I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Speaking of continuity errors...

1) Which fictional character would you like to switch places with for a day?

Oh, if I was twenty years younger, and didn't have this blasted limp, I'd definitely trade places with Donna or some other companion on Dr Who--I'd say the Doctor...but, I'm rubbish at maths and technology. I mean, if I had a rope (lasso) rather than a sonic screwdriver, maybe...and a horse--oh wait, then the Doctor would really be Roy Rogers...

2) What is your favorite type of food?

Junk food: pizza, burgers, hot dogs, etc...tied with Italian-American food. (Real Italians don't cook the same as American-Italians)

3) What is the weirdest thing you ever considered being when you grew up?

Probably a dairy farmer. I grew up in the suburbs--the nearest dairy farm was over 15 miles away, so considering I'd never had anything to do with cattle, outside of look at farms out the car window, when my dad or mum took us for a Sunday drive...not sure what sparked that.

4) What will Japan produce first?

I'm so not into electronic stuff...I haven't a clue. Self-vanishing cat litter..now THAT I'd pay extra for!

5) What is the scariest thing you have ever done?

Sign the release to turn off mum's life support.

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

1) If you had to pick one, would you choose death by glass or death by cheese?

Oh, the cheese---think of the laughs you'd get when people looked at your death certificate...you'd be the topic of conversation for weeks.

2) If your life was a road sign, what would it read?

DEAD END.

3) Three things you would do, if you had no limitations?

Have more hobbies (can't afford hobbies, just writing)
Have some actual, useful, real purpose in life (career I enjoy and am wanted for, volunteer work, etc)
Live a "normal" life: take care of the cats and me properly, have friends to go out with, maybe even a relationship some day. (Yeah, like that's ever gonna' happen!)

4) Antiques/vintage or sleek and modern?

Antiques/vintage. Not that I mind it, but truthfully, modern's never really been "me."

5) Meat, veggies or vegan?

Meat! Humans are mainly omnivores...that is a absoulte. I think this whole animal farming is bad for us-and-the-rest-of-the-universe nonsense has gotten way out of hand (more extremism--we're great at extremism)...a few bad actor's in the corporate farm world, and suddenly the family farmer--the true bread and butter (notice the pun?) of agriculture, is a bad guy. I wish these well-meaning people would just eat their leaves and twigs and STOP lecturing the rest of us on how and/or what we should be eating.

(With apologies to any leaf and twig eating friends who may be reading this...this is just a generic statement and not intended to be a personal attack.)

Sarah Palin is still in the news, a week after the election. She says that she will run for "higher office" (let's hope she merely means the penthouse suite), "if God wills. it."

Yeah, okay. Well, I just rang up God on my mobile Sarah--he was lunching with Elvis and Churchhill at the time--and He says to tell you to go back to Alaska and take care of your kids...and stop butchering His creatures, while you're at it, and to leave that pristine tundra He created, alone. Oh, and he added that you should read your bible a little more carefully. That part about "thou shalt not kill?" It means everyone--including Russians and Muslims, really Sarah, trying to start wars, that's just not cool"...and, as a parting shot, He told me to tell you that, "tell her not to bother me again, I don't bless hate-mongers..unless they repent...really, she needs to speak to Satan. I've left his number on her speed-dial."

Oooh, God's mad at you, Sarah. You'd better keep a low profile for a while, ey?

Well, breathing problems kept me up part of the night..but, I am up, that's half the battle, ha-ha. Now I just have to force my body to slog through 4 hours of calling.

A gloomy day on my side of the pond, a national holiday--schools and banks closed (but not most colleges), and no postal service...but everyone else has to work.

One of the local bus drivers said they're going to have trolley bus service again, for the Christmas season...extra night runs to the mall, with the red trolley's strung with Christmas lights. Waste of funds, because most people I know (that are forced to ride buses), can't spend much--if anything, this year. Guess they'll look pretty, though.

Stupid Glens Falls Transit, they refuse to have Sunday service, their night service is inconsistant..okay, lots of their service is very inconsistant through various times of the year--even no night service at all, some weeks in early summer and early autumn....and again, no service on Sundays (even tho' all the local shops are open for business) but hey, they're going to decorate their summer trolley buses (the one's with no heating) and send them to the mall at Christmas, whoo-hoo.

Stupid republicans...thank God they're gone from the national scene, at least (despite venomous denials)

Oh yeah, I called two people yesterday, and they were all up in arms over Obama's win--stating that we're all in for a bad ride...both neo-conservatives, of course. Oh, the neo-con's are MAD---and I don't just mean angry, I mean BONKERS, over the fact that they lost-lost-lost.

The republicans have had their own way since 1980--even during Clinton's time in office, republicans still held power in the senate and congress, and had the strongest lobbying group...even when Clinton tried to change things, the republicans blocked him. He never would have been impeached, except the republicans took control of the whole thing...they had all three branches of government sewn up tight, for 28 years...and now, they can't handle being second best...and, that they got beat by a BLACK man. That really hurts, especially the old white redneck farts...those guys are still in shock. I had one guy ranting about that "nigger in the White House." Creep. I don't know why the terrorists hate Americans--from speaking to hundreds of them every day, I can attest that a good too many of them are no different, just different religious beliefs, that's all.

Anyway, time to hustle off to work. Hope everyone is having a good day. Cheers.

Soldiers of American Wars, since 1776

AMERICAN REVOLUTION

WAR OF 1812

MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR (CUBA)

WORLD WAR I

WORLD WAR II

KOREA

VIETNAM

GULF WAR

IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WARS (I refuse to call it "the war on terror" because that's a war I believe is abolutely never-ending.))

Some of the ways you can make ordering food, a whole lot less mundane:

1. Give them a really tough name...Fred Mamabonagambinofredadillia. Or, when they ask you your name, say in a tough, low voice, "I am Sparticus."

2. If you're calling for Chinese takeaway, order a Big Mac value meal. If you're ringing up the pizza shop, order a Whopper with double cheese, hold the pickle, elsewhere, ask for the Two-piece wing and thigh meal, extra crispy, with a side of coleslaw.

3. End the call with, "You may be getting a call from our quality assurance department, to check on your level of service."

4. When the person asks for your order, say, "Doh--I don't know, can you read me your menu?"
Or, "Oh, just surprise me!" Or, "I just gave it two you..are you feeling alright?"

5. Tell them that you also have two other shops on hold, and you are giving your order to the lowest bidder.

6. When they ask for your name, say, in a come on fashion, "I'll give you yours, if you give me mine."

7. In your sexiest voice, tell them you want something reaallly hot...then ask your order taker what kind of pants he or she is wearing.

8. In a foreign accent, spell out your order rather than saying it.

9. Act like you are drunk and change your order every two minutes.

10. Ask if you get to keep the takeaway containers or pizza box. When they say you do, yell "Yes! Ha-ha! How cool is that!" into the phone.

If you must know, I probably should be in hospital..or at least visiting the ER...unfortunately, not getting sick pay means that I cannot. I have two weeks to come up with the rest of my 170 dollar electric-gas bill...something that can't be even one nano-second late (damn National Grid), or I will have my utilites turned off for the winter...so you hopefully (if you're not too obtuse) can see where I'm coming from.

But, it's not good. I can't breathe well. All night on the phones, I could barely catch my breath, as I speiled out the phone scripts, wheezing to beat the band. My heart is jumping like a Mexican jumping bean...I have a mild headache, and my stomach feels wonky, as well. Mostly though, I'm just horrendously short of breath...and there's just plain nothing I can do about it.

Anyone who doesn't understand why, well...you bloody well need to read a book called, "Nickel and Dimed," and perhaps then you might get a clue.

Plus, I've taken too much time off from work of late, and will be fired if I take much more time, I reckon. But gah--I have no energy, I'm so blinking tired.

I suppose I have to eat something before going off to bed in a half hour. Don't feel like it, but having only had toast for breakfast, and a small ready meal for lunch, I reckon I should eat, so I don't wake up hungry at 4am.

I have a deep abiding love for historic homes and other buildings. To me, they are not merely buildings, not brick and mortar and dusty old furnishings--instead, they are insights into who we were and how we are today.

Some things have changed drastically (like indoor plumbing), and yet, some things never have changed (like kid's toys lying about).

Having grown up with a mum who often took me around to historic homes (in my region of the world), I learned early a deep appreciation of these well-preserved pieces of our past..and in some cases, of our very heritage.

I started at a very wee age, with mum taking me to the Schyler Mansion in Albany, NY. This was the main home of General Phillip Schuyler--who also had farms, including one in my hometown, alongside the river, which was known as "Schuyler Flats," and which was the very first archeological dig that I'd ever seen, back in 1972. The big attraction of the Schuyler Mansion was the Inidan Tomahawk gouge, in the main staircase rail, from a time when Iroquios Indians raided Albany. Having grown up watching Daniel Boone (played by Fess Parker) on television, the fact that I could run my 8 or 9 year old fingers, over a REAL, honest-to-God, indian hatchet mark...wow, I was just sort of blew me away. I suppose it was like a young Dr Who fan, getting to touch Dr Who's acutal (prop) sonic screwdriver or something.

Later, mum would meet with less and less resistance from me, as she and I began our lifelong exploration of historic homes in the Hudson and Schoarie valley's of New York state. Our last historic tour together was right here in Glens Falls: we toured the Hyde Collection, which is a combination art museum and historic home, sheltered inside a turn-of-the-century industrialist's estate.

Here are photos of some of the home's we visited, in our life time:

SCHUYLER MANSION

HISTORIC CHERRY HILL ESTATE, ALBANY, NY

FORT CRAILO (Where the song "Yankee Doodle" was originally penned)

INTERIOR, TEN BROECK MANSION, ALBANY, NY

2 INTERIORS, "OLANA," OUTSIDE OF HUDSON, NY

EXTERIOR "OLANA" AND GROUNDS

LANSING MANOR, GILBOA, NY

2 INTERIORS, LANSING MANOR

CANFIELD CASINO, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY

INTERIORS, CANFIELD CASINO (MUSEUM AND ALSO DOES CATERING)

GROUNDS (CONGRESS PARK) OF CANFIELD CASINO