Memoirs of a Geisha - Peter Goulden

T's Rates IT: T T T T T

The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

T's Rates IT: T T

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

T's Rates IT: T T T T t

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

T's Rates IT: T T T T T

Belwether - Connie Willis

T's Rates IT: T T T T T

...

Failure To Launch

T's Rates IT: T T t

Mission Impossible 3

T's Rates IT: T T T t

X-Men III

T's Rates IT: T T T T T

...

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Name:
Location: Houston, Texas, United States

It ain't the years, It's the mileage. I was raised a military brat, and wanderlust still comes over me every 3 or 4 years. Still love to travel.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

I've had a Death in the Family...

So I'm off to points north - Chicago or there abouts to be inexact. Little town 'bout 80 miles west on I80.

I'll check you later.

T

Monday, May 22, 2006

In the Past, I've Ranted

About the Isolation of Society...Due in large part to the proliferation of Cell Phones, Personal Stereos, MP3 Players, Personal (sized) Video Games, and the like.

However...

Since I got my LifeDrive from Palm, I find that I like making my own Sound Track for life. But, where I can still pay attention, some other folks are likely to step in front of a Bus or do something else equally as stupid or life threatening.

Whether listening to music or talking on their phones, I have personally observed people that are potentially dangerous to themselves or others around them, because they are...

Not In The Moment(!) In Which They Exist(!!)

So if you are using these devices whether walking, riding, driving(!), or whatever, please pay attention to what is going on around you. Before you injure someone else or otherwise become responsible for something yourself or society will never forgive you for.

Other than that, please feel free to isolate away. Just stay out of other people's way. And for God's sake...

PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND YOU!

This is a public service announcement brought to you by TexasT's. We now return to our regularly scheduled blogosphere. Have a nice day!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Special Post to the "Mother of the Offspring"

Where the hell did you come up with "Cadona"

Cool name...Just wondering...

I was asked about my blogs this week and (indirectly) about blog-ging!

Someone Near and Dear to me - "Your blog is so neat and tidy. And you have everything on there - Books you've read. Movies you've seen. I don't get it! But it is very neat - Why isn't your life like that? I just don't get it! You seem to be very proud of it!"

Well, I hope I don't sound like I'm being smart and smarmy with this explanation. If you read this - Please don't take it the wrong way!

I don't have everything on my Blog(s). Mostly fluff from inside my head and stuff I find interesting...

But no, you don't "get it". It ain't necessary to "get it"! And I'm sorry you don't. But I ain't makin' no excuses either.

Maybe I'm just a frustrated, wannabe author. And this is my literary outlet...Proud of it though? Don't think so - But it is about the only thing that is totally mine.


It's also about the only thing that I can control TOTALLY! The way it looks or feels is limited only by my skill level and my imagination.

Maybe it looks so neat and tidy because that's the way I WISH I could live
...
I don't share this space with any one! Unless I want to! I can bitch! I can rant! I can praise! I can write about stuff that means something to me. Or stuff that doesn't. I can write things here that I can't seem to say out loud. I can delete comments!(I usually don't - unless it's obviously SPAM)

I can tell you what I don't blog for...That's the readership. I do it for me. And me alone. Hell, I'm not even sure anybody reads this motherfucker anymore.

I'll stop when I'm ready to stop. And the fat lady ain't even begun to sing yet!

'nuff said!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

AlleyCat - Today is a Momentous Day For You

My Stepdaughter turns 21 today! Yay!

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!

Ams,

I know this is falling on deaf ears but...

Try not to give yourself too bad of a headache for tomorrow!


Be careful out there, princess! And no Driving!!

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Mission Impossible III

Movies - Saw the latest offering in the Mission Impossible franchise last weekend.
Link to Yahoo review: MI3@Yahoo

Now I'm not a big Cruise fan. Jesus fella! Every body gets it - You are in love with Ms. Holmes! Shut the fuck up already! Nobody (well, I don't) gives a shit!

And the Scientology thing?!? Well that's just getting old.

And I don't care how you feel about Psychology (No matter how close your feelings are to mine!) If it seems to work for some people, LET IT!

Take some lessons from Travolta. He doesn't seem to wear his religion on his sleeve.

But I digress...
I thought the plot was almost plausible (It is Mission IMPOSSIBLE!). Cruise and company were alright. As much as I hate to admit it Tom, you can act, in my opinion. But you you come accross as a smug fucker and that gets on my nerves!

I gotta say, whenever Philip Seymour Hoffman was on screen, the temperature in the theater dropped about five degrees. His character was fuckin' STONE COLD... Now there's an actor's ACTOR!


TexasT's rates it: TTTt

Found a post about Ben Franklin

In late February of this year on Boing Boing. I wrote this post, saved it as a draft and then promptly forgot about it. (I think it was right around this time that my employer blocked boingboing.net from my location. So I had other stuff to think about at the time. Boy, was I pissed)

If only we all strove to be this good! Something to think about. On second thought, I think I only need to worry about me. Y'all can strive on your own...

Benjamin Franklin's 13-point plan for virtuous living

When Benjamin Franklin was 20 years old, he wrote up a 13-point "plan" for how he would live his life. He found that following the plan increased his happiness so much that he kept it up for the rest of his life. He committed to giving strict attention to one virtue each week so after 13 weeks he moved through all 13. After 13 weeks he would start the process over again so in one year he would complete the course a total of 4 times.

He tracked his progress by using a little book of 13 charts. At the top of each chart was one of the virtues. The charts had a column for each day of the week and thirteen rows marked with the first letter of each of the 13 virtues. Every evening he would review the day and put a mark (dot) next to each virtue for each fault committed with respect to that virtue for that day.



1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.
11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
12. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

http://www.flamebright.com/PTPages/Benjamin.asp http://www.43folders.com/2005/09/01/ben-franklin-keeper-of-his-own-permanent-record/ http://www.boingboing.net/2006/02/27/benjamin_franklins_1.html

The MS Access (Intermediate) Class

That I've spent two days attending. (Wednesday /Thursday)

The Big Clam paid for it (or will). It was a disappointment for me.

This was not the Instructor's fault. She knew the material; She could also see there were a couple of us in this class of seven that were WAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE. Nothing she could do about it...

I should have signed up for the Advanced Class. My intuition told me to. As usual I wasn't listening...Dammit!

I was worried it might be beyond my meager abilities in MS Access. I should not have been. Don't get me wrong, I learned some stuff, but was it worth missing 2 (!) days of work for?? Probably not. But it wasn't a complete waste of money.

And I paid for it at the office Friday.


And why is it (inevitable) that there is some person that should be in the beginner's class slowing every one down. At times I could barely hide my resentment. Hell, I'm not sure this person should be allowed near a PC! Much less developing applications!

Patience my left butt cheek!

shit!

Friday, May 12, 2006

PC Lockups! Dammit!

I need to figure out why my freakin' PC locks up at the most in-opportune times!

Last night I had this really nice, (and long) elegant (not to mention eloquent) post almost finished when my system froze up (!) and I lost EVERYTHING!

I had written over a fucking HOUR! At least! About a whole range of stuff.

I've got to find some time to get to the bottom of this! Sometimes I can go for days with no freeze ups. Other times the fucker does it once an hour(!) I'll fix it dammit! Pisses me off!

shit!

As a result though, THE RESULTING POSTS (smaller bytes) probably will not be as eloquent.

But I AM saving more often! Dammit!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!

My daughter is twenty-two today!

Baby Gurl, have I told you how proud your Daddy is of you?! Well I am!

Your Mother and I (aaaaaaaaaaand every one else involved - Gotta give credit where credit is due) did a good job with you!


Happy birthday Princess!

Seems like only yesterday you were turning TWO!

Monday, May 01, 2006

I L-o-v-e getting up at 0330 in the Morning...

...After 3 hours of sleep to unlock 1700 + users that one of my counterparts in Europe COULD have handled if they weren't just back from HOLIDAY!

Four weeks vacation in Switzerland! Not my first choice for a vacation spot but at this point, I'd just about take an all expenses paid trip to Hoboken! Oh yes, I do believe the company bankrolls their freakin' vacations too!

shit!