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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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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) :.

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

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