Happy Derby

Unless you've been under a rock the past week, you know that this Saturday is the Kentucky Derby -- dubbed the greatest two minutes in sports. I beg to differ, but that's neither here nor there. But I digress. When people mention the Derby, most think of roses and horses. And when you see the women at the Derby they're wearing big festive hats. Here's a story about a different type of Derby hat.

This past Tuesday was the 'Rents day to volunteer and work at the bingo at the VFW. Since it's Derby week, they were having a Derby hat contest at the bingo. Not wanting to be left out, Mom set out to design and make a Derby hat. But this wasn't just any Derby hat - this was a recycled and remodeled Derby hat.

A year or two after Grandma went to the nursing home, the residents made Easter hats and wore them in an Easter parade up and down the hallways in the nursing home. Grandma's hat was pretty cool - it had plastic Easter eggs and plastic pearls on it and was pretty darned good looking. The week after Easter she sent the hat home with us, and since then every Easter Mom has hung the hat on our front door as part of our Easter decorations. So when she started thinking about her Derby hat, Mom decided to use Grandma's Easter hat. But not wanting to destroy or deface the hat, she sewed or taped everything to the hat - so it could be easily restored to it's original condition. She worked all day and most of the evening on Monday getting the hat ready.

Tuesday morning, I was looking at the hat and saw a price tag hanging from it. I grabbed the scissors and started to cut the tag off; since my mother's name is Minnie, we always joke about "Minnie Pearl" and if you know anything at all about Minnie Pearl, then you know she wore a hat with a price tag on it. Mom grabbed my hand and told me to put the scissors down. She said the tag had to stay on the hat. She turned the tag over and there we saw where they had written Grandma's name.

Mom proudly wore her Derby hat to the Tuesday morning bingo, and as soon as she got home, she proudly hung it on the front door. As soon as Derby is over, we'll restore the hat to its original condition.

Farewell, Mr. Rex

TWIT is very sad to report that Robley Rex, Kentucky's only surviving WWI veteran has died. He would have been 108 years old on Saturday.

Up until just a few weeks ago, Mr. Rex volunteered daily at the VA Hospital here in Louisville. Appropriately, he died in the place that he volunteered. When asked about his longevity, he said it was because he "married the right woman." His wife of 69 years, Gracie, died in 1992.

He enlisted in the Army after the armistice was signed, and was signed to a military intelligence unit in Germany. He was never near combat during his military service. He said that when he landed in France, the commander asked if anyone could use a typewriter. Robley said that "God lifted my hand, and I went in to keep a chair warm." After his stint in the Army, he returned home, married Gracie and farmed for 23 years in Hopkinsville. He and his wife later moved to Louisville, where he retired as a railway postal clerk.

Robley loved the VA Hospital, and volunteered more than 16,000 hours. He delivered charts, records and mail, and being an ordained Methodist minister he would have prayer with the patients. At his 107th birthday, he was honored with the Kentucky Governor's Award for Outstanding Service. He was named the National Volunteer of the Year in 2005 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Mr. Rex twice. The first time was when I attended my very first VFW convention a few years ago. The picture above was taken shortly after I met him and gave him a hug. The second time I got to meet him was two years ago on Memorial Day. Mr. Rex threw out the first pitch at the Bats baseball game. After he threw the first pitch, he rode around the perimeter of the baseball field in a cart, waving to the crowd. As he reached the rightfield section of the stands, over 1,000 young men in boot camp at Fort Knox all stood up and saluted Mr. Rex while he passed by their section. Let me tell you I was as weepy during that moment as I am right now reminiscing about it.

They had a story about Mr. Rex last night on the 6:00 news, and they showed a few video clips of him during the past few years. During one interview, the reporter asked Mr. Rex about how he had lived so long. Mr. Rex said "You know the song, 'God Will Take Care Of You'? Well, I'm the man that God has taken care of." Amen, Mr. Rex. Amen.

File Under: WTF?

Gone with the wind: Chihuahua blown away
Report: Six-pound puppy found a mile away from where gust sent her flying


WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A six-pound Chihuahua has been reunited with her owners after a 70-mph gust of wind picked the puppy up and tossed her out of sight.

Dorothy and Lavern Utley credit a pet psychic for guiding them on Monday to a wooded area nearly a mile from where 8-month-old Tinker Bell had been last seen. The brown long-haired dog was dirty and hungry but otherwise OK.

The Utleys, of Rochester, had set up an outdoor display Saturday at a flea market in Waterford Township, 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Tinker Bell was standing on their platform trailer when she was swept away.

Dorothy Utley tells The Detroit News that her cherished pet "just went wild" upon seeing her.

For the record, let me first say that I'm glad that Tinker Bell is okay after being blown away. But I have to admit that I would have liked to have seen that.

Special Request Monday

Faithful Reader Lynne contacted me over the weekend and asked if I would do some research and see if I can find out more information about the rules concerning socks in our public schools. I'm always happy to do all I can for you, my faithful readers, so here's what I found out.

After conducting an informal survey, I discovered that the sock rule is in place only at the Traditional Schools, as part of their dress code. Next, I visited the Jefferson County Traditional School website to check out the dress code. Here's what I found out (and I quote): Colors must be solid white, navy blue, black, brown or beige. (Underlined and in bold print) socks must be visible above the shoe and anklebone.

There were no explanations -- just those two sentences. I did some more research and found that a student in a middle school in California was suspended because she wore a pair of Winnie The Pooh socks to school. Of course, the ACLU got involved and filed a lawsuit on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.

I could not find an explanation nor reason for a strict dress code about socks, but I'm going to stick with my original reason that different length socks could be some kind of gang colors.

Link Of The Week

About fifteen years ago, my family and I were all into the vinegar craze. We had a recipe for a Miracle Cocktail of vinegar, grape juice and something that I can't remember -- you were supposed to drink a small glass of this every day and it would cure everything wrong with you. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it truly was supposed to help you. I even bought a book that detailed all of the uses for vinegar and how it was the cure-all. Well, needless to say after a few weeks I forgot to drink the vinegar cocktail every morning. But one thing stuck with me from the vinegar book - they told how supposedly Cleopatra drank vinegar every morning and that was what helped her keep her youthful appearance.

If you'd like to check out a bunch of uses for vinegar, I've found the perfect site for you. Just visit http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/extraordinary-uses-for-vinegar/article24053.html and then go to the grocery store and buy yourself a gallon of vinegar and in no time you'll be on your way to feeling and looking better.

A/C Watch At The Compound

Today, I declare the 2009 A/C Watch officially on. As I type this, it's sweltering here in the back bedroom; never mind that this room faces the west and gets the afternoon sun - that's beside the point. Yesterday the temperature reached 86 degrees, and as I type this it's 85 according to the thermometer on the back porch. I didn't check the thermostat in the hallway but I'd swear it's at least 99 degrees in the house.

Last night was quasi-comfortable. I turned on my ceiling fan before I went to bed and was fairly comfortable. But today with riding my bike 12 miles, running errands and cleaning out the Blazer I was sweating. But no amount of brow-wiping guilted the 'Rents into Flipping The Switch today. The forecast for the next week is pretty much the same as today -- highs in the mid-80's. So I can only hope they'll become uncomfortable and Flip The Switch. Yep, I can only hope.

Flashback Friday

I stopped at our 'hood Wal-Mart this a.m. on the way to work to pick up a gallon of milk for my co-worker's and my daily bowl of Cheerios. It was on sale, I might add. But I digress. After having to walk to the farthest check out lane, I was waiting in line when I witnessed a quasi-epiphany. The cashier was talking to a co-worker who had asked her for someone's phone number. Immediately, the cashier whipped out her cell phone and proceded to look up the number in her address book. As I was standing there, it dawned on me that the old school address book is a thing of the past.

Back in the day, you'd hear people joke about having someone's number in their "little black book", or in my case, it was a little red book. And no surprise to those that know me well - I still have that little red book today, tucked safely away in The Archives down in the basement. Anyhoo, back in the day us gals carried a little phone book in our purses. If you asked a young woman today if she had a small phone book in her purse, she'd look at you like you had three heads.

I conducted an informal survey at work today, and of the 8 people that I talked with, only two still use an actual hard-copy phone book -- yours truly and my faithful reader and co-worker SH. She and I still keep the phone number and address section of our Executive Planners updated with current phone numbers and addresses of friends. But the others sadly said nsaid no, to my dismay - they only have the phone numbers saved on their cell phones.

Are My Ankles Too Distracting?

The other day, I wore a new pair of khaki pants and a red golf shirt to work. My friend and co-worker SH and I joked about how I was dressed like the school kids with their uniforms. While we were joking about my outfit, SH made a comment that truly floored me. She said something about my socks, and how the school kids have to wear socks that come above their ankles. Based on that comment alone this journal entry could have easily been titled "File Under: WTF?". I thought about this for a day or two and this afternoon I asked her to please explain this odd rule.

She said that the kids can't wear any of the "no-show" socks that you can't see when wearing shoes, and that the socks have to come above their ankles. It blew me away. We discussed this at great length, and my first question was for someone to please give me a sensible reason why the kids' socks have to come above their ankles. A co-worker said it has to do with gangs and colors and such. Now, I'm not around too many gang members, but I can't really believe that wearing no-show socks would be a gang symbol. Maybe I'm naive, but it just doesn't make sense to me.

Bicycle Update

I'm happy to report that the Old Man aka Dad and I picked up the bicycle a couple hours ago, and it's [supposedly] back in mint condition. I rode earlier before we went to pick it up, so I can't testify to that but knowing Larry the Dixie Cyclery owner like I do, I believe him. He fixed it and thankfully didn't charge me for it.

On a related note, I will announce that I have received my first Road Rash of the season earlier today while I was riding. Thanks to the @#$%ing four-wheelers that ride on the bike path, I was trying to dodge a big clod of dirt on the path and skidded and ended up busting my knee. But I washed it out with peroxide as soon as I got back home and I believe I'll make it.

File Under: WTF?

Surgeons Find Tree Growing Inside Man's Lung

Surgeons in Russia thought they were going to remove a cancerous tumor from a 28-year-old patient – but instead they found a 5-centimeter tree growing inside his lung.

It happened in Russia’s Urals region while doctors were operating on Artyom Sidorkin, the Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda Daily reported Monday.

Doctors suspected Sidorkin had cancer after he complained of extreme pain in his chest and had been coughing up blood.

"I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things," Surgeon Vladimir Kamashev told the newspaper.

Doctors believe Sidorkin somehow inhaled a seed, which later sprouted inside his lung.
The spruce, which was touching the man's capillaries and causing severe pain, was removed.

Wow. A spruce -- as in, a Christmas tree?? There's not much I can say about this except truly WTF?

Can't I Just Be Mad?

An interesting, but not coincidental, thing happened Saturday night. I was mad over having a BMW that I could not drive and a bicycle that I could not pedal, and was only half-way watching the big TV coverage of Thunder Over Louisville. As I said, I was mad until I saw something on the Thunder coverage that made me snap out of it. I had driven to a friend's house to pick up some DVDs and she and her husband were watching the Thunder coverage while I was there. They made small talk, asking how I'd been doing, to which I quickly told them about the BMW's alternator issue and the bike that had been broken down three times in two weeks. I just wanted to be mad for awhile, but my friend pointed out something that changed my whole outlook that evening.

On the TV, we saw a young man named Bryan Anderson who was the official "Thundernator" for the fireworks; he would be the one to flip the switch at 9:30 to start the world's largest fireworks display. He served in Iraq until a day in October of 2005 when his Humvee hit an IED and he lost both legs and one hand in the explosion. We saw the gigantic smile on this kid's face as he was sitting in his wheel chair in the command center for Thunder; he even said it was the most awesome thing he's ever done. My friend looked at me and said "You know, at least you have two legs to pedal or drive." There's not much I could say after that.

Link Of The Week

We're still in the middle of the recession, and everyone I know is doing what they can to cut back on spending. Some of that involves doing a bit of research before you go to the store. A few years ago I read an article about how we as consumers should put together a price book - a simple notebook with the product name, store name, price, and other information about items that you regularly buy. The idea is to keep the book updated so you can look at it and know (in my case) that Wal-Mart has a six-pack of 12 ounce V8 juice for $3.78, compared to Krogers who has it for $4.28. You get the picture.

I found a site this week that will help you get your own price book together. You can print out one of three different sizes of the price book pages and make copies for your own price book. Just visit http://www.stretcher.com/resource/PxBook/pricebookpages.pdf and print out the size that you want and you'll be on your way to saving money.

I'm Just Gonna Walk

This has not been a good week for me, transporation wise, faithful readers. First of all, I'm pretty sure that the BMW needs a new alternator. It was dead on Thursday evening, and after the AAA Rescue Ranger came to try and jump the battery for me, we've determined that it's the alternator causing it to go dead. But surprisingly enough, that has not bothered me nearly as bad as the two bike breakdowns I've had in just three days. Yep, you read that right. Thursday after I discovered the BMW wouldn't start, I took my frustrations out during my nightly ride, only to have a flat tire (which was the second flat in two weeks, too) and was forced to walk the bike the last two miles of my ride. So I got the bike back yesterday after work and last night's ride was great - the weather was perfect, and I was really looking forward to my usual Saturday long ride.

Things were going great until I stopped for a water break and as soon as I got back on the bike and started pedaling, I noticed I wasn't moving. Something had happened with the gear sprocket and I was stranded again. Unfortunately, I was back on a part of the bike path that is nowhere near an actual road where a car or truck could have come to haul me back home. So once again, just like Thursday night, I started walking the bike back to civilization. I walked until I got about a quarter of a mile from Fat Man's Bar and Grill, which is about a quarter of a mile from the VFW post, and called the post and asked the bartender if she would send someone there with a truck to come and haul me home. Now, you might ask yourself "Puddin, why didn't you call the 'Rents and ask them to come get you?" Good question, but not practical; they were in the back field hauling and stacking wood. Luckily one of the Veterans at the post had just walked in the door, and the bartender asked if he would come and haul me back home, which he was more than happy to do. I had him put the bartender back on the phone and I told her to run him a tab today and that I would come by later this afternoon to pay it; it was the least I could do.

So I got home and as I said before I'm more disgusted with the bike problems than I am over facing a $$$ BMW repair bill. Maybe these are signs that I should just walk instead of ride, drive, or pedal.

Flashback Friday

File Under: WTF?

Man allegedly stabs brother over pork and beans

Wed Apr 15, 9:17 pm ET GILLIAM, La.

A sheriff's deputy said a 54-year-old man stabbed his 63-year-old brother during an argument in their kitchen over a can of pork and beans. Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick said the suspect was booked Tuesday on one count of aggravated battery.

Chadwick said the brother was treated at a medical center for stab wounds in his left arm and shoulder blade. Chadwick quoted Deputy Jairo Rivera as saying the two brothers had been drinking. Rivera said the suspect picked up a kitchen knife after his brother threw a punch at him but missed.

Now, before we go any further, let me say for the record that I love pork and beans. But I really don't think that I would ever stab anyone over a can of them. I know we're in a recession and all but I'm guessing a can is maybe less than a buck? That's not even worth putting one in the chamber.

New Recipe Wednesday

I've mentioned before how much the 'Rents and I love to watch the Food Network. Paula Deen used to be our favorite, until she got just way out of control. We still love Giada de Laurentis, and would welcome her to The Compound any time to fix us an Italian meal. Another current favorite is Sandra Lee. In case you're not familiar with Sandra Lee, her show on the Food Network is "Semi-Homemade With Sandra Lee." Her mantra is using 70% store bought stuff with 30% homemade. We watch her show every Saturday morning, and just this week we received our first issue of her Semi-Homemade magazine. The 'Rents poured through it as soon as it came in the mail, and put small Post-It notes on the pages of recipes they wanted to try. They chose the Burrito Casserole as the first experiment. Let me tell you we ate it literally faster than the time it took them to make it - it was that good, and it was that easy to make. Sandra Lee's Burrito Casserole definitely gets the TWIT Seal Of Approval, and you can bet that it will be in permanent recipe rotation for supper at The Compound. Here's the recipe:

BURRITO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 (32-ounce) package beef and bean burritos

1 (14-ounce) can mild enchilada sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained

1 1/2 cups diced tomato

4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (about 1/2 head)

Directions:
Line burritos in a single layer in a 13x9-inch microwave-safe dish.

Microwave burritos on High, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until heated through.
Pour enchilada sauce over the burritos. Sprinkle cheese over enchilada sauce.

Microwave burritos for 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Spread olives, tomato, and lettuce evenly over burritos. Serve immediately.

Note: the three of us are pretty big eaters, but they cut the recipe in half and only used 4 burritos in the pan. Mom had one and Dad and I had one and a half and we were full. And Mom said that the next time, she's going to microwave the burritos for maybe a minute or two less; as microwave burrito lovers know, the ends of the burritos can get pretty tough if you microwave them for too long.

Stock Market Update

The market has been up and down for days, and even though it's been topsy-turvy, I'm still happy to report that my portfolio is still in the black. Since I purchased my stocks, I've gained a total of 116% as of today's market close. I took a gamble last week and foolishly added some shares of GM stock. Yeah, I know that wasn't the smartest move, but hey - I'm a gambler and we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the roll of that dice.

We still check the price of the CitiGroup stock probably a dozen times during the day, and we all wanted to do a happy dance today when the price was over $4 a share. We just hope it keeps on going and going.

Hail, No

It's springtime here in the Ohio Valley, and that means two things: the allergy season and the storm season. This afternoon, a pretty big storm moved through the 'Ville and for about ten minutes, we had a pretty wild hailstorm. The hail started out pea-sized and then graduated up to marble size. Our office building has a tin roof, and the hail sounded like it was apple-sized, like they had in Arkansas yesterday. The only thing I could think of was my beloved Blazer that was still shining from the wreck repairs and a full paint job sitting out there in the parking lot getting pelted by hail. It almost made me sick at my stomach.

As soon as the hail and rain had stopped, I ran outside to assess the damage. Imagine my surprise when I found the Blazer to be safe and sound with nary a paint chip or a dent. I checked out a few co-workers' cars and they were fine, too. We sure were lucky. I don't even want to think of how a car would look after it got pelted by apple-sized hail.

Link Of The Week

In just four weeks, I will be participating in my second American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure. This year's Tour will be held on May 16, and I will be pedaling for twenty miles in an effort to raise money to find a cure for diabetes. As I did last year, I will be riding in honor of my mother who has diabetes.

From past experience, you know that I don't sell things in my blog, nor do I beg. But for a cause like this, I am merely saying that if you would like to make a donation to the ADA, you may do so securely and safely at http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=5586&px=1655425. You can even get to see a very cool picture of me in my full biking gear, too. Why, that in itself is worth visiting the page. But seriously, if you feel compelled to donate on my behalf, I would be honored and will pedal a few miles that day just for you.

Flashback Friday A Day Late

I've had a bizillion things to do today, and a few surprise things were added to my "things to do" list a few minutes after I got up this morning. One of those was dying Easter eggs. Now mind you, I'm 46 years old and I'm pretty sure I haven't dyed Easter eggs in at least thirty years. But this Easter Mom wanted some. And whatever Mom wants, Mom gets is my motto. Fortunately for me through a bizarre chain of events, I was able to get the neighbor's grandkids to dye a dozen for us. They even put our names, some pictures and stickers on them, too. So while they were busy making a mess at their grandparents' house for us, I was able to fit in my ten mile bike ride this afternoon. While I was riding, I reminisced about our family's Easter egg dying ritual.

Today, there's dozens of different egg dyes, coloring and decorating kits. Back in the day there was only one - Paas. Well, you could be really hardcore and use the little bottles of food coloring but most everyone used Paas. It was awesome, but it was quite an ordeal. In case you don't remember (or have tried to forget) the Paas kit would come in a small thin box and contained we think six colored tablets that looked like giant colored aspirin. My job was to get six different big coffee cups. Mom and Grandma would carefully measure out a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and pour it into each cup, and would pour some boiling water into the cup, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Then we'd use the very cool wire dipper (as shown above) and dip the eggs into the cups. When we were finished, we'd have to remember to keep the wire dipper, as Paas only put one in the box. We usually had quite a few of the dippers, so that way the whole family could get involved in the Easter egg dying. Of course the wire dippers were pretty flimsly and we'd usually drop a few eggs. Then one year Grandpa made us some sturdy wire dippers out of a coat hanger and then we were set.

Friday Update

It's been a draining week, faithful readers. Tonight as I try to write in TWIT, I'm in a mood and just don't feel like being clever, witty, sarcastic, funny, or much of anything else. Contrary to what most people think about me, I can't be happy all of the time. I'm sure I'll snap out of it tomorrow, but for tonight I just want to mope and brood.

Let's Play Ball

I'm happy and sad at the same time tonight. Happy because today was the season opener for my beloved Louisville Bats minor league baseball team, and sad because as I type this they are losing their season opener 9-4 with one inning to go.

To some it was a miserable night; it was cool and drizzly the entire time I was at the ball field, but it was opening night - there was excitement in the air even if the weather was crappy. I got to see my seat neighbors that I hadn't seen since the last game of the season in September; it was like a family reunion. And I also got to eat my traditional first-game-of-the-season meal, two hot dogs with mustard and onion washed down by a cold ball park draft beer. Yep, it doesn't get much better than that. Well, I guess it could be better - if they were winning. But there's always the next game.

My New Favorite Commercial

I've spent the last hour and a half getting caught up on four day's worth of "All My Children" episodes. I've got one more to go and then I'll be caught up. There's not many story lines that I'm enjoying right now, so I fast forward through a lot of the scenes, just like I fast forward through all of the commercials. But one commercial caught my eye and I had to rewind it and watch the commercial in its entirity. Actually, I watched it four times. It was a commercial for Burger King, advertising their 99 cent kids meals that come with a Sponge Bob Square Pants toy. Ordinarily, I just can't watch the plastic big-headed king but this commercial was different. The King is singing "I like square butts" to the tune of my all time favorite rap song "Baby Got Back." What's not to like about a commercial that plays music like that? Why, the commercial even shows a cameo appearance by none other than "Baby Got Back" singer Sir Mix-A-Lot. Awwww yeah. The King likes square butts and he cannot lie.

Ohio Valley Weather Update

As I write this, I'm sitting here in a sweatshirt and sweatpants with warm fuzzy houseshoes on. Yep, it's cold. And windy, too. But it's been cold for two days now. Before that it was warm for a few days. I think you get the picture. In case you'd like a more specific example of our crazy Ohio Valley weather, on Sunday I wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt as I did my bike ride. It was sunny and very warm, with highs in the mid 70's. Later Sunday afternoon a big cold front came through and Monday morning when I went to work I was wearing my winter coat. And I had on the same winter coat this morning, too. I can't imagine how I will have to dress on Thursday night for the season opener of my beloved Bats. The lows Thursday night are supposed to be in the 30's so I guess I'll wear the above mentioned winter coat yet again.

New Developments, Part 2

Looking back on everything that has happened today, I honestly don't believe I've ever experienced such a vast array of emotions. I've gone from ecstatic to totally disgusted, all in a few hours time. But as I write this, I'm very much at peace with everything and am still very happy. I can't totally explain it all, but I'll do the best I can. Let me explain.

Today at work I was informed that my tuition reimbursement request had been denied. Suffice to say that I was told that I had set a precedent; I was the first to ask for tuition reimbursement for a second Master's degree. I was shocked, sad, rejected, pissed off, and then peaceful. There's no way financially I could afford to pay for the tuition for this second Master's Degree. But I thought about it and prayed about it, and as I preach to friends, I firmly believe there's no such thing as coincidence. This happened for a reason.

I've thought long and hard today, and with a current recession going on, I do not want to undertake a hefty $$$ student loan to pay for this second Master's degree just for the sake of getting another degree. So tonight, I've officially decided not to go back to school this summer. I feel like this happened for a specific reason - one I might not be sure of right now, but that I know I will understand fully in the future.

Link Of The Week

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go back to school and get another Master's Degree. Some have called me crazy; a few have called me insane. I just prefer to say that I'm challenging myself. That having been said, my company has a tuition reimbursement program, where they will pay 100% for an A, and 75% for a B for college classes. Now, I'm all about pushing myself for that A, but just in case I get a B, I want a backup plan so I don't have to start peeling. I found a site that will help me in this endeavor. I got all kinds of info on scholarships, grants and loans at http://www.college-scholarships.com/index.html. If you're going back to school, or heaven forbid you're old enough [like me] to have children that could be going to college, you can check out this site for info scholarships, grants, loans, and info.

Stock Market Update

We saw a big gain in the Dow and Nasdaq this week, and with those gains there was still some upward movement in my portfolio. When the market closed yesterday, my portfolio had increased a total of 109.99% since I purchased the shares. Believe me when I tell you I've had ten times the 109.99% in fun since I purchased the shares and started watching the market closer.

I'm getting ready to add another stock to my portfolio - on Tuesday I plan to buy $100 worth of GM shares. Now, anyone that knows me knows that Puddin is a gambler, and faithful readers this one is a big gamble. I think there will be no middle ground on GM - I think it will either go totally belly up or it will comeback. I'm gambling on a comeback. But either way, I'll have fun watching the progress.

And let's just hope that the gains that the stock market made this week will also be seen in our retirement funds.

Flashback Friday

Today's Flashback Friday is brought to us courtesy of guest writer and my best friend in the world, Diva Stacy.

I love the movie "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". It accurately portrays all the different types of teenagers that roamed the U.S. in 1981. The other night I was reminiscing about a place you could go back in the day and actually see all these subcultures of teens interacting; Malibu Grand Prix.

There were Malibu Grand Prix locations all over the country; a few still exist today. You could drive Gran Prix style go carts around a track. There was also a huge arcade filled with all the great video games of the day; Pac-Man, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and Centipede. Of course you could fill up on sodas, popcorn, and other snacks.

The Malibu Grand Prix in our town was located right off the Expressway and you could see the race track as you drove by. I always looked over to see if I saw anyone I knew walking around. My boyfriend at the time loved video games so we would go there on the weekends to hang out. He played games and I watched all the Jeff Spicolis and Mike Demones of the world work their magic. My parents hated when we went there. They thought my boyfriend should be taking me on more appropriate, "traditional" dates, but I loved going to Malibu Grand Prix. Watching my best boyfriend conquer Missle Command in his tight, straight legged jeans and Nike Cortez with the smell of high calorie, low nutrition food lingering in the air, the ding of the arcade, and the roar of the little race cars. In 1981 that was a darned good time!

Thursday Funnies

Several years ago, the Catholic Church required women to wear a head covering in order to enter the sanctuary. One Sunday a lady arrived without her head covering. The priest tells her that she cannot enter without it.

A few moments later, the lady re-appears wearing her blouse tied to her head. The shocked priest says, "Madam, I cannot allow you to enter this holy place without your wearing a blouse."

"But Father, I have a divine right," she says.

"Yes, I see," he says. "And your left one isn't bad either, but you still must wear a blouse to enter this church!"

April Fools Day Update

I'm quasi-ashamed to report that my Mother got me three times this morning; all within minutes of each other. The first one was shortly after I got dressed and was packing my lunch. She picked up a Ziploc bag containing a hard boiled egg and said "What in the world is on this egg?" Of course, I walked over and looked at the egg. The second and third times were right on the heels of the egg prank; I don't even have the heart to tell you what those were all about. Suffice to say my dear sweet Mother got me three times this morning before I even left the house to go to work. Nice work, Mom.