Rag Files Of A Fashion Diva

Friday, December 21, 2007

Associations SUCK!!!

Exercise: 100 push-ups, 70 leg lifts, 600 crunches, 100 squats, and a 2 mile run. Yep, I was an over achiever tonight. Deal with it! :P

For those of you who may not already know, Chi and I live in a townhome. Now while such living does have its perks, with every passing day, I'm beginning to think that the negatives are starting to far outweigh them. Tonight's run brought about two more complaints I have concerning the way this place is run.

1. Lack of snow removal from the sidewalks. Most cities around here (including the one I live in) require the walks to be shoveled within 24 hours after the snowfall has stopped or a fine is assessed. The last time we had snow was last Saturday yet some of the walks I used on my run were still covered. What's worse, the snow that had been there had turned to slush because it got warm enough to start the melting process and then after the temps dropped, it froze into ice. Now because I've got 30 years of skating experience, I tend to fair better than most when it comes to keeping my balance on ice but having to run on the shit for extended distances because someone can't be bothered to clean the shit up is ridiculous. What pisses me off even more is that Chi and I pay over $100/month in dues for things like snow removal to be taken care of. Oh and although they have gotten a little better about it, the dumbasses they hire to do the clean up still have a problem with making more of a mess than was there to begin with.

2. Dog poo left on the sidewalk. People of the neighborhood - if you're going to take your dogs for a walk and let them shit outside, pick the crap up please! I mean it's one thing if you let the dog crap in the grass. Personally, I don't care if you pick it up or not if the dog leaves a loaf or two where I don't have to walk. Of course I can't say that the home owner who's lawn it is or the landscaper will feel the same way, but that's their business. The sidewalks, however, are something that everyone uses and are there for the purpose of walking on. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and animals in general, however, I don't like stepping in a steaming pile of gooshy poo that has a stench that sticks with your shoe even after it's been washed. Thankfully, I happened to miss the poo on the walk tonight because I looked down just in time but even so, it was pretty gross to see a couple brown turds lying there on the pavement staring up at me. Besides, it's winter and a cold ass one at that so it's not like it would take long for the shit to freeze making it quite easy to pick up.

And now for something completely different....

Will someone please tell Chi to stop sharing his gas? I'm about ready to pass out over here! LOL

Til next time....

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Can't Sleep - Hairballs Will Eat Me!!!

Exercise: 50 leg lifts, 50 push-ups, 50 squats, 300 crunches. I wanted to do a run but considering it was fairly windy and only 16F, I decided to put it off for today.

So our cats have hacked up some pretty nasty things in the time that we've had them. I mean they've produced hairballs that at first glance had me guessing exactly which end they came out of. The only thing that clued me into them being an actual hairball rather than a piece of shit was that the smell wasn't of fecal nature and there was usually a small amount of undigested food next to them. Every foul thing either one of our critters (one of which seems to have gone into a catnip induced coma as I write this - wow I think he's actually tripping..break out the psychedelic lighting!) has hacked up, however, has never prepared me for the picture I saw yesterday of a ten pound hairball extracted from a hair eating woman. Talk about something that looks like a piece of shit. And I'm not talking any old piece of shit here. I'm talking someone emptied the entire contents of their bowels after a day of non-stop eating. Have a look for yourself.

According to the news article, doctors pulled this heap out of an eighteen year old woman after she had come to them with pain and a forty pound weight loss. YUCK!!!

And now for something completely different....

People, whenever you get one of those chain letter things in your email, use snopes.com to check it out before you even think about sending it on. Once again I received a forwarded email from someone today that was nothing but a bunch of false information put out there to scare people. I really dislike forwarded emails to begin with for numerous reasons but I dislike them even more when people just blindly send them on without checking their validity first. UGH!

Otay, that's all for now. Oh and be sure to read the November 9, 2007 post titled The "Real" Rafe Balchou if you haven't already. It's definitely a must read for anyone who's thinking about befriending someone they met on the internet.

Til next time....

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Thursday, November 01, 2007

Car Update & My Gripe Of The Day

Exercise: 3 mile run.

Well, I picked up my car from the "doctor's office" yesterday. Wouldn't you know the minute I take it in to have ti looked at, the flamming service engine light would decide to go off - or at least it did after I dropped it off. Had I driven it just a bit further or turned it off then started it again, it more than likely would have gone off which I thought it would probably do after the sensors made it through the next set of checks. The dealer did go ahead and run a code history scan anyway just to see if there way anything there. Turns out the engine had misfired - something that can just happen but isn't necessarily a sign of a bigger problem. According to the service guy, they checked everything out and couldn't find anything so it was just a fluke.

It did turn out to be a good thing I took it in though. It seems that there was a recall I didn't know anything about because either Mitsubishi didn't send out notices or the one they sent me got lost in the mail. I guess the catalytic converter was originally programmed to run a little lean and because of that, there was potential for it to overheat. Anyway, the dealer caught it and reprogrammed the CC so it will run a little more rich and prevent the overheat issue. Of course the downside is that my gas mileage may drop slightly. Oh well, I can't really complain too much since I only have to fill up about once every two weeks and it's less than $40 when I do.

The other plus to taking my car in is that I ended up getting a new set of wiper blades. I really didn't need them since the original ones had hardly been used but I was told that there was this promotion going on and my car was one of the ones picked to receive the new blades. It's funny, ever since I picked up my car, I've had this feeling it was lucky and in the two years I've owned it, it would seem that's how things have been. I mean I had an absolutely wonderful buying experience with a sales guy who is more than willing to go the extra mile when it comes to service, no new car bugs to deal with like the ones my Sunfire had, the car has performed well in all driving conditions, and now it's been selected for a "prize". You know, I think I'm going to have to speak to it about winning the lottery. Hey - it could happen!!! LOL

And now for something completely different....

The gripe of the day - my slower than a dogs with no legs computer at work. Every day it seems to take longer and longer to boot. Today it took a whopping six minutes! My laptop here at home is the same age if not older (three years) and it doesn't even take that long start up and I've got tons more crap on this one than I do the one at work. If that isn't enough, I spent the first hour and a half waiting for the stupid thing to stop paging and freezing up so I could actually do some work. GRRRR!!! My company is slowly changing everyone's out for newer, faster machines but because I was one of the last people to receive one when they changed them out a few years ago, I get to be last again this time which means mine isn't coming until March. My suspervisor had tried to get that date moved up after I had told her how slow my machine is but it was a no go. I'm stuck with the pile of crap I've got for another five months. UGH!!! The most ridiculous thing about all this is that they give the faster machines to all the people who have the below average computer skills first and then leave people like me that could make the most of a beefed up machine with what I've got. Sorry but 2.8GHz with 248MB of RAM just ain't cuttin it these days.

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Poor Car

Exercise: Grocery shopping and a two mile run.

Yesterday morning when I started my car so I could leave for work, it made a terrible noise much like that of a piece of paper in a high speed fan. This of course caused the Service Engine Soon light to come on even though shortly afterward the noise stopped. Because Chi had already left, however, I had no choice but to go ahead and drive my car to work. Everything seemed to be working correctly and I didn't have any further problems nor did the strange noise return. The warning light did stay on, however. Not that it's any surprise given how the sensors connected to that light typically work. Even so, I'm taking my baby to the doctor tomrrow. The car is still under warranty and since Chi doesn't have the proper software on his computer to read my car's codes, I figured I would have the dealership look at it. I have a feeling whatever caused my car's "cough" is probably nothing (perhaps a leaf getting in somewhere it shouldn't and triggering the emissions sensor) but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I bought the car brand new nearly two years ago (the 12th of November is its birthday). It's been an absolute gem the whole time I've owned it and I wish to keep it that way.

And now for something completely different...

I'm beginning to get really T'd off with people who like to think they know more about the way I think and feel than I do. Um hello....I should think that because I receive information from my brain on a first hand basis and have had more than thirty years of experience with it, I'm going to have the edge on what goes on in my own mind. I swear there are way too many people who only apply what people say to them and do to their own side of things rather than really taking time to listen and determining meaning according to how it applies to the person making the statement.

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Sunday, October 28, 2007

DJ Mag's Top 100

Exercise: House cleaning - YIPPIE! Plus a three mile run.

According to DJ Magazine's top 100 DJs, my favorite (Armin Van Buuren) came out on top as number one. I was extremely pleased upon reading that news. Actually, as it turns out, the majority of the DJs I like made the top 100 and many of them were inside the top twenty. Here's a rundown:

2 - Tiesto
3 - John Digweed
4 - Paul Van Dyk
5 - Sasha
6 - Above & Beyond
7 - Carl Cox
8 - Ferry Corsten
10 - David Guetta
12 - Paul Oakenfold
13 - Markus Schulz
16 - Eddie Holliwell
21 - Judge Jules
73 - BT

I only wish BT would have placed higher.

And now for something completely different...

I've litterally got a pain in the butt and I wish it would go away. A few weeks ago I was stretching before my run. I had put on my running pants and socks before doing so and it turned out to be a mistake. The pants are too long and I didn't get the ends of them pulled up over my heels. Because the pants are made of spandex, then were a little slippery on the carpet; so much so that when I went to do one of my stretches, I ended up doing the splits. Now normally I can do the splits with ease, however, this particular time I went down in a very fast, uncontrolled manner because my foot slipped so my leg ended up twisting sideways and this pop which I swear was loud enough to be heard two states away resonated from my hip. OH THE PAIN!!! It was enough to make my ears ring and my vision go grainy for a few minutes. Chi, of course, found great humor in me writhing on the floor in pain. LOL Even so, I did make it out for my run that night although the morning brought extreme stiffness and pain.

These days it's just kind of turned into a dull ache in my butt and left thigh. I've noticed it feels better if I exercise then when I don't and that it must be working itself out some because I can now stretch better than I could during the first couple of weeks after it happened. If I move just right, I have the sensation of my hip joint feeling like it just needs to be popped again and that would set it right. Part of me wants to do it but the other part says, "NO FLOGGING CHANCE!!!" due to the experience the first time around. LOL Ah well, hopefully one day soon it will set itself straight because I'm just getting tired of dealing with it. :)

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Hi Honey, I'm Home!

Exercise: None yet. Won't be going out until 9 this evening. Gotta watch Beauty & The Geek and House. :)

So, I'm back. Well, sort of. It seems the internet police at my company have now decided blogger is one of those "offensive" sites they must block. *RE* If I remember correctly, the message that comes up when I attempted to access the blogger homepage at work is some complete bullshit about it being a social networking site so, therefore, it's a no no. Oh heaven forbid if you speak your mind on the internet during your lunch hour! I swear it's crap like this that makes me want to find another job. Of course whenever I start thinking that way, all I have to do is come home, take a look in one of my closets and see the minimum one year supply of fabric softener, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and facial towelettes plus a decent stock of toothpaste, mouthwash, air fresheners, and various other things and that feeling tends to subside rather quickly. lol Anyway, because of this inconvenience, I now will now have to type my posts at work, email them to my personal account, and then post them after I get home assuming I have time. What does this mean to you dear readers? It means that I will definitely be posting but it may not be as frequently as it was when I could access my blogger account from work.

With that out of the way, on with the real post....

One of my co-workers brought this to me the other day and it pissed me off to no end that he would do such especially knowing that I went through the immigration process to bring my husband here and have a much better understanding of it than the average person. Of course what irks me even more is that this particular piece of trash talks about refugees. Refugee status is something not easily gained and let me tell you, those who get it have more than likely been to hell and back. Definitely not a position to be "envied".

The Welfare Poem

I cross ocean, poor and broke,
Take bus, see employment folk.
Nice man treat me good in there,
Say I need to see welfare.
Welfare say, "You come no more,
We send cash right to your door."
Welfare checks, they make you wealthy,
Medicaid it keep you healthy!
By and by, I got plenty money,
Thanks to you, American dummy.
Write to friends in motherland,
Tell them "Come fast as you can."
They come in turbans
and Ford trucks.
I buy big house with welfare bucks.
They come here, we live together,
More welfare checks, it gets better!
Fourteen families, they moving in,
But neighbor's patience wearing thin.
Finally, white guy moves away,
Now I buy his house, and then I say,
"Find more aliens for house to rent."
And in the yard, I put a tent.
Send for family they just trash,
But they too, draw the welfare cash!
Everything is very good,
And soon we own the neighborhood.
We have hobby it's called breeding.
Welfare pay for baby feeding.
Kids need dentist? Wife need pills? We get free!
We got no bills! American crazy!
He pay all year,
To keep welfare running here.
We think America darn good place!
Too darn good for the white man race.
If they no like us, they can scram,
Got lots of room in Pakistan.

It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1890 and each can also get an additional $580 in social assistance for a total of $2470. This compares very well to a single pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of America for 40 to 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1012 in old age pension and guaranteed income supplement. Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!

Let's send this to all Americans so we can all be ticked off and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1012 and the pensioners up to $2470 and enjoy some of the money we were forced to submit to the government over the last 40 to 50 years.

Please forward to every American to expose what our elected politicians have been doing over the past 11 years - to the over-taxed American.

There are so many things about this post that get my blood boiling, I feel as though I could explode.

For starters, it was something originally written about Canada but some dimwit decided to sub the word American for Canadian. Not that it made it any more true. Whether the word American or Canadian be used, the whole thing is completely FALSE.

Now here's the real truth....

Some refugees get a ONE TIME start up payment and only about 3/4 of refugees receive financial assistance from the federal government for a limited time and at a lower rate than Canadian pensioners.

What people don't seem to realize is that the people who are classified as refugees have fled from unimaginable hardship and many times have lived in refugee camps for years before coming to places like Canada and the US. Some are victims of trauma and/or torture in their own countries and many of them arrive with little more than a few personal belongings, if that. I'm disgusted to think there are people out there who believe the people in this situation shouldn't be allowed to receive funding from the government especially given the fact that the government assistance only lasts for a year or until they find a job, whichever comes first.

All I have to say to those of you reading this who may have passed it on is SHAME ON YOU!!!

And now for something completely different....

I got "nuttin". Well, that's not entirely true. I've got "sumpin" but it's not complete and I think I will make it into its own post for another day. Ooh the suspense! :P

Til next time....

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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Thursday, June 14, 2007

"Stalkers"

Exercise: 5 mile run, 300 crunches, 60 leg lifts, and 50 push ups.

What is it with ex-boyfriends/girlfriends who think they need to stalk the people they dated years ago? I mean I can understand having curiosity of wondering where that person is today blah blah blah but to actually hunt him/her down and get the current boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse involved just seems a little creepy.

As some of you know, I have a My Space page. Because of some of the weird nuts lurking about on the internet and people from my past that I don't want finding me, I don't usually put too many identifying things on profiles. The only things I have on my page that could identify me if you didn't already know me are the years and schools I graduated from. It seems that was enough for one particular person from my past to find me.

A couple weeks ago when I returned home from work, I had checked my tracker and in doing so, one of the hits which came up actually had a profile associated with it. As soon as I saw the profile URL I was pretty sure I knew who it was and once I saw the name on the profile, I was 100% certain. Turns out the first boyfriend I ever had - the one that I dated for four years and haven't seen in about nine years found me. At first I thought, "Whatever" and just kind of dismissed it but then the next day when I checked my tracker, I noticed that he had hit my site at least fifteen times. That's when I started feeling a little weird about it all and decided to send him a message. I said, "So...you found me. Do you spend this much time on all your ex-girlfriends' profiles or just mine?" Yah, I know it was a bit snippy but dayum! Sure I've wondered about him now and then but not enough to hunt him down and try to find out about him in a sneaky way. I guess it's the puzzling way things ended that also had me wondering why the hell after all this time he would do such a thing.

A few months after we had split up, we had actually started talking again and were on friendly speaking terms. When Chi had come over to visit, we kind of lost touch for a little while but shortly after Chi and I got married, I heard from B again. It was then that I told him I had gotten married and it was like as soon as he received that information, he ran and hid never to be heard from again. I think maybe in the back of his mind he was hoping that we would eventually get back together even though I had said it wouldn't happen and me telling him about marrying Chi finalized that for him but even so, he didn't just have to disappear the way he did.

It would seem that B definitely hasn't become any more computer savy since I knew him. After I saw he read the message I sent, I checked my tracker again. This time there were about 15 hits on there from his wife's profile. Obviously he doesn't know about IP addresses and shit. If he did, maybe he would have realized that changing profiles didn't make a blind bit of difference as far as me being able to tell who had been viewing my page. It was after seeing all those hits that I really just started feeling kind of like I had been dephiled and I sent him another message. I basically told him if he wanted to talk, then let's talk but if he was there just to check up on me, not to bother.

As of today, I haven't heard any sort of response from him and it would seem that he and his wife haven't returned, however, I wouldn't doubt that they will pop back up one day. Hell, I would even be willing to bet that they've been doing all kinds of internet searches on me to see if they can find out anything knowing how B was when I knew him. He made a point of doing everything he could to "cover" his identity but when it came to finding out stuff about someone else, he was all over it. *Rolls Eyes*

And now for something completely different....

I've decided to stop posting here for awhile. We're on summer hours at work now so I only have a 1/2 hour for lunch which makes it pretty much impossible to read the news and make any kind of decent post here. Sure I could slap something up here after I get home but even then I don't have much time since I don't get there until about 6. That gives me an hour to make dinner, an hour to eat it and spend some time with Chi, then the remaining time is used for working out and having a shower.

Anyway, I'm not going to completely disappear. I've decided to put up an exercise log over on my MySpace page and who knows, if there is something worthy to rant about, I just might throw that up there too.

See you when summer hours are over in September.

Til next time...

Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
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