Stuff
We watched the end of The Swimming Pool last night it was really good. Definitely go rent it.

The truck is back at the shop today and that's not good. Hopefully, whatever they do to it will not cost me anything, but we'll see.

I'm getting the Wisdom teeth out in two and a half weeks. Arg!

Am not feeling very peppy today. I sort of want to sit in a chair and consume large quantities of food while channel surfing in my pajamas.

A Few Things
First, the truck is still idling low and rough so it's back to the shop with it tomorrow. More money out the window.

Second, we saw part of another good movie last night before the HBO shows came on. Swimming Pool is a very quiet little film that becomes a very tense little film. We turned it off just as it was getting to the final act. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Finally, this is a very interesting link on Bush.

Update
Well, the truck is back in my hands after a $410.00 tune-up. It's running much better, but it's idling very rough, so I'm going to run some carb cleaner through it today (at my dad's suggestion) and hopefully that'll take care of that. If not, it's back to the shop.

Why does everything cost so much these days? Or maybe it's just that now that I'm an official 'adult' doing 'adult' things (getting married, having surgeries, needing car repair) I'm finally realizing how much stuff costs.

Between this bill, the $1200.00 I'll be paying over the next five months for the Wisdom teeth (which, by the way, is scheduled for Friday, February 27), the upcoming wedding, and various other items (rent, etc.) it sometimes feels as if we're literally hemorrhaging money.

On the up side (after all, you gotta take 'em when you can find 'em), we watched a really great movie last night. The Secret Lives of Alter Boys was extremely good. It's a coming of age story about two boys who are growing up in the seventies and going to Catholic school. My description in no way does it justice, so you'll just have to take my word for it and go rent it.

This was actually our second choice. We started out watching Woody Allen's Anything Else and had to turn it off in frustration. There wasn't one likable character in the whole movie. Jason Biggs plays a schlub. Christina Ricci plays his bitch girlfriend. The best thing about this movie was the fact that Woody Allen has FINALLY decided to stop casting himself opposite whatever hot, young thing is tearing up Hollywood.

So Sad
I've got good news and bad news today.

The good news is that I called up my original oral surgeon and they took pity on me. They'll rip out my Wisdom teeth and allow me to pay them five installments of $255.00 each. So, while I'm still pissed off about having to pay at all (thanks a lot you greedy insurance bastards!) I'm pretty happy that the procedure will be done.

The bad news is that last night on my way home from the job that provides the craptacular insurance, my '91 Mazda two-tone pickup truck started to die a little.

Now, the Garden State Parkway is stretch of road that goes from North Jersey to South Jersey and is filled with speeders, cell phone users, non-signalers, New Yorkers, and dare I say it, in general, jackassalopes. It's a dangerous place to drive when it's daylight, with good weather, and a stable car.

Last night it was dark, rainy, and all of a sudden my little truck started to make this weird gasping sound and jerking motion. I made it home and immediately consumed a bottle wine to calm my nerves but today I have to take it somewhere to be looked at. Ugh.

Not looking forward to it. Money doesn't grow on trees and I'm hoping that whatever they have to do to it won't cost me a lot. Pray with me.

As a side note, I'd like to make a movie recommendation. Last night we watched American Splendor and perhaps it was all the wine I'd had, but I really loved it. Everyone should go out and rent it today.

That is all.

New Look
Perhaps you've noticed the odd gentleman hunched over his laptop on the left there. Well, I was thinking last night that I'd like to add a little personalization to my little Ranting Corner and what better way to do that than with one of the original ranters himself. So this morning I found a nice picture of Spider Jerusalem and put it up where everyone can see it. Not sure who Spider is? Check this out. You'll thank me.

September
How much you wanna bet the WMDs will turn up in September? It'll be perfect timing. Not only will it tie in with the anniversary of 9/11, but it'll clinch the election.

Backpedal
I almost never comment on politics (mostly because I don't read the news on a regular basis since it usually makes me want to cry), but I think this is worth a read. My favorite part of this article is the very last paragraph. Can anyone say, "Backpedal"?

Another Question
I just got my lunch delivered and they taxed the delivery charge. Is that allowed? I mean, I know you tax the food, but you don't add the delivery charge to the bill until the very end...right?? Am I crazy?

Problematic Perseverating
Does anyone else perseverate on their music? Am I the only one? Because I worry about this freakish behavior and I wonder if I'm alone in this or not.

Wondering what the hell I'm talking about? Let me explain.

When I get a new cd that I love I listen to it over and over and over again for weeks until I can't bear to listen to it any longer. So then it sits on a shelf until something reminds me that I own it and I pull it out and listen to it over and over and over again until I can't bear to listen to it any longer and it goes on a shelf until...well...you get the idea.

Off the top of my head I have done this with the following cds: No Doubt, Aretha Franklin, Anything Goes, Showboat, Annie Get Your Gun, Elton John, The Beatles, They Might Be Giants, Ani DiFranco, Abba, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Jayhawks, and Rosemary Clooney. I could go on, but I'll quit so that I don't embarrass myself further by revealing more of my musical tastes.

I am currently perseverating on Oklahoma! (the Hugh Jackman soundtrack I got a couple of weeks ago, not Shirley Jones) and The Barenaked Ladies Greatest Hits.

A few more times in the cd player and I won't be able to stand them any more and they'll go on the shelf with the rest. So, why do I do this to myself and am I alone? That is the question.

Ladies Room
What the hell is the matter with people that they feel the need to not only NOT clean up after themselves, but to actually leave behind a disgusting mess?

I've just returned from the ladies room in my office building and feel the need to comment on this repulsive situation. For many years now I've just accepted the fact that if you use a public ladies room you run the risk of sitting in someone else's urine. Yes, you can drape the seat with toilet paper, but come on. It's paper! It's not gonna do the trick every time. So you deal.

Today, though, I entered the only stall available to discover that someone had used the commode and left a ridiculously large mess on the seat. I don't think I need to explain that it wasn't your run-of-the-mill urine trail. This was fecal matter. What I don't understand is when this sort of behavior became acceptable.

Anyone who leaves a mess like that shouldn't be allowed to use public restrooms. Period! They should be forced to hold it until they can get to their own homes so that they make the mess there. There should be some sort of monitoring system and if you're caught doing something this revolting, you're banned from all public restrooms for a year. After a year, you're allowed back in but if you're caught again, you're out for ever. EVER!