A & W in Oldtown, Orlando

 

I will miss you Eric.........

We suffered a great loss on Friday morning with the passing of a good man Eric Pierre-Jerome. I did not see him often but when I did he always had a smile on his face and was never too busy to stop and say hello. I had the pleasure of working with him on the other side of the radio. Eric was one of my favorite officers. When I heard his voice on our off channel, I always used the opportunity to give him a hard time. It would not be to many minutes afterwards that he would give me a phone call and return the favor. He often talked about his girls and having 2 of my own about the same age we always had stories to swap about our families. I will miss our conversations I wish I had talked to him more often.

Eric was a good man, and a good police officer. He always talked about his wife and children- he was a good father. I can not imagine a world without him. My sympathy goes out to his family. I can not imagine that kind of grief. I can not imagine my own girls growing up with out their father and I can not even begin to try to understand their loss. I pray that God gives them the strength to help them get through this loss. Eric will be sorely missed by every one who know him.

Staybridge Suites......Nice

We are staying at the Staybridges Suites in Orlando this weekend. After having such a busy summer we really needed to get away even if it for just a long weekend. We were lucky and were able reserve a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with kitchen and small great room for a very reasonable price. It's not as nice as North Carolina but it is very comfortable and I can wear flip flops without having to worry about frost bite.
We will be up early in the morning for continental breakfast then off to take pictures. We are trying hard to keep our expenses to a minimum no theme parks no unnecessary dining out. Fred and Beth went to the store and purchased groceries for several days. Tonight Beth made Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms. She is becoming such a good cook. I can't wait to see what she makes tomorrow night.

My boy Page.......

We went to a wedding 2 weekends ago and this is a co-worker Page who has had too much to drink having a discussion with Erin as to wether she really knows the definition of "wasted". Page for some reason likes to call Beth - Meg and if you watch closely Beth/Meg keeps flicking the table decorations into Pages face as he argues with Erin but never misses a beat.......


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Dukes of Hazard Police Chase

I thought this was so cool.



Look at what I learned how to do!!!!!!!!

Just how picky is Goodwill?

Apparently Goodwill Industries has very high standards when it comes to used furniture. I thought my furniture was very used but not necessarily as junk. The livingroom furniture is ugly and faded but it is not torn nor stained. The dining room table has seen better days worn and chipped but nothing broken and still very sturdy. Coffee table and end table in good shape but the glass tops are missing and I no longer replaced the glass because several members of my family cant keep their fannies off the furniture. I was told that they would not be able to resale my furniture because it was too used. I am almost embarrassed however I was warned in advance that they probably would not take anything that was to old or too used and they were right so much for trying to be charitable.

I am thinking about calling the Salvation Army or maybe PAL or Mustard seed. Maybe my furniture is not too used for them. I guess I'll call Monday and if I don't get any takers I guess all my old stuff will go out to the curb on Tuesday.

O Well............

Puppy dials 911

911 recieved two calls from a residence in Port St Lucie today both times the operators answer the phone only to be disconndected. However both operators swear that they hear what sounds like a dog wimpering in the background. Officers respond and confirm there is a dog in the house but can not get anyine to come to the door. Just as the officers decide the home is secure and start to leave the home owner arrives on the scene. Officers check the house and found the families new puppy was using the cordless phone as a teething ring as he chewed on the phone he some how managed to hit 911 several times.

Nothing surprises me anymore............

We also celebrated a birthday today. We had a nice dinner at the Out of Bounds restraunt. I love our waitress.....she picked up on the hint that there was a birthday at our table and just before we left she brought a slice of cake with a single candle (because it was not big enough to hold 38) and sang a very embarrassing Happy Birthday to the Birthday Boy. Tommorrow Erin and I have to get a restraining order but tonight was well worth it.

Savage Drama

Im not allowed to have an oppinion so I'll just keep everybody updated.


First day back.....long and a tad stressful.

Back to Work

I am up and dressed and ready to go. I am eating a bowl of frosted flakes trying not to make too much of a mess. I am excited and also dreading going to work this morning. My shift is not the way I left it and I am not sure I can fix the problems that have occurred while I was gone. I guess I will do my best.....wish me luck!!!!!!

Pic of Me!!!!!!!

  

Disappointing Yard Sale

Since I have had so much time off I planned on having a garage sale the last weekend of my sick leave. My garage is packed with stuff we no longer need or want and it is time to get rid of it all. I have furniture, clothing and tons of books easy stuff to sale you would think. I am not asking for a lot at least I did not think so and I like to bargain as much as any body. So far the most fun I had was haggling over sheets with a Haitian woman. She drove a hard bargain but she was happy when she left and I made room for something else to sell.

Friday was so sad; I made all of $19. Saturday after sweating my ass off all day I made $50. I had hoped to have at least made several hundred by the end of the weekend and cleaned out my garage. I still have a complete living room set neatly laid out in my driveway. My 3 pieces wicker set I thought would sell immediately still sits outside with stuffed dolls lounging on it. Example: She spilled coffee on her tan pants yesterday this is tan coffee on tan pants.

“Mom?” (in a panic) “Will this stain my pants?”

“No Erin it will rinse out in the washing machine.” Fred and I both say at the same time.

She is the neatest one of my three and her clothes reflect that. Beth my goth her clothes are ripped and torn and Warren - he wont let me in his room to look for anything.

We’ll I just sold my wicker set for $60 and a lady and her girls just stopped by and are very interested in my living room set. It is a shabby sheik floral – gold, green and red. She doesn’t think it will fit in her living room but she said she will be back. I love having wireless and a laptop. I love the Sunday morning church crowd maybe I will get rid of all this stuff after all.........

I love Ben Stein (click)

He is an incredibly intelligent man......My mother sent this to me I think it makes some interesting reading.

**************I have included snopes site for a more accurate version of what Ben Stein really said......Thanks Jen!!!!************


................................................................

If they know of him at all, many folks think Ben Stein is just a quirky actor/comedian who talks in a monotone. He's also a very intelligent attorney who knows how to put ideas and words together in such a way as to sway juries and make people think clearly.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05 .

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart:
I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

The end of the quote....
*******************************************************************************
The rest is written by unknown author........I have altered a few things myself.


In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina).

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it."

In light of recent events, terroriststs attack, school shootings, etc. this may have started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personality ies would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it ... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

You Reap What you Sow?

911 OPERATORS ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS?

I just turned off channel 12 news in disgust. There was a terrible crime that occurred in Palm Beach this morning. A grandmother was found stabbed to death in her home also attack her 6 year old grandson. He survived the attack.

All the neighbors are upset and that is understandable, this is a terrible crime. What pissed me off was an irresponsible reporter. The reporter found a neighbor that stated he called 911 around 3am when the incident occurred to report 2 men they saw loitering near the residence the stabbing occurred. The neighbor watch the subjects jump the fence and then jump back across the fence a little while later. Officers where dispatched to the area but I am unsure what occurred after that all the guy could complain about was how the 911 operator asked too many questions. If the operator had been more concerned with just getting the officer there instead of wasting all that time asking questions the out come may have been different.

The reporter let the story end at that. Dispatchers ask too many questions…….

That is completely untrue.

One of the most important skills a dispatcher has to have is multitasking. If you can not multitask then you can not be a Dispatcher/911 Operator. If you are answering the phones you have to be able to type quickly and ask questions. As soon as I pick up a phone I try to quickly discern what the problem is and what is the address. Then I start a screen. I ask for name and phone number and then I start with the important questions; who, what, where, when, and how. I also want descriptions. If the incident is in progress I want to keep the caller on the phone until the officer gets there that can be the difference between catching a criminal or the criminal getting away.

Now while I am typing, once I get enough pertinent information I transmit the call to the dispatcher who in turn dispatches and officer to the scene. I am fast so this might take approximately a minute give or take. The time to create the call has much to do with how difficult it is to get the answers to my questions.

Perfect example: A hang up call…… someone calls hangs up. I have to call back if its busy I have to call back again. If someone picks up the phone and hangs up I still have to call back. I then build a screen and send it to dispatch. When the dispatcher gets the call they will call back the phone number maybe once some times twice. You can imagine how long this process is. We get hang ups all the time and though we try to treat them as emergency calls it is hard because so many are false calls………. Without information it is very difficult to determine what the priority of the emergency is and this alone can determine the response of a call.

Now after I have sent the call I am able to update the screens with the information I obtain. So even though I still have the caller on the phone and am asking questions I have already notified the dispatcher so she can do her job and in turn the officer can do their job. I don't keep people on the phone and ask questions because I feel like I do it because it is my job. My job is to obtain as much information as possible and to relay it to the officers on the street. I do my job well and it pisses me off when people like this reporter makes my job that much harder.

Pate's Creek Elementary School (click)

I was surfing today and made my quartly Pate surname search just to see if there was anything new I might have missed and came across this site. There is a creek and even a park with the same name just down the road a ways. I know some of our Pate's settled in Henry County in the early 1800's so who knows what the relationship might be.

Birthday in the Middle.

  

Today is a special day. August first is the day that sits right in the middle of my daughters’ birthdays. I have one born July 31 and the other Aug 2. It is the day we usually celebrated both their birthdays. However Sunday we had a plain Marble Cake for Beth and tomorrow we will have Ice Cream Cake for Erin. They both decided not to have a birthday party this year. They took the cash instead. My girls love to shop and shop they did. One Saturday they spent at Treasure coast Mall in Jensen Beach and last week I took them to the Vero Mall. They purchased almost all of their school attire and much more. They are happy and that is all that matters.

Happy Birthday Beth – 14

Happy Birthday Erin -11


And………

Check out TS Chris – it’s headed this way and I had my last post surgery check up and I have been cleared to return to work on the 14th. Dr Lomax says I look good my vitals are good and my suture has healed nicely. She said I have good skin……….

Erin and Kitty in Our New Computer Room

  

My New Florida Room

  

Breast Feeding is sexual? (Click here)

All I can say is OMG PEOPLE GROW UP. I know my husband was a little jealous when I breast feed our daughters but please breast feeding was never in anyway sexual and anyone who beleives that is either dirty minded or never enjoyed the experience of bonding with a child. I am ashamed that people are so small minded that they do not understand that breast feeding in any forum is not inappropriate. Breat Feeding is a natural, wholesome and satisfying experience. I don't remember hearing anyone complain about Brittany Spears recent nudity on the cover of a recent magazine. I'd be more concerned about that picture disturbing my 13 year old son. Personally I don't see anything wrong with the photo and all I have to say is if a 13 year old wants to see real breast and a whole lot more, all he has to do is pick up Mom's Victoria Secret catalog or peruse Daddy's Playboys hidden in the closet. I am sure a 13 year old adolescent male would find the pictures in those publications more exciting.

The word of the day is.....Hypocrite.

Nap Time

  

It’s been just a little over a month and I still feel like I’ve been run over by a truck more or less. The pain is almost gone unless I have spent the day over doing it or have pulled something again. My scar is still very sensitive and gets irritated easily so I wear nothing that is even remotely tight. As far as energy I have none. I have no ambition and most days I am afraid to do anything because I might hurt myself. I am getting very tired of feeling this way but I have no clue on what to do to get better other than not do anything. I can’t do that although I have tried.

My house is still a mess I really was hoping it would be finished but know but maybe next weekend. There is dust everywhere and I try to keep it out of the kitchen, dinning room and living room. I make the girls sweep and mop. Erin has been keeping up with the laundry and Beth cooks. I help clean up the dishes most nights and I shop.

I did go to my Spanish class today. I did fairly well for sitting as long as I did. The chairs are really uncomfortable but the worst part was the giggling. It still hurts to laugh and I did laugh a lot. It is after 1 pm. and I am already sore and uncomfortable I think I am going to end up on the couch for the rest of the day or maybe a nap actually a nap sounds really nice.

Pretty Baby!

  

Beth took this picture. I think it came out real well.

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

  

Warren's New Kitty

  

Meet Warren's new Kitty. His name is Awol and I don't know why. He has been trying to bring a cat home for the last several months and we finally caved. It's hard to tell him no when we just brought home a new rabbit. Awol is barely 6 weeks old we have had to ween him and potty train him but he has learned quickly and Warren is hoping he can eventually teach him to use the toilet. We wish him luck.

Florida Room Update

  

Fred painted and Craig put up the ceiling fans and finished up the electrical. It's starting to come together.

I am so tired..................

  

I have been doing way too much the last couple of days and I was so tired I did not get out of bed until after 9am. After an hour all I wanted to do was go back to bed. I finally changed out of my pajamas sometime near noonish. I played WOW for a few hours this morning but I think I've had enough gaming for right now. I have so many things I want to do but I just don’t have any more energy.

This weekend the house was pretty busy with the remodeling and I was good. I watched T.V. mostly and wrote a little. We watched the World Cup Saturday and Sunday. I have to admit I don’t know anything about soccer....... On Monday Fred wanted to do a little shopping so we headed for Vero. Fred stopped at the Outlet Mall and bought himself some new sneakers. His old pair is now covered in white paint. We stopped at the Farberware store and browsed then headed for Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We spent almost and hour in that store and spent a lot. We found several items on clearance including king size sheets for our bed. We bought 2 sets and a set for Erin. Beth did not want anything. We purchased a few other odds and ends then headed to Michael's. Fred had me buy a vase and some silk flowers for an arrangement for our new server in the dinning room. It actually came out pretty nice.

We stopped for lunch at TGIF's, to the book store and then onto Sears. By the time we left Sears I was seriously dragging. Fred wanted to take me home but Erin mentioned seeing a movie so we saw 'Pirates of the Caribbean 2'. It was a long movie and it was good but left me hanging and I hate that. I was felling a little better after the movie so we stopped and looked at mattresses. We are hoping we have enough money left to buy a new mattress at the end of the month. Fred actually found the one he wanted for a reasonable price. The salesman was not happy when he we explained to him a second time we weren’t ready to buy yet. He was graceful enough to give us his card and he wrote a reduced price for the mattress we were looking at. I slowly made my way back to the van I was dying but I perked right up when we went next door to 'The Marble Slab' and had ice cream. It was very good but I think my favorite is still 'Dairy Queen". By now I am wiped and all I want to do is go home. I was in bed early and slept almost straight through the night. I had planned on making Tuesday my down day but that did not work.

We all needed hair cuts. Beth has been begging me to let her cut her hair and I needed a trim and color so Fred called Lori and we were able to get an appointment at noon. She was having a slow day. Beth now sports a cute little bob, Erin had her hair trimmed and had her tips died black. (see above photo) My roots are red again and Lori styled my hair the same way I wore it in the 80's when I first met Fred. I brushed most of the puff out and I pretty much looked normal again but it was pretty funny looking there for a while. I headed straight home after that because I was feeling tired and starting to get sore. Fred was nice and let me relax for several hours before he dragged me to Home Depot for more money spending. We have done a wonderful job spending almost all of our insurance money. We bought a new rug for the living room and more concrete. We made a quick stop at Wal-Mart for groceries and then back home. I passed out on the couch about 11:30 I woke up and went to bed.

I am still tired but I am having such a hard time trying to stay off my feet. There are so many things I want to do and sitting around on the couch or in front of my computer is starting to take its toll. I wish I had more energy. I know that I am getting better but not as quickly as I had hoped.

I hear my pillow calling me it must be nap time again.

My Bedroom

 

Behind Fred's very messy and dusty computer desk is my bed that has been pushed up against the far wall. My room is so filthy it is not funny. There is dust everywhere. Will this ever end............. 

My New Computer Room

 

As you can see it is still not finished. I had hoped it would be done last weekend but they ran into complications. Fred promised it would be done this weekend..... 

Kasia and Basia

  

Kasia came up this weekend to visit and to pick up her new pet a week old squirrel she named Basia. He was not in very good shape when she picked him up on Friday but by Sunday his belly was full and he was squirming around and popping his head out of his pouch when he was hungry. He will defiantely keep her busy.

Midnight

 

He is so cute and the girls baby him. They made me buy him a harness and leash so they could walk him out in the front yard. Of course this backfired this weekend and they had to chase him around the yard when the harness came off. Midnight was quickly caught and then carried around on Erin's shoulder the rest of the afternoon. 

Meet Midnight!

 

This is Midnight, he is a Dwarf Rex and is 2 months old. He is very sweet and docile but likes to nibble on Erin's fingers. He is so cute....... 

Happy 4th of July

 

Today has been a long and mostly pleasant day. I rearranged some of the mess my home has become and we watched a perfect launch of the space shuttle this afternoon. I have been more tired today then usual but I really did over do it. I had my two week post op check up yesterday and everything looks good so I just assumed I could do whatever I wanted not!!!!. I am driving again but I dont think that is nessecarily a good thing. I made a trip to Sam's today and by the time I finally made it home I was hurting and exhausted. I picked up a package of ribs and pulled something so I wont be doing that again for a few days. I will try to be have but it is so hard.

Our adventure in home remodeling is not quite a nightmare but it is starting to become a bad dream. We did not get too much done today. Fred has tommorrow off and he is suppose to get the Florida Room painted. Craig needs to finish up our closet and then Fred will be able to paint in there and that room will basically be done for right now. We will be using the small room as a computer room until we can afford to remodel the bathroom then it will become a nice large walkin closet. I cant eait for all tis to be done.

Anyway this evening the girls and I sat outside and set off a few fireworks. It was a beautiful night breazy and only a few mosquitos out. I took several picures but this one ended up being the best of a bad lot. Erin is blurry but still cute. We sat out there for over an hour enjoying the pleasant weather. I wish it was this nice all the time. I wish I had a better flash on my camera........... 

Florida Room Construction

 

This is what it looks like right now I'm hoping tommorrow I can post the after.......... 

Before Construction Florida Room

 

This is what our cluttered Florida room originally looked like.....see ugly south western motif on the walls and tile. I like the tile but it is very slick when it's wet not good with a pool on the other side of the sliders. Also see WOW screen on computer monitor!!!!!!!!! 

New Furniture

I am 42 years old and I do not believe I have ever owned brand new off the showroom floor furniture. We have purchased brand new appliances, new computers/computer desks and new mattress sets but never had new furniture. In fact all of the furniture in my home is a hand me down, free or purchased used. We have planned on buying furniture several times but I don't think my husband and I have been able to agree on anything that we really liked when we had the money to buy. Yesterday however that did not happen, we agreed.

We finally had our insurance money released on Tuesday which means the money is now burning a hole in Fred's pocket and he has to spend some of it. I sent him to Home Depot to look around for a ceiling fan for the living room and tile for the Florida room. He comes back hours later with furniture brochures. He and Elizabeth went to Haverty's and just looked around. I am still not feeling all that great and we agreed we would go looking together for furniture on Monday. I have my 2 week post-op appointment and I am hoping she will give me the all clear to at least drive and take my Spanish class. My incision still hurts and I am still napping regularly so she may not we will see. Anyway after lunch Fred makes me get up and get dressed so that I can go look at this great furniture they have at Haverty's. I'm not overly thrilled I have just taken my pain pills and he was like "perfect lets go."

We get to Haverty's and Fred and Beth are showing Erin and I the several pieces of furniture they looked at. I had mentioned wanting a new dining room table. A friend of ours has the high top 8 seat square dinning room table. I really liked it and had mentioned maybe looking at a set for us. Fred and Elizabeth showed us several sets but I really liked the "Aris" set so we bought it with the server and the lazy susan. Then they dragged me over to this huge sectional sofa. It is sage green and it has 4 recliners called "Concepts". It is so comfortable so we bought that too. I picked out 2 end tables and will go back next week for an area rug, we decided we do not need a coffee table. We are going to paint the living room this weekend and have the furniture delivered on Monday. I am so happy.

When I am feeling better I am going to shop for material for new curtains, throw pillows and dining room chair seats. I am doing the livingroom in medium to dark greens with tan and some black. I am having several pictures framed for the living room to go with the ones already hanging. Our home is finally starting to look the way I imagined it would and the livingroom and dining room will become the new gathering area. The dogs are going to be very upset because we are going to lock them out of the main living area. There will be no dog hairs on my new furniture. They will have plenty of space in the Game/Billiard/ex den for their beds and toys. I can't wait.

Saying Goodbye to Nicki

  

Nicki Died last night she died of old age. Sofar we have lost Nicki, Snowball and Pinky to time. Nicki was the hardest to loose so far she was so sweet and smart. She was also a wonderful traveling companion. She traveled with us to so many places in her short life we will miss her.

Feeling better but still tired

Please excuse my typos they seem to be even worse when I'm taking pain medication or maybe not...........

I can't believe how tired I am, My doctor warned me to do nothing but lay around she did not say that is all I would be able to do. I have spent very little time on my computer or even less watching T.V. for that matter. The last two days I have spent taking drugs and sleeping. I get up in the morning actually feeling okay but within 2 hours or less I am ready for my morning nap which lasts about 3 hours or more. I get up shuffle around maybe eat then back to bed for another nap. In the evenings it is not too bad I can sit up a little longer eat dinner watch T.V. then back in bed. I hope tommorrow will be different.

Jen give Blaine a big hug from all of us and wish him a belated Birthday.... I am glad he had a great day I wish we could have been there!!!!!!!!!!

Home again home again..........

.......without the jiggity jig.

My doctor released me on Thursday I was home by 3:30pm. I think I have passed the last 4 days sleeping and watching either the weather channel or animal planet. These were channels that if I did doze off in the middle of something I usually woke up and really had not missed anything.

Not to change the subject but OMG can you beleive the weather?

I am glad to be home and in my own surroundings but I liked the peace and quiet of the hospital. All my nurses and the other hospital staff were great. I need to make sure I write a thank you letter. I am feeling a little better this afternoon. I still get tired very easily and I am still taking my pain meds pretty regular. Most of the pain is from abdominal gas but it is starting to ease off. I am trying not to move around to much it just makes everything hurt more.

I have been at my computer for less than an hour deleting emails and catching up and I feel another nap coming on real soon.

Surgery .......This might be too personal or gross for some readers, Sorry!!!!!

It' just after 5 am and I am wide awake. I tossed and turned all night and finally gave up around 4:30 am I guess I am stressing a little. My bag is packed and my clothes are laid out so I am basically ready to go. I know this operation is going to change my life and I am so looking forward to it. I get to spend the rest of my life free of a menstral cycle. I don't mean to be gross but for me it was more like hemoraging every month for 5-7 days or just all the time. The thermal ablation I had last year slowed down the flood but I am still not regular. I am not going to take hormones so this was the last resort so to say other than just putting up with it and/or taking iron pills the rest of my life. I still may have to take hormones if my doctor has to take out my ovaries but I am knocking on wood........

I finally have a handle on my anemia although I have to be careful. If I have a non-stop menstral cycle even though it is not heavy it still drains me, no pun intended. I know when I start to get anemic. It is amazing how you live with minor aches and pains most of your life and think nothing of it. When I realized that many of my symtoms where caused by anemia. I feel stupid I could have put a stop to the madness years ago if I had just paid a little more attention. I mean I knew I was anemic but I just never really understood what a toll it took on my body. So many minor health issues I have had over the last ten years including my lethargy and weigh gain all because of heavy and irregular periods.

Well today is the last day I have to put up with this. I have to be at outpatient at 6:30 and surgery at 8:00. I should be done around 11 or 11:30. I get to go home on Thursday barring any complications. The only thing I regret not doing is getting my living will notarized. I filled it out and I am going to sign it before I leave I know it is not legally binding but it is my wish and I expect my family to abide by my wishes if anything happens God forbid, just know that I love you all no matter what.

Anyway, I will not be able to Blog for atleast 4 days there is no wireless at Lawnwood so I am cut off. I hope I'll be able to use the next 2-3 days to read and write but that will depend upon how much pain meds I get. I am getting the little squeezie machine to self medicate so I might be unconscious a lot or just feeling really good and may not feel like doing anything at all. I guess I will see so everybody think of me and give a little prayer if you like I'll try to post a little on Thursday it I feel up to it................

It's almost done!!!!!!!!!

 
I came home for a lunch break from Jury duty and the screen guys have been busy. Fred called Pioneer this morning at 7:30am and they came right out. I am so happy I can't wait for it to be finished. 

Busy Rainy Muggy Day

We had several squalls blow through today one nasty storm band brouhgt in some really gusty winds that knocked over a ladder and dumped several tools into the pool. It also blew one of the floats out of the pool and up against the fence. We dodged rain all day trying to get the roof ready for the aluminum guys. We need to get them here this week and finiish up if possible. Brian is our roofer he is an old friend of Freds from high school. He lucked out and ran into him the other day and Brian was nice enough to hepl us out. He only has a little bit left to do and he is done. Even nicer is the fact that he has a friend that is a handy man.

Our new handyman Craig is going to install our generator this weekend which means no more extension cords. He is also going to help us build our new walkin closet. We are moving the pool table into the den and the livingroom will be our greatroom. We are going to build a wall on the east end of the Florida room and that will be our computer room for a little while. When we can afford it We are then going to knock down the wall in our old closet and remodel the bathroom making it almost twice as large. It will feature a large whirlpool bath, a large walk in shower and a double vanity. I can't wait to get all done.

I am tired I too worked hard today. Yesterday the girls and I started pulling down the wallpaper in the Florida room they left me at about noon yesterday but I kept at it until later that afternoon. This morning I went back to work by myself and managed to finish around 3pm I think. I was still motivated so I started pulling the wallpaper down in my bathroom. It's now almost 10pm and I am tired and I still have a mess to clean out of my bath tub and the off the floor. I did not get it finished but I only have about a wall and a half to go. It looks so much nicer in there. I hated the nicotine stained yukky wallpaper. The girls want the wallpaper in there bathroom out too and I also plan on getting the nasty green wallpaper out of Warren's bathroom. I hate wallpaper.

I mentioned in my last blog that I am having surgery next week. I have opted to go ahead and have a hysterectomy. The surgery I had last year did help quite a bit but it did not fix the problem. I am no longer anemic but I am still not regular. My Doctor thinks I have DUB or Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding and because the ablation did not work my only other choise is a hysterectomy. I go in Monday for the procedure and I am suppose to be out of work maybe 6 weeks. My doctor told me if I behaved she might let me go back to work in 6 weeks if not she will make me take 8 weeks. I am kind of looking forward to the down time but I don't know how long I will be able to stay at home before I'll need to go back to work just to get away from home. I hope that makes sense........

Well I have to be up early I have jury duty in the morning and they will make me sit until after lunch atleast that's what they did last time. This is my 4th or 5th summons but this is the only time I have had to show up. I have either been on vacation or the last time I had a court date for 911 records the same day I was expected to show up for jury duty unfortunately I did not get that lucky this time.

Tropical Depression #1 - Here we go again.........

It's late and I was practically in bed when the dogs started barking. Now I have had the T.V. on VH1 Rock Honors and it was pretty loud and all three of my chow hounds sleep right through it. I get up turn off everything prepare to change when all three start barking. I'm pretty sure Cujo started it. I walk back into the living room I look outside both front and back I see nothing but by now all three are standing at the back door wanting to go out. I can simpithize they were couped up in the house all day long while the roofer was here but now there is the issue of debris laying all over the back yard and I have to be careful and watch the dogs so they dont step on anything like nails. The kids are spending the night with friends so I don't have to worry about them stepping on anything.......

So here I am it's 1:00 am I'm outside with the dogs barefoot trying to make sure they don't bark and disturb our neighbors or step on anything. I look up and there is a very pretty full moon with a rather large halo around it. Nice.....I grab my camera hoping for a shot which was no good on my little point and shoot. Where's the man with the expensive photography hobby? Asleep.

I finally get the dogs back inside. Cujo is being stubborn it takes me 10 minutes of conjoling to get him back inside. I'm wide awake now so I pull up google and see what superstition is attached to a halo around the moon. Great, it means rain so I pull up weatherunderground expecting a storm front and guess what? At 11pm our first TD has formed in the Gulf of Mexico west of Cuba... YEAH!!! My roof is still not fixed but it is getting there, my pool enclosure is lying in pieces in my back yard, I am on a list that is backed up 3 months for generator installation and I am having surgery next week. (See next post for info on that)

I still have not gone out and bought hurricane supplies because I thought it was way too early for this. We thought maybe August we would start seeing our first storms that we would have to worry about but this is ridiculous it's only June 10th and even though this storm looks like its headed for north/central Florida we will still get some weather and winds depending on how large it gets. The gulf is pretty hot and will get hotter as summer gets going. I guess I will be shopping in the morning and getting organized. I'm pretty busy the rest of the week. I have jury duty Monday morning and then I have to work Monday night so I guess I'll be stocking up now. I am so thankfully we bought a CBS house that has hurricane shutters built in.

666, Cujo and Kids

 

I hope you are not too disappointed with my post today. June 6th of 2006 is shaping up to be just another day. Cujo is really the only beast in our house right now. He is turning out to be a good watch dog. Butch is taking his retirement well letting Cujo do all the barking while Zak helps. Infact I think Zak barks for all of them. He is such a yapper sometimes.

We have had a busy day so far. I was up at 7am putting the final touches on my notes for my meeting this morning. It went well I think. Karen my co-supervisor today started off the meeting and went over all the problems that I obviously missed because they were no where in my notes. I must have been asleep or something. We complimented each other nicely though because I picked right up where she left off. It was a good meeting we settled the Hurricane Schedule issue we just have to wait for Jack's approval and my Hurricane Menu was turned down or placed on hold for the moment and that's okay too. I have decided not to apply for the OM position that will open in October but I will apply for the supervisor’s position if one should open. I would like to be a supervisor as an acting Supv I know I can do the job but skipping that part and trying to fill an Operation's Manager spot just doesn’t feel right anymore and I feel better now that I have finally decided.

I came home and Fred was still asleep must be nice. I got him motivated and we were off. First stop was the restaurant supply for a Wok. We are having stir-fry tonight. Yummy!!!! Then went and picked up Dawn's Kids; V, Lizzy and Zackary they are currently in the pool swimming pool. I think they are playing Marco polo from the sound pf it. Erin and Beth are armed with water balloons and I think there are a couple of water guns out there too. Cujo and Zak the dog were outside having a good time chasing the kids from one side of the pool to the other. Cujo likes to nibble and has been chewing on the kids toes and fingers when they run and trying to tell kids to stop running is just a waste of breathe. Cujo thinks it’s a game and has been doing since he was small we are having a hard time breaking him of the habit. I plan on staying dry so I will sneak a peak at them every so often. Fred took off again to buy supplies for our roof we will be busy this weekend making repairs but that will be another blog………

Well it's lunch time and I need to go heat up the grill...... Hot Dogs for lunch today mmmmmmmmm......... 

Hurricane Season

It is amazing how quickly the season sneaks up on you. We have not repaired the damage from last years storm and here it is Hurricane Season again. We thought we were doing okay. We finally were able to get the patio company out here this week to put up the new pool enclosure only to have them leave Friday with the frame partially erected and scattered all over my back yard. The prep guys came out and started getting the roof and fascia ready for the enclosure. They started pulling off the what was left of the old enclosre and ran into rotted wood. They found old termite damage in the eaves under the fascia and a soft spot in the roof where the old patio covered at the corner. The wood is rotted there and will have to be replaced and reroofed. We are lucky Fred has a friend named Brian who has agreed to help Fred fix the roof. Fred is going to order the materials Monday and next weekend they are going to fix the roof.If they can get it all done then next week the patio company can get the pool enclosure up. Yeahhhhhhh!!!!!

We are also gearing up at work for the season. Last year we were suppose to work out a Hurricane schedule but it never done that I know of. With the 2004 storm Francis we worked the double shift but the storm was so long and there were so many people in the center my boss Jack decided that we did not need that many people. When Jeanne came through at the end of September 2004 only one shift work during the storm and they were swamped with calls. When Wilma hit in 2005 the hurricane shift had still not been implemented so we went ahead and just worked the double shift. The storm was only Cat. 2 and it was a fast storm so we were able to get our shifts in and out with little problems. It worked well. This week Jack sent out a memo/survey as to what we prefered to work...... during or after the hurricane. Personlly I prefer to work after the storm but my children are getting older and more independent and have ridden out 3 major storms with very little trauma. With Wilma the kids played card games all day and goofed off. The only time any of them became concerned was when I went out into the back yard after the poll enclosure fell down. They yelled at me. Fred says that sometimes I'm to hardheaded to be scared. He doesn't mean it in a mean way he just wishes I were a little more cautious at times and standing outside during a Cat. 2 is not a smart thing to do. On Tuesday we have a shift workshop and I plan on bringing up the Hurricane schedule and getting everyones input on working the double shift and keep shift integrity and just working with the individuals who may need to stay home with there families. I don't think there will be a problem getting almost everyone to agree to this. I think once we get it settled everyone will feel more at ease.

I also brought up the subject of a Hurricane Menu to my shift. Several of the supervisors have tossed around the idea of either getting there own caterer or just buying groceries and cooking. Amy brought up the subject Friday night and then I discussed it with my shift. They all agreed it was a good idea so yesterday I typed up a rough draft for a 2 day menu. This would be for a less severe storm Cat 2 or 3.
If we have a Cat 4 or 5 approach our coastline we can expand it into a 3 or 4 day menu. I passed it out to my shift last night and they all liked it. I gave a copy to the day shift supervisor this morning and she said she would get with her shift. Two of my shift mates on dayshift are all for it and were already volunteering there grills and coolers. I think this will go over real well and is getting everyone excited and involved. I am hoping I can get the same reaction for the hurricane shift.

I know once we get these two main issues out of the way everyone at the center will feel more at ease...............

MySpace.com

I attended a supervisor’s workshop today and it was pretty interesting. We listened to a motivational speaker about being more than just a manager. The speaker focused on being a good leader. I do have a few of the qualities he discussed but there are several areas I definitely need to work on. Note to self … be more patient with the public and co-workers…..never PMS ever again…….stop procrastinating……. Work on these things.

Anyway, the speaker was interesting and I did learn new ideas but I was a little disappointed. At the end of the presentation we were shown an internet blurb about MySpace.com. The speaker simply stated how dangerous this site was to our children and told us as parents to keep our children away from this site. Well, I don’t really have a problem with MySpace.com. I made a site several months ago when I needed an account to investigate a 911 complaint. I played around with it some made a link to this site. I added a few pictures and filled out the profile but that was it. I’d log on every once in awhile and see what was up. I personally don’t see what the big deal is but then again I am 42 and married……..

Elizabeth discovered that I had a MySpace account and begged me to let her go on and just look around. Apparently all her friends are on and she wanted to be able to look them up and chat. It is amazing how quickly she has taken over my account so I got her back by posting pictures of her on the site and by reading all her friends accounts. She got mad when she caught me reading her boyfriends site. Hehehehhe…..I read all the comments left on the site by her friends. I keep up with what is going on my account and I even uploaded a few pics one of her father carrying a rather large gun with and explanation of his profession along with my own. I do not always approve of what these kids pass back and forth to each other but these are teenagers and they are taking their first steps into adulthood. Expressing themselves is not a bad thing and this site gives them a perfect venue to do so. I love to blog I am literally addicted to it. I love to write I love to express myself when most times I am unable to do it verbally. I like meeting new people on line. I like using the internet in a positive manner it not only keeps me informed on what is going on in the world but also keeps me close to my family. I can keep up with all my aunt, uncles and cousins in a matter of minutes instead of months or years. These kids want the same thing. They just want to stay informed and keep up with what is going on in their world.

We live in the age of technology and we need to keep up. MySpace is just another tool in communicating. Used properly it is wonderful used improperly it can cause harm both mentally and even physically. Unfortunately, MySpace has become a pedophiles online catalog. I am not worried about my daughter she is smart and we talk to her about these things and she knows what can happen. In fact I had my date of birth on the account and she begged me to change it to her DOB. By making the DOB from 17-14 years of age their sites can only be monitored by friends they have invited to view their sites. I did not know that and was very happy she pointed it out. As I said before I don’t have a problem with my child using MySpace to keep up with her friends as long as she is under limited supervision and she dose not have a problem with that. I am not a perfect parent but I am happy with the way my children are growing up. They are intelligent and independent. I will not smother their independence by not letting them experience life. They need to make mistakes, they need to make their own decisions, and they need to be allowed to express themselves.

MySpace has given our children and young adults a network connected to 80 million people world wide. MySpace is a phenomenon that needs to be experienced not smothered. But all parents need to always be watchful of your children and what they are doing on the internet not just MySpace. Talk to your children let them know what they might run into on the WWW. Information and communication is a parent’s best weapon and if you are suspicious and your child is trying to hide what they are doing on their computer, I recommend a good keystroke program or products like cyber patrol or net nanny. If by chance your child has already been approached by one of these cyber pedophiles report them to your local law enforcement agency. Many agencies have officers that do nothing but work on internet fraud and other illegal activities including pedophile activity.

Enjoy the internet because that is what it is there for but don’t take it for granted because just like most things in life it can turn on you when you least expect it. Be smart be safe and keep on blogging……………………

Warren's New Honda

  

Last month Warren wrecked his car. It was no big deal minor injuries but the front end on Warren's Dodge took a beating. We were pretty sure that the insurance company would have it fixed and we would all go back to our regular routines. Fred and I have been sharing our vehicle with him since the accident. Too our surprise they total his car and sent us a check. After several days of searching and haggling with the local car dealers Warren with his father there for moral support purchased his first brand new vehicle a 2006 2dr Honda Civic. He did not need a co-signer nor is our name on any of the documentation. We even had the insurance drawn up in his name only.

We are so proud of him.............

Happy Memorial Day

I did not crawl out of bed until after 9am, I love sleeping in. I love having the whole weekend off I do it so rarely. I love having my family home and spending time with them.

VH1 played heavy metal tribute all weekend but Fred worked so he tried hard to catch up on it today. He spent most of the morning with Elizabeth by his side on the couch watching and listening to music videos. I guess about noon he decided he wanted to barbecue so he and both the girls headed for Wallyworld for supplies. He bought hamburgers, hot dogs,sausage, chips, dip and pool toys. The dogs have pretty much destroyed what few pool toys we have left.

By 1 pm we were all in the pool. Fred and Beth pulled out our volleyball net and strung it across the pool after an interesting game of chase the volleyball around the pool and general horse play we retired to our lounge chairs. I think I lasted about 30 minutes maybe out of the water. The sun was hot today. By 3 pm it was nap time, I get to work tonight and I was tired.

I slept for about 2 hours the aroma of grilled food finally woke me up. I was bad I ate sausage dog and a cheeseburger then ran out the door for work. I was a little later than I usually am getting to work but I did make it. I was already turning red by the time a made it into the center. The word lobster was passed around by a few of my co-workers. My scalp is even a bit pink and sensitive to the touch. I hope it turns nice and brown I really hate to blister and peal. At 42 my skin is not as resilient as it used to be. I should be lathering myself under a ton of tanning lotion but I enjoy the sun too much and I love the look of a good healthy tan.

This weekend was so nice that having to come back into work and dealing with reality was a major shock to my delicate system by 9pm I had a tension head ache and my shoulder muscles felt as hard as rocks. The calls for domestics were about the same as any weekend but the severity was up a couple of notches. I took atleast 3 domestics in which the most information I was able to obtain was an address. They all called in on cells so of course I had no idea where they were in a few cases neither did the complainants. Did I mention that I love my job? Anyway the domestics tended to be open phone lines with the male and female screaming at each other with a friend or two mixed in for additional drama.

However the most common call we received tonight up until 11 pm was in reference to the Caribbean Carnival that was held at Lawnwood Stadium just approx 4 blocks from my home. I could hear the music most of the day from my living room and at times I could even make out a melody or too but it wasn't too bad. We could not hear it from the back patio at all. When I left for work the music was crystal clear from my driveway. If I had not needed to go to work I could have sat in my front yard and just enjoyed the music. Many of my neighbors including the ones across the street and immediately next to me called along with the rest of the neighborhood as the concert continued up past 9:30 pm. I was assured that it was loud earlier but now it was unbearable and it was bed time people have to work in the morning.......
Most people were nice but there were a few who called several times demanding we do something. Repeated calls and questions from the officers themselves were no help no one seemed to know how long the concert was suppose to go for. By 10:30 my head was pounding and we were assured they were closing down for the night. We easily fielded a dozen or more calls by the time they finally closed it down at 11pm. Since then it has been much nicer in the center, infact it is almost like a Sunday night nice and quiet.....................

Happy Birthday to me and first kisses.........

Well another year has passed and I am another year older. As of Yesterday I am 42. I slept late, went to the farmer's market, went shopping with my daughters and then came home and cleaned house. Not an exciting day but a good day. Fred had to work the hospital so I did not see him much but Friday evening we spent time putting my new desk together. I am officially a little more orgainzed. I am no longer using my antique table as a desk. Happy Birthday to me.

My daughter's are getting older and Beth had her first kiss Friday night we teased her a little but that's what we are suppose to do. Erin asks me if I remmber my first kiss. You know your old when you have to think about it and get it wrong on the first try. My first kiss was also my first love. At 14 years old I fell in love with a boy that was two years older than me. I met him at the skating rink in North Charleston and I beleive he was a friend of my best friend Donna. I may be wrong. Anyway I recall my first kiss, it was with a boy named Tim Maull. We were sitting listening to a marching band play in Branchville when he leaned over and kissed me. It was very nice so nice we spent all afternoon doing nothing but kissing. Infact I think during our time together that's what we did most of the time.

Tim and I ended up breaking up but we remained freinds for years until he was married anyways. He married his high school sweet heart Sherry and as far as I know they are still happily married. I know he has a daughter named Elizabeth who is about the same age as mine or maybe a little older. He still lives in Charleston S.C. I miss him and think about him sometimes but you never forget your first love or a good friend for that matter. I hope his life has been as full and happy as mine. He was such a nice guy I know he had to grow up and become a wonderfaul man and a great father. I was lucky to know him and wish him and his family all the best.

Last day of School at St Lucie Elementary

Yep today was the day summer vacation has officially begun. Beth like all the other teens did not go these last two days. She was promoted to ninth grade so she is done. All her friends are on my space so she's happy. Erin however was a totally different story, if she could keep going to school she would. She loves school. Today was really hard on her. She had to say good bye to her friends and teachers. When she came home today she was crying. Later on she told me that as she was leaving both Mrs. Avilla and Mrs. Bolderdorf were crying. Fred even had a hard time keeping a straight face. Erin told me that many of her friends were upset and crying today. Her friend Morgan was very upset and even Alex had red eyes. He is very upset they will not be at the same schools next year.

I am also taking toda a little hard, my family has been with St Lucie Elementary for 14 years. My 20 year old son attended when he was in 5th grade and then Beth attended the next year as a kindergartener and now Erin who also started as a kindergarener is going onto middle school. I never would have imagined that she would have taken the last day of school so hard but then again I did not think I would either. I still tear up a little because I will no longer be a St Lucie Elementary parent. I think what is making it so hard on everybody is the new districting. Most kids are still bused many bused to Fort Pierce from Port St Lucie. Most of my girl's friends live in Port St Lucie and next year will be going to their neighborhood schools. Most of Erin's friends will be attending PSL schools while she will go to Dan McCarty Middle here in Ft PIerce. Her best friend Carlyn and her boyfriend Alex are both going to the new middle school in St Liucie West. Many of the teachers a St Lucie Elementary are aslo switching schools to be closer to home.

I pushed hard for this new districting program. It makes sense and it will save money in transportation but I never thought of how hard it will be on our children. They will be seperated from their friends by district lines. I know diversity is good and so is change but today is a sad day in St Lucie County. Instead of happy children eager to celebrate the beginning of summer my 10 yeqr old daughter worries that she might never see her friends again.

5th Grade moving up Ceremony

I wish Erin would have smiled but she is still beautiful.  

8th Grade Dance

 

Elizabeth looks so beautiful. This is her first semi-formal event and we hope it is the first of many to come. 

Do you remember Candies?

When I was a tennager, we all wanted to wear Candies. Candies were a very simple high heel pump that came in a variety of colors and styles. They were so cute. All my friends had them but I was not allowed to wear them nor could I afford them. So like many girls forbidden we borrowed them from our friends that let us and wore them when our parents werent around. Unlike other shoes you could not just slip them on and go, walking in Candies was an art. You had to learn how to walk in your Candies. In the late 70's we wore our Candies with very tight jeans and t-shirts. I loved those little shoes.

Now I am 42 and I dont wear heels unless I absolutely have to. My daughters and I went shopping this past weekend looking for the elusive shrug that they could wear with their dresses for their end of the year dances. Both have dresses with spagetti straps which are against dress code. Anyway we went shopping and I ended up buying myself shoes. I bought a black pair from walmart and then a little white strappy heel from Traffic. They reminded me of the Candies I wore so long ago. They are actually comfortable. I wore them to work tonight my toes are cold but they look good.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

I finally finished it this morning. I thought Fred was going to have a cow I read all but the last chapter last night and he could not believe I just didnt finish it.
I really liked the book. It was a .good story, original plot and a decent climax. I was not glued to the book like I was with Angels and Demons but this book is fast past but not as fast as that one. Plus my eyes are starting to hurt from all the reading and writing I have been doing lately. I really need glasses.

Please take the book for what it is a piece of fiction. As I said before he makes a lot of interesting points and adds history to his fiction but that is all it is a book. Dan Brown twists facts to his own advantage while using ancient myth and theology I like it. I never would have read iton my own if my husband had not made me read it. I have a bad habit of just reading certain novelist and I need to change and broaden my horizons. Enjoy this book for it's entertainment value and be thankful for an author that challenges you to use your brain and think........

I recommend it as a good read.......

Tom Cruise MI:III vs. South Park

I found this very humorous. Personlly I have chosen to boycott Tom Cruise. I am very loyal South Park by Mat Stone and Trey Parker. South Park makes me laugh almost daily. Matt and Trey tell it like it is by using humor and satire. There is always a message to each show and they pick fun at everyone. I belive that humor is healthy and if you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at?

Everyone is allowed to their own opinion but I feel Tom Cruise has gone overboard. I personally feel he is on the same track as Wacko Jacko. Maybe there is something to the quote by Lord Acton: Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
When Tom Cruise used his position to have a South Park sensored he went to far. I understand he is a big supporter of Scientology but please I am not and I don't ever plan to be so don't shove it's doctrine down my throat just let me watch South Park!

Kasha is here.....

I love it when Kasha comes to visit. She is always happy and cheerful. The girls love her and the dogs wont leave her alone. For those who don't know the story of Kasha I'll fill you in, Fred met Kasha during a traffic accident. After finding out that Kasha had no one here in town to pick her up after her vehicle was total he offered to drive her home and during their conversation he learned she was here in the USA from Poland. She needed some help and we decided we could help her. We offered her to move in with us until she was able to get settled at FAU in Boca where she is finishing her 4 year degree. Kasha has no family in the USA, she has made many friends but most of them are starving students like herself. She needed a family and we were happy to let her join ours and we have never regretted it. She has just finished her finals in Boca and is spending the week with us. We are hoping she will spend the summer with us. Well see I guess.

Retailers Requesting Phone Numbers

I never really thought much of giving out my phone number to clerks at the check out line. I have done it many times in the past but today I was caught off guard when the clerk at Staples asked for my phone number after I had written a check. I don't recall ever being asked for that information before at this store. I usually use cash or up until last month my debit card. I have since closed out 2 bank accounts and opened a new account and just never ordered a debit card. I have a check book and it keeps me away from the ATM.

This just dose not make sense to me with a debit/credit card you just swipe and sign no identification is required. With a check my name and address is printed on it along with my signature, I must prove who I am by presenting my ID card that has my name address and signature on it. My phone number is not on either of this items for a reason That is my personal information and I pay to keep that information private I should not have to give it if I don't want to. The clerk hassled me until I finally caved and gave her my work phone number. Hell, I could have given her any number as long as she got one. The damn computer would not let her finish the transaction until I gave her a 10 digit number. It's not like I was not asking for a loan and the check was for only a little over $20.00.

In the age of computers, you would think they would be able to instantly check and verify my check. Weight Watchers and Paws and Claws use the technology. You would think Staples and other big chains would use the same program. Neither Publix nor Walmart ask me for my phone number so I don't understand why Staples need for a phone number unless they plan on selling/sharing the information and they can do that without my permission because the clerk asked me and I gave it to her.