Word of the day

In case you didn't gather from the name of my blog (derived from the glorious "kerfuffle" in describing my two pooches), I like to make up words.

This morning on my way to work I came up with a real gem. While driving through an intersection on a busy road, I noticed what appeared at first glance to be a school bus that had broken down on the side of the road. But further examination revealed that it had gotten halfway around the corner to be held up by not only a stopped school bus in front of it headed in the same direction, but by another going the opposite direction that was boarding children. This seemed odd, as there was not a school in sight. And to top it all off, just past the intersection a city bus was also stopped to allow members of its herd to disembark.

It was a perfect busterfuck.

So I started gnawing on the classification of busterfucks. The most common type, I suspect, would be a homobusenous busterfuck. This would be where the buses all serve the same purpose and population, such as a school bus or a touring coach. I felt truly lucky then, to have sighted a multibustural busterfuck.

One doesn't often have the opportunity to observe busterfucks. I haven't ridden any sort of bus regularly since middle school, but even back then they seemed to move through the school parking lot in a mostly orderly and systematic fashion.

I suspect that Chelene could possibly see a busterfuck should she choose to venture over to the Port Authority bus terminal, as scary a place as any I've ever been. More concerning than the buses, though would be the patrons (and I use this term very loosely) of the bus terminal.

Chinese dogbloggin'

So it appears that in China dogs are becoming more than just coat trim or a late night snack for the masses. Due to rising wages, pet dog ownership is up. In Beijing this has resulted in a rabies problem due to the expense and hassle of keeping your pooch vaccinated. So how do officials decide to combat the problem? By imposing a limit of one small dog per household. Now, the one dog part I truly understand, especially in the second largest city in a country where you are penalized for having more than one child. I fail to perceive, however, why a small dog is less likely to have rabies than a larger dog. There has been one forced cull in the city this year. I think that the true logic behind the size limitation may be to make any future culls easier to implement should they become necessary.

Me no likey.

Kick off your Sunday shoes

So I think the kerpupples must have sat near me through one too many times of watching Footloose. Why in the world would I ever think this? Well, they don't like it when I dance. Ripley especially barks furiously at me anytime I spontaneously trip the light fantastic around the house. It's pretty entertaining, if a bit unsettling. Usually it will just encourage me to wiggle more enthusiastically and sing, to the tune of Safety Dance by that luminous one-hit-wonder Men Without Hats:

"I can dance if I want to, I can make my doggy bark..."

That's all I've come up with so far. If I were more clever and/or less lazy I'd complete the lyrics. Perhaps I'll put it on my to-do list.

The mother-in-law unit arrives tonight for Thanksgiving tomorrow. She will be the only one joining the spousal unit and me - a cozy little family gathering. I'm lucky that we get along so well. Most of the time I think she and I find more things to talk about than she and the spousal unit, her own son.

I got it

My extra week of vacation was agreed to. As soon as I have an offer letter in my grubby little hands, I can give notice. No more ending up on the HR watchlist because I google "Iraq death sentence" (the watchlist thing is purely theoretical, but those Google results are indeed blocked within our network, along with anything containing "gun", "ass" (which I just now tested out of curiosity), youtube, MySpace, TMZ.com, and multitudes of other interesting but nonproductive Internet uses).

Zippity do-dah!!!

Random 10 - best yet

This is my favorite random 10 I've posted so far. It wrapped with songs from 3 of my personal favorite CDs - Franz Ferdinand, White Blood Cells, and Fever In Fever Out. Add in a few more fab artists and some booty shakin' (which I am always down with), and you've got a sweet way to kick off Friday morning.

Here's the list:

Love Song for No One - John Mayer
Cherish the Day - Sade
Gimme the Car - Violent Femmes
Heart Attack Man - Beastie Boys
(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty - KC & the Sunshine Band
Hobbit on the Rocks - Toad the Wet Sprocket
Ruby Sees All - Cake
Michael - Franz Ferdinand
Why Do I Lie? - Luscious Jackson
I Think I Smell a Rat - White Stripes

Maybe the good list is an omen. I have a verbal job offer which I'm really excited about. The only details left to hash out are vacation (they offer 2 weeks to start, I want more). The position involves some travel, up to 30% with the possibility of some international. The remaining work would be done out of my home office. So I won't be behind this fascist firewall anymore and can actually look at the youtube videos when my fellow bloggers post them. Wish me luck!!!

Oh, and join Chelene, justacoolcat, James, and many other fun folks and post your Random 10 at American Idle. Do it, or I will come hold you down and force you listen to the best of Richard Marx on repeat!!!

Snap!!!!

I stole this shamelessly from the MSN gossip section:

Justin Timberlake is maintaining his perspective -- and crankypants demeanor with the paparazzi -- when it comes to Britney Spears' decision to hand Kevin Federline his walking papers. In video obtained by TMZ.com, the "Sexyback" crooner responds thusly when asked by a shutterbug this weekend in L.A. if he has any comment on his ex's marital meltdown: "Yeah, there's a war going on in Iraq."

Heh. He just keeps on dissing Brit, and I can't get enough!!!

Dogbloggin'

These are the kerpupples in the bathroom. They like the feel of the cool tile so this is a popular spot. Don't ask me why Roscoe chooses to wedge himself behind the toilet though. I'm suprised I captured this one - he usually slinks away if I approach him with a camera while he's lying in this compromised postion.

OJ, Rupert Murdoch, and Dan Abrams die...

and meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. He sends them straight to hell.

Have you heard this one? Well, it's not a joke. As if he couldn't get any more repulsive, OJ is starring in a new special on Fox News called "If I Did It", based on a book he just published. Apparently it details how he would have committed the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman - if he had committed the crime. If. Because, you see, he wasn't guilty. And I'm Cameron fucking Diaz. Even if that is, ahem, true, how disgusting and mind-blowingly insensitive is it to capitalize off this shit? I saw a quote from Goldman's dad on this that said he couldn't comment on it because he'd have to use profanity. I'm cleary not so restrained.

And where does Dan Abrams fit in? He was commenting about the situation on the Today show this morning, speaking of OJ's behavior in his typically chipper-yet-derisive manner. And at the end of the interview, he dropped the little nugget that he had a blurb published on OJ's book jacket. Yeah Dan - there's a nice toasty inferno in hell reserved for hypocritical publicity diggers like you.

Wicked queen update

I'm not feeling bad anymore about the woman who got fired on the same day I was having some work issues with her. This twit is incompetent as all get-out. She started the same day I did, and has been here about a year and 3 months. I found out from a mutual friend that she got 3 months severance pay.

I've been looking for a new job. I think I need to figure out how to get laid off right when I find something new I'm interested in. Suggestions, anyone?

Chad

Apparently the Dharfur genocide is spilling over the Sudan's borders into Chad. Why aren't we paying more attention to this? It really chaps my hide.

When I have more time I'll go into the stories the mother-in-law unit told us last night about her recent visit to South Africa (she grew up in Zambia and most of her family is now in SA). They left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

Heh

I was at the bookstore yesterday, and saw a New Yorker cartoon that made me chuckle. I found it online but the greedy bastards at The New Yorker won't let you link to their images. Shame - it might help sell some mags, wouldn't ya think? Anyway, the image is of 2 dogs sitting facing each other, and the caption goes:

“I had my own blog for a while, but I decided to go back to just pointless, incessant barking.” by Alex Gregory

That's really all it is if we don't try to hear each other, isn't it?

It also reminded me that I need to make a post towards one of my original intents of this blog: dogbloggin'. I need to rant some more about my dear pooches.

Random 10

So I cheated and did this yesterday afternoon - I knew I'd be busy at a job interview this morning - more on this later.

I have a couple of comments on this round:

• I like Will Smith and Kelly Clarkson. I will make no apologies for this.
• 2 songs about mom - is this a hint? I called her recently, I promise! :) I truly love the Garnett Silk song - really need to pick up more of his music. Such a shame he's gone.

Chelene - I've got you beat - I got NIN and Prince this week!

5th Symphony - Beethoven
Sour Girl - STP
Star 69 - Fat Boy Slim
Momma Knows - Will Smith
Gotta Stop (Messin Around) - Prince
I Hate Myself for Losing You - Kelly Clarkson
Carrion - Fiona Apple
That's What I Get - Nine Inch Nails
Mama - Garnett Silk
Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen

Don't be a wuss - post your own! Check out American Idle, justacoolcat, Chelene, and James' lists for more musical goodness.

You've got a shot again, boys!

So Britney Spears filed for divorce from K-Fed today. Redneck teen lads across the country are salivating with desire, no doubt. I just have to ask you though, Brit - what finally pushed you over the edge? Was it his continually overspending his allowance? His intolerance for the pavarotti? Inquiring minds want to know.

Hearing this news reminded me of a passage that I just read in Brick Lane that made me chuckle. It's an excerpt from a letter from a destitute Muslim woman in Bangladesh to her sister in London:

You have seen this Britainy Spear? That more less how Lovely look. Rickshaw workshop make more carriage paint with this singer picture. It too suprising to me sometime how much like Bangla girl she look have long black hair and black eye.

Ha. Clearly they don't watch the VMAs in Dhaka.

How dare they

I'm one of those slightly demented animal lovers who doesn't blink an eye when a person dies in a movie, but if an animal even gets injured, I can't turn off the waterworks to save my life. Which is why this story about dead orangutans in Indonesia enrages me to no end. People killed the poor creatures as they were fleeing? Why? So they wouldn't eat their likely-to-be-destroyed-anyway crops? Acts that show such an utter lack of compassion never cease to amaze and horrify me.

On the bright side, my company was looking to purchase a paper production company in Indonesia earlier this year to help combat spiraling paper costs, but backed out of it. This is the most environmentally friendly place I've ever worked at, so I'd like to think that this as well as the slash-and-burn farming tactics used there contributed to that decision. Purse strings are overwhelmingly tight here at the moment, but I'm all for it if it helps combat such travesties.

Another blogging barrier busted

I must really be starting to matter in the blogosphere. I just received my first not-so-positive reference on someone else's blog as a result of this exchange (Prophet, I'd really love to hear you weigh in on this subject). People are going to start beating down my virtual door any minute, I just know it. Watch out Paris Hilton, you ain't got nothing on this publicity hound!

Suprise level? 0%

I found this quiz thanks to my friend the prophet. I had an idea what the results would be even before I saw the questions.

You Are Most Like Bill Clinton

No doubt, your legacy may be a little seedier than you'd like. But even though you've done some questionable things, you're still loved by almost all.

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

Friday's random 10

I'm still reeling from the wacky day I had yesterday, so I don't have much clever to say about this week's random 10. Pretty clear that I like NIN and the Beastie Boys though, ain't it? And Alice in Chains appears to be subbing for PJ this week - I guess Vedder's hung over. Post yours too at American Idle, or be square (hey, I'm nice - a far worse fate awaits you if you visit justacoolcat and avoid the random 10)!

Real Thing - Alice in Chains
Root Down (Pp Balloon Mix) - Beastie Boys
Feelin' the Same Way - Norah Jones
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
Start Again - Death Cab for Cutie
Heavenly Action - Erasure
Warsaw - Joy Division
American Music - Violent Femmes
Even Deeper - Nine Inch Nails
As Heaven is Wide - Garbage

My alter-ego - the Wicked Queen

I found out at the end of the day that some interactions I had with a colleague helped contribute to her being fired today. Nothing specific about today, I don't think, but it was just the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. This chick was a twit with a capital T, and it's going to be much easier to get my job done without her. Wish things could have worked out without her getting canned, though.

Snow Harlot

How dare she? A lovely, innocent child's story, transformed into a lewd Halloween getup. The travesty!!!

Nah....actually I liked the hottie costume. Usually I go for funny. This was a fun change.

There was a guy at the wedding in Vegas who saw this picture on my camera and kept coming up to me and asking if he could show it to other wedding guests. Tee hee.

Vegas, baby

Hey kids. Sorry for not announcing - I went on hiatus because I attended a hipster Halloween wedding in Vegas. The spousal unit was the best man. I'll definitely post pics - you don't see this sort of wedding every day.