February 28, 2008
Read this.
January 29, 2008
Question of the Day
Why would someone leave a tub of Fixodent on a bathroom toilet?
November 22, 2007
Ankle Socks
I bought anklet socks and my legs are having a hard time adjusting. The area of my leg that used to be covered by sock is very sensitive and when my jeans rub it feels weird. Almost like I have a hole in my jeans. Weird, huh?
October 16, 2007
Cut if off!
Whenever someone in the family hurts ourselves my Dad is the first to suggest cutting the hurt body part off. Because that will make the pain go away. Or it puts things into perspective.
Today he suggested I cut of my feet since they are giving me problems. After a visit to a podiatrist there is light at the end of the tunnel and I don't have to cut my feet off. I have two problems going on my feet that I think is caused by my weight gain. With my sleep apnea problem treated I was ready to start walking, but the pain in my feet, legs, and back were not helping.
I googled my foot pain and came up with plantars faciatiis. The tendions that connect your heel to to your toes tear. It is worse at night since they heal themselves then tear again the first time you walk in the morning. I was getting the pain after sitting for awhile. So I tried better shoes, inserts, stretching, foot wraps. No help.
Then football season started and walking could not be avoided. The first game was bad. 15 minutes into walking my legs were killing me, my back ached, and I had to walk in slow motion. OK, for most people I was probably walking a normal speed, but my husband is 6 foot 9. For every step he takes, I take two. And if he is in a hurry - make that 3 steps. The next game I just left from our tailgate early so that I did not have to rush.
But I knew at that point I needed to visit a doctor. So today he confirmed my self diagnosis and added something else to it. Morton's Neuroma. The nerve between the toe bones connected to my 2nd and 3rd toes is being squished by the bones and swelling. Must be why they feel numb. Usually it is between the 3rd and 4th toe, but not with my bones being close and my extra high arches.
I am taking anti-inflamitory drugs for a week and daily stretches. And I have to limit my walking. I hope our initial treatment works since the worst case scenario is surgery. Blah!!!
I did enjoy looking at the x-rays of my feet and my doctor took the time to explain it all to me. And when I went to confirm his diagnosis on-line - he is on target. So if you need a podiatrist in the Fort Worth area - let me know!
October 02, 2007
Wiimote Helmets!
With all the TV's and wiimotes getting hurt, Nintendo is offering free jackets for up to 4 remotes per Wii. Any new units shipped after October 15th will have them included.
I wonder if they are like helmets and have to be replaced after any major crash?
Write down your serial number and get your free Wii jackets here.
Cross posted here.
September 20, 2007
May the force be with you and the Wii
"We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force."
Click here - NOW!!!
Cross posted here.
August 06, 2007
To all you Wii Peeps!!!
Nintendo is offering strap replacements for units shipping before early December. They have pictures of the difference shown here. It looks like they make the straps thicker to prevent them from breaking easily.
For the details on Nintendo's site check it out by clicking here. Have your serial number handy to see if your unit qualifies.
H/T to TG Daily.
Cross-posted here.
July 16, 2007
Calling all Military Brats
Want to help Leslie with her dissertation? She is asking the following questions of students who attended DoD schools:
1) Why do they do so well on standardized tests compared to their public school counterparts in the States; and
2) Why are racial gaps in test score performance smaller (particularly in the schools overseas).
More details on helping her out here.
July 13, 2007
Increasing Resale Value
Do you think this would increase the resale value of your home?
July 11, 2007
Almost Delivery
Last week I picked up a new type of pizza from DiGiorno. We like their pizza well enough to eat it on a regular basis, but I never thought is "was delivery." But they are very close with their newest type. Ultimate Pizzaria. Four Meat. Pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, and bacon. Crust was great. Not thick and not a flat thin. It looked like they had layered it. We usually have at least 5 pieces left over, but that night only 1.
Their website needs to be updated. All they have is a picture with coming soon on it.
July 04, 2007
We left at 3:30, really!
Tuesday as my friend and I left work, we looked forward to getting home early. But that was not to be. We should have been home by 4:30, but instead at 4:30 we were at the half way point because of a truck fire and rubber neckers. We did not get through that until 5pm.
Still enough time to get the girls before the daycare closes at 6pm. And luckily the big bad storm passed by us. We could see the dark clouds.
Then we get to a major intersection about 5 minutes from my house. It is backed up. So we take an alternate route that ends up taking to long for me to get my car from my friends and get to the daycare before it closes. So my friend agrees to go straight to the daycare.
On the way we cross over 10 areas of the road that are covered with water. Rushing water. The storm that we missed did not miss the route we were taking. The rain had to have dumped buckets and since it has been raining so much it had no where to go. We saw some duplexes centimeters from flooding. Mini rivers coming off the side of the road.
We arrived at the daycare at 5:55. Whew! With the drive back to my friends house, then to Sonic, we were home at 6:30.
Rain is predicted for the next 7 days. Where will it go?
The Corps of Engineers is watching:
"The lakes on the Trinity continue to rise. The Corps is not making any releases at the present time except for Ray Roberts and Lewisville Lakes, two projects that have risen into the surcharge pool. Releases are being delayed due to high flows on the main stem of the Trinity River. Rains Tuesday afternoon will hold up flows at Dallas somewhat longer. The flow over the spillway at Lewisville will increase as the Elm Fork watershed drains.
In the Brazos watershed, the high flows from Possum Kingdom Lake have caused the level at Whitney Lake to rise to elevation 556 feet. Whitney is expected to rise to elevation 560 feet (27 feet above normal) by the weekend. The high lake level has forced the closing of several bridges at the upper end of the lake. Currently, there is approximately 32,000 cubic feet per second of floodwater flowing in the Brazos River through the city of Waco due to discharges from Whitney, Waco and Aquilla Lakes. One cubic foot of water is equal to 7.48 gallons so this equates to 14 million gallons of water per minute.
This high flow may continue for several weeks in order to lower these lakes.
May 22, 2007
Just In Case You Enjoy a Frosty Beverage
May 12, 2007
3 Strikes and You Are Out!
Good bye to Charter. We are sick and tired of their bad customer service and having to be here for a tech to come by to fix our down internet connection. It has happened at least 3 times within the last 6 months. AT&T here we come!
March 11, 2007
Got Cingular?
You could get a new phone and make $99!
Hat tip to The Barganist.
February 28, 2007
NO INTERNET!!!!
Saturday we lost power during the "wind" storm. It came back, but our internet did not. We are now in tech support hell.
February 20, 2007
Cajun Landing
If you are ever in the Alexandria, LA area you MUST eat at Cajun Landing. We found this place by accident, but man-o-man! The cajun bisque was to die for. I got the fried seafood platter with catfish, crab strips, oysters, and shrimp. Yum.
We are seriously considering going back again...... YES! That good!
January 19, 2007
Maximum Participation cont....
Do you remember when I posted about our girl's school PTF President wanting to have the meetings on Friday's at 3:15 to maximize participation? At the time they ended up having two meetings. One on Friday's at 3:15 and one on Thursday's at 7:00 p.m.
But now it has changed again. Our PTF Prez no longer has Friday's off, so we are now having one meeting in the evenings.
Heh.*
quoted from Bou
January 17, 2007
Just in case you are stuck in the bad weather....
January 10, 2007
Best Love Songs
I love various types of music, but country music has the best love songs. I heard a song today by Brad Paisley and it gave me goose bumps. This is off of his Time Well Wasted album. Bolded lyrics by me.
She's Everything
Will Nance/Brad Paisley (BMI)/(ASCAP)
She's a yellow pair of running shoes
A holey pair of jeans
She looks great in cheap sunglasses
She looks great in anything
She's I want a piece of chocolate
Take me to a movie
She's I can't find a thing to wear
Now and then she's moody
She's a Saturn with a sunroof
With her brown hair a-blowing
She's a soft place to land
And a good feeling knowing
She's a warm conversation
That I wouldn't miss for nothing
She's a fighter when she's mad
And she's a lover when she's loving
Chorus
And she's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
I talk about her, I go on and on and on
'Cause she's everything to me
She's a Saturday out on the town
And a church girl on Sunday
She's a cross around her neck
And a cuss word 'cause its Monday
She's a bubble bath and candles
Baby come and kiss me
She's a one glass of wine
And she's feeling kinda tipsy
She's the giver I wish I could be
And the stealer of the covers
She's a picture in my wallet
Of my unborn children's mother
She's the hand that I'm holding
When I'm on my knees and praying
She's the answer to my prayer
And she's the song that I'm playing
Repeat chorus
She's the voice I love to hear
Someday when I'm ninety
She's that wooden rocking chair
I want rocking right beside me
Everyday that passes
I only love her more
Yeah, she's the one
That I'd lay down my own life for
And she's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
She's everything to me
Yeah she's everything to me
Everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
She's everything to me
January 03, 2007
Just a little off....
When I was in high school I made chocolate chip cookies and used some left over butter my Mom put in a tupperware dish. It was about 2 tablespoons or so. Not enough to let the GARLIC flavor in it take over the cookies, but enough to make you wonder what was different about these cookies. Ya, I used garlic butter.
We have some toothpaste that is a little like my garlic cookies. Colgate Sparkling White Vanilla Mint. The vanilla just does not belong in the toothpaste. Not enough to make you go "bleh", but "enough to make you wonder what was different about these cookies."
December 03, 2006
The drama has changed....
Amazon says: Yes. Due to the incredible volume of traffic stemming from the popularity of this feature, we have made some changes to Amazon Customers Vote.
What I would have said: Yes, Due to the incredible volume of whining, we have made some changes to Amazon Customers Vote.
Now it is a lottery. You vote, you will be randomly picked to buy the item within the 24 hour buying period.
Now they will whine about not getting picked. And how it is rigged. It can't be random!!!!
Related post here.
November 30, 2006
So The Drama!
Amazon has a new feature called "Amazon Customers Vote". It started out each week customers voted on the deal of the week. Now they have extended it to every two weeks. The last sale was for a Xbox 360 at $100 vs. the usual price of $299. Quanity of 1000. Amazon spelled it all out, explained the process, and even gave tips on the best way to get one of the limited quanity.
Alas, not everyone was happy. On Amazon's Forum for Customers Vote, people complained. And Amazon let them without any censoring.
Based on what I read on the forums, here is what I think happened. News got out about the deal. All over. Thousands, if not millions, were ready to go at the exact time the sale started. Both Amazon and the customers had no clue what would happen. They sold out in 29 seconds. It brought the whole site down for 15 minutes.
And people were pissed. Here are a few quotes from a post on the forum.
That was total crap, I can't believe how unfair that was
You would think they would at least offer the next 10,000 users a lesser discount or something. But no, it was just "Sorry you are SOL." And you know, I didn't even GET a "Sorry."
I live on the east coast at a small city and got mine. People dont understand that there was enormous ungodly amount of people knew about this. This was posted via forums, amazon, gamer websites, even cnn, msnbc, and foxnews reported on this on tv. CNN is still reporting the deal as we speak 2 hrs after it ended. No matter how good the servers are, +2 million or more hitting the site at the same time, all of them refreshing every 2 sec does put damper on the servers at exactly the same time, oh yeah, its thanksgiving so EVERYONE is off. I think this was a good marketing, just didnt have enough xbox360 to go around. It sent millions to its website with least amount of money for advertisemnt. It wont be fair since only 1,000 was offered. Life is not fair, soon people will complain about the time the contest is offered because most people will be working at 11am next week.
This was worse than standing in line because no matter how early you starting sitting at your computer waiting for time, it all came down to getting a connection. Horrible system.
I'm just arguing in favor of Amazon - they didn't have to offer this deal, but they did, and I agree, there were problems with it. I think both the customers and Amazon learned a lesson here, and I think things will change in the future. All i'm saying is that people need to stop getting so angry about it and just move on with life, its not the end of the world and people need to stop this "boycott Amazon" mentality just because they weren't one of the lucky ones to win an Xbox. Lets be thankful that Amazon made this deal available to us in the first place
It's so stupid. I made sure to cancel all my plans and stay home for this offer. At exactly 1:58 I tried to access the page, in one tab... one time only, and it didn't load until 2:06. My friend said he tried at 1:59 exactly, and it didn't load until 2:10. I really thought that I was gonna be able to play a game system next year, but I guess no luck of that now. I read some forum that stated that most of the people who got one lived in the West. So Thanks amazon for having such a wonderful and fair system.
You guys can blame the servers all you want, but even if they had more servers with more capacity, it would not have helped much.
It took a while to load but I did eventually get through, and I live in the midwest. It could have just been luck, but I think Amazon did the best they could. Even if the servers didn't lag, you have to consider how many thousands of people were waiting to get one of only 1 thousand, so they would have been gone in a split second anyway.
Mostly a bunch of whiners on the rest of the posts.
Since this offer was on the internet, people have viewed it differently than a special at a brick and mortar store. How is this any different than the computer stores selling 25 eMachines for $25? First come, first serve, no rain checks. You know you got to get there before the store opens, before everyone else, and be willing to push your way in. And what if tons of people have the same idea? Now you have a traffic jam. The server overload at Amazon is just like a traffic overload on our roads. You can only fit so many cars on it and keep the flow going.
I don't understand the whining, but I really don't understand people wanting to report Amazon to the Better Business Bureau, refusing to do any more business with them, or filing a lawsuit. Jeez, people!!!!
12/3: Update here.
October 28, 2006
What's up with dat?
I am a fan of Keith Urban. His music and lyrics are great. He is a very positive singer and good looking to boot.
Keith Urban is one of my "friends" on myspace.com. Ya, ya, I have a space on myspace! Just trying to be hip and keep up with the times. Plus, it helped me to find a few high school buddies. But about Keith being my "friend".....
It is a farce! You know those websites that offer you a free Ipod if you sign up for 20 offers and get 20 friends to do the same? Ya, those scams. Well, now Keith Urban is part of it!!! "He" sent me an invite to one of his concerts and said that if I was one of the first 500 to accept, I would get free tickets. Ya, after I do 20 offers!!!! Jeez.
And the plot thickens even more... How can he send me an invite if he is in rehab? I guess he needs the money from the offer scams to pay for rehab.... Now I have to decide if I am going to take him off my friend list on myspace.com.
Update: Another Keith fan left a comment saying the Keith Urban does not have a myspace account. The plot thickens! Need to check into this more...
October 24, 2006
Be prepared
GruntDoc posted an article about Americans not being prepared for disaster.
Unless you are in an area where disasters hits frequently (like Bou and VW), you don't really think about this stuff. No biggie. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared. So if you like me and have never really looked into being prepared, I am going to help you out a bit. Below are links to sites that list what to put in a "disaster kit". Based on what you should put in it, we should call it a disaster bin, trunk, or WBS (Whole Bunch o' Stuff).
One of my friends at work has an Emergency Envelope in each of his cars. He prepared these in response to 9/11 and the possibility of an attack on the city. I suppose the Dallas/Fort Worth area could be a prime target. The envelope includes emergency contacts, a meeting place with maps outlining various courses out of town, and some extra cash. They have picked a relative away from town so that if cell phones don't work they all know where to call to check in. And they all have an understanding that no matter what they do not come back for each other, but head straight for the designated meeting point. He has instructions very clear and consise. I don't think I will go to the extreme of documenting all of it, but I may put together a "cheat sheet" with contact numbers and addresses. Again, could not hurt....
September 15, 2006
Hint.... hint....
Snippet of a conversation:
Me: Tomorrow is National Wife Appreciation Day.
Hubby: It is?
Me: Link to story
Hubby: It looks like that would be like Hershey sending out a press release for a national candy day.
July 12, 2006
Feet and People
All of my shoes are worn out and I can't find a pair that I want in my price range. Because my shoes are worn out my feet hurt. And since my feet hurt, I am in a bad mood. Your feet make a difference if how you feel and do.
And then I realized that people at the bottom of the ladder at companies are like feet. You take care of them, then they will make your company run better. If lower ladder people are not happy, it puts the whole company in a bad mood.
Lesson of the day? Take care of your feet and your workers.
July 07, 2006
2,996
From D.Challener Roe at "2,996":
I hate that the limited resources of my brain are clogged with names like Bundy, Manson, Columbine and Al-Qaeda, but I almost never hear the names of their victims.
I hope that by having 2,996 of us write a tribute to these people that we will each learn about our victims. We will burn into our own brains the details of their lives and come to know more about them than we do about the monsters who took their lives. I can say that after doing my own research I will never forget the name of my victim.
I think of this a little bit like a giant wake, where we celebrate their lives and not the circumstances of their unfortunate deaths.
By taking the time and energy to remember them we can keep them alive in our own memories. We can keep them alive for as long as we refuse to forget them.
You can help remember here.
Hat tip to Dawn.
July 02, 2006
Uni-taskers
If you watch Alton Brown or read his books, you know that his is not a fan of kitchen tools that only have one purpose. He says:
I still say -- banish the Uni-tasker. If it doesn't perform multiple functions, it doesn't belong in the kitchen (except for the fire extinguisher, of course).
I discovered this week that the grater now has another task to add. I have yet made it to the kitchen section to confirm this, but tell me if you notice much difference between the two items below? Can you guess what they each are?
Give up? Item #1 is here. Item #2 is here.
Do you think even Alton would approve the multi-tasking since the items are so similar?
May 25, 2006
lala.com
Today Kyle told me about lala.com.
Lala.com, which has $9 million in venture backing from Bain Capital Ventures and Ignition Partners, presents itself as an online music co-op that allows members to trade in CDs in exchange for those they want from others. Those who want to obtain the used CDs must be willing to trade CDs from their own collection. Members pay $1, plus 49 cents in postage.
But the site is more than a CD swap meet. Consumers will also have the option of buying new CDs, and, eventually, digital music. Members are encouraged to write reviews of CDs and join an online community of like-minded music lovers.
Based on a member's music tastes -- music listed in their catalogs and want lists -- Lala.com will provide music suggestions gleaned from others who like similar bands.
Bajarin does not think the music industry will like the idea. Though Lala.com encourages members not to keep digital copies of the CDs they trade, there is no way to enforce that.
Full article here.
Here is what lala says about their company. I am not going to quote it here since the whole letter is worth reading. I like what he says, but wonder how long it will take for a lawsuit to be filed.
If the music industry would come down on their prices and get up to date with the how people are listening/getting/wanting music, they would not have to see companies like these as enemies.
May 17, 2006
Update on Charater Dissection
My husband asked the girls about Kronk last night at dinner. We learned he is definately NOT a bad guy. He is Kusko's friend. He does what Yzma says since she will fire him if he doesn't.
Does that help? No!
May 15, 2006
Character Dissection
One of the girl's favorite cartoons is The Emperor's New School. There is one character that is leaving my husband and I stumped. We can not figure out Kronk. He works with Yzma to get Kusco to fail school, but then at times it seems like he is helping Kusco. Is he evil? Is he a bad guy? Is he torn in his role of badness?
Take for example this episode: "When Kuzco and Kronk see Malina as a rebel, they know they want Malina back to the old Malina, so they steal Yzma's "girl" potion and transform themselves into girls, so they think they can solve the problem." Does that sound like Kronk is a bad guy? He is not helping Kusco, but he is still being a nice guy. Doesn't seem he is evil to me.
I did some research on the web and realized I may be at a disadvantage since I have not seen "The Emperor's New Groove", but the show summary states that his is on Yzma's side and she planted him in the school as a student to help her get Kusco to fail.
Any thoughts from others who watch the show? Am I crazy for wanted to know the dynamics of a cartoon?
May 11, 2006
Play at Your Own Risk
There is a game out there that I am now addicted to. Cute Overload linked to it last month. GAH! At first I could not figure it out, but realized that you have to get rid of the blue squares by matching at least three farm animals in it. When you try it, if you dare, notice how the squares change to white after to make a match? Also you can use the bombs to get rid of some. Let me know if you get past level 7 since I just can't make it!!!!
Now presenting the addicting game, FARM HUSTLE!!!
April 30, 2006
More on driving and cell phones
About a week after I posted this, a study came out on the dangers of multi-tasking and driving. You can read more about it in RofaSix's post and Part-n-Pieces.
Becky also commented on this same thing in her post - that other things are just as dangerous as cell phones. I agree but I see cell phone usage more. I have seen people reading books, hitting passengers, trying to get something off the floor, and putting on makeup. But for every one time I see something like this, I see cellin' 20 times. Based on the WSJ in Rofa's post, the study also agrees:
Fiddling with a "wireless device," usually a mobile phone, was by far the biggest contributor to near-crashes and evasive-maneuver incidents. Talking on a cellphone was blamed for 466 bad driving incidents, and more than 35 near-misses. Dialing a hand-held cellphone was linked to 87 incidents of erratic driving.
Banning cell phone use while driving would not solve all distractions, but it would take care of the majority. And maybe I can sleep better while my husband drives us to work.....
April 23, 2006
Car Buying
By no means am I a car buying expert. I have only purchased 5 in my lifetime. Most purchased when I really needed them, so I lost some bargaining power. Plus, I did not know what I was doing. I have a friend who buys cars over the phone. He looks at the cars on Sundays when the dealers are gone, researches the price online (here and here) and then calls all the dealers in the area until one is willing to beat his price. Good thing about this is you don't have to deal with them face to face and can say "No" very easy. Even better if you can go test driving and say no when you are at the dealers.
My husband is very good at buying cars also. He knew exactly what he wanted to pay for our blue car. We had it special ordered so he knew the dealership had not lost any money on it sitting on the lot. Plus it was a Focus Wagon with a stick shift. Who would want that? (We may be the only ones, but we needed the "umph" for highway driving.) When we went to pick it up my husband prepared me. Since he knows me very well.
"No matter what happens, even if we have to walk out, DO NOT CRY!!!"
Luckily we did not get to that point and they took my husband's price. Whew!
April 16, 2006
Cellin' vs. Druken'
On weekdays I average 2 hours on the road. Granted some of it is napping since I am car pooling with my husband. But when I am awake....
I am scornfull of cell phone users! OK, they suck!!!!!
They drive to slow, swerve, don't pay attention, don't look when they get into other lanes. BAH!!!!
Used to be when you saw someone driving like this, you thought they were drunk. Not anymore.
Don't blow this off to female emotion. My frustration is based on first hand observations.
But there is some one backing me up on this. Mythbusters! This show on Discovery Channel has two guys who try to bust myths and urban legends. And they don't just talk about it, they test it out. They try to replicate the situation to see if it is true. One episode they tested if steel-toed boots can be more dangerous than the regular variety. They smashed steel toe and non-steel toe boots with materials to represent real feet. They tried many different ways. They go out of there way to make sure they are replicating the myth as close as they can.
Another episode of note is #33. I am scamming the complete summary from the Unofficial Mythbuster's Episode Guide. Read their results......
Cellphone vs. Drunk Driving
Myth: It is just as dangerous to talk on a cellphone as it is to drive drunk.
A British study that asked subjects to do memory tests, reasoning, and mental arithmetic, found that cellphone use did hurt driving. The study also compared it to drunk driving, though Adam didn't describe the exact results of that comparison.
For this mythbusting, they wanted to focus on the talking aspect of cellphones, instead of dialing, as drivers would some sense to them would dial when the car was not moving.
For the test they used Kari and Adam as the test drivers and they went to Infineon Raceway near Sonoma. The test course had four parts:
* Accelerate to 30mph and then stop at a stop sign.
* Parallel park
* Time trial: average 15mph through the whole course (not faster or slower)
* Accident avoidance: while going 30mph, told to switch to left, right, or center lane
* Each part was graded by an instructor who was in the car with them.
Sober/Control Run
Both Adam and Kari passed the course, though Kari had a bit of trouble parallel parking.
Cellphone Run
For the cellphone run, Jamie talked to the driver on a cellphone asking three types of questions:
* repeat the sentence (e.g. "The driver was stopped for driving 67mph in a 20mph zone")
* verbal puzzle "If Jack stole Ann's ball, who's the thief", and the more difficult, "If you see a picture with a diamond, rectangle, and a circle, and the circle is to the right of the rectangle, and directly above the diamond, is the rectangle right above the diamond?"
* list five things about a particular subject "Give me five things that are in the interior of your car," "Give me five things that are part of your daily work."
Kari failed, including offenses such as using her elbow to steer and failing over half of the obstacles. Adam failed as well.
FYI: Kari's answers to "give things that are part of your dialy work" included: "Kissing ass" and "doing my hair." Adam's daily work list included the more boring: "drilling and tapping," "making phone calls," "Checking my e-mail," "avoiding phone calls from certain people."
Drunk Driving Run
Both Adam and Kari got their blood alcohol level to just below 0.08 (legal limit), with police officers on hand to do the breathalyzer. Neither Adam nor Kari had eaten, so both were as hungry as they were tipsy.
Kari zipped through the stop sign, but her parallel parking was "one of her best efforts... marginally good." She went too fast through the time trial part and killed a couple cones. She failed again, but not as bad as with the cellphone test.
Adam failed the parking test, and "half failed" the time trial for not looking both ways. Overall he failed as well.
Overall
The cellphone tests were failed by a much bigger margin, though Adam's observation was that you can put down a cellphone -- you can't get instantly undrunk. Also, they tested the drunk driving below the California legal limit -- Adam, at least, has gotten much drunker for MythBuster tests than that.
I was not surprised by the results.
Note to guys: You will really like this show since they blow up, shoot and destory things on a regular basis!!!
April 15, 2006
What did the Lone Ranger say.....
....when he took out the trash?
(sung to the Lone Ranger theme song) To the dump, to the dump, to the dump, dump dump!
5 years ago I had to take some old furniture to the dump. It was not very fun since you backed up your truck to the edge of the dump. The ground was rutted from the huge dump trucks coming in. Luckily I had my Father-in-laws truck or I would have been in trouble.
Fast forward to now. Old waterbed and misc stuff to get rid of. NOT looking forward to it. Get the address, drive with my husband, do the REQUIRED get lost/turned around. Find it right off of the highway. Hmmmm, I remember going down a rural road. Drive up and they have it "SET UP"!!!! You back your truck up to the edge and below that is a dumpster. No dirt! All concrete! They have several slots available with dumpsters at it and you just put your stuff in it!!!!
What was even better? I got to throw stuff!!!!!! Yep!!! The dumpster was full at the front. So we had to get the stuff to the back. THROW IT, BABY!!!!! There is therapy for you! Take your trash to the Drop Off Station!!!!
March 21, 2006
Quotes of the Day
If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job.
- Malcolm Forbes
May you live as long as you want to. May you want to as long as you live.
- Celtic toast
January 28, 2006
Here an account, there an account, everywhere an account
Part of my job has been ensuring complaince with SOX for my company. It is not one of those things that people volunteer for. For me it crept up on me. You can read about SOX from the link above, but I want to 'splain it to you my way.
SOX should really be called the Enron Law. Because of the bad people, our law makers passed a law that was supposed to help protect us from other bad people. So what does that mean for companies now? Executives are now responsible for the finacial data. They can no longer say they had no idea if the numbers are bad. And the auditors are under stricter laws also. And most things that the government puts in is easy, right? Having to change your password? SOX. The password has to have so many characters, a number, etc? SOX. In order for them to make sure the financial numbers are good we are audited for our internal controls related to our Finacial Applications. Many things have to be checked and I am involved with the Accounts/User Access part. This control is important because you want to make sure only the people who need access can get to your finacial data. You have to make sure that people don't have the access to "cook the numbers". So.....
Let's just take one system and review what has to be accurate. There are three levels to this system. You have the actual application and the database where the actual data is stored. All of that runs on a Operation System with accounts. Accounts at all levels *could* affect the financial data. OK, so 1 applications with 3 levels of accounts.
The Auditors come in and they want to verify that everyone who has access to any of the 3 levels is approved (since this is one of our internal controls). And since this is only our second year of being audited at this level and internal controls were not in place before, verification clean up of the accounts need to occur. Before we give the data to the auditors. Guess who is doing that?
ME! For the last month. 3 levels per application. And we have around 10. So 30 levels total. Of course I don't know what each account is for since I do not support the applications. So I get with the support person. And if there are any exceptions to our internal control it must be documented and signed by at least 5 people. 2 of them question every exception. Not that they shouldn't, but please not so much resistance to the messenger. And we can't just delete the accounts since they may be needed and it could bring down the system.
This week I have been really working on this verification since the Auditors are "in the house". I now dream about it. I see lists of accounts scrolling and hear myself talking out what the accounts are for. This account is for this, that account is for that. Do we need this account? Where did the account come from? It wasn't on our list before! My alarm goes off this morning and I think "I will work on this list later, it's time to get up." Yikes! It is bad enough to have to do it during the day, but in my DREAMS?!?!?!?!
And this stuff has to be right. If it isn't they will intesify their auditing. And if we fail significantly it could be reported to the SEC making our stock go down. I guess you could say that I am contributing to the stock value of my company. As much as a hate what I am doing and as much as it gives me a headache, I have a strong will to do a good job and get it right. If we fail, I will have failed. Maybe that is why I am dreaming about it.
January 23, 2006
Cafepress Review Site
One of my products on Cafepress.com has been reviewed by Lisa who has started a Cafepress.com Review Blog. I got three lightbulbs along with some others. Woo hooo!!!
January 17, 2006
These Boots Are Made For Hurting
I have two pair of boots with about 2 inch heels. I love the way they look but at the end of the day the bottom of my feet hurt. I am not sure what you call the part that hurts, but it is the main part you stand on when you have heels on. The balls of your feet? You know, right behind your toes and before your arches? And it hurts almost dead center of that section.
Is there any way to prevent this? Can I buy something? Does it mean my boots are to big? I usually have to go bigger than normal because of my high arches.
January 13, 2006
Have you noticed?
TBS has more commercials than actual show? You can barely use Tivo to get around it.
Which reminds me of the time they showed "The Exorcist". I had never seen it and my hubby was looking forward to me getting freaked out. But we ended up turning it off since the FREQUENT commercials ruined the whoe suspense/scare/freaking out/drama build up.
......start freakin'.....
funny commercial, funny commercial, commercial, another funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, another commercial.....
.....almost freakin'......
commercial, funny commercial, commercial, another funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, another commercial.....
.....should be freakin'......
commercial, funny commercial, commercial, another funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, commercial, funny commercial, another commercial.....
uh.. freakin' not going to happen.
You get the idea.
December 24, 2005
Have lights?
Taking a break before I get back to Christmas dinner pre-work. I was looking for an old post and found one that had a link to a guy who lets you control the Christmas lights on his house.
He's still around and trying to raise money for Celiac Disease Research. He has added more webcams this year:
Use the 3 ChristmasCams to view 26,000 christmas lights ... and also turn them on & off via your web browser. Heck, you can even inflate or "melt" Frosty the Snowman ... but don't get the Santa Hulk angry! It runs until January 1st between 1600 and 2200 Mountain Time which is GMT-7 for overseas surfers.
December 17, 2005
Water Gardens Update
June of last year 4 people drowned in the Fort Worth Water Gardens. I posted about it here.
I was concerned that they would close it down, but construction with repairs and improvements are to begin this month! Wooo hooo!!!!
December 09, 2005
Wizards of Winter
hat tip to Big Orange Michael
November 08, 2005
A Pittance of Time
A post worthy of reading with a video worthy of watching.
October 25, 2005
Quote of the Month
From a co-worker:
"I can fix a lot of things, but I can't fix stupid."
October 21, 2005
Little Side Business
I opened up a shop on one of the most popular Longhorn fan boards. I am getting the stuff printed at cafepress.com since I can't afford to buy in bulk. So far I have sold 2 stickers and a tshirt. Woo hoo! Now I need to come up with some good ideas. I scammed the sticker idea and the Super V is a modified version of someone of another shirt I have seen. The V stands for our quarterback Vince Young, who is really great. The I survived shirt was all mine. Check it out here.
I am excited about this and have dreams of major sucess! But the reality is I have a small target market. But I do know that market, huh? Using cafepress.com makes it easy since I don't have to spend any money upfront. I just order it when I get an order.
X-zilla
All of my Tech fan co-workers are possessed when it comes to rooting for their team. Normal they are all nice, but when the say the phrase "Go Tech!"or anything similar, it is like an evil spirit has taken over them and they are spitting it out hatefully. And this Friday is the first time I have seen any of them wear Tech related clothing. Oh please, Texas, please win! I don't want to have to face these people on Monday.
Did you know that someone passing you on the left will make you go 15 mph faster? Yes, you will be plugging along at 75 mph but as soon as someone tries to pass you on the right, you speed up to 90. It is an amazing, but I have seen it happen enough to know that it is real. Gotta be a name for this.... Speed-zilla? Lead-zilla?
And the Tech fans are Tech-zillas!
October 06, 2005
Ouch!
Maybe even an Ouch! and a Owwwww!
September 23, 2005
Etiquette Questions
Question #1: The exit for my office has two sets of doors. If you are leaving or coming in, many people will hold the doors for you as they walk out. I always feel funny thanking them for each door. What if I only thank them for one door and assume it carries over for the other? Do I thank on the 1st door or the last door? Or do I just thank for each door?
Question #2: We went to Chili's the other night and the girls "Colored a Chili" and donated $1 each to the St. Jude Research Foundation. I gave the waitress $2.00 in cash for them. When we got the bill it showed that she also charged me on my credit card. I thought about saying something, but since the money was going to a charity, I thought I might come across as petty. My husband thought the waitress may have pocketed our $2 cash. Would you have said something? Or just let it go? Or make sure she gave the cash to the charity also? I ended up not saying anything.
February 25, 2005
My Opinion Roundup
I would like to post more on my take of current events, politics, controversial topics, but it just stresses me out. I usually see both sides of the story, don't feel I am knowledgeable enough to make a valid opinion, or I am scared someone will point out that I am wrong and I will look stupid. Ewww, I hate looking like an idiot!!! I have seen the vicious attacks and watched in amazement at the rudeness of people. Not that I don't want someone to give me another viewpoint. It just seems people don't go about it a nice way (for the most part).
That said, I am going to list below current items and my take on it. Mean comments will be deleted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terri Schiavo Case:
Listening yesterday to a radio talk show, I came to a revelation about this case and how it sits in my mind. The Judge, doctors, and her husband know that if she is taken off the feeding tube she will die. They have to know there will be some suffering. Even dogs, horses, and other animals are put to sleep so that they don't suffer. If I put a pillow over your face, I know you will suffocate and I would be prosecuted, even if you were brain damaged. How is removing the tube different?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baby Jordan Case: Summary: A Dallas day-care worker left a child in a hot SUV, ending the 8-month-old boy's life. As of today, a jury is deliberating a decision.
I have no problem with Conrad Proctor being punished for what he did. He could get up to 20 years in jail. 6 months jail with parole and community service would suffice. But I would like to see some consistancy on how these cases are handled. Last year there were several cases where parents left their children in a car and they died from the heat. But charges were not filed against the parents. How can we hold parents less responsible for their own children?
I can't find any specific articles related to parents not being charged. All I can find are articles about the event without information of charges. Like this, this, or this. But the most informative one is here. Even this article stated it was hard to find information about these types of cases.
Kids And Cars is an organization working to prevent car related deaths. Maybe the parents and Conrad could do some community service for them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pizza Line Beating: "Pizza shop beating victim disturbed that no one helped him." Watch the video of the assualt here.
I am disturbed also, but I am not sure I would or could have done anything. The guys that stood watching could have stopped the beater if they had worked together. And if you notice even after the guy left, they did not help the victim. But now that I have seen something like this, I will have a harder time NOT doing anything if I was around.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My final topic is not related to a current event, but it's relevancy is always current if you are a parent.
Discipline: I stopped reading "Parents" magazine years ago, since it seemed to be full of viewpoints that I did not agree with. It still comes in the mail and my husband will read it every once in awhile. I always know that he is reading it because he starts with the humphs and gawfs of disbelief. He really does not agree with the Dad bashing and focus on Mothers and not Dad's. He thinks they should rename it to "Mothers" since it does not have any advice for Dads.
I don't believe there is a end all-be all-right way to discipline children. You should take into consideration your personality, your child's personality, and what you are comfortable with. Some parents do not want to spank. Some do. Some parents don't believe you should bribe your children. Some do. Etc, etc.....
That said, I am going to say that a method highlighted in their March Issue article, is NOT for me.
"Mom vs. Dad Discipline" Disagree with your spouse about how to deal when the kids won't behave? Here, four couples with clashing styles learn to work together and get better results.
The advice given to the first couple:
Punishing a small child for bad behavior doesn't teach him the proper way to act, says Jane Nelsen, Ed.D., author of Positive Discipline. In fact, it usually backfires, making a child feel rebellious -or, worse, inadequate. Instead of giving time-outs or withholding attention, the Goldenbers should try a hug. "Kids can't talk things out when they're upset, Dr. Nelsen says. "A hug isn't reqarding misbehavior - it helps the child reach a better state of mind. Once you're both calm, you can help him figure out a better solution."
So now time outs are off limits? I am very suspicious that the kids running amok are getting the above discipline. Parents should teach kids there are certain results of their actions. You do a good job, you get praise. You do something bad, you are punished. What is punishment in our house? Time out in chair, next to your bedroom. This usually works. If a spanking is next, they are warned. "If you do this again, I will spank you." It works for my kids and they are one of the best behaved kids in school. And at home. And in general. I think Jane Nelsen has some good advice for after the discipline takes place - ".....Once you're both calm, you can help him figure out a better solution."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continue reading "My Opinion Roundup" »
August 02, 2004
What will be the fate of the Fort Worth Water Gardens?
The Fort Worth Water Gardens were dedicated to the City of Fort Worth by the Amon G. Carter Foundation in 1974. The Water Gardens were designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee and are considered to be a masterpiece of contemporary art. One of the focal points of the Water Gardens is the Active Water Pool area which is located on the east side of the Water Gardens. The Active Water Pool area has as its central feature a large, below grade concrete pool which serves as a collection point for water which is distributed throughout the feature by a recirculation pump system.
In the late afternoon on June 16, 2004, three children and one adult drowned after one of the children apparently unintentionally fell into the Active Pool. The other victims were lost trying to rescue the child. These are the only drownings that have occurred since the opening of the
Water Gardens. The City of Fort Worth has commissioned this study in an effort to identify what safety issues may be posed by the water recirculation system at the Active Water Pool and to identify modifications that could be made to reduce the risk of drowning in the future.
Fort Worth's Garden Report by Freese and Nichols, Inc.
The report continues on with specifics of what and how they tested the pool. They recreated the conditions on the day of the accident. They were able to determine how to prevent any more tragedies in the future. Based on what I read the Water Gardens are old and needed some maintenance and new/updated equipment. It is like someone driving a car around with bad brakes. If you don't maintain your brakes, you could kill yourself and others. If they had maintained the pool, these deaths may have been prevented. Hopefully the Fort Worth City Council will implement the recommendations and keep the pool open. One recommendation was to add an observation deck, but that takes away from the beauty and the “coolness” of the pool
As you can see from the pictures above, you walk down into the pool and the water is rushing all around you. The water is loud and looking up from the bottom is great. I was a little scared to walk down there, but that added to the excitement. Adding to the coolness, this Water Gardens' pool was used in the movie Logan's Run.
If they don’t reopen the pool, I will regret not taking my girls.
1st picture from Fort Worth Star Telegram Archives.
2nd picture from here.
Logan's Run picture from here.
note: originally posted at my old blog: http://procheinamy.blog-city.com
January 01, 2004
Chux Shirts Samples
Added on February 1. Can you tell the difference between the two?
Added on February 2nd:
