Productivity Killer 3-31 Edition

http://homepage.mac.com/daver69/links/redsquaregame-altered.html

Drugs, Demand, Taxes

So we’re clearly not going to legalize drugs here in the U.S.  However, everyone with a brain understands that the increasing and widespread drug-related violence which has consumed Mexico for some time is due, primarily, to U.S. demand.  Why, then, does Mexico not just legalize narcotics and other drugs and tax the hell out of them?  Maybe there’s a good reason, but I can’t figure it out.  It seems to me that it would make them safer and the revenue generated would more than make up for any decline of funds due to U.S. sanctions.

I know this isn’t really a public discussion kind of blog, but I’m really stumped on this one-which I admittedly don’t know that much about-so if any of you have any ideas/explanations, I’d love to hear them.

It’s Amazing She’s Healthy

Though I was raised with dogs, I can honestly say that I wasn’t totally prepared in owning my very own. Many unexpected and often comical things have happened since we brought her home.

I present to you, the things my dog has eaten or chewed without consent:

Three pairs of Reef sandals
One driver’s license
Two cell phones
Paint brush
One Head Collar
Several spots in the dry wall
The patch of dry wall that we repaired (Twice)
Parts of the carpet
Countless Nutrigrain bars (wrappers included)
Personal DVD power cord
Two Pillows (stuffing was everywhere!)
Three rolls of toilet paper
Bluetooth headset
Netflix DVD
Mini Soccer Ball
One Visor
Catcher’s Mitt
One baseball hat
Cardboard boxes
Dryer Sheets
Kitchen Towels
Socks
Pen
Pen caps
Pencils
Plastic Coke bottles
One dog bed
Cell phone charger
Two pairs of glasses
Receipts
Bills
Junk mail
Three pictures
Refrigerator magnet
Several headbands
Dog poop
Doggie Trash bags
Coffee grounds
Part of a bannana
Part of an apple
One whole blueberry muffin
Three frisbees
Several plants
Two pairs of shoe laces
Check registry

It’s been a little over a year and a half since we rescued our first dog from the pound. She’s a lab mix and now weighs in at a healthy 57 pounds. I’m sure there are more items that can be added to the list above–unfortunately, there are too many to remember! (Perhaps the other 1/2 of seventonine will be able to remember some of the items I’ve long forgotten.

The one thing that she’s never eaten or chewed on? A baby gate. Though she’s much bigger and stronger than the wooden & plastic gate, she’s scared of it.

Running

Ran for an hour straight last night.  I didn’t even hate every single step.  Sometimes I was so busy hating one step that I would miss hating those that I took in the process.  I think that’s progress.

No Mo’

In addition to the totally obvious awards for worst lyrics and most unwatchable video, this totally wins the following awards:

least interested back-up singer
worst hair for a back-up singer
worst fitting suit for a lead singer
most awkward physical combination of lead singer and back-up singer
worst dancing
worst combination of food items (Lucky Charms and Iced Tea?)
most racial stereotypes ever unintentionally displayed in one song.

I double dog dare you to watch the whole thing.

[via H]

Chanter of Pains and Joys

This is the beginning to a much longer poem, or “reminiscence,” by Walt Whitman.  I know there’s a lot of great Whitman stuff, but this might be my favorite.  The way he situates my favorite line, line 20-”I, chanter of pains and joys, uniter of here and hereafter,”-makes it sound like being a poet is the greatest thing on earth, and I’m not sure he’s incorrect.

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking
Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical shuttle
Out of the Ninth-month midnight,
Over the sterile sands, and the fields beyond, where the child, leaving his bed, wander’d alone, bare-headed, barefoot,
Down from the shower’d halo,	5
Up from the mystic play of shadows, twining and twisting as if they were alive,
Out from the patches of briers and blackberries,
From the memories of the bird that chanted to me,
From your memories, sad brother—from the fitful risings and fallings I heard,
From under that yellow half-moon, late-risen, and swollen as if with tears,	10
From those beginning notes of sickness and love, there in the transparent mist,
From the thousand responses of my heart, never to cease,
From the myriad thence-arous’d words,
From the word stronger and more delicious than any,
From such, as now they start, the scene revisiting,	15
As a flock, twittering, rising, or overhead passing,
Borne hither—ere all eludes me, hurriedly,
A man—yet by these tears a little boy again,
Throwing myself on the sand, confronting the waves,
I, chanter of pains and joys, uniter of here and hereafter,	20
Taking all hints to use them—but swiftly leaping beyond them,
A reminiscence sing.

For The Record

Just in case anyone needed clarification, it isn’t a wise idea to yell at your boss.  Even if you have clearly defined a boundary, and have tried your hardest to be patient–it still isn’t a good idea to go ‘flying off the handle’.  You could potentially set yourself up to be in a situation where you will be looking for another boss–at another place of employment.

Evidently, I hadn’t really learned this lesson.  Fortunately, my boss displayed a tremendous amount of grace, and though things aren’t exactly totally ok, they’re better than they were when I shot my mouth off.

*I was going to label this under the WTTW series–but that label just didn’t seem to totally fit here.

Mavs

It’ll be real interesting to see what the Mavs are able to do over the next few weeks.  We’re not saying they’re good.  Not yet.  But there is beginning to be a chance that this team could be good at some point this season.  We’re just saying…

update: we just lost to the Thunder