"Ain'ts" no more, the Saints beat the Colts 31-17 in a game that was truly fun and exciting to watch.

Nice to see them go all the way.



The Superbowl television commercials were mostly a train-wreck this year, and I really have to wonder what was going through the minds of a lot of the company's marketing departments.

• Audi and their "Green Police" can kiss my ass.
• E-Trade and their talking/investing babies: Screams "don't know what they're doing."
• And all the commercials with guys parading around in their underwear? I don't even remember what you were supposed to be advertising, but damn guys, WTF?!
• Bud-light commercials were just weird.
• The main Budweiser commercial involving the calf and pony that grew up friends was cute. Liked that one. :-)

Passport Application..........

Dear Minister,

I'm in the process of renewing my passport but I am a total loss to understand or believe the hoops I am being asked to jump through.

How is it that Bert Smith of T.V. Rentals Basingstoke has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a satellite dish from them back in 1994, and yet, the Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date?

...

I apologise Minister. I'm obviously not myself this morning. But between you and me, I have simply had enough! You mail the application to my house, then you ask me for my address. What is going on? Do you have a gang of Neanderthals working there? Look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I don't want to activate the Fifth Reich for God's sake! I just want to go and park my weary backside on a sunny, sandy beach for a couple of week's well-earned rest away from all this crap.

...

I served in the armed forces for more than 25 years including over ten years at the Ministry of Defence in London.
I have had security clearances which allowed me to sit in the Cabinet Office, five seats away from the Prime Minister while he was being briefed on the first Gulf War and I have been doing volunteer work for the British Red Cross ever since I left the Services. However, I have to get someone 'important' to verify who I am -- you know, someone like my doctor...who, before he got his medical degree 6 months ago WAS LIVING IN PAKISTAN...

But the thing is Theo, the Minister isn't listening to the British Citizen who wrote the rather excellent letter. The Minister doesn't care. He sees the British truly as subjects, not Citizens. He's laughing at them as they leave his presence.

Were a few Ministers and Lords hanging from the lamp-posts, doing the floor-less tap-dance, perhaps things would change. But I really doubt we're going to see that kind of much-needed insurrection by the good British Citizenry any time soon. More's the pity.


Hat-tip to Drew over at BMEWS

2 Dozen red roses in a bouquet in tow. I get in the door and call out... "Yo! Mrs. Tiger!"

Mrs. Tiger knows I've been shopping and comes to help me unload.

Says me to her: "I admit it. Hallmark finally broke me down and I am actually paying attention to their calendar and holidays..."

Mrs. Tiger gives me that confused/"what are you up to?" look...

I present the 2 doz red roses, put on a big silly grin and say, "Happy Groundhog's Day!"

Much mirth, giggling, and the requisite "squeak" noises take place (because Mrs. Tiger really likes receiving roses), which is, of course, why I do this from time to time, randomly, throughout the year.... but never on or around Valentine's Day. See, I don't dance to Hallmark's calendar, and I certainly am not about to blow a lot of money on roses that have their prices jacked up by twice or three times, just because it's Feb 14 (or close to it). If you want to, fill your boots, but I'd much rather be able to buy Mrs. Tiger two or three bouquets over the year.

One other thing I don't do because I feel it sullies the giving of roses: Never as a make-up thing if you've been arguin' or fightin'. Just don't. Nice roses can get a nasty association that way.

So I've had a pretty good week so far outside of work...

Mrs. Tiger has been reporting the last few days that the washing machine (a Kenmore 80 Series Heavy Duty we bought over 10 years ago when we lived in Kansas City) hasn't been filling up to the proper amount of water when she tries to run a load of clothes, and this is vexing her. Mmmm hmmmm.

This news, of course, comes at the exact moment I'm trying to chart a financial course through the next 6 months when I have four large bills coming due: Income tax (due April 30), property tax (two of four payments due end of February and end of April), the lawn care service's pre-payment form for this year (not sure when that's due but I don't want them starting late so let's say mid-April), and the new riding lawn mower which I still have the final payment to make and must be delivered early spring. That had better be payed off by end of March at the latest.

Those aren't the only bills of course, oh no, those are just special yearly or one-time shots. I still have the other lovely monthly bills like mortgage, insurance, electricity, water/sewer, food, internet/phone, satellite, a bit of entertainment, yada yada...

Mrs. Tiger makes do by adding a bucket or two of the correct temperature of water from the utility sink next to the washer, but she's getting more and more unhappy with this, because she has to catch each and every cycle of the washer when the washer is calling for more water.

Yup. Best get on this right away... So, read on for the details of the repair. I've got links to useful repair sites you folks might want someday!

( The rest below the cut! )

One successful repair later (and no dollars spent doing so), I feel pretty darned good. :)

Maybe in the November 2012 elections, The People will not be so easily fooled into voting for a charismatic man who simply isn't good for the country. Maybe. Meh. I doubt it'll matter anymore by that point who has access to the levers of power, it'll be too late to reverse the lasting financial damage being done (more on that in a bit).

But first, this article:

President Obama Again Criticizes Trips to Las Vegas

During the president's town hall meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire, he discussed the need to curb spending during tough economic times. "When times are tough, you tighten your belts," the president said. "You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college."

Let's see now, on one hand you're trying to preach fiscal responsibility at the level of the individual. I have no problem with this. It's a message I try to teach my own kids.

Now if only The People could get you bastards in Congress and the White House to actually practice what's been preached here. In spite of the fact that it's an egotistical, arrogant, megalomaniac saying it, he's actually correct this time. (Even a broken clock is right twice a day.) Stimulus, bailouts, and raising the overall allowable debt of the United States to record levels... You are completely out of touch with "tightening the belt". The sad part is, you clowns won't end up paying for your choices, The People will.

Perhaps The People will wake up to this fact and string you all up from lamp-posts to do the floorless tapdance. Maybe you'll just get away with a good old tar and feathering, and being run out of town paraded for all to see in your shame on a big wooden rail, borne by those you financially raped.

His statement Tuesday drew sharp criticism from Nevada lawmakers. "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat.

Y'know, the predictable self-implosion of the Democratic Party would be mildly amusing to watch, except for the fact that they're in control of the levers of power. Their failure will be ours to "enjoy". They aren't going to just flush the U.S. economy either, anyone doing business with them is going to suffer badly too. This does not bode well for Canada, where I am.

Further, all this talk of tentative economic recovery I'm hearing in the news reminds me of the classic "W" pattern of a recession/depression. First there's a sudden downward slide that leaves everyone scrambling. Whatever unsustainable bubbles were out there burst, causing most of it. Then there's a period of recovery, usually accompanied by/caused by government intervention, and a lot of spending of reserves, or borrowing and writing checks that our asses can't cash. Then, when that runs out comes the worse second downward slide that goes much lower than the first, and takes even longer to crawl out of. We're about at the end of that middle "uptick" now. They're already talking about needing to "turn off the stimulus taps", but not wanting to do it too slowly... Those taps will shut off hard shortly. I hope you're ready. I hope I'm ready.

My ire is pointed at my own country's Conservative Party as well - they made some of the same bad choices and spent money we didn't have, and that's going to come out of my pocket in years to come as forced offerings to the government in the forms of income, sales, and property taxes.

Damn Bush-43 and the 110th Congress for TARP and starting this stimulus bullshit. Damn Obama-44 and the 111th Congress for not only continuing in that vein, but tromping on the accelerator and speeding up the country towards financial ruin at a breakneck speed. Damn my own Conservative Party of Canada for lockstepping with the States. (Thankfully, Canadian markets tend to be more conservative overall, so maybe we won't hurt QUITE as badly, but it's still gonna hurt.)

As to you political ass-hats that didn't have the balls to step back and make the truly unpopular and hard choice of doing NOTHING and saying WHY, go burn in hell where you belong.

Shamelessly stolen from KC-Anathema (over at LiveJournal)

The new Apple "iPad" was announced today. ** Shocked look **

No? Really? That's what your geniuses in marketing decided to call this thing? An iPad? The jokes just write themselves, I'm not even going to go there.

Let's just say that name is a P.R. NIGHTMARE in terms of being the subject of crass humor, and leave it at that.

Update: And then I find THIS article...
Apple's iPad Gives Wings to Media Stocks

*falls out laughing* Wow. This ad campaign is gonna turn into... dare I say it? A bloody mess!

Hey ladies, I've been married for about 20 years, and Mrs. Tiger is standing here busting a gut WITH me over this huuuuuuuuge naming mistake.

Mrs. Tiger: "So what IS this thing anyway?"

Me: "It's a tablet..."

Mrs. Tiger: "What, like a little pink one?"

*BWAHAHAHAAHA*

Okay, I went there!

Update 2: Apparently that's the FIRST thing that occurred to many other people today too: Apple iPad A Big Hit On Twitter, Period

@susqhb Raise your hand if you agree that not one woman was in the room when they chose the name #ipad

I read a web comic called Skin Deep. As of a few days ago, SOME of the readership has been reporting that they can't view the actual images, it just shows up as a link that redirects you back to the same page (not very useful, that...)

The author isn't a web coder, she just uses the girlamatic.com servers, so she suggests "posting your problems on the Girlamatic forum". Fair enough... I go over and realize I need to register to post. Yet another account to keep track of... Ah well, fill out the userid and email address and click [ Next > ] and get a message telling me to check my inbox for a registration email. So I check, and wait... and check, and wait... and check, and wait some more... And then I realize it's probably never coming. Joy.

So back to the comic page to report this little problem and to encourage the author to hang in there. I'm sure the admins at girlamatic.com will sort their problems out in due time.

My attempt to post said comment throws an Internal Server error.

*facepalm*

I'm just a touch worried about LawDog now. He has some odd daydreams.

What about? Roman-X Mechanized Chariot Racing as part of law enforcement duties.

Hooboy.

Update:: The Patent (U.S. # 7493977) looks cool!