I am officially a computer geek. I just installed Ubuntu 5.1 on my old Compaq computer ("Designed for Windows 98!"). I'm using Linux! Wheeeeeeee!

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly why I did it, but I hated seeing the old computer sitting in the closet. At least now it's doing something.

The installation was fairly smooth. Eventually. I started the install at 3:30pm. By 5 pm, I was cooking supper and trying to watch the computer. Just before supper, I check the computer. The screen was off. I turned it back on. It promptly turned off. WTF?

I powered off the computer and went inside to eat. While I was eating, I realized what the problem was. During the installation, I was asked to choose the screen resolution. I selected 1024x728. It the resolution I use on my current computer. I realized in mid-chew that the built-in video card couldn't do 1024x728, only 800x600.

At 7:20 pm, I reinstalled Ubuntu. When I was asked what resolution I wanted, I chose 800x600. At 9 pm, I logged into the system for the first time.

I don't know what I'm going to do with that computer. I don't know how I am going to use it. But I am looking forward to experimenting.

The Right to Privacy, the lynchpin of the Roe V. Wade ruling, does not exist!

A woman's right to do with her body whatever she wishes is a fallacy. She does not have that right.

If she had a right to privacy, companies wouldn't be allowed to fire her for smoking at home. Until Pro-Choice groups protest these anti-privacy moves by corporations, I will be pro-Life.

If she had a right to do with her body what she wants, drug use or prostitution would be legal (for women, at least). Until pro-Choice groups demand these rights, I will be pro-Life.

You better hurry, though. Elections are coming.

As a chronicle of my debt problems, this blog has gotten off the path occassionally. But if I were to harp on how much I owe day in and day out, I would have to start shewing on the business end of a handgun: what Doug and the Slugs called "the 45 goodbye" in their 80s hit "Too Bad."

I don't own my home, so I can't refinance and obviously don't qualify for a home equity line of credt. but, like using payday loans, that's just borrowing from Peter to pay Paul anyway. It's just debt management, not debt elimination. Even debt consolidation doesn't sound right. No, I need cash.

I have tried affiliate programs from Google and a host of others (Amazon's affiliate program doesn't work for me. I don't think my readers actually read.) I'm doing okay with Google AdSense, but I'm not getting rich. Heck, I'm not even keeping up with my debts using it.

I'll admit, I have looke at those "Money Making Opportunity!!!" sites all over the Web. But there's no way in the world I'm gonna pay $400 for a book that will tell me how to maximize AdSense, or $50 for AdBlaster software that will drive thousands of daily visitors to my site.

No, I just have to quit spending money using a credit card, and pay them off. While I'm doing that, I intend to mock as many people as I can!

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.

I'm predicting that Bareback, I mean, Brokeback Mountain will win the Oscar for Best Picture, Ang Lee will win for Best Director, The writers will win for best sreenplay, the cinemaphotographers will win, the editor will win and the score will win because it would be politically incorrect to vote against it. Everyone will show their acceptance of the Gay lifestyle by voting for it.

Lesse, Bareback Mountain, uh, I mean, Brokeback Mountain swept the Golden Globes. Swept the SAG awards. Ang Lee won a special award in Sundance. It's been nominated for the Bafta Film Awards in the UK. According to the IMDB, its won American Cinema Editors Award, American Society of Cinemaphotographer awards, Boston Society of Film Critics Award, Broadcast Film Critics Awards, Film Critics Awards in Ohio, Chicago and dallas-Fort Worth, and many many other nominations. Here's the full list of awards and nominations over at IMDB.

But I don't think any of the actors nominated will win. The Academy will find the writer, director, cinematographer, editor, and composer exceptionally brave for dealing with a sensitive and timely topic. But actors have been and been portraying gay characters from the beginning of film. No new ground is being broken there. So, while the film as a whole, the film as a concept, is going to win, the actors? Not so much.

From the masters of the obvious, the Media, comes this story, "Study Finds Rich-Poor Income Gap Growing." While Congress tries to help us get out of debt by doubling our minimum payments, they've done nothing to raise wages. The minimum wage has remained stuck for years, while Congress gives itself pay raise after pay raise. I quote from a previous entry:

The last increase in the minimum wage was in 1997. Since 1997, Senators have voted themselves raises totaling $28,000 a year.

Hullo! I have been warning about this for months! Yo! journalists! Start reading blogs!

I would like to see every politician who claimed to be on the side of the working class make this pledge. I would like to see every Democrat who accused the Republicans of being the "Party of the Rich" do this. I would like to see every Leftie politico do this.

The new "left-wing President" (like there is also a right-wing President) of Boliva, Evo Morales, has cut his salary by more than a half to a little over $1,800 per month. ($1,800 per month? Can I run for president of Boliva? I could use a raise!)

You know what else I would like to see? Congressmen making minimum wage. They keep telling us that raising minimum wage would cost business money and jobs. Yet Exxon and Chevron are recording record profits!

One of my friends opposed Arnold Schwarzenegger's run for Governor of California saying that he didn't have political experience. Apparently, only politicians were able to enter politics.

I wonder what her reaction will be when she reads this story. Micheal Douglas, who at his peak earning power got more money per movie than many Third World nations' GNP, is attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

"Douglas won a best-actor Oscar for his role in 1987's `Wall Street.' He also has starred in `Fatal Attraction,' `Traffic' and `Wonder Boys,' among other films," the article says. I wonder which role qualified him to participate in a World Economic Forum?