Random stuff

I really did buy the vicious aluminum foil: I got another aluminum foil cut this week. Yes, on the foil, not the cutting edge of the box. Second time for this roll, too. (Much less woe than last week's cooking mishap of using the peeler on the end of my left pinkie, anyway. Then, there was a lot of bleeding, but I kept it all out of the food, so it was still edible.)

The view through the hazy plexiglass windows on the commuter rail made me think of landscapes of memory or dream, not quite the world as we know it.

Up for grabs: a 2006 appointment calendar, a navy blue 8.5 x 11 bound book. It's pretty nice, but I've got a calendar.

I didn't wear leggings, after two days with them. I felt so light as I started walking to the T. My legs were cold when I got there, but there's something right about having my legs so cold (as long as my feet stay warm :-).

Whee! I got in to work to find I'd won the weekly trivia contest. $25, I think in the form of a gift card or check of some sort.

"Patriot" Act renewal

House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement to extend the USA Patriot Act, "the government's premier anti-terrorism law," (*splutter*) before it expires at the end of the month. They're proposing a four year renewal of authorizing roving wiretaps and allowing secret warrants for "books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries." All other provisions of the Patriot Act would become permanent law.

Senator Russ Feingold (the only one to vote against the original version of the act) is threatening a filibuster.

I've emailed both my senators to express extreme disapproval; this Act was the beginning of so much of what I hate about US government today, with the abrogation of civil liberties, loss of privacy, and an unaccountable government that wastes money on ridiculous things while our citizens are left in dire straights.

Thanks to Hrafn for the link to the story.