D'OH!

Keystone Pipline Temporarily Shut Down After Power Outage

After I heard this on the radio my culminating thought was "HA! Knew it!"

Again, I am uniquely qualified to reassure Trans Canada that power outages do happen a lot. Having gone through a snow storm that took out our power for a week, having to utilize the Red Cross Shelter so our kids could at least get a hot meal (Raman Noodles) and fleeing the area for a couple of days to an empty rental house of a relative, I am well aware of the limitations of the power grid.

During our run, I didn't have my camera with me. The last two pictures are to show examples of what we saw on the road.

My Picture^

A lot of the towers were bent over like this. The weight of the ice on the line plus the weight on the structure bent them like aluminum foil.

So, yeah, a lot of issues going on. Put that on top of the Sand Hills and your just asking for trouble.

SOMEONE is Paying Attention

State Department mulls new route for Canada oil pipeline

Well, well, well. Isn't that interesting. I'll wait and watch before I form an opinion on this one.

Special Session Testimony

Watched the testimony of people against the XL Pipeline or for LB whatever..

Strongest testimony for me was a landowner who has been dealing with Trans Canada since 2007 when she first received notice that they were planning on going through her pasture land. She got two letters. She responded to one letter telling them they could move the route two miles away, off her pasture land, and following Hwy. 283. Their response was a solid no. This was in the planning stage of the pipeline. When they certainly had the time and money to change the route. And still they said "No."

She contacted her federal representatives. They told her they didn't even know what she was talking about because they hadn't heard of the Pipeline. She contacted her local govt. They said it was a federal matter and there was nothing they could do. She was told a lot of crap, actually.

To me, it boils down to Trans Canada never considered the people who live, work and use that land. They wanted to go a certain way and who gives a two bit about anything else. It was going to go that way because you, know, who the hell lives there and cares anyway. It's in the middle of nowhere, right?

With calls to move the route, the company claims that it's too late. All those years of work, they just can't go back and start the re routing process now, it's taken four years! Well, four years ago they had at least one response to please move and even in the beginning they wouldn't. This testimony blew holes through all their excuses.

Trans Canada is being like a petulant, spoiled child who thought the adults weren't paying attention. They found out we ARE paying attention and now they are throwing a fit to still try to get their way. To the executives of Trans Canada I say it's time to grow up. Admit you're wrong. Admit you just wanted to get your way no matter what. Admit you thought it was a done deal before you even informed land owners what you were planning to do. Admit you didn't think it all the way through.

The logic, the facts, the testimony are all there. The more they try to tear apart the logical over whelming evidence, the worse they look.

Bitch and Moan Time

I see an e-mail about iTunes 99 cent gift cards. It says they put out the $.99 gift cards then raised the prices to $1.29.

Don't know if I ever bought a 99 cent gift card. This does, however, highlight the crapulous day I'm having.

I hate everything. I just... hate everything. I'm not deleting this to be Suzy Sunshine. It's the reflection of the day I'm having. The weather is sleety. I got three calls from the youngest before 8:30 a.m. having a heart attack because he thought he had left two different items for school at home. Both of which were his back pack.

I've been informed that there is no money for back to school training with the unemployment agency. It's On The Job Training or nothing. Well, isn't that cute. Because I can't get a freaking job to save my life. Seriously, it's really freaking pissing me off.

Found out that the stupid teller at the bank took out money from the wrong account Friday putting it into the negative. Which we don't understand how she could have made that mistake when A) the card given her has nothing to do with the account and B) taking money out of that account would put the entire thing in the negative in the first place while the other account obviously had money. The lovely thought from the whole ordeal, SHE has a job. Find out how that levels out when I get a call back from the operators manager.

Still one car down. Said sleet means it won't get towed by us like we planned to do today. It's just not the day for it.

I'm sure I'll have more to bitch about later.

Radio FAIL

Heading to the store with hubby I wasn't really listening to the radio closely. As we pulled into the parking lot I hear "... bear skin condom." The rest didn't matter because my brain seized upon an impossible mental image. Was it fuzzy? Did it have some weird shape to it? Is this some new slang or innuendo of which I'm not hip enough to know?

After quickly voicing some of these thoughts to my husband, I finally admitted "I just don't get it."

He said "B-A-R-E"

Oh, duh! "Not b-e-a-r. Got it."

Then we giggled non stop for five minutes.

Er.. What?! I'm sure it would have been more clear with some pictures.

Occupy Atlanta Protest

Well, they are still out there punching away at the corporate fat cats. Occupy Atlanta Protest Canadian Oil Pipeline.

The executives of this company don't want to go through the process of rerouting. I've been reading comments and it looks like there are Canadians who hate them as much as the protesters. That's gotta say something.

Los Angeles Times Takes Note

It's heating up. I'm shocked and a tad happy that maybe, just maybe, some people will open their eyes and get the clue that I've been railing about since I first heard about this stupid freaking idea.

Oil Project Draws a Divisive Line, L.A. Times: Residents emphasized that they were not opposed to pipelines — just to burying one under the Sandhills. The Sandhills are the biggest undisturbed natural ecosystem in the Great Plains, full of cranes and herons and tundra swans, yet highly vulnerable to erosion when dug up or otherwise disturbed.


SEE! Told 'ya so. Now will Washington listen before the Sandhills are ruined and we all have to say "See, told 'ya so."