Enlighten. Entertain. Inform. A Muse

Burnt Toast & Birthdays

2011-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

Something wasn’t quite right. Wisps of foggy thoughts nagged at the back of my mind, urging me to remember what was amiss.

My nostrils flared suddenly at a singed smell and I dashed from my computer desk to the kitchen waving napkins at the hazy air, yanking the cord from the outlet and threw open a window hoping to avert setting off the smoke alarm. Grey smoke curls poured from the shiny chrome toaster. Blackened toast emerged from torturing metal slots. It was ruined. I was too late.

The screeching, nails-on-a-black-board, skin crawling wail of the smoke detector seared my ears as the smoke singed my nose. I couldn’t grab a chair quickly enough to snatch the battery from the offended plastic hanging superiorly from its ceiling throne, secured there specifically to blast me with ear piercing criticism when I screwed up in the kitchen.

Blissful silence ensued. The smoke slowly dissipated and I sank down to sit on the chair as realization dawned on me.

I’d done it again. I’d forgotten one of my best friend’s birthdays.

You would think that after knowing someone for four years, you wouldn’t forget which day they celebrate their birth. It’s not as though that day changes from year to year the way many federal holidays do.

In all fairness, I hadn’t actually forgotten it. About four days earlier I noted on the calendar the impending date and mentally configured I had time to deal with it accordingly. Revealing in being early for once, I threw the thought to the back of my mind and the reminder became lost somewhere in the clutter in my head.

It’s a bit like the lowest settings on a toaster. The “five seconds” setting is completely ineffectual at doing anything to the toast. You’d have to press the lever down ten times just to make the bread feel warm. Just moments before I’d pushed the toast down for a second time since it was too soon.

After the room temperature bread popped up the second time, I threw the heat setting lever to somewhere in the middle and went back to my home office right next to the kitchen.

That was my mistake. Instead of acting on that first alert, I figured I had plenty of time to take care of birthday plans, and the toast would need a while longer. I should have used the early reminder as my signal to monitor the situation until it was finished to perfection.

A little less impatience and a little more planning and I could have avoided both uncomfortable situations. Now instead of savoring golden brown buttery sourdough bread, I was going to have to stomach a thick slice of humble pie.
Punctuality hasn’t always been my strong suit. Without calendars, alarms and check lists I’m lost. I am getting much better though. And fortunately, the repercussions for my negligence this time were just decimated bread and seeking the forgiveness of a very compassionate friend. I could try again.

I slipped another slice of bread into the toaster slot, adjusted the setting and stayed near the counter while writing the birthday reminder on next years calendar and adding a date alert to my phone. I would get it right this time by doing what I should have done the first time and kept a better eye on things. Then I summed up my courage and made what will hopefully be one fewer belated phone calls.

Then I restored order to my kitchen and inserted the battery back into the smoke alarm. With persistence, not luck, I wouldn’t be deafened by this shrieking contraption again.

I would have to be more conscientious, but it certainly beats a dry charcoal shingle for toast and an apology laced birthday card.

A REALLY Good Read

2011-01-22T16:27:00.000-08:00

Smart, funny, thoughtful or educational, these are some of the most entertaining and influential books I've ever read.

(Okay, so some of them were JUST funny or somewhat shocking. But I'm gonna give you the viewer enough credit to figure out which are which!)

Religion Causes Religious Extremist

2011-01-17T13:50:00.001-08:00

And they are found in EVERY religion, all over the world. American Christians are NO exception!

(Click on the picture to make it larger.)

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

Online Dating Common Sense

2010-12-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

If you're new to online or internet dating, the concept might feel odd. A bit like window shopping for a new car, house or electrical appliance. But the fact is, it can be a highly efficient and effective way to screen potential dates and mates by getting a generally idea of who they are and how compatible you might be together, before you ever meet in person.

As someone who has been on no less than five different internet dating sites and have had literally over two hundred first time meetings with guys over the course of three years, I've learned a few things about how to apply common sense to online dating. In the 200+ guys that I've raced go karts, shot pool, played miniature golf and had ice cream cones or lunch with, there were only three times the person was not who I thought or things went badly, and ALL three times I broke my own basic rules.

I believe the majority of people who online date are well intentioned people who are simply not finding love in the conventional ways. I'm sure there are a few psychopaths on the sites as well, but by following a few simple rules you can typically avoid them.

1. Don't talk to anyone who won't reveal basic stats and info about themselves, and doesn't have a picture. NEVER give out your phone number, email address or meet in person anyone who doesn't have or won't post clear, recent, full body pictures of themselves first!

2. Don't talk to anyone who openly admits they're already in a relationship or married, or doesn't want any kind of relationship ever. Unless you'd like to be part of a pointless love triangle.

3. Don't continue to talk to anyone who seems to have issues involving:
healthy self-esteem
drugs/ substance abuse
criminal history
violent tendencies
frequent drama filled breakups/ chronic relationships
emotional or mental instability
unable to keep a job
stuck in high school/ college party mode
wants an "instant" relationship
seems to have an ulterior motive for meeting people off this site

4. Don't talk to anyone who's stories don't add up. Who doesn't have a car, or a cell phone/ home phone, or any income, or any future plans or won't talk about their past.

5. Don't talk to anyone who asks you for money, wants you to fly out of the country to meet them, wants you to pay for their plane ticket to come meet you.

6. Don't talk to anyone who is desperate to become a couple instantly, talks about you two getting married before meeting (or after the first date), move in together right away or who otherwise seems desperate to get into a relationship immediately.

7. Don't meet in person anyone you haven't had at least one decent length, normal, enjoyable conversation with over a phone.

8. Never agree to things you may not be able or willing to do once you've met. This include everything from making out/having sex with them, to allowing them to stay at your house, to being a couple, to going on a trip/vacation together, etc. If after you've met in person and they've lied about who they are, you don't feel comfortable around them or just aren't interested in them romantically, you don't want to have promises and obligations you'll want to bail on.

9. Always meet in a public location you feel comfortable with, where there will be other people, good lighting and a way out if you need one. Never meet at someone's house, or let them know exactly where you live until you've met them and decided they're trustworthy. (That's why I always drive myself so I have my own wheels and if they turn out to be a stalker, they don't know where I live!)

10. If either of you have kids, do NOT bring them to a first time meeting with someone you yourself do not know. (Remember stranger danger?)

11. Be honest and upfront about who you are, what you want and have to offer. Don't stick around if they aren't honest and upfront about those things.

12. Meet everyone with low expectations but high standards. Like a job interview, if it's not going to be a good fit you don't want to force it and you don't want to settle. If you anticipate too much before hand and it doesn't pan out, you (or the other person) are going to be really disappointed. Better to not expect much and possibly be pleasantly surprised.

Christmas Without Santa or Christ

2010-12-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

What is the real meaning of Christmas?

Some people would say it’s celebrating the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year the way ancient pagan cultures used to.

Others would say it’s keeping the legacy going of Saint Nicholas a 4th century bishop who "had a reputation for secret gift giving", particularly coins in shoes left out. (Hanging stockings anyone?)

And there are many would argue that it’s the birth (or at least celebrating the birth in human form) of a god named Jesus Christ who will allegedly redeem the world from sin and wickedness someday.

And if you bring Hanukkah and Kwanzaa into the mix, it can get really confusing.

Throw in commercialization and the push to buy big, extravagant gifts and max out your credit cards and you have quite the hodge podge of expectations to live up to during the (often) most frigid time of the year.

But the fact is, Christmas or the Winter Holidays or whatever you want to call the month of December is for some reason when most people start focusing on generosity towards loved ones and strangers alike and reconnect with those they may only contact once a year.

I suggest that Christmas is not about god, a made-over Catholic bishop, or anything mythical or supernatural. (What is with all the bearded men anyway?)

It’s about rekindling our priorities towards our loved ones near and far, and extending that love to our larger human family. It’s about putting aside human differences, foibles and petty arguments and acknowledging that we are all part of the pleasure and pain that is life. The struggle to self discovery, the search of life’s meaning and the hope for happiness and love.

It’s when much of the earth is forced to take a break from growth and expansion and with temperatures dropping to sometimes freezing temperatures and availability of food and shelter depleted, we humans are reminded in very real, tangible ways that the cycles of existence include death of all living things and we should value and appreciate them while we can.

That is a very worthy thing to celebrate. A highly relatable concept that all of humanity can agree with and embrace.

There is no centerpiece to this celebration. No pine tree to decorate. No special candles to light. No Santa figure to take pictures with at the malls or gilded figurines adorn our mantles with. No nativity scene or crosses to erect and worship.

It’s much more basic than that. Much less fancy and maybe to some less appealing. Because at that point, it’s not just about buying cool electronics, expensive jewelry or gift cards for those nearest and dearest to you. It’s not about singing songs of praise to an invisible god who will hopefully someday accomplish all the impossibly Utopian things that we mortals are incapable of. It’s not about repaying a debt of gratitude to a super natural force so it will allow the sun to restore warmth and food supplies to the planet.

It's about meeting the most basic of human needs. Food. Warmth. Shelter. Purpose. Kindness. Decency. Dignity.

It’s about remembering that all humans are part of one large intertwined family and none of us can survive or be happy, if we are deprived of contact, and purpose within that family.

As pack animals, we all have a role in making this family world function. We come from different continents. We have different languages, different cultural expectations, and different government regulations. I am not placing a case for a “One World” leadership.

I am only saying that this month is an opportunity to celebrate humanity: our goodness, our generosity, our universal craving to be loved, accepted and needed. And that, should be the real meaning of Christmas. We just need a new name for it.

Trillion= A Rapping Ralph Nader

2010-12-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Great vs Small Minds

2010-12-14T22:44:00.000-08:00

Which mind have you?

Great minds discuss ideas;
Average minds discuss events;
Small minds discuss people.

Voluntary Simplicity

2010-12-14T00:10:00.000-08:00

A radical concept in consumer driven America.

Around Christmas time? It's just about (economically) blasphemous! But I think it's a fantastic idea we should all implement in our lives, to some degree.

http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/downshifting-to-a-simpler-life/

Thanksgiving Is Not a Religious Holiday

2010-11-30T20:13:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular myth, Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, but a political holiday.

And that just might be one of the reasons it's my favorite.

Pain That Leads to Pleasure

2010-11-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

We humans act as though crying, sadness and unhappiness is an unnatural part of life. Certainly it is something to be avoided, possibly at all costs. No one really enjoys it. It doesn't seem to have any immediately obvious advantages and perhaps most importantly it doesn't make us or those who care about us feel good. And a life worth living, is marked by enjoyable experiences, love, laughter and heart swelling, mind blowing happiness. Right?

The fact is though suffering, challenges and even misery are not only a completely normal part of life, they're absolutely necessary.

The New Face of Terrorism

2010-11-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

Because the REAL threat of National security is our children and elderly. Those who are utterly dependent on us to provide them with their basic needs and safety.

Certainly THOSE are the people the TSA should be targeting to grope and confuse. Because our babies and grandparents are prime suspects for wanting to carry weapons and explosives on a plane!

Does anyone else think this is UTTERLY ridiculous???!

Who Is Shawty?

2010-11-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

A better question might actually be…WHAT is a shawty?

The online Urban dictionary lists 8 pages with 52 user suggested entries of what a Shawty is.

The list of options vary from anyone who is short in height, younger or a close friend/ family member, to describing a small pit-bull type dog, to the length of a guy’s small penis.

The most commonly agreed upon description is a what a guy calls his girlfriend, hang out chick or friend-with-benefits who is usually an attractive young woman who comes from a ghetto/ gangster background and is probably of African American ancestry.

Going by the gangster rap songs which are increasingly referring to girls who the rappers want to sleep with or are currently sleeping with, I have a theory on what shawty means.

The trend for the last 10 year or so has been for places or people with long names to get abbreviations.

Kentucky Fried Chicken went to KFC

Jennifer Lopez became J-Lo

You use a GPS…not a Global Positioning System

You say TGIF instead of Thank God It’s Friday

And the ATM was once an Automated Teller Machine

Blame it on convenience, laziness or perhaps in some cases, a desire to conceal the true meaning of something. KFC for instance, may not want to constantly remind an increasingly health conscious nation with the longer version of their name that they’re known mostly for their unhealthy Southern Deep Fried Food.

In a country where everything and everyone is getting an abbreviation, maybe it’s not such a stretch that the gangster community came up with a new title for their FWB (friends with benefits.)

Where ever the term originated, I believe based upon who’s using the word and who is NOT using the word is very telling. I could only find two songs where a female singer referred to herself as “Shawty” One was Lil Mama Feat. Christ Brown. “Shawty Get Loose”

So here’s what rap songs tell us about “Shawty” girls:

• They’re good looking girls with bangin' bodies

• They’re sexually open-minded, freaky, on the slutty side

• They don’t expect a real relationship

• She might be a girlfriend, but she’s definitely NOT a wife

• A guy can have a girlfriend but also a Shawty on the side

• Buying alcohol and spending money on them gets them to do sexual favors or get laid

• Their name, interests and personal information aren’t important

• She might be someone to regularly have sex with, or could be a one night stand

So. Going by the heavily sexual songs that use the word and the “open relationship” with hot and sexy women they’re talking about, I’m gonna say the term Shawty came from the expression that the girl is a “Sure thing.” That is… if you show her attention and catch her eye, there is a pretty sure chance she’ll have wild un-inhibited sex with you whenever and where ever you want.

So a “Sure thing” pronounced “Shore Thang”, shortened to “Shore T” just needs to be spelled and pronounced with gangster slang. And there you get "Shawty.”

I have to admit that the term sounds better than other words that describe this kind of female. And the girls seem to find the title less offensive too.

So in conclusion: a Shawty is a girl for the moment. Someone you bang but don’t marry and have kids with. An attractive, slutty girl who doesn’t get heart-felt love and doesn’t get a relationship but will still: “put out”.

And according to Terius "The-Dream" you should tip her.

The other female artist who referred to herself as a Shawty was Trina in "Shawty Say". She had a somewhat different idea of what kind of "reltionship" they were supposed to have, but HIS behavior was very consistent with the way for a man treats a Shawty.

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T14:22:00.000-08:00

Death Penalty Justification

2010-11-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is Steven Hayes. This is the face of a monster.

It is because of people like this, and heinous crimes like the one this and another man committed...that re-affirm WHY WE MUST KEEP THE DEATH PENALTY and ENFORCE IT!

This is a picture of Dr. William Petit Jr, his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters Hayley, 17 and Michaela, 11 who lived in Cheshire Connecticut.

Two men (one a newly released convicted felon already) and Steven Hayes broke into the home of this family. They severely beat the father, forced the mother to withdraw money from the bank then sexually assaulted her and strangled her to death. They then sexually assaulted the 17 and 11 year old daughters, tied the girls to their beds, doused them AND the house with gasoline and set the house on fire, leaving the entire family to die.

There is NO way that ANY sane person can hear this horrifying story and NOT realize these two men have proven they are only a danger to society and have forsaken their humanity.

They no longer deserve to share this planet.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101108/ap_on_re_us/us_home_invasion

Movies That Inspire Kindness

2010-11-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Heros and Villains

2010-10-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

The Top 100 List of Heros and Villains... just might surprise you!

Independent Space & Herd Mentality

2010-10-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sex IS a Need

2010-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

10/10/10

2010-10-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

There are some days that seem more special than others. Days we attribute important meanings to like birthdays, relationship dates (meetings, weddings etc.) or death anniversaries hold a specific meaning to individuals.

Collectively we celebrate major holidays, anniversaries of patriotism or disaster and religious or political days. These days and the reasons for celebration of memorial are different depending on what country you live in, what your cultural and religious preferences are and your ethnic background.

But are some days special just because of the rarity of a different reason? Take the numerical date of 10/10/10, this particular sequence of the month, day and year lining up exactly the same only happens once a year. By virtue of that alone does that make it a day of significance?

Do certain numerical days have some cosmic power? Can unusual things happen on days like this? Or are they just something fun to think about and like paranormal activity, create an occasion to question odd possibilities and ask “What if?”

How To on YouTube

2010-10-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Don't know how to install dry wall?

Wanna find out how to do a perfect ollie?

Like to find out how to make an egg over easy?

YouTube it. It's fantastic. And completely free.

Learn how how to do things a dozen different ways by professionals and regular people just like you. Watch it a dozen times until you get it right. Or make your own video to teach others your mad skills. Just please, make it user friendly!

Installing Drywall

Perform an Ollie

Cook an Egg Over Easy

Just don't get distracted by all the random stuff that get posted!

Good, Better, Best

2010-10-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway. ~Emory Austin

All things in life can be broken down into two categories.

Moralists would call them Good or Bad.
Religion calls it Righteous or Wicked.
To Scientist it’s either a Fact or False.
Philosophers consider it Enlightened or Ignorance.

But there are many other terms to divide the extremes.

Truth or Fiction, Real or Fake, Light or Darkness, Right or Wrong, Positive or Negative, Strength or Weakness, Happy or Sad, Love or Hate

These polar opposites keep the universe in balance. All positive things and all living creatures gravitate towards the light. It’s not only necessary for physical survival, it’s necessary for mental (and you could say “spiritual”) wholeness.

Good fortune shies away from gloom. Keep your spirits up. Good things will come to you and you will come to good things. ~Glorie Abelhas

All living things are born with an innate ability to discern good from bad. While understanding the depths and ramifications of these two concepts take years of training and life experience, most people recognize without being told when something is basically harmful or helpful.

Animals and children tend to be good judges of character. Call it a vibe or intuition, they often can tell when another animal or person is likely to dislike or harm them, or won’t. As people get older they learn to ignore their “gut feelings”, reject “good advice” or justify bad choices and behaviors.

Since there are also degrees of good and bad, (those shades of grey between black and white) it’s not hard to find ways to say a choice or option is “better” than the “worst” or the “lesser of the evils”.

But comparing mediocre to horrible never solves problems, prevents failures or achieves greatness. Only by comparing something to how it could be better or best, will success be possible, will truths be discovered and will people and situations improve.

You are what you surround yourself with.

If you surround yourself with things and people that are negative, you harm yourself and stunt your own growth and success and happiness.

If you compare yourself to your worst possible you, you’ll never come even close to fulfilling your own personal potential. Realizing your abilities, doing what you’re good at and “fulfilling your destiny” is at the core of all enlightenment, all truth and all happiness.

People who seek honesty, kindness and love, are therefore in search of truth, strength and light. So the reverse applies as well. Honesty, kindness and love will bring you closer to things and people that are positive, real and happy.

If you have the will to win, you have achieved half your success; if you don't, you have achieved half your failure. ~David Ambrose

A person’s standards and expectations are affected by the people they spend time with and the environment they surround themselves with. All living things slowly impacted by the sometimes powerful, sometimes subtle forces and attitudes they encounter regularly.

A prime example is the Niagara Falls. Over the course of an estimated 12,000 years, the falls have eroded 7 miles. This may or may not sound significant, but something as simple as water continuously running over something as solid as a mountain, could in fact make the entire waterfall disappear in another 2,500 years. The centuries old historic site of weddings, honeymoons and tourism could in fact someday cease to exist.

People are not made of stone though. Our minds, hearts and moods are easily swayed, effected and altered numerous times every day. The experiences we have, the environment we live and work in and the people we encounter, leave deeper impressions on us than anyone may care to realize.

We can destroy ourselves by cynicism and disillusion, just as effectively as by bombs. ~Kenneth Clark

Surround yourself with positive, optimistic, ambitious people who love life and you’ll find that sooner or later you’re adopting similar feelings and attitudes. The opposite is just as true. Spend time frequently with depressed, angry, unmotivated people who are critical and unhappy and you’ll just as surely became to look at life through a grim, tainted perspective.

The trick is not just to surround yourself with positive people, music, and attitudes; but to take what you see and experience around you and improve it. Don’t just do something. Do it well. Don’t just do it well, perfect it.

There’s a little rhyme I grew up hearing constantly from the wise woman who is my grandma. And with it, you can take any topic, situation or environment, any person, idea or attitude and make it more than it was before. It all starts with you.

Good, Better, Best
Never let it rest,
Until the Good become Better
And the Better become Best!

In Defense of Gun Ownership

2010-09-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Agree to Disagree: A Religious Diatribe

2010-09-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

“You cannot know how much I do *not* want to have this discussion about religion. Can’t we just agree to disagree and leave it at that?”

This was the start of a letter I wrote a logical intellectually sound friend who had been somewhat spiritual before but recently started investigating the Catholic church and was I presume hoping to warm me to the idea of being less religiously cynical. The rest of my letter to him (and anyone else who wishes to play devil’s advocate for religion) follows.

"I have been solidly on the side of faith, God, Jesus and whatnot. The first 24 years of my life I was adamantly devoted not only to embracing the “Good News” message but passing it along to anyone who seemed even remotely willing to listen. I know how that feels to be on fire the way you feel with it. I've also felt the other side of being disappointed and then just disbelieving.

I have to state first and foremost that you cannot use “holy scriptures” as evidence to support the catholic church or any religion. It’s like using a word to define that same word. It just doesn’t work.

Furthermore, the Old Testament contradicts the New Testament. Both contain information that supposedly happened before written history (so they were oral histories before people learned how to write characters?) and were either scribed from the voice of god (really?) or apparently the memories of really old men. The Four Gospels were written close to 50 years AFTER Jesus’ death. How on earth could these 80 year old men be trusted to remember in such detail the words (verbatim even!) and actions and events that took place SO much earlier?

You know how stories change over time with the telling. Just ask your grandpa (or anyone’s grandpa) what is was like when they were a kid. You know the whole walking to school six miles in the snow uphill both ways thing? It’s only funny because it’s preposterous and the tellers of these great tales TRULY remember it happening that way!

Then there is the fact that history books, political books and religious books alike are written by those who won, are in control, wish to seek control or influence and are always, always biased. Add to that, that books like those are edited, re-edited, translated and re-translated so many times the original content (if it’s any more trust worthy to begin with) starts taking on a life of it’s own and changes over time.

Then there is the fact of interpretation. God only know how much of the books have been tweeked and altered to fit the needs of a olden era or political push by a new religiously driven government (England changed from protestant to catholic every few decades over thousands of years) and therefore, all of the info is suspect and not to be trusted.

No one can prove scientifically that a heaven or a hell exist or that there are supreme beings who govern them. No one can prove scientifically that any of the books written for the purpose of improving people or teaching then how to worship a god or about the nature of god are anything but people’s personal opinions and imaginations on the subject.

You can look at religious books to garner what that religion is influenced by AT THAT point in time, but it CANNOT be used as imperial evidence of any fact or truth the way a science experiment can.

It’s simply the popular abiding opinion (or myth). Aside from the stuff put in the books to serve the purpose of supporting the motivation of a political/religious organization, I see the Bible as just a collection of old journal entries, genealogy records and some good advice. Quoting the Bible is about as valuable as quoting William Shakespeare’s plays.

In fact that’s a REALLY good comparison because research has shown that while William Shakespeare WAS a man who lived a long time ago during the times the plays were written, he WAS NOT the actual author of the plays. Another man who stood to lose his political and economic position in society if his identity were revealed at the time, paid William Shakespeare to let him use his name and identity to publish under. There is a fascinating book that explains this all, in great detail and with lots of evidence.

So anyway. You are welcome to believe whatever you want.

“A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”

I cannot sway you to reconsider religion as an opiate to the masses, a political weapon of controlling society in classes and ranks, and pacifier for those who would speak out against the control, or need to make sense of the chaos of life, answer the unanswerable questions about our existence and after-life and have a sense of justice in an unjust world.

And you cannot convince me that uptight people who surround themselves and others with narrow minded thinking, prejudices, holier-than-thou pride, nonsensical rules and restriction and quite literally unearthly expectations should be allowed to dictate others lives.

I won’t rule out the possibility of becoming interested in religion at some later point in my life. Right now though, it’s not for me and not something I buy into.

So I ask again. Can’t we just agree to disagree and leave it at that?"

New Airline Seats: Expensive w/ Free Saddle Sores

2010-09-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Book Burnings Only Enflame

2010-09-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100909/ap_on_go_pr_wh/quran_burning

Creative Marketing Commericals

2010-09-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

The question is...are these commercials actually intended to sell a product or just make you laugh?

Online Dating: Like American Idol

2010-08-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yup. There are similarities and as soon as I am able...you'll get to find out what they are! (Aren't you toe curling excited??)

7 Things You NEED, EVERY Day

2010-08-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

In order to stay alive and thrive you gotta have 7 things, pretty much every 24 hours. To be happy, healthy and stay youthful make sure you indulge in all seven every day!

1.Clean Air
Oxygen is of those things you take for granted. You don’t realize just how important it is until you’re not getting any. Breathing is about as basic as it gets in human necessity. Your brain and body can’t function without it. Toxin-free air is difficult to find sometimes. Between factory pollution, vehicle emissions, smokers and all the other crap that finds its way into our air and lungs, getting outdoors in nature and breathing deeply is the best way to refresh your body. Without adequate oxygen, brain and body cells die and people become anxious, unhappy and prematurely age. If you are a smoker, the fastest way to improve your health and mood is to quit smoking! Changing the filters in fans, vents and opening windows to allow in fresh air are ways to improve your air quality.

2.Fresh Water
A lot of controversy surrounds the healthiness of America’s government regulated tap water, privately supplied bottled water and a plethora of other water supply options, including: water filters, purification processes, or home-dug wells. Basically water should be clear, order free and not have any particular flavor or aftertaste. Following the “8 glasses of water a day” rule is great, but water should be what you drink the most of every day. Anything else should be considered a “desert drink”. And that includes *everything* else except plain milk and 100% Orange Juice which contain necessary Vitamin D, Vitamin C and calcium.

So that soda, coffee, or glass of wine you planned to have, even the new fad of “vitamin enhanced waters”, are all “desserts”. And that alcohol you drink…it’s toxic. Seriously. You might as well drink Drain-o. It prematurely ages you, takes its toll on your skin, brain function and gives you the disgusting (and dangerous!) beer gut. So put down whatever you’re drinking and choose a bottle (or glass) of water instead!

3.Nutritious Food
If you’re used to eating a steady diet of pre-packaged, microwavable, high calorie/low nutrition crap or fast food, chances are you have no clue how miserable you’re making yourself! It’s like putting the cheapest grade of gas into a Bugati sports car. That’s a crime that should be punishable by public flogging! A sexy, sleeked out high performance vehicle must be fueled with the good stuff! But YOUR body is the same way. Garbage in, garbage out. Your body has probably been “pinging” and grinding gears for a long time and you’re not even aware it doesn’t have to.

Eating fresh, raw fruits and veggies, whole wheat grains and really, really WHOLESEOM food will give you more energy and you'll have a clearer mind, a better memory and just feel happier for no other obvious reason. Organic foods grown without pesticides (which cause cancer), and other dangerous chemicals and processes are the healthiest foods which contain more vitamins and nutrients. Check out your local farmers market and health food store.

4.Sleep
Sleeping isn’t just a good idea. It’s mandatory. Not just for giving your body and mind “down time”, sleep is when your body heals itself (like the muscle tears you got at the gym) and rejuvenates all your microscopic working parts (like the cells of your skin, bones and organs). It’s also when your brain gets “backed up” and “defragmented” like a computer. Ignore these things for a while and your body won’t heal, your brain won’t work right and your ability to function at 100% is cut down to almost nothing. Go without sleep long enough and it will kill you.

Sleep deprivation has a list a mile long of negative side affects including: depression, mood swings, impaired body function, bad memory, poor thinking and reasoning skills, bad decision making, slow wound healing, degeneration of brain cells and the list goes on and on. If getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night is difficult, try taking a mild, over the counter sleep aid and sleeping 12-16 hours on your day off. It might feel like a wasted day before you try it. But when you wake up rested, feeling energetic, happy and highly motivated, you’ll realize your sleeping habits can either make you successful and happy, or hold you back and keep you feeling rotten.

5.Sunlight
Like air, sunlight is something we typically take for granted. The sun is so important to the survival of not just humans, but to all living things, that many ancient cultures used to worship the sun as a god. Direct exposure to the sunlight causes a chemical reaction in all living things. It causes plants to produce chlorophyll (which makes parts of them turn green) and breaks down the nutrients to “feed” the plant. Chlorophyll (not to be confused with Chloroform a deadly toxin produced by seaweed) provides an excellent source of vitamins and minerals that the body needs to stay healthy.

Humans (and animals) absorb sunlight through their skin to make Vitamin D (which prevents bones from softening and becoming easily breakable) and also breaks down a toxin (bilirubin) in the blood. Without adequate sunlight humans also develop depression, moodiness and their bodies have trouble regulating its rhythmic cycles of day and night, which can interfere with organ function, healthy sleep patterns and brain function.

Too much of anything is dangerous and that is true of sunlight too. Too much sunlight exposure can cause skin burns, dehydration, sun stroke, sunspots, wrinkles and skin cancers. Wearing sunscreen while outside has been proven to keep skin from burning and stay young looking while still allowing the necessary sunlight absorption. People should try to get at least 20 minutes of direct sunlight exposure every day. Those who are not exposed to daily amounts of sunlight should take a daily Vitamin D supplement and use “warm” (non florescent) lights to counteract some of the affects of not getting sunlight.

6.Exercise/ Adrenaline
Recommending that people exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day should be a joke. Really, your body needs more than that. The human body is designed for movement and lots of it! The body craves the adrenaline and feel-good endorphins that are released when you push your body and make it DO things like run, dance, lift weights and other highly physical activities. People who are “active” every day not only have better circulation in their bodies (regulates your body temperature, keeps all your parts working, quickens healing time, keeps muscles strong, keeps skin firm and supple, fights artery clogging, reduced the chance for blood clots which can cause strokes and death) and basically allows the brain and body to work efficiently in tandem. Exercising outside also allows you to get the sun your body needs and the fresh air.

Without regular exercise the body can’t burn up the calories eaten every day and the extra fuel is saved in the body as fat. Collecting a little fat every day is one way people become overweight and unhealthy so slowly they don’t even realize it. Exercise that burns more calories than you consume in a 24 hour period has proven to be the most highly effective form of weight loss. Staying at a healthy weight is one of the hallmarks of a healthy and youthful person.

Exercise causes adrenaline to be produced in the body. An adrenaline rush keeps the brain “happy” and the body working at peak performance. A very effective form of adrenaline producing exercise is sex. Exercise isn’t the only way adrenaline can be experienced. Anything from roller coasters, driving fast, extreme sports or watching “scary” movies (that why they’re called thrillers- they cause a “thrilling” chemical reaction in the brain) can cause the sensation. Falling or being in love can also cause the sensations. So to maximize your feel good chemical brain release, exercise with your romantic partner!

7.Stress Release
Stress is a killer. Even if you’re accomplishing all the other 6 things, if you’re not unwinding and getting stress release, your body will store toxins, suffer mental issues (frustration, depression, anxiety, hypertension) and cause physical manifestations (everything from growing warts, to migraine headaches or developing cancer). Stress release is essential to prevent wrinkles, keep organs and the brain working correctly and allowing blood pressure to stay normal (to prevent heart attacks, strokes etc.).

Whether it comes in the form of something slow and relaxing like a massage, a warm bath, reading a book, doing yoga, meditation or deep breathing exercises, listening to soothing music, having orgasms, slow rhythm activities (swings, rocking chairs, swaying to music, playing a musical instrument etc.) or something intense like taking frustration out on a punching bag or doing demolition or chopping wood, the body needs a way to eliminate all the negativity it collects every day.

So there you have it. If you aren't getting these vital seven things every day, change that! You'll be happier, healthier and look and feel younger. And who doesn't want that?

We Need More Cowboys

2010-08-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Unlike Paula Cole's song which suggests a domesticated wife and a bread-winner husband, there are other qualities the stereotypical "Cowboy" has and more "modern" men are lacking.

The same can be said the of the immigrant and pioneer women though...

More to follow...

The 72 Hour Countdown

2010-08-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

3 days. 72 hours. 4,320 minutes. 259, 200 seconds.

Sometimes that’s all you’ve got and then…

This Mosque Be a Joke!

2010-08-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Muslim religious extremists (allegedly) blow up a long standing American icon, along with it three commercial airline jets, and destroy thousands of lives.

Now, less than a decade later they want a Muslim religious building a mere two blocks from the spot of so much devastation.

Sounds like a joke right?

But, if you consider how America welcomed them into our country, gave them jobs and taught them to fly the crop dusters they used to gain experience in how to fly our own planes to kill our own people with- this next phase of ‘taking over America’ seems like the next, most natural step.

And they either timed it just right, got incredibly lucky because we now have a terrorist friendly president whose youthful education was in the very same Muslim religion. The same guy who also has relatives who are currently practicing the Muslim “faith”.

I’m a firm believer in the constitution that gives people certain rights and opportunities and religious freedoms. And I also believe that people should be allowed to worship who, how and where they want…but all that is NULL and VOID when those people have proven they’re determined to kill you!

I’d say there has been very little uh…diplomacy coming from the Muslim community!

Yet given everything, there is a damn good chance the Muslims will get their place of conspiring…er… worshiping. Because given recent history, America really mosque be as stupid as this non-joke sounds!

To read more on this.

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=119328

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128544392

Medical Insurance & Movie Theaters

2010-08-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Make Celebrities Work

2010-08-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Paris (Hilton) runs errands in Los Angeles

Britney (Spears) beats the heat with a milkshake

Jude (Law) & Sienna (Miller) escape to Lbiza

These are a few of the headlines for celebrity news online. And it makes me shake my head in disgust. Who cares???

Paris is shopping again. That’s no surprise.

Brittany likes junk food. Now there is a shocker!

And a celebrity pair are vacationing in an exotic location. Don’t they all??

While some people may be unquenchable in their thirst of every tidbit of bland information about the people they enjoy watching, reading about and imitating, it’s pretty pathetic when the every day mundane tasks of mortal living ~of any human being~ are considered news worthy.

Someone is actually paid to follow these people around to photograph and write about them driving their own cars, taking a walk in the park or leaving the dentist’s office. REALLY???

Aside from following anyone’s life THAT closely being unnaturally, obsessively scary, it’s a blatant violation of their privacy and who really cares if they grocery shop or put gas in their cars?? So does everyone else!

If we’re going to call people celebrities and make magazine shrines to them, blow up their photos in larger than life signs and dedicate valuable news space, they had better be doing something worthy of that attention.

Signing a new movie or show deal.

Sponsoring a charitable event.

Endorsing a greener or healthier lifestyle.

Bringing attention to a good cause or program.

Motivating people for a more educated and skilled future.

Helping out natural disaster victims.

THESE are news worthy things for celebrities to get face time for. If famous people were left alone for the normal dull aspects of their lives, if they wanted to get the lime light, they have to do something worthy of the attention. Something hopefully productive, altruistic or remotely significant in some tangible way.

I recognize that the economy is actually affected by people wanting to dress like and imitate celebrities, but something as general as shopping in a large city or drinking thick sweetened milk does nothing to boost the sales of products or good and services or promote awareness that will provide a considerable enough change in the money exchange for us to care.

I don't care if Paris buys new shoes. Britney will probably continues to get fat and then slim down for the rest of the life of her popularity. And Jude can take whoever the flavor of the month, wherever he wants and it couldn't motivate me to care in the least.

If these people are just "normal people" who became household names because they did something that made us familiar with their face/body/voice, then they're not really role models and we shouldn't scrutinize their lives.

If they ARE role models though, then shouldn't they be getting attention for something that actually affects people in a positive way?

The same should apply to anyone. If they do something news worthy, let's hear about it. Otherwise, leave their runs to 7 Eleven for a cup of coffee out of the news. It's just NOT news.

15 Online Dating Profile Blunders

2010-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

So you’ve decided to join the world of online dating. You’ve picked a dating site and begin making your profile.

Unless the dating site asks specific questions and has you fill out an information questionnaire, there is a good chance what you say about yourself (and just as important what you don’t say about yourself) is left up to your discretion.

This could get dangerous. At best, making these common mistakes could cost you dates. At worst, assuming the success stories are true, it could cost you meeting the love of your life.

1. Lying about your basic info.
The people you meet online don’t know anything about you. Establishing any level of trust requires, no…demands that basic information like your age, body type, expectations, education level, income, sexual orientation, living accommodations and marital/ parental status is 100% true. If you end up meeting someone great and they find out you lied about something as basic as what year you were born or if you have children, they have no reason to believe anything you have ever said, or ever will say is true.

2. Your pictures are really old.
Maybe 2004 was a really good year for you. Maybe you’re really proud of that award you won your HS senior year. Maybe you were an adorable baby. But that is NOT what you look like right now: this month of this year. Even if your best friend agrees that the wedding party picture of you from January 2007 still looks exactly like you, you should never post pictures that are more than 2 years old. Ideally, most of your pictures were taken in the last 6 months, at the very least within the same calendar year that you’re making the profile. And if you only have one or two pictures of yourself, they should all be taken within the last year. You should also update your profile pictures every six months.

3. Your pictures misrepresent you.
Pictures are one of the most important parts of a dating profile. They are often the first and sometimes the only thing a prospective date might look at before deciding to contact you or respond to your message. If all your pictures are of you wearing sunglasses and a hat, are really grainy or you’re far away, no one can really tell what you look like. That is almost as bad as having no pictures at all (the cardinal sin of online dating!) Also at least half your pictures should be recent full body shots. Pictures only ‘from the neck up’ make viewers suspicious of why you’re hiding the rest of your body. You should also update your pictures if you’ve recently: changed your hairstyle or color, shaved off or grown facial hair, gotten facial piercings, gotten any visible tattoos, lost or gained 10 or more pounds, or had anything else done that would dramatically change the way you look. You don’t want to have to wear fedora hat or carry a white rose so the person meeting you will recognize you!

4. You don’t write anything about yourself.
It is critical for you to say a few things about who you are, what you like and what you’re looking for. Not writing anything about yourself makes viewers think one of three things. Either 1) you’re so arrogant that you think people will contact you based upon just your pictures, 2) you are an incredibly boring person with no life and having nothing worth saying, or 3) you are incredibly lazy and disrespectful enough to not care if people you contact know anything about you. You’re better off throwing a few honest lines out there outlining a few things that describe what kind of person they might be getting involved with and what makes you worth getting to know. Whether you’re looking for someone to share their life with you, or give you their heart or body, you owe it to them to at least let them know who you are.

5. You misspell words and use poor grammar.
While what you write should sound like how you talk, if your profile is hard to read or looks like a third grader wrote it, no one is going to take you seriously. A poorly written profile screams “I’m too lazy to use a spell checker!” “I don’t care if you can’t understand what I say!”, “I don’t respect myself or you enough to write like an adult.” and “Get with me if you don’t want a partner who sounds smart and educated.” If spelling and grammar aren’t your strong points, do everyone a favor and write your “about me” section on a Word document which will correct your mistakes, then cut and paste the edited version onto your profile. You can do the same thing with emails you write to other people on the site. You really should think of dating as a job interview. If you don’t write or talk like an adult, you’re going to be passed over for the hundreds of other people who do.

6. You come across as aggressive, cynical or bitter.
Defensive, angry, frustrated and wounded. These are things that every human feels at some point in their lives. They should NOT be how you depict yourself in your profile. Most people have had a relationship end badly, maybe they even got their heart broken. But a dating site is not a place to go all “Jerry Springer”. A profile is where you give your first impression of yourself to others. Do you want people to think you’re a happy, fun person to be around? Or do you want them to be afraid to contact you because you’ll snap their head off because you’ve been hurt in the past? Save your venting over past wrongs for your diary and your BFF, strangers don’t want to hear it. If you usually are a sad, cranky or grumpy person a dating site isn’t going to help you. You should be seeing a psychiatrist. Dating sites are set up for normal, well adjusted people who are simply looking for a love interest, not someone to fix their wounded soul and heal their broken heart or teach them how to be a happy, optimistic person. Being in a relationship will absolutely NOT solve the other problems in your life.

7. You try too hard to be funny or unique.
You may think that your wacky sense of humor is one of your better qualities. And maybe it is. But it’s best served online in small doses. Too much sarcasm could be misinterpreted. Being outrageously silly in all your pictures might make you just seem weird. And writing a ton of jibberish that goes way, way beyond witty, could scare someone away who thinks you never know how to act maturely. No one wants to date (or worse be in a relationship with) someone who is going to chronically embarrass them with ridiculous clothing, incessant practical jokes, poorly timed humor and immature mannerisms. Revealing some of your taste in humor is good since people do want to be around others who can cut loose, make them laugh and understand each other’s jokes. So shoot for Vince Vaughn of Wedding Crashers’ casual sarcasm, and try to avoid doing too much Jim Carrey (The Mask) absurdities which are much harder to pull off on a two dimensional online dating profile.

8. You’re too specific about who you’ll date.
Saying you’re attracted to someone ‘Tall, dark and handsome’ is pretty specific. Saying “You must be at least 6’4, have an olive complexion with black hair and have been the homecoming king in high school.” is way too specific. Stating you are only interested in people who are athletic or lean or who are non-smokers, is perfectly acceptable though. A preference that still includes many, many types of people is fine. A short list of qualities cuts out 98% of the dating population. While you may prefer blonds, only want to date aerobic instructors or feel it’s critical your partner has a Masters degree in biology, if you state criteria like that in your profile you’ll alienate a lot of people who may have otherwise been a good match for you. You wouldn’t want someone to exclude you from their “would date’ list because you’re a year over or under their age limits of ’24 or 25’, so you can’t very well say you’ll only date people with naturally hazel eyes. Include some general criteria, but don’t close yourself off to the masses of people who honestly don’t think blowfish is the best dinner in town.

9. You’re second to someone else.
It may be that you’re a parent and make it abundantly obvious how very proud you are of that. Or maybe you write incessantly about your poochie who sleeps with you and has her own wardrobe. Or maybe your ex is in every single photo with you. Your profile is supposed to be about you. YOU are the one looking for a date, looking for a relationship. Prospective dates need to know that you’re a whole human being by yourself and not someone who has to be constantly surrounded by your bff, your favorite niece or a past partner. Saying things like “I have a child who is my life and if you have a problem with that then don’t bother contacting me” not only scores you negative points in the “aggressive” category, it’s a huge turn off to someone who wants to date YOU, not ‘the parent of your child’. It should go without saying that you have important people in your life already. Your profile should stay focused on YOU as an individual.

10. You provide information overkill.
An online dating profile is designed to list your basic information, a little info about your life (where you’re from, where you’re currently living and what your past relationship history has been) but it’s just a synopsis, not an entire novel. Unless you have a stalker, long profiles never get read all the way through. And talking too much about yourself will just make you seem self-absorbed and high maintenance. Give enough of a teaser to catch a reader’s attention, but do save something for emails, a phone conversation and the in-person meeting.

11. You’re too high maintenance.
Everyone wants to be with someone who takes care of themselves and has a healthy dose of self respect. But describing yourself with words like “Princess”, “Diva”, “God’s gift” or “The best ____ on this site” is a fantastic way to tell everyone in a hurry that you are narcissistic and intend to be more work than you’re worth. Being an overly needy person is also a huge turn off. Most people want to be in a relationship with someone they consider a great friend as well as a lover and partner. But you’re not going to become clones of each other if you get involved. Everyone needs their own hobbies and time alone. Make it clear you have interest and opinions of your own that you intend to keep even if they differ from those of your future partner. No one should give up or lose their personal identity just became they’re in a relationship.

12. You come with enough baggage for a world tour.
It may be that your elderly parent lives with you. That you had six children and your spouse ran off and left you to care for them alone. Or you’ve lived in 15 states and had 29 jobs in the last 6 years. (Heaven help you if ALL those are true!) but you need to be starting a relationship with a clean slate and a willingness to put down roots and be a stable, reliable person. If you have a criminal past, STDs, a terminal illness, a life altering sickness, a mental illness or something else major you do need to make that clear to people before they move in with you or start picking out wedding invitation stationary. But you also shouldn’t drop a bomb like that on your profile or in the first email you send someone. People make mistakes and have unfortunate things happen to them, but it’s hard to accept that from someone you don’t know at all and therefore don’t really care about. You should say in your profile that “There are things that happened in my past a partner should know about me” or “I’m changing things in my life now that I’ve grown up” or “I have a medical condition that won’t prevent me from being a good partner”. Statements like those are vague enough to not be scary, but honest enough to get the conversations started before they fall in love with you and feel betrayed that you hid important facts about yourself.

13. Your needs read like a shopping list.
All about what you want and you need, you say nothing about what you offer and what you’ll bring into a relationship. For you, it’s all one sided: your way or the highway. The only thing worse than saying you have no idea what your looking for is stating precisely what you demand from a partner. I’ve actually read profiles that say things like “She must look great in sweatpants with no make-up on” or “My partner needs to make a six figure income.” Also placing limitations on your partners past history is absurd. One guy (age 30 something) wrote on his profile “if a girl has slept with five or more guys she’s a slut and shouldn’t contact me.” Wow! Really? Another guy had a 25 questions questionnaire for girls to fill out and should only contact him if they passed all of them. Saying you’re “picky” and “won’t settle” suggests that you’re placing a lot of high expectations on your partner. Expectations that maybe no mortal human being can ever live up to and therefore shouldn’t even try.

14. You’re the victim or a bully: anything but normal.
Begging readers to not hurt you because you’d been f’d over by every past relationship might get things started off on the wrong foot. Unless you’re advertizing to assholes that there is bully vacancy and you’re now accepting applications. You might be hoping for sympathy and extra kindness, but normal people will pity you and be too afraid of your weakness and lack of self-respect to want to get involved with you. Conversely if it sounds like you’re looking for a new doormat or punching bag, even if you really are a nice person anyone who’s not looking for drama or a fight, is going to avoid you.

15. You have no clue what you want.
“I don’t really know what I’m looking for.” Making a statement like that is bit shocking. By the time a person is old enough to be in a committed romantic relationship or possibly get married, they should have at least an inkling of what kind of person they’re going to be compatible with and whether or not they want to settle down with only one person or just have fun with casual dating. How can you possibly be considered a good person to become involved with, if you have no clue what makes you happy or what kind of people you feel comfortable spending time with?? Being the totally unique person you are, you’ll need to know yourself well enough to tell and show your future partner how you need to be loved and how you’ll be able to love them back. If you can’t do this you’re setting both of you up for a brutal suffering session the entire time you’re together from lack of clear communication and frustration from not getting what either of you need. If you honestly don’t know what you want and don’t know what you have to offer a relationship, you have no business creating a dating profile.

Ridiculously Smart People

2010-08-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

They are out there! And this guy is one of them!

You know that nerdy kid in elementary school who was the last one to be picked for dodge-ball and had the answer to questions even the teacher couldn't answer?

That's probably the kid who grew up to invent a metal puzzle that turns into a fully functioning gun. No joke. And you thought you were clever with duct tape and a pocket knife!

To see the website with the full story (and where I got the pictures) click here.

Let's just hope you were nice to that kid when you were younger. Not only is he probably incredibly rich now, he's turned playing with building blocks into assembling deadly weapons.

Pay Once, Eat Twice

2010-08-01T20:38:00.000-07:00

America is really fat. One of every three adults is not just chunky, overweight or fat, they’re grossly, abnormally overweight. We’ve just become so used to seeing fat people that it seems normal.

In addition to the unhealthy types of food American people love to indulge in, some blame the rampant obesity problem on meal portion size.

Supposedly in countries like France where rich, decedent meals are notoriously yummy but high in calories, the restaurant portions are between 1/2 and 1/3 the size of American portions. So basically they can eat high calorie meals but not get fat, while Americans can’t because Americans are eating twice as much of it.

Eat twice as much as your body needs and you start having the body mass of two people. Makes sense!

There are some people who are pushing for reduced US restaurant portions and smaller prepackaged food serving sizes. But I think we know that if restaurants started reducing things, the serving size would go down and the price would stay the same! And America is all about maximizing their consumption and getting the most for their dollar.

But I suggest that food portions STAY the twice as large size, and so does the price. The solution to the oversized servings when eating out is as simple as cardboard. Or plastic. Or Styrofoam.

After your meal arrives, ask your server for take-away containers and before you take so much as one bite, cut your food in half and put half of everything into the doggy container.

If you order a salad, ask for the dressing to be on the side so you don’t end up with soggy salad after you’ve taken it home.

Don’t put your bread in with moisture laden food or it will also become soggy. But if you’re afraid the bread will harden after you’ve taken it home, microwave it in a bowl covered by a damp paper towel.

If the salad doesn’t come without dressing or it’s a salad bar so you’re not allowed to take it home; or if the house bread is too good to pass up and you’re not allowed to take it home, make a meal out of the salad and bread (and dessert) and just take home your entire entrée.

Unless the dessert is something mostly solid (like cake, or cheesecake) it often doesn’t travel well. Either plan to take home your entire entrée so you can eat the dessert or skip dessert altogether.

In the cold winter months, the food should be fine left in a vehicle while you shop, watch a movie or otherwise cannot get it home immediately. Keep a few plastic grocery bags in your vehicle to put your leftover into will reduce the chance of a spill or lingering odors.

America throws away millions of dollars worth of food every year. Why waste money and food when you can save and maximize your enjoyment of both?

In the summer before you go out, put a small cooler in your trunk with blue ice or plan to make a drive back to your house to drop off the leftovers. Most food needs refrigeration to prevent the food from going bad. No one wants food poising later with their leftovers.

If you forget your cooler or didn’t plan to eat out and didn’t bring one, or if a detour to your house is too far away, you can pick up a Styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice from a gas station or grocery store for usually under $6. Saving half a $50+ meal is worth the change.

Most hotels and even motels now are offering small refrigerators and microwaves in their standard rooms. So even if you’re on the road you can save half (or at least some) of your food for later.

It might take a few tries to adjust to the idea of eating only half your meal the night you order it. But it’s very satisfying to get to repeat your delicious meal the next day, at no additional cost.

America’s expanding waistlines may be partly a result of eating too much food per meal. But you don’t have to be part of the majority who are busting out of their clothing, super-sizing their life and medical insurance premiums due to poor health and waddling out restaurants, belt loosened and out of breath.

Instead you can be part of the sleeker, thinner, smarter, thrifty population who go out to eat and pay once, but eat twice.

Does Anyone Really Believe This?

2010-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

This kind of e-mail generally goes straight to the SPAM folder now, but every now and then one slips through and ends up in my Inbox.

And I have to admit, while I have had enough years of Internet use to recognize these just by the sender's (unintelligible) name, it hardly seems possible that anyone who's capable of negotiating their way through even the elementary functions of using a computer to check email could possibly be stupid enough to fall for one of these scams.

How someone might think that it's possible that someone you've never heard of, in a country you've never had anything to do with, just suddenly wants to deposit a sh$t load of money into your bank account for FREE...is beyond me!

But, I guess some people do! I get a few every week. What's YOUR favorite?

From Mr Lusee mark (B.O.A)
Bill and Exchange Manager,
Bank of Africa(B.O.A)
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.
West Africa.

ATTN,

Sorry to distract your attention, I am Mr Lusee mark the bill and exchange manager in the bank of Africa Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.

In my department, I found the deposited fund amounted SEVEN MILLION TWO HUNNDERED THOUSAND DOLLARS (USD7,200,000.00).customer who died in the air crash with his entire family.

However, I shall detail you with the full information as soon as I hear from you.

Can you be able and capable to assist me provide your receiving bank account where this fund will lodge in your favour?

I shall give you 30% of the total sum as soon as this fund hits your account and I shall visit you in your country for the shearing.

Please this is very confidential. If you are interested, please forward me the bellow information's;

Your name:............................

Your country:.........................

Your phone Number:......................

Your tel/fax:............................

Your age:...............................

Your occupation:.......................

Thank for your anticipated co-peration.

Your's Faithfully.

Mr Lusee mark

Call +226 76 80 57 28

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Friend
Please Read Carefully And Get Back to Me PLease,

my urgent need for a foreign partner that made me to contact
you for this transaction. i got your contact from yahoo
tourist search while i was searching for a foreign partner.

as this message might meet you in utmost surprise. However, it
all justsured of your capability. and reliability to champion
this business opportunity when I prayed to good Lord about you.

I am a banker by profession in Burkina Faso ,And currently
holding the post of assistant foreign remittance director in
our bank. i have the opportunity of transferring the left over
funds ($5.5 million dollars) of one of my bank clients who
died along with his entire family in a plane crash.Hence,
I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be
shared between us in the ratio of 60/40% if you agree to my
business proposal. Further details of the transfer will be
forwarded to you as soon as i receive your return mail.

immediately you receive this letter. Please indicate your
willingness by sending thebelow information for more
clarification and easy communication.You can as well call my
direct line for further up date +226-74-06-58-15

(1) Your full name...........

(2) Your contact address..............

(3) Your phone and fax number..........

(4) Your age..................

(5) Your country name...........

(6)Your Occupation...........,

Hoping to hear from you immediately
Yours faithfully
Mr.Izufu Ali

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Dear good Friend

I am mr. younes ahmed,Staff of a Bank of africa in Burkina faso. I would like you to indicate your interest to receive the transfer of US$7.5 Million. I will like you to stand as the next of kin to my late client whose account is presently dormant, for claims, You should contact me on my private email:(mr_younis2010@hotmail.fr)please you can call me(00226 78 35 92 42)

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT THIS SITE BELLOW http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/ world/europe/859479.stm

as soon as you receive this letter. Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Thanks Mr. Younes Ahmed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Friend,
I am Mr Timy John , the director in charge of auditing and accounting section of Bank of Africa (BOA) Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso West-Africa. I would like you to indicate your interest to receive the transfer of $9.8 Million Dollars. I will like you to stand as the next of kin to our late customer whose account is presently dormanat for claims. Please once you are interested kindly send me the following details information below,

1.Your full name:...........
2.Resident address:........
3.Private phone........
4.fax numbers:...............
5.Country :................
6.Occupation:..............
7.Age:.........
8.sex........
I shall send you more details as soon as i hear from you.

Regards,
Mr. Timy John,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YOU ARE REMENBER FOR YOUR EFFORT!!!!

How are you doing. Hope you have not forgotten me, I am Engr Arthur Parkinson. the man from South-Africa who contacted you some time ago to assist me secure the release of some money accrued from the over-invoicing of a contract/inheritance that was awarded by colonial government sometime ago during the colonialism in south-Africa.Though you were not able to assist me to conclude the transaction, I'm happy to inform you about my success in getting those funds transferred Under the assistance and cooperation a new partner from Hong-Kong.

Presently I'm in Japan for an investment projects with my own share of the total sum.Meanwhile, i didn't forget your past efforts and attempts to assist me transferring those funds, I made sure you are not left out the benefit of the transaction hence I kept aside for you the sum of Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars($ 550,000.00) draft and plus $200.00USD to send your Draft via courier service to your destination.

I and my new partner agreed to compensate you with that amount for all your past efforts and attempts to assist me in this matter. I appreciated your efforts at that time very much,so feel free and get touch with my secretary Pastor Brenda Ballard. and instruct her on how to send the Bank draft to you. Please do let me know immediately you receive the Draft so that we can share the joy together after all the suffering at that time.

At the moment,I'm very busy here because of the investment projects which i and my new partner are having at hand.Finally,remember that i had left instruction to my secretary so as soon as you contact her, She will send the Draft to you,so feel free to get in touch with MY SECRETARY NOW.

Below is the contact of my secretary:
Name: Pastor Brenda Ballard.
Email: brendaballard1967@kkwl.ac.th

Best Regards,
Engr Arthur Parkinson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Friend,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise as we have never meet before, but you need not to worry as I am using the only secured and confidential medium available to seek for your foreign assistance in a business.I am Mr Aliu Ahmed,the director in charge of credit and exchange section of Bank Of Africa,(BOA) Ouagadougou Burkina-faso West Africa with due respect and regard. I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us at the end of the transaction.

During our investigation and auditing in this bank, my department came across a very huge sum of money belonging to a deceased person who died on Monday, 31 July, 2000, in a plane crash and the fund has been dormant in his account with this Bank without any claim of the fund in our custody either from his family or relation before i discovery to this development.

The said amount was U.S $10.6M (Ten million six hundred United States dollars). As it may interest you to know, I got your impressive information through the Burkina-faso chamber of commerce on foreign business relations here in Ouagadougou Burkina-faso.

Meanwhile all the whole arrangement to put claim over this fund as the bonafide next of kin to the deceased, get the required approval and transfer this money to a foreign account has been put in place and directives and needed information will be relayed to you as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist me and also benefit your self to this great business opportunity.

In fact I could have done this deal alone but because of my position in this country as a civil servant(ABanker),we are not allowed to operate a foreign account and would eventually raise an eye brow on my side during the time of transfer of the fund,because I work in this bank.

This is the actual reason why it will require a second party or fellow who will forward claims as the next of kin with affidavit of trust of oath to the Bank and also present a foreign account where he will need the money to be re-transferred into on his request as it may be after due verification and clarification by the correspondent branch of the bank where the whole money will be remitted from to your own designation bank account.

I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free. On smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 30% of the total sum as ratification, while 10% will be set aside to take care of expenses that may arise during the time of transferring the fund and also telephone bills, while 60% will be for me. Please, you have been adviced to keep this transaction "top secret" as I am still in service and intend to retire from service after i conclude this deal with you.

I will be monitoring the whole situation here in this bank until you confirm the money in your account and ask me to come down to your country for subsequent sharing of the fund according to percentages previously indicated and further investment, either in your country or any country you advice us to invest in.All other necessary vital information will be sent to you when I hear from you and please kindly delete if you are not interested.

I look forward to receive your email.

Thanks
My Regards.
Mr Aliu Ahmed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They say there is an idiot born every day. I'd say there must be two born every day. One to concoct such an unbelievable absurdity as these money scams, and anther to actually believe it!

Dating Honesty Overkill

2010-07-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

Honesty is generally a really good thing. It typically goes hand in hand with nice values like integrity and strong moral character.

But sometimes volunteering information or opinions goes way, way past anything redeeming and ends up being downright rude and unwelcome.

Case in point...

Eat Like a Californian

2010-07-16T06:43:00.001-07:00

Eating healthy when you're out isn't impossible and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. (admittedly, there is no $1 menu BUT you're not going to kill yourself slowly with junk either!)
These are places that have the healthy Northern California stamp of approval.

Panera Bread

ADDED 10/15/10

I'm pleased to include this article link and comment that Panera Bread and Jason's Deli earned the titles as First and Second of America's Top 5 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

Jason’s Deli

Jamba Juice

Tropical Smoothie Café

California Pizza Kitchen

Smoker Reality Check

2010-07-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Just because you feel fine today, doesn't mean you'll always feel that way.

Ignoring the facts, doesn't change them.

Utah Does It Better

2010-07-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

The message from the White House for the last year has been aggressively promoting “Change”. And from what they’ve been doing, it hasn’t been small changes, but colossal, eye-brow-raising change.

But even given that, it’s highly unlikely that what Utah’s governor is advocating, is at all in line with what the Obama administration was aiming for.

In a state that is know for their good work ethic, clever resourcing and self efficiently, the vast regions of Utah’s land currently owned by the government and not being used for anything, seems like a terrible waste.

They aren't looking for new housing or commercial shopping expansion. Utah simply wants to more effectively use natural resources in and on the land (for among other things) to generate cost effective energy. Utah’s governor, Gary Herbert may be hoping to set a precedent of state self-efficiency for other states to follow.

In a nation where energy resources are generated, monitored and profit gleaned on a Federal basis, states are often frustrated by the governments inability to recognize their particular needs and they’re sometimes thwarted from doing what would be cheaper through use of common sense.

Economic statistics show (and most people have experienced this personally) that when there is a monopoly and only one person/company/organization is in controls and has the power to regulate anything, the buyers/consumers/general population suffers from lack of options.

Competition keeps companies/organizations focused on winning customers which in turn forces them (against their greedy, lazy, complacent tendencies) to provide safer, cleaner and more functional products and services.

If the “Eminent Domain” bill passes, this could affect more than just Utah’s ability to provide energy for their own state (and possibly neighboring states?) and make better use of the land and resources they are surrounded by but not allowed to use. It could possibly encourage other states to find ways to tap their own natural resources to provide for their own state and establish independence.

The White House has been struggling to maintain systems and methods that already exist and this makes them less likely to experiment with greener and less familiar ways of doing things even if in the long run they'll save everyone money and be kinder to the environment.

If the government weren’t so determined to micro manage everything, they could see this as an opportunity to be relieved of so large a responsibility. Chances are though, this could tear small a hole in their monopoly and they certainly wouldn’t like that.

With consistently rising costs for energy (that hasn’t improved in decades) and the issues that the government has had regulating and maintaining America’s energy resources (gasoline spill anyone?), it might be time for the government to do what they should have done a long time ago:

Allow more control to the individual states to focus on their particular needs and abilities, so the White House administration can spend more time doing what they’re supposed to be doing (and that states cannot): Solidify international diplomacy, conclude whatever is necessary to end the war in Iraq, make a Health Bill that works, and maybe finally taking a whack at actually LOWERING the national debt.

Efficiency in the government? Now there is an eye-brow-raising change worth making!

Let Freedom Ring

2010-07-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia describes Freedom as: Free will and liberty; the ability to choose one’s own destiny, and the concept of having the right and ability to do as one chooses.

In truth, freedom means very different things depending on who you are and where you live.

A child in Africa.

A woman in Saudi Arabia.

A prisoner in North Korea.

An elderly person in Somalia.

Each one of these people will think personal freedoms are a quit different thing than say anyone in these categories who live in Sweden, Great Britain, or America.

Every day that a person wakes up with a roof over their head, shoes on their feet, food in their fridge and the ability to get their basic needs met without stealing, begging, bribing or being subject to interrogations, humiliation or serious self sacrifice, enjoy a level of freedom some people have never known in their entire life.

“Any existence deprived of freedom is a kind of death”- Gen Michel Aoun

X-box, 42 inch flat screen TVs, jetted hot-tubs, leather interior sports cars, pillow top beds, silk lined jackets, the list goes on and on of things the average middle class citizens have in America. While it’s very true that these items were worked for, paid for and are used and appreciated, the level of comfort experienced by many people would be considered uh-heard of opulence to billions of people who share our planet.

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.” Helen Keller

The irony is that with all their technology, all their expendable income, all their freedom to access world news, the average middle class person in most civilized countries is badly informed on the conditions of other countries and honestly maybe, would prefer to not know. Many of these same people do not even really know what’s happening inside their own countries. And that is not just sad, it’s dangerous.

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” –Thomas Jefferson

It is undeniable that the average citizen of any population doesn’t understand the magnitude of running a country. They often don’t want to be bothered by the messy details and aren’t prepared to deal with the level of cool-headed diplomacy required to keep alliances friendly and antagonistic forces in check.

“Many people know so little about what is beyond their short range of experience. They look within themselves - and find nothing! Therefore they conclude that there is nothing outside themselves either.” Helen Keller

But, it is also undeniable that the average citizen of any population should have the ability to demand their basic human rights and embrace a level of comfort during their existence that is in proportion to the output of their efforts and willingness to work, in an environment that allows success, rewards progress and encourages entrepreneurial spirit the way the American founding father’s envisioned the New World of America.

No matter what anyone says, the political and judicial systems in America are the most successful to date. And while they do have enormous flaws and holes, and we have much to learn from the successes of other civilized countries and the failures of uncivilized countries, there is no one here who could visit even the average poor country, and see their lives as being “about the same” in quality of life. Photos of these other countries are indeed "Postcards From Hell."

We in America are standing at a threshold of change. A change some think they want. A security they think they can buy with new laws and giving up freedoms.

“Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.” –Winston Churchill

In that desire to have change and feel “safe”, we cannot trade the very freedoms that ensure those abilities to create change and feel safe, for the illusion of “safety and change”.

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” -Helen Keller

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” – Benjamin Franklin

“You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don’t ever count on having both at once.” –Robert A. Heinlein

The solution to starvation, lack of employment and a severe disparity in the “distribution of wealth” around the planet it NOT for everyone to move to America or France. It is NOT for “rich Americans” to donate and entirely support other countries, although sharing of our affluence as a philanthropist “love of humanity” effort ARE excellent ways to show altruism. That is, giving generously expecting nothing in return.

The real solution to the problems cannot be addressed en-mass until all citizens in all countries have a chance to experience “freedom” as civilized countries define it. People cannot fight to have what they have never seen an example of. Neither can they secure those rights and freedoms if they are starving, homeless and sick.

"Fear is the foundation of most governments." - John Adams

"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted." - James Madison

Until countries demolish a segregated “caste system”, religious choice is viewed no differently than interior decorating preferences, nationality and “race” are viewed as variety “as a spice of life” and the wants and needs of the people are being governed by a mostly honest leadership and enforced by a fair and just judicial system, freedom will continue to be an elusive dream to billions.

“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

Many people in America are angry about the war in Iraq and the wars that came previous to that. The “war” may have started as retaliation to an "act of terrorism" in America, but keeping US soldiers in these other countries continues largely because the general population of these counties cannot survive with their current leadership. They cannot eat, work, and live with the political contention between their “government” and the religious groups they live near.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” -Helen Keller

Firstly, America needs to be grateful every day of their lives that they live in a country that long ago fought and secured the level of freedom we enjoy and take for granted daily.

Secondly, we need to recognize that other countries want even a fraction of the freedoms we have. They may not know exactly what they are missing, or exactly what civilized countries have done to obtain those freedoms, but they want them too. And as human beings who hurt, bleed, cry, love and share the human experience, they should have the ability to live free.

Thirdly, civilized countries should help destroy the corrupt governments that keep their people impoverished and in turmoil. A starving, uneducated country will never be a peaceful country. They will never be a self-sustaining country. Until we remove the predators that are stealing the assets meant to improve the quality of life for the average person, and teach them skills to cultivate their lands, educate their own children and clothe their own families, they will always suffer at the hands of mercenaries and be reliant on the kindness of strangers in other countries.

The terrified, poor people will always be begging at our boarders and their corrupt leaders will always pose a threat at our gates. We need only to remember Hitler to realize, we *cannot* ignore any of them.

“When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.” - Thomas Jefferson

Every country has its assets. Every people are capable of developing some marketable skills. Third world countries have the ability to be flourishing, happy civilizations if only we can overcome the greed and evilness of a few, and establish a ruling system that empowers, educates and employs the average citizen. It is so very possible, but unfortunately not probable given the current power hungry climate that puts greed and selfishness above the virtues of compassion, tolerance and generosity.

As America celebrates our hard earned Independence Day, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in other countries who are still struggling to gain the right to clean water, adequate food and honest law enforcement. The rights and freedoms our ancestors died to give us. We owe it to our forefathers, our children, ourselves and our entire species, to have free will and liberty: the ability to choose ones own destiny and live life in harmony with each other and nature. And never give up the ability to fight for those precious freedoms.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” -Helen Keller

Happy Independence Day America!

La Lady Liberty Lie

2010-07-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

There are a number of misconceptions about the Statue of Liberty, and it's causing problems.

Get More Weekend Action

2010-06-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Location is definitely important.

Having the right look and lines are pretty critical.

Knowing what to look for is completely invaluable.

But even all these factors put together aren't enough if the timing is all wrong.

And it turns out timing is something you might have more control over than you realize. You just consult your calendar.

Making a Prediction

2010-06-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am not an alarmist. I don’t get off on imagining a large-scale crisis, mass destruction, warfare, government conspiracy theories, terrorism in any of its forms or natural disasters.

But, I do believe in being practical and prepared.

That being said, I represent no companies, have ties with no major organizations and won’t benefit monetarily if I’m wrong. I do possibly stand to experience some embarrassment if I’m wrong (the amount depending entirely on how many people read this.)

I think the east coast is in for another major hurricane.

I have no idea if it will be kinder or worse than Hurricane Isabel that came through here in September 2003. But going strictly upon my own observations of the similarity of the weather THAT year and THIS year, I think it would be prudent to consider it a strong possibility.

The top 10 worst Atlantic Hurricanes were:

1961 (Esther #9)
1966 (Faith #1)
1971 (Unnamed #3)
1972 (Betty#10)
1975 (Doris #6)
1978 (Ella #7)
1982 (Debby #8)
1988 (Gilbert, tied for #4)
1989 (Gabrielle #2)
2003 (Isabel, tied for #4)

Aside from the entire 1990’s which enjoyed a vacation from anything major enough to be record breaking, the regularity of costly hurricanes averaged 4-5 years. Even factoring in an usual 13 Hurricane-free years, the mettle of the East Coast hasn’t been tested in 7 years. Let’s face it: we’re due for another big one.

Hurricane Isabel started as a storm off the coast of Africa. It struck first the Outer Banks of North Carolina and made its way up the coastline dissipating only after reaching Michigan (USA) and Ontario (Canada).

While around 10 states felt the effects of this particular storm, Virginia (specifically Hampton Roads area) sustained the most deaths and damage.

The grand total of damage from Isabel was $3.6 billion and 35 directly and indirectly related human deaths. (I don’t think there are any statistics done on the deaths of pets, livestock and wildlife as a result of a major disaster, but certainly their deaths have an impact of some kind.)

16 million people were without electricity for up to a week. That in an of itself proved to be significant for even those who were not simultaneously dealing with leaking roofs, indoor flooding, fallen trees on their car or home or health related issues.

No electricity means: No lights. No refrigeration. No hot water. No washing machine or dishwasher capabilities. No toaster ovens, microwaves, or electrical stove cooking. You get the idea.

I’m not advocating anyone panic, but taking measures to ready for something even minor this year, wouldn’t be a bad idea.

While this caution may seem specific to the East coastline, and from where I sit the Hampton Roads (because well, that IS where I am living) this bit of advice to take stock of what could conceivably happen and how to best prepare for a natural disaster should it strike, is not limited to the Eastern part of America.

I think what makes this year’s propensity for a major storm significant, is the oil spill.

As I did some research for this epiphany I woke up with this morning, I discovered that I was far from alone in realizing this concern. Others have been stating their similar concerns.

Galveston, Texas in the Gulf of Mexico has the highest rate of hurricane activity than anywhere else in the USA. The Gulf area reports more hurricane activity than any other part of the US.

Weather forecasters are predicting 18-21 storms this year (an usually high number), expecting around 8 to have an impact and two or three hurricanes to make “major” landfalls in this 2010 hurricane season.

It may be that instead of just electrical outages, structural damages, flooding and businesses being closed, there will be oil related issues. Who can really say what THAT might entail. One can only guess it would be dangerous and costly.

Either way, again, it wouldn’t hurt to keep an emergency preparedness plan in mind while going about other less stressful summer activities.

One Line Wonders

2010-06-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

If you’re hoping I’m about to give you a bunch of great one liners to use to hit on girls, you’re sadly mistaken.

Actually it’s more about my amazement that guys on dating sites, networking sites or other online communication pages set up an account, upload pictures, write about themselves: their interests, quirks, what they’re looking for etc. and then when they write a first contact message to a girl they’re interested in getting to know, it’s a badly written four words or less.

Hey. Sup.

What r u up 2?

How’s it going?

How u doing?

Hey wanna chat?

Wast up ma?

Seriously?? The wonder is that they even bother to write at all!

Even if their profile is interesting and their pictures are decent, a short lame message like those are a huge turn off.

It’s not quite as insulting as the one line propositions like these:

We shood hook up tonite baby.

Wanna c a pix of my huge cock?

I wud tear that ass up!

Hay babygurl looking goood u want 2 get wit a reel man I show u a good time!

But it IS right up there with pre-fab, mass distributed letter that sounds like this.

Hi my name is ….. Your profile is great and you’re very attractive. I think we have a lot in common. Check out my profile and if you like what you see you can email me at …….. And this is my cell number. ###-#### Hope to hear from you soon!

It feels like getting spam. And that’s where it and all the other I-didn’t-care-to-read-your-profile-but-you’re-hot-so-I’ll-see-if-you’ll-sleep-with-me mail goes: Deleted with the spam.

If you’re really interested in a girl, like you saying you are, then show it!

If she has her name in her profile, use it!

It doesn’t take more than a minute to glance through her pictures and profile and comment on one or two things you see or read there.

Hey Carla,

What a coincidence I have a black and while chinchilla named Pogo too! Okay so maybe not but if I DID have a chinchilla Pogo would be at the top of the list of names for it. So you like hiking at the national park? That’s cool. Have you ever been to (name of another Mountain, walking park or outdoor hiking area)? I won’t make this too long but I’d like to talk with you and maybe find out what your favorite ice cream flavor is.

Have a great day! Ron

That last letter should get a quick and interesting response from any female with a pulse. Unless your pictures look like a psychopath or your profile “About Me” is filled up with:

I don’t know what to say. ##########################################
##############################################################

It’s actually shocking how often THAT happens. It just makes a guy look lazy and inconsiderate. Lazy that he didn’t take the time to write out anything worth reading and inconsiderate that he expects a normal, intelligent, attractive woman to be interested in a guy who is screaming out “I’M A LOSER”.

So, quick recap:

*If you want to IM or email a girl, say something worthy of a response.

*Make your profile the way you would want to see someone you'd be interested in dating do.

*Humor is often your best friend just don’t be insulting or too stupid.

*Compliments on her face and body aren’t nearly as great as compliments on her personality or skills/ interests.

*Pay attention to what she does and comment on it!

*And if you write a lame one liner, don’t be surprised or pissed off if it gets ignored!

Sex Is Brutal

2010-06-14T21:49:00.001-07:00

The things that living things go through just to mate. For most of the animal and insect kingdoms...having sex is no joke. Losing your virginity, could cost your life.

Catching a Catch

2010-06-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

One of the tricky things about catching a catch, is you really need to BE a catch yourself.

Gas-No-Lean Mystery

2010-06-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

There's nothing lean about the gas prices!

Aging: Optional?

2010-06-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

What is it to age in the era of "Forever Young" and with the technology to slow things down? Are we aging more gracefully or just in denial?

Tiger Woods Unedited

2010-06-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

It shouldn't be. But it's freakin hilarious.

Product of Our Environment

2010-05-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

It's not so much what YOU think it's called, as much as it is what the people in your town choose to call it.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

2010-05-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

The gender issue in both the military and in mainstream America.

Breaking The 'Nice Guy' Cycle

2010-05-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

America's Lowest Life Forms

2010-05-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure this person calling in to Michael Savage's talk show, can even qualify as a human. Unfortunately there are entirely too many people who are like this uneducated, over opinionated jackass.

As of July 2009 America's population (well those who were legally counted anyway) was 307,006,550 people.

About 38 percent (or about 1/3 the Population, roughly 102,335,516 people) pay no income taxes. (Again, this number doesn't include people who are in the country illegally or were not counted on the last census)

Around half the population (153,503,275 people) receives some kind of government assistance. (Welfare checks, food stamps, WIC, Social Security, Subsidized housing etc.)

So less than half the US population pays income taxes but receives no government assistance.

Dangerously Moved By Music

2010-05-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

Date Your Relatives

2010-05-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I’m obviously NOT endorsing incest.

That is not only illegal, it’s a good way to have a mentally and/or physically deformed child. Plus, just the idea of “doing it” with your blood relatives is gross.

BUT there are some good reasons to meet “the family” of someone you’re interested in, long before you take it to a serious level. Or at least, look at pictures of them.

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/labels/Love.html

What's Fit. What's Fat.

2010-05-20T11:18:00.001-07:00

I gotta tell you I'm getting sick and tired of people putting on their profile pages (for networking or dating sites) that they're "Athletic/ Fit" when they're really Average, and "Average" when they're really Overweight.

Do you think the people viewing your page are blind? Do you think they're not going to notice you wear plus size or have a pooch in the front of your belly or waddle when you walk when you meet in person? Who are you really fooling? Maybe yourself.

Come clean about it. If you don't like putting that you're "A Few Extra Pounds", then LOSE WEIGHT!

For the record:

THIS is a FIT/Athletic man and woman:

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

THIS is a FAT/ Obese man and woman:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
See the difference?

If you don't have muscle definition, you're not "athletic".
If you're more than 25% fat for a female or 15% fat for a male you're OVERWEIGHT.

If you try to lie about your body size and fitness level, you're either going to come across as a person who doesn't face reality or is a chronic liar. Either way, no one is going to believe that you can be in a honest relationship if you're in denial about your own (highly obvious) problems.

If you're fat, just state the obvious. Better to be fat and honest, then fat and a liar.

USA Brown Nosing

2010-05-18T06:31:00.001-07:00

I hate to say it, but the political climate of America has recently taken a turn for the elementary school playground. That’s right. All it takes is a raised eyebrow by someone whiny and "underprivileged". It doesn’t even take a double dog dare to get America to tie itself in knots.

But instead of jumping off the top of the monkey bars or taking a puff on a kid’s older brother’s cigarettes, America is in an un-winnable battle with the entire world to prove they are the most accepting, tolerant and NON-raciest, NON-discriminating place on the planet.

We’re like Disneyland for all the formerly persecuted groups.

It’s never been easier to be a minority. It doesn’t even matter what you’re a minority of. Just as long as you can claim “underdog” status for something, you get an instant membership card to the “I’m persecuted and therefore deserve something extra special! Gimme it now DAMMIT.”

Not white? Not straight? Not legal? Not a problem!

Is America at war with the country of your ancestral origins? You’re in luck! Unlike your distant terrorist relatives who are shooting at your American neighbors, YOU get ALL kinds of freebies and preference here! A free ride, a free education, an award, whatever you want!

Are you a financial drain on this country? Do you want to never get a job, become a celebrity and get everything free for the rest of your life? We’ve got special programs set up just for people like you! Si!

And if ensuring you don't feel special enough is against our current rules or isn't mandatory...don't worry! We'll change the rules just for you! And everyone else who sniffs their nose at obeying a democracy or pulling their own weight!

The Constitution? The Bill of Rights? PPffh! Who needs em? We're more like a jellyfish: completely fluid and flexible with whatever the way the current flows because we no longer have a backbone!

Do you have a questionable past and equally questionable plans for the future? PERFECT!

Are your blood relatives people who are out to destroy our nation? EVEN BETTER!

Just flash your “But I’m in a minority group!” tearful pout and America will now bend over backwards to prove to everyone (including themselves) that we think YOU’RE Great! Awesome! And dogonit we really LIKE you!”

After all America couldn’t possibly be this cozy, lovey “Land Of The FREEKS”..I mean FREE… without a regular dose of social outcasts and deviants.

Hate America? Don’t want to assimilate? (Wanna be our President?) We don’t want you to be like us either! We’re too boring! We can’t get media ratings with decent, moral, law abiding people who love America, their neighbors, their kids and are loyal to their spouses and their country!

What we need are people who will STIR up conflict! Offer distractions for our monotonous ordinary lives and give us something to apologize for previously being shocked about!

This formerly proud nation just can't get enough of kissing ass and falling over ourselves for having opinions, ideals and standards. Got-DAMN ourselves! We really need to follow the example of our new nation's leader who is proudly wearing his own "I'm a Minority so I'M SPECIAL" badge.

Because as Avril Lavin sings we want “Anything But Ordinary Please!”

Mainstream now IS strange beyond exotic, odd past unnatural and weird whizzing far through disturbing. Abnormal is SO trendy right now!

And if you want to be a non-tax paying, terrorist supporting, traditional value destroying media whore… Really "It's OKAY"! (YES YOU CAN!)

But please!... Just make sure you have enough outrageous clothing and physical preferences and enough controversial relatives, political viewpoints and lifestyle choices to be gawk-worthy.

No Parking At Any Time

2010-05-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

It's been said:

"The dating/marriage scene is like a parking lot and good partners are like parking spots.

By the time you get there and know where you're supposed to be, all the good ones are already taken.

So all that's left are the ones that are too damn far away, or handicap."

Godless Goody Goody

2010-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Motherhood Isn't Easy

2010-05-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

It would be just wrong to post a video of an actual human woman giving birth.
Aren't you glad YOUR not a heifer?

In case you were wondering how it looks in 3D

THIS however, is a *Great* idea!

What a Cesarean Birth is.

And THIS is why the healing time is SO long! Why the surgeons make so much money. And why they don't recommend more than three Cesarean births. (You've been warned!)

Bless their little hearts, after all that, kids can be *REALLY* annoying!

Women of War

2010-05-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

Craving The Good Stuff

2010-05-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Go Home!

2010-05-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Greed & Disasters

2010-05-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Spending Your Time: You're Doing It Wrong!

2010-04-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

There will always be people willing to kill time with you. But are you wasting your life?

You Might Be a Freak

2010-04-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

In the flavor of “You might be a redneck”… let’s see if you’re secretly (or openly) a freak.

You might be a freak…

* If you have one or more red light bulbs in your bedroom/ bathroom/ boudoir.

* If you have enough sex related products (lubes, toys, etc.) that they have their own special container or drawer.

* If you have ever had any part of another person’s body or inanimate object in your ass.

* If you have ever stuck any part of your body or inanimate object in anyone else’s ass.

* If you have handcuffs, bondage tape, blindfolds or any other tools for restricting movement.

* If you’re into paddles, crops, canes, straps, flogging or punishment play.

* If you have any underclothing made out of leather.

*If you've ever shaved your pubic hair into shapes or designs.

* If you've had your pubic hair waxed or hair laser removed.

* If you've ever used tweezers to remove your pubic hair.

* If you've used Popsicle or ice cubes on your or anyone elses privates.

* If you've ever heated something up or put it in the freezer to use it for sexual play.

* If you’ve used any toy product with the word “gripper, crusher or lifter".

* If you're not a virgin and wore a chastity belt.

* If you ever punished yourself for having sexual thoughts or doing sexual deeds.

* If you have ever tasted your own "fluids".

* If you have clothing or costumes bought or worn specifically for sexual fun.

* If you have ever bought anything that specifically says “edible” on the packaging.

* If your "partner" was a single synthetic body part or required blowing up first.

* If you've used fruits or vegetables during sex and didn't eat them.

* If you’re into licking dessert “toppings” off someone’s body or having them lick them off yours.

* If you have ever used a “safe word”.

* If you get yourself off on a regular basis and have a special word you use to describe the activity.

* If you think Victoria Secret’s selections are “tame” and only for sleeping in.

* If you think Frederick’s of Hollywood’s selections are for daytime wear.

* If you have a frequent buyers card at an “adult book” or “novelty” store.

* If you’ve ever bought enough from an online porn store that you got free shipping or a free toy.

* If you have ever had sex outside, in a car, on a plane, on a motorcycle or in a dressing room.

* If you have ever gotten a hotel room to just use for a few hours that didn’t involve sleep.

* If you have ever borrowed a sexy car or motorcycle but didn’t end up driving it.

* If you have personal experience with “road head”.

* If you have personal experience with “tea bagging”.

* If you have had personal experience with a “Ménage a Trois”

* If you have had more than one kind of “Menage a Trois”.

* If you have ever worn anything that vibrates.

* If you buy rechargeable batteries for your vibrating accessories.

* If you have ever used kitchen utensils, writing utensils, children’s toys or work tools during sex or masturbation.

* If you have ever used a mechanical toothbrush, razor or body massager to get yourself off.

* If you have a dildo.

* If you have a name for your dildo.

*If you have ever used a “strap on”, or had anyone use one on you.

* If you have your nipples, tongue or genitals pierced.

* If you own any porn videos.

* If you have a membership at an online porn site.

* If you visit chat rooms or game rooms to talk about sex or have cyber sex or phone sex.

* If you’ve ever dialed a 1-900 number on purpose.

* If you've ever had sex with someone you just met.

* If you don’t feel the need to hide your Maxim or Hustler magazines because “they’re not porn”.

* If you doodle pictures of naked people when you’re bored.

* If you had any kind of body part obsession or fetish.

* If you have ever ended sex with scratches, bruises, floor burns, bite marks or bleeding.

* If you have ever used knives, razors, thumb tacks or other sharp tools during sex.

*If you have ever had sex while wearing a mask or with someone who was wearing a mask.

* If you've ever had sex with half your clothes still on.

* If you save any of your past lovers underwear.

* If you frequently don’t wear any underwear.

* If you sleep, walk around your house or have ever cooked while naked.

* If you do pole dancing, lap dancing or stripping as workout or as an actual job.

* If you have ever used a sling, swing or harness for sex.

* If you engage in “swinging” and don’t need a swing to do it.

* If you have ever filmed yourself getting yourself off or having sex.

* If you like other people to watch you get off.

* If you have ever tried “rimming, fisting, frottage, flagellation, fellatio or cunnilingus”

* If you have ever cross-dressed when it wasn’t for a Halloween party.

* If you know what GLBT means or the difference between "Transvestite" and "Transsexual".

* If you have ever used or been a “sexual surrogate”.

* If you have ever paid anyone, or been paid by anyone to have sex.

* If when you hear the word “fantasy” the first thing you think is “sex”.

* If when you hear the word “pleasure” the first thing you think is “sex”.

* If when you hear the word “moan” the first thing you think is “sex”.

* If you think the word “pussy” has nothing to do with animals or plants.

* If you have ever bought candles to melt them and make “hot wax”.

* If you have ever used your feather duster but not to actually dust.

* If you have ever bought a Kama Sutra book or calendar just to look at the pictures.

* If you took yoga to get more flexible for sex or to imagine having sex in those positions with other people in your class.

* If you’ve ever bought a yoga or “buns of steel” work out video to jerk off to.

And finally,

* If you’ve ever dressed up in a furry animal costume to have sex…

You Might Be a Freak!

Don't Be Jumanji

2010-04-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some "caveman" tactics are good. LOOKING like one on the other hand, is *always* bad!

You Can't Fix Stupid

2010-04-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Political Party Quiz

2010-04-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

A very short quiz to determine which political party you actually support.

Showing Luv For The Planet

2010-04-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Next Leap for Sports

2010-04-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

There have been some pretty amazing things done in sports throughout the ages.

The last decade or so of video clip collections show the incredible feats and falls of the last generation of athletes. And there is a growing trend in unexpected ways of overcoming normal sport challenges.

With the increase of hip hop, break-dancing, gymnastic style moves being incorporated into virtually every type of physical activity, I think we're going to see more sports officials scratching their heads and looking through rule books trying to figure out how to deal with the impressive and unprecedented.

Kownacki leaps over the catcher @ Yahoo! Video

All Evil vs. All Righteous

2010-04-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Fantasy & Porn

2010-04-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Furtive Friends, Unfathomable Foes

2010-04-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

How well do you know your friends?

Should you really keep your enemies closer?

The Sexy Smell Of Love

2010-04-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

His arms came around her suddenly, pulling her close. She nuzzled the warm skin of his chest through the top buttons of his shirt, breathing in deeply his arousing male scent.

Freshly laundered cotton, musky body spray, and the unique scent of his skin tantalized her senses. She flicked the tip of her wet tongue along the edge of his collarbone and closed her eyes as his lips brushed her forehead and he drank in the sweet smells of her glossy clean hair and honey smooth skin.

She wiggled closer against him feeling his hard ready response to her own eager longings. A teasing breath of mint stirred and tighten a coil of heat in her tight belly when he leaned in to kiss the warm pulse fluttering at her neck. Her nostrils flared as the spicy masculine heat emitting through his clothes urging a hot wave of ticklish desires through her female parts. Her skin tingled in anticipation as his warm rough hands slid down her sides to cup her firm round …

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that smells matter.

One of the fastest ways to turn someone on (or off) is through scent.

Hormones are released through the skin and body fluids to indicate genetic mating compatibility and the female body’s readiness to be impregnated. In animals they call this “going into heat”. You could call it that for some humans as well.

Perfumes, colognes, body sprays, lotions, creams and washing products are a multi-billion dollar industry. They promise the effects of wearing their smells will overcome the object of your desire and also win you love, power, respect and lots and lots of sex.

And there is no doubt that there is some truth to it.

Mint, vanilla, strawberry and musk are among common and popular smells that have both an enticing and calming effect on people. Combine that with the hormone laden clean perspiration of both males and females and the result is seduction.

Stinky armpits/ body odor, bad breath and cigarette smoke are a few of the biggest turn off smells.

But the chemicals in a person’s body give them their own “personal scent” and THAT is the real force behind the scent of attraction.

To spice up thing with your partner, have them go scent shopping with you. Pick out a few new products that you both like that can be sprayed over a bed, splashed on each other during a sexy shower together or dabbed at the base of the throat for added enticement when close enough to catch a whiff.

Sometimes just a new smell can add a different feel to a relationship by making them smell like a new (yet familiar and comfortable) relationship.

So while great personal hygiene is a must, and wearing pleasant smelling odors are helpful, there is much that is determined in sex appeal by a person’s own body chemistry matching up with another person’s.

For those who are single, the next time your date leans in for a quick hug, they really might be trying to smell you. It wouldn’t hurt to smell them back.

You Get What You Fight For

2010-04-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

You don’t get what you wish for.

You don’t get what you pray for.

Often, you don’t even get what you pay for.

But with enough effort, perseverance and determination, you DO get what you fight for.

Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration. -Evan Esar

No one is going to hand you your dreams.

You’re not just going to wake up one morning and realize all you ever wanted just fell in your lap.

For better or worse, life doesn’t work that way. You have to go after what you want. Dig in your heels, tighten your grip and grit your teeth. It’s probably going to involve some suffering.

Whether you are longing for a victory in sports, politics, finances or love, you have to actively and often aggressively wage battle to obtain it. There will be obstacles. There will be set backs. There might even be some failures. But you’ll never taste the unbelievably sweet joy of victory unless you unleash your inner warrior and go head to head with whatever or whoever is keeping you from your prize.

Not all fights are a straight shot though. Negotiation. Humility. Strategy. Evasive maneuvers. All these are necessary sometimes when offensive tactics just won’t do the trick.

Like any good fighter knows, you have to have a few surprises up your sleeve. You need to be willing to calm your inner focus and then go balls to the wall.

“The harder the fight, the sweeter the victory.”

So what if the fight seems too much work? What if you just won’t do what it takes to achieve those dreams?

If you won’t fight for it, someone else will. And then they will have earned the victory. In the natural order of the world, with cause and effect, effort and reward, you get what you work for. You obtain what you fight for. You win what you’re willing to bleed, cry, sacrifice and die for.

Didn’t work for it = Didn’t earn it = Don’t value it = Don’t deserve it

If you aren’t willing to fight for something, you don’t deserve it.

Thinking – Walter B Wintle
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellows' will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise;
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

So forget the shooting stars, the wishing wells and the four leaf clovers. Put up your dukes.

NOW you’re ready.

Wealthy Is As Wealthy Does

2010-04-11T18:49:00.001-07:00

"A fool and his money are soon parted." Chinese Proverb

Just one more example of how people can come from little acquiring suddenly more than all their ancestors and family put together and then blowing it all in a few short years. Read This.

Substance Before Passion?

2010-04-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Every good relationship needs both romance and stability, common ground and attraction. But what order should you figure them out with a potential partner? And is one more important than the other?

More to follow!

Forethoughts on Foreskin

2010-04-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

New reasons to continue an ancient practice.

American Resorts, Er… Prisons

2010-04-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Homeless? Lost your job and evicted from your home? Just don't feel like getting a job?

Move to Illinois and commit a crime. Then kick back and enjoy the good life!

If THIS is prison, where do I sign up?

Punishing the married, the working class and the average citizen to support the illegal immigrants, lazy asses and criminals.

Good Job Obama!

You didn't warn everyone that the "Change" you were bringing was going to be F@ked Up! (or maybe you only told certain people and THAT is how you got elected...?)

The pictures are of Cook County Correctional Center in Illinois

Do Everything Yourself

2010-04-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Being a pretty competent and independent minded person, I hate to rely on others. I like having my own transportation, my own tool, my own cash.

I'm of the opinion that self esteem comes from the ability to do for yourself. You can't ever feel very good about yourself if you have to depend on someone else for your basic needs.

Competence = Confidence

Dependency = Immaturity + Incompetence = Low self-esteem

So start building your self-esteem! Whatever it is! Learn how to do it yourself!

Fantastic websites where you can seriously learn to do it all by yourself.

Do It Yourself (Home Improvements)

Do It 101

Instructables (Everything else!)

Bottle The Sunshine

2010-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

They're Playing "Our Song"

2010-04-05T06:50:00.001-07:00

Above almost anything else, many people relate how they feel about their relationship with a song. And looking back at songs throughout the written and oral history of the planet, it’s safe to say that has always been the case.

What is it about the romantic (or heartbroken) state of mind that urges a person to lyrics? Poetry is the same way. The depths of joy and pain felt towards those who were loved or lost seem to bring out in humans that need to quantify the emotion in prose. And maybe with a melody.

Many animals are the same way. They seem to feel a need to emit sounds of joy and loss over their mates, offspring and loved ones too.

When I was 19 and in college, I met someone I thought I couldn’t live without. We had a whirlwind courtship that lasted a mere 10 weeks. Just as my family was starting to think we might be becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, he and I eloped. A popular newly released song at the time that seemed to perfectly describe our feelings was “Truly, Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden. That was “our song”.

Time wasn’t on our side though. We’d dove head first into a marriage without first checking to make sure the ocean of our love wasn’t too shallow. It turned out to be more of a puddle. We had virtually nothing in common and while we both grew in many ways struggling for several years to make it work, by the time we called it quits our theme song had become Linkin Park’s “Numb”. If divorces get songs like weddings do, that would have been our divorce song.

It might seem juvenile sometimes to have a song, but it may be that the song not only gives us an idea of where our head and heart are at the time, it might help us express to others how we feel when our own words elude us. And it could be that if a song comes on the radio that reminds you of someone, it might indicate what you subconsciously think about them or a unconscious realization of how realistic a chance the relationship has.

Eggs, Bunnies & Crosses

2010-04-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Another confusing, candy laden, religiously affiliated, media hyped holiday.

Praise the Lord and pass the chocolate bunny?

Multi-tasking 101

2010-04-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

There are some things you can do simultaneously and it's a no-brainer. There are other things that if you try to do simultaneously, it just means you have no brain.

What If...There Is NO God...?

2010-04-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

It might be a foolish thing to wonder.

Or

It might be a foolish thing to believe in.

But since this is a day of celebrating the fool, (and it takes place JUST before the Celebration of Easter...hmmmm...) one might as well ask the question today. It certainly would be the absolutely BEST April Fools Joke in History if there isn't a god.

Parenting That Raises Failure Children

2010-03-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine what kind of wives and mothers these girl will grow up to be!!!

But it's not just the girls who are unbelievable!

Why Twilight Is HOT

2010-03-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

The idea of a vampire falling in love with a human was a pretty novel idea when Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight book came out. And it’s been the inspiration for knock offs and parodies alike. But it’s also been wildly successful in its own right. And ‘why?’ has been a source of bafflement to many people, mostly men.

Allow me to explain.

While adding supernatural powers and mythical creatures was part of the genius as a recipe for success…the true reason the books and movies are so compelling is because of the passionate love story.

1. The hero and heroine are young, healthy and beautiful.
Many people look back on their late teens and reminisce about the way it felt to be fresh, optimistic and mostly effortlessly healthy and fit. Before the struggles of life, the stress and frustrations of failures and tragedies started wearing away at their ambitions and dreams and causing wrinkles, age spots, hair loss or discolorations and weak aging bodies.

It’s a fairly common belief for those who believe in a life after death that they’ll return to the physical and mental state of their own personal “prime”, which is for most people their late teens, early twenties. Edward and Bella are at their “prime” and the readers and viewers older than that enjoy suspending belief that they are back in their prime as well.

Even if they’re endowed with additional powers, the fact that the lead male and female are physically attractive adds to the appeal. The actor Robert Pattinson is a fairly good looking guy, but he cannot do justice to the description in the book where “Edward” is described as breathtakingly gorgeous and practically the epitome of physical perfection. “Bella” is supposed to be somewhat average looking so the readers can at least try to relate to how an ordinary girl would feel extraordinary for being not just wanted but 'desperately wanted' by someone who is supposedly far out of her league.

Kristen Stewart does an excellent job of coming across as lacking self-assurance and being sweetly vulnerable but still being stubbornly determined to seduce the man she loves. There is of course the fact that in addition to being more physically attractive than she gives herself credit for, the character “Bella” has abilities and skills she later realizes that makes her Edward’s equal and balanced counterpart, a concept that is very important for the sensibilities of a post-feminist-movement generation.

2. The chemistry between the hero and heroine is intensely magnetic.
One of the most amazing things in life is the sensations associated with being in love. The chemicals released when a person is in the glow of infatuation is possibly the most powerful natural drug. “Walking on air”, “Being on top of the world”, “Feeling invincible” are some of the clichés that have come from this blissful state of adoring and feeling loved, accepted and wanted. Edward and Bella accept each other as they are, with all the craziness that entails. It is the same “loving beyond sanity and reason” that makes other famous love stories like Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights” and Nicholas Spark's "The Notebook" so compelling and beloved.

3. Beyond physical attractiveness, the hero and heroine embody highly desirable relationship characteristics like devotion, trust and selflessness.
There has been much joking about the fact that Edward wants to kill and eat Bella but Bella without logic trusts him not to. I read a very good review in “Bitch” magazine that came out right after the release of the movie version of “Twilight”. It raised some good points about how it’s somewhat animalistic that the story depicts the male as the predator and the female his hapless victim that he simply chooses to have mercy on. And that her chastity is always in his hands and his for the taking if and whenever he wants it.

The fact is though on the flip side, most women want a loving relationship with someone they trust, someone who will defend them and someone who not only has enough self control, but loves them enough that they would never, could never cause them physical harm. Most women go their entire lives wondering if the man they’re with is that way or if they will find a man who is that self-less and devoted to them. The character Bella has solid proof of that level of trust and devotion by the very fact that he restrains himself from the very beginning and never gives in to his selfish wants above carefully protecting her.

It’s true that humans are a kind of animal, and in most species of living creatures the males are larger, more powerful and use those features to protect and provide for their chosen mate and their offspring. This is a very natural and biologically pleasing thing. By virtue of the fact that since Edward is far more powerful (and therefore more potentially dangerous) than normal human males, he immediately and solidly proves his level of devotion, trust and selflessness by simply never taking advantage of his obvious desire for her or his unstoppable ability to overpower her any which way he wants. THAT is a very sexy thing to a women.

4. The sex appeal is strong but the love is stronger.
For a man to desperately want a woman but to love her enough to exhibit obvious self-control and selflessness for her happiness and well-being is at the root of every woman's fantasy and romance novel.

Women want to be desired by a man with a passionate frenzy that displays itself in day to day forms of thoughtful help and loving gestures. Incredible sex is important to most women, but they need to see and feel evidence of loving commitment through words and actions before they open themselves sexually to a man. Because Edward made Bella feel so loved, protected and cared about, she practically threw herself at him sexually. There’s nothing like a woman wrapped in the emotional hot blanket of ‘loving relationship security’ to have the confidence and urge to unfurl like a nectar laden flower begging to be sampled and pollinated.

While men may not understand the appeal of a teenage love story, women (and some men) all over the nation (and world possibly) are vicariously living through Edward and Bella their fantasy if being young, strong, beautiful and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that their lover is powerful, trustworthy, sexy and crazy in love with them.

Men who make fun of the Twilight story and scorn how enamored women are with it, are not just jeering at an unrealistic story about a mythical creature choosing a mortal mate. They’re making fun of every woman’s burning need to feel powerful and yet desperately needed and wanted in a devoted relationship.

Just thought you should know.

You Don't Want More

2010-03-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

While driving a few days ago and stuck at a red light, I noticed the sign outside the local McDonalds read:

Make it Large,
Get Free Pie

I was pretty stunned. REaLly? Aren’t you getting enough food as it is?

Hamburger :250
Small French Fries :230
w/out ketchup
small cola drink :110
= 590

A Double Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese : 740
Large French Fries : 500
w/ 1 packet of ketchup : 15
Large cola drink : 310
= 1,700

A large meal is almost an entire day’s worth of calories for an adult male. (suggestion of 2,000 per day, which is really WAY too much for anyone who isn’t an athlete, body builder, construction worker/ manual laborer or who isn’t at least 6’2 tall and active most of the day!)

Large McDonald meal 1,700
free apple pie + 250
= 1,950

Or basically 12 seconds of eating something "free" equals = 20 minutes sprinting on a treadmill or 1 hour brisk walking just to burn off the free pie. Gee, thanks!

America is bulging at the seams.
TWO out of every THREE adults in America is obese.

NOT fat, but Obese.

30% of the population under 18 is obese too.

Obesity as defined by the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) is a person who has a BMI of 30 and above. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.)

So what exactly does 30 pounds look like?
An entire 30 lb. turkey (includes bones).
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30 lb. weight lifting ball
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30 lb. adolescent pit bull mix
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30 lbs of dirt
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30 lbs of nails
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WHO in their right mind would want to lug around any of that all day, all night 24/7, 365????

According to this site: http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/statistics-obesity.htm

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions
• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
• Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
• 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
• 25% completely Sedentary
• 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

Obesity Related Diseases
• 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
• 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
• 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
• 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
• 26% of obese people having high blood pressure
Childhood Obesity Running Out of Control
• 4% overweight 1982 | 16% overweight 1994
• 25% of all white children overweight 2001
• 33% African American and Hispanic children overweight 2001
• Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rising from $35 Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999)

Childhood Metabolic and Heart Risks
• New study suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance)
• 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease
Surge in Childhood Diabetes
• Between 8% - 45% of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type II, associated with obesity.
• Whereas 4% of Childhood diabetes was type II in 1990, that number has risen to approximately 20%
• Depending on the age group (Type II most frequent 10-19 group) and the racial/ethnic mix of group stated
• Of Children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese
SOURCE: Wellness International Network Ltd - web.winltd.com

So…thanks anyway. McDonalds can keep their large meal AND their free pie.

If you want to really live this one shot you have at life...
You don’t want more.

What The Music You Like Says About You

2010-03-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Unlike some of my blogs which come at topics almost sideways, this one is about as obvious as the nose on your face.

Girlfriends Vs. Guyfriends

2010-03-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

The ACORN Finally Cracked

2010-03-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

If the lack of funding didn't do it, the scandals, federal blacklisting and fraud allegations did.

Souping Up Smart

2010-03-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

There are billions of ways to blow money. There are millions of ways to waste your time and energy. But both are incredibly bad ideas.

You can have nice stuff without breaking the bank. You can have projects without devoting your entire life to them. You just have to be smart about it.

Is THAT All You Got?

2010-03-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

It might be odd to suggest something honestly worthwhile can be learned from a fairy tale princess cartoon, but I'm gonna say that a LOT of guys could learn something from The Swan Princess story.

Two young royal children are brought together every summer by their parents in hopes they will grow up to fall in love, marry and unite the kingdoms. Princess Odette demonstrates over their adolescence that she is proficient at many things but as she and Prince Derek go through their awkward growth stages, they genuinely don’t care for each other or their parent’s matchmaking.

One summer however just as they’ve reach full physical maturity, they meet for the summer and discover they’re very attracted to each other. Without so much as having a conversation with her Prince Derek was so stunned by her beauty that he quickly announces "Prepare the wedding!" Princess Odette questions his sudden change of heart toward her. “Well, you’re beautiful!” he announces almost giddy.

“What else?” Princess Odette wants evidence that he genuine likes HER and not just her looks.

“What else is there?” Was Prince Derek’s confused reply. Their parents and entire royal entourage groan. Completely the wrong answer. Princess Odette calls off the wedding, refusing to just be a trophy wife. Prince Derek needs to grow up before he’s proven he will value all she is and has to offer.

It’s been said that: “A man falls in love with his eyes, and a woman falls in love with her mind.” But I'd like to think that that is just maybe their primary source of chemical attraction and not why they fall in love.

It is undeniable that men are visual creatures. Everything from men’s comic books to guy magazines and instruction paperwork tend to be heavy on photos and artwork and skimp on actual words.

It’s is not to say that men are so shallow they don’t care about a woman having anything more than a pretty face, a nice set of tits, a thin waist and a plump ass. But well…that would probably satisfy many of them for a lot longer than they would want to admit.

Visual cues are important for mating and reproduction. But there has to be more than that.

“youre very beautiful, and you have a great body. would like to get to know better...”

“Just saw your recently posted picture. Now I definitely want to meet you!”

These are just a few of the short emails that I’ve gotten recently from guys writing to express interest in me.

It’s true that I like getting compliments on my looks and figure as much as anyone. I work hard to stay attractive and I like that it’s noticed and appreciated. But while those might be qualities that attracts guys to me, guys who notice something beyond that, are those who attract my attention.

After a solid hour of lifting and stretching at the gym the other day, I paused to take a sip from my bottled water and consider which muscle group to work next. My work out usually last 1 ½ hours per session and I typically work out a minimum of three days a week, depending on my schedule.

Some of the things I’d already done that day: warm up walk/ran for 20 minutes, done 40 leg lifts, used the 15 lb free weights for 50 reps, did 40 decline pushups and 400 incline sit- ups with various stretching between.

I’d just decided I was ready to do 3 sets of 5 reps at 95 lbs on the bench press when a reasonably attractive, fit guy I’d noticed came up to me. He seemed like a fairly confident guy and I was curious what his line would be.

“Hey…I just gotta say…you’re very beautiful”.

I couldn’t help it. I think my face registered disappointment that it wasn’t an observation about my pushing myself with my work out or even a question about what kind of music I was listening to on my I-pod. I honestly would have preferred if he’d made a joke about how I had my car key tied into my shoelace.

Any time a guy starts an opening line with a remark about a girl’s physical appearance anything he says afterwards is just going to sound like he’s trying to ‘close the deal’.

Although I thanked him for the compliment, he could tell I wasn’t that impressed.

“I’m just a guy” he followed up with, shrugging his shoulders, “I hope you don’t hold it against me.”

I didn’t. But I couldn’t help but think that with a comment like that, even if I HAD been knocked over by it, there was nowhere for me to go with his opening statement.

If you’re going to get up the courage to approach a girl, at least say something that allows her to have a response. Or better yet, say something that is funny, clever or even a movie cliché.

“So… come here often?” would have at least made me chuckle and from there we could have talked about our fitness routines and favorite physical activities since we *were* at a gym.

But instead he made an unoriginal comment about my looks. And from there we both went back to our workouts and I wasn’t really interested in talking with him further. And it’s a shame. I had been ready to find out if he was more than just a nice set of biceps and glutes.

But I mean, seriously? You like the way I look? Is that all you got?

Don't Pee In The Water

2010-03-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

If your first thought was this is a blog about peeing in swimming pools...you'd be wrong! That would be way too obvious. (And not nearly thoughtful {or odd} enough.)

The Man Who Wrote A Really Large Check

2010-03-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

So far, (as a friend of mine pointed out) this is Obama's legacy.

Incurring an obscene amount of national debt is the only thing Obama has successfully done in his first year as president. I don't think there will be enough *change* left once he's done "redistributing the wealth" to make any real positive influence.

Super (Sexual) Women

2010-03-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Women seem to fall into three categories.

Low-sexual, Sexual and Abnormally Sexual.

Low-sexual women are the average. They can be a lot of talk and show especially when they’re still in their teens or early twenties, but they’re really not a lot of action. Or at least, regular action. Their idea of a satisfying sexual relationship can be anywhere from a couple times a month to a couple times a week. Max.

This frequency usually takes a huge nose dive after they’re past their mid twenties, had children or gotten married. They go from the coy or shy teenager, to the teasing twenties to fairly disinterested past the age of 30.

These women were probably never really comfortable with their sexuality. They don’t really feel comfortable with a male’s body and the older (busier and often fatter) they get the less they feel sex should matter in life, in a relationship, and for their partner.

These women make up the larger portion of the female population and are what make men reluctant (aka: dread like an appendage amputation) to take wedding vows.

For Low-sexual women having sex is something naughty to try when they’re young, something they do only because they’re badgered to by the man in their life, as a way secure a wedding ring or to have a baby. Or maybe it comes with other perks or presents. But basically it’s a means to an end. They don’t do it because they genuinely enjoy it. They don't *love* it.

Vanilla sex is as good as it’s gonna get with them. Everything and anything else is too dirty, “morally wrong” or against their religion.

Abnormally sexual women are sometimes confused with sexual women but there are several major differences. Sex is a compulsive, erratic thing for Abnormally Sexual Women. They are textbook nymphomaniacs. Interestingly, the word is used only to describe women who are hyper sexual. These women are described as being “addicted” to sex and tend to not care who they’re shagging as long as they’re getting it. These women may or may not be “freaks” (into really kinky sex).

Maybe they just want a LOT of sex and frequently. They may not actually have any “skills”, it’s just that they don’t ever get satisfied with sex. Abnormally sexual women have a medical condition, a mental disorder or were raped or molested at some point in their lives. For them the urge for sex is more about a mental/ emotional issue, or a biological imbalance.

Then there are Sexual women. Unlike Abnormal women, they were simply born with high sex drives. They genuinely enjoy sex. For them it’s as much as part of their daily life as say eating. Some people go a day or two without eating, but if you had a choice why would you?

Sexual women are not much different then a sexual guy. They know what they have because they found it fairly early in their adolescence. They know how to use what they have because they’ve been fine tuning those skills ever since. And they are quite comfortable with the male anatomy and they enjoy it the way men enjoy women's bodies.

Sexual women make up a very small percentage of the female population. They have the total package of skill, desire and looks. They haven’t been created by bad childhood trauma, they don’t have a mental or chemical imbalance and they’re not compulsive. They are quite discriminating about who they’ll be with, and generally speaking they’re really good at what they do. Really good. Because sex is something they love and it’s as much as part of them as the blazing colors across the sky are part of a sunset.

For them vanilla is just a starter flavor like at Cold Stone Creamery. It’s not just plain frigid cream in a paper bowl. It’s a delectable concoction of tasty surprises and mind blowing sensations served in a chocolate hand dipped waffle cone.

These are the women that make up men’s fantasies.

The fact is though, being one of these women is often very far from being a fantasy.

The hardest problem for a Sexual Woman is finding a man who can keep up. Seriously.

Young super sexual women tend to seek out (and are swooped up) by older men with skills and finesse. As the sexual women mature, they find they’re more compatible with younger men who have the fitness level and stamina that older men lack.

You could say the sexual woman in her prime has outgrown her male peers and seniors. From that point on, it’s a challenge to find a younger man with enough sophistication and maturity yet either natural ability or teachablilty.

Willingness to forfeit sleep, adventurous enough to push the sexual envelope and confident enough to be assertive with these sumptuous and vivacious creatures are highly desirable qualities for a sexual woman’s playmates or marriage partners.

The sexual appetite of these women frequently mirrors that of an adolescent boy. It’s strong. It’s willful. And it’s a delightful thing of beauty.

That is...IF she has a partner. Otherwise the restless lack of regular satisfaction seeps out of her pores like a fragrant yet rousing perfume. Which is somehow tangible in even their photographs.

What's not surprising is when doing a Google of super sexual women, two females consistently rank number 1.

Angelina Jolie and Marilyn Monroe.

What might be a little surprising is they're both Geminis.

And I would know. Angelina Jolie and I share a birth date (just different year).

Apparently it's a good time to be born if your a Super (Sexual) Woman.