No Turning Back

Happy Thanksgiving To You

This one's for Kir and everyone else who has moved from the Rochester area. Still miss it?

Here's a video I shot a short while ago at my house.

My backyard. Leaves I haven't raked yet. Leaves on the tree still. And it's Thanksgiving. Actually it is kind of pretty.

And in the time it's taken me to write this post and upload the file, the snow has already covered the grassy areas. Sigh. But 'tis the season and we can't change the weather, so let's make the most of it.

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Prayers

My thoughts and prayers are with those in southern California and having to deal with the wildfires.

Click here for an interesting Flickr thingy. It will show you pictures taken from people (Flickr members I am assuming) in the Malibu and San Diego areas.

"It is what it is"

I had never heard this phrase before about a month ago and now I hear it everywhere. It has even shown up when I'm lurking on blogs in other cities around the country. So it can't be just coincidence. Can someone educate me on the rise in popularity of this phrase?

Did I -- a true pop culture fan, a trivia queen, a girl who rejected a guy who keeps his TV in storage -- miss out on some phenomenon with this phrase lately? 

I mean, come on - I'm so into pop culture that I subscribe to Us Weekly and I even watch (but don't Tivo) the Tori Spelling show. I've pretended that it's only because I think Dean is H-O-T-T but, I'll confess, I am entertained by this show.

Sorry...sidetracking....

I feel like something as big as "how YOU dooo-in" has happened and I was sleeping through it.

I hate being out of the loop. Help!

Perspective

7/7/07

Hope this link works.

Hey You

Big City Summer Fest, Day 1

I'm sure people are tired of hearing me talk about this, but god dang this music scene in Rochester is blowing up (as the kids say).

Pictures & reviews to come soon. But in a nutshell, the Big City Summer Fest opened last night. I bought my all-access pass for over 150 shows. After the shows I saw last night, I almost feel like I already got my money's worth. I saw bits & parts of up to 6 performances last night, including the Party in the Park.

Go see Elana James tonight. Go see the Small Stars. Both shows will be worth every penny.

Pictures coming over the weekend.

The Increasing Cost of Living

In a week when the cost of postage rose again and gas prices hit another all-time high, I am thankful that the cost of some things never change:

Buying a tampon or sanitary pad from those dispensers in ladies rooms still costs a quarter.

Equal What Day?

Apparently yesterday was Equal Pay Day. According to Hillary, it's time for equal pay. Hoo-rah! According to her website, it's supposed to be the day on which women's wages catch up to men's wages for the prior year. Her legislation, the Paycheck Fairness Act (S.766),  would strengthen federal oversight of unequal pay and provide stiffer penalties for those who violate the law. Why wouldn't I support something like that?

I went to this site for a reality check and tried the Wage Gap Calculator, just for kicks. It was kind of painful. First I had to get past the denial that I now fit into that next demographic age bracket. The one I've been kicking and screaming to stay out of.
Anyways, here's what this fancy calculator told me:

Wage Gap for Women in My State: This year a woman at this salary level earns on average $11,571 less than a man in your state.

Wage Gap for Women My Age and Education Level: Women in your age group and education level earn approximately $19,754 less than their male counterparts per year.

I haven't been so demoralized by an online calculator since I decided to buy a house.

Isn't it ironic that Equal Pay Day occurs the day before Administrative Assistants Day?  I'm too tired to really think that one through, but there's got to be some irony and/or coincidence there.

And since I'm on a political slant tonight, I thought I'd share this bumper sticker I saw tonight:
1.20.09 - Bush's Last Day on the same bumper as the sticker declaring Real Conversatives Practice Conservation.  I was impressed that one car had two stickers that made you think a bit when you read them. Regardless of your political views, it's refreshing to see bumper stickers that aren't rude, insulting, or telling you to F*** off.

Brian C - I love you dearly and every time I see a car with a bunch of bumper stickers on it, I am reminded of your sturdy car you drove for so long. The one plastered in stickers. Today was one of those days. Good times.

If these bumper stickers appeal to you (pun intended), go here to purchase related products. I'm thinking of getting one of those "end of an error" shirts. Sort of for its message, and also because I've observed far too many people who use the wrong words and don't even realize it, or say words that aren't even words (such as ironical)? I'm saving those up for another post.

Ugh - time to stop postponing and finish up my freelance work due tomorrow. And .... must.....watch .... Lost .... tonight!

Food for thought: Do you think it was a coincidence that the 1.20.09 sticker was on the left side of the bumper and the conservative sticker was on the right side of the bumper?

Hate to talk more about the weather, but ...

... this is the current radar.

WTF

This is mid-April.

Monday:
Windy...cloudy with rain and snow. Some sleet may mix in. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
Monday night:
Rain and snow this evening, becoming snow overnight. Windy. Low 32F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 90%. Snow accumulating 1 to 2 inches. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

"It's gob smacking"

No, not Larry Birkhead.

I'm referring to this news article. Let's hope this trend doesn't make it to the U.S.