviewing my Hebrew. The guest speaker for her class did a very nice overview of Islam, and I got to listen to it. He was very good at explaining differences between American Muslims and Muslims overseas, the different ethnicities involved, Islam's relationship with Judaism and Christianity, and religion's attitudes towards women, in an objective manner. Then Dwana treated me to half-price appetizers at Applebee's, we went to Baskin & Robin's free scoop night (yay, Nutty Coconut!), and then went out to the farm where her graduation reception is going to be and got the grand tour. (It's a beautiful home that one of our co-worker's family bought when it was all but falling down, without electricity or water (it was built about 1810) and totally refurbished.) And, they have a bed of Belle Brezing's (Lexington's famous madam, who was supposedly the basis of the madam in Gone With the Wind and the house is supposedly haunted by ghostly children. I love homes with a history. This one also has a shower for two with 9-foot ceilings. :) It's also for sale in case you're in the market for a small horse farm.
   

Today has been better, which is good because whereas Dwana was having a good day yesterday and could help me through my issues, things reversed a little today. But her day improved, too. She even got a standing ovation from the parking office when she went to pay a ticket before graduating and they looked at her history and it came up with only one over her entire undergraduate and graduate career. I take it that it was a slow day at UK Parking. :)

I came home and took a nap and built a moonbase on the computer and then worked on a job application and got it ready to print off and send tomorrow. It's for a youth services librarian position at a public library and I think I have a very good shot at it. It's not in Lexington, but it's not a long drive, and I've done that commute before when I worked for the state.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to apply for another job that's in Louisville. On the one hand, it's a lot of database development and cataloguing, which was my original training, and it's at the American Printing House for the Blind, which is non-profit yet federally and state mandated, so it probably wouldn't suffer some of the woes we've undergone lately at my current job. I think it would be ideal in many ways, except for the commute, because that's 3 hours a day, and I don't really want to live in Louisville; I really prefer Lexington and of course I wouldn't be able to see my friends as often. It's also primarily interstate driving and then dealing with Spaghetti Junction, and I learnt a long time ago when I was shuttling back and forth to Cincinnati during my grandmother's illness (and that was once a week) that I tend to have issues with road hypnosis. I scared myself badly a few times by nearly falling asleep. Granted I was in school, working almost full-time, and dealing with a grandmother who was dying of cancer on top of that, but still....I may go ahead and apply and then if called for an interview see how the drive goes, and see if the salary could handle the cost of gas and increased wear and tear on a vehicle.

Do any of you have that kind of commute, or have you done it on a regular basis? How bad is it, really?

Eilir raved on 00:25

Ewwww. And I say again, ewwwww.....

Mauled Child Recovering After Pit Bull Attack

After shooting the dog, a family pet, to get it to let go of the girl, and then shooting it to death, authorities realised that the girl's scalp was missing and cut the dog open and took out the scalp from its stomach to reattach to the child.

Okay.

1. Why would anyone with small children keep a pit bull as a family pet? Granted, some breeds do get a bad rep but the power and breeding of these dogs were meant specifically to maul other animals, and as a breed they are very territorial. Most dog experts/rescue groups acknowledge this and recommend certain breeds or individuals with a history of snapping, etc., not be put in a home with young children or other pets. As horrendous as this has been for the family, it's irresponsible and just as any pet owner whose animal attacks someone should be held liable, so should the owners of this dog--which is why I'm glad social services is investigating why the dog was able to maul the child.
   
2. The result was a terrible and potentially fatal attack on a child, who will probably be scarred physically and emotionally by the experience. Likewise, the dog had to be shot several times, and certainly it seems the only way to have dealt with an animal in that state, but it wasn't a particularly humane death for the dog.
   
3. Kudos to the neighbour's son who risked life and limb to protect the little girl from further harm by grabbing the dog and getting the dog's chain off her. It was a situation where there wasn't time to wait for the authorities, action was called for, and he probably saved her life.
   

Shiver.

Eilir raved on 10:49

I can't believe I missed this!

Google in Latin!

Eilir raved on 10:39

May I just say how much I really appreciate

those people in my life who are truly empathetic, wonderful, supportive. I just spoke with someone a little while ago who quite frankly has the empathy of the rock (Dwana, can you guess who?) who butted into a conversation I was having with someone else and then got defensive when I used the tone appropriate with people who bulldoze over other people's feelings in a race to get sympathy of their own. The sad thing is that I think she really does believe she is being supportive, and she also confuses a degree with psychology with actually understanding other people, and she doesn't have a clue that she annoys those around her by making inappropriate comments, dismissing anyone else's problems--what, you've had surgery and almost died, well, let me tell you how much pain my back's been giving me, that sort of thing--trying to herd everyone around to do what she wants and control them, monitoring what they eat or what they do, and generally being a pest. And that's just at work. Heaven help her family. :)

Eilir raved on 12:37

It's bad when you cry when they give you a raise...

We weren't supposed to get any raise at all this year, although they did give us all about $175 as a one-time payment back in March. Turns out, things are better than they thought they would be, and we'll get a 2% merit increase starting May 9th.

Of course, that's great; it comes out to maybe $70 extra a month for me. But considering the fact that I'm trying to make it on fifteen less hours per week, it's only a small consolation. I feel like the little Dutch boy trying to plug holes in a flood wall, where I'm just trying to keep my apartment, my electricity, my phone (in that order) until I can find a job that will pay an average wage (as opposed to the 10% percentile I'm in now).

Of course, part of that outburst came from hormones and the fact that I had come home last night to find my phone off. I thought I had set up a payment, but I'd set up a payment date. So during the whole thing with Buns and then the couple of weeks of little sleep, I thought it had been paid, but it hadn't. So, I booked it over to Alltel this morning, went to the wrong parking area, had to pay to get out of the garage, and then coaxed the car to the gas station before it ran out completely. At least tomorrow and Friday are paydays at the two jobs, even if that is pretty much spent already. Sigh.

Still, I know that it will get better. I have utter faith that soon I will be able to make a living. I guess it's not so surprising that things will get worse before they get better. At this point, I'm just wondering if I'll have a roof over my head when I start that new job.

On a brighter note, Dwana got her research paper finished (two days early!), leaving only one take-home final due at the end of next week before she is out of school (for good). If we weren't both broke, we'd go out and celebrate tonight after her last case. Ah, well. :)

Eilir raved on 11:07

And of course...

Pig Latin Google and Klingon Google

For 'real' languages, you can check their Language Tools.

Okay, I'm off for a nap.

Eilir raved on 16:19

Someone at Google had too much coffee...:)

Google: Elmer Fudd edition

Eilir raved on 16:19

I wonder

: Mellow and a tiny bit guilty

When I was a kid, I used to stretch out on my bed and look at the ceiling, at how to doorways looked upside-down, and I wondered what it would be like to live in a world where everything was built like that, with the furniture on the ceiling and the floor having spackling and where you'd have to step over the threshold, literally. Today, on my way to put my clothes in the dryer, as a cold wind blew big fluffy clouds above me in a rich blue sky, I was suddenly struck with the same idea, but this time the 'what-if' involved someone standing on one of those fluffy cloud-bottoms looking up at this great, moving patchwork of a 'sky' with mountains stretching down, breaking up the seemingly endless sea. I also wondered how different it would be to be on a white, grey, or reflective cloud. Would you be blinded by a silver lining?

Then I decided that my blood sugar was a bit wonky and that I still hadn't eaten that 'bite' I'd intended.

Oh, and the guilt? I was about to put the last load into the dryer when a guy came in with a couple of pair of jeans looking not for a washer, but for a dryer, and asking the, 'oh, were you going to use this?' as if it weren't obvious. Still, rather than suggest he go to one of the other laundy roomd, I offered to consolidate my loads so he could have the last dryer (there are only four of each machine in that laundry room). Altruistic? Well, not exactly. I'd already cleaned out the lint and one of them had very little. There's one dryer that sometimes doesn't really dry well, and I can never remember which one...but from the lint, it would be the one I gave him. I don't know that for a fact, but I suspect. Now, granted, for two pairs of jeans vs. a full load of clothes, it'll probably do fine for him...but I felt just a little evil.

Eilir raved on 16:05

A mountain of laundry

: Tired but productive

I have four loads of laundry in at the moment, so I've stolen back to the apartment for a bite to eat and to do a little blog reading. I've found that for all of the inane blog-churning out there, there's a lot of really great writing. Take Anne...Straight from the Hip, for example. I found her journal through John Cumisky and found that I could really relate to some of her issues, but even better, she just writes so well that I found myself going back and reading other posts, as well as her Letters to Rob which are particularly moving. I would say they're well-crafted, but that's the thing; they don't come off that way at all...you get the impression that they just flow like that. This is one very talented woman--not just in writing but she also acts (although I don't have any way to review that) and makes a very convincing Legolas. :)

Eilir raved on 15:18

Goodbye, native son

Eben Henson was an icon in my hometown of Danville, Kentucky. He created one of our biggest draws, an outdoor dinner theatre that has seen many seasons of operation and has included performances by a young John Travolta and Lee Majors. His Pioneer Playhouse launched many careers. How ironic that he would die at the same time as the usual final curtain call.

Eilir raved on 11:02

What she said. :)

From the its-not-as-simple-as-it-seems dept.:

Pink Post-Its Online strikes a blow against bitchy-gripers-who-haven't-a-clue-about-being-obese.

Eilir raved on 22:45

What day is it?

Sorry to be incommunicado yesterday but I spent most of it either awake at the wrong times, sleeping during the wrong times, and in the emergency room (for which there is never a good time). [And not to worry, all is better now.] I noticed that UK Med has put in some recliners to make the wait easier...someone had a wonderful idea with that.

I finally got a little rest which is good since my speech had degenerated to things like 'aks' for 'ask' and diphthongs that you only hear in the movie Deliverance, which is somewhat perplexing, as I am neither black nor do I normally sound anything like a Hollywood redneck. So, having regained some control of the English language, I thought I'd write.

So, since I think it's Monday, let me get caught up on a couple of things...

First, to mutter:

1. Elastic:: Latex
   
2. Intervention:: Drugs
   
3. Risk:: Management
   
4. Junk food:: Unhealthy
   
5. Arrogance:: Hubris
   
6. Responsibility:: Work
   
7. X:: Marks the Spot
   
8. Marshall:: Plan
   
9. Kill:: Murder
   
10. Brother:: Monk
    

and then there's the Monday Madness:

Using the letters in the word 'blogger' describe your blog for us.
Bibliolatrous
Librarian's
Overly-verbose
Gamut-ranging
Graffito of
Everyday
Rantings

Eilir raved on 22:28

There's a reason I use my middle name online...

Okay, by now you should know I'm a name freak.

Name Statistics - How popular are your first and last names?:

Compare this to:

or

or

which was a change from:

One friend comes out as very rare pretty much all around. He knows who he is, and we know he's unique. :)

Eilir raved on 22:18

This is for Dwana

Name Statistics - How popular are your first and last names?:

Too bad they don't break it down by race, since Dwana always dealing with people surprised she's white.

Eilir raved on 22:08

The Fifth Sentence

This one's fun.

Grab the nearest book
Open the book to page 23
Find the fifth sentence
Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions
From The Complete Illustrated Lewis Carrol: All of Lewis Carroll's STories, Verses, Puzzles, Acrostics, 'Phantasmagorica' and Other Comic Writings, Illustrated by John Tenniel, page 23, the 5th sentence:

I'm sure I sha'n't be able!

Eilir raved on 22:04

You know you're tired when

you don't even have the strength to blog. Or play video games. I'm just now getting back to feeling like a real, live person again.

I worked most of the day at a gait conference yesterday, helping to set up for the banquet and then working through the first part of that...so I worked from 10 am to about 7:30 pm, then stayed at the party until about nine, and came home and crashed. Dwana had to turn around and work from 7 am - 1:30 pm today, bless her heart...so she's pretty wiped out. Many of my co-workers have been involved with this for the better part of a week; I'm not sure how they're holding up. I've slept most of the day after getting up from about 5:30 am - 7:00 am and I'm not feeling too great. On the one hand, I've managed to catch up on the missing sleep from this week (I've been averaging about 4-5hours a night). On the other, I was so down on my blood sugar and hungry by the time I ate last night that I overdid it, and the fried catfish especially has not been sitting well on my stomach. Still, there was great Bluegrass, country, and Gospel music and dancers who did clogging and step dancing, and it was interesting to see everything behind the scenes as a plain ballroom was transformed. I wish I could have stayed to watch the whole show, but I was just so tired. I'm really impressed with one of my co-workers, who ran the sound and who sings, dances, and directs a group of professional entertainers for these sorts of events. The staff of the hotel were superb in preparing, serving, and bussing the meal, too.

That's pretty much all I've been up to, other than being very glad that I'm not in school this year and dealing with papers like Dwana. Still...she's almost finished and then it's on to graduation. :)

Eilir raved on 21:16

Well, it makes sense

I finally have a negative comment to reply to (gay marriage, war in Iraq, half a dozen other controversial things and it's tobacco-related?) and I can't get my reply to show up in the comments system...so, while it's still in my clipboard...

Jamie Riley wrote:

I am so tired of self righteous people trying to protect me from myself.
I am no longer able to smoke in a bar, but i can get drunk till 2:00 get in my car and kill someone.
You may need to jog my memory, but i can't recall anyone smoking a cigrette and then killing anybody! excuse me for living in this world full of crass, arrogant, asinine, do-gooders!

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to an opinion. That said, here is my reply:

You also live in a world that if you do get drunk and go out and kill someone, you can be prosecuted for murder and be put away. So, I wouldn't say you're 'allowed' to do it.

I have asthma. I can't be around smoke without it severely impacting my dining experience or my ability to breathe afterwards.

No one has ever said being around one smoker would kill anyone (well, short of being on an oxygen tank and going boom)...but over time, it can. I have lost two people in my life to smoking-related illnesses. It was their choice to smoke, but it did impact our lives as well.

If I were working in a business that had me spending 8-12 hours a day surrounded by many smokers for that time, I would probably be on disability within a short time. The smoking ban was not enacted to punish smokers. The smoking ban was enacted because it is an occupational and public health issue.

No one is telling you that you can't smoke. They're just telling you that your right to smoke ends where it impacts upon the rights of others to breathe. You can smoke to your heart's content in your house, your car, outside, etc., etc. I'm simply expressing my joy at being able to actually go to places, socialise, and not worry about winding up in an emergency room.

Personally, I am tired of smokers whinging about how their rights to inhale a toxin are being impinged. Get over it. You know what you're doing is not healthy. Most smokers try to quit at some point. It's a lifestyle choice, and a stupid one, but I'm not going to tell someone who's an adult that he or she can't do it, just like I'm not going to tell someone who's an adult not to pour acid onto his or her skin. I assume that he or she should know better, and is choosing to do something stupid, for whatever reason. But I don't go around putting pissy comments onto smoker's blogs just because I don't agree with that choice. I suggest you channel some of that righteous indignation into something more constructive.

Eilir raved on 11:08

So, what's the point of a bus system that doesn't work?

Bus routes, schedules are cut

If you've read this blog for awhile, you've probably heard me complain about the ups and downs of LexTran, our bus system. If it weren't for my mom and stepdad's generosity of finding me a good used car, I'd still making four-hour trips to the grocery. No Sunday service? No service on night after 8:20...before the stores are even closed, or in the summer while it's still light outside? Come on.

I've long thought we needed better support for the system, and frankly, better management, too. The past few years the bus system has gone from barely a mass-transit solution to frankly just broken. I'm about all those people who won't be able to go to work unless they, too, luck into a car or can find someone willing to give them a ride. Argh.

Eilir raved on 14:08

How sad

Reports: Explosion kills thousands in North Korean train station

Details are sketchy, due to the lack of information available from North Korea. But it sounds like a major disaster with a potential huge loss of life. My condolences to the victims and their families. You might want to check North Korea Zone for updates.

Eilir raved on 13:42

Yipee! Yipee! Yipee!

Supreme Court Upholds Smoking Ban

Let the celebration begin...at least after midnight on Monday. :) Anyone up for O'Neil's?

Eilir raved on 13:36

It bothers me that

20 years after taking college calculus, I could not calculate a derivative if my life depended on it (fortunately most people are not held at gunpoint and made to do higher math). So, given the power of the web, I've decided to do a study on my own. I don't know how this happened; I miss calculus. I miss chemistry and doing stochiometry. I want to do math. Am I being taken over by aliens? Actually I think part of it is a better sense of self-esteem. I used to think I was awful in math, when really, I was above average, just sucky compared to my reading skills.

I also found my Hebrew book in the great excavation, and I'm getting rusty so it's time for a review.

Ah, the bliss of not being in school--you get to study when and what you want, and screw grades.

Eilir raved on 19:54

I agree, war should be seen in all its ugliness

A Unique War Photographer

...not glorified, not used to get 'viewers'--indeed, I think playing images on screen over and over just desensitises, whereas print tends to capture the horror and gives you time to process it fully--but to show people the horrors of war. Not young children, certainly, but those of us who vote in our leaders and help make the decisions to wage war.

For Yoshito Matsushige's photos, as well as others taken at Hiroshima, check out: the Hiroshima A-Bomb Photo Museum. The pictures are very graphic, but than so was the devastation.

Eilir raved on 19:38

Actually, it's not just Seattle

Yahoo! News - Seattle Folk Smell the Coffee -- in Their Gardens

The Starbucks here puts bags of used grounds in a container near the door and you can just pick it up when you want. I have some in my trunk right now to add to my garden. :)

Eilir raved on 11:18

:)

Yahoo! News - Returning a Library Book After 42 Years

Note to those long-term book-holders: You can usually mail them back rather than have it weigh on your conscience for all that time.

Eilir raved on 11:15

'He's family, but I want to slash his throat and drink his blood.'

Israel frees nuclear whistleblower

Gee, if your own uncle feels that way about you, I'd definitely want to leave the country, wouldn't you?

I don't know enough about this story to really sit in judgement, but that's a rather scary quote.

Despite the fact that I'm very pro-Jewish, I have some issues with Israel, especially in their treatment of the Palestinians. It's a place of such contradictions, where Jews, Muslims, and Christians of all bits of the political spectrum live together and apart. Frothing radicals, religious and secular, exist there. From an American point of view, it seems that some of the government's actions are downright draconic. But some feel it's the only way for a small country to survive, especially given the feelings many Arab countriess have for their neighbour.

I have a minor in Judaic studies, have taken classes on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and really can't say I understand Israel at all. Maybe if I lived there, I'd understand more, but frankly, I don't think I'd want to live there, but I've wanted to visit, but not for now at a time when walking through a marketplace or taking a bus could end the visit permanently.

I used to talk with a Palenstinian who owned a gas station near my house downtown and he mourned the loss of the Jerusalem he had known, where he'd attend seders at Jewish friends' homes, had friends from all faiths and no real fear of anything.

I just wish the hate could recede. I remember the situation when I was younger, the terrorism, the strained relations. Then it seemed there was hope. Now it's all been dashed again. I wish stability for the Middle East, but I don't expect it in my lifetime.

Eilir raved on 11:08