12 Days of Christmas In Song, Day 9

A little bit o' Christmastime blues from one of my all-time favorites....

Aaron Neville, 'Please Come Home for Christmas'

Broken Windows Blues 2.0

I haven't abandoned you, Crumb Crunchers - I just have no computer AGAIN. Windows has crashed AGAIN and my trusty techie guy is working feverishly to restore it AGAIN. Don't know about you, but I'm losing patience with this. Is it my electric personality? Ha!

I'll be back as soon as possible....

Broken Windows Blues

Can you believe it? It seems I just got the last of my hardware issues resolved and now I have a complete failure of Windows shutting me down. I'm one unhappy Cracker this morning! The good news is I have someone working on the system right now, so I could be back in business by the end of the day. See you soon, Crumb Crunchers!

Same Shiite, Different Year

38 people are reported dead and dozens more were injured in the latest homicide bombing to rock Baghdad. The only thing slightly unusual about this story is the bomber's gender - female. From Fox News' coverage (links added ~ed):

A female homicide bomber blew herself up on Sunday among a crowd of pilgrims worshipping at a revered Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad, killing at least 38 people and wounding about 72, the Iraqi army and police said.

[snip]

The attack came as Shiites prepared to mark Ashura on Jan. 7. Falling on the 10th of Muharram under the Islamic lunar calendar, it is one of the most important holy days for Shiite Muslims and marks the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein.

[snip]

Although the homicide attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni terror group Al Qaeda in Iraq, which has killed hundreds of people in bombings against Ashura pilgrims in recent years, other Islamic extremist groups have used the day to stage bloody attacks.

Among the bloodiest attacks during Ashura were a series of mortar attacks and bombings in Baghdad and Karbala that killed nearly 200 pilgrims and wounded more than 500 others in 2004.

And the beat goes on. Sometimes I feel like Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day', ya' know? Makes me wanna sing the blues....

Jonny Lang & Double Trouble, 'Groundhog Day'

I Got The Blue Screen of Death Blues

So. Last night, I'm minding my own business, doing the blogging thing and all, with no inkling of what is about to happen. Bedtime comes and I shut the 'puter down and go to let the dogs out...except when I walk past the office, I see a light coming from within that shouldn't be there. Yeah, you know where this is going, don't you? At some point during shut down, the system crashed and there it was....the dreaded 'Blue Screen of Death'. GACK! I powered down and left the room.

Today, after 14.5 HOURS of system back-up and restoration, all appears to be well again. Hah! I am not fooled. This devil machine is merely toying with me, lulling me into a false sense of Norton Security, only to dash my dreams again at some most unexpected time in the future. Until then, here's an appropriate song to tide you over until I can write coherently again tomorrow...

Tuscon Cat, "Computer Blues"

Stormy Monday

Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughn