Good news, better news and bad news

The good news: I was able to get 2 GB of RAM installed in my Mac mini (a much more complex and risky operation than doing the same to my Dell laptop, as the mini is way harder to open and the RAM installed under the drive assembly), and both I and the mini survived the experience.

The better news: Gonzo the Unethical Bastard (not to be confused with that android from the recent DC Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters comic book miniseries) is gone! (See filkertom's page for more and a link.) Now if only Junior Bush can be persuaded for once to put integrity and competence above partisan loyalty in choosing the next AG (not that I'm holding out much hope for that happening; this is Junior, after all).

The bad news: the home DSL line crapped out again, for the second time this month. Likely cause: heavy thunderstorms Friday that downed some power/phone lines. Hoping like hell AT&T can fix it without having to drag me away from work for half a day (or more) waiting for their tech to visit my home. (Can't believe I'm an hourly-wage slave *again*, 22 years into my alleged career.) Grrr. Means I have to do all my Net stuff from outside the home again for the rest of this week at least, the weekend being a holiday one. Oh, well, given Dragon*Con, I was gonna be doing that pretty much the whole weekend anyhow...

UPDATE: Monday, 8:30 pm—After trying six times to call AT&T tech support and losing the connection repeatedly for stupid reasons (cordless phone battery crapped out, hit the wrong button, one tech calling back interrupting the next etc.), I finally managed to get a tech visit appointment for after 5 PM tomorrow. Now to get Comcast to come fix their likewise busted cable wiring...

I knew China's quality problem was bad, but geeze!

Looks like the concerns about lead paint on toys, poisoned pet food/toothpaste etc. have gotten so bad even the Chinese won't buy "made in China." Read this article and pay particular attention to the last third or so, especially the last line.

In belated memoriam: Laura Branigan, 1957-2004

Yesterday marked the third anniversary of the shocking and untimely death of one of the 1980s' most underrated vocal talents, Laura Branigan. The performer who lent her operatic soprano to such eminently danceable hits as "Gloria," "Solitaire" and "Self Control" died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm while caring for her ailing mother on Long Island, NY in 2004. She would have been 50 this year. I cannot help but mourn what might have been, as she passed just when her career was back on the upswing.

Gonzo at least finally came to his senses and quit

...but Atlanta Falcons QB and admitted dog-killer Michael Vick somehow hangs on to his job. Despite his admission and the indefinite suspension he got slapped with by the NFL, team owner Arthur Blank still refuses to consider firing him (though the team has announced it wants back all that signing-bonus cash they gave him). If Blank has half the sense God promised a chipmunk, he'll cut this scumbag loose before he becomes an even bigger liability to his team, the league and our city than he already is.

Today's meme: Which Work of Great Literature Am I?

Bookishly burgled from debgeisler:
( I never in a million years woulda picked this one on my own, but it SO fits! )

A friend's loss

My and my Songbird's dear friend museinred has just lost her mother (thanks to persis for the tip). She and her husband have been especially kind to both of us, so please stop by her LJ and offer what comfort you can; I know only too well what she is going through just now, as the exact same thing happened to me 12 years ago this month. (God damn it, Mama, but I still miss you dreadfully.)