Weekend reading assignment
When angrywhitegirl.com asks you to link something -- you do it!
posted at 04:08 PM | link-

I fought the law and the law won
Whew -- glad my student loans have been paid off. Off to nag my husband about his... Kidding! But U.S. Marshals? Yipes!
posted at 03:11 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (6) shout it

It's Friday, I'm in love
Sitting at home bored on a Friday night? Head on over to Michele's and play a little game:

Band Sausages -- where you take two or more bands and combine their names together to make a whole new band. Example: The Beastie Boyz II Men, The Crystal Methods Of Mayhem, Grateful Dead or Alive. Get it? There's no real hardcore rules. Be creative. Squeeze as many bands as you can in, like this person did the last time I played this game: Shakespear's Sisters of Mercyful Fate's Warning.

To add your group-combo to the pile, just surf on over there...
posted at 09:07 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (12) shout it

Well I think that's a given...

Yet another great headline courtesy of Yahoo! News. Shave and a haircut, two bits...
posted at 04:44 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (21) shout it

The color of the sky as far as I can see is coal grey
This is what our yard, and every other yard in our neighborhood, looks like right now. The yard we spent several hundred dollars reseeding last spring. I haven't seen grass this dead since we lived in Oklahoma. We've been here over six years. Half of the trees around have either lost their leaves, had them turn colors, or are already dead. The palm trees around here are all turning yellow. The remaining trees are tall pines. We had almost two full weeks of hard-freezes, and several weeks in the 30s or below. This is just not the eternal-spring in Florida that I'm used to. Our power bill was over three times the price this January compared to last. I know the groundhog saw his shadow, but please keep that stuff up north where it belongs. Pretty please with chocolate cocoa on top! I miss my open windows...
posted at 03:43 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (16) shout it

Tonight at ten I'll lay her again
Can you imagine what this mom would have thought about "Like a Virgin" or "I Want Your Sex" in the 80s? For more hillarity, check out The Smoking Gun's FBI files on the song "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen. Hoover had way too much free time! (Link courtesy of FARK.com.)
posted at 12:39 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (3) shout it

Snap!
Heads-up to Canon G2 and G3 owners: The author of the "Short Courses" books has free, printable pocket guides online to the Canon PowerShot G3 and Canon PowerShot G2. There are also several other manuals available -- so check here for the full-listing to see if your camera brand and model are covered. And the new "Short Course in Canon PowerShot G3 Photography" book/CD is out as well now. (You can find the G2 version here.)
posted at 01:18 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (4) shout it

Nobody told me there'd be days like these
[wisdom for the ages]

posted at 12:38 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (4) shout it

Do not miss your chance to blow
Former OU QB Josh Heupel has been drafted by the NFL Europe Barcelona Dragons! Better yet, the Dragons do their spring training here in Tampa Bay! Oh yeah, so going to make a scrimmage or two if at all possible...

UPDATE: For those hitting my site searching for more information... James Hale of OUInsider.com is now reporting as of 3/9 that Josh Heupel has been cut from the Barcelona Dragons due to the lingering wrist injury (and as a result, not passing the team physical). He is reported to be back in Norman, Oklahoma now.
posted at 09:52 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (2) shout it

We are all made of stars
It's an entertainment edition of "not necessarily the news"...

So what is it about Trista that sends all the booted bachelorette contestants straight to the local dealer?
Like a Virgin...arrested for the very first time. Man, she looks like hell lately!
What does it say about me that these headlines make me so incredibly happy? $2000 on flowers to make up? The boy needs help. But go Cris Judd!
PETA has released a "worst-dressed list". Like we're supposed to care...
Joe Millionaire is in talks to play "Superman"? Heaven help us...

That's all I've got. But don't worry. With the Baywatch Reunion movie, there's bound to be more where that came from soon!

UPDATE: And it appears "The Bachelor II" has called off the wedding. Shocking, no?
posted at 08:40 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (8) shout it

Energy in a bottle?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
posted at 01:30 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (17) shout it

Now let's go back to that building-thingy where our beds and TV is
I know Michele had a "share your favorite Simpsons quote" thing a few weeks back. Well now Entertainment Weekly has a "best of" as well. D'oh.
posted at 03:44 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (4) shout it

Amazing.
Best. Car Dealer. Ever. I love it when humanity works the right way. Now I just hope karma kicks in...
posted at 01:56 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (7) shout it

If you court this disaster, I'll point you home
I'm listening to the Barenaked Ladies right now, and I'm wondering why no one ever pointed me towards this song back in college. (Yes, I know it was released 3 years after I graduated, but I digress.) If someone had played this line for me about 1993, I think my life choices would have been a hell of a lot easier to comprehend:

But I'm warning you, don't ever do those crazy, messed up things that you do. If you ever do, I promise you I'll be the first to crucify you. Now it's time to prove that you've come back here to rebuild...

Amazing what a really good therapist can accomplish, huh? At least I can admit I'm a great fianceé and wife, but was an absolutely dreadful girlfriend...
posted at 02:32 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (13) shout it

Man, it feels good to be a gansta
Well I just got off the phone with the husband, and whee! They laid off 80 people at his company today. That sounds like a lot, but they have 5,000 employees at just his campus alone. Thankfully only one got the axe in his department, and ironically that guy called in sick today. Even more ironic, Todd's had his vendors switched after all the hubbub and will be getting that guy's now. I joked and told him to wear a bullet proof vest to work tomorrow. I mean, anyone who's watched Office Space knows that you do your layoffs in the tech world on Friday, people.

I guess it speaks pretty highly of Todd that he was the one they trusted to pick up new vendors in the middle of all this mess. Breathing in. Breathing out. They haven't had a round of layoffs in quite a long time (the last set of cuts saw 5% of the company gone, and news crews there to document it). They promised this should be the last round this year. We shall see.

Todd's last vendor was pretty much a "no travel" kinda deal, which worked out great for me (and both of us) during all of the infertility medical treatments and me being a general invalid. I really needed him around all the time. I'm doing a bit better now and I'm not freaking out quite so bad that they're sending him to Minnesota at the end of the month. In fact, I'm laughing about it. Mr. Floridian, who doesn't own a real winter coat or ANY winter clothes, in Minnesota...in February. This should be entertaining. And I have no desire to go with him this time. (I went to Denver with him for his last business trip.)

Of course, I closed off our conversation with this:

"So ladies, if you wanna rob a bank but you don't want your cooter poked, head to beautiful Minnesota -- land of 10,000 lakes."
posted at 01:42 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (13) shout it

You can go with this - or you can go with that
Ok, boys and girls -- it's time to play "which is the most frightening" (courtesy of Yahoo! photos, click each image below for a larger version if you just can't make up your mind):

[Chuckles the Clown is missing his makeup]

posted at 03:51 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (26) shout it

Me lose brain? Uh-oh.
I know there's got to be a doctor or two out there somewhere... Has there even an official documented case of a brain exploding or imploding after doing a routine, repetitive task over and over and over again? I'm just askin'.
posted at 01:23 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (10) shout it

Left is right - right is wrong
That old male-earring adage pretty much describes my political leanings. That's all you really need to know. I voted for Clinton. Twice. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could. I'm a liberal. I oppose the war with Iraq until the second it begins because I don't believe in it, and that's my right as an American -- but I'll be our military and Commander in Chief's biggest supporter in the event it starts, because I believe that's my duty as an American. Nothing I tell you is going to change your views on the matter. I could discuss my opinions 'til I'm blue in the face and link every news article and editorial I could find -- but all it would result in is half of my readers saying "hell yeah!", and the other half quoting stats and figures in disagreement that I don't -- or won't -- necessarily believe in. So I just don't "go there".

It doesn't mean I have my head in the sand or that I'm neglecting the current events going on around me. I just don't have the time, or the patience, for the comment and cross-blog wars that would result. My husband does, and more power to him. I do admire and respect people who are on both sides of these often heated discussions. But if you'll please excuse me...I'm happy, for now, right over here on the observation deck.
posted at 06:28 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (24) shout it

Spell chrysanthemum
Today's "Call For Help" had a good free-file download -- ieSpell.

Download and install ieSpell and you can check your Web work in three different ways:

1. Select a word and right-click.
2. Click on the IE button in the toolbar.
3. Choose tools and select ieSpell or ieSpell Options.

IeSpell is accurate, fast, and free. Only for Windows and Internet Explorer.

I'm getting ready to download and test it out myself.

From the official site: ieSpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell checks text input boxes on a webpage. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of web-based text entry (e.g. web mails, forums, blogs, diaries). Even if your web application already includes spell checking functionality, you might still want to install this utility because it is definitely much faster than a server-side solution. Plus you get to store and use your personal word list across all your applications, instead of maintaining separate ones on each application.

The program installs as a new button in the IE toolbar (as well as a new menu item under "Tools") - after filling in a form, just hit the ieSpell button and it pops up a dialog, similar to the MS Word spell check.

ieSpell is not spyware or adware. Its free for personal and not-for-profit use. Commercial use requires a separate license. Write to us for more info.

UPDATE: It's all installed -- I've tried (and love) it! Two big snaps in a circle for this review.
posted at 05:01 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (20) shout it

I get knocked down, but I get up again

I love it when headline writers' senses of humor are as warped as mine is.
posted at 04:48 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (3) shout it

Wacko Jacko, indeed.
I can't say it better than the FARK'ers already have...but what the fuck? Anyone else in this country would have been locked up long ago, and I would have gladly swallowed the key. Any parent that allows their child to visit this man's home should be shot on sight! "What’s wrong with sharing a love?" More federal, state and local statutes than you can count, bud...
posted at 04:26 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (22) shout it

My funny Valentine
Well it looks like it's that time of year again -- the Valentine's skins are starting to roll out. I don't have time to make one here right now, but I do have four pinup images up for grabs from my stash if you want to use one -or more- at your own sites!

[image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4]

Be careful opening those first two at work, mmmk?
posted at 03:31 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (12) shout it

Take a sniff, pull it out, the taste's gonna move you when you pop it in your mouth
Mikey blogged about Joe Millionaire gossip earlier so I went to see what I could find on Zora.

1. Zora Fever!
2. Tabloid says Zora marries 'Joe'

Apparently there's also a rumor one of the girls (not the winner) is pregnant with his baby. Anyone seen any more good dish lately?

And in other rumor mill findings...apparently Jen and Ben are going to have to put that wedding off just a little while longer. She wants a traditional Catholic wedding, and oops -- she failed to get the first one annulled. (Marriage number two was a private, civil ceremony.) First husband Ojani Noa is quoted as saying, "She screwed me out of a decent divorce settlement, then fired me as manager of her restaurant for no reason. I owe her nothing." What goes around, comes around... Maybe she should call the Kennedy family for pointers?
posted at 08:12 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (9) shout it

I'm about to ruin the image and the style that you're used to

[Click to view the song lyrics]

A song with no thinking required...just how I likes 'em!
posted at 05:52 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (5) shout it

We were born, born to be wild
I found this on FARK and thought it would make for interesting debate. New Mexico state Senator Allen Hurt has introduced Senate Bill 239. It specifically states that:

A person operating a motorcycle without a helmet and who, as the result of an accident, is pronounced brain dead pursuant to Section 12-2-4 NMSA 1978 by a licensed physician shall become an organ donor regardless of whether the person made an anatomical gift by completing the organ donor statement…

I have a very big problem with this. Although I am personally for organ donation, I am quite against forced organ donation. I think the choice is very personal and private -- and the reasons for and against are plenty. Some religious. Some not.

Sean Maher, the director of the American Motorcyclist Association's state affairs has issued this public statement:

Organ donation is a noble cause that truly can represent the gift of life for people faced with some terminal illnesses. But making the commitment to become an organ donor must remain a private decision left to each person. Classifying an entire group of citizens as nothing more than organs to be harvested isn't just demeaning to motorcyclists, it's offensive to all Americans.

In my own case, I've amended my organ donation card to everything but my eyes and skin. I can't even rationally answer why -- but the thought of donating those two items really bothers me. And I'm allowed that choice. It's my body. If we're going to start taking rights away in this country based on disobeying traffic laws and/or stupidity.....

So how do you feel? Does this seem like a good law to you?
posted at 02:04 PM | link-

-it | mail it | (37) shout it

Final thoughts on Columbia
Chris has a beautiful tribute for the STS-107 crew up at his site. weezer.com has a nice mission tribute as well.

Some people may see the rest of us as "in a tizzy" over this. But I like to think the fact I can hurt, feel, empathize and sympathize in this situation makes me human. And also American*. (* please note: no foreigners were intentionally harmed in the making of this entry)

I have a close friend who's husband didn't make it home until several hours after he was supposed to be home this past week. The fear, and tears, in her voice as she couldn't reach him by cell phone are etched in our brains. If Todd is even 30 minutes late, my stomach is tied up in knots until he walks through the door. That momentary fear we all face now and again is a daily fear for the families of these astronauts and pilots. In the event of danger, the heavens and skies are much less forgiving than our local roads and Interstates -- no matter what the side-by-side accident rate comparison numbers may be. If you've ever feared for a loved one's return, just take a second to imagine what it would be like to be sitting in a public grandstand with all eyes -- and cameras -- on you, expecting a triumphant reunion. And just off to the side, a larger than life countdown clock ticking down every one-hundredth of a second until their arrival. And then that moment coming...and going...still ticking off every second they will never be home again.

Rather than make a large tribute to every astronaut on the mission, which has been done so eloquently elsewhere (better than I ever could), I'm going to take a second to honor Commander William C. McCool. He wasn't just a national hero. He was a husband. A dad. And a huge Weezer fan, just like me. He even took the Blue Album up with him on this mission. But for 11 years in age difference, I could have known him. I dated a Naval Academy graduate and pilot. I also dated another Naval pilot for two years during and briefly post-college. That was not the path I was to take in life. But putting myself, even for just a split-second, in the roles of the wives left waiting in the stands yesterday really made me stop and think about the directions our lives take. And because I can put a face, personality and "might have been" to this name -- well, tizzy it is.

I've been a fan of the Shuttle program since the very first launch. I would mail away for the mission packets and astronaut photos as a child. I tried in vain to watch Eileen Collins launch in Columbia and become the first female Shuttle commander in space. I wrote for VIP passes two years ahead of the launch hoping to watch that historic event in person. Unfortunately we were there for both scrub attempts (this one scrubbed just 6.5 seconds before liftoff), and my health took a nosedive before we could watch it launch in person the third, and final attempt. We did see Columbia on the launchpad twice for both scrub attempts, however. I had to settle for watching it go up from our apartment complex's parking lot. But we did get to use our second set of VIP passes for the launch of STS-92 on 10.11.2000, which also happened to be the 100th shuttle mission. It's one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. You may not realize that we can see the launches and landings from over here on the Gulf coast in Tampa Bay, but we can. However, NOTHING compares to being at the Cape just a mile away from the launch pad. It's something everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

And for the sake of the seventeen astronauts we've now lost in the line of duty, I hope for their sakes the program will come back stronger and better than ever before! I believe they all would want it that way.
posted at 02:11 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (16) shout it

Talkin' 'bout plans for a weddin'
I wrapped another design over the weekend (I'll link it when it goes live) and spent a bit of time on WM! during my down-time. The February 2003 Wedding Dress of the Month is online now.

Back in December I put out the call for assistance with WM!, and had a great response. Unfortunately, I'd been too busy to do much of anything with the help I'd received to date. D'oh. But this weekend I got the first series of freelance articles online. You can now find them linked on the main page (by the little computer monitor icon). Thanks to Geri, Amy, and Cheryl for stepping up to the plate. If you'd like to help, either as an editor or article writer, just drop me a line!

I'm crossing my fingers for a server move and redesign in the upcoming month, depending on my schedule. I'd love to have more fresh faces and perspectives with the change!
posted at 12:26 AM | link-

-it | mail it | (1) shout it