Flashback Friday

During lunch today, we had a good laugh as we reminisced about the 70's show "Laverne and Shirley."  Our biggest laugh came when we talked about them working at the Shotz Brewery. 

This picture is for you, faithful readers and coworkers SH and JMc. 

Quote Of The Day

Today's quote of the day is from my wise mother.  And I quote:

"The only place you go to be on different sides is the ball field."

You are so right, mom.  So right.

What Are The Odds?

The country is in a frenzy today over tonight's Powerball jackpot of over a half a billion dollars.  At the time of this posting, it was up to $550 million, and is expected to top out at over $600 million.  I've got my tickets and can't wait till 10:59 when they draw.  If I win, I think I'm going to hire Lady Gaga to come here in January and perform for my 50th birthday.  Based on the odds, I'll probably get struck by lightning first.

Here are things that are more likely to happen:


Death by Vending Machine. Odds: 1 in 112 million
Dying from using a right-handed product, if you’re a lefty: Odds: 1 in 7 million
Dying in an Asteroid Apocalypse. Odds: 1 in 12,500
Dating a Supermodel. Odds: 1 in 88,000
Hitting a Deer in Hawaii. Odds: one in 6,000.
Dying from a Bee Sting. Odds: one in 6 million.
Dying from a LIGHTNING STRIKE. Odds: one in 3 million.
Getting Attacked by a Shark. Odds: one in 11.5 million.
Dying for ANY reason at the beach. Odds: one in 2 million.
Making a Hole-in-One. Odds: about one in 13,000 (for the average golfer).
Getting two BACK-TO-BACK holes-in-one. Odds: about one in 156 million.
Becoming President of the U.S. Odds: one in 10 million
Dying in an On-The-Job Accident. Odds: one in 48,000
Dying in a Bathtub. Odds: one in 840,000

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Chrismas

I still don't feel all that well, so I don't have any pictures to show today, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at The Compound.  Lights, greenery, bows, and wreaths are up outside on the house and garage and it looks beautiful.  I promise to take a picture and post it when I feel better.

I'm still battling a cold that started last Wednesday evening when I got home from work.  I was in bed for the majority of the Thanksgiving weekend.  And when I got to work yesterday, I discovered that one of the guys in my department who went to the doctor and got antibiotics last Wednesday morning was even sicker than he was last week.  At least I was a bit ahead of him without antibiotics. 

I don't feel all that bad - just tired.  So I'm going to sign off of the computer and go hit the couch, and enjoy the view of the outside Christmas decorations while I watch the "Dancing With The Stars" finale with the 'Rents.  Happy Holidays.

Happy Cyber Monday

I apologize for not having a usual post today, but I've had a wicked sinus infection/cold since Wednesday evening and I'm going to get on the couch and continue my rest. 

So please take a few minutes today to do some Christmas shopping online.  After all, it is Cyber Monday - the biggest online shopping day of the year.  But before you buy an item online, take a minute or two to do some research.  Do a quick Google search for a discount code for the online store you're shopping.  It could save you some money.

Link Of The Week

If you're like most people that had turkey and all of the trimmings on Thursday, you've got leftovers.  And if you're like most people, you're already tired of the leftovers.  Never fear.  Visit the folks at AllRecipes.com and you can find some great recipes using the leftovers.  Check out http://allrecipes.com/features/holidays/thanksgiving-leftovers/. 

Security Tip Saturday

Here we are at Week 13 in 20 Weeks To Preparedness. Once again, if you're just joining us, for 20 weeks I will post a list of items to get each week, and at the end of the 20 weeks you will have compiled the recommended items for an emergency kit for you and your family.  Check out the previous 12 weeks in the archives to get caught up.

Week 13

Whistle
Pliers
Screwdriver
Hammer
Perforated metal tape
Crow bar

Flashback Friday

I did some research and discovered that that term "Black Friday" was started back in the late 60's/early 70's.  I always thought of myself as a hip, intelligent kid, but I have to admit I don't really remember hearing the term "Black Friday" until the last 20 or so years.

Back in the day, I remember Mom and I getting up at 6:00 or 6:30 to go to Walmart to buy a particular brand of jeans that they had on sale for Dad for Christmas.  We did this for a few years.  We'd get the jeans and pick up a few other things that were on sale that we just had to have, and then go to McDonald's or Jessie's Family Restauarnt for breakfast, and then we'd go back home.  That was the extent of our Black Friday shopping.

As the years went by, Mom and I decided tha we enjoyed our sleep too much to fight the crowds for a $25 VCR so we stopped getting up before daylight to go fight the crowds at the store. And we don't regret it one bit.  Especially now, with Black Friday morphing into Black Thursday.

I can't help but wonder if years from now, some blogger will be writing about a flashback from their life, and they will be writing about their shopping memories of Black Thursday.

Happy Thanksgiving

TWIT would like to wish all of the faithful readers a very Happy Thanksgiving.

It's almost cliche these days as everyone in print and online seems to comment on "What are you thankful for?"  As I think about that I have to be cliche and say I am thankful for my family and friends, and for their unconditional love and support.  But I also have to say I am very thankful for my job and my two careers.  Although I bitch as much as anyone about my job, it pays the bills and gives me extra money to help fund my second career of church security consulting. 

While we're all eating and drinking today, let's all take a few minutes to tell somone that we are thankful for them.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

I stopped on the way home from work today to pick up a six-pack of beer to have with our Thanksgiving Eve ritual of carry-out fish, and while I was at the liquor store, I got some scratch-off lottery tickets and some more Powerball tickets for tonight's $250 million drawing.  While chatting with the very kind Pakistani guy that owns and manages the liquor store, we started talking about Thanksgiving.  He said "I am very thankful that I can have a business here in the U.S."  I'll admit that in the back of my mind, I was wondering how much $$$ he was laundering back home to Al Quada, but I tried to keep the conversation light.  I told him that was awesome and that I, too, was an entreprenuer, and was happy to have my own company just like he did. During the rest of the conversation, he asked me what else I was thankful for.  I didn't hesitate to tell him I was thankful for my job that paid my bills and that gave me disposable income to blow at the liquor store on beer and lottery tickets. We chatted a few more minutes, and then I left and headed home, still very thankful for my job.

Yet Another Reason

I left work today and headed a half mile down the street to the cool still-new First Choice grocery store in the hood.  I love the store.  Everytime I go there, no less than 5 employees greet me and ask if I can find what I'm looking for.  Well today when they asked, they couldn't help me, because I was looking for my cell phone that I once again left on my desk at work. This is just another reason why I have no business with any electronic or computerized gadgets.

Luckily, my office was just a half mile back up the street on my way back home so I was able to pull in the parking lot and run in and grab my phone with ease.  At least I remembered I left the phone at work while I was just a half mile away from work instead of a couple of weeks ago when I remembered just as I was pulling into the driveway.

Just Another Manic Monday

As I type this, there is all kinds of drama and things going on around me in the background. I'm not sure where to start.

I'd like to give a big shout out to Squid - TWIT would like to wish you a very happy 21st birthday.  I hope your birthday evening last night was all that you thought it would be.  You are still one of the most awesome young women that I know, and TWIT wishes you a big happy birthday today.  Learn from experience that from now on, your birthday will be just one more day on the calendar.

To bring things down to a more personal note, for the past half hour the 'Rents have been "discussing" in the kitchen as they have both been working to get supper together. I heard rumors this morning that supper tonight would be a breakfast meal, so I'm hoping for some biscuits tonight. 

Link Of The Week

I know Thanksgiving is just days away, and there might not be enough time if you wanted to order a fully-cooked turkey for this year's dinner, but here's a website where you order one for next year's Thanksgiving, or for any other occasion you want. 

I learned about this restaurant in Brooklyn this afternoon while watching the Food Network. They specialize in deep-fried turkeys that are as jucy as if you baked them. And they deliver.  Plus, I love their name -- Jive Turkey!  Visit them at http://thejiveturkey.com and check them out.

Security Tip Saturday

Here we are at week 12 of our 20 Weeks To Preparedness.  By now you all should be well on  your way to having an emergency kit for you and your family.

If you're just joining us, each Saturday for 20 weeks I will post a list of items to buy for you and your family's emergency kit.  At the end of the 20 weeks, if you've followed diligently, you will have compiled the recommended items for you and your family for a few days in the event of an emergency.  Look back at the archives and you'll be able to see the previous 11 weeks and be able to get caught up.  If you don't have any pets at home, this week will be useless for you.  So use the week to go over the previous weeks' shopping lists to make sure you've gotten everything.

Week 12

Extra harness, ID tags, and food for pets
Litter pan (if needed)
Extra gallon of water for pets
Veterinary records for pets

Breaking News

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Flashback Friday to bring you breaking news and an important announcement:  please visit any store you can tonight and stockpile any Hostess product you can get your hands on.  After today's announcement that the company is folding, Hostess products will be a hot commodity.  Please purchase and store as much as you can.  We've done our part here at The Compound and have an ample supply of Cupcakes (chocolate and the coveted orange), Ho Hos, King Dons, SnoBalls, and Cherry Pies.  We will probably be visiting a few of the 'hood convenient stores later tonight to score some more for our stash.  To hell with the "Doomsday Preppers."  We're "Hostess Preppers."

It Made Me Re-Think

Yesterday, a friend on Facebook made a comment about their favorite vocal TV theme song. I posted a comment saying my favorite TV theme with vocals was "Green Acres" and my favorite instrumental TV theme was the theme from "Dallas."

But just moments ago I posted another note saying that any TV theme by Mike Post rocked, especially the theme from "Magnum P.I."  I guess I've spent too much time in front of the TV since I have so many favorite TV theme songs. 

File Under: WTF?

I wish I'd had someone in the car with me this morning on the way to work so they could have filmed the first few minutes of my commute.  The car in front of me was either driving in the other lane (yes, the other lane) or they were driving on the shoulder close to going down in the ditch. At one point the car was 100% in the other lane and missed hitting a truck head-on by only a foot.  I didn't know what the hell was going on, so I kept a very safe distance behind them while calling 911.  I gave them a description of the car and the license plate number and the exact location.  But soon the car turned down a side street.  It was then that I noticed that the idiot had not scraped his windshield or windows and couldn't see while he was driving.

Were they in that big of a hurry that they couldn't take a couple of minutes to scrape the windshield and windows so they could see where they were going? Evidently they were.

I Made It

I am very happy to report that I made it through yesterday evening and night without my cell phone.  It wasn't all that hard.  True, I had other forms of communication available - mainly, the computer - but it wasn't as big of an ordeal as I thought it would be.  I watched the two hour Dancing With The Stars show, and while I was watching I played some games on my netbook, but I didn't keep tabs on email or Facebook during the evening.  And I survived.  I even wrote a couple of cards for friends and mailed them today.  I think I might start a cell phone-free night every week. 

And to give me a come-uppance, I was expecting to see countless missed phone calls and text messages when I got back to work this morning and got to my phone.  There were only two texts - both of them from Weather Bug telling me the forecast for the next six hours.  I guess I'm not as popular or important as I thought I was. 

It's Going To Be A Long Night

I was about a mile from home this evening when I realized I left my cell phone at work.  Words can't describe the wave of anxiety that I felt come over me.  For the next 15 hours I would be unattached to my umbilical cord.  I guess the anxiety isn't all that bad, or else I would have driven the 30 minute round trip to and from work to retreive my phone.  But it will be a long night nonetheless.

Happy Veterans Day

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Link Of The Week to wish all of the men and women in our country who proudly served in the military a very Happy Veterans Day.  And selfishly, I wish my Dad, a Navy veteran, a special Happy Veterans Day.  Thank you all for your service.

Security Tip Saturday

Here we are on week 11 of our 20 Weeks To Preparedness.  I had a cool email this week from a faithful reader who said that they have started putting together their family's emergency kit, and thanked me for posting the information.  You don't know how happy you made me, faithful reader.  Thank you for reading every day and for caring about your family and putting together an emergency kit.  If you're just joining us, please look at the archives for the previous Saturday posts for the lists of items to buy and compile for your family's emergency kit. 

And to answer a question another faithful reader asked me, yes, I am following my advice and am putting together an emergency kit for me and the 'Rents.  We've always had some staple items together, but since I started the 20 Weeks To Preparedness, I have been following along and am putting together our kit. We are using a big heavy duty plastic garbage can on wheels and a rectangular plastic storage box with a water tight lid. 

Week 11

1 large can juice
Large pastic food bags (Ziploc)
1 box quick energy snacks
3 rolls paper towels
Medicine/eye dropper

Flashback Friday

I was discussing Captain D's versus Long John Silvers chicken tenders today with Diva Stacy, when she reminded me of something from way back in the day.

Back in the day, you could go to Long John Silvers and for the low, low price of only a dime, you could get a cardboard container full of their crunchies/crispies.  Yep, it only cost a dime.  And the container had a hell of a lot more than the container in this picture.

In the summers of my days in elementary school, I would go with my neighbor Alice to her beauty parlor appointment on Fridays.  Grandma would give me money for a snack and lunch after the appointment. 

Alice's beauty parlor was in a shopping center just two doors down from a Long John Silvers.  Many a Friday I remember going down to Long John's while Alice was sitting under the dryer and spending ten cents of my money on a cardboard container of their crunchies/crispies.  They rocked.  Of course they were just drip off from the batter, but nobody cared.  They were crunchies and they were cheap and they rocked. If you were to get a container today, it would come with a dozen warnings about the oil and trans fats, and would probably cost a buck. 

Thank You, Amazon

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, and today I would like to give thanks to Amazon Prime.  I ordered something and it was the wrong size and thanks to Amazon Prime, I'm able to return it postage paid and get another item that will hopefully fit.  No, it's not an article of clothing; it's a case for something.  Hopefully the next one I order will fit.  But if it doesn't, no sweat because I can return again postage paid and order another.  Amazon, you rock.

It's Christmas?

Halloween was just one week ago, and we're still two weeks away from Thanksgiving, but Christmas decorations are already going up in and around my 'hood.  I noticed last week, a big two story farm house up the street had their Christmas lights and wreaths hung, and even had candles in the windows.  And tonight on the way to church, we passed a house where the family was outside getting all of their lights and decorations in place. Maybe we could get them to come and decorate here at The Compound for us.

My Faith Is Restored

Regardless of the outcome of today's Presidential election, my faith in the younger generation has been restored.  It was awesome to see to many young people this morning at the polls when I went to vote.  The 'Rents said the same thing when they went later in the morning.  At least they care enough about their country to get out and vote.  I truly admire that. 

And on a related note, four fellow voters - total strangers, even - stopped me on my to and from the school building to vote to tell me good morning.  I thought that was pretty awesome, too.

Thank You, Coworker FB

I would like to take a moment to publicly thank a special coworker for keeping his huge bowl of leftover "good" Halloween candy on his desk since last Wednesday.  Everyone else took their leftover Halloween candy home on Wednesday evening, but FB left his out for all to enjoy.  And when I say "good" I mean Milky Way, Three Musketeers, Snickers, Baby Ruth, and M&M miniatures. 

It's been crazy in for the past few days at work, and the chocolate he has provided has kept me and a few others from going insane. 

Link Of The Week

Let me preface by saying today's post could also be labeled "Why Didn't I Think Of That".  That having been said, on to this week's link.

Winter will soon be here, and I'm not ashamed to say there have been a few mornings recently when I wished I'd grabbed a pair of gloves before heading out the door to go to work.  But I digress.  I'd planned on buying a new pair of gloves, and when a friend sent me this link earlier in the week, I knew I'd found the pair of gloves I was going to buy.  These gloves are for using your touchscreen phone in the wintertime without having to take off your gloves to take a call.  They're made of a special fiber that allows you to use the touchscreen almost as easily as if you weren't wearing a glove.  The gloves are made by SwypeGear, and you can find them at their website http://www.swypegear.com/. 

Security Tip Saturday

We're at the halfway point in our 20 Weeks To Preparedness weekly shopping guide for items for your family's emergency kit.  Just think - millions of people in the northeast part of our country probably thought they didn't need an emergency kit, and after Sandy hit on Monday, I bet they wish they had one.  Don't be caught off guard, faithful readers; I can't stress enough how we need to plan and be prepared just in case something like this happens to us.  Here's a personal testimony: there is a serious haz mat situation about 8 miles from The Compound.  A train carrying many cars of chemicals derailed.  People within a mile and a half have been evacuated, and people within a five mile radious are under shelter-in-place.  That means they need to stay inside.  I don't know about you, but we're a bit too close for comfort. So a few days ago while I was at work, the 'Rents updated our family's emergency kit, and got some more items together in case we needed to evacuate or shelter-in-place. They needed some items from Lowes and while they were there, they bought a roll of plastic and a couple of new rolls of duct tape for out kit. No, we've not become survivalists or doomsday people; we're just planning and preparing.

Take a few minutes this week to go back over the previous nine Saturday TWIT posts and make sure you have the items you need for your kit.

Week 10

Waterproof plastic container for important papers
Battery-powered radio
Extra batteries for the radio
Wrenches to turn off utilities

Flashback Friday

I ran into an old friend tonight and when they greeted me, they said "Hey, gal." As soon as I heard it, I thought of an old friend of the family, Jimmy J.  Everytime he saw me, he would greet me the same way with a hearty, smiling "Hey, gal."  He died 6 or 7 years ago, but we still miss him and his smiling face.  I don't think I ever saw him when he wasn't smiling. 

It's interesting how things and people come full circle in our lives.  Jimmy J lived about 5 minutes away from us, and way back in the day, Mom and Dad would give him a ride to work every now and then.  It wasn't until I was in my early teens that I got to meet Jimmy J - his twin daughters went to our church and we played softball together.  It wasn't until then when we put two and two together and realized that we all knew each other. 

It's just cool how someone will say something to us that will trigger a personal flashback. 

Beiber Fever Has Hit The 'Ville

Amid pre-election drama and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and a train derailment with cars leaking hazardous chemicals into the air about 8 miles from The Compound, we've got something pretty big going in The 'Ville right now -- young girls (and their mothers who will be taking them to the concert who will not admit that they, too, are excited) have come down with Beiber Fever.  Yes, Justin Beiber will be at the big Yum! Center tomorrow night.

When the conditions are right, here at The Compound we can hear outdoor concerts that are held over at the Horseshoe Casino.  I'm pretty sure we'll be able to hear all of the screaming girls at tomorrow night's concert.