I have new project–podcasting. I volunteered. I hope I don’t regret it. My goal for the day is to figure out how to edit a music file or any audio file in Garageband. I get to be the person who puts the whole podcast together and then publishes it. It should be an experience. I just hope I don’t throw the computer out the window. There are several contributors (how fun…you know the saying “too many chefs…”). I will have a two minute portion initially. These volunteer things tend to add work, not subtract it. The podcast is for the same organization as the charity auction.

I’ll be off a little later to the Apple Store. I’m on the hunt for a book on Garageband. Then I may make a quick stop to Toys R Us (PS3 hunt). I so hate going to the mall at this time of year, so I need to get there early. Even weekdays can be a major nuisance.

I survived the charity auction. From what others who had worked at past ones said, I thought it would be a lot worse. Some of the items went for such low prices that they were a steal. The live part of the auction went well though.

I got to hang out with people I don’t usually see or often talk to. There are some great people, who I didn’t know were great. It’s amazing what you can learn about the group and everyone from people you don’t usually speak to. Most people came up to me and said how it has been so long since they saw me. It really hasn’t. It has only been a couple of months.

Of course, there are always the difficult ones. The ones who want to get their stuff before you’re ready. I noticed that I just don’t react the same way as the rest. I’m just not bothered by other people’s behavior–at least not in the same way.

It was a late night, so I’m lacking sleep. I think I may go back to bed to catch up on lost sleep and completely get over this cold/sinus thing that has lingered on for far too long.

I always like this quote from “Grosse Pointe Blank”: “Where are all the good men dead? In the heart or in the head?”

Why this occurred to me today, I have no idea. But I wonder what I might find if I took a poll. First I’d have to find some good men. My experience is that they aren’t easy to find. However, my male readers may volunteer for the poll and answer.

I think most are dead in the heart. It’s society. It has also bothered me quite a bit being the mother of boy. Males are taught early in our society to hold in their emotions (unless it’s anger…say directed at the disliked sports team who won). It makes them only half a person and difficult for us females to understand and get along with. So boys don’t cry or show any form of affection—otherwise they are “girls.” What a lesson to learn! Somehow having very human emotions makes you the opposite sex. Of course then there’s the association of weakness with those emotions and girls.

It’s rather interesting to find that even if you’ve taught your children to not accept those stereotypes, toddlers are the sexist beings on the planet. I remember my surprise when my son told me with absolute certainty that women couldn’t be pilots. He was four. Many more examples followed, and each time I corrected his certainty. I doubt he would remember today or even agree with the statements.

Technorati: Grosse Pointe Blank, men

AAA is just as stupid as the DMV. So today I get this notice from the DMV that my registration will be suspended because they have no evidence that the car is insured. I check the VIN number. Perfect match between my insurance and the DMV. I called up my insurance (AAA). They tell me that they can’t electronically submit the information more than once. Huh? What kind of crazy system is that?

The woman on the phone says I can go to one of the AAA offices that has DMV services. I’m annoyed that the system didn’t work right the first time, but I gather my stuff and go down to the office. Now the nearest office is near one of the malls (tons of traffic) and about 8 miles from my house. Even though it looks like rain and a possible traffic mess, I go anyway. I stand in line for about 10 minutes only to be told that they correct the problem there either. At this point, I’m mad because I just wasted an hour of my day and gas that I didn’t need to. Too bad the person I spoke to on the phone was apparently unaware of what can and can’t be done at the local office.

This is the first time I’ve ever had difficulty with AAA. But this whole thing is really stupid and the problem is either on their end (which should be correctable by AAA) or at the DMV. The DMV didn’t get the memo that my old car was sold to dealer either. I had to resubmit that information myself, even though I signed a paper at the dealer. I signed lots of papers that day, but I distinctly remember that one because they had misspelled the street I live on. One little error and the DMV doesn’t know what to do. Bureaucrats. Note the word “rats.” Hmm.

Oh my! Has my life gotten so boring in just a few days that I can’t think of something to write about? It seems like some of the excitement is over. Actually, as usual, I have stuff to write about, I am choosing not to write about it here.

I’ve been taking it easy since I know that new work is coming soon. I’ll be busy enough in the near future. I’m still on the hunt for a PS3. I had an interesting hunt yesterday. I seemed to have missed shipments a two stores only by a day or two. But they never know until the day of a shipment if they are going to get any in. Several stores have recommended calling. One said that if you called them, they would say they didn’t have any. You actually have to walk up to the employee at the gaming counter and ask directly. I did get some news though. Sony is still having problems with the consoles. They just aren’t working quite right. Far fewer consoles will be released than the 1 million that Sony planned. It’s unfortunate. Sony had promised long ago that the consoles wouldn’t be hard to find. The delay until the release this fall was to give them time to work out all the bugs (obviously it hasn’t happened). The bugs weren’t worked out, but they kept with the release date anyway. I haven’t looked at their stock prices, but it can’t be good.

I hope my son isn’t too disappointed. He’s following the news too, so he knows that getting one before the end of the year isn’t easy. However, this was going to be his big gift–and only gift besides the extras you need to play the PS3. There isn’t anything else that he wants. I have a game here for the PS3, but it’s not much use without the PS3.

It looks like I have two weeks get one. I guess I know what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks. I need to make a phone list. If I’m lucky, I’ll bag a PS3 before the holidays.

No takers from yesterday’s post? Hmm. Must be tantric that scared everyone off. Perhaps no one took it seriously. That’s okay. Insert evil genius laugh here. The mad scientist laugh was part of the chemistry graduate school curriculum.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been following this ex-KGB murder as if it were a Clancy novel. The way the people are related is incredible with twists and turns no novelist could possibly come up with. The plot thickens every day. It’s better than any drama on television. I wish my novel had turned out as good. This is the kind of stuff I love to read, but it seems very difficult to write believably.

I’ve been down memory lane a bit recently. A little with a friend and with Kelly and her yearbook post. All reminders of what I was like in high school and college. I’d still like to forget high school. Let me say that I was pretty stupid back then. I thought I was smart. Oh, I had plenty of intelligence, but still stupid—did stupid things and just plain didn’t get certain things. My mother doesn’t read my blog, so she will never know that I just admitted to being foolish. I watch other people who are 18 to 22 and shake my head at their folly. They don’t even realize it. I do think it would be nice to be that age though and know what I know now.

Enough reminiscing. I certainly wasn’t a “tantric master” back then. So here’s to experience!

*****

I completely forgot that today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor until reading through a few blogs. Recently new photos were found of that day. I wrote about my experience at Pearl Harbor back in September when the memory was fresher. However, viewing those new photos brought back the same experience.

So on Kelly’s advice, I took this quiz. Click on “extras” and then click on the quiz box. Or click on the link below.

I guess I’m not surprised by the results. Anyone interested in a depraved, perverted female for a romantic, long-term relationship?

I feel a bit like this sea lion. Although, thank goodness I smell better. As I went through the news this morning, I found this gem. A mother had her son arrested for opening a Christmas present too early. Frankly, I wanted to see where this took place. I’m pleased to say that it’s not California. Nope, this one is in Columbia, South Carolina.

After watching a program about the Internet on the weekend, I felt a bit like all bad things happen in California. Every example they had of the “horrors” of the Internet took place somewhere in California—primarily around Los Angeles. While I have to agree with my friend that the reason is most like because it is cheaper to find a local example and avoid the cost of travel, it makes it seem like all the seedy things that can happen on the Internet take place here. I never much like these shows anyway because all they do is scare people. This stuff is quite rare actually…the predators, the gaming addicts, etc. I saw a statistic just a week ago that showed that porn sites make up only 1% of the Internet. Yes, it is a huge business, but only a small part of the Internet.

So my adopted state gets a bad rap for…well…just about everything. Poor California. No wonder the rest of the country feels they can ignore us or write us off as crazy. Hollywood–you’re not helping either.

Technorati: California

I had one of those meetings last night that you dread. I volunteer occasionally. I would do it more, but the meetings are so stupid. Last night’s could have been finished sooner if there wasn’t so much horsing around. Yes, horsing around. You would have thought it was a group of teens, not women around 50. I was the youngest there. I wondered what the one lady had been drinking. I think the word “condom” was mentioned by her at least three times. This had nothing to do with the business we were trying to get done. We are preparing for a charity auction (silent and live) and were supposed to go through the checkout procedure. We will be winging it that night.

I guess in the past there have been people who are downright rude when checking out. Some of the ladies wanted guns. Water guns were the choice, since no one really wants to kill. I haven’t been part of these auctions before, so it will be an experience. One I may never want again.

I have to say though as far as these meetings go this had to be one of the most fun. It’s good to see other people who are nuts. I even came home with a nickname–GG. It’s for “gallery girl” because I will be taking care of the art gallery portion of the auction. I may forever be known by these women as “Gigi.” I may need a gun if they start singing though.

I’m going to take Kelly’s advice about opening with the previous night’s beverage selection. As I didn’t have much to write about today, I’m going with the booze. I highly recommend Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Sublime champagne. It was sublime. I usually don’t post twice in one day, but by tomorrow the champagne would be old news. It’s nearly old news now. I need to buy a few more bottles just to have around. It was that good. We were still talking about it on Sunday afternoon.