Sorry, But I Wasn't Seduced

TSA Seeks Seductive Screening Process

USA Today

Posted: 2008-03-31 16:34:34

The Transportation Security Administration hopes to create a kinder, gentler screening process and will test it soon at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Other U.S. airports could see it later this year.

 

"This is the first significant change to the checkpoint since the 1970s," TSA chief Kip Hawley said.

The checkpoint to be tested in May at one terminal in Baltimore is based on a simple premise: serenity adds security. Mauve lights glow softly, soothing music hums, and smiling employees offer quiet greetings and assistance.

"A chaotic, noisy, congested checkpoint is a security nightmare. Chaos gives camouflage," Hawley said. "A chaotic environment puts subtle pressure on (screeners) to rush the job."

Hawley has sought to "calm the passenger" as he has focused the TSA on intercepting terrorists before they get to checkpoints, where they could slip plastic explosives past X-ray machines. About 1,200 screeners at 70 large airports specialize in passenger observation and pick out people who appear suspicious for closer questioning or pat-downs.

That task is easier if passengers are relaxed. "Calm allows things to stand out more," Hawley said. "It creates a better environment to observe hostile intent."

TSA planners have been tinkering for months in a warehouse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, testing music, lighting and displays. "You can actually influence some behavior subliminally through color," said Catherine Lillie, head of the checkpoint-testing team.

The TSA test in Baltimore will refine the strategies, which could be exported to other airports.

The test will include a machine that uses harmless radio waves to scan passengers under their clothes for hidden weapons. Passengers will be selected randomly for the scanning after they go through a metal detector. Screeners will view images of passengers' bodies in a remote room and delete them.

Charles Chambers, head of security for the Airports Council International, said the new checkpoint could speed security lines and reduce crowds that may invite a terrorist strike.

"Some airports do have concerns about large groups of people," Chambers said. "Anything you can do to disperse people quicker is a good thing."

 

After enduring security checkpoints this weekend, I'm the first to say I'm all for anything the TSA can do to 'disperse people quicker' during the security screening.  But one thing concerns me: the rules and regulations that apply to us passengers apparently do not apply to flight crews.  At the security checkpoint Friday morning, the baggage screeners were more concerned with my Wal-Mart portable DVD player and Diva Stacy's two ounce bottle of foundation then they were the carry-on baggage that a flight attendant had.  She had a liter bottle of water that made it through the checkpoint - which, by my calculations, was about 30 ounces more than the 3 ounces of liquid that is allowed.  As her water bottle made it through, I saw three other passengers have their smaller water bottles thrown away.  Yet the screeners were more worried that my cheap DVD player might be some electronic device used to detonate a bomb and that Diva Stacy's make-up contained liquid explosives disguised as foundation.  Yet the flight attendant could have carried a liter of nitro glycerin that could blow up the plane.  

And another thing - we sure didn't encounter any smiling TSA employees who offered assistance and quiet greetings; they were as rude and robotic as could be. 

 

Like I said, I'm all for the TSA doing anything they can to make us safer when we fly and to make us not feel like terrorists, but I think we all need to play by the same rules. 

 

Link Of The Week

The main reason for this weekend's trip to Orlando was to see our beloved rock group Heart in concert.  I'll post more on the trip tomorrow, but for now let me just say it was worth every dime we spent to get to see Ann and Nancy Wilson perform one more time.   So in honor of the sisters Wilson, this week's Link Of The Week will take you to Heart's website.  Take a minute or two and visit http://www.heart-music.com.  It's hard to believe that it's been over thirty years since they released their first album, but they sound as good as they did thirty years ago, and each time they perform"Barracuda", they perform it with so much energy and excitement as they did the first time they played the song.

Having a great time at

Having a great time at Universal Studios. We've seen two mullets so far.

Are You Ready For It?

Knowing me like you all do, you would probably think that a question like "Are you ready for it?" would be directed toward Diva Stacy as we get ready to head to the airport this morning to embark on our adventure at Universal Studios in Orlando.  But not in this case.  I'd intended to be still sleeping right now, but instead was awaken by the ringing of the telephone at 7:30.  Here's a transcript of the phone call:

Male caller:  Are you ready for it?
My mother:  Huh?
Male caller:  Are you ready for it? 
My mother:  Who is this?
Male caller:  This is Cecil.  You know. I need the street address for your steel.
My mother:  I think you have the wrong number, Cecil.
Male caller:  I'm supposed to deliver a thousand pounds of rolled steel to you all.
My mother:  No, as I said, you have the wrong number.
Male caller:  Isn't this 123-4567?
My mother:  Yes, but we didn't order a thousand pounds of rolled steel.  My daughter orders alot of things, but that wouldn't be one of them.
Male caller:  OK.  Have a good day.

Farewell, Herb Peterson

TWIT is sad to report that Herb Peterson, the inventor of the Egg McMuffin, has died.  He was 89.  He died peacefully at his Santa Barbara home on Tuesday. 

Peterson began his career with McDonald's as vice-president of the company's advertising firm.  He wrote McDonald's first advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day."  He eventually became a franchisee and was owner and operator of six McDonald's restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta.

He came up with the idea for the signature McD's breakfast item in 1972.  He liked eggs Benedict, and worked on creating something similar.  In case you're one of the healthier people who have never had an Egg McMuffin, the egg sandwich consists of an egg that has been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, topped with a slice of cheese and grilled Canadian bacon.  At first, it was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin.  The Egg McMuffin made its debut at a McD's in Santa Barbara that Peterson co-owned with his son David.  The rest is breakfast history.

A spokesman for McDonald's said that even though Herb was semi-retired, he still visited all six of his restaurants in the Santa Barbara area until last year when his health began to deteriorate.  He would talk to the customers and visit with the employees. 

The Egg McMuffin is my favorite fast food item. In fact, it ranks at the number one spot on my Top Ten Favorite Fast Food Items.  I haven't had one in almost two months, but this weekend on my vacation, I believe I'm going to treat myself to an Egg McMuffin in honor and memory of Herb Peterson. 

 

 

 

Biggest Loser Update

I'm very happy to report that another 1.2 pounds has thankfully left my body, thanks to the walking and bike riding.  I'm also very proud of myself for being able to resist the temptation of all of the Easter candy that has been in front of my face at work this week.  I have to be honest and say I did have one moment of tamptation this morning - someone left a pack of 6 Milky Way eggs on the food table in the lunchroom.  I looked at the pack for about 15 seconds, and then went on to the fridge and got my bottle of V8 juice. When I went to the lunchroom an hour later to get a bottle of water, all of the eggs were gone.  So fortunately for me, they ended up on someone else's butt. 

I'd also like to clarify something - it wasn't long ago that I would have been one of the people to leave a trail of pastel Easter candy wrappers.  But thanks to the encouragement I've received, and the fact that I honestly don't enjoy exercising, I've been able to resist the candy. 

Our last official Biggest Loser weigh-in is on April 7, and I'm going to walk and ride my bike as much as I possibly can when I get back from our trip to Orlando.  Hell, I probably should have rode my bike to Orlando.  But my handle bars aren't the long kind, so I wouldn't have been able to tote Diva Stacy. 

Follow The Trail

Yesterday was the day after Easter, and we know what that means -- it's the day when parents bring leftover cakes and pies, and the kids' Easter candy to work to get it all out of the house.  Our office was by far no exception; one entire long table in our lunchroom was covered with bags of candy, cakes, pies and a giant decorated cookie.  I'm proud of myself for resisting the temptation; as I was heating up my piece of spinach quiche in the microwave yesterday morning, I could hear the commotion of the feeding frenzy at the table full o' sweets behind me.  But I digress.  As I mentioned, parents (mostly mothers) brought in Easter candy yesterday to get it out of the house.  Even though 108 of us at work are in the Biggest Loser contest, that didn't stop the aforementioned candy feeding frenzy.  Everywhere you went in the office or factory yesterday, you found bits and pieces of pastel colored candy wrappers.  You didn't have to go far to find them, either.  I saw them in the hallway of the office, on the bathroom floor, and throughout the factory.  It was as if someone had dropped them all intentionally in order to find their way back like Hansel and Gretel did.  I saw the same thing today, too.  I bet the cleaning people in the office hate to see Easter come. 

Easter 2008 Review

I know I'm a day late, but what originally started out as just another Sunday afternoon morphed into one of the best Easters that my family and I have celebrated. 

We originally thought we would just have a low-key lunch on Easter Sunday and then just do what we normally do on Sunday afternoons.  But Mom decided to call our friend Lenora on Friday and asked her if she'd like to come home with us after church for Easter dinner.  Needless to say she jumped at the invitation, even though her beloved U of L Cardinals were playing in later in the afternoon.  We picked her up after church, and were pleasantly surprised to find her decked out in U of L colors.  Before she even had her seat belt buckled, we assured her that we would have her home long before the 5:00 tip off time of the game. 

Saturday afternoon, we then decided to give Diva Stacy a call and invite her and her kids to have dinner with us and Lenora, since her husband has to work on Sundays and wouldn't be home until 6:00 or so.  She jumped at the invitation, too. 

Dinner was great as usual, and Dad and I couldn't get over how much Diva Stacy's kids L and G had taken a shine to Lenora.  The three of them talked non-stop all afternoon.  After dinner, the kids were busy with their MP3 players and us adults were chatting, when Mom had an idea.  She went down to the basement to see if she could find the garbage bag full of plastic Easter eggs to go and hide outside for the kids.  Once she brought them up from the basement, the adults started digging in purses, pockets and wallets for spare change to put in the eggs.  With us on a healthier eating plan here at The Compound, candy was pretty scarce, but we did manage to find some individally wrapped Lifesavers to put in some of the eggs. 

Mom, Diva Stacy and I went outside to hide the eggs while L and G kept Lenora entertained, and then the egg hunt began.  I don't know who had more fun - the adults or the two kids.  At one point during the backyard egg hunt, I heard G yell "This is awesome."  I had to agree with him.  This was definitely one of the best Easters we've had at The Compound, thanks to our extended family.

Link Of The Week

I've only admitted this to one other person, but get ready for a confession, faithful readers: I was hosed by My Cell Phone Carrier.  A few days after I got my cool new enV cell phone, I couldn't wait to download some ringtones.  Of course, it was a requirement to have Reba McEntire's "Fancy" and the Commodore's "Brick House" on there.  I thought I would be slick and order a 4 pack for $9.99; the price for three ringtones through My Cell Phone Carrier would have been over $9, so I thought this was a bargain.  I downloaded those two tones and two other ones as well, and was a happy camper.  That is until I got my cell phone bill and found out that My Cell Phone Carrier charged me not only for the ringtone downloads, but they charged me so much per megabyte that was downloaded.  I turned into an unhappy camper real quick. 

Yesteday, a School Friend texted me and gave me the link to a very cool website where you can create your own ringtones free of charge.  They said they spent hours downloading and editing songs clips to make ringtones for their phone, and best of all, they said they actually worked great on the phone.  I tried it this afternoon, and lo and behold, it worked for me, too.  Please visit http://www.phonezoo.com and try it out for yourself. 

Now THAT'S Discipline

As you know from previous posts in TWIT, I love to witness a good conversation between patrons and store clerks, restaurant servers and basically any worker in a customer service position.  Here's a transcript of a conversation overheard yesterday at a local McD's during lunchtime:

McD's clerk:  Take your order?
Man:  Yeah, Do you still have the fish on special?
McD's clerk:  Yes.
Man:  Okay, is that the one that benefits Thunder Over Louisville?
McD's clerk:  Oh, that's the DOUBLE fish sandwich meal.
Man:  Okay, that's what I want.
McD's clerk:  Okay, one double fish sandwich meal.
Man:  Now wait, I only want cheese, pickles, onions, and ketchup on that.
McD's clerk:  Okay....double fish, cheese, pickles, onions and ketchup.
Man:  I'm sure you're selling a lot of fish sandwiches today, but leave the fish off mine.  I can't eat meat today. 

To sum this up, this man, who has taken the sacrifice of giving up meat for Lent to the extreme, bought a ketchup sandwich at McD's just so a portion of the price would go to help fund Thunder Over Louisville. 

Flashback Friday

The older I get, the more I realize that Easter and other holidays aren't such a big deal as they were when I was a kid.  Before we go any further in this Flashback, let me clarify something - I'm talking about the traditions surrounding Easter, not the actual holiday.  Easter is the basis for Christianity; today we reflected on the Crucifixion, and Sunday morning we will celebrate the Resurrection.  But for a few minutes, let me reminisce about some events surrounding Easter.

First and foremost, when I was a kid Easter Sunday was the day that people wore a new spring outfit to church.  I remember some old school women even wearing hats.  Some years it might not have been a new complete outfit, but you can rest assured at least one item in the ensamble was new.  My Grandma would always joke about the old wives tale of how an old crow would poop on you if you didn't have on something new.  On years when I didn't have a new outfit specifically just for Easter Sunday, Grandma would always make sure that I had some new socks or stockings in my Easter basket so I would have on something new.  Today, it's no big deal.  Sure, we'll see some ladies at church Sunday morning with hats, and some people will be all decked out, but you'll also see people like us who will wear our normal Sunday church clothes.  It's not that we don't care what we look like; on the contrary.  It's just that having a new outfit for Easter Sunday isn't a priority for us. 

One thing I'm happy to say is still a priority for my family is the Easter cake.  Back in the day, Grandma would make the same cake every Easter: a white cake with white icing, and with white coconut covering the top and some jelly beans stuck on the top of the cake.  I know that my Grandma loved me probably more than any other person on this earth has ever loved me, but she knew I hated coconut and yet every year she would make the coconut-covered cake at Easter.  I'd try to scrape off as much coconut as I could with my fork but I could still taste it.  Today, Mom gets to pick the official Easter cake, and this year, she chose a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, both made with Splenda so she can eat some of it. 

Bridging The Gap

I was out across town this evening for our weekly Bible study with a group of women from church.  They're a great bunch of ladies, and I have to admit that I'm one of the youngest that are in this study group.  Before I left tonight, I told them that I wouldn't be at next week's study because I would be getting ready for the Divas big trip to Orlando.  One of the ladies asked if we were going to Disneyworld.  I quickly told her no, and told her that we were going solely to see Heart.  Much to my surprise, a few of the ladies knew who I was talking about.  One said "I know them. The guitarist is married to director Cameron Crowe."  Another lady said "You know, they still perform quite a show"; apparently she's seen them on stage.  Yet another said something that will stick with me: she said "I wish that the young girls today knew about Heart and other older women who still rock - they would be much better role models than Britany Spears or Miley Cyrus.  You never heard of the Wilson sisters involved in a scandal back in the day."

I thought about this on the long drive home and thought how cool it was that these ladies knew who I was talking about.  I was very impressed with them - not just because of their rock and roll trivia, but because they had open minds and evidently are open to different genres of music. 

Let It Rain, Let It Rain, Let It Rain

As I briefly mentioned yesterday, we're in the middle of a pre-spring monsoon here in the 'Ville.  In the past 36 hours, we've had over four inches of rain.  And it's still raining as I type this.  Roads are closed and the flood gates have been put in place along the Ohio River.  We've been selling pumps like crazy for the past few days at work, and the worst news of all, the Glory Of Rome is closed until the flood waters go down.

Yes, faithful readers, early this morning Caesar's announced that they were closing the Glory Of Rome due to flooding on the Ohio River and along the low-lying road that goes to the Glory Of Rome.  The last time they had to close the boat was back in January of 2005.  The casino boat was closed for ten days due to flooding. Of course, the regulars said that it took months and months before the slot machines were loose again because they had to recoup all that the money they lost in the ten days the casino and hotel was closed.   Based on what the 'Rents and I have not won in the last few times we've been to the Glory Of Rome, I'd say that they're still trying to recoup the lost revenue.

Biggest Loser Update

It's hard to believe that a week has passed since the midway point in our Biggest Loser contest at work.  I weighed yesterday, and am very happy to report another 1.4 pounds gone. 

I'm also very happy to report that the bike pedal issue has been taken care of, and the pedal did great last night on my three-mile ride up to the VFW post.  But the ride was not without incident.  After about a mile into the ride, I started shifting the gears in an attempt to get the chain set on the middle sprockets.  After a few shifts, it didn't take long for me to realize I was pedaling but going nowhere.  Yep, you guessed it - the chain came off. I didn't panic; mainly because I was closer to home than I was last week when the pedal came off, so it would have been a shorter distance to push the bike back home.  Instead I bent over and with almost no effort at all I had the chain back on and continued my ride. I still didn't get the gears set exactly where I wanted them, but I'll try again when the monsoon is over. 

Thank You, Faithful Readers

I would like to thank you, faithful readers, for making me one of the happiest women in the world today.  Today, I reached another blogging milestone:  40,000 hits at TWIT.    I just don't know what to say about that except thank you very much for sticking with me.  I will keep on blogging as long as my faithful readers will read it.  You have my word on that.  And one note to add about the counter on my journal - I'm not sure if you knew this, but it will not register a hit when I visit it, so I'm not able to go to TWIT repeatedly just to get the counter to register more hits.  All of the 40,015 hits were from the best faithful readers in all of blogdom.  Thanks again, and I hope you keep coming back.

Bonus Link Of The Week

A link of this magnitude just couldn't wait almost a week to be shared with you, faithful readers.  We all like to get something for free, don't we?  Well, for a short time, our friends at the United States Postal Service is giving us something free - a free postage paid card.   Until March 31, people can get a free card, postage included, which they can use to send a message to a friend, relative or to whoever you want.  The USPS is trying to encourage people to write letters, and is using the promotion in conjunction with HBO's special about President John Adams and his wife Abigail.  John and Abigail Adams wrote over 1,100 letters to each other during their courtship and marriage.  Please visit http://www.poweroftheletter.com and click on "Free John Adams Greeting Card." 

Link Of The Week

The 'Rents and I enjoy watching major sporting events just to see what celebrity will sing the National Anthem.  Or should I say "attempt" to sing it.  We're harsh critics when it comes to the Star Spangled Banner. 

This week, my dear friend and faithful reader Big Mama sent me a link to a clip on You Tube of five little girls singing the National Anthem at a University of Texas basketball game.  I listened to it and I have to admit that the hair on the back of my neck stood up.  The kids not only sang the song a capella, but they were on pitch the entire song. It blew me away.  Please take a minute and listen to these kids known as the Cactus Cuties.  You can hear and see them at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284.

Saturday Updates

First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to my relatives down in Columbus, Georgia.  We're so thankful you all made it through last night's storms unscathed.  As it is with the storms here in Kentucky, the tornados seem to pick and choose - Atlanta is about 100 miles from Columbus, and they got hit hard by last night's storms. 

Bike update:  my good friend and #1 mullet spotter JMc loaned us his metric die and tap set, and this morning Dad and T next door fixed the pedal on the bike.  Hopefully this rain will end tonight and tomorrow afternoon I'll be back on the road again.

Today marks the official start of Spring Cleaning at The Compound.  Since it rained all day, there wasn't much to do except clean.  How ironic that DAV called this afternoon to let us know they'd be in the area on the 24th.  With the clothes and stuff we're getting rid of, I hope they bring a big truck.

Last but certainly not least, Diva Stacy and I can now officially say that our trip to Orlando, aka MCO8, is less then two weeks away.  To say we're excited would be an understatement. We're counting down the days.  We leave Friday morning the 28th and will be back Sunday afternoon.  The heart of this Di-venture (pun intended) will be getting to see our favorite group of all time, Heart.  They'll be performing at Universal Studios in Orlando. 

Flashback Friday

Monday is St. Patrick's Day - the day for the wearing o' the green.  People will be wearing buttons and t-shirts that say "Kiss me - I'm Irish" whether they are or not.  My family is from Germany, so other than celebrating St. Patrick's Day out of solidarity, we have no ties to Ireland.  But that didn't keep us from celebrating. 

When I was a kid, St. Patrick's Day was among the middle-range holidays, like Valentine's Day.  I'd always wear a green shirt and/or pants to school, and in addition to that I would wear a shamrock pin.  The big St. Patrick's Day celebration would come at supper.  Grandma would put green food coloring in the mashed potatoes at supper, even if the rest of the family thought it was gross.  She didn't care - she knew her favorite grandchild would get a kick out of it, so everyone else be damned.  We'd also have green Jello for dessert, too.

Today, St. Patrick's Day is mostly about the bars putting green food coloring in the beer tap lines so they can serve green tap beer on March 17. And truth be known, today, it's more about the "spending of the green" instead of the "wearing of the green."

 

Live To Ride, Ride To Live?

I'd been looking forward to last night for days; it was going to be the night of my first big bike ride.  In addition to my daily walking, I decided I wanted to ride my almost-new bike that had been hibernating in the back of the garage for the past six and a half years.  The bike probably didn't have ten miles on it.  In fact, the tires still had the little thin rubber nubs on them.  So Dad aired up the tires, and I bought a very cool new bigger seat for it in preparation, and last night after supper I took to the road.  My goal is to work my way up to riding to and from the VFW - a round trip of a bit over six miles.  Last night, I was going to try for three miles. 

I was doing great, pedaling along on the very cool new paved bike/walking path that runs parallel to the river throughout the city.  Then it happened.  A mile and a half into the ride, the right pedal came off.  I tried to screw it back on, but didn't have any luck.  A very nice young couple came along on their new bikes, and the husband offerred to help, but he couldn't get the pedal back on, either.  There was no need to call home; Mom and Dad were out in the yard, and so were the neighbors.  So I did the only thing I could do - just walk the bike back a mile and a half to the house. 

I'm not ashamed to admit I was worn out when I got home.  But at least I got quite a workout in last night.  I took the pedal to work today and asked some of the machinists if they could "chase the thread" (machinist lingo) but it was metric, and they couldn't do it.  So tomorrow, we're going to have JJ across the street just weld the pedal on.  And while he's at it, I'll have him weld the other pedal, too.  I dare them to come off.

Gas Price Update

When I passed by the plethora of convenience stores on the way to work this morning, I almost had to pull over and see if anyone had a de-fib machine to use on me; the gas prices on the signs at the stores all said $3.45 per gallon.  Faithful readers, that's the highest that I have ever seen gas prices here in the 'Ville.  And unfortunately from what the experts say, it's only going to get higher.  All I can say is thank goodness I filled up last Friday; until today, the $3.36 I paid Friday was an all-time high.  There's not much I can say about gas being three and a half bucks a gallon, other than it's just insane.  I'm glad I've been walking and riding my bike; at the rate the gas prices are going, it looks like I'll need to ride my bike to work.  The only problem is there's no place to carry the Prada purse on a bike.

 

Who Stole The Cheese?

Other than someone leaving an opened bag of broccoli and cauliflower in our fridge at work for a week and stinking it up, we haven't had much fridge drama at work lately.  That is, until today. 

I decided that I would splurge and put a slice of pepper jack cheese on my chicken breast for lunch today.  We had 2 big blocks of cheese in the fridge at work, unopened, leftover from a retirement party two weeks ago.  Note that "had" is the key word.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the fridge and the block of pepper jack cheese was nowhere to be found.  It, along with another unopened block of cheese (mild cheddar) were both there yesterday and now all we could find was the cheddar.  We could not imagine that co-workers would have eaten the entire big block of cheese since yesterday afternoon.  And we could not believe that someone might have "borrowed" the big block of cheese for a party at home. 

Sure, the leftover cheese was a freebie from the company - the blocks of cheese were purchased by the company as part of the retirement dinner.  So the fact that someone would have had the balls to take the block of cheese home blows me away.  While I was fussing about having to put a slice of mild cheddar cheese on my chicken, we almost had another incident.  Last week, we hid the new bottle of ketchup, so it wouldn't be wasted.  Today when a co-worker was looking for it for his french fries, he couldn't find it.  I fussed even more over somebody stealing the ketchup that I bought.  But after a few minutes of searching, he found it.  Someone had found our hiding place and hid it somewhere else. 

Biggest Loser Update

Today marks the mid-point in our Biggest Loser contest at work, and it was the official weigh-in.  I'm very happy to report another 4 pounds are gone, thanks to all of my miles I put in walking this past week. That makes a total of 16 pounds in the past 4 weeks of the contest, with a total of 23 including what I lost before the contest started.  I'm also very happy to report that my team is currently in third place, with a total of 33.6 pounds lost, and an average of 4.1% body mass lost. 

In preparation for the upcoming Divas' trip to Orlando, I'm stepping up my workout.  I plan to have steak and eggs Benedict during our trip, so for the rest of the month I'm going to walk and ride my bike as much as I can.  Today, the 'Rents dug my almost-new mountain bike out of the garage, cleaned it up and aired up the tires, and put on a very comfortable new seat that they bought me today as a way-to-go present.  I test rode it tonight and did about a mile before it got too dark.  My plan is ride it to the VFW post next Tuesday night's for the jackpot drawing.  I've already made arrangements for PS to haul me and the bike back home since it will be dark by the time the drawing is over. 

Let me give a big shout out and a hearty way-to-go to my teammates BP, PS, and SS.  You all rock. i'd like to also give a shout out to any co-workers who are on a Biggest Loser team and who are faithful readers - way to go, too.  Keep up the great work and don't get discouraged.  There's really no losers in this -- we're all winners.

 

Link Of The Week

Last week while checking the weather on my favorite local TV channel website, I saw a link to a site that intrigued me.  The link said "See the International Space Station."  Now you see why I was intrigued.  It was on a page at the NASA site, and after you clicked on your state and then city, it showed you when you could see the ISS (that's NASA talk for the International Space Station) in your area.  It even gave specific coordinates, too.  Unfortunately for us here in the 'Ville, our viewing of the ISS Friday morning was a bust because it was cloudy, slightly foggy and snowing to beat the band.  But I'm going to keep checking to see when I can see the ISS or any of the Shuttles.  You can see, too, by visiting http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States.  Happy watching.

End Of Winter 2008 Storm Review

                                         

It's been a very busy twenty-four hours here at The Compound.  Yesterday morning as I was heading to work, the End Of Winter 2008 Storm hit.  And it lasted until noon today.  I've not visibly seen it snow this much in my life.  (Note: when the biggest snow storm in the history of Louisville hit in 1994, the snow came while we were asleep.)  It started yesterday morning and didn't stop till early afternoon today.  But I'm very happy to report that the awesome Toro snowblower worked like a charm.  Dad cleared the driveway yesterday afternoon, so when I came home from work, I drove in on a clean driveway.  And this morning, we had the driveway cleared off in less than 30 minutes.  I don't even want to compare that to the hours we spent shovelling when the Storm of 2004 hit. 

The first picture above is a beautiful wintry scene in our backyard.  You can see the BMW covered in snow as it sits under the carport.  The Compound had 12 inches of snow; the official measurement at the airport was 14 inches. The second picture is our dear friend and neighbor PS, taking his turn with the snowblower. While the snowblower cleared our long driveway quickly, we had a harder problem to deal with.  Our back porch is screened in, and is covered in outdoor carpet.  This morning, we woke to about 3 inches of snow covering the entire porch area where it had blown through the screens.  Mom and I spent a few hours out there today trying to sweep and gently shovel it all out. 

On a related note, my cousin in Columbus, Georgia called this morning and said that Atlanta and Columbus had snow.  I'm sure those people were driving even crazier than the people here in the 'Ville were this weekend. 

Flashback Friday

This morning on the way to work, once again I was raped by OPEC.  I filled up the Blazer, and for the record I paid more per gallon of gas this morning then I have since I started driving.  The record high was $3.36 a gallon.  It hurt a bit at first, but I got over it.  Later on at work, I thought about gas prices when I first started driving.  Even though it was during the 1979 Energy Crisis, I remember filling up my little VW Rabbit for about 75 or 80 cents a gallon. 

I remember back then, people were freaking out like they are today with gas prices over $3 a gallon.  But just like today, they just paid the "high" price of gas then and went on about their business.  When we got the Rabbit, I remember Grandma giving me a five dollar bill in an envelope, and had me tape the envelope inside the glove compartment so I would always have money for gas in an emergency.  Back then, you could have filled up the Rabbit on that five bucks. 

We kept the Rabbit until the engine literally fell out of it, and before the tow truck came and hauled it to the junk yard, after I took out the stereo I made sure I took out the envelope with the five dollar bill.  It was still there - unused.  I put the envelope - still sealed - in one of my dresser drawers, where it still is today.  If only I could fill up the BMW or Blazer for five bucks now. 

New Store Review

After not being in the mood to tour the entire Super WalMart yesterday afternoon, I decided that today after work I would stop in and get some extra walking in and stroll through the entire store.  I had an hour to kill before heading across town, so it was perfect timing.  I even decided to push a shopping cart as I walked, in hopes of burning up a few more calories. 

My first visit was to the deli, bakery and produce sections.  I never knew there were so many different pears.  The fruits and vegetables were perfectly arranged, and they were probably the most vibrantly colored produce I've ever seen.  I was pretty impressed.  I came across something pretty cool in the produce section that I'm going to have to try - they have prepackaged individually packed bags of grapes.  With the current trend of 100 calorie packs of practically every food out there, it's no wonder that we now have 100 calorie packs of fruits.  I thought this was pretty cool, even though the price for 8 small individual packs of grapes was probably over twice what the same abount of bulk grapes would cost.  I'll be sure to pick up a pack on my next visit.

After a quick visit to the meat section, I travelled up and down every aisle in the grocery store part of the store, and then headed to the department store part of the store.  The aisles weren't arranged neatly in that portion of the store like they were in the grocery store part, but I'm pretty sure I went up and down every aisle in that section.  By the time I made my way back to the front of the store to check out and pay for my Progresso soup, I was pretty tired.  But it was a good tired. 

All in all, I give our new Super WalMart a thumb's up, even if they did disappoint me in one area:  they don't have a fabric section like they do at the other regular WalMarts.  I wanted to buy a fourth of a yard of clear plastic (like people use to cover table cloths) and was for sure they'd have a fabric section in the new Super store, but no.  I'll have to go back to the regular WalMart up on Dixie Dieway and get it. 

A Great Day In The 'Hood

This was the day our 'hood has been waiting for for almost a year: our new Super WalMart opened this morning.  In addition, less than two miles away, a WalMart Neighborhood Market opened this morning.  What a great day this was for us folks here in the 'Ridge. 

I'm excited because the Super WalMart is on my way to work; in fact, it's just about two miles from The Compound.  So if I was feeling adventurous, I could walk there.  But then I'd have to lug my bags of groceries nad stuff home.  Of course, I could air up the tires on my almost-new bicycle and put a basket on it and tote my stuff home that way.  But I digress.  Not only do we have a new Super WalMart in our 'hood, the store is part of a pretty good sized shopping center that will have a Sonic drive-in.  We're waiting for the token sandwich shop, Chinese buffet and check cashing place to open in the strip mall; the nail salon, discount shoe store and video game store have already opened.

Other than local convenience stores, a grocery store, a Rite-Aid and a McDonald's, we don't have any other big stores close to our neighborhood.  So we were pretty excited when we heard another Wally World was coming to the 'Ridge.  We were counting the days till this morning's grand opening, and I stopped on my way home from work to check out the store.  I splurged and bought a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of mustard for the fridge at work, and bought myself a six-pack of V8 juice.  That was the extent of my purchases.  And as excited as I was about the new store, for some odd reason, I just was not in the mood to walk around and see the new store.  So I just paid for my three items and left.  I plan on going there this weekend and doing a thorough walk-thru and check out the entire store then.  I'm sure I'll spot some mullets, too. 

More Non-Words Overheard At Work

In case you didn't know, today is Grammar Day.  What a better way to celebrate then with another edition of More Non-Words Overheard At Work.

1. Drawling - not as slurring your R's with a Southern accent. "I go to the VFW every Tuesday night for the jackpot drawling."

2.  Pop-A-Level Road - used in place of the correct pronounciation of Poplar Level Road. 

3.  Chester Drawers - not a character on Hee-Haw.  "I keep some cash hidden in my chester drawers." 

4.  Chimlee - "The smoke was rolling out their chimlee."

5.  Prostrate - not a Biblical term for lying on the floor in a humble state.  "Every man ought to go have his prostrate checked."

6.  Calvary - not the hill in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified.  "I love to watch those old movies where the calvary would fight off an Indian attack at the fort.

7.  Northrupp - a former Congresswoman that represented Kentucky; used in place of the correct pronounciation Northup.  "I heard Anne Northrupp is going to run for Congress again."

8. Sherbert - "There's nothing better than punch made from orange sherbert."

9. Valentime - "I heard he broke up with his girlfriend on Valentime's Day."

10.  Liberry - a building that houses books. "I need to get a new liberry card."

Biggest Loser Update

It's hard to believe a whole week has passed by since the last Biggest Loser update.  I'm proud to report that this past week I increased my daily walking to almost 3 miles a day, and on Saturday, I did over 4 miles.  I wore myself out so much it was all I could do to make it to church and over to Diva Stacy's yesterday afternoon.  

At this morning's unofficial weigh-in, I was down 1.5 pounds.  I was a little bummed at first, thinking I should have lost more with all of my extra walking, but then realized that as long as the number on the scale keeps going down instead of up - no matter how small the decrease - I'm still doing great.  I slipped a bit Saturday afternoon and drank a can of Coke, and I have to say that high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring never tasted so good.  But I'm back to business today, and plan to get in 4 miles on today's walking.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement and your interest in what I now call "my healthy lifestyle changes." 

Link Of The Week

As you know, I love gadgets. And I love buying gadgets.  Combined, that can be an expensive habit.  But I found a website that will help me with this habit.  No, the stuff isn't free, but it's darned close.  I owe a big thanks to my co-worker GS for telling me about Buy.Com.  The site rocks.  If there's some electronics or computer-related gadget you you want on eBay or Amazon.com, check out Buy.com first - chances are they'll have it way cheaper and with free shipping.  Just this week I bought a micro SD card for my new cell phone.  On sale at Big Electronics City store, it was $29.  On Buy.com I got two for $28 with free shipping.  You can't beat that.  Please visit http://www.buy.com and see for yourself.  You won't be disappointed.

The Year Of Trying New Things

I've done pretty good with my healthier eating, and I'm very proud to report that there is a new healthy food that I will eat: cottage cheese.  I grew up in a house full of cottage cheese eaters, but I could never bring myself to try it.  It always looked very appetizing and at times, pretty, when Mom or Grandma would cut a tomato into quarters and put the cottage cheese in the middle.  No matter how appetizing it looked, I could never try it.  That is until a couple of weeks ago.  I was determined to make myself eat cottage cheese.  The first spoonful wasn't that bad; in fact, it tasted pretty good.  As much as I love cheese, I can't believe that I never would make myself try cottage cheese before now.  Anyhoo, I'm eating it now and I guess that's the important part.

I've discovered new and innovative ways to eat cottage cheese.  My first discovery was mixing some chunky salsa with the cottage cheese.  If you try this, be sure to drain as much of the juice from the salsa as possible or else the cottage cheese will be runny.  And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's runny cottage cheese.  Another new way I eat cottage cheese is mixed with my veggie dip.  It rocks, especially when I mix it with my favorite Krogers Special Recipe Spinach Dip.  I highly recommend it. 

One cottage cheese item I don't recommend are the combo packs with cottage cheese on one side and alleged fruit on the other side.  I tried a pineapple one and a strawberry one and I'm glad I only paid a dollar for them.  The fruit wasn't fruit like in fruit cocktail - it was fruit topping like you'd put on a banana split.  I just left the fruit in its side of the container and ate the cottage cheese plain.  So try them if you want, but you've been warned.