New Developments

On Men and Aliens

So I've talked about a lotta stuff here in Blogworld. But one subject has remained conspicuously absent: men. I guess that's pretty much cuz most of the time I don't have much to say about 'em. My interest in pursuing any kind of connection with a guy waxes and wanes with my mood. And my mood has become more and more solitary through the years. It's just too much effort... men are such an alien entity to me when I try to think of them in any kind of terms aside from friendship.

The "Issue" Issue

Then there are the "issues". Everybody has them... impossible to avoid them through the normal course of living and learning. And that's the key: learning from them... and striving to better yourself from that learning. I think I've accepted mine... I certainly recognize them, and can consciously and logically work my way through them. I believe I've stopped letting them rule me, my perception of and interaction with men, but it takes a lotta work. Some things attach themselves deep and will always subconsciously be there.

And yeah, I'm gonna let that whole idea remain ambiguous for now. I may blog about it more if I feel like it in the future... and mebbe if this blog were ACTUALLY completely anonymous. But I have too many peeps I know who can come here, and some things are just a li'l personal, ya know?

So yeah, the long and the short of all of the above is: men and relationships aren't really a normal part of my life. And I'm perfectly okay with that. I don't exactly pine for the whole married with children scene. I'm not dead set against it, per se... it's just a concept I can't even fathom for myself. And I REALLY like having the freedom to do what I please when I please... to be the mistress of all that is mine and mine alone. Sometimes I truly relish the ability to be completely selfish. :)

Periodic Moments of Adventurousness (is that a word?)

However... every once in a while, the mood strikes me to try to achieve some sort of normal relationship. Call it a rare sting of loneliness... call it a personal challenge to overcome my own demons... call it simple curiosity. It sounds strange, but I would like to know what it's like to genuinely fall in love sometime during my lifetime. I don't even necessarily want "happily ever after"... especially considering my thoughts on the reality of THAT particular sentiment. Just normal... I'm convinced that's not too much to ask.

The obvious crux of the issue is that I need to develop a natural relationship first, before I can get to the whole "falling in love" business. I've learned this. Trust and comfort is key... which is, of course, the hardest part. So making a friend is the first item on the list.

A Promising Connection?

And I may be on the way to making one of those. Not that I make friends very quickly, either. But it's always a pleasant surprise to meet somebody with which to share a natural and comfortable communication. Of course, it's quite common for a promising start to fade away... either abruptly or over time. Good connections, those that go beneath the surface, tend to be pretty rare. I don't bemoan the ones that fade... every person that touches our lives enriches it to some extent, so no connection is a "waste". But I've learned not to hold onto something that's not there just for the sake of wanting something.

But that's past experience. For now, I'm enjoying getting to know somebody new. Just met him last weekend through a personals ad on Yahoo that I've kept for a few years now. I normally keep it private, but when I'm in the rare mood to be open to possibilities, I switch it to public status. Yeah, meeting folks online is one of the few ways to go for me. I don't particularly like going out to socialize by myself, can't do the club/bar scene, am surrounded by the married set at work, and my friends have exhausted their matchmaking efforts... so online I go.

Much in Common

So yeah... our communication is still in it's infancy. But we seem to be on the same page on a lotta things... most importantly in that neither of us is rushing the other. And we share a lotta the same personality traits (solitary, slow to friendships, creative, curious about life) and experiences (living in both big and small cities, short tours of duty in the Navy). We both express ourselves quite naturally in writing, so it was quickly easy to relate to each other... and that goes a long way towards creating a comfort zone.

On Writing Novels

We've had some pretty in depth conversation so far through really long e-mails... once a day. I'm not quite to the point of getting burned out on all that writing, but I think a short break is on the horizon while he focuses on finishing up his Summer Courses. At least I hope I passed the message that I'd be cool with such a break. But if he's as much like me as I think he is, I think he'll need one too... and not just to study. What I'm interested to see is if / when we ever pick up where we leave off. It's easy, when a break is made, to just leave it there. Especially when one is not prone to making a lotta new connections. Guess it depends on our mood at the time, and if the spark created was strong enough to keep us interested in finding out more. I guess we'll see. On the one hand, I'm about ready to take a break from writing novels, but on the other... I kind of look forward to hearing from him.

Blog Name?

I was talkin to Bus Snob about him earlier, and she asked what I'm going to call him. I'd been thinking about it, so you KNOW he's made enough of an impression on me that I want to blog about him. One of the things I mentioned about him is that he obviously does NOT like taking pictures... his profile pic looks like smiling for the camera would cause him a convulsive agonizing death. So she suggested Grimace. On the one hand, that doesn't seem horribly complimentary... but then I always adored Grimace (from Micky D's commercials), and it IS funny. And nothing else I can think of really seems to fit. So, Chica: you'll be gratified to know I've decided to go with your suggestion. *grin* Grimace it is.

Oops... there's another novel comin my way, so I'd best be off to read it. :)

Missed Reunion

So my old music group from High School is having a reunion this Saturday in San Diego. I really wish I could make it. The group, and the music, kept me sane during my adolescence... and believe me, that took a lot. They meant a lot to me. Still do.

But... I got to see the usual crew of friends last October when I visited, and who knows... if the reunion could become an annual thing, I can always catch it next year. This year's just a bad financial year for me to go anywhere... not to mention the move sucking up every minute of my vacation time.

I just received an e-mail from Mrs. Beav, who's coordinating the party, asking if it'd be okay to give out my addy and e-mail addy to folks on Saturday. And my blog addy... I told her it's mostly been a bunch of bitchin lately, but they're welcome to read it if they want. lol

So, if ya'll are reading this: Hi! *waving* Wish I could have seen you this year, but mebbe next time. :) Either way, keep in touch!

Reprieve

Hot, Hotter, and Hottest

So the temp finally dropped under 80 today. It was in the upper 80's yesterday, and 100's since last Friday. And we've been in a draught to boot. The news this morning said that a good chunk of Missouri's farmers lost their crops this year and have to apply to the govt. for emergency aide. But we got some good thunderstorms yesterday through last night. Too late for the crops, but everybody really needed it, anyway.

Travelin Pair

Mom and Pop are in Sioux Falls this week. Scopin out the place for a possible move somewhere in the near/far/whenever future. They took their laptop, so Mom and I were chatting online yesterday. She wanted me to make sure I told everybody here that it was 65 degrees up there. lol Have I mentioned that she HATES the heat?

Of course, it was a mixed blessing... I mean, she's lovin the weather (though, they only packed shorts and t-shirts and are currently wishing they'd brought jackets, let alone heavier clothes), but they specifically wanted to go during the Summer so they could see how hot it gets out there. As it turns out, Sioux Falls experienced a record low for this time of year. Oops. Oh well.

2 Hats

So, of course, with the folks gone, I'm wearing 2 hats again... both at home and at work. On the home front, I have to go over to their place in the morning before work to let the cat out of the little room she's kept in overnight (I'll call her Zanta Bug... long story), open up the blinds, turn on the fishtank light, etc. Then, after work, gotta go again to do all the house-sitting type stuff, spend some time with Zanta Bug cuz she's been abondoned all day, and then put her to bed at 9:00 (yes, she has a bedtime).

Not to mention checkin in on Gram to make sure all is okay in her world, and that she doesn't need me to do anything. Normally, I talk to Gram about once a week or so, during family dinner on the weekends. But I guess Pop doesn't let a day go by without making sure she's okay. He has to, really... she never tells anybody when anything's wrong. Hates to be a "bother". *sigh*

Amway, I don't really mind housesitting. I mean, Mom has come to take care of Ms. Pukesalot countless times while I'm galavanting across the country. She has far less to do at my place than I do at theirs, but they also don't go on as many trips as I do. So it all evens out. Besides... all the rain yesterday saved me from having to water the outside plants. :D

At work, I am, of course, Mom's backup in the Document Center. So: 2 hats. Thankfully, though, this time is MUCH different than the last vacation they took. Last time was in April of last year... nearing the end of the Spring Semester, and the place was hoppin. Summer's are MUCH slower, so my plate is not as full, let alone hers. Much easier all the way around.

Amway, they're only gone a week, so it won't be for much longer.

Battenin Down the Hatches

The Barren Horizon

So I'm thinking part of my moroseness lately is facing down the imminent loss of free spending money. I'm determined, with my new financial start, that I'm going to do it completely. Until my consolidation loan is paid off, there will be no usage of the credit cards unless I know it can be paid off immediately with money on hand.

With such in mind, I've been considering alternate options for having available spending money. I just received my delivery discount from my washer and dryer, and my deposit refund from the last apartment. I have these earmarked for a few items I really want to get before the well runs completely dry.

Just a Few More Purchases...

Chiefly, a dragon print that will be perfect over my entertainment center, and needs to be framed. Plus, one more panel of jean drapes to flesh out a couple of my remaining window trimmings. Mom came by this past weekend to finish measuring and planning what to do with the panels I already bought (she's custom-tayloring them for me) and we realized I need one more. But they're $55 a pop for one panel. I hadn't realized what an awesome sale I'd gotten the other ones for. So I guess I get to wait for another sale.

Same goes for the framing... I don't think I've framed ANY of my prints for anything less than Michael's 50%-off-the-entire-framing sales. They just had one last month, though, so I'll just keep my eye out for another.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned that I'm not good at waiting. For anything. With money burning a hold in my bank account. *sigh* This will simply be a test of my patience and resolve.

Alternate Income?

Amway, one of the alternate options I mentioned above is a second job. Yeah, I periodically consider then discard the idea. I don't think I'd survive a second job for long... not with my head causing problems all the time. But a local textbook exchange has been recently been advertising for customer service reps... for part time/temporary positions until school starts. So I went ahead and put in an application before I change my mind again. I figure I can surely handle two months of extra work. If I get the job. If I get a phone call. I guess I'll see.

But I'm kinda hoping for it. I REALLY would like to get a new couch to finish up my furniture purchases. I have some possibilities of having guests stay with me within the next year, and I'd really like to be able to put the futon in the guest room for them.

Of course, I'll always have my tax return next year, but I suspect that will be sucked up by a visit to San Diego next Fall. But one thing at a time. We'll see what happens. The office manager also asked me a few months back if I'd be interested in some finance part/time work with her husband's business. Since I could work from home, it would be a perfect opportunity. But they're really only in the thinking stages, and I don't think they're really willing to take that step yet.

So again... guess I'll see what happens.

Blah

Perception

So I realized that my blog is becoming just what my mother accused all blogs of being when I first started: a whine deposit.

So I'm going to try to focus OFF of all the bitchiness for a post or two. Though I've been outta sorts today, and I can't really put my finger on any particular reason. I can't blame PMS anymore... so I'll go with SDF (Skin Don't Fit) syndrome. And hating when I do stupid things that take hours to remedy. *sigh*

But I won't focus on that today. Seems like all of life is struggling to adjust one's perception... of anything. It's like it's the only difference between being miserable or being happy. Or at least content.

Oh Boy... More Metal

So I guess I get to focus on my dentist appt. coming up in about an hour. Yippee. During my last appt. a few weeks ago, they discovered one cavity that needs attention... and another area that they can't really see cuz my gums have curled over where my wisdom tooth used to be. But they suspect they will need to replace a filling there, too. So I get to put even more metal in my mouth. Oh joy.

At least I was able to hunt down some toothpaste, toothbrush and floss that I keep at work for emergencies. I didn't quite realize until AFTER I'd finished my sandwich at Breadbasket today that the dentist will most assuredly appreciate the onions I just ate. Oops.

Oh well. I suppose the one good thing coming out of it is that I get to go home early.

Hopefully, anyay.

Operation Instructions: Engage Brain

So this morning has pretty much been shot.

Pleasant Weekend

At least the weekend went well. Was busy all day Saturday preparing to hostess our weekly Family Dinner in honor of Mom's birthday... and then had a blessed day ALL to myself on Sunday. I didn't go anywhere, do anything, or interact with anybody but Ms. Pukesalot. I had plenty to get done around the house... but I sat and played "Tak & the Power of JuJu" all day instead. It was great. Cute game, by the way.

Plus, my P(re)MS has officialy become P(resent)MS, so my mood has experienced an overall turn for the better. Which is a good thing, considering everything was completely FUBAR all morning, and I have no idea how I'd have handled it with the seriously bitchy state of mind I "enjoyed" all last week.

Taking Advantage of Lost Time

First, I got up late. Actually, this is a pretty normal occurence, so it wasn't that big of a deal all by itself. In fact, since I FINALLY received Ivy's title from the car dealership over the weekend, I decided to take advantage of my state of tardiness and head over to the DMV to take care of registration before I headed into work. They're only open during the hours that I work, plus the last two Saturday's of the month. Considering that my temporary tags expire on the 22nd, I'll have to go during work hours SOMETIME in the next two weeks, anyway. I'd just as well get it done sooner rather than later.

I knew the Office Manager would be out today, which would leave two people in the office for the morning without me, but I called anyway to make sure the Receptionist was in. She's out a LOT more often than myself with medical issues. Amway, if she were out, it would just be the new girl holding down the fort until I got out of the DMV, and that wouldn't have been a good thing. But the receptionist was in and said everything was fine here, so I told them I'd be out for part of the mornin, and would be in as soon as everything was taken care of.

Collecting the Paperwork

Now, when I first bought the car, I think I've previously mentioned that she had only just been traded in that day. Her title was still being held on lien at the bank of her previous owner, and the car dealership hadn't even had a chance to complete her inspection. So we processed all the purchase paperwork, I handed over the check, and they gave me a proof of purchase, the title application, an IOU for whatever they still had to get for me, and the warranty information. The title would take a few weeks to acquire, and they still needed to give me the Safety Inspection Notice.

I stuffed the whole kit 'n kaboodle of paperwork into my purse, figuring I can't lose it there. I'd just hold onto it until I got everything and then go straight to the DMV for registration.

So... when I picked up the car a few days later, they gave me the Inspection Notice at that time... which I honestly thought I bundled up with the rest of the paperwork in my purse. And then I waited. After hearing nothing last week, I finally called them and they informed me that they'd received the title and it would be in the mail.

The Last Pieces of the Puzzle

So I got the title in the mail (along with the notorized lien release and something about the odometer reading) just this past Saturday... the same day Pop received the final loan contract on the car. See the original check, itself, kind of served as a temporary contract. It was authorized for a maximum set amount, and could be written for anything up to that amount. As the actual amount would be unknown until the date of the sale, the official contract would be drafted once the check was cashed in, and the loan would be set at that amount. I guess since Pop was the co-signer, they sent the contract to him.

So we (Mom, Pop and I) went through the contract and all the instructions, which detailed that the title needed to show my loan account number on it. I wasn't sure how the DMV would handle the new title... if they'd send it to me or the lien holder, so I added my loan contract (with the account number on it) and loan instructions to the pile of papers to take to the DMV.

Now, it was becoming quite a bundle in my purse, so I decided to make it a little more tidy and transfer them to a folder. At that time, I realized that I didn't really need to take my proof of purchase, IOU or warranty information to the DMV... so I took those out and left them in a "to be filed" pile in the library. I have many of those.

Good to Go... Or So I Thought

I figured: Okay, I'm ready. I even remembered to grab my checkbook this morning, because I normally don't carry it. I didn't quite remember if the DMV took cards (which it doesn't, so it's a good thing I remembered).

So I head out to the DMV, which has been moved (for the third time) to the complete opposite end of town from me. I am on the bare outskirts of the city to the south, and the DMV is pretty far to the north end of town. I'd say, with traffic, a good 25 minutes. There's a decent line for the new registration windows, but thankfully I immediately started reading the li'l signs they have up explaining what paperwork you need to have on hand.

My eyes lit upon the words "Safety Inspection", and I thought "Oh shit!" I did NOT recall that particular piece of paper being in the stack I stuffed into the folder. So I checked the folder. And checked it again. No Safety Inspection. My first thought is that it must have been tucked in with some of the other papers I threw in the "to-be-filed" pile.

I'm Taking My Ball and Going Home

So I gotta go back home. Smackin myself for being so absent-minded, and hoping that work isn't too busy for the two women I abandoned this morning. I get home and search the "to-be-filed" stack. Nothing. I check it twice. I check other stacks. I check the entire desk. I check the filing cabinet in case I already filed it. Nothing. I'm now beginning to think I'm gonna have to take the car in for another safety inspection, and the registration process will be delayed by at least another day or two. Which is no big deal in the big picture of things, I suppose, but when I'm ready to do something, I want to do it NOW... and I hate delays due to stupidity. Especially my own.

Then I have one last idea. I may have POSSIBLY tucked it into the instruction booklet / paperwork pouch that's kept in the glove compartment, since I received it separately from any other paperwork when I picked up the car. So I check and there it was. And I smacked myself AGAIN cuz I never had to go home at all.

So I head ALLLLL the way BACK to the DMV. At least the line was about the same size it was when I left. And there's a cute kid in line in front of me (with her mom, of course) who kept us all entertained, wavin at everybody n' shit. My turn finally comes, and I get to the window. Thankfully, the nice DMV lady at the window was VERY nice... and patient. First, she looks through the paperwork I hand over, and starts entering my information into the computer. Then she asks for my personal property tax receipt. Now, I had thought that that particular requirement was not necessary since I've never PAID personaly property taxes before on this car.

I'm Taking My Ball and... Oh Wait

Evidently, they need proof of personal property taxes, period... not necessarily just for that vehicle. When this realization hits me, she must have recognized my subsequent looks of horror and resignation as I'm facing yet another trip back home. Fortunately, her handy-dandy computer was capable of looking up those records for me. UNfortunately, her computer decided to lock up mid-search. So we had to wait until it decided to work again... and then it had lost all of the information she had already entered. She had to start again from scratch.

Clear as Mud

Then came the question as to whether or not I live within City Limits. I told her I wasn't sure. See, the rest of my community lives in Boone County, but the City recently annexed three of the units, mine included. She asked if I get my water and utilities with the City, and I said no. She asked if the City picks up my trash, and I said yes. It wasn't exactly a cut-and-dried answer, so she again turned to her handy-dandy computer to look up my address.

And again, her handy-dandy computer decided to lock up again. And, yup... you guessed it, she had to enter everything again from scratch. I'm sure the woman knows all of my personal information by heart by now.

Then we got to one of the signed and notarized documents that came from the dealership in the mail with the title. It was a xerox copy. The DMV needed at least an original signature and notarization... so began the contention as to the validity of the document. She asked the lady next to her... she asked the lady to the other side of her. She finally had to go somewhere in the back to get an official opinion on this friggin document. The final verdict: the signatures were originals. Whew.

Thankfully, there were two other windows open, so at least there was no irate mob waiting in line for all these glitches.

And I'm STILL Not Done Yet

The shortest part of the whole ordeal was her explaining the process of applying for personalized tags. So I have yet to do that. She helped me fill out the parts of the application that I wouldn't have known off the top of my head, and explained that I need to mail it in separately. She handed me a couple of plates that were on the top of a big-ass stack of plates and informed me these would be my second temporary tags until the personalized ones came in (another 4-6 weeks). She was also nice enough to look up my top 3 choices to see if they were already taken... which they weren't. At least the computer didn't lock up for THAT one.

I also learned that they will be sending the title directly to me... in 2-6 weeks as well. And then I need to send it on to the credit union. I just hope they don't have a particular hard-on for that title.

*sigh* I will be happy when all of this is DONE. I'm gonna need to call up the Boone County Collector's office, too, to find out how much I need to save up for property taxes this year.

Welcome Back to Work!

Amway... I finally got out of the DMV just after 11:00. I figure: just in time for the new girl to go to lunch at 11:30, as is her wont. I get in, and I have a voice message informing me that my reservation for a conference room at the Med School for a meeting this afternoon has been bumped. Evidently, somebody had accidently deleted a recurring meeting for the Dean... and he HAD to use THAT room at THAT time.

The girl felt bad about the cancellation, though, and suggested several other departments at the Med School to contact and see if they had an available conference room. Considering I needed a room in 4 hours, it wasn't much surprise that it took me about 3 tries before I found an available room.

Oops... Never Mind

So I sent out the Outlook meeting update notice, and also started making phone calls to contact all of the attendees in case they didn't have time to read their e-mail before the meeting. On my third call, I got a hold of a guy who's kind of a Co-PM (Project Manager) on the project (the subject of the meeting) with our PM. He informs me that notice went out on Friday that the project is back on hold again, and that he doesn't think we should have a meeting, and that he's been trying to get a hold of our PM to talk to her about it since Friday.

See, this particular project has been given so many green and red lights I can't keep track. Something about approval from the Board of Curators. Our PM THOUGHT she finally had a green light last week, and immediately asked me to set up a meeting for today. She was planning to take vacation on Friday through this morning. So she wasn't here to hear about the new red light given on Friday. And I don't hear anything except through her.

So I figure I'd might as well stop making phone calls to let people know about a new room, if there's going to be no meeting at all. I couldn't talk to her about it until she came in... around 12:45. Skip to the end: she decides to still have a smaller version of the meeting to discuss the issues and problems with the project moving forward. Fortunately, by this time, I've already received e-mail confirmation that the rest of the attendees I hadn't called knew about the room change.

Whew

So my morning has been shot. And Mom wants me to take her out to get some work-related software manuals at Barnes & Noble this afternoon (I have a University purchasing card, and she doesn't), so I'm not going to be able to dig into anything at all today. *sigh*

Oh well... tomorrow's always a new day, right?

Friends are Great

So I just had to note how powerful and transforming good family and friendships can be. And the internet, of course... online interaction and the kind of relationship you can share with people through a li'l rectangular box on a screen still never ceases to amaze me.

Amway, long story short (or Reader's Digest Condensed Version, as I've called it a few times today) my mood has improved by leaps this afternoon. And all it took was 1 lunch, 2 parents, 3 friends, 2 vents, a copy/paste vent, and plenty of laughing at my expense. :) Oh, and a good dose of bashin on the prez... that always helps a bit.

Plus, it seems everybody's been bitten by the crabby bug lately. IHOP Buddy suggested it might be in the air. Who knows. It's just good to have peeps who can help clear out the air. :)

Late to the News

Wake Up!

Geez... world news is so instantaneous these days, and I can STILL be completely unconscious to it. But then, I don't really get my news from tv, radio or newspapers. I get it online. And, after I spit out my diatribe *pointing below*, I finally checked my e-mail, news, etc.

And there it was... another terror attack, this time in London. Oh, we see plenty of daily reports of bombs, murder and mayhem in the usual hotspots of the world, but these kinds of attacks make one sit up and take notice.

I know I should probably feel contrite and humbled for venting so many irritations *pointing below again* when folks elsewhere have SO much bigger problems. Only, this kinda shit simply serves to make me even more irritated. *grumble*

Amway, I'll let CNN tell the rest: (The link should change with updates: FULL STORY)

London bombs kill at least 33
'Barbaric' terror attack says PM Tony Blair

LONDON, England (CNN) -- At least 33 are dead and scores wounded after a series of four "callous" and coordinated bombings in London's transport system, Scotland Yard said.
U.S. law enforcement sources say the British government has told them the death toll is at least 40.

Witnesses described the horror of seeing victims dying and with serious injuries. There were scenes of panic as power failed on crowded underground trains, and tunnels filled with smoke.
"We were all trapped like sardines waiting to die," said Angelo Power. "I honestly thought I was going to die, as did everyone else."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was a "barbaric" terrorist attack as he flew back to London from the G8 summit in Scotland, which he said would go on in defiance of the bombers.
A group, the "Secret Organization group of al Qaeda Organization in Europe," claimed responsibility in a Web site posting. The authenticity of the claim could not immediately be verified.

CNN's Charles Hodson, reporting from the scene of one of the bombings, said London had ground to a halt as the subway and bus systems had been shut down by the attacks.
Police immediately began a hunt for the bombers -- thought to have operated similar to the Madrid bomb attackers of March 2004 who left explosives on trains rather than mounted suicide attacks.

The death toll was expected to rise and London hospitals reported many people in critical and serious condition. Three of the blasts took place in the city's subway system and one more hit a double-decker bus, all at the height of rush hour.

International SOS, an international medical emergency service, reported that the police had found explosive traces in at least one of four confirmed blast locations. Scotland Yard's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick told a news conference that there had been 33 deaths in the three train incidents plus an unknown number of fatalities in the bus attack.

There had been no warnings given and the police had received no claim of responsibility for the attacks, he said -- though he later added that police were aware of the Web site claim by a self-proclaimed al Qaeda-linked group and would be looking at it. Hospital officials have reported at least 160 wounded. London transit officials shut down the entire Underground and stopped buses in the central city district.

Paddick said the first explosion had come at 8:51 a.m. BST (O350 ET) near Liverpool Street, Aldgate and Aldgate East Stations Underground stations, where seven were confirmed dead. At 8:56 a.m. there was a second explosion near Kings Cross and Russell Square tube stations, where 21 confirmed were dead. At 9:17 a.m. there was an explosion on a train traveling into Edgware Road station, affecting two other trains, with five confirmed dead. At 9:47a.m there was an explosion on bus at Upper Woburn Place near Tavistock Square. Fatalities have been confirmed fatalities but the number is unknown at this stage.

"This is a callous attack on purely innocent members of the public deliberately designed to kill and injure members of the public," Paddick said. Blair, in Scotland where he is hosting the G8 summit, told reporters he would leave the summit for a "face to face" report in London and then return later in the evening. "It's reasonably clear there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London," Blair said. "There are obviously casualties, both people that have died and people that are seriously injured. Blair said it was "also reasonably clear" that the attacks were timed to coincide with the opening of the summit. "It's particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of proverty in Africa and the long-term problems with the environment," he said.

Just before leaving for London, Blair made a second statement, surrounded by the other leaders present at the conference. "All of our countries have suffered from the impact of terrorism," he said. "Those responsible have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation, but all nations and on civilized people everywhere."

U.S. President George W. Bush was among the somber leaders who stood behind Blair as he spoke. "We will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists," he said in a short statement after Blair departed. "We will find them, we will bring them to justice, and at the same time we will spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm their ideology of hate."

London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the blasts were "mass murder" carried out by terrorists bent on "indiscriminate ... slaughter." Livingstone, in Singapore where he supported London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, said: "I want to say one thing: This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty or the powerful, it is not aimed at presidents or prime ministers, it was aimed at ordinary working-class Londoners."

The Web site claim of responsibility by al Qaeda in Europe said the blasts were "in retalitation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan." "Here is Britain burning now out of fear and horror in its north, south east and west," the statement said, translated from Arabic by CNN. "We have often and repeatedly warned the British government and people."

Despite calls from officials to stay home, Londoners were on the streets except in areas where they were barred by police. Police cordoned off areas around six stations in and around the city's center and financial area and brought in sniffer dogs to check the areas. Telephone traffic -- particularly by cell phone -- was nearly impossible. London's largest cellular provider, Vodaphone, said it had devoted much of its network to emergency services, causing the problems with subscribers.

One man, with blood streaming down the left side of his face from a wound on his temple, said he didn't "want to live through it again." "I was in the front carriage and people were severely injured there," he said, dispassionately, adding that his train had been in the tunnel between Kings Cross and Russell Square. "I heard, but I don't know, that people were hurt worse further back. "Some people were very calm, others very panicky." "There was a very loud bang, the lights went out, the carriage filled with smoke," he said. "We were all thrown forward."

A police spokesman urged Londoners to "stay where you are." "There's no way to travel around London at the moment," he said. "There is a London emergency plan," he said. "It has been put into effect. It is being coordinated by the Metropolitan Police, and that's about all I can say at the moment."

Scotland Yard sent out a notice saying that "public transport in London will be affected in the next few days."

Claire Burroughs, spokeswoman for St. Mary's Hospital in central London, told CNN the hospital was on "major incident alert." Four patients were critically injured, eight were seriously injured and 14 others were being treated for minor injuries, she said. "The types of injuries we are seeing include limb damage, burns, cuts, breaks, head injuries and chest problems due to smoke inhalation," Burroughs said.

London Hospital said it received 95 patients, most with minor injuries. Ten, however were listed in serious condition and seven in critical condition as well as "numerous with significant orthopedic injuries requiring immediate surgery." Royal London Hospital, in east London near Aldgate station, said it had admitted 16 patients, 10 of them in critical condition. St. Bartholomew's hospital said it had treated and released 36 patients and had admitted two others. CNN cameraman Oran O'Reilly said he has seen seven of the city's famed double-decker buses as well as police cars and ambulances arriving with casualties.

British Home Secretary Charles Clarke said the explosions took place between Russell Square and Kings Cross Underground; near the Moorgate, Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations Underground; and the Edgware Road station.

Police said a bomb was aboard one train at Edgware Road, but it exploded as another train was passing and hit that train as well. The fourth explosion on a bus just outside Tavistock Hotel.
Jarvis Medhurst told CNN: "I was working at the Tavistock Hotel and a bus exploded literally 40 meters away from me. There was a massive explosion and a cloud of smoke, and then when the smoke stated to die down, you could see the wrecked bus, which was on fire. "There were bodies everywhere. Heads and bits of bodies, heads and arms and legs all ripped away." "There seemed to be kids lying around as well as adults. I'm just in shock, it's something I'll never forget."

London Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police and London's fire brigade are investigating, according to Scotland Yard.

O'Reilly, who was at Aldgate station, saw passengers coming out of it with signs of smoke inhalation -- black smudges around their mouths and noses. "They're pushing people away from the tube (train) station," O'Reilly said. "Police are telling us to evacuate the street." Also at Aldgate, CNN producer Roger Clark said he had seen people with blood running down their faces, with many others looking stunned. An eyewitness who was on a train told Clark the car in front of him exploded and then the the train tunnel filed with smoke.

End of Story

Blogger's Note: Okay, I feel for every single person in this story... except for George Bush. I don't quite know why the man irritates me so. Perhaps because his rhetoric sounds appealing and all... I just don't think it's realistic. You can't wipe out hate and terrorism and replace it with hope and happiness out of pure will and/or force. And you certainly can't do it by waging a war that only fuels hate and terrorism. grrrrr

*P*M*S*.. ie: Time to Whine

Speak Up, Dammit!

So yeah, I'm PMS'ing something ferocious this month. But I can seriously see a future problem forming. First, let me explain one of my biggest frustrations: not being able to understand somebody. Having to repeat "What?!" fifty friggin million times, and feeling more stupid and frustrated with each repetition.

Now, this frustration stems from a hearing loss that started back in the days I was in a band, and was finished up by my years on the airfield in the Navy. I can hear most tones in and of themselves, but when it comes to speech discrimination... i'm lost.

Hence, when somebody has a deep accent... mumbles... or talks too low, I can't hear a damn word they say. And when there's a moderate amount of background noise, even with normal speech... I'm equally lost.

Fear of Yelling?

So our new girl at work speaks very, very, VERY softly. She explains that she always feels like she's yelling if she speaks any louder. All find and dandy, but when I'm not in the mood to ask "What?!", "I can't hear you", "Please speak up" and turn down my radio (which is on pretty low as it is) to try to hear what the woman is telling and/or asking me... and when I'm in a pissy mood as it is (ie: PMS'ing), then I get pretty damned irritated.

It Can be a Deal-Breaker

This actually reminds me distinctly of a guy I met online a few years back. We'd really only got to the "talking on the phone" point... and it never got past that. He was a nice enough guy, but he kept on irritating the crap outta me simply by the way he talked. He spoke in a slightly different cadence than my ears are used to following... which would be okay in and of itself. It usually doesn't take too long to pick up a new speech pattern or accent as long as I have time to get used to it. Except he also kept slipping into this very low tone... which I'm sure he felt sounded sexy as all get-out, but I couldn't understand a word he said. I'd explain the problem, and he'd pick up his tone for a little bit, but then inevitably fall back. After several frustrating conversations, I simply wasn't interested in talking to him any further.

General Discontentedness

As for today... well, I recognize I'm in a pissy mood, and though I have this overwhelming desire to crab at my new coworker for being incredibly inconvenient, I will simply keep to myself until I get over it. It's not like she's doing it just to be contrary. I've noticed this attitude in myself for the past few days... definately PMS. Things that normally don't bother me are bothering me. It's like I feel as if the whole world is out to irritate me or be rude to me or some such silliness. I hate feeling like this, though... so I just do my best to ride it out. It'll be over soon enough.

And My Body Has a Thing or 2 to Add

Doesn't help that I feel like crap, too. Fought a migraine all over the Holiday weekend, and missed work on Tuesday with it, to boot. Something else to thank my hormones for. Yesterday, I didn't hurt so much as I still had plenty of "dopey drugs" running through my system. I dragged all day and had no hope of focusing on anything... and what's worse is that Mom was battling a pretty bad migraine, herself, yesterday. Plus, her body decided to add dizzy spells to the mix. Of the two of us, I was actually feeling better. So I drove us to lunch... and ended up driving her home, too, cuz she was too dizzy. She's at work again this morning, so I can only hope she's feeling better.

Today... well, I just feel like crap in general. And lemme tell you that the only good thing about bloating is that I have NO appetite whatsoever, so I can lay off the munchies. Not that you could tell from my current resemblance to a whale. I still feel drugged, but I haven't taken anything for a few days now. And I woke up feeling the threat of a sore throat. If I were getting sick, that could help explain the general crappiness, but that particular phenomenon has happened quite a few times in the last several months. I'll feel on the verge of getting sick, and then nothing. Either it's my imagination, or my Vitamin C pills are doing wonders. I honestly haven't been really sick-sick for at least about a year.

Of course, I knock on wood every time I say that. I kept expecting to get hit with the flu this last season with all the flu shot shortages. And the sickness raged all around work... me, not a thing. I'm still expecting SOMETHING to catch up to me, though. But I guess it's well enough that I'm not getting sick these days, considering how all of my sick days are used up by migraines, so it all works out.

Amway, I need to go back to stretching out my few tasks for the day so I can look busy... and (the much harder job) work at keeping my crabbiness to myself.