It's time to vote for a photo in Photojunkie's 100K Photo Contests "Movement" category. My entry is Bella trying to kill her feather wand. It's entitled "Hellcat."

.: 28 words at 12:06 AM in Participation, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

It's Monday, so time to start the week out right with Jess's Participation Positives!

• Christine gave me a copy of Pump Up the Volume on DVD just because
• The new season of The Sopranos finally started
• I have about twenty-five great pictures to post in Picture Fish from an art exhibit that featured one of my uncle's pieces
• I am very proud of "Hellcat", my submission to Photojunkie's Photo contest "Movement"
• My copy of Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom finally shipped

• I love and am loved

.: 89 words at 11:59 PM in Participation Positives, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Here's PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.37:

1. Do you have a favorite piece of poetry or prose written by someone else? Care to share it?
This has been one of my favorite poems since I read it as a freshman in high school. There's just something about the relationship between the two people that I love so much.

Love in Brooklyn by John Wakeman

"I love you, Horowitz," he said, and blew his nose.
She splashed her drink. "The hell you say," she said.
"Not love. You don't love me. You like my legs,
and how I make your letters nice and all.
You drunk your drink too fast. You don't love me."

"You wanna bet?" he asked. "You wanna bet?
I loved you from the day they moved you up
from Payroll, last July. I watched you, right?
You sat there on that typing chair you have
and swung round like a kid. It made me shake.
Like once, in World War II, I saw a tank
slide through some trees at dawn like it was a god.
That's how you make me feel. I don't know why."

She turned towards him, then sat back and grinned,
and on the bar stool swung full circle round.
"You think I'm like a tank, you mean?" she asked.
"Some fellers tell me nicer things than that."
But then she saw his face and touched his arm
and softly said, "I'm only kidding you."

He ordered drinks, the same again, and paid.
A fat man, wordless, staring at the floor.
She took his hand in hers and pressed it hard.
And his plump fingers trembled in her lap.

2. In High School, did you enjoy creative writing? Do you currently do any other writing in addition to your Blog?
Actually, I didn't. The only time I've really ever done any writing has been with this blog.

3. Which Blog entry of yours surprised you by getting a lot of comments? Which one did you think would generate a lot but didn't?
I must say the two that surprised me most as of late are my picture of Bella that I titled "Hellcat" and my post about add-ins to drinks at Sonic. For least, I'm kind of surprised the incredibly long post I wrote about September 11th didn't garner more comments.

4. Have you ever had an "awakening" moment in your life?
Yes, after my break-up with my ex. I kind of had an epiphany and learned to live my life better than I ever had before.

5. Have you made a lasting positive impact on the life of someone else?
I hope so, but I'm not entirely sure.

6. Are there any charities or organizations which you support? How did you come to be involved with them?
I love Heifer International. Basically, they practice the "give a man to fish feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, feed him for life" philosophy by providing animals to impoverished areas of the world. The people learn how to care for them, making money and food off of them, and they are required to share the offspring with other neighboring areas. I was at one of the environmental sites I read a couple of years ago when I saw a banner for "Heifer International," so I had to click it and see what they were about.

7. Care to collaborate with me? Help me out and write the rest of this poem:

I drifted though a dream last night,
visions full of colors bright.
My thoughts began to drift to you,
and in an instant we were two.

I touched your hand,
We began to blend,
Filled with a feeling
that should have no end.

And now we float,
two as one,
serenely, sweetly;
lovers in eternity.

BONUS: Hey cutie, what's up with this attitude?
I can't help it. I lost my class ring and I'm pissed!

.: 657 words at 11:46 PM in Monday Missions, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

I looked down today and noticed that my U of H class ring was missing. I looked all over the office and called the restaurant we had lunch at today and they didn't have it. I'm hoping that it fell off while I was asleep and that's why I didn't notice it. It's pretty heavy, so I think I would notice if it suddenly just fell off. I'm in desperate need of a manicure, but I'm thinking of just rushing home and looking for it. Man, where is it? I love that ring!

Update: I looked all over the house and can't find it anywhere. I'm going to call ArtCarved in the morning and see how much it would cost to replace in the event that it is truly gone.

.: 130 words at 04:55 PM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Today is Stacy's birthday. She's got a great blog entitled Unique Snowflake, so if you haven't visited her before, be sure to drop by and wish her a happy birthday. Happy birthday, Stacy! I hope it's an excellent day!

.: 39 words at 08:22 AM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Fitting since out of all of Tori's albums, Little Earthquakes remains my favorite. I've probably bought it a half dozen times since my copy always gets so beat up.

Bright eyed, bushy tailed & something to say is how people would describe you - and haven't you got alot to say!!! All the years of oppression, inequality and sexual liberation - mentally and physically - inside of you are bursting at the seams! You're fearless and not afraid to express how you feel - and theres plenty more where that came from! Which Era of Tori Amos are you?

(Link courtesy of Kristine)

.: 104 words at 12:23 AM in Quizzy Stuff, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

I finally got around to taking the Political Compass Test and I'm not surprised at the results. My results were: Economic Left/Right: -3.75; Authoritarian/Libertarian: -4.67. Basically, I'm about in the same position as Ghandi. So, how about you? Where do you fall?

.: 42 words at 11:22 PM in Quizzy Stuff, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (5) :.

Show comments here »

Well, since at least one person showed interesting in me continuing to post my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers, I went ahead and did all fifteen from today. I may try and post the three most interesting or something like that; doing all fifteen was a pain!

.: Linksys 4-Port Cable/DSL Router: I still have all my router needs fulfilled, so no need to buy one of these.

.: 432 words at 11:08 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

Here's my submission to photojunkie: photo contests in the category "Night Vision." I call it "Sunset." As we were going into dance class, I noticed how beautiful the sunset was. I love how the clouds look lit up from within.

.: 40 words at 07:53 PM in Participation, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

As I've mentioned in the past, Christine has been playing in Big Blogger All-Star! She has made it to the final three, so now it's time to vote on who wins the whole shabang. Voting ends tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. PST/ 8:00 p.m. CST / 9:00 p.m. EST, so go vote to save the Big Pink Cookie!

.: 58 words at 07:46 PM in Geeky Things, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Emergency contraceptive pills meet all the requirements set forth by the FDA to be an over-the-counter drug, but currently you can only get them by prescritption only. Since these pills are most effective when taken with 72 hours of unprotected sex, failure of birth control, or sexual assault, requiring a prescription before use makes the pills almost useless. Please take a moment and let the commisioner of the FDA know that a change in these pills status is needed.

.: 80 words at 08:23 PM in Take Action!, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

Just like Christine, I had fifteen offers instead of the normal five in my Amazon.com Gold Box offers today. I don't have the patience to put all fifteen of them into a post, so I am probably going to stop posting my Gold Box offers here on my blog unless I get something worth buying. Maybe with the ten extra offers, that will happen more often now.

.: 68 words at 04:24 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

It's time to vote for a photo in Photojunkie's 100K Photo Contests "Fun With Macros" category. My entry is the lionfish entitled "Fish Face."

.: 25 words at 10:48 PM in Participation, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I wish more people would use Bloglet and Klipfolio. If you're not familiar with these products, let me expound upon them for a minute.

Bloglet works much like a notify list, but instead of getting an e-mail from each list that you're subscribed to, you get one big e-mail with all of the blogs in digest form each day. I love having all the posts from my favorite blogs in one e-mail. It makes it easy to make sure that a post didn't slip through the cracks and I don't have to get multiple e-mails to accomplish this.

Klipfolio is a little application that sits in your task bar and lets you know when a blog is updated. Honestly, it makes me read the blogs that I love more often, so if you've got a Klip or I've made one for your blog (as I've done for Trish, Brandy, Jenn, Michele, Nancy, and Melly), I hit your site every time you update. It's a great way to know when a site's updated without having to hit it all the time. It's easy to make a Klip, or if you want one, let me know and I'll do it for you.

.: 207 words at 05:59 PM in Geeky Things, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (2) :: All the Voices Say... (5) :.

Show comments here »

A man in Iran beheaded his seven-year-old daughter because he thought she had been raped by her uncle. He had to do it to defend his "honor, fame, and dignity."

I was thinking the other night of the woman in Nigeria who is going to be stoned to death for having a child out of wedlock. As soon as her baby is weaned, they are going to kill her. I weep for people in this world. When will we stop forcing women to wear clothes that cover them from head to foot and kill them if they are victims of violence? When will we stop female genital mutilations? When will this planet be a fair place to live? Ever? Never? Stories like this make me think that it is hopeless, that this world will never be a better place.

(Link courtesy of Kim)

.: 146 words at 05:54 PM in Notable News, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

My second Amazon.com Gold Box Offers for the day started off well with a computer-related item, but quickly descended to nothing buy tools and baby offers.

.: Targus Notebook Backpack: it would probably help if I actually had a notebook computer to go in this. Until I get one, I'm going to have to pass.

.: 174 words at 05:30 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

And now, time for today's Friday Five!

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why? English. I loved it, probably because I love to read so much (as you can tell from the sidebar. The past read section is just for this year). I was three years advanced in English and took the AP exam and made a four on it to get college credit when I was a junior.

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? Mr. R. J. DeFazio. He was my pre-calc and calculus teacher. He was beyond cool and very inspiring. My junior year, when I was in pre-calc, I was having such a hard time grasping the concepts. Add in the fact that the marching band (I marched the bass drum) was preparing to go to Grand Nationals in Indianapolis and practicing all the time, and my grades began to slip. I had a C, which is supposed to get kicked out of honors after two six week periods. Needless to say, I had that C for two six weeks. Instead of kicking me out, Mr. DeFazio helped me and I managed to pull my grades up. He put red star stickers on B tests and green ones on A ones. The first test that I got back with a B on it, he not only gave me a star, but wrote on it, "I knew you could do it!" I was so proud of myself and he was proud of me too. I hope he's still teaching. He was the best.

3. What is your favorite memory of school? My senior year, we went to the UIL State Marching contest. Texas is consistently one of the top schools for marching bands in the country, so our state level competition is damned hard. We played movements 1, 2, and 4 from Dvorak's New World Symphony. We came in second to Westfield (our sister school down the street and our fiercest rival) during prelims and had lost the regional marching contest to them a month earlier. In finals, we played our asses off. We were amazing. At the end of the night, they've called everyone's name for places but us and them, so one of us is obviously first and the other second. There was a long pause and the announcer begins, "And in second place, from Spring, Texas, W...." and we start freaking out. Not only did we win, we one it unanimously, the first time in Texas history that a band had ever done that. It still is one of my favorite memories period, sad but true.

4. What was your favorite recess game? I really didn't play games. I mostly goofed around on the swings and stuff.

5. What did you hate most about school? Not a lot really. I actually liked high school. The worst thing would probably have to be how damn early it was. Yuck!

.: 488 words at 12:57 AM in Friday Five!, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Got several repeats and nothing I was interested in in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers.

.: Panasonic EY6431NQKWK 15.6-Volt 1/2" Cordless Drill/Driver Kit includes Bigg Lugg Tool Holder: please, for the sake of all that's holy, quit offering me tools!

.: 160 words at 12:26 AM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Here's my submission to photojunkie: photo contests in the category "Movement." I call it "Hellcat." This was a lucky shot I snapped as Bella made a leap for her feather right towards me.

.: 33 words at 10:25 PM in Participation, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (2) :: All the Voices Say... (18) :.

Show comments here »

Being from the south, whenever I ask for a carbonated beverage, I ask for a coke (of course, all I drink is Coke products, but I digress). Christine sent me a link today to The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy. I found it amusing that while there were almost 10,000 more votes for pop and soda apiece, calling a beverage a coke seems to span a larger geographic area. I went and added my vote for coke. So, what do you say?

After clicking on Texas, I found out that 78.34% of all Texans call it coke, which accounts for 25.94% of all coke responses. I guess we do carry a lot of weight on votes. (We get the third most votes in the electoral college.)

.: 128 words at 07:29 PM in Entertainment Value, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (14) :.

Show comments here »

Christine needs everyone to go vote to eliminate her competition in Big Blogger All-Star! If you've got a minute, go vote to save the Big Pink Cookie.

.: 28 words at 08:44 AM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Too freaking weird. The lottery numbers in New York for tonight were 9-1-1. I'm interested in seeing how many people played them.

(Link courtesy of Robyn)

.: 28 words at 12:13 AM in Notable News, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (5) :.

Show comments here »

I came so close to not seeing any live action footage of anything but the Towers on fire. Then, while watching Friends on the Tivo with Steven, a commercial for the news came on and it showed that plane plowing into the side of the second tower and I cried. So close to being able to stay as distanced from the horror today. They shouldn't have shown that on the commercials.

.: 71 words at 10:37 PM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

A year ago today when the attacks on the World Trade Center occurred, I was still sleeping. I had a big second interview that afternoon and since I had been unemployed dotcommer for six months, I was really anxious about it. Steven was taking the day off to play golf, so he was home as well. The phone rang at like 9:00 and it was my mother. She said something about a plane and a building, but I was tired and told her to let me sleep since I had that interview in the afternoon. She called back a little later and said two planes had hit the World Trade Center. She sounded so strange; her voice was really flat. I rolled over and told Steven and he went downstairs to see what had happened. He said something like, "Oh my God," and then I distinctly remember him saying, "It looks like Manhattan is on fire." I got out of bed at that and came downstairs and sat on the couch and was horrified. I had forgotten about the time change and I remember that I thought the buildings were full of people and I was sure that like 10,000 or 15,000 people had just died. I called my friend Trish, who worked in downtown Houston across from the federal building at the time, to see if she was still at work. I didn't get her, so I called our friend Jeanna and she said that Trish had already left. I remember calling Christine, but not what we talked about. I remember checking on my interview to see if we were still going to have it (we did; it went really well, but I ended up with an interview at 4 Guys a few days later and took it instead). The thing I remember most about that time period is sitting at my computer and reading blogs and crying endlessly. Michele's been posting her old entries and I swear I remember all of them word for word. I remember the letter from Susannah's friend where he talked about watching two people jump off the WTC together. They held hands the whole way down. I remember how I wanted Steven next to me constantly; how I was scared to let him go for too long.

Steven has a friend, Mohammed, whom he grew up with in Dubai, who works near the WTC. We tried calling him and kept getting his voice mail. We worried about him for days until he called us back. He had been in Pakistan when the attacks happened. Thankfully, he and his family were fine. I wonder how many people he knew who died. I have never been able to ask him.

I started work nine days later and that night, while Steven was at poker, our lights went out. It was dead silent in our condo complex with no noise anywhere. I was lying in the floor, trying to read by candle light, when a plane flew overhead. From where I was lying I could see it approaching through the top of our French doors and it seemed so loud. It scared me and I always think of how shell-shocked I felt, though I lived no where near New York.

This whole time period always comes to me in images. The missing posters carpeting walls. The man, his tie flapping behind him, running from the building collapsing. The two black ladies holding each other and crying, one with her head upon the other's breast like a small child. The people waving signs that said things like, "Heroes!," "Thank you!," "God Bless You!" and cheering for the rescue workers as they left the site. The spontaneous memorials that cropped up all over the world. The pictures of people hanging out of the buildings. The dust that covered empty streets. The Flash tribute that played Enya's "Only Time" three or four times that made my heart hurt so much I couldn't breathe.

I remember how much I wanted to stop watching the media footage over and over again. How it was killing me to read a story of someone who was looking for someone else, who was clutching a picture and showing it to anyone and everyone, hoping against hope to find them. I wanted to quit reading the stories from bloggers in New York, but I couldn't. All I could think was that if people had to have that happen to them and their loved ones, the least I could do was listen to their stories.

I remember one of the stories was about someone that had a job interview there that morning. I can't remember if he made it out or not, but I remember that hitting me like a ton of bricks. I had an interview later that afternoon. If I'd lived in New York, maybe I would have interviewed there that morning. That brought the reality home of how it could have been any one, at any time.

I've begun watching a lot of reruns of Friends (I didn't start watching the show until about two years ago) and I am always amazed at how often the Towers are shown. Amazed at how you could see them from another state. Saddened that they are no longer there; that I will never be able to see them for real. Mournful over the loss of life on that day.

Things have changed so much and in other ways, stayed the same. I've lived within fifteen minutes of Houston's biggest airport my whole life. I've seen countless numbers of planes, but I notice every one of them. They changed the flight patterns and while going to yoga yesterday, planes flew directly overhead, very low, while I sat at a red light. It made me feel anxious. I've always been a worrier, but I have been feeling more and more anxious as September approaches. Now that it's here, some of the general anxiety has dissipated, but I still feel worried over things. I want the world to be a better place, but some times it feels so hopeless. It feels like bad things are inevitable and it's only a matter of time before we all kill each other. I try to focus on the good things like the stories of people that rescued others and died trying to help total strangers. The stories of people who were saved because a stranger helped them. How I couldn't even give blood that day because the blood banks had so many volunteers. How small children made sandwiches for the rescue workers and put little notes in them that said, "I love you." How, for a little while, it seemed that we could unite in a way that we never would have been able to. I hope and I pray that they are the true face of humanity and that tomorrow will always be a better day.

.: 1157 words at 07:13 PM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

Show comments here »

I will be back later today to post my thoughts and feelings on the past year. I want to get them in better order, so it probably won't be until tonight. Until then, I want to offer my thanks to those who gave their lives trying to help others and also my condolences to those who lost a family member or friend. I doubt that anyone was truly unaffected by that day, but you suffered the most. You will always be in my thoughts and we will always remember you.

.: 90 words at 01:33 AM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

In light of the somberness of today's anniversary, I would like to offer
today's "It's a Group Thing" in honor of all that were affected, whether it be someone like me a thousand miles away or someone who lost a love one. I hope that our future is not full of other terrible events, but that things will get better. For that reason, today's term is:

A Promise of Tomorrows

.: 70 words at 01:21 AM in It's a Group Thing, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Time for Christine's This-or-That Tuesday:

• Paper or plastic?
Paper. We use them as trash bags.
• Stripes or plaid?
Stripes. Especially on panties from Victoria's Secret.
• Baseball or football?
Baseball. I've had a real love of the game since my grandmother (the biggest Astros fan around) signed us up to be Astros Buddies. We got to meet the players, run around the bases, and other fun stuff like that. Besides, I hate football.
• TV or movies?
It used to be movies and I never watched any TV, but with the Tivo, all I watch any more is TV shows that I want to watch.
• Craig Kilborn or Conan O'Brien?
Good Lord. Neither.
• Amazon or BN.com?
Amazon for sure! I've pretty much started buying almost everything from them since I always get gift certificates to them for doing surveys and cashing in points at places like Milesource. How else do you think I got my $400 digital camera basically for free? :-)
• Yahoo or Google?
Google. Where I am number one for both Kymberlie and neurotic. :-)
• Star Trek or Star Wars?
Probably Star Trek, though I've really only watched Deep Space Nine, which I loved, and Voyager, which I really liked by the time they cancelled it.
• Cats or dogs?
Both! I have a cat, but I want a puppy some day.
• Is that for here or to go?
Usually, to go, unless it's lunch time.

.: 239 words at 09:52 PM in This-or-That Tuesday, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Got offered a nice camera in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers, but nothing else of note.

.: D-Link DSC-350F Digital Camera/Webcam: I've already got a digital camera and don't really want a webcam.

.: 121 words at 09:42 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I forgot to mention, but tonight while getting some kitty litter and soap, I moseyed down the breakfast aisle in search of the ever-elusive Kellogg's Blueberry Pop-Tart. Not the nasty frosted kind that I find every where, but the unfrosted plain kind. I've been looking for them on and off whenever I go into a grocery store for the past year and was convinced that they had been discontinued. Amazingly enough, tonight the Gerland's by my house (which I never shop at) had them in eight count boxes. The heavens sang and I joyously bought a box. And here I thought I would never find them again. Who says miracles never happen?

.: 113 words at 01:20 AM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

Btw, several new pictures have been added to Picture Fish today. You get bugs, beads, and more.

.: 17 words at 12:00 AM in Picture Fish Update, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

As I mentioned earlier, I received some beautiful jewelry today from B! Beads. B! Beads sells hand-made jewelry (necklaces, earrings, and bracelets) made to your specification by Bronwyn. You can see the beads I bought here. If you visit her site, I bought the Cloud Blue necklace, earrings, and bracelet. The bracelet was a bit too small, so she's generously offered to fix it for me free of charge. While she's doing that, I think I'm going to order some more earrings. :-) If you love beads or jewelry of any kind, give her a visit. I'm sure you'll love what you see. Btw, I found Bronwyn though a link on Chel's site, so thanks for the link find, Chel!

.: 123 words at 11:55 PM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

1. Where were you and what was happening in your life the moment when you first became aware of what was happening at the World Trade Center in New York City last September 11th? What was the first thing you did when you heard the news?
I was still sleeping. I had a big second interview that afternoon. Steven was taking the day off to play golf. The phone rang at like 9:00 and it was my mother. She said something about a plane and a building, but I was tired and told her to let me sleep since I had that interview in the afternoon. She called back a little later and said two planes had hit. I rolled over and told Steven and he went downstairs to see what had happened. He said something like, "Oh my God," and then I distinctly remember him saying, "It looks like Manhatten is on fire." I got out of bed at that and came downstairs and sat on the couch and was horrified. I had forgotten about the time change and I remembered that I thought the buildings were full of people and I thought like 10,000 or 15,000 people had just died.

2. When those truly responsible for the attack are apprehended, what do you think would be the most fitting form of justice?
There probably isn't anything that is fitting. I think they should be executed, but I don't think it should be made into a public execution or anything like that.

3. This will probably be much like when our parents respond to "Where were you when JFK was shot?"- an event never forgotten by those who were there. But how do you think the history books should present the 9-11 attacks? Should it be included for all future generations? How can we truly convey the shock, the outrage, the emotions and pain of that day to the children of our children?
You probably can't convey it if you didn't see it. As with everything, time fades things. The horror will never be able to be felt by future generations like we felt it. I think the history books should show that it was done by a religious fundamentalist group.

4. No one in that building, in the Pentagon, or on the planes (other than the terrorists) knew that 9-11 would be their last day to be alive. For me, it brought home the reality that I could be gone at anytime, without any warning. Now, I really want each day to have some value. Did the events of 9-11 bring about a change in the way you live your life?
It did for a while, but I've kind of been depressed lately. One good thing about the anniversary is that it's making me remember to try and live life more fully.

5. Several who loved to fly in planes will not step foot in one anymore. Many parents are more protective of their children. A year later, do you find yourself feeling more secure than back then? Or is it just a matter of time before something else happens?
I feel like it's just a matter of time before something else bad like this happens. I try not to dwell on it too much, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

6. The best way for me to honor the those impacted by the attack will be to refrain from any media that day. No papers, no radio and especially no television. Others will light candles, and others will attend special services. What, if anything, will you do to personally reflect on the tragedy?
I will try and be a better human being (more tolerant, more easy-going) and spend the time with my loved ones. I will try not to let little things piss me off and remember that every day is precious.

7. One of the visuals that touched me the most were the walls and walls full of hand made "Missing" posters. What image will you always have in your mind when you recall the events of 9-11?
I will always have so many images. The missing posters. The man, his tie flapping behind him, running from the building collapsing. The two black ladies hold each other and crying. The people waving signs that said things like, "Heros," "Thank you!," "God Bless You!" and cheering as the rescue workers left the site. The spontaneous memorials that cropped up all over the world. The pictures of people hanging out of the buildings. The dust that covered empty streets.

BONUS: Who's gonna come around when you break?
You can't go on
Thinking nothing's wrong.
Who's gonna drive you home tonight?

.: 785 words at 11:25 PM in Monday Missions, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Strike two for my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers today.

.: Farberware Classic 13-Piece Cookware Set: right after I started working at 4 Guys almost a year ago, I bought Steven a 17 piece set of cookware to thank him for being supportive while I was laid off, so I don't need this, but it did look nice and it's a great price.

.: 137 words at 11:00 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

It's Monday, so time to start the week out right with Jess's Participation Positives!

• I gave my brother one of his birthday gifts, a copy of Spy Hunter for the Playstation 2, and he was thrilled. I totally picked it on my own, so that was nice.
• I got some gorgeous beaded jewelry from B! Beads (I'll blog more about it later)
• I am very proud of my submission to Photojunkie's Photo contest "Fun With Macros"
• My Mr. Brown 10th Anniversary Special Limited Edition Reservoir Dogs arrived today

• Steven and I had a very nice "date" night Friday night
• I love and am loved

.: 106 words at 10:53 PM in Participation Positives, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Nothing in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers that compells me to make a purchase.

.: Makita LS1212 12" Dual Rail Slide Compound Saw: right out of the box, a $600 saw. Yeah, I so need one of these. Pass.

.: 150 words at 06:44 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

This is very disturbing - chihuahuas in kimonos. Of course, chihuahuas do get very cold easily, so maybe the kimono is their owner's attempt to keep them warm. Still, very strange.

(Link courtesy of Todd)

.: 37 words at 01:43 AM in Entertainment Value, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

Show comments here »

I played two poker tournaments tonight to get 4th place in one and win no money and 2nd place in the other to win $15 for a grand total of $3 added to my account. Well, it's better than a poke in the eye!

.: 44 words at 01:07 AM in In the Cards, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

It has to be YOUR way. But when it isn't, you panic, but hold your ground. You keep your gun pointed and trigger finger ready, but you'd never really hurt anyone. Though you like being tough, feeling control, you often enjoy blending in and being part of the ordinary human race. Take the What Pulp Fiction Character Are You? quiz.

(Link courtesy of Maddy)

.: 65 words at 04:00 PM in Quizzy Stuff, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

I only got two tool offers in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers today. I really wish they would take the hint and stop offering them to me.

.: Hot Wheels Survival Kit Backpack: do I look like a ten year-old boy or something? I so don't need one of these.

.: 148 words at 03:45 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Christine is taking a trip to Nova Scotia and if you ask nicely (okay, send her an e-mail) she'll mail you a postcard from either Maine or Nova Scotia.

Speaking of postcards, I received one from Jenn when she went to Las Vegas. Thanks for the postcard, Jenn! I so love Vegas!

.: 52 words at 03:32 AM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

It's good to see that Catherine is back. I've missed you. :-)

.: 12 words at 02:50 AM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Today is my younger brother Russell's birthday. Happy birthday, Russell! I love you and I hope you have a wonderful day!

.: 21 words at 02:19 AM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I had read how to ping blo.gs at the same time that you ping Weblogs.com with MT quite some time ago, but I had forgotten to make the necessary change in my MT. The tip got posted at ScriptyGoddess so I took the couple of minutes today to make the change. Learn how to do it here.

.: 58 words at 01:54 AM in Geeky Things, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

Today is Brandy's (AKA MizDos) birthday. Happy birthday, Brandy! Hope you have an excellent time out with your hubby!

.: 19 words at 10:13 PM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Here's my submission to photojunkie: photo contests in the category "Fun With Macros." I call it "Fish Face."

.: 18 words at 09:52 PM in Participation, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

Show comments here »

It's been a lazy Saturday around our house. Steven's not been feeling too well, so he's been on the couch watching tv all day, I've been mostly playing Civilization: Call To Power, and Bella napped on my desk all day.

In other news, she's been using her litterbox this week. A few days ago she came running into the hall and I though, "Oh no. What did you do?" She heard the automatic litterbox start up and she always comes to investigate the noise. I looked in there and, sure enough, she'd used the box and I didn't even have to put her in there. Today when she got up from her long nap and starting walking around I picked her up and put her in the bathtub with the box and told her to be a good kitty and left the room. She got in and used the box, so I praised her and gave her a cat treat. Maybe we'll get her trained yet.

.: 166 words at 09:38 PM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

Time for this week's Saturday Scruples!

1. You've agreed to sublet your apartment to someone. Someone else offers you an extra 50% a month to give it to her. Do you? Depends how far along we were in the process. If we'd just talked once or twice and nothing had been signed yet, probably. If we were just about completely done on the deal, no.

2. Your boss congratulates you for a brilliant suggestion and hints at a promotion. A subordinate gave you the idea. Do you mention this to the boss? If someone else gave me the idea, no way would I take the credit. If it was something where they gave an idea and I expounded upon it for my suggestion, then I probably wouldn't.

3. You're a college basketball star with high grades. An infertile couple offers you $4000 to donate semen/an egg. Do you agree to do it? No. I don't want kids, so the last thing I want is for someone to come track me down years later.

.: 174 words at 09:34 PM in Saturday Scruples, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

A lot more tools in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers for today.

.: Vornado 610W Whole Room Air Circulator, Whitestone: we've got a ceiling fan in each room and my office is always freezing, so I don't need one of these.

.: 135 words at 06:14 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

If you haven't been watching The Dead Zone on USA, you've been missing one of the best series I've seen in years. You're in luck, though, because USA is showing the first twelve episodes in order starting at 9:00 a.m. CST September 15th. I would strongly urge you to start watching this show. The stories are wonderful and the acting amazing. The characters are based on the characters from Stephen King's novel of the same name, so if you're a fan of his, even better. It's a hell of a show and Steven, who's not a big King fan, loves it too.

.: 103 words at 08:18 PM in Media Consumption, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Christine and I made a late afternoon run to Sonic today. While waiting on our food, we noticed their "Add-Ins" for drinks. We were personally appalled that you could add some of that stuff to any drink. Why in the world would you want to add blue coconut or chocolate flavoring to a drink? They make a mean cherry coke, but there is no way in hell I am adding any of those others to a drink! Yuck! Anyone ever tried a Coke with any those flavorings besides cherry or vanilla?

.: 91 words at 07:36 PM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (9) :.

Show comments here »

Christine was nominated to be voted off tonight over at Big Blogger All-Star Game, so keep her on and go vote Shea off.

.: 25 words at 07:22 PM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Despite my good luck on getting a DVD player that I purchased in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers earlier this week, nothing else has appeared worth buying.

.: Toastmaster 6431 Eclipse Single Burner: nice if you had a buffet line to feed or cooked things at your office, but I don't.

.: 134 words at 06:54 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

I pulled up my eXTReMe Tracking stats to take a look at my hits for today and it shows I've only had 16 hits today and 23 on yesterday. I know I had about 150 hits yesterday and about 80 before lunch today, so these numbers are skewed. I checked the stats for Picture Fish and they look fine. Anybody else noticed anything wonky?

.: 64 words at 06:11 PM in Geeky Things, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

And now, time for today's Friday Five!

1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why? God, is my pet peeve list long. My biggest one, at least right now, is SUV drivers, usually on phones, that pay no attention to the road around them and act like there are no other cars out there. I hate those people.

2. What irritating habits do you have? I tend to pester people when I want something or need something done. Just ask Christine. Oh, and I cuss a lot. A whole lot.

3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be? I've tried to not cuss as much, but as soon as I get irritated or frustrated, I start.

4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why? People smacking their food or making gross sounds. Stuff like that always makes me want to puke.

5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do? Hmmm. No idea.

.: 168 words at 12:26 AM in Friday Five!, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

Time for Deb's Thursday Threesome!

Onesome. Autumn. As the season changes, what changes for you? Your Daily Routine? Weekend Schedules? Your Mood? My mood changes some because I don't like the cold and I'm miserable if it gets too cold for me. My weekend schedule stays pretty much the same, as does my daily schedule.

Twosome. Soap. Come now, fess up. Are you a squeaky clean kind of person - or are there dark secrets hidden in your closets??? A few kind of dark secrets, perhaps, but nothing too terrible.

Threesome. Sale. Have you ever bought something absolutely ridiculous or unnecessary, simply because it was on sale and "such a good deal"? Is it tucked away in the attic or a closet - or did you find it really useful? I bought some knee-high leather boots last year that, while I love boots like that, I have nothing to wear them with. I kept them in the box for a week and finally just took them back.

.: 168 words at 11:57 PM in Thursday Threesome, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

It's time for Dave's Thursday Thumb-Twiddler!

1. How do you picture your funeral? Something nice, but not too "funeraly." I would like there to be some flowers, but not a lot, with the rest of the money going to charity. I would like to be cremated, so just my urn on a dais with my friends and family saying nice things about me. And forget that boring music they always play. Play Sting for me.

2. As a juror, you are sworn to not discuss with anyone the details of the trial you're impaneled for. Do you (would you) anyway? I would like to say I wouldn't, but I probably would with Steven and a few close friends.

3. Would you rather live someplace where it's always between 80-90 degrees F both day and night, or someplace where it's always 40-50 degrees F? (For you metric types, that's 26-32C or 4-10C.) Definitely choice a. It gets down into the 60s and I am freezing. There is no why I could live anywhere cold. I am just not made for cold weather.

.: 182 words at 11:51 PM in Thursday Thumb-Twiddler, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

My week has been freaky and hellish so I was happy when I realized that since today is Thursday, tomorrow is the end of the work week. Yeah! Hurry up, Friday!

.: 31 words at 07:40 PM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Several computer items in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers giving me hope that maybe some day I will make another purchase there. :-)

.: Vornado EH1-0015-04 IntelliTemp Heater, Greystone: looks like a very nice product, but with us having a small condo, heating and cooling isn't a huge issue.

.: 161 words at 06:34 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I just wanted to be like Christine and say "ben affleck toupee."

And, Christine, lunch was definitely entertaining and enjoyable.

.: 21 words at 06:16 PM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Today I had one of my most heavy traffic days. I'm sure a lot of new readers dropped by, so feel free to say hi. I don't bite. At least not too hard. ;-)

.: 34 words at 01:21 AM in Daily Ramblings, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

Show comments here »

No victories today in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers.

.: Vacu Vin Vacuum Instant Marinater: Steven already has this.

.: 111 words at 06:00 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Christine, Krista, and I went to lunch today and stopped for Baskin-Robbin's on the way back. Christine suggested using an ice cream theme as today's "It's a Group Thing" term, so today's term is:

A Chime of Ice Cream Carts

.: 41 words at 02:54 PM in It's a Group Thing, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

I got a pleasant surprise today at the office when Christine told me that all BlogOmania clients got free upgrades. I now have an extra 50 MB of space for free. Yeah for BlogOmania! If you've got a blog and need a good, reliable (and cheap) host, they are the place for you. Go sign up and tell them I sent you.

.: 64 words at 12:38 AM in Linky Love, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I guess Amazon was hoping I'd make more purchases with a second set of Amazon.com Gold Box Offers but there wasn't anything in this one worth getting.

.: Lentek PC02G PestContro Deluxe: once again, the facts that I'm never outside and I don't have a yard, pretty much make this an automatic pass.

.: 135 words at 10:48 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I posted a couple of pictures of Bella at Picture Fish yesterday that are too cute for words. She was sitting upright on the couch when sleep overcame her. She ended up sitting with her head in her lap. I'm telling you, she must be narcoleptic.

.: 46 words at 10:36 PM in Picture Fish Update, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Today, I bought the first thing offered in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers.

.: Apex AD-800 Progressive Scan DVD Player: Steven and I have a DVD player that I bought for him for Christmas in 1999. It's been very temperamental the last eight months or so and will only play a DVD when it feels like it. Basically you have to sit in front of it, insert the disc, wait for it to say no disc found, eject the disc, blow on it, put it in again, curse when it can't find it and repeat the steps ad naseum. We'd been talking about getting another one so when I got one in my offers for $89.99 that seemed to have a lot of good features, I jumped at getting it. Couple that with the fact that I had just gotten a $50 gift certificate from wKen and it just seemed like fate.

Here's to hoping I get more offers worth taking advantage of!

.: 165 words at 10:29 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

Time for Christine's This-or-That Tuesday:

• Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise?
Probably Tom Hanks. I like his movies better.
• Julia Roberts or Julia Stiles?
Julia Roberts.
• Kevin Costner or Kevin Spacey?
Kevin Spacey for sure. He has got to be one of the most talented actors today.
• Ben Affleck or Ben Stiller?
Ben Stiller, though I think Ben Affleck is cuter.
• Sean Connery or Sean Penn?
Sean Connery. I do like Sean Penn, though. He's turned into a hell of an actor. He was incredible in Dead Man Walking.
• Jennifer Lopez or Jennifer Aniston?
Jennifer Aniston definitely. Not only is she beyond beautiful, I totally hate Jennifer Lopez. I so don't get the hype surrounding her. I don't even think she's pretty.
• Courtney Love or Courtney Cox-Arquette?
Neither. They are both annoying as hell.
• Sarah Michelle Gelllar or Sarah Jessica Parker?
Sarah Jessica Parker.
• Michael Douglas or Mike Myers?
I love Mike Myers, but I probably have liked more movies by Michael Douglas.
• Nicole Kidman or (Anna) Nicole Smith?
Nicole Kidman for sure. Not only is she stunning, but her acting abilities are incredible. She was so good in The Others and Moulin Rouge.

.: 196 words at 01:24 AM in This-or-That Tuesday, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I've been thinking about buying the DVD of Bad Lieutenant at Amazon since they've got it one sale for $13.48. I haven't actually seen it before, but I've always meant to watch it. I generally like movies like this (loved Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs), but I thought I'd ask y'all to give me a thumbs up or down on it. Anyone seen it? Heard bad things? Good things?

.: 70 words at 09:50 PM in Media Consumption, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

A few interesting items in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers but nothing of real note.

.: Microtek ScanMaker 4800 Scanner: I could use a new scanner since the one I have is like four years old. I really don't scan a lot of stuff, though, so I can wait on getting one.

.: 152 words at 05:57 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Here's PromoGuy's Monday Mission 2.35:

1. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on a date?
I really haven't dated very much (just my ex and Steven, really), so I don't have an embarrasing date story.

2. Do you eat your veggies?
Not really. I like corn and mashed potatoes, but that's about it. I don't eat things like squash, broccoli, or anything like that. Yuck.

3. Most people are comfortable going to the bathroom in front of at least one person. Has anyone ever used the restroom in front of you that you wish wouldn't have? What happened and how bad was it?
Well, Steven will sometimes pee if I'm in the shower, but nothing bad has ever come of it.

4. Have you ever had a bad online transaction? You know, the item wasn't what you thought it would be, you got totally ripped-off, no refunds, it just plain sucked? What's the story there?
Not that I can recall. I've done a lot of purchasing online through both retail sites and through auctions, and nothing too bad has ever happened. ~knock on wood~ There have been a few times when the item never appeared, but the seller either sent me another or charged me a couple of bucks for a replacement.

5. Ever have a current love find any old love letters (or similar item) you kept that probably should have been thrown away? How did that turn out?
Nope.

6. Was there ever a time when you did something totally outrageous because you knew no one would know who you were, or maybe didn't care even if they did?
Yes, and we'll just leave it at that.

7. Hey, what happened to you last night? I waited forever!
I got caught playing poker in an underground game. I won the bad beat jackpot, so I ended up in a bar doing shots to celebrate.

BONUS: I know I could break you down, but what good would it do?
I could surely never know
That what you say is true.
Here I am in silence,
It's a game I have to play.
You and I in silence.
With nothing else to say.
I wanna know
What you're thinking.

.: 374 words at 05:38 PM in Monday Missions, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I wanted to thank everyone who voted for me in this month's The Bloggys. I got second place in Best Design and third place in Most Posts. Thanks for the votes!

.: 32 words at 05:29 PM in Geeky Things, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

It's Monday, so time to start the week out right with Jess's Participation Positives!

• Today is a paid day off from work
• This week will be a short week
• I won wKen's "Let Me Buy YOU Something" contest
• Bella's used her litterbox all weekend
• I bought my brother's birthday presents this weekend and I think he's going to like them
• I won two Bloggys
• I love and am loved

.: 70 words at 05:28 PM in Participation Positives, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (2) :.

Show comments here »

I got an e-mail this morning from wKen letting me know that I won his first "Let Me Buy YOU Something" contest. There were thirty-four other participants, so I feel very lucky. I wished for a $50 Amazon gift certificate and I've already received it. Thanks a bunch, wKen! You've totally made my day!

.: 55 words at 05:02 AM in Fish Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (1) :.

Show comments here »

Have y'all seen the commercial with the Serta counting sheep where they tear the tag of the Serta martress? They tear the tag off and get put in prison. This scary looking guy is their bunkmate and he asks them what they're in for. One of them starts, "We got caught tearing..." and the other sheep jumps in and goes, "Tearing a man to pieces! Grrrr!" It cracks me up every time.

.: 72 words at 06:55 PM in Entertainment Value, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (4) :.

Show comments here »

Lots of cool items in my Amazon.com Gold Box Offers including something that may solve a cat problem we have.

.: Brother MFC-9700 Flatbed Laser Multifunction: I really can't afford to spend almost $500 on something like this especially since I don't really need it. It's cool, though.

.: 204 words at 05:07 PM in The Gold Box, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (0) :.

Show comments here »

I've been keeping an eye on Bella for the past two days and every time I can tell she's about to use the bathroom (she goes to one of a couple of different spots and stats looking around) I pick her fluffy butt up and plop her in the bathtub next to her litterbox. I tell her to be a good kitty and use her box and then I leave the room. Twice now she's used the box and when she gets done I tell her what a good kitty she is and I pet her. Will this help train her? I now it's positive reinforcement and it should, but I've never had to potty train a cat before.

.: 119 words at 02:09 PM in Kitty Tales, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »

This weekend I watched Momento and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, so I thought I'd share my impressions of the two with you.

.: 303 words at 12:55 AM in Media Consumption, ";print substr($entry_cats, 0, -2); ?> :: Link :: Pings (0) :: All the Voices Say... (3) :.

Show comments here »