Saturday, 27 June 2009

from the mailbag

Dear Mr. Thatcher,
I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.
Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?
As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.
The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'
Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness -- actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick ####### freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.
For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong'?
Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always. . .
Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

Thursday, 25 June 2009

my tribute to an amazing musician, no matter how weird he was

i love republicans, but who doesn't?

the grand old party now seen in a new light, giving new life to one of my favorite words, "dalliance."
who's your favorite blue-blooded love machine?
ensign? foley? captain wide-stance? gingrich? rudy?
ah, yes, "love, american style" . . .
family values . . .
preserving the sanctity of marriage . . .
seriously, i'm loving this stuff.

in happier times: a man and his dog

in an easier, less stressful time, then-lieutenant george armstrong custer reclines with his dog and with other staff members of general fitz-john porter, during the civil war in virginia, the peninsular campaign, may through august, 1862. on this day, june 25, 1876, general custer met his demise at the battle of the little big horn.
by the time he made his stars, custer, as a general, had polished his image.
no word on the fate of his dog.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

rain? WHAT rain?

i don't know what YOU did tonight, but for me, when mickey's hands look like he's blocking a free kick, i know it's time to ride. i pay no attention to the skies, and i DON'T set my shit up in a garage.
garages and rainy days are for sissies,
not bike racers.
i won't hear it. ever.
i laugh at the rain: ha ha ha ha!
no, i've got too many big competitions ahead of me, and my program says
"june 23--go out and kick some serious ass today."
so i did. computers never lie.
read 'em and weep, sport fans.
and then, buy yourself some golf clubs on craig's list.
i train with racers; not quitters.

they've changed the name of the state


ROWA
[Republicans Out Wandering About]
* * * * *
read THIS tasty little tidbit about a prospective republican presidential candidate in 2012; he's right up there with sarah palin!
* * * * *
Sources Question Governor's Story
Gov. Mark Sanford Says He Disappeared To Go Hiking
POSTED: 5:01 pm EDT June 23, 2009
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- WYFF News 4 has received exclusive information from sources who say they have information about Gov. Mark Sanford's whereabouts during a mysterious absence over the past several days.
Sanford's wife Jenny said she last talked to him on Thursday, and though she didn't know where he is, she said she wasn't concerned. She said he had left to have time to write.
Joel Sawyer, communications director for the governor's office, then said the governor had been on the Appalachian Trail. Sawyer said staffers heard from Sanford on Tuesday morning and the governor plans to return Wednesday.
Sawyer said the governor is surprised by all the attention.
On Tuesday, sources told News 4's Nigel Robertson that a state vehicle is missing and was tracked down, not to the Appalachian Trail, but to the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.
Sources told Robertson that a federal agent spotted Sanford in the airport boarding a plane. Robertson was told that the governor was not accompanied by security detail.
Sanford has been out of reach for more than four days, including Father's Day.
Sawyer has emphasized that the governor was hiking on the Appalachian Trail and that it wasn't something the staff or Jenny Sanford were concerned about.
But sources told WYFF News 4 that the federal agent who spotted Sanford saw him at the Atlanta airport, which is about 80 miles from the start of the trail.
WYFF News 4 has not yet confirmed where the plane was going or how the governor got to the airport, but it is clear there are two very different stories.
News 4 called the governor's office, and was told again by staffers that they stand by their original statement that the governor is hiking the Appalachian Trail. They did not want to comment on this story.
Previous Stories:
June 23, 2009:
Missing Governor 'Taken Aback' By Attention
i LOVE this stuff. don't have to make up the good news, do ya?

Friday, 19 June 2009

analog update

one week later, and i'm still without a digital converter box.
i received my government-issued $40 coupons [i got two] saturday or monday. they are lying about like an un-opened pack of smokes, tempting me. i have not touched them, nor caressed them, but i've thought about both. they're so damned shiny and digital-looking.
i folded up [although did not remove] the rabbit ears and old vhf round antenna. i hooked up the vcr and dug out collected tapes of 2002 giro, and have been watching that. phil, paul, bobke, and the characters from that distance past. my dvd player continues to remain unused since its purchase several years ago. i've thought about moving it from the living room to the bedroom where my surviving tv resides. i have many dvds, including a derek trucks concert and a new 3-disc woodstock collection. i would like ot watch them at some point.
i AM having trouble knowing what the weather is and what it will be doing, but i understand that it is going to get hot and humid one of these days.
i read at huffiingtonpost.com that walter cornkite is gravely ill. this digital thing is probably killing him.
and that's the way it is...