Georgia On My Mind

So while China was having a Milli Vanilli Olympics moment at the expense of a small child (really nice, people), Russia seized the opportunity to seize. I admit, I don't know all the political ramifications or reasons behind the conflict between Russia and Georgia. I've been reading up on it and trying to get educated.

The situation is no laughing matter; people are hurt and the situation looks very bad. But when I did hear about it; just for a split second, I thought, "What If some country Invaded OUR Georgia here in the US." I believe they'd have a difficult go of it.

I present to you the top principles of the Invasion of the State of Georgia Defense Battleplan:

1. First of all, they would have to deal with General Ludicrous, who I think would step to the plate to lead the defense. It would give them pause to deal with someone named General Ludicrous, as it is the same type of Moniker as Cap'n Crazy or Lt. Loony. And, you know, I wouldn't mess with the guy.
   
   
2. Our strategy could lead our attackers into the Atlanta airport, which is the most poorly designed airport in the world. There, they could be herded onto the train of inefficiency that take passengers to the gate. Then, they could get onto planes that would just sit on the runway for hours.
   
   
3. There are a lot of Civil War re-enactors down there that I don't think would mind jumping into the fray.
   
   
4. Have you seen pissed-off Southern women? Never ends well.
   

But back to reality, perhaps it can all be summarized by the following statement made by a Georgian blogger:, "I cant help wondering if Russia would [have] been audacious enough to defy international law if there wasn't a trend in defying it set by the U.S. over the years." So maybe with the November election, we can start to lead more by example.

PS: This issue also covered by The Reasonable Ego.

Good News is a Tall Order

I haven't been getting too hyped up about the economy problems as of late. I've curbed my spending, I try to drive less, I sell organs I don't need; whatever. Then a bit of news came crashing through my world like a drunk-driven meteor:

• From NPR.....Starbucks will close more than 600 shops in the U.S. in the coming months, which analysts say is a consequence of the chain's spreading too far, too fast.Seattle-based Starbucks did not say which stores will be closed, only that they are spread throughout the country. But it did say most of the outlets on the chopping block are new Starbucks stores that have been open only since 2006.
  

WE GOT A GRANDE PROBLEM HERE PEOPLE!!!

Look, I know the standard lines.

• "Why the hell would I pay 4.00 for a freakin' coffee??" I'll tell ya why, Jim Bob, because it's a little piece of Seattle and a little piece of Italy all wrapped up in a well-decorated and classy environment. But if you want to go to the Mobil and chug-a-gug crap coffee made with tap water you go right ahead. Oh, and it's not COFFEE that's 4.00, it's an espresso drink made just right by your friendly barrista.
  

• "Why do they have to use words that aren't ENGLISH and aren't ITALIAN either?" Is it really that hard to learn Tall, Grande and Venti? Don't flip out, Martha, it's not like you are learnin' Latin. A verbis ad verbera.
  
  
• "I don't need a Starbucks cup as a status symbol." Well, neither do I, Frank. It's just what it comes in when you order the beverage.

Blog Note: Jim Bob, Martha and Frank are fictional names representing real people.

You don't see people working on their laptops in Dunkin' Donuts. (Actually, update, reader Kate does, and commented as such. And yes, the wording was ambiguous, but I was not questioning the cleanliness of The Dunk. A new paragraph seems to have fixed it.)

Starbucks is clean, plays nice music, has a nice ambiance, and you can order cocoa if you don't like coffee.

The biggest reason for me is that it makes me feel.....at home. I've been to Starbucks in Seattle, Tucson, Denver, New York, London, Atlanta, Orlando, etc. etc. etc. They give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Most of them have the same feel... laid back.

Sigh. This is the first thing about the economy that has broken my bubble of denial.

Weekly Crunch- August 1

My original idea for this blog, back about 2 years ago, was to comment on things I found silly or interesting that happened during the week, because I was always talking about entertainment/politics/stupid things at work. Hence the Water-Cooler Worthy logo.

I never really got it going, and then was inspired by Danielle over at Captain Porkchops to just start writing, because her blog is honest and hilarious and always makes my day. And I was a writing major in college, and I have found technical writing to not fill any kind of void on creativity.

Now it's occurred to me that I should attempt to also achieve the original idea. So, if you please; the first "Weekly Crunch". It's a little sparse since this week I was in Florida and dealing with other things. But I'm starting now so I can get in the habit of having it every Friday.

Weekly Crunch- July 25-31, 2008

• Nutrition: New FANCY M&Ms Revealed- This whole new marketing scheme for chocolate with it's ANTIOXIDANTS and FANCY BLENDS is totally fine by me. I'm willing to go along with it. But upon entering CVS this afternoon, now M&Ms have what's called "The Premier Collection" Errrr...was it necessary to go there? You can read more about wacky candy marketing at Mars INSANE website that promotes....health. I love a Mars bar, but I'm not sure I can go for that. (If you are going to try new premier M&MS, don't tell Guy Ritchie).
  
  
• Technology: There is a new search engine at http://www.cuil.com. Apparantly it's just tubular.
  
  
• Movie News: The trailer for the new Harry Potter has come out, as well as the trailer for Twilight, based on Stephanie Meyer's addictive series. Also, the fourth book in her series, titled Breaking Dawn, will be out August 2. I don't know what it is about this series, but it pulls ya in.
  

Weird Bits:

• Reach out to those you love.
• The More You Know...
• Taking You Back.
  
• Trying to Go Back.