Molly Ivins, RIP

Molly Ivins lost her third fight against breast cancer tonight.

What a wit she was -- she gave us "Shrub" for goodness sake -- and how fitting a moniker that is.

We lived in the same part of town, and would see her on occasion in Shady Grove or Magnolia, two neighborhood restaurants. We restrained ourselves from running over and asking her to autograph our Texas Observers, but I doubt she would have minded had we done so.

Here are a few quotes, in case you have managed to have missed her wit:

"It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America."

"In Texas, we do not hold high expectations for the [governor's] office; it's mostly been occupied by crooks, dorks and the comatose."

"...Phil Gramm, the senator from Enron..."

"I have been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat akin to being gummed by a newt. It doesn't actually hurt, but it leaves you with slimy stuff on your ankle."

and from her last column: "We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders and we need to raise hell."

I am a Bible Scholar

You know the Bible 93%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

(I thought some of the questions were way too easy, what with 3 modern references in a 4 answer multiple choice question.)

Icepocalypse 2007, Austin Texas

I think this was taken by someone I work with. And if not, it still looks exactly like our yard earlier this week.

The city of Austin was pretty much closed down for two days -- so I was looking forward to watching "The Peoples' Court" with Judge Marilyn Milian, but NOOOOO! KXAN had to preempt it both days with their stupid weather report. Those meteorologists have been insufferable since they got their NEXRAD and Doppler systems -- "Oh, look, it's raining on 12th street, and it is heading toward your neighborhood and will be there in 15-20 minutes."

I don't mind being warned about possible weather danger, but do they really need to take an entire hour at 4 p.m.?

Algorithm March With the Ninjas

This has been around a while, but I seem to have missed it. (Click on the title for the link to the video.)

Stay with it -- it all comes together after the Pythagoras Switch!

Why I Was Late for the Meeting

I was driving into work this week for the Dean's monthly meeting, when I got a funny feeling and looked down at my feet and. . . Bunny Slippers!

My Victim Check

This week's mail brought a check for $11.49 from Travis County Community Supervision & Correction's Victim Services unit as the first of the restitution payments for our burglary. (22 rifle, fax machine & the cost of replacing 4 locks.) The perp (Miss H.) was supposed to have started making payments last February or March, and I'm assuming there is a bit of a gap between the time she makes the payment & the time the county cuts the check.

I'd been meaning to call and tell them that we'd found the rifle at the ranch, but I couldn't find my letter from them that had the case number. The check had the case number (well, most of it) and the phone number for victims services (which I'd also lost), so I was able to call them today to get this straightened out, since we really don't want Miss H. to have to pay for something she didn't take.

When I called, it took them a bit of time to find everything, since the check didn't have the last 4 numbers of the case, I've got a fairly common name, and the perp had a common name, and, as the victim's services advocate said, "She's got a lot of cases!" We knew that she'd been involved in at least 6 burglaries that happened about the time they hit our house.

Well, we do hope Miss H. gets her life back on track, and perhaps it will be a bit easier for her, since now she has slightly less to pay off. We are grateful to her for cooperating with the police, and helping the victims get most of their belongings back.

NOTE: The Miss H. who burgled us is not the Miss H. on my MySpace friend's page. That Miss H. is the Austin High School art teacher who got fired because a friend had posted nude photos of her on the internet.

I Didn't Get to See the Dixie Chicks :-(

FRANK ERWIN CENTER, 1701 Red River

Disorderly Conduct: A non-UT subject rushed past the ticket taker in an attempt to enter the Dixie Chicks concert after presenting only a backstage pass. The subject stated that she was in a hurry then unleashed a tirade of offensive language that would have had any salty sailor blushing from embarrassment. Once the subject regained control of her emotions, the officer explained to her the security protocol that was required to enter into the Center. Again the subject's tongue unleashed a scathing tirade that displayed the shallow depth of her wordsmithing ability. During the investigation, the officer contacted the security director for the tour and the subject was released to him. Occurred on: 12-04-06, at 8:30 PM.

John Safran vs Mormons

I have considered going door to door to talk about my beliefs or lack thereof -- or at least standing on the corner at the University to pass out freethought literature on the days the Gideons come to campus to pass out the little green New Testaments, but John Safran has actually done something about it.

My New Blog is Ready?

But I need to sign in with my Google account? Do I even have a Google account? I probably do, but what was the password? And if I can't remember, did I write it in my big book o' secret password codes? And if I did write it in the big book o' secret password codes, can I remember the secret code for that password?

Bother.

On the other hand, drag and drop elements sound tempting.

Has anyone tried the new Blogger?


And it's almost time for y'all to start thinking about your New Year's Revolutions. One of mine will be to post all those postcards that have been piling up all semester. Brother-in-law & Sister-in-law just sent a nice one from the Gran Pantanal, Brazil.

Someone Stole My Coffee!

So, I stumble into RLM, actually a bit earlier than normal. I ordered a non-fat double latte with an extra shot, and went 5 steps away from the coffee stand to open up the office and put up my lunch. R.H. and I exchanged a few words, and I went back to the stand to get my caffeine fix -- but it's not there!

Kristin looked at the counter, looked at me -- said, "It was right there! -- Hey, did someone take a double non-fat latte with an extra shot? Hey you, over there at the condiment table!" This poor guy turned around and said, "I just had a small regular coffee."

Kristin said she'd replace the drink as soon as she finished the one she was making. A moment later she shouted out, "Double Caramel Decaf Soy Latte! Double Caramel Decaf Soy Latte!" but no one came to the counter to claim it.

Am I a bad person for having a bit of schadenfreude that someone who is perhaps lactose intolerant and an avoider of caffeine was walking around all sick and jittery that day?