Mixed Mumblings

Fall Television

2010-09-11T19:03:00.000-05:00

It is time once again for new programs to begin airing on network television. I am looking forward to some programs and curious about a few others. I am certain that my DVR will be getting a workout over the next few weeks as I decide what is worth watching and what can fall by the wayside. Typically I like to give most of the new shows a try, as long as the premise is interesting. I am looking forward to several shows this season, but I am afraid to get too into anything, because everything that I like ends up cancelled.

I really want to see The Event, the previews remind me of Flash Forward so that peeked my interest right away. I hear that it should be compelling to those of us who enjoyed Flash Forward, time will tell. I am also looking forward to No Ordinary Family. From the previews I have seen this show has some elements from Heroes in it, so I hope it does well. Blue Bloods from CBS also looks interesting and I will give it a try, hopefully it won't be a procedural nightmare. I am so tired of the CSI/Law and Order procedural shows.

There are a bunch of returning shows that I can't wait to see, Chuck, Grey's Anatomy, House, Fringe, Glee, and the Good Wife just to name a few. I just hope that I don't have too many conflicting programs in every time slot.

8/28 Restoring Honor Rally

2010-08-31T16:08:00.000-05:00

I had to work today and was quite pleased to know that the Glenn Beck 8/28 Restoring Honor Rally would be covered by my local news radio station. I would have loved to have been there in person, but just couldn't work things out to attend. I will admit to being a fan of Glenn Beck and therefore predisposed to liking this event. However, I don't see where anyone could truly find fault in an event that disregarded political views and focused on rebuilding America from the ground up. Starting with faith, so many people forget that this country was built on faith. It doesn't matter what your religion is, no one really cares about that, what matters is that you believe in a higher power, in the people around you, and in yourself. Through faith, all things are possible, isn't that the old saying. Doesn't it still hold true today.

Photo of rally attendees from http://www.glennbeck.com/

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the many speakers at the Restoring Honor Event and was so pleased to see the massive crowd that was there. I was also very pleased that the Special Operations Warriors Fund, (SOWF), received a $5 million check from the contributors to the event. Mr. Beck said from the very beginning that SOWF would not be out a single penny for their involvement with the event. In point of fact Beck has said for over a month on his radio program that the event was completely paid for and all monies were going directly to SOWF. The speakers at the event also waived their speaking fees in support of this wonderful charity. There have been several days on Mr. Beck's radio program where he speaks of receiving donations in the mail in support of the event and SOWF. There was one donation in particular that he spoke of where the sender wrote that they had gathered everything that they had and wanted to help even thought it wasn't much. They sent 8 cents. Much of the money that was donated came in $10 at a time from individuals like you and I.

All I can really say about this is thank God that there are people out there who still have faith and believe and are willing to be open about their faith. America at it's founding was a based on faith and we must return to that foundation to begin to bring our country back from the brink of it's own destruction. Agree with me or don't, I don't really care. I know what I believe in and that is all that matters to me.

The Ground Zero Mosque - the Sept. 11 /Cordoba Connection

2010-08-19T19:30:00.000-05:00

I know that you are all probably pretty tired of hearing about the proposed mosque at ground zero. Well, I have a few things I would like to say about it and about all the commentary coming from our politicians. So, here's what I think and what I have learned.

I am against having a mosque built anywhere near ground zero. I believe that it would only be inviting trouble from angry zealots intent on destruction. This could become a major catastrophe. I also believe that since the 9/11 attacks were made by radicalized Muslims that building a mosque there would be disrespectful of the victims an families. I don't have any issues with the Muslim religion myself. In fact from everything I have read and learned Islam is a very peaceful religion.

Now, the fact that they are calling it the Cordoba House is my real issue with this proposed mosque. If you have read the history of the Muslim invasion and conquest of Spain that started in 711 AD, you will find a story of another mosque. When the Muslim's conquered Spain, they chose Cordoba as the site the of a great mosque where there once had been a Christian Visigoth Church. This is just one of several "victory mosques's" built by conquesting Muslim's. In an article posted on CatholicExchange.com, someone from the Thomas More Law center, wrote the following quote.

The al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is built on top of one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Temple Mount. The former St. Sophia’s Basilica, once the world’s largest cathedral and orthodox patriarchal basilica, was torn down and replaced with the principal mosque of Istanbul. The Cordoba mosque in Spain was a former Christian cathedral. Muslims have engaged in this practice for centuries, symbolizing their victories over the infidels.

With these examples how can you not question the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. While I know that they are touting the Cordoba House as a community center, the fact is that a mosque is included in their plans.

No matter what you may think about this proposed mosque there is no doubt that our political leaders don't know what to think either.
President Obama basically said that he had no problem with the proposal, but then later turned around and said that he would not comment on the wisdom of building a mosque at that location. This is actually a pretty unusual thing for President Obama, as he seems to have a comment on just about everything, including where LeBron James should play basketball, but what do I know.
Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader came out against the mosque. I only question this because I know that he is in a tough re-election battle at home and I believe that he was trying to use this to his political advantage.
And today, Nancy Pelosi came out and said that she wants the people who are funding those against the mosque to be investigated. Wouldn't it make more sense to investigate the people behind the mosque and see what is really going on with it's funding.
I know that some of what I have said here will be unpopular, but it is what it is. Please feel free leave comments, but please be polite.

Tougher Guidelines for Adgitize

2010-08-15T11:33:00.000-05:00

Today Ken Brown posted an article on the Adgitize blog outline some new tougher guidelines for bloggers on the Adgitize network. With these new guidelines blogs that are only sales pages, product endorsements, banner ads with a few sentences, affiliate pages with no actual blogging, photo blogs that with one sentence descriptions, and news sites with no blogging commentary, will not be allowed.
What Ken and Adgitize are looking for are blogs with original content. Get back to the basics of writing, who, what, when , where, why, and how. Sounds simple enough, but I know how hard it can be sometimes to come up with completely original content.
So, when you use photos from the net they want you to credit the photo to the site you found it on. This makes sense and is the ethical thing to do anyway. Not to mention that if you use the blogger platform you can use Zemanta to pull photos from the web and place them on your blog. Zemanta automatically credits the photo. I have found Zemanta to be a wonderful addition to my blogging process.
In addition to crediting the photo, you must also write some type of description as to what the photo is about that is more than one sentence. They are really looking for two to three paragraphs. If you are using your own photos they still want a two to three paragraph description as to what is in the photo, why you are sharing the photo, or how you took the photo.
If you use YouTube videos on your blog you also have to include a two to three paragraph description as to why you like the video, or what is going on in the video, or what point you are trying to illustrate by including the video.
If you share lyrics on your blog, you also need to include why the lyrics are important to you, what does the song mean to you. Was it funny, romantic, weird, or something else like that.
So what it boils down to is no more lazy blogging on the Adgitize network. Ken says that it will take them a while to get through the 13,000 registered blogs, but that they are determined to do so. If your blog gets pulled, you are welcome to work on it and ask for it to be reinstated.

Overall I think these are some great guidelines. I just hope that when they are looking at a blog like mine that they find it worthy to stay on the publishers list. I have done my fair share of lazy blogging, but I do try to post original content.

Border Issues - UPDATED

2010-07-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Drug and gang killings in Mexico continue to be a problem. Today investigators said that they have found 51 bodies near a trash dumping area close to Monterrey, Mexico. Is there really any wonder why those of us that live in border states are fighting so hard to have our borders secured and to put a stop to illegal immigration.

I also read a blog talking about how two Texas ranches have been taken over by Los Zetas, near Laredo, TX. I live in central Texas and this is way to close to home for me. Why hasn't the federal government met its obligation to protect the borders of this country? Gov. Perry has repeatedly asked for National Guard help in patrolling our borders and has received very minimal help from the federal government. I don't think that the current administration of our federal government has any intention of stopping the flow of violence across our borders, much less the flow of illegals.

Perhaps it is more important for the Obama administration to get amnesty to these illegals so that they can vote to keep him in office. I hope that this is not the case, but in this day and age I think they need all the help they can get because the citizenry of this country is fed up with the way they are running this country into the ground.
UPDATE
Reports are now coming in that no ranches in the Laredo area have been seized. Apparently when asking questions of the local police departments along the border you have to be clear about what you want to know. Just asking if there is a problem along the border will always garner you a "hell yes", but that doesn't necessarily mean that everything you read on the internet or hear from a friend is true. Sorry for any confusion caused by my posting information from what I find as a pretty reliable source, but things happen and life goes on. It's not like it is a complete impossiblity anyway. These drug cartels and gangs are incredibly dangerous and are always coming up with new ways to get what they want.

Monster Star

2010-07-22T18:31:00.000-05:00

This image provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a new near-infrared image of the R136 cluster. At birth, the three brightest stars each weighed more than 150 times the mass of the sun. The most massive star, known as R136a1, is located at the center of the image.

ESO/AP

R136a1: Monster star too big to be true? - CSMonitor.com

What Color Would Help You Right Now?

2010-07-20T06:33:00.000-05:00

Here's another quick little quiz to entertain you.

You Could Use Some Purple

It's hard to put your finger on it, but something about your life probably feels incomplete right now.

You are restless and a bit aimless. You could do with some direction.

Tap into some purple energy to find wisdom and true understanding.

You need to gaze inward in order to truly solve your problems. Don't be afraid to introspect.

What Color Would Help You Right Now?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

Music Monday

2010-07-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

Christina Perri went from waitress to a music sensation all because a friend got her song to a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance. Here's a short excerpt of an article from Yahoo, telling the story of this artist.

Two weeks ago, Christina, the sister of ex-Shinedown/Silvertide guitarist Nick Perri, was just another struggling L.A. artist waiting tables at the Melrose Place Café. But then, right in the middle of one of her worst days at work, a mutual friend (Keltie Colleen, a Radio City Rockette) got the Philly-bred troubadour's demo into the hands of "SYTYCD" choreographer Stacey Tookey--who loved "Jars Of Hearts" so much, she asked Christina to rush-record a professional version to be used for the above Billy Bell/Kathryn McCormick "SYTYCD" routine on June 30.

You can read more of this story here.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week

Iran Banning Coca Cola

2010-07-17T18:53:00.000-05:00

So, Iran thinks that banning Coca Cola will put a stop to new sanctions. Apparently Ahmadinejad thinks that banning Western products will result in a lifting of the new sanctions that the UN Security Council approved in June. Check out this article from the Christian Science Monitor for more info.
Iran sanctions kick in, and Ahmadinejad says he'll ban Coca-Cola - CSMonitor.com

I actually find this rather funny. I don't understand why Iran would think that banning products would really cause much of an impact for the US. Yeah, those companies that produce the products might feel a slight difference in their profits, but depriving Iran's citizenry of cool, refreshing, Coca Cola is a crime.

6 Favorite Quotes from Capt. Phil Harris

2010-07-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

Since tonights episode of Deadliest Catch will be the final episode with Capt. Phil I thought it would be appropriate to commemorate his passing by sharing some of my favorite Capt. Phil quotes.

1. “Retaliation, Cornelia Marie style.” said moments before pranking the Northwestern.
2. “I picked him up to see how cute he was and he pissed all over me!” about his son Jake on the day he was born
3. “There’s fart bubbles, there’s crabs.”
4. “Now you know why lions eat their young.”
5. “You’re not a man ’til you’ve pulled a tooth out with a pair of pliers.”
6. “You go through a couple marriages, smoke cigarettes like it’s going out of style, your body aches from the time you get up to the time you go to bed, and you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about where you’re going to put the next pot. Yeah, it’s a great lifestyle,"

Rest in Peace Capt. Phil, thanks for the memories.

Vuvuzela fatwa: United Arab Emirates bans the loud plastic horns - CSMonitor.com

2010-07-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

Wow, who knew that an annoying plastic horn was worthy of a fatwa. Apparently the UAE feels that the vuvuzela is dangerous to peoples hearing and must be stopped. Check out this post from the Christian Science Monitor. Vuvuzela fatwa: United Arab Emirates bans the loud plastic horns - CSMonitor.com
I have seen several reports on the news and you can barely hear the reporters over the sounds of the vuvuzela, so I can see how they might damage a persons hearing. But is a fatwa really necessary, shouldn't common sense tell people that maybe this noisy horn is not good for your hearing. What do I know though?

Friday Fill-Ins

2010-07-09T19:47:00.001-05:00

And...here we go!

1. Layers of ooey gooey chocolate.

2. Totally wasted insight.

3. I'd be willing to bet my left arm that I will never win the lottery.

4. Sunlight scares the dog.

5. I'm fond of cheesecake.

6. Working too much!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleep, tomorrow my plans include sleeping and Sunday, I want to shop!

You can find more fill-ins here.

Happy Independance Day

2010-07-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

2010-07-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Since tomorrow is Independence Day here in the US I thought I would spend a little time Chillin.

Because this American Ride is sometimes just a little too much to deal with and we all need a break sometimes.

What's Your Gaelic Name?

2010-06-24T18:28:00.000-05:00

Your Gaelic Name is Carrigan Finvarra

Time is a good story teller

What's Your Gaelic Name?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

Just another fun little name game. Post your Gaelic name in the comments.

Save FlashForward Update

2010-06-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

So, you might remember that I was rather upset over the cancellation of the series FlashForward. Well, there are several Facebook groups and fan groups working to try and have ABC or another network bring the show back. If you are interested or would like to help you can find more information at http://www.preventtheblackout.com/. In addition to the video included below there have been all kinds of letter writing, phone, and email campaigns. There have been thousands of friendship bracelets mailed as well calendar pages with the April 29th date circled. This video is just one of many that have been posted to YouTube of one of the coordinated blackout events that fans world wide have participated in.

Personality Quiz

2010-06-14T15:53:00.010-05:00

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller

You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done.

You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knitting.

Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you.

You are conservative and down-to-earth. You hardly ever do anything crazy.

In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed.

For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved.

At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility.

You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependable

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical

What's Your Personality Type?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

This one is pretty accurate for me. I do tend to be conservative, dependable and well, boring. I also enjoy productive hobbies, like jewelry making. So, what's your personality type? Comment below.

What's your Hillbilly Name?

2010-06-12T15:37:00.001-05:00

Your Hillbilly Name Is: Lil' Dixie Rambler

Ain'tcha got one better'n that un

Hillbilly Name Generator

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

I just thought we could all have a little fun today, so here's a cute little name generator game. Share your Hillbilly name in the comments.

Adgitize Summer Promotion

2010-06-07T09:48:00.002-05:00

I have been advertising with Adgitize for quiet a while now on this blog and my other blog. They are an execellent source of traffic to any blog. I have no problem earning back my $14 ad expense and sometimes a little bit more. Now Adgitize is even offering some promotions over the summer. I will quote directly from what the Adgitize blog so as not to mix up any of the details.

Special Summer Promotion Increases Earnings

Posted by Ken Brown on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 7:50 PM

Adgitize is running a special promotion through July 31st, 2010 that will benefit advertisers scoring more than 300 points a day.

As you know we pay advertiser finder fees of $5 and an ongoing advertiser referral fee of $1 each month. We do that because we want to reward the bloggers responsible for growing Adgitize.
We could easily spend that same money in advertising spending through Google, Yahoo and other online advertising resources. But, we would rather give that money back to you. That is why we are now running a special promotion to grow the number of advertisers we have at Adgitize.

We have been in business for a year and half now and I have been told many times that advertisers want to at least get their money back on the ads they place at Adgitize. This special promotion will allow active advertisers to get a full ad's revenue in earnings each month.

Special Offer Helps You Earn More

Here is the offer. If you are an advertiser - then any day that you score over 300 points in a day you will earn a minimum of 47 cents that day. That would represent a minimum amount of $14.57 for a full 31 day month. You can consider it an advertiser's bonus.

We will run the promotion through July 31st, 2010. If the promotion meets our sales goals then we will continue the promotion throughout the year.

How do you score 300 points in a day? Well, if you are an advertiser you score 100 advertising points each day. You would only need to click on 51 ads in a day to score 100 click points. Write an article on your blog each day and you have an additional 100 points for a total of 300 points. You will also be scoring page views and ad view bonus points each day which will increase your chances of reaching the 300 point level.

What else do you have to do? We don't require you to do any more than be an advertiser and score 300 points a day.
Tell Others about This Special Summer Promotion
This is a great opportunity for you to increase your referral fees by telling others about this special promotion. Make sure any links to the Adgitize home page has your affiliate ID included in the link so we can credit you with the sale. Remember, you receive a $5 finders fee for new advertisers and an ongoing $1 a month for each month they advertise.

Even if you aren't interested in advertising with Adgitize, this is a great time to tell others about this special offer because you may generate more affiliate referrals. We will have new graphics and links in our affiliate section to help you promote this offer. Check out the new graphics and links at Affiliate Links.

Summer Goal 25 New Advertisers

What advertising sales goal is Adgitize hoping to achieve? Our goal is to add 25 new advertisers into our system each month. If you look at the advertisers available to click, you will see we run somewhere from 165 to 185 ads on any given day. We want to see that number stay above 200 member advertisers each day.

We think this will be a great opportunity to grow Adgitize, increase your revenue and produce some excitement in our business model. We hope you agree.

This is just the first phase of the promotion, now here's phase 2.

Phase 2 of Summer Promotion

Adgitize is rolling out phase 2 of our summer promotion. This will reward advertisers and clickers scoring over 200 points a day. Any day you score 100 click points and 100 advertiser points and score over 200 points then you will earn a minimum of 34 cents a day.

Members that score over 200 points in a day and have 100 click points on that day you will earn a minimum of 15 cents a day.

You will earn 20 cents minimum a day if you score 100 advertiser points in a single day and your total points exceed 200 points that day.

You will see this on your earnings report beginning on June 3rd, 2010. This summer promotion bonus will be guaranteed through July 31st, 2010. With the expectation that we will continue to run the program because it is successful in bringing new advertisers into the Adgitize Ad Network.
Adgitize is rewarding advertisers and clickers this summer to help you earn more money. Make sure you get your share.

So, it sounds pretty good right. They want to increase their advertisers by making sure that you can make back what you put in. Seems like a pretty fair trade to me. If you would like to check out what Adgitize can do for your blog just click on the button at the top of this post or click here. And yes, these link to my affiliate code, so thanks in advance to anyone who signs up.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-06-06T09:09:00.002-05:00

Choice
Our lives are songs; God writes the words
And we set them to music at pleasure;
And the song grows glad, or sweet, or sad,
As we choose to fashion the measure

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

Have a great week!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T11:36:00.000-05:00

In honor of Memorial Day I am posting these two wonderful videos. The first is Arlington by Trace Adkins, in honor of all those who have fought and gave all for this country. The second is Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash, this one is to remind everyone of what our troops are fighting for each and every day. Our freedom does not exist without the sacrifices made by the men and women in the US military. Say a prayer and thank God that you are allowed to live in a country where there are people willing to lay down their life in defense of your freedom.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS AND OUR COUNTRY!

Lost - Possible Spoilers (if you haven't seen the finale do not read)

2010-05-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

I absolutely loved this show and cannot wait for the DVD Box Set to come out in August. I will say that I loved the finale. Even though they didn't answer all of the questions about the mythology of the island I felt that they did justice to what really mattered, which was the character's that we have all grown to love through out this series. The key to the finale was the conversation between Jack and his father, in which you are ment to understand that what happened happened. Everything was real, except for the the sideways world which acted as a sort of meeting room, if you will, for all of the Losties to find each other when their time to pass came. Some passed sooner than others, but they all gathered at the church to move on together. It was said that the most important or impactful parts of their lives were spent together and that they had created this place, the sideways world, so that they could find each other and move on together. It was a wonderful ending to a truly remarkable television series. It will be greatly missed.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-05-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today's inspiration was written by Emma Lazarus and is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your Huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Have a great week!

Come to the USA

2010-05-22T20:01:00.000-05:00

I don't want to get into a debate about the Arizona law, I know where I stand, but this is just funny.

Depressing TV News

2010-05-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

Next week is upfront week for the networks. This is when they roll out their schedules for next fall and spring for advertisers. Advertisers will decide what they are willing to pay for an ad during certain shows and this is how the networks decide what to program.

So with this happening next week word is starting to leak out of various cancellations and pick ups for the networks. With shows like Lost and 24 ending there are a lot of new shows being green lit by the networks. But they are also cancelling shows that they feel are underperforming.

News has recently broken about the cancellation of Heroes and Flash Forward two shows that I really enjoy watching. I am less distressed about Heroes as they never really recovered from the writer's strike. But Flash Forward on the other hand has been screwed over by the network. They started airing episodes in the fall and then went on hiatus from the beginning of December until late March. Any momentum they had for the show was gone. The show was creatively much better after the hiatus, but lack of promotion and a horrible time slot for a show of this nature killed the show. I truly believe that Flash Forward would have a been a contender for some of the Lost audience next season had the show been given a chance.

I hate getting into a new show only to have it cancelled after one season and the networks have been doing this all to often over the past few years. To base whether or not to bring a show back solely on advertising/Neilson ratings on the night the show airs is antiquated in this digital age of DVR's and HULU. I will be hard pressed to watch any of the new shows for fear of them being cancelled midstream or after only one season. There used to be a time when a show would be given a couple of seasons before the ax would fall. As it stands now some shows are cancelled after only one or two airings. How is a show supposed to find an audience with only two episodes. Shows like Seinfeld, X-Files, and even Star Trek would never have become the hits they were without the network believing in them and allowing them to find an audience. They didn't even try to save Flash Forward by putting it in a different time slot. Everyone and their dog knows that Thursday nights are the hardest nights for a new show to prove itself. Do you really expect people to abandon shows like Survivor and Bones to try something new when the odds are it won't survive a year. Why invest your time?
That said, at least Chuck got a 13 episode pick up with an option for the back nine episodes. There had to be a silver lining somewhere in all the depressing news thus far. Here's hoping another network will take an interest in Flash Forward, but I won't be holding my breath on that.

Sunday Inspirations

2010-05-16T15:29:00.002-05:00

To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.

Walt Whitman

Have a great week!

Iron Man 2

2010-05-14T19:08:00.000-05:00

I went to see Iron Man 2 on Friday. Needless to say the theater was very crowded. I really enjoyed this movie. I hadn't seen the first one until about a month ago, and since then have been looking forward to this one. I think that I liked this one better than the first, only because I found the first movie started out a little slow. If you are looking for the Iron Man to be front and center throughout you will not be as happy with this film. I actually preferred that they spent more time with the characters and a little less with the action. But when they went for action it was full tilt. All in all this is a pretty great popcorn movie.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-05-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

Here's an exerpt from Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by---
And that has made all the difference.

Sometimes it's better to take the more difficutlt path, than that well traveled path so many other's have trod.

Dead In the Family

2010-05-03T00:00:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited. I got my shipping confirmation from Amazon.com for Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris on Saturday. I can't wait to get this one and find out what has been going on with all of my old friends from Bon Temps. I'll have to postpone reading some of the other books that I have planned, like the Vampire Diaries, but I know that I won't be able to resist this one once I have it in hand. I have read all of the books in the Southern Vampire Series. They are all excellent reads. I won't go into detail for fear of spoiling anything for anyone. If you want to read a synopsis you can search for them yourself. Dead in the Family is the 10th book in the series amd will be released on May 4.

Now I am just waiting around for the release of the second season of HBO's True Blood. Which is based on the Southern Vampire novels. The series has veered away from them novels quite a bit, but Alan Ball has done a wonderful job of keep the characters true to the books. It is acutally refreshing in my opinion. The books were very focused on one point of view and the series fleshes out all of the characters much more. True Blood season two will be released on May 25. Just in time for you to catch up before the June 13 season 3 premiere on HBO.

Read a good book, see a great movie, or watch a great tv show. Catch ya'll later.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-05-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Today's inspiration is a poem that I learned in middle school called The Arrow and The Song, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

New Layout

2010-05-01T11:18:00.001-05:00

How do you like the new layout? I am not sure if this is what I am going to stick with, but so far I'm happy with it. Let me know what you think in the comments, any suggestions are welcome.

What Are They Doing Now? Firefly

2010-04-27T18:40:00.000-05:00

Today I'm going to take at what the actors from one of my favorite shortlived TV series are doing now. The series Firefly was a space/western created by Joss Whedon that was on the Fox Network in 2002. The show was only on for a few episodes, but it has a huge following, enough to spawn a big screen film, Serenity. The fans of Firefly are a very loyal group and continue to support the actors from the show in their current endevours.

Nathan Fillian played Captain Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds the leader of this rag tag group of outlaws and space travelers. He is currently starring in Castle as a writer who is following a NYC detective for inspiration in his current book series. Along the way he helps her solve various crimes. Castle airs monday's at 9pm central time on ABC.
Nathan is also set to play the Holy Avenger in the movie Super. You can also find him as Captain Hammer in Dr. Horribles Sing Along Blog.

Gina Torres played Zoë Washburne, Mal's second in command. She has recently been on The Vampire Diaries and Flash Forward. She will also be starring in the movie Mr. Sophistication.

Alan Tudyk played Hoban 'Wash' Washburne, the pilot of Serenity. Wash was married to Zoe. He has recently been on the now cancelled series Dollhouse, and was in three episodes of V.

Morena Baccarin played Inara Serra. She rents a shuttle on Serenity from which she does her job as a companion. She is highly educated, refined, articulate and skilled to some degree in a bit of Martial Arts, swords, the long bow and cross bow. Her ways of work include formal tea ceremonies, foot washing and love making to the men and women of her own choosing on a professional contracted level.
Morena can currently be seen playing the High Commander, Anna, of the alien visitors on V. V airs wednesday's at 9 pm on ABC.

Adam Baldwin played Jayne Cobb. He's the most cunning and ruthless member of the crew, and also the one least trusted. He's made it clear that if the price was right he would turn on the crew. Jayne is quite often a source of much humor.
Adam can currently be seen as John Casey in the series Chuck. Chuck airs on monday's at 7 pm on NBC.

Firefly also starred Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass. I will link these to their IMDB pages so you can check them out if you like.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-04-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength.
A. J. Cronin

I'm sitting here looking out the window at this bunch of squirrels who keep chasing one another around the trees and yard. They appear to be enjoying this beautiful day. I haven't yet gone outside, for fear of spoiling their fun and my enjoyment in watching them play.

Have a great week everyone.

Song for Saturday

2010-04-24T18:05:00.000-05:00

This song is really sad, but I love it and what it represents. The song is Angel Flight and the artist is Radney Foster. God Bless all of those who protect and defend this country. May you all come home safely to your families.

Kick-Ass

2010-04-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

I went into this movie fairly certain that I wasn't going to like it, however it was pretty entertaining. It is not something that I would recommend for children due to the violence, language, and sexual content, but it is good for a few laughs.

Here is the description of the movie for those of you who don't know what it is about.

Adapted from Mark Millar's hyper-violent comic book of the same name, director Matthew Vaughn's (Layer Cake) vigilante superhero film tells the tale of an average New York teenager who decides to don a costume and fight crime. Comic book geek Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) may not have good coordination or special powers, but that doesn't mean he isn't a fully capable crime fighter. After purchasing a flashy wet suit on the Internet, Dave starts busting up baddies with nothing but brute force. He calls himself Kick-Ass, and he can take a beating as good as he can dish one out. Before long, Kick-Ass has become a local sensation, and others are following his lead. Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) are a father-daughter crime-fighting duo who have set their sights on local mob heavy Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). They're doing a decent job of dismantling Frank's sizable underworld empire when Kick-Ass gets drawn into the fray. But Frank's men play rough, and his son, Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is about to become Kick-Ass' very first arch nemesis. When Chris assumes the persona of Red Mist, the stage is set for a superhero showdown that could spell the end of Kick-Ass once and for all.

Plot Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

For pure entertainment purposes I would recommend this movie, but if you are looking for something that will make you think or have some kind of deep meaning look elsewhere.

Enchanted Rock

2010-04-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

I visited the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area about a week ago. It was great fun climbing around on the rocks. I didn't make the climb to the summit, mostly because I really don't like heights. But I did my fair share of climbing across rocks and such. I just thought I would share some of the pictures that I took of this beautiful park.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-04-18T08:23:00.000-05:00

I accept life unconditionally. Life holds so much---so much to be so happy about always. Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can be felt only if you don't set conditions.
Artur Rubinstein

Have a great day.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-04-11T08:31:00.000-05:00

God has put something noble and good into every heart which his hand created.
Mark Twain

Have a great day.

Song for Saturday

2010-04-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

I'm in the mood to have a little fun and I like nothing better than having fun at the expense of Barack Obama, so here goes.

Flash Forward

2010-04-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

On October 6, 2009, almost everyone on the planet blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and got a peek of their future on April 29, 2010.

This is the opening line of every episode of Flash Forward, so far. This is my favorite new show this year and I hear that it may not be coming back for a second season. It is very upsetting to me to hear that as I have become very attached to Flash Forward. Much like I was attached to Lost from the very beginning. Since the long hiatus over the holidays and through the Olympics, the show has been tweeked and has only gotten better. It was missing a lot of the character developement during the first 9-10 episodes and it was kind of hard to really care about any of the characters because of that. But now the episodes are much improved and I am really starting to see some character developement happening. There are more characters that I am coming to care about what happens to them, where before they were more like glorified extras.

If you are not watching this show you should check it out. If you love Lost, give Flash Forward a chance, after all Lost is going away in May. If you are interested in checking out Flash Forward and don't want to go back and start from the beginning, check out EW's Flash Forward 10 Thing You Need To Know, or FlashForward: What You Need To Know from IGN. Please give this show a try, you never know you may just like what you see.

World Health Day

2010-04-07T18:52:00.000-05:00

Today is World Health Day. Yippee! Today is the day we are supposed to celebrate the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), which was founded on April 7, 1948. The World Health Day is celebrated to create “awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the WHO.

Themes of previous World Health Days

2009: Save lives,Make Hospitals Safe in Emergencies

2008: Protecting health from the adverse effects of climate change

2007: International health security

2006: Working together for health

2005: Make every mother and child count

2004: Road safety

2003: Shape the Future of Life: Healthy Environments for Children

2002: Move for Health

2001: Mental Health: Stop Exclusion, Dare to Care

2000: Safe Blood Start with Me

1999: Active Aging Makes the Difference

1998: Safe Motherhood

1997: Emerging Infectious Diseases

1996: Healthy Cities for Better Life

1995: Global Polio Eradication

This year's theme is: Be part of a global movement to make cities healthier. Here is what the WHO has to say about this year's World Health Day.

With the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events will be organized worldwide during the week of 7 – 11 April 2010.
The global goals of the campaign are:
•1000 cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.
•1000 lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.

Before long every day of the year will be some type of commemoration or holiday. I don't really see why they need to have a specific date on which to proclaim that people ought to take care of their health. What do you think?

Sunday Inspiration

2010-04-04T12:25:00.000-05:00

THE MAN CHRIST

He built no temple, yet the farthest sea

Can yield no shore that's barren of his place

For bended knee.

He wrote no book, and yet his words and prayer

Are intimate on many myriad tongues,

Are counsel everywhere.

The life he lived has never been assailed,

Nor any precept, as he lived it, yet

Has ever failed.

He built no kingdom, yet a King from youth

He reigned, is reigning yet; they call his realm

The kingdom of the Truth.

Therese Lindsey

HAPPY EASTER!!

Easter Funnies

2010-04-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine emailed me these. Enjoy.

Spring

2010-03-30T19:10:00.000-05:00

So, spring has sprung here. Well at least it has during the day, the evenings can still get pretty chilly. I really enjoy this time of year, but it never lasts long enough for me. Here in the Texas Hill Country you get a lot more summer and winter than you do fall and spring. But for now everything is putting on new leaves, turning green and pretty colorful flowers are popping up everywhere.
I put out the hummingbird feeders on Saturday after seeing the first hummer of the season. I love the hummingbirds, they are so funny when they fight over the feeder. I also have a bunch of squirrels who spent most of Saturday picking up the bird seed that the birds dropped on the ground and running around on my roof.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-03-28T10:27:00.000-05:00

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"---that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
John Keats

I haven't been around much lately, but hopefully that will be changing.

I saw the news on Friday that 24 is going to end at the close of this season. While I love the show, it has had better years and I do believe it's time has come. I look forward to seeing what they are going to do with the feature film version of the show.

I went to the movies yesterday and saw Green Zone with Matt Damon. I was rather disappointed in the film as the previews had touted it as something like the Bourne movies. It so is not. In fact it is the typical Hollywood message movie and pretty anti-American in it's telling of the early days of the Iraq war. If you can get past the message the it is an okay movie, but I would wait for the DVD. Better yet wait for it to come on cable. It's just not worth the extra expense.
On a better note, I also finally got to watch 2012. I really enjoyed this one. I had wanted to see it in the theater, but it never worked out. I bet it would have really been great on the big screen, but my tv works just a well and is a whole lot cheaper. Anyway, I would recommend this one for pure entertainment purposes.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-03-21T09:41:00.001-05:00

It is no unworthy thing to wish to count for something and to do a great work in the world; but we shall count in the final audit not by the measure of our capacity, our business, our energy, but of the tenacity and vitality of our faith and our love.

Richard Roberts

Song for Saturday

2010-03-20T20:21:00.000-05:00

So, with the dreadfull health care reform vote coming up tomorrow in DC, I thought I would post a video about the better things in life. This song represents the country that I have grown up loving and don't want to see changed. Enjoy. It's a damn shame that they are breaking up.

TV Round Up

2010-03-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't written about Lost since the premier. Mostly because I can't figure out what the heck they are doing. One minute you are watching folks on the island and the next you are in some kind of alternate time where 815 never crashed. Don't get me wrong, I love what they are doing, I would just can't wait for the pay off. It had better be good.

Chuck has been awesome this season, but last nights episode through me for a loop. The way it ended felt more like a season/series finale than just another episode. Sending everyone in different directions almost feels like how the show might end. I don't want that though. When it ends Chuck and Sarah have to be together. Anyway, I guess we'll see what happens next week.

24 has been kind of lack luster for me this season. That was until last night at the very end of the episode when they actually had the twist that they have been advertising. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen, suffice it to say that this time there really is a good twist. It's not something that they have recycled from a previous season. Truthfully, I had only been half way watching this season, but they pulled me back in last night.

Tonight we get a recap episode of Flash Forward before the series comes back with a 2-hour episode on Thursday. If you haven't been watching this show you should really check out the recap ep and see what it is all about. It might just surprise you. I have been watching from the begining and much like Lost in the first season it has pulled me in and kept me guessing. I can't wait to see what comes next.

I also watched the whole season of Big Love on HBO. This show can be pretty out there. I did like some truths finally came out. I don't want to say anything more for fear of spoiling it for someone.

I can't wait for the True Blood season three premiere in June. Have a good one everyone.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-03-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the chiled of a peasant woman. He grew up in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty, and then for three years he was an itinerant teacher. He never wrote a book. He never held and office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never traveled, except in his infancy, more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. he had no credentials but himself. While he was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth, his seamless robe. Whe he was dead, he was taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed grave through the courtesy of a friend. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone, and today he is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of all human progress. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built, all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has this one solitary personality.

James A. Francis

I hope you enjoyed reading today's inspiration. I am included the YouTube video for those of you who would prefer to hear the poem rather than read it for yourself. The wording is somewhat different, but the message is the same.

Song for Saturday

2010-03-13T10:40:00.000-06:00

Hi all, here's this week's song. It's one of my favorites from Steve Wariner. Lots of great memories of my school days and such are associated with country music. And what better song for a saturday than The Weekend.

Annoyed

2010-03-12T18:34:00.000-06:00

I know this is a silly thing to let annoy me, but it's annoying me. See, I like to play games on Facebook as a form of relaxation after work. I'm not looking for anything extraordinary, just something entertaining to pass the time. I have played several games like Mafia Wars and Farmville, then I got bored with them and moved on to others. If you use Facebook, you know that there are tons of game apps, but the most popular ones tend to be made by Zynga.

The Zynga games are usually pretty entertaining. I have been playing Cafe World lately, it is still in beta and I expect for there to be glitches from time to time, but not all the time. Lately glitches are all that I get from this game. It runs slow no matter what browser I am using and that is if you can get the game to stay connected at all. I don't ask for much, but that the game work. The developers, instead of doing things to improve the loading time and connection of the game, are constantly adding new themes. Fix what is already broken then work on new things. People are leaving the game in droves and they developers only have themselves to blame.

I just want to spend a little time of relaxing and this game will probably have to be dropped from my routine if it doesn't shape up PDQ.

Have a great day everyone.

Sunday Inspiration

2010-03-07T10:31:00.000-06:00

This week's inspiration comes from Charles Angoff.

HOME
Home is where
You hang
Your memories.

Home is the
Conscience of age,
The melody
At the end of
Eternity.
Home is truth
Guiding youth.
Home is the regret
In every madness.

Home is where
You begin again
To dream again.

Charles Angoff

Song for Saturday

2010-03-06T15:55:00.000-06:00

I couldn't settle on just one song for today, so you get two. Both songs are favorites of mine. They were both used in the Australian series McLeod's Daughters. Those of you who have seen the show will remember these songs because they are both connected to deaths of beloved characters. Bec Lavelle sings both songs. They are beautiful, but sad. The first is called The Man I Loved and the second is My Heart Is Like A River.

Don't be surprised if you see more of the music from McLeod's Daughters in the future. I absolutely loved the series and all of the music is beautiful.

New Shoes

2010-03-04T18:39:00.000-06:00

I order a new pair of shoes the other day and I picked them up at the post office today. They are the Skechers Shape-Ups. I couldn't wait to get to them gym and try them out. They felt kind of weird when I first put them on, but I got used to them pretty quickly. So far so good, I'll see how they feel after wearing them for a while.
I have never spent this much money on a pair of shoes, and if they don't last me at least a year then I won't be doing so again. I am pretty hard on my shoes and usually wear out a pair of $20-$25 shoes in about 3 months, so I figure that if I can get a year out of these it will be a good investment. Not to mention that they are actually supposed to help your posture and tone your leg muscles. Here's hoping that they live up to the hype.

Leave my water alone!

2010-03-02T18:55:00.000-06:00

I am absolutely certain that I am not the only one who has had this happen to them at work. I work in a building with 80+ people and we all share 3 refridgerators for lunches and such. For the past three days I have had someone go into my lunch bag and take a bottle of water. The first time I thought oops someone grabbed from the wrong bag. The second time it happened I was annoyed, because surely they could tell from the other contents of the bag that it was not theirs. So, I went to work this morning and I had my two bottles of water in the bag, but before I put them in the fridge I opened both and drank about a quarter of the water. I thought surely noone wants to drink water that someone else has clearly already been drinking. I guess I was wrong, because once again when I go to get my water it is gone. I think tomorrow I am going to put two empty bottles in the bag and wait around during break time to see who it is that is helping themselves to my water. I would be more than happy to share if they would ask, but now I'm pissed off about it so I probably wouldn't.

Sometimes you just have to.

2010-03-01T02:01:00.000-06:00

I get a real kick out of this song. Have a great week everyone.

who done wrong to you

Sometimes we get angry

But we must not condemn

Let the good Lord do his job

And you just pray for them

I pray your brakes go out

Running down a hill

I pray and flower pot falls

From a window sill

And knocks you in the head like I’d like to

I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls

I pray your flying high when your engine stalls

I pray all your dreams never come true

Just know wherever you are

Honey, I pray for you

Really glad I found my way to church

Cause I’m already feeling better and I thank God for the words

So I’m gonna take the high road

And do what the preacher told me to do

You keep messing up

And I’ll keep praying for you

I pray your tire blows out at 110

I pray you pass out with your best friend

And wake up with his and her tattoos

Wherever you are, near or far, in your house or in your car

Wherever you are honey, I pray for you

Sunday Inspiration

2010-02-28T14:51:00.000-06:00

Today's inspiration comes from Harry Emerson Fosdick.

Friends are necessary to a happy life. When friendship deserts us we are as lonely and helpless as a ship, left by the tide high upon the shore. When friendship returns to us, it is as though the tide came back, gave us buoyancy and freedom, and opened to us the wide places of the world.

Song for Saturday

2010-02-27T14:35:00.000-06:00

I love this song from Muse. It was used in the promo commercials for the tv show V and Glenn Beck is using it in his radio show opening. If you really listen to the lyrics you can see lots of parallels to what is going on in the world today. Plus, who doesn't enjoy some zombie teddy bears.

The paranoia is in bloom,

The PR, the transmissions, will resume,

They'll try to push drugs to keep us all dumbed down,

And hope that we will never see the truth around,

SO COME ON!

Another promise, another scene,Another package not to keep us trapped in greed,

With all the green belts wrapped around our minds,

And endless red tape to keep the truth confined,

SO COME ON!

They will not force us,

They will stop degrading us,

They will not control us,

And we will be victorious!

SO COME ON!

Interchanging mind-control,

Come, let the revolution take its toll,

If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,

You'd see that we should never be afraid to die,

SO COME ON!

Rise up and take the power back,

It's time that the fat cats had a heart attack,

You know that their time's coming to an end,

We have to unify and watch our flag ascend!

SO COME ON!

They will not force us,

They will stop degrading us,

They will not control us,

And we will be victorious!

SO COME ON!

OI! OI! OI! OI!

(Solo begins to play)

OI! OI! OI! OI!

(Solo continues)

OI! OI! OI! OI!

(Solo continues)

They will not force us,

They will stop degrading us,

They will not control us,

And we will be victorious!

SO COME ON!

(Synth begins to play)

OI! OI! OI! OI!

reBlog from Dorothy L: Womensselfesteem.com's Blog

2010-02-23T20:25:00.000-06:00

I found this fascinating quote today:

It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach. One human hair can support 3kg (6.6 lb). The average man's penis is three times the length of his thumb. Dorothy L, Womensselfesteem.com's Blog, Feb 2010

You should read the whole article.

Sunday Inspirations

2010-02-21T08:59:00.000-06:00

Today's inspiration comes from John Fico.

Dear God,

The little plans I tried to carry through

Have failed.

I will not sorrow.

I'll pause a little while,

Dear God,

And try, again tomorrow.

Song for Saturday

2010-02-20T13:39:00.000-06:00

Today's song is Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. I loved this song when I was in school and still love it today. It is also used as the theme song for the series Deadliest Catch.

Speaking of Deadliest Catch, they are running a marathon today Feb. 20th, in memory of Capt. Phil Harris. As you may recall I posted an article a few days back about Phil's passing. He will be greatly missed.

The Guild

2010-02-19T18:22:00.000-06:00

I have been catching up with The Guild on You Tube. This web series is pretty funny. It's all about a group of gamers who play a World of Warcraft type online game. They formed a guild and the series is centered around them, but told from the point of view of Codex, played by the wonderful Felicia Day. Hilarity insues once the guild members meet one another in real life. I really enjoyed the first season and have just started on the second. The clip above is the first episode of season two. Check it out you might like it.

Sunday Inspirations

2010-02-14T03:00:00.000-06:00

Today's inspiration is from Newell W. Edson.

HALLMARKS OF TRUE LOVE

1. A genuine interest in the other person and all that he or she says and does.
2. A community of tastes, ideals, and standards with no serious clashes.
3. A greater happiness in being with the one person than with any other.
4. A real unhappiness when the other person is absent.
5. A great feeling of comradeship.
6. A willingness to give and take.
7. A pride in the other person when comparisons are made.

Happy Valentines Day.

Song for Saturday

2010-02-13T17:44:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try something new today. For the next few weeks maybe longer, who knows, I am going to post a video of one of my favorite songs. I know most people get involved with the Music Monday meme thing, but I don't. I want to do what I am going to call a Song for Saturday. This week since tomorrow is Valentine's Day I thought this wonderful Michael Buble song would be perfect. I'm a big fan and this is one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy it. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.

RIP Capt. Phil Harris

2010-02-10T18:29:00.000-06:00

The sad news of Capt. Phil Harris' death was announced today. If you don't know who he was, you probably aren't familiar with Discovery Channel's The Deadliest Catch. The Deadliest Catch documents the life of some of the Alaskan King Crab fleet. Capt. Phil was the owner of the Fishing Vessel Cornelia Marie. He and his sons Josh and Jake were a big part of the show. A couple of seasons ago Phil had some medical issues while they were at sea. He had a blod clot travel through his heart and into his lungs. He was fortunate to survive. Just last month he had a massive stroke while off loading their catch at St. Paul island. He had been hospitalized since then with his sons by his side. They had a friend come from Seattle to take the Cornelia Marie out to finish the fishing season. This morning Phil's family announced that he had passed.

Capt. Phil was my favorite of the various boat captains on The Deadliest Catch. It was interesting to watch him interact with his sons as they were learning the ropes of the family business. He will be missed and the show will not be the same without him. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Harris family.

Sunday Inspirations

2010-02-07T16:10:00.000-06:00

I have decided to start a regular Sunday feature on this blog. I received a book of inspirational quotes, poems, sentiments and prayers when I graduated high school. To this day I still look back at it from time to time for inspiration. Starting this week I am going to share something from this book each Sunday. I hope you find it inspirational.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE YOUNG

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; its is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means the predominance of courage over timidity, of adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than in a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm winkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair -- these bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust.

Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars and the starlike things, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for what-next, and the joy of the game of living.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

Samuel Ullman

TV musings

2010-02-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

So, the Dollhouse finale was on Friday night. While I am sad to see this show go, it went out with a bang. It really is a shame that the show started so slowly, it might have had a chance if the entire series had been as well done as the last nine episodes. These episodes were what the show should have been and what I had expected it to be at the start. Unfortunately there had to be some type of set up of the premise and they just took too long on this aspect. I don't want to spoil the finale for anyone who hasn't seen it yet so I will limit my comments to generalities. I believe the show ended the only way it could. While the resolution seemed a bit rushed, probably due to the timing of the cancellation, each character had a fitting end or new beginning. I was completely stunned by the reveal of who was really behind Rossum, but upon further reflection, this is a very Joss Whedon way to go. Joss just has a way of ending his series with a bang.

I have been watching 24 this season and as per the norm they keep me on the edge of my seat. Renee Walker has gone totally over the edge. Jack just like always is on the verge of finally getting to live a normal life with his daughter and granddaughter when all hell breaks loose and CTU sucks him back in. This show really is a thrill ride. The new sets are great and using New York as the setting for this season has been very refreshing. Although given my views on how the UN is so ineffective I sort of wanted to see it get blown up, oh well. It's not too late to give this season of 24 a look, you never know you might like what you see.

One of my favorite shows is Chuck and this has been very entertaining so far. Chuck, while having it's serious, diaster around every turn moments, is truly hilarious. What do you expect when a computer geek gets the entire government database on all the bad guys and their connections, plus a whole bunch of other info, downloaded into his brain. I see this show as a little bit of Get Smart with some of the Matrix tossed in for good measure. I know, not the best analogy, but what would you call it. It doesn't really matter what you call it other than must see TV.

Now, I am so excited for the Tuesday premier of my favorite show LOST. I can't wait to see what happens in this it's final season. I hope we get lots of answers. And most of all I hope that they don't leave us wondering what the hell happened in the end.

State of the Union

2010-01-30T12:53:00.000-06:00

I know that some of what I am going to say in this post will make some people unhappy, but I am only expressing my own thoughts about what President Obama had to say in the State of the Union speech. I am going to quote what was said word for word and in order, with pauses to include my own thoughts about what was said. I have done a lot of research and a lot of thinking about what I will be posting here and I will try my best not to offend anyone. If you disagree with me that's fine, but please don't leave hateful comments. Any and all criticism is welcome as long as it is respectful. My comments will be in blue

Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the president shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They have done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they have done so in the midst of war and depression; at moments of great strife and great struggle.

It's tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable, that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were times that tested the courage of our convictions and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation and one people.
Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history's call.

One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed.

Has it? I don't know that it has, at least not around here. After all with unemployment at 10% or better things can't be doing that much better, right?

But the devastation remains. One in 10 Americans still cannot find work. Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined. Small towns and rural communities have been hit especially hard. For those who had already known poverty, life has become that much harder.

This recession has also compounded the burdens that America's families have been dealing with for decades -- the burden of working harder and longer for less, of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.

So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They're not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for president. These struggles are what I've witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Ind., and Galesburg, Ill. I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children asking why they have to move from their home, or when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work.

For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded but hard work on Main Street isn't, or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems. They are tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can't afford it. Not now.

So we face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope what they deserve is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences, to overcome the numbing weight of our politics. For while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds, different stories and different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same. The aspirations they hold are shared: a job that pays the bills, a chance to get ahead. Most of all, the ability to give their children a better life.

You know what else they share? They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. After one of the most difficult years in our history, they remain busy building cars and teaching kids, starting businesses and going back to school. They're coaching Little League and helping their neighbors. As one woman wrote me, "We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged."

Here again I am not sure that we can consider the past year all that difficult when you look back at the hardships of the Great Depression. Sure things have gotten tough, but while there may be some standing in lines for food and such, it is no where near as bad as it was then. However, this could become the case if our government doesn't start being smart about what they are doing. Inflation is on the horizon and that brings a whole new set of problems that the government will think they need to jump right in to resolve, because we just can't do it ourselves.

It is because of this spirit, this great decency and great strength that I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it's time the American people get a government that matches their decency, that embodies their strength.

Once again it would be nice if our government was actually representative of who we are as a nation. Instead of them always looking out for themselves. In truth, the only real way to solve this issue is by insisting on term limits. Until we put a stop to politicians using their seat to line their own pockets with lobbyist cash we are doomed to continue this cycle. With term limits this would limit the amount of influence lobbyist would have at any one time because no one would be in office lobbying for any particular cause for 40 plus years. People need to stop voting for the status quo, just because they recognize the name. Do your own research and vote for the candidate that best represents your values and not just the Washington establishment.

And tonight, I'd like to talk about how together, we can deliver on that promise.

It begins with our economy.

Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal.

But when I ran for president, I promised I wouldn't just do what was popular -- I would do what was necessary. And if we had allowed the meltdown of the financial system, unemployment might be double what it is today. More businesses would certainly have closed. More homes would have surely been lost.

It's one thing to bailout the banks, that was bad enough, but to follow it up by bailing out Frannie Mae, Freddy Mac, and the auto industy as well. That was the straw that broke the camels back. No company is too big to fail. This is how capitalism works. But once again we must all bow down to the almighty unions. The unions are the biggest reason that the auto industry is in so much trouble. Unions do have a place to represent workers rights, but they should not hold companies hostage to their demands. When you can't make your business profitable because of the constraints of union contracts the union has become the problem.

So I supported the last administration's efforts to create the financial rescue program. And when we took the program over, we made it more transparent and accountable. As a result, the markets are now stabilized, and we have recovered most of the money we spent on the banks.

I don't know how they can say anything about transparency. What they do on a daily basis is about as clear as mud to those of us living in the real world.

To recover the rest, I have proposed a fee on the biggest banks. I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea, but if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need.

I have no problem with the banks that have paid back the bailout money doing with their profits what they wish, as long as they don't come asking for a bailout again. The ones that haven't are a different story altogether they should be limited to paying back bailout funds before giving any bonuses, it's just the right thing to do. But here is the real problem I have with this fee he wants to charge. No one should be taxed in order to recover the bailout money given to the auto industry, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These three should be responsible for repaying their own funds and no one else should suffer because the government in their infinite wisdom made a bad investment in bailing them out. They got themselves into this and now they need to clean it up themselves.

As we stabilized the financial system, we also took steps to get our economy growing again, save as many jobs as possible and help Americans who had become unemployed.

That's why we extended or increased unemployment benefits for more than 18 million Americans, made health insurance 65 percent cheaper for families who get their coverage through COBRA and passed 25 different tax cuts.

Let me repeat: we cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college. As a result, millions of Americans had more to spend on gas, and food and other necessities, all of which helped businesses keep more workers. And we haven't raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person. Not a single dime.

The tax cuts for first-time homebuyers did nothing to help the people who were already being weighted down by a mortgage. In fact it acutually encouraged people to spend more money in an industry that was losing value with each passing day.

Because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed -- 200,000 work in construction and clean energy, 300,000 are teachers and other education workers, tens of thousands are cops, firefighters, correctional officers and first responders. And we are on track to add another one-and-a-half-million jobs to this total by the end of the year.

The plan that has made all of this possible, from the tax cuts to the jobs, is the Recovery Act. That's right -- the Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus bill. Economists on the left and the right say that this bill has helped saved jobs and avert disaster. But you don't have to take their word for it.

Talk to the small business in Phoenix that will triple its work force because of the Recovery Act.

Talk to the window manufacturer in Philadelphia who said he used to be skeptical about the Recovery Act, until he had to add two more work shifts just because of the business it created.

Talk to the single teacher raising two kids who was told by her principal in the last week of school that because of the Recovery Act, she wouldn't be laid off after all.

There are stories like this all across America. And after two years of recession, the economy is growing again. Retirement funds have started to gain back some of their value. Businesses are beginning to invest again, and slowly some are starting to hire again.

I know that my employer is not hiring more people. In fact they have basically had a hiring freeze for full time employees for over a year now. They want us to do more with less, because if they have to hire more employees we all get less compensation when our review cycle comes around. I am pretty sure that my employer isn't the only one is this position.

But I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from -- who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number one focus in 2010, and that is why I am calling for a new jobs bill tonight.

Now, the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America's businesses. But government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.

Government needs to keep it's big nose out of business. The free market economy and the capitalist system will bring this economy back if it isn't hampered by the federal government.

We should start where most new jobs do -- in small businesses, companies that begin when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream or a worker decides it's time she became her own boss.

Through sheer grit and determination, these companies have weathered the recession and are ready to grow. But when you talk to small business owners in places like Allentown, Pa., or Elyria, Ohio, you find out that even though banks on Wall Street are lending again, they are mostly lending to bigger companies. But financing remains difficult for small business owners across the country.

So tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I am also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over 1 million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment and provide a tax incentive for all businesses, large and small, to invest in new plants and equipment.

What good do tax incentives do if once the business grows and becomes profitable the federal government wants to take any profit they may make. Obscene profits as they like to say are a sign of a business doing what it is supposed to do, make money for it's owners/shareholders. This is one of the most American things you can do. It's a huge part of the American dream to be able to start a business and be successful with it. No one should be punished for being successful.

Next, we can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. From the first railroads to the interstate highway system, our nation has always been built to compete. There's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.

What factory in China is manufacturing clean energy products. You have to figure that even if they are making solar panels they are more than likely using a very environmentally unfriendly method. Look at all of the recalls we have had on Chinese produced products due to lead or other poison substances.

Tomorrow, I'll visit Tampa, Fla., where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help our nation move goods, services and information. We should put more Americans to work building clean energy facilities and give rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy efficient, which supports clean energy jobs. And to encourage these and other businesses to stay within our borders, it's time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs in the United States of America.

How many people travel by train anymore. I know that maybe this is more prevalent in the east, but there isn't a lot of train travel by people otherwise. On the tax break issue I am actually in agreement with him here no company shipping jobs overseas should be receiving tax breaks. These should be reserved for companies who are using American workers to create American products.

The House has passed a jobs bill that includes some of these steps. As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same. People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay.

What is it withe this man and wanting everything without delay. This is what happened with health care and did it work? No, thank God. Rushing things never leads to good legislation.

But the truth is, these steps still won't make up for the 7 million jobs we've lost over the last two years. The only way to move to full employment is to lay a new foundation for long-term economic growth and finally address the problems that America's families have confronted for years.

We cannot afford another so-called economic expansion like the one from last decade -- what some call the lost decade -- where jobs grew more slowly than during any prior expansion, where the income of the average American household declined while the cost of health care and tuition reached record highs, where prosperity was built on a housing bubble and financial speculation.

From the day I took office, I have been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious -- that such efforts would be too contentious, that our political system is too gridlocked and that we should just put things on hold for a while.

For those who make these claims, I have one simple question:

How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?

You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China's not waiting to revamp its economy; Germany's not waiting; India's not waiting. These nations aren't standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They are making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.

Well I do not accept second place for the United States of America. As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it's time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.

One place to start is serious financial reform. Look, I am not interested in punishing banks, I'm interested in protecting our economy. A strong, healthy financial market makes it possible for businesses to access credit and create new jobs. It channels the savings of families into investments that raise incomes. But that can only happen if we guard against the same recklessness that nearly brought down our entire economy.

We need to make sure consumers and middle class families have the information they need to make financial decisions. We can't allow financial institutions, including those that take your deposits, to take risks that threaten the whole economy.

The House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are already trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back.

Fortunately or unfortunately he doesn't have the final say on this. If he sends it back that doesn't mean that Congress won't override a veto. Given the current animosity on both sides of the aisle I would be surprised if they could muster enough votes to override a veto, but then again they could just bribe one another until they have the votes they need.

Next, we need to encourage American innovation. Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history -- an investment that could lead to the world's cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched. And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy. You can see the results of last year's investment in clean energy -- in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide helping to make advanced batteries, or in the California business that will put 1,000 people to work making solar panels.

These investments were made with money that doesn't even exist. We owe money and they claim all these new investments. Just borrow more from China, they won't notice that we never pay it back. Next thing you know we will all be learning Chinese, because they will own everything.

But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. That means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.

If I remember correctly these clean nuclear power plants, offshore oil and gas, biofuels, and clean coal were all brought up by one Sarah Palin during the 2008 election. It's funny how they will look to these things when they can't get anything else to work. These are great ideas if I thought for a second that he was serious I would offer some kudos for working towards them. As to the climate bill, there are so many things wrong with the bill they are currently working with that there is no hope of anything actually helping. Cap and Trade is a bad idea all around and will do nothing to help the struggling American consumer. Not to mention that given the current deficits there is no money for this type of legislation.

I am grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year. This year, I am eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate. I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy, and I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future -- because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.

I am so sick of this "overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change". I believe that there is ample proof that much of this so called evidence is false and that much has been done to cover up the real facts. The earth goes through temperature cycles, this much is true. After all in the 70's they were warning about global cooling, now it is global warming. So instead of just admitting to the facts that its a normal function of the earth they have decided to dub it 'global climate change', so that when it is cooling again in a few years they won't be confusing us poor stupid people who don't know any better.

Third, we need to export more of our goods. Because the more products we make and sell to other countries, the more jobs we support right here in America. So tonight, we set a new goal: We will double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support 2 million jobs in America. To help meet this goal, we're launching a national export initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports and reform export controls consistent with national security.

Exporting more is a great idea in theory. The problem here is that our products while being better made are more often than not far more expensive than what you can get from China and elsewhere. You can't expect people to start buying products from us just because we want them to, not when it is cheaper elsewhere.

We have to seek new markets aggressively, just as our competitors are. If America sits on the sidelines while other nations sign trade deals, we will lose the chance to create jobs on our shores. But realizing those benefits also means enforcing those agreements so our trading partners play by the rules. And that's why we will continue to shape a Doha trade agreement that opens global markets, and why we will strengthen our trade relations in Asia and with key partners like South Korea, Panama and Colombia.

Fourth, we need to invest in the skills and education of our people.

This year, we have broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools. The idea here is simple: Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform -- reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to inner cities. In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education. In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than their potential.

When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states. Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another 1 million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service. Because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college. And it's time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs -- because they too have a responsibility to help solve this problem.

Now, the price of college tuition is just one of the burdens facing the middle class. That's why last year I asked Vice President Biden to chair a task force on middle class families. That's why we're nearly doubling the child care tax credit, and making it easier to save for retirement by giving every worker access to a retirement account and expanding the tax credit for those who start a nest egg. That's why we're working to lift the value of a family's single largest investment -- their home. The steps we took last year to shore up the housing market have allowed millions of Americans to take out new loans and save an average of $1,500 on mortgage payments. This year, we will step up refinancing so that homeowners can move into more affordable mortgages. And it is precisely to relieve the burden on middle-class families that we still need health insurance reform.

Now let's be clear -- I did not choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now it should be fairly obvious that I didn't take on health care because it was good politics.

I took on health care because of the stories I've heard from Americans with pre-existing conditions whose lives depend on getting coverage, patients who've been denied coverage and families -- even those with insurance -- who are just one illness away from financial ruin.

The problem here is that no one wants your healthcare plan and the country cannot afford another entitlement program. What we need is tort reform and some actual transparency in the debate over healthcare reform.

After nearly a century of trying, we are closer than ever to bringing more security to the lives of so many Americans. The approach we've taken would protect every American from the worst practices of the insurance industry. It would give small businesses and uninsured Americans a chance to choose an affordable health care plan in a competitive market. It would require every insurance plan to cover preventive care. And by the way, I want to acknowledge our first lady, Michelle Obama, who this year is creating a national movement to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity and make our kids healthier.

Congratulations to Michelle Obama for taking on the challenge of fighting childhood obesity. Good luck getting kids to put down the video game controllers, cell phones, and laptops and getting some exercise and making better food choices.

Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan. It would reduce costs and premiums for millions of families and businesses. And according to the Congressional Budget Office -- the independent organization that both parties have cited as the official scorekeeper for Congress -- our approach would bring down the deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades.

Still, this is a complex issue, and the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse trading, this process left most Americans wondering what's in it for them.

But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans and neither should the people in this chamber.

As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo. But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors and stop insurance company abuses, let me know. Here's what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people.

All this plan accomplishes for businesses is higher premiums which they will pass on to their employees. Or they will drop the insurance entirely and put all of their employees on the government plan. In my opinion we the people should not be offered a plan that our government representatives wouldn't go on themselves. If it's good enough for us then it's good enough for them. They should be required to go on the exact same plan that they offer us.

Now, even as health care reform would reduce our deficit, it's not enough to dig us out of a massive fiscal hole in which we find ourselves. It's a challenge that makes all others that much harder to solve, and one that's been subject to a lot of political posturing.

So let me start the discussion of government spending by setting the record straight. At the beginning of the last decade, America had a budget surplus of over $200 billion. By the time I took office, we had a one year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts and an expensive prescription drug program. On top of that, the effects of the recession put a $3 trillion hole in our budget. That was before I walked in the door.

Now if we had taken office in ordinary times, I would have liked nothing more than to start bringing down the deficit. But we took office amid a crisis, and our efforts to prevent a second depression have added another $1 trillion to our national debt.

And once again we must place the blame on George W Bush. What led to these deficits was having to rebuild our military after it was dismantled during the Clinton years. When 9/11 happened and we went to war with terrorist we had no other choice than to spend the money necessary to train and equip our military. I will say however that there should have been an effort made at that time to help defray the costs of the war. There were mistakes made and yes them led to deficits, but congress kept right on spending money willy nilly anyway.

I am absolutely convinced that was the right thing to do. But families across the country are tightening their belts and making tough decisions. The federal government should do the same. So tonight, I'm proposing specific steps to pay for the $1 trillion that it took to rescue the economy last year.

Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't. And if I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will.

Why would you limit this to three years. Wouldn't it make more sense to make it a permanent practice to limit discretionary spending. Most families do this on a permanent basis. You don't come home ond day and suddenly say in three years we can just spend all of the money we want.

We will continue to go through the budget line by line to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year. To help working families, we will extend our middle-class tax cuts. But at a time of record deficits, we will not continue tax cuts for oil companies, investment fund managers and those making over $250,000 a year. We just can't afford it.

Once again why doesn't the president have a line item veto. This would save a lot more money than any single bill that Congress could pass. As for this $250,000 a year mark it's a slippery slope. I know people who make less than $100,000 a year who have had their taxed increase, so don't tell me you haven't taxed people below $250,00. It's a flat out lie.

Now, even after paying for what we spent on my watch, we will still face the massive deficit we had when I took office. More importantly, the cost of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will continue to skyrocket. That's why I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I will issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans. And when the vote comes tomorrow, the Senate should restore the pay-as-you-go law that was a big reason why we had record surpluses in the 1990s.

The pay as you go law should never have been allowed to lapse. There are always things that can be trimmed or maintained at current levels to help make up the difference. No one needs a $10 toilet seat when you can buy one for $5, if you know what I mean. Perhaps Congress whould give up some of their expensive perks for the good of the budget.

I know that some in my own party will argue that we cannot address the deficit or freeze government spending when so many are still hurting. I agree, which is why this freeze will not take effect until next year, when the economy is stronger. But understand -- if we do not take meaningful steps to rein in our debt, it could damage our markets, increase the cost of borrowing and jeopardize our recovery -- all of which could have an even worse effect on our job growth and family incomes.

From some on the right, I expect we'll hear a different argument -- that if we just make fewer investments in our people, extend tax cuts for wealthier Americans, eliminate more regulations and maintain the status quo on health care, our deficits will go away. The problem is, that's what we did for eight years. That's what helped lead us into this crisis. It's what helped lead to these deficits. And we cannot do it again.

Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it's time to try something new. Let's invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let's meet our responsibility to the citizens who sent us here. Let's try common sense.

I have never met anyone who has gotten a job from a poor person. Those that have money are the ones who create the jobs. When you tax them more they choose to spend less to create jobs. It is simple math, but Washington cannot figure it out because they have no common sense.

To do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -- deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly and to give our people the government they deserve.

That's what I came to Washington to do. That's why -- for the first time in history -- my administration posts our White House visitors online. And that's why we've excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs or seats on federal boards and commissions.

This comment about the lobbyist is a departure from his campaign speeches in which he said he would not employ lobbyist in his administration. It also doesn't instill trust in his administration when you see all of the tax issues that came up about his various cabinet nominees.

But we can't stop there. It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or Congress. And it's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office. Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections. Well, I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that's why I'm urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.

Does this include his buddies at ACORN and SEIU. Because they have been doing this all along. Sure they deny it but it is pretty clear if you do enough research. After all Andy Stern the president of SEIU is a frequent visitor to the White House.

I'm also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform. You have trimmed some of this spending and embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members of Congress post some earmark requests online. Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent. Of course, none of these reforms will even happen if we don't also reform how we work with one another.

No Congressperson should be requesting earmarks when we are running a deficit. If there were one thing that would solve a lot of our fiscal problems this would be the one. No one district or state should be receiving something that others are not. Furthermore none of these earmarks are necessary spending. Just stop it already.

Now, I am not naive. I never thought the mere fact of my election would usher in peace, harmony and some post-partisan era. I knew that both parties have fed divisions that are deeply entrenched. And on some issues, there are simply philosophical differences that will always cause us to part ways. These disagreements, about the role of government in our lives, about our national priorities and our national security, have been taking place for over 200 years. They are the very essence of our democracy.

But what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is election day. We cannot wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about their opponent -- a belief that if you lose, I win. Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can. The confirmation of well-qualified public servants should not be held hostage to the pet projects or grudges of a few individual senators. Washington may think that saying anything about the other side, no matter how false, is just part of the game. But it is precisely such politics that has stopped either party from helping the American people. Worse yet, it is sowing further division among our citizens and further distrust in our government.

It's funny that when the Republicans were the majority and the Democrats were doing these same things it was okay. Now that the roles are reversed the Republicans are just obstructing the workings of Congress.

So no, I will not give up on changing the tone of our politics. I know it's an election year. And after last week, it is clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern. To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together. This week, I'll be addressing a meeting of the House Republicans. And I would like to begin monthly meetings with both the Democratic and Republican leadership. I know you can't wait.

Throughout our history, no issue has united this country more than our security. Sadly, some of the unity we felt after 9/11 has dissipated. We can argue all we want about who's to blame for this, but I am not interested in relitigating the past. I know that all of us love this country. All of us are committed to its defense. So let's put aside the schoolyard taunts about who is tough. Let's reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values. Let's leave behind the fear and division and do what it takes to defend our nation and forge a more hopeful future -- for America and the world.

That is the work we began last year. Since the day I took office, we have renewed our focus on the terrorists who threaten our nation. We have made substantial investments in our homeland security and disrupted plots that threatened to take American lives. We are filling unacceptable gaps revealed by the failed Christmas attack, with better airline security and swifter action on our intelligence. We have prohibited torture and strengthened partnerships from the Pacific to South Asia to the Arabian Peninsula. And in the last year, hundreds of al-Qaida's fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed -- far more than in 2008.

In Afghanistan, we are increasing our troops and training Afghan Security Forces so they can begin to take the lead in July of 2011 and our troops can begin to come home. We will reward good governance, reduce corruption and support the rights of all Afghans -- men and women alike. We are joined by allies and partners who have increased their own commitment, and who will come together tomorrow in London to reaffirm our common purpose. There will be difficult days ahead. But I am confident we will succeed.

As we take the fight to al-Qaida, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war, and that is what I am doing as president. We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August. We will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity. But make no mistake: This war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home. Tonight, all of our men and women in uniform -- in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world -- must know that they have our respect, our gratitude and our full support. And just as they must have the resources they need in war, we all have a responsibility to support them when they come home. That is why we made the largest increase in investments for veterans in decades. That is why we are building a 21st century VA. And that is why Michelle has joined with Jill Biden to forge a national commitment to support military families.

Even as we prosecute two wars, we are also confronting perhaps the greatest danger to the American people -- the threat of nuclear weapons. I have embraced the vision of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan through a strategy that reverses the spread of these weapons and seeks a world without them. To reduce our stockpiles and launchers, while ensuring our deterrent, the United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades. And at April's nuclear security summit, we will bring 44 nations together behind a clear goal: securing all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years, so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists.

This would be good, but how many of these countries can we really trust. I don't trust Russia at all. They seem to be moving back toward the Cold War Era and away from the open society they were becoming.

These diplomatic efforts have also strengthened our hand in dealing with those nations that insist on violating international agreements in pursuit of these weapons. That is why North Korea now faces increased isolation and stronger sanctions -- sanctions that are being vigorously enforced. That is why the international community is more united, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated. And as Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: They, too, will face growing consequences.

More UN sanctions. Yeah, those work real well. Doesn't seem to bother Kim Jong-Il too much. It hurts his people, but he doesn't seem to care about them overly much. And while Ahmadinejad may be President of Iran everyone know that the Mullahs are actually in control and using him to their own ends.I don't by any means think that Ahmadinejad is only acting as a puppet, I believe he is in full agreement with the Mullahs, but this keeps their hands clean while dirtying his. Do we really think sanctions will work with these types of governments? I don't, because as long as the leaders are sitting pretty they don't really care about their citizens.

That is the leadership that we are providing -- engagement that advances the common security and prosperity of all people. We are working through the G-20 to sustain a lasting global recovery. We are working with Muslim communities around the world to promote science, education and innovation. We have gone from a bystander to a leader in the fight against climate change. We are helping developing countries to feed themselves and continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS. And we are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad.

As we have for over 60 years, America takes these actions because our destiny is connected to those beyond our shores. But we also do it because it is right. That is why, as we meet here tonight, over 10,000 Americans are working with many nations to help the people of Haiti recover and rebuild. That is why we stand with the girl who yearns to go to school in Afghanistan, we support the human rights of the women marching through the streets of Iran, and we advocate for the young man denied a job by corruption in Guinea. For America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity.

Abroad, America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it, that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else.

We must continually renew this promise. My administration has a civil rights division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate. This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. We are going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws -- so that women get equal pay for an equal day's work. And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nations.

If only I could believe that they will actually try to enforce our immigration laws and deport those who are here illigally. I welcome anyone who follows the rules, but if you don't, you shouldn't be allowed to stay.

In the end, it is our ideals, our values, that built America -- values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe, values that drive our citizens still. Every day, Americans meet their responsibilities to their families and their employers. Time and again, they lend a hand to their neighbors and give back to their country. They take pride in their labor, and are generous in spirit. These aren't Republican values or Democratic values they're living by, business values or labor values. They are American values.

Unfortunately, too many of our citizens have lost faith that our biggest institutions -- our corporations, our media and, yes, our government -- still reflect these same values. Each of these institutions are full of honorable men and women doing important work that helps our country prosper. But each time a CEO rewards himself for failure, or a banker puts the rest of us at risk for his own selfish gain, people's doubts grow. Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith. The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates into silly arguments and big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away.

No wonder there's so much cynicism out there.

No wonder there's so much disappointment.

I campaigned on the promise of change -- change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change -- or at least, that I can deliver it.

But remember this -- I never suggested that change would be easy or that I can do it alone. Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is.

Those of us in public office can respond to this reality by playing it safe and avoid telling hard truths. We can do what's necessary to keep our poll numbers high and get through the next election instead of doing what's best for the next generation.

Isn't this always how Washington works.

But I also know this: If people had made that decision 50 years ago or 100 years ago or 200 years ago, we wouldn't be here tonight. The only reason we are is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard, to do what was needed even when success was uncertain, to do what it took to keep the dream of this nation alive for their children and grandchildren.

This is true, but you actually have to listen to people to find out what they want or need from the government. I think that you will find that most people would prefer less government interference in their day to day lives.

Our administration has had some political setbacks this year and some of them were deserved. But I wake up every day knowing that they are nothing compared to the setbacks that families all across this country have faced this year. And what keeps me going -- what keeps me fighting -- is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism -- that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people -- lives on. It lives on in the struggling small business owner who wrote to me of his company, "None of us," he said, "are willing to consider, even slightly, that we might fail."

It lives on in the woman who said that even though she and her neighbors have felt the pain of recession, "We are strong. We are resilient. We are American."
It lives on in the 8-year-old boy in Louisiana, who just sent me his allowance and asked if I would give it to the people of Haiti. And it lives on in all the Americans who've dropped everything to go some place they've never been and pull people they've never known from rubble, prompting chants of "USA! USA! USA!" when another life was saved.

The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people.

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

Thank you. God Bless You. And God Bless the United States of America.

All in all this was not an oratory success for Obama. He didn't do what he usually does. During the campaign he could draw you in to listening to him even if you didn't believe a word out of his mouth.
There are a few things in this speech that I would like to see happen. And it did appear that he moved ever so slightly to the right on some issues. But for the most part this was a stay the course speech, which as exactly what I expected.
Truth be told I hadn't planned on watching it at all, but my brother needed to for a class at school.
Hopefully you at least found my comments entertaining.

Sore as hell

2010-01-18T11:55:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know it's a strange title, but it is the truth. I am sore as hell. I have been working out with my EA Sports Active Personal Trainer for the Wii. I bought it a week ago and just haven't gotten around to putting it to use, but now I have. It's been a lot of fun and now it's just a lot of soreness. You don't really realize it while you are working out/playing with it that your muscles are getting sore, but they are.
I really enjoy it and it makes working out a lot of fun. There are all kinds of activities from running, boxing, strength training, inline skating, to dancing. I have only been at it for a couple of days, but it has a lot of variety and it is very motivating. You can choose your own workout or do the preset workouts or 30 day challenge. I started with the 30 day challenge yesterday and it can really get you to work up a sweat.
You can use the EA Sports Active Personal Trainer with or without the Wii balance board, so don't worry if you don't have one. In fact yesterday I did several events with the board and today I didn't use it at all.
So, if you are like me and want to find a fun new way to work out check it out and have fun.
I have received no payments or gifts for this post. These are my own opinions and experiences with the product.

Can't Miss Premieres

2010-01-11T18:18:00.000-06:00

Here's a list of the five winter television premieres that I won't miss.

I have watched this show from the very beginning and now that the end is nigh I can't miss an episode.

Gotta love Jack Baur. In this day and age I kinda have to hope that we have a Jack Baur or two on our side.

BIG LOVE I don't know what it is about these crazy mormons, but I just can't get enough.

I get a kick out of this show. Chuck Bartowski is the bomb.

I loved BSG and can't wait to see what is to come with this show.

Need Some Extra Cash?

2010-01-08T17:02:00.000-06:00

You can get paid by doing what you already do. If you use email, google, twitter, facebook, my space, or msn, yahoo or aim, then you can get paid. Do you shop on the internet, if you do then you get paid.

How?

With People String. It's free to join and start making money.

All you have to do is sign up for free and make people string your home page. You don't have to make this your homepage, but you will miss out on some of the earnings if you don't. Once you have joined sign up for MAILBOX-CASHBOX and wait for the postman to deliver your People String postcard with your activation key.
While you are waiting on the snail mail you can use People String to access your yahoo mail, gmail, MSN or and AOL emails and earn money while doing so.
The same goes for Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Simply sign in through the People String portal and earn money.
This works for IM as well.
So simple and easy don't you think.
There is also a referal and downline program, but I haven't entirely figured all of it out yet.

I got my card in the mail about 2-3 weeks after signing up and was surprised at how simple everything was. I haven't made a lot of money, but then I didn't expect a lot of money. It is actually pretty nice to have all of my links that I use daily right there on the People String page. I haven't been a member for long, but the time I have spent there has been very nice and everyone is very helpful.
Check it out. You never know you just might like what you find.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T17:56:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. May all of your hopes and dreams for the coming year be fulfilled. Have a great New Year's Eve and be careful out there.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T04:00:00.000-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

(image from freefoto.com)

Have a safe and happy holiday season. Keep warm and enjoy your families.

Surprise!!

2009-12-23T14:39:00.000-06:00

Ken Brown and his wonderful team at Adgitize gave thier users an early Christmas present today. They reduced advertising prices back to the original $14 per month. Here is what Ken had to say in his blog post today.

Merry Christmas from All of us at Adgitize. We have decided to roll back all our ad prices to the prices they were set at in September 2009.
Why? A couple of reasons. Many of you read Eli’s suggestion last week to have a one day Ad price moratorium for Christmas Day only where we would charge only $14 for new ads. This sparked a loud debate at Adgitize. My initial reaction was “no the prices are what the prices are and we will not have a one day gift price.”
But, the debate wasn’t settled. My associates began to question why I had a logo that said, “World Class Advertising on a Blogger’s Budget” when no bloggers could really afford the new prices? Why indeed. We talked, we yelled, we cajoled, we questioned and then we looked at the numbers and the old ad prices.
No matter my intent, Adgitize has costs each and every month. That was why I had raised the prices in the first place to cover the increased costs when Adgitize went to dedicated servers. But, then I was communicating with an Adgitize member named Jen and she mentioned that Adgitize was an ad Traffic Exchange. She didn’t really say that in so many words, but she was right. With the new prices, Adgitize had pushed bloggers out of our marketplace and the only ones still participating were members that were hoping to recoup their entire ad costs each month in publisher fees.
Previously, the ad prices allowed any blogger to place their blog logo or brand image on the Adgitize Ad Network and never have to worry about publishing ads to recover their ad price. Adgitize ads were reasonable. Many advertisers weren’t even publishers. Their only intent was to get brand recognition and more traffic. They weren’t interested in clicking ads. We encouraged all our members to visit our advertisers and we made our publisher fees at a rate that would entice our publishers to be both advertisers and publishers.
But, a year and a half ago I had an intent to create a Publisher / Advertiser model in the vein of Google and Yahoo. Advertisers would come to Adgitize to create traffic to their blog with no intent or expectation of being both an advertiser and a publisher. Publishers would place the Adgitize Ad Groups on their blogs with the hope of recovering blog costs and maybe earning a little more for fun things throughout the year.

But, I screwed up. I made the publisher fees such that it encouraged a marketplace of publisher / advertiser members. I made a big point of how each advertiser could earn enough each month to cover their ads on Adgitize. This was good and encouraged many to become advertisers. But, that model was also flawed in the fact that to make it work the publisher fees had to be high.
The new higher prices would work and could help sustain the business. But, we lost many good, honest, hard working bloggers in the process. Many bloggers work part time, enjoy writing and want to make a couple bucks and get some traffic. They aren’t a Target, Kohl’s, JCPenny or a Home Depot advertising with millions of dollars in their budget. They just want some traffic, some comments and a little recognition of the hard work they put in to make their blog. I forgot that point. I raised the prices too high for these bloggers. I blew it. I am sorry.
So, as my Christmas gift to all bloggers in the world, Adgitize is rolling back our prices to the September 2009 level where you could get a one month ad for $14.
What does this mean for publisher fees? Well, Adgitize still has costs that must be handled each month. If we don’t then …. The only way to make it work is to go back to the concept of the publisher/advertiser model and move away from the Traffic Exchange model. Nothing will change except the publisher percentage will go down. Many of the top earners will see a reduction of anywhere from $2 to $4 each month from where they were in September. Many of the top earners will still earn enough to cover the cost of the monthly ad. But, the number of points to reach that level will be higher than it was in September.
When do the new lower prices begin? Immediately. If you go to the Advertise button right now you will get the new prices.
My hope is that we will have many more new advertisers and publisher / affiliates can earn additional money with the advertiser bonuses. If you have an ad in the system today at the higher rates then we will extend that ad for 22 days for $24 ad / 10 days for $18 ad / 5 days for $12 ad. Adgitize will pick up the cost during those extra days and you won’t see a reduction in publisher payouts with the extended ads. All ad bonuses will be paid at the level of the ad price. As we progress through January 2010 you will see earnings begin to drop each day as new ads enter the marketplace at the new prices. This will be a gradual process.
We rushed through these changes over this weekend and we hope you can join us in cheering the holidays with lower advertising costs now and throughout 2010. If you want to blame any one for being stupid with ad prices you can blame me. I make mistakes. The higher ad prices were a mistake and I hope you can forgive me for that decision. I wish you all the best during the holiday season and a very special New Year!

I very much appreciate Ken's words and willingness to admit that there were flaws in the previous plan. This network is truly a wonderful group of people. They go out of their way to be friendly and help out.
If you are looking for a new advertising venue please take a look at Adgitize. The only times I have failed to make back my advertising investment have been with the $24 ads and when I first started using Adgitize. I usually get my initial $14 back and then some. This is by no means a huge money maker, but as long as you do your part, posting on your blog, visiting other blogs, and clicking on the adgitize ads, you can earn a little cash. There is also an affiliate program where you can earn more when people sign up using your affiliate number and buy advertising. You don't have to advertise to earn, but advertising does give you more potential for earning. Advertising also reduces the number of ads you have to click to receive the maximum click points available each day.
My affiliate link has been included in this post, you can use it when you sign up or not. Just check out Adgitize and see if it is right for you. If you have any questions please leave me a comment and I will do my very best to get you an answer.

Done

2009-12-19T16:43:00.000-06:00

I'm officially done with all of my Christmas shopping. I just got home from a shopping trip. The crowds were crazy. You can really tell that the Christmas crunch is starting. Everywhere I went the crowds were awful. No one would leave room for anyone else to get by and heaven forbid that you might actually want to pick something up. I always try to be polite to other shoppers when I am shopping, but this time of year people just seem to be incredibly rude. It doesn't make sense to me, but it happens every year. Anyway, I got everything that I had to get and a few things I didn't. Now I just have to get a lot of baking done before Friday. In fact if I don't get started on it right away it will never happen.

Boo Hoo

2009-12-10T17:30:00.000-06:00

So, I get home from my CPR and First Aid class today and find that my favorite soap opera has been canceled and will be off of the air in Sept. of 2010. I started watching As The World Turns when I was a teenager during the summer months when it was too hot to be outside running around. I have been hooked ever since. While I know that these are just characters on a screen, I still feel some attachment to them and will miss them when they are gone. I liken it to reading a book and not wanting it to end. You watch these characters as they grow up, get married, live their lives, and sometimes their deaths. I didn't necessarily get to watch everyday, but the show has always been there when I wanted to watch. I will miss watching the Snyder's, Hughes's, and Stewart's. They will alway's hold a special place in my tv loving heart.

Oh, the good news is I passed my CPR and First Aid course. However, I don't ever want to have to put it too use. Perhaps the showrunners at As The World Turns should have tried CPR a lot sooner. Maybe then my favorite soap wouldn't have gotten the axe.

Snow and Cookies

2009-12-06T10:33:00.000-06:00

So, it actually snowed a little bit here on Friday. Unfortunately I was at work and stuck inside while it was happening and didn't get to really enjoy it. It is such a rare event here that no matter how cold it may be I always want to go outside and really experience it.
It did put me more in the mood for all of the holiday baking and celebrating that's coming up. I usually give baked goods, cookies, candies and such to my co-workers for Christmas. I couldn't afford to do much more than that, but I do like to include as many as I can in my gift giving. It doesn't hurt that I love to bake and that it helps to keep my house warm this time of year either.
As I sit here writing this I have about 3 dozen cookies just waiting on their icing and decoration. I am going to get that done today and try to make a couple of other types of cookies as well as candy coated pretzels. Sounds yummy right. Maybe I will post some pictures of the best ones, we'll see about that.

November's Top Droppers

2009-12-02T18:29:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all of my top Entrecard droppers for November. I haven't been posting as much as I would like but you have been very kind in continuing to visit.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:33:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your families and if for any reason you can't be with them know that they are thinking about you. To our wonderful service men and women and their families who cannot be together thank you so much for everything you do. This country wouldn't be celebrating this holiday without the sacrifices you make. I wish each and every one of you a quick and safe return to your homes and families. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Mmm stew

2009-11-19T18:41:00.000-06:00

Ain't nothin' better than coming home to dinner already cooked. I started a wonderful homemade stew in the crock pot last night and left it cooking on low all day while I was at work. It's got beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. It has finally gotten cool enough down here that warm and hearty soups and stews sound good for dinner. It's kind of hard to eat stuff like this when it is 100 degrees outside. Now that I have teased you all with my yummy dinner I need to go eat it. Later.

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T19:13:00.000-06:00

Today is a day in which we honor all of our military veterans for their service. I don't know where this country would be without our military. We depend on them for our very freedom. I would like to extend my whole hearted thanks to everyone who has served and those who continue to serve. With that in mind I pulled up a little information about the history behind Veterans Day.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation" which stated: "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible."

This quote is from an article on the The US Dept. of Veterans Affairs website. Please click the link to learn more.

Ft. Hood

2009-11-06T17:06:00.000-06:00

I just want to send my heartfelt thoughts and prayers out to the friends and families of everyone at Ft. Hood. It is so shocking to have something like this happen on an Army base. Most people would think that this is a very safe place to be given that these folks are there to defend this country. It is especially hurtful that it was one of those men who chose to join the Army who committed this terrible act.
Thank you to all of our service men and women for all that you do to keep this country safe. God Bless you and may something like this never happen again.

Elections

2009-11-04T18:39:00.000-06:00

So, now that this year's elections are over what have we learned. Have the democrats really taken a hit? Yes and no, they lost two governor's races, one in a state that always votes the opposite of whoever is in the White House, and one that they should have had locked down given that it was New Jersey. The more troublesome problem for the dems and the republicans is the race in New York for congressional district 23. This race poses some real problems in that an independant conservative candidate who hadn't been in the race for a month came within 5 percentage points of winning this race. This came about after the republican candidate, who most felt was too liberal to begin with, pulled out of the race and tossed her support to the democrat candidate. We may never know how this race would have shaken out if the republican candidate's name had been removed from the ballot. Where would those votes have fallen? Oh, and by the way President Obama had gone out and campaigned for all of the democrat candidates recently.

What does all of this mean right now? Have the grassroots and tea party movements made a difference? I don't know myself. It seems to me that people are taking a closer look at their leaders. And maybe they don't like what they see. This time next year we will all know if this has just been a glimpse at what the coming election will resemble or if it was just a fluke. What do you think?

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T12:56:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again where everyone dress up their kids and sends them door to door begging for a trick or a treat. I live out in the middle of nowhere and no longer have ankle biters knocking on my door, but I use to enjoy handing out candy to kids. After all I wasn't responsible for the sugar rush or the stomach ache that would surely follow. I always enjoyed the cute costumes that the kids would wear, but now things have changed and I just don't understand why a parent would dress their 7-10 year old up and let them leave the house looking like a street walker. But who am I kidding, these are probably the same people who let their child dress like this on a daily basis. Anyway, I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween. I'll be home probably watching the Ghost Hunters Marathon on SyFy.

Here is a great article from National Geographic about Halloween and it's history. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081027-halloween-facts-costumes-history.html

GO SPURS GO!

2009-10-27T19:03:00.000-05:00

So, the NBA season is starting up and I just wanted to say GO SPURS GO. They have made some really nice changes in their line up this year. If they can stay healthy they may just have a chance at the finals again. They should certainly do better than last year.

Balloon Boy Hoax

2009-10-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

I suppose that by now everyone has heard the story of the boy and the balloon, but for those that haven't here's a short summary.
There once was a family who liked to be on "reality" tv shows. The family built an experimental weather balloon in their backyard. On the day the balloon was released the little boy reportedly had climbed inside the balloon just before they let it go. Well as you would imagine everyone freaks out and calls in all manner of people to help in the search for the boy. They track the balloon with helicopters and they let airplanes know to avoid the balloon. Once the balloon descends back to earth it was quickly discovered that the boy wasn't there. It didn't appear to me that even the smallest of children could have been in this homemade balloon. Lo and behold the child then turns up at his home, where he had been hiding all along.
Later on an interview on the Larry King Show the child makes a small comment about how the whole thing was for a TV show and people start to question whether this was real or a hoax.
Now the mother has admitted in an affidavit that they knew all along that the boy was hiding in the house. She has reportedly told investingators that the hoax was devised about two weeks earlier. She also said that they had instructed their three children to lie to the authorities and the media about the hoax.

This whole thing is completely ridiculous. What on earth made these people think that this would ever be a good idea. I guess in some ways they got exactly what they were looking for, another 15 minutes of fame. But at what cost. What kind of example is this for your children?
The county sheriff is recommending charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities, and attempting to influence a public servant. The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

Heroes

2009-10-20T18:27:00.000-05:00

I just finished watching last nights episode of Heroes. I really enjoyed it. I have decided that Zachary Quinto is an awesome actor. Each scene he was in was spot on. I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, bu the Hall of Mirrors scenes were so good. I didn't really care much for Robert Knepper when he was on Prison Break, but his portrayal of Samuel is really intriguing to me.
I also like the way that they have focused the show this year. Only telling 3 to 4 stories each episode is so much easier to keep up with and it just makes more sense. The pacing of the storytelling has improved a lot over last year. In some ways it almost has the same feel as the first season.

Yum!

2009-10-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

I found these wonderful new 100% Whole Wheat Oroweat Sandwich Thins. They are so yummy. I love bread, but when I have a sandwich or burger the bread/bun is usually too thick for me. These things are just right and best of all they are only 100 calories. Give em a try, they are well worth it. You can find more information and recipes at http://www.sandwichthins.com/. The photo is from the Bimbo Bakeries USA site.

Well, it is back to work in the morning, so I had best get my butt to bed or I won't be good for anything tomorrow.

TGIF

2009-10-16T17:54:00.000-05:00

It's friday and I couldn't be more pleased. This week has been pretty trying for me. I had a migraine for a couple of days, but I still went to work. I probably shouldn't have since they are doing some remodeling in the room that I work in and one day they were putting in concrete nails (damn that's loud) and the next day they were cutting and drilling through metal (almost as bad as nails on a chalk board). It is pretty bad when I have my iPod sound all the way up and still can't hear over the noise. That so didn't help the migraine any. If you have ever suffered from migraines you can understand how much they just totally drain all of your energy and make you feel like crap. Despite that I still managed to hit the gym 4 days this week. I don't think I helped myself out much by changing my routine and adding a bunch of strength training when I was already so drained, but I did it anyway. So, now all I want to do is go to sleep, but there is still dinner to make and things that I need to do so that I don't have to do them this weekend.
Fortunately the only thing planned for the weekend is some grocery shopping. Hopefully I can get some rest and have a better week next week.

Cafe World

2009-10-15T18:38:00.000-05:00

Cafe World is a game on Facebook, and I must confess that I have become totally addicted. I think this is probably part of the reason I was so ticked off when I couldn't get on Facebook for a week. Anyway, this game may be boring to some, but I enjoy it. You start out with a cafe and a few stoves, serving stations, and seating areas. You can also hire your friends to work in your cafe and vice versa. You can make all kinds of food as you level up more options become available to you. There are certain actions that you have to do in order for a dish to cook and the cooking times vary from dish to dish. Customers randomly come in and eat whatever you have prepared. You can also decorate you cafe however you like.
I played Restaurant City for a while, but now that I have found this game I don't play it anymore. I like the control you have with Cafe World. I also like that you don't constantly have to go and check that your employees are rested. That never seemed to work out well for me.

Flash Forward is on tonight and I can't wait. This is supposed to be the first episode with Dominic Monaghan. I really missed him on Lost and hope that he sticks around Flash Forward for a good long time. This show really intrigues me, I am totally confused, but somehow I love it.
Grey's Anatomy should also be good tonight. They are merging with the staff from Mercy West. And they are also doing a crossover with Dr. Bailey going to Private Practice with a patient.
Sometimes I just hate Thursdays. All of the really good stuff is on on Thursdays. I have to DVR Fringe and Supernatural and a couple of other things. They really should spread the goodness around a little more don't ya think.

What I am Watching

2009-10-13T18:19:00.000-05:00

Since this blog is going to be a mixed bag of everything I find interesting, annoying, frustrating or what have you, I thought I would post a list of what TV shows I like to watch. Don't be surprised if I comment on them from time to time if they are especially good episodes or particularly bad for that matter.

I really enjoy mystery, sci-fi, horror, supernatural, and dramas.
True Blood
Supernatural
Heroes
House
Fringe
Grey's Anatomy
Dollhouse
Numbers
Flash Forward
Lost
Ghost Hunters
Destination Truth
Glee
The Amazing Race
Dexter

These are just a few of my favs. Let me know in the comments what you like. I could really use so help figuring out some of the plot lines on some of these shows. I really like it when I can't quite figure out where a show is going to go. I think that is why I love Lost, and Flash Forward is quickly headed in the same direction.

Oh Happy Day

2009-10-12T17:56:00.000-05:00

I can finally log in to Facebook again. They even included this nice little message about how some things on my profile may not be as they were when Facebook went down.
Our apologies for the extended site maintenance

You may not have been able to access your account over the last several days. We're sorry for the inconvenience; an extended technical issue affected a small number of Facebook accounts, including yours. We have done our best to restore your account to its most recent state, but some data and settings may not be current. In order to be cautious, we defaulted some of your privacy settings to their most restrictive settings. You may wish to review your privacy settings and reset them. In addition, some of your content may not be up to date. This includes:
* Photos or content you may have recently added or deleted.
* Friends you may have recently added or removed.
* Other content you've added, sent, received, or posted.
All of Facebook's features are working, and you will be able to communicate and share information with your friends just like before. We recommend double checking your settings, applications, friend list, etc. to make sure everything is in order. We appreciate your support of Facebook and are taking steps to ensure these sorts of problems do not happen again.

They also included a link to let them know about an problems we may have over the next week or so. CNET has a new article about this outage that states that according to Facebook only .05% of their users were without access. So that equivocates to about 150,000 people out of 300 million. Granted it is a small number, but we are just as important as the other folks are. You can read the full CNET article here.

Off to update and fix whatever needs fixing on my Facebook page.

Facebook Frustrations

2009-10-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then I and many other Facebook users are insane. I have been trying several times each day to log in to my Facebook site and each time I receive a site maintenance error. After several requests made through their help system I received a form letter saying thanks and that they would look into the problem.

Okay, so I let it go and waited an additional day. Well after 2 days of site maintenance Facebook comes out with this little statement on their Facebook Fan Page. I now go in search of more information and I stumble upon this article from CNET. So, I let another 24 hours pass and try again and what do I get yet another site maintenance message. Maybe they were a little off in their estimate, I waited yet another day and still had the same problem.

I looked to CNET for additional information as I already knew they were on top of this issue since Facebook wasn't giving me any information. CNET had yet another article about Facebook's customer service crisis. This article include some additional information about Facebook's problem. Apparently one of their databases is having a technical issue and that no accounts have been compromised and access will be restored ASAP. They also apoligized for the inconvenience. The site maintenance message is also updated with some of this information and it tells you to go the the help page for updates on the progress of the bug. Unfortunately all you get on the help page is a message saying that they are aware of the problem and are working to fix it.

CNET is still on top of this story posting a new article Saturday wondering why Facebook has not disclosed exactly what has caused the overly long site maintenance problems. Facebook continues to say that this is limited to a very small subset of their over 300 million users, but I am begining to wonder myself based on comments I have seen at CNET, on Twitter, and on Facebook's own fan page.

It has now been a full week that Facebook has been unavailable to me and many others. I am very frustrated by this because I use Facebook to help promote my online jewelry business and to keep in touch with customers as well as friends. I have made great use of the time I haven't been able to spend on Facebook, but it is getting towards the holiday shopping season and being unable to update my business page is becoming a huge problem for me. If this isn't resolved soon I might just need the men and the white coats to put me in a hug me jacket, feed me some rainbow pills and toss me in a padded room.

Mixed Mumblings

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Done