Sunday, July 31, 2011

Ring, Ring

My cell phone is approximately three or four years old, you know the Razor that was so popular a while back. It's beginning to act up and I am thinking it's time for a new phone.

The problem I am seeing is that all the new cell phones are smart phones. I don't want a smart phone. I do not want the ability to blog or Facebook on the run. I need some distance from all those 1s and 0s to actually live my life.

So which cell phone do you buy now, if you want to use it only for - get this - a phone. I don't text, why text when I am holding the phone and I can call and speak actual words and get actual words spoken back to me. I think I will keep my phone for now.

If I have the ability to Facebook or snap a photo and blog about right then, I know I will. As a person who designs webs and writes for a living, yes, I must do that eight hours a day Monday through Friday - I don't want to do that in my off hours as well.  I don't think it's too healthy to be too linked to the web.

That's why I find the following commercial so apropos to what I am trying to do. I would rather have 19 friends and be active (probably not trail biking but maybe gambling, movies, reading). The key for me is to find a good balance to enjoy both worlds.


Enough for now...

Friday, July 29, 2011

My Easy button doesn't work

Friend Linda went on a retreat this week for work and came back energized and with an Easy button to boot.

My week was anything but easy, it was one of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time. Everything was a fight or a struggle. Everything I have coming up looks to be the same fight or struggle.

I am tired of the drama and I want boring. I want easy but that stupid Easy button didn't make it easier. It just made Linda laugh. She enjoyed pushing the button even though I was not amused. I honestly think she was laughing at me. Even after I broke a form everyone uses. Yet, she still pushed the stupid button and laughed.

Do yo think she drank the kool-aid at the retreat?  She told me I could waller today in all the crap happening but the crap had to be left at work and I am supposed to enjoy my weekend. I doubt that will happen, the crap is still there... waiting ...waiting, patiently for me to return and wreck my world.

If I had a button it would definitely be a "Make It Suck" button and it would be stuck on! As that the theme of my week. I took a long soak hoping to wash away all this ickyness, but it only succeeded in scaring Winston, afraid he was going to have to take a bath. I am still bummed.

Enough for now...

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Practice Makes Perfect

Well its takes mom about five months for mom to earn me enough clicks to get my Google AdSense email.

I am trying get to my ad revenue up to at least five clicks a day, so I can get an email from Google every month about a payment being issued.

I have yet to recruit enough ad clickers, but I shall continue to try. One of the things that adding the ads to the site it has encouraged me to write more constantly. When you write for a living, you tend to write about the same things and the subject matter gets old. This blog allows me the freedom to write anything I want  and in turn helps me keep my creative skills up.

Here I am limited only by my imagination, which means some days I will bore my three readers profusely. While on other occasions I will be quite imaginative. The sheer nature of a blog is to put down you own thoughts from the day or a particular subject. When I first began it was all about this new techie thing that I could actually publish.

Now, I enjoy the rants, the spastic Tuesdays, the stretching of my imagination. As I get stuck in the routine of work, this outlet helps to keep my desire to write strong and hopefully entertain my three readers.

To mom, I say thank you for diligently clicking on my ads earning me anywhere from 15 cents to S1.95 a day. If this revenue boosting doesn't work, beware I will just have to become an Arbonne dealer and I will pester you to buy all your make up from me (even though I think their hand creme stinks).

Here's to hoping for five clicks a day but realizing the daily exercise is worth much more than that. One of these days, Friend Shana and I will figure out how to write that novel together (she's an awesome writer with a killer imagination) and I won't need this blog anymore but until then I will keep practicing.

Enough for now...

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

When do I get recess?

I have been doing a little freelancing here and there and in doing so, I am actually increasing my skill set. I would love to do some changes to my "real" job's web but I seem to be too busy to get around to it. So my side jobs get some of my best work. In a way that's kind of good and yet, it is not.

My work site will get the benefit of HTML5 first, I think, mainly because I know that site inside and out. I am a little excited about this HTML5shiv that makes everything backwards compatible making even IE6 less of a booger.

Then I plan to learn asp.net for web forms and stuff and may stick my toes into mySQL. I don't know about that, SQL kind of scares me. So I think I have much learning to do in the near future.

What really scares me, is that I created a database driven resource guide with more than 3,000 entries and need to move it from the antiquated Front Page Database Interface that require Front Page Extensions and I am not sure how or what program to convert that database to. I want to maintain the ease of accessing the database via the web and yet I am just clueless as to where to start on that. So I will procrastinate on that.

The problem I always have when I work from home is that I get too deep into my work and tonight's entry is prime example of me still thinking about code when I should be relaxing. If you have any ideas of which way to start, I would love some input.

Enough for now...

Monday, July 25, 2011

Sign of the times

This photo, provided by Jodi Burr, shows the sign supporting their
sign's military service. The Burr family says their homeowner's
association is suing them for their refusal to take down the
banner from their front yard.  Read more: Fox News Story
 For all you who live in housing editions with homeowners association that won't allow American Flags or patriotic signs for our sons and daughter deployed to war zones - revolt now. I challenge everyone who pays dues to hang out the biggest flag you can get your hands on  or post signs and yellow ribbons for the safe return of our military and say "bite me, HA".

I am absolutely floored by the lengths that some of these associations will go to. Suing people to remove the flags and signs are beyond the pale.

When did we become so hung up on showing our patriotism? When did supporting our Country become passe?

Shame on you, homeowners association, that frown on such signs of patriotism.

Enough for now...

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Happy Birthday Dad


Today is my Dad's birthday. This photo is who my Dad is. His is quite and not easily excitable. He is also goofy on occasion and you never know when it is going to come out.

If you know Tommie then you know he has to have something on that head of his. Even if it's a McDonald's hat.

(P.S. dig the TV. The remote control was sitting on the rolling ottoman.)

Enough for now...

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Wasted Future


It is such a shame that with success and fame that a healthy dose of sanity doesn't accompany it. No matter how many tried to help Amy Winehouse, the drug's grip was stronger. I do feel sorry for her, drugs are evil and when they get a hold, it takes a great deal of will power to get healthy again. But the thing to remember is that before she ever took that first hit, she was sober. She chose to do drugs.

When you see these two photos of her, you wonder why anyone would do drugs. They make you ugly real fast. It's hard to believe that the photo on the right was take the night before her 25th birthday. She looks closer to 50 there. Now at the age of 27, Amy Winehouse ceased to age any more. She's dead.

The big question is,  who's the next celebrity to die a stupid death?


Enough for now...

Friday, July 22, 2011

You are diving me nuts!

This last month I have been working on a horrible project where I have been trying to get approximately 80 remote offices to provide me with information. At the beginning the majority of the people were super and sent their information in but the last 20 or so have been absolutely obstinate. I sent emails asking for information, they replied only giving half the information, I replied asking for clarification or all the information, they would reply again with partial. I was so frustrated with the mean people that my assistant  had to take over talking to a few.

It got to a point that I was almost ready to get in my car and drive two hours to a couple of offices and give them my can can of whoop a$$. But that would not have been profession of me now would it? The frustration though did manifest itself as laughing hysterically.

I told my friend, Linda, that the next time a project of this nature comes along, I am going to say "Don't ever do that to me again!" Like that freaky young girl on Toddlers and Tiaras. That show just freaks me out. If you haven't heard her before here is a snippet.



Enough for now...

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I am so busy I feel popular

Yesterday, I went to a professional organization reception where I laughed and got to know co-workers and others outside of work. It was fun.

Then today, we got a call from my nephew's wife, Stacey, and she asked if we wanted to go to dinner and meet Liam. Of course we said yes and the following are just a few of the highlights.










Enough for now...

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Caution contents may be flammable

This would not have happened if the gas tank was on the same side.
Hey car manufacturers,

Would you do me a favor? All of you get on board and pick a side, I don't care which but please decide on either the right or left side for the gas tank. Why you ask, because every time I drive a state vehicle I have to pull into a parking space and get out and look for the gas cap before I can pull in to fill up.

Also it would be nice when you go into a busy gas station if all the cars could line up the same way. I have seen cars pull up to another car's nose because they each had gas tanks on different sides. Wait, am I being too logical? Would it be too much to know that when you got in a car, any car, that the gas tank was on the driver's side? HUH? I don't think that would be too much!

I don't like government regulations but since the government already owns Chevrolet why not demand that all cars from now on put the gas tank on the same side. I say its time for us to stand up for our rights to demand a universal side for gas tanks.

Okay, so now you've just heard one of my biggest pet peeves!

Enough for now...

Monday, July 18, 2011

Such a Disappointment

TGI Fridays used to be a regular haunt for me and my lunch buddies. Now that they have changed the menu and raised their prices it's just not worth it anymore. We would go for their super great salads. Now there are way less ingredients on the salad and cost two dollars more. I am sorry but there are few salads worth $10.89 or so. One that price is outrageous and two, is it unacceptable that there's so much less on it.

Before the TGI Friday's menu change
After the TGI Friday's menu change
To the right was the old Cobb Salad that was worth $8 bucks. It had diced cold chicken, crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, boiled egg, diced avocado, black olives, cheese, and blue cheese crumbles

The new Cobb Salad has chicken breast drizzled with an ugly black vinaigrette, bacon strips, blue cheese crumbles, boiled egg, avocado and cherry tomatoes all for a meager $10.

This is rather insulting and really disappoints me. For $10 I don't think I should have to cut up my own bacon, I hate avocado so that goes to Theresa, and I am allergic to tomatoes. So what I get to eat now, is lettuce, bacon, blue cheese and chicken.

It's a shame too because my co-worker loves the fried green beans so we would go just for that but when the salad were good that was a bonus - now we won't go just for the appetizer.

I believe TGI Friday's needs to rethink their new menu, it wasn't an improvement and has lost me for a long time, if not forever. I don't see the need to be gouged at lunch.

No fried green beans for us anymore because TGI Fridays is no longer on our menu.

Enough for now...

Saturday, July 16, 2011

An expensive way to start the day

A couple of days ago, Theresa asked me what was wrong with my tire. I look at the part of the tire on the ground and it didn't look flat. So I said "Nothing." Then she pointed out the tread and said you've got nothing here. It's bald. "Really?" I said not really worried about it.

Well, that conversation nagged at me, so I went to Hibdon first thing this morning. The guy behind the counter went out to inspect my tire and came back in with a frown on his face. He comes over and said "that right front tire is separating and the back left is wha wha wha." Somehow I tuned him out on that back tire when I heard that the one was separating.

I have been driving in massive construction on I40 and a blow out there would have been disasterous. So my crappy little car with only three hubcaps has two new shoes and an alignment. Now, the loss of more than $250 bucks stings, especially when I thought I'd was just going in to get a rotation and maybe, maybe not, a new tire.

Sometimes it sucks to be a grown up. This is the second month in a row with an unexpectant $250 bill.

Enough for now...

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Take it the Limit - THEN STOP!

You know, I am so sick and tired of the theatrics that goes on in Washington. This debt ceiling crap is so stupid. If you are running out of money, you have to stop spending. It's that simple. If you need the Republicans to give you money, stop spending Democrats! Who wants to approve raising the debt ceiling with a President who is mad with spending. I cannot blame the Republicans for digging in.

In reality it is insane, what they do with our tax dollars. And then they appear shocked when the public rises up and screams stop. You know, I don't believe anything that comes out the administration so I say, don't raise it. Let see what happens. Lets live within the outrageous budget you already have (note: I did say within).

Down with tax hikes on anyone. I feel every citizen of this country regardless of how many kids or home mortgage should pay the same percentage on their earnings. I think punishing people for being successful is a step closer to communism.

The one thing, I agree with on this video is that they are all acting like children. It's sad. We are supposed to one of the most brilliant countries when it comes to democracy and they are acting like fools. Who's going to be the first one to take off his or her shoe and pound it on the table.



Enough for now...

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Doggone Tough Day

My little man went through a trauma today. First, he had a beauty appointment. All the groomers love him, but he really would rather not be cleaned. His report said the usual "Winston was a real good boy," or "He's a sweetie." Then she wrote next time recommend  the furminator. What is a furminator and do I really want them furminating my dog?

Then I worked later than I usually do, part of my freelancing. So I didn't pick up little man until  almost 7 pm. Needless to say, he's not moving further than inch away from me but he not looking me either. When Winston pouts he doesn't look at you.

So today, I will be content to hold and pet him until he is his usual self. At least, I don't the neurotic dog that mom and dad has. Seamus is the most nervous dog, we have ever had. He constantly licks is legs until he has bloody sores up and down them. He paces and cries when Mom and Dad go anywhere and he's been known to pee in my bed from nerves.

With all that being said Seamus is the sweetest 102 lb laptop dog, we've ever had. He needs his people especially sense he's trained us so well that we serve him faithfully.

Enough for now...

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Turn Around!

When I first watch this video my very first thought was, "ARE YOU MENTAL?" Who in their right mind would drive right into that? I mean for all you know the Dark Lord Sauron has escaped Mordor and is storming through Arizona!

First of all, the driver of the car had to be a boy, for a girl would have pull over to the nearest mall and taken refuge! So this idiotic boy drives toward the rolling clouds of Orc mist (or maybe sand), and then he proceeds to enter the ominous cloud to the point it's pitch black.

If this boy was a loved one of mine after watching this video, he would have been wishing for that tower prison of Gandalf's for protection from me!

Before today's rain down pour I was beginning to wonder if a storm of this sort was next for us. While I truly appreciated the rain, what is wrong with a slow drizzle. A slow soaking rain for about five days straight and I might actually have a yard again. Hey, if you want to look to the upside of draught, at least the mosquitoes are all dead.



Enough for now...

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Where did the time go?

Paul Cezanne's Pierrot and Harlequin
 For some reason, I looked up exactly how long I have lived here and I was floored. It's been seven years! Winston will be seven in September and Seamus just turned ten or eleven. Wait a minute and let me catch up, world!

As we get older, it feels as though time speeds up. Do you remember counting your birthday by half the year and now, dang it, another one? Really? Do you remember once Sears published that giant Christmas (TOYS!) catalog and after all the special pages had been dog eared and marked up - the days would warp and life would move in slow motion? Now you blink and some stupid store is playing "White Christmas."

No wonder I am ready to put up my Pierrots and Harlequin Dolls and redesign my bedroom. It's been seven years! The real problem is that I love my house and the way it is decorated but not that crazy about my bedroom. It's blah, so I want something really "WOW" but its so small I don't know if I can get "WOW" in there. It's small and I have a large dresser that is a keeper and a huge bay window (that I love) but it takes away one wall in the design theme.

Anyone got a great idea on how to decorate this room? No, Kim, I don't think lime green would be an option for me!

Enough for now...

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Just a one roll of duct tape from white trash

Give me a couple of years, I will be driving a car just like this!
 Today, I came home to an open garage door and I didn't leave it that way. It is scary to thing that anyone could have come into my house or rummage through my garage. The only thing I can think of is that power went out and somehow kicked it on and made it go up.

But then it wouldn't lower, so I called dad and he came and unplugged it and replugged it in and it still wouldn't work. Then he unplugged it and plugged it and the stupid thing worked. Who knew unplugging and plugging in was a mechanical maneuver?

But then I had him check my front tire and I had only 13 lbs of air. Its supposed to be at least 28 to 32 lbs, and as Murphy would dictate my compressor is at his house. So Dad had to go home, pick up the compressor and come back.

And since I am already complaining, what's one more? Someone stole my hubcap to my crappy car and now I look like white trash driving drown the road. Maybe if I use duct tape on my wheel it will look like a hubcap. Yeah. I am faking my happy face.

Enough for now...

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Mother of the Year!
My friend and former boss, Ellen, would raise a hand in the air with all five fingers spread out wide and would say very earnestly "No! No! No!" whenever anyone of her employees or renters was doing something she did not approve of. That's exactly what I wanted to do when I heard of the Casey Anthony verdict.

There will be no justice for the little girl, Caylee. How can this be? How can the jury not see the guilt? How can another prosecutorial team allow this to happen? When we have such horrific crimes as this, the prosecution has got to be the best there is. Casey can never be brought to trial again because she has been found not guilty. I would have rather they not brought her to trial until they could have secured a conviction.

I do take comfort in that it should be hard to Casey to any semblance of a life. I wouldn't hire a baby killer to work in my place of employment. I wouldn't be friends with a baby killer. I wouldn't want anything to do with this horrible woman. Okay, now that I've ranted like a lunatic, I will state that I do believe in the judicial system. I just hate that one: incompetent prosecution lost another one or two: jurors didn't want to find her guilty regardless of the facts. I don't know but the system failed the baby.

It's OJ all over again! Another sucky thing is that she will get a book deal and make millions and can party her butt off. Now she won't have a baby cramping her style. Wait until she has another baby, she will be freed soon and can destroy another life.



Enough for now...

Monday, July 04, 2011

Happy Birthday America!

Today is the 4th of July, as we say it in common speak, but I like the title Independence Day. On this day in 1776, brave men stood up to tyranny and said "NO!" They set up this country for endurance and freedom, especially with this second sentence in the Declaration of Independence.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Would our politicians of today be able to stand up to King George and tell him off in the way these brave men did? Standing up to the King and explaining the grievances took was extremely courageous. Today's, politicians weighs the political ramifications, gather a focus group and do a survey prior to committing to an issue versus what they truly believe. The men who put their signatures on that piece of paper, had a death sentence waiting for them if we had lost the war. Would any of today's politicians have signed the Declaration of Independence?

While I am very thankful they declared our independence and created the foundation for this country. Many lives were lost then and since bringing and maintaining our rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and it's to you fallen patriot that I say thank you.

Enough for now...