I know I promised pictures of Janet and Chris’ cats, and a post about my trip up to Northern VA, but I haven’t got a decent image editor, and the crops are far too large to post, and I have to find my Windows key for my Sony so I can finally get back to Fireworks (sorry, can’t afford to buy it right now), but at least I’ve had two lunches out of the kosher Chinese food I picked up on Sunday.

Wow, that was good.

I’m thinking of having a pre-EATAPETA Day dinner on the Sunday before March 15th at the Royal Dragon in Rockville, for my northern VA/D.C.-area readers who want to meet and eat.

But let me tell you, Meryl is not sharing. Nope. What I order is mine, and I’m taking home every drop left over from my meal. It’s a two-hour drive, and really, really good Chinese food. Best I’ve had since I left NJ.

If you want a Sunday midafternoon lunch/dinner in Rockville, email me or say so in the comments. March 12th.

I wish the bugs would stop flying by my window and yelling insults. I put that plant in the window so it could get some sunlight, not to tease the bugs.

Stupid insects.

I was trying to decide which side of the argument to take regarding a Dubai-based company getting ownership of the company that runs six American ports. Then I read this:

The Bush administration got support Monday from former President Carter, a Democrat and frequent critic of the administration.

“My presumption is, and my belief is, that the president and his secretary of state and the Defense Department and others have adequately cleared the Dubai government organization to manage these ports,” Carter told CNN. “I don’t think there’s any particular threat to our security.”

Right. Now I know for a fact that the terrorists will be moving materials through this company. Ditch the deal. Jimmy Carter has convinced me.

If he told me it was sunny outside, I’d break out the rain gear.

I have made several interesting discoveries about the dieffenbachia (besides how to spell its name correctly) that I received as a going-away present from my team at Large Financial Company in Richmond:

When you leave it alone in your home overnight due to an impending snowstorm that utterly fizzles out in Richmond, but still gets you the day off from teaching religious school, it wilts from lack of attention. Or perhaps it was the lack of water. But, when you water it, within a few hours, the leaves (with the exception of the few lost to Darwinian evolution, sucks to be them) will spring back to their normal upright position.

When you leave it alone over the weekend, even after watering it on Friday with the distinct impression that watering it a little on Friday will not cause it to wilt from neglect over the weekend, you discover your error on Monday morning, as well as a plant that is beginning to resemble the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. You pour large quantities of water on it, trying not to make them so large that the overwatering thing occurs (and hello, what happens to plants when it rains like hell outdoors? Howcome they never do the thing outdoors that they do indoors when we water them too much?), and wait, and wonder if it will recover, this time, taking the dead leaves off, since the plant has so conveniently moved aside and exposed them for you.

Then you find out that there is always a dry, hot wind in your building, what with all the servers on the floor, and their being on 24 hours a day, and that that is probably what took out your plant (besides the not watering it enough on Friday thing.)

Then comes the other discovery: It takes about three hours for the plant to fully recover from thirst.

Which leads me to my conclusion: The dieffenbachia is a drama queen.

Next week: I’m going to read my tech document aloud to it and see if it keels over from boredom.

prag·ma·tism A practical, matter-of-fact way of approaching or assessing situations or of solving problems.

Hamas’ Choice for PM Seen As Pragmatist

Hamas names popular pragmatist as Palestinian prime minister

Hamas picks ‘pragmatist’ as Palestinian PM

Hamas picks “pragmatist” Haniyeh as Palestinian PM

Hamas names ‘moderate’ for PM

Hamas nominates ‘moderate’ as leader

Honest Reporting has a report on the “pragmatist.”

Then there’s this:

Ismail Haniyeh, a leading Hamas figure from the Gaza Strip, told The Associated Press that recognition of Israel is “out of the question. What we would like to emphasize is that the Israeli occupation has to recognize first the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Yes, a pragmatist. That $180,000 PR flack is paying off again.