The Lump

This morning, in the process of reaching for the snooze button, I rolled over this huge lump. She just yawned and stretched out even further taking up more of my bed space. Who was this lump?? My obnoxious dog who KNOWS she isn't allowed on the bed, but decided that it would be a good place to sleep anyway. And then she had the tenacity when I woke up to not even act like she was doing anything bad but just STRETCH out. She hasn't slept on my bed since once when she was a little puppy (maybe a month or two after I got her), she excitedly jumped on top of me, and in my sleepy stupor, I picked her up, growled and flung her across the room. It scared her into having 30 minutes of the hiccups and I figured that was the end of that behavior.

So this morning, I, of course, kicked her off of my bed. She then proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes circling my bed, like a lion hunting for prey, looking for any available and uncovered extremity to lick, because, she decided that's when we were waking up. Ah, puppyhood. I can't wait until I have a yard.

Things that make me frustrated

I heard this interesting story on NPR this morning and went to look it up, and John Snow, the nominee for Treasury Secretary is currently the CEO of CSX (a railroad company) -- this company, in their annual statements to stockholders, reported 900 million dollars in (pre-tax) earnings over the past 4 years, however, it has only paid federal income tax in one of those years (and also received $164 million dollars in tax rebates). Now, you can't really fault Snow, because from what I could tell from the radio program, his company was taking advantage of legitimate tax shelters for corporations to defer tax payments (and thus earn interest on that money rather than doing their part to help our government get out of its current defecit). But still... Gr. Here's details.

Santa has a Jag?

This was one of the funnier things I've read. Its about the recent Jaguar ads that show a happy wife getting a new Jag for Christmas... I've snipped some highlights:


Cooing sounds are made. Smiles are smiled. Pleasingly stunned aww-you-shouldn't-have looks that simply shrug "$25,000 down payment" are exchanged. Honey you bought me a Jag! How sweet. Kiss kiss.


Who is watching this ad and going, oh my God yes, forget the wool socks and the nice bath-soap set, I'm gonna cash in the United or Enron or WorldCom or Tyco stock and buy my spouse a nifty new XJS for the wife! What was I thinking?



Rich yuppies aren't bargain hunters. They are prestige hunters. Shiny-new-expensive-stuff hunters. Oh by the way honey I just heard Gina got a new Range Rover from Bob for their anniversary hint hint here let me pour you a glass of Chard and massage your neck.




That's my amusement for the day.