losing weight...gaining weight...

We all know that I have been losing and gaining weight...basically my whole life. I have done I don't know how many things to lose weight. I have ordered all those quick fixes off the internet. I actually ordered this thing once that you were supposed to breathe into it before you eat and it changes the smell of your food and therefore takes your cravings away. I actually bought this thing thinking that would be the answer and would make me thin...finally. lol

I have bought workout tapes...and oodles of them. Now, I don't really regret that. Of course, at the time...I bought them and didn't use them. They sat there and collected dust as my butt grew bigger. I use them now though. I use one series of those tapes all the time. So, even though they didn't work then, I am glad I bought them so I can use them now.

I also bought the supplements and the pills. I have bought the stimulants based ones. I have bought the Anna Nicole Smith one...eek! I have bought hydroxycut type medications, etc.

I have also bought those meal supplements too. I have tried Nurtisystem for a while...and ate their foods for a couple months. I have drank tons of those SlimFast shakes.

So...basically I have tried everything and I will be honest with ya. You know what I think works, *drum rolls* Diet and exercise. Eating less...moving more. I think supplements can help, but they aren't a magic fix. I have gained weight when I forgot the rules and lost weight when I paid attention again. And lately I have gotten back on the weight loss/healthy bandwagon....and lost 5 lbs so far.

I have been thinking a lot about health and weight loss lately...and all the different things I have tried. It's almost funny if it wasn't somewhat depressing.

If you've ever lost weight out there...and who hasn't....in what ways have you tried?? How successful was it?

new tv lineup

So, tv premiere week has come and gone. I'll admit it, I enjoy a good tv show. I always look forward to seeing my favorite shows return and what new shows might be on the horizon. I was really looking forward to new episodes of Grey's, The Office, Ugly Betty, Bones, etc.

And there were a few new shows that I was excited to see too. I wanted to check out the Grey's spin-off 'Private Practice.' I am not sure I will like it because I didn't really like Addison's character on Grey's...but I am going to give it a shot. Plus, it has a stellar cast. I always wonder when they are making a new show...how do they test it? Do they do market research? Do they do test screenings like they do for the movies? I mean, they have to have some indication of how it might do before it hits the air waves. Hmm..always been curious as to the process of a new show actually hitting the air. Of course, I imagine it is easier with a show like Private Practice because it has the Grey's popularity to build of off, but they isn't always enough...just ask Friends Joey! lol

I also am interested in the new show Big Shots. It's a Sex in the City, but with men on ABC. It's on the Tivo...and I haven't watched it yet, but it looks interesting. Plus, it has a yummy cast. It has Dylan McDermott and Michael Vartan in it. hummina, hummina, hummina. I hope I like it...cause it looks good.

Any other new shows that people are watching this fall season?

catching up...

This week has just flown by...it doesn't feel like it is Friday already. Oooh...and I have been a good and healthy girl all week long. I haven't eaten out at all. I haven't been tempted to order lunch with co-workers, etc. All in all..it's been a good week.

I don't have much planned for this weekend...just doing some laundry and lazing around the apartment. My dad and I might make a trip to Devil-Mart...and maybe purchase my bday gift...which is going to be a new elliptical machine. whoo hoo! I have missed the thing...since it broke down and broke my working out heart! *winks*


I hope everyone had a great week and has a fabulous weekend in store of them!

What's the most # of points MJ got in a single game???

I am a sports fan...not nearly the sports fan that I used to be, but still...I love a great game. When I was in high school and college, I live and breathed by NBA basketball season. I can remember not going to events at a conference I was going to because the NBA finals were on. Oh...and if you came in and watched with me, I would not accept you rooting for the other team or breathing for the matter. lol

And, I consider myself an average Boston Red Sox fan. I am not completely crazy, but I am enough of a fan to hate the Yankees! And what I love just as much as sports, if not more is trivia. I am a complete trivia nut. I love learning little facts or tidbits of knowledge. So, do you love sports trivia? Are you a sports junkie? Do you know how many years Boston went without a title? Do you know how many titles Andre Agassi won? Hey...if I keep reading this useless, but entertaining sports info...I might be able to rock one of those trivia nights!

P.S. The answer to the question in the title is 69 points and it was against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1990...just in case you were curious!

Kiefer Sutherland gets ANOTHER DWI

I was reading some different sites on the internet...and came across the news that Kiefer Sutherland was arrested this morning for suspicion of drinking and driving. This would be the second, if not third DWI that Kiefer has gotten.

We all know that I adore Kiefer...he is one of my favorite actors ever. I just think the world of him, etc. However, I have also thought for at least a few years that his alcohol use is out of control. Maybe this last instance will make him realize he needs to get some help. He seemed to be the definition of a functioning alcoholic for a long time...drinking to excess, but still getting the things he needs to get done in life, etc.

I wonder how this might effect 24's schedule...I guess it all depends on what the outcome of the court case. I know that he got sentences to community service for his last DWI in 2004.

*shrugs*

finances and homes

Hmm, with the reduction in interest rates, I wonder how it is going to effect the housing market. Maybe loans won't be so hard to come by, etc. I feel so conflicted about loans these days. I think they should be available for people because owning a home is so important, but I also think that banks should not put people in houses with loans that they cannot afford. That is why there are so many people going into foreclosure, etc. I have been reading the paper around here and there are always foreclosure and tax auctions. Who knows, I might get a house someday out of one of those poor people's situations.

Of course, maybe I should start looking for a house in Florida. There is a site where people can find a Miami flat fee mls, I could probably find a cheap house there. The site also helps people save their houses. I would hate the idea of buying a house and then losing it. It would be so devastating. If I could, I would love to live in Florida. Actually, there are things I wouldn't like about it..you know, the constant heat and the sun. I am basically an albino so the sun and I don't get along.

Let me tell you, if I ever get a house...I am going to make sure I am never going to lose it.

money is gonna be tight for a smidge...

Yeah, that's right...I looked at my checkbook this morning when I got into work. Life is gonna be tight money-wise for a while. I only have like 5 bucks in my checking account until I get paid...so let's just say that it would be a bad idea to invite me to lunch anytime soon!

Plus, even when I get paid...all that money is going places, so the flood gates won't open once I get paid or anything.

I spent money on some things lately...none that I regret, but well...it makes things tight. First, I donated $$$$ to the Diabetes Walk a few weeks ago. I wish I could have donated more, but still...it's money that usually would have sat in my account, etc.

And then there is the Kevin Smith trip. It actually costed me less than I thought it would, but still...it's hurting my pocketbook. I thought I was going to have to pay for tolls on the way there...and I didn't. I thought I was going to have to pay for parking at the garage...and I didn't. I brought my own food to eat in the car, so good planning there. Still though...it was an expense. I paid for both of the tickets up front and the credit card bill is due anytime...so I gotta pay that off. Plus, the gas cost me $35 for the trip...and I need to refill my tank pretty soon again.

So...all in all...money is tight. I am going to make it last though. The only thing that sucks is that because I don't have money to spend, it might make my birthday seem that much smaller. I can't really afford anything else right now.

And...let's just hope my car makes it without needing a fill until I get paid...and well, I am not sure it will.

If only money grew on trees!

Dude, I so got a Dell!!!

I posted a while ago about getting my new laptop...which is flippin' sweet man. I bought it from Dell. They have some great deals on laptops and desktops and LCD monitors, etc. I have consistently been impressed with their computers...what they offer and the price. I ended up with an Inspiron 1501 laptop. And you know what the coolest thing was for me, they would install Windows XP on it instead of Vista. I haven't heard good things about Vista, so I wanted an OP that I knew...and loved.

So, if you are looking for a new computer, check Dell out. I promise you won't be sorry!

good time had by all...

I had a good good time at the Kevin Smith Q&A...the drive there and especially back was a little long, but well worth it. The show started at 7pm, but the doors opened at 6pm. We left at about 1:30pm...I had to stop by work and buy gas, but after that...we were on our way. It took just about 4 hours to get there and got in, found the parking garage and headed to the hall just in time for them to open the doors.

Our seats were really good...we were on the left side of the stage and right up front. We were basically at eye level with the stage and when Kev came out, we were only about 20 feet away from him. I am usually super unlucky when it comes to seat location, so I was pretty happy to say the least.

The show started just a couple minutes late...and Kevin said that since he kept us waiting he would entertain us with one of his friends...and then walks out, Jay Mewes. I was so excited...since I adore Mewes as well.

Kevin started talking, answering questions...and the show was hilarious. I got to hear some stuff I have never heard before. He also told his version of the Aristocrats joke after initially saying he didn't want to...and I think that was the highlight of my evening. My roommate tried to catch the joke on her cell phone, but we aren't sure it is actually audible. We'll see. He also told some stories about making movies, casting decisions (some interesting comments about Jeremy London from Mallrats), and their personal lives.

Of course...it was all full of swearing and sex stories...who would expect anything else. And we also got to hear a little bit of the drama between Jay...his new girlfriend...and Kevin's wife.

Oooh...and Jay did the most adorable thing. He could never find the fold in the curtain to get back stage, so he would just sit there and rustle with it over and over again...hoping to find it. At one point, he just got on the floor and rolled under it. I think he couldn't find it honestly the first or second time, but after that...he did it for the laughs. They also talked a good deal about Jay's drug history and how it effected his life...the movies. It was definitely an interesting conversation.

I know you are wondering...No, I didn't ask a question. There were tons of people in line and in all honesty, hearing other people getting their questions answered was probably more entertaining than asking my own. I don't know the last time I laughed that hard....seriously.

He went on for about 5 hours...started at 7pm...we left very close to midnight. He would have kept going to, but the venue cut him off. It was definitely worth it....even if it meant the drive home getting us in at 4:30am. My roomie drove since I drove there, but I didn't fall asleep...so I was a tired kid when I got home.

If you ever get the chance to go to a K-Smith Q&A...you should. It was definitely worth it.

I'm going to see K-Smith tomorrow!

Did I mention I am going to Ithaca tomorrow??? Yes, I am. I am heading to Cornell to see Kevin Smith AKA Silent Bob doing a Q&A. I am so excited. I have been looking forward to this since the moment I ordered the tickets. I have watched both of Kevin's DVD Q&As and they are just too funny. I love his movies, but what I love even more is his ability to tell a story. He has a knack for it. You ask him a question...and he tells you the best 20 minute story that ends up answering it. It just makes me happy. I could come home and be cranky...and if I pop those DVDs in, I would instantly be happy.

Here's an example..of Kevin telling the story of protesting his own movie, Dogma.



Ok...back to the boring description of my life. So, I am preparing for my trip to see Kevin tomorrow. I went out to take out the garbage and clean out my car. I need to get some stuff out of the backseat and clean some crap out of the trunk. While I am working away, this big ass truck with the biggest truck rack ever drives by. I swear this truck was bigger than my whole apartment. It was just crazy. Hey, instead of buying a house, I should just buy a huge, huge truck. lol So, I came back inside and kept getting ready. I did some dishes...thought about doing some laundry or maybe put my laundry away, but I am too lazy. And then, I plop down in front of the tv and watch some utter crap. whoo hoo...exciting night for me, eh?


P.S. DOn't forget...tomorrow...roomie and I are going to see Smitty!! I am so excited.

the smell of fresh popcorn

I was just out running errands...going to the video store, grocery store...even the hardware store. I was starving when I was at the hardware store and the fact that they had a big huge popcorn machines at the entrance. I have seen them at video stores and movie theatres, but I have never seen one at a hardware store. Oh my lord...the smell of fresh, buttery popcorn was driving me nuts....in a good way. If I wouldn't weigh 2000 lbs, I would have one of those at the apartment and be eating fresh, hot popcorn 24/7.

maybe I should just move to Florida!

One of my friends just got home from a vacation in Florida...and hearing her tell about it made me jealous. Not of Florida, but because if I was in FL, I would be able to visit my brother, his wife and my adorable little nephew. My dad and I are going to go down around Christmas time since my nephew's bday is just a couple days before jesus'. lol I also would love to spend a week down there with some friends of mine. We have talked about it, but actually planning something...harder said than done. Part of me wants wants to stay in one of those Orlando vacation rental resorts, but the other part wants to stay at a cheap dive and spend all my money on fun things, not a room to stay. Who knows? No matter what...I am excited just thinking about the trips ahead of me to Florida.

Britney drama...

Oh..since I was mentioning the OJ Simpson drama...what about the Britney Spears custody drama. The courts say that Britney needs to attend a parenting class, she will be randomly drug tested twice a week, she has to meet with a parenting aide for 8 hours a week, she cannot use drugs and alcohol during her visits with her children and that she cannot use any substance 12 hours prior to getting her children. Now, I do wish that they mandated her into addiction treatment instead of just saying she needs to be tested. Obviously, she has problems and drugs and alcohol is pretty much a part of it.

Who would have ever thought that K-Fed would be the shining example of parenting in that relationship? Sheesh.

So, the news has been all over the new OJ Simpson case...where he allegedly went into an LA hotel room and attempted to steal back some stuff that people stole from him. So, he got caught and has been in jail for a few days. He went to court yesterday and bail was set for $125,000. The bail was paid and he went back to Florida.

How many times is OJ supposed to get away with doing stuff? At some point, he will be in a jail cell for good.

The thing that broke my heart more than anything was seeing his daughter in court behind him. Can you imagine...your mother being murdered and more than likely, your father did it. I can't imagine what her life is like. I feel really sorry for her.

OJ is an idiot...but then again, he's not in jail, so maybe he is a genius.

what are you investing in?

I am constantly blogging about money on this site. I have made such attempts to learn everything I can about money management, savings, and investments. I have gotten books from the library, read stuff from the internet, etc. I don't want to make all those financial mistakes that I often see friends making.

One area I still really need to learn more about is investing and retirement. I know that money needs to be put away, but I don't know all the rules and the tips, etc. I also know that if you don't know what you are doing, it is much more likely for you to lose your shirt. Should I invest in real estate? Should I invest in technology? Should I invest in medicine? Should my portfolio be aggressive, conservative? At this point, I know what I hear other people saying, but I don't really know what the right answer is.

So, I have been reading more and more about investing. I got a book from the library and read about women and investing. I also read over MyWallSt.net. Heck, it's nice to have a place where people talk about stocks and what the options are...and that these people aren't making a commission based upon which choice I make. That makes it easier for me to trust the information I am getting.

I am slowly, but surely getting more investment savvy...so hopefully I won't be a homeless shlub when I retire. Wish me luck, so that I can retire and sit a top a mountain of money.

beauty queen katy update

Hey everyone...I posted my little story about Katy Johnson and what a hypocrite she is this weekend. It's a story that I like to share with as many people as possible...so, if you didn't read it, click away. I'll wait.

Anyways...a little update. I mentioned in the story that Katy sued some guy who posted a post about her being a hypocrite and her behavior when they dated...and that she won and he had to take her name and the words Miss Vermont off her site.

Well, I clicked on this guy's link...and it comes to find out that he hired lawyers and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court and won. See, Katy didn't say he lied...she just said he should not be able to use her name like that.

Now, I will say...I have read this guy's website. He's a douchebag. He's slime. Every feminist bone in my body just loathes this guy and how he treats women. He should be ashamed of himself instead of making a living of treating women like garbage. But well, if it takes a guy like this to get the word out about how Katy lives her life...while she judges others on a national platform for doing the same thing...then, GOOD! It's the hypocrisy that gets me about Katy...and other like her. She says don't drink or have sex...while doing both. Ted Haggard says how horrible it is to be gay...while he is paying a gay prostitute to satisfy him. Strom Thurmond lives a life full of racist hate speech and then is found to have fathered a child with a black woman. Senator Larry Craig puts anti-gay legislation into office...while he is found trying to engage in gay sex in a public bathroom, etc.

He's a shmuck...but because of him, every time someone googles the name Katy Johnson, they get the real story behind that sweet and innocent beauty queen face.

Alright, I am done giggling over a story that is well...years old.

P.S. The pic on his site...with him and some girl with "your face here" over her face. That's a pic with him...and Katy. *giggles*

scholarships for school

You know, it wasn't a million years ago that I was in college, but sometimes it feels like it. One thing that I know is different now in terms of college is how financial aid and scholarships worked. I mean, we still have to fill out the FAFSA, but other than that, it's a whole new ball of wax.

I can remember searching for scholarships and grants for college when I was in high school. You went to the guidance office and got this packet full of local scholarships. You also went through the gigantic book which was published in 1983 of all of national scholarships out there. With the internet, scholarships are a completely different game. When I was college aged, you had to get one from the school you were going to, the one you were graduating from or be lucky and get one from the community. I can tell you...other than the money the school I was going to gave me, I wasn't very lucky..and all in all, I was a pretty bright kid.

CollegeNET has an interesting concept when it comes to giving away scholarships for school. It's called scholarship election and it works by having people sign up at their website and then they need to compete to win the scholarship. They have discussion forms on their site and if you like what the person has to say, you vote for them. In the end, the people with the top 4 votes get scholarships for school. They aren't huge scholarships, but they are decent. The top 4 win $5000, $3750, $2500 and $1250 respectively. It's not going to give you a free ride, but it'll definitely help to pay room and board.

So...check out their site. If you're college aged, sign up and try to win. And if you are not college aged, sign up for a voter account and help some kids pay for college.

sometimes it pays to be a bitch...

So, as I wrote a while back...I got very angry with Blockbuster recently. Here is the Cliff Notes if you don't want to click on the link and read my angry rant. Basically, Blockbuster raised their prices by 50% and said it was to better serve their customers. Now, I don't know how having people pay more for the same level of service is serving them better, but well...that's why I would never belong in a huge corporation. I know it is about the almightly buck...and be hidden in providing better customer service, etc.

But anyways...I digress. So, my last billing date at the old rate was on 8/20/07. I paid my monthly fee and thought to myself that I would use the service for the last month and decide if I was going to stay with the service or go elsewhere. There are some benefits to Blockbuster, so I was weighing my options.

Well, since my last billing date was 8/20...I should have service until 9/19, right? And Blockbuster sent an email saying that if you did not sign up for a new service plan, they would be terminating your plan at the end of the service month. At first I thought...good...I am glad they are not just signing people up for the more expensive plans without their permission. I'll decide what I am going to do when it gets closer to 9/19. I might stay. I might go.

So...last week when I am on vacation, I return 2 online movies to the Blockbuster store on Tuesday and get 2 new movies. I saw on my account that they had been received and my new movies should ship anytime.

Tuesday came and went. No movies shipped. No biggie...sometimes it takes a day.

Wednesday came and went. No movies. I started to get cranky. It usually never takes this long for the website to say it is sending you new titles.

So, I sent in an email customer service ticket. I explained that I returned movies and none had been sent to me. I got an email back on Thursday saying that my account had been terminated because I did not pick a new service plan, etc...and that I must have missed the email, etc.

Huh? My account was terminated....suspended...whatever word they used??? It was cancelled before my month that I paid for was up. So, to say that I was livid was an understatement. I emailed again and said that I paid on 8/20 and therefore, how can they cancel my account before I get the month I paid for?? I got another email back telling me that since I didn't pick a new plan, I was cancelled.

So, I decided to call them. The only problem is...finding the phone number is almost impossible. David Blane's next trick should be finding the phone number on Blockbuster's website. So, to find the number...I had to send in another email ticket asking for it. I got it...4 hours later....and then I called. I spoke to a nice young man, who sounded so much like a girl...I thought I was in an episode of Pat on SNL. I explained the situation and told him that if I did not receive the month I paid for, I was going to contest the charge on my credit card. I told him I had emails printed out showing the last billing date and when I was told my account was terminated, etc.

He said he was sorry and that he was going to put the 2 weeks I was owed back on my account. My next billing date would be Sept 27th....so that I would get the 4 weeks I paid for. Okay, I was actually happen...well, as happy as Blockbuster came make me lately. This all happened on Thursday. The guy(?) said that my next 2 movies would ship out on Thursday or by the latest Friday.

So, Thursday came and went. No movies shipped. No biggie...the guy(?) said it might take til Friday.

So, Friday came and almost went. It was 2 pm...and I knew from Blockbuster's website that they have 4 hours to answer an email, so I needed to email now. So, I emailed...gave the person the history and asked why movies aren't being shipped yet again.

I got an email back that was semi-nice and semi-snark. They said that 2 movies were now being sent to me...and they suddenly appeared in my queue. And then the person said that I got 2 free weeks on my account, so I was compensated enough and I shouldn't be complaining.

This is when I lost my shit. I got two free weeks? No the hell I didn't...I got the 2 weeks I paid for. My billing date was moved forward ONE week to compensate me for the week I missed when my account was cancelled.

So, I emailed this person back and said that I did not get 2 free weeks, I got what I paid for. I told them that if they were offering 2 free weeks, please feel free to move my account billing date to indicate that.

I got an email back saying I already got 2 free weeks, booyah!

I got all snarky again...and emailed back. Saying that I appreciated the person making right what Blockbuster did wrong (the person on the phone, not the email person). But, I wanted to make clear that I did not and have not received anything free. I got what I paid for, nothing more.

Then, I informed them that giving this level of service and that the price hike was supposed to increase the level of service, I would be leaving the company after the 2 weeks and returning to Netflix, a company that never cancelled my service and then called giving me what I paid for a free gift.

See...that's my pet peeve. I do appreciate the phone rep making it right, I really do. I was impressed with how quickly he took care of it. But, I hate it when you don't get what you paid for and then people say they will give you something for free. It isn't free, I paid for it. If I order a pizza and you mess it up...don't tell me you will send me out a free pizza. It isn't free...I already paid for that pizza, you just didn't give it to me.

So, anyways...after my last email...telling them that I had enough and after my billing period, I was taking my ball and going home, well...going to Netflix. I got an email saying that I was being given an extension on my free trial.

So...my billing date is now October 20, 2007. I am actually now getting an actual free month of service from them. I am now actually getting something for free. And you know, I never wanted something for free. I wanted them to make it right. But once they kept telling me I was getting something for free and I wasn't, I got pissed.

It's sad...that being a bitch and being aggressive is what worked. It's too bad that being calm and nice just doesn't cut it. They say no...and move on. I had to come back at them and get a little nasty. And two, threatening to leave the company is what did it. And trust me, it's not a threat, it's a promise...I will use my account until the end of the free period...and then return to Netflix.

So...if you need something from customer service...ask for a supervisor...get mean...and threaten to leave your company. I should have threatened to walk on email #2.

There ya go...my "I Hate Blockbuster" story of the day. Given how things are going, I will probably have a new one for tomorrow.

The Emmys are amongst us!

It's 8pm...so yes, the Emmys are on. Some people hate awards shows. Some people love awards shows. I am one of the people that loves them...even when I hate them. I can't help watching it...wondering who will win and what they will say.

I love the shows...the jokes...the drama. I would love them long time if only...

The didn't have all the musical performances. If I am not watching a music awards show, I don't wanna see Madonna performing a number, especially when it has nothing to do with the awards show at all.

And...the special awards...for no reason. The show is going an HOUR long, but we still take time out to honor Roman Polanski. Who of course can't show up....because he's still on the run for raping a 13 young girl in the 70s. Stop having these special awards thing...just get to the actual awards we care about people.

But the awards go on...and yes, I care who wins.

P.S. As I was writing this Jeremy Piven just won for Entourage. That rocks my socks off! He's adorable...and funny...and not just the guy in all of John Cusack's movies ANYMORE!

UPDATE(8:37 PM): Katherine Heigl just won for Grey's...which is awesome since I love her character. First, she corrected the announcer label for pronouncing her name wrong when she was announcing an award earlier. And then...she wins. As she wins, she says this, "My mother told me I didn't have a chance in hell of winning tonight, so I have nothing prepared." People laugh. Then, it shows her mom out in the crowd and Katherine then says, "No, she is very supportive. I mean, she loves me." Too funny.

ridiculous!

I went shopping this weekend...just to pick up some random things. I went to Devil-Mart, Target, etc. In each store, I was blown away by the amount of holiday related crap that were in the front of the store.

Halloween costumes and rows and rows of candy. Okay, I accept this...even though Halloween is OVER a month away. And then, I turn the corner and I see rows of Christmas stuff. Yes, that is right...Christmas decorations and candy and Santa covered crap. It's just ridiculous. It's September people...next, I fully expect a whole row dedicated to graduation announcements, but then again...only if they can sell costumes and candy to go along with it.

I am amazed at how every single holiday is turned into how much you can buy...and what crap people can sell you. *grumbles*

Remember, once upon a time...when Christmas was all about loving that Baby Jesus!

tee hee hee

One day last week....Thursday maybe...my roommate were emailing back and forth while I was at home and she was at work. We kept sending each other funny youtube videos.

I came across this one...and it made me giggle. And of course, I had to share. I love the Mac vs. PC ads on TV...and this is even funnier than those.

Enjoy!

if only politics were this easy....

I was watching Good Morning America last week before heading to work...as per usual. They were interviewing Fred Thompson because he has just decided to actually declare that he is running for President. Well, it's about time...not because I will vote for him, but because I am sick of him declaring that sometime in the near future he will declare that he is running for President. *rolls eyes*

Now, what would I like to see as the result of the 2008 Presidential election?

Does this give you a clue?



Go Hillary...and if not Hillary, Go Obama!


Isn't that cool. It's a morphed pic. I made it using Morpheus Photo-Morpher. It's a program where you put two pictures into the software and if it is edited correctly, it makes one image change to the other. WORD OF WARNING: If you download the software, there are 2 other software applications that attempt to download with it. One is a toolbar and I don't remember what the other one is. In the download process...it gives you an option to not download those programs, so if you don't want them...make sure to click no.

Morphed pics reminds me of the Michael Jackson video "Black or White." Just forget that MJ and Macaulay Culkin were in that video and that Mac was a little boy for a bit, mkay? I loved watching the people morph into one another in that video. I would watch it over and over again...seeing if I could see new and different things every time.

beauty queen katy

So, I was watching that TV show MADE on MTV. I think the show is both sad and awesome. I think it is interesting how someone wants to be made into something completely different, but once they find out it might actually be hard...the whine and complain and basically threaten to quit. Really? Doing something different should be easy as pie, eh?

Anyways...I digress. My roommate and I were watching a marathon of MADE on MTV. The last episode we watched...was this girl in Vermont who was the definition of tomboy. And of course, she wanted to be made into a beauty queen so that the boys would notice how hot she was and want to date her. The fact that they didn't address the complete lack of self esteem of this girl was heart breaking, but none the less.

On this girl's journey to be a beauty queen...her MADE coach was none other than the former Miss Vermont, Katy Johnson. Did I mention I went to college with Katy Johnson?? Here is a pic of Katy...in all her beauty pageant glory:



She's a pretty girl...without a doubt. I will say it brought me such joy that in the MADE episode, it kept showing close ups of Katy...and good god, her skin is horrible. She's still pretty...in a Monet kind of way. She's pretty til you get up close and see how bumpy and splotchy her skin is. Eww. Did I mention that I loathe Katy with a passion? I am sure you are asking yourself why....and well, I'll tell you a story. Get some popcorn...and have a seat.

Okay, so Katy transferred to my college during my senior year. Why? Because she was in Florida and competed in Miss Florida...and lost, horribly. Katy wasn't ready to give up on her Miss America dreams...so she decided to move to a new state. Vermont wasn't a bad choice...because if you look at the girls who usually win from Vermont...well, they are much less plasticy and sometimes might have hay stuck in their teeth. So, Katy had a pretty good chance of winning the whole shebang.

So...she transferred in for the spring semester. She moved from Florida to Vermont in the middle of winter...and I remember the day she showed up...and didn't bring a coat. Anyways...not why I loathe her.

I had a class with Katy. It was a small class...only 5 people in the class and 3 of them were named Katy. So, myself and the other classmates...gave nicknames to all the other Katys. One was mousy Katy...cause, well...she's mousy. One was just Katy...cause well, she's cool and there is no other. And then there was Beauty Queen Katy...cause well..duh. She was always perfect...well done up...especially since it was a film class and the instructor often worked on films during the summer session, so Katy wanted to look her best. One time...one of the other Katys and I had lunch with our professor and he called Katy "Beauty Queen Katy." The fact that our nickname made it to the prof...well, it just made me giggle. Anyways...not why I loathe Beauty Queen Katy.

So...Katy competed in Miss Vermont and won...not a shock. It was kind of a given. And that summer she stayed on campus to prepare for Miss America. I was staying on campus as well...and was the RA for the dorm that Katy and I were living in. She was staying in my suite. We didn't talk much.

Okay...this is why I loathe Katy. Everyone needs to have a platform when they are in pageants. It's either "World Peace" or "End AIDS now" or "Childhood Literacy", etc. So, what was Katy's platform??? It was a abstinence platform...mainly not drinking or having sex. Now..I don't have a problem with that platform if Katy wasn't a huge walking hypocrite. How, you say? Well...Katy and I shared a bathroom, a wall and a hallway. So...let me just say that she didn't live by her platform. There were beer bongs in the bathroom...and I could hear her drunken stumbling around the hallway when she came home from the frats. And...she also brought a frat boy home from time to time...and I have ears.

So...if you are going to have a platform of not doing something...well then maybe you shouldn't do those things. You make a platform that judges other young girls for doing the same things that YOU ARE DOING.

*grumbles* And oh yeah...Katy didn't make it past the first cut in the Miss America pageant....two years in a row. Boo hoo for Katy. See that was Katy's real pageant flaw in moving to Vermont. Of course she could win Vermont...cause she would be up against real girls, but well...we all know that that a Miss Vermont is never going to win Miss America or even place for gosh darn sakes.

So there is my..."I know Miss Vermont and she is a whore" story. It amuses me and I attempt to share it with as many people as possible. If you claim to be the virgin mary, but in reality...are a drunken whore...that's a story I am going to tell.

EDIT: When I was doing a google search to find a pic of Beauty Queen Katy...I found this website. Yes, some guy told some story about Katy being a drunk and a whore...and she sued him and won. But well...it's been indexed on google, so if you wanna read the story...click away.

Now the icing on the cake...would be if Beauty Queen Katy sued me. I dare ya! Hey, at least this entry amused me...if not anyone else.

And no...I don't loathe Katy just because she's a beauty queen and I am sporting some extra pounds. *glares*

What would be your idea of a perfect vacation?

Since I have vacation on the brain...I wonder what my lovely readers would consider their perfect vacation.

Would it be going to Disney World? Would it be backpacking through Europe? Would it be going to Branson Missouri and hangikng out in Nascar nation? Would it hanging out in LA and hoping to see some stars?

For me...if I could have any vacation, I would spend it in Europe. I would get a Europass and travel all along the different countries. One day in Spain, the next in France...then jetting over to Ireland for a few. I would love to spend some there, but the only problem...I would want to spend way more than a week...a month, maybe more.

So, the question is...what is your idea of a perfect vacation??? Curious minds want to know.

vacation is almost over!

How did it get to be Friday already? I have enjoyed my vacation of slack....but it has gone way too quick. I haven't done a heck of a lot...I cleaned my room, re-arranged it, hung out, went to Maine, etc. It's been nice to be home and on my own schedule...I could get used to this.

Over the weekend...I am going to finish the work on my bedroom, do some shopping and just spend the rest of the time relaxing.

And Monday...back to work I go...*pouts*

pimptastic!

You know, I have seen a lot of really nice blogs and a lot of really crappy blogs. I happen to think my blog is middle of the roads. I think I have done well in terms of adding things on sidebars, etc...however I still hate that my blog is one of the standard blogger templates. I just don't know enough yet about blog design to change it and I haven't been motivated to pay someone to make it look nice and pretty.

I did get a myspace page last year. I mainly got it to catch up with friends and what not. I didn't know anything about myspace when I first signed up, but I am slowly learning. I got a template and everything, but I haven't added songs or videos or anything like that. I want to figure out how to do it well before I get started. I have seen too many people make overloaded crappy myspace pages...chuck full of videos and junk that take a million years to load, etc.

One site I am going to check out is pagefetti.com. It's a website which has layouts, backgrounds, music generators, etc for a bunch of different blog types. It obviously looks like it works with myspace, but the site also says it works with different types of blogs, including blogger.

So, while I am too poor or unwilling to pay someone to "pimp my blog"...I might take a look at their site and see if I can change things up on the cheap. If you're like me and you want a pretty blog, but really have no idea about design...check em out!

Fall TV Lineup

It's almost fall tv time again...and yes, that excites me. So, are there any TV shows you are excited to see? new shows? old shows returning?

We got the Entertainment Weekly this week, so I while I was flipping through, I made a mental note of shows I wanted to watch, etc. Here is a run down of the falls shows I am planning on watching:

Sunday:

Simpsons- Fox: I've been a fan for a long time. The Simpsons is always enjoyable...and I can't wait to see the movie when it comes out on DVD.

Monday:

Dancing with the Stars- ABC: I love this show...for the people who can dance and for the train wrecks who can't. My fav this season without seeing a moment of it, Jennie Garth from the old 90210 days.

Chuck- NBC: This show is new and up against Dancing with the Stars. So, I am either going to have to make a choice or watch one on the tivo and watch one in my room. It's about this geeky guy who ends up getting all this secret spy info downloaded in his brain....kind of like a computer virus. Now...he has to help them solve their cases with the info in his head. Seems entertaining. I hope it lasts.
Samantha Who- ABC: This show stars Christina Applegate...who I love. She plays a shallow, bitchy liar...who gets hit by a car and gets amnesia. So, basically...she wakes up not remembering how much of a bitch she is. It reminds me of 13 Going on 30...where Jennifer Garner didn't know what an ass she turned into when she grew up, etc. Seems interesting...and I think I will definitely check it out.

Tuesday:

Bones- Fox: Bones is moving to a new day and time..yippee! I can finally see it now. I have been catching up on DVD for the last 2 seasons...and that is just unacceptable. I love this show. I love the science/geek aspect of it. I think the snark aspect of it. I love looking at David Boreanaz for an hour. But please...can Bones and Booth just get together already. Please!
Dancing with the Stars- ABC: If I am going to watch them dance...of course I am going to watch and see who gets to stay and who has to pack their bags and go home.

But...once January comes, I will be watching 24. WWJBD? (What would Jack Bauer do?)

Wednesday:

Kid Nation- CBS: This show...not so sure about it, but the hype is definitely there. I mean, it's an interest concept...kids making their own little society. It's very Lord of the Flies. But, watching it could also make me more of a reality tv whore than I already am...but still, I am intrigued. I already read that some kid..thinking it was kool-aid or something...drank bleach. tee, hee, hee...

Private Practice-ABC: This is the spin off from Grey's Anatomy. Addison goes to LA and joins a private practice...hence the name. Well, I want to watch it because it is connected to Grey's...which is a fab show. And, it has a stellar cast...Tim Daly(Wings & The Nine *pouts*)...Taye Diggs (Rent)....Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy). But, I will admit...I am already fully prepared to hate this show. I don't see it haven't the snark of Grey's...and without that, I am not sure. I'll watch though...cross my fingers and hope for the best.

And...when January comes, I will be watching Lost!

Thursday:

Alright...Thursday kills me. There is a lot I want to watch on Thursday. It's like the rest of the week has a lot of crap, but Thursday is the night all the networks are fighting for. Geez!

Ugly Betty- ABC: Ah, I love Ugly Betty. It's smart, it's sassy...I am currently catching up on the first season on DVD right now. I used to tape it and watch it later...since it was up against The Office and Earl...and I imagine I will be taping it again. It's too good though...one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time.

My Name Is Earl- NBC: I love this show. I have loved Jason Lee for years and years, so how could I not love this show. It makes me chuckle. Plus, Earl won my heart when there was a final clip showing Earl and Randy dancing along to Mr. Roboto. Ooh...I watched that clip over and over again. And now with Earl in jail...I can't wait to see what they are going to do with that.

30 Rock- NBC: I never watched this show last year...but I heard great things...and I love Tina Fey. I didn't watch it because it was up against Grey's...but now they are moving it to 8:30pm, so I might check it out.

The Office- NBC: They moved The Office to 9pm...which breaks my heart a little. It's now up against Grey's Anatomy. *pouts* I love The Office...it is well made and has some really intelligent jokes. I have been surprised I liked it since I usually hate american made versions of british tv shows. I love Dwight...and I really wanna see what happens with Jim and Pam on their date. So, I will probably be taping it and watching it later. I *heart* The Office.

Grey's Anatomy- ABC: I love Grey's...I didn't start watching it until S3, but I caught up on DVD. It's a great show.....seriously! *giggles* I was surprised that I liked it so much. And...let's not forget McDreamy. I loved him in 'Can't Buy Me Love' and still love him now. I gotta wonder what next season will bring...since in the season finale...everyone was unhappy. Will McDreamy and Meredith still be together? Will he continue to flirt with her sister? Will George and Lizzie stop freaking me out with their relationship? What will happen to Christina now that Burke isn't coming back because of his evil homophobness?? So many questions...can't wait to see what's going to happen. Seriously!

Big Shots- ABC: This is a new show. It is described as Sex and the City, but with men. It's a show about Big Shot businessmen...and their sex lives, relationships, etc. It has some dreamy men in it too...mainly Dylan McDermott(The Practice) and Michael Vartan (Alias). It definitely looks interesting...and worth checking out.

Friday:

Don't care about Friday. Why couldn't you put some of that Thursday goodness on Friday?

Saturday:

Don't care about Saturday either. Pfttt!

So, whatcha looking forward to now that fall tv is upon us?

adding traffic to your site!

I have been blogging since 2001 or 2002...I can remember when I started and didn't know what I was doing, at all. I learned some tricks of the trade while I was trucking along. I gained some blog friends...some daily readers, etc. I added myself to some search engines, blog directories, listserves, etc. I slowly got my blog out there is the world wide web. In the last year, especially since I have been doing paid posts...I have been working hard on getting my blog listed on different site and in different directories. Alive is a blog directory where you can submit your blog under whatever category fits best, etc. There are a million free directories out there and I am not sure what benefit there is to a paid directory, but information sharing is key these days, eh?

project time!

My big main project while I have been home on vacation was to take everything out of my room and re-arrange it. I haven't liked that my bed is smack right in the middle of the room...so it makes it seem even smaller than it already is. But...I haven't had the motivation or energy to actually do it. So, I was leaving it for my vacation...and since it is already Wednesday of this said vacation, I got working on it today.

After my roomie left for work...I started pulling stuff out of the bedroom. I have been doing loads and loads of laundry...and then I started pulling some furniture and the bed out, etc. I always forget just how much stuff...and by stuff, I mean crap...I have until I have to move it all somewhere.

I got everything out....and piled in the kitchen and living room...and then I had to call it quits for a bit. It was time to go grocery shopping with daddy. And then I came home and started again...putting the furniture where I wanted it to be, moving the bed back, etc. Putting the things in storage under the bed. I have most of the things back in, but it isn't settled...I am going to use the next few days for that.

It's weird....I like the new setup, but I will admit...it doesn't exactly feel like my room right now. I have to decide where I am going to put the TV...if I am going to keep 2 little tables or ditch them, etc. Decisions, decisions....but when I decide and everything gets put away...I might take a pic or two and share them.

Phew...this is exhausting.

since i seem to be in a gossip mood...

My roommate gets Entertainment Weekly in the mail. I never would order it myself, but since she gets it...I do enjoy reading it. It's got all that TV and movie news and gossip, but unlike the other magazines, it has a high level of snark to it. Anyways...the newest magazine has an overview of the fall lineup, so I took a gander. I am excited to see a lot of shows return, but also looking to pick up a few new shows this fall as well.

Since I seem to be gossiping all over the place lately...about Britney...about Tommy Lee and Kid Rock and all their craziness...the new show Gossip Girl on The CW caught my eye. It's made by the creators of the O.C. and even though I don't want to admit it, I watched the O.C. from time to time. I know...I know...I'm almost 30...I know.



Anyways, Gossip Girl is about all these incredibly hip prep school kids in NYC...and they get all their news and info about their school from this "gossip girl" website. It sounds like Perez Hilton, but of course the gossip girl is probably thinner, hotter and better dressed. I guess no one knows who the gossip girl is...but she is the one outing the best gossip and info in the school to the shagrin of the people she is writing about.

You know, I thought I outgrew the teen based shows or maybe I just don't want to admit that I watch them. lol Gossip Girl premiers on the CW at September 19th at 9pm. I might watch it, I probably just won't admit to it! *winks*

VMA wreckage...

I think we all know by now that Britney Spears was well...the Queen of Suckage at the VMAs last night. She wasn't in the best shape to be wearing just a bra and panties on national television...now if one more person calls her fat though, I am going to punch them in the face. If Britney is fat...well then, what the hell am I? Anyway...back to Britney's breakdown...she danced like...well, she danced like you do when you are at an aerobic class for the first time. She seemed confused and would take one step in one direction only to stop, stare and step in the other direction. Yeah...it was a train wreck. My roomie said...and I agree, Justified Timberlake had to be in the back going, "Phew...dodged the bullet on that craziness!"

But, I am not writing this to highlight the Britney drama... because I find the Tommy Lee/Kid Rock drama to be even funnier...and maybe less pathetic. I guess Tommy was talking some smack to Kid Rock...and then Kid got up and socked him in the face. Wanna see a video of it? Of course you do...click here and just giggle away.

Now, I gotta wonder what Tommy said to finally get Kid out of his chair and throwing punches. Hmmm....maybe something having to do with size actually mattering, etc. tee, hee, hee....

Now this could only happen at the VMAs....could you imagine this happening at the Oscars? Emmys? Let's see...Nicole Kidman starts jabbering at Katie Holmes...making jabs at The Creek and what not...until Katie has enough and turns around and smacks her. Hmm, I don't think so. Or...maybe at the Emmys...Jennifer Garner makes some comment to J-Lo...and then J-Lo scratches her eyes out. Not likely...no wait a minute.,..I would believe that cause J-Lo is hella gangsta.

*snickers*

already planning my next vacation!

As I am starting on my vacation....of doing nothing...and loving it. I started to think about my next vacation which will be going to Florida over Christmas time to visit with my brother and his family, especially my nephew. His birthday is 2 days before Xmas...so we get to celebrate his 3rd birthday, Xmas and I think New Years. That's a lot of celebrating for one vacation, dontcha think. I know December is a while away, but I have already starting thinking and planning. Kissimmee vacations are awesome because there is so much you can do...you can go to Disney, you can go to Sea World...you can just get some fun in the sun and stick your tongue out at all your friends shivering up north. I gotta start saving though...so we can make the most out of the trip. I am so excited.

*yawns*

I had a lot going on this weekend...so here is an update, cause I know you are waiting with baited breath.

Friday: I got out of work...and was so excited that I am officially on vacation. I immediately went and got my haircut. If y'all are lucky...I might post a pic, but probably not. And if I do, I'll probably post it on myspace...so if you aren't my myspace friend....well, sucks to be you!

Saturday: I had such a hard time getting to sleep on Friday night. I have had a hard time sleeping lately and I am not sure why. Anyways...it sucked even more than usual because my alarm was set for 5am...in order to head to Maine with my dad for the day. I prepared him when I got into the car that I might be Ms. Cranky Pants, etc. (Luckily I kept the cranky at bay). SO, we got into Maine at about 10:30 or so. We walked around the boardwalk and bought some of the best salt water taffy. If you have never had Goldenrod Kisses...you are missing out man. Seriously!!! Then, we went over to the local cemetery where my grandparents are buried and meet up with my 2 uncles. It was hot as balls that day....I mean, I was dripping. My uncles got there...we all chit chatted and what not, took some pics and then headed out of the hot evil sun and got some lunch. We went to this cool restaurant that is shaped like a boat, so you feel like you are eating inside a boat. I got an awesome veggie burger...which was homemade, not frozen, etc. It was yummilicious. We had a nice conversation at lunch...until my uncle showed that he is still living in a bitterbarn since my grandma passed away. But, we all moved on...so, it went back to being nice. After lunch, we drove over to the house that my dad grew up in. My other uncle (Non bitterbarn one)...knew the next door neighbor, so we got to walk through their yard to behind my dad's old house. It is such a beautiful home...and it is right on the water. When my grandma sold it...back in 1979...she sold it for $79,000...and it might go back on the market soon and it is rumored it could sell for over 4 million dollars. That's insane...completely insane people. And..after that, my dad and I drove back home and I was in bed EARLY. Long day, but very good day.

Sunday: The JDRF walk was on Sunday. It was a good day, but a hard one to get through. I got up and headed over to my dad's house at 10am...and then we headed over to the walk. To this date, I raised $416.00...so I think that is awesome. My roommate said her employer has a matching program, so it might be even more....so that's great. I am thankful to everyone who donated, it meant so much to me. And...for the next month you can still donate, so if you missed it...no fear, click away! Ooh...a special thank you to the anonymous person who donated. I wish I knew who ya were, so I could really thank you. I got to the walk...turned in my donations and then headed over to the start line. I saw a woman from my church and we walked together. My dad watched and took pics....which I might post on myspace...see there are benefits to being my friend!! LOL Of course, it rained like crazy for the first half of the walk. I had an umbrella...so it wasn't horrible. It let up about the time we were turning around and heading in the other direction. I talked with the woman from my church through the whole walk...and it was nice chit chatting with her. She's truly a remarkable woman. I finished the walk...hugged my dad...and then we left and grabbed some lunch. I spent some time at home with him and then headed back to the apartment to just sit exhausted on the couch...phew. I watched some crap tv...the roomie came home, chit chatted with her...watched more TV...and then headed to bed.

So...there ya have it. My recap of the first weekend of my vacation. So, what's on tap today??? Well...I am going to do lots of laundry and start pulling my bedroom apart. This week is all about organization...and getting everything clean and in its place. At first, I thought my roommate was on vacation this week...but she's not...so I am going to have to try to get all this stuff done without waking her up or bothering her. It's no biggie...just kind of changes the way I would do things, etc. (i.e...I planned on sleeping on the futon while I worked on my room, but obviously that won't work now, etc.) Oh well...life is about adjusting.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week....even if you aren't on vacation like me.

politics is personal

I've always been someone who likes a political debate. We constantly are talking about political issues at work...whether it be women's rights, global warming, immigration, the war, etc. I have always flocked to political issues and debates. Of course, I always like a debate with differing points of view, but without resorting to shouting and calling names. There is this one guy at work who I won't debate with because he always throws the insults around when he is making his point. So, check out the forum and if nothing else...it'll give you someone to argue with. I do wish the place didn't have so much low blows and name calling, but I guess...what can you expect with a place called Argue With Everyone.

JDRF Diabetes Walk: Sun Sept 9th! Help a great cause!

Hi everyone! I am late getting this message out, but I hope that it isn't too late to get some donations for this year's walk. I am walking in the local JDRF Walk. JDRF raises money and awareness about juvenile diabetes. I walked last year for my mom since she wouldn't have been able to walk the 5K all by herself.

My battled with diabetes for the majority of her life. I know she would still be here if she didn't have the disease. Sometimes it just doesn't seem real that she won't be there on the sidelines at the finish with me this year...and that breaks my heart, but it also confirms why walks like this NEED to happen. So, this year, I am walking for her again, but in a completely different way. Diabetes is something that affects so many lives...so many families. Please take a moment and donate anything you can...a dime, a million dollars...it doesn't matter.

Thanks...I'll be thinking of you all and your support this year when I walking around Crandall Park. And hey, if you are local...come on out and join me! The more...the better!

Here is a pic of mom and me...at last year's walk:



Much love,

whoo hoo!

Here are a list of joys for today...because it's always good to see the joy in life, eh?

1. I am now officially on vacation. I busted my ass at work today....it's amazing what you have to get done, you get it done. Probably on most Fridays, I would have left some of the stuff...to Monday and be done with it. I just kept busting it out...and I got all the loose ends tied up. Tomorrow I am going to Maine with my dad...so that will be the beginning of my vacation.

2. I got a haircut tonight. I went with my dad to our hairdresser..and got a much needed cut. I got some cut off...it's a couple inches under my shoulders and had her add some long layers, etc. It looks nice...

3. I called my roomie when I got home. I was reading online about a Q&A that Kevin Smith is doing at the end of September. So...I asked my roomie if I bought tickets, does she wanna go? And...she does. So, I plopped down my credit card. On Sept 22nd...we will be heading to Cornell to see and hear some awesome Kevin Smith stories.

All in all....a good day.

It's almost vacation time!!!

It's Thursday...the Thursday before I go on vacation. Let me tell you, I am completely in vacation mode and that kinda sucks. I have so much stuff to do. I have a bajillion things that need following up on...that need filing...that need to at least be organized before I can walk out the door. But, I just don't want to do it.

I am not doing anything special for my vacation...and I like it that way. I am spending the week at home and working on cleaning the apartment (desperately needs it...and only gets worse by the day). I am also re-arranging my room. I am going to Maine for a day with my dad. I have the diabetes walk. And, I might see about going to Vermont for a day..and see an old friend.

All in all, I am just excited to have a week just to veg out and not worry about anything. I like having a week where I don't have to deal with anyone's else crisis, etc. I like a week where I don't have to go to the jail and get anyone into drug rehab or hear someone tell me why they don't need rehab, etc.

I love my job...I really do...and right now is the perfect time for a vacation because I am feeling a smidge burned out. *yawns*

Happy Thursday everyone....T minus 2 days until vacation. Yippee!!!

P.S. I dropped by my dentist yesterday and gave them an insurance check that came in. I checked my balance and it looks like my insurance will cover more than I thought it would...so I won't be out a million bajillion dollars like I thought I would. yippee again!

rush hour morning traffic

For the past month...maybe a little longer, I have been working the 4 day weeks instead of the standard 5 day week (i.e having Monday off). Starting today, I am going back to my 5 day week...and so instead of coming in at 7am or 7:30am...I went back to coming in at 8am.

I forgot how much longer it takes to get here on time at 8am...than it does to get her at 7:30am. One, it's the 8am...I gotta get to work...traffic. There are so many more cars on the road. And two, I live right near a pretty big school and there are school buses galore all around.

Vote for Pedro!

If you ever want to run for office of any kind...from little stuff to president, you need to have a marketing campaign. You have to have people knocking on doors and saying, "Vote for Shelley...she's our man!", you have to have people calling and telling the community your issue, you have to have buttons and pins, you have to have campaign signs, etc.

I know it takes millions upon millions to run for President, but I didn't realize how much was also needed in local politics. Last year, one of our local judges was running for re-election and the campaign signs became crucial to the race. I can remember one person saying that she was going to vote for whoever she saw the most signs for...because that would be her informal poll about which candidate was supported more in the community. Oh...and more than a few people throughout the election got arrested for destroying posters. It was like guerrilla warfare...with campaign posters.

Wanna know what the first campaign poster I made was? It was in 7th grade...and it said:

VOTE 4 SHELLEY. IT MAKES CENTS!

The Biggest Loser makes me cranky....

I watched the reunion show of the Biggest Loser last night. Let me tell you...I was not impressed. They brought back some of the past seasons participants and then weighed them in to see if they KEPT THE WEIGHT OFF. I decided to watch...and see how people faired. I had read on the internet about a few people...if not more who gained a good deal of weight back. I wanted to see the continued success stories and the ones who continued to struggle.

Well, the show only had the people come on and weigh in...who kept the weight off. I felt like I was not being told the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

It's another reason why I don't like Biggest Loser. It's just not real. The way people lose weight...not realistic and not real.

*grumbles* Damn you Biggest Loser!

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Starcostumes.com is having a Halloween costume contest where they would want to know your favorite or most unique costume that you would wear to a celebrity event. You take a pic, draw the idea or send in a video of your most outrageous costume to their site. Check out more about their contest over at Star Costume's blog. It got me thinking...what was my favorite costume growing up?

I used to love love love dressing up for Halloween. I would spend months before Halloween planning what I was going to be. My mom used to make our costumes when we were little. One year, my brother and I were both dice...and we would say to people with such excitement, "WE ARE A PAIR OF DIE!" I know...we were dorks, we might still be dorks.

Once I got to high school, I basically switched back and forth between being 2 things....either a witch or a hippie. To this day, my favorite costume is the hippie. It was easy and just seemed too cool for words. I had long straight hair (it's curly now...who knows why?)...so the hippie look was really easy to do. I would braid little sections of my hair, wear John Lennon glasses, my tye dyed t-shirt, bell bottoms and constantly be giving people the peace sign all day long.

It looked a lot like this:





So...what do you think? Would I win if I entered this idea into the contest? Probably not. I mean...a hippie isn't the most unique thing ever, but I still think it's a pretty cool contest.

Mitch Hedberg

I was talking to someone at work today about people who we think are funny...and Mitch Hedberg came up. I mentioned how gosh darn funny I think he is....and then someone mentioned something shocked me. I didn't know Mitch died in 2005. I didn't believe it...at all. I was sure that the person was mistaken...because if Mitch Hedberg died, I would know about it.

Well, he did die...in 2005...from a drug overdose. He died in 2005...and I can't believe I didn't know about it, so...I'll mourn him now. He was one of the funniest people on the planet, not just because of the jokes, but because he had one of the best deliveries I have ever seen.

RIP Mitch Hedberg. *pouts*

What do you believe in more? The tooth fairy or global warming.

Do you believe that global warming and the climate change epidemic exist??

It's amazing to me that people still think global warming doesn't exist. Not only are there hundreds upon hundreds of scientists who are studying the effects of global warming....and there is Al Gore and the movie, etc....Leo's new movie about the environmental problems we are facing. I was just watching the news this morning and they were talking about the hurricane season and how we are on course to have a record number of category 5 hurricanes. Why? Because of global warming...the water is warmer now than it used to be, so that makes the storms more intense, etc.

But yeah, some people...like the secretary at my job is pretty sure it doesn't exist and global warming is just a left wing swindle to steal votes. And on any day when it is unseasonable cold, she will come in and without a beat say, "Hmmpf...this must be global warming" while snickering and rolling her eyes.

Global warming exists people. I swear. I am not making it up just so democrats can get into office and ruin the country. The Climate Change Channel has some videos up about global warming and I happen to think they are interesting. I think one well done/interesting video, in the youtube generation that will live in....can bring about more awareness than a million articles being written in every single paper across the country. The one that caught my eye was the one where regular people...like you and me...asked the oil company what they were doing about global warming, the oil problem, etc. BP finished the video with some statistics about things they are doing in hopes of combating global warming.

Of course, the people were asking much nicer questions than I would ask the oil companies, but it's a start. I would be asking the oil companies how they could have made record profits in the last year while we are paying record prices? Why aren't their pocketbooks suffering like mine is?

I think these videos are interesting...of course, I can go without saying that this website is made and sponsored by BP, so I am not sure if the agenda can be said to be 100% environmental awareness. But in the end, I like an oil company putting that information out there instead of hiding with their head in the sand (or mountains of money...more likely).

how was your day off?

Did anyone do anything fun on their labor day? Me, not really. I didn't go to bed until really late the night before (which isn't usual for me), but I still couldn't sleep in...so I was up at 7:30am and just tired all day long. I hung out at the apartment...watched some movies...and then headed over to my dad's to hang out for the afternoon. He's been renovating the walls in his bedroom, so I saw his progress and helped just a smidge (there isn't a lot I can do)...and then he mowed the lawn and I cleaned out the litter box. It's a gross job, but since the cat is mine and all...I always feel like it is my responsibility to do that job.

And then I got home...watched some tv and went to bed early. I just didn't feel good for most of yesterday...I had a stomach and a headache almost all day long. I wanted to stay home from work today, but since it was a long weekend...I didn't. I almost did on a couple occasions while I was getting ready for work though. It's nothing contagious though...it's mainly my girlie time of the mouth punching me in the stomach...literally.

So, how did everyone spend their Labor Day? Anything fun???

Oh...it wasn't on Labor Day, but on Saturday my dad and I went to my aunt and uncle's lake/summer house. It was fun. We went for a nice walk along their quaint little private beach area...and got to walk along the area that used to be covered in water, but now it is all dried up because the lake is coming down. It was pretty cool...til it got muddy and then it was less cool. We had a nice dinner and then hung around the fire for a while...until it was time to head home. It was a nice time. I am so happy my aunt and uncle have the summer house because without it, we probably wouldn't see them all that often...and instead we get to see them at least once a month, if not more...during the spring/summer/fall months.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

buying a house only to lose it later...

It's been all over the news for the last few months, maybe the last whole year...about how the housing market is starting to peak and fall and how foreclosures are on the rise at record levels. It's kind of scary since I am either going to buy my dad's house or look to buy a house of my own in the next year or so. Foreclosure gives me nightmares, seriously...especially since those ARM loans have been biting people in the butt lately. I tell you thought...if I got a loan for a house, I wouldn't get one. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but when that interest rate adjusts it often makes it so that people can no longer pay their monthly mortgate payments. I can't imagine having all that equity in a house suddenly lost because you can no longer pay during the next month. It's gotta be heartbreaking. I was reading the amount of houses that are in foreclosure in the last few months in the local newspaper....there are more and more and more.

I wish that no one has to go through something like this, but with the market going the way it is, I don't think the trend is going to stop anytime soon. So, if you happen to find yourself in the financial pickle...there are websites which can help you through the process. Of course, my advice is to get help long before you even hear the word foreclosure, but something there is nothing you can do to stop the big bad from happening.