The Offline Files, Vol. II, Chapter II

Sunday, September 10, 2006, 08:10 CDT

Damn -- what did Chris Wallace have for breakfast this morning? He is savaging Condi Rice on Afghanistan, on pre-war Iraqi WMD intelligence... day-um! Of course, there were swipes at Jay Rockerfeller's comments that we'd be better off with Saddam still in power.

Oh, and... this whole "apologize to Rove" shit is pissing me off. Look, you stupid, stupid fucksticks -- regardless of Armitage's being the original source to Novakula, Rove, Libby and others in Cheney's office were smearing Wilson and mentioning his wife to the press at the same time. Now, surely, you're not suggesting that there was some collusion within the administration -- "Oh! Dickie A. spilled the beans, so NOW Valerie Plame is FAIR GAME!" Unh-uh. Rove, Libby, et al, expected to never be caught, let alone considered to be the first to leak her identity and employ to the press. What does it matter that Dick Armitage was first? Does that excuse Rove, Libby, et al? Or was there a conspiracy between them and Armitage? I can't see that being the case. Either way, it stinks. On ice.

Bill Kristol thinks we are idiots. Afghanistan is not the central front on the GWoT, but Iraq is?!? Stupid fuck. I honestly don't know why I watch this shit. I'm sure I've said it before, but what makes Kristol so insidious is that's he's so goddamned affable, and obviously intelligent... yet, he has absolutely no difficulty spewing the most asinine propaganda imagineable, with that innocent smile, and good cheer (sunny nobility?). I want to like the fucker, but I KNOW he's just a well-sharpened tool. Fuck him where he breathes.

05:58 CDT

Well, I missed the Davidson County Democrats' open house, dammit. I watched the Jets/Titans game (boo! btw, all three QB get played, yet there's no QB controversy...? Heh!), jumped into the shower, and just knew I'd have plenty of time to get there (driving to within a mile of the place -- the McKennon's house is even closer than the library) around 5:00. About 4:35, I walk out the door, camera and notepad in hand.

Aw, shit.

My driver's side rear tire is flat as a pancake. Okay, there's time to deal with this. I go back in and change, come out, get into the trunk... a few minutes later, I've got the back end of the 'Stang jacked up, and I get the first four nuts off in no time. However, I've got one lug nut that will not come off. About 4:55, A neighbor comes out to throw away some trash, and I ask if he's got a 4-way wrench. Well, he doesn't, but he loans me a 2' length of pipe he has in the back of his truck ("My headbuster," he explains). Excellent -- it provides enough leverage for me to stand on it end of the lug wrench, and finally break the last nut loose.

I put the donut spare on, and look at my cellphone. It's 5:13. By the time go back and change again, drive to where I'm planning to park, and walk to the McKennon's, it'll be real close to 6:00 (the open house was 4-6 p.m.). So, I resign myself to watching the rest of the Dallas/Jacksonville game, and call it a fucking day. *sigh* The best laid plans.

Monday, September 11, 2006, 08:43 CDT

Back from having my tire plugged. Seems I picked up a very large screw somewhere between my bus parkin' spot and the condo, but it was cleanly in the center of the tread, and was fixable. $5. Now if only I could get a fix for a very large screw for $5 elsewhere, the world would be my oyster!

14:38 CDT

Called the MTA this morning, to get the skinny on the 7-day pass. It's only $15! But, I have to catch a ride downtown to get one, or order it online -- they don't sell 'em on the busses, themselves. Since it's only $1.25 for the bus ride downtown vs. $2 service charge for ordering online, I think I'll get on the bus tomorrow morning and get that-there pass. There's gonna be scads of places to apply for work from there and back to here. And yes, I am going to score a job this week. It's a matter of survival.

NPR is unlistenable, today, as I suspect most of the cabloids are unwatchable, as well. It's wall-to-wall rememberances of our enemies' most successful attack on our nation. I just don't have a fascination for re-living that day, thanks. I did, however, catch last night's CBS airing (late night here, on WTVF-5, after the local news & Sunday sports programming, which was all further delayed by the tennis coverage earlier in the evening) of the two French brothers' documentary about the FDNY Ladder 1 / Engine 7 story. It was very moving, and, ultimately, uplifting, IMO.
.