Blogroll.

Okay, I tried it. But I hate it. My blogger friends have become just names on a list to the very bored people who happen to find my blog. I don't like that. So I'm bringing the rotating gallery back.

I've always been the type of person who keeps only a few close friends so some blogs that I have on my blogroll will not be included in my gallery. Rest assured that if you were in the last gallery I had up, you'll be on the new one, though.

Happy blogging!

Update! Gallery script is a biotch. Going with the clickable images. It fits better and I won't have to spend the next 4 days trying to figure out how to make the gallery script behave. :0)

Oh, and Erin, do you have a pic that I can put up?

My salad dressing...

tells me that I should refrigerate it after opening, but that it should be served at room temperature. I've never had high maintenance dressing before.

Update:

Those of you who read about our "bad date" incident (located 2 posts down if you're not familiar) will understand this update to the story.

B.J. came home from school talking about having his friend over on Spring Break. Apparently, his mother and he had talked about it amongst themselves and decided that this would be a better time for them.

Did I mention that she still has not called to apologize for not showing up or contacting me when she realized that they wouldn't make it?

Now she is making plans to bring her child over to my house without consulting me. Apparently the children are running communication between us now.

Hate to have to tell B.J., but his friend isn't coming over to my house unless his mother calls me to a) apologize, and to b) get my permission to bring her child here.

Okay, I feel little better.

Word up!

I was listening to the local radio show this morning while taking B.J. to school. A popular DJ on the show was going to do a stunt on-air. He was going to lift a 100 lb cheerleader over his head (which, I guess was an achievement to him).

He was introducing the cheerleader to the audience and asked her a series of short questions. He wanted to know her name (Nicole), how much she weighed (101 lbs), and finally if she had eaten anything after being weighed. Her response to this question was: "I have ate nothing", at which time they teased her language skills. She "corrected" herself by saying "I haven't ate anything". The radio personalities cheered her for this, although she still wasn't using correct grammar. -Sigh-

I firmly believe that using the English language correctly is a huge step toward success in life. People don't take you seriously when you walk around using slang, incorrect tenses, and words that are only accepted by default (such as the word "ain't"). Call it a peeve, but I want my children to speak correctly and to speak well. It is the second thing that people notice about you (the first being your appearance).

I suppose that being in certain areas of the world you get so used to hearing certain words like "ain't" that it seems natural to use them. I have worked hard NOT to use that particular word because it has a controversial history with the English language and was really only accepted by default. Read more here if you are interested.

I'm not saying that I'm better than others. I just think it's important that we use our languages correctly. You are only as good as you make yourself, and I want to be great.

Bad Date.

B.J. called one of his favorite classmates last week. His mother answered the phone and asked to speak to me. I got on the line and she asked if her son could come over to play this weekend. We had talked about this idea before and it was an open invitation, so I accepted.

Last night I went to the movie store and got them a "cool" movie and some popcorn. B.J. cleaned his room (a miracle in itself), and I spent all morning cleaning the house for company.

The agreement was that the mother would call me Saturday morning to tell me what time they'd be coming over on Saturday afternoon. It's 5:04pm and so far, no call.

B.J. is beside himself. He's called their house about 60 times with no answer. He's bored, disappointed, and aggrivated. This was a big deal to him. I'm listening to him cry as I write this and I'm just so upset that things didn't work out for him.

I'm mad that we have to make this up to him, like we did something wrong, because the Mom didn't give me the courtesy of a simple call to tell us that they couldn't make it or that they simply forgot and just remembered that they were supposed to come over today.

I'm mad.

Hey!

Today's "Short Story Friday"! Pop over to Captain's R.J. blog to catch the most recent addition to his story. Then choose the ending for next Friday's addition! Hurry! Do it now!

Here's a tip:

TIP!!

(Pet peave alert, people.)

Customers that sit down to eat or drink and then don't leave a tip, or don't leave enough to buy their server a pack of gum, irritate the heck out of me.

People who serve make less than $3 an hour from their companies. What you tip is supposed to make up for everything up to at least minimum wage.

When you don't tip your server they hate you. Okay, not really. But it makes their life harder knowing that when they get home they can't use the money to pay their phone bill because table #9 didn't have the courtesy to leave a tip.

I know, I know..."Why I should I pay someone else just so they can pay their bills? What am I? The Welfare office?" No, of course not. That's just the nature of the unwritten agreement between the server and the customer. "I'll bring your food to you as soon as the kitchen has it prepared, I'll refresh your drink as soon as it becomes half-full, I'll fill your every request, and I'll do all that with a smile on my face AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I'M TRYING TO EARN A LIVING AND YOU'RE ESSENTIAL TO MY QUEST."

Thank you. Yall come back again soon.

:0)

Why...

would you purchase a $20,000 heavy duty truck and then drive it like it was going to fall apart at any moment?

If I'm going to pay that kind of money for a vehicle I'm going to take it down the bumpiest roads I can find and drive it like there's no tomorrow.

Just sayin'. :0)

So Much Racist Drivel.

Recently this post arrived on a thread at the message board I frequent. While some responded by saying "excellent post" and "love it", my response was "Wow. That wasn't racist at all"(Note a thick side order of sarcasm). I began questioning my affiliation with these people. And it's not just that the post was racist. It was cold and thoughtless. Anyone who has read anything about the experiences of those caught in the aftermath of Katrina will understand why this post made me livid.

No one on the message board has responded to my response. I suspect that they never will because they know that I'm right. But, just for fun, read the article and tell me what you think:

THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT ...really think about this.

North Dakota News

This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part of North Dakota state after the recent snow storm.

WEATHER BULLETIN

Up here in the Northern Plains we just recovered from a Historic event --- may I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with a historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come....

FEMA did nothing....

No one howled for the government...

No one blamed the government

No one even uttered an expletive on TV...

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit

Our Mayor's did not blame Bush or anyone else

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else either

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snow storm

Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.....

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House....

No one looted...

Nobody - I mean Nobody demanded the government do something

Nobody expected the government to do anything either

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found

And

Nope, we just melted the snow for water

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snow bound families

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers

We Fired up wood stoves

Broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns

We put on an extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die"

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early...we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of most of the world's social problems evaporate."

It does seem that way, at least to me.. I hope this gets passed on..

Maybe,, SOME people will get the message,, The world Does not owe you a living....

I just can't get it right...

I've been doing this blogging business for less than a year and I still have trouble figuring out how to do it consistently and effectively. Sometimes I want to write things that my friends will read and laugh at, other times I just want to write to get something off of my chest, even if it doesn't make any sense to anyone but me.

I'm just wondering, do you blog for the benefit of your readers, or do you blog for your own satisfaction??

Dirty Little Secrets

I've spent some time fixing all the bugs at Dirty Little Secrets this week. Joe and I were playing around with it and realized that people weren't able to submit their secrets because of the form that we were using. So we switched to a different form and !VOILA!...Sucess!

I also added a music video of the (very aptly titled) song, "Dirty Little Secrets" by The American Rejects. Whoo!!

I've gotten some really ridiculous, and obviously phony, secrets lately. Bummer. But, somebody out there has to have something juicy to share. It's completely anonymous.

Click here to reveal your secrets!

Comments

Thank you Lorna and Jac for letting me know my comments were not working correctly. I have made a change in my template and I think that will clear up the mess. Let me know if you notice any other problems and thanks for stopping by my sleepy blog. :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Couple Reunite After More Than 60 Years

ADRIAN, Mich. - Willard Mason and Ilah Ost are giving new meaning to the phrase: "Love is patient." More than 60 years ago, the couple were engaged to be married, but life's circumstances got in the way.

Now, after they each married others, raised families and their spouses died, the two are together again.

"Ilah was my first girlfriend," Mason told The Daily Telegram. "I first met her when I was a sophomore at Blissfield High School."

The two began dating and got engaged.

But in 1941, Mason moved to Ypsilanti to work at the Willow Run bomber plant. There, he met a woman named Helvi, and broke his engagement to Ost. He married Helvi in 1942.

Ost later married her husband, Marvin, and had three children before he died in 1974.

Mason's wife died in 2003, and by chance, he ran into Ost's brother in Blissfield in 2004, and he encouraged Mason to call Ost.

The two started dating, with Mason driving from his home near Houghton Lake to Adrian, where Ost lived.

On one of his trips to Adrian, Mason blacked out and struck a tree with his car. Tests showed he needed a new pacemaker, Mason said.

He then moved to near Adrian and invited Ost to move in with him.

"We get along perfectly," Mason said. "We've never had an argument. She's a great cook, and she takes care of me."

Mason and Ost spend much of their time with friends and family, and Mason marvels at how the two have gotten back together after so many years.

"You don't know how our lives might have turned out if we'd gotten married in 1941," Mason said. "But now, she has a wonderful family and so do I."

Riddle!

The one who makes it doesn't need it
the one that buys it doesn't keep it
the one that sells it doesn't use it
the one that's using it never knows it being used
What am I?

Answer in comments. But don't look before guessing!!

:0)

Choose your own adventure.

I found a blog today through Joe's links. It's called "Short Story Friday". Here the author, R.J., posts part of a story and at the end gives the reader a choice on how this part of the story should end (or rather how the next part should start). It's a fun read and a great chance to participate in the making of an exciting story.

Check it out here!!

Blazing blazer (&^%*(^&!!)

We took a trip to Jackson this weekend. Just got back. But the trip there was interesting.

The day before we left the handle on the driver's side broke. I had the handle fixed just last year. (@#$%^!!)

Halfway through the trip the dashboard froze up. We had to play "Guess My Speed" for over 70 miles. (#$%^&!!)

When we arrived at our destination (Dad's house), we turned off the car and it wouldn't restart.
(@#$%$!!)

Luckily Dad is great with cars and was able to fix everything while we were visiting (poor guy).

But on the way home we realized that the heater went out. It was below freezing and we were bundled up in the car with all the blankets for 2 hours.

There were some better parts of our trip, but this part really pissed me off. I told Joe it's time to take the Blazer out into the woods and introduce it to bonfires. :0)

Quiz!

You Are A Romantic Realist

You are more romantic than 50% of the population. You tend to be grounded when it comes to romance. Sure, you can fall hard... but only for someone you've gotten to know. And once you're in love, you can be a total romantic goofball... But you'd never admit it to your friends!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Caption!

Strange News

Confidential patient data sent to wrong company -- for 15 months
Doctors and clinics in the U.S. have been faxing information to an herbal remedy distributor
News Story by Jaikumar Vijayan

FEBRUARY 06, 2006 (COMPUTERWORLD) - A small Lockport, Manitoba-based distributor of herbal remedies has for the past 15 months been mistakenly receiving faxes containing confidential information belonging to hundreds of patients with Prudential Financial Inc.’s insurance group. The data exposed in the breach -- and faxed to the company by doctors and clinics across the U.S. -- included the patients’ Social Security numbers, bank details and health care information.

So far, at least, efforts to deal with the issue appear to have failed, said Jody Baxmeyer, vice president of marketing at North Regent RX, the company that’s been receiving the faxes.

The situation has been caused by North Regent’s toll-free fax number, which is nearly identical to one used by Prudential to receive medical claims-related information from doctors, Baxmeyer said. In fact, the two numbers differ by only one digit, Baxmeyer said.

As a result, North Regent’s Lockport office has mistakenly received thousands of documents sent to the wrong fax number that involve more than 1,000 claims. The documents contain detailed patient medical histories, Social Security numbers and bank information meant for Prudential’s insurance division.

Baxmeyer said his company contacted Prudential about the problem in October 2004 -- when North Regent first began operations -- and then followed up again in April 2005 when it had not heard back from the company. “Prudential’s point of view was that, ‘We are not the ones faxing the information,’ which is ridiculous,” Baxmeyer said. “They are the ones that solicited the business from doctors and clinics, and they are the ones setting up the protocols for receiving the information.”

In a statement today, Prudential officials disagreed, saying the company cannot be held responsible for third parties who are sending the information to the wrong fax number.

“Prudential Financial’s fax number is accurately listed on all of our forms and communications,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “Effective immediately, North Regent RX will forward to Prudential Financial all faxes it has received, as well as any it may receive in the future.”

Initially, North Regent contacted the doctors’ offices, clinics and even patients directly when it received a fax meant for Prudential. But the company doesn’t have the resources to continue doing that, Baxmeyer said. “What happened was it became a point of distraction for us. It would have taken an effort that we were not capable of.”

According to Baxmeyer, North Regent in April offered to sell its toll-free number to Prudential for a fee that included the costs of acquiring and publicizing a new toll-free fax number for North Regent. Another option it suggested was for Prudential to give North Regent some sort of legal protection for receiving the unsolicited confidential information, he said.

Both requests were turned down by Prudential, which instead asked North Regent to simply forward all of the faxes it received back to Prudential via prepaid mail, Baxmeyer said. Prudential also informed North Regent that it had sent out a memo urging doctors offices and clinics to use extra caution when sending claims via fax.

John Pescatore, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said that Prudential cannot be held responsible for mistakes made by others. “In this case, the person who is sending out the information is the one that’s responsible. Prudential did not give them the wrong number.”

Faxes containing sensitive information often have disclaimers instructing recipients to either destroy the faxes or contact the sender in case they are sent to the wrong person. It is the responsibility of the recipient to destroy the faxes or follow any other instructions, Pescatore said.

Said Baxmeyer: “Our point of view is that it’s ridiculous to be sharing information that is sensitive in nature, whether financial or medical, by the use of faxes,” he said. “We want Prudential to realize that their technology is out of date, and they are not paying attention.”

Caption

Bob was too embarassed to tell his new girlfriend that her kisses sucked the life out of him.

(that sucks, I know. But now you have incentive to "one-up" me)