I know that there’s a lot to be angry about these days, and other people are ranting about those important things so I don’t have to. But today’s news got me stark ranting raging pissed off.

And that’s the bullshit about John McCain’s friendship with a woman.

When I initially heard the story, I thought the focus was upon his relationship with a lobbyist, and a possible quid pro quo, while depressing (considering McCain’s stance on such things) was news.

But no, it seems that there was no political impropriety, however, staffers were disturbed that the Senator had a female friend and this was obviously going to make people assume that illicit boinking was going on.

Because of COURSE men and women can’t be friends without sex entering the equation.

Why does this idea stick around today? I thought American society had moved past the idea that women had to be chaperoned when they were around men who were not immediate family members. I thought that the fact that we have gender integrated workplaces allowed us to move beyond the idea that sex is the only reason men and women could possibly want to spend time with each other.

It continues to astound me that in this day and age such ideas are still common–and that it was automatically assumed that the American people would see a male female friendship as a secret sexual relationship.

Sure, there have been jokes about Condi Rice and Bush, but I thought most of those stemmed from the fact that she accidentally referred to Bush as “my husband” which was rather strange.

Do we really believe that their relationship is untoward? Why would we think that McCain’s relationship with a woman was more than friendship?

Every time I hear sly comments about a man and woman and their “friendship” it just makes me wonder what is wrong with the commenter that they are incapable of a male-female friendship.

Why do I get so mad about this? Because some of my best friends happen to be guys. And the idea that someone “assumes” something about that friendship just pisses me off. My guy friends are almost all happily married, and I adore their wives. These are my good friends. I want them to be happy, because I love them like brothers. Why would I want to do something to harm their happiness?

John McCain as a grown-up. Why did his aides think he was incapable of having a friendship with a member of the opposite sex? Why is spending time with a friend suspect only when that friend is a member of the opposite sex?

Is this country really that juvenile?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!

And just for your birthday–here’s a cat picture!

If you like, I can sing too!

Just one of those days.

I’m going to go eat some more double chocolate cookies and curl up with the second Repairman Jack novel.

Meanwhile, if you’re bored, you can go read some book reviews or read a book yourself. I’ve got lots of recommendations…

Janiece’s post got me searching for a group I vaguely remembered hearing about several years ago, the Patriot Guard Riders.

They exist to circle around funerals and other events where Jackasses like the Westboro Baptist Church and any other group that seeks to disrupt a military or other funeral.

As much as it depresses me that groups like these need to exist, I am glad they do exist.

The only mystery in this book, is why I bothered to read it all the way through.

Yes, it’s one of my very rare bad reviews. I’m not sure that my full level of annoyance shines through, however. I mean, a couple chapters in I was telling Michael I just wanted to finish it so I could move onto something else. But I kept reading. Which I suppose is the most positive thing I can say about it.

Yeah, you’re thinking, “hasn’t Netscape been dead for years?”

Perhaps, but now it’s official.

And that is your useless fact of the day.

I suddenly realized why most Americans are not upset about the various invasions of privacy set forth by the Bush administration.

If you are willing to have private phone conversations in public, why would you care what else people knew about you?

We’re locked out of the break room? Sure I’ll try my key.
Hey! Look! I found someone to fix the lock on the break room! Yay!
Oh. Goody. I get to redo the entire schedule for a full week. Look. No warm bodies to cover a two hour period.
Electronic dissertation? Here are some answers for you.
More scheduling.
The printer is misbehaving? I’ll come beat it into submission.
All the dates you scheduled in July? You didn’t write them down and deleted the reminders I sent you? Sure, I’d love to print out the calendars for those weeks and leave them at the front desk.
More scheduling.
Yes, I’d love to come up front and fix the page number on someone’s dissertation. He wandered away? Call me when he comes back.
More scheduling.
Okay, here’s how to fix page numbering: turn on show hide codes, continuous section break, continuous section break, not same as previous, not same as previous, insert page number, format page number, insert page number, format page number. Got all that?
Finish scheduling.
What do you mean Word saves all revisions if you have fast save turned on? Everything? You mean EVERYTHING? Really? Oh. Wow. I can see why the dean would be upset.
The calendars are at the Front Desk. (Where I TOLD you they’d be.)
No, I don’t know of a way to make the page number on the abstract page start at i and not ii. Tell him it should be fine to submit like that.
Sure. I’ve love to schedule a class Just For You. How about three weeks from now when I have some open time on my calendar?
Oh. Goody. I’d love to update the entire Adobe Suite just to get Acrobat working. You want me to close Acrobat? Fine. You want me to close Dreamweaver? Fine. You want me to close Firefox? Fine. You want me to close Word? Fine. I’ll just sit here and twiddle my thumbs.
By they way, here’s the secret that should work if the lock sticks on the break room door again. For some reason, I forgot to tell you earlier.
Ma’am, if you’ve tried all those things, I suggest you run a repair on Excel, and if that doesn’t work, call the Help Desk.
Why hasn’t anyone looked at this revisions I gave you all three weeks ago? I wasn’t kidding! DO IT NOW! I have to TEACH these classes! SOON!

If anyone needs me, I’ll be hiding under my desk, not answering my phone, for the remainder of the day.

Because I know you were dying to know, I ended up getting 16 hours of sleep between Friday evening and Saturday evening. And 9 hours of sleep last night.

Now I feel like I’ll be wound up for the rest of my natural life.

But on the bright side, I don’t have the cold Michael came down with. I have, however, washed my hands seemingly continually since he started to get sick.

Also, I hadn’t mentioned in awhile that I’ve read quite a few books recently, so there are that many reviews up. Read both good mysteries and good supernatural fantasy. Which means that I’m trying to figure out what I want to read next, while the sequels to the books I read ship from Amazon. (Damn Amazon for it’s 4-for-3 sales!)

What is my “regional” accent?

Neutral.

This doesn’t come as a surprise at all. I can do a southern WV drawl when I’m drunk, and use y’all, but my dialect is neutral, and that comes from both my parents (eastern MD and western MD/Canada/Chicage & Air Force brat).

However, 1) Pittsburgh definitely has an accent all its own, and definitely does not belong in the “neutral” area. And 2) they’re right to tag northern WV as very different from the rest of the state–for more reasons than one. And Morgantown is different from the rest of the state, primarily because we draw in so many people from other parts of the country–and the world.

(via Stonekettle Station)

John Scalzi, author of Old Man’s War, is having an auction to benefit the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.

Last check, the action was above a thousand dollars, which is pretty awesome.

However, I think that above and beyond that thousand dollars, it would be even more awesome of those who are not bidding in this auction would take the time to support this organization. I’m not going to go into a political rant here, I’m simply going to say that this is an organization that does very good work–a work that all Americans should support.

I’m going to talk with Michael–or perhaps even make a command decision–and make my donation later today.

How about you?

I’m updating Word Press.

Pay no mind to the man behind the curtain… Reality will resume eventually.

ADDENDUM the First:
Upgrade is complete. Lemme know what’s broken!

ADDENDUM the Second:
Random Reading has now also been updated. I think this means it’s now time to curl up on the sofa with a book.

I’ve known for years that my depression is affected by the amount of sleep I get on a regular basis. And so I’ve been very careful to always get plenty of sleep–this week no exception.

However, apparently when one is under stress, “regular” amounts of sleep (about 7 to 7 1/2 hours for me) aren’t enough.

Yesterday we went to the gym after work, came home and ate dinner, and then after dinner I stretched out on the sofa to read. And immediately fell asleep. And slept until Michael woke me up to go to bed, where I slept for nine hours more.

That is a lot of sleeping, especially for someone who tries to get plenty of sleep on a normal basis.

So there you are. When you’re under stress, 7 to 8 hours of sleep may well not be enough.

Now if you’ll pardon me, I have to eat breakfast and run to the grocery store.

And then maybe come home for a nap.

Authors pronouncing their names.

And usually telling a quick story about the pronunciation or history of their name.