A few months ago, we brought you a story detailing just some of the myriad character flaws that have made of MSNBC correspondent and host of the program "Countdown" Keith Olbermann a persona non grata in many political circles. A rare combination of egomania, hypocrisy and flagrant disrespect for all around him have made of "Countdown" a ratings hit, overpowering Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" for the first time almost a month ago. But now that the program is on hold during the DNC and Olbermann is forced to interact with his coworkers, it appears that the network is beginning to suffer some karma for making a deal with the devil.

The "Rip Van Shuster" incident ended in a reluctant hug session, but spouts between Olbermann and "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, NBC sage Tom Brokaw, and Joe Scarborough have not ended so warmly. Moreover, Olbermann is forcing network head Phil Griffin to defend his greatest ratings-grab and his complete disrespect for all his coworkers save the channel's newest TV host Rachel Maddow, who is taking some heat for being caught in between Olbermann (who is accredited in part for getting her a show) and every other rational person in the network. Maddow has kept out the of the debate so far, along with Pat Buchanan and most pundits on the secondary MSNBC panel. Contrary to what common sense may suggest, however, this inter-pundit drama has not brought in a ratings haul for the network, which has now fallen down to third in the ratings under CNN and Fox News, respectively. Many insiders are directly blaming the tension between employees on the network, as the bitter rivalries have overshadowed DNC coverage for the past three days. Check out more details on the downfall of MSNBC and the outrage surrounding Olbermann's eccentric relationship here.

It was always viewed as evidence of her professionalism (and, let's be honest masochism) that she had worked with this man for eight years in a number of different agencies: but it was also widely assumed that whatever job she went to next would be the equivalent of a full body, deep tissue massage.

This was not the case. Her next boss used to refer to her two PAs as "Cunt" (yes, you read that right - and she was a woman), and was pretty uninhibited about demanding 24 hour attention (and, apparently, the ability to see the future and to mind-read): but it wasn't until PA to Famously Unpleasant Chairman turned to me and spoke the words "Have I told you about the menstrual blood?" that the full horror of the situation struck me.

It seems that this woman had an office that made Miranda Priest's office in "The Devil Wears Prada" look like a dingy hole: there was a Bill Amberg ostrich leather desk (in lavender, if that helps you build a picture, or (less likely) identify this noisome bitch) and toning (though, as it was cream, not matching) chair.

One morning, the cry went up: "Cunt"

The two women turned to each other: "Do you suppose that's me, or you?" asked my friend - but it was the other woman who walked into the office.

"Clean that up!" was the instruction and this villainess pointed to the seat of her cream leather chair, where a smear of blood was apparent.

The PA went outside, ashen-faced, to consult with my friend: "There's blood on her chair".

"Has she cut herself?"

"It's menstrual blood. She wants us to clean it off."

"I'm sorry: not for anything in the world."

I don't doubt the truth of this story for one second - although those of you lucky enough never to have worked in an advertising agency might. The sums of money that one is dealing with, the lifestyle that becomes (too quickly, in some cases) second nature - and the throngs of people who will "Do your bidding" are all dangerous incitements to this kind of lunacy - and if you're a certain type of American (and therefore more susceptible than most to believing that anything fake is real), then it's very easy to get to a point where you end up saying the sort of things to which the only fitting response is a slap around the face with the sole of a shoe.

Because my brain hurts, I turn once again to my favorite fall-back ~ memes. Today, I give you a three-peat in egomania.

There are few memes floating around that I wanted to do, and since they are each a little long, I am combining two of them into one mega-meme. Shouts out to Sue and Beany... I'm totally stealing these from you two wild women.

The verbs I poached from Sue's meme, and the idea of Googling the answers was Beany's. I searched each of these phrases and this is what Google spit out. The parentheticals are mine.

Tara wants... to see what she's been missing. (I need to get out more, do fun things with Hubs. I almost have an empty nest, it's time to cut loose again.)

Tara thinks... she knows karate. (I really do... well, taekwondo, that should count ~ third degree black belt ~ thankyouverymuch!)

Tara learns... to control herself (and not take out all the idiots driving on the roads near her office.)

Tara sees... the whole picture. (I try to see both sides on an issue. I may not always understand the reasoning, or agree with the other side, but I will listen to your point ~ then tell you you're a Mo-ron)

Tara tries... to seduce Kaba with her Barbie bathing suit dance. (You really never want to see me dance.)

Tara tells... it like it is. (I told you, I'm working on that.)

Tara touches... land for the first time in 500 days. (I'm not even sure what this could mean.)

Tara smells... like freedom. (Better than teen spirit.)

Tara feels... that her worldview is what will get her what she wants out of life. (I want to be independently wealthy, my view of the world would greatly improve should that ever happen.)

Tara stops... resisting and soon appears sedated. (resistance is futile... right now, sedation sounds like a welcome state of mind.)

Tara lets go... of those things that are not good or not healthy for me. (I'm trying to do this one too, not as easy as I had hoped.)

Cyndy at Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional tagged me for this meme. To sweeten the pot, she also gave me this pretty piece of bling. I have just the spot in my china cabinet. Thank you so much. Please take a little time to go over to her place, stay a while, put your feet up and have a nice read.

The questions:

1. Attached or single? Attached for more than a quarter century, married for 22, happily for two ~ just playing!

2. Best friend? Is it too cliche to say Hubs? 

3. Cake or pie? Maybe a combo of the two ~ cheesecake.

4. Day of choice? Sunday... it's just a lazy day, perfect for staying in my pjs and doing nothing all day.

5. Essential item? Gonna steal Cyndy's answer and say a good book, or two, or 12, or 100.

6. Favorite color? Blue

7. Gummy bears or worms? Sour worms!

8. Hometown? Lima, Ohio

9. Favorite indulgence? Staying in bed on a entire Sunday morning working crosswords, watching old movies and reading a good book.

10. January or July? January... July is Africa hot in Florida, and it's 70º in January.

11. Kids? No, thanks I have two of my own... that I know of *wink, wink.*

12. Life isn't complete without? My peeps and pups.

13. Marriage date? June 14, 1986

14. Number of brothers and sisters? One bio-brother, two step-brothers, and two-step sisters.

15. Oranges or apples? Apples

16. Phobias? No true phobias, but I absolutely HATE bridges.

17. Quotes? "What does not kill me makes me stronger" ~ Nietzsche and "Be the change you want to see in the world" ~ Gandhi

18. Reasons to smile? My kids, my hubs and my job, puppy breath and baby giggles.

19. Season of choice? Football ~ Go Vols!

20. Here is where I'm supposed to tag seven people. If you read my meme statement (check out the tab at top of the page) you'll find I don't spread the wealth. If you like this one, grab it. If you like reading them but not doing them, I hope you enjoyed these. If you don't like memes, and could not be happier if you never had to endure another one, get over it.

21. Unknown fact about me? I love buttermilk, and peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches ~ not together.

22. Vegetable? I like most veggies, just not Brussels Sprouts, but have a special place in my heart for broccoli.

23. Worst habit? Buying books when I have way too many already, sitting unread.

24. X-ray or ultrasound? Been there, done that, both ways.

25. Your Favorite Food? I love hot, spicy foods, Thai, Indian, Mexican... hotter the better, chased with a frosty mug of beer.

26. Zodiac sign? Libra  (Oct. 4), Chinese Year of the Tiger (1962), Elemental - Yang Water, Celtic Animal Birth Sign - Goose (artistic, protection, creativity), Birthstone, Opal

“We have one candidate who essentially is telling us every day that the world as it is just fine. That what we’ve been doing for the last eight years is fine,” Obama said. “Stay the course. Don’t make too many changes.

When has John McCain said that "the world as it is is just fine"? I don't recall John McCain said anything close. Regarding the last 8 years, when has McCain NOT criticized Bush for the way the war on Iraq was going? When has McCain NOT backstabbed the Republican Party or conservatives every chance he gets?

Is she aware that the casualities in Iraq have shrunk since September 2007? Or this little discovery?

Or shall we have change just for change sake? What exactly is this "change" that Barack and Michelle constantly repeat? We're certainly never given any details.

Liberals view human beings as a child views Play-Doh. Moldable and to be manipulated. (Conservatives [which John McCain can sometimes be when he feels like it] don't.)

“And then we have this other candidate — Barack Obama — who is saying every day that the world as it is not right. It’s not good enough,” she said. […]

And not socialist enough.

And not European enough.

“I wish we had time to be divided. I wish we had time to be upset. To be angry. To be disappointed. I wish we did,” Obama said. “Because if we had time for that, then things wouldn’t be so bad right now. Instead, we’re in a place where another four or eight years of the world as it is will devastate the life of some child.”

One can hear Michelle deliver all this with all sorts of artifically bloated gravitas like a female Caesar speaking amid the Roman Senate.

"so bad right now"? What "bad" things are you specifically referring to, Michelle? The American economy? Blame your side of the aisle for that one, specifically environMENTALists and the Democrat Party which sticks to such policies like a journalist on Barack Obama.

The housing crisis? Part of the blame can go to President Jimmy Carter for signing the Community Reinvestment Act. Blame Presidents Bill Clinton and, yes, George W. Bush for pushing home ownership to people who couldn't afford mortgages (shhh -- like illegal aliens).

As for the War in Iraq and the War on Terror generally, things have improved significantly. The publisher of national security secrets, the NY Times, admits as much. Why can't you admit it, Michelle?

In fact, MAGGIE!!! has even acquired a personal adjective, designed by Airolyn (formerly refferred to as the Hippo Emie, Veg, Etc.) : Magofolous!!

ego rant over.  almost.  one more sentence, okay?

in this post, Airolyn describes the MAGGIE!!! as "cool beyond words" and, at long last, admits that the MAGGIE!!-- erm, I am not her personal dating service.  Which hopefully means that she'll be letting go of that ridiculous "dibs" business.

Incredibly, Airolyn catches on to my preference of male friends over females, not because i'm a total flirt (which i've heard that i can be... oops?) but because i like the low-drama-ness of guys.  They may be obnoxious sometimes, but they're easy to be around, and, unlike the maggie, do not pick certain people to make fun of (This month it's Thinks He's Our Planet's Only Decent Artist... Thopoda!~ who i have intentionally given a girl-ish sounding 'name' because he is a drama-lama-girl!!!  And because he sucks in the artistic category) simply for sake of drama(which it mostly is), are perfectly satisfied watching the bloody movies that bore female friends for reasons beyond my comprehension, allow me some time to escape from the attentional center, aren't bothered when i like stupid YouTube stuff, and are over it in 3 seconds flat when i make an idiot of myself. Which happens OFTEN.

hm... this is turning into a 'hanging out with guys doesn't make me a slut' rant, isn't it.  Oops.  Oh, well.

Seriously, though, i don't get why ANYONE would even think about dramatic freaks when there were guys standing right next to them.  WHen guys stop paying attention to you, you know it'll all cycle back.  with girls (ew!) you get mega-huge blocks of one-way conversation with no conceivable end.  Often i wonder if Imlicti (Incredible Music Lover Is Cooler Than I), Amaaan- and others are really listening to me or waiting for my mouth to shut so they can tell their story.  Guys, on the other hand, don't fake it when they get bored.  they just turn around and do something else.  They'll feed your attetion-ometer later, and you know it. so it's all good.  Besides, it's TIRING to pretend to be the center of the universe for over 20 straight minutes.  Aren't guys awesome?

 As for the Title... it's a good song! let Quebbekkah make the connection!

"Apple Trees" (c) Ozma

"You can draw out a battle scene that would normally short change a monthly book buyer due to lack of story within the 22 or so pages. But in a graphic novel you can do all kinds of crazy stuff. As soon as we knew we were doing Aqua as a series of graphic novels, and not a monthly I immediately wrote in a 5 page splash. I love stuff like that."

In in interview with Comic Book Resources, he reiterates this point, saying:

"OGN (original graphic novel) is just smart business," Maybury said. "Especially with an unknown property and a pretty much unknown artist. There's a lot more creative freedom story telling wise in this format. You can take your time and not worry about the cliffhanger on page #21!"

Writer Mark Andrew Smith agreed with the first quote, but isn't cited in the CBR article in regards to the latter.

Good to see I'm not full of crap.

i've already started with fanart for The Host (dutdoodeetdah!) it's of Jared and melanie,  who, shockingly, have ZERO fanart on deviantart!!! WHYYYYYYY!?!?!  i mean, couple art of the two of them is nonexistant. 

I SHALL PERSEVERE!!! AND WORK HARD!!! TO MAKE THE BEST FIRST FANART THERE EVER WAS!!!

starting by talking normally.  this isn't the first time i'll be the first (practically) to post up a certain couple.  when i couldn't find JacoBella art, i did it myself.  While it may not be perfect, it's not half bad.  It's probably the first REALLY GOOD couple art i ever did.  No awkward spacing, not too stiff....

i'm babbling....  artisticly!  But still babbling.

And, for my new, much improved coupleart skillz i must thank.... (drumroll, please?) Mysterious Is Still Unnamed Boy Isn’t Blip  (Misubib).  If you DEMAND an explanation, call me.

♥for now i'll just be basking in my new talent♥

QUEBEKAH!!

"The sun is like my own sense of direction"

♥UP♥DATE♥ the art is HERE

~Maggiethegreatbigbeautifulmegafamoussuperartist

"Miracle!" (c) Paramore

Does anyone else do that?

Stare in disbeleif at the acne-free face on the other side of the glass, so decidedly NOT 'that freak with the pigtails"?  It almost makes my FaNbAsE semi-logical.  Although it still doesn't explain the StAlKeR...

  UPDATE!!!!!  i've made art of this!!! see it here!!!

Oh, dear Remus, Apollo's gonna turn me into a daisy, just like Narcissus.  Sorry about the EGO-post, guys.  I'll do better next time...

But, hey, at least I'm back to naming thungs!

BY THE WAY!! those links go to old posts that i took off out of embarrassment, but am presently stupid enough to return to the wonders of the internet.  Because censoring is bad?

QUEBEKAH!! {Are You Ok?}

"I need to start to be myself

Cause i'm sick of everybody else!!"

"Do You Know What I'm Seeing?" (c) Panique! à la Discotheque  (Panic! at the Disco)

and yes, i do realize that discotheque is masculine.  Shut your stupid face.  It sounds cooler this way.

I am 18 years old and my girlfriend is 18 year old.  We both came from broken homes and dysfunctional families. I guess that's what connected us but she is very selfish and I have put up with her selfishness a long time but I think I am ready to move on and end the relationship. You see my friend is all about her.  She does not know how to support her friends.  Whenever I try to talk about something that's important to me, she would say yeah and return  to talk about something that happened to her. Whatever you say she has a story that is worse than you.  I don't enjoy talking to her. I am bored just listening to her talk about herself and not willing to listen to anybody else. How do I stop this egomaniac.

Stop egomaniac

Dear stop egomaniac:

True, there are those who think that the world revolves around them and that what they have to say is more important than the next person. These egomaniacs have a sense of their own importance and you can be a friend and set her straight. When you are talking and she ignores or interrupts or moves on seamlessly to herself again just say "stop" when you get her attention say "may I finish my story.  I want to hear what you think about what I am sharing with you."  The truth is sometimes people are not aware of the bubble they live in.  They have so much going on, so many insecurities that it is hard to focus on anything else, then again they may be suffering from ADHD. Try that and see if it works otherwise the world is filled with friends you have not met, find a friend more in line with what your needs are. Sometimes the aggravation just does not worth the trouble.

Goodluck.

Combine this busy-body sentiment with malignant egomania second only to Michael Moore, and the photo below is what you get:

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a meeting of Democratic Governors at the Chicago History Museum in Chicago Friday, June 20, 2008. A new seal debuted on Obama's podium Friday, sporting iconography used in the U.S. presidential seal, the blue background, the eagle clutching arrows on left and olive branch on right, but with symbolic differences. Instead of the Latin 'E pluribus unum' (Out of many, one), Obama's says 'Vero possumus', rough Latin for 'Yes, we can.' Instead of 'Seal of the President of the United States', Obama's Web site address is listed. And instead of a shield, Obama's eagle wears his 'O' campaign logo with a rising sun representing hope ahead.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

One would think that a person seeking the office of President would have some respect for its Seal. When you're a Messiah, you can make your own rules.

Imagine John McCain getting away with this.

Not Me: It won't matter, because the people who do those things don't ever listen. If a person is really a sociopath, they just don't have the capacity to feel any empathy, it's impossible for them to put themselves in the victims shoes. That's what stops us from all being heartless killers, that we understand what it would be like to be a victim...

Me: They could put themselves in the victim's shoes it they really wanted to, even if the shoes are way too small, they could squish their feet in there. Duh. It's not like the dead people need shoes anymore anyway, you know? :/

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Pitching Fits/Venting/Complaining:

Me: Really, I think pitching a fit is fun for everyone involved. The fit pitcher gets to yell, the fit catcher gets a good story to tell about the crazy bitch who pitched a fit, and onlookers get a little impromptu entertainment. Best part, is if you pitch a fit in public, and storm out the door, everyone still in the place is brought closer by having experienced your outburst. They make eye contact and say stuff like, "wow, she was mad" and chuckle. Bang, you’ve just created community bonding among a bunch of strangers in some store, and that’s just good karma. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On advice column commenters:

Not Me: To all the posters so far.
Sanctimonious. Definition. Look it up please.

Me: Hey! What gives? Why you wanna ruin all our fun? :(   - We know what sanctimonious means, that is why we are here. Duh. It's an advice column, irresistably tailor-made for us sanctimonious types. Not only do we get to play "I woulda done it different" with the letter writers, but we also get to play "I woulda given different advice" too. Be thankful that at least we're not out there foisting our ill-concieved sanctimonous opinions on the public at large. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a long, involved discussion in the WaPo Ask Amy comments section:

Me: First, I just want to say I don't mean to attack or jump down throats... I just get all riled up sometimes, somehow sometimes the love I mean to send along with my words doesn't come thru that well... but I do offer in my defense that I had summed up by using the word frazzled. My point being that frazzled is an awesome word.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Commercials

 Me: (...) friggin Electrolux commercials with Kelly Ripa... She flits around her kitchen and her house happy as a clam because using all the electrolux appliances helps her to be the mostest perfectest sweetest mommiest mommy ever! But it's so totally unacheivable... nowhere in these ads do we see the dishes that she actually cooked the perfectly presented food in, Nothing piled up in the sink, no stray utensils on the countertop, we see her spooning pudding or some such nonsense, but the entire counter is spotless. not a single paper towel, or pudding box, or anything... I guess they just forgot to film the parts where a crew of 10 prep people actually prepared the food and then cleaned the surfaces. If I had a crew of 10 helping me out I could be the bestest mommiest mommy ever too, and I don't even have kids. :/ ... I get especially pissed at the slogan "You Can Be Even More Amazing!" Great, like I need that kind of pressure.

 

I understand if you are too overwhelmed with ecstasy to comment.

:)

My "extra" $75 ended up in the pocket of one Miss Anabelle Hickey, a supurb indie facialist in Williamsburg. She gives the best facials ever, and while I was getting one of the best facials ever, I found myself wondering what I often to do when I am getting some kind of paid flash treatment --does this person want me? The fact that my train of thought takes that rail whenever I am treated to a massage or similar may be a sign of some sort of egomania, but if so, it's the only symptoms of that disease that I display. (She said humbly.)

graywolf: O Twitter é o mecanismo mais fácil de auto-regulamentação. Se você achar que alguém é spammer, pare de segui-lo.

Eu então falei:

@graywolf E é fácil de detectar também: veja a razão seguidores/seguidos. Se está pendendo muito para o lado dos seguidos, é um spammer.

Ele rebate com duas mensagens:

 

graywolf: @rodrigolj Talvez eles criaram uma segunda conta de Twitter para seguir serviços de notícias no Twitter que não seguem você de volta. Isto me torna um spammer?

graywolf: @rodrigolj Há muitas e muitas razões legítimas para que isso ocorra sem precisar marcar ou rotular uma pessoa.

 

Minhas teorias:

@graywolf Teoria nº 1: Conectar-se com MUITAS pessoas, en masse. Resultado: Falha em me impressionar, pois eu não quero ser apenas uma pessoa entre 1,000 que foram adicionadas no Twitter de alguém em um dia.

@graywolf Teoria nº 2: Alguém quer ler o que outras pessoas dizem. Resultado: Eu não me sinto compelido em reciprocamente seguir a pessoa. O objetivo dela foi alcançado.

A resposta dele?

graywolf: @rodrigolj Eu não devo ter recebido o memorando onde você nos comunica que nós todos temos de fazer coisas para lhe impressionar.

Bem, considerando que o negócio do Michael Gray é SEO — ou seja, marketing —, sim! Ele tem de me impressionar! É para isso que as pessoas contratam ele, é por isso que eu sigo ele no Twitter e é por isso que eu acho que ele, e todas as pessoas no Twitter, deveriam se preocupar muito em impressionar a todos a quem eles falam (não só eu). Se não querem me ouvir, ao menos ouçam o Seth Godin. Ele fala sobre isso o tempo todo.

Mas certamente o Michael me impressionou. E certamente ele encorajou as pessoas a segui-lo no Twitter. E é por isso que eu sigo ele (pelo primeiro motivo). Mas eu espero que ele me siga também? Óbvio que não!

Razão nº 1 pela qual ele não deve me seguir? Eu "twito" em português. Ele não fala português, então não há motivo de me seguir. A Razão nº 2? Meus twits simplesmente podem não ter o mesmo valor agregado, utilidade ou relevância para o campo de trabalho ou à vida dele. Esta última razão é a mais importante e ninguém pode definir onde começa ou termina o valor, utilidade, ou relevância de uma mensagem, além do próprio leitor.

Pode haver valor sim em fazer um follow em massa. A Márcia Lima fez isso com todos os twiteiros de Porto Alegre, para poder se comunicar com o pessoal da nossa cidade. Ter um motivo claro e legítimo foi o motivo de eu seguir ela. E um bom motivo é necessário sim! Se um twitteiro de Nova Iorque resolver seguir todos os nova-iorquinos com Twitter, será trabalhoso, mas será algo que merece reciprocidade.

No final do dia, embora eu esteja agindo de uma forma rotulada como egocêntrica, eu estou recebendo mensagens muito relevantes à minha carreira e à minha vida (sem pedir por elas, inclusive pelo Twitter!) e, principalmente, não estou sendindo qualquer estresse por sobrecarga de informação. De fato, se tenho alguma frustração que me estressa, é a de não poder fazer mais coisas com as minhas duas horas de almoço por conta do computador lento que tenho no trabalho.

Se você quer receber a água na sua mão, não precisa necessariamente abrir todas as torneiras da casa. Uma torneira já é o suficiente. Também, esta única torneira não precisa estar aberta por inteiro: 1/4 ou metade já é o suficiente para encher um copo bem rápido.

Ioana Luca and Detlev Foth in springtime 2008 - ready for travelling.

love

In the studio with the dog

A group of friendly strangers in Düsseldorf

Detlev Foth as a child

Ioana Luca as a child

Ioana Luca as a child

communication

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

Ioana Luca- exhibition of her portrait in the nature

Exhibition in the nature II

strange days

waiting for a train

train is comming

transition

Ioana Luca in the studio, transition II

Ioana Luca in the studio - transition III

slashed  studio

the garden studio

driving

short walk with several of mine

The past is visiting our studio

The past is visiting our studio II

A short moment with the past at the lake

The idea of a studio at the Unterbacher See Süd

The idea of a studio at the Unterbacher See Süd II

the idea of a studio in the mountains

Hidden World / Dylanism and Springtime Remix

!!!

http://www.ioana-luca-art.com/

http://www.foth-malerei.com/

http://www.foth-malerei.com/