riverfront property

The rain pounded us here in San Antonio and all around Southeast Texas all day today....it was a constant barrage of rain that only let up for brief periods, but was just a torrential downpour most of the time. San Antonio's city wide motto today was "Turn Around, Don't Drown" because people, even with the barricades and warnings, decided it would be a good idea to drive through streets that had turned into rivers....luckily, only one reported fatality, but LOTS of high water rescues all around where we live....Here are some pictures of N. New Braunfels, which is the main street running right in front of where I live....Tara and I ran out in the rain to snap some pictures and to take a look at the newly formed river....we now live on riverfront property!


Now we need some Jet Skis! :) Round 2 of the rain is supposed to begin tonight at some point....

Went to Bikram Yoga this evening with Tara, though I didn't seem to fully be "into" it today. Not sure why. Had no balance and not a lot of focus. Didn't help that Steve, our instructor today, wanted to talk and laugh all through class! lol...For those not in the know....Bikram Yoga = 90 Minutes of Yoga in 105 degree heat and high humidity....This is probably the most complete "workout" you can do! You leave after 90 minutes feeling exhausted, yet refreshed....and a few pounds lighter due to the water loss from all the sweat! 26 total postures are repeated twice each. Toe Stand (Padangustasana) is becoming my favorite standing series posture, while Fixed Firm Pose (Supta Vajrasana) is my fave (for now) in the floor series....anyways....have been going twice a week for the past few weeks lately. It's a good way to just relax and not think about anything (except for how much pain you are in) for 90 minutes of the day. In order to become a Bikram Yoga instructor, you must move to LA for 9 weeks and go through teacher training with Bikram himself. This is 6 days a week, from about 9am to 10:30pm, with usually 2 actual Bikram Yoga sessions each day! All for a measely cost of about $7500!!!! I think I'll stick with just ATTENDING the classes for now :)

A Thanksgiving Help Line? Come on people....once again, common sense is CRUCIAL here. " Mary Clingman serves as director of the Butterball Turkey Talk Line in Downers Grove, Ill. It expects to take more than 100,000 inquiries through Christmas." Why would you ACTUALLY call a Turkey Talk Line? Even worse, who came up with the Turkey Talk Line and why?

The fun, and now obsessive, part about having a blog is reading ALL THE OTHER BLOGS OUT THERE! Dear lord, you could go day and night 24/7/365 and have plenty to read. And every blog is linking other blogs, which brings you all over the place. Notice the new blog tags under my blog roll :) Expect more to be added soon! :P

Gizmodo
Gawker

Wacky News Finds of the Day
13-Year Old Charged With Abducting Exotic Dancer
Teacher Uses Rope to Tie Up Students
Woman Claims Drug Dealer Ripped Her Off
Saga of the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Over?

And this one was a few days ago, but deserves to be mentioned....Man tries to convert lions to Jesus, gets bitten

It even gets a picture....

What a joke....

[Listening to: in the shadows - Story of The Year - Page Avenue (03:33)]

Airport security is what I am referring to. I really think it's a joke....This is in response to (but DEFINITELY not limited to) the new airport x-ray machines that can SEE THROUGH CLOTHES! Seriously, you have to be kidding?

The machine uses low-level radiation to see through clothing, producing an anatomically detailed black and white image of the body underneath.

Is this really necessary? It seems like airport security just gets MORE and MORE ridiculous. And honestly, how many problems are there....REALLY? Do we need someone to view us naked in order to board a plane? Nicole Ritchie (of The Simple Life fame, or misfortune, depending on how you look at it) was recently stopped at an airport because the security alarms went off when she triggered the metal detectors. Well, turns out that she has a nippe ring....she explained ths to them, but what did they do? THEY MADE HER TAKE OFF HER TOP TO SHOW THEM SO SHE COULD PASS THROUGH! Not being the most shy girl in the world, she was willing to show, but jesus, what if you WEREN'T willing to take off your top? "Sorry miss, you can't fly." PISS OFF!

Ever since 9-11, security has stepped up and become just plain stupid. Lewis Black does a really good bit about airport security on his "The End of the Universe" album....the best part is when he talks about an old lady "who looks like Protestant-ism sprung from her womb." The lady can't even walk and can't get out of her wheelchair, but they are patting her down! And patting her wheelchair down! NEW RULE! IF YOU CAN'T LIFT YOUR OWN BAG INTO THE OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT THEN YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET TO GO ON THE PLANE! NO SECURITY CHECK! If the old lady was "wearing a clown costume, and had a monkey on her lap, and she was playing with it's balls," then yes, definitely screen her! But patting down old ladies (I have seen this myself!) and using x-ray machines that see through clothing? And not to mention, the people doing these checks (most of them anyway) probably didn't even graduate high school....

I was flying from San Antonio to San Diego a couple months ago, and I was wearing Asics running shoes and no socks....the "please walk through" lady at the metal detectors said that she SUGGESTED that I put my shoes through the x-ray machine....I explained that I did not have socks on and that I did not want to walk barefoot on the flithy floor. And plus, my shoes weren't going to make the metal detector go off anyways....DOESN'T MATTER! Because since I "refused" REFUSED?! to take my shoes off, I get to go to the secondary screener where, guess what? I GET TO TAKE MY SHOES OFF AND HAVE THEM SCREENED BY THE BOMB MACHINE AND I GET WANDED DOWN! Would it have been difficult for the lady to explain to me my options? I was late for my flight as it is and was on standby, but I figured this would be quick. WRONG AGAIN! The security dude tells me that something on my shoes have caused the machine to detect some "materials." Nce....after caling over another security guy, they now pat me down and go through my carry-on's in order to test everything in there. Nice. Then they inform me that my Microsoft Wireless Mouse is now setting off the alarms on the machine for some more "material." And now this has become a "serious matter." They ask me a bunch of questions, including where I work, what I do, do I work with fertilizers, why would my things cause the machine to go off....I have no idea! YOU TELL ME! The security guard informed me on more than one occasion that it was at their discretion to let me go through, and they might need to alert the authorities. LOL! I was about to die of laughter at the whole thing...on top of the fact that my flight was leaving in 10 minutes! They FINALLY let me go through, and I hated airport security just THAT much more.

All of this for what? Do I want to feel safe on an airplane? Yes...Have I ever NOT felt safe on an airplane? NO! One carefully planned terrorist attack and we live in this "different world now" and in this haze of fear of everything. I can't help but think it's partly due to our idiot we call president.....I mean president we call idiot....It's not going to happen again....it's just not. And I don't mind the fact that security is stepped up, but all I ask is to know where to draw the line between being secure and being stupid. Screen the people that NEED to be screened (you know who you are) and stop bothering normal people who are trying to make their flight. USE YOUR JUDGEMENT! Better than any machine they could possibly use....

*RANT OVER*

Oh, and one more thing....the rule about not being able to stop your car and wait like 2 minutes when you are picking someone up at the airport is also ridiculous. They make you drive around about 80 times when you inform them that you are picking someone up who is at the baggage claim and will be out in 2 minutes! The rent-a-cop (sometimes a real cop) waves there little flashlight at you and taps on your car to get you going....No one has ever (I don't think) set off a bomb or anything while waiting at an airport. Should we wait until they do? NO! BUT THEY AREN'T GOING TO!

Common sense people....common sense....

Turkey & Gravy Soda

[Listening to: I Don't Wanna Know - New Found Glory - Catalyst (03:32)]

Well the Jones Soda Co. has officially outdone themselves this time. They are known for some pretty crazy flavors at times, but their JUST ANNOUNCED Holiday Pack take the cake! Surely these are just names and colored sodas, right? Ummm....I think they are actually FLAVORED THIS WAY! The new flavors are: Turkey & Gravy. Cranberry, Mashed Potato & Butter, Green Bean Casserole, and Fruitcake Soda! An entire holiday meal! Can you even IMAGINE how these are going to taste? Not going to stop me from purchasing a few packs though! Will make great gifts! haha....Comes complete with a straw and a toothpick....in case any turkey gets stuck in your teeth :P

Pretty crazy story over at The Smoking Gun about a 43 year old man being arrested for repeatedly kicking a 5 year old boy at a theme park....why you ask? Because the little boy was kicking him first :) Who turned him in? HIS DATE! Dear lord I hope that this was filmed for Blind Date....that would be such a classic episode!

One week later...and Bush is still President....I am still pretty angry about the whole thing....but what can you do? Well, you can go to T-Shirt Hell and get some of their new election shirts! ha....The P Diddy shirt is a classic...I saw a good line on another blog, so I thought I would steal it :)

Bush won. Americans who voted for him are _______________.

Yea, so fill in the blank! I still find it so hard to believe that SO MANY people approve of what he is doing to this country. It's as if we have no pride. I got into a pretty heated debate on my website regarding the election. It wasn't meant to get so serious, but I just cannot believe the idiotic things that people say to defend our president who has done some pretty INDEFENSIBLE THINGS! Maybe the TV waves are brainwashing people with pro-bush propaganda? Maybe Bush can continue giving the country his "one fingered victory salute." Imbecile. Speaking of the devil....I saw a website today that talks about the Pentagon Strike on 9/11 and questions what really happened. There was barely ANY evidence of a plane hitting the Pentagon....much less, a 757! I always sort of wondered about this too....It didn't look like a plane had hit it....Take a look and see for yourself....

I found an awesome new T-Shirt site today....and my T-Shirt collection just keeps growing and growing....Not QUITE the humor of T-Shirt Hell, but close :)

Done ranting and raving for now....off to finish my Organic Chem quiz....more interesting blogs to come....I promise....

4 More Years....

....and I plan to change citizenship....

I am very disappointed in my country. EXTREMELY disappointed in my country. I knew there were a lot of uneducated, and pardon me for saying, DUMB people in this country, but I figured that even SOME of the dumb ones in this country would be able to see the damage that has been done to this country is the PAST 4 years. If the past 4 years have been a preview of what's to come, then I think we (I say we....but obviously not WE!) are in for a lot of trouble....

On top of the fact that he wasn't even actually ELECTED to office last year, combined with the past 4 years....jesus.....I don't even know what to say....

It just shocks me that SO MANY people are OK with how this country has been run for the past four years...Bush NARROWLY won the election 4 years ago, and really, DIDN'T win....at LEAST in the popular vote....so if you combine the fact that he lost the popular vote 4 years ago with how poor of a president he has been this term....how do we not have a new president right now?! Makes no sense....

At least I voted, and did my part. Which brings me to another point. I HATE the fact that this is the first time I have voted in a presidential election and when I went to the polls, I knew my vote for president didn't "count." Yes it counted in the total, but it's all about the electoral...and not just the electoral, but this specific election focused on pretty much SOLELY the "battleground states." This is where all the campaigning took place and where all the attention was. This wasn't an election for the whole country, but for only a few states to decide! If you were already red or blue, your vote against the state majority doesn't matter! Doesn't give me much confidence in the system....And I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way regarding voting....Also makes me upset that stats show that young voters did not make the dent that we were supposed to make in the polls this year. Same turnout as last year! That is really surprising....and disappointing....

Back to playing poker and winning cash off of the dumb Americans to ease the pain....


*edit*

uh oh....here we go again....they are debating whether Bush really won Ohio or not....some networks have removed the 20 electoral votes from Bush's tally!....gonna get crazy....OMG! They just mentioned the hanging chads! lol....that's what I should have been for Halloween! A hanging chad!!!!

249 to 221 right now....