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LiveJournal for Cosmic Ray.
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| Friday, April 4th, 2003 |
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I wasn't sure last night, but now I am. My Mac's hard drive is dead. I going to bring it to Computer Nerds tomorrow morning and see how much they can recover. I now what I'll be spending my income tax return on this year. Replacing a $2800 Mac with a $599 Dell might be the only answer. This sucks. |
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My Girl Is A Friend Of Mine by Cosmic Ray Impastato My girl is friend of mine If she asked me to, I'd put it on the line She's got a heart as big as all outdoors She's my Darlin' Clementine My girl is a friend of mine She's got the face of an angel She's the devil in disguise She's Hell on wheels with Heaven in her eyes And a smile that sends shivers down my spine My girl is a friend of mine If you try to put her down She'll clean your clock When it's time to pick her up You better be ready to rock And if you treat her right You can be her man But if you try to crowd her, brother It's over before it began My girl loves to party She throws caution to the wind She'll turn you every which way but loose 'Til you don't know where you've been Then she'll eat you up with a little red wine That's why my girl is a friend of mine She does it 'cause we love it So don't think her unkind My girl is a friend of mine Copyright (c) 2003 by Dago Red Music, LLC. All rights reserved. |
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| Tuesday, April 1st, 2003 |
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For the last two days, we've been up to our asses in Federal Accounting auditors at work. I guess the war's getting so expensive, that Uncle Sam wants to make sure he's getting everything he's paying for. Or should I say, everything we, the tax payers, are paying for. They're going to be here until April 17th(Holy Thursday for you Cat'lics). There are 50+ clipboard toting bureaucratic baboons running around the entire building. But, not to worry. Our bosses told us how to handle them...Look busy!Looks like March Madness is spilling over into April. |
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Or maybe, March GLADNESS! The month couldn't have ended on three better notes. Connie Chung . . . FIRED!Peter Arnett . . . FIRED!Geraldo Rivera . . FIRED!Woof-Woof-Woof-Woof! Three assholes canned in one month! It's a muddafuggin cable news hat trick! Our goal in April: Larry King, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather. I'm a happy boy! I'm a happy boy Oh ain't great when things are goin' your way, a-hey-hey! |
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| Sunday, March 30th, 2003 |
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What's with this frigid weather??? It's 49 degrees and a wind chill of 38!!! Colder than a well diggers ass! I had to dig out the comforter last night. I don't like to crank up the heater because it dries the air too much, which is murder on my sinuses. I need some hot chai and lemon. That'll chase the chills away. I haven't written about much in my life lately for one reason or another. To refresh you all, I met a very sweet and wonderful lady from L.A. a couple of months ago around Mardi Gras. She and her sister are friends of kukugirl (formerly misstrixie). We've become very close, which is contrary to the fact that we haven't actually seen each other since the first time we met. We've been e-mailing and spending hours on the phone, talking about everything. She'll be arriving for a long weekend visit on Good Friday. We'll have lots to talk about. I'm not a superstitious person. After all, it's bad luck to be superstitious. ;-) But, I'm not going to say too much now. I'll have to wait another three weeks. My L.A. Woman has had a traumatic week. We've only talked about it a little, but it's the kind of thing that makes you appreciate what you've learned in your life and know whom you can count on. I'm learning to become more trusting of people I've known for many years, but never confided in. You can only hold so much inside. A purge every now and again is essential to our well-being. That's why I started this journal. That's why I'm going to try to write more. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. Time for some hot chai! TTFN |
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| Friday, March 28th, 2003 |
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| Mickey Mouse was sueing Minnie Mouse for a divorce. The judge asked Mickey's attorney what the grounds were for the divorce. "Insanity, your honor", said Mickey's attorney. Just then, Mickey jumped to his feet and screamed at his lawyer, "NO! NO! NO! I didn't say she was CRAZY! I said she fucking Goofy!" | ||||||
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"How come we choose from just two people for President, and fifty for Miss America?" "The United Nations is a place where governments, opposed to free speech, demand to be heard!" "Prison inmates are treated to cable TV, hot meals, a fitness program and a college education. While on the outside some people can only afford these things through a life of crime!" "Thanks to the new 'tax cut', the question 'Paper or Plastic?' now refers to many American's sleeping arrangements!" "In retrospect, it becomes clear that hindsight is definitely overrated!" "Most people are so lazy, they don't even exercise good judgement!" "The only advantage to living in the past is that the rents are much cheaper!" "Teenagers are people who act like babies if they're not treated like adults!" "Who says nothing is impossible? Some people do it every day!" |
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| Thursday, March 27th, 2003 |
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Work has been a mix bag lately. This week, it's been sucky. I've been promoted and given new duties. I'll be moving to a new project, something unrelated to national defense, so I'm looking forward to that. The sucky part is that they haven't found anyone to assume my old duties. They've had some ideas, and I've presented a few of my own, but nothing has transpired. I'll be going to learn a new software application for the new job beginning on April 14th. The new job will begin on the 21st. They expect us to hit the ground running. While I'm confident that I'll have no problems with my new assignment, I'm worried that whomever takes over my old job will make a colossal mess of everything. For 5 years, I've been the only one doing my job in the entire engineering department, which houses roughly 350 engineers, architects, draftsmen and tech support. It's become second nature to me. Teaching someone everything I've been doing for the past five years will take a little longer than a week. Anyway...I have until April 11th to find and train someone. C'est la vie! OOPS! How un-patriotic of me! I meant "Shit!" |
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"I came, I saw, I went shopping." Here's a sample of some of the bargains I got at Wherehouse Records Going-out-Business sale: 4 Non Blondes - Bigger, Better, Faster, More $4.99 Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Volumes 1-3 (rare and unreleased) 1961-1991 $24.99 BoDeans - Blend $3.99 gods child - Everybody $3.99 Jeff Buckley - Songs To No One (1991-1992) featuring Gary Lucas $4.99 Professor and Maryann - Lead Us Not Into Penn Station $4.99 Rasputina - Transylvania Regurgitations $4.99 Rickie Lee Jones - Debut $2.99 Rickie Lee Jones - The Magazine $2.99 The Clash - Essential: 40 songs from 10 albums $7.99 |
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By Cosmic Ray Sometimes, there are wounds that never heal The pain strips the light from your eyes No one knows just how you feel You watch them come and go as life passes by You curl up deep inside yourself To guard what's left of you But if you never reach out to someone else Oh, the agony that life will put you through We were never meant to be alone And we want the rest to know that we were here If you stay out of sight, you'll soon be out of mind And it won't be long before you disappear If you try to live in the light of reality, And trade some passion for the pain, Everything that matters will come shining through Like the sun after a warm, summer rain Here I am... A pillow to rest your weary head upon Here I am... A cradle for your dreams Here I am... A beacon on the shore To the port that you've been sailing for To steer you through the dangers unforeseen Here I am... Your private path to Paradise Here I am... Your calm reflecting pool Here I am... To remind you time and time again That life is hard every now and then And whom you share it with can make it beautiful |
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| Tuesday, March 25th, 2003 |
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Barry McGuire The Eastern World It is explodin’ Violence flarin’ Bullets loadin’ You’re old enough to kill But not for votin’ You don’t believe in war But what’s that gun you’re totin’ And even the River Jordan has bodies floatin’ But you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say And can’t you feel the fears that I’m feelin’ today If the button is pushed There’s no runnin’ away There’ll be no one to save With the whole world in a grave Take a look around you boy It’s bound to scare you boy And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction Yeah, my blood’s so mad Feels like coagulatin’ I’m sittin’ here Just contemplatin’ I can’t twist the truth It knows no regulation Handful of senators don’t pass legislation And marches alone can’t bring integration When human respect is disintegratin’ The whole is world is crazy It’s just too frustratin’ And you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend Ah, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction And think of all the hate there is in Red China Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama Ah, you may leave here for four days in space But when you return, it’s the same old place The poundin’ of the drums The pride and disgrace You can bury your head, but don’t leave a trace Hate your next door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace But you tell me over, and over, and over again my friend You don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction No, no, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction |
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| Monday, March 10th, 2003 |
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| much has been going on, personally and professionally. the personal is beginning to level off. the professional is sucking worse than ever before. after 25 years in the same business, i'm finding it harder and harder to motivate myself to go there. i've also neglected my writing, which bothers me more than anything. i've been working on a piece dedicated to my father, something i've never done. he died in 1977 at the age of 54. that event radically changed my life, and has affected every decision i've made since then, including the one to stay in a well-paying job with good benefits. i wish i had a house to sell, so i could bail myself out of debt and begin living the life i wanted to live all those years ago. but wishing won't make it so... | ||||||||
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| Sunday, February 16th, 2003 |
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| There was an anti-war protest in my neighborhood that started at 9 AM Saturday morning. The unfortunate thing was that it stood between me and my favorite breakfast establishment. I was extremely disturbed to see Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts carrying signs saying "Stop The Killing" and "No Blood For Oil". I'm not in favor of the war with Iraq, even though I work for a defense contractor. We vilify Saddam for using his people as human shields, but we have no qualms about dressing our children up in uniforms, no less, to convey anti-war rhetoric. I mean, what gives? I have a son in the military. Though he's done his turn in the Middle East, it's entirely possible that he'll be called up again if the situation escalates. I don't want the micro-intellects around here calling him a war monger or a baby killer. I know him, and myself. Neither of us wants this war to happen. But you have to look at the history of this country. It's what we do, whether or not the general population agrees or not. The fact that we're able to speak against what we don't believe in is reason enough to preserve the fundamentals that established this country. We have to agree to disagree. What we shouldn't do is to use innocent children as pawns to make the point. If I had a kid in the Scouts, he'd be turning in his uniform today. What were those parents thinking? | ||||||||
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| Friday, February 14th, 2003 |
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This is the first Valentine's Day in 11 years that I'm not part of a couple. The time before was when I divorced. It feels a little strange. But i found out that you can give without receiving. One of the women in my department has a husband that is, for lack of a better word, a dick. He forgot her birthday in December, then he forgot their anniversary in January. She was certain that he would forget V-day, so I told her that I would remember her. I brought her a candied apple from The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It was what they call a "monster apple". 5 layers of gooey, scrumptious fun. They dip the apple in caramel, then crushed walnuts, then milk chocolate, then semi-sweet chips, then white chocolate and then decorated with red gummy hearts. When it's done, it's the size of a soft ball and weighs about a pound. I sliced it up so she could share with her cubemates. She wrote me a very sweet e-mail and asked me to meet her for a drink after work. Naturally, I refused. I gave her the apple to make her feel good. I didn't want to be used as a tool for hurting someone else. Then, about 30 minutes before quitting time, she got a floral delivery from her dopey husband. It was a small arrangement with little plastic hearts on sticks. She smiled sadly and said, "I guess I won't kill him today." Before she left, she stopped by and asked again if I'd join her. I smiled and politely declined. I'm a giver. I always have been. While I feel sad for her, I feel pretty good about myself. |
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| Wednesday, February 12th, 2003 |
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"A man is neither a coward who hides from his enemies, nor deceitful who hides his strength. That is the nature of survival in war. It is a fool who pursues an enemy unseen, crushing the innocent under the machineries of war, disguised in a cloak of justice." Cosmic Ray Impastato, February 12, 2003 |
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| Monday, February 10th, 2003 |
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My heart hurts. I have always hoped we would never again see images like Challenger. I know that since the beginning of time, when the first person decided to explore that next valley, untold lives have been lost in the quest for the unknown. We know it happened, but we didn't have to watch helplessly, with horrified eyes, while our heroes died. February 1st, 2003 is one of those milestone days by which we measure the rest of our bad days. "There follows a mist and a weeping rain; and life is never the same again". It was, sadly, inevitable. It's always a matter of playing against the odds. Speaking from an engineers perspective, 17 years between failures ain't bad, actually. It's just that a failure in this venture is so obvious. Things can't go a little wrong at Mach 18. There's going to be "a major malfunction". I have things to say, but the brain won't make the words go in order. Maybe after the nightmares have passed. |
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| Saturday, February 8th, 2003 |
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Friday night, I had the distinct privilege of being the official photographer(and equipment bitch) for a great charity event. It was the The Sky's The Limit Benefit Concert at Southport Hall in New Orleans. It was very well attended. Three local bands donated time and talent to make it a success. Most of the band members are active in the Air National Guard at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station. My "bestest buddy", Todd Greene was one of the organizers. The evening started out with The Augmentors who played a super mix of 70's & 80's rock, including Santana, The Doors, Van Morrison, Bad Company and many others. Next up was Life Without Elvis doing their mix of originals and covers with a high energy blend of rockabilly, thrash and punk. Their finale was a thrash send-up of the Titanic theme by Celine Dion. The future looks bright for LWE. Then came The Lonesome Polecats, fronted by my buddy Todd. Their first set was the usual mix of jump blues and rockabilly, with Todd tearin' it up on vocals and harmonica. Then, after a short break, they returned in full 70's rock god regalia, armed with a set of covers that would rival any band of the day, plus a wardrobe change that included tight fitting bell-bottom jeans and double-knit paisley shirts, platform shoes, mirrored aviator sunglasses, afro wigs and Todd sporting an Edgar Winter-style blonde fall. The show was awesome! But more importantly, they sold over 500 tickets at $5 per, plus they received numerous donations from the attendees. All tolled, they raised over $3,000 for their respective charities. Mega-props to all the guys and girls who made the event possible, including Harry The Sound Man. The dude kicks ass! Music is Love, Love is Music, if you know what I mean. I'll post piccies ASAP. |
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| Wednesday, February 5th, 2003 |
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We were told today about the increased security to expect on the facility today. this was in response to colin powell's UN address. we are no longer allowed to carry personal cell phones into the building. with the exception of lunch, anyone leaving the building, for any reason, must sign in and out with security. they've also fortified the firewalls on the company intranet/internet accesses. e-mail from outside the system will be forwarded to the filter system and make take as long as 3 hours to be delivered, depending on the amount of traffic. there's more, but i'm sure you get the gist of it. we're about to become a nation at war. in spite of what i do for a living, i think it's a bad idea. but still... had sushi with Miss Trixie after work. i presented her with my "retired" CD boombox to fill her new abode with the sound of music. we chatted about the very interesting weekend we shared with her friends from L.A. and some other stuff. i'm very happy to call her my friend. she's a strong soul with the resolve to live her life on her own terms. she a living, breathing example of one of my personal favorite taglines: Live long and prosper, Miss Trixie. |
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| I never make the same mistake twice. I always find new and original ways to fuck up! | ||||||
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| Sunday, February 2nd, 2003 |
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I spent 20 minutes typing this entry, then I bumped the power button with my knee and lost it! F#@K!!! Friday night: Met up with Miss Trixie and some of her friends at The Port of Call restaurant in the Quarter for the best burgers in New Orleans. I met her friend Nancy from L.A., a very sweet and fun person. We chatted up a blue streak. We hung in until 2 AM until they, politely, threw us out. Miss Trixie went to meet another friend elsewhere, so Nancy and I wandered around the Quarter. We finally made it back to her hotel, where we found Miss Trixie totally zonked. what a lightweight! (jus' kiddin' dawlin'!) Nancy and I went back down to the lobby, found a big comfortable sofa and continued our chat until the sun came up. I walked her back to her room and bid her goodnight, er, morning?!?! ( Read on, my friends, read on ) |
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LiveJournal for Cosmic Ray.
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creative.
ecstatic.
dorky.
cynical.
contemplative.
infuriated.
restless.