RedJen's Rearview Mirror

Umm...

"Blowjobs For Kerry is a grass-roots movement designed to entice swing voters"

http://blowjobsforkerry.blogspot.com/

I can't understand what is so hard to comprehend about a simple chicken soft taco. I've actually yelled "Stop!" to the person behind the counter who after personally taking my order, during which I had to explain to them I wanted my chicken taco without the Ranchero crap they wanted to put on it.

I learned my lesson about assuming that the concept of a "old-fashioned" chicken taco was a simple concept. I ended up washing the Ranchero crap off of my taco one evening. Had I not been so hungry and at someone else's home, I'd have taken it back to Taco Bell...

Chicken soft taco = soft shell, chicken, lettuce & cheese. Four ingredients, why so hard?

By the way, a bean burrito without onions is a soft shell, beans & sauce. Only three in this one, does it really take a grade school graduate to comprehend such mysteries?

"You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss". Your romance is
Casablanca. A classic story of love in trying times, chockfull of both
cynicism and hope. You obviously believe in true love, but you're also
constantly aware of practicality and societal expectations. That's not
always fun, but at least it's realistic. Try not to let the Nazis get you
down too much.

What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
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There were a few bright spots amid the drama Saturday night. Those were marked by seeing special people that I’ve missed. Drix, Morgan, Rob E., Clif, Jeff and Veleda, thanks for the great hugs!

While there are a lot of very vocal people who have expressed extreme dismay at the overall election results, there are some very positive things that happened on election day.

Over half the people eligible to vote did. This led to the highest voter turnout since 1968. People are getting involved and getting aware of what is going on in the world around them.

Am I happy with all the election results? No, but I didn’t go into Election Day expecting the Presidential Candidate I voted for to win. Yes, I voted for Nader and I’m hopeful that the renewed awareness and interest in the politics that surround our daily lives continues.

Horoscope for Saturday, November 6:

The melodrama of past days is gone, but not without leaving behind a bit of leftover tension. Settle down and refuse to feed any more energy into this, and it will be over sooner than later.

The good: on Monday, less than 6 months after being told I wasn’t a good fit for the corporation, my new manager announced that I was stepping up as the team lead of for the team I joined in June. The people I expected to have issues with me being named the lead have been supportive.

I feel good about the change, I have gotten really good feedback from people outside my team as well on the change. Fixing things is one of the things I do best (ask just about anyone). I’m excited to move forward and there appears to be a cheering squad who are liking what they are seeing.

Oh and to my former asshole manager – na-na-na-na-na-na!

Success is the best revenge. Just wait until the newsletter with the announcement comes out…

Eve is making plans to move out. Some of the reasons she told me make perfect sense for a 20-year-old, others make a lot of sense in general and were ones that I was planning on discussing with her myself. Her reasons include that she wants to be more independent and eliminate drama from our relationship. I agree that her moving out will do that, since it will very effectively buffer our personal lives. Looking at things without emotion, I am the lynchpin that connects two otherwise disjoint worlds. If she no longer lives with me, then those worlds again become disjoint and therefore able to coexist. On the positive side, she has been able to move out of her parents’ home and is establishing herself as an individual. Her choice to move out is a very adult one and I wish her all the best. She’s 20, so by definition, she has some more growing up to do.

ShaeSin found a hero image generator that I'd forgotten about. Since I already had a few of these worked up, I’ll post my three favorites. Don’t panic, I’m not going to make anyone download the images every time you come to my site. They’ll be behind the link below. None of them have names yet, I always have a hard time naming characters, so if you have suggestions, let me know.

Yeah, raking my lawn didn’t happen. I was going to do it on Saturday, then I was going to do it this afternoon and it still didn’t happen.

Hey Shae, would you be interested in trading some manual labor (i.e. the Distracted) for expert supervision of your pet door installation? I’m willing to do the work, but I can’t seem to get motivated to actually get started.

On the up side, crunching leaves make an extra alarm system for the house, but I should probably get started with the raking before the house gets buried.

I knew my cardio fitness wasn’t where it should be, but this sucks. With my contract with the fitness studio getting set to end this month, I joined the gym where ShaeSin has a membership. The logic behind this is that it is actually cheaper to pay the monthly fees for the entire membership, than it would be to add group classes to the cost of the fitness studio. Since the reason behind me going to the studio is that in order to be consistent with working out, I either need an appointment or a partner and I didn't have a partner.

Anyway, kick-boxing is kicking my butt and I’m not throwing full punches! It has been a long time since I’ve had a workout so hard that I felt sick when it was over.

Horoscope for Tuesday, November 9:

You're in the mood to compromise, cooperate and make things as easy as you can on everyone around you. Yes, even that certain coworker who really knows how to push your buttons. Smile. It'll just kill 'em.

This sounds like Standard Operating Procedure to me. I think my horoscope has been hit by Captain Obvious...

• If you do a good job and work hard, you may get a job with a better company someday.
• The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off due to budget cuts.
• Sure, you may not like working here, but we pay your rent.
• Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings -- they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
• A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat.
• If at first you don't succeed -- try a career in management.
• Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.
• Never quit until you have another job.
• Hang in there: Retirement is only 30 years away!
• Go the extra mile -- It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.
• Pride, commitment, teamwork -- words we use to get you to work for free.
• Work: It isn't just for sleeping anymore.
• There are two kinds of people in life: people who like their jobs, and people who don't work here anymore.

Time to head for home and do some more work from the couch…

Veteran's Day: Because freedom isn't free.

The end of the world is nigh... I just saw a Parental Advisory for teens who are partying.

You're Betty Grable!


What Classic Pin-Up Are You?
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A while ago someone said that if they ever discovered anything I couldn’t do relatively well, they’d never let me hear the end of it. Well there is something I’m pretty useless at.

At one time popular opinion was that you should strengthen your weaknesses in order to overcome them. More recently thought has changed to be aware of your weaknesses in order to avoid being taken by surprise by them and to maximize the potential of your strengths. Rather than spend time trying to bring weaknesses up to being competent, be excellent at what you are naturally gifted and avoid putting yourself in the position where your weaknesses can harm you.

To anyone who has known me very long, there is a chance that they already know of this weakness. I suck at confrontation, especially where I have a personal stake. I will look for every alternative before direct confrontation. I will look beyond reason for a solution that does not force confrontation. It took me four months to break off my engagement and when I finally managed to do so, it was in such a way that he thought it was a mutual decision. Exactly five years later (and with a little prodding), Eve has told me that she will be leaving my house. Had she not been able to make that decision on her own, I was going to have to ask her to do so anyway.

If you wonder where this comes from, you are not alone. Looking to astrology, it could be explained by the existence of Libra as my rising sign. The face I show the world wants things to be "nice". If I am the one who would benefit from confrontation, I have a hard time pressing myself to initiate conflict.

Perhaps there is something to be said for balancing gifts. When faced with two opposing sides, if there is a common ground to be found, I can find it. I can negotiate if there is any chance of cooperation, but I am not the one to send should the opposite be required. Peace and a fair solution I can create, but another’s surrender is not my forte.

Today is the birthday of someone who I was very close to. This is the same someone that had I not relocated to North Carolina would quite probably have played a very large part in my life. As it stands; he played a very large part of my life while I was in college. It was from him that I learned that I need someone who is willing to put my needs at the forefront of their life or I stand the risk of feeling taken advantage of as time passes. He also taught me to play and just have fun. He taught me that I didn’t have to cringe when someone raised their voice at me. He taught me that sometimes love isn’t enough and when we finally broke things off, we told each other that we loved each other, knowing that we both meant it, not knowing why this had to happen. When we finally parted, I cried for over a week, because not only had my heart been broken, but I was losing one of the people who knew me best.

I still see things that I think would make him smile. The last time I was in New York, I couldn’t help myself; I picked up 2 very small frames at one of the museums and sent them to him on his birthday.

I guess the bottom line of this message is – I thought of you today, whether you realize it or not and it made me smile.

Found by ShaeSin: Your name

Jennifer
The name Jennifer creates a dual nature in that you can be very generous and understanding, but you can also be so candid in your expression that you create misunderstanding. You struggle with the requirement to soften your expression with tact and diplomacy and to consider the feelings of others. Difficulty in accepting advice or admitting that you may have made a mistake causes you to appear to be stubborn and set in your ways. Thus, you have too often created the wrong impression, and friendships have suffered. This name does offer creative talent where there is the opportunity for ingenuity and originality. You have a tendency, at times, to have too many ideas on the go, and thus your efforts are scattered and many things do not reach completion. You are inclined to do to excess the things you like to do. You have very intense feelings and find it difficult to maintain stability and happiness. If you allowed it, temper and self-pity could be problems. Tension could cause nervous disorders, or centre in the head bringing weaknesses in the eyes, ears, sinuses, or teeth.

You don't think of Florida first when someone mentions Miami.

You snicker when someone's from Tiffin, because you think of the State Hospital.

You think Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange!

You've heard of 3.2% beer.

Schools close for the state basketball tournament.

You're proud of your state fair, but would rather go to Cedar Point.

You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.

You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

"Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means "south."

You've heard of the Great Nickel Beer Night Riot.

You know if other Ohioians are from southern or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.

You root for a college team though you've never taken a class there.

You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, and Tuscarawas

You always visit more than two amusement parks in one summer.

You know that Serpent Mounds were not made by snakes.

You know what game they're playing when the Mud Hens take on the Clippers.

Vacation means spending a day at Cedar Point or King's Island.

Down south to you means Kentucky.

You thought that the Michael Stanley Band was the most popular band in the country.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Ohio.

More "You Know You're From... When..."

I feel inclined to reiterate a very specific fact about my Musings:

It is NOT about you!

This is about me and what goes on in my head. It has been a useful tool for me to track both occurrences and my own thoughts. This includes my frustrations, my perceptions, my low points, my middle points and the rare high point.

If you haven’t already, you should probably read my disclaimer page. If any of that is unclear, you can find further clarification at this online READ ME page.

I finally gave in to my addiction. I've created a banner for Blog Explosion:

I made the banner using MS Paint and MS Word. This is a very simple banner, so here is what I did to make it using Windows:

1. Open MS Paint and create a new image that is the dimensions you want.
   
2. Find the base image for your banner. In this case it was the graphic of the girl.
   
3. Copy it into you clipboard
   
4. Paste the graphic onto the open image in MS Paint. Do not let MS Paint increase the size, have it shrink the image you are pasting.
   
5. Rotate the image in MS Paint by 180 degrees.
   
6. Paste the same image into the MS Paint image. You should not have the two flipped ends.
   
7. Save you banner, but don’t worry about closing MS Paint you aren’t done yet.
   
8. Open MS Word or some other word-processing application that has cool fonts. Type the text you want on you banner and get it to the approximate size you need as well.
   
9. Do a Ctrl + PrtSc (Control and PrintScreen) this will snapshot your entire active desktop into you clipboard.
   
10. Go to MS Paint create a new image, it doesn’t matter what size it is.
    
11. Paste you desktop into the image, this time let it increase the size of the image.
    
12. Click the top button on the left of the icons for MS Paint (mine looks like a squiggle).
    
13. Click on the button directly to the right of the top left button.
    
14. On the image, go highlight the part you want to use in your banner. Try to get as little extra stuff as possible. You don’t want a lot of extra white space.
    
15. From the file menu, do an edit copy.
    
16. Open you half done banner. Don’t worry if you have to close the image of your desktop to do this.
    
17. Paste the text/image from your desktop onto the banner and position it where you would like it. Press your enter key and then save you banner.

Some sick idiots have released a video game based on the assassination of JFK on the 41st anniversary of his death. Is nothing worth any respect? The maker of the game claims it is a educational/documentary game that will help to debunk conspiracy theories connected to the shooting. I’ll buy that and any oceanfront property available in Arizona.

I was hoping that this week would be a bit easier on my to do list, but I only managed to cross one off my list today. To be fair to myself, I have two really big ones that are finished except for one email each and a third that I’m trying to finish before sending those emails. Is that vague enough?

Three items may sound good, until you see the size of my list. Granted not all the items on my list are very big and a good deal of them are more along the lines of notes on things to keep an eye on until resolved, but now that I have people looking to me to have my stuff together, I’m not about to let little things fall through the cracks if I can help it.

I realized today that we’ve reached the last part of November. That may not be so surprising to most people, but last November was really tough for me. To be brutally honest, last November was a numb blur. For the most part, I got up, ate, checked my work email to make sure people talked to the right other people and then slept.

Thursday starts the holiday rush for 2004. I’m not sure how I feel about it. In an odd twist of fate, I started picking up Christmas gifts earlier this year. Travel dates are set and vacation days recorded. If I’m lucky, I won’t be getting any new big items to add to my list with due dates before January.

Yep, I’m rambling, so I think it’s time to sign off and get some sleep. May your dreams be peaceful.

I’m sitting here trying to write an entry for today and so far I’m failing miserably, so I’m going to do what one of my teachers used to have us do and just write whatever comes to mind, regardless of how well it flows or makes sense.

Blue is two to three times the size he was when I brought him home in July. I should probably add Gema to my list of "people" to get Christmas presents for this year, since she took such good care of him before I was able to adopt him.

I’ll be spending today with ShaeSin, theDistracted, and the rest of ShaeSin’s family.

Perhaps someone should tell the principal that those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, although somehow I doubt she’d get the reference. Apparently the Declaration of Independence has been added to the list of banned books in certain schools in California. If this doesn’t smack of censorship, I don’t know what does.

Reuter's article

Step away from the BE crack-pipe! I’m neglecting my own writing due to spending time surfing other people’s blogs. I’ve found some really interesting blogs through BE, it is like an insane webring with fewer broken links. If you haven’t played on BE, you may enjoy surfing through.

Caution: Surf at your own risk!

Need a good web host? Check out iPowerWeb, I absolutely LOVE these people. They even answer the phone when you call customer service!

Here I lie with a kitten on my chest. To be honest this is my favorite type of holiday. I should get up and (insert list of chores that need done: vacuum the carpet, wash the hardwood floors, rake the lawn, fold laundry, sort through my closet for clothes to give to charity), but today on this day of insane shopping, I’m hanging out with my favorite little white kitten with R&B playing on the stereo and chilling out. The list of stuff to do will be there tomorrow. Today I’m keeping it simple and taking it slow. The only decision I’m worried about right now is whether to take a nap or read. I’m leaning toward reading, but there’s something about a sleeping kitten that is pulling my eyelids down.

Happy Simple Friday from me and Blue!

I just signed my sister, RugRat, and nephew, Brett, (also known as my god-children) up on upromise.com, a program that works with companies to change a portion of what you already spend into their college savings. If you are interested in helping (costs you nothing) email me and I'll send you an invitation. You can attach credit cards, grocery store cards, aol accounts, etc, to their college accounts and the vendors you use do the rest.

ShaeSin has also signed up Sibling1 & Sibling2.

I don't know who you are from 66.221.193.1, but you suck and you can stay the heck out of my blog. By the way, this also means I've banned you from the NJS, Ultimate Rants and Ranting Virgo. Take your toys and go play alone!