Seven failures of the American government, as sponsored by the American electorate

Seven failures of the American government, as allowed by the American electorate

 

  1. Reconstruction turned out to be a long term plot to incarcerate and disenfranchise American citizens
  2. Using predictable attacks on American soil as an excuse to lock down and infantilize an entire country
  3. Failing to heed Eisenhower regarding the military industrial complex
  4. Kleptocracy is now established as the permanent setting for government
  5. Not comprehending that America was founded as a country of free men, not free Christians
  6. Media driving and not reporting the news
  7. Lack of meaningful and results based education + inexpensive distractions = incompetent electorate

One thing and another

There are kestrels nesting across the alley, and DARWIN’S BEARD do they make a lot of noise when they are peeved.

Jeff is an evil, evil, man; without much effort he got me addicted to ER, and there’s ONLY 15 seasons of that. (Keith, sitting in for a while, “Clooners gotta Cloon” with respect to the unholy young looking George Clooney, who takes three facial expressions and plays them hard.) So far my fave character is Haleh, with Drs Greene and Carter in rapid close order.

Jeff, Keith and I are catching up in Breaking Bad and should be caught up to the new seasons (they are calling it seasons 5 and 6 even though it’s two lots of 8 episodes each, coming out at different times). What an intense show; but when it’s funny it’s truly gutbusting.

Hosting a housefilk on Saturday. SO looking forward to it!

Everytime I think there can’t possibly be another sign of the apocalypse, Eris run amok in my metaphors & slimes the goalposts.

New Baddies in the Midnite Moving Co. universe. The Nosoi! The demonic embodiments of human illness.

“Like a human plague!?”

“Cue comment about all your ex-boyfriends.”

I’m thinking of offering Atheist Tarot Readings. Would anybody buy that? How about Steampunk Tarot readings? Well, sheesh, forget I mentioned it.

Gotta go outside and turn the keys over and spray the other side of them now. Got a lovely assortment of steampunkin keys.

I hope you all have a lovely day, it looks like it’s going to be a good one.

Saturday housefilk Lazy Sunday

Sunday wasn’t actually 100% lazy, we put the awning back up in the back deck. They did SUCH A SH*TTY JOB of power washing. Water POURED into the house and soaked some rugs and wrecked some laundry soap. Jeff exposed me to ER, which I never got to watch because Paul and I didn’t have cable for most of the time we lived together.

Saturday, the housefilk was totally amazing; Jeri Lynn and Jeff came up from Seattle and so there was CELLO and BASS and DULCIMER AND 12 STRING and BANJOLA and OCTAVE MANDOLIN and 6 STRING and OCARINA and BODHRAN and we sang played ate drank mint tea, rinse repeat, until almost 11 pm. THANK YOU TOM AND PEGGY FOR HOSTING, my place next Saturday. Cousin Lexi was there and she choked with laughter when we played a Habitrail named Klein.

Today I’m going to have lunch with Dustiny (I am joking with his name) and I’m looking forward to it as I am already planning to order Butter Chicken with extra cilantro.

Today I am baking biscotti and working on some other money making stuff. Also since I’m in the mood, more song notation. (It goes much faster when I am not forcing myself).

Everybody have a lovely day!

Friday teh 13th o noes.

Today the horror of the landlord’s minion coming to pressure wash the back deck, which will probably disassemble, it’s so rickety (or at least parts of it are).

Last night the horror of the evil across the street black and white cat whom I narrowly missed ejecting from the house. He came in and started fighting with Eddy, who has taken to guarding the cat door with Margot sitting about three metres back from him. Margot is showing signs of developing a healthier regard for her skin than has been evident previously.

Saw Brave yesterday with the kids and Katie’s beau, who was much distracted by the transmission on his month old car crapping out. I really enjoyed it. Lovely animation with some awesome sight gags.

Had a fucking uninspired and oversalted meal at Ihop yesterday, but Tamara’s company more than made up for it. We caught up (it’s been AGES since I saw her, like 10 years or something equally ludicrous) and LAUGHED our faces off. She looks radiant with health and enthusiasm and that is a special privilege to be around.

Too hot to bake today so I’ll go off and do other business related things, god knows there’s a list a mile long. I’ve already practiced and I’m just finishing up the instrument case for Otto so it will be ready tomorrow. I need to find some upholstery tacks.

Lunch happened dinner didn’t.

Thank you LTGW for a superb lunch and the even more amazing and gratitude inducing pep talk afterwards.  You da man, I loves you, blah blah blah woof woof.

On another subject entirely….

After many years of sober consideration, aided by being up Too Fracking Early, I have come to the conclusion I should no longer use LOL.  Instead, this serves as a public notice that if you have amused me with your ideas and posts and pix and whatnot, I will in future being SVQ – Snickering Very Quietly.

Today, Lunch with Tamara, movie with the kids.  Me happy!

Long and McQuade solved my closure problems!  For twenty bucks I got 10 feet of 2 inch gluebacked black velcro.  Also more straps, guitar cleaner, and OF COURSE I FORGOT TO GET A HEADSTOCK TUNER, the one thing I actually NEEDED from the store. Estupido, muy estupido.

Lovely to talk to Tammy (different Tammy) this morning.  She saw Gaudi’s Holy Family in Barcelona, happy sigh.

 

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon quote

To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place[d] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.

Various

Work continues on the instrument case.  I cleaned watch parts yesterday and handcrafted 5 steampunkins from modelling clay.  Who knows when it will be cool enough to actually bake them. We did a shop and I found out that the MacStation wants 200 DOLLARS to replace the battery in the MacBook.  I just about seized having checked prices on line for a third of that.  Jeff was quietly unsparing in his mockery, but dang.

Housefilk at Tom and Peggy’s yesterday – to my amazement nobody had heard Lady Miss B’s “It’s Just so Nice When Someone Knows Your Name,” which in my opinion is a filk follower for “Slimfast and Methadone” which is my meditation on the vagaries of fame – although I would have to say that “Nice” is funnier by a wide margin.  So I sang it and Tom snagged a copy of the lead sheet.  Denise and Nikki as always WANTED TO SING ROUNDS.  So gosh darn it, we did.   They also had a tune about a cow and a dragon, and an Eric Bogle song about the ruination of the English language which convulsed all present with laughter and admiration (Silly Slang Song, PDF from Ericbogle.net), and a perfectly vile little number entitled “If I had a Penis” which was also hilarious.  And we all brought something to the table, Keith even sang Willie Boy and K., Shad’s daughter, sang one tune and played Zelda music on the ocarina, which is only going to make sense to a gamer.  Paul had to skate off early to work but it was good to see him as it was the first time since the funeral. Keith and K. had both gone to FanExpo so they traded pics on their respective camera phones (it’s always good when the kids get along). Shad as always cued up lots of Echo’s Children tunes (K singing along, as it was ‘the soundtrack of her childhood’) and Tom tried to stay awake and noodled (Tom is working six days at his new / old/ recycled business).  We did a little bluegrass too.  And of course, EVERYTHING goes better with bass.  Tom and Peggy whomped up awesome food and I am a better person for it.

With friends like these, one lives in pleasant anticipation of what further delights beckon!!!

Blah to rah!

I’ve had a blah couple of days  but that’s all going to change because HOUSEFILK.  You know, the thinks wot make like worth living.

I am learning three new songs, one by the Dandy Warhols, one by Tears for Fears, and one by Lady Miss Banjola.

The hell I do all day?

I completed two steampunk craft projects today (Distressed Cogs handbag and Steam-Bling Parasol (finally used the peel-and-stick copper foil)), got my repaired shoe back from Fluevog, practiced mandolin, hit Dressew for some sequins and some reflective piping, & had many people on E Hastings try to sell me smokes.  It was 18 months ago today I quit smoking, I fervently hope for the last time. Oh, and I saw the Brian Jonestown Massacre/Dandy Warhol doc(ew-drama), Dig.  Courtenay Taylor makes my widdy heart sing.

Happy 4th of July to my American readers

All three of you!

Kaitlin’s memorial service was yesterday, 300 attended.  Keith said it was all very appropriate.  I am very glad he was there; he made a lot of personal and financial sacrifices to be there and to do the right thing, and was loving and supportive to the folks who needed it.

Today I go collect my repaired kicks, go to Dressew, and wander around downtown in the sunshine getting some exercise which I desperately need.

I can hear Jeff working out downstairs; he’s a lot happier since he started exercising again.

Keith is going to come over before work today, but I’ll probably be gone.

I am going nuts trying to notate the theme for my imaginary TV show (not that one, the other one).  It’s very annoying. I think my problem is that I don’t understand what key to notate it in as my usual cheat for determining it doesn’t seem to be working.

Off I go now…

roundup

Mohenjo Daro one of the (in my view) current wonders of the world, is dying, disappearing, thanks in part to the poverty and incompetence of the government in charge of it.

A great collection of reaction gifs, some not safe for work.

If you want to find out what an ultra-thin and flexible BRDF [bidirectional reflectance distribution function] is, follow this link.   safe for work

This is no way to greet the dawning future, except that it is true.  safe for work.

I spoke to Lois, Kaitlin’s mother, last night (thank you Keith for arranging that).  She is doing about as well as can be expected. I don’t have much more to say.  I mostly listened.  I am very thankful that she has the support of so many family members and friends right now.

 

Roundup

Anderson Cooper has finally come out as gay.  We can now go back to our normally scheduled, completely unwarranted and entirely jejune speculations about the sexuality of other people we don’t know.

South Vancouver Island has something called a (link removed for security) Permablitz.

Slap me on my ass and send me to Mars.

And there was a silence in the internet …. darned leap second.

Wow, a guide for moving back home.

Apes with Apps.