Liberty, or something akin to it

This week I was greeted by the Statue of Liberty. This was somewhat surprising since i am nowhere near New York. It really takes someone special, marching to his own beat (though he was drumless), to dress up in full green Statue regalia and greet people in below-freezing weather. There he was, in all the glory of Liberty's crown and gown, meeting and greeting people on the side of the road as we drove past [him?] in rush hour traffic. I assume his message was one of liberty, but it was kind of hard to tell exactly what the symbolic nature of his waving meant: he had no sign, nor was he speaking out loud. But it definitely put a smile on my face at the end of a long day to put my own message on it (which might have been the point), that someone would care enough about our liberty to remind us of it on a cold day in an unusual way.

Time to Celebrate....

Happy Birthday to my good friend, Kari(licious)!

(OK, I know it was a balmy 45 degrees here in the Twin Cities today, but not this warm...Although the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice sculptures were melting almost fast enough to look like these fountains. This pic of the two of us is from a road trip to the Windy City...Good times, just like your surprise party tonight was.)

a quick note to the world

I am still surviving - for once I might not get the entire cold. I'm still on the borderline, though, so I hope I don't tip over the edge...

OK, so am I strange? Undoubtedly. I hate racking up miles on my car, but if one must do so in order to get anywhere, shouldn't you find what little joy there is in racking up said miles? (I mean, besides the driving itself, of course, which is an entirely different story.) So, lately I've been enjoying watching my car's odometer wander through the 60K range. For example, it brought be great amusement to notice that my car was on 65656 miles yesterda. I can't wait until 66666 just to see if I have a really horrible day...

Speaking of driving to work (which is really the only place I go), I'm looking at shortening my drive time. I'm apartment searching with my future roommate Kari. It's been interesting thus far. I'll keep you posted, but I will definitely be watching the miles on my car flip more slowly when I'm done...

Since I'm on the subject of work, I announce to you that I like my job with the MN Senate. It's been great, and I'm looking forward to when session actually starts and things get really crazy. I have the feeling I'll find it immensely fun and entertaining (in between severe bouts of stress?).

And since so many of these things are converging at once (Senate session starts March 1st here in the land of Minny, and I'll be moving into the new place pretty much the same time), my life will get exciting very fast. Look for updates on my sanity at a later date.

Finally, readers, I am looking forward to beginning a new class this evening. I leave it to you to guess, but it is in the fitness realm, involves dance-like movement, and requires those finger cymbals I got as a gag gift several years ago...

Poll Results: New Year's Resolutions

"Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." ---Mark Twain

Results:
45% make them, but don't bother to keep them (see quote above)
27% each for making/keeping them (oh, you goody-goodies out there) and not making/keeping them (pessimists)

And so ends the New Year's 2006 Resolutions poll.

New Poll: Olympics on TV

The Winter Olympics are shortly upon us, and I was just curious: how many hours of televised Olympics coverage do you plan to watch beginning February 10th? All 418 (yes, that's 418 now, not 416), 0, or somewhere in between? Before you glue yourself to your couch to watch the Games, take a guess & vote (and then after they're over, see how close you were in your prediction).

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Surely that phrase must refer to the common cold. Only this thing that I've been trying not to get doesn't seem very common. It's felling many people in these parts, both great and small.

Have you ever just known that you were coming down with something, and then tried to ward it off? Popped vitamins like candy, gone to bed early, guzzled orange juice like it was going out of style? Hmmm. I have. To no avail, of course. And yet, hope persists.

Since Friday evening, I have just known I was going to get this awful cold (that members of my family and several co-workers have). I have had all the classic symptoms (scratchy throat, stuffed nose, headache), and yet it hasn't reached the boiling point thus far. So I snoozed the weekend away and drank lots of OJ because I somehow think that by doing so I won't get the whole enchilada. do I really think that'll work? No, not really; I don't remember it ever working before. but so far, so good. I guess I'm still in the hopeful/denial stage.

I'll let you know how that works out for me.

Quote of the moment

"More than once...I've turned to Howard Dean in desperation, looking for material. On a slow news day, when the usual sources of outrage and farce are tapped dry, Dean is always there: a bottomless well of almost unbelievable quotes. He's as reliable as taxes, and far more amusing. The average 10-minute Howard Dean interview contains more headlines than a month of the Congressional Record. For a journalist on deadline, Howard Dean is like Santa." ---Tucker Carlson

The crazies are emerging....

...it must be an election year.

So, if you thought Jesse Ventura was insane enough as guv, well, you haven't seen the latest in the line of psychos who want to rule MN. check out this guy. Yes, folks, the Impaler is planning on tossing his hat in the crazy world of the MN gubernatorial campaign this year.

(I doubt he'll go far. True 'nough, I didn't think Jesse would win, either, but this time I think I'm right. Jesse didn't make his "religion is a crutch" or other off-the-wall speeches until after he won. My question is for this guy's wife, Julie: did she know what she was getting into when she married him?)

Quote of the moment

"Variety reported a disappointing Christmas box office Tuesday. Hollywood can only blame itself. When the plot lines include girl meets ape, two gay cowboys, and a singing and dancing Hitler, the Red States are just grateful to have football." ---Argus Hamilton

***And boy, what a game the other night!***

Mouse thrown into fire sets home ablaze

From the "Oddly Enough" category of the St. Paul Pioneer Press...

Mouse thrown into fire sets home ablaze
Associated Press

FORT SUMNER, N.M. - A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man's house and set it on fire. Luciano Mares, 81, of Fort Sumner said he caught the mouse inside his house and wanted to get rid of it.
"I had some leaves burning outside, so I threw it in the fire, and the mouse was on fire and ran back at the house," Mares said from a motel room Saturday.
Village Fire Chief Juan Chavez said the burning mouse ran to just beneath a window, and the flames spread up from there and throughout the house.
No was hurt inside, but the home and everything in it was destroyed.
Unseasonably dry and windy conditions have charred more than 53,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes in southeastern New Mexico in recent weeks.
"I've seen numerous house fires," village Fire Department Capt. Jim Lyssy said, "but nothing as unique as this one."

Eating Oddities

Today I went out to lunch with a couple of friends, and I must confess to choosing my entree based on the fact that it involved "Drunken Goat Cheese."

(It was really good, both in taste and conversation opportunities.)

first day

I started the new job today. I think this'll be a good year.

My only "complaint" is really not a complaint, but seems to be a universal issue: getting used to a new mouse. I always have difficulty getting used to the little critter, and today was no different. It takes weeks for me to remember the feel of the new one (especially when I still use the "old" one here at home). Here, I have this great mouse that has those handy-dandy back and forward buttons on it. Wanna go back a page on the internet? Just click it with your right thumb. Forward? Flick your ring finger. I do it all the time. Well, the new mouse at the office doesn't have that. I kept trying to click a phantom button all day long. But it does have the scroller, so I'm very happy it's not totally different. That might've taken me months to adjust!

And then there were all the other exciting things, like getting my ID badge (in which I look like an idiot, but then so does everyone else in theirs, right?), and dropping off my paperwork, and picking up my parking permit, and all sorts of fun stuff.

January 1st, 2006

Happy New Year, all.

Happy birthday to my cousin, Rachel.