Payback....

This is fucking awesome.

Update....

After doing some "exploring," it looks like AmFam's web filter blocks anything that might be considered edgy. I wonder how edgy this blog would have to become before my own site got blocked?

Laugh at yourself....

I love a company that doesn't take itself too seriously and still makes a damn fine product. Read what other people have to say about them here.

The Web Gestapo....

Well, whoever does the web filtering for American Family Insurance has once again turned into the Web Gestapo. Most recently, they've blocked web comics such as Red Meat and Twisted Kaiju Theater. They also seem to be waffling on The Onion- some days it's open, some days it's blocked.

Clichés....

Well, this is interesting.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Nerzhin and Pauline Santiago on the birth of their new son, Collin Gerald. He was born on Friday, October 31, 2003.

Pauline's water broke around 2 a.m. that morning, and called Maryanne and me. Maryanne met Pauline at the hospital, and waited for Nerzhin to arrive from his Army Reserve duties. Maryanne left the hospital around 6 a.m. and went straight to work.

The two of us picked up Amy and Luke after work Friday, and we went to see them in the hospital. Everyone was doing well, though Pauline was a bit grumpy since she wasn't given an epidural. Afterwards, the four of us had dinner at El Pastor.

The next day Maryanne and I got to drive to Minnesota for a wedding. We missed the ceremony due to detours, but the reception was nice. It was a bit crowded, and the food was fantastic. It could have been much worse, being in the middle of Vikings country, but thankfully the bride's family was from Green Bay. Sunday we were able to see Jenny and Gene, as well as Jenny's brother Zach, who just graduated from Army boot camp.

Speaking of Green Bay... how 'bout them Packers?

P.C. is P.U.

The bane of political correctness strikes again.

Bad timing....

The whack-jobs from PETA are in the news again. Eat more chicken.

The truth....

Educators lay the smack down on whack-jobs like PETA.

Irony....

Free speech takes a hit in an incredibly ironic incident at Hampton University.

Utter chaos!

Our friends Barret and Jenny were married on Saturday. Since I was one of the ushers, it was a long weekend for Maryanne and me. We drove down to the God-forsaken land of Illinois on Friday, and had a pleasant drive for the most part. We shared a hotel room with Adam and Sammie, and then drove to Evanston for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, in what actually may have been the most fun day of the weekend.

Saturday was a bit chaotic. Maryanne and I still had to get a wedding present, so the four of us piled into the car and drove to the nearby mall where we were able to find something. After taking care of these errands, we had lunch at On the Border.

On the Border is a chain of Mexican restaurants, and as such won't be reviewed on my restaurant page. Let's just say I wouldn't visit again, and part of me wishes we had ended up at KFC like we had though about doing. Don't get me wrong, the food was good, but it was far from authentic, and the prices were a little steep for Mexican food.

The rest of the afternoon was far more chaotic. The shuttle service offered by the hotel to drive us to the ceremony site was increasingly behind schedule, causing the ceremony to be delayed and Jenny's personal assistant, Sheryl, who was overseeing the wedding, turned into some kind of psycho. Thankfully things relaxed a bit following the ceremony, as the reception that followed was a great improvement. We were even able to see Greg and Jeneen, and congratulated them on their forthcoming child.

Sunday was little better, as it took us 30 minutes longer than it should have to find the restaurant for brunch.

God, how I hate Illinois.

Anyway...

Congratulations to Barret and Jenny!

A true fan....

Reading news on the web today, I found this:

Packer Report,

I'm a West Michigan Packer Backer and darn proud of it! I'm also tired of hearing Packer fans across the country saying "we don't have this" and Favre needs that! We can't have an all pro at every position! I will defend Mike Sherman to the end! He is one of the best coaches in the league. Although we lost to KC in OT, there are many positives to take out of this game, like the defense blocking a field goal, Priest Holmes being shut down, and Nick Barnett looking like the defensive rookie of the year!

When a team gets a lead it is easy to let your guard down and I believe this young defense will rebound just fine! I didn't hear anyone complaining about Ahman's two TD's and 100+ yards rushing or Favre's brilliant passing while we were up 31 - 14! But as I am typing this letter, I'm sure there is a so called fan out there typing another downgrading of a fine football team. The defense will learn from this and Sharper was one play away from this game having a whole different ending! Fumbles and tipped balls are part of the game and I am sure this team will be in the thick of things at the end of this season! I'll be there with them!

Mike (Packman) Kathan, Holton, MI.

I'm grateful there are some other die-hard fans out there that will support the Packers like I do through thick and thin.

Hard to swallow....

What looked like a certain victory for the Packers, one they so very needed against a 5-0 Kansas City team, turned instead into a mind-numbing overtime loss that again exposed the defense's glaring weaknesses. The lack of an effective pass rush by the defensive line has haunted the Packers for a while now, and yesterday it showed itself again.

Bizarre....

I found this very bizarre but quite entertaining.

Irresponsible!

This is very disturbing.

Surprise!

This is just too cool for words.

Head east....

Some people have way too much time on their hands, and then we end up with stuff like this.

Orwellian....

Followup: Not only is Fark blocked here at AmFam, but so are The Onion, and Rather Good. It's turning into freaking 1984 around here. I'm wondering if I should starting calling the the people a Information Security the Information Gestapo, instead.

No answers....

Today I discovered the vendor that provides website blocking for American Family Insurance has for some reason blocked Fark. I'm so disappointed....

It makes me think about a meeting we had some time ago, presented by the Information Security people. When we were discussing blocked websites, it was mentioned that sites that were inappropriate for work would be blocked. I, of course, asked who decided if a site was inappropriate. They never did give me a straight answer.

Return to sender....

So today I got some e-mail from a nice gentleman by the name of Dave Mayfield who was looking for a good place in northeast Wisconsin to get a brat. I tried to reply to him, but somehow his e-mail address got garbled in his message, which was submitted from this website.

So Dave, if you read this, please e-mail again and include your e-mail address in the body of your message. I have a nice long reply sitting in my mailbox for you!

Happy Anniversary!

Today Maryanne and I have officially been married for one year. It's been great. We celebrated Friday, though, spending some time up in the Dells before sharing a nice dinner at Delmonico's here in Madison. I look forward to many more such celebrations.

Delmonico's was interesting. You'll find more here on my restaurant reviews page, but I'll add a little bit here in my blog. The place was beautiful, but noisy, which made it difficult for Maryanne. I was willing to put up with it all, though, at least until the neighboring tables made me want to slap them. Between one couple in a foursome bickering back and forth about probably inane topics, and the gentleman in another couple at a different table complaining about his risotto, I was getting anxious to leave.

The rest of the weekend was busy as well. We went to a wedding and a birthday party Saturday, and today we pretty much did nothing but watch the Packers lose to the Cardinals. The Packers didn't play very well, but I wouldn't have called it terrible. Personally, I think the outcome of the game was dictated by the truly terrible pass interference call in the fourth quarter. You know the one I'm talking about.

Yar!

Avast, ye landlubbers! Friday be Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Followup

Here's more on Steven Avery.

Abandon all hope....

Yes, now you, too, can build your own version eternal damnation. Dante would be proud.

General asshats
Circle I Limbo

Riceboys
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind

Parents who bring squalling brats to R-rated movies
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow

Militant Vegans
Circle IV Rolling Weights

PETA Members
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled

River Styx

NAMBLA Members
Circle VI Buried for Eternity

River Phlegyas

Uday Hussein, Qusay Hussein
Circle VII Burning Sands

Saddam Hussein
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement

Osama bin Laden
Circle IX Frozen in Ice

Design your own hell

Small consolation....

Here's some more news on Steven Avery.

Dissenting opinion....

Not all pop musicians are money-grubbing bastards like Metallica. Check this cool shit out.

Free at last....

Here's a follow-up for you. The situation still wants to make me slap someone.

Weird....

This is just plain weird, but might be amusing.

Innocent man....

I'm not sure I'd take this as well as Mr. Avery has.

Don't teach ignorance....

Why do people have such a problem with masturbation?

The power of cheese....

So it turns out Europe is full of money-grubbing bastards as well. Behold the power of cheese.

Five seconds....

Read this article about a scientific study of the 5-Second Rule.

Too lax....

How about some fucking truth in sentencing?

Dream away....

Lately I've been waking up far too early, around 4 a.m. or so. Since I don't need to be up until 6, I usually try to get back to sleep. In this case that means dream-filled REM sleep. I've had some doozies lately, including this gem from this morning.

I was working on some oil paintings. One I think was some kind of restoration job or something, as I was just adding some finishing touches. I was also working on something of my own, a large piece I had titled "Prom Date." I was working on it in my high school art room, and my art teacher, Mr. Rericha, was there, complimenting the piece and offering some suggestions. The piece started taking on a life of its own, evolving, and it started turning into some kind of profound statement. I'm not sure what that statement was, but everybody else must have known, because word started spreading around about this great painting I was creating, and a lot of the school's faculty, and even many of the students, started talking about it.

Bad driver alert....

Drivers in Madison, and particularly employees of American Family Insurance, should watch for the driver of a dark blue Ford Windstar minivan, license 473-DKR. She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing. Or, if she does, it defies all reason.

Farewell!

Last night Maryanne and I went to a going-away party for Bernadette and Brad as they're moving to Fresno, California, for at least two years. It was a swell time, being held at the Fitchburg Great Dane. The food and company were both good, even though I didn't know everybody very well. Nonetheless, Maryanne and I will both miss them. We always seemed to have a lot of fun hanging out with them. Maryanne and Bernadette especially were close. I suspect the next few weeks are going to be rough on them both.

Not again....

Clarify is a what?

This is just sick.

Very punny....

Last night Maryanne was just full of puns and didn't even know it. We were hanging out with our friends Jeanni and Todd. First, at Hobby Lobby at South Town, we were looking at a model of a '69 Dodge Charger R/T. Maryanne said, "You could make that for your mom. She'd get a charge out of it." I said, "You made a pun! Get a charge out of a Charger!" Then later, for whatever reason, Todd started making roaring noises, and I blurted out, "Toddzilla!" Todd started singing "Toddzilla" to the tune of Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." Jeanni said, "Great. They're just like too peas in a pod." Maryanne said to me, "You've created a monster." I replied, "Duh. Godzilla's a monster."

Real drama....

Much of our weekend was occupied by a wedding that Maryanne was a bridesmaid for. Our friends Jenni and Jeff finally tied the knot in a dramatic ceremony at the Wisconsin Union Theater. The reception had been held at the East Side Businessmen's Association (ESBMA). The reception was very nice, with a good DJ, and the food being catered by Gaylord.

Friday Maryanne was off and spent a busy day picking up her dress and basically getting a test run on her makeup from Jenni's friend Kim. I knew very little of Kim, other than that Maryanne was paired with Kim's husband Alan, who is one of Jeff's friends. Maryanne isn't particularly fond of Alan, as from what Maryanne has said, he has a tendency to hit on anything with tits.

We went to the rehearsal at the theater, and then to the rehearsal dinner at Maple Tree. With all the people involved, I was able to see some of Maryanne's friends that we hadn't seen in a while, and meet a few new people, as well. I was able to see Kim, as well, and I started becoming confused.

On our way to the Maple Tree, I was chatting with Maryanne in the car. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "So Kim is the one who did your makeup today, and will be doing it tomorrow?"

Maryanne: "Yes."

Me: "And she was the one with the dark hair wearing the striped dress?"

MA: "Yes."

Me: "And her husband is Alan?"

MA: "The jerk, yes."

Me: "OK."

The night progressed, a bit chaotically with all the people, but the dinner and company were good. Maryanne and I departed sometime later. We stopped for gas at the Kwik Trip in McFarland, basically across the street from the Maple Tree. Something kept nagging me as I pumped the gas. On our way home I asked Maryanne about it. I think it went something like this:

Me: "Alan didn't seem too bad tonight. Not that I was watching him all the time."

MA: "You must not have been paying close attention."

Me: "Something about all this baffles me. You're telling me that even though he's married to Kim, Alan feels it necessary to hit on other women when his wife looks like that?"

MA: "Yes. He's a jerk. He doesn't deserver her. She's such a sweet person."

Me: "What a dumbass."

MA: "I know! She's a total hottie."

That about summed it all up.

A different kind of recall....

An amusing, if somewhat radical, op/ed piece from Gil Leroy. You kind of have to like a guy who can call himself a curmudgeon.

Naivete....

Here's an interesting op/ed piece as to why whack-job liberals are, well, whack-jobs.

Bad driver alert....

If you work at American Family Insurance, or are a resident of Madison in general, watch for these drivers: A champagne-colored Oldsmobile Alero, license VDJ-613, and a midnight blue Saturn, license 301-DAE. The driver of the former seems to be lacking in general driving courtesy, while the latter seems to be clueless.

Craptastic....

Yes, it's true: Clarify is a fucking piece of shit.

Hmmm....

I can't think of anything clever to say about this.

Recall....

California is a fucked up state.

Refusing personal responsibility....

When will people start taking responsibility for their own actions? I guess stupid people just need someone else to blame.

Pushing buttons....

Have you ever met someone that just rubs your the wrong way? Someone you just want to haul off and punch in the mouth, for no good reason other than the fact that they're annoying? Someone who just pushes your buttons by merely existing? I have, a few of them, actually. It usually takes some time for me to learn just how annoying they are. After that comes the time when I just want to belt them and say, "Shut the hell up!"

In stereo....

So thanks to Luke, I have discovered a new radio station in Madison. WHIT broadcasts at 93.1 FM, and they call themselves The Lake. Billed as a classic rock station, they are a superior alternative to WIBA (fuck you, Clear Channel!). After listening to them during my commute for a couple days, and a while last night, I'm fairly impressed. I have yet to hear a commercial other than a plug for the station itself, though for that matter I've yet to hear a station ID. The music selection has a lot of variety, being able to go from the Rolling Stones to the Cars to the Beatles to Wilson Picket to the J. Geils Band and everywhere in between.

Protecting privacy....

It turns out SBC is good for something after all. Check this out.

Wearing it out....

Show your support of the First Amendment with some spiffy duds.

So many fantastic colors....

Here's an interesting activity for you to try out.

Sucktacular....

Clarify is still a fucking piece of shit.

Take a stand....

Stand up for First Amendment rights and check out this interesting website.

Kids will be kids....

Common sense found in England.

A voice in the darkness....

Could ABC's John Stossel be the voice of common sense? You decide.

Thanks for the memories....

Some sad news today.

Bullying....

The RIAA is not a hero.

Where it belongs....

Steve Boyer is a hero.

Preserving history....

Want to make sure Lambeau Field keeps its hallowed name? Read this.

Harry Potter....

I just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was a very exciting read, so much so that it will be far too long a wait for the next volume in the series. I was a little disappointed by some of the events in the book, despite some of the other loose ends being tied up. Luckily it wasn't one of those frustrations that leaves me wanting to throw the book across the room, a good thing, since it's my mother's book.

I now kind of wish I had waited longer to start on it, since then I wouldn't have to wait so long to read the next one. Like they say, hindsight is always 20/20.

Taken in....

Lo and behold, I found an article that buys into all the anti-gun mumbo jumbo.

Just the facts, ma'am....

Here are some interesting facts regarding myths about gun control. Read them and think about them the next time someone wants to infringe upon your Second Amendment rights.

Product quality....

Could it be that I will now have a twice-weekly rant that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit?

Shoddy work....

Time again for my now weekly rant that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit. Whoever sold this software sure pulled a fast one.

Bull's-eye!

Looks like it's time for target practice!

Protected by the First Amendment....

Good news in the Freedom of Speech department. Apparently the Communications Decency Act was good for something after all.

Blog what?

I don't like Blogger's new format. What the hell happened to the Blog This feature?

Formulaic....

I finished reading The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings today. I found it very entertaining, but I was still somehow disappointed. I'm very familiar with the Eddingses work, and I found this book to be a tad formulaic, and unfortunately too plot-driven. Despite all that, there were enough surprises to keep it moving and keep it interesting, and overall I enjoyed it.

Ranting....

Time for my almost weekly rant that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit.

Sick, sue-happy bastard....

Common sense takes another hit as a dumbass lawyer in Cincinnati, Ohio, sues the Kings Island amusement park.

He says he's not doing it because the amusement park makes a lot of money. He says he's not doing it to hold the park responsible for his being struck by lightning.

He says he's doing it because the park should have warned the patrons about the lightning storm.

What kind of dumbass can't see the sky and think, "Gee, that looks bad?"

What kind of dumbass doesn't realize their big metal car is going to attract lightning?

I hope this gets thrown out of court.

Alexandre Dumas....

Yesterday I finished reading The Man in the Iron Mask.

This was the third book in Alexandre Dumas' trilogy about d'Artagnan and the rest of the musketeers. I started with The Three Musketeers a while ago, then read Twenty Years After, and concluded with The Man in the Iron Mask. Good reads all of them, with a similar style to The Count of Monte Cristo: a complex, character-driven plot.

After finishing The Three Musketeers, I thought to myself, "This is very little like that Disney movie from a few years ago. Damn Disney! Damn them to hell!"

When I got around to finishing The Man in the Iron Mask, I thought to myself, "This is nothing like that movie from a few years ago. What the fuck?"

As they would say on Fark, "Hollywood is out of ideas."

Mind-numbing....

The last 40 minutes were 40 soul-draining, will-sapping minutes I'll never get back. Oh, how stupid people annoy me.

Catch-22....

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't? A real Catch-22, no-win situation? Yeah, me too. I hate those.

Vermin spread disease, duh....

More news about monkey pox as federal health officials ban sales of prairie dogs and imports of African rodents. The CDC has congratulated Wisconsin officials in identifying the problem quickly.

The fact is, though, there should never have been a problem. I may sound like a broken record, but who wants vermin for a pet? Who wants to cuddle up with a prairie dog or a giant Gambian rat? And people are definitely cuddling up with them, because apparently there's some biting involved here.

I've never found rodents to be particularly interesting pets, with the exception of the more intelligent mice and rats. It seems to me that the larger the rodent, the dumber it is. Prairie dogs are pretty decent sized, and, well, giant Gambian rat kind of speaks for itself. Neither of these animals sounds particularly cute.

All this makes me wonder when people are going to learn that all these nasty diseases that are being spread around the world, be it monkeypox or SARS or even AIDS, wouldn't be such a problem if we as people hadn't done stupid things like wanting a pet prairie dog.

Practice what you preach....

A while ago, probably around Christmas, I had remarked to Maryanne what a wonderful organization the Salvation Army is. I continued to remark that I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about the United Way. I even mentioned that I had gone so far as to set up an e-mail filter at work. My employer is a big contributor to the United Way, and I didn't want to see solicitations in my e-mail.

When Maryanne asked why, I went into an explanation about comparative salaries between the CEO of the United Way and the Commissioner of the Salvation Army. Check this out and see for yourself. If nothing else, it will leave you scratching your head and saying, "Hmm...."

Asking for it....

I have a hard time feeling sorry for all these people getting monkeypox from what I would normally consider vermin. The motivation for having such strange critters for pets still baffles me.

As I mentioned to Amy, it all makes me wonder if PETA will have something to say about this.

Disease du jour....

So apparently the disease du jour, monkeypox, has been spreading through the Midwest. Until now it wasn't found in the Western Hemisphere, and was probably spread to prairie dogs via a giant Gambian rat. These prairie dogs were first sold at a Chicago pet store, and some at a Milwaukee pet store, and authorities are now trying to track down all the customers.

All this begs the question, "Who the fuck would want a prairie dog for a pet?"

Prairie dogs are targets, not pets.

Not doing any favors....

More political correctness gone awry. Not surprisingly, it's in California, that sunny state that's home to so many bleeding-heart liberals who want to cater to the lowest common denominator.

Argh!

Have I ever mentioned that Clarify is a fucking piece of shit?

Heavy-handed....

I just had to link this.

Thought police....

The anethema of political correctness strikes again.

Patton....

A selection of quotations from the man who once referred to himself as that "Son-of-a-goddamned-bitch named Georgie Patton."

Music from the past....

There was a lot of different kinds of music around when I was growing up. Mom and Dad shared some common music interests, including the rock and pop they grew up with, like the Beatles, etc. They had some eclectic tastes, as well. Mom seemed to be more into some of the more progressive sounds, being a big fan of the Moody Blues and Procol Harum, and one of her favorite albums was by a Brazilian group called Donato/Deodato that played Latin-Jazz Fusion. Dad had grown up with a lot of country music around, so he was a big country fan.

I think one of the biggest reasons Dad was a country fan is that he grew up with it. My grandfather and his family had grown up with it as well, especially since there was a lot of musical talent in the family. My grandfather, Lloyd, could strum a guitar, but his biggest talent was being able to harmonize with anyone. He sang with some of his brothers now and then, including Lester, Alfred, and Orville. Lester played guitar as well, and Alfred played fiddle. Orville played guitar and steel guitar, and was perhaps one of the most talented of the bunch. When I was younger I learned that he had done some touring, under the stage name Eddie Rivers, and had even met and played with Hank Williams, Sr. at one time, and had had a guitar autographed by him.

Unfortunately, country music wasn't mainstream back then the way it is now, and nobody made it real big. Even if the music had been more popular, I think it still would have been tough, as there was a lot of heavy drinking involved. My grandfather finally joined A.A. and gave it up, and his sponsors became close family friends, spending their weekends playing sheephead until they couldn't see straight to keep their minds off the booze. My great uncle Orville eventually gave up drinking as well, but not before he pawned that Hank Williams autographed guitar.

We had a few reel-to-reel tape recordings of Orville's band, and they'd sometimes play at our family reunions. I didn't appreciate the talent until I heard some less gifted players.

Now-a-days, of course, hearing some of the songs I heard back then reminds me of those days, the long lazy summers of youth when I didn't have many cares. Nostalgia seems to play a big part in the music we enjoy.

That nostalgia has been leading me to think about about a couple of songs by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Old Upright Piano, and Leon McDuff. I had been unable to find any information about either song from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and finally did a Google search. It turns out they appeared on an album called Partners, Brothers and Friends, released by Warner Bros. in 1985, and is no longer in print. This is sad, really. I remember many of the songs from the album, including the two mentioned, as well as Redneck Riviera and Queen of the Road. Those songs were good foot-stompers. Old Upright Piano is a real tear-jerker; Leon McDuff is a good bluegrass song with a dark edginess to it. I couldn't appreciate their merits when I first heard them over fifteen years ago. Now that I can, the songs are sadly unavailable.

A threat to your rights....

William Safire brings you news of potential infringement of Constitutional rights in 3... 2... 1.

Armed with a cell phone....

If you still don't think California is a fucked-up state, read this.

Admittedly evil....

If you never believed that Wal-Mart could be the next Evil Empire, check this out.

Asshole....

So I had to stop at an ATM this morning so I could make a deposit. For whatever reason, I decided to use the ATM at the Anchor Bank branch ear East Town Mall. After I was done, instead of backtracking, I decided to get on East Wash/Highway 151 and follow it to the American Parkway exit. I'm not sure I'll do that again; Madison drivers are assholes. I needed to change lanes, so I turned on my signal. I checked my mirrors, checked my blindspot--all clear. I start changing lanes. That's when I hear the horn of a black Volkswagen. Where did he come from? He wasn't there when I started this process! Then the asshole has the nerve to flip me the finger while he speeds past.

P.C. is P.U.

Political correctness runs amok in Arizona. Common sense is there, but predictably, not in anyone in a position of authority.

Frustration personified....

Clarify is a fucking piece of shit!

Bad idea....

I don't recommend trying to get a table at a Mexican restaurant in Madison on Cinco de Mayo. The east-side Laredo's appeared to be packed, so we headed to La Hacienda. They were packed as well. Maryanne drove us to the west-side Laredo's, and they were busy as well, but we waited just under ten minutes. The food was much the same, but the restaurant wasn't nearly as comfortable. It's probably just as well we didn't try Casa de Lara.

Demonstration....

More from Carroll College.

Boredom....

I have just been a blogging fool today. Of course, most of those entries don't say much, if anything, just a little blurb commenting on what I linked. I guess it's boredom, to some degree. It's been a quiet day at work, and I finished my book, not having another one on hand. I should have brought another one in with me.

Protecting the First Amendment....

Well, chalk one up for free speech. Check this out.

Ignoring the Bill of Rights....

Liberal whack-jobs in Washington state want to define guns as weapons of mass destruction. Aside from the fact that there's all kinds of wrong with using the broad, intentionally vague definition of a weapon of mass destruction as they are, I think this does nothing but show their one-track minds and display their willful ignorance of both common sense and the law. Do they need to take a remedial civics class and relearn the Constitution?

May day, May day!

Well, here it is, the first of May. I do so love May.

Spring....

Well, May is right around the corner. It's actually beginning to look and feel like spring here in Madison, and it's about time it did.

The rules....

I like rules, for the most part. They're supposed to help keep everyone safe and happy. Oh sure, there are some that don't make any sense, and are downright stupid, and these should be questioned. But for the most part, rules are a good thing.

One of the rules we have here at work is to try to limit the number of people on break at any one time to six. It's a good number, especially in a call center, and most of the time it works well. If you look here, though, you'll see eleven. Yes, that's right, eleven. Nearly twice as many as "allowed." Granted, many of those people had just come from a meeting that had let out early, people who would have been off the phones anyway if the meeting had been longer. I don't think that allows them to break the rules, though. The first six were OK. It were the others that bother me.

You're probably thinking, "Terry, why should this bother you? Maybe you can pad your numbers a bit." But what if everyone ignored the rules, and went on breaks when they felt like it? Who'd be left to answer the phone? I'd be left, and the few who bothered to follow the rules.

You're right, life isn't fair. But behavior like this makes it worse, not better.

Bad driver alert....

Watch out for this asshole driver at American Family Insurance: a Mazda 626, license 754-AHR.

Voicing their opinion....

Here's some more news from Carroll College.