April 23, 2007

Amalgam

Its been a timultuous month, personally, work, and otherwise. Another visit with the skin doctor today, followed by court tomorrow. Work has been hectic, with a bomb threat lock-down on campus happening late last week sending everyone home. The world is going all freaky.

Spent most of Sunday watching the recap of the Attorney General's testimony before the Senate. erm, yeah. I don't have a lot of confidence for the highest level attorney in the land when he doesn't have a strong grasp on what is going on in his department and fails to look behind the recommendations he is handed. When you find yourself answering a lot of questions with "I don't recall" there is a severe problem, especially when you are an attorney/past judge. And they wonder why confidence is shaken with the Justice Department... hmmm wonder why. This administration is messed up, everyone works for the White House rather than the country. I am over all of them.

As for the whole Imus thing, I personally think he deserved to be fired for his choice of words. Yes there is freedom of speech, however there are repercussions for saying the wrong things... you can't yell "fire" unless its true, you can't incite riot, you can't speak anything untrue about another... without a consequence. The man is a radio talk show host... he is there to make statements that are edgy and controversial, this time it slapped him in the face. He chose to make disparaging comments about a specific group of women. These were not celebrities, nor professional athletes, that are used to opinions and rag articles being made about them. These are college students... come on already. It's not okay to excuse something done by one person just because some other group gets away with it. Wrong is wrong on both counts.

If I see one more "news" story about Anna Nicole Smith I am going to blow a vessel. This stuff isn't news, its crap. Hello people out there in journalism land... there are wars going on out there... i want to know what the hell is going on with that every day, not this schlock crap. The whole problem with this country is that its the armed forces that are at war and not the country... we haven't dedicated or geared our public system to wartime (like they did in WWII)... we aren't making any personal sacrifices (conserving gas, collecting metal, bandages, care-packaging, wartime industrials, war bonds to fund)... its almost beneath and beyond our notice... and inconvenience to our everyday run of the mill lives. We allowed our government to send them to these places and don't expect answers on what is happening to them everyday... what they are going through... we want to see the latest bit about paternity of an unfortunate baby.

Going to be heading to Florida for a couple of weeks in the May to take care of my cousin while my Uncle is away in the Phillipines. Last time he went, he left his brother in charge and things worked out badly. Did I mention that I hate Florida? Too hot, bugs, breathing like you're underwater with all the humidity... bleck

I think my car is starting to get on its last legs. Its a marathon now to see how long it lasts.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:59 PM

April 03, 2007

Another year older. Funny, but I don't feel any different now than I did when I was 21, 25, or 30.

Posted by Ravennacht at 02:24 PM

March 30, 2007

Birthday MeMe

I stole this from KatKat

How to do it to....Go to Wikipedia and type in your Birthday month and day only.

List 3 Events that occurred that day.
1996 - Suspected "Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski is arrested at his Montana cabin.
1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech.
1941 - Hungarian, Italian and German troops march into Yugoslavia.

List 2 Important Birthdays
1961 - Eddie Murphy, American actor and comedian
1972 - Jennie Garth, American actress

List 1 Death
33 - Jesus, central figure of Christianity (traditional dating) (b. 1 BC, traditionally)

List a Holiday or Observance. (if any):
Sometimes Easter and.....
Sizdah be dar (Outdoor thirteen). In Iran, people play jokes on each other on April 3, the thirteenth day of the Persian calendar new year (Norooz).

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:18 PM

March 28, 2007

Adopt, anyone?

Why is it that bad things seem to travel in packs. This family is a mess:

* Cancerous tissue removed, again.
* Fist fight between two of the uncles, at the office, in which one supposedly bites the other, while the other gets knocked out to the floor. Now there are restraining orders and restrictions of work time when such and such is there.
* Uncle out of the country to the Phillipines, again, leaving his child with another uncle who decides to drink a lot and not go to work for a week. Child (underage) decides to drive his car (yes he has one already) around without a license.
* Another uncle moves in with his recovering brother, starts drinking and breaking rules, gets thrown out within a week.
* Cousin having tonsils removed.
* Pressure from creditors to pay grandfather's debts. Inventory due to the Court. Everyone keeps moving, hard to find them.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:25 PM

February 21, 2007

I see you shiver...

The Probe is off to the mechanic on the back of a flatbed. Stuck in park (it does start)... I don't THINK it's the transmission because I never heard any strange noises or lurches the last time I drove it... Lord only knows. Now entering freak out period of anticipation. The one thing I can't handle... when your mind starts blowing things out of proportion and you start over preparing yourself for the worst. I just hope to god it's not some catastrophic price. I can't afford it.

Must ride into work with another tomorrow. Take their car to Wapak to pay my Uncle's real estate taxes (late, see prior entry)... drive back to Lima and go to the college to work... drive to Apollo and work. yada yada yada ad nauseum.

Posted by Ravennacht at 08:36 PM

February 18, 2007

Sign of the Times

My patience level is wearing thin.

Dealing with these estate bills sends me into tirading fits. We finally got bank statements for Grandfather's bank accounts for the last year and notice how he wasn't paying bills since a year november. Taking large cash withdrawals. I totalled the credit card debt on the credit report and came up with over 40k in debt, before the federal tax lien. Considering how all of his credit cards were paid off in 2004 when he went into the nursing home for emergency care... and based on the fact that he has absolutely no assets to explain 40K in debt... nor did he go anywhere... nor gamble. One can only get more and more suspicious of a certain someone with the new van, new deck on the back porch, etc etc etc. Will now have to pull the credit cards together and try to get itemizations for these charges to see what was being purchased.

My uncle decides to send an email explaining how he is in the Phillipines again. Let's leave my son at home with my brother and just up and leave the country again. Where is the common sense in the world. How he is seeing how supportive a family is supposed to be and all. (which i take as a slap in the face) Oh, and pretty much letting us know that he forgot to pay his property taxes and could we be kind enough to handle it for him, thanks. Now given that they were due on the 15th and tomorrow is a legal holiday, its pretty much late now.

Cap that all off with the fact that my car refuses to move, I am stressed out.

Not feeling especially well all the way around. Im just tired of listening to b.s. from people and dealing with their problems when they don't seem to give a crap about mine. Harsh I know, but you know what... I say nothing and get nothing. What's one more pissed off family member, like they give a shit that i am.

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:14 PM

February 14, 2007

And there was snow

Plenty of snow on the ground right now. At least a couple of feet. The back porch door is completely covered, banked all the way past the handle. The roof looks like a mirror of the ground, with huge banks on it. The car started at least, but I about burst my lungs trying to dig it out with the cold stealing every breath... it's "mostly" out now, though I will need to take another shift with the shovel to excavate more of it out. I wish I had a snow mobile to go out on, its definitely mobile weather. No work or school today either. County is still under blizzard alert, no one allowed on the road.

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:53 AM

January 23, 2007

Weblog Changes

Decided to change up the weblog a bit. Got tired of the seams on the background image so threw down some nice stained wood. I have added links for my music playlists, which I have been amending often. You will note that the comment system has changed... there was a major issue with the old system, I am sure the new comment code will work just as well. Will be adding more links for the radio station as well.

Posted by Ravennacht at 02:31 PM

October 16, 2006

Internet Connection Loss

Been without internet since Thursday late when the cable went KABLOOOEY. They finally came today and put a band-aid on the system, but handed down the ominous warning that they would be back to completely redo all the lines. Seems that since the cable system has traded hands multiple times before being acquired by Time Warner, various couplings and lines have been run that have made the whole thing basically unstable. Hence the work order for 3-4 hours of diving under the house on October 30 for complete re-cabling.

In the meantime, we can expect shaky service. Yippy.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:08 PM

October 07, 2006

Autumn has arrived.

I spent the majority of the day at my uncle's house that he bought just down the block from our house. It is a good 3 acres plus, full of trees, flowering vines and wildlife.

There are pears all over the ground. Which I LOVE pears. These have to sit in a paper bag for a bit to ripen though, cause they are hard as a rock off the tree. This pear tree is tiny, and its laden to the hilt so heavily that its poor branches are sagging to the ground.

The pears on the ground are attracting critters from the woods nearby. The deer are coming in the early morning and late night, and while I was there a ground hog made a running dash for cover of the forest line.

I have been trying to get the trees trimmed while I was down there. There are loads of maples and box elders, all that have not been shaped or trimmed up for quite some time (preferably up over your head height).

All the leaves are turning wonderful shades of russet, gold, crimson... making this pleasant rustling sound as the wind blows through them gently. The pines and spruce trees are all perfuming the air with this exhilerating scent.

Makes me kinda wish I lived in the country again instead of the city. I can deal without the noise and smelly exhaust. I like the wildlife and nature.

Posted by Ravennacht at 02:44 PM

October 05, 2006

Your momma's a "skank"

Went out today and discovered that Cricket's mother, whom we refer alternatively to as "ho-bag" or "skank", has deposited her second litter of the year in our yard. This time behind the truck cap (she had given birth to them in the neighbors log pile then moved them back to our yard.) Four in total, double her first litter with Cricket this spring.

Three are the dark tabby coloring with the creme color between (see picture... all marked like the father) whilst the fourth is the color and marking of the mother (which is also the marking of Cricket's littermate this spring).

I don't wish to be misunderstood. I like cats. I dislike FERAL cats.

Ho-bag is NASTY. She charges you. She threatens to attack (and she starts it by running at you). She spits, she spews. She's all around unapproachable.

The humane society in this county refuses to pick up cats. Unfortunately, her presence draws every feral male (I have counted six this year) to come courting each time she goes into season. And she inadvertently finds our yard appealing for raising the kittens before she dumps them (like she did with Cricket). Blast... if we only had the dogs still to keep the things out of here. They kill the birds, they kill the butterflies, they kill EVERYTHING.

Its about to the point where I want to trap her and take her and the brood to the farm. At least out there they can run loose and catch rats and other vermin to work for a living. Being feral and older, she wouldnt be able to be a pet. Plus if I took her in to the pound, they would put her down. Can't catch her, get her fixed and release her again.

What a dilemma. The poor kittens I worry over. Its already getting cold and this second litter is barely walking about steadily... probably be snow on the ground before they are weenable.

Posted by Ravennacht at 03:10 PM

April 23, 2006

Shall I Rotate Your Tires Too?!?

Heard a motor close to the house, look out the front door and see the rear lights of a running truck sitting not two meters off the front step. Run outside to see that the vehicle is completely empty. Kid across the street jumps out of the neighbor's house and runs in, "Sorry, I left it in neutral". Truck rolled out of the neighbors port, past my car by inches and close to hitting the house. Amazingly amusing.

Posted by Ravennacht at 09:10 PM

April 18, 2006

Adjunct Hired

I was successful in securing the job at the college in the Public Safety Division. I am now part of the adjunct faculty/staff. Woohoo for me. Now on to the juggling of two jobs at once. :))

Posted by Ravennacht at 01:48 PM

April 12, 2006

Interview Tomorrow

Have an interview for a job at the college tomorrow. It is in the Public Safety/Health Services department. Hopefully I do well. Still keeping my job at the vocational school too, so this should help out with my savings if it works out well.

Posted by Ravennacht at 02:59 PM

January 08, 2006

Busy Work

Been relatively busy with a few things.

* Ripped all of my cds and put all my songs into my new MP3 player. The thing is still not full, which I find astounding, count is up to 1020 songs and 69 hours of play. hehe.
* Bought a new scanner and finished going through and scanning the family documents concernign Francis Scott Key from Aunt Irva... returned it to her finally.
* Reburned the photos from all family albums and documents to disk and sent to Ian and Mary Anne for the marriage website they are doing.
* Bought a Wacom graphic tablet finally, been doodling with it, it's quite nice.
* Started a hunt for one of my great grandfather's books, The Ups and Downs of the Army Officer by George Augustus Armes. He served with General Custer and wrote this 700 some page book in the early 1900s, out of print now. Quite an interesting character, I shall get my hands upon the thing one way or the other.

Posted by Ravennacht at 01:44 PM

October 05, 2005

Chat with an old friend

I ran into one of my friends (Tina) from high school and elementary today whilst in Walmart. I think I shocked the living daylights out of her because all she kept saying was how different I looked... how old we are getting, etc. Do I look that old? I don't feel that old. Methinks the early greying from the sundry pressures, the cancers, the family, etc are taking a toll. O well.

We talked for a bit, with my stomach in knots pretty much the whole time. Not from any real reason but my usual anxiety crapola kicking in. Illogical considering this girl used to live behind my house, I would run up the hill to swim in their pond every day. And yet, I still feel like a freak. I could feel the sweat gathering on my brow... I kept dancing on my feet, and looking at people around me like a caged animal. I had to have freaked her out. I definitely freaked myself out. Ridiculous.

It feels odd to me to see my friends with children. It must be some thing where I seem them as I last knew them. I don't know.

She asked if there was going to be another reunion soon, a fact to which I have not a clue. She said the last was quite fun. Something I missed owing to my panic attacks (I paid to go and everything.)

Personally, I don't think there are that many people that really care if I were to show up or not. I wasn't especially the most social person. The bookworm, quiet one.

There's quite a few people from high school that still refuse to acknowledge my presence even when I stand in front of em and say "hello" (something I didn't used to do at all). Some things never change.

Posted by Ravennacht at 01:16 AM

September 19, 2005

Workplace Politics

The secretaries were gathered in the front of the office discussing the President's address to the nation. I was asked a couple of times if I had listened to it, to which I responded that I had not, with a shake of the head. "Why not!?"

Then political cartoon is produced, which depicts the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana dressed as gagged clowns with the President standing to the side saying, "Fine, then I will take responsibility." The clip was passed around, with the person that had brought it saying, "I just don't understand why everyone blames the President, it's clear to me that the Mayor is the one responsible for this whole thing."

I had to bite my tongue and walk away. I never cease to be confounded by what staunch religious republicans are willing to allow the President to get away with. I have already been accused of being "unpatriotic" for questioning the war, for the response to Hurricane Katrina. I am "ungodly" for disapproving of teaching "intelligent design" in science classes. I am both for agreeing with a recent federal court case which made the current form of the pledge of allegience unconstitutional for its inclusion of "under God."

I have read many articles posted by religious conservatives pointing out that recent court cases which have struck down the promotion of religion in schools (the evolution warning sticker on textbooks, the pledge of allegience, likely soon to include the teaching of intelligent design in science classrooms) are all indications of a LOSS of rights, not the protections of rights. That the fact that a minority that does not agree with religion must concede its right to the religious majority. That liberals are but a hop-skip-and-a-jump from communism and the loss of all rights.

It all seems to come back to fear. If you don't agree with me, then you are a threat. If you don't accept what the government says, you are unpatriotic. No one is out to decieve you. No one is keeping secrets from you. No one is forcing their view upon you.

My greatest arguments always flash to mind when I listen to co-workers and others discuss the government and religion. But I am finding myself saying less and less... it just seems like it does no good anyway.

Why point out that no city government on the planet could handle a natural catastrophe of such a scale. Why point out that police, fire, and rescue people in the city, the majority of whom have lost their homes and do not even know where their families may be much less be trapped themselves, worked their asses off in a chaotic calamity to the best of their ability. Why point out that fires cannot be put out when the fire engines cannot be reached in the fire stations through several feet of water, that the roads themselves are impassable to any rescue traffic.

Do I acknowledge that mistakes were made on the local level, absolutely. However, no local government is capable of outlasting a widespread catastrophe. No local government has the resources to protect all of its citizens, protect property, provide water/food/electricity/sewage/etc in a calamity of this widespread nature. People want to compare this to the World Trade Center... there is no comparison. Life, though disrupted and shattered in New York, went on when the towers fell, the city in and of itself was still capable of running... not belittling the feeling of loss of safety, nor loss of human life, nor even spiritual well-being. New Orleans was literally submerged. There is no terrorist threat responsible, there was no godly punishment involved. People lost their homes, their possessions, their daily life, and sometimes their own mortality. Each was a disaster, responded to in vastly different ways. One cannot expect the same plan to work in the other circumstance, it simply cannot.

Bleh, Im prattling too long on a moot point. One can only see what one wishes to open one's eyes to view.

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:08 AM

September 10, 2005

Spider Battle Count: 1

After taking a shower yesterday, I got all dried off, dressed, bend down to pick up my dirty clothes to take to the laundry, and out jumps a big arse wolf spider. Naturally I jump back and do the "Jazus, Mary and Joseph" thing. Cocky thing even has the audacity to posture at me like its all my fault, waving its front arms about and such trying to make itself look bigger.

Battle ensues with shoe. WHACK! Dead spider number one of the season flushed down the toilet. Welcome to Spider Battle season.

Get up today, Mom has a huge bite under her eye where a spider bit her last night. Revenge of the arachnids. Posts a shoe in every room for easy access.

Posted by Ravennacht at 01:43 PM

August 29, 2005

Ipod Ipod Ipod

I finally received all of the music cds which I ordered from BMG in order to get Jeckles that free Ipod. Offer now completed, he should now get the credit for the referral to his account (and if they don't they get some nasty hate mail).

Needless to say, I cannot fully vouch for how much he truly deserves a free Ipod, I mean, if he's not allowed to buy one, there must be a clear reason, maybe he breaks his toys, doesn't eat all his vegetables, doesn't take out the trash. Perhaps I was feeling generous, perhaps it is one of those Karmic paybacks, mayhap I felt the need to be an accomplice to him getting a free Ipod, or maybe I just feel pity for the poor chap. Irrespective, he now has one more point toward his account in completing this holy grail quest for an Ipod. Which leaves me with this thought... if he gets a free Ipod, why can't I get a free Ipod! I want that blue one, and the pink one for the Webkittyn too.

List the cds I got, you say? Indeed:

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Chevelle - This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In
Live - Awake, the Best of Live
The Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk
3 Doors Down - The Better Life
Tonic - Head On Straight
Josh Groban - Josh Groban
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars, the Best of Enya
Celtic Woman - Compilation
Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow
Moody Blues - The Best of the Moody Blues (I completely blame Webkittyn for getting me fixated on the Moody Blues, may she burn in the pits of Hades for it! Ravennacht does not need another vice.)

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:38 AM

August 08, 2005

Blogathon 2005

I wanted to take the time to congratulate Webkittyn on successfully completing her goal of blogging throughout the 24 hour period for Blogathon 2005. She was able to raise over $500.00 for Doctors without Borders, which is a phenomenal cause providing medical assistance to those in need throughout the world.

It was indeed quite an accomplishment on her first year participating. I know it was quite a struggle at times, but I had full faith in her resolve to complete the task successfully. Cheers to you, miss kitty, and all your blogathon compatriots. I do not think I could have made it 24hours myself.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:12 AM

Fair Time

It is County Fair time again.

Caramel apples, bags of cotton candy, plate-size tenderloin sandwiches (with mustard, pickle and onion), string fries with malt vinegar, elephant ears, wagon wheels, salt water taffy, sausage sandwiches, oh my.

Day pass bracelets for all the rides. Carriage Races. Crash derby. Concerts on the weekends (Sawyer Brown, woo). BINGO.

4-H exhibits. Ribbons everywhere. Animal pens (horses, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits).

Damn-ed heat. Damn-ed heat stroke. Damn-ed sunburns.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:06 AM

August 03, 2005

Scheduled?

You have to love the current status of business.

The cable company tells you that they will be there at a certain time (to fix a internet connection issue). They neglect to mention that they call first, before they even send out the van. If you fail to answer the phone, they do not send the van... so not only do you miss work, school or whatever other daily grind you usually go through to ensure that you can be around from 8am-noon (and why is it always the ungodly morning hours they choose these things for, with general time ranges no less), you can also not be four feet from any telephone. No relaxation in a pool outside, no short walk, no going outside from range of the tone, nothing. You are a slave to the cable company, sit on your ass and wait for their beck. *cracks whip*

Unfortunately our house has two phone lines. One is for our family, the other for my mother's partner. I never answer that phone. Little did I know that the cable company would choose to call on that line. So they cancel the appointment and never show up, leaving a message that they missed us and to reschedule. *mutters*

Second issue occurs with a window replacement company that was supposed to come on Tuesday to replace eight of our windows in this house and two in a rental. I get up at 7:30am and get all ready. Take down the blinds out of the windows, move furniture so it is unobstructed, etc. No one shows up, no one calls. I get up early this morning, again anticipating having to direct workmen about the house. No one shows all day long. I get a call at 6pm saying that the project they are currently on ordered more windows and they aren't willing to split the crew to start our job (never mind that they have already received half as down payment). They are now not coming until "sometime" Monday.

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:26 PM

July 30, 2005

Week's missions

Added to list of "Get Dones":

* call dealership and check on status of car repair
* go to the rental and clean up trash left by departing renter, clean the walls, bathrooms, clean windows, possibly paint in preparation of new renter.
* Clear the 8 windows in the house of obstruction for replacements coming in.
* Clear out the right bay of the garage of the garage sale crap.
* Read chapters for Criminal/Juvenile Law, prep for tests.
* Doctor's apointment Monday
* Prepare extra bedroom for cousin and her boyfriend arriving from Florida.

Posted by Ravennacht at 10:50 AM

July 25, 2005

Damn-ed heat

Today was exceptionally blah for me. I spent the entire day completing assignments and working ahead in courses so I don't feel the pinch of the accelerated calendar so much.

I log in to turn in my work and have to contend with the malady of the disconnecting internet link. For some reason, that threw me completely over the edge.

My nerves are frayed out right now. I'm not handling simple things well. I'm strung out, overwhelmed.

Maybe it's the heat, it hit 95 degrees today. I'm completely miserable when it's like this. I detest heat.

For some reason, I'm depressed today. To much on my mind.

Posted by Ravennacht at 12:00 AM

May 21, 2005

Early Morning Ring

I went to bed early. At 1:30 am, I awake in that semi-delirious, mostly asleep depth where I know I have heard the doorbell ring. I hear the dog barking. I didn't get up though.

This morning the neighbor kids come over and tell us about a red truck with dualies in the back that stopped at 1:30am. Two men get out, look in our windows, and ring the doorbell before leaving quickly. No one we know. Paranoia grows.

Posted by Ravennacht at 11:33 PM

April 15, 2005

Medical Transcription Ponderance

Yet another rushed day for me. I had to compact a few extra hours of study this morning in preparation for my test in Domestic Relations (snore), then had to rush along to work to issue checks for all the lovely people. Not a single boss was in today, which is excellent, owing to the fact that they are the ones that cause the most tension in the place, hands down.

I am considering taking a medical transcription/coding class on the side, as well as a web design class or two from the vocational school. The medical coding/transcription basically because it can mesh in with legal issues for work in a law office, and/or be its own source of income sans office interaction. Web design just to learn a little more about the stuff I have enjoyed doing for so long anyway.

I am not quite sure if I will do that anytime soon or not, considering how busy I already am at college and work, as it is. Though it is a thought. ($500 for coding/transcription and $450 for medical terminology) Don't quite have the money right now, but it may be worth my time in any event.

On the projects for work side, I am still awaiting to see if my contract gets picked up for the next year or not. In the meantime, i've been busy taking pictures at the fire tower, and trying to come up with a means to have an online walk-through available for the school. It may be a bit beyond my means, though.

Posted by Ravennacht at 01:20 AM