This was back in May 2006 and 2007. The Republicans were dominating in not just Congress, but held the White House and the Supreme Court in '06, and the Republicans had just lost their Congressional majority in '07. The Tea Party weren't even in the picture yet.

Last night I went back and read about the legislative battles we used to wage in my LiveSTRONG-related posts. The Bush years were terrible for the universal healthcare movement; pretty much, we were, in the words of the Libertarian Party of the '90s, "sending a message." That's the best we could hop...

Couple points I'd like to touch on today. As you may or may not know, we lost Ronnie James Dio to stomach cancer last May. What was really heartbreaking is that just a couple weeks before his death, he was done with chemo, and supposedly "clean." Turned out it'd metted out to his liver and…down fa...

You guys GOTTA do a tribute to DIO.

And looking at my old post, I remembered and re-visualized. That could actually work nicely, methinkest.

By my count, I should have about 15 squashes to harvest shortly. The plants are pushing out blossoms right and left. Pepper seedlings are coming up nicely. I found my green onion seeds and will be planting those along with some MORE parsley plants I traded for last Market. Speaking of that, the thre...

Unfortunately, lost the watermelon. Something chomped on the vine and ate it down to the ground. Not sure what: if it was a raccoon, they'd have gone through the whole garden, but all I lost was the watermelon and one of the sages. Couldn't have been snails because they'd have left trails and I didn...

The Slipknot guy? Yeah, I heard about that. Not to brush them off, but I had to weigh in on RJDio's death. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple times. The first time was a real fantasy setting: Santa Cruz civic, 1983. I went crazy and made a big glow-in-the-dark sword out of cardboard, with the D...

The community gardening plot is officially mine. I'm moving my squash seedlings in this evening. Unfortunately, management has issued a few rules. - No perennials - No bushes - No mints - NO BERRIES!!! :( (What's the fucking point, then???) - No statuary, ornaments, whirlygigs, etc. (Crap, these guy...

Caveat: I ride a recumbent bike. Exceptionally comfortable and stress-less ride. Most recumbent bikes have big, well-padded seats (perforce), but I found that not enough cush for my tuckus. So I wrapped the seat in a sheepskin. The big fluffy ones you get from New Zealand. Spent hours and hours whac...

An opera singer? Masenet? Rossini? Beethoven?? Pianos??!??!

And I pick this year to sit out the Burn!

Got the planting bed! :D Zero hour is this Friday. We're having a garden party sometime soon, but I'm not gonna wait. Here's a list of what I'll be planting in my new 4x8' raised bed: - Squash - Blueberries - Lots 'n lots of herbs, mostly sage, thyme and parsley - Rainbow bell peppers (five differen...

My apartment complex finally got with the program and is creating a community garden. It's not going to be large so they're having a lottery for spaces. I put in for one yesterday. The drawing is on May 1. If I get it, I'll be planting big stuff that won't fit on my balcony. Costco is selling three-...

Luggage tips: I usually store my water jugs amidships in my car. The reason I put them in the centre of the car is because water is probably the heaviest thing you'll be toting and it will balance the load. If you're pulling a trailer, do the same, for the same reasons: Put all your water jugs in th...

Peter and I were born hours apart (on different coasts), so I felt a sort of kinship with him — and maybe a partial understanding. He had a Scorpio ascendant, I had a Gemini ascendant, other than that our charts were nearly identical. I met him several times. One of my fonder memories was after th...

I can't believe nobody here noticed…

RIP Peter Steele - Frontman and main guy of Type O Negative Jan. 4 1962 - April 14, 2010. Heart failure.

Uggs are Uggs. The only real difference is that some are pink and most aren't.

I have curly hair. Really curly hair. Like Shirley Temple curly. So, for all intents and purposes, all bets are off. No matter what I do to/for it, it's gonna be a rat's nest by the end of the sesquisennight. Can't braid. Won't braid, and too short. The braids tangle insanely even if I try, because ...

UGG Birch Boots work great for the Playa. I wore mine to several. Comfy, cool, rugged, no-slip soles, and less likely to slip off capriciously.

Added bonus: you can clean them up easier than the suede ones, since the foot is of regular smoothe/shiny leather.

Talk to me :) My Playa favs: Horizon milk comes in shelf-stable steri-paks, so you don't need to settle for almond milk. I used to grab cases of the chocolate stuff at Costco and gift them out. Chai in the morning. Can't beat it. Yo-to-Go smoothies, also in steri-paks. Anti M will testify, I go thro...

I have back problems, too. I got radiation treatments right above the tailbone and it damaged nerves back there, so every so often my leg goes painfully numb and the back muscles seize up. It's not arthritis. Anyway, I sleep on a memory foam mattress that I got at Costco a few years ago. Everything ...

Not that I know of, but the aforementioned Eagles' Nest RV does and they're at least as good a staging/launch point as Cedarville. You can tank up your water jugs there, shower, one last Internet, and probably leave with a few other Burners. One thing I WILL say — after you leave Cedarville, WATCH...

We also lost Larry Gelbart to it today. He was diagnosed with it a year ago.

Fuck Cancer.

I'm seriously thinking of doing a cancer theme camp one of these years, and populate it with survivors.

<i>NOS! The herald angels sing Glory to the whipped cream king Peace on earth and wah-wahs wild Suck it up in legal style Berkley Farms and Reddi-Whip Really gave us all a trip Lechter's sells it by the case Suck some down and lose your face NOS! The herald angels sing Glory to the whipped cream kin...

I read in the guides 40's...so that's still above freezing. Has it ever dropped below zero? In '99, with the wind-chill factor, it got down into the teens a couple times. But that was an exceptionally chilly year. It usually ranges between 50 and 70 with the chilliest part between 3AM and dawn (eig...

Shade, and hang up a damp towel. (Good re-use/solution for grey water)

We did that in the (Pacific) yurt and while it didn't make it heavenly-beautiful, it did cut the dryness and some of the dust-fly factor. You'd be surprised at how little moisture it takes to take the edge off.

AIIZ, I have a darker vision. Since fearmongering seems to be the Right's meat and drink, what say we offer them a bit of quid pro quo. Scenario I: A bipartisan consensus is reached with the healthcare reform bill. Here's the Democratic part of the bill: Purchase of health insurance is mandatory for...

Peter Fleckstein (aka Fleckman) is reading it and has been posting on Twitter his findings. This is from his postings (Note: All comments are Fleckman's) Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!! Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMI...

Entheon Village did something like that a few years ago. Follow the link and scroll halfway down to "Zendo." http://www.entheonvillage.com/content/blogcategory/18/40/ The best way to make corrugated cardboard sturdy enough for a load-bearing wall is to glue the layers so the corrugations alternate b...

Yes you can have animal-based milk on the Playa! And not powdered, either. Horizon offers milk in steri-paks. I used to get a whole case of it at Costco every year. Yo-to-Go Smoothies — also in steri-paks — and trail mix: I all but lived on that in '06. I treated myself to saffron mash potatoes ...