The Bawdy Cloister

Happy Halloween! I have a costume question, if you know the answer please leave a comment. Mrs. Theologian is an avid beader. You can see her work here. She resents people calling it "costume jewelry." Neither of us believe it is.
She uses real semi-precious stones and sterling silver; no plastic, no aluminum; nothing that would turn your skin green. I always thought costume jewelry was phony stuff, stones and chains trying to look like something they're not- hence "costume." I understand that smoky quartz and silver are no match against diamonds and 24 karat gold, but still....
So now my question, Is it costume jewelry or not?

I went to vote yesterday and it did me proud to wait in line for 45 minutes. This was the first election in recent memory that I actually had to wait. Kudos to Texas for having early voting, here you can vote any day two weeks prior to the election, according to the Bexar County Clerk, over 250,000 votes have already been cast in San Antonio.
Nonetheless I had a couple of concerns. Nearly half of the candidates on my ballot were running uncontested. I voted for none of them, no matter their party affiliation, because elections are supposed to be choices.
My second concern dealt with the write-in system on the e-ballot. There were several certified write-ins and you were supposed to type in the names of president and vice president like this, "Natalie Merchant/Michael Stipe". The problem was there was no "/" on the touchscreen keyboard.
Anyway, I think I voted. At least I got a sticker that says I did.

This week work took me to two small Texas towns, Hebbronville and Falfurrias. No exciting stories, other than a buzzard smacking into my car on the drive down there. No damage to the car...can't say as much for the bird though. On a brighter note, I dodged two turtles and an armadillo.
So now I'm back at the Cloister designing big plans for the weekend.

It's Monday already? Where did the weekend go?

P.S. Go Sox!

Click here to watch Nader debate Kerry and Bush.

Austin, TX: Ralph & Rowdy Saving Democracy

Polls are open in Texas, go vote. Remember, be pragmatic. The electoral votes are going toward Bush, so you might as well vote for the guy that stood against the war from the start and help him get air time on mainstream media so others can hear his message:

Kerry Receives 100 Times More in Contributions from GOP Donors than Nader

WHAT YOU WON'T HEAR: 12 topics Democrats will duck at convention

Nader Challenges Michael Moore to a Debate

Issues: Ralph Nader Stands with the People

Look I'm blogging! It's difficult to keep up with this with my new job, I don't have internet access when I'm in Zapata. But that's alright, because what Zapata lacks in IT, it compensates with Cheese Chicken Fried Steak.
I'm a lifelong lover of Chicken Fried Steak and never thought it could be improved upon. I was wrong. Throw a melted slab of cheese on top and it's better. Maybe this week I'll have them add bacon too. Mmmm...eating like this I'll be dead by the time I'm 30.
Anyway, my new calling has me out of the Cloister much of the week. It's good work...it requires wearing blue jeans, driving a 4-wheel drive Ford F-250, and of course grit in your teeth. I'm about a month into this work and I'm totally digging it.
See ya'll next week.....

Janet Leigh dead at 77.

It's sad how poor the press coverage was for the march yesterday from Arlington National Cemetery to the White House. Among the participants were the grandson of Gandhi, Lila Lipscomb (the mother who lost her son featured in Fahrenheit 9/11), and Nick Berg's father. Ultimately, 28 people (out of some 300) were arrested for, as most reports put it, "Charging over a barrier protecting the White House."
That's not quite how it went down. Not mentioned was how friendly the police were. According to a friend of mine who witnessed everything, the police told the protesters, "Once you climb the fence, we'll have you sit on the ground, we'll warn you three times to return, then you'll be arrested." Some of the protesters actually had problems getting over the fence and the police helped them so they wouldn't get hurt. The whole charging episode was benign and pretty well orchestrated.
Among the arrested was Nick Berg's dad.

Here are the three most frequently asked questions I've received in the last 24 hours. 1) "Where have you been?" 2) "When did you get back?" and 3) "I don't think chunky Asian chicks should be wandering around in tight jeans and cowboy boots, do you?"

For my answers, click the corresponding link:
1) I've been in...
2) I returned on...
3) Chunky Asian chicks...I checked, but there's not a single web page in cyberspace that'll come close to answering this question that's not pornographic.