Calling All Chimacum!

Just a hundred yards from the business in the last post, you now know where to be two weekends hence! They're gonna show Babe!
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A Saturday That Was NOT Caturday

Today's my eleventh day in Washington, and I have yet to pet a single feline. Four dogs, NO CATS.

But, I went to a garden party!

Fog Farm!  Bob's been having this party for over thirty years.

Freak flags: Flown.

Not Spin-Glos.

Also not Spin-Glos.

Much open range, and garden...

... and the kids ran around like little meth addicts.

Three kegs of Port Townsend Brewing's beers... including their very hoppy IPA. I think I preferred the Scotch Ale, of the three. Oh, and recycling and composting for all disposables/reusables.

Horse! (of course)

Spot the Guam. Who wants to ride a Grom.

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Whoo! Carnival!

That shit is happening right across the street from where I live. It's not loud, but it's only Thursday. The blue lights in the lower left corner are Smyrna's Finest, though. They seem to be real lawnorder types. They nailed my co-worker this morning for 55 in a 40.  ;)

Curly flirts with you ladies! The Most Interesting Cat In The World.
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Might As Well

... since it may soon be quite a long time before I see this seething nest of Republicans, again.

... unless I win Powerballs, tonight. Then, I'm buying a hi-rise condo in The Gulch, and a sniper rifle.  ;)
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Local Political Interactions, Tea Party Edition

Subj: Please expand on property tax increase, if you would

I have received two of your postcards in the last five days, asking me to contact my city council member, etc. regarding a proposed property tax increase.

As an independent, I prefer not to dive into knee-jerk reactions on any particular side of an issue, including tax increases. I prefer to hear the arguments, compare them all to verifiable facts (such as the actual text of the proposed tax ordinance that would be going into effect as of this date, as proposed), and see who's coming closest to objective reality.

If you have the proposed language, today's tax rate & the proposed tax rate, I would like that information (a link to something @ nashville.gov would be fine), if you can provide it. Also, if you know the ostensible reason(s) that're being given for the need for the tax increase, and how you believe the truth or non-truth of said reason(s), that would also be helpful to me in deciding who to call, or if to call.

Also, if you are comfortable sharing the source(s) of the funding for this direct mail campaign, that would also be a factor for me. 

Thank you much, and look forward to your timely response.
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Hold A Good Thought

... for Mao Mao, my friend Ivy's tiny new kitteh. In the hospital after a horrible but unavoidable accident.

UPDATE, 6/14/2011: Ivy sez, "I get to pick Mao Mao up today at 4:30!! I'm glad I saved my sling from when the kids were babies, that's what I'm going to use to carry her around with me during the day." So, yay!!
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My Good Buddy From KCMO

... sent me this cartoon from The New Yorker. That's my boys!
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Four Dollar Footlongs

I gotta say, this is alarming. This is at my nearby new Pilot station, who throughout the summer, held prices at $3.699/gallon or lower for the most part. As far as I know, it's about as cheap as one can buy on the west side of town.

Oil closed today at around $103/bbl. The second it spikes upward $10/bbl, every gas station jacks the price 5-20 cents/gallon of gasoline.

When I was 16, gasoline was below $1/gallon. I recall paying $0.699/gallon, at that time (yes, I remember the panic that gas stations went through when they had no digit to the left of the decimal on the pump... have you recently seen one of those "$1" stickers?). All the pumps' displays were analog -- big, Bakelite wheels with numbers and tick marks, white on black. Most places had no "self-service" -- you pulled in, a guy cleaned your windshield, pumped your gas, and didn't expect a tip! Sometimes, they'd offer to empty your trash or ashtray, or do a quick vacuum of the front floorboard.

Granted, minimum wage was $2.85/hr., and I was working a job that paid $3.15/hr. I lived at home, went to school (walked, every day, or later rode with a friend -- never drove myself to school, ever), and drove my dad's 1978 Pontiac Bonneville some evenings and weekends... 400 cubic inches of four-barreled Detroit fury. It was fast, fun, and a complete gas hawg, the way I drove it (sorry, Dad). :)

Fast-forward to 2008. Now, the largest engine I own is 250cc, and it gets over 65mpg on its worst day. I use that scooter about 10% of the time, these days, preferring the 50cc Yamaha Vino, which is even more conservative on fuel use.

Folx, we HAVE to re-think this petroleum-based global goatfuck. If we don't, it won't be long before many millions of people die, both trying to defend and/or acquire (read: steal) what's left out there to be had, cheaply.

I think what we're seeing right now is a near-last-gasp, record-breaking profit-taking, through sheer greed and indifference to the needs of future generations. We have to stop this madness.
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Ginger Said I Could!

Another kateo shot. That's (clockwise, from left) GingerSnaps, Malia, Holly, (a thankfully very blurry) Jeffraham, Halfdan, Steph (whose blog URL I have misplaced! is now here, thanks to the Bez), and the right forearm of Chris Wage.
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This Is Why

... one should never hand kateo one's camera, and ask her to take snaps at the local blogger meetup. A cautionary tale.
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Lunchtime PSA

Did you get the warning letter from the Davidson County Elections Commission, re: stolen notebook PC with your SocSec number, intact?

Wanna free year of credit report monitoring?

First, go here: https://secure.nashville.gov/protectmyid/ to get an activation code...

Then go here: http://www.debix.com/nashville/ and sign up.
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Consumer Alert

This has been free up until the end of this month. I'm a HIGHLY satisfied customer.

I say you'd be a fool not to sign up. FREE calls between users of Skype, via computer-to-computer VoIP, always. But $15 a year for free calls to any phone in U.S. and Canada, from your PC? Sheeeeit. That's a steal.
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Community Collaboration

What you see above is an excerpt of a graphic created by my new friend, Trozdol, whom I met at Cafe Coco a couple of weeks ago. He's an art student, who also has a part-time gig at CompUSA locally, and I commissioned him to do this graphic for my "coming soon" community resource web site that will be tied to my condo community, and to local businesses in the 37209 zip code. Being an enterprising young man, he said he would accept a Curly DVD and 2% of my gross receipts for as long as I use the graphic, minimum of 90 days use. Is that great, or what?

I'll be getting dressed up, and visiting some of the local merchants and restaurants in coming weeks, selling ads on the site, once I have the site up, and advertised locally. After talking on the phone to sittenpretty, I'm convinced that I can sell small graphic ads for $100/month to the chain stores, to link to coupons, etc., and to local mom-n-pops for less, to start.

Towards this end, I've registered 37209.biz and 37209online.com this evening... coming soon, to a browser in West Gnashvegas...
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