gsp Thoughts From A Diva: 10/22/06 - 10/29/06

Thoughts From A Diva

Random images and thoughts from a misplaced Minnesota Diva trying to survive in Wisconsin.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Piercing and Boobs

This poor girl simply wanted to spice up her life. Now there is very little spice left in her life.

Poor thing. I can't imagine losing one of my breasts. Especially to a flesh-eating bacteria. Ewwww.

As for the piercing, it definitely is not for me, but some people really think it is cool. And who am I to say what someone else can do to their body?

Friday, October 27, 2006

This is why I went back to school...

ABC News: College Degree Worth Extra $23,000/Year

Kansas Sheriff Shot, Killed in Office; Deputy Kills Suspect

Kansas Sheriff Shot, Killed in Office; Deputy Kills Suspect

How did this guy get into the sheriff's office with a loaded gun? Especially if they knew he was crazy?

Doesn't matter, I guess. The Sheriff is dead and his wife is left with the loss.

Peace be with her.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

French Oral Exam

Here is my French exam for tomorrow. I hope I can remember all this!!!

I: Bonjour Robert, ca va?

R: pas mal, et toi?

I: Bien, qu'est-ce qu tu aime faire apres les cours?

R: J'aime dormir, parce que je suis en cours tout le journee. et toi?

I: J'aime parler au telephone.

R: Oui? je n'aime pas parler au telephone.

I: Est-ce que tu aimes le sport?

R: Oui, j'aime le sport. Je joue souvent au tennis. Quel sport est-ce que tu preferes, le Tennis ou le basket?

I: Je prefere jouer au basket, mais je joue rarement. Je n'aime pas le tennis.

R: Qu'est-ce que tu aimes faire le week-end?

I: J'aime diner au restaurant, et lire. Ou est-ce que tu aimes mieux aller avec des amis: au cinema ou en boite?

R: J'aime aller au cinema avec mes amis. Avec qui est-ce que tu prefers sortir?

I: J'aime sortir avec ma soeur. Elle aime sortir souvent.

R: Ma soeur n'aime jamais sortir.

I: Quand est-ce que vous aimez sortir?

R: Nous preferon sortir le vendredi soir.

Update: I got an 18/20 on the test.

College Writing 101

I have this class twice a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I spend ninety minutes listening to my English professor try to explain to a bunch of 18 year olds what Plato meant in his Allegory of a Cave (or some other such stuff).

For the first half of the semester, I was the only person that ever spoke in class. The others sat there like lumps on a log. BORING.

Anyway, another part of this class is writing papers. We have written two papers so far: the first was 1000 wordsand it was a review of one of the articles we had read in class; the second is an argumentative paper and is 1500 words.

We write the paper and then hand it over to our classmates to look at and critique. After they have destroyed our writing, we revise the paper and then turn it in for a grade.

With my first paper, I let me classmates have at it. I wrote about Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience. They destroyed my paper. Said it was organized all wrong and everything was written wrong, blah, blah, blah. I then sent it to my dad (who is a professional student). He told me my organization was fine according to him, but I should listen to those in the class with me as they should know what the prof is looking for.

I even went to the "Reading Lab" and had a Senior look at my paper. He also said I needed to move stuff all around.

So I did.

And I got a C-. The prof didn't like the paper at all.

So this time around, I am writing about my friend Penny and her son Austin. I am writing a paper to try and convince someone to help buy them a handicap van.

I sent it to my parents first. They both loved it. Dad said not to change anything other than some typos and grammatical errors.

My classmates said I needed to change all sorts of things. They told me I needed an argument of some kind (I don't know what I would argue...they seemed to think I needed to do a paper that was for or against something like Prostitution!).

I have decided to ignore my classmates. I think it is an excellent paper. If anyone wants to read either paper, let me know. I will email them, but not post them. They are way too long to post.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Miss Washington USA


My cousin Jessi is in the Miss Washington USA pageant.

Plese go vote for her. The voting is for Miss Photogenic. She is Miss Kirkland, Jessi Thompson.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois

Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois

This is his homepage. Interesting items on here for those that are interested.

It is his site, so it is a bit biased, but it is a good place to start.

Obama Weighs White House Run

Ill. Sen. Obama Weighs White House Run

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know...gut feeling is that it is a good thing, butI need to do some more research before I make a final decision.

USA Today Roundup

From the USA Today

Georgia
Macon - Northbound lanes of Interstate 75 were closed for nearly six hours after a truck carrying butane lighters overturned and burned, igniting the lighters. The accident about 8 a.m. Wednesday blocked off I-75 north at the Interstate 16 east interchange north of Macon. Firefighters stopped the blaze, and emergency response crews cleared the highway before 2 p.m.


Gotta light?

Hawaii
Honolulu - The Women's Community Correctional Center plans to ban smoking after Nov. 16, becoming the only state prison to do so. Acting warden Eric Tanaka notified the more than 250 convicts at the prison in Kailua. Staff members estimate more than half the inmates are smokers.


I see a lawsuit coming…cruel and inhumane punishment. They expect these women to stop smoking cold turkey just because the warden doesn’t think they should smoke? It is hard enough to quit when you want to quit. And who is going to deal with the violence that occurs because they have no outlet for stress and boredom? The guards. I’m sorry, but this is stupid. No, I am not a smoker and I don’t believe smoking around non-smokers is a good thing, but this is going a little far.

Idaho
Aberdeen - City officials say the thousands of potato trucks that drive through town every fall on their way to processing plants threaten the safety of schoolchildren. Drivers don't need professional licenses to operate the spud trucks, which sometimes weigh up to 80,000 pounds.


And we all know that children can’t be held responsible for looking both ways before crossing a street.

Indiana
Evansville - Vanderburgh County Jail officials posted a dress code stating women cannot wear revealing clothes when visiting prisoners. It bans halter tops and see-through garments and requires that women wear bras. The jail's commander said some women have exposed themselves to male inmates in video visitation booths, in plain view in the jail's main lobby.

Man! Those inmates are just having a bad week.

Iowa
Zearing - Police arrested a convicted sex offender who taught arts and crafts for three days to his daughter's class at Colo-Nesco Middle School. Robert Moore, 49, is accused of violating a court order that prohibits him from having contact with minors.


That is just scary. How would you ever know if the dad next door isn’t a pervert? And since he is a convicted sex offender, how does he spend time with his daughter? Isn’t he supposed to be supervised? And do they live in the same house???

Maine
Auburn - A double-murder defendant is suing Androscoggin County Jail, saying his civil rights were violated when female guards could see him while he showered. Gary Gauthier, 25, filed the lawsuit in county court after a district judge dismissed the case. He's charged in the fatal beatings of two men.


Oh please! How many men do you know that would be upset by women watching him shower? Oh…maybe he has a little pecker and was embarrassed. That explains it.

Massachusetts
Amherst - Students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst are being warned to tone down the partying. Town officials plan to allow both local and campus police to respond to out-of-control disruptions on and off campus. Stephen Tocco, chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees, said partying is preventing it from becoming one of the USA's top public universities.


Imagine that! A college town with a drinking problem.

Minnesota
Minneapolis - A Metro Transit bus driver who objects on religious grounds is being allowed to abstain from driving buses that carry gay-themed ads. But a union leader said the bus company is condoning intolerance. At issue is a billboard for Lavender magazine that shows the face of a young man with the slogan, "Unleash Your Inner Gay."


I’m not sure what to say about this. One part of me wants to say, “Do your job!” But another part wants to support his right to his religious belief. Hmmm….I think I will go with the “Do your job!”

St. Paul - Police are investigating new allegations against a man who locked his girlfriend's daughter in a dog kennel as a form of discipline. Eric Bare, 43, was convicted last year of unreasonable restraint and sentenced to 90 days in jail plus probation. Court documents indicate the girl told therapists that Bare also repeatedly raped her and filmed her performing sex acts.

They should lock him in the dog kennel and let the other inmates have turns.

Dalol - At least one family in rural Roseau County won't be dining on ruffed grouse. Willie Krzoska and his wife, Martha, say they've been befriended by a grouse who showed up on their deck in April. They have pictures showing "Birdie" on Willie's lap. The bird even likes to ride with him. "When I start up either the four-wheeler or lawn mower, she comes at me," Willie said.

Too funny!!!!

Nebraska
Lincoln - Nebraskans needing to obtain a driver's license this week are out of luck until Friday. All the state's 98 license offices will be closed for employee training. Nebraska motor vehicles Director Beverly Neth said customer service is part of the training.


They couldn’t stagger the training so the department was kept open at least for part of the day? Typical DMV bullshit.

Nevada
North Las Vegas - Nellis Air Force Base officials apologized and began an investigation after a burning illumination flare fell from a military jet, lighting up an area near downtown North Las Vegas and hitting the ground outside a home about 5 miles from the base. The flare missed rooftops and vehicles. No injuries were reported and damage was slight.


Ooops.

New Mexico
Ruidoso - The state Children, Youth and Families Department agreed to immediately notify Ruidoso-area radio stations about escapes from Camp Sierra Blanca. Several residents asked why they weren't told last month when two teenage boys escaped for about 24 hours from the juvenile corrections camp, which is unfenced.


If the boys are so dangerous that residents feel threatened, why isn’t there a fence around the camp? From what I read about the camp, it is mostly for minor offenses. I’m not sure I would be so upset about a couple of teenage runaways from a minimum security camp.

Santa Fe - Police are cracking down on motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Police will use a federal grant to help target 16 intersections over the next three months, officials said. Officers will conduct sting operations, sending a decoy pedestrian into a crosswalk and then issuing tickets to motorists who don't yield to the walker.

I thought it was illegal to purposely cause someone to break the law and then ticket them. Maybe I am wrong. I have my own solution for people that don’t stop for pedestrians. It usually includes a verbal barrage and some hand motions.

Ohio
Ravenna - The Army plans to search for bomb fragments in the area of the Ravenna Arsenal this spring, more than 60 years after an accidental explosion killed several workers and sent debris over a 600-acre area, officials said. The government will use metal detectors and interview arsenal neighbors in the search for overlooked debris that could be "live."


Better late than never, I guess. Leave it to the Army to wait 60 years before looking for “live” debris.

Rhode Island
Cranston - The director of the state prison fired three correctional officers, including a captain who allegedly forced an inmate to taste his own feces. The firings follow an internal administrative hearing that found multiple violations of corrections department policy. The three men also face assault charges brought by the state police.


More problems for the inmates. They just can’t catch a break this week.

Utah
Ogden - Federal prison officials won't release Tracy Sanchez, 36, a drug dealer with a fatal disease. Sanchez, convicted and sentenced in 2003 to 30 years in prison, has an illness that leads to kidney failure. Kathleen Kenney, assistant director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, said Sanchez could re-offend if released.


Good grief! Instead of turning this person loose to pay for their own medical care, the feds have decided to let the government pay for it. I could understand if this was a serial killer or mass murderer, but a drug dealer? Please.

Can you say eeeeewwwwwww?

Man accused of having sex with the family dog

McPhail's wife told investigators that she found her husband on their back porch Wednesday night having intercourse with their 4-year-old female pit bull terrier, the Pierce County sheriff's office report said. The dog was squealing and crying, according to charging papers.

WTF?

Officer struck by Bush's cousin dies

Police Chief Francisco Ortiz said the accident remained under investigation, but officers did not feel it was necessary to test Walker for drugs or alcohol.


Now if that had not been a judge (or Bush's cousin), he would have immediately been tested for alcohol. What's up with that?

It is horrible that an officer had to die and even more horrible that the person responsible wasn't even tested for drugs or alcohol. Do they think that just because he was a judge he wouldn't drink or do drugs?

They don't know the same judges I know.

Zombie Music

As soon as I saw this on Neatorama, I thought of Eric.

Pieces of Flair presents the Zombie Song-Off to determine the best song about zombies. You can enter your song up through October 31st by visiting their website. If you don’t have a zombie song, you can vote for your favorite.

SWAT

When I was a kid, this was one of my favorite shows. Geez, and my mom always wondered about my fascination with cops.

Pool Tricks

Is this Eric's house on Wednesday nights? Could be...just watch for that empty moonshine jar.

My Marine

Anthony has moved to San Diego to his new base at Miramar.

Miramar used to be a naval base, but Anthony tells me that it isn't a naval base anymore. That makes me sad.

I was stationed at NAS Miramar when I was in the Navy. In fact, this is the base where I met Anthony's father. He was also in the Navy. Anthony was conceived on this base.

When I was at Miramar, I was simply there for training. I was learning the ins and outs of the E-2/C-2 COD. Anthony's dad was stationed there. He fueled the birds on the flightline. F-14s were all the rage then.

Remember the movie Top Gun? It was filmed at Miramar just before I transferred there. I had heard several years ago that they had moved Top Gun to NAS Fallon in Nevada. I was disappointed to hear that, but I could definitely understand the reasoning. It is hard to fly those noisy jets on a 24 hour basis in such a heavily populated area.

Anyway, I just think it is cool that Anthony is doing the same job at the same base that his father once did.

I have lots of great memories of Miramar. I hope Anthony gets some really good ones.