If I could walk on water

I hate my life.
My phone rang this morning, I'm in the living room, it's in the bedroom, but I knew the only person that would be calling me would be my mother, and she'd be pissed cause I ignored the 2 calls from my father yesterday. I didn't see the point of going in to see what the message was about, so I'm expecting my mom to come pounding up the stairs and yell at me. When I did go to check my message, she was saying how she had a window for me to get started work on, and that she wanted to deal with my light bulbs in the kitchen (they're those big long flourescents and they went out a couple weeks ago, my mom thinks its the light bulbs, Kevin says its the ballasts, I'm more apt to believe Kevin, I'd love for my mom to buy new light bulbs and then have them not work), I don't know why she's so bothered by the fact they don't work, she's not living up here, she doesn't use them, hell I don't even use them.
I hate not having money. I spent all the money my parents gave me for my birthday on bills and I'm pretty much back where I was before I deposited it, and I have more bills coming up on the 15th. I'm guessing I'll be walking down to Target today and applying there. I just wish every job that I applied for hired me. I may not really want the jobs, but I don't show that when I go in to the interviews. I hate this, I know it's part of the job process, but this is the first time (ok 2nd) that I've applied for jobs, gone through the interview process and not been guaranteed the job. Honestly I have no idea how I've lasted this long without a constant income.
I wish I could just leave and never come back here. If I didn't have Kevin, I'd seriously look into leaving here. I know I've loved living here, and it works great for me, but pair the tension of my parents and not having a job, it's really getting to me.

It's like rain on your wedding date

Stolen from Rain

5 jobs I've had:
1. Paper Carrier
2. Gift Wrapper
3. Office Assistant
4. Librarian
5. Ticket Taker

5 movies I can watch over & over:
1. The Rock
2. The Blues Brothers
3. Ghostrider
4. Easy Rider
5. 44 Minutes

5 places I've lived:
1. Here
2. Across the street from Here
3. Downstairs from here

5 TV shows I love:
1. Supernatural
2. Cops
3. Animal Cops
4. Men In Trees
5. Bones

5 places I've been on vacation:
1. Okoboji, IA
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Arizona
4. Connecticut
5. Florida

5 of my favorite meals:
1. Steak
2. Pizza
3. Faux Mexican
4. Club Sandwich
5. Chicken and Rice Casserole

5 websites I visit daily:
1. Hotmail email
2. Go comics
3. Gmail Email
4. Etsy
5. Bloglines

5 places I'd rather be now:
1. In bed
2. Okoboji
3. In Kevin's arms
4. In the country
5. Somewhere else fun?

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
The Lorax

If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
No idea

What's the longest you've gone without sleep?
23 hrs

What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?
I don't listen to him

Who's your favorite Muppet?
Kermit

What's the habit you're proudest of breaking?
No idea

What's your favorite Web site?
No favorite

What's your favorite school supply?
Folders

Who's your favorite TV attorney?
I don't watch shows with attorneys

What was your most recent trip of more than 50 miles?
probably to Vinton, IA for Mother's Day

What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or thrift store?
No idea

Where were you on September 11, 2001?
Making paper in my 2-D art class

What's your favorite tree?
Ginkgo

What's the most interesting biography you've read?
I haven't read a lot of biographies and I don't remember the ones I read

What do you order when you eat Chinese food?
I generally go to the Chinese buffet here, but I always order crab rangoon wherever I go

What's the best costume you've ever worn?
I was a ladybug one year

What's your least favorite word?
No idea

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
Carolina

Who's your favorite Care Bear?
Sunshine Bear

Describe something that's happened to you for which you have no explanation.
No idea

If you could travel anywhere in Africa, where would it be?
No idea

What did you have for lunch yesterday?
I believe I had chocolate or I forgot to eat lunch

Where do you go for advice?
L, or Kevin, or Karli

Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?
Neither

Have you ever been snorkeling? Scuba diving?
No

Have you ever been stung by a bee?
No Idea

What's the sickest you've ever been?
Most likely when I had my kidney stone

What's your favorite form of exercise?
Walking or biking with Kevin

What's your favorite Cyndi Lauper song?
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

What did you do for your 13th birthday?
No idea

Are you afraid of heights?
Nope

Have you ever taken dance lessons?
Other than a section in my gym class in high school, no

What's your favorite newspaper?
I don't read the paper

What's your favorite Broadway musical?
I don't know if it's a musical but, The Lion King

What's the most memorable class you've ever taken?
2-D art in HS, made the piece that earned me $50 in the senior art show and a purple ribbon in 4-H that year

What's your favorite knock-knock joke?
Anything on The Prarie Home Companion Joke Show

What's your favorite commercial?
Pedigree's We're For Dogs Commercials

If you could go to Disney World with any celebrity alive today, who would it be?
No idea

Do you prefer baths or showers?
Baths, but I rarely take one

Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?
Eeew! I throw my gum away when I take it out of my mouth

What's your favorite breakfast food?
Blintzes (crepes filled with cottage cheese and sour cream, they sound gross, but they're really good)

Who's your favorite game show host?
Guy who plays Al in Tool Time, he used to host Family Feud

If you could have a super power, what would it be?
invisibility

Do you like guacamole?
It's ok

Have you ever been in a food fight?
No

Name five songs to which you know all the lyrics. (Better yet, sing them.)
1. Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi
2. I hope by The Dixie Chicks
3. Hell Yeah by Montgomery Gentry
4. Never Again by Nickelback
5. Hicktown by Jason Aldean

What's your favorite infomercial?
Anything about food

What's the longest you've ever waited in line?
2 hours

What's on the cover of your address book or day planner?
Blue

Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths?
No


This year my birthday wasn't nearly as fun as last year, course it was in the middle of the week this year. Let's see, woke up and found a sweet happy birthday voicemail from Kevin on my phone, did my online morning stuff, went to the library, met up with Loretta and her daughter Kim, and puppies, went to Hastings, went to McDonalds for Ice cream, went to park with puppies, got to open my present from them (Harley Davidson mesh shirt, frog holding bath salts), came home watched TV, Kevin came over and we went to Applebee's and I got to open my presents from him (matchbox cop cars, flamin' bicycle helmet) went to SuperWalmart so he could buy me a cute dress, went to bed. On Thurs mom, dad and I went to The Spice, came home opened gifts from them ($, Little Bit of Life by Craig Morgan, Lost Highway by Bon Jovi). Afterwards, Kevin called me and we tried to go to some fireworks, but we were too late for the night.
Friday: got up, sent Kevin to work, went to the Pancake breakfast with mom and dad, went to parade, went to Reiman Gardens (their theme was fairy tales, their conservatory was set up like Peter Pan, and part of the outdoor gardens had Moby Dick icons made out of sticks), went to Pancheros, met Kevin for supper/lunch/snack, went to Cold Stone Creamery, Kevin and I went to Target, went fishing (he fished, I walked around the lake and caught grasshoppers for him to fish with), ate supper, went to fireworks.
It was an ok week, made better hanging out with Kevin.

Happy Birthday to Me

This is it, I'm officially an adult. I've passed the last landmark to be an adult: 16 - get your driver's license, 18 - vote, 21 - drink, and now 25 - insurance changes and I can rent a car.

No giant plans here. Last night my brother came up and we went to Applebee's for supper and Hickory Park for dessert, I got a Target gift card from him (I just wish I could convert it into cash, that would do so much better for me at the moment). I'm getting together with Loretta today after I finish at the library, and tomorrow my parents and I are going out to supper for my mom's and my birthdays (hers is tomorrow)

And yesterday was HAPPY NO MORE SMOKING IN BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN IOWA Day!!!! If you can't tell, I'm pretty happy.

A question for my female readers: I bought a cute white shirt the other day, only problem, it's very see-through. So, do I layer it with another shirt undeneath, or do I just walk around with my bra showing? Thoughts would be nice.

I wish you good luck in whatever you do

So, I have some of my ATC's at the Ankeny Art Center (that link on that page takes you to a photo contest, I sure hope they're gonna fix that), and I told my mom I'd help her out with an ATC sewing workshop tomorrow. She calls me up last night and asks what I'm doing tomorrow night (tonight), and I said making ATC's for the swap (they're also doing a swap with the artists tomorrow), and then she complains that she needs me to help her organize for this workshop cause it's the last minute, and I said that I didn't know what she was doing. She said well you never took an interest in it. I told her I'd help out with this workshop a few weeks ago, and she never brought it up again, and somehow it's my fault???? So, now I'm seriously debating whether I really want to go along with her tomorrow (I believe I will end up doing it, because I did tell her I'd help, but being in the car for 30+ minutes there and back with a grumpy mom is not so fun).
And in this same phone call, she asks how far I'm on this 2nd set of windows (see earlier post), and I told her I hadn't been home all day, and then she proceeds to complain, saying I had to have time in there. If I didn't have to do them, I wouldn't, but I don't really have a choice.

Stop don't stare

And the countdown has begun: 6 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes.
Found in this week's Sgt Grit Newsletter:
Sgt Grit, I found this on www.downrange.tv a forum for shooters and gun owners Thomas B.
The USMC in Afghanistan.....
This provides a little insight into the modern Marine Corps fighting terrorists. This is from a Reconnaissance Marine currently in Afghanistan. He talks like a Marine in the field- and he is worthy of our thoughts and prayers as are all of our military deployed in some God-forsaken place.
It's freezing here. I'm sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush mountains along the Dar 'yoi Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.
I also glance at the area around my a$s every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I've actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but them scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a b*stard.
The antidote tastes like transmission fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.
The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that's where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement.
It's all about intelligence. We haven't even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they're in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin.
I dream of Bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit a bloody ear into his face and plunge my nickel-plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me. I'm a romantic. I've said it before and Ill say it again: This country blows, man. It's not even a country. There are no roads, there's no infrastructure, there's no government. This is an inhospitable, rockpit, sh!thole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.
Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That's it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu if that's your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those 'tent cities of the walking dead' is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.
I've been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of em, are Huns. Actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. Its what they do. Its ALL they do.
They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five- year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each others barbarism. Cavemen with AK 47's. Then again, maybe I'm just cranky.
I'm freezing my a$s off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice and I can't recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours.
Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban 'smart.' They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is 'cunning.' The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart. Pfft. Yeah, they're real smart.
They've spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They're still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.
OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I'm good at it. Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives.
The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullsh!t and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We've got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we're doing over here because you have no idea what we're doing and, really, you don't want to know. We are your military and we are doing what you sent us here to do.
You wanna help? Buy Bonds America.
Saucy Jack
Semper Fidelis
ANSWERS to the astronomy quiz:
1. Since 1976 NASA has been landing spacecraft on which of the following planets?Mars NASA's Phoenix Lander just set down on Mars in May 2008. There were a number of prior missions, starting in the 1970s.


2. Which of the following is no longer considered a planet? Pluto In 2006, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto didn't meet all the criteria for a planet. Now there are, officially, eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.


3. What is considered essential for life on any planet? Liquid water The search for water is a major reason for the current mission to Mars, which is looking for evidence of water and other conditions that could have supported life.


4. What is a blue moon? The second full moon in a calendar month The expression "once in a blue moon" comes from the fact that blue moons are rare.


5. Which telescope is currently orbiting in space? NASA's Hubbell Space Telescope The Hubbell telescope is in orbit around Earth. The Mt. Palomar telescope is near San Diego, California, and the twin Keck telescopes are at the top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano in Hawaii.


6. A comet is made of which of the following materials? Ice and dust Comets have a head composed of dust and ice. They are often described as "dirty snowballs."


7. What is a constellation? Stars that just look like a pattern from Earth but may have no relationship to one another Constellations are named patterns of stars. Many cultures, including the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, named the patterns after animals and objects.


8. The Big Dipper is part of which constellation? Ursa Major (Big Bear) The tip of the Big Dipper's handle forms the Bear's nose! Even though the Big Dipper isn't a constellation, it's one of the most widely recognized configurations in the sky.


9. How many stars are believed to be in a galaxy? Millions, billions, or more stars A galaxy is a big system of stars, gas, dust, and other elements that are gravitationally bound to one another and travel together. It consists of millions, billions, or more stars.


10. Our solar system is in which galaxy? The Milky Way Our galaxy, the Milky Way, consists of about two hundred billion stars. The word galaxy derives from gala, the Greek word for milk.


11. Which constellation includes five stars that form the letter W? Cassiopeia Cassiopeia can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere near the North Star. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was Andromeda's mother.


12. Which planet is known as the "evening star"? Venus Venus, while a planet, is brighter than most stars, Sometimes it is visible after sunset. At other times it is visible before sunrise. Then it is called the "morning star."


13. What is a shooting star or falling star? A meteor The bright streak of light created when a piece of rock or metal falls to Earth is called a "meteor" or "shooting star." The light is caused by heat created from air friction.


14. In 1962, who became the first American to orbit Earth? John Glenn In 1962, John Glenn orbited Earth three times. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first people ever to walk on the Moon. In 1983, Sally Ride was the first woman to orbit Earth.

Kicking your ass would be a pleasure

See how much you know about astronomy. I will post the answers either: tomorrow (or next time I blog) OR when someone has comented with their answers.

1. Since 1976 NASA has been landing spacecraft on which of the following planets?
A. Mars
B. Saturn
C. Mercury

2. Which of the following is no longer considered a planet?
A. Earth
B. Jupiter
C. Pluto

3. What is considered essential for life on any planet?
A. Salt
B. Liquid water
C. Rock

4. What is a blue moon?
A. A moon that looks blue
B. A moon that appears sad from Earth
C. The second full moon in a calendar month

5. Which telescope is currently orbiting in space?
A. Mt. Palomar
B. Hubbell
C. Keck

6. A comet is made of which of the following materials?
A. Ice and dust
B. Flaming gas
C. Satellites

7. What is a constellation?
A. Stars that are close to one another
B. Stars that travel together
C. Stars that just look like a pattern from Earth but may have no relationship to one another

8. The Big Dipper is part of which constellation?
A. Ursa Major (Big Bear)
B. Ursa Minor (Little Bear)
C. Tres Ursae (Three Bears)

9. How many stars are believed to be in a galaxy?
A. Fewer than 100 stars
B. Approximately 100, 000 stars
C. Millions, billions, or more stars

10. Our solar system is in which galaxy?
A. Andromeda
B. The Milky Way
C. The Sombrero Galaxy

11. Which constellation includes five stars that form the letter W?
A. Cassiopeia
B. Aquarius
C. Pisces

12. Which planet is known as the "evening star"?
A. Saturn
B. Venus
C. Mercury

13. What is a shooting star or falling star?
A. A fast-moving ring around Saturn
B. A meteor created from burning rock or metal
C. The sparkling buckle in Orion's belt

14. In 1962, who became the first American to orbit Earth?
A. John Glenn
B. Sally Ride
C. Neil Armstrong

I got 13 out of 14

You're just a child with a temper.

Replying to Carrie's comment on my last post. Just make sure you don't tell my mom that, because she'll just blow you off. Kevin and have decided that she can't handle it if someone knows more about something than she does, or if they prove she's wrong. Like this weekend, she was commenting on how the weather people can't really predict a week in advance about the weather, and Kevin (who storm chases so knows these things), said meterologists can predict large storms about a week out, and she pretty much just brushed him off. I've noticed this when he gives us advice about certain things around the house, like the messed up job the guys did cementing the driveway, and about the large crack in the end of the driveway. Mom will basically change the subject. I wonder if she feels that way about my knowledge about criminal justice, come to think about it, she does like to argue a lot when I mention something about CJ and stuff in my textbooks.
It sure makes me think about her when I start thinking on my own. Bet she hates that. Wouldn't want her daughter to have her own mind and say in her life.

Father's a name you haven't earned yet

UGH!! So my mother's having me do some work around the house for money. One of the projects I'm doing is sanding, staining and varnishing windows. She and my dad have decided it's $50.00 per window, I'm guessing if they were paying someone professional to do it, it'd be at least $100 a window. And if I didn't have to do this, these things would never get done.
We had a conversation about my lack of cleanliness (OK, she talked, I kinda tuned her out. I've found that's the only way to keep her words and tone from cutting into me so much that she makes me cry), and she said if I was living in some other landlord's apartment that I would get kicked out. When I mentioned this to Kevin later in the day, he said no landlord would kick someone out for being messy. It's not like I have food sitting around collecting bugs or anything. I'm just a little slow at cleaning some stuff up, my floors need some vacuuming. I should bring up the fact that if you go into the first floor bathroom, you can see spots all around the toilet, I'm pretty sure you can all figure out what they are. And I'm the one who has sick habits? I don't think so, just because you can't handle the fact that my floors need vacuuming, doesn't mean I'm living in a house full of crap. She happens to vacuum like its religious, you may not be able to see anything on the floor, but dammit she has to vacuum all the damn time.
And once again, I say, If I had the money I wouldn't be living here.
I kinda wish I had the relationship with my parents and brother that Kevin has. He called his dad yesterday, and ended up spending 45 minutes on the phone with his mother, at least that much time with his dad, and then later in the day at least that much time with his brother. I don't know if it's because I live so close to my parents, that I'm their little girl, that I am so different than my brother, or what. But I wouldn't mind having that relationship with my family.

Rain, Rain go away

Stolen from Rain
The A to Z of Me
Accent: I don't think I have one
Breakfast or no breakfast: I like breakfast food, only I usually don't eat breakfast.
Chore I don’t care for: Dishes
Dog or cat: Dog. Totally a dog person
Essential electronics: Computer.
Favorite cologne: Don't have one
Gold or silver: white gold, cause it's not mainstream
Handbag I carry most often: I don't generally carry one
Insomnia: I don't usually have it
Job Title: NA
Kids: None at the moment
Living arrangements: Apartment
Most admirable trait: honesty?
Naughtiest childhood behavior: don't know
Overnight hospital stay: Not since I was born
Phobias: spiders,
Quote: It's your life, how do you want to live it?
Reason to smile: My boyfriend, good music
Siblings: an older brother
Time I wake up: sometime after 8
Unusual skill or talent: my art?
Vegetable I refuse to eat: asparagus
Worst habit: not telling
X-rays: had 1
Yummy stuff: anything sweet
Zoo animal I like most: lions

Goodbye Pig :(

I hate my body

Or at least the thing that has to come and screw up my life once a month. I was at Kevin's house tonight and I was gonna spend the night, only when I was in the bathroom, something told me that Aunt Flo might be coming for her visit early (like tomorrow), so I told him that and that I should go home seeing as how I had nothing there and I would be very grumpy and having cramps all day tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he didn't take it as the truth and that it was an excuse and took me home, he claimed (not in so many words) that he wasn't in a bad mood, but I could tell. And I really wanted to spend the night too.
So today, I woke up figuring I wouldn't see Kevin all day because of the probability of storms, I call him about 11 and he says he won't be chasing today. So, I decided to walk to his house (4 mile walk, outside town), I did surprise him with that. After going somewhere to eat and picking up a bike he bought, he convinced me to get my (brother's) bike and ride around one of the parks. I haven't been on a bike since grade school, but as the old saying goes, yeah I did take to it pretty quickly. Kevin figures we rode about 11 miles today. My ass hurts. And the perfect ending to such a good day would be to spend the night at my boyfriend's house, but we all know that didn't happen. I feel really bad about it, I wanted to so bad, and I'm so disappointed I don't get to.

Hasn't stopped raining for days

So, it's been a little wet here. Yesterday it pretty much poured from 11am to 3pm, I heard we got over 4 inches. The river here crested at 26.8 feet, flood stage is 20 feet, the creek crested at 15.85 feet, flood stage is 9.0 feet. So we got floods. People are saying in some parts of town it's worse than '93, that was considered a 500 year flood (pretty rare).
A couple pictures for y'all:
This is one of our main intersections on S. Duff, at S. 4th st looking east at the Target store.
This one is on S. Duff looking south by Old George's Pizza (used to be Gregory's), S. 3rd which the bowling alley and the Boys and Girls Club is on is behind the Pizza Hut. Here's a look at a sign in one of our parks, by s. 4th and University Blvd (used to be Elwood)
Apparently someone parked their car in Brookside before it started to flood. I have a picture that's a close up of the car, the driver's side window is smashed (most likely with the piece of road sitting on top of the car), inside the car, the water is up to the dash.
This is a picture of US 30 looking east after the water had gone down a bit. I heard around 1pm they had closed it from the east side of town to the west side of town.

OK, I'm massively tickled about this video, just cause it seems to be in a lot of places.
Here's an aol link to it.
And here's another. In this one you have 2 of them: Spotters Talk About Parkersburg Tornado and Storm Spotters Catch Tornado On Tape. See if you can guess which one's my guy (not a hard thing)

Thank you

Because I can't say it any better, I copied and pasted this from AD, word for word, so with your comments, go to his blog and comment:

When you partake in your Memorial Day barbecue today, try to remember a few things.

When the smoke from the grill blows into your eyes, try to imagine the terror of the young pilot as the smoke fills the cockpit of his F4 Wildcat, spiraling into the sea off Guadalcanal.

When you sample those pork ribs, remember the Iowa farm boy whose life blood stained the surf at Normandy.

When you eat a bite of potato salad, think of an Idaho preacher's kid who died with a prayer on his lips, asking God to forgive him for the enemy soldiers' lives he had taken.

When you welcome your niece's new boyfriend to the table, remember the black kid from Mississippi who died right beside his white buddies in Vietnam, though he wasn't even allowed to eat in the same restaurants back home.

When you scold your misbehaving grandchild, think of the little boy whose only knowledge of his father will come from stories told by family, because Daddy died on a dusty street in Fallujah while he was still in the womb.

When you fetch your wife another glass of tea, think of a young wife living in base housing at Fort Benning, as she hears the news that her husband died at Ia Drang.

When you invite Grandpa to say grace before the meal, think of young men cut down by a hail of fire from a Maxim at Belleau Wood.

When you reflect with pride on your daughter's recent graduation, think of a young woman cartwheeling into the sea in her F14 Tomcat after a failed carrier landing.

When you look with distaste at the tattoos on her new boyfriend, think instead of the former gang kid from Detroit who found a way up and out of poverty in the Army, only to die from an IED blast in Baghdad. And remind yourself that what matters is how he treats your daughter, not the ink on his arms.

When you sit at the table, think of a Navy Captain, a husband and father, who died at his Pentagon desk on September 11. His death was no less honorable.

If you're traveling today, think of the passengers of United Flight 93, for in a field outside Shanksville they became the first soldiers in our war on terror.

When your boys fight, as boys will do, remember the boys on both sides who died at Gettysburg.

If a loved one can't make it to the gathering today, think of Mrs. Bixby and her five sons.

While your kids play in the pool this afternoon, think of other kids not much older, trapped below decks as the Arizona went under at Pearl Harbor.

When you take a shower tonight, think of young men reeking of machine oil and sweat, desperately trying, and failing, to surface their wounded submarine somewhere in the Pacific in 1943.

I tell you of these things not to spoil your appetite or your day, but to remind you that the things we enjoy in our lives are made all the sweeter when you consider what made them possible.

Remind yourself also that your sacrifice is infinitely easier. All you need do is sacrifice a moment of your time every few years to pull a lever. The way to honor a dead soldier is not simply to fly a flag on Memorial Day. Vote to preserve the freedoms they died defending.

And stop by your local Veteran's Cemetery and put out some flowers on the grave of your choice. It need not even be the grave of someone you know.
Bring your children along, and explain to them why. It's important.


And while a lot of people are honoring fallen heroes, some are picking up the pieces from a devasting tornado in Iowa. My boyfriend was out yesterday following this tornado from the moment it formed. Go here for his and his buddy's video. Once you get to the page scroll down to the video module on the page and click on the video titled Storm Spotters Catch Tornado On Tape.

2 and 2 is 4, 6 and 2 is eight

Time to celebrate. I shaved 4 minutes off my 4 mile walk, and someone said something about my ass. I'm pretty sure it was a comment by the way they were yelling it. Normally, I would buy something for myself, but not now. Can't do that until I get about $800 or so more in the bank.
I'm wondering if relocating will get me out of my rut. I'd love to be a cowgirl, that would be fun. I'd love to do anything where I'd get to ride a horse, I haven't been on one since 6th grade (that's like 12 years ago, ick I feel old), but I'm pretty sure it's not that hard to remember. I'd also love to do construction, that would be fun too. I'm thinking about seeing if I can help build the Habitat for Humanity house that's going up in my neighborhood. That way I could get experience without having to have a background in construction to get my experience, cause I'm pretty sure any construction business would look at me and laugh if I asked to be a part of it.
I had a dream the other night, that's been sticking with me. I start out in my aunt's house (not really, but that's how it was in the dream) and it's raining (cause it was pouring outside) and all the windows are leaking and everything is soaking so mom sends me up to the 3rd floor to find the problem and a tornado sucked me up and threw me down somewhere near another house, to which the old lady let me in and I ushered her and her dogs to the basement, and then she writes a will leaving the house to me if she died, and of course she did, so then I'm in this house with a cousin I haven't seen in ages. It's weird I haven't even thought about him in god knows when, but now it's like he's lurking in the back of my mind.
Another one that's been lingering is I'm working at some food place and I get in trouble with another employee and so we're sent to walk up and down stairs. When I get sick of that and quit, I'm traveling through Paris (I don't think it was, but for some reason it felt like it?) and I can change things with the flick of my hand, then I'm walking with a friend and we go into a house and find an old guy to which I procede to have sex with, and then my friend's father comes in and I tell him to get his wife and we'll have a 3-some (don't ask me) and he runs off scared and then I wake up.
The one I had last night, I was in a school and some horrible car accident happens outside, so I go to check it out and ends up in some house where there's some big fight happening outside and Kevin and someone else comes along and we all fight to get out alive.
I tell ya, I only remember the weird ones.

Pinch me

Somebody pinch me. I just saw the MOST GORGEOUS CAR ON EARTH!!! The Impala from Supernatural, this baby:

Damn, I wish I had a camera

(ok so the Supernatural car has 4 doors, I didn't notice how many this one had, I was too busy recovering from my heart attack)

The things I learn

The people that work and live in my neighborhood are so lucky now that my boyfriend's working 12 hr days at the mine. I've noticed people that park illegally (like the person across the street that has his whole back tire over the yellow line) don't bother me nearly as much as when I can call up my boyfriend and get him to come over and ticket them, unless of course they are impeding my walking path, then you can guarantee I'm calling the police on them.
There was one car yesterday that was parked on the wrong side of the street and earned themselves a ticket. Today, I'm opening my mini-blinds on my bedroom window and I notice the same car parked legally in front of my house. How do I know it's the same car you ask? Because it's still got it's ticket on the window tacked underneath the windsheild wiper. Now I know for a fact, if it rains today, and they have to use their wipers on their way home, and don't notice the ticket fly off in the rain, they'll sill get a summons to come to court and pay that ticket. The great things you learn when you're boyfriend works with the police.

Pure bullshit

It's so wrong. I was watching Friends, so naturally when it became 7:00, I'm still on the CW, and Farmer wants a wife comes on. You'd think they could pick girls that weren't Barbie. Goddess complained about the farmer, I'm complaining about the chicks. Every single one shows up in short skirts and high-heeled shoes. Cause ya know that's the staple of clothes on a farm. Could we try to wear jeans and boots (or at least sneakers) like any normal human being. All the chicks are staying in this house, and once they get the full tour, one of them comments on how old the furniture is inside and it needs some serious remodeling, same chick wants to know if there's a maid and if there are flush toilets. Cause apparently living out in the country, you wouldn't have running water. They were all surprised that the farmer's wife was able to move to the country from the city because she fell in love with a farmer and they didn't understand how she could cope.
One of the chicks introducing herself at the beginning was saying she had to have manicures and pedicures every week but she wasn't a snob or anything. Good luck getting those in the country, at least she can have as many mud baths as she wants.
They're all scared of the chickens and whinning cause they're stepping in cow shit. One of the chicks was saying how she'd love to be the farmer's wife cause she wouldn't have to work, cause the wives have people to work for them, quite funny since Farmer wants someone able to pull their own weight. Guess that wasn't a question to answer, just are you big busted, beautiful and know absolutely nothing out of city life? Guess you're able to come on the show. Personally I think it'd be fun to go do that, oh but I'm not drop dead gorgeous city girl, wouldn't fit in with y'all.

Sometimes people write the things they can't say

Stole this from Goddess. Answer these questions with only a photo or other graphic, NO words allowed. So apparently blogger rearranged my photos (as long as it took me to figure this out :S), so I'm rearranging the questions, just so I don't have to deal with photos again.
1. What is your favorite band/singer?
2. What is your current mood?
3. What is your current relationship status?
4. Who do you look like?

5. Where do you work?
6. Where do you live?
7. What kind of pets do you have?
8. What is your favorite movie?
9. What do you drive?

N/A
10. What is your favorite candy?

11. Describe Yourself.
12. What is your favorite network TV Show?
13. What did you do on Sunday?
14. What did you do on Saturday?

Feel free to play along

Where do you wanna be?

A question for my readers: If you had enough money, where would you like to live?
I was just thinking about this today, as me and mom chatted about life and jobs again today. I know Kevin would like to move closer to his family. I'd like to move somewhere I've never been, where I don't know anyone and start fresh. I wish I had the guts to do that (and maybe $1000 to start out).

You shoulda said No

Just finished watching most of the Academy of Country Music Awards. It was kinda cool they let the fans vote for Entertainer of the Year, of course the group I voted for (Rascal Flatts) didn't win, but Kenny Chesney did, and I wanna know why the hell he didn't hug Reba when she went to close the show and congratulate him. The camera shows her going to congratulate him, and he bypasses her and goes off with the award holding lady onto back stage. Are we too good to hug Reba?
Also, whatever Carrie Underwood was wearing when she didn her performance made her look very old. I loved Taylor Swift's new song, that was really cute, but could they stop playing her Teardrops on My Guitar song on non-country stations, she's not pop, and it sounds horrible. Stick to what you know and are good at Taylor. Also, loved Miranda Lambert's performance, and Toby Keith's and Montgomery Gentry. Can't say I'm a big fan of Shiftwork, though the performance of Kenny and George was pretty good. And Brooks N Dunn's song Add a Girl (or something like that) with Reba stepping in at the end was pretty good too.
I didn't really pay attention to the awards, didn't really mean not to, I just didn't and since I was going to meet Kevin when he got off work, I couldn't really keep a tally (didn't really seem to care either). So, I guess if you're looking for a list, here you go:

Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney
Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
Top Female Vocalist: Carrie Underwood
Top Vocal Group: Rascal Flatts
Top Duo: Brooks N Dunn
Top New Male Vocalist: Jack Ingram
Top New Female Vocalist: Taylor Swift
Top New Duo or Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum
Album of the Year: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert
Single of the Year: Stay by Sugarland
Song of the Year: Stay by Sugarland
Video of the Year: Online by Brad Paisley

Are you where you want to be

The other day, I mentioned Americorps. The whole reason mom brought it up is because I "haven't figured out what I want to do with my life yet". She said I wasn't any closer than I was when I graduated high school. The thing is, in high school and college you're supposed to learn about yourself and I think my mom kind of hindered that. I was pondering this last night. I didn't really start to explore/find/learn about myself until I moved out (or across the street into one of my parents apartments, as the case may be) and wasn't around my parents, didn't have them looking over my shoulder and breathing down my neck. I got my first tattoo the spring after moving out. That I think was the first part in finding myself, and then the whole posting about motorcycle rides online, dying my hair red, and getting more tattoos. I still haven't figured out who I am, but with most people starting to learn in high school (or at least the summer after high school and into college) I have a couple more years to figure it out. I am so much more comfortable in my own skin now that I've added ink and started wearing clothes that fit my body. When I was in school (elementary through hs), I pretty much just wore t-shirts and jeans, the whole damn time. I remember when I wore a cute summer dress (still got it and it still fits pretty damn good) for my high school graduation, I'm pretty sure my mom tried to convince me to wear something different. Of course at that time I was still wearing bike shorts underneath dresses and skirts, I didn't stop that until some time within the last 3 years. It has also helped having a boyfriend constantly telling me I'm hott. Parents are obligated to tell you you're beautiful, and siblings are obligated to tell you you're not, so you don't actually know what you are until you get a significant other (unless you're one of those people that are gorgeous to begin with)
I feel so free and good looking when I wear cute dresses and form fitting shirts. Though I'm still getting used to short shorts. I never had any until Kevin bought me some last year for my birthday, but I still haven't really worn them when I'm not around him or mowing the lawn. I'm not quite sure about my legs yet, though I have had at least 3 people tell me they like my long slim legs.
I've been watching America's Next Top Model and The Tyra Banks Show lately (I've watched other shows with this topic, but these are the most recent), and I notice how much they push self-esteem, and self-worth, and how we see ourselves. How we don't think others think we're gorgeous until we fully accept ourselves and who we are. They should really teach that in high school or college. Especially in high school when people can be so cruel to everyone else. I'm thinking I started to be freer with myself after reading something in my intro to psychology class, spring of my sophomore year of college. 75% of your peers don't even notice you, they're too busy worrying about themselves (or something like that). When I started to realize that, I think that's when I started to focus more on me. And I have felt better about myself since then.
Am I where I want to be? I don't know where I want to be in life. I don't know what I want to do for the rest of my life. When I was in 2nd grade we had journals and one of the topics was to write about that, I said I wanted to be a police officer. Then I got to high school and took a 2D art class found out I was pretty good at at that and wanted to be an artist (but we all know artists don't really make a living on their art), when we had career day in 11th grade, I went to a library. That was interesting, and I think I could handle that. When I was accepted into college, I was originally accepted into the Art & Design program, then my parents convinced me there was no money in art and I transferred into the Business program before actually starting. But I took and Intro to Sociology and Intro to Criminal Justice class to fill out my schedule and really enjoyed those. I found out if I had an enjoyable class (something NOT business) every semester, I could handle the semester. When I failed my accounting class my sophomore spring semester, I realized I couldn't fake it in business anymore, I never got better than a B- in any of my business classes, though I was getting B+ and B's in my LAS (Liberal Arts and Sciences) classes, so I transferred over to that program, chose to do a major in Sociology and minor in Criminal Justice (I think I would have done the minor in CJ even if I continued in Business). I enjoyed it, I don't think I thought that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but I realized I paid more attention to the content and ingested the material.
While I was in college I worked at the campus library, I really loved that. I wouldn't mind being a librarian for the rest of my life. When I graduated college, I didn't have a job lined up, and was looking until May last year, when I landed a great job working at an art store. That was fun, I got to play with the products and teach others about the products. I learned fast. I really enjoyed that job, but things happened and the store closed, so once again I'm looking for a job. I really don't know what I want to do. I know what I can do, but Goddess told me not to look for a job to pay the bills because then I'd get stuck in it for life. I'm trying not to do that, but my money's running out. I wouldn't mind what I'm doing now (OK yesterday morning), listening to music and making art. I wish I had a job I could just go in and make some money to keep me going for awhile and not have to work every day (Good luck getting that, huh?)

I've walked this floor

My parents had their 35th anniversary today, we went out to eat, and as they have figured out, it's the only time they can talk to me about jobs and shit. My mom suggested I look at this Americorps thing (I haven't yet, but I'm guessing it's kinda like the Peace Corps but in America), and how it's only a 10 month commitment, and maybe I should get out of here and get out of my grove. The thing she doesn't know is, that if I ever leave this town, you can bet to hell I'm never coming back. I don't want to be that close to her. I think that's part of the reason I'm still here, it's such a big jump to go out of my comfort zone, everything here I can get to, I know it, and now I don't want to leave my boyfriend behind, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get up and leave with me. He's got two very stable jobs that he's more or less happy about, he wouldn't leave, even to be with me.
Though it was a nice glimmer of hope, my mom actually suggesting I leave my comfort zone. Course like I said, she doesn't know I'd never come back, not even for a 1 day visit.
But like I've said before I could never afford it. I was born here and I'll die here, the sad fate of me.

Go celebrate with your mother, or at the least give her a call. She's the reason you're here today.

I'm sitting here in second place

WOW!!!
I just had one of the best showers in a while.
Something about the mix of temperature of the water, music, temp of my apartment and the new body wash I got. It's 82 degrees in my apartment with all the windows open, and 76 degrees outside. I'm trying to save electricity and wait as long as possible before turning on my AC. Being so hot in my apt, I knew I wasn't going to take a scalding hot shower like I usually do, it wasn't quite warm or cold, maybe somewhere around lukewarm, and if felt great. And this new body wash I got, smells so nice and clean. Put some Nickelback on the radio, and it was great. I think part of it was cause it was the first time I'd showered since going on my walk yesterday, so I was all sweaty (yeah, yeah, I know shoulda showered all that dried sweat off yesterday, I was tired), plus certain people weren't home to complain about me being in the shower too long.
Wish I had something to do now that I'm all refreshed and clean.

50 Things about me****

Logged on to Bloglines and saw this, so I stole it. Thanks Rainstorm

1) Do you like Bleu Cheese? no
2) Have you ever smoked heroin? No
3) Do you own guns? No
4) What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? Never been there
5) Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No, I get impatient.
6) What do you think of hot dogs? Yummy
7) Favorite Christmas song? Anything by Trans Siberian Orchestra
8) What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Vault
9) Can you do push ups? No
10) Can you do a chin up? No
11) What's your favorite piece of jewelry? Ring Kevin gave me
12) Favorite hobby? Making art
13) Ever been in a car wreck? Yes
14) Do you have A.D.D.? No
15) What IS one thing that you hate about yourself? I procrastinate
16) Middle name? J
17) Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? 1. I’m hungry, 2. Still tired, 3. Hope I get that job
18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday. Didn’t buy anything yesterday
19) Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? 1. Vault 2. Mtn Dew 3. Water
20) Current worry? Will I get that job
21) Current hate right now? My mom
No 22
23) How did you bring in the New Year? Kissing Kevin
24) Where would you like to go? Some place in the country, and hike with Kevin, preferably some place around water
25) Name three people who will complete this? Nobody
26) Do you own slippers? Yes
27) What shirt are you wearing? Black peasant-type shirt
28) Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never been in satin sheets
29) Can you whistle? Yes
30) Favorite color? Green
31) Would you be a pirate? No
32) What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatevers on the radio
33) Favorite girl's name? Fiona
34) Favorite boy's name? Don’t know
35) What's in your pocket? Lint
36) Last thing that made you laugh? Kevin running over his yard
37) Best bed sheets as a child? Clouds
38) Worst injury you've ever had? Broke my toe
39) Do you love where you live? I love the place, not the actual dwelling
40) How many TVs do you have in your house? 1
41) Who is your loudest friend? Diane
42) How many dogs do you have? None.
43) Does someone have a crush on you? I don’t know
where’s 44?
45) What is your favorite book? What Cops Know
And 46?
47) Favorite Sports Team? None
48) What song do you want played at your funeral? Go Rest High On that Mountain by Vince Gill, When I Get Where I’m Going by Brad Paisley
49) What were you doing 12 AM last night? Watching t.v.
50) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I don’t want to lose my teeth

****So, technically it’s only 47 things about me. Ever notice on these numbered things there’s always numbers missing, either someone couldn’t count, or people before me didn’t like certain ones and omitted them. I hate that.

the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet

I hate it when I have bad dreams, they rarely happen, at least the ones that might actually come true (certain parts of them), but they do happen. The last dream that I woke up from was just bad part after bad part. I started back in HS, somehow messed up in gym, left some stuff behind in a classroom, forgot an assignment, went home and my mom got mad at me for being on the computer, then she sent me somewhere with someone, made me do some crap I didn't want to do, then I got lost in a train station, and when I finally got back home, I was evicted and my teeth were falling out. How's that for bad crap in dreams. Course I could get evicted if I don't get a job soon, I think the lost thing was lost in life (I've had that dream before, just in a different place, though it was an airport, don't know something about a traveling center lots of people and being lost), and my teeth were bothering me yesterday. I woke up with a very freaky feeling. I hate that.
So, I'm sure you're all wondering what I got Kevin for out anniversary (and maybe you're not, oh well), I made him a pillow saying May 1, 2008 1st anniversary I love you. and needlefelted some hearts on the other side. I was meaning to take a picture of it, cause I think it's rather cute, but I forgot. And I got him a rock. We're all about rocks, we have a tendency to find neat ones when we go to places, I told him when he goes on storm chases, or just away in general, he should find me a (neat) rock, so I can have a rock everytime he goes away. He came over after work with quite a few gifts for me: frog trash can, frog toilet brush holder, frog soap holder, frog soap dish, and silverware. Not that I don't like him spending money on me or anything, but this shit was expensive, don't get me wrong, I love it, but....
I am so sick of having a cold (no pun intended). Kevin was getting sickly from a cold last Sat when we went to the Hog Roast, he said a guy at the mine had a cold, that's where he got it, and then he passed it on to me. Sunday, I had a sore throat, and it got worse from there. I still have a cough and a stuffy nose. You never know how much you love breathing through your nose until you can't. I think part of the reason I've had it so bad and so long is cause I have nothing to do/go to. When I was in school I never took a sick day, and when I was working last year, never took a sick day either, but now that I don't have to go somewhere regularly, I guess my body decided it didn't have to work so hard to fight it. Yay?!
Oh, so I found out dream guy is moving away. It doesn't bother me that much, except I like seeing a cop car across the street at times (not much lately, cause he's on overnights), and the other day I saw him ride his bike to work, I will miss that. But, I've got my own guy now, dream guy, not much of a dream guy anymore. So, no big loss.
Nothing else exciting here, hope this will tide you over until I have exciting stuff again.

The simple heart will be prized again

What do you get for dating a year anniversary gifts? I know for marriage, it's the paper anniversary, but what about dating?
May 1st is when Kevin and I decided we were actually dating, and that's coming up pretty quick. I wanna get him something really cool and special, but I don't know if there are "rules" for dating anniversaries or not.
Any suggestions?

And every step may lead to death.

Stolen from Better and Better (I wasn't tagged, but we all know I love me a meme)
1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Find page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Here's my three sentences from Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped:
"So we sat again and ate and drank, in a place whence we could see the sun going down into a field of great, wild and houseless mountains, such as I was now condemned to wander in with my companion. Partly as we so sat, and partly afterwards, on the way to Aucharn, each of us narrated his adventures; and I shall here set down so much of Alan's as seems curious or needful. It appears he ran to the bulwarks as soon as the wave was passed; saw me, and lost me, and saw me again, as I tumbled in the roost; and at last had one glimpse of me clinging to the yard."

Wow that guy really likes his commas and semicolons. That was a paragraph and a half, hell just getting through the first 5 sentences, I was at the middle of the page. I am going to tag, people, but I'm pretty sure no one will play along.

1. Goddess
2. Carrie
That's all I got, cause I don't know of any regulars who read my blog and have blogs as well. Sorry.

I won't put my arms up and surrender

Well, it's been one of those days in the life of me, where I'd love to retire to couple 3 or 4 mudslides and a cuddle.
I had a meeting with someone, I'm not so happy about. Got the talk from my parents where I have to either find a paying job for 20 hrs a week or 15 hrs a week of volunteer work by May 1st. They think I love not having a job. And Kevin told me he won't get to chat with me until much later tonight.
We went to supper with Ross in DM tonight, went to some upscale place where we spent a bunch more money than I feel the meal was worth, I could have had a cheeseburger somewhere and left more full than I did. Once again, I realize I will never get the point of paying so much money for 'nice' food. Just give me a steak or cheeseburger and I'm good. On the way back, I was thinking how much it hurts not to be able to ride. I emailed one of the guys that replied to my ad the other day asking if his offer was still good, and then after remembering how upset Kevin was, I again said never mind. But, I wonder is it worth it?
Once again, if I had the money I would disappear, leave here, go somewhere else and not have any contact with my past life.

It's really about making a life

So, I was watching Tyra today (no comments on that, I walked my 4 mile walk yesterday in a little over an hour, pretty good for the first walk of the season, so I was tired and decided to be a mope today), and she was talking about countries and what they do for beauty. As I'm watching this I'm thinking she should be telling them, they are beautiful in their own skin, why spend money on something, when you're beautiful without it? Like there was this one chick who was complaining about her saggy butt (I didn't see anything wrong with it), so Tyra sends her to get a butt facial, the lady giving it said the results last 2 to 3 days. They didn't say how expensive it was, but we all know these things cost a pretty penny (no pun intended), and just for a few days then you have to do it all over again, no thanks.
Now, I don't wear any make up, that could be bad or good, I've never had anyone say anything about it. I used to wear lipstick for my job at the center, but it would dry out, and I felt I had to reapply it (which isn't the easiest thing to do when you're ripping tickets), so I stopped that. I find it a lot of work to put on earrings for a day. Course my mom says I just have to take the time and do it. Course I've noticed, that once I start doing it two or so days in a row, I make it a habit (alright no comments on that too, I can just hear my mom saying something right now)

Your laugh for the day

TRACTOR-CUTION (Darwin Award Nominee) New York Joe, 20, was driving drunkenly through Wayne County farmland in upstate New York when he steered his car directly into a ditch and knocked over a powerline. Oops! How could he rescue his car from the ditch without getting a DUI? The only way out was to steal a nearby farm vehicle, and winch the car out himself. So he aproached the nearest farmhouse, managed to start a tractor, and motored over to the scene of the accident. With the utmost of inebriated care, he then proceeded to drive several tons of metal directly into the downed power line. Goodbye Joe. Hello Darwin Award.
A ROLLING STONE... (Darwin Award Nominee) Vietnam A rolling stone is not the only thing that gathers no moss. Three men scavenging for scrap metal found an unexploded 500-pound bomb perched atop a hill near Hanoi, and decided to rely on a little help from Sir Isaac Newton. After all, gravity is free. As they rolled the bomb down the hillside, it detonated, blasting a four-meter crater and sending all three entrepreneurs to a face to face meeting with their deceased hero.
NOT A SHRED OF SENSE (Darwin Award Nominee) The ambulance responded to a frantic call concerning a neighbor's trip through a tree shredder. It seems the individual had decided to prune his own trees, rather than hire a professional. Why not? After all, the local rental shop had shredders that could make quick work of yard debris, including tree limbs up to 8 inches in diameter. To save time (those fateful words) the neighbor placed the shredder at the base of a great oak tree. He intended to cut off the top third of the tree, since it had been damaged by lightning and was dead. With the shredder running wide open, the neighbor climbed his ladder to the first tree branch, stepped off the ladder, slipped, and fell. The paramedics found him very dead, half in and half out of the shredder's hopper, one leg shredded to the hip. Not married, no kids, removed self from the gene pool.
DESCENT OF MAN (Darwin Award Nominee) In one case during my 20 years on the NYPD, we responded to a "body in a courtyard" call and found a 19-year-old man who had obviously perished by falling from a great height. We ruled out suicide, and we eventually located an informative eyewitness. The man's younger brother told us that the two of them had intended to burglarize an apartment. His brother had climbed a cable TV wire to a 5th floor window and, while struggling to force the window, had lost his grip on the thin cable and fallen to his death. The brother panicked and ran. When I asked why they had selected that particular apartment, the brother looked at me disdainfully and replied, "Obviously they got a TV if they got a cable going in the window."
STEEL IS GOLD (Darwin Award Nominee) Czech Republic Steel is valuable, especially the high grade alloy used in steel cable. Scrap metal dealers do not ask questions. They pay in cash. And a good supply of cables can be found in elevator shafts. This particular goldmine was a towering shaft inside an empty grainery near Zatec, 40 miles northwest of Prague. The cable was tightly fastened, and the far end of it disappeared into the shadowy distance above. After substantial wear and tear on a hacksaw, our man finally cut through the strong steel cable. At that instant, the counterbalance, no longer held in check, started to move silently downwards, accelerating until it reached the bottom of the shaft. Result: one proud winner of a "terminal velocity" Darwin Award. R.I.P.
A BREATHTAKING VIEW (Darwin Award Nominee) South Africa Johannesburg is growing with the construction of modern new buildings. An engineer who was inspecting the framework of a building asked a worker to stand on a scaffold that was projecting through an open space where the glass panel would soon be mounted. With the worker acting as a counterweight, the engineer walked out onto the scaffold, checked the exterior, and came back in to continue his inspection. After the engineer left, curiosity got the better of the worker. He walked out on the scaffold to see what the engineer was looking at... The worker removed himself from the gene pool out of sheer stupidity. But one does wonder whether that engineer is blithely continuing to ask trusting people to act as counterweights without explaining his reason, and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake!
ON THE PISTE (Darwin Award Nominee) David, 46, was sliding down an Italian ski slope one night. It did not occur to him that it might be dangerous to sled down the same slope he had stripped of protective padding. Sauze d'Oulx is one of five villages which make up the "Milky Way" ski area in northern Italy. Hugely popular with British skiers, the resort is known for its party atmosphere. A ski resort spokesperson for Sauze d'Oulx said, "The men had all been drinking when they tore off the padding, and ironically..." ...careened straight into the bare barriers at the bottom of the piste (groomed slope). David died from head and chest injuries inflicted by the unpadded metal. Two of his friends survived with medical attention. A third Darwin Award candidate is still missing after he wandered away "bloodied and distressed."
CRUTCH, MEET CROTCH (Darwin Award Nominee) Russia Late one night, Eduard entered the apartment of a handicapped man, who slept peacefully as Eduard quietly cleaned out the valuables. Eduard was preparing to leave when suddenly the man woke up. "I couldn't believe my eyes!" The dark shape of some goon standing next to my nightstand!" recalls the burglary victim. "I cried out, and he attacked me, who was defenseless, with his fists! I had no choice. I hit him between the legs with my crutch! He leapt out the window! Thank God I live on the first floor, and he did not die from the fall. I didn't understand at first what had fallen out of his pants. When I looked closer, I realized that it was a testicle, a man's testicle! I put it in cold water, and rushed to the phone." The handicapped man dialed the emergency services several times, but "the doctors hung up on me when I told them I had ripped a burglar's balls off!" Half an hour later, the blood-covered thief was found by a passerby, who called the police. "An unconscious man was lying on the sidewalk," a police investigator disclosed. When the medics revived him, he started screaming hysterically, 'Give me back my balls!'" Eduard's genitals were so traumatized that doctors had to amputate the entire scrotum to prevent gangrene. In the hospital, Eduard filed a complaint with the police. He said "I will never forgive him!"
FRUGAL ("At Risk" Survivor) (11 December 2007, Germany) Being frugal can be carried too far. A 64-year-old man returning from Egypt was switching planes at the Nuremberg airport, when he was told that he could not take two pints of vodka onto the plane. New security rules prohibit carrying large quantities of liquid onto a plane, and the security staff was adamant. Instead of handing over the alcohol, or paying a fee to check his carry-on luggage, the man quickly quaffed the two pints. That much vodka can easily kill a man. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He was soon unable to stand upright. A doctor was summoned. She determined that he had consumed a potentially life-threatening amount of alcohol, and sent him to a local clinic for treatment of alcohol poisoning.
BBQ KABOOM ("At Risk" Survivor) Tennessee A 22-year-old man was having a BBQ moment. John's friends needed charcoal embers, and John had the means to deliver: his trusty 1978 Chevrolet pickup truck. So he put his burning BBQ in the bed of the truck, and set off down the road. "Obviously, we would urge people not to drive with burning grills in their vehicles." Sheriff's Office spokesman Ted Denny said later. The trouble was, the hot grill was not the only item in the bed of the pickup. Hot charcoal, meet propane tank. The propane tank exploded and the Chevy was engulfed in flames. But John was lucky. Due to the quick response of emergency crews, the conflagration was extinguished. John escaped with burns to his lower legs. burns that will no doubt leave scars to remind him that few BBQ emergencies are worth the risk.
A SLIPPERY SLOPE ("At Risk" Survivor) UK The seaside town at the mouth of the river Yare keeps a modern lifeboat at anchor by the harbor wall. The old lifeboat shed is nearby, and its cobbled slipway descended straight into the river. The next stop is the coast of Holland. I was eight years old, and not afflicted by the degree of supervision that kids endure nowadays. That summer, a bunch of us decided it would be a great wheeze to take a discarded tractor tyre from the dump, and take turns curling up inside it while the others rolled us down the slipway into the river. The name of the game was to struggle out before the tyre reached the water. This provided several minutes of hysterical fun, until the inevitable happened. All hell broke loose as the lucky winner and the tyre rapidly made their way to open sea. The sight of the big yellow Coast Guard helicopter and its crew saving his ass went some way towards compensating for the pain inflicted upon mine by my dad that evening.
DEFINITELY NOT DEADLY ("At Risk" Survivor) Spain The warning stated, "Ingestion of 20 grams is potentially lethal," but a visitor to the Mycological Conference in the village of Badajoz disagreed with the official assessment of Amanita Phalloides, commonly known as the death cap mushroom. 45-year-old Jose Manuel knew mushrooms. He had spent the past few days collecting and exhibiting mushrooms. He began arguing with conference attendees. To prove his point, he picks up the mushroom and began chewing on half of it. Aghast onlookers begged him to spit it out, but he calmly finished chewing, swallowed, and went on to consume the remaining half of the poisonous basidiomycete fungus. Jose Manuel, clearly under the influence of alcohol, insisted that the next few hours would prove who was right and who was wrong. Indeed they did. An ambulance was summoned and, despite heated opposition, a friend finally convinced the amateur mycologist to get into the ambulance. It was lucky that his friend was persuasive. Once in the hospital, Jose Manuel started to show the typical signs of Death Cap poisoning: bloating, jaundice, and continuous vomiting. He spent two days in the Intensive Care Unit, before being transferred to a standard hospital bed. The major of the town visited the foolhardy mycologist in the hospital. Although the man was aware that his liver showed extremely high levels of transaminase, an enzyme that is produced when the liver has had to process toxic substances, he told the mayor that he is still convinced that the mushroom is harmless. Maybe a second try will make him a worthy Darwin nominee.
UNFINISHED PROJECT ("At Risk" Survivor) Any story that begins, "Well, I was building a pipe bomb," can never end well. Sam is a bright and successful individual with an appetite for building new things. Things like axles and pipe bombs. One Sunday, angry that the Broncos were losing, Sam headed to his workshop to build a pipe bomb. He welded a pipe closed on one end. Taking every precaution one can take when one is illegally creating high explosives, Sam was smart enough to let the metal cool down before he put the gun powder in the pipe. When he was done packing the powder, he realized that he had run out of welding rod. And so he set the half-finished pipe bomb on the scrap metal pile for later. Pipe bombs, like any other half-done task, have a tendency to stay undone for a great deal of time. That's what happened with Sam's project. He simply forgot about the pipe bomb for six long months, summer and fall. A few days before hunting season, Sam was loading his hunting gear into his pride-and-joy Ford Bronco, when he noticed that a shaft was cracked. Being an expert welder, Sam knew he could fix the cracked pipe himself. I hardly need to say more. Sam reached into his scrap metal pile, pulled out a pipe, pulled down his welding hood, and struck an arc. He remembers a loud bang and not much else. There was shrapnel embedded in the rafters of the third floor of his house. Another piece of shrapnel had blown through Sam's welding hood, missing his empty skull by half an inch. I still have the photographic evidence. Nothing good ever comes from the phrase, "Well, I was building a pipe bomb."
WORKPLACE FLING ("At Risk" Survivor) Australia My younger brother worked as a hand fitter at the Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter. He was laughing so hard telling this story that he nearly wet himself. One piece of heavy machinery at the smelter is a screw feeder, a large cast-iron tube with an Archimedean screw inside. As the screw turns, it transports chunks of ore along its length. One of the drawbacks to the design is that it can, and does, jam if ore gets wedged between the edge of the screw and the casing. When a jam occurs, correct procedure is... what? That's right, shut the feeder down, open a hatch in the casing, and use a pry bar to dislodge the jam. Then start the machinery back up. Incorrect procedure, as demonstrated by my brother's co-worker, is to take a six-foot jimmy bar and bash the side of the casing in an effort to dislodge the jam. This is a bad idea because cast iron can fracture if abused. But the screw feeder is a rugged piece of equipment. It survived the bashing. Our anti-hero then opens the inspection panel whilst the feeder is running. He spots the jam and dislodges it with the same six-foot jimmy bar. Did I mention that the feeder is still running? Did I mention that it's a large, rugged piece of equipment? The screw grabs the end of the jimmy bar and whips it around violently. The free end of the bar intersects our man's testicles. He lands in a crumpled, semi-conscious heap ten feet away from the now free-running feeder. Fortunately for him, the mangled bar misses him when it is flung free of the feeder moments later. Otherwise this story would have a more somber ending. The unfortunate worker sustained injuries to his genitalia that necessitated a hospital stay. And worse, he put an end to the smelter's accident-free run in a public and highly amusing fashion. His pride was as crushed as his testicles. Almost.
MEXICAN DIVORCE ("At Risk" Survivor) I was travelling in Mexico with my then wife. Like many young hands, we were in a VW van equipped with a potty to provide for our fussy American preference for sanitation and privacy. We had been quibbling all day, due to the stifling heat and humidity of the sea level jungle in which we had been camping. We took the road toward Mexico City, hoping that higher elevation would gain us some relief from the tropical heat. On a switchback road several thousand feet above sea level, my dear wife announced the need to use the convenience, and lurched toward the rear of the van. I suggested that she wait until I could pull over, but she was resolute in her determination to attend to matters promptly. From the back, I heard her irritable voice say, "Why's this sodding potty rocking?" I pondered, and realized that the potty was under pressure! It had been last used at sea level, and we had gained significant elevation. The bottom of the potty was bowed with pressure, causing the rocking. And, to my good wife's impending grief and mortification, the potty was nearly full. A beat too late, I called back, "Honey don't flush..." I was interrupted by a mighty "WHOOSH" and a slurpy noise. Then silence. Then a horrible stench, and the unhappy sounds of my dear bride cursing like a Liverpool longshoreman. In the rear view mirror, I saw that the interior of the van was dripping with brown fluid. Since she had to face the potty to flush it, and since she hadn't put the lid down, my hapless wife had taken the full blast from the pressurized holding tank. She looked like Al Jolson in blackface. Convulsed with laughter which was the proximate cause of our subsequent marital decline, I pulled over. My soon-to-be-ex lady marched down the highway cursing and dripping. When I recovered my composure, I cleaned the van and picked up my luckless hitch-hiking wife. Our conversation was limited over the next few days, and never regained it's former gaiety and charm. That pressurized potty took us out of the gene pool.
MOLTEN COPPER SHOWER ("At Risk" Survivor) Police in England are hunting for a badly scorched would-be copper thief after finding a hacksaw embedded in an 11,000 volt power cable. The thief also left a lit blow torch at the scene, is presumed to be badly charred, and not the brightest bulb in the socket. Copper prices have more than doubled in the last four years, sparking a wave of copper thefts across the globe. Thieves targeting copper wire and copper pipes have suffered many fatalities and serious injuries. "The sheer stupidity of cutting through power cables should be glaringly obvious to everyone," said a spokesperson for the power company. "At the very least, it would have created an almighty bang and showered him with molten copper." 800 customers were left without power for several hours.

Will you leave this all behind?

Yesterday was clean up Kevin's truck day, so we went to the car wash, then stopped at Walmart for some wax and an oil drainer pan. So, he's waxing his truck and I'm sitting on his toolbox in the back, it was cold, but he looked so good working on the truck, course if I thought he looked good then, I should have just waited. I go inside because it's cold, and he starts draining/changing his oil. He comes inside after awhile, and he's got oil all over him, on the side of his shirt, on his jeans and on his face, apparently he dropped the oil filter. I'm sitting there on the couch staring at him cause he looks so hott. Later before he takes me home, he's washing his buffing clothes, still in his shirt (it's a little less oily), I just couldn't believe how hott he looked in his dirtyness. Who knew a hard-working guy, after his day is done, turns me on so well (guess I should make a note of this for the future.

So long Mississippi

Question for all my readers.
I applied for a job at a store here a couple weeks ago. I called last week asking if the lady had made any decisions, and she said no she hadn't but she'd mark down that I called (stupid me, I didn't ask when she'd make a decision). What's my next step? How long do I wait to call again?

Also, when I post pictures on here, do they come out dark? On my etsy store (see link on side), I noticed quite a few of my pictures turned out dark. I didn't notice this on my computer, because they look fine there, but when I was on my mom's computer the other day, I noticed they are really dark. I've gotten suggestions from people to take the pictures in sunlight and at certain times of day, but I don't know how to make it so I know they're dark on my computer. Any idea if I can do that?

I worked a concert last night, FFA was in town. I love it how when my bosses say that we won't have any problems, it seems like the first thing we have is a problem. So, we're going up to our posts and I notice that people are coming in already, it's about 8:15, they're not supposed to be coming in until 8:45. I find my supervisor and advise him of this, apparently someone wanted to go out and have a smoke (one of the people selling CDs for the bands), and propped a door open, and I guess they didn't see any reason anyone shouldn't come it. So, then I'm going around and finding people and asking them to wait outside until we're ready to open. I run into a guy and his kid (maybe), and I ask them if they're here to attend the concert, no they're waiting for it to begin (that's attending), and so I ask if they would wait outside, because we're not ready for them to be inside yet. He replies that that's bullshit and that it's a free concert, it's their concert, their rules. I wanted to say that FFA paid to be at the coliseum, so technically it's our rules, but I'm not allowed to do that, I told my supervisor about him, and left it up to him. I heard he did leave, guessing he put up an argument though.
The parents/adults always seem to be worse than the kids. The kids are generally so nice and will follow along with instructions, but the adults like to argue. And of course, if I'd never worked an FFA concert I would have thought that they were all like that, because we all know a tiny percentage ruins it for everyone. Luckily for that guy, I didn't pass judgement on the whole group because of him.
And I guess the concert was really bad, the bands were some alternative music, which no one really seemed to like and everyone left. I was catching a ride with a co-worker who was cut early, since I was at a non busy door I got to leave early, and my co-worker said there were 12 people inside. I also heard they were cutting more people when I left. It shows you're a good band, when the concert-goers leave, and the event staff gets to leave cause there's basically no one but you in the coliseum.

I need a wheel in my hands

Why do people gotta make it so hard to cancel things?
I signed up for the free month and $5.00 free postage for stamps.com for a survey with a company. I took my survey but haven't seen that I've been compensated yet. And in order to print your free $5.00 in postage in stamps you have to buy their special stamp paper, or you can print it for packages, unfortunately I don't have a scale to weigh my packages.
So, I decided to cancel the free month, you have to call them between X and X Monday through Friday, and then you have to go through a menu, get connected to someone that's in another country (not surprising there), but their system kinda sucks, because as I was waiting for her to bring up my account, I could hear other people talking in the background, and her voice, not the easiest to understand. Then, she tried to get me to stay, why do I want to cancel, can't afford, well we can extend your free month to the end of May, no, how about we drop the price from 15 to 7, no. I'm surprised they didn't have more to ask.
Also, I tried cancelling a magazine to get/save some money, got it cancelled online, but to get your refund you have to contact the service that you ordered it through. So, I rifled through the papers when I got my extended subscription, (lived across the street then, good thing I kept that), called their 1-800 #, sorry mailbox for so-and-so is full, please try back later. Never did get in contact with them, thankfully the magazine said they'd restart my service.
What ever happened to a little click online and you got stuff cancelled and refunds easily?

Time Marches On by Tracy Lawrence

For this person: Herndon, VA—Road Runner Holdco Llc, BROTHER COMES IN FEATHERS ON HIS HEAD: 4/10/08, 00:30:28, here's the lyrics, title is title and artist of it

Sister cries out, from her baby bed.
Brother runs in with feathers on his head.
Mama's in her room learnin how to sew.
Daddy's drinkin beer listenen to the radio.
Hank Williams sings Kaw-Liga and Dear John
Time marches on, time marches on.

Sister's using rouge and clear complection soap.
Brother's wearin beads and he smokes alot of dope.
Mama is depressed barely makes a sound.
Daddy's got a girlfriend in another town.
Bob Dylan sings like a Rolling Stone.
Time marches on, time marches on.

South moves north, North moves south
A star is born, a star burns out.
the only thing that stays the same is everything
changes, everything changes.

Sister calls herself a sexy grandma.
Brother's on a diet for high cholesterol.
Mama's out of touch with reality.
Daddy's in the ground beneath the maple tree.
As the Angels sing an old Hank Williams song.
Time marches on, time marches on.
Time marches on, timemarches on.
Time marches on. Time marches on.



You're welcome

Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial

So, apparently I'm not allowed to move around in my apartment after 11PM.
I was doing dishes tonight (that'll surprise Kevin), and I accidently dropped something on the floor, apparently my mother wasn't asleep yet, because she calls me and proceeds to chew me out because it's almost midnight, she's tired and she's crabby because she has a headache (ya know they have medicine for those), and that I was to stop making noise and quit walking around so she could sleep. NEWS FLASH MOTHER, You're always crabby!!!!
God forbid, something accidently fall on the floor because apprantly accidents don't happen up here. Good thing was, she didn't upset me near as much as she normally does.
Damn I wish I had the money to NOT live above my parents.

Get on your bikes and ride

Is a show really good, or really disturbing if it sticks with you?
I was watching Cold Case on Sunday, and they got this serial killer that held women hostage until they lost their hope that they were going to be found. Now I know it's a fictional show, but like I've read before truth is stranger than fiction, sometimes you can't believe the truth when you believe the idea that it could never happen. And I'm pretty sure the people that write these shows go through police reports and such, I bet their story ideas are vaguely based on fact.
People are so messed up.

Last Friday I made my first big compromise in my relationship. I had stuck an ad up on craigslist looking for a motorcycle ride, and received quite a few replies and after sifting through the messed up people looking for sex, I had selected one that I was going to go on a ride with on Saturday. I told Kevin this and he got really mad, I'd have to say we had our first big fight. He doesn't trust any guy that would pick a chick up and let them have a free ride on their motorcycle through an ad online. He told me he didn't like it, and I said that that wasn't going to stop me from going on the ride. And he pretty much hung up on me.
Well, I thought about it, and decided my relationship was more important than a motorcycle ride (if it ever came to that), so I declined the ride.
Anybody out there I know with a motorcycle wanna take me on a ride?

Is that so strange?

Found out tonight (technically last night), that my dad GAVE AWAY the LP of Bruce Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A. Needless to say I was/am a bit perturbed.