But I'm Near The End...

...And I just can't find the time...

And I'm wasted and can't find my way home...

Another Tricky Day

You Can't Always Get it, When You Really Want it

Boredom has set in at Casa De La Ranter, but it's to be expected. While half the country has had nothing but rain, we've had sun and it's warming up. Today we nearly hit a hundred, tomorrow we might pass it. I know I haven't blogged for a while, I'm not sure why except nothing to say.

The country is still messed up, economy wise no better really. Tarp is a joke; no surprise Obama's golden boy image is wearing thin. Iran re-elected a nutjob, oh well that's the way the cookie crumbles. Michael Jackson died. Now that gave me pause. Wacko Jacko is dead. He was 50. And everyone now loves him, or trying to grab their last shot at 15 minutes of fame at his expense. If I have to hear one more person speak about his drug use, I'll scream. In fact I'm tired of coverage. Yes, he was weird, odd, guilty of at the very least being inappropriate with young boys, I don't know if there was anything more than that. He was also a magnet for any type of lawsuit. I don't know. I kinda think he was asexual. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out that eventually that the kids were by donor sperm. I just can't imagine him jerking off in a jar.

I will freely admit that if his death, again at the age of 50, is drug related, then something needs to be done about celebrities hiring their own doctors. And, really think about it, a man with a doctor with him nearly 24 hours a day, and he's dead. What hope is there for us? Naturally a "yes man" with a prescription pad can be deadly, we saw it before with that young Batman actor Heath Ledger, and even the train wreck life that was Anna Nicole Smith. We also saw it 30 years ago with Elvis, and still we do nothing. We sit in our complacent world and say things like, "I don't cry for pedophiles." The press condemns and we sit nodding our heads mindlessly barely blinking to the magic box that tells us what to think. I'm tired of it.

I have arrived but to one conclusion, life remains a delicate tapestry, and therein, I believe, two sides. One side, often called positive, is brilliant, vibrantly colored, but without the fine detail of the interconnecting threads. The negative side is dull somewhat, yet the image though reversed is clearly visible and there you notice the way the threads connect and interact with each other. The positive and negative sides of things require both to exist. The human nature and order of life often uninspired can easily breed contempt as well as beauty.

© 2009 Whimsical Ranter

All Rights Reserved

It's Still Hot But Again...

Summer Is Holding On By Her Fingertips

At least around here we were slammed with temperatures past the century mark, and it's followed up by what? Rain. Heavy rain & gale force winds. Surprised? Anyone familiar with the pacific northwest might say no, but to those that live here, the answer is a resounding yes. Of course we're used to summer rains, but it's normally light, and billowy and doesn't keep you from enjoying the outdoors. Not to mention few and far between.

This is different though, as people are desperate to try to enjoy the remaining weeks of August we go from hot to cold back to hot again. If that doesn't screw with your mind, body and don't forget sinuses, nothing will.

Actually this summer hasn't been too bad, but it's inevitable end has the kids climbing the walls with the kind of anticipation of rather Olympic proportions.

Speaking of the Olympics

I don't know if it's because it's been on so late at night or what, but I've been glued to the TV in renewed interest. Surprisingly so, but it could be also because there is NOTHING on TV anyway. I'm kinda enjoying the fact that all the kids can watch this with me, if they choose to, with or without video games of the hand held variety.

Could it Be?

I'm actually sad to see the summer end and school begin. Well, don't tell the kids but yeah I am. I hate the idea of getting up in the morning to get the little one on the bus, arguing with the teen about homework and everything in between. I'm dreading IEP meetings, and hearing the little one complain about how much he hates school and how they want him to learn stuff. Imagine going to school to learn stuff? I've just enjoyed not having to worry about that crap and I hate idea of it all starting again.

Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor?

I've been buying lottery tickets and sharing them with my teen son. We use the winnings (if any) to buy more tickets...I know, I'm horrible. So far we're won 23 dollars! Not bad for a 2 dollar ticket. He's also becoming a wine aficionado.

How To Get Something Done

My wonderful husband built his own bar area in the basement room we have, it's freaking beautiful and I've commented that he could build furniture. He's afraid that I would make him build me furniture. He's always said that he can't. Whatever. Today, I'm down in the basement, and he comments that he needs a table to go beside the futon we acquired from a friend of ours. I told him to build one, but he said no he couldn't. I told him to just make a box...he got all pissy about it and now is out to prove to me that he build something better than "just a box." He never saw it coming.

Shout Out to AbbyNormal

I was driving down the road today and I saw a car and license plate read:

Aabynrml

Somehow it just made me think of you.

Welcome to Blogger!

© 2008 Whimsical Ranter
All Rights Reserved

Back To The Grind

What I Did On My Summer Vacation


Yes, I decided to take a little time off. It's been over a month since I last posted in that time we went on several weekend excursions, plus a little camping trip. Camping in the forest below the ominous Mount Hood was interesting and very cold. Too cold for my tastes, and tent camping isn't the great fun it used to be. I guess I am getting old.

I got to sleep in, and not that piddly-hit-the-alarm 5 times but really not set it at all and sleep in. Most days I wasn't up before 9 AM! Most nights I was awake until after midnight, which is about the same as now but now I'm up at six. Strange, but I still recall vividly the days when getting up at 6, was sleeping in.

Did I Miss Anything?

Nicole Ritchie went to jail and served a few hours before being released, Lindsay Lohan was arrested and went into hiding—possibly into rehab, maybe a real one this time. Whoppie Goldberg joined The View and offered her opinion why Michael Vic was involved in dog fighting. Britney was cleared of being a bad parent and OJ's book, If I Did It, or How I Did It was scheduled then unscheduled for release. Denise Brown went on a rampage trying to stop the Goldman family from publishing the book after they won the rights to do so. Denise's reason was because she didn't want her niece and nephew hearing about this or becoming upset. I'm sorry but aren't they in college now? Haven't they heard all this already? I'm sure their father has done a good job of brainwashing them or they have forgiven him, which ever is the case I don't care. I wouldn't read the book, but I might check it out of the library.

Not to mention we had to relive the whole Death of the People's Princess and all things royal was new again. I especially enjoyed the commentary of the Mohammed Al Fayed former publicist talking about the conspiracy surrounding her death. Included of course were the obligatory comments about her so-called pregnancy, and imminent marriage to Dodi Fayed. None of which are true but are a lot of fun, I suppose to repeat and equally fun is the talk now legendary white car that was never found. I guess we must rehash something. I'm surprised Katie Couric wasn't sent there, or maybe she was. I don't watch CBS.

And this was on the heals of anniversary of Elvis' death which included numerous interviews with Pricilla talking about her early involvement with the King at the tender age of 14. People were really different then. As I watched her talk about it, I felt creepy. I never thought of Elvis as being a pedophile. Wonder if he'd be arrested today?

He's Baaaack

Bin Laden has released a videotape in these days just before the 6th anniversary of 9-11, which shows him sporting a new beard or at least a dyed one. I wonder if the black beard is a secret call to unleash hell or at the very least the hounds? I did enjoy the commentary about the beard and it's significance on all the cable news media shows. Maybe it's taped on and they couldn’t find a grey one? Maybe next he'll show the hemorrhoids on his ass and people can surmise if it's a call for solidarity?

Maybe they should concentrate more on his words, but of course the news media is on that one too. Asking every "expert" I've never heard of; what they think about what he said as though they have an opinion that I care about. It kind of makes me nauseous to think about Bin Laden, so I'll stop talking about it. But I still ponder sometimes that we should pull every soldier out of Iraq and put them into Afghanistan and vow not leave until every hole and the space beneath each rock is checked for him.

© 2007 Whimsical Ranter
All Rights Reserved

Worthless Observations by a Ranting Fool

Whats in a Name?

Yes that would be me and I'm saying goodbye to Lady Bird Johnson who died Wednesday at the age of 94. Now out of all the first ladies, she had without a doubt the most interesting name. Lady Bird. Her real name was Claudia Alta Taylor not nearly as interesting as the nickname given to her by her nanny as a child who said she was as pretty as a ladybird. The name obviously stuck because I never knew her to be anything else but Lady Bird. Johnson as some might recall was the unfortunate fool to be vice-president when JFK was assassinated in 1963. He finished that term and served another full term as president. He was also known for escalating the Viet Nam war…Oops I mean police action--but that's another issue entirely.

Here We Go Again

Special thanks to Bumble for bringing this to my attention. I blogged about this case before which you can read here.

Georgia Prosecutor released the sex tape that put the 17 year old behind bars. Just to recap, he's serving a mandatory 10 year sentence for child molestation. He was 17 and the girl in question was 15. That's just two years apart in age. I'm really confused on this, was he convicted because he had oral sex or made the sex tape? Why is this kid still in prison?

The sex tape helped convict him, but can we really blame kids for doing what everyone else in Hollywood has done since Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee? Kids have been copying what other stars have done since my dad was a teen and got an Elvis haircut, or my grandmother fainted straight away when Frank Sinatra walked passed her. Okay someone at the party recorded him, but are we forgetting the big issue? He's in prison! He'll have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life for doing something that teens do! Georgia has changed the law because of this kid!

Now everyone is upset that the video was released and saying it's child porn or something. Who cares???? Some fear support for the kid will diminish. Are we living in such a politically correct society where this kind of tripe matters a whit when put against plain old right and wrong? Kids will have sex.

The issue is the states attorney doesn't want this kid out of prison because he's afraid 1300 other molesters will also be released. HUH? You have 1300 kids in Georgia prisons, wrongfully convicted of molestation, who were just having teen sex????? That's about the only group that this would apply to.



© 2007 Whimsical Ranter
All Rights Reserved

Ramblings on a Too Hot Tuesday

Who Knew

The weather here could get so freaking hot? When we moved here the only thing people fixated on was the fact the winters are dark, wet and cold. No one told us that the summers are HOT, HOT, HOT! It just sucks and I'll freely confess when the mercury hits the century mark I don't want to leave the house. I melt into the furniture despite the AC going around the clock set to a still warm 73 degrees. Yes 73 degrees Fahrenheit is where the upstairs remains livable, and the downstairs very comfy. I won't suffer.

So, in any event I'm trying hard to keep cool and keep my cool with the kids. Neither is proving to be easy. This weekend promises cooler temps and I'm looking forward to it. End of the month brings visitors yet again, more California friends, which I'm not exactly looking forward to but nonetheless must try to prepare for which means more cleaning.

© 2007 Whimsical Ranter
All Rights Reserved

A Point to Ponder

As we celebrate our Nation's Birthday, let us all take a moment to ponder the document that started it all, remember the call of freedom that caused these men to put their lives on the line by signing the document and the plainly stated reasons for doing so. --Ranter

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

I'm Back and Not Very "Rested"

Playing Family (I Mean Vacation Time)

Actually I shouldn't complain we had some good times, ate some good food and saw some cool things. Like the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, and the great fun of playing miniature golf at Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center with husband the kids. As a lark we decided the winners would make the loser pay for lunch. I fully anticipated the seven-year-old washing dishes, since he only has a few quarters in his pocket at any given time. However that wasn't meant to be with both husband and my older son scoring around 54 and even my seven year old beat me with a score of 65, their scores might have been lower but I stopped keeping accurate records. My score was a whopping 90 and that was only because they had a 5-stroke max, toward the end, after being poked in the butt by the 3 year old in the group following us, I started just taking the 5 strokes. I even wondered why I left my flask of rum at home; my Dr. Pepper needed something extra. Then we spent another small fortune on the video games in the arcade all so my seven-year-old could win a Whoopee cushion, some play money, and Skittles, I could have bought him at the dollar store for way less than it cost us there. And needless to say I had to buy lunch for everyone but thank goodness I had my husbands credit card. By the time we got home that day, I was ready throttle the person that actually invented the Whoopee Cushion.

Of All Times

My cell phone died a horrible death, continually dropping calls and making me crazy and in a fit of final desperation I threw it on the ground. I'd had the phone for 2 years and suffered with it but now, since my older son needed one since he'll be going to middle school I decided it was time for a new one. I went to the provider store and they gave me the song and dance, saying how great this one was and that one and blinded me with a 3 for one offer. By three phones for the price of one and they had me. I walked out with a new phone for me, plus a phone for my older son and a phone for my husband. Plus I'm getting a 50 dollar rebate so the phones will really only cost me 60 dollars including the 25 dollar activation fee for adding the third line. Not too bad considering I was considering leaving the company all together but now they've got me until 2009, after that, if they don't carry the new iPhone, I'm walking.

Yes, I'm a Mac Geek

And I'm damned proud to be one. Nuff said.

Other Adventures

Other things we did included a journey to the Fruit Loop, we I debated leaving behind my husband since he really had gone crazy with all the family warmth we shared. Then we started preparing for our huge 4th of July blowout. We've invited a lot of people, will they show up; we don't know. Will they bring food; we haven't a clue. What will happen, who knows? Meanwhile I've been spending days cleaning the house. I'm ready to bring in the big guns and hire a freaking service…Where is my husband's credit card anyway? I think he took it back, smart man, especially since I'm better at signing his name than he is.

© 2007 Whimsical Ranter
All Rights Reserved

Are We There Yet?

The First Week

Yes, school is out for summer here and already the kids are nearly bored. I only say nearly because of the afore posted about Wii seems to be holding their interest, maybe a little too well. Its not that they've been playing it whole lot, only in the evenings because there is NOTHING on TV right now and I don't care if they play. So far the kids are engrossed in the Paper Mario Game, so life is good at least for them. It's keeping them occupied effectively enough that they are staying out of my hair and behaving themselves. I'd say it's been a life saver.

My house however, is suffering the effects of having crap everywhere, and today, I even found a pair of my older kid's blue jeans in the kitchen!

In any event, we're on vacation all this week in fact today we're heading out to see the famed Spruce Goose (yes in all the years I lived in California, I never saw it there). So I'll be back in all my glory next week, with a complete update on everything we did, including my horrible (absolutely horrible) miniature golf score.


Until then…Ciao