*Free Raleigh, NC Getaway*

Believe it or not, I’ve never been to North Carolina. I know several people who live there, though. It’s one of the few states I have not yet visited! But I would definitely like to go there someday. It’s a great coastal state, and I hope to one day visit all fifty states!

Luckily, this fall is a great time to visit! Right now, you can go to www.visitraleigh.com (as in Raleigh, North Carolina) and register to win a FREE Raleigh getaway! This free getaway includes:
*One night accommodations for two at the Courtyard Marriott Raleigh Crabtree Valley
*$25 gift certificate to Bloomsbury Bistro
*Free VIP admission for two to Rum Runners
*2 tickets to the North Carolina Theatre
*2 tickets to the N.C. Museum of Art’s Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism
*2 tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries at the N.C. Museum of Natural Science

I know North Carolina may not sound like the most exciting place to visit. They don’t have major tourist attractions like Disney World. But experience has shown me that sometimes, the less-famous states can hold much more exciting adventures – and they cost a whole lot less! Right now is a perfect time for a fall getaway. You can spend Halloween enjoying Raleigh’s fabulous Celtic Halloween festivities. Raleigh just might be the setting of your priceless family memories!

Raleigh also has lots of history around it. There were a number of Civil War battles fought in North Carolina, as well as a few battles from the Revolutionary War. There are several museums in Raleigh, where you and your children can learn about art, science, and history in a fun and interactive way. So what are you waiting for? Visit Raleigh now!

kitten update

I got a phone call from Beth this morning updating me on the kittens. They are exactly seven days old today. It seems that one of them was somehow clawed in the eye, probably by one of his brothers. Now keep in mind that their eyes are not open yet. But today Beth discovered an absess on/around his eye. So he had to go to the veterinarian today, where they will try to drain the injury, pry the eye open, and generally do as much repair as possible. I suppose it's very possible that he might end up blind in one eye, though undoubtedly he will still be a wonderful companion kitten. I'd much appreciate it if you'd say a prayer for him. He's at a very fragile point right now - so small, he's just not strong enough to live through a lot. But he is a strong kitten, and it would be such a tragedy to lose him at this point. He will be the most wonderful pet.

*credit cards*

I’m pretty conservative when it comes to credit cards. I only have one credit card, and I don’t plan on getting any more. Credit is a great thing, but only if it’s used wisely. Your credit limit is not extra income. However, if you use it wisely, your credit card is great way to pay for purchases without carrying cash around. Pay off your balance every month. Keep track of your receipts (that way, you will always know how much you owe). When your record of your credit card balance reaches your monthly limit, quit spending money. I know it is a lot easier said than done, but in the end, keeping track of your credit will pay off with a better credit rating that will affect you in many other areas of your life.

kitty day

Remember those baby kittens I mentioned earlier? Beth is officially syringe-feeding them. Today I've been called into service to take care of the kitties while Beth goes to class. I'm not sure if I'll have internet, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post. I was tagged for a meme - and I plan to do it! - preferably just not when I'm running out the door!

*arizona real estate*

Arizona would probably be a pretty nice place to live. The winters would definitely be warmer. The summers may be hot, but as they say, it’s a dry heat. I’ve heard that the taxes is pretty good in that state, particularly for singles, childless couples, or older retired couples. There are lots of golf courses in Arizona, because I guess all the retirees really enjoy playing golf. You could live on a mountain, in a valley, or on a plain, all within the same state, which is pretty nice. I’m told there is a new community of scottsdale mountain homes being built. Those could be fantastic pieces of real estate!

i should make a list...

I saw this blog today, written by a blogger who had made a list of "goals" for the month. Some of them were ongoing (like making her bed everyday) and some were one-shot goals (like trying a new type of food). I should try that sometime. Turning those things into goals is definitely a great idea! It's so easy to put off doing things like that - I'm horrible about making my bed too. But when you make it a goal, somehow it's not as difficult. I should try that someday. First goal: Procrastinate the making of further goals.

*european ski chalets*

I’ve never been to Europe, and my skiing experience is minimal. Tonight, though, I’m real tired and it’s pretty easy to imagine myself in Europe, skiing, or both! It sure would be fun to visit a ski chalet in Europe. I always imagine the inns with the giant fireplaces and hot cocoa. The mountains, of course, would look like the Alps in “The Sound of Music”, except with more snow! One of these days I’ll visit Europe, and hopefully the Alps as well – maybe in Austria or Switzerland, or one of the luxury ski chalets in Meribel, France. I’ll take Austria luxury skiing holidays in France Meribel, France St. Anton, or luxury ski chalets Courchevel. I love to travel and it’s just too irresistible.

today's goings...

Today I took a friend from church, an older lady who doesn't drive anymore, to one of her doctor's appointments. It proved to be a long afternoon, just because she was in with her doctor for quite awhile, and though I had picked up a book to read in the waiting room, I didn't realize it was a book I had already read (and it wasn't that good of a book the first time around!).

After I'd been in the waiting room for awhile, an old guy "drove" through the door in his power scooter. He had, I guess, some kind of scoliosis or something, because his back was bent at an awful angle. Anyway, he came in, went up to the desk and gave them his insurance card, Social Security card, etc., then he parked himself next to me (literally) and initiated probably the most awkward conversation imaginable. I'm not really sure but it seemed like he was trying to flirt with me, which was very weird since he was at least as old as my grandfather, if not older. He asked me to help him take off his jacket (understandable, since he could no longer bend or twist in the way he needed). He asked me about my book. He asked me lots of other questions, which I answered as best as I could, but I was probably more relieved than I should've been when the doctor called him back.

Long day - but it's good to be home now!

*Viewsonic monitor*

Right now, I only dream of one day owning a viewsonic monitor, or some similar LCD monitor. All my monitors right now are the old tube style, except of course for the one on my laptop. The gadget junkie in me would love to have an LCD monitor, but the accountant in me knows that the balance in my savings account is not high enough to get one of those and besides, I don’t really NEED it! It is definitely tempting though!

alexa, pagerank, and so much more...

Oh, the ups and downs of Alexa and PageRank...

But mostly just the downs.

With Alexa, it's fantastic. My Alexa rank has dropped over 1.5 million, and that is just out of this world fantastic.

With PageRank, on the other hand... it's not so good. My Google PageRank dropped from a 3 to a 2. And I can't get it back up! Not good!

Blogging is so much more challenging than I ever imagined!

*anniversary gifts*

Anniversaries are such a strange time to pick out anniversary gifts. I guess there are some kind of traditional rules – I think the first anniversary is paper, or maybe that’s the fifth anniversary. Diamonds are in there somewhere – fifth or tenth, maybe? Twenty-fifth is silver and fiftieth is gold. But it’s so much nicer to get a gift that really means something. It’s so nice to pick out a gift for the couple that shows not only that you remembered their anniversary, but that you were thinking of them and chose a gift that you thought they would enjoy.

lethal injection

Today I saw a story on CNN.com about an upcoming Supreme Court case. Specifically, the Supreme Court Justices have decided to take on lethal injection. Two inmates, sentenced to death, have brought suit claiming that the lethal injection is a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

My knee-jerk reaction was, "you've got to be kidding me". When I think of cruel and unusual punishment, I think of the prisons I saw in Africa - prisons were innocent people might be trapped in an unjust legal system; where the prisoners were lucky if they had a kitchen, much less food to cook; prisons where health care is only a pipe dream; prisons where the prisoners died soon after they entered, not due to injection, but to malnourishment, disease, abuse at the hands of the prison guards, and so many more completely cruel and unusual reasons.

Lethal injection? Guys, the world has much bigger problems. If you've been sentenced to execution, you are going to die anyway. How you die, how long it takes you to die, and how much pain you feel in the process are rights that you sacrificed when you committed the crime that led to this. Deal with it.

*pulse oximeter*

I’ve been in the hospital a couple of times in my life, and every time I had a pulse oximeter attached to my finger. Those are almost sci-fi medicine. Clip it onto a patient’s finger, and it returns a reading of the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood. All you have to add to that scene is a couple of robots, a machine that adds or removes oxygen from the blood, and a spaceship, and you’ve got yourself a science fiction story.

Ken Burns, "The War"

During the past few days, my mom and I have been enjoying a World War II documentary on PBS. It is a seven-part documentary and it is far better than any of the season premieres on the privately-owned stations. It is one of Ken Burns' fantastic documentaries and is called "The War". Go to pbs.org to learn more about it.

We have also been recording the documentary on our VCR. Like most Ken Burns documentaries, you seem to learn even more when you watch it the second and third time. Unfortunately, something happened that prevented the VCR from accurately recording part two. Very disappointing! The DVD is available on the website, but costs $180. I'm hoping that, possibly with a little Ebay assistance, the price of the DVD will drop significantly within a couple of months. It's really worthwhile - I just don't have much money right now!

*home office furniture*

At my house, I’m in the process of redecorating my bedroom and turning it into an office. Since I work from home, there’s a lot of things that I hope to have in my office – starting with a good home office furniture desk! It’s amazing how much can be done from home nowadays. Working from home is becoming more and more common, whether you own your own business or virtually commute to work for a large corporation.

death and suicide

Last week, I saw an episode of Law and Order that told the story of trying to solve the murder of a man who technically had not died yet - he had radiation poisoning and had less than a week to live.

Last week, I saw an episode of Nightline that told the story of a man with terminal prostate cancer who lived in Oregon, the only state where physician-assisted suicide is legal, and who was contemplating ending his life before the cancer got him.

I cannot imagine being in either of these positions. There is so much of life to experience, and part of the experience is experiencing the unknown. I especially can't imagine the second option - suicide - particularly in a person who is not mentally ill. Do you set a date for when you'll kill yourself? "I have until noon on Thursday to say goodbye to everyone I love." How can you do that? I mean, how can you live, knowing that you will not be here tomorrow? I suppose, in a way, we all live with the acceptance that we might not be here tomorrow - it's an accepted risk of life. But how do you have the courage to go on if you know that you will not be here tomorrow?

I just can't possibly imagine it. Suicide, even for the terminally ill, seems like such a selfish way out. You can't put a deadline on saying goodbye to everyone you love. It's just not possible. And your death will hurt many people - suicide will only make that pain so much worse.

*bikers*

When I was on the ship, I met a guy from Michigan who was into motorcycles and biker stuff. Personally, my “stereotype” of bikers has changed a lot over the years, and not just from meeting Mike the biker dude from Michigan. Bikers have united to raise money for so many causes, like cancer or brain injuries, and to protest so many more causes – like Bikers Against Drunk Driving or Bikers Against Child Abuse. If you’re among the many biker singles interested in biker dating, check out the internet. You can meet like-minded people – maybe you’ll even meet that “special someone”.

weird dream sequence part three

This one's straight from last night. I dreamt that there was a dog in our house, specifically a dachshund, that looked and behaved EXACTLY like our neighbor's dachshund. Very cute... except when I looked at his tag (for some reason I knew it was a boy, even though I never checked, if you know what I mean) it said he was from Olathe, Kansas. It also included a phone number, which I wrote down. My parents took the dog into the garage with them while I called the phone number off the tag. When I got off the phone, I went into the garage, where I discovered that there were now two dachshunds - except now they looked exactly like hybrid digital camera/robot thingys. And somehow, I didn't find that strange.

Then the thunder woke me up.

*online dating for seniors*

I certainly never imagined I would be writing about this, but did you know senior dating is becoming a real niche market? And by senior, I mean senior citizen! In a way, it makes sense, though. People are living longer and longer due to great medical advances. Men and women were made to be together. My grandfather, a widower of a little over two years, has been dating for awhile now. He’s over eighty years old, and it’s a strange world when he and I are both dating at the same time! The internet is a great way for seniors to find a senior match.

the downfall of society

Last night I turned on the television and saw this:

First I saw this clip on nightline. It is from the MTV VMA awards.
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE

Then I saw the subject of that video - Kanye West - telling an interviewer on Nightline about his Christian faith and how Jesus has changed him.

What a smear on Christians all over the world! This is what our society is coming to. How many people win an award (an Emmy or an Oscar) for a sexually explicit and violent movie or album, and their first words on the platform are, "I'd like to thank Jesus for this blessing!" or some such phraseology! Oh, how it angers me. For once, I'd like to see a secular celebrity who claims to be a Christian, act like a Christian! Is that too demanding? Sometimes I think it must be!

*xml*

In my quest to learn more about html, css, seo, and everything else internet, I’ve learned that there are even more languages than what I already know and have heard of – languages like XML or PHP. I don’t know much about them, but now I’m looking for good sites that will teach me more about them, like XML Aficionado blog. It would benefit me greatly if I could become an XML Aficionado myself!

weird dream sequence part two

I had a second strange dream this week, which is really weird when you consider that I don't usually even remember my dreams to begin with. In this dream, I was eating lunch at McDonalds, which isn't terribly unusual in itself. Specifically, I was at the McDonalds on 291 and Gudgell in Independence, MO. (Emphasis: this is a DREAM!!!) I ordered my usual meal, exactly as I order it - "number two with a diet coke, no ice". I always order my fast food drinks with no ice. So they put the drink on my tray and are taking just an awfully long time to get the rest of my order together. I pick it up and it's got ice in it! So I lean forward and ask the pimply teenager behind the counter to remake my drink without ice. He picks up his right hand and shows me his hand is crippled; therefore he cannot help me. They're still taking a long time to get my order together. For some reason I picked up the drink and took it with me while I turned around to get napkins, straws, etc. while they were finishing my order. When I got back to the counter, I ask the McDonalds girl to remake my drink (again). She said she could not remake my drink because it had left the counter. So I headed to the door (I guess I was leaving without eating!), and as I walked away I was yelling (as in, loud voice!) "They wouldn't fix my drink! They wouldn't fix my drink! Don't eat here, they wouldn't fix my drink!"

Ummm, yea. Weird.

*journeylite*

One of the worst things about weight is how easy it is to gain and how hard it is to lose. It’s sad, in a way – people in our nation are so desperate to look good. But it’s also sad that obesity has become such an overwhelming epidemic that, combined with all the health problems it encompasses, it’s become the number one disorder in the United States – one of the most preventable disorders, and one of the most difficult to treat. If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, if every diet you’ve tried has failed, then consider obesity surgery. It just might save your life!

weird dream sequence part one

I had a weird dream a few nights ago. I don't usually remember my dreams so, this was momumental. :) I was at a high school, but it wasn't the high school I graduated from and I wasn't a student at this school. Except, I was at this school and going to classes like a student, but somehow I knew I wasn't a student here. It was somewhere in the country, and it was a pretty big high school. It was one hallway long, and six stories high. The parking lot was HUGE - probably eight or ten times the size of my high school's parking lot. I got lost in the parking lot trying to find my car. And, when I finally found my car, I was parked in the "foreign exchange student" section of the parking lot, which had several international flags flying. Weird.

*bike racks*

We could definitely use a bike rack in our garage. Like most good suburban garages, ours is very full (we can’t even fit two cars in it!). We have two bicycles in there right now, which we don’t really use much, but I think we feel too guilty to throw them away. It would definitely save lots of room to store them on a bike rack on the wall or ceiling!

irobot roomba

For those of you who don't know about the iRobot, it is a really cool robot vacuum. Put it down, turn it on, and it vacuums your floor for you. I've seen these before in "Good Housekeeping Institute" type tests, and it tested very positively. Whenever I get my own place, I imagine I will probably get one of these for myself.

For those who aren't aware, it is on sale today over on woot.com. Woot is a neat "one deal, one day" website, so it only has one item on sale every 24 hours. That means, if you want to buy the iRobot, you should hurry - it will only be on Woot until midnight!

kittens

Wow - so much has happened in the past few days. My friend Beth is taking care of a pregnant feral cat, and she delivered her kittens on Saturday. She is not properly taking care of her kittens, so Beth has been hand-feeding them. Tonight she's trying to bond them with the momma cat again. I certainly hope that momma cat steps up and takes responsibility for her kittens!

Meanwhile I have been her "virtual" cheerleader. We have talked online and on the phone, and I have been cheering her on all day. In fact, I would love to come over to her house and help her, but she won't let me! (Hear me, Beth?) Anyway, pray for those kitties. They're awfully small, and they need a lot of help if they are going to stand a chance of surviving.

Insurance: The Real Truth

I watched 20/20 tonight. It's one of the reasons I stayed home. John Stossel discussed health care and health insurance, and I'm glad I saw it, because John Stossel may be one of the only people in our country who sees health care like it really is.

I am a fan of private health insurance. I do not believe the government should take over the health insurance industry. I do not believe they would serve us well. Private insurance has served me well throughout my life, and I believe that it will continue to serve me until the day I die.

When I was 17 years old, I was in a car accident. My family was insured through my father's job. We had Cigna and then, halfway through the treatment, were switched to Aetna. In that car accident - and I know that my closest friends will remember this (that would be you, Beth!) - I was injured very critically and, because I was in such bad shape, I did not "choose" the hospital where I was taken. I was taken to the hospital with best trauma department in the city, as well as the best reputation for treating head trauma. That hospital happened to NOT be on our insurance. Between the out-of-network hospital and the switch in insurance companies, my insurance was less than excited about paying for my bills. It took some time, but the insurance DID pay my bills - ALL OF THEM! Well, I take that back - after I got out of the hospital and rehab, I did have one follow up appointment with a doctor that my mom paid for in cash, just so that she wouldn't have to deal with the forms of one more doctor's office. So we paid a total of $30.

Lately I've been shopping for insurance again. Yea, it's challenging... but I've enjoyed it too, because I know what I need, and I can shop specifically for that. I need catastrophic coverage and prescription coverage, and it would also be a plus if I get vision coverage. I've shopped for that and, I think, I've found it. I will have a high deductible, which means I can also shop for a doctor within the network who also offers the best care for the best value.

I have a lot of opinions about insurance. Probably my number one opinion is that insurance MUST remain privately owned and competitive. I also think they need to go a step further than they are right now. I like the option of health savings accounts - that seems to be taking insurance deeper into competition. When doctors are competitive, they cater to the patient. They will do their best to provide the best care possible at the lowest price possible. But only when they have incentive to do so - and that's competition.

*NCAA*

I confess that I am not much of a professional sports fan. In particular, I’ve never really cheered for college sports, which is funny because I live in the land of the great KU vs. MU rivalry. I kinda favor KU, but my reasoning is mostly based on the fact that my best friend is a KU fan, and my heart was broken once by a guy who was an MU fan. I know lots of people who have traveled to the NCAA Tournament, but I sure haven’t. I know about the brackets and stuff, but the most I really follow that tourney is just what is reported on the news.

people!!!!

So I guess I'm officially approaching hermit status. I had an invitation to a semi-party-thing tonight - a group of people who were getting together for pizza and boar games. Except, I only knew one girl who would be there. I never thought I would say this, but I think I am turning into a complete and total introvert. I'm not really a fan of parties or groups! I didn't go this thing tonight, just because I didn't feel like I had the energy to deal with that. That's how it is, for me, anymore... going to parties and stuff just wears me down. I'd rather spend time with people one-on-one... I guess that's just my personality.

I think I am quite peculiar, at least in human terms... I would much rather spend hours and days at home, with a Bible, than anything.

Just for Beth: You're right... we're gonna get old and I'll have a house full of dogs next door to your house full of cats. And bunnies.

*sunglasses*

So, I love wearing contact lenses. I love wearing contact lenses because when I’m wearing contacts, I can wear Sunglasses. But I will admit that I probably have about a gazillion pairs of sunglasses – seems like always lose them soon after I buy them! So I usually buy the ones that are fairly low cost. And then usually after awhile, I get enough sunglasses that around the time I lose one pair, I’ll find another pair.

When I lived in Africa, there were lots of hawkers who bought and sold Wholesale Replica Sunglasses sunglasses for next to nothing. They would carry a board with lots of holes in it, and hang the sunglasses from the holes. It was actually pretty nice – anytime I forgot to bring sunglasses with me, I could buy a new pair for less than a dollar. I tried to bring home a few of my super-cheap pairs of sunglasses, but they didn’t survive the flight packed in my super-crowded luggage.

how????

Police have confirmed that the remains belong to Sam and Lindsey Porter. It is believed that this is a tragic case in which Daniel Porter hated his wife more than he loved his children.

And that leaves the rest of us with one question - how??? How is it possible to be so filled with hate that you can kill a child, much less your own child? How is it possible to kill? How is it possible to harm someone you love? How?

But now I am left with just one thought: As tempting as it is to be filled with hate for Daniel Porter - heaven only knows he had his own fair share of hate - it will only cause us more grief to hate him. If there is anything to hate, it is this situation. I hate that this ever happened. But it did, and we must press on. As painful as it is, I urge you to forgive. Forgiveness will release you to move onward and live a full life again. Sam and Lindsey may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. Let us remember them as we try to save other children from suffering the same fate.

*furniture*

I have this image in my mind, sort of a dream, or maybe more, of what my condo or house will look like whenever I get the chance to move out. I want a kitchen that is only separated from the living area by a low counter, maybe with some bar stools to make it really functional. I also want to get a full-size loft bed, with maybe a set of drawers or a desk underneath it.

*jewelry*

I’ve spent a lot of time in the past couple of days researching jewelry on the internet. I want to find lever-back or huggie style earrings, which are surprisingly hard to find! Luckily there are plenty of options on the internet… Of course I keep looking, because I want to find earrings that I like and that are not very expensive. I guess it could take awhile!

Sam and Lindsey, we love you

I suppose this news is breaking all over the internet right now. Breaking news, right out of my area. Yesterday police in Sugar Creek and Independence, Missouri discovered human remains believed to be those of Sam and Lindsey Porter, ages seven and eight. It was announced just minutes ago that, based on dental records, as well as the age and size of the bones, authorities believe that those human remains are, indeed, those of Sam and Lindsey.

Sam and Lindsey disappeared three years, three months, and four days ago, when their father did not return them after a weekend visit (click for more info). Their father, Daniel Porter, has refused to tell police what he did to the children. He has been convicted and sentenced to 38 years in prison for two counts each on kidnapping to terrorize and parental kidnapping.

Sam and Lindsey's mother, Tina Porter, has kept hope alive for three years. The community has rallied around her. Visit Sam and Lindsey's website to send your love to their mother. Say a prayer for her tonight. I cannot even imagine what she must be going through right now. May she be surrounded by the love of Jesus during this awful time.

spike in hits

Who would've thunk it? Yesterday, somehow, a photo from my blog was connected with a popular image search on Google. The photo was one of the Eiffel Tower, and it came up as #3 on a Google Image search for "paris". I am amazed - and pleased - to say that I had 267 hits and 435 page views yesterday. The photo has now been reduced - I'm not sure where exactly it is now - but that was definitely quite a spike.

So that is some real incentive to keep working on my SEO!

doh!!!!

Last week I found a printer on Newegg.com, for a great price, that I loved. I blogged about it here. It was for sale for $99.99, with a $64.50 rebate, making the total $34.50.

Being the lazy person that I am, I did not order this printer right away. I thought, I'll clean off my desk first, make some room room for the printer, earn more money, etc. etc. Today I log on to newegg.com and discover that the printer now costs $79.99! No more rebate!

That's still a good price... just not great. :( I'm sad!

*gasp* my alexa!

As I have said, I haven't focused so much on paid posts lately. Likewise, I noticed the other day that my Alexa rank was bouncing up and down a bit - mostly up - and I decided I didn't need the stress of worrying about my Alexa. So I have pretty much ignored that for the past few days. Today when I started my computer, I glanced up at my Alexa toolbar - and I was just shocked when I saw the number!

1,993,121!

Last time I noticed my Alexa, it was somewhere around 2,500,000! Now it's DOWN! I'm so happy! :)

what a life!

Obviously I've taken a break from the paid posts for the past few days.

It's been a fascinating couple of days. I've been monitoring my traffic - how much traffic I get each day, what state or nation the traffic is from, and most importantly what referrals send traffic to my site. I've received a remarkable amount of traffic despite my lack of postings.

I'm also browsing for a good hosting company. I'm getting ready to launch a couple of websites which will allow me to separate myself from Blogspot, and possibly even abandon Blogspot altogether.

Last night I went out to dinner with an old friend from college, which was really fun. We went to Red Robin and chatted, just caught up on old times.

Ironically tonight I am going out with another old friend from college. She and I are meeting at Beauty Brands because she has a hair appointment there, so I made an appointment to get a manicure. I've never had a manicure before, so this should be interesting! But I've always wanted to experience a manicure, and I decided not to wait any longer. I'm not waiting for something "special" which may or may not happen. I'm just doing it! Crazy me!

Beyond that, life moves on slowly but surely. I'm attempting to clean my room so that I can rearrange the furniture, but it's kinda messy so that's taking some time. I'm trying to write and code a new website or two, as well as find a good host, which takes time. Plus I am teaching myself SEO, which is tricky, but which I believe will be worthwhile knowledge. I certainly cannot complain. I am so content with my life right now. I never imagined that this is where I would be in life, but I still love it. God is gracious. Shalom.

glad i'm not this guy!

This story is about a man who has been struck by lightening TWICE! His friends have nicknamed him "Sparky". According to the National Weather Service, the odds of getting struck by lightening are approximately one in 400,000 and are the second-leading cause of weather-related deaths. Good gracious!

Hurricane Felix

Tonight, while we were making dinner, my mom and I turned on World News Tonight with Charles Gibson. They began discussing Hurricane Felix on the news, and all the massive damage that it is doing to the Caribbean.

I was chopping vegetables for our potato salad (by the way, we have the BEST potato salad recipe in existence - email me if you're interested!) and my mom was cooking chicken and making salads. (My dad was outside grilling steaks.) Anyway, as natives of the Midwest, we agreed that you can go ten lifetimes without ever seeing a tornado. But if you live in the Gulf Coast, it's almost impossible to go ten years, even, without ever living through a hurricane. I am twenty four years old and I've never seen a tornado. I've lived in Missouri virtually my entire life. I've gone to the basement a few times, but that's it. Sometimes I even ignore the sirens just because, really, even if the siren is going off, the chances of getting struck by a tornado are one in a million. I think that living elsewhere is just crazy. I love it here.

Yet, as my mother said, the people who live in hurricane-prone areas (like Florida or Louisiana) think that we are crazy for living in a tornado-prone area. It's a good thing, too - I don't think there are enough hurricane-free areas in this world to hold the world's population.

one more reason not to drink...

A dude in Wisconsin got drunk and lost his PANTS. Yes, his PANTS! He woke up in a neighbor's yard and, if that's not embarrassing enough, he remembered that he had left a cashier's check in his pants worth $41,093 and several hundred in cash. He was lucky - he got the pants back. But seriously - he lost his pants and he may never have gotten that cash back. On top of that, I have no doubt that he was humiliated and mortified beyond measure. Seriously!

it's like something from the Jetsons...

A company in the Netherlands has created a type of house that literally floats. Having a home that floats will eliminate so many flooding-related problems. If you think of the severe flooding that occurred in Louisiana when it was hit by Hurricane Katrina, or the severe flooding that has swamped Britain this summer - all of that could be eliminated if the houses could, literally, "rise above" the water. Imagine that! What a future we could have!

follow up mine story

A few days ago I blogged about two girls who fell into a deserted mine shaft in Arizona.

Today I read a follow-up story about those girls. God bless them. The younger girl, the 10-year-old, had to spend a night in the mine with her 13-year-old sister's body. I just can't imagine what she went through. I love my older sister so much, and then I imagine the bodies of my my hamsters over the years after they died... ::shudders::

HP laserjet 1018

I found a printer online yesterday which has definitely sparked my interests. It's an HP LaserJet 1018, and comes with outstanding reviews. The price is reasonable, as well as the price of the cartridges. My family has been talking about turning my bedroom into an office, and this would be very useful for that. So hopefully this will be everything it's cracked up to be!

updated template

Since tomorrow is Labor Day, I'm thinking I will take the time off to update my template. I still want to add some widgets and things to my sidebar.

bandaid extra large tough strips

I have many good things to say about these. I burned myself two weeks ago, quite badly, on my forearm. Since then I've had to keep it covered. The burn is too larg for a standard band-aid. To begin with, I used some basic gauze and gauze pads that I could wrap around my entire arm. It was a bit bulky, but it worked and the burn was slowly healing.

Well, as it was getting better, I was quite eager to "downsize" my bandage. I've always struggled with Bandaids - I'm not allergic to latex, but my skin is sensitive towards it and I've had many disasteous results when I used standard plastic/latex bandages. So when I went to the drugstore to pick up some extra-large sized bandages, I was quite delighted to find these fabric "tough strips".

The adhesive on these tough strips is very, very sticky! I had no trouble with them falling off. In fact, given the part of the body that this bandage was on (my forearm), it was maybe even almost too much adhesive. I don't think I've ever had a bandaid with too much adhesive until now! If I use these in the fuure on a knee or elbow, the strong adhesive will be fantastic. It's hard to keep a bandage on a joint like that, and I'm very pleased and surprised to have found these.

I know some of my blog readers are mothers, and I also know that they have young children who fall down and get many scrapes and scratches. I highly reccommend these Tough Strips. I understand they also come in smaller sizes. I know that with young children, it can sometimes be hard to get bandaids to stick (or to get the kids not to pull off their bandages!). Tough Strips are the solution.

speaking of mines...

Two girls on an ATV fell into a desrted Arizona mine shaft. One girl was killed; the other girl has "major injuries".

Mines really are a curiousity. What is it with mankind's desire to essentially find buried treasure? Why do we continue to dig deeper and deeper, seeking oil and coal to fuel our lives, and pretty gems and jewels to - look at? You know, we are really odd creatures.

the end of the Crandall Canyon Mine

The search has officially ended for the Crandall Canyon miners.
My heart grieves for their families, even though I know I know that this is best.
God bless the miners.

update to the Crandall Canyon mine situation...

My faithful readers know that, a few days ago, I blogged about the situation at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah. Today I received a response to that post which sounded almost angry:

I am sorry about the miners. Very sorry and sad. But, Mr. Murray and the mining company seem to have done everything in their power. What more do the families want? It is like looking for a needle in a haystack. How many holes can they possibly drill???? I feel sad for Mr. Murray. I can imagine what the poor man has been going through.

Just to remind this angry and, incidentally, anonymous poster, I said that I was sad and sorry, but that Mr. Murray's choice to pursue sealing the mine hole is the best option. I, too, am sad and sorry. I wish there were any other way. I read this morning that the search operation has been suspended indefinitely. While I understand this choice - it seems almost foolish to continue drilling and attempting a costly rescue when three rescuers have already died - I know that the families must be in intense agony. Without the bodies of their loved ones, it will be difficult to find closure. Unfortunately, it seems that there is no other way.

God bless the miners - those who died and those who live and who continue to dig and search for the buried treasure that our nation seeks - for their neverending hard work and their indefatigable strength.

payperpost sadness...

I've been temporarily banned from logging into the PayPerPost website, which makes me sad indeed. I hope that, in reviewing my blog, they will discover that I had no bad intentions. I'm just an ordinary girl, trying to make a living in this world. :-)