I'm Back

And swamped at work.

Some thoughts...

Obama is even more of an idiot than I ever thought. Just the fact that he has people on his staff STUPID enough to allow a low flying plane to swoop New York ... is he insane?!?!? Those people should all be fired.

Are you afraid of Swine flue? I admit...the media makes it hard not to get anxious but in reality it's not much more virulent than the regular flu which I'm not scared of...and never get vaccinated for.

We had an AMAZING time on vacation. I have some adorable photos that I look forward to sharing soon.

Okay...back to work. SO busy!!!

Survey - Celebrity Tweeters

Why the hell is the president considered a celebri-tard? Did anyone ever consider Bush a celebrity? Or is it only Dems who can be celebrity Presidents? So lame.



I could care less who so called celebrities tweet.

Mmmmmmm

The Schwan man came. heh

We spent $36 on ICE CREAM! That's all we bought. hahahahahaha And I just finished an orange push up (they call them push-ems) and it was soooo yummy.

I love Schwans ice cream. Hubby has been on an ice cream kick so we decided to go ahead and get the good stuff. Their Gold Nugget bars are to die for! But the push ups sounded best to me.

We'll be getting ready for a short trip to the ocean soon. So if I don't blog that's why. :) I'll come back with lots of pics and stories to share about the dogs. It's hubby's 40th birthday on Monday. It's going to be SO nice to be away and just able to relax and hang out.

Celebrating Earth Day the RIGHT Way

Gotta love Iowahawk to bring it all into perspective. I wish I could think of something special to add to my carbon footprint today. I drove to and from work. I'm breathing. I walked the dog where he emitted sound foul smelling gas.

I guess I could turn extra lights on but I'm still too cheap.

How about a Save the Humans day?

So hope you had a great CO2 filled Earth Day. I tried my best to exhale a little extra. :)

More of that Lefty Tolerance

Watching Fox News as I got ready for work this morning and Megan Kelly (love her!) was interviewing Miss California (watch the video here)...I wrote about the shit storm she started with her honest answer to a stupid question.

How DARE she believe in traditional marriage between one man and one woman!?! She is obviously an illiterate, bible thumping, bigot.

At least that is what the judges are implying, as are the people in charge of the California pageant. Many folks are saying that her answer cost her the crown.

Hilton has made it very clear by his comments that Miss California did not get a good score from him, and that she "lost because of that question."

He's the one that sounds like a bigot to me. Since he didn't agree with her answer he scored her zero. What an ass. They're supposed to judge the contestants on poise and how they hold themselves in public ... not necessarily how they answer the question. Just because he disagreed doesn't mean he should have given her a zero.

If she was super upset she could apparently sue...though I wouldn't bother.

"It's her religious beliefs which prompted her to say 'I don't believe in same-sex marriages.' So she was espousing her beliefs," and could sue for a violation of Title VII, which forbids discrimination on the basis of religion.

I agree with other analysts who say she really doesn't have a case...it's a sucky situation but not really lawsuit material.

I was in a pageant when I was 20 (or 21...I can't remember...the years are starting to blur). Each girl had to pick a topic to research, write about, and defend in front of the judges. I picked animal research because I was a loony liberal and didn't believe animal research should be used for anything - from makeup testing to cancer research. And I defended my research and paper ... but it was a little too controversial for the judges and was apparently the major reason why I lost (I was first runner up and Miss Congeniality if you can believe that).

But that was my opinion and I defended it...I didn't back down just because it wasn't the popular view. (Of course, I was an idiot and completely wrong about that particular issue but that's not the point.)

That is what Miss California is doing. She is defending herself and her beliefs...and the beliefs of millions of Americans...not to mention the majority of Californians who just passed their marriage bill last year.

I could care less what two men or two women do in their homes. Nor do I particularly object to their relationship in general. My husband's ex-sergeant is a lesbian and I adore her and her partner....I truly do. They are wonderful, generous, amazing women. But I don't think they should have the right to get "married" in the traditional sense of the word. If they want to have a ceremony and get their lawyer to write up a contract for all the legal stuff that's great. But you will never convince me that their relationship is the same as the one I have with my husband.

I guess that makes me a bigot too. Oh well. I've been called worse and I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Mildly Peeved

Taking a quick break my coworkers and I headed down to the cafe ... I was just tagging along. Somehow we got on the topic of birthdays. Hubby's is coming up and it's the big 40. I mentioned that if I had lost my job we (my SIL, MIL, and I) had planned to give hubby money to buy another gun, but since I am keeping my job (at least for now) we're going to get him a computer.

Then I mentioned that I'd get more use from a new computer than a new gun since I'm not exactly hitting the range regularly (and probably won't for awhile). My coworker made a snarky comment about keeping guns away from the kid all together.

Which of course I said would never happen and I snarked back that our kid will probably be a sharp shooter by the age of 10 (joking of course). And she actually said, "well, I know our kids will never play together."

WTF?

Seriously? I mean, I know her kids are kind of sensitive (wonderful and brilliant kids but all brains and not much braun...not really the kind of kids who play cowboy & indian) and she's a total liberal but telling someone that they won't let their kids play with your unborn kid because we as parents believe in our second amendment rights and plan to teach our kids how to handle themselves? Like my kid is going to take a rifle to the playground.

I was pissed. I didn't show it. I had so many rants I could have gone on about ... like how I'm sure my kid will be the one who defends her kids' asses when the shit hits the fan. Like I wouldn't want my kids to play with her kids because who would be there to defend them if a slime ball attacked (they live in a much more dangerous place than we do). At least if someone attacked my house we'd be able to defend ourselves.

After all, the police are not exactly proactive...they are reactive and won't get there until after we're robbed, raped, or dead. Her kids would be a hell of a lot safer at my house.

I'm still a little peeved. It amazes me how holier than thou her attitude is about guns. (She's made comments before.) As if my support of gun rights makes me a complete moron or alien in her eyes. It's one of the few subjects where she really lets her liberal feelings show.

I didn't even make snarky comments when she was talking about her "environmentally sensitive" birthday party for one of her sons. *gag me* Besides I think she used the wrong term...it's not so much eco friendly as nature themed since they're going to a nature park. But whatever. I kept my trap shut.

It's amazing how INsensitive liberals are when it comes to expressing their own disagreeing views. But heaven forbid you try to discuss non-popular (non PC) things logically ... then you're an insensitive knuckle dragger.

Extreme Measures

For the first time in a lot of months...more than I can remember...I could not put a book down before bed. I stayed up for two hours because I wanted to finish it and could not stop - hubby kept waking up and telling me to turn the light off and go to sleep. I wonder when he'll stop trying to "order" me to do things...I never obey.

If you haven't been reading the books by Vince Flynn you are SOOOOOO missing out. They are sort of Tom Clancy meets the 21st century threat of terrorism. None of that tired old Russia as the enemy. (Not that they still aren't in some ways...but that's another post.)

So I started reading them a year or two ago after Limbaugh recommended them and he was spot on. Flynn's books are, so far, page turners. I was a little leery about starting this latest book, Extreme Measures: A Thriller (Mitch Rapp Novels), because the reviews on Amazon weren't entirely positive. I don't know what those folks were smoking when they read the book ... it was fabulous.

It was also infuriating. It's so true to life and could so easily happen that it makes you want to go to DC and start pounding on politicians doors to scream at them to wake up.

There is a self aggrandizing senator who thinks her shit doesn't stink and is all about upholding the letter of law - with no regard to the actual consequences.

In every book so far the main character is Mitch Rapp. This is the man we want out there in the dark allies of third world countries...tracking down and killing those who wish us harm. I pray we have many many Rapps in our CIA even if we never hear about them.

In Extreme Measures: A Thriller (Mitch Rapp Novels) Rapp gets himself in a spot of trouble by roughing up a poor widdle Terrorist in custody...you know how they have to have special rights and all that.

This culminates in his being brought before Congress ... but somehow he makes it on his own terms and as always comes out on top. Though not before a lot of unnecessary and unfortunate blood shed.

These books also give a frightening look into the terrorist mindset ... imagine the cheering in the streets of Palestine after 9/11. Striking a blow to the great Satan and worshiping death as a means to an end. It's quite sick.

Extreme Measures: A Thriller (Mitch Rapp Novels) is absolutely fabulous and I whole heartedly recommend it. I know I'll be reading it again...I always reread good books. :)

Communist Paradise?

I have a t-shirt that reads on the back:

"Communism has only killed 100 million people. Let's give it another chance."

It's fun to wear downtown at the State Capital where lots of lefties hang out and shop with their sock and sandal clad feet and their non disposable shopping bags. I always worry about my car though...at the Farmer's market it's my "Keep the Change", "I love my Carbon Footprint", and "Peace through Superior Firepower" in a sea of supportive Obama and save the planet bumper stinkers

I wonder how the lefties would survive in the Communist paradise of North Korea. I've long been fascinated by this sad country. Last year I finished a nice thick book called Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty and was fascinated and horrified at the same time. The life these people are forced to live because of the maniac's running the country (into the ground).

I highly recommend the book...as thick as it is, it did read fairly quickly. I wish it had more photos (I'm very visual) but it's understandably difficult to get photos when you have 24 hour a day handlers.

Somehow, Tomas van Houtrvve managed to get some incredibly moving, and chilling, photos when he posed as a prospective businessman. They make me want to cry. My life is so very different...spoiled in comparison...that it is hard to take my problems very seriously.

h/t for the photos: Carpe Diem

Free Speach for Thee

...But not for me.

I'm quite glad that Miss California spoke her mind and said what she believed to be true. They asked her a question and clearly only wanted one answer...which she did not give.

When asked by judge Perez Hilton, an openly gay gossip blogger, whether she believed in gay marriage, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, said "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

First of all, since when does being a blogger qualify you to judge the Miss USA pageant? Second, I'm surprised she even got first runner up with her politically incorrect answer.

I say good for her for standing up for her beliefs and defending how she was raised. I hope she sticks to her guns.

I Hope It Doesn't Disappoint

The new Harry Potter Movie is scheduled to come out this summer. I LOVE the HP series and am constantly replaying the books in my car and on my iPod. It's pretty much all I listen to lately. The real world is too depressing.



The trailer looks awesome, but I thought the trailer from the 5th movie looked great too and the movie was a huge disappointment to me. I hope that some of the early reviewers are wrong and that the romance doesn't take away from the rest of the movie. The romance in book 6 is key ... especially between Hermione and Ron.

I'm ready to go to the theater and see it as soon as it comes out. I kind of want to get a special t-shirt to wear too. Is that goofy? =)

Survey Time - Relations with Cuba

I'm kind of torn on this topic. I do not think we should normalize relations or make it legal to travel to Cuba...the only thing the tourists see is what the government wants them to see. The workers never see the money spent there. There is no freedom to speak or even live freely.

On the other hand, would having westerners travel more to Cuba give them more diversity in opinion and perhaps more liberal ideas to seep in? I don't know. Has it worked in China? A bit. But not a ton.

I am sure if I went I'd get arrested for making sarcastic comment. Not that I'd ever go...the idea of supporting such a regime with my dollars makes me ill.



What do you think?

Good News and Bad News

This day is going to suck.

One of my favorite coworkers, who has worked here for 28 years, got her packet and lay off notice today. :(

Me on the other hand get another few months to sweat it out. For now my position stays where it is, but it's not necessarily a permanent stay. The work I do has been mandated by the CEO to be done on a global basis for all clients. I only do US. So the global responsibility falls to Finance...I do not work in finance.

So if they come up with a process that doesn't include me I'm out. Nothing is certain right now. I was hoping today would be it...I'd know one way or the other. No such luck.

The good news is that today I still have a job and a paycheck. I'll be able to collect a paycheck for a couple more months at least.

The mood here SUCKS! I had a total stomach ache coming in and it hasn't gone away yet. People have down faces and everyone looks worried. I feel like crying. This is my family and people are being let go.

Okay...now I am crying.

Three More Days

Three more days until I find out my fate.

Will I have a job and a salary? Or will I be without a job but have more time in my life to do other things?

Honestly? I really can't say which I prefer. And I truly mean that. Both have extreme benefits and detriments.

If I keep my job, which I do enjoy, I'll maintain my benefits and salary, not to mention my vacation, sick, and sabbatical (less than one year until I'm eligible). There will be a LOT of change in the company and I'm sure I'll be able to take on more responsibilities and challenges, which I'd like. Plus I get two months maternity leave and I'll have about two weeks vacation after that. All paid...which would be nice.

On the other hand I'll have to pay for daycare after I go back...and "inexpensive" daycare in our area is over $800 a month. Yowza! I'll be working almost two weeks just to pay for daycare.

If I lose my job, hubby has told me that I AM applying for unemployment. Just the thought makes my stomach turn. Or it could be the pregnancy, I don't know. But it IS my tax dollars right? *sigh* You have to prove that you are looking for employment while collecting these benefits though - and even though it's technically illegal - I don't see many employers wanting to hire an obviously pregnant lady. And honestly, I wouldn't WANT a job right away. *sigh*

I'd like to have time to get ready for the baby and work on my jewelry. I have a new idea for a new line of my jewelry that I think would be really popular in these times. But I won't have time to do it if I have a job.

I'm afraid I'd get bored at home though. I don't think I'm made to be a stay at home mom, even with my business. Although imagine how organized and clean my house would be. :) At least that's what hubby hopes.

There's nothing I can do to control the situation...which is hard for me. I like to control things. So I can only pray and wait. Someone knows my fate and they'll let me know on Wednesday.

I Don't Watch TV to be Sad

I just finished watching last week's episode of House. Talk about depressing. I watch House to laugh...he cracks me up. There were a few funny moments but all in all it was dang depressing. One of the main characters suddenly and surprisingly committed suicide. I read somewhere on the web that he went to work for the Obama administration in real life...poor sucker. He was a great actor and member of the show.

I hate watching shows with suicides. I don't need reminders of the pain needed to take that last action. It's very easy for my emotions to drop down into depression.

Thankfully the new medications that the doctor switched me to since I've been pregnant seem to be keeping me much more even. Plus the new meds are supposed to be safer for the little peanut. :)

Do you go to Music Concerts?

The last concert I can remember attending was for Tim McGraw. My (now) husband (then boyfriend) suffered through it but he hated it ... and he hated the way I acted. Which was pretty tame. I just screamed a few times in celebration and of course sang along. :)

We Could Never Have This Kind of Influence

On the climate that is...the natural elements, like Volcanoes, do more "damage" on our climate and weather than any peoples could ever do.

The cloud of ash that was fine and light enough to stay in the atmosphere circled the globe. Average temperatures dropped as much as 5 degrees Fahrenheit over the next year ... and beyond. Many Europeans and North Americans called 1816 the "year without a summer."

I'm fascinated by volcanic eruptions. Maybe because I remember Mt St Helens even though I was only 2 at the time.

Don't Carry too Much Cash

This story is freaking scary. TSA associates must have big heads to think they are so important and have so much authority.



Shocking and pathetic.

ht Two Nervous Dogs

Thursday Thunks

I almost forgot. Good thing Jana did hers. :) Reminded me!

1. What was the last thing you ate?

A bagel and lunchmeat sandwich for breakfast. They are so yummy.

2. I say the color purple.. what do you think of?

I think of Prince. I have NO idea why. :)

3. Lamps or ceiling lights?

Both...but unfortunately our house doesn't have a ton of ceiling lights, just mostly lamps. I like to turn them all on at the same time at night.

4. What color rabbit is your favorite?

Rabbits scare me. They're cute and fluffy but they can bite! I guess if I have to pick I'd say a sable color bunny seems the least threatening color.

5. Your car breaks down on a deserted road and your cell phone has no signal - what do you do?

I'm with Jana...lots of cursing. The Hazard lights would go on and I'd start walking until I could find a signal.

6. What is one thing most of your friends do online that you just can't understand the fascination and do not participate in?

MySpace...I sort of get the fascination but I just don't love it the way some folks do. I have a page for my business but haven't logged in to it in probably a year.

7. What do you need right now?

I need more sleep...and I need the nausea to stop!

8. And your most serious injury you've had was....?

I pulled a tendon in my thumb once when I tagged someone out at second base...I got the out though!

9. What is the most evil thing you've ever done?

I told a girl she was stinky and pulled her hair when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. She did stink. But I wasn't very nice to her...I was a bully. I admit it.

10. Give us some random fact about you.

Um...What haven't I already shared on one of my three blogs? I'm pretty much an open book.

Okay...we owe over $2,000 in taxes. And I am not upset about it because it means that the money worked for us over 2008 instead of working interest free for the lousy stinking losers in government. *grin*

Happy Birthday to Me

That is all.

Me Thinks Thou Dost Protest Too Much

Barney Frank is a huge ass. I wish the student had specifically referenced the Fannie Mae comments that Frank made years ago saying that they did not need regulating. Ass.

Via Instapundit.

Shoe Survey

I LOVE shoes and I really wish I could buy more of them. :)

Hiding from Reality

Reality isn't all it's cracked up to be you know. Lately I haven't felt like listening to my favorite radio shows - Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, and Hugh Hewitt. Instead I take out my iPod and dive into the Harry Potter series for the umpteenth time.

Escape. I've done it before...it isn't just because our president is a narcissistic jackass. I had moods like this back when W was president too. I just don't want to know what is going on in the world. It seems quite depressing and I don't need help being depressed.

My dog didn't help...hubby called yesterday to tell me he was taking Timber to the vet because he was acting really weird. The vet though that maybe he'd pulled a muscle or something in his back leg area because he seemed sensitive there. So he sent them home with an anti-inflammatory medicine. But when I got home from work Timber was acting even more strangely...almost like he was stoned.

When I started getting ready for bed we discovered the reason. Damn dog. As if I need any more stress in my life right now. Thank GOD he seemed okay this morning....though maybe slightly hung over.

So you'll pardon me if I take a break from reality. I prefer Harry Potter's world right now.

Stop Drooling

I love dNeero...I really do. But they have clearly drunk the Koolaid and are Obamafiles. Every "answer" available to people for their questions puts Bambi in a positive (or less than negative) light. Sheesh. I had to answer Other to all of them.



But let me tell you how I really feel... =)

Must Read - Blame the Rich

I love Bill Whittle. He is brilliant.

The top ten percent, that pays sixty percent of the total income tax and which allows the bottom half – HALF! – to pay nothing… Those horrible, greedy bastards are not using their free-will generosity as “efficiently” as the government can, so let’s just take more of their money and call it square.

When I first started working for my current employer I was 21 years old, having just recently been fired from one job and lucky enough to get a new one, but still quite poor.

My attitude was quite left leaning...I thought people with lots of money were selfish and spoiled. It never occurred to me that they actually WORKED for their money.

I was quite blessed to have met my (now) hubby and my then boss were both conservative and patient with me. My boss was WONDERFUL and explained so many things to me, patiently and without condescension. Hubby was just patient and smiled at my silly ideas a lot.

I don't blame rich people for my problems. Or the problems of our country.

Did I Mention I Don't Like Change?

And no, this has nothing to do with OBambi.

Entrecard went and fiddled with the way they take ads. So now, instead of regular folks and bloggers who earn credits and spend them advertising on other blogs, people can PAY cash money to advertise. Which is fine I guess. I don't plan on paying hard cold cash for ads ... at least not with this blog. I *might* do it someday with my jewelry blog, but only if it's super cheap.

So now there are dozens of freaking ads to look through and approve or reject. It takes a lot longer for me to review the sites ... I refuse to allow spammy types to infiltrate my only "ad" on any of my blogs. I don't like dealing with ads so EC was great because it didn't feel like an ad program.

I don't know how I'm going to get through all these ad requests. Thankfully they got rid of the rule they were initially going to implement...if you rejected a paid ad, you got dinged. NOT okay. So at least there's no downside to rejecting an ad. And I have been. I'm protective of my blogs...they're like my journals. I don't want just anyone peeking in.

So rest assured that I will do my very best to weed out the icky spammy type blogs and sites from my EC widget. If you do see one that sucks or is super spammy please let me know.

A Music Survey

So apparently they are going to tell us whether we have a job starting April 15. I think it's appropriate, being tax day and all that.

Anyway...in an effort to supplement my income here is another survey. :)



EDITED - They picked my question as a required one. Woot!

What My Kid Can Look Forward To

Found via Instapundit.

Thursday Thunks

1. Did you play any April Fools jokes on anyone or have a joke played on you?
No and No...I do not like April Fools day!

2. If you could be on any non-reality TV show as a guest star or star, which one would it be and why?
House. I LOVE that show.

3. Do you crack your knuckles?
Sometimes.

4. If you remember your first day of kindergarten, were you scared or excited? If you have kids or grandkids, were they scared or excited?
I don't remember. I do remember my first day of third grade though. That's when I started at a brand new school after my dad died. I was scared but didn't show it. :)

5. If you are in the shower, hear the fire alarm going off and smell smoke/see flames, will you just run out of the house with a towel on or grab some clothes & dress as you run out?
I'll dress as I run out and make sure the dogs are okay. Dogs are more important than clothes.

6. Last week the Thursday Thunkers asked about your Daddy (twice), so this week tell us a little about your Mom.
Glad we're not leaving mom out of it. My mom is an RN (registered nurse) and diabetic specialist. She's also insanely excited to be a grandma.

7. Which search engine do you use most often?
Google...it's evil but it works.

8. Did you participate in Earth Hour?
H E L L NO! Dumbest idea ever.

9. What was the last new-to-you movie you watched? Was it in the theater or on DVD? Was it good?
I don't remember...I watch a lot of TV and movies so they sometimes blend in. I enjoyed Charlie Wilson's War in the last couple of months ... on DVD from Netflix. The next movie I go to see in the theater will be Harry Potter 6 - I cannot wait!!!

10. If you do something embarrassing, do you laugh it off, or sit & worry about it?
I rarely get embarrassed. On the rare occasion that I do I generally laugh and share with others to laugh with (at?) me.

11. Where is your favorite spot in your home to sit & relax?
Relax? What does that mean??? I rarely just sit and relax. Except when I go to bed...that's about the only time I just sit (well, lay) there and watch TV and relax. Otherwise I'm working on the laptop, making jewelry, or chasing the dogs.

Do Me a Favor?

Enter to win awesome Indie artist goodies? :) Pretty please. I'd be SO excited if one of my readers won.


There are 25 prize packages each worth over $300...I donated five pieces of my jewelry. It's such a fun giveaway.

And you know...if you want to ... no pressure ... you can also sign up for my jewelry newsletter. No pressure! =) But definitely at the very least sign up to get an entry for one of the prizes. If you sign up with all the sponsor's you could get sometime like 45 entries!

I'm a Christian and I Believe in Evolution

Yup. You read right. I am a Christian...though admittedly not a very "good" one (Is there such a thing?) as I haven't been to church in about three years or so. We plan to start back up but it sure is hard to get motivated some Sundays.

I believe in God and I believe Jesus died for my sins.

I also believe that this universe is way more complicated than any scientist can explain. Just look at the Global Warming "debate" (can it be a debate if one side says it's settled?). Science just can't fully explain everything.

When I was in high school I went to a four square Pentecostal church. No idea how I ended up there but I was there for more than four years and even helped teach Sunday school. I was turned off of the youth group at one point because the pastor said that evolution was not possible.

*insert blank stare here*

Because in the very next sentence he said God could do anything (which I believe).

So let me get this straight? God is all powerful and can do anything but not create a world in which evolution exists? Gotcha. See ya later.

His "proof" that evolution couldn't exist? Break apart a watch and spread the pieces all over the world. In no way could those pieces ever "reform" to become a watch again.

Uh...except God can do anything right? So why couldn't he reform the watch?

Illogical.

I don't necessarily believe that humans evolved from Apes. But I do know that humans HAVE evolved ... there is plenty of proof of that just in the last few hundred years (we're taller, living longer, etc).

And people who believe that humans hunted dinosaurs and that the earth is only a few thousand years old need to get mental help. They give Christians a very bad name.