Happy New Year!

2009 is going to be fine....

I hope.

Spelling

Has anyone out there noticed that with all this blogging going on, spelling seems to be a lost art? Perfectly wonderful writers are not immune to the errors. I know the information is being posted faster than any editor can read it. That makes the information really raw and timely...but I'm concerned that writers are trying to get their point posted too quickly and forgetting to hit the spellcheck button.

Jsut oen grils oppinoin!

Exercises for your Brain

I was reading my old standby, The Huffington Post and ran across this great article.

12 Exercises for your brain:

1. Spend an hour each day without saying anything except in answer to direct questions, in the midst of the usual group, without creating the impression that you're sulking or ill. Be as ordinary as possible. But do not volunteer remarks or try to draw out information.


2. Think for 30 minutes a day about one subject exclusively. Start with five minutes.


3. Write a letter without using the words I, me, mine, my.


4. Talk for 15 minutes a day without using I, me, my, mine.


5. Write a letter in a "successful" or placid tone. No misstatements, no lying. Look for aspects or activities that can be honestly reported that way.


6. Pause on the threshold of any crowded room and size it up.


7. Keep a new acquaintance talking about himself or herself without allowing him to become conscious of it. Turn back any courteous reciprocal questions in a way that your auditor doesn't feel rebuffed.


8. Talk exclusively about yourself and your interests without complaining, boasting, or boring your companions.


9. Cut "I mean" or "As a matter of fact" or any other verbal mannerism out of your conversation.


10. Plan two hours of a day and stick to the plan.


11. Set yourself twelve tasks at random: e.g., go twenty miles from home using ordinary conveyance; go 12 hours without food; go eat a meal in the unlikeliest place you can find; say nothing all day except in answer to questions; stay up all night and work.


12. From time to time, give yourself a day when you answer "yes" to any reasonable request.

If you'd like to read a more lengthy explanation of the twelve disciplines, or about Brande's explanation for these exercises, go here and search for Chapter 11 - Twelve Disciplines.

Your Family Tree

I'm not sure why, but a couple of years ago I became interested in find out about my family tree. In order to do so, it seems that the best website out there is Ancestry.com.

This site is expensive. I have been paying $19.95 per month for quite awhile. There are times when I hit too many dead ends so I quit for months at a time...but I don't stop paying. They get you hooked pretty quickly. After all...you don't want to lose all that work.

Ancestry.com has access to public documents like Census, Marriage, Birth and Death records etc. In addition, you get to take advantage of the work that others have done. Once you find out that your people just happen to intersect with other family trees, well that is when the fun begins. Ancestry will help you hook their work to your tree.

At any rate, it does help to have last names and maiden names of as many of the ancestors as possible. Otherwise you can confuse Margaret Jane Miller with Margaret Josephine Miller...etc.

Give them a try.

Newsweek's Behind the 2008 Campaign Videos

If you have any interest in learning about the "real" Sarah Palin or anything else that might have happened within earshot of reporters, you really must listen to the video interviews from the reporters.

We really have to remember who Sarah Palin is and was during this campaign. I really find it hard to believe anything that comes out of her mouth. I know that there was some manipulations from McCain's camp to put the loss and their ineffectiveness as campaign staff on to the back of Sarah Palin. However, there are too many reporters talking to too many people within the campaign. YES...she did buy the clothes. YES...she had campaign staffers put it on their credit cards. Why lie about it? Sarah Palin will say anything and do anything. In addition, she won't be extremely articulate about her attempts to convince the media and American public...but she will give it more than the college try.

She is everywhere, on Today Show, Fox...you name it they are interviewing her. But it is very apparent that she can't lie very well. She isn't smooth about it. She contradicts herself at every other sentence.

There is usually fire where you see smoke. It was true of Bill Clinton and his affairs that leaked during his campaign and his presidency. It was true of Tom Delay, John Edwards, Larry Craig etc. on their rumours coming to life. Karma is a bitch and it will bite you in the ass before you can look around to see what was coming. The truth always catches up with you eventually.

So Sarah...you can't be president....EVER. You are interested in covering up Troopergate, your teenage daughter's pregnancy, Neiman Marcusgate not to mention the mysterious way that you were able to have that new house on Lake Lucille that Todd built with a few of his buddies in his spare time. You find those acts more interesting to cover up and lie about than you find the search for common knowledge. You don't have intellectual curiosity. You have social curiosity. Social Curiosity...what will it take for me to get to that place of stature without really knowing or preparing for the actual job? Who will I have to befriend? Who will I need to step on? These are the curiosities in which Palin specializes.

It must be exhausting keeping up with all the lies. Seriously, there is no time left to read history or learn about the world. Especially with 5 children to care for. Sarah really reminds me of my sister...all over the place and always just scratches the surface. She is totally incapable of going too deep or get to the core of anything. And most of all she reminds me of my sister because.....it is all about her...not her children, family, husband or friends. It is all about her because "She Deserves This"!

Never mind the fact that "This" was never Earned.

Word for the day...profligacy

Main Entry:
prof·li·ga·cy

Pronunciation:
\ˈprä-fli-gə-sē\

Function: noun

Date: 1738

: the quality or state of being profligate

profligate
2 entries found.
1profligate (adjective)
2profligate (noun)

Sponsored Links
Profligate Definition
What Is Profligate? Find Out w/the Dictionary Toolbar
Dictionary.alottoolbars.com
Main Entry:
1prof·li·gate
Pronunciation:
\ˈprä-fli-gət, -ˌgāt\
Function:
adjective
Etymology:
Latin profligatus, from past participle of profligare to strike down, from pro- forward, down + -fligare (akin to fligere to strike); akin to Greek phlibein to squeeze
Date:
1647
1 : completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness 2 : wildly extravagant : prodigal
— prof·li·gate·ly adverb

Crazy Architecture

Crazy Architecture

I love architecture that is out of the box (or in the box but a better version of the box). I wish I had the talent, vision and the basic grasp of physics that it takes to construct these great structures.

Word for the day....sine qua non

sine qua non

si·ne qua non

Pronunciation:
\ˌsi-ni-ˌkwä-ˈnän, -ˈnōn also ˌsē-; also ˌsī-ni-ˌkwā-ˈnän\

You can find an audio version of the pronunciation here

Function:
noun

Inflected Form(s):
plural sine qua nons also sine qui·bus non \-ˌkwi-(ˌ)bu̇s- also -ˌkwī-\

Etymology:
Late Latin, without which not
Date:
1602

Definition:
: something absolutely indispensable or essential

Idiom:
An essential element or condition, as in A perfect cake is the since qua non of a birthday party. This phrase is Latin for "without which not" and has been used in English since about 1600. It appears more in writing than in speech.

will.i.am

I forgot about this one. Watching Oprah today and I was reminded of this great video. I am so out of it I wasn't sure who put it together....it was Will I Am (or will.i.am) from the Black Eyed Peas. I like him.


Here is the New will.i.am song debuting on Oprah today. Hopefully I can get the whole video soon.

One more thing....

Mr. I and I have said for 2 years now that Obama's campaign and the world during this election cycle has been eerily similar to the last season of the West Wing. The last season for that wonderful show was 2005, a full 3 years before this Presidential Race. However, as the days past and more of the campaign revealed itself, we kept looking at each other and almost getting chills.

Similarities you ask?

Alan Alda played Arnold Vinick (and won an Emmy I might add), an older gentleman Senator with years of experience. He was a moderate Republican who didn't get quite as "right-wing" as McCain pretended to be during his campaign, but you get the idea.

Jimmy Smits played Matt Santos, the young Hispanic Senator who selects Bartlett's Chief of Staff as his V.P. pick. Leo was an older more experienced Washington insider that gave weight to the ticket.

Do we see some similarities already?

That is just the start. The TV had the Nuclear Leak in California that caused the race to swing in the favor of the Democratic Santos who was against Nuclear Energy. That was the show's catastrophe....and what did we have in real life? The Economy crashed.

I won't give away the whole season, but trust me, the similarities don't end there.

Next thing I know I overhear CNN today in passing about Rahm Emanuel being chosen as Obama's Chief Of Staff. Turns out that Rahm Emanuel worked in the Clinton Administration about the time that West Wing was in its heyday. The character of Josh Lymon (Deputy Chief of Staff) was based on who??? RAHM EMANUEL. Interesting!

There's more. It seems that Rahm Emanuel's brother is Ari Emanuel. Has anyone seen Ari Gold (Jermey Piven) on Entourage? The character of Ari Gold was based on Ari Emanuel.

Read More About it here

Life imitates Art and Art imitates Life.

Word for the day....agita

Agita...another SAT word I just read. I really should be more proficient with language and vocabulary, but...

agita

Main Entry:
ag·i·ta
Pronunciation:
\ˈa-jə-tə\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
S Italian dialect pron. of Italian acido, literally, heartburn, acid, from Latin acidus
Date:
1982
: a feeling of agitation or anxiety

VOTE!

GO VOTE!!!

From Moveon.org:

Can you believe it? Election Day is finally, finally here!

There are lots of people out there who support Barack Obama but still aren't sure how, when, or where to vote. It's more common than you think—some of the people who have questions are probably your friends or coworkers.

So we've compiled all the info people need to vote, below. Not just where to go, but also what to do if there's a problem.

We're aiming to get this out to 200,000 voters by 10 a.m. Please forward this email on to everyone you know—and then click here to tell us how many people you sent it to so we can track our impact together.

Thanks!

Election 2008 Voting Information

Today, November 4th, is Election Day! Remember to vote—not just for Barack Obama, but for Congressional, state, and local candidates as well.

Where and when do I vote?
Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office.

Obama's VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com

League of Women Voters' site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php

Obama's voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)

What should I do before I go?

After you've entered your address on either Vote For Change or Vote411, read the voting instructions and special rules for your state.

Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it.
Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

What if something goes wrong?

Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
If you're voting on an electronic machine with a paper record, verify that the record is accurate.
Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
If you encounter a problem, try to videotape the situation and submit it to VideoTheVote.org
Want to do more?
Text all of your friends: "Vote Obama today! Pass it on!"
Make calls from home for Obama.

Now, everybody go vote!!!

*** Forward this email widely ***
Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 4.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Marla Sanderson on November 3, 2008. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Starbucks Gives Free Coffee TO ALL VOTERS!!

Backstage at SNL...

I'm not a McCain Fan, but I found this interesting...
It was also a trip down memory lane because I don't remember the time he hosted SNL.

Walking...not as easy as it looks

Walked the dog yesterday afternoon. She is a strong dog and loves to pull me along. Mr. Incredible (husband) calls it "P takes her out for a drag". Yep, that was it.

We were almost home, and there were 2 blood hounds being walked by their owner ahead of us and a car coming behind us. P kept dragging me and I was trying to keep her safe and out of the road. I turned to see the car approaching from the rear and BAM! I fell so fast I wasn't sure what happened.

After hitting the ground I realized really quickly just what happened. I twisted my ankle so badly the pain was AWFUL! I was crying and groaning while trying to keep a strong hold on P by her collar. That was a feat in itself. The driver stopped and asked me if I was OK, which I really appreciated. However, he had 2 dogs in the back of his truck. Luckily it was covered so they couldn't get out, but they were barking at me and P and P was barking at the dogs and the nice driver. And of course the owner of the blood hounds was there with her dogs too. If you have lost count, that is 5 dogs & 3neighbors in the middle of the street...and of course me...Grace is my middle name. Needless to say, P was trying to protect me, but was almost dragging me because she was lunging at both the guy on the street, the dogs and the situation.

The last thing Mr. I said to me before I left for the walk was "Do you have your cell phone?"
"No," I said, "I don't need it"...famous last words. As I was lying there in pain, I was thinking to myself...Yep, I'll never live this down.

Luckily Chris, the nice guy who stopped, offered to call someone. I wasn't thinking clearly and accidentally gave him a wrong number. Luckily I remembered Mr. I's cell phone number and was coherent enough to recite it.

I have to thank Chris and the other lady who also stopped for me. Luckily Mr.I was around the corner on his way to an appointment. So he was there to scoop me up within 30 seconds.

Today was spent at the orthopedic doctor. I have a lovely boot, brace and a nice prescription for pain killers.

Drama...2008 has brought a lot of it!

Happy Halloween!

Carve your very own pumpkin...without the mess.

Halloween Hangman...fun for all ages.

Sycophant..Word for the day

I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. So I try to pick up new words every now and then. My powers of retention are not what they used to be, but I do take the time to look up words that puzzle me. I found this one in an article about Joe Lieberman I'm sure I should have known this one, but here is an SAT word if I've ever read one:

Sycophant From the Free Dictionary Online

syc·o·phant (sk-fnt, sk-)
n.
A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Latin scophanta, informer, slanderer, from Greek skophants, informer, from skon phainein, to show a fig (probably originally said of denouncers of theft or exportation of figs) : skon, fig + phainein, to show; see bh-1 in Indo-European roots.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

syco·phantic (-fntk), syco·phanti·cal (-t-kl) adj.
syco·phanti·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

First Entry...Here We Go...

I've been considering this blog for years. My time is limited...normally. However, with the economy the way it is right now, I seem to have all the time in the world. I am now among the many small business owners who have declining sales. Sales for this month alone are 60% off from this time last year. Of course, the only reason we climbed to a 60% decline instead of the 75% we were touting earlier this month was thanks to the sale of some fixed assets. So technically we can't consider those as "sales"....but we are anyway since they represent money to pay the rent and utilities.

2008 has brought many things my way. Most were unwelcome. I'm finding that there are too many thoughts in my head. So instead of continuing to annoy my friends and family, I thought I would just post them here. Although I realize that I am now among the millions of bloggers, I wanted a place to express my views that had nothing to do with my business. I blog for the business too, but I needed a place that was free of insulting any future or past customers.

Back in the day, we used a private diary to purge our thoughts. However, why waste perfectly good and bad thoughts on a diary that no one will read? Seems more efficient, albeit self indulgent, to post them here and let the world read them. I'm not ever going to seek public office so what the hell. My guess is that few people will find this blog among the sea of blogs out there in the blogosphere or www.world. I figure I'm pretty safe in expressing views and ideas that may not be shared by the majority.