Paying for Free Cable

Samhain was awesome. I saw everybody, the ritual felt good and productive, we danced and had fun. As is traditional for us, we treated the neighborhood kids first--I loved the tiny bat asleep on his daddy's shoulder. After the ritual, we put the kids to bed, got out CDs by deceased artists, and let the liquor flow. I came close to talking to Elvis; Yemaya *did*, which made our flight home all the more interesting.

The days after that have not been awesome. I caught a damn cold in Orlando. I spent this weekend sounding like a goose and blowing my nose every five minutes. My internet at both home and work were playing up at times. So when I had 'net access, I was busy, and when I had time to use it, I didn't have 'net access! Oh, so frustrating, all of it. I seem to have missed out on an interesting opportunity because of it, too. (Sorry, Christine! Thanks for trying, Peterson!) And then L'Ailee forgot that lesson from science class about what happens to glass that is heated then cooled when she tried to help out by washing my Pyrex baking pan. Bitch bitch whine whine...

Tony Stewart's second win in a row was awesome, even though I couldn't cheer. Wow, he totally dominated that race--he led the vast majority of the laps and was actually getting *bored* leading, so much so that he radioed his crew to ask how the Redskins were doing at one point! (His team's owner, Joe Gibbs, coaches the 'Skins.) Now, I was taught to revere King Richard, but I *never* heard of Petty getting bored with all the leading! Smoke looked so cute in his cowboy hat. (Many racetracks have "interesting" traditions for winners; Texas' is to make winners pose with cowboy hats and cap guns. Baby-faced Kasey Kahne looked about four years old when they made him do it; I think Stewart kept his gray hairs and let his beard grow a bit to avoid that.) He looked even cuter climbing the fence. He's getting thin, what with his personal trainer's help! I hope he doesn't get too thin, but he talked about the foods his trainer won't let him have like beloved old friends that he missed, so there's hope. :-)

There was also an altercation between one of Scott Riggs' crew members and Kevin Harvick after the race. L'Ailee decided she will never like Scott Riggs when she heard about that. We kinda thought he would pay for free cable anyway; the fact that he wanted to start something with Harvick and his wife confirms it. You know that hilarious Holiday Inn Express commercial where one guy tells another that the goofy-looking little man doing a presentation at the meeting is actually a part-time cage fighter with a bumper sticker that says "I'd rather have you in a choke hold"? That's Harvick. The cameras can't be on them all the time, you know. (And, come to think of it, that's probably why L'Ailee, another little person who's scarier than she looks, likes him!)

Let me share why "would pay for free cable" has become our, and my brother and SIL's, new expression for "stupid." Mom told me about this earlier this week. (She's been enjoying the fact that I can't talk back when she calls me.) My great-aunt and great-uncle were traveling recently--I have several great-aunts, and this one is really fundagelical, seriously financially blessed, and is always traveling. They stopped at a small hotel that had rooms going for $70 and $90, respectively. Naturally they asked what the difference was. The only difference, they were told, is that the more expensive rooms had "free cable." Y'all get that? Twenty bucks a night for "free" cable! That's, like, an IQ test! Of course my great-aunt and great-uncle decided they could stick with local channels for a night.

Ted Haggard apparently thought the vast majority of America's conservative Evangelicals would pay for free cable when he first tried to explain himself. (Isn't it the Pagans and atheists who supposedly think and say that? Huh!) "I got a massage and threw away the meth" has to be right up there with "I didn't inhale." Surprise surprise, people didn't believe him and he had to revise his story! This is, what, the third big scandal involving a conservative Evangelical in a month? I sincerely hope America gets it this time. Nobody has a dirtier mind than a prude, and when you so eagerly point the finger at others, three go right back to you. Which probably means I need to quit pointing fingers now, but I had to say something, since everyone else is.

And for the same reason, I'm glad Saddam Hussein is hanging, no doubt about it. He deserves to. I loved that the bailiffs yanked him up to hear his sentence--it shows they're not fearing him. But here, the ends don't justify the means--they made a huge mess to get to him, and they didn't actually need to get to him, when we had, and still have, other and more direct threats! I think the real winners of this war will be the Kurds, assuming they can hold on to the oil fields at Kirkuk. Someone needs to get something good out of it.

Tomorrow's Election Day, which means that finally, all the horrid ads and dredging for dirt and pointless attacks will end! ("She's a lesbian!" "His novels about war aren't fit for children!" "This Republican candidate supports the Republican president!") Once again, I'm in a "to hell with them all" mood, though of course I'm voting. My great-great-grandmother worked so hard in order to ensure that I could have the privilege. One day, maybe, I'll have to choose from the greater of two goods rather than the lesser of two evils, and the Republicans and Democrats will stop assuming that their constituents would all pay for free cable. I say and think the damnedest things when I'm taking cold medicine.

And then some...

This gay man is far more compassionate to Haggard than I could ever be. Makes me wish there were more Christians like him.

A much larger crowd than usual showed up to hear the confession.

A conservative columnist's cautious endorsement of gay marriage

A satiric Hell House in Brooklyn

The HPV vaccine is shockingly expensive for the women who need it most.

Things will get fun again soon, I hope.