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Funny People
2007-02-02 03:34:03
I have had (and still do) some very funny people in my life. I love funny people. Whether it be hilarious antics, sarcastic humor or just plain quirkiness, funny people are some of my favorites. My grandparents were funny people, as were several of my uncles on my dad’s side. Brad is funny, the girls are funny and most of my friends are funny. Don’t tell anyone, but I think I’m funny too. And then there are people like “Rootin’ Tootin’ Tillie” that Big Mama wrote about on her blog. Now that is a funny person (both of them actually). God has a sense of humor, I know He does, or He wouldn’t have put so many funny people on earth.
More About: Funny , Fun , People

Bush?s surge really twice as big as he told us
2007-02-02 03:34:03
Now, this is something new, right? The president tells us one thing that turns out to be not quite the whole truth — or even half the truth, apparently. The president told us he was sending an additional 21,000 troops to Iraq for one more push toward “victory” — however that’s currently defined with the ever-changing benchmarks and ever-lowering bar for “success” in that quagmire. Now comes the following report from Defense Tech: President Bush and his new military chiefs have been saying for nearly a month that they would “surge” an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, in a last, grand push to quell the violence in Baghdad and in Anbar Province. But a new study by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the real troop increase could be as high as 48,000 — more than double the number the President initially said. That’s because the combat units that President Bush wants to send into hostile areas need to be ba...
More About: Real , Surge , Told , Really

Thursday Thirteen No. 5
2007-02-01 15:33:12
This week, we look at Thirteen Random Facts About The Month of February — and when I say random, I don’t claim that they will be particularly insightful. It is the only month with less than 30 days. Why? Find out here. (It’s a really stupid reason.) It is the only month whose length changes depending on the year. It was once the last month on the calendar. The month we celebrate President’s Day, it is the birth month of four of our presidents — Washington, Harrison, Lincoln and Reagan. It is the birth month of my soul mate Karla, as well as my sisters-in-law Samira (my brother’s wife) and Judi (Karla’s sister). It’s a busy birthday month all around! Its birthstone is the amethyst. Appropriate for this month’s birthday girl — library devotee Karla — February is Library Lovers Month. It is also the month with that special holiday that lovers anticipate, the love-forlorn dread and florists and chocolate manufacturers dr...
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Wordless Wednesday
2007-02-01 09:32:01
I came across a few of these and thought I would try one. It is where you find an interesting picture and don’t put words on it. It should be easy for me. Here you go:
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Some Things About Me
2007-01-31 21:31:01
Here are a few things about me… A) Four jobs I have had in my life: 1  Grocery Store Clerk 2  Floral Designer 3  Print Shop Customer Service Representative 4  Library Circulation Clerk B) Four places you have lived: 1  Oklahoma 2  Illinois 3  Wisconsin 4  Michigan C) Four TV shows you love to watch: 1  CSI (the original only) 2  Barefoot Contessa 3  Everyday Italian 4  Boston Legal C) Four places I’ve been on vacation; 1  Cruise to Cozumel, Mexico 2  Paris, France (in high school) 3  Virginia Beach, Virginia 4  Washington D.C. E) Four of my favorite foods: 1  Anything chocolate 2  Chinese food 3  Cheese 4  Mexican food F) Four places I would rather be right now: 1  London, England 2  At the library 3  At home surrounded by books, a cup of hot tea and Food Network on tv. 4  A beach in the Caribbean
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I?ve Had My Phil
2007-01-31 21:31:01
Brad doesn’t know it yet, but I’m contemplating buying a gun. He’s not a fan of guns. Neither am I really, but I’m still thinking of buying one. Why? It’s snowing again today. I’m sick of winter. And if Mr. Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow in 2 days, I think shooting him may be the answer to our problems. At least the winter ones. Did I mention I’m sick of winter? My sister-in-law offered for us to move to the city where they live (deep in the southern heart of Texas) because they have, according to her, practically no winter. I told her that while that was true, their summers are like hell and so is their traffic. At that point she said in return, “you’re right and I really don’t like it here that much, so I guess it was a bad suggestion.” But at least she tried, right? So, what do you think? Would a 22-caliber Winchester rifle or a 44 semi-automatic carbine Ruger take him out quicker?

Wayback Wednesday: Hazy Shade of Winter
2007-01-31 15:30:06
As another blast of wintry weather descends upon Oklahoma, it certainly looks hazy and gray outside, which reminded me of one of my favorite 80s hits by the hot girls-band Bangles, A Haz y Shade of Winter . The song was featured in the movie Less Than Zero, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as a promising kid that spirals out of control with drug addiction, which turned out to be strangely prophetic for the actor. The Bangles version was a remake of the original 60s hit by Simon & Gafunkel, another of my favorite music groups.
More About: Inter , Back , Wednesday

Shattered history
2007-01-31 15:30:06
A mirror older than God himself (well… older than Jesus’ walk on this earth), 2500 years old and worth nearly one million U.S. dollars, was dropped and shattered on a Chinese TV show. (Daily Times) A model was showing the ancient mirror to the audience when it slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. It shattered into pieces, shocking the audience - especially owner Chen Fengjiu who was sitting in the front row. Fengjui, a renowned mirror collector, said: ?The mirror has been part of my collection for 16 years and is the best one out of more than 1,000 mirrors.? The mirror, from the Warring States Period of Ancient China, was being exhibited on China Central Television?s Artwork Investment programme. It was gold plated, embedded with 11 turquoise stones and the whole body was coated with intricate carvings. The host of the show immediately cancelled the rest of the programme after the accident and the producer said he would seek expert help to repair the mirror. Fen...
More About: History , Story , Hat , Stor , Hist

Millsberry(Again)
2007-01-31 03:29:03
I have this good friend at school named Kim. She is really in to Millsberry. That is where you have your own person and you get money from playing games. It’s really cool. So she asked me if I have a Millsberry person. I said yeah, but I hadn’t played it in a while. I decided I would start it again. I haven’t gotten to go on it yet, but am planning to today. It is very awesome., It is like having another life. I hope you go on it some time. I just wanted to tell you about this cool site. I will see you all later. Bye! Go here for the website. ~Ashley~
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Give ?surge? a chance
2007-01-30 21:28:01
I ran across this political cartoon that pretty much sums up the recent “surge”:   by Steve Kelley, The New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Experts: Microwave sponges to kill germs? New experts: Nevermind
2007-01-30 21:28:01
And the experts wonder why the average person doesn’t know what to do anymore about anything. From CBS News: A recent study published in The Journal Of Environmental Health found that microwave ovens can kill 99 percent of the germs harbored by kitchen sponges. But Sharon Franke, kitchen technology and appliances director at Good Housekeeping Research Institute is skeptical. “We don’t recommend that people do it,” she told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. “They take the risk that their sponge will not be sanitized. It’s a false security.” […] While the simplicity of the microwave method makes it very attractive, Franke says there are many problems with this method and that results can vary depending on whether you’re using a small or a big microwave or whether the sponge is wet or dry. Franke said every microwave is different, so it’s hard to tell which sponge will get hot in which microwave. For instance, it may take ...
More About: Pong , Crow , Mind , Experts , Vermin

Overheard
2007-01-30 03:26:01
See, Catholics and Muslims do have something in common: “practicing” followers who don’t follow what they’re supposed to be practicing. Hairdresser #1: So, you’re a practicing Muslim? Hairdresser #2: Yep. Hairdresser #1: So, do Muslims pray to God, or Mohammed, or both? Hairdresser #2: I don’t really get into the details. – East 19th St & Ave R, Brooklyn, via Over heard in New York
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McCain vs. McCain
2007-01-30 03:26:01
Seeing double(talk) on the “Straight Talk Express”… I jumped off the “Straight Talk Express” right after McCain sold his soul to the devil Karl Rove the current administration during the 2004 campaign.

Pieces Of Me
2007-01-30 03:26:01
I’m not a huge fan of Ashlee Simpson, but her song Piece s of Me is a catchy little tune that often runs through my mind. I probably like it because in some ways I can identify with the lyrics. In many ways, I feel like a person that is made of bits and pieces, sometimes thrown together haphazardly, sometimes carefully designed. When I’m being positive, I see myself as a stained glass window (when I’m struggling with my self-image, it seems like just a pile of shards). When you look at my life from God’s perspective, I’m a beautiful design, made up of tiny little fragments of brokenness. And I’ve learned to appreciate the lessons that come from my mistakes, my heartaches and my history. My history is an interesting one. Not necessarily uncommon in our society, but still not quite normal. Last night as I was laying in bed, some of my “pieces” were running through my mind. For some reason, I was back at a little house in central Oklahoma ...
More About: Pieces

A whole new meaning to ?breaking news?
2007-01-29 15:25:01
From our Irony of Ironies file, we go to Milwaukee, as reported by WISN-TV: Even though the temperatures have fallen, the ice on many bodies of water is not thick enough to support vehicles. A crew for a local television station drove its news truck onto a channel to Big Muskeo Lake Sunday and broke through the ice. Crews for WDJT-TV in Milwaukee were reportedly shooting a story about thin ice when the truck fell through. The driver reportedly mistook the channel for a road when the accident happened. The truck was approximately 150 yards off the boat launch, according to a release issued by the City of Muskego Police Department. The driver of the truck was the sole occupant and was able to get out without injury, but the truck remains partially submerged. Notice that WISN-TV was all too happy to report this story about the ineptitude of a competing news crew.
More About: News , Breaking News , Break , Meaning , King

Routine
2007-01-29 09:24:02
I had a hard time coming up with a post today. I usually have no problem coming up with anything to write about, but I really struggled with this one. My life is so routine all the time and nothing really changes. I watch the same shows. I talk about the same things. I even do things practically at the same time everyday. I am so routine that it’s not funny. I love going places, but when I get back it takes me a while to get readjusted. That’s why I had a hard time coming up with a post. I talk about the same things and I am bored with the things I talk about, but I don’t like or can’t think of anything else to talk about. That’s the problem I have with my life. I like the things that I do and talk about, but I am bored with them. I just can’t find anything else though and it just gets me frustrated. Most of the time when I get frustrated I just want to start all over! I don’t know what I am going to do. I still have thousands more posts th...

Do you know what lives in your eyelashes?
2007-01-28 15:23:01
Continuing our “Ewwww!” theme, here’s our science-that-will-make-your-skin-crawl fact of the week, courtesy of Worsley School’s Biology Department: Demodex folliculorum, or the demodicid, is a tiny mite, less than 0.4 mm long, that lives in your pores and hair follicles, usually on the nose, forehead, cheek, and chin, and often in the roots of your eyelashes. (A follicle is the pore from which a hair grows). Demodicids have a wormlike appearance, with legs that are mere stumps. People with oily skin, or those who use cosmetics heavily and don’t wash thoroughly, have the heaviest infestations … but most adults carry a few demodicids. Inflammation and infection often result when large numbers of these mites congregate in a single follicle. The mites live head-down in a follicle, feeding on secretions and dead skin debris. At the left, you can see three demodicids buried in the follicle of a hair, and you can also see the hair’s shaft. If too...
More About: Ashes , What , Hat , Your , Live

An anti-drug ad that nearly made me vomit
2007-01-28 15:23:01
I found this by way of BoingBoing, who says: Here’s a gross but brilliant anti-coke PSA from the government of Colombia, which features one particularly desperate addict. It literally nearly made me vomit (and it’s giving me dry heaves even just thinking about it now as I write this)… so naturally I thought I would share it with you all!
More About: Hat , Near , Made , Early , Drug

Pandora?s Box
2007-01-28 03:22:02
We all know what happens when Pando ra ’s Box gets opened. If you don’t, and you’re just pretending you know the story, you can check out Wikipedia’s article about Pandora and her famous box. I think there is a different story behind why the world suddenly turned chaotic when Pandora’s box was opened. I think the world was just jealous because they too wanted a box like Pandora’s. If The Container Store had been around back then, maybe all would still be right with the world. I do know it’s probably a good thing that there isn’t a store within 3 hours of me. You see, The Container Store is one of those places I could spend a LOT of money. I’ve never been in one of the stores, but I’ve oogled and ogled over the goods on their website many times. I’m a bit of a container freak. I love containers of every size, shape and color. And the cooler, the better. I love the old fashioned look of glass apothecary jars and such. I l...
More About: Dora

How To?
2007-01-27 21:21:01
There is this site called WikiHow. I go to there almost every day. It is a site where you can find how to’s. I like to see what people have put on there. You can search in what you want to do, and you see what other people have thought of. Many are very helpful, others are just plain stupid. I found a stupid one that was How To Jump On An Electric Guitar. I actually found one to help me with the arrival of my pet rock, too. I will write about him, Fred, later. You should go on there sometime. I also found this other website, 43 Things. That is where you can meet other people who have the same goal as you. It is really quite interesting. You can make a user and have up to 43 things you want to do, hence the name. These are very interesting and helpful sites. I hope you think they are too. ‘Til Next Post ~Ashley~

Overheard on Brad Street
2007-01-27 21:21:01
“Do not read to your stupid rock.” – Sarah to Ashley, who was reading Bitty Bear stories to her new “pet rock”
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Boy?s screaming kills chickens
2007-01-27 09:20:02
From the “Believe It Or Not” file: Hundreds of chickens have been found dead in eastern China — and a court has ruled that the cause of death was the screaming of a four-year-old boy who in turn had been scared by a barking dog. According to a local newspaper, the bizarre sequence events began when the boy arrived at a village home in the eastern province of Jiangsu in the summer with his father who was delivering bottles of gas. A villager was quoted as saying the little boy bent over the hen house window, screaming for a long time, after being scared by the dog. “One neighbour told police that he had heard the boy’s crying that afternoon and another villager confirmed the boy screaming by the hen house window,” the newspaper said. A court ruled the boy’s screaming was “the only unexpected abnormal sound” and that the 443 chickens trampled each other to death in fear. The boy’s father was ordered to pay around £117 in comp...
More About: Chick , Scream , Chicken , Kill , Cream

Friday Favorites: A new generation of iPod accessories
2007-01-27 09:20:02
YouTuber SergeLipski introduces the latest innovation in iPod accessories: the iBlinds. A new generation accessory that interacts with your iPod or iPhone through your window blinds. Superior performance and technology that drives iBlinds to create innovative dynamic living room space through your own music. More fun factoids about this video, from the creator: 1. It took 23 days to make. 2. “re:too much spare time?!” I did an hour here and hour there, probably a lot less time than those who spend time watching reality TV shows or trauling through videos on youtube to leave spam/negativity. 3.I have never been paid for this. 4. “re:Poor animation” not perfect, nothing ever is. It’s a new product….there are always technical issues 5. “Is real or fake?” if you need to question this then the answer is the least of your worries.I say read the description and look up the meaning of satire. 6. “re: Its gay!” I wasn’t re...
More About: Ipod , Accessories , Friday , Access

The Purina Diet
2007-01-25 21:18:02
I saw this diet story at …from the heart a great little blog that is owned by Nancy. I just had to post it here. She mentioned that she didn’t know who wrote this story and pleaded with them to not sue her, but that she’d gladly give them credit for the story, and the laughs it produced. So, I too second that plea. When you’re finished reading this story, go browse around …from the heart. The Purina Diet I was in Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina for my dogs and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog…….. Duh! I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting “The Purina Diet” again, although I probably shouldn’t because I’d ended up in the hospital last time, but that I’d lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV’s in both arms. Her eyes about bugged out of her head. I went on and on wit...

Thursday Thirteen ? No. 4: Father Figure
2007-01-25 15:17:02
In honor of my dad’s birthday today, this week’s Thursday meme shares Thirteen Things About My Dad: The oldest of five boys, Dad grew up on a farm in rural southwest Illinois. The nearest towns were Pearl (population 100) and Nebo (population 250). He attended his first year of school in a one-room schoolhouse less than half a mile from his house. On his first day of school, a few of the older boys tried to make dad believe that they were going to throw him down the outhouse toilet hole, even though (unbeknownst to a frightened 6-year-old) he wouldn’t have really fit. His mother says that he was so traumatized by the event, he announced he wasn’t going back. His mother knew better. After high school, he attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. While there, he attended a small Church of Christ, where he met my mother. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical/aerospace engineering, even though he never entered that field. A...
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A Love-Hate Relationship
2007-01-25 03:16:02
I have a love-hate relationship with electronic gadgets. I want them, I like them, I think I need them. Then when/if I get them, I find I don’t use them as I thought I would. Take, for instance, my Palm Zire 71. It used to be Brad’s. I got it as a hand-me-down when he stopped using it last year. My previous Palm device had stopped working. I was excited to get this new Palm. I figured it would keep me efficient and keep my memory sharp. I was wrong. And do you know why? Because I wasn’t using it! I’d forget to add things into it, or if I did remember to add things, I’d forget to look at the thing. So I switched to a paper Daytimer. The Daytimer is handy. I tend to be a paper and pencil person. I am a bibliophile, so I guess paper calendars come more naturally to me. But yesterday I decided to dig through the clutter of our bedroom and unearth the old Palm Zire. After a brief dusting, I hooked it up to my computer and got it working again. I have no idea...
More About: Love , Relationship , Hate , Hat , Relations

This is really, really scary
2007-01-25 03:16:02
Since I’m in a political frame of mind today after last night’s State of the Union, I might as well stick with it — or at least, I’m compelled to share another story. It’s disturbing to me and it demonstrates to me that this administration had much wider ambitions than just stopping a rogue dictator in Iraq. Think Progress reports: The Bush administration has taken a series of steps in recent weeks that appear to be setting the stage for a military confrontation with Iran. Congressional leaders have been raising red flags. ?I?d like to be clear,? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said last week. ?The president does not have the authority to launch military action in Iran without first seeking congressional authorization.? Recent comments made by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) explain why Congress?s resistance is so vital. In an interview in GQ Magazine, Hagel reveals that the Bush administration tried to get Congress to approve military action anywhere ...
More About: Scary , This , Real , Really , Ally

Why we can?t believe what Bush said in last night?s State of the Union
2007-01-24 21:15:02
Keith Olbermann provides some context and perspective when it comes to what we hear in the annual State of the Union addresses versus what actual happens:
More About: Bush , What , Hat , Night

The real State of the Union
2007-01-24 21:15:02
If you are one of the millions of Americans who, like myself, missed the president’s Stat e of the Union Address last night (either by accident of by a willful choice), I thought I would wade through all the usual partisan and political bullsh*t and offer a bullet-point version of the State of the Union — not the president’s version, but the reality-based version that the president doesn’t like to address in his annual address. Here’s my own version of the current state of our Union, as of January 23, 2007: Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the way the president is doing his job, the lowest job approval rating before a State of the Union speech since Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal. [1] . Nearly three-fourths of Americans believe our country is headed down the wrong track under the leadership of this president and his administration.[1] . Majorities of Americans (as much as two-thirds on some issues) don’t believe Bush is a stron...
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Wayback Wednesday: Gloria
2007-01-24 21:15:02
Here’s a classic early 80s hit by Laura Branigan: The YouTuber who posted this video provided the following bit of information about the song: “Gloria ” is a pop song released by Laura Branigan in 1982 off her debut album, Branigan. Originally a soft Italian love ballad, written by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi, the song’s first recording by Tozzi was a success in his home country in 1979. Working with producers Jack White and Greg Mathieson, Branigan gave the song what she called “an American kick,” transforming the gentle ode into a searing disco-rock track. With every element more dynamic and urgent, from increased tempo to sharpened instrumental hooks to the sassy sarcasm of new English lyrics by Trevor Veitch, Branigan’s gutsy belt drove the song to the top of the charts and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal of the year. Certified Platinum in the U.S., and remaining on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts for ...
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