Last night's Alias episode was really good. Probably the best of the season so far. Marshall saved Sydney and went on an undercover assignment in which he had to dig the eyes out of a dead man so they could get past a retinal scanner to gain access to computers. Jack had some memorable lines with Marshall. "What's a Spork?" I loved it.

I'm glad tomorrow is Friday. I'm ready for the weekend. This week at work has been tiresome. An adjustment worker started a dispute with me on Tuesday and it's just about over with now. She had such attitude. Anytime someone deliberately capitalizes a word in an email, you know there's an attitude involved. "WE decided this is how it should be." Please. Too bad she didn't talk to the right people first before deciding anything. She ended up wrong. Twice. And the Ram's boss apparently thinks I'm a wonderful employee who knows a lot. That's never good. That means more work for Miranda. In this case, more work was reviewing an Excel spreadsheet to see if it works like the one that was done in QuattroPro. It was pretty funny since I never use the spreadsheet in QuattroPro. But today was not the day for the extra work. I had a bad headache that started around 4 am this morning when I was awakened from sleep by a sharp pain in my head, courtesy of a sinus headache. I was in a haze all day from the headache and lack of sleep. Tony told me to go home if I wanted to, but I had a lot of work to do. I also have to train the co-workers on a new screen they have access to in our computer system. A trip to P-Burg is even planned in a couple of weeks to train those workers. The best part of the day was getting home from work. It was warm and sunny with a nice breeze. A great time to take the dogs for a walk, which I did. Don't you love the first warm, sunny days after winter? You just can't understand why anyone would be inside on a day like that, and you feel a sense of freedom when you're outside.

The First Disappointment

I watched the latest episode of Nashville Star tonight (I recorded last night's live show) and I was disappointed to see Tamika Tyler get voted off the show. I thought she was pretty good. I'm sure she will get a record deal anyway.

On a different note, Bret Michaels sang "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" last night on the show. As he was singing I couldn't help but comment, "Gee, he can compete with Billy Ray Cyrus for the title of "The Neal Diamond of Country Music". The voices of both remind me of Neal Diamond. Billy Ray and Bret would do well with a duet.

I discovered last night that two of my favorite actors (John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo) were in the movie, The Mummy Returns. Good for them! I only saw a couple of minutes of the movie, I'm not a big mummy fan. I did see the Scorpion King movie though. The Rock doesn't look so too bad with long hair. Interestingly, both Hannah and Vosloo have had roles on Alias, one of my current favorite tv shows.

A Young James Bond Series of Movies - I liked the Young Indiana Jones TV show. Maybe this wouldn't be that bad.

I bought the George Canyon CD, One Good Friend, today. It's pretty good. I don't think I've heard any of his stuff on the radio so I didn't know which song was 'the song' that I should be listening to - the one that's released. I checked out his website and now I know which songs to pay closer attention to. Anyway, this completes the Nashville Star Round One Buying event. Round two begins next month with Buddy Jewell's new cd.

Last night, I got a call from a credit card company. I told the telemarketer I wasn't interested in his credit card three times and each time he replied, "I can't believe that." If he had said that one more time, I would have said, "I've said it four times, you should believe it." But he didn't say that again. I did have to tell him about 5 more times that I wasn't interested. I understand these people have mouths to feed and they need jobs and any job is a good job if you don't have one and need one, but I came very close to hanging up on this guy and I prefer not to do that - it's rude.

Today was the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn. An event stretching back to 1878, it is one of our most precious traditions in America. You would think, since this event took place on the White House Lawn, the President and First Lady would preside over it. But, you would be thinking wrong. No, the FAMILY VALUES President chose to hide from the potential pre-school egg throwers by spending Easter at his ranch in Texas. There are just too many egg-related jokes I could mention........... so, I'll spare you. I do think it's pretty insulting that the President or First Lady didn't preside over an event that took place right outside their door.

I finally got the Miranda Lambert cd. She was on Nashville Star and I had her ranked second behind Buddy Jewell. The cd is pretty good. I've been wearing it out at work. It's hard to listen to new cd's at work though - I'm always getting up to go to the printer or to other people's cubes or offices or the restroom. And let's not forget announcements and loud copier noises that drown out the music. But, I figure if I play the cd enough times, I'll eventually hear all the songs in their entirety.

I have renamed my nephew. His new name is Buddha. That's because he reminds me of a Tibetin Monk. I even have Mom calling him Buddha.

Using some advice I received while at work today, I found the device manager thing on my computer and looked up the USB port things. The little box says the router and some other USB thing are supposedly working. I'd like to know it's definition of working since nothing I plug in there does.

Farm Animals Have Feelings!

I think I am going to Uninstall Flight Simulator. I never get to play it, especially since the joystick no longer works. Apparently, this may free up over 1GB of space on the hard drive, which is at a premium since by some magical feat, 8 GB from our old hard drive turned into 40 GB when I did what I was told and tried to click and drag the files from the old drive onto the new one. Somehow nearly all 40 GB is full. Interestingly, I found some $20.00 software on Amazon.com today that enables a person to take the files from one pc and transfer them to another one. Gee, if click and drag works, why do they sell the software (she asks sarcastically)?

Oh, and I'm beginning to think that there is something wrong with the USB ports since everything I plug in there doesn't work. I don't think we can blame the cable since I use one cable for the digital cameras, a different cable for the printer and the joystick has its own cord.

My niece and nephew are in the vicinity this week. My parents are supposed to go to the in-laws' house to pick up the kids to bring them down here for a few days. Well, for the last couple of days, my parents have been making plans to use my car. Too bad they never asked me first. So, mom thought they were definitely using my car and when she came home from work today, she told Dad he would have to put the car seat in my car. Well, unknown to her, Dad finally got around to ASKING if he could use my car. I said, "I reckon" in a "gee I don't think so" sounding voice and he realized that he probably shouldn't use my car. So, when mom came home from work, she found out that they were using her car and she looked at me like "you're all to blame for all of this and you are ruining my life." Well, maybe they should have thought about that BEFORE they threw me out of the house last week. How can they possibly think that all is forgiven? The closest to an apology I ever got was Dad saying if I could litter train the puppy then I could get it. NOT a WORD has been spoken by mom.

Two episodes of the Pretender down, 19 more to go. I love this show. I ordered the season 1 Airwolf box set tonight from Amazon. I chose the money order payment option since it worked for my Pretender dvds.

Dad said tonight that if I could train the puppy to use a litter box, then I should get the puppy. This is after he told me that I would have to MOVE OUT if I brought the puppy home. Other people get thrown out of their house for committing crimes, me - it's because of a puppy. The only problem with Dad's change of heart is that I HATE the litter box and I never want to deal with one ever again. So, I'm certainly NOT going to train a new member of my little family to use a litter box for the next 12 to 15 years. If Dad had to clean the litter box once or twice a week for three years, he would not be such an advocate of it. The flea infestation last year alone should have been enough to convince dad. The cats wouldn't use the box and they were doing their business on the tile floor by our front door that we use every single day every time we have to leave the house. How quickly Dad forgot about that.

I got my Pretender dvds today! Technology is a wondrous thing. All 21 episodes are on four double sided dvds. I've never seen a box set so tiny! I haven't been able to watch any of it because I also had to watch Nashville Star and I checked out the special features that are on the Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life dvd. And at 9pm, I'm watching Alias. Regarding Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life, there is an alternate ending on the dvd. I have to say that for the character of Terry Sheridan, that alternate ending was not the best. Good thing they used the real ending. It did justice to the character. The alternate ending was a softening of who Sheridan was and if he hadn't been built up as some detached mercenary/killer guy, the alternate ending probably would have worked. But the real ending was indeed the best I think.

Back to the Pretender dvds, the box set wasn't supposed to have been released until the 22nd. My email from Amazon said I'd get the dvds between the 19th and the 22nd. But I got them today. I was stunned by the speed. It really makes me think I'll be ordering the Airwolf dvds from Amazon.

I got this quiz from Daniel at Doik.net

Official Survivor Congratulations! You scored 72%!

Whether through ferocity or quickness, you made it out. You made the right choice most of the time, but you probably screwed up somewhere. Nobody's perfect, at least you're alive.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 97% on survivalpoints

The Zombie Scenario Survivor Test written by ci8db4uok on Ok Cupid

Well, I Know Where I Rank!

Tony's family does have a female chihuahua puppy for sale. When I told my parents, with whom I live, they informed me that if I got the puppy, I would have to move out and take the two dogs we currently have with me, along with the new puppy. Oddly enough, I didn't hear them tell my sister three years ago when she and my brother-in-law were going to move from their old apartment, that they had better find a place that would take all three of the cats. They willingly took in two of her cats. So, I guess if it's my sister, they will give and give when it comes to the beloved pets, but the only thing they would give me is the boot. Since my parents so succinctly informed me that the dogs are my pets, I guess they will be changing the cats' litter box from now on. And I'm sure they will clean up all the cat puke from now on.

It's nice to be told to go out and buy a house and go into debt for $150,000 when the future of my job is in limbo thanks to the new governor.

Eureka!!!

Today, I spent a lot of the day cleaning out some of the spare bedroom in an effort to find a book. So, I found the book (the novelization of the Tomb Raider Cradle of Life movie), grabbed a box and boxed up some of my other books that I had piled up in the room and sorted out a big trashbag full of stuff to throw away. Mom needs to sort through all her stuff. She's got a lot of stuff in that room that needs put away or thrown out.

I'm getting sick of the weather people. They have gotten the forcast wrong several times in the last few weeks. Most notably, the weather girl said that Saturday would be a high of 35 degrees and cloudy, but at my house we recorded a high of 50 and bright full sun. Tonight they are saying 1 to 3 inches of snow, which is the same forcast they've given for Friday and Saturday night too. I'm thinking they are just staying with the same forcast until they get it right. I hope the snowfall is a repeat of last night. Last night we just got snow on the grassy surfaces and the trees and the roads and driveway were clear. That's how snow should be.

Check out Pawtistic Expressions!!!

Your Stripper Name is: Scandal

Get your own Stripper Name

You Belong in 1976

1976 If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Your Brain is 60.00% Female, 40.00% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female You are both sensitive and savvy Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

What Gender Is Your Brain?

Check out my favorite pro wrestler, Barry Windham.

Leno Allowed to Tell Jackson Jokes - Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in big trouble. I have run out of books to read. Kind of. I have read most of my romance novels a hundred times each by now and I'm in dire need of new reading material. So much so that I took my Nietzsche book to work today and left it there so I would have it to read tomorrow! Nietzsche - Not your average escapist reading.

Alias was pretty good last night. It featured Jack in more of an active role, which I totally love. There was one scene when Nadia (the daughter of Sloane and Jack's wife Irina) saves Jack's life and he gives her this strange look. I'm betting he was thinking, "wow she reminds me of Irina." It was neat. And Sloane is so going to turn on everyone again. Heehee. Maybe not soon, but by the end of the season, I'm betting he does. I just hope he doesn't kill Weiss for dating his daughter.

I am so glad the week is almost over. I've just about had it with some people at work - you know the *ACME Widget Company*. Tony assures me once he kicks enough butt on his problem people, he will start on my problem people. He'd better, or I'll start kicking his butt. LOL! He said the other day, "I can't believe how violent you women are." And I said, "And just think, you hired half the people here." His response: "That just shows you how good they are at lying." LOLOL!!!

Some things we are better off not knowing and this Hollywood gossip item is one of them. He's old enough to be her father. Yuck! I sincerely hope this story is false.

I'm posting this in the Maltese Cow blog too, but I just had to post this here. It's a Interview Questionnaire to apply to be a member of the A-Team. It's scary how many of these questions I get asked in real job interviews.

Finding the A-Team: Part 2 - The Questionnaire

Martha Stewart Live Chat - March 14, 2005

Tony's family does not have little puppies for me. Their adult doggies did not breed. So, I will be puppy-less unless I can find something in our local Traders Guide publication (weekly paper consisting of regular joes and janes offering items for sale, trade, or free to a good home). I'm disappointed. Today at work a state office worker ticked off me and April. I think April is on this worker's list because April dared to point out an error that this worker made. So, now this worker nitpicks everything and can't author one email to April without sounding condescending and snotty and at times abusive.

There has been a definite lack of new reading material in my house. As a result, I bought an issue of People Magazine today. It's the one with Hillary Swank's oscar dress on it. I personally thought that dress was not pretty.

When the First Amendment gets in the way of someone's good intentions

Movie Quote

One of many that just makes me laugh:
"I got your hood. I got your hood."

That's from The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Topanga's Back!!!

Topanga has returned from his blogrest. Check out "How to Make it in Life" over in the Bogs of Note Section!

Today was a great sunny day so I spent a lot of time, well a lot of time for me, outdoors with the dogs. This morning, I dug the carpet cleaning machine out of storage and cleaned the living room carpet. I could clean it every day and still be sucking dirt out after a week, but I think one cleaning produced a massive improvement.

I had a moment of impulse buying yesterday. I bought the Tomb Raider movies on DVD. The satellite dish is offering a free preview weekend for Showtime and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life is being shown. So, I watched a bit of it and remembered how great the novelization was and decided I should have the dvd.

And last night I finally got caught up on the Austin Powers movies by watching Goldmember. It was funny, but unfortunately I was watching it with my mom in the room, not the kind of movie one would share with her parents.

Today I updated the Manuscript Destiny blog, you should check that out.

Nashville Star 3.0

I couldn't watch the first episode last night at 10 pm when it aired. I was too tired and went to bed. But I recorded it and watched it tonight. I can't vote for anyone because voting is only open for the first three hours after the show airs. It's a good thing I can't vote for anyone. They were all good. I look forward to seeing the show next week. Maybe a favorite will emerge in the coming weeks. I still don't think anyone holds a candle to Buddy Jewell. His new cd comes in sometime in April. I have to get it when it comes out. His new song is really great.

The real world behind James Bond

State Lawmakers Consider Calif. Mileage Tax - Naturally, the Governor would be for it, the state has a fleet of state cars (they aren't going to tax themselves) and the Governor can't afford to drive his hummer very far with the way it uses gas. Perhaps they shouldn't be paying millionaires to be legislators. That could save the state some money.

Work Rant

A co-worker, let's call her Old Woman, decided today that she can overrule Tony, her supervisor. April staffed a case with Tony and Tony made the decision about Old Woman's case. Well, Old Woman emailed April and said, "Why don't you ask RAM about that?" Duh. Because our supervisor had already made the decision. So, we sent that email to Tony and hopefully he will find out just who our boss is supposed to be. Because it sure isn't Old Woman. We are having a team meeting Friday. I should ask Tony and the Ram the first thing if they've figured out who my boss is. I'm sure that would go over well.

Scientific wizards find real cloak of invisibility