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

Random Notes
6:46pm

This morning was the second morning waking up with a light blanket of snow on the ground. It was so beautiful. I love snow and miss it some winters out here.

But then my car battery was dead. Suck! I went to Sears for a new battery and oil change which they told me would take 1.5 hours. Almost 3 hours and over $200 later, I was dizzy and really needed to get back to bed. While I was feeling OK when I left home, 3 hours in the mall before Christmas was too much for me. At least the car is all winterized (crossing fingers).

One week left of classes! Wooooohoooooo! When you start the program I'm in, they kinda put you through the ringer. Not to weed you out, but to let you know how serious they are about our training (at least I choose to believe that over the reasoning that they are just masochistic assholes). Then after the first year, I've heard rumors that it gets easier. However, I'm in my third year and the pressure and/or difficulty remains unabated. I'm hoping for a somewhat easier semester next year. I swear, it could NOT get harder.

The cats are finally starting to get along in the house. Good thing 'cause I'm sick of the fighting.

Oh, and I'm almost done with all my holiday shopping. Yay me! :)

Thanks!
12:02pm

Thanks for the birthday wishes from friends and family! It sucks so much to be sick on your birthday. However, I got some beautiful flowers, some great DVDs and yummy Japanese food, and really, what else could a girl want?

I'm definitely on the mend. I'm even eating real food. I'm just so darned tired right now. I have tickets to drool over scantily dressed men tonight in the form of Chippendale Dancers but not sure I can make it. Dernit!

Apparently Something is Going Around
11:34am

And it's not a good thing. I spent all Friday night/Saturday morning "throwing and going" for over 8 hours like I haven't done since I got food poisoning from undercooked chicken about 9 years ago. OMG, if the bathroom floor wasn't so cold, I would have just stayed there. Yesterday I came close to blacking out just getting something to drink. Not a good thing. I've heard reports that others in Albuquerque have had the same thing...and they are not even people I know personally so they didn't get it from me and I didn't get it from them. Strangely, it's comforting that someone else had the same thing although I don't wish this on anyone!

Want Something Funny to Watch?
9:17pm

If you go here, you can watch a couple minutes of outtakes from MythBusters. Made me laugh. But then again I find sicentific mistakes amusing.

A Rare Moment of Quiet
9:17pm

This darn kitten has more energy than anything I've seen. I'm so used to the sedentary lifestyle of my adult cats but this little guy can play for literally hours without laying down for a cat nap. In fact, this may be the only time I've seen him asleep since we got him!

Explain This to Me Please?
9:03pm

The following is from iTunes:

How can an instrumental be "explicit"? Are there certain instrumental sounds that are considered dirty? Maybe they are talking about the brown noise, which, by the way, the MythBusters busted. Well, I'm out of ideas. What about you?

When I Am Queen of the Universe...
11:32am

...I will declare a moratorium on football movies. I think 2 are coming out within the next month.

...using your turn signals when driving will be mandatory. Failure to use them will result in forfeiture of your driver's license.

...pets that are well cared for will count as dependents on your taxes.

...arts in public schools will be funded to the same level as sports.

...Futurama will be back on the air with new episodes until I say they can stop.

...reasonable amounts of marijuana and other drugs made of hemp will be legal for use in the home (Kids, remember, don't toke and drive) and for medicinal purposes (I have a raging headache. Where's my hash?).

Ramblings
8:53am

Kittens are not useful when you are trying to print out the final FINAL copy of your thesis to pass in to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Why the hell is Meredith Viera dancing with the Rockets?

A driver with 3 DUI convictions and a blood alcohol content of 0.32 killed a family of 5 this weekend here in New Mexico. He was driving north in the southbound lane of I-25. I just don't understand this. 3 DUI convictions? Why was he driving at all? That he died as well doesn't even begin to balance the scales in his case. Such a shame, but not a unique tale here in NM, sadly. It's stories like this that make living in NM hard.

The cold air is here in spades. It's 36 degrees out right now. I guess that means the inevitable...the holidays are coming. I find it interesting that as a child I couldn't wait for the holidays but now, as an adult, it's just a complicated, stressful mess. Being an adult is soooo over-rated.

What's Jen Been Up To?
3:20pm

Yeah, I'm alive and about 87% well. I've been busy playing catchup at school and playing with my kitten and going to see Blue Man Group on their How To Be A Megastar 2.0. tour. Here's proof:

My mom got the kitten this toy and he LOVES it! He grabs the pompom end and drags it around the house, even though it weighs a good deal. He's tried numerous times to jump up on either the bed or the couch with the entire toy but hasn't succeeded yet. I'm sure some day he will!

The Blue Man Group show was AWESOME as usual. They are so creative and innovative. If you are lucky enough to go to the show, remember to bring your cell phone and digital camera. You can sign up for text messages FROM THE SHOW that let you interact. What other show wants you to use your cell phone? Seriously. Also, you are allowed to take pics and upload them to their site. The photo below is a little weird looking because it's taken without flash and those guys aren't exactly sitting still but I still think it's a cool pic.

To the left of the picture is a piano on its side...which is how the Blue Man play it...with a huge mallet. The show is very similar to the Complex tour with the addition of a few new bits. My favorite new moment was a rendition of Pink Floyd's One Of These Days. It's not something I can describe, it's something you have to see for yourself but it was hilarious and entertaining and a fine piece of jamming.

Tracy Bonham both opened for Blue Man and sings with the band. She is one kick-ass violin player.

So, that's what I've been up to. The end.

This Burns My Ass
8:49am

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A suspected terrorist who spent years in a secret CIA prison should not be allowed to speak to a civilian attorney, the Bush administration argues, because he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques.

So we have jailed some guy for over 3 years in some gawd-awful place and he is not allowed to talk to a lawyer? What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? I guess that only means if you are an American, Christian, and have never been in the Middle East. Or only if you haven't been tortured by the US and they don't want to hide that fact.

The guy in question is named Majid Khan who graduated from a high school in Maryland and then returned home to Pakistan. Khan's alleges that he has been tortured, subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and coerced into making false and unreliable confessions. However, since he's not allowed to have an attorney, we'll never know the truth, will we?

Don't get me wrong. If this guy actually was involved in terrorist actions, then he deserves to be punished. However, even if he was involved in terrorist actions, he still deserves a lawyer and to be tried in an expedient manner. Then if he were found guilty, wouldn't that prove to be a legitimate, legal deterrent? How is holding someone in a secret overseas prison for 3 years (BTW,his family had NO idea what happened to him until Bush admitted to the existence of the CIA's "black-sites" this past September) and torturing him into confessing things that may or may not be true useful to anyone? It makes a mockery of the US legal system and makes other countries around the world lose respect for us.

We talk about justice and freedom and that American lives lost in Iraq are worth the cost of such admirable concepts. I contend that was is just as important is how we deal with all people, American or otherwise. What can be a better example to how to treat each other than how we treat our enemies, or in this case, suspected enemies? John McCain, love him or hate him, understands the toll torture takes on our society:

McCain argues that American military and intelligence personnel in future wars will suffer for abuses committed in 2006 by the US in the name of fighting terrorism. He fears the administration's policy will put American prisoners at risk of torture, summary executions and other atrocities by chipping away at Geneva Convention.*

I heard at one time, while McCain was a POW in Vietnam, one of the thoughts that kept him going was that Americans would never treat humans as animals and he wanted to get back to the US where everyone is free and allowed to say and do what they want. No wonder he's the main person in congress raising hell about the secret torture sites.

Bush has gotten himself in deep here and it's time to set things right. All people, regardless of nationality, need to be treated as human. If they are arrested, process them, give them representation, a trial and get on with it. For those who think we need to torture suspected terrorists in order to secure the safety of this nation, you are going against everything this country was built upon.

Growing up, I was always proud that in MY country, everyone was innocent until proven guilty and that MY rights were guaranteed and protected. Now I'm not so sure. And that is scary...and shameful.

* Thanks to Wikipedia

WTF?
1:30pm

This Blogger Is Not Ignoring You...
11:35am

...she's sick. She'll be back to blogging as soon as she can. Leave chicken soup by the door.

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