Farewell, 2007

It's hard to believe that tomorrow we begin a new year.  It seems like just yesterday we were reminiscing on everything that happened in 2006.   As I sit here and think back on 2007, I've tried to come up with one event singular even that had an impact on me this year.  Without a doubt, it has to be the April 16 massacre at Virginia Tech. 

I've never mentioned it much in TWIT, but I am a strong advocate in our right to bear arms.  I just wonder if the college kids on the VA Tech campus had been allowed to carry concealed weapons, how differently April 16 might have been.  Students who were carrying their weapons might have had a chance to fight back, and 32 other students might not have been killed.  But as it was, weapons were not allowed on the campus. 

This was probably the most tragic incident in our country in 2007 - and personally, one that should have had the most impact on us.  But I'm afraid a lot of people will forget about that and instead focus on the Michael Vick dog fighting drama.  It's sad how many people forgot about the 33 lives lost that day at the VA Tech campus, when they are thinking about the cute puppies shown all over the TV that are involved in Michael Vick's dog fighting drama. We see those helpess dogs, and have forgotten the faces of the 32 innocent young adults that were killed that day.

 

 

 

Link Of The Week

It's hard to believe that at midnight tomorrow night, we'll begin a new year.  2007 has just flown by, and at this year end, everybody has their own Top Ten list of the year's news events, songs, movies, sporting events, etc.  You name it, and somewhere out there on the world wide web you'll find a list for it.  This week, I found a great site that gives you not one, but fifty top ten lists of the year.  It's brought to us by the great folks at Time magazine.  Visit http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/0,30576,1686204,00.html and take a look.  And be sure to stay tuned for TWIT's Top Ten list tomorrow.

Way To Go, Fergie

 

                             TWIT would like to congratulate Fergie on the honkin' engagement ring she just received from fiance Josh Duhamel. In case you don't know who he is, Duhamel co-stars on NBC's popular show "Las Vegas."  Props to him for picking out that rock.  And props to Fergie for having one of the best CD's of the year, "The Dutchess."  It's definitely in my top five for 2007. 

Flashback Friday

It's just been three days since Christmas, and I'm sure that a lot of kids are already tired of some of the toys and games they got. Like most kids these days, they get so much that often times they don't even know what all they did get.  I can tell you almost item for item stuff I got Christmas of 1976.  It was one of my favorite Christmases.  I was 13 years old, and it was the year I got a bunch of albums and cassettes for Christmas.  A couple in particular stick out in my memory.

My cousin and his wife knew I was all into music, and they sent me The Eagles "Hotel California" on cassette and Peter Frampton "Frampton Comes Alive" on album.  Mom and Dad gave me a few albums, among which was "Hotel California".  Yep, I had two versions of the same monster hit album, and believe me when I tell you I thought I was all that for having "Hotel California" on album and cassette. That was quite impressive among my circle of friends.  I know I probably drove my family crazy playing "Life In The Fast Lane" over and over, but you know something? Not once did I ever hear them say "Will you turn that down?!!"

That was also the Christmas that I got my first album by Heart, "Dreamboat Annie."  It was also their first album.  I wore it out and saved my allowance to buy another copy.  I had the album memorized, and could sing it frontwards and backwards.  It was digitally remastered earlier this year, and it's as awesome as it ever was, but there's just some little something missing by it not being on good old vinyl.

Good Luck, Paul

TWIT would like to wish the best of luck to my best friend at work, Paul, as he embarks on a new career.  Next Wednesday, he'll start a new job at an engineering consulting firm.  It's very bittersweet as I write this; I will miss him very much, but at the same time I am very excited about his new career.  He's getting more $$, which honestly is what we all strive for at our jobs, and he'll be working just minutes from home. It's truly been a pleasure and a blessing to work with him and eat lunch with him every day for the past five years. 

I know that he's just changing jobs and it's not like he's moving halfway across the world or anything, but I will still miss him very much. He's a hero to some of us at work, whether he knows it or not; he had the faith and backbone to step out and do something that a lot of us wish we could do, but are afraid to.

TWIT and I wish you the best of luck my friend - I know you will suceed in whatever you do. 

Christmas Miracle Update

I'm very happy to report that we had not one but two Christmas miracles at The Compound.  First of all, the missing Ginsu scissors have been found.  In one last ditch effort, Dad and I moved the couch and looked underneath and around it to no avail. Then he tilted back his recliner for the third time as I crawled on the floor and looked up inside of it.  Low and behold, the Ginsu scissors were inside.  They apparently fell from Dad's lap down the side of the chair and were stuck inside.  Hallelujah.

The second Christmas miracle happened later yesterday evening when I drove Mom up to her sister-in-law's house to drop off her Christmas present.  I backed the BMW out of the garage and as Mom got in the car, she noticed the second miracle had taken place: the passenger door handle was working again.  For the past few months, whenever you opened the passenger door, you had to manually press the door handle back down, or else the door wouldn't close.  Once again, low and behold the door handle works again.  Yep, Christmas is the time for miracles. 

Christmas Is A Time For Miracles

We've all read and heard stories of how Christmas is a time for miracles.  The legend has it that at midnight Christmas Eve, animals are given the gift of speech.  I've never been outside in the backyard at midnight Christmas Eve in years past to listen if the donkeys talked, so I can't testify to that one, but a few Christmas TV shows and movies said the miracle happened.  Today, on Christmas day, we could sure use a Christmas miracle here at The Compound; we've lost the Ginsu scissors and can't find them anywhere.

They were last seen and used last night at about 8:30, when Dad used them to open the indestructable plastic packaging on his new Norelco electric razor, and they haven't been seen since.  I rolled up my sleeves and put on latex gloves this morning and went through two bags of garbage piece by piece in case the Ginsu scissors were thrown away accidentally.  But they were nowhere to be found among the coffee grounds, orange rinds and table scraps.  We've search on and under the couch and recliners to no avail, and have looked in every drawer and cabinet in the house.  I even looked in bathrooms, and still no Ginsu scissors.  It's just the afternoon and Christmas Day isn't over yet, so maybe there's still time for a Christmas miracle and we'll find the missing Ginsu scissors.

A Christmas Wish For My Faithful Readers

It's hard to believe it's Christmas Eve.  As a little kid, I remember I would be running on adrenalin all day long.  Now that I'm older, (note: I didn't say "old") Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is wayyyyy more low key.  As I sit here still in my pajamas and sipping coffee, I've been thinking of what I would give to you, my faithful readers, if I had an endless supply of money and power this Christmas.  Here's a few things I've come up with. 

For SH - I would get you a year's worth of no doctors' and dentists' visit for you and your kids.  You've had more than your share of trips to the doctor for you and P and M this year, and you deserve a year of the family being healthy and pain-free.

For JMc - I would give you a gift certificate to the Gibson factory store in Memphis, where you could go there and pick out any guitar that you want.  You work hard with your job, Boy Scouts, and various sports with your kids, and you deserve it.  And if they don't have what you want at the store, just have them custom make one for you. 

For JM - I would give you an acre of land where you could grow and landscape a rememberance garden of flowers and plant an awesome vegetable garden.  Of course, there would be a catch - you would have plant me a few rows of black eyed peas. 

For Big Mama - I would give you an authentic stage outfit that Roy Orbison wore while performing, complete with sunglasses.  I'd also give you a few cases of Tall Boys. 

For ABI - I would give you a cruise to whereever you'd want to go, alone.  You're a working mother and are into a lot of things, and you could probably use some "me" time by yourself.  

For BioTat - I would give you a housekeeper to do all of the cooking, cleaning and shopping at your home, so you would never have to do it again. 

For MP - I would give you an exact replica of Sunkist.  I'd also have it fitted with a sidecar for me to ride in. 

For Diva Stacy - I would give you the tour bus that belonged to The First Lady of Country Music, Miss Tammy Wynette, complete with a driver.  But this gift is given out of partially selfish motives, because I would be on the bus, too. 

 

Link Of The Week

I have a few friends who are elementary school teachers, and I've heard them mention how they end up spending hundreds of dollars a year of their own money to buy supplies for their classes.  Sure, the school system provides some things, but the teachers spend their own money to buy things that could really benefit the students. 

Friday night, I saw a very cool story on ABC's "20/20" - it was about a teacher who designed a website where other teachers could post things that they really need for their class, and people just like you and me could donate money to buy them.  I did some checking, and found out this is a very worthwhile and legitimate cause.  If you have a few bucks leftover from after your Christmas shopping is done, please visit http://www.donorschoose.org and help them out.  Even if it's only a couple of bucks, it will still be very much appreciated.  I'm very happy to say I won some money last week and in honor of TWIT and all of my faithful readers, I made a donation to help a teacher buy white wipe boards for her class.  I don't ask you, my faithful readers, to donate very often but this is a very worthwhile cause.  Donors Choose receives the TWIT Seal Of Approval.

A PC Greeting For My Faithful Readers

I wanted to send some sort of holiday greeting to you, my faithful readers, but it is so difficult in today's world to know exactly what to say without offending someone. So I met with my lawyers last night , and on their advice I wish to say the following:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the summer/winter solstice holiday (depending upon your particular hemisphere of residence), practiced with the most enjoyable traditions of religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.

I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make our country great (not to imply that it is necessarily greater than any other country) and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wishor. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wishor.

Disclaimer: No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced.

Flashback Friday

Today is the last day of school before Christmas break for the schools, and I know there were a lot of excited kids today as the school classes had their winter celebrations.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  They can't call them Christmas parties, lest any non-Christian people be offended. They also can't have Halloween parties; instead they have harvest parties.  When I was in elementary school we had Christmas parties, and would have fought someone if they dared to call it anything else. 

Christmas party day was second only in terms of excitement to the last day of school.  The only  school work we did was the Friday spelling test; other than that, the teacher would give us pages to color or puzzles to work out.  After lunch, the room mothers would come and the partying would begin.  A few weeks before Christmas party day, we would all draw names and back in my elementary school days, there was a $2 or $3 limit on the present.  But you could get a pretty decent gift for a few bucks.  Some kids would get gypped bigtime, and their present would be the dreaded Lifesavers Book, but I always gave and received cool gifts.  After passing out the presents and opening them, the room mothers would hand out the good stuff.  They'd have homemade cupcakes and cookies (another no-no in the schools today -- the kids have to bring in prepackaged items), soft drinks and other snacks.  Everybody would get a clear plastic stocking filled with hard candy, and our teacher would usually give us a pen or pencil shaped like a candy cane.  We'd play games, and the teacher would get a record player from the audio-visual department and play Christmas records. A good time was always had by all.

 

Choosing Battles

I was in quite a mood yesterday evening, but thanks to my visit to the nursing home with my Ladies Auxiliary members, it snapped me out of it, just like the visit usually does.  For an hour and a half last night, I didn't think and stew over something that really irritated me yesterday. Let me preface by saying the parties mentioned in this sordid tale do not read TWIT; but the way I feel about this ordeal, I could not care less if they do, so they'll know how I really feel. 

First, a little background on what put me in the mood.  Basically, I was helping out someone who was ungreatful.  I helped out one of my SF's (School Friends, in case you forgot the abbreviation) by packing and mailing a package from her to her WT daugther et al in Florida.  The other recipients of said package were here WT daughter's live-in boyfriend, his son, and her three kids (each with a different father).  I was helping out my SF because she was working crazy hours this week and because I try to be helpful to my friends. So I went out during my lunch on Monday to pick up a gigantic slow cooker and other items from the SF's office, and when I got back to work I lugged them back to the shipping department out in the factory where they helped pack everything up for me. In doing so, I didn't pay attention to the fact that a receipt for a few of the gifts was in a plastic shopping bag where a few gift cards were. 

The WT daughter had called her mother (the SF) before the package had even been mailed, asking for the tracking number.  I guess you can tell she sure wanted the package, huh?   I got the package shipped from work, and it arrived in just two days, with everything in tact.  I called the SF last night after I had tracked the shipment and told her that it had been received that afternoon.  She said "Yes, I know.  J called me earlier and said that you packed a receipt in the box."  It hit me instantly like a knife in the gut.  I said "OK, sorry about that" and hung up.  I didn't get one "Thanks for taking your time, effort and gasoline to get the packages for my daughter and her kids and mailing this for me." Nor did the WT daughter say "Tell Puddin thanks for much for helping you out and mailing the package." 

As I said, I stewed on it the rest of the day and all night long, and the only time it didn't bother me was when I was at the nursing home.  On the drive back home from the nursing home, I remembered something my best friend Diva Stacy told me about chosing my battles.  After stewing some more, I thought "I'm choosing this as a battle to fight."  When I got back home, I couldn't stand it any more, and called the SF back, and told her how I felt.  Of course, she apologized and said "Oh, don't take it personally - J didn't mean anything buy it."  But I couldn't let it go.  I simply told her that next year, I would not offer to help her out by mailing her Christmas, nor any other holiday, packages to her ungreatful daughter.  And yes, I did use the word ungreatful.  She probably won't speak to me again, but I really don't care.  I'm tired of trying to help people out and getting screwed over.  It's time that Puddin put on her big girl pants and kept them on. 

File Under: WTF?

It's rare that I have two WTF experiences in two consecutive days, but this morning as I was watching the news while getting ready for work, I heard something on the news that definitely made me say WTF.  The breaking news headline was Britney Spears' little sister is pregnant.  That's enough to make Britney herself say WTF.  I'm sure their mother Lynne Spears probably said it when she found out a few weeks ago. 

Yes, it's true.  Jamie Lynn Spears, just 16 years old, announced today that she's three months pregnant. She said she was in "total shock" when she found out.  I'm thinking that her mother might need to have The Talk with her, because it sure seems like she doesn't know very much about all of this.  She said she intends to move back to her home in Louisiana and raise her baby there so it can have a "normal family life."  Maybe it's just me, but "normal" is not a word I would use to describe the Spears family life.

This raises a couple of questions.  First of all, what type of message is this for the millions of young kids that watch Jamie Lynn's hit Nickelodian show "Zoey 101"?  I realize that a 16 year old girl getting pregnant is not earth shattering news, but call me old fashioned for believing something is wrong with it.   She's a kid having a kid.  Maybe I'm too hardcore, but I hope Nickelodian pulls the show from the air and cancels her contract.

And what about her age?  She's 16 years old.  What about statutory rape?  The father of Jamie Lynn's baby is 19; I repeat, she's 16 years old.  Even if it was consentual, there are still laws against that sort of thing. 

I read a little about this online tonight, and one article said that big sister [and apparent role model] Britney was furious when she heard the news.  I think she's just hacked off because she heard the news today - the same day that we heard about it. 

File Under: WTF?

It's 9:15, and I'm happy to say that I completed all of my Christmas shopping in two hours tonight.  Actually an hour an a half, if you factor in a half hour I spent visiting with neighbors at our 'hood new dining and drinking establishment before I came home.  It wasn't that bad of an experience; it could have been a lot worse.  I needed help from a Sales Associate at Wal-Mart and only had to wait 7 minutes before I was helped.  While standing in the electronics department waiting to be helped, I noticed something disturbing.  I started counting and in the 7 minute duration of my wait, I saw 4 young women shopping in the store wearing flannel sleep pants. Sad, sad, sad.

I've never admitted this to anyone, but on Christmas Eve eve 2004, I actually went out of the house in my flannel sleep pants and drove in the BMW up to the drive-thru at White Castle to get burgers for lunch.  It was after spending 5 hours shovelling snow from our driveway. And no, I didn't shovel the snow in the flannel pants; I changed into them after getting out of my jeans and long underwear.  But I never set foot out of the car except in my own driveway; I wasn't traipsing through a crowded mega-store the week before Christmas doing my shopping. 

I don't know where things went wrong.  Somewhere along the way, young women got the impression that it was perfectly OK to wear these flannel sleep pants out in public. I don't know where they got that idea, but they need to rethink. 

Farewell, Dan Fogelberg

 

                            

TWIT is sad to announce that Dan Fogelberg has died.  The singer/songwriter was only 56 years old.  He died at his home in Maine on Sunday after a fight with prostate cancer.  Fogelberg is credited with defining the soft rock era of the late 70's and early 80's with his mega hits "Longer" and "Same Auld Lang Syne."

Fogelberg's voice was very soft, and he relied on his poignant lyrics to convey his emotions in his songs.  Another big hit with touching lyrics was "Leader Of The Band" - a tribute he wrote for his father.  Fogelberg wrote another song that wasn't a very big hit across the nation, but remains a huge hit here in the 'Ville - "Run For The Roses" - a song he wrote about thoroughbred race horses and the Kentucky Derby.  The song is a staple on local TV coverage Derby day. 

Dan Fogelberg was one of my favorite singers and songwriters, and his "Souvenirs" album is in my top ten list of all time favorite albums.  I remember saving my allowance and buying the album in 1975 after hearing a friend's dad play "Part Of The Plan" on the guitar.  After I learned to play the guitar, I learned every song on the album and would play along with it at least once a week.  It was probably the first album that I actually listened to in depth - I would study the lyrics and took the time to really listen.  I wore out my first copy of "Souvenirs" and had to buy another.   

You will be missed, Dan Fogelberg, but your music and your memory will live on forever. 

Link Of The Week

Twas a week and two days before Christmas, and all through the house everyone was singing Christmas carols but they didn't know all the words. How's your Christmas carol knowledge?  I came across a website this week that has a cool quiz you can take that will test how well you know Christmas carols.  Visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/carolquiz,0,4932856.triviaquiz and give it a try. I got an 88%. 

Christmas Shopping Epiphany

As I sit here in my nice warm, dry home tonight, I'm very thankful to be inside instead of outside sloshing around in the almost two inches of rain we've had in the last 24 hours.  Of course tonight when the temps drop, all of that will freeze and everything will be one big ice skating rink.  Other than dealing with round 3 of an upper respiratory infection, it's very peaceful and calm here at The Compound tonight.  Yet I'm reminded of my anxiety attack that I had last night after work. 

I mentioned that the Rents and I passed on our annual shopping trip to the mall, but I still needed to make a trip out there to pick up two gift cards. For the past 8 years, the School Friends and I have bought gifts for the teenage girls at a local school for runaway and abandoned teenage girls, instead of drawing names for the obligatory Christmas gift exchange. I needed to get two gift cards from the popular Hot Topic store, and believe me when I tell you that had it not been for these orphaned girls, there's no way in hell I would have driven out to the mall on a Friday night during rush hour traffic.  What normally would have been a 25 minute trip turned into a 70 minute trip.  While stuck in the rush hour traffic all that time, I think I invented some new cuss words. But I digress.  While having an anxiety attack last night over this frightmare, something dawned on me; an epiphany, if you will.  Next year, I plan on making Christmas mall-free.  I discovered that I can buy my Hot Topic gift cards online and they'll mail them to me.  You can't get much easier than that. 

Flashback Friday

                               

What a difference fifty years makes. 

 

File Under: WTF?

Man drinks liter of vodka at airport line

BERLIN (AP) -- A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing a liter (two pints) of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new carry-on rules, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred at the Nuremberg airport on Tuesday, where the 64-year-old man was switching planes on his way home to Dresden from a holiday in Egypt.

New airport rules prohibit passengers from carrying larger quantities of liquid onto planes, and he was told at a security check he would have to either throw out the bottle of vodka or pay a fee to have his carry-on bag checked as cargo.

Instead, he chugged the bottle down - and was quickly unable to stand or otherwise function, police said.  A doctor called to the scene determined he had possibly life-threatening alcohol poisoning, and he was sent to a Nuremberg clinic for treatment. The man, whose name was not released, is expected to be able to complete his journey home in a few days.

If I was this guy, I probably wouldn't want my name released, either, for fear everyone would know how stupid I was. 

Always the inquisitive one, I did some research on German airport carry-on restrictions, and found that the same rule applies in Germany as it does here in the U.S..  According to the Overseas Security Advisory Council, "All bottles and tubes of a maximum of 100ml each must be carried separately in a clear plastic zip-top bag not exceeding 20cm x 20cm and presented at the security checkpoint." Actually, you're better off in Europe using the metric system - 100ml converts to 3.8 ounces.  So if I interpret the OSAC rule correctly, the man could have packaged his liter of vodka in smaller 100ml bottles, and then placed each bottle in a Zip-Loc bag and he would have been OK; I didn't read any stipulation on how many 100ml tubes or bottles one could have in their carry-on bags.  If only he had taken the time to read the OSAC website like I did, it would have saved him a lot of trouble and embarassment.  Not to mention emergency room and lawyer fees.

I thought about this from a monetary perspective, too.  I made a quick phone call to the liquor store up at the corner, and asked them for some prices on a liter of vodka.  He gave me the prices of several different brands, but the cheaper (but not cheapest) was $8.00 for a liter.  Now, if I were travelling like this man, I wouldn't want to take the expsenive liquor with me in my check-through baggage, simply because I woudn't take a chance on the bottle breaking and everything in my suitcase smell like Patron tequila; I would have bought the cheap stuff, and would have picked a brand that comes in the plastic bottle (appropriately referred to as "traveller").  I sure would not have stood there at the security checkpoint and gulped down over two pints of straight vodka just because I didn't want to pour it out or put it in my checked-through luggage. 

Glory Of Rome Late Fall Trip Review

Work has been a bear the past few months, with coming in early every morning for new computer system training.  Add to that the usual drama from the VFW,and you've got one stressed out Puddin.  So I decided I needed a little break, so yesterday after work I headed over across the bridge to my beloved Glory Of Rome casino and hotel and spent the night.  It was a welcomed break.  I had a coupon for a room for only $19, and I think I used up that much in water when taking my long bubble bath last night.  I also had a coupon for $10 in free play, and I was able to turn that into a sweet $98, so without spending a dime of my money, my room and steak dinner (served to my by their awesome room service staff) was paid for, plus I had cash leftover. 

When I win any amount of money, I get excited.   In fact, I get as excited over winning $98 as I would if I'd won $9800.   When I won my $98 last night, a woman about my age was sitting at the machine next to me.  She was playing the maximum amount of coins you could play on one spin, and she had just won $303.  If that had been me, I would have had to run back to the hotel room to get some dry pants.  But I digress.  As soon as I won my $98, I cashed out and headed back to the hotel room.  As I was walking away, I heard the woman say "Now I can pay my water bill!"  Do I really need to say any more?

Coincidence Or Not?

I've said before that I believe there is no such thing as coincidence; I believe that things happen because they're meant to happen.  That having been said, on to the non-coincidence event of the day.

As I type this in TWIT, it's my lunch break, and all day long I've been waiting with nervous anticipation for my boss to give me my annual performance evaluation.  I know how I work, and there should be no surprises on the review, but it still nerves me up a bit.  When I got to work this morning, as I was checkign my email, I noticed that in my inbox were 19 identical emails with the subject line of "Do you want a new career?", "What to make more money?" and "Tired of the same old job?".  Coincidence?  Today, I sure hope so. 

Breaking Tradition

Ever since the first Christmas that TWIT was in publication, I've written about my annual trip to the mall.  Yes, I only go to the mall once a year, and that's only because it's a family tradition with the 'Rents and me.  Tonight was supposed to be the 2007 installment of the family trip to the mall.  Note that I used the word "supposed."  You guessed it - it didn't happen.  It was a cold, rainy day, and the 'Rents are still trying to get over their colds and sinus infections, and even though we'd planned to go tonight, we just weren't in the mood to get out in the rain and fog and head out to the mall.  Actually, the trip's fate was sealed earlier this morning when I found out that the only store at the mall that we wanted to buy something from (San Francisco Music Box Company) was no longer at the infamous J-Mall.  So really, there was no need to drive a half hour to get to the mall just to walk through it and fight the crowds.  So when I got home from work, the 'Rents were resting in their recliners, wrapped up in their blankies, and said they really didn't care either way about going to the mall, since the one store we wanted to visit was gone, and they told me to make the call.  I got Mom's debit card and got online and ordered my Christmas present from the Music Box Company, and we stayed home where it was warm and dry and ate pizza rolls and watched Andy Griffith.  Who knows?  Maybe we've started a new tradition.  You don't get much better than a nice night like that with family.

Link Of The Week

When I first got internet access way back in the summer of 1998, little did I know that such awesome things like Elf Bowling would be coming my way via my inbox. Starting around Thanksgiving each year and lasting until New Year, I would get dozens of emails from friends, family and co-workers sending a link to Elf Bowling. It was fun at first, but then it just became annoying.  That craze lasted until this year when another interesting elf-themed email started making the rounds.  It seems Elf Bowling has been replaced by Elf Yourself.  If you're one of the few that haven't received an email with a link to it, never fear - TWIT will take care of that right now.  Just go to http://www.elfyourself.com and join the millions who have elfed theirself.  I have to say it's pretty cool - you upload a picture of a person, and using the surprisingly good editing software at the site, crop the face from the picture and edit it and then in a matter of seconds that face will appear on the body of a dancing elf.  You can make up to four elves, so your elf won't have to dance alone.

Christmas 2007 Update

The 'Rents and I have officially declared that Christmas 2007 is under way.  The declaration came earlier this morning, as we were planning the day's Christmas festivities.  We left The Compound shortly after lunch today, with the Odyessy loaded down with us and the L's and their grandkids. The first stop was Walnut Street Baptist Church for the annual Christmas program.  Let me tell you it was quite a production.  I was wondering how they would top last year's program, but somehow they did. Everybody loved it, especially the L's grandkids. 

After the program, we piled in the Odyessy and headed farther downtown to Fourth Street Live (the 'Ville's version of a non-gambling Las Vegas strip), where we had supper at the Hard Rock Cafe.  The kids enjoyed it as much as the adults, especially when the servers and bartenders jumped on top of the bar and empty tables to sing happy birthday to a patron. 

I drove the long way back to The Compound so my passengers could see the Christmas lights downtown and in neighborhoods along the way.  While we were travelling, we had Christmas music playing on the radio, and at one point we were all singing along to "Angels We Have Heard On High."  We might not have been ready to perform at WSB's Christmas extravaganza, but we sounded pretty good.

All in all, it was an awesome day spent with family, and we do consider the L clan as family.  They had a rough year with Boots' illness and death, and we know it will be a rough Christmas for them, but family helps you get through.  On the way back home tonight the L's said how much a WSB member's testimony on being joyful during the Christmas program meant to them.  The woman said she spent Christmas last year in a women's homeless shelter after she left her house, job, friends and family because she was being abused by her husband.  She said that just a year later, she was able to host Thanksgiving brunch and dinner in her home for 20 homeless people, and how she'll be doing the same on Christmas day.  She said to take an obstacle and turn it into an opportunity.  Let me say that there were quite a few misty eyes in the sanctuary after she gave her brief testimonty during the Christmas program. 

Flashback Friday

                        

Last week on Flashback Friday, we discussed cereal box prizes.  This week, we'll continue with the theme and discuss prizes that were actually on the cereal box.  Of course, I can only be talking about one thing: cardboard and flimsy plastic records. 

I'll be enternally grateful to folks at Post for putting the records on the back of their Alpha Bits and Honeycomb cereals.  My favorite was the above-pictured Bobby Sherman record featuring his song "Easy Come Easy Go."  Mind you, as a small child, I wasn't the best at cutting cardboard with those small safety scissors, so my records from the back of the cereal boxes would never be perfectly round like a record should be, but fortunately I never cut into the plastic so the record would still play.  Even though I wanted to play the cereal box records on the 'Rents' very nice German stereo, I had to play them on my green and white plastic portable record player.

Partial Justice Is Served

Yesterday was a day that Louisvillians had been waiting for since July - a man was arrested and indicted for the murder of 4 year-old Cesar Ivan Aguilar-Cano.  Louisville Metro Police arrested convicted and registered sex offender Cecil New for Cesar's murder.  Of course, he pled not guilty. 

The murder trial is expected to start in February 2009 - over a year away.  As you know by now, I'm a gambling woman, and I'd give you 2-1 odds that Mr. New will probably not live long enough to make it to his Constitutional-right to a trial by a jury of his peers, thanks to the jail justice system.

I read some message boards tonight, and it bothers me that most of the people that took the time to post a message were focussing on the fact that little Cesar's mother is an illegal alien, and according to some, an unfit mother for letting him play outside unsupervised.  Those are two valid facts, and in my opinion they can't be disputed.  But for now, let's just focus on justice for Cesar, and pray that the Commonwealth's Attorney will be able to present the evidence in such a manner that the jury will find Cecil New guilty so justice for little Cesar can finally be served.  I was sick to my stomach last night when I thought about what little Cesar most likely went through before his death, and wished that the same heinous things could be done to Cecil New.

 

 

File Under: WTF?

Monkey business bad for clerk

 

HILDEBRAN - Store clerk Brooke Ross has learned a valuable lesson the hard way: Resist the urge to pet a monkey.

A man with a monkey on his shoulder patronized the Family Food Mart in Rutherford College on Sunday.  When the man, whom Ross didn't know, stepped up to the counter, the small monkey stepped off his shoulder. Ross reached out to pet the monkey and it attacked, biting her on the right cheek near her eye.

"I thought, 'Oh, how cute.' The next thing I know I'm bleeding," Ross said.

The man told Ross the monkey has all its shots then hastily snatched up the monkey and left the store. "It all happened so fast," Ross said. "I was just kind of shocked."  Ross was treated at an area hospital for the bite. Doctors put her on strong antibiotics, she said, and told her to keep the area clean. She has not been treated for rabies, Ross said. Ross was back at work on Monday at a different store, the Family Food Mart in Hildebran.  Her cheek is red with scratches and a larger mark where the bite penetrated her skin.

Because the attack surprised her, Ross wasn't able to give animal control officers a description of the man or the vehicle he was driving, Ross said.  Sheriff's Lt. Steve Massey said it's not the first time he's had reports of a monkey biting someone. He said monkeys may be cute, but warned not to pet one unless the owner invites you to.  "Just leave them alone," Massey said.  Massey said most exotic animals aren't left outside so the chances of them having rabies is less likely because they're not getting exposed to the disease.

Ross was able to joke with customers on Monday about the attack. Most of her customers reacted with surprise when she told them what happened.  The next time she comes across a monkey, Ross said, "I'm running away."

I think that's the thing to do, Brooke Ross.

This article raises a couple of questions.  First of all, why in heaven's name would a person take their pet monkey to the grocery store with them?  I'm sure the monkey has a cage or little monkey house back at its owner's home.  And it's not like the monkey was a big gorilla and could help carry the groceries back home.  Second, I just wonder what type of person has a monkey for a pet. Apparently he takes the monkey everywhere, just like Paris Hilton takes her chihuaua everywhere with her. I wonder if he has little clothes for it.  Personally, I'd love to see the little monkey wearing a Santa Clause suit.

A Few Tons Of Prevention?

The cold front moved through the Ohio Valley Sunday night and brought with it another blast of cold air.  It's not quite Arctic air, but cold enough to make me get my gloves out yesterday morning.  This morning as I was getting ready for work, the weatherazzi was talking about a snow advisory for tonight and tomorrow for nothern Kentucky and the Cincinnati area.  Apparently, the people that work for the Department of Highways didn't hear that news, because the trucks were out all day long here in the 'Ville spraying the roads with brine solution.  I shook my head as I was driving home and saw the white lines of the brine on the roads.  We don't even have snow in the forecast for Louisville, but we have the brine solution sprayed on the roads in case it snows.  On the evening news tonight, the weatherazzi wasn't even calling for a dusting - just a few flurries - but yet they had to get the roads ready just in case. 

We could be surprised tomorrow morning - we got the biggest snowfall in the history of the 'Ville during a night when the weatherazzi said we wouldn't even get a dusting.  Oh January 17, 1994, what the weatherazzi called a thundersnow moved through Louisville and dropped about two feet of snow.  There was truly thunder during the night while it was snowing.  Nobody was prepared for this, especially my family.  We woke to find the two feet of snow and no electricity.  We bundled up and trudged outside and brought in some firewood stored out in the shed so we could at least have a fire in the fireplace.  Fortunately the power came on before noon.  But the city was shut down for about a week.  This time, we're prepared.  We have our generator and snow blower, and on my way to the Post tonight I'll be stopping to fill up two 5-gallon tanks of gas just in case.  I'll keep you posted.  

No Christmas Tree Soda For Me, Thanks

Thanksgiving is just a memory, and Christmas and Hanukkah are jus around the corner, and that means another season of interesting holiday flavors from our friends at Jones Soda.  They've outdone themselves this year.  For a limited time only, Jones is offering not one but two holiday packs -- one for Christmas and one for Hanukkah.

The Christmas pack consists of one each Christmas Ham Soda, Christmas Tree Soda, Egg Nog Soda, and Sugar Plum Soda.  The Hanukkah pack consists of one each Latke Soda, Apple Sauce Soda, Chocolate Coins Soda, and Jelly Doughnut Soda.  The holiday packs sell for $12.99.  Sure, that's a bit steep for four bottles of pop, but you get a free holiday gift in each pack.  The Jones Soda website says that in the Christmas pack you get a "very cool stocking stuffer" and in the Hanukkah pack you get a "completely functional dreidel."  All eight sodas in both packs are certified kosher and are caffeine-free. 

First and foremost, let me say that I have not tasted any of these flavors.  Nor do I intend to taste them.  I honestly cannot imagine taking a drink of Christmas Ham Soda.  As for the Christmas Tree Soda, I have a question for the Jones people -- Is it supposed to taste like an actual evergreen Christmas tree?  Or will people get lucky and it will taste like a Little Debbie Christmas tree?  I know this question could be answered by actually drinking one of these, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.  I won't pay $12.99 for a four-pack of pop.  That comes to about $3.25 per bottle.  Last year's Holiday Pack consisted of 5 bottles for the same prices as this year's pack.  I know we've had a drought and gas prices have increased over the year, but I guess the Jones Soda people thinking giving the consumers a free stocking stuffer or fully functional dreidel will help ease the price-sticker shock. 

Link Of The Week

It's still hard to believe Christmas is just a little over three weeks away.  That means only three weeks left do my shopping.  To do shopping, you need money.  Thank goodness I joined our credit union's Christmas Club.  Sure it's old school, but it's one way to make myself put back money for Christmas.  My Grandma saved in the Christmas Club up until she went to the nursing home.  It's not that overspend -- I just am not a big saver.  I don't have an actual written budget that I go by; I simply know how much my paycheck will be and I know how much my monthly bills will be, and I try to save some of the leftovers for car repairs, concert tickets, etc.  So in a way, I guess I do budget after all. 

I found a site this week that I am using and I think it will help me to be a better saver.  It's called Budget Edge.  It's easy to use - simply enter the information, like your take-home pay and your monthly bills, and Budget Edge will calculate and will let you know when you will run out of money.  You can enter savings info, and can go back in whenver you need to to make adjustments for sudden expenses or if you win money over at the boat and want to deposit it to your checking account instead of pissing it away.  Just visit http://www.budgetedge.com and sign up and you'll be on your way to a financially happier new year.

Farewell, Evel Knievel

                                               

TWIT is sad to report that Evel Knievel has died.  He passed away Friday at his home in Clearwater, Florida.  The daredevil was only 69 years old.  Evel had been ill for years, and suffered from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis.  He had a liver transplant in 1999, and lived through two strokes.  On Friday, Evel was having trouble breathing and called for EMS, but he died before the ambulance arrived. 

The Smithsonian declared Evel Knieval as "America's Legendary Daredevil." But Knievel's fame as a motorcycle daredevil has come at a terrible price: multiple fractures of many of his bones; 14 open-reduction surgeries (to repair or replace bones, some with steel screws, pins or rods); and, over his career, 36 months in the hospital. While Evel Knievel never actually broke "every bone in his body," he holds the Gunniess World Record for the most broken bones: 35.

Just three days before his death, Knieval and Kanye West his Clearwater condo and settled a federal lawsuit over the use of Knievel's trademarked image in a popular West music video. Knievel sued West and his record company last year. He sued over a 2006 music video for the song "Touch the Sky," in which the rapper takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevel" and tries to jump a rocket-powered motorcycle over a canyon. Knievel failed in his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho in 1974.

TWIT paid tribute to the awesome Evel Knievel toys in a "Flashback Friday" segment a fews weeks ago.  As I mentioned, my family and I loved Evel Knieval, and would all watch ABC's "Wide World Of Sports" on Sunday afternoons whenever they would show Evel's jumps.  I still think his jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas was one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen.  He cleared the fountains, but crashed when he landed, and ended up in the hospital in a coma for over a month.

America truly did lose a legendary daredevil.  I'm sure that noone else will come close to the stunts of Evel Knievel.  You will be missed, Evel, but you've definitely set the bar high for those that follow in your footsteps. 

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Flashback Friday

Just like every other kid, I loved getting a free prize in the cereal box.  To make sure that I didn't waste the cereal just to get the prize, I had to eat the cereal before I could get the prize.  After about a week of school morning breakfasts, they would give in and let me rummage in the box for the prize.  Sometimes they would be in a very charitable mood, and would let me open the cereal from the bottom and get the prize out first, but I knew I still had to eat the cereal before they'd buy ne another box with yet another prize.  Yeah, that was strict, but it was just an example of tough love.  I'd like to say that made me a patient person today, but that's not the case.  But I digress. 

Back in the day, you got very cool free prizes in cereal.  Now, they're very cheesy and most of the times, you don't actually get a tangible free prize - you get a coupon for something.  Not so with my beloved Cap'n Crunch.  My favorite cereal box prize ever was a little plastic coin holder that came in a box of Cap'n Crunch.  The outside was red, and you slid the lid off and inside were three slots that each held 3 quarters, nickels and dimes.  When I had that coin holder full, I thought I was rich.  Heck, that was $1.20 -- for a second-grader, that was rich.  I carried the plastic coin holder most of my elementary school years until it finally fell apart.  When Mom or Grandma would buy me a new purse, I'd be very picky and would make sure it had an inside pocket for my coin holder.  I wish I had that coin holder now, and I wish it was full.  That would be about $1.20 more than I have in my purse right now.

Mad Daycare Owner Update

I'm very very happy to report that the situation with the Mad Daycare Owner has finally been resolved.  After procrastinating for over a month because I'm just not a confrontational person, it's all over, and I have two co-workers, RP and JW to thank.  Every morning, when I would get to work, JW would ask if I had gotten my money from the Mad Daycare Owner, and each time I would tell him no, because deep down I was a wuss.  Yesterday, he and RP mentioned this a few times, and RP even offerred to go over and get the money for me.  Not wanting someone else to fight my battles, I told her I appreciated the offer.  She told me "It's time for you to just put on your big girl pants and go get your money."  Well, after a pep talk like that, how could I back down?

I called the Mad Daycare Owner from my cell as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, and simply reminded her that she still owed me $69.  She said "Oh, I thought they paid you."  I said "They? Who is 'they'?" She then said she'd mail me a check.  I told her no, and that I would be by the daycare in about ten minutes to pick up the check.  I got there, and the check was waiting for me.  I wanted to go off on her, but I didn't want to stoop to her level.  I was calm, and before I turned to leave, I told her "My parents and I only tried to help you out. I'm sorry this turned into such a drama.  But I think we've all learned a valuable lesson from it."

I couldn't wait to see JW and RP this morning when I got to work, to tell them what I did and to thank them for hounding me about it.  We decided it might have been more effective if we'd dressed up like gangstas and went to the daycare and tossed a pair of tennis shoes over the utility wires to show they'd been marked as gang territory. 

The 2007 CPI

                                        

Item

Cost

Cost last year

Partridge	$15	Same
Pear Tree	$150	$130
Two Turtle Doves	$40	Same
Three French Hens	$45	Same
Four Calling Birds (canaries)	$600	$480
Five Gold Rings	$395	$325
Six Geese a-Laying	$360	$300
Seven Swans a-Swimming	$4,200	Same
Eight Maids a-Milking	$47	$41
Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance)	$4,759	Same
10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance)	$4,285	$4,160
11 Pipers Piping (per performance)	$2,213	$2,124
12 Drummers Drumming (per performance)	$2,398	$2,301

 

It's hard to believe that Christmas is a month away.  With the shopping season in full swing thanks to last week's Black Friday frenzy, it's time once again to look at the CPI - Christmas Price Index.  The good folks at PNC bank have been working hard as usual to bring us the 2007 CPI.   According to the 23rd annual survey, the cost of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" is $19,507, a 3.1 percent increase over last year.  And once again, the rise in prices equaled the government's CPI - Consumer Price Index. 

 

If you want to buy your true love five gold rings this year, you're going to have to pay a bit more thanks to the increase in gold prices. The price of five gold rings now totals $395, a 21.5 percent increase over 2006prices, but nowhere close to 1989 prices, when five gold rings hit an all-time high of $750.  But the big bargains this year are on all of the birds; most of their prices stayed the same as last year. 

 

Another major increase this year was long overdue - the eight maids a-milking finally got a raise.  Thanks to the increase in the minimum wage this year, the maids got a 13.6 percent raise.  Which isn't anything to brag about when you consider the raise brought them up to the minimum wage of $5.85.  All I can say is it's about time those milk maids got a raise. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Joke Time

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 informs her that she cannot enter without it.

A few moments later, the lady reappears 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 informs.

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

File Under: WTF?

I was reading a magazine this holiday weekend - something that I normally don't take the time to do - and an advertisement caught my eye.  It was for deoderant.  But not just any deoderant - this was for "clinical strength" deoderant.  The ad said "For prescription strength wetness protection without a prescription."  I had no idea there was such a product on the market.  I did some research and visited the product's website and found some interesting info about this clinical strength deoderant. 

First of all, it said it was "clinically proven, prescription strength wetness protection."  Now, wouldn't you hate to have been in the lab working on the tests for this product? I'd like to know just how this has been clincally proven.  Did they put people in a room and crank up the heat to about 120 degrees with 100% humidity to make them sweat?  Then, the site said the product has "odor fighting capsules that absorb odor and release a scent all day to keep you smelling fresh and clean." That's some pretty powerful deoderant - if you sweat enough to need prescription strength wetness protection all day long.  Then the site said it had "skin soothing conditioners." So I guess besides giving you prescription strength wetness protection, it also smoothes and soothes your skin. 

This product raised a couple of issues.  Do people actually sweat so much that they need a doctor to prescribe a mega-strong underarm product? I've never actually seen (or smelled) a person like this.  I don't know about you, but personally, I don't want to be around a person who sweats so much that they need a doctor to prescribe a deoderant that strong.  Even if the prescription strength deoderant works, it would still be kinda gross to witness a person sweating that much.  And furthermore, with all of the talks about aluminum in deoderant being linked to cancer and Alzheimers, I think I'll pass on the prescription strength deoderant and just use my Secret. It seems to work fine. 

Link Of The Week

We've got one month and one week before the new year starts, and the end of the year brings us "best of" lists in the newspaper, magazines, TV shows and online.  Sometimes we agree with them, and sometimes we don't.  We all have our opinions of what we think is the best, and unless you have a blog or website, you have no place to tell others on the world wide web what you think is best.  Not any more.  I found a site this week where you can list any person, place or thing as being the best.  Visit http://www.bestfreez.com and get to listing.  You need to register first, but all you need to give them is your email address and you're good to go. 

I registered this morning and already posted.  I believe "Basic Instinct 2" was the best movie of 2007, regardless of what the critics, movie experts and movie viewers say, and now I have a place where I can share my opinion.  When you check the site out please look it up. 

I Shouldn't Have Strayed

Today's journal entry is brought to you courtesy of one of my favorite guest writers, Diva Stacy.  After she told me this tale earlier, I told her she had to put this in TWIT for all to read. 

I have this problem with stress and anxiety.  The slightest little thing can trigger an anxiety attack for me; going to the grocery without my list, a mom screaming at her kid at the MegaMart, even going to a "different" Kroger (I only like one).  For this reason I am extremely loyal to the stores where I shop.  I know where things are and for the most part I know what to expect.  I don't like surprises.  So yesterday when I drove to my favorite children's consignment shop, Kiddie Kloset, and discovered they were closed, I should have just gone on home.  Instead, I decided to drive a couple of miles down the road and go to the bigger, more commercial consignment shop.  Big mistake.
 
Now let me back up a second and tell you that before I went to this consignment shop I met Puddin' at our favorite neighborhood fish and beer joint (also on my list of familiar places). (Editor's note: this joint has the best fish in the 'Ville.  Maybe even in the state.  And I know Diva Stacy will back me up on this.)  Even though they are renowned for their fish, make no mistake, it's a beer joint.  We were there a good hour or so while we visited and enjoyed a refreshing beverage.  So I leave there and end up at the consignment shop.
 
The irony in this story is that I heard more yelling and foul language in the 15 minutes I was able to endure at the children's consignment shop than I heard in an hour at the beer joint.  I kid you not, I heard one white trash dad tell his daughter (who appeared to be about 6) that they were there to buy for her brother and she didn't need any more f-ing clothes (only he didn't say f-ing).  I lost track of how many times I heard someone tell their child they were going to bust their a$$.  And no one spoke softly, everyone was yelling their expletives.  It was amazing to me how no one seemed to care that they were cursing in front of their children, more importantly cursing AT their children.
 
And we wonder why 9 year olds curse at and assault teachers?!?

I Hope They're Happy

Before we had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, we watched the noon news and saw a news report that was very disturbing.  They showed people that were already lined up before noon yesterday to be the first in line when they opened Best Buy at 6:00 this morning.  They interviewed a mother and son. They had a canopy, a little heater, 3 blankets and some bottled water and they said that they would be okay, even when the nighttime temperatures dipped down below 30.   The news reporter didn't say what time those people got at Best Buy yesterday; but I'm guessing it was probably after breakfast. 

I thought about that couple last night when I was having a glass of egg nog in my nice warm home at about 8:00, and I wondered what kind of deal would cause people to wait in line that long.  I personally know a few people who waited in line for a couple of days to get some Play Station game system a year or two ago.  If they want to take off from work and go stand or sit in line for days, then good on ya.  But for me and my house, there ain't no way. The older I get, the less patience I have.  I'm not so sure I would have waited over night if they were giving the stuff away.  To some, it might be the thrill of the chase; to others, it might be the sastisfaction of knowing they got a great deal.  To me, it's just not worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been an unusual Thanksgiving Day for me.  For the first time in years, it was just the 'Rents and me having dinner.  Our good friend Lenora couldn't make it this year, so it was just the three of us.  Even though Mom was a bit under the weather, she still baked the prettiest turkey I think I've ever seen - it was golden brown, and could have been used on a show on the Food Network.  We had all the usual - dressing, dumplings, candied sweet potatoes, etc., and it was an awesome meal.  But it was just a bit different.  It's amazing how much difference having just one more person here for Thanksgiving dinner makes.  Now, don't get me wrong - the three of us enjoy eating dinner together.  We look forward to our 5:30 suppers every night, but we enjoy it even more when someone is eating with us.  It's not that we don't find each other interesting; it's just that we like being able to have someone eat with us who would have otherwise spent the meal alone. 

Lenora called us a few minutes ago after she'd gotten home from her niece's where she had Thanksgiving dinner, and told us that she really missed seeing us today.  We told her the feeling was mutual. 

Thanksgiving Link Of The Week

Everyone likes to get a holiday present, and even though Thanksgiving isn't really a holiday associated with gift giving, I'm giving a present to you, my faithful readers.  I'm giving you a bonus Thanksgiving Link Of The Week. 

Tomorrow, we'll be eating turkey and hopefully will be thankful for the people and things in our lives.  While you give thanks tomorrow, please take a moment to give thanks for the troops serving our country.  What better way to do this than to send them a text message and thank them yourself. Visit http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/Content.aspx?ID=44800891 to read about the program.   You have until midnight Thanksgiving night to send a text message to the troops.  All you need to do is send a text message to 89279.  While you're at the website, you can learn more about how you can support the troops.

What Should You Do If You're Kidnapped By Terrorists?

I read an interesting article in a news magazine last week.  The article was titled "What If I'm Kidnapped By Terrorists?".  I re-read the article and thought about how the tips could apply to the workplace.

1.  Run away if you can; stay calm if you can't.  That's pretty much a no-brainer.  If you pull in the parking lot and decide you want to go back home, go for it if your boss, immediate co-workers or anyone in HR didn't see you.  If you were spotted pulling into the parking lot, just stay calm and suck it up for the next eight or so hours until you can make your escape.

2.  Once you're in your captor's custody, remaind courteous and comply with instructions.  Like it or not, you're there, so don't make waves.  Do what you're supposed to do, and be polite.  In other words, suck up to your boss as much as you can.  Offer to get coffee for your boss, and run errands for them in the building.  To help matters, if your boss has a sweet tooth, bring them a Little Debbie snack cake or a Krispy Kreme. 

3.  Don't get hostile or lose your temper; aggression is only likely to result in punishment.  Aggression is also likely to get you: fired, arrested, or sent to anger management classes.  It's just not worth it.

4.  Stay alert.  Another no-brainer.  Don't fall asleep at your desk unless it's your lunch time or break.  You don't want to get caught sleeping by your boss and get fired, and you sure don't want to miss your lunch or breaks because you were sleeping.

5.  If it becomes clear that you're going to be in captivity for a while, try to establish a routine.  Mark off the days on your calendar.  Even convicts in prison make hash marks on their cell walls to keep track of the days.

6.  Take your time performing tasks.  This is a tricky one.  You don't want to work so fast that they give you more work to do, and you don't want to work too slow that they'll fire you.  You'll have to use your own judgement on this.

7.  Do your best to establish a rapport with your captors.  Try to see their side of things.  For example, how would you treat yourself if you were your boss?  Would you fire yourself, or would you give yourself a raise? 

8.  Ask for things to make your more comfortable, so your captors will be aware of your needs.  First of all, I'd ask for a nice, comfortable chair, since you probably hope to do a lot of sitting.  Second, I'd ask for a new thin, flat screen computer monitor - the bigger the betters.  That way they'll think you're quasi-interested in doing some work. 

My iPod Top Twenty List For November

1.   Highway To Hell - AC/DC
2.   Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim
3.   Don't Misunderstand Me - Rossington Collins Band
4.   Magic Man - Heart
5.   All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
6.   Train Train - Black Foot
7.   This Is How You Remind Me - Nickleback
8.   Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac
9.   Just Someone I Used To Know - Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
10. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot
11. Willing - Linda Ronstadt
12. When You Love Someone Like That - Reba McEntire and LeeAnn Rimes
13.  Taking Chances - Celine Dion
14.  Because Of You - Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson
15.  Black Horse And The Cherry Tree - K.T. Tunstall
16.  Bring Me Some Water - Melissa Etheridge
17.  Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilara
18.  London Bridge - Fergie
19.  Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
20.  Viva Las Vegas - Z Z Top

Link Of The Week

Tis the season.  No, not the Christmas season that is just a little over a month away.  I'm talking about the cold and flu season.  For the past two weeks, I've battled a bad sinus infection and strep.  But it could have been worse; thank goodness I didn't have the flu. I came across a very informative site at the CNN website this week about this very topic -- colds and the flu.  Check out http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cold.flu/ and you can find out all you ever wanted or needed to know about the flu and colds.  Take a few minutes to check out this information, and please take good care of yourself and stay healthy.

A PAT In The Making

After all of the talk about the 'Ville this week about the Hughes family's new home courtesy of "Extreme Home Makeover", there was another newsworthy story to discuss at the office yesterday.  On Thursday, a 9 year old boy at a local south end elementary school threw a chair at his teacher and hit her in the face.  It started as a "verbal confrontation" but escalated when the PAT-in-training picked up a chair and threw it at the teacher.  The teacher tried to restrain the punk, and got punched in the face.   The teacher said that she's not sure if she will press felony charges againt the PAT-in-training or not.  I know I sure would. 

The news channel interviewed the boy and his mother, and just showed their shadows to protect their identities.  In what seems to be normal style, the boy and his mother said that this was basically not his fault.  It reminded me of the interviews with older teenage or twenty-something criminals who were killed in a drug deal gone bad or in a gang related shooting -- it was never their fault according to their families. 

I talked to someone who teaches at this elementary school, and she said that this wasn't the first time this kid has shown such violent behavior. I wonder what's going to happen to this kid when he gets older.  If he's not brought under control now, we'll see him on the 11 o'clock news some day after he went on a rampage in a convenient store. Evidently, this kid's mother doesn't care, because she said it wasn't really all his fault.   At this time of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful to have friends who are great parents and who give a damn about their kids, and who don't make excuses when they act up.  I'm thankful moreso for my friends' kids, who are very cool, caring and considerate little people. I hope that one day when they're adults, they'll be thanking their parents for giving a damn. 

Flashback Friday

                  

Track listing:
      
1. Second Hand News
2. Dreams  
3. Never Going Back Again 
4. Don't Stop   
5. Go Your Own Way   
6. Songbird    
7. The Chain    
8. You Make Loving Fun   
9. I Don't Want To Know    
10. Oh Daddy  
11. Gold Dust Woman

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

Extreme Home Makeover Update

News reports are still coming in over our local TV stations, and tonight will be the first night that the Hughes family spends in their new home built by ABC's Extreme Home Makeover crew.  The family saw the house for the first time yesterday afternoon at about 4:00, but since their episode of the show won't air until some time in February, they have to keep quiet about the details of the house.  We've seen lots of news footage of the outside of the house, but the family is sworn to silence about the inside of the house and other details. 

The folks here in the 'Ville are still thrilled over ABC giving this deserving family an extreme home makeover; I'm sure the buzz won't die down for quite awhile.  But now that the house is built and the family has moved in, I have a request for the crew.  If they have a few days they can spare, I wish they'd come over to my neighborhood and lend a hand on finishing the Super Wal-Mart.  We were hoping it would be opened by Black Friday but we're having our doubts.  I'm sure the Extreme Home Makeover people could work their magic and have it open by next Friday with no problem.

New Product Review

                                   

Ordinarily, I write the New Product Reviews for TWIT, but today I'm deviating.  Please welcome my friend, co-worker and faithful reader SH who will be bringing us the New Product Review. 

For a special holiday (and limited edition) treat this Christmas, try the new Gingerbread flavored Pop Tarts.  The pastry is (of course) gingerbread and the inside is a creamy white filling.  They also have 50 (but who's counting) different images of gingerbread people on them.  My husband and I split a package last night after the kids had gone to bed and both of us agreed that they ROCKED!!  We're secretly hoping that the kids will turn up their noses at them (no frosting on the outside is a major no-no on their Pop Tarts).  If you like gingerbread, these convenient pastry treats are sure to please your holiday taste buds.

We are happy to give Limited Edition Gingerbread Pop Tarts the TWIT Seal of Approval, even though Puddin doesn't like gingerbread, but her Dad does. 

Another Sign Of The Apocolypse

I witnessed something last night that was one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.  It was bizarre, even by our VFW post standards.  In fact, even today I'm having a hard time believing that it actually happened. 

I met our Auxiliary treasurer at the VFW post last night so she could go over the procedures and reports for counting/processing the bingo money so I can fill in for her next week while she's out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We counted the money and had it all back in the safe, and went out front to visit with her husband for awhile.  We were sitting there chatting when three VFW members came in, just getting home from a day of fishing.  They hadn't even sat down on the barstools when one of them asked the bartender for the remote control so he could change the TV channel.  It was a little after 9:00, so we assumed he was going to change the station to ESPN for Monday Night Football.  Boy, were we wrong.  He changed the channel to ABC so they (meaning, those three guys) could watch "Dancing With The Stars."  It's not like those three guys are sissies; they're manly men - and are veterans and avid hunters and fisherman.  One of the guys was a semi-pro race car driver, too.  I guess they just wanted to watch "Dancing With The Stars" in hi-definition. 

Link Of The Week

The Link of the Week is a day late due to yesterday's Veteran's Day entry.  But better late than never, that's what I always say.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with "Extreme Home Makeover" on ABC.  The crew picks a very deserving family, and they tear down their exisiting house and build a new, improved house in one week.  Since last Thursday, the Extreme Makeover crews have been in the 'Ville building a house for some truly deserving people, the Hughes family.  This has caused as much commotion as when Larry Birkhead and Dannilyn were here during the Derby.  Please check out http://www.eliteextremedream.com and you can read all about the Hughes family and their awesome son Patrick, and you can see all of the progress done on the house so far.  Wednesday afternoon at around 2:00, the family will be arriving back in their Buechel neighborhood and will hear the magic words "Move that bus" and then they'll be able to see their new home. 

Happy Veterans Day

TWIT would like to wish all of the veterans a very Happy Veterans Day, and would like to thank you for serving our country and all of the sacrifices you made. 

I just got home from a Veterans Day celebration at our VFW post.  We held a dinner to honor the WWII veterans.  We had over 200 people in attendance - 53 WWII veterans and their spouses, significant others and children and grandchildren.  Among the 53 WWII veterans were two women vets.  Now, how cool is that? 

In typical post fashion, things were very chaotic, and there were quite a few frustrating moments, but everyone that worked there at the dinner will agree that they did it for the veterans.  About half a dozen auxiliary members were there at 9:30 this morning and we decorated the back hall and got the tables covered in red and blue table cloths.  Then we had about a dozen auxiliary members and a few post members to help with the dinner tonight.  As I write this, the 'Rents and I are worn out; we were even too tired to stop at Taco Tico on the way home to get something to eat.  Now that's tired.  We didn't eat at the dinner because we were afraid the food would run out.  We all said a silent prayer for a loaves-and-fishes miracle, and low and behold, when the meal was over, we had maybe 8 chicken wings left.  So thanks to the Lord that the chicken held out.  And we had green beans and carrots leftover, too.  So all in all, it was a great time.  Dad and I both said we wished we could have sat down with each of the WWII veterans there tonight to hear some of their stories.  We owe them a huge debt of thanks.  I'd like to paraphase a bumper sticker I saw in a magazine:  "If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read this in English, thank a WWII veteran."  Nuff said.

Special Request Saturday

I received a few emails in the past couple of days asking if I would share the recipe for the infamous Office Lunchroom Hash Brown Casserole.  Always happy to accommodate my faithful readers, here it is.  The recipe is from my best friend in the world, Diva Stacy.  She gets rave reviews every time she serves it. 

Hashbrown Casserole ala Diva Stacy

 

1 bag frozen shredded potatoes, thawed

1 16 oz. carton sour cream

2 cups shredded Colby Jack

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 onion, chopped finely

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

 

Combine all ingredients except potatoes.  Stir until well blended, then add potatoes and stir until well mixed again.

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat 13 X 9 glass pan with cooking spray.  Pour in mixture.  Bake until golden, usually 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Flashback Friday

                                          

I happened to notice a co-worker's Velcro tennis shoes the other day, and they reminded me of a shoe that I hadn't heard about in over twenty years: KanraROOS.  In case you don't know or don't remember, KangaROOS were basic tennis shoes that had a Velcro or zipper pocket on the side of the shoe. They were popular back in the 80's.  Back in the day, the KangaROOS were mainly Velcro or lace-up tennis shoes, but apparently they're making a comeback, because today they come in very stylish running shoes and cool winter boots. 

KangaROOS first came on the market in 1978 with their patented pocket design.  They were aimed at joggers - giving them a place to carry a house or car key or a couple of dimes in case they needed to make a phone call.  They were popular in New York City and other areas with subways, because the pocket on the shoe was the ideal place to put an extra subway token.

I didn't have a pair of KangaROOS, but I do remember seeing commercials for them on MTV.  I was in college and working part-time, so I didn't have alot of disposable income at the time, so every spare dime I made went towards a new pair of Calvin Klein jeans or else I would have bought a pair of KangaROOS.  I looked at the KangaROOS website and have to say that their fall 2007 collection are very cool, and if they come in wide widths, I just might have to buy a pair. 

 

Cooking At The Office

Yours truly caused quite a stir at the office yesterday.  Ever since we had a catered lunch two weeks ago for the office, my co-workers in my cubicle and I have been craving hashbrown casserole.  The two helpings that we had a the catered lunch didn't quite fill us up, and we'd talked about the hashbrown casserole ever since.  Even though I don't cook, I decided to make one and bring it to work.  I didn't want to cook it the night before and then have to warm it up at work, and I sure as heck didn't want to get up even earlier and fix it before work.  So I had the brilliant idea to mix all of the ingredients together before work, put them in a disposable aluminum pan, and bake it in our very cool convection/toaster oven in our lunchroom.  And it worked great.

I was the talk of the first floor.  People first noticed it before lunches when they would come into the lunchroom for coffee.  Then it caught the attention of the early lunch group, who all wanted to know what I was cooking when I came in the lunchroom to check on it.  The smell was awesome, and I have to say that it looked pretty, too.  The convection oven browned the top of the casserole and it looked like something that should have appeared on the front of Paula Deen's magazine. 

My co-workers gave me two thumbs up for my first attempt at hashbrown casserole, and they even gave me a great suggestion, too.  They said that I should put together a proposal for the Food Network for a show about cooking in the office lunchroom.  I'm working on it already.

File Under: WTF?

I was at the VFW the other night to go over some things with our Auxiliary treasurer, and when we finished we went out to the canteen area and chatted for a bit.  There were only three or four other members there; a slow night by VFW standards.  One of the members present was C, a regular.  She was there when I got there, and knowing her, she had probably been there a few hours.  The Treasurer and I had been sitting there for just a few minutes when C got up to leave.  She asked the bartender "Get my bag for me." and the bartender went into the walk-in refrigerator and came out with a plastic grocery bag that was about half full.  C got her bag and started to walk out of the canteen and turned back and said "I'm gonna go home and make me some stew."  She was going to make this stew out of the contents of the plastic grocery bag, which we found out later to be a dead squirrel.  I don't know where she got the dead squirrel, and honestly, I didn't want to find out.  I do know that I will not be eating nor drinking anything that has been refrigerated in the walk-in. 

I Guess I'm Not Dedicated

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my boss has been off for four weeks after shattering her ankle and breaking a bone in her leg.  The doctor originally said she couldn't come back to work until January, but being the trooper that she is, she came back to work yesterday with doctor's orders to stay in her souped up wheelchair.  We traded foot surgery war stories, and compared notes about what we did during our time off.  In case you didn't know, back in July of 1992 I was in a big car wreck and had to have my right foot rebuilt.  I was off from work until the middle of December.  In talking with my boss about her foot surgery and recovery, I started reminiscing about my time off from work.  I guess I wasn't all that dedicated because I didn't want to come back to work.

It was frustrating having to walk with crutches the entire time I was off, but honestly I can't say that I was bored.  And getting a fraction of a paycheck for my last month of my time off sucked, but I made the most of it. I had my routine down.  On mornings when Mom had to work, I would sleep in and when I got up I'd hop on over to my recliner where I would have brunch and hold court the rest of the day.  There by the recliner would be a thermos of coffee and a cooler with a sandwich, snacks and some water or tea to get me through the day.  But I would never drink too much; believe me when I tell you that you don't want to drink too much of anything when you're on crutches or in a wheelchair.  After brunch, I'd read the newspaper and then watch TV most of the day. My aunt and uncle or friends would stop by every day to check on me, and while they were there I would have them go with me outside where I'd hop up and down the driveway on the crutches so I could keep my strength up.   That way if I fell, I wouldn't have to lay in the driveway until later in the day when Mom or Dad got home. 

It was during this time off that I started writing my novel.  Unfortunately, I never finished it. But while I was off those months, I wrote every day.  I also took this time to play the guitar more.  In fact, I even bought a new guitar during my time off with one of my insurance disability checks.