The Soap Box
A place for me to dump my brain and you to pick thru it

Questions from mike
2:01pm

Topic: Morality and Money

1. you find twenty dollars on the floor beyond someone standing at a checkout counter. there are a few people in the general area. you think it likely that the person at the counter is ther person who lost it, but you really don't know with any degree of certainty. what do you do?
I pick it up and stand there with a look of "hmmm, I wonder if anyone lost this." If no one approaches me about it, I pocket it. However, if I SAW it fall out of someone's pocket I would return it to them.

2. a large organization sends you duplicate payment for a job you have done for them. for you, it's a good chunk of change, but for them, it's probably a drop in the bucket and may never be noticed. what do you do?
How soul killing is the job? Do I hate the company? Do they treat me with respect? If I knew they couldn't find out about the duplicate payment and it was a soul killing job/asshole company I'd keep it. If it was a company I respected and I wanted to continue working with them, I'd mention the duplicate payment.

3. you walk out of a store and notice in the bottom of your shopping cart is a small item (under $10) which you haven't paid for. you are already at your car, so there is no way it will be noticed. what do you do?
Is it something I want? I mean, did I put it there and they forgot to scan it to find the payment? Fuck it, I keep it. You know how many times the average consumer is overcharged for stuff?Just the other week I paid for a packet of tuna ($2) but it never made it to into a bag, and therefore never made it to my house. I figure it all works out in the end, if you know what I mean.

4. you get an offer for a job at twice as much as you've ever made. the employer is in a legal business, but one you find distasteful (maybe a tobacco company, involved in animal testing, ravaging the environment - fill in the blank with something you despise). your job duties don't require you to be personally involved in any distasteful activity; however, the organization does things which are legal, but you disagree with. do you take it?
No, I won't take the job. I won't even enter grad school if the mentor they give me does animal testing. I could be making craploads of money now but prefer to work less and go to school.

5. Mr. A donates $50,000 to some cultural organization, such as an art museum. Mr. B argues that he should have donated the money to a homeless shelter, the cancer society or other charity which may have a greater direct impact on people's lives. do you agree with Mr. B?
No. It's Mr. A's money and if he is generous enough to share it, he can share it with whomever he chooses. Plus I do think the arts and culture are important and enrich our lives. If it were MY money, I'd prolly give it to an animal shelter and I could see people bitching about that but that's what's important to me. If he were giving the money to the KKK or some other hateful group, then I'd rip him a new one.

Word or Not Answer
12:53am

Kerfuffle is a real word.

Main Entry: ker fuf fle
Pronunciation: k&r-'f&-f&l
Function: noun
chiefly British :DISTURBANCE, FUSS

The funny thing is the first time I heard this word was on Whose Line is it Anyway when Colin said it in a fake press conference. At that time I thought he made it up. I mean we are talking Colin Mochrie here. Then last weekend my husband told me it was a real word and I felt like an idiot.

The winner of the best fake answer is ratty with "isn't kerfuffle the yiddish word for FART??" only because it made me laugh the hardest. All the fake answers were excellent and you should all be commended. :)

Thanks for playing!

States I've Been To
5:28pm

red=been there, done that.

create your own visited states map or write about it on the open travel guide

Link thanks to tj.

Things Not To Think About While Trying To Fall Asleep
12:04am

• Your mom's birthday is Monday and you don't have a gift for her
• Your best friend's birthday is tomorrow and you haven't bought a card and she lives across the country so there's no way a card would get there on time
• The bills that are due Monday that you haven't paid
• Interviewing for Grad School
• The lectures you will be giving this semester to a huge Abnormal Psych class
• The fact that your husband lost a major client
• Your dead grandmother
• Emails over a week old that you still need to reply to
• The never-ending project at work that makes you want to pull your hair out when you think about working on it.

Other Entertainment News
11:42pm

So, it turns out that not only is Psycho Jackson not the father of his children, his ex-wife, Debra Rowe (I think) is not the mother! She was a surrogate. So those poor kids being raised with blankets on their head are not biologically related to their father OR mother. I tell ya, just when you think it can't get any stranger...

Anyone else seen Dennis Miller's show on CNBC? It's on here in mountain time from 10-11 pm. It's quite funny but I gotta ask, when did Miller migrate to the right...faaaar right? Tonight his guest Martin Short was joking with him about being so in love with Bush that perhaps Bush is his new lover. I swear, Miller used to be Democratic.

Sharon Osbourne's show has been canceled. None too soon if you ask me. I could NOT watch that show for more than about 3 minutes. Actually, I did enjoy one episode when kathy Griffin hosted while Sharon was out of town. kathy seriously cracks me up. Someone give HER a show..preferably on HBO because she can be quite "blue" if you know what I mean.

Anyone watching Celebrity Mole? I know, it's sad but I am addicted once again. Dennis Rodman, a contestant, has publicly admitted he was drunk throughout the filming. Anyway, I think it's Mark Curry, because that man cannot shut up and can't make any money for the pot.

I feel like I need to see a bunch of movies before the Oscars such as: Monster, Master and Commander, Mystic River, In America, 21 Grams, Big Fish and The Cooler. That's 7 in the next month. I don't think its gonna happen. I do like to see the nominated movies before the awards show to see if I agree with the winners. What's your vote for Best Picture?

Big Old Raspberry!
11:28pm

The Razzie nominations were announced Tuesday morning. The Razzies are given out for the worst in the movie industry. Up for worst movie are Gigli, From Justin to Kelly, The Real Cancun, Cat In the Hat and Charlie's Angles. Some of the worst actor nominations are below:

Ben Affleck for Daredevil, Gigli and Paycheck,
Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Boat Trip, Fighting Temptations and Radio,
Ashton Kutcher for Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married and My Boss's Daughter.

It's been a bad year for some actors it would seem.

Word or Not?
12:08am

After a long unintentional absence it's time for your favorite blog game, Word or Not?

Here's how it works: I post a word. You guess if it's a real word or not. If you think it's really a word, post what you think the definition is. If it is a word and you know it's a word, please do not post the definition. However, if you want to place a fictitional definition for our amusement, please feel free. I will post the answer in a couple of days if anyone bothers to play.

Today's word is Kerfuffle.

Is kerfuffle a real word? What does it mean?

Blogger Sighting
7:11pm

I met my first blogger today! By total accident! He was walking into the psych building on campus and I recognized him from his picture on his blog! How weird is that? Poor guy. I just pointed and him and "I know you!" He looked at me like I just escaped one of the experiments going on in the basement of the psych building. Heehee. And for all he knew, maybe I did just escape from somewhere. Anyway, Joshua is a very cool guy and if you're into meditation why don't you go check out his blog?

Wacko Jacko
7:01pm

The mother of Jackson's children are suing him for custody saying he is an unfit father and...get ready for it...is NOT the biological father! *GASP* She claims the children are the products of artificial insemination!

Personally, I also question the mother's (and former wife of Jackson) sanity.

Very Cool!
1:08pm

One of my husband's CDs is now available on iTunes! Is that cool or what? Go check it out! You can just search for Nick Bennett or the album title, which is Winter Storm Warning. And while you're there, spend all of 99¢ and download a song. It won't kill ya! I recommend the title song or Be Brave, although the all are quite good. ;) I can be heard on Road to Burlington, but I don't think that one is sold seperately because it's over ten minutes long. Ah well.

PS: To the Buddhists out there, Milarepa is a poem by the famous Vajrayana monk, purported to be the first person to reach Nirvana is a single lifetime, set to original music.

The Penguins are Back!
11:34am

This flash game reminds me of the floating craps game in Guys & Dolls. It's never at the same URL 2 days in a row! Anyway, if you wanna give it a try, click here or here.

Links thanks to Farrago.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys
5:13am

The TV show "Cops" is no longer welcome to film in Albuquerque. After around 40 shows filmed here, the mayor figured out that the show makes the city look "horrible." Well DERRRR! I guess the last straw is that people would call the Tourist Bureau saying they had seen Albuquerque on the show and wanted to know if it was a safe place to visit. I, personally, have never had any problems but there are bizarre acts of violence in this town like this one person who a homeless person asked for some spare change. The person wouldn't give the guy any so the homeless guy stabbed him, in one of the nicer districts of the city. Weird. Then there was this mentally challenged guy who shot a cop in the head. Whoops! (The guy was shot dead and the cop lived in case you're curious.) And we do tend to have a LOT of bank robberies.

In case Albuquerque was your favorite city for Cops, fear not, as they have enough footage for 8-12 more episodes in the city that I call home.

This Cat Rules the Roost!
1:27pm

Our cats are easiest the most spoiled beasts on the planet. We buy them their own furniture, their onw toys, their own food, treats, doctors...the works! Here is Damien in the bottom of his very own 6 foot cat house, complete with 4 different places to perch.

He also has his own place on our bed where we've laid down batting (that stuff in the middle of a quilt or used to fill a pillow) so he can be all comfy. I think, though, we've spoiled him too much. He thinks EVERYTHING in the house is his and his alone. He's decided that the dining room table and my backpack shaped purse also belong to him.

Doesn't he look comfy? And it's amazing how he just curled himself up in the shoulder strap, as seen from behind:

Yep, he sure knows his place!

Yet Another Dumb Scam
2:42am

I have another site other than this one for my business. It's called g-r-c.com. (Don't bother going there. It's boring work stuff.) I am the webmaster (mistress?), the scheduling department, the accounting department, the training department, the sole contact, the EVERYTHING for the company so when I got the following letter, I found it ridiculous:

Internet Billing Notice
Please press "open" and read the attached Billing Notice.
Note if you do not read this withing 24 hours we at g-r-c.com regret we will have to terminate internet service.

Yeah, I'm gonna open that attachment because I tend to send myself billing notices that I'm going to terminate my own service if I don't pay me. That sounds reasonable. Hmmm..did I put that virus in that attachment? DOH!

And Then There Were Se7en...
1:06pm

(Yeah, I know this post is a few days late. Deal with it.)

So, just 7 Democrats left...or are there? Let's take a look at who's still running:

Ketchup Man: Winner of Iowa
Mr. General: Didn't even go to Iowa but is Madonna's choice, if that means anything
Dr. Yeeeehaaaaw: Self-destructed on national television, now late night talk-show fodder. To his credit, he said he was NOT going to come in second in Iowa and he was right!
Reverend Really Bad Hair: Doesn't have a prayer
Mr. Ex-VP-Nomination: Was he in Iowa? Can't tell from the results!
Dennis Nutjob: 1%? Woohoo!
Mr. Southern Methodist: A surprise second place in Iowa. He's got life yet.

So that's it, right? Wrong! Here are some other not-quite-as-well-known (read: who the fuck?) candidates for Democratic Presidential nomination:

Donald Paul Award: In a nutshell
"My mother said if I become President, she wants me to outlaw this practice of abortion. She is Catholic; I am episcopalian, so to honor my mother I will outlaw abortion; Also northern baptist are oppossed to abortion."

"The internet worldwide web is a security caldron, a mess, and a technology allow terabits of information to be transfered in minutes. When before this internet www was allowed to occur for technology reasons, we had to use a pay phone."

"if the government can cause everyone to get married, find a house or nice apartments, and have two children, but it won't cause a big economic hardship on other couples, who don't use these services, I will be for it."

"The attack preemptive strike against countries is not a good idea, but if the intelligence and investigation prove cells exist, then attack preemptive strikes against these cells is a good idea."

Albert Hamburg: In a nutshell
"I support birth control - I support sterilization Laws to enforce it against - Dopers - Drunks - Retards and Illegal Aliens."

"White people are the victims when Affirmative action programs Hire those For race reasons only. White people Have no place to run to when illegals take over USA "

"All illegal Aliens should NOT get any welfare. All illegal Aliens should be rounded up and shiped back to their own country - All those who employ illegal Aliens should be jailed and Fined."

"The road to Peace on Israel and Palestinan Land is a joke that will not work unless the USA stops supplying the Jews, and the Right Wing Reigious Nuts that believe some God wants the Jews to rule the Middle East"

"AIDS has spread because of stupid Catholic and right wing Nuts being allowed to much say about what causes AIDS."

"We need to stop the Right wing religious Nuts From getting welfare Funds to run stupid right wing religious beliefs."

Lyndon LaRouche, Jr.: In a nutshell
"Judaism is the religion of a caste of subjects of Christianity, entirely molded by ingenious rabbis to fit into the ideological and secular life of Christianity. In short, a selfsustaining Judaism never existed and never could exist. As for Jewish culture otherwise, it is merely the residue left to the Jewish home after everything saleable has been marketed to the Goyim."

"Who is pushing the world toward war? is the forces behind the World Wildlife Fund, the Club of Rome, and the heritage of H.G. Wells and the evil Bertrand Russell."

"So far, the world's leading experts see no way in which the Soviet biological-warfare apparatus could have created AIDS in a test- tube .However, it is in the strategic interests of Moscow to see to it that the West does nothing to stop this pandemic; within a few years, at the present rates, the spread of AIDS in Asia, Africa, Western Europe, and the Americas would permit Moscow to take over the world almost without firing a shot."

Randy Crow : In a nutshell
"I judge people one by one. I do hate the form of government called zionism. zionism, in my opinion, is a wrong, racist, bad form of government. Less than half of all Jewish people believe in zionism. There are many fine Jewish people who love Judaism believe in Jesus, doing good, Jesus' ways, God, pray all the time, are not racists, and are deeply disturbed when bad things happen to Christians and Muslims and all people. Some people do things I hate, but I love them deeply for other things they do."

You may think I made those quotes up, but I assure you, I did not. They are from real candidates for US Presidency in 2004...and they are not alone. There are many, MANY more. If you are interested in reading about them, click here.

It's About Time!
3:09am

A rabbi in Israel has created a prayer to purify web surfers who either purposely or accidentally visit porn web sites. The prayer in part states:

"Please God, help me cleanse the computer of viruses and evil photographs which disturb and ruin my work... so that I shall be able to cleanse myself (of sin)."

Well, it's about time someone spiritually covered the asses of all those who find Internet porn too great a temptation to resist. Now if we could just get a prayer to save us from lost productivity caused by eBay!

Reasons I Love TiVO #1
6:30pm

While I was a chorus rehearsal last night, TiVO interrupted the president's speech to record Whose Line is it Anyway with guest star Whoopi Goldberg. TiVO Rocks!

Stress Reducer
1:22am

!!UPDATE!! - link is fixed and working as of 1/24/04 2:52am.

Need to relieve a little pressure in your workday? Check out this fun Flash game. My record distance is 568.5 (whatevers). Beat that!

PS: no penguins were actually hurt during the playing of the game.

The Evil Empire Strikes Again
1:34pm

Mike Rowe, 17 year old Canadian web designer, is being targeted by Microsoft for owning the web domain, MikeRoweSoft.com. According to Mike:

"I received an email from Smart & Biggar, Microsoft's Canadian lawyers, informing me that I have been committing copyright infringement against Microsoft. They told me that I must transfer my domain name over to Microsoft as soon as possible. I was baffled by this email, yet thought it was funny at the same time. Microsoft was going after a 17 year olds part time business that he put a lot of time into just because it has the same phonetic sound as their company..In this letter it explains that Microsoft's customers could get confused between my page and theirs, which doesn't make any sense since Microsoft doesn't design websites. They do, however, sell a program called Microsoft FrontPage, which they say can cause some confusion between me making websites for my customers and them selling a program to make websites to their customers. "

Microsoft, always being the generous people that they are, offered Mike $10 for his site. $10? Why not just slap him in the face and steal it from him when he's not looking? How insulting! And does Microsoft really want customers who would confuse MikeRoweSoft.com with microsoft.com? Uh...never mind. Anyway, Mike's fighting Goliath on his own. Good for you Mike! If you wish to contribute to his defense fund, visit his site.

Words of Wisdom from Mom
12:19pm

"You don't look so good."

Thanks mom. I've been sick for over a month. I appreciate you noticing though.

Holy Crap On A Stick
12:38am

I'm a big fan of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network Sunday - Thursday nights, especially Sundays with the crazy Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021. These are cartoons that are made for adults..unless you like your kids hearing words like whore and hell and "we're boned," etc. But hey! They put up a warning before every show explaining that the shows are for adults and there may be offensive stuff in them. So where is this going?

I've become a HUGE fan of Futurama. (Yeah, I know mike and Andrew, you don't like it so now you don't need to leave me a comment telling me what I already know.) I own and have watched seasons 1 & 2 on DVD so I think I can say I'm fairly familiar with the show. What I still cant get over is the fact that Cartoon Network CENSORS Futurama. The Professor's favorite expletive is "Sweet Zombie Jesus" (mine is the title of this post). Cartoon Network has changed it to "Sweet Zombie (insert silence here)." They have censored Jesus! Not "assloads," not "whore," not "bastard," not "go consummate yourself" but "Jesus." OK, first of all, this show is on at night (12:30am Mountain) so no impressionable young children should be awake. Second, this show originally showed on Fox at 6pm! Third, there is a warning before the show that it could be found offensive. So what gives? The Simpsons can say "Jesus must be rolling in his grave." Is that less offensive? Apparently, they first showed Futurama uncensored and someone complained. I can only assume that the "person" who complained had to be a sponsor...a small minded sponsor. And we all know that money talks, or in this case, money censors...and I think it sucks. Someone give me back Futurama UNCENSORED!

When I'm Queen of the World...
10:54pm

...it will be illegal, punishable by a sound thrashing, to not know for which movie you want to buy tickets once you get to the window after waiting in line for 5 minutes. And I mean it!

Quick Movie Review
1:44am

I knew from the previews it would be terrible and I put it on my "Movies I'm Avoiding Like the Plague" list but I though I'd share with you a professional movie reviewers thoughts on Along Came Polly:

"If this is entertainment, the Port Authority should consider selling tickets to the washroom facilities at its New York bus terminal." - Jan Stuart, Newsday.

What Are You Looking For?
10:18pm

Let's take a look at the keyphrases people have used to wind up at my site this month, shall we?

lamma animal
Uh, I don't think there is an animal called a lamma. A llama, yes but lamma?

kelly ripa interview penis
She interviewed Howard Stern?

can trazadone kill a dog?
Well, enough of any drug will kill a dog. How much you got?

missing scene 16 from kikis delivery service
Too bad that's the scene where she decided to be a stripper ;)

kimba g spot
You idiot! Kimba's a male lion and has no g spot so stop looking.

mononoke hemi
Uh, she rode on the back of a giant she-wolf, not a friggin truck with a hemi. You guys REALLY have your anime mixed up!

jen nude utah
Yeah, I was nude in Utah...when I was showering!

can swallowing semen make you sick?
No, but it can make you pregnant so make sure you use one of those oral condoms.

definition of school bus stops
That would be where a school bus stops to pick up students, der!

foozle wizard
OK, you've stumped me.

Two Ads You Won't See
6:53pm

CBS has refused to air 2 ads during the Superbowl. One is from PETA with the message "Meat causes impotence" (??) and the other is from MoveOn.org. The MoveOn ad was the winner of a little contest they had recently in which they asked readers to create a 30 second film about President Bush. CBS claims they don't accept ads form special interest groups. PETA spokesperson pointed out that they do accept advertising from anti-smoking interests, proving that they DO show ads from special interest groups IF they agree on the stance, adding "We just want to be able to present our jiggly women."

While you won't see the MoveOn ad on CBS, you can watch the 26 finalists (over 1,100 films were submitted) that were judged by the likes of Michael Moore, Janeane Garofalo, Jack Black, James Carville, Margaret Cho, Al Franken, Moby, and Eddie Vedder among others. Many are worth watching.

Finally!
1:10pm

Woo-fuckin-hoo! My graduate school application is in! After two years of blood, sweat, tears, stress, insanity, insomnia, frustration, more stress, fear, mania, depression and a little stress, I hand delivered it today to the Graduate School office on campus. Now I get to wait for, oh, 2-3 months to find out if I got in. Wake me when the letter comes...

I've Got a Secret...
1:33am

...and my secret is that I'm a game show addict. I'm also addicted to the Game Show Network (GSN). I tell you this in shame. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. If you are a night owl, like me, and have the GSN, you can watch OLD OLD OLD game shows like the original What's My Line, To Tell The Truth or Password. (I call them OLD because they were on the air before I was born, ergo, they are ancient!) There are many interesting things about these old shows, like the hairdos and clothing, but the most interesting thing is the type of people who were the panelists or celebrity guests.

So far on this week, Password has had an incredibly young Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke (also young, obviously), Jayne Meadows and Jackie Cooper! These are not the B or C list celebrities you see playing on game shows today (*coff*Surreal Life*coff*). These are Hollywood and TV A list stars!

What's My Line had quite the intellectuals sitting behind a table with a big Kellogg's sign on it, asking yes or no questions of Joe and Jane Schmoe for a cash prize of $50! Wow! $50 whole bucks? Someone pinch me! One of the regular panelists was Bennett Cert, founder of Random House publishing. That's like having Jackie Onassis on Match Game for Pete's sake! Other panelists were famous actors of stage and screen, investigative reporters, singer; you name it, they had it. In fact, last night one of the panelists was a member of the British Parliament! That's just unbelievable.

It's too bad that the celebrities you find on game shows now are those in which their notoriety is rapidly fleeting, trying to squeak out the 16th minute of their fame. It's too bad celebrities don't use game shows to showcase their intelligence and wit. (We all know that game shows like Hollywood Squares are scripted.) Nope, those golden days are gone, only to be relived in black & white during the wee hours of the morning.

In Sporting News
12:47am

The first stop of the tennis grand slam isn't looking promising. Jennifer Capriati, a two time winner, withdrew as did Serena Williams, who won last year. Also not playing will be Monica Seles and Mary Pierce and it is probable that Kim Clijsters will withdraw due to an ankle injury.

Jennifer Capriati is having back problems while Serena claims her knee hasn't healed from the same surgery that kept her out of the US Open way back in August. Hmmm...apparently her knee is not bad enough to keep her from playing basketball on last week's Law & Order: SVU. Priorities, priorities...

Good for a Laugh
4:56pm

It was leaked prior to last week's San Francisco MacWorld Expo that Apple would announce a cheaper iPod to compete with the Rio players, etc. Everyone waited with bated breath for the magical new cheap iPod. And then voila! Steve jobs showed the smaller, slimmer colorful 4 gig iPod mini priced at the reasonable $249! What? $249? Uhhh, that's the cheaper iPod? But butbut...but you can get a 15 gig iPod for $299! Where's the damn bargain? And then came the letter...

M'TAMBO : DEAR FRIEND,

RECENT UNREST IN MY COUNTRY HAS CAUSED ME TO FLEE, LEAVING $5.7 MILLION IN LOCAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. WITHOUT THESE MONIES, I AM UNABLE TO AFFORD THE NEW iPOD MINI, WHICH STEVE JOBS HAS PRICED EXTRAVAGANTLY.

I AM LOOKING FOR REASONABLE PARTNERS TO TRAVEL TO A SAFE INTERMEDIARY COUNTRY AND ASSIST IN TRANSFERRING MY MONEY TO THEIR ACCOUNT. WITH YOUR HELP, I WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE IPOD MINI AND SOME MORE MEDALS. YOU SEE, MY BROTHER WAS ABLE TO SEIZE POWER BECAUSE HE HAD 35 MEDALS. TO MY GREAT SHAME, I HAD ONLY 28.

IT'S HARD TO MOUNT AN EFFECTIVE RESISTANCE WITH A 7-MEDAL GAP. YOUR TROOPS KEEP SAYING THINGS LIKE, "BUT HE'S GOT 35 MEDALS." AND "WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU WHEN YOU CLEARLY DO NOT HAVE AS MANY MEDALS?" AND "YOUR BROTHER SAYS YOU SLEPT ON UNDERDOG SHEETS."

SUBORDINATES CAN BE SO CRUEL.

ANYWAY, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT INFORMATION.*

Well, I guess that says it all...and more!

*I have to admit that I found that letter on the Crazy Apple Rumors web site.

Round #5
11:09am

OK, my strep isn't better after a week so guess what? I'm now on a different antibiotic, Augmentin; the same one I was on last month when I had a sinus infection. Either my strep is resistant to Amoxicillin or my body looked at it and just laughed. "Hahahaha, get that puny antibiotic out of my way!" For those of you keeping count, this will be my fifth round of antibiotics since September.

It's such a gyp that I've been sick my entire winter break. However, I did lose 4 lbs last week so I guess everything has a silver lining, huh?

Questions from mike
12:16am

1. What is the sexiest outfit a man can wear?
Nothing at all, baby! ;)

2. You have to choose between not reading or not listening to music for the rest of your life. Which is it?
Not reading, definitely. Music is really important to me. I listen to music every night to fall asleep. I listen while working out, I listen in the car. I basically only read the internet and text books and I could live without either of those.

3. You have to choose an actress/actor. You may only watch movies that contain your selected actor/actress for the rest of your life. Who do you choose?
This was a toughie. I've chosen William H. Macy because he's a great actor and in a lot of movies. That way I could watch Fargo, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Seabiscuit...the list goes on.

4. What is your favorite pizza topping?
I normally dont have any pizza topping but if I have to pick one, it's BBQ chicken. I'm not joking.

5. Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
I'm WAY too young to know the answer to that one, old man ;)

A Little Investigative Reporting
2:09pm

So, I looked at the raw text of the email mentioned in yesterday's post and saw that the link actually goes to http://www.citi-card.com. I typed that address into Safari and it resolved to http://www.citi-card.com/This_is_not_a_CitiBank_website.htm. The page stated the following:

Disclaimers:

This is not a Citibank website.

No e-mails are sent from this domain.

It is very easy for hackers to send emails which appear to be from a legitimate source and to include links to fraudulent websites which appear legitimate.

You should never put your PIN number in an email or on a website.

If you suspect that you have submitted sensitive information to a fraudulent email or website, then please contact your bank or credit card company immediately.

MagTek Inc. owns this domain. The primary address for our website is www.magtek.com

Guess what business MagTek is in? Go ahead, guess. OK, I'll tell you. They make credit card swiping machines!

Let's look at everything that's wrong with this website.1) DUH this site is not a Citibank site. 2) emails can be sent from ANY domain and still point to your crooked web site. 3) again, DUH.4) DUH 5) DUH. Notice it never says that this is NOT a fraudulent web site. nor does it say what its purpose is. It also does not say that they did not actually send the fraudulent email. So basically they claim not to be Citibank but that's about it. Well, I guess you have to start somewhere.

How Dumb Do You Think I Am?
6:36am

At some point somwhere in this blog I mentioned how lame it is when people who spam you for your credit card number or pasword have misspellings in their mail. Well I got on this morning that takes the cake. Anyone who would follow the instructions in this email deserve to lose their money. I just have to share this email with you!

Dear Citi-bank User,
This email was ssent by the Citbiank servers to veerify your e-mail addres. You must copemtle this prceoss by clicking on the link below and enntering in the litle window your Citi Debit card number and pin that you use on local ATM Machine.
This is done for your pcotertion -a- becouse some of our memebrs no loengr have access to their email adesersds and we must verify it. To veerify your e-mail adress and akcess your bank account, click on the link beloow. If ntohing hapenps when you clik on the link -E coppy and paste the link into the adress bar of your web browser.

http://www.citibank.com/?fzgT3XKaZzUVJDt2kNJPhYNi7WZ09QWnqc7uaTFatz5ddzfzmZ
---------------------------------------------
   Thank you for using CitibankOnline!
---------------------------------------------

Do not rpely to this email.

I can only think (or hope) that this person does not know English or even speak any Romance language. If they did speak a Romance language, they would know that no words start with "nt." Perhaps around the world we are known as the most gullible people on the planet so don't worry about a few typos. Ha! If the typos didn't tip me off, the fact that I don't have a Citibank account might have.

Psycho
11:12am

So, Tom Cruise thinks that psychiatry is a waste of time and should be outlawed, huh? It has no scientific basis? Tom, with all due respect, you have NO idea what you're talking about. You are lucky that mental illness has not struck you or anyone that you love. That Scientology makes you happy is great...FOR YOU. Scientology is NOT the answer to everyone's problems and to slam something that has helped MILLIONS of people is very small minded of you. You know how mad you get when people say Scientology is a cult and a bunch of hogwash? So why would you say anything against an entire medical field that has proven results? Next time, don't speak about something in which you know nothing.

In other psycho news, the wife of the guy who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart as been deemed incompetent to stand trial and is currently in a mental hospital in Utah. She does not agree with the diagnosis and claims she is not mentally ill in the eyes of the Lord and that the doctors at the hospital just "cannot understand the special nature of my relationship with God and my role as a minister and servant unto Him. ... Their inability to understand is also a result of their different belief system, and the influence of Satan's subtle powers on them." Ahhh! It's all Satan's fault! Maybe Satan has a hold of Mr. Cruise as well!

What's Wrong with This Picture?
12:03am

Found this in my Amazon Gold Box:

Uhhh, correct me if I'm wrong but aren't Gold Box offers supposed to SAVE you money? And what type of math are they using? If you add the two numbers together you get $55.98, not $53.95. Hmmmm...

Ugh
12:04pm

I'm on my 4th round of antibiotics in 5 months. That just CAN'T be good for me. Granted, right now I have strep throat and that doesn't go away on its own and I need them but I have to wonder what all these drugs are doing to my body. I wish western medicine did more to build up the body's own defenses rather than giving you something to kill stuff. I mean, aren't I supposed to have some bacteria in my digestive tract? What happens if I kill it all?

All I know right now is that I do not want to take 875 mg of Amoxicillin 3 times a day. That seems like a LOT of antibiotics but what do I know? Anyone out there know if this is A LOT of antibiotic? (And I know there are health professionals who read this blog but I will refrain from naming names.)

...And Yes I'm Still Ranting About This
12:30pm

From the annulment papers of Ms. Pepsi Spears...

"Plaintiff Spears lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to marriage because Plaintiff and Defendant did not know each other's likes and dislikes, each other's desires to have or not have children and each other's desires as to state of residency."

...and yet they were allowed to get married. Quicky marriages and divorces like this cheapen the whole concept of marriage. I take marriage DEAD seriously . Yes, I'm divorced. I was married for 6 years and let me tell you, divorcing was THE MOST PAINFUL thing I ever did. And that was only after working to make that marriage succeed. However, when only one person is dedicated to making something work, it makes it REALLY hard. My mother likes to remind me how I told her I would NEVER get a divorce when I originally married. Thanks mom. Jab that dagger a little further.

I'm happily remarried and have been for 8.5 years. For those of you who are not married, let me tell you, being married is HARD WORK and it's totally worth it. I am dedicated to making this thing work and so is he. This marriage means everything to the both of us. We are in love and devoted to each other.

And then along comes the twit of the week and walks down the aisle as a JOKE and is annulled 44 hours later. By law, there's no one to stop her. Why is that? not because she's famous. Not because she's rich but because she wants to marry a man. If she were rich and famous and deeply in love and wanting to marry, God forbid, Christina Whatsherface, all the money in the world wouldn't make it happen. Because somehow that destroys the sanctity of marriage. BULLSHIT

Let's look at the word sanctity for a second. It means the quality or state of being holy or sacred. Being in love and wanting to prove one's devotion by going through a religious ceremony, I claim, is the very definition of sanctity and is the reason the act of a marriage was created. I would be much more comfortable if two consenting adults of any gender got married because of love and devotion than only allowing any two different-gendered people marrying for a lark, for money, for fame.

I am asking this sincerely. Could someone tell me how two people marrying for love denigrates the sanctity of the marriage act? I really don't get it. Are certain heterosexual couples jealous or threatened by gay marriages? Love is love, whether it happens between a man and a woman or a man and a man or two women. I contend that it's the love that makes a marriage, not the gender. Government laws cannot decide who can be in love any more than it can tell someone they can't be hungry. That the government allows heterosexual marriage for any reason and bans all homosexual unions regardless of the quality of the relationship is, dare I say it, barbaric. How backward thinking and unenlightened.

Ms. Spears: you cheapen the whole act of wedlock. You have demonstrated everything that is wrong with this country's handling of marriage. maybe you've done the more liberal of us a favor by pointing out that one man + one woman does not a marriage make.

OK, I think I'm done for now.

Welcome!
6:16pm

To the folks over at the Kucinich campaign. I've noticed you've visited 3 times in the last 4 days, probably to check out who is calling your candidate a "nutjob." It's me. I admit it. And I'll tell you why I feel that way. The presidency of the United States is not a dictatorship, nor a kingship or an emperorship (if there is such a word). The President must work within the system of checks and balances that have always existed within our government. This means that while I appreciate idealism as much as anyone, we need a president who believes in realism. What's the difference? Howard Dean knows. He even stated in yesterday's debate that his health care plan does not contain everything he wishes it did but that it was a plan to get Americans covered that he feels can pass in the senate. He understands that you must compromise your ideals in order to to get things through the red tape that binds Washington.

Think of the job of president as having to work in a box with various forces on all sides. You may want to break down the box or work outside it but there are members of the house or senate as well as paid lobbyists making sure you stay put. Carter tried to work outside of the box when he attempted a risky operation to rescue the American hostages out of Iran and look what happened to him. There were rumblings of impeachment all because he didn't go through the proper channels. Now, that is not to say you can't renovate or expand the box, but it takes time and soft steps and perhaps surreptitiousness.

So to summarize: idealism is great but until Kucinich can compromise his ideals and come up with realistic plans, he will remain unelectable and sounding like a nutjob.

Whatever
5:03am

You know, in the past, I have given Britney Spears the benefit of the doubt. Here is a girl who accomplished super-stardom as a teen and is just trying to grow up, I'd tell people. So what if she wants to now appear sexy? Who cares if she was caught drinking and smoking? Point out one person who didn't try drinking and/or smoking once in their life. She's not dumb, she's just growing into a new role of woman. But guess what? After her latest escapade, if it's true, I take it all back. She's a bubble headed blond who is CLUELESS!

The latest escapade? Getting married in Vegas to a childhood friend. She was accompanied down the aisle of one of those cheapo Vegas chapel by a bellman from the Palms hotel wearing jeans and a baseball cap. I can't even count how many things are wrong with this picture. First that comes to mind is that marriage should be considered a serious commitment that is not something you rush into. Also, she's WAY too young to get married. Even though she is 22, her "maturity" age is closer to 16. This was obviously a rush job, as the bellman of the Palms gave her away? And she was in jeans? No girlie-girl like her ever dreams of getting married in jeans. I'm sorry, it just doesn't happen.

I'm just sick to death of how this country treats marriage. Any 2 twits can marry for any reason -- to play in a game show, to piss off their parents, because they're bored, to get rich -- if they are male and female. However, if you are a couple of same sex, it doesn't matter how long you've been together or how much you love each other. Then you can't get married and even considering the act mars the "sanctity" of the act. Give me a friggin break.

Well, I hope Jason Alexander, aka Mr. Britney Spears, has a good lawyer or a good sense of humor. Should be interesting when Britney wakes up with that twist-tie ring on her left hand.

Customer Service Compared
9:26pm

Customer Service in Salt Lake City: sucks donkey dick, which is not as bad as it gets, as the blue whale has the largest dick in the world (Ain you thot you wuzn't gonna lern anything, a-yuk!)

Customer Service in Albuquerque: not half bad! I'm glad to be home where people take some sort of personal pride in their work.

Here's my theory about the two cities: In SLC, people have a job to get a check. In Albuquerque, people are grateful to have a job and make a link between job performance and self esteem. Also, the people in customer service jobs in SLC seem to be younger and are not making a career out of working at a bagel place or supermarket while in Albuquerque, the staff at the same places are older and trying to scratch out a living at a barely-above-minimum-wage job. Losing said job could be catastrophic for them. Anyway, that's my 2¢.

Important Questions
11:44pm

1) Why isn't Futurama on Cartoon Netowrk on Friday nights?

2) Why do I have to wait all the way until March to get season 3 of Futurama on DVD?

3) Why are there no plans to put Greg the Bunny on DVD?

4) Why is customer service in Salt Lake City so incredibly lame? (more on this later)

A-ha!
2:17am

Remember my poor iBook died a terrible death and had to be sent back to Apple to have the logic board replaced? Well, it turns out that thousands of iBooks have had their logic board crap out on them. In fact, a class action lawsuit may be in the works! Apple claims the know of no problems with iBooks with dual USB plugs (Hello! That's me!) but if you look at blackcider.com (check out their logo: an apple with a screw through it) you can read all about the iBook problems AND the iPod problems! Apparently they iPod batteries tend to die 18 months after purchase, also after the warranty expires, and are NOT replaceable except my Apple for the cost of $100! OUCH!

This is all rather upsetting to me as I have always felt that Apple meant quality. I'd rather pay the extra bucks for a machine I know is well made. However, the quality, as well as the honsety of the company, is now in question. The incredibly loyal Apple users are not happy, to put it mildly. A protest is scheduled for next week at the annual San Francisco Macworld Expo. Perhaps we are at the end of an era. Perhaps soon there will be no difference between the schlockiness of a PC and a Mac...but I hope not. That will be a sad day indeed.

I'm Home!
9:32pm

I know I never told you I wasn't home, but that's on purpose. Call me paranoid but it's not that hard to find out where I live if you really wanna so I do not like advertizing when I'm not home for multiple days. However, I did get to Salt Lake City on Saturday night, amid yet another snow storm. In short, I worked while there, my ac adapter for my iBook burned out and I had some yummy Japanese food last night. Thrilling huh? The best part was that I was with my hubby.

I'll tell y'all more later. Thanks for all the New Years wishes!

Blog Name: The Soap Box
Email: jenben[at]g-r-c.com
Introduction

Jen's tattoos
Resume
Movies
Ways to waste time
Flash
Digital art
Poetry
Olympic pictures
Crafty things
Cats
Officiant

2004

2003

2002

November
December

Blogroll Me! 

B6 d++ t++ k s u-- f+ i o+ x-- e- l+ c+