Wild Cards

Spent the morning and early afternoon at a friend's helping her put together a new TV stand and hooked up her new TV & blu-ray player and her old dual VCR/DVD player.  Unlike her old TV, this one did not come with a universal remote, so later I went to Fry's and got one, took it home and programmed it. Will bring it over to her tomorrow.

Got home in time to watch the second half of the Seahawks - Saints game. Before I went to friend's place, I was certain Seattle was going to be massacred, but when they were ahead before halftime I really wanted to see the game. It was an exciting game, both teams played well, and the diff was two amazing passes and one spectacular run - all for touchdowns. Usually you won't see more than one play of that caliber in a game, to have three was something.

Somewhere in there I took care of the litterboxes.  Maybe at halftime.

After Fry's, I went to Valco for the first time in ages, and was pleased to use the new JC Penney garage. Looked for bath towels at Penney's, Macy's and Sears, but nobody is selling quality large loop towels. Lots of cheap stuff on sale, some of which unraveled as I handled it. The microcore towels I bought at BB&B last week are already coming apart. WTF is this? I also had bought some towels online, advertised as heavyweight, which they were, but in a bad way. They also were tightly woven and took forever to dry. One more foray into online and then I'm giving up.

Valco was a bittersweet experience. Before the Depression it was a very busy mall, and they decided to super-size it. The timing was unfortunate, and most of the stores which had signed up to be part of the new! improved! Valco backed out. They did build a big multiplex cinema to replace a smaller one, but the food court only has four or five places open, and they include Subway and Burger King. There used to be a dozen. The Todai sushi buffet is now called Tatami and they want $30 per person for weekend dinner (after taxes). Downstairs where there used to be a lame video games area there is a stunning entertainment center featuring a full bowling alley, pool tables, air hockey and video games, plus a large bar & eating area. Impressive. I did not check to see if the ice rink is still downstairs on the other side of the mall.

Home, watched the exciting finish to the Colts/Jets game.


Completely missed the story about the congresswoman being shot. I'm much sadder about the schoolgirl who was killed - she was there because she had just been elected to her school council. There are a whole lot of kids at her school who are going to be very shocked and confused. Not to mention parents and siblings (if she had any). I expect that people blaming this on Palin or the Teabaggers are off base. Hopefully nothing fatal happens to the shooter on his way to trial, and we'll have the chance to hear first hand what put the idea into his head. 5 will get you 20 that God spoke to him through his pet pit bull, or the man in his mirror put him up to it. Or it came to him in a vision while he was flossing his ferret.

In other news, WTF is this stunt Gavin Newsom is pulling? Whether he is sworn in or not, he's Lt. Governor as of January 1, and needed to step down as SF mayor by that date. I hope the board of supes has the smarts & guts to un-appoint anyone Newsom put in office last week - he was out of bounds doing that. And he's robbed us of a week's work as Lt. Governor. How ironic would it be for Kamala Harris to prosecute him for this?

Plans for tomorrow:
Laundry
Drop off the Remote
Football

Taking a Break From A Quiet Day

Slept till 10, had a Cinnabun for brunch, as my Hgl level was low-ish (97 at that time of day means it was <80 an hour before). Watched the Ravens vs. Chiefs for a while, then went to the laundromat. Next time I'll have to bleach the whites.

Stopped at two Starbucks on the way home but both were jam packed, no place to sit. Home, watched the end of the game while making pigs 'n' blankets for dinner.

Took the remote to friend's house, showed her how to use it, set the time on her VCR, and she's happy.

From there to the big Starbucks, the one which stays open late, and found a place to park myself & the netbook. Will be heading home soon, probably will watch the last of the AT&T bowl while putting away laundry.

The Right To Bear Arms

Too many people here and on FB are whining about how yesterday's tragic shooting would have been averted with gun control.

No.

When the full info is released, it will probably show the gun was stolen or black market. In all the history of the world, attempts by governments to confiscate all privately-held weapons have failed. I give you the American Revolution, the Warsaw Rebellion, Israel's war of independence,  and the current unpleasantness in Afghanistan. Not to mention the high shooting homicide rate in Oakland, CA.

And if he had not been able to find a gun, he would probably have built a bomb.

While I see Palin's target map as immature and just what I would expect from someone who hunts wildlife from a helicopter, I really doubt that the shooter knew about it.

I am heartbroken about the victims caught in the middle, especially the grade school girl who seemed destined to be Someone Special. The shooter probably changed history for the worse when he killed her.

Calendars

Ordered another dozen of my 2011 calendars, this time inserted my Flickr URL so people can look up the captions for the photos. Plan to donate at least one to the auction at Conflikt.

My London cousins got theirs. Still waiting to hear from friends in Russia, Japan, Germany, Canada and family in Israel.