A Collection of Random Randomness

1. Crazy people who argue about whether the dinosaur statue in Oakland is a rhinoceros or not make me edgy, especially when they attempt to involve me in their debate (thank you iPod with Bose in-ear headphones!) This pair rides my bus quite often, always sits in the last pair of seats in the back on the left-hand side and somehow believes that periodical ejaculations of "come awhnn" and "move bus, move" will make the bus go faster.

2. I think I witnessed a performance piece from my office window this morning. Across the street a group of college students took over a parking space, rolled out a section of fake turf carpet, set up a plastic table and chairs and a cast iron and wood park bench and proceeded to hang out in the space, playing cards, talking and entertaining visitors. I found myself wondering a. if they had put money in the meter and b. how they managed to score a parking space on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill at noon-ish.

3. This afternoon on my way back downtown I actually listened to a young woman end every sentence with a question? Like this? You know? She was like, really into photography? And going to take pictures of a game on Sunday? And maybe [her friend] should come along?

4. Happiness really is a warm, purring, headbutting, cuddly kitty. And an empty house.

5. Chris Maverick.*

*He knows what this means.

Hockey Season

It is uncomfortably warm today, a bookend to yesterday's high humidity. The air is deeply saturated with pollen, making my over medicated self (inhaler + antihistamine/asthma pill) barely north of miserable. It has been one of those days when my clothes don't seem to fit properly – the bras are too tight, the t-shirts too small, the pants too snug. I could put on the same clothes tomorrow and everything will fit fine. Today though, I am uncomfortable.

J and I gathered with the rest of our merry group of Penguins fans last night to split up the season tickets. Every year I am amazed at how civilized it is. We sit around a table, order food and alcohol and proceed to calmly negotiate who will get each game. Every year every one at the table walks away happy.

There are some rules. D and B get the season opener, as they hold the account and must deal with the hassle of paying for the tickets. J and I usually get the last home game, as we buy in for the most number of games (15 this year). B also likes to attend any game that is giving away a bobble head doll, but willing to trade those games away in exchange for us giving one of the dolls to her. I love seeing all the Leafs fans in the Igloo, so one of the two Leafs games goes to J and myself every year. Everything else is open for discussion.

This year is a little bit different, as we initially gave up both Leaf games because of prior commitments. Ironically, one of those commitments fell through less than 18 hours after the ticket split, so now I am emailing and pleading for the October 18th game back.

Also different this year was the number of cross conference games we will be attending. The NHL adjusted to the schedule to ensure that each team plays every other team in the league at least once. So J and I will not only (hopefully) be attending our annual Leafs game (same conference, but whatever), we will also have an opportunity to see the Penguins play against Los Angeles, Minnesota, Edmonton and Calgary.

And, painfully, the Detroit Red Wings. J and I may sell the tickets to that one. It is not the Hossa deal. I still think that anyone who believed for a second that he would stay with the Penguins after the end of the season needed to step outside and get some fresh air. And stay outside until their head cleared. However long it would take.

I still believe it was a bad trade that netted zero long term prospects for success and resulted in the loss of two excellent forwards in Christensen and Armstrong.

Putting all of that aside, the most painful part of losing to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals (because they were the better team) was that Ty Conklin could not find one damn team willing to pay him more more money then... Detroit.

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.

My Faith in Humanity...

...of the personal and the universal has taken a beating in the past week. So much so that I actually lost my normal reserve of self control towards friends of other political persuasions and called a Republican acquaintance a “raving lunatic asshole” after reading his “Democrats hate women” crack on Facebook. My friend took the full text of my comment down (his right, his page) but also seems to have reined in the snark some. Mind you, the crack came on the heels of a slam against Obama for not supporting a half brother in Kenya (who has stated he does not want Obama's assistance), one he never knew existed until several years ago.

I'm not ashamed of what I said. John McCain choosing Palin as his running mate makes me insane. It makes me insane that woman who got where she is because of the hard work and devotion of thousands of feminist predecessors is fully prepared to dismantle everything those women fought for.

It makes me insane that McCain chose Palin to pander to a segment of the population that is disaffected with the Democrats over the treatment of Hillary Clinton. It makes me even more insane to know that some people are going to fall for it.

It makes me insane to hear McCain and Palin and other Republican water carriers

And he might win. That is the most crazy making thought of all. McCain might win and my country will continue its right wing nutjob slide towards oblivion.

People suck.

Compounding my frustration is the fact that I did a favor for a friend a week ago and have received no acknowledgment for my effort. My follow-up emails have been ignored and I am feeling bruised and used. And not just a little bit pissed about it.

Throw in the postal employee who got angry and yelled at me for coming to his window before he was ready and the mean people who made YouTube take down all the McCain Barack Rolling videos and I'm just about ready to call it a night on the universe.

Laughing my *** Off

Because there have been too many moments in the past several days when I have just wanted to cry...

From the following delightful news:

1. Simon Pegg will be starring in an adaptation of Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. As a closet Graydon Carter fan, I loved Young's recounting of his disastrous stint working for Carter and Vanity Fair.

2. John McCain gets Barack Rolled!



As a side note, that one phrase at the beginning of the video is the most I have heard out of John McCain's mouth. I don't think there is any surprise about where my loyalties lie this election cycle.

Just a Little Fun for Labor Day

Regular posting to begin again soon as the Steelers are in season, the Penguins are about to begin training camp and it is fall, so the crazies will be returning to the bus lines.

Until then, courtesy of xkcd...