Even as the voting begins in New Hampshire, Republican hopefuls are on their way to the next stop – South Carolina (I think). Suddenly, things get a lot less white (except for the remaining candidates, of course, who are all as white as Wonder Bread – whose parent company, Hostess, is filing for Chapter 11, due to a drop in the sale of Twinkies).

Plenty of Twinkies still running for the Republican nomination, though. SC could be a big win for that biggest of Twinkies with the frothy filling – Rick Santorum. Supposedly he’s the darling of the “true” Conservatives, and the SC GOP loves itself some Christian Conservative.

Though it’s not over, especially with the news that Newt appears to have the coveted Carl Paladino endorsement. Carl likes him some Newt, in part because

…he can cry…just like Boehner

As for his opinion on the other GOP hopefuls?

…all the rest of them are toast,” he said. “Ron Paul’s going to get on the mother-ship and go back to the mother planet. You got Huntsman, he’s going to go live in China. Perry wants a job, he’s going to go the shooting range and hang around there awhile. I mean this is nonsense — it’s all bullshit.”

Huntsman in particular rubbed him the wrong way by speaking Chinese on stage in the previous debate.

“‘Oh, the Chinese are so strong,’ what the fuck is wrong with these people?” he said. “He should move to China.”

Amen, Uncle Carl. Amen.

As for me, if I was a Republican, I think I’d go with Ted Nugent.

“Enthusiastic.” That’s really the only word to describe how I feel about going back to work today. Seriously. I just can’t wait to go start coding. Fortunately, I’m well-rested and not in the least hung over, so I’m confident that I’ll be able to reach my full potential. If only there was some sort of legal stimulant I could ingest. Not that I need it, of course. I just want to give it my all.

Speaking of being enthusiastic and giving it my all, I saw this job posting on one of my online thingies:

We’re looking for ColdFusion developers for our Amsterdam office. Hottub, office pug & unlimited coffee, beers and lunches are included! We work for blue-chips and cool start-ups.

I don’t know wtf the “office pug” is all about, but otherwise I’m in. Unlimited coffee and beer is pretty much all I need, but seeing as it’s in Amsterdam, I reckon an occasional (no more than three times a day) visit to a Cannabis Coffee Bar would also be in order.

Didn’t watch much football yesterday, but I did catch some of that Broncos game. So, maybe there’s something to all this Jesus shit after all. I mean, some of those passes looked like a dying duck in a thunderstorm (don’t ask; it’s a German thing), and yet Jesus gently laid them into the arms of Denver receivers. So, God bless.

God also blessed the Giants yesterday, so that’s good. I’m not a huge Giants fan, but since their coach is from Waterloo, NY (birthplace of Memorial day, a mere 30 miles from where I live, and even whiter than New Hampshire) and played for SU with Larry Csonka and Floyd Little (speaking of the Broncos), I have to pull for them.

Oh well, enough of this dilly-dallying. I’ve got web shit to do!

So I guess there was yet another one of these Republican debate things last night, in the new most important state in the union, New Hampshire. Yes, NH, with a population less than half that of Iowa – but nearly 4% whiter. I understand why Republicans give a shit. After all, sparsely populated swaths of “white’s only” land are their bread and butter. Why the media gives it so much attention is beyond me. If everybody would just give them the attention they deserve (none), these pissant states would stop thinking they run the country.

Except I guess they do run things – especially the Senate where Republicans rule as long as they have at least 40 seats (they could probably manage with less, given the number of spineless losers and DINOs out there). I think places like Iowa, NH, Utah, etc, shouldn’t even get Senators. They can send (at their own expense) a non-voting delegate if they want (they can share an apartment with Eleanor Holmes Norton. What, gotta problem with sharing a flat with a black woman? Tough).

Hey, there’s a deficit you know, and suddenly it’s a huge (huge) problem. We obviously can’t tax the rich, so we’ve gotta make cuts somehow.

While we’re at it, hey, we’ve got way too damn many Congresscritters in the House. I mean, 435? That’s a lot of staffs, salaries, graft…. We can make do with half that, no problem. I’m willing to sacrifice mine (and you can have the district, too).

The average US Congressional District has about 700,000 people. You know what? That’s more than the population of Wyoming (and Vermont, and ND). So, sorry, no districts for you, Wyoming and ND (VT can have one, because I like Vermont). You must be “this big” to ride this ride. And Alaska just barely skates by.

Since we’re doubling the district size, some of you states are just gonna have to share. North Dakota and South Dakota? Sorry, you’re just plain Dakota from now on. Wyoming? You can hang with Montana. And somebody can decide whether it’s gonna be Vermontaware, or Delamont. Alaska? Go f*ck yourself. Send somebody to Parliament in Ottawa. Apologize for Sarah Palin and Ted Stevens, and then maybe we’ll talk.

Busy day today, with a trip to Tractor Supply for longer lift arm pins and extremely overpriced quick hitch bushings. Not to mention a whole lot of laundry to do.

But first, more coffee.

Well, another weekend is upon us. I get to play with my new quick hitch and see if it works with my attachments (and see if it’s in OK shape; from the looks of the box, FedEx beat the shit out of it – probably mad because it weighs about 65 pounds). Of course, I only have two attachments, but the QH is the gateway drug to buying more of them. I got a superdy-duperdy deal on the thing. Normally goes for about $139 (though it’s frequently on sale for $99-$119). But they had it on sale post-Xmas for $79, and I had a coupon for 20% off of that. So, for $63, I just couldn’t resist.

I also have a pellet stove dilemma, in that one of my pellet stoves decided not to light last night (do not buy a US Stove; it has been nothing but trouble). This kind of sucks, though I can light it manually with the firestarter gel that I have on hand for just such an occasion. But, it’s kind of a hassle, and seeing as it’s barely a year old (and has only actually functioned for three or four months of that), it really shouldn’t be giving me grief. Now I have to determine that it’s the igniter (though, like, what else could it be?), and then order a new one.

Otherwise, I don’t have much planned for today. There’s a basketball game this afternoon, but it’s not on the teevee (for me; it’s on SNY, which I don’t get, being as Dish dropped it last year), so I’d have to spend money to go see it in person or watch it on the computer. We’ll have to see how it goes. It’s Marquette vs. some other team that’s ranked #1 in the country (which is due for a loss, and that would make me very, very angry). Forget the name.

When I think of Marquette, I of course think of Al McGuire. A loudmouth Irishman who you just couldn’t help but like, no matter how annoying he could be. Could be because they paired him up with Billy Packer, who was (and presumably still is, though CBS finally did us a favor and shitcanned him) a dipstick that would gush over anything even remotely associated with the ACC.

I spoke with Al (and Billy) on the phone once. They were at the local CBS affiliate where my mom worked, and she forced them to talk to me on the phone. Al wanted to know if I had any toy soldiers (he apparently collected them), and I don’t recall what Billy had to say. It was rather awkward.

The mom/Channel 5 connection also yielded me Bob Feller and Doc Severinsen autographs, and an autograph that reads ‘Roosevelt Bouie’ but was actually signed by Hal Cohen, who told my mom he was Roosevelt Bouie (she, of course, had no idea). This is actually pretty funny, but only if you understand that Rosie Bouie is a seven foot tall (more or less; 6’11” with a hair cut, and about 7’5″ with the full afro that he often sported back in the late 1970s) black guy, and Hal Cohen is a 5’10” Jewish guy (who is now a Radiologist at the hospital for which I work, and once made 598 free throws in a row. Ironically, he, too, had an afro – or maybe “jewfro” – back in the day, though he’s bald as a cue ball these days).

My mom did say “Rosie” had a smirk on his face when he signed it.

Besides his other problem (which the vet suspects to be cancer, and being where it’s at, there wouldn’t be anything to do about it, except watch it grow to the point where he can no longer eat or drink and then…. Well, you know), poor Siggy has been limping around pretty bad the last couple of days. Looks like he tweaked his ankle. As an old guy with aches and pains myself, I can relate.

This getting old shit really blows. Hey, Kristians, where’s the intelligent fuckin’ design in that?

Oh well, time for some more coffee and then decide if I want to mess with the pellet stove (or wait until it gets below zero again).

Great news! Van Halen is back together, releasing a new album and going on tour! :yawn: This is almost as exciting as the news that John McCain has endorsed…um…I forget. Heard it yesterday, I think. I dunno. He endorsed one of those douchebag Republicans running for Preznit.

With the release of Firefox 9, I have switched back from Chrome. It seems to work better for me, with the exception of the bookmarks menu on the MacBook. For some reason, if I get into a submenu, I can no longer go back to scrolling/selecting the main menu w/o going all the way to the top or using the keyboard. The bookmarks toolbar works fine. This is somewhat annoying, and not something that happens on any version of Windows or Linux that I’ve used. It’s one of the many annoyances with the Mac OS that is so beloved by many, but doesn’t do much for me. Not that there aren’t things I don’t like about it (two, three, and four-finger gestures, for instance), but I’ve been able to get that functionality via other methods.

One thing I don’t get is what’s the point of the little red ‘X’? I mean, does it do anything different the the little yellow ‘-‘ button? Not as far as I can tell. All it does is make me think I’ve closed the program, only to eventually discover that, yes, I have 100 things running. I mean, I can always command-Q, but, still, why have both buttons if all one does is initiate the cutesy shrinky-uppy graphic. Cute, the first few million times, but after that? Meh.

And, man, I sure need to make sure I actually close down the programs, ‘cuz this thing turns into a dog if I’ve got more than a few things running. No offense to dogs, of course.

I think I need a new sittin’ & surfin’ device. Yesterday’s Woot was a Thrive tablet, refurbished for $279. Pretty good deal, with Honeycomb pre-installed and at least the promise of support for Ice Cream Sandwich on the horizon. Alas, that’s a toy I just can’t justify at this point in time.

Oh well, time to get started on Friday (it is Friday, right? Please don’t tell me it’s Thursday again) and get this week over with.

It is Thursday, right? I’m pretty sure it is. If I find out it’s actually Friday, then that’s cool If it’s Wednesday again, I might just have to throw myself into traffic. Except we don’t really have any traffic out here, so I’d have to drive a ways to find some. And by the time I do that, I might as well just go to work. Besides, my dogs need me. And I think my quick hitch is supposed to come today.

All day yesterday, I was under the false impression that it was Wednesday. This is perhaps because I thought Monday was Tuesday (as demonstrated by the title of Monday’s post, “Tuesday”). This is both embarrassing and depressing (though it’s more depressing than embarrassing). It’s as if I’ve failed a day and am now forced to repeat it. Well that sucks. It doesn’t suck as bad as Rick Perry’s showing amongst the Iowa Caucasians, though{{I}}[[I]]I exaggerate, of course. According to the 2010 census, Iowa is a mere 91.3% white[[I]].

Poor Rick finished a distant fifth, and will be “reassessing” his campaign (in other words, he’s going back to Texas to have a good cry and console himself with a few executions). His dropping out can only be a good thing for Michele Bachmann, as the Batshit wing of the GOP can now throw together with the Dumbfuck faction to form a Stupid & Crazy Coalition, guaranteed to garner as much as 15% of the Republican vote. Unfortunately, Bachmann may turn her back on God and drop out of the race as well, which would of course be a shame. Michele, honey, have you no faith?

For other Ricks, however, it’s full speed ahead. Yes, the Santorum Surge continues, as Rick’s frothy mixture of homophobia and Kristianity led him to more or less a tie for first place with Mitt Romney after a rousing (and, might I say, arousing) record close Iowa caucus. And, speaking of arousing, there’s Ron Paul, who came in a fairly close third. Not that the Paulbots give a shit where he finishes. The sure do love them some Revolution.

The antithesis of arousing – Newt Gingrich – was a disappointment, of course, as he managed only a limp 13% of the votes cast last night (let’s face it, if a guy that white can’t get more than 13% in Iowa, he just aint gonna cut it). Poor Newt. He’s kind of like a fat little Energizer Bunny, always running around beating the “stupid” drum, occasionally showing some potential, but, in the end, never doing much of anything. Thank goodness. Things are bad enough without that piece of crap being Preznit.

So now we move on to New Hampshire, the second most important state in the Union. Will Santorum continue to be the darling of the day? Will Mitt parlay his first-place finish in Iowa into a string of victories en route to the nomination? Or will Donald Trump get back in. Then out. Then in again? Or is time for somebody else to get his or her 15 minutes?

Sarah Palin to the rescue, anyone?

I woke up at 3:16 this morning, and it slowly dawned on me that I had to go to work today. That’s no way to start the day. Especially a day that promises to be really friggin’ cold. It’s 16° right now, but the temperature is supposed to drop all day long. And it’s really windy. And there’s snow, too. I can’t really tell how much there is, but I reckon I’ll have to get out there and plow the driveway for the first time this season. Oh boy.

News flash this morning: you can’t get the flu from eating pork. I certainly can’t, because I don’t eat pork. At least, I haven’t eaten pork (or anything that once walked on four legs, for that matter), in an awfully long time.

Well, guess I better get going.

Happy 67 to Steve Stills.

Looks like the the rise, fall, re-rise, and re-fall of Newt Gingrich is now in progress in Iowa. And the Newt is starting to get a little nasty. Don’t discount the possibility of another rise, though. He does resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy, after all. The poor Republicans are so darn confused, there’s actually a “Santorum Surge” (I would advise you to not Goolge that term) going on, too. Why we’re supposed to care who a handful of Iowans think ought to be the Prez is beyond me. Especially with this bullshit process they have. And there are more important things to worry about anyway. For instance, did you know that Katy Perry (I think that’s how you spell it; I’m not actually familiar with her, though she looks kinda cute) and some guy I never heard of are getting divorced. Plus, did you know Pippa had a New Year’s party, and Prince Harry threw snowballs and has resolved to climb Mount Everest this year? I think Harry is just plain dreamy. Except I’m not quite sure which one he is. Something to do with Hogwarts, I think.

I hope y’all made it through 2011 unscathed. 2012 beckons. Let’s hope things get better on the jobs front this year. And that rich people won’t have to start paying taxes. Things are warm here. Forty degrees right now, and it’s supposed to get up near fifty today. An unusual start to the new year in these parts. That’s not supposed to last, of course, and by the wee hours of Tuesday morning it’s supposed to be down into the single digits. And they say some snow’s a-comin’. So I suppose I ought to get out there and enjoy this while it lasts.