So, I come back on today to see that, to my surprise, my articles are still on the "recent articles" list. While this may be an issue with cookies (I am on the same computer I was on yesterday), I am hoping it does not signal a serious downward trend of blogging on this site. I have seen too many excellent bloggers head for greener pastures, and this has been a less than enjoyable transition for me. Many times, fellow bloggers give my muse a good shove in the right direction, and they contrib...

I love blogging, and I really DO blog for myself (no, really). Some of my blogs are basically personal notes shared with the general public for my later use. But, all in all, it's stuff I find interesting. But, on the bigger screen that is Joeuser, these articles make little more noise than a butterfly fart. I love them, but the articles themselves are dud articles, the bane of a point whore's existence. Most of my third party platforms pre-election qualified (although one of them made...

I have spent the majority of my online time over the past week or so doing research, some of it which I have shared here. And I'm loving it. Sure, initially I felt silly as I brought forth the subject of an "essay" I'm working on to individuals in conversation who are well aware that I am not currently enrolled in school. But now that I have found a rhythm, things have flowed, and most of my research has been pretty fruitful. Sure, I will have to come back later for source citations. Sure,...

For those of you who have been following this story, I have been working to repair my "pimped out ride"; that is, my 86 Chrysler Fifth Avenue with the cool shiny hubcaps (yes,hubcap number 4 DID get restored to me, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers). The problem is a blown head gasket, and two days of work prior had resulted in little more than the removal of peripheral components (alternator,smog pump, air conditioner, etc...the air conditioner is NOT going back on the car...). Today,...

One head is off! Ten more bolts, and both head gaskets will be free of the engine! This has been a hard fought battle but I am beginning to believe I may have a running car again in my lifetime. I am a little anxious about reassembling the engine, but my confidence has grown the further down in the engine I have gotten. I had to borrow a bigger breaker bar to break the head bolts, but I did it! And in my mind, I am counting up the hundreds of dollars I am saving.

I meandered through the featured articles today to find that one author had disabled comments (fair enough), but had picked chosen responses (out of context, no less) to post to the article. His comment after my entry (in which he left my username intact) was, "I'll deal with you later, peewee". I'm inclined to ask (as I couldn't on his article) what this means. Is it a threat? In which case, it should be removed from the featured articles as it is a violation of TOS. At any rate, this megalo...

This sentence, at the beginning of an article is essentially part of the thesis. If I am advancing an argument, I will begin here by stating my thesis and setting the tone for what is to follow. Throughout the remainder of the article, I will introduce you to the basic structure of an article that is meant to persuade or inform, and hope it will make your articles a little more coherent. Following the thesis is the body of the article. Pretty much anything goes within the body, but the b...

I was reading a blog asking when the Democrats would work with President Bush. One response asked when Bush would work with the Democrats. Both sides were right, and yet, both sides were horribly wrong. One of the values I have instilled in my children is that someone has to be the mature one. When one is being cantentious, the other can't justify their response by the other's actions. What happens around us, how other people act and interact, is beyond our control. All we can control is how ...

I was entering my two latest contributions to the "They Longed for the Presidency" series, and ruminating as to why I, the quintessential point whore, would continue in this endeavour, given that the series has elicited less than a handful of responses overall, one of said responses referring to the resemblance of said candidate to the guy on a bottle of Jack Daniels. To put it simply, these articles fall into the category of my "notes". While I have a hard copy standing right here in front o...

By now, everyone's heard the story: Richard Hatch has been charged with tax evasion for failing to report his $1.01 million earnings from the first "Survivor" season, as well as a series of radio shows. Well, there's a word for Mr. Hatch's actions, and that is STUPID. While the average joe naturally omits the $500 or so they made over the year mowing lawns and the $1500 they made having garage sales (bolstered by the accidental sale of junior's '53 Mantle for $200, for which junior is curr...

The title of this article is a saying that is considered an old oriental (Chinese, I believe?) curse. But it's SO appropriate to this day and age. Angloesque wrote an article about a lady who sued two girls who were bringing her cookies. I won't rehash it here, as anglo's original article is a good article and I think you would be well advised to read it (It's entitled "This is What's Wrong with Americans", or something similar). What got my goat is one of the responses, justifying the act...

I want to further elaborate on my blog yesterday. No, I'm not apologizing, no I'm not taking back anything I said. But I feel an elaboration is in order. Shades, in some small way you're right (not exactly right, but close enough). I'm not exactly projecting, but I have been tiptoeing around certain topics here on the blogsite because there are some fragile emotions involved. And I don't want to make a comment that I would regret for sometime to come. I could give some good answers to...

Ahhhh, spring. When a young man's fancy turns to....BLOGGING? Seems that this year along with the blossoms of spring, some new wounds have been opened, some old ones have been reopened, and life on JU otherwise goes on as usual. I'm not one to pick sides, but rather try to ride the fence when my ignorance overrides any other useful purpose. But I can see it's not the case for everyone. It's almost a shame that the blogging experience needs to take a back seat to petty feuds that have littl...

I have decided it is time to use my high profile position on JoeUser to nominate a "meathead of the month" from the news stories of the month. I will try to give my choices near the end of the month, when the "meathead" harvest is ripe. This month's meathead is Jose Canseco. The washed up steroid ridden ex slugger found himself unable to retain employment in baseball (even as a DH....imagine THAT!) and has turned his attentions to writing. The only problem is, he seems to be writing fiction. ...

OK, here's a confession that oughta keep the JU attack dogs on the ready. Might get a flame or two off of it (good chance to test the ol' delete button). The truth is, I have bouts of paranoia. Not JUST that; due in large part to my horrendously dysfunctional upbringing, I could occupy more than my share of a shrink's time. But, along with other things, I have learned to DEAL with my paranoia (unique, huh? Probably what people did BEFORE psychotherapy). Fortunately, none of my "eccentricit...