Tuesday, October 31, 2006

 

bold dreams of class mobility

10 mistakes that made flipping a flop
...Now? Serin has $140,000 in credit card and credit-line debt and five houses in foreclosure. Last month, he started iamfacingforeclosure.com, a blog that's drawn both notes of condolence and expletive-laced condemnation...
It hurts, just to read the article. To be so deeply in debt and at such a tender age - ouch. Hopefully, it's something he'll remember, in the years to come, of what not to do...again.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

 

Channel Surfing.

Isn't it annoying when you're watching a show and someone decides to change the channel "to see what's on the other channel." Just because she doesn't like the show doesn't mean I wasn't watching it!

 

Lunesta

My co-worker was telling me about the fantastic night's sleep he'd achieved by taking Lunesta. So, while talking to my doc, I asked him about it. He said he could get me a 7-night sample. He wrote out the prescription and said to let him know if it helped.

Last appointment, he asked if it had. I told him I had gotten it filled, but hadn't had a long enough sleep period to try it. I told him I'd try it this weekend.

Well, last night, I tried it. Can't say as I'm much enthused with the product. This morning, I'm tired... and not really clear headed. Back when I tried Ambien, I was quite impressed with the results... at first - I actually felt I had a good sleep. Perhaps, I should have cut the Lunesta pill in half and tried it that way. Maybe, next time.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

 

Good idea!

I could use some more sleep, too. I went to the doctor, recently, and showed him my ankle (the one that swells) and he had some tests run. After ruling out several things, and measuring my calves (they are the same size) he agreed that it could be the weight gain I've been complaining about.

...BUT he still didn't prescribe diet pills - I want the good ones that would give me energy and kill the appetite. Instead, he looks at the thyroid bloodwork results and we find that I could use an increase of the daily dosage, just a touch. "We'll try that and see if we can get your metabolism moving, again. With the diet pills, you have to help, too, you know."

I know what he means.... Stop stuffing the food into my face and I could probably drop a good amount...and exercise. Hell, I know it. It's hard to stop eating, especially when I use food to stay awake. I realize I'm not getting enough sleep because of overwork at the second job (we have some new hires, yay yay ray) but, it's very well possible that the main reason I'm so tired is because of the thyroid problem. (When I was in my late teens, I was the unlucky recipient of that dreaded disease, mononucleosis. The tiredness I felt at that time was quite similar to the tiredness I feel, a lot of the time, now).

I'm hoping this increased dosage will help...Actually, I know it will. OH, boy!!

Friday, October 27, 2006

 

Friday cat blogging - Cotton and Rocky Girl

"Meooooow... So, naps have been taken, couch has been shredded, plants uprooted, water dish spilled. What else is there to do?"

"What about the towels? Have we dropped them out of the cabinet, yet? Oh, and we haven't kicked enough litter out of the box. Purrrr."

As always, check out the wonderful animal pictures linked for Friday Ark at The Modulator.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

 

And... again.

I guess Blogger was having troubles, earlier. At least I can post a photo, now:)

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

 

More Fall Colors



I stumbled across this fantastic page: How to Sing the Blues, and decided to try my hand at it. My attempt might not be the greatest, but why not follow some of the guidelines and post one, in the comments, or on your blog, too?

By "Big Mama" Oldwhitelady

Woke up this morning
with a hairball next to my head

I woke up this morning
with a hairball next to my head
I gotta clean up that thing
before I toast the bread

So I got the basin
full of lysol
trying to keep from pukin'
and running down that hall

that hairball kept on growing
bigger and bigger it grew
I ran like hellhounds a chasing
outside, I locked the door - I'm through.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

 

Cloaking.

Remember the old Star Trek episode, Balance of Terror?
I was thinking Romulans: Scientists create first cloaking device not Harry Potter: One Step Closer to an Invisibility Cloak. It could have some great uses... and some not so great!

Saturday, October 21, 2006

 

What a cutie...

Click this link: What a cutie! to see a really cute baby.

Hey! Now, who would have submitted Grey Feather's picture to
Cute Little Kittens?

(It's not really her, but they sure look alike!)

 

fostering equality

Court: Groups must offer contraceptives
New York's highest court ruled Thursday that social service agencies run by the Roman Catholic Church and other faiths must provide birth-control coverage to their employees, even if they consider contraception a sin...
...The 6-0 decision by the Court of Appeals hinged on whether Catholic Charities and the nine other groups are essentially social service agencies, not churches....
...The organizations "believe contraception to be sinful," the Court of Appeals said. "We must weigh against (their) interests in adhering to the tenets of their faith the state's substantial interest in fostering equality between the sexes, and in providing women with better health care."...
...The New York court said the fact that the organizations hire employees outside their faith was a critical factor and that they deserve the rights sought under the law....
Good! I think the court made a wise decision!

 

Outrageous!

What type of sicko person puts peanuts and candy corn in an Easter rabbit candy dispenser, in October? The same type that says, "hey, Oldwhitelady, look at this!"




What type of sicko person takes photos of the Easter rabbit candy dispenser and posts them on her blog?

Now that I have your attention, did anyone see this:
Most of U.S. spending monitors sacked?
Most private contractors keeping tabs on billions of dollars in governmental spending for the U.S. House Appropriations Committee have been let go.

With about 60 investigators gone, the shakeup leaves only 16 full-time employees in the unit, USA Today reported...
And this administration wants to watch us...and listen to our phone conversations?!?!?!?

Hattip: Whatreallyhappened.com

Friday, October 20, 2006

 

Friday cat blogging - the two youngest.

I might have mentioned that Rocky Girl and Sgt Mango like to hang out together. Now, it looks like Rocky Girl and Grey Feather have found a reason to hang out together. Here, they are watching me (I'm outside) from the inside the screen door.And here... they know better... They are on the cabinet that holds the microwave. Get down, you little brats!

As always, check out the wonderful animal pictures linked for Friday Ark at The Modulator.

I decided to get a jump on the Friday Cat Blogging, by posting it today.
Also, you might stop by The Practical Press as you never know what might be posted:) Fixer from Alternate Brain recently joined the group, over there.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

 

Write out your full name...

...Born Johannes Christiaan Martinus Augustinus Maria Duess, the son of a garage-owner from Nijmegen, he entered the oil world during the 1973 energy crisis...
Tycoon held in carousel fraud investigation
Okay, I was reading the article, when I came to the line quoted. I was struck by how many names the man has. Can you imagine trying to learn to write all six of them, in grade school?

 

I always suspected...

Raw obtains CENTCOM email to bloggers
...CENTCOM announced earlier this year that a team of employees would be "[engaging] bloggers who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information."

The email was not addressed to RAW STORY....

..."Now [online readers] have the opportunity to read positive stories. At least the public can go there and see the whole story," he insisted. "The public wants to hear these good stories."...


Link originally found at WHATREALLYHAPPENED.COM with this note added:
In other words, they are spending YOUR tax dollars to hire people to argue with you.

 

More fall colors

Since it's been raining for the last couple days, on and off, here's a picture from last week.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

 

Vaya Con Dios, Freddy Fender.

Singer Freddy Fender dies.
I'm know I have one of his albums. I enjoyed his songs.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

 

What the HELL?

Frankenstein THE TRUE STORY 1973.

Somewhere, a little after the beginning, Dr. Victor Frankenstein is learning and experimenting with his mentor, Dr. Henry Clerval. Dr. Frankenstein's fiancee arrives and he's trying to explain their medical advances.

DR. F: "I can't explain."

Fiancee: "Can't you at least try? In simple language, of course, suitable to my sex."

 

surprise winners

Banker changed a nation by lending a hand
...And yesterday, Bangladeshi economist Muhammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded in 1983 on the notion of microcredit were honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize...
...The bank gives small loans to the poor — overwhelmingly women — who would not qualify with a conventional bank due to lack of collateral. "Grameen" means "rural" or "village" in the Bengali language....
...More than 94 per cent of the borrowers are women and more than 98 per cent of the loans are paid back, the bank says...
...But the bank's interest rates of 20 per cent — significantly higher than the 10 per cent to 15 per cent charged by commercial banks — have drawn criticism. Yet, poverty has decreased in the country since the bank's founding...
I heard this story on NPR, yesterday. It was quite heartwarming. Sure, there is high interest on the loan, but it sounds like these small businesses are making a go of it with a loan they wouldn't have been able to get elsewhere.
It reminds me of the PAYDAY loans. They charge an arm and a leg, but if you can manage to pay them back on payday... It's a loan many cannot get from a regular bank, but when money is needed, now, they can be a definite help.

Friday, October 13, 2006

 

Friday Cat Blogging-Rocky Girl

You never know what those crazy kitties will do when they manage to get outside. Here, Rocky Girl is rolling around on the ground, taking a "dirt bath"

And here, Rocky Girl is inside, where she belongs. Notice how the dirt clings to her fur, creating the tortoise-shell look?

As always, check out the wonderful animal pictures linked for Friday Ark at The Modulator.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

 

One glorious tree


Wednesday, October 11, 2006

 

How's it going in Iraq?

Atrios had a post, Iraq'd, linking to the article, by Jane Arraf, Calling Bob in Baghdad.
...I don't know of a single family here that hasn't had a relative, neighbor or friend die violently. In places where there's been all-out fighting going on, I've interviewed parents who buried their dead child in the yard because it was too dangerous to go to the morgue...
Bob, apparently, had left some message about how the media doesn't mention the good things that happen in Iraq. Apparently, all some people can think of are the schools that are/have been rebuilt and painted. I guess I'm not really all that surprised at the several comments blaming the Iraqies for the condition of their country. As someone in the comment section pointed out, most of the rebuilding is just repairing what "Shock and Awe" ruined.
I did like the comment from Dave, Indiana (Sent Oct 10, 2006 3:21:33 PM) "Simple" 3 Step Solution To Saving The Human Race.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

 

Our polluted planet

The photo is one I took this weekend. The leaves are turning brown and dropping off, too quickly.

I hadn't heard of "Dead Zones" in the oceans, but after reading this article, I am saddened for what we've managed to do to our wonderful planet. How do we fix this?
Marine Scientists Report Massive "Dead Zones"
...In many developing countries, between 80 percent and nearly 90 percent of sewage entering the coastal zones is estimated to be raw and untreated. These wastes contain bacteria and viruses that can contaminate marine species such as shellfish that are consumed by people, Nuttall said....

...Plastic is an even more visible environmental concern, killing more than a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals and sea turtles each year, according to previous U.N. reports.

Plastic bags, bottle tops and polystyrene foam coffee cups are often found in the stomachs of dead sea lions, dolphins, sea turtles and birds. Seagulls in the North Sea had an average of 30 pieces of plastic in their stomachs, according to a Dutch study in 2004...

Monday, October 09, 2006

 

Happy Columbus Day.


Second Monday in October
...Columbus Day is a holiday celebrated in many countries in the Americas, commemorating the date of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492...

Update: Columbus Day, the bastard!!!
Hattip to Karlo, at Swerve Left, for completely demolishing my illusions. Now, I must go cry - not for the loss of illusions, but for the Indians Columbus (and his party) enslaved, raped, tortured, and murdered.

 

Wish I'd seen this story yesterday

Ariz. Pair Resigns Pot Church Leadership
...Since the church was founded, at least 20 members have been prosecuted on possession and conspiracy charges, and some have served time in prison, said Mike Senger, a church member who lives in Florence and provides legal assistance to group members.

"Usually, we never win," Senger said. "But we may perhaps win in Mary and Dan's case because it is federal court, and there is quite a bit at stake. They are getting some reasonable due process in that court...
I don't see marijuana being as harmful as a lot of other drugs... even prescription drugs. Many years ago, I tried pot - for about five years. It was a different world back then. It was a crazy hazy lazy time when drug testing was virtually unknown (except by the police - and it took at least a week for results to come back). There weren't such things as "designer" drugs. Ecstacy, Meth, and crack hadn't been thought up, yet. At the time, we thought it would only be a matter of years before pot would be legalized. Since it hasn't, I'm betting that the police probably watch those church members and figure they can get a good bust, anytime they need one.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

 

Religious story from...

Landover Baptist Church...Wiccans Found Dead in Church Garbage Dumpster. I'm not too sure about those Baptists! The way I read the story, someone killed off the Wiccans. I don't think they did it, themselves. Of course, I may be wrong. If the Landover Baptist Police Officer says the victims got in a fight with each other, who am I to argue?

Saturday, October 07, 2006

 

Jobs - yours, mine, hours.

12 Jobs That Will Never Disappear
Number three on the list: Mortician. When I think of that job, I always end up thinking about a moment from Psychology class. Our professor was always tripping on the cord from the video player/overhead machine that sat beside his desk. One of my classmates, "Q", told me, "Don't tell anyone, but I plan to become a Funeral Director." Usually, the prof was in the room as the students trickled in. One day, he wasn't. "Q" came in, looked around, saw prof not there, walked up to the desk as though she was prof, intentionally tripping over the cord. She hammed it up, royally! It was hilarious. Good times... Perhaps, she should have taken up acting.

So, my part-time job is becoming too much like a full time job. They hired two - in our area - a couple months ago, and still had a couple openings. One quit about two weeks ago. We've been adding to our schedules to help out, until they can hire someone else. The other newbie just turned in her two week notice. She found a better part-time position - better hours, almost same type of work, and around the same pay. Even though she's only been there a couple months, she had proven to be a very good employee - what we would've called a "keeper"! Damn! We were just getting ready to train her for weekends. Does anyone have any energy boosting suggestions?

Friday, October 06, 2006

 

Friday cat blogging

Here's Izzy!

As always, check out the wonderful animal pictures linked for Friday Ark at The Modulator.

and here's the cat picture:) I'm not saying who it is.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

 

Not through, yet, but...

I'm happy with what has been painted, so far. I think I picked up the paintbrush, a couple months ago, and applied some paint to a canvas that has a promising start, but it's still sitting, undone. Before that, it was last August or September that the paintbrush was used on canvas. I decided I needed to get painting. So... I copied a picture I had cut out of a lotion bottle.

 

Gotta remember....

...while walking or hiking around in these rocks. You never know what type of snake might be lurking.
Tourniquet: Bad Advice for a Snake Bite

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

 

Basket cats

They're happy, peaceful, and content. They don't realize the world's gone mad. Obviously, they don't listen to the news!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

 

Get up! It's time for church...



Catholic Dictionary. Here are my favorites:

AMEN
The only part of a prayer that everyone knows.

HYMN
A song of praise usually sung in a key two octaves higher than that of the congregation's range.

RECESSIONAL HYMN
The last song at Mass often sung a little more quietly, since most of the people have already left.

PEW
A medieval torture device still found in Catholic churches.

USHERS
The only people in the parish who don't know the seating capacity of a pew.

 

Links to interesting articles.

SC Republican Councilman Calls for the Sterilization of Parents with Bad Kids What the hell?

Supernaturals & Altered States
Researcher and author Graham Hancock presented his thesis that "supernatural" entities such as aliens and fairies are actually transdimensional beings that humans encounter during altered states of consciousness. The ability to shape-shift has been ascribed to both modern aliens as well as elves and other entities reported centuries ago, he detailed...
...As part of his experiential research, he traveled to South America and took the psychedelic plant mixture ayahuasca. During one such episode, he described a confrontation with an alien being, but rather than being an extraterrestrial, he suggested it inhabits another dimension that can only be accessed during an altered state.
I was listening to this show - Coast to Coast with George Noorey - on the radio, and found it to be extremely thought provoking.

Depleted Uranium – Far Worse Than 9/11 One of the thoughts that go through my mind, when I think about DU is that it's not only the people affected, but flora and fauna, too.

US Fast Food Chains Sued Over Carcinogenic Chicken They say it's the grilled chicken, but I'm wondering if the chicken nuggets (which I enjoy) might be made from that same chicken.

A Broken, De-Humanized Military in Iraq
...The longer the occupation of Iraq continues, more death and destruction are two things all of us can count on. Along with a broken, bleeding military that is being stretched even further each day, and the anxious families of those serving, whose nerves and hearts are also being stretched further each day.
What Chavez Really Said - A Hell Of A Speech
...We want ideas to save our planet, to save the planet from the imperialist threat. And hopefully in this very century, in not too long a time, we will see this, we will see this new era, and for our children and our grandchildren a world of peace based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations, but a renewed United Nations...
I won't say "Republican pedophile ring" but feel free to think it... Mark Foley, the Florida Republican ex-Congressman, was chairman of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus!

hattip to Rense.com, Whatreallyhappened.com, and Coast to Coast.

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