http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8138665.stm

Dude, I'd totally apply if I lived anywhere near there. Seriously.

Well, I'm just a little posting demon these days, but today on Yahoo's Woodstock 69 radio I heard a little gem called "John Barleycorn" by Traffic and I couldn't resist posting the lyrics:

There were three men came out of the West,
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn must die.

They've ploughed, they've sown, they've harrowed him in,
Threw clods upon his head,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead.

They've let him lie for a very long time,
Till the rains from heaven did fall,
And little Sir John sprung up his head,
And so amazed them all.

They've let him stand till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard,
And so become a man.

They've hired men with the scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee,
They've rolled him and tied him by the way,
Serving him most barbarously.

They've hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
Who pricked him to the heart,
And the loader he has served him worse than that,
For he's bound him to the cart

They've wheeled him around and around the field,
Till they came unto a barn,
And there they made a solemn oath,
On poor John Barleycorn.

They've hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
To cut him skin from bone,
And the miller he has served him worse than that,
For he's ground him between two stones.

And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
And he's brandy in the glass;
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
Proved the strongest man at last.

The huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
Nor so loudly to blow his horn,
And the tinker he can't mend kettle nor pot,
Without a little Barleycorn



It just tickled me that a major band of the era was writing about a pagan legend. Cool!

I don't know about mine, but Leif's first word was "cat" and Lindsay's was "car" because we talk about our cats and the car a lot.

...or whatever it is when you don't like a dead celebrity, but am I the only person who thought "good riddance" when I heard Michael Jackson died? I mean, really. It's like everyone in the news media just glosses over the likelihood that he was a child molester of some sort, not to mention just an extremely miserable human being who had to grossly misfigure himself to show the world just how much he hated himself. I think it's a good thing he's dead. In the best of all possible worlds, he would get intense psychotherapy, apologize to all the kids he molested and pay their psychiatrist bills for life, and start to love himself and make great music again. Since it doesn't seem like most of those things were going to happen, I'm glad he's dead now so he can't put his creepy white fingers on another little boy.
So there. And, for the record, Thriller was the first album I ever got, and I was going to marry Michael Jackson despite my mother's protests over interracial marriage. But I guess that's not happening now.

I discovered a new tool today for those of us who are struggling to stay on a "food plan" (I refuse to use the word "diet" because it sounds like die-it and almost always invariably leads to failure). Anywho, today I was being good and going to a salad bar, and I was intensely tempted to eat a large, soft roll smothered with several pats of real butter. Somewhere inside of me I found the will to fight back and simply told myself several times in a row, "I am stronger than a buttery roll." Then I imagined the little roll with boxing gloves trying to fight me, and I knocked it out. It sounds silly but it really worked! It also made me giggle. So the next time you're struggling with a food temptation, just tell yourself, "I'm stronger than a ________" Fill in the blank with your enemy food, such as a slice of pizza, hamburger, Ho-Ho, etc. The sillier sounding, the better. In fact, as a meme, why don't my loyal readers go ahead and reply with just that phrase, with your demon food added at the end, and let's conquer the Battle of the Bulge!

Is it just me, but was Leonard Nimoy as "Spock" in the original Star Trek series totally hot? I mean, really. I am just beside myself with lust when I watch some of those old episodes, especially in "Plato's Stepchildren," when he sings that sexy love ballad. Now why can't that be for me? By the way, that new kid in the new Star Trek movie is okay, nothing to write home about. I don't believe him making out with Uhura though, cos there's no inkling of an interest between them in any of the other movies or series. Oh yeah, and my hubby won me a Spock doll from one of those claw machines at the movie theater. Only cost us like $15-20 in quarters!!! I love it though, sleep with it at night and everything. Well, at least the first night.

Okay, I'm done. I'm getting a towel now.

(sorry about the spoiler :P)

...known as the "holiday spirit." I bought some presents for people online voluntarily, and actually kind of enjoyed it. A few people wished me "Merry Christmas" and I didn't necessarily have the compulsion to slap a bitch. I even wished people on elevators "Happy Holidays" and stuff. Someone give me a shot a penicillin...quick!

The Life Experience Test

Overall, you have partaken in 87 out of 169 possible life experiences. Your average life experience score is therefore 51%. The average score is 52%, making your experiences more than 43% of the people who have taken this test. The average for your age group (26-35) is 53%. Broken down by category: Art: 5/17 (29%) Career & Work: 5/13 (38%) Civics & Technology: 3/7 (43%) Crime & Disarray: 4/11 (36%) Education: 15/18 (83%) Fashion: 7/10 (70%) Fitness, Health and Sports: 1/7 (14%) Life in General: 7/14 (50%) Relationships: 13/14 (93%) Religion & Politics: 3/4 (75%) Social: 13/22 (59%) Travel: 1/20 (5%) Vices: 10/12 (83%)

Take the test and see how YOU compare

So, obviously I've had extensive experiences with education (Master's degree), relationships, politics, and religion (well, mostly religion but I'd like a helluva lot more politics). I also have an impressive Vice number! Yay! Thank you, college! Now, I just need to get some more travel and health/fitness in to be a more well-rounded person instead of just a round person who sits her ass in Ohio all the damn time.

http://www.summahealth.org/default.asp?ID=3479

This is something that I have entertained off and on for years, and something recently has pushed me towards finally taking real steps towards it. In the past couple weeks or so I've started developing diabetic neuropathy. You know, the shit that makes you lose your feet and go blind. Losing weight is no guarantee that it'll slow it down, but it surely can't hurt. I have had success with Weight Watchers in the past and I love their program, but I feel I need some dramatic results faster than that. I know it'll be hard on me, as well as my family, but now losing weight can't just be a hobby - it's a medical necessity. Some people might think I'm being lazy here, while others say I know so and so who had it and died or gained all their weight back, etc and that's fine. I'm willing to take the risk, because I told my husband that I don't feel life is really worth living if I become really disabled, especially so young in life (I'm 32). I'm excited and nervous.
The first step will be going to the seminar on Nov 19th, and then they said I can schedule an appointment with a doctor in late December. After that, I have to pay $200 up front, then $300-400 a month later, and the balance before my surgery. Total costs that our insurance won't cover is $1700, which I know I've spent more than that on various weight loss products over the years anyway.
I'm ready to break my addiction to food, and having a stomach the size of thimble will certainly be a strong motivator to do so. I know some of you reading this might think I'm wise, I'm foolish, you might be envious or you think I should look into other options. I know the first time I ever heard someone talk about "stomach stapling" I thought they were nuts, but most of the people I've known who've had it are very, very glad they did. Some of my friends with a stapled stomach are still kinda fat and have lots of weird skin, and I know a few who look like supermodels and you'd never know. Then again, there's a 1% chance I could die on the operating table. So, yeah. Whatever your opinions are, you're certainly welcome to post them.

Fox is at it again

Dear Friends,

Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us."

I've joined on to ColorOfChange.org's campaign to push back on Fox, publicly demanding they stop their race-baiting and fear mongering. If that doesn't work, then we'll go to their advertisers and the FCC. I wanted to invite you to sign on as well. It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2431-596859

Here's what happened recently:

After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a "pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act of celebration a "terrorist fist jab." Then last week, a Fox News on-screen graphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"--slang used to describe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people, an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black people everywhere.

After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means the apology is meaningless.

These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of a pattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Fox has a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Black leaders, and Black people in general.

If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join me in helping to bring an end to Fox's behavior.

http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2431-596859

Thanks.

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(jason_bateman)

For some reason, I always thought people hurting themselves was kinda funny.

Hey,

I know some of you who read my journal aren't on my Tarot Talk yahoo group (see my profile for the "join now" button) so I would like those who aren't on the group to please reply here if you think you would ever attend the group in the future and if so, what day/time would be best for you. The other person, Lil, who was running the group with me, has quit for now so I'm wondering if there's enough interest in the area to carry on. Thanks.

This month's Talk will focus on the Empress. She is the archetypal Mother of the tarot deck, and contains within her many of the mysteries of Creation. She is the Anima of Jungian psychology. Help us unlock her secrets! At the end of Tarot Talk, we will also start to practice reading for others. It's not as scary as it sounds, I promise! Bring your favorite Tarot deck for Talk and fun.

The next card on the journey is the High Priestess. She is one of the
most mysterious and enigmatic characters of the Major Arcana. Not
many people understand her deeper meaning, and how she evolved. Is
she a female Pope, an Amazon, a virgin, a magician, a witch, or all of
these combined? She is definitely a character worthy of further study
with a group of like-minded individuals.
Bring an object with you or a story to share that helps you connect
with this card and represents your own intuitive powers.

Well, uh, my plans for getting my computer fixed kinda fell through. Soooo...I know there's lots of computer geeks on my friends' list (and I mean that in the best possible way) so could one of you darlings step up to the plate? We're going fruity without a working computer. Of course, we can pay whoever helps us, as that good 'ol income tax refund should be rolling in soon. Basically, the problems are that the plug in the back is pushed in too far (and I can't seem to get that back off the computer to fix it myself), the sound system is totally busted (yes, I checked the volume controls - it probably needs new drivers and I lost the original disk), and the A drive needs replaced. If you can help us, name your price. Of course I could take it to a computer repair shop but I'd rather give our money to our friends. Please let me know ASAP if you want to earn some easy cash.