*snorfle*

Taken from James Randi's SWIFT commentary... adapted from a piece appearing in the September issue of American Atheist.

I present... ( How many Theists does it take to change a lightbulb? )

...but I am nonetheless shocked and amused by the address of my favorite out-of-context State Park.

I just got an email from my alma mater, confirming that I am one of the lucky few whose Social Security Number was compromised in the recent data theft.

Yay?

Dipshit boss better not come in today and say something dumb, because I think I just might hurt someone.

Get me in a room with the pissant little shit-frakker who did this. Just me and him in a room.

I won't need much time. Maybe an hour. 'Cause yeah, I wanna enjoy it a little.

It's the pinball counting song from Sesame Street!!!

Dear Microsoft Word,

Why, oh why do you insist on asking me upon exit if I want to save changes to my document, when we both know I haven't made any changes?

You are making me even more crazy than usual zomg kthxbye,
ghoulsis

As if the headache/congestion/sinus pressure/achiness/general crappy feeling wasn't already enough...

One of our neighbors got one of those obnoxious mini-bikes for Christmas. You know the ones, that look like a regular motorcycle but sized for a 10-year-old? (Or, as Zip suggested, it looks like maybe someone mistakenly ran it through the wash on hot.) The recipient has been driving it up and down our street. Up and down and up and down and up and down and... with this lovely moped-like engine noise (fweeeeeeeeeeee!).

Anyone have some stop sticks I can borrow? I'll give 'em right back, I promise. I just need 'em for, like, five minutes. Anybody?

I was just browsing on my pregnancy message boards, and there was a whole thread about people who are planning to ask their OBs to induce them early or schedule their c-sections in such a way so that their babies won't share a birthday with other kids/spouse/relatives.

*boggles*

Elective c-sections irritate me enough, but now we have to schedule them so baby will have a "convenient" birthday? One mom said, "We have so many February birthdays in our family, I just want our daughter to have her own special day!" Like it's NOT going to be her birthday if her relatives have birthdays in the same week? *facepalm*

Natto is due two days before Zip's birthday, and frankly we couldn't be happier. Zip thinks it'd be cool to share a birthday with our son. I fail to see why it makes any difference at all. Ghoulsis and I are three weeks apart, and it's not like it was ever some big source of tension or anything. Jeesh. Besides, if the baby's going to share a birthday with a sibling, that might help head off some rivalry (one kid getting gifts and the other one not, and having to wait until their birthday rolls around) since they'd celebrate the same day. I would think that might be a plus.

I can understand why you might not want your birthday to fall on a major holiday, like Christmas or New Year's, because you'd likely get screwed on gifts. But I can't imagine deliberately inducing early just to avoid such a circumstance. I mean, the kid knows when he's done cooking. Why not let him decide when to come out?

So I'm driving back from campus this afternoon (went to check on my friend's cat while he's out of town). I was going the posted speed limit (65 mph) -- sunny day, dry roads, no traffic. It's a four-lane divided limited-access highway, so it's kinda like being on an interstate, only with less traffic. As I come around a curve (a blind curve, mind you) about 40 yards in front of me I see a police cruiser and a fire truck parked in the right lane (which is where I am). I quickly check my mirrors and blind spot and ease into the left lane (no traffic, fortunately) and start to slow down. Meanwhile, a policeman (who had parked, no lie, no more than 20 feet behind the fire truck) starts waving his arms and yelling at me to slow down. HELLO, first of all I *AM* SLOWING DOWN, and second of all, if you'd put out cones or flares or triangles or ANYTHING *BEFORE* the curve to indicate that there was an accident and a lane was blocked and I needed to slow down, I would have had PLENTY OF TIME TO DO SO, but instead you parked your cruiser AFTER the BLIND CURVE, ergo I had NO WARNING. Literally, I was almost on top of this accident before I even had time to mentally process that a lane was blocked.

Good thing it wasn't 1) slippery, 2) dark, or 3) heavy traffic, otherwise he probably would have had a second accident on his hands. YES, I needed to slow down, and was in the process of doing so. But I don't have reverse jet thrusters on my wagon, fuckwit, this isn't a 747, and it takes a little time to slow down to 20 mph from 65. I can't stop on a dime. You want people to slow down? Try giving us a little fucking warning, dumbass!

In general, I really like being pregnant. The utter lack of migraines over the last 7 months has been spectacular, in fact. But there is one thing I miss. (And no, it's not amaretto sours.)

I miss donating blood.

I'm not allowed to, until four to six weeks after I deliver Natto (assuming all goes well). And right now, the local blood bank is doing a holiday blood drive.

Just a gentle reminder: if you're eligible, please give. Donations typically drop off at this time of year, yet the demand remains the same (or sometimes goes up). I know you're busy, but everyone is busy. It doesn't take that long, just a few minutes out of your day to help ensure that the blood will be there when someone needs it.

If you're not eligible, consider talking to a coworker or friend and asking them to donate on your behalf. Maybe you could cover a coworker's job for an hour while they go donate. Or better still, petition your boss to let employees go donate on the clock. Or perhaps you could offer to babysit for a busy mom or dad so they can go donate without worrying about having to chase after a squirming toddler. Helping someone else to donate is just as good as doing it yourself.

For my local readers, here's the info on the local holiday drive: http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/health/4013732/detail.html

Thanks.