The Secured, Undisclosed Bunker of My Mind

only it wasn't at all. First of all, it really should have been like Thursday or something. Honestly, I am just not in the mood lately.

I dyed my hair last night with this new dye and it turned my hair pink, but not in a good way. It also left a strange film. Yech.

While reading my morning emails I discover that the company I work for is being sold to a triumvirate of Private Investor thingies. Bush Sr. and a bunch of his bastard friends, and Mittens Romney (you don't mind if I call you that, Mittens, do you?) are going to be my new bosses. Yay! I won't just be working for "the man" I'll be working for evil incarnate. Woo fuckin' hoo!

Then, after lunch I discover that my cute little vintage dress has busted out in the ass and I have possibly been giving the office a free show all morning. Thanks for the heads-up, guys. It's old, it's cotton. Those things happen, right? Well maybe they wouldn't if my ass wasn't so fucking big. argh. No wonder I can't get a date.

It was pretty much all downhill from there, including the mind-wrenchingly dull work and the horrible traffic jam (thanks Padres, you suck!). Now I'm home and am trying to decide which coping mechanism to use, napping or drinking. Or maybe the drinking then the napping. See, I just can't decide.

Anyway, tomorrow is another fabulous Wednesday!

Can the people in charge of this country really be so monumentally stupid? I am increasingly afraid that they are, and I'm not the only one.

What can we do to stop them? I feel like I did before "we" invaded Iraq. Fuck.

I just saw the pictures of my ex-boyfriend's wedding and it feels like someone kicked me in the guts. We broke up a long time ago and I'm happy for him, really I am. But there is something inside me that is screaming right now. I know it's crazy. I know it's irrational, but that was supposed to be me standing next to him. And instead I'm sitting here, alone, in front of the computer.

Proposed Bill Would Deny Detainees Protection of Geneva Conventions

The Bush Administration is up to it's old nasty trickses.

The draft bill would permit secret trials, secret even from the detainee, who could be excluded. The bill would allow convictions to be based on hearsay, depriving the detainee of the opportunity to confront his accuser, and would allow evidence obtained by coercion to be used against the detainee.

What kind of country has trials that the accused can't even know about? Somebody needs to get Dubya a copy of Baby's First Book About Democracy, the one with all the pictures, because he doesn't seem to know what democracy actually means. What the hell is happening to our country?

He can't. That’s not his privilege.

Since when is the First Amendment a privilege?

ACTION: FEMA’s website urges citizens to report “allegations of civil liberties or civil rights abuses” to the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, who is Richard L. Skinner.

CONTACT:
Inspector General Richard L. Skinner
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528
E-mail: DHSOIGHOTLINE@dhs.gov

The McKinney Campaign says they have documented complaints of voters here in Georgia whose votes FLIPPED BEFORE THEIR VERY EYES on Diebold machines.

I'm so glad that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is filing a lawsuit against these obviously fraudulent voting machines. Finally someone is taking a stand.

US citizens are desperately trying to get out of Lebanon. The response from the US embassy, assuming you can even get through to them? We will get around to it, and btw, you will have to pay for your rescue. And once we ferry you over to Cyprus, you have to find your own way home.

Meanwhile, Italy and France have managed to get a couple thousand europeans out, and are arranging flights back to their home countries.

The US government couldn't give a shit about their stranded citizens. If you can't pull yourself up by your own bootstraps you probably don't belong here.

I am reminded of how our government responded to US citizens stranded in Asia after the giant tsunami. Other nations were arranging temporary housing and government flights back to their respective countries. If you needed a new passport people were there to help you. The US response was quite different. They gave you a toothbrush and said good luck. You could fill out paperwork for a new passport, but who knew when they would come through. People had lost everything, ID, money, clothing, family members, and the US did little to help them.

We are the richest country in the world and this is how the government treats it's people.

Hi

I'm not posting this hoping for any simpathy or anything. I'm just hoping that if anyone is curious enough to do a search they will find this journal and maybe tell me who has my iPod. Sure this is stupid and the likelihood of me ever seeing my iPod again is infinitesimal, but I have to do something because I feel like such a chump right now. I didn't have my purse stolen. I left the damn thing on my desk at work overnight. I am such a dumbass.

In some ways I feel worst about losing the really nice black leather ACME case with the blue suede insides, since it was a gift.

I have to go mope around some more.

Disastrogirl

First of all, sorry for the bad updates. I guess I've been too busy actually vacationing to do much writing about it.

On Thursday I got out of bed at 4:40am to get ready for my 6:40am flight. I did too. The packing list had been made and lost, the toiletries had been poured into tiny travel size containers, the new* suitcase was packed with too much of some things and not enough of other things. The travel books had been read and then forgotten. I called a taxi for 5:30 and did all my last minute things like make and espresso and feed the cat.

The taxi was EARLY. I have never heard of that happening. So I rushed out the door trying to figure out what it was that I had forgotten. I always forget something. I was downtown before I figured it out. Hairbrush. Damn! Could have been worse. Security at the airport has changed a little bit since I was there last. Everyone takes their shoes off now. I guess the drug-sniffing dogs draw the line at smelling people's feet. They didn't make me turn my laptop on like they have before, which is a good thing. My laptop is a hoopdie and the battery doesn't hold a charge anymore so you have to plug it in to use it. Also, something on the motherboard is hosed so it takes like 10 mins to start up. They would have put me in a little room and strip searched me. Southwest is a little less first come first served at the gate now. It's all about when you check in via the internets now. I'm guessing the A line is for the frequent flyers.

The plane was completely full. Do you remember the days when you rarely had someone sitting in the middle seat? I do, but it was a long time ago.

I rented a car for the first two days, which for me is an extravagance. I wanted to see some of the surrounding countryside. I booked it online, and of course I picked the least convenient one-offsite cars with shuttle service. It's funny, the form says I have the car starting at 10:30, but I didn't drive it off the lot until closer to 11. What can you do. I specifically asked for a car with no smoking and the first thing I notice are the cigarette burns in the upholstery of the back seat. The car itself smelled of air "freshener," no doubt due to the earlier smoking. It also had those velour seats that cling to your clothing. It's a fine car, I guess, a Corolla. So I attempt to make myself comfortable and take off for the Columbia River Gorge! Yay!

Of course, I have no idea where the hell I am. Sure, I have a map, but for some reason maps don't seem to help here in Portland. I keep getting off track. Miraculously I manage to get on the right freeway so I'm off to the country. One of the temps at work clued me into getting onto the tiny littl old highway that was built in the 1920s and twists and turns around all the waterfalls. It was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. I think I got here about 3 weeks early though. Spring is springing up, but just barely. There are buds on all the trees, but they still are bare. It is definitely a little nippy still, and a light rain comes and goes. There are little parks around all the waterfalls, with trails so I stop every now and again and take a little hike. The whole time I am just in awe of how beautiful it all is.

The grand finale is Multnomah falls. Wow! It was midafternoon and I was definitely ready for a real meal, so I stopped into the Multnomah Lodge for a delicious french dip sandwich. Then it was time to conquer the falls. The trail was one mile up to the top. I would say the average grade was about 30-35 degrees. My idea of exercise lately has been walking from my car to my house, so it really kicked my ass. Luckily there was all this amazing beauty to distract me from my physical discomfort. If I walked up that trail every day, in a month I would have some serious buns of steel.

By the time I got back down the trail it was time to head back to Portland so I got onto the big straight freeway and headed back towards my hotel.

*Sparky pooped in my old suitcase after a trip to San Francisco, so I had to throw it away.

You can skip this part if you just want to know what I've been doing on my trip.

So first of all, why Portland? I have even been asking myself that. Well, to confuse matters even more, the choice was between Mexico City and Portland. What?

OK, first of all, I had to go somewhere or I was going to go full on fucking postal at work. Why that is would be a whole other story. I figured out that I can fly from Tijuana to Mexico City for $265 rt. I have always wanted to see what Portland was all about. People have told me that I would like it there. From what I have heard they are probably right. Everybody rides their bikes or takes public transportation. It's really wet and green. What's not to like? Mexico City, Portland... Mexico City, Portland. Hmmm. Now you also should know that I would not have stayed the whole time in Mexico City. I figured that I could go see some Mayan temples and then go down to Guanajuato, which I hear is a pretty little town, then I could fly out of Leon. Could be fun, but my passopuerto is expired and from what I hear I might get shit from Homeland Security SS on the way back without it. Bleh. Anyway, I hear that the best time to go there is the fall.

So Portland it was. Of course I chose one of the many rainy seasons, so it's a good thing I like the rain.

So are you visiting friends? No, I just want to see what it's like.

Are you travelling all by yourself? Yes, I like to travel alone. The only down side is that it's more expensive, and sometimes I have a hard time making decisions.

Why in the world did you choose a flight that leaves San Diego at 6:40am? Because I am a masochist.

Did you get an umbrella? Um, no.

What, are you nuts? I should think that would be clear by now. Besides, I like the rain.

Just in case you didn't already know..

"It's easier to rig an electronic voting machine than a Las Vegas slot machine, says University of Pennsylvania visiting professor Steve Freeman. That's because Vegas slots are better monitored and regulated than America's voting machines..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2006/03/16/GR2006031600213.html

Voting machine software should not be proprietary. It needs to be open source so PEOPLE CAN CHECK IT. I don't understand why some people just refuse to believe that nobody would use these machines to steal elections. You don't need to be a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy freak to be suspicious (besides, the tinfoil hats don't really work). Election fraud is as old as elections.

Look at who owns the companies who make these machines! Diebold and Sequoia are making most of the machines and both are owned by hard-core neo-con Bush Pioneers.

I don't even know what can be done at this point to fix this. This requires marching and torches and people in government who give a shit. Here in California Kevin Shelley gave a shit and challenged the Diebold machines, and all of a sudden he's being investigated by everyone and ends up resigning. Schwartzenegger puts in a guy who quietly re-certifies the voting machines. Don't be surprised if California mysteriously goes for the Rethuglicans in the next presidential race.

The fix is in. The fix was in.

Has trouble with doors

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_11_20_atrios_archive.html#113251453922701697

In 2001, FEMA identified the three most catastrophic disasters that could occur in the United States.

1) a terrorist attack on New York City.
2) losing New Orleans to flooding due to a major hurricane that would cause the levees to break.
3) a major earthquake in San Francisco.

Since then Bush and co cut funding for improving the levees and other work to be done to protect New Orleans by more than 40%.

I also just discovered that FEMA is no longer responsible for disaster preparedness. This may explain why things in New Orleans are so bad.

Our Great and Glorious Leader told Diane Sawyer that "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." Does this sound familiar. Condi Rice said something similar after 9/11, even though it had indeed been imagined and anticipated. What is Condi doing during our new national emergency? Buying shoes and hitting Broadway.

It's the new american way. When the going gets tough, Americans go shopping! I am so sad and so angry today. I have a friend in Holland who can't believe how poorly our government is responding to this horrible disaster. It's a travesty.

Anyway, I hope to (the) god(s) that Bush doesn't score a perfect three. But if the earthquake does come, don't depend on any assistance from the Federal government. They will be otherwise engaged.

From: Mccann, Rosemarie
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 4:40 PM
To: MW_corp
Subject: If you are working on Saturday

FYI,

If you are working this Saturday, August 27th.

Saturday between the hours of 8am and 1pm the water to the CSC facility will be turned off. Property Services is conducting repairs to the plumbing system. We apologize in advance for any incontinence.

Thank you,
Property Services

And brought it in the house. I made him take it outside, where he dropped it and it escaped. He has been searching for it for the last half hour. Poor Sparky.

A few months after I came to work here I began to notice something strange. Somebody had been leaving little souvenirs on the walls of the bathroom stalls. It seemed that there was usually at least one booger somewhere in every stall of every bathroom on every floor. They even showed up on the walls of the bathroom outside the stalls. I asked some of the guys if they noticed anything similar in the men's. Their responses led me to assume that booger-wiping happens pretty commonly in men's bathrooms. (Ew)

I have decided that our booger-wiper was probably a janitor, probably male. Was he disgruntled, or just really gross? I'll never know. Over the last year or so the boogers have been disappearing slowly.

I think the booger-wiper is gone.

Mohammed, from the Dandy Warhols.