History. And the funny way it keeps repeating itself.

C'mon really - raise your hands if you were truly surprised by the massive Wall St failure. Ok, ok, for the idiots in the back with your hands up, I have a bridge for sale down in New York for a buck. I accept cash and Paypal. Thanks.

But for serious, people can't be all that surprised. It's a fundamental law of physics that whatever goes up must, eventually, come down.

And also, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Which means that if you are going to make huge risks to make huge piles of money that is great, because frankly yay capitalism. However at some point you stand to lose those piles of money. You might not, but the risk is that you might.

And when you lose it, that should be tough titties for you. Not a $700 billion dollar bailout, with CEO's walking away with millions in their pockets.

Some of those same CEO's appearing in front of the House hearing on this major economic clusterf*ck looked like they were trying to cover up the fact that they got caught jerking off in the executive washroom by the cleaning lady. Embarrassed to have been caught by the "little" person, somewhat arrogant because after all everyone else was doing it, and somewhat petulant at having to explain themselves to anyone except to other CEO's.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you the hardest working wankers on Wall Street! Now, or soon to be, appearing either before the House or in a Frontline special!

(For detailed compensation information, check out this great NYT interactive. Very interesting. Especially if you are wondering why Mr. Pandit is included on the list for only $250K.)

But you know what, this isn't anything we haven't seen before. The history of Wall Street, of most financial streets, is pocked with craters of busts previous. Wherever and whenever the chance to make money presents itself, there is going to be those who push and pull and scheme and wheedle and connive and grab until the money is more than gone.

Yep there goes history, repeating itself. The years might be different, the climate different, people different. But the plot and the characters are the same. LBO's, Enron, dot com, debt investments, it's all the same thing at the end of the day. A bunch of wildly overcompensated guys grabbed the money and ran, however this time there were also lots more ordinary people trying to get their grab at the stash, who instead wound up with Monopoly money.

If I had any money to bet, I'd bet that not one of those CEO's gets up and says "yeah, I hosed y'all. Thanks for the cash. C ya!". Nope. They will all think that they worked really hard to earn that money, and that they deserve to keep it. Personally I think that they all deserve a kick in the butt. But that's just me.

Oh and also, did you happen to hear that Iceland is trying to stave off bankruptcy? Yep. The Prime Minister Geir Haarde was on television today explaining how he had tried to reach out to friends of Iceland (namely Russia) for financial help, however having been turned down, he was now looking for new "friends" of Iceland. Yipes.

That sure can't be good.

But then again, really what I am worried about. I live within my means for the most part. I mean I am ALWAYS skint, so I can't imagine being more skint. And I am having a hard time thinking of something I have now that I would really miss if I didn't have it. Perhaps the Champagne Supernova. She might be a sh*tbox, but I love her. Still, if I had to go without a car I would survive. Well food too, but I could probably live on Ramen, after all these years and millions of packets of the stuff, I am STILL not sick of it. Um, what else... I don't want to lose my job, that is for sure. I guess if I lost my job that would worry me.

But eh, I'll cross that bridge if and when I get to it.

Until then GO SOX.

Darn Mercury in retrograde

I had to go to the main post office tonight and let me just say that it was Masshole Mania out there tonight.

First of all I got cut off on Frontage Road by a Vespa with a death wish - no directionals, no brake light, just major Massholitude. Seriously who rides a scooter like that? Suicide by scooter is what that is.

Then coming down A Street the car in front of me suddenly veered sharply to the left in order to swing wide to the right and pull a u-turn. Good thing the Champagne Supernova stops on a quarter.

And on Washington Street some bozo in a massive testostertruck came bombing down the bus lane and nearly smashed into the car in front of me when he realized that he need to take a left on Mass Ave and not a right and had about 7 feet to do that. I really thought that the car in front of me was toast. It was all screeching tires and sharply swervy driving.

Blech. I can't wait until un-retrograde.

Wait. What?

Apparently I totally missed the news on Friday, and most of this weekend, because I just now found out that OJ Simpson was found guilty on a total of 12 charges that included armed robbery and kidnapping.

Huh.

I am surprised that he is going to jail. I fall into the category of people who think he probably killed Nicole Brown and when he was acquitted I will admit that I was sort of surprised. Only because it seemed to be a crime of passion and they seemed to have had a pretty passionate relationship and love makes people crazy and, well, we all know how that ends. Although I think there is something a little plain old crazy about OJ. Perhaps from the football, or the Naked Gun movies, or from all the models...

So when he got off on that I figured he was like one of those people like John "the Teflon Don" Gotti who can get away with that sort of thing.

However I am not so sure on this one.

I think that he is guilty of being a major macho a**hole who stormed the hotel room of a sleazy collectibles dealer trying to get his hands on stuff he considered to be his own personal, private, property.

It is certain that OJ went about getting his property back all the wrong way, and he certainly deserves punishment for what he did, because it was against the law. But now he faces the possibility of life imprisonment. Which seems a little off to me. It seems like he is actually being punished for something he was already tried and acquitted on. Which is wrong.

And now he is going to jail at least until December 5 because of what the AP describes as "a tussle between two dysfunctional middle-aged men." After that he might go to jail for a lifetime.

And while I think he is guilty of murder, there are 12 jurors out there who thought differently and I have to respect their decision, no matter how much I disagree with it.

Which is why I hope that the judge in this case hands down a reasonable sentence for the crimes that OJ was convicted on. And not on the crime he got away with.

Whoo hoo Thanksgiving!

I want all Shamrag readers (yeah, all 7 of you) to go over to UniversalHub and vote on a poll.

On this poll: click here

Honestly, and technically, Thanksgiving COMES FIRST. How weird would it be if shops started shoving Valentine's Day down our throats in December?

Pretty weird.

Although this year I predict Thanksgiving is going to be big. No one has any money, it's too expensive to travel, and you don't have to buy anyone any gifts. Much more fun to stay home, stuff yourself with turkey, and watch a little football. Or what have you.

Say buddy, can you spare a stamp?

Hello lovely readers of Shamrag - I need a stamp from all of you!

What I need you to do is to stick the stamp on an envelope, put a get well card in the envelope, and mail the card & stamp to my neighbor Mrs. T.

Poor Mrs. T had a nasty fall in her house this past weekend, resulting in a badly bruised shoulder and a gash in her head requiring stitches.

As of last night she was feeling quite banged up, but otherwise in ok spirits. However the thing she said to me was that while she felt ok, she was terribly lonely.

And that, my friend, broke my heart.

As you may know from previous posts, Mrs. T lost her husband of fifty years last year. Since then she has struggled mightily with the loss. They used to do everything together and so I think that when she fell, and there was no one there to help her up again, it both scared her and totally reminded her of her loss.

SO, all I ask is that you send her a get well card, or a thinking of you card, or even a post card. You have NO idea how happy that would make her.

Not only that, but you don't have to sign it or explain why or anything. Just an anonymous note to let her know that she is not so totally alone in the world. Just email me for the address.

Plus, not that I don't already, but I will definitely love you more for it. 42 cents more.

Behold the power of Facebook!

Remember a few posts back when I bloooooogged about how I was getting some newbie neighbors mail?

Well I kept returning the packages to the post office, but oddly a few of them got returned BACK to me. Even after I brought them to the post office and everything.

Well so anyway today I decided to run the senders name through Facebook. (I deserve no credit at all for this brainwave. My friend MattieMattMatt suggested this trick. )

And lo and behold the sender is indeed on Facebook! I emailed the person, and she emailed me back and turns out that the mailing address was off by a number so I was able to pop the package to the right person this very evening.

I wish I'd been able to meet him though. The packages were addressed to John "Babyfingers" Doe and I am SO curious about that.

Take THAT damn Taliban.

I am still PISSED at the Taliban for assassinating Malalai Kakar. So I've figured out how to get back at them.

I signed up for Kiva.

Basically for $25 a pop I get to make a micro loan to another person. It's literally just a loan. You simply pick a borrower, lend them the money, and then you get paid back over time. I created my account with some of the money I won in a raffle so I didn't really even feel it, which works out to $25 for me, and $25 on behalf of my sister. Because at the end of the day we are two lucky girls with everything we need and more. Why not spread the love?

Anyway, personally I am going to make it a point to pick women. Just my way of sticking it to the Taliban.

Oh and by the way, it is totally addictive. I wish I had tons more to give.

And the Beat goes on. Without me though.

Yeah, I wussed out on the 5k I was meant to run today.

At least the money goes to a good cause.

But I am still a wuss who won't run in the rain.

I HATE the Taliban. I really do.

A top ranking Afghan police officer was assassinated today and for some reason this particular news item really got under my skin.

This police officer was a senior officer who led the department of crimes against women. A pretty formidable task in Afghanistan made even more so by the fact that this officer was a woman, her name was Malalai Kakar. Marie Claire magazine did an article on her (read it HERE) and reading it made me even more pissed at the Taliban.

For many in Afghanistan this woman had no business being outside, let alone to hold a job, and never mind that she held public office. However she believed in what she was doing and believed that she had a duty to help others that was bigger that her own life.

Ms. Kakar was a woman in a country where the previous regime believed that women are simply property of a man. Like a spoon or a chicken. Well except you can put a spoon to work, and a chicken is allowed outside. This is something I think a lot of American women like myself have a hard time imagining, because after all it's imagination - we can escape it by simply opening our eyes.

This makes me so mad. And so appreciative that I live where I do and have the life that I have. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the Muslim religion, as I do any other faith, when it is not corrupted by extremism. I know plenty of Muslim women, some cover their hair and some don't, but all are true believers and their faith isn't lessened by how they practice it.

I am angry with the Taliban for killing her and for being so self-righteous about it. They believe that they are following the word of God, but they are not. They are vengeful and petty ignorant fanatics who follow a corrupted version of Islam. I expect that Ms. Kakar will find her reward in paradise while her assassins will not.

Oh nuts. That race I signed up for 6 months ago is TOMORROW.

Uh, and I am woefully unready.

Which in some way feels completely appropriate.

Totally useless information

Before David Chase closed out the Sopranos with Journey's Don't Stop Believing, Bill Lawrence closed out an episode of Scrubs with the very same song.



Hard not to sing along huh.

Emmy's. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Apparently I live under a rock and had no idea that the Emmy's are on tonight.

Huh.

What the hell is up with the Emmys anyway? It's the inbred love child of the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

Clearly the producers are trying waaaay too hard. The jokes are strained, the interactions between actors stilted and quite possibly the opening sequence of Oprah introducing the past five winners in the Best Reality TV Show Host category followed by Tom Bergeron and William Shatner tearing off Heidi Klum's clothes was the most AWKWARD opening sequence in awards ceremony history.

Especially when that could have been a MUCH hotter moment in TV history. But c'mon. A threesome with Bergeron and Shatner?

**shudder**

Mercury is DEFINITELY in retrograde.

La Maman shares office space with an astrologer and he one time mentioned that sh*t really starts hitting the fan when mercury goes into retrograde.

I, like thousands of other Bostonians, are only familiar with mercury being in retrograde because it was something the Cosmic Muffin used to always talk about.

But let me tell you, it is true. Things do seem to hit the fan with a little more frequency when mercury goes into retrograde.

This week was sh*t all around I think. Except for Sonia Chang-Diaz maybe. Which meant though that it was a sh*t week for Dianne Wilkerson.

Anyway.

It didn't get better today. First I scalded myself with burning hot soup from my knees to my ankles and then when I turned on the tv, I saw that Verrill Farm farm stand has burned to the ground.

Mercury comes out of retrograde around mid-October. Call me then because quite frankly I think I might just take to my bed for the next month.

Speaking of emotionally unavailable men...

I had a dream about Don Draper last night.

In it he sat next to me at a table at the end of a dinner party and put his arm out for me to lay my head on because I was tired and his arm smelled really good. And that was it.

Hmmm... So a hot yet emotionally unavailable man makes it in to my dreams and all I do is notice that his arm smells good? I think that means that I am learning something here. All I need to do now is apply that lesson in real life and I am set.

Oh but interesting side note, I share the same birthday date with Jon Hamm, the actor who plays Don Draper.

I agree. "Deteriorates" IS a hard word to spell.

From Boston.com a few minutes ago:


But I have spell check. Phew!

Sure, go ahead. Pay my bills.

Ahhhh new students. Some people wait for the first U-Haul to deliver the BU Bridge, others wait for the first BBQ inferno, however I wait to see what kind of student I am going to get, because it's never the same two years in a row. Especially since the crackheads moved out.

Some years I get the totally noisy ones (loud music, loud sex, loud parties). Other years I get the civilized student (invites to BBQs, no noise, shovel my walk). Last year it was a cross between really fricking loud and somewhat civilized - they'd have these late night booyah hoedowns and then apologize profusely later.

(Oh, and after they moved out I found out that they were also complete pigs, costing the landlady over $5k in damages. They REALLY wrecked the place. Nice to know I am not the only slob on the block)

This year it turns out I'm getting the clueless ones. It's like this year is their first year living outside the bubble.

One guy's family sends him a steady stream of care packages. To my house. For the record it's just me and The Dentist-in-Training who live here at this address. And the DIT is off at some rotation in East Kickybumbum, so really she's not even living here.

I rang the bell at all the places where I thought the guy might live, where I've noticed recent arrivals, but to no avail. So I schlepped all the package slips and padded mailers back to the post office. I was really hoping to find him though. Plus one package smelled strongly like chocolate and I would have opened it, if opening someone else's mail wasn't a Federal offense.

At this point the family must have gotten the returned mail. But the packages keep coming. The one today has his name in extra dark bold, as if that might make a difference.

There is a newbie down the street who truly thought trash day was every day. She didn't believe me when I told her it was twice a week. She was surprised to realize that she'd have to keep her trash in her house until trash day.

Then another new neighbor has gone and switched all my utilities into his name. I might try switching my credit card over into his name as well. I mean, he's a new student. His parents are TOTALLY expecting to pay expenses through the nose. They'll never even notice.

But it has been sort of a pain. I just spent 20 minutes on the phone with the gas company. And the electric bill has been switched out of my name twice now. You'd think it would be harder to do. I called the water company, and they've "made a note" on my account, but we shall see.

Ahhhh. I have to say, the colleges and universities have their work cut out for them with this year's crop.

Thank FRICK it is Friday

I cannot wait until the workday ends because then the weekend can begin!

Hooray for voting

Yes, I went and I voted today.

I just went to make sure that Sonia Chang-Diaz got a vote.

Besides, I am a big fan of voting every chance I get. It may not always count, but the one time it does and you haven't, that is a terrible regret to live with.

It's called a penny-farthing. Now you know.

This past weekend I was down in Martha's Vineyard for a couple of days and it happened to coincide with the 2nd Annual Wheelman's Weekend.

Let me tell you, the joy at seeing a penny-farthing roll by is visceral, you literally start grinning like a fool and have to bite down on the urge to run after it. I was standing on the porch of the house we were staying in early one morning when I saw one cycle by and it made me instantly happy.

Then on Saturday, as we were strolling through the Tivoli Street Fair, we heard the ringing of bells. The crowd parted and a group of penny-farthings slowly came cycling down the road.

It was an extraordinary sight.

And I was sort of sad to see them go.

See you tomorrow. Maybe.

Remember back in March when I posted about the giant particle blaster?

The one that might generate a massive earth swallowing black hole?

Well it's going to be fired up in a couple of hours. Whoo hoo!