Hired!!! :)

Yaaaaay!!!!!

more money

10 minutes from home

cool people who apparently love me

and just in time, too!

Did I mention "yay"? :)

Pet-food poison now showing up in California hogs

file this under "sadly, no big fucking surprise there"

Ceres Hog Farm Quarantined

April 20, 2007, 10:13AM
© 2007 The Associated Press

CERES, Calif. — A Stanislaus County hog farm was placed under quarantine after an industrial chemical that's tainted more than 100 brands of dog and cat food was found in pig urine there, state agriculture officials said late Thursday.

Additional testing was under way to determine if the chemical, melamine, was present in the meat produced by American Hog Farm in Ceres since April 3, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

"Although all animals appear healthy, we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution," State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer said in a statement. "It is unknown if the chemical will be detected in meat."

State officials believe the melamine came from rice protein concentrate imported from China by Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility, which produces products under the Natural Balance brand and sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed.

Pacoima-based Natural Balance announced a limited recall Monday of its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.

Officials were investigating American Hog Farm's sales records to determine who may be affected by the quarantine, said Steve Lyle, a CDFA spokesman. The 1,500-animal farm operates as a "custom slaughterhouse," which means it generally does not supply meat to commercial outlets.

"Mostly it is not so-called mainstream pork. This is an operation that sells to folks who come in and want a whole pig," said Steve Lyle, a CDFA spokesman.

Officials urged those who purchased pigs from American Hog Farm since April 3 to not consume the product until further notice.

Dr. Mark Horton, the state public health officer, said so far "evidence suggests a minimal health risk to persons who may have consumed pork" from the farm.

A man who answered the phone for American Hog Farm late Thursday declined to comment and referred calls to state officials. Phone calls to Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility and Meta, Mo. headquarters were not immediately returned.

Melamine, which is used in making plastics and other industrial processes, has been blamed for causing health problems in dozens of dogs and cats. The Food and Drug Administration could not provide updated numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to the contaminated food.

Federal officials said Thursday they were investigating reports that tainted rice protein made its way into hog feed, but did not name specific farms. California officials were not aware of any other cases of melamine found on a hog farm, Lyle said.

www.chron.com/disp/story....4733635.html

My friend Justin goes to court next week...

for this beautiful video clip, telling FOX how it is:

www.youtube.com/watch

he's my hero :)

(the FOX reporter alleges that he physically assaulted her.. yeah right!)

Go Justin!!!!!!!

naked friends and work-friendliness

I am sure everyone has had that experience, where you log into Tribe at work, and someone has just posted some risque photo of some kind, and you have to rush and hide the offending image before a coworker sees it.. I've had a few of those occasions myself here & there as well.

Now that I've joined the ranks of the unemployed, I do all my tribing from home, where there are no rules and no coworkers and nobody to offend. As if in silent celebration of that, every single day when I've logged in, there has been a new, blatant, and delightfully work-unfriendly image there to greet me. The funny thing is that each time I have instinctively tried to resize the browser to hide it, before realizing that I don't need to anymore :P

Please bear in mind, however, that the possibility still exists that a given image will offend the sensibilities of my poor cat, in which case I'll have to go back to hiding the photos module again...

Also amusing is the fact that I've spent significantly less time on Tribe over the past week, when I've been home all day and had no work... indeed, I have been more constructive than ever now that I've been relieved of that burden! :)

Yay! :D

Farewell, 2006, you kicked utter mortal ass!

Well, that was fun! While certainly not the perfect year, it was definitely the Best Year Ever, as far as I am concerned. There were many struggles early on, but they left me stronger and happier and more positive than I have ever been... the trend over the past decade has been that each year is better than the previous, and it continues to this day

Lots of change in the air for next year, and all of it is good. A little scary, yes, but in a good way, kind of like that scary feeling you get as you climb the hill on a roller coaster... and it's going to be one hell of a ride. Like the silly song says, the future is so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Bring it on, I say! :D

My last day at work, finally!!

And I feel good! :)

I got all my insurance/401k crap taken care of

I have a fat severance check that I'll be cashing very shortly

I have a hot girlfriend coming to visit me for lunch today

I've said all my farewells to co-workers, bus buddies, slavic smoking friends, etc

I actually CLEANED OUT MY DESK!!! It's amazing what accumulates in seven years!

I'm gonna miss getting paid to surf and chat and flirt on Tribe, but aside from that, it's all good. I'll be spending the month of January re-assembling my life, prepping for school, and generally enjoying the fact that I'm not spending any more time in Pleasant Fucking Hill... The future is exciting and I cannot wait to start it!

Coke and hookers for everyone!! :D

Life's really a chocolate box - song of the day

This tune has been running through my head all week, between seeing the freezing homeless people, and all the signs for canned-food drives, etc. It's a nice reminder that even those of us who think we don't have shit, have quite a lot by comparison...


Life's really a chocolate box
some do without, others have plenty
It sticks in my throat, my stomach's in knots
while your box is so full, mine's perpetually empty

From the cradle to the grave
point your ladle to the gravy
"Food comes first, then morals" they say
the end of the world is three hot meals away

Two average men eat their average meals
but destiny waits at their table
One is served gruel while the other chews veal
but they're both spoon-fed lies from the cradle

Life's really a chocolate box
some do without, others have plenty
It sticks in my throat, my stomach's in knots
while your box is so full, mine's perpetually empty

Tragic moments for the masses
work is the curse of the drinking classes
"Homo homini lupus" we cry
humanity fades like the moon in the sky

You can't cook an omlette without breaking eggs
(first they are cracked and then beaten)
The only things cracked around here are our heads
recepies for disaster that we keep repeating

Life's really a chocolate box
some do without, others have plenty
It sticks in my throat, my stomach's in knots
while your box is so full, mine's perpetually empty

Here's a real beggar's banquet
a brace of rats in a blood-stained blanket
Meanwhile, gentlefolk high in their chateau
dip silver spoons into Black Forest Gateau

So come lords and ladies, raise glasses in toast
to the other half dying to eat.
'Cause they who receive least deserve it the most
it's a literal dead-end - Inequality Street

Life's really a chocolate box
some do without, others have plenty
It sticks in my throat, my stomach's in knots
while your box is so full, mine's perpetually empty

Skyclad - "Inequality Street"

"We’ve Lost Another Cetacean Species"

Sorry for more sad blogs, but this story jumped out at me today... they were rather cute, too :/

--------

Message from Captain Paul Watson:

I am steaming angry today. The Yangtze river dolphin called the Baiji has been officially declared extinct.

A team of 30 scientists and crew from China, and six other nations searched a 1,000-mile heavily trafficked stretch of the Yangtze, where the Baiji once thrived. After six weeks of intensive search, not a single dolphin was spotted.

The only other cetacean in the river is the finless porpoise and there are only about 400 remaining.

This once rare, nearly blind white dolphin that has survived for millions of years is now gone, exterminated by human development, a victim of “progress” the Chinese say.

The Chinese had once declared it to be the “Goddess of the Yangtze” and predicted that when the Baiji disappears the river will be dead.

This dolphin is the first large marine mammal to be driven to extinction since the extermination of the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950’s

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recognizes this as a major tragedy and the saddest report for the year 2006.

In the 1980’s there were about 400 Baiji in the Yangtze. In 1997, a population survey counted only 13 animals. The last confirmed sighting of a Baiji was in 2004.

This beautiful dolphin has disappeared because of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, heavy ship traffic that confused their sonar abilities, overfishing, and high levels of industrial pollutants dumped into the river.

"The Baiji is functionally extinct. We might have missed one or two animals but it won't survive in the wild," said August Pfluger, a Swiss economist turned naturalist who helped put together the expedition. "We are all incredibly sad."

The Yangtze River dolphin was the only living representative of an entire family of marine mammals. This put a permanent end to this particular branch of evolution.

For information on the Baiji check out: The baiji.org Foundation: www.baiji.org

Sea Shepherd sends a message of condolence and support to August Pfluger, who has dedicated many years to trying to save the Yangtze River dolphin.

The ever-present mp3 meme

Continuing the fun and frivolity that is the mp3 meme. Mine are not nearly as good as some others, but here it is :)


Instructions:

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

NO CHEATING...

What does next year have in store for me?
"Deceiver of Fools" - Within Temptation

Whats my love life like?
"Joy Parade" - Flowing Tears

What do I say when life gets hard?
"Successor" - Psychotic Waltz

What do I think when I get up in the morning?
"Caught in a Web" - Dream Theater

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
"Spirit at the Corner" - Keiko Matsui

What do you want as a career?
"Your Favorite God" - Lethal

Your favorite saying?
"Gods of Deliverance" - Gamma Ray

Favorite place?
"Mad Axe Attack" - Laaz Rockit

What do you think of your parents?
"My Grave" - Psychotic Waltz

Where would you go on a first date?
"Black Star" - Yngwie Malmsteen

Describe yourself?
"Journey Through Pressure" - Katatonia

What is the thing I like doing most?
"Bewitched" - Candlemass

What is my state of mind like at the moment?
"Snow White Suicide" - Entwine

How will i die?
"Constance Eternal" - Skyclad

What do you do when you see your friends?
"Adagio" - Yngwie Malmsteen

How does your boyfriend/girlfriend make you feel?
"Crystalline Dream" - Shadow Gallery

How does your ex make you feel?
"Tonight's Music" - Katatonia

If you were to die today, you would feel (like)
"You Kill Me" - Jill Tracy

Relocating, back to Virginia...

So, the gravy train has reached the station, the borrowed time is being cashed in, or whatever other metaphor applies...

Quick flashback: I started this job in Richmond, Virginia in Oct of 1998. Exactly one year later, I put in my 2 weeks notice, because Bonnie and I had decided to move to San Francisco. The next day, the bosses offered to let me take my job with me, and work in the local office in Pleasant Hill, CA. Naturally, I said yes, since I wasn't in the mood to go job-hunting in a new city that I had never even visited before.

I knew all along that it would not last forever, they would eventually want the job back, and last Wednesday it finally came to pass. My position is being called back home, and the job is still mine, as long as I am willing to move back there with it.

Fuck that.

Thus, December 29 is my last day here, after 8 years (the longest consecutive time I've spent at any job in my life), and 2007 is a wide open opportunity for me now. Fortunately, since my arrival here I have made tons of wonderful friends, countless connections, and ample networking sources, so I'm not really worried that I won't find another job.

I am looking, however :)

I'm taking the half-ass severance package, cashing out my 401k, and planning to take some as-yet-undetermined classes, and hope to be employed happily and comfortably by February, March at the latest.

I'm not even sure if I want to stay in the same field, or the same industry, or if I want to see this as a chance to break free of both. I'm still processing all of my options at this point.

The good news is that I am not bummed, not scared, not depressed. This was, indeed, a huge favor they have granted me, a kick in the ass, and a chance to free myself from complacency and actually be challenged for the first time in years.

In other words, yay! :D