Today in Cleveland there was a pretty decent snowstorm. The picture on the left was taken at about 7:55am, driving across the innerbelt bridge. You can tell it was pretty much a whiteout downtown, and you can just barely make out some building profiles. The next picture is my car at about 10:30am. I left to go out to one of the classrooms to film students for training purposes. Unfortunately, after a great group meeting (the process we wanted to document), I discovered that the audio level could not have been higher. It was as if you could hear air molecules. When the kids talked, it sounded like adults on Charlie Brown. Dammit. Triple dammit.

Last night for dinner I made cajun porkchops with vegetable mashed potatoes. It was the bliggelty bizzomb.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot this story! I was crusin’ down I-90 east, headed towards the school. All of a sudden, a black Pontiac did a 540 degree spinout about 1/4 mile ahead of me! It was strange seeing headlights facing me on the same side of the road. Not only was this an amazing sight, it further supports my theory that all Pontiac drivers drive like assholes. About two miles down the road, things got really slow all of a sudden. There was some kind of accident, but once they squeezed us down from four lanes to two, we passed a tow truck with nothing on the back and a cop car just sitting there. Then it opened back up to four lanes. Why is it that after an accident is cleared, traffic does not react accordingly and speed back up? Big deal - one fucking car is sitting on the shoulder. I wish I had go-go gadget wheels. (Or a plane.)

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, so I’m trying to conjour up a snow day! Though little overnight accumulation is expected, if I don’t have work tomorrow I’m going to some pub that has Kegs & Eggs!!!

You have got to be kidding me! No, I’m not! For the low, low price of $366, someone took home the all-new Janet and Justin dolls. Personally, I think they were a bit generous in the stubble beard they gave Justin.

This weekend went by in a blur. Saturday, my brother, Bot and I made fried shrimp po’ boy sandwiches with chipolte remoulade and slaw. They were “blow your socks through your shoes good.” We then wallowed in our shrimp comas, watching Punch Drunk Love (good movie). Later on, John and Ethan and I went to my company’s party. It was a good time, especially for John and Ethan who scored free food. I was still in a half-coma from the shrimp, so I just drank Budweiser. Ethan won some kind of windbreaker, which I still have to claim for him.

What is THIS all about? Lisa Marie says she saw things going on during her marriage to Michael Jackson. What things?? She says: “And don’t ask me what sort of things, because I’m not going to answer. But just stuff.” Hmm… that’s not suspicious.

Ben, I know you need one of these. A “I’m Rick James, bitch.” t-shirt! Fantastic! (Now just $14.00)

This link here is from my friend NDR out in Cali. It’s about how THEY are trying to get US by feeding us flouride through the water supply. I still don’t know what to make of this. Feeling docile and bovine. Must… cease… political dissent…..

Paperback Writer by the Beatles is currently playing… in my head.

Here’s an article from a woman who used to work in the Pentagon. She held many ranks so I won’t bother to list them here, but essentially she talks at length about the fabricated intelligence that led the US to war with Iraq. Literally, it comes down to bullet points that were occasionally altered to seem more realistic in the face of accusations that the threat was not what it was said to be. That could be why every press conference and speaker sounded like a broken record as they defended their ridiculous assertions. Either way, it’s a long, interesting read. The sad thing is, it’s just as bad as I had imagined. It was all made up, and there will probably never be any accountability for any of it. A quote: “The message sent by Policy appointees and well understood by staff officers and the defense intelligence community was that senior appointed civilians were willing to exclude or marginalize intelligence products that did not fit the agenda.”

Bush visited Ohio and spewed out some rhetoric about our job recovery and vibrancy. I wish Mayor Jane Campbell would have said this to his face, but “Campbell said the unemployment rate in Cleveland has risen from 8.5 percent to 14 percent during Bush’s tenure, and Cuyahoga County has lost more than 60,000 jobs.” I can certainly speak to that. It was almost overnight that Ohio’s jobs began disappearing, especially in the IT field. When I got a job with CoreComm, I had other job offers pouring in. Recruiters were calling me at least once every two weeks, even though I told them it would take a lot for me to quit my job. Then, when I was downsized, jobs had literally disappeared. I used to go to ComputerJobs.com and the thing would be filled with so many jobs I didn’t know what to do. At that time, I had to include Columbus and Akron in my searches… even though I was unwilling to travel that far. Anyway, I just want everyone (who reads this, I guess) to know that what he said is complete bullshit.

Congratulations to the House of Representatives, for almost unanimously enacting stiffer fines for on-air indecency. Might as well just quote this one too: “Under the legislation, approved 391-22, broadcast companies and entertainers could be fined up to $500,000 per indecent incident, a huge jump from the current $27,500 for license-holders and $11,000 for personalities.” Problem #1: Nobody has defined indecency. That means the FCC can do so, and oh do they love Howard Stern. Problem #2: The fact that this won 391-22! I’m fairly certain this proves that the majority of the leaders in this country are geriatric, cantankerous, liver-spotted tightasses. Not that a quick glance across the House floor wouldn’t lead you to the same conclusion. Howard is already talking satellite radio, and also serious interest in assisting the Anybody But Bush campaign. Sirius and XM better start crankin’ out units, because they’re gonna have a hell of a lot of orders on their hands soon.

You know, I’m a little tired of seeing this kind of article, where us leftists list questions we’d love to ask Bush. I know man, calm down. I know… it’s not easy to deal with, but seriously… he’s not listening. He said a long time ago he doesn’t read the news (or probably anything else, including legislation). Not only that, but the last thing he cares about are his opponents. He is not interested in helping people understand his insane take on things. If you criticize him, you are ignored. His free speech zones are blatant evidence of that strategy. So if some secretary of Bush’s calls you up and says, “the president would like you to propose a host of difficult questions to him,” then fine… I hope you write some heavy shit. Otherwise, have a seat and I’ll pour you a warm cup of shut the fuck up. We can all list hard-hitting questions we’d love to have answered by him, but it’s pointless. Do some reporting, or write a commentary on something. (See, even the people I’m asking to stop drafting questions won’t read this.)

RobotCop III comes to Hong Kong. They’ve made similar robots in the past, but this one’s made right in Hong Kong, not using foreign supplies. Is it just me, or are they a bit optimistic in thinking a stupid robot who criticizes criminals will make a difference? Maybe some kids will think twice before swiping a candy bar, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to miss their target audience.

Here’s an article on the Christian Right’s all new CultureWar®. Actually, it talks a lot about how Howard Stern is changing the beliefs of many of his (estimated) 15 to 20 million listeners. Perhaps we have Al Franken to thank. Howard has mentioned a few times how he read Al’s new book and it changed his views. More than a lot of other issues, I don’t want to find out what will happen with this if Bush remains in office. Censorship in any form is something I despise. Especially in today’s America, the Christian right are truly fooling themselves if they believe they’re protecting anyone from indecency.

Here’s some good news for all of us. Gas prices are set to exceed $2.00 a gallon, even here in Ohio. The source of the price hike could not be more elusive, at least to this reporter. C’mon, we took over Iraq, we’re headed to Libya to suck up some more… what’s the problem? Really though, what will it take for this country to explore alternative fuels? I saw a TV show where a guy was running his truck on restaurant grease. He literally stopped by with a container and drained their vats on site. That’s a double-whammy, man! We recycle and we get where we need to go!

I’m sure it wasn’t his decision, but Bush has agreed to answer all the questions from the 9/11 investigative committee. It was probably his daddy’s idea, or maybe some press secretary or something. Whoever it was, thank you.

[Begin private Ben section] Umm… Ben, are you alright man? No blogging in 10 full days, and I still don’t have a script from you either. We’re all geared up to compose some music for ya, man. Hope everything’s okay and your mind is still intact. : D [End private Ben secion]

Gotta pee. I’m going for full foam, NDR. FULL FOAM!

I’m not in much of a bloggin’ mood today. That might stop some people from blogging, but eh… what the hell… I’ll just blog on anyway. My stomach is still angry over a late night Taco Hell visit… my first fast food in about 4 or 5 months. Actually, Taco Bell is the only thing that made me stray at all before. Maybe I can call that an exception. It’s shitty food, yes, but man… at 10pm, when you get a craving, and you’re mildly hammered, there is nothing better. I’m surprised that it has effected me so much, but I swear there’s something in all fast food that makes you feel crappy after you eat it. Even my mood and energy seem out of whack.

Speaking of fast food, McDonald’s has released some “healthy” alternatives to their normal fare. Oh wait, what’s that you say? Their salad has more fat than their normal cheeseburger? That sounds about right. (Seriously, read the article.)

In order to save you a few clicks and maybe 30 seconds of waiting (except Ben, make that 20 minutes of waiting! haha), I’ve linked directly to the newest Hubble pictures. Why are we dropping this project, when they just took this photo, which is supposedly as close to the spot of the Big Bang’s origin as we’ve yet to see? I think this is incredible.

Today, Bush is landing his stretched 747-200 at Cleveland Hopkins. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s already there. I was watching the airport monitor (link on the right) and I saw a huge traffic buildup, and then almost all the planes, enroute or otherwise, began to divert. They put an Embraer and a 737 (probably both Continental) in a holding pattern southwest of the airport, at about 10,000 ft. and had them circle over and over while Air Force One landed. The plane was not identified as being enroute to Cleveland on the monitor, nor did it have a classification at all… but I saw a plane come in low, circle around to the southern approach, and then land at about 10:47. (If you go to the monitor page and set the clock back to 10:47am, you will see it just south of the airport at about 1300 ft. Well, I wish I could have gotten some pictures of it, but alas I have to work. With Bush in the White House, I need to make sure I do a good job and hold onto what I have. I’m certain there are no available jobs around anymore.

Yes, we WERE evacuated yesterday. Yes, the building is still standing. I’ve yet to hear anything today about the gas leak, but I guess it’s fine because I don’t feel dizzy anymore. We got out of work at 11:30! Pretty sweet.

Last evening, John, JoAnn and I witnessed an amazing Kenny event of sorts. We all know Kenny likes to have two dinners.. hell, who doesn’t? His first dinner was made up of a full bag of Lipton noodles, generally used as a side dish for several people. Normally, he usually has two (2) veggie burgers, with mayo, to accompany the noodles. I’m assuming he had those as well, but yesterday I didn’t see them. Then, at around 9:30pm, he returned downstairs for his second dinner. Ramen is another common thing for Kenny to eat, except he prefers two (2) packages, and using the microwave to make them, because… when you gotta eat, you gotta eat. After the microwave finished its job and began ‘dinging’, we waited anxiously for his return from the attic. To our astonishment, he completely forgot. He even came down once to use the bathroom or get some water, at which time we went to check if the ramen was still sitting in the microwave. Sure enough, it was. At 11pm, Kenny came down and we finally had to ask him if he knew the noodles were in there. He said yes, but that he forgot, and that the noodles had become too large to eat (or something to that effect). We went in the kitchen to see two (2) full packages worth of ramen sitting in the trashcan. He didn’t even take the time to throw out the spice packets. The most confusing part of all of this is: what is so pressing and important that you forget about food you were cooking? We’re not sure, but given the volume of the television set up there, it’s probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the West Wing. When you have a rigid TV schedule to adhere to, things like second dinners and maintaining your living area must only be done when it’s most convenient — never.

Kerry says world leaders want Bush out, too. Good, if only they could vote. Or if America wasn’t full of a bunch of xenophobic bigots… then perhaps we could say that was a good thing. I for one commend those foreign leaders who want Bush out. Tell a friend, guys.

Remember when I talked about how they may have already captured Osama, and wondered if it were just a conspiracy theory? Well, I wasn’t the only one who though of that. Really though, it’s irrelevant if they did or didn’t catch him… what matters is being aware of what they’ll try to do with that ‘victory’ to get the Bush cartel re-elected.

Here’s an article about our economic situation, but the part I found really interesting is the bit about having Bush as a student, back in Harvard. Here’s a quote: “At Harvard Business School, thirty years ago, George Bush was a student of mine. I still vividly remember him. In my class, he declared that “people are poor because they are lazy.” He was opposed to labor unions, social security, environmental protection, Medicare, and public schools. To him, the antitrust watch dog, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Securities Exchange Commission were unnecessary hindrances to “free market competition.” To him, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal was “socialism.”" Not that Bush’s stance on ANYTHING makes ideological sense to me, but at least that sentence “poor people are poor because they are lazy” helps me to see how blind and confused someone has to be in order to do the kinds of things Bush has been doing. It really is THAT bad.

A really clever attempt to take a Dear Abby columnist for a ride was unfortunately foiled before it was responded to. Someone sent in a letter essentially claiming they were Marge Simpson, having to deal with Homer as a husband. They used a pretty popular episode to set up their situation: the one where Homer gives Marge a bowling ball as a gift, and Marge meets a French bowling instructor that makes her swoon. I personally could have found a better episode. Hmfph.

Saturday afternoon, we were walking out to my bro’s car, when a cute little head popped out from on top of his back tire! Hiding in the wheel well was this little lady, who’s gone by ‘Bobbi’, ‘Kooch’ (after Kucinich), and now ‘Muffin’. Well, she’s pretty small, so we snatched her up and brought her back to the West Side. She ate a shitload of 9-Lives, drank a shitload of water, and then passed out while John and I played our guitars. Since Kenny is allergic to cats, we took her out to my mom’s house. Surprisingly, my mom’s dog Lexus has no desire to eat her, although the cat has other thoughts on the matter. They are keeping their distance, but I think Lexus is trying to make friends. To be safe, the cat will spend most of the time in my old bedroom. If you know anyone who wants her, let me know! My mom may keep her, but not if the dog is going to eat her.

The ‘Understatement of the Year Award’ goes to: Nancy Benac, for writing this pathetically optimistic article about how the Republicans “face a climb to gain Bush black votes.” How could you settle on that headline after writing this: “When President Bush solemnly placed a wreath at the Atlanta grave of Martin Luther King Jr. a few weeks earlier, a low chorus of boos rumbled from protesters across the street.” ????

You know, I was scratching my head when the Bush cartel lifted the Libya travel ban recently, but it makes good sense now. Thanks, BBC. Probably the first people to “visit” Libya post-ban will be US Oil Chiefs. I guess that’s a good move, I mean, eventually our empirical hold on Iraq will expire, and we’ll have to look elsewhere for oil. Afterall, pollution, SUV’s, and ignoring alternative fuels that are vastly more efficient and clean than gasoline are the things Americans really take pride in. Especially us “liberals.”

To celebrate our new Libyan oil options, the Army has made the SmarTruck III, a Hummer-like vehicle with .50-caliber machine guns on it. Sweet! I bet it’s mileage is similar to that of McBain’s SUV from the Simpsons: “One Highway / Zero City”!

Speaking of the Simpsons, last night there was a great quote from Lenny (though I think it was an older episode). After seeing that Mr. Burns had voted for Marge’s initiative to help children get their rights back, Lenny said something like: “If Mr. Burns is voting for that, we should too! Rich people always do what’s best for everybody!” I think that quote is a perfect sarcastic illustration of the ignorance of the average American, especially when it comes to the 2004 election. Kucinich was always considered a long shot, as was Sharpton, but those two were the only ones who were ever fighting for the middle and lower class citizens. Hardly anyone saw that.

I don’t care what you think about Martha Stewart, Bush is a far greater finance criminal. If you haven’t read any details on HOW he became such a criminal, then click that link, baby. My official stance on the whole Martha issue is: “Yes I think Martha Stewart is hot, was hot, and yes, I would bang her.” Atheir backs me up here, as does my stepbrother Andy.

The troops in Afghanistan are desperate for results? Reports are coming in about US troops gettin’ a bit cocky and crazy over there. I suspect it’s because the Bush cartel is pushing so hard to capture USAMA (ha), and they just don’t give a shit about poor Afghanis.

Right now, the Cleveland fire department is arriving at our building. There is a gas leak in the basement! We may have to be evacuated, but they’re still evaluating the situation. Hmm! Crazy! They have their sirens on and everything. I DO feel a little dizzy, but I didn’t eat anything, and I took headache medicine.

Finally, my favorite story of the day: Seniors fight at the salad bar! Just read the story, I don’t have time to tell you about it.

Okay, gotta go. More on the gas situation later.

The plot thickens. I think it’s pretty clear that the far right believes they’ll be able to change America, even if it takes some kind of social war. Contrary to what they’d like to believe, our generation, and the generations growing up now, don’t stand a chance of adopting their ridiculous viewpoints. The thing that sickens me is that there are some people who have yet to be offended by Bush. It not only sickens me, but scares the crap out of me. He has millions and millions of supporters… but how do they miss all this stuff? The new 9/11 ads he’s using to campaign upon…. that is the most insane betrayal of the victims, the most despicable insult to our intelligence I could ever imagine. He is literally trying to cash in on the fact he happened to be in office when that happened. Not only was he completely weak, misguided and lost in the face of that tragedy, he is campaigning on a fabricated set of skills. Forget it, let me just sum it up: he’s a fucking idiot. But you already knew that.

And now for something completely different: Ohio woman finds thumb in salad. The best part is, she was almost finished eating it!

Last night I watched my buddy Dan (from Vanity Crash) propose to his fiance on stage at the Pirate’s Cove. It was pretty cool.. the band was playing softly in the background, and then Dan changed his lyrics around to reflect that he can no longer sleep around or hook up with chicks. That was pretty funny. It was about that time that the 40 oz. of High Life had completed the first wave of its attack on my intestines. Something I ate for dinner disagreed with the Champagne of Beers in a big way. It was like having a whole apple working its way through my gut and colon. I actually made it home before the bomb dropped.

Today is a big day in Miranda’s Moon history. Bot will get a new bass amp! Yes, since the early days we’ve been using a Fender Sidekick 65, which I purchased for about $210, way back when I played bass in some hippie jam band project. We gave Bot all the money from one gig just for that purpose, but he squandered it on crack and bitches. Finally, he will upgrade to a tube-driven, ballsy amp.. and immediately after its purchase, we will test it out at practice!

West Side Market tomorrow. Oh yea. I’m trying to go every Saturday now.

Talk about desperate for votes!!! You gotta be fucking kidding me!!!