Security Tip Saturday

This week 5 of our "20 Weeks To Preparedness" - putting together an emergency kit for you and your family.  Just buy or gather the items on the list each week, and at the end of the 20 weeks you'll have compiled your kit. If you're just joining us, you can go back to the previous four Saturdays and get your lists.  And remember - when water or met, fruit or vegetables are listed, they mean one for each member of your household.

Week 5

1 gallon water
1 can meat
1 can fruit
1 can vegetables
2 rolls of toilet paper
Extra toothbrush/toothpaste

Link Of The Week

As promised a couple of weeks ago, when our weather expert Dick Frymire published his winter predictions, I would let you know.  Well, I'm letting you know.  Visit http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309300010&nclick_check=1 and see what Dick and other weather experts in Kentucky have to say about the upcoming winter.

Flashback Friday

Back in the day in elementary and early middle school, car erasers were the thing.  They were a pretty hot commodity at the bookstores, and they would sell out pretty quickly.  But they were the coolest thing in the entire bookstore. 

Some of the kids would snag some staples from the teacher's stapler and stick them in the bottom of the eraser where the wheel axel would be, and this would cause the car eraser to slide across the desks easier when you pushed them.  Of coure I never did that; being the odd kid that didn't want to deface my little car eraser.

And back then, I remember that the pink car eraser was the #1 primo eraser to get.  Nobody wanted the yellow or green ones; but if you were lucky enough to get the pink, you felt like a king or a queen for a day. And the bookstore clerk would never trade out the colors - whatever color she picked up was the color you got.

Hats Off Thursday

I know she won't mind, so today I'm saying an official Hat's Off to my friend, coworker, and faithful reader Big Mama. She is one of the coolest people I know, and I am very proud to post this picture of her and The First Lady, Michelle Obama.

I'm not sure what Big Mama was telling Michelle in this picture, but with the expressions on their faces,  I know it was very important. 

You rock, Big Mama.  And you also rock, Michelle Obama.  We owe you a big thank you for all of the work you've done to get the school kids healthier. 

I'm Worthy!!

After weeks, even months, of anticipation, the time has finally arrived: I report to the big courthouse on Monday morning for Federal Grand Jury jury duty!  After telling me they wanted me, I was beginning to think that they didn't want me after all.

Back in the early summer, I received a notice in the mail saying that I was chosen for jury duty for Federal Grand Jury.  You can't imagine how excited I was just to fill out the lengthy questionnaire. After sending it in, I waited and waited and waited, until I received a notice saying that I was in deed chosen and that I would be on call from the first week in September until the first week in November.  They said they would notify me by mail a week before I was to report.  So I waited and waited and waited some more until Monday when I received my orders to serve starting this coming Monday. I can hardly wait. 

I was priviledged to serve on regular jury duty way back in the day in the mid 80's and I really enjoyed it.  It was a great learning experience, and I wouldn't have traded those two weeks for anything.  Since then, I admit that I was a bit envious when I heard about coworkers and friends serving on jury duty. But I an envious no more.

I can't wait to get to the federal courthouse on Monday morning, and I hope I don't have to wait and wait and wait some more once I get there before they chose me to serve on a jury.  I hope they will find out quickly that I am worthy.

Only 19? Update

Yesterday evening, I posted about a statistic that says the average woman goes to the store 19 times in a month.  Since yesterday morning, I've gone to the store 4 times. At the rate I'm going, I will be way beyond the average of 19 times.  But as I said yesterday, I will not officially start counting the trips to the store until October 1, and will end the count on October 31.  But it's not looking good for the average home team as of now.  Stay tuned - I'll keep you posted.

Only 19?

I heard an alarming statistic on a radio news program this morning on the way to work.  They said that the average mother/wife goes to the store 19 times a month.  I beg to differ.  Now, I'm not married, and I don't have children, but I'm a vital part of my household and I do about half of the grocery shopping, so I think I count even though I'm not a wife or a mother; I'm still partially responsible for the 'Rents, so that counts.  That having been said, I still think that the average of 19 times a month is way too low. And I'm just basing that on the combined number of times that the 'Rents and I go to a store in a one month period.  There are times when I probably go to the store that many times in a ten-day period.  Just saying. When you think about the stops at the store before work, during work, and after work, it starts adding up.

To prove my point, starting on October 1, the 'Rents and I will keep track of the number of times that we go to the store for the entire month.  I'll also keep a separate count of only my visits to the store. We won't count the visits to the local big box home improvement stores or specialty stores; we'll just count visits to stores where you can buy food and things the family normally needs in a month.  I'm telling you right now it will be more than 19. 

On November 1, I'll give my report and final count.  Stay tuned; I'll keep you posted.

Link Of The Week

As with most states, Kentucky recently passed a law against texting while driving.  Specifically, the law states "No person may write, send or read a text-based communication (including text messages, instant messages and emails) while operating a motor vehicle that is in motion."  Even before the law was passed, I made a conscious effort to not even look at a text message while driving, and now I keep my cell phone in my purse while driving and I try to pull over to a parking lot when I need to make a call while in the car.  I urge you, faithful readers, to be safe the do the same.

Please visit http://itcanwait.com/ and take the pledge not to text while driving.  It could save a life.

Security Tip Saturday

It's time once again for our shopping list for your emergency kit.  As part of Preparedness month, TWIT is giving you a list of supplies to buy each week for 20 weeks, and at the end, you will have compiled enough supplies for you and your family in the event of an emergency.  If you've forgotten a couple of weeks, please take a minute and look back to the previous three Saturdays and get your list. This week's list is short but the items are very important. And if you are adventurous and want to stock up, you can always get a gallon of water while you're shopping, even though it's not on this week's list.  You can never have too much water in an emergency.

Week 4

Patch kit for tires
Signal flares
Compass

Flashback Friday

In an age where practically everyone has access to the internet at home, work, school, restaurants, bars, and elsewhere via wi-fi connections and smart phones, it's hard to imagine a time when we did not have internet access.  It wasn't all that long ago.

Way back in the day,15 or more years ago, when very few people know about the internet, there were internet cafes.  You would pay per half hour or hour and get to use the computers at an internet cafe.  They would sell coffee (usually just regular or decaf) but the main objective was that you paid to use their computers and internet. 

I visited an internet cafe one time - just because it was new and hip and I wanted to experience.  If you'd been there and watched me during my half hour, you would have thought "she has no business being there."  Yep, I was clueless.  I had no idea what I was doing, but by god I was going to have the internet experience. The only thing I remember was being on an instant message chat with second cousin Nick - other than that, I don't remember much. Wait - I remember looking up (attempting would be more like it) the guitar chords for some songs.  It's not like I was drunk and don't remember; it's just that the whole experience was just not memorable, other than the fact that I paid $9.95 to use an ancient laptop computer connected to the internet for 30 minutes.  We've come a long way, baby.

A Typical Teenager

At work, we joke about how when the first round of cool weather hits, the coats come out.  We see big parkas at the bus stops, and winter coats are everywhere.  But not on me, however.  You already know I love cold weather, and it will need to be below freezing (32 degrees) before I wear an official winter coat. But I digress. Yesterday morning, when I was ready to leave the house it was 43 degrees - not cool enough for the official winter coat but cool enough for a light jacket. I grabbed my denim jacket and was very comfortable on the way to work.  But when it was time to leave work yesterday, I reverted back to school-age and forgot my coat, just like the school kids forget their coats on the bus. So this morning when I was ready to leave the house, I didn't have a denim jacket to wear because it was hanging up in my office. Instead I wore a Bats sweatshirt this morning, and as soon as I got to work and took off the sweatshirt, I took it and the denim jacket out to the Blazer so I wouldn't forget them.

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day

TWIT would like to wish everyone a very happy Talk Like A Pirate Day.  Yep, there's an annual holidy that celebrates talking like a pirate.  Believe me when I tell you that the guys in my department and I love this holiday, mainly because we talk like a pirate all day long, giving us much delight in annoying our coworkers.

It's not too late to celebrate.  If you stop at a Krispy Kreme store (an actual Krispy Kreme bakery/store) and talk like a pirate, they'll give you a free glazed donut.  And if you visit a Long John Silver's (pun intended, I'm sure) and talk like a pirate, they'll give you a free piece of fish.

Ahoy, matey!!

You've Been Warned

In case you didn't know, tomorrow is Talk Like A Pirate Day.  So you've been given ample time to get prepared.  I'm not asking you to wear a patch over an eye or have a parrot on your shoulder; just be prepared to talk like a pirate tomorrow. 

And if you're fortunate enough to have a Krispy Kreme shop in your city, as we are here in Louisville, if you visit any Krispy Kreme shop (convenient stores that sell Krispy Kremes do not count) tomorrow and if you talk like a pirate, you'll get a free Krispy Kreme glazed donut.  Arrrghhh, matey.

New Recipe Monday

The tomatoes are still coming in here at The Compound, but the majority are green.  Not being ones to waste any of the bounty, we decided we'd make some green tomato relish.  The 'Rents canned 12 pints today, and I am here to tell you it was awesome.  We had some tonight on hot dogs and I think I could have ate a stick if it had some of the green tomato relish on it.  So I felt compelled to share the recipe with you. 

Green Tomato Relish

Ingredients


1 quart chopped green tomatoes
1 large sweet white onions, chopped
1 large green peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons canning salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
4 whole cloves
1 cup vinegar ( 5% acidity)

Directions

Combine tomatoes, onion, and pepper in large bowl.

Sprinkle salt over vegetables, mix in,and let stand 1 hour.

Drain vegetables.

Combine drained vegetables, sugar, mustard, and celery salt in a large pot.

Tie cloves in cheesecloth and add to mixture.

Stir in vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes.

Take out spice bag.

Pack hot relish into hot jars.

Leave 1/4 inch headspace.

Place canning lids on jars.

Process half pints for 10 minutes in hot water bath

Link Of The Week

Around these parts, Dick Frymire is a pretty important celebrity.  He's the official winter weather predictor for our area in Kentucky.  He doesn't use Dopplar radar or maps from the National Weather Service; he uses his Japanese maple tree and Ted his rooster. He's even appeared with Letterman and Leno. He'll be reporting his predictions for winter weather within the next couple of weeks, and as soon as he does, I'll be sure to post them here.  In the meanwhile, here's links to two great articles about Dick that you can read in the meanwhile http://www.examiner.com/article/folklorist-dick-frymire-a-kentucky-original and http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705320566/Man-predicts-weather-spins-yarns.html?pg=all

Security Tip Saturday

This is the third of twenty shopping lists of items to buy to make your own emergency supply kit. In case you missed the first two weeks, please go back in the TWIT archives and look at the journal entries for the previous two Saturdays and buy the items. At the end of the twenty weeks you will have compiled the necessary items recommended by the Department of Homeland Security for you and your family in an emergency.


Before I give the third list, I need to clarify something I didn't mention in the first week.  When the list calls for 1 gallon of water or 1 can of meat, fruit, fruit juice, or vegetable, they mean 1 for each person in your household.  So for us here at The Compound, on the first week, I bought 3 gallons of water,  3 cans of fruit juice, and 3 cans of meat. You get the picture.

Week Three

1 gallon water
1 can meat
1 can fruit
Feminine hygiene supplies (if needed)
Paper and pencil
Map of your area
Aspirin
Laxatives

Flashback Friday

I just got home from a business trip, and while driving back this morning, I had a hankering for a cup of coffee.  But not just any coffee, mind you - I wanted a cup of coffee from a vending machine at a rest stop.  When I was a kid and we would travel, it was a highlight when we stopped at a rest area and we would get a cup of coffee from one of the vending machines.  The 'Rents even let me get a cup.  The part that was the highlight was the actual cup itself - they would have four different playing cards printed on the cup, and the fifth card would be on the bottom, giving you a full poker hand.  The three of us would compare our cups and see who had the winning hand; the two losers had to chip in the next stop and buy the winner's coffee. 

The last time I got rest area vending machine coffee was in my late teens, so this morning, I knew I had to stop.  It was just like I remembered it. The cups are pretty small, and they get extremely hot from the coffee.  And I had a pretty decent hand - with my cards, I ended up with two pair.

Happy National Preparedness Month

In case you didn't know, September is Preparedness Month. In doing my part to get you, faithful readers, prepared, I'm giving you a list every Saturday of items to purchase and gather for your emergency kit so you will be prepared. More to follow.

File Under: WTF?

I hope the three guys that work for me don't get any ideas.  Just saying.

New Product Review

Being a big fan of M&M's, I'm always on the lookout for any new flavors that they introduce.  Don't get me wrong - you can't beat the old school plain or peanut M&M's, but I still enjoy a new, limited edition flavor.  So when I heard they were going to release candy corn M&M's, I got all kinds of excited, since I love candy corn and M&M's.  But I am going on record and will say that I do not love candy corn M&M's. 

I was expecting the chocolate taste of M&M's, and was disappointed bigtime when I had my first taste of the candy corn M&M's.  It didn't take long to discover that they're nothing more than hard shell candy coated white chocolate.  Dad and I ate them, but we didn't really like them.  And we both agreed that neither of us would buy them again this fall. 

We concluded that we'll just buy regular plain M&M's and regular candy corn, but we sure didn't like the two mixed.  Unfortunately, Candy Corn M&M's do not get the TWIT Seal of Approval.

Tough Love In Action

One of the "kids" at work (an older twenty-something) asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would proofread his homework and papers for his college English Literature class he's taking this semester.  I was only happy to help out. I'm always looking for a chance to help someone in school as a way of repaying the favors from friends that helped me during the years of my work for my Bachelor's and two Masters Degrees. 

The first two assignments weren't too bad.  But today when he emailed me a five page paper, I honestly had tears in my eyes when I read it.  Picture a Word document where you have grammar and spell check enabled -- meaning, all grammar and spelling errors would have the dreaded red squiggly line underneath the words.  This paper was pretty much full of the red squiggly lines.  Like I said, I was ready to cry. 

My first instinct was to just rewrite the paper for the kid and email it to him.  But I had a change of heart; he's never going to learn how to write a paper if Puddin keeps on enabling him and rewriting it for him.  So I did the next best thing - I made the changes in the paper, but I made the changes in bold font red type so he will clearly see what he had wrong.  That's the only way he's going to learn.  I hope he doesn't get pissed at me for doing that but it's a valuable lesson he needs to learn.

Link Of The Week

You should know by now that even though I don't cook, I still love to read recipes.  Go figure.  And I'm always on the lookout for something new. The fine folks at Campbell's Soup have come up with something on their website that will help you come up with something new.  You pick a base to start out with -- a pasta, some type of potato, a veggie, etc, and then pick a flavor of their Chunky soup and there you have it - a quick meal.  Granted some of the combos are beyond simple, but there are some that require a little more prepation.  Check it out at http://www.campbellsoup.com/Products/ChunkyPourOver

Security Tip Saturday

This is the second of twenty lists of items to buy to make your own emergency supply kit.  In case you missed the first week, please go back and buy the items. At the end of the twenty weeks you will have compiled the necessary items recommended by the Department of Homeland Security for you and your family in an emergency.

Week Two

Heavy cotton rope
Duct tape
2 flashlights w/batteries
Matches (waterproof container)
Permanent marker

Flashback Friday

My family used our West Bend bun warmer every weekend like clockwork.  Sometimes we would use it on Friday nights, and sometimes we would use it on Saturday nights.  It just depended on which weekend night we got fish.  On the weekend night that we didn't get fish, we had either hamburgers or hotdogs, and the buns would always be perfectly steamed in the West Bend bun warmer.  Ours was green, just like this one.  And if you gave me some time, there's a pretty good chance I could find this down in the basement. 

Even with the microwave oven and fancy technology, I don't think the buns are near as soft as they were back in the day when we used the bun warmer. Invariably, we forget the to look at the timer on the microwave and by the time we get the buns out of there, they're either like rubber or they're hard.  Blech.  If I can find our bun warmer, I'll use it the next time we have hot dogs and hamburgers to see if it's still as good as I remember.

Farewell, Butch

My heart is heavy as I write that my friend and favorite car mechanic has passed away.  Butch owned and operated a car repair shop about a half mile from work, and he and his crew has worked on many a car belonging to me and my coworkers. Butch died last Friday after an extremely sudden bout of cancer. 

He was the man that I took the BMW to for all of the years that I've owned it, and he was also the man who kept the old Blazer in good shape. Butch was a Christian, and I know without a doubt he's in heaven right now fixing cars, if in fact there are cars in heaven.  

I've said this before and I will say it again, that Butch was the most honest businessman that I have ever dealt with.  And if you ask anyone right now, they would say the same thing.  He didn't fleece women who brought their cars there for a repair.  I remember years ago him telling me "I treat my customers like I would want my wife and children treated." 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Butch's wife and his kids and grandkids.  While I am sad about his passing, I rejoice in the fact that he left such an awesome legacy for his family.  I'm pretty sure when he reached the Pearly Gates, he heard the words "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Happy 2012 NFL Season

TWIT and I would like to wish all of you NFL fans a very happy start to the NFL season, which will be officially starting as I am typing in this post.

I wish my beloved Titans an awesome winning season, and above all else, I wish for safety and good health for every NFL player. 

Go Titans!!

But It's MY Money

I had one of the most embarrassing experiences in my life this weekend.  On Saturday evening, the 'Rents and I took our visiting California cousin and her husband to dinner.  I offered to pay.  We had a great dinner - the food was awesome, and everybody (except Mom who was the designated driver) had a few drinks with dinner.  Everything was great until time to pay for the meal.  I have the server my debit card, only to have it handed back to me along with an explanation of "it's expired."  I immediately showed her the card, which clearly said  08/13 for the expiration date, only to have it declined again when she tried to process it.  I honestly don't know who was the maddest -- me or Dad.  Dad gave them his debit card and paid for the meal, but I was still embarrassed.  We had gotten paid the day before, and I had money in the bank, but I couldn't get to it.  It put me in a pissy mood all weekend. I had to borrow money from my parents to get through the weekend.  If that's not embarrassing, I don't know what is. 

Believe me when I tell you I was waiting at my credit union this morning when the doors opened at 8:00.  I had calmed down overnight but became livid as soon as I got into the credit union.  But the poor teller that helped me was just an unsuspecting soul; it wasn't her fault what happend, but she was the unlucky one that got to wait on me.  She kept apologizing over and over, and after a minute I calmed down.  I told her that I knew it wasn't her fault, but it had to be somebody's fault, and that's what made me mad.  She corrected the problem, and offered to help me in anything else.  Deep down inside I was still mad but it was useless to be mad towards her. 

Happy Labor Day

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Labor Day to all that labor - whether it's in an office, a factory, a store, or at home. That includes pretty much all of us.  We all go do work of some type every day of the week.  So hat's off to all that work!

Link Of The Week

At work, since we're in the pump business, we watch the weather closer than most people do, always hoping for rain or snow (aka liquid assets).   The general consensus is to go by the forecast from the National Weather Service.  But we've also been known to get our information from the Farmer's Almanac.  Visit http://www.almanac.com/weather and you can get all kinds of information from the very trustworthy Farmer's Almanac. For starters, my Dad has planted his garden according to the almanac for as long as I can remember, and he's always had a great garden.  But I digress.  While at the site, please click on "Predict The Weather" and they will give you a crash course in predicting the weather by looking at wooly worms, persimmon seeds, etc.

Speaking of the weather, for those of you in and around Louisville today, stay dry.

Security Tip Saturday

What would your family do if there was an emergency?  Do you have drinking water, extra non-perishable food, batteries, etc.?  And if you have these things, do you know where they are?  I'm sure this week when Isaac hit down south, the majority of those affected did not have a kit. 

For the next 20 weeks, TWIT will be bringing you 20 Weeks To Preparedness.  Every Saturday, I will give you a list based on the recommendations of the Department of Homeland Security so you can put together an emergency supply kit.  If you buy the items listed each week, at the end of the 20 weeks you'll have a fully-stocked emergency supply kit for your family.  Depending on the size of your family, you can tweak the quantities. The items should be kept in a plastic garbage can or similar container, and the container should be kept in a place where everyone in the family knows where it is.

Week 1

1 gallon water
1 jar peanut butter
1 large can juice
1 can meat
Hand operated can opener
A rubber or plastic garbage can