It's National Calendar Poem Day

"30 days hath September..."

Happy National Calendar Poem Day! Maybe even international. I don't know if other countries have that poem. But poetry being universal -- maybe -- it seems like they'd have it.

Anyway, it's the opening line to the most useful poem I know, the one I use to keep track of how many days are in each month.

It's just too bad about February being at the end to scruff it up, rag it out, and make it uneven. But that's what you get with loopholes.

It's too late, though, to get rid of February, since everyone who has a birthday or anniversary then would be up in arms and would riot.

September. We're at the very end of this sexy month. But the end is a very good place to be in this particular case, because of the poem.

The Annotated Puano Post

If bat poop is guano, is pigeon poop puano?

Bat poop is indeed called guano. There's probably some very good reason for that. But there's no reason that other poops would rhyme with guano. And certainly there's no logical reason why the name for bat poop would have any bearing on what the name for pigeon poop is. In the question, it seems to be looking for an alliterative significance between the P in "pigeon" and the P replacing the G in "guano." But alliteration surely has nothing to do with it, as is seen in the example of bat poop, starting with a B and guano starting with a G.


I heard bats aren't birds and whales aren't fish. You can't trust your senses.

You actually can trust your senses. But maybe not if your senses are so self-limiting, such as thinking that everything that flies is a bird and everything that swims is a fish. Scientists, who are in the know about the various species, make observations of bats, birds, whales, and fish. They have analyzed their structures, their behaviors, etc., and have classified them, as is the wont of scientists, generally given to much classifying of information. (That's one reason you should keep scientists away from graph paper, because they go bananas when given the opportunity to graph and quantify things.)

Scientists come to various conclusions about the species and so, trusting their senses, state that bats are not birds and whales are not fish.

The statement above to the contrary does speak of senses and conclusions, but draws a conclusion hastily, without exercising sense knowledge or following it through to definite knowledge.

My Dog Chasing Squirrels

I've probably written about this before. I know I've described it to friends and family before.

I have a dog who loves to go to the park and chase squirrels. You're not technically supposed to let your dog run in the park, so maybe I shouldn't be writing this. I explained it to her, and she said it's not fair, why are the squirrels allowed to run free? I thought, yes, good point.

At least my dog's had her shots and she has me, her owner, right there with her. The squirrels likely have never been to the vet ... and they're simply wild, no one to control them by commands or motions.

So she runs free ... sometimes. Like if there's a lot of squirrels.

That's what she loves to do, chase squirrels. Fortunately she doesn't catch them. But she gets a lot of exercise chasing them. I love to see the look of recognition, when you know she's seen one. She moves closer to the ground in a flash, and is running with all her might. She's pretty fast, too. Just not quite fast enough.

Darn, missed another one!

Slowing Down On Ripping CDs

I mentioned the Beatles CDs yesterday that I haven't heard yet, the new ones.

I have lots of CDs that I'm not hearing. It seems like the older I get, the busier I get. It seems like I used to have lots more time for leisure things, like listening to records. Some of it's my own fault. I come up with projects that I want to finish, take on responsibilities, etc.

There for a while I was trying to rip all my CDs, put them on one of my big 1 T hard drives. But even that is time consuming. It wouldn't be so bad if they would just rip flawlessly, tag themselves perfectly, get the artwork, etc. But they don't.

So to rip a CD the right way, you have a lot of manual labor, tinkering with them endlessly to make the tags right, the artwork decent, on and on.

Then I sit back and say, Why rip them all? Just rip them as you want to hear them. Save time. Smart thinking actually. The CD is a hard copy. It's there if you need it.

No More Beatles Mentions?

I haven't heard anyone mention the Beatles for a few days. Really not much since the big day of 9-9-09.

I have the CDs, got them on the 10th. I've listened to numerous things off them. I haven't heard everything yet. I'm very busy, doing this, doing that. I've had, for example, a real full day today.

But I'm about ready to wrap it up. Do a few more things online, then who knows? Actually I'll probably read. But I do have that stack of Beatles CDs aren't going to listen to themselves.

It's strange, though. It's such a big deal. It's The Beatles. They get a ton of publicity for a few days, then BOOM, the bottom falls out. No more mentions.

If we forget The Beatles, what's the chances of any of us being remembered?

Gmail Was Down?

I heard Gmail was down a couple days ago ... again.

I have some Gmail accounts, but I guess I've been hitting it OK. Whenever I happen to check one of them everything seems to be working fine. I'm just not there all the time though.

It all ties in together. If one part of the internet goes down, it affects other parts. I don't know if that's the way it is with Gmail or not. Or if it has something to do with what was afflicting Twitter a month or so ago, that kind of attack.

I'm just glad it all works as well as it does. It's like a car, only worse. There's so many things that can go wrong, it's a wonder we ever get anywhere.

Whoever's in charge of Gmail ... peddle faster!

Republicans Desecrating The Flag

Can you believe it? Did you happen to catch this story, about Chuck Norris advocating desecrating the American flag to make some kind of political point?

This is weird. First, he advocates that his deranged brethren on the right fringe simply fly some other flag instead of the American flag. Like "Do Not Tread On Me" or something like that. Second, that if they insist on using the American flag, stain it with tea, which will somehow give them solidarity with the Founding Fathers!

When's the last time I heard something that weird? Well, one time I toured a mental hospital and I heard lots of strange things. But I digress...

This is weird, weird, weird. Aren't these yahoos the same people who spent the Bush years shouting "USA! USA! USA!"? Aren't these people the same ones who insisted on flag pins for all patriotic candidates? And I don't think they meant "Do Not Tread On Me" flags or stained ones. Aren't these the same people who claimed to be so out and out patriotic? They stomped the Dixie Chicks in the dust for one little peep of protest.

Is there some psychological condition or state -- I believe there is -- where you go so far one way that you are eventually going the opposite way? Maybe this is it. Or some psychological thing where you project all your bad qualities on someone else -- like those derned lib'ruls -- then eventually you're doing the very thing you supposedly hated them for? Whatever it is, it's mental.

But watch the political balance eventually swing the other way. Then they'll be right back in the thick of it. Any supposed slight against the flag will be met with their hypocritical self-righteousness once again. We just have to make sure that never happens. To have these sickos in charge again? That was too much to live with for the last eight years.

But whatever happens, we will never let them forget. The so-called conservatives were the ones advocating flag desecration. The so-called patriots were the ones advocating secession from the Union. Why do they do all this nonsense? Do they think we're not going to remember?

Chuck Norris ... one strange guy.

The Lost Symbol

I got the book by Dan Brown.

It's a little unusual for me. I don't usually buy books like this. But I decided to go for it.

I heard "The DaVinci Code" read on CD. This time I decided to give my ears a rest and use my eyes.

So we'll see how that goes. I'm up around chapter 4. It's supposed to be a page turner. So I'm hoping pretty soon I'll be reading a lot faster than I have been.

One thing I'm looking for when I read these days is where to put commas and other punctuation. Commas is my main concern, since I'm always writing these little blog entries and wondering if I'm getting the commas in the right places.

I think I'm doing better.

Nature Doesn't Work At It

I was out taking some nature pictures today, being the first day of Fall. I wanted to get some shots of trees, scenery, whatever was in the area. An old bridge, a running stream, a river, my dog, etc.

There's all this stuff that makes for great pictures. Like if you want the changing of the colors, it's there. The running stream, always a great one to pose. Moss on trees, strange looking flowers, a bumblebee sucking on some yellow flowers, interesting weeds, faded and crackly, the river flowing through sand, on and on.

Even when it's not beautiful, it's beautiful. Like the muddy banks of a creek and sticks laying all helter skelter, like where they've just accumulated.

One thing to say ... for the most part it's just happening. Nothing's out there working at it trying to get the pose exactly right.

Then I try to take a picture of myself and I'm all self-conscious.

The Lingerie Football League?

How is it I missed this one, that there's a Lingerie Football League? I know I'm not a sports fan and don't pay that much attention to it, but still it seems like I would've heard of this before now.

Checking it out on You Tube, there's quite a few videos. But I saw this little story today. And that's the first I heard of it.

It seems like a gimmick whose time has come. But I wonder how long it'll last. It reminds me of G.L.O.W., the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling show that was on sometime -- like in late '80s or very early '90s. That was a cool show.

The lingerie in the link above doesn't look all that sexy. It's looks industrial strength. But some of the shots in the video (which is a crappy video, by the way) looks more lingerie-ish.

Tomorrow's The Last Day Of Summer

Time to put the Beach Boys' CDs away. No more summer! Well, one more day, give or take a few hours.

It's been a fast summer in many ways, sped right by. It wasn't exactly the hottest summer on record, maybe the coolest ... not counting the last Ice Age.

As for my swimming, I only made it to the municipal pool four times. Four stinking times. And guess what, I bought a season pass. So that means I overspent. And my outings were all very short, less than an hour. Meaning, without calculating, I paid enough I should've been swimming in bottled water.

But the weather never really cooperated. Or there were some other problems. The pump broke. Then the other pump broke. And I think terrorists stole the diving board one day, so naturally the pool had to be closed.

There is, though, more to summer than swimming. So I did plenty of other things. Mostly for minutes at a time, trying to avoid the sun and bugs.

Ah, you know what, welcome fall! Summer's never all it's cracked up to be, no matter how much we enjoy it.

Animals That Wouldn't Eat

My dog and cat freaked me out last night. I gave them their food and they both turned their nose up at it. Very weird. They usually dive in.

It made me think maybe there was something in the air, a strange air pressure or something, or some biorhythm thing only they can sense.

Eventually the dog worked on it and ate hers. The cats' food was still there in the evening. It was still there this morning.

But then tonight, Saturday, they all ate their food like normal. (The cats get wet food in the morning too, and they ate theirs this morning like normal.)

Baby Come Back -- The Broom Commercial

Oh no.

I'm listening to a CD of songs from the '70s, "Have A Nice Day, Vol. 21."

I didn't see this coming. The song "Baby Come Back" by Player is the same song as that broom commercial on TV, where the broom got kicked out for a super mop and wants another chance.

Doesn't exactly arouse the same image these days as it did in 1978!

An Antique Hanimex Calculator

I was in a thrift store today and this old Hanimex calculator caught my eye.

It's just like one we used to have -- probably in the '70s, but the '80s at the latest.

That's an interesting thing about the memory, that it's carrying around pictures of old calculators from 30 some years ago.

Better than the memory of the calculator, since I pushed the button and nothing happened. I didn't look. Maybe it needs a battery.

Henry Gibson Died

The beloved wacky poet of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In," the great Henry Gibson, died at the age of 73. He had cancer.

We do his little act every once in a while still to this day, if we have some simple poetic line come to us, giving the attribution, "By Henry Gibson" in his plaintive voice.

Everyone has to go, and I'm pretty accepting of death, but it's still tough to hear about someone from years ago passing on. All of our day will come!

UPDATE: I had a terrible sneezing incident happen while typing this post. Read the gory details at this link. For those coming here from there, the original last paragraph is the one starting with "Everyone has to go," meaning the next to the last one is the one starting with "We do his little act." I sneezed Tabasco sauce through my nasal passages. That was crazy. I was thinking all kinds of things, including my many declarations that I will not question God when bad things happen to me. And in this case, true to my word, I didn't. There I was, mourning Henry Gibson's death, and while doing so, could've died myself from choking on Tabasco. Or losing my ability to breathe, except fire.

I Got A Flu Shot

I'm all set for the flu season, having gotten a flu shot today.

I'm glad that's over. But one thing I've discovered in the last few years, having gone to the doctor now for that long, is that needles are never as bad as I imagine they're going to be.

This came as a real surprise to me when it first happened. I don't like them, but I know what to expect, that, except for tetanus shots, they don't seem extremely terrible.

I got my blood drawn at my last doctor's appointment and that was bad. Not painful, just prolonged, as it seemed like he needed a sample for five or six tests. The lady was slipping in cartridges and taking them out. All this time there's a needle in my arm!

Today, though, with the flu shot, it was in and out and I barely noticed it. I did notice it, but it was really nothing.

Anyway, I'm all set for the flu season .... until they have the H1N1 shots, and I'll have to wait and see if I'm supposed to get one of those.

I'm hoping the flu season goes great for everyone, that no one gets the flu. Of course that's unreasonable, but it's always best to hope for the best. If you can get the shot you may as well. There's nothing to it.

Ear Itching

What causes such intense ear itching? I'll be sitting here like normal, then suddenly an ear itch I can barely stand. So I need to scratch it equally intensely.

I'm afraid I might be screwing up my ears with all the scratching and attention to it. As to what happens when you screw up your ears, I don't know. I still hear really well.

I was at a place and someone was recommending some kind of ear cleaning with a wax stick or something. That sounded a little too drastic to me. I looked it up on the internet and plenty of sites said it didn't really do any good.

I just wish I knew the source of the sudden itching. Like going from 0 to 60 mph in two seconds.

Fiddler On The Roof

My latest movie acquisition is the DVD of "Fiddler on the Roof." Perhaps unbelievably, I've never seen this movie. But I'm enjoying it so far.

I like the musical format, since it takes away enough of the hard edge of reality that I can enjoy what I'm seeing. I definitely don't want to see a movie of people suffering without something to soften it. Not that I'm looking ahead, but of course there has to be some conflict.

The way I watch movies, about 20 minutes a day, I'll be watching this for a few days this week still. So I hope I continue to like it!

The Teabaggers Are Vile

There's some sickening things going on in our country, the Teabaggers putting on another sickening demonstration, full of their own perverse way of looking at things.

In their moronic world, President Obama is some kind of Darth Vader/Adolf Hitler figure, which is absurd on the face of it. In their way of "thinking," he usurped his way into office. Never mind what we all remember from 2008, that he was elected in a landslide that wasn't contested. And so forth.

It's like collective insanity has descended on these poor birds and they don't have the intelligence to stay home and twiddle their thumbs.

We had a collective insanity in the Bush years and no one seemed to notice it. Maybe this is the last, terrible scream from those years, as we realize the craziness that happened after 9/11. Then the fact that, against all odds, we got a black president, brought forth all the racism that's just under the surface. So we have a unique set of circumstances and the rightwingers don't know how to cope with it.

If there should've been any teabagging revolution, it was in the Bush years, when the Bush administration literally said the executive was all powerful, the arbiter of what the Constitution said. Bush claimed he was supreme to the Constitution. Remember the whole Unitary Executive argument? And Dick Cheney even designated himself as one man the fourth branch of the government! That was an outrage indeed! But there was nary a peep from these (now) champions of liberty and the Constitution.

No, it's only when a black man was elected president that, coincidentally, they decided that anything the federal government does has to be a nefarious plot against them personally.

Looking at their posters -- references to Nazis, the president's face marked out, etc. -- they are truly vile people. But I'll cut them some slack. They're in the grip of something psychological. It appears they can't help it. Maybe the new healthcare insurance plan will cover whatever ails them!

The Beatles Mini Documentaries -- Worthless

I checked out some of the mini-docs of the Beatles' albums, now foolishly included on the CDs of their albums. Ho hum.

I think it detracts from the integrity of the albums to have these idiotic little documentaries included. Someone at Apple didn't know to leave well enough alone, to respect their albums.

Besides that, they're just crappy. Three or four minutes of trivia with some snippets of the Beatles saying things about their albums. Or whatever. They look like they were put together by some amateur.

I have a couple computers in this room. One's fairly slow, one's a lot faster. The films worked poorly in each one. And my other gripe on the subject is they slow down the proceedings. You put a CD in your computer today -- and the idiotic little film has to pop up. OK, say you've watched it. Then you want to listen to the CD next week ... the little film has to pop up. Say you want to listen to it 20 years from now, there the stupid film is, right in your face.

I was ripping the tracks for my iPod. And since I use Media Monkey, it gets hung up when there's a film on the CD as well. So each ending track doesn't know how to end, bringing up an error message, then also putting clicks, noise, and snippets of random music on your MP3.

All this for a three or four minute video that's no good to begin with.

I saw right at the start they were going to do this, back when I pre-ordered. And I thought Ugh, that's no good. Too bad they didn't have any sense.

Hey, Tomorrow's September 11!

That's great. I didn't even think of it coming up. That's the way it should be, unlike the constant grief that was imposed on us in the Bush years.

This is our first year to not have the Bush administration exploiting September 11. That's great. Right there's a huge reason to celebrate President Obama's election. It was always sickening to hear the Bush administration's crocodile tears about 9/11 while exploiting it for political gain.

It'd be interesting to know how many times the words "September 11" or "9/11" emanated from Bush's lying lips. That man was disgusting from Day One. But he was even more disgusting from Day Nine Eleven.

So ... it's coming up! This will be the first 9/11 I've looked forward to since the date gave us something to think about in 2001. Finally we're rid of the corrupt, exploitative Bush administration! Let freedom ring!

Just think, that poor old crook Dick Cheney is sitting in his bunker somewhere, praying for another terrorist attack. That's the legacy of the Bush administration. Have a terrorist attack on their watch ... they exploit it for their gain. Desire a terrorist attack on someone else's watch ... they'd exploit it for their gain. Must be nice to be in a position where you can't lose! Ha ha.

By the way ... Bush "kept us safe," except for a little footnote in history called 9/11. How is it he ever escaped all blame?

"I Will Protect Medicare"

President Barack Obama said these important words tonight, "I will protect Medicare."

And the Republicans sat on their hands. Take note, senior citizens of America, and anyone who hopes to be a senior citizen someday: The Republicans sat on their hands.

The Republicans showed in that one moment, if it hasn't been crystal clear all these many years, that they hate Medicare and are determined to do away with it.

We cannot let the Republicans get their greedy paws on Medicare. They cannot be trusted.

The Absurdity Of Health Insurance

Just got a letter today about my health insurance. It's the same letter we get every year about this time. And it's always got the same message. Whatever deductibles there are are going up, whatever co-pay you have it going up, and, by the way, your premiums are going up too.

Every year like clockwork.

The fact is we need health care reform, insurance reform, and we need it now. This is so absurd. Just because time has passed, another year, our benefits have to go down and our cost has to go up. It happened last year, the year before, every year that I can remember. So what are we looking forward to next year about this time? The same absurd situation.

We already have such a high co-pay on medicine that it's usually more cost effective to buy the drug outright with cash and bypass the insurance company all together. Yet we continue to pay premiums for the right to say we have prescription benefits. As far as I know, they would gladly accept our larger co-pay for medicine they sell online for medicine we can buy locally a lot cheaper.

So it's an absurd situation. One the Republicans want us to stay in. A cycle of paying more and getting less, ad infinitum, I guess until we're paying out 100% of our income and getting 0 benefits. Which we of course couldn't do. But there doesn't seem to be any ceiling in sight on the costs or any floor in sight on the reduction in benefits.

We need ... We must have some kind of common sense reform. This great country shouldn't have such a screwed up system of health care. It's crazy.

Amen To Joe The Nerd Ferraro

I want President Obama to clunk some heads. The Republicans, if he can. But I'm talking about the Democrats, because he must.

I'm a Democrat and I am sick practically to death that the Democrats are not seizing this moment to get some great Democratic things done. Oh no, it wasn't enough to get a Democratic majority. We do that and what do we find, we have a whole wing of the Democratic party who are Republicans in Democratic clothes. Good grief!

I want someone to put the squeeze on them. Play hardball. Break their political kneecaps if that's what you have to do. Put their political manhood in a vise and do some crunching. Let them know if they betray us it will be the last time they dare do so! Something like that. I want a party with some discipline. You either go along with the principles of this party or we'll find someone who does.

Away with Max Baucus! Away with Joe Lieberman! Away with Ben Nelson! If we're going to have a Republican senator from Nebraska anyway we may as well have a Republican senator!

I like this comment by Joe the Nerd Ferraro, speaking of President Obama's health care speech coming up Wednesday night:

I want the low growl that says we are going to get this done. I want to hear an attitude that says, “Any Democrat stepping out of line at this point is done. Not because I say so, but because every person who worked for me last year will be ticked off. Do you seriously think any volunteer will work for you next year if this opportunity is squandered?”

Amen to that! "Any Democrat stepping out of line at this point is done." You got that?

Enjoyed Some Mexican Leftovers

I don't bring many leftovers home from going out to eat. Mostly because I manage to eat everything when I'm there.

But today I got full faster when we were out at the Mexican restaurant. So I got a box and brought home the leftovers. I meant to have it this evening.

Then it was late when I remembered I had the leftovers. But still it saved me having to go out and spend more money, which I was considering, till I remembered these.

I heated up the enchilada and rice, then I had some of the free chips they give you. It's all been in the fridge since 1 p.m., and the chips were a little flexible. But when they set on my plate for a while they seemed to stiffen up. They still tasted the same even if they didn't have that chippy crunch you like.

So that was all good, microwaved, then eaten while sitting here at the computer. And it wasn't so much (I hope) that it's going to disturb my night. If anything disturbs me it'll probably be the glass of water.

The Boredom That Is Facebook

Here's a good article about Facebook, what it does for your friendship, which isn't entirely positive.

Facebook definitely does allow you to touch base with people you haven't seen or heard from in years. I heard from a teacher from nearly 40 years ago the other day, which was a nice surprise. And I've reconnected (however superficially) with a few friends from high school and earlier. That's good, I guess.

I can see what my various family members are up to virtually every minute of the day, except when they're asleep. But they post something when they're up and can't sleep.

But the overall thing I take away from Facebook -- and I check in several times a day -- is how boring it is. Like the writer of the article mentioned above, it seems like my friends are busy with a lot of games, quizzes, surveys, causes, sending roses, hugs, etc. I ignore it all. And when I can keep up I block the various applications. It's too much! And not the least bit interesting!

I probably shouldn't mention this, because I hate to insult anyone, but I have a "friend" in someone I don't even know. Maybe everyone else does that. Like celebrities, they do it all the time. But I'm not everyone else and I'm not a celebrity. But this person liked some of my photos, meaning it was something that would be an interest in common, and she asked to be my friend. Being a softie I said yes.

But there's nothing about her life and her friends at this point -- nothing -- that has anything to do with me. So that's a little maddening. She even contacted me via the chat function the other day to ask me "How are you? How's it going?" etc. This is someone I don't even know. That was really fun.

Hey Stupid Teabaggers - Obama Ain't Hitler

Some guy came in and told me today that he heard some teabaggers (giving tea a bad name, by the way) saying Obama is Hitler.

Is there anything more ludicrous? Probably, but I don't know what it could be.

Look, stupid, if Obama was Hitler you wouldn't be saying that so freely. Because if Obama was Hitler he'd have you in a concentration camp, your kids would be dead, and we'd be breaking your windows and stealing your stuff.

The fact that none of that is happening and that you're free to say it without anyone laying a hand on you proves that what you're saying is false and stupid.

Save the Hitler crap for someday when the real thing comes along. It's like Chicken Little. If Hitler is every person you disagree with, no one's going to believe anything else you say ... even if Hitler suddenly did show up. We'd be going, Yeah, those yahoos think everyone's Hitler!

Adam Lambert - Want

I got the Adam Lambert single "Want" at iTunes. It's a very nice song and recording.

It's got the stink of minor controversy, though, because Adam recorded it a few years ago when he was unknown. And now some guy is cashing in on it.

If you check out the reviews, some of Adam's fans are against it on that basis. And Adam is reported "peeved" about it.

Well, I'm a fan and I say so be it. If you record things for a guy in 2005, whatever arrangements you made at the time, and you become a superstar in the meantime, don't be surprised if those recordings come out. It's called The Past. And it doesn't go away.

There's no reason to avoid the record out of any kind of loyalty to Adam. Anyway, it's a great song and I love hearing it.

Finished The Music Man

I started off with a VHS and got about half way, then was at a store and bought the DVD of "The Music Man" and finished it off watching that.

So I went from full screen to a wide black barred letterbox version.

It had a happy ending, of course, which would be no surprise. The surprise for me was that Prof. Hill didn't have to make more of an effort to actually get the band to play. Not that they played well. But the idea was that the audience heard them playing well. Because of civic pride.

It's a feel good movie, except for me I wished he would turn honest sooner.

The Biorhythms Of A Day

Morning is wonderfully manic and creative. Top of my game. I was kicking out a few jams this morning.

Early afternoon is slow and serious. In a bad trough. Not as bad as yesterday, though, because I took a semi-nap. And didn't eat as much for lunch. These were conscious decisions.

Evening is what I make it. I hope to hit the exercise place and get my blood pumping. And go for a bike ride. And get some things done.

I love falling asleep quickly and waking up refreshed. Then to do something with it!