Yearly Archives: 2003

I’ve Been in the Hospital

I’ve been in the hospital all week. I went to the emergency room last Monday because I had a massive pain in my right side caused by appendicitis, and they mis-diagnosed it as gall stones. So while they were running me all over town to get tests at the various Methodist facilities, my appendix burst. So I’ve been stuck in a hospital bed all week while they tried to control the inflamation and get me in decent shape. I should go back in a few weeks to get my appendix removed.

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Dialect Survey Results

Or, how to pronounce shit. Check out the maps where the wrong answer is concentrated in the south. And my favorite sample question: “What do you call the big clumps of dust that gather under furniture and in corners?”

Also: “What do you say when you want to lay claim to the front seat of a car?”

Plus, soda, pop, coke or soft drink: where people live, what term they use.

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Alanis: Irony Defined.

Irony defined — by the British, of course, because they did invent the language after all. I’m posting this here because I’m resisting the temptation to send it directly to people.
Favorite part so far: “every one of us, I’d guess, has a friend who engages in an argument, waits patiently until you’ve said something really trenchant and probably wrong, then cocks his (or her) head to one side and says, “Do you think that’s true?” thereafter pursuing each one of your most ridiculous points and challenging them from a perspective of utter (pretended) ignorance. Weirdly, this is never called irony, even though every other bloody thing that anyone ever says is.”

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Bush wants more Americans Dead

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Not content with the number of soldiers killed after our so-called victory, Bush taunted the Iraqis, saying, “Bring it on.” Of course, he said this from the safety of the oval office. This from a guy who not only avoided serving in Vietnam, he went AWOL from National Guard service, too. Yeah, you’re a tough guy, Bush.
Since his remarks: 10 more wounded American soldiers. I’ll bet they’re thrilled with W.

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Cost of War Clock

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How much the war in Iraq is costing us per second, and comparisons to what would happen if we’d spent the money on domestic programs.
While I was checking this (the numbers will increase by the time you check them):
— 1,330,851 additional school teachers could be hired for one year.
— 9,878,393 additional children could attend a year of Head Start
— 1,772,223 additional four-year scholarships at public universities
You can also click so see how much the war is costing you specifically in your town or region.

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