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Oof. Food for thought, indeed.

(xkcd)

So exactly what muscles does one use when one vomits? Because oh, I hurt.

Turns out the “food poisoning” I thought it was, wasn't, 'cause 's puking now.

Great.

Except for the pain, I feel mostly human, so hopefully it's over fast. This had better be well and truly over before Saturday, as we have very important, quite expensive plans – with no refund.

So after weeks of bitching and whining about how much my hair is bugging me (it's a ritual), I finally got it cut. I went a good bit shorter this time, and, well, there's pictures behind the cut. :)

I'm so incredibly pleased with the way it turned out! I just hope I can manage to make it look decent later.

And here's a picture of my adorably cute dog – it's hard to catch him in that pose with his ears up!

In other news, I really need to figure out what's wrong with gallery. I didn't do anything to it, I swear, but I get database errors every time I try to batch upload pictures. Bah.

Well, thanks to suggestions from and I've put in my very first BPAL order for six imp ears. I'm looking forward to getting them, and hope I find a scent that I really like.

Again I must thank for providing me with my first hit! I now see why people are all enthused about BPAL – such good smelly stuff!

November 8, 2006 1:22 PM – Absinthe

BPAL says: Fall under the spell of our Green Fairy! An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon.

In the tube – minty licoricey, kinda yummy.

First on – whoa – same, but NOT yummy, it's mediciney… no, it smells like… paint thinner. o_O

2:04 PM – paint thinner smell is gone, and now it's back to a bit minty, a bit mediciney. Hm. I *think* I detect lemon, but I'm not sure.

2:57 PM – and now I like it a bit, and maybe I can smell the lemon. Still, too long with the somewhat yuck scents.

November 2, 2006 11:53 AM – White Rabbit

BPAL says: Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen.

In the tube – sweet, yet spicy. Maybe kinda floral

First on – Plastic-y, rubbery – old toy smell, yet sweet. OMG, it smells like condoms. o_O Ok, maybe like latex gloves. Anyway, definitely a no-go for me.

12:13 PM – ok, now kind of a powdery floral… but still blech.

October 11, 2006 12:28 PM – Silk Road

BPAL says: A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa.

In the tube – smelled sweet, and christmasy. Not pine at all, but christmasy was the impression I got.

First on – more or less the same, but warmer and less sweet.

I liked it a bit more after it dried, but it wasn't until 3 hours later that I thought, “whoa, that's not bad!”

Previously posted review for Succubus

October 10, 2006 8:15 PM – Succubus

So tonight, I tried Succubus. It smells interesting in the tube – kinda sharp, but pleasant.

I smeared some on my right wrist. First on – kinda bleh, didn't care for it too much, and (of course) was too strong.

After it dries, smells pretty good. Kinda incensy. Reminds me of Spencer's! I like it, but don't know if I'd wear it often, maybe occasionally. It's been about three hours, and it's still definitely there, though it has faded a bit. I don't know how long it'd last, or how long it ought to last, for that matter.

Rob swears it smells like lilacs. I don't see it, er, smell it, myself. Currently, he's indifferent – which is much better than sneezing and choking, in my book. ;)

BPAL says: Bat-winged, flame-eyed, and possessed of an unearthly, perfect beauty: the Daughters of Lilith, the Succubi, invade the dreams of men and lie with them in rapturous, unholy sexual union. The scent of their skin is bittersweet, dusky and terminally seductive. Mimosa, orange blossom, neroli and bergamot with a drop of sweet clove.

O..kay. o_O

I know what orange blossoms and cloves are. No idea what the other things are. The more I snort my wrist, the more I like it though.

Now, Rob hasn't sniffed most of these as by the time he's home they've pretty much worn off. Either that, or he hasn't noticed. Either way is fine – if he's not sneezing because of it, it's good enough for me.

Hacking Democracy.

Go watch it.

If you haven't voted yet, go do it! Sure, it may be an exercise in futility, but hey, life is an exercise in futility – you'll just wind up dead at the end of it anyway, right?

Go vote.

The above message is purely US-centric. Deal.

By the way, it's usually soda, though sometimes pop.

Tonight was a nice, quiet evening – we shut off all the lights and watched Corpse Bride and It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – my kinda night.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Short version: Kinky Friedman wants childless adults to pay the most while getting fewer benefits. A friend of ours from a couple of LJ communities sent Mr. Friedman a less than polite email regarding this policy. The response from his staffer? “Fuck off.”

The Texas plan would include four tiers of coverage, with the poorest children getting the most benefits for the lowest price and childless adults paying the most for the fewest benefits.

“The first thing we need to do is put the humanity back in healthcare,” Friedman said in a statement.

Following is our response, as posted by the husband, with my input and complete concurrence:

I wrote up that e-mail I promised. It was sent to various addresses at his domain, and it was also sent to most of the places he will be interviewing tomorrow. I wanted them on the CC list, but it was all webforms, dammit.

Feel free to post this elsewhere.

Mr Friedman,

A friend of mine recently wrote to you with their concerns on your health care proposal. Now, this e-mail was not worded particularly politely, nor was it from a resident of Texas. A proper response would've addressed how your proposal was fair to those without children, or how it did not violate the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution, or how it did not violate the various Federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on familial status, all of which have been concerns of mine and would be addressed in any sane governmental policy. Or, considering the lack of standing of the author in the Texas elections, the e-mail would've been completely ignored. Sad to say, neither of these possibilities was what happened. Curse my expectation of simple civility and decorum, but the response was short and simple, consisting of two words – “fuck off”. Those two words, that have, at a minimum, cost you the votes of me and my wife.

We are childless, and we vote. We are sick and tired of being a piggy bank, abused with out so much as a heartfelt “thank you”. Enough is enough. I was willing to overlook my misgivings on your proposal since I am so much in alignment with other portions of your platform. Well, those two words so simply tossed out by your staff have brought those misgivings to the forefront, and have swung our vote away from you. In case you doubt our original willingness to vote for you, please feel free to check the signatures gathered at the <petition signing location> You will find both my name, and my wife's name there. What we so proudly signed at the time is now something we regret.

Please think over any hasty responses, as this missive, and all replies will be publicly posted on the internet. Welcome to the information age.

<our names>
Austin, Texas