Sunshine Insight

Check Out the New Post

2009-02-08T17:02:00.001-08:00

Your Fashion Choices Just Aren't Working For You.

http://www.awkwardthingsmymothernevertaughtme.blogspot.com/

Check it out and pass it on!!

Reminder...

2009-02-04T15:44:00.001-08:00

Check out the latest post too...
http://www.awkwardthingsmymothernevertaughtme.blogspot.com/

Octuplets - Finally Something to Write About!!

2009-01-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

So I finally found an article that has inspired me or riled me up enough to share my opinion/get the discussion going on not my other two sites. As many of you have heard by now a woman gave birth to octuplets and she already had 6 kids. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4413804/Mother-of-octuplets-had-all-her-14-children-by-IVF.html

According to the article, she's divorce, the ex-husband is not the father of any of the kids, all 14 kids were through invitro fertilization, and she is on welfare while living with her parents. I'd like to call into question the ethics of the doctor who implanted her. Apparently the donor sperm for all 14 kids is from a neighbor who's since married and asked her not to use it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_re_us/octuplets
The yahoo article reports a friend says she's not on welfare. So perhaps she's not. But that came from a friend which is here say to me so is to be taken with a grain of salt. Either way she can't provide for them on her own without the assistance of her parents.

There are several ethical questions at play here of which whoever implanted her either has no ethical standards, or didn't bother to ask his patients one or two pertinent questions.

1. Shouldn't the non-anonymous donor have to sign off each time his donation is used? If the remaining embryos are not signed off on for her to use, then they have to both sign off on donation, elimination, or they will be frozen indefinitely. Or is this another situation where men don't have a say, they are just the poor schlubs dumb enough to go along for the ride?

2. Why are doctors implanting that many embryos at a time in one woman?

3. Why are they implanting anything when she is at risk for becoming a burden on society? ie she's already got 6 and she lives with her parents and has no husband to help care for them. At the very least, shouldn't it require her parents sign off that they will be financially responsible if she fails to be financially responsible herself?

What side of the ethics argument do you fall on? Do you care? If you were having IVF, how many embryos would you let the the doctor implant?
I leaves me to ponder, I wonder if her father had seen the 14 grandchildren in his future that he would be providing for, if he'd have just passed on having kids at all?

Recommended Movies

2009-01-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

There's a new awkward post on my awkward blog....
Go check it out...
http://www.awkwardthingsmymothernevertaughtme.blogspot.com/

Incidentally to give you something else to think about, consider, or entertain you, I saw two movies this weekend and I recommend both. I rarely see two movies in one month let alone two I think are good enough to tell the world to go see.

Gran Torino - That Clint Eastwood movie you might have seen commercials for
Defiance - true story - That Daniel Craig movie you might or might not have seen commercials for.

If you've seen them, let me know what you thought of them.

New Post

2009-01-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

There's a new post over on Awkward Things My Mother Never Taught Me called "How to Walk Like a Lady"...
as always until blog explosion approves it, this will be my method to get the word out on it and hopefully generate traffic.

Hope you enjoy and pass it on.

College Football Rocks!!!

2009-01-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

We are currently watching the Gator Bowl and hoping for Nebraska to pull out a big win. They are currently ahead by 2. I just wanted to say that college football is awesome and somehow better than professional football....Probably has something to do with the multi-million dollar egos.

check out the new blog as it is still pending on blog explosion.

http://www.awkwardthingsmymothernevertaughtme.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope your 2009 is fabulous!!

Writer's Block

2008-12-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

I know this happens to a lot of bloggers I'm sure. But in my block I got a great idea that warranted its own blog. So while I'm waiting for ideas for this one, check out my new blog since I can't list it yet...

Awkward Things My Mother Never Taught Me
http://awkwardthingsmymothernevertaughtme.blogspot.com/

awkward.blogspot was already taken...bummer...

Etiquette Question/Deep Thought or Whatever

2008-12-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Is it rude to politely decline a consumable such as tea, cookies, etc from someone if you know you won't consume it and will just throw it away once they are gone? This way it is not wasted.

Or is it better to politely accept it and then throw it away once they leave. What if they search your trashcan when you are away?

The New Word for Next Year

2008-11-30T05:12:00.000-08:00

I recently heard that the word for this year 2008, is bailout. This is followed by vet, vetted, or any derivitive. From my experience it would have to go to vetted. This is because I had never heard the term until this election season. As soon as I heard it, I noticed many people using it at work in meetings, unnecessarily I might add. I find both of these words obnoxious and irritating.

Anyway, I'm starting the ball rolling on next year's word of the year. With your help we can make this happen. I came up with it on a fluke in my boss's boss's office while explaining some numbers. The word is:

Dramastically - When Dramtically and Drastically just don't quite get the point across by themselves.

Examples:

The pain in my back is reduced dramastically when I do my stretching exercises.

The fiscal impact is changed dramstically when the new found circumstances are taken into account.

I like this word. I think it has a nice ring to it. And has definitely has a lower irritation factor than the words bailout and vetted. So join with me, let's put out a dramastic effort to make this the 2009 word of the year. People will think you're clever and funny as I got quite a laugh when I used it.

Man "Loses" Phone at McDonald's; Wife's Nekked Pictures on Internet; They Sue McDonald's

2008-11-24T17:40:00.000-08:00

Read the article.

Now I will discuss. Who takes nekked pictures of themselves with their cell phone over the age of 18? And who "looses" said cell phone in a public place? And if someone found that cell, would they really look for nekked pictures and then post them on the Internet?

My theory, and I know I'm not alone, is that husband and wife develop what they think to be a genius plot.
Step 1: Wife strips nekked
Step 2: Husband takes pictures with his phone in various "sexy" poses
Step 3: Husband goes to McDonald's for a Big Mac
Step 4: Take phone out of pocket
Step 5: Put phone on table while eating because you can't feel it vibrating in your pocket
Step 6: Finish stuffing face
Step 7: Get up to leave
Step 8: Leave phone clearly on the table
Step 9: Ignore any attempt to get your attention as you run as fast as you can to your car
Step 10: Speed off as fast as you can, not looking back
Step 11: Arrive home and call McDonald's
Step 12: Tell them you will come get the phone but whatever they do, don't look at the nekked pictures of your wife
Step 13: Retrieve the phone and return home
Step 14: Upload pictures to Internet
Step 15: Call sleazy lawyer and accuse McDonald's of causing you deep emotional distress and pain and suffering
Step 16: Call every paper in the country to tell them sob story
Step 17: Wait for Hugh Hefner to call
Step 18: Pimp wife out to pose for Playboy, her life long dream.
Step 19: Get divorced, because wife discovers she can do way hotter and richer than husband
Step 20: Go back to being poor schlub with nothing but your Big Mac to ease your pain and suffering.

That's how I envision it went/will go down. I'm sure I could be wrong. But I'd be shocked if I'm too far off their intentions.

Oh in case you didn't bother to read the article, this went down in Arkansas....Now does my version seem more likely??

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

Irish Cheddar Cheese

2008-11-23T19:35:00.001-08:00

Sometimes my husband and I like to have our version of a special light supper, which usually consists of smoked salmon, which was and still is a bit of an acquired taste for me, but nonetheless I try it, crackers, and some kind of special cheese. Sometimes we throw in some kind of veggie or fruit if we feel like it. I usually pick out the cheese, and I try to pick something new, yet hopefully something that won't be a complete waste of money. Meaning at least one of us will finish it. So I've never purchased Limburger cheese even in the name of trying it. I fear the smell of ass might ruin it for us. So I figure it's best just to avoid it.

This last time I saw some Irish Cheddar cheese and thought, hey, it's cheddar so it's familiar, it's Irish, so it's different and we've never tried Irish cheese to our knowledge. I couldn't go wrong with this right? Well. It's ok, but Jay didn't much care for it. It's more sharp than he likes, and for me it's ok but I'm not in love. And I LOVE cheese. Either way I'm determined not to let it go to waste, so I will eat it even if it kills me.

This cheese has been sitting in our refrigerator for almost 2 weeks maybe more I think. So tonight as I was making my lunch for tomorrow, I thought I better take some for lunch in an effort to get rid of it. So I pulled it out of the baggy it's in, and a smell much more pungent than I remember wafted up my nose. Surely my nose was just stuffed up the first time around, but it got worse as I cut it. I fully expect it to take on the smell of feet by the time lunch arrives tomorrow, because it was almost there tonight. I'm still determined not to let it go to waste. It's not that old. I'll just make sure to wash it down with grapes. Hopefully they will be fermented grapes so I can make it through the afternoon at work.

What's your favorite cheese? Mine's Pecorino.

Things I Hate/Things I Love

2008-11-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

Things I Hate (In no particular order)
-People wearing a blue tooth in their ear while not on the phone
-Rats
-My Job
-My Hair
-Stupidity
-Wasteful Spending
-Necessary Spending
-Swarms
-My Moments of Insanity
-Puss
-Insensitivity
-Inappropriate Sensitivity
-Hurting people's feelings
-Rejection
-Fear
-Gnats
-Shopping
-Speed Traps
-Speeding Tickets; especially for less than 11 miles over the limit
-My Feet
-Tooth Pain
-Food Poisoning
-Shoes
-My Irrationality
-Excuses
-Refusal to learn from mistakes
-Feeling trapped in a job
-That I'm not more of a risk taker
-Income Taxes
-Being Sad
-Not remembering details that other people do

Things I Love (In no particular order except the first 2)
-My Husband
-My Dog
-Ice Cream
-Thanksgiving
-My Friends
-My Family
-A good belly laugh
-A good sense of humor
-Having a genius moment of wit drawing roaring laughter from others
-Exercising
-$4 Sweaters
-Challenges
-Playing with dogs
-Sales Tax (as opposed to Income ala the Fair Tax)
-Being Outside
-Camping
-Religious Freedom
-Liberty
-Efficiency
-Being Valued
-Skiing (Snow and Water)
-Being Responsible
-Traveling
-How teenagers think they're soooo deep (I know I did)
-Lunch
-Brownies
-Cool Whip
-Nougat
-The Office (the TV show and the movie)
-Survivor
-Personal Responsibility
-Paying off debts
-Days off work
-America
-Good Memories
-Memory loss related to a painfully itchy allergic reaction to penicillin 11 years ago
-People who can be objective and open-minded
-Getting comments on my posts

Hated by a Rat

2008-11-19T15:50:00.000-08:00

There's a rat at work that's out to get me. Either the rat's a human or the rat's actually a rat. We have a rat problem so that's highly possible. I've seen them and heard the screaming women down the hall that they have terrorized. So the hate against me started with an ivy plant. If you didn't read about this in my prior post, feel free to do so.
http://sunshineinsight.blogspot.com/2008/09/psycho-plant-killer-on-loose.html

I'm upset at the finality of my plant. I had to throw out what was left because after there was nothing left but dirt and roots, I came in a couple of different mornings and there was dirt spread out on my desk around the plant. So I figure some human hates me enough to dig at my plant, which is very vengeful, or some rat hates me enough to dig at my plant. Perhaps in search of water or food or whatever. Either way it's hateful.

So I had one plant left on my desk. A poinsettia. Yesterday I came in and rather than full stems being torn off, there were several leaves that looked like they had bites taken out of them. I don't know any humans snacking on poinsettias, but I do work for the government, so you just never know. Aren't poinsettias poisonous? Well if a rat ate it I might have successfully got one!!! Which you'd think they'd be dropping like flies since there are poinsettias all over the place since someone gave them out last year for Christmas.

This morning I came in and there was a chewed up piece of gum discarded on my floor. It looked like extra spearmint. It was that bright greenish yellowish color. It was no where near my trash can. So either someone decided it would be a great idea to spit out their gum on my floor or the rat got into a piece of gum somewhere and is now chewing it, and had no good way of getting to the trashcan level to properly dispose of it.

WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU RAT???? What can I do to make amends? Or kill you. Whichever you prefer. Just leave me alone!!! Stay away from my desk!! NO RATS ALLOWED!!! Take your gum at get out of the building. I'll buy you some gum if you'll just leave. But beware, I will lace it with rat poison for your chewing pleasure.

What's Your Dream Job?

2008-11-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many people are actually getting paid to do their dream job. I am not one of those lucky people. It took me 30 years to narrow my dream job down to 2 possibilities on the complete opposite spectrum of jobs. One job thrives on donations or being independently wealthy and the other most likely gets paid a pretty hefty salary.

The first dream job is to rescue dogs from kill shelters that are about to get executed by virtue of not getting adopted by anyone. But I envision having my facility on several acres, living there with large indoor/outdoor kennels for the dogs and large open play areas for them during the day. Some of them may live there their whole lives, but hopefully most would find good homes to get adopted out to, but have a good loving resort-like interim home until they find their forever home.

This dream job makes me sound like a good, sweet, loving person doesn't it?

My other dream job is to be the consultant that goes into government agencies and cuts out the fat with an axe or butcher knife or whatever. I know it sounds like I want to lay off a bunch of people right? At times that may happen, however I've found working for the government that many jobs stay open for months and months and months without ever putting a strain on the people handling those responsibilities in the interim. In fact many of those people are bored, ask for more to do, get rejected so that an added position can be "justified." That's wasteful spending of your tax dollars, and it exists at the city, county, state, and federal level. Especially in agencies that have gotten so big and bureaucratic. So in essence, I want to be the person that eliminates wasteful spending in these government agencies and advises or teaches them how to make more efficient use with a reasonable amount of resources though methods such as cross training and delegation to name a couple.

Some of you will think this makes me sound like a horrible evil person. I respectfully disagree. I believe it's a job that helps governments be better stewards of your tax dollars.
So if you're with a consulting firm looking for a quality person like me, I can be reached at Lola's email address lolafrog@gmail.com.

What's your dream job? And are you currently getting paid for it or not?

Flashback

2008-11-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when I'm feeling uninspired to write anything sarcastic, thought provoking, or down right hilarious (insert sarcasm if you don't know me)...

This takes me back to my freshman year in high school I believe. That was probably the best year of high school for me even though I was a complete dork. You see that was my first year without the terribly big plastic rimmed glasses. You sight challenged people know what I'm talking about. On the first day of school I got to hold a senior guy's hand in a get to know everyone game. That set the tone for the whole year. I was now a cool dork. Cool in my imagination of course.

Anyways I still have my cassette tape single of this song. I have purchased very few singles in my life but this was one of the few special songs I got. In fact I popped it in not too long ago and danced around the house to it. I'm pretty sure Lola thought I was having a seizure. Take the time to remember what you were doing in 1992 as you enjoy this fabulous hit. I'm not really sure it was a hit....I may have been the lone fan of this song.

Men or Women - Which Makes the Better Boss?

2008-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I have come to learn over my many years of working, that I haven't quite figured out the answer to this question other than I think I would make the ideal boss. But I'm not sure I want to find out what other people think about that. So far of all the bosses I've had (meaning the ones in authority to give me raises, fire me, etc etc..) I think I would prefer to be my own boss.

This is because they can both be moody and take it out on you if they choose. Both can be sexist towards men or women. Both can be mean and bitchy. Both can be passive to a fault meaning they refuse to deal with personnel issues if it means confronting an employee about bad behavior. Both can take credit for your work or throw you under the bus if it benefits them. Both can hold you back in your career. Both can chip away at employee morale. I'm sure there are many other things they both can do, but I have listed characteristics of my bosses. They didn't all exhibit all of these characteristics, nor were they each without their good qualities.

I guess that means I have yet to have that exceptional boss that will bend over backwards to keep me from moving on. Maybe that means I'm a terrible employee. If I am, I have yet to be told that. I did have one boss that did all she could at raise time to keep us happy, but she wasn't in a very powerful position to get us more or help me advance in the company. In fact she was removed as my boss during a "reorganization" and I got sent to the boss from hell. On a good day she could be really nice and fun and offer good advice and encouragement, but you never assumed that today would be one of those rare days so as to remember to live in fear at work. But I can even find things about her that I preferred to some of the male I've had as bosses. But then they have had qualities I've preferred to many of hers

So what do you all think? Do Men or Women make better bosses? Or are you in the same boat as me and haven't figured it out yet?

Lola's Corner - I WENT CAMPING!!!!!

2008-11-06T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone and welcome back to my corner. I haven't been chatting with you as much because I've been busy campaigning for the presidency. But it can slow down now that I have another 4 years to go.

Also no one has been sending me pictures of their pets to post so I haven't had much to say. But if you want to send me pics of your beloved pets send them to lolafrog@gmail.com.

So I went camping for the first time ever last weekend and I had a BLAST!!! I was wore out by the time we got home though. I hope you enjoy my pictures...

This is me by the campfire

This is me about to eat a hot dog. YUMMY!!!

This is me looking for that dang armadillo. I scared the poo out of that thing.

This is a deer's butt

I promise I did not take a poo in front of the tent. But it's funny since I look like I am!

Aren't I just the cutest thing you ever saw?

Daddy thinks these were migrating whooping cranes. They circled for a bit but never landed so we didn't get a great look at them. Either way they were neat.

This is me after my bath since I got so filthy camping. I was very tired and napped the rest of the day

New Kids Concert Reviews

2008-11-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

This is officially an open forum for you to post your review of the New Kids on the Block Concert reviews for those of you that went. My friends that were going have now all gone to my knowledge and from what I could tell they had a great time. They should feel free to correct me if I misinterpreted that.

In the meantime, I leave you with this...

My favorite part is where they sing
"oh oh oh Amber's my cover girl oh oh oh...oh oh oh"
My second favorite part is where Donny says "Bass"
That's so cool...

The Best Time of the Year

2008-11-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

How many of you are glad halloween is over? I know I must be the halloween grinch, but as we are childless, we shut our lights off and run for the back with no intention of answering the door if it rings. This year we went camping. Apparently Satan's minions like to go camping too. Apparently there were a bunch of witches camping mere yards from us. Not in our loop, but close enough to be loud obnoxious and well chanty. Lesson learned: next time the crazy old lady or man running the check in desk at the rural state park tells you you don't want to go over there because there's a bunch of witches over there, THEY AREN'T YANKIN' YOUR CHAIN!!! Luckily I didn't have confirmation of this until after making it through the night as I wasn't the one that checked in. Thank God for husbands that spare you that kind of information so as to not freak you out. I slept very well, except for the few times Lola woke me up growling at something sneaking around in the brush. I just hope those witches weren't after us. Who knew witches went camping on halloween??? Shouldn't they be giving out candy or something??? I think I saw some in the bathroom and their outfits were nothing like the costumes they sell in the store. I saw no brooms, pointy hats, black robes, or long crooked noses. So how was I to know??? Glad I didn't...until the next day.

I apologize, I got sidetracked. This is about the best time of the year. Thanksgiving is coming and I don't know about you all but it's the one Holiday that the greeting card, candy, and miscellaneous retail companies haven't hijacked for their pleasure. It's the one Holiday where you get to look forward to a day or two off of work, getting together with family and/or friends, relaxing, eating and having a good time without the pressure of gifts, cards, or spending money you don't want to spend. If you're lucky, you don't have to worry about making it to all extended family Thanksgiving dinners. If you're not that lucky, I'd find a way to work out just one. It's so much easier to put that off until Christmas when there's often a little more time, and usually a little more flexibility on when to get together.

Anyways I love Thanksgiving. I love looking forward to it. And I hate to see it go when it's over. Because that means a mad dash to start and or finish Christmas shopping. I'd enjoy Christmas a lot better if it were more like Thanksgiving. That's not to say I don't enjoy giving or getting, but it gets more complicated when you start a family of your own and still have expectations within your former family unit and take on a new family unit. Luckily I like to think that siblings are understanding of this dilemma and are OK with just getting together and enjoying each others company. But every family's different. Hence why I like Thanksgiving better. Less pressure.

So HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! Enjoy it as long as possible because before you know it it will all be over.

What's In A Name?

2008-10-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is inspired by the name of a man I recently heard who's name was Winter. Parents, please don't name your sons after a season of the year. This should be reserved for girls names only. Wanna know why? Your sons won't be taken seriously and the only job they will get is either in a band or waiting tables. Both of which can earn a livable wage if they turn out to good at either one of them. But what if they want a office job sitting at a desk all day? Or what if they want a blue collar job building houses or working on cars. Unless they go into business for themselves, they aren't likely to be taken seriously enough to even get those jobs because they'll be perceived as girly and it will be your fault, not theirs. Remember this next time you decide to have a child and be all "hippyish" when naming them.

So I was inspired to going on the social security administration's website to look at the most popular names for 2007. This is because 2008 isn't finished yet. The longest list you can get is for the 1000 most popular names. So I'm going to run through some of the names that popped out and me as bad for naming your kid and why.

The next problem I have for boys names after seasons of the year is the "creative spelling" of a popular name in an effort to make your son "unique." Take for example the name Jackson. It's a good strong name for a boy to grow into a man. But how's he supposed to do that if you spell it Jaxon or Jaxson? That's probably not the worst example but you get where I'm going. Jackson is the 33rd most popular boys' name. If the other two in the list had just spelled it right, it would only move it up a few spots. Or let me guess you plan on calling him Jax right? Because what's more soap opera than Jax? I'm sure we'll get to some. Perhaps a better example with the creative spelling is with the name Cameron. I really like this name for a boy or a girl. But leave the K's and the Y's and the I's and what ever other unique way to spell it to the girls. Because in the future if someone sees the name Kamryn, Kamren, Kameryn, or Cameryn on a resume, they are going to be expecting a girl to show up to the interview and when they seek a guy, it's going to screw with their head, and it will be difficult for them to see what value they bring to the table because they will be stuck wondering whether or not this is a "girly-man" who will cry if their feelings get hurt. So there's my peace on the creative spellings. When it comes to your sons, Just Say No!!!

Name them after your sports heroes.
Colt and Jamarcus come to mind since they both popped up on the 2007 list. Colt being the quarter back for Texas Longhorns and Jamarcus the recently went pro quarter back for the LSU Tigers who went 1st in the draft when he went pro. This is sensitive ground because everyone is going to think you named your kid after them even if you deny it until your blue in the face, especially if you happen to be a fan of the team. What happens if they fail you in some big way such as being a huge failure, or breaking the law in a big way and becoming a huge disappointment to you. Well now your son is stuck with this name you gave them that you associate with a fallen hero. How's he supposed to live with that pressure?

Cale or Kale or Sage - Why would you name your son after a vegetable or spice?
Kane or Cane - Do you want him to be called Candy Cane for the rest of his life?
Kolby or Colby - It's cheese. Proceed at your own risk.
Elvis - Really? Shouldn't that name be retired like sports teams retire numbers?
King - What are you Michael Jackson? Why didn't you just name him blanket?
Finnegan or Finley - Not unless you plan on bringing them up with a British accent.
Krish - What kind of a name is this?
Lyric - How is your son not going to turn out girly with a name like Lyric?
Addison - Has this not been established as a girl's name?
Atticus - I know I'm probably in the minority here but this isn't Ancient Rome!!
Seamus - It was on the list I swear. Do I really have to say anything about it?
Maxim - What? your plan is to have a lot of hot naked girls on your son? Why not just name him Playboy?
Stone or Slade - Just because you give your son a soap opera name, doesn't guarantee him a soap opera job in the future. They have to have good genes too.

I'm sure there were more on the list that I could have jumped on like the many many many different ways to spell Jayden. And I'm sure there are some better names that aren't on the 1000 most popular names list. Thankfully so. And while I love creativity, I think there is less creative license when it comes to naming your son then when it comes to naming your daughter. Although I'm sure I will go over that list one of these days and scrutinize it as well. I just think you ought to think about the potential abuse your kid could face as a result of the name you intend to give them. Think this stuff through before putting it in writing. Feel free to ask perfect strangers about it to get objective feed back. But let me advise you to take a random sampling and don't just stop after getting one or two answers you like. And make sure to ask a man how he'd feel about having that name.

Give your son a chance to grow into a man. Don't stunt him by giving him a weak or girly name.

Flashback

2008-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since I'm technologically challenged I haven't figured out how the more technologically advanced put you tube videos on their blog. Feel free to tell me how I can do this for future reference.

Take the 3 minutes or so to listen to/watch this. You won't regret it. You might find it difficult to resist getting off your butt and dancing. This will take you back to 1994 according to wikipedia. High school for me. It's well worth your time if you like to take a trip down memory lane. Even though this particular song doesn't have any memories associated with it for me. Just dancing around in my room like fool when it came on the radio.

Lola's Corner - A Day Early

2008-10-21T18:50:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome back to my corner. Today I'm going to rant about the stupid woman at the dog park. She was a big kill-joy. She took all the fun out of my day. Not really. I had a blast there in spite of her. And she showed up at the end after I was all wore out, but that doesn't excuse her kill-joy behavior.

I was playing with her dog (not pictured here), and we were wrastling just playing around like we dogs do. Well we were both up on our hind legs hugging each other, because this is what we boxers do with dogs that oblige our method of play. Anyways Kill-Joy makes an exasperated statement "who's boxer is this?" My mommy spoke up with pride and Kill-Joy rudely says to her "get your dog off my dog." To which mommy defended both of us by saying "they are just playing." To which Kill-Joy says "I know but that's how my dog can get aggressive."

Well why did you bring your dog to the dog park lady!?!?!? And let me just point out, Kill-Joy, that I am a wee bit bigger than your dog and I can handle myself. Maybe you ought to just let your dog have a little fun once in awhile and it wouldn't get "aggressive" as you say. Or maybe it just gets "aggressive" because you over react and intervene any time he/she plays rough with another dog. We're dogs, that's what we do!!!! We play rough with each other, but we know our limits. Way to go Kill-Joy. I hope you're happy with yourself. I wonder how many other dogs you ran off because your dog just wanted to play with them. Is that how you are or were with your kids? Oh no!!! Can't let them play. They might have fun....We'd hate for fun to suddenly start happening....

Kaui Part Deux

2008-10-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Or Koo-eye as Matthew McConaughey says it

Even the chickens like to golf on Kaui

Technology Arrogance

2008-10-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer....the following opinion doesn't apply to everyone...so don't bother telling me you're the exception to my opinion...I know you are...you and everyone else...

I'm of the opinion that technology has led to decrease in productivity by many people who use it improperly rather than to increase their efficiency. There's no doubt in my mind that computers have increased productivity and efficiency and made our jobs better. However with the era of the blackberry (aka crackberry), iPhone, and other cellphone devices that allow you to check email, the Internet, and whatever else you want while on the go, I believe most people using these are actually experiencing a decrease in efficiency.

We've all been in meetings where one or two people don't bother to pay attention to what's being said and are constantly emailing, texting, or they must answer their phone either in the meeting or excuse themselves. And while I agree that most meetings are pointless if they last longer than 20 or 30 minutes, that doesn't give you a pass to be rude to the other attendees and prolong the meeting further while they wait for you to return.

And perhaps you've been to the office of someone that must answer the phone every time it rings or work will cease if they don't. Well what about work ceasing if you do?

So my simple theory is that technology has given those that abuse it the false sense of arrogance that business can't go on without them at that moment. Everyone NEEDS them. Granted everyone needs them to do their jobs, but when they are so scattered that they can't complete anything in a timely matter because they aren't paying attention to meetings, constantly answering the phone, allowing themselves to get distracted from what they are doing at the moment, then what good are they?

For these people technology has led to their inefficiency. Yet because they have been given these devices, they are suddenly irreplaceable. What happened to the old saying that "No One is Irreplaceable?" Let the phone go to voicemail once in awhile. You aren't expected to be at your desk at all times. You aren't too important for the meeting you are at, otherwise you shouldn't have bothered to come and sent someone in your place, so pay attention.

Must Read

2008-10-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

This isn't meant to overshadow my previous genius thought. But you must read this story of a woman in India who defended herself from a psycho. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27234386/ Good for her!!

LUCKNOW, India - A woman chopped off the head of a man who allegedly tried to attack her and then paraded it through a market in northern India, police said Friday.

Police arrested the woman late Thursday after receiving calls from frightened witnesses who reported a blood-soaked woman holding a severed head while walking through the village, said police officer Ram Bharose.

The woman, 35, told police she had gone to a nearby forest to cut grass for fodder for her cattle when a man attacked her from behind.

No regrets
"In a bid to save her dignity she beheaded him with a sickle," Bharose said, adding that the woman had bite marks on her neck and cheek.

The woman also told police that the man had been harassing and stalking her for three months and she had no regrets about killing him, Bharose said, adding that she would probably be charged with culpable homicide.

The incident took place in Makkapurva village, some 125 miles southeast of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Deep Thought or Too Much Time on My Hands

2008-10-17T14:26:00.001-07:00

Sometimes wish I could DVR my dreams so that I could catch up on the ones I missed. Or re watch the ones that were so crazy so I could confirm that I did indeed dream that. Am I alone in that?

Deep Thought, or Just Plain Judgemental?

2008-10-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

If everyone put as much effort into paying off debt and saving as the put into decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines (yes I've seen Valentines decorations), and Easter, would this country still be in such financial trouble?

Hawaii - Volcano

2008-10-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from Volcanoes National Park. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed being there. It was kind of a cloudy day up top, hence the foggyesque pictures.

These are steam vents

Crater we hiked down into and out of

Lava Tube

Where the Lava flows into the Ocean.

Lola's Corner - Help Bring a Dog Home From Iraq

2008-10-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to an early edition of my corner.
You may or may not have heard of this news today on CNN both TV and website. The link below is to the web article and pictures.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/14/iraq.puppy.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Basically there is a soldier that saved a puppy in Iraq (see the story for details) and she basically adopted it while there. Apparently her tour is up soon and she wants to bring the pup back with her but the military is making it difficult. I don't know the details and I'm not convinced there isn't some kind of slant to either article making the military sound evil. Operation Bagdad Pups is the organization shown in the below petition link has brought 50 cats and dogs to the U.S. from Iraq in the last 8 months, so we know exceptions have been made.

If you'd like to sign the petition or write to this soldiers senators and congressman, to urge them to help her, the information you need is in the following link.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/clemency-for-ratchet

Tony, It's Time to Dump Jessica

2008-10-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

I can't keep my mouth shut, so for those of you that would rather not hear my hot sports opinion, bear with me or scroll down to another favorite post.

I know that die hard and casual Cowboys fans like to blame Jessica when Tony screws up a game. And while he wasn't the only one who screwed up yesterday, his mistakes single handedly cost them the game. This isn't Jessica's fault. As far as I can tell she quit showing up to the game or at least jumping around in front of the cameras for all to see. She is who she is and in order to stay relevant, she needs to have all the photo ops she can. She is a professional celebrity unless she can prove a success in country music. Personally whoever taught her to do that stupid thing with her voice (you know what I'm talking about if you've ever listened to her) that took away from her actual singing ability is to blame for her struggling music career rather than a successful one.

But I digress..

Tony's problem, as I see it (and I'm sure I'm not the first to think it), is that he has come to enjoy "being a celebrity" that he's forgotten how to "be a football player." He needs to put anything in his life that's a distraction to "being a football player" so he can focus on doing his job. That is if he likes doing his job. Because remember Tony, it was doing your job that made you a celebrity. And you've changed your focus from doing you job to being a celebrity. Let me make something real clear to you. YOU CAN MAKE MORE MONEY BEING A FOOTBALL PLAYER THAN A CELEBRITY!!!! So let it go. There are plenty of other football players that keep a low profile and show up every week and do their job. That's all we're asking of you. So if that means you don't date for the next 10 years fine. Or if you can handle dating, fine. Just don't date anyone that calls the paparazzi every time you go out. In fact don't go out. You make enough money to stay in. Just a thought....And don't date someone that blabbering about how much you all are in love when there are rumors flying about you're talking to her nemesis/your ex fling or whatever that was...We don't want to hear about you in the tabloids, gossip, or anything else not related to football.

So shape up or ship out Romo...

Deep Thought or Technical Question

2008-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

If I wanted to "kick someone off the Internet" could I do that? How would I go about doing that? or vice versa, what steps would one have to take to indeed "kick me off the Internet?" hmmm

If You're Not Watching the Office, You Should Be

2008-10-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen tonight's episode and don't want me to spoil one of the funny lines for you, then stop reading and scroll down to a previous post.

So Michael is having a discussion with the new HR rep Holly about a disagreement they are having over whether or not an employee's actions warrant firing. Michael says to her, "I don't want my employees to worry that their performance affects their jobs." I might not have an exact quote there but the sentiment is there. As soon as he said that I thought, he should get a job with the government, then he wouldn't have to worry about their jobs being affected by their performance. Because they don't care.

Anyways very funny and if you still haven't started watching the show you should. It's in reruns on TBS (I think) on Tuesday nights. It's well worth watching. Give up one of your crappy shows if need be.

Random Thought

2008-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

As I was walking the future president of these United States this evening, I noticed all the halloween decorations that people have put out in their yards. You know all the plastic skeletons, some hanging from trees and some in parts in the yard. I thought to myself, what if they aren't plastic at all? What if they were real human bones? Would anyone notice?

Then I just thought about candy. Because I like it.

2008-10-06T14:29:00.001-07:00

These are pictures of Kaui. Or as we learned Matthew McConaughey's pronunciation "kooo-eye"...it's really fun to say. Anyways we weren't there this year but were lucky enough to get to go a few years back and really enjoyed it. If you get the chance to go and are looking for a relaxing good time Kooo-eye a really nice place to go.

Why I Love and Hate the Biggest Loser

2008-10-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of the Biggest Loser and love to watch the amazing transformations people go through as they learn to take care of themselves and take responsibility for their lives and their health. I think it's doing a great service, and I hope inspiring people to get healthy.

The only thing I hate about it, is that they send someone home after the first week of working with a trainer. It takes longer than a week to form a habit and change your behaviors. Add onto that, many of them have very low self-esteems and just get angry and defensive when they get voted off and many times they have gained the weight back.

I think they need hold off on the sending people home until they have had a month with the trainer to learn and then form good habits to live a healthy live and teach their families what they have learned. I think they would have a higher success rate and I wouldn't feel so sad yet worried for the first 4-5 people that get sent home.

Lola's Corner - Meet Balboa And Jack

2008-10-01T15:27:00.001-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my corner. It's been awhile. No one has sent me pictures until now. I made some new friends at the dog park. They are lots of fun. And contrary to how some of them look Jack is not hurting us. At least not that either of us complained to our parents. We just hang out and have a good time. Their my friends.

First I'd like to introduce you to Balboa. He's my other boyfriend. You know the one that hangs around. Showing up is half the battle for being my boyfriend. The other half is being cute and playing with me in equal proportion. Isn't he cute. He's older. By about a month. But I'm taller and longer. But he's beefier. He's so sweet to me.

This is our other friend Jack. Here's Jack and Balboa playing. Jack is about a year old. He can be snippy but he's actually very nice when you give him a chance and get to know him.

I promise, we're just playing. It's how we play.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Balboa and Jack as much as I have enjoyed becoming friends with them.

Send me pics of your pets domestic or wild to lolafrog@gmail.com.

Love,
Lola

Infuriating Carry-On Luggage

2008-09-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

I realize that I may be alone here, and I realize my infuriation is probably due to the recent charging of the checked-in bags. But seriously, charging for the checked bags is not the answer to the problem of high gas prices. Here's why.

Let's take our return trip home as an example. It was already delayed by 2 hours which rescheduled everyone's connecting flights if they were indeed connecting. We were in that group. So we were already going to get home several hours later than planned. Everyone on the freaking plane except us (maybe not everyone but most) had one of those rolling suitcases that are approximately 2x3x1.5 give or take on the dimensions. But you get an idea of what I'm talking about. This was not a jumbo jet and the flight was full. So there is limited overhead space.

When the plane arrived and they started boarding, everyone, well most everyone, was anxious to get the show on the road and get out of there. Maybe just us, as I rethink the surrounding peripherals right before boarding. You know people talking loudly to others around them trying to show off just how witty and awesome they are while the rest of us are trying to hear the announcements from the gate agents. That kind of crap. Then when we are lining up in our groups to board, someone decides to tell someone to board in his group, presumably because he was hoping to pick up this chick who I'm sure he'd formed a lasting bond with in the airport after a few hours of delayed waiting around. Because boarding with her will give him that extra few minutes to "seal the deal" with her. Obviously.

Back to the bags. So we're boarding and everyone has to find a place for their suitcase overhead. This is not a problem if you're in the first few groups. However as time goes on the line slows down as people having a more difficult time finding a place for their suitcase by their seat. And if you are in the last group like we were, the line was inching along by then. Not to mention I still had to put up with the ridiculous chatter of the ever so witty and interesting people around me that just happened to be in the same group or in the group in front of us. Oh the insanity.

So we finally get to our seat and once we got there, it was a quick process because our carry-ons fit underneath the seat in front of us. Did I forget to mention that the gate agents did a terrible job of enforcing the one carry-on and one personal item to go underneath the seat in front of you? This was on all of our flights on the way home which happened to be mostly full.

While we're sitting there waiting impatiently for the rest of the line to stash their bags and find their seats, the last guy seems to be wandering aimlessly around like a chicken with his head cut off. The flight attendant asks him to please find his seat and he says he doesn't know where it is. WHAT!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!! were you born on this island and this is your first time venturing off of it???? Not buying it if that's what you're selling. So she helps him and somehow even though the seat number he said was not behind us, he ends up sitting right behind us. Right next to a fruity lady who actually had the nerve to make the comment to him "That's ok, we waited on them, now they can wait on us." YOU ARE THE TWO NUT-JOBS PREVENTING THE PILOT FROM LEAVING!!!!!

It took all the restraint I had to keep from turning around and strangling them while shouting, "YOU ARE MAKING THE REST OF US WAIT, WHO ALSO HAD TO WAIT ON THEM TWO, AND YOU ARE MAKING THE REST OF US WAIT TOO!!!!! NOW MOVE YOU UNTHOUGHTFULLY SLOW MORONS!!!" Or something along those lines.

Anyways I propose a new baggage policy. If you're hurting to make more money, charge people for the any carry-on they want to take on that won't fit underneath the seat in front of them, not the 2 checked bags. This will take care of the delays that are most likely happening as a result of charging for the checked bags. And take care of the space issues on board that are now arising from this. Also if you have a carry on policy such as one and one, enforce it. So many people had way more than one overhead suitcase and one personal item.

I actually have another solution but it's related to a completely different problem and will have to wait for another day or a high-paying job with one of the airlines. But it would revolutionize the airline industry and solve more than one problem.

What's in a Name?

2008-09-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

So this would normally be Lola's Corner but since no one has sent her any pet pics to lolafrog@gmail.com, she's going to take a break and I'm going to fill in for her this week. So send her some pics of your pets for next week...

So before going to the airport on our way home from vacation, we stopped at a book store to waste some time. So I found the book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner which I thoroughly intend to read in its entirety one day since I'm a sucker for numbers, economics, and some things freaky.

I turned to a chapter that analyzed baby names and various things like economic status of their parents and education level of their parents. I'm sure there were more but we were about to leave and this was what I had time to look at. I apparently have a name that indicates I'm poor, dumb, white trash. Hmmm...Amber, Who knew? Let me guess Sunshine as a middle name isn't helping matters is it?

Actually, for the time period I was born I don't think it necessarily said it was a name from uneducated and poor parents but during the 90's it some how became very synonymous with uneducated and poor parents. So I wonder if that means when people look at my name on my resume I get judged unfairly because they think "with a name like that she can't possibly be smart and efficient, she couldn't have possibly have credible education or experience, we just won't waste our time meeting her to get the scoop."

Let's explore this further. The meaning of Amber. Did you see the first Jurassic Park? You know the good one. Here's what I learned amber is. Sap. There goes Amber that poor sap. Now let's explore Sunshine. If I had a dollar for every time I was asked if my parents were hippies after someone looked at my license, I could probably retire. Oh if only I could charge for the answer to that question. The answer is no, but that's what people thought when they saw Amber Sunshine on my license. "Her parents must be crazy hippies." They might me crazy but they certainly were about as far from being hippies as you could get. That said I am crazy. But my parents are super smart and by no means were we poor growing up. I'm guessing pretty average. We always had a house to live in, food to eat, clothes on our back. Both of my parents have educations beyond college. one a masters and one some kind of computer programing certification. They raised me with the expectation that I would go to college. And I did.

Maybe I'm just not living up to my name. My standards may be too high and I may need to lower my expectations of myself. *Insert sarcasm if you don't get that I'm sarcastic*
Anyways I'm pretty dang proud of my name and I wouldn't change it even if that meant the job of my dreams. Unless someone's making me an offer. After all, everything's negotiable.

Psycho Plant Killer on the Loose

2008-09-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a before and after picture of this true story I'm about to share with you. This starts in May of 2007. I was given a plant for my birthday by one of my coworkers. You know, one of those generic ivy plants that you can essentially grow from a leaf I think. It was of small contained size in a small pot. A very nice gesture I thought. So I put it on my desk to clean the stale air we breath in hopes that I didn't accidentally kill it, as I'm terrible with plants and generally hate them because they always seem to be a breeding ground for gnats. But I knew this was caused by over watering.

I quickly learned that I could water it when it would start to turn yellow and it would green right back up and continue to grow. This plant has been thriving under my care for the last year and some months and has grown some nice long green leafy stems. It was a nice little plant when I got it and it grew into and nice big plant. I was very proud at the fact that I didn't kill it.

So I arrive back at work from vacation on Monday of this week and low and behold some stems have obviously been torn off at the dirt line. Some are completely gone but one of the decapitated stems was left behind. Who does that?!?!?! Psycho, Insane, Ass Munch!!! (I'm sorry that had to be said. I apologize if that offends anyone). Oh and one stem appears to have been torn off at the middle and the remaining leaves were removed. But there are still two perfectly nice stems left. I'm thinking this must be a joke but it really isn't funny. Lock me out of my computer and put my personal things in a box to make me think I'm fired. That would be funny. But cut up my plant, that's an invasion of my personal space. What else of mine are you helping yourself to???

So today I arrive and the last to perfectly good stems are ripped off. One left behind and one gone. Oh the naked half-stem is still there. I'm really expecting the last decapitated stem, which I put in water (I don't know why because as mentioned before I'm not one for plants and so transplanting it will not likely be done with my hands) and the the half stem to be gone tomorrow.

This is not the workings of a practical joker. This is the working of a psychotic imbecile who will rue the day I catch them. I put a note on the pot "Beware, camera now watching for psychos," I hope they read that and tremble with fear and bring me a new plant with a sincere apology.

I like to think of it as a metaphor for income redistribution. Ohhh Amber had too nice of a plant and someone else doesn't have one at all so I'm going to take it from her and give it to them because she's clearly capable of growing a new one. Well what about the hard work I put into growing that plant you nutjob? What about that?

Furious, Just Livid

Oh this happened to my coworker a month or more back. Hers was a single stem I believe and so it was cut down in stages. We suspected the boss and grilled him on it. He denies it but I think we know he did it. I asked him about my plant and he swears he didn't do it. To which I told him the police had already been there and dusted for prints so we'll know shortly if it was him. Then he said that was why he burned off his prints...DANGIT!!! I just thought of something, if there are no prints it's definitely him. I made it very clear to him that it's psychotic and NOT FUNNY...Well maybe it is now...but not to me... He has no motive to harm my plant so I believe him.

But still I wonder....Is there a serial plant killer on the loose???

Hawaii - Pearl Harbor

2008-09-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

These pictures are of/from the USS Arizona Memorial and then the USS Missouri Battleship now retired in Pearl Harbor. Both are very humbling and educational. For those of you non-history buffs like me, the USS Missouri is where the peace treaty to end WW2 was signed. It served in the Korean War, and the Persian Gulf War as well before it was decommissioned in 1992 and brought to Pearl Harbor in 1998. We have many more pictures from that day and I may or may not decide to share them with you as I sort through them. Enjoy!

How Many Babies Can One Plane Handle?

2008-09-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well the answer to that question is more than you would care hear screaming at one time.

So we just got back on our vacation. We went to Hawaii because we belong to the elite rich that write checks to the government every year after we get our return back because we simply don't pay enough taxes and wish they'd raise our taxes and take more of our money so we wouldn't feel so guilty about being so rich. *insert sarcasm on more than one front*

Anyways since we don't have children of our own we are learning many lessons should we decide to have kids. The lesson we learned this trip was don't take your baby on a 5 or 8 hour plane trip. Because your screaming baby that apparently wasn't given enough Benedryl will irritate the other passengers around you no matter how cute he or she is. And you know what else will irritate them? You prancing up and down the isles with you baby as if to show the whole plane "look how darn cute my kid is, and oh, look how skinny I am after having a baby!!!" WE DON'T CARE. All we care about is that you have now blocked our line of vision for the terrible, yet time-consuming movie that is showing for our entertainment. MOVE!!!!!

I understand that sometimes babies need to fly places and I can tolerate them on short flights. And I sympathize with the parents that clearly dread the fact that they needed to get somewhere faster than a car will allow them to go. But these are flights that last no more than 2 hours. I've decided that the hours you brave taking your kid on a flight should correlate with his/her age. If it's less than 5 years old, don't take it to Hawaii by way of Los Angeles.

I seriously question the benefit of taking a child on a trip that they will not have any warm fuzzy memories of. Take it camping, take it to grandma and grandpa's house, unless they live in Hawaii. Then let Grandma and Grandpa come and visit for the first few years of it's life. I'm not kidding. Unless you are willing to give them an OD of Benedryl or something else you've discovered that knocks them out for at least 5 hours.

Oh but you see, our flight over was 8 hours because we went through Dallas. That is the plane that had at least 7-8 babies all under the age of 2 on it. REALLY? Your kid can't wait a couple of years to visit Hawaii? I don't care if you're doing it because you can. Congratulations!! That's not the point. The reason those of us without kids take vacations after school is in, is to avoid kids. Not because we don't like them. But because we can't stand the ones that are allowed to be bratty. We forgot about the babies that probably find a plane ride torturous to begin with and their parents who insist on taking them to Hawaii.

OH well...we've decided to have quintuplets and take them all to Australia by ourselves when they are oh 6 months to a year old. I just need to make sure all those parents on our flights there and back are also on that plane so they can get a taste.

Before you jump down my throat about how insensitive and horrible I am, please refer to the paragraph in green above.

The Best Of...While I'm on Vacation

2008-09-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Check out some of my favorite posts that you may have missed out on.

What Happened to Dignity?
Econ 101 - Taxes
Why I Love The Office; And Why You Should Too!!
What's Wrong With Our Education System?
Mandatory Birth Control...What A Concept!!
Lola's Corner - Why Dogs Eat June Bugs, Poo, and Other Disgusting Things
What Would You Do If You Were President?
Pimps and Unions; Aren't They Really The Same?
I'm an ENTP - What Are You?
Fairytale Weddings...Time For a Reality Check Ladies
I Was Right and the Lawyer was WRONG!!!
Since When Did Criminals Become Victims?
One Naive Dad
Movies That Made Me Cry - Or Still Do

For those of you that don't want to click on one of the above links, check this one out.

The Fair Tax, It's Really That important...

I will on a fairly regular basis, reprint my write up on the Fair Tax. Or at least the meat of it. This is because I believe that it's so important that we all become aware just how badly our current tax system is screwing us over, and just how win-win the Fair Tax is as a solution to the problem. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have on it either in the comments or at lolafrog@gmail.com. Unless you have my regular email address. Then you can send questions there. This is something that I hope people will run across from time to time and become interested in.

I know that you all are smart enough to know that the government takes income taxes out of your check each time you get paid; taxes for income, Medicare, and social security. This is taken out for your convenience so you hopefully won’t have to write a check to the government at tax time. But it’s really a dirty trick to make you look forward to getting a refund and to forget about how much you actually pay in taxes every year. Most people of my generation already have accepted the fact that we won’t see a penny of our social security when retirement comes around. Either that or they’ll raise the “retirement age” to 90 before you can collect your social security. The problem is when the issue of privatizing social security comes up, we the people freak out in outrage because apparently letting the government control your money is much less risky than letting you decide who to help you invest it.

My intent with this is to simplify the Fair Tax enough to spark your interest to learn more about it. Basically speaking, it is a national sales tax that replaces the current income tax system that is such a drain on us today. The Fair Tax will do several things to stimulate your own personal economic situation as well as the macro U.S. economic situation.

Here’s what it will do for you and your family.
-You will keep 100% of your paycheck (I don’t know about you, but I can spend my money better than the government does)
-Medicare and Social Security stay in tact and your interest is still funded
-You will get a prebate (a check) every month based on the # of people in your house to cover the fair tax amount on basic needs regardless of income
-The cost of goods and services you use now will should stay about the same after the fair tax is calculated, if not go down
-You pay taxes only when you choose to consume
-Eliminate the tax deadline and the costs associated with filing the taxes that you already pay-Eliminates inheritance taxes, gift taxes, capital gains taxes, and all other ridiculous methods the government uses to rob you and your family on a daily basis
-Increases your ability to save tax free

Here’s what it will do for the U.S. Economy.
-Bring jobs that were sent overseas back to the U.S.
-Encourage global companies to set up shop in the U.S. providing more jobs to Americans
-Corporations will not have to pay income taxes either, thereby driving down the cost of goods and services since we know that corporations don't pay taxes, people do
-Collects taxes from tourists, illegals, and non-income earners every time they consume
-Takes the power from the federal government and puts it in the hands of the people

I can’t go into every detail here but I’m going to explain one very important thing as many people don’t understand this. Since you pay income taxes and the company you work for pays income taxes and other taxes just to have you as an employee, these costs are worked into the final price of the goods or services they offer. Their job is to make money not break even. (Even non-profits are not completely in the business of breaking even, because where would executives get their big fat bonuses?) So any increased cost a company faces, including tax increases on them, is passed on to you the consumer already. Corporations can't pay taxes because they are merely an infrastructure by which to collect and pass on taxes to the federal government, such as when you are paid every month. If those taxes go away, the cost of goods and services drop. The reason your goods and services will stay about the same is because these imbedded taxes will be removed and implemented in the form of the fair tax. But remember you’re now taking home 100% of your paycheck and keeping it, rather than 80%-90% or less of it. And you are receiving a check from the government every month to cover the taxes for the basic needs of your family.

One other important piece of information for you to ponder that should spark your interest. The fair tax is only collected once on brand new items. If you buy a used car or a used house, it isn’t collected, because all of those taxes were already collected the first time around.Here’s what you need to do about it. Read the book. I paid $5 for it at Barnes and Noble on the clearance rack. I’m sure you can find a copy of it for cheap. I’ll even loan out my copy. Your other option is to go the website http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer and educate yourself. You can see if your representatives support it or not, and if they are a co-sponsor of one of the bills, which is HR 25 for the house of representative and S 1025 for the senate. Once you are educated, start talking with your family and friends about it to spread the word. Write your representatives too.Don’t think of this as a right wing or left wing piece of legislation. Think of it as beneficial to everyone. Win-win for everyone. The nanny programs are kept that are generally seen as a good for a lot of people, but without burdening those that despise the abuse of the nanny programs. I can choose not to buy a new car if I don’t want to support it. Who knows, it may even stimulate those abusers of the nanny programs, to become productive members of society rather than the drain that they current are. I certainly can dream if I want to.

Am I Old?

2008-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was watching the new 90210 because as a fan of the original, I wanted to check this one out. You know give it a chance to get interesting. It occurred to me that I find the "Father" aka "Principle" to be the "hot" guy on the show. So I ask you, does it make me old if I'm now attracted to the father on the show rather than the "young studs?" Keep in mind I'm probably half way in between their ages in real life. Nope just checked. I'm closer in age to the kids on the show...

Take the Deal!!!

2008-09-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

Why is it that everyone that goes on Deal or No Deal thinks that they actually do have the million or $500,000 or whatever big number in their suitcase? Well I realize some people do actually walk away when they get to the $100k or $200k point, but it seems like more often then not these people get you on their side rooting for them to win big, and when they could, they still don't take the deal until it's too late and there back to a low number. It's like they are in Vegas and think they can win their money back. And then I get mad at them for being so greedy. And then I get mad at myself for even watching. hmmm

Why is Change so Difficult?

2008-09-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with the presidential election or campaign slogans. I want to know why even the most adaptable people are apprehensive of change even when their current situation is downright miserable, frustrating, degrading, or stagnant, etc etc. That describes me and probably many other people.

Take a job for example. I don't subscribe to the notion that you should love everything about your job, and should want to go everyday and look forward to Mondays etc. This is because I work to take personal responsibility in my life, to pay my bills, contribute to my family, and help pay for some of the fun things we like to do. However I don't subscribe to the notion that you have to put up with a job that's unfulfilling of your needs and desires in a job. For example, if you work in a high stress, tons of overtime environment that leaves you no time to relax and enjoy your family and life, you don't have to stay in that job. There are other jobs out there that will be respectful of your personal time. On the other end of the spectrum is the job that is unchallenging, offers no growth, and might possibly overpay you for all the boredom you experience in it, even though you know you are worth much more than that particular job pays you and are capable of doing more.

It's not easy to find that perfect job with the happy medium of challenging and decent-paying as well as respectful of your personal time. However if we find ourselves not in this job and unsatisfied with our current situation, why is it so difficult to explore other options? And even when you do, the thought of going to a new place where they don't know you or what you are capable of is scary. What if you screw up in the first week, month, or year for that matter? What if you asking a question is perceived as weakness?
How are they going to respond to these situations? Is there a learning curve?

No matter how much you may try to make sure the company culture is a fit for you in the interview process, you never know for sure until you make the transition and find out for yourself.

Sometimes the change isn't just about changing jobs, but about changes that occur within your company. I once worked for a company going through a computer system change. I was even younger than I am now and am still not intimidated by computers or new systems. Also my job function at the time included working with a computer. Some people were going to be asked to change from paperwork to computers. And some of them were terrified, irritated, and resistant to this change, even though it should improve efficiency for their job function and ideally save them time by eliminating all the paperwork they normally did. But they were so used to doing it a certain way for so long that the thought of changing was scary.

In any case, change is inevitable and we should all embrace it and chase it aggressively. Unless you are about to retire in a year or two. Then it's up to you and the change that's being asked of you. I'd say do whatever you have to to keep your job though if you're about to retire. We still have choices to accept that new job, or look for another one, or keep the job we're in. Just like we have the choice to go with the changes at work, or look for a new job. Either way, it's a much more enjoyable existence to choose a positive attitude even in the mist of misery and keep perspective of our situation and the good things it allows us.

Huckabee and Guiliani Comic Relief

2008-09-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Whether or not you agree with their politics or who they support, if you watched their speeches last night at the Republican National Convention, these guys had the best one liners last night. And don't comment that "the actual number was this that or the other" because who cares if they weren't accurate on the number or this or that. The point was to make a joke and they made really funny ha ha jokes. They were just having fun. If you didn't see them, I'm sure you can find highlights somewhere on youtube or elsewhere. Check them out.

I've decided they should form a new comedy team ala Laural and Hardy or Abbott and Costello and travel the country making us laugh.

That's it. You can agree or disagree that they were funny. It won't change my mind.

Lola's Corner - Good Golly Miss Molly

2008-09-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you about my Labor Day weekend. I got to go play with aunt Lucky. Last time I was there, she was somewhat territorial and kept barking at me, but there were lots of people there. This time there weren't so many people there and I think she's comfortably settled into her new home. So we got lots of good bonding and wrestling time in. She is so much fun!!! Can't you see just how happy we both are?!? We had the best time.
I let her win this round because, well I wanted her to keep playing and I didn't know if she'd get mad and go away if I was always winning. Plus I was a little annoying probably, as I kept draping my arm around her shoulder and hanging on her. Thanks for playing with me aunt Lucky. I hope to see you again real soon!!!
Meet Molly. She's the latest foster sister to Buster and Aspen. She's kind of nervous and timid and not everyone knows how to love her. But she's in a very loving home until a good family that can commit to her and her "issues." But she's is very sweet and lovable so I'm sure a great family will come along.

This is Molly with Buster in the back ground

Awww Molly, you have a face anyone could love

You can send me pictures of your furry critters sans humans to lolafrog@gmail.com
I look forward to hearing from you soon. Until next time, spay and neuter your cats and dogs.

XOXOXO,
Lola
aka
Tiger Lily
aka
too many names to share

Movies That Made Me Cry - Or Still Do

2008-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I used to pride myself on being unaffected by movies. Completely stoic if anything sad came on. I really can't tell you when or why it changed, but I'll blame puberty. That's enough to make any girl cry. And about the time I saw the first one on the list as I saw it at my grandma and grandpa's house on VHS.

ET - This is the first movie I remember crying when I saw it, but I kept this shameful secret to myself and excused myself to the bathroom. We didn't know if he was going to live or die...how could this not be sad???

Steel Magnolias - A baby's momma passing out in front him and subsequently dying. How could this not be sad??? oh and Daryl Hannah's Glasses were pretty sad too.

Turner and Hooch - I can tune into the last what 5 or 10 minutes and still cry without ever seeing the first part of the movie. Why did Hooch have to die??? Why couldn't Tom Hanks die??? Then I wouldn't cry.

on the Doggie note

I Am Legend - For those of you that haven't seen it, it again has to do with a dog.

Just know if a dog dies, I will cry. Unless it's a Chihuahua or a few other breeds I won't waste my time naming...

Old School - If you haven't paid attention to the band at the reception in the beginning of the movie, then you haven't bothered to watch the movie. Also Weensey on the Roof at initiation was pretty hysterical. Both of these made me laugh so hard tears came out.

Blades of Glory - If their X in one of their routines didn't make you laugh so hard you cried, something is wrong with you. There were several other scenes equally as funny but that particular scene just kept building and building.

Pure Luck - Straw up the nose I seem to remember among other scenes that I'm certain made me laugh so hard the tears started rolling. It's been a long time since I saw it though.

In the recently viewed category

The Notebook - I am ashamed but I did watch this the other week for the first time and cried like a pregnant woman. And I'm not. That's how happy old married couples should go, together in their sleep on the same night.

Tropic Thunder - Tom Cruise made me cry and so did one other scene involving Jack Black being tied to a tree. Tears of laughter I mean. If you haven't seen it, it's worth the matinee (I don't think any movie is worth more than a matinee)

I'm sure there are several that I left off of the list, but as my memory seems to be failing me in my old age, these are the ones that made an impact on me.

What are some of the movies that have made you cry? Funny or sad....

Excel Art - You Mean I'm Not the First?!?!?

2008-08-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

I was mistakenly under the impression that I had started something new by engaging in excel art. But today in my boredom, I googled Excel Art hoping my blog would be first on the list. Much to my dismay, I found manuals or patterns on creating it and this was art much more sophisticated than any of my genius work. My sight came up on page 2 or 3. Woe is me, another get rich quick scheme down the drain. Oh well. As long as I am bored at work, I will create.

I call this one "Cabinets of Nothingness"

"Lone Wolf" (yes that was intended to be a wolf. I guess if this were an Atari game, it would be a great wolf)

Have a great weekend, and don't Labor on Labor Day.

Lola's Corner - Greatest American Dog

2008-08-27T17:37:00.001-07:00

Hello again, I've missed you all. I hope you had a great weekend. Mine rocked!!! Grandpa and Grandma came to visit with uncle Beethoven. And then my Aunt and Uncle came over too. While Beethoven didn't much want to play with me, my grandpa and uncle wrestled with me and I had a blast. Which is good because I was just so excited to have visitors that I had a hard time calming down. I just wanted to play and couldn't really contain myself. Mom swears it's because I'm still a puppy. Thanks for visiting and playing with me!!!!!

So I don't know if any of you are watching Greatest American Dog. Me either. I just want you to know that it's me. I'm the greatest American dog. It's not titled Most Well-Behaved Dog. If it was, that would not be me. Anyways let's just say I'm rooting for the boxer. That's about all I can say since I've only seen it once or twice. Although tonight they had to do some kind of air apparatus where they jump off and zip line down to the ground without being pushed by their owners. Two dogs did it that I saw and one of them was the boxer of course. What a good dog. Not quite as pretty as me...but he is very handsome. I'd play with him.

Remember to send me pics of your furry friends to lolafrog@gmail.com.

XOXOXO
Lola

Beanchilada Casserole

2008-08-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm going to share the best recipe I ever made up on my own with you. Well I don't follow recipes to a t so think of it as a guideline. Do what sounds good to you.

Preheat oven to 350 or 400 or there abouts

1 can of black beans
1 can of fat free or vegetarian refried beans
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes or some rotel works too
cut up some jalapenos to desired spiciness if you don't use rotel
1 onion or as much as you can tolerate
shredded cheddar cheese heavy if you like, lite if you're going for healthy
several dashes of onion powder, garlic, and chili powder
If you like cilantro, throw some of that in too. If not, leave it out.

Mix it all together in a bowl

Get your favorite tortillas. Corn, Flour or whatever you fancy. I've had it with each kind and they are both good.

You'll need a can or 2 of enchilada sauce.

Pour some in the bottom of your favorite baking dish enough to cover it.
put a layer of tortillas down
Then a layer of mixture
then a layer of tortillas
then another layer of mixture
then a layer of tortillas and this should fill the dish
top with the rest of the enchilada sauce

If you prefer to spend more time, you can roll up enchiladas. I found this way to go much faster and is just as tasty after rolling them up once or twice. Oh and it's less messy.

Cover with foil Bake until it's good an bubbly. Remove foil and sprinkle some cheese on top for the last 5 minutes or so. You might want to put a cookie sheet under it to catch spillage. Unless you just have a large baking dish. I usually use a 9x9 dish which tends to cause a wee bit of spillage.

Makes enough to feed a reasonably eating family of 2 about 3 times give or take. But we usually stop after 2-3. Seems like it would be perfect for a family of 3 unless one of you is a wolf.

Oh I also like to add sour cream after it's on my plate....I'm sure guacamole would be tasty as well if you like that sort of thing.

Enjoy

"Air Birth Control"

2008-08-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Since we will be going on vacation in a couple of weeks, I'm going to hold off on great pics from around the world for this week as I promise to take many pictures to last for weeks. But don't hold me to that because I'm terrible at taking pictures.

So today I've decided to talk about this phenomenon I affectionately call "Air Birth Control." This applies to all the ladies who happened to get pregnant while on the pill which has a failure rate of less than 1%. I'm sure someone will correct me on my statistic. And if you or your wife happened to get pregnant while taking the pill, save it. Because unless you take your pill to an alarm everyday like I do and you have an independent verifier that sees the pill go in your mouth and down your throat, I can't confirm that you have taken the pill as advised.

My theory is that those that get pregnant on the pill either forgot to take their pill for a couple of days, can't be trusted to take it regularly, or literally throw the pill away and swallow air and claim they're on the pill. A friend and I crack up at the sight of this and if I were a cast member on SNL, I'd be happy to write a sketch about this to illustrate my point. I tried making a drawing to illustrate my point, but I'm a much better excel artist.

I take my pill every day to an alarm. Same time same place. I even worry if I forget and take it a few hours later. Even though logically I know that should be sufficient. I just don't want to be a statistic of failure. Which leads me to my theory on that statistic. I think that statistic is largely made up of people who took the pill improperly and lied about taking it responsibly. I'd say it's made up mostly of women who were trying to "trap" their boyfriend into marriage, or married women who were ready to have a baby before their husband was but needed something to blame other than herself. "Huh, I guess we're part of that 1%..." This is because there is only so much time you have available to you each month to even conceive and you want to tell me that you still found that time while taking birth control? hmmm...very interesting. My advice guys, don't trust your woman if she's on the pill unless you're ready to have an "oopsy" kid, or you see her take it every day

Just my theory. I know it doesn't apply to you. And that's fine. You really ARE part of that statistic. Good for you.

What I do know is that if anyone's going to pregnant while taking the pill properly, it's going to be me for saying all of this. But at least I'm at the point where I can handle it if I am cursed, I mean blessed with the true failure of birth control. I'll be sure to be truthful about taking it properly or truly forgetting it (unintentionally of course). And I'll admit it if I do turn out wrong. But you can be sure I'll be the first to say I forgot if I did.

Is a Little Efficiency Too Much to Ask For???

2008-08-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

I found out this weekend that my brother and I make out our grocery list the same way. We weren't taught to do this nor did we know the other has this in mind when making the grocery list. I'm sure many of you do this. We try to make out the list based on the lay out of the grocery store. That way you aren't forgetting items on the list. Of course if your spouse adds items to the list wherever there's room, it kind of messes with the flow and you still end up forgetting things at the store. Still we have this in mind in an effort to save time and money.

This got me thinking to my desire for efficiency, mostly in the work place. Being a government employee is counter intuitive since no matter how much you'd like to be the person to "save the tax payers some money," unless you are the head of the agency making this demand, it's pretty difficult to do. And I don't know that I can be appointed head of an agency with such a desire, unless a governor is elected and decides to clean house. Which would be my dream to be able to clean house.

Then I started thinking about how there's always an ongoing joke about the nature of government, city, state, or federal, and their inefficiency. The thing is, they are all supported by our tax dollars, and we are all voting representatives into office. Why aren't we the taxpayers demanding efficient use of our tax dollars?!?!? We should be outraged that there is so much unnecessary fat that our money is wasted on. We should be calling our senators and congressmen, on the state and national level and demanding efficient use of our money or let them know we will vote them out of office next election.

My Work Week in Review

2008-08-21T17:28:00.001-07:00

While I have been busier than normal the last couple of weeks with work, I did manage to find plenty of time to talk and laugh with a co-worker, as well as create 3 more masterpieces of excel art. I hope to be able to quit my day job soon to pursue a successful career making excel art.

I call this one "Going Nowhere"

"Confused"

"Fishing for Work" Obviously, if I have time to do these.

Lola's Corner - Lovesick for Barkley

2008-08-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ah, aren't I just the sweetest little puppy you ever saw!!! I like to snuggle even in the car.

So today before I get into my love for Barkley, I'm going to talk about a serious issue. Parents getting pets that require lots of attention for their kids and then not holding their kids accountable for paying attention to them after the initial cuteness wears off.

If you get your kid a dog, you need to lead by example and teach them that a dog isn't to be ignored, isn't to be left behind when you go camping. Camping is perfect for us, we have so much energy. And don't just get a second dog because you want the 1st dog not to be lonely. If you feel guilty about not paying attention to us, you should. Ignoring 2 dogs doesn't make things better for us. We'll just tear things up until you pay attention to us. If you think we would be in the way, then don't bother getting us in the first place. There are plenty of warm loving families out there that will make us part of the family rather than the pesky pest thrown out in the back to be ignored except when you refill our food and water. If you don't want to commit to us and you're too weak to make your kids commit to us, then do us a favor and don't bother getting us. And don't make excuses for your kids saying they are too busy to spend time with us. Plenty of kids played sports and still spent time with their pets. We'd rather go to a family that will take us for walks, take us to the park, take us camping, and just spend time with us.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

Barkley, My Barkley,
How do I love thee,
Let me count the ways,
1. You're a real man
2. You're real hot
3. You like to play
4. You like to eat

That's really all I need in a man.
I hope I see you this weekend!!!

Send me pictures of your furry friends to lolafrog@gmail.com to share with the rest of the world. Have a great weekend.

Sloppy kisses,
Lola

One Naive Dad

2008-08-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

So get this, a father I know was telling us how he took his daughter camping with some of her friends for her 13th birthday. We starting asking if they were doing their YM and other teen magazine quizzes and other things that we did as teenage girls. He said they were texting because 2 of her friends were boy crazy. We said she was too.

You're going to love his response.....

"No she's not because she would tell me if she was."

I still can't stop laughing.

To which I said something along the lines of, boys don't have to be calling you or showing interest in you for you to have crushes on them at 13.

He maintained his position that she's not interested and she really would tell him.

To which I responded, "right, I wasn't ever a 13 year old girl."

And for the record I didn't tell my dad or my mom every time I had a crush on a boy. Nor did I have lots of boyfriends hanging around in junior high and high school. That didn't mean I didn't have crushes on boys. And it started before 13. I was well into adult hood before I even talked with my dad about being interested. And that was because if I wanted to bring a guy around it was hard to keep my interest a secret from my dad.

Denial is a dangerous thing. And quite funny in this case. I should have asked him if he asked his wife about this. I'm sure she knows better.

Asolo Italy - Part 2

2008-08-18T17:32:00.001-07:00

For you car enthusiasts, his wasn't even half of them that day.

Hope you enjoyed more picture of Asolo or the views from Asolo.

Hope and Hopelessness

2008-08-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days full of hope and hopelessness all at the same time? You know there's something better for you out there but you don't know what it is or how to get to it? Do you have dreams and/or great ideas but you don't know how to make them work? It feels like the only way to make them work is to win the lottery, that way you don't have to bother with the risk of debt or asking for funding. Some people are very comfortable with debt. I am not one of those people as you may be able to tell from previous posts other than a mortgage. So my challenge then is how do I make my dreams and goals a reality without going into debt?

How do people get miraculous dream job offers? Well I think my dream job is to be my own boss, which means I have to somehow make that happen rather than hope someone will offer me that dream job.

Do you ever feel like life is only going to get worse if people insist on not taking personal responsibility for themselves and their families? Aren't you fed up with paying for other people's perpetual and insistent irresponsibility? I don't mind offering a helping hand, but don't insist I give one by taking my money and giving it to someone else? What's the point?

It's like teachers giving out lists to parents of what the children are supposed to bring to school the first day with unreasonable amounts of paper or pencils or whatever. And then when the kid brings it to school the first day, the teacher tells all the kids that actually followed through with the list to bring all their supplies up to the front of the room and watch as she hands out their stuff to the kids that "couldn't afford" or "didn't bother" to bring any supplies to school. I never had my supplies taken from me, nor did I take any supplies from my friends that I thought were better than mine. It was what it was. I'm not opposed to helping the kids whose parents can't afford supplies. But don't put all the supplies that were brought into one pile and then redistribute evenly.

That's the first lesson in income redistribution that a child may experience. That's what some people dream of. Taking money from the super wealthy and giving it to the super poor so they won't be super poor. The problem is that the super poor did nothing to earn this money. If it's just handed to them, where's their motivation to earn more than what's handed if they can always count on getting some rich person's money?

Teach your kids that income redistribution is wrong, but that charity and sharing is right. Especially the sharing of knowledge. Teach a man to fish and he can eat for a life time. And he will take pride in providing his family meals everyday. Handouts should be a temporary solution.

Buchenwald liberator, American hero dies at 83

2008-08-15T16:59:00.000-07:00

This is an important story for those of you like me that didn't know about this particular story. This man and his comrades were true American heroes like the brave soldiers today still fighting for our freedom and human rights in this world. Thank You

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/buchenwald.liberator/index.html

By Wayne Drash
CNN.com senior producer

(CNN) -- James Hoyt delivered mail in rural Iowa for more than 30 years. Yet Hoyt had long kept a secret from most of those who knew him best: He was one of the four U.S. soldiers to first see Germany's Buchenwald concentration camp.

James Hoyt Sr. was one of the four U.S. soldiers to first find the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Hoyt died Monday at his home in Oxford, Iowa, a town of about 700 people where he had lived his entire life. He was 83.

His funeral was Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oxford, with about 100 people in attendance. The Rev. Edmond Dunn officiated and recalled time he spent with Hoyt and his wife.

"I used to go over to have lunch with Doris and Jim, and I would sit across from Jim at the kitchen table and think, 'Before me is a true American hero,' " he said.

Hoyt had rarely spoken about that day in 1945, but he recently opened up to a journalist.

"There were thousands of bodies piled high. I saw hearts that had been taken from live people in medical experiments," Hoyt told author Stephen Bloom in a soon-to-be-published book called "The Oxford Project."

"They said a wife of one of the SS officers -- they called her the Bitch of Buchenwald -- saw a tattoo she liked on the arm of a prisoner, and had the skin made into a lampshade. I saw that." See the horrors of Buchenwald »

Pete Geren, the secretary of the U.S. Army, said the sacrifice Hoyt made for his country so many years ago should never be forgotten.

"It's important that we don't allow ourselves to lose him," Geren told CNN by phone. "It's the memory of heroes like James Hoyt and the memories of what they've done that we must ensure that we keep alive and share with the current generation and future generations.

"Mr. Hoyt, as a young man, saw unspeakable horrors when he was one of the soldiers to discover the Buchenwald concentration camp, and those are experiences as a country and a world we can never forget.

"You think back on a young man 19 years old and to have the experience that he had," Geren said, his voice dissolving before ever finishing his thought.

The discovery of Buchenwald, on April 11, 1945, began the liberation of more than 21,000 prisoners from one of the largest Nazi concentration camps of World War II.

The official U.S. military account of the liberation called the camp "a symbol of the chill-blooded cruelty of the German Nazi state," where thousands of political prisoners were starved and "others were burned, beaten, hung and shot to death."

"There is reason to believe that the prompt arrival of the 6th Armored Division ... on the scene saved many hundreds and perhaps thousands of lives," it said.

As a private first class in the U.S. Army, Hoyt was just 19 when he and his three comrades -- Capt. Frederic Keffer, Tech. Sgt. Herbert Gottschalk and Sgt. Harry Ward -- found Buchenwald in a well-hidden wooded area of eastern Germany. See U.S. military documents detailing the liberation »

Hoyt was driving their M8 armored vehicle.

According to military records, Keffer was the officer in command of the six-wheeled armored vehicle that day. The soldiers were part of the Army's 6th Armored Division near the camp when about 15 SS troopers were captured. It was mid-afternoon.

"At the same time, a group of Russians just escaped from the concentration camp, burst out of the woods attempting to attack the SS men. The Russians were restrained and interrogated," Maj. Gen. R.W. Grow, the American commander of the 6th Armored Division, wrote in a 1975 letter about the Buchenwald liberation.

Keffer was ordered to take his three comrades and two of the Russian prisoners "as guides to investigate, report and rejoin as rapidly as possible."

"I took this side journey of about 3 km away from our main force because we kept encountering SS guards and prison inmates, and the latter told us of the large camp to the south," Keffer wrote in a letter around the 30th anniversary of the liberation.

"We had been told by our intelligence that we might overrun a large prison camp, but we -- or at least I -- had no idea of either the gigantic size of the camp or of the full extent of the incredible brutality."

Keffer and Gottschalk, who spoke German, entered the camp through a hole in an electric barbed wire fence. Hoyt and Ward initially stayed at the vehicle.

"We were tumultuously greeted by what I was told were 21,000 men, and what an incredible greeting that was," Keffer wrote. "I was picked up by arms and legs, thrown into the air, caught, thrown again, caught, thrown, etc., until I had to stop it. I was getting dizzy.

"How the men found such a surge of strength in their emaciated condition was one of those bodily wonders in which the spirit sometimes overcomes all weaknesses of the flesh. My, but it was a great day!"

Keffer said the prisoners, through an underground system, had already taken control of the camp. The four soldiers notified division command to get medical help and food to the prisoners as soon as possible.

The 6th Armored Division newspaper "Armored Attacker" ran a headline on May 5, 1945: "Four 9th AIB Doughs Find Buchenwald." The article described the discovery as "the worst concentration camp yet to be uncovered by west wall troops."

Hoyt, a Bronze Star recipient and veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, was the last of the four original liberators to die.

Born May 16, 1925, to a railroad worker and a schoolteacher, James Francis Hoyt Sr. returned to his Iowa hometown after the war and largely kept quiet about the atrocities he saw. He and Doris married in 1949 and had six children. "She's the love of my life," he said.

He met Bloom, a journalism professor at the University of Iowa, in recent years and began telling him his story.

Even 63 years after the liberation, Hoyt suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and attended a weekly group therapy session at a Veterans Affairs facility.

"Seeing these things, it changes you. I was a kid," he said. "Des Moines had been the furthest I'd ever been from home. I still have horrific dreams. Usually someone needs help and I can't help them. I'm in a situation where I'm trapped and I can't get out."

Hoyt was invited to attend the 50th anniversary of the liberation, but he declined. "I didn't want to bring back those memories."

"Thinking back, I would have pushed to be a psychologist -- if for no other reason than to understand myself better."

The military documents detailing Hoyt's involvement in the Buchenwald liberation were discovered in a box in an archive at the The Center for Military History this week after a CNN query.

It was fitting for the humble Iowan. Hoyt listed his greatest achievement not as a Buchenwald liberator, but as spelling bee champ of Johnson County in 1939, when he was in eighth grade. "I still remember the word I spelled correctly: 'archive,' " he said.

The story of James Hoyt -- mail carrier, spelling bee champ and American hero -- has now been archived for history. Sacrifices like his were something his commander once said future generations should never forget.

"Memories of evil get erased, for life must go on, and new generations cannot be locked in the past. But they would do well to remember the past," Keffer wrote.

At Hoyt's graveside Thursday, a 12-veteran color guard gave him a traditional 21-gun salute. Hoyt's casket was draped with the American flag, and that flag was folded, as is tradition, 12 times.

Retired Gen. Robert Sentman gave the flag to Doris Hoyt. Sentman had earlier told mourners about the Buchenwald liberation.

"When the prisoners saw Jim, they picked him up and threw him in the air, that's how happy they were after seeing such horrors. Prisoners had been hung from hooks to die. He saw a lampshade made from a prisoner's tattoo. Jim carried those horrors with him forever. He never got what he had seen out of his mind. If you ever wondered about Jim, think about what he saw."

"When you were discharged, no one really gave a hoot about you. It was difficult for a compassionate person like Jim to forget what he saw. He was a hero.

Jolie-Pitt Kids Turning Cheetos Orange?/How I Spend my Days at Work

2008-08-14T18:40:00.001-07:00

I got this great idea to blog about how the Jolie-Pitt kids have been photographed a lot lately eating Cheetos. So when I went searching for pictures of it and found someone beat me to the punch. So I'll give you the link since I haven't been keeping up with their photo-op diet.
http://knockedupcelebs.com/2008/03/16/angelina-jolie-and-the-crew-get-cheetos/

Either way, they ought to try better by putting some fruit or veggies in their kids hands when the cameras are around, otherwise they might start getting turned down for adoptions if they think all their kids eat is Cheetos. Seriously, Cheetos are like carrots, if you eat too many, you might turn orange....

Now onto my next feature. I'm going to try and work this in some how. It may be my new weekly post to replace entertainment since there are so many great entertainment blogs out there that I don't even care to read. Meaning I'm terrible at finding great entertainment stories to blog about.

So as I work for the government, you can guess that I am one of two people. One someone who is dramatic about how busy I am and all the over time I put it because I'm just so busy. Or two, someone who is bored to tears except when my stuff has been put off as long as possible by management so we have to rush to finish everything at the last possible minute even though I was ready to move on it 8 months ago.

See if you can guess which one I am by the following...

This is what I proudly refer to as excel art. Aren't I just the most talented person ever. I even named them at the time, I just can't remember what. I think the purple and green one was called "Time is Running Out." The top one, we'll call it "No Irritations Allowed"

I have more genius ideas for excel art in this head of mine, and will share them from time to time. I may actually break down my day into work, mindless chatting, personal email, etc. But this week would be pretty boring as I was working probably over 60% of the time. I may share my co-worker's week some times as that's even more entertaining.

If you have have mindless talents, do feel free to send to me at lolafrog@gmail.com. Doodles, poems, Deep Thoughts, etc.

Lola's Corner - Meet Chelsea, Lady, and Beethoven

2008-08-13T18:34:00.001-07:00

Hello Ladies and Germs...
It's that time again. I'm back from my vacation. Well I didn't really take a vacation, just a night off of work. No one sent me any pictures so mommy let me use some she found.

This is Chelsea

And her sister Lady

I can't wait to meet them, they sound like a lot of fun. Mom said they gave her her "dog fix" until I came along. She says they are really cool dogs and I'll like playing with them. I hope they teach me all about the snow some day soon...
I few weeks ago I played with a puppy that looked a lot like Chelsea only she was about my age. She was a lot of fun so I'm looking forward to playing with Chelsea and Lady.

This is uncle Beethoven. He's a few years older than me, but I'm much bigger than he is now. He's coming to visit again in a couple of weeks and I hope he doesn't bark at me. I suppose I shouldn't insist he play with me so much. But I'm a puppy, that's what I do...He's still fun when he decides to play with me...

Anyways...so I might get fired if you guys don't send me any pictures of your pets. You don't want me to get fired do you??? lolafrog@gmail.com. Well If I do, maybe I'll just run for President or something like that since I'll have so much free time. I'd make a much cuter President don't you think??

Have a great week.
Lola Finola
aka
Tiger Lily
aka
more names than you really care to know....

Personal Finances – Build a Budget

2008-08-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

If you or your family has a problem with spending too much, one of the best ways to overcome it is to create a budget and then stick to it. You can’t make too much or too little to make a workable budget. Budgets are for everyone, not just people who can’t control your spending. They are for people who have goals and dreams as well.

First, figure out what your take home pay is after all your taxes and deductions are taken out. Never forget to look at how much the government takes from you each month.

Second, if giving to charity or your church is important to you on a regular basis, determine how much it will be each month. I realize some people will disagree with this being second, however many of us feel strongly about this and find they better manage the rest of their money when then commit to giving first.

Third, figure out what your regular bills are every month just as rent or mortgage, utilities, gas, insurance, food (non-restaurant), and any debt payments you must make like a car loans, school loans, or credit cards that need to be paid off. Decide if you want to pay any of these debts off faster like the credit card. Commit to not putting any more money on the credit card or this debt will just grow rather than go away which should be the goal.

Fourth, look at the receipts you have a for a month and categorize them into needs incidentals (i.e. you got a cold and needed some cold medicine, or went to the doctor for something worse), entertainment, eating out, non-needs incidentals such as candy, girl scout cookies, or who knows what people buy that they don’t need. You may also want to use this method to determine how much you’re spending on gas and groceries each month. Determine if this is a reasonable amount to be spending each month or if you should cut back in areas such as eating out or entertainment. Don’t cut these out completely but look for ways to spend less in these areas so you can stash more away in retirement or your emergency savings. Depending on how strapped you are at the end of the month you may want to evaluate the need you have for such luxuries as cable or cell phones.

Finally, determine how much you can save and how much you would like to save. Start out with a number you can commit to on a monthly basis without over-extending your budget and leaving a bit of a cushion for incidentals. Savings means all kinds of things such as a regular savings account, 401k, IRA, or regular stock portfolio. Figure out how you would like to divvy it up keeping in mind that savings for emergency purposes as well as future large purchases such as a vacation, gifts, or fixing up your house, are necessary components to savings. Look for little ways to save a little extra here and there be it by stashing some cash every once in awhile and leaving it alone or a change jar, or whatever you can afford from time to time.

I’m sure I’ve missed something, but these are the basics to getting you started on a budget. You’ll find things that work for you that may be different that what I say. But just remember, it is your personal responsibility to live within your means. This is a tool that can get you started on that path.

Asolo Italy Part 1

2008-08-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

This is Asolo a tiny little town in the north of Italy about an hour west of Venice. This is where I lived for 10 months of my life while going to school. It's a picturesque town right out of a movie. Actually there have been a couple movies there but I can't remember which ones. But one of the coffee shops/bars has a picture of John Malkovich on the wall. I just looked it up and it was the movie Ripley's Game and it was partly shot there. Now I need to run out and rent it. Here's a fun fact, I saw the movie Being John Malkovich for the first time in Asolo. So does that mean there are 2 degrees of separation between me and John? Here's one more fun fact for any of you that watch the bachelor. Aaron Buerge Bachelor number 2 I think, went to the same school I did a few or several years earlier. I saw pictures and Wikipedia will vaguely verify this or over embellish the degree he got. Note to self, change your resume to show your degree as an MBA in International Finance. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Five Things That Drive Me Nuts About My Office

2008-08-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

This post applies to the things that drive me nuts that happen in any communal work setting. Inefficiency and lack of accountability are infuriating tolerances around my place of business that will have to wait for another day.

Mice/Rats roaming the office

We have recently experienced visitors running throughout our building as if they own the place. And as most of find them dirty and repulsive they have made attempts to control the problem. However being in one of the “politically correct” capitals of the U.S. apparently they are trying to eliminate them humanely. That is not by killing them? Or is it? I’m not sure which. This is because the first time around they set out a bunch of glue traps all over the place. Great. But how is catching the little critters and letting them struggle to get away to death more humane than a snap trap that instantly kills them? Then they but out a second round of traps that I’m not sure what they are so I don’t know if they are meant to kill them or meant to be a mechanism of catch and release. Release where? Another building? The sewer? Some other place of infestation? Needless to say we still have a problem that has been going on for months and I don’t project them going away anytime soon. I’m in favor of letting some cats loose in there.

Disgusting community refrigerators

So we all have had varying degrees of shared refrigerators in the work place. Although recently addressed at my current work place due to the conglomeration of about 4 or 5 refrigerators in one break room producing a toxic stench that do doubt kept the aforementioned rats and mice away, many of us can relate to having to share a refrigerator at work with people that think it is their own personal trashcan that somebody else will clean out.

Terrible email etiquette

Everyone gets the email messages that go out to the whole building or to a specified large group of people. Invariably, someone will reply to all with a question or comment that really only the sender needs to see. We get an email everyday that the “Taco Truck” is here. This applies to just about every place of business in Austin; it’s part of the culture I guess. Anyways so one person sends it out which I just directed email from him to my trashcan so I could stop getting infuriated. If I wanted to get fat like everyone else there I’d know when the taco guy arrived and be the first in line to gorge myself. The problem is when this guy is out of the office, someone else is sure to step in to tell the whole building that he’s here!!! And I’m infuriated all over again.

Lesson one: DON’T REPLY TO ALL IF ALL DON’T NEED TO BE REPLIED TO!

Lesson two: MAKE A LIST OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO BE NOTIFIED EVERYDAY OF THE TACO MAN AND NOTIFY ONLY THEM!!!

Lesson three: If you think it will piss me off because it was unnecessarily sent to me don’t send me the email. I’m so tempted to “reply to all” and say that every time it happens.

Lesson four: All Caps is really inappropriate for an email. So is red unless you are responding to questions asked in the body of the email and you need to differentiate your answer from their question. Red All Caps are always inappropriate.

Out of control b-day celebrations

Everyone likes to feel special, but not everyone cares about their birthday or being the center of attention. Some of us just like ice cream. That doesn’t mean that a mandatory singing of the Happy Birthday Song has to accompany the cake and ice cream does it? No one can sing well anyways, so what’s the point? If singing is mandatory, I’d rather skip it all together and just celebrate with my family like normal people. But I do conveniently show up late now so that the singing is hopefully done in time for me to line-up for the ice cream. How anti-social of me right???

Cards sent around to sign with checklist of everyone in dept

We randomly get a manila envelope passed around with a card inside and a checklist of everyone in the office to check their name off and pass it on to someone who hasn’t checked their name off. Sometimes they ask for money for a gift. At least they can’t tell if YOU gave money or not. Sometimes they don’t even tell you who the card is for? So you want me to sign a card for someone I don’t know? What if I don’t like them? Or what if they hate me and seeing my signature would do them in? (Dramatic I know, since I don’t have any mortal enemies that I know of at the office). Still why don’t you just put the card in a central location and send out the dreaded mass email letting us know it’s there if we want to sign? As long as no one “replies to all” asking a stupid question, it’s an appropriate use of email in my book.

Lola's Corner - From Sweet Little Puppy to Big Giant Poo Poo Head

2008-08-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

Lola's taking a much deserved night off. Since she didn't get any new pics to share with you all, we decided to share some of the best of pics of her life starting when she came home to recently.

Send Lola your favorite pet pics to lolafrog@gmail.com. Enjoy..

Venice Part 2

2008-08-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

So these are more pictures of Venice outside of the square. I hope you enjoy.

If you ever go to Venice, I highly recommend wandering through the streets. They call it getting lost, but you can't really get completely lost as you will usually see some kind of sign directing you to either the main canal or the shore. I just don't remember how they are labeled, but you can figure it out.

This is the overhead view of where you'll "get lost."

well..no venice today

2008-08-04T19:00:00.001-07:00

So for some reason I can't upload my pictures. I've done all the troubleshooting they suggest, none of which fixed the problem. So Venice part 2 will have to wait for another day.

So I will leave you with this.

If an idiot consistently makes idiotic statements, should he be aborted? Or is it too late? Does his mother have to make that decision? Or can his coworkers? Who's responsibility is it to inform him of his inappropriate idiocy? Can he at least be the poster-person for mandatory birth control?

http://sunshineinsight.blogspot.com/2008/05/mandatory-birth-controlwhat-concept.html

For those of you that haven't read it. Check it out.

The Inner Struggles of a Closet Hypochondriac

2008-08-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

Just what is a closet hypochondriac? Those of you that can relate to the title alone know exactly what I’m talking about. To me, a closet hypochondriac is someone whose logic tends to overrule his or her irrational fears so that no doctor would ever label them a hypochondriac. I hope that others that are in the closet about this can rest assured that they aren’t alone and hopefully embrace it from a humorous perspective.

Those of you that can’t relate may now be asking yourselves, just what inner struggles could they possibly have? Well it’s simple, every time something new comes up that causes us to worry, which we logically know is irrational worry, nonetheless we worry. We then struggle with whether or not to go to the doctor. If we go to the doctor, they are going to tell us nothing is wrong, and we fear worse that we will be laughed at once we leave or labeled a hypochondriac in our chart. AHHHH!!! Not that!!! That’s where our logic kicks in and we choose not to go to the doctor. But after we’ve made that choice, we can’t stop worrying that something really IS wrong and this is the one time we really SHOULD have it checked out by a doctor, because if we wait TOO long, it will be TOO late and there will be nothing they can do. This is our internal struggle.

For me, my terminal disease of choice is cancer. If I see a bump on my hand that wasn’t there before, that I don’t know how it got there, it’s probably cancer. Or I’m going to worry that it is until it goes away. I’ve struggled with various back pain most of my life in one area. But I know how to treat and prevent pain on that side of my back. However, if I have pain on the other side of my back that logically I know feels like I strained a muscle, and it just needs time and perhaps ice and heat, I still worry that it’s cancer. Every time I get a new freckle somewhere on my body, I worry it’s cancer. I often have random bruises pop up on my body that I can’t pinpoint how they got there, so I worry I could have cancer. Even though I have a terrible depth perception problem which causes me to run into doorways, walls, or anything else in my way simply because I misjudge the distance they are from my body. Logically I know this is probably how one of these unknown bruises came about so I don’t bother going to the doctor freaking out. But I still wonder in the back of my mind sometimes until it goes away and I forget about it.

I thought I read somewhere once that the two most common diseases feared by hypochondriacs are cancer and MS. I’m sure there are other diseases feared out there. Please feel free to share your closet hypochondriacal disease of choice with the rest of us. It’s great therapy to get it off your chest. We won’t judge you. We might laugh in sympathy. But your choice to control yourself is highly respected. Humor is a great way to deal with a neurosis like this.

You know what the problem is, the Internet. Every time I get some new “symptom,” I have to go to the Internet and look it up. Cancer is always the first thing that pops up. Which is probably why cancer is the disease of choice. Everything is a potential symptom for cancer. What are we supposed to do about that? If we live long enough, won’t we all get cancer? Of course if I’m 90 and diagnosed with it, that’s ok. I just don’t want to be diagnosed with untreatable, terminal cancer at 30.

You see, what we should all fear are sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea (what a terrible name), herpes, AIDS, and the dreaded “warts.” All terrible diseases, but medical science has come so far that you don’t really need to worry about them nearly as much as you did 10 or 15 years ago or more, because there are cures, or effective treatments. You should fear the stigma attached with having to tell your potential spouse that you had syphilis or gonorrhea. You should be ashamed. That’s what we should all fear, not cancer. But cancer, while it’s not always a death sentence, is still killing people every day at all ages. It’s so unpredictable from person to person. And there are so many different kinds of cancer.

Thus the inner struggle continues. As long as logic always wins out to dictate when we do and don’t go to the doctor, we’ll all be ok. Just have a sense of humor about the fact that you’re a closet hypochondriac like me. There’s no shame in it.

More Proof Mama Lohan is a Pimp and Not a Mother

2008-07-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the story if you want to read it.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395283,00.html

Basically little sister Ali tried out for a movie role for a producer that happened to also be behind a some porn movies. This isn't one of them but supposedly Dina was furious when she found out. Right!!! Everything like this is calculated. She knew and thought it would make great publicity to be "furious" about it. Well the TMZ article link in the above link states she got the part. I don't hear her mama Lohan refusing to allow her to work for this guy. She's not "furious" now, is she!!! It's all apart of her evil plan to get her kids working so she can make bank off of them.

Need I say more???

Onto the entertaining part of this post
http://bittenandbound.com/2008/06/23/plastic-surgery-disasters/

Check out these plastic surgery disaster. Scroll down to the bottom and there are several pictures to click on to see the terrible after shots...Look at Tara Reid's stomach....what happened?!?!? better question. Why would you wear a bikini after that?!?!?!? anyways maybe I'm the last to see these either way, look again, they'll make you feel better about yourself when you hate your job, or think you're ugly, or just generally not feeling good about yourself. At least you didn't pay a lot of money to get butchered.

Have a great weekend!!!

Lola's Corner - Meet Barkley and Winston

2008-07-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my corner. Today it's smokin' hot here as I have 2 very sexy men to introduce you to. The first one is my boyfriend. His name is Barkley and he benches me over his head to work out. He weighs 100 lbs and he's the studliest dog at the dog park. This last week I tried to kiss him while we were resting and he spoke harshly to me. I like it when he exerts his manliness over me.

Sometimes I just can't help checking him out from behind!! You ladies know what I'm talking about. He has such a cute butt!!

This is us just chillin'

Don't we make such a cute couple? I'm going to marry him but he doesn't know it yet.

Do you remember when I introduced you to Duncan a couple of weeks ago. He was the foster brother of my 2nd cousins once, twice, three times adorable boxers named Aspen and Buster. Well it's celebration time because Duncan got to go to his permanent home where he will get lots of love and attention.

Now Aspen and Buster have a new foster brother and his name is Winston. He's quite the stud at 75 lbs. Aspen has decided he's her boyfriend since they aren't REALLY brother and sister. How could she not. He's so handsome. I hear he's really sweet too. With a face like that, how could you not be sweet?

Don't they make a cute couple too!!!

Way to go Aspen, I think you've found a keeper!!!

That's it for this week folks!! Send me pictures of you furry friends to lolafrog@gmail.com. It's ok if they've been featured before. You can send more if you catch them in cute poses or doing something silly.

Until next week
Love,
Lola Finola

Personal Finances – Buy a House You Can Afford

2008-07-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Whether you’ve been through the house buying process or not, you have probably dreamed of owning your own house or at least property of some sort. But when we dream of our first house, we dream of something really nice in a nice neighborhood, comparable to what our parents live in now. Ah but we forget that our parents were also just starting out in life once before, and they didn’t have anything as nice or as expensive as they have now. They worked up to that house they have now. Perhaps they set a bad example and they can’t afford that house either. Whether you had a bad example or just have pipe dreams, neither are an excuse to get a house you can’t afford the mortgage payments on.

Owning property is a good thing. It’s the one solid investment you can make even if you just own land. Over time, the value will increase. The real value is in the land. The building you put on it or that has been put on it already is just adding value. But the land itself will never loose its value. If you bought a piece of property with a house that you found was worthless and needed to be torn down, it is your responsibility to be aware of the condition of the structure on the land before agreeing to buy it.

When you make that plunge, mortgage brokers or banks will tell you what their formula says you can afford based on your income, your debts, and your monthly liabilities (bills). But you see, they don’t ask how much do you spend eating out or buying clothes or going to the movies. They just want to know that you will have money left over for food after your mortgage payment and bills. They don’t care if you put money in savings every month or want to put money in savings every month. Their commission is made on the size of mortgage they sell you. It is your responsibility to set the limit on what you can actually afford. No one expects you to have a 2500 square foot house the first time around. They just expect you to pay your bills each month and not become a drain on the economy.

Here’s the other thing you must consider. Depending on where you live, home values can be outrageously high and volatile, or reasonable with slow and steady growth. In some markets, it’s perfectly acceptable to take out an interest only loan. Here’s my rule on that. If you can’t make a payment that includes the principle loan amount as well as the interest on the loan, you can’t afford it. I don’t care if it’s a hot market and you’re convinced 3-5 years from now you will be able to sell it for $50,000-$100,000 more than what you “paid” for it. That’s a risk. What if home values drop dramatically? You are then stuck there paying interest on a loan worth more than the house.

That leads me to my next rule. If your income is not outrageously high to afford the volatility of the “markets” out there, only take out fixed rate loans. This means that the interest rate you pay will stay the same for the term of the loan unless you refinance. The only change in your monthly house payments will be on your property taxes and insurance. Those of you that can’t afford a down payment on the house but can afford 2 mortgage payments, you can get both loans fixed. Fixed rate loans will keep you out of trouble later.

When you have a loan that you are systematically paying on the principle, you are building equity. In essence it’s like a savings account. It’s just not a very liquid savings, but when you are paying rent or interest only, you are not building ownership or equity. You are throwing all of that money down the drain. Just start out with something reasonable and within your means. Only you know what that is. Don’t get caught up in the process of looking for a house either. You’ll find a yard you like or a house that appeals to your emotions and that’s when you can get in trouble. Keep logic at the forefront when going through the process. Set a maximum you can afford and a preferred amount. Sometimes you’ll find that houses at the maximum need more work than houses in the preferred range. Use logic. You can always trade up later on when you have the means to.

Venice Part 1

2008-07-28T16:50:00.001-07:00

I have so many great pictures of Venice that it was hard to pick and choose. So this first round will be of St. Mark's Square.

These two shots are of the St. Mark's Cathedral. I think someone famous is supposed to be buried there but I can't remember, nor do I care to look it up.

This is the other side of the square from the cathedral's view.

This is the bell tower there. Every famous square in Italy has a corresponding bell tower.

This is the view from the back of the square. You can see the bell tower close to the cathedral.

And this is the view of the square from the bell tower. You have to climb a couple of towers while you're in Italy. The view is always spectacular. More views from up here next time. Just not of the square.

Me With a Gun is Such a Beautiful Image

2008-07-27T17:13:00.000-07:00

So one day last week I come home. Shut the garage door and walk into the house. As soon as the door closes I hear what sounds like a cabinet closing in the kitchen. I freeze instantly because Lola’s locked up in her kennel so it couldn’t be her. I peek my head around the corner from the hallway and look into the kitchen. As we have an open floor plan, I can see the kitchen at the back of the house from just a few steps after I get in from the garage at the front of the house.

I see nothing but am still scared so I think to myself, get the gun but let Lola out because that’s her job to be a guard dog. At least that’s what boxers were bred for. Lola’s kennel is in the room right by the garage so I let her out then head straight for the bedroom to get the shotgun. I figure if there is someone there, I what to scare the crap out of him by cocking the gun. Plus the sight of a crazy-eyed woman holding a shotgun, who may or may not have raging hormones now or constantly, has to be terrifying to anyone who has trespassed into her home.

So I get the gun and Lola runs out ahead of me back to the living room. Picture this. Me with one of my crazy faces if you know me, or if you don’t know me one of Screech’s dorky faces on my body, which can be found in the Lake Tahoe posting, sneaking around the house like Elmer Phud hunting for that wabbit. Those that know me and my faces will attest to this being the most accurate description possible to help you picture me.

Right before I get to the living room, I figure this is a good time to cock the gun as I have the safety of a hallway that I can duck back behind if necessary. So I cocked the gun, which was loud, and seemed to confuse Lola a bit which is understandable since this is her first time hunting. Since there were no cries for mercy, I proceeded through the living room into the kitchen. Looked around the island and proceeded to the pantry/laundry room as this is where someone would potentially decided to hide if they were in the kitchen and heard me come in through the garage door. So I now have the gun pointed in front of me, safety off I assume, and my finger right behind the trigger as I don’t want to accidentally shoot a bazillion holes into the wall unnecessarily. Around the corner I fling myself with the shotgun to nothing but a bunch of towels. To be safe though I still have to look behind the door. No one is there. This is actually a good thing for the would-be burglar.

Since I heard a noise I can’t just assume that because I didn’t find anything in the kitchen that I should let my paranoia go. So next it’s to the various rooms and closets. We have a sliding closet door in Lola’s room, so I go in there, put the barrel of the gun in the end that’s cracked open and slide it open with the barrel. No one had better dare try and grab this gun from me. I’ll shoot. I’ll do it!!! Then after that, I’ll beat the crap out of you for being in my house uninvited. Then I’ll call the cops. No one was there or in the other room’s closet.

Next stop was the guest bathroom. What a better place to hide than in the shower behind the curtain. But again I let my gun do all the hard work just in case. Because I want anyone who’s there to be shakin' in their shoes if I find them there so that we can put an end to this peacefully and without injury to the house. Because really, I don’t want to pay to fix all the holes in the wall because you decided you had the right to trespass.

After all the bathrooms, bedrooms, and closets had been checked, I finally felt comfortable that no one was in the house and some kind of air pressure had caused one of the cabinets to open and close. Either that or a rat is running loose in them somewhere. YUCK!!!! But now I had a problem. There was a shell in the barrel and the only way I knew how to get rid of it was to shoot the gun. Can’t do that without someone to shoot at. So I put the safety back on, I assumed. At least back to the position it was in when I pulled it out. Call my husband with no answer. Well great what am I supposed to do now with a loaded and cocked gun? So I put it on the bed and shut the door, so Lola couldn’t jump on the bed accidentally discharging it, and we went about our business as normal waiting for the call back.

Now I never have made a call like this before so when he calls back he’s not expecting this question. “How do I un-cock the gun?” Ummmm…right….Lola and I were playing “catch the burglar” for you know what and giggles. Well and because we wanted the practice in case a real one ever comes. Anyways we immediately work the problem, and now I know how to “un-cock” the gun for the future. Although it is a little nerve-wracking to point the gun at the ceiling and pull the trigger to make sure that I indeed got all the shells out. Luckily I did and there aren’t a hundred holes in the ceiling to make future buyers ask questions.

This woman isn’t afraid to kick some butt. So burglars beware. I hope you enjoyed what I now see as a humorous look into my life. Since most of my stories about me aren't nearly that exciting.

Austin City Limits Festival - The Opportunity of a Lifetime

2008-07-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is a plea to any of you that like music, used to really like music, or still dream about having musical talent and appreciate the musical talents of others.

Wolf-Rayet is my sister-in-law's band, and they have the opportunity to get voted into the line up for Austin City Limits Music Festival happening September 26-28. Please support them by voting for them. Click on the link below, scroll down until you see the "vote" button with the heading "vote for Wolf-Rayet." Click the button and it will ask for your email address. It will then send you a link to that email address that you have to click to confirm the vote. The link below also has one of their songs posted for you to listen to as well.

http://www.delllounge.com/music/sandj/contest/band/?id=31eb9ace-5426-4798-a46a-bf11b6f7f3e4

Here's also a link on there to their MySpace page if you want to check them out.

http://www.myspace.com/theuba

You can vote everyday until August 23 from any email you use. There's more information about the contest there.

I realize this is posted to the side of my blog, but I know some people probably don't bother to look over there much and anyone passing by my page randomly, might miss it. This post will be up all weekend so to those of you that read this, the link is also posted to the side at the very top under the lovely picture of Lola and will remain up until voting closes.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Lola's Corner - Meet Lucky

2008-07-23T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my world. I trust that you've all had a good week so far. I'm distracted right now by the swinging closet door. It's kind of fun to play with. Not as much fun as playing with poo though.....

So right before the 4th of July I went on a trip to my Granny and Pa Pa's house that they are building out in the boondocks. While mommy and I were walking out to the road, we overheard the neighbor lady shooing a dog away. That dog happened to see us and decided to follow us back to the house. She found shade and hung around that night too. She found water and wasn't skinny so presumably well fed be it through her own skills or the kindness of someone else. The next day daddy made a sign to put out by the road while Pa Pa decided to clean her up. Her fur was all knotted up and she needed a bath. So he cut the knots off. And he decided to name her Lucky. Because she's lucky to be alive and lucky to have found them.

Well no one has claimed her and they've decided to keep her. So this is my new aunt Lucky. She's real smart. Stays around. Has even caught a rat or something like that if I heard correctly. She even herded cousin Altoid back to the fold when he ran off. One of these days, mommy will remember to take a picture of cousin Altoid to share with you.

That's it for this week. Send me pictures of your cats, dogs, birds, lizards, or any other pets you may have to lolafrog@gmail.com.

Have a great week.

Love,

Lola

Personal Finances – Pay Off Your Debt

2008-07-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Apparently it’s really easy for people to rack up a bunch of debt. They get credit cards at a young age and think it’s ok to go hog wild buying anything and everything they want. They decide they are ready to buy a new car while carrying the debt of credit cards and school loans. Before they know it, they are in over their heads and don’t know what to do.

From my perspective, there are two kinds of debt. One adds value to your overall wealth, while the other chips away at it. Mortgages and school loans fall into the first category. While you are still throwing money away on interest, you are still building equity as long as you have a regular mortgage that you will eventually pay off in 30 years or less and own the house completely. Just be smart when you buy a house. Don’t get into a mortgage you can’t afford to pay each month. The bigger, nicer house can wait until later in life. School loans, if utilized properly and efficiently can increase your earning potential. This is why these are two perfectly acceptable forms of debt.

Credit cards, department store cards, vehicle loans, boob job loans, and whatever else you can think of fall into the second category of debt. These are debts chipping away at your wealth and the sooner you pay them off, the better off you will be. So your top priority should be to pay these various cards and loans off ASAP!!! Find ways to cut back elsewhere so you can put more each month towards them than you already are. For example, are you buying coffee every morning or eating out for lunch every day? Getting coffee once a week could save you as much as $12 a week, which adds up to about $50 per month. Eating out for lunch only once a week can probably save you at least $20 a week or about $80 a month or more. So now you have an additional $130 a month that you can be using to pay down your credit cards faster. I’m sure if you really think about it, you can find other ways to cut back The sooner you pay off those debts, the sooner you’ll free up that money to increase your savings, or the principle amount you pay each month on your mortgage. Both of which increase your wealth.

So if you can’t keep your credit card balances at $0 each month, cut them up and throw them away. If you don’t have it, don’t spend. If an emergency comes along, you can always get a new one. Also resist buying a new car. The longer you can go after it is paid off, the more you’ll have to put towards paying off your other debts, or towards savings each year. And remember, adding to your wealth is far better than throwing it all away, because 5, 10, or 15 years from now, you don’t want to have nothing to show for your hard work.

I don’t think I can say it more simply than that.

Lake Tahoe - One of My Own Personal Wonders of the U.S.

2008-07-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

If you ever get a chance to go to Lake Tahoe, I highly recommend it. I am particularly fond of it in the summer, but wouldn't mind seeing it in the winter too. I still think one of my sets of parents need to retire there so we can come visit on a regular basis. It is a very beautiful and fun place, especially if you enjoy camping, hiking, and bears. I did see a baby bear there but didn't get close enough or stick around long enough to find out where it's momma was. But it looked so cute and cuddly.

If I could cut myself out of some of these picture I would. But for now you'll have to deal with my face being colored in.

This is actually the lake. It is very very very very cold even in the summer. This is because it's very very very deep. If I ever go skiing in that lake, I will have a wet suit on.

This isn't actually part of Lake Tahoe, but an hour or two from there in northern California. This wouldn't be a bad place to live either. What a view.

I hope you enjoyed Lake Tahoe as much as I did. And if you haven't been there already, put it on your list of places to go to.

Socially Ignorant or Just Atagonistic?

2008-07-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

So I have a coworker who's completely inappropriate in more ways than one. He likes to look the ladies up and down and rarely looks at them in the eyes unless that's the only option you give him. i.e. never turn your body to face him, only your head, and if need be, turn your body away so all he can look at is your head or your shoulder. This coworker has told many an inappropriate stories about his own family, I can't even share the one that scarred us all for life, because there's no need for you all to be scarred as well.

Occasionally when we go out to lunch on for birthdays in our groups, he has been know to make politically provocative statements. No one seems to know if he's trying to get a discussion going, or if he's ignorant to the fact that we are such a diverse group that we will not all agree politically, hence the a bad idea to bring these topics up. Either way, the discussion is always quickly changed by any of the rest of us to more appropriate topics of conversation, because the statements he makes are so ignorant, his own political peers don't want him representing the views of their party. I say this not because it's inappropriate to discuss politics, but we are in a working environment where we have to get along and work together, and politics is so polarizing that unless you know you all agree, it's socially a bad topic to bring up in the workplace. Especially because most of us are reasonable and agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion no matter how right or wrong it is. And we all feel strongly about ourselves being right that we aren't even open to changing our minds.

This is all build up to tell you about our last staff meeting. He decides to tell the boss that he will potentially be out for jury duty (this is not something I would bring up in a staff meeting. I would go to the boss's office or send an email explaining this). Then he continues on to say he doesn't think he'll be picked because it's a capital case and he's against the death penalty. First of all. He lives in a county that's most likely going to share his point of view. Second of all, it's the defendant's lawyer's job to try and pick a jury of people that won't give his client the death penalty if he is found guilty. So there is no logic to your statement. Second, I really couldn't care less of what your opinion of the death penalty is, but a staff meeting certainly isn't the appropriate time to throw out those kinds of statements. Because 1, it wastes the rest of our time. And 2, you know that no one is going to challenge your point of view, because the rest of us know this is an inappropriate time and place to do so.

So I've decided to go into tomorrow's staff meeting and declare to everyone, "I believe in abortion, but only as a form of birth control, because if this had happened to all the criminals on death row, then their victims would still be alive and we wouldn't have to have this silly debate about whether or not the death penalty is right or wrong."

My conclusion is now just antagonistic.

Stacey Dash - You're How Old!?!?!?!?!

2008-07-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Since I'm probably talking mostly to the Clueless generation, meaning we all have a crush on Paul Rudd (he's so cute), and we all watched the movie Clueless back in the 1990s. I'm going to remind you of one of its stars. Remember Dionne, Dee, Cher's bff? She was 29 in 1995 when that movie came out! 10 1/2 years older than Alicia Silversone! Then she continued the character on TV for 61 episodes from 1996-1999!!! I couldn't pass for a highschooler now if I tried. Granted they never can on TV either, but I didn't think she was playing a highschooler at 30!!!! I wonder if she's got the record for oldest actor to play a high school student. Hmm...

She's old enough to be my way under aged mother!!! Yes but I knew someone that got knocked up at 12 so she really is old enough depending on when puberty hit for her.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.hollywood.com/cms/300x375/5222337.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hollywood.com/photo/Flip_Book_Stacey_Dash_/2400159/5222337&h=375&w=300&sz=53&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=KHrjthtfwdUQRM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstacey%2Bdash%2B2008%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ADBF

Anyways the point of bringing her up is, have you seen her lately? Check out the link below for a slide show of pics unless you want to google her and see the her nekked booty. She's a knock-out. I would never have guessed that she's 42 ever. She was born January 20, 1966 according to her bio on Internet Movie Database. I thought she was probably around 34 to 36 based on when the movie came out. I had no idea.

Anyways so I hope I look half as good as she does in 12 years. Shoot I wish I looked half as good as she does now. I might be right at half. So I better do some work to keep it that way. Dang You go girl!!!!

Yeah yeah in case you're wondering, I watched celebrity circus and she got robbed. But it was at least by Antonio Sabato Jr. Now I'm going to say something stupid, but I can't help it. "He can rob me any day!!"

Lola's Corner - Meet Duncun

2008-07-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome back to my corner. As you can see my pampas grass is growing back quite rapidly and soon my corner will be nice and shady again.

So I survived surgery!!! Stupid jerks kept me over night and didn't let me out to pee. Now I can hold it a long time, but I'm still a little puppy and when daddy picked me up, I was so excited I peed all over the floor. But that's what they get for not taking me out that morning. I always go out first thing in the morning. Then I had an extra long pee as soon as we got home too. Kind of like I had a reserve tank in there that needed emptying too!! So here's a picture of my stitches. I'm quite proud. I get them removed this weekend and then I'm free to be a maniac again. Right now I'm a maniac against doctor's orders, but they didn't take me out to pee in the morning so pppppppllllllllllllllttttttttttttttttt on them!!!

Today I'm going to introduce you all to Duncun. He's a foster living with Buster and Aspen. As you can see he looks a lot like Aspen. He has been living with them since the 4th of July. What a way to celebrate this country's Independence!! He's kind of skinny, but he's in a real good place to get all the food he needs. Apparently he has a permanent home to go too soon and Buster and Aspen and his foster parents will miss him a lot. Just look at that sweet face.

This is Aspen and Duncun

Duncun

This is Aspen displaying her working skills. Since she's a working dog, it's her job to carry the keys, phone, and doody bags when they go for a walk.

A boxer with a job, is a happy boxer

And this is Buster's birthday party. Happy Birthday Buster!!! you can see Aspen and Buster's girlfriend Abby the doberman. Or should I say doberwoman. What a hottie she is. Way to go Buster. They had pupcake cupcakes and the recipe is provided for you below. I'm going to nag my mom to make me some. They sound delicious!! Thanks for sharing with us Buster.

Pupcake Cupcakes:
1 large apple
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of honey
2 eggs
1 cup grated cheese - MMMMM I LOVE CHEESE!!!!!
Frosting:
18oz lowfat cream cheese
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons of honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Grease muffin tins.Core, slice, and mince the apple. Set aside.In a large bowl mix flour, oatmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.In a medium bowl blend yogurt, water, oil, honey, and eggs. Then stir in the apple and cheese. Add to the flour mixture and stir until mixed. Spoon into muffin tins until the tins are about 3/4 full.Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
For the frosting, combine the cream cheese (at room temperature), honey, and yogurt until smooth. Spread on the cupcakes.
Makes about 16 cupcakes. If you prefer a single-layer cake, spoon the batter into a sheet pan and bake for an extra ten minutes.

There you have ladies and gentlemen. Go out and make your beloved pups some cupcakes this weekend. I promise, they'll give you extra kisses to thank you .

Remember to keep sending me pics of your pets for me to share lolafrog@gmail.com. Next week I'll introduce you to a lucky little stray dog named Lucky. As long as she is still where she is.

See you next week!
Love,
Lola

Personal Finances – Your Credit Score

2008-07-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Helping people out of financial strain has always been sort of a dream of mine. Kind of like Suze Orman without the tan. But I hate the thought of charging them for advice when they’ve already gotten in over their heads. So this is potentially a way for me to offer what I consider to be common sense advice but what many schools and parents fail to teach causing endless cycles of families struggling to survive. Maybe someone somewhere will stumble across this blog and it will reach them somehow…Ah who am I kidding. That’s not going to happen.

So lesson one is about our credit score. Your credit score says a lot about you. The higher your score, the more responsible you have been with credit and money you owe. The lower the score indicates that you are more of a risk to lenders. There are 5 elements that make up your credit score; payment history, total debt owed; length of credit history, available credit, and types of credit used.

There are things you can do in each of these categories to improve your score. For example too many credit cards can be perceived as a negative, especially if they all carry balances. However, having no credit cards can also be a negative since it decreases the amount of credit immediately available to you. As some of you may have noticed, the longer you have a credit card and have consistently paid off the balances you carry, the more credit the card companies make available to you. This is a good thing if you are responsible and don’t carry a balance for long or if you make sure to pay off your balances every month.

Another habit you can get into is to make sure to pay all of your bills on time. This includes loan payments, credit card payments, and utility bills. Establish a history of honest dependable repayment. This tells potential creditors that you care about your financial obligations and that you are less risky than someone who sporadically pays their bills, or gets behind on their bills. People that do that are potentially in over their heads, and potentially don’t care about being in over their heads. As you can see someone lending you money wants to lend it to someone who they can trust will pay it back.

As you can see many of these things improve your credit score with age. This is because generally with age comes more responsibility of bills. I must say though what seemed to cause my credit score to jump most dramatically was buying our house and paying on it for a year on time and in full every month. I can make a guess that it has to do with being able to handle a larger, longer-term loan responsibly with all of our other payments.

The benefits of having a high credit score include the best interest rates, access to credit, and plain ol’ pride in yourself for being a financially responsible member of society rather than a drain on society. Because people that don’t pay their bills or run up high credit card balances and pay the monthly minimum if that, or get in way over their heads and find themselves juggling their bills from month to month are a drain on the economy.

I’m not saying people don’t run across hard times. We all struggle from time to time. But even when you are struggling, you can still live within your means. Maybe that just means, that new car will have to wait another year, or buying a house will need to wait another year or two, or you go without satellite or cable TV, or go without the Internet since you have access to it at your local library or at work during your lunch hour (or all day for most government employees J). Basically speaking, look at how much money you bring home each month, subtract your necessities, and I’m sorry but a cell phone is also not a necessity, negotiate what you will save each month and what excess wants you can afford. That’s living within your means, since keeping up with the Joneses is really impossible since as you get more, they get even more. Trust me, the Joneses are probably in over their heads too. At least you can hold your head high if you live within your means.

Now let’s all hold hands and sing cum bay ah…or however you spell it.

For more information related to your credit score go to http://www.myfico.com

St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican - Rome

2008-07-14T15:53:00.001-07:00

Welcome to St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican compound. For those of you that don't know, the Vatican is it's own little city in Rome. Meaning it's its own municipality. I could be off in my understanding of it so check wikipedia if you really care. It has it's own post office I know that. Anyways so my St. Peter's Basilica is my focus today. This is because Italy is filled with so much art and none struck me the way this place did. If you only have time for one museum of art, or if art gets really redundant to you as it does for me, go to the Vatican, take the full tour, but make sure you hit St. Peter's Basilica before you go into the Vatican. St. Peter's is free and if you go early enough in the morning, the square will be empty and it's worth the view. See this first picture that I so brilliantly blotched out our faces (as I have a no humans allowed on this blog rule except for terrible pictures of celebs maybe) all with the aid of my paintbrush program. hmmm who knew you could do that? I'm for hire if anyone wants to pay for my obviously fantastic skills.

Wait too long and the square fills up quickly, this shot is still very early in the morning. You probably want to get there at the crack of dawn. Get yourself an overpriced coffee at one of the shops on the block next to the Vatican and then head into the square to enjoy the peacefulness. I promise there will be a Japanese tourist there to take your picture.

The rest of the shots are from inside the Basilica. It's huge and very beautiful, and these pictures don't begin to show you all that's in there. It's worth the visit if you get the chance though.

Postpartum Depression Not an Excuse for Murder

2008-07-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

We have all heard the notorious case of Andrea Yates, the Houston woman who systematically killed her 5 kids by drowning them in their bathtub at home. There have been many other cases of mothers killing their kids all over the country and the world for that matter that go to trial with an insanity defense due to postpartum depression.

I am not about do deny the fact that postpartum depression exists, or that having a new baby can be overwhelming and stressful. This is because my babysitting experiences caused all kinds of pictures to pop into my head that I knew better than to act upon. And I was only with the kids for a few hours. So I can sympathize with being around the baby 24/7 and becoming overwhelmed by it. However, I do believe that it is our responsibility and the responsibility of those close to us to recognize signs of this and to ask for help. If you don’t ask for help, that doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility to care for and protect your child from danger, including yourself.

I’m a firm believer that insanity of any reason is a ridiculous and invalid defense for murder ever. This is because you have to be insane to be able to kill someone with the exception of defense. So I don’t ever believe this should be a reason someone should go to a psychiatric hospital rather than prison. There’s not a doubt in my mind that those women are insane. What sane woman drowns, or stabs or strangles their child? None! I don’t care if they say they don’t remember it. There are always warning signs. Right I know I don’t know what I’m talking about I should just shut my mouth and feel sorry for them because they need help. Well everyone that’s in prison for murder, rape, or any other crime needed help before their crimes too. You have to take responsibility and reach out for help because if you don’t, people don’t always know you need it. Although it’s possible some of your closest family members may just be in denial that you need help.

There has been enough open discussion about postpartum depression in the last several years that I think it’s our responsibility as women to keep ourselves in check for that if we are going to choose to bring another life into this world. They didn’t ask to be brought here, so we shouldn’t take it out on them. I know it’s shameful, embarrassing, and people will judge you for having it postpartum depressive thoughts. I’ve got news for you; they’re going to judge you much more harshly in a courtroom for killing your baby or injuring it. There’s no shame in asking for help. We all need it at one time or another.

There’s really nothing more I can say about it.

Nat's Still Running the Peach Pit!

2008-07-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

My post just got lost. dangit!!

blah blah blah

Nat's running the Peach Pit and he's freakin 71. Retire already. Oh by the way 90210 the new class is set to be on the CW network for those of you that haven't heard the mediocre news. Kelly and Donna are coming back. Kelly as the guidance counselor and Donna presumably as Kelly's BFF!! I'm sure she'll be a super rich and famous fashion designer who designs the school uniforms. The girls' uniforms of which will be extra slutty. How else are they going to get people to watch?

Rumor has it Brenda might too. But that makes no sense since she couldn't even make it back for her brother's failed wedding. It's not like she didn't have access to enough money. Her parents were filthy rich. Especially by then. Maybe they just had the worst case of sibling rivalry that they failed to address on the show. Or maybe she at twintuition that the wedding wasn't actually going to happen, so why bother.

My husband is convinced I'll watch. I say I won't. But I said I wouldn't watch the O.C. and look what happened. But that show really was terrible. Sometimes you watch crap when you're bored. The only thing I would be interested in is if more of the original cast came back and they showed tremendous personal growth. So it's possible that I'll check out the first episode or so, but if they focus in on the new class I'll lose interest fast. If they could get all of the original cast back together, that would be a reunion not unlike the New Kids on the Block reunion. Well except without the money making reunion concert. So not really anything like it.

Lola's Corner - I'm Getting Fixed!!!

2008-07-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hello again. I've missed you all. I hope you have been eagerly awaiting this day when I share my beautiful mug with you. Really, I'm shocked that I haven't been offered a high dollar modeling contract yet. That's just how gorgeous I am.

So great news. I'm getting fixed tomorrow!!! The reason I'm so excited is that this means I can go have as much sex as I want with whatever dogs I want, and not have to worry about getting knocked up!!! So I plan on offering myself to every male dog that will have me. Especially that 100 lb boxer I've been playing with at the dog park the last two Sundays. He's a real stud. A real man if you know what I mean....not one of those sissy boys. I'm very excited!! I told him to wait for me and he said he would. Then he smacked me around a bit. But I liked it. I went back for more.

So no one emailed me any pics this week, but here's a link to a picture of Moxie the boxer I wanted to share with you. http://mominreallife.blogspot.com/2008/05/time-for-quickie-was-it-as-good-for-you.html

Rachel, is Moxie a boy or girl because I want to say boy, but that may be wishful thinking considering my soon to be infertile status. If Moxie's a boy, I'm way interested in going out with him. He's a sexy beast with that marshmellow (I refuse to call it marshmallow). To everyone else out there, there are more pics of Moxie on the "How to Celebrate the 4th of July" post still on the main page, which can be gotten to by deleting everything after .com in the browser and hitting enter. Since they have a human in them, I'll have to let you all navigate to see them, as it would otherwise violate my no humans rule. They are really cute though. I need a pool to go swimming in too!!!

So send me your pictures of you pets for next week. I'm out, with the exception of Christmas pictures which will have to wait until then. Lolafrog@gmail.com

Have a wonderful weekend which is almost here, and wish me luck and pray for me as I go under the knife tomorrow and for the doctor.

Lola

Victimization or Just Poor Choices?

2008-07-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have this theory or perhaps perspective that I know for a fact I’m not alone in. It has to do with the fact that we are more in control of ourselves and our lives than we like to admit to. You see this is because it’s so much easier to blame a slew of poor choices on something like, oh say, a poor childhood, or something bad that happened to us rather than taking responsibility for our poor choices. Because then we have an excuse to continue making poor choices if we just aren’t ready to start making good choices. It’s not my fault.

For example, morbidly obese people that are confined to their bed, can’t work because they can’t move so they get on social security disability so you and I can pay for them to continue stuffing their faces. They claim they are just a victim of bad genes or some dramatic childhood experience or they are depressed. When in fact they have the power to stop eating after they’ve had enough. They have the choice to sit on the couch with a bag of chips or a bucket of chicken after dinner, or go out and take a walk or get on a bike while they watch T.V. They are only victims of their own poor choices, but they like it that way. The fact is they’ve chosen this lifestyle perhaps out of self-loathing or laziness. They aren’t unable to work. They shouldn’t get disability for this. I’d be more willing to pay for a life coach or therapist that will work with them on making better choices and changing their behaviors so they can be proud of who they are and get fulfillment from the good choices they make such as holding down a steady job, surrounding themselves with loving people rather than people that feed off of their bad choices, and just doing something worthwhile with their life.

The same goes for quitting smoking. While I won’t deny the addicting power of nicotine, I’ve known people that have smoked for years and years and years and quit cold turkey or in a short amount of time because they decided it was time. And you hear other stories like that all the time. But most people that say they can’t when they try, really haven’t made the choice to quit yet.

The past is the past. You can’t change the past and you aren’t trapped by your past. Your past doesn’t define your future. You may hate what happened to you, but you can’t change that, you can only control how you will face the future. You have to choose to let the past go. No one else can control your future, well unless you commit a crime and go to prison, but even prisoners made poor choices that led them there. They could have chosen differently.

Once people admit that they have control over their choices and take responsibility for them, then they can really live a fulfilling life. This is because they will change their perspective. They may still make poor choices from time to time, but by owning them, they can learn from them not to make the same mistakes in the future. There is no need to dwell on the bad stuff when you resolve to learn from it for the future.

I once believed that love was a feeling. Some other girls and I argued with 2 German boys about this. They said it was a choice and we said that’s crazy. It’s a feeling. That was when I was young and stupid. Thank goodness I didn’t get married back then. Sometime around the end of college or shortly after, it clicked. Love really is a choice. When I got married, I knew I wouldn’t always have the warm fuzzies for my husband because he’ll do things that make me mad or irritate me. But if I choose everyday to wake up and love him no matter what, I’ll forget next week or even the next day what he did that ticked me off. If I choose to wake up and love him every day, I’ll notice the little things he does around the house to show me he loves me, like when he cleans the kitchen for me, or washes my car, rather than dwell on the things he does that make me mad. When you make that choice every day, you feel love towards that person and it doesn’t seem like near as much work to keep the marriage together and happy. I didn’t marry my husband because I felt all warm and fuzzy about him, I chose to marry him after learning all about him and learning how we interact and how he is when times are difficult and learning how we work though problems together and learning that we enjoy spending time together. The warm fuzzies come every morning when I wake up next to him and every evening when he comes home from work. And because I chose him, I will choose to honor that commitment I made to him every day. I can control how I treat him and what I say to him. And if I let something unkind come out of my mouth, I can choose whether to woman up and apologize or just be a bitter bitch. But if I choose the latter, it will make his choice to love me that much more difficult. This can really apply to your relationships with friends and co-workers as well, just remove the warm fuzzies part.

Which leads me to the fact that we also choose our moods. I can choose to put on a happy face in spite of being miserable and after awhile of this, I’ll forget why I was so miserable. Or at least change my perspective towards what made me so miserable. For example, everyday millions and millions of us go to our jobs, and at any given time we all hate our job even if it’s only for one day or one hour out of every month. And we’ll complain to each other from time to time about something we hate about our jobs. But there are some that show up to work everyday and bitch and moan about how they hate their job. Sometimes they’ll add misery to their co-workers by droning on and on to them about how bad their life is and that they hate their job blah blah blah blah blah woe is me. But somehow these are the people that have been at the same job for many many years. Why is that? They choose to stay. They could choose to change their job situation by looking for another job. But they are comfortable. In fact if they’d change their perspective and just admit that they like the fact that they know their job and they like the fact that they don’t have to go out and interview for a new job and learn a new job, and they like the fact that they get paid for the work they do no matter how mind-numbing it may be. Work is work and it’s not necessarily supposed to be fun. Otherwise I think it would be called fun. But a attitude adjustment will keep it from being so miserable. It’s something we do to take responsibility for our own lives. And that should be fulfilling. Sometimes it will be stimulting, sometimes it won’t. I’ve also found in talking to many people over the years, that there are always going to be people no matter where you work or what you do, that are irritating or difficult. But try this perspective; they make the rest of us look really really good. So be thankful for the role they are playing at your job to help you. You can’t make their choices for them. They are in control of their destinies. But will probably find a way to blame you, God, or someone else for their misfortunes.

So the point being is victims are people who have had a crime committed against them. But just because some one had a crime committed against them, or had a bad childhood, that doesn’t make them a victim for life. They were only a victim at that point in time. They can choose to have a good life in spite of their past and they should because they will have a happier, more enjoyable life.

Iguaçu Falls

2008-07-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

So I had the pleasure of making it down to Iguaçu Falls when I was in Brazil. It was a trip well worth making and if I ever get the chance to go back, I will. This is because of the last picture. These falls are on the border of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Unfortunately because of the last picture, we only saw it from the Brazil view. Only Victoria Falls in Africa can be considered larger but by standards of the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Otherwise Iguaçu Falls are much larger.

As you can see, similar views in all three pictures. This is because I couldn't walk. I could hop, but not fast enough or far enough. This little accident happened on the bus ride down there. We were at a stop to take a break for snacks and whatever, and I stepped down from the bus onto a curb. They took me to the podunkiest clinic you can imagine and all they did was take an x-ray and tell me what I already knew. That it was severely sprained. He said don't walk on it and I could maybe get crutches at a pharmacy. I had no luck so I just hopped until I got home and got lectured by my doctor for hop walking on it. What did he know???

So please search Iguacu falls and that will bring up some more beautiful pictures. Although pictures don't do this place justice.

How do you like my cankle?

The Fair Tax, It's Really That Important

2008-07-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I will on a fairly regular basis, reprint my write up on the Fair Tax. Or at least the meat of it. This is because I believe that it's so important that we all become aware just how badly our current tax system is screwing us over, and just how win-win the Fair Tax is as a solution to the problem. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have on it either in the comments or at lolafrog@gmail.com. Unless you have my regular email address. Then you can send questions there. This is something that I hope people will run across from time to time and become interested in.

I know that you all are smart enough to know that the government takes income taxes out of your check each time you get paid; taxes for income, Medicare, and social security. This is taken out for your convenience so you hopefully won’t have to write a check to the government at tax time. But it’s really a dirty trick to make you look forward to getting a refund and to forget about how much you actually pay in taxes every year. Most people of my generation already have accepted the fact that we won’t see a penny of our social security when retirement comes around. Either that or they’ll raise the “retirement age” to 90 before you can collect your social security. The problem is when the issue of privatizing social security comes up, we the people freak out in outrage because apparently letting the government control your money is much less risky than letting you decide who to help you invest it.

My intent with this is to simplify the Fair Tax enough to spark your interest to learn more about it. Basically speaking, it is a national sales tax that replaces the current income tax system that is such a drain on us today. The Fair Tax will do several things to stimulate your own personal economic situation as well as the macro U.S. economic situation.

Here’s what it will do for you and your family.
-You will keep 100% of your paycheck (I don’t know about you, but I can spend my money better than the government does)
-Medicare and Social Security stay in tact and your interest is still funded
-You will get a prebate (a check) every month based on the # of people in your house to cover the fair tax amount on basic needs regardless of income
-The cost of goods and services you use now will should stay about the same after the fair tax is calculated, if not go down
-You pay taxes only when you choose to consume
-Eliminate the tax deadline and the costs associated with filing the taxes that you already pay-Eliminates inheritance taxes, gift taxes, capital gains taxes, and all other ridiculous methods the government uses to rob you and your family on a daily basis
-Increases your ability to save tax free

Here’s what it will do for the U.S. Economy.
-Bring jobs that were sent overseas back to the U.S.
-Encourage global companies to set up shop in the U.S. providing more jobs to Americans
-Corporations will not have to pay income taxes either, thereby driving down the cost of goods and services since we know that corporations don't pay taxes, people do
-Collects taxes from tourists, illegals, and non-income earners every time they consume
-Takes the power from the federal government and puts it in the hands of the people

I can’t go into every detail here but I’m going to explain one very important thing as many people don’t understand this. Since you pay income taxes and the company you work for pays income taxes and other taxes just to have you as an employee, these costs are worked into the final price of the goods or services they offer. Their job is to make money not break even. (Even non-profits are not completely in the business of breaking even, because where would executives get their big fat bonuses?) So any increased cost a company faces, including tax increases on them, is passed on to you the consumer already. Corporations can't pay taxes because they are merely an infrastructure by which to collect and pass on taxes to the federal government, such as when you are paid every month. If those taxes go away, the cost of goods and services drop. The reason your goods and services will stay about the same is because these imbedded taxes will be removed and implemented in the form of the fair tax. But remember you’re now taking home 100% of your paycheck and keeping it, rather than 80%-90% or less of it. And you are receiving a check from the government every month to cover the taxes for the basic needs of your family.

One other important piece of information for you to ponder that should spark your interest. The fair tax is only collected once on brand new items. If you buy a used car or a used house, it isn’t collected, because all of those taxes were already collected the first time around.Here’s what you need to do about it. Read the book. I paid $5 for it at Barnes and Noble on the clearance rack. I’m sure you can find a copy of it for cheap. I’ll even loan out my copy. Your other option is to go the website http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer and educate yourself. You can see if your representatives support it or not, and if they are a co-sponsor of one of the bills, which is HR 25 for the house of representative and S 1025 for the senate. Once you are educated, start talking with your family and friends about it to spread the word. Write your representatives too.Don’t think of this as a right wing or left wing piece of legislation. Think of it as beneficial to everyone. Win-win for everyone. The nanny programs are kept that are generally seen as a good for a lot of people, but without burdening those that despise the abuse of the nanny programs. I can choose not to buy a new car if I don’t want to support it. Who knows, it may even stimulate those abusers of the nanny programs, to become productive members of society rather than the drain that they current are. I certainly can dream if I want to.

Since When Did Criminals Become the Victims?

2008-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don’t know the story I’m about to discuss, a guy from Houston, or there abouts, shot 2 buglers dead, who had broken into his neighbor’s house and were stealing from him while the shooter was on the phone with 911. His name is Joe Horn, and last week the Harris county grand jury decided not to indict him in their deaths. As they chose correctly in my opinion.

What I’d like to talk about today is the terrible perspective written about in the following article written on CNN. If you’d like to read the article in it’s entirety, here it is. Otherwise I will post and address specific quotes that rile me up below.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/01/roland.martin/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

“Yet while folks revel in Horn's actions, it really does call for a moment of reflection about the seriousness of taking someone's life."

What about the seriousness of burgulary? What about the seriousness of drug dealing? What about the seriousness of being in this country illegally?

“But I just don't see exactly what there is to celebrate. Two men -- both illegal immigrants and one of them with a conviction for selling drugs -- are dead for stealing some personal effects, and we are supposed to welcome this vigilante justice?”

Does this mean you think we should lay out the red carpet for illegal immigrants, convicted drug dealers, and burglars? At what point do you plan to hold these guys responsible for their actions? Why is Horn the only responsible party here? They are dead because they broke into the wrong house. They are dead because they are in this country illegally and chose to repeatly break laws. Not because of vigilate justice. If someone breaks into my house, damn straight I won’t hesitate to blow them away. And If I see them breaking into my neighbor’s house, I hope the cops get there before they start to leave. I hope I’ll have the courage to stop them, follow them or something so they don’t get away with it. I don’t care if Joe shot them. He stopped them. They shouldn’t have put him in that position to begin with.

“Yes, the law was on Horn's side, whether he knew that or not when he fired. But when does our core decency come in when we make such life-altering decisions in a snap? Don't you think making the choice to kill someone should be based on something more dire, such as if your life is in danger?”

“Core decency!!!”…the criminals didn’t exhibit “core decency” and you want to talk about the “core decency” of Horn protecting himself and his neighbors? What was he supposed to do, go out there and tell them when to take his things when they are finished? And even help them load the truck? Is that what you mean by “core decency?” And who’s do say his life wasn’t in danger? Just because they were robbing his neighbor and not him at the moment, doesn’t mean that they weren’t coming to his house next. And when you see someone doing illegal behavior that egregious, you can’t assume that they are peaceful criminals, because by definition, criminals are disturbing the peace. At what point would you say it’s appropriate to interpret your own life being in danger? He was a witness, they could have left and come back in the middle of the night, or followed him one day to take his life. “Something more dire!!!!” Is it appropriate to pull the trigger before or after they put a gun to your head? REALLY!!!

“At no point was Horn's life in danger. We also know that his neighbor was out of town and no one was at home. So don't try to bring up the various hypothetical situations that could alter the basic facts of the story.”

And you know that the burglers knew that his neighbor was out of town how? And so Joe Horn should have also known this to be a fact too, and should have said, “oh it’s ok, my neighbor’s out of town, the insurance will cover his stolen property, I’ll just let them walk off with his stuff and hope they don’t come to my house next,” while cowering in a corner. Are we supposed to put signs out on our lawns when we’re out of town letting criminals know that it’s ok to hit our house because we’ve instructed the neighbors not to worry about you hitting their house since they are home? Meanwhile the premiums on our homeowners insurance start to creep up as they have to pay out more and more claims.

“Two sorry men who already broke the law by coming in the country illegally chose to hasten their fate by robbing the wrong house with the wrong neighbor watching.”

Do you mean they were sorry people because they were criminals, or they were sorry because they got picked the wrong house with the wrong neighbor watching?

“Our choices have life-altering -- or life-ending -- consequences.”

“But Horn could have chosen differently. He didn't have to fire on the men. He could have heeded the advice of the dispatcher and not gone outside with his shotgun. He could have left apprehending criminals to the folks empowered to do so -- the police.”

So Horn should have chosen differently, not the criminals? Really? How is it that YOU get paid to write crap like this? I thank God that there are decent people out there who will come to the aid of their neighbors and even strangers, risking their own lives to help others. Sure he could have chosen differently, but had the criminals been deported when they were busted for selling drugs, had then chosen not to break into someone’s house and steal their things, Horn wouldn’t have even had to make this choice. But yes, the criminals are the real victims here. Not the guy who’s house got broken into. Oh right, but he shouldn’t have chosen to be out of town right?

Lola's Corner - Welcome to the World Tonka

2008-07-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Hello again, and welcome to my world. Don't you just love my fake forced smile? I know I should be a super model or something like that. They should pay me hundreds of thousands, no millions, for this smile.

So I just got back from a walk with mommy and I didn't know that it was a bad idea to wolf down some food before going. Shortly after getting back from our lovely walk, I barfed it all back up. Funny, most of it looked very much in tact, almost as if I hadn't chewed. Hmmm. Maybe that's why mommy and daddy keep telling me to chew my food. Well that, and I choke on it sometimes. But when I'm hungry, I just want to eat like there's no tomorrow. Needless to say, I feel much better now. Hopefully I learned a lesson not to do that again.

I'm very excited because tomorrow I'm going on a road trip with mommy and daddy to see one of my grandpa's. He and granny are building their house and we are going to help. But sadly, granny's on vacation so I won't get to see her. But I'll still have fun running around and playing.

So today I'd like to introduce you to Tonka. He's an English Bulldog, and he's even younger than me!!! But not by much. He's about 10 weeks old now. Isn't he just as cute as can be?? Join me in welcoming Tonka to the wonderful world of a loving family that will take such good care of him.

This is Tonka's big sister Kelly. Obviously not his biological sister. She likes chin scratches and computing. She could type 70 words per minute if she wanted to. But she's a cat, why would she do something silly like that when she can get one of her pesky humans to do what she tells them?

Be nice to Tonka Kelly. He's just a little puppy.

So somewhere out there, is a boxer named Moxie just waiting to meet all of you. Apparently my email didn't work the first time. Hopefully Moxie's mommy will resend me some of those oh so cute pictures for next week.

Also any of you out there that would like to introduce you furry, feathery, or swimming pets to the world, please email me pictures at lolafrog@gmail.com. I've very much enjoyed my time with you. Have a Happy 4th of July.

Lola

Workaholics

2008-07-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know I know, half of you that read this will probably argue and disagree with me. But then if you have time to read this, I can't classify you as a workaholic. Maybe you’re someone who screws around on the job wasting time, leading to overtime, for whatever reason. But not a workaholic. Maybe someone who lacks the ability to prioritize their day, or focus on the work they need to get done for the day, but not a workaholic.

I have had a theory for about the last 7 years or so since joining the workforce full time, 40 hours a week 50 weeks a year, that 95% or more of jobs out there are designed to finish in a 40-hour work week if the employee filling that position works efficiently and productively. That includes time for wasting now and then, or getting caught up in various business related conversations that weren't part of your planned day. Once most people get into the swing of their job, they can easily finish up their tasks in a regular 8-hour workday. I also realize that some industries i.e. are not in this 95% the higher you get in the company. And that commission only based jobs, may require more hours for a less experienced or talented sales person. I would find a new career if I didn't get the hang of sales though. I also realize that there are cyclical jobs that require more hours during certain parts of the year. Ownership can exempt you during startup. There are all kinds of positions that are exempt from this theory, so I don’t want to hear all about the ones I failed to mention. I’m talking about people that make a daily, weekly, habit of staying late at the office, and going into the office on the weekends regardless of the job they have.

The thing is, in several of my last few work experiences, I have worked with several individuals that worked ungodly amounts of overtime almost on a daily basis. I also know that many of these people would defend it as necessary to keep their job. In my view, it was/is only necessary if everyone continues to accept the demands for it. But those places had problems with delegating work to the general staff. So that means the overtime could have been prevented. I have also witnessed several people go on and on dramatizing the amount of overtime they put in for a project or during a certain time of the year, when their consistent habits are to show up when they feel like it, disappear for several hours during the day, or waste their time talking the ears off of their co-workers. This behavior leads me to believe their dramatic overtime stories could have been prevented as well.

It’s a manager’s job to make sure that the workload for a position is reasonable, and then to put a competent person in that role that can handle that workload in a timely and efficient manner. It’s also a manager’s job to delegate work appropriately. If he is taking it all on himself or giving it all to one person causing overtime for either or both, then he needs to reevaluate his delegation determinations and perhaps work to train the other staff to be able to pitch in.

My theory is that workaholics, people that make habit of spending more than their 8 hours a day at their job on a daily basis no matter what job they are in, have some sort of martyr complex. They are dramatic in telling stories about their overtime, because they want to come across as the company and family martyr and hero. They have a way of talking about how the company couldn’t survive without their overtime. When the reality is that it could. And someone else could probably do the job in 40 hours. These people have a way of often needing to come in on the weekends as well. It’s really very sad. I suppose some of their families are glad that they aren’t home much. But I’ll bet more families are torn about by it. Some people excuse it by calling it dedication. Ok…so dedication to your job is much more important than dedication to your family.
Hmmm…
I’m glad I didn’t marry a workaholic…And I’m glad I’ve resisted that oh so strong urge I have to become one…Right…I have no such urge…

Welcome to Slovenia

2008-06-30T17:20:00.001-07:00

These are various pictures of random buildings in Slovenia. For those of you who don't know where Slovenia is, it's just east of Italy. It's part of the former Yugoslavia and gained their independence in 1991. This is the capital city of Ljubljana. (pronounced exactly how it's spelled....not really...Lubyana is the only way I can think of spelling it phonetically). I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed being there to take them. If you're ever in Europe, swing by Slovenia. It's a really beautiful place. And don't worry, most everyone speaks English. Or enough to communicate with you.

I was Right and the Lawyer was WRONG!!!!

2008-06-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

I know that in deep down inside, most of us know that lawyers are wrong more often than not, but that on the surface, they get credit for being the all knowing, wise sages of a company. They get the final word, because after all, they went to law school and should know better. Most of us are going to deal with them in a corporate setting. In the courtroom setting, it’s usually one lawyer against another lawyer. Most people that represent themselves lose. Which is why they get a lawyer. They are trained to look at a case from all angles and argue your case. The ones that do it better than everyone else, get loads of money.

I’m going to tell you about the time I won an argument at work with a lawyer. As you can see this did not happen in a court of law. Since I work for state government, we have a whole staff of lawyers who presumably are supposed to know federal citations/laws/rules/regulations like the back of their hand. At the very least, they should be able to find them. They are also supposed to make sure that our documents and procedures comply with these federal rules, etc. among other things. We send official documents through their office to review before they get posted for public review. I find that they spend more of their time rewriting sentences that they rewrote the last time we sent them this exact type of document on another topic. They do check to make sure all of our citations are correct though. But let me tell you, if you don’t know what a citation is, apparently it’s my job, not theirs, to come up with the appropriate citation or alternative way to say it without the specific citation that would normally go there. I thought this was part of their job. But I’m getting sidetracked, as that was another story and another lawyer.

So this particular document I am referring to is being reviewed for me for the first time by this particular lawyer. This lawyer was relatively new to the job so I’m thinking this was probably the first time they had reviewed this particular type of document. They had already reviewed a whole set of documents on the same subject, for a different purpose for me months back. The lawyer sends back my document stating that according to federal citation “blah blah blah,” that my informational packet needed to be available for distribution at certain said locations, when I had in there to contact me for a copy of this informational packet, as I had for all other documents for this specific purpose. I looked up the citation referred to and saw clearly that it didn’t relate to this purpose but to the purpose this lawyer had already reviewed for me months back. I did see how this could be confusing as this revelation was based on one specific word in the citation. So I sent back an email pointing out this specific word and explained that’s what was accomplished in the prior set of documents and explained how the purpose of this document was different. I also asked if the procedure had changed for some reason to let me know so I could alert my superiors.

The lawyer sends me an email back disagreeing with me once again and saying the same thing they did the first time. At this point I don’t get paid enough to argue with lawyers plus, if I had, this lawyer could have used their hotheaded lawyerness to tell my superiors how disrespectful or blah blah blah I was. I had argued once and that was enough for my peewee position, so I passed it on to my superiors. My boss’s boss came over and told me that I was right and had handled it properly, and then we called the lawyer together at my desk. Huh…we got the voicemail. So my boss’s boss left a message saying that I was correct and that maybe they needed to check with their boss for clarification/understanding of the citation. And to please approve so that it could get posted in a timely manner and to call either of us with questions. Victory!!!!!! That was probably the best day I have had at work so far. It’s not often that I get to be declared right, even if I am.

Next thing I get is an email with the approval, but contesting our interpretation of the citation as this lawyer checked with a co-working lawyer who agreed that the citation applied to this document, (this other lawyer’s pretty flaky in my dealings so I sense easily persuaded) but their boss was out and so they’d check with her when she got back for future documents of this purpose. We’ve heard nothing back since, and I just sent another one over for this purpose last week. All I got back was a snarky comment and more rewriting of their own rewritings. It may not have been snarky, maybe it was just very much to say, I’m a lawyer and you’re not, so I’m going to make a comment to you to make sure you know that I better than you.

Yes Yes oh great lawyer….you are better than me. Tell me why it is that you’re working for pennies at the state, essentially as an editor with your commas and “is, and, or but,” changes, when you could be making more money anywhere else working the same long hours you do here probably doing more meaningful work than editing commas???? Yes yes great lawyer, you ARE better than me!!! But I WAS RIGHT AND YOU WERE WRONG!!!! Now I’m going to do a happy dance!!! In your face.

Baby Borrowers - Make Your Teens Borrow One Too!!!

2008-06-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

So I don't know how many of you, if any of you, watched the stupid reality show called the Baby Borrowers that was on last night. It's one of those terrible shows the network can get away with because there's nothing else on in the summer. However, I must say, I like the concept.

They take 5 dating teenagers, presumably all 18 or more, but I might have missed something, and put them in their own house as a couple and transition them through the baby process. Presumably all of these kids think they are ready to get married and start having babies. What I really think, is the girls have no direction and don't want to try anything else in life out, and the boys are just along for the ride, because they're too chicken to break up with the girls and hurt their feelings and deal with the water works that will come if they break their hearts.

So phase one is the pregnancy belt for a day or two I guess, while they go to parenting classes. One girl was so "embarrassed" that she broke out in tears, and refused to wear it and refused to go to the parenting class. Then she had the nerve to throw a fit when her boyfriend did do what he agreed to, and go to class rather than stay there and pacify her. There's a girl ready for marriage, or a baby for that matter. That girl needs sterilization until she grows up!!!

Next comes the "delivery," which means the parents that have agreed to loan their babies out for 3 days arrive with the babies and detailed instructions on how to care for the baby. All the babies were under 1 year. Meanwhile the house is rigged with cameras and the parents are not far away if they feel it necessary to step in and give the kids some advice and mentorship. (side note, a professional nanny is in the house with them to intervene only in an emergency situation) So one of the girls who seems most passionate about being ready to have a baby, gets frustrated and jealous when the baby is calm and snuggly with her boyfriend but not her. There's another girl ready for marriage and a baby!!! Jealous, are you kidding me? Aren't you supposed to find it sexy when your man interacts so well with kids and shows signs of being a good father one day? But what could I possibly know about that since I'm not a parent? But no she pouts and has a cow when the baby's mom comes over to talk to them and give them some great advice about parenting, and points out their strengths and criticizes, constructively, their downfalls for the night. How does she respond? "I don't even want to do this anymore. And I'm just upset that the baby's mom came over" Honey, if you take that personal, how the hell do you plan to handle a teenager that hates you for cramping his/her lifestyle? Yep, she's ready to get knocked up too!!!

There was another girl that pouted when the mom came over to help them out when they failed to feed the baby all day. My hope is that at least 3-4 of these couples will break up after the show. There is about one couple that I don't hate so far, but that said, I hope that the show cures them or her from wanting a baby in the near future. You're still so very young. Give it about 10 years plus or minus a couple years. MINIMUM!!! Babies are not these cute little toys that love you. If that's all you want, get a puppy. I can vouch for their cute and cuddliness.

Every teenager, boys and girls, should have to babysit a sick baby for several hours. That baby needs to cry, throw up, poo while the diaper is being changed, and lets throw in pee all over the place while we're at it. Oh and when I say cry, I mean blood curdling screams that are unstoppable with the change of a diaper, bottle, rocking, or anything. If every teenager was subjected to this process, I guarantee you, the teen pregnancy rate would drop significantly. Either that or the adoption rate would go up and the amount of single mothers would drop significantly.

I know I talk about this a lot, but I'm very passionate about kids not having kids. And you're still a kid in your early 20's. Maybe that was just me. Either way, it's a process that I'm confident will work because it worked for me. I'm 30 and childless. I couldn't fathom being able to provide sufficiently for a child when I was 18 or 20 or 22 or 24. At least now, I know I could.

Lola's Corner

2008-06-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome once again to my corner. My name is Lola and I'll be your hostess as usual. Because I'm really cute and adorable which is redundant, but I can't help it. I wake up every day this way.

So I was contemplating poo the other day and just want a funny word it is. I'm sure you will agree with me. So much so that you probably like to say it just for fun. Kind of like I like to play with it just for fun. Well and to get daddy's goat. And if you've never said it just for fun, try singing a song where the only word you use is "poo"....It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face or make you laugh. And if it doesn't, then there must be something wrong with you. That's it.

So my first friends today are brought to you by Mr. Pickles, whom you've met before. Doesn't he look like a well loved and happy cat?

These are his furry little friends whose mamma made her way into his back yard. Aren't they just cute, cuddly little balls of fur? He makes sure that their mamma has enough food and water to feed them. Mr. Pickles, you're my hero for loving those kittens and giving them a chance at life. You get my "top paw of the week award". It's this brilliant new idea that I just had this instant. It consists of nothing but accolades. I have no budget for a trophy or certificate or even a can of special cat food. Congratulations Mr. Pickles!! Take an extra nap or get an extra belly rub or chin scratchin, or whatever tickles your fancy.

And this is Scout. He's a 4 year old Siberian Husky. Isn't he beautiful or handsome? or whatever is appropriate for a male dog. He had bright red eyes, so I tried to fix them. I can't tell if that means I gave him eyeliner in the process. If so, I apologize profusely. Anyways so Scout is the cousin of Riley, Maddie, and Hopper. You know Maddie and Hopper that are hated by their mother who clearly favors Riley. Scout is lucky he doesn't have to deal with that kind of nonsense.

His likes are howling, milk bones, playing with his friends (Ollie and Snickers), cats, and Riley.

His Dislikes are carbs, fireworks, and people messing with his food.

I don't blame you Scout, I don't want anyone messing with my food either, unless it's to give me more.

Well that's it for this week. Remember to send me pictures of your furry friends to Lolafrog@gmail.com. Have a great week!!

Until next time,

Lola

Gas Prices Beating You Down?

2008-06-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

How many of you are not so rich that the price of gas isn't starting to affect your bottom line at home? Not that you're not getting by, but you don't have as much left over at the end of the month to put into savings, or to put aside for your next vacation, or to splurge on those new shoes you've been needing because your old ones are beyond worn out. We are all looking for ways to save on gas and we've all seen the emails to boycott getting gas for a day or tips on how to not waste money at the pump. Below is a link to a list of myths debunked if you bought into them in the first place. Don't bother to waste your time with these.Your time and efforts are better spent doing other things. http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/12/autos/ways_to_not_save_gas/index.htm?postversion=2008051515

You know what the quickest fix for a lot of families would be while the government sorts out to drill or not to drill, and other cost effective fuel initiatives? Making the move to work from home. Many of us have at least one if not two family members whose jobs are tied up in email, documents, and time-wasting meetings. All of this can be done at home, on your computer there and with your phone there. And many of us drive in from the burbs every day just to go to work at another computer. This would not only be a viable option for employees, but could save companies money from leasing space and other overhead, even if they wanted to keep a certain amount of facilities for those who didn't want to work from home or those who have proven not to be trusted to work from home. This could be determined by allowing those who have earned the trust in the work place and subsequently, at home, continue to meet deadlines and respond in a timely manner to emails and phone calls, as well as calling into meetings they are supposed to be apart of.

Already you read of reports of compressing the workweek all over the country. In fact today, we were offered that option, obviously with the threat that it can be revoked if abused or if you are somehow even less productive than showing up 5 days. While this is progress, and is better than nothing, it still won't curb the gas prices or take care of the fact that I have to dress up for work. It would save me maybe $15-$20/month at $4/gallon of gas. But I drive a Civic. I suppose it could save those of you with worse mileage or who live farther from work than I do, 2-3 times that. So it's a start.

My hope though is that there will be a trend to let workers telecommute. Incidentally this would help solve the traffic problems that many cities are facing today. And it would solve the problem of having to see moody, lazy, cranky, or just plain irritating co-workers everyday.

Cemetery

2008-06-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you find these cemeteries interesting, but I do. As such, I am sharing some pictures I got of one in Brazil. This is only a small sampling of the enormous maze of plots. I also love how cemeteries like this always seem to have cats living there. Hope you enjoy.

Why?

2008-06-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Why do you feel it appropriate to sit in my cube while I'm on a personal call?
Why do you deny the fact that you have a favorite child?
Why do you think those of us without kids couldn't possibly understand the parent/child relationship?
Why does the sound of your voice sound like nails on a chalkboard?
Why do you make my skin crawl?
Why do I feel like I need a shower after you look at me?
Why do you need to justify hiring for an empty position when 2 of us are admittedly bored and the rest are just over-dramatic about how busy they are?
Why are you so opposed to efficiency?
Why is it necessary for me to do nothing at the office when I can do that at home?
Why is it ok for the government to take my hard earned money?
Why isn't the general public outraged by this?
Why are we so competitive?
Why is making more money of higher value than free time?
Why do some men wear pink?
Why do you feel it necessary to sell your pyramid electricity to co-workers?
Why won't you take "no" for an answer?
Why don't you believe it when you are told that a person doesn't make decisions like that without discussing it with their spouse?
Why can't you take a hint?
Why don't you watch Boiler Room and learn the lesson "Don't Pitch the Bitch?"
Why are greeting cards so expensive?
Why can't I be happy getting paid to do nothing?
Why can't people take responsibility for themselves?
Why can't I win the lottery?
Why should the government/hard-working public, pay for weight loss surgery?
Why couldn't Carnie Wilson keep her weight off after surgery?
Why isn't this enough proof that the hard-working taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for it?
Why do responsible people owe irresponsible people anything?
Why do you come to the ER for the flu?
Why do you lack the conscience to pay for your bills?
Why won't elephants just forget the bad stuff?
Why does sugar have to taste so good?
Why does cheese taste better in excess?
Why don't you see the stupidity of your question?
Why can't people make better choices?
Why do people blame anyone or anything but themselves?
Why do dogs have short life spans?
Why do you insist on using the stall next to me every time?
Why do feet and armpits have to stink?
Why don't we have a 2-day work week and a 5-day weekend?
Why doesn't my work matter enough for you to look at it but I can't do anything with it until you do look at it?
Why can't I be more of a risk taker?
Why does baby powder smell so bad?
Why can't I be funny?
Why do some people despise the greatest country in the world?
Why are they trying to turn it into the not greatest country?
Why do celebrities think we care what they think?
Why are most of these outspoken celebrities so ignorant about economics?
Why do you think written testimony is not sufficient enough for the record when the rules clearly state that it is?
Why did I think I could actually dress myself in the dark?
Why won't you people mow your lawns?
Why is it steamy hot outside?
Why aren't more people outraged by the price of gas?
Why can't we work from home and save you facility costs?
Why don't more people care about economics?
Why are people so rude in traffic?
Why are movie critics so critical?
Why were pleats considered a good thing on pants?
Why do I feel compelled to watch bad movies on Lifetime?
Why can't I be more of a Lady?

A High School Pregnancy Pact...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!

2008-06-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is a special post as I couldn't pass this up when I heard about it today.

If you haven't heard about this yet, you can go read about it here.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html

Is this what high school girls dream about now? Having babies at the same time, while still in high school. And how convenient that free daycare is offered at the school so the girls can drop their dolls off at daycare while they continue on with a normal life. These girls were in serious need of babysitting the sick babies job before making this decision.

The discussion goes back to the old discussion about whether or not schools should be allowed to dispense birth control to kids. That has nothing to do with this, because they clearly were trying to get pregnant. A homeless man as a father isn't enough of an indicator that they were trying to get pregnant? If you don't care who the father is enough to pick some random guy as your sperm donor, you don't deserve to reproduce. If you dispense birth control at the expense of the tax payers, these girls would have just thrown it away. Or taken what I like to call "air birth control" which I firmly believe accounts for the not 100% effective rate of oral contraceptives. I know I know, you were part of that group that got pregnant on it. Fine, I can't argue with you because I didn't watch you take it every day at the same general time. When it happens to me, and I know for a fact that I didn't miss any days or times, THEN, I will change my opinion on the subject. So I won't get into it any deeper as I am digressing from the point.

The point is, it's the parents' job to be so involved as to educate their kids about sex, and prevent a conspiracy like this from happening. You can argue abstinence vs. prevention all you want, but the fact is, there's only one guaranteed fix to prevent any teen pregnancies and I already wrote about it. If you didn't see the first time around, here it is.
http://sunshineinsight.blogspot.com/2008/05/mandatory-birth-controlwhat-concept.html
This story just provides further evidence that this isn't such a bad plan.
If you want to teach them abstinence, fine, just don't tell them they are on birth control.

Billy Ray Cyrus, The Father of the Century

2008-06-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

I tried to ignore this subject, but it's out there and this is so ridiculous, I can't keep my mouth shut about it.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/17/cyrus.vanity.reax.ap/index.html

Here's the link to the story where the below quote is coming from. This is his response to the Vanity Fair photos taken of his daughter.

"I wasn't there at the time," the 46-year-old country star said in an interview Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.

"(Miley's) publicist was there, and everyone seemed in control," he said. "I didn't know they (were) gonna strip her down and wrap her with a blanket."

"So I was surprised when I saw it, you know, but ... stuff happens. That's life. Things happen and sometimes things get a little out of control and you just gotta deal with life," he said. "Again, it's peaks and valleys and ups and downs."

Um YOU'RE HER FATHER. It's your job as a parent to be there and oversee something like this!!! If not you, her mother!!!

"Stuff Happens"!!!!! What are you a walking bumper sticker now? Stuff doesn't happen if you're there being a parent rather than off turning a blind eye to the daughter who is the basis for your revitalized career. That's no excuse to let her get away with whatever she wants, and take whatever pictures she wants, and post whatever pictures she wants. Your appearance on Oprah was scripted and rehearsed then I take it. Because this certainly doesn't back up any comments you or your daughter made to her.

Shame on you Billy Ray!!! Who, by the way, has turned into oogy middle-aged man by the looks of the picture posted with the above article. With is flavor savor grossness below his lip. Yuck!!!
You better take back the role of being a parent. I'm sure you've seen the many examples of where that road leads.

This is just more proof to my belief that parents should keep their kids out of show business while their under 18. When they turn 18, they can do whatever they want. I'm not saying there aren't underage kids out there in show business doing just fine, staying level-headed, and focused. But it's a lot of pressure to handle that they don't have time to be kids and so they rush to become adults before they are ready. It's a parents job to make sure they are kids and that they teach them to make good choices in life.

But what could I possibly know about parenting? I don't have kids and so I couldn't possibly comprehend the parent/child relationship. Even though I was a child not so long ago. Well a long long time ago...

That's it for this addition of entertainment outrage.
Have a great weekend folks!! tell your friends and family!