Skip to content
- I won’t quite own the junkie label, but I’m definitely an interested and engaged watcher of politics, and this interested and engaged watcher has had his fill. Whichever way it goes on Tuesday, the campaign will be over, and that’s a good thing. I’m preparing a wrap-up post for Monday evening.
- ExxonMobil set a tremendous record in the third quarter this year. They paid $11,330,000,000 in income taxes as part of a total $32,510,000,000 tax bill (when sales and other taxes are included). The income tax rate was 43.3%.
- If Alabama beats Arkansas State, LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn, the winner of the Florida/Georgia game (probably), and Texas (probably), it will be the national champion. Half of those are likely wins; all are eminently possible. To sit at the first of November with a (plausible) best-case scenario of 14-0 and a crystal football, and a (plausible) worst-case scenario of 11-3, absolutely rocks. We were supposed to be merely improved this year.
- I don’t know how it’s been in other parts of the animal’s range, but we’ve had a skunk population explosion in northern Alabama this year. I bet I’ve seen 50 this summer, about half-and-half alive and dead. (I figure it must be Halliburton’s fault somehow.)
- Three weeks off cigarettes as of 3:00 this afternoon. I drop from the 14mg patches to the 7mg patches starting tomorrow, and after that it’s just my will. I’m looking forward to getting off the patches, actually. I’m pretty sure they give me headaches.
- I attended a retirement party for a colleague at Hooters tonight. I’d guess our Hooters has been there 15 years, and I think this was my third time in there ever. It’s just not my thing. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely love women—but I’m just not into the skinny chick + huge breasts paradigm, which seems to be the template for Hooters girls. Breasts are fine, but make her full-figured everywhere. Also, make her a minimum of 35 years old, so I can be reasonably assured that she has the life experience and corresponding mental horsepower to really tease me. Never forget, the brain is by far the most powerful sexual organ. (But none of that much sounds like a successful business model, does it?)
- I bought the Sex and the City movie on Blu-ray a month or so ago, and had been looking forward to it. I ended up having to split it into three nights. I much enjoyed this show, but something I came to appreciate while slogging through the film is that a lot of its charm comes from its 25-minutes-at-a-time delivery, and the continuation of storylines from week to week and season to season—but always 25 minutes at a time. This was really just another episode, only it was two and a half hours long. No one made any effort whatsoever to build it a correspondingly extrapolated narrative structure, and damn, did it ever show.
- Speaking of movies, I’ve made a tradition of watching House of 1000 Corpses while Lea takes the boys trick-or-treating. I don’t usually quite get all the way through it. Doubtless it’s uneven, though I find it charming enough. The sequel The Devil’s Rejects is a much more complete film. (If you’ve never considered yourself a sicko in any context, stay away from both of them.)
You might also like:
- Thursday miscellanea #232
It’s a crazy week for lots of reasons—no particular one debilitating by itself, but exhausting in c…
- Thursday miscellanea #625
We had our last little hot spell, like we do many years, but nothing unseasonable is forecast for t…
- Thursday miscellanea #188
In an effort to increase Alabama Gulf tourism dollars, the state legislature has mandated a long su…
- Thursday miscellanea #526
During our exceptionally warm early autumn, I frequently thought of those Halloween nights when my …
- Thursday miscellanea #629
Christine McVie, the songbird of Fleetwood Mac, has died at 79. As my longtime friend Robby pointed…
BoWilliams.com
Speaking of being a sicko … I have Machine Girl on the way
Buzzregog: I didn’t know what that was, but upon looking it up I thought Planet Terror immediately. I see I wasn’t the only one. Did you like that one? I did, but I liked Death Proof more.
I’m opening an eatery called Balzac’s – we’ll serve footlongs and espresso martinis.
That’s good they paid $32,510,000,000 in taxes. Only about $368,000,000,000 more needs to roll in to pay the interest on the national debt this year (and I’d bet that’s a conservative figure).
I’m glad the campaign will be over soon. I just wish all these people were diligent about cleaning up the signs they leave everywhere.
I’ll also be glad when the campaign is over, though I seriously doubt that’s going to be, as they say, the end of that. I was talking to a friend the other day who told me that a LOT of the issues that were brought up in the forums in which she participates are going to stay with her for a LONG time – to the point where she’s not sure she’ll ever be the same again. She saw that as a bad thing – she feels far less secure about her place in the American political process than she did before – but I’m not so sure; I think that anything that promotes critical thinking and a small bit of unease is a GOOD thing, as long as it’s used for good instead of evil…
‘seester: I think there’s a joke there I don’t get. I apologize.
Gerry: I’m with you. Let’s cut federal spending 90%. Until that day–sure to be heralded in by a parade of unicorns and centaurs–let’s remember that big profits mean big taxes, and think awfully hard about whether we ought to go after more.
Mrs. Chili: The Obama phenomenon has been profoundly interesting, but hardly universally positive. I may have some more to say about that between now and the end of the year.
I had a surreal experience today in a school while trying to help a lab manager that gave me serious doubts about the future of our country. She brought up the election and said, “I would vote for Obama, but I don’t believe he’s really an American. He was born in Hawaii.” I blinked at her for a minute before telling her that Hawaii is actually considered a state. I’m not sure what is more disturbing– the fact that she is planning to vote or that works in a school. God help us.
Cheryl: You should have told her McCain was born in Panama, then sat back to observe what I’m certain would have been entertaining happenings… 🙂
Tuesday has been coming a long damn time and I think a lot of people will be pleased to be able to talk about something ELSE – well, eventually, eh? Next week’s media landscape should be fascinating.
Congrats on the three weeks! Good luck post patches with your diligence. One breath at a time.
Thank you for your comment on my blog. I wasn’t going to post about the new exercise regime but then I decided it would help keep me moving in a forward direction and as of today, I have worked out on my contraption 5 days in a row. I think I’ve just got to retain the fedupness I was feeling with NOT doing it, and I’ll be ok. Well, it’s a theory.
O’Mama: There’s something about accountability to the blogosphere, isn’t there?
Though I’ve not seen a recent photograph of you, I’m quite confident I’m more overweight than you are. I have, legitmately, 100 lbs. to lose (I’m 275 and need to be 175). I’ve told people that I was getting serious more than once, only to…not. I’m starting to build affection for the idea of springing a new physique on people that I haven’t seen in six months…stuff like that. We’ll see how it goes.
We’ll be buddies, you and I, if you feel like it will help. I’ve gotten somewhat pissed off and vigilant about not ever smoking another cigarette, and if I can build that passion for weight loss, so much the better for me.
If I have to explain it, it isn’t funny, now, is it? Hooters for men. Balzacs for women.
‘seester: You know, I think that, ahem, “affection” is a myth. I’ve not had a shitload of “experiences,” but I’ve had more than I can count on one hand, and I’ve not met a woman yet who was all apeshit for such things.
Just sayin’.
Hell, maybe it’s me. Perhaps I should marinate in a cesspool of self-doubt for six months.
We’re just talking eye candy to take our minds off of the cost of the hot wings, right?
Bo, you will get absolutely ZERO argument from me that the rhetoric coming from the Obama side has been all positive; there’s a lot about what happened in this election that pisses me off that came from that side, too. This is why I continue to register Independent; I love not having to affiliate myself with either side for just that reason.
‘seester: Even in that context, wouldn’t it be more about butts, and maybe ripped chests?
Bo; Why not post a days since last smoke – keep yourself publicly accountable? As for physique, I have about 10 pounds to lose; I’m not overweight per se, but my BMI is skewed to mush, so I am working on a big reveal is a fitter form I have until now (fingers crossed) been too lazy to pursue.
Hmm, how to retain the pissed off and vigilant as it relates to smoking and transfer to other pursuits? Therein lies the question!! I smoked for 7 years and when I was done, I was thoroughly sick of the smell in my hair, on my clothes and fingers, in my car and in the back of my throat – I cold turkeyed by remembering how revolted I’d become with it all. I applaud you – it is NOT easy to quit smoking.
O’Mama: Thanks for your encouragement. Unfortunately, the “revolting” angle has never worked for me. I really like it. I even liked kissing women smokers in my single days. If she tasted like a cigarette, she tasted like a baaaaaaad girl. Heh. 🙂
Maybe I’ll get to a point this time at which it turns my stomach, but my longest quit has been a year and a half, and I never got there then. Oh well. It’s really how many angels can dance, etc. I have two choices: never smoke again, or smoke for the rest of my life.