Ramblings

Friends Only

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:02:50 GMT

I don't have a nifty banner to upload, but someone mentioned that I should post that this is Friends Only since it looks like I never post. So there ya go - comment if you want to be added.

Free MRI for Machias Hospital

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:27:59 GMT

My mom had forwarded this to me - Machias is my parents hometown.

If you folks would cast your vote for the DownEast Community Hospital in Machias, Maine once a day they might win a free MRI. They are in 6th place tonight.

Go to www.winanmri.com and scroll down to the botton part where you will find them, Blue Box, thanks and let's see if Washington County can get something going for them.

Torchwood question

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:52:44 GMT

Okay, in "They Keep Killing Suzie" at the end there's that weird scene about the stopwatch.

What in the world are they going to do with it? If it's an innuendo for something it totally escaped me!

Completely love this show though. They need to hurry up and make season 2!!!

For Leesalogic if she hasnt seen it already. :)

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:09:40 GMT

Rats and cats work to sniff out mines:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_fe_st/odd_colombia_landmines

BOGOTA, Colombia - Who says Tom and Jerry can't be friends? For the past year, a special Colombian police unit has been locking rats in cages with cats as part of a project to train the rodents to sniff out the more than 100,000 landmines planted mostly by leftist rebels across this conflict-wracked Andean country.

Bringing the rats face to face with an enemy allows them to stay more focused once they are released, veterinarian Luisa Mendez, who's been working with the animals for two years, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"Here the cats play with the rats instead of attacking them," Mendez said. "The cats wear shields on their nails so they can't cause any injuries and as a result the rats feel comfortable playing around them."

The rodents are taught to freeze in front of mines, but had difficulty staying put for fear of being attacked by predators.

Col. Javier Cifuentes, who oversees the project, said the rats' success rate in mine detection is 96 percent. Unlike dogs, the rats weigh a lot less and therefore don't trigger explosions.

Colombia is home to the world's largest number of land mine victims. Last year, there were 1,108 victims, or about one every eight hours, the government says. Nearly a quarter of the victims die from their injuries.

The nation's rat project was recognized last month as one of the five most innovative projects at a conference of behavior psychologists in Mexico, and its initial findings will soon be presented at a similar conference in Argentina.

Just a laugh - one of those things sent around on email

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 18:39:13 GMT

Normally I wouldnt post these, but it's been a loooong day and it made me LOL

This is an open letter
written to the branch manager of Proctor
and Gamble...

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of
your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their
features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm) absorbency, I'd
probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly
steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But
my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on
being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi
pads be aerodynamic.. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each
month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had
a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm
guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now..
As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my
body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be
transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with
knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?

As branch manager in
the feminine-hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of
research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits
from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and
cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and
out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most
women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge
to shove her husband's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because
he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps.
Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is
just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants. Which brings me to
the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of
cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my
uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive
backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you ##**#* kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny
middle-manager brain really think happiness-actual smiling, laughing
happiness-is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned
above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless
you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything
"happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and
Kahlúa and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the
local Walgreens armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your
life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man.
If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it
make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down
the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just
picking on us?

Sir, please inform your accounting department that,
effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I
have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will
certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand
of condescending bullsh*t. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons

The Ultimate Out-of-Office Reply

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:38:55 GMT

"Have an important e-mail message to send but don't want to be alive when the person receives it? Then this is for you.

A professor at Baylor University, in Houston, has started an Internet service that allows users to send e-mail messages from beyond the grave. For $19.95 per year, according to United Press International, a customer can reserve e-mail messages to be delivered only after his or her time has passed.

Some people plan to send important stuff, such as computer passwords or locations of safety-deposit- box keys. Others may prepare that final farewell, so it will arrive in the in boxes of loved ones days
after the sender's death.

The service, called Deathswitch, works by automatically sending a message to the customer, usually every two weeks, just checking to see if that person is still alive. If no answer is received, the service goes into "worry mode" and starts pestering the person some more. Eventually the customer is declared dead, and the e-mails announcing such are sent.

To prevent a premature declaration of one's demise, users can choose a vacation mode if they plan to be away from the Internet for an extended period of time." —Dan Carnevale

Reviewer slams book that was never written

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 15:35:07 GMT

I was forwarded this from my writing group. It's bad enough to get a bad review - but to get one on something not even written???? sheesh.

Aritcle in full is or here's the link to the paper

"A book reviewer on a Swedish newspaper has got himself into hot water for writing a review of a book that has not been written. To make matters worse, Kristian Lundberg claimed the book's plot was "predictable" and said the characterisations were one-dimensional.

Lundberg made the comments in Helsingborgs Daglad, in an article about recently published thrillers, reports Dagens Nyheter. Among those he reviewed were Britt-Marie Mattsson's novel 'Fruktans Makt' (The Power of Fear).

Unfortunately for Lundberg, while the book had been advertised in publisher Piratförlaget's autumn catalogue, Mattsson never actually got round to writing it.

The newspaper has made an "unreserved apology" to Mattsson. Lundberg's apology was more qualified. He told Svensk Bokhandel magazine that he had "got worked up in advance about Britt-Marie Mattsson because I detest her so very greatly. But let's hope the book is published so I get the chance to say it for real."

Mattsson has not yet made her views on the subject known. But Piratförlaget's spokesman Mattias Boström said it confirmed what they'd suspected about reviewers.

"We've known for a long time that reviewers skim-read books, but know we know what really happens," he told Dagens Nyheter.

James Savage" http://www.thelocal.se/5818/20061215

Blue Man Group

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 15:11:09 GMT

Finally! The Blue Man Group will be touring in this area next year. I've heard good things about the show and have always wanted to see it. Anyone seen it?? Is it worth it???

Still bummed we missed Spamalot while it was in town so that needs to get back here already! But I'm looking forward to Wicked and on a much smaller scale the King Tut exhibit in PA.

I can't believe it's almost Christmas and I'm in short sleeves today. The whole holiday season this year has been a bit of a bummer, but hopefully things will perk up. I've completed all of my shopping and now I just need to wrap.

Also - I know I dont post much but I think after this I'll be changing it to friends only. So if anyone browses and would like to be added just let me know!

Almost done...

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:12:47 GMT

I managed to get an assignment, a huge paper and a final exam done yesterday. Whew. Only one paper left and this semester is over! Waiting for the final exam to be posted was stressing me out - she was half an hour late! The only good thing was that it gave me time to string more popcorn. : )

If I can get this other paper done today I can finally turn back to finalizing my short murder mystery. I'm submitting it for consideration to the Sisters in Crime for publishing - so wish me luck! : )

Another excellent dream last night. I dont usually have vivid dreams so whatevers causing them recently is fine with me. : D

Charles De Lint fans?

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:32:16 GMT

Anyone interested in a couple of de Lint books? I have doubles of Spirits in the Wire (Hardback, like new) and Forest of the Heart (large trade paperback with some shelf wear on the cover)

hard part is finding a way to get them to whoever! Happy to meet up or hold onto them if anyones interested but has to wait a few weeks. I hate to see them go to waste and the used book store wont take anything but regular paperbacks. : /

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:19:18 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! I hope you had a fantastic day with friends and family. Things were pretty quiet here with just us and my mom. Food was good and it was nice to have some time to relax, but I do miss the huge family gatherings.

Holiday Wishes

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 13:23:22 GMT

I've been having way too much fun on Holiday Wishes. Argh - I forgot how to link. I need more sleep. Anyway its featured on the LJ startup page. Mine hasnt posted yet, but I've been able to grant about seven so far. I knew there was a reason I kept some of that stuff. :) If anyone has free time - check it out. Lots of people just want cards or small stuff.

dreams

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 17:44:37 GMT

After nights and nights of not getting a good nights sleep - I finally had a deep relaxing night. And an excellent dream. :) Not something I'm going to share, but it was very comforting. :)

Which was what I needed as I had to go back to the dentist to finalize my root canal. I thought i was going for a quick five minute appointment. Two hours later and I'm ready to go home. What do I come back to? A note to see my big boss. Nothing bad - just a project I need to work on and my brain is simply not up to it today.

flights

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:21:16 GMT

The one bad thing about booking a last minute flight is that it appears the airlines then mark you as an automatic extra security check. Both flights we were all pulled aside for special screening. Nothing like taking a toddlers shoes and then leaving seperating him from his mom. True, he could stay with my husband, but he didnt understand why he had to go somewhere else and couldnt have his shoes. The way home wasnt too bad, but the flight down we almost missed. Steve's shoes set off some kind of thing on their sensors with the special wipey things they use. They were pulling out explosive chemical manuals and kept him for half an hour with a whole bunch of people asking him questions about his job, etc. He wears them working in the yard. Who knows what the heck he might have on those things. We got on our flight with like a minute to spare. We bought shoes for the trip back!

Atlanta

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 23:56:00 GMT

Well our whirlwind trip to Atlanta is nearing an end. I'm exhausted. Next vacation I'm spending on a beach somewhere with someone bringing me drinks with umbrellas. and oh yeah, the kids are staying home. Great kids, but VERY hard to have a relaxing day trying to entertain a teen and a toddler. Maybe 2 is not the best age to travel. : P he was good though.

Random thoughts on Atlanta - the Aquarium is incredible. If I lived nearby I'd be there whenever I new the human traffic would be low. Very crowded though.

Stone Mountain was fun, but a little too touristy for me. My favorite part was being on top of the mountain and we found a letterbox way off behind all the regular stuff. Six hawks were flying right by the side of the mountain and with the few trees we couldnt see a soul.

There are a lot of sock stores down here. Whats with that?

I've eated more food in the past two days than i have in the past week. Sadly that could be literal. Southern food is GOOD. And there's alot of it. And it aint salad. I've already planned for some serious gym time tomorrow/next week.

Service is SLOW. No ones in any particular hurry.

Found some fun halloween letterboxes.

Pub Crawl

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 11:34:40 GMT

Well, went to my first pub crawl last night. So today I'm exhausted. It was fun. A combination pub crawl, murder mystery and letterboxing event. Each pub had a suspect we had to interview and get dna/fingerprints and their personal stamp. Some required a drink to loosen their tongues. The Incan needed kisses from all the girls. After we had all their clues the suspect would give us an envelope for our next suspect/location. Then througout that we had to find locations and words to solve a cryptograph in order to find the final pub location. A little cold out but after a lemon drop and whatever else I was drinking - I warmed right up. Met some great people and had a fantastic time. Course today Steve had to work and I'm on my own with the toddler when all I want to do is curl up and lounge!

vacation

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:48:11 GMT

I'm so burnt out today. I think I need a vacation. I've been trolling around the sales to see whats out there. Atlanta, GA has some good deals. Not to mention alot of letterboxing. :) I havent been there yet. Bermuda looks promising but I'm worried about the cost of eating. Everyone says how expensive it is. Mayan Riviera also darn promising, but do I want to drag a toddler around there??? hmph. I'd really like to go somewhere *warm*. This 50deg stuff is nuts.

kids

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:31:40 GMT

Sigh. I've really got to find an alternate babysitter in the area. We've always had my mom do it but more and more schedules clash or she's just not able to watch them on a certain night and we keep missing stuff we really want to do. : / Sometimes we just take the kids with us, but a letterboxing pub crawl really isnt kid friendly! Maybe someone from kindercare will do a babysitter night swap with me. Very frustrating.

Make A Wish Scavenger Hunt

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 18:36:41 GMT

Well, I'm not really into Halloween mode yet, but I am psyched about this weekend. We're doing the Make a Wish Foundation Scavenger Hunt again. Last years was tons of fun and this year my moms watching the kids so we might be able to get to a few more of the interactive challenges and enjoy the post hunt buffet at Outback. The kids were beat last year and we bailed early.

So tonight I need to go out and buy some of the donation items. If you bring in things the kids can take on their trips such as - disposable camera, backpack, etc you get extra scavenger hunt points before the day begins. Also points for pledges - so if anyone feels an overwhelming desire to pledge just email. : D

Some of those teams are really out to win so I dont hold much hope of having the most points. I'm just going for the fun of the day.

Vow Renewal

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 12:50:51 GMT

The vow renewal was perfect. Just what we'd wanted, but way too quick. Thankfully the rain stopped just long enough for the ceremony. I really truly, did not want to have it indoors! My dress fit! Woohoo!! Not even trouble zipping the silly thing. : D

Here's a few photos. Can't wait to see the ones from the photographer.

http://photos.yahoo.com/justplaingeorge

The service at the castle was excellent. I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to vacation in Western Maryland.

Scenery on Bull Run

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:28:23 GMT

The hubby and I took yesterday off to finalize our refinance and just have some downtime. Ended up hiking up Bull Run Mtn. What a flippen hike that is. Way too much uphill for me. however, it was a day to remember - as we were taking a break and getting ready to head back down we spied a jogger heading our way. No biggee until we realized he was completely NUDE. Well, he had on sneakers and socks but thats all. What to do??? normally we nod and greet other hikers. This time we just buried ourselves in our packs looking for water or something. He was just in our field of vision for WAY too long : P

Long day

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:02:18 GMT

Yesterday was not a good day. At 10am my husband called to tell me he'd been rear ended. Everyone was fine, but the car was pretty messed up. I went home and we spent the day getting estimates and trying to get ahold of someone that had the other persons insurance information. (It was a company van so we were trying to reach the manager). As of this morning we still havent heard from the insurance people. : | The estimates were pretty high and since its an old car I have a feeling they're going to total it and we're going to be screwed. There's no way we can afford a car on the blue book value. Sigh. Any good vibes available - I'll take them!

Finally saw it

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:41:01 GMT

A friend sent me the Wire episode. OH MY GOD. If I wasn't on a fitness kick as it was that would have sent me running to the closest gym. AAGGGHHH!!!!

The Wire

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:35:22 GMT

Well it sounds like my two seconds of being an extra made it on The Wire! : D I can't wait to see it! Not enough to actually purchase HBO, so a friend is sending me a tape of it - soon I hope...

Meme

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:20:25 GMT

Saw this on JakeThrash's site and decided to give it a go

Two names you go by
Shell
Bryn

Two parts of your heritage
English
Native American

Two things that scare you
being homeless
something happening to my kids

Two of your everyday essentials
books
diet coke

Two things you are wearing right now
Make a Wish Scavenger Hunt t-shirt
sneakers

Two of your favorite bands or musical artists at the moment
ugh...tough one.

Two things you want in a relationship (other than love)
romance
willingness to be a little silly

Two physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you
Strong shoulders
Nice eyes

Two of your favorite hobbies
letterboxing
writing

Two things you want really badly
no debt
to lose weight

Two places you want to go on vacation
New Zealand
Alaska

Two things you want to do before you die
get published
climb the aztec pyramids in Mexico

Two ways that you are stereotypically a girl
I dont like bloody horror movies
I love spa treatments

Two ways that you are NOT stereotypically a girl
I dont care a bit about shoes
I couldnt put on makeup to save my life

Two things you are thinking about now
i have too much homework
i need to finalize some wedding details