Have a Band

I like to do these things once in a while.

1. Go to the Wikipedia home page and click random article. That is your band's name.
2. Click random article again; that is your album name.
3. Click random article 15 more times; those are the tracks on your album.


Band Name: Carlos Nieto [I'm thinking we're like Yo La Tengo]
Album Name: South Wellfield First School [must be our debut album, about where we went to school]

1. Thirty Cases of Major Zeman [sounds kinda Joni Mitchellesque]
   
2. Kelly Worden [now we're getting there ... whiny emo, perhaps?]
   
3. Gallagher Group [damn, that would have been a good band name]
   
4. Paks [jeez, that sounds offensive]
   
5. Abbey Nunatak [another girlfriend track]
   
6. Johannes Tinctoris [a song about a composer? Slipping off into prog land]
   
7. Beverly Glen, Los Angeles, California [our neighborhood? We're rich and like to complain]
   
8. Polo Park Racetrack [reminds me of Jethro Tull -- sing it to the tune of "Aqualung"]
   
9. Act of Uniformity 1552 [more prog]
   
10. Ophioglossum Vulgatum [jesus, more prog]
    
11. List of Communities in Saskatchewan [I thought we were Californian; maybe we just love Saskatchewan]
    
12. Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) [cover]
    
13. Hubert Ashton Holden [sounds like a crazy scientist from the nineteenth century]
    
14. Greatest Hits 1987-1997 [is this a parody?]
    
15. Michael Roesch [Hubert Ashton Holden's archenemy, I guess]
    

It looks like I'm a prog band, or something like Steely Dan. #12 and #14 are from music, and there's a composer or two mixed in there.

On the Search for a New Librarian

The search and screen committee met to find my new boss. We've got a short list of five, two of whom I am really rooting for. They are great! It took us a couple of hours to pick them out.

I have to say, though, that there's one person on the search and screen whom I think is a jerk. He only read the cover letters, and thus didn't get that one of the applicants does any outreach (she's only the top liaison librarian on campus). He derided another librarian's decision to get a juris doctorate and not practice law.

"That's a lot of money to waste," he said.

That pissed me off. I said, "It's not too uncommon to have a law degree and not be practicing. My father has a law degree, which he needs for his job, but he's not a practicing lawyer."

I just feel like he was too flippant about a lot of stuff. On the other hand, he is pretty direct, and I think that will help in the long run. So, he's jerky, but not without his place.

Clean Water Is What?!

So, the House has approved a spending bill. This is a good thing, for it means that the government can continue to function. I'm not grumpy about that. We need for something to be passed and approved soon, otherwise it's going to be the Clinton vs. Republican Congress of about ten years ago, where the federal government was shut down due to lack of money.

The thing that rankles me was at the end of the article, where a watchdog group called Taxpayers for Common Sense is mentioned. Apparently, they look for pork barrel projects. And listed among those pork barrel projects are water cleaning programs. Uh, excuse me? Since when is ensuring that the environment is safe for both humans and wildlife wasteful and wrongful spending? I guess the oil spills should just be left the way they are, lest someone consider the money spent on the cleanup to be unfairly appropriated. People are stupid sometimes.

Link

Life in Kalamazoo

My mother thinks my father has gone insane, too. I'm glad it's not just me. We talked over how guilty he appears to feel about losing Brooke. She thinks that has fueled his drive to get another bichon puppy. I have to agree, but I also think a bichon will be a better match for them. Mitzi was such a good girl, with not nearly the amount of mischief as Brooke had. Anyway, the new one is named Cody, and will be coming a week from Wednesday on an airplane from Missouri.

Mom's been having issues at work. It sounded like her evaluation went okay and that she has set some good goals for the next year. Her boss, however, is a bit nutty, and asked her if she wanted to take on an intern who is about the same age as my mother is and is currently working someplace where they could accommodate him as an intern.

Mom is hoping to make a job change soon. Borgess Hospital is going to be doing some restructuring, and she's hoping to find a position there. It would probably be a much better situation for her. She doesn't want long-term clients anymore; she wants to get a question and answer it.

It's Good to Know that Americans Aren't the Only Idiots

In what has to be one of the most humorous clerical errors of the year, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck were ordered to take the stand in a court case against a man who produced counterfeit goods featuring the animated creatures.

Honestly, I was expecting this to have taken place somewhere in America. It's refreshing and reassuring to know that, at least, Italians are just as stupid as we are. Who honestly would have thought that there were people out there with these names, and that they needed to report to the court and testify? I'm guessing that someone's going to be reprimanded for this.

That said, I don't want them to be treated too harshly. It at least brought some humor to the news, and proves that everyone is capable of brain dysfunction. If I were him or her, I'd try pushing the humor aspect to my boss!

Link

Arthur C. Clarke Turned Ninety

One of the minds behind the communications satellite and 2001: A Space Odyssey has turned ninety. I can't believe he's lived this long! That movie is one of my favorites. HAL is probably one of the best unintentional villains I've ever seen on-screen. And my undergraduate field of geography wouldn't be anyplace without the use of satellites for remote sensing and GPS observation of the Earth. Happy birthday, Mr. Clarke!

Link

Leno and O'Brien

They shall return! The two are coming back after the new year without their writers.

This is disturbing, but it's decent that Leno, O'Brien, and Letterman have been paying their staff's salaries while in negotiations to bring them back. Letterman's even been paying the staff of Craig Ferguson's show, since his production company produces both. It'd be nice if the writers and management could agree on something; there are other people who depend on the income from television shows, like cameramen. I have a friend out in L.A., and I'm sure that she's had to ask her parents for financial help.

Link

Plow Me Out!

On Saturday morning, I opened the door and found a piece of paper on the floor outside my apartment. I picked it up, and it proved to be a notice about our wonderful parking situation.

The weather here has meant lots of snow, and no melting. I've moved my car, but the plow has never come by while I've been out. That's meant extreme difficulty in getting in and out of my parking spot, which is a parallel parking spot on the side of the building. Management here decided that today would be an excellent day to plow. Which meant that we had to move our cars from 11 to 1 today. Which meant that I had to feed the meter and take my car to work with me, because I work in the morning on Mondays. Not a huge deal.

They weren't done, though, when I got home at 2:30. At least my area was finished, but you'd think they'd give a wider timeframe if they're requiring you to move your car.

I'm getting anxious for home. I'm sick of being away. I want my mommy and my daddy!

Ah, Hell, What Happened Yesterday?

Guess what? My father put a deposit down on a bichon from Missouri. He's flying up on the 26th of December. I swear, my parents are insane.

I went and got labels for the Christmas gifts, so I can start wrapping.

Diligent work has paid off; I've finished the granny squares for one of the blankets. Now I just have to sew them together and crochet the edges. Life is fun (except for when it's also cramp-inducing).

Health Insurance Gone Awry

God, how I hate insurance companies. I've made call after call, and it looks like I'm still going to have to pay up-front the $6700 for January (not to mention the money for August, September, and October). So, I guess life is going to suck big-time.

I just had a thought, though. I'll ask Mom if she thinks Grandma McDonald would be willing to lend me the money. I'd pay her back. I'm sure Mom's not going to be in favor of it, but it might be something Grandma would be willing to do.

Anyway, this sucks.

On the Other Hand . . .

I'm going to try to be positive today. Well, first a bit of negativity. No news on Brooke or where she has gotten herself. Now, on to the fun!

I went to see Beowulf today. Not just the plain old version. The 3-D version. In the IMAX theatre in Fitchburg. Expensive but fun.

It's really my fault that I didn't enjoy the movie a whole lot (gave it three out of five on Netflix). I've read Heaney's translation of the poem, as well as Eaters of the Dead and Grendel. Every time I think the story's completely gross. Why did I think this was going to be different? I have no idea what I was thinking. So, yeah, Grendel is incredibly gross. He's basically a skeleton giant with bloody, sinewy flesh. And he does eat one guy's head. Not wonderful viewing.

Beowulf is not, I would argue, the actual hero of the movie. I think Wealthow, the wife of first Hrothgar and then Beowulf, is. She's not interested in the boasting and glory-seeking like her husbands were (and whose hubris caused all the problems with the demons). She manages to be kind to the woman who shares Beowulf's bed, and tries to keep things together. Yeah, she and Wiglaf are the two fully virtuous characters.

Also, there's a lot of nudity in this movie. Now, I knew that going in, but it seems like Beowulf is stripping down whenever he gets the chance. Closet nudist, I declare! I'm not saying this is a bad thing; if Ray Winstone's real-life body is anything like his animated body, his significant other(s) is/are lucky. (I know nothing about his personal life.) A bigger deal with those online was the nudity of Angelina Jolie's character (Grendel's mother). I don't get this; I thought she looked about as sexy as an Emmy award. Her body's all gold and she has this freaky prehensile braid. Simply nonhuman, and thus not remotely arousing. In my opinion.

One last issue – I didn't like the ending. I'm not going to ruin it for the random person who actually reads this crap. But because of the development of Wiglaf's personality, I felt that what ended up happening is not the greatest.

New Stress to Replace the Old Stress

Just got a notice that my medical bills at Mayo are probably going to go to a collection company. Here's the full story:

I have two insurance companies, the one through work, and the one through Dad. The one through work just pays for stuff in Madison. But because they are the one that's just for me, they have to be listed as my primary insurance company. We didn't find that out until January of this year. So, we got them that information over at Mayo. Then it took forever for the primary insurance to deny the claims – sometime in August, I got notice. So, I'm assuming that then Mayo or the primary insurance will let the secondary insurance know. Except the primary insurance doesn't let Mayo know that they have denied the claim, and when I called in October, Mayo said that they don't do billing for secondary insurance. (Why bother putting it on your fucking forms, then?)

So we've had to do an end-run, making copies of the denial slips and sending them to the secondary insurance company. This is taking some time. Frustrating!

And people wonder why I've been suicidal. Every time I turn around, there's something new and horrific to deal with. This sucks.

Business as Usual

Ran my ass off today, but got everyone taken care of for Christmas now. Here's the list (if you know me, don't look):

• Mom
  
  • Nellie McKay CD
    
  • Make-Your-Own-Necklace bead strands and connector
    
  • Two packs of notecards
    
  • Memory book
    
• Dad
  
  • Scientific discoveries book
    
  • Bird call book with a player for the bird calls
    
  • Memory book
    
• Grandma McDonald
  
  • Memory book
    
• Lew
  
  • Fish woodcarving book
    
  • Waterfowl woodcarving magazine
    
• Grandma Cameron
  
  • Memory book
    
• Uncle John
  
  • Baseball book
    
• Uncle Don and Aunt Sandra
  
  • Mixing bowls with tops
    
• Matt
  
  • Cooler with built-in radio
    
• Roxy
  
  • Shawl
    
• Nate
  
  • Cooler with built-in radio
    
• Jen
  
  • Shawl
    
• Katie
  
  • An Inconvenient Truth, version for young adults
    
  • Book by Carl Hiaasen (not Hoot, but similar topic)
    
• Destiny (she of the last-name mix-up)
  
  • Jewelry box kit
    
  • Jewelry kit
    
  • Finger puppets (3)
    
• Kylee
  
  • Onesie
    
• Sonja
  
  • Onesie
    
• Lori and Zach
  
  • Gift card for Olive Garden
    
  • Canister of popcorn
    
• Christina
  
  • Locking art supply box
    
• Trevor
  
  • Book on cats
    

Kylee and Sonja were going to get crocheted blankets, but my right hand became inflamed after some concentrated hook work, so those aren't going to get done in time.

On the dog front, Brooke is still missing. Dad and Mom are seriously looking at getting another bichon (or at least another animal in the bichon family). Dad's flat-out said that Brooke was too much dog for them, and they'll probably look into finding her a new home if she comes back.

By the way, how the hell are you supposed to spell onesie? I have no idea, and this spelling isn't one that Word recognizes. It does suggest "noisy" and "onsite," though.

Tasks for Today

I must do some things today! They are:

• Go to bank and deposit check. Also, get $20.
  
• Mail the rest of the Christmas cards I have done.
  
• Go to Kohl's and get some pajamas.
  
• Get some more Christmas cards (though I only need two, so, small box).
  
• Go to the University Book Store and get cousins' gifts. Also, look for something for Aunt and Uncle and the Makis.
  
• Wrap presents (although that can be pushed off).
  

Busy day, but hopefully fewer people than will be out tomorrow.

Why Must Everything Suck?

Okay, so I am at home, and I have absolutely no connection to the Internet now. Life is so fun!

On the bright side, I'm noticing that, while I can't stop myself from eating whatever's in the house, it does make me a lot more uncomfortable than it did. I'm still plotting – should I just stop taking the prednisone or go back on all my other drugs? Of course, I can't talk to anyone about this, because I'm supposedly still on the ursodiol, the Asacol. Oh, and on the certraline. And the multivitamin. And the calcium. And I'm pretty sure that I should be going to the psychiatrist. Screw it!

Well, not everything sucks. Craig Ferguson has Joss Stone on, and she is a lot more down-to-earth than I thought she would be. Maybe I'll decide to like her now. I've been boycotting her because she hasn't finished high school, but maybe that's being a tad irrational. I'm fairly certain that there are many artists I adore who haven't graduated from high school, and I just don't know it. She certainly has talent. So I'm thinking I'm just stupid. He also has Rainn Wilson on. He's Baha'i, apparently. I would never have guessed.

Mom might have found a job out with Borgess. She and Dad could carpool, if that were the case. That would be pretty awesome!

The dog's still missing. Dad's been doing searches for bichon breeders. I'm just hoping Brooke is okay, and wasn't hit by a car or picked up by someone who will treat her poorly. They'd only had her for five months.

Just Remembered Something Else

Bastard forgot my Christmas present a couple years ago. Bastard.

I'm hoping this will get it all out of my system before I have to go and see them. I already feel fat and gross from the prednisone. I don't need this shit biting me, too.

I’m Obviously Wrong to Send Christmas Cards to Five-Year-Olds

I am probably a completely irrational person, but I feel so angry and guilty I can barely keep it in right now. The whole thing started with Christmas cards, believe it or not.

I sent a card to my cousin's stepdaughter, and put her biological father's last name on it. I got back an email from him that was judicious, but made it clear that he and his wife were pissed about the use of the last name – don't want her to ask about the biological father, don't want her to know about the biological father, and so on. That's their prerogative, and I wrote back saying that I'm perfectly cool with using his or her last name. But I said that I have three last names written next to her first name, and I really have to think about what one is wanted whenever I send something, because they've never made preferences known. But now I know, and I can at least scribble that name out of my address book.

Then I got to thinking about it, and, you know, if they'd made their preferences clear from the get-go, this wouldn't have been an issue. He said to use his last name, and I know I've been sending things under his wife's last name, and they've not said anything. I don't know her that well, and I'm pretty sure I just spaced on which name was hers. The more I've been thinking about it, the more angry I get – this is a situation where, if they'd made their preferences known when they got married, it wouldn't be an issue.

And today, I got to thinking that I do a lot more support of them than they do of me. I've been having some real medical issues, and the only person on that side of the family who's even contacted me is my grandmother. I don't get anything from my aunt and uncle, and I don't get anything from him or his brother. I'm so sick of trying to be nice and kind and not being treated the same way in return. I'm really tempted to feign sickness over Christmas to avoid these asses. Which isn't fair; they aren't really asses. They're thoughtless and rather selfish, but not asses. I'm sick of trying to do nice things and getting shat on for doing them.

Well, I think I've just come to a realization. If they would rather not get cards with the wrong name on them, then I'll just not send cards. At all. Fair enough? I think so. Fuck it.

They never did anything when I was first severely ill, either. I was close to death, and the only one who did anything was my grandmother. Well, and her niece and her husband. They're great people. I'm sick of feeling like I'm alone in the world. It's hard enough being away in a different state from my parents, and this has really made me realize that I can't rely on those people to feel anything for me. They're concerned with their own lives, which, okay, they should be. But I already know that I won't get cards from them for Christmas, and I won't get birthday cards, either. Jesus, I hate these people. I wish I had someone I could share this stuff with.

Oh, and happy birthday, Dad. I hope Brooke comes home.