Word Challenge!

Use this one, folks:

cock-a-hoop (kok-uh-HOOP) adjective

1. Being elated or exulting, especially in a boastful manner.

2. Askew.

[Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from the phrase to set cock on a hoop (to be festive).]

"Randy Atkinson and Shawn Ewing, the Vancouver Pride Society's co-chairs,
were all cock-a-hoop when the 25-year-old organization's ninth annual
gala dinner sold out at the Coast Plaza hotel Sunday."
Malcolm Parry; Pride Society Dinner Humbles Debt; Vancouver Sun (Canada);
Jun 17, 2003.

"The Blues come to Newlands this week cock-a-hoop while the Stormers
dressing-room had a funereal look ..."
Stormers' Monday Blues; Cape Argus (Cape Town, South Africa); Apr 14, 2003.

Politics: Bush and Cheney worse than Nixon

There's an interesting article in Salon.com today (isn't there always?). Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean is interviewed. Here's a paragraph that I agree with:

Bush and Cheney have exploited terrorism ever since 9/11. Now they are exploiting it to get reelected. Should there be an even more serious threat, they have found that when Americans are frightened they can be governed like sheep, which suits Bush and Cheney perfectly. Rather than taking the terror out of terrorism by educating and informing Americans, they have sought to make terrorism as frightening as possible -- using terrorism to launch a war of aggression that is breeding a new generation of terrorists and getting the Congress to pass the most repressive new laws imaginable and calling it an act of patriotism.

(no subject)

Starting yesterday afternoon, I started getting a sore throat that vexed me grandly throughout the day. I have the "cotton in the head" feeling last night, and I still do.

My mood was cheered by the arrival of Season 4 of Buffy. I still ended up going to sleep earlier than normal. I awoke three times during the night however, responding to the manifestation of drinking lots of fluids.

Today I'm feeling rather zombie-esque. Yes, it's Dawn of the Dead, Annie-style. This usually means I'm a dead fish in meetings, instead of being prone to killing the living and ripping into their flesh.

I'm excited that I'm undertaking my website project. I look forward to playing around with the software and developing a working, useful system using PHP.

I have been struck by moments of reflection, lately:

What do I want to do when I grow up? Am I grown up? I mean, I've got my house, I've got my toys. Is this all I'm good for? A woman of quasi-intellectual leisure? Okay, so you find some things lacking. What direction do you want to go into? More success? A family? Community Service?

I'll have to figure out the answers to these questions.

(no subject)

You know, for all the hype about Iraqis being happy for our presence, violence like this should not be happening.

I caught Cspan this morning and watched some of the light business being handled in the House of Representatives. Republicans were kvetching about the liberal media, citing foolish anectdotes which in no way represent the sum total of media out there. Riiiiight. Or did I mean "Leeeeeeft"?

I've been trying to read a pot pourri of news ranging from conservative to liberal slants. Some journalist on NRO stated that the stereotypical liberal just doesn't think things through. I do believe that lack of strategic thinking is not tied to political leanings.

And if you want to try and tell me that every conservative voting sheep thinks things through, you need to go back and think that through, as well. This whole Iraqi conflict sure appears like it was thought through clearly.