Link and App Of The Week

My name is Puddin and I'm an Amazon-holic. Yep, I'm addicted to Amazon.com.  During this Thanksgiving break, I've bought two CD's, a stainless steel butter dish, a Christmas present for Mom (can't mention it here in case she reads this), and a set of Bluetooth wireless ear buds.  I got a great deal on all of these items, not just due to my savvy shopping, but in part to Savings.com.   Just enter the URL to the Amazon web page for the item you're interested in buying, or enter a few key words about the item, and Savings.com will let you know if Amazon has the lowest price.  You can access this through the website, http://www.savings.com or you can download the app if you want to shop on your phone.  

Happy savings!

Small Business Saturday

If you have any money or room left on your credit cards after doing your Black Friday shopping yesterday, please go out and visit a small business today.  In case you didn't know, today is Small Business Saturday.  As a small business owner, I'm thrilled that people want to support small businesses enough to make the last Saturday in November Small Business Saturday.

Even if there's nothing you need to buy from a small, locally owned store today, you still have to eat.  Instead of visiting a chain restaurant, visit a local restaurant or local pizza joint and show your support.  

Way To Go, Frost Brothers

Police: Home invasion turns deadly for suspect when homeowner shoots him

ORANGE COUNTY, IN (WAVE) - A home invasion suspect ended up dead in rural Orange County after encountering the homeowners.

According to Indiana State Police, Jacob Grimes, 23, of Paoli entered a home in the 7900 block of South County Road 700 East in Hardinsburg around 1 a.m. on Nov. 25. The homeowners, brothers Barry Frost, 59, and Terah Frost, 61, heard the break-in and moved their mother, 86-year-old Yvonne Frost, into a bedroom to protect her

The brothers went downstairs to try to locate the intruder but couldn't find anyone, so they began looking for tools to repair damage done to the door.

As Barry Frost opened a cellar door, he encountered Grimes who punched him and engaged him in a physical altercation, police said. Terah Frost entered the room and observed Grimes, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a bandana over his face and in possession of a knife, fighting with his brother. Terah shot Grimes with a handgun.

Grimes was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was performed later in the day in Bedford. Charges are not expected to be filed against Terah Frost. 

Well done, Frost brothers.  Well done. Grimes was a thug and if he hadn't broken into their house, he wouldn't have gotten shot and killed.  If more people were like the Frost brothers, and if the media reported these types of news stories, maybe home invasions might happen a little less.

Happy Thanksgiving

TWIT would like to wish you, faithful readers, a very happy Thanksgiving. 

I have a challenge for you.  Please take time and call, text, or email five people and tell them why you are thankful for them.  You will be glad you did.  

I am thankful for you, faithful readers, because you take time out of each day to check in and see what I'm thinking.  For that, I truly believe I have the best faithful readers in the world.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Public Service Announcement

To the radio station traffic reporters and to the people doing commercial voice-overs:

The name of the by-pass interstate that goes around most of the city is I-265; aka the Gene Snyder Freeway.  Please note that it is called the Gene SNYDER.  Not the Gene SCHNEIDER.  

Thanks for listening!

Your listener,
Puddin

Quote Of The Month

Spoken by Colonel Sherman Potter on an episode of "M*A*S*H" that I was watching as I was getting ready for work this morning.  And I quote:

"You don't have to love it here; just tolerate it." 

Well said, Col. Potter.  Well said. 

Dear AT&T

Dear AT&T:

I appreciate the fact that you all are trying a very hard sell on your U-Verse, but please give me a break.  For the past few months, every time that I've received information in the mail about U-Verse, I've taken the papers and put them in the postage-paid envelope and sent them back to you.  And every time you've called my house, I've told you repeatedly that I am not interested in getting U-Verse.  But some how, you aren't getting the message.  

When I got my new iPhone last month, you tried a dozen times to get me to switch over my internet and home phone to U-Verse, all to no avail.  You tried, but did not succeed.  And even once when I had to call your customer service department, before I could even tell them my problem, they were already trying to get me to switch to U-Verse.  

And tonight while we were eating supper and were in the middle of a very serious family conversation, one of your people was banging on my door, begging me to switch to U-Verse.

So now, the tables are turned and I am begging you to please leave me alone.  If I wanted U-Verse, don't you think I would have gotten it by now?????

I'm in the Do Not Call registry, and as of tonight, the next call I get from AT&T is going to be reported, as will any solicitor that comes to our door.   

Ugg Boots!!!!

On the way home from Diva Stacy's tonight, I had to make the obligatory stop at the grocery store.  This time, it was for bread.  It was pouring rain.  As my favorite uncle Roy would have said, it was like pouring piss out of a boot.  Whatever that means.  But I digress. It was pouring rain.  I had on my trusty Coleman rain coat and some rubber shoes so I was fine and dry.  But most of the women that I saw going to and from the grocery store were wearing Ugg-type boots, and wading through an inch of water in the parking lot.  I ask a question of you, faithful readers:  are Ugg-type boots totally waterproof, or do they just keep you warm in cold weather?

I will confess that I know nothing about Ugg-type boots.  All I know is I saw a lot of women walking through a lot of water in the grocery store parking lot tonight, and I couldn't help but wonder if their feet were as dry as mine. 

Snowvember Was Short-Lived

Snowvember is just a memory now.  Yesterday morning when I got up at 5:00, it was 19 degrees.  Today, it was up to 64 degrees.  Just another crazy-ass weather week here in the Ohio Valley. 

Flashback Friday

As I've mentioned before, Friday is my early day at work.  I go in two hours earlier at 6:00 but that means I get to go home at 2:30 if there are no dramas going on in the department.  I've been lucky, and for the past two Fridays, I've been able to leave at 2:30. 

Today when I got home, there was a cup of coffee and warm cookies just out of the oven waiting for me. 

This isn't a flashback for today; it will be a flashback in the future. 

Reflections

Yesterday morning started out great - I put on a new pair of pants and looked very cute for work.  But things took an unexpected bad turn when I went out and discovered that I left an interior light on in the old Blazer and the battery was dead as a door nail.  Now, let me say for the record, I do not know precisely about door nails.  That having been said, the battery was dead.  I fooled with it for a while in the 14 degree temps in the garage, and after our battery starter wouldn't work, I came into the house and called AAA.  In about 30 minutes time, the Rescue Ranger was here and started the Blazer with a very cool portable battery starter. 

When I got to work and hour and a half late, I was all out of sorts.  Not because I missed time, but because it just wasn't my normaly morning routine.  But things started to pick up.  My old friend, coworker and former sales rep Chris was at the office and he brought me a case, yes a case, of awesome Choc-Cola!! Then to make things better, my old family friend Robbie took me to lunch, and in the afternoon, another coworker Wendy Jo gave me some very kind words that I needed to hear.  So a crappy day turned into an awesome day. 

Thank you, Mom

I'd like to publicly thank my sweet Mother for making one of my most favorite things tonight for supper -- banana croquettes.  I'm sure most of you are clueless, but they are simply banana pieces with mayo spread on them, rolled in crushed peanuts.  They rock.  Most southerners know what I'm talking about.  Thanks, Mom for making them tonight.  They, and you, rock. 

Snowvember Continues

This morning as I was getting ready for work, at 6:00 a.m. it was 16 degrees here at The Compound.  Yep, that's way too cold for November.  Even too cold for Snowvember. 

Never fear - the forecast is for temps in the low 60's by Saturday.

Snowvember

When I awoke this morning, we had approximately 2 inches of snow here at The Compound.  Thank the Lord that all of it was on the grass and none of it was on the long driveway or on the roads.  But it was snow nonetheless.  And of course, they cancelled school here in Jefferson County and surrounding counties here and in southern Indiana. 

And here I got out out my snow boots for nothing.  I don't think I stepped in any snow this morning on the way to work nor this evening when I ran errands on the way home from work. 

BOTS

In case you don't know, BOTS means "bring on the snow."  And that's what the weatherazzi is doing tonight.  We're getting ready for what is forecasted to be our first accumulating snow of Winter 2014.  The weatherazzi has upped their forecast and are now calling for 3-4 inches here in Louisville. While the actual temps are cold enough for snow, I'm thinking that if we get anything, it will just be on the grassy areas and not stick on the roads.  But I could be wrong.  The snow is expected to start at midnight.  I just checked Doppler radar at the NOAA site, and the snow front is just now moving through Evansville.  

I'm ready for whatever tomorrow morning brings.  I stopped on the way home from Diva Stacy's and bought a box of the Pine Mountain fire logs so the 'Rents can have a fire tomorrow if they're snowed in.  We have plenty of milk, bread, beer, soft drinks, and just about any other food we could want.  I've got my snow boots out and sitting by the register in the family room so they will be good and warm if I need to wear them tomorrow.  I already took my work bag out to the car, so all I have to lug out in the morning is my purse, lunch bag and my beloved green coffee glass. All I can say now is BOTS.

Something You Don't See Every Day

You have to admit that a monkey dressed like a cowboy riding a dog is something that you don't see every day. 

Fall Cleaning At The Compound

A couple of weeks ago, the 'Rents started a big Fall Cleaning here at The Compound.  This translates into more work for me.  I'm resting up tonight because I know they have a long list of Things To Do for me tomorrow.  

As always, I'll keep you posted. 

We All Agree, It's Cold

Last night on the 6:00 and 11:00 local news, the leading stories was about the (and I quote) "severe cold" that we are having right now.  It made me want to pull an Elvis and shoot the TV.   Let's use some common sense right now - yes, it's cold.  We all agree on that.  And it's not normally this cold at the first week or two of  November.  But it's cold right now.  Deal with it.  Get your winter coats out and wear them.  

I know the weatherazzi likes to glamorize all of this, but give me a break. It's cold - we all agree.  Quit making a big deal out of it and let people just dress warmly. 

I don't even want to think ahead to Saturday/Sunday, when we have a chance of snow in the forecast.  I'm just thankful that I got bread and milk last night on the way home from work.  

I Feel Like Scarlet O'Hara

For the past week, and especially the past few days, I've felt like Scarlet O'Hara in the climactic scene where she returns to Tara only to find her mother has just died, her father has gone crazy, and the Yankees have stolen the livestock and everything else of value from Tara.  In the scene that I am reliving, Scarlet has just come out of the room where her mother's body was laid out.  As soon as she walked out of that room, her father, two sisters, and the two remaining slaves are all clamoring around her asking her a bizillion questions.  Scarlet told one of the slaves to go tie up a cow that she had stolen, only to be told by the slave "We's house workers, Miss Scarelet."  Yep, that's what I feel like. 

Happy Veterans Day

TWIT would like to wish a very happy Veterans Day to my favorite veteran, my dad.  He served in the Navy during the Korean War - one of the wars/conflicts that often goes unrecognized.  But TWIT is sure as hell especially recognizing the Korean War veterans today.

Thanks to all veterans for your service.  You rock. 

Look Out, January

According to new data just released by NOAA, it looks like the coldest day of winter for us here in the Ohio Valley will be during January 21-25.  I'm going to write this down and keep track.  I will be posting during that time period to see if in deed it is the coldest day we've had this winter.

As always, stay tuned. 
 

Another Reaffirmation

Today is a day that the 'Rents and I look forward to each fall, almost as much as others look forward to Thanksgiving.  It has been a family tradition for about 25 years now to get dinner from a local Catholic church's fall festival.  Their fried chicken dinner is out of this world.  You get a half of a chicken, mashed potatoes, noodles, saurkraut, peas and carrots, and apple sauce.  Now you know why we look forward to it every year. 

Today, I had to drive to church by myself for an early meeting, and while I was on the way home from church heading to the Catholic church to pick up dinner, I passed by a plasma donation joint.  The parking lot was packed, and there were even a few people standing at the door waiting to get int.  It was a very humbling experience.  The money that I spent on dinner for the 'Rents and I was probably the same amount that those people would be getting for selling their plasma.  There's not much else I can say about that, except to repeat that I am thankful for my job. 

You Do The Math

I had to go in to the office for a few hours this morning to work on year-end inventory, and at breakfast, the 'Rents and I went over my shopping list for a few (key word) items we needed from the store on my way home.  Well, needless to say a "few" quickly multiplied and $42 later, I was walking out of the grocery store.  

It's no wonder that parents these days are having trouble helping their kids with their math homework, because something is really wrong with these equations. 

Flashback Friday

Yours truly, circa summer 1965 or 1966, in the middle of my two favorite cousins. 

Reaffirmation Thursday

I got my haircut after work today, and while I was waiting for my hair appointment, I was in my car.  I was parked in the small strip mall where my hair salon is, and tonight I had to park in front of the cash advance/check cashing joint.  The check cashing joint was packed, with about a dozen people standing in line. 

Flash forward to a few hours later.  I was on my way home from a funeral home visit, and stopped at Little Caesar's for a cheap $5 Hot and Ready pizza.  Once again, I was parked in front of yet another check cashing/payday advance joint.  And once again, this place was also packed. 

It was a humbling experience.  I was thankful that I was in a situation where I didn't have to resort to those tactics.  But we all do what we have to do to get the bills paid.  I'm just thankful I haven't had to go that route.   

Post Election Blues

The election is over, and now we have only one thing to ask -- that the candidates have their people and supporters take down all of the bizillion yard signs.  

Happy Election Day

I hope that everyone got out today and voted, faithful readers.  Regardless of your political afilliation, I hope you voted.  That having been said, something has really stood out during this election season.  Our local, local races in the 'Ville and county have produced a lot of commercials with jingles.  The first time I heard a commercial on the radio a couple of months ago for a woman running for the county school board, the first thing that popped into my mind was how it sounded just like a commercial that would have been on "Saturday Night Live" as one of their satire commercials.  And the local commercial jingles just kept on coming.  

Maybe next election I will come out of musical retirement and write and produce the jingles for the candidates. 

Election Eve

How cool is it that the 'Rents asked me if I would print out the sample ballot for tomorrow's election so they could study it and get through the polls quickly tomorrow?  I was only happy to oblige.  I put the pages back on my scanner and enlarged them so they could see it without a magnifying glass.

Take a lesson from my 'Rents - get out and vote tomorrow.  

Heaven Help the Grandmas and Grandpas

I just returned from my usual Sunday evening trip to Krogers for yogurt and other essentials.  It was a most interesting trip to the store tonight.  Let me preface by saying the kids are out of school tomorrow and Tuesday, and most of the people I encountered in the store tonight were Grandmas or Grandpas who were having the grandkids spend the night with them.  It wasn't a pretty sight.  At least twice I heard "I'm gonna whip your ass and then you ain't spending the night."  Nuff said. 

Ohio Valley Weather

On Monday, we broke a record with a high of 85 degrees.  Last night, there were snow showers and sleet in the area, and it got down to the low 30's last night.  Kids had to wear their winter coats over their Halloween costumes as they went trick-or-treating.  It's amazing that we had the air conditioner and the furnace on just days apart.  Only here in the Ohio Valley.