I can't believe it's not a democracy!

Fucking global climate change.

It's been a much more humid and cooler summer/early fall in New York City, which will sadly continue.  Climate change means more sinus and allergy issues than in years past.  Which explains the congestion and irritated throat I've had for the last day or two.  Ragweed, apparently.  And it's not going to get better. 

Still, at least tomorrow is my last work day of the week--Friday through all of next week I am off.  A staycation--I hate that word, but it sums up the next week or so better than most.  So I'm going to visit a museum or two, after I visit the family for part of birthday season (my birthday is Sunday, my aunt's is Tuesday).  Which also means little to no posting until I get back.  

I hope that you have a relaxing and allergy-free weekend.  

Customer service, my ass. Too many people were probably stealing stuff:

Supermarkets start bagging self-serve checkouts -- More supermarkets bagging do-it-yourself checkout lanes in name of customer service. My brother and I refuse to pay our bills online. Why? 1) We don't trust corporations not to fuck up (and it's never the corporation that loses, is it?), and 2) to save the job of the guy who opens the mail. And yeah, I refuse to use the self-serve lane. It only existed to kill labor and give greedy fucking management assholes a few more pennies to spend on blow and hookers.

Anonymous takes care of asshole cop who should be fired:

Anonymous Leaks Personal Details of Cop Who Pepper-Sprayed Wall Street Protesters. If you check out the video of the lieutenant asshole who went up and sprayed the young women when they were being kettled (I think that's the term) and posed no threat or risk, then you will understand why I hope his career is destroyed. No doubt Bloomberg will give him a medal for giving his Wall Street buddies a laugh. Not the thing to do as the seething anger grows. Just saying.

Thanks to Jim for the link.

I'll go out on a limb and predict that Elizabeth Warren will kick Scott Brown's ass:

  

Thanks to Jim for the link.

The kids are still there. And appreciative supporters are making sure they are being fed:

How a Pizza Joint Became the Official Caterer of the Revolution. I think it is pretty cool that people from around the world are sending pizzas to the kids occupying Zucotti Park in the Financial District of NYC (I used to work a block away but have been exiled to a building near the Staten Island ferry terminal building--not a perk).

What makes things even more swell is that a small mom and pop business is kept busy and rises to the occasion (going to have to try an Occu-pie). That said, my friend Max stopped by to chat with the protesters at lunch and they need blankets. Thanks to global climate change, NYC is wetter and colder this September. I don't know how people not in the City can help get blankets to the protesters, but I'll see if I can find a link to a donation site. If anyone knows, please put the info in a comment.

The kids are alright:

Wall Street protesters: over-educated, under-employed and angry. And young. There is a donation site so that you can donate money for food--sadly, I can't find the link (I'll figure it out--I donated to it yesterday). Anyhow, I may stop by tomorrow to see what they need and bring some treats. Good for them. Not the 20,000 the organizers hoped for, but enough to get some notice.

I never understood why people hated going to the dentist. Now I know.

So, I had a follow up apointment for my dental implant.  As you may recall, I have really good teeth--no cavities--but my childhood dentist slipped while trying to pull a molar and he hit me in the uppers with the pliers.  Long and short, sicne that is the only trauma I suffered that could have affected the tooth in question (in the front, of course), my current dentists assume that I suffered a very fine fracture that slowly cracked over decades.  The good news is that I suffered no pain, but I suddenly had a really loose tooth earlier this year. 

Fast forward to today, which, I thought was the day I would be getting my permanent crown.  No.  Instead, they removed the temporary and did something, looked to see how I was healing, did something else, took two sets of impressions, etc., and then put the fucking temporary back on.  When I said to the dentist that I was under the impression that this implant procedure was a two-day ordeal (I did not say ordeal, but I was thinking it), he said "well, it's pretty remarkable what we can do in only three months, blah, blah, blah."   I know that.  But I was told it was a two-step process and one of the advantages of going to this practice was that everything would be wrapped up in three months--not four.  Long and short, I don't get the crown until October 17th.   Which means another fucking visit. 

Remember that scene in "Little Shop of Horrors?"  You know, the one where Steve Martin plays a dentist and does a twisted song and dance routine?  He nailed it.  I bet dentists see that and laugh and laugh.  But not like we do.  

Just found this creepy:

Not everyone on Etsy should be selling shit. Just saying.

No doubt Eric Folder's Dept. of Justice will look into this to see if criminal charges should be issued:

News Corp shareholders file new allegations. Hahahahaha. Eric Holder will do shit. Still, having the shareholders sue you and try to take all your monies? That's going to leave a mark. I just want Rupert to lose control of the corporation before he dies.

Thanks to John for the link.

This was intended as a tribute (and not a statement about 9/11 porn):

Citarella 'Never Forgets' 9/11 With Shrimp, Squid.