It Ain’t Pretty But…

My ’98 Corolla is beat up and embarassing, but it gets 33 to 34 miles to the gallon. Not bad.

Reasonable

Check this out. Might have helped my case a little. Well, maybe not, but still!

Judge: Employee Web surfing not unreasonable
Tuesday, April 25, 2006; Posted: 2:45 a.m. EDT (06:45 GMT)

NEW YORK (AP) — Surfing the Web at work is equivalent to reading a newspaper or talking on the phone, an administrative law judge said in recommending the lightest possible punishment for a city worker accused of disregarding warnings to stay off the Internet.

The case involved Toquir Choudhri, a 14-year veteran of the Department of Education, whose office computer had been used to visit news and travel Web sites.

“It should be observed that the Internet has become the modern equivalent of a telephone or a daily newspaper, providing a combination of communication and information that most employees use as frequently in their personal lives as for their work,” Administrative Law Judge John Spooner said in recommending only a reprimand for Choudhri.

The judge noted that city agencies allow workers to make personal calls if it doesn’t interfere with their work performance.

Choudhri’s lawyer, Martin Druyan, called the ruling “very reasonable.”

Creatures of the Night

Toads are cool. I just ran into one on the way up the front porch. I leaned down, guitar slung over my shoulder, and remembered catching baby toads as a kid. The tiny little things… This one was bigger- maybe 2 1/2 inches. Holding onto that juvenile feeling, I laid down my guitar and reached out to pet him. He jumped up onto the leg of the bench and clung to the side in fear, his throat pulsing double time. I have to admit here that I talked to the thing. Told him that I wished I knew what his life was like. That I had a hard time believing he had no thoughts. That he had to at least have relationships in his life. Like sisters and parents. But it’s not the same. There’s no sentient thought. I figured that I, the sentient one, just couldn’t comprehend. And when people say they hope they are reincarnated as some animal, do they think of this lack of thought? Or are reincarnated prince-frogs intelligent? I finally pried the frog off the wrought iron and into my hand. Why not? If he doesn’t think then I am not scaring him. At least not the same way I feel fear. I’m personifying him for lack of understanding. His webbed feet felt so weird and cool on my hand. He wriggled and hopped onto the mat. I leaned over to study the markings on his back.

I decided then that maybe I would stop harassing him and instead check out the bird nest in the bush 2 feet away next to the front door. As I approached, the mama flew out and started bobbing along under eve. One other night, the bird had popped out at me. I was on the phone with a friend, figured I scared the bird and the dumb thing couldn’t get out because of her fright. I kept yelling, “don’t shit on me! don’t shit on me!” Tonight I stayed clear but thought my guitar case might get shat on. Though as I watched her frantic dance with the overhang, it seemed like she might get out if she tried. She stopped and perched on a bronze wall hanging, the frog frozen between us on the mat below. I slowly stood up and moved toward my guitar. She flounced toward me and back to the wall. “O’kay, okay, mama.” I was really questioning whether or not this bird might be staying and protectings her young. I moved toward my guitar again and that’s when she came for me! She hovered – flapping her wings a foot and a half from my face for what seemed like several seconds but surely wasn’t. I grabbed my guitar and left the frog behind. Used the keypad to get into the garage.

Creatures of the night.

Take the Lead

Okay okay, I admit it. I liked the movie. But what do you expect from a fan of Save the Last Dance? And someone who has been in love with Antonio Banderas for years? Have I mentioned lately how much his aging pains me? Ah, but in a couple scenes, a person could really imagine she was in his arms dancing and… phew!

The movie definitely carried elements of other “dance” movies like Save the Last Dance and Dance with Me as well as inner-city school movies like Dangerous Minds. But it had enough originality to keep my interest. And it was based on a true story, which is always better. I was entertained.

The Queen’s Man

I definitely did not like Sharon Kay’s venture into her own storyline as much as her other books. I think she is best at narrating and expanding real events. I just thought her mystery starring Justin de Quincy was too forced – too prescribed. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it at all, just that it wasn’t nearly as good. In the postscript she said she hoped people would be intrigued by de Quincy and anxious to hear more of his stories. I’m not really. I mean, I am sure I will read the other books, but I don’t feel any big rush. Fleshing out real and fascinating people like Henry II or his son John or for goodness’ sake the Llewylens is no comparison. And yes, Eleanor was in this book, but she wasn’t nearly as commanding, only a shadow of the woman she was in Sharon’s other books.

King Kong

Finally saw King Kong the other night. I liked it for the most part. I thought Peter Jackson might have gotten a little wrapped up in himself with a few things- particularly the head-eating bugs. I mean, what was THAT about??? We all know Jackson’s background is in horror afterall. But my bro-in-law said that that stuff was in the books. That the island was supposed to be full of animals from a science experiment gone wrong or something. Anyone know anything about that?

The special effects were pretty cool. Yes, I liked the T-Rex scene, but it seemed a little long. That’s how I felt about the whole movie I guess. The person I borrowed it from warned me that the first hour was slow and then it picked up. The first hour didn’t bother me as much as the action-scene-after-action-scene that seemed to have no real purpose.

I did very much appreciate the emotion they managed to show in the gorilla’s eyes.

I don’t remember ever seeing the original to tell you the truth. I was definitely entertained by this one (minus the head-eating bugs), and I’d say it’s worth a rental. I feel a little badly for Jackson that it didn’t go over bigger. Making this movie was his big dream afterall- long before those pesky little ring movies got in his way. Too bad for him, huh? LOL.