Looney Toon Watch: Michelle Bachmann

I'm not sure if this will turn into a regular segment on this oh-so-popular blog, but this is the inaugural edition of The Looney Toon Watch. And our first Looney Toon? Representative Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. Everybody's favorite reality-hating nut-job. So many ways to describe her, so few pejoratives in the English language...

This week Ms. Bachmann is introducing a landmark bit of legislation in the House. It's title, really, says it all: "The Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act." And the gist of the bill? According to the Star Tribune, "the bill seeks to repeal the nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs."

According to Bachmann, "This is an issue of science over fads and fashions." In case you're missing the irony here, Michelle Bachmann, who is also quoted in the article as claiming that global warming is "voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax," is bringing this bill on behalf of science.

She's also arguing that this is a government intrusion of personal freedoms and privacy. In case you're once again missing the irony here, Michelle Bachmann, who is arguably the leading crusader in Congress for having the government tell people whether they can get married, is bring this bill on behalf of limited government intervention in our lives.

Michelle Bachmann, you're one heckuva looney toon.

8 Reasons Facebook Frightens Me

1. Most of it doesn't make sense to me, which says more about me than it does the site.
2. People are willing to pay a buck to send a Facebook friend a virtual gift that is completely devoid of any value or meaning.
   
3. Since joining the site, my sense of self-worth has become solely dependent on how many Facebook friends I have.
4. Total strangers can poke you.
5. Totally hot strangers never poke me.
   
6. People I don't even like in the real world want to be my friends. And yet, they may help out with #3, so...
   
7. I have updated my Facebook status at least 5 times in the past 8 hours. And each time I rapidly clapped my hands like an evil nerd who just figured out how to make the Windows logo drip with the virtual blood of Bill Gates.
   
8. I have been attacked by virtual zombies.
   

Highlight of my day

Today, I spent nearly 20 minutes of my life trying to explain to an engineer that, in fact, nobody in the world except for members of his profession speak, read, or write the word "invariant" without rolling their eyes at their own ass-ness.

Furthermore, arguing that "invariant" and "constant" do not mean the same thing need not require postulations (his word) on the meaning of Pi.

I Can Get Behind That

A friend recently sent me flowers and a balloon as a get well wish. This totally rules on its own. However, the balloon has turned into the most entertaining item in my house. Not only does it float around on its own, showing up when you least expect it, but it has also completely captivated the cats.

Fanty was the first to discover that a string hangs down from the balloon -- a string which must be attacked, chewed, clawed, mangled, shredded, and generally abused. Mingo quickly got over his initial panic at the sound the balloon makes when it bounces against the ceiling, and now they take turns jumping up at the string and trying to pull it down to the ground with their teeth. Oh the acrobatics!! And Fanty has even taken to getting the string in his mouth and then taking the balloon for a stroll through the house. Its like they are best friends.

Helium balloons turned ultimate cat toys: I can get behind that!