We are about to get slammed by the severe thunderstorms that hit the South yesterday.

http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php

:( ack that sucks merc. How bad is it likely to get?

You never can tell. The thunderstorms are not to bad as long as the lightning strikes do not hit a tree over your house. So far we have missed most of the bad hail, but that can be a bitch as well. But if we get tornados, as many of the places hit last night did {21 reported tornados}, then all bets are off. Looking at the radar it should be here in the next 2 to 3 hours.

It's rain. You can be thankful for that.

It's migrating your way, then?
:D

True dat, and God do we need it.

HA! :D

:biggrinba

Crabs.







No, not that kind. the family wants seafood for dinner. I hate seafood.

I've never been a huge fan of seafood in general, either. I almost always get some form of fried shrimp.

i do enjoy a nice mahi mahi if done well, but it seems like i rarely enjoy how it was prepared at a restaurant.

Doh! you caught me:blush:

I just found out the venue that is displaying my art right now closed down....oh and one of my paintings was stolen. :(

I guess you'd better get on it with your own gallery then huh??
:D
Sorry...just a little reminder.....
That sucks case.

I just found out the store where I work is closing, which is upsetting for two different reasons:
1. No Store = No Job
2. The gals I work with are all really cool people, so (as cheesy as this sounds) I'm going to be really sad to be parting ways with them.

:( that sucks chocolatl.

Oh, and bad luck case. :(

W...T...F?!

No offense to lawyers here, but I freaking hate the intricacies of the legal system.

Background: In August of 2004 my employer imploded. When all was said and done, we were ultimately never paid for the last 3.5 weeks of work. We dutifully filed our claims with the bankruptcy court and were told that we should not expect anything to come of it for many years, if ever. Meanwhile, some of the more bitter/pro-active employees determined that aside from not paying us our actual salaries, the company had violated the WARN Act: a law (in Texas only maybe?) which basically says you must either pay 2 months' severance or give 60 days' warning when massive layoffs (say, the whole company) happen. So we all shrugged and let them file a class action suit to claim that money as well, thinking we'd never see a dime either way, and moved on with our lives.

About 6 months ago we were informed that the class-action law firm had stuck with it over the years, and the judge had partially ruled in our favor. So IF there were any money to be had at all (still a dubious possibility,) we were all now entitled to an additional $1750, minus one third for the lawyers. Great, whatever.

Today, several days after the deadline to opt-out of the class action lawsuit, somebody goes through the fine print (in the paperwork that most of us never received because neither these lawyers nor the bankruptcy court in NY give half a shit about keeping their mailing lists up-to-date) and determines that, as far as us non-lawyers can tell, being part of this class-action thing (which we all are by default, unless we opted-out) means we waive any other money claims, including our unpaid wages, which are in most cases much higher than $1750-minus-one-third. And it's looking like there will be money to pay us after all... so essentially, we have just let some class action lawyers lower our payouts while taking a third of it. I refuse to believe that they didn't damn well know this was what they were doing; they had all our salary information as part of their "severance pay" calculations.

Maybe we're wrong. Maybe we still have both the wage claim and the class-action claim. But I'm pretty pissed off about how complicated and slow the whole fucking process is. I was happier back when I had assumed we were getting nothing and forgotten about it.

Are you skipping the Edwards rally then?

Ah, Edwards. The lawyer that made millions screwing Doctors for things that weren't their fault, using junk science on unwitting juries.

you two are just jealous because he is the the only hope for the future of america.

sorry, i just went back and re-read that. you guys aren't talking about the guy who talks to your dead relatives? He's much more ethical and trustworthy than that douchebag politician.

This was in my inbox this morning from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. (bolding mine) GRRRRRR!!!! Please read the first link, it is very interesting. Although the report was for the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, it's still something to think about.

I will be investigating this further, and will post subsequent commentary in the bicycling thread.

* Rolls eyes, shakes head sadly *

Labrat, you wanna borrow my slapping-up-the-back-of-the-head gloves?

True, I've seen cyclists do some dumb moves from time to time. Demanding licenses seems silly - if you must, just bust and fine the ones that do the wrong thing.

Wow, a license to ride a bike? Sounds like Iowa State Senator John Putney is a moron.

He probably wants to ban bikes outright, and is working at it one step at a time. I just Googled his name and see that he has pushed legislation in the past to ban bikes from some streets. His web page says that he commutes 75 miles each way to work from his rural farm. I bet he hates getting stuck behind a bike on a rural road for a few seconds until it's clear to pass. If you look at his pictures, it's clear he isn't someone who rides bikes.

Glad I don't live in this jerk's jurisdiction.

It's Iowa. A near sighted sheep saw a guy on a bike and misunderstood what he was seeing. In a fit of jealousy the sheep told the rest of the herd. You've played the game "telephone" right? Now imagine it in a herd of sheep. Somewhere in the middle of the herd the message changed to "our humans are mating with bicycles which are obviously easier to catch than we are. This could lead to our extinction".

Sheep may not be smart but they do gossip freely, and soon neighboring herds heard the story as well. In nearby Henry County the news finally reached a very civic minded sheep. He called an attorney and told him the story. The attorney, of course, could only say, "hello? hello? Is anyone there? It sounds like a herd of sheep there. Hello?" So the civic minded sheep kept calling attorneys but found no success. No success at all. Zip. Zero.

Until that fateful morning when he called his congressman. The congressman, fortunately for the sheep, was a career politician. He was fluent in many languages including, but not limited to Legalese, Bullshit, Misdirect, Douchebag, and backstabbery. He had a limited knowledge of English, but had extensive experience in speaking with sheep. This congressman listened to the sheep's plight and nearly jumped with joy at the opportunity before him. "WOWeeZOWee, you mean I get to put my name on a bill, raise revenue, screw over those upperclass bike owners, AND I'll get some sheep to vote for me???"

And that is how a bill is born.

...and he gets to fleece the masses ...

My son has had diarrhea for a week now... first from a stomach bug, then from the antibiotics for his ear infection. And his ears still hurt. I feel so sorry for him and hate for him to be sick. And now my hubby is feeling sick... :(

Labrat, that article only says the fine is $10. Is there actually a fee for obtaining the license?

I couldn't find a fee amount either. It seems this all stemmed from someone getting killed on a bike and his widow winning a lawsuit.

cyclists' suits

Ouch aimee that really sucks :(

I'm a cyclist and a motorist and there are some complete pillocks who bike on the main roads and who have no traffic sense whatsoever. Whilst they can get away with that crap on slower roads, it's a nightmare in 40 mph traffic. If they had to get a licence that forced them to acquire/demonstrate some traffic sense, I'd be all for it. If it was just a source of revenue and any dipshit could get one, I'd not be so impressed.

examples of dipshit bike behaviour:

no lights at night
cycling on the wrong side of the street
combining the above
ignoring traffic signals and apparently assuming traffic in the other direction should give way as if to a pedestrian
swerving round potholes etc without first looking behind

Not saying that the motorists aren't equally dangerous/stupid, but at least in theory they should know how to drive near cyclists. A little theory would be a step in the right direction for the stupid cyclists.

oops, ranting again.

Thanks Dana. My little one's getting over the diarrhea... but his ears still hurt. Wish I could make it go away. Hubby's feeling a little better...

I'm a motorist and cyclist... but I just stick to roads with little traffic when I bike, and wear bright clothes, and I'm not stupid enough to cycle at night... It annoys me when cyclists ignore traffic signs as if they have the right of way. Its almost asking to get accidentally hit.

I have seen a little old Japanese lady cycling at night on a major road, no lights, no helmet, while holding an umbrella with one hand and using her shoulder to prop her mobile phone to her ear.

I applauded as she went past. I'm mildly surprised she didn't wave.

From the actual bill via the Iowa General Assembly's website:

A license costs $10, is valid for five years, and appently there is no test to obtain one.

The licensing agent gets $1 of the license fee, the other $9 goes into the general road use tax fund. A replacement license costs $2, with all of that going to the road use fund. All of the information collected on the license (licensee's name, DOB, address, signature, date issued, and number) goes into a database. A list of license holders is available to anyone who wants to pay the fee for it, once a fee schedule is established.

Next they should have a pedestrian license. After all, they cross the streets sometimes.

I need to find out if farmers need to be licensed to drive their farm machinery on these same roads.

IMHO, a 2 ton tractor pulling 4 tons of grain cause a a bit more damage than a freaking bicycle. The only damage I can imagine that results from bicycles is the result of the chemicals used to clean their operators blood and brain matter off the roads when some dumbass creames one...

In which case we'd better start requiring deer to have licenses to cross roads, since bloody car-deer accidents are about 1000X more common than car-cyclist ones around here.

Deer don't sue.

If they can legislate for licenses, maybe they could just legislate that if you screw up on a bike and get squished by an SUV, it's none of the states fault.
Maybe that's what the licenses are all about. Next person to get squished ... "Oh, riding without a license, were you, eh? Don't look at us!"

I almost thought it might make sense, until you said there's no test.

Now, if there were a test of the knowledge of bike riders to make sure they know their rights and responsibilities...that would be a bit different. Otherwise, it's just putting their hand out.

I imagine it's like the PA registration renewal where it says by signing the registration you acknowledge you've read and understand the liter laws.
Kind of a ULA that proves you were aware of the risk of getting creamed, and the County can't be held responsible.

Some jerk called me at work today and threatened to file a complaint against me with my state Secretary of State notary division. The issue isn't an improper notarization; he says I refused to comply with a request for records. He sent me a certified letter with the request, which I did not get around to picking up. Whatever, I'm totally happy to provide a copy of my records (and I always keep meticulous notary records), but the guy is just a jerk. The kind of guy who thinks he knows the law and quotes chapter and verse at you, belligerent and threatening.

And he plans to show up at my office tomorrow. Oh, joy.


Clod: class action suits are extremely complicated, even for the lawyers. There should have been a representative Plaintiff or Plaintiffs to handle the responsibility of the paperwork and keep in touch with the lawyers.

Yeah, there were two of them. Turns out they're just morons--they have defended the current situation as hunky dory because they weren't expecting to get any of their salary back anyway. They fundamentally do not understand that whatever chance they have of getting this class action money is exactly the same chance they had of getting their unpaid salary. Personally, the cynic in me suspects that those two people didn't manage to file their B-12s with the court on time claiming their wages, so this is a better situation for them... and only them.

Rugrats

Sorry, Ms.Clod--hope you eventually get some money out of it.

My notary complaint situation escalated today with a face to face confrontation. That makes two--count 'em--sobbing hysterical episodes at work for me this week, ugh. (That is why I didn't become an atty!). The guy's probably going to file a complaint against me with the SOS. I can't imagine that anything will come of it, but it's still FUCKING UPSETTING!

He's not worth my emotion--but as much as I intellectually know the world is full of jerks, deep down inside I don't understand people like that. I don't understand mean people, people who deliberately set out to make trouble for others, or who are deliberately being combative and obnoxious. Guess I'm just too nice of a person. :(

I went to an AA meeting on Saturday. Bored me rigid. Only one person even mentioned the temptation to drink, the rest of them were talking about their childhoods and how wonderful AA was and how it saved them.

But I am aware many people get on with it, and get on well, so I thought I would give it another go in another location tonight. Only to find the time on the internet is not the same as the time in my booklet. Hmmmm. And the address they use both in the booklet and online does not correspond to any location recognised by any map online - they give the name of the hall and the only results in google for that name are on the AA website. The hall isn't mentioned on the website of the church I think the hall is attached to, but said website isn't fully up to date (their next Alpha course apparently starts in September 2007) and much of it is still under construction so I can't rule it out.

So when I leave here I need to go via the location in order to check it out, which means I'll be later home and then have to rush before I go back out again. Which is tempting me to leave it for another night, but then part of me says that's putting it off because I don't want to go... Argh.

Go early and sit on the front steps drinking from a paper bag until they show up.;)

:mad: Can't sleep, it's nearly 3AM, and I start work moving furniture from 8-5 tomorrow morning.... so in 5 hours basically.

Ducks, nothing in perpendicular I just hate them.

Mum's house flooded and her new carpet is fucked.

We have a leak in garage roof, in the house we bought 6 mos ago and I can't find the receipt for our roof certification

sry Dana

:sniff: what I do?

I have been waiting for a letter from the Benefit Office to prove I am currently receiving Incapacity Benefit @ £61.35 per week for two weeks now. I need it to take to the Magistrates' Court to negotiate a smaller monthly payment on a debt I owe. I have now made four phone calls and the paperwork was due in court yesterday.

I hope that when I get home today the letter is there. I'm only here (Welling, 35 mins away) because the post doesn't come until late afternoon. I'm already getting mad at the idea that it still might not be there when I get home.

How can people be so bloody inefficient, especially when I told them the second time I called what it was for and how important it was.

SonofV cut himself in woodshop today. They say he's ok. I hope so. I watched a kid amputate the end of his finger with a bandsaw when I was in woodshop...

bzzt.

What?

ohmygod. aaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

Ouch!

Nothing's upsetting me today! Whew!

dangerous place, school. I guess this one was at least cheaper than the tooth, though. That picture haunts my nightmares....

Be glad he has a woodshop to cut himself in. The fascination with standardized tests is killing off shop in some places.

My boss. I even hung up on him today. I was on my way out of here...then..he apologized for sounding terrible...but I still have to find something new already. This job really isn't working out so far...I'm seeing some true colors already, and they are ugly....

I can put up with lowering my wages for a good boss..not a bad one.

So that's it for the complaint department...I guess I'll just have to move on again.

Hope you guys are doing better than me and having an awesome weekend!!

I am COLD
 

I got home early this evening, and turned on the reverse-cycle air-conditioner to warm my apartment. There came a loud CRACK noise from the outside part of the split system. The A/C never started blowing warm air and constant fiddling with the controls (which are in Japanese) only ever got it to circulate the air inside the room.
This did of course happen on a Sunday evening. In the middle of winter. The web indicates that the current temperature is 2C (34F), but -2 (28F) with windchill. The forecast is for -2, which, allowing for windchill, will probably take us to about -5 (23F). This is one of, if not THE, coldest nights I have seen in this city.
Now, I know you cellarites in Northern USA will scoff at such temperatures being called "cold", but this building, like many in Japan, has crap all insulation. It is COLD in here.
Well, it was. I rugged up with two pairs of warm pants, double socks, t-shirt, two thermals, two sweaters, fleecy jacket, two beanies, and gloves, but I was STILL cold. When I could see my breath condensing in the air I decided to get the portable electric hot plate and set it on a cleared patch in the living/bed room. This has made the room much warmer but is not a good arrangement.
The good thing is that my rental agency will sort this out, but that will take time.
Just more crap to deal with.

I got service here quickly because there were some tech chaps in the building already. Why? The pipes have frozen. I told you it was cold. This has not happened before.
Now, no shower, and even morning coffee is difficult.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr.

1) Boss called in sick (on her day to do all counseling)
2) Other counselor had a sudden dentist appointment
3) DD went in today and my account is still overdrawn
4) I'm jealous (a nasty emotion) of everyone with money, and those with no jobs who still have more money than I seem to be able to hold onto
5) Homeless Guy has given me some money, but hasn't made efforts to start meaningful contributions to the household
6) I can't stand myself or my life right now

Kthx. I needed to vent. I suck.

:(

Shawnee, you need your own tip jar. Even while exploring the depths of your own deep well you make me laugh.

You cannot possibly know how nice it was to read that, HLJ! Thanks. :) Not that I agree with a tip jar, ;) just the thought is funny, and knowing I make you laugh is a nice thing. Dwellars have done far too much for my sorry ass already.